Posted on by Nascar

With subpar Challenger Round finishes, No. 88 team looking for answers

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With just a single top-10 finish in the first three races of this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t about to sing the praises of his or his team’s performance.

“Not real good,” he said Tuesday when asked to grade his Hendrick Motorsports team after the conclusion of the opening Challenger Round.

“We’re definitely not running as good as we need to to get further into the Chase,” he said. “That’s a bit concerning. The good thing though, I guess, is that the tracks are all different … we’re going to some pretty unique places coming up that maybe can break the slump a little bit and get us back on the competitive streak that we need to be on.”

A three-time winner this season (he captured the season-opening Daytona 500 and swept both races at Pocono Raceway), Earnhardt Jr. finished 11th at Chicago, ninth at New Hampshire and a distant 17th at Dover.

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The mixed results have brought mixed reactions. Good enough to advance to the next round, which begins with this weekend’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas (2 p.m. ET, ESPN), but also average enough to raise some eyebrows.

There haven’t been wholesale changes, a rollout of completely new vehicles yet to be tested or deviations in strategy going into this year’s Chase. Instead, it’s been a mix of the tried and true with the new and improved from crew chief Steve Letarte.

"We’ve had the setups that are not really that far out of the box compared to our teammates, so it’s a bit concerning," Earnhardt Jr., 39, said. "We don’t really know exactly why we’re not fast or where the speed is at. The cars haven’t driven great and the speed has been down."

All four Hendrick drivers advanced into the Contender Round, with Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne joining Earnhardt Jr. as the field of now 12 begins the next three-race segment. Points have been adjusted and all 12 start out on equal ground. Such a reset makes the results of the previous week a bit easier to digest, Earnhardt Jr. said.

"You can just forget about the last three races," he said. "You get a fresh start. That helps everybody’s attitude a lot. We’re kind of out of the hole … a little bit.

"Right or wrong, we get to go into the next race even with everybody and get a great shot at trying to move on. We’re definitely getting every opportunity to stay in the middle of this battle for the championship. Like I said, I’m hoping we can break this streak or slump and get going here."

He’ll approach the next three races — Kansas, Charlotte and Talladega — with "a new sense of urgency," he said, and perhaps a more aggressive strategy on pit road when the opportunity presents itself.

But as for the tracks themselves?

"We raced at Kansas in May and that was an awful long time ago," he said. "I don’t know who you can expect to be quick, how much teams have advanced or learned since the last trip there. We finished fifth, ran third in the race, ran pretty good the last time we were there but the whole landscape has changed as far as competition goes since that last race there. I don’t really know what to expect; I just hope we’re quick."

Dover wasn’t an anomaly. Combined with Chicago and New Hampshire, and maybe even a race or two before that, it’s bordering on a trend. But while he says the team is "off our game a little bit," Earnhardt Jr. knows the tools and talent are there to recover.

"The potential for us to run well is there, we know we can do it, we’ve been able to be competitive," he said. "I just think we need to look around at what we can see is working, try to utilize and lean on that information as best we can. Try to be open-minded.

"Again, we need to be willing to make gambles and risks with our strategy and try to do things that’s going to pay off for us in the long run over a race day. We were really good at making those risks pay off throughout the season and I think that’s going to be part of what we need to do in the Chase and I think Steve feels the same way."

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Posted on by Nascar

Contending driver has speed but lacks recent wins

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There’s a very good chance that Kevin Harvick will have an extremely fast race car when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series arrives at Kansas Speedway this weekend to begin preparations for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 (ESPN, 2 p.m. ET).

Perhaps even the fastest.

After all, speed hasn’t been an issue for the driver of the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet this year.

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Seven times this season, Harvick has captured the No. 1 qualifying position, the most by a driver since Mark Martin won seven poles in 2009.

He’s led the most laps eight times, more than any other driver, including more than 1,000 since his most recent victory in April at Darlington Raceway.

But given the way his season has unfolded, fast cars haven’t produced the desired results often enough for Harvick and company.

Sunday’s AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway was the latest example in how quickly things can go wrong in a Sprint Cup Series race for the team, and how quirky some of those things can be.

For the second time this year at Dover, a broken inner valve stem led to a flat tire for Harvick, and the driver that led 223 laps of the 400-lap race was never to see the front of the field again.

The tire problem surfaced after an initial front-end issue bit the team — reports said it was a broken front shock.

The first setback failed to derail his hopes of returning to the winner’s circle, but the timing of the flat tire proved to be too much to overcome.

It’s been that kind of year for the 38-year-old, a winner in three of this year’s first eight races but a disappointing 0-for-summer.

The driver that should already be expanding his trophy case has weathered all sorts of problems, both on pit road and underneath the skin of the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet.

That Harvick and the team earned a berth in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is a testament to how good the team has been when problems don’t arise. Good enough, also, to advance into the Contender Round (a three-race segment comprised of races at Kansas, Charlotte and Talladega), thanks to finishes of fifth, third and 13th, respectively, at Chicagoland, New Hampshire and Dover.

Championship hopes haven’t dimmed, but the role of favorite currently rests with someone else.

With a return trip to Kansas ahead, Harvick said nothing unexpected after Dover. Going forward, the team expects "to be fast … (we) just have to have some good luck."

"That is really what it’s all about for us," he said. "The car will be fast; it’s just about getting it all to come together."

He likened this year’s series of setbacks to "handing out early Christmas presents to people for winning races that we should be winning."

Crew chief Rodney Childers, perhaps a bit more blunt, said it’s just a case of "stupid (stuff) happening, and we just have to move on from it."

"Even with the deal we had going on in the front of the car, we were still the fastest car," Childers said. "(Kevin) was driving away from them. We just didn’t need the tire to go down and drag the whole front end off of it."

Jeff Gordon’s team used information gleaned from the No. 4 at Dover, "and won the race," Childers said, "so I would say we did a pretty good job."

Alan Gustafson, Gordon’s crew chief, said the winning setup came from a variety of notes and information.

"I wouldn’t say that the information we got from them was any more than normal," Gustafson said. "They’re obviously very fast, and it’s nice to be able to play off them, and we were able to do that some this weekend."

But, he added, teammate Jimmie Johnson, a nine-time winner at Dover, is "OK around here" as well.

