Harvick tops Chicagoland Sprint Cup practice

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Staff Report

Kevin Harvick topped the opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice on Friday at Chicagoland Speedway. Harvick’s fast lap of 188.317 mph led the way in the 85-minute practice session.

The defending Sprint Cup Series champion has two wins at the Illinois track.

Harvick was followed on the speed chart by the Team Penske duo of Joey Logano (187.911 mph) and Brad Keselowski (187.826 mph). Martin Truex Jr. (187.800 mph) and Austin Dillon (187.761 mph) rounded out the top five.

Ryan Newman (187.415 mph), Kyle Busch (186.896 mph), Kasey Kahne (186.709 mph), Ryan Blaney (186.522 mph) and Kurt Busch (186.477 mph) made up sixth through 10 in the practice session. Dillon, Kahne and Blaney were the only drivers not in the Chase to finish the practice session in the top 10.

Nine Chase drivers finished outside the top 10 in practice: Jeff Gordon (11th), Jimmie Johnson (12th), Matt Kenseth (13th), Jamie McMurray (14th), Carl Edwards (15th), Paul Menard (17th), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (20th), Clint Bowyer (27th) and Denny Hamlin (30th).

A caution came out just about 10 minutes into practice as David Ragan went for a spin in his No. 55 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota off of Turn 4, but suffered no damage.

The Sprint Cup Series will be back on track Friday for Coors Light Pole Qualifying at 6:45 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Live Extra). There are two practice sessions scheduled for Saturday afternoon and the myAFibRisk.com 400 will take place on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Staff Report

You might be wondering why Sunday’s race at Chicagoland Speedway is the MyAFibRisk.com 400 . Well, September happens to be Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Awareness Month, a moment in time that aims to raise awareness about the risk of stroke due to the condition, and the signs and symptoms of blood clots.

Up to six million Americans are actually living with AFib, an irregular heartbeat that increases the risk of stroke due to a blood clot. The condition, which puts patients at a one in three chance of having a stroke, can impact even top athletes, such as 39-time Grand Slam tennis champion Billie Jean King and 14-time NBA All-Star Jerry West. That’s why the renowned athletic duo are involved in this weekend’s race as Co-Grand Marshals, and why they have also teamed up with Janssen Pharmaceuticals — the Official Cardiovascular Partner of NASCAR — to tell their own stories, raise awareness of the risks, and direct those with, or are caring for someone with, AFib to www.MyAFibRisk.com.

Using the website, patients and those caring for patients can calculate their personal stroke risk. In only eight questions, users will get a better understanding of their risk and can work with their doctor to ensure they receive the appropriate treatment. Effective treatments, such as blood thinners, have been proven to reduce stroke risk in patients with AFib by up to 60 percent.

For every person that calculates his or her risk of stroke on www.MyAFibRisk.com, Janssen will make a contribution to Mended Hearts, a nonprofit peer-to-peer support network that inspires hope and helps to improve the quality of life for heart patients and their families.

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Zack Albert

JOLIET, Ill. — Thursday’s playoff-opening media day for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup was graced by the arrival of two newcomers in the 16-driver field. Neither was new enough to need a name tag, but Jamie McMurray and Paul Menard both savored the spotlight that comes with their newfound championship eligibility.

“Quite honestly, I’ve never paid attention to what happens at Chase Media Day,” McMurray said as he made media rotations at The Murphy in downtown Chicago. “I don’t know that I had any idea what all of this was. When we showed up today and took our photo out front when we initially got here, I thought we were literally here for a photo in front of this building and I wasn’t sure why. And then when I walked in and saw all this — amazing. It somewhat reminds you of a condensed version of what we do at Daytona every year.”

With the meet-and-greets out of the way, both first-timers settle down to the business end of their Chase debut this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, site of Sunday’s MyAFibRisk.com 400 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the first of 10 playoff races that will determine the Sprint Cup champion. Both found out quickly that the event is no ordinary race, as evidenced by the build-up and obligations before the Challenger Round opens.

