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XFINITY Series champ will start 27th on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1)

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MARTINSVILLE, Va. – The weather issues might have been a concern, but nothing could dampen the spirits of Chase Elliott Friday at Martinsville Speedway.
 
The 19-year-old will make his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut here in Sunday’s 66th annual STP 500 (1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1), thanks to a qualifying effort that will see his Hendrick Motorsports No. 25 Chevrolet start 27th in the 43-car lineup.
 
Joey Logano (Team Penske) will start on the pole.

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"I don’t know how I feel about being excited about being 27th, but at the same time it’s really exciting to making our first Cup race," Elliott said. "It’s just crazy how different a world this is on this side of things, being timed so close. Just a couple of hundredths (of a second) would have had us in the top 24, and a tenth would have had you, heck, up in the teens.
 
"I was doing my best to get in and that was our goal today. Certainly a lot of pressure off to not have to worry about that tomorrow and we can focus on our race car for Sunday afternoon."

Because the No. 25 team was making its first appearance and had no owner points, Elliott needed to qualify inside the top 36, ahead of at least nine others, to guarantee himself a spot in the field. Forty-five teams made at least one qualifying attempt.
 
Elliott will move into the Sprint Cup Series full-time next season, taking over the No. 24 ride of four-time champion Jeff Gordon. For 2015, he’ll make five attempts on the Sprint Cup side, with Richmond (April 25), Charlotte (May 24), Indianapolis (July 26) and Darlington (Sept. 6) completing his schedule.
 
The defending NASCAR XFINITY Series champion and driver of the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in that series, Elliott rolled out onto the Martinsville half-mile with a little over half the 20-minute opening session remaining.
 
He was 22nd after the first lap and improved to 17th with a second trip around. A third lap produced the seventh fastest time at that time while a fourth lap failed to improve upon that effort.
 
After pulling back into the garage, Elliott and his team watched as other drivers began posting faster laps. He had fallen to 27th when Ron Hornaday Jr. crashed to briefly bring the first round to a halt.
 
Elliott went back out for a second shot at improving his position, briefly climbed back into the top 24, but then just as quickly was bumped back out.
 
"The challenge was obviously the weather, and just the lack of laps," crew chief Kenny Francis said. "Now all that’s behind us and he’s got a chance to get some laps tomorrow and we can work on our car, think about it without near the stress. And we can lean on our teammates some."
 
While the No. 25 group is part of the Hendrick organization, Friday’s weather delay meant the four full-time teams of Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne were busy trying to map out their own strategies for practice and qualifying.
 
Because of the rain, the start of Sprint Cup practice was delayed by more than two hours, and the planned session of an hour-and 25 minutes was squeezed into about 45 minutes.
 
"That was another challenge; yeah, we’re part of Hendrick but I mean we’re on our own down here (on the far end of the garage)," Francis said. "With the weather and the lack of time, those guys are on their own agenda … so there’s not much to collaborate on.
 
"That was a bit challenging. It was fortunate we had a good baseline from the 24 car (of Gordon)."
 
The STP 500 is the sixth of 36 races on this year’s Sprint Cup Series schedule.

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Posted on by NASCAR Wire Service

Erik Jones has team’s only experience at Martinsville

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In its first five seasons of existence, Kyle Busch Motorsports wasted no time climbing to the top of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.  The organization collected three owner’s championships, 39 wins and 18 poles. 

One particular track where KBM has dominated is Martinsville Speedway, the home of Saturday’s Kroger 250 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1). The Mooresville, North Carolina-based team has won one race each season at “The Paperclip” from 2011-14 through the prowess of Denny Hamlin (2011-12) and Darrell Wallace Jr (2013-14).

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Each of those races was in the fall though; none were won in the spring. KBM rival ThorSport has taken the last two checkered flags in the spring Martinsville showdowns (Johnny Sauter, 2013; Matt Crafton, 2014). Furthermore, Hamlin is not entered in Saturday’s Kroger 250 and Darrell Wallace Jr. has moved on to the XFINITY Series with Roush Fenway Racing – a fresh face will have to continue KBM’s streak.

Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez and Justin Boston all hope they will be the new smiling face in Martinsville Victory Lane.

Of the three, Jones has the only NCWTS experience at Martinsville. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year frontrunner claims finishes of ninth, 18th and fourth at the .526-mile track. He is also the only member of the group with a Truck Series victory. The 18-year-old boasts four wins in only 19 starts.

“It’s hard to believe that Martinsville is the place where I have the most experience, because it’s probably the track that I struggle at the most as a driver,” Jones said. “I feel like I’m still trying to figure it all out on my end, but each time out our Tundra has been faster and I’m getting better as well.”

