Posted on by Staff Report

JOLIET, Ill. — Cole Custer has some clarity about making the next step up the NASCAR ladder, but he insists he still has goals to achieve on his current rung.

Stewart-Haas Racing announced Friday morning that the 18-year-old NASCAR Next alum will move up to drive for the organization’s newborn team in the NASCAR XFINITY Series next season. Custer will embark on a Sunoco Rookie of the Year campaign in the No. 00 entry with sponsorship from Haas Automation.

For now, Custer’s immediate target is on closing out the current season strong in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The driver of the JR Motorsports No. 00 Chevrolet sits as the highest-ranking driver outside of the provisional eight-driver Chase grid heading into Friday night’s American Ethanol E15 225 (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“Definitely really excited about next year,” Custer said ahead of the regular-season finale on the 1.5-mile track. “SHR is one of the best organizations in NASCAR, so really excited about that, but we’re really focused on winning today.”

Custer has two Camping World Truck Series wins to his credit, including his 2014 breakthrough at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where he became the youngest winner of a NASCAR national series race at the age of 16 years, 7 months and 28 days.

He sits winless this season, but did chalk up a pole position in the series’ most recent race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. That race ended in bitter defeat after a late-race bump and tangle with John Hunter Nemechek in the final lap spoiled what had been a dominant day.

Custer’s move comes in a pivotal transition period for Stewart-Haas Racing, which has fielded a multiple-car operation in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series since 2009. The team announced in July that it would field a single-car entry in the XFINITY Series for the first time. That change came after the organization’s February bombshell that it would switch its four-car Sprint Cup stable from Chevrolet to Ford, starting in 2017.


Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Chase Grid | Every 2016 race winner

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase Grid was set with the end of the 16-race regular season on Friday night at Chicagoland Speedway.

Six full-time drivers with victories in 2016 made the eight-driver field with two drivers getting in on their strength of consistency thanks to their point positions in the driver standings.

This year marks the first time the Camping World Truck Series will use the elimination-style format that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has used since 2014. The Truck Series Chase will be three rounds and opens next weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The Round of 8 will consist of races at New Hampshire, Las Vegas and Talladega, where two drivers will be eliminated from the field. The Round of 6 will consist of races at Martinsville, Texas and Phoenix, where two drivers will be eliminated from the field, setting the stage for the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 18. 

Here’s who comprises the field. NASCAR announced the seeding and the points shortly after the finish of the American Ethanol e15 225 at Chicagoland Speedway. 

1. William Byron, No. 9 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota (five wins, 2015 points)
2. Matt Crafton, No. 88 ThorSport Racing Toyota (two wins, 2006 points)
3. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 8 NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet (two wins, 2006 points)
4. Christopher Bell, No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota (one win, 2003 points)
5. Johnny Sauter, No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet (one win, 2003 points)
6. Ben Kennedy, No. 33 GMS Racing Chevrolet (one win, 2003 points)
7. Daniel Hemric, No. 19 Brad Keselowski Racing Ford (on points, 2000 points)
8. Timothy Peters, No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota (on points, 2000 points)

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Full race results | Series standings | Chase Grid

JOLIET, Ill. – In a race punctuated by a record 10 cautions, Kyle Busch streaked away from Chase hopeful Cameron Hayley in overtime and won Friday night’s American Ethanol e15 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.

With Busch’s victory over runner-up Daniel Hemric, who passed Hayley after the final restart on Lap 150, Hemric and Timothy Peters locked up the final two of eight spots in the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase, which starts Sept. 24 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

With a truck dialed in on Thursday by last year’s series champion Erik Jones while Busch took care of Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup media day duties, Busch led 95 of the 151 laps en route to winning for the second time in four starts this season. It was his fifth win at Chicagoland and the 46th time in his career.

Driving a Toyota Tundra built by Kyle Busch Motorsports, ThorSport Racing driver Hayley finished third but failed to make the Chase. Hayley was gaining ground on the race winner, when contact between the trucks of Tyler Reddick and John Wes Townley caused the ninth caution on Lap 144 and ultimately forced the race one lap past its scheduled distance.

