Posted on by Pat DeCola

RELATED: Kyle wins third in a row | Updated driver standings

 

1. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. ‘Rowdy’ has won four out of the past five races, three of which came with differing aero packages, including the high drag specifications at Indy. | MORE: Is Kyle in the Chase yet?

2. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. Took the lead on Lap 1 and was one of the strongest cars all day, but for the sixth time in the past seven races, he finished in the top five without winning. | MORE: Finishing second disappointing for Logano

3. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick battled a loose race car on exit and needed to conserve fuel late in the race but managed yet another top-three finish. | RELATED: Missed opportunity for Harvick

4. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing. Truex told his team early in the race that he was “still tight in, getting looser off.” Whatever changes they made worked, as Truex was in contention for the win as laps ticked off. | MORE: Updated Chase Grid standings

5. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. After Sunday’s solid showing, Hamlin has now finished top six in three of his past four Brickyard starts. | RELATED: Hamlin liked Kentucky package better than Indy rules

6. Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. Bowyer told his crew he was a little loose in and tight center and made contact with Jeff Gordon but still came home with his second top six of the season. | WATCH: Bowyer, Gordon make contact

7. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Kenseth drew the radio ire of teammate and race winner Kyle Busch, but the team shop should be a friendly environment with both drivers enjoying solid Indy runs. | RELATED: Kenseth on high drag package: ‘It’s terrible’

8. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Despite pitting off sequence at Lap 26 for a flat tire and running low on fuel in the closing laps Busch garnered his seventh consecutive top 10. | RELATED: Kurt didn’t like Indy rules package

9. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. In two career Indy starts, Larson now has a pair of top 10s.

10. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. After falling second to ninth on a late restart, Keselowski told crew chief Paul Wolfe, “We can still get this, Paul. We can still get it. I know it.” They didn’t.

11. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Newman started from the rear because of a window violation during qualifying, but made the most of it and nearly notched a top 10.

12. Ryan Blaney, No. 21 Ford, Wood Brothers Racing. Sunday was Blaney’s best finish since a top five in May at Talladega.

13. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. The pole winner was “loose off” early in the race and fell from third to 15th on a crucial late restart.

14. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Strangely, Sunday was Menard’s third time finishing 14th at the Brickyard in the past six races there.

15. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. At a track typically dominated by the organization, Johnson was the highest-finishing HMS ride. | MORE: Johnson talks contract extension with HMS

16. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet. Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Since winning the 2010 Brickyard 400, McMurray has only finished in the top 10 at the track once.

17. Sam Hornish Jr., No. 9 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Hornish had to go to pit road early with a flat right rear and still nearly matched his Indy best.

18. Chase Elliott, No. 25 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. In the most recent two of his first four career starts, Elliott has started 28th and finished 18th.

19. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle was the highest-finishing Roush Fenway Racing driver – and just barely made the top 20.

20. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. The former open-wheel driver has only finished in the top 10 at Indy once in NASCAR – a decade ago in 2005.

21. David Ragan, No. 55 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. In back to back-weeks Ragan failed to capitalize on a third-place starting spot, finishing 18th at Loudon and 21st at Indy.

22. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Junior had a rough race, suffering through a loose left rear midway then sliding into the wall with 13 to go to bring out a caution. | WATCH: Kahne and Junior collide

23. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing. Allmendinger pitted on Lap 16, thinking he had a tire going down. The tire ended up being fine, but he never quite recovered and finished 23rd.


24. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Kahne and Tony Stewart battled late, with the No. 14 pushing the 5 into the grass on a resart. | WATCH: Kahne and Junior collide


25. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Dillon suffered a speeding penalty on his first stop … then got hit with another one while serving that penalty.

26. Landon Cassill, No. 40 Chevrolet, Hillman Smith Motorsports. Cassill lost eight pounds during the race, and all that effort only resulted in a mediocre finish. | RELATED: Cassill loses 8 pounds during race

27. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Patrick didn’t enjoy Indy on Sunday, even complaining about an unnamed fellow driver “He held me up in (Turn) 4! This (expletive) sucks (expletive)!”

28. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Stewart called his car “Evil in traffic, you cannot believe it” and then lost tons of track position when he chose not to pit ahead of a Lap 124 restart.

