Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full race results | Updated Chase Grid
SHOP: Chase gear

One race into the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and already some drivers are in bubble trouble. Let’s find out which drivers went into their shells during the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400, and who is sitting back, relaxing and chomping on pizza before New Hampshire.

Who’s hot: Martin Truex Jr.: He overcame a lot to win his first Chase race in the opener at Chicago. First, there was a shredded right-front tire that forced him to come to pit road and fall a lap down before the race was 90 laps old. He jumped back on the lead lap after a caution on Lap 119 and overcame Ryan Blaney on a restart in an overtime finish to pull away for the win. It was critical for Truex to do well on the intermediate track since two short tracks (New Hampshire, Dover) are up next in the Round of 16. Truex advances. (Note: The No. 78 failed post-race inspection but not to the level of an encumbered finish. Read more) …

Chase Elliott: The Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate appeared to have his first Sprint Cup Series race in the bag before a caution on Lap 262 for an accident involving the No. 95 of Michael McDowell. In the ensuing pit stop, Truex beat Elliott off pit road, and after an overtime restart, the No. 24 finished third. Still, it’s a great way to start the Chase, and with three top-10 finishes in his past four races, Elliott seems to have turned his season around at the right time.

Who’s not: Kevin Harvick: The 2014 champ charged up from the back after starting there for unapproved adjustments and was poised to contend for the victory. But bad luck struck when he pitted under green just before a caution flag came out on Lap 48. Harvick couldn’t beat the leader to the start/finish line on pit road and fell a lap down. He had a good car but finished 20th (15th among the 16 Chase drivers). …

Kyle Larson: The first-time Chase participant got off to a bad start when he had to move to the back because of a transmission change prior to the race. However, Larson fought his way back into the top five late in the race before he reported the right side of the car feeling like it was about to go down. Crew chief Chad Johnston called him to pit road with seven laps to go and Larson finished 18th (14th among Chase drivers) and was 15th in the Chase standings heading to New Hampshire.  

Four in, four out: Here’s a look at the Chase bubble, with four drivers being eliminated after the third race of this round, at Dover International Speedway.

Chase Bubble Watch

Standing Driver Point Differential from Cutoff
9. Carl Edwards +5
10. Kurt Busch +4
11. Jamie McMurray +3
12. Tony Stewart +1
———— CUT-OFF LINE ————
13. Austin Dillon -1
14. Kevin Harvick -1
15. Kyle Larson -2
16. Chris Buescher -12


Up next: New England 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Who it favors
Most wins: 3 (Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart)
Best driver rating: 103.3 (Denny Hamlin-21 races)
Best average finish: 10.2 (Denny Hamlin)

Who it hurts
Fewest top 10s: 1 (Austin Dillon-5 races), 0 (Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher-1 race)
Worst driver rating: 45.0 (Chris Buescher), 72.2 (Jamie McMurray)
Worst average finish: 34.0 (Chase Elliott-1 race), 29.0 (Chris Buescher-1 race), 19.9 (Jamie McMurray-27 races) 

Posted on by Staff Report

With Regan Smith still in North Carolina due to the impending birth of his second child, Ty Dillon will pilot the No. 7 Chevrolet for Tommy Baldwin Racing in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the team announced Sunday morning.

 

Dillon has practiced all weekend in the No. 7 as Smith flew back to North Carolina to be with wife Megan.

 

 

Smith has made all 26 starts in the No. 7 so far this year with two top-10 finishes. Dillon has made eight starts this season in the Sprint Cup Series and served as a relief driver for Tony Stewart at Talladega in the spring. 

 

Dillon is currently a regular in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and will participate in that series’ seven-race XFINITY Series Chase, which begins next weekend at Kentucky Speedway.

