Watch live: Dale Jr.'s Darlington paint scheme reveal

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Staff Report

RELATED: Watch the live stream | 2015 Darlington throwback paint schemes
Buy Tickets: Darlington

On Wednesday, NASCAR.com will live stream the reveal of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet paint scheme (@Nationwide88) that he’ll wheel at Darlington Raceway during Labor Day weekend (Sept. 2-4, 2016). The reveal will be streamed from 2-2:45 p.m. ET.

In line with last season’s highly successful throwback theme, the annual Southern 500 at Darlington will once again feature a retro theme that focuses upon the 1975-84 era of racing. Many drivers will feature throwback paint schemes on their cars to go along with the theme. Most recently, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. unveiled his throwback scheme on Monday for his No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford that pays tribute to Darrell Waltrip.

MORE: Roush reveals Stenhouse’s retro look | Darlington sets throwback theme

Tune in to the live stream here.

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Pat DeCola

KyleBusch

Any questions? There are approximately zero drivers in the world hotter than Kyle Busch right now, and the series heads to one of his best tracks in Bristol (five wins).

MORE: Busch extends streak

JimmieJohnson

Johnson wasn’t able to four-peat at Texas, but has a good shot to recoup at Bristol, where he has three straight top-four finishes.

MORE: ‘Six-Time’ denied at Texas

Kevinharvick

With just two top-10 finishes since 2008 — and zero wins in the past decade — Bristol certainly doesn’t rank among Harvick’s best tracks. That said, he did finish second last summer.

MORE: Harvick committed to SHR

Carledwards

Edwards continues to look extremely sharp on the track — while his team looks a little dull on pit road. Once they get their issues sorted out, Edwards should be a major contender.

MORE: Edwards plagued by pit road problems

Joeylogano

After notching 11 total wins the past two years, it’s evident Logano will pick up his first 2016 win sooner than later. Perhaps it could come this weekend at Bristol, where he’s the track’s most recent Cup winner.

DaleEarnhardt Jr.

Junior has never won at Bristol in the spring and his last trip to Victory Lane came over a decade ago. Regardless, the No. 88 team is looking strong everywhere right now and should be a force this weekend.

MORE: Dale Jr. leaves pit road on fire

DennyHamlin

Hamlin isn’t nearly as good at Bristol as he is at fellow short track Martinsville, but he’ll be aiming to make up for his on-track mistake at "The Paperclip" a couple of weeks ago.

BradKeselowski

-2

Somewhat surprisingly, Keselowski has only led 25 laps thus far in 2016. Expect that to change at Bristol, where he’s led the third most laps at of any track in his career (499).

Kurtbusch

For how subpar Busch is at Martinsville, he really makes up for it at Bristol, where he has a career-high five wins.

Martintruex jr

Truex once finished second and third in back-to-back Bristol races from 2011-12. He’s never finished in the top-10 in the 18 other races he’s been in at the short track.

MORE: Tires trip up Truex at Texas

ChaseElliott

Elliott excelled in his first Cup attempt at Texas, and has a great shot to do so at Bristol this weekend, where he finished in the top-10 in each of his XFINITY starts there during the past two seasons.

MORE: Elliott notches best finish

AustinDillon

-3

Dillon only has one Bristol top 10 in four starts at Bristol thus far, but two of his other results were 11th and 13th. Don’t sleep on Dillon this weekend.

Mattkenseth

Looking for a spot for Kenseth to make a rebound after a subpar ’16 start? Bristol it is. Kenseth is the defending race-winner and excels at this track.

Kylelarson

Look past Larson’s summer Bristol race last year in which a crash knocked him out — his first three starts at the Tennessee track resulted in an average finish of 9.67.

Ryanblaney

-1

Blaney only has one Cup start at Bristol, but he brought home his No. 21 ride in one piece in 22nd, which is no small feat. He should be able to improve on that this weekend, however.

Kaseykahne

Kahne hasn’t strung together two straight top-10 finishes since Loudon/Dover last year, but it could happen again this weekend at Bristol, where Kahne won this race in 2013.

