Here are the hot topics, trending news and key story lines to get you ready for this weekend’s races at Talladega Superspeedway.
WEATHER
Can you say “Chamber of Commerce weather?” That’s what you’ll get at Talladega. It’ll be sunny all weekend, with a high of 70 on Friday and a high of 68 on Saturday, with the temperature nosing up to 77 degrees on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Beautiful outlook for a pair of elimination races.
KEY TIMES
Sprint Cup Series: The biggest change this weekend is Coors Light Qualifying. Rather than qualifying on Friday, the Sprint Cup Series will do so on Saturday afternoon after the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. The single-car spectacle is set for 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The race is Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, also on NBCSN.
Camping World Truck Series: The Camping World Truck Series has a pair of Friday practices (beginning at 1 p.m. ET and 3 p.m. ET, both on FS1). The race is Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on FOX with Keystone Light Pole Qualifying just before at 10:30 a.m. ET (FS1).
CATCH DRIVERS LIVE
We’ll stream every driver press conference in the Talladega media center at NASCAR.com/presspass. Among the notables Friday: Chase Elliott (12:30 p.m. ET), Joey Logano (12:45 p.m. ET) and Martin Truex Jr. (3:30 p.m. ET). Click here for a full schedule.
LAST TIME
Joey Logano swept the Round of 12 last year, beating Alabama’s favorite son Dale Earnhardt Jr. — and eliminating him from the Chase — in the process. The Team Penske driver led 20 laps to Earnhardt Jr.’s 61, and he held off Junior on an abbreviated green-white-checkered finish. Logano was first and Earnhardt Jr. second as the field’s only attempt at a GWC conclusion went green. A wreck just past the start/finish line brought out the caution, ending the race just as Logano and Earnhardt Jr. were racing for the lead. Logano was in the lead at the time and declared the winner. Eventually, NASCAR tweaked its green-white-checkered rule in the offseason, leading to the addition of the overtime line.
YOU SHOULD KNOW
• With Dale Jr. sidelined for the rest of the season, Brad Keselowski may hold the mantle as the best restrictor-plate racer in NASCAR. The driver of the No. 2 Ford has three top-five finishes in the past four Talladega races, including two wins — to bring his total ‘Dega wins to four. He also won at Daytona in July. And following a wreck at Kansas last week, Keselowski likely has to win to advance in the postseason.
• It’s not just Keselowski who is in win-or-else mode. Chase Elliott essentially is facing a “must-win” scenario to advance into the next round. The rookie is 25 points behind the cutoff line.
• Keep an eye on Joey Logano and Austin Dillon. They are tied for the final transfer spot, with Logano currently owning the tiebreaker thanks to his third-place finish at Kansas. Their stories are quite different. Logano won all three Round of 12 races last year, but his performances and speed slipped this year; Dillon is in his first postseason and one race away from making the Round of 8 after being seeded 15th out of 16 drivers at the start of the Chase.
• This is the first elimination race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase, with two drivers getting knocked out of the postseason. Daniel Hemric and John Hunter Nemechek are both 15 points below the cutoff line and will need to make up some serious ground.
THE FAVORITE
Brad Keselowski. This one isn’t close. In addition to the aforementioned Talladega success, Keselowski won the Daytona race in the summer and has a brand-new car ready to roll in Alabama. Clutch? Yeah, he’s that, too, as his 2014 win here proved.
Others to consider: Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson.
THE SLEEPER
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Discounting rookies, no active driver has a better average finish at Talladega than Ricky Stenhouse Jr. In six starts here, he has one finish in the top five, three in the top 10 and five in the top 20. His car won’t be the fastest, but it’ll be plenty good and he’ll be lurking late.
Others to consider: Austin Dillon, Kurt Busch.
STAFF PICKS
Brad Keselowski: 2
Chase Elliott: 2
Matt Kenseth: 1
Joey Logano: 1
Austin Dillon: 1
Statesville, N.C. — Eighteen-year-old NASCAR Next alumnus Gray Gaulding will take the next step in his career by making his debut in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS). Gaulding will drive the No. 30 Feed the Children Chevrolet for The Motorsports Group (TMG) at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 30.
