NASCAR's Steve O'Donnell addresses Kauffman, MWR

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Staff Report

RELATED: Kauffman speaks out on MWR decision

The landscape in NASCAR shifted last week when Michael Waltrip Racing announced that it would end full-time competition in the Sprint Cup Series following the 2015 season. MWR co-owner Rob Kauffman, the former investment banker who gave MWR an influx of finanical support in 2007, was at the forefront of the decision.

On Monday, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell addressed the moves made by Kauffman and MWR that included Clint Bowyer being freed to pursue other deals for 2016 and Kauffman buying into Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in late July.

“I think in Rob’s case we’re pleased that he believes in the sport and is willing to make a continued investment in NASCAR, which is a great time for us,” O’Donnell said during his weekly interview with NASCAR.com. “As well as Clint Bowyer who is certainly a talented driver who will find a home with a top team. You never like to see anything happen with a race team like this in this case, but again we’ll see some things we believe through the manufacturer’s support where some other teams may become stronger through all this as well.

“So a lot still to play out. We’re working closely with all our race teams right now to do everything we can to put everyone in an even better position as we head into the 2016 season.”

Michael Waltrip Racing was Toyota’s flagship team when the manufacturer entered the Sprint Cup Series in 2007 and has produced seven victories.

“Terrific partner for Toyota,” O’Donnell said of MWR’s involvement with the manufacturer. “When someone comes into the sport, especially the likes of Toyota, you want to partner with race teams who have either had a solid foundation or can build together. And ultimately the goal is to win races and Michael Waltrip was able to do that, which is a great testament to building up the Toyota brand within NASCAR.

“You’re seeing (Toyota) grow, and look to grow their partnership in the sport as well, as we head into ’16, and that’s a great sign for the sport.”

MORE: MWR won’t field full-time entries in 2016

Posted on August 23, 2015 by

Below is a breakdown of how the full 43-car field fared at Bristol Motor Speedway.

1. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. Logano became just the third driver to lead approaching the halfway point on Saturday night, and he paced 176 laps en route to his second Bristol victory. | MORE: Logano victorious again in night race

2. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick rallied from two pit-road speeding penalties to run second with five laps to go when he unsuccessfully attempted a run for the lead. | MORE: Harvick scores 10th runner-up finish

3. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. The polesitter held steady in the top 10 but struggled to find the answer when navigating the middle to exit of the turns at Bristol. | WATCH: Hamlin leads field to green flag

4. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. “These have been really good laps, man,” crew chief Chad Knaus radioed Johnson as he scored his 10th top-five result at Bristol. | SIGN UP: RaceView Scanner

5. Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. Bowyer qualified ninth and was running second by Lap 232, but he struggled some after receiving contact late in the race. | MORE: Bowyer gives MWR a boost

6. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. Keselowski was running second with teammate and eventual winner Joey Logano with 100 laps to go before being shuffled back on a restart.

7. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Edwards gave up the lead on Lap 354 when he hit pit road for a flat tire.

8. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch recovered from an unscheduled pit stop on Lap 350 for a loose wheel and a subsequent pit-road speeding penalty with 68 laps to go.

9. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Earnhardt fought to stay on the lead lap mid-race and recorded back-to-back beneficiary passes on the fourth and fifth caution periods. He then held on for his 15th Bristol top 10.

10. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Mostly quiet on the radio, Newman encouraged his team to leave the car alone as he also scored his 15th Bristol top 10.

11. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet. Chip Ganassi Racing. McMurray completed a 50-lap run in practice that helped him get a feel for long green-flag stretches, of which there was one past halfway when he hovered in the top 10.

12. Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Despite some early front-fender damage and a pit-road speeding penalty, Allgaier made the most of a promising run and earned his third top-15 finish of the year.

13. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Dillon stopped late in the race for some repair to the left-rear of his car and finished as the last car on the lead lap.

14. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. “There’s nothing I can really do to help you,” crew chief Tony Gibson radioed Busch during the Lap 359 caution period, so Busch stayed out despite issues from an earlier mash-up with David Ragan. | SIGN UP: RaceView Scanner

15. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Bayne restarted 18th at the tail end of the longest line with 67 laps to go after speeding on pit road.

16. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. “It took a lot longer to start vibrating this time,” Kahne reported to his team on Lap 330 while running 18th.

17. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola qualified 31st in his repaired No. 43 Ford and was running 19th on Lap 358 when he told the team he feared they had lost the handle on it, prompting more adjustments.

18. Sam Hornish Jr., No. 9 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Hornish experienced a tight-handling condition when running the bottom line and a loose-handling one when running the top, so his team worked on dialing the car in.

19. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Stewart qualified 40th and cracked the top 15 by Lap 150 but later reported his car wouldn’t cut in the middle of the corner any more.

20. Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon was running fifth when he had to bring his throwback rainbow paint scheme to pit road on Lap 409 for a “bad vibration.”

21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17, Roush Fenway Racing. Stenhouse had just taken the wave around and lined up 19th for the restart when he smacked the wall on Lap 384 to bring out the seventh caution flag.

22. Ryan Blaney, No. 21 Ford, Wood Brothers Racing. Blaney spent most of the race trying to recover from a pit-road speeding penalty assessed on Lap 57.

23. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. Mears, in his 26th Bristol outing, reported a vibration that his team addressed along with right-rear damage from earlier contact during the Lap 384 caution.

24. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Menard lost some track position early after a near-spin on Lap 43. He had another setback during the fifth caution period when his team lost control of a tire and he was penalized.

25. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Significant damage to the No. 16 prompted the team to make multiple stops for repairs during the sixth caution period.

26. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing. On Lap 146, Allmendinger collided with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and bounced off the inside wall.

27. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Patrick radioed to her team that it felt like her right-front tire was going down, so she hit pit road on Lap 313 for four tires and fuel.

28. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing. Running a back-up car, Truex suffered left-front damage on Lap 384 and had to make two unscheduled pit stops, which put the team two laps down.

29. Cole Whitt, No. 35 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Prior to the sixth caution flag, Whitt asked his team to check the right-side of his car after a competitor shoved him into the wall.

30. Brett Moffitt, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. The fastest qualifying rookie radioed early that he started off loose, but improved as the run continued.

31. Michael McDowell, No. 95 Ford, Leavine Family Racing. A big setup change during a mid-race pit stop slowed McDowell’s forward progress.

32. Alex Bowman, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Bowman qualified 36th and picked up six spots but had trouble passing because his car developed a tight-handling condition in traffic.

33. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. DiBenedetto was running 33rd when he radioed his team on Lap 308 that he needed to stop for flat right-rear tire.

34. J.J. Yeley, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. Yeley caught a break on Lap 250 when the caution flag was waved. Just a few laps earlier, he had reported a right-front tire vibration. | MORE: Yeley’s daughter steals the show

35. Josh Wise, No. 32 Ford, Go Fas Racing. Early in the race, Wise’s team got creative with adjustments when they handed him a paint stick so he could reach and adjust his in-car track bar.

36. David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. In his 19th Bristol appearance, Gilliland was stalled early when he had to make an unscheduled pit stop for a loose wheel.

37. Mike Bliss, No. 33 Chevrolet, Circle Sport. Bliss suited up for his ninth race of the year, but his first behind the wheel of the No. 33.

38. Landon Cassill, No. 40 Chevrolet, Hillman Smith Motorsports. Cassill’s team took a big swing at his setup early in the race, changing the bump stop setup, and chased the handling of the No. 40 throughout the race.

39. Timmy Hill, No. 98 Ford, Phil Parsons Racing. Hill, making his second Bristol start on Saturday night, improved upon his first result at the half-mile track.

40. David Ragan, No. 55 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. Ragan retreated behind the wall after receiving contact and spinning out of the top five to bring out the sixth caution flag on Lap 371. | MORE: Ragan, Bowyer show strength amid shake-up

41. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. An early two-tire call turned out to be a losing gamble as Larson cut his left-front on Lap 125 and hit the wall. He later brought out the fifth caution flag after hitting the wall.

42. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Around Lap 111, Kenseth limped from running in the top 10 to pit road for his team to assess his smoking car. An engine issue sent the No. 20 behind the wall. | MORE: Early exit for Kenseth

43. Michael Annett, No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Annett made an unscheduled pit stop after the first lap at Bristol for a transmission issue.

Posted on August 23, 2015 by Nascar

BRISTOL, Tenn. — It’s a familiar scenario facing Ryan Newman as the Richard Childress Racing driver prepares for a two-race journey to lock in one of the 16 spots in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field.

At this same point in the season last year, Newman sat ninth in points and was winless with two top-five and eight top-10 finishes. He eventually earned a Chase bid based on his points position, then parlayed the consistency that got him a berth into a ticket into the Championship Round, where he nearly became the series’ first winless champion.

Following his 10th-place finish in Saturday night’s Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Newman finds himself 11th in points, with four top-five and 12 top-10 finishes thus far this season. He’s also still searching for that first win, which would guarantee his status as a Chase participant.

