Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Practice 1 results | Final practice results



Kyle Busch closed out final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice atop the leaderboard Friday afternoon, recovering from a spin earlier in the day and landing the fastest speed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.



Busch, the defending race winner, lapped the track with a best speed of 184.619 mph in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota as teams made mock qualifying runs ahead of Saturday’s time trials. It marked an improvement over his 12th-best time during Friday’s opening 85-minute session at the 2.5-mile track.



During that opening session, Busch’s No. 18 Camry slightly touched the car of Patrick Carpentier as they raced side-by-side in Turn 2. Busch, the defending series champion, spun out without making further contact.



Former Brickyard winner Kevin Harvick registered the second-fastest lap, pushing the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet to a lap of 184.268 mph. Kyle Larson , Ryan Newman and Carl Edwards completed the top five in the final practice before Sunday’s Crown Royal Presents The Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, IMS, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).



Jeff Gordon was 25th-fastest in his second stint of practice ahead of his first Sprint Cup start of the season. The four-time series champion notched a 180.375-mph lap in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet, filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. , who is sidelined for the second straight week by concussion-like symptoms.



Tony Stewart , prepping for his final scheduled Sprint Cup start at his home-state track, was 24th-fastest (180.505 mph) in the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Chevrolet.



Coors Light Pole Qualifying is set Saturday at 1:45 p.m. ET (NBCSN). Sunday’s race will be the 20th of 36 points-paying races this season.



Johnson sets pace in opening Indy practice


Jimmie Johnson soared to the top of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series leaderboard Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in an opening practice that featured the return of Jeff Gordon to competition.



Johnson pushed the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet to a best lap of 184.185 mph around the 2.5-mile track. He’ll seek his fifth Indianapolis win in Sunday’s Crown Royal Presents The Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, IMS, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).



Former Indy pole winner Denny Hamlin was second-fastest in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota at 182.563 mph, a sizable .434 seconds off Johnson’s pace. Casey Mears (180.346 mph), Kevin Harvick (179.845 mph) and Ryan Newman (179.784 mph) completed the top five in the 85-minute opening session.



Gordon clocked the ninth-fastest speed, landing a 179.376 mph lap in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet. He’s scheduled to make his first Sprint Cup start of the season Sunday as a replacement for Dale Earnhardt Jr. as he recovers from concussion-like symptoms.



Tony Stewart , scheduled to make his final Brickyard start in what’s to be his last full-time season, was eighth-fastest at 179.655 mph in the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Chevrolet. The native Hoosier will be vying for his third Brickyard victory in Sunday’s 400-miler.



Defending Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch, also the defending race winner, was 12th-fastest but recovered from a spin at the one-hour mark of the session. Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota made a prolonged slide out of Turn 2 after making contact with the Go FAS Racing No. 32 Ford of Patrick Carpentier.



Carpentier, 44, walked over to Busch’s garage stall later in the session to issue an apology for crowding his pass attempt. Carpentier was 39th-fastest of the 41 drivers entered during first practice.


Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Stewart Chase Watch | WATCH: Stewart’s first Brickyard win

 

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — The same guy happily and anonymously steering a tractor around his Eldora Speedway in Western Ohio earlier this week — carefully tending to the dirt surface, readying the facility for Wednesday’s annual NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event — will be celebrated this weekend two hours away at racing’s most historic venue, Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

 

And no matter how tough Tony Stewart is — and he is tough — or how humble the Hoosier native may be, the three-time NASCAR champion and Eldora Speedway proprietor can expect to be moved by the overwhelming reception his home state will bestow as he makes his final start at the great speedway.

 

His track.

 

“I have no doubt it will be the most emotional (of any starts),” said Stewart, who is retiring from full-time NASCAR competition at the conclusion of the season. “It’s hard not to think you’d be emotional when it’s home. It’s your home track, your home race. My family comes. My friends come. It would be impossible to think it’s not going to be an emotional weekend.

 

“I think my schedule for the weekend is probably the best thing that could happen to me. Being busy at the all-star races (in nearby Kokomo) on race weekend is the best thing that could happen, to keep me in check. It doesn’t give me time to think about it, dwell on it.

 

“The Monday when it’s all over (at Indy) would be the perfect time to think about how the weekend was. We’ll still be in the moment for sure, but having those (other) races to keep you busy takes a lot of the time you’d sit there and worry and think about things that don’t really help you for the weekend anyway. I think it will be a benefit for us.”

