Posted on by Staff Report

A stats-based look ahead to the seventh race of the Sprint Cup season

Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Below is a look at the top statistical performers at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas going into the Duck Commander 500 on April 11 (7:30 p.m. ET on FOX).

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

TEXAS-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

Greg Biffle (No. 16 Safety-Kleen Ford)

·         Two wins, eight top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 14.6

·         Average Running Position of 12.3, sixth-best

·         Driver Rating of 100.9, fourth-best

·         473 Fastest Laps Run, second-most

·         1,325 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 173.678 mph, fourth-fastest

·         4,838 Laps in the Top 15 (72.2%), fourth-most

·         796 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most

Clint Bowyer (No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota)

·         Three top fives, 10 top 10s

·         Average finish of 13.3

·         Average Running Position of 12.8, seventh-best

·         Driver Rating of 91.4, ninth-best

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 173.475 mph, ninth-fastest

Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)

·         One win, three top fives, 13 top 10s

·         Average finish of 16.0

·         Driver Rating of 87.4, 12th-best

·         200 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most

·         1,537 Green Flag Passes, second-most

·         642 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet)

·         One win, four top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles

·         Average finish of 14.6

·         Average Running Position of 12.9, ninth-best

·         Driver Rating of 91.1, 10th-best

·         230 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most

·         1,438 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 173.498 mph, sixth-fastest

·         4,950 Laps in the Top 15 (73.8%), third-most

·         Series-high 800 Quality Passes

Carl Edwards (No. 19 STANLEY Racing For A Miracle Toyota)

·         Three wins, six top fives, nine top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 15.2

·         Average Running Position of 12.9, eighth-best

·         Driver Rating of 95.9, sixth-best

·         361 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most

·         1,324 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 173.522 mph, fifth-fastest

·         4,607 Laps in the Top 15 (68.7%), fifth-most

·         724 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Panasonic Chevrolet)

·         One win, nine top fives, 12 top 10s; two poles

·         Average finish of 17.6

·         Average Running Position of 13.4, 10th-best

·         Driver Rating of 93.2, eighth-best

·         391 Fastest Laps Run, third-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 173.482 mph, seventh-fastest

·         4,401 Laps in the Top 15 (65.6%), eighth-most

·         702 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota)

·         Two wins, five top fives, 10 top 10s

·         Average finish of 10.8

·         Average Running Position of 12.3, fifth-best

·         Driver Rating of 93.5, seventh-best

·         180 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most

·         1,458 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 173.364 mph, 10th-fastest

·         4,223 Laps in the Top 15 (70.0%), ninth-most

·         792 Quality Passes, third-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet)

·         Four wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 9.1

·         Average Running Position of 10.9, third-best

·         Driver Rating of 105.7, second-best

·         Series-high 579 Fastest Laps Run

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 173.696 mph, third-fastest

·         5,005 Laps in the Top 15 (74.7%), second-most

·         710 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)

·         Two wins, 13 top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 8.9

·         Series-best Average Running Position of 9.2

·         Series-best Driver Rating of 105.9

·         365 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most

·         1,502 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most

·         Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 173.830 mph

·         Series-high 5,333 Laps in the Top 15 (79.5%)

·         768 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet)

·         Two wins, six top fives, 13 top 10s; two poles

·         Average finish of 12.9

·         Average Running Position of 10.9, second-best

·         Driver Rating of 98.3, fifth-best

·         362 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 173.477 mph, eighth-fastest

·         4,456 Laps in the Top 15 (70.0%), seventh-most

·         639 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Martin Truex Jr. (No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet)

·         Two top fives, eight top 10s; two poles

·         Average finish of 15.4

·         Average Running Position of 13.9, 11th-best

·         Driver Rating of 87.8, 11th-best

·         1,316 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 173.326 mph, 11th-fastest

·         3,920 Laps in the Top 15 (61.5%), 12th-most

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2015 Top 16 at Texas Motor Speedway

Rank

Driver

Races

Poles

Wins

Top Fives

Top 10s

DNFs

Average Finish

Driver Rating

  
 

1

Kevin Harvick

24

0

0

4

12

1

13.1

85.1

  

2

Joey Logano

13

0

1

4

4

1

17.9

79.1

  

3

Martin Truex Jr.

19

2

0

2

8

3

15.4

87.8

  

4

Brad Keselowski

13

0

0

2

4

0

18.2

80.3

  

5

Kasey Kahne

21

1

1

5

6

4

18.6

85.1

  

6

Paul Menard

17

0

0

1

3

2

19.7

71.4

  

7

Denny Hamlin

18

0

2

5

10

0

10.8

93.5

  

8

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

25

2

1

4

14

3

14.6

91.1

  

9

Aric Almirola

8

0

0

0

1

0

20.1

67.0

  

10

Jimmie Johnson

23

1

4

11

17

1

9.1

105.7

  

11

Matt Kenseth

25

1

2

13

17

0

8.9

105.9

  

12

 David Ragan

16

1

0

0

2

3

24.6

64.9

  

13

 Casey Mears

21

0

0

2

4

0

20.4

65.4

  

14

Jamie McMurray

22

0

0

4

7

1

17.7

77.0

  

15

Danica Patrick

5

0

0

0

0

0

28.0

49.8

  

16

Jeff Gordon

28

2

1

9

12

6

17.6

93.2

  

* – Based on last 20 races at Texas Motor Speedway (2005 – 2014).

