Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Starting lineup | See the full field


LOUDON, N.H. – Carl Edwards never had the reputation as a spectacular qualifier – until this year.

On Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Edwards ran 135.453 mph (28.119 seconds) in the money round of knockout qualifying to earn the top start spot in Sunday’s Bad Boy Off Road 300 (2 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the second race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

The Coors Light Pole Award was Edwards sixth of the year, doubling his previous single-season best. It was his third at New Hampshire, all coming in the last four races at the Magic Mile, and the 22nd of his career.

Edwards edged fellow Toyota driver and last week’s race winner, Martin Truex Jr. (135.212 mph) for the top starting spot by .05 seconds.

During a qualifying session that started slowly because more than a dozen cars were late to the grid thanks to inspection issues, Chase drivers grabbed 10 of the top 12 starting spots for Sunday’s race.

Non-Chaser Ryan Newman (134.896 mph) qualified third, followed by Jimmie Johnson (134.858 mph) and Denny Hamlin (134.796 mph).

Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray were sixth and seventh, respectively, with Matt Kenseth and non-Chaser Kasey Kahne eighth and ninth. Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch completed the top 12.

“These Toyotas are really fast,” said Edwards, who spent considerable time in qualifying trim earlier in the day. “It’s a fun place to drive when your car’s that good. (Crew chief) Dave (Rogers) made great changes.

“That’s what we needed. We didn’t run well at Chicago (a 15th-place finish). I was very frustrated. So to come here and start on the pole and get great pit stall, hopefully we can turn this into a good race.”

With his sixth pole of the year, Edwards won the Coors Light 6-Pack Award, worth $25,000 to the charity of the driver’s choice.

“Half of it’s going to Speedway Children’s Charities and half to the NASCAR Foundation in honor of Betty Jane France,” Edwards said. “It’s really cool of MillerCoors to do that. It’s going to help a lot of people.”

With a long family history at the track, Truex covets a win at the Magic Mile and was delighted with his front-row starting spot.

“I’ve been after this one a long time,” said Truex, whose father, Martin Truex Sr., raced in both the Busch North and XFINITY Series at NHMS. “I feel like we’ve been close before, and there’s no other track I’d rather win at right now.”

Notes: Elliott’s No. 24 Chevrolet received its fourth written warning for failure of pre-qualifying inspection and will have the last choice of pit stalls… The No. 4 Chevrolet of Kevin Harvick, the 2014 series champion, also had inspection issues and qualified 19th after getting to the grid. Harvick is 14th in the standings after a 20th-place run at Chicagoland. The 13th-16th-place drivers will be eliminated from the Chase after the Oct. 2 race at Dover… Truex led the second round of qualifying at 135.236 mph, a session that saw the four fastest drivers all within .010 seconds of each other.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

RELATED: Chase Grid | See Truex’s initial reaction

LOUDON, N.H. — Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick had an on-track incident last Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway in the opening race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, but don’t expect it to escalate further between the two title contenders moving forward, according to the Furniture Row Racing driver.

 

Truex, who wound up winning the race, said in his post-race press conference that the left-rear contact to his No. 78 Toyota from Harvick’s No. 4 Chevrolet was “on purpose,” but the pair has discussed the incident since and put it to rest.

 

“We did talk. We’re fine; we’re good to go,” Truex said Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, site of Sunday’s Bad Boy Off Road 300 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). “We just talked about what our perspectives were on it and agreed that it’s over, it’s done with and we’ll move on and race like we always have, which is hard — very hard — we’ve raced very hard, but always clean. So we agreed that it was a racing deal and we’ll move forward.”

 

Truex explained that he still isn’t positive why Harvick was upset with him in the first place, just offering that it was “heat of the battle stuff” and “I guess he thought that I ran into him.”

 

“I’m not real sure (if he was trying to ignite a caution), I’m not sure, honestly,” added Truex, who clinched his berth in the next round of the Chase with his Chicago victory. “I really don’t care at this point, because we went on to win the race and we’re going to move on.”

 

While the contact didn’t impact Truex’s finishing position, it was perhaps nearly costly in another way — the No. 78 failed post-race LIS inspection. Furniture Row Racing put out a statement on Monday, with president Joe Garone saying that the failure, “in high probability was due to damage in that area as a result of being hit by the No. 4 car.”

 

The No. 78 team was not penalized by NASCAR, but Truex doesn’t want the win tarnished by the failed inspection, either.

