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RELATED: Complete Richmond results



1. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Kenseth dominated on Saturday, leading 352 of 400 laps and winning his fourth race of the year.  



2. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Despite a late-race vibration, Busch picked up his sixth top-five result of the year.



3. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. The pole sitter led 25 laps on Saturday and complained that eventual race winner Matt Kenseth jumped the final restart without penalty.



4. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola, desperate for a win and a second career Chase berth, was turning heads as he raced his way into the top 10 on Saturday. Jeff Gordon radioed, “Is that (No.) 43 for position?” while Almirola raced him for seventh.



5. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Unhappy with his car in practice on Friday, Earnhardt started 29th and climbed through the field, cracking the top five with 80 laps to go.



6. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Playing hurt with an ACL tear, Hamlin briefly paced the Joe Gibbs Racing parade around Richmond, leading Laps 126-138 on Saturday night.



7. Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Although winless so far in his final season, Gordon punched his 11th Chase ticket by finishing better than 17th.



8. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. Keselowski recovered from a pit road speeding penalty during the fifth caution period to record his 18th top-10 of the year.



9. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson was carving his way through the field when crew chief Chad Knaus radioed, “Jimmie, I don’t know what you’re doing when you pass somebody, but you run your fastest laps when you’re passing someone.”



10. Clint Bowyer, No. 15, Michael Waltrip Racing. Bowyer cracked the top 10 on Lap 315, and he held on to his Chase berth thanks to repeat race winner Kenseth.



11. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Edwards was running in the top four with his teammates on Lap 145, but lost several spots after his team made a big adjustment during the Lap 209 stop.



12. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. It was a frustrating night for Larson who, yet again, missed a Richmond top-10 on top of not qualifying for the Chase.



13. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. By simply rolling off the grid 31st on Saturday night, McMurray locked up his first career Chase berth.



14. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick’s pit crew had back-to-back issues lifting the left side of the No. 4 Chevy and resorted to tweaking the jack for subsequent stops.



15. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Busch struggled to make forward progress as his team hunted for forward drive off Turn 4.



16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17, Roush Fenway Racing. Stenhouse lined up 15th for the Lap 296 restart and was continually among the cars battling for the beneficiary pass.



17. David Ragan, No. 55 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. At the halfway point, Ragan reported that his car refused to turn after 10 green-flag laps.



18. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. After reporting a lack of front grip late in the race, Kahne was pretty quiet on the radio as he watched his Chase hopes fade.



19. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Patrick had a minor setback when she was clocked too fast on pit road during the second caution period.



20. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Despite a frustrating night, Newman still punched his ticket to the Chase because he finished better than 31st.



21. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. The second-fastest in first practice, Mears started getting antsy about his tires during the 85-lap mid-race green-flag run. He caught a break when the caution flag was waved on Lap 98 for debris.



22. Brian Scott, No. 33 Chevrolet, Circle Sport. Scott made his Richmond Cup debut after recording a strong third-place run there in Friday night’s XFINITY Series.



23. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Bayne took advantage of an early beneficiary pass to earn his best Richmond result.



24. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing. Allmendinger picked up a couple spots and was running 19th with 60 laps to go after his team made some adjustments, including another round of wedge, during the Lap 290 caution.



25. Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. In the second half of the race, Allgaier reported a tight-handling condition and specifically noted he was sliding his front tires.



26. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Fortunately for Menard, his continued streak of finishes outside the top 20 didn’t cost him his first Chase berth.

27. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Dillon’s best Richmond start of 12th was clouded when he spent the race chasing the handling of his No. 3 Chevrolet.



28. Sam Hornish Jr., No. 9 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Hornish learned the importance of fresh tires versus track position when he opted not to pit during the third caution period. He restarted second, but plummeted to 18th and a lap down by Lap 200.



29. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Frustrated, Stewart was running 29th on Lap 91 when he radioed his team, “Pretty (expletive) unimpressive going from 10th to a lap down in 90 laps.” Things didn’t improve for Stewart, who later radioed, “I want somebody at the end of this race to tell me how the (expletive) this happened.”



30. Landon Cassill, No. 40 Chevrolet, Hillman Racing. Cassill’s car appeared to do well on longer runs at first, but soon developed a loose-handling condition.



31. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle entered Saturday’s race needing a win to qualify for the post-season, but ultimately spent the night aggravated with the handling of his car.



32. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing. Truex, locked into the Chase thanks to his Pocono win in June, had some early misfortune when he got into the wall on Lap 38.



33. David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Gilliland’s pit crew made a spring rubber adjustment to alleviate a tight-handling condition when he stopped under caution on Lap 290.



34. J.J. Yeley, No. 26 Toyota, BK Racing. Yeley toughed it out on the same set of tires for almost 100 laps early on Saturday at Richmond, but that cost him track position.



35. Brett Moffitt, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Moffitt’s second outing at Richmond was quiet as he fought a loose-handling condition.



36. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. DiBenedetto made his best career start at Richmond, but struggled to stay on the lead lap at the .75-mile oval.



37. Alex Bowman, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. A persistent loose-handling condition early in Saturday night’s race made it hard for Bowman to improve his track position.



38. Cole Whitt, No. 35 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Whitt had to make an unscheduled pit stop after the Lap 218 restart because a valve stem was knocked off his tire.



39. Jeb Burton, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. “Tell (No.) 46 sorry,” Burton radioed his team after making contact with Michael Annett to bring out the third caution flag. “I don’t know what I could have done right there.”



40. Jeffrey Earnhardt, No. 32 Ford, Go FAS Racing. In his Cup debut, Jeffrey Earnhardt rolled off the grid 42nd and worked with his team to manage his brakes and tires.



41. Reed Sorenson, No. 98 Ford, Phil Parsons Racing. Sorenson lost his engine early on and leaked oil on his way to the garage, triggering the first caution.



42. Michael McDowell, No. 95 Ford, Leavine Family Racing. McDowell basically ripped off his car’s back-end when he accidentally hit the safety truck during the fifth caution and retreated behind the wall.



43. Michael Annett, No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Annett was running 32nd on Lap 112 when he made contact with other competitors, spun on the backstretch and hit the Turn 3 wall hard.

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Full Richmond results


RICHMOND, Va. — There were no last-second heroics, no pit-road gambles or stunning strategy in an effort to beat the odds.

For Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer and Paul Menard, points positions proved crucial. And in the end, proved to be enough.

The group collected the final five positions in this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup by failing to fail, running well enough to earn the final berths in this year’s 16-team field.

“It was still stressful, because we had that last restart,” Gordon, a four-time champion making his final Chase appearance, said after bringing his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet home seventh in Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

“It was nice not to have to really be sweating it.”

Gordon needed a finish of 17th or better to clinch.

“I know this guy’s happy,” Gordon said as team owner Rick Hendrick eased up behind his driver to give him a congratulatory hug. “He was sweating it a little bit like the rest of us were. So that feels good to make him happy. This team, they deserve it.”

Hendrick, who has seen Gordon evolve from a promising young talent into one of the most successful competitors in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, provided a news flash: “Let me be the first to tell you,” he said, “he’s going to drive another year. He’s not doing good enough, so he’s got to go one more.”

Hendrick was kidding. Sort of.


GALLERY: 2015 Chase drivers celebrate at Richmond


McMurray locked in his first career Chase spot by simply taking the green flag to start the 400-lap event on the .75-mile track.

Although he started 31st in the 43-car field, by night’s end McMurray (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates) had raced his way up to 13th.

“I’m super relieved,” McMurray said. “I’ve been the guy on the outside trying to fight my way in, and I’ve also been in this a couple of times and been knocked out at Richmond.”

Like McMurray, Menard (Richard Childress Racing) will be making his first Chase appearance when the 10-race playoff begins next week at Chicagoland Speedway.

The excitement of qualifying was tempered a bit by a difficult night on the race track — Menard finished 26th, three laps down to race winner Matt Kenseth (Joe Gibbs Racing).

“We had a fast car, it just burned the left-front tire off after like 30, 40 laps and we started going backwards,” said Menard. “Try to figure out what happened there.”

His No. 27 team wasn’t the only one to have issues with the left front, he said. But others had no similar problems.

“Some guys,” he said, “obviously figured it out.

“We’ve had a lot of good runs this year; obviously this wasn’t one of them.”

Bowyer’s Chase appearance will be his final showing with Michael Waltrip Racing — the two-car organization will cease to exist after the ’15 season.

