Stats advance: Analyzing the SpongeBob SquarePants 400

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Staff Report

A stats-based look ahead to the 11th race of the Sprint Cup season

MORE: See the Chase Grid entering Kansas

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 4, 2015) – Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas going into the SpongeBob SquarePants 400 on May 9 (7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1).

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

KANSAS-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

Greg Biffle (No. 16 Cheez-It/SpongeBob SquarePants Ford)

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

· Average finish of 10.9

· Average Running Position of 10.0, fourth-best

· Driver Rating of 102.8, fourth-best

· 207 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most

· 900 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 167.679 mph, sixth-fastest

· 2,868 Laps in the Top 15 (77.8%), third-most

· 526 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), fourth-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet)

· Two top fives, eight top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 16.6

· Driver Rating of 91.3, 10th-best

· 133 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most

· 887 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 167.349 mph, 11th-fastest

· 2,103 Laps in the Top 15 (61.5%), 10th-most

· 442 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Carl Edwards (No. 19 STANLEY Toyota)

· Six top fives, 11 top 10s

· Average finish of 10.1

· Average Running Position of 12.2, eighth-best

· Driver Rating of 96.8, seventh-best

· 132 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most

· 956 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 167.562 mph, seventh-fastest

· 2,552 Laps in the Top 15 (69.2%), sixth-most

· 538 Quality Passes, third-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 American Red Cross Chevrolet)

· Three wins, 10 top fives, 12 top 10s

· Average finish of 10.3

· Average Running Position of 9.9, third-best

· Driver Rating of 100.5, fifth-best

· 157 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most

· 866 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 167.910 mph, third-fastest

· Series-high 3,064 Laps in the Top 15 (83.1%)

· 571 Quality Passes, second-most

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

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

· Average finish of 11.5

· Average Running Position of 11.3, sixth-best

· Driver Rating of 100.4, sixth-best

· 226 Fastest Laps Run, third-most

· Series-high 1,000 Green Flag Passes

· Average Green Flag Speed of 167.769 mph, fourth-fastest

· 2,667 Laps in the Top 15 (72.4%), fifth-most

· 487 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)

· Two wins, six top fives, 14 top 10s; three poles

· Average finish of 9.5

· Average Running Position of 9.4, second-best

· Series-best Driver Rating of 112.1

· Series-high 478 Fastest Laps Run

· 969 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 167.998 mph, second-fastest

· 3,045 Laps in the Top 15 (82.6%), second-most

· Series-high 619 Quality Passes

Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet)

· Four top fives, seven top 10s; three poles

· Average finish of 13.8

· Average Running Position of 13.2, ninth-best

· Driver Rating of 92.7, ninth-best

· 155 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most

· 989 Green Flag Passes, third-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 167.483 mph, eighth-fastest

· 2,434 Laps in the Top 15 (66.0%), seventh-most

· 473 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)

· Two wins, six top fives, 10 top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 14.2

· Average Running Position of 10.7, fifth-best

· Driver Rating of 105.6, second-best

· 240 Fastest Laps Run, second-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 167.723 mph, fifth-fastest

· 2,775 Laps in the Top 15 (75.3%), fourth-most

· 453 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Avaya Ford)

· One win, two top fives, four top 10s

· Average finish of 13.1

· Average Running Position of 14.3, 12th-best

· Driver Rating of 88.1, 12th-best

Kyle Larson (No. 42 Target Chevrolet)

· One top five, one top 10

· Average finish of 7.0

· Series-best Average Running Position of 9.3

· Driver Rating of 103.9, third-best

· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 168.679 mph

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

· Two wins, six top fives, nine top 10s

· Average finish of 13.1

· Average Running Position of 11.6, seventh-best

· Driver Rating of 95.3, eighth-best

· 142 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 167.416 mph, 10th-fastest

· 2,213 Laps in the Top 15 (64.7%), eighth-most

· 439 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Martin Truex Jr. (No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet)

· Four top fives, four top 10s

· Average finish of 18.2

· Average Running Position of 14.1, 10th-best

· Driver Rating of 90.4, 11th-best

· 134 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 167.442 mph, ninth-fastest

· 2,060 Laps in the Top 15 (60.3%), 11th-most

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2015 Top 16 at Kansas Speedway

