Posted on by Staff Report



RELATED: Matt Tifft, NASCAR Next driver


Joe Gibbs Racing issued a medical update on XFINITY Series and NASCAR Next driver Matt Tifft on Tuesday, announcing the 20-year-old will undergo surgery for removal of a low-grade glioma in the brain.

Per the team release, the slow-growing tumor was found during treatment and evaluation for a recent disc condition in his back. Tifft is expected to undergo surgery and rehabilitation soon and once cleared by physicians is expected to return to racing. The release noted the JGR rookie is anxious to return to the race track as soon as possible.

In six series starts this season, the driver has two top-10 finishes and earned the 21 Means 21 Pole Award at Talladega.

Tifft was replaced by interim driver Sam Hornish Jr. earlier this month at Iowa Speedway. Hornish won the race, leading 183 of 250 laps.

David Ragan has been enlisted to drive the No. 18 Surface Sunscreen/Rugged Maniac Toyota Camry XFINITY series entry for Joe Gibbs Racing for Friday’s Subway Firecracker 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN).  


Posted on by Staff Report



Kasey Kahne‘s car design for Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway drew inspiration from a number of sources, but with a vision from one young patient at Seattle Children’s Hospital.


Kahne showed off this weekend’s creative look for the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet on Tuesday at The Drive, an annual charity golf event partnership with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson near the driver’s Washington hometown of Enumclaw.


Noelia Gutierrez, an 8-year-old leukemia patient from White Center in West Seattle, designed the No. 5 Chevy for Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola (7:45 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM). The colorful look was the winner of an online vote in May, topping Kahne’s hand-picked list of four finalists.


Gutierrez’s vision incorporated the colors of soccer club FC Barcelona, a jaguar-inspired animal print and also includes a rainbow of musical notes and the Seattle city skyline. The young patient sent her well-wishes in a YouTube video from the children’s hospital, telling Kahne, “in my heart, I feel that you’re actually going to win. I wish you good luck and I know you can do this.”


The flashy paint scheme is the result of a collaborative effort between sponsor Great Clips and the hospital’s Strong Against Cancer initiative. The Kahne-Wilson Drive charity event presented a check for $400,000 to the Seattle Children’s Hospital and Strong Against Cancer last year.



Posted on by Staff Report



Danica Patrick sat down on the set of “The Dan Patrick Show” on Tuesday to promote the start of the NASCAR on NBC season (the show is simulcasted on NBCSN), which embarks this Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway with the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola (7:45 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).


And boy, did things get interesting.


The Stewart-Haas Racing driver touched on a variety of subjects, talking about differentiating how her competitors act on the track versus in real life, who she’d help win a race first: team owner Tony Stewart or boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr. — hint: she’s a good employee — and whether or not she can beat up Kasey Kahne if the pair had an on-track issue.


“Oh, definitely (I could take Kasey Kahne in a fight),” Patrick said. “There’s a lot of them I could take, but Kasey’s definitely one of them. I should’ve probably taken care of that at Fontana when he right-reared me at 210 (mph), but I didn’t. Instead he was a little scared for a while. I didn’t say a lot of hellos. I kind of wanted to keep him right there.”


MORE: Danica, Kahne wreck at Auto Club


Be sure to watch the video below in its entirety; Dan Patrick asks a lot of great questions — and Danica has a lot of great answers.



Posted on by Staff Report



RELATED: Photos of Stewart through the years


Remember back in 2011, Tony Stewart went on the record to say he didn’t think his No. 14 team would win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship?


Remember what actually happened? Stewart won five of the 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup to beat Carl Edwards for an improbable championship, the third of his storied career.


Stewart’s win at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, his first of 2016 and first in more than three years, brought back memories of that historic run and inevitably has led some to wonder if Stewart has one more magical march in him.


“I’m going to stick with my approach from 2011,” Stewart said to NASCAR.com’s Jonathan Merryman on Sunday afternoon in Victory Lane. “I said we couldn’t win it then and we ended up winning it. I feel like we’re just starting to get going.”


MORE: Watch that interview | See Stewart move Hamlin for win


Want another similarity to 2011? One stat stands out and perhaps provides another layer of continuity between the two seasons.


Through race Nos. 9-16 of the season — Stewart’s first eight events of the year after missing the start of the season due to a severe back injury — his average finish is 17.125.


In 2011, Stewart’s average finish from race Nos. 9-16? Exactly 17.125.


Hmm …


Posted on by Staff Report



RELATED: Watch live stream here | Inside look on official NASCAR inspection

 

From 8-11 a.m. ET on Wednesday, NASCAR.com will live stream the post-race inspection process.

 

The three-hour look takes you behind the scenes as NASCAR officials inspect NASCAR Sprint Cup Series vehicles following Sunday’s Toyota – Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.