“I hate to say this but it’s actually nice to go into the Chase the way we are; the pressure is off,” Bowyer said. “Hell, we were trying to make the Chase, that’s big, that’s monumental for our organization and our team.

“Let’s just go have fun, let’s get everything we can out of every single weekend and see what happens. Literally, the pressure is off until somehow, some way you’re in the thing (for) two rounds or three rounds then all of a sudden the pressure kicks back up. But that’s the neat thing about being in our situation, being part of this Chase. Right now, in the next three or four weeks, there is no pressure.”

Bowyer’s status as a Chase participant was the most tenuous — a slip could have opened the door for someone else to bolt past. His 10th-place finish proved more than enough to accomplish what was required.


RELATED: Bowyer wants to end MWR run on a high note


“At the beginning we weren’t real great,” crew chief Billy Scott admitted. “We had to work hard on it. Just stayed calm, it was a long race. After that we just kind of found a place and ran our race.

“We were keeping an eye on guys that hadn’t won and were running up front, where the guys were that we were racing in points and felt pretty comfortable with getting in on either side of that.


“There was no need to gamble. We just ran a pretty conservative race and brought it home in one piece.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: See who is in the Chase | Full series standings

RICHMOND, Va. – Aric Almirola leaned back against his bright blue Ford and took a long swig of water. The disappointment was evident on his face, but so was the determination. He missed making the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field by a slim 17 points, but Almirola was certain that he had given it all he had.

His No. 43 Richard Petty-owned Ford finished fourth in Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway in an impressive and impassioned effort from a 24th-place starting position.

Almirola’s most realistic shot of earning one of the 16 Chase berths was to win the race, and he sure made a run at it, advancing as high as third on a restart with 18 laps remaining.

“Disappointed for sure,” Almirola said on pit road. “I drove my heart out tonight and all year long, really. I feel like we’ve overachieved this year. Our cars really haven’t had the speed and we’ve managed a way to get good results.

“This race team is a great race team and we wanted another shot at it, and we just came up short. Just wasn’t meant to be.”

It was a similar feeling after the race from other high profile Chase near-misses such as veteran Kasey Kahne, who fell 33 points shy of qualifying and last year’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year, Kyle Larson, who also missed making his first postseason appearance.

For the first time since the Chase format was instituted in 2004, there will be no Roush Fenway Racing cars among the playoff contenders.

RELATED: Chase format explained

While Almirola and Kahne could have made it on points if they got some help, Larson had to score a victory to earn a Chase berth because he was too far back in the point standings.

Larson qualified well (11th) among the group of must-win-to-get-in drivers and ran among the top 10 for much of the night. But while his Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates teammate Jamie McMurray secured the team its first Chase appearance since Juan Pablo Montoya in 2009 — Larson’s 12th place finish Saturday wasn’t quite good enough to put the team “all in.”

“We ran about where we typically do here at Richmond, which is right around the top 10,” Larson said. “I don’t think anybody was beating [race winner] Matt Kenseth tonight. He was super fast.

“Disappointing run for the Chase. I think everybody on our team thought the 42 would definitely be in the Chase to start the season after the way we ended last year. But it wasn’t the case this season, so we’ll work hard the last 10 races to try and run strong for Target and get them a win and work on being consistent.

“That’s where we’ve struggled pretty much all year long was being consistent, so we’ll try and work hard at that and try and finish strong.”

Larson’s team owner Chip Ganassi was equally philosophic about the situation.

“I’m not one of these guys that gets disappointed because one guy’s in and one guy’s not,” Ganassi said. “When you can punch somebody into the playoffs, that’s good for the whole team.

“Would I like to have two cars in the Chase? Yes. Who wouldn’t? It’s not to be.  … You’re happy for the ones that are in and sad for the ones that are not. The fact you have one in there makes it good for the entire team.”

RELATED: Ganassi undergoes surgery

It was an undeniably tough night to have to win your way into the postseason. Kenseth led a dominating 352 of the race’s 400 laps to finish ahead of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch. Three JGR cars – also including sixth-place finisher Denny Hamlin – led all but 25 of the race’s laps.

Kahne conceded he never really had anything for the JGR cars. He ran between 15th and 20th for most of the race and his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy finished 18th, two laps down to the winner.  It’s the first time in four seasons that Kahne did not qualify for the Chase.

