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See where drivers will pit for the Owens Corning AttiCat 300

RELATED: Full starting lineup

Austin Dillon earned the Coors Light Pole Award for Sunday’s Owens Corning AttiCat 300 at Chicagoland Speedway (noon ET, FOX Sports 2, MRN, SiriusXM). With the pole comes first pick of pit stall, and he chose the first box at the exit of pit road, which is actually the second stall.

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Making his first career XFINITY Series start, Ross Kenseth qualified second and will pit in the eighth stall with an opening in front of him. Elliott Sadler tied Kenseth, who got the second spot with more owner points than Sadler, who will pit in the seventh stall, across the opening from Kenseth.

Regan Smith qualified fourth and chose the first stall at the entrance to pit road off of Turn 4 so he’ll park in the 42nd pit. Brendan Gaughan was fifth-fastest and will pit in the 38th stall with an opening in front of him.

Defending race winner and defending series champion, Chase Elliott, qualified sixth and chose the 13th stall, which also has a front opening. Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Daniel Suarez was seventh-fastest and will pit his No. 18 in the 18th stall.

The top two drivers in the points standings, Ty Dillon in second and leader Chris Buescher, qualified eighth and ninth respectively and will pit in the 17th and 11th stalls, each with an opening behind him.

The top 10 is rounded out by Darrell Wallace Jr., who will pit in the 28th stall with an opening in front of him.

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Matt Kenseth’s son, Ross, to start second in tonight’s 300-mile race

RELATED: Full starting lineup

 

Propelling his No. 33 Richard Childress Chevrolet at 176.569 mph, Austin Dillon won the Coors Light Pole Award at Chicagoland Speedway during Saturday’s three-round knockout qualifying. His fifth XFINITY pole of 2015, Dillon will start on the front row in Sunday’s Owens Corning Atticat 300 (noon ET, FOX Sports 2, MRN, SiriusXM).

Making his XFINITY Series debut this weekend, Ross Kenseth — son of Sprint Cup Series driver Matt Kenseth — earned his stripes, nabbing the second spot on the front row. Kenseth’s 176.557-mph qualifying lap matched third-place Elliott Sadler‘s speed, but owner points from Kenseth’s Joe Gibbs Racing team awarded the No. 20 driver the second spot, leaving Roush Fenway Racing‘s Sadler with third. JR Motorsports’ Regan Smith (176.183 mph) and Richard Childress Racing‘s Brendan Gaughan (176.154 mph) rounded out the top five.

With a fast speed of 176.051 mph, current series champion Chase Elliott just missed out on a top-five qualifying spot, and will roll off the grid sixth in his No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet tonight.

After leading the opening round of qualifying, Ryan Blaney hit the wall hard during the second round and the No. 22 Team Penske team was forced to go to a backup car. As a result, Blaney will start from the rear of the field in tonight’s 300-mile event.

The opening round saw two cautions brought out by spins in Turn 2: First from Bobby Gerhart and minutes later, from Joey Gase.

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Get on-track times for everything at Sonoma

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads west to Sonoma Raceway this weekend, while the NASCAR XFINITY Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series are both off. Check out the full schedule below.

All times are ET

SUNDAY, JUNE 28:

PRE-RACE SCHEDULE
— 1:00:00 p.m.: NSCS Driver/Crew Meeting
— 1:45:00 p.m.: Jeff Gordon Aerial Tribute (NASCAR Driver Tribute to Jeff Gordon on screens)
— 2:25:00 p.m.: NSCS Driver Introductions with NASCAR Special Awards
— 2:45:00 p.m.: "Jeff Gordon Tribute" video
— 2:58:30 p.m.: God Bless America by: Lindsay Bruce, Contestant from "The Voice"
— 3:00:00 p.m.: Presentation of Colors: Travis Air Force Base Honor Guard
— 3:00:20 p.m.: Invocation by: Tim Boeve, Track Minister, Sonoma Raceway
— 3:01:00 p.m.: National Anthem by: Morgan Karr, Transcendence Theatre’s Broadway Under the Stars in Sonoma Valley
— 3:02:45 p.m.: Fly-By TOT: 2 F-18S from VFA-22 at Lemoore Naval Air Station
— 3:08:00 p.m.: "Drivers, Start Your Engines" by: Kevin Jorgeson, Professional Climber & Sergio Rizo, Assistant Service Manager, Fremont Toyota
— 3:08:30 p.m.: Fly-by TOT: Vintage Aircraft Company flyover demonstration (In 4 plane diamond formation) Fastening Systems International (FSI)
— 3:20:00 p.m.: Start of Toyota/Save Mart 350 (110 laps, 218.9 miles)

