Posted on by Staff Report

One week after coming up a single position short at Darlington, Ray Alfalla (Slip Angle Motorsports) turned-in a dominating performance at Chicagoland Speedway to score his third victory of the 2015 NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series powered by iRacing. Alfalla started fourth and quickly showed his would be the car to beat, pacing the field for a race-high 117 of 167 laps. Aero Precision‘s Taylor Hurst finished second, 3.79s behind the winner. Bryan Blackford was third, followed by Michael Conti (Drill Aisle), who battled from thirty-third on the grid, and Chris Overland (Last Row Motorsports).

The biggest winner of all, however, finished a lowly 29th.  That would be Kenny Humpe (The TEAM) who came into the race with a virtually insurmountable lead in the points and went on to clinch the 2015 NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series championship and the $10,000 grand prize. Humpe’s race started strong with a third place run in qualifying and, while it was clear he did not have the speed to run with Alfalla, a top five seemed realistic. That all changed on Lap 101 when Humpe got loose and hit the wall off Turn Two, triggering a crash that also involved Allen Boes and Justin Bolton. Despite his damage, Humpe soldered on to the finish and wrapped-up the championship a week early.

Alfalla did all he could do to extend the championship battle to the final race of the season.  He led for much of the evening and found himself out front when the fifth and final yellow flag flew with 44 laps remaining. With tires at a premium, all lead lap cars headed to the pits for fresh rubber, final adjustments and fuel to the finish. Alfalla won the race off pit road but came under attack from Hurst and Tyler Hudson (One Up Motorsports) shortly after the restart. Four laps later, Hudson took advantage of a minor mistake by Alfalla and grabbed the lead with Hurst in tow.

Alfalla, knowing he had the best long-run car, was content to bide his time in third. Sure enough, it only took nine laps for Alfalla to catch and re-pass Hurst to move back into second. Hudson too began to struggle and he met the same fate as Hurst three laps later. Once back in clean air, Alfalla checked-out on the rest of the field, never being challenged the rest of the way.

The race started with a long green flag run and as the track took rubber and tires wore, some sim racers and cars reacted more positively than others did. Conti flew through the back half of the field after missing qualifying while Corey Vincent (Premere Motorsports Group) and Nick Ottinger (Gale Force Racing) both struggled with ill-handling cars and fell back. Vincent recovered for a ninth place result but Ottinger’s luck ran out when he met the Turn Four wall, ending his night in 39th position.

While Humpe took the title, Alfalla locked-up second place in the points, extending a remarkable five-year streak of finishing either first or second in the championship. However, the fight for third is far from over with PJ Stergios currently occupying the final podium spot with Blackford (-17 points) and Overland (-18 points) in pursuit.

Just one race remains in the 2015 NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series, the traditional season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. With Humpe and Alfalla both locked into their championship positions, it would be no surprise to see both drivers go all-out for one more win to cap off the season. In addition, the battle for third is tight enough that it would not be surprising to see either Blackford or Overland try to play strategy to overtake Stergios. Who will end the season on a high note and who will be left staring at a long off-season? To find the results to all these stories and more be sure to catch the series finale in two weeks’ time on iRacingLive!

Posted on by Staff Report

TaxSlayer.com, a primary sponsor of the No. 7 JR Motorsports team with driver Regan Smith, will expand its involvement with the NASCAR XFINITY Series organization in 2016 while also beginning a new relationship with the Hendrick Motorsports Sprint Cup Series group.
 
TaxSlayer.com, which has been affiliated with JRM since 2010, will serve as the primary sponsor for a total of 10 races in 2016, appearing on the No. 7 Chevrolet of Smith as well as the No. 88 entry that has been fielded for various drivers this season.
 
The company will serve as the primary sponsor of Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 Sprint Cup entry for one race in 2016, as well as an associate throughout the year.
 
“TaxSlayer is one of our longest-tenured sponsors,” Earnhardt Jr. said in a release announcing the sponsorship. “… I’m extremely loyal to them. I hope the fans are, too. We’ve done great things together and I’m really looking forward to racing a TaxSlayer car in Sprint Cup next year.”
 