MORE: Hendrick putting it together

RickyStenhouse Jr.

-2

Best average finish at Bristol among active Cup drivers? You guessed it — Ricky Stenhouse Jr., at 11.2.

Jamiemcmurray

Despite just one top 10 and zero laps led, McMurray is quietly chugging along with consistent above average finishes.

Ryannewman

Almost identical to McMurray, Newman has one top 10 thus far and has led minimal (one) laps but consistently finishes better than 20th. Recipe for a Chase berth on points.

Ajallmendinger

Allmendinger is in danger of dropping out of Power Rankings, as he’s never finished in the top 10 at Bristol in 15 career starts.

Posted on April 11, 2016 by NASCAR Foundation Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The NASCAR Foundation and Nationwide were honored at the Cynopsis Social Good Awards in New York City, winning the award for Nonprofit/Corporate Partnership with a Brand for The NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award presented by Nationwide.

Cynopsis Media hosted the second annual Social Good Awards Breakfast April 7 at the New York Athletic Club in New York City to celebrate achievements by brands, networks and digital entities over the past year.

“Winning this award is a true testament to the amazing work that The NASCAR Foundation is doing with the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award,” said Mike Boyd, senior vice president of marketing at Nationwide. “Nationwide is honored to partner with The NASCAR Foundation and assist with their efforts to honor those NASCAR fans who strive to make their communities a better place to live.”

The NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award presented by Nationwide honors a NASCAR fan who embodies the ideals of charity and community that France, the foundation’s founder and chairwoman emeritus, has championed throughout her life. This year marks the sixth annual presentation of the award and NASCAR Official Partner Nationwide’s second year as presenting sponsor for the award.

Since the award’s inception in 2011, The NASCAR Foundation has donated more than $875,000 to children’s charities across the country in honor of outstanding volunteers. And, through all finalists’ combined efforts, the lives of nearly 200,000 children have been positively impacted.

“We are so pleased to receive this recognition for our Award and the partnership with Nationwide. Impacting the lives of children by honoring volunteers who are the heart and soul of charitable work is one of our most meaningful programs,” said Lorene King, executive director, The NASCAR Foundation.

With a panel of judges who benchmark excellence in the area of social good in the TV and entertainment industry, Cynopsis Media’s Cynopsis Social Good Awards honors everything from sustainability partnership and PSA’s, to diversity campaigns, environmental initiatives and more.

Posted on April 11, 2016 by

Prior to the Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team slightly restructured its lineup.

Front and rear tire carriers, Dion Williams and Jared Erspamer, switched positions before heading to Fort Worth. As of now they remain switched.

Toward the end of the 2015 season, with Jeff Gordon piloting the Chevrolet, Williams — originally positioned on the front — and Erspamer — on the rear — swapped spots in order to improve timeliness in the team’s stops. Now the pair switch back to their original positions.

The first race of the change proved to be a positive one after Elliott scored his first top-five showing in the Sprint Cup Series, even after starting from the rear of the field. He currently heads into the Bristol Motor Speedway weekend 14th in standings.

For more pit crew news, visit PitTalks.com

Posted on April 11, 2016 by

There were plenty of loose wheels to go around at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday night — and some came from NASCAR’s top teams. It was only a matter of time that fans saw a race like this unfold. Teams have been gearing up all season to get their stops as fast as they can and push the envelope on hitting lug nuts. For some teams, the limit was met Saturday. From what was seen during the race, the Nos. 2, 21, 88, 48, 19, and 20 all pitted for possible loose wheels. There were likely plenty more drivers that felt possible loose wheels, but struggled through it until they could pit under caution.

RELATED: Key takeaways from Texas

The pit road woes aren’t much of a surprise. Texas is a big track where teams want to win and that puts an extra emphasis on pit stops and track position — teams certainly came out swinging. Pushing the limits of four lug nuts and quick 11-second pit stops will occasionally produce races like this. All those teams mentioned above are typically strong pit crews week-after-week.

