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Eldora Speedway announced Friday that Aspen Dental will sponsor the Ohio dirt track’s annual race for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

 

The fourth annual 150-lap race, the only NASCAR national series event on a dirt speedway, is scheduled July 20 (9 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The track discontinued the Mudsummer Classic name in the offseason because of a conflict with Major League Baseball’s “Midsummer Classic” name for its annual All-Star Game.

 

NASCAR returned to dirt-track racing with the inaugural truck event at Eldora in 2013, marking the first national series race on dirt since 1970.

 

Friday’s announcement coincided with a media event at Talladega Superspeedway featuring Danica Patrick — who drives the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 10 Chevrolet with Aspen Dental sponsorship — and Tony Stewart, who purchased the Eldora track in 2004.

 

Aspen Dental is in the midst of a five-year partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing. The East Syracuse, New York-based business increased its backing of Patrick’s efforts this season, doubling its role as primary sponsor to four NASCAR Sprint Cup races in 2016.

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Practice 2: Results

 

Matt Tifft kicked off the weekend strong, topping final NASCAR XFINITY Series practice at Talladega Superspeedway. Tifft, who was wheeling the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, earned a fastest lap of 181.918 mph.

 

Next was the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Ty Dillon (181.515 mph), last week’s Dash 4 Cash winner.

 

Rounding out the top three was the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Brandon Jones (180.346 mph).

 

The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Daniel Suarez, the current points leader, and No. 51 Chevrolet of Jeremy Clements were fourth and fifth, respectively. 

 

The defending race winner Joey Logano finished the 55-minute session 33rd (153.787 mph). 

 

Practice 1: Results

 

Darrell Wallace Jr. scooted to the top spot in opening NASCAR XFINITY Series practice Friday at Talladega Superspeedway.

Wallace wheeled the Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford to a best lap of 192.413 mph around the 2.66-mile track. He vaulted to the top of the leaderboard with an aerodynamic boost from teammate Ryan Reed, who clocked the second-fastest lap at 192.355 mph in Roush Fenway’s No. 16 Ford.

Ty Dillon, last week’s winner of the Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus from the series sponsor, was third-fastest at 191.827 mph in the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet.

Matt Tifft (191.670 mph) was fourth-best in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota with Austin Dillon (190.601) completing the top five in Childress’ No. 2 Chevy in early prep for Saturday’s Sparks Energy 300 event (3 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Series points leader Daniel Suarez, in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota, wound up 10th of the 43 drivers to turn laps in the opening 55-minute session. Sprint Cup regular Joey Logano, the defending race winner, was 18th-best in Team Penske‘s No. 22 Ford.

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Practice 2: Full results

Joey Logano launched to the fastest speed in final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice Friday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway.

Logano, winner of the series’ most recent race here last October, posted a best lap of 196.290 mph in the Team Penske No. 22 Ford. He was just .013 seconds ahead of Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Ryan Blaney, second-fastest at 196.238 mph in the Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford.

Fellow rookie Chase Elliott was third-fastest at 196.185 mph in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet. Danica Patrick (195.094 mph) and rookie Brian Scott completed the top five in the final 55-minute prep for Sunday’s GEICO 500 (1 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Few drivers participated in large packs, with most spending time concentrating on single-car runs to prepare for Saturday’s Coors Light Pole Qualifying (12:30 p.m. ET, FOX). But with inclement weather in Saturday’s forecast, several drivers attempted to better their position in the practice order should qualifying be washed out.

Among those was Blaney, one of five drivers attempting to qualify for the four starting berths reserved for open, non-chartered teams. He received aerodynamic help from Logano, whose Penske team shares an alliance with the Wood Brothers, a fellow Ford operation.

Ty Dillon, on standby for Tony Stewart in his second race back from a back injury, was 16th-fastest in the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Chevrolet. The team spent the majority of the session practicing in the garage for a quick driver change, something the team plans to do midstream in Sunday’s 500-miler as Stewart eases his way back from his injuries.

Defending race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. was seventh-fastest at 193.584 mph around the 2.66-mile track.

