Posted on by Brad Norman

No. 88 driver focused on earning first career Coca-Cola 600 win

RELATED: Junior goes from ‘big trouble’ to top 5 | Johnson gambles, wins

Although the Kansas race made Dale Earnhardt Jr. panic at one point late Saturday night, the No. 88 Hendrick Chevrolet’s fast finish to third in the SpongeBob SquarePants 400 has him excited about coming to Charlotte.

Junior said in this weeks "Dale Jr. Dowload" on Dirty Mo radio that the No. 88 team was confident coming off the truck at Kansas and started the soggy Cup race well, then things fell apart.

"Everybody was real loose. It was a bit of a shock, I think, for everyone how loose the track was. So everybody was skating around, having trouble. We were, too, but not as bad as most guys.

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"Then the next run it got worse. The next it got worse. We’re working on the car, and it’s getting worse. So I was freaking out. I’m panicking because we’re trying to fix the car, doing some pretty big stuff, and it’s getting worse."

A rain delay of 2 hours and 16 minutes wound up being a saving grace for Junior and the No. 88 crew. Junior said he climbed up on the pit box during the rain delay and let his emotion fly with crew chief Greg Ives.

"I’m about to go nuts, what are we gonna do, Greg?" Junior recalls saying at the start of the rain delay. "Greg said it was good I pushed him, but I think I aggravated him more than anything.

"He made some great changes. Him and Kevin and the guys put their heads together and did some good things."

Junior said the car was more like he expected after the race restarted, with good handling and great speed.

"So we took off haulin’ ass there, everything’s going good, passing cars," Junior said on Tuesday’s radio show, which took a few times to record because Gus Earnhardt was barking a lot as his master fired up the grill.

"Fun restarts on the outside, especially following Kyle Larson around the top. Me and him must have passed 10 cars on that one restart. The kid’s got some talent."

Larson wound up finishing 15th in the SpongeBob SquarePants 400, moving the Chip Ganassi Racing driver up two spots in the points standings to 22nd place. Earnhardt Jr. remains in fifth place, trailing leader Kevin Harvick by 77 points and Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson by 29 points.

Junior said he thought he might have been able to steal the win from Johnson had he started on the outside rather than behind Johnson on the inside on Saturday’s final restart.

But now his attention turns to the races at Charlotte, where he believes his strong finish last weekend bodes well.

"It’s got me excited for Charlotte. We’re going to another track for the first time with Greg Ives. We got a lot of stuff that we feel like worked there in the past. Bring on his new ideas and see what happens."

RELATED: Sprint All-Star Race format | Who’s eligible

Junior says he feels no pressure in running the Sprint All-Star Race, because it’s all or nothing with the $1 million on the line for the winner. He’s much more intense about the Coca-Cola 600.

"What I’m really wanting to focus on is the 600. I want to win that 600. I’d rather win the 600 than the All-Star Race. I just would. It’s just a much more important race for me."

Junior finished 19th in the Coca-Cola 600 last year. He never has won the 600, his best finish of fourth coming in 2000.  He won the All-Star event as a rookie in 2000.

VOTE: Show your support for your favorite driver in the Sprint Fan Vote

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Earnhardt Jr.: ‘We were in big trouble when the race started’

RELATED: Full race results | Series standings | Chase Grid
SHOP: Dale Jr. gear

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Following Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s victory at Talladega Superspeedway, much of the conversation toiled around a hot topic — Did Jimmie Johnson ease off and let his teammate win in order to all-but-secure the No. 88 will be in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup this fall?

The answer was no, but it made for an interesting story line in Saturday’s SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway, when Earnhardt lined up next to his teammate on the front row for the final restart with six to go, and appeared to have the edge at first on the No. 48 Chevrolet of Johnson.

Even though the 88 would slip behind Johnson’s eventual race-winning car — maybe you could say he was just trying to let his race shop teammate pick up his record 23rd win on a 1.5-mile track — Junior came away from a rain-soaked Kansas happy, as a third-place finish was looking like a long shot before a two-hour rain delay interrupted the race.

"We had good adjustments. We were in big trouble when the race started," said Earnhardt, who, out of the top 10 at the time, tweeted:

"We thought we had a good car and we about screwed it up," he continued on pit road after the race. "We finally figured it out and all the guys back home gave us the tools to get it done."

The heavy skies above Kansas Speedway and a green, rubber-free track wouldn’t naturally make for a situation in which a loose race car had a shot, so the No. 88 team deserves a lot of credit for giving Earnhardt a Chevrolet that could battle it out with the other stout Chevys of Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr.