Last fall at Bristol Motor Speedway — the site of the Sprint Cup Series’ next race — teams saw the same type of problem on pit road. Will this slow down pit stops this weekend in Bristol? It’s unlikely — every week crews push the limits. Teams will make adjustments from this past weekend and move on.

For more pit crew news, visit PitTalks.com

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Holly Cain

FORT WORTH, Texas — One by one as they emerged from their cars on Texas Motor Speedway‘s pit lane in the early hours of Sunday morning, the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers stood on pit road, most allowed a smile and a couple shook their heads as they discussed and rewound their race night.

All four finished among the top eight in the Duck Commander 500 — a best overall showing for the team in 2016 — and it was a workout for each; a hard-earned, well-deserved conclusion to a busy night of close-quarter racing on the 1.5-mile high banks.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the team with a runner-up finish to Kyle Busch. Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Chase Elliott scored a career-best fifth-place showing, just getting beaten at the start/finish line by three-time defending Texas champ Jimmie Johnson. And Kasey Kahne rang in his 36th birthday early Sunday with a hard-fought, eighth-place rally in the race’s overnight hours. It was his second top-10 finish of the season.

But although each driver fared similarly well, each driver’s route to a successful night was widely varied.

Earnhardt ran among the top 10 most of the race, which started nearly two hours late because of rain showers. He chased down Busch in the closing laps, coming just 3.9 seconds shy of his first win of the season and that coveted automatic post-season berth for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

“We got lucky at the end to be able to restart on the inside,” Earnhardt said of the race’s final restart with 33 laps remaining. “The outside was kind of difficult and we restarted fifth and were able to get up to third and raced the 22 (of Joey Logano) at the end.

“It was fun. The car was very loose and very challenging but a lot of fun for me.”

Of the Hendrick team’s night, Earnhardt said, “I think the company as a whole is pushing real hard to improve and there’s an impression within the company that we need to grind a little bit and make some gains going forward into the middle of the season here. But I was real encouraged with my car tonight.”

Elliott echoed Earnhardt’s cautious optimism. He was encouraged to score a career-best finish, but still insistent that the only true success is a trophy as he navigates an understandably large learning curve.

“I definitely think it was a solid night,” Elliott said. “It’s not a perfect night.

“We would love to turn all four cars in the top 10 to having all four cars in the top five, and I think that’s a goal we have to shoot for. We’re excited to run in the top five. We’re also not content and we want to be contenders and running fifth isn’t a contender. You’ve got to be up a little higher. That’s our goal and we’ll keep working at it.”

Johnson, a heavy favorite to mark his fourth straight win, had to overcome multiple setbacks in the race from front-end damage on the first pit stop to navigating heavy traffic to bad timing during a caution period that put him at the end of the lead lap in the waning portion of the race.

“We had plenty of adversity tonight,” said Johnson, who now trails Busch by six points in the season standings. “What a fight this was and I’m very proud of this race team. There were four or five things that went on tonight.

“I really liked (crew chief) Chad’s (Knaus) strategy at the end to keep putting four tires on it and put us in an offensive situation. I feel like the 24 (Elliott) and I could have worked our way to the lead but it didn’t quite work out.

“Looking at the car and what I felt in the car, some other mistakes we’ve got to clean up to be as competitive as we were with a damaged car, I will sleep well tonight.”

His teammate Kahne shared the race review. He joked that he spent at least two hours just trying to race his way back onto the lead lap. The effort resulted in a season-best finish, however, after three consecutive finishes of 22nd or worse even after starting from the outside pole position last week at Martinsville.

“You’re fighting all night,” Kahne said of getting back on the lead lap. “It’s always someone different and someone fast and it was tough.

“About the time you get to be first behind the lapped down cars, someone in front gets lapped. It took a long time to get back on the lead lap and a lot of battling.”

Kahne was also involved in a late race incident with fellow Washington state native Greg Biffle, whose No. 16 Ford hit the wall and ended up scored 39th in the 40-car field.