At Bristol, Newman and his No. 31 team, led by crew chief Luke Lambert, once again did what they have become nearly the best in the series at doing — taking a car that wasn’t particularly fast and earning a top-10 finish with it.

“We weren’t the best car all day,” Newman said while standing beside the No. 31 Chevrolet on pit road after the race. “We kind of finished where we ran, if not just a little bit better.

“It was a good run for the team. We took a 20th-place car in practice and qualifying and turned it into a top-10 (in the race). We were not the best car and we didn’t win the race, but the guys did a good job in the pits and we made the race car better.”

Newman and the team hadn’t shown speed on Friday, working their way to 26th- and 18th-place positions during the first and second practice sessions, respectively.

At the end of the day, Newman logged the 18th-fastest time in qualifying for the series’ 24th race of the season.

Saturday night, Newman slowly made his way through the field, eventually cracking the top 10 well into the second half of the 500-lap race.

Not having that initial speed when arriving at the track has been a problem, Newman admitted, but added that it’s kept the team close as they battle to secure a Chase spot.

“Yeah it’s better when you start off the weekend better,” he said, “but that’s what makes us pull together as a team, find speed and … fight strong at the end.”

Newman, RCR teammate Paul Menard, Jamie McMurray (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates), Jeff Gordon (Hendrick Motorsports) and Clint Bowyer (Michael Waltrip Racing) currently hold the five final Chase positions with two races remaining — at Darlington Raceway and Richmond International Raceway — before the postseason starts.

Newman, 37, is a six-time qualifier for the Chase, with last season’s runner-up finish to Kevin Harvick a career-best points finish.

Posted on August 23, 2015 by Nascar

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kevin Harvick became the first driver since 1972 to post double-digit runner-up finishes during the course of a season Saturday night, trailing race winner Joey Logano across the finish line in the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion had to overcome two pit road penalties to put himself in contention for the win, but was unable to reel in the Team Penske driver in the closing laps of the 500-lap event.

The Stewart-Haas Racing driver took the disappointment of another near-win in stride. He’s had worse finishes that weren’t “near as cool as finishing second,” he said.

“I’m not frustrated at all because I’ve been on the other side of this fence, and you’d give everything in the world to finish second every week because it’s not easy. This is a hard sport, and to go to all these different types of race tracks and see the success that the team has, I couldn’t be prouder … because I know that at any moment you can rattle off two or three wins in a row at any type of race track, so it’s fun.”

No driver had posted 10 or more runner-up finishes in a single season since Bobby Allison managed the feat in ’72. Harvick became just the eighth driver to do so, joining Allison, David Pearson, Richard Petty, Ned Jarrett, Dick Rathmann, Joe Weatherly and Buck Baker.

Pearson holds the overall mark, registering 18 second-place results in 1969.

Harvick failed to lead a lap at BMS, but not for lack of trying. Starting seventh, the Sprint Cup Series champion had driven up to fourth by Lap 126 when Kyle Larson brought out the second caution of the night. But a violation for crewmen coming over the wall too soon dropped the No. 4 Chevrolet back to 22nd on the ensuing restart.

He had raced his way back inside the top 10 by the halfway point of the race, and was in the top five at Lap 350. But another penalty, this one for speeding on pit road, dropped him back outside the top 10.

With less than 70 laps remaining, Harvick was third on a final restart, taking second from Logano’s teammate, Brad Keselowski, when the race resumed.

“He (Logano) was just one step ahead of me in traffic,” Harvick said of his attempts to track down Logano. “I couldn’t get my car to rotate across the center like I needed it to, and every time I tried to force it, it would snap the back out.”

Logano called it “a very exciting last 20, 30 laps for sure.”

“I really thought we were going to be able to pull away because I thought we were really good in the long run, and then we didn’t pull away,” Logano said. “And I was like, ‘uh-oh.'”

After the race, Rodney Childers, crew chief for Harvick, said he still didn’t understand how his driver could get hit with a speeding penalty when driver Denny Hamlin wasn’t cited for excessive speed.

“He (Hamlin) was pushing us around the corner,” Childers said. “(Kevin) said his speed went up like 300 RPM when he was pushing him. He was like, ‘Oh God, this is going to be close.’ And we were speeding.”

Otherwise, Childers said, it was another good night for the defending champions.

“The team overcame a lot of adversity this weekend, which is a plus getting ready for the Chase,” he said. “We had a clutch problem this morning and had to change the master cylinder, the clutch … all kinds of stuff. Then to go through what we went through in the race and fight back.

“The biggest thing is just Kevin drove his butt off to get back up there and everybody did a good job overcoming it.”

