Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full Stewart coverage

 

Tony Stewart, who will return to the track this weekend at Richmond International Raceway after missing the first eight races of the season, has been granted a waiver making him eligible to qualify for the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, according to NASCAR.

 

“NASCAR received the appropriate medical clearance documentation allowing Tony Stewart to resume normal racing activities,” NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell. “We also have granted the request from Stewart-Haas Racing for a waiver for Tony to be eligible to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. As he begins his final season, we wish Tony the best of luck.”

 

Because he did not attempt to qualify for every race, Stewart would not have been eligible for the 2016 postseason without the waiver. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver and co-owner is now in the same position as Kyle Busch in 2015.

 

The clearest path to the postseason, as Busch proved last year, is for Stewart to win one race before the regular season ends at Richmond in the fall, and climb into the top 30 in the points standings.

 

“Smoke” injured his back in an all-terrain vehicle accident in late January, and has been sidelined since. He’s been prevalent at the track, though, as drivers Ty Dillon and Brian Vickers have filled his seat.

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Tony Stewart announced via Twitter on Thursday that he would return to driving the No. 14 Chevrolet in this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway.

 

Stewart had been sidelined since suffering a serious back injury in a Jan. 31 all-terrain vehicle incident. Both Brian Vickers and Ty Dillon have served as fill-in drivers for Stewart-Haas Racing‘s No. 14 entry this season, which will be Stewart’s last before he retires.

 

Fellow drivers welcomed “Smoke” back with open arms by saying they are eager to see him on the track for the Toyota Owners 400 (1 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX.)

 

 

Jeff Gordon, who retired after the 2015 season and was with Stewart on the excursion in the sand dunes near the California-Arizona border, was among those welcoming Stewart back on Twitter.

Stewart plans to qualify the No. 14 at Talladega but use a relief driver for the GEICO 500 on May 1 because of the high risk of a wreck at the superspeedway. Dale Earnhardt Jr., however, doesn’t see such a fierce competitor stepping out of his car.

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RELATED: Pictures of ‘Smoke’ through the years

 

Tony Stewart appeared on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Thursday morning, giving a health update and an analysis on Stewart-Haas Racing‘s performance so far in 2016.

 

“I feel great,” Stewart said on the “Morning Drive” radio show. “I’ve done stuff that the doctors will cringe if they find out about. I’ve been working on my property on heavy equipment … I’ve been doing a lot of stuff that I probably shouldn’t be on and shouldn’t be driving around and operating, but I feel great.”

 

As for when he will return to the No. 14 Chevrolet? Stewart claims it’s just a matter of when the doctors clear him to get back into the seat. It’s been nearly three months since Stewart was initially hospitalized for his back injury.

 

While Stewart has been sidelined, his Stewart-Haas Racing team has been moving full steam ahead with Kevin Harvick‘s win at Phoenix in March and Kurt Busch consistently running in the top of the field, earning two top-five and six top-10 finishes so far this season, along with two Coors Light Pole Awards.

And as Stewart takes time to recover, the No. 14’s rookie crew chief Mike Bugarewicz has had to learn to work with shuffling interim drivers Brian Vickers and Ty Dillon .


“I think Kurt and Kevin are both on pace like they normally are,” Stewart said. “I think the 14 car obviously is backed in a corner because we have a rookie crew chief who’s doing a great job, but he definitely got dealt a bad hand when I got hurt and having to juggle around between two fill-in drivers before I get back in the car, but I think he’s done a great job. 


“I think he’s exceeded my expectations from the start of the year with these guys. I think Ty and Brian have done an awesome job driving the car and Mike has done an awesome job crew chiefing, so I think they’re doing well.”


That just leaves Danica Patrick, the fourth car in Stewart-Haas Racing‘s wheelhouse. 


“Hoping for a little more with Danica,” Stewart said. “But it’s early in the year and she’s with a new crew chief, as well, so it’s just a learning process right now. So I think we’ve got two cars in a decent position and we’ve got two we’ve got to work on.”