 

“It’s such a little thing and it so easily could’ve went the other way, it’s frustrating that it kind of taints your win a little bit, honestly,” Truex said. “That’s the biggest part for me and for my guys. I don’t want people to look at them or us as cheaters, for 10 thousandths of an inch. It’s really nothing.”

Posted on by Pat DeCola

RELATED: Truck Chase Grid | Learn more about the drivers in the Truck Chase

LOUDON, N.H. — The inaugural Camping World Truck Series Chase is upon us, which means the pressure, nerves and action that come along with it are set to rise to unparalleled levels over the next eight weeks.

So is the tension.

After John Hunter Nemechek and Cole Custer fought, quite literally, to the finish and beyond at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park last month — rguably costing the JR Motorsports his spot in the Chase, as the driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet came away victorious in that one — the consensus is that Custer will find a way to repay the favor to Nemechek at some point during the series’ first playoff season.

RELATED: Custer, Nemechek get physical at Canada

The two-time 2016 winner doesn’t see it that way.

“I wouldn’t say we have a target on our back; we’re all racers,” Nemechek said Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, site of Saturday’s Chase-opening UNOH 175 (1 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). ” … You can’t really worry about it. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. You just kind of have to take it race by race, lap by lap. And we’re going to go out there and focus on our race and do everything we have to do to get another win.”

Custer narrowly missed out on the Chase cut, ending up tied with Cameron Hayley as the first drivers on the wrong side of the standings bubble. Taking that into consideration, along with how the future Stewart-Haas Racing XFINITY Series driver charged at Nemechek following the Mosport checkered flag, it may be a stretch to think that Nemechek won’t be targeted for payback at some point during the Chase.

William Byron didn’t cross too many drivers on his way to notching the top spot for the landmark CWTS Chase, but he did cross plenty of finish lines ahead of them — five, in fact.


RELATED: Byron checks off boxes one milestone at a time

Unlike Nemechek, the Kyle Busch Motorsports driver sees the level of competitiveness rising — potentially along with the tempers. 

“I think the competition and intensity is going to ramp up here in the last seven races,” Byron said Friday at the “Magic Mile.” “We’ve seen that in the (Sprint) Cup Series and so now we’re going to be able to experience that here in the Truck Series, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Regardless of whether the threat of payback looms large or not, there’s an incumbent sense of pressure and nerves that comes along with being among the youngest drivers — not to mention title favorites — in the first-ever Chase format for the series.

The nerves haven’t fully crept in yet, but that could change in a hurry.

“We’re going to take it race by race and we’re not going to let the pressure or nerves get to us unless it’s a pressure situation where we have a bad race,” Nemechek said. “We’re going to go out and do what we do best and that’s to run our race, try and lead laps and run up front and hopefully get another win. If you can’t do that, salvage a bad day into a good day. You just can’t make mistakes. You have to make every day the best you possibly can.

In reality, nobody really knows what to expect come Saturday.

“I think a little bit of nerves just with the unexpected of what this format is going to be like for us, but honestly it’s exciting and it’s something new and it’s the new era of the playoff-type format, so I’m looking forward to it,” said Byron.

“It’s something that we’ve been preparing for and I think we’re going to see what happens here in the next seven races.”

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Chase Grid 

 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The last two times NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series has competed at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Matt Kenseth has come away with the win.

In fact, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has won three of the last six Sprint Cup events at the 1.058-mile track located in Loudon, New Hampshire.

Maybe that makes him one of the favorites heading into this weekend’s race but Kenseth isn’t taking anything for granted. The Bad Boy Off Road 300 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) is the second race of this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and the second of three in the opening Round of 16.

“You never know until you get there but we ran really well in July,” Kenseth, 44, told NASCAR.com Wednesday. “We ran really well last fall, too. Probably could have run second or third, ended up getting by (teammate) Denny (Hamlin) there at the end and Kevin (Harvick) ran out of gas.

“We’ve had really good cars there since I’ve been (at) JGR. It used to be a track that I sort of dreaded … but the last three years it’s been pretty good.”

Kenseth won twice during the 26-race regular season to qualify for one of the 16 Chase positions but had to rally for a ninth-place finish a week ago in the Chase opener at Chicagoland. Misfortune struck the 2003 series champion twice, leaving him scrambling to regain lost track position.

