Posted on by Staff Report

Keep tabs on this weekend’s national series activity

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series heads to Michigan International Speedway this week while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has a stand-alone event at Gateway Motorsports Park. Here’s more info on how you can follow along all weekend.

RACES

Sprint Cup Series: Quicken Loans 400 (Sunday, June 14, 1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM)
XFINITY Series: Great Clips 250 benefiting Paralyzed Veterans of America (Saturday, June 13, 1:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM)
Camping World Truck Series: American Ethanol Presents the Drivin’ for Linemen 200 brought to you by Ameren (Saturday, June 13, 8:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM)

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Click here for on-track times, press conferences, leaderboards and GarageCam.

RACE DAY

• NSCS leaderboard
• NXS leaderboard
• NCWTS leaderboard
• NSCS Lap-by-Lap
• NXS Lap-by-Lap
• NCWTS Lap-by-Lap
• NSCS live standings

PRODUCTS

• RaceBuddy: Live in-car coverage with 10 HD views. Up to eight in-car cameras for Cup races, and four for XFINITY races.
• RaceView: Watch virtual video of cars on track and listen to the scanner.
• RaceView Mobile: On your phone? Try RaceView here.
• Scanner: In-car audio only.
• Mobile Apps: Follow the leaderboards live from your device.

FANTASY

• NASCAR Fantasy Live: Set your lineups, check your progress
• Streak to the Finish: Play in all three national series

LIVE INTERVIEWS

PressPass: Watch exclusive post-race interviews.

Stay tuned to NASCAR.com throughout the weekend for the latest news.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR executive addresses drivers’ council timing, overseas races

RELATED: NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France addresses drivers’ council

NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell returned to America on Monday from a visit to a NASCAR Whelen Euro Series race in England, and he returned to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday to tackle hot topics, including the state of the 2016 rules package, the scheduling of drivers’ council meetings and where in the world NASCAR wants to race.

O’Donnell addressed the goal of creating better racing with the 2016 package by referencing how NASCAR races every weekend with stars like Martin Truex Jr., and his popular win for Furniture Row Racing are like the NBA Finals between LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers and Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors.

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"It’s a big front-burner," O’Donnell said of work on the 2016 rules. "A lot of conversations going on, not only from the driver council, but also with the teams, so you’ll see us do some things here and ratchet up those conversations in the next 30 days. It’s important though to really look at what we’re all striving for.

"We talked about Martin Truex Jr. …. These guys are the best in the world so it’s tough to continue to make it better. That’s what we want to do. You’ve got, in our case, LeBron and Steph Curry are out on the race track every single race.

"So how do you continue to make that better? How do you continue to allow for more passing? That’s the goal. Everybody understands that. The good news is that the entire industry is aligned for what makes the best racing and how do we get there. So I think you’ll see some good things continue to develop in terms of what you see on the race track."

As NASCAR discusses the state of the sport with the best racers in the world, O’Donnell praised the initial get-together at Dover last month and looked ahead to future sessions.

"The drivers’ council, the first one, I thought was terrific," O’Donnell said. "Again, we’re not always going to agree, but you get some really good input. And you can decipher where you want to go and how that will affect certain teams.

"We’ll probably have a pretty good cadence going forward. Obviously we talk to the drivers, owners or whomever every weekend, but kind of the more formal ones I’d say we’d look at more on a quarterly basis and see how that works because it is new, but I think that’s the plan right now."

The sanctioning body heads to Michigan International Speedway, the closest track to the auto manufacturers, and O’Donnell talked about the importance of racing in the region for all three companies supporting cars in NASCAR’s national series. He also noted it could be a turnaround weekend for the Sprint Cup teams of Jack Roush, who leads all owners with 13 victories at the track.

"It’s really important for us; it’s a great facility," O’Donnell said. "… Chevy and Ford right there but certainly Toyota likes coming in and mixing it up a little bit on the track (near Detroit). From a competition standpoint for us, you look at the race, and Roush historically has been really strong at that race track."

As NASCAR considers places to race outside the United States, manufacturer growth areas come to mind for O’Donnell.

