Buescher battles back for 4th-place finish at Michigan

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Nascar

Buescher: ‘(The Cup drivers) are really aggressive … I need to learn from that’

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Every outing is a learning experience for NASCAR XFINITY Series point leader Chris Buescher.

Saturday’s Great Clips 250 benefiting Paralyzed Veterans of America at Michigan International Speedway was no different.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

In a race that saw Sprint Cup Series regular Kyle Busch return to Victory Lane and defending XFINITY Series champion Chase Elliott finish second, Buescher had to fight to regain ground lost late in the season’s 13th race.

“It was one of those days where we just lost a lot of momentum on restarts, and that’s on me,” the Roush Fenway Racing driver said after battling back to finish fourth at MIS and speaking briefly with team co-owner Jack Roush. “I’ve got to get better.

“You bring all these Cup guys in and they’re really aggressive and they know how to do it and I need to learn from that. I need to figure out what they’re doing better than I am.”Buescher battles back for fourth-place finish at Michigan

Buescher led twice for 23 laps in the 125-lap race. He inherited the lead on Lap 94 when then-leader Joey Logano and a handful of others hit pit road for fuel under caution. He held the top spot until Logano’s Team Penske Ford shot between Buescher and Busch to regain top spot on Lap 106.

Although he slipped back several positions, additional restarts and a fast car enabled Buescher to pick his way back through the field. But the winner of two of the past three races prior to Michigan couldn’t pull off the comeback.

“A lot of (what you learn) is just where to position yourself,” he said. “The outside had a huge advantage. When we were leading there, I let the 54 (of Busch) get to the outside of me. That’s on me. I didn’t need to let that happen. I’m not a fan of blocking, I think it’s part of it; you have to do a little bit of it to salvage these restarts.”

Contact between Logano and Kevin Harvick in the closing laps allowed Elliott to move to the point and Busch to second. With three laps remaining, Busch powered his way into the lead.

Buescher didn’t know if he’d have enough time to make a run at the leader as the laps wound down, noting “I knew it’d be close.” But he enjoyed having the car under him that at least gave him a chance.

“I told the guys with about 25 to go that this was fun,” Buescher said. “This is how we need to show up to the races each week.

“It was awesome and they did a heck of a job and it is a great points day but I really wish we had a chance to run for the win there.”

Buescher now leads Ty Dillon (who finished 13th at Michigan) by 25 points. Elliott, Regan Smith and Darrell Wallace round out the top five.

The series now moves to Chicagoland Speedway for the June 20th event under the lights at the 1.5-mile track.

Posted on June 12, 2015 by

Living Essentials announces ‘5-hour ENERGY Mission for a Million’ Race

Living Essentials, LLC (the distributor of 5-hour ENERGY® shots) today announced that if Clint Bowyer‘s No. 15 Cherry 5-hour ENERGY® Toyota wins on Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race at Michigan International Speedway, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) will receive a $1,000,000 donation. Living Essentials has already committed to donate $.05 from the sale of every bottle of the limited edition, specially marked Cherry flavored 5-hour ENERGY® shot sold in the United States between May 1, 2015 and July 31, 2015 to SOWF. Living Essentials will provide a guaranteed minimum donation of $200,000 to SOWF in relation to the Cherry bottle promotion.

"In the second year of the program, we want to do something extraordinary to build excitement around our promotion with Cherry 5-hour ENERGY® and SOWF," said Melissa Skabich, Living Essentials’ communications director. "Michigan International Speedway is in our backyard, NASCAR fans are passionate about causes that support the military, and the stars aligned perfectly for us to further support this wonderful organization."

SOWF supports the military’s special operations forces and their families through college scholarships, family services, and financial stipends. To promote SOWF Bowyer drove a special red, white and blue Cherry 5-hour ENERGY® Toyota Camry for several races this season. Sunday’s race is the final one that features the patriotic Cherry paint scheme.

"We’re a very small and not well-known organization, so support on this scale from the makers of 5-hour ENERGY® and driver Clint Bowyer gives us tremendous exposure and allows us to honor the sacrifices of fallen warriors by sending their dependents to college," said Edie Rosenthal, Special Operations Warrior Foundation’s deputy executive director.

"Last year’s donation of $279,061.60 had a profound impact on SOWF, which saw a 99% increase of website visits, and an 11% jump in new visitors to the site from the same time period last year. We also saw an increase in private donations totaling nearly $250,000, which we attribute to the advertising, special events and publicity from the campaign."

