Posted on by Pat DeCola

LOUDON, N.H. — Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch met with media for the first time since Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 on Wednesday morning during organizational testing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

RELATED: Larson, Busch fast at Loudon

The two-time “Magic Mile” winner has been the focus of some media attention in the days following NASCAR’s marathon race, after a terse post-race interview sparked a debate about the level of emotion a competitor should show after a tough loss. Busch finished second in the 600-mile, rain-delayed race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and was understandably upset about narrowly falling short of his first victory of the season. He said Wednesday that reactions differ depending on how certain sports figures show emotion after events.

“No question,” the 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champ told reporters gathered around his hauler. “(Five-time Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots head coach) Bill Belichick gets it differently than anybody else.

“But, you know, we also sometimes are more successful than others as well, too.”

In other words, he’s on to Dover.

Busch has been on a roll of late, with three straight top-five finishes. He’ll look for his third career Dover International Speedway win in Sunday’s AAA 400 Drive for Autism (1 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM).

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR fined crew chief Rodney Childers $10,000 for a safety violation after the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ Coca-Cola 600 last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford driven by Kevin Harvick was found to have one lug nut improperly installed in post-race inspection.

Harvick started the Memorial Day weekend race in the Coors Light Pole position but finished in eighth place. He sits fourth in the driver point standings this season.

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Take 5: Observations from 600 | Race Rewind

Joe Gibbs Racing’s four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams were already showing signs of improvement before this year’s All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

But Kyle Busch’s victory in the non-points event undoubtedly helped lay the groundwork for what was to become, at this point, the organization’s best combined result of the season a week later.

“That was certainly something we could build off of,” Jason Ratcliff, crew chief for the No. 20 JGR Toyota of Matt Kenseth, said following Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600. “Everybody came back, worked hard (during Saturday’s two practice sessions), put some good notes together and everybody ran well (in the 600).”

Busch nearly pulled off the dynamic double, winning the All-Star Race and the 600 until a fuel mileage gamble by Austin Dillon got in the way. Dillon scored his first career victory in the series; Busch was runner-up for the 38th time.

Kenseth managed to motor home with a fourth-place finish, teammate Denny Hamlin was fifth and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Daniel Suarez was 11th. That’s an average finish of 5.5 for the group, and the first time this year it’s broken the double-digit barrier.

“I hope we can keep that up,” Ratcliff said. “It’s definitely a good momentum builder. Hopefully we can take that into Dover, on to Pocono and through the rest of the summer.”

The series heads to Dover International Speedway this weekend for Sunday’s AAA 400 Drive for Autism (1 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). All four JGR drivers have wins in one NASCAR series or another at the 1-mile concrete oval, including five Monster Energy Cup wins between Kenseth (3) and Busch (2). Kenseth is the defending race winner.

This year’s fuss, of course, can be traced back to last year’s success. Armed with a bit more of a veteran lineup, JGR drivers won seven of 12 races to start the ’16 season and all four qualified for the 10-race Playoffs with Busch and Carl Edwards advancing to the Championship Round.

Suarez came aboard with an XFINITY Series title but no premier series experience when Edwards announced in January of ’17 that he was stepping away from racing.

While it’s been a bit of a transition for Suarez, the 25-year-old has three top-10 results and continues to show improvement.

For JGR as a whole to be winless at this point on the heels of last year’s results has been one of the season’s most unexpected developments.

Adam Stevens, crew chief for Busch, said it’s too soon to call the organization’s recent results a trend, but says he likes what he saw coming out of the two-week Charlotte stop.

“I think the 18 has had pretty good speed most every weekend,” Stevens said of his particular group. “I feel like we could have had a couple of wins but we don’t. But we had good speed last week (in the All-Star Race) and ran well; had good speed as a company this week. I think if we can duplicate that at Dover, maybe Pocono, then I would say definitely for sure.”

Having multiple teammates is beneficial, but much more so when all are running well.