"Where we’ve been successful is really starting from a grassroots effort, like you’ve seen in Mexico, where we have a successful tour and we can see some drivers come up through the system similarly in Canada," O’Donnell said. "Now that’s what’s happening in Europe as well. I’d say maybe taking some of our national series drivers over from time to time to help seed those series and the growth would be important for us."

O’Donnell noted that national series driver Jeffrey Earnhardt traveled to last weekend’s event at Brands Hatch in England to share some of his expertise behind the wheel at American Speedfest. He also mentioned other countries on NASCAR’s radar going forward.

"South America is certainly an area where we’d like to emerge, China, India, not necessarily right away, but when you look at a lot of the partners and especially the OEMs, (those countries) are certainly growth areas so we’ll take a look at those as well," O’Donnell said. "First and foremost for us, it’s concentrating on the U.S. and making sure we’ve got the best thing going every Sunday here in the United States."

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 celebrates its 100th race under the NASCAR umbrella on Saturday at Autodrome Chaudiere in Valle-Jonction, Quebec.

Posted on by Staff Report

Throwback look will match theme of race weekend

RELATED: Buy tickets for Darlington | BUY: Busch gear

This year’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (Sept. 6, 7 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM) will have a throwback feel with the track again hosting the event on Labor Day Weekend, and Kurt Busch‘s paint scheme represents that nostalgic feeling.

His No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet was revealed on social media Tuesday, and it pays tribute to past Haas-Automation schemes run at the "Lady in Black."

Busch’s teammates, Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick, have already revealed their throwback schemes.

• See Stewart’s Darlington look here

• See Harvick’s Darlington look here

Posted on by Staff Report

Pattie, Scott switch teams; company also reorganizes engineers

Michael Waltrip Racing will reassign the crew chiefs for each of its two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams effective immediately, the team announced Tuesday.

Brian Pattie will become the crew chief for the No. 55 Toyota Camry driven by David Ragan, while Billy Scott will become the crew chief for the No. 15 Toyota Camry driven by Clint Bowyer.

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Bowyer, who has not won a race since winning three on his way to a runner-up finish in 2012 and failed to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup last season, parts ways with Pattie, who teamed up with the driver following that team’s inception in 2012. The No. 15 team currently sits 17th in points, while Ragan is 23rd.

Ragan is the fourth driver in the No. 55 this year; Brian Vickers, the team’s full-time driver, has competed in just two races due to health issues. Michael Waltrip has logged two races, and Brett Moffitt filled in for six races before Ragan got the job.

"Our goal is to best position the 15 and 55 teams for a berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup," said co-owner Rob Kauffman in a team release. "MWR has an enormous amount of bright, motivated and quality people working to solve the endless challenges inherent to racing. We have won poles and races, we have made the Chase and competed for a championship with this core group of personnel. We just felt it was time to shake things up a bit to try and spark fresh ideas and more consistent results. There are 12 races left before the 2015 Chase field is set and we plan to be a part of it."

Scott has been the crew chief of the No. 55 since August 2013, and previously served under Rodney Childers as that team’s lead engineer.

Additional changes include a reorganization of lead, secondary and support engineers for each team. Car chiefs, road mechanics and pit crews will remain with their originally assigned teams.

Posted on by Nascar

Team had been issued penalty after written warnings

MORE: National Motorsports Appeals Board statement

RELATED: NASCAR penalizes three after Charlotte

CONCORD, N.C. – Hendrick Motorsports‘ No. 48 team won’t lose its pit selection option this weekend when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway (1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN, SIRIUS XM), thanks to a ruling Tuesday by the National Motorsports Appeals Panel.

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But more than that, crew chief Chad Knaus said, the organization has a somewhat better grasp concerning the issuance of written warnings and the penalty process tied into that particular portion of NASCAR’s Deterrence Policy.

"If you look at the way the warning schedule is and the way the penalties can start to accumulate over a period of time, we needed to understand the methodology behind that," Knaus, crew chief for six-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, said following the hearing.

"We have a better understanding of that now. I think along with all the teams and NASCAR, I think we all are going to have some more conversations about that in the future, about how the warnings are applied and how they can be contested moving forward."