Rank	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
Rank	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Kevin Harvick	18	3	1	3	8	1	11.5	100.4
2	Martin Truex Jr.	13	0	0	4	4	1	18.2	90.4
3	Jimmie Johnson	17	3	2	6	14	1	9.5	112.1
4	Joey Logano	11	0	1	3	3	1	19.8	79.7
5	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	17	1	0	2	8	2	16.6	91.3
6	Brad Keselowski	10	0	1	2	4	0	13.1	88.1
7	Jamie McMurray	16	0	0	0	3	2	20.3	73.4
8	Matt Kenseth	18	2	2	6	10	2	14.2	105.6
9	Kasey Kahne	15	3	0	4	7	1	13.8	92.7
10	Denny Hamlin	13	0	1	3	4	0	14.5	87.9
11	Paul Menard	12	0	0	1	5	0	15.6	80.3
12	Aric Almirola	6	0	0	0	3	1	18.2	84.4
13	Jeff Gordon	18	0	3	10	12	2	10.3	100.5
14	Ryan Newman	18	0	1	3	5	3	18.0	71.9
15	Kurt Busch	18	1	0	1	4	2	19.0	83.7
16	Danica Patrick	5	0	0	0	1	2	24.6	59.0

* – Based on last 14 races at Kansas Speedway.

Kansas Speedway Data

Season Race #: 11 of 36 (05-10-15)

Track Size: 1.5-miles

Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 17 to 20 degrees

Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 17 to 20 degrees

Banking/Frontstretch: 10 degrees

Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees

Frontstretch Length: 2,685 feet

Backstretch Length: 2,207 feet

Race Length: 267 laps / 400 miles

Top 10 Driver Ratings at Kansas

Jimmie Johnson…………………… 112.1

Matt Kenseth……………………….. 105.6

Kyle Larson…………………………. 103.9

Greg Biffle………………………….. 102.8

Jeff Gordon………………………… 100.5

Kevin Harvick………………………. 100.4

Carl Edwards………………………… 96.8

Tony Stewart…………………………. 95.3

Kasey Kahne………………………… 92.7

Dale Earnhardt Jr.………………….. 91.3

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2014 races (14 total) among active drivers at Kansas Speedway.

Qualifying/Race Data

2014 pole winner:

Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet

194.252 mph, 27.799 secs. 05-08-14

2014 race winner:

Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet

128.149 mph, (03:07:31), 05-10-14

Track qualifying record:

Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet

197.773 mph, 27.304 secs. 10-3-14

Track race record:

Denny Hamlin, Toyota

144.122 mph, (02:59:51), 04-22-12

Kansas Speedway:

History

· Groundbreaking was held on May 25, 1999.

· The official opening of Kansas Speedway was in 2001, with the first events being an ARCA race and a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race on the same day – June 2.

· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was on Sept. 30, 2001 – won by Jeff Gordon.

· During the 2012 season, between the April and October events the 1.5-mile track underwent a repave adding variable banking in the corners.

Notebook

· There have been 18 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, one NSCS event from 2001 – 2010 and two races per year since 2011.

· 117 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas; 89 in more than one.

· Five drivers have started all 18 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway – Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth and Ryan Newman.

· Jason Leffler won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Kansas Speedway in 2001 with a speed of 176.499 mph.

· 11 drivers have Coors Light poles at Kansas, led by Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne with three each.

· Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick are the only two drivers to win consecutive Coors Light poles at Kansas Speedway (Johnson – 2007, 2008 and Harvick – fall 2013, spring 2014 and fall 2014).

· Youngest Kansas pole winner: Jason Leffler (09/30/2001 – 26 years, 0 months, 14 days).

· Oldest Kansas pole winner: Mark Martin (10/04/2009 – 50 years, 8 months, 25 days).

· 12 different drivers have won at Kansas Speedway, led by Jeff Gordon with three.

· Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Kansas with five: Jeff Gordon (three) and Jimmie Johnson (two).

· Four manufacturers have won at Kansas Speedway in the NSCS; led by Chevrolet with nine victories, Ford with four, Toyota and Dodge each have two.

· Four of the 18 (22.2%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway have been won from the Coors Light pole; Joe Nemechek (2004), Jimmie Johnson (2008), Matt Kenseth (spring 2013) and Kevin Harvick (fall 2013).