 

Practice 1: Full results

 

Two-time Talladega Superspeedway winner Jamie McMurray topped opening practice. The wheelman of the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Chevrolet posted a fastest lap of 199.737 mph. 

 

Rookie Chase Elliott was second-fastest during the 55-minute session, propelling the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet around the 2.66-mile track at 199.729 mph.

 

Stewart-Haas Racing‘s Kurt Busch rounded out the top three with his No. 41 coming in at 199.409 mph. 

 

Busch’s teammate Danica Patrick was next in her No. 10 Chevrolet (199.384 mph) while the No. 6 of Trevor Bayne earned the fifth-quickest lap (199.317 mph).

 

The back-to-back race winner of 2016, Carl Edwards was 23rd (196.552 mph) in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

 

Tony Stewart and Ty Dillon took turns wheeling the No. 14 throughout practice and earned 29th (195.884 mph). Dillon will fill in as a relief driver for “Smoke” during qualifying and the 500-mile event. 

 

Six-time Talladega winner, and defending race champ, Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished practice 32nd (195.150 mph).

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# Car Driver Team
1 7 Regan Smith Golden Corral Chevrolet
2 47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger/Hungry Jack/Crisco Chevrolet
3 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet
4 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet
5 83 Matt DiBenedetto Dustless Blasting Toyota
6 46 Michael Annett Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
7 30 * Josh Wise Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet
8 32 Bobby Labonte Rimrock Devlin Ford
9 23 David Ragan Schluter Systems Toyota
10 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr Nationwide Chevrolet
11 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford
12 43 Aric Almirola Fresh From Florida Ford
13 14 Ty Dillon(i) Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet
14 15 Clint Bowyer AccuDoc Solutions Chevrolet
15 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance Chevrolet
16 34 Chris Buescher # Love’s Travel Stops/CSX-Play it Safe Ford
17 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr Fifth Third Bank Ford
18 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota
19 19 Carl Edwards ARRIS Toyota
20 78 Martin Truex Jr Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Toyota
21 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota
22 44 Brian Scott # Twisted Tea Ford
23 38 Landon Cassill FR8Auctions Ford
24 3 Austin Dillon Dow – Energy & Water/Intellifresh Chevrolet
25 98 * Cole Whitt RticCoolers.com Toyota
26 27 Paul Menard Moen/Menards Chevrolet
27 18 Kyle Busch Skittles Marvel Toyota
28 35 * David Gilliland Shaw’s Southern Belle Seafood Ford
29 21 * Ryan Blaney # Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
30 55 * Michael Waltrip Peak & BlueDEF Toyota
31 16 Greg Biffle Ford EcoBoost Ford
32 95 Michael McDowell Thrivent Financial Chevrolet
33 42 Kyle Larson Target Chevrolet
34 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford
35 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet
36 4 Kevin Harvick Busch Fishing Chevrolet
37 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford
38 10 Danica Patrick Aspen Dental Chevrolet
39 41 Kurt Busch Monster Energy Chevrolet
40 24 Chase Elliott # NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet
41 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s Chevrolet

* Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

Posted on by Pat DeCola

RELATED: Full schedule for Talladega

 

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Dale Earnhardt Sr. would have been 65 years old on Friday.

Fittingly, his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., spoke about his father on Friday at Talladega Superspeedway, where the paternal duo has a combined 16 Sprint Cup Series victories.

“It’s crazy to think of what he would have been like at 65 years old,” said the Hendrick Motorsports driver. “You kind of had an idea he wouldn’t have changed a whole lot had he lived a little bit longer, but at 65 and what would he have been like at 80 and all those things would be hard to imagine.”

RELATED: Crew, competitors recall Earnhardt’s final win | See all of his 76 wins

So often in racing — and in sports in general — names and figures come and go as they pass through, their careers short or long.

One has remained constant — Earnhardt.

“One of the best things about it, and I’ve said it before, is that it’s great that people still talk about him. That the sport, his fans, the media, that everybody still acknowledges who he was and what he meant. That is all I care about … that we don’t ever forget just the impact that he had because I felt like he had so much influence, definitely in the top five, top three people that influenced this sport as a whole, as much as Bill (France) Sr. and guys like that. I put him right up there with people that really changed the sport.