 

Smith has taken to Twitter the past few days to keep fans updated on his status. Here are his latest posts:

 

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Find NBCSN in your area

All times ET

Monday, September 19
4 p.m., NASCAR 120, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Tuesday, September 20
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Scan All Special: Sonoma, Daytona, Kentucky (re-air), NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., The Season (re-air), NBCSN
11:30 p.m., NASCAR The List: Daytona Memories (re-air), NBCSN

Wednesday, September 21
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Thursday, September 22
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Series: South Boston (taped), NBCSN

Friday, September 23
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, NBCSN
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, FS1
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS1
3:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, NBCSN
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN
7:30 p.m., The Season (re-air), NBCSN
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying (re-air), NBCSN
10 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice (re-air), NBCSN

Saturday, September 24
9 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, CNBC
10 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, CNBC
12:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series SetUp, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 175, FS1
4:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Coors Light Pole Qualifying (re-air), NBCSN
7:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green, NBCSN
8 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300, NBCSN

Sunday, September 25
11:30 a.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR America Sunday, NBCSN
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Countdown to Green, NBCSN
2 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300, NBCSN
5 p.m., Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge from Circuit of the Americas (taped), FS1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race Show, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN
11:30 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap (re-air), NBCSN
1 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lane, FS1

 



Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Full race results | Series standings | Chase Grid
SHOP: Chase gear

JOLIET, Ill. — Kevin Harvick‘s hopes for a strong start to this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs were thwarted Sunday afternoon by a case of unfortunate timing.

Harvick left Chicagoland Speedway with an unsatisfying 20th-place finish in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400, unable to make up a lap lost during the race’s first caution period. Only rookie Chris Buescher in 28th finished worse among the 16-driver postseason field.

The timing was compounded by a penalty to start the race, when NASCAR officials ordered the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet to the rear of the field for unapproved body modifications.

Harvick emerged from his car and walked with purpose from pit road toward the drivers’ motorcoach lot, declining to answer questions about the circumstances of his day. He left the Chase opener tied for 13th in the standings, needing to make up ground in the Round of 16’s next two races at New Hampshire and Dover.


RELATED: How Harvick got stuck a lap down explained

“You start behind in the Chase and that’s what happens,” said Greg Zipadelli, Stewart-Haas Racing‘s vice president of competition. “It was kind of an unusual day as it was, the way the cautions fell. We usually have more, and every time he was in an opportunity to get his lap back, they didn’t. It is what it is. We go on to Loudon, we work harder this week. We’ve had good cars all year, fast cars all year, so there’s no reason to panic.”

Harvick charged mightily from the rear of the field at the initial drop of the green flag, vaulting into the top 10 after just 20 laps around the 1.5-mile track. But he was trapped a lap behind the leader when the race’s first caution flag flew as he made his first pit stop in the 49th of 270 laps. After leaving its pit stall, Harvick’s No. 4 Chevrolet just missed crossing the pit exit line by the narrowest of margins before then-leader Martin Truex Jr. — the eventual race winner — had lapped it.

Though he was in a position to receive the free pass on several occasions, the scarcity of yellow flags — and the accumulation of other lapped cars in the race’s long green-flag stints — the rest of the way kept Harvick from ever landing back on the lead lap.

For the second-straight year, the circumstances leave the 2014 Sprint Cup champion with another hurdle to overcome in the Chase’s opening three-race round. Last season, Harvick and fellow Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson made contact after a midrace restart in the Chicagoland opener, leaving Harvick with a crash-related 42nd-place result. After a midpack finish at New Hampshire the following week as the No. 4 car ran dry in the closing laps, Harvick converted in a must-win situation with a dominant victory at Dover.

It’s not another must-win scenario yet, but facing a 23-point deficit to standings leader Truex and having a dozen drivers ahead of him will up the degree of difficulty.

“It is what it is. It’s life — how you deal with it, karma, how you react to it,” Zipadelli said. “Right now, we just, we’re going to go back to work and go to Loudon, a place where a couple of our cars could’ve won the last few races and that’s all we’ve got to do. We’re going to look and see why what happened today and correct that, but overall, the picture is you’ve got to go to Loudon and go over and race your guts out.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Full race results | Series standings | Chase Grid
SHOP: Chase gear

JOLIET, Ill. — Jimmie Johnson drove the final 35 laps or so at Chicagoland Speedway in disbelief. His chance for a victory — or at least a solid top-five finish — in Sunday’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup opener fizzled the moment he was tagged for speeding as he left pit road after his final green-flag stop.