“I can’t say we weren’t good,” Kenseth said. “We started seventh … we pit under green and the caution came out … and that really got us behind. I had just gotten back to maybe the top 10 again … and I sped on pit road.

“So that put us in the back again. Really we just fought most of the day trying to get back our track position. I really felt like we had a pretty good car … I don’t know why, but for me it was just incredibly hard to pass.”

Kenseth has failed to qualify for only one Chase, in 2009. Six-time series champion Jimmie Johnson is the only active driver with more Chase appearances. But while all of Johnson’s titles have come since the debut of the Chase in ’04, Kenseth has yet to solve the riddle of the 10-race playoff. In the two years the Chase has featured an elimination format, he’s failed to advance to the Championship Four.

“There’s not a magic formula besides beating the rest of the cars because you just don’t know what the others are going to do,” he said. “It’s definitely different. One thing I really learned is that it’s unpredictable. You don’t know what’s going to happen. You’ve got to get that finish every week and not make mistakes.”

While he said he doesn’t feel as if his No. 20 team is running as good or getting the consistent finishes it was at this point a year ago, Kenseth said he’s confident his group will continue to contend.

“I feel like our equipment is just as good or better than it was last year,” he said, “so I feel like we can definitely get it together.”

Posted on by

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — At just 16 years old, NASCAR Pinty’s Series driver Cayden Lapcevich has already broken a record set by Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano.

In 18 starts, the Ontario (Canada) native has become the youngest driver to win a NASCAR series championship, beating out Logano’s previous K&N Pro Series East record of 17 years old set in 2007.

But it wasn’t without trial, tribulation and a dose of his mother’s trust.

In 2015, Lapcevich put up one top-five and three top-10 finishes in six starts, but come 2016, he found himself down a major sponsor and in need of a team.

“We lost that motivation at one point to even go down to the race shop because we just couldn’t see ourselves making it out this year,” Lapcevich told NASCAR.com. “But I finally was able to convince my mom that I would work on the cars and do it all myself and she was just like, ‘If you and your dad can prepare it, we’ll do it.’

“But even once we had the car prepared, she second-guessed herself. But I don’t think she’s second-guessing herself anymore. I think she realizes that she made the right decision by letting me go to the first race.

“It was hard to get to the first race with very minimal funding, but I’m glad we made the first race because it’s led to so much.”

Lapcevich is a third-generation driver and the son of an electrical contractor. His dad also doubles as his crew chief for the No. 76 Dodge.

“I’ve always looked up to my dad because he’s taught me everything I know about racing,” Lapcevich said. “He’s made me an all-around better race car driver.

“Even last year when we had the funding to pay someone (to be my crew chief), as good as it was to have someone so knowledgeable, it didn’t feel comfortable not having my dad as my crew chief because he’s been my crew chief my whole life. He’s always been my driving coach and we just connect so well. I think it’s a dream that every driver has.”

With his dad in his ear and his mother’s faith resting on his shoulders, Lapcevich began to build a race team — a volunteer race team, at that.

“A couple of the (pit crew) guys have been around (the sport) for 25 years, plus,” Lapcevich said. “They just show the same dedication and passion to the sport that I do and that my dad did and we all want to go out and win. I think that’s what keeps the guys that volunteer interested. They want to see what’s next and they want to be a part of that.”

Lapcevich and his team won three Pinty’s Series races this season, clinching the 2016 title after taking the green flag on Sunday at Kawartha Speedway.

With a championship — along with a fresh driver’s license — Lapcevich looks ahead to what the future could hold for a record breaker.

“Hopefully (next season) brings me down south,” Lapcevich said. “I’m hoping that something big comes up and we can put together a ride in K&N or make a few (Camping World Truck) starts, but we’ll see. I’m still trying to let the championship sink in.

“I’d like to see myself in the Sprint Cup Series or racing XFINITY full-time. I’ve set up some quality goals and I’m trying to chase those goals.”

As Lapcevich continues to grow and strives to fulfill his racing dream, he keeps in mind the drivers who have also come from similar beginnings.

“I look up to guys that started in quarter midgits, like me,” Lapcevich said. “Guys like Joey Logano or Ryan Blaney. They’ve just inspired me knowing that you can come from that starting point and make it to the top.

“Also breaking Joey Logano‘s record as the youngest champion gives me hope that we’re headed in the right direction here.”

While he admires Logano, ask this teenager who he has winning this 2016 Sprint Cup Series title and his answer has some roots.

