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Jeff Gordon is not done after all.
The recently retired Hendrick Motorsports driver will compete for the first time this year Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a substitute driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. , who will be sidelined at least two more weeks due to concussion-like symptoms, according to a team release. Gordon will also sub for Earnhardt Jr. the following week at Pocono.
Earnhardt Jr. missed last Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Alex Bowman piloted his No. 88 Chevrolet as a replacement, but Hendrick general manager Doug Duchardt revealed last week that Gordon would sub for Earnhardt at Indianapolis if needed.
Hendrick Motorsports said Wednesday morning that Earnhardt has not been cleared to resume competition. In addition to this weekend’s Sprint Cup event at Indianapolis, Gordon will also drive the No. 88 Chevrolet in the series’ event July 31 at Pocono Raceway.
Gordon retired at the end of the 2015 season and joined the FOX broadcast booth. Sunday will be his 798th Sprint Cup Series start, and his first in a number other than the 24 he made so iconic.
Gordon’s history at the Brickyard makes him a natural pick for Sunday’s Crown Royal Presents The Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, IMS, SiriusXM). The four-time series champion has a NASCAR-record five Indy wins, the most recent coming in 2014.
“Jeff’s a team player,” longtime car owner Rick Hendrick said in a statement provided by the team. “I know he’ll be ready, and I know Dale has incredible trust in him. It’s going to be an emotional weekend (at Indianapolis) with Dale not being there and seeing Jeff back behind the wheel. (Crew chief) Greg (Ives) and the team did a great job at New Hampshire, and they have the full support of our organization.”
Earnhardt was evaluated Tuesday at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program after missing last weekend’s New Hampshire 301, according to a team release. On Monday, the 41-year-old driver provided an update on his condition during his “Dale Jr. Download” podcast, saying he had been struggling with balance and nausea in the days leading up to the New Hampshire event.
Earnhardt also said Monday that there was no firm timetable for his return. NASCAR officials indicated last weekend that the sanctioning body would require notice from an independent board-certified neurologist with at least five years’ experience in the field of sports-related head injuries before Earnhardt would be cleared to return to competition.
“Our focus is giving Dale all the time he needs to recover,” Hendrick said. “There’s nothing we want more than to see him back in the race car, but we’ll continue to listen to the doctors and follow their lead. What’s best for Dale is what’s best for Hendrick Motorsports and everyone involved with the team. We’re all proud of him and looking forward to having him racing soon.”
NASCAR has made neurocognitive testing mandatory for its drivers since 2013.
Earnhardt also missed time in the 2012 season after sustaining two concussions in a six-week stretch. Regan Smith replaced him for two races — Charlotte and Kansas — in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs that year.
After sitting out last weekend, Earnhardt slipped two spots to 15th in the Sprint Cup driver standings, also fading to the 16th and final spot in the provisional Chase postseason grid. The Hendrick organization indicated that Earnhardt will not travel with the team to either Indianapolis or Pocono.
NASCAR levied penalties to the race-winning Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota team Wednesday after last weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
As a result of infractions found in a post-race pass through the laser inspection station (LIS), the No. 20 team was docked 15 championship points in the team owner standings and driver Matt Kenseth absorbed a 15-point deduction in the Sprint Cup drivers’ standings. The points penalty moved Kenseth, a two-time winner this year, from eighth to ninth place in the standings.
The P3-grade penalty also carries a $25,000 fine for No. 20 crew chief Jason Ratcliff.
The No. 20 Toyota driven to victory by Kenseth in the New Hampshire 301 was found out of compliance during Sunday’s post-race trip through the LIS platform. The car was sent to the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina, for further evaluation this week.
A host of other teams were issued written warnings Wednesday by the sanctioning body:
— The Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet team for driver Austin Dillon and the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevy for driver Kevin Harvick were both handed written warnings and docked 15 minutes of practice time during this weekend’s activities at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The No. 3 team failed LIS three times pre-race and pushed their current warning total to four. The No. 4 entry failed body template inspection three times pre-qualifying.