A good car is nothing without a good driver, though, and Junior showed late that restarts are quickly becoming his bread and butter as he picked up a few tips from a somewhat unlikely source.

"We had a few (great restarts), yeah, I mean I watched that No. 42 (of Kyle Larson) I was like ‘I know he’s going to do something; I’m going to just do what he does.’ Larson will hang it out there," Earnhardt said. "We went up there and me, him, the No. 22 (of Joey Logano) and a couple of guys passed like 10 cars in a couple of laps."

A few great restarts — and Junior didn’t even have the lane he wanted on the final one. 

"I was real jealous of that lane (Johnson) had," he said. "I think I could have done a better job than he did with it on that first lap. I couldn’t believe we still hung with him coming back with five to go or whatever. I thought he would have took off with that outside groove. I sure was jealous where he was restarting."

Earnhardt almost didn’t even get a chance to battle for the win, loose or snug race car.

About three-quarters of the way through the race, a four-wide battle between Junior, Busch, Denny Hamlin and Sam Hornish Jr. nearly got ugly, as it occurred where there’s really only room on the track for two cars. Hamlin took the brunt of it, getting pinched out and ruining his race car.

WATCH: Hamlin upset over delayed caution

"I know I’m going to get asked about the Denny Hamlin deal," Earnhardt said. "We were four-wide there and I thought I was where I was supposed to be. But there was not enough room for two cars on the outside of me. My fault; everyone else’s fault I think.

"I hate it for Denny because it ruined his car and ruined his night. The No. 41 (Busch) kind of got me tight off the bottom and then went four-wide. I was sitting there with the No. 41 there and them guys were coming off the wall and ran into us. It was just a mess."

On the whole, a long, but solid night for the No. 88 team, which sits fifth in points with a win in hand and can try a few different strategies at home the next few weeks, with the series shifting to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the sport’s Sprint All-Star Race (May 16, 7 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1) and Coca-Cola 600 (May 24, 6 p.m. ET, FOX)

"(My team has) really have been working hard all year," Earnhardt said. "We are working real well together and winning some races. Looking forward to the next one."

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Fans have voted 10 different drivers in past 10 seasons

VOTE: Show your support for your favorite driver in the Sprint Fan Vote
RELATED: See who is already eligible for the race

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 19, 2015) — A favorite isn’t always the winner — as the Sprint Fan Vote’s history suggests. In the last 10 seasons, fans have voted 10 different drivers into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race™ at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including names like Danica Patrick, Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

You never know who will win. That’s what makes voting so important. Polls are open for the 2015 Sprint Fan Vote — and unpredictability will take center stage until the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday, May 16. Fans can vote their favorite Sprint Fan Vote-eligible driver into the All-Star Race by casting ballots daily. Voting closes at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, May 15, one day before the green flag.

For the first time in program history, votes shared via Facebook and/or Twitter will count as double towards a driver’s total. Fans can vote daily with a maximum of one vote per day per unique email address by downloading the NASCAR MOBILE application or visiting NASCAR.com/SprintFanVote. Eligible voters can also enter into the Sprint Fan Vote sweepstakes, in which one lucky Sprint Fan Vote participant will win a trip for two to any 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

The winner of the Sprint Fan Vote will be announced in Victory Lane following the conclusion of the Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday, May 15.

To date, 32 drivers are eligible for the 2015 Sprint Fan Vote. Eligibility for participation is restricted to those drivers who have been approved by NASCAR for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition and have met all other eligibility requirements. Amongst those eligibility requirements, drivers must have attempted to qualify for the 2015 Daytona 500 and race in the Sprint Showdown. Any eligible Sprint Fan Vote candidate who wins a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race during the 2015 season will automatically earn a spot in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the driver’s name will be removed from the Sprint Fan Vote ballot with their existing votes voided.

To engage in the #SprintAllStar Race conversation throughout the #SprintFanVote window, fans are encouraged to follow @MissSprintCup, @CLTMotorSpdwy and @NASCAR on Twitter.

Fans can catch the entire weekend of May 15-16 All-Star action for just $99, including the Sprint Showdown, North Carolina Education Lottery 200, Rayovac presents Little Big Town pre-race concert, NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race qualifying and the biggest all-star event in sports, the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. For an additional $20, fans can purchase a special Golden Ticket for early stagefront access to the Little Big Town concert. Tickets can be obtained by calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

Tune in to the Sprint Showdown at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, May 15 on FOX Sports 1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM Radio. Then catch NASCAR’s biggest stars in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday, May 16 with coverage of qualifying starting at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the Sprint All-Star Race live on FOX Sports 1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM Radio, with additional coverage on NASCAR.com.