· Five of the 18 (27.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway have been won from the front row: four from the pole and one from second-place.

· 11 of the 18 (61.1%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Kansas Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position.

· Two of the 18 (11.1%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Kansas Speedway was 25th, by Brad Keselowski in the spring of 2011.

· Youngest Kansas winner: Joey Logano (10/05/2014 – 24 years, 4 months, 11 days).

· Oldest Kansas winner: Mark Martin (10/09/2005 – 46 years, 9 months, 0 days).

· Martin Truex Jr., Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman are tied for the series most runner-up finishes at Kansas Speedway with two each.

· Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at Kansas Speedway with 10; followed by Greg Biffle with seven.

· Jimmie Johnson leads the series in top-10 finishes at Kansas Speedway with 14; followed by Jeff Gordon (12) and Carl Edwards (11).

· Joey Logano leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Kansas Speedway with an 10.818.

· Kyle Larson (7.000) leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Kansas Speedway – Jimmie Johnson (9.529) is the only other driver with an average finish inside the top 10.

· There has been one NSCS race resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Kansas Speedway: fall of 2011 (267/272).

· Only one of the 18 races at Kansas Speedway has been shortened due to weather conditions: fall of 2007.

· Qualifying has never been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas Speedway.

· Denny Hamlin has participated in the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway without posting a DNF (13).

· 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion and 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Austin Dillon (10/09/2011), Ryan Blaney (5/10/2014) and Denny Hamlin (10/09/2005) made their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career starts at Kansas Speedway.

· Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth are the only two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers that have posted consecutive wins at Kansas Speedway: Gordon (2001 and 2002 – the first two NSCS events at Kansas) and Kenseth (fall of 2012, spring of 2013).

· Nine of the 10 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Kansas Speedway participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Jeff Gordon won at Kansas in his first appearance.

· Kevin Harvick competed at Kansas Speedway 15 times before winning last fall; the longest span of any the 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Kansas.

· Kevin Harvick (15) and Matt Kenseth (13) have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Kansas Speedway.

· Kurt Busch leads the series with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway without visiting Victory Lane at 18.

· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas Speedway was the (10/10/2004) race won by Joe Nemechek with a MOV of 0.081 second.

· Jimmie Johnson leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Kansas Speedway with 586 laps led in 17 starts.

· Danica Patrick is the only female driver that has competed at Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:

Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date
Danica Patrick	29	16	10/5/2014
Danica Patrick	9	7	5/10/2014
Danica Patrick	29	43	10/6/2013
Danica Patrick	25	25	4/21/2013
Danica Patrick	40	32	10/21/2012

NASCAR in Kansas

· There have been 18 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Kansas.

Track Name	City	NSCS
Kansas Speedway	Kansas City	18

· 17 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Kansas.

· Two drivers from Kansas have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series; both have won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Clint Bowyer	8	8	3
Jim Roper	1	0	0

MILESTONES – KANSAS

DRIVER	HAS	NEEDS	MILESTONE
Kyle Larson	49	1	50th NSCS Start – Larson is tied with Boris Said and Justin Allgaier for 272nd on the all-time NSCS starts list with 49 starts.
Justin Allgaier	49	1	50th NSCS Start – Allgaier is tied with Boris Said and Kyle Larson for 272nd on the all-time NSCS starts list with 49 starts.
Tony Stewart	48	2	50th NSCS Win – Stewart is 12th on the all-time NSCS wins list.
Matt Kenseth	32	1	33rd NSCS Win – Kenseth is tied with Dale Jarrett for 22nd on the all-time NSCS wins list, one win behind Fireball Roberts in 21st (33 wins).
Dale Earnhardt Jr.	24	1	25th NSCS Win – Earnhardt Jr. is 30th on the all-time NSCS wins list, one win behind Joe Weatherly and Denny Hamlin in 29th (25 wins).
Jimmie Johnson	199	1	200th NSCS Top-Five Finish – Johnson is tied with Benny Parsons for 12th on the all-time NSCS top fives list, two top-fives behind Buddy Baker in 11th (201).
Jimmie Johnson	299	1	300th NSCS Top-10 Finish – Johnson is 16th on the all-time NSCS top 10s list, two top-10s behind James Hylton in 15th (301).
Jeff Gordon	24,778	222	25,000 NSCS Laps Led – Gordon can become the sixth driver in NSCS history to lead 25,000 laps.
Matt Kenseth	9,567	433	10,000 Laps Led – Kenseth can become the 16th driver in series history to lead 10,000 or more laps.
Kevin Harvick	953	47	1,000 Laps Led In First 11 Races – Harvick can become the 10th driver in series history to lead 1,000 laps or more in the first 11 races of a season.
#43 car	199	1	200 NSCS Wins – The No. 43 car is second on the all-time NSCS wins list, five wins behind the No. 11 car in first (204).