Runner-up finishes in a season

Number	Driver	Year
18	David Pearson	1969
15	Bobby Allison	1970
14	Richard Petty	1964
13	Ned Jarrett	1965
12	Bobby Allison	1972
12	David Pearson	1968
12	Joe Weatherly	1962
12	Dick Rathmann	1953
10	Kevin Harvick	2015
10	Buck Baker	1958

Posted on August 23, 2015 by Zack Albert

BRISTOL, Tenn. — After the tumultuous week that was for Michael Waltrip Racing, the embattled team was neatly set up for a double ray of Saturday night sunshine in the sport’s most prestigious nighttime event. The much-needed shot in the arm wound up being a split decision at Bristol Motor Speedway, owing to a doubly unfortunate late-race collision between the organization’s two teammates.

Clint Bowyer‘s determined drive in Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race wrapped up a fifth-place finish, the No. 15 Toyota team’s fourth top-10 effort in the last five events and a solidifying boost to his Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs footing. Teammate David Ragan — poised to join his teammate in the front-running quintet — exited early, catching the worst of the Lap 371 tangle that dented both MWR entries.

RELATED: See what happened to Ragan

“Damn, you hate to have two good cars and the last person you want to get into and have trouble with is your teammate,” Bowyer said. “I’ve been sick to death about that. We had two top-five cars and MWR really needed that run.”

Michael Waltrip Racing announced Wednesday that it would cease its full schedule of Sprint Cup participation at season’s end, granting Bowyer his release. But in the same announcement, team co-owner Rob Kauffman stressed that “MWR will race hard and compete for the remainder of the 2015 season.”

Both Bowyer and Ragan clearly took the “race hard” portion of the statement to heart, putting both cars into the top 10 of the starting lineup. Ragan moved as high as third in the running order, picking up six spots on a long green-flag run after the 500-lapper’s midway point. That charge placed him right behind Bowyer, who stormed into the top five after a series of early gains.

The high hopes went haywire, though, just four laps after a Lap 368 restart. Bowyer and Ragan bottled up on the low side of Jimmie Johnson‘s No. 48 Chevrolet, which forced the two MWR cars to make contact in a three-abreast clash at the exit of Turn 2. Ragan’s No. 55 Toyota spun low, resulting in severe contact with the inside retaining wall.

Bowyer righted himself and continued, but made contact with Brad Keselowski‘s No. 2 Ford at the end of the straightaway, looping the No. 15. From there, Bowyer was able to stay on the lead lap and methodically rally again, edging Keselowski for the last spot among the top five.

“We desperately needed a solid run right there,” Bowyer said. “I mean, obviously, you’re hungry for a win with this organization giving everything it had. I drove my ass off. It just … we just came up short. I’m really proud of all of these guys on the 5-hour Energy Toyota. They’re digging, man. It’s fun to be a part of this. It’s fun to be a part of a group that can answer the call when you gotta dig down and reach down a little bit more to get in that Chase and be a part of that elite group. These guys are up for the challenge.”

The outcome was more disheartening for Ragan, who was closing in on his first top-five or top-10 since joining Michael Waltrip Racing as an interim driver in May.

“It’s uncalled for to get wrecked and to be involved in a wreck like that but all in all just one of those racing things,” Ragan said. “… Anytime you’re in that top five or with a chance to win, it’s disappointing. This is one of my favorite races and we did the best we could.”

MWR’s silver lining, though, came from Bowyer, who improved his grip on the 16th and final berth in the provisional Chase grid. His top-five allowed him to increase his margin from 23 to 35 points over nearest challenger Aric Almirola, Saturday night’s 17th-place finisher.

Though the No. 15 team is mindful of what it needs to become playoff-eligible in the remaining two regular-season races, crew chief Billy Scott said the crew hasn’t let it alter their strategy or outlook.

“We try to put that on the back burner,” Scott said. “Until Richmond, it really doesn’t matter. All you can do is look after yourself and get the best finish we can right now. When we get down to the last few at Richmond, it might matter with your strategy a little bit to keep an eye on where they are, but if we keep doing what we need to, it’ll take care of itself.”

Posted on August 22, 2015 by Staff Report

RELATED: Chase Grid post-Bristol

No drivers clinched a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup berth in the IRWIN Tools Night Race on Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway.

That means 10 drivers are locked into a postseason spot, provided they attempt to qualify for the two remaining regular-season races.

Here’s a look at the bubble for the six available Chase spots.

2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup

Already clinched: Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards

Note: Kyle Busch has four wins and is currently second in the Chase Grid, but has not clinched a spot in the top 30 of the points standings.

