Lineup for AAA Texas 500

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Staff Report

Title contenders Kenseth and Gordon will be on the front row

Pos	Car	Driver	Team
1	20	Matt Kenseth	Dollar General Toyota
2	24	Jeff Gordon	Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
3	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe’s Red Vest Chevrolet
4	41	Kurt Busch	Haas Automation Chevrolet
5	4	Kevin Harvick	Budweiser Chevrolet
6	14	Tony Stewart	Bass Pro Shops/Mobli 1 Chevrolet
7	31	Ryan Newman	Caterpillar Chevrolet
8	78	Martin Truex Jr.	Furniture Row Chevrolet
9	18	Kyle Busch	M&M’s Toyota
10	22	Joey Logano	AAA Insurance Ford
11	99	Carl Edwards	Aflac Ford
12	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet
13	55	Brian Vickers	Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota
14	5	Kasey Kahne	Great Clips Chevrolet
15	27	Paul Menard	Richmond/Menards Chevrolet
16	9	Marcos Ambrose	DeWalt Ford
17	42	Kyle Larson #	Target Chevrolet
18	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	EcoPower Oil Ford
19	16	Greg Biffle	Ortho Fire Ant Killer Ford
20	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Office Toyota
21	1	Jamie McMurray	McDonald’s Chevrolet
22	43	Aric Almirola	Farmland Ford
23	47	AJ Allmendinger	Clorox Chevrolet
24	15	Clint Bowyer	5-Hour Energy Toyota
25	21	Trevor Bayne(i)	Motorcraft/Quicklane Tire & Auto Center Ford
26	2	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite Ford
27	10	Danica Patrick	GoDaddy Chevrolet
28	95	Michael McDowell	Tommy Williams Drywall Ford
29	3	Austin Dillon #	Dow Energy & Water Chevrolet
30	51	Justin Allgaier #	Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau Chevrolet
31	38	David Gilliland	Love’s Travel Stops Ford
32	36	Reed Sorenson	Accell Construction Chevrolet
33	7	Michael Annett #	Cypress HQ Chevrolet
34	40	Landon Cassill(i)	Chevrolet
35	23	Alex Bowman #	Dr Pepper Toyota
36	98	Josh Wise	Provident Metals Chevrolet
37	34	David Ragan	Dockside Logistics Chevrolet
38	13	Casey Mears	GEICO Chevrolet
39	83	JJ Yeley(i)	Zak Products Toyota
40	26	Cole Whitt #	Speed Stick Gear Toyota
41	66	Brett Moffitt	Vydox Toyota
42	33	Timmy Hill	Little Joe’s Autos Chevrolet
43	32	Joey Gase(i)	24/7 E-Cigs Ford

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Posted on October 31, 2014 by Staff Report

Each week a tech question is answered on GarageCam presented by Mobil 1

RELATED: Mobil 1 Technology Center

Each week the host of NASCAR.com’s GarageCam presented by Mobil 1 will take an automotive technology question and get it answered by the experts in a NASCAR garage.

This week, a member of Michael Annett‘s No. 7 team, Bob Decker, answers the Mobil 1 Tech Question of the Week regarding the difference between in-race fueling and garage fueling.

Be sure to tune in to GarageCam presented by Mobil 1 next week at Phoenix International Raceway and see another question answered.

Sprint Cup Series GarageCam, presented by Mobil 1: 1 p.m. ET, Friday, Nov. 7. (Watch here)
Nationwide Series GarageCam, presented by Mobil 1: 11:30 a.m. ET, Friday, Nov. 7. (Watch here)

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Posted on October 31, 2014 by Staff Report

Teenager edges out Kyle Busch, secures 21 Means 21 award

RELATED: Qualifying results

Tyler Reddick soared to the 21 Means 21 Pole Award in Friday afternoon qualifying for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Texas Motor Speedway.

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Reddick, driving the Brad Keselowski Racing No. 19 Ford, will start first in Friday night’s WinStar World Casino & Resort 350 (8:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1) after posting a fast lap of 181.959 mph. The pole was the 18-year-old driver’s second of the season and second of his young truck series career. He’ll make his 15th career start in Friday night’s 147-lap race.