Both drivers participated in Chase Across North America activities Tuesday: McMurray loaded into Talladega to help a group of middle school students paint a car in Victory Lane, while Menard traveled to Martinsville for a parade and the key to the city. Both then traveled to Kansas Speedway for Wednesday’s test session before arriving for Thursday’s festivities in the Windy City.

The Chase marks uncharted ground for both, but on-track activity and the normal flow of the weekend schedule should provide some familiarity.

“I’ve never been in this position before, so I’m just taking it like I take every week with a busier week leading up to the event this week obviously,” Menard said. “But … I feel good about how we’re approaching it. We’re just going to put our heads down and go as far in this deal as we can.”

The wait for a Chase berth has been a lengthy one for McMurray, whose first premier-series start came roughly a year and a half before the 10-race playoff system debuted in 2004. Since then, his career has been dotted with Chase near-misses, but he secured his spot in the field as the top points-earner among non-winners.

The Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates driver doesn’t see the zero in his win column as an impediment, citing the example of Ryan Newman last year in the first go-round for the new-look Chase. Newman weathered eliminations all the way to the championship round without a win in 2014, something McMurray said he’s capable of replicating thanks to the No. 1 team’s consistency this season. 

“For sure, it obviously has been a long time,” McMurray said. “I’m really proud of our team and what we’ve been able to do to make the Chase. I think I’m most proud that we would’ve made it in any format. It wasn’t necessarily that you’re the last guy to get in. We were in the top 10 in points all year long and that’s a huge accomplishment for us.”

The wait has been slightly less prolonged for Menard, who joined the Sprint Cup Series full time in 2007. He wound up as the final driver to qualify for the Chase, 17 points ahead of Aric Almirola .

RELATED: Top quotes from Chase Media Day

If the Richard Childress Racing driver has an X-factor, it could be from his cult following in social media circles. Though he’s among a handful of drivers who aren’t on Twitter, he said he’s felt the modest groundswell of support from the loyal Menard faithful.

“What is there — 15 nations and one empire? Is that what they say?” Menard said, referring to both the Chase “driver nation” branding and the @PMenardEmpire Twitter account. “No, it’s cool. I’ve actually met Jory, who does the Paul Menard Empire. He’s been to a few races and I’ve met him. Then just randomly … somebody came up — it was in Richmond — and said they wanted to meet the emperor. So I signed an autograph. It’s cool. I hear about it and it’s a pretty cool deal.”

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Reid Spencer

JOLIET, Ill. — Kevin Harvick will start the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup from the same position he ended last year’s playoff — in the No. 1 spot.

When torrential rain at Chicagoland Speedway wiped out Friday’s time trials at the 1.5-mile track, Harvick earned the Coors Light Pole position for Sunday’s myAFibRisk.com 400 (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN) by virtue of having posted the fastest lap during opening practice.

With heavy rains forecasted for the afternoon, most drivers focused on mock qualifying runs during practice, anticipating the field for the opening Chase race would be set according to practice speeds. Harvick was the only driver to top 188 mph in the opening session, running a lap at 188.317 mph.

Joey Logano, a Championship 4 competitor in 2014, will start on the outside of the front row, after running 187.911 mph in practice. With Brad Keselowski third quickest and Martin Truex Jr. fourth, Chase drivers claimed the top four starting spots and six of the top seven.

Ryan Newman will start sixth and Kyle Busch seventh in the 400-mile event.

“First off,” Harvick said, “I’m just most proud of my team for having a fast race car and coming to the track and having a plan and doing all the things that they did to pay attention to the weather and put a lot of emphasis on trying to lay a fast lap down, just like everybody else, to get a good starting position with the way that the weather was (looking).”

Logano and his team spent the entire 85-minute practice session in qualifying trim, expecting time trials to be rained out.