Bowyer, who historically performs very well at Michigan International Speedway, is more than ready for a trip to the winner’s circle on Sunday. "Pulling out a victory for SOWF would be an achievement of a lifetime," he said. "I couldn’t name an organization more worthy of this $1,000,000 donation."

*The $1,000,000 will be paid in 20 equal annual installments of $50,000 to SOWF without interest.

Posted on June 12, 2015 by

Kevin Harvick will also start from the front row in Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400

BROOKLYN, Mich. – Kevin Harvick had his sights set on a clean sweep of knockout qualifying at Michigan International Speedway—until Kasey Kahne had other ideas late in Friday’s final round.

Kahne sped around the two-mile track in 35.645 seconds (201.992 mph) to knock Harvick off the pole for Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race (1 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM).

Harvick, who posted a 201.613 mph lap in the final session, had topped the charts in the first two rounds, matching Kahne’s pole-winning time in the second.

The Coors Light Pole Award was Kahne’s first of the season and the 27th of his career—but his first since the October 2012 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway.

Brad Keselowski (201.449 mph) qualified third, followed by Carl Edwards (201.067 mph) and Ryan Blaney (201.056 mph), who is running a partial schedule in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford.

With a 2012 repaving project having narrowed the racing groove at Michigan, Kahne underscored the value of starting up front—and staying there.

"It’s going to be really important," said Kahne, who also gets the benefit of selecting pit stall No. 1., closest to the exit from pit road. "The track is going to change a lot, though, come Sunday, with all the racing going on this weekend and then our practices (on Saturday).

"The track will be a lot different Sunday. So, there will be some passing for sure, but it’s not going to be easy. So track position will play a big role in being there at the end of the race."

Harvick remains the only driver to sweep all three rounds of qualifying at a single track, a feat he accomplished last year at Michigan and Indianapolis, but he fell .067 seconds of doing so for a third time.

"I don’t know that I got everything out of it (the final lap), but the rounds were within seven hundredths (of a second) of each other, " Harvick said. "The guys were doing a great job, and Kasey just got a little bit better lap there than we did."

With possible rain in the forecast, Blaney was nervous as qualifying approached, but not because of the competition. If rain had washed out time trials, the Wood Brothers Racing car would not have made the field, based on fewest qualifying attempts this season—a product of a limited schedule.

"It was funny the way it played out," Blaney said. "It looked like two cells coming at us (on the radar), and a small slit in the middle of them, and we passed right through that slit. That was just kind of lucky for us.

"Like I said, it would have stung knowing how good of a car we had in practice if qualifying rained out. We’re fortunate to get it in, and it’s a bonus to have a good race car."

Brendan Gaughan, who unlike Blaney would have benefited from a rainout, failed to make the 43-car field.

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Staff Report

Team will field two Ford GTs in full IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in 2016

Chip Ganassi has achieved legendary status as a team owner in NASCAR, sports cars and IndyCar racing, with victories in many of the world’s most prestigious races, including the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

Ganassi joined top Ford executives in announcing an ambitious new program for the Ford GT race car at a press conference Friday in Le Mans, France, ahead of this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. With Ford’s backing, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates will field two Ford GTs in the full IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in 2016, beginning with the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 30-31. The team also will field two cars in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

All four cars are expected to compete in the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans, marking the 50th Anniversary of Ford’s overall victory in the prestigious endurance race.

"At Ganassi Racing, we’ve won 17 major championships over the years; over 160 races," said Ganassi. "We’ve won the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the Twelve Hours of Sebring, but we’ve never run at Le Mans. I can tell you, we want to win this race, and when Ford presented us that opportunity, a chance to compete here, well, what race team wouldn’t want to be a part of that?"

The seeds for this opportunity with Ford were sown in 2013, when the team announced a new partnership with Ford to supply the team’s Riley Daytona Prototypes with 3.5-liter, twin-turbo, V-6 EcoBoost power.

Only those on the inside had any inkling that this racing program was doubling as a development program for an engine that will power not only the new Ford GT race car, but also the production version of the Ford GT race car that was launched to overwhelming fanfare at the North American International Auto Show this past January. A couple of weeks after that new car was introduced, NASCAR stars Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray combined with IndyCar stars Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan to win the Rolex 24 At Daytona in Ganassi’s No. 02 Ford EcoBoost/Riley DP.

"We spent the last year and a half getting a better understanding of each other’s strengths, while jointly developing the engine that will be in the race car and the road car," Ganassi said. "We’re very proud of that."

Ganassi isn’t the only one. IMSA CEO Ed Bennett was in the audience for Friday’s highly anticipated announcement and was equally proud of the attention given to the technology transfer story.