MORE: Knaus explains failed inspections at Pocono

NASCAR penalized the No. 48 team, as well as the No. 51 of HScott Motorsports, after the two groups received written warnings during consecutive races at Charlotte Motor Speedway – last month’s Sprint All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600.

Under the deterrence system, consecutive warnings can result in the infraction being categorized as a P1 level, still relatively minor but something that does carry penalties. In this case, the 48 and 51 teams lost the right to select their respective pit stalls based on where they qualified for the May 31 race at Dover International Speedway.

Because HMS officials appealed the penalty, the action was deferred and Johnson’s team was allowed to choose his pit stall relative to his qualifying position at Dover. And although he started 14th, Johnson won the race, the 10th win of his career at the 1-mile concrete track and his fourth of the season.

The HScott team did not appeal its penalty.

The motorsports panel, which consisted of track operator Richard Gore as well as former executives David Hall (TNT) and Jay Signore (IROC), ruled that NASCAR was correct in issuing a warning for the All-Star Race for a side-skirt violation by the HMS team. There was, however, "conflicting evidence about the inspection violation which led to the second violation …" according to the panel.

NASCAR issued the second warning after pre-qualifying inspection prior to the Coca-Cola 600.

Because only one warning, the side skirt violation, was "shown by a preponderance of the evidence," the panel rescinded the P1 penalty.

Team owner Rick Hendrick and car chief Ron Malec joined Knaus at the hearing.

Under NASCAR’s deterrence policy, if a team member or team receives six or more warnings during a six-month period from the time of the first warning, the level of the penalty, and ensuing actions, could rise to P2. Eight or more warnings within a 12-month window could increase it to a P3 level.

While the panel struck the P1 level portion of the penalty, Knaus said he didn’t know how that would impact the number of warnings the team had received.

"That’s kind of the reason we’re here, to understand the format and how all of that’s going to play out," he said. "As of right now, we’re waiting to get some clarification of the warnings from the hearing; obviously the penalty is gone. So we’re waiting for that."

NASCAR teams select pit stalls based on their qualifying results, with the pole winner getting first choice, the No. 2 qualifier choosing second, etc. There is strategy that goes into the selection process, and it is based on factors that include clear entry and exit points into and out of the stalls, such as those nearest openings in the pit wall, as well as the location of timing lines along pit road.

"I think it’s very important," said Knaus. "You’ve heard me say time and time again that the race starts on Friday. It starts with qualifying, with your pit pick, all that stuff is a transition on how you perform on race day. The 4 car (of Kevin Harvick) got stuck behind the 88 (of Dale Earnhardt Jr.) last week in Pocono; that could have been detrimental to them. So I think every hit you take going into a race is significant. So yeah, yeah it was important."

Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing team lost its pit selection choice last weekend at Pocono for written warnings received at Charlotte and the following weekend at Dover. Instead of selecting fifth, based on his qualifying result, the No. 4 team was saddled with the final choice of pit stall.

"We need to get in here and understand the format, understand the system and thankfully we have a system like this," Knaus said. "I think it’s great that NASCAR is willing to have an open forum where we can get together and chat and have a face-to-face conversation about it and try to get some clarification."