"We leaned on (Johnson) a little bit. It’s just kind of normal. At the end of the day, we’ve got a lot of resources, and we’ve got to take advantage of it."

Hendrick Motorsports provides the horsepower and chassis for SHR’s four Sprint Cup teams, as well significant technical information. It is, however, a two-way street, with SHR information made available to the HMS crowd as well.

Harvick isn’t concerned with Gordon or Johnson, or Team Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, winners of the first two Chase races. His concern and focus go no further than his own team.

"We can beat every car on the race track," Harvick said. "We just need some good luck.

"If we have some good luck, we’ll win races and have a shot at the championship."

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Posted on by George Winkler

Using average-finish stats, here are your Contender Round favorites

MORE: 12 drivers advance to Contender Round | Full race results | Updated series standings
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When handicapping the 12 drivers in the Contender Round of the Chase Grid, it helps to put one foot in the past and one foot in the present to hopefully make a confident step toward the future. So what we’ve done is capture the past and present in the form of average-finish stats in order to predict the eight drivers who will advance to the Eliminator Round in the 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

The three statistical categories we examined are: average finish for the 2014 season, average finish in the past five races and average finish at the Contender Round tracks. These categories were chosen because they will help tell us who has been the most consistent driver this season, as well as who’s hot right now and who has the best chance to perform well in the next three races.

By assigning a point value to how each driver ranked in each category (example: Jeff Gordon got 12 points for being the best driver in average finish for this season, while Kyle Busch got one point for being the worst), there is a total at the end and four drivers will be eliminated.

Sounds fun, right? Let’s get to it:

Average finish this season

Rank Driver Avg. Finish Points
1 Jeff Gordon 10.0 12
2 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 11.0 11
3 Joey Logano 12.2 10
4 Brad Keselowski 12.4 9
5 Jimmie Johnson 13.4 8
6 Matt Kenseth 13.8 7
7 Kevin Harvick 14.0 5.5
8 Ryan Newman 14.0 5.5
9 Carl Edwards 14.8 4
10 Denny Hamlin 15.5 3
11 Kasey Kahne 16.5 2
12 Kyle Busch 17.1 1

Inside the Numbers: It shouldn’t surprise any NASCAR fans to see the names at the top of this list. Gordon, Earnhardt Jr., Logano, Keselowski and Johnson have all had great seasons, combining for 19 victories with each driver getting at least three wins. Keselowski leads with five wins, including at Richmond and in the Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway. Logano and Gordon followed Keselowski by winning the Chase races at New Hampshire and Dover, respectively.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. started the season strong with a victory in the Daytona 500 and followed that up by sweeping the races at Pocono, but as we’ll see in the next statistical category (last five races), he hasn’t been the hottest driver among the Chase participants entering the Contender Round.

Average finish last five races

Rank Driver Avg. Finish Points
1 Joey Logano 5.8 12
2 Jimmie Johnson 6.4 11
3 Kevin Harvick 9.0 10
4 Jeff Gordon 9.6 9
5 Brad Keselowski 10.0 8
6 Kyle Busch 11.0 7
7 Ryan Newman 11.4 6
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 12.0 5
9 Kasey Kahne 14.8 4
10 Carl Edwards 15.0 3
11 Matt Kenseth 15.8 1.5
12 Denny Hamlin 15.8 1.5

Inside the Numbers: Junior lands in the middle of the pack with an average finish of 12th in the last five races. That gives him five points in our formula, because he was better than only Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne. Dale Jr.’s 17th-place finish at Dover followed an 11th at Atlanta, a 12th at Richmond, an 11th at Chicago and a ninth at New Hampshire. Not exactly bad by any means, but he isn’t tearing it up, either.

Keselowski took home eight points in this category, which might be difficult to believe considering he won two races in this span. But a 39th-place finish at Atlanta to begin the five-race stretch skewed his numbers. If you discount that race, Keselowski’s average finish over the past four races is an incredible 2.75 — so he might be a little hotter than these numbers suggest.

Average finish at Contender Round tracks

Rank Driver Avg. Finish Points
1 Jimmie Johnson 12.00 12
2 Jeff Gordon 14.20 11
3 Brad Keselowski 14.23 10
4 Carl Edwards 14.33 9
5 Kevin Harvick 14.57 8
6 Matt Kenseth 15.37 7
7 Kasey Kahne 15.40 6
8 Denny Hamlin 15.97 5
9 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 16.53 4
10 Joey Logano 17.63 3
11 Ryan Newman 19.73 2
12 Kyle Busch 19.90 1


Inside the Numbers: Johnson has by far the best average finish at the Contender Round tracks, more than two positions better than his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Gordon. So for those who don’t want to see "Six-Time" become "Seven-Time," avert your eyes from this chart — it’s a sign that the No. 48 team could get stronger as the Chase moves on.

Kyle Busch has a history of volatility at these tracks, so you might want to choose someone else in the Chase Grid Battle Game presented by Toyota. Fans might be familiar with Busch’s struggles at Kansas (average finish of 22.7), which is where his Chase imploded last season, but he’s almost equally as bad at Talladega (21.4). Busch said he and crew chief Dave Rogers tried a different car in the spring race at Kansas, leading to a top-15.

The Final Outcome

Rank Driver Points
1 Jeff Gordon 32
2 Jimmie Johnson 31
3 Brad Keselowski 27
4 Joey Logano 25
5 Kevin Harvick 23.5
6 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 20
7 Carl Edwards
 16
8 Matt Kenseth
 15.5
9 Ryan Newman 13.5
10 Kasey Kahne 12
11 Denny Hamlin 9.5
12 Kyle Busch 9

There you have it, the eight drivers highlighted in the chart above are the ones with the best chance to move on to the Eliminator Round. Of course, we’ll have to see how it actually plays out, but since this was fun, let’s try it again when we get to the final eight to see who has the best shot of making the Championship Four.

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Posted on by Holly Cain

Driver reiterates event was ‘accident,’ talks about what’s next

RELATED: Full transcript from press conference | Complete timeline of Stewart incident

Looking solemn and speaking in soft, deliberate tones, Tony Stewart took questions from the media Monday morning for the first time since being involved in a fatal sprint car racing accident on Aug. 9 that took the life of driver Kevin Ward Jr.