Kyle Busch, a six-time truck series winner at Texas, will start alongside Reddick on the front row after recording the second-best lap (181.800 mph) in the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 51 Toyota. Series points leader and defending truck champion Matt Crafton grabbed the third starting spot, just ahead of Turner Scott Motorsports teammates Ben Kennedy and Cameron Hayley, who wound up fourth and fifth, respectively.

Crafton, in the ThorSport Racing No. 88 Toyota, prevailed with a dominant performance in the trucks’ most recent Texas race in June. Ryan Blaney, his closest pursuer in the standings, will start ninth in Friday night’s race in the Brad Keselowski Racing No. 29 Ford.

Brennan Newberry topped the charts in the 25-minute opening segment of knockout qualifying with a best lap of 180.777 mph. Darrell Wallace Jr., last weekend’s winner at Martinsville Speedway and Busch’s KBM teammate, topped the 10-minute second leg with the fastest lap of the weekend at 182.014 mph.

All 12 trucks who made the final qualifying elimination came perilously close to missing out on making a qualifying attempt with a waiting game in the waning moments of the five-minute session.

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Posted on October 31, 2014 by Staff Report

See the order the cars will go off in for qualifying (Sat., 12:15 p.m. ET, FS2)

#	Car	Driver	Team
1	52	Joey Gase	Better Business Bureau Chevrolet
2	40	Matt DiBenedetto	Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet
3	14	Eric McClure	Hefty Ultimate/Reynolds Wrap Toyota
4	31	Dylan Kwasniewski #	AccuDoc Solutions/Rockstar Chevrolet
5	42	Kyle Larson(i)	Philips Norelco Chevrolet
6	12	* Ryan Blaney(i)	Snap-On Ford
7	84	* Chad Boat #	Corvetteparts.net Chevrolet
8	22	Joey Logano(i)	Discount Tire Ford
9	54	Kyle Busch(i)	Monster Energy Toyota
10	43	Dakoda Armstrong #	WinField Ford
11	10	* Blake Koch	SupportMilitary.org Toyota
12	2	Brian Scott	Country Bob’s Sauce Chevrolet
13	98	* Corey LaJoie(i)	Medallion Financial/Smithfield Ford
14	19	Mike Bliss	Tweaker Energy Shot Toyota
15	11	Elliott Sadler	OneMain Financial Toyota
16	46	* Ryan Ellis	Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet
17	93	Kevin Swindell	JGL Racing Dodge
18	51	Jeremy Clements	Crescent Companies Chevrolet
19	20	Matt Kenseth(i)	GameStop/Call of Duty Advanced Warfare Toyota
20	55	Jamie Dick	Viva Auto Group Chevrolet
21	16	Ryan Reed #	ADA Drive to Stop Diabetes/Lilly Diabetes Ford
22	70	* Derrike Cope	youtheory Chevrolet
23	3	Ty Dillon #	Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet
24	99	James Buescher	Rheem Toyota
25	6	Trevor Bayne	AdvoCare Ford
26	01	Landon Cassill	G&K Services Chevrolet
27	23	Robert Richardson Jr.	Willbros Chevrolet
28	7	Regan Smith	TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
29	33	* Austin Dillon(i)	Grainger Chevrolet
30	44	David Starr	Whataburger Toyota
31	9	Chase Elliott #	NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet
32	90	* Martin Roy	Gamache Truck Center Chevrolet
33	4	Jeffrey Earnhardt	Flex Seal Chevrolet
34	89	* Morgan Shepherd	Courtney Construction Chevrolet
35	87	Carlos Contreras	RaceTrac Convenience Stores Chevrolet
36	74	* Mike Harmon	John II Concrete Construction Dodge
37	25	* John Wes Townley	Zaxby’s Toyota
38	60	Chris Buescher #	Bit O Honey Ford
39	28	JJ Yeley	Texas 28 Spirits Stage Dodge
40	5	* Kevin Harvick(i)	Hunt Brother’s Pizza Chevrolet
41	17	* Tanner Berryhill #	New Gulf Resources Toyota
42	62	Brendan Gaughan	Smokey Mountain Snuff Chevrolet
43	39	Ryan Sieg #	JoeUSA.com/Pull-A-Part Chevrolet

* Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

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Posted on October 31, 2014 by Staff Report

See the order the trucks will go off in for qualifying (3:15 p.m. ET, FS1)