Posted on by
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/jimmie-johnson/
JimmieJohnson
Hendrick Motorsports
“Six-Time” wasn’t celebrating in Victory Lane at Pocono, but his ability to overcome inspection hold-ups, a flat tire and brush with the wall for a third-place result was impressive. And with four 2015 victories, Johnson remains the winningest driver this season and doesn’t appear to be done — he’s finished seven of the past eight races in the top three.
Bridesmaid Harvick. This description of “Happy” isn’t totally accurate — after all, he’s won two races this season — but it does seem to be scarily coincidental at Michigan. Harvick has finished second in the past four races at the track located in Michigan’s Irish Hills. Will he be sitting in second again this weekend — or tossing the bouquet from Victory Lane?
After weeks of dominating and just missing out on a win, Truex Jr. and Co. finally took the checkered flag last weekend at Pocono, giving them stellar momentum heading to Michigan. And they may need it — the No. 78 driver brought home 37th and 36th-place finishes at the 2-mile track in 2014.
Joey Logano put his No. 22 Ford back in the top five with a fourth-place finish at Pocono. His good fortune may very well continue this weekend, as Logano has earned two top-threes in his last three races at Michigan, a track where Fords tend to run well. The No. 22 driver also took the checkered back in 2013, when he won from the pole position.
The eldest Busch brother bounced back from a 31st-place finish at Dover, nabbing a fifth-place result after starting from the pole position at Pocono. He knows how to win at Michigan, too — the Stewart-Haas Racing driver is a two-time victor at the Irish Hills track.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/dale-earnhardt-jr/
DaleEarnhardt Jr.
-1
Hendrick Motorsports
Junior wasn’t able to follow up his 2014 Pocono sweep, finishing just outside the top 10 for the second straight week. But Michigan looks brighter for the No. 88 wheelman; he earned his first win with Hendrick Motorsports there in 2008 before winning again in 2012, owns an 15.6 average finish and recorded fifth- and seventh-place results in 2014.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/brad-keselowski/
BradKeselowski
-1
Team Penske
Keselowski has been a bit of a sleeper, recording 12th and 17th-place results at Dover and Pocono. Luckily, Michigan is familiar territory for him, as Kes hails from nearby Rochester Hills, Michigan — less than 100 miles from the speedway. He’s also got the stats to boot, finishing both Michigan races in the top eight last season.
With a sixth-place result at Pocono last weekend, Kenseth broke his five-race streak of finishing 22nd or worse at the Tricky Triangle. Michigan looks like it will be a bit more enjoyable for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, as he boasts an impressive 10.7 average finishing position there.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/denny-hamlin/
DennyHamlin
Joe Gibbs Racing
As a four-time winner at Pocono with a solid eighth-place starting position, expectations were higher for Hamlin last weekend at the Tricky Triangle. Nevertheless, hat tip to the No. 11 driver, as he did nab a 10th-place finish. He’s won twice at Michigan, but hasn’t managed to earn a top-five result since his win in 2011.
Sadly for Gordon, the bickering between him and crew chief Alan Gustafson was the highlight of his 14th-place performance at Pocono. The No. 24 team needs to smooth things over before Sunday, as Gordon’s got good chances at Michigan, a track where he’s reached Victory Lane three times and where he picked up one of his four wins last season.
After notching his spot in the Chase with a win at Charlotte, Edwards has managed sub-par 15th- and 19th-place runs at Dover and Pocono. Michigan may bring some better numbers for the No. 19 team, as Edwards holds the best average finishing position (9.7) among his peers at the Irish Hills track and is the only active driver to have an average inside the top 10.
Kahne’s run at Pocono was fairly uneventful, as the No. 5 driver started 12th and finished 13th in the 400-mile event. His early-season speed has slowed in recent races, with the exception of a fourth-place finish at Dover. But a win for Kahne at Michigan isn’t outlandish; he finished in the top five last June and won back in 2006.
McMurray has quietly recorded steady finishes throughout the year and has especially excelled in the past couple weeks with a pair of seventh-place finishes at Dover and Pocono. There’s a reason McMurray is seventh in points — he’s consistent week after week and may very well be a dark horse this season.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/kyle-busch/
KyleBusch
-1
Joe Gibbs Racing
Kudos to Busch, as he earned his first top-10 finish since returning to competition at Pocono last weekend. However, Busch needs a win to make the Chase and it doesn’t look likely that Michigan is the track where he’ll take the checkered — despite winning in 2011, he’s posted a trio of 31st-or-worse finishes in his past three races at the track.
Newman’s day at Pocono was ultimately ruined when he and AJ Allmendinger made contact and the No. 31 ride was unable to finish the race. Left with a 39th-place score at the Tricky Triangle, Newman heads to Michigan with a vengeance against the 47 car — but he’ll have to make it to him first. Despite being a two-time Michigan winner, Newman hasn’t nabbed a top-10 there since 2012.
Like his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate McMurray, Larson has made strong runs the past two weeks, recording a pair of top-eight finishes at Dover and Pocono. He finished eighth in this race last season at the Irish Hills track, so the weekend looks promising for the No. 42.
If any track is one for “The Biff,” it’s Michigan. The leader in wins among active drivers with four, Biffle has finished 41.7 percent of his races there in the top five and owns the top average running position of 8.9 at the Irish Hills track. Tack on that his Ford manufacturer excels there and you’ve got a recipe for a good day for the No. 16.
Aric Almirola didn’t do himself any favors last week, as he was scored 43rd after heading to the garage early with a blown engine. And this week doesn’t look much better for the No. 43 team; in six starts at Michigan, he has yet to finish in the top 15 or lead any laps.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/clint-bowyer/
ClintBowyer
Stewart-Haas Racing
Bowyer’s 22nd-place result at Pocono was mediocre — but No. 15 fans, never fear, because Michigan is almost here. If history repeats itself, Bowyer could be looking at a solid day Sunday — he’s nabbed top-10 finishes in the last eight races there.
Menard’s day at Pocono was one of many battles, his penalties and cut tire eventually leading to a 31st-place result. The Irish Hills of Michigan do look a little brighter for the No. 27, as he’s recorded three straight fourth-place finishes at the 2-mile track.
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Get analysis for all 43 cars from Sunday’s race

1. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing. The fourth time was the charm for the New Jersey native who led the most laps for the fourth straight race and earns a spot in the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

 

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2.     Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. The fastest car all weekend couldn’t get it done on restarts, although the points leader Harvick cut Truex’s lead to 1.5 seconds coming to the white flag.

3.     Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson rallied for his 10th top-five finish of the year after cutting a tire on Lap 87 to bring out the third caution flag.

4.     Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. Logano had to climb through the field twice on Sunday — first for changing a rear gear and second for a pit road penalty.

5.     Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. The pole sitter pitted near the midway point with tire concerns and used a great late-race restart to resume running in the top five with eight laps to go.

6.     Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Kenseth rallied from an early pit road speeding penalty and was running fifth when he made side contact with Jimmie Johnson on Lap 135.

7.     Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet. Chip Ganassi Racing. McMurray didn’t pit during the final caution period and restarted seventh coming to the final green flag en route to matching his best career Pocono result.

8.     Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. Larson started 15th on Sunday and quietly worked his way to his third straight top-11 finish at Pocono.

9.     Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. "I’m getting killed in the tunnel," Busch radioed his team early while running inside the top 10. "Can’t get over the bumps today." For more in-car audio, sign up for RaceView.

10.  Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin safely slid past as the Nos. 31 and 47 cars tangled up on Lap 141 and went on to claim his sixth top-10 finish of the year.

11.  Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Earnhardt was a big mover early in the race, jumping up to seventh by Lap 22. Contact on a late-race restart, however, stalled his efforts.

12.  Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing. Continual adjustments helped Biffle improve the balance and handling of his Ford; "The day turned out better than I thought it would," he radioed. For more in-car audio, sign up for RaceView.

13.  Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Kahne led twice but encountered some transmission issues as he was working his way through the top 10.

14.  Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. "Stay out," crew chief Alan Gustafson radioed a skeptical Gordon after teammate Jimmie Johnson blew a tire on Lap 87. The decision appeared to ignite an argument that exploded on Lap 160. READ MORE: Gordon, crew chief exchange words

15.  Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. The outside pole sitter matched his best Pocono start and led 16 of the first 29 laps before fading in the field.

16.  Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. Mears was running 24th on Lap 106, and he kept working with his team on his in-car track bar adjustments.

17.  Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. "I need straightaway speed," Keselowski, impacted by the sixth caution period, asked his team. "Anybody got any?" For more in-car audio, sign up for RaceView.

18.  Ty Dillon, No. 33 Chevrolet, Circle Sport. Dillon, making his third Cup start this year, posted his best career result and the highest of the day among the Richard Childress Racing contingent.

19.  Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. After making his best start of the 2015 season, Dillon battled a loose-handling race car before picking up a bonus point for leading five laps during the third caution.

20.  Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Allgaier earned the free pass on Lap 87 and employed pit strategy to improve five spots in the final 20 laps.

