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The NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash has a new, unique format for 2016 with heat races setting the field and determining which four drivers are eligible in the main race for the Dash 4 Cash prize, and a $100,000 check for each event.


Saturday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was the fourth and final Dash 4 Cash event this year; and a Chase berth was on the line for Ty Dillon , who previously took the D4C win at Richmond. However, Dillon did not race his way into a Dash 4 Cash spot at Indianapolis.


Here is a quick rundown of how the format works.



THE RACES 


Bristol Motor Speedway (April 16)
 — Erik Jones took the Dash 4 Cash prize (recap)
Richmond International Raceway (April 23)
 — Ty Dillon took the Dash 4 Cash prize (recap)
Dover International Speedway (May 14) — Erik Jones took the Dash 4 Cash prize (recap)

Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 23)

 — Justin Allgaier took the Dash 4 Cash prize (recap)

Dash 4 Cash race format, schedules

Event TV Heat race length (for both) Main race length
Bristol FS1 50 200
Richmond FS1 35 140
Dover FS1 40 120
Indianapolis NBCSN 20 60

RACE FORMATS


Coors Light Pole Qualifying will determine the starting positions for the two heats. 

Odd-numbered qualifiers (First, third, fifth, etc.) will compete in the first heat, while even-numbered qualifiers (second, fourth, sixth, etc.) will compete in the second heat.

These heat races determine the starting positions for the main race in addition to who will be eligible for the Dash 4 Cash in the main.
 
The front row for the main race will be made up of the winners of the two heats, with the fastest of those two from Coors Light Pole Qualifying making the lane choice.

The first heat determines the odd-number starting positions for the main, while the second heat determines the even-number starting positions for the main.

 Heat races will be held just before the main race at each track.

For Richmond, due to wet weather changing the schedule, the lineups for the heat races were set by the rulebook, meaning in this case, the NASCAR XFINITY Series owner standings.

DASH 4 CASH ELIGIBILITY


The top-two finishing NASCAR XFINITY Series points-earning drivers in each of the two heats will make up the Dash 4 Cash field in the main race. Dash 4 Cash drivers will carry a red windshield header to signify their Dash 4 Cash eligibility. The highest finisher in the main among the four eligible drivers wins the Dash 4 Cash and a $100,000 prize.

Should a driver win the first three Dash 4 Cash prizes and the Indianapolis race outright, that driver will earn an additional $600,000.



CHASE ELIGIBILITY

If a driver earns two Dash 4 Cash wins over the four Dash 4 Cash races, that is equivalent to a regular-season race win (without the race win bonus points) for XFINITY Series Chase eligibility.


Posted on by Staff Report

Garland Jack Biffle, father of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Greg Biffle, died Tuesday morning at age 75.


The Roush Fenway Racing driver tweeted out the family news Tuesday.


In a 2012 profile on SB Nation, Biffle said that his father introduced him early on to a life in speed, through a love of motorcycles that began at age 4. The elder Biffle served in the U.S. Army.


Biffle, 46, has 19 victories in 14 seasons in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup series. He is also a former champion in the NASCAR XFINITY and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.


Biffle has a decal on his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford at Indianapolis this weekend to honor his father.

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RELATED: Complete race results | Updated Chase Grid

Breaking down the full field for the New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:



1. Matt Kenseth , No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Not even a hiccup on pit road during the second caution could derail the No. 20 team. Remember this for when the Sprint Cup Series returns to Loudon for the second Chase race: Kenseth has won two in a row at New Hampshire and three of the past six. Grade: A


2. Tony Stewart , No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Smoke’s third top five in the past four races gives him 185 for his career, tying Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett for 16th all time. And to think that just a few weeks ago the discussion was whether Stewart would crack the top 30. Grade: A+


3. Joey Logano , No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. The No. 22 team used the race as a test for the September race at Loudon and still finished in the top five for the fifth time in the past six weeks. Grade: A


4. Kevin Harvick , No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Great finish, but the continued woes on pit road are troubling — especially this late into the season. Grade: A-


5. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Fact 1: Taking a wave around followed by another caution enabled Biffle (and others, as you will see) to post a great finish, despite running only 20 laps in the top 15. Fact 2: In racing, you’re ultimately judged by where you finish. And Biffle has his first top five since last September at Loudon. Grade: B+



6. Jamie McMurray , No. 1 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. McMurray said his goal was to minimize mistakes to keep alive his Chase chances, yet he found himself jousting side-by-side with Denny Hamlin with 21 laps to go. Fortunately for McMurray, they traded only paint, and McMurray was able to post his second-consecutive top 10 and take advantage of Dale Earnhardt Jr.  ‘s absence to move up a spot to 14th in the standings. Grade: A


