Posted on by Staff Report

Editor’s Note: Clinching scenarios courtesy of NASCAR statistical services

RELATED: Updated standings | See the Chase Grid

This weekend marks the final Sprint Cup Series race in the eight-driver Eliminator Round before the Chase field dwindles to four. Here are the scenarios for clinching a spot in the Championship 4 this Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway during the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM).

Jeff Gordon has already clinched a spot in the Championship 4.

Regardless of the finish of any other drivers

Kyle Busch will clinch with a finish of 3rd or better; 4th and at least one lap led; or 5th and most laps led.


Kevin Harvick will clinch with a finish of 2nd or better; 3rd and at least one lap led; or 4th and most laps led.
 
Martin Truex Jr., Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Joey Logano only control their own destiny with a victory. Logano can ONLY make it to the Championship Round with a win at Phoenix. 

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Watch the live stream here

 

From 8-11 a.m. ET on Tuesday, NASCAR.com will live stream the post-race inspection process at the Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina.

 

The three-hour look takes you behind the scenes as NASCAR officials inspect NASCAR Sprint Cup Series vehicles following Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

 

The cars at the R&D Center this week are: the No. 48 Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson (won Sunday’s race), the No. 2 Ford of Brad Keselowski (finished second in Sunday’s race) and the No. 3 Chevrolet of Austin Dillon (the random car selected).

 

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

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (November 8, 2015) — NASCAR® and Chevrolet today announced the scholarship winners in the NASCAR Chevrolet Diversity Scholarship Contest during a special presentation at Texas Motor Speedway.

 

Four undergraduate college students from across the country were awarded a total of $20,000 in scholarships and treated to a VIP experience at today’s AAA Texas 500, including a tour of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage, pace car rides and meet-and-greets with Team Chevy drivers and Chevrolet NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Program Manager, Alba Colon.

Last month, NASCAR and Chevrolet challenged college students to identify a specific technology within the sport and explain how STEM professionals came to its design in 90-second videos. Student videos were submitted online and judged on technical accuracy, creativity and production value.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student Maria Kaselow Salas earned first place and a $10,000 scholarship by illustrating the physics behind track banking in her video demonstration at a local skateboard park. 

“I’m so thankful for Chevrolet and NASCAR for this opportunity and for inspiring students like me to continue to pursue their dreams,” said Salas, a senior aviation business administration major. “I’ve really enjoyed my experience at the track, and learning more about the science behind NASCAR.”

Utah State University sophomore Allan Blad took second place and won a $5,000 scholarship for his video about NASCAR’s eco-friendly, track-drying technology, the Air Titan 2.0.

Vishnu Rachakonda, a biomedical engineering student at the University of Pennsylvania, and Jonathan Gwinn, who studies mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio, finished in third and fourth place, respectively, earning $2,500 scholarships.

“Congratulations to these special winners and to all the students that participated in this unique challenge,” said Colon. “It is an honor for Chevrolet to be involved in this important program; not only with NASCAR, but with our future generation in their pursuit of STEM-related careers. They are not only a vital part in the ongoing development of our sport, but also in their contribution to the future of this country.”

“Supporting talented students who are interested in careers in STEM is essential for the growth of our sport and industry,” said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. “Partnering with Chevrolet to present scholarships gives both companies an opportunity to recognize and applaud these future leaders and innovators.”

Before taking in the AAA Texas 500, the scholarship recipients also met with Richard Childress Racing driver Ryan Newman, who graduated from Purdue University with an engineering degree.

With this scholarship initiative, NASCAR and Chevrolet continue their longstanding commitment to STEM education and promoting opportunities for students to pursue STEM-related careers.

 

For more information about NASCAR’s diversity initiatives, please visit http://nascardiversity.com.

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Full race results | Updated series standings

 

FORT WORTH, Texas — Two tire punctures and a balky transmission should have spelled the end of Kevin Harvick‘s bid for a second consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

But in spite of the avalanche of setbacks, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver still managed to pull off a stunning third-place finish in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway to keep his title hopes alive.

Third in points, Harvick is one of seven drivers still scrambling to secure a spot in the four-car championship round scheduled for later this month at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“As you look at the things we’ve had, we’ve had really good race cars and that allows us to overcome things like today with two flat tires,” Harvick said on pit road after the 334-lap race. “Even with the shifter problem we were able to maintain what we had. But all in all, we just kept gouging away and everything worked out in the end.”

Debris from an earlier accident cut a rear tire on Harvick’s No. 4 Chevrolet less than 40 laps into the race as he was running in the top five. Able to make it to pit road without damaging his car, Harvick stayed on the lead lap, but eventually restarted outside the top 25.

He wasted no time in getting back inside the top 10, and eventually the top five once again. He was dogging race leader Brad Keselowski on Lap 281 when the second tire puncture sent him back to pit road under green.