Posted on May 3, 2015 by

No. 88 driver leads 67 laps, gets emotional in Victory Lane

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RELATED: Complete race results | Chat about the race

TALLADEGA, Ala. – It’s a toss-up which is greater, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s passion for Talladega Superspeedway or the Talladega fan base’s passion for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

On a glorious afternoon, Earnhardt offered a one-word order to his team over the radio, a message that could be shared with the thousands of his devotees in the stands: "Celebrate!" he proclaimed.

Earnhardt, his team and Junior Nation could celebrate his 0.159-second victory over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 Sunday afternoon, his sixth Sprint Cup win here. It all but assures Earnhardt a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship for a fifth consecutive year.

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Paul Menard was third, Ryan Blaney fourth and Martin Truex Jr. fifth. Points leader Kevin Harvick, racing with a mangled hood after an early accident, was eighth.

The victory came barely 24 hours after Earnhardt had acknowledged a responsibility to perform well here for his fan base, saying, “I feel like I’m supposed to get up there and lead.”

He did so, leading 67 of the 188 laps, then wove his way into Victory Circle, where he gushed nearly as dramatically as the geyser spewing from an engine that began overheating because of debris on the grille.

“It’s just real emotional,” Earnhardt said. “I haven’t won here in a long time (November 2004), my daddy’s birthday was a couple of days ago. It was real emotional. Everything is so good for me right now. I don’t know why I don’t feel like I deserve it. I just feel overcome with a lot of emotion.

"I’m just blessed. Everything’s going so great."

Unlike many Talladega races, the final two dozen laps were essentially run in a single-file parade, first with a 10-car string, then ultimately caught up by a line of another 20 cars.

“I don’t know what creates that in the drivers’ minds to say we’re all going to ride at the top,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t happen every time (but) it does happen every now and then and today was one of those days.”

At the white flag, Johnson tried to get a run with Blaney on his bumper, and defending race winner Denny Hamlin made a run.

“I knew he would wait and that’s what I would do,” Earnhardt said of Johnson. “I wouldn’t want to screw it up for both of us. He tried to back up but he couldn’t get a run.”

As a wreck happened in their rear-view mirror, with Carl Edwards being spun out, Earnhardt kept his lead, zooming past a nearly filled grandstands celebrating his triumph.

“Everybody at Talladega is happy,” Truex said of the fans. “So all is good.”

There was the typical “Big One” accident. On the backstretch on lap 47, Trevor Bayne was passed on the right side by Menard as Kurt Busch was closing on his left rear quarterpanel. It was, as Bayne put it, “double trouble.” He lost control of his No. 6 Ford and careened into the outside retaining wall, triggering a crash that affected 14 cars.

It effectively took out of contention Kasey Kahne, who started on the front row, Kyle Larson, Greg Biffle and, in his final ride subbing for Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Toyota, David Ragan.

It was otherwise relatively clean – only six cautions for 23 laps all day – until Austin Dillon’s car caught fire on lap 156. Jeff Gordon’s day went up in smoke, too. He was penalized for going too fast on pit road, the second time in five races such a penalty spoiled his day.

Following the penalty, his crew chief Alan Gustafson encouraged Gordon over the radio with 26 laps remaining, “Now put on a show right here.”

However, the show in the final laps belonged to his Hendrick teammates, Earnhardt and Johnson.

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Holly Cain

Veterans compliment rookie’s driving; he finishes fourth

TALLADEGA, Ala. — The only mark on Ryan Blaney‘s red-and-white No. 21 Motorcraft Ford when he pulled onto pit road following Sunday’s wild and wooly GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway was a short, slight black streak on the left rear bumper — directly on top of the yellow stripe signaling his rookie status.

