Posted on by Staff Report

A stats-based look ahead to the 15th race of the Sprint Cup Series season

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA (June 8, 2015) — Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan going into the Quicken Loans 400 on June 14 (FOX Sports 1 at 1 p.m. ET).

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

MICHIGAN-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

Greg Biffle (No. 16 Safety-Kleen Ford)

·         Four wins, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 11.5

·         Series-best Average Running Position of 8.9

·         Series-best Driver Rating of 107.1

·         311 Fastest Laps Run, second-most

·         1,427 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 179.050 mph, second-fastest

·         Series-high 3,265 Laps in the Top 15 (82.9%)

·         Series-high 920 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green)

Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)

·         Two wins, four top fives, nine top 10s; two poles

·         Average finish of 21.3

·         Average Running Position of 14.9, 12th-best

·         Driver Rating of 89.9, 10th-best

·         179 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most

·         2,518 Laps in the Top 15 (63.9%), eighth-most

·         652 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy Chevrolet)

·         Two wins, seven top fives, 12 top 10s; two poles

·         Average finish of 15.6

·         Average Running Position of 12.5, fifth-best

·         Driver Rating of 98.0, fifth-best

·         197 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most

·         1,549 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 178.673 mph, fifth-fastest

·         2,674 Laps in the Top 15 (67.9%), fifth-most

·         831 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Carl Edwards (No. 19 ARRIS Toyota)

·         Two wins, nine top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 9.7

·         Average Running Position of 11.4, second-best

·         Driver Rating of 100.5, fourth-best

·         200 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most

·         1,427 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 178.757 mph, third-fastest

·         2,967 Laps in the Top 15 (75.3%), third-most

·         861 Quality Passes, second-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 PANASONIC Chevrolet)

·         Three wins, 19 top fives, 27 top 10s; six poles

·         Average finish of 12.1

·         Average Running Position of 13.5, seventh-best

·         Driver Rating of 93.6, seventh-best

·         232 Fastest Laps Run, third-most

·         2,546 Laps in the Top 15 (64.6%), seventh-most

·         678 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet)

·         One win, seven top fives, 12 top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 13.0

·         Average Running Position of 14.3, 10th-best

·         Driver Rating of 90.2, ninth-best

·         153 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most

·         1,581 Green Flag Passes, second-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 178.365 mph, 10th-fastest

·         2,161 Laps in the Top 15 (54.9%), 11th-most

·         656 Quality Passes, 11th-most

 

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 KOBALT Tools Chevrolet)

·         One win, five top fives, 11 top 10s

·         Average finish of 15.9

·         Average Running Position of 11.5, third-best

·         Driver Rating of 102.5, second-best

·         Series-high 411 Fastest Laps Run

·         1,342 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most

·         Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 179.188 mph

·         2,857 Laps in the Top 15 (72.5%), fourth-most

·         766 Quality Passes, fifth-most

 

Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet)

·         One win, eight top fives, 10 top 10s; two poles

·         Average finish of 15.9

·         Driver Rating of 89.0, 12th-best

·         178 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most

·         1,553 Green Flag Passes, third-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 178.475 mph, seventh-fastest

·         2,238 Laps in the Top 15 (56.8%), 10th-most

·         751 Quality Passes, sixth-most

 

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)

·         Two wins, 12 top fives, 18 top 10s

·         Average finish of 10.7

·         Average Running Position of 11.6, fourth-best

·         Driver Rating of 101.3, third-best

·         164 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most

·         1,334 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 178.752 mph, fourth-fastest

·         2,989 Laps in the Top 15 (75.9%), second-most

·         833 Quality Passes, third-most

 

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford)

·         Three top fives, four top 10s

·         Average finish of 14.8

·         Average Running Position of 14.3, ninth-best

·         Driver Rating of 89.0, 11th-best

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 178.294 mph, 11th-fastest

 

Joey Logano (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford)

·         One win, two top fives, seven top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 14.9