7. Ryan Newman , No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Newman was part of the wave-around gang and left Loudon a solid 12th in the standings. Sometimes, timing is everything: Newman’s average running position for the day, 21.0, was the worst among top-10 finishers, just below Greg Biffle’s 20.4. Grade: B


8. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch led a race-high 133 laps, the first time since last September at Chicagoland he has led the most laps and not won. Grade: A


9. Denny Hamlin , No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin ran with the leaders all afternoon. He stayed out on the fourth caution and restarted with the lead on Lap 269. He held it one more lap before Matt Kenseth passed him. But his dust-up with Jamie McMurray caused a tire rub on the No. 11 and a pit stop on the sixth caution. Grade: A


10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. , No. 17 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Stenhouse spent all of 30 laps in the top 15 but was one of the drivers who parlayed the wave around on the fifth caution into a good finish. Grade: B


11. Ryan Blaney , No. 21 Ford, Wood Brothers Racing. Blaney fell from 11th to 25th after serving a pit road speeding penalty on Lap 184. He was able to avoid a points calamity with a wave around on the fifth caution. He’s 17th in the standings, two points behind Trevor Bayne and 16 behind 15th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. Grade: B-


12. Jimmie Johnson , No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. The polesitter led the first lap, and that was it. He did, however, post his best finish since coming home third at Charlotte in May. Grade: B


13. Austin Dillon , No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. A solid finish enabled Dillon to take advantage of Dale Earnhardt Jr.  ‘s absence and move up a spot to 13th in the standings. Grade: B


14. Danica Patrick , No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Danica also was a wave-around winner Sunday, finishing well ahead of her 23.7 average running position. It was her second-best finish of the season. Grade: B-


15. Brad Keselowski , No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. Keselowski was having a great day until he found himself sandwiched between teammate Joey Logano low and Kurt Busch high with fewer than 20 laps to go. Keselowski made contact with both and cut a tire, ending any chances for a better finish. Grade: B


16. Martin Truex Jr. , No. 78 Toyota, Furniture Row Racing. Truex had a great car and led 123 laps until … his gear shift broke with fewer than 50 laps to go and then his clutch went, meaning he had trouble leaving pit road and trouble on restarts. Pit road was Truex’s problem, restarts was everyone else’s. Grade: C



17. Kyle Larson , No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. Running seventh, Larson’s fate was sealed with 15 laps to go when Ryan Newman got into the back of Carl Edwards , who hit Larson and sent him spinning. It could have been a lot worse. Grade: B


18. Paul Menard , No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Menard finished 18th for the second week in a row and fifth time this season. If you think I’m counting, you’re right. Grade: C


19. Aric Almirola , No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola’s streak without a top-10 finish hit 20 races. Grade: C


20. Carl Edwards , No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. It was unintentional, but Ryan Newman got into the back of Edwards with 15 laps to go, touching off the final caution. Edwards had a top-10 car and was running eighth when it happened. Grade: B


21. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing. Allmendinger rolled off the grid 10th but couldn’t convert his best start at Loudon since September 2010 into a quality finish. A penalty for his crew over the wall too soon on Lap 222 didn’t help. Grade: C


22. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Running in the top 10, Busch was up top on a three-wide with Joey Logano low and Brad Keselowski in the middle. Contact with Keselowski resulted in a tire rub and a couple of laps later a blown left-rear tire. It is only the fourth time this season Busch has finished outside the top 10. Even with the blowout, he still had an average running position of 7.0. Grade: B


23. Trevor Bayne , No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. ‘Twas not Bayne’s day. He completed zero laps in the top 15, and if it weren’t for the lucky dog on Lap 277, his finish would have been worse. He also benefitted from Dale Earnhardt Jr. absence. Bayne is 16th in points, 14 behind Junior. Grade: C-


24. Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. This was not the same Clint Bowyer who has two wins and seven top 10s at New Hampshire. Maybe next year. Grade: C


25. Kasey Kahne , No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Kahne was one of the bigger losers Sunday. He had a solid top-15 car and was vying for a top-10 finish when he was collected in the Ryan Newman – Carl Edwards – Kyle Larson wreck and his promising day went south with 15 laps to go. He dropped a spot to 18th in the standings. Grade: B-


26. Alex Bowman , No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Bowman was the story of the day, subbing for Dale Earnhardt Jr. , who missed the race because of concussion-like symptoms. He was staring at the best finish of his young Sprint Cup career when a tire went down and he hit the wall on Lap 273 while running eighth. Grade: B


27. Casey Mears , No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. Mears improved his finish a handful of spots thanks to the lucky dog on the final caution. Grade: C-