Johnson rallied from the late-race pass-through penalty to finish 12th in Sunday’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400, salvaging a so-so result in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet. But it was far from what could have been after Johnson — who displayed dazzling speed all weekend — led four times for a race-high 118 laps.

“I’m making adjustments and I was dumbfounded that happened,” Johnson said. “You can’t argue it. Maybe a mistake on our part somewhere, definitely a mistake on my side, but I by no way shape or form thought that I was speeding. I was probably the slowest down pit road all day just to try to avoid it and got nailed. I will soak on it tonight and come back next week and be at 100 percent again and get ready to take this Lowe’s car to Victory Lane.”

Johnson led laps in bunches, surging to the top spot after the opening round of pit stops. Down the stretch, he ran second to Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott, who was in position for his first Sprint Cup victory before a late caution flag threw the finishing order into disarray.

But Johnson’s main obstacle arose before the overtime finish ever materialized. NASCAR race officials docked Johnson’s No. 48 in the 234th of 270 laps, and the driver screamed over the team communications to express his incredulity.

On pit road afterward, Johnson was still scratching his head. Finishing 12th and maintaining the eighth spot in the Chase standings with two races left in the Round of 16 weren’t much consolation.

“It’s not as bad as I expected, but I’ve got to stop screwing up,” Johnson said. “I didn’t think I screwed up. I mean, I was completely shocked that I was fast. I’m way under, just being cautious and still got dinged leaving that last segment. I couldn’t believe it. Just mind-boggling.”

Before he was flagged for the wrong sort of speed, Johnson’s No. 48 Chevy was a bright light in the performance department, showing sustained long-haul power in the weekend’s practices. His Hendrick Motorsports teammates also enjoyed an increase in their race-day pace, with Chase Elliott, Kasey Kahne and fill-in Alex Bowman all finishing in the top 10.

“Encouraging for the cars, for sure,” Johnson said. “I’ve just got to stop screwing up.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Full race results | Updated standings | Chase Grid

SHOP: Truex gear | Chase gear

JOLIET, Ill. – You could see it coming from a mile-and-a-half away.

On new tires, Martin Truex Jr. rocketed around the outside lane after a restart in overtime at Chicagoland Speedway and pulled away to win Sunday’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400, the opening race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

With the victory—his first at the 1.5-mile track, his third of the season and the sixth of his career—Truex also rocketed into the Chase’s Round of 12. But Truex wasn’t satisfied with a ticket into the next round and the prospect of racing stress-free at New Hampshire and Dover, the final two Round of 16 events.

“We have more races to win—the more we can win, the better,” said Truex, who holds the lead in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings for the first time in his career. “What can I say? This is how we want to start off. This feels awesome.”

Truex lost a lap during an unscheduled pit stop on Lap 69 of 270 to change a flat right front tire, but he returned to the lead lap as the highest-scored lapped car when NASCAR called the second caution of the race on Lap 120 for Brian Scott‘s spin off Turn 4.

The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Toyota, who led 30 laps in the early going, didn’t regain the top spot until the restart in overtime on Lap 269, when he restarted fourth in the top lane and quickly dispatched Ryan Blaney, Kasey Kahne and Carl Edwards, who had stayed out on old tires under the final caution, called on Lap 263 when Michael McDowell shredded his right front tire.

MORE: Who’s in bubble trouble?

Joey Logano came from sixth to second in the two-lap overtime, trailing Truex at the stripe by .776 seconds. Chase Elliott won a drag race for third against fellow Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Blaney, with Brad Keselowski crossing the finish line in fifth.

“On one hand, the bad luck was going to bite us, and on the other, we had a lot of time to battle back,” Truex said of the flat tire. “We’re lucky it happened early, and we were able to have an awesome race car all day.” 

But for a lightning-fast pit stop that got Truex off pit road ahead of Elliott on the final stop, the outcome might have been markedly different. Elliott had held a one-second lead with four of 267 scheduled laps left before McDowell’s tire problem slowed the field and put the race in the hands of the pit crews.

While Truex restarted in overtime on the outside of the second row with a clear lane to the front, Elliott took the green in fifth, boxed in at the bottom of the track.