“I feel really bad about that,” Kahne said. “I just caught Greg. I shot low, he started coming down and I hit the brakes and I was coming and he was coming down and we just hit. He shot up the track and I saw his car on the big screen and it looked pretty damaged. I feel so bad because I hate having any contact with anyone.”

Overall, Kahne was encouraged by his team’s showing in Texas. And he’s glad to be going to Bristol this week, where he won in 2013 after starting on the front row.

“It’s Bristol, a lot can happen there,” Kahne said, breaking into a slight grin. “I like it and a day race will be good there.

“This weekend was the best we’ve worked together from start to finish on a weekend with all aspects from preparing, racing to calling the race and communicating. It’s the best we’ve done in a long time.”

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Staff Report

From 8-11 a.m. ET on Tuesday, 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 Saturday’s Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The cars being inspected this week are: the No. 18 Toyota of Kyle Busch (won Saturday’s race) and the No. 88 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr. (finished second in Saturday’s race). There was no random car selected this week.

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

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Staff Report

The first formal reveal of a throwback paint scheme for this year’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway came Monday. Roush Fenway Racing released a video of the No. 17 Fastenal Ford of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. that showed the car getting wrapped, along with Stenhouse and Darrell Waltrip chatting about the car and the track.

Waltrip drove the No. 17 throughout his career, and the orange-dominant look for this year’s Labor Day Weekend race is an homage to that driver and that era.

“My last win was Darlington,” Waltrip tells Stenhouse in a video produced by Roush Fenway Racing. “In 1992 I won the Southern 500, and that was my last win. So (the track has) kind of special meaning to me.”

Following the wildly successful debut of last year’s throwback weekend, the track will focus on the 1975-84 era of the sport this year, a revolutionary time period when iconic drivers such as Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip left their imprints on stock car racing.

This year’s event, with the slogan “The Tradition Continues,” is Sept. 2-4, with the NASCAR Sprint Cup‘s Bojangles’ Southern 500 running at 6 p.m. ET on Sept. 4 (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 11, 2016) — The NASCAR XFINITY Series will take racing back to its roots with Heat races, beginning with the first of four Dash 4 Cash events Saturday, April 16, at Bristol Motor Speedway (12:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers will each compete in one of two 50-lap Heat races for the chance to be eligible to win $100,000 in the 200-lap Main event. As in years past, the potential for a $1,000,000 total payout stands. New for this year, a driver who wins multiple Dash 4 Cash bonuses will earn a spot in the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase, provided he/she remains eligible per the NASCAR rule book.

“Excitement for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash has reached a new level since the format change was announced in January,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “With potential NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase implications involved, we will see the intensity around these events ratcheted up.”

All Dash 4 Cash events are comprised of two Heats and a Main, and will take place when the NASCAR XFINITY Series visits Bristol Motor Speedway (April 16), Richmond International Raceway (April 23), Dover International Speedway (May 14) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 23).

For these unique Dash 4 Cash events, traditional, single-car qualifying will determine the 40 eligible vehicles and starting positions for the two Heats, with the fastest qualifier receiving the Coors Light Pole Award. Odd-numbered qualifiers (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.) will start in the first Heat in respective order, while even-numbered qualifiers (2nd, 4th, 6th, etc.) will start the second Heat in respective order.

The two Heats will set the starting positions for the Main, with the top two NASCAR XFINITY Series championship points-earning drivers in each Heat becoming eligible for the Dash 4 Cash bonus. Of the four eligible Dash 4 Cash drivers, the highest-finishing driver in the Main will be awarded a $100,000 bonus.

“The new Dash 4 Cash format changes well-represent XFINITY‘s goal to bring the best in entertainment to NASCAR fans by heightening the competition,” said Matt Lederer, executive director of sports marketing at Comcast. “Names are Made Here in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, and the Dash 4 Cash program provides an opportunity for these drivers to prove themselves on a national stage. XFINITY is changing the way fans experience NASCAR, and the shakeup in the competition for these races will create plenty of drama for them to see.”