·         Average Running Position of 14.3, eighth-best

·         Driver Rating of 91.8, eighth-best

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 178.486 mph, sixth-fastest

 

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet)

·         One win, 12 top fives, 20 top 10s

·         Average finish of 11.7

·         Average Running Position of 12.6, sixth-best

·         Driver Rating of 95.8, sixth-best

·         104 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 178.377 mph, ninth-fastest

·         2,610 Laps in the Top 15 (73.7%), sixth-most

·         735 Quality Passes, seventh-most

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2015 Top 16 at Michigan International Speedway

 

Driver

Races

Poles

Wins

Top Fives

Top 10s

DNFs

Average Finish

Driver Rating

  
 

1

Kevin Harvick

28

1

1

7

12

1

13.0

90.2

  

2

Martin Truex Jr.

18

0

0

3

5

1

18.0

79.1

  

3

Jimmie Johnson

26

0

1

5

11

3

15.9

102.5

  

4

Joey Logano

12

1

1

2

7

1

14.9

91.8

  

5

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

31

2

2

7

12

3

15.6

98.0

  

6

Brad Keselowski

11

0

0

3

4

0

14.8

89.0

  

7

Jamie McMurray

24

0

0

1

4

2

19.2

72.1

  

8

Kasey Kahne

22

2

1

8

10

3

15.9

89.0

  

9

Matt Kenseth

31

0

2

12

18

1

10.7

101.3

  

10

Jeff Gordon

44

6

3

19

27

6

12.1

93.6

  

11

Paul Menard

17

0

0

4

5

0

18.4

71.9

  

12

Kurt Busch

28

2

2

4

9

8

21.3

89.9

  

13

Denny Hamlin

18

0

2

5

8

2

15.3

88.2

  

14

Aric Almirola

6

0

0

0

0

0

20.5

72.2

  

15

Ryan Newman

27

1

2

5

7

2

17.1

77.6

  

16

Carl Edwards

21

1

2

9

15

0

9.7

100.5

  

* – Based on last 20 races at Michigan International Speedway.

 

Michigan International Speedway Data

Season Race #: 15 of 36 (06-14-15)

Track Size: 2-miles

Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 18 degrees

Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 18 degrees

Banking/Frontstretch: 5 degrees

Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees

Frontstretch Length:  3,600 feet

Backstretch Length:  2,242 feet

Race Length: 200 laps / 400 miles

 

Top 10 Driver Ratings at Michigan

Greg Biffle………………………….. 107.1

Jimmie Johnson…………………… 102.5

Matt Kenseth……………………….. 101.3

Carl Edwards………………………. 100.5

Dale Earnhardt Jr.………………….. 98.0

Tony Stewart…………………………. 95.8

Jeff Gordon………………………….. 93.6

Joey Logano………………………… 91.8

Kevin Harvick………………………… 90.2

Kurt Busch……………………………. 89.9

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

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2014 pole winner:

Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet

204.557 mph, 35.198 secs. 06-13-14

 

2014 race winner:

Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet

143.441 mph, (02:47:19), 06-15-14

 

Track qualifying record:

Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet

206.558 mph, 34.857 secs. 08-17-14

 

Track race record:

Dale Jarrett, Ford

173.997 mph, (2:17:56), 06-13-99

 

At Michigan International Speedway:

History

·         Michigan International Speedway sits on more than 1,400 acres in the "Irish Hills" of Southeastern Michigan. Ground-breaking took place on Sept. 28, 1967.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan was held June 15, 1969 – won by Cale Yarborough at a speed of 139.254 mph.

·         The track was known as Michigan Speedway during the time Roger Penske was the primary owner (1996-99).

·         The 2-mile speedway underwent a repave in 2012.

Notebook

·         There have been 91 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Michigan International Speedway since the first race there in 1969. Other than 1973, which had just one race, there have been two races each season since 1969.

·         The first race was 500 miles in length; the second was scheduled for 600. The track was re-measured to 2.04 miles for the last race in 1970 and both races in 1971 – with the race distance being 402 miles. All other races have been scheduled for 400 miles.

