Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: MWR won’t field full-time teams in 2016
MORE: Kauffman: ‘Made sense to not go forward’


The week it was announced Michael Waltrip Racing would not field full-time teams in 2016, Clint Bowyer‘s No. 15 and David Ragan ‘s No. 55 MWR Toyotas were running in the top five with 125 laps to go when they wound up with damage at Bristol.



Bowyer had been running as high as second in the Irwin Tools Night Race, needing a win to give him a secure spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. He entered the weekend 16th in Chase Grid standings, 32 points behind Jeff Gordon. 



The No. 48 of Jimmie Johnson came down on Ragan’s No. 55, spinning his car and sending him into the interior wall, also clipping Bowyer and causing minor damage. Only 12 cars were on the lead lap at the time.

Ragan took his wounded machine to the garage and finished 40th. Bowyer recovered and finished fifth, just behind Johnson. 


Bowyer was able to gain ground on Gordon, who finished 20th in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, and Aric Almirola, who sits behind him in the Chase Grid standings. After Bristol, Bowyer is 17 points behind Gordon and 35 poitns ahead of Almirola.

Posted on by Staff Report

Matt Kenseth, one of the hottest drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as Joe Gibbs Racing continues to put on a power display, was out of the Irwin Tools Night Race early Saturday night after the No. 20’s engine failed at Bristol Motor Speedway.

 

“It broke in the middle of the straightaway — it had that hop and that noise that it makes when you know you dropped a valve. Unfortunate, but man these guys at TRD (Toyota Racing Development) have been doing such an awesome job, we’ve had so much power and everything has been really reliable here the last year and a half.”

The No. 20 went behind the wall on Lap 114 after making it to pit road, smoking its way around the 0.533-mile concrete oval.

Asked if he saw any signs of trouble with the engine, Kenseth replied, “They never warn you, it would be cool if they would send you a text or something. Just the middle of the straightaway it made that pop where you knew that was it.”

Kenseth started Saturday night’s race in 13th but the engine failure would send the 2003 premier series champion to a 42nd-place finish. He won the spring race at Bristol from the pole. He has three wins this season and entered the Irwin Tools Night Race third in the Chase Grid and locked into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.


“The encouraging part is that our cars are really fast and I thought we were an adjustment away from having what we really needed to run with everybody,” Kenseth said. “Wish we were still out there.”


Kenseth dominated the previous week’s race, the Pure Michigan 400, leading 146 of 200 laps en route to the victory.

Posted on by Staff Report

Before the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM), the NASCAR Sprint Cup pilots came out during driver introductions to songs they chose. Check out the list below in the order they were introduced, starting with last-place qualifier Mike Bliss and ending with Coors Light Pole Award winner Denny Hamlin.

43rd place) Mike Bliss – “Hells Bells” by AC/DC

42nd place) Matt DiBenedetto – “I Love Rock ‘n Roll” by Joan Jett

41st place) Timmy Hill – “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” by Silento

40th place) Tony Stewart – “Smoke On The Water” by Deep Purple

39th place) Landon Cassill – “Smooth” by Santana

38th place) J.J. Yeley – “Devil in Disguise” by Elvis Presley

37th place) David Gilliland – Kickstart My Heart” by Motley Crue

36th place) Alex Bowman – “Bring Me The Horizon” by Throne

35th place) Michael Annett – “Bernie Lean” by Bernie Dance

34th place) Josh Wise – “Dixieland Delight” by Alabama

33rd place) Cole Whitt – “Armor For The Lord” by Blake Whiteley

32nd place) Danica Patrick – “Hot Blooded” by Foreigner

31st place) Aric Almirola – “I Can’t Drive 55” by Sammy Hagar

30th place Michael McDowell “Nothing I Can’t Do” by Tedashii

29th place) Paul Menard – “Symphony of Destruction” by Megadeth

28th place Casey Mears “Fuel” by Metallica

27th place) Brett Moffitt – “Cowboy” by Kid Rock

26th place) Sam Hornish Jr. – “Touch of Grey” by Grateful Dead

25th place) AJ Allmendinger – “Tainted Love” by Marilyn Manson

24th place) Jeff Gordon – “E.I.” by Nelly

23rd place) Martin Truex Jr. – “La Grange” by ZZ Top

22nd place) Trevor Bayne – “Back Where I Come From” by Kenny Chesney

21st place) Jamie McMurray – “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith

20th place) Dale Earnhardt Jr. – “Eminence Front” by The Who

19th place) Kasey Kahne – “Cherry Bomb” by John Mellencamp

18th place) Ryan Newman – “Good Ol’ Boys” by Waylon Jennings

17th place) Greg Biffle – “Wild Side” by Motley Crue

16th place) Austin Dillon – “Move” by Ludacris

15th place) Ryan Blaney – “Even Flow” by Pearl Jam

14th place) Justin Allgaier – “Ready Set Roll” by Chase Rice

13th place) Matt Kenseth – “Stife” by Trivium

12th place) Kyle Larson – “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)” by Elton John

