Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Complete results from Phoenix | Updated standings

AVONDALE, Ariz. — If Saturday’s DAV 200 Honoring America’s Veterans had been a court case, 39 NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers would have pleaded “no contest.”

The exception was polesitter Kyle Busch, who led 190 of 200 laps in registering a dominating victory at Phoenix International Raceway, his eighth in 19 starts at the track.

In a race that saw defending series champion and seventh-place finisher Chase Elliott trim XFINITY leader Chris Buescher‘s margin in the standings from 24 to 18 points, Busch ran away with the event, crossing the finish line 3.097 seconds ahead of runner-up Brad Keselowski .

After winning his 47th pole earlier in the day (extending his series record), Busch picked up his 76th XFINITY victory (again, extending his series record). The driver of the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota now has led 1,636 laps at PIR, second most at any track behind Bristol (1,768).

The win was Busch’s fifth from the pole at PIR.

“It wasn’t particularly hard, obviously,” Busch said about the ease of his victory. “I do remember that there was one other time here I think I led 200 of 200 (laps) … We’ve done that here before. Today was close. We just weren’t able to get good enough pit stops to come out of the pits with the lead each time and hold the lead that we had.

“But, all in all, it was a very fast race car — flawless, really.”

Keselowski’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford was fast but not in Busch’s class.

“We had a great effort,” Keselowski said. “We had a great day on pit road. The guys on the pit crew did a great job there. We gained spots, so that was really cool and real fun, but we just needed a lot more speed to run with the 54. Either way, it was a pretty solid day.”

JGR drivers Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez ran third and fourth, respectively, giving the organization three of the top four finishing positions. Ty Dillon came home fifth, followed by Regan Smith .

Buescher finished 13th, one lap down, and lost a fourth of his points lead over the reigning champion. But he can clinch the series title with a finish of 13th or better next Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“In the grand scheme of things, we need to go to Homestead and we need to have a good day and do what we did there last year — just run around and stay out of trouble,” Buescher said. “Run fifth — that would be just fine.

“When you look at the averages and points gained versus our needed position to finish, our window is getting bigger as we go through these last four races, so that makes me feel good as we go to Homestead. Even though they gained some points, honestly, unless something crazy happens at Homestead it’s just not going be enough.”

Busch, on the other hand, is in a dogfight for one of three available spots in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship Round next week at Homestead. But first he’ll have to survive Sunday’s Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at PIR (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC).

“We got our M&M’s Camry a little bit better there in Happy Hour,” Busch said of Saturday’s final Sprint Cup practice session. “It was good. I’d like it to be better than it was, but we’ll see how it stacks up in the race. I learned some things here today that will help me, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Busch, who is second on the Chase Grid, will start 10th in Sunday’s race.

Posted on by Nascar

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Jeff Gordon said he thought they were joking.
 
A 10-race, season-ending playoff to determine the champion? Yeah, right.
 
Turns out, NASCAR officials weren’t kidding.
 
“The one thing that I will never forget is the moment that I was standing on the dock in Key West, Florida, on a NASCAR boat trip with (NASCAR Chairman and CEO) Brian France and (Vice Chairman) Mike Helton and they told me what they were planning on doing with the Chase format and I laughed in their faces because I thought that was the most hilarious thing I have ever heard of,” Gordon said Friday at Phoenix International Raceway, which will be renamed Jeff Gordon Raceway for Sunday’s race. “Because I thought it was a joke, then I quickly realized that was not a joke and I was pulling the laughs back into my mouth. I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ And they said, ‘Yes.’ Of course I didn’t like it. I felt like point system was just fine for me.”
 
Little wonder. Before the arrival of the Chase for the Sprint Cup format, Gordon had won four championships, and the Hendrick Motorsports driver narrowly missed a fifth by just 37 points. A season-long battle to determine the championship suited his driving style, and his team, just fine.
 
Since the inception of the format, Gordon has failed to bring home the series’ biggest trophy. He’ll try to remedy that situation next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, site of the Ford EcoBoost 400 and the championship-determining race. The 44-year-old, who will retire from full-time competition at season’s end, earned one of the four available spots in the finale by virtue of his win at Martinsville (Virginia) Speedway last month.
 
“There is no doubt in my mind that it suited my driving style,” Gordon said of the pre-2004 format. “The reason I was able to win at so many different tracks was the consistency that our team had and that I had at all the different tracks. That paid off when you were trying to win the championship under a 36-race schedule.
 
“I didn’t want to see it come down to that final 10, because some of those final 10 were not tracks that suited me. It actually suited others pretty well and so I felt like it was not benefiting me. So of course I wish it hadn’t changed.”
 