— The Team Penske No. 22 Ford team for driver Joey Logano and the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota of driver Carl Edwards both failed LIS twice. The No. 22’s violation came in pre-race inspection; the No. 19’s was in pre-qualifying. Both teams received written warnings (their first).
— The following Sprint Cup teams received written warnings for failing pre-qualifying template inspection twice: Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 1 (driver Jamie McMurray ) and No. 42 ( Kyle Larson ), Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 ( Austin Dillon ), Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 6 ( Trevor Bayne ), Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 10 ( Danica Patrick ) and No. 14 ( Tony Stewart ), HScott Motorsports’ No. 15 (Clint Bowyer), Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 ( Carl Edwards ), Wood Brothers Racing’s No. 21 ( Ryan Blaney ), JTG Daugherty Racing’s No. 47 (AJ Allmendinger) and BK Racing’s No. 83 (Matt DiBenedetto).
— The Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet team for driver Ty Dillon in the NASCAR XFINITY Series was also issued a written warning for failing template inspection three times before qualifying.
RELATED: Results | Standings | Updated Chase Grid
ROSSBURG, Ohio — Battling back from all kinds of adversity, Kyle Larson sailed away on a late race restart with 16 laps to go to win Wednesday night’s fourth annual Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby 150 at Eldora Speedway.
“It means a lot, especially losing the way I did the two years I ran,” said Larson from Victory Lane. “Thanks to everyone on this GMS Racing team, DC Solar for coming on-board for this, this is very special for them. I knew running a blue No. 24 I had to run hard here at Eldora. Rico (Abreu) does a really good job in a Sprint car with that. I had to put on a show.
RELATED: Larson puts on a show
“We got the flat tire there early, I knew we would get a lucky dog, I just didn’t know if I could get back to the top-three as quick as I did. It just worked out where I got by (Christopher) Bell when he got in the wall and I think Bobby (Pierce) had a gear issue. He was definitely better than I was for sure.
The win didn’t come easy though.
Larson took the lead from last year’s runner-up Bobby Pierce following the second caution on Lap 35 and appeared to be in control of the event, but while leading, Larson spun in Turn 4 on Lap 52 to bring out the fourth caution of the night.
Adding fuel to his fire, Larson was docked one lap by NASCAR for intentionally causing the yellow after spinning and stopping on the race track.
Two cautions later, however, Larson found himself back on the lead lap courtesy of the free pass and his mission to rally from the back to the front began.
Chasing down Pierce for the race lead, Larson took advantage of Pierce’s transmission being stuck in fourth gear to take the lead with 30 laps to go, Pierce attempted to take the lead back three laps later, but slammed the outside Turn 4 wall, ending his night and bringing out the final caution of the event.
RELATED: Pierce discusses late-race woes
Despite a late race charge from Bell on the restart, Larson pulled away as the laps dwindled away and earned a 0.767-second advantage to win his second NCWTS race in his 12th start.
“I guess I didn’t really hold him (Pierce) off, he slid in there and hit the wall and got a flat I think,” Larson said. “I hated that I couldn’t race with him, but I was happy when he was out. I almost gave it away again after that restart. I went to the middle of three and four in third gear and I missed a shift off Turn 4 and Bell got into my back bumper. Thankfully, he wasn’t inside of me, because he would have got the lead there and probably would be standing where I am.”
Bell, last year’s winner, was disappointed with second but knew he gained crucial points towards his championship chase.
“Tony (Stewart, Eldora Speedway owner) did an awesome job with the race track tonight,” said Bell. “It was really technical, it was really tough to get around and it was really fun, too. Kyle’s been trying to win this race for a long time and it was cool for him to win tonight. The guys at KBM ( Kyle Busch Motorsports) worked really hard to put me in this position. I was disappointed we couldn’t repeat.”
Pierce who led a commanding 102 laps finished 25th in likely his final truck race of the season.