“I think the main thing for me is just figuring out how to get a car to turn again,” Kahne analyzed. “I’ve struggled all year to have front turn and if I don’t have that, I can’t race. That’s how I’ve been my whole life. We’ll just work on trying to get the cars the way I need them to and if we can’t, we’ll keep running about 15th.”

RELATED: Hendrick discusses state of organization

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: See who is in the Chase

RICHMOND, Va. – Denny Hamlin grimaced in pain as he was helped out of his No. 11 FedEx Toyota on Richmond International Raceway pit road Saturday night. Team members had bags of ice ready to lay on top of his swollen right knee – the result of a torn ACL suffered in a pick-up basketball game Tuesday night.

Hamlin asked for a moment and took a seat on the pit wall – the pain of his injury lessened a bit by the impressive sixth-place finish he turned in during the Federated Auto Parts 400 regular season finale.

Hamlin led twice for 14 laps and toughed out his 13th top-10 finish on the season only days after doctors said he could delay surgery on his knee until after the season.

Relying on competitive adrenaline and championship motivation, Hamlin insisted his knee wasn’t going to slow him down. And it sure didn’t look like it did Saturday night.

The Martinsville Speedway winner will be seeded 11th in the 16-car driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field heading into the first round of the 10-week playoffs next Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway.

“I don’t think the knee adds any stress [to the Chase],” Hamlin said. “The stress comes from making sure we don’t have any mistakes. Just one silly mistake can take you out of it. I’m confident with the way we’re running and the speed of the cars, so we should be OK.

“Chicago, in general, has been really good for us. We tested there in the 11-car and we have one of the fastest crews out there, so a lot of things are in our favor.”

Hamlin’s team owner, Joe Gibbs, revealed after the race that Hamlin was so intent on racing that he sent the team’s back-up driver (Erik Jones) home early this weekend.

“I feel real confident,” Gibbs said of Hamlin managing his injury. “We’ve been through this before. Last time it was with his braking leg and he handled that well. We’ve got the best doctors in the world looking at him.”

Hamlin’s teammates Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch finished 1-2 in the race buoying his expectations and a wave of momentum for the JGR team that has won eight of the last 11 events – 11 of the last 21.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Entry list for Chicagoland

Kyle Larson will drive the No. 00 Haas Automation Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol e15 225 at Chicagoland Speedway (8:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

For Larson, it will be his first Truck Series start of the year and first since last year’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In nine previous starts in the series, he has one win (at Rockingham in 2013), four top fives and two poles. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular came up short on Saturday night in his bid to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup postseason field.

The Chicagoland race will mark the 11th race JR Motorsports has entered in its inaugural campaign in the Camping World Truck Series.

The No. 00 is primarily driven by Cole Custer, who has made seven starts in the Truck, with a win at Gateway Motorsports Park in June. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regulars Kasey Kahne, who won from the pole at Charlotte in May, Kevin Harvick and Alex Bowman have each piloted the Truck for one start this year.

The No. 00 is currently 19th in the Camping World Truck Series owner standings.

Posted on by Staff Report

On Tuesday, Sept. 15, and Wednesday, Sept. 16, drivers will participate in the Chase Across North America, a multi-city media tour, crisscrossing the nation to make special appearances and build excitement for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Markets include: Every Chase track market, Los Angeles, New York City and ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut.

 

Tuesday, Sept. 15

 

ESPN / Bristol, CT Headquarters

Driver: Kyle Busch  

Event Time: Noon – 6 p.m.  

Event Overview: Kyle Busch will spend the day on campus at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. While onsite, he will appear live on SportsCenter at various times throughout the day and participate in interviews with ESPN.com, Marty and McGee, among others.

 

Chicago

Driver: Brad Keselowski  

Event Time: 10:15 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.  

Event Overview: Brad Keselowski will help Chicagoland Speedway announce a new Victory Lane tradition: A Chicago-style hot dog photo opportunity with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winner. Keselowski will visit three iconic hot dog locations and rank the Chicago-style hot dogs, with media invited to join at each stop along the way.

 

New Hampshire

Driver: Joey Logano  

Event Time: 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Event Overview: Joey Logano will visit New Hampshire, home to the U.S. first presidential primary for the past 100 years, for a “campaign” stop in the Granite State. Logano will begin his quest for the title by “campaigning” throughout the southern New Hampshire area, visiting traditional key stops along the campaign trail.

