Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Full Dover lineup

 

DOVER, Del. — With the threat of rain on Friday at Dover International Speedway, there was an urgency to opening practice and a need for speed in the session.

 

Strong runs in qualifying trim paid off for Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who will start first and second, respectively, in Sunday’s AAA 400 Drive for Autism at the Monster Mile (1 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), with positions on the grid set according to practice speeds.

 

“I think (the weather) definitely changes the approach,” said Harvick, who picked up his only Dover victory in last year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the 1-mile concrete track. “That’s what the forecast looked like all week, and we just decided to come in qualifying trim.

 

“(Crew chief) Rodney (Childers) and those guys made that decision pretty early — I’d say about midweek — to practice that way.”

 

Harvick posted a lap at 165.147 mph, which would have supplanted Brad Keselowski‘s 2014 qualifying record of 164.444 mph, had it been set during time trials. Practice times, however, are not eligible for official track records.

 

Earnhardt ran 164.707 mph despite a less-than-perfect effort through Turns 3 and 4.

 

“It was really hooked up for that lap we had,” Earnhardt said. “And I think we were ahead of Kevin on the Dartfish (a lap-tracking computer program) going into 3. I pushed up off of 4 really bad and had to lift on that exit, but the car was really, really good.

 

“I just didn’t drive 3 and 4 exactly right.”

 

With crew chief Adam Stevens serving a one-race suspension for a lug nut violation, Kyle Busch, last week’s race winner at Kansas Speedway, earned the third starting position with a practice run at 164.489 mph. Carl Edwards, a two-time winner this season, will start fourth, followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Newman.

 

Jamie McMurray, Danica Patrick and Tony Stewart, all of whom went to backup cars after wrecking in the fourth minute of opening practice when the rear gear of Patrick’s car failed and dumped oil on the track, will start 24th, 31st and 34th, respectively.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

RELATED: Standings pre-Dover



DOVER, Del. — A year ago following the race at Kansas Speedway, Sprint Cup Series then-sophomore Austin Dillon sat 25th in points, with more questions floating around than answers.

Now? Third time’s season’s a charm.


The Richard Childress Racing driver is sitting comfortably in eighth overall in the standings — ahead of the likes of series stars Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth — having already set career highs in top-five and top-10 finishes just 11 races into a 36-race slate.

His RCR teammates have noticed the uptick in performance, but maintain he’s still the same, old Austin they’ve known for years.

“Nothing’s changed in the kid,” XFINITY Series teammate Brendan Gaughan said Friday at Dover International Speedway. “He’s been a hell of a race car driver since he was dang near 18 years old. The only guy that just rolled through the (XFINITY and Camping World Truck) Series. He knew the pressure of the (No.) 3 (the late Dale Earnhardt’s former number when he drove for Dillon’s grandfather, Richard Childress), he understood it. Did it take longer than he wanted (to get to this level)? Of course.

“That kid wants to win right now. He is in the process of building a great mantra for himself. He’s in the middle of putting this thing together and really doing well with it. I don’t think anything’s changed in him, he’s just not kicking himself for not being better. He’s not putting too much pressure on himself. He has the pressure already and he’s building his deal.”

The 26-year-old appeared to take a step back in 2015 after a promising rookie season, seeing his average finish dip from 17.5 in 2014 to 21.0 last year. He’s currently on pace for a vastly-improved career high of 12.4. 

Drivers often don’t adapt to the Cup Series immediately — Jimmie Johnson also put it together in his age 26 season, and Earnhardt Sr.’s first win didn’t come until age 28 — so it’s quite possible we’re just seeing Dillon round into form at the expected time, despite his major successes at NASCAR’s other two national series levels.

“I think right now, the biggest threat in the sport to be the first guy to win all three national series championships is Austin Dillon,” Gaughan said. “There’s only, what, Greg Biffle and him (among full-time drivers). They’re the only two right now that could do it … he’s moving his way, taking his way up to being a Sprint Cup winner and I do believe he’ll be there.”

