Posted on by Staff Report



RELATED: Race results | Chase Grid | Stewart Chase watch | Standings

 

Never one to mince (or soften) words, Tony Stewart had plenty to say after his win Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, a victory that saw him move Denny Hamlin in Turn 11 of the final lap.

 

His victory in the Toyota-Save Mart 350 put the Stewart-Haas Racing driver and co-owner on the verge of qualifying for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

 

After missing the first eight races of the season with a broken back, Stewart faced a difficult post-season path. Sunday’s win was the crucial first step to getting there. Since Stewart has a win, he just needs to finish the regular season in the top 30 in the points standings. He is nine points behind 30th-place Brian Scott with 10 regular-season races remaining.

 

Here’s what Stewart said in a wide-ranging post-race interview.

 

On the last lap

You can’t crack the door open with me on the last corner of the last lap and expect me to not take it. I’ll kick the door in or drive a bulldozer through it to keep it open. When you’re in a scenario like that, I don’t know if I’m going to get another scenario or opportunity to win another race the rest of the year. We’re going to try, but knowing that that could be the difference between making the Chase or not making the Chase, I wasn’t going to be cordial in the exit of the corner and I roughed him up pretty good. If it has been a street fight, he’d have had two black eyes after that. 

 

On his post-race talk with Hamlin

Probably one of the best parts and one of the parts I’ll probably remember most about this race was before I got to Victory Lane and Denny leaning in there and the first thing he says is ‘I’m so damned proud of you.’ That meant the world to me. I mean, I told him right after that, and I said, ‘You know I had to do that,’ and he goes, ‘I know.’

 

On crew chief Mike Bugarewicz

I’ve had some awesome crew chiefs, but that’s something I’m really proud of, that Mike, he will sit there the night before the race, he won’t go out, he won’t go with me to dirt races and he won’t go play when we took crew guys to Six Flags last night and he stayed home and did homework. He’s so detail-oriented on that, and all my crew chiefs have been, but they all have their own different style, and that’s something about Mike that I really respect and appreciate.

  

On the nature of the race        

Normally by the time you leave here you’re so mad at everybody, and all I do, I go back and I sit in the transporter and take a shower in there and sit for a half hour because I don’t want to see them at the helicopter pad because I’m so mad at a dozen guys, and I’m like, ‘I can’t whip them all at once.’ … Normally we have five cautions in the last 10, 15 laps. We had one, and it was for a car that was stopped off the side. It wasn’t even for a wreck. I would say it was probably a pretty good race.

 

On his team          

My guys have been through this whole disastrous roller coaster the last three or four years and never backed down. They’ve never quit on me. There’s days I’ve quit on myself and they’re the guys that send you text messages and call you when you get home like hey, this isn’t over. I’m proud for them, and it meant more for me to get it for them than for myself.”

 

On NASCAR’s future

You see Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott, there’s two guys right there that are filling seats that got this under control. I got in trouble enough one day that I got invited to fly down to Daytona Beach, Florida, and go to (NASCAR Chairman & CEO Brian France’s) office … and I was only in there for 10 minutes and then I got to drive back and fly home. But I remember him telling me, and I’m only saying this because it’s the truth, he was right, and it was something that resonated. He was like, you’re not bigger than the sport. You’re a star in the sport, but there were stars before you and there’s stars coming after you. With Jeff (Gordon) and I leaving, Chase Elliott is going to win a championship, and if the Wood Brothers keep going the way they are, Ryan Blaney is going to win a lot of races, too, and potentially win championships. … The sport is healthy, trust me.

 

On the emotional nature of Sunday’s win

This place has meant a lot to me. If I don’t win another one, it’s cool to win the last one here. If it doesn’t happen again, it’s cool. I’ll be all right if this is the last place I win one. I’m going for more, just for the record. I’m not saying I’m laying down, I’m saying if that’s the only one I get this year, then I’ll be content. But I don’t think ‑‑ I think you’ve known me long enough, you guys know that I don’t lay down for anything. All you’ve got to do is just give me that little bit of hope, and I’ll run with it.

