Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Support for Dale Jr.


LOUDON, N.H. – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owner Rick Hendrick said driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. will undergo additional tests early next week as the popular driver works through concussion-like symptoms that sidelined him for Sunday’s New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.



“I’m not a doctor but he’s running through a bunch of tests, going to have some more tests the first of the week and he’s doing good,” Hendrick told members of the media Sunday morning at NHMS. “He wants to be in the car. The doctor’s going to tell him when it’s OK for him to be back. I know he’s anxious, and we want him back as soon as the doctor gives him clearance.”



Team officials announced July 14 that Earnhardt, winner of 26 Sprint Cup races, had not been cleared to race this weekend after visiting doctors for what he thought was a possible sinus infection.



JR Motorsports driver Alex Bowman was tabbed to drive the team’s No. 88 Chevrolet in Sunday’s race.



“Dale is special to me, taking the driving part away,” says Hendrick, who has fielded a car for Earnhardt since 2008. “I just want him to feel good when he gets back in the car. I don’t want him to push himself. He’s kind of an ironman, he doesn’t want to let the team down, he doesn’t want to let his fans down. But we need him for the long pull, and he wants to be in the car.



“The best thing the doctors can do is go through all the protocol and do all the tests, and there’s a bunch … to do. When they say ‘You’re good to go,’ he’ll be back.”



Should Earnhardt not be cleared to return in time for next week’s Sprint Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, four-time series champion Jeff Gordon will handle the driving duties.



Gordon stepped away from full-time competition at the end of 2015 to join the NASCAR on FOX broadcast team as an analyst. He was on vacation with his family when Earnhardt’s condition was announced.



“He thought I was kidding at first,” Hendrick said of his conversation with his former driver. “He was on vacation and I asked him what he was doing next week. He said ‘I’ll be in Indy, that’s one of my appearances I have to make.’ And I said, ‘Well, bring your driver’s uniform. Just in case.’



“He said, ‘Are you kidding?’ and I said ‘No, I’m serious.’ “



“If Dale can’t go, then Jeff is ready to step in.”



Hendrick said Gordon could fill in beyond next week’s race if necessary, but added that “we’re just taking it a week at a time.”



“Hopefully Dale is going to be back next week and it’s not even something that we think is going to happen,” he said. “But if it does … Jeff is a team player, he wants to support the organization and I’m sure he’ll do whatever he has to do.”


READ MORE: Bowman keeps missing Junior’s calls

The latest incident marks the second time Earnhardt Jr. has missed races for a concussion or concussion-like symptoms. In 2012 he missed two races late in the season after suffering two concussions in a six-week stretch.



Hendrick said he didn’t believe the latest incident raised a red flag and would possibly be something that could curtail his driver’s racing career.



“He and I talked about years beyond next year, around I guess Daytona,” Hendrick said. “If there was something major, major wrong I think (the doctors) would have seen it already.



“I’m very hopeful and he’s very hopeful and I think the doctors want to err on the side of being sure. We want him for a long time. He loves the fans, he loves the sport, he loves to race and we love him in the organization. I’m proud of him.”



Earnhardt was 13th in points prior to missing Sunday’s race. He is winless this season, meaning he would need a victory to possibly secure a spot in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The field of 16 will consist of this year’s race winners and, if there aren’t at least 16, additional positions to fill the field would be determined based on championship driver point standings.



Hendrick said his organization has not requested a medical waiver from NASCAR.



“I haven’t even thought about a waiver or any of that right now,” he said.



Chase eligibility includes the requirement that drivers attempt to qualify for all points races prior to the start of the Chase. Such waivers have been provided by NASCAR in the past. 


Posted on by Nascar

LOUDON, N.H. — NASCAR officials reiterated their policing of the sanctioning body’s pit road policy during the drivers’ meeting prior to Sunday’s New Hampshire 301 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race (1:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), stressing that cars remain single file when coming onto pit road, that passing is allowed “only to the right” and that passing is officiated as “front bumper to front bumper.”