“It’s exciting bringing a new partner into the series and to be making my NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at a track like Martinsville (Speedway) where we’ve had a really good history in the past is honestly unfathomable,” Gaulding said. “I’m excited to partner with Feed the Children and use NASCAR as a platform to deliver our message and work to create a world where no child goes to bed hungry. A lot has happened in a short period of time but I’ve never been as excited to debut this beautiful Feed the Children car next week at Martinsville Speedway.”
“We are pleased to sponsor Gray Gaulding, the youngest NASCAR driver in the Martinsville field and one of the most promising and fierce competitors among the many legendary NASCAR drivers who have made NASCAR one of the most exciting sports in America,” said J.C. Watts, Jr., president and CEO of Feed the Children. “He’s not only bold in his approach, he’s also blazing new trails, and we at Feed the Children strive to do the same. Gray knows firsthand the value of family, especially the NASCAR family who has joined us in our work as we have brought disaster relief to those whose lives and livelihoods have been severely affected by Hurricane Matthew and all the subsequent flooding.”
“We’re grateful to be partnering with Feed the Children in their mission to provide hope and resources for those without life’s essentials,” said Stephen Lynn, chief executive officer for GGR Enterprises.
Along with their debut at Martinsville Speedway, Gaulding and the No. 30 Feed the Children team will also make starts at Phoenix International Raceway on November 13 and the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20. Help take action and donate to end hunger by texting FEED30 to 41444.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. may not be competing in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series as the 2016 season begins to wind down, but the series’ most popular driver still has plenty to keep him busy.
“Going to the races, doing all my (sponsor) appearances, doing everything I was doing before, just not driving,” Earnhardt said Wednesday during a stop at the corporate headquarters of Wrangler.
“Take the driving part out of it and everything else I’m still doing.”
Earnhardt was joined by team owner Richard Childress to help kick off the second annual “Jeansboro Day” celebration and reminisce about the long relationship Wranger has enjoyed with Childress and Earnhardt.
Earnhardt has been sidelined since midseason after suffering concussion-like symptoms following a pair of crashes. In his absence, drivers Jeff Gordon and Alex Bowman have handled the driving duties in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet.
MORE: See: Bowman in the No. 88 car
After missing two races in 2012, this marks the second time in his premier series career that Earnhardt has missed races due to a concussion or concussion-like symptoms.
Although he won’t be back behind the wheel this season, Earnhardt told the crowd that he plans to be back in the car when the 2017 season gets underway at Daytona International Speedway.
“It’s coming along pretty good,” Earnhardt said when asked about his recovery. “We got dinged up, had a lot of wrecks this year, got dinged up pretty good. …
“(I’m) starting to feel real good, starting to be able to get out and do things, enjoy myself.
“I miss being in the car but we have every expectation of being in the car come February for the Daytona 500.”
The Sprint Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend for Sunday’s Hellmann’s 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It is the final race of the Round of 12 in this year’s Chase, with only the top eight advancing to the next round.
Earnhardt, who has six career victories on the 2.66-mile track, said he plans to be at Talladega “all three days.”
But just watching. Not driving, yet.
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of interviews with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series spotters.
Eddie D’Hondt, Spotter for Chase Elliott, No. 24, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED SPOTTING?
“I was the GM at Evernham Motorsports when Bill Elliott was driving. I actually started spotting for Bill — I guess about 16 years ago. I had been managing teams up until that point. I just sort of fell into it. I used to drive Modifieds. It just worked. I’ve been doing it ever since.”
WHAT OTHER DUTIES DO YOU HAVE WITH THE TEAM?
“We have a team meeting on Tuesdays, the driver, the crew chief and all the engineers. I have two reports I’m responsible for putting together for that meeting. That takes up most of my Monday, it’s a lot of video work and some other technical work, but that’s the other part of my job.”
DO YOU SPOT IN OTHER SERIES?
“I spot in every series every weekend. I do 105 races a year; Rolex, Modifieds, Truck, XFINITY, Cup. In depends on the series as far as who I’m spotting for each weekend. I did all of Chase’s XFINITY races, Cole Custer‘s XFINITY races; I do Ryan Preece when I’m not doing the 88 XFINITY car. I do Cole’s Truck races. The Ferrari team in Rolex.”