“It just helps your notes so much,” Stevens explained. “If you are all running mid-pack … you don’t know if you’re learning anything because you don’t have the results to show for it. The proof is always in the pudding.

“It’s nice to go out there and make some changes, work on your car and see that bear some fruit. You can always think that you’re making it better but if you don’t have the results to show for it, you’re just guessing.”

The runner-up effort was Busch’s third consecutive top-five finish. His teammates are still searching for that sort of consistency.

“We’ve been a bit scattered,” Kenseth noted. “Our speed is better and we still have some work to do especially with my car to get it driving better. I still can’t run with the 78 (Martin Truex Jr.) and the 18 (Kyle Busch); if they’re out in front of me, they’re still better than us. We still have some work to do, but we do have more speed and that’s encouraging.”

Truex now leads the points and his Furniture Row Racing outfit gets its chassis from JGR, with whom it has a technical alliance. Truex has a pair of victories and is considered the front-runner among title hopefuls after the first dozen races.

JGR, however, appears to be closing the gap.

“It’s slow and steady,” Ratcliff said. “You make progress … what do they call it, the compound effect? You start seeing it over time and I think that’s what it is.”

Posted on by Pat DeCola

RELATED: See the races at New Hampshire

LOUDON, N.H. — Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams descended upon New Hampshire Motor Speedway for organizational testing at the 1-mile oval on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kyle Larson had the three fastest laps of the seven-hour opening day of testing with a best speed of 125.6 mph. He followed it up on Wednesday, again posting the fastest lap at 125.1 mph.

Testing included a plethora of heavy-hitters, including five former “Magic Mile” winners in Kyle Busch (Joe Gibbs Racing), Brad Keselowski (Team Penske), Clint Bowyer (Stewart-Haas Racing), Kasey Kahne (Hendrick Motorsports) and Ryan Newman (Richard Childress Racing).

Twelve drivers in total were at the test, representing nine different Monster Energy Series teams. Three drivers specifically tested for NASCAR’s three manufacturers.

Teams are prepping and collecting data for the upcoming New Hampshire 301 (July 16, 3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio) and the Sept. 24 New England 300 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.)

Joe Gibbs Racing drivers (Busch in 2015, Matt Kenseth in 2016) have won the past two July NHMS races.

The session was interrupted briefly early Tuesday afternoon as rain spit from the cloudy skies above the race track embedded in the Granite State woodlands. As a result, the test was extended thirty minutes to 7:30 p.m. ET. The Wednesday session was delayed approximately three hours due to morning showers.

A pair of drivers looking for more consistent seat time (i.e. a full-time ride) in Alex Bowman and Drew Herring were also on hand to test for Chevrolet and Toyota, respectively.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently mentioned Bowman would be a suitable replacement for him in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet next season after he hangs up the fire suit. Bowman filled in for Earnhardt last year on a part-time basis during the latter’s recovery from concussion-related symptoms.

RELATED: Junior endorses Bowman for No. 88

See the table below for each driver’s best speeds from each day.

Tuesday

Driver Team Manufacturer Speed (mph)
 1. Kyle Larson  Chip Ganassi Racing  Chevrolet   125.6
2. Kyle Busch  Joe Gibbs Racing   Toyota  125.2
3. Kasey Kahne  Hendrick Motorsports   Chevrolet  124.8
4. Brad Keselowski   Team Penske   Ford  124.5
5. Ryan Blaney   Wood Brothers Racing   Ford  124.4
6. Ryan Newman  Richard Childress Racing   Chevrolet  124.3
7. Clint Bowyer  Stewart-Haas Racing  Ford  124.2
8. Trevor Bayne  Roush Fenway Racing   Ford  123.4
9. Drew Herring  Toyota Wheelforce   Toyota 123.3
10. Alex Bowman  Chevrolet Wheelforce   Chevrolet  122.7
11. Ty Dillon  Germain Racing   Chevrolet  122.3
12. David Ragan  Ford Wheelforce   Ford  121.5

