Chicagoland Truck Series race postponed due to weather

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Staff Report

NASCAR officials called the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race Friday night after severe weather swept through Joliet, Illinois, and the surrounding area. The American Ethanol E15 225 is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. ET Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway (FOX Sports 2).

Truck Series pole qualifying also was rained out Friday, as was Sprint Cup Series qualifying, resulting in the fields being set by the rulebook.

Kyle Larson, who had the top speed of 175.052 mph in NCWTS practice early Friday, will lead the field to green on Saturday in the No. 00 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

Joining Larson on the front row will be the No. 88 Toyota of Matt Crafton after posting the second-fastest lap during practice (174.967 mph).

Johnny Sauter, Tyler Reddick and Timothy Peters will complete the top five on the starting lineup based on their practice speeds.

Current Truck Series leader Erik Jones will start eighth.

There are no previous Chicagoland winners in this weekend’s field.

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Staff Report

JOLIET, Ill. — Rain has halted on-track activity Friday at Chicagoland Speedway, throwing a kink into a busy tripleheader weekend schedule for all three NASCAR national series.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying, which had begun at 4:35 p.m. ET, was canceled without a full round being completed. So the field is being set per the rule book, resulting in practice speeds being used to set the starting grid.

Friday’s Truck Series race was postponed. The American Ethanol E15 225 is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway (FOX Sports 2, MRN).

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying, scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET, was also canceled.

Kevin Harvick will lead the field to green Sunday from the pole position.

Precipitation pelted the 1.5-mile oval and surrounding area Thursday evening and returned Friday, the opening day of track time for the Sprint Cup, XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series. The main event — the myAFibRisk.com 400 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM) — marks the first of 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series playoffs.

All three series got on track Friday for opening practice before rain started to fall during the opening round of Truck Series qualifying, bringing out both the tarps and a red flag. Still scheduled for today is the American Ethanol E15 225 (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1), the 16th of 23 races for the truck tour this season.

The XFINITY Series is scheduled to resume on-track activity Saturday with qualifying at 2:45 p.m. ET and the Furious 7 300 at 6 p.m. ET. Both are to be broadcast on NBCSN/Live Extra.

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Staff Report

RELATED: See the full lineup

Kyle Larson will start from the pole position for the Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol E15 225 (8:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 2) at Chicagoland Speedway after rain brought out a red flag, ultimately canceling the Keystone Light Qualifying event in advance of tonight’s race.

The field has been set according to the rule book, and Larson was fastest in practice earlier Friday.

Lining up next to Larson, who is driving the No. 00 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, on the front row will be two-time Truck Series champion Matt Crafton.

Johnny Sauter, Tyler Reddick and Timothy Peters will complete the top five on the starting lineup based on their practice speeds.

Current Truck Series leader Erik Jones will start eighth.

There are no previous Chicagoland winners in this weekend’s field.

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Staff Report

Danica Patrick will have Aspen Dental on board as a primary sponsor for four races in the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season as part of a multi-year partnership extension with Stewart-Haas Racing.

Aspen Dental will continue to serve as an associate sponsor for Patrick in all her other Sprint Cup Series races.

“Working with Aspen Dental dentists has been a real pleasure,” Patrick said in a release provided by the team. “I love partnering with organizations that care about people, and teaming up with an organization that has such an important mission — breaking down barriers and helping patients get the dental care they need — is very rewarding. Aspen Dental dentists raise awareness about the importance of oral health every day, and I look forward to shining a spotlight on the great work they do.”

For the past two seasons, Aspen Dental has been a primary sponsor for two races annually for Patrick’s No. 10 Chevrolet team. The company is the primary sponsor this weekend for Patrick at Chicagoland Speedway for the myAFibRisk.com 400 (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Her No. 10 Chevrolet will have the names of more than 2,200 veterans being honored by their family and friends via a social media campaign earlier this year.

“Danica is an excellent ambassador for Aspen Dental practices and this renewed partnership is a testament to all of the hard work everyone puts in to making this sponsorship successful,” SHR co-owner and three-time champion Tony Stewart said in a team release.

Last month, SHR announced that Nature’s Bakery was coming on board for 28 races a season as a primary sponsor for Patrick. SHR also announced a multi-year contract extension for Patrick at that time as well.

Entering Chicagoland, Patrick is 24th in the point standings with two top 10s this season.

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Staff Report

MORE: Full practice results

Kyle Larson led the first and only NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice on Friday at Chicagoland Speedway.

Larson recorded his fastest time of 175.052 mph on Lap 40 of 40.

Coming up second-fastest to the JR Motorsports driver was defending two-time Truck Series champion Matt Crafton (174.967 mph).

Johnny Sauter (174.927 mph), Tyler Reddick (174.627 mph) and Timothy Peters (174.216 mph) completed the top-five fastest on the leaderboard.

Truck Series points leader Erik Jones was eighth-fastest (173.891 mph).

There are no previous Chicagoland winners in this weekend’s field.

The Truck Series returns to the track at 4:35 p.m. ET for Keystone Light Pole Qualifying (FOX Sports 1) for Friday night’s American Ethanol E15 225 (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1).

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Staff Report

RELATED: Full practice results

Joe Gibbs Racing rookie Daniel Suarez topped the lone NASCAR XFINITY Series practice at Chicagoland Speedway. Suarez’s fast lap of 177.713 mph topped the charts of the 145-minute session.

In fact, three JGR cars made up the top four with another Toyota (J.J. Yeley) making it a clean sweep of the top four spots in practice. Yeley was second in the session (176.725 mph), followed by the JGR duo of Kyle Busch (176.079 mph) and Matt Kenseth (175.833 mph).

Richard Childress Racing took four of the top 10 spots with Paul Menard (5th, 175.154 mph), Ty Dillon (6th, 174.859 mph), Brendan Gaughan (7th, 174.672 mph) and Brian Scott (10th, 174.014 mph).

Entering this weekend, Chris Buescher holds a 21-point lead over defending series champion Chase Elliott in the championship battle, with Dillon 27 points back and Regan Smith 49 points behind. Buescher finished 16th in practice, while Elliott (who won last week at Richmond) finished 19th and Smith, his JR Motorsports teammate, finished 14th.

Friday’s practice was the only on-track time of the day for the XFINITY Series drivers. Saturday will be a busy day for the series with Coors Light Pole Qualifying taking place at 2:45 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Live Extra) and the Furious 7 300 at 6 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Live Extra, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Staff Report

RELATED: Full practice results

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.”