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RELATED: Results | Truck Series Chase Grid

Bowmanville, Ontario, CANADA — In what has quickly become tradition for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series when it races north of the border, the Chevrolet Silverado 250 produced yet another wild and memorable finish.

This time around at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, John Hunter Nemechek and Cole Custer made contact on the last corner of the last lap and crossed the start-finish line in the grass in a virtual tie.

Following a few moments of deliberations, NASCAR officials determined Nemechek won the race by 0.034 seconds.

Daniel Hemric — who was briefly shown as the winner on the official timing and scoring feed before NASCAR officials sorted out the photo finish between Nemechek and Custer — was third, defending champion Matt Crafton finished fourth and rookie Christopher Bell came home fifth.

“It was exciting to say the least. I can’t thank all of my guys enough for the hard work they put into this truck,” Nemechek said.

Despite not leading the most laps, Nemechek’s No. 8 NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet proved be a strong runner, particularly in the latter stages of the race, as the second-generation NASCAR driver led 19 laps and was able to stay in touch with the front-running Custer on consecutive late-race restarts.

“We had one fast truck. I didn’t know how long it was going to take to get past (Spencer) Gallagher but I set him up in (Turns) 5a and 5b and was able to drive underneath him going down the backstretch. Once we got by him I had clean air and was able to drive right up to Cole,” he said.

As for the contact with Custer at the finish and the ensuing tussle that took place between the two on the frontstretch post-race, Nemechek chalked it up to the burning desire to win.

“Cole and I, we’re very competitive racers and we would have done anything in the same position to make sure we get that win,” he said.

For Custer, however, the result was an especially tough one to swallow.

The 18-year-old Californian was a dominant force all weekend in the No. 00 Haas Automation Chevrolet, winning the pole in record-setting fashion and leading for a total of 39 laps during the race in a bid to secure a spot in the inaugural eight-driver NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase.

RELATED: Custer tackles Nemechek at flag stand

His anger and disappointment was palpable when he spoke with reporters afterwards.

“(Nemeche) had raced me clean and just hit me in the back on the second-last corner, and that got me out of shape, got me off the line and then he hit me again in the last corner, and that just sent us into the grass and he just drove me up against the fence.

“I was expecting it, kinda, because he’s raced a lot of people like that but it’s just a shame because it was a great chance to get into the Chase and he took it away from us,” he continued.

Despite the missed opportunity, Custer will have one more chance to qualify for the Chase if he can win the final race of the regular season at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 16.

Nemechek was already locked in to the Chase coming into the weekend by virtue of his win at Atlanta in February.

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RELATED: Full race results | Series standings | Chase Grid 

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Tony Stewart‘s final trip to Darlington Raceway as a Sprint Cup driver ended with a post-race visit with NASCAR officials, but the three-time series champion was smiling as he departed.
 
“Got to come in and check in once in a while,” Stewart said. “It was a happy visit.”
 
Officials had requested the presence of Stewart and crew chief Mike Bugarewicz following the race to discuss an on-track incident between the Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner and driver and fellow competitor Brian Scott (No. 44 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports).
 
Contact between the two on Lap 204 of the Bojangles’ Southern 500 brought out the caution flag for the third time in the 367-lap race. Scott, who was four laps down at the time, was on the outside of Stewart as the two came off the second turn of the 1.366-mile track. The two cars touched and Stewart’s No. 14 Chevrolet shot briefly to the inside, then darted back up the track and caught the left rear of Scott’s Ford.
 
The RPM entry spun to the inside where it hit the wall. Unable to return to the race, Scott finished 39th in the 40-car field.

RELATED: Examining the Chase bubble

In the garage afterward, Scott said he was attempting to let drivers on fresher tires, including Stewart, go by.
 
“I think he got inside of me and got loose there,” Scott said of the initial contact.
 
“I was pointing him to the inside to let him go. Apparently he got mad at me. … I have a lot of respect for Tony. He has always raced me really clean. … I am not sure if he thought I was trying to hold him up there; I wasn’t. I was trying to let him go. I even pointed him to the inside. Maybe he thought I was giving him the finger or something. I will talk with him. We will figure it out.”
 