Wednesday

Driver Team Manufacturer Speed (mph)
 1. Kyle Larson  Chip Ganassi Racing  Chevrolet   125.1
2. Kasey Kahne  Hendrick Motorsports  Chevrolet  125.0
3. Kyle Busch  Joe Gibbs Racing  Toyota  124.8
t-4. Brad Keselowski   Team Penske   Ford  124.3
t-4. Ryan Blaney   Wood Brothers Racing   Ford  124.3
6. Clint Bowyer  Stewart-Haas Racing  Ford  124.2
7. Ryan Newman  Richard Childress Racing  Ford  123.6
8. Ty Dillon  Germain Racing  Chevrolet 123.4
9. Alex Bowman  Chevrolet Wheelforce  Chevrolet  123.0
10. Drew Herring  Toyota Wheelforce  Toyota  122.8
11. Trevor Bayne  Roush Fenway Racing  Ford  122.6
12. David Ragan  Ford Wheelforce   Ford  121.3

 

Posted on by Steve Luvender

The longest race of the season, Memorial Day weekend, a thrilling finish, a first-time winner, a driver live tweeting the race, competitors getting lost during a rain delay — what more could you ask for? The Coca-Cola 600 never disappoints, and this year’s running of NASCAR’s iconic race was no exception.

THUMBS UP to another first-time winner in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. It took 133 tries, but Austin Dillon pulled it off. All it took was a little bit of extra fuel — and some wood paneling, apparently.

(Turns out the car couldn’t pass inspection if it were actually made of wood, but the wood-printed vinyl wrap is pretty close.)

And, of course, a bonus thumbs-up to the No. 3 crew for joining in on their driver’s trademark victory celebration of, well, sliding stomach-first across the grass, thus creating the greatest GIF of the 2017 season so far.

THUMBS DOWN to stormy weather during the race. Everybody knows rain is bad, but when it adds two hours to the longest race of the year, it creates problems — like rookie drivers getting lost, for instance. Gray Gaulding, making his first 600 start, was nowhere to be found once drivers were called back to their cars after the Air Titans dried the track.

Gaulding eventually found his way back to the grid, along with Timmy Hill, who had also gone missing. Close call. A swift thumbs down to rain … although, the post-storm rainbow was admittedly cool.

THUMBS UP to the paint schemes of the Coca-Cola 600. The 600 always brings out the best designs of the season. Let’s take a moment to appreciate a few of these.

… the No. 2’s paint didn’t last for too long, but it looked pretty good for the first 19 laps.

Speaking of …

THUMBS DOWN to engines that fall apart. Sure, the Coca-Cola 600 is the longest race on the schedule, putting drivers and their machines to their ultimate test, but it must be a disappointment for something to go mechanically wrong before the first stage flag waves.

Think about it — you’re ready to race your heart out for 400 laps, go from day to night, figure out how well the “sticky groove” helps your speed, make enemies out of your neighbors on pit road …

… only for something mechanical to fail in the opening laps of the race, like what happened to Jeffrey Earnhardt’s car just minutes after the green flag.

Debris from the No. 33’s rear end (no, not that kind — gross) littered the track after the parts failure, putting a hole in the nose of Chase Elliott’s car, which ended up in the path of a Brad Keselowski, ending all three drivers’ nights.

Things that break prematurely are the worst. Major thumbs down.

THUMBS UP, on the other hand, to Brad Keselowski for joining fans on social media after crashing out of the race early.

From heading to Facebook Live to posting innuendo-laden Tweets (courtesy of his sponsor, Miller Lite), the conversation became quite interesting.

Keselowski deserves some credit for being a good sport — and his time on Facebook Live and Twitter probably made some people wish he’d crash out early more often, for one reason or another.

THE BIGGEST THUMBS UP OF THE WEEK goes to the overall presence of pride on this Memorial Day weekend. From the patriotic paint schemes to special Goodyear tires to the names of fallen heroes prominently printed on drivers’ windshields, the tradition of honoring those who gave it all makes the Coca-Cola 600 one of the most unique and special race weekends of the season.