 

Impending NASCAR retirement aside, Indianapolis has been an emotional ride for Stewart right from the very beginning.

 

His very first start at the facility came from the pole position in the 1996 Indianapolis 500. Stewart had qualified second but moved up a starting spot after his teammate, pole winner Scott Brayton was killed during an accident in practice the week before the race. Stewart finished the race 24th.

 

He started from the front row (second) the next year, too, and finished fifth — his best ever in the 500. In all, he made five IndyCar starts at the speedway with three top 10s, two of them coming in amazing double-dip action — racing at Indy in the afternoon and in NASCAR’s Charlotte 600-miler in the evening.

 

Stewart still boasts the best ever Indy-Charlotte double (2001) with a sixth-place finish at Indy, then a third-place result in NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 that same day, completing all 1,100 miles.

 

And Stewart’s NASCAR resume at Indy is even more enviable. It will be reflected in the ovation he surely will receive Sunday afternoon before the start of the Crown Royal Presents The Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, IMS, SiriusXM). And it will show not only the fans’ utmost respect, but their true love for the hometown hero.

 

Stewart won the Brickyard 400 in 2005 and 2007. He has 11 top-10 finishes in 17 starts including seven top-five finishes. And he won the pole position in 2002.

 

Five of Stewart’s seven Indy starts for his Stewart-Haas Racing team have been top 10s.

 

Stewart’s success at the track has been important. For him. for his fellow Hoosiers, and for NASCAR in general.

 

He is the only driver to win both an IndyCar and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship — a fact especially appreciated in Indianapolis, where the region is also fond of the fact that Stewart still lives nearby in his hometown of Columbus.

 

He is one of them — and they have always loved him because of it.

 

He is not just the hometown favorite, but he is “theirs” — an Indiana treasure — bred here and residing here still.

 

And that’s where things may get a little difficult for Stewart this weekend.

 

He is intent on approaching this race as the next step necessary for ensuring his postseason place in the 16-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. However, he acknowledges, his final start at his home track will be the truest test of heart so far.

 

“I know it’s our last year and I know people want to do things for us, and I greatly appreciate that but what I want to do is focus on driving the race car and doing the best job I can, trying to get best result I can each weekend,” Stewart said. “I have to be focused on that, not the other stuff. I’m content going to the race track and racing all weekend.”

 

Stewart has three top-five finishes in the last four Cup races and the very thought that he go to this famous Victory Lane in his final start is almost too much emotion for the brain to bear.

 

His No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet team has turned the corner in performance. And Stewart, who missed the first eight races recovering from an offseason injury, says he and crew chief Mike Bugarewicz are starting to gel in their first months working together.

 

His win at Sonoma in June places him in the Chase, and should he maintain a position in the top 30 in points, his long goodbye will be playoff style.

 

A win at Indianapolis this weekend, however, would be oh-so-different. And it will be harder to see who is happier about it —  Tony Stewart or the fans who love him so.

 

“I’m still under same principle of taking it one week at a time and trying to get more consistent,” Stewart said, underplaying the very thought of an Indy celebration. “If we can do that, the rest takes care of itself.

 

“We’re not quite where we need to be yet, but we have a lot of momentum and we’re gaining on it and have a lot to look forward to.

“But literally, that one win changes the whole complexion of our season now. I want to approach racing at Indy just like I do anything else, but even before I had planned on retirement it was emotional here so I don’t know how I can say it would be less than that.

 

“It will be more.”

Posted on by Staff Report

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup doesn’t begin until September, but several drivers have the opportunity to officially clinch a spot in the postseason field this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

 

This weekend, the magic number for Sprint Cup Series drivers is 271 — as in a driver 271 points ahead of 31st place in the standings following Sunday’s race guarantees a spot in the top 30 of the standings, no matter what happens the rest of the regular season. To clinch an early Chase berth, a driver must have multiple wins and lock a top-30 spot.

 

Due to the tight standings, it’s also possible for a driver to clinch if he exits Indy with fewer than a 271-point lead over 31st-place, but 271 is the magic number.

 

Brad Keselowski , Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards have already clinched spots in the Chase Grid.

 

Below are Chase-clinching scenarios for this weekend’s races at Indianapolis:

 

Possible to Clinch:

 

Jimmie Johnson (2 wins, 514 points, +294 points ahead of 31st): The two-time 2016 winner just needs a top-30 spot to clinch a Chase berth.

 

Matt Kenseth (2 wins, 506 points, +286 points ahead of 31st): Last weekends’s New Hampshire winner has multiple wins and just needs a top-30 spot to officially clinch.