JRM fields three entries in the XFINTY Series. In addition to Smith’s No. 7 and the No. 88 entry, the organization includes defending series champion Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Chevrolet.
 
“It has been a privilege to be associated with Dale Jr. and JR Motorsports for so long,” Jimmy Rhodes, TaxSlayer.com President and CEO, said. “And we’re excited to add a new chapter with Hendrick Motorsports next season.
 
“We have found an immense loyalty among NASCAR fans, but especially with Dale Jr.’s fans. We want to continue growing this partnership.”
 
Smith, a winner at Mid-Ohio earlier this year, is fourth in points as the XFINITY Series prepares to head to Kentucky Speedway for Saturday night’s running of the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 (8 p.m., NBCSN).

Posted on by Staff Report

MORE: Official NASCAR release | Bowyer drops to 16th after penalty
NASCAR announced P2 penalties for race-winner Kyle Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Daniel Suarez on Wednesday for infractions during Saturday night’s XFINITY Series’ Furious 7 300 at Chicagoland Speedway.

RELATED: Race-winner Busch’s No. 54 fails post-race inspection


After earning his series-leading 74th XFINITY victory, Busch’s winning No. 54 Toyota failed post-race inspection. NASCAR officials found the car to be too low, failing to meet minimum height requirements on all four corners (Sections 12.1, 20.17.3.2.1. b & c, 20.17.3.2.2.b & c, 12.5.3.2.1.f, 12.5.3.2.2.a.b & d of the NASCAR rule book). In response, crew chief Chris Gayle was fined $12,500 and placed on probation through Dec. 31 2015. Car owner J.D. Gibbs was docked 10 series championship owner points.

The No. 18 team, whose car is wheeled by Suarez, was penalized for modifications to the right side vertical extension panel (side skirt) following pre-race inspection (Sections 12.1 and 20.4b and 20.4.2a of the NASCAR rule book). As a result, No. 18 crew chief Eric P. Phillips and crew member John Egbert Jr. have been placed on probation through Dec. 31, 2015.

While the sanctioning body annulled governing ride-height heights for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series prior to the 2014 season, the regulations remain intact for the XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series.

The Sprint Cup Series teams of Danica Patrick and Chase Contender Clint Bowyer were also penalized following Sunday’s Cup event at Chicagoland. The No. 15 team was given a P4 penalty, while the No. 10 team was handed a P2.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Tony Gibson, crew chief for the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 41 Chevrolet driven by championship contender Kurt Busch, is recovering from an emergency appendectomy in advance of this weekend’s on-track activity at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

 

Gibson, 50, posted Wednesday on Facebook that he returned home Tuesday night and was recuperating after undergoing the procedure.

“Just really sore today,” Gibson wrote after giving thanks for the well-wishes he’d received. “Who needs an appendix anyway????”


He later tweeted Thursday that he would be at the track, then noted Friday morning that Busch sent his plane back to North Carolina to get the crew chief to New Hampshire.


A Stewart-Haas Racing representative said that team engineer John Klausmeier would serve as interim crew chief and that Greg Zipadelli, the organization’s vice president of competition, would have “an increased presence with the No. 41 team.”

Gibson joined forces with Busch starting with the last three races of 2014, Busch’s first year with Stewart-Haas. The duo produced two victories in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ regular season this year.

Busch opened the Chase last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway with a third-place finish, surrendering the lead to eventual winner Denny Hamlin on the race’s final restart. The result placed Busch fifth in the 16-driver Chase standings.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Action sports star Travis Pastrana is returning to NASCAR, if only for one race.



Pastrana announced from his Instagram account that he will compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 3. The 31-year-old extreme sports standout is scheduled to drive the NTS Motorsports No. 31 Chevrolet, said team competition director Chris Rice.