The three-time NASCAR champion frequently glanced down at his hands and thoughtfully answered questions from reporters about the impact the situation has had — and continues to have — on his life, conceding, "I don’t know if it will ever be normal again."

Stewart allowed that it’s possible that he will not compete in sprint car races again saying, "At this point, I won’t be in one for a while." But he dismissed the idea that he gave any serious consideration to retiring as a professional driver.

"There was never a thought in my head about stopping," Stewart said.

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Throughout the question-and-answer period at the Stewart-Haas Racing headquarters, Stewart repeatedly expressed sadness for Ward’s family and reiterated that what transpired on that summer night at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Motorsports Park was "100 percent an accident."

While competing on the upstate New York 0.375-mile dirt track in a locally sanctioned sprint car race, Ward’s and Stewart’s cars collided. Video shows Ward exited his hobbled car and came down the track toward the racing line to confront Stewart on an ensuing caution lap. Stewart’s car struck Ward, who was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

An Ontario County, New York grand jury heard two days of evidence — which included video replays, eyewitness accounts, accident reconstructions and a toxicologist report that indicated Ward was under the influence of marijuana — and deliberated less than an hour before deciding on Sept. 24 there was no evidence to bring criminal charges against Stewart.

Asked for his reaction to finding out Ward was under the influence of drugs, Stewart said, "Honestly for me, it didn’t change anything.

"To me, a young driver lost his life . … I know in my heart it was 100 percent accident and that detail didn’t mean anything to me personally."

And Stewart said that he is, and has been, open to speaking with Ward’s family.

"I don’t need to talk to them for [my] closure, I know what happened and I know it was an accident," Stewart said. "I’d offer to talk to them if it helps them with closure. I want to be available to them if they ever want to talk."

Stewart revealed that in the days immediately following the accident, he stayed in seclusion in his Indiana home. It was a dark and emotional time, something he is still slowly recovering from with the help of a counselor.

"The first three days, I didn’t get out of bed, didn’t care if I took a shower," Stewart said, glancing down. "I only left my room to get food. …I didn’t want to talk to anybody, see anybody. I just wanted to be by myself.

"You finally get up and you finally start moving around a little bit and every day got a little bit easier, but it was a big, drastic change from what I was used to, for sure, not having the desire to do anything.

"All you thought about is what happened and asking yourself, ‘Why? Why did this happen?’ So you just sat there for entire days on end asking questions and trying to come to terms with what happened and why it happened."

And if he could do anything differently in hindsight, Stewart shook his head slightly and answered with the candor he is known for during a 16-year career as one of NASCAR’s biggest stars.

"I would have stayed at Watkins Glen that night," Stewart said, referring to the Sprint Cup venue he was scheduled to race at on Aug. 10

Of racing sprint cars, Stewart said, "I do these things to have fun. It wasn’t a big paying race by sprint car standards. … I just wanted to run my sprint car for a night. I do it to have fun and. …" his voice trailed off, "It didn’t end up being fun."

After deciding not to compete in the next three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races out of respect to the Ward family, Stewart returned to the seat of his No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Aug. 31 and called the loud and enthusiastic reception he received from the fans during driver introductions that day "very overwhelming."

"At first, I thought I accidentally walked out in Dale Jr.’s spot," Stewart said allowing just a trace of his trademark self-deprecating humor.

"I’m glad I had sunglasses on," Stewart continued earnestly. "It was probably the most flattering and humbling part of my career was to walk out there and have that kind of reception.

"Riding around in the back of the pick‑up truck and seeing people against the fence that were cheering for us and they had Jeff Gordon shirts on and Carl Edwards shirts and Matt Kenseth shirts. Didn’t matter what they had on, it really showed the support.

"I’ll never forget that moment."

With last week’s announcement that no criminal charges will be filed against him, Stewart stressed that he is hoping to begin moving forward even as his life is forever changed.

He explained, "You take it one day at a time and before the accident happened, a day would fly by and now a day seems like two or three days. The clock seems like the batteries are running low."

Stewart called questions about sponsorship support and his decreased role as co-owner of the four-car SHR team legitimate queries. He said his sponsors have been supportive throughout and that Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris was even one of the few visitors to his Indiana home.

As for his team, SHR had two cars — driven by Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch — make the 16-driver first round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. However, Busch did not advance to the 12-driver Contender Round in Sunday’s first elimination race at Dover.

Stewart was hard on himself with respect to his ownership duties.

"I’ve let my team down from that standpoint," he said. "I’ve been a little bit of a cheerleader, but that’s about all I’ve been able to contribute here the last seven weeks.

"It’s just, like I mentioned earlier, it’s been hard for me to function day‑to‑day. There hasn’t been anything normal about my life the last seven weeks, so it’s been very hard to try to do anything to be productive to help those guys. You try to be a cheerleader, you try to keep them pumped up about what they’re doing, but other than that, I haven’t been able to contribute too much."

Stewart promised that despite this life-changing situation, his passion for racing remains fervent. A hugely popular driver and one of the sport’s biggest philanthropists, he said he still thinks about the events of Aug. 9 on a daily basis, but is hopeful that as the days go by, his healing will grow stronger.

"It’s not something that goes away; it will never go away," Stewart said. "It’s always going to be part of my life the rest of my life.

"It’s going to be part of Kevin’s family’s life and it’s never going to go away for any of us, but hopefully it will get easier for all of us."

And being back in the NASCAR garage has helped soul and spirit.

"Going to the race track was the first step in reconnecting with a lot of those people and being able to thank them for their kind words and their advice," he said of the outpouring of support he received.

"There’s been so much that I’ve learned from my peers, my friends … whether it’s been personal experiences [they shared] or just kind words.

"I don’t think I could spend the rest of my life and accurately thank everybody for what they’ve done to help us get through this."

And, he said, "I don’t know that it (life) will ever be normal again, but we’ll find a place to settle into and do the best we can like we have to this point.

"Whether I ever get back to that (jovial personality) or not, hopefully through this I will somehow be a better person. That’s all I can hope for."

