Posted on by Pat DeCola

RELATED: Full field analysis from New Hampshire



Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran out of fuel in the closing laps of Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, leaving the Hendrick Motorsports driver with a 25th-place finish, teetering on the edge of elimination from the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.


The two-time 2015 winner holds a one-point lead over 13th-place Kyle Busch heading into the weekend’s AAA 400 race at Dover International Speedway, the site of the final event of the Chase-opening Challenger Round.


With the threat of yet another earlier-than-predicted Chase exit looming over the No. 88 team, Earnhardt discussed the New Hampshire race, the upcoming event at the “Monster Mile” and whether he’s mad at his crew chief, Greg Ives, for miscalculating his fuel level on the weekly Dirty Mo Podcast.   



RELATED: Chase-clinching scenarios for Dover


“I guess we’ll get right to it — we ran out of gas. I really didn’t know we were short on fuel but we ended up running out and I know the 4 and the 41 ran out of gas also,” Earnhardt said. “It sucks, you know? It sucks that things ended up that way. To be honest with you, I’m not mad at Greg. I’m not mad at anybody. If you’re going to race for 20 years, you’re going to have days like this. You’re going to have races like that and you’re going to have miscalculations.


“In this sport, races are won and lost and positions are gained and lost and speed is gained by just fractions of an inch and very small measurements. You push everything from how the car’s made and goes through tech to the fuel mileage; you push everything to the very breaking point. And you’ve got to gamble and be aggressive. Sometimes those gambles are going to pay off and sometimes they’re not. You’re going to have these kind of things happen and that’s just the way it is.”


To hear Junior talk about the situation Sunday – while he was walking through the woods, relaxed and about to go sit in a hunting stand, no less – with such poise and calmness was interesting. The 40-year-old has gone through long stretches of less successful times in which he tended to pin the blame on those around him.


In a situation that tends to typically be blamed on crew chief error, Earnhardt chose not to bury Ives, something he admitted he may have done in the past.


“If it happened to me 10 years ago, I’d be complaining like a spoiled brat. I’d be throwing everybody under the bus. I don’t feel like that today,” said Earnhardt, who finished outside the top 10 at NHMS for the first time since 2013. “I think Greg is a huge influence on our performance and he wants to take responsibility for what happened. I don’t want him to do that. We make decisions together. He’s not the only guy up on that pit box. We make these decisions together, but he’s feeling pretty bad about what happened. But he’s going to pick himself up and go on down the road to Dover and try to do what we have to do. I’m not mad at him. He is a huge reason why our performance is better this year.”


In fact, the performance that Ives has brought to the table in 2015 is immeasurable. Even with Sunday’s middling result, Earnhardt is on pace for the best average finish of his career – 10.8 – and should be a legitimate contender for his first title, if he advances past Dover.


RELATED: NFL QB Peyton Manning picks Dale Jr. to win title


Performance could’ve fallen off dramatically when long-time crew chief Steve Letarte stepped down from the 88 pit box to jump into the NBCSN booth, but it hasn’t. It’s actually improved.


It’s not a coincidence.


“I’m competing and performing and running on a consistent basis more than I ever have. I’m proud of the year we’ve had. When you make a change and you change such a powerful player on the team like the crew chief position or the driver position or the lead engineer, it’s going to have an effect,” Earnhardt said. “What you want it to be is seamless and you want to always improve that position. If you change the driver, you want a better driver. If you change the crew chief, you want a better crew chief. You don’t want to move laterally or regress.  


“I told Steve Letarte this when he was going away. I said, ‘I’m going to shoot you straight. You’ve got to help me find a better person than what you are. You’ve got to help me fill this void. You’ve got to let me know what you think about the guy coming in. He’s got to be as good or better.’ I feel like we’ve done that. I know that Greg’s going to learn and go through these growing pains and he’s going to be a star. He’s going to be a superstar in this sport. He’ll learn from today. He’ll put this in the notes and he’ll never make that mistake again and we’ll never make it together.”



Now, the series shifts to Dover, a difficult track that Earnhardt hasn’t seen Victory Lane at since his mid-20s. In 2013, he started on the pole and finished second in this race – a result that would likely keep him in the Chase.



One big problem is the 4 car of Kevin Harvick, which Earnhardt admits has ‘been faster than everybody every week’ and sits behind him in the standings. Harvick is among the favorites to win the race, which could have dire implications for the 88.



“We feel like we’ve got a good enough team to go to Dover and do what we’ve got to do and make it to the next round, so let’s go do that,” said Earnhardt. “Put (New Hampshire) in the rearview mirror, folks, nothing you can do about it now.