 

The issue arose following last weekend’s race at Kentucky Speedway when driver Martin Truex Jr. was penalized for passing on entry to pit road as he passed race leader Kevin Harvick on the left side while on pit road during a round of pit stops under caution. Truex (Furniture Row Racing) was second behind Harvick when he pulled his No. 78 Toyota to the inside and shot forward into his pit box, momentarily pulling ahead of the Stewart-Haas Racing driver.

 

First off pit road after the pit stop, Truex restarted 22nd as a result of the penalty.

 

Language included in Sunday’s drivers’ meeting video presentation outlined various race processes and included remaining single file, with passing only on the right.

 

“There’s been a lot of discussion and dialogue this week regarding pit-road rules,” Sprint Cup Series Managing Director Richard Buck said. “I want to take a moment review the rules and explain how we will officiate those rules. …

 

“Under caution, as mentioned in the video, no pulling up to pit. Remain in line, single-file, behind the caution car and maintain your position. Vehicles must maintain a reasonable speed behind the caution car. Reasonable speed is a judgement call and will be made by the NASCAR officials. You must enter pit road single-file, nose to tail, bumper to bumper and maintain pit road speed.

 

“Passing is only to the right once the car in front of you commits to his pit stall. Passing is defined and will be officiated in the same way as we do during the race on the race track — front bumper to front bumper.”

 

Drivers had previously noted there have been many instances of drivers pulling ahead of other competitors when pulling into their pit boxes on pit road.

 

“I saw him gas up after the timing line and make a pass,” Paul Menard , driver of the No. 27 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, said of the Truex incident during a test earlier this week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “He had a really good pit box where he could really accelerate hard. At some of these tracks you can’t be as aggressive as that.”

 

On Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, defending Sprint Cup Series champion Kyle Busch said he had “seen those moves being made before on pit road” without officials calling a penalty.

 

“That’s why I think more and more guys have gone into that have been trying to do that,” he said. “We play the timing lines way too much and so that was just some that was out there for (Truex) to play with and try … he did and they busted him for it.”

 

NASCAR uses timing lines embedded underneath pit road to monitor the speed of cars as they enter and exit the pits and pass through each section. The system uses measurements of distance over time to determine how fast cars are traveling when on pit road.

 

Drivers typically increase their speed after passing the first timing line in which their pit stall is located, since stopping for service will increase the overall time spent in that section.

 

Truex was not judged to be speeding when he made the move.

 

There were no questions from drivers about the process following Buck’s comments.

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: See what happened to Harvick last fall

LOUDON, N.H. — During the past two years, Kevin Harvick has led more laps at New Hampshire Motor Speedway than any other NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver.

Yet in each of those four starts, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver failed to come away with the victory.

Harvick, the 2014 series champion, has led 379 of 1,209 laps at the 1.058-mile venue located in Loudon, New Hampshire. He led 216 at NHMS last year in the fall race, the second of 10 that made up Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff.

But his No. 4 Chevrolet ran out of fuel with less than three laps remaining, and after pitting, Harvick finished 21st. His two previous starts at NHMS had resulted in third-place finishes after leading 59 laps in the July race of ’15 and 104 the race the previous fall.

“That’s one I want to win really bad because I feel like we’ve given so many away there,” Rodney Childers, Harvick’s crew chief, said earlier this week. “Last fall we had a stinking good car, didn’t get it full on the last stop, didn’t realize it wasn’t full. We ran probably the whole last run still leading the race and still ran out.”

Harvick has one win this year, at Phoenix, and has been the series points leader for much of the season. His return as one of 16 Chase competitors for this year is all but guaranteed. Only one of his 32 career wins have come at the “Magic Mile” however, and that took place nearly a decade ago.

While Harvick has done nearly everything but win at Loudon in recent years, the victories have gone to others. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch swept the two races last season and Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski were in Victory Lane in ’14.

Keselowski is the only other competitor in the same vicinity as Harvick when it comes to laps led at NHMS, with 321 to his credit. He’s the series’ most recent winner, claiming back-to-back victories at Daytona and Kentucky.

Childers has one New Hampshire victory, guiding Brian Vickers to the win in 2013. It was the final win for the now-defunct Michael Waltrip Racing organization.

Helping put Harvick back there would be big. Coming off a ninth-place run at Kentucky was a nice rebound after finishing 39th at Daytona a week earlier.