ON TRACK 
— 3 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 (110 laps, 218.9 miles), FOX Sports 1 (Get results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 5:45 p.m.: Post-race NSCS press conference 

FRIDAY, JUNE 26: 

ON TRACK
— 3-4:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FOX Sports 2 (Get results)
— 6:30-7:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, FOX Sports 2 (Get results)

GARAGECAM (Watch live)
— 2:30 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 1:15 p.m.: AJ Allmendinger
— 1:30 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
— 2:15 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
— 5:05 p.m.: Carl Edwards

SATURDAY, JUNE 27:

ON TRACK
— 2:15 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FOX Sports 1 (Get results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 3:15 p.m.: Post-qualifying NSCS press conference


 

 

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Dale Jr., Jeff Gordon, others chime in on their top NASCAR races

RELATED: NASCAR.com’s four NASCAR Majors

The PGA’s prestigious U.S. Open takes place this weekend at Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, Washington. Regarded as one of professional golf’s most important events, the U.S. Open accompanies the PGA Championship, the British Open and the Masters Tournament as the four Majors of the sport.

So, what are the four NASCAR Majors — the top four races in NASCAR? We polled several top drivers from Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Jeff Gordon to Erik Jones to find out just what races they consider top-notch. And while some of their answers were expected, others were a bit more surprising.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr.: "The Daytona 500, the 600 at Charlotte, the 400 at Indy. That fourth event, I think you could plug in pretty much any other race. A short track at Bristol, maybe because of the uniqueness of that particular track. Talladega, Michigan. You know, all the other races sort of fit that criteria. But those are the big three I think, that stand out above the rest. The (Daytona) 500, (Coca-Cola) 600, 400 at Indy are the three most important events. The fourth one could be any of the rest of the events on the schedule.”

Kevin Harvick: Daytona 500, Southern 500, Brickyard 400 and Coca-Cola 600.

Jeff Gordon: "So you’ve got the (Daytona) 500, the Brickyard (400), the (Coca-Cola) 600. The question is what’s the last one? I would have typically said the Southern 500, I guess. Probably be the easiest answer. But I’m such a huge fan of Bristol, I would probably throw a Bristol race in there.”

Tony Stewart: Brickyard 400, Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500 and Daytona 500.

Erik Jones: Daytona 500, Brickyard 400, Snowball Derby and Winchester 400.

Chase Elliott: "For me, I would pick the Bristol night race, I feel like it’s a Major. Darlington/the Southern 500 would be one. I think the Coke 600, the Brickyard. The Daytona 500 would have to be one. I think Homestead’s a cool race, I think Homestead would be one."

Jimmie Johnson: Daytona 500, Brickyard 400, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500.

Austin Dillon: "I’d say Daytona (500), Coke 600, Indy and probably the Southern 500, Darlington … I just think they’re big, long and prestigious. (Changed his mind after a minute) Bristol, the night race."

Kasey Kahne: Coca-Cola 600, Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500.

Kyle Busch: Daytona 500, Southern 500, Brickyard 400 and Coca-Cola 600

Kyle Larson: Daytona 500, Brickyard 400, Southern 500 and Bristol night race.

Darrell Wallace Jr.: Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Martinsville and NSCS Championship at Homestead (added Bristol as a substitute). On Homestead: "Championship weekend it is all down to the finals, so we have our championship weekend, so it is just who is going to get it."

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Ross Kenseth spins, recovers well at Chicagoland Speedway

RELATED: Ross Kenseth to make XFINITY Series debut for JGR

JOLIET, Ill. – Midway through the opening NASCAR XFINITY Series practice session at Chicagoland Speedway on Friday afternoon, the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota got loose off Turn 4, swerved left, then right, then left, then right, then left again before spinning sideways and finally straightening out at a slowed pace.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

The incident brought out a caution flag, but it was one of the most impressive no-damage saves we’ve seen across any series in 2015; the type of skilled maneuver we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from the likes of 2003 Sprint Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth.

There’s only one thing. It wasn’t Matt behind the wheel – it was his son, Ross, fittingly making his series debut this Father’s Day weekend.

“We worked on (our car) quite a bit; we were pretty free there for most of the session on the throttle, so we spent a lot of time working on that,” Ross said in between practice sessions. “I just kind of got in the gas pretty hard off (Turn) 4 there and started stepping out. I got to the point I thought I had it then I just got real loose and from there it was just hanging on, not trying to hit the wall or get in the grass and knock the front end off it.”