“I’d like to see Martin Truex Jr. win it all because he’s been really consistent this year and he’s got Canadian crew chief Cole Pearn who used to race with my dad, so it’s really cool to see him climbing the ranks.”

Hear that, Logano? This kid is breaking your records and picking against you (let it be known, Lapcevich does predict the No. 22 Team Penske driver will make it to the Championship Round). Next thing you know, he could be in your rearview mirror, Joey. 

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Chase bubble heading into Loudon

One race into NASCAR’s 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and the championship standings are thoroughly scrambled and causing double-takes.

Some favorites are shaking their heads and some long shots are thanking their lucky stars.

But as rough as stomaching a 20th-place finish in the Chicago opener was for the regular-season points leader Kevin Harvick, there is still every reason to believe it could just provide a more dramatic backdrop for another championship run.

Harvick finished 42nd in the Chicago race last year and still advanced to the final round of drivers competing for the big trophy at Miami.

In fact, the 2014 Sprint Cup champion Harvick is the only driver who has advanced to the final round in both seasons of the new Chase format.

Obviously, his Stewart-Haas Racing team feels urgency to get back on track this weekend in New Hampshire. Harvick is ranked 14th — a single point behind his team owner Tony Stewart in the 12th and final position to advance in two weeks.

But this group knows it can restore its title run, having crawled out of a deeper hole last fall and still finishing runner-up in the championship.

It’s a steely, forward-focus mindset that has served the intensely competitive Harvick well.

“It’s something we pride ourselves in,” Harvick said this week. “I think the pressure situations have been very good for us. As you look at the past two years — winning the championship and finishing second and getting to Homestead twice — it kind of shows the grit and backbone of our team and how well they’ve dealt with those situations.

“That experience definitely pays dividends every year when you go in. I think we were a little too ramped up, or at least I was, to start the Chase last year. There’s definitely a strategy to how you approach situations and how you approach the end. I think, having dealt with that in the past, that it’s a good thing for us.”

Harvick’s track record at New Hampshire is impressive, if not A-plus.

He won a race from the pole position in 2006, has led 698 total laps on the 1.058-mile track and never had a DNF. He’s had top-four finishes in three of the last four races in New Hampshire and was fourth there in July.

While some consider the track to be a unique wild card, Harvick insists it’s of equal challenge as the rest of the schedule.

“I don’t think Loudon is really any different than any other racetrack,” Harvick said. “It’s just circumstances that can crop up at really any racetrack throughout the Chase. … If you’re having a bad day, you know it can result in a bad day. You just have to overcome that and try to get yourself out of the hole.”

That is something Harvick has done well in the past, and it’s his overall standing in Sprint Cup competition that is more indicative of his potential than last week’s circumstantial disappointment.

He accumulated the most regular-season points of anyone. He leads the series in 11 different categories, including top fives (13), top 10s (21), driver rating (109.1) and average finish (8.9).

He has four runner-up finishes this season, including Charlotte and Kansas, where the series returns during the Chase.

Since 2014, Harvick and his crew chief Rodney Childers have a series-best 33 top-two finishes, 10 of those wins. That translates into 33.7 percent of all the races in that time frame.

The disappointing outcome at Chicago can be viewed as both an anomaly and a motivator.

There is no way Harvick’s competition is writing him off. In fact, they are probably more worried when he is more driven.

“You just have to be selfish,” Harvick said after the Richmond regular-season finale.


“You have to do what’s best for your team, worry about the consequences when all the dust settles, and you have to be narrow minded, not listen to anything, and do whatever it takes to figure out how to make the best performance on that particular day because every point matters.

“This is a minute-by-minute battle.”

And Harvick knows time is ticking for the 4-team.

MORE: Is Harvick a good fantasy play this week?

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

NEW YORK — The NASCAR Foundation will donate $1 million to NYU Langone Medical Center, as part of a multi-year partnership to benefit hospitalized children. Through this partnership, The NASCAR Foundation will enhance the Child Life Program at the Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital of New York at NYU Langone.

The partnership will be commemorated at the first-ever NASCAR Foundation Honors Gala taking place at The Marriott Marquis in New York on Sept. 27.

This is The NASCAR Foundation’s first multi-year partnership with a New York area hospital and marks its commitment to reach more kids nationally. NASCAR’s charitable arm has donated $25 million and impacted more than one million children since its inception in 2006.