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Posted on by RJ Kraft

Driver-by-driver news and notes from the final race of the Challenger Round

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Editor’s note: Drivers in italics are in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup

1. Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon dominated the last quarter of the race, leading 94 of the final 96 laps for his fourth win of the season. Gordon was in good shape to advance heading into the final race of the Challenger Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, but the victory was an exclamation point after a disappointing finish at Loudon. Gordon shared the celebration with his team over the radio, exclaiming, "Woo hoo we won at Dover boys!" See how Gordon won at Dover.

2. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. Keselowski looks like a man on a mission in the Chase. He led 78 laps in the AAA 400 and his second-place finish gives him an average finish of 3.3 through the first three races of the Chase. As has been the case this season, speed was not an issue for the No. 2 team as Keselowski was the fastest on restarts (151.888 mph) and the fastest early in a run (151.662 mph). See Keselowski’s race highlights here.

3. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. A steady but not spectacular run for the nine-time winner at Dover. For the first time since the spring race in 2007, Johnson did not lead a lap in a Dover race. If the No. 48 team wasn’t so dominant at the Monster Mile that wouldn’t be alarming. Still, the team did what it had to and more to advance. If the sleeping giant wakes up, look out. See Johnson’s race highlights here.

4. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. Last weekend’s winner at Loudon already had his Contender Round ticket punched and he spent close to half the race outside the top 10. But "Sliced Bread" turned it on late, scoring his third straight top-five finish and his sixth straight top-10 at Dover. Despite not leading a lap, Logano seemed pleased with the effort, telling his team on the radio, "Good job battling all day." For more in-car audio, subscribe to RaceView today.

5. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Kenseth scored his 11th top-five finish of the season. In his seven-win season last year, he had 12 top-five finishes. Last year’s championship runner-up spent the entire race in the top 15, something that only Johnson and Keselowski did otherwise, and spent the second-lowest amount of time on pit road. Get pit road times and more with RaceView.

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6. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. Larson has been on fire since the Chase began — if only he were one of the 16 drivers in the field. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender had 37 quality passes, the second-most, according to loop data. In the three Chase races, Larson has an average finish of 3.7. Is there any doubt that his first Sprint Cup win is coming very soon?

7. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing. At what is practically the New Jersey-born driver’s home track, Truex posted his best finish in 16 races, which was coincidently a sixth-place finish in the spring race at Dover. Truex had the most green-flag passes in the race with 62, according to loop data.

8. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Newman’s steady hand helped him advance to the Contender Round of the Chase. He had the fourth-most green-flag passes (58), according to loop data. The eighth-place result was Newman’s second such result at Dover in his past three races there.

9. Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. Bowyer earned his first top-10 finish since Richmond and extended his streak of top-10 finishes at the Monster Mile to eight straight races.

10. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Remember when everyone was worried that "Rowdy" wouldn’t even make it out of the Challenger Round? Three top-10 finishes in the opening round of the Chase have proven that fear to be false. Busch was the third-fastest car early in a run and has looked solid in the Chase.

11. Carl Edwards, No. 99 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. For a brief time, it looked like "Concrete Carl" may not make it out of the Challenger Round as he was running as far back as 23rd on Lap 80. But the veteran stayed after it and worked his way up thanks to making 33 quality passes, the sixth-most in the race, according to loop data.

12. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin entered the race on the outside looking in of advancing to the Contender Round. But a strong starting spot, the least amount of time on pit road and a solid run at Dover moved him through. But one driver had some concerns about Hamlin’s car as Gordon radioed to his team, "11 has his skirt flared out so much he’s going to cut someone’s tire." There were no post-race inspection issues with the No. 11 team. To hear more in-car audio, subscribe to RaceView today.

13. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. The polesitter led a race-high 223 laps and looked downright dominant. There were concerns about a broken left front shock, but it was a left front tire issue that derailed the No. 4 team’s day. "Something had to cut that tire don’t you think?" Harvick asked over the radio. Turned out to be a left front valve stem was knocked out. The team recovered well for a 13th-place finish, but this was the third time in five races that Harvick led triple-digit laps and had no win to show for it. See what happened to Harvick at Dover.

14. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. At a track where he has three career wins, "Smoke" scored his best finish since a seventh-place result at Loudon more than two months ago. He spent all but eight laps in the top 15. Perhaps this is the start of a strong 2014 finish to set up a solid 2015 campaign.

15. Brian Vickers, No. 55 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. Vickers was eighth in the standings when engine trouble derailed his strong start to the season at Dover in the spring. He ran well here Sunday, scoring his fourth top-15 finish in the past five races.

16. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Menard has struggled to regain the form that saw him roll off four top-10 finishes in five races this spring into summer. The finish may look respectable but Menard ran just four laps in the top 15.

17. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. For the fifth time in six races, Junior finished outside the top 10. In fact, Dale Jr. spent only 40 laps in the top 10 and was never much of a threat to win. While the team moves on to the Contender Round, the results need to improve for a championship run.

18. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. "The Outlaw’s" 500th career Sprint Cup Series start was supposed to be a joyous occasion but it was not as he did not advance to the Contender Round. Busch was battling a tight car most of the race and that affected his position as he went from 12th on Lap 300 to 18th at the finish. Busch took the blame, telling his team over the radio after the race, "It’s all my fault. Put that all on the driver. It’s all my fault." Hear what Busch had to say after the race.

19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. This was a markedly better result for the second-year driver than the spring race when a crash ended his day early. Stenhouse recorded the second-most green-flag passes (59), according to loop data.

20. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Kahne battled his butt off to advance to the Contender Round. An unscheduled pit stop for a loose left rear tire on Lap 162 put Kahne two laps down. A green-flag stop on Lap 241 put him four laps down. Yet, at the end of the day, Kahne managed to be just one lap down and advanced in the Chase. Perhaps it was the team’s ability to navigate traffic as Kahne was the seventh-fastest car in traffic (145.619 mph). Watch as Kahne talks about making the next round.

21. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle and the No. 16 team’s performance at Dover was eerily similar to the team’s performance in the first two Chase races. The team struggled to find speed, had a bad starting spot and battled to stay on the lead lap. Those trends can lead to early exit in the Chase, like they did for Biffle this year.

22. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. McMurray carried plenty of momentum into the race with four top-10 finishes in his previous five starts. However, the veteran driver struggled, logging the least amount of laps in the top 15 (87) for a driver that started in the top 10.

23. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing. Allmendinger saw his Chase come to an end at a track that was considered to be one of his best in the Chase. The Watkins Glen winner was frustrated with his car all day long, telling his team over the radio on Lap 236, "if we’re going to be competitive dude, you have to find me some grip. I’m getting sick in the car this thing is shaking so bad." He later added on Lap 352, "Evil man! I’m tired of driving evil cars!" He ultimately finished two points behind Kahne for the final Contender Round spot. For more in-car audio with drivers unplugged, subscribe to RaceView today.

24. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing.
Dillon qualified well and started 10th, but couldn’t transfer that success over to the race. Just like in the spring race, the driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet finished two laps down.

25. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Patrick’s four-race streak of top-20 finishes came to an end Sunday. Her finish was right at her career average finish of 25.8 at the Monster Mile.

26. Marcos Ambrose, No. 9 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. The finish may not have been what he wanted, but Ambrose got a shoutout from Dover International Speedway president Denis McGlynn in the driver’s meeting. The RPM driver recorded the fifth-most green flag passes (57), according to loop data.

27. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. For the third straight race, Mears gradually improved on his starting position. During that stretch, he has an average finish of 25th.

28. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola’s first Chase run came to an end with a disappointing run at Dover. The No. 43 team struggled to find a rhythm at this 1-mile track and the result was Almirola’s worst career finish at Dover in six starts. Hear what Almirola said after the race.

29. Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. The rookie seems to be having an up-and-down second half of 2014. After earning three top-20 results in four races toward the end of the summer, he has since scored one top-20 finish in the five races since.

30. Cole Whitt, No. 26 Toyota, BK Racing. The rookie sure loves the 30th position. This was his fifth such result in six races.

31. David Ragan, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. For the second time in three weeks, Ragan finished in 31st. This finish came a week after a 42nd-place result at Loudon.

32. Reed Sorenson, No. 36 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Sorenson had his worse finish in nine races in the AAA 400. He ran better in the spring race at Dover, finishing 24th.

33. David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. For the second time in three races, Gilliland finished outside the top 30. This comes on the heels of a stretch where he finished inside the top 30 in the six previous races.

34. Alex Bowman, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. Bowman may have finished 34th, but the rookie showed improvement the second time around at the Monster Mile. He finished 40th at Dover in the spring.

35. Landon Cassill, No. 40 Chevrolet, Hillman Racing. On the bright side, Cassill improve on his starting position to the finish for the seventh time in eight races. The downside: this was his worst finish in that stretch.

36. Mike Bliss, No. 37 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Bliss’ finish at Dover was the second-best finish he has had in six Sprint Cup starts this season and marked the second time this season he was running at the finish.

37. David Stremme, No. 33 Chevrolet, Circle Sport Racing. Stremme’s 37th-place finish at Dover was right on par with his average finish for the season, 36.5.

38. Travis Kvapil, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. Kvapil was hit a speeding penalty entering pit road on Lap 65. His 38th-place finish was his second finish in that spot in three races.

39. J.J. Yeley, No. 32 Ford, GO Fas Racing. Yeley started exactly where he finished at Dover, 39th. He was 13 laps down at the finish.

40. Mike Wallace, No. 66 Toyota, Jay Robinson Racing. Making a Sprint Cup Series start for the second straight week, Wallace finished 16 laps down for the No. 66 team’s eighth finish of 40th or worse this season.

41. Michael Annett, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. For the fifth time in seven races, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender finished 37th or worse. An accident left Annett 39 laps down.

42. Josh Wise, No. 98 Chevrolet, Phil Parsons Racing. Wise finished 203 laps down due to an issue with his suspension for his worst finish since the Las Vegas race in March.

43. Timmy Hill, No. 44 Chevrolet, Xxxtreme Motorsport. Making his seventh Sprint Cup start of the season, Hill retired from the race just 11 laps in with a vibration issue.

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Posted on by Staff Report

Full coverage of tragedy, ensuing events

Sept. 29: Stewart answers questions publicly

Tony Stewart takes questions from media for first time since tragedy, reiterating it was an accident and talking about future. | Read the full story | Full transcript of press conference

Sept. 26: Drivers at Dover react to Stewart news

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick share thoughts on grand jury decision | Read the full story

Sept. 26: Stewart on his sprint car future

Tony Stewart tells The Associated Press that he may not race sprint cars again. | Read the full story

Sept. 26: Stewart speaks on ruling

In his first interview since the grand jury’s ruling, Tony Stewart gives his reaction and tells The Associated Press ‘this was 100 percent an accident.’ | Read the full story

Sept. 25: Hurdles remain for Stewart on and off the track

Kenny Bruce column: Three-time champion has been cleared of criminal wrongdoing but life remains far from the same. | Read the full story

Sept. 24: No charges against Stewart

A grand jury deliberated for less than an hour and determined there would be no indictment for Tony Stewart. | Read the full story

Sept. 24: Stewart releases statement

In a statement released after the grand jury findings, Tony Stewart reiterated his thoughts are with the family of Kevin Ward Jr. | Read the full story

Sept. 24: NASCAR statement on Stewart decision

Brett Jewkes, NASCAR Chief Communications Officer, on Ontario (N.Y.) County District Attorney announcement. | Read the full story

Sept. 16: Ontario County D.A. to send evidence to grand jury

The Ontario County (New York) District Attorney will send evidence from the Kevin Ward Jr.-Tony Stewart investigation to a grand jury. The evidence will be presented in "the near future." | Read the full story

Sept. 11: Investigation into Ward’s death complete

The Ontario County (New York) Office of the Sheriff announced that the investigation into the death of Kevin Ward Jr. has been complete. | Read the full story

Aug. 31: Stewart exits after blown tire

Tony Stewart’s return to the track came to an early end after a blown tire finished his night at Atlanta Motor Speedway. | Read the full story

Aug. 30: Sponsor issues statement of support for Stewart

Johnny Morris, the founder of Bass Pro Shops, released a statement of support for Tony Stewart on Saturday. Bass Pro Shops serves as a primary sponsor for Stewart’s No. 14 Chevrolet. | Read the full story