While it may seem like Dillon’s rise has sprung out of nowhere, it may be an easier discovery than one may think upon examination. Midway through last season after a seven-race stretch of not even sniffing the top 10, Childress made a crew chief swap on the No. 3 squad, putting Richard “Slugger” Labbe atop the box and moving Gil Martin to a leadership role within the RCR R&D department.


RELATED: Dillon, crew chief’s bond linked to strong ’16 start


The team responded with two top 10s in Labbe’s first four races, adding another pair amidst overall higher performance the rest of the way.

That momentum has carried over into 2016.

“Their team is really strong, they’re really focused,” said Dillon’s younger brother, Ty. “They’ve kind of got a new attitude about their approach. It started in the late races of last year when they had the change.

“I think Slugger’s really got Austin really honed in … he does a great job keeping all of Austin’s energy focused on going fast and Slugger does a great job of leading his team. The main thing is he builds fast race cars and he gives Austin an opportunity to go out there and perform. It’s a pretty cool thing to see. … It’s only a matter of time before hopefully both of us get in Victory Lane.”

Gaughan, being the gambling man that he is, would certainly put his money on red and black.

And 3.

“They are dang close to winning each and every week on that Cup side,” the veteran said. “I see Austin getting one here pretty soon. That’d be a big boon for RCR.

” … The 3 team is going to win a race, man.”

Posted on by Pat DeCola

DOVER, Del. — Last Saturday night at Kansas Speedway, Denny Hamlin drove his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota between Brad Keselowski‘s No. 2 Team Penske Ford and Kyle Larson‘s No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Chevrolet, attempting to thread a needle through a hole that proved to be non-existent.
 
Keselowski’s teammate, Joey Logano, T-boned Hamlin in the aftermath before getting into the wall and settling down on the apron.
 
One might think the No. 22 driver would have reason to take issue with Hamlin for an aggressive move that relegated Logano to a 38th-place finish.
 
Not quite.
 
“I feel like I am one of the hardest racers out there and I would be quite the hypocrite if I asked why he was racing so hard,” Logano said Friday at Dover International Speedway, site of Sunday’s AAA 400 Drive for Autism (1 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SIRIUS XM NASCAR Radio). “If you ask me, that is what fans show up to the race track to see. They come to watch a race. They expect us to race. They don’t expect us to just say, ‘oh, go ahead.’
 
“I am going to race hard. I know that. I have done that in the past and I will continue to do that. When Denny made that move I didn’t blame him. He made a run on the backstretch and had to do something with it. He got in a bad aero spot and both of them got loose. It happens. It is racing. I am not going to say, ‘Hey, why did you do that?’ We are racing and these things are hard to drive. We are going to make mistakes.”
 
An aspect of Hamlin’s thought-process behind the move — he’s already virtually locked up a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup berth via his Daytona 500 win, allowing him to strictly go for wins almost regardless of the consequences.
 
“There is a win on the line and it is a big deal; it is hard to do at the Sprint Cup level and anytime you have a shot it is expected out of us, not just from the fans but from the teams to go out and make the most of it and make it happen,” said Logano, seventh in Sprint Cup Series points. “When I look at Denny’s move, I would do the same thing if I was him so I don’t really have any room to speak.”
 
Hamlin’s move and Logano’s comments almost beg the question — is it possible to win on a consistent basis at this level under this Chase format without being, well, aggressively aggressive?
 
Jimmie Johnson is typically known as being one of NASCAR’s more calculated, precise racers, but it’s possible he’s just the exception to the rule.
 
“Well, he sure has won a lot,” Logano said. “That guy is doing pretty good in this sport. It depends. Sometimes you don’t have to make moves like (Hamlin made). Sometimes you are up front and don’t have to make spectacular moves. I have also seen a lot of people win with cars that aren’t the winning car and that is from making spectacular moves and gutsy calls on the race track or pit road or wherever. That aggressive look at things sometimes goes wrong but sometimes goes really right and you have a fifth or sixth-place car win the race. I think it is entertaining.”