Because the field was preparing for a round of green-flag stops, the incident wasn’t as big of a setback as it might have otherwise been for the team.

“There was debris everywhere,” Harvick said. “The first caution, they just blew all the debris down to the inside wall. It seemed like a lot of people were hitting the wall and there was a lot of stuff out there today. It definitely was interesting with all the tire problems.

“I never felt the tire blow apart. It was a real slow deflation as I felt the first one in the middle of the corner. I felt the second one in the middle of the corner, too, and we were able to get the car down. The only part I was disappointed in is I misplaced which tire it was both times.

While several teams were battling tire issues brought on by air pressure adjustments and a lack of on-track time (both of Saturday’s practice sessions were canceled due to wet track conditions), crew chief Rodney Childers said other than the punctured tires, actual tire wear wasn’t an issue for the No. 4 team.


RELATED: Tire issues forces Harvick to pit


“At first I was blaming it on myself,” Childers said of the first flat. “I thought maybe I didn’t have enough air in it. But it was definitely a puncture. I’ve got the piece in my bag. It looked like a window shim, probably out of the 22 car (of Joey Logano). And then the right rear that we had a problem with later, there was a big puncture in it also.”

Childers didn’t blame NASCAR for the debris, noting, “when those things come apart, it just tears the car to pieces.

“It’s really hard for NASCAR to clean all that stuff up,” he said. “The one that got our left rear, it was anodized black. You would have never seen it on a black race track. I know they are doing the best job they can. As a competitor you want he race track to be clean but on the other hand I know they’re trying their best also.”

As if the tire problems weren’t enough, a problem with the transmission left Harvick driving nearly the final 100 laps while holding the gear shifter in place.

“It hadn’t missed a gear or jammed a gear or anything like that,” he said. “It shifted smooth all weekend. I was just going along like normal. One lap, all of a sudden it just pops out of gear in the middle of the straightaway. So I don’t really know. That’s happened to us several times, so we definitely need to figure that out.”

Childers said it could have been a “freak thing” that “may never happen again.” But it’s clearly been an issue for the team.

“We don’t build our transmissions,” Childers said. “… We’re going to have to do something a little different there. We’re the only people that run these transmissions.”


Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon clinched one of the four Chase spots with his victory at Martinsville Speedway a week ago. Teammate Jimmie Johnson‘s win Sunday at Texas kept any other Chase driver from automatically earning a berth.

Leaving Harvick to head to Phoenix International Raceway next weekend where he’s has won seven times, including the last four races.

Kyle Busch (4,080), Harvick (4,079) and Martin Truex Jr. (4,076) are currently second through fourth, respectively, in the points standings.

Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Joey Logano round out the eight Chase drivers.

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Full race results | Update series standings


FORT WORTH, Texas – A combination of low tire pressures and lack of track time before the race led to a rash of tire issues for several teams during Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.



The problem didn’t play favorites – teams competing for NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup as well as those not in the title battle were affected.



Among the victims were Joey Logano (Team Penske), Kyle Larson (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates), Ryan Newman (Richard Childress Racing) and Greg Biffle (Roush Fenway Racing). Even race winner Jimmie Johnson wasn’t untouched by the problem, but a fortunate caution allowed the Hendrick Motorsports driver to escape without issue.



“It just blew apart off Turn 2,” Logano said as his team worked to get the driver back in the race after the left rear tire on his No. 22 Ford exploded just 10 laps into the race. “The left rear tire came apart and shredded everything inside the car. It did a lot more damage than just the tire blowing apart.”



Logano finished 40th as a result of the damage and time lost in the garage while repairs were being made, leaving him last among the eight Chase drivers still fighting for one of the four spots in the Championship Round scheduled for later this month at Homestead-Miami Speedway.


RELATED: Cut tire puts Logano in big Chase hole



Newman, who finished 22nd, called it “a frustrating day.”



“We had at least a top-10 … Chevy before experiencing not one but two cut-down tires,” he said. “After the first one, we were looking good to race back onto the lead lap. All we needed was a caution since we were the free pass.



“Unfortunately we had a right-front tire unravel and it really hurt us. I’m not sure what was happening out there but it sure is frustrating to have a fast car and have issues like this.”



Goodyear’s Greg Stucker, Director of Race Tire Sales, said there was no single answer for the numerous problems. Some teams had tire issues as a result of running over debris. Others were likely caused by running low air pressures for more grip on a track that teams hadn’t been on since Friday. Saturday’s two scheduled practice sessions were canceled due to wet track conditions, leaving teams to guess at set-ups and tire pressures.



“It’s a combination of everything,” Stucker said of the issues. “We know where they are air pressure-wise; it varies but it’s all on the lower end.