#	Car	Driver	Team
1	6	Norm Benning	Tom Corbett for PA Governor Chevrolet
2	20	Brennan Newberry	Qore-24 Chevrolet
3	51	Kyle Busch(i)	ToyotaCare Toyota
4	36	* Blake Koch(i)	Mittler Bros. Machine & Tool/LG Seeds/Ski Soda Chevrolet
5	77	German Quiroga	OtterBox Toyota
6	07	Ryan Lynch	BlankHood.com Chevrolet
7	32	Tayler Malsam	Outerwall Chevrolet
8	30	* Cameron Hayley	Cabinets by Hayley Chevrolet
9	05	* John Wes Townley	Zaxby’s Toyota
10	29	Ryan Blaney	Cooper Standard Ford
11	13	Jeb Burton	Estes/Carolina Nut Company Toyota
12	21	Joey Coulter	Allegiant Travel Chevrolet
13	17	Timothy Peters	Red Horse Racing Toyota
14	57	* Adam Edwards	Watt’s Truck Center Chevrolet
15	50	TJ Bell	Dedicated to Electrical Linemen Chevrolet
16	88	Matt Crafton	Goof Off/Menards Toyota
17	02	Tyler Young #	Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth Chevrolet
18	54	Darrell Wallace Jr.	ToyotaCare Toyota
19	31	Ben Kennedy #	Heater.com Chevrolet
20	35	Ryan Ellis(i)	Red Line Synthetic Oil/Win-Tron Racing Toyota
21	19	Tyler Reddick #	DrawTite Ford
22	08	Ray Black Jr.	ScubaLife/NASE WorldWide Chevrolet
23	98	Johnny Sauter	Smokey Mountain/Curb Records Toyota
24	10	Jennifer Jo Cobb	Grimes Irrigation & Construction Chevrolet
25	74	* Mike Harmon	John II Concrete Construction Chevrolet
26	23	* Max Gresham	AmWins Group Inc. Chevrolet
27	0	* Caleb Roark	Grimes Irrigation & Construction Chevrolet
28	99	Bryan Silas	Rick Scott for FL Governor Chevrolet
29	9	Ron Hornaday Jr.	Rheem Chevrolet
30	63	Justin Jennings	Mittler Bros. Machine & Tool/LG Seeds/Ski Soda Chevrolet
31	15	* Mason Mingus #	811 Call Before You Dig Chevrolet
32	8	Joe Nemechek	swmtx.com/Slovacek’s Sausage Toyota

* Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

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Posted on October 31, 2014 by Staff Report

See the order the cars will go off in on Friday (6:45 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

#	Car	Driver	Team
1	22	Joey Logano	AAA Insurance Ford
2	42	Kyle Larson #	Target Chevrolet
3	99	Carl Edwards	Aflac Ford
4	20	Matt Kenseth	Dollar General Toyota
5	51	Justin Allgaier #	Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau Chevrolet
6	23	Alex Bowman #	Dr Pepper Toyota
7	31	Ryan Newman	Caterpillar Chevrolet
8	78	Martin Truex Jr.	Furniture Row Chevrolet
9	16	Greg Biffle	Ortho Fire Ant Killer Ford
10	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Office Toyota
11	95	Michael McDowell	Tommy Williams Drywall Ford
12	5	Kasey Kahne	Great Clips Chevrolet
13	38	David Gilliland	Love’s Travel Stops Ford
14	15	Clint Bowyer	5-Hour Energy Toyota
15	40	Landon Cassill(i)	Chevrolet
16	55	Brian Vickers	Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota
17	4	Kevin Harvick	Budweiser Chevrolet
18	47	AJ Allmendinger	Clorox Chevrolet
19	83	JJ Yeley(i)	Zak Products Toyota
20	14	Tony Stewart	Bass Pro Shops/Mobli 1 Chevrolet
21	7	Michael Annett #	Cypress HQ Chevrolet
22	9	Marcos Ambrose	DeWalt Ford
23	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet
24	24	Jeff Gordon	Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
25	98	Josh Wise	Provident Metals Chevrolet
26	21	Trevor Bayne(i)	Motorcraft/Quicklane Tire & Auto Center Ford
27	18	Kyle Busch	M&M’s Toyota
28	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	EcoPower Oil Ford
29	41	Kurt Busch	Haas Automation Chevrolet
30	32	Joey Gase(i)	24/7 E-Cigs Ford
31	10	Danica Patrick	GoDaddy Chevrolet
32	13	Casey Mears	GEICO Chevrolet
33	33	Timmy Hill	Little Joe’s Autos Chevrolet
34	26	Cole Whitt #	Speed Stick Gear Toyota
35	2	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite Ford
36	66	Brett Moffitt	Vydox Toyota
37	36	Reed Sorenson	Accell Construction Chevrolet
38	1	Jamie McMurray	McDonald’s Chevrolet
39	27	Paul Menard	Richmond/Menards Chevrolet
40	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe’s Red Vest Chevrolet
41	3	Austin Dillon #	Dow Energy & Water Chevrolet
42	34	David Ragan	Dockside Logistics Chevrolet
43	43	Aric Almirola	Farmland Ford

