RELATED: Updated weekend schedule
RELATED: Hurricane-like weather has hampered NASCAR before
With area weather impacted by Hurricane Joaquin, here’s the latest on this weekend’s NASCAR schedule at Dover International Speedway:
• Saturday’s XFINITY Series and K&N Pro Series East practices have been canceled. Two Sprint Cup practices remain on the schedule, although their times have been altered. Rain cut the final practice session for the Sprint Cup Series short. The K&N Pro Series East race will now be run at 12:30 p.m. ET. Click here for the tentative weekend schedule.
• All on-track activity scheduled for Friday has been canceled.
• Dover has canceled Thursday’s NASCAR Showcase & Hauler Parade, which was scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
The track and NASCAR will continue to monitor the weather throughout the weekend. Dover officials will provide updates on the track’s website and also on the track’s Facebook page.
This page will be updated throughout the weekend.
It was announced on Thursday that the NASCAR sanctioning body changed the restart zone for this weekend’s races at Dover International Speedway. The zone will double from 70 feet to 140 feet, but no other rules have changed, according to NASCAR. After the news broke, drivers took to social media to express their opinions on the change.
RELATED: NASCAR doubles restart zone for Dover
���� should be even larger at the 1.5 mile tracks and plate tracks. Good change though. https://t.co/bCAy6ok1Vg
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) October 1, 2015
Glad to see @NASCAR expanding the restart zone. This is what a lot of drivers were asking for.
— Joey Logano (@joeylogano) October 1, 2015
I think the new restart zone is going to be great. The games will now be played in the zone. What’s everyone else think?
— Kyle Larson (@KyleLarsonRacin) October 1, 2015
Great change by @nascar to double the restart zone. Gives leader more of a opportunity to decide when to start the race.
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) October 1, 2015
I can assure you this decision is one that the DRIVERS helped influence. We live it each week and this is a step in the right direction
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) October 1, 2015
@NASCAR good decision. The leader should have an advantage for leading the race, this will help that.
— Chase Elliott (@chaseelliott) October 1, 2015
Just like in this picture.. Lost the race because the 2nd place car jumped the restart.. That should never happen. https://t.co/Pl4v5ruuvp
— Rodney Childers (@RodneyChilders4) October 1, 2015
The restart zone for this weekend’s NASCAR races at Dover International Speedway will double from 70 feet to 140 feet, according to NASCAR.
The sanctioning body will also lengthen the restart zone for the 2015 season’s remaining races post-Dover — the exact increase will be determined by an at-track basis.
The restart rules have not changed. Drivers will still line up double file, with the leader being the “control car,” meaning the second-place car can’t take off before the leader in the restart zone located before the start/finish line.
NASCAR re-emphasized the restart rules during the drivers’ meeting before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup opener at Chicagoland Speedway.
In that race, NASCAR reviewed a questionable restart by Jeff Gordon before determining there was no penalty. Last week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Brad Keselowski was penalized after NASCAR ruled he jumped the restart.
Restarts were a hot topic among drivers prior to the postseason beginning. When asked at Chase Media, Denny Hamlin gave the following answer: “I think drivers want longer restart zones. Ultimately now it’s so short that if you don’t go right away the second-place guy does and knowing that he can beat the first-place guy to the line … I think it would be better to open that zone up two, three times the size of it right now.”
The following are team press releases previewing the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM).
Joe Gibbs Racing:
Kyle Busch | Team preview
Carl Edwards | Team preview
Matt Kenseth | Team preview
Stewart-Haas Racing:
Kevin Harvick | Team preview
Kurt Busch | Team preview
Hendrick Motorsports:
Jeff Gordon | Team preview
Jimmie Johnson | Team preview
Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Team preview
Team Penske:
Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano | Team preview
Richard Childress Racing:
Paul Menard | Team preview
Ryan Newman | Team preview
Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates:
Jamie McMurray | Team preview
Furniture Row Racing:
Martin Truex Jr. | Team preview
Michael Waltrip Racing:
Clint Bowyer | Team preview
Note: Not all Chase teams provide a press release.
RELATED: Chase-clinching scenarios | Weather updates
If there’s any consolation for Kevin Harvick to be sitting just one rung up from the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup basement, it’s that he’s been there before and still managed to extricate himself — all the way to his first premier-series title last year.
The defending champion’s task is no less difficult this year, but it’s an almost all-or-nothing scenario, a circumstance where Harvick seems to thrive.