“It’s hard to say it’s one thing; just a combination of how they’re using the left rear.”



Stucker said Goodyear officials noted “signs of over-deflection type air losses” when teams began having issues during the race. And tires, he said, “are just like a spring – when you put a load on it it’s going to deflect.



“We give (teams) a spring rate, it tells how many inches that tire deflects for every bit of load. If you put more on it, it’s going to deflect more; if you take air out and soften the springs it’s going to deflect more. Then the … tire starts to fail.”



Chad Knaus, crew chief for Johnson, said his driver had mentioned a change in the car’s handling just before he came to pit road and the team discovered a problem with the left rear tire.



“We were slipping back a little bit.  Jimmie was talking about getting loose,” Knaus said. “The caution came out shortly thereafter. As he came down pit road and we took the tires off, we saw we had a left rear tire going flat.



“But … I was kind of prepared for it. This track does that a lot. So we were pretty conservative on our settings knowing we didn’t get any race trim practice to make sure we wouldn’t have a problem. Thankfully we really didn’t.”

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Results | Blown tire puts Logano in hole

No advancement: Jimmie Johnson passed Brad Keselowski with four laps to go, ruining a dominant day for the No. 2 Ford and denying an automatic berth into the Championship 4. Johnson won for the sixth time at Texas and for the 75th time in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career.

Four in, four out: Here’s the bubble picture following Texas. The four drivers below the line would not advance to the next round (Championship) if the Eliminator Round ended today. (Note: The Eliminator Round ends Nov. 15 at Phoenix International Raceway)

1. Jeff Gordon — Martinsville winner
2. Kyle Busch (+4)
3. Kevin Harvick (+3)
4. Martin Truex Jr. (–)
———–
5. Carl Edwards (-6)
6. Brad Keselowski (-19)
7. Kurt Busch (-28)
8. Joey Logano (-63)

Reason for hope: Kyle Busch is one step away from taking his comeback story to the Championship 4. If he can continue to avoid the big problems that have plagued him in past Chase runs, he could be in position for his first championship at Homestead.

Reason for worry: Logano has never won in 13 career Sprint Cup Series starts at Phoenix, but he’ll need to end that drought in the desert if he’s to advance to the Championship 4. A flat left-rear tire on Lap 10 at Texas ended his hopes of bouncing back from Martinsville.

Up next: Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500, 2:30 p.m. ET, Nov. 15 at Phoenix International Raceway (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM)

Who it favors
Most wins: Kevin Harvick, 7 
Best driver rating: Harvick, 108.3 
Best average finish: Harvick, 11.0 

Who it hurts
Fewest top 10s: Brad Keselowski 6
Worst driver rating: Martin Truex Jr., 84.3
Worst average finish: Truex Jr., 17.1

Posted on by Staff Report

Full race results | Updated series standings | SHOP: Johnson gear


Jimmie Johnson foiled Brad Keselowski‘s dominant day Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, rallying to win the AAA Texas 500.

Johnson led just six laps but denied the eight remaining contenders in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs an automatic berth among the championship-eligible quartet. His fifth win of the season was his sixth at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth track and the 75th of his premier-series career.

Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet led the final four laps of the 334-lap race, bypassing Keselowski’s Team Penske No. 2 Ford after applying heavy pursuit during the final green-flag stretch. Keselowski — the Coors Light Pole Award winner in Friday qualifying — led 312 of 334 laps, winding up 1.083 seconds behind Johnson at the checkered flag.

 

“I just kept pressure on him,” Johnson said in Victory Lane. “I could see that he was really tight and that was the first I had seen him that vulnerable all day. I just kept the pressure on him, kept searching for a line. He saw me coming on the top and protected it. I just kept trying to put pressure on him hoping for a mistake.”

 

Kevin Harvick, who led 11 laps and ran in second place for much of the race’s middle portions, overcame a pair of punctured tires — a left-rear 36 laps in and a right-rear with 52 laps remaining — to finish third. Kyle Busch finished fourth and Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota teammate Carl Edwards fifth as title-eligible Chase drivers claimed seven of the top nine spots in the final order.

Fellow Chaser Kurt Busch took seventh. Martin Truex Jr. finished eighth, fading after a fender-clanging duel with Keselowski shortly after the race’s final restart.

Jeff Gordon, who had already clinched a seat at the championship table with last weekend’s win at Martinsville Speedway, finished ninth.

Joey Logano had the worst day of the remaining eight championship contenders, suffering a blown left-rear tire on Lap 10. The shredded rubber blasted away his fender and sent the Team Penske No. 22 Ford into a spin, ultimately forcing him to the garage for repairs.