“We looked at the forecast and knew there was a good chance of rain,” Logano said. “Any time that happens, you focus in on qualifying in practice a little bit more. We haven’t been in race trim yet … Really, I felt like it was qualifying during practice.

“We were really trying to top the chart, because we really felt like that was where we were going to start — at the end of practice.”

Harvick, on the other hand, started in race trim to get a feel for the track before he moved to a qualifying setup.

“We started in race trim because (Crew chief) Rodney (Childers) and I felt like this is one of those places … it’s a hard place to drive around because it’s so rough, and the timing and rhythm of the race track is something that, as a driver, you need to be able to get into that rhythm before you go into qualifying trim.”

Two Chase drivers who failed to post strong practice speeds — Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin — will start 26th and 29th, respectively, in Sunday’s race. Other Chasers secured spots on the grid as follows: Kurt Busch (ninth), Jeff Gordon (10th), Jimmie Johnson (11th), Matt Kenseth (12th), Jamie McMurray (13th), Carl Edwards (14th), Paul Menard (16th) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (19th).

A major casualty of the cancellation was Ryan Blaney, who was ninth fastest in opening practice in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford but will not start the race under rainout rules (because of fewer qualifying attempts this year). This is the third time this season Blaney has been knocked out of a race by rain.

Michael McDowell and Travis Kvapil also failed to make the 43-car field.

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Nascar

RELATED: JGR has look of Chase favorite

CHICAGO — Speed isn’t everything, Kevin Harvick said, and the defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion doesn’t take kindly to having his team described as being “behind” the Joe Gibbs Racing organization.

Whether a bit of gamesmanship or a gut feeling, Harvick said he believed his Stewart-Haas Racing team would “pound them into the ground” when asked about the four-team JGR stable during Thursday’s Chase Media Day at The Murphy in downtown Chicago.

“I wouldn’t consider us behind the Gibbs cars,” Harvick, 39, said. “I’ve raced against the Gibbs cars. I think we’re going to pound them into the ground, that’s what I think. Hopefully they can beat themselves.”

JGR drivers Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin won 11 of this year’s 26 races leading into the Chase, which begins this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. They have won eight of the last 11, and Kenseth dominated last week’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

Harvick’s SHR organization, which also fields four teams, has four wins (two for Harvick; two for teammate Kurt Busch). But while Harvick hasn’t won as often as Kyle Busch or Kenseth this season, his No. 4 team has been incredibly consistent, with 10 runner-up finishes and 18 top fives.

Harvick acknowledges what JGR has been able to accomplish, but said speed is only part of the equation when it comes to the 10-race Chase and surviving through three rounds of eliminations to get to the final, championship-determining race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“I don’t know that we’re better than them,” he said. “I think for us it’s all about having the experience. It’s really not about having the fastest car at this point. It’s about having experience to be able to go out and handle the emotions of 10 weeks.

“As you go into these 10 weeks, you have to put it all together and there’s a lot more than racing to handle.”

JGR drivers took Harvick’s comments in stride. A Toyota-branded team has yet to win a Sprint Cup title, although Kenseth finished second two years ago, Clint Bowyer (Michael Waltrip Racing) was second in ’12 and Hamlin finished in the third spot last season.

“That’s talk,” Edwards, who joined JGR prior to the start of this season, said when told of Harvick’s comment. “We’ll go race and we’ll see how it turns out, but I think statistics and our performance lately speaks for itself.

“We’re pretty fast and that’s that.”

“I though that was supposed to be with media day before Homestead, not media day before the Chase starts,” Busch said of Harvick’s remark. “He’s moving it up. …

“I’d really hate to see him blow a motor here this first week; that would be really, really bad.”

MORE: Who is your Chase driver? Take our quiz

Kenseth, who won the Sprint Cup title in 2003 before the debut of the Chase format, admitted Harvick has something of an advantage as the only driver to win under the current elimination format.