11th place) Kurt Busch – “Party Up (Up In Here)” by DMX

10th place) Jimmie Johnson – “Renegades” by X Ambassadors

9th place) Clint Bowyer – “Going Through the Big D” by Mark Chesnutt

8th place) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – “The Stroke” by Billy Squier

7th place) Kevin Harvick – “Real Life” by Jake Owen

6th place) Brad Keselowski – “Drop It Like It’s Hot” by Snoop Dogg

5th place) Joey Logano – “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” by Dropkick Murphys

4th place) David Ragan – “Only In America” by Brooks and Dunn

3rd place) Carl Edwards – “Juke Box Hero” by Foreigner

2nd place) Kyle Busch – DJ Barry

1st place) Denny Hamlin – “Heart Upon My Sleeve” by Avicii

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: See the full weekend schedule | NBC Sports Live Extra


All times ET

Sunday, August 23
1 p.m., TUDOR United SportsCar Championship: Virginia International Raceway, FOX Sports 1
11 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN

Monday, August 24
6 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lap (re-air), NBCSN
7 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lap (re-air), NBCSN
8 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lap (re-air), NBCSN
Noon, NASCAR 120, NBCSN
5:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
2 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2

Tuesday, August 25
6 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
3 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2

Wednesday, August 26
6 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
4:30 p.m., NASCAR America: States of NASCAR #5 (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
2 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2

Thursday, August 27
6 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
4:30 p.m., NASCAR America: States of NASCAR #6 (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
7 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series West: Colorado National (tape), NBCSN
11 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series West: Colorado National (re-air), NBCSN
2 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2

Friday, August 28
6 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
2:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, NBCSN
4 p.m., NASCAR America Live, NBCSN
4:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR America Live, NBCSN
7 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, NBCSN

Saturday, August 29
9 a.m., Empty Cup: Quest for the 1992 NASCAR Cup (re-air), FOX Sports 1
9:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, FOX Sports 1
10:30 a.m., Being: Stewart-Haas Racing (re-air), FOX Sports 1
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FOX Sports 1
12:15 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
2:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green, NBCSN
3 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Road America, NBCSN
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FOX Sports 2
3 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice (re-air), FOX Sports 1
4:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Seris Keystone Light Pole Qualifying (re-air), FOX Sports 1

Sunday, August 30
1 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Setup, FOX Sports 1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250, FOX Sports 1
11 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series West: Colorado National (re-air), NBCSN

 

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is off, while the NASCAR XFINITY Series races at Road America and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will head to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. XFINITY Series events are on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra. All events for the Truck Series are on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. Check out the full schedule below. 

 

All times are ET


FRIDAY, AUG. 28:

ON TRACK: ROAD AMERICA
–2:30-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)
–4:30-5:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)


SATURDAY, AUG. 29:

ON TRACK: ROAD AMERICA
–12:15 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)
–3 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville (45 laps, 182.16 miles), NBCSN/Live Extra (Results)

 

ON TRACK: CANADIAN TIRE MOTORSPORT PARK
–9:30-10:25 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, FOX Sports 1 (Results)
–11:35 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FOX Sports 1 (Results)
–5:45 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole qualifying, FOX Sports 2 (Results)


SUNDAY, AUG. 30:

ON TRACK: CANADIAN TIRE MOTORSPORT PARK
–1:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250 (64 laps, 157.37 miles), FOX Sports 1 (Results)

 
 

Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Complete lineup for Bristol night race | Drivers’ intro songs


BRISTOL, Tenn. — NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Managing Director Richard Buck made a point to reiterate restart rules in Saturday’s pre-race drivers’ meeting at Bristol Motor Speedway, leading to a spirited discussion among drivers and car owners alike.
 
The comments came just hours ahead of the annual Irwin Tools Night Race (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM), and three days after Ryan Blaney was black-flagged for jumping a restart during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at the .533-mile track.
 
“Starts and restarts: We need everybody’s help tonight to tighten up the starts and restarts,” Buck told the group. “That means nose-to-tail, door-to-door. It’s a small restart zone, we all know that, so we need everybody’s help. The leader is the control car and it’s his responsibility or her responsibility to bring the field down at the caution car speed and restart at the restart zone.”
 
The reminders sparked a question from team owner Chip Ganassi about whether brake-checking and other forms of gamesmanship would be ruled a penalty. Buck replied that the leader (or “control car,” in race officials’ parlance) would have the ultimate responsibility for restarting the race in the designated zone.
 
That led to three follow-up questions from Carl Edwards, who referenced Austin Dillon pulling away from him on a restart during last weekend’s race at Michigan International Speedway. Buck said that while he applauded Edwards’ enthusiasm, race officials have the ultimate say.
 