“Just go on back to work and get our (expletive) done.”

Posted on by Pat DeCola
Kenseth’s win could certainly be viewed as cheap in some eyes, with Harvick only relenting his commanding lead in the closing laps because his No. 4 ran out of gas — but that’s not what the history books will show.

MORE: Kenseth foils Harvick’s bid for win

https://www.nascar.com/drivers/denny-hamlin/
DennyHamlin
Joe Gibbs Racing
Hamlin followed his Chase-opening win with a runner-up to teammate Matt Kenseth. He hasn’t finished worse than sixth since Watkins Glen.
Edwards finished fifth and led 19 laps at New Hampshire, where laps led were at a premium. Compared to his teammates already locked into the Contender Round, he’s slacking. (Kidding — he’s in excellent shape.)
Logano failed to lead a lap at NHMS on Sunday, but he still came within two positions of sweeping the “Magic Mile” for the season.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/jimmie-johnson/
JimmieJohnson
4
Hendrick Motorsports
You can just about always pencil Johnson in to be superb at Dover, and this weekend shouldn’t be any different. While you’re at it, you might as well also pencil him in for the Contender Round.

MORE: Johnson in good shape for Dover

https://www.nascar.com/drivers/brad-keselowski/
BradKeselowski
1
Team Penske
Keselowski’s restart was certainly up for much debate — did he or didn’t he jump it? — but there’s no denying he should continue to be one of the strongest cars out there.

MORE: Mixed reviews for Kes’ restart

It wasn’t forever ago that Busch won the Dover fall race — 2011, in fact — but the fact that it came while he was driving the No. 2 Dodge for Team Penske makes it seem like ages ago. He hasn’t finished in the top 10 at the Delaware track since.
Another Chase race, another top-10 finish. It’s hard to picture consistent top-10 finishes not paying off for the Richard Childress Racing driver, who could easily coast his way into Homestead once again.
As the defending AAA 400 winner, now would be an excellent time for NASCAR’s newest Iron Man to pick up his first win — since last year’s victory at the “Monster Mile.”

MORE: Gordon claims Iron Man title

An eighth-place finish was a great result for Truex, who now heads to Dover for some home-cooking at what is considered his home track. He must like it since he’s finished top-seven the past three times there.
End result disregarded, Harvick showed what he’s capable of when his back is against the wall, leading 216 laps at New Hampshire. Expect him to be out front at Dover.

MORE: Harvick: ‘We will not quit’

https://www.nascar.com/drivers/dale-earnhardt-jr/
DaleEarnhardt Jr.
-1
Hendrick Motorsports
Could we be looking at a Junior-less Chase the rest of the way? It’s quite possible, with the HMS driver on the cusp of elimination and Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick behind him in the standings.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/kyle-busch/
KyleBusch
-10
Joe Gibbs Racing
While Busch’s deficit is disappointing this early after all he’s been through this year, it’s not insurmountable. There’s a good chance he recovers and moves on with a good Dover finish.

MORE: Busch’s grip on Chase weakens

McMurray notched his sixth straight top-16 finish this past weekend but remains 11th in points. He may need a top-10 at Dover to continue in the Chase.
Menard is tied with Kyle Busch, 43 points behind leader Matt Kenseth. And that’s without wrecking at New Hampshire. He’ll likely need a win to advance.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/clint-bowyer/
ClintBowyer
Stewart-Haas Racing
After MWR’s latest setback, Bowyer must win to advance in this season’s Chase. It was a good run for the No. 15 team.

MORE: Bowyer hit hard with penalty

Posted on by RJ Kraft

MORE: Revisiting one night in Richmond

In the movie “The Replacements,” quarterback Shane Falco discusses his biggest fear: quicksand. Basically, a snowball effect, where one thing goes wrong, then another and another until it’s completely out of control.



Well, that is what has happened with Michael Waltrip Racing over the past two years. The latest event: A P4 penalty that saw Clint Bowyer lose 25 driver championship points, Rob Kauffman lose 25 owner championship points and Bowyer’s crew chief, Billy Scott, suspended for three races. This comes on top of last month’s news that MWR would no longer field a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team and that the organization was allowing Clint Bowyer to pursue other opportunities for 2016.



However, everything with the fall of MWR can be traced back to one fateful night in Richmond. NASCAR ruled that Michael Waltrip Racing manipulated the outcome of the final regular-season race at Richmond in 2013. Drivers were docked points, a penalty which took Martin Truex Jr. out of the Chase and put Ryan Newman in.