Texas Motor Speedway Data

Season Race #: 7 of 36 (04-11-15)

Track Size: 1.5-mile

Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 24 degrees

Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 24 degrees

Banking/Frontstretch: 5 degrees

Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees

Frontstretch Length:  2,250 feet

Backstretch Length:  1,330 feet

Race Length: 334 laps / 501 miles

Top 10 Driver Ratings at Texas

Matt Kenseth……………………….. 105.9

Jimmie Johnson…………………… 105.7

Greg Biffle………………………….. 100.9

Tony Stewart…………………………. 98.4

Carl Edwards………………………… 95.9

Denny Hamlin……………………….. 93.5

Jeff Gordon………………………….. 93.2

Clint Bowyer…………………………. 91.4

Dale Earnhardt Jr…………………… 91.1

Martin Truex Jr………………………. 87.7

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2014 races (20 total) among active drivers at Texas Motor Speedway.

Qualifying/Race Data

2014 pole winner:

Tony Stewart, Chevrolet

195.454 mph, 27.628 secs. 04-05-14

2014 race winner:

Joey Logano, Ford

134.191 mph, (03:48:02), 04-07-14

Track qualifying record:

Tony Stewart, Chevrolet

200.111 mph, 26.985 secs. 10-31-14

Track race record:

Greg Biffle, Ford

160.577 mph, (3:07:12), 11-14-12

Texas Motor Speedway

History

·         Construction on Texas Motor Speedway began in 1995.

·       The first NASCAR national series race at TMS was a NASCAR Nationwide Series event on April 5, 1997 – won by Mark Martin.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was on April 6, 1997 – won by Jeff Burton.

·         The track underwent a repave between the 2001 and 2002 seasons.

·       In 2011, the spring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was moved from Sunday to Saturday night under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway.

·         Texas Motor Speedway hosted its first Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on November 6, 2005 – won by Carl Edwards.

Notebook

·         There have been 28 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway, one NSCS event from 1997 – 2004 and two races per year since 2005.

·         140 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas; 115 in more than one.

·         Jeff Gordon is the only drive to have made all 28 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway.

·         Jeremy Mayfield was the first Coors Light pole winner, in 1998 with a speed of 185.906 mph. The inaugural Coors Light pole at Texas Motor Speedway in 1997 was cancelled due to weather conditions.

·      Twenty drivers have Coors Light poles at Texas, led by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte and Martin Truex Jr. with two each.

·       Two drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Texas Motor Speedway: Bobby Labonte (2003 and 2004) and Ryan Newman (2005 sweep).

·         Youngest Texas Coors Light pole winner: Brian Vickers (11/05/2006 – 23 years, 0 months, 12 days).

·         Oldest Texas Coors Light pole winner: Bill Elliott (4/08/2002 – 46 years, 6 months, 0 days).

·   Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions twice in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway; the inaugural event in 1997 and the spring race of 2007. The actual race has never been rain shortened, but was postponed to Monday last season due to weather. 

·         18 different drivers have won at Texas Motor Speedway, led by Jimmie Johnson with four victories.

·      Seven drivers have multiple wins at Texas Motor Speedway:  Jimmie Johnson (four), Carl Edwards (three), Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart each have two.

·         Roush Fenway Racing leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in wins at Texas Motor Speedway with nine; followed by Hendrick Motorsports with six and Joe Gibbs Racing with four. 

·         Three of the 28 (11.1%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway have been won from the Coors Light pole; Kasey Kahne (2006), Jimmie Johnson (2012) and Kyle Busch (2013). 

·         The third-place starting position is the most proficient starting spot in the field at Texas Motor Speedway, producing more wins than any other starting position (six) – most recent: Jimmie Johnson (fall of 2014).

·         Six of the 28 (21.4%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway have been won from the front row: three from the pole and three from second-place.

·         22 of the 28 (78.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Texas Motor Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Four of the 28 (14.2%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Texas Motor Speedway is 31st, by Matt Kenseth in 2002.

·         Youngest Texas winner: Joey Logano (03/30/2003 – 23 years, 10 months, 14 days).

·         Oldest Texas winner: Dale Jarrett (04/01/2001 – 44 years, 4 months, 6 days).

·         Jimmie Johnson leads the series in runner-up finishes at Texas Motor Speedway with five; followed by Matt Kenseth with four and Jeff Gordon with three. 

·         Matt Kenseth leads the series in top-five finishes at Texas Motor Speedway with 13; followed by Jimmie Johnson with 11, Jeff Gordon with nine and Greg Biffle with eight.

·         Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson lead the series in top-10 finishes at Texas Motor Speedway with 17 each; followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 14.

  ·    Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Texas Motor Speedway with an 8.5. Johnson is the only active driver with an average starting position at Texas in the top 10.

    ·      Two active drivers have a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series average finish in the top 10 at Texas: Matt Kenseth (8.9) and Jimmie Johnson (9.0).

    ·      There have been five NSCS green-white-checker finishes at Texas Motor Speedway: fall 2006 (334/339), spring 2008 (334/339), fall 2012 (334/335), spring 2014 (334/340) and fall 2014 (334/341).