“Couldn’t be more excited right now,” Pastrana said on Instagram before thanking the truck’s sponsors — GunBroker.com, Never Too Hungover and Lazy F Ranch. The event will be just the second-ever truck appearance for Pastrana, who also entered the series’ 2012 race at Las Vegas.



The bulk of Pastrana’s NASCAR experience came in 2013 in his lone full season in what is now the XFINITY Series, driving the No. 60 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. Pastrana claimed one Coors Light Pole Award (Talladega in May), but wound up 14th in the final standings after crashing out of six of the campaign’s 33 races.



Pastrana announced on Facebook just days before the 2013 season finale that he would not return the following season, citing frustrating results, a lack of sponsorship and his desire to spend more time with his wife and then-infant daughter.



Since exiting NASCAR full-time, Pastrana has competed in RallyCross and off-road racing, in addition to his career as a motocross stunt performer.

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

RELATED: Bowyer drops to 16th in Chase standings after penalty

RELATED: Busch, Suarez also penalized

 

Daytona Beach, Florida (September 23, 2015) — Two NASCAR Sprint Cup teams and two NASCAR XFINITY Series teams have been penalized following last week’s events at Chicagoland Speedway.

 

The No. 10 team has been penalized for an infraction that occurred during pre-qualifying inspection on Sept. 18. This is a P2 level penalty (Sections 12.1 and 20.4b and 20.4.2a of the NASCAR rule book). The right side quarter panel behind the rear wheel/tire was modified during pre-qualifying inspection. Crew chief Daniel Knost has been placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31, 2015. Car chief Pete White has been placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31, 2015.

The No. 15 team has been penalized for an infraction that occurred on opening day inspection on Sept.18. This is a P4 level penalty (Section 12.1, 20. 14.c, 20.14.2.1.k, 12.5.3.4.d, 12.5.3.4.1.d & f, 12.5.3.4.2 of the NASCAR rule book). Crew chief Billy W. Scott has been fined $75,000, suspended for the next three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship events and placed on NASCAR probation for six months following the issue of suspension. Driver Clint Bowyer has been penalized 25 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Driver points. Car owner Rob Kauffman has been penalized 25 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Owner points.  NASCAR has requested to the Appeals Administrator of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel that the appeals process described in the rule book be expedited.

 

NASCAR XFINITY Series

No. 18 team has been penalized for an infraction that occurred during pre-race on Sept. 19. This is a P2 level penalty (Sections 12.1 and 20.4b and 20.4.2a of the NASCAR rule book). The right side vertical extension panel (side skirt) was modified after pre-race inspection. Crew chief Eric P. Phillips has been placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31, 2015. Crew member John P. Egbert Jr. has been placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31, 2015.

The No. 54 car failed heights during post-race inspection on Sept. 19. This is a P2 level penalty (Sections 12.1, 20.17.3.2.1. b & c, 20.17.3.2.2.b & c, 12.5.3.2.1.f, 12.5.3.2.2.a.b & d of the NASCAR rule book). Crew chief Christopher W. Gayle has been fined $12,500 and placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31, 2015.  Car owner J. D. Gibbs has been penalized 10 series championship owner points. 

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Can Harvick bounce back and advance in Chase?


Editor’s note: The views expressed in this column are solely those of the author.

 

Jimmie Johnson was at fault for slamming into the side of Kevin Harvick during Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.
 
And Harvick’s team was wrong to leave its driver out on the track following the contact, taking an unwise and unnecessary gamble in a race that had just reached the halfway point.
 
And this was not just any race. This was the opening event in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and the first of three races that will determine which 12 teams from the field of 16 will advance to the next round, the Contender Round.
 
Sure, hindsight might be 20-20, but we’re not talking about a couple of Johnny-come-latelys here.
 
Both drivers are former Sprint Cup champions — Johnson a six-time winner while Harvick captured his first title this past season.

RELATED: Hear the scanner from the incident
 
There are several reasons why the two teams are considered among the very best on the track each and every week. They rarely make mistakes and when problems do arise, the teams don’t fall apart. If anything, adversity draws the respective groups closer together.
 