On the bubble

Note: Positions below are for the Chase Grid, not Sprint Cup standings

12. Jamie McMurray +41 (points ahead of 16th-place)

13. Ryan Newman +28

14. Paul Menard +19

15. Jeff Gordon +17

16. Clint Bowyer —

———————–

17. Aric Almirola -35 (points behind 16th-place)

18. Kasey Kahne -37

19. Greg Biffle -83

20. Austin Dillon -91

Rest of top 30

21. Kyle Larson -104

22. Danica Patrick -130

23. Casey Mears -139

24. AJ Allmendinger -140

25. David Ragan -164

26. Sam Hornish Jr. -179

27. Tony Stewart -189

28. Trevor Bayne -212

29. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -221

30. Justin Allgaier -246

Posted on August 22, 2015 by Staff Report

With only two races left until the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs, it’s time to check in on Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, as he tries to rebound from missing 11 races to early season injuries and make the Chase. He is currently the only driver with multiple wins who has yet to mathematically clinch a spot in the Chase.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED: Busch started second in Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, sharing the front row with pole-sitting teammate Denny Hamlin‘s No. 11 Toyota. He followed a win in Friday night’s green-white-checkered finish in the XFINITY Series with an eighth-place finish in the Sprint Cup race. A green-flag stop for a loose wheel and a penalty for speeding on pit road cost Busch a shot at winning the race despite leading the most laps, 192 of 500.

WHAT HE NEEDS: Staying out of trouble remains a priority. Busch must remain in the top 30 in the drivers points standings and is in 29th after Bristol, 46 points ahead of 31st-place driver Cole Whitt. But after Saturday’s race, Busch is closer to 28th place, just one point behind Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who finished 21st at Bristol. There is a good chance Busch could lock up his Chase spot at Darlington next week.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Sprint Cup Series heads to Darlington Raceway for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 on Sept. 6 (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). “The Lady in Black” is a tough track to tame, and the low downforce package that teams ran at Kentucky Speedway will also be used at Darlington. Busch won at Kentucky and was among the drivers who raved about the new aero package. He also has one win at Darlington, in 2008, and has an average finish there of 13.6.

Posted on August 22, 2015 by Staff Report

The week it was announced Michael Waltrip Racing would not field full-time teams in 2016, Clint Bowyer‘s No. 15 and David Ragan ‘s No. 55 MWR Toyotas were running in the top five with 125 laps to go when they wound up with damage at Bristol.

Bowyer had been running as high as second in the Irwin Tools Night Race, needing a win to give him a secure spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. He entered the weekend 16th in Chase Grid standings, 32 points behind Jeff Gordon.

The No. 48 of Jimmie Johnson came down on Ragan’s No. 55, spinning his car and sending him into the interior wall, also clipping Bowyer and causing minor damage. Only 12 cars were on the lead lap at the time.

Ragan took his wounded machine to the garage and finished 40th. Bowyer recovered and finished fifth, just behind Johnson.

Bowyer was able to gain ground on Gordon, who finished 20th in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, and Aric Almirola, who sits behind him in the Chase Grid standings. After Bristol, Bowyer is 17 points behind Gordon and 35 poitns ahead of Almirola.

Posted on August 22, 2015 by Staff Report

Matt Kenseth, one of the hottest drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as Joe Gibbs Racing continues to put on a power display, was out of the Irwin Tools Night Race early Saturday night after the No. 20’s engine failed at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“It broke in the middle of the straightaway — it had that hop and that noise that it makes when you know you dropped a valve. Unfortunate, but man these guys at TRD (Toyota Racing Development) have been doing such an awesome job, we’ve had so much power and everything has been really reliable here the last year and a half.”

The No. 20 went behind the wall on Lap 114 after making it to pit road, smoking its way around the 0.533-mile concrete oval.

Asked if he saw any signs of trouble with the engine, Kenseth replied, “They never warn you, it would be cool if they would send you a text or something. Just the middle of the straightaway it made that pop where you knew that was it.”

Kenseth started Saturday night’s race in 13th but the engine failure would send the 2003 premier series champion to a 42nd-place finish. He won the spring race at Bristol from the pole. He has three wins this season and entered the Irwin Tools Night Race third in the Chase Grid and locked into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

“The encouraging part is that our cars are really fast and I thought we were an adjustment away from having what we really needed to run with everybody,” Kenseth said. “Wish we were still out there.”

Kenseth dominated the previous week’s race, the Pure Michigan 400, leading 146 of 200 laps en route to the victory.