 

MORE: Relive all of ‘Smoke’s’ win | Stewart: ‘I wasn’t going to be cordial’


Posted on by Staff Report




Posted on by Staff Report



RELATED: Full Sonoma results | Standings | Chase Grid
SHOP: Stewart gear


Tony Stewart returned from a back injury in April, and the three-time 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 pursuit after Sunday’s win at Sonoma, the season’s 16th of 26 regular-season races.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED
The Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner/wheelman’s phenomenal day at Sonoma started in 10th, and he raced inside the top five a good portion of the 110-lap event.

 

Following a Lap 87 caution, Stewart stayed out after just pitting previously for four tires prior to the caution, allowing him to cycle to the lead for the restart. He then remained atop the leaderboard to take the checkered flag, breaking an 84-race winless streak after a final lap battle with Denny Hamlin that saw Hamlin pass “Smoke” late, only to have Stewart return the favor at the very end. “Smoke’s” last win came in 2013 at Dover International Speedway.

 

He now sits nine points outside of the top 30 — which is where he needs to be in order to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and compete for his fourth championship.

RELATED: See how Stewart won at Sonoma | Overhead view of winning move

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 on Sunday — and climb into 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 now in the bank, Stewart can focus on reaching the top 30. He sits 32nd in the standings, nine points behind Brian Scott for 30th place. 

WHAT’S NEXT
“Smoke” heads to Daytona International Speedway (July 2 at 7:45 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), where he has four wins. In his 34 starts there, he also has nine top fives, 14 top-10 results and one pole award. Interestingly enough, all of his Daytona wins have come in the summer. 

RELATED: See all of Stewart’s wins | “Smoke” granted Chase waiver


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NASCAR Chairman & CEO Brian France joined FOX Sports’ Chris Myers during Sunday’s pre-race show on FS1, and the two discussed a number of topics — including the search for an entitlement sponsor, the possibility of mid-week races and the influx of talented young drivers.


See below for highlights of the conversation, which came on the final FOX Sports broadcast of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race for 2016.


On changes to NASCAR structure (including the Drivers Council and Charter system):

“Well, it’s a lot of structural changes that allow us to build for the future in a smarter way. It allows the owners to look at their expenses differently and build some enterprise value. … And it aligns our interests, too, which is very important. With the Drivers Council, it gives us the input that we need. That gives us the cooperation. This is an industry where the better we’re cooperating together, the better we can deliver for our fans the best, closest racing in the world.”


On lugnuts:

“That’s a safety thing. We would have preferred to not have to intervene all the time, but we will when we need to.”


On the search for a new entitlement sponsor:

“Several companies here (in California, site of this weekend’s race at Sonoma Raceway) are taking a hard look. It’s a very special asset in sports. We have a lot of interest and we just want to make a good decision as we go down this stretch and choose our next partner.”


On Tony Stewart retiring, other NASCAR stars advancing in age:

“I would be (concerned) if we didn’t have such a talented group of young drivers. And when we started the Drive for Diversity, we were out looking for different, talented drivers that maybe have a diverse background — you have Daniel Suarez being exemplary proof of that. We have a lot of talent coming.”


On a road course in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup:

“We would be for it. The reality is it’s very hard to get the schedule to match up.”


On more weeknight racing:

“Don’t see that.”


On the All-Star Race changing location:

“Maybe. There’s a lot of interest in that very interesting event. Charlotte’s been good to us for a lot of reasons, but we’ll always keep that open.”


On the possibility of shorter races:

“We’ve shortened some from time to time, and we’ll continue to look at it. And we’ll look at the format as well, not just the length of time but how it’s structured. … We’re OK with length of time.”


Posted on by Staff Report



The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Gateway Motorsports Park started late due to weather, and ended late due to a handful of red flags.


NASCAR drivers stayed up to watch the event on FS1, though, and were quick to chime in on Twitter when drivers John Wes Townley and Spencer Gallagher scrapped on the track following a wreck.