“It’s so awesome to see him get that kind of appreciation and recognition after all these years. Hopefully, that is something that never changes. I see it on his birthday and days like this is when I’m reminded of that appreciation that everybody has for him.”

Posted on by Pat DeCola

RELATED:  No team orders for Edwards, Busch | Vote: Clean or dirty move?

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Following last weekend’s thrilling finish to the Sprint Cup series race at Richmond International Raceway in which Carl Edwards bumped teammate Kyle Busch from the lead to pick up his second straight victory, the lingering question in the days leading up to this weekend’s events at Talladega Superspeedway was if the Joe Gibbs Racing duo would bury the hatchet.
 
According to Edwards, the two drivers have yet to speak to each other.
 
“No, Kyle and I have not had a chance to talk yet,” Edwards said Friday at Talladega Superspeedway. “I was testing at (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) for two days. I missed the meetings. This weekend will require us to all get together as a group and work well together. I’m sure we’ll have a chance to talk.”


Busch confirmed Sunday at Talladega during the pre-race telecast that he and Edwards still have yet to clear the air, replying to FOX Sports analyst Kenny Wallace‘s question about the situation with a simple, “No.” 


Much was made of the move that saw Edwards nudge his teammate Busch, the reigning series champion, up the track in Turns 3 and 4 on the final lap to beat him by .675 seconds on the Virginia short track.
 
RELATED: Cain: Edwards’ move is what racing is all about
 
Was it clean? Was it dirty? Should it matter that they’re teammates? Should it matter that they’re both already virtually locked into the Chase for the Sprint Cup by virtue of their early-season wins?
 
(A NASCAR.com poll revealed that 76 percent of our readers deemed it a clean, racing move, for what it’s worth.)
 
But it all boils down to how the pair — who’ve been racing against each other full-time for over a decade, but have been teammates for just over a year — will handle things moving forward, both on and off the track.
 
Busch was understandably terse in his post-race press conference at Richmond on Sunday, deflecting questions about the incident and instead noting how good of a car his team gave him.
 
The two-time 2016 race winner has yet to offer any comment since.

RELATED: Recap all of Edwards’ wins | All of Busch’s wins

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In an effort to improve pit stops, Stewart-Haas Racing has moved around several crew members between its teams.  

 

This past weekend’s Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway saw different faces on different teams. So let’s start with the easy stuff: The No. 4 (Kevin Harvick) and No. 41 (Kurt Busch) looked to be the same as at Daytona. Both teams have been performing at a top level for years, and we didn’t see any changes as of Richmond. 


Now the fun stuff. The No. 10 car of Danica Patrick had a different front carrier, rear changer, and rear carrier. The team moved rear carrier Matt Holzbaur to the front and added rear changer Jonathan Sherman and rear carrier Jeremy Howard. Both Sherman and Howard came from the No. 38 team (Landon Cassill), which is pit supported by SHR. The No. 14 of Tony Stewart got a new front changer in Ryan Mulder. Mulder was moved from the rear of the No. 10 to the front of the No. 14. 

The No. 38 team got a new front changer, front carrier, rear changer and rear carrier. Bryan Jacobsen moved from the No. 14 is now on the front with Jeff Shoaf, who moved from the No. 10 team. Anchoring the rear are now Chris Jackson and Tyler Bullard, who previously had worked up front on the 38.

From what we can tell, no new pit crew members were hired or fired, just a restructuring of crewmen. Sometimes it takes a shake up to get the best crews together and it looks like SHR is trying to find the best combinations for its teams.

For more pit crew news, visit PitTalks.com.

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Brad Keselowski Racing announced Thursday that it plans to field a third truck in two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races in May.

BKR plans to field the No. 2 Ford for Austin Cindric on May 13 at Dover International Raceway and for Austin Theriault on May 20 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The two will race alongside the Statesville, North Carolina-based team’s two full-time drivers — Daniel Hemric and Tyler Reddick.

The 17-year-old Cindric is scheduled to make just his third Camping World Truck Series start. He was 25th (Martinsville) and 14th (Phoenix) driving BKR’s No. 29 Ford in two appearances near the end of last season.

