Loudon offers several drivers shot at Chase

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Nascar

Bruce: New Hampshire has a long history of varied winners

MANCHESTER, N.H. — It was a streak interrupted, and another begun.

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Blame, or credit, Joey Logano.

The Team Penske driver’s first win in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series in 2009 kept alive the streak of what would eventually become 13 different winners in victory lane at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

It’s the most for any track, a mark shared with Texas Motor Speedway.

Career win No. 1 for Logano came on a rainy day in Loudon in ’09 – the race was shortened from 301 laps to 273 due to a late afternoon storm.

He was 19 at the time, driving the No. 20 for Joe Gibbs Racing and suddenly the series’ youngest winner.

Five years later, last September in fact, Logano, now driving for Team Penske, returned to the winner’s circle at the 1.058-mile track.

Career win No. 7 halted the streak at 13. And re-set it at 11.

Two of the winners on the current list won’t be around to contend for the title in Sunday’s 5-Hour Energy 301 (1:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR). Mark Martin’s retired and Brian Vickers remains on indefinite leave due to health issues.

The remaining drivers on the list have the credentials to contend and the talent to scuttle the streak — Logano, teammate Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth have already won at least once this year. Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne have, obviously, won here before.

But the lineup of those not among the recent NHMS winners is equally impressive. It includes defending series champion Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards. Each has won this year.

Toss in Jamie McMurray, seventh in points and having a solid season.

Jeff Gordon? He’s only won here three times, his average finishing position (11.4) is top-five material and the four-time series champ sports the best driver rating among active drivers at NHMS (107.3).

Overlook another youngster, Kyle Larson, at your own risk. The Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates driver made his first two starts at New Hampshire last season, but his finishes were third and second. Also worth noting — in 2012, Larson won the K&N Pro Series East race at NHMS.

Ask the drivers, and most will tell you track position is crucial because passing often proves to be difficult. Much like Martinsville in design with slightly banked corners, New Hampshire features straighaways twice as long.

Driver Ryan Newman described it as "just two dragstrips and a hairpin turn."

Winners have come from a variety of starting spots — from the front row to as deep as 38th.

Johnson describes races there as "scrappy," and part of that might be due to their length. One of the series’ shorter races, the 301-mile event offers limited opportunities to pit and make adjustments.

The names of winning drivers might be varied, but it’s been something of a streaky track for the automakers. Chevrolet drivers won six in a row during the most recent run before Toyota drivers won three straight. Ford teams took both races last year.

Those with Chase plans already booked — and the list continues to grow — could spend the weekend tinkering in hopes of having the right setup in place when the series returns later this year.

For others, it’s one more opportunity to join that club.

And those opportunities are dwindling.

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Nascar

Microsoft app, tablets cut in half the hours spent in inspection process

Posted on July 15, 2015 by

‘Real Work Real Play’ Sweepstakes with Gas Monkey Garage, NASCAR rewards a tool user

Davidson, N.C., July 15, 2015 — Ingersoll Rand, the Official Power Tools of NASCAR and a preferred tool provider for Gas Monkey Garage, has announced the "Real Work Real Play" sweepstakes to reward automotive fans who "get it done" with a weekend of fun. Ingersoll Rand is working with NASCAR^® and celebrity automotive expert Richard Rawlings from Gas Monkey Garage to provide one lucky winner a one-of-a-kind trip to Dallas, Texas, to experience a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ race and a backstage tour of the Gas Monkey Garage.

The sweepstakes will reward one person and a guest with an all-expense paid trip for two to Dallas, Texas, Nov. 6-9, 2015 to attend a NASCAR race, enjoy VIP access to special events, a chance to meet Richard Rawlings and more. People can enter to win at www.NASCAR.com or www.realworkrealplay.com from July 15, 2015 to Sept.15, 2015. Individuals must be 21 years old to enter. View the full contest rules here.

"Whether you love racing or you love cars, this weekend in our hometown of Dallas is going to be epic," said Richard Rawlings, co-founder of Gas Monkey Garage. "Ingersoll Rand puts high-performance tools in the hands of real people and now they will put one car lover in the middle of the action."

One person and a guest will win an all-expense paid trip to Dallas, Texas, that includes the following:

• A tour of the Gas Monkey Garage by a member of the Gas Monkey crew.

• VIP treatment at the Ingersoll Rand Power Tools Party at the Gas Monkey Bar N’ Grill where the winner will meet Richard Rawlings and enjoy live music, food and drinks.

• Two tickets and VIP access to a NASCAR race including food and drinks in a private chalet and seats at turn four of the grandstand.