Stewart, who was running 13th at the time, eventually saw his night come to an end when the engine overheated in his No. 14 Chevrolet.


Retiring from Sprint Cup competition at the end of the season, he ends his Darlington career winless in 24 career attempts. It is one of only two current tracks where he failed to score at least one Sprint Cup victory — Kentucky Speedway is the final track on his winless list.
 
Officially, he completed 317 laps and finished 35th.
 
“Overheating was the first part of it, and it finally grenaded,” Stewart said of the engine trouble. “It was 375 degrees on water temperature.
 
“There’s a screen in there that keeps all the trash from getting into the radiator and it got separated from its mount, so all the trash was getting underneath it and going up inside the radiator and it just kept blocking it until we finally lost the motor.”
 
The meeting with officials after the race was brief.
 
“We wanted to hear from Tony, get his perspective on what he saw out there,” Kurt Culbert, managing director of racing communications for NASCAR, said. “It was more about gaining information than anything else and to confirm that it will be over with once we leave here.”
 
Stewart has one victory this season, winning on the Sonoma Raceway road course, and is locked into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
 
Scott is in his first full season of Sprint Cup competition and is 33rd in points.

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RELATED: Full injury timeline | Junior out for 2016

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. is continuing to make progress in his recovery from a concussion, and the Hendrick Motorsports driver says he has every intention of returning to competition once he receives medical clearance.

That, in a nutshell, was Earnhardt’s message during a visit to Darlington Raceway, site of Sunday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500.

HMS officials announced the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver had not been cleared to compete for the rest of the 2016 season.

A process that has involved daily rehabilitation and re-evaluations every two weeks will continue under the watch of Dr. Micky Collins, medical director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program, and Charlotte neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty.

Sunday’s race at Darlington marked the seventh missed race for Earnhardt since the initial diagnosis was made in mid-July.

Earnhardt said the news that he wouldn’t be cleared to race again this season did not come as a surprise.

“I know how I feel and how I need to feel and how I’m supposed to feel so I’m not shocked,” Earnhardt, 41, said. “I’m not hearing things from Micky that I don’t already know about myself. … (But) I am confident about the future.”

Earnhardt has been down this road before, having missed two races in 2012 after suffering a concussion in a wreck during a test at Kansas Speedway. That experience, he said, was reason enough to believe he would be back behind the wheel sooner rather than later.

“When we first went to see Micky, I anticipated the experience to be similar to what I had in the past,” he said. “That we would work on getting better and it would happen in a relatively short period of time and I would drive a car before the end of the season.

“I think as we continued to go get evaluated we realized that it is going to be a bit more of a process … I think it’s the right decision considering how I feel personally and physically. I definitely don’t belong in a race car today by any stretch of the imagination.”

Earnhardt’s condition continues to improve, and Collins said it has accelerated since the decision to end his season now was made.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that since we made that decision we are starting to see a lot of progress here that I’m excited about,” Collins said.

“We sat down and I feel very strongly the right decision was made to take Dale out of racing, so we can focus on getting him better and reduce the stress that is associated with that. Stress and concussions don’t get along well and we see stress can really exacerbate and worsen things.”

In his absence, Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevrolet has been driven by Jeff Gordon and Alex Bowman. The two will continue in their respective fill-in roles for the rest of the season.

Team owner Rick Hendrick has preached patience from the outset, and continued to stress that the driver’s seat remains the property of Earnhardt for as long as he wishes to race.

“We were talking before he had to get out of the car about (contract) extensions,” Hendrick said. “I want him to race with me as long as he can and he wants to be there. The seat is his and I expect, we’ve got a lot of time between now and Daytona.

“I saw him like two or three weeks ago and then I saw him last Monday and I saw him today; the improvements have been phenomenal and listening to the doctor we are excited about Dale Earnhardt Jr. being in the car at Daytona and we’ve got right much time. I’m excited about him racing beyond 2017.”

RELATED: Hendrick on Earnhardt’s future

It’s a goal Earnhardt said he has every intention of reaching. Not returning isn’t something he thinks about.

“I have the passion and desire to drive; I enjoy it,” he said. “I have an amazing team and owner. … My heart is there to continue.

“I’m only 41; I think I have some good years left.”