Patrick’s best finish of 2016 was 16th at Martinsville. The Sprint Cup Series is heading to Richmond International Raceway next weekend for the Toyota Owners 400 (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX) where the No. 10 SHR driver has a best finish of 16th in 2014.

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NASCAR gave written warnings to four teams in the Sprint Cup Series on Wednesday following last weekend’s action at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500. 

Meanwhile, in the XFINITY Series, one team was docked practice time and another will be without its crew chief, who was suspended and fined after the team received a P3-level penalty following the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 at the Tennessee short track.

 

The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team for Kevin Harvick, the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team for Carl Edwards and the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team for Dale Earnhardt Jr. all received written warnings for failing template inspection twice during pre-qualifying.

 

The No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing team for Trevor Bayne was issued a written warning for failing laser inspection twice, pre-qualifying.

 

The No. 33 team for Brandon Jones will lose 15 minutes of practice time at this weekend’s XFINITY event at Richmond International Raceway for failing pre-race laser inspection three times at Bristol.

 

The No. 3 XFINITY team for Ty Dillon will be without crew chief Nick Harrison, who was fined $10,000 and suspended from all NASCAR Series Championship points events through April 27 and placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31.

The team violated sections 20.4.13 and 20.4.13.1 a, b, c, d of the NASCAR Rule Book — spoiler extensions didn’t conform to NASCAR rules specifications — and was assesed the P3 in accordance with section 12.5.3.4.1 c.

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Red Horse Racing announced Wednesday that Matt Tifft would join the two-car team for select NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races. 


The 19-year-old is set to get behind the wheel for races at Kansas Speedway, Dover International Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and possibly more. Veteran crew chief Scott Zipadelli will join him.


“I’m looking forward to working with (teammate) Timothy (Peters) and (crew chief) Scott Zipadelli on our No. 11 Toyota Tundra team,” Tifft said in a team press release. “We’re going to some tracks I really enjoy and I’m confident we’re going to have some speed and we’ll go and try to get some really good runs.”


The announcement came after the organization revealed it was parting ways with Ben Kennedy. 


The year is off to a busy start for Tifft, who is in the middle of a 13-race deal with Joe Gibbs Racing in the XFINITY Series. His first start of 2016 comes at this weekend’s ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond International Raceway, where he will wheel the No. 18 Toyota.

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Kasey Kahne is picking up where Jeff Gordon left off in helping promote the AARP Foundation’s Drive to End Hunger campaign, with Hendrick Motorsports‘ relationship with the cause extending to a sixth Sprint Cup season.

 

Drive to End Hunger will be primary sponsor of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2016: Aug. 20 at Bristol Motor Speedway and Nov. 6 at Texas Motor Speedway. The cause will be an associate sponsor for the team in all other premier series events.

 

The Drive to End Hunger launched in 2011 as a primary sponsor for Hendrick Motorsports and four-time Sprint Cup Series champion Gordon. Since its inception, the organization has donated more than 34 million meals.

 

“Drive to End Hunger has been an incredible partner of Hendrick Motorsports,” Kahne said in a press release. “They made an unbelievable impact with Jeff, and I’m excited to work with them to continue those efforts and make a difference for the millions of older Americans who need our support. We hope to do as much good as possible and keep building this great relationship.”

 

Kahne joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2012 and has five victories in the No. 5 Chevrolet. So far in 2016, Kahne has two top-10 finishes, his best mark of the season two weeks ago at Texas. He has 17 career race wins.

 

“Winning races takes a team, and teamwork is at the core of all our efforts to create a food-secure nation,” said Lisa Marsh Ryerson, AARP Foundation president. “That’s why we are so pleased to continue our relationship with Rick Hendrick, whose commitment to winning is unparalleled, and to have Kasey Kahne join us as we work to help the more than 10 million older Americans who face the threat of hunger every single day.”

 

The No. 5 paint scheme will be a little different from the one fans saw on the No. 24. The design uses a black background with candy apple red and white accents, highlighted by a sleek matte finish. The hood will showcase a larger Drive to End Hunger “Forked D” logo.

 

“We continue to be inspired by Drive to End Hunger and the response it receives from the NASCAR community,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “Thanks to our amazing fans and the great work of AARP Foundation, many people have received life-changing assistance. That’s ultimately how our success is measured, and we look forward to doing much more together.”

