Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full race results | Gordon locks up spot at Homestead


Jeff Gordon couldn’t contain his emotions following Sunday’s victory at Martinsville Speedway. It was the 93rd win of his career, but his first of 2015 — and it secured him a spot in the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway.



Here’s what Gordon had to say following the race:



• “I’m telling you, it’s not registering because I can’t believe it. I cannot believe it.  This is turning into one of these just incredible storybook finishes to this year, to this career. Of all years, I mean, of all years, I cannot believe this. I’m so excited it’s happening in this year.”



• “Trust me, we are not going to take that lightly, that opportunity that lies in front of us. This is not, ‘OK, cool, we won Martinsville. We get to be one of the four at Homestead. We’re going to watch them battle for the championship.’ No way. No way. This team is way better than that. Nobody is more driven and excited than this race team is right now.”

• “I mean, it’s not that unusual for us to win a Martinsville race. It’s to be able to do it when so much is at stake, when you know that this is how you get to Homestead, to be one of those final four. For us to be a team that nobody, nobody, had picked to be able to make it to Homestead, I love that we just keep proving them wrong and finding a way to move on. I think that hopefully when we’re at Homestead, people will give us a little more respect of what kind of depth our race team has.”



• “Well, listen, why can’t we win at Homestead? That’s what I say. I think a lot of people didn’t think we could do this, and we have. There’s no reason why we can’t do it there as well. “

• “You don’t just flip a switch and automatically find some magic. But we’ve been working on a lot of things. We’ve been getting better. …  I absolutely think that we’re just as capable as anybody else that’s going to be in that final four.”


• “This is one of the finest moments I think I’ve ever had in my career, I’ll be honest. It’s just because what this year means, that this is my final year, my final race at Martinsville, punching our ticket to Homestead, having my family here, the hard work this team has put together, that reaction from the fans. This is one of my finest moments I’ve ever had. “

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Recap the race at Martinsville | Chase bubble watch post-Martinsville

 

Jeff Gordon won Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway, his first victory of the season and his ninth career at the .526-mile oval.

Doing so clinched a spot in the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway and ensures, in his final full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, Gordon will enter the finale in championship contention.

Here’s how NASCAR Nation reacted:

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full race results | Kenseth wrecks Logano


Advancing: Four fresh tires and a fast race car gave Jeff Gordon the power he needed to stay ahead in the final restart at Martinsville and snag the victory. The victory marked Gordon’s first win of the season and punched his ticket to the Championship Round of the Chase.

Four in, four out: Here’s the bubble picture following Martinsville. 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 (10 points ahead of fourth-place driver, has clinched spot in championship round)
2.  Kyle Busch (+2)
3.  Martin Truex Jr. (+2)
4.  Kevin Harvick (–)
———–
5. Carl Edwards (7 points behind fourth-place driver)
6. Brad Keselowski (-24)
7. Kurt Busch (-26)
8. Joey Logano (-28)

Reason for hope: While he didn’t snag the win at Martinsville, Kyle Busch battled back from a spin to contend for the win at the end of Sunday’s race at Martinsville. He emerged with a cool fifth-place result that put him second in the Chase standings heading into Texas.

Reason for worry: Brad Keselowski‘s day at Martinsville went from a chance at the checkered to the garage, when he and Kenseth collided at Lap 436 while running in the top 10. The trip to the garage left Keselowski limping with a 32nd-place finish and a sixth-place slot in the Chase standings heading to Texas.

RELATED: Keselowski, Chasers involved in wreck
Up next: AAA Texas 500 , 2 p.m. ET, Nov. 8 at Texas Motor Speedway (NBC, PRN, SiriusXM)

Who it favors
Most wins: 3 — Carl Edwards
Best driver rating: 101.3 — Kyle Busch
Best average finish: 12.2 — Kevin Harvick

Who it hurts
Fewest top 10s: 5 — Brad Keselowski , Ryan Newman , Joey Logano
Worst driver rating: 75.0 — Ryan Newman
Worst average finish: 17.5 — Ryan Newman

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full race results | Updated Chase standings


A wreck late Sunday at Martinsville Speedway impacted multiple Chase drivers after an aggressive restart, a recurring theme during the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500.



The No. 2 of Brad Keselowski got into the No. 20 of Matt Kenseth off Turn 2 on Lap 434. This sent Kenseth’s Toyota spinning directly into the right side of Kurt Busch‘s No. 41. 