His legendary team owner Len Wood was nearly as impressed with the mint-condition car as he was with the 21-year-old’s outstanding fourth-place performance Sunday, Blaney’s best showing in six career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, and the first top-five for the Woods Brothers team in four years.

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Blaney’s father, legendary sprint car driver Dave Blaney, was among the first to greet him, grinning ear-to-ear at his son’s daylong superspeedway education and the A-plus he received for the work.

"He was getting treated as a rookie as you do, and didn’t get much help, but he always stayed calm and if he went to the back, recovered and hung on,” Dave Blaney said. "He’s a smart young guy. I felt incredibly helpless standing there (watching the final laps) but just enjoying it at the same time. He did such a good job."

And as great as the pit road reception was for Blaney, the best part of his day came a few minutes later in the post-race news conference when he took his well-deserved seat next to Sunday’s runner-up — six-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson — and the two chatted about the afternoon.

"I’m talking to my hero here,” Blaney told the moderator as the press conference was about to begin. Johnson smiled and seemed to enjoy the time alongside one of NASCAR’s next-generation stars.

In fact, Blaney’s mature driving Sunday won over several of the veterans and he received Twitter pats on the back from many, including reigning Sprint Cup champion crew chief Rodney Childers, who posted the message, "Good job young man."

Shout out to @Blaney for his top five today. Good job young man!

— Rodney Childers (@RodneyChilders4) May 3, 2015

Blaney qualified third — just behind Hendrick powerhouse teammates Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne — and ran among the top 10 for much of the day. Even when getting shuffled out of line — a rookie rite of passage — he stayed calm and carefully negotiated his way back up front.

He was third in a single file line behind race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Johnson for most of the final 20 laps.

"We had a good car all day,” Blaney said. "I learned a little bit throughout the race to kind of know what to do to get back to the front. We really were kind of lucky to be in that position toward the end of the race and I think we made a couple good moves about three-quarters of the way through and guys started to go with us a little bit more and luckily the moves that we were making worked out to where guys trust you a little bit more. "

That was certainly the case with Denny Hamlin, who rode behind Blaney in the final laps only to get shuffled back to ninth on the last lap. He was impressed with the rookie and even willing to have gone with him for the win if the circumstances had worked out.

"He had a shot to win and I was willing to go with him if he made a move with one to go, but we were running out of time and I had the Ford (of Sam Hornish Jr.) right behind me, so I needed to go,” Hamlin said. "I thought (Blaney) did a great job, though. He holds a steady wheel and doesn’t make many mistakes. He’s a kid you can run around and trust."

Blaney’s next Cup race is the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and he’ll be in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona to give the restrictor plate racing another whirl.

"I know you have to go through the rookie deal,” Blaney said smiling, "but hopefully this finish helps us for the next (restrictor-plate race) at Daytona."

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Staff Report

Fifteen cars involved in crash on Lap 47

Nearly half the field scattered when the "Big One" erupted on Lap 47 of Sunday’s GEICO 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

The No. 6 of Trevor Bayne got loose and slid up into the outside wall coming out of Turn 2, then spun and collected 14 additional cars. Bayne’s car came to rest pinned against the outside wall.

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"I haven’t seen it yet, but it looked like the No. 27 (of Paul Menard) just got too close to us," Bayne said after being checked out in the infield care center. "I hate that a lot of cars got torn up, especially the No. 6 AdvoCare Ford Fusion. The air is so sensitive here. When you get too close to somebody, it just pulls you around."

It appeared that the No. 41 car of Kurt Busch and the No. 27 of Paul Menard both got alongside the No. 6, possibly close enough to take the air off of the No 6, but no one made contact with Bayne.

Polesitter Jeff Gordon was the leader as cleanup crews worked to pick up the debris strewn across the track after displaying the red flag. The No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet led 32 of the first 47 laps.

In addition to Bayne, those involved in the wreck were Kasey Kahne, who started the race on the front row with Gordon, Greg Biffle, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, David Ragan, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Alex Bowman, Danica Patrick, Aric Almirola, Justin Allgaier, Brendan Gaughan, Matt DiBenedetto and Landon Cassill.