Here’s what they said:



Posted on by Staff Report



RELATED: Find NBCSN in your area

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series will race at Daytona International Speedway this week, while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is off. Check out the full weekend schedule below.


Note: All times are ET


SATURDAY, JULY 2:

PRE-RACE SCHEDULE

— 7:15:00 p.m.: NSCS Drivers Introductions 

— 7:45:00 p.m.: Intro Presentation of Colors & Invocation: Naval Air Station Jacksonville Honor Guard

— 7:45:20 p.m.: Invocation by: First Baptist Church of South Daytona Pastor, Ronnie Barton

— 7:46:00 p.m.: National Anthem: The U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence Band from Fort Benning, GA

— 7:47:10 p.m.: Flyby TOT: (4) F-16’s – 93rd Fighter Squadron, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida (Turn 1 to 4)

— 7:48:00 p.m.: Medal of Honor Recipients Presentation

— 7:56:00 p.m.: “Drivers, Start Your Engines” by: 17-year veteran of the Daytona Beach Fire Department – Victor Irland, EMT with Volusia County EMS – David Aiken, Deputy with Volusia County Sheriff’s Office – Brett Whitson, Officer with Daytona Beach Police Department – Ryan Forrest

— 8:08:00 p.m.: Start of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona (160 Laps, 400 Miles)


ON TRACK

— 7:45 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola (160 laps, 400 miles), NBC (Results)


PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)

— 11 p.m. (approx.): NBC America Post-NASCAR Sprint Cup race show


DAILY ROUNDUP
— Snapshot: Daytona
— Tifft tweets upbeat video after surgery for brain tumor
— See photos from race day at Daytona
— ‘Big One’ takes out big names at Daytona; more than half the field involved
— Stewart wrecks late in his final Daytona race
— Keselowski earns first win at Daytona
— Watch the final laps as Keselowski, Busch brothers battle for the win
— Stewart Chase Watch post-Daytona
— Watch Keselowski celebrate first Daytona win
— Watch Ku. Busch describe final lap wreck with Logano
— Logano give his side to contact with Busch
— Roush Fenway trio scores top-10 results at Daytona
— Ku. Busch, Tony Gibson have harsh words for Logano post-race


THURSDAY, JUNE 30:

— 2-2:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series first practice, NBCSN (Results)

— 3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first practice, NBCSN—CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER

— 4-4:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN — CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER

— 5-5:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN — CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER

GARAGECAM (Watch live)
— 1:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series
— 2:30 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)

— 12:15 p.m.: Joe Gibbs Racing

— 2:15 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

— 4:10 p.m.: Denny Hamlin


DAILY ROUNDUP
— Drivers show support for Orlando victims at Daytona
— NBC preps for first broadcast of 2016
— E. Jones tops opening XFINITY practice
— See photos from Thursday’s action at Daytona 
— Live weather updates from Daytona
— Hamlin: ‘I didn’t let Tony win, I made a mistake’
— For Junior, confidence is key to winning at Daytona
— Rain curtails on-track activity at Daytona


FRIDAY, JULY 1: 

— 9:45-10:30 a.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN (Results)

— 2:10 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN (Results) 

— 4:50 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN (Results) 

— 7:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Subway Firecracker 250 Powered by Coca-Cola (100 laps, 250 miles), NBCSN (Results)


PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)

— 12:45 p.m.: Bobby Labonte

— 1:35 p.m.: Aric Almirola

— 5:15 p.m. (approx.): Post-NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying

— 9:45 p.m. (approx.): Post-NASCAR XFINITY Series race

DAILY ROUNDUP
— Biffle scores Coors Light Pole Award
— Bad luck bites ‘Rowdy’ in practice
— Scott leads lone practice session
— Stewart’s helmet honors ‘Intimidator’
— Suarez takes hard hit at Daytona
— ‘Big One’ collects 14 cars on backstretch
— Almirola wins Daytona NXS race in reviewed finish
— Allgaier comes up short in Daytona reviewed finish


