Posted on by Staff Report

Four NASCAR teams will converge Tuesday and Wednesday for a Goodyear tire test at Martinsville Speedway, the lone short track left on the Sprint Cup Series schedule.

The four teams invited will help confirm the tire compound for the Oct. 30 Goody’s Fast Relief 500, the seventh event in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs. Those participating at the .526-mile track are:

  • The Chip Ganassi Racing No. 1 Chevrolet with driver Jamie McMurray
  • The Roush Fenway Racing No. 16 Ford with driver Greg Biffle
  • The Richard Childress Racing No. 27 Chevrolet with driver Paul Menard
  • The Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota with driver Martin Truex Jr.

    Two tests remain on the Sprint Cup schedule for the rest of the year.

    Another Goodyear tire test is scheduled at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 17, the day after the 1.5-mile track completes its second NASCAR weekend of the year. NASCAR is also scheduled to conduct an organizational test Oct. 18-19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, site of the season finales for all three national series as part of Ford Championship Weekend.

    • Posted on by Staff Report

    What channel is the NASCAR race on this week? We answer that and provide all the weekly NASCAR television listings here.

     

    RELATED: Find NBCSN in your area

     

    All times ET

    Monday, October 3
    1:30 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lane, FS1
    6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
    6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
    7:30 p.m., NASCAR 120, NBCSN

    Tuesday, October 4
    5:30 p.m., Racing Roots, NBCSN
    6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
    6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

    Wednesday, October 5
    6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
    6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

    Thursday, October 6
    Noon, NASCAR: The List “Memorable Moments” (re-air), NBCSN
    12:30 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Series: Stafford Motor Speedway (taped), NBCSN
    1:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, NBCSN
    3 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, NBCSN
    4 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series: Dover International Speedway (taped), NBCSN  
    5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
    5:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN
    6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
    7 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN

    Friday, October 7
    3:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, NBCSN CANCELED
    4:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN CANCELED
    6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
    6:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN CANCELED
    7:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green, NBCSN
    8 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for the Cure 300 Presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC, NBCSN POSTPONED TO SUNDAY
    10:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Post-Race Show, NBCSN

    Saturday, October 8
    5 p.m., NASCAR America Saturday, NBCSN


    Sunday, October 8
    11 a.m., Pre-race show, NBCSN
    Noon, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500, NBC
    4:30 p.m. (approx.), NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for the Cure 300 Presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC, NBCSN

     

    Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Oct. 3, 2016) — Richard Childress Racing (RCR) has enlisted NASCAR Digital Media (NDM) to oversee design and development of the organization’s new website, the companies announced today. The new rcrracing.com will soft launch in December followed by a full rollout in early 2017.

    RCR undertook a rigorous search process, interviewing more than 10 agencies and web design firms before awarding the project to NDM. In doing so, RCR becomes the first race team to collaborate with the fast-growing NDM on a website build.

    The fully customized site will feature an improved user experience and compelling, original content to enhance the overall digital experience for fans of RCR and its stable of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers.

    “Our digital efforts have become a major focus for RCR and many of our partners over the past few years,” said Ben Schlosser, Chief Marketing Officer of RCR. “We needed a contemporary website which allows us to fully showcase engaging content for our fans and partners. RCR looked at a number of qualified digital providers and chose NDM because of their proven approach and the compelling opportunities to collaborate on content. We understand that NDM is discussing similar projects with other race teams and we’re proud to be the leader in the effort.”

    NDM will build rcrracing.com to accommodate RCR’s growing number of fans across multiple devices, with a flexible design offering multiple ways to present content. The revamped site will feature driver-specific content, complete race and driver schedules, videos, photo galleries, race updates and more.

    “As the NASCAR digital platform continues to expand, we’re making more of our capabilities available to partners,” said NASCAR Digital Media Vice President Colin Smith. “Richard Childress Racing drivers have loyal and passionate fan followings, and we’re uniquely positioned to help the team better engage those audiences across a constantly evolving digital landscape.”


    NDM has led a myriad of successful digital initiatives since NASCAR reacquired its digital rights and launched a new platform in 2013. The flagship site, NASCAR.com, is the sport’s premier destination for fans and in 2016 the platform will eclipse one billion page views for the third consecutive year. 

    Through this partnership, RCR will have access to NDM’s content management system that allows developers to publish timely content across creatively designed layouts. The team will benefit from other tools to drive fan engagement, including data-driven insight from daily digital interactions with NASCAR fans, industry and sponsors.