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WITH CHASE?
“Just this year. For four or five years I was with Jeff (Gordon); three years with Kyle (Busch) before that.”
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST RACE AS A SPOTTER?
“It was with Bill. I guess the (2001) Daytona 500, the race that Dale (Earnhardt) passed away.”
WHAT’S THE MOST BIZARRE THING YOU’VE SEEN WHILE SPOTTING?
“Oh my gosh. I’ve lived up here all weekend for 16 years so I’ve seen a lot of stuff. There have been so many things. It’s a great vantage point. Every single weekend we get to see a lot of what no one else gets to see.”
WHAT’S BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE AS A SPOTTER?
“Homestead with Jeff last year and (the win at) Martinsville. I’d have to say those two. Jeff was just special. He is a special guy. He got in the trenches with you, he became your friend. You wanted to fight with him. I was working with Kyle Busch when Alan Gustafson (Gordon’s crew chief at the time) came and got me, sat down and struck a deal and five years later, here I am.”
WHAT’S THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF YOUR JOB?
“Probably the travel. I’ve been on this circuit since 1996, prior to that I raced on my own. Being away from your family is difficult. Both my boys are working in the garage, so if I want to see them I have to go find them in the garage somewhere. The rest of my family is always home, so that’s the hard part.”
WHAT CURRENT DRIVER WOULD MAKE A GOOD SPOTTER?
“That’s a good question. Maybe Carl Edwards. He likes to talk.”
WHICH TRACK IS YOUR FAVORITE?
“Bristol and Martinsville. Probably those two. I grew up on the short tracks. The thrill of the short track, anything can happen at any moment. The flow you get into in those races, I enjoy that.”
WHAT IS ONE THING ABOUT WHAT YOUR JOB ENTAILS THAT THE AVERAGE FAN MIGHT NOT KNOW?
“Today, it’s become way more intricate than what people realize. We’re providing information that we never did before. You have all engineers now on top of all these pit boxes, not guys that grew up short-track racing. These guys are all engineers now. So they talk to the drivers less and it’s fallen into our laps now to provide more and more information on things like rubber buildup, lanes that are working, braking, backing up corners. We’re talking more about driving than safety. Most of the guys up here, just go down the line, used to drive. They have some kind of wisdom about what it feels line so you’re able to talk about it. And the guys that didn’t drive have educated themselves. Those guys on the pit boxes, they’re looking at data.”
NASCAR officials handed down a P2 penalty to the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team for not having lug nuts properly installed during Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.
The infraction also brought a fine of $10,000 to Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 88 Chevrolet.
The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team received a written warning and a loss of 15 minutes practice time for failing pre-race LIS three times.
The cars of Carl Edwards, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. failed pre-race LIS twice and received written warnings.
The cars of Austin Dillon and Regan Smith failed pre-race template inspection twice and received written warnings.
Cole Whitt‘s No. 55 Chevrolet failed pre-qualifying LIS twice and received a written warning.
The cars of Jamie McMurray and Martin Truex Jr. failed pre-qualifying template inspection twice and received written warnings.
Other warnings issued after last weekend’s events at Kansas Speedway:
The XFINITY Series cars of Cole Custer and Brandon Brown failed pre-race LIS twice and received written warnings.
Also, the cars of Brennan Poole and Derrike Cope failed pre-race template inspection three times and received written warnings.
RELATED: PEAK becomes title sponsor of Mexico Series
NASCAR announced a multi-year agreement with Old World Industries (OWI) to make PEAK title sponsor of the NASCAR Mexico Series, which will run a full slate of races in 2017 and ensuing seasons.
The NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series will kick off with an exhibition race on Dec. 3-4 in Mexico City. Its 10th season will begin in 2017 with a full championship schedule that will be announced at a later date.
“The NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series is a place where young drivers are honing their skills and competing for a championship against the toughest competition in Latin America,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “The series drives interest in stock car racing in Mexico, while cultivating talented drivers and pit crew members who aspire to compete at the NASCAR national series level.”