RELATED: Kenseth wins third career ARCA start  

Fresh off a win last weekend at Michigan International Speedway in just his third career ARCA Racing Series start, the 22-year-old Kenseth is already exhibiting shades of dad, pulling into the garage 13th in the opening session with a best speed of 173.589 mph in the final session.

One thing Ross still has to fine-tune, however, is that famous Kenseth sarcasm. Luckily Matt, watching practice from on top of the No. 20 hauler, gave him a free lesson in it after the younger Kenseth climbed from his ride after the session.

“(My dad) asked if it was all out of my system or not. Hopefully it is,” Ross said. “I think it’s just, you’ve got to know where that edge is at. I think right there I got a little bit too far on the wrong side of that line. We were kind of fighting free the whole session there and between that and getting used to these cars for the first time, used to this track for the first time and knowing where all the bumps are at and kind of the line to make as much speed as possible, I think all that (rolled) kind of into one and I just got kind of a bad off on 4 there and kind of hit it the wrong way and just got free.”

Still, to come away from such an incident with a fully intact Toyota Camry without a scratch on it after such a potentially devastating spin is nothing to downplay, like he’s doing.

Perhaps it’s because the advice Pop, who opened the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup with a Joliet victory, has been giving him has been paying dividends already.  

RELATED: Kenseths eager for memorable Father’s Day

“We talked quite a bit about different lines here and kind of what you’re going to feel through a tire run and through practice versus the race and being around other cars and where you need to be and where not to be and where the seams go. It’s been really helpful.

“He’s been real fast at a lot of these tracks and I think he’s one of the better ones at these mile and half-type race tracks and that kind of racing. Having him there for questions and advice and all that is obviously a huge help."

Huge help, sure.

But it’s clear talent runs in the family.

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No. 4 KBM driver earns first victory of 2015

RELATED: Full results from Iowa

NEWTON, Iowa — Last season, a powerful run through Iowa Speedway helped Erik Jones finally emerge from the tall shadows cast by bad luck.
 
But the talented 19-year-old’s relationship with misfortune re-formed in 2015 — until, again, Iowa.

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Jones entered Friday’s American Ethanol 200 winless in eight NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts this season and stung by back-to-back finishes of 23rd and 15th.
 
He left the track pumping his fists, victorious.
 
The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver led 112 laps and dominated most of the race en route to his fifth career series triumph.
 
“We’ve had fast trucks,” Jones said. “Things just haven’t been happening. Just kept fighting the good fight and waited for it to come around.”
 
Jones sped to the victory by 5.661 seconds over Brandon Jones, who notched a career-best runner-up finish.
 
Tyler Reddick finished third, Matt Crafton took fourth and Christopher Bell — in his first career start — completed the top five. Crafton retained his points lead by 12 over Reddick. Jones now stands third, 26 points behind Crafton.
 
“I think we’ve had speed all year long, honestly,” said Brandon Jones, whose GMS Racing teammate, Spencer Gallagher, secured a career-high second last weekend at Gateway Motorsports Park. “It’s just starting to come around for us.”
 
Bell started 10th and the former USAC National Midget Champion hadn’t raced on pavement until last September.
 
“I just had one expectation and goal and that was just to finish the race,” Bell said. “I really didn’t know what to expect, so to come out with a top five, I’m just thrilled about it.”
 
A different type of excitement pulsed through Jones, who earlier Friday became the series’ youngest Keystone Light 21 means 21 Pole winner at Iowa (19 years, 20 days).
 
He led the first 43 laps, slipped back to ninth after a lap 53 restart, but patiently threaded to third by lap 98.
 
Jones re-took the lead for good on lap 128, surging by Crafton on another restart and within 15 laps had built a 1.5-second advantage.
 
Crafton led 33 laps and nearly outdueled Reddick for third in the closing stages. His ThorSport Racing teammates, Johnny Sauter and Cameron Hayley, led 14 and 37 laps, respectively, before mechanical issues put them off the pace.
 
Jones finally evaded a similar setback.
 
“This one’s just enjoyment now,” Jones said. “We’re back in the swing of things. I guess the last month was just stressful all around. Stressful on me as a person. … I kind of came to realize it doesn’t come as easy as everybody thinks it does. I had a lot of success early on and definitely got into kind of a hard spot.”
 
Make that hard spots.
 
His win last season at Iowa’s fast, short track ignited a much-needed hot streak that followed a 23rd-place finish at Gateway.
 
Deja vu?
 
“It’s really similar,” Jones said. “Last year we really kind of came off the same beginning to the season to this point and went here and kind of turned everything around. So I would say our luck or whatever you want to call it was worse this year at the beginning of the year than it was last year, but definitely a similar feel in getting back to Victory Lane here and getting things going in the right direction.”
 
