Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: See the Chase field | Best tracks, worst tracks for Chase field

JOLIET, Ill. — Ben Kennedy had to wait around to conduct post-race interviews for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase field after an early exit Friday night at Chicagoland Speedway. As he did, he nursed a bandaged right hand that included a splint on his middle finger, the result of a heavy late-race crash that left him 26th on the results sheet.

Kennedy heads into next weekend’s Chase opener at New Hampshire Motor Speedway  hoping to heal up for the seven-race run to the championship. The 24-year-old driver said he hoped his bruised hand wouldn’t pose a problem at the demanding 1.058-mile track.

“I hope not. Either way, I’m going to muscle through it,” Kennedy said. “The biggest thing right now is rest and recovery and listening to the doctor’s orders and I think we’ll be fine next week. Make sure our safety stuff is ready to go, and I’m sure it will. We’ll go out and hopefully be a contender in that race.”

Kennedy was nudged into a spin after a tightly contested challenge from GMS Racing teammate Johnny Sauter just under 50 laps from the end Friday night. Kennedy’s No. 33 Chevrolet was then clipped by the ThorSport trucks driven by Ben Rhodes and Matt Crafton before it nosed into the Turn 2 retaining wall.

Kennedy’s hand was wrapped up after he emerged from the infield care center. He was scheduled for X-rays Saturday morning, but said he thought his injuries were no more serious than bruises or a sprain.

“Hopefully, it’s not anything worse than that,” Kennedy said. “I don’t know. I hit the wall and it just hit something, the wheel or something. I tried to brace myself and just didn’t have enough time to get it where I needed to, to be safe for when I hit the wall. So, just nicked it a little bit.”

Kennedy clinched his postseason spot in August at Bristol Motor Speedway, and now starts with a clean slate for the opening three-race round of the series’ inaugural Chase playoff. With a challenging early schedule that travels from New Hampshire to Las Vegas to Talladega, Kennedy said the approach may be equally intriguing.

“You’ve got to try to minimize mistakes, but sometimes you’re other people’s fortune at the end of the day,” Kennedy said. “I think tonight was a little taste of what we’re going to try to bring to the Chase. We’re going to keep working on it, try to get better and we’ll see what happens. Hopefully just stay out of trouble and win one of these things.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Full race results | Chase Grid

JOLIET, Ill. — Timothy Peters‘ chances for clinching the final spot in the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase weren’t exactly dangling by a thread, but his hopes weren’t a slam dunk either.

Stuck in limbo-land for the duration of Friday night’s American Ethanol e15 225 at Chicagoland Speedway, Peters finally exhaled after an eventful eighth-place finish in the Red Horse Racing No. 17 Toyota. He was greeted on pit road by relieved team owner Tom DeLoach, who congratulated his driver with a majority of sentences starting with “Whew!”

A Kyle Busch victory denied several Chase hopefuls, all of whom needed to win Friday night’s regular-season finale to punch their postseason ticket. At the top of the most-likely candidates was NASCAR Next product Cameron Hayley, who made several fruitless runs at Busch and settled for third.

Peters said that crew chief Shane Huffman kept him posted about Hayley’s last-ditch bid and the battle at the front of the pack. But with a chain of unfortunate events — an uncontrolled tire penalty on pit road, a flat-tire and damage to his truck’s right-rear fender — there was little he personally could do to alter the race’s outcome.

“It wasn’t no need to worry about it. I mean, it really wasn’t. I can’t control it, just like it’s starting to rain now,” Peters said as the initial drops of an impending downpour started to fall. “We couldn’t control that earlier. As long as we do our job, we’ll do just fine.”

After a rush of caution periods that included a 14-minute red flag over the final stretch, Hayley, 20, lined up in second place alongside Busch for the overtime restart. Busch held his foes at bay for the last two laps, leaving Hayley to fight with eventual runner-up Daniel Hemric for the next-highest spot on the podium.

“Obviously, you’re racing against the best and I think he showed he’s the best tonight,” Hayley said of Busch. “If it was anybody else, I would’ve won that race, but he just knows how to counter every attack I put after him and that hurt me in the end.”

Hemric and Peters claimed the last two spots in the eight-driver field as the highest points-earners without a regular-season victory. Hayley wound up tied for eighth place in the driver standings (before the standings were reset for the Chase) with rookie Cole Custer and Ben Kennedy, the latter of which clinched a Chase berth with his victory last month at Bristol Motor Speedway.


RELATED: Hayley reflects on coming up just short in Chase bid
 

Hayley tempered his Chase misfire with a post-race pep talk that showed he was ready to embrace the spoiler role in the seven-race postseason, which begins next Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

“Now we can go out and upset all these guys,” Hayley said. “They’re all going to go out for wins, and they need to play it safe — we don’t any more. We’re just going to win, and we’re going to upset those guys. We’re going to win five races in a row here and make them look like they shouldn’t belong. We’re going for it big-time.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Complete race results | Series standings | Chase Grid

JOLIET, Ill. – Kyle Busch opened the door, and that was all the invitation Erik Jones needed.