Collins had told him before, when he was injured in 2012, that he would recover and go on to win races. “And he was right,” Earnhardt said.

“We got well and I had some of the greatest years and greatest experiences of my career shortly after that.

“He’s telling me that this is possible again and I believe it.”

 

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RELATED: Race results | Standings | Chase Grid | Views from the day


DARLINGTON, S.C. — Tossing his water bottle on the ground, Kevin Harvick walked away quickly from the garage following his runner-up finish in Sunday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. His frustration was evident: The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet had paced the field for a race-high 214 of 367 laps only to be foiled by a series of slow stops that lost at least 17 spots all together on pit road.

With the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup beginning in two weeks, Harvick says something has to change.

“I’m over being a cheerleader,” he said after the race. “Those guys get paid a lot of money to perform on pit road. Cheerleading hasn’t been working so you have to get after them on pit road and do your job.”

The race’s seventh caution brought about the most damaging stop, when the Stewart-Haas driver — who led five times during the 367-lap event — entered pit road with the lead and left 12th due to a faulty air gun that thwarted the No. 4 team for the rest of the night. Despite the setbacks, Harvick put himself in contention for the win, battling with Martin Truex Jr. in the final laps — but missed the checkered flag by .607 seconds.

“It’s just the same old thing,” Harvick said. “You get in position where you bring a dominant car. The guys in the shop and the guys in the garage are doing a great job, and the guys on pit road are doing a terrible job. You get in a position to win races, and they continually step on their toes and don’t make it happen. You’re not going to win races like that.

“I’m really proud of the car that we brought tonight and the things that we’ve done on the race track, but you can only make so many excuses for pit road.”


For crew chief Rodney Childers, the near-win was a letdown to an evidently dominant car that he had spent hours laboring over Saturday night.

“We just had an OK car yesterday and we worked really hard last night to make sure we made the right changes going into the race and when I finally went to sleep at about 1 a.m., I knew we were going to be really good,” Childers told NASCAR.com. “I felt really good about it — I told Kevin this morning he was going to have a hot rod.

“So, we did all that stuff right and we just had a part failure inside one of our pit guns, very unusual thing — it wasn’t the changer’s fault … But definitely some things that we’ve got to clean up before (the Chase opener at) Chicago and honestly, that department’s got to do a lot better job.”


With ideal Sprint Cup pit stop times lying in the 12-seconds-or-less range, pit crew members literally have seconds to perfect each movement. It’s a synchronized dance that when one member trips, the entire routine falters.

Childers understands the mental toll that one bad stop can take on his crew for the remainder of the night. He even told his team via in-car radio in the midst of the race that they had to believe in themselves.

“It’s so easy to get off — they had great stops all night and we had one stop that was just a little bit off and when you have one that’s a little bit off it’s kind of like a mental breakdown,” Childers said. “The guys have to forget about that one and move on. They did a good job of that at Bristol and came back tonight with like a 10.8 (seconds) or something like that after our first bad stop. They were doing a good job until that gun broke.

“We’ve got to do a better job from week to week on pit road and hopefully they can get better.”

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full race results | Nemechek battles Custer hard for win 

John Hunter Nemechek won Sunday’s Camping World Truck Series race after roughing up the No. 00 of Cole Custer at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, drawing plenty of scrutiny from his peers on Twitter. 


The pair got physical briefly after the race as well, eliciting a colorful response from other NASCAR drivers. 

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MORE: NASCAR Nation reacts to finish | Full race results | Series standings

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ Canadian Tire Motorsport Park event concluded with controversy and fireworks after Cole Custer and John Hunter Nemechek let their on-track aggressions trickle into post-race anger.

 

During the overtime finish, the pair raced side-by-side with Nemechek’s NEMCO Motorsports No. 8 Chevrolet pushing Custer’s No. 00 JR Motorsports Chevrolet onto the grass with the checkered flag in sight. Nemechek inched ahead at the finish to claim his second victory of the season.

  

After the cool-down lap, Custer tackled Nemechek as he waited to receive the checkered flag during an official review of the finish.

 

“I got taken out. He hit me going into the second to race corner and he hit me again,” Custer said following the altercation.

  

Nemechek led 19 of the 66 laps in the Chevrolet Silverado 250 for his third career victory in the Camping World Truck Series.