“Obviously, for me personally, I like these types of situations,” Harvick said in a Thursday morning teleconference as he made media rounds in New York. “I think they’re different and fun and it’s all in the approach and how you react to them. So I think as a team, we’ll do everything in our … from a preparation standpoint the same. But I think if you can get the result and get that sensation of winning and all the things that come with the type of situation that we’re in, it’s even more fun.”
That situation comes to a head this weekend at Dover International Speedway, site of Sunday’s weekend’s AAA 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/Live Extra, MRN, SiriusXM). Harvick enters the elimination event — the finale to the Chase’s opening three-race Challenger Round — staring down a 23-point deficit from the 12th-place cutoff point for advancement. Barring mathematical dives from a significant number of the remaining 15 drivers in the Chase field, a victory Sunday and the accompanying automatic berth seem to be Harvick’s best route to the next round.
Harvick staved off elimination in 2014, rising from last place among the eight title-eligible drivers remaining by winning the penultimate race of the season at Phoenix International Raceway to keep his title march rolling. Though he has recent history to rely on, his sense of perspective in dealing with pressurized situations goes back much further, all the way to his debut in NASCAR’s major leagues.
“I think as you look at the things that we have been through as a team over the past couple years, we have been in a lot of pretty intense situations, but for me personally, I think that these things are kind of a, they’re kind of a walk in the park compared to the Earnhardt situations of taking over his car and having to deal with that and all the things that we dealt with back in 2001,” Harvick said in a nod to his inheritance of Dale Earnhardt’s ride after his death in a crash at Daytona International Speedway.
“It kind of makes these scenarios a little bit easier to deal with because you’ve dealt with things that are on a much bigger scale than the current things of just performing on the race track.”
As for the here and now, Harvick finds himself in his precarious plight after successive weeks of trouble. A tire rub after midrace contact led to his subsequent crash, saddling him with a 42nd-place finish in the Chicagoland opener. That tumble in the standings was exacerbated by a fuel gamble gone wrong last weekend in New Hampshire, leaving him with a 21st-place result after leading 216 of the 300 laps.
Harvick said Thursday that he didn’t see either of those situations as risks, nor has he played the blame game with crew chief Rodney Childers or any of his Stewart-Haas Racing team. For now, the focus remains on performance at Dover.
“It’s a really, really tight knit bunch of guys and we’re all going to support each other, because we’re all going to make mistakes in different situations and I don’t think we have necessarily made a mistake, but I think we have definitely had to react to some situations throughout the last couple years and I think it’s made us stronger as we move forward and better from on a weekly basis as a team,” Harvick said. “So, it’s just part of what we do, and I think when you look at the performance of the race cars on the racetrack is really, it’s absolutely unbelievable.
“I mean, I’m just lucky to drive the cars and to let certain situations affect something like that would be absolutely crazy on any of our parts.”
RELATED: Complete schedule for Dover weekend
As drivers and teams prepare for this weekend’s elimination race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, they’re also bracing for the effects of Hurricane Joaquin as it churns toward the Eastern United States.
The storm, rated as a Category 4 hurricane as of 5 a.m. ET Friday, threatens to bring damaging winds, torrential rain and possible flooding to the Mid-Atlantic area and Dover International Speedway, site of this weekend’s AAA 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM) for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Races for NASCAR’s XFINITY Series and the K&N Pro Series East developmental circuit are also on the schedule.
Haulers for both national series were scheduled to load into the 1-mile Delaware track Thursday afternoon, but a hauler parade scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET was canceled. Despite the threatening forecast, a NASCAR spokesperson said Thursday morning that series officials would be flexible with any changes in weather conditions.
“NASCAR will continue to work closely with Dover International Speedway and monitor the weather for the weekend,” the spokesperson said. “At this time, all schedules remain intact.”
The Dover track, approximately seven miles inland from the Delaware Bay, is among several areas in the state under a coastal flood watch that remains in effect through Sunday. The National Weather Service has predicted gusty winds and major rainfall amounts — between 5-7 inches over the next five days — for the Mid-Atlantic area, even if Joaquin’s center fails to make landfall.
A statement made by the Delaware Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday said that Joaquin’s path was uncertain to predict, but that “it is reasonably sure that the tropical system will have an impact of some kind on Delaware over the weekend. It is too early to tell exactly what that impact will be.”