Aug. 29: Stewart addresses media at Atlanta

Tony Stewart addressed the media for the first time since the tragic sprint car incident at Canandaigua Motorsports Park. | Read the full story

Aug. 29: Helton: Stewart eligible for Chase

NASCAR President Mike Helton said that if Tony Stewart wins one of the final two regular-season races, then he would be eligible to make the 16-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff. | Read the full story

Aug. 29: Harvick, Danica react to Stewart’s return

Kevin Harvick and Danica Patrick, two of Tony Stewart‘s teammates at Stewart-Haas Racing, are glad to have him back at the track and will be there for their friend and team co-owner. | Read the full story

Aug. 29: Investigation still ongoing

Ontario County (New York) Sheriff Philip Povero released a statement Friday, saying the investigation into the death of Kevin Ward Jr. is at least two weeks away from concluding. | Read the full statement

Aug. 28: Stewart will return at Atlanta

After missing three races following the tragic sprint car accident involving Kevin Ward Jr., Tony Stewart announced he will return to the track this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. | Read the full story

Aug. 25: Zipadelli, SHR go on without Stewart

Stewart-Haas Racing Vice President of Competition Greg Zipadelli doesn’t know when Tony Stewart will return, but he is grateful for the impact Jeff Burton has had on the No. 14 team. | Read the full story

Aug. 20: Stewart out for Bristol

Tony Stewart will not race at Bristol and will once again be replaced by Jeff Burton in the No. 14 Chevrolet. | Read the full story

Aug. 15: Team: Decision on when to return is Stewart’s

Stewart-Haas Racing Executive Vice President Brett Frood told reporters that when Stewart returns to the No. 14 is up to the driver, who is currently grieving along with support of family and friends. | Read the full story

Aug. 19: Joe Gibbs speaks on Stewart

Joe Gibbs won two titles and 33 races with Tony Stewart from 1999-2008. The team owner was asked about ‘Smoke’ on Tuesday, and Gibbs explained why the driver is so important to the sport. | Read the full story

Aug. 17: Harvick: ‘(Stewart) will stay strong and fight’

Following his second-place effort at Michigan, Kevin Harvick talked about the difficult week that Stewart-Haas Racing has had. | Read the full story

Aug. 15: Burton to fill in for Stewart at Michigan

Sprint Cup veteran Jeff Burton has been called up by SHR to drive the No. 14 at Michigan as Stewart continues to grieve the loss of Ward. | Read the full story

Aug. 14: Stewart out for Michigan

Tony Stewart will not race at Michigan in the Pure Michigan 400. Instead, 21-time Cup winner Jeff Burton will fill-in in the No. 14 Chevrolet. | Read the full story

Aug. 12: Racing or not, Stewart will not forget Ward

Kenny Bruce column: Fatal incident at dirt track will stay with three-time champion. | Read the full story

Aug. 11: Stewart cancels plans to race on dirt

Tony Stewart will not race at Plymouth Speedway on Saturday night, August 16, the Indiana dirt track announced in a statement. | Read the full story

Aug. 10: SHR: Stewart will not race at Watkins Glen

Tony Stewart will not race in the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen after an incident Saturday night at Canandaigua Motorsports Park. | Read the full story

Aug. 10: NASCAR statement on Kevin Ward Jr., Tony Stewart

Sanctioning body offers thoughts and prayers to family of deceased. | Read the full story

Aug. 10: Sheriff news conference details Stewart incident

Ontario County (New York) Sheriff Philip C. Povero comments on events at Canandaigua Motorsports Park. | Read the full story

Aug. 10: Smith to drive for Stewart at Watkins Glen

Regan Smith will pilot the No. 14 as Tony Stewart will not race Sunday at Watkins Glen after an incident Saturday night at Canandaigua Motorsports Park. | Watch the video

Aug. 10: Statement from Stewart on fatal accident

Three-time Sprint Cup champ: ‘There aren’t words to describe the sadness I feel…’ | Read the statement

Aug. 10: Further Stewart investigation details revealed

Sheriff Philip Povero offered more info regarding the investigation. | Read the full story

Aug. 10: Smith shares struggles of filling in for Stewart

Stewart’s fill-in Regan Smith speaks out on his day at the Glen and the challenges of racing the No. 14. | Read the full story

Aug. 10: Allmendinger offers tribute to fallen racer

Drivers react to Stewart incident, Allmendinger sends thoughts and prayers to family, Stewart. | Read the full story

Aug. 9: Stewart involved in fatal sprint car accident

The three-time Sprint Cup Series champion was racing at Canandaigua Motorsports Park when an incident he was involved in left another driver with fatal injuries. | Read the full story

Posted on by Staff Report

See who will participate in the 29th race of the Nationwide Series season

Entry No. Driver Owner Crew chief Vehicle Sponsor

1

01

Landon Cassill

Johnny Davis

Dave Fuge

14 Chevrolet

All Day Parts

2

2

Brian Scott

Richard Childress

Phil Gould

14 Chevrolet

Smokey Mountain Snuff

3

3

Ty Dillon

Richard Childress

Danny Stockman Jr

14 Chevrolet

Bass Pro Shops

4

4

Jeffrey Earnhardt

Gary Keller

Gary Cogswell

14 Chevrolet

teamjdmotorsports.com

5

5

Kevin Harvick(i)

Rick Hendrick

Ernie Cope

14 Chevrolet

Morton Buildings

6

6

Trevor Bayne

Jack Roush

Chad Norris

14 Ford

AdvoCare

7

7

Regan Smith

Kelley Earnhardt-Miller

Ryan Pemberton

14 Chevrolet

Hunt Brothers Pizza

8

9

Chase Elliott

Dale Earnhardt Jr

Greg Ives

14 Chevrolet

NAPA AUTO PARTS

9

10

Blake Koch

Mark Smith

Todd Myers

14 Toyota

Supportmilitary.org

10

11

Elliott Sadler

J D Gibbs

Chris Gayle

14 Toyota

OneMain Financial

11

14

Eric McClure

Mark Smith

Wes Ward

14 Toyota

Hefty Ultimatel Reynolds Wrap

12

16

Ryan Reed

Jack Roush

Seth Barbour

14 Ford

ADA Drive to Stop Diabetes presented by Lilly Diabetes

13

17

Tanner Berryhill

Adrian Berryhill

Daniel Stillman

14 Dodge

NationalCashLenders.com

14

19

Mike Bliss

Mark Smith

Paul Clapprood

14 Toyota

TriStar Motorsports

15

20

Matt Kenseth(i)