Jeff Gordon, eight-time Martinsville winner, carefully skirted involvment and avoided damage.



Keselowski, who has led for a total of 143 laps, took his Team Penske Ford to the garage immediately with significant damage. Busch had to pit for significant work to his car.


After stepping out of driver’s seat, Keselowski said, “I got hit from behind and (that) pushed me into the 20 and my right-front wheel hit Kenseth’s left-rear and it just broke the right-front suspension off the car. The car wouldn’t turn and just kept going straight until I couldn’t do anything and I started wrecking everybody. I just didn’t have any steering wheel left.”


At the end of the race’s 500 laps, Keselowski finished 32nd and Kurt was 34th. The Penske driver now sits sixth on the Chase grid with Busch right behind him in the seventh spot.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full race results | Updated standings


Trouble hit two Chase contenders at Martinsville Speedway with Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards getting involved in a Lap 171 wreck that brought out the eighth (out of 18) yellow flag of the day.


Busch’s No. 18 got into the No. 3 of Austin Dillon, initiating the multi-car wreck.


“Rowdy” thought this was due to water on the track and had some choice words about the incident on his scanner: “Just want to say thanks to NASCAR for the water on the apron there. Appreciate it.”


Edwards was involved as he got into the back of AJ Allmendinger‘s No. 47 after Allmendinger braked as Busch and Dillon wrecked in front of him.


Busch, who was racing up front early in the race, was 26th while Edwards was in 29th after the incident. The pair are the only two JGR drivers remaining in the Chase after Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin failed to qualify to the Eliminator Round.


With a strong comeback, and multiple cautions later, Busch ended up with a fifth-place finish and is second on the Chase bubble, only behind Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 winner Jeff Gordon.


Edwards wasn’t so lucky and ended up 14th and fifth in the standings out of the contenders, one spot below the cutoff. He is right behind Kevin Harvick and ahead of Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Joey Logano.

Posted on by Staff Report

Judging from driver retweets, it appears the most popular NASCAR Halloween costumes this year were Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joey Logano, Danica Patrick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.  and Kyle Busch. Yes, Kyle Busch.


At least those were the guys who retweeted plenty of photos sent their way on Twitter.



Here are some of our favorites:

Posted on by Staff Report

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


All times are ET

SUNDAY, NOV. 8:


ON TRACK

— 2 p.m.: Intro Presentation of Colors by: Sheppard Air Force Base 82nd Training Wing Honor Guard 

— 2:00:10 p.m.: Pledge of Allegiance by: the Boy Scouts

— 2:00:35 p.m.: Intro and Invocation by: Texas Alliance Raceway Ministries; Dr. Roger Marsh 

— 2:01:20 p.m.: National Anthem by: Runner up on Season 4 of America’s Got Talent; Bárbara Padilla
— 2:02:50 p.m.: Flyby TOT: (2) F-16’s, US Air Force Reserve, Carswell AFB, Texas
— 2:08 p.m.: “Drivers, Start Your Engines” by: Star of upcoming film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, John Krasinski

— 2:16:30 p.m.: Start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 (334 laps, 501 miles), NBC/Live Extra (Results)

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

THURSDAY, NOV. 5:


ON TRACK
— 3-4:25 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice (Results)
— 5:30-6:25 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice (Results)





FRIDAY, NOV. 6:



ON TRACK
— 12:30-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)
— 2-4:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)
— 4:40 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying, FS1 (Results)
— 6:45 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying, NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)
— 8:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 350 (147 laps, 220.5 miles), FS1 (Results)


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

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 11:15 a.m.: Joey Logano
— 11:30 a.m.: Chris Buescher
— 11:45 a.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
— 2 p.m.: Carl Edwards
— 2:30 p.m.: Chip Ganassi Racing announcement
— 3 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
— 7:45 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying
— 10:45 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race



SATURDAY, NOV. 7:

ON TRACK
— 11-11:55 a.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, CNBC/Live Extra CANCELED
— 12:15 p.m. NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Qualifying, NBCSN/Live Extra CANCELED
— 2-2:50 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, CNBC/Live Extra CANCELED
— 3:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge (200 laps, 300 miles), NBC/Live Extra (Results)



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

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: See the full weekend schedule | NBC Sports Live Extra


All times ET

Monday, Nov. 2
6 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lap (re-air), NBCSN
7 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lap (re-air), NBCSN
8 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lap (re-air), NBCSN
Noon, NASCAR 120, NBCSN
5:30 p.m., NASCAR America Live, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
2 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS2