Would he have won more championships had the format remained unchanged? Gordon isn’t sure, but he says it’s not something on which he dwells. Different formats create different circumstances, which often lead to drivers making different decisions.
 
“Everybody races differently under each point system and does what it takes,” he said. “So I don’t know if we can all sit here and speculate and talk about things and wonder what could have been if the old point system would have stayed the same.”
 
His success didn’t entirely disappear with the arrival of the Chase – 29 of his 93 career victories have come since 2004. But others have taken advantage of the move, and none more so than Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson, who has won six titles under the format.
 
Kurt Busch (2004), Tony Stewart (’05, ’11), Brad Keselowski (’12) and reigning champ Kevin Harvick have won championships under the Chase setup, as well.
 
“When I look at the sport from 10,000 feet I love it and think it is exciting,” Gordon said. “And with this new (elimination) format, I think it is even better.
 
“I will continue to support it, always have, even when it hasn’t suited me. I think that I try and not be that selfish and think of what is best for the sport. At the end of the day, what is best for the sport is best for me, best for the team, best for all teams.”
 
Of course, that doesn’t mean there wouldn’t be an extra sense of satisfaction should he win a fifth title, a final one under a format that seemed to suit others more than the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet.
 
“That would be the ultimate, most poetic justice ever,” he said.

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Series standings | Chase Grid | Clinching scenarios for Phoenix

AVONDALE, Ariz. – The last driver not named Kevin Harvick to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway admits the defending series champion has set a pretty high standard here at the 1-mile track.
 
“Those guys are definitely fast here,” Carl Edwards said Friday after the completion of Sprint Cup Series practice. “We’ll see how it goes tomorrow (when two more practice sessions are scheduled), but it appears that they’re really fast here in this first practice.”
 
Harvick is the defending series champion and winner of the last four Sprint Cup races at Phoenix. His Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet was sixth fastest in the opening practice; Edwards and his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota crew clocked in fourth overall.
 
If not for Edwards’ 2013 spring victory at Phoenix, Harvick might be going for a sixth consecutive victory, having won the fall race of ’12 before Edwards found his way to Victory Lane the following spring. Harvick’s run of four straight at Phoenix began in part because Edwards ran out of fuel while leading with two laps remaining in the fall race of ’13.
 
Is Harvick beatable here?
 
“This sport changes and everybody works and you never know what’s going to happen,” Edwards said. “The other thing that can happen here is it can become a real strategy race at the end.
 
“It has been pretty spectacular what that 4 team has been able to get done. It’s such a tough race to win, I can attest to that. And to win I guess five out of the last six? … If we can beat those guys, we’ll be alright.”
 
Nearly a year removed from a 10-year stint at Roush Fenway Racing, Edwards finds himself just outside the cutline for advancement to Homestead-Miami Speedway and a shot at the Sprint Cup title. Sunday’s race will set the three other teams (Jeff Gordon is already locked in with a win at Martinsville) that will vie for the title while eliminating four others.
 
He trails fourth-place Martin Truex Jr. by seven points, certainly not an insurmountable deficit, but a deficit just the same.
 
“If you look at the scenarios, we’ve really got to perform here,” Edwards admitted. “We have to win this race – that’s our mission. We have to qualify well, we have to make good decisions and really we have to have some speed.”
 
In his mind, Sunday’s Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM) is a “must-win race.”
 
“That’s the only way to guarantee our spot (in the championship race),” he said. “If one of the guys behind us leapfrogs us and wins, it’s going to be a tall order to advance, so we just have to give it all we’ve got.”

Posted on by Nascar

Photo courtesy of Richard Childress Racing

AVONDALE, Ariz. — It was a question that’s been asked almost as long as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have been competing in companion events over the course of a weekend.
 
“So Ryan, did you learn anything out there today that might help you on Sunday?”
 
“Yes. You definitely don’t want to hit the cone. There’s a pass-through penalty for that,” Newman said.
 
It was a joke, of course. Ryan Newman had just climbed from behind the “wheel” of a Caterpillar D11 T bulldozer, a mammoth piece of equipment that tips the scales at 230,000 pounds.
 
His No. 31 Chevrolet, fielded by Richard Childress Racing, carries primary sponsorship from Caterpillar. For this weekend’s race at Phoenix International Raceway (renamed Jeff Gordon Raceway for Sunday’s Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500, 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM), the black and yellow paint scheme features Cat Command Autonomous Mining on the rear quarter panels.
 
So there Newman was, taking the D11 T through its paces, moving around an obstacle course and pushing around a lot of dirt.
 
Did I mention the dozer, the course and the dirt was located outside Tucson, nearly 150 miles away from Newman and Phoenix?
 