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RELATED: No. 18 team fined; two suspended


The Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 team was given a P3 penalty Wednesday regarding lug nuts and improper procedures during the last pit stop at Kansas. Included in those penalties were the suspension of crew chief Adam Stevens and front tire changer Josh Leslie.


The big question on pit road is who will replace Leslie at Dover, and how that will affect the No. 18 pit crew.


JGR confirmed to NASCAR.com and PitTalks that Brian Eastland will replace Leslie. Eastland was the front changer on the No. 78 of Martin Truex Jr. early in the year before being replaced by Chris Taylor. Eastland still is at JGR as a backup and should fill in nicely.  

The No. 18 crew was tops on pit road at Kansas and will still be very good at Dover. Yes, they will potentially have some chemistry and timing issues, but they still are a talented crew and Brian Eastland is a very good tire changer.



For more pit-crew news, visit PitTalks.com.

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: All of Stewart’s premier series victories

 

None of us could have — nor would have — predicted at the time that Tony Stewart‘s win at Dover International Speedway in June of 2013 would have to stand nearly three years as his most recent NASCAR victory.

He led only the final three laps — efficient checkered flag work — beating Juan Pablo Montoya and Jeff Gordon following a late-race restart. And when Stewart showed up in the media center for his winner’s press conference he was proud, but humble. Even a little surprised at the outcome.

He was also very “Tony-like” in answering reporters’ questions, a little surly here and there, but funny and disarming.

It was vintage Tony from his opening remark.

“As much as I hate to say it, it’s good to be back in the media center,” Stewart joked.

As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads back to Delaware for this weekend’s AAA 400, it’s a good time to reflect on that victory and wonder where Stewart’s next will be as he charges toward a Chase berth in his final Sprint Cup season.

Although Stewart missed the first eight races of 2016 recovering from an offseason back injury, he is only 59 points behind 30th-place Regan Smith entering Sunday’s race. A win and a top-30 points position gives Stewart a last shot at a fourth championship.

His 12th-place finish at Kansas last week in only his second full race back (Ty Dillon relieved Stewart at Talladega) was especially encouraging considering he had only five finishes of 12th or better all of last season.

There is good reason to be hopeful that Stewart will make one last run. And if anything, his 2013 win at Dover proved much is possible in the final laps at the “Monster Mile.”

That win and Stewart’s reaction was so reflective of the “Smoke” this sport has cheered on for the last 18 seasons.

Before acknowledging any of his own handiwork behind the wheel, Stewart thanked his then-crew chief Steve Addington for getting the No. 14 Chevy good enough to win. He recognized Competition Director Greg Zipidelli for his work in coordinating the Stewart-Haas team. And Stewart redirected any praise going toward himself.

“There should be about 200 people sitting here that are all responsible for this (victory) here,” Stewart said.

RELATED: Stewart through the years

 

It was Stewart’s first win since the summer Daytona race a year earlier and questions about his future, his team’s future were starting to rumble in that 30-race span between victories. Looking back, it was a good problem to have.

Now he’s competed 80 times over three seasons since that Dover win — easily the longest winless streak in a sure-bet Hall of Fame career.

As the press conference continued that summer day at Dover, I remember watching Stewart and listening to him sound so genuinely grateful to hoist the trophy. He consistently deflected the praise, insisting the win was a reflection of his young Stewart-Haas Racing team, not so much his great ability to steer the car.

“I’ll be honest,” Stewart said. “I’m not the smartest guy in the world. You guys have known that over the last 15 years. I’ve proven that time and time again. I’m just smart enough to know to hire good people.”

Even today, Stewart is humble recalling the victory.