"It’s an exciting time with a really exciting car," Bennett said. "The fact that the engine technology was developed in the Daytona Prototype the last couple of years with the EcoBoost V6 and now it’s being applied to this car, it’s the ultimate validation of what a racing program can do."

Everybody will get their first opportunity to see what this new racing program can do for the first time next Jan. 30-31 in the 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona.

"It shows a clear commitment from Ford for sports car racing, and it’s obviously a fantastic, significant development for the TUDOR Championship," Bennett said. "We couldn’t be more proud that the first place this car will race is at the 2016 Rolex 24 At Daytona, which will also be the first chance to show off the new Daytona Rising upgrades to the facility.

"A brand-new facility, and a brand-new Ford GT racing program – for all that to happen together, in a 24-hour environment – will be very exciting, and very special."

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Staff Report

See where your favorite driver will pit on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1)

RELATED: Full starting lineup | See all 43 cars

The pit stall assignments are out for Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway (1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM).

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

Coors Light Pole Award winner Kasey Kahne got first pick of a stall on pit road and the Hendrick Motorsports driver chose the pit stall closest to the exit of pit road. Kahne will have a clear path off pit road to get back out to the 2-mile track.

Kevin Harvick (starting second) has the pit stall right behind Kahne, which could make for some interesting races off pit road.

Carl Edwards (starting fourth) and Ryan Blaney (starting fifth) have openings in front of them on pit road.

Jeff Gordon (starting sixth) chose the pit stall closest to the entrance of pit road.

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Staff Report

Driver paces field with best speed of 191.215 mph

RELATED: Full practice results

Chase Elliott came out of nowhere to squeak to the top of the leaderboard in the final seconds of the day’s only XFINITY Series practice on Friday, making his way around Michigan International Speedway at a blistering pace of 191.215 mph.

Aric Almirola had just bumped his way to the top seconds earlier to finish second at 190.446 mph.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

Brian Scott and Chris Buescher had been tied atop the leaderboard for most of the session before falling to third and fourth, respectively. The pair of series regulars finished with a 190.285 mph clip around the 2-mile track, enough to best Buescher’s Roush Fenway Racing teammate Darrell Wallace Jr. (190.134 mph, who placed fifth) and Scott’s Richard Childress Racing teammate and defending race winner Paul Menard (190.114 mph, who placed sixth)

Kyle Busch, making his first return to XFINITY Series competition since a crash in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway sidelined him for several months, was seventh on the chart 190.019 mph.

After rain washed out the first practice session, the final practice started nine minutes early and ran until 3:55 p.m. ET.

Qualifying for Saturday’s Great Clips 250 Benefiting Paralyzed Veterans of America (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1) is set to begin earlier in the day at 10:15 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Staff Report

Wet weather impacts opening Sprint Cup practice, delays XFINITY Series

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Rain came and went during Friday’s opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice at Michigan International Speedway, and then the wet weather washed out the opening 60-minute NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, which was slated to run from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET.

XFINITY Series cars were able to hit the track for the scheduled final practice. Actually, the track went green about eight minutes before the scheduled start time of 2:30 p.m. ET, giving the teams a little extra time. Final XFINITY practice was set to run until 3:55 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 ahead of Saturday’s Great Clips 250 benefiting Paralyzed Veterans of America (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM).

On-track activity started at 11:30 a.m. ET start at the 2-mile track in preparation for Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400 (1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM), the 15th of 36 races this season. But light rain under gray, threatening skies placed practice on hold two different times. Defending Sprint Cup Series champion and current point standings leader Kevin Harvick topped the session.

Coors Light Pole Qualifying for Sprint Cup cars is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2.

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Staff Report

SHR driver paces session with best speed of 202.094 mph

Rain halted the opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice at Michigan International Speedway twice on Friday afternoon, but Kevin Harvick had already established a formidable speed atop the leaderboard that stuck through the remainder of the session.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

The Stewart-Haas Racing driver paced the field with a best speed of 202.492 mph, achieved in just five laps in prep for Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400 (1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM).

Joey Logano was second in the session at 201.607 mph, followed by last week’s winner Martin Truex Jr. (201.157 mph), Denny Hamlin (200.921 mph) and Jeff Gordon (200.781 mph).

Clint Bowyer struggled in the session with his new crew chief, Billy Scott, as the No. 15 Toyota came in 27th on the leaderboard at 197.055 mph.

With 25 minutes left in the session, Kurt Busch lost control of his No. 41 Chevrolet, sending it into the outside wall.