·         Casey Mears has participated in the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway without posting a DNF (21).

·         Jeff Burton (4/06/1997) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (4/02/2000) won their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career race at Texas Motor Speedway.

·         David Ragan (4/09/2011) and Martin Truex Jr. (11/04/2007) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light poles at Texas Motor Speedway.    

·         2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski (11/02/2008) and Trevor Bayne (11/07/2010) made their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career starts at Texas Motor Speedway.

·         Two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have posted consecutive wins at Texas Motor Speedway: Carl Edwards (2008 sweep) and Denny Hamlin (2010 sweep). Jimmie Johnson has won the last three consecutive Chase races at Texas Motor Speedway (2012, 2013 and 2014).  

·         11 of the 12 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who have won at Texas Motor Speedway participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won at Texas in his first appearance; Carl Edwards and Ryan Newman won in their second appearance at TMS. 

·         Jeff Gordon competed at Texas Motor Speedway 16 times before winning in the spring of 2009; the longest span of any the 12 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.

·         Only three of the 12 winning drivers have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Texas Motor Speedway: Jeff Gordon (16) Kyle Busch (15) and Kurt Busch (13).

·    Kevin Harvick leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway without visiting Victory Lane at 23.

·    Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway was the (4/4/2004) race won by Elliott Sadler with a MOV of 0.028 second ahead of Kasey Kahne.

·         Two female drivers have made NSCS starts at Texas Motor Speedway: Shawna Robinson and Danica Patrick

Driver

Starting Position

Finishing Position

Date

Danica Patrick

27

36

11/2/2014

Danica Patrick

24

27

4/7/2014

Danica Patrick

30

25

11/3/2013

Danica Patrick

42

28

4/13/2013

Danica Patrick

32

24

11/4/2012

Shawna Robinson

16

36

4/8/2002

 

·         Jimmie Johnson leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in Laps Led at Texas Motor Speedway with 889 laps led in 23 starts.

·         Jeff Gordon leads all active NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers in Laps Completed at Texas Motor Speedway with 8,330 laps.

·         One NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver has won at Texas Motor Speedway in two different manufacturers: Jeff Burton (1997 – Ford; 2007 – Chevrolet)

NASCAR in Texas

·         There have been 37 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races among three tracks in the state of Texas.

Track Name

City

NSCS

Texas Motor Speedway

Fort Worth

28

Texas World Speedway

College Station

8

Meyer Speedway

Houston

1

 

·       81 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Texas.

·      10 drivers from Texas have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series. Six of the 10 Texas native NASCAR winners have won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Driver

NSCS

NXS

NCWTS

Terry Labonte

22

11

1

Bobby Labonte

21

10

1

A.J. Foyt

7

0

0

Billy Wade

4

0

0

Bobby Hillin Jr

1

2

0

Johnny Rutherford

1

0

0

Chris Buescher

0

1

0

James Buescher

0

1

6

David Starr

0

0

4

Colin Braun

0

0

1

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Posted on by Zack Albert

Our picks for MVP, comeback driver and more for early 2015

Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live

The chock-full NASCAR Sprint Cup season doesn’t provide many breaks among its broad schedule of 36 races. So when a rare idle weekend looms on the calendar, it’s time for a well-deserved breather and a recharge before the engines re-fire.

From this side of the guardrail, it’s also time for some spring cleaning of the trusty notebooks with some ridiculously early superlatives and picks, just one-sixth of the way home.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

MVP: Kevin Harvick. As the only driver with multiple victories (Las Vegas, Phoenix) this season, the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 bunch has shown zero let-up from its championship march in 2014, the first year of the new Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff format. It’s a safe bet to pencil Harvick into this year’s final round, but keep the pen handy.

Biggest upswing: Martin Truex Jr. The first-year pairing of Truex and the Furniture Row Racing No. 78 team yielded just five top-10 finishes in 36 races in 2014. So far this year, Truex has already surpassed that number as one of just three drivers (Harvick and Joey Logano being the others) to go 6-for-6 with top-10 results to start the season, an amazing turnaround from the scrappy single-car outfit from Denver. Honorable mentions: Paul Menard, Casey Mears, AJ Allmendinger.

Biggest slump: With four finishes of 40th or worse to open the season, it’s been a rough go for three-time series champion Tony Stewart. Placing 14th at Auto Club and 20th at Martinsville slightly helped to stem the slide, but Smoke remains mired in 32nd place in the standings. Only Michael Annett ranks lower among drivers who have competed in all six races this year. Honorable mentions: Greg Biffle, Trevor Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Best streak: Harvick’s stunning string of eight consecutive top-two finishes drew to a close last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, coming within breathing distance of Richard Petty’s all-time record of 11 top-twos in a row. The No. 4 team’s continued excellence may be the more remarkable of the two streaks, achieved during a time of far greater parity in the world of big-league stock-car racing.

RELATED: Six things we learned in first six races

Biggest romp: Kevin Harvick at Phoenix. Seven of Harvick’s 30 career wins in NASCAR’s top division have come in the desert. Last month, Harvick claimed his fourth straight Phoenix International Raceway victory in convincing fashion, leading 224 of 312 laps. In his four-race Arizona monopoly, Harvick has led 782 of a possible 1,248 laps, a possible indicator of more success when the series returns to Phoenix for its annual Chase race in November.