·         373 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway; 274 in more than one.

·         Bill Elliott leads the series in starts at Michigan with 61. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 44 starts.

·         Donnie Allison won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Michigan in 1969 with a speed of 160.135 mph.  

·         46 drivers have Coors Light poles at Michigan, led by David Pearson with 10. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with six.

·         Six drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Michigan. David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive poles at Michigan with five; fall 1976 through 1978.

·         Youngest Michigan pole winner: Joey Logano (08/16/2013 – 23 years, 2 months, 23 days).

·         Oldest Michigan pole winner: Mark Martin (08/19/2012 – 53 years, 7 months, 10 days).

 

·         36 different NSCS drivers have won at Michigan International Speedway, led by David Pearson with nine wins; Greg Biffle leads all active drivers with four.  

·         Eight drivers have posted consecutive wins at Michigan International Speedway, including four consecutive by Bill Elliott (1985 sweep and 1986 sweep).

·         Youngest Michigan winner: Joey Logano (08/18/2013 – 23 years, 2 months, 25 days).

·         Oldest Michigan winner: Harry Gant (08/16/1992 – 52 years, 7 months, 6 days).

·         Roush Fenway Racing has the most wins at Michigan in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 13: Mark Martin (four), Greg Biffle (four), Carl Edwards (two), Matt Kenseth (two) and Kurt Busch (one).

·         Eight different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Michigan; led by Ford with 34 victories; followed by Chevrolet with 22. Toyota has four wins at Michigan.

·         18 of the 91 (19.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Michigan have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Jeff Gordon last season.

·         The Coors Light pole position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (18) than any other starting position at Michigan International Speedway.    

·         26 of the 91 (28.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Michigan have been won from the front row: 18 from the pole and eight from second-place.

·         69 of the 91 (75.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Michigan have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Six of the 91 (6.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Michigan have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Michigan is 32nd, by Mark Martin in the spring of 2009.

·         Jeff Gordon leads the series in runner-up finishes at Michigan with eight; followed by Darrell Waltrip with seven and Kevin Harvick with five.

·         NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough leads the series in top-five finishes at Michigan with 21; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 19.   

·         Mark Martin leads the series in top-10 finishes at Michigan with 31; followed by Bill Elliott with 29. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 27.

·         Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Michigan with a 9.615.

·         Carl Edwards leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Michigan with a 9.714.

 

·         All active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Michigan International Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Tony Stewart won at Michigan in his third appearance, the fewest previous starts among the active NSCS winners.      

·         Kevin Harvick competed at Michigan International Speedway 19 times before winning in the fall of 2010; the longest span of any the active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.

·         Among the active NSCS Michigan winners Kevin Harvick (19), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (17) Kyle Busch (13), Jeff Gordon (11) and Joey Logano (10) all made 10 or more attempts before their first win.

·         Jamie McMurray leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Michigan without visiting Victory Lane at 24; followed by Casey Mears at 23.  

·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway was the June 10, 2001 race won by Jeff Gordon over Ricky Rudd with a MOV of 0.085 second.

·         There have been two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Michigan International Speedway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): fall of 2011 (200/203); and fall of 2012 (200/201).

·         Four of the 91 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Michigan International Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was the event on 6/18/2006.    

·         Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway four times; most recently the spring of 2008 race.   

·         One active driver has posted his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Michigan International Speedway: J.J. Yeley (6/17/2007).      

·         Two active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver have posted their first career start at Michigan International Speedway: Carl Edwards (8/22/2004) and Landon Cassill (6/13/2010).

·         Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Michigan with 1,058 laps led in 44 starts.

·         Four female drivers have competed at Michigan International Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie, Robin McCall, Shawna Robinson and Danica Patrick. Of the four female drivers to compete at Michigan, Guthrie has the best finish (10th).  