Posted on by Staff Report



RELATED: Find NBCSN in your area

All times ET


Monday, June 27
6 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin for Linemen 200 (re-air), FS1
8:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/SaveMart 350 (re-air), FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN

Tuesday, June 28
2:30 a.m., NASCAR The List (re-air), NBCSN
4 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/SaveMart 350 (re-air), FS1
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
8 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR The List (re-air), NBCSN
5:30 p.m., NASCAR The List (re-air), NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN

Wednesday, June 29
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
8 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
8:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin for Linemen 200 (re-air), FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
8 p.m., #NASCARThrowback: 2001 July Daytona race, NBCSN
8 p.m., #NASCARThrowback: 2001 July Daytona race (re-air), NBCSN

Thursday, June 30
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
8 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
Noon, NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
1 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
2 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, NBCSN
3 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, NBCSN
4 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
8 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice (re-air), NBCSN
9 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice (re-air), NBCSN
10 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice (re-air), NBCSN
11 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race: Sonoma Raceway (taped), NBCSN

Friday, July 1
2:30 a.m., NASCAR Special (re-air), NBCSN
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
9:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN
Noon, NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice (re-air), NBCSN
1 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice (re-air), NBCSN
2 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
4 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
7 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown, NBCSN
7:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Subway Firecracker 250 Powered by Coca-Cola, NBCSN
10 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Post-Race Show, NBCSN
10:30 p.m., Building 43 (re-air), NBCSN

Saturday, July 2
2 p.m., Building 43 (re-air), NBCSN
5:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR America Saturday, NBCSN
7 p.m., NASCAR Countdown, NBC
7:45 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola, NBC
11 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race Show, NBCSN
11:30 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN

Sunday, July 3
1:30 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lane, FS1
2:30 a.m., NASCAR The List: Greatest Finishes (re-air), NBCSN
9:30 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lane (re-air), FS1
10 a.m., WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: Watkins Glen, FS1
3 p.m., NASCAR 120, NBCSN
11 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap (re-air), NBCSN





Posted on by Reid Spencer



RELATED: Race results | Updated standings
SHOP: Stewart gear


SONOMA, Calif. — Is Tony Stewart having fun yet?

In his last year of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing, Stewart came to Sonoma Racing asserting on Friday he wasn’t having much fun driving a Sprint Cup Series car.

That all changed in Sunday’s Toyota-Save Mart 350 at the 1.99-mile road course, where Stewart bulldozed Denny Hamlin into the outside wall in Turn 11, executing a dramatic last-lap pass for his first victory since June 2, 2013 at Dover to snap an 84-race losing skid.

In the three years since that victory, a succession of injuries and a personal tragedy have limited the three-time champion’s time in a Sprint Cup Series car and limited Stewart’s effectiveness when he was behind the wheel of the No. 14 Chevrolet he co-owns with Gene Haas.


RELATED: See Stewart’s Victory Lane celebration

But on Sunday, after a prescient pit call by crew chief Mike Bugarewicz put Stewart in the lead for a restart on Lap 91 of 110. Stewart held the top spot at the start/finish line for the rest of the race, but that hardly describes the excitement of the final lap.

For the second straight circuit, Stewart wheel-hopped the No. 14 Chevrolet into Turn 7, and Hamlin took full advantage, giving Stewart a bump and charging past him. In hot pursuit through the esses and Turn 10, Stewart caught Hamlin in the hairpin (Turn 11) when Hamlin slipped and ran wide.

“I made mistakes the last two laps,” acknowledged Stewart, who missed the first eight races of the season after injuring his back in an ATV accident during the offseason. “I had just a little bit too much rear brake for Turn 7, and wheel-hopped it two laps in a row. I felt a nudge when I got down there and he knew where it was and he did the right thing doing it there.”

“But if I could get to him, he knew what was coming. He told me (after the race) he was proud of me. He knows what it means. We were teammates for a long time (at Joe Gibbs Racing), and we respect each other a lot.”