“This is an important partnership for The NASCAR Foundation,” said NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton. “The work being done by the NYU Langone Medical Center is changing lives, each and every day. The NASCAR Foundation is proud to have an opportunity to support that important work and expand our commitment to improving the lives of children in need.”

Through this partnership, the Child Life Program will ease the anxiety of children and their families during their hospital stay, which is essential to recovery. The NASCAR Foundation will support an enhanced child and family experience, fund two Child Life specialists, and provide resources, equipment and supplies to complement the wide-range of supportive and therapeutic activities currently offered at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at no charge to patients.

This marks an expansion of The NASCAR Foundation’s commitment to supporting children with Child Life programming as part of its signature Speediatrics program, which has provided more than 500,000 children with state-of-the-art medical care.

“As leaders in the field of pediatrics, we’re proud to partner with The NASCAR Foundation whose generous philanthropic support provides extensive and meaningful programs to help children and their families,” said Catherine S. Manno, MD, the Pat and John Rosenwald Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at NYU Langone. “This sponsorship, in concert with our Sala Institute for Child and Family Centered Care, will strengthen our national exemplar model of care for children and their families.”

The NASCAR Foundation Honors Gala, which was planned to celebrate “10 Years of Giving,” has taken on additional significance following the unexpected passing of its Founder and Chairwoman Emeritus Betty Jane France last month.

The Gala will be a tribute to Betty Jane France’s life and is being hosted by the France family including NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France (son) and his wife Amy France, International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa France Kennedy (daughter) and NASCAR Vice Chairman and International Speedway Corporation Chairman Jim France (brother-in-law).

At the Honors Gala, various awards will be bestowed, including:

— Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award presented by Nationwide: One of four finalists will be announced as the winner following a fan vote which has taken place since July 13. The NASCAR Foundation will donate a total of $175,000 to the charities represented by the finalists — with the winner’s charity receiving a $100,000 donation. This year’s finalists include Jim Giaccone of Bayville, New York, representing Tuesday’s Children; Andy Hoffman of Atkinson, Nebraska, founder of the Team Jack Foundation; Logan Houptley of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a founding member of Mikayla’s Voice; and Parker White of Greensboro, North Carolina, founder of BackPack Beginnings. Since the award’s inception, nearly $900,000 has been contributed to charities represented by the finalists.

— Children’s Champion Award: Dr. Howard B. Ginsburg: The William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Associate Professor of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, and Division Chief, Pediatric Surgery at NYU Langone, will receive the award recognizing his commitment to children.

— Founder’s Award: NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus will receive the award recognizing his contributions to philanthropy.

The Honors Gala will be headlined by Grammy® and Tony® nominated singer Sara Bareilles.

The following NASCAR champions and rising stars will be in attendance: six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson, seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Richard Petty, reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, two-time NASCAR XFINITY Series Champions Martin Truex Jr. and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Danica Patrick, Kyle Larson, Kasey Kahne, Ben Kennedy and Julia Landauer.

This event builds on NASCAR’s long history in New York. The racing organization opened its first office in Manhattan in 1996 and is based out of the newly renovated New York headquarters at 590 Madison Avenue.

This partnership also marks further collaboration between NYU and NASCAR. In March, Brian France participated in NYU’s first Social Responsibility of Sports Conference where he pledged NASCAR’s support to improve social responsibility in sports.

For ticket information or table sponsorships, please visit www.nascarfoundation.org/honors-gala.

Posted on by George Winkler

Here are the hot topics, trending news and key story lines to get you ready for this weekend’s races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Kentucky Speedway, including the Chase openers for the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.



WEATHER



The weekend forecast for Loudon, New Hampshire, looks mostly clear for on-track activity. Friday for Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole qualifying there is a 48 percent chance for precipitation. For the Camping World Truck race on Saturday, skies will be partly cloudy and the high is expected to be 64 degrees. And for the Sprint Cup race on Sunday, we’re looking at clear skies and a high of 61.

For Sparta, Kentucky, site of this weekend’s XFINITY events, it will be clear and 89 degrees for the start of Friday’s practices. And on Saturday it will be clear and 78 degrees for the start of the race.

KEY TIMES



Sprint Cup Series: The Sprint Cup Series holds its first practice Friday at 11:30 a.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App) followed by Coors Light Pole qualifying at 4:45 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App).