28. Landon Cassill , No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Cassill posted his second-best finish at New Hampshire in his past seven starts at the track. Grade: C


29. Chris Buescher , No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Buescher brought out the second caution when he spun on Lap 100 trying to avoid Josh Wise , who had slowed just ahead of him. He finished two laps down. Grade: C


30. David Ragan , No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. An unscheduled pit stop under green on Lap 130 for a vibration costs Ragan a better finish. He was running in the top 25 at the time. Grade: C


31. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. DiBenedetto’s finish tied for his best since a 30th-place run at Kansas in May. Grade: D


32. Regan Smith , No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Smith was making his first start at New Hampshire since September 2012 when he finished 16th. Grade: D


33. Michael Annett , No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Annett’s run of top-30 finishes ended at two (20th at Daytona, 26th at Kentucky). Grade: D


34. Chase Elliott , No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Elliott sustained a tire rub as cars made contact behind the hobbled car of Martin Truex Jr. on the restart on Lap 269. Four laps later, while running in the top 10, the tire blew. Even with the poor finish, Elliott still had an average running position of 10.2. Grade: C


35. Reed Sorenson , No. 55 Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports. Just like Michael Annett , Sorenson’s run of top-30 finishes ended at two (22nd at Daytona, 27th at Kentucky). Grade: D


36. Eddie MacDonald , No. 32 Ford, GO FAS Racing. MacDonald, a K&N Pro Series East veteran from Massachusetts, made his third Sprint Cup Series start, all in the No. 32 Ford at New Hampshire. Last July he finished 37th and the year before 35th. Grade: C-


37. Ryan Ellis , No. 98 Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports. Ellis also made his third Sprint Cup Series start but first at New Hampshire. He finished nine laps back Sunday. Grade C-


38. Brian Scott , No. 44 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. A fluid leak caused Scott’s brakes to fail. He finished 23 laps back. Grade: F


39. Michael McDowell , No. 95 Chevrolet, Circle Sport-Leavine Family. Electrical issues doomed McDowell to his second DNF of the season, all in his past three starts. Grade: F



40. Josh Wise , No. 30 Chevrolet, The Motorsports Group. One week after his best finish of the season (24th at Kentucky), Wise got his fifth DNF (accident). Grade: F

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Latest updates, timeline on Dale Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said problems with balance and nausea prevented him from driving in Sunday’s New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and he is encouraged by concussion test results that match his baseline test.

 

Earnhardt Jr. spoke for about three minutes in “The Dale Jr. Download” on his weekly audio update on Dirty Mo Radio, providing his first comments on his condition since Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday that he would miss the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire race for concussion-like symptoms.

 

PHOTOS: Junior in Victory Lane through the years

 

“The symptoms that I have are balance and nausea,” Earnhardt Jr. said in the episode recorded Sunday night. “I’ve struggled with my balance over the last 4-5 days, and I definitely wouldn’t be able to drive a race car this weekend. Making the right decision really was out of the question; I made the decision I had to make.”

 

Earnhardt Jr. said he was encouraged by the results of concussion tests he took, however.

 

“My mind feels real sharp,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I took the ImPACT tests, which measures thought process and the speed of your thought process, and memory and retaining memory, and my results matched my baseline — which made me feel confident that my brain was pretty sharp. It feels good.”


RELATED: O’Donnell outlines what Junior has to do to return

 

Earnhardt Jr. repeated that there remains no timeline for his return to the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. If he cannot race this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon already has been tapped to be his replacement. Alex Bowman replaced Earnhardt Jr. in the New Hampshire 301 and finished 26th.

 

“I’m going to continue to work with my doctors to understand more about the injury and how to treat it,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “They can give me a lot of exercises that will retrain my brain to handle what I need to handle. It’s just going to take a lot of patience. I put my health and quality of life as a top priority. I’ll always do that. I’m going to take this slow and strictly follow the advice of my doctors and try to learn as much as I can to be smarter and wiser.” 

RELATED: Ives discusses possibility of Gordon in the No. 88

Earnhardt Jr. also praised the performance of Bowman in filling in for him in New Hampshire, and thanked fans and fellow drivers for the supportive messages he’s received.

 

“It’s always been a real experience going through this kind of stuff because you learn so much through the experience,” he said. “I’ve got some great doctors to learn from. I miss everybody. I really appreciate all the support I’ve got. It’s really unnecessary, but it really does make me feel good, I have to be honest. To hear everybody wishing me well really does my heart good. This kind of thing can beat you down and get you sad, but I’ve got a lot of good people around me and a lot of people supporting me.”

 

The full audio recording can be found here.