29. David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. After the race, Gilliland tweeted “We got our … car better at the end. Not what we wanted but not a bad points day!”

30. Michael Annett, No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. After Sunday, Annett hasn’t finished better than 30th since May at Kansas.

31. Michael McDowell, No. 95 Ford, Leavine Family Racing. Not a great finish for McDowell, but he had good perspective, tweeting “We always want more but my guys fixed a lot of damage today and we salvaged a decent day.”

32. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. DiBenedetto had issues with Trevor Bayne and called him out on Twitter after the race, saying that they “need to have a discussion.”

33. Cole Whitt, No. 35 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Whitt told his team that he was super tight on new tires and wasn’t able to drive his car to a very good finish.

34. Brett Moffitt, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. On the late restarts, Moffit was told “it’s going to get wild, so be on your toes.” It was, but not for him, as he was in the back of the pack.

35. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17, Roush Fenway Racing. Stenhouse hit the wall on Lap 126 and needed to pit, then was hit with a penalty for having too many men over the wall.

36. Brian Scott, No. 33 Chevrolet, Circle Sport Racing. Scott brought out the caution on Lap 120 when he hit the wall.


37. Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. On Lap 16, Allgaier told his team, “I’m either plowing the center or wrecking loose off.” Things only got worse from there.

38. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola had perhaps the quote of the season – certainly the race – expressing his displeasure for Trevor Bayne by saying, “That little boy better be ready. He’s going to get his ass whooped today.” | WATCH: Almirola and Bayne tangle

39. J.J. Yeley, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. Yeley has still finished inside the top 30 just once this season.

40. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Bayne battled bad setup and rear end vibration all day – and nearly ended up battling Aric Almirola. “Something’s bad wrong,” Bayne said. He was told it was not a good setup and he needed to use track bar to get him looser or tighter. | WATCH: Almirola and Bayne tangle

41. Timmy Hill, No. 98 Ford, Premium Motorsports. Hill got little seat time in his backup car before the race and it showed.

42. Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon rubbed shoulders with Clint Bowyer and lost in what was a disappointing final Brickyard 400 for the four-time champ. | MORE: Gordon bids Indy farewell

43. Alex Bowman, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Bowman exited the race just after halfway with a shot engine.

Posted on by Pat DeCola
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/jimmie-johnson/
JimmieJohnson
Hendrick Motorsports
The Hendrick Motorsports flock of cars were fast at Daytona and Johnson was no exception. He finished second behind teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. and led 35 laps.
Johnson pleased with 1-2 Hendrick finish
It’s remarkable that Harvick continues to find his way into the top five, even on the unpredictable restrictor-plate tracks. That could come in handy if he needs to win in a pinch at Talladega in the Chase.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/dale-earnhardt-jr/
DaleEarnhardt Jr.
2
Hendrick Motorsports
Harvick ruins Keelan’s birthday surprise
It wasn’t just Hendrick Motorsports drivers that succeeded at Daytona, it was those with Hendrick engines under the hood as well, like Busch. Another top five continues a recent trend of solidifying him as a true championship contender.
When Junior wins at Daytona, it always feels special. Now second in points with two wins under his belt, any doubts about the Earnhardt/Greg Ives connection should be fully quelled.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins at Daytona
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/brad-keselowski/
BradKeselowski
-1
Team Penske
The fact that Logano was able to rebound for a 22nd-place finish after the turmoil he went through multiple times in the race speaks to how much he’s progressed as a driver.
Keep your eye on the 78 of Truex this weekend at Kentucky. With a track-specific rules package in play at the 1.5-mile speedway, it could seriously hinder the performance of a team that has benefitted tremendously from the specifications run through the season’s first 17 races.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/denny-hamlin/
DennyHamlin
1
Joe Gibbs Racing
If you’re looking for this season’s Ryan Newman, you may have found him in Jamie McMurray. A model of consistency, McMurray is sixth in points despite just seven top 10s.
As long as Keselowski can avoid the perils of on-track action at Kentucky Speedway, he’ll have a great shot at repeating as the race winner. Of course, if he does, he’ll have to try to avoid the perils of Victory Lane.
Kenseth missed an opportunity to pick up his second 2015 win at one of his better tracks, but he’ll have another shot at it this weekend. The veteran has never finished worse than seventh at Kentucky and owns a win.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/kyle-busch/
KyleBusch
Joe Gibbs Racing
Big wreck takes out several contenders
Hamlin was super fast during Daytona Speedweeks earlier this year and it continued in July. Now, if the No. 11 driver could put things together at all the other track configurations, then he’d be cooking.
Gordon failed to pick up a win in what will likely be his final Daytona start. Still, a 6th-place finish goes a long way for a driver still looking for his first 2015 victory.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/clint-bowyer/
ClintBowyer
Stewart-Haas Racing
Kahne was in the one Hendrick car that struggled at Daytona, but even still, he paced five laps at the front of the field. Kentucky has been a great track for him in the past, so keep an eye on the 5.
Busch didn’t move up in the standings at all, but did trim a little bit off his points deficit. As Kentucky Speedway’s first winner, look for the No. 18 to be a major player on Saturday night.
Kyle Busch Chase Watch