Contact from Stewart’s car sent Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota fish-tailing into the outside wall, but Hamlin held the runner-up spot, crossing the stripe .625 seconds behind the race winner.

“I take that, but I’m probably going to get the (crap) beat out of me,” Stewart said on his radio, after notching his third victory at Sonoma, his eighth on a road course and the 49th of his career.


MORE: From 1 to 49, see all of Stewart’s wins


Though disappointed at the outcome, Hamlin didn’t begrudge Stewart the victory, given the circumstances. Stewart needed a win to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, and with Sunday’s result, Smoke is 32nd in the standings, nine points away from the 30th position he needs to achieve to become Chase-eligible.

In other words, Stewart is all but a lock to compete for a fourth title in NASCAR’s 10-race playoff.

“I thought with two or three (laps) to go he pretty much had it, but he made a couple mistakes and allowed us to get pretty close,” Hamlin said. “And then we just both wheel-hopped into 7, and I just let off my wheel-hop a little bit so I could get to his rear bumper and get him out of the groove just a touch. 

“It was perfectly executed, but I was going through the esses knowing that I needed to get the biggest gap that I could going into (Turn) 11, and when he was two back or so going into 11, I just … I didn’t run a low enough line in Turn 11 from wheel-hopping in Turn 7.  I got the rears hot, wheel-hopped it a little bit again, got out of line, and obviously gave him the inside line.”

Third-place finisher Joey Logano was trailing the action into the final corner, hoping Hamlin and Stewart would take each other out.

“Going into Turn 11, I was 100 percent sure that Denny was not going to win just by watching it, and we were right there on the cusp of trying to sneak one by,” Logano said.

Having opened up the inside lane in Turn 11, Hamlin shared Logano’s sense of inevitability.

“Once I knew he had position, and we had a wall on the other side of us, then I knew, pretty good chance, that we were going to go in the wall,” Hamlin said. “I don’t think he was going to leave it to chance, a drag race coming off Turn 11. We definitely had a car that should have won, but we were on the bad end of the deal.”

Had Stewart and Bugarewicz not chosen the perfect time to make a pit stop, however, Stewart almost certainly would not have won the race. With NASCAR officials scanning the track after reports of debris between Turns 6 and 7, Stewart and his crew chief decided to gamble and bring the car to the pits on Lap 86.

NASCAR called the caution a lap later, and when all the rest of the contending cars pitted under yellow on Lap 88, Stewart inherited a lead he would hold — with the exception of Hamlin’s brief interlude from Turns 7 to 11 — for the rest of the race.

“It was just a chance that we took, a chance to get a win,” Bugarewicz said.

Coors Light Pole Award winner Carl Edwards — who led 24 laps — finished fourth, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch. Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch completed the top 10. Harvick retained the series lead by 35 points over second-place Kurt Busch.


Road-racing expert AJ Allmendinger led 20 laps in the JTG Daugherty Racing No. 47 Chevrolet and finished 14th. His team was penalized for an uncontrolled tire on its final pit stop, knocking him from contention.
 

Home-state driver Kyle Larson spent much of the day in the top five, but fell from the hunt with a pit-road speeding penalty in a Lap 70 stop. He finished 12th.


Notes: Clint Bowyer, a winner at Sonoma in 2012, was sidelined after completing just five laps by an electrical issue that filled the cockpit of his No. 15 Chevrolet with smoke. “Smoke is never good in the cockpit and it stinks. Hell, I couldn’t breathe,” said Bowyer, who finished last in the 40-car field. … Former NASCAR Next driver Dylan Lupton finished 35th in his Sprint Cup debut as the last driver on the lead lap. … Sunday before the race, Toyota — the race co-sponsor and the track’s official vehicle — announced a three-year extension of its partnership with Sonoma Raceway. The deal continues a sponsorship that has been in place since 2007. … The series’ next race is scheduled Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, which will host the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola (7:45 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM).