Multiple Dash 4 Cash bonus wins will earn a driver a spot in the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase, provided he/she remains eligible per the NASCAR rule book. In essence, multiple Dash 4 Cash bonus wins equal one race win for Chase eligibility. If a driver wins the first three Dash 4 Cash bonuses and wins the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway outright, that driver will also receive an additional $600,000 to bring the total Dash 4 Cash award to $1,000,000.

In order to be eligible for the Dash 4 Cash bonus, drivers must have declared to earn NASCAR XFINITY Series points.

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Jodievalade

Below is a breakdown of how the 40-car field fared at Texas Motor Speedway.

1. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Can anyone stop the 2015 Sprint Cup Series champion? Busch didn’t dominate the entire race in Texas, but leapt to the lead when it counted — on the final restart with 33 laps remaining — and stayed there until the checkered flag. He’s won the last four national series races and seems unbeatable right now. Grade: A+

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Junior is still lacking his first win of the season, but by passing Joey Logano with eight laps remaining and overcoming a brief pit stall fire, he earned his second runner-up finish. All that talk this week of bananas and mayonnaise didn’t deter from a strong showing for a car that started 16th. Grade: A

3. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. Despite starting on the front row, Logano still is searching for his first win of the season. He was solidly in the top 10 throughout most of the race, slipping to as low as 14th just before the midpoint. But he jumped from 10th on Lap 200 to sixth on a restart on Lap 220 and stayed near the front for his sixth top-five finish at Texas Motor Speedway. Grade: A-

4. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson couldn’t extend his Texas winning streak to four straight races, but the fact he was able to rebound from his involvement in a 13-car crash on Lap 293 and a pit-road collision with Kyle Busch on Lap 31 showed that he’s still a threat in any race. Grade: A

5. Chase Elliott, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. The rookie started at the rear when he changed his transmission, but still managed his best finish of the season — and his first top-five result in the Cup series. His decision to take four tires on the final pit stop was the difference in helping him surge into the top five. Grade: A

6. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Toyota, Furniture Row Racing. Truex consistently had the fastest car all weekend in Texas, and led a race-high 141 laps. But the decision to stay out on four old tires — when all other leaders pitted in the final two cautions — pushed him back from the lead in the final 33 laps. Grade: B-

7. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. The pole-sitter led 124 laps, but a loose wheel on the Lap 221 restart forced him to pit, and he never fully recovered. Still, it was Edwards’ sixth top-10 finish in seven races this season. Grade: B+

8. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. A car that has struggled all season found some late-race magic. First, Kahne was the lucky-dog beneficiary on a Lap 277 caution, then he made contact with Greg Biffle on Lap 287, which sent the No. 16 car into the wall but helped Kahne surge into the top 10 for the final restart. Grade: B+

9. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Busch was without crew chief Tony Gibson for all but race day in Texas as Gibson was tending to his ill wife, and the No. 41 car struggled to find the right combination. Busch said he was loose all through practices but tight during the race. A solid final restart helped him grab his fifth top-10 finish of the season. Grade: B

10. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick is now 0-for-27 in Cup at Texas, one of the few tracks that vexes the dominant driver. This time, he had to rebound from a speeding and tire violation on Lap 217 just to make his way into the top 10. Grade: B-

11. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Kenseth’s bad-luck streak continued this season. He led 20 laps, including from Lap 217-235, but a problem with a loose rear tire forced an unscheduled pit stop that knocked him out of the top 10. Grade: B-

12. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin started sixth, and made it to as high as third late in the race but slipped outside the top 10 in the final 20 laps. Grade: C+

13. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. McMurray started 18th and worked his way up to fifth mid-race. In the end, he logged his second top-15 showing of the season. Grade: C+

14. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Larson steadily worked his way up throughout the race, starting 20th and eventually finding himself in the top 15 by Lap 300. Grade: B-

15. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Bayne led for 12 laps — the first time he’s led a race since May 4, 2014 at Talladega. He was involved in the 13-car wreck on Lap 293, however, and the best he could manage was 15th. Grade: B-