Tuesday, Nov. 3
6 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
4:30 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR America Live, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS
2 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS2

Wednesday, Nov. 4
6 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
4:30 p.m., NASCAR The List: Texas, NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR America Live, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
3 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS2

Thursday, Nov. 5
6 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
4:30 p.m., NASCAR The List: Texas (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR America Live, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
2 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS2

Friday, Nov. 6
6 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
Noon, NASCAR The List: Texas (re-air), NBCSN
12:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, NBCSN
2 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR America Live, NBCSN
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
8 p.m., NCWTS Setup, FS1
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 350 , FS1

Saturday, Nov. 7
4 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 350 (re-air), FS1
11 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, CNBC
12:15 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
1:30 p.m., NASCAR America Live, NBCSN
2 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN
3 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green, NBC
3:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge, NBC

Sunday, Nov. 8
11:30 a.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR America Sunday, NBCSN
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Countdown to Green, NBC
2 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 , NBC
6 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race, NBCSN
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN
11:30 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap (re-air), NBCSN
1:30 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lane, FS1


 

Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Full race results | Logano’s reaction to Kenseth

 

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Joey Logano wasn’t the only Chase driver who led laps Sunday at Martinsville Speedway only to have late-race contact compromise their postseason dreams. Both Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch suffered the same fate, if not with the same fervor.

Both Keselowski and Busch took the brunt of a crash on a restart with 65 laps to go, joining Logano in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs basement. Keselowski led 143 laps, second only to Logano’s race-high 207, and Busch led 22 before things went south.

WATCH: Collision between Keselowski, Busch, Kenseth

 

Their task to claim a spot among the championship quartet on Nov. 22 at Homestead-Miami Speedway now boils down to gaining ground in bunches or winning one of the remaining two Eliminator Round races, at Texas next week and Phoenix in two weeks.

Keselowski and Busch both said converting a clutch victory was well within reach.

“Really strong day. Got a lot of speed,” Keselowski said after placing 32nd, 10 laps down in the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500. “If we have this kind of speed at Phoenix, I think we’ll win.”

Busch — who took 34th, 14 laps behind — was even more demonstrative. “We have great sponsors, a lot of blue sky above this program right now,” Busch said on a day when “blue sky” was a rare commodity due to threats of rain that loomed throughout the day’s entirety. “Real happy with the No. 41 and Chevrolet and everybody that is part of this team. We will go win Texas, go win Phoenix and get our invite.”

With Keselowski lined up second and Busch third on the inside lane for the fateful restart after the 14th of 18 caution periods, Logano sprinted ahead from the outside lane as part of an arrangement with his Team Penske teammate. That agreement bottled up the inside lane through Turns 1 and 2, but things went far worse when Keselowski made contact with Matt Kenseth, who spun into the path of Busch on the backstretch.

Busch’s No. 41 Chevrolet skip-hopped into the inside wall with a significant scrape. Keselowski’s No. 2 Ford limped away with severe right-front damage. Both spent time in the garage for hasty repairs, trying to mitigate the impact.

“We just got caught up and we were a victim,” said Busch, who debuted Monster as a primary sponsor on his Stewart-Haas Racing entry. “We were somebody else’s collateral damage. It’s a product of how everybody has to race in this Chase. For us there is so much more to our story. It’s been a fantastic season. … We led laps today. We were up front. Restarting third with a set of fresh tires and 70 laps to go, I mean we were in perfect position. We did our job, we just didn’t have luck on our side.”

Keselowski’s luck ran out, too, in the blink of half a lap.

“I got hit from behind and it pushed me into the 20 (Kenseth),” Keselowski said. “The right-front wheel hit Kenseth’s left-rear and it just broke the right-front suspension off the car. Car wouldn’t turn and just kept going straight until I couldn’t do nothing and just started wrecking everybody. Didn’t have any steering wheel left.”

Keselowski and Busch enter regrouping mode for the Eliminator Round’s final two events, the former 24 points behind the fourth-place cutoff line and the latter 26 points in arrears. But both at least soldier on without the demoralizing effect of finishing Sunday’s race behind the wall.

“We live together as a team and die together,” Busch said. “We didn’t want to die today. We gave it our best. We have had no DNFs this year, and I hope we can make a strong run in the final two races.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Race results | Chase bubble watch

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Yes, Jeff Gordon celebrated his 93rd career victory in the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Yes, Gordon will compete for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Yes, there were tears of joy in Victory Lane for Gordon, who’s at the tail end of his final season in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with just three races remaining.