"I didn’t see a whole lot," Larson said. "I saw the No. 6 (Trevor Bayne) get sideways in front of me. I don’t know if somebody got into him or not, or if he just got the air taken off of him. From there just trying to miss the wrecks, and I thought I was going to clear it all, then the No. 40 started coming back up the track and I clipped him. It’s tough."

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Staff Report

Get the on-track times for everything this weekend

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series head to Kansas Speedway for a doubleheader this week, while the NASCAR XFINITY Series is off. Check out the full schedule below.

All times are ET

SATURDAY, MAY 9:

ON TRACK
— 7:30 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series SpongeBob SquarePants 400, FOX Sports 1 (267 laps, 400.5 miles) (Get results)
NOTE: Due to FOX Sports 1’s baseball coverage going past 7 p.m. ET, race coverage will start on FOX News and FOX Sports Go. When the game ends, coverage will move to FOX Sports 1.

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 4:45 p.m.: AJ Allmendinger
— 11:45 p.m.: NSCS post-race press conference

THURSDAY, MAY 7:

ON TRACK
— 5-6:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice. (Get results)
(Due to weather, only one 90-minute practice session was run)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 1:30 p.m.: Daniel Suarez
— 1:45 p.m.: Matt Crafton

FRIDAY, MAY 8:

ON TRACK
— noon-1:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FOX Sports 1 (Get results)
— 2:30-3:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, FOX Sports 1 (Get results)
— 4:45 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FOX Sports 1 (Get results)
— 6:45 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FOX Sports 1 (Get results)
— 8:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Toyota Tundra 250, FOX Sports 1 (167 laps, 250.5 miles) (Get results)

GARAGECAM (Watch live)
— 11:30 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 10 a.m.: Erik Jones
— 10:30 a.m.: Joey Logano
— 10:45 a.m.: Jeff Gordon
— 11 a.m.: Clint Bowyer
— 11:15 a.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
— 1:35 p.m.: Carl Edwards
— 4 p.m.: SpongeBob SquarePants drivers
— 4:15 p.m.: Jamie McMurray
— 8:45 p.m.: NSCS post-qualifying press conference
— 11:15 p.m.: NCWTS post-race press conference

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Staff Report

Get full lineup of NASCAR programming for the week

RELATED: See the full weekend schedule

All times ET

Monday, May 4
10 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 (re-air), FOX Sports 1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR America Live, NBC Sports Network
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2

Tuesday, May 5
11:30 a.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Winn Dixie 300 (re-air), FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR America Live, NBC Sports Network
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2

Wednesday, May 6
4:30 p.m., NASCAR America: States of NASCAR #5 (re-air), NBC Sports Network
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2
11 p.m., NASCAR K&N Series West: Tucson (tape), NBC Sports Network

Thursday, May 7
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2
12:30 a.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series West: Tucson (tape), NBC Sports Network
1:30 a.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports Network

Friday, May 8
10 a.m., A Perfect Storm: The 1979 Daytona 500 (re-air), FOX Sports 1
11 a.m., NASCAR Masters of the Clock: The Legend of Martinsville
Noon, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FOX Sports 1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition, FOX Sports 1
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, FOX Sports 1
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition, FOX Sports 1
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FOX Sports 1
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition, FOX Sports 1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FOX Sports 1
8 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Setup, FOX Sports 1
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Toyota Tundra 250, FOX Sports 1

Saturday, May 9
3 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Toyota Tundra 250 (re-air), FOX Sports 1
7 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Kansas, FOX Sports 1
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: SpongeBob SquarePants 400, FOX Sports 1

Sunday, May 10
3 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series SpongeBob SquarePants 400 (re-air), FOX Sports 1

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Nascar

No. 88 crew chief mulled going home early Saturday due to daughter’s injury

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Greg Ives, winning crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, almost wasn’t around for the driver’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory of 2015.

On Saturday, Ives, who took over the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team prior to the start of the season, found out his 8-year-old daughter Payton had fallen and broken her right arm.

"I was actually just talking to my daughter; she’s being discharged from the hospital right now," Ives said after his first Sprint Cup victory as crew chief. "She had a very significant break to her right arm above her elbow, so she had to get three pins (inserted) last night."