The 32 drivers (as of March 19) eligible for the Sprint Fan Vote include:

1.   Justin Allgaier
2.   Michael Annett
3.   Trevor Bayne
4.   Greg Biffle
5.   Ryan Blaney
6.   Alex Bowman
7.   Clint Bowyer
8.   Jeb Burton
9.   Landon Cassill
10.  Austin Dillon
11.  Ty Dillon
12.  David Gilliland
13.  Ron Hornaday Jr.
14.  Sam Hornish Jr.
15.  Bobby Labonte
16.  Kyle Larson
17.  Justin Marks
18.  Michael McDowell
19.  Casey Mears
20.  Paul Menard
21.  Danica Patrick
22.  David Ragan
23.  Johnny Sauter
24.  Brian Scott
25.  Reed Sorenson
26.  Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
27.  Martin Truex, Jr.
28.  Mike Wallace
29.  Michael Waltrip
30.  Cole Whitt
31.  Josh Wise
32.  J.J. Yeley

SPRINT FAN VOTE SWEEPSTAKES – ABBREVIATED RULES

No purchase necessary to enter or win. Void where prohibited. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are at least 18 years of age at the time of entry. Sweepstakes/Promotion entry period begins at 12:00:01 a.m., Eastern Time ("ET"), on March 8, 2015 and ends at 7:00:00 p.m., ET, on May 15, 2014. For complete rules, visit https://www.nascar.com/sprintfanvoterules.  Sponsor:  Sprint Communications Company, L.P. NASCAR, Inc. is not a sponsor of the Sweepstakes/Promotion. 

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Posted on by Staff Report

3M 250 will mark first start for driver since diabetes diagnosis

RELATED: Entry list for Iowa

Jamie Dick is scheduled to make his return to the NASCAR XFINITY Series this weekend at Iowa Speedway, entering his first race since a diagnosis of new-onset diabetes.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

Dick was noted on the entry list for Sunday’s 3M 250 (2 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN Radio, Sirius XM), the first of the series’ two races this season at Iowa Speedway.
 
Dick, 26, was diagnosed with the disease shortly after the series’ event at Phoenix International Raceway on March 14, when he reported to the infield care center after the race, complaining of fatigue and dizziness. After an overnight stay in an Arizona hospital, he was released for further examination and treatment in North Carolina.
 
Dick, the owner and part-time driver for Viva Motorsports, has two starts this season in the team’s No. 55 Chevrolet. Jeffrey Earnhardt (five races) and Brandon Gdovic (two) have split time in the team’s other events this season.
 
Dick has made 57 starts in the NASCAR XFINITY Series since his series debut in 2011. He’s also a veteran of 14 starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

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: During the rain delay at Kansas, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he was in "big trouble." See how the No. 88 team rallied for a top-five finish. And with the race in the rearview mirror, @nascarcasm offers his race recap — in photos — as only he can.

TUESDAY: Expect Power Rankings presented by John Deere to get another shakeup this week — will Jimmie Johnson rise to No. 1? Plus, check out ‘Six-Time’s’ imaginary Facebook page created by @nascarcasm. NASCAR.com’s Jessica Ruffin will explore the plan for some of Hendrick Motorsports‘ pit crews for the first stand-alone event of the season, with the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Iowa Speedway.

WEDNESDAY: Check out which paint schemes will be on display at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Sprint All-Star Race. Plus, learn more about the history of CMS in our track photo gallery.

THURSDAY: Trucks are on track at Charlotte, and we’ll have live leaderboards for you to follow. In honor of Throwback Thursday, we’ll look back to Jeff Gordon‘s win in the 1992 All-Star race, plus take a historical look at the standings entering the All-Star Race during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup era.

FRIDAY: Get all the on-track action slated for Charlotte throughout the day and evening, including the Sprint Showdown practice, qualifying and race; All-Star Race practice; and Truck Series qualifying, and the race itself.

Also coming this week: In Tech Talk, senior writer Kenny Bruce hits the high notes of a busy on-track week … RJ Kraft and George Winkler will debate the All-Star Race format … we’ll look back on same of the best paint schemes in the history of the All-Star Race.