Menard is an experienced plate racer and a 16th-place finish isn’t too bad considering how many incidents there were in the race. That said, it wasn’t enough to keep him at 12th in the standings, but he’s still Chase eligible.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/austin-dillon/
AustinDillon
1
Richard Childress Racing
A solid eighth-place finish gave Newman back-to-back top-10s after a few dismal weeks. The 2014 runner-up could see that trend continue, as he has two top-fives in four starts at Kentucky, including last year’s third-place result.
Posted on by Holly Cain

Last-lap wreck sends No. 3 up and over; ‘I am just going to be really sore’

RELATED: Dillon in his own words | WATCH: Drivers react to wreck

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Looking not nearly as stunned as you might expect of a driver who flipped over two lines of cars and into a catchfence, Austin Dillon emerged from what was left of his No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet and waved to the large and loyal crowd at Daytona International Speedway early Monday morning, moments after the conclusion of the rain-delayed Coke Zero 400.

Dillon’s entire engine came out of his badly damaged car and was still smoking yards away from the wrecked vehicle as the 25-year-old climbed out and motioned to the crowd with both arms before walking to the ambulance to be checked out at the track’s infield care center.

He was released from the care center shortly thereafter, bruised, sore and a little shell-shocked. His team owner and grandfather Richard Childress rushed over from the pits to check on him.

"He’s OK,” Childress said as he walked into the care center. "But he’s going to be sore.”

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Dillon’s car was collected in a massive multi-car accident just after the field was taking the checkered flag. His car was on the bottom groove of the track when it was hit and launched over two lines of cars into the frontstretch catchfence, which "caught" the car and dropped it back on track, where it came to rest upside down on a paved area between the racing surface and the end of pit road.

After the No. 3 car stopped, multiple crew members rushed over from their pit road position to offer Dillon assistance and help extricate him from the wreckage.

RELATED: Daytona president says track will analyze what happened

Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood said 13 fans in the grandstands were seen after the accident that occurred at the start/finish line as the checkered flag fell. Of them, eight declined treatment, four were treated at the track and one person was transported to a hospital in stable condition and later released.

"I am just going to be really sore,” Dillon said after his check-up in the care center. "It got my tailbone pretty good and my arm. Should be fine, just go ice it up and get ready for Kentucky. 

"But just thank the good Lord for taking care of me and for what NASCAR has done to make the sport this much safer. I just hope everybody in the stands is all right. That is the next biggest concern. Just praying for everybody and glad the good Lord looked out for me tonight."

As for the accident, Dillon thought he was going to be home free initially, able to avoid the spinning, colliding cars in front of him where the incident initiated.

"You know the 11 (of Denny Hamlin) got turned by the 4 (of Kevin Harvick) across the start/finish line and I thought the race was going to be over right there,” said Dillon, who was credited with a seventh-place finish. "We were almost there and I was just pushing the 24 (of Jeff Gordon) and the next thing I knew was that I was looking at my roof for a long time.  I thought it was all over when I was sliding there and the 2-car (of Brad Keselowski) came in and really got me."

The incident was obviously on the minds of most drivers after the race.

"Clearly thinking about the accident that happened and the people in the stands,” race runner-up Jimmie Johnson said. "Sounds like things are well up there, which is shocking. Just a frightening moment. I saw it in the mirror (and) expected the worst when I came back around."