“I remember thinking that if someone had told me we were going to win, I would’ve told them they were crazy,” Stewart said this week. “We just didn’t have the car to win the race, but we had great pit strategy at the end. … We changed only two tires on that last stop to get up front. The car felt a lot better up there and it didn’t seem like the guys who took four tires had a huge advantage taking off. When we noticed we were catching the leaders, we kind of got going on the bottom and made up even more time.

“It was just a big win for us and really gave us some momentum for the next few races.”

There was no way to imagine all that has transpired in Stewart’s life or his career since then. We knew he was a winner — only 12 drivers have amassed more than his 48 wins — but now we have been reminded that Stewart is also a motivated, highly determined survivor.

He is one of the most talented race car drivers in history.

If you are a believer in happy endings, or just confident that Stewart’s great determination equals his great talent, then “Smoke will rise” – as they say. He will make this year’s Chase, or at least give one heckuva run.

Posted on by Staff Report

Tyler Reddick, the 20-year-old Californian who utilized his skills honed as a youth on dirt tracks to produce a runner-up NASCAR Camping World Truck Series finish in 2015 has struggled so far this year.



Through the first four races of his second full-time Truck Series season, Reddick has posted an average finish of just 16.2. He currently sits 15th in the series standings, 34 points off the lead held by Timothy Peters.



Reddick showed signs of breaking out last Friday in the Sunflower State when he led 56 laps – his highest total in 44 previous starts – but an unfortunate spin with three laps left in regulation caused him to place a season-high 13th.



Fortunately for the No. 29 Brad Keselowski Racing driver, he next competes in the JACOB Companies 200 at Dover International Speedway (5:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) where he won last May.



Reddick finished eighth at the Monster Mile in his only other start there, in 2014, and is the only driver in the field who has won at Dover.



“The win last year was incredible and I think we can do it again,” Reddick said. “Dover is a challenging race track, but there’s something about it that I really like.  It can be a very physical track, even for 200 laps, but I’ll do everything I can to be at 110 percent.”

Posted on by Pat DeCola

Practice 2: Results

DOVER, Del. — Cole Custer topped the leaderboard in Thursday’s second and final NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice at Dover International Speedway at 157.577 mph in the No. 00 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.


Right behind him was Christopher Bell in the No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota at 157.377 mph.


Rounding out the top five were Ben Kennedy in the No. 24 GMS Racing Chevrolet, Matt Tifft in the No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota and Daniel Hemric in the No. 19 Brad Keselowski Racing Ford.


Series points leader Timothy Peters was 11th-fastest with a speed of 155.293 mph in the No. 17 RHR Toyota.


In the session’s closing minutes, Kennedy brought out the caution after hitting the wall. NASCAR did not resume the practice after that.


Keystone Light Pole Qualifying is Friday at 2:15 p.m. ET on FS1.

Practice 1: Results

DOVER, Del. — Last week’s Kansas winner William Byron topped the leaderboard in Thursday’s first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice at Dover International Speedway at 159.426 mph in the No. 9 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota.

Right behind him was Brandon Jones in the No. 71 Contreras Motorsports Chevrolet at 158.695 mph. Rounding out the top five were Matt Tifft (158.423 mph) in the No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota, Cameron Hayley (158.402 mph) in the No. 13 ThorSport Racing Toyota and Matt Crafton (158.040 mph) in the No. 88 ThorSport Racing Toyota.

Series points leader Timothy Peters was 13th fastest in the session in the No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota.

The practice was halted with just over 10 minutes remaining to allow for an ambulance to leave the track. Thirteen minutes were added once trucks resumed the session at 2:58 p.m. ET.

Posted on by Nascar

NASCAR’s latest winner in the Camping World Truck Series admitted after the fact that “I didn’t even know how to do a burnout,” but William Byron likely will have plenty of more opportunities to figure out that portion of the post-race celebration.

Less than a week ago, the 18-year-old won in just his fifth career start in the series, piloting the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 9 Toyota to victory at Kansas Speedway.