NASCAR XFINITY Series star Daniel Suárez — the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series race, earn a national series Sunoco Rookie of the Year award and lead a national series in points — developed his talents in the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series. Suárez is currently competing for the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship in its inaugural Chase playoff. Another young talent the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series has fostered is Ruben Garcia Jr., an alumnus of the NASCAR Next initiative that highlights the sport’s top up-and-coming drivers. Both Suárez and Garcia are also alums of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program.
“Without (the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series), I wouldn’t be here right now,” Suárez said. “Really, road course racing in Mexico has been popular for many years, but in the last 10 years, with the NASCAR Mexico Series, a lot of drivers have had the opportunity to choose a different path, to choose stock car racing. I was one of those drivers and it felt like the right decision. Because of that, I was able to learn everything, how to race on ovals, how to race in a stock car. After that, I got my first opportunity in the U.S.”
As part of OWI’s deal, PEAK becomes an official NASCAR partner. The NASCAR bar mark will be featured on select PEAK products, including PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant (Official Antifreeze/Coolant of NASCAR) and PEAK Windshield Washer Fluid and Wipers (Official Washer Fluid and Wiper Blade of NASCAR), BlueDEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid and Equipment (Official Diesel Exhaust Fluid of NASCAR and Official Diesel Exhaust Fluid Equipment of NASCAR) and Herculiner Truck & Bed Liners (Official Roll-On and Spray-On Bed Liner of NASCAR).
PEAK has been involved in NASCAR since the 1990s. This season, it served as a season-long associate sponsor of Clint Bowyer‘s No. 15 Chevrolet. PEAK is the title sponsor of NASCAR’s eSports partner iRacing.com, which aided in developing current NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series points leader William Byron.
“Old World Industries products have been a recognized part of the racing industry for decades, and we’re proud to help bring NASCAR to the passionate fans in Mexico and the U.S. for years to come,” said Bryan Emrich, chief marketing officer at Old World Industries. “Whether in the garage or on the track, we’ll continue to deliver quality products that auto enthusiasts can count on.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. and CHARLOTTE, N.C. — FS1 and NASCAR Productions will present the second season of the acclaimed documentary series Beyond the Wheel as part of FS1’s NASCAR RACE HUB. Created to depict the sport’s most pivotal moments and compelling narratives, the short films focus on influential characters — both past and present — and the unique stories that have shaped NASCAR as a sport since its inception. The first film premieres on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. ET during NASCAR RACE HUB on FS1.
The second season of the documentary short film series is comprised of the following:
· Bonneville 71 details how NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Bobby Isaac set 28 land speed records with a banned Dodge Charger Daytona on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1971, accompanied only by his crew members, a USAC official and a Chrysler engineer. Using the authentic No. 71 K&K Charger and featuring interviews with original crew members Buddy Parrott and Ken Troutt, the documentary pays homage to Isaac’s historical runs by revisiting the Salt Flats to shoot all-new footage down a 10-mile straightaway. A remarkable story of innovation, the short film depicts Isaac’s desire and dedication to always test the limits of speed, no matter the barriers.
· Sueños de NASCAR follows NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Daniel Suárez from his roots in Monterrey, Mexico, to his rise in one of the sport’s top series through the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program. As Suárez returns home to visit family and friends, the film explores his place in Mexican racing culture, how the country has embraced stock car racing, and the impact of Mexican drivers on the future of the sport. Illustrating the young driver as a source of inspiration, the documentary also examines Suárez’s success as the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series race and his current pursuit of the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship.
· Miracle at Daytona — The Tiny Lund Story recounts how DeWayne “Tiny” Lund risked his life to rescue fellow driver, Marvin Panch, from his burning Maserati at Daytona International Speedway before going on to win the 1963 Daytona 500 just days later. The true story of a journeyman driver who was one of the most likeable characters of his era, Lund was also awarded the Carnegie Hero’s Medal for his selfless bravery in what became one of the greatest Daytona 500 stories of all time.
The second film in the series featuring Daniel Suárez will premiere on Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. ET, while the original special on Tiny Lund will air in early 2017. Each documentary will also be available on FOX Sports GO and FOXSports.com following its premiere.