Logano wound up with a 40th-place finish, 66 laps off the pace. His sizable deficit in the standings means he will need a victory in next Sunday’s Eliminator Round finale at Phoenix to be among the championship quartet in the season-ending event Nov. 22 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches,” Logano said. “We will be ready for Phoenix. This team is strong. We didn’t take any wind out of our sails today and we showed how fast this thing was even after we crashed. I am very proud of our team.”

 

For Harvick, the latter tire issue pushed him back to 21st place, one lap down, but the race’s ninth caution period worked in his favor, helping him back to contention. The defending Sprint Cup champ also dealt with a balky shifter that kept his Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet jumping out of gear in the late stages. Harvick drove the final third of the race with one hand on the wheel and one on the shifter to combat the issue.

With Sprint Cup practice washed away Saturday and little rubber worked into the already abrasive surface, a handful of tire issues cropped up. Besides Logano and Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Larson, Trevor Bayne and Ryan Newman were among those bitten.

Kyle Busch, Harvick and Truex cling to the remaining provisional berths in the championship race based on points. Edwards, Keselowski and Kurt Busch join Logano below the cut line.

Rookie Erik Jones, making just his second Sprint Cup start, finished 12th in place of the suspended Matt Kenseth in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota.

Posted on by Staff Report

FORT WORTH, Texas — NASCAR officials confiscated the front-end splitters of Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Nos. 11, 18 and 19 Toyotas during pre-race technical inspection prior to Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM) at Texas Motor Speedway.
 
The Nos. 18 and 19 Camrys are driven by Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, respectively. The No. 11 is driven by Denny Hamlin, eliminated from the Chase following the Contender Round.
 
JGR’s No. 20 entry, driven this weekend by Erik Jones in place of suspended Matt Kenseth, was cleared through tech inspection with no issues.
 
Crews hastily worked to replace the splitters in the garage area before sending the cars back through inspection.
 
The issue is similar to what happened with Team Penske at Michigan in August. The organization was not penalized by NASCAR following the events, but the splitters were taken back to the sanctioning body’s Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina.

RELATED: Penske splitters confiscated at Michigan
 
The three JGR cars eventually made it through inspection and took their places on the grid.

Posted on by Staff Report


The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series are all at Phoenix International Raceway this week. Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series practice, qualifying and races can be watched on NBC and NBCSN as well as NBC Sports Live Extra. Camping World Truck Series events will be televised on FS1.


All times are ET

SUNDAY, NOV. 15:

PRE-RACE SCHEDULE
— 12:30:00 p.m.: NSCS Driver/Crew Chief Meeting (tent)
— 2:00:00 p.m.: NSCS Drivers Introductions with NASCAR Special Awards
— 2:25:45 p.m.: PA Read for Veterans
— 2:26:00 p.m.: Intro Presentation of Colors by: Luke Air Force Base
— 2:26:20 p.m.: Moment of Silence for Veterans & Invocation by: Col. Daniel Butler, Chaplain, National Guard (Retired)
— 2:26:45 p.m.: Intro National Anthem (Unfurl Large American Flag on Front Stretch and in Turn 2)
— 2:27:00 p.m.: National Anthem by: Jo Jo, “Multi-Platinum Atlantic Records Recording Artist”
— 2:29:00 p.m.: Fly-By (2) F-35’s, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base (Turn 3 to Turn 1)
— 2:33:30 p.m.: “Driver’s, Start Your Engines” by: Senator John McCain, Arizona
— 2:41:00 p.m.: Green Flag — Quicken Loans Race For Heroes 500 (312 laps, 312 miles)  

ON TRACK
— 2:30 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 (312 laps, 312 miles), NBC/Live Extra: To move to NBCSN/Live Extra at 6 p.m. ET. GREEN FLAG (9:27 p.m. ET) (Results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 5:45 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race


THURSDAY, NOV. 12:


ON TRACK
— 4:30-6:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice (Results)


FRIDAY, NOV. 13:


ON TRACK
— 12:45 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying, FS1 (Results)
— 2-3:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)
— 3:30-4:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)
— 5-6:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)
— 6:45 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying, NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)
— 8:30 p.m: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 150 (150 laps, 150 miles), FS1 (Results)


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

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— Noon: Rico Abreu
— 12:45 p.m.: Kurt Busch
— 1 p.m.: Kevin Harvick
— 3:30 p.m.: Carl Edwards
— 4:30 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
— 4:45 p.m.: Track 2016 title sponsor announcement
— 5:15 p.m.: Joey Logano
— 7:45 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying
— 10:15 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race

SATURDAY, NOV. 14:

ON TRACK
— 11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)
— 12:45 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series qualifying, NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)
— 2:30-3:20 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)
— 4 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series DAV 200 Honoring America’s Veterans (200 laps, 200 miles), NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 5:45 p.m.: Post-NASCAR XFINITY Series race