Biggest rules/technology story: NASCAR’s snazzy new pit-road officiating system made its debut this season, but so far it hasn’t garnered a large share of headlines. That’s a good thing, meaning it’s working as it should — much like a steady referee making the right calls or a long snapper in football who always hits his target. Honorable mention: The 2015 rules package and the adjustable track bar.

Biggest rules/technology to come: The early reviews of trial runs for the 2016 rules package have been boffo, lending heft to the notion that NASCAR’s Research & Development Center is onto something and that the right balance of aerodynamics, handling and horsepower isn’t far away.

Biggest scandal: The Goodyear-bleeding tactic that grew from garage rumblings to a full-blown Tire-gate. Richard Childress Racing‘s No. 31 team and driver Ryan Newman were popped post-Martinsville for alleged alterations of their racing slicks, violating one of the Holy Trinity areas of technical no-nos: tires, engines and fuel. Will a stern P5 penalty be enough to stop the practice in its tracks? Time will tell. Honorable mentions: Hold-ups in the inspection process forcing teams to miss Coors Light Pole Qualifying early in the season. That, and Martinsville Speedway changing hot dog providers.

Biggest mess: Group qualifying at superspeedways. Multicar crashes marred both Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series qualifying sessions at Daytona International Speedway, signaling the end of the format as we once knew it on restrictor-plate tracks.

Best call: He needed a little luck on his side, but Paul Wolfe’s four-tire decision in the late going at Auto Club Speedway allowed Brad Keselowski to snatch away his first victory of the season in the Team Penske No. 2 Ford on the final lap.

Best rally: Jimmie Johnson started 37th after missing out on qualifying, but wound up in Victory Lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. Honorable mention: Denny Hamlin‘s comeback from a pit-road penalty to win at Martinsville Speedway.

Biggest hype: Chase Elliott‘s much-ballyhooed Sprint Cup debut had the NASCAR photography corps following the 19-year-old driver like paparazzi, but his rocky 38th-place finish was more learning experience than big-time splash. That said, Jeff Gordon — the driver he’ll replace next year in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 — didn’t wow the crowd in his first race, either, debuting with a 31st-place finish in the 1992 season finale at Atlanta.

Strangest day: February 21. On the eve of the season-opening Daytona 500, one Busch brother — Kurt — was in the midst of two unsuccessful appeals of his suspension for behavioral infractions, all while the other — Kyle — was recovering from severe leg injuries after a hard crash in the XFINITY Series opener. Neither participated in the Great American Race the next day, capping a whirlwind 24 hours of coverage. Honorable mention: February 27 — Team Xtreme’s No. 44 is reported stolen from a hotel parking lot; hours later, an SUV rolls back into Denny Hamlin‘s motorcoach.

Biggest comeback: Since completing NASCAR’s outlined path for reinstatement, Kurt Busch has put the legal distractions in the rear view with sheer, solid performance, building on the chemistry he’s developed with new crew chief Tony Gibson. He opened his 2015 campaign with two straight top-five efforts, and has more Sprint Cup points in three races than several drivers do in six.

Toughest break (off-track edition): Brian Vickers. After recovering from offseason heart surgery, Vickers returned to the driver’s seat of the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 55 Toyota at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. But his comeback lasted just two races, when a recurrence of blood clots forced him to take indefinite leave for the fourth time since 2010.

Toughest break (on-track edition): Kurt Busch‘s strong return to competition almost had a crowning moment at Auto Club Speedway, but a late caution flag for debris threw his possible stretch run to the checkered flag into doubt. On the second green-white-checkered attempt, Busch’s No. 41 gave way to a charging Brad Keselowski on the last lap.

Best schedule wrinkle: The debut of the West Coast Swing was great fun for the roving band of NASCAR.com staffers crisscrossing the left side of the country in an RV, but it showed some fresh, previously untapped potential in making tweaks to the NASCAR schedule. Honorable mention: Darlington Raceway‘s return to Labor Day. Even though this hasn’t happened yet, it’s still the reigning king of schedule shifts for 2015.

Biggest void: Kyle Busch remains a polarizing figure for fans, whether it’s in his role as a Sprint Cup regular or a poacher of victories in other NASCAR national series. Love him or hate him, his absence as he recovers from leg fractures has had lasting ramifications on this year’s competition.

Best relief effort: Brett Moffitt. The Michael Waltrip Racing development driver made the most of his first start of the season, holding on for an eighth-place run at Atlanta in relief of Brian Vickers. The brow-raising finish earned him a more regular spot in the Sprint Cup rotation, increasing his prospects for a full-time ride in the future. Honorable mentions: Matt Crafton and David Ragan in for Kyle Busch; Regan Smith in for Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson.

Best farewell tour: Jeff Gordon. Not since Richard Petty’s fan appreciation tour in 1992 has their been a more celebrated victory lap. Accordingly, tracks have made a contest of trying to one-up each other with farewell gifts for the four-time champion in his final full season.

Best beef: It’s not quite to the level of the Gordon-Keselowski fracas as Texas last season, but the differences of opinion between Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano keep on giving. The two squared off again after the exhibition Sprint Unlimited at Daytona, exchanging verbal jabs but no physical ones.