“Every time we’ve been (to New Hampshire) we’ve been really good so hopefully we can go up there and be good again,” Childers said. “I think having that good run last week at Kentucky gave everybody a little bit of confidence back. It’s time to start ramping things up and get ready for the Chase.”

On Friday, Harvick qualified eighth in the 40-car field. He was 21st in Friday’s opening practice and fourth in Saturday’s two sessions.

The New Hampshire 301 is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

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RELATED: Where does 2 crew stack up midseason?

Team Penske’s No. 2 crew members had double the reason to celebrate Brad Keselowski ‘s back-to-back victories at Daytona and Kentucky in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. That’s because jackman Braxton Brannon and gasman Nick Hensley both added to their families during the joyous past two weeks.

Anyone who has ever been involved in the waiting process understands the stress of having a baby. The due dates were only three days apart and both guys had been on wait for the past two weeks.  But the babies arrived safely on opposite ends of the Kentucky weekend and the crew members didn’t miss a beat.

For the Brannon family it was their first child. They welcomed a baby girl on July 7. For the Hensley family, they welcomed their second boy on July 11.

“It was a tough decision to go to that race while they were still in the hospital,” Brannon said. “Caroline told me to go and I think it was the right decision. Caroline is doing great now and the baby.”

Hensley echoed his feeling of relief.

“I knew the next two races (after Sonoma) were Saturday night races, and close enough to home that Team Penske would do everything they could to get me home in a hurry if something happened,” Hensley said. “I was more nervous for Braxton, this was my second child and I had stayed home from the Talladega race in 2014 for the birth of my first child, and I didn’t want him to miss that special moment with his family.”

So three weeks ago the No. 2 crew had two wins on the season and a total of one kid between the six over-the-wall guys. Now, two weeks later, the team has two more wins and two more family members.

For more pit crew news, visit PitTalks.com.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full New Hampshire results | Standings | Chase Grid
SHOP: Stewart gear

Tony Stewart returned from a back injury in April and the three-time Sprint Cup Series champion is in pursuit of one of the 16 spots in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in his final season. Here’s a look at where the driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet stands in his hunt after Sunday’s runner-up finish in the New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the season’s 19th of 26 regular-season races.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED
The three-time champion followed a top-five finish at Kentucky with a runner-up in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet at New Hampshire, Stewart’s second-best showing of the season. That moved Stewart into 28th place in the drivers point standings.  


With a win locked up at Sonoma, inside the top 30 is where Stewart needs to be in order to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. As it stands now, he’s in the provisional Chase Grid. He leads 29th-place Landon Cassill by three points and 31st-place driver Brian Scott by 67 points.


WHAT HE NEEDS
Stewart received a waiver from NASCAR for Chase eligibility. The surest way into the Chase is by winning before the end of regular season (at Richmond International Raceway on Sept. 10) — which Stewart did at Sonoma — and remain in the top 30 in the points standings. En route to his 2015 championship, Kyle Busch faced a similar path after missing the first 11 races with a leg injury. With the win in the bank, Stewart can focus on remaining in the top 30. He sits 28th in the standings with 287 points. He is six points beind Casey Mears , who sits at 27th place in the standings. 

WHAT’S NEXT
“Smoke” heads to his hometrack of Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 24 at 3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), where he has two victories. In his 17 starts there, Stewart has seven top fives and 11 top 10s. 

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Updated Chase Grid | Stewart Chase watch

 

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards officially clinched berths in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs based on their finishes in Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Busch, the defending series champion, led a race-high 133 laps and finished eighth in Sunday’s New Hampshire 301. Edwards faded to a 20th-place finish after involvement in a crash that forced the last of the race’s seven yellow flags.

Each qualify for championship eligibility in the 10-race postseason based on their status as multiple winners in the regular season and because of their points stature in the Sprint Cup driver standings, mathematically unable to fall outside of the top 30 requirement.

