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The NASCAR Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series will gather for a doubleheader showing at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend. Check out the full schedule below.

 

Note: All times are ET

SUNDAY, OCT. 9:

ON TRACK
— Noon: Green Flag — NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 (334 laps, 500 miles), NBC/NBC Sports App (Results)
— 4:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for the Cure 300 Presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC (200 laps, 300 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Results)

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
— Post-NSCS race
— Post-NXS race

 

DAILY ROUNDUP

— Kenseth: We will start at the rear of the field

— Bowman involved in early wreck at Charlotte

— Harvick, Logano have separate issues at the same time

— At-track gallery: Sunday, Charlotte

— Elliott, Dillon involved in big wreck

— Johnson wins at Charlotte, locks in Round of 8 spot

— Chase bubble: Analyzing the playoff picture ahead of Kansas

— 2016 winners: Johnson earns third win of season

 

SATURDAY, OCT. 8:

ON TRACK
— 7:05 p.m.: Green Flag — NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 (334 laps, 500 miles), NBC/NBC Sports App (Follow live) POSTPONED TO SUNDAY, NOON ET

FRIDAY, OCT. 7:

ON TRACK
— 3:30-4:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series second practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live) CANCELED
— 4:45 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live) CANCELED (Lineup)
— 6:30-7:20 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live) CANCELED
— 8 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for the Cure 300 Presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC (200 laps, 300 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App POSTPONED TO SUNDAY, FOLLOWING SPRINT CUP RACE (APPROX. 4:30 P.M. ET)

THURSDAY, OCT. 6:

ON TRACK
— 1:30-2:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Results)
— 3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Results)
— 5:30-6:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Results)
— 7:20 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App  (Results)

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
— Noon: Martin Truex Jr.
— 12:45 p.m.: Austin Dillon
— 1:15 p.m.: Ty Dillon
— 3:05 p.m.: Carl Edwards
— 3:30 p.m.: Kyle Busch
— 4:15 p.m.: Brandon Jones
— 8:20 p.m.: Post-NSCS qualifying

GARAGECAM (Watch live)
— 1 p.m. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
— 2:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series

DAILY ROUNDUP
— Charlotte trends, stats to know for Round of 12 opener
— Cain: For breast cancer survivors, Charlotte is ‘their race’
— Outlooks, best and worst tracks for Round of 12 drivers
— Truex brings back dominant Coca-Cola 600 car
— Fantasy analysis, sleepers to watch for Charlotte
— NASCAR, Charlotte keeping eye on Hurricane Matthew
— Logano looks for more than ‘base hits’ in round he swept in ’15
— Harvick tops the board in opening Sprint Cup practice
— Sieg, Larson top XFINITY practices at Charlotte
— Harvick on pole for Saturday night’s Chase race

 

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Complete race results | Updated Chase Grid

SHOP: Chase gear | Truex gear

 

DOVER, Del. — It was a Martin Truex Jr. blowout, a Jamie McMurray blow-up and a Jimmie Johnson “We blew it again.”

Truex cruised to a decisive victory in Sunday’s Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway, a race that pared the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field from 16 drivers to 12.

Winning for a fourth time this season, a second time at Dover and the seventh time in his career, Truex was without peer after a pit road snafu on Lap 279 of 400 knocked Johnson off the lead lap and out of contention for the win.

Racing at the track closest to his Mayetta, New Jersey, home, Truex beat runner-up Kyle Busch to the finish line by 7.527 seconds, bettering his 7.355 margin of victory at The Monster Mile in his 2007 maiden win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

If Truex wasn’t considered the driver to beat after his Chase-opening victory at Chicagoland, he will be after drubbing the rest of the competition on Sunday.

“We’re not messing around, I guess,” Truex said, understating the case for his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team. “I don’t know — what else can you say? We’re here to get it done, and, golly I’m telling you just the best bunch of guys you could ever ask for. It’s just amazing to drive their race cars and do what we were able to do. I’m just ecstatic.

“I mean, this is just unbelievable. Especially here — I love this race track. It’s been considered a home track for me for a long time. It’s been since ’07 since I won here. Have a lot of heartbreaks here, but all in all, just a phenomenal race car again today. Golly, man, it’s just … I’ve got to pinch myself. We’re ready to go to Charlotte (for the opening race in the Round of 12).”