When Busch, the polesitter for Saturday’s Drive for Safety 300 at Chicagoland Speedway, spun with a tire down while leading on Lap 182 of 200, Jones took full advantage of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate’s misfortune.

The driver of the No. 20 JGR Toyota restarted sixth on Lap 187 after Busch brought out the eighth caution of the afternoon and quickly closed the gap on Elliott Sadler, who restarted second and grabbed the lead from JR Motorsports teammate Clint Bowyer, who had stayed out on old tires like Sadler.

Jones caught and passed Sadler on Lap 192. Race runner-up Kyle Larson followed four laps later but couldn’t catch Jones before the finish. In the final four laps, Jones moved up the track to take Larson’s preferred racing line and crossed the finish line .392 seconds ahead of Larson, who brushed the outside wall on the final lap while trying to close in on the race winner.

“It was tough,” said Jones, who won for the second time at the 1.5-mile track and the fourth time in his rookie year. “I knew we were in a good spot on tires, but we pretty far back – think we restarted sixth there.

“I didn’t know if my Hisense Camry was going to have enough time to get back up to the front, but we had a really good restart and got clear to third and then just had to go chase Elliott down. It was a matter of time before we got around him. What an awesome day!”

With four victories this season, Jones enters the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase as the No. 1 seed heading to the Chase opener next Saturday at Kentucky Speedway.

“It’s a lot of momentum,” Jones said. “I wish this was our first round right here. We’ll go into Kentucky definitely with a full head of steam and are due for another win there. Our mile-and-a-half program is great – it’s been great all year.

“To finally get a first mile-and-a-half win of the year – just looking forward to getting to Kentucky next weekend and try to chase down another one.”

Saturday’s event finalized the 12-driver Chase field, as Blake Koch and Ryan Sieg clinched the final two spots with finishes of 15th and 12th, respectively.

The full Chase field, in order of seeding, consists of Erik Jones, Sadler, Daniel Suarez, Ty Dillon, Justin Allgaier, Darrell Wallace Jr., Brendan Gaughan, Brennan Poole, Sieg, Ryan Reed, Brandon Jones and Koch.

Sadler finished third on Saturday, followed by Suarez and Allgaier.

Larson recovered from a pit road speeding penalty to record his eighth top-five finish in 12 starts this year.

“I knew I could get the top (lane) going, but I knew when I got the top going, Erik would move up just when I got to him,” Larson said. “He did, and I tried to carry a lot of throttle off of (Turn) 2 and maybe get a run on him, but I got into the wall.”

Busch led 154 laps and recovered from his spin to finish 13th. All told, 11 different drivers led at least one lap, including the top eight drivers in the finishing order.

Posted on by Nascar

MORE: Tifft tweets upbeat video post-surgery | Tifft joins Red Horse Racing


JOLIET, Ill. — Matt Tifft climbs back on the horse tonight here at Chicagoland Speedway, a Red Horse in fact, as the 20-year-old returns to competition following surgery for a brain tumor just 11 weeks ago.

Tifft will be competing in the No. 11 Toyota Tundra for Red Horse Racing in Friday night’s American Ethanol E15 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

It will be his first NASCAR start since May 21 when he finished fifth in a Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

He recently tested in a Late Model entry at Hickory (N.C.) Speedway and said he has driven go-karts as well to prepare for his return.

“I did not feel anything at all that was different and I would not be here this weekend if I did not feel like I was 100 percent and ready to go,” Tifft said Friday.

In late June, Joe Gibbs Racing officials, for whom Tifft competes part-time in NASCAR’s XFINITY Series, announced that doctors had discovered a “low-grade glioma” during Tifft’s evaluation and treatment for a back condition. He underwent surgery on July 1.

Thursday Tifft was back behind the wheel of the Red Horse entry, taking part in practice on the 1.5-mile track.

“I radioed in after the first practice how much I had missed it,” said Tifft, who was sixth and 19th, respectively, in Thursday’s two Truck Series practices. …


“Going the high speeds and going into the banking of a track like Chicagoland in a Truck Series event, it’s totally different than what you can prepare for on a short track. A lot of fun but also I had to be on my game just like any other driver has to be. It takes a lap or two for you to get used to it and I think by the second run out there we were running competitive times again.

“But, definitely, was soaking it in going around the first couple of laps.”

Teammate Timothy Peters said the “feedback and … positives that (Tifft) brings to the race team is just second to none.

“A good person to boot,” Peters said. “It’s hard to beat that.

“He was fast in the first practice (on Thursday) and would’ve been right up there will all of us (in the second),” Peters noted, adding that Tifft’s team did not make a mock qualifying run.

“Chicagoland is one of my favorites tracks,” said Tifft. “I had a lot of fun (Thursday). It was really great to be back in the truck, so I’m looking forward to tonight and getting back in my first race.”