The aftermath saw the sponsor of Truex’s car, NAPA, leave MWR. NAPA would eventually end up sponsoring the JR Motorsports’ NASCAR XFINITY Series ride for Chase Elliott in 2014 and 2015. Elliott instantly became a star in the series and won the XFINITY championship in ’14. NAPA has committed to go with him as a primary sponsor as he moves to Cup ranks in 2016 with Hendrick Motorsports and will be wheeling Jeff Gordon‘s No. 24 Chevrolet.


With NAPA out, MWR elected to downsize to two full-time teams, leaving Truex as the odd man out. He landed at single-car Furniture Row Racing, which was fresh off making the Chase with Kurt Busch behind the wheel. Truex struggled in his first season with the team, but he has been solid in 2015, winning at Pocono and making the postseason.



In 2012, Bowyer’s best season, he had 10 top fives to go with his three wins. Since the Richmond incident in 2013, he has just nine top fives in 74 races. He also has a winless drought that is now at 105 races after New Hampshire.

RELATED: MWR through the years


This is not the first time that one decision has caused a ripple effect throughout a sport’s landscape. 



One of the most famous examples of this is “The Curse of the Bambino.” Legendary baseball player and Hall of Famer Babe Ruth had led the Boston Red Sox to three World Series titles. Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees in 1920, which would go on to become a heated rival for Boston.

As legend has it, the owner of the Red Sox Harry Frazee used the money from the sale to finance a play, “No, No, Nanette.” The deal reversed the fortunes of both teams. The Yankees became a powerhouse, winning the first four of their 27 World Series championships in club history. The Red Sox would go through a title drought of 86 years with misfortunate finding them in different ways, most notably the Bill Buckner misplay in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.

Boston did eventually win a World Series title in 2004 and won three titles in 10 years.

 …

In the 1984 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers selected big man Sam Bowie with the No. 2 pick, while passing up the chance to draft shooting guard Michael Jordan. The Chicago Bulls grabbed Jordan with the No. 3 pick and the rest is NBA history.

Jordan went on to become of the best players, if not the best player, in NBA history and led the Bulls to six championships, which consisted of two three-peats. Bowie battled a number of injuries to his knees that didn’t allow him to live up to the promise and potential Portland thought it had drafted.

While Portland remained a consistent playoff presence up until 2004, the organization is still searching for its first title since 1977. Jordan even led the Bulls past Portland in the 1992 NBA Finals.

Similar luck struck Portland when it selected big man Greg Oden with the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft over Kevin Durant. Oden’s professional career has been marred by knee issues, while Durant is one of the league’s top talents. …

A neck injury to NFL superstar quarterback Peyton Manning sent a big ripple thoughout the league. The then-Indianapolis Colts quarterback wound up missing the entire 2011 season and the Colts suffered through a miserable year, ultimately landing the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Quarterback Andrew Luck was considered to be the top player available in that year’s draft, but the Colts still had a rehabbing Manning, although he was owed a whopping $28 million roster bonus.

Indianapolis made the decision to cut Manning and drafted Luck to be its new franchise quarterback. Luck has led the Colts to the playoffs in the first three seasons of his career.

RELATED: NFL quarterback picks Dale Jr. to win the Chase


Manning would go on to land in Denver, where he would make the Broncos instant Super Bowl contenders and power the Broncos to the playoffs the past three seasons.

Manning’s arrival in Denver paved the way for the team to trade Tim Tebow. The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner guided the Broncos guiding to a Wild Card Round win but he was dealt to the New York Jets months later. The Jets struggled to find ways to use him and he was released in April of 2013.


With some of these cases, the fallout still continues and is subject to much debate. How would the Colts have been if they had held on to Manning? Would Tebow’s career have turned out differently if Denver hadn’t brought in Manning? How different would the past few years at MWR had been without the Richmond incident? Would a sponsor have backed Elliott so quickly and as a result, would his meteoric rise have happened?

 Those debates are part of the reason we talk about sports, to dream up the fantasy and hypothetical scenarios. But in the end it’s those events that have a lasting effect on the sports we love.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

RELATED: Full race results from Kentucky


SPARTA, Ky. — Making his first career NASCAR XFINITY Series start, Matt Tifft put together quite the debut outing in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 at Kentucky Speedway last Saturday night.



Tifft scored a 10th-place finish, piloting a car that has been driven this year by several drivers, including NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars and Chase contenders Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth as well as Erik Jones.
 