Suarez and Boston both tested at Martinsville last week, gaining valuable seat time via the NCWTS rookie testing rule that allows first-year drivers to test on tracks they have yet to race on. Suarez claims finishes of ninth and fourth in the first two races this season, while Boston is still searching for his first top 10.

“Even though we’ve started off the season with a top five and two top-10 finishes, nothing from those two tracks will really transfer over to how we run at Martinsville,” said Jerry Baxter, Suarez’s crew chief. “What will transfer is that we have now worked together twice and continue to strengthen our relationship.”

Although he has no NASCAR appearances at Martinsville, Boston is hoping his Late Model experience at the track will help him.

“I’ve been to Martinsville before in a Late Model race in 2012, so I think that experience will definitely help,” Boston said. “It’s a tough place, and it’s definitely not easy on rookies. It takes a lot of discipline and it’s not easy. You have to race the track as much as you have to race your competitors.”


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Posted on by Staff Report

Last fall’s Martinsville winner optimistic this weekend as driver, owner

Vote: Who will win at Martinsville? | Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live

Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns to Martinsville Speedway for the STP 500 (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1) as the most recent winner at NASCAR’s smallest track. He’s also riding a wave of momentum back from the West Coast off of a sixth-place bounce-back finish at Auto Club Speedway following a last-place performance at Phoenix International Raceway.

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With four top-six finishes in the first five races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, Earnhardt credits his consistency to fast No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS cars every week.

"The cars are good," Earnhardt said on the "Dale Jr. Download" on Dirty Mo Radio. "It says a lot about the cars themselves when you can get that kind of confidence to be able to drive it in there and be able to do what you want it to."

What he wants to do at Martinsville this weekend is win a second grandfather clock, and he’s not worried about finding room for the new timepiece.

"We head to Martinsville," Earnhardt said. "We want to try to go down there and win another clock. I think we’ve got plenty of places we can put one around here so looking forward to this week."

On Wednesday, Earnhardt celebrated girlfriend Amy Reimann’s birthday and let her watch every episode of a Masterpiece Theater series on PBS series.

(Editor’s note: May we suggest a visit to the Biltmore mansion in Asheville, North Carolina during the off week for the "Dressing Downton: Changing Fashion for Changing Times" exhibition.)

While the XFINITY Series has its first off-weekend of the season, there’s plenty on the plate of Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports team. Reigning series champion, Chase Elliott, will attempt his first Sprint Cup Series race in the No. 25 for Hendrick Motorsports.

"Chase is running his first race," Earnhardt said. "A lot of stuff to be excited about so looking forward to the race this weekend."

JRM also will run its first Camping World Truck Series race with 17-year-old Cole Custer. The NASCAR Next talent from Ladera Ranch, California, became the youngest driver to win a national series race when he went to Victory Lane last September at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

"We have a young kid with Cole," Earnhardt said in an excerpt of an interview that can be seen before the Kroger 250 (Saturday, 2 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1). "We have great expectations and a vision for the next several years of what we want to do. Obviously we want to win all the races we enter, but we don’t want to put all that pressure on him to go out there and light the world on fire.

"But by all means, if he gets it done, he gets it done. He’s got a great opportunity here to pace himself and learn on his own terms and become the driver he wants to be."

Behind the wheel of his Sprint Cup ride, Earnhardt looks forward to putting everything together and getting a win. He’ll be driving Chassis No. 88-789, the car that won last October’s race at Martinsville.

For now, he’s fourth in the standings behind the only three drivers who have finished in the top 10 in each of the first five races: two-time winner Kevin Harvick, Daytona 500 champion Joey Logano and resurgent Martin Truex Jr.

"Hopefully we’ll get a good fast car one of these weekends and be the class of the field, and we can get out there and try to win us a race," Earnhardt said. "But until then, these consistent finishes and fast race cars are giving us a lot of confidence. Give us a lot of hope."

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Posted on by Nascar

Former series champ hopes to get jump-started in Saturday’s Kroger 250

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MARTINSVILLE, Va. — James Buescher‘s NASCAR career has had more turns than a road course these past few years, but the 25-year-old isn’t complaining.
 
Three years removed from winning the Camping World Truck Series title, Buescher finds himself scheduled for only a limited number of starts in the series this season with NTS Motorsports, but he remains hopeful that the ride can be upgraded to a full-time effort.

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"It is a different situation for me, but it seems like my life has changed a lot year to year over the last three years," Buescher said recently. "Every year it seems like something different has come my way good or bad. A lot of great things have happened and a lot of humbling things have happened. It just makes you have a different perspective on life and what’s important, what you do need to focus on and what you need to be more appreciative about.
 