Most civil post-race disagreement: Danica Patrick vs. Denny Hamlin. Their two cars — Nos. 10 and 11 — had numeric and spatial proximity during Daytona’s Speedweeks, with the latter closeness causing major issues. After their Daytona 500 qualifying race, their second run-in in a matter of days led to a rather pointed but orderly airing-out of opinions in a bizarre moment on pit road.

RELATED: The year’s most unusual events

Best hair: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The mullet-wearing driver of the Roush Fenway Racing No. 17 Ford also has possession of the circuit’s best Mississippi mudflap. Honorable mention: Chase Elliott‘s offseason mop-top, since shorn.

Best Air Titan save: On a chilly, soggy March 1 at Atlanta, the Air Titan track-drying system battled in-track "weepers" and damp atmospheric conditions with relative ease, clearing the way for a full-distance race that had the markings of Monday all over it. Honorable mention: Saving Martinsville Speedway from a complete Friday washout last weekend.

Best bet for a Chase surprise: AJ Allmendinger. Had the JTG-Daugherty No. 47 not succumbed to mechanical failure last week at Martinsville, Allmendinger would be solidly in the conversation for punching his Chase playoff ticket for a second straight season, but this time on the basis of points. With two road courses on the schedule before the Chase field is set, Allmendinger has two golden opportunities ahead, if the standings route falls through. Honorable mentions: Martin Truex Jr., Aric Almirola, Greg Biffle.

Best bet for a Chase miss: Clint Bowyer. The Kansas native’s losing skid hit 83 straight races last weekend at Martinsville, and the MWR No. 15 team has only a seventh-place finish in the Daytona 500 in its top-10 column this season. To transform into a Chase-caliber contender, Bowyer and Co. need big leaps, a triple jump even. The potential is there. Finding it and unleashing it is the challenge.

Final Four predictions: Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski. Again, ridiculously early to make a sure-shot pick, but going with the chalk means placing these four in the title-eligible heap at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Honorable mentions: Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon.

Sprint Cup champion: Harvick. Repeating isn’t easy, but until another team shows it’s ready to take away the heavyweight belt, the No. 4 remains the car to beat. Honorable mention: Logano.

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Posted on by Zack Albert

Team Penske driver nearly pulled off historic weekend sweep

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Joey Logano just missed out on adding his own name to the thick history ledger of Martinsville Speedway last weekend, but what he learned in those 1,020 laps — spanning races and practice for two national series — could benefit him at an even more pivotal point of the season.

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The color of the leaves in the Virginia foothills will have changed when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series revisits the paper-clip layout in November, but so will Logano’s status as a potential Martinsville favorite. The recent upturn in short-track expertise will serve him well in the return trip, the opening race to the Contender Round in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs.
 
In his first 10 Martinsville starts, Logano had netted just one top-five finish at the tricky, .526-mile track. After Sunday’s rally from a first-half spin to a third-place finish in the STP 500, he now has three top-fives in a row, potentially setting the table for improving his title stock in the season’s late stages.
 
"The track seems to change a lot from the spring to the fall, but, directionally, I think there are things we can improve on still," Logano said. "We’re only good for a certain amount of time, and we just need to make our cars a little faster for a longer time."
 
Had the kinks ironed out Sunday, Logano might’ve had a weekend for the books. He swept the pole positions for both the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series events, then cashed in with a victory on the tailgate tour in the Saturday matinee. Had he finished two spots better in Sunday’s main event, he would have become the first driver to sweep the poles and wins in a race weekend for two NASCAR national series, based on records dating back to the XFINITY Series joining the national ranks in 1982.
 
The Martinsville upswing reflects Logano’s overall improvement the last two seasons, especially this year. Since punching his 2015 Chase ticket early with a victory in the season-opening Daytona 500, Logano has kept pouring it on. Only two other drivers — reigning champion Kevin Harvick and comeback kid Martin Truex Jr. — have top-10 finishes in all six races this season.
 
"I’m proud of this whole organization and everybody here because we continue to knock off top-10 finishes, and a top-five here," said Todd Gordon, crew chief for Logano’s Team Penske No. 22 Ford. "Both races last year were top-fives here, and to get a third place here is something we can build off of coming back for the Chase race here in the fall, which is a pretty important one."
 
The importance of November doesn’t just pertain to Martinsville. It also applies to Texas Motor Speedway, which follows the Virginia short track in the spring and fall on the 36-race Sprint Cup schedule. Logano has momentum on his side there, too, with three top-fives in the last four races at the 1.5-mile track.
 
Logano’s next order of business in the Lone Star State is defending his race win once the Sprint Cup circuit resumes April 11 with the Duck Commander 500 (7:30 p.m. ET, FOX). But before getting back to work, his Penske crew aims to take full advantage of the rare idle weekend on the 2015 slate.

"We’ll dig for a little bit here this week and then the guys will get some time off later in the week," Gordon said. "Give them a long week to enjoy it — we only get three of these during the season, so you can’t burn everybody out. We’ll dig for a couple days this week, get these guys some time off for Easter weekend, then we’ll dig back at it the Monday after Easter and start working on Texas to make sure we’re as good as we need to be there."

