Third-place finish after late cautions didn’t diminish day’s gains

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FONTANA, Calif. — The disappointment was palpable as Kurt Busch candidly answered questions from a handful of reporters huddled around his No. 41 Chevrolet on Auto Club Speedway pit lane Sunday afternoon.

A hundred yards away Brad Keselowski was performing a loud victory burnout for the sold-out California crowd. The celebration could have easily belonged to Busch, who started from the pole position, led a race-high six times for a race-best 65 laps, but finished third after getting out-maneuvered on the restart of NASCAR’s second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish.

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Keselowski led only that final lap.

Busch was obviously letdown by the outcome. Yet even in the highly emotional moments immediately after the race, he didn’t deflect his fortune on the late caution flag controversy.

Busch actually seemed upbeat despite the outcome.

"I don’t know what we could have done different,” Busch said matter-of-factly. "We just got pinned in by the yellows and the sequence at the end on which tires we needed to have to optimize how many laps were left.

"We had two tires; Keselowski had four. We didn’t need that extra yellow at the end, and I just got out-muscled by Keselowski."

And contrary to what one might have expected, Busch even described the day as being "fantastic" overall.

For him, every day racing a Sprint Cup car is fantastic.

After missing the first three races of the 2015 while serving a NASCAR suspension for legal issues off-track, Busch has wasted no time returning to form behind the wheel of the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet.

He started eighth and finished fifth in his first race back at Phoenix a week ago and added a Coors Light Pole Award and third-place effort in California.

In those two starts, Busch has earned more points (82) than four drivers who have started all five races — his team owner Tony Stewart among those he has outpaced in just two races (see the full standings here). And because NASCAR granted Busch an exemption, he is Chase eligible as long as he stays among the top 30 in points. He’s already 28th.

"Some of it is the preparation of the team and some of it is the cars coming back toward my driving style," Busch explained of his fast start. "I like cars with less downforce in the rear and that balance feel I think has complemented the way that I drive. So, honestly I think it has to do with some of the rules packages that NASCAR has implemented and you’ve got to drive the car a little bit looser."

After winning the pole position at the super fast California 2-miler on Friday, Busch insisted he wasn’t looking for redemption necessarily. But he was frank about how much it means to be back in a car and the extra motivation he carries.

"It’s about driving,” Busch said. "I have said it before on how this is a privilege to have a chance to drive at this top level. When it is taken away from you or you have made a mistake and you don’t get a chance to go out there and do it on your terms, it is tough. 

"I don’t have anything to prove. I have my job to do, which is to go out there, drive and race for wins."

His talent has never been in question, but his drive has never more apparent.

"(I’m) just putting the blinders on and focusing on the car," Busch said. "It’s my love. It’s my passion. It’s what I do."

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Keep tabs on the activity at Martinsville Speedway

This week brings the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to Martinsville Speedway.

The Sprint Cup Series STP 500 will be held on Sunday, March 29 at 1 p.m. ET with coverage on FOX Sports 1. 

The Camping World Truck Series Kroger 250 is on Saturday, March 28 at 2:30 p.m. ET with coverage on FOX Sports 1.

For more information on track times, press conferences and GarageCam, you can check out the full weekend schedule.

We know you may not have the time to watch the race action without any interruptions, so if you’re on the go, here’s how to keep up at Martinsville.

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NASCAR.com’s live Sprint Cup Series leaderboard and Camping World Truck Series leaderboard update in real-time and offer constant text updates of lead changes, cautions, strategies, strong runs and everything in between. From the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series leaderboard, fans can also access live standings. On the go? Download the NASCAR Mobile app to follow the leaderboards live from your device.

Lap-by-Lap will keep you caught up even if you can only take a peek here and there. Check in to read back through all the laps you’ve missed, or keep an eye on the feed for real-time race updates.

We’ll also send race updates via Twitter through the official @NASCAR and @NASCARStats handles.

RaceBuddy will have enhanced views and coverage for the Sprint Cup Series with 10 HD live race views, including up to eight in-car cameras, two mosaic views, live leaderboard and interactive chat.

Haven’t tried RaceView yet? If you sign up, you’ll get virtual videos of cars on the track from various angles and hear what your favorite team is saying over the radio in the Sprint Cup Series race. Use it as a second screen or as your only screen. Just want to scan the radios? You can have that too with Scanner (formerly RaceView Audio). On a mobile device? Get RaceView Mobile here.