Those who gave everything so that we have the freedom to watch racing, make questionable Tweets, and slide across the infield grass deserve more than just a thumbs up.

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RELATED: Full race results | Austin Dillon gets his first win

CONCORD, N.C. — A perspiring Erik Jones speculated Sunday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway was the first night he had ever finished his entire bag of water during a race.

Daniel Suarez said he wasn’t sure if he was going to finish the entire 600-mile event that extended to the wee hours of Monday morning.

Six hundred miles of racing — along with a 100-minute rain delay — is no joke.

Despite the grueling distance that could daunt even the most seasoned drivers, Monster Energy Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders Jones and Suarez performed more like veterans in Sunday’s event, finishing seventh and 11th, respectively, and running consistently in the top 10.

“I tried to be aggressive and I tried to stay in the front,” Suarez said after the race. “… I feel like the guys did an amazing job of working on the car, trying to tune up the car and we had a top-10 car and we ended up one spot short.”

For Jones, the seventh-place result was a refreshing change from his four-race string of wrecks and cut tires that led to four disappointing finishes at Bristol, Richmond, Talladega and Kansas.

“This was what we needed after a bad couple races,” Jones said. “So, nice to just get a good, solid finish, good top-10. I think our car was a little bit better than that — we just got that hole in the nose early and never really got the balance the same. But the 5-hour Energy Camry was good and it was just nice to have a good night.”

The driver who turns 21 on Tuesday had a strong car all weekend, qualifying fifth, leading opening practice and placing in the top five in the other two practice sessions. An early incident saddled him with a hole in the nose of his No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota that caused him to pit for repairs and left him to come from the back of the field.

It was a situation where patience was, indeed, key.

“I was impressed to see the job Erik did being patient all night — it’s a long race,” crew chief Chris Gayle told NASCAR.com after the race. “He had to go to the back with damage to the nose and he was still patient getting back up through the field.

“… He’s been (patient) all year long — he just hasn’t been rewarded with the finish until tonight from doing it. I think that the more you’re rewarded with the finish, the more it enforces that you need to be that way.”

RELATED: Driver statistics for Erik Jones | Daniel Suarez

Jones was also prepared; the rookie had a bit of help pre-race in the form of his teammate and 2016 Coca-Cola 600 winner Martin Truex Jr., who led a race-high 233 laps before finishing third.

“It definitely helps when you come into a track where our teammate was so fast last year,” Jones said. “Obviously we leaned a lot on his setup, I leaned a lot on him and his data and everything else in between. He had another fast car tonight and I think he had a car that could have won the race.

“At the start of the race I thought we had one that could have contended until we got the hole in the nose. Overall, nice to have somebody that’s so fast — not only here, but every week — to lean on. I try to get information from him when I can to try to get faster and more consistent finishes up front.”

Jones wasn’t the only rookie with teammates up front at Charlotte; Suarez also ran with his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates toward the front of the pack. After early season struggles for the typically dominant JGR group, the Toyota power seemed to flourish Sunday night with Kyle Busch finishing second, Matt Kenseth fourth and Denny Hamlin fifth.

But while appearing pleased with the effort, Suarez also didn’t seem fully content with his 11th-place result.

“I feel like it was good, we just have to make better decisions and adjustments a couple of times,” the 25-year-old driver said. “We lost some spots on pit road and track position was huge and I don’t feel like that helped us a lot.

“But we had a top-eight, top-10 car and we ended up very close to that.”

 

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Full race results | Austin Dillon gets first win

CONCORD, N.C. — Seventeen years, give or take a month or two here or there.

How old was he? He being Austin Dillon, winner of Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Ten. He was 10 years old the last time that oh-so-familiar black No. 3 rolled off the race track and into Victory Lane at Talladega.

The year was 2000. Seems like ages ago; sometimes it seems like yesterday, too.