Chase drivers dominated the top nine in the finishing order, with Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Johnson, Austin Dillon and Denny Hamlin running third through ninth, respectively.

All nine drivers advanced to the Chase’s Round of 12, along with Carl Edwards (14th on Sunday), Kurt Busch (15th) and Kevin Harvick, who blew a tire on Lap 34, went to the garage for repairs and finished 37th, one lap down.

But Harvick’s calamity wasn’t costly, because his victory at New Hampshire last weekend provided a guaranteed spot in the Round of 12.

McMurray and Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Kyle Larson had no such insurance policy, and both were bounced from the Chase on Sunday. Larson suffered ignition problems early on and later scraped the Turn 3 wall on Lap 182 to cause the third of four cautions.

He finished 25th, six laps down and ceded his spot in the Round of 12 to Dillon, whose strong, steady performance ensured three more races as a championship contender.

After complaining of a drive-train vibration in his No. 1 Chevrolet, McMurray saw his worst fears realized when his car erupted in a huge plume of smoke on Lap 193, causing the final caution. McMurray retired in 40th place, joining Chris Buescher, who was never a factor in the Round of 16, on the Chase sidelines.

Johnson had problems on his Lap 279 pit stop, but issues with the fueling of the car weren’t what cost him a chance to win. Johnson’s jack man stepped over the pit wall early enough to make a phone call before Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet arrived, and the resulting penalty cost the six-time champion a lap he never recovered.

With perhaps the fastest car on the track, however, Johnson drove to seventh at the finish, the first car one lap down.

“When I was coming into my pit box, the No. 18 (Kyle Busch) and the No. 43 (Aric Almirola) were just leaving theirs, and they were directly behind my box,” Johnson explained. “I had to slam on the brakes and get turned and get underneath those guys to come in, and I was pretty close to my box, so I assume that just threw the rhythm off the pit stop and somebody came off the wall early.

“Certainly a mistake, but it’s not one that I’ve ever had happen on the No. 48 team. Thankfully, we had a strong car that we were only a lap down and still ended up seventh. I do feel like one got away, but very proud of this Lowe’s race team. I’m happy to be advancing. We’re certainly thrilled about that, but feel like one got away today.”

 

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Race results | Updated Chase Grid

SHOP: Suarez gear


DOVER, Del. — With a dominant car that opened leads of more than six seconds after the final restart on Lap 152 of 200, Daniel Suárez won Sunday’s rain-delayed Drive Sober 200 at Dover International Speedway and earned a spot in the Round of 8 in the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase.

The Mexican-born driver grabbed the top spot from eventual third-place finisher Justin Allgaier on Lap 155 and quickly pulled away. Ty Dillon passed Allgaier for the runner-up spot in the closing laps but finished 5.625 seconds behind Suárez, who won for the first time at Dover and the second time this season.

“I’m very proud of this team — the 19 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry,” Suárez said. “They did a really good job today, and the guys just brought an amazing car. We had a ton of speed. This is one of those races that you would feel bad to lose.”

Suárez’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Erik Jones, didn’t share the good fortune of the race winner. The winner of the 21 Means 21 Pole Award in Saturday’s rain-shortened qualifying session, Jones developed a vibration in his right front wheel and made an unscheduled pit stop on Lap 100.

A caution on Lap 139 — after fast-closing Suárez tangled with Justin Marks in Turn 1 and sent Marks’ No. 42 Chevrolet into the outside wall with enough force to lift all four wheels off the pavement—gave Jones the opportunity to get back on the lead lap with a wave-around, but Jones had to pit for two seconds of fuel with seven laps left and fell to 16th at the finish.

“I’m disappointed, you know?” Jones said. “It’s not how we wanted to run, for sure. Not a good day for us. Just frustrated and just really disappointed in how the first couple weeks have gone in the Chase.

“We’ve run so strong all year, and now to kind of fall on our face here the last couple weeks has been unfortunate. Just need to have a good day at Charlotte. We need to make up four points, get to the next round and start over. Hopefully, we can do that.”

Jones and Dillon, who wrecked while battling in the top five last weekend at Kentucky, remained outside the top eight in the Chase standings, with an elimination race looming on Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where the Chase field will be trimmed from 12 to eight.