If you want to be more involved in the on-track action, you can manage your fantasy team on NASCAR.com and follow your team’s performance in NASCAR Fantasy Live. Mobile users can also download NASCAR Connect, a game from OneUp Sports that allows users to play other fans with race predictions for some off-track competition while drivers battle it out on the track.

Live Press Pass video streams will keep the NASCAR action rolling even after the winner goes in and out of Victory Lane. Catch interviews with the top finishers and series champions immediately following the checkered flag for both national series events, and stay tuned to NASCAR.com throughout the week for the latest news.

Wrapping up the week that was and look forward to the week ahead

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Hendrick Motorsports will have five teams vying for starting positions in Sunday’s STP 500 (1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway, but HMS officials aren’t skirting the rules.
 
Since 2006, NASCAR has limited Sprint Cup organizations to no more than four full-time teams. However, officials allow a fifth entry for a maximum of seven starts "for the purpose of enabling a rookie driver … to become familiar with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition."
 
In addition to full-time teams for drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne, HMS will field a fifth entry for defending XFINITY Series champion Chase Elliott at Martinsville.

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It will be Elliott’s first attempt in the Sprint Cup Series, one of five scheduled for the 19-year-old this season. Elliott will also be entered in Sprint Cup races at Richmond (April 25), Charlotte (May 24), Indianapolis (July 26) and Darlington (Sept. 6).
 
The No. 25 Chevrolet will carry sponsorship from NAPA and will be led by crew chief Kenny Francis.
 
Elliott is slated to replace Gordon in the team’s No. 24 Chevrolet beginning in 2016. It will be the first time an organization has fielded five Sprint Cup teams in one race since 2009 provided Elliott qualifies for the 43-car field.
 
HMS fielded a fifth team on a part-time basis that season for driver Brad Keselowski — his final start with HMS came at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October.
 
Roush Fenway Racing was allowed to field five full-time teams through the end of ’09 due to sponsorship agreements that were in place when the cap was announced three years earlier.


MORE INSPECTION TIME ADDED

• NASCAR will continue to incorporate additional time into the pre-qualifying inspection process as the Sprint Cup Series returns from a three-week West Coast swing and heads to Martinsville.
 
Schedule adjustments at Las Vegas, Phoenix and Auto Club Speedway resulted in an additional 15 minutes of off-track time at each venue to allow teams to prepare and present their cars for pre-qualifying inspection and for officials to complete the inspection process.
 
The move came in the wake of inspection delays at the season’s second event, the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Thirteen cars were unable to complete the pre-qualifying inspection process in time to post an official first-round qualifying lap at Atlanta.
 
Friday’s schedule at Martinsville indicates changes from ’14 that will provide an additional 10 minutes of time between the end of opening practice and the start of qualifying. Compared to last year’s Martinsville spring race schedule, opening practice is now five minutes shorter (12-1:25 p.m. ET) and qualifying will being later (4:45 p.m. instead of 4:40 p.m.).

In addition, in a NASCAR bulletin distributed to teams, the first round of Sprint Cup Series qualifying will now be 20 minutes at short tracks and intermediate tracks. This takes affect at Martinsville this weekend.

NO PRACTICE PENALTIES

• No teams required more than three attempts to pass pre-qualifying inspection at Auto Club Speedway, meaning none will be docked 15 minutes at the beginning of practice Friday at Martinsville.
 
NASCAR notified teams earlier this year that any vehicle that fails qualifying inspection more than twice will be subject to a 15-minute practice penalty that will be applied during the opening practice of the next scheduled event.

TIRES IMPOUNDED

• NASCAR impounded the tires from four teams following Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. Tires from the teams of Kevin Harvick and teammate Kurt Busch (Stewart-Haas Racing), as well as teammates Ryan Newman and Paul Menard (Richard Childress Racing) went back to the NASCAR R&D Center for evaluation.
 
Harvick and Busch finished second and third, respectively, while Menard finished fourth and Newman fifth.
 
It marked the second time this season that NASCAR had impounded tires following a Sprint Cup Series event. The sanctioning body took tires from the teams of race winner Harvick and eighth-place finisher Joey Logano after this month’s Phoenix race.
 
No issues with the Phoenix tires were found, according to NASCAR officials.
 