Contributing: Staff reports


Posted on by George Winkler



RELATED: Full race results | Standings | Chase Grid

SONOMA, Calif. — Denny Hamlin emerged from his car on pit road red-faced after Tony Stewart bumped him out of the way on the last lap en route to a dramatic win in Sunday’s Toyota-Save Mart 350. But Hamlin wasn’t angry about getting roughed up by the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. He was just hot from a sunny, 91-degree day in wine country.

And after walking around the back of his No. 11 Toyota to survey the damage, Hamlin removed his hat, wiped his brow and started to talk. This was as close as Hamlin had ever come to tasting a road-course victory, so disappointment — maybe even anger — would have been an understandable response, but instead he accepted the way the last lap played out.

 

WATCH: Hamlin blames second-place finish on poor execution

 

“He (Stewart) made mistakes that allowed me to get there and get position, and then I made a mistake at the end to give up the lead in the last corner,” Hamlin said. “Just one of those deals. I’d like to be on the winning end of this, but unfortunately we’re on the bad end.”

The mistakes Hamlin referenced came in Turns 7 and 11, the best places to pass on the 1.99-mile road course throughout the day. Hamlin said Stewart wheel-hopped in Turn 7 on the final two laps to open the door for the No. 11 car to get close and then move ahead on the final lap. But Hamlin came into Turn 11 too high, allowing Stewart to move underneath, push aside Hamlin and drive away for the win.

“My biggest problem all day is I wasn’t very good on the second half of the track,” Hamlin said. “I thought my car was very good up until Turn 7, and then down the hill in 11 we just weren’t very fast for whatever reason. It’s a problem I’ve had here for 11 years.”

 

RELATED: See the final lap battle | Relive the day in photos

 

Coming into Sunday’s race, Hamlin had produced only one other top-five finish (2009), and entered with an average finish of 21.7 in 20 career Sprint Cup road-course races. None of that mattered, though, Sunday as Hamlin led the most laps with 33 (of 110) and was in position to get his first road-course win. 

A caution on Lap 94 set up what turned out to be the final restart on Lap 97, and Stewart and Hamlin were 1-2, respectively, when the green flag dropped. 

Stewart and Martin Truex Jr., who was third at the time, got clean restarts on the inside line, while Hamlin didn’t fare as well on the outside line. Hamlin dropped into third place, and according to him, that played a factor in the final outcome.

“We got a bad (restart), but Tony got a real good one and the inside line got a good start,” Hamlin said. “And that allowed Martin to get by me and I burned up way too much of my tires getting back around him.”

But nothing was guaranteed for Stewart, and when Hamlin pulled ahead on the final lap, it looked as if it might be Denny’s day and not Tony’s. Both were battling for the win and wheel-hopped into Turn 7 on the final lap, perhaps sensing the urgency to get a big win.

“I didn’t run a low enough line in Turn 11 from wheel-hopping in Turn 7,” Hamlin said. “I got the rears hot, wheel-hopped it a bit again, got out of line, and obviously gave him the inside line.

“Once I knew he had position and we had a wall on the other side of us, that I knew, pretty good chance that we were going to go in the wall,” Hamlin said. “I don’t think he was going to leave it to chance, a drag race coming off Turn 11.”

Afterward, Hamlin went up to Stewart’s car and put his head in the window, and Stewart admitted afterward he thought maybe he was going to have to fight. But instead, Hamlin said, “I’m so damn proud of you.”


Posted on by Holly Cain



SONOMA, Calif. — Dressed in a nice suit and looking very comfortable trackside at Sonoma Raceway — Jeff Gordon addressed the media before his final FOX Sports race broadcast of the season, Sunday’s Toyota – Save Mart 350.

The Northern California native spoke about his first season behind the microphone instead of behind the wheel of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevrolet in 24 years. He’s been a popular addition to the FOX broadcast booth and the love goes both ways — even as Gordon’s maiden television season has certainly presented a couple of high profile talking points.