They haven’t won races and championships because they’ve made bad decisions. They’ve won races and championships because they’ve made smart ones.
 
In Sunday’s Chase opener, both made bad choices and it had nothing to do with Johnson’s visit to Harvick’s bus in the motorcoach lot after the race. That’s fodder for another day.
 
Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet shot underneath Harvick on a restart on Lap 135, and the reason he took to the track apron is open for debate. Replays made it appear as though a shove from Joey Logano forced the Hendrick Motorsports driver to dive low to keep from running into the back of Harvick’s No. 4 Chevrolet.
 
From other angles, it appeared Johnson went low not because of any contact, but simply to avoid hitting Harvick, whose Stewart-Haas Racing entry didn’t seem to get quite as good of a launch on the restart.
 
Either way, Johnson was in no man’s land and he knew it. With Turn 1 just ahead, he had two options — try and force his way back onto the track or lift and give up track position as others sped past.

RELATED: Where do both drivers stand in Power Rankings?
 
Maybe Johnson didn’t win six titles by giving up ground, but it could have just as easily been his car that sustained a tire rub and eventually found itself in the wall. It was a pretty questionable decision with so much on the line.
 
No doubt Harvick was aware of Johnson’s predicament and perhaps he openly chose to keep his fellow racer pinned on the bottom.
 
Maybe Harvick didn’t slide up a lane and let Johnson in line for fear of another car being on his outside. Logano was there somewhere; Jeff Gordon was as well.
 
Maybe he chose to hold his line because he never expected Johnson to come rocketing back up onto the track and slam into the side of his car.
 
There’s no way of knowing, of course, but one has to wonder what decisions would have been made had the roles of Johnson and Harvick been reversed. Would Harvick have tried to force his way back onto the track? Would Johnson have moved up a lane to avoid contact?
 
Once the contact took place, Harvick’s team felt any damage was minor enough to leave their driver on the track. Smoke from a tire rub had lessened; radio chatter informed Harvick that all appeared OK, keep pushing.
 
And then he hit the fence. In the opening Chase race and with nearly half the race remaining.

RELATED: Harvick looks to Loudon for redemption
 
There was no way of knowing how significant the damage to Harvick’s car was after the contact with Johnson without coming to pit road. But why take the chance? Why put your entire season in jeopardy when a trip to pit road would have alleviated any concerns for both driver and crew?
 
Yes, a pit stop for fresh tires and to check for damage would have put Harvick a lap down, perhaps two. According to NASCAR statistics, however, there were only 16 cars on the lead lap at that point in the race. The likelihood that he could have raced his way back onto the lead lap was extremely good. Denny Hamlin went on to win the race after nearly losing two laps in the opening stages of the race. Carl Edwards, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, rallied to finish second despite falling off the lead lap when he was penalized for speeding on pit road on Lap 52.
 
Instead, the No. 4 team chose to roll the dice. By the time repairs had been completed and Harvick returned to the race, the driver was 57 laps down.
 
Harvick, who finished 42nd Sunday, has only two races to climb back into contention. His is not a lost cause, but the team can’t afford any more mistakes.
 
Johnson dropped six spots, falling from first to seventh and that’s not the way his team expected to open the Chase.
 
It’s not unusual to see teams with nothing to lose take risks.
 
But for those who repeatedly succeed by making the right decisions at crucial moments, putting an entire season on the line with a questionable decision is totally out of character.

Posted on by Nascar

CONCORD, N.C. — Traces of confetti were still stuck to Carl Edwards‘ No. 19 Toyota and Dash 4 Cash bogus bills littered the hood of the entry of fellow Joe Gibbs Racing driver Daniel Suarez.

 

Crewmen that had arrived at the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord, North Carolina, earlier that September morning began their assigned tasks promptly at 8 a.m. ET.

 

Edwards’ group, along with those from the Team Penske Ford of Brad Keselowski and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team for driver Kasey Kahne, were the first to begin.