“The carburetor was flooded and I couldn’t get off the corner at all. Larson drove a great race,” Pierce said. “When that happened on the restart, I caught him a little bit, he hit the wall and I tried to slide him. I went in there a little too hard, it was super-slick and I got the wall and knocked the right-rear off the rim and that was that.”
Notes: The event was halted for seven minutes, 29 seconds for a nine truck accident in Turn 3 on Lap 38. … The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to competition at Pocono Raceway on July 30 for the running of the Pocono Mountains 150 (1 p.m., FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Kyle Busch is the defending champion.
RELATED: Eight drivers to watch at Eldora
This week’s NASCAR Camping World Truck series stop, the Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby at Eldora Speedway, will be the dirt debut for series points leader William Byron.
The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver is in his first full season in the series and recently spent some time getting accustomed to making the transition from asphalt to dirt, shaking down a Late Model entry with teammate Christopher Bell.
“That’s really about it,” Byron, 18, said of his dirt-track experience. “It went well; I liked it a lot.
“It was a lot different, a lot of the things were the opposite way of how we do them on asphalt. It was interesting.”
Wednesday night’s feature is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The 150-lap race format will consist of three segments of 40, 50 and 60 laps.
In spite of his limited non-asphalt experience, Byron hasn’t tempered his expectations for this week’s race.
“I think it’s going to be a lot of learning the first half of the race,” he said. “The last half, if we can have the truck together and have good track position I think we can go for the win.
“I think it’s all about just getting yourself in the right position for the last 60 laps and being able to figure out which line to take, figure out where the grip is on the race track as it changes with the dirt.”
Winning appears to have come easily for Byron, who has scored victories this year at Kansas, Texas, Iowa and Kentucky. The Kansas win came in just his fifth start in the series.
That quick adaptation to tracks he’d rarely seen and the surprising success have been the result of “having the right tools and the right focus going to the race track,” he said.
“I think our team is adapting well also. We’ve been able to bring something that’s pretty close to the track. That we’re able to fire off and get better in practice is the biggest key. I think we always end practice pretty happy this year, that’s really the most important part. Just learning the track and getting up to speed as quickly as I can and then making adjustments to make sure we’re ready to go come race time.”
Byron leads two-time series champion Matt Crafton (ThorSport Racing) by 13 points. The two are the only drivers thus far to have clinched spots in this year’s inaugural Camping World Truck Series Chase.
The seven-race, championship-determining playoff will feature eight teams competing through three rounds. It will kick off later this season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
LOUDON, N.H. — Martin Truex Jr. was counting the positives and trying to ignore the negatives when he climbed out of his Furniture Row Racing entry Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
For the fourth time this season, the 36-year-old led more than 100 laps and he was out front with less than 40 laps remaining in the New Hampshire 301 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
The performance bodes well for the series’ fall return, when the track hosts the second race in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
But a broken shifter left him with a lame No. 78 Toyota down the stretch. Visions of victory were replaced with thoughts of merely making it to the end.
He did, finishing 16th, despite numerous late restarts that left him perfect for the picking.
“It’s not tough, it’s just that you’re a sitting duck and there’s nothing you can do to get going,” Truex said. “Unfortunately we got passed by a lot of cars and we pitted for tires on that last stop because we were starting all the way in the back … and we wanted to get some momentum going … make sure we didn’t destroy the race car getting in a wreck.
“We passed 10 cars in the last 10 laps so we had a good race car, just nothing to show for it today.”
Toyotas were dominant on a mostly sunny day here at the 1.058-mile track, leading all but two of the 301 laps. And the Toyota of Truex was, for most of the day, as strong as any.
He led 83 consecutive laps early (from Lap 89-171) and 37 circuits a bit later (from Lap 221-257). His team was quick and efficient on pit road. Mistake-free.