“I just kind of found the gears and watched the smoke in the back and it was just really cool,” Byron said of his celebration after losing the lead but rallying on a late-race restart that extended the race three laps beyond its scheduled 167-lap distance.

He became the eighth different winner for KBM, which began fielding entries in the series in 2010. Busch, the owner/driver, has earned 29 of the organization’s 47 career victories.

Byron will be chasing career win No. 2 this weekend as the NCWTS heads to Dover International Speedway for the series’ fifth stop of the season, the JACOB Companies 200, slated to get under way Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET (FS1, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Byron will be joined in the race by KBM teammates Christopher Bell and Daniel Suarez.

A year ago, Byron wrapped up the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East title with a ninth-place finish at Dover. It was his first time at the track and because rain forced the cancellation of practice and qualifying, his first laps on the 1-mile concrete track were run under race conditions.

“Going back and being able to have practice to wrap my hands around the race track a little bit more will be helpful,” Byron said. “But also to have that instant experience I did last year. We had 125 laps of pretty intense racing.”

Byron didn’t begin his racing career until he was 14, somewhat late by today’s standards. But he quickly moved up through the ranks and landed a Late Model ride with JR Motorsports in 2014. Last year’s K&N title came while competing for HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks.

A year ago, crew chief Rudy Fugle helped guide Erik Jones to three victories and the series championship. Helping guide another youngster into Victory Lane, he said, “was different.”

“The last couple of years I’ve had some different drivers, more drivers (who were) … expected to win more out of the box,” Fugle said. “Now, with a young driver again, and learning how to coach him and how to do the right things, it was fun to watch, too, because he’s just got the raw talent and the speed just out of the box that you don’t have to teach.”

His Kansas victory all but assured Byron of a spot in this year’s Chase for those competing in the Truck Series. The top eight drivers (based on wins and/or points) will qualify for the seven-race playoff.

Series regulars Johnny Sauter (Daytona) and John Hunter Nemechek (Atlanta) have also earned wins this season.

A dozen more races remain before the Chase gets underway. And of course there’s high school graduation.

“My graduation is May 27 and actually an off-weekend, so I’m pretty fortunate with that and get to enjoy that,” Byron said. “It’s a good balance between going to school and being a completely normal kid and people really have no idea what’s going on when we get to the race track.

“Then the cool part is that I like to just kind of do my business at school and keep my grades up and then get to the race track and enjoy myself.”

Bryon is seventh in points in the Truck Series with finishes of third and first in his last two outings. He finished 13th in the season-opening race at Daytona while engine trouble resulted in a 32nd-place finish at Atlanta.

Posted on by Staff Report

Corey Vincent (Overclock Motorsports) broke through for his first victory of the 2016 NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, narrowly holding-off Slip Angle Motorsports’ Ray Alfalla and Tyler Hudson (One Up Motorsports) on a 33-lap run to the checkered flag.

 

Alfalla started on the pole and ran up front throughout the race but did not have the long-run speed to get the best of Vincent. Hudson, meanwhile, took the lead late but could not hold on over the long run to the finish; he finished third after leading with fewer than 10 laps remaining. It was Hudson’s first top-five finish of the season. The TEAM’s Kenny Humpe followed his win at Richmond with a fourth-place result after starting 41st, and Cody Byus rounded out the top five.

 

Alfalla led early from the pole but lost the top spot when Vincent pitted one lap earlier for tires. The two were content to run nose-to-tail during the second tire run as they pulled away from the field. During the next round of stops, Alfalla pitted first, and his extra lap on fresher tires propelled him back to the front by nearly two seconds.

 

Vincent was unfazed by the deficit, however, and slowly began chipping into Alfalla’s lead. It took nearly 20 laps, but Vincent finally wrested the top spot from Alfalla and began to pull away once again. But another pit stop was looming.

