Posted on by Staff Report

Michigan International Speedway employee for 27 years dies at 55

RELATED: Response to fire allowed NASCAR to finish race

Duane Barnes, who drove the jet dryer that caught fire after contact with Juan Pablo Montoya during the 2012 Daytona 500, passed away on Tuesday at age 55.

For the past 27 years, Barnes worked at Michigan International Speedway, serving as chief "UNO 1" jet dryer operator, fabricator and heavy equipment operator. He also served as a jet dryer operator at other International Speedway Corporation tracks.

With 40 laps to go in the Great American Race three years ago, Barnes was drying the track against the Turn 3 wall during a caution period when a mechanical malfunction on the No. 42 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing (now known as Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Chevrolet) saw Montoya veer into the rear of the dryer.

Following evaluation at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, Barnes was released. Two days after the 2012 accident, MIS issued a statement on his behalf.

"I appreciate everyone for taking the time to write, call and ask how I am," Barnes said. "I am OK and I am amazed at how many people have wished me well. I am also glad Juan Montoya is OK, and thank him for his concern."

An avid NASCAR fan and hunter, Barnes also enjoyed farming and gardening. He is survived by his wife, two children, four step-children, 14 grandchildren, his mother, two brothers, one sister, two nephews and one niece.

On Barnes’ passing, Michigan International Speedway President Roger Curtis issued the following statement:

"Our condolences are with Duane’s family and friends. Duane was a trusted, respected and most important part of our MIS family and the NASCAR community for almost 30 years, and we will miss him tremendously. We’re a tight group, and I can only hope the wonderful memories of Duane will help comfort us and his family during this difficult time."

Posted on by Staff Report

McReynolds remembers driver on anniversary of his passing

RELATED: High 5: Remembering Davey Allison

As New Hampshire Motor Speedway celebrates its 25th anniversary, FOX NASCAR analyst Larry McReynolds, a guest on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, remembered another Magic Mile milestone: the first premier series race at the track, which was the last event for Davey Allison before a helicopter accident claimed his life.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

After falling 63 points shy of the 1992 NASCAR championship, Allison’s No. 28 Robert Yates Racing Ford got off to a slow start, according to McReynolds, who served as its crew chief.

"I think we kind of got lazy between the ’92 and the ’93 season because we ran so well in 1992," McReynolds said. "We didn’t work to make ourselves better, and we were struggling when ’93 started."

The Slick 50 300 at a new New England venue offered an opportunity for the team to turn the corner, and it gave the team reason to be optimistic for the inaugural premier series race.

"We finally built a brand new car and went to Loudon, and we were leading that race with 30 laps to go and we had a car that was good on the long run," McReynolds said.

"A caution comes out for debris with 30 laps to go. We were in a bit of a box. We had to pit so we pitted, and we ended up finishing third to Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin."

It was the team’s first top-five finish in a month and sixth in the first 16 races of the season. An upbeat Allison did something on the way home that surprised his crew chief and fellow Alabama native as the No. 28 team headed to Charlotte and then on to Allison’s home in Hueytown, Alabama.

"Davey did something that night that I had never seen him do," McReynolds said. "He always flew his own plane. I think it’s how he kind of took out his anxiety of the day, but he told his pilot and his dad, Bobby, ‘You guys fly the airplane. I’m going to sit in the back with the guys.’

"…we sat back there and he was so excited and happy because I think like he felt like we finally had hit on something that we had been missing most of 1993. He told me when we landed in Charlotte,  ‘You won’t be able to get in touch with me tomorrow. I think I’m going to fly up to Talladega to watch David Bonnett, Neil Bonnett’s son, test a car.’

"I said, ‘No problem. I’ll call you on Tuesday.’

"Well, unfortunately, I never got to make that call because the next day was when he was killed in a helicopter crash at Talladega."

Later that season, Ernie Irvan took over the No. 28 ride, driving the car through the first 20 races of the 1994 season before a crash at Michigan International Speedway sidelined him for for more than a year.

When Irvan returned to the No. 28 car in 1996, McReynolds was his crew chief, and that July, Irvan and McReynolds went to Victory Lane at Loudon, New Hampshire, for an emotional celebration in honor of the driver’s comeback and to commemorate the three-year anniversary of  Allison’s passing.