 

Kevin Harvick (1 Win, 636 points, +416 points ahead of 31st): Harvick already has clinched his top-30 spot, but the only way he can clinch a Chase berth at this point is by being a multi-race winner. He’ll need a win at Indianapolis to officially clinch a spot in the Chase.

 

Kurt Busch (1 win, 601 points, +382 points ahead of 31st): Can clinch with a win.

 

Joey Logano (1 win, 571 points, +351 points ahead of 31st): Can clinch with a win.

 

Martin Truex Jr (1 win, 540 points, +320 points ahead of 31st): Can clinch with a win.

Denny Hamlin (1 win, 505 points, +285 points ahead of 31st): Can clinch with a win.

 

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES CHASE

 

The magic number for XFINITY Series drivers was 361. As in, a driver 361 points ahead of 31st place clinched a top-30 spot in the standings. Erik Jones had already locked up a spot in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase before Indianapolis.

 

Clinched:

Daniel Suarez (1 Win, 608 Points, +510 Points Ahead of 31st): Suarez finished seventh at Indianapolis and clinched after a Chase-eligible driver did not win on Saturday.
 
Elliott Sadler (1 Win, 594 Points, +496 Points Ahead of 31st): Although he missed out on the Dash 4 Cash prize by one spot, Sadler’s sixth-place finish at Indianapolis was enough to clinch a Chase berth.

Posted on by NASCAR Wire Service

The list of blue-chip brands involved in NASCAR continues to grow.



According to a recent internal analysis, the number of FORTUNE 100 companies investing in NASCAR has increased 5 percent year-over-year. Also, the number of FORTUNE 500 companies investing in the sport has either grown or sustained year-over-year since 2012. Overall, more than one in four FORTUNE 500 companies integrate NASCAR into their marketing strategies.



A charter agreement with race teams, five-year track sanctioning deals and a bevy of new or renewed long-term partnerships have contributed to NASCAR’s business growth over the last several years. FORTUNE 500 companies Auto-Owners Insurance, Stanley DeWalt, Fastenal, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Axalta have all renewed with or entered the sport this season, highlighting the momentum across the industry.



Repucom’s SponsorLink survey shows NASCAR surpasses all other sports properties in fan sponsor consideration. Seven out of 10 NASCAR fans are loyal to a sponsor’s brand when it supports the sport, and three out of four NASCAR fans would consider a sponsor’s brand.



While being a FORTUNE 500 company is the gold standard of success for publicly traded companies in the United States, there are several global corporations involved in NASCAR that weren’t included in the analysis because they do not meet FORTUNE’s criteria. A number of blue-chip brands significantly involved in the sport did not qualify, including Mars, MillerCoors, Shell and Toyota.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

RELATED: Eldora’s big night in photos


ROSSBURG, Ohio — While the differences between Eldora Speedway, a dirt-based short track/slice of heaven, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a relatively flat, wide and paved 2.5 miles of paradise, couldn’t be more stark in contrast, there could be something that Wednesday night’s Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby winner Kyle Larson will take with him two hours due west to “The Brickyard” — confidence.


“Any time you can win, it helps your confidence, for sure,” Larson said after picking up his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory since 2013 in his third attempt at capturing one of the series’ crown-jewel races. “Obviously it’s way different; a half-mile dirt track to a 2(.5)-mile paved track, but confidence is key for any athlete.”


Larson has shown flashes of on-track brilliance in the Sprint Cup Series at times this season — when given a car capable of working with him, rather than against him — but his third full-time campaign has largely been a disappointment for a phenom still in search of his first premier series victory.


Wednesday’s landmark win, coupled with a successful recent test at one of auto racing’s handful of race track meccas have the young driver seemingly destined for a successful weekend at IMS, riding a wave of momentum and increased faith in himself and his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Chevrolet team. His two top-10 finishes in two Brickyard starts don’t hurt, either.


“I tested Indy last week; really good test, I thought,” said Larson, who is 19th in the Sprint Cup Series point standings. “Really excited about this weekend. I know our team and Hendrick engines, they have some good stuff coming in and we’ll see how it goes. …


“We’ve gotten a lot better on the Cup side since the beginning of the year. We struggled really bad; we were one of the worst cars on the race track the beginning of the year. The last few months, now, we’ve come close a couple times. Kansas we ran up front. About Kansas time we really turned it up and ran top five most of that race, (before we) got in a wreck.