"It’s been a humbling experience … last year definitely wasn’t up to standards as far as my performance on track. It’s been a rough go. Try to hit reset this year and come back to the Truck Series, run up front and compete for wins is what I wanted to do."
 
Buescher’s limited schedule with NTS didn’t originally include this weekend’s Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway. He was at last week’s test at the 0.526-mile track to lend a hand to teammate and rookie Daniel Hemric.
 
Now, he returns as a fellow competitor, driving the team’s No. 31 Chevrolet.
 
A winner of six NCWTS races, Buescher won the 2012 title while driving for Turner Scott Motorsports. He finished third in points the following year before moving up to NASCAR’s XFINITY Series last season.
 
Although he finished 10th in points, he managed only two top-10 finishes (at Richmond and Bristol) with the Robby Benton-owned team.
 
Another off-season move landed him back in the NCWTS with owner Bob Newberry and NTS Motorsports.
 
"I’m just thankful for the opportunity I have with NTS Motorsports. Bob Newberry’s given me a good opportunity. We had fast trucks in Daytona, a fast truck in Atlanta, but couldn’t catch a break in Atlanta. We had a top-five truck and passed the second-place truck with 20 or 30 (laps) to go but were stuck a lap down based on pit issues.
 
"If we can eliminate mistakes we can definitely win some races with this team this year. Right now we’re working on getting sponsorship together to be able to compete full-time."
 
Buescher finished 17th in the season-opening race at Daytona and eighth a week later at Atlanta. He is currently fifth in points, trailing leader Tyler Reddick (Brad Keselowski Racing) by 24.
 
The series has been idle for the past three weeks.
 
In nine career starts at Martinsville, Buescher has four top-10s and a career-best third-place finish in 2012. Only once has he finished outside the top 14.
 
"I remember getting used up by the veterans for sure," he said of his ’09 Martinsville debut.
 
"Martinsville is a place you feel you figure out as a rookie and you’ve got it mastered the first time you come test or the first time you practice here. You’re like, ‘oh, it’s a short track, it’s going to be just like my background in Late Model racing and everything else.’ Then after a couple of times you figure out that you’ve been doing it wrong. It wasn’t until my fifth or sixth time here that it clicked and I found what I’d been missing and started running better here."
 
Much of that information he’s tried to pass on to teammate Hemric, a 24-year-old with limited experience in the series.
 
"Being a short track, you want to drive it in as far as you can; you think it’s going to make the most speed," Buescher said. "But you hear it all the time, slow down to go faster in stock car racing. You have to slow things down and just be patient with the truck, just be smooth and you’re going to have faster lap times, you’ll be faster through the center of the corner."
 
But, he admitted, "It’s hard to make yourself do that."
 
While he’s yet to miss a race as he transitioned between teams these last few years, that possibility has given him a new perspective.
 
"I didn’t know if I was ever going to get back in a race car," he said.
 
"It does give you a different appreciation for things coming together and how quickly things can change. It wasn’t very long ago we were on the championship stage and we definitely still have the potential to do it again this year.
 
"If we can get everything aligned to be on the track every week, I think we definitely have a legitimate shot to go for a championship."

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Posted on by George Winkler

At age 19, Chase will attempt to qualify for first Sprint Cup race

Vote: Who will win at Martinsville? | Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live

Think about this for a moment: Chase Elliott, son of the ever-popular Bill Elliott, will attempt to make his Sprint Cup Series debut at Martinsville Speedway, a track steeped in history and tradition, for Sunday’s STP 500 (1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1).

Not only does he need to qualify for the race — with Team Xtreme withdrawing, there are 45 cars on the entry list; 43 make the race — but Elliott also will need to do it without having the benefit of much time spent in a Sprint Cup Series seat.

And if that’s not enough, if he qualifies for the race — which is expected to be attended by none other than Richard Petty — Elliott will do so at a younger age than Jeff Gordon did in 1992.

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Throughout his short history as a national series driver, Elliott has shown an unflappable, even-keel approach en route to such heights as last season’s XFINITY Series title. But if any weekend were to test his Zen-like calm, who could blame him if this were the one?

"If I wasn’t nervous come this weekend, then I’d think something was wrong with me," Elliott said. "I think that should be the case. With as much excitement as this weekend brings I think you’re going to have some nerves to go along with it. I’m looking forward to experiencing both of those sensations."

If his nerves indeed need some calming, then Elliott can go to bat knowing he will have Gordon on his side. Jeff just happens to be tied with HMS teammate Jimmie Johnson for the most Cup wins at the track among active drivers with eight, so it’s not like he’s coming at Chase with a blank slate.