The cars being inspected this week are: the No. 14 Chevrolet of Tony Stewart (winner of Sunday’s race) and the No. 11 Toyota of Denny Hamlin (runner-up in Sunday’s race).

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


Posted on by Official NASCAR Release



DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — In a show of appreciation for the United States Armed Forces, NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers will bear the names of active military units and installations on their race car windshields during Friday’s Subway Firecracker 250 Powered By Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

The 82nd Airborne Division, 1st Marine Raider Battalion and the USS New York (LPD-21) are among the military units and installations from all five branches that will replace the “XFINITY” header on NASCAR XFINITY Series cars.

 

NASCAR: An American Salute™ (#NASCARSalutes) is the industry’s collective expression of reverence, respect and gratitude for those who have served and continue to defend the United States today. Last month, NASCAR together with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race teams honored 40 fallen service members with 600 Miles of Remembrance, a similar tribute during Memorial Day Weekend. 

 

RELATED: See all cars in 600 Miles of Remembrance

 

“NASCAR’s long-standing tradition of honoring the U.S. Armed Forces will never waver — it is woven into the fabric of our sport,” said Brent Dewar, chief operating officer, NASCAR. “We have a unique opportunity with the NASCAR XFINITY Series to pay tribute to the military units and bases integral to preserving our country’s freedom.”

 

Several NASCAR XFINITY Series teams have personal or direct connections to the units displayed on their race cars. Driver Brendan Gaughan‘s windshield will read “23RD STS,” representing the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron (U.S. Air Force) from Hurlburt Field in Fort Walton, Florida. Gaughan is one of a handful of civilians recognized as an Honorary Member of the Combat Control Association.

 

Elliott Sadler‘s windshield will be adorned with Fort Campbell to honor JR Motorsports employee Lee Langley, who served for six years at the Army base as an infantry team leader in the 101st Airborne Division. Ty Dillon and Brandon Jones both work with Hope 4 Warriors and will honor 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines and 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, respectively, from Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

 

Justin Allgaier will honor the U.S. Air Force 469th Flight Training Squadron through a personal connection, as Allgaier is friends with Major Robert Harms, one of the pilots serving in that specific unit. The squadron operates out of Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas.

 

“I always look forward to getting a chance to pay homage those who serve our country at Daytona each year,” Allgaier said. “We’re thankful to Comcast for providing the space on all of our cars to support these military heroes and to NASCAR for continuing their NASCAR Salutes program. This year there’s a personal tie for me as I get to display the squadron of one of my friends. We love that we’re able to support our military, but a sticker or event will never be enough to truly give them all the credit they deserve for what they do.”

 

The special windshield tribute is one of several military activities planned for the Independence Day Weekend races at Daytona International Speedway, culminating with Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola (7:45 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

The race track will again host and recognize three recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award given to military service members, continuing a tradition dating back several years. The Medal of Honor recipients in attendance this weekend will include Staff Sergeant Ty Carter, Command Sergeant Major Gary Littrell and Captain Florent Groberg, each representing the U.S. Army.

 

NASCAR together with Daytona International Speedway and race teams will host hundreds of active military and veterans, and their families, during the race weekend. Among them will be the 65th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army, nicknamed “The Bourinqueneers,” a Puerto Rican regiment that was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in April. 

 

Several active military members present for Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola will take part in a special moment of recognition for the U.S. Armed Forces before the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

 

Pre-race activities will also feature a flyover of four F-16s from the 93rd Fighter Squadron from Homestead Air Reserve Base during the national anthem, which will be performed by the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence Band from Fort Benning, Georgia. The national anthem will be performed as 200 military members unfurl a giant American flag in the infield.

 

Retired U.S. Air Force Sergeant Kelly Miller will be grand marshal for Friday’s Subway Firecracker 250 Powered By Coca-Cola. A Subway franchisee, Miller served as an aeromedical service specialist, responsible for the healthcare of Air Force pilots and flight crews. Retired Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Fred Gardner, also a Subway franchisee, will serve as the honorary starter. Gardner operated the Terrier missile first control system during Mediterranean tours.

 

Additional live coverage of the Subway Firecracker 250 Powered By Coca-Cola and Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola can be found on NASCAR.com.


Posted on by Pat DeCola

Harvick didn’t make headlines, but had a pretty great Sonoma race — leading three laps, finishing sixth and extending his points lead to 35

Another race, another top 10 for Busch — who continues to hold the series lead in the category with 14.

Sonoma’s pole winner appeared to have the inside line to a victory most of the day, leading 24 laps, but had to settle for a third top-five result in his past four tries at the track.

https://www.nascar.com/drivers/brad-keselowski/
BradKeselowski
-1
Team Penske

Look past the result. Keselowski said after the race it’s the best he’s felt at Sonoma — which bodes well for his chances at Watkins Glen, where he has three runner-up finishes in six races.