RELATED: Johnson: ‘I’m shocked (he’s) even alive’

After the cool-down lap Johnson got out of his car and discussed the accident with race winner — and Hendrick Motorsports teammate — Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"You’re just on the verge of tears to be honest with you. I saw everything through the (rearview) mirror pretty clearly and that car went up in the air pretty high and I saw a black object hit the fence,” said Earnhardt, whose team members were among the first to get to Dillon. "I was just very scared for that person at the time, I didn’t even know which driver it was. When you see it that high, you worry about whether there was any danger for the spectators.

"I didn’t care about anything except making sure that person was OK, that everyone was OK. The racing doesn’t matter anymore.”

Driver David Ragan‘s No. 55 Aaron’s Toyota was one of the cars that Dillon’s Chevy launched over.

"It’s a recipe for disaster coming to the start/finish line three-wide, it’s a vulnerable spot coming through the tri-oval,” Ragan said. "You can’t see more than one car in front of you and a shame to tear up all those race cars after the checkered flag. But when someone gets spun and comes back up into the traffic there’s nowhere to go, and eight or 10 cars get caught up pretty quick.

"I saw them wrecking below and I thought we might get out of it, but it happened so quick. I saw a black colored car come across our left front headlight and roll over me. I knew it was going to be a spectacular crash.”

RELATED: Dale Jr. wins at Daytona

Acknowledging the inevitable discussion about the safety of restrictor-plate racing and the frenzy induced on a green-white-checkered flag finish, Earnhardt said he remains convinced that crashes are invariably a hard-to-control variable.

"It’s just a product of going 200 miles an hour,” Earnhardt said. "These cars are going fast, and when you put them in odd, rare circumstances like that, they’re going to go up in the air. We do everything we can and have made a lot of changes and incorporated a lot of things into these cars to try to keep them on the ground, but you never can ‑‑ in those imperfect situations, there’s not much you can do about it.

"It looked like that car just caught someone in the right position to get air under it, and it just lifted it right up in the air. I haven’t even seen the wreck, and I don’t even know if I want to see it.

"Racing has always been very dangerous. Fortunately for us we’ve gotten better and safer in the last 100 years. It’s changed tremendously."

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Chairman and CEO: R&D working on safety solutions

RELATED: Dillon shaken but OK after wreck | Dale Jr.: ‘It scared the (expletive) out of me’

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France said Monday the sanctioning body’s review of the last-lap crash in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway was underway with the NASCAR Research and Development Center taking the lead. France spoke on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio about the sport’s strong track record in safety and competition.

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As Dale Earnhardt Jr. crossed the start/finish line for his second win of the season, a wreck collected cars behind him with Austin Dillon going airborne into the catchfence. Dillon’s car landed on its roof and was struck by Brad Keselowski‘s vehicle. Dillon walked away from the accident while 13 individuals in the grandstand were assessed with eight declining medical attention, four treated on site and one transported to a local hospital in stable condition, according to Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III.

France said NASCAR employees were at work at 8 a.m. on Monday morning, working on solutions to avoid similar crashes in the future, at the organization’s R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina.

"We’re the only ones in auto racing that have a full‑time research and development center where their sole responsibility is to sort out these kind of issues to make them better," France said. "This is auto racing.  We’re going to have challenges, and we’re going to have hard crashes, as was (the case) last night. Thankfully everything was OK, but you learn from every single one of these things."

"The real good news for us is this is what we do. We have an entire group of people that woke up this morning, trying to figure out how do we make this better, make sure the car starters don’t elevate."

In a similar crash at the end of the February 2013 XFINITY Series race at Daytona, Kyle Larson launched into the catchfence, and France noted how the sport took lessons from that incident that helped strengthen the fence.

"We learned a great deal on that, as a matter of fact," France said. "It reinforced the catchfence in different ways, and we went from an engineering standpoint right to work, and we’ll do the same here.  

"Our work in safety, whether it’s the race car itself — which held up beautifully, thankfully — or certainly making our fans safe, that work never ends in auto racing and at NASCAR. And we take that responsibility at the top of our list, and we’ll go right to work on that. We’re all working on it."

RELATED: Exclusive camera angle on crash; No. 88 team’s reaction

Pleased with the racing put on by the superspeedway package, France looked ahead to a new rules package for Saturday’s Quaker State 400 Presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM).