Earnhardt Jr. offered to fly his crew chief home to be with his daughter. But after a conversation with Payton, whom Ives said is his biggest fan as well as his biggest critic, he was told by his daughter to stay put.

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"After Richmond when we didn’t perform (well), she told me I needed to give Dale better race cars because he can’t win with one like that," Ives said. "She’s pretty tough on me for an 8-year-old, but that’s good, that’s what we need. We need self-assurance that we’re doing the right thing, but at times we also need a kick in the butt."

Earnhardt finished 14th at Richmond and dropped to eighth in points. Sunday, he led 67 laps and all but punched his ticket into this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with his 24th career win.

"She was being a kid," Ives said of his daughter’s accident. "She was … having fun, playing with friends. She fell out of a swing set, just landed awkwardly. She didn’t really recall everything. I haven’t really got to talk to her about it. I just know she broke it.

"She didn’t cry one bit. … I thought she would start bawling. She didn’t. She said it hurt but she wasn’t going to cry about it."

The long grind and constant travel required by the job can be difficult, especially when family emergencies arise. But Ives said he has a unique way of dealing with the time away from his family, which includes another daughter and son in addition to Payton.

"Every time I feel like I’m helpless being on the road or away from my family, I think of all those military folks, men, women and children, all those families that are affected by the things that are out of our control," he said. "Those military families who sacrifice their time, whether it’s a month, six months, or years away from their families so we can do something like this. That helplessness only makes me show more appreciation for what we get to do every weekend as a great nation, how appreciative we need to be for them."

Earnhardt said he wasn’t sure if Ives was comfortable staying in Talladega or if he should return home. But he knew that if Ives departed, the team would be left in capable hands.

"This race is a little less challenging to call than other events," Earnhardt said. "We’re going to take two tires pretty much every time. We’re going to get as much gas as we need but never fill it up. It’s pretty self-explanatory."

Engineer Kevin Meendering "could have called the race just as easy and just as well," he said. "Kevin is a real, real talent just waiting to bust out and get an opportunity to crew chief.

"So I felt like if there was ever a weekend that Greg could comfortably go home without any guilt, he could have done it last night without a problem. We’d have fueled up the plane and sent him."

But, Earnhardt noted, "(Greg) said she’s tough as nails."

Ives won the 2014 now-XFINITY Series title with driver Chase Elliott at JR Motorsports before making the move to oversee the No. 88 team. Before those two jobs, he was race engineer for fellow Hendrick driver Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team during Johnson’s run of five consecutive Sprint Cup titles.

He replaced Steve Letarte as crew chief for Earnhardt and stepped into the crosshairs of the NASCAR’s most vocal, devoted fan base.

Sunday, he helped give them a reason to cheer.

"When you have 43 race cars going by, you still hear the crowd cheering, you can see them jumping up in the stands, that puts a chill around you," Ives said. "As far as being emotional, yeah, of course, it’s my first win as a Cup crew chief, first win thinking about things that are more than just race cars, whether it’s my daughter, whether it’s my mom, all those sorts of things. That’s going to weigh on you.

"You work hard to get to a point to be in Victory Lane no matter where it is, what it is. That all gathers up in one lap or one race, you’re going to have that.

"I’m excited. I’m happy. I feel great about where this race team’s going. Obviously I haven’t cried yet, so that’s good. But I definitely was emotional about it, happy about it. Like I said, just thinking about my daughter with a broken arm, her being tough enough to not want her daddy — that’s pretty cool."

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Nascar

Read the notes NASCAR provides during the driver’s meeting

Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live

NASCAR SPECIAL AWARDS

Award	Driver
Coors Light Pole Award	Jeff Gordon
3M Lap Leader	Kurt Busch
American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award	Kurt Busch
Duralast Brakes "Brake in the Race" Award	Joey Logano
Freescale Wide Open Award	Jimmie Johnson
Ingersoll Rand Power Mover Award	Ryan Newman
Mahle Engine Builder of the Race Award	Kurt Busch
Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race Award	Kurt Busch
Moog Chassis Parts Problem Solver of the Race Award	Jamie McMurray
Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap Award	AJ Allmendinger
Sunoco Rookie of the Race Award	Brett Moffitt

RACE TIME

Event	Time (ET)
Driver Introductions	12:25 p.m.
Pre-race prep: Tires, interior & remove generators	12:30 p.m.
Line up crews — facing the flag	12:59 p.m.
Invocation	1 p.m.
National Anthem	1:01 p.m.
Command to start engines	1:07 p.m.