”We’d like to finish a little bit better, but awesome run all the way around,” Tifft told NASCAR.com on pit road after the race. “Made some real good changes throughout the race and Wheels (crew chief Mike Wheeler) did a good job getting us up to where we needed to be with some strategy and some tire calls there. Big learning experience and it was cool.”

Tifft started the race 16th and made some steady gains throughout the night as he cracked the top 10 on Lap 150. A two-tire call by Wheeler during a pit stop under caution on Lap 169 had Tifft leave pit road running in third. He was in second place on Lap 180, but had some problems on a few late-race restarts.



On the Lap 188 restart, Tifft didn’t get a good jump and as a result, jammed up the bottom line but was able to hang on and run in third place. On the Lap 193 restart, the second-to-last restart of the race, he got loose and dropped back a bit, just outside the top 10. The second-to-last restart was especially costly in terms of positioning.



”We got down into Turn 1 and I had one car in the left rear and one car in the right rear and as soon as we got down in, just whoever was in the left rear just got me loose enough that when the cars came around the outside lane, it was just enough to take the air off the spoiler. Hated that we couldn’t keep up there.”


For a JGR program that has the young talents of Jones and Daniel Suarez in the pipeline, Tifft’s performance served notice that he shouldn’t be forgotten as one to watch going forward. 



One unique aspect of Tifft’s start was that his No. 20 Toyota has UNC-Charlotte as the primary sponsor. The 19-year-old attends the school as a business management major.



Now, Tifft turns his attention towards his next NASCAR event, which will come this weekend in the Camping World Truck Series in the Rhino Linings 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Oct. 3, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Tifft will pilot the No. 51 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the race.



“I haven’t been there before. It will definitely be good to go there with some positive momentum and do well there, too.”  



Tifft has made nine starts in the Truck Series this season with four top 10s. His best finishes on the season have been eighth-place showings at Charlotte Motor Speedway (in May) and Pocono Raceway (in August). Tifft is also slated to compete in Truck Series events at Talladega Superspeedway and Phoenix International Raceway later this year.

Posted on by

Editor’s note: During each week of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, The Joey Logano Foundation will provide grants to a non-profit in each of the race markets in a program called “Chasing Second Chances.” Each week, Logano will detail those plans for NASCAR.com.

 

Thank you again for all of your support this weekend. Another solid finish for our No. 22 team. Hopefully we can keep this momentum up as we head into Dover.

 

This Week’s Cause: Suicide Prevention

 

September is Suicide Prevention Month. Suicide is a tough topic to talk about, but I believe the issue has to be addressed if we want to work on solving the problem. We decided for the third week of Chasing Second Chances it was important to bring awareness to this cause, in particular Veteran Suicide.  

 

Currently, the estimate is 22 veterans commit suicide each day. Some believe this number is low and other people believe there needs to be more studies done to have a more accurate figure, but what we know for sure is veterans have a suicide rate higher than non-veterans.

 

About a year ago, I was introduced to an organization working to prevent veteran suicide. The group Elder Heart, a veteran non-profit organization, teamed up with a global advertising agency to create the Mission 22 campaign. Elder Heart is made up of Delta Force and Special Forces operators Tom Spooner, Magnus Johnson and Mike Kissel. Because of their personal battles with PTSD and TBI they have made it their mission to raise awareness, enlist support and end veteran suicide in America.

 

The Mission 22 site (http://www.mission22.com/vetintel) is a great resource for veterans who may be struggling — and their families. I was really struck by a statement on the site…

 

“You may feel vulnerable asking for help, but be brave enough to admit when you need backup. You are not alone. There’s an army behind you. Find a counselor, psychiatrist, family member or friend who is willing to help. You fought for your brothers in arms before. Now let your community fight for you.”

 

To those of us who have never had to fight because others were willing to risk their lives for our freedom, it is our turn to fight for these veterans. We need to become the army these soldiers need to get through the struggle.

 

I wanted to focus on listing resources in this post in case you or someone you love needs help.

 

The Veterans Crisis Line is a free, confidential crisis resource that veterans and their families and friends can access any day, anytime. Trained responders — some of them veterans themselves — are ready to listen, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

 

Also, striking up a conversation with a veteran, or encouraging those on your social networks to support veterans in your area, could save a life. You never know who is listening.  