Driver

Starting Position

Finishing Position

Date

Danica Patrick

14

18

8/17/2014

Danica Patrick

27

17

6/15/2014

Danica Patrick

28

23

8/18/2013

Danica Patrick

37

13

6/16/2013

Shawna Robinson

32

34

6/10/2001

Robin McCall

29

33

8/22/1982

Robin McCall

35

29

6/20/1982

Janet Guthrie

18

27

8/20/1978

Janet Guthrie

15

10

8/22/1977

Janet Guthrie

12

26

6/19/1977

 

NASCAR in Michigan

·         There have been 96 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at four tracks in Michigan.

Track Name

City

NSCS

Michigan International Speedway

Brooklyn

91

Grand River Speedrome

Grand Rapids

2

Michigan State Fairgrounds

Detroit

2

Monroe Speedway

Monroe

1

 

·         98 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Michigan.

·         Nine of the 98 have won at least one race in NASCAR’s national series.

Driver

NSCS

NXS

NCWTS

Brad Keselowski

17

32

1

Paul Goldsmith

9

0

0

Johnny Benson

1

3

14

Tim Fedewa

0

4

0

Butch Miller

0

2

1

Erik Jones

0

1

4

Tracy Leslie

0

1

0

Jack Sprague

0

1

28

Bob Keselowski

0

0

  
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Appeal of a P1 penalty issued on May 27, 2015 to Hendrick Motorsports

RELATED: Hendrick’s No. 48 team wins appeal

The National Motorsports Appeals Panel today heard and considered the appeal of a P1 penalty issued on May 27, 2015 to Hendrick Motorsports relative to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series vehicle #48 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

The penalty concerns the following section in the 2015 NASCAR rule book:

12.5.3.1 – Warnings and P1 penalty options:
.b: Multiple warnings issued to the same team member or team will result in one or more P1 penalties.
.c: If the same team receives two warnings during the same event, or two warnings during two consecutive events, whether the events are championship or non-championship, then this may result in one or more … P1 penalties at NASCAR’s discretion.

The original penalty assessed was the last choice in the pit selection process for the next event.
 
Upon hearing the testimony, the decision of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel is:

•    Warnings are not appealable. NASCAR acted correctly in issuing a P1 penalty after the second warning.
•    But, the panel must also decide if there has been a violation of the rules (Section 14.15.1.b).
•    In the hearing, there was a preponderance of evidence presented that the side skirt violation which led to a warning did occur. There was conflicting evidence about the inspection violation which led to the second warning instead of preponderance.
•    Since only one of the two violations were shown by a preponderance of the evidence, the panel rescinds the P1 penalty.

The panel consisted of the following three individuals:

Richard Gore
David Hall
Jay Signore

 

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Competitors happy to see driver battle back from adversity

RELATED: Junior, Kes leave gifts for Truex | Drivers rally around Truex

LONG POND, Pa. — When you have gone through what Martin Truex Jr. has in the past two years, you have plenty of folks pulling for you. 


FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

On Sunday, the 34-year-old New Jersey native broke through by winning the Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400 at Pocono Raceway, ending a 69-race winless streak.

But the road back to Victory Lane hasn’t been easy for Truex.

Here is a bit of what he has faced since September of 2013:

• Losing his ride at Michael Waltrip Racing due to race manipulation scandal at Richmond that saw him removed from the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and eventually his sponsor, NAPA, leave the organization.

• Longtime girlfriend Sherry Pollex was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last summer.

• Truex also had his worst full-time Sprint Cup Series season in 2014, his first with the one-car Furniture Row outfit based out of Denver, Colorado.

• Last week, Truex’s grandma passed away.

Following the victory at Pocono, Truex reflected on the long, adversity-filled journey he has faced in the past 21 months.



"I knew it was going to be a tough road to get back. I felt at the time — I felt lucky. At the end of that season (2013) I felt really fortunate that there was a great ride open with the 78. They were just coming off their best year ever, and went into last year honestly feeling like, OK, this is going to be good. This might take a little time to get things figured out, but it’s going to be good and we’re going to pick up kind of where I left off, and it was just the complete opposite. It was just miserable. Nothing went our way, nothing — we had no speed. We couldn’t make the cars work; they felt terrible to me. They were so inconsistent, you just never knew what you were going to get.