“That’s just part of it,” Elliott of the late caution that perhaps deprived the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of his first victory. “You’ve got to expect it and be able to embrace it and move forward. I feel like we did a good job controlling the things that we could control today. 

“We had a fast NAPA Chevy. I appreciate everybody’s hard work this weekend. Hendrick was strong—that’s good to see. Like I said, there are some things you just can’t control with the amount of guys that stay out (under caution) and where you line up on a restart. We played the cards we were dealt and came up short.”


RELATED: Elliott discusses late caution

Elliott can console himself with the knowledge that other Chase drivers had far more serious issues.

Kevin Harvick, the 2014 series champion, was trapped a lap down on pit road—by roughly two feet—when a runaway tire from Aric Almirola’s car forced the first caution on Lap 49. Harvick never got the lap back and finished 20th.

He leaves Chicagoland 14th in the Chase standings and in danger of elimination from the playoff after the Oct. 1 race at Dover, where the Chase will be pared to 12 drivers.

Jimmie Johnson led a race-high 118 laps but finished 12th after serving a pass-through penalty for a pit road speeding infraction on Lap 234. Rookie Chris Buescher struggled to a 28th-place finish in an ill-handling car and heads to New Hampshire 16th in the standings, with his prospects of advancing to the Round of 12 significantly dimmed.

Kyle Larson was forced to pit road on Lap 260 with a tire deflating, finished 18th and is 15th in the Chase standings.

Harvick, Buescher and Larson aside, Chase drivers held serve, taking 13 of the top 16 finishing positions. The only exceptions were Blaney, seventh-place Kasey Kahne and 10th-place Alex Bowman, who in relief of sidelined Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored the first top 10 with the No. 88 Chevrolet since Earnhardt ran second at Pocono in early June.

Note: Both Truex’s winning car and Johnson’s 12th-place car failed the laser inspection station post-race. Since both failed by a slight margin, NASCAR officials said the infraction to the No. 78 Camry didn’t rise to the level of an encumbered victory. Consequently, Truex’s advancement to the Round of 12 stands. If penalties to either team are warranted, they will be announced later this week. 

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Chicagoland race results | Chase Grid

JOLIET, Ill. – Ryan Sieg rebounded from a pit-road speeding penalty and an errant pit stop. Blake Koch said it was a race-long vibration that raised his concerns.

But the two drivers and their respective teams persevered to come home with top-15 finishes in Saturday’s Drive for Safety 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Chicagoland Speedway and clinched spots in the series’ inaugural Chase.

Sieg wound up 12th while Koch battled to a 15th-place finish in the 200-lap race.

“We’re going to have to be top 15 or better each race, be on our game and make no mistakes,” said Sieg, driver of the No. 39 Chevrolet for RSS Racing. “If some other people make mistakes, we can benefit from that and make it to the next round.

“You’ve got to race hard and get everything out of everybody; it’s going to be a struggle but we’re ready for it.”

Sieg, 29, will enter the seven-race playoff seeded ninth, 12 points behind Saturday’s race winner, top-seeded Erik Jones (Joe Gibbs Racing). Sieg is not alone – nine of the 12 drivers in the field qualified for the Chase on points, and will begin with 2,000-point total after the reset.

It’s a daunting task for Sieg’s group, as well as for Koch and others who have seen Sprint Cup-affiliated teams dominate the competition this season.

But they’ll all be racing for the same hardware come next week, and to be among the handful in that position is a win in itself.

“This is huge,” Sieg said. “It’s like a race within a race – the Cup affiliated teams and the smaller teams. We’re one of the top two smaller car teams. This is like our little championship here. It’s exciting; I’m ready to go to the next three.”

For Koch, it was a stressful event at Chicagoland, in part brought on by a season spent on the Chase bubble. The vibration in the No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet only made matters worse.

The concern in his voice as the race wound down wasn’t anything new.

“How about a little concern in my voice all race long?” said Koch, who called the event “the biggest XFINITY race I’ve ever been a part of.