"Obviously what we do want is the closest, tightest racing we can (have), but we put safety at the top of the list for obvious reasons," France said. "And so we pursue that, those things, as we go along, and have a track record of getting those things right, although it’s a moving target and although it’s never simple.  

"An accident like last night, boy, it sure takes your breath away, and it should. But that’s auto racing, and we’re working on better solutions all the time to make racing safer and better."

MORE: Dillon in his own words on Daytona crash

Posted on by Staff Report

Company will sponsor Ryan Blaney, No. 21 car at Kentucky and Darlington

Ryan Blaney and his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford will have a new sponsor on the car for this weekend at Kentucky Speedway in the Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, PRN, SiriusXM).

Snap-on Tools will also sponsor the car in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Labor Day weekend (Sept. 6, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM). Check out the paint scheme.

"It’s a real privilege to be representing a company like Snap-on that has such a rich heritage of quality and craftsmanship," team co-owner Eddie Wood said in a release provided by the team.

Blaney’s six starts this season so far for Wood Brothers have carried the sponsorship of Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center. The 21-year-old’s best finish this season came at Talladega Superspeedway in May — he finished fourth.

Blaney and the No. 21 car did not make the 43-car field for last Sunday’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway with qualifying rained out and the field set by the NASCAR rule book, which meant by the speeds of the opening practice as well as based on the number of race attempts each team has made. It was the first time since 2008 that the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 car did not qualify for a race in which it was entered.

Posted on by Staff Report

See what’s coming this week to NASCAR.com

Here’s what you’ll see on NASCAR.com this week:

MONDAY: With the Daytona race ending at nearly 3 a.m. ET, catch up on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s win and Austin Dillon‘s last-lap wreck … Plus recap the race in GIFs with our Weekend in GIFs … @nascarcasm recaps the race in photos as only he can.

TUESDAY: This week’s Power Rankings, presented by Outback, is sure to get a shakeup. Who will be No. 1? … Kenny Bruce hits the high notes from the garage in this week’s Tech Talk … @nascarcasm delivers what Dale Jr.’s winning Facebook page might look like … Wonder what drivers’ first-ever tweets were? We’ve got that, too.

WEDNESDAY: New paint schemes will be on display at Kentucky, and we’ll have them all in Paint Scheme Preview … Should NASCAR tweak the rules package at midseason? It’s a debate in which Kenny Bruce and RJ Kraft will engage … The Kentucky rules package will see its debut, too, with two testing sessions at the 1.5-mile track. Zack Albert and Jessica Ruffin will provide coverage, and NASCAR.com will have live leaderboards.

THURSDAY: There are five on-track events Thursday, and we’ll have every one covered — from the 8 a.m. ET Truck Series practice to the 7:30 p.m. Truck Series race … Driver Reports highlights which drivers currently in the Chase Grid do well (or poorly) at Kentucky … It’s Jeff Gordon Day in Pittsboro, Indiana, and @nascarcasm will be there. Seriously.

FRIDAY: The second race of the weekend tripleheader is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET when the NASCAR XFINITY Series cars go under the lights … Eight Tweets You May Have Missed highlights some of the best social media chatter from the past week.

Also coming this week: Want to hear the best sounds from the scanner? That’s coming Tuesday … Holly Cain will follow up on Chase Elliott‘s third-place finish at Daytona.

Posted on by Staff Report

No. 3 RCR driver discusses last-lap wreck in Coke Zero 400

On the last lap of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Austin Dillon was involved in a multi-car crash that sent his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet SS into the catchfence after passing the start/finish line in seventh place. Below are Dillon’s comments following the incident.

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Q: I don’t think I have seen more happy people after a crash. How are you?

Austin Dillon: "I am just going to be really sore. It got my tailbone pretty good and my arm. Should be fine, just go ice it up and get ready for Kentucky. But just thank the good Lord for taking care of me and for what NASCAR has done to make the sport this much safer.  I just hope everybody in the stands is all right. That is the next biggest concern. Just praying for everybody and glad the good Lord looked out for me tonight."
 
VIDEO: Johnson reacts to crash

Q: What happened?

Dillon: "You know the 11 (Denny Hamlin) got turned by the 4 (Kevin Harvick) across the start/finish line and I thought the race was going to be over right there. We were almost there, and I was just pushing the 24 (Jeff Gordon) and the next thing I knew was that I was looking at my roof for a long time. I thought it was all over when I was sliding there and the 2 (Brad Keselowski) came in and really got me. So it was a wicked ride but thank the good Lord above for taking care of me."
 