21.  Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Stewart was among the few drivers to hit pit road during the sixth caution period to top off his tank in anticipation of a fuel-mileage race. But he was set back during the Lap 130 stop by an uncontrolled tire violation.

22.  Clint Bowyer, No. 15, Michael Waltrip Racing. With 60 laps to go, Bowyer was holding on as the last car on the lead lap and still searching for speed.

23.  David Ragan, No. 55 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. Ragan returned to the lead lap with the free pass on Lap 50 and encouraged his team that the car’s balance was improving.

24.  Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Bayne, making his first Pocono start, returned to the lead lap after the sixth caution flag was waved.

25.  Landon Cassill, No. 40 Chevrolet, Hillman Smith Motorsports. Cassill just missed matching his best Pocono finish — 24th — while navigating the ruckus around Pocono’s Tricky Triangle.

26.  Alex Bowman, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Bowman was running 30th when contact from Brett Moffitt prompted him to spin in Turn 3 on Lap 93 to bring out the fourth caution flag.

27.  David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Gilliland saved fuel and was in position to crack the top 30 during the final 20 laps of the race.

28.  Cole Whitt, No. 35 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Whitt was complimentary of Pocono’s updated Tunnel Turn, but he and other competitors struggled with the bumps.

29.  Josh Wise, No. 98 Ford, Phil Parsons Racing. Wise narrowly missed a spinning Alex Bowman on Lap 93 and held on to record his second-best Pocono finish.

30.  Brett Moffitt, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Moffitt was rolling along 33rd on Lap 129 when he got loose and spun after receiving contact from Brad Keselowski to bring out the sixth caution flag.

31.  Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. An apparent issue with his tachometer prompted Menard to pick up back-to-back speeding penalties on pit road before blowing a left-front tire within the first 50 laps.

32.  Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. The rookie adhered his spotter’s words, "Be smart," and took advantage of a late-race caution to wrap his first Pocono outing.

33.  Jeb Burton, No. 26 Toyota, BK Racing. The Pocono newbie was running deep in the field with 23 laps to go when he radioed to his crew, "it’s not over yet. Get some popcorn and get ready to watch the crash show."

34.  Michael Annett, No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. It was a challenging day for Annett, who spent the majority of the day running deep in the field.

35.  Travis Kvapil, No. 32 Ford, Go Fas Racing. Making his first start of the 2015 Cup season, Kvapil rolled off the grid 42nd and ran as high as 35th on Sunday.

36.  J.J. Yeley, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. Yeley was temporarily sidelined on Lap 38 when a bag stuck to his grille and caused some overheating.

37.  Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Patrick’s strongest Pocono run to date was dashed when she spun on Lap 135 and then again later in the final laps.

38.  AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG-Daugherty Racing. Allmendinger was running eighth and gunning for his best Pocono finish when he made contact with Ryan Newman on Lap 141.

39.  Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Newman was passing AJ Allmendinger on the outside for seventh when Allmendinger traveled up the track and hit Newman’s left-rear, sending the No. 31 spinning. READ MORE: Newman: Dinger ‘has one coming’

40.  Brendan Gaughan, No. 62 Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports. Gaughan rolled off the grid 43rd and struggled to make up position around the long, bumpy 2.5-mile triangle.

41.  Sam Hornish Jr., No. 9 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Hornish was running 22nd and on the lead lap when he spun in Turn 1 and hit the wall to bring out the caution with 40 laps to go.

42.  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17, Roush Fenway Racing. Stenhouse lost his brakes while trying to make a pass going into the Tunnel Turn, and he slammed into the wall on Lap 69.

43.  Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola’s team had just figured out the handling on his No. 43 Ford when he radioed on Lap 74 the engine was blowing up.

Posted on by Staff Report

No. 48 crew chief: ‘We did our due diligence as extreme as we can’

RELATED: Johnson overcomes hurdles for third-place finish

Crew chief Chad Knaus of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team weighed in Monday on his team’s third-place finish as well as its three failed inspections before the Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400 at Pocono Raceway.

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After going through inspection a fourth time before being cleared to race, the team fought back from a blown tire and contact with Matt Kenseth‘s No. 20 before Jimmie Johnson brought home a podium finish.