Dover

Driver: Ryan Newman

Event Time: 11:15 a.m. – 2:25 p.m.

Event Overview: Newman will participate in a media luncheon with at the Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, followed by two large pep rallies at Fred Fifer III Middle School in nearby Camden, Delaware. Each pep rally will include over 400 students, a cheerleading squad, school band and more, and will be emceed by SiriusXM NASCAR Radio host and Delaware native Mike Bagley.

 

Kansas

Driver: Jimmie Johnson  

Event Time: 6 – 8 p.m.

Event Overview: Jimmie Johnson and Kansas Speedway will visit the University of Kansas Hospital to visit with children in the Pediatric Wing. During his visit, Johnson will deliver Lowe’s Build & Grow kits and host an ice cream social with Blue Bunny for the children. On Wednesday, Johnson will participate in a media availability during the lunch break of the NASCAR open team test at Kansas Speedway. 

 

Charlotte/Greenville/Greensboro  

Driver: Matt Kenseth  

Event Time: 1 – 4 p.m.  

Event Overview: Matt Kenseth will travel from Charlotte to Greenville (SC) to Greensboro and back to Charlotte to kick off the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Throughout the day, he will participate in brief presentations, fan Q&As, autograph signings and media availabilities.

Talladega

Driver: Jamie McMurray

Event: Time: 10:45 a.m. – 2 p.m.  

Event Overview: McMurray will spend the day at Talladega Superspeedway, participating in the final hour of “NBC Day” during which time he’ll conduct a media Q&A over lunch. Following, McMurray will co-host an hour-long live radio show with WJOX and finish up the day painting a car is Tallaega’s Victory Lane with local elementary school students.  

Martinsville

Driver: Paul Menard

Event Time: 3 – 6 p.m.  

Event Overview: Menard will help Martinsville Speedway celebrate the kickoff of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in the City of Martinsville. Menard will be presented with a key to the city by the mayor and participate in a celebratory parade around downtown Martinsville, followed by a “happy hour” event at 37 East (restaurant).

 

Texas (Dallas)

Driver: Clint Bowyer

Event Time: 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.  

Event Overview: Clint Bowyer will make a surprise appearance to some of Texas Motor Speedway‘s best season ticketholders as selected by the track. Following the surprise visits, Bowyer and the season ticket holders will participate in media availability.
 

Homestead-Miami (Ft. Lauderdale)

Driver: Denny Hamlin  

Event Time: 10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.  

Event Overview: Denny Hamlin will team up with Homestead-Miami Speedway and the Museum of Discovery and Science to host students from Broward County High School, where Hamlin and the students will participate in a variety of activities and exhibits at the Ft. Lauderdale museum.

 

Wednesday, Sept. 16

 

New York City

Driver: Jeff Gordon

Event Time: TBD

Event Overview: Gordon will participate in a national media tour around New York City.

 

Phoenix

Driver: Kurt Busch  

Event Time: 8 – 11 a.m.

Event Overview: Kurt Busch will participate in the second annual “Breakfast With Champions” event with Phoenix International Raceway and The Heard Museum. Emceed by veteran motorsports reporter Ralph Sheheen, Busch will break down his picks in the Chase Grid for the invite-only audience that will include Phoenix area media and PIR partners.

Los Angeles

Driver: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Event: Time: Noon – 6 p.m.

Event Overview: Dale Earnhardt Jr. will participate in a media tour at the FOX Studios in Los Angeles, appearing on America’s Pregame Show, FOX Sports Live, among others. Following the visit to FOX, he will appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Full results from Richmond 

 

RICHMOND, Va. — Josh Berry, making just his third career start in NASCAR’s XFINITY Series, and his first at Richmond International Raceway, scored an impressive seventh-place finish during Friday night’s Virginia529 College Savings 250, rounding out an impressive evening for the JR Motorsports organization.

Defending series champion Chase Elliott picked up his first win of the season, and teammate Regan Smith finished sixth.

But the 24-year-old Berry, a Late Model standout from Hendersonville, Tennessee, garnered just as much attention as he consistently battled his way through the field in the organization’s No. 88 Chevrolet.

“I just struggled a little bit on restarts,” Berry said afterward. “I felt like it took me four or five laps to get going. Once we did, the car was really, really good.