Caterpillar’s Cat Command is a program that allows heavy equipment to be operated remotely. Thanks to technological advances, the operator can be on site, if not behind the wheel, or more than 100 miles away, as was the case here Friday morning. The benefits, such as safety and increased production, appear to be numerous.
 
It was a new experience for Newman, 37, and a 17-time winner in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, but not an entirely foreign one.
 
“I’d say the closest thing to it, something that is somewhat parallel to some of the stuff that we’re doing in the Sprint Cup Series … is the (race car) simulation,” he said.
 
“This is different in the form that you’re performing a service … getting a job done. Whereas where what we’re doing is about subjective feeling and feedback and trying to base it off a stopwatch.
 
“But it’s really interesting to see the use of technology and how Caterpillar has adapted all that to the job site.”
 
Can automated racing be far behind? NASCAR from afar?
 
“I hope not,” he said. “That kind of takes me out of a job. I might enjoy the air-conditioned office but I like the physical part of (my job).
 
“For me, it’s all about driving the race car. I like that, to be able to feel that … to take it to that edge and be super competitive.”
 
And that “feel” wouldn’t exist outside the vehicle, whether it’s in a race car going 180 mph or a piece of heavy equipment with a top speed of 7 mph.
 
“Here, it’s more about the edge of the (bulldozer’s) blade and not the edge of control,” he said.

Posted on by Nascar

AVONDALE, Ariz. — NASCAR whittles its field of championship contenders in half here this weekend, in a manner of speaking, with seven drivers trying to squeeze into three spots and join Jeff Gordon next week at Homestead to race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

 

Sunday’s Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, which will be renamed Jeff Gordon Raceway for the event, could boost Gordon’s career stats, but the results won’t make or break his chances at a fifth title. It will be Gordon’s last official start as a full-time competitor at PIR, and no doubt he’d like to go out a winner.

For everyone else, Sunday will be a potential train wreck.

 

RELATED: See the updated Chase Grid

Kyle Busch, second in points, doesn’t need to win, but he can’t afford to stumble either. Think last year’s result at Talladega has been forgotten? Think again. Busch was second in points going into that elimination race as well, before getting swept up in a crash and swept out of the Chase. He also hasn’t forgotten the painful road back from injuries earlier this season that resulted in his missing the first 11 points races.

All Busch did after climbing back in the car was reel off four wins in five starts, and with only one race standing between himself and a shot the title, don’t expect Busch to go quietly into the night.

Defending Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick sits third and doesn’t need a win. The thing is, Harvick’s done nothing but win at Phoenix since joining Stewart-Haas Racing. He’s unbeaten on the 1-mile track in his last four starts and has won here seven times overall. If there’s a concern in the No. 4 camp, it’s the unknown. Cut tires at Texas? Had ’em. Shifter issues at Kansas? Yep. But no one has been better when backed into a corner.

 

RELATED: Can anyone dethrone the king of Phoenix?

Looking for a darkhorse? Look no further than Martin Truex Jr. The Furniture Row Racing driver has defied the expectations of others, but in his world he’s simply doing what he knows he and his team are capable of — consistently running in the top 10. Another top-10 finish could be enough; however, since he is fourth in points, he would be the first casualty should one of those behind him wind up in Victory Lane.

Carl Edwards leads those on the outside, sitting six points behind Truex Jr. in fifth. He finished 13th here earlier this season, back when he and his Joe Gibbs Racing team were in their “just getting to know you” phase. Edwards had just two top 10s in his first 17 starts with JGR; he’s managed 13 more in 18 starts since.

Also looking to re-ignite their Chase hopes are Team Penske drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, as well as SHR’s Kurt Busch.

The good news for Keselowski, the 2012 champ, is that he has led 455 laps in the last two races. The bad news — he failed to win both times. Sure, he’s won only once this year, but he’s finished second five times, including last weekend. Second, though, likely won’t be enough this weekend. Expect Keselowski to swing for the fences.

Logano appeared to be the driver most likely to advance to Homestead when he swept the Contender Round, winning all three races. But his fortunes have taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks, with finishes of 37th and 40th. He enters Sunday’s race eighth in points, and knowing that a win is the only way he can assure himself of a shot at the championship.

RELATED: Chase-clinching scenarios for Phoenix

Rounding out the Chase contenders is Busch, possibly as much of a darkhorse as Truex. The No. 41 team has been as fast as anyone at times this season, it just hasn’t done it as often as several of those Busch will need to outrun. Seventh in points, a win is all but necessary if the 2004 champion hopes to advance.

It’s the same as any other week, and it’s nothing like any other week — seven drivers battling for three positions and a shot at the championship.

 

Sunday isn’t about a race, it’s about a season.

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RELATED: Cain: We will keep fighting for Elijah

 

After hearing the news of the passing of 10-year-old Elijah Aschbrenner, several drivers decided to pay tribute to him during the race weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.