    The announcement represents another step in the continued growth and evolution of NDM, which plans to work with more race teams on website builds in the future. Earlier this year, NASCAR announced that NDM will bring all digital advertising sales and operations in house, beginning January 1, 2017. 

    Posted on by Nascar

    RELATED: Results | Chase Grid | Who’s in, who’s out


    DOVER, Del. — There was no talk of points, according to Austin Dillon, until there were 10 laps remaining in Sunday’s Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway.

    By then the Richard Childress Racing driver was close enough to entertain thoughts of advancing to the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup.

    “They said I was 11 to the good,” Dillon, 26, said, “and that was about it. I didn’t want to listen to it really. I knew what we had to do.”

    Dillon earned the 12th and final Chase spot, staving off elimination with an eighth-place finish on the 1-mile concrete oval. His first Chase appearance will now include his first advancement to the second round.

    Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota) and Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet) were already locked in to the Round of 12 with victories at Chicagoland and New Hampshire, respectively.

    Dillon was one of 14 hoping for either a trip to Victory Lane or the points necessary to advance.

    In the end, the points did the trick.

    Once the race was over and Dillon and the others had made their way to pit road, the former XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series champion quickly climbed from his car and rushed over to hug and exchange high-fives with crew members.

    “We have been working hard as a team and I have been working hard as a driver to make myself better,” Dillon said. “This series is very tough and I think the biggest thing was not giving up. We could have given up in that second practice (on Saturday) when it was raining and drizzling.

    “I got frustrated and just tried to calm myself down and believe in what we were doing as a team.”

    The result?

    “Man, we got it done,” he said.

    He had been 14th at Chicago and 16th at New Hampshire, leaving his Chase future as cloudy as the skies that hung over DIS for much of the weekend.

    But in a race that saw only four cautions — and none in the second half — he kept his wits, his team made no mistakes on pit road and now it’s on to the next round.

    “It feels good,” he said. “It’s time to knock some more of these guys out, because we’ve got this opportunity. … I want to say that we’re going to be the underdog in this next round, so let’s go do it.”

    In addition to Truex, Harvick and Dillon, others advancing are defending series champion Kyle Busch along with Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards; Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski; Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports); and Kurt Busch (SHR).

    Those failing to advance were three-time champion Tony Stewart (SHR), Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson as well as Front Row Motorsports wheelman Chris Buescher.

    Posted on by Nascar

    RELATED: Race results | Chase Grid


    DOVER, Del. — The final margin was of little consequence. Tony Stewart would either be in or out after 400 miles at Dover International Speedway.

    In, and he would be one those advancing to the Round of 12, the second elimination round in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

    Out, and he would have no chance to end his NASCAR Sprint Cup career as a four-time series champion.

    Stewart was out.

    Exiting his car, he was flanked by media as he made his way down pit road, through the garage, up the stairs and out of sight.

    “I’m pretty excited about our day,” Stewart said. “We were much better than we were yesterday. Really proud of our team.

    “We kept making (the car) better all day. That is good as we had.”

    His 13th-place finish in Sunday’s Citizen Soldier 400 was fitting; the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet wasn’t a top-10 car. It was a top-15 and that was that. He didn’t challenge for the lead, but he didn’t have any problems staying ahead of a good portion of the field either.

    It was the other fast few for which Stewart and his team had no answer. Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota) won handily, and Chase drivers took the top nine spots.

    Not that some of those in the 16-driver Chase field didn’t have their problems — both Chip Ganassi Racing entries with drivers Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson were among the four not advancing as well as Stewart and Chris Buescher (Front Row Motorsports).

    Stewart was a long shot to get in, outside the top 12 in points before the race went green and outside when the checkered flew.

    Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing) didn’t falter and stayed well enough ahead of Stewart to secure the final transfer spot.


    RELATED: Stewart comments on Austin’s speed


    “That’s all we had guys,” Stewart radioed his team after crossing the finish line.

    “Much better than yesterday,” crew chief Mike Bugarewicz replied, referencing a limited practice session on the 1-mile concrete oval.

    Stewart is the winner of 49 premier series races and it’s not unthinkable that he could return to Victory Lane at some point with seven races remaining.

    He has the talent and the team to do that. But it wouldn’t be as a championship contender. For Stewart, that’s one Chase that’s ended.


    Posted on by

    DOVER, Del. — Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates entered Sunday’s race at Dover International Speedway with both drivers — Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson — seemingly on their way to advancing in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

    They left with 25th- and 40th-place finishes and no drivers in the Chase.

    And there certainly was plenty of disappointment.

    “Horrible day for our organization,” McMurray said, as he stood in the garage midway through the event while his team worked feverishly to repair the No. 1 Chevrolet.