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: O’Donnell talks with the pair | Newman gets candid about Stewart

JOLIET, Ill. — Sprint Cup Series drivers Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman, involved in a multicar accident a week ago at Richmond International Raceway, met briefly with NASCAR officials Friday here at Chicagoland Speedway.
 
“We don’t have to apologize (to each other),” Newman told members of the media following the meeting.
 
“You have to remember, we’ve been teammates, we’ve known each other since long before either one of us got an opportunity to come to NASCAR,” said Stewart, a three-time series champion.
 
“I’ll text you an apology,” Newman offered.
 
The accident in Saturday night’s race at RIR effectively ended any hopes Newman had of qualifying for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, which gets underway this weekend with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 (Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
 
Stewart, scheduled to retire from Sprint Cup competition at season’s end, is one of the 16 drivers who will be competing in the 10-race playoff for the series title. He is co-owner of the four-team Stewart-Haas Racing group as well as the driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet.
 
Newman drove for SHR from 2009-13, winning four times.
 
At Richmond, Newman took Stewart to task after the incident, saying it was “just disappointing that you have somebody old like that that should be retired the way he drives. It’s just ridiculous.”
 
Eight cars were collected in the crash, which occurred on Lap 363 of the scheduled 400-lap race; the race was red-flagged for more than 20 minutes. There were no injuries.
 
Newman said the incident won’t change the way he races his former teammate, or anyone else, on the track.
 
“I’ve never changed how I’ve raced anybody,” he said Friday. “If you look at it, I’m not the guy that goes out there and just intentionally takes somebody out. I don’t ever want to think that, much less do it. … I’m here to win and in order to do that I have to race.”
 
“This is the frustrating part for both of us,” Stewart, 45, said, “because we get poked and prodded about it and we’re ready to move on.
 
“It’s a deal where we’ve had a week to think about it, we’ve had a week to get over it; we’ve been in the (NASCAR) trailer and talked about it and as far as we’re concerned it’s over.”

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Live weather updates from Chicago

JOLIET, Ill. — Rain altered Friday’s schedule at Chicagoland Speedway and washed out Coors Light Pole Qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

As the top seed in Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, and with his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota seeded first in the corresponding owners’ standings, Kyle Busch will start on the pole at the 1.5-mile track for the first of the 10 playoff races that will decide the 2016 champion.

Busch also will get first pick of pit stalls, with the corresponding advantage of choosing the stall nearest the exit from pit road.

Brad Keselowski, who like Busch recorded a series-best four victories during the 26-race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular season, will start on the outside of the front row, as the 16 Chase drivers take the green flag from the top 16 positions, according to respective seeding.

A three-time winner thanks to last Saturday’s victory at Richmond, Denny Hamlin will start third beside Kevin Harvick, the highest-seeded driver with two wins.

Carl Edwards and Martin Truex Jr. will take the green from fifth and sixth, respectively, with Matt Kenseth in seventh, as Toyota drivers occupy five of the top seven starting positions. Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Larson, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon and Jamie McMurray are eighth through 16th on the grid, respectively.

Showers dampened the 1.5-mile track Friday, first delaying opening XFINITY Series practice and then forcing the cancellation of Sprint Cup qualifying.

RELATED: See the full lineup

According to NASCAR officials, the new schedule for Friday was as follows: XFINITY Series practice from 3:15-4:25 p.m. ET (NBC Sports App); NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying at 4:30 p.m ET (on FS1) and a newly scheduled Sprint Cup Series practice from 6:45-7:45 p.m. ET (NBCSN).

Races are scheduled for all three NASCAR national series this weekend, which culminates with Sunday’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM), the opening event of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs. The track has been the host of the Chase opener since the 2011 season.

The weekend also features regular-season finales for the NASCAR XFINITY Series on Saturday and the Camping World Truck Series on Friday night. The XFINITY tour will set its 12-driver field in Saturday’s Drive for Safety 300 (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM), and the truck series’ eight-driver postseason grid will be set after Friday night’s American Ethanol E15 225 (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM).

NASCAR Wire Services contributed to this report.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full practice results | Top 10 consecutive lap averages

Jimmie Johnson topped the leaderboard in Friday’s lone Sprint Cup Series practice at Chicagoland Speedway at 183.780 mph in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.


Right behind him was Carl Edwards in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at 183.299 mph.


Rounding out the top five were Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at 182.927 mph, Brad Keselowski in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford at 182.655 mph and Chase Elliott in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at 182.568 mph.


The top seed of the Chase, Kyle Busch was 10th-fastest with a speed of 181.990 mph in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.


Early in the session, Kurt Busch had a vibration problem and had to change the drive shaft before returning to the track. At the end of the session, Alex Bowman brought out the red flag when he spun out near the pit road entrance.


The next practice session is Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET (CNBC/NBC SportsApp).

Posted on by Staff Report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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