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Posted on October 31, 2014 by Staff Report

Vickers atop Sprint Cup leaderboard; Dillon, Buescher top Nationwide

Sprint Cup Series Practice 1 | Results

Brian Vickers rose to the top of the heap in opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice with a blisteringly fast lap at Texas Motor Speedway.

Vickers, driving the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 55 Toyota, clocked a best speed of 199.218 mph in preparation for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN), the eighth of 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup postseason. Vickers’ lap was a shade better than the track record of 198.282 mph that Kevin Harvick registered in the first leg of knockout qualifying at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth track in April.

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Harvick — the fastest title-eligible driver — was second-best in the 90-minute session with a lap of 198.990 mph in the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet. Tony Stewart, Harvick’s car owner and teammate, was third-fastest with Martin Truex Jr. and fellow Chase driver Jeff Gordon closing out the top five.

The event marks the second of three races in the Eliminator Round, which will determine the last four drivers with a shot at the title in the Sprint Cup Championship on Nov. 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The ranks of the other Chase drivers in first practice: Carl Edwards (7th), Denny Hamlin (12th), Joey Logano (20th), Ryan Newman (23rd), Brad Keselowski (24th) and Matt Kenseth (26th).

Coors Light Pole Qualifying is scheduled later Friday at 6:45 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Two more practices are scheduled Saturday before Sunday’s 334-lap, 501-mile main event.

Nationwide Series final practice | Results

Austin Dillon, making just his first NASCAR Nationwide Series race of the season, launched atop the NASCAR Nationwide Series leaderboard in final practice Friday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway.

Dillon, driving the Richard Childress Racing No. 33 Chevrolet, turned in a best lap of 185.516 mph in the 90-minute session on the 1.5-mile track. The 2013 series champion was also fourth-fastest in the opening 50-minute practice.

Fellow Sprint Cup Series regular Joey Logano was second-fastest at 184.212 mph in the Team Penske No. 22 Ford, matching his place in Friday’s earlier practice. Trevor Bayne, Dillon teammate Brendan Gaughan and rookie Dylan Kwasniewski rounded out the top five.

Chase Elliott, the rookie atop the the Nationwide Series standings, was 17th-fastest among the 42 drivers getting track time. Regan Smith, his JR Motorsports teammate and nearest competitor just 42 points behind, was 18th-fastest.

Nationwide Series Practice 1 | Results

Chris Buescher jumped to the top of the leaderboard in opening NASCAR Nationwide Series practice Friday, logging a fast lap of 186.085 mph at Texas Motor Speedway. Buescher, driving the Roush Fenway Racing No. 60 Ford, surged to the top of the speed chart in the last 10 minutes of the 50-minute session.

Joey Logano was second-fastest at 185.255 in the Team Penske No. 22 Ford. He set the pace for most of the session, but brought out the only caution period when his car began to smoke.

Trevor Bayne, Buescher’s Roush Fenway teammate, completed a 1-2-3 sweep of Fords on the 1.5-mile track. Austin Dillon, a former series champion making his first Nationwide start of the year, was fourth-fastest with Richard Childress Racing teammate Brian Scott completing the top five.

Rookie Chase Elliott, the series points leader, was 15th-fastest of the 40 drivers to participate in opening practice.