Posted on by Zack Albert

For second time in two weeks, a JGR driver is critical over timing of caution

WATCH: Hamlin upset over delayed caution

Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer, said the sanctioning body plans to reach out to Joe Gibbs Racing and driver Denny Hamlin to discuss safety and the timing of a caution period at last weekend’s race at Kansas Speedway.
 
Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota crashed with 60 laps left in Saturday night’s SpongeBob SquarePants 400, scraping along the frontstretch wall before sliding to a stop in the racing groove at the entrance to Turn 1. After emerging in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage, Hamlin was critical of the timing of the yellow flag in a televised interview.

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The incident marked the second straight week that a Joe Gibbs Racing driver has criticized the timing of a late-race yellow, on the heels of Carl Edwards‘ pointed remarks the week before at Talladega Superspeedway. O’Donnell said Monday morning during NASCAR officials’ weekly debrief with NASCAR.com that he planned to keep the lines of communication open.

RELATED: Edwards miffed by drivers not checking up
 
"First and foremost, we always talk to our competitors," O’Donnell said. "A lot of times, they’ll come up to the hauler after a race with a concern. We didn’t see Denny or anyone from the team post-race, so we’ll certainly reach out during the week to talk to them, but talking to the folks that were in race control Saturday night, David Hoots, as soon as he was alerted to the incident, looked down and saw Denny’s car and threw the caution immediately."
 
O’Donnell also touched on the topic of safety equipment on pit road in the wake of a pair of recent incidents involving Richard Childress Racing, which is exploring additional protective clothing for its over-the-wall personnel. Two RCR crew members for driver Brendan Gaughan and a member of another team’s crew were injured during an XFINITY Series blaze at Richmond, and a smaller fire broke out involving the Sprint Cup team for driver Ryan Newman the following week at Talladega.
 
"We’ve had a number of internal conversations about what’s worn on pit road," O’Donnell said. "We’ve talked to a lot of the teams, taken an inventory of what equipment they have and then what equipment is available for immediate purchase. We have all that now, and you’ll see us continue to work with the race teams to become more and more safe in terms of what they’re wearing on pit road. I think they understand we learned a lot from the last incident, and they understand where we are going forward and are already taking steps to comply with that."

RELATED: RCR teams adopt enhanced fire safety measures
 
Among the other topics O’Donnell discussed:
 
— Kevin Harvick‘s recent call for changes to the Sprint Cup schedule: "We certainly listen to the drivers, but they’re one of many stakeholders. We’ve got to talk to the tracks, we’ve got to see what the fans thought, our broadcast partners as well. So certainly from a West Coast swing perspective, we believed it was a success. The tracks were very happy with what they saw, something they can build upon, but we’re still in the early stages of that dialogue and talking with our track partners about some opportunities for ’16 and beyond. One of the things, though, to keep in mind is that tracks really need as much stability as possible in terms of their dates, so fans can get used to it, can plan ahead and make their schedules for ’16 and know where they can go from a race date standpoint. So, a lot of those conversations going on and as soon as we can lock the dates in, we want to get out ahead of it and announce those dates for the fans."

RELATED: Harvick stumps for major schedule changes | Unveils throwback paint scheme for Darlington
 
— On the possible expansion of the Sprint Cup schedule to include Iowa Speedway, site of Sunday’s 3M 250 (2 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN Radio, Sirius XM) for the XFINITY Series: "Well, I think when you look at our Cup schedule now, our calendar is full, so I would never say never. Iowa is a terrific race track. We’ve got three events this year — XFINITY racing this Sunday that we’re really looking forward to, and then another XFINITY race and then a Truck (Series) race as well. The fans always come out in droves, the race drivers always love going there and always put on a good race, so we’re really looking forward to a terrific weekend all the way around with the trucks and the All-Star Race in Charlotte, and then a number of us will hop on a plane and head out to Iowa and watch kind of a tripleheader as we go see the XFINITY Series in Iowa."
 
— On the progress for determining a Sprint Cup rules package for the 2016 season: "Again, I’d say still ongoing discussions, still early in the process. We stated at the beginning of the year that we really targeted August 1st to be out with the rules package, so we’re looking at everything from the current package that we have all the way through with a number of different options and certainly working with Goodyear. We don’t want to change just for change’s sake. We want to make sure that we have the right package and continue to improve upon the racing each and every race, so those discussions with continue this weekend with a number of the competitors, and we’ve got to match it all, as I said, with Goodyear."