"We did our due diligence as extreme as we can," Knaus said on FOX Sports 1’s "NASCAR Race Hub" without specifying what the pre-race inspection holdup was. "We went through the first time and weren’t in compliance. Went through a second and failed again. It’s just about guys making the most out of every advantage that we can."

 

Posted on by Staff Report

No. 24 driver and crew chief exchanged heated words at Pocono

RELATED: No. 24 team: "What the (expletive) is the problem?"

Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway was particularly tough for the No. 24 team, with frustrations from both Jeff Gordon and crew chief Alan Gustafson bubbling over onto the radio.

Gordon has yet to get a win in his final full-time Sprint Cup season despite starting from the pole three times. He finished 14th at Pocono after starting fourth.

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In one exchange late in the Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400, Gustafson wanted to bring the car in for fresh tires and gas but Gordon wanted to stay out. Here’s how the exchange unfolded:

Gordon: "What do you think we’re gonna win from here?"
Gustafson: "I don’t want to finish (expletive) 20th."
Gordon: "Tires are not our problem."
Gustafson: "What the (expletive) is the problem?"

Spotter Eddie d’Hondt jumped into the fray, attempting to tamp down the tempers.

Crew chief Chad Knaus, a six-time champion with Jimmie Johnson, joined "NASCAR Race Hub" on FOX Sports 1 Monday to discuss the conversation between his fellow Hendrick Motorsports‘ teammates.

"Here’s the deal and I think everybody can understand this," Knaus said. "If everybody around the table is getting along, someone is lying. Jeff’s doing everything he can and the guys are doing everything they can to get a fast car out there. It’s not personal.

"What Eddie did there was fantastic. He chimed in and tried to calm the waters and put some sense back into it."

Steve Letarte, Gordon’s former crew chief, was an analyst on NBC Sports Network’s "NASCAR America" Monday and echoed much of what Knaus said.

"I think we had some conversations like that," Letarte said of his 186 races atop the No. 24 pit box. "But we did a good job of keeping them off the radio."

Letarte added that frustration has been a factor for Gordon all season with the current rules package. Among the changes this season are a reduction in horsepower and a shorter rear spoiler, which reduces downforce.

"I know Jeff Gordon well, and this package doesn’t suit Jeff’s style," Letarte said.

Fellow analyst and former Sprint Cup driver Jeff Burton added that the rules package could be as damaging mentally for Gordon as it is technically.

"I think Jeff Gordon went into this year knowing he didn’t like this package. You can’t tell me that going into something thinking it’s not good is going to be good," Burton said. "You gotta get your head around it. Whatever the rules are, you have to make it work."

Posted on by Staff Report

Driver will be in the No. 54 seat this weekend at Michigan

RELATED: Entry List for Saturday’s Michigan race

Kyle Busch will return to the XFINITY Series this weekend at Michigan International Speedway, his second start of the season in the series and his first since severe injuries sustained in a crash forced the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to the sidelines.

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Busch, 30, suffered a broken right leg and left foot when he crashed during the season-opening Alert Today Florida 300 at Daytona International Speedway. Busch’s No. 54 Toyota slid across the track near the entrance to Turn 1 and struck a wall not covered by SAFER barrier head on.
 
The injuries kept Busch out of action for the better part of three months. He returned to his Sprint Cup Series duties last month at Charlotte Motor Speedway, competing in the annual Sprint All-Star Race, a short, non-points event, and has since returned to full-time competition in the series.
 
In a release previewing the team’s MIS effort, Busch said his return was "a continuation of my recovery … and we hope to continue to add to my schedule going forward through the rest of the year."
 
NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers will be competing in the Great Clips 250 benefiting Paralyzed Veterans of America at MIS (FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM, 1:30 p.m. ET).
 
It will be just the second race together for Busch and crew chief Chris Gayle.
 
"My goal in February was and still now is that you have to get to the point where not only do I understand what Kyle is asking for," Gayle said, "but I also show Kyle what I can give him.
 
Then the trust develops and continues to build. … We are obviously grateful and excited that we have that chance again."
 
In Busch’s absence, drivers Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones and Boris Said shared the driving duties in the No. 54 JGR entry.