That, of course, makes Dillon 27, and a fuel-mileage gamble that paid off handsomely makes him a first-time winner here in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

WATCH: Not even enough gas for a burnout

Seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt put the No. 3 in Victory Lane 67 times. Often enough for some fans to come to loathe it, often enough for many more to come to love it.

Kevin Harvick, who stepped into the ride following Earnhardt’s death in the 2001 Daytona 500, didn’t have to shoulder the expectations of the machine so much as he had to live in the shadow of the man.

Team owner Richard Childress, out of equal parts pain and respect, put the No. 3 on the shelf. Didn’t want to put the burden on his young driver at the time and wasn’t sure he wanted to look out and see it circling the track.

Instead, Harvick drove the No. 29 and drove it convincingly. Won 23 times and nearly a championship or two before departing to join Stewart-Haas Racing.

In the meantime, the No. 3 sat. And sat. And sat some more. How many times was Childress asked the inevitable? When would fans see the 3 on the track once more? Too many to count.

Meanwhile, Dillon was growing older and getting comfortable with the number in other series — winning championships in the Camping World Truck Series (2011) and XFINITY Series (2013). It was the number without the pressure.

That all changed prior to 2014 when Childress made the announcement — the No. 3 was coming back to NASCAR’s top series. And Dillon, his grandson, would be behind the wheel.

“I didn’t want to put just anyone in the (No.) 3 car,” Childress explained after Sunday night’s surprising victory. “I would have probably never brought it back.”

The Coca-Cola 600 win was special, he said, for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the celebration of Memorial Day, “such a special day for all the people that have given so much for this country … to be able to enjoy what we’re doing. I’m just honored to be here. …

“When I really got emotional … when I looked up and saw the (No.) 3 on top of the board and I was standing there doing an interview, that’s when I got emotional. It’s so special to see that 3 in the winner’s circle again.”

The car number has adorned the vehicles of numerous NASCAR Hall of Famers. In addition to Earnhardt, 10 other Hall of Fame members used the number at some point during their careers.

It’s identified, though, with Earnhardt. And Childress. And now Dillon.

“He doesn’t show emotion and pressure but I can tell you … he knew how much he wanted to win for the 3 fans and he knew how much he wanted to win for our family and everybody involved,” Childress said.

There was never a question of if he should have brought the car number back to the track, Childress said, only the understanding of the pressure it would bring to one of his Richard Childress Racing drivers.

“I wanted to bring it back but it had to be something special. To have my grandson, to put him in it was unbelievable,” he said.

Dillon became the 10th driver to earn his first career win in the series at CMS.

“From the very beginning,” Dillon said, “my grandfather has challenged us with everything. He’s a true hero also, starting with nothing, and making RCR into what it is today.

“He pushed me and my brother to go on hunting trips that I don’t think most people would go on. So the toughness has always been there. It came from him and my dad and my mom, all my family members.”

“Now to be able to deliver a number that is legendary and has stats that are untouchable, just to add to those numbers is something that him and his best friend were able to create, it’s very special.”

RELATED: Austin Dillon’s NASCAR statistics

He’d been close before, with seven top fives scattered here and there. But no wins.

Not in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Not until late in the night on a holiday weekend at a track that was difficult and unforgiving and seemingly ever-changing.

“It’s probably a great big deal to Austin and RCR,” Dale Earnhardt Jr., son of the seven-time champ, said. “Big for that company.

“I was glad to see them get it out and get it on the race track and go in Victory Lane, hopefully a few more times.”

Hours after the fans had departed and the celebration had moved elsewhere, the scoring pylon at CMS remained lit.

The No. 3 at the very top didn’t look out of place at all.

 

Posted on by RJ Kraft

RELATED: Full race results

CONCORD, N.C. — As badly as he wanted to win the Coca-Cola 600 before stepping away from full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 10th-place finish in the sport’s longest race offered a little gratification.

Earnhardt, who has not won a Monster Energy Series points race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 34 tries, kept digging through the 400-lap, 600-mile event and jumped into the top 10 at the end of Stage 3. From there, he withstood a fuel-mileage frenzy at the finish of the race to score his second top 10 of the 2017 season — his first since last month at Texas.