"And then obviously Sherry’s situation happened, and it was like, all right, this is when you show people what you’re made of. She showed me what she was made of, and I was like, ‘Wow, if she can do that, I can do this.’ This is easy. Honestly, just learned a lot from her and worked hard, never gave up, believed in myself the whole time, and that’s what it takes.


"You’ve got to surround yourself with good people, and I’m just thankful for Barney Visser (team owner of Furniture Row Racing), for Joe Garone (Furniture Row Racing General Manager) and making good decisions over the off-season, giving Cole (Pearn, crew chief) the reins, and he took it from there, honestly.

"It was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever been through, but when you get through something like that, it makes you pretty damned proud of what you’ve accomplished, and this is easily the biggest win of my career.”

WATCH: Brian France happy for Truex | 1-on-1 with Truex

The turnaround with the 78 team has been remarkable, and it all starts with Pearn. The first-year pit boss is guiding Truex through the best stretch of his career and in recent weeks, Truex had been knocking on the door of getting his third career Sprint Cup victory. He led the most laps at Kansas (95 laps) but a late call for fuel only led to a ninth-place finish. He led the most laps at Charlotte (131 laps) but finished fifth. He did the same thing again at Dover and finished sixth.



"It would be easy the last three weeks to get down and to hang your head and to make excuses and honestly just be disappointed, but they weren’t. They were excited. They knew we were going to get this win, and they knew we were going to get it soon, and they worked hard. They didn’t lose focus of how we got to where we’re at, and honestly, that’s what pushed us over the edge and was able to make the difference today.”

Truex’s peers were truly happy to see him get the win. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was among those expressing his happiness for his buddy and even paying him a visit in Victory Lane.

"They’re doing some pretty cool stuff being that far out of the inner circle," Earnhardt said of the team’s shop in Colorado being far removed from the NASCAR hub of North Carolina. "Hats off to them. It’s been a matter of time for them. Truex is a hell of a race car driver. He’s always been a great driver."

Yet, the period of on-track struggle is something Earnhardt can relate to.

"He’s just had some poor luck over the years and trying to get in the right program is really difficult. I know myself how difficult it is to get in the right situation and he’s in a great one right now."



And the hunger to get back to Victory Lane will return quickly.



"He’ll talk to his guys and by Tuesday, he’ll be wanting to win the next one. That tank runs empty pretty quick. The urge and the thrill to be back in Victory Lane will be back in two or three days. He is going to get a phone full of text messages and he’s got one coming from me.

"Real proud, been a great friend of mine for a long time. We’re partners in a couple business deals and land together, so we’ve been together for a long time as pals."

WATCH: Dale Jr. ‘impressed’ by No. 78 team | Truex ‘On Cloud Nine’ at Pocono



Race runner-up Kevin Harvick was also happy for Truex.

"Obviously you always want to win, but when you can see something come full circle like their situation, it makes you proud to know them and be a part of the sport in general, to see how they’ve supported Sherry and all the things that they’ve gone through."



Jimmie Johnson, who finished third to Truex at Pocono, mentioned that the win was big just because of everything Truex has overcome professionally.

"When you go back to the Richmond race and the challenges that he has had, he’s had more to overcome personally and professionally than probably anybody sitting in a seat right now, and for him to still walk in the garage every week with a smile on his face, climb in the car, put in the effort, be the great guy he is I think speaks volumes."

The well wishes have left Truex humbled and grateful for the support from the garage community.



"It’s really cool, especially after the last — the way the last year and a half or so has gone for me, up until this year, I think that people kind of got a little bit of an insight into what I’m made of and what kind of person I am, which is cool. Sucks I had to show it sometimes, but you know, just definitely a humbling feeling to have the respect of those guys because there’s a lot of great people in this garage area."

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.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
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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."

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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.