Posted on by Staff Report

Early scrape doesn’t slow No. 33 Chevy, which leads 1-2-3 RCR sweep

RELATED: Practice 1 results | Final practice results

Austin Dillon recovered from a brush from the wall in opening NASCAR XFINITY Series practice to top the final practice leaderboard Friday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Dillon drove his freshly repaired Richard Childress Racing No. 33 Chevrolet to a best lap of 130.707 mph on the 1.058-mile track. He’ll be aiming for his fourth XFINITY victory of the season in Saturday’s Lakes Region 200 (4 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM).

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

Childress Chevrolets swept the top three in the 85-minute session. Brendan Gaughan landed the second-fastest lap at 129.498 mph in the No. 62 Chevy, and teammate Brian Scott was third-fastest (129.459 mph) in the No. 2 Camaro.

Sprint Cup regulars Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski — who collectively have won the last six XFINITY races at New Hampshire — both secured spots in the top 10 on the leaderboard. Busch — an XFINITY winner at the Loudon, N.H., track from 2009-11 and 2013 — was fifth-fastest in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 Toyota. Keselowski, the 2012 and defending race winner, was seventh-best in the Team Penske No. 22 Ford.

Daniel Suarez landed the fourth-best spot with a late mock qualifying run in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota. J.J. Yeley, who started first last weekend after a qualifying rainout at Kentucky Speedway, was sixth-fastest in the JGL Racing No. 28 Toyota.

Defending series champion Chase Elliott piloted the JR Motorsports No. 9 Chevrolet to the 11th-fastest lap. Series points leader Chris Buescher was 12th-fastest in the Roush Fenway Racing No. 60 Ford.

Saturday’s Coors Light Pole Qualifying is set for an 11:15 a.m. ET start, to be televised on NBC Sports Network.

Keselowski tops early New Hampshire practice

Brad Keselowski roared to the fastest lap in Friday’s first practice for the NASCAR XFINITY Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Keselowski, last week’s XFINITY winner at Kentucky, posted a lap of 130.122 mph in the No. 22 Ford in preparation for Saturday’s Lakes Region 200 (4 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM), the 17th of 33 races this season. His top time was a solid .273-seconds better than second-fastest Denny Hamlin, who ran 128.920 mph in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota.

Keselowski has prevailed in two of the last three XFINITY Series races on the 1.058-mile track. Kyle Busch, seventh-fastest in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 Toyota, has won four of the series’ last six New Hampshire events.

Ryan Sieg was third-fastest in the RSS Racing No. 39 Chevrolet. NASCAR Next products Ben Rhodes and Daniel Suarez were fourth and fifth respectively in the 55-minute session.

Austin Dillon, a three-time winner in the XFINITY Series this year, posted the eighth-fastest lap but damaged the right side of his Richard Childress Racing No. 33 Chevrolet after he scraped the outside wall at the exit of Turn 4. His brother, Ty Dillon, third in the XFINITY Series standings, also made contact later in the session but with less damage to his No. 3 Chevy.

Posted on by Staff Report

Chip Ganassi Racing driver edges Kyle Busch in early session

RELATED: Full practice results

Kyle Larson zipped to the top of the leaderboard in opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Larson, driving the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet, logged a fast lap of 133.708 mph on the 1.058-mile track. The lap came as teams made mock qualifying runs late in the 85-minute session in preparation for Sunday’s 5-hour ENERGY 301 (1:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM).

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

Kyle Busch, last week’s winner at Kentucky Speedway, was second-fastest at 133.666 mph in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota. Jamie McMurray, Larson’s teammate in the Ganassi No. 1 Chevrolet, clocked the third-best lap at 133.469 mph.

Carl Edwards, a teammate to Busch at JGR, was fourth-fastest, with Brad Keselowski, who swept the Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series races at New Hampshire last July, completing the top five in the Team Penske No. 2 Ford.

Martin Truex Jr. encountered trouble just five minutes into opening practice with a flat left-rear tire that slowed him to a stop on the backstretch. His Furniture Row Racing crew, hoping to avoid any further damage from Truex driving around to the garage, changed the No. 78 Chevrolet’s tire on the backstretch apron. With the car repaired, he landed the 11th-best lap at 133.007 mph.

RELATED: Watch the Truex Jr. incident

Defending series champion Kevin Harvick drove the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet to the ninth-fastest lap of the 44 cars to participate in the opening session.