“We also have multiple resources and multiple people that watch that, OK?” Buck said in response to Edwards’ question whether race officials could determine if the leader had pressed the accelerator. “As Chip’s question alluded to, there’s a lot of gamesmanship going on, but we need you guys to do to be nose-to-tail, door-to-door, be in line when you come to the start. The control car’s responsibility is to restart in the restart zone or we will restart it. If there’s a judgment call that has to be made, we will make that.”
 
Denny Hamlin, Edwards’ teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing then asked whether NASCAR officials could revert to the previous rule for double-file restarts, when second-place cars were not allowed to beat the control car to the start-finish line.
 
“That’s a longer discussion that we can have,” Buck said. “OK, we appreciate the input, but it is the way it is today.”
 
Clint Bowyer added the final voice from the assembled crowd, questioning why — in his opinion — restart penalties were only called in the Camping World Truck Series.
 
Buck’s response: “Trust me, we’ll reinforce the rule and I hope you are not it.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Full results from Bristol | Updated standings

 

BRISTOL, Tenn. — With Kevin Harvick hounding him mercilessly for 63 laps, Joey Logano kept his No. 22 Team Penske Ford out front after taking the lead on a Lap 438 restart and held on to win Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

 

Successfully defending last year’s victory at Thunder Valley, Logano won his third race of the season, his second at the .533-mile short track and the 11th of his career.

 

Harvick recovered from two pit-road penalties to finish second, a mere .220 seconds behind Logano. Polesitter Denny Hamlin ran third, and Clint Bowyer got a much-needed fourth place result in his No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota.

RELATED: Ragan, Bowyer get turned at Bristol

It was a fascinating chase over the final 63 laps, as Harvick would bury his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet into the corner at the top of the track, catch Logano in the turns and watch as Logano dived to the bottom on corner exit and pull away.

“There’s not much time to look in the rearview mirror, but I realized how different his line was than mine,” Logano said. “He’d drive in so hard and almost get to my back bumper, and then I’d drive off really good.

“It’s kind of interesting to watch a race like that, when two cars are a similar speed, but in two completely different ways. That’s what’s so fun about Bristol is you can drive the car about five or six different ways and make it fast, so it’s fun to race here.”

Harvick said Logano’s ability to diamond the corner gave the Ford an advantage when it came to working traffic.

“He was just one step ahead of me in traffic,” Harvick said.  “I couldn’t get my car to rotate across the center like I needed it to, and every time I tried to force it, it would snap the back out. He was able to go in really high and before the center of the corner drive down the corner and I was just having to wait just a split second to be able to put the throttle back down, and I couldn’t do that, that huge diamond all the way to the bottom like he could, and that was really beneficial for him through traffic…

“He was able to get those huge runs up off the exit of the corner and just stayed one step ahead of me through traffic, I felt like, and in clean air we probably were a little faster, but it didn’t really matter. I had to be in front of him to show that.”

Brad Keselowski came home fifth, followed by Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch, who led a race-high 192 laps but was hit with a pit road speeding penalty on his last stop under yellow on Lap 432.

Logano took over from there and racked up 176 laps out front in a race that saw 14 lead changes among five drivers. The runner-up finish was Harvick’s 10th of the season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished ninth, followed by Ryan Newman and Jamie McMurray, who solidified their positions in the fight for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup berths on points. McMurray and Newman are 10th and 11th in the standings, respectively, the highest-scored drivers without a victory this season.

Given that there have been only 11 different winners in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this year, at least three drivers are certain to qualify for the Chase on points.

Kyle Busch, a four-time winner and 29th in the standings, also moved closer to locking up a Chase berth, padding his advantage to 46 points over 31st-place Cole Whitt. Busch, who missed the first 11 events of the season because of injury, must remain in the top 30 for the next two races to qualify for the Chase.

Busch wasn’t pleased when NASCAR flagged him for the speeding penalty, but he made a masterful drive from the rear of the field to eighth place.

“I was proud of Kyle, keeping his cool and getting back up, because I think that gave us some more points, some more cushion there,” team owner Joe Gibbs said. “I think he’s doing a really good job of focusing and not losing his poise.”

Posted on by Nascar

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Chris Buescher’s Roush Fenway Racing team gambled twice during Friday night’s Food City 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.



Staying out under caution put the series points leader in front of the field, where he stayed for 106 laps around the high-banked, 0.533-mile track.



But the decision to remain on the track also meant Buescher would need to manage his fuel mileage. And when the caution flag appeared for the eighth time, sending the race two laps beyond its scheduled distance, Buescher’s good fortune ended.



On a race-ending green, white, checkered restart, Buescher’s No. 60 Ford sputtered on the backstretch shortly after the green flag appeared, handing the lead and the victory to Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch while leaving Buescher with an 11th-place result.