• A three-night stay at the trendy NYLO hotel’s Irving/Las Colinas location and round-trip airfare to Dallas, Texas.

"Hard work has its rewards, and we want to give a hard-working individual the trip of a lifetime," said Brian Welborn, global channel marketing leader for Ingersoll Rand Power Tools. "Ingersoll Rand continues to celebrate people who use real tools for real work with this once-in-a-lifetime experience with Gas Monkey Garage and NASCAR."

Posted on July 15, 2015 by

NASCAR.com’s Kathy Sheldon and George Winkler discuss developments

A pair of frightening wrecks the past two weekends, one involving Austin Dillon at Daytona and the other shaking up Ben Kennedy at Kentucky, have kept safety at the forefront of NASCAR discussions this season.

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While safety — of both fans and drivers — always is a priority for the sanctioning body, it has been of particular concern this season after Kyle Busch suffered a broken leg and foot in the season-opening NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona. And it has been a subject of much debate among drivers, officials, fans and analysts.

RELATED: Safety improvements at Daytona

Is the current course working? Kathy Sheldon and George Winkler discuss the issue for NASCAR.com this week. Post your own thoughts in the comments section below.

Sheldon: One would naturally think that speed is Job No. 1 for NASCAR, but really safety has been a primary concern for years. The sanctioning body has worked hard with tracks to identify problem areas such as the unprotected area where Kyle Busch wrecked in February. The Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barrier technology has been a huge success. And NASCAR has been quick to respond to all race-day safety issues, not just those affecting drivers. Catch fences have been improved to shield fans, and speedy action was taken after a pit road fire at Richmond to ensure fire retardant gear protects crew members effectively. Let’s not forget the HANS device, which was made mandatory following the horrific wreck that took Dale Earnhardt’s life in 2001. NASCAR is quick to address problems and is working effectively to ensure the safety of competitors and fans. The current method of assess, study and implement works quite well.

Winkler: Kathy, those are great examples of how NASCAR has reacted to situations with safety improvements that have made the sport better. But what tends to happen after these flashpoint moments like the Austin Dillon wreck at Daytona is there will be a segment of the population that perceives NASCAR isn’t doing enough to get ahead of the curve. However, as anyone who has ever stepped foot in the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina, can attest, the sanctioning body is continuing to look at potential areas of improvement even before incidents happen. Just this year NASCAR added a seventh safety belt to the driver’s seat, and now the belts connect to the seat instead of the car, providing a snugger fit. That seventh belt allows more head clearance for the driver if the car were to flip over like it did in the Dillon wreck. So sometimes it’s just a matter of getting the word out so people are aware of the improvements. Sorry for the plug, but we have an entire area of our site devoted to such information called Inside Track.

Sheldon: George, I agree that often the flashpoints tend to overshadow a lot of the work going on. The fact is, when safety measures are working, it’s what you don’t see that proves the improvement. Before the latest seat belt changes, we saw composite materials come in for seats. Now it’s common for drivers to tweet photos of their seats being "poured" — they are shaped individually for drivers and made of material much stronger than the old aluminum versions. And those seats are installed meticulously. Austin Dillon‘s team member Tommy Wallace talked to NASCAR’s partner NBC about safety after Dillon’s frightening wreck at Daytona, and his takeaway was everything worked: The only piece of equipment that broke loose in Dillon’s tumble down the frontstretch was the radio. It’s Wallace’s job to ensure Dillon’s seat is installed securely, and he explained that more than three dozen bolts inside the cockpit keep the seat leg braces steering column, seat belt mounts and other equipment in place during rough wrecks. Those pieces all worked at Daytona, holding Dillon safely in his belts and inside the roll cage, even after coming to rest upside-down.

Winkler: That’s amazing, all the work that goes into some of the things we take for granted when we’re watching the race. But with all the safety improvements that have evolved over the years, we’d be mistaken if we didn’t think more could be done. And NASCAR admits as much. As NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell said last week on SiriusXM Radio, in regards to the Dillon crash, you never want to see the car get in the air or into the catch fence. And he followed up by saying NASCAR would be working on it. That’s good, that the sanctioning body isn’t resting on its laurels and trying to say everything is fine. There’s always room for improvement, and as we’ve seen in other sports, too, nobody is immune to safety issues that crop up from time to time. The leagues that continue to work through these issues, and refuse to bury their heads in the sand, will be the ones that thrive.