    An electrical issue, believed to be the result of a valve train failure, began creating problems for the No. 1 team around Lap 73 of the 400-lap event in the form of a vibration. It returned about 70 laps later, as McMurray & Co. tried to keep the car on track as long as possible.

    “You have wishful thinking at that point,” McMurray said. “No one wants to stay out and blow up, not to oil the track down. Also it’s hard to diagnose the problem if the motor’s blown up. Because you’re in a position this weekend where you just have to go for it and what you hope is you’ve got something as simple as a plug wire or a spark plug that you can replace and the motor’s not going to grenade. We came here and looked at it, and actually on the digital dash, we have a little diagnosis page and nothing is showing up, so we didn’t know what was wrong. We were just going to salvage as long as we could.”

    Circumstances went from slightly hopeful to dismal, as McMurray reported being down one cylinder, then two, before his No. 1 Chevrolet ultimately blew its motor, smoke billowing to bring out the caution flag and end his day prematurely. McMurray’s teammate, Larson, finished the race, but a string of unfortunate events led to the No. 42 missing out on the next round of the Chase and handing the final spot to Austin Dillon.

    “Nice Christmas present for Austin there, by both Ganassi cars,” Larson said on pit road after the race.

    Larson’s monster-sized battle began at Lap 38 when his No. 42 Chevrolet lost power. After a stop on pit road, his car was able to get running again — but too many men over the wall forced Larson to serve a pass-through penalty that left him facing an uphill battle.

    “I guess my whole stock car career kind of piled up into the first 50 laps there with bad luck,” Larson said. “We probably would have been all right if we didn’t have too many men over the wall because we only lost a lap getting the battery back going good and then I had to do the drive-through and lost another two laps.

    “So, once you get down more than one lap really, you’re kind of screwed here. We just kept fighting — well, I mean, not really I guess fighting; there wasn’t much we could do.”

    Larson’s early departure from the Chase particularly came as a surprise. Many picked the 24-year-old driver as a dark horse to win the championship this season after his first career win at Michigan. And both Larson and McMurray have shown promise and speed in recent weeks.

    McMurray takes comfort in that.

    “(It’s) very unfortunate and (I’m) disappointed but very proud of the organization,” McMurray said. “Where our cars started the year at and where we are right now, we made huge progress.

    “If you race every single weekend, you know that the most frustrating part of the sport is to run bad. And the fact that we’ve run so well, we’ll just have things like that happen. So, nobody’s down — we’re frustrated, mad, that we’re still here watching the race but having good cars is what it’s really all about.”

    His teammate echoed his sentiments.

    “We have good speed with our race team and the Target Chevrolet is fast week in and week out,” Larson said. “So I can still run for a top-five in points. I think I can finish fifth at best. So we are going to try and do everything we can to do that or at least try and finish as high up as we can and get a couple of wins. 

    “I still have some really good tracks for me that are left in the Chase. So we are just going to dig deep and work hard and try and get ourselves some more wins.”

    After the crowd cleared, Larson sat on the wall and talked with his crew members. It may be the end of his Chase run, but not his season.

    Time to get to work.


    Posted on by Staff Report

    RELATED: Full race results | Updated Chase Grid
    MORE: Tough Chase day for Larson, McMurray

     

    Martin Truex Jr. won Sunday’s race at Dover International Speedway, and the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series field was trimmed from 16 to 12 drivers. Below is who advanced and who did not.

    All advancing drivers will have their points reset to 3,000. There are no bonus points for wins that carry over into the next round. That means Truex Jr., who won twice in the three races in the Round of 16, has 3,000 points, just like everyone else.

    The below list is ranked in order of the Chase Grid. Truex Jr. is seeded first because of his two wins last round. Kevin Harvick is second due to his one win.

    Spots three through 12 are ranked by best finish in the opening round. Kyle Busch is seeded third, for example, because he finished second at Dover.

    ADVANCING DRIVERS
    1. Martin Truex Jr.
    2. Kevin Harvick
    3. Kyle Busch
    4. Matt Kenseth
    5. Joey Logano
    6. Chase Elliott
    7. Brad Keselowski
    8. Kurt Busch
    9. Denny Hamlin
    10. Carl Edwards
    11. Jimmie Johnson
    12. Austin Dillon


    DID NOT ADVANCE
    Tony Stewart, Kyle Larson, Jamie McMurray, Chris Buescher.

     

    Posted on by Staff Report

    RELATED: Find NBCSN in your area | Watch live online at NBCSports.com

     

    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.”