On the final restart, Busch chose the outside lane and pulled away from Hayley and Hemric before NASCAR called the final caution on the last lap for Rico Abreu’s spin and froze the field, with Busch the winner.

“This has just been a really good place for us and for KBM over the years,” Busch said. “We’ve been really fast here, so it was really nice to come out here and keep that speed going… I really appreciate Erik Jones being out here (Thursday) and working it in for me and everything that he did.”

Two of Busch’s KBM proteges, William Byron and Christopher Bell, already had qualified for the first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase on the strength of regular-season victories. Byron, the top seed in the Chase with five wins as a rookie, had a tough night on Friday, getting loose underneath Ben Rhodes on Lap 3 and slamming the outside wall in Turn 2.

Byron placed 30th, but the low finish had no effect on his Chase standing with the reset of points after the race.

“It was really important, too, to see the 9 (Byron) and the 4 (Bell) make the Chase this year for KBM,” Busch said. “They’ve got two opportunities there to go for the championship. And then the 13 (Hayley) there at the end, that’s a brand new truck out of our KBM stable.

“That thing was fast. It was hard to hold him off. He was right there at the end, and he was really quick.”

In fact, Hayley though he had the fastest truck but fell victim to Busch’s vast experience in the series.

“We definitely had the faster track there at the end, but he blocked my every move,” said Hayley, who missed the playoff by one position in the standings. “But overall, it was all I could do. … We’re not in the Chase, but you can’t say we didn’t try.”

Byron characterized his early accident as a learning experience.

“It was learning what not to do for the Chase,” he said.

The eight Chase drivers in order of seeding are Byron, two-time champion Matt Crafton, John Hunter Nemechek, Bell, Johnny Sauter, Ben Kennedy, Hemric and Peters.

Kennedy got the worst of a violent Lap 112 wreck that started when Sauter tagged Kennedy’s Chevrolet and sent it spinning into the wall. Kennedy, who led twice for four laps, emerged from the infield care center with a bandaged hand.

“I bruised up my hand a little bit,” said Kennedy, who felt he had a truck capable of winning.

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Meet the 16-driver Chase field

 

Kyle Larson was all wide smiles and high hopes late Saturday night leaning against his Chevrolet on pit road after a runner-up finish in the regular-season finale at Richmond, Virginia — his third consecutive top-three showing.

 

The 24-year-old is (almost) three weeks removed from his maiden Sprint Cup Series victory at Michigan, and five days into his first championship run that starts Sunday in Chicago.

 

“Our team has some momentum at the right time and that’s nice,” said Larson’s team owner, Chip Ganassi, who boasts two Chase-qualified drivers (also Jamie McMurray, in the No. 1 Chevy) for the first time.

 

As NASCAR’s championship cranks up this week for the first round of the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, everyone has a well-contemplated opinion on who will be the 2016 champ.

 

It’s absolutely one of the most interesting — and wide-open — Chase fields ever from top to bottom.

 

Toyotas have been strong and boast an impressive lineup from Martin Truex Jr. to defending Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch.

 

It’s also hard to argue against the Ford camp led by Team Penske drivers, four-time winner Brad Keselowskii and Joey Logano, victor at the season’s first Michigan event.

 

And Chevrolet, of course, boasts three former champions in Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick along with several promising newcomers, including Larson.

 

During the preseason, I picked Johnson to win his record-tying seventh Sprint Cup title and have made that pick consistently every year, figuring it will surely come for the modern era’s most impressive, don’t-count-him-out champion. But his Hendrick team needs to turn it on now.

 

Perhaps most interesting is the “batch” of Chase first-timers such as Larson, Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott and Chris Buescher — all young drivers who will be recurring themes in the title scenario for the next decade.

 

But Larson is there above others in this unprecedented roster of young, talented championship contenders.

 

He has finishes of first (Michigan), third (Darlington) and second (at Richmond) in his last three races and four top-six finishes in the last six races.

 

His six top-three finishes on the season in the No. 42 Target Chevrolet equal the work of Kevin Harvick, while Busch has nine and Keselowski has eight.