 

“With NASCAR, it’s our playoff. That’s what it’s all about,” said Coach Joe Gibbs, whose organization fields four full-time Toyota teams including the No. 18 for Busch and No. 19 for Edwards. “It’s a thrill for us to be in there. I think the key is, as you continue to work during the year, try and keep your performance up and try and point towards the playoffs. When you get to the playoffs, you never know what’s going to happen because it’s a little three‑race playoff. That’s what it is. You take your best shot, but what you want to do is hopefully continue to improve as the year goes along, and that’s kind of our goal.”

Heading into Sunday’s 301-lapper, Brad Keselowski was the only certified Chase-eligible driver, based on his points position and status as a winner of multiple regular-season races. Keselowski leads the series this year with four victories.

Seven regular-season races remain before the 16-driver championship field is set. Eleven drivers have scored regular-season wins to virtually secure Chase berths, leaving five spots open for competitors to race their way into the playoffs with victories or points.

The Sprint Cup Series’ next race — the Crown Royal Presents The Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard — is scheduled Sunday, July 24 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, IMS, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Kenseth’s late charge nets New Hampshire win

MORE: Watch the live stream on Tuesday at 8 a.m. ET

The Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota of race winner Matt Kenseth failed post-race inspection Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.



The car did not meet compliance in the laser inspection station (LIS) after Sunday’s New Hampshire 301. The car will face further scrutiny this week at the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina.

“A failure at track doesn’t necessarily mean a failure once we get it back to the R&D Center,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s “The Morning Drive” on Monday.

“What we’re going to do, and the reason we bring it back to the R&D Center, is to look at what, if any, damage occurred to that car,” O’Donnell continued. “What, if any, parts were broken? We’ve got the best engineers in the world, so were they manufactured to possibly break? We’ve got to go through all those things. If, after that, we determine if it’s still a violation, we would issue a penalty.” 



The Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Chevrolet for race runner-up Tony Stewart passed the LIS platform post-race and will also be taken to the NASCAR R&D Center for further evaluation.



The cars for the remaining top-five finishers — Joey Logano (third), Kevin Harvick (fourth) and Greg Biffle (fifth) — plus the random selection of seventh-finisher Ryan Newman were all cleared in post-race inspection at the 1.058-mile track.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: See photos of Lorenzen’s career

 

Moved by Dale Earnhardt Jr. ‘s advocacy on the issue of concussions, NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen will donate his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation upon his death, the driver’s daughter Amanda told the Associated Press.

“As a family, we decided we wanted to support Dale Jr. and all work together toward a healthy future for these drivers,” Amanda Lorenzen Gardstrom told the AP in a story published Saturday.

Earlier this week Hendrick Motorsports announced that Earnhardt Jr. would miss Sunday’s race at New Hampshire due to concussion-like symptoms. The driver thought he had a severe sinus infection, according to the team, and sought treatment from a doctor who delivered that diagnosis.

Lorenzen was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2015. He made just 158 premier series starts in his career, but the “Golden Boy” won 26 times from 1961-67, topping both Richard Petty and David Pearson during that span.

Now 81, Lorenzen has fought the effects of dementia for years. NASCAR.com previously documented his battle in a 2014 feature.


MORE: Dale Jr. pledges to donate brain to science

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Find NBCSN in your area | Watch live online at NBCSports.com

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series will gather for a doubleheader weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is at Eldora Speedway this week. Check out the full weekend schedule below.


Note: All times are ET

SUNDAY, JULY 24: 

PRE-RACE SCHEDULE
—1:00:00 p.m.: NSCS Driver/Crew Chief Meeting (Plaza meeting Room 4)
—2:05:00 p.m.: Military Salute Parade Lap with an address to the troops during the parade lap delivered from Victory Podium
—2:30:00 p.m.: NSCS Driver Introductions with Special Awards
—2:58:00 p.m.: America the Beautiful by: Late Shift
—3:00:00 p.m.: Intro Presentation of Colors by: Joint Services Color Guard 
—3:00:10 p.m.: Invocation by: Howard Brammer
—3:00:50 p.m.: National Anthem by: Cassadee Pope 
—3:02:40 p.m.: Fly-By TOT: VFA-101 Grim Reapers (Turn 4-1) 
—3:02:50 p.m.: “Drivers to your cars” PA Announcement
—3:07:40 p.m.: “Drivers, Start Your Engines” by: Tony George
—3:19:40 p.m.: Green Flag: Crown Royal Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at The Brickyard (160 Laps, 400 Miles)