“I think looking forward to the Chase and what we’re trying to do with this team, this is a big relief to come here and be able to run well,” said Truex, who won earlier this year with a dominant performance in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. “We knew this was one of our tough tracks and if we could come here and get through here good in September then we’ll be set up to start pretty good in the Chase.
“All in all, couldn’t be more proud of everybody at Furniture Row Racing and everybody on this Toyota. We weren’t that good yesterday … but the guys went to work last night and we had some good ideas, we talked about it and some things stuck out to Cole (Pearn, crew chief) and the guys and things that they thought we needed to work on just based on what I felt yesterday.”
Truex led 141 laps earlier this year at Texas and 172 at Kansas, in addition to his Charlotte effort. All three tracks will host Chase races.
Sunday’s result was credited to “total team effort,” he said, “and the pit crew was great today, the best they’ve been all year by far.
“We’re doing everything right, but we’re taking some on the chin here, but this isn’t when it counts so we’ll just keep our heads up and keep working. Our race cars are fast and everyone is doing a great job. Sooner or later we’ll get everything straight.”
Photos courtesy of Smyle Media Gallery, Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing and Richard Childress Racing.
RELATED: Buy Darlington tickets | ’16 throwback schemes
WELCOME, N.C. — Michael McDowell and the Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing organization will honor Richard Childress with a throwback paint scheme similar to that used by the longtime NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owner during the 1973 racing season.
The scheme will be run during this year’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 4 (6 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The Darlington throwback program debuted last year and was a huge hit among fans and teams at the legendary track.
“Obviously to run Richard’s paint scheme and honor him for his upcoming Hall of Fame induction and our alliance with him and having Thrivent Financial on there is going to be really cool,” McDowell said. “It’s an exciting weekend. It’s fun to see all the guys in all the old shirts and hats. I saw my firesuit, it’s really cool, very vintage.”
Childress, a six-time champion in the Sprint Cup Series as an owner with driver Dale Earnhardt, will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January 2017. His Richard Childress Racing organization currently has 105 wins in the series and fields three full-time Sprint Cup teams for drivers Austin Dillon , Paul Menard and Ryan Newman . CSLFR currently has a technical alliance with RCR.
While the 1973 Chevrolet was primarily white with blue accents, Childress, an owner/driver before stepping aside to focus solely on ownership, did compete with a similar entry that had red features. And those colors, team officials said, worked well with primary sponsor Thrivent Financial.
McDowell, with 197 career starts in the Sprint Cup Series, shares driving duties in the No. 95 Chevrolet with RCR XFINITY Series driver Ty Dillon . He said he is looking forward to running the throwback scheme and seeing what other teams come up with for the event.
“I think more than anything what the Darlington race weekend does … it jogs everyone’s memory,” McDowell said. “The guys in the sport like Richard and others that have been here so long. Just walking around and listening to all the stories is really cool. I think that’s what Darlington does for everybody, it makes them reminisce not just about the good ol’ days but hearing fun stories and sharing memories.
“It kind of re-ignites your passion of how you got started and why you got started.”
Childress began his NASCAR career in 1969 and made 285 starts before stepping out of the car in 1981.
Long before teams began wrapping cars, Childress said he often painted his own entries, a process that often took “a couple of days.”
“I’d paint them myself. I’d tape it out like I thought I wanted it, and if I didn’t like it, I’d move the tape a little bit,” he said. “I still remember all the cars. You might forget about it for a while but then you see something and it brings it all back.
“I never accomplished that much as a driver so to see them come back today (with this scheme), it’s really neat. I had one of my best finishes at Darlington (fourth in ’73). To see it run again is so cool.”
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Team Penske
After two straight wins, Keselowski’s hot streak fizzled out with a 15th-place result at Loudon. No matter: He’s still atop the Chase Grid with four victories and plenty of momentum to capture his first Brickyard 400 win.
At New Hampshire, Harvick brought home his sixth top 10 in the past seven races. He remains the Sprint Cup Series points leader, but has yet to officially clinch a Chase spot. Another win would ease the minds of Harvick and Co.