Posted on by Nascar

Team’s race shop suffered major damage from last week’s fire

Photo credit: Leavine Family Racing

For at least the next two weeks, Leavine Family Racing will operate out of the Team Penske facility in Mooresville, North Carolina, according to an official with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series organization.
 
LFR, which fields the No. 95 Ford for driver Michael McDowell, has been forced to relocate due to damage from a fire last week that destroyed much of the back portion of the team’s shop, including four of its race cars.
 
Employees discovered the blaze upon their arrival at the shop, which is located behind Charlotte Motor Speedway, Friday morning and immediately notified authorities.

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The bulk of the race team had already arrived in Kansas City for this past Saturday night’s race at Kansas Speedway, where McDowell finished 36th.
 
"We are working out of the Porsche shop at Penske for the short term," Jeremy Lange, LFR vice president, said Monday. "They provided the space for us and it’s been very nice of them to come through in a pinch and offer their help.
 
"It’s not a long-term solution but it’s a short-term fix."
 
Team Penske is housed in a 400,000-plus square foot complex that currently serves as the base of operations for its Sprint Cup, XFINITY Series and IndyCar teams.
 
Lange said that the four vehicles destroyed were the team’s back-up cars. Those in the process of preparation for upcoming events at Charlotte Motor Speedway — this weekend’s Sprint Showdown and next week’s Coca-Cola 600 — were among those in the front of the building and were not damaged.
 
"Luckily enough our cars for Charlotte were already put together and wrapped," Lange said. "Now it’s going to come down to set-up and dyno and K-rig and getting the car ready for a race, not assembly. Which is a positive. If this had been weeks ago, it might be a different story.
 
"It’s never a good time … but we can work out of that shop with (our) resources. Basically what we have working out of there are our guys and the hauler, all the tools and parts and pieces that were in the hauler."
 
Crew chief Wally Rogers’ approach to the situation has been, "if we can do it at the race track we can do it in the shop," Lange said. "If we need something, we’ll get it (from our shop). We are doing what we can and taking what we need to get the job done for the Showdown and the 600."
 
Lange said a best-case scenario would be for the team to be able to return to its facility the week following the 600.
 
LFR does not run the full 36-race Sprint Cup schedule and isn’t slated to compete at the next three races (Dover, Pocono and Michigan) following the Charlotte events. With an off-weekend in the mix, the break should give the team four weeks to prepare for consecutive stops at Sonoma, Daytona and Kentucky.
 
"We were strategic in our approach with the schedule," Lange said. "We knew having those three races off allows Wally and the guys to get Sonoma, Daytona and Kentucky ready, which are three different cars for three different tracks. It’s not like we’re going to three mile-and-a-half tracks. It’s still a challenge but one that as a team … we’re not going to bow down to."
 
As news of the fire spread through the garage at Kansas Friday morning, LFR personnel began getting texts from other teams. Fellow owners and crewmen stopped by to personally offer assistance and ask about employees.
 
And it didn’t cease when the race was completed and teams headed back to their own headquarters. The entire NASCAR community, Lange said, has reached out to the team. Sponsorship partners K-Love and Thrivent Financial have offered support as well.
 
"It’s been tremendous," he said. "Other teams, drivers, just friends in the sport all reaching out, texting, asking a) ‘is everyone OK and b) what can we do to help you?’
 
"As a small team, it’s nice to know that we still get the same respect and love as the big teams, because as a small team, you’re kind of on your own little island in a sense. We don’t shy away from that, we like that. We like being under the radar. We also like that underdog role. I think this is no different than not making a race. We will overcome it and get better.
 
"This incident will not define our race team. We’re not missing a beat. We could have easily said, ‘hey, we’re not going to the Showdown.’ Wally doesn’t want to bow down from the challenge and we’re also committed to our partners. We said we’re going and we’re going to go."


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Strategy play to stay on older tires late pays off for six-time Cup champ

RELATED: Full race results | Updated series standings | SHOP: Winner’s gear

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Thanks to a brief but wild Kansas spring storm and the long delay it produced, Jimmie Johnson on Sunday became the first Sprint Cup driver to win a race on Mother’s Day since 2007.

Johnson, who is pursuing a record-tying seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship this season, held off Kevin Harvick over the final six laps to win Sunday morning’s SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Johnson’s victory — which was recorded just after midnight local time because of a delay of 2 hours and 16 minutes — was his third of the season and his third at the 1.5-mile Kansas oval.