But Sunday’s race at Martinsville had so much more — most notably, “Matt Kenseth‘s Revenge.”


RELATED: Chase contenders involved in big wreck


Long before Gordon held off Jamie McMurray in a two-lap run to the finish as darkness consumed the .526-mile short track, Kenseth ended polesitter Joey Logano‘s remarkable winning streak in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup by pile-driving Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford, which was leading the race at the time, into the Turn 1 wall on Lap 454 of 500.

Kenseth’s car was crippled at that point, the victim of a Lap 434 wreck that also involved the No. 2 Ford of Logano’s teammate, Brad Keselowski.

But when Kenseth clipped the left rear quarter panel of Logano’s Ford and slammed him into the SAFER barrier, it was retaliation for Kansas two weeks earlier, when Logano knocked Kenseth out of the way — and effectively out of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup — in the closing laps of the second race of the Contender Round.

Kenseth failed to advance to the Eliminator Round, which started at Martinsville on Sunday. And now Logano likewise is in dire jeopardy of seeing his dream season end before the Championship Round.

“I think what happened at Kansas is a completely different deal,” Logano said after a visit to the infield care center. “We were racing for the win, and he blocks you a few times, and then we raced hard and he blocked me the last time and we spun out. That’s what happened there.

“Here it was just a complete coward move, especially for a championship race car driver and race team. Just a complete coward. I don’t have anything else to say. It’s a chicken-you-know-what move to completely take out the leader when your race is over.” 

Logano, who was bidding for his fourth straight victory, finished 37th and is eighth in the Chase standings, 28 points behind Kevin Harvick in fourth, the last transfer position into the Championship Round.

It was clear from Kenseth’s post-accident comments that the driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota felt it was important to assert himself.

“You never like to be in these situations,” Kenseth said. “They really stink, to be honest with you, but sometimes you get put in these spots, and you’ve got to try to keep respect in the garage area. You can’t get yourself ran over.

“You can’t get in the Chase next year and get ran over for the same reason. Like I said, hate the way it ended. Wish we were out there celebrating or having a shot for the win like we did before we got wrecked, so a disappointing day.”

NASCAR called Kenseth, crew chief Jason Ratcliff and team owner Joe Gibbs to the sanctioning body’s transporter after the race. Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, said the incident will be reviewed and subsequent action, if any, will be announced later this week.

None of the Kenseth-Logano drama, however, could mute the elation of Gordon, the first driver to clinch a spot in the Championship Round at Homestead.

“Yeah, baby, yeah — we go to Homestead!” Gordon screamed after crossing the finish line .335 seconds ahead of McMurray.  “That was huge! That was huge! Boys, I love you guys.

“That’s what I was talking about. We just keep digging and fighting…”


WATCH: Gordon celebrates ‘sweetest, most amazing feeling’


A few minutes later, in Victory Lane, Gordon couldn’t resist a joke.

“It was a joke. I’m coming back next year!” Gordon quipped about his impending retirement. “This is the sweetest, most amazing feeling. I am so proud of this team. You want to talk about holding back emotions; right now man, wow, we’re going to Homestead! I can’t believe it.”

Kyle Busch had a fight on his hands, too, after spinning in Turn 2 on Lap 170 and damaging the front suspension of his No. 18 Toyota during contact with the No. 3 Chevrolet of Austin Dillon. But Busch rallied to come home fifth and is tied with sixth-place finisher Martin Truex Jr. for second in the Chase standings.

Denny Hamlin recovered from two pit road speeding penalties to run third on Sunday, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ryan Newman and Harvick and were seventh and eighth, respectively.

Keselowski and Kurt Busch, victims of the same wreck that ended Kenseth’s strong run, finished 32nd and 34th, respectively, and are approaching must-win status at the next two races in the Eliminator Round, at Texas and Phoenix.

Notes: Before the wrecks that ruined their chances, the Team Penske cars were dominant. Logano led a race-high 207 laps. Keselowski led 143 laps, and at one juncture had built a lead of 8.9 seconds before Kyle Fowler smacked the Turn 3 wall to cause the 12th of 18 cautions. … The victory was Gordon’s first of the season and his ninth at Martinsville, breaking a tie with teammate Jimmie Johnson for most among active drivers.