“The only way he was going to make it to Homestead was to win Phoenix and … he was able to win Phoenix; then the only way to assure himself a championships was to win Homestead and he did that, too,” Kenseth said.

“To be able to do that in this format, to be behind and step up to the plate, absolutely, I think that gives him an advantage.”

Harvick and his team, led by crew chief Rodney Childers, spent Wednesday at Kansas Speedway testing prior to heading for Chicago to begin preparations for Sunday’s myAFibRisk.com 400 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR).

“I feel like we’ve got good cars sitting at the shop ready to go,” Childers said following the test. “And I feel like we’re more prepared than what we were last year.

“Last year we did have a little bit of a motor advantage, that kind of thing, and now we don’t. It’s going to be harder. But we’ve got a good race team. We’re going to have to race hard, just like we did last year.

“During the Chase last year the Penske cars (of ’12 champion Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano) were as fast or probably faster at a lot of places and that’s who we had to contend with. Now I think they’ll have good speed and the Gibbs cars will have good speed. It’s going to be exciting.”

Chase games: Chase Battle Grid | Perfect Grid Challenge

Posted on September 17, 2015 by

The pit crew for Brad Keselowski‘s No. 2 Team Penske Ford will have a new rear tire changer heading into the Chase at Chicagoland.

Veteran tire changer Kyle Power will be taking over duties on the No. 2 car immediately. Power has spent the last few years at Richard Petty Motorsports working on the No. 9 and No. 43 teams. He also has many years under his belt as a tire changer at Roush Fenway Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing.

With Power’s departure from the No. 43 team of Aric Almirola, tire changer Colin Fambrough could move to that spot from the No. 9 team to fill the vacancy. That will leave an opening on the pit crew of Sam Hornish Jr.’s No. 9 Ford.

Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet for Jeff Gordon

Pit Coach: Chris Burkey
Front Changer: Scott Brzozowski
Front Carrier: Dion Williams
Jackman: John Gianatto
Rear Changer: Chad Avritt
Rear Carrier: Jared Erspamer
Gas Man: Travis Gordon

Strength: They pit for one of the greatest drivers of all time, and this crew would love to send Jeff Gordon off on a solid note at the end of his final full-time Sprint Cup season. They have two changers who are as fast as any two out there and a support team that is solid.

Weakness: Early in the year this team was moving some crewmen around. They took a few weeks to look at some young talent at the front carrier, rear carrier and jack man positions. During this time, jackman Bailey Walker and HMS parted ways and John Gianatto took over full time. So the in-experience of this team might play a factor. Also, they took a lot of heat a few weeks back at Bristol over two loose wheels on the rear and getting over that will be key.

Richard Childress Racing No. 31 Chevrolet for Ryan Newman

Pit Crew: 31
Pit Coach: Eric Wilson
Front Changer: Tim Sheets
Front Carrier: J.D. Holcum
Jackman: Adam Lewis
Rear Changer: Jake Lind
Rear Carrier: Brad Robinson
Gas Man: Cruz Gonzalez

Strength: This team has some very high-end speed. They have been a top 15 crew for most of the year and come Chase time, they must find that top-end speed in order to compete. This is the same group that helped Newman finish second in last year’s Chase

Weakness: Last year they were a team that was running fast times all year at every track. This year they’ve fallen off a little bit on the consistency side. Make no mistake … this team is fast, but being fast sometimes and being fast all the time are two different things.

Richard Childress Racing No. 27 for Paul Menard

Pit Coach: Eric Wilson
Front Changer: Jeff Cordero
Front Carrier: Matt Donley
Jackman: Sam Abney
Rear Changer: Aaron Smith
Rear Carrier: Ray Wright
Gas Man: Matt Krueter

Strength: This is the same group that has pitted the No. 27 all year. They understand their driver and have veteran leadership within the back of their car with Smith, Wright and Krueter.