Shortly after Kansas, Larson came within an intentional move of race-winner Matt Kenseth for the victory at Dover. He chose not to — which sparked plenty of hot takes on Twitter but was almost undeniably the right decision — and it appeared the No. 42 squad was on the right path, but it has stumbled a bit of late.


Wednesday’s second-place finisher Christopher Bell called Larson “the most talented guy I’ve ever seen, hands down,” so it’s only a matter of time that his talent pushes him to Victory Lane, as long as his No. 42 Chevy has the kind of drive in it that he’s looking for.


According to the driver, it certainly sounds like it does.


“We have speed now in our cars, our Chip Ganassi Racing cars, the past few weeks, just haven’t had the luck, I guess,” Larson said.


“We’ve just gotta keep working hard. We have some good tracks coming up for us.”


And it all starts at Indy.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

RELATED: Results | Standings | Updated Chase Grid


ROSSBURG, Ohio — Kyle Larson had never heard of Bobby Pierce until last year’s running of this event, when the dirt track standout earned the pole, led 39 laps and finished second.

After Wednesday night’s Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby Camping World Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway, won by Larson, there’s a good chance the Sprint Cup Series driver — and NASCAR fans in general — won’t be forgetting his name any time soon.

Pierce, in just his seventh career truck start, stomped the field to a tune of 102 of 150 laps led, sometimes approaching a full 5-second lead on the half-mile short track.

But the 19-year-old had his shifter stuck in fourth gear and was unable to get it unstuck before an impending restart with less than 30 laps to go. The issue relegated him to a disappointing 25th-place finish after wrecking and slowly landing against the inside wall.

“Kind of what bit me there was I couldn’t get it out of fourth gear on the caution, so I was riding around there just beating it, just trying to get it out,” Pierce told NASCAR.com after he was cleared and released from the infield care center. “I was restarting in second or third and I’m sure that’s what Larson was doing, too, but on the restart I just couldn’t get going.

“I got to second (place) and I caught him there and just kind of drove it in a little too hard. Kinda hit the baby powder or whatever it was. The baby powder made it a little slick getting in, and that was all she wrote. Hit the wall, knocked the right rear off the rim.”

Pierce was unable to get his truck moving after hitting the wall and, despite his pleas to get pushed back on the track, was required to exit his vehicle and make a trip to the care center even though he “only hit the wall going about 1 mile per hour.”

Even if he’d been able to get it going again, it was unlikely that his team could’ve fixed the shifter, patched up any body damage and gotten him back out on the track in time to compete for the win.

That’s just how racing goes, sometimes.

“Heck, it’s always gotta be something. If you’re going to win the race, you’ve gotta have luck and be good at the same time,” said Pierce, whose best CWTS finish of the season came at Kansas (23rd). “Larson had a flat there early on and he charged back through there, but unfortunately our deal was later on so we couldn’t come in and get it fixed. Even if it did, I don’t think they could’ve gotten the tranny fixed getting it out of fourth because I tried every single trick in the book to get it out and it just would not go.”

Pierce said he’s planning on running the event again next year, and likely has to be the odds-on favorite at this point, whether or not Larson aims to repeat his win. While no more national series events are on his schedule for the season, Pierce isn’t ruling them out for the future.

“Heck, the two years I’ve done (Eldora) have been really good so far,” Pierce said. “(MB Motorsports team owner) Mike Mittler has treated me really well so far; planning on doing it again next year. As far as asphalt goes, just gotta find sponsorship if I’m going to do it.

“(I’m pursuing more races) a little. Our dirt late model year and the previous years have been so good that even if I don’t get sponsorship to try it a couple more times or whatever, then I’ll be all right. It’s good to run these deals. It’s good to run pavement, too, because it makes you a better driver, going back to the late model and trying to pick up sponsorship.”

People noticed. Some of whom are undoubtedly sponsors.

Feel free to do a quick Twitter search. Race fans knew Bobby Pierce was there, and race fans know Bobby Pierce is a driver to watch after these thrilling performances.

“Well, hey. If I can’t win,” he said. “At least I put on a good show, I guess.”

Posted on by RJ Kraft

RELATED: Should you start Gordon in fantasy?