Joe Gibbs

Kevin Kidd

14 Toyota

Resers

16

22

Ryan Blaney(i)

Roger Penske

Jeremy Bullins

14 Ford

Discount Tire

17

23

Robert Richardson Jr

Robert Richardson Sr

George Church

14 Chevrolet

Lilly Trucking

18

25

John Wes Townley(i)

Tony Townley

Mike Ford

14 Toyota

No. 25 Zaxby’s Toyota

19

28

J J Yeley

James Whitener

Steve Plattenberger

13 Dodge

Texas 28 Spirits Stage

20

29

Milka Duno

Robby Benton

Keith Hinkein

14 Toyota

CanTV

21

31

Dylan Kwasniewski

Steve Turner

Shannon Rursch

14 Chevrolet

TBD

22

33

Paul Menard(i)

Richard Childress

Nick Harrison

14 Chevrolet

Tide / Menards

23

39

Ryan Sieg

Rod Sieg

Kevin Starland

14 Chevrolet

RSS Racing

24

40

Matt Dibenedetto

Curtis Key Sr

Kyle Symington

14 Chevrolet

Curtis Key Plumbing

25

42

Kyle Larson(i)

Harry Scott Jr

Scott Zipadelli

14 Chevrolet

Cartwheel by Target

26

43

Dakoda Armstrong

Richard Petty

Philippe Lopez

14 Ford

WinField

27

44

David Starr

Mark Smith

Greg Conner

14 Toyota

Niece

28

46

Ryan Ellis

Curtis Key Sr

Gary Showalter

14 Chevrolet

Curtis Key Plumbing

29

51

Jeremy Clements

Tony Clements

Ricky Pearson

14 Chevrolet

RepairableVehicles.com/Allsouthelectric.com

30

52

Joey Gase

Jimmy Means

Tim Brown

14 Chevrolet

TBA

31

54

Kyle Busch(i)

J D Gibbs

Adam Stevens

14 Toyota

Monster Energy

32

55

Jamie Dick

Jimmy Dick

Mark Setzer

14 Chevrolet

Viva Auto Group

33

60

Chris Buescher

Jack Roush

Scott Graves

14 Ford

Roush Performance Parts

34

62

Brendan Gaughan

Richard Childress

Shane Wilson

14 Chevrolet

South Point

35

70

Derrike Cope

Mary Louise Miller

Bobby Burrell

14 Chevrolet

YOUTHEORY

36

172

John Jackson

James Carter

Richard Garcia

14 Chevrolet

Crash Claims R US

37

74

Mike Harmon

Mike Harmon

Gary Ritter

12 Dodge

Mike Harmon Racing

38

87

Joe Nemechek(i)

Andrea Nemechek

Steven Gray

14 Ford

Rick Ware Racing

39

89

Morgan Shepherd

Morgan Shepherd

Kevyn Rebolledo

14 Chevrolet

Courtney Construction

40

190

Martin Roy

Michelle Gosselin

Mario Gosselin

14 Chevrolet

TBD

41

93

Kevin Swindell

Gregg Mixon

Gregg Mixon

13 Dodge

JGL Racing

42

98

Corey LaJoie(i)

Fred Biagi

Jon Hanson

14 Ford

TBD

43

99

James Buescher

Robby Benton

Matthew Lucas

14 Toyota

Ruud

(i) equals ineligible for driver championship points

Posted on by Staff Report

Get the full lineup of NASCAR programming for the week

RELATED: Follow your picks in the Perfect Chase Grid Challenge for chance at $100,000 prize

All times ET

Monday, September 29
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2
7 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
7:30 p.m., Empty Cup: Quest for the 1992 NASCAR Championship (re-air), FOX Sports 2

Tuesday, September 30
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
8 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1

FULL CHASE COVERAGE

• Chase hub page
• Chase Grid games
• #MyChaseNation

Wednesday, October 1
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
7:30 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
8 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
8:30 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1

Thursday, October 2
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
7:30 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
8 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
8:30 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network

Friday, October 3
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
7:30 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
8 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
8:30 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
10 a.m., Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Race at Austin (re-air), FOX Sports 1
Noon, NASCAR Nationwide Series Practice, FOX Sports 1
1 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Final Practice, FOX Sports 1
4 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Practice, ESPN2
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, ESPN2
4:30 a.m. (Sat.), NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice (re-air), FOX Sports 1

Saturday, October 4
10 a.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race at Dover, FOX Sports 1
11 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice, FOX Sports 1
Noon, NASCAR Nationwide Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FOX Sports 2
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Live, FOX Sports 2
2 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Final Practice, FOX Sports 2
3 p.m., TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Race at Road Atlanta, FOX Sports 2
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Race at Kansas, ESPN

Sunday, October 5
Noon, NASCAR RaceDay, FOX Sports 1
1 p.m., NSCS Countdown, ESPN
2 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race at Kansas, ESPN
7 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lane, FOX Sports 1
1 a.m. (Mon.), NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race at Kansas (re-air), ESPN2

Note: The TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Petit LeMans at Road Atlanta will re-air on Sunday, Oct. 5 on FOX at 2 p.m. or 4:30 p.m., depending on area. Check your local listings.

MORE:

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Chase news

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Posted on by Staff Report

Four-time premier series champion last won at 1.5-mile track in May

Jeff Gordon has the most career wins at Kansas Speedway with three. In 17 starts at the 1.5-mile track, Gordon also has 10 top-five finishes and 12 top-10s. The four-time premier series champion won the latest race at the track in May, leading the final eight laps to take the 5-hour Energy 400 for his first win of the 2014 Sprint Cup Series season.

Posted on by Staff Report

A statistical look ahead to the opening race of the Contender Round

RELATED: Follow your picks in the Perfect Chase Grid Challenge for chance at $100,000 prize

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Below is a look at the 12 Contenders – and beyond – at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas going into the Hollywood Casino 400 on Sunday, October 5. Coverage begins on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET and the race is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.