“I’ve got a lot to learn (on pit road) and a lot to improve but I think each stop got a little bit better. We got blocked in on the last one, which hurt us for probably having a shot to win.

“After that, we were just trying to battle back. … I’m really proud of the team; they did a great job and brought a great car here this weekend, obviously, and made my learning curve a lot (shorter).”

Berry, who started fifth, was reeling in race leader Brian Scott when the fourth caution of the night appeared for an accident involving Jeremy Clements, ending a run of more than 80 laps under green.

Berry came off pit road fifth.

It was a scene repeated on two more occasions — Berry racing his way back inside the top five only to lose the track position after hitting pit road.

“It was a little bit frustrating, but at the same time I think it helped knowing some of those guys were going to come back to me,” Berry said. “I was more frustrated with myself because I felt I could have done a better job on the restarts holding positions. I felt like some of these guys that are regulars in the series out-hustled me on those first couple of laps. …

“I wish we didn’t have that last caution. But usually that happens … if I’m going to run more, I’ve got to improve on these restarts and we’ll have some more opportunities to win.”

It was Berry’s only XFINITY Series start with the team this season, and no additional starts are on his schedule. He’ll continue to compete in his Late Model entry, also fielded by JRM, through the remainder of the year.

In a pair of NXS efforts last season, Berry finished 12th at Iowa and 25th at Homestead.

Friday night’s effort was enough to bring multiple JRM employees by Berry’s pit stall after the race to offer congratulations.

RELATED: Dale Jr. pleased with JRM’s run at Richmond

“Josh did all we asked for really,” team co-owner Dale Earnhardt said. “I told him that when we came here with Jeffrey (Earnhardt) a couple of years ago, that Jeffrey was in the top-10 late in the race and had a great shot at a good finish and he did everything we asked him to do. And that’s what I expected of Josh. He did a great job.

“He showed his inexperience on and off pit road but with more racing and more opportunity he’s going to improve there. But he did showcase his ability and show that in a good car that he’s capable of running with these guys.”

Earnhardt Jr. said, he’d have no qualms about putting Berry in an XFINITY Series ride as soon as possible if the funding could be secured.

“We’d love to get him more opportunities to race; it just really comes down to finding a partner that wants to handle the expense of taking a car to the race track on the weekend,” he said. “I’m ready to race Josh every week. We’ve just got to find a partner that’s excited to be on board with Josh.”

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full series standings | Richmond results

The field is set for the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup following Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway, which was won by Matt Kenseth.

Aric Almirola fell short of qualifying for his second consecutive Chase. Almirola, who entered Richmond 29 points behind Clint Bowyer in 16th place, finished 17 points below the cut line after a fourth-place finish at Richmond.

Kasey Kahne, who like Almirola had a chance to qualify on points, finished 18th at Richmond and ended up 33 points below the cut line.

With Almirola and Kahne staying out, that meant the final Chase berths went to Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, Paul Menard and Bowyer. Here’s how the field will be seeded entering the first Chase race next week at Chicagoland Speedway.

IN THE CHASE (Seeded by points and tiebreakers)
1. Jimmie Johnson, 2012 points
2. Kyle Busch, 2012
3. Matt Kenseth, 2012
4. Joey Logano, 2009
5. Kevin Harvick, 2006
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 2006
7. Kurt Busch, 2006
8. Carl Edwards, 2006
9. Brad Keselowski, 2003
10. Martin Truex Jr., 2003
11. Denny Hamlin, 2003
12. Jamie McMurray, 2000
13. Jeff Gordon, 2000   
14. Ryan Newman, 2000
15. Paul Menard, 2000
16. Clint Bowyer, 2000

JUST MISSED THE CUT
Aric Almirola
Kasey Kahne

* Tiebreaker = Points are reset at 2,000 for the Chase with drivers getting three bonus points for each regular-season win. Ties are broken by runner-up finishes, third-place finishes, fourth-place finishes, and so on until a winner of the tiebreaker emerges.

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will all race this week at Chicagoland Speedway. Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series practices, qualifying sessions and races can also be watched on NBC Sports Live Extra. All events for the Camping World Truck Series can be found on FOX Sports 1. Check out the full schedule below. 