Sheldon: The roof flap technology that helps keep cars on the ground is now 11 years old, and I agree more needs to be explored on that front. Keeping fans safe always must be a priority. It will be interesting to see how things like new see-through composite materials can be adapted for spectator safety. Some people have suggested Plexiglass at the tracks recently. Any hockey fan can attest, Plexiglass has its own issues. But the fourth generation of Gorilla Glass that soon will protect our smartphones, along with similar products, may spur bigger-scale uses. Part of NASCAR’s mission is staying at the forefront of technology. You can bet the sanctioning body will keep working to find better solutions, from design to materials, in every facet of the sport, including car interiors, rules packages, catch fences and barrier technology. Everyone in the industry got some scares this year, but the sky is not falling. Work is always underway to improve safety.

Winkler: No, the sky is not falling and thankfully nobody was seriously hurt in either of the crashes we recently witnessed. But it’s important that voices continue to be heard, from fans, drivers, teams, tracks, and even from people like us, journalists. There can never be too many voices when it comes to safety. So the next time somebody like Kyle Busch chimes in and gives an opinion that "there’s no sense in grass" at any of the tracks, don’t look at it as him stirring the pot, but rather as him feeling comfortable enough to speak his mind in a sport that is receptive to change. That’s the beauty of times like these, seeing people come together for the greater good. Now, if what you say comes true about the Gorilla Glass, you can bet I’ll race you down the steps to be the first to pound on the glass when my favorite driver whizzes past. Kathy, you better bring your running shoes for that.

Posted on July 15, 2015 by

Eleventh-place finish provides learning experience for driver

SPARTA, Ky. — John Hunter Nemechek had every right to enter Thursday’s UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway with wide eyes and sweaty palms.

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Not only was he making his first start at a 1.5-mile track — his 18th birthday on June 11 allowing him to run on any track length — he was also hopping into the No. 8 NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet with no practice time due to inclement weather. Tack on the potential hazard of seeping rainwater on the track (fondly known as weepers) and the possibility of a bumpy ride due to the rough surface of Kentucky, and it’s enough to make the most experienced driver’s heart rate quicken.

And while he appeared weary post-race, leaning against his No. 8 truck while sitting on the asphalt surface, Nemechek had a simple answer regarding if he had felt nervous with no practice time before the drop of the green: "Not at all."

The young driver’s performance seemed to reflect his attitude. After rolling off the grid 13th, Nemechek quickly dipped into the top bracket, running with drivers like Ryan Blaney for the top spot and even leading a lap around the asphalt oval. He finished the 225-mile event 11th.

"It felt good," Nemechek said. "It showed what we can do as a team and how fast our truck really is."

A fast truck in tow, the No. 8 team also received assistance on pit road from a group of men who know how to win at the highest level: the No. 48 crew of Jimmie Johnson. The crew pitted Nemechek’s No. 8 in Thursday’s Truck race and will pit Johnson’s Sprint Cup entry on Saturday as part of their regular duties.

With a strong showing in his first test on a 1.5-mile track — NASCAR’s bread-and-butter — Nemechek showed the industry he could contend in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Nonetheless, the No. 8 wheelman looks ahead to the remainder of the season, citing areas of improvement in the upcoming races for his team.

"It was fun, we had a really good truck. Just took four tires there at the end and we should have taken two or none," Nemechek said, referring to the late-race four-tire call that caused him to drop several positions on pit road. "We hauled the mail on no tires there in the middle of the race, so definitely some learning to do, but I feel like I learned a lot tonight, feel like I adapted pretty quick and can’t thank my guys enough for a great truck."

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Jason Lofing

First-time winner has right combination of speed, fuel strategy

Performance Motorsports Group’s Corey Vincent captured his first career win in the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series Powered by iRacing last night, coming out on top of a race decided by fuel mileage at Kentucky Speedway. Vincent, while quick, did not have the fastest car and looked to be battling for a top five finish before a fortuitous caution – coupled with excellent fuel savings – helped him score the victory.

PJ Stergios from Last Row Motorsports finished second while his brother Jake came home third. Ray Alfalla (Slip Angle Motorsports) crossed the line fourth and Chris Overland rounded-out of the top five.

Notably absent from the top five was The TEAM‘s Kenny Humpe, who started on pole but had some uncharacteristic struggles with his car. Though he still led 69 of 167, Humpe’s long run speed was lacking when compared to that of Taylor Hurst and Gale Force Racing‘s Brad Mahar. Humpe did manage to salvage eighth place on the evening after having to stop for fuel once more than the leaders. It was only his second finish outside of the top five all season.