3
Joe Gibbs Racing
The three-time ’16 winner clinched a Chase spot with a solid eighth-place run at Loudon after leading 133 laps. Still, look for Busch — who is the reigning Brickyard 400 winner — to be a big player in Sunday’s event.
RELATED: Busch sews up Chase berth
Since his Michigan win on June 12, Logano has quietly recorded top fives in three of the last four events. The No. 22 driver could be a little louder at Indianapolis, where he missed out on Victory Lane in ’15 by .332 seconds to victor Kyle Busch.
RELATED: Logano earns ‘A’ at Loudon
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While Busch remains one of the most consistent drivers this year, his steadfastness wavered a bit with a 22nd-place result at Loudon. Indy’s forecast doesn’t look much better, as Busch hasn’t earned a top five since his first start there in ’01.
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Edwards might have finished higher than 20th — the lowest of his JGR teammates — if he hadn’t gotten caught up in a late-race wreck at Loudon. Nonetheless, the finish earned him an official Chase spot, leaving the No. 19 team relatively worry-free until September.
RELATED: Edwards earns Chase spot
Kenseth nabbed his second victory of the ’16 season Sunday after snatching the lead from Kyle Busch at Lap 271 and holding on for the win. Expect the No. 20 to run well — but not stellar — at Indy, where he has no wins, yet three straight top-seven finishes.
RELATED: Kenseth surges for late Loudon win
No. 78 fans were crushed Sunday as a broken shifter left Truex — who led 123 laps — stuck in fourth gear and with minimal chances at Victory Lane. Truex may win again in ’16, but the Brickyard doesn’t look to be the place, as he has one lone top five in 11 starts there.
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Hendrick Motorsports
Johnson gave a less-than-impressive performance at Loudon, only leading one lap after starting on the pole. Lucky for him, Indianapolis has been kind to the No. 48 team: "Six-Time" leads active drivers with four trips to Victory Lane and 302 laps led.
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Joe Gibbs Racing
Hamlin earned his first top 10 since Sonoma, shifting him one spot up in the point standings (10th.) This moves the Daytona 500 winner equally one spot up in the rankings — and into the top 10 again.
-1
Hendrick Motorsports
The Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate is riding a streak of 31st-or-worse finishes the past three weeks, dropping three spots in the point standings post-Loudon. The No. 24 team needs a turnaround if they want to remain in Chase contention.
While Newman’s average finish of 15.5 in 2016 doesn’t turn many heads, he has been consistent with in-race improvements: the ’13 Brickyard 400 winner has a positive place differential in 11 of the 19 races this season.
"Smoke" has certainly been rising lately, as he has finished in the top five in three of the last four races, including his Sonoma win. A victory at his home track of Indianapolis in his final season would be picture-perfect for Stewart, a two-time Brickyard 400 winner.
MORE: Tony Stewart Chase Watch
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has quietly recorded top 10s the past two weeks and now heads to Indianapolis, where he earned one of his seven career wins, in 2010.
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Hendrick Motorsports
Junior sat out last week’s race at New Hampshire due to concussion-like symptoms. No word on if he’ll return for Indianapolis yet, but right now, he remains 15th in the point standings — and in the Chase.
RELATED: Junior gives update on condition
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The No. 42 driver hasn’t made much noise in a couple weeks, but does have an average finish of 8.0 at Indianapolis in his two Sprint Cup starts. Lack of experience, however, could come into play.
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Richard Childress Racing
The No. 3 driver’s season has been topsy-turvy, posting a season-high finish of third and a season-low of 37th four races later. Dillon’s Indy history doesn’t bode well for him either, as he owns an average finish of 20.3 with one lone lap led.
After wrecking with fellow rookie Chase Elliott at Kentucky the week prior, Blaney battled back from being a lap down to finish 11th at Loudon. He’ll need strong runs to make the Chase, and Indy could be an opportunity, as he nearly beat Kyle Busch for the XFINITY win there last season.