 The Bad Boy Off Road 300 is at 2 p.m. ET Sunday (NBCSN/NBC Sports App/PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

XFINITY Series: The XFINITY Series opens practice on Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App) and qualifies Saturday at 4:45 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App). The VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 is on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET (NBC/NBC Sports App).



Camping World Truck Series: The Camping World Truck Series is scheduled for a Keystone Light Pole qualifying session at 10:10 a.m. ET on FS1 Saturday followed by the UNOH 175 race at 1 p.m. ET (FS1).



CATCH DRIVERS LIVE



We’ll stream every driver press conference in the New Hampshire media center at NASCAR.com/presspass. Click here for a full schedule. Click here to tune into the live stream.


LAST TIME

In September of 2015, Matt Kenseth outlasted Kevin Harvick, who ran out of fuel with three laps to go, to capture the victory in the Sylvania 300 and punch his ticket to the second round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Kenseth backed up that win with another at New Hampshire in July of this season. In that one, Kenseth pulled away from Tony Stewart to win by 1.982 seconds.


YOU SHOULD KNOW


• Chris Buescher (-12 from 12th place), Kyle Larson (-2), Kevin Harvick (-1) and Austin Dillon (-1) are all on the outside looking in as far as the Chase Grid standings are concerned. Of those drivers, Harvick is the only one who owns a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at New Hampshire (fall of 2006). Harvick has finished in the top four in three of his past four races at Loudon, with the only exception being the 21st-place finish in the Chase race here last season.



• New England native Joey Logano considers New Hampshire to be his home track and high on his list as far as valued victories. Logano has won here twice, in the 2014 Chase race and in 2009 when he notched his first-ever Sprint Cup Series victory as a member of Joe Gibbs Racing. At this time last year, Logano was hitting his stride in a season in which he captured six Sprint Cup victories. Although this season hasn’t been as dominant, his second-place finish at Chicago gives him momentum coming into Sunday.

• Erik Jones comes to Kentucky atop the Chase standings in the XFINITY Series thanks to his four victories this season. And chances are he’ll get his Chase off to a good start there. In three races at Kentucky, Jones has an average finish of 4.7, and earlier this season, he finished fourth. Jones is trying to back up last year’s Camping World Truck Series championship with an XFINITY title before moving to Sprint Cup with Furniture Row Racing next season.

• Cole Custer is the only Camping World Truck Series regular who has a win at New Hampshire, but he’s not in the Chase after his controversial run-in with John Hunter Nemechek at the end of the Sept. 4 race at Canadian Tire Motor Sport Park. Could Custer take out his frustrations on Nemechek now that the Chase in underway? We shall see. Interestingly, Nemechek’s average finish of 5.0 (in two races) at New Hampshire is bested only by Johnny Sauter‘s 4.8 (in five races) entering this weekend.

THE FAVORITE

 

Matt Kenseth. It just has to be the driver of the No. 20, who has won the last two races at New Hampshire. Granted he’s not the hottest driver coming into this race, but you can’t argue with the most recent results at this track.

Others to consider: Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin.

THE SLEEPER

 

Tony Stewart. Sticking with ‘Smoke’ like last week because he’s tied for the lead among active drivers with three victories at New Hampshire. Plus, he finished second here in July to help solidify his spot in the standings in order to get a chance to “Chase” a fourth title.

Others to consider: Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson.

STAFF PICKS

Joey Logano: 3
Kevin Harvick: 2
Matt Kenseth: 2
Denny Hamlin: 2
Brad Keselowski: 1

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials handed down a P3 penalty to both the No. 43 team of driver Aric Almirola and the No. 16 team of Greg Biffle on Wednesday for not having lug nuts properly installed during the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

The infraction also brought fines of $10,000 to crew chiefs Drew Blickensderfer and Brian Pattie.

The No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing team received a written warning for failing the pre-race template inspection three times and lost 15 minutes of practice time.

The fellow Stewart-Haas Racing cars of No. 10 Danica Patrick and No. 41 Kurt Busch received warnings for failing pre-race LIS.

The cars of Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman failed pre-race template inspection twice and received warnings.

Other warnings or penalties issued after last weekend’s events at Chicagoland included:

The No. 2 XFINITY Series team was warned for failing pre-race template inspection three times.

Kyle Busch‘s No. 18 Camping World Truck Series team received a P2 penalty for having tailgate inspection height measurements outside NASCAR allowed tolerances. The No. 18 crew chief Wes Ward was fined $6,000 and the team docked 10 owner points.