 

“I caught the double-zero there and we didn’t wreck him for the win. Rubbin’s racing, but if I would’ve been in the same spot, he would’ve done the same thing to me to get a win,” Nemechek said in Victory Lane. “You have to do everything you can to get a win here, but I can’t thank all my guys enough. They worked their butts off.”

 

When asked if he planned to have a conversation with Custer afterward to sort out their differences, Nemechek was noncommittal.

 

“No, we’ll just kind of see where it goes,” he said. “If we have a conversation, we will. If not, we won’t.”

 

Custer led a race-high 39 laps and wound up second.

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RELATED: Provisional Chase Grid

 

Here’s a breakdown of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Grid and bubble picture after Sunday’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

NO NEW WINNER, NO CHANGES

Martin Truex Jr. already had clinched a Chase spot, so his win at Darlington didn’t cause any changes in the Chase Grid. There was a moment of uncertainty when Ryan Newman led for Laps 330-338 of the 367-lap race, however. But Newman slipped back, and he remains the first driver outside the Chase Grid. Newman also faces a potential penalty for failing post-race Laser Inspection System at Darlington. Jamie McMurray currently clings to the final Chase berth with one regular-season event at Richmond remaining.

 

BUESCHER’S STANDING

Chris Buescher‘s 17th-place finish helped boost his Chase chances. Buescher prevailed at Pocono Raceway in August to check off one requirement for Chase eligibility; the second is a place among the top 30 in the Sprint Cup driver standings. Buescher remains 30th in the standings, increasing his lead over 31st-place David Ragan to 11 points.


LOCKED IN

Drivers who have clinched a spot in the Chase are: Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. (all with multiple wins), along with one-win drivers Kurt Busch, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and Tony Stewart. Chris Buescher is currently in the Chase Grid, but has not clinched a spot. After Sunday’s 500-miler, just one regular-season race (Richmond) remains before the 16-driver postseason field is settled.

 

BUBBLE WATCH

With 25 of 26 regular-season races complete, just three at-large spots (at present) for non-winners remain available. Here’s how that picture looks post-Darlington.

 

Editor’s note: The standings below are the Chase Grid standings, not the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers’ standings.

CHASE BUBBLE WATCH

STANDING DRIVER POINTS DIFFERENTIAL FROM CUTOFF
14 Chase Elliott +24
15 Austin Dillon +16
16 Jamie McMurray +7
————————– CUT-OFF LINE ————————–
17 Ryan Newman -22
18 Kasey Kahne -44
19 Ryan Blaney -69
20 AJ Allmendinger -80
21 Trevor Bayne -83
22 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -91
23 Paul Menard -163
24 Greg Biffle -165
25 Danica Patrick -175
26 Dale Earnhardt Jr. -181
27 Aric Almirola -211
28 Clint Bowyer -215
29 Casey Mears -232
30 Landon Cassill -274
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Tony Stewart is the winner of the best throwback paint scheme vote in a result announced Sunday during driver introductions. ‘Smoke’ has a classic Coca-Cola paint job on his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet, a look intended to honor Bobby Allison.

 

His crew got into the spirit was well, wearing throwback pants and outfits this weekend.

 

NASCAR.com and Darlington Raceway teamed up over the past month to allow fans to vote on their favorite throwback schemes.

 

Voting ended Sept. 1, and the top five vote-getters were eligible for the overall win. In order of fan vote, those five schemes were: the No. 14 of Tony Stewart, the No. 4 of Kevin Harvick, the No. 16 of Greg Biffle, the No. 48 of Jimmie Johnson and the No. 20 of Matt Kenseth.

 

Those five schemes were presented to a panel of NASCAR Hall of Famers, who then picked the winner from those five.

 

This is the second consecutive throwback weekend, and also the second consecutive fan vote.

 

Kyle Larson won last year’s inaugural contest with his No. 42 Mello Yello Chevrolet.

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 Richmond International Raceway this weekend while the Camping World Truck Series has an off week. Check out the full schedule below.