When Jeff Gordon gets behind the wheel of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it will mark his first start since the 2015 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which at the time was believed to be his final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

However, recent circumstances and events have changed that. With concussion-like symptoms keeping Dale Earnhardt Jr. out of the car, Gordon will return for at least the next two races at Indianapolis (July 24) and Pocono (July 31). Seeing Gordon behind the wheel of the No. 88 — not the No. 24 he made famous — will undoubtedly feel a bit like watching Michael Jordan sport the No. 45 jersey instead of his legendary No. 23 jersey when he initially returned to the NBA’s Chicago Bulls in 1995.

Gordon’s final full-time season in 2015 brought about much fanfare, many gifts from tracks and an unforgettable march to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Ultimately, Gordon did not win the title but the journey was incredible — that Martinsville victory truly something else — and a heck of a way for the four-time champion to go out at the time.

Gordon is far from the first athlete to eventually return after walking away. Here’s a look at a few others and how they fared in their returns, including one whose final chapter has yet to be fully written.

Michael Jordan
 After leading the Bulls to a three-peat, Jordan retired before the start of the 1993-94 season and pursued a baseball career for a brief time. He would return to the Bulls in March of 1995. MJ would lead the Bulls to another three-peat, including the iconic image of nailing a game-winning shot in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz. Jordan again retired before returning for two seasons in 2001 with the Washington Wizards and retiring for good in 2003. The stint with the Wizards serving as a forgettable blemish on a magnificent career of a player considered, if not the greatest, one of the greatest of all-time.

Brett Favre
 Favre was an icon with the Green Bay Packers setting numerous franchise records. After retiring in March of 2008, the quarterback began to have doubts about his retirement — wanting to return to the Packers — and eventually was dealt to the New York Jets about a month before the 2008 season began. The stint in New York was forgettable and he once again retired in February of 2009. That lasted until August of 2009 when Favre inked a deal with the Minnesota Vikings and helped to lead the team to the NFC Championship Game. He would retire for good after an injury-plagued 2010 season.


Roger Clemens
Clemens retired after the 2003 season, a season in which the New York Yankees reached the World Series but lost to the Florida Marlins in six games. However, that retirement was really short lived because by January of 2004, Clemens, who lived in Texas, inked a deal with the Houston Astros. He would pitch three seasons with the Astros and was a key piece of the 2005 team that reached the World Series (and was swept by the Chicago White Sox). In ’06 with the Astros and ’07 with the Yankees, Clemens would join the teams in the middle of the season. Clemens also had a short stint with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League in 2012. 


Michael Phelps
Phelps, who holds the record for most gold medals in a single Olympic Games (2008 at Beijing, eight gold medals) had earned a record 18 gold medals over four Summer Olympic Games as a member of the U.S. Olympic Swim team. After retiring following the London games of 2012, Phelps announced in 2014 he was going back into training. The decorated swimmer could add to his gold medal count some more as he has qualified for three individual events at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio that will be held in August. 

Posted on by

PHOTOS: Big-name drivers in No. 88 | Junior through the years

 

For at least the next two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, starting this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon will be behind the wheel of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet as Dale Earnhardt Jr. continues to recover from concussion-like symptoms.

The high-profile changing of seats prompts several questions — for the recovering Earnhardt Jr., the returning Jeff Gordon and the No. 88 team itself. NASCAR.com reporters Holly Cain and Zack Albert tackle a handful of these questions in a quick reporter roundtable.

1. Will Dale Jr. still make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs?

HC: Of course, this depends on the length of time doctors would like Earnhardt to heal. But should he return in two weeks’ time, I still think it’s absolutely a good bet he makes the Chase, perhaps even wins a race. He’s won seven races in the last two seasons. And he has five wins at tracks that would still be on the schedule to set the Chase field — a pair at Michigan and three victories at the regular-season finale venue, Richmond.

ZA: Getting healthy — not even necessarily for a return to NASCAR, but in general — remains the overall priority for Earnhardt Jr., but the team must press on regardless of who is in the driver’s seat. A two-week absence will drop Earnhardt from the 16-driver provisional Chase grid, placing urgency on winning when he potentially returns. The almost certain granting of a Chase eligibility waiver from NASCAR competition officials should guarantee that the opportunity exists. But should his absence last longer, the thought of shelving this season in favor of a full-fledged 2017 return may make the most sense.

 

 

2. What do we expect from Jeff Gordon ?

HC: Frankly, how could our expectations be too high here? Especially at Indy, where Gordon is the all-time winningest driver with five trophies. He is the dream substitute — a pillar of the Hendrick Motorsports organization, fresh off a Chase final-four season and trackside all year in his role as a FOX Sports race analyst.