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Bayne currently sits in the precarious 16th position in the points standings, just two points ahead of 17th-place Ryan Blaney. His Brickyard 400 record doesn’t bestow much confidence, as he holds an average finish of 31.6 in five starts.
Up until Daytona on July 2, Biffle had yet to finish in the top 10 — at all! — this season. Now, he’s riding at streak of three straight top 10s. Progress.
RELATED: Complete Eldora schedule | Eldora entry list
As a rookie this year in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series ranks, dirt-racing standout Rico Abreu knew there would be a steep learning curve in his first season competing on bigger, paved speedways in race trucks.
But Wednesday’s truck race at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway half-mile dirt track is another story.
And Abreu, 24, would be happy to provide the fairy tale ending.
“Definitely, I’m looking forward to it,” Abreu said in a recent phone interview, his voice animated with excitement.
“Just with my dirt experience and my success at Eldora, it’s kind of like a plate race but without restrictors and without a superspeedway and you never know who’s going to win. I feel like it’s an even playing field.”
Abreu nearly stood in Eldora’s Victory Lane this past weekend, finishing second to Donny Schatz in the Tony Stewart -owned track’s famed annual King’s Royal World of Outlaw sprint event Saturday. He placed third in races the previous two nights.
But perhaps more important, he collected a vital scouting report on the track for this Wednesday’s Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby.
And Abreu has won at Eldora before. He beat the great Dale Blaney at Eldora in the 2014 All Star Circuit of Champions season finale – the same year he won the USAC Midget Series national championship. A year earlier, he won a USAC race there.
Clearly, Eldora is a place on the NASCAR schedule where Abreu feels at home, jokingly conceding the annual one-off dirt race might feel a bit like the Wild Wild West of racing.
“I think it’s an advantage [to have raced over the weekend], it’s just getting a lot of track time and kind of having the chance to see what the track is going to be like,” Abreu said.
And of course, Eldora presents a huge opportunity to win and punch his ticket into the inaugural Camping World Truck Series Chase, too. Six races remain to set the eight-driver Chase field. Abreu currently is 14th in the driver standings.
“It’s another chance I have of getting in the Chase,” Abreu said. “And if I don’t Wednesday night, I’ll have another shot then at the next race. I’m not putting too much pressure on myself, not too worried. I’m going to enjoy being at Eldora with all my friends and enjoy the atmosphere.”
“There’s a ton of people there, a fireworks show and you get to see some asphalt trucks racing on dirt, which is new. For me to be a part of it, I’m really looking forward to it. I had a lot of fun watching last year from up in the spotter’s stand and I never knew I’d have a chance to race in it.”
The established, two-time series championship ThorSport Racing team signed Abreu to drive the No. 98 Safelite AutoGlass Toyota Tundra late this offseason. And with very limited pavement experience – although Abreu won a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Columbus, Ohio in his seventh start – he is a solid 14th in the truck standings with a pair of top-10 efforts. His best was a ninth-place finish on the Texas Motor Speedway high banks in June.
Abreu’s longtime friend and fellow Californian, Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Larson , is a big supporter — and this week at Eldora, a prime competitor.
“Man, Rico … he almost won Texas a few weeks ago, so that was cool,” said Larson, who drives the No. 42 Target Chevy for Chip Ganassi Racing.
“He’s only been racing for less than 10 years. … It’s always taken him a year or two to get things rolling where he can be consistent and figure out how to win, but once he does, he’s as good as it gets.
“In sprint cars it took him three years, probably, and now he’s considered a favorite every time he goes to the race track. He’ll learn a lot throughout this year of Truck racing, and hopefully by the end of the year he’ll be consistently in the Top 10.”
Maybe even beginning weekend at Eldora.
“I’m very lucky to be doing all this stuff,” Abreu said. “I just wish I was doing better, to be honest. I haven’t had the best results this year. But we’re close. I just need to put a whole night together, and really feel like Eldora could be the turning point of my season.”