“A track called the ‘Monster Mile’ shouldn’t be taken lightly,” Cindric said in a news release provided by the team. “They tell me that the two truck races that I was able to do last year at Martinsville and Phoenix were difficult tracks to figure out, and I believe Dover will be the same. As I haven’t been able to test, I’ve been watching as much video as possible while reaching out to as many people as I can to pick their brain about what it takes to be fast at Dover. I’m just going in with no expectations, trying to absorb as much information as possible and have fun with it.”

Theriault, 22, will be making his second start of the year after placing a crash-related 27th in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. He also made nine starts for BKR last season, recording two top-five finishes (Daytona, Texas).

“I was really proud of the effort at Daytona and how strong our performance was, and I feel like Charlotte won’t be any different,” Theriault said. “I’m going there with the expectation to win. I know we will have a strong Ford F-150 race truck at Charlotte and we plan to perform well, just like we did earlier this year at Daytona. At the end of the day, we want to win, and we have all the resources here at BKR to do just that at Charlotte.”

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This weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway will bring new excitement, drama and possibly a surprising race winner. Hendrick Motorsports is typically known as the organization to beat at the 2.66-mile track, but the recent domination of Joe Gibbs Racing‘s four-car team may threaten the HMS quartet in the battle to top the leaderboard.

 

In the latest Head-to-Head, NASCAR.com’s Taylor Starer and Maggie MacKenzie debate which team is more likely to prevail at Talladega. Read their thoughts and vote in the poll below with your opinion.

 

MACKENZIE: Let’s get the Talladega weekend going. There’s something about ‘Dega that makes it so intriguing, from big wrecks to big wins. Now, if there’s one thing certain, it’s that Hendrick Motorsports and the superspeedway go together perfectly. Dale Earnhardt Jr., for example, goes into every ‘Dega race as the clear favorite thanks to his six wins there — his winningest track to date. And let’s not forget his 12 top fives and 16 top 10s, either. 

 

Junior has led multiple laps during each of the last five Sprint Cup races at the Alabama track, so expect the No. 88 to be up front once again and lead.

 

STARER: Dale Jr. always brings it at Talladega, that’s no secret. But the success Joe Gibbs Racing has seen this season is proving to be unmatchable. For starters, the four-car Toyota team just swept the month of April, with Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards dominating races at Martinsville, Texas, Bristol and Richmond. 

 

Junior and the rest of the Hendrick Motorsports wheelhouse have a strong history at ‘Dega, but JGR has some serious momentum this season. I’d be interested to see if Junior’s Talladega knowledge is enough to outsmart everything JGR has learned so far this season.

 

MACKENZIE: There’s no doubt that the JGR foursome has been on fire lately and whatever ingredients it has been mixing up make for one sweet concoction. With that being said, don’t forget that Hendrick has been having success thus far, too.

 

“Six-Time” added two wins to his resume this year at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Auto Club Speedway, while Kasey Kahne earned a season-best, fourth-place result at last week’s Richmond race. And let’s not count out rookie Chase Elliott. Elliott is the best newcomer in the Cup field and his back-to-back top-five finishes at Texas and Bristol proved he can outrace the veterans. It’s only a matter of time before the 20-year-old wheels that iconic No. 24 to Victory Lane.

 

STARER: All valid points, Maggie. But let’s not forget who won this year’s Daytona 500, the only other restrictor-plate race that the Sprint Cup Series has run this season. That’s right, Denny Hamlin. And it wasn’t Hamlin’s first show of superspeedway success. The No. 11 JGR driver saw Victory Lane at the Talladega spring race in 2014, and his teammate Matt Kenseth won there in 2012. 

 

You make a good argument with Elliott, but this will be the rookie’s first Sprint Cup Series attempt at Talladega, a track known to eat newbies alive. Let’s just hope the No. 24 Chevrolet makes it till the end of the 188-lap event with few scratches. 

 

MACKENZIE: You make a good point there about Hamlin and the Daytona 500, Taylor. My mind, however, keeps going back to this race last year. Hamlin earned a respectable ninth-place finish, but who got the 1-2? That would be Junior and Johnson, who led a combined 117 of the 188 laps run that day. Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards finished 25th and 32nd, respectively.