 

Further back, Mitchell Hunt (High Performance Motorsports) was holding third but had dropped more than a full straightaway behind Vincent and Alfalla, making it a two-car race for the win barring a yellow. The caution held off for a third round of green-flag stops and once again, it was Alfalla who hit pit road first; but this time, his one-lap advantage on tires did not gain him the lead.

 

Vincent took complete command of the race after the third stop, gapping Alfalla by 2.5 seconds. That lead would evaporate when the yellow flew for the first and only time of the race on Lap 131.

 

The caution drew the leaders to pit road for their last set of fresh tires and adjustments with Vincent winning the race off pit road followed by Alfalla and Hudson. With 33 laps to go, the race went green and the three quickly jumped out ahead of the field. Hudson used the inside to his advantage and moved ahead of Alfalla, then set his sights on Vincent for the lead.

 

Two laps after the restart, Hudson made his move, drawing alongside Vincent after getting a great run off Turn 4. Hudson cleared Vincent in Turn 1 but Vincent attempted a crossover move off Turn Two, pulling back alongside Hudson down the backstretch. The two raced side-by-side through Turns 3 and 4 with Hudson getting the best of it to take the lead with 30 laps to go.

 

For the next 20 laps, Vincent hounded Hudson but could not find a way around until Hudson got tight off Turn Two with just nine laps remaining. Vincent capitalized on the mistake, surging to the race lead and bringing Alfalla to second while Hudson fell to third. The three simracers would ride in their respective positions to the finish with old tires making passing all but impossible barring a mistake.

 

Alfalla’s runner-up finish helped grow his series points lead, which now sits at 14 markers over seventh-place finisher PJ Stergios (ineX Racing). Allen Boes (Deadzone) lost ground after dropping out of the race, and now finds himself 60 points back of the lead in third, tied with Jake Stergios. Humpe bookends the top five, a remarkable rebound considering the poor start to the season he endured.

With Vegas in the rearview mirror, the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series moves to another 1.5-mile track – Charlotte Motor Speedway – for the longest race of the season. Charlotte may be the same size as Vegas, but the tracks could not be more difference surface-wise.  Smooth and very fast, CMS requires a much different setup than the rough corners at LVMS. In addition, the high corner speeds at Charlotte tend to make passing difficult, making a good qualifying effort all the more important. Who is up to the challenge of 300 miles? Find out in two weeks by catching all the simracing action on iRacing Live!

 

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR levied a P3 penalty against the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driven by Kyle Busch for infractions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GoBowling 400 event on Saturday at Kansas Speedway.

Adam Stevens, crew chief, was fined $20,000, suspended from all NASCAR Series Championship points events through May 18 and put on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31.

The No. 18 team’s front tire changer, Josh Leslie, was suspended through May 18 and put on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31.

The No. 18 was penalized under sections 12:1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing), 10.11.3 (pit road equipment) and 12.5.3.4.1 (which outlines the P3-level penalty) of the NASCAR Rule Book.

According to Richard Buck, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series managing director, an infraction with the No. 18’s lug nuts was found in post-race inspection. NASCAR mandates that all wheels and lug nuts be secured in a safe manner and that all five lug nuts be installed.


Joe Gibbs Racing will not appeal the penalty, the team announced in a press release Wednesday. Todd Berrier will replace Stevens atop the pit box at Dover.

The JGR team statement read, “The 18 team utilized unaltered stock lug nuts during Saturday night‘s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway and each wheel had all five lug nuts attached to the wheel at the conclusion of the race. The team does acknowledge that not all lug nuts were tightened to the wheel.”


Busch started sixth and finished first at Kansas for his third win of the season. Busch, the 2015 series champion, sits atop the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings.

In additon to the No. 18 team’s penalty, NASCAR issued written warnings to the Nos. 43 and 78 teams (for failing pre-qualifying laser inspection twice) and the Nos. 7, 43, 47 and 48 teams (for failing pre-qualifying template inspection twice).