Sunday’s race was the first for teams with the new left-side tire code at Auto Club. There was no change in the right-side tires.

• According to Goodyear, Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series teams will run the same Goodyear tire codes this weekend at Martinsville used when the two series visited the half-mile track last October.

This particular tire is not used for any other events by the two series.

PIT ROAD PENALTIES

• Officials in NASCAR’s Pit Road Officiating (PRO) trailer called 12 of the 22 penalties issued during Sunday’s Auto Club 400, the second fewest through this year’s first five races.
 
Six of the 12 were for tire violations — failure to control an outside tire.
 
Only Phoenix saw fewer total violations (19) and those made by officials in the PRO trailer (nine).
 
There have been 158 penalties thus far this season, including 60 that were called by the PRO group. Officials in the tower continue to call infractions for speeding when entering/exiting pit road, pitting before pit road is open and various safety-related violations.
 
Officials in the PRO trailer use video to respond to potential infractions such as too many crewmen in contact with the pit service area, crewmen over the wall too soon and pit box tire violations.

PENALTIES FOR FONTANA INFRACTIONS

• On Wednesday, NASCAR issued penalities for infractions during race weekend at Auto Club Speedway. Click here for penalties on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series No. 33 team, and click here for penalties on the NASCAR XFINITY Series No. 8 team.

POST-RACE INSPECTIONS
 
• Because of the schedule that saw teams competing at Las Vegas, Phoenix and Auto Club Speedway in consecutive weeks, final post-race inspection for entries from both Phoenix and Auto Club will be conducted Wednesday at the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina.
 
Both Stewart-Haas Racing entries of driver Kevin Harvick, which finished first and second at Phoenix and Auto Club, respectively, were sent back to the R&D Center as well as the cars of Auto Club winner Brad Keselowski (Team Penske) and Phoenix runner-up Jamie McMurray (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates).

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Chat with race fans as NASCAR heads to Martinsville Speedway

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Driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet earns fourth top-six result in five races

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FONTANA, Calif. — Coming off a sixth-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is feeling good.

That finish is especially welcomed when just one week prior in the CampingWorld.com 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, the 12-time NMPA Most Popular Driver Award winner suffered a tire failure that sent the No. 88 into the wall and to a last-place finish, demolishing his streak of three consecutive top-five finishes to open the season.

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"We’re just glad to be able to rebound," Earnhardt Jr. said Sunday at Auto Club Speedway. "Last week was very dismal, disappointing and frustrating."

Although Dale Jr. was the one piloting the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at Fontana, he has his team — newcomers and old faces — to thank for his performance on the oldest asphalt on the Sprint Cup Series schedule.

"Greg’s real sharp," Dale Jr. said referring to his crew chief, Greg Ives, who is in his first season atop the pit box for the No. 88 team. "He’s still, you know, learning the ropes and taking everything in. He’s a sponge, just absorbing everything he can. He’s got a great help, too. Kevin Meendering is my lead engineer from last year. There’s a lot of great information that Kevin already knows about me, what I like, don’t like, what’s worked for us in the past to make our cars work. So he’s feeding off of that. I’m sure Kevin is giving him a lot of great information."

Junior might still be adjusting to Ives, but his performances this season don’t show a lack of familiarity between driver and pit boss as he is currently fourth in the driver standings with three top-fives and four top-10 finishes.

The Sprint Cup Series heads to Martinsville Speedway for the STP 500 (March 29, 1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1) next weekend where Dale Jr. won the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 in October of 2014, earning his first grandfather clock.

"I’m surrounded by a bunch of great guys, a great crew," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Look forward to getting to the next race. We want to get a win, get that in the bank if we can."

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Breaking down how the full 43-car field fared at Auto Club Speedway

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RELATED: Full race results | Updated series standings

1. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. Keselowski led only the final lap at ACS en route to his first victory of 2015 as well as his first at the 2-mile oval, where he previously averaged a 23rd-place result. He improves four spots in the points to rank fifth.

2. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Strong all day, the Bakersfield, California, native led 34 laps before finishing second. He extends his streak of top-two finishes to eight, three shy of Richard Petty’s 1975 record.

3. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. In just his second race back, Busch started from the pole — his first of the year — but couldn’t hold on for his first victory despite leading a race-high 65 laps.

4. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Running the bottom and being smooth with the throttle paid off for Menard, who quietly toured Fontana en route to his best career result at Auto Club.

5. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Newman continued his climb in the points standings and now ranks sixth after collecting his fourth straight top-10 of the season.

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6. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. He recorded his fourth top-10 result of 2015 on Sunday at Auto Club and improves to fourth in the driver standings.

7.  Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. Logano was penalized on Lap 154 for an uncontrolled tire on pit road, but overcame the infraction and earned his fifth straight top-10 of the season.

8. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing.  A two-tire call under caution on Lap 99 gave Truex better track position, and he held steady to become the third driver this season to record  five straight top-10s. | Sign up for Scanner today to hear in-car audio

9. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. The El Cajon, California, native was running fifth before he was shuffled back during the second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish.

10. Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon skipped pitting during the closing laps of his Fontana finale and survived two attempts at a green-white-checkered finish to record his 12th ACS top 10.

11. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola sustained some early fender damage during a restart, but held on to capture his best career finish at the 2-mile Fontana track.

12. Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. In just his second ACS appearance, Allgaier quietly improved from a 31st starting spot to run 12th in the closing laps. He held on during two wild green-white-checkered attempts to record his best career Cup result.

13. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. A late-race pit road penalty didn’t destroy Edwards’ day. He improved four spots to rank 17th in the standings.

14. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Clean air was more valuable than fresh tires to Stewart, who employed a two-tire call early to improve his track position. | Sign up for RaceView to see pit crew stats on race days

15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17, Roush Fenway Racing. The wavearound put Stenhouse back on the lead lap with 45 laps to go, and he closed 17 places in the final 20 circuits to record his best ACS finish.

16. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Dillon cut his left-rear tire on the Lap 105 restart, but rallied back in just his second appearance at Auto Club Speedway.

17. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Kahne cracked the top 10 on Lap 167, but couldn’t maintain the momentum. He now ranks eighth in the points.

18. David Ragan, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Ragan opened Sunday’s event from fourth and initially experimented with the driver adjustable track bar, lowering it half-an-inch before spinning out on Lap 23.

19. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Patrick reported issues with her car’s ability to turn in the corners, but stayed out of trouble to record her second consecutive top-20 result at ACS. | Sign up for Scanner today to hear in-car audio

20. Chris Buescher, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Buescher, an XFINITY Series driver for Roush Fenway Racing, made his Cup debut on Sunday. He was outrunning the entire Roush Fenway fleet just past the midway point.

21. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. A relatively ho-hum day didn’t hurt McMurray, who finished five positions ahead of his 26th starting spot and even picked up three spots to now rank 16th in the points.

22. Brett Moffitt, No. 55 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. The highest finishing Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender, Moffitt stepped in for Brian Vickers after he was sidelined due to the recurrence of a blood clot.

23. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. The Bakersfield, California, native suffered a flat right-front tire late in the race, but picked up seven spots in the closing laps.

24. Cole Whitt, No. 35 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. In just his second ACS appearance, the Alpine, California, native scored his best 2015 result since finishing 22nd in the season-opening Daytona 500.

25. Landon Cassill, No. 40 Chevrolet, Hillman Smith Motorsports. Rallying from a 40th-place start, Cassill matched his ACS finish from a year ago and posted his second-best result of the 2015 season.

26. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. After running in the top 10 for most of the race, the Elk Grove, California, native lost his bumper cover during the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish and fell to his worst finish since Atlanta.

27. Brian Scott, No. 33 Chevrolet, Circle Sport Racing. Scott ran as high as eighth before a tight-handling condition emerged. Still, he recorded his best ACS finish in just his second Cup outing there.

28. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin overcame early issues, such as a broken tach needle and radio trouble, but ultimately couldn’t recover from a late-race pit road violation. | Sign up for RaceView to see pit crew stats on race days

29. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Handling was a persistent issue after Bayne, in just his second ACS appearance, made contact with the wall during the first half of the race.

30. Clint Bowyer, No. 15, Michael Waltrip Racing. Bowyer started 10th, but slipped to run top 20 after early damage to his right-rear. Contact with another competitor on the final lap further impacted his run as he fell 15 positions from Lap 200 until the finish nine laps later.

31. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. In the closing laps, Kenseth’s crew rattled off a 10.7-second stop that likely would have kept their driver in the lead if not for a broken axle. | Sign up for RaceView to see pit crew stats on race days

32. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle improved to run eighth at Lap 200 after staying out during a late-race caution, but spun out on the final lap.

33. Alex Bowman, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Although he led one lap during an early caution period, Bowman ultimately couldn’t recover from a speeding penalty on pit road on Lap 63 in just his second ACS outing.

34. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing. The Los Gatos, California, native reported trouble with temperatures early and eventually fell off the pace after losing a cylinder.

35. David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. After losing power steering, the Riverside, California, native likened driving his car to "wrestling a bear." | Sign up for Scanner today to hear in-car audio

36. Josh Wise, No. 98 Ford, Phil Parsons Racing. Also hailing from nearby Riverside, California, Wise employed patience en route to his best career result at the 2-mile oval.

37.  J.J. Yeley, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. Yeley’s day was impacted after he was caught speeding leaving pit road at Lap 200 for the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish.

38. Michael Annett, No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Annett, making his second ACS appearance, struggled to find momentum after his team was hit with a tire violation on Lap 139.

39. Jeb Burton, No. 26 Toyota, BK Racing. After qualifying 34th, track position remained an ongoing issue for the rookie.

40. Mike Bliss, No. 32 Ford, Go Green Racing. A Lap 25 penalty for a crewmember over the wall too early sent Bliss to the rear of the field, and he spent the rest of the day playing catch-up.

41. Brendan Gaughan, No. 62 Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports. It was a penalty-free day for Gaughan, who last raced at ACS in 2012 and struggled to make much forward progress after qualifying 38th. | Sign up for Scanner today to hear in-car audio

42. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. The Grass Valley, California, native broke even on Sunday — finishing where he started — in his first appearance at Auto Club Speedway and only his second in the Sprint Cup Series.

43. Sam Hornish Jr., No. 9 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Hornish, running middle of the pack, smacked the wall after tangling with Trevor Bayne on Lap 98.

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Fortune 500 company leverages partnership to continue driving business

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Daytona Beach, Fla. (March 23, 2015) — NASCAR® and Sherwin-Williams, the nation’s largest specialty retailer of paint and paint supplies, announced a three-year extension to their Official Partnership. The newly signed extension will designate Sherwin-Williams as the "Official Paint of NASCAR" through 2017.

Sherwin-Williams, a FORTUNE 500 company, will continue to leverage its designation for architectural paint and the power of NASCAR’s intellectual property at its more than 4,000 stores nationwide and ignite the passion of its customers – many of whom are fiercely brand-loyal fans of the sport.

"Our continued partnership with Sherwin-Williams is another example of FORTUNE 500 brands successfully using NASCAR as an integral part of their marketing mix," said Norris Scott, NASCAR vice president, Partnership Marketing. "Sherwin-Williams’ integrated approach using our intellectual property, both at track and at retail has proven highly effective. We look forward to expanding the Sherwin-Williams relationship across its multiple business divisions."

By continuing as an Official NASCAR Partner, Sherwin-Williams will also retain its designation in the ‘Official Automotive Paint of NASCAR" and the "Official Transportation Finishes of NASCAR" categories. Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes division will further expand its visibility as one of the leading product innovators and servicers to the collision repair and original equipment industries. Sherwin-Williams is the only direct distribution automotive refinish manufacturer and provides service to its collision repair and OEM customers through nearly 200 company stores in the U.S. and Canada.

"We’re extremely excited and honored to continue and expand our role as the ‘Official Automotive Paint of NASCAR,’ " said Adam Chafe, vice president of Marketing for Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes. "Since 2000, some of the biggest names in motorsports have trusted their vehicles’ finish to Sherwin-Williams. We aim to help teams cross the finish line and ensure that their cars and sponsors always look their best on the track; that also holds true with every repair and repaint our collision repair center customers provide for their end customers."

The designation as the "Official Transportation Finishes of NASCAR" will also help Sherwin-Williams further expand its visibility as one of the leading product innovators and servicers to the fleet refinishing, heavy truck and bus, aerospace and commercial manufacturing industries.

"Today, more than a dozen NASCAR teams currently use Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes," said Bobby Moody, Director of Motorsports for Sherwin-Williams. "The 30-plus drivers who now use Sherwin-Williams have more than 200 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories between them and make up a virtual ‘who’s who’ of NASCAR’s finest finishers."