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: See all the 2016 winners

BRISTOL, Tenn. — The reign of Kyle Busch may have momentarily subsided now that the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion went 0-for-2 this past weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, but Joe Gibbs Racing teams still wound up in Victory Lane twice.
 
Carl Edwards, Busch’s Sprint Cup teammate, scored the win for JGR in Sunday’s Food City 500. Erik Jones earned the victory a day earlier for the organization, capturing the XFINITY Series race.
 
So JGR teams haven’t been beaten in a few weeks now, mid-March actually. And the organization doesn’t appear to be headed for any sort of letdown.
 
All four Sprint Cup teams ran well at Bristol — with drivers Busch and teammate Matt Kenseth rallying on separate occasions after tire issues occured. Denny Hamlin ran in the top five, or nearly so, for the first 200 laps before a similar incident struck the No. 11 team.
 
But Bristol, about as unique of a track as one will find on the NASCAR schedule, won’t come around again for another four months. The “in-between” is littered with Dover and Charlotte, Pocono and Indy, Daytona and Loudon and many more … as well as this weekend’s stop at Richmond International Raceway.

RELATED: Recap all of Busch’s Cup wins | See all of Edwards’ Cup wins
 
It’s a track where all four JGR drivers have excelled. Busch is a four-time winner on the .75-mile layout and Kenseth beat ’em all the last time the series visited RIR last fall.
 
But advantages come and go quickly in NASCAR, and nowhere do they disappear as quickly as at the Sprint Cup level.
 
Before Busch went on his mini-tear, folks were talking about Jimmie Johnson and how the six-time series champion already had two wins this season and boy it sure looked like this new lower downforce package played right into his hands.
 
Things change. Advantages come and go.
 
Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski don’t drive for JGR and yet they’ve managed to win this season. And chances are they’ll win again. No one will be caught off guard if Joey Logano, Kurt Busch or Martin Truex winds up in the winners’ circle. It would be more surprising, in fact, if that doesn’t happen.
 
RELATED: See the Chase Grid picture

The bigger question isn’t can anyone beat Joe Gibbs Racing today. Instead, it’s how much does having a win change what a team does between victory and the start of the Chase?
 
For some, it probably does change things somewhat. That win-and-you’re-in mentality gives crew chiefs and engineers and even drivers the freedom to make changes and take chances without the concern of how it could affect them in the points standings.
 
It does not mean that after a win, teams will virtually disappear until the Chase. But it opens up the playbook considerably.
 
The need to win might not be as urgent, but the desire to doesn’t change.

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RELATED: Full Richmond schedule



Furniture Row Racing has made a change to its No. 78 pit crew.  



Tire changer Chris Taylor will be taking over front duties from Brian Eastlund for the foreseeable future. Taylor is a veteran changer who experienced success with Jamie McMurray at Chip Ganassi Racing and more recently on the No. 20 of Matt Kenseth.



Taylor has spent most of his career as a rear changer and had worked with Kenseth’s crew up until this year when a change was made. He’d also been serving as a Joe Gibbs Racing backup for most of the year.  


For more pit crew news, visit PitTalks.com.

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RELATED: Buy Darlington tickets | ’16 throwback schemes | SHOP: Smith gear


Regan Smith and Tommy Baldwin Racing have unveiled the throwback paint scheme that Smith’s No. 7 Road Rippers/Toy State Chevrolet will sport at Darlington Raceway over Labor Day weekend.

 

The paint scheme is a tribute to 1992 premier series champion Alan Kulwicki, who passed away in an airplane crash in 1993. From 1987 until his passing, Kulwicki drove the No. 7, earning all five of his wins with that number.

In a team release Smith said of honoring Kulwicki with the paint scheme, “It is a neat deal for me, I grew up watching him, Davey (Allison) and Bill (Elliott) battle it out for the ’92 championship. I am really looking forward to getting the No. 7 Road Rippers/Toy State Chevrolet on track Labor Day weekend.”

The Bojangles’ Southern 500 is set for Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. ET (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).