 

“We have a ton of momentum rolling here,” a smiling Larson said Saturday night. “Three top-threes in a row, that’s great for our team going into the Chase. Hopefully we can keep it going.

 

“We’ve got good speed in the cars. And especially at the mile and a half tracks is where Chip Ganassi Racing excels right now, and those are my favorite tracks as well. There’s a lot of those in the Chase, which is good.”

 

Larson’s rookie showing at Chase tracks — but not as a Chase-eligible competitor — was big news in 2014. He had six top-10 finishes in the 10 races, including five straight beginning at Chicago. Twice he finished runner-up (at New Hampshire and Kansas).

 

So not only has Larson proven himself capable of success at these venues in the past, but he is also peaking at the right time.

 

And, the Ganassi Racing team has won season titles in every other form of racing it has competed in — from IndyCar to IMSA.

 

Focus and drive are not issues here. It’s just a matter of getting it done in the stock car ranks like the team has in every other form of motorsport.

 

Larson is ready. His team is ready. It’s time to buckle up.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Gustafson furious at Gordon over radio


Things got a little awkward at Richmond on Saturday night between Hendrick Motorsports teammates. 

Jeff Gordon, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet in place of Dale Earnhardt Jr., caused contact with Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet — you know, the one that Gordon drove to four Sprint Cup Series titles — and nearly cost his teammate a shot at the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup after his ride was damaged.

Elliott managed to still make the cut on points, but Gordon, in some ways Elliott’s mentor, went out of his way to text the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender and apologize for the incident, the 20-year-old told media at the Ready. Set. Chase. launch event Thursday in Chicago.

“He sent me a text after the race,” Elliott said. “I knew it wasn’t his fault. I wasn’t concerned with it at all. It was a racing deal. You hate, of course, it had to be two teammates, it had to be myself and Jeff. But at the end of the day we both get it and our teams get it.” 


Elliott later added, that the apology “wasn’t at all necessary.” 

Alex Bowman will be behind the wheel of the No. 88 at the Chicagoland Chase opener, but now we know there will be no tension between Gordon and Elliott over the incident for the veteran driver’s last two starts of 2016 — Dover and Martinsville — moving forward.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Harvick raises intensity, grabs bull by horns


Kevin Harvick recently made headlines by tweeting out an ominous message last week saying “My mood for the next 11 weeks.” — accompanied by a GIF of a raging bull. 

The Sprint Cup Series driver and Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contender clarified the tweet on Thursday at the Ready. Set. Chase. launch event in Chicago.


“I just meant I was excited. I think it’s definitely, I feel like you have to find another level in order to compete and win the championship,” the Stewart-Haas Racing driver said. “I think that bleeds over into your team because it’s so detail-oriented from every category on the car at this time of year. If we don’t do it as a team and find those details, some other team will. You have to take these 10 weeks differently than the first 26 weeks.”


Many speculated that the tweet was more of a direct reference to his frustration with his No. 4 pit crew, but it sounds like the 2014 champion just wants to take things to the next level once the Chase starts — his team included.


“You have to kind of be that raging lunatic a little bit when it comes this time of year because you have to somehow find that gear and find those details and get everybody on your team to do the same thing,” Harvick said. “It’s a hard 10 weeks.”


So is he set for a nickname change, from ‘Happy’ to ‘The Bull’?



“You do whatever you want,” Harvick said with a chuckle. “I’m not watching.”




Posted on by Staff Report

With the Sprint Cup Series postseason in full swing, stay on top of all news concerning the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Stewart, Newman meet with NASCAR



After harsh words were exchanged at Richmond, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman met with NASCAR officials at Chicagoland Speedway, and both say they are ready to move on from their altercation. | Read more

Harvick: ‘Expect the unexpected’ in the Chase



Drivers talked about racing hard and the intensity of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup during Ready. Set. Chase. launch activities at Chicago. Kevin Harvick talks about the wide-open nature of the competition and Brad Keselowski thinks fans can expect some bumps, saying, “That’s just how racing is going to be. We don’t have to play drama queen for everything.” | More top quotes