Through its renewal, Sherwin-Williams maintains its role as a Contingency Sponsor in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ and NASCAR Touring & Weekly Series. The NASCAR Contingency Program fosters strong relationships between competitors and the high quality, performance-driven brands that are leaders in their respective categories, and awards money to teams for each race and at the end of each racing season. As part of the Contingency Program, Sherwin-Williams will be title sponsor of the Fastest Lap Award in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

In addition, Sherwin-Williams continues as a Proud Partner of the International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®), extending a partnership that began in 2013.

For more information about Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes, or the brand’s motorsports program, visit www.sherwin-automotive.com or call 1-800-798-5872.

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Virginia short track latest to make safety enhancements

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Martinsville Speedway will install tire pack barriers to exposed wall on the backstretch of the 0.526-mile track before this weekend’s race activities get under way, according to track officials.
 
The portion of wall addressed runs along the inside of the back straightaway and ends just before the entrance to pit road, which is located in Turn 3.

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The facility is one of 12 owned by International Speedway Corp. that hosts NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events.
 
"We are committed to the continued safety of the drivers and our fans," Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell said. "We will continue to collaborate with ISC and NASCAR for additional safety enhancements deemed necessary."
 
The track is one of a growing number to add temporary tire packs that could eventually be replaced by the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barriers.
 
Kyle Busch sustained a compound fracture of his lower right leg and a mid-foot fracture of his left foot in an accident last month at Daytona International Speedway when his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota struck an unprotected area of the interior wall during a NASCAR XFINITY Series race.
 
DIS officials announced shortly after Busch’s accident that changes would be made to increase the amount of protective barrier around the 2.5-mile track.
 
A week later, four-time series champion Jeff Gordon crashed into a portion of wall at Atlanta Motor Speedway that also was not protected. Gordon wasn’t injured but afterward said he was "very frustrated with the fact there are no SAFER barriers down there."

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The DAYTONA Rising renovation project is expected to be completed in 2016

Photo credits: Daytona International Speedway

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Construction crews began dismantling the backstretch grandstands at Daytona International Speedway on Monday, marking the next phase in the DAYTONA Rising renovation project.

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Full removal of backstretch seating is scheduled to be complete later this year, speedway officials said in a news release. The entire $400 million project — which includes a 101,000-seat stadium-style complex on the frontstretch — is scheduled to be done in time for the 2016 Daytona 500.
 
The speedway unveiled 40,000 new seats on the west side of the 2.5-mile track, along the short chute to Turn 1, in time for this year’s Speedweeks festivities. The frontstretch press box, which also accommodates race control and luxury suites, is slated to be demolished ahead of the Coke Zero 400 there in July.
 
Daytona officials broke ground on DAYTONA Rising in July 2013.

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Chris Buescher will pilot the No. 34 for the second straight week

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RELATED: Entry list for Martinsville

Three interim drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will reprise their roles for the second straight race this weekend at Martinsville Speedway based on the entry list for the STP 500 (1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1).

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Brett Moffitt will drive the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 55 Toyota in place of Brian Vickers, who will miss the next three months of competition after doctors discovered a recurrence of blood clots last week. Vickers has resumed taking blood-thinning medication, which precludes him from racing.
 
Moffitt, a developmental driver for MWR, is scheduled to make his 12th Sprint Cup start and his first in the premier series at Martinsville in Sunday’s STP 500. He finished 22nd Sunday at Auto Club Speedway.
 
Chris Buescher, a NASCAR XFINITY Series regular, will return to the Front Row Motorsports No. 34 Ford for the second straight week. Buescher finished 20th in his Sprint Cup debut Sunday at Auto Club as a last-minute fill-in when Moffitt was named as Vickers’ replacement.

Front Row later confirmed Buescher’s return to the No. 34 on Twitter.

 
Buescher ranks second in XFINITY Series standings, just five points behind series leader Ty Dillon.
 
David Ragan will continue as interim driver of Joe Gibbs Racing‘s No. 18 Toyota in place of the injured Kyle Busch, who suffered fractures of both legs in last month’s XFINITY opener at Daytona International Speedway. With Busch out indefinitely, Ragan is scheduled to pilot the JGR No. 18 for the next several weeks before returning to his regular ride in the Front Row No. 34.

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