Earnhardt’s Chevrolet will be in good hands. The biggest issue may only be making sure Gordon doesn’t pull into Chase Elliott ‘s No. 24 pit stall.

ZA: This isn’t exactly Michael Jordan puttering around in a Washington Wizards jersey. Half a season off doesn’t exactly allow for the accumulation of rust, especially when considering that Gordon, one of the sport’s all-time greats, retired from full-time competition at the height of his game.

The expectation is for Gordon to be sharp as ever. The results are anyone’s guess.

 

 

3. What does this do for both drivers’ legacies?

HC: Even should Gordon pull off an amazing victory in Earnhardt’s car this week at Indy or next at Pocono, the four-time Cup champ’s legacy is already NASCAR Hall of Fame bound. For Earnhardt, getting out of the car and setting a standard in the sport’s concussion treatment will be as important a legacy as his two Daytona 500 victories and 24 other Cup wins. He is the sport’s reigning superstar and his responsible and inspiring actions only increase his stature. And that’s saying something!

ZA: Jeff Gordon ‘s legacy in the sport is already secure in quick-drying cement. His comeback’s only possible augmentations (and they’d be nominal boosts to his already transcendent portfolio) would be another victory or reaching the 800-starts plateau, a mere three appearances away.

Earnhardt Jr.’s legacy — and popularity — may only grow as he continues to lead the charge in the research of sport-related brain trauma. That contribution to stock-car racing is far greater than any possible unchecked boxes on his career list of on-track accomplishments.

 

Posted on by Nascar

Dirt-track experience isn’t a must for those competing in this week’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, the Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby, at Eldora Speedway.

 

But it certainly doesn’t hurt.

 

“I think that it’s very beneficial to have dirt experience when you’re running hot laps and when you’re qualifying,” Tyler Reddick , driver of the No. 29 Ford for Brad Keselowski Racing, told NASCAR.com. “And a little bit in the heat race, depending on which heat race you’re in — if you’re in the first (heat), the track will be a little wetter than it will be in the sixth and it probably means more.

 

“Definitely as you get into the feature, the dirt experience doesn’t mean as much, but I’d hate to say it doesn’t mean much because if you look at the top three at the end of the race last year, three of the dirt guys in that race (finished) 1-2-3. So I’d hate to tell you that it doesn’t mean a lot.”

 

Christopher Bell (Kyle Busch Motorsports), Bobby Pierce (MB Motorsports) and Reddick took the top three spots in last year’s annual pilgrimage to the historic Rossburg, Ohio, venue.

 

Bell came up through the USAC circuit, competing in sprints before making the transition to NASCAR and asphalt. Pierce went the Late Model route as did Reddick, each grooming himself for the next step.

 

Reddick is currently seventh in points and seeking his first win of the season. He finished 11th at Eldora in 2014 before his third-place run a year ago.

 

The 11th stop of the season for the series is scheduled to get underway at 9 p.m. ET (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

Keeping up with the changing track conditions is crucial, Reddick said, but it’s also easy to out-think oneself.

 

“One of my mistakes last year was relying on what the old Eldora would have done,” he said. “They watered the bottom pretty good last year in that race and I started up toward the front. I made the mistake of going to the top too soon. The bottom hung around for I felt like 20-25 laps. It may not have been that long but it felt that way because I was getting freight trained because I went to the top too soon and everyone was passing me on the bottom.

 

“I guess that’s the new Eldora, with less banking the bottom sticks around a bit longer.”

 

Two-time series champion Matt Crafton and John Hunter Nemechek , this year’s Atlanta race winner, are among the few in the field that have run well consistently at the half-mile track, logging top-10 finishes each season.

 

“Hopefully we break into that top five, maybe top three,” Nemechek said. “I felt like we had a great truck last year; we got behind on a couple of adjustments on the first break, (then) we made our truck better.”

 

This year’s 150-lap feature will be run in three segments of 40, 50 and 60 laps. There will be a competition caution between each segment.

 

“I think that will play a major part in who gambles and who doesn’t for track position, when to come take tires,” Nemechek said of the format. “Do you take tires both times or stay out and come in for the last one? It’s going to put a whole different perspective on it and a whole different strategy for each team.”

 

Reddick said he’s a fan of the longer final segment but agreed with Nemechek’s assessment of varying pit strategies. Track position will likely be key, he said, adding that “as much fun as it is to race there and as easy as you would think it would be to pass, it’s actually pretty hard to pass there.

 

“Track position is important. … The tires are pretty bullet-proof but you can still wear them out I’m sure.”