All times are ET

SUNDAY, SEPT. 20


SPECIAL EVENT (Watch live)

— 1 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Driver/Crew Chief Meeting

PRE-RACE SCHEDULE
—1:00:00 p.m.: NSCS Driver Crew Chief Meeting (Tent)
—1:15:00 p.m.: Concert by: Brett Eldredge (45 mins)
—2:30:00 p.m.: NSCS Drivers Introductions with NASCAR Special Awards
—3:00:00 p.m.: Intro Presentation of Colors: Associated Firefighters of Illinois Honor Guard
—3:00:20 p.m.: Invocation by: Glenn Spoolstra
—3:00:45 p.m.: Intro National Anthem
—3:01:00 p.m.: National Anthem: Jim Cornelison
—3:07:30 p.m.: “Drivers, Start Your Engines” by: NBA legend Jerry West and tennis legend Billie Jean King
—3:16:00 p.m.: Start of the myAFibRisk.com 400 (267 Laps, 400.5 Miles)

ON TRACK
— 3 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series myAFibRisk.com 400 (267 laps, 400.5 miles), NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)

— 11:30 a.m.: Jim Campbell (Chevrolet U.S. Vice President of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports), Dave Pericak (Director, Ford Performance) and Ed Laukes (Vice President of Marketing, Performance and Guest Experience for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A.)
— 6:15 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race

THURSDAY, SEPT. 17

SPECIAL EVENT
— 1 p.m.: Miss Sprint Cup live chat with Chase drivers


FRIDAY, SEPT. 18


ON TRACK
— 10 a.m.-12:25 p.m: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FOX Sports 1 (Results)
— 12:30-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)
— 2-4:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)
— 4:35 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FOX Sports 1, CANCELED (rain), (Results, set by rule book)
— 6:45 p.m: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/Live Extra, CANCELED (rain). (Results, set by rule book)
— 8:30 p.m.: POSTPONED. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol E15 225 (150 laps, 225 miles), FOX Sports 1

GARAGECAM
— Noon: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
— 1:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series

PRESS CONFERENCES
— 11 a.m.: Danica Patrick
— 11:30 a.m.: Aric Almirola
— 12:15 p.m.: Chase Elliott
— 2:45 p.m.: Erik Jones
— 3 p.m.: Jerry West
— 3:30 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
— 7:45 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying
— 10:15 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race


SATURDAY, SEPT. 19:


ON TRACK
— 10:30 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol E15 225 (150 laps, 225 miles), FOX Sports 2 (Results)
— 1:30-2:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, CNBC/Live Extra (Results)
— 2:45 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)
— 4:30-5:20 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)
— 6 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Furious 7 300 (200 laps, 300 miles), NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)


PRESS CONFERENCES

— 10:15 a.m.: Daytona International Speedway announcement
— 12:30 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race
— 8:15 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

Sunday, Sept. 13
3 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lane, FOX Sports 1
5:30 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lane (re-air), FOX Sports 1
7 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lane (re-air), FOX Sports 1
11:30 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN

Monday, Sept. 14
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, FOX Sports 1
2 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2


Tuesday, Sept. 15
6 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR America Live, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
3 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2

Wednesday, Sept. 16
6 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR America Live, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
7:30 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBCSN
2 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2

Thursday, Sept. 17
6 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
4:30 p.m., NASCAR America Live, NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
7 p.m., NASCAR K&N Series East: Richmond (tape), NBCSN
2 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2

Friday, Sept. 18
6 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
7:30 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
10 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FOX Sports 1
11 a.m., NASCAR America (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, FOX Sports 1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
8 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Setup, FOX Sports 1
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol E15 225, FOX Sports 1

Saturday, Sept. 19
3:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol E15 225 (re-air), FOX Sports 1
12:30 p.m., TUDOR United SportsCar Championship: Circuit of the Americas, FOX Sports 2
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, CNBC
2:45 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
4 p.m., NASCAR America Live, NBCSN
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN
5:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Furious 7 300, NBCSN

Sunday, Sept. 20
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Day, FOX Sports 1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR America Sunday, NBCSN
1:30 p.m., TUDOR United SportsCar Championship: Circuit of the Americas (re-air), FOX Sports 1
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Countdown to Green, NBCSN
3 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series  myAFibRisk.com 400 , NBCSN
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race Show, NBCSN
7 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN
11:30 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap (re-air), NBCSN
Midnight , NASCAR Victory Lane, FOX Sports 1
2:30 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lane (re-air), FOX Sports 1