The four-time Cup champion addressed rumors he may join Kelly Ripa on the hugely popular LIVE with Kelly daily morning show. He’s been a popular and often-tapped co-host and now that he’s not racing fulltime Gordon admitted he would be open to the idea — only if it was concurrent to his job as FOX Sports broadcaster, something he has grown fond of.

“I’m flattered that my name has been associated with that,’’ Gordon said, adding, “I had a great time cohosting on that show, and I mean, I certainly would welcome it.

“My priority is FOX and FOX Sports and NASCAR, so I will definitely be back in the booth next year.”

Gordon also spoke out about his recent and well-publicized disagreement with driver Brad Keselowski over comments Gordon made about the 2012 champ during the recent Pocono race weekend.

Gordon said the two have spoken recently and politely agreed to disagree.

“You know, honestly, I love what Brad brings to the sport,” Gordon said. “I think that he maybe feels or felt like I carried over some of that animosity from our run‑in on the race track and the issue in Texas, but it’s actually quite the opposite. I’ve put that aside, and I really like what he brings and his unique perspective on the sport.

“I don’t necessarily think the same way that he does. I don’t know a lot of people that do. But I think that it’s really interesting, and I like hearing it, and I like seeing it.

“I was a little bit caught off guard by some of his perspectives because on one hand, I hear him talking about journalism, and I don’t consider myself a journalist, I’ll be honest. I guess there’s a part of what we do that’s journalism, but just being an analyst, covering a live race and just trying to talk about what’s happening out there, even if it’s video, I think it’s slightly different.

“The integrity to me is I’ve got to call it the way I see it, and if it comes across on the screen, then I want to do the best I can for the viewers to analyze it.”

Gordon conceded that as a current car owner — in partnership with his former boss Rick Hendrick on the No. 48 of Jimmie Johnson — and the immediate former driver of the No. 24 car that rookie Chase Elliott steers — there are some inherent aspects of the sport he naturally pays lots of attention to.

“There’s no doubt I have some bias, and I think everybody does in some way, and so that part I agree with him (Keselowski),” Gordon said. “Yeah, there’s times when it’s hard for me not to want to talk about Chase Elliott or one of the Hendrick drivers when they’re doing something good, but I’ll talk about them when they’re doing something bad, too.

“I love what Brad brings, and we had a nice conversation, and it made for good TV to be honest. And I think Brad and I have more common respect that came out of it, even though we don’t agree on all of the things.”

With Gordon’s retirement at the end of 2015 and three-time Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart‘s impending retirement at the end of this year, Gordon acknowledged there will be a certain amount of veteran void upcoming in the series.

And it could change the tenor of the garage. That was definitely evident on Friday as Stewart strongly criticized some of the drivers for their efforts on track during practice session.

“Let’s talk Tony into sticking around a little longer then because obviously it sounds like we need him,” Gordon said, smiling. “That’s what he can do. He’s one of the few, I think, that has that ability.

“What I do relate to with Tony is frustrations as you get later in your career. You know, I think all of us as we get older, our tempers and our ‑‑ I guess our fuse — just gets a little bit shorter and you lose patience, and I don’t know if that’s just when you get into the later stages of your career or if it’s just getting older and part of it.”

Gordon certainly seems genuinely happy with his career transition — acknowledging there has been a lot to learn but also a lot to enjoy.

Gordon said he will still make many of the season’s second half races and will keep plenty busy promoting the release of his biography “Jeff Gordon: His Dream, Drive & Destiny” written by “New York Times” bestselling author Joe Garner.

“As far as the actual part of being in the booth, I guess I’m somewhat surprised that it’s gone as well as it has,” Gordon said. “I think it’s gone better than I expected. I’m enjoying it far more than I expected.

“I thought, oh, boy, this is so much outside of my comfort zone and what I’ve done for so many years that it’s going to take me a while to get comfortable with it, and yet ‑‑ and I give a lot to credit to DW (Darrell Waltrip), Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Barry Landis and Artie Kempner. There’s a lot of people. They’ve really welcomed me and made me feel very, very comfortable right away. That transition has just gone better, I guess, than anticipated.”