 

Remember …

 

“They fought for us. And now we must fight for them. Commit a small portion of your time to help veterans in need in your community. It could be the difference between losing a hero and saving a life.” — Mission 22

 

This Week’s Joey Logano Foundation Chasing Second Chances Partner

 

In partnership with Elder Heart, Mission 22 and Dover International Speedway, the Joey Logano Foundation will provide a permanent statue designed to raise awareness about the 22 soldiers we are losing each day. It will be placed on track property so fans and visitors can be reminded that our soldiers need us. The statue will feature Michelle Langhorst, one of the 22 that died on March 30, 2015.

 

I encourage you to explore the Mission 22 site, share the information and join us in bringing awareness to this cause. During this week (Sept. 28-Oct. 4), I am offering veterans a free copy of War and Soul: Healing our Nation’s Veterans from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a book recommended on the Mission 22 resource site.

 

Just email [email protected] and provide a brief explanation of who the book is for and an address for where the book can be sent.*

 

“Everyone, vets and their families, want things to return exactly as they were before deployment. And that just isn’t going to happen, and that’s OK. People naturally grow, evolve and change based on things that happen in their lives and war only accentuates this. You have to move forward — encourage your vet to look over the horizon and all of you should be open to new evolutions.” — Magnus Johnson

 

THANK YOU, to all the veterans for your service. We truly appreciate you and your families for the sacrifices you have made.

 

*Depending on the response, limited quantities may available. Please limit one per household.

Posted on by Staff Report

Joey Gase and Jimmy Means Racing suffered heartbreak after Saturday night’s VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 at Kentucky Speedway as the team’s hauler caught fire on the way home, sustaining serious damage.

 

A crew member was injured while trying to help firefighters, according to the team’s post on Facebook about the incident.

 

The team also posted a video on Facebook surveying the damage to the hauler. 

Along with the video is this summary of the incident and damage: “Unfortunately our trip back home didn’t go as well as the race did for us last weekend. The teams transporter caught on fire about 80 miles from the shop & is completely ruined. Everything on our pit box (computers, seats, etc) are all destroyed as well. We haven’t been able to get the cars down yet (one we are hoping to use this weekend in Dover) but we are hoping for just smoke damage.”

Gase later tweeted out pictures of the damage.

Gase finished 21st at Kentucky and is 21st in the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Stewart press conference set for Wednesday

 

LOUDON, N.H. — Three-time premier series champion Tony Stewart will step away from Sprint Cup competition following the 2016 season, NASCAR.com has confirmed from multiple sources.


A press conference at Stewart-Haas Racing‘s North Carolina shop is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon to announce the plans, which will include naming Clint Bowyer to drive Stewart’s No. 14 Chevrolet beginning in 2017. NASCAR.com will live stream the 1 p.m. ET announcement at NASCAR.com/presspass.


Stewart, who won titles in 2002, 2005 and 2011, has 48 career Cup victories and is currently 25th in the standings. He and partner Gene Haas field four cars in the Cup ranks and won the 2014 championship with driver Kevin Harvick.

 

Bowyer drives for Michael Waltrip Racing, which recently announced it won’t field full-time teams next year. Bowyer’s future plans, including the 2016 season, have not yet been announced.

Motorsport.com first reported the story.


MORE: Learn more about SHR

Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Hear what Kes had to say | Watch the restart

 

Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer, said Monday that he disagreed with criticism lobbied by Brad Keselowski, who became the first driver penalized by the sanctioning body’s renewed emphasis on restart management Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

O’Donnell’s remarks came in a Monday morning debrief with NASCAR.com the day after the second event in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs.

NASCAR issued Keselowski a pass-through penalty on Lap 242 of Sunday’s Sylvania 300 after series officials ruled he had inched ahead of leader Greg Biffle on the final restart. Keselowski dropped from second place to 25th after the penalty but rallied to finish 12th.

In a post-race interview with NBCSN, Keselowski voiced his displeasure, saying, “It’s a pretty basic understanding. It’s an entertainment sport, not a fair sport,” comments that O’Donnell later dismissed.

“I think that was a heat of the moment comment from Brad,” O’Donnell said. “I would look at what we’ve said in the past, is drivers are certainly going to disagree with the calls we make and that’s OK. I disagree with Brad’s comments. I think we make this as fair as possible each and every race. We’ve got to make calls, and no one’s going to agree with every call we make. … We’ll certainly have a conversation just about where we want to go and what are some of his thoughts. That’s our job to listen as well, but we’ve got to make calls.

“I’d expect drivers to have some passion. That’s what they do. This is world-class racing and there’s a lot on the line. Passion is something that really drives us overall.”