The result was a strong turnaround from last week’s result in the Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte where Junior came in 18th out of the 20 cars in the event.

“We think we should be running in the top five every week as a team, so that is still not really good enough, but compared to last week it’s a huge improvement,” Earnhardt said.

Entering the race weekend, Earnhardt said the team “totally eighty-sixed all that stuff we ran last week.” Instead, the team turned to a setup used by Jimmie Johnson, a Hendrick Motorsports teammate of Junior’s and an eight-time winner at Charlotte. Earnhardt was very appreciative of the time the seven-time champion spent with him.

“We’ve got to thank Jimmie (Johnson) and the No. 48 guys, Jimmie especially,” Earnhardt said. “He was communicating with me all week, calling me, talking on the phone. He would come across the garage and get in my window even during practice. Get out of his car and come talk to me. What a great teammate. I hated to see him run out of gas.”

Johnson was one of several drivers to gamble on a fuel mileage strategy late that ultimately paid off for Austin Dillon, who led the final two laps for his first win in the Monster Energy Series. Was that play something the No. 88 team considered?

“Right now, we need to get finishes under our belt and we weren’t really in a position to gamble with the fuel mileage we were getting,” crew chief Greg Ives told NASCAR.com. “Being four laps short is really a hard place to be. When you’re looking at 3 or 2 (laps) … I’ve calculated fuel mileage for a lot of years and when you’re trying to save four laps of fuel it is not an easy thing to do. If we are in a position with maybe three laps (short), I think we could have been able to do that.”

Earnhardt will now turn his attention to Dover, where he has one career win in the sport’s top series and will go into Sunday’s AAA 400 Drive for Autism (1 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) 23rd in the points standings.

 

Posted on by Pat DeCola

The fear of missing out is real, folks.

Just ask Ty Dillon.

The Germain Racing driver succumbed to a parts failure and finished 36th in Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. His older brother Austin? Well, he won the damn race — for his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win, putting the No. 3 Chevrolet back in Victory Lane for the first time since Dale Earnhardt in 2000. A landmark event, for sure.

Ty saw it all play out … on the TV at home.

Ty wasn’t the only member of NASCAR Nation to congratulate Austin, however, as a few others sent messages to the Richard Childress Racing driver on Twitter — including his recently-replaced crew chief.

As did former RCR driver Jeff Burton and his nephew, Jeb.

2012 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champ Brad Keselowski and current driver Matt DiBenedetto also joined in, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Joey Logano.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Full race results | Detailed breakdown | Shop for winner gear

CONCORD, N.C. — Armed with a new crew chief and a gas tank that held just enough fuel to get him to the end of 600 miles with less than a second to spare, Austin Dillon won the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series of his career and put the vaunted No. 3 Chevrolet back in Victory Lane for the first time since 2000.

Working for the first time in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with crew chief Justin Alexander, Dillon was one of eight drivers who stayed on the track when the strongest cars in the Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway — the Toyotas of eventual runner up Kyle Busch and third-place Martin Truex Jr. — came to pit road on Lap 368 of 400.

Saving fuel for the entire run, Dillon trailed Jimmie Johnson, who also stayed out, until the seven-time champion ran out of gas with less than three laps left. With Busch and Truex in hot pursuit, Dillon had just enough fuel to get to the start/finish line.

The No. 3 Chevrolet owned by Dillon’s grandfather, Richard Childress, returned to Victory Lane for the first time since the late Dale Earnhardt won his last race on Oct. 15, 2000 at Talladega. After Earnhardt’s death in the 2001 Daytona 500, Childress retired the number in NASCAR’s premier series until Dillon ran his first full season of Monster Energy Series racing in 2014.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Dillon said in Victory Lane. “I can’t believe it. I was just really focused on those last laps. My fiancée wrote in the car, ‘When you keep God in first place, he will take you places you never imagined.’