It worked last season.
 
Jones closed out the 2014 Camping World Trucks season with two more wins and posted at least a top-seven finish in seven of the final eight races.
 
And while it’s doubtful 2015 will fully mirror 2014, Jones offered a confident prediction.
 
“It took is a while to get here, but now that we’re here I think we’ll keep reeling a few off.”

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See where every driver will pit Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1

RELATED: Full starting lineup

Defending American Ethanol 200 winner Erik Jones claimed the 21 Means 21 Pole Award at Iowa Speedway for Friday’s race (8:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM). His No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports team chose the first stall at the Turn 1 exit of pit road.

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The 19-year-old driver will start on the front row with John Hunter Nemechek, 18, who qualified second and chose the 11th stall with an opening in front of him. Another 19-year-old, Tyler Reddick, qualified third and picked the sixth stall with a front opening.

Brandon Jones, 19, and Cameron Hayley, 18, qualified fourth and fifth with Jones choosing the 15th stall and Hayley selecting the 24th stall. Each driver will have a clear shot out of his pit stall.

Caleb Holman earned a career-best sixth-place start and picked the 27th stall with an opening behind him right at the start/finish line. Last week’s Gateway winner, Cole Custer, qualified seventh and picked the 20th stall with a front opening.

Last year’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year, Ben Kennedy, qualified eighth and picked the 18th stall with an opening behind him.

Points leader and two-time defending champion Matt Crafton qualified ninth and will pit in the fourth stall, across an opening from title contender Reddick.

In his Camping World Truck Series debut, Jones’ KBM teammate, Christopher Bell, will start 10th and pit in the ninth stall with an opening behind him.

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Defending race winner claims fifth pole of career

RELATED: Full starting lineup

Based on practice and qualifying, Erik Jones enters tonight’s American Ethanol 200 at Iowa Speedway with the dominant truck.

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The 19-year-old Jones, driver of the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 4 Toyota Tundra, won the 21 Means 21 Pole for tonight’s race (8:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1) by turning a lap in 23.129 seconds (136.193 mph) in the third and final round.

Jones, who won the fifth NCWTS pole of his career, was the only driver to eclipse 23 seconds in the first and second round. He had the fastest lap of the day in the first round at 22.836 seconds (137.940 mph).

John H. Nemechek will start second (135.940 mph), marking the best start of his career, followed by Tyler Reddick (135.176), Brandon Jones (134.921) and Cameron Hayley (134.811).

Jones also had the fastest circuit around the tri-oval in practice at 136.051 mph. KBM teammate Christopher Bell, making his debut race in the series, was second at practice (135.682).

Bell qualified 10th.

NCWTS points leader Matt Crafton qualified ninth.

Crafton (329 points) has three wins and six top-five finishes in eight starts this season; he’s won the series the past two seasons.

Jones won last year’s race at Iowa and Crafton won it in 2011.

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Rookie and KBM teammate Christopher Bell earned second-fastest spot

RELATED: Complete practice results

His No. 4 truck reaching a high speed of 136.051 mph, Erik Jones soared back to the top of the leaderboard just minutes before the end of the sole Camping World Truck Series practice at Iowa Speedway for Friday’s American Ethanol 200 (8:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM). The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver had spent most of the afternoon riding the top position.

Bell, who is making his series debut this weekend at Iowa for Kyle Busch Motorsports, created quite the first impression, wheeling around the tri-oval at 135.682 mph to briefly lead the session, before eventually earning the second position under teammate Jones.

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Coming off a strong fourth-place result at Gateway last weekend, John Hunter Nemechek‘s No. 8 NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet was next on the leaderboard with a top speed of 135.193 mph. GMS Racing’s Spencer Gallagher (135.037 mph) and ThorSport Racing’s rookie Cameron Hayley (134.933 mph) rounded out the top five.

Reigning back-to-back series champion Matt Crafton propelled his No. 88 ThorSport Racing Toyota to sixth on the leaderboard.

The Truck’s sole practice — which spanned two hours and 25 minutes — saw four cautions overall, three for spins in Turn 4. Tommy Regan brought out the first one when his No. 45 Chevrolet spun off Turn 4 one hour into the session. Minutes later, Ray Black Jr. brought out the second caution when his No. 07 Chevrolet also spun. Tyler Reddick‘s No. 19 ride took a spin in Turn 4 onto the frontstretch with less than an hour remaining, signaling the final caution.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is back on track at Iowa at 5:45 p.m. ET for Keystone Light Pole Qualifying (FOX Sports 2).