A tripleheader of racing makes this weekend an especially busy one for the Dover track. Besides staging the third event of the 10-race Chase on Sunday, the Monster Mile will also host the XFINITY Series’ Hisense 200 (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM) and the season-ending Drive Sober 125 presented by the Delaware Office of Highway Safety for the K&N Pro Series East.
The track said in a Thursday release that it was “full steam ahead” with preparations for the race weekend.
“We work closely with NASCAR, the National Weather Service and our on-site meteorologist to monitor weather during our major events,” a track spokesperson said in the release. “We are currently tracking this weekend’s weather and will update fans via social media, and our website, as information becomes available.”
The last time a tropical disturbance dramatically altered a race weekend schedule was in September 2008, when Tropical Storm Hanna and a declared state of emergency in Virginia postponed two days of on-track activity at Richmond International Raceway, forcing a rare Sprint Cup–XFINITY Series doubleheader on a Sunday.
NASCAR officials worked with the track, opting to postpone all events early in the interest of safety for campers and other fans. The decision also weighed that law enforcement officials normally involved in security and traffic management at the race track should be dedicated to disaster relief at the height of the storm.
RELATED: Chase Stats page
Jimmie Johnson technically doesn’t own Dover International Speedway, but he certainly has “owned” the competition there over the years.
Johnson ranks first with 10 wins at the “Monster Mile” and in average finishing position at 7.9. He’s also second among active drivers with 15 top-five finishes at the track and an average starting position of 10.1.
With six championships in tow, it’s easy to take for granted Johnson’s greatness. But if the above stats aren’t a cause for you to pause, then better check your pulse.
Better yet, why not check how Johnson’s numbers stack up against other drivers in the field for the race at Dover? And now with NASCAR.com’s Chase stats page, it’s easier than ever to do side-by-side comparisons with other drivers.
Simply select the track and the drivers you want to compare from the dropdown menus, and in no time flat you’ll get a snapshot view of how those two have performed. It’s the perfect tool to use before setting your lineups in NASCAR Fantasy Live, or before making your pick in Streak to the Finish.
Did you know Jeff Gordon was second to Jimmie with five wins at Dover? Or that Carl Edwards was runner-up to ‘Six-Time’ with an average finish of 10.6? All of that information is easily attained through the driver comparison tool. So have some fun and take it for a test drive.
Then, come back Sunday when the Chase stats page transforms to include live Lap-by-Lap updates of the race to go along with driver stats, the most up-to-date Chase Grid and other must-know information to make you the most knowledgeable one in your group of NASCAR fans.
RELATED: See how Blaney won at Kentucky
On the surface, it’s a bit of an unorthodox NASCAR schedule for Ryan Blaney.
The 21-year-old is running part-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Wood Brothers Racing in the No. 21 Ford and the NASCAR XFINITY Series with Team Penske in the No. 22 Ford, all while making a handful of starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Brad Keselowski Racing in the No. 29 Ford.
”By the time all the races are added up, it’s almost a full schedule,” Blaney told NASCAR.com last weekend at Kentucky Speedway. “It has its positives and negatives to be running part-time in everything. The great thing is I get to run three great series with amazing race teams that I know will go out and have a fast car or truck every weekend or every time I get in them. Those are big positives that I can drive different things every single week.”
And the negatives?
“It’s hard to get in a rhythm of running the same car, so that’s kind of tough,” Blaney said. “That takes myself and the team time to get back acclimated to the driver and me to the race car. It has its ups and downs, but I’m fortunate to be with three great race teams and be able to do what we love and be competitive.”
Blaney did not have trouble finding a rhythm as he wheeled the No. 22 Ford to Victory Lane in the XFINITY Series VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 at Kentucky Speedway. He led a race-high 81 laps and used a strong restart on a green-white-checkered finish to take home the win. The victory was the second time in three years that Team Penske has swept the season’s two Kentucky XFINITY races.
”Honestly, I’ve never seen a team be so dominant at a race track,” Blaney said after the win. “It feels like every time we come here, the 22 car is one of the favorites to win and usually does it.”
Greg Erwin, the No. 22 team’s crew chief, has noticed Blaney’s growth firsthand since seeing him in 2013. In addition to the Kentucky win, Erwin and Blaney teamed up for a win in August at Iowa Speedway.