“I had this little vibration that just scared me. When you’re in this tight of a points battle you want everything to feel perfect and I had a vibration through my shifter; I don’t know where it was. It never went away, it never got worse.”

It was not the first time the issue had cropped up; the last time it did, Koch said, he failed to finish the race.

“So it just had my stomach in knots,” the 31-year-old said. “Chris (Rice, crew chief) was able to use his psychology and get my head off of it and just race the race.”

The XFINITY Chase format consists of seven races and three rounds, with four drivers eliminated at the conclusion of each of the first two rounds. The drivers in the Championship 4 will go to Homestead-Miami Speedway to determine the champion.

The Round of 12 will consist of stops at Kentucky, Dover and Charlotte while Kansas, Texas and Phoenix make up the Round of 8 races.

“I feel like I’ve been points racing all year, like I’ve been the guy on the bubble every single race,” Koch said. “You’re going to have to be smart at Kentucky and get through there with a solid finish but then I think you can go to Dover and let it all hang out.” 

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Busch wins in OT finish; Chase field set

JOLIET, Ill. — The race-winning entry of driver Kyle Busch failed post-race technical inspection following Friday night’s American Ethanol e15 225 at Chicagoland Speedway, according to NASCAR officials.
 
Busch, the defending Sprint Cup Series champion, won for the second time this season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series; it was his 46th career series win as well.
 
The No. 18 Toyota measured too low in the rear during post-race inspection.
 
Similar infractions this season have resulted in a fine and probation for the crew chief as well as the loss of driver and owner championship points.
 
The official announcement of any penalties would be made by NASCAR officials next week.

Posted on by Staff Report

Richard Childress Racing announced Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway that Daniel Hemric will drive an entry in their NASCAR XFINITY Series program in 2017.

“This is such a great opportunity for me,” said Hemric in a team release. “There aren’t words that can describe what racing for RCR means to me, especially considering everything they have done as an organization for our sport. I’m excited to now officially be a small part of the company and am looking forward to working with everyone in Welcome, North Carolina.

“We will hit the ground running in February at Daytona. With all the talent and experience RCR has in the XFINITY Series, I’m confident we can compete for wins and contend for the championship.”
 
The deal is a multi-year agreement. Hemric’s sponsor, crew chief and team will be named at a later date.
 
“He’s won championships in everything he’s raced in,” Childress told NBCSN. “… We’re really excited to have him.”
 
Hemric is battling for a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title in 2016 in the No. 19 Brad Keselowski Racing Ford. In 16 starts, he has 13 top-10 finishes.

“We are very happy for Daniel and I’m really proud of what he’s accomplished with Brad Keselowski Racing in 2016,” Keselowski said.  “One of the things we wanted to do at BKR is give talented young drivers an opportunity to take the next step in their career. He has proven to me that he’s capable of being an elite level guy at the top of this sport. We hope to finish off this season with our first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship.”

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Practice 2 results | Practice 3 results 
MORE: Top 10 consecutive lap averages


Kyle Larson topped the leaderboard in both of Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practices at Chicagoland Speedway, pacing final practice with a fast lap at 183.299 mph in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Chevrolet.

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie paced the earlier session at 185.995 mph. (Full recap below.)

Right behind him was fellow Chase rookie Chase Elliott in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at 182.883 mph.

Rounding out the top five were Chase points leader Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (182.828 mph), Carl Edwards in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (182.624 mph) and Kurt Busch in the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet (182.482 mph).

Jimmie Johnson, who led Friday’s opening practice, was 11th on the board at 182.020 mph. Chris Buescher was the lowest Chase driver on the charts at 26th (179.396 mph).

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 is Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.


RELATED: All the Chase news in one place


Larson fastest in first Saturday practice


Kyle Larson topped the leaderboard at 185.995 mph in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet in the first of two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practices at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday.


Right behind him was Kurt Busch in the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet at 185.778 mph.

Rounding out the top five were another trio of Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers in Joey Logano in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, Carl Edwards in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. 

Chase points leader Kyle Busch was 13th fastest with a speed of 184.049 mph in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Jimmie Johnson, fastest in Friday’s first practice of the weekend, was 17th on the board at 183.861 mph.