VIDEO: Dale Jr. wins as Dillon crashes on last lap

Q: What were your thoughts as you looked out the window and saw you were surrounded by crew members trying to help?

Dillon: "I thought that was pretty awesome. As soon as I looked up and I don’t know if it was Casey Mears‘ pit crew member or Casey right at the door, but that made me feel really good and comfortable. The only thing I was worried about was that there was oil everywhere and I wanted to get away from the car and that was why I was scrambling to get out from under it. And then just wanted to wave to the fans and let them know I was all good."
 
Q: The catchfence. It will be a topic of conversation. It kept you in the ballpark, so to speak, but did it do its job?

Dillon: "I don’t know because I haven’t even looked at the replay yet and I don’t know when I am going to. But I just think the next thing is that we are going to have to make this racing even more safe. We are running 200 mph and pushing each other around out there and it’s just bound to happen. No matter how safe we can make the sport, when you are going that amount of speed, things happen."
 
Q: Jeff Gordon said this style of racing is more like a video game, but in real life. How would you describe what you saw there in the end?

Dillon: "It definitely is a video game. With three to go, you are just going to push somebody until the end of the race. It’s wreckers or checkers. It’s like ‘Talladega Nights’ out there. So it takes a lot of confidence and just staying into the gas is tough. It is a tough sport and it’s what racing is about and it is why NASCAR has been here for so long."

Posted on by Staff Report

Truex Jr., Almirola among several drivers wiped out after wreck

RELATED: Nine-car wreck on Lap 3
 MORE: Full race results | Updated series standings 

Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne made contact and crashed, bringing out the race’s sixth caution on Lap 104 of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

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Other cars involved in the melee were David Ragan, Jamie McMurray, Kyle Larson, Aric Almirola, Brad Keselowski, Sam Hornish Jr., Martin Truex Jr., Trevor Bayne and Danica Patrick, who cut a tire as she ran over a piece of debris from the incident.

Almirola is the defending race winner.

"I was following Jeff Gordon up through there and he got shuffled out and I kind of committed to him and we started moving back up there pretty good," Almirola said.

"I was happy about the momentum we had and next thing I know some cars got together on the inside, and I heard the noise and heard them start to spin. … It is a game of inches here sometimes, and I think a couple feet more forward and we wouldn’t be in this. It stinks. I am certainly disappointed."

Posted on by Staff Report

See what the driver of the No. 18 Toyota needs to make the Chase

With only nine races left until the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, it’s time to check up on Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, as he tries to rebound from early-season injuries and make the Chase.

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WHAT JUST HAPPENED: Busch finished 17th in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, not bad considering he scraped the wall in Turn 4 on Lap 17. He was trying to pass Jamie McMurray when his car got loose and hit the outside wall. He went two laps down before rebounding to get on the lead lap. And he managed to avoid more damage in a night filled with big wrecks at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

WHAT HE NEEDS: With a win in hand, Busch now just needs to finish in the top 30 in the points standings to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. After Daytona, he is unofficially in 37th place, 128 points behind the 30th-place driver Cole Whitt. According to NASCAR statistical services, if all things continue at this pace, Busch roughly needs an average finish of between 13th and 14th place over the next nine races.

WHAT’S NEXT: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Kentucky Speedway, where Kyle Busch is no stranger to success. He has a win, three top-five finishes and four top-10 finishes in four starts at the 1.5-mile track. He starts well (6.2 average starting position) and finishes well (4.5 average finish, tied with JGR teammate Matt Kenseth for the best mark at this track). He has also led the second-most laps of all drivers at Kentucky (only Brad Keselowski has led more), totaling 274 circuits at the point (out of the 1,068 laps there). The 30-year-old is also a loop data darling in the Bluegrass State, with the best average running position (5.270), driver rating (124.3), the fastest car on restarts (164.832 mph), fastest car under green flag conditions (172.614 mph) and has spent all but 65 laps running in the top 15 at Kentucky. Bottom line, it would be a major surprise if Busch doesn’t run well at Kentucky to improve his position as he looks to make the Chase.

Chase grid after Daytona