Note: All times are ET

SATURDAY, SEPT. 10:

PRE-RACE SCHEDULE
— 5:30:00 p.m.: NSCS Driver/Crew Chief Meeting (Tent)
— 7:00:00 p.m.: NSCS Drivers Introductions w/ NASCAR Special Awards
— 7:20:00 p.m.: Team Fastrax Skydive Team Jumps 
— 7:27:45 p.m.: Pledge of Allegiance: Enlistment members of the 317th Air Force Recruiting Squadron
— 7:28:30 p.m.: God Bless America: SSgt Faith Flippo, Richmond City Police
— 7:29:30 p.m.: Flyby TOT: Bandit Flight Team
— 7:30:00 p.m.: Presentation of Colors: Fort Lee Noncommissioned Officer’s Academy
— 7:30:15 p.m.: Invocation by: Lieutenant Colonel Ed Hamlin, Deputy Command Chaplain, Military District Washington, DC.
— 7:31:00 p.m.: National Anthem by: US National Marine Corps Band
— 7:32:30 p.m.: Flyby TOT by: 2 T-38’s from Langley Air Force Base (Turn 1 to Turn 4)
— 7:37:30 p.m.: “Drivers, Start Your Engines” by Pete Larson, Owner Larsen’s Automotive, Mt. Pleasant SC; Flyby: Bandit Flight Team 
— 7:44:00 p.m.: Start of the Federated Auto Parts 400 (400 Laps, 300 Miles)


ON TRACK

— 7:30 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 (400 laps, 300 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Results)


PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 10:30 p.m. approx.: Post-NSCS race

DAILY ROUNDUP
— Hamlin wins at Richmond
— See photos from Saturday’s action
— Dale Jr. live-tweets Richmond race
— Late-race wreck thwarts Newman from Chase
— See who’s in the Chase


FRIDAY, SEPT. 9:

ON TRACK

— 8-9:55 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Results) 

— 10-10:55 a.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Results)

— Noon-1:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Results)

— 4:15 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Results)

— 5:45 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Results)

— 7:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Virginia529 College Savings 250 (250 laps, 187.5 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Results)

GARAGECAM (Watch live)
— 11:30 a.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series


PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 11 a.m.: Carl Edwards
— 11:15 a.m.: Ryan Reed
— 11:30 a.m.: Elliott Sadler
— 2 p.m.: Austin Dillon
— 2:30 p.m.: Chris Buescher
— 6:45 p.m. approx.: Post-NSCS Qualifying
— 9:30 p.m. approx.: Post-NXS race

DAILY ROUNDUP
— Mears, Ky. Busch top Sprint Cup practices
— Top 10 consecutive lap averages at Richmond
— Edwards remembers battle with ‘Rowdy’ at Richmond
— NASCAR’s inaugural fan appreciation weekend kicks off at Richmond

— At-track gallery: Friday, Richmond

— Dillon tops XFINITY Coors Light Pole qualifying

— Saturday’s starting lineup

— Hamlin on pole for Richmond race

— Elliott hopes career-worst start can yield positive results

— McMurray, Newman, Buescher vie for Chase berths

— Busch dominates for XFINITY win at Richmond

— 2016 XFINITY winners

— Snapshot: Saturday’s main event


Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Find NBCSN in your area

All times ET

Monday, September 5
8:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250 (re-air), FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
7:30 p.m., NASCAR 120, NBCSN

Tuesday, September 6
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Scan All Special: Sonoma, Daytona, Kentucky, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN

Wednesday, September 7
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN

Thursday, September 8
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN

Friday, September 9
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
8 a.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN
10 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, NBCSN
11 a.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race: Greenville-Pickens Speedway (taped), NBCSN
Noon, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN
1:30 p.m., Southern Speed: Legend of Darlington (re-air), NBCSN
3:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
4 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
7 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green, NBCSN
7:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Virginia529 College Savings 250, NBCSN
10 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Post-Race Show, NBCSN

Saturday, September 10
2:30 a.m., NASCAR: The List – Daytona Memories (re-air), NBCSN
3:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FS2
5 p.m., NASCAR America Saturday, NBCSN
7 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Countdown to Green, NBCSN
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400, NBCSN
11 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race Show, NBCSN
11:30 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN

Sunday, September 11
12:30 a.m., NASCAR The Season (re-air), NBCSN
1:30 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lane, FS1