The race began with Humpe sprinting to a three second lead after just 30 laps but Mahar in particular was incredibly fast on the long run and began to eat into Humpe’s lead as the laps clicked past. A caution on Lap 51 erased Humpe’s cushion and allowed most of the field to make their first pit stop under yellow. Humpe won the race off pit road but the timing of the caution left everyone questionable on fuel.

When the green flew again Humpe had company at the front. Both Hurst and Vincent quickly overhauled the series leader and began running away from the pack. At first the two matched lap times and Vincent seemed content riding in second but as the run wore on Hurst pulled away as it appeared Vincent started to save fuel in case the race went green to the end.

Vincent’s plan worked to perfection as he stayed out six laps longer than Hurst for this second stop which put him just within the window to make it without calling on pit road a third time. The Brothers Stergios also stretched their fuel far enough to play the same strategy as Vincent but were too far behind to challenge for the win. In the end, Vincent not only made it to the finish but still had enough fuel left for a cool-down lap and a burnout.

Humpe’s championship lead shrank at Kentucky, but not by much. He still leads Alfalla by a healthy 107 points with six races remaining. Chad Laughton slipped a bit after a mediocre eighteenth place result and is now 16 points back of Alfalla in third. Overland continues his strong season, holding the fourth spot just ten points back of Laughton and five ahead of Bryan Blackford.

As the second half of the season gets into swing, Week 11 of the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series takes the sim racers to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Humpe will be looking to rebound after an uncharacteristically poor result (by his standards) but he and his team will have work to do as it appears the field has narrowed the gap. Will Humpe regain his form or will another new face surprise everyone at the Brickyard? Find out in two weeks’ time on iRacingLive and MRN.com!

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Staff Report

Austin and Ty Dillon also set to compete at Ohio dirt track

Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski is scheduled to make his first start on the dirt of Eldora Speedway in the Camping World Truck Series next week.

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Keselowski, who will drive the No. 29 Ford from his own race shop, joins Sprint Cup regulars Austin and Ty Dillon on the preliminary entry list — released Wednesday — for the third annual 1-800-Car-Cash Mud Summer Classic (July 22, 9 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM).

Keselowski has one victory in 64 truck series starts, but did not participate in the tour’s first two events on the half-mile dirt track. The Dillon brothers, who share an extensive racing background on dirt, both competed in the previous two Eldora events. Austin Dillon prevailed in the series’ inaugural dirt-track race in 2013 and will drive the No. 31 Chevrolet for NTS Motorsports this year. Ty Dillon is set to drive for GMS Racing in the No. 33 Chevy.

Veteran owner/driver Ken Schrader, 60, is scheduled to make his first NASCAR national series start of the season, wheeling his own No. 52 Toyota. Schrader has participated in the previous two Eldora races, winning the Keystone Light Pole Award for the inaugural running.

Christopher Bell carries a rich dirt-track pedigree in sprint cars into just his third truck series start. He’ll wheel the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 54 Toyota, aiming to improve upon the fifth-place effort in his series debut at Iowa Speedway.

The event is also scheduled to mark the Camping World Truck Series debut of teenager Madeline Crane, a product of Legends Car and dirt late model racing in her home state of Georgia. Crane took part in the NASCAR Drive 4 Diversity Combine at Langley Speedway last October.

A total of 31 trucks — with one listed with a driver to be announced at a later date — are posted for a maximum 32-truck field.   

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Staff Report

Pick your winner for Sunday’s 5-Hour Energy 301

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Staff Report

Sprint Cup, XFINITY series will adopt superspeedway format at Brickyard, MIS

NASCAR officials told NASCAR Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series teams on Wednesday that it plans to use the superspeedway qualifying format at Indianapolis Motor Speedway next weekend and Michigan International Speedway next month. High drag rules packages were instituted last week for Indianapolis and Michigan International Speedway. In an effort to align with this rules package, qualifying has been updated as well.

Beginning in May at Talladega Superspeedway, there were two rounds of qualifying with drivers turning one timed lap. The top 12 advanced to the final round. Each driver took a warm-up lap, the timed lap and a cool-down lap before returning to pit road. Under the new format at Talladega, Jeff Gordon won the Coors Light Pole Award. It was his 80th career pole, which puts him third all time behind Richard Petty (123) and David Pearson (113). Austin Dillon won the XFINITY pole.

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Last weekend, the format was scheduled to be run by the Sprint Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway, but rain forced the field to be set per the rule book by practice speeds. Under the new format, Daniel Suarez claimed his first XFINITY Series pole.