16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Stenhouse equaled his best start of the season in rolling off the grid fifth but had slipped to 13th by Lap 180. He, too, was involved in the late-race wreck, which pushed him outside the top 15. Grade: C+

17. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Another car involved in the late-race wreck, Newman had been just fair to middling throughout the race. In the end, he finished just two places higher than he started. Grade: C

18. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. He started eighth, but Keselowski had an unscheduled pit stop for a loose wheel on Lap 128, and said some of the things the No. 2 team tried in preparation for the Chase race in the fall didn’t work. Grade: C-

19. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Driving on worn tires, Dillon was clipped by Jimmie Johnson and spun into traffic to cause the 13-car wreck on Lap 293. After starting 10th, he had reached as high as second but was lucky to finish 19th. Grade: C-

20. Ty Dillon, No. 95 Chevrolet, Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing. Dillon worked his way up from starting 30th, to log his greatest place differential in four Cup races this season. Grade: C-

21. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. One race after her best finish of the season (16th in Martinsville), Patrick couldn’t improve much from her 26th-place start. Grade: C-

22. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing. Allmendinger couldn’t find any of the moxie that helped him finish second in Martinsville, starting the day 23rd, hovering around 23rd to 26th for most of the race before pushing to 22nd at the finish. Grade: C-

23. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. Mears equaled his worst starting position of the season (32nd) and worked his way up to 21st by Lap 240 but couldn’t get over the hump to improve further. Grade: C

24. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. A roller coaster season continued for Almirola as he dropped to as low as 35th and as high as 10th before finishing exactly where he began. Grade: C

25. Landon Cassill, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Cassill said he couldn’t figure out the right adjustments to make on his No. 38 Ford until the end of the race — when it mattered most. He jumped from 33rd on Lap 260 to finish 25th. Grade: C

26. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. One of the 13 cars involved in the Lap 293 wreck, Menard logged his second-worst finish of the season — after his second-worst start of the season. Grade: D+

27. Brian Scott, No. 44 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Another car involved in the big late-race wreck, ended up finishing exactly where he began the race. Grade: C-

28. Chris Buescher, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Buescher had his second-best finish of the season, and improved six places on his start. Grade: C-

29. Ryan Blaney, No. 21 Ford, Wood Brothers Racing. The rookie started seventh, but had to pit twice under green for reports of vibration. The No. 21 Ford never could figure out a solution, and slipped all the way to 29th. Grade: C-

30. Cole Whitt, No. 98 Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports. Starting 37th, Whitt improved little by little throughout the race until he finished 30th. Grade: C-

31. Regan Smith, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Another car involved in the Lap 293 wreck, Smith had been running around 24th until the incident. Grade: C-

32. Michael Annett, No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Yet another car involved in the 13-car wreck near the end, Annett still managed to finish three places higher than he began. Grade: C

33. David Ragan, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. Ragan was dinged in the late-race wreck, and his finish was his worst of the season. Grade: D+

34. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. The No. 83 Toyota had shown improvement from Daytona, but took a step back after starting 29th in Texas. Grade: D+

35. Jeffrey Earnhardt, No. 32 Ford, Go Fas Racing. In his fourth Cup race of the season, Earnhardt simply couldn’t make up much ground after starting 38th. Grade: D

36. Reed Sorenson, No. 55 Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports. Starting 40th for the second straight week, Sorenson managed to improve on his finish by one spot over last week. Grade: D.

37. Brian Vickers, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. A long day for Vickers began on a pit stop on Lap 110 when his brakes locked up as he attempted to avoid hitting Clint Bowyer. His car never felt right, and his day ended when he was involved in the Lap 293 wreck. Grade: D.

38. Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Bowyer’s subpar year continued, and his involvement in the 13-car wreck ended his day. His 38th was his worst finish of the season. Grade: D-

39. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle started 14th, but the contact with Kasey Kahne sent him careening into the wall for his worst finish of the season. Grade: D-

40. Josh Wise, No. 30 Chevrolet, The Motorsports Group. Wise slammed into the Turn 3 wall on Lap 212 and finished 40th for the first time this season. Grade: D-