"It was a long, hard night," Johnson, who led just 10 laps and who spun out unassisted early in the race, said in Victory Lane. "Once we got up front, we were able to hang on."

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
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All-time premier series wins

Rank Driver Wins
1. Richard Petty 200
2. David Pearson 105
3. Jeff Gordon 92
4t. Bobby Allison 84
4t. Darrell Waltrip 84
6. Cale Yarborough 83
7. Dale Earnhardt 76
8. Jimmie Johnson* 73
9. Rusty Wallace 55
10. Lee Petty 54

*200 top-5 finishes is 12th all time
*300 top-10 finishes is 17th all time

Reminded about what day it was when he finally took the checkered flag, Johnson said,  "I just want to wish Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. My mother and especially my wife Chani (Johnson, wife), hopefully she is still awake. I wish she was here. I wish my girls were here too, but I will be home tonight and we will have some fun tomorrow."

Harvick, who led 53 laps, finished second in his Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet.

Third was Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Fourth was another Hendrick driver, Jeff Gordon, while pole-sitter Joey Logano was fifth in a Team Penske Ford. 

The victory was the 73rd of the six-time champion’s career. It came thanks to some late-race strategizing by teams who had cars and drivers at the front of the field. 

Harvick appeared to be headed toward his third victory of the season as the laps wound down after he took the lead on a restart lap with 55 laps to go. The defending series champion had a lead of over 1 second with 14 laps to go and nobody appeared fast enough to close that gap let alone get around him.

But with 12 laps to go, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Roush Fenway Racing Ford clipped the outside wall to bring out the final caution.

Harvick and all but four others — Johnson, Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon — pitted as they were iffy on fuel. Harvick also opted to take two right-side tires.

After the restart with six to go, the race became a three-driver affair as Johnson, Earnhardt and Harvick, who restarted sixth, edged away from the field.

The decision by Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus turned out to be a winner – even though they had less rubber than did Harvick. Harvick never got close enough to Johnson to take a final shot at a pass.

Johnson said the decision to not pit was a split-second, gut-feeling kind of thing and it was mostly his.

"I could tell he (crew chief Chad Knaus) was having a hard time making the decision," Johnson said. "I’m kind of running through the events in my mind.  We have two wins, we are locked in the Chase, and we are here to win a race, let’s gamble. Let’s go for it. Sure enough it paid off. A few more laps I think the No. 4 (Harvick) would have had me. He was awfully strong. Obviously being on right side tires would have been an advantage for him. We had just enough time to get this Lowe’s Chevrolet to Victory Lane. Just very proud of the team and the effort that has gone into it. We have great race cars. I wish we would qualify a little better on Friday’s that would make life a lot easier for us."

Harvick said he wasn’t mad about his team’s decision to pit. 

"I’ve been on the other side of this deal where the cars aren’t running good and you don’t have a chance to win," he said. "We won a championship on pit calls and tires and everything fell our way. We’ve had a lot of things go our way and we’ve had a lot of things work."

Harvick did insist, however, he had the faster car regardless of the outcome.

 "He wasn’t that strong," Harvick said of Johnson. "He was just trying to run right in front of our car so for those first few laps when you’re pushing like that it really takes the air off the front of the car and it gets the chatter in the front end and it snaps around. But that was the strategy they took and it worked out for them."

Perhaps the most bummed driver as a result of the finish was Furniture Row Racing‘s Martin Truex Jr. His No. 78 Chevrolet was clearly the fastest on the track for the vast majority of the race. It led a race-best 95 laps.

But his team felt it needed to pit for fuel during the final caution. On the restart, it became obvious they had made the wrong call.

Truex finished ninth. 

"We should have either stayed out or took new tires," Truex said. "We probably did the worst thing you could have done there with just staying out and getting gas only because we ended up being the last guy with no tires. Everybody else behind us had two and they ate us up on the restart."

MORE: Video recap | Dale discusses Hamlin incident

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In first Sprint Cup start, driver of the No. 18 led a lap, spent time in top five

RELATED: Full race results | Series standings | Chase Grid

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Erik Jones turned plenty of heads in his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start, but a promising run was derailed after he smacked the wall on Lap 196 of the SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway.

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Jones, running in the top five, was fending off the hard-charging — and eventual race winner — Jimmie Johnson, who praised the efforts of the 18-year-old over the No. 48 team radio, when the No. 18 Toyota got loose and hit the outside wall.