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Posted on by Holly Cain

Driver missed Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville

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Sounding upbeat and ready to race, Kyle Larson spoke with the national media Thursday afternoon about a fainting episode Saturday that kept him out of his race car for last Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway and in a hospital bed for two days while doctors performed a litany of tests.

Larson, 22, said that in the end, doctors feel it was a severe case of dehydration.

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"I feel great right now and I felt perfectly fine shortly after I fainted the other day," Larson said. "I just had to get a lot of tests run to make sure nothing serious was wrong with me and all those test came back negative.

"All that time I felt fine and hated I couldn’t race this weekend."

He even joked, "I had stuff hooked up to me from my head to my toes. Probably the only test I didn’t get was a math test."

Larson, last year’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year, fainted while signing autographs at the track. After initially being taken to a local hospital he was transported by helicopter to Carolinas Medical Center closer to his home in Charlotte for further tests. Larson was released late Monday night and on Thursday was cleared by NASCAR to resume competing again.

In a release earlier on Thursday, Chip Ganassi Racing said, "following a thorough review of all test results by his attending physicians and in conjunction with the medical staff from NASCAR, Kyle Larson has been cleared to return to all NASCAR related activities beginning at Texas Motor Speedway next weekend, April 10-11."

Last Friday, Larson qualified his Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet seventh on the grid. But it was Regan Smith who drove the car Sunday collecting a 16th-place finish as Larson watched the race on FOX Sports 1 as a hospital patient.

"I still felt like I was there," he said of being able to listen to his team’s communication on NASCAR.com.

As for the incident, Larson said he had been rushing around Saturday morning. He actually completed the autograph session but was lingering around to speak with the last fan in line when he felt light-headed.

"I tried to lean forward and maybe see if that fixed it, and then I passed out," Larson recalled.

"I don’t know, it was just kind of a weird morning just because I was almost late to practice, so I just rushed myself that morning and didn’t take very good care of myself throughout the day and just ended up dehydrating myself.

"Just got to do a better job of taking care of myself, and that should never happen again."

Larson said it was the first time he had ever been hospitalized overnight in his life and was a little nervous at first, but reassured by the doctors and by the way he felt.

"Any time you’re in a hospital you get nervous," he said. "But I was confident everything was fine, and it turned out where everything in the end was fine. Like I said, just got to make sure I hydrate myself throughout the day better than I did that day."

Larson dropped from 18th to 24th in the Cup standings after missing that race. He had two top-10 finishes in the last three races in the No. 42 Chevrolet before Martinsville. And he is still eligible for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup postseason because he qualified his car for the event on Friday.

As many of the drivers are enjoying this rare off-weekend on the Sprint Cup schedule, Larson sounded eager to get back behind the wheel. The popular driver said he was never too worried about the outcome of his time in the hospital.

"I pretty much stayed positive through the whole thing," Larson said. "I never thought anything was wrong with me because I felt fine while I was sitting in the hospital. Just was looking forward to when I could finally get out, looking forward to the last test that they had to run so I could get out of there.

"I was never nervous about it being the end of my career or out for a while or anything like that. I had it pretty much set in my mind that I was OK.

"I think the doctors kind of knew what all was going on, they just wanted to, like I said, run every test that they could just to make sure they could scratch everything off the list."

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Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR suspended, fined crew chief and docked owner points

Circle Sport Racing, which fields the No. 33 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, is appealing penalties for a rules infraction discovered during opening day inspection March 20 at Auto Club Speedway.

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NASCAR deemed a truck trailing arm infraction to be a P4 level penalty and docked car owner Joe Falk 25 championship car owner points.

Crew chief Slugger Labbe, who also leads Richard Childress Racing‘s research and development efforts, was fined $50,000, suspended for three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races and placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31.

Unlike RCR, which requested and was granted a deferral of a suspension for No. 31 crew chief Luke Lambert, Labbe will sit out the next Sprint Cup Series race, the Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (April 11, 7:30 p.m. ET, FOX). Veteran crew chief Pat Tryson will take his place.

A date for the appeal hearing is to be determined.

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Annual motorcycle tour to benefit children with chronic illnesses

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The route for the 21st Annual Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America benefitting Victory Junction — a camp for children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses — was announced Thursday.

Schedule for Petty Charity Ride

Date From To
2-May Santa Cruz, Calif. Bakersfield, Calif.
3-May Bakersfield, Calif. Tonopah, Nev.
4-May Tonopah, Nev. Bryce Canyon, Utah
5-May Bryce Canyon, Utah Moab, Utah
6-May Moab, Utah Colorado Springs, Colo.
7-May Colorado Springs, Colo. Hutchinson, Kan.
8-May Hutchinson, Kan. Branson, Mo.

NBC Sports NASCAR analyst Kyle Petty will lead 200 motorcyclists 2,500 miles from Santa Cruz, Calif., to Branson, Mo., on the fund-raising tour. Former NFL running back Herschel Walker and NASCAR legends Donnie Allison and Harry Gant are expected to be among the celebrities who will join the festivities.

"Each year, we select a route that’s full of breathtaking scenery, while also allowing us to spread the word and build excitement around our mission along the way," Petty said in a press release. "Year after year, the ride creates lasting memories for our riders, most importantly, it provides life-changing opportunities for children at Victory Junction."