 

Talladega is quite unpredictable, but my money is on a similar finish to 2015. 

 

STARER: Ah yes, I was at this race last year and the No. 88’s dominance was tough to beat. There’s no doubt that Junior’s chances of running up front are strong — I just think JGR’s are stronger, especially since Busch is back after missing this race last year. Despite what went down last week at Richmond, the Toyota team seems to be learning as a unit, hence why this team has compiled multiple wins, top-fives and top-10 finishes in 2016. There’s not just one superspeedway star at JGR, which improves its odds, and that’s what matters most.

 

But, we’ll just have to see where the cards fall. After all, it’s ‘Dega, baby.

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Ty Dillon said Wednesday that he plans to qualify Stewart-Haas Racing‘s No. 14 Chevrolet as part of his relief efforts for owner/driver Tony Stewart this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

 

Dillon told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that he’s discussed a preliminary game plan with No. 14 crew chief Mike Bugarewicz to split time in the cockpit with Stewart, who made his season debut last Sunday at Richmond after missing the first eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races of 2016 with a broken back.

“Sounds like Tony’s got to get in and make some practice laps to make it official and then I’ll get in and run some practice and not sure if we’re going to draft or what,” Dillon told SiriusXM. “I’ll qualify the car and Tony will start the race and it sounds like he’ll run to maybe the first caution, but you never know with Tony. He might like his race car and want to stay out there.



“But I think he’ll probably run to the first caution, we’ll try and make the swap as quick as possible, hopefully not lose a lap, and we’ll go to racing and hopefully win the race for Tony and hopefully get him that win he needs.”



Stewart, a three-time premier series champion, announced his comeback from injury last Thursday, finishing 19th three days later in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond. In plotting what he called a “strategic approach” for this return, Stewart said he planned to start Sunday’s GEICO 500 (1 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) but give way to relief driver Dillon during the Talladega race, noting his desire to avoid extended racing at the 2.66-mile track, where the potential for large, high-speed crashes is much greater.



Stewart has a chance to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs in his final season, thanks to a medical exemption granted by the sanctioning body. The waiver allows for Chase eligibility provided all other criteria are met — foremost winning a race and placing among the top 30 in the drivers’ standings.



By NASCAR rules, Stewart would accrue championship points or a potential victory as the driver of record by starting the race — regardless of what percentage of laps Dillon completes.



“The cool thing is, it’d mean I won a Sprint Cup race, so that would be awesome, too,” Dillon said. “In general, if that happens, we’re going to have a great time and everybody’s going to be happy. But there hasn’t been a race in my life where I haven’t gone out and the goal’s not been to win the race. I’m going to do everything as usual and get the best finish possible for Tony and if it ends up being a win, we’re going to have a heck of a party.”



Dillon, 24, divided interim driver duties in the No. 14 Chevrolet with Brian Vickers as Stewart recovered from the injuries he suffered Jan. 31 in an all-terrain vehicle crash. In his three stints behind the wheel, Dillon indicated that he ran a similar seat set-up to Stewart’s, which he said should help facilitate a speedy mid-race driver change in Sunday’s event.



Stewart plans to resume normal full-time driving the following weekend at Kansas Speedway. Dillon is set to continue in his full-time job racing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series with part-time detail in NASCAR’s top division as part of an alliance with Richard Childress Racing and Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing.



Regardless of the No. 14 team’s result Sunday, Dillon said the support from Stewart and the rest of SHR has been an enriching experience.



“Not just being able to drive for Stewart-Haas, but to have Tony and the guys have me come out and fill in for the race means so much for me, not only just getting experience but confidence-wise for my career, knowing that someone else believes in me, knows that I can get the job done,” Dillon said. “Tony, every race that I’ve run so far has been such an awesome help on the radio. He’s just such a good guy and always willing to help. He’s done so much for my career in just the past couple months, it’s incredible.



“Excited to be getting back in at Talladega. It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be a little bit different than the past couple of races I’ve ran in the 14 car, but I think we’re going to have a shot.”