 

RELATED: No. 2 black-flagged after restart

Keselowski’s No. 2 Ford was ahead of Biffle’s No. 16 Ford at the start/finish line when green-flag racing resumed on the final restart, but Keselowski was unable to complete the pass once the field shuffled out. Replays showed Keselowski gaining an advantage, but also showed Biffle maintaining a slower pace in the restart zone, causing three cars behind him in the outside lane to stack up and make slight contact.

O’Donnell explained NASCAR’s judgment, referring to the series’ repeated reminders leading up to and during the race.

“It really starts in the drivers’ meeting where we talk about restart rules repeatedly, and it’s the leader’s prerogative to restart the race in the restart zone,” O’Donnell said. “We repeat that to the drivers, we reiterate that over the radio during any caution or restart to tighten the field, and what we saw in this case was Greg Biffle had the option to start the race and really wasn’t given the opportunity to do so within that restart zone and in our opinion, utilizing the additional technology we’ve put forth with cameras and personnel on the ground, we made the call and believed the 2 jumped the restart and went ahead of the 16 in this case.”

Restarts have come into greater focus in recent weeks, with Matt Kenseth ‘s unpenalized jump of Joey Logano in the regular-season finale at Richmond becoming a turning point in NASCAR’s governance of the procedure. After that event, NASCAR dedicated a camera and a senior official to monitor the restart zone for the duration of the Chase playoffs.

O’Donnell has said in the past that he would like to leave restarts in drivers’ hands, but that the sanctioning body would step in if it needed to make a ruling. He said he planned to speak with Keselowski later Monday to discuss the procedure and solicit his feedback.

 

“It’s our job to utilize all the technology we have available to us and make the call,” O’Donnell said. “Not everyone is going to agree with that. There’s a ton on the line each and every race, and so ultimately we’ve got to make a call. It’s difficult to do, but that’s our job. We’ll certainly seek feedback from the drivers. We’ll talk to Brad obviously today, get his feedback, which I’m sure we’ll disagree but that’s part of it, and then we’ll head into Dover.”

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RELATED: Updated Chase Grid | Complete Loudon results



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



1. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing.  Kenseth pressured leader Kevin Harvick in the closing laps and was there to steal the victory when the No. 4 ran out of fuel on Lap 298. With the win, Kenseth qualifies for the next round in the Chase. | WATCH: Kenseth says, ‘Enjoy it while it’s here’



2. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. The Chicagoland winner took the lead on Lap 219 and went on to score his second straight top-two finish of the Chase.



3. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. The top-five result gives Logano a career season best in that category. He now has 17 top-fives in 2015 compared to 16 last year.



4. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing.  Biffle moved into first after he opted not to pit during the ninth caution period. He stretched his fuel window to earn his third top-five of the year. | RELATED: Keselowski flagged on restart with Biffle



5. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. The pole sitter rallied back after being penalized during the fifth caution period when his dump can stuck inside the car and left his pit stall. RELATED: Chasers find trouble at Loudon



6. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson made a strong recovery after cutting a tire and dropping from third early in the race. | WATCH: Tire issue sends Johnson to pit road



7. Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon officially earned the Iron Man title after rolling off the grid 10th in his 789th straight Cup start. | MORE: Gordon claims Iron Man title



8. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing. “Awesome job on pit road today,” Truex radioed his crew after the race. “You kept us in this thing. Thank you.” | WATCH: Stewart, Truex Jr. make contact



9. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports.  Kahne overcame a tight-handling condition that emerged in the closing laps to earn his ninth top-10 at Loudon.



10. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. A suspected vibration on Lap 140 turned out to be a non-issue for Newman, who currently ranks sixth in the Chase.



11. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing.  Stewart brought out the third caution flag after cutting a tire and getting into the wall on Lap 60. He later chose to stay out during the eighth caution flag and improved to fourth for the restart.



12. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. Keselowski was black-flagged by NASCAR for jumping the Lap 242 restart. He was required to complete a pass-through penalty and return to the track, losing all hope of a win. Keselowski radioed his team, “I’ve got the wrong number on my door.”  | RELATED: Keselowski flagged on restart with Biffle



13. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17, Roush Fenway Racing. Stenhouse improved three spots in the closing 10 laps to take his second-best Loudon finish as some competitors ran out of fuel.



14. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing.  McMurray started 23rd and raced as high as fourth on Sunday before stopping for right-side tires on Lap 239.



15. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing.  Menard took two tires and fuel during his Lap 239 stop under caution and held on to match his second-best Loudon result.



16. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. From earning the beneficiary pass during the fourth caution flag to running inside the top 15 with 70 laps to go, Bayne notched his best Loudon result on Sunday.



17. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. Larson struggled after making his best Loudon start and was further stalled when he opted for four tires during a Lap 239 stop under caution.



18. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. Mears picked up 22 spots on pit road during the fifth caution flag when he stopped for fuel only. But back on track, Mears reported high temperatures and was running 22nd when he missed the Patrick-Ragan mashup.



19. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Busch maintained his position inside the top 15 until the closing 57 laps when he ran out of fuel during the green-flag stretch.



20. Sam Hornish Jr., No. 9 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Old tires, thanks to not pitting during the final caution flag, cost Hornish in the long run.



21. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing.  The outside pole sitter led a race-high 216 of 300 laps and was pacing the field with two laps to go when he sputtered out of fuel.



22. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Dillon worked with his crew on getting his car to turn better at the start of the race and tried to employ pit strategy to improve his track position in the final 100-lap stretch.



23. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG-Daugherty Racing. Handling and track position were constant challenges for Allmendinger, who worked with spotter Coleman Pressley to find a faster line around Loudon’s oval.



24. Cole Whitt, No. 35 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Whitt briefly climbed to 13th after choosing not to pit during the eighth caution flag.



25. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Earnhardt ran in the top 10 for most of the day but had to pit in the final laps to refuel.



26. Clint Bowyer, No. 15, Michael Waltrip Racing. Bowyer cracked the top 10 after the seventh caution, but later had to make an unscheduled pit stop when the crew suspected his right-front tire was going down.



27. Brett Moffitt, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Despite getting into the wall on Lap 211, Moffitt still scored his best Loudon result.



28. David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Gilliland rolled off the grid 34th and scored his best result in the last three Cup races this year.



29. Michael Annett, No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Lapped shortly after the start of Sunday’s race, Annett was coached to try a line similar to that of the leaders.



30. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. DiBenedetto matched his best Loudon start and went on to earn his best finish there.



31. Josh Wise, No. 26 Toyota, BK Racing. Making his BK Racing debut, Wise came within striking distance of his best Loudon result.



32. Ryan Preece, No. 98 Ford, Phil Parsons Racing. The 2013 Whelen Modified Tour champion made his NASCAR Sprint Cup debut on Sunday.



33. Jeb Burton, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. After taking 41st at New Hampshire in July, Burton fared better on Sunday in his second career Loudon outing.



34. BJ McLeod, No. 33 Chevrolet, Circle Sport. McLeod employed a conservative approach after lining up 39th in his Cup debut.



35. Jeffrey Earnhardt, No. 32 Ford, Go FAS Racing. Making his second career Cup start, Earnhardt initially worked through a tight-handling condition.



36. Timmy Hill, No. 62 Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports.  Hill was on pit road in the opening laps on Sunday after he noted his water temperature was 220.



37. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing.  “It’s killed. It’s killed,” Busch radioed his crew after losing his right-front tire and getting into the wall on Lap 159. His crash brought out the fifth caution flag and sent him behind the wall for repair. | MORE: Wreck weakens Busch’s grip on the Chase



38. Landon Cassill, No. 40 Chevrolet, Hillman Smith Motorsports. Cassill’s car was smoking earlier in the race, and was briefly sidelined early by a power steering leak.



39. Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Allgaier briefly improved his track position when he opted not to pit during the eighth caution flag, but smacked the wall 26 laps later and headed for the garage.



40. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing.  Patrick was running 12th on Lap 204 when she spun on the track and received subsequent contact from the No. 55. The incident prompted NASCAR officials to wave the red flag. | WATCH: Danica gets drilled after spin



41. David Ragan, No. 55 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. Ragan was running 25th when he made contact with a wrecking Danica Patrick as she spun down track on Lap 204.



42. Alex Bowman, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing.  Bowman was running 30th when he reported that the throttle stuck and he crashed into the wall to bring out the fourth caution flag.



43. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports.  “That hurt,” Almirola radioed his crew as he got into the wall on Lap 36 and his car came to a rest to bring out the first caution flag.

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: NASCAR official: We believe we did our job today


LOUDON, N.H. — Race restarts have been a hot-button issue in NASCAR this season and ironically, one of the teams most vocal about restart officiating was penalized for an illegal start Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Team Penske driver — and Chase contender — Brad Keselowski was ruled to have jumped the restart on Lap 242 and penalized with a pass-through penalty that dropped him from second place at the time to 25th.