"Went down in there and was a little twitchier when it turned in and then it went full on left," Busch radioed to his team after the hit. "Sorry … it’s pretty much ruined."

Crew chief Tony Gibson decided to switch to a backup car, which the 2004 Cup champion will test run during Coors Light Pole Qualifying at 4:15 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2.

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Staff Report

Phoenix International Raceway to be called Jeff Gordon Raceway for one day

BUY: Phoenix tickets

Phoenix International Raceway will be called Jeff Gordon Raceway for the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Nov. 15, a track representative announced Friday. The race is No. 35 of 36 in the 2015 season and also Gordon’s penultimate race as a full-time driver.

Gordon has two wins and 23 top 10s in 33 career Cup starts at Phoenix. It was also the site of one of the most controversial moments of his distinguished career in 2012 when he wrecked championship contender Clint Bowyer in the closing laps.

Since he announced his intention to step down from full-time competition (although he still hasn’t used the word "retire") in January, tracks have honored Gordon in a variety of ways.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway gave him a customized blackjack table and changed the speed limit around its facility to 24 mph; Atlanta Motor Speedway offered a red No. 24 Bandolero car, with the names of Gordon’s two children, Ella Sofia and Leo, over each door; and Bristol Motor Speedway had Ella Sofia and Leo give the command prior to its April race.

This story will be updated.

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Zack Albert

GM Joe Garone discusses whether team is looking to change manufacturers

BROOKLYN, Mich. — A matter of weeks ago, the direction of Furniture Row Racing centered on potentially expanding to a multi-car organization. Now, just days removed from the team’s first victory in four years, the tenor of that discussion surrounds which automaker’s badges will be on those cars.

Furniture and mattress magnate Barney Visser told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio earlier this week that his No. 78 Chevrolet team was exploring a potential change in manufacturers. The car owner’s remarks came while the Colorado-based team was still in the honeymoon phase of Martin Truex Jr.’s feel-good victory last weekend at Pocono Raceway.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

Friday at Michigan International Speedway, Furniture Row general manager Joe Garone elaborated on the team’s exploration, saying that it was looking into options that make financial sense.

"It is. It’s about business," Garone said. "We are in a sport that is real expensive. We truly can’t afford to do it. We can do it. When I say we can’t afford to do it, I mean at the level we want to push it to in order to be able to be in position to win a championship. We need more resources. Chevrolet has been a great partner. We have been together for 10 years now. But they are spread across … they do a great job; look at all the championships they have won. But to get to the level we need to get to, we need to get a lot more support. We are open and have been looking to try and get that just to push our team forward further."

Going further would mark an even more pronounced performance pick-up for Truex, who has run at the front of the pack in recent weeks, leading gobs of laps before finally cashing in last weekend at Pocono. The victory virtually assured Truex a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs, where Furniture Row will make only its second appearance since the organization’s formation in 2005.

MORE: Truex takes long road back to Victory Lane

From those origins, however, the team has been exclusively linked to Chevrolet for its decade-plus in NASCAR’s top division. For the majority of the team’s lifetime, it has also carried the colors of Furniture Row and Denver Mattress, Visser’s own companies. Garone — who was quick to distinguish that the operation was definitely looking, not definitely changing automakers — said that the scope of the team’s search included both new manufacturers and new sponsors.

"One of the things about the No. 78 car is because it has always had Furniture Row and Denver Mattress on it, everybody assumes it is sponsored," Garone said. "It has made it tough to find partners, but again Barney owns those companies. We need to get the word out that we are actively looking for sponsorship to come on board. Not just for the No. 78, but to expand the company into a multi-car team. It is for the long-term growth of the team. We will just see what plays out and just keep pushing the button and try to expand this thing."

RELATED: Is second car in the cars for Furniture Row?

For Truex, his focus remains trained on improving over the second half of the regular season and making a move for his first Sprint Cup championship in the 10-race Chase. But he also acknowledged that teams, regardless of their position in the garage’s pecking order, are continually searching for an edge.

"More of what we are doing and just continuing to get better and push hard and try to find more speed," Truex said. "I think everybody is looking right now. Everybody is constantly working hard. Things change a lot in this garage area. There are a lot of smart people that are always working and always pushing to find more. We just have to keep doing that. I think that we have shown this year that we are capable of it. Certainly the last four weeks have been great. I feel like we have shown and proved that we can battle with them week in and week out.

"Honestly we just have to keep our eye on the prize, stay focused and keep working hard. I know for a fact the team has it in them. It’s just a matter of whether we get it done or not."