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Posted on October 31, 2014 by Staff Report

Veteran to pilot No. 1 Ford in XFINITY Series

Elliott Sadler will join Roush Fenway Racing in 2015 to compete in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, according to the organization and sponsor OneMain Financial.

Sadler, currently competing for Joe Gibbs Racing, will pilot the No. 1 RFR Ford. A 10-time winner in the series, he is fourth in points heading into Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge (ESPN, 3:30 p.m. ET).

"It’s an honor to remain with OneMain Financial next year," Sadler said. "I’m thrilled for the opportunity to race under the OneMain Financial banner and team up with Roush Fenway Racing to compete for the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship in 2015."

The 39-year-old Sadler has 260 career starts in the series with 16 poles and 128 top-10 finishes. He is also a three-time winner in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series. He is one of 24 drivers to win at least one race in each of NASCAR’s three national series (Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series).

OneMain, previously CitiFinancial, has a prior sponsor relationship with RFR.

"They are a first-class organization from top to bottom," said Steve Newmark, president of RFR. "We enjoyed a great partnership in the past and we look forward to reigniting that relationship moving forward next season.

"(Elliott) is a seasoned veteran and a winner on the track. He brings a reputation as a fierce competitor and I know that our entire organization … will benefit from his experience next season."

Sadler will join current RFR drivers Ryan Reed and Chris Buescher.

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Posted on October 31, 2014 by Staff Report

Voting to select next spokeswoman for the Official Beer of NASCAR ends Nov. 16

Like the NASCAR season itself, the Search for the Next Miss Coors Light is rapidly reaching an exciting conclusion.

Fans have until Nov. 16, the day of the final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the year, to choose from a six-pack of candidates to replace Rachel Rupert as the next brand ambassador for the Official Beer of NASCAR.

Over the last four years, Miss Coors Light has grown to become one of the most recognized faces in NASCAR, presenting the Coors Light Pole Award for every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series event while delivering behind-the-scenes access to race fans via her official Twitter and Facebook pages.

Click here to scroll through the candidates’ bios and click the one you want delivering ice cold refreshments during the 2015 season. Keep voting throughout the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, but remember 21 means 21 to vote.

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Nascar

Joe Gibbs Racing driver hopes Kevin Harvick performs well Sunday

FORT WORTH, Texas — Matt Kenseth said he hopes to see Kevin Harvick win one of the next two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, an unusual admission from a fellow competitor.

But Kenseth, driver of the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, knows he is to blame for the position Harvick finds himself in today.

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Contact from Kenseth sent the Stewart-Haas Racing driver into the wall last week at Martinsville Speedway, and the damage led to a 33rd-place finish, a drop from second to eighth in the points standings and the position of facing elimination from this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Only four of the top eight will advance to Homestead, and only Texas and Phoenix remain in between.

Harvick’s No. 4 Chevrolet has consistently been one of the fastest this season and the 38-year-old has three wins, including one in the Chase. Now, he has two races in which to regain what was lost in Turn 1 and keep his championship hopes alive.

The two drivers chatted briefly before the start of practice Friday at Texas Motor Speedway, site of Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Kenseth, speaking to the media earlier in the day, said he "couldn’t feel any worse" about Harvick’s situation.

"I hope he has a really good week this week or next week and wins one of these races, and even if he doesn’t, I think he’ll run good enough, hopefully get in that last round," Kenseth said. "Because I know he doesn’t want to get taken out of it for something he had nothing to do with, and I certainly don’t want to be the guy that takes him out of it, so hopefully it all works out in the end."

Kenseth’s car sustained only minor damage in the Martinsville incident, and a sixth-place finish left him fourth in points heading into this week’s race.

Afterward, Harvick didn’t promise retaliation, but said that Kenseth wouldn’t "win this championship."

"If we don’t, he won’t," Harvick said.

Kenseth said Friday retaliation wasn’t a concern, adding that, "I can only control my own car and what I do, and obviously I did a poor job of that last weekend."

"I can’t fix the situation," he added. "It’s done. It’s kind of like the guy that causes the wreck at Talladega, he feels terrible about it and … ruined a lot of people’s day from the mistake he made.

"Last week (at Martinsville) it was the same way, it was just, unfortunately (I) wrecked Kevin who was probably the favorite going into the Chase. It was terrible timing, wrong place at the wrong time. I understand his frustration; I would be just as frustrated."

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