ON TRACK: INDIANAPOLIS

— 3 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard (160 laps, 400 miles), NBCSN (Results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 6:30 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series post race

DAILY ROUNDUP

— Patrick looks to better season at Indy

— ‘Smoke’ honored with standing O

— Photos: All of Sunday’s Indy action

— Busch dominates to sweep weekend

— Stewart, Gordon give one final show at Indy

— Chase bubble post-Indy race

— Busch: Kissing the bricks at Indy

— No. 88 fill-in brings in special day for ‘too old’ Gordon

TUESDAY, JULY 19:

ON TRACK: ELDORA

— 6:30-7:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice (Results)

— 9-9:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice (Results)


WEDNESDAY, JULY 20:

ON TRACK: ELDORA

— 5:15 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FS1 (Qualifying races lineup)

— 7 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series First Qualifying Race (10 laps), FS1

— 7:09 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Second Qualifying Race (10 laps), FS1 

— 7:18 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Third Qualifying Race (10 laps), FS1 

— 7:27 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fourth Qualifying Race (10 laps), FS1 

— 7:36 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fifth Qualifying Race (10 laps), FS1

— 8:15 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Last Chance Qualifying Race (15 laps), FS1 (Full race lineup)

— 9 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby (150 laps/40-50-60, 75 miles), FS1 (Results)



DAILY ROUNDUP

— Larson bounces back to win at Eldora dirt track

— Tackling three key questions on Junior, Gordon

— Kenseth, No. 20 team penalized for failed inspection

— Through the years: Drivers of the No. 88

— Dale Jr. out, Gordon in No. 88 at Indianapolis

— Paint Scheme Preview: Indianapolis and Eldora


FRIDAY, JULY 22:

ON TRACK: INDIANAPOLIS

— noon-1:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series first practice, NBCSN (Results)

— 1:30 p.m.-2:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first practice, NBCSN (Results)

— 3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN (Results)

— 4-5:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN (Results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 10:30 a.m.: Jeff Gordon
— 11 a.m.: Wood Brothers
— 11:30 a.m.: Kyle Busch
— 11:45 a.m.: Roush Fenway Racing
— 12:15 p.m.: Ryan Newman
— 12:30 p.m.: Jimmie Johnson
— 12:45 p.m.: Tony Stewart

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

DAILY ROUNDUP

— Dale Jr. tweets update: ‘I sensed improvement’

— Gordon talks return, Dale Jr. at Indy

— Gordon: SHR reached out before Daytona

— Keelan makes regrettable deal with DeLana, more tweets

— Views from Gordon’s first day in the No. 88

— Busch sweeps XFINITY practices at Indy

— Johnson, Busch top Indy sessions

SATURDAY, JULY 23:

ON TRACK: INDIANAPOLIS

— 11:40 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN (Lineup)

— 1:45 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN (Results)

— 3:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Lilly Diabetes 250 Heat #1 (20 laps, 50 miles), NBCSN (Results)

— 4:25 p.m. (approx): NASCAR XFINITY Series Lilly Diabetes 250 Heat #2 (20 laps, 50 miles), NBCSN (Results)

— 5:05 p.m. (approx): NASCAR XFINITY Series Lilly Diabetes 250 Main (60 laps, 150 miles), NBCSN (Results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 12:15 p.m.: Danica Patrick
— 3 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series post qualifying
— 6 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series post race

DAILY ROUNDUP
— Ky. Busch scores Coors Light Pole for Brickyard
— See every car in Sunday’s field
— Gordon preps for Indianapolis
— Smith challenges fellow drivers on the links
— Johnson looks to cure cold spell at the Brickyard
— See the best photos from Indianapolis
— Gordon keeps expectations ‘realistic’
— Strong starting spot at Indy ‘ a big deal’ for Stewart
— Ky. Busch holds off Harvick for XFINITY win
— Allgaier uses last restart to score Dash 4 Cash prize
— Suarez, Sadler clinch XFINITY Chase spots