”He’s certainly a little more polished,” Erwin noted of Blaney’s development as a driver. “I think his communication is a little more precise. I think his confidence is certainly high and I think he’s got the talent, certainly that it takes, and the rest of that will come with time behind a steering wheel. That’s the hardest thing right now I think, is jumping in, running in all three series and getting as much time on the race track as he can.”
In his young career, Blaney has four wins each in the XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series. And in his first part-time Sprint Cup Series season, he scored his best Sprint Cup finish in May at Talladega with a fourth-place result. His Wood Brothers No. 21 team has had speed, but qualifying rainouts have been the bugaboo.
RELATED: Blaney discusses ‘very frustrating’ Cup qualifying rainouts
Along the way to becoming a rising young talent in the sport, Blaney has had some guidance, namely from his dad, Dave, as well as 2012 Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski.
“Brad’s been one of the biggest mentors for me right after my dad,” Blaney said of Keselowski’s impact on his career. “He gave me an opportunity in 2012 to drive his trucks for him and I did that for a couple years, which opened the doors at Penske and it opened the doors at the Wood Brothers. He’s kind of been the main guy that’s started me off in my career getting racing in the top three series and I can’t thank him enough for that. He’s taught me so much on the race track, off the race track. He’s been really helpful to me.
”Brad’s a unique teacher. To be able to drive for him has been really cool too, because you can kind of see the owner in him. And then when he would drive the other truck sometimes and I could race against him that was really, really neat. … You’d ask him a question and he’d give you part of an answer and then you would kind of have to figure the rest of it out, and I really liked that. It’s kind of the way my dad did it.
”He’s obviously one of the smartest racers out there, I feel like, when it comes to strategy and always thinking inside the car. That’s something I’ve tried to take from him. … Not only on the racing side, just thinking of other things too, whether it’s underneath the car to try to make it faster, things like that.”
Dave Blaney, a veteran of 473 Sprint Cup Series starts and the 1995 World of Outlaws Champion, has impacted his son’s career as well. Ryan credits his dad with teaching him a lesson that has become invaluable to him with extended seat time and longer races in the Sprint Cup Series.
“Patience is one of the biggest things in racing, especially now that I’ve gotten started doing some Cup stuff,” Ryan Blaney said. “Five-hundred-mile races, one 600-miler that we do … those are long races. A lot longer than Truck and XFINITY races and that’s really been a big learning curve for me of how you have so many opportunities to work on your race car and you have to be really precise with how you change things.
“That was the biggest change to me. Running Trucks for a couple of years, the races are so short. You only have a couple of chances to work on your truck, so you take huge swings. In the Cup car, you can’t really do that, you have to take littler steps and kind of fine-tune things. That was one of the biggest things he taught me early and now I’m kind of figuring it out for myself.”
And with silly season talk running rampant throughout the garage and in the media, Blaney remains focused on finishing out 2015 strong. With a Kentucky win in his pocket, Blaney is on the entry list for Saturday’s XFINITY Series Hisense 200 at Dover International Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
”Honestly, we’d like to do more races but that’s a lot easier said than done,” he said. “I think the best thing we can do is try to focus on winning races in this 22 car, try to bring home a (owner’s) championship (in XFINITY) and finishing out the season strong with the Wood Brothers is going to be really big for our cause. We’re working on it. Hopefully, we will know something soon.”
The National Motorsports Appeals Panel today heard and considered the appeal of a P4 penalty issued on Sept. 23 to Rob Kauffman (owner), Clint Bowyer (driver), and Billy W. Scott (crew chief) relative to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series vehicle #15 at Chicagoland Speedway.
The penalty concerns the following sections in the 2015 NASCAR rule book: Sections 12.1, 20.14c, 20.14.2.1.k, 12.5.3.4.d, 12.5.3.4.1.d&f, 12.5.3.4.2.
The original penalty assessed included a $75,000 fine, three-race suspension and six months’ probation for Scott and loss of 25 championship car owner and 25 championship driver points to both Kauffman and Bowyer.
Upon hearing the testimony, the decisions of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel are:
1. The Appellants violated the Rule or Rules set forth in the Penalty Notice.
2. That the Panel affirms and upholds the original Penalty assessed by NASCAR.
The panel consisted of the following three individuals:
Mr. Paul Brooks
Mr. Bill Lester
Mr. Bill Mullis
The Appellants have the right to appeal the decision of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel to the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer in accordance with Section 15 of the NASCAR Rule Book as the Expedited Final Appeal. The deadline for filing is 5 p.m. ET on Sept. 30.