"I just lost it," Jones said while standing next to his crew, feverishly attempting repairs. "I’d never gotten that loose all night. Just stepped out and went over the edge. I don’t know why; I didn’t expect it. Have to learn from it and get better. We had a good M&M’s Camry up to that point.

"I learned a lot. We were fast and we had good speed."

Jones, subbing in for injured driver Kyle Busch, returned to the track on Lap 212, 23 laps down. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin was involved in a wreck right before he returned to the track, allowing him to finish 40th to Hamlin’s 41st-place finish. Jones also led a lap; his first in the Sprint Cup Series.
 
"It’s too bad, we had such a good night going," he said. "It’s just a matter of trying to get a little bit better on my end and figuring out where the limit is. Unfortunately, we found it there."

It was the second straight evening in which Jones endured heartbreak. The NASCAR Next alum was enjoying a dominant run on Friday night in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Toyota Tundra 250, leading 151 laps before he ran out of gas and settled for an 11th-place finish for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
 
With a goal of a top-15 finish for Saturday, knowing that he was on pace to exceed those expectations and failed because of a mistake could rattle a driver. Yet it was clear Jones was unfazed and focused.
 
"We had good speed. It definitely makes me confident we can go run with these guys and I’m excited for my next opportunity, whenever that is. It was a good night overall. A lot to learn and a lot to take from it."
 
And that’s exactly how Jones has to look at this opportunity. While Saturday was his first start, the Michigan native got his first taste of Sprint Cup racing a few weeks ago when he filled in for an aching Hamlin after a lengthy rain delay at Bristol Motor Speedway.
 
Driving a Cup car at that age is a true sink-or-swim test — just ask Joey Logano, a former JGR product — and while Jones didn’t quite stay afloat, he certainly didn’t drown.
 
"I learned a lot about racing in traffic and racing with these guys and how the air works," Jones said. "Unfortunately, I wish I could’ve finished it out, but we definitely had a top-10 car, it’s just a shame we couldn’t get the result. Not a bad night overall. We’ll get a little bit better and try again."
 
While Jones has yet to say officially if his Cup schedule extends beyond Kansas, he may have let slip a little hint that we could see him behind the wheel of the 18 when the series comes home to Charlotte the next two weeks.


"We’ll try to get a little better next week."

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News and notes for the entire 43-car field from the SpongeBob SquarePants 400

RELATED: Full race results | Series standings | Chase Grid

1. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson rallied from a rocky start and took the lead with 10 laps to go after opting not to pit when the final caution flag waved. Johnson leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with three wins and remains third in the points. | Watch: ‘Six-Time’ holds off Harvick

2. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Despite a loose handling car, Harvick led 53 laps at Kansas to eclipse the 1,000-laps led mark this season and maintain the points lead

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Junior capitalized on the beneficiary rule during the third caution period and spent the remainder of the race running in the top 15. | Watch: Junior discusses incident with Hamlin

4. Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon posted his second top-five result of the season despite struggling with a lack of rear grip throughout the race.

5. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. The polesitter was only temporarily stalled by two pit road penalties and recorded a race-high 147 green-flag passes en route to his sixth top five of the season.

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6. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Kenseth picked up a bonus point after leading Lap 81 during green-flag stops. He later spun on the backstretch on Lap 130, but recovered for a top 10. | Watch: Kenseth’s spin collects ‘Smoke’

7. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. An early vibration was a distant memory by the end of the race for Keselowski, who posted the fastest lap of the race on Lap 136 (189.237 mph).

8. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Busch consistently reported a loose handling condition, but held on to lead 20 laps and continue his ascent in the points. He now ranks 14th.

9. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing. The team’s late-race pit strategy backfired on Truex, who led a race-high 95 laps before opting to make a fuel stop under caution with 10 laps to go. Truex remains second in the points and has 10 | Related: Truex thinks better things still to come

10. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. A chassis change under caution on Lap 126 might have taken a little extra time, but it was just what Newman needed as he rallied from 25th to earn his seventh top 10 of the year.

11. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola just missed his first top-10 result of the year and picked up a spot to now rank 11th in the points, matching his Kansas finish.

12. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle told his crew he needed more rear grip, so with 70 laps to go the team made big chassis adjustments, pulling shim and rear wedge during a stop under caution.

13. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. A native of nearby Joplin, Missouri, McMurray spent the first half of the race running inside the top 10 before a loose handling condition emerged.

14. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing. Allmendinger, who recently inked a five-year extension with JTG Daughtery, made an unscheduled pit stop on Lap 148 after an engine tear-off sheet adhered itself to his car’s grille, prompting overheating. | Related: AJ signs new deal with JTG

15. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. During the last 11 laps, Larson dropped from fifth as the handling on his No. 42 Chevrolet swung from loose to tight.

16. Sam Hornish Jr., No. 9 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Hornish continually improved his car’s ability to get into the turns thanks to slight tweaks made with the driver-adjustable track bar, netting a top-20 finish in the first race under new crew chief Kevin Manion.

17. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. The outside polesitter reported a vibration while running 12th on Lap 161, and that issue persisted into the closing stages of the race.

18. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Menard spent the majority of the race running inside the top 15 before a tire violation during his final stop sent the car to the rear of the field.

19. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. Mears lauded his pit crew for its performance as he rallied from a set of bad tires to score his best Kansas result in six years.

20. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing.  The Columbia, Missouri, native was leading the field with 90 laps to go, but roughly 50 laps later had to make an unscheduled pit stop for a vibration.

21. Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing.  The Emporia, Kansas, native was running middle of the pack when he spun to bring out the sixth caution flag of the night.

22. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Dillon pitted for fuel on Lap 255 just as the final caution flag waved, and was put one lap down with 11 laps to go.

23. Michael Annett, No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Annett rebounded from a starting spot of 43rd to earn his best finish this year on a 1.5-mile track.

24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17, Roush Fenway Racing. Stenhouse, who made contact with a spinning Clint Bowyer on Lap 185, later hit the wall himself to bring out the ninth caution flag.

25. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. Coming off his best finish of the year (18th at Talladega), DiBenedetto scored his best 1.5-mile result thanks to being the beneficiary at a mid-race caution.

26. Ty Dillon, No. 33 Chevrolet, Circle Sport. Making his Kansas debut and his first start on a true 1.5-mile oval in the Sprint Cup Series, Dillon qualified 32nd before posting his best finish of the year.

27. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Wholesale changes to the No. 10 Chevy during a Lap 121 pit stop helped Patrick break even at Kansas.

28. Josh Wise, No. 98 Ford, Phil Parsons Racing. Wise managed his second-best Kansas finish even though he was rear-ended on Lap 120 when he slowed to avoid a wrecking competitor.

29. Landon Cassill, No. 40 Chevrolet, Hillman Smith Motorsports. Cassill recorded his best 1.5-mile showing of the season after rolling off the grid 41st.

30. Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Allgaier turned in the best Kansas effort of his career despite serving a pit road penalty with 58 laps to go.

31. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing.  Bayne sustained damage to his Ford’s nose after making contact with a competitor during the Lap 201 restart.

32. David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Gilliland was among a handful of drivers to make a green-flag stop with 17 laps left when it appeared the race would be decided by fuel-mileage.

33. David Ragan, No. 55 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. Recently named the No. 55 replacement driver for the remainder of the season, Ragan spun to a stop in the soggy infield on Lap 120 after contact.

34. Brett Moffitt, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. The MWR developmental driver sustained front-end damage after making contact with a slowing Tony Stewart on Lap 130.

35. Cole Whitt, No. 35 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Whitt, in his fourth Kansas start, made hard contact with the wall on Lap 120.

36. Michael McDowell, No. 95 Ford, Leavine Family Racing. McDowell nearly matched his best Kansas finish despite an early pit road speeding penalty.

37. J.J. Yeley, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. Yeley spun off Turn 4 within seconds of teammate Jeb Burton on Lap 8 thanks to a loose handling condition.

38. Joey Gase, No. 32 Ford, Go FAS Racing. Gase improved upon his 42nd starting spot in his second Kansas appearance and his first 1.5-mile outing of the season.

39. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Stewart had just returned to the lead lap, when he got into the wall and was rear-ended after Matt Kenseth‘s spin jammed up the field.

40. Erik Jones, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. The NASCAR Next alum ran as high as sixth in his first official Cup start, but had his night cut short when he just lost the car coming off the corner on Lap 196. | Watch: Jones wrecks after losing control

41. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin limped to pit road after he blew a tire and ran into the Turn 1 wall on Lap 208. | Related: Hamlin not happy with NASCAR decision

42. Jeb Burton, No. 26 Toyota, BK Racing. Burton spun twice in the first 100 laps to bring out two caution flags, but he saved his car both times.

43. Alex Bowman, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Bowman was running 30th when he radioed an ignition issue to his team on Lap 18 and reported to pit road.