Based on a random draw at Indianapolis, vehicles will line up on pit road for the first round — rather than nose in or nose out in a pit stall — and NASCAR will release drivers at a predetermined interval. The sanctioning body reserves the right to have more than one vehicle on track at a time. It’s likely that two vehicles will be on track at the same time, but the second vehicle won’t impede or help the one it follows on track.

Following each lap, NASCAR will impound vehicles, and there will be a 10-minute break between rounds. Only during that break may teams make adjustments, and they will only be allowed to adjust tape and use a cool-down unit at that time.

The final round qualifying order will be set from slowest to fastest speeds in the first round with starting positions 1-12 determined by the fastest laps in that second session.

Using a three-round qualifying format with multiple cars on the track at one time last July at Indianapolis, Kevin Harvick won the Sprint Cup pole and Kyle Busch took the XFINITY pole while Gordon set a track record at Michigan in Sprint Cup.

Next Saturday, July 25, XFINITY Series qualifying will be at 11:30 a.m. ET, and Sprint Cup Series qualifying will be at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Nascar

Earnhardt Jr. among the drivers who tested at Chicagoland this week

NASCAR isn’t likely to introduce any new aerodynamic packages for this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, but moving forward, track-specific packages are expected to become the norm for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

And Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he’s just fine with such a move.

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"Absolutely. I think that makes the racing more interesting," the Hendrick Motorsports driver said during a break in Wednesday’s open test session at Chicagoland Speedway.

"I think it’s more interesting for the fans to go through that cycle of learning about these packages and what they do and what type of racing they create. I think it would be really a feather in the cap for the networks. It would give them so much information and ammo to broadcast and put on a good show. Plus I think … it’s a good way to sort of tweak and adjust the racing to make better racing at that track."

Earnhardt was one of four drivers who spent three days testing at the 1.5-mile track. On Monday and Tuesday, Earnhardt joined Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing), Sam Hornish Jr. (Richard Petty Motorsports) and JJ Yeley (BK Racing) for a two-day Goodyear tire test.

Kyle Larson (Chip Ganassi Racing), Greg Biffle (Roush Fenway Racing), Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing), Ryan Blaney (Wood Brothers Racing), Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing), Kurt Busch (Stewart-Haas Racing), Clint Bowyer (Michael Waltrip Racing) and Brad Keselowski (Team Penske) joined the group on Wednesday for the open portion of the test.

It is, Earnhardt said, "a great time to be involved in the sport."

"For me, it’s exciting to go through these (changes)," he said. "You know, this is a three-day test and normally I hate testing, but it’s been fun trying to learn and understand, so I’m excited just to see what happens – whether this stuff works, fails, whatever – but it’s fun to go through it. Good to rearrange the furniture in the living room, so to speak, to something different.

"It was same-old, same-old for so long, so this is kind of neat and exciting – unprecedented really. They used to cut the spoilers and trim them for makes and models throughout the year and adjust to try to level the playing field, but this is a big deal, really, to change the whole thing for everybody at this track and then try something so extreme at another track."

Likewise, he said, aero package changes for Indianapolis and Michigan – where a taller spoiler will produce high drag, "is really extreme and should really alter the racing and what it looks like there. What it’ll look like, I don’t know. But it’s not going to be the same. Fans are going tune in to see that, whatever it is that happens. That’s great."

At Chicago, Goodyear officials wanted to confirm their tire selection for the upcoming kickoff to the Chase. It’s a similar tire to the one run at Texas and Homestead.

Teams wanted to gather as much information as possible before returning here Sept. 18-20 for the start of the 10-race Chase.

On Monday, Greg Stucker, director of race tire sales for Goodyear, told SiriusXM NASCAR that the Chicago test would also include the lower downforce package used this past weekend at Kentucky Speedway.

"Not saying that it’s an option for September but we’re on the race track, let’s get a look at it and see if it shows us the same results that it did earlier in the year at Charlotte and when we tested it at Darlington just a couple of weeks ago," Stucker said.

Teams will also run a lower downforce aero package at Darlington in September.

According to Earnhardt, there were issues with the current tires using the lower downforce package at Chicago, however.

"We saw the tires tearing up," he said. "We tore up from right-front tires. (Martin) tore up one, I tore up one, (Hornish) tore up one, and when Goodyear sees that, man, the red flag comes out and you’ve got to slow down and there’s just not enough time to really prepare for the right tire and get the right tire on the car to get it ready for this race in the Chase.

"So I think we run the 2015 current package that we ran all year here, and who knows what’ll happen next year, though."