NASCAR officials say that video shows Keselowski’s Ford accelerating through the marked restart area ahead of then race leader Greg Biffle‘s Ford and called the decision to penalize Keselowski “very clear cut in our mind.”

“We did get 100 percent confirmation from our official that was on the ground as well as by all the data that was available to us,” said Richard Buck, NASCAR’s managing director of the Sprint Cup Series.

The 2012 Cup champ Keselowski said he felt like NASCAR was making an example of him saying he was “the first person to ever be penalized for jumping a restart when I don’t pass anyone, so that’s a new one.”

“But we moved on and we made the most of a good day with the Miller Lite Ford and got a solid finish that hopefully will make our Dover (race) a little bit easier, so that was good,” said Keselowski, who rallied to a 12th place finish.

Biffle, for his part after the race, seemed a little puzzled by the call as well.

“To be perfectly honest with you, I didn’t notice,” Biffle said. “I saw Brad kind of going a little bit and I waited until about the middle of the zone maybe. I didn’t go right at the two marker, but I maintained my speed and I didn’t speed up or slow down and I took off when I felt like it was time for me to go.

“I wasn’t really paying that close attention to the 2 (Keselowski) or what he was doing. We were pretty even getting down into (Turn) 1. I don’t knew what they called him for, but I’ll have to take a look back I guess.

“I feel bad for Brad. I wasn’t playing any games. I wasn’t doing anything. I just went in between those two marks like we’re supposed to.”

Keselowski recovered well from the penalty and is ranked eighth of the 16 Chase drivers with next week’s elimination round after Dover cutting the field to 12.

Still his team owner Roger Penske wondered what might have been on Sunday as Keselowski ran up front most of the afternoon.

“I didn’t see it, but his car was ahead of the 16 (Biffle) at the second line and I guess that’s how they called it,” Penske said. “He (Keselowski) didn’t pass him, so I thought he was all right. I’ve got to go back and look at it. The race is over; there’s nothing we can do about it.

“I don’t think he tried to jump it all. The way it looked in the box and they’re going to call it when the first car doesn’t cross the second line ahead. We’ll just have to deal with it. Brad did a great job. The car ran well. We were running second at the time, with the 4 (Kevin Harvick) running out of fuel it would have been interesting. We’re still in decent shape going into the next phase.”


WATCH: Keselowski black-flagged after restart


Buck spoke with reporters after the race to further explain NASCAR’s position on the restarts. He said there has been a lot of communication about the standard and the punishment. He said officials even warned teams on the radio during the race when it looked like the start was in position to be compromised.

“We have made the rules very clear to everybody in the last couple drivers meetings and made sure everyone was informed,” Buck said. “In fact today during the race, we reminded them before the race and during each restart of the rules.

“If we saw something creeping toward the end we informed the spotter and crew chief so they knew what we were seeing and that’s what brought us to the decision.

“We’re very clear and the drivers agree. The language is: there is a double red mark on the wall and a single red mark on the wall. The leader is the control car and has the right to restart the race and he must restart the race in that zone. The 16 was the leader at that point. The 2 car restarted before the 16 did.”

While NASCAR felt confident in its decision, it took some criticism from others on social media during the race.

Ricky Craven, a NASCAR analyst for ESPN and a former Cup driver called the ruling “a horrible decision” because Keselowski did not ultimately pass Biffle on the start.


Keselowski actually brought up the subject of restarts two weeks ago in the pre-Chase media availability.

“I have said it before but I still view restarts as rock-paper-scissors and you have to counter the moves of the person next to you,” Keselowski said prior to the Chicagoland Chase opener last week. “As has happened it starts with the leader and the zone not being allowed to dictate it. If the guy in second place is lagging back then the only defense to that is to go early, both of which are illegal by the definition. Neither of which have been consistently called as an infraction. If one guy lags back and beats you when you do everything legal, then you have to defend it. That is your job.

“I felt like as the leader at Darlington, I probably had half a dozen or more attempts at controlling the restart and I kept the lead the majority but not 100 percent of the time. The few times where I lost the lead it was very obvious that the car next to me had lagged back significantly and there was no call made. That forces your hand the next time you have the lead to do something to react to it. In a sense it is kind of vigilante justice. That is just how you have to play it.”

This time, however, Keselowski overcame the penalty and is still in good shape for the postseason.

“I’m really proud of my guys to come back and get a top-12 out of that without getting another yellow or catching any other breaks after the black flag,” Keselowski said. “I’m really proud of my guys.”