 

MORE: Hendrick, others offer opinions

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Complete Eldora schedule | Eldora entry list | Drivers to watch

 

A Wednesday night NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on dirt represents a big change from the normal schedule, but it’s nothing to worry about. This “Eldora Explained” article will get you up to speed on the technical aspects of the competition, so you can sit back and enjoy the Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby, scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

 

There are two practices on the half-mile dirt track Tuesday. All of the events below take place Wednesday.

 

Qualifying: Two laps, single truck. Keystone Light Pole Qualifying is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. ET on FS1. A random draw will determine the qualifying order. The fastest qualifier will be awarded the Keystone Light Pole Award, but won’t necessarily start first.

 

The results of qualifying will determine all starting positions for the five qualifying races; the qualifying races themselves set the lineup for the race.

 

Qualifying Races: Five races, 10 laps each, starting at 7 p.m. ET on FS1, and only green-flag laps will be counted. Lineup for the qualifying races will be based on speeds from Keystone Light Pole Qualifying. The top five trucks from each qualifying race will automatically transfer to the race. Upon completion of the qualifying races, 25 of the 32 trucks in the field will be set for the race.

 

Last Chance Qualifying Race: This race will be 15 laps, and the lineup for it will be set based on finishing position in the qualifying races. Only green flag laps will be counted, and the top two finishers of this race will fill lineup positions 26 and 27 for the race.

 

Lineup spots 28-31 will go to the highest-ranking eligible trucks in owner points that haven’t already earned a starting position through qualifying. The 32nd lineup spot will go to the most recent eligible past series champion. If the 32nd position is not filled by an eligible champion, it will be assigned based on owner points.

 

Race: Divided into three segments (40, 50 and 60 laps) with competition cautions at the breaks on Laps 40 and 90. Caution laps will not count during competition cautions and positions can’t be improved on pit road. Teams are not required to pit during competition cautions. Those that remain on the track will restart in front of those that pit.

How Eldora race lineup is determined

Starting spot How determined
1 Top finisher in Qualifying Race #1
2 Top finisher in Qualifying Race #2
3 Top finisher in Qualifying Race #3
4 Top finisher in Qualifying Race #4
5 Top finisher in Qualifying Race #5
6 Second finisher in Qualifying Race #1
7 Second finisher in Qualifying Race #2
8 Second finisher in Qualifying Race #3
9 Second finisher in Qualifying Race #4
10 Second finisher in Qualifying Race #5
11 Third finisher in Qualifying Race #1
12 Third finisher in Qualifying Race #2
13 Third finisher in Qualifying Race #3
14 Third finisher in Qualifying Race #4
15 Third finisher in Qualifying Race #5
16 Fourth finisher in Qualifying Race #1
17 Fourth finisher in Qualifying Race #2
18 Fourth finisher in Qualifying Race #3
19 Fourth finisher in Qualifying Race #4
20 Fourth finisher in Qualifying Race #5
21 Fifth finisher in Qualifying Race #1
22 Fifth finisher in Qualifying Race #2
23 Fifth finisher in Qualifying Race #3
24 Fifth finisher in Qualifying Race #4
25 Fifth finisher in Qualifying Race #5
26 Top finisher in Last Chance
27 Second finisher in Last Chance
28 Owner points
29 Owner points
30 Owner points
31 Owner points
32 Past series champ/owner points
Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Watch the live stream here


From 8-11 a.m. ET on Tuesday, NASCAR.com will live stream the post-race inspection process at the Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina.

The three-hour look takes you behind the scenes as NASCAR officials inspect Sprint Cup Series vehicles following Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

The cars at the R&D Center this week are: the No. 20 Toyota of Matt Kenseth  (winner of Sunday’s race), the No. 14 Chevrolet of Tony Stewart  (finished second in Sunday’s race). The race-winning entry of Kenseth did not meet compliance in the laser inspection station after Sunday’s New Hampshire 301 and could be subject to penalties later in the week. 

For more on what the inspection process entails, click here. 

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Concord, N.C. (July 18, 2016) – John Wes Townley remains under treatment for a possible concussion and will not compete in Wednesday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway.

ARCA competitor Brady Boswell will drive the No. 05 Zaxby’s/Jive Communications Chevrolet at Eldora for Townley. The 19-year-old Boswell, like Townley, is a resident of Watkinsville, Georgia. Both drivers are graduates of North Oconee High School in Bogart, Georgia.

Veteran driver and NASCAR on NBC analyst Parker Kligerman will substitute for Townley in Friday night’s ARCA Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200 presented by Jive at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Townley is scheduled to be re-evaluated by his physician July 25, when he anticipates gaining medical clearance to return to competition in ARCA and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for events next week at Pocono Raceway.