Dillon is three points behind 15th-place finisher Brennan Poole in eighth place, with Jones, who leads series regulars with five victories this season, four points back in 10th.

Suárez, an alumnus of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, expressed regret at the incident that ended Marks’ day. Suárez closed very quickly on new tires and hit Marks’ Chevy from behind when both cars moved to the bottom of the track to pass a lapped car.

“I want to apologize to the 42,” said Suárez, who leads the Chase standings by two points over seventh-place finisher Elliott Sadler, who won last Saturday at Kentucky. “It wasn’t my intention to wreck him that way. I felt like I had the inside line and he went to the bottom and I apologize for that.”

Notes: The race was delayed from a scheduled Saturday start because of rain. Corey Lajoie finished a career-best sixth, his second straight top 10 in an XFINITY race. J.J. Yeley’s eighth-place finish was a season-best. Ryan Blaney finished fourth in a substitute role for Joey Logano, who opted not to compete in the XFINITY event, when it was postponed to Sunday, the same day as the Chase for the Sprint Cup elimination race at the Monster Mile. Alex Bowman ran fifth in the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

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LAS VEGAS – Tyler Reddick outdueled Brad Keselowski Racing teammate Daniel Hemric to win Saturday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series DC Solar 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The victory was Reddick’s first of the 2016 season and marked the first time the Brad Keselowski Racing team had fashioned a one-two finish in the series.

Reddick led five times for 70 of the 146 laps around the 1.5-mile track, taking the advantage for the final time from Cole Custer shortly after the race’s third caution.

Custer, who finished third in the No. 00 Chevrolet, faded from contention after a furious battle with Hemric, one that likely assured Reddick of the victory as the pursuers used up the grip in their tires.

Reddick’s margin of victory over his teammate was 1.404 seconds as he completed the race at an average speed of 143.163 mph.

“We were spot-on from the beginning,” said Reddick, who started 16th in the 31-truck field but reached the top three by the 19th lap. The victory was his third in the series and first since June 2015 at Dover International Speedway.

Ben Kennedy and William Bryan completed the top-five finishers. Christopher Bell, Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton, pole starter Timothy Peters and Grant Enfinger were sixth through 10th.

Peters and Kennedy led the early stages of the race. Peters held the point until the 14th lap when Kennedy took over followed by Custer. The caution clock triggered the yellow flag at lap 39, giving Reddick the lead after pit service.

Reddick, Hemric and Custer exchanged the lead through most of the remainder of the event, which saw a dozen total lead changes among five drivers. Hemric led the second-most laps, 38.

Saturday night’s race was the second of three in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase’s Round of 8. While Reddick was not among the eight post-season qualifiers, a Hemric victory could have allowed the runner-up finisher to advance to the next round. As it is, he’s 15 points outside the six-driver cutoff line heading into the Oct. 22 Talladega Superspeedway elimination race, the same as John Hunter Nemechek, who finished 16th in Las Vegas.

“Unfortunately, I was a spoiler for my teammate,” Reddick said.

Hemic said it could be easy to be frustrated – so near yet so far – but noted Reddick did what he was supposed to do for the team.

“We’re both racing for the win,” he said. “We’re doing all we can to win these races. He did everything picture-perfect.”

New Hampshire winner William Byron, who’s guaranteed to advance to the next round, continues as the points leader. Bell, Crafton, Kennedy, Peters and Sauter all are above the cutoff line after two of the three Round of 8 races.

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RELATED: Chase Grid | Sunday’s full lineup


DOVER, Del. — The track that has brought Jimmie Johnson so much success is also the site of one of his biggest disappointments.

It was here at year ago at Dover International Speedway that Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet was felled by a broken axle seal, relegating the Hendrick Motorsports driver to a 41st-place finish.


RECAP: What plagued Johnson at Dover last year


One of the favorites in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup suddenly found himself out of title contention. NASCAR’s only six-time champion would remain just that for another year.

That the failure happened at Dover, at track Johnson has 10 career wins at, was stunning.

“I think last year shows that you really can’t count on a race track always being kind to a driver or always working in their favor,” Johnson said Friday at DIS. “It’s part of racing. I’ve learned it through many different lessons over my racing career.