Weakness: It’s been a while since they were in contention for a win, and it’s hard to get up for each race when your not used to pitting up front.

Michael Waltrip Racing No. 15 Toyota for Clint Bowyer

Pit Coach: Walt Smith
Front Changer: Terry Spalding
Front Carrier: Allen Steel
Jackman: Brian Chase
Rear Changer: Lee Cunningham
Rear Carrier: PJ Brody
Gas Man: Evan Marchall

Strength: They have a ton of leadership with Spalding and Chase and have plenty of talent in the rear with Brody and Cunningham. They have the ability to go low on any stop.

Weakness: They haven’t been running up front all year, and pitting under the pressure that the Chase provides will test this group. They have had races where they’ve been a top team all day and they’ve had races where you didn’t know they were there. This would be a scary crew to handicap one way or the other.

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Staff Report

RELATED: Take the My Driver Quiz

The My Driver Quiz returns for its second year, giving fans and competitors alike the chance to find out which Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup driver they are most like.

Click the link above to take the quiz yourself. During Thursday’s live chat with Miss Sprint Cup Julianna White, several drivers took the quiz — and some of the results were surprising.

Kurt Busch: Quiz revealed he is most like Jimmie Johnson. “Awww, I got ‘Six-Time,'” Busch said with a chuckle. “I’m trending in the right direction, then.”

Jimmie Johnson: Quiz revealed he is most like Matt Kenseth. “At least I’m not as old as Matt,” Johnson said on his 40th birthday. “That’s the one thing I’ve got going for me today. He’s going to love me for that one.”

Ryan Newman: Quiz revealed he is most like Dale Earnhardt Jr. “I don’t get it.”

Jeff Gordon: Quiz revealed he is most like Carl Edwards. “Cool, Carl Edwards. I’m a big Carl Edwards fan.”

As for Miss Sprint Cup herself? She’s a member of Logano Nation.

Take the quiz for yourself, and let us know in the comments section who you got. As for you other 12 Chase drivers — we’ll look forward to seeing your results on Twitter.

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Staff Report

RELATED: See the Chase Grid | Download your own

We asked members of the NASCAR.com editorial staff to fill out their Chase Grids. Even @nascarcasm got involved. See below for our sleepers, championship picks and even a few doodles.

Click on the individual grids to make them larger.

Zack Albert

Kenny Bruce

Holly Cain

George Winkler

Brad Norman

@nascarcasm

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Staff Report

LEARN MORE: About Bing
PLAY NOW: Play the Chase Grid Battle Game here

The points have been tallied, the smoke cleared and the 16-car field set for the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Over the next 10 races, drivers will race with everything on the line and battle for limited slots per round, all for a chance to compete in the season’s final event — the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Sprint Cup Series title.

And now, fans have the opportunity to get their hands on the action, excitement and drama that comes with the playoffs.

The Chase Grid™ Battle Powered by Bing is an interactive activity that allows fans to follow and participate in the playoffs live, selecting the drivers they think will advance to the next round. Lineups will be scored based upon finishing order and correct selections. Each race is scored so participants are encouraged to set a lineup each round and check back each week for results.

The game will utilize Bing Predicts technology, a system whose résumé includes making accurate predictions for the Women’s World Cup and Tour de France and correctly predicting all 15 knockout games in the men’s World Cup. The round-by-round forecasts will update throughout the Chase and can help users advance to a fantasy championship.

Participants can either choose to form a public or private league to compete against their friends, or join a public league, which can incorporate up to 500 individuals.

Registration is now underway until Nov. 1, but selections are only allowed when the rounds initially open. Fans have the best chance to win prizes if their entries are submitted prior to the first deadline. The deadline to make the first round of picks is Sunday, Sept. 20 at 3 p.m. ET, which coincides with the start of the opening Chase race at Chicagoland Speedway (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN).

Click here to get started or learn more about the game here.