 

Elijah was battling with Epithelioid Sarcoma, a rare type of cancer, since May 2014 and helped spark a movement following his diagnosis. The young boy won the hearts of countless individuals within the NASCAR community, including Furniture Row Racing‘s Martin Truex Jr. and his girlfriend, Sherry Pollex, as well as Hendrick Motorsports‘ Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the Team Penske duo Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski.

 

 

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Korbin Forrister‘s frustration overflowed at Phoenix International Raceway after his No. 08 Chevrolet spun in the early laps of the Lucas Oil 150.

 

On his way to the ambulance after spinning into the wall on Lap 16, Forrister threw his HANS device toward Timmy Hill‘s No. 94 Chevrolet. 

 

Forrister, crew chief Christopher Long and the No. 08 team’s spotter were called to the NASCAR hauler for a meeting.

After the race, Hill tweeted an apology to Forrister, who also apologized for his reaction.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full lineup

Erik Jones picked up his second consecutive 21 Means 21 Pole at Phoenix International Raceway, and his fifth of 2015, topping the field for all three rounds of qualifying Friday afternoon.

Jones, who has yet to lose in a truck at Phoenix, increased his speed in each round, leading the first one at 135.988 mph, improving to 136.856 mph in the second and settling in on 137.515 mph, a track record.

The current Camping World Truck Series points leader earned his first NASCAR national series win at Phoenix in 2013 and backed that up by winning from the pole in last year’s event.

Tyler Reddick will join Jones on the front row, qualifying with a best speed of 136.934 mph in the final round. JJ Haley (136.778 mph) and two-time defending series champion Matt Crafton (136.622 mph) comprise the second row.

Tune in for Friday’s Lucas Oil 150 at 8:30 p.m. ET, with coverage on FS1.

Posted on by Staff Report

Practice 2 recap | RELATED: Full practice 2 results

Kyle Busch topped the final practice for the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Phoenix International Raceway. Busch paced the 85-minute practice session with a fast lap of 135.491 mph in his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Just as he did in the first practice session, Ty Dillon (No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet) came in second for the session (135.466 mph).

Brendan Gaughan (135.298 mph, No. 62 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet), Chris Buescher (134.897 mph, No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford) and Chase Elliott (134.781 mph, No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet) made up the top five for final practice.

Buescher, the XFINITY Series points leader, holds a 24-point edge on Elliott for the championship lead. The JR Motorsports driver is the defending series champion and mathematically clinched his title at Phoenix last year.

Austin Dillon, who topped the opening practice session, came in seventh.

Qualifying for the XFINITY Series DAV 200 Honoring America’s Veterans will take place on Saturday at 12:45 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Live Extra).

Practice 1 recap | RELATED: Full Practice 1 results

The Dillon brothers clocked in the two fastest speeds during Friday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series practice at Phoenix International Raceway. The No. 33 of Austin topped the leaderboard (136.018 mph) while the No. 3 of Ty was second (135.542 mph).

 

Chase Elliott‘s No. 9 Chevrolet had a surge late during the session, rounding out the top three with a fastest lap of 135.105 mph.

 

One of the busiest drivers of the weekend, Erik Jones was fourth during Friday’s XFINITY Series practice session. Jones, who is racing in all three series at the track, wheeled his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota around the 1-mile track at 134.690 mph.

 

Kyle Busch, with 75 series wins, was fifth-fastest as his No. 54 JGR Toyota came in at 134.013 mph.

 

Daniel Suarez went for a late spin in his No. 18 JGR Toyota, but ended practice with minimal damage to his Toyota. He finished ninth (133.057 mph).

 

Series points leader, Chris Buescher was 12th with his No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford coming in at 132.606 mph.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full practice results

 

Texas winner Jimmie Johnson surged to the top of the leaderboard late during Friday’s opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, posting a fastest lap of 141.827 mph at Phoenix International Raceway.

 

Next was the No. 42 Chevrolet of Kyle Larson, who circled the 1-mile track at 141.783 mph.

 

Those two non-Chase drivers soared ahead of Kurt Busch in his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet, who was third overall at 141.571 mph and the first on the leaderboard out of the eight remaining Chase contenders.

 

Carl Edwards logged the fourth-fastest speed (141.448 mph). Jamie McMurray was right behind him, taking fifth with a fastest lap of 141.315 mph.

 

Here’s how the rest of the Chase drivers ranked: Kevin Harvick (sixth), Martin Truex Jr. (eighth), Kyle Busch (10th), Joey Logano (11th), Brad Keselowski (17th) and Jeff Gordon (25th).

 

Next up at 6:45 p.m. ET is Coors Light Pole qualifying (NBCSN/Live Extra).