Coors Light Pole Qualifying for the Sprint Cup Series is scheduled for 4:45 p.m. ET and is on NBCSN.

Posted on by Nascar

Rain washed away chances to race his way into Daytona, Kentucky events

LOUDON, N.H. – It didn’t rain at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Friday, and no one was more pleased with that weather development than driver Ryan Blaney and his Wood Brothers Racing team.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

Blaney, running a limited schedule for the legendary organization this season, failed to make the 43-car field at Daytona International Speedway and Kentucky Speedway earlier this month when rain canceled qualifying at both events.
 
Friday at NHMS, the 21-year-old Blaney was 16th-fastest for Sunday’s 5-hour Energy 301 (1:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR).
 
"We definitely got a lot tighter in the second round for some reason; I’m not sure why," said Blaney, whose No. 21 Ford was fastest in the opening round.
 
"In the second (round) on both laps we were just really too tight and couldn’t get the front end to do anything, so we’ll go back and try to figure out why we lacked a lot of grip the second run.
 
"We made a good amount of changes, too, to try to get the front end to turn between the first and second session, and it went worse.  We’ll figure it out.  We’re just happy to be racing here this weekend."
 
Sunday’s start will be the seventh for Blaney this season. It will be the 1,429th for WBR, which has been competing in NASCAR since 1953.
 
Founder Glen Wood will celebrate his 90th birthday Saturday in the team’s hometown of Stuart, Virginia.
 
An alliance with Team Penske for 2015 has expanded the group’s schedule – this weekend’s appearance is the first visit to the 1.058-mile track for the organization since 2008 with NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Bill Elliott.
 
"The past couple of weekends have been pretty tough on us with Daytona and Kentucky getting rained out, knowing we had a fast car, and I think we’ve got a fast … Ford Fusion for this weekend," Blaney said.
 
"It’s not the starting spot we wanted, but I think our race car will be pretty good and we’ll find that out tomorrow in practice."
 
Blaney’s best finish this season came at Talladega where he finished fourth.

Posted on by Nascar

No. 18 driver trails 30th-place Cole Whitt by 87 points at Loudon

RELATED: Who can clinch Chase spots Sunday | Updated Chase grid

LOUDON, N.H. — Kyle Busch‘s drive to race his way into the top 30 in points begins anew this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, site of Sunday’s 5-hour ENERGY 301 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race (1:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM).

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

The 16 spots in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup will be filled by those drivers with one or more wins and who are in the top 30 in points after the season’s 26th race (at Richmond International Raceway). Should there not be 16 different winners, the remaining positions will be filled based on points positions.

Winning hasn’t been an issue for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. Although he missed the season’s first 11 races because of injuries sustained in the season-opening XFINITY Series event at Daytona International Speedway, Busch, 30, has won twice in Sprint Cup since returning in late May.

Cracking the top 30 in points has been another matter. Since his return, Busch has climbed six positions – from 41st to 35th. He currently trails 30th-place Cole Whitt by 87 points. Eight races remain.

MORE: Timeline of Busch’s injury and recovery

"I think if we were a guy or a team that was sort of 13th through 16th or whatever and didn’t have wins then we’d be in the same position we’re in right now," Busch said Friday at NHMS. "We’re racing for points.

"We have to get those points to be the highest eligible guy without the win – but our circumstances are a little different; we’ve got wins and yet we still seem to be out."

"We’re just doing the best job that we can each and every week to continue to put good cars on the race track."

The good news for Busch, of course, is that he has the wins, the more difficult of the two hurdles he’s had to clear. Even better is that he’s won on six of the eight tracks the series will visit before the start of the Chase. Only Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway have yet to welcome Busch into the winner’s circle, and stops at those two tracks come after this weekend’s stop at NHMS.

RELATED: Busch feels no pain racing for a win

He’s a one-time winner in Sprint Cup here at the 1.058-mile track.

Victories provide the most points, but the road to the winner’s circle often is lined with potholes. Busch already has stepped in his share, finishing 36th at Dover and 43rd at Michigan.

"I feel like I probably gave away 60 points in those two (races)," he said, "so I would be 17 (points) out right now, which is essentially nothing. We might even make that up here this weekend."

Of course, he said, "that’s irrelevant."