SPECIAL INFORMATION

Number of Laps	188 laps
Pit Road Speed	55 mph
Caution Car Speed	70 mph
Pit Road Speed Begins	175 feet before the first pit box
Pit Road Speed Ends	75 feet past the last pit box
Minimum Speed	55.30 seconds
Exiting the Pits (Blend Line)	Keep all four tires below the yellow line until the exit of Turn 2
Fuel Pit Stalls 1-43	Sunoco pumps
Post-Race	2-6 stop in pit stalls 29-34
All Others	Double file, near the grass, across from Pit Stall 30

NEXT WEEK

Event	Track/Day/Time (ET)
Next week	Kansas Speedway
Hauler parking	12:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, May 7
Garage opens	3 p.m. ET, Thursday, May 7
First practice	Noon ET, Friday, May 8

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Staff Report

See how the postseason picture looks after 10 races

Posted on May 2, 2015 by

Sergeant Dwyer gets IMSA victory in front of fellow Marine who saved him

Photo credit: LAT Photo USA for IMSA (Left to right: SergeantsAaron Denning and Staff Sergeant Liam Dwyer, U.S. Marine Corps)

SALINAS, Calif.– Military veterans who suffer a serious combat injury, and survive, call the date they suffered their catastrophic injury their "alive day."

That would be May 22, 2011, for U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant Liam Dwyer, who was on a search team in Afghanistan when he stepped on an explosive. It severed his right leg above the knee, and severely damaged his right arm.

If May 22 was his "alive day," he isn’t quite sure what to call May 2, 2015. "A miracle," he said. "A dream come true."

Dwyer’s longtime love has been auto racing, and he refused to give up on his dream. Fitted with a special prosthesis that replaces his leg, he returned to the track, where he adapted to the special equipment his car required. He drove hard, and fast, and it did not go unnoticed.

Last year, Dwyer joined a Mazda-backed team, Freedom Autosport, that fields Mazda MX-5 Miatas in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, a tough series that holds endurance races that require at least two drivers. Dwyer and his teammate, Mazda factory driver Tom Long, won a race at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut.

"It was amazing," Dwyer said. "I didn’t think anything could top that emotion."

Saturday, something did. On the very last lap of a two-hour, 30-minute, 84-lap race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Dwyer’s driving partner, Andrew Carbonell, passed the Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5 driven by Tom Long, Dwyer’s old driving partner. Carbonell and Dwyer, who drove the first portion of the race, took the victory, defeating 27 other entries in the ST class.

The difference this year? It wasn’t so much the win, it was who came to Mazda Raceway to witness it. Dwyer very possibly would have died that day in Afghanistan had it not been for Marine sergeant, Aaron Denning, who rushed to Dwyer’s aid and performed lifesaving procedures that saved his life.

While the two sergeants — both still in the Marines, with Denning on the West Coast, Dwyer on the East Coast — stayed in touch, Denning had never seen Dwyer race. That changed Saturday when he not only attended the Continental Tire Challenge, he was an honored guest who waved the green flag to start the race. Dwyer’s mother was also at the track — she had never met the man who saved her son’s life.

And to see Dwyer not only race, but win? "It’s like a fairy tale," said Denning, trying hard to hold back tears. "Liam Dwyer is the living, breathing embodiment of a man who was knocked down, and got back up. I’m honored to be here, and I’m honored to be his friend."

As for Dwyer, his story is even more remarkable than most of his fans know. In 2007, four years before Dwyer’s "Alive Day," he was serving in Iran when his Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb. He took shrapnel on the left side of his body. He left the military and returned to civilian life — and then he re-enlisted. It was on his second tour when he was almost killed in Afghanistan.

As expected, Dwyer was humble after the victory, giving credit to co-driver Carbonell, to his team, to Mazda, and of course to Marine Sgt. Aaron Denning. "I don’t have words for the emotion," he said. "I’m just so proud to be part of this team."

Watch the last-lap pass and emotional celebration.