After some ups and downs through the first half of the season, Logano now has strung together three straight top-five finishes.

https://www.nascar.com/drivers/kyle-busch/
KyleBusch
0
Joe Gibbs Racing

Busch was unable to recapture his 2015 Sonoma magic, but he still stopped the bleeding of not having any top-10 finishes since his Kansas win.

https://www.nascar.com/drivers/jimmie-johnson/
JimmieJohnson
0
Hendrick Motorsports

Johnson hasn’t won since March, but Daytona should present a good opportunity for ‘Six-Time,’ as he finished second in this race last year.

Truex finished in the top five at Sonoma, battling for the lead late. Next stop: the site of the closest finish in Daytona 500 history, of which he was on the losing end. He’ll be motivated.

https://www.nascar.com/drivers/chase-elliott/
ChaseElliott
-1
Hendrick Motorsports

Elliott wasn’t expected to perform too well in his first Sonoma Sprint Cup race, and didn’t. As the most recent Daytona pole winner, expect him to get back on track this weekend.

Is there a driver happier than Kenseth to leave Sonoma (one top 10 in 17 tries) and head to Daytona (two wins)?

https://www.nascar.com/drivers/denny-hamlin/
DennyHamlin
3
Joe Gibbs Racing

Hamlin was leading at Sonoma — albeit for just a short time — within sight of the checkered flag before Tony Stewart moved him. The reigning Daytona 500 winner is getting close to tasting victory again, and it could be soon.


MORE: Hamlin comes up short at Sonoma

Larson looked solid at Sonoma, and it’ll be interesting to see if he can keep it rolling and build off his first career top-10 finish at Daytona in February.

https://www.nascar.com/drivers/dale-earnhardt-jr/
DaleEarnhardt Jr.
0
Hendrick Motorsports

Looking for Junior to break through for his first 2016 win? How about Daytona, where he’s the defending race winner?

The definition of "Newman-ing"? How does an average finish of 10.67 over his last six races sound?

https://www.nascar.com/drivers/austin-dillon/
AustinDillon
-3
Richard Childress Racing

Austin Dillon: bad at road courses (zero top 10 in five attempts), but really, really good at Daytona (four top 10s in six races, one top 5). Keep an eye on him this weekend.

Kahne has just six top 10s on the season, but guess what? Three of them have come in the past five races.

Blaney had three straight top 10s from Talladega to Dover. He has just one since.

McMurray’s Sonoma career is strange. He has three poles, two in his past four races — but just two total top 10s in a pretty well-established career.

‘Dinger led 20 laps and was in contention for a win before a costly penalty from his pit crew. He’s still in good shape in the standings, however, and theoretically could still make the Chase on points if he fails to win.

Welcome back, Mr. Stewart. "Smoke" has taken care of the hard part — the win — and now sits a mere nine points out of the top 30 spot he needs to get into the Chase.


MORE: Stewart snaps skid, wins Sonoma

Posted on by



RELATED: Full race results | Updated series standings


Breaking down the full field for the Toyota – Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway:

1. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Stewart capitalized on two big breaks – pitting just before the Lap 88 caution and Denny Hamlin‘s mistake on the final turn – to capture his first win since 2013. Next up for Smoke: Getting into the top 30 in points so he can qualify for the Chase. Grade: A+


2. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Fortuitous timing on a pit stop before the second caution gave Hamlin the track position that enabled him to race for the win, but a huge mistake on the final turn cost him his first Sprint Cup Series win on a road course. Grade: A-


3. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. Logano caught a huge break with 14 laps to go when he swung far too wide on a turn and didn’t (a) hit the wall or (b) damage his car when he cut sharply to his right and muscled his way back onto the track. He made it through the incident to record his third straight top-five finish. Dale Earnhardt Jr., as you’ll read soon, wasn’t as fortunate. Grade: A 


4. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Edwards overcame an 18-second green-flag pit stop then caught a break when his car survived being sandwiched between Joey Logano (see above) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 14 laps to go. Grade: A-


5. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Toyota, Furniture Row Racing. Truex was in the mix all afternoon, and his 4.2 average running position topped the field. Grade: A


6. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. The No. 4 team employed pit strategy early on, choosing to wait until Lap 31 (under green) for its first stop. It didn’t play out in Harvick’s favor as far as vying for the win, but it did start him on his way to grabbing a top 10 after qualifying 25th. Grade: A


7. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch ended his streak of finishes 30th or worse at four races, something he had done twice previously in his Cup career. Grade: A


8. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Fantasy alert: Remember Newman for next year at Sonoma. He has improved his finish every year at the road course since finishing 25th in 2011. Sunday’s top 10 was his second in a row. Grade: A 


9. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Kahne moved back into the top 16 in points (16th) with his fourth consecutive top-10 finish at Sonoma. Grade: A 


10. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Busch posted his Cup-leading 14th top 10 of the season by finishing 10th for the fourth time this season. Grade: A 


11. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Junior was on the short end of Joey Logano‘s mishap with 14 laps to go. Earnhardt saved his car, but the No. 88 sustained heavy damage to the left side, including a tire rub. Hats off to Earnhardt for bringing his car home 11th … and not bringing out a caution flag. Grade: A


12. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Larson lost at Pit Roulette on Sunday. His number came up when he moved to the front of the field when the second caution fell just after he had completed a green-flag pit stop. But he gave back all of that track position because of a pit-road speeding penalty with 40 laps to go. Grade: C


13. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. The 48 team needed a lot to go its way for its pit strategy to play out. It didn’t, but the 48 still posted a solid finish.  Grade: B


14. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing. The road-racing ace led a season-high 20 laps, but all that is background noise because of a pit-road penalty for an uncontrolled tire during a caution on Lap 88. Instead of restarting sixth, Allmendinger restarted 36th. Grade: B- 


15. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. Keselowski’s string of top-10 finishes ends at six, but his streak of top-15 finishes is now at eight. Grade: B


16. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Menard led three laps early during a round of green-flag pit stops. It marked the fourth time in 343 career Cup starts he has led laps in consecutive races. Grade: B 


17. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. McMurray lost a spot in the points standings to 15th. He is 16 points to the good over 17th-place Ryan Blainey. Grade: B


18. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle’s career-high streak of Cup starts without a top-10 finish hit 24. Grade: B-


19. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Patrick led three laps during green-flag pit stops. It is the third race this season she has led laps, tying a personal best set in 2014. Grade: B 


20. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Sonoma and Kenseth don’t mix. He has one top-10 finish in 17 starts (2008) at the track. Grade: C


21. Chase Elliott, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. The rookie’s string of top-10 finishes ends at six, but a 21st-place finish in his first trip to Sonoma is still pretty good. Grade: B


22. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Dillon’s finish is disappointing considering he finished 17th in each of his first two starts at Sonoma. Grade: C


23. Ryan Blaney, No. 21 Ford, Wood Brothers Racing. Just like fellow phenom Chase Elliott, Blaney was making his first start at Sonoma. Grade: B


24. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. No home-state advantage for the native of Bakersfield. Mears hasn’t had a top-10 finish at Sonoma since a career-best fifth in 2008. Grade: C 


25. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Bayne has now finished 25th in three of the past six races. Grade: C


26. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. No surprise where Stenhouse finished. His average finish in his four starts at Sonoma is 26.0. Grade: C 


27. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola couldn’t build on his career-best 14th-place finish at Sonoma last year. Grade: C-


28. Regan Smith, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Smith’s finish was his second best in five starts at Sonoma (16th in 2011). Grade: C


29. Landon Cassill, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Cassill posted his best career finish in four starts at Sonoma. Grade: C


30. Chris Buescher, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Buescher finished on the lead lap in his first start at Sonoma. Grade: C


31. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. DiBenedetto posted his best finish in his past five starts. Grade: D


32. David Ragan, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. Ragan posted his best finish at Sonoma in his past four starts at the road course. Grade: D


33. Brian Scott, No. 44 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Scott was one of five drivers to finish on the lead lap in their Sonoma debut. Grade: D


34. Cole Whitt, No. 98 Toyota, Premium Motorsports. In the 100th start of his Sprint Cup Series career, Whitt made 100 green-flag passes, one of six drivers to hit triple digits Sunday. Grade: D


35. Dylan Lupton, No. 93 Toyota, BK Racing. Lupton, 22, of Wilton, California, finished on the lead lap in his first Sprint Cup Series start. Well done. Grade: C 


36. Michael Annett, No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Annett’s 39 green-flag passes were his fewest in his three starts at Sonoma. Grade: F 


37. Patrick Carpentier, No. 32 Ford, Go Fas Racing. Carpentier finished two laps down in his first Cup start since 2011. Grade: F


38. Josh Wise, No. 30 Chevrolet, The Motorsports Group. Engine issues ended Wise’s day after 97 laps. Grade: E


39. Michael McDowell, No. 95 Chevrolet, Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing. McDowell was heading toward a decent finish when his car stopped on the track, bringing out the final caution on Lap 94 (rear gear). On the flip side, he turned 11 laps in the top 15, the most by any driver who finished 25th or worse. Grade: D 


40. Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Bowyer’s day ended after five laps when his car filled with smoke because of an electrical fire. On the brighter side, the car Bowyer will be driving next year finished first. I guess you could call it a good Smoke, bad smoke day. Grade: E