“Honestly, we were really good on fuel mileage,” Buescher said afterward. “We felt like we were good to the end, especially if that caution didn’t come out. (It’s) just a matter of getting fuel into the pickup. Once I shook it around enough we got fuel back in it and ran to the end, but as much banking as we have here at Bristol it’s hard to keep fuel in the pickup.



“It’s my fault. I needed to do better.”



Ty Dillon’s fourth-place finish, combined with Buescher’s 11th place ending, allowed Dillon to close to within 19 points in the battle for the series championship. Defending series champion Chase Elliott (seventh) is third, 23 points behind the points leader.



While disappointed, Buescher said he would make the same decision under similar circumstances if the opportunity presented itself.



“I wouldn’t change the call if we could do it all over again,” he said. “I’m all for taking chances and winning these races. If it would have worked out, we’d have won this thing and we’d be talking about how good of a call it was for our points situation.”



Buescher was able to pull away from the field on three of the four restarts that took place after his move to the front. And he appeared on his way to doing so a fourth time before his car began to slow.



“We were faster than a lot of guys we were racing around all day and once we got track position we showed we could run away from these guys,” he said. “We had the speed, but it wasn’t meant to be.



“I’m glad we took the chance. I wouldn’t change it if we could do it over again, but unfortunately it knocked us right out of a top-10 and out of a win.”



Buescher is a two-time winner this season, with victories at Iowa Speedway and Dover International Raceway.

Posted on by Nascar

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Bruton Smith, the founder of Speedway Motorsports Inc. and a 2016 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, battled non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma earlier this year, according to quotes provided by SMI officials.

 

Smith, 88, is Executive Chairman of SMI. The company owns eight facilities that host 13 of this year’s 38 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events.

 

Smith is on hand this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, site of Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race. It is his first appearance at one of his company’s facilities since late May.

 

“The doctors said I probably needed a bit of rest and I got that,” Smith said. “And I probably needed it.”

 

Smith’s son, Marcus, was named Chief Executive Officer for SMI earlier this year, with the elder Smith named Executive Chairman.

 

Marcus Smith said the family discussed publicly addressing his father’s illness but noted, “We’re private about personal matters.”

 

Now that his father’s prognosis is positive, Marcus Smith said the family decided to explain his father’s recent absence.

 

“I’m really excited about this weekend because Bristol was a goal. … The time was such that it was a good goal to try to hit to be healthy and strong,” Marcus Smith said.

 

The most recent reports concerning his father’s health “have been really good,” Smith said. “He’s progressed beyond expectations they all had and we’re very thankful about that … and they have given a really good prognosis on his health.”

 

In May, Bruton Smith was selected as one of five members for induction into the Hall next January. Others tabbed for induction are drivers Jerry Cook, Terry Labonte, Bobby Isaac and Curtis Turner.

 

“I hate to miss any of our races,” Bruton Smith said. “I really do. It’s kind of heartbreaking really. I like to be there and see what’s going on.

 

“I enjoy what I do. I like the automobile business (Smith’s Sonic Automotive is one of the largest automotive retailers in the U.S.). I’m into that. I love the racing business. I want to do more and more and more. … I just like what I do.”

Posted on by Nascar

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Elliott Sadler isn’t saying he will be back with Roush Fenway Racing for the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series season.

And the veteran racer isn’t saying he won’t.

“There are a lot of moving parts right now,” Sadler said Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway. “…  Just when you think something is going to happen, something else happens over in the corner. There’s a lot of stuff going on, so we’ll see.”

Sadler said a recent report that he would exit Roush for JR Motorsports after the 2015 season and take sponsor OneMain Financial with him “was about 50/50.”

“Fifty percent true and 50 percent not true,” he said.

“The true part was I had not signed and have not signed with anybody, so that part of the report was definitely true. The rest of it, I have no idea about.”

Sadler, 40, has 10 career wins in the XFINITY Series. He is in his first season with Roush. He is fifth in the points standings, and has finished ninth or better in 10 of his last 13 starts coming into the Food City 300 at Bristol. A wreck with Brendan Gaughan brought Sadler’s night to an end earlier than planned.

In addition to three Sprint Cup Series teams, Roush Fenway Racing fields XFINITY Series teams for Sadler, points leader Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace and Ryan Reed.

“I don’t have anything to announce here today,” Sadler said. “We’re still working through some things for next year. … I want to be a part of this sport. I want to be competitive. I still think to this day that last five years there’s no other XFINITY regular that has more poles and more wins than I do and I want to keep that going. I want to stay competitive and stay up front.”

Sponsor OneMain has the longest tenure of any XFINITY Series sponsor currently in the sport, he said. “They want to be in this sport for a long time and hopefully we’ll be able to do that.”