 

They worked quietly and efficiently, removing specific parts from each entry and delivering them to a predetermined area nearby. NASCAR officials then began the process of inspecting the individual pieces, measuring and examining each one before moving on to the next.

 

It’s the final stop in the inspection process for NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, and occasionally the XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series.

 

While entries that qualify for a NASCAR event typically go through four separate inspections the previous race weekend (pre-qualifying, qualifying, pre-race and post-race), the winning and second-place entry, as well as a randomly selected car, arrive here at the R&D Center, where a final teardown takes place.

 

“It’s primarily the suspension officials, which are chosen by their supervisor … and the same with the engine group,” NASCAR’s Chad Little, Managing Director, Technical Inspection/Officiating, said.

 

“Sometimes we do a detailed template inspection as well. But primarily it’s suspension and engine.”

 

According to Little, teams whose cars are taken to the R&D Center (the cars are transported by NASCAR employees) after an event are officially notified by email following the race.

 

The final post-race inspections are held on the following Tuesdays, and once teams arrive, they are given a detailed list of what specific parts are to be removed from each entry.

 

“The team will go to work in pulling the engine and pulling those parts off the car,” Little said. “The officials will inspect them and make sure they comply with the rules. It’s usually all done by about 10:30 a.m.

 

“We tear the car completely apart — all the primary suspension parts come out.”

 

Engines are completely disassembled, fuel cells are removed, measured and checked and the transmissions are inspected as well.

 

Before NASCAR began taking cars back to the R&D center, final post-race inspections were completed at the track following the event. Officials say bringing the cars back here provides a better environment and allows for a more detailed inspection. Weather is not longer a concern while officials and crewmen for the cars inspected no longer must spend hours after the race completing the various tasks.

 

There is no limit to the number of employees a team may bring to complete the teardown as the center, “as many as they need,” Little said. “And it’s an open-door policy.

 

“So any other team can come and observe. … They’re parked right next to each other just like they are in the garage; nobody covers anything up. When the parts come off they’re laid there for anybody else to see.”

 

If there is an issue, the series director is notified and the information moves up the management chain. “Before we issue (a penalty),” Little said, “it’s thoroughly thought out.”

 

Almost one hour after work began, Edwards’ Southern 500 winning car and Keselowski’s No. 2 Ford have been checked and are rolled out of the main area. Kahne’s entry isn’t far behind and joins the JGR entry in the chassis room, where officials go over each with a Romer Absolute Arm, a computerized device that takes precise chassis measurements at various points on each car.

 

It’s a slow process for those who have other items on their agenda. Darian Grubb, crew chief for Edwards, had already been in three meetings with various JGR personnel before the teardown process got underway.

 

Watching as crewmen went through their assigned tasks, he waited patiently until the inspection had been completed.

 

That the winning car would be in pieces when it finally returned to the team’s headquarters in nearby Huntersville wouldn’t be an issue.

 

“We’d normally go through all those things after getting the car back to shop anyway, so they’d have to come off,” Grubb said. “That car will be turned around and we’ll start to get it ready for Dover as quick as we get it back.”

 

By 10:40 a.m., the inspection process for Edwards’ car has been completed, Keselowski’s has already been loaded up and Kahne’s Chevrolet is nearly finished.

 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the building, the work had already begun on the XFINITY Series entries of Suarez and race winner Denny Hamlin.

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The No. 18 team of Joe Gibbs Racing and longtime front tire changer Nick Odell have parted ways. Odell was changing this past weekend in the Chase opener at Chicagoland in a race in which Kyle Busch finished ninth.

This is an unusual development considering the timing and that the No. 18 pit crew has been intact for eight years and is a tightly knit group. This has been regarded as one of the best pit crews for years, and Odell is a great talent.

Josh Leslie will replace Odell as the front changer this weekend in the second race of the Challenger Round at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Leslie has been doing some work with JGR the last few years and was also at Germain Racing.

For more pit crew information, visit PitTalks.com