“And I never imagined I be here at the 600 Victory Lane. Praise the Lord and all these guys who work so hard; and my pit crew is the best on pit road. I love it for them. We’re in the playoffs. It’s awesome.”

Dillon, who led only the final two laps, had to restrain himself from using too much fuel in pursuit of Johnson.

“I was just trying to be patient with the No. 48,” Dillon said. “I could see him saving. I thought I’d saved enough early, where I could attack at the end, but I tried to wait as long as possible. And when he ran out, I figured I’d go back in and save where I was lifting, and it worked out.

“I ran out at the line, and it gurgled all around just to do one little spin and push it back to Victory Lane.”

Matt Kenseth ran fourth, followed by Joe Gibbs racing teammate Denny Hamlin, as Toyotas claimed positions two through five.

The fireworks started early at the 1.5-mile track, more than six hours before the race ended. On Lap 20, five laps before a scheduled competition caution, a large piece of debris shot from the back of Jeffrey Earnhardt’s smoking No. 33 car into the path of Chase Elliott’s No. 24 Chevrolet.

The debris knocked a hole in the nose of Elliott’s car, and flames erupted beneath the engine compartment as fluid spilled from the Chevy. Brad Keselowski skidded through the oil, as if his No. 2 Ford had hit a patch of ice, and piled into the back of Elliott’s car, destroying both machines.

“Somebody broke, and there was just oil everywhere, and I couldn’t turn,” Keselowski said. “I ran into the back of Chase. Somebody broke in front of him, and then he ran over what they broke and then he broke, so there were two cars broke in front of me and just oil everywhere.

“You couldn’t stop and turn. You couldn’t do anything. It’s a real bummer for our team. We had a really fast Miller Lite Ford, and I think we had a shot at winning tonight, but that’s how it goes.”

Elliott was equally disappointed that his car was on a wrecker in the garage.

“The No. 33 broke something ahead of me and I ended up hitting it,” Elliott said. “I hit it pretty hard. I knew it had hurt our nose at least, then I saw some flames and figured we were laying down oil too, I guess.

“Brad couldn’t get stopped and ended up kind of finishing us off, but it was a bummer. I hate it. I don’t really know what you do about stuff like that. Just move on.”

After the subsequent restart on Lap 28, the rest of the first 100-lap stage ran caution-free, with Kyle Busch passing Truex on Lap 90 and pulling away to secure the playoff point accorded the stage winner.

Truex was leading when the caution flag flew for the third time on Lap 142 after Matt DiBenedetto’s No. 32 Ford slammed into the outside wall. Moments later, NASCAR red-flagged the race because of the threat of heavy rain and lightning in the area.

The rain arrived and drenched the track, forcing a delay of 1 hour, 39 minutes, 56 seconds before the cars started rolling again.

Truex dominated after a restart on Lap 176 and won the second stage going away. The driver of the No. 78 Toyota appeared headed for another victory in Stage 3 until series leader Kyle Larson blew a tire and pounded the wall on Lap 292.

“I got really loose into (Turn) 3 and hit the wall and got a lot of damage, and the tire started to go down and then exploded in (Turn) 1,” Larson said. “I just hate it that I made a mistake there in Turn 3 and got in the wall.

“I wasn’t even running hard up there. I just got loose and then I hit it and it ruined our day. I’m hoping to hold onto the point lead and then go to Dover next week and try to do better.”

(As it turned out, Truex took over the series lead by five points over Larson, with Keselowski 82 points back in third-place.)

After Larson’s accident, Truex lost three spots on pit road on Lap 294, ceding the stage win to Denny Hamlin.

But Truex, who led a race-high 233 laps — and led the most laps in the Coca-Cola 600 for the third straight year with only last year’s win to show for it — regained the top spot after a restart on Lap 334, clearing Kyle Busch through the first two corners, and soon pulled away to a two-second lead.

Then Dillon’s fuel-mileage play changed everything.

Note: The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford was found to be missing a lug nut in post-race inspection.