"We’re 87 out so that’s the number we look at. … We’ll be fine, we just have to do the right things and if this Sunday is an eighth-place finish, then that’s what it is. If it’s a 12th, then that’s what it is. It will get us there a little bit slower, but if we can get a win or a top-five like we should be here, that’s the way I’ve run here the last few times."

A year ago, he finished second in the summer race, and then managed an eighth-place result when the series returned in the fall.

An incident with teammate Matt Kenseth "knocked our nose in and … we still ended up eighth somehow," he said. "That wasn’t too terrible.

"As bad as that day could have been, we finished top-10; I feel pretty promising that we can have a good run here."

Posted on by Nascar

Johnson, Dale Jr., others can join Harvick in Chase this weekend

RELATED: Chase Grid

Only eight races remain before the 16-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field is set.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

Here’s what we know:

Kevin Harvick has checked off two of the three Chase criteria boxes. He has the multiple wins that guarantee a spot among the top 16 winners, and at Kentucky, he locked up a top 30 spot. All he needs to do now is start each of the remaining races in the regular season.
Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. can join Harvick this weekend in New Hampshire. Both Hendrick Motorsports drivers already have the multiple wins that guarantee them a spot among the top 16 winners (even if there’s a new winner in each of the remaining eight races). They can lock up a top 30 spot this weekend at New Hampshire.

Joey Logano could also join Harvick, but only with a victory.

With help in the form of poor finishes by drivers around the 30th-place bubble, a victory for Martin Truex Jr. or Brad Keselowski would give either multiple wins and a possible top-30-place clinch.

 

Posted on by

NASCAR Sprint Cup champ continues racing dominance at L.A. awards show

RELATED: SHR teammate Patrick attends ESPYS

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 16, 2015) – Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick‘s dominating year on the race track earned him the ESPY for ‘Best Driver’ last night at the 23rd annual ESPYS presented by ESPN. Harvick triumphed over 2015 Indianapolis 500 champion Juan Pablo Montoya, 2014 IndyCar champion Will Power, 2014 Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton and 2014 NHRA champion Erica Enders-Stevens for the win.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

Last season, Harvick posted five victories, six runner-up finishes and 14 top-five finishes en route to his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title, clinched in walk-off fashion in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Harvick also set six track qualifying records and earned a series-best eight poles.
 
This year, Harvick will return to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup having won a pair of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, in Las Vegas and Phoenix. He is currently leading in the series points standings.
 
Harvick’s career includes 90 wins across NASCAR’s top three series — the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
 
Now in his 13th year, Harvick joins a list of stock car drivers who have won the title of ‘Best Driver’ since the awards began in 1993. Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Bobby Labonte and Dale Jarett have also taken home the ESPY in previous years.

 

Posted on by

2013 Hall of Fame inductee fought off Gordon for Loudon victory

In the summer of 1993, NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace was in the middle of one of his most successful seasons as a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. 

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

Wallace would finish the season with 10 wins, 19 top-five finishes and 21 top-10 finishes. The then-36-year-old would also win the first Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Wallace was always a regular in Victory Lane during his driving days with a total of 55 career wins. Despite this impressive statistic, Wallace always came up short at New Hampshire — except for his first trip there. In the 1993 Slick 50 300, he executed a well-deserved victory lap after leading a total of 106 laps.

In a race that spanned for nearly three hours, Wallace fought his way to the front. His first lead lap didn’t come until after the halfway mark at Lap 168. Jeff Gordon and Davey Allison each had their turn up front until the No. 2 Team Penske Pontiac took over for the race’s final 30 laps.  

Posted on by Staff Report

RCR reveals paint scheme for Southern 500 race

RELATED: Buy tickets for Darlington | SHOP: Austin Dillon gear

Richard Childress Racing is the latest to reveal a throwback paint scheme look for the upcoming Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

The South Carolina track is promoting a "throwback" theme for the famous Labor Day weekend Bojangles’ Southern 500 (Sept. 6, 7 p.m. ET, NBC) and teams have slowly been revealing paint scheme designs leading up to the event.

RELATED: Elliott’s Darlington paint scheme revealed 

Richard Childress Racing decided to take a look into its paint scheme vault and adorn Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet with a familiar paint scheme from the days of team owner and grandfather of the No. 3 driver, Richard Childress’, racing career for the September race.

Last year Dillon finished in the 11th at Darlington and this year’s September race will mark just his second time racing at the track.