NASCAR updates rules for Chase



Rules updates announced the Wednesday before the first race of the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup at Chicagoland give competition officials the power to issue more stringent rulings on technical infractions involving post-race laser inspections and lug nuts. | Read more 

Five to Watch: Potential Chase rivalries


NASCAR.com’s George Winkler talks the biggest feuds that could explode come playoff time. | Read more

Dissecting the chippiness

Tensions were high at different points of the regular-season finale at Richmond. Will that carry over to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup? Tony Stewart, Brad Keselowski and others offer their thoughts. | Read more

Contrasting circumstances

While the sun is setting on Tony Stewart’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career as a driver, Chase Elliott’s is just getting started. The three-time champion and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender share a unique relationship. | Read more

Grabbing the bull

Kevin Harvick explains his infamous tweet of a bull going wild and what it means for his competitors in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. | Read more

Getting social

Chase drivers will have their Twitter handles on on the windshield of their NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rides during the Round of 16 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. | Read more | Track the social buzz | @nascarcasm: What should Twitterless Edwards do?

Heads up: Chicagoland weekend


Want weather updates, staff picks, top story lines for the Chicagoland weekend? NASCAR.com has got you covered. | Read more | Fantasy outlooks for top drivers at Chicagoland

Cain: Don’t forget Larson in most wide-open Chase in history

 

NASCAR.com’s Holly Cain discusses Kyle Larson as a title contender and recognizes 2016 as the year with the most interesting Chase field. | Read more

Meet the 16 crew chiefs in the 2016 Chase


No one plays a greater role in a driver’s success than the crew chief. They’re the ones standing atop the pit box, making the calls on when to pit and talking their drivers through strategy. | Read more

Predicting who will advance to the Round of 12


NASCAR.com’s George Winkler talks Chase predictions and has the stats and numbers to back it up. | Read more

Drivers talk Chase Across America

 

The 16-driver Chase field heads to various places across America before the playoffs officially begin at Chicagoland. | Read more

Chase by the numbers: Chicagoland

 

Here are some useful facts before the Chase begins at Chicagoland Speedway. | Read more

Veterans, rookies soak in Chase berth

 

Kenny Bruce discusses Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon and Chris Buescher as they enter their first Chase. And 2014 Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick offers some profound insight from someone who has been in playoff mode many times. | Read more

NASCAR.com Power Rankings

 

Following his Richmond win, Denny Hamlin moves up to first in the pre-Chicago Power Rankings. See how the rest of the Chase field fared. | Read more 

Pit crew power rankings for the Chase

 

This year’s Chase Grid is loaded with talented pit crews. Take a look and see how PitTalks.com ranks the top 16. | Read more

Chase 101: Everything You Need to Know

 

Need a refresher on how the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup works? You’re covered. | Read more

Bruce: Toyota the Chase favorites? Absolutely

 

NASCAR.com’s Kenny Bruce discusses the pre-playoff favorites: The Joe Gibbs Racing quartet as well as Furniture Row Racing’s team. | Read

First-time Chasers eager for opportunity

 

First time Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Austin Dillon, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson talk about trying to capitalize on their championship opportunity. | Read more

Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers


See every driver in the Chase field with a quick season recap, Chase history, best Chase track and worst Chase track stats. | Read more

Chase for the Sprint Cup Series grid

 

Before the Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway, see where each wheelman in the 16-driver field stacks up. | Read more

Posted on by Staff Report

The father of former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Robby Gordon, along with the elder Gordon’s wife, died Wednesday in an apparent murder-suicide, police told the Associated Press.

 

The bodies of Rob Gordon, 68, and his wife Sharon, 57, were found dead in their California home.

 

“I’m so sad I can’t believe,” Gordon told the Associated Press.

 

Gordon competed in 396 career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races from 1991-2012, and he won three times during that span — at New Hampshire in 2001, and at Sonoma and Watkins Glen in 2003.

 

Gordon drove the No. 31 for Richard Childress Racing from 2001-04, then drove for his own team, Robby Gordon Motorsports, for the rest of his career in the No. 7.

 

A noted off-road racer, Gordon currently drives in the Speed Energy Formula Off-Road racing series, which he formed in 2013.