"I think for me, Jeff will probably be the guy I lean on most this weekend," Elliott said. "One, our car is being prepared out of the 24 and 5 shop. Just to be familiar with that group of guys and how they do things, I think that only makes sense to kind of lean on those guys more than anybody else with the plans for next year. Last time I checked, Jeff had run a handful of races at Martinsville; I feel like he’ll have some good information and a lot to be learned talking to him."

Elliott said he hasn’t driven a Cup car since January of 2014, and most of that experience was at Nashville Superspeedway, a 1.33-mile concrete track that was used for testing. Plus, in the time since Elliott drove a Cup car, a lot has changed thanks to the 2015 rules package.

Add in the fact that Elliott will be working with crew chief Kenny Francis for the first time, and there are a lot of challenges he’ll be facing beyond just the normal task of driving on a tough, tight 0.526-mile track.

But besides having Gordon and the entire HMS team on his side, Elliott also has the benefit of it being a break in the XFINITY Series schedule. Therefore, he can concentrate on the very tall task at hand. But as one might expect, his own expectations for his first Cup race sound pretty reasonable.

"Hopefully, for me, I just want to execute all weekend and put together a solid week," Elliott said. "I think for us, if we can run all the laps and stay on the lead lap and battle to run in the top 15, I feel like that’s a great day to shoot for. I feel like that’s possible and that would be a really good day."

Of course, if he does something more than that, then it could add to the track’s already thick history. It’s a history that will be on the young driver’s mind.

"I think back of all the times I’ve gone to Martinsville to watch my dad race," Elliott said. "Even not that long ago. Weird to think I’m going to go run a Cup race and not be watching. … Such a great opportunity and I want to make the most of it."

Senior writer Holly Cain contributed to this report.

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Posted on by NASCAR Official Release

NASCAR gives behavior penalty to five crew members

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 25, 2015) — NASCAR has issued Behavioral Penalties to five crew members for their actions during pre-race March 21 at Auto Club Speedway. The crew members were working for the No. 8 NASCAR XFINITY Series team when the violations occurred.

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The crew members violated the following Sections in the 2015 NASCAR rule book:

12-1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing: Involved in a pre-race incident; failure to comply with a directive from Track Security

12.8a: Behavioral Penalty

Crew member Mark Armstrong has been fined $1,500, suspended from NASCAR until April 21 and placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31. Crew members Tyler Bullard, Nathaniel House, Jeremy Howard and Ryan Mulder have all been placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31.

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Posted on by NASCAR Official Release

NASCAR penalizes team for infractions at Auto Club Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 25, 2015) — The No. 33 team that competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has been penalized for a rules infraction discovered during opening day inspection March 20 at Auto Club Speedway.

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This infraction is a P4 level penalty and violates the following Sections in the 2015 NASCAR rule book:

12.1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing;

20.14.2: Rear Suspension: Truck Trailing Arm

            E. The left and right side truck trailing arms must be mounted to the truck trailing arm mounting brackets using a one-piece, minimum ¾ inch diameter magnetic steel bolt.

            F. The horizontal centerline of the highest truck trailing arm mounting bolt must not be higher than the top surface of the truck trailing arm crossmember, at the respective truck trailing arm mounting bracket, when the vehicle is at inspection orientation.

INFRACTION: The ¾ inch diameter magnetic steel truck trailing arm mounting bolt was not installed horizontally.

            J.Truck trailing arm must conform to the following drawing as specified in the NASCAR rule book: Rear Suspension-Truck Trailing Arm: A-008-00183-14 Rev.C

INFRACTION: Truck trailing arm monoball sleeve does not meet the drawing specifications. Sleeve is required to be minimum .125 inch minimum thick x two inches wide sleeve machined for press fit of .750 I.D. or .875 I.D. monoball assembly.

20.3.3.2.1: Truck Trailing Arm Crossmember Assembly:Truck Trailing Arm Mounting Brackets

            B. Truck trailing arm mounting brackets must be constructed of magnetic steel flat plate with a minimum thickness of 0.169 inch.

INFRACTION: Truck trailing arm mounting bracket adapter was machined from Aluminum solid.

20.20: Assembled Vehicle Overall Rules

            A. Except in cases explicitly permitted in the NASCAR rules, installation of additional components and/or modifications of existing components to affect the aerodynamic properties of the vehicle will not be permitted, including but not limited to, safety systems, chassis and roll cage, suspension, steering systems, brake systems, heat shields, body fillers, body sealers, filler panels, drivetrain components and exhaust components.