“Last year, I think, kind of showed everybody … that you just can’t take a race or a track for granted for anybody.”

That disappointment hasn’t lingered, however. Once again NASCAR’s Chase is underway and once again Johnson is a player. He isn’t a lock to advance to the Round of 12, but he is among those expected to remain above the cutline after Sunday’s Citizen Soldier 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) here at DIS.

After finishes of 12th and eighth in the first two Chase races, Johnson sits eighth in points, 18 ahead of the first driver outside the top 12 — currently, Jamie McMurray.

It also hasn’t changed his outlook toward Dover as he and his team prepare for the 400-mile race. Rain on Friday forced the cancellation of qualifying, leaving Johnson to line up eighth in the 40-car starting grid.

“We’re back with high hopes,” he said. “I love being here.”

And with good reason. In addition to his victories, Johnson has finished fifth or better at Dover in more than half of his career starts.

He has started from the eighth position three other times at Dover — winning twice (2009 and 2013) and finishing third once (2014).

Brad Keselowski (Team Penske No. 2 Ford) and Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota) will start first and second, respectively, on Sunday.

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RELATED: See photos from Saturday’s rainy day at Dover

 

The XFINITY Series Dover race postponement — due to weather — left teams scrambling to assemble their lineups Saturday afternoon with playoff chances on the line.

Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contenders, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Austin Dillon were expected to perform double-duty, but with both races now on Sunday, teams had to reassemble its lineups so the trio could focus on their main event — the first elimination race in the Chase.

Drew Herring will wheel the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for Busch, while Ryan Blaney will sit behind Team Penske‘s No. 22 Ford for Logano and Regan Smith is set to replace Dillon in the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, according to multiple reports.

Busch enters the Sprint Cup Citizen Soldier 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) fourth on the Chase Grid and, just a few spots behind, sits Logano in sixth. Dillon is currently 14th, five points below the cutoff. 

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RELATED: Practice results | Junior gives update in Dover garage

Jeff Gordon, filling in for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr., topped the leaderboard in Saturday’s first of two scheduled Sprint Cup Series practices at Dover International Speedway at 160.514 mph in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Right behind him was Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford at 159.610 mph.

Rounding out the top five were Ryan Newman in the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (159.419 mph), Kasey Kahne in the No. 5 HMS Chevrolet (159.405 mph) and Paul Menard in the No. 27 RCR Chevrolet (159.011).

Series points leader Brad Keselowski was 22nd fastest with a speed of 157.020 mph in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford.


Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick, who have each clinched a berth to the next Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup round, were 28th and eighth, respectively.

The final practice session was set to begin at 1:30 p.m. ET, but weather prevented the cars from getting on track. The Sprint Cup Series will return Sunday for the Citizen Soldier 400 at 2 p.m. ET (NBCSN, MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

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RELATED: Live weather updates | Weekend schedule


After spotty rain affected events all day Saturday at Dover, NASCAR postponed the XFINITY Series’ Drive Sober 200 until 10 a.m. ET Sunday (CNBC, MRN, SIRIUS XM).


The second race of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase was set to be the capstone to a day of action at Dover International Speedway.


Fans with tickets to either race will be admitted for both. Tickets are available here. 


Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Austin Dillon all were entered in both races and faced the prospect of 600 high-speed laps at the Monster Mile in a single day Sunday with the schedule change.


Thus, Ryan Blaney now is scheduled to wheel the Team Penske entry for Logano,  Regan Smith will replace Dillon and Drew Herring will drive for Busch. 


Saturday’s on-track action started well for the second Sprint Cup practice at Dover. But sprinkles turned to heavier rain with 15 minutes left in that practice, bringing out the red flag after 45 minutes of the 55-minute session.


XFINITY Series qualifying was also off to a good start, but was scrapped after just one round, handing Erik Jones the pole position.


Final Sprint Cup practice was set for 1:30 p.m. ET, but ultimately was canceled due to inclement weather. 


Friday’s Sprint Cup Coors Light qualifying also was canceled due to persistent rain. The field was set by owner standings, allowing Brad Keselowski to start P1 for the second time this year. The Sprint Cup Series will return to the track tomorrow for the Citizen Soldier 400 at 2 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App).


*Contributing: Reid Spencer from the NASCAR Wire Service