As a result of the ride, 7,815 children have attended Victory Junction at no cost to their families, and the camp has been the ride’s primary beneficiary since being established by Kyle Petty in 2004 in honor of his late son, Adam.

Spectators are welcome to attend one of the ride’s eight overnight stops to interact with the riders, purchase ride memorabilia or make a donation to Victory Junction.

To learn more about the ride, go to: www.facebook.com/KPCharityRide, or on Twitter and Instagram, @KPCharityRide.

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Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR grants deferral of suspensions and fines, not points

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RELATED: Newman loses 75 points | No. 31 team penalized | Comparing to other big penalties

Richard Childress Racing is appealing the penalties handed down against Ryan Newman and the No. 31 team for a rules infraction that occurred at Auto Club Speedway last month, NASCAR Vice President of Integrated Communications David Higdon confirmed on Thursday.

RCR requested a deferral of penalties until its appeal is heard by the sanctioning body. Higdon tweeted that NASCAR will defer the suspensions and fines but not points.

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Newman was penalized 75 points and his crew chief Luke Lambert was fined $125,000 among other penalties after NASCAR determined the team illegally altered air pressures in its tires during a March 22 event at Auto Club Speedway.
 
Following the Auto Club 400 and an audit of tires taken from four teams, NASCAR sent the tires an outside agency for further evaluation.

The 75-point loss dropped Newman from sixth to 26th in the points standings after six races. One of last year’s drivers in the Championship 4 round in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Newman, 37, has four top-10 finishes this season.
 
Tire audits have been conducted after the last three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events as rumors of teams illegally altering air pressures swirled through the garage. By allowing air to escape from tires as they heat up, more of the tire’s surface remains in contact with the race track, providing more grip consistently throughout a run.
 
According to the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rulebook, "Any device, modification, or procedure to the tire or wheel, including the valve stem hardware, that is used to release pressure, beyond normal pressure adjustments, from the tire and/or inner shield, will not be permitted."
 
Penalties for such infractions are classified as P5 level by NASCAR, and in this case resulted in the loss of 75 championship driver and car owner points for Newman and car owner Richard Childress; a $125,000 fine and six-race suspension for Lambert; and six-race suspensions for team tire technician James Bender and team engineer Philip Surgen.
 
Lambert, Bender and Surgen have also been placed on probation through Dec. 31.
 
Sprint Cup Series Managing Director Richard Buck said Monday that teams were reminded of the severity of penalties for tire infractions during a meeting with crew chiefs on Friday at Martinsville Speedway.
 
"We generally have crew chief meetings where we will address topics and issues with crew chiefs, get information to them," Buck said. "And that was the case at Martinsville. We had several things that we addressed there, but one of the things was the tires."
 
"We reiterated to the garage area that it is very serious; our process has not changed. … We take that very seriously."
 
NASCAR took tires from several teams at Phoenix and again at Martinsville in addition to those taken at ACS. Those from ACS were believed to be the only ones sent to an outside source for further evaluation.
 
"We’ve been very clear that any modifications to race vehicle tires is an unacceptable practice and will not be tolerated," Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, said in regard to the penalties dealt to the No. 31 team.

NASCAR.com’s Kenny Bruce contributed to this report.

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Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Hall of Famer will compete in Off-Road Truck race

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NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Rusty Wallace will end a 10-year hiatus from competition in June when he takes part in this year’s Off-Road Truck Racing event at the X Games in Austin, Texas.

"I may be retired from driving, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have the itch to get back behind the wheel; I love to compete," Wallace said in a statement provided by Rusty Wallace, Inc.
 
"Plus, the X Games are just such a big deal. During my time (as a commentator) with ESPN, I watched the X Games a lot and really enjoyed them. Some of the world’s best athletes are there. So when the opportunity came to be a part of the event, there was no way I was going to say no."
 
The 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and winner of 55 Sprint Cup Series points races, Wallace retired from competition after the 2005 season. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2013, along with fellow drivers Buck Baker, Cotton Owens, Herb Thomas and noted crew chief Leonard Wood.
 
The 2015 X Games will be held June 4-7 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The Off-Truck Racing event is scheduled for June 7.
 
"It’s different than stock cars, that’s for sure, but at the end of the day, racing is racing," said Wallace. "I grew up racing motocross as a kid and as I moved into cars, I always enjoyed racing on rough, slippery race tracks, places where you had to have a lot of car control. That description definitely applies to this style of racing."
 
Wallace, 58, said he had spoken with former NASCAR driver and Off-Road Truck racer Robby Gordon about the opportunity and what he could expect. The two met earlier this week to give Wallace an idea of what was in store.
 
"(Gordon) was totally confident that I would be competitive in these vehicles," he said, "and even offered to be my coach. …
 
"I felt really comfortable. It was a total blast to drive."
 
But fun is only part of the reason behind the decision, he said.
 
"I’m not going down to Austin just to have fun. I’m going down there to bring home a medal."
 
Wallace won his NASCAR championship while driving for former drag racing champion and NASCAR car owner Raymond Beadle. The bulk of his career, however, was spent with team owner Roger Penske, with whom he won 37 points races.
 
Wallace’s final Sprint Cup win came at Martinsville Speedway in 2004.
 