The options for a P4 penalty are outlined the following sections of the NASCAR rule book:

12.5.3.4: P4 Penalty Options:

A. Violations leading to P4 penalties, in general, are very serious. They include, but are not limited to, a broad range of infractions such as:

B.  Parts which do not meet specifications

F.  Measurement failures of significance

G. These often involve primary component or system infractions not otherwise to the magnitude of P5 infractions, but could also include secondary component or system infractions, particularly if of a nature suggesting some of the characteristics described in P5 … and/or involving safety implications.

12.5.3.4.2: Minimum P4 Penalty Options (includes all three points below):

            A. Loss of 25 championship driver and owner points, regardless of whether the violation occurred during a Championship race or not.

            B. $40,000-$75,000 fine

            C. Suspension for the next three series Championship Races, plus any non-championship races or special events which might occur during that time period, for the crew chief, plus probation through the end of the calendar year, or probation for a six month period following the issuance of the penalty notice if that period spans across two consecutive seasons.

As a result of this violation, crew chief Slugger Labbe has been fined $50,000 and suspended for the next three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship races, plus any non-championship races or special events which might occur during that time period. Labbe has also been placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31. In addition, car owner Joe Falk has been docked 25 championship car owner points.

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Posted on by NASCAR Official Release

From NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France

Statement from Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO, on J.D. Gibbs:

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 25, 2015) — "All members of the NASCAR and France family extend our thoughts and prayers to J.D. Gibbs and his loved ones. We’ve all watched J.D. grow up within our community, and he always has represented himself, his family, the entire Joe Gibbs Racing organization and NASCAR with the utmost professionalism, enthusiasm and energy. We wish him the best during this time and eagerly anticipate his recovery."

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Posted on by Jason Lofing

Humpe led 97 of 125 laps in a convincing win at Auto Club Speedway.

For the second week in a row, Kenny Humpe visited victory lane in the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series Powered by iRacing. This time, Humpe’s win capped a dominating performance at Auto Club Speedway in which he started from the pole and led five times for 97 of 125 laps. Chad Laughton finished runner-up, half a second behind the winner with Justin Bolton third, followed by Ray Alfalla and Nick Ottinger.

From the drop of the green flag, Humpe was clearly the driver to beat. After Laughton drafted by to lead the second lap, Humpe regained control and looked to pull away from the rest of the field, although a trio of cautions would keep that from happening.

The first two incidents were relatively minor but the third, which unfolded on Lap 25, looked like a crash normally reserved for superspeedways. As the field made their way through Turn Two after a restart, Ottinger came down a bit too far and made contact with Thomas Davis, causing Davis to lose his momentum. Tyler Hudson couldn’t slow down or avoid Davis and plowed into him, sparking a massive crash that collected more than a dozen cars including that of rookie standout Patrick Crabtree.

After the field was thinned by the big incident, the race took on a much calmer look as the next 66 laps went caution-free and included a round of green flag pit stops. Humpe’s was the strongest car for most of the run but Ottinger flexed some muscle near the end of the first stint and took the lead on Lap 47.

As the run wore on, the field started to separate even though the draft was strong with the reduced horsepower of the 2015 rules package. Ottinger looked to be about equal to Humpe on the long run, but Humpe got back out in front after Ottinger led for 14 laps and remained in command for the rest of the way.

Until the last caution flew on Lap 95, it appeared fuel mileage could factor into the race. Several drivers running in the bottom half of the field started saving gas and hoped to make it to the end on one less stop knowing it was their only hope of beating Humpe. However, the last caution ruined that strategy and also cost some other drivers who had short pitted, including Michael Conti.

On the last restart the field had one last shot at Humpe but none could take advantage. Even with the draft no one could mount a serious challenge the rest of the way, allowing Humpe to cruise to a relatively easy win.

Humpe also took over the series points lead with the victory and leads the standings by 14 points over Laughton. Two-time champion Ray Alfalla is third, 22 points behind followed by Cody Byus and Chris Overland. Crabtree, the points leader coming in, left Auto Club Speedway seventh in the standings after a disappointing thirty-fifth place finish due to crash damage. He sits just ahead of defending champion Conti, who has yet to find his stride in 2015.

Week Four sees the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series head to a 1.5 mile track for the second time this season as the series visits Texas Motor Speedway. It would be foolish not to consider Humpe the favorite, but look for Laughton and Ottinger to be strong as well. Can anyone in the field stop Humpe’s domination, or will the #58 car visit victory lane for the third straight race? Make sure to catch all the Week Four action by tuning into iRacing Live in two weeks’ time!