ABC and ESPN will carry live coverage of the 2015 X Games.

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Tracks the latest to make safety enhancements ahead of events

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Michigan International Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway announced Thursday that they will augment their use of impact-absorbing barriers before the first of two NASCAR weekends for each track this season.

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Both tracks plan to expand their use of Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barrier over existing concrete retaining walls. Bristol opens its doors for NASCAR on-track activity April 16-19; Michigan’s opening NASCAR race weekend is scheduled for mid-June.
 
Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager for Bristol Motor Speedway, said that the track has secured an additional 600 feet of SAFER barrier, which will completely cover the outside retaining wall at the .533-mile track. Caldwell said in a statement provided by the track that the construction was based on recommendations from parent company Speedway Motorsports Inc., and NASCAR.
 
"The safety of our fans and competitors continues to be a focal point for Bristol Motor Speedway," Caldwell said.
 
Officials at MIS, which ranks among the fastest tracks that NASCAR visits, said that the 2-mile speedway will add SAFER barrier to the inside retaining walls at pit road’s entrance and exit. The track will also install tire-pack barriers along the angled wall inside the D-shaped oval’s first turn.
 
Michigan also plans to pave the infield near pit road exit in an effort to slow skidding cars in the event of a crash. The newly paved area will also house an entrance and exit for the pace car.
 
"The safety of our guests, competitors and staff is our number one priority," said track president Roger Curtis. "We will continue to review our facility and provide updates as circumstances warrant."
 
Track officials said work will be completed before Michigan hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series June 12-14. After the track’s second NASCAR weekend Aug. 14-16, the track plans to add SAFER barrier to the outside retaining walls on the frontstretch and backstretch, plus the wall separating pit road from the frontstretch infield grass, before the 2016 season.

Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, who hit a wall without a SAFER barrier at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the second race of the season, tweeted his approval of the addition at Bristol.

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Posted on by Nascar

Penalty for Newman, RCR another in a list of advantage-seeking

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RELATED: RCR appealing penalties

The effort to go faster than anyone else has landed Ryan Newman in the doghouse, the Sprint Cup Series driver stripped of 75 points by NASCAR for issues related to his team’s tires earlier this month at Auto Club Speedway.
 
In NASCAR’s realm, tire tampering is among the most severe of offenses. Any broom pusher in any race shop knows that much. You don’t mess with engines. You don’t mess with fuel. And you don’t mess with tires.
 
That’s not to say folks don’t, of course. The sport is full of examples of teams caught dealing from the bottom of the deck.

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More than 30 years ago, NASCAR nipped seven-time champion Richard Petty for an over-sized engine, among other things, after a victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The $35,000 fine and 104-point penalty that followed were record amounts for the time.
 
In 2007, findings of an illegal fuel additive nearly sunk Michael Waltrip Racing before it made its debut in Daytona. The move cost Waltrip 100 points and crew chief David Hyder $100,000.
 
And in 2010, toying with the valve stems cost Travis Kvapil 150 points and crew chief Steve Lane $100,000 and a 12-race suspension after a race at Pocono.
 
Like I said, serious stuff.
 
Manipulating the air pressures resulted in a level P5 penalty for Newman and the Richard Childress Racing No. 31 team.
 
The sanctioning body rates the seriousness of offenses on a scale of 1-6. A P1 infraction will send you to the back of the field; a P6 will send you to Siberia.
 
And anything above a P3 carries additional "multipliers" tacked on to the initial penalties. Siberia without a coat. In the dead of winter.
 
Because the Newman infraction was discovered after the completion of the race, those "multipliers" came into effect, and a 50-point deduction for Newman and car owner Richard Childress became 75 points. A $75,000 fine for crew chief Luke Lambert swelled to $125,000.
 
Get caught earlier, save money and points, I suppose.
 
Was Newman’s team the only one circumventing the tire rules, or the only one caught?
 
NASCAR took tires from teams after races at Phoenix, Auto Club and Martinsville — Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick (twice) and Kurt Busch (once); Team Penske‘s Joey Logano (twice); RCR’s Newman and Paul Menard (once each); as well as the teams of JTD Daugherty (AJ Allmendinger), Furniture Row Racing (Martin Truex Jr.) and Joe Gibbs Racing (Matt Kenseth).
 
All were examined. Only Newman’s failed under further scrutiny.
 
Say what you want about Harvick’s run of top-two finishes but the fact remains that no one’s car is dissected more closely than that of a race winner. Just ask six-time champ Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus — the pair practically had a standing date with NASCAR’s tech crew at the Research and Development Center during the No. 48 team’s run of dominance.
 
Rumors of skirting the tire rules have seemed to grow with each passing week this season, but at least one driver said crew chiefs were warned to leave well enough alone as far back as last year’s fall race at Phoenix.
 
Maybe some took the message to heart, and some didn’t.
 
Blame the new rules package? More things to tinker with or just different ones maybe. Speed can be found in all sorts of places these days in NASCAR, not just under the hood. That’s why the bigger stock-car teams invest heavily in laptops, spreadsheets and engineering degrees.
 
But wheels and tires haven’t changed. Swap four when you need ’em, and two when you’re in a hurry.
 
Just don’t monkey with the air pressures.

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