FULL CHASE COVERAGE

• Chase hub page
• Chase Grid games
• #MyChaseNation

KANSAS-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

1 – Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 105.0
2014 Rundown
• Five wins, 13 top fives, 16 top 10s; five poles
• Average finish of 12.4
• Led 23 races for 1,496 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• One win, two top fives, four top 10s
• Average finish of 10.6 in nine races
• Average Running Position of 13.8, 10th-best
• Driver Rating of 89.2, 11th-best

2 – Joey Logano (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 106.5
2014 Rundown
• Four wins, 13 top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 12.2
• Led 19 races for 794 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• Two top fives, two top 10s
• Average finish of 21.7 in 10 races
• Average Running Position of 20.3, 24th-best
• Driver Rating of 73.2, 21st-best

3 – Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 108.8
2014 Rundown
• Two wins, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s; seven poles
• Average finish of 14.0
• Led 21 races for 1,592 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• One win, three top fives, eight top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 11.5 in 17 races
• Average Running Position of 11.8, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 99.1, fifth-best
• 202 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
• Series-high 969 Green Flag Passes
• 468 Quality Passes, fifth-most

4 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.8
2014 Rundown
• Three wins, 10 top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 13.4
• Led 15 races for 1,035 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, six top fives, 14 top 10s; three poles
• Average finish of 7.6 in 16 races
• Series-best Average Running Position of 7.5
• Series-best Driver Rating of 117.4
• Series-high 478 Fastest Laps Run
• Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 167.549 mph
• Series-high 3,042 Laps in the Top 15 (89.0%)
• Series-high 614 Quality Passes

5 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 110.4
2014 Rundown
• Four wins, 11 top fives, 19 top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 10.0
• Led 20 races for 665 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• Three wins, 10 top fives, 12 top 10s
• Average finish of 10.1 in 17 races
• Average Running Position of 9.7, third-best
• Driver Rating of 101.1, fourth-best
• 147 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
• 2,878 Laps in the Top 15 (84.2%), second-most
• 536 Quality Passes, second-most

6 – Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.6
2014 Rundown
• One win, six top fives, 12 top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 17.1
• Led 13 races for 411 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• Two top 10s
• Average finish of 22.7 in 14 races
• Average Running Position of 18.7, 19th-best
• Driver Rating of 76.8, 19th-best
• 864 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
• 404 Quality Passes, 11th-most

7 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.2
2014 Rundown
• Three wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s
• Average finish of 11.0
• Led 12 races for 220 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• Two top fives, eight top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 15.2 in 16 races
• Average Running Position of 14.5, 12th-best
• Driver Rating of 91.5, ninth-best
• 108 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
• 855 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 166.627 mph, eighth-fastest
• 1,981 Laps in the Top 15 (62.8%), 10th-most
• 424 Quality Passes, eighth-most

8 – Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.5
2014 Rundown
• 11 top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 13.8
• Led 17 races for 467 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, six top fives, 10 top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 14.3 in 17 races
• Average Running Position of 10.4, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 107.4, second-best
• 235 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 166.855 mph, third-fastest
• 2,623 Laps in the Top 15 (76.7%), fourth-most
• 418 Quality Passes, ninth-most

9 – Ryan Newman (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 85.1
2014 Rundown
• Two top fives, 11 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.0
• Led 4 races for 24 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• One win, three top fives, four top 10s
• Average finish of 18.7 in 17 races
• Average Running Position of 20.6, 25th-best
• Driver Rating of 69.6, 25th-best
• 908 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most

10 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 Fastenal Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 82.5
2014 Rundown
• Two wins, six top fives, 11 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.8
• Led 10 races for 134 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• Five top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 10.5 in 14 races
• Average Running Position of 12.1, eighth-best
• Driver Rating of 97.1, seventh-best
• 131 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
• 877 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 166.689 mph, seventh-fastest
• 2,352 Laps in the Top 15 (68.8%), sixth-most
• 493 Quality Passes, fourth-most

11 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.8
2014 Rundown
• One win, six top fives, 12 top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 15.5
• Led 12 races for 195 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• One win, three top fives, three top 10s
• Average finish of 15.1 in 12 races
• Average Running Position of 14.3, 11th-best
• Driver Rating of 87.7, 14th-best
• 69 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most
• 2,002 Laps in the Top 15 (63.5%), ninth-most
• 399 Quality Passes, 12th-most

12 – Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.7
2014 Rundown
• One win, three top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 16.5
• Led 10 races for 204 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• Four top fives, seven top 10s; three poles
• Average finish of 13.2 in 14 races
• Average Running Position of 13.6, ninth-best
• Driver Rating of 93.0, eighth-best
• 147 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
• 939 Green Flag Passes, second-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 166.619 mph, ninth-fastest
• 2,208 Laps in the Top 15 (64.6%), seventh-most
• 436 Quality Passes, sixth-most

13 – AJ Allmendinger (No. 47 Clorox Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 70.1
2014 Rundown
• One win, two top fives, four top 10s
• Average finish of 20.7
• Led 5 races for 68 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• Two top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 22.8 in nine races
• Average Running Position of 22.7, 27th-best
• Driver Rating of 68.2, 26th-best

14 – Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 86.5
2014 Rundown
• One win, six top fives, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 19.3
• Led 11 races for 181 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• One top five, four top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 17.6 in 17 races
• Average Running Position of 14.9, 14th-best
• Driver Rating of 87.3, 16th-best
• 121 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
• 923 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
• 1,980 Laps in the Top 15 (57.9%), 11th-most
• 405 Quality Passes, 10th-most

15 – Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Filtrete Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 79.4
2014 Rundown
• Three top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 15.8
• Led 6 races for 109 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, seven top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 10.7 in 16 races
• Average Running Position of 9.5, second-best
• Driver Rating of 104.7, third-best
• 205 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
• 837 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 166.836 mph, fourth-fastest
• 2,755 Laps in the Top 15 (80.6%), third-most
• 506 Quality Passes, third-most

16 – Aric Almirola (No. 43 Farmland Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 73.5
2014 Rundown
• One win, two top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 20.6
• Led 5 races for 23 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• Three top 10s
• Average finish of 15.6 in five races
• Average Running Position of 15.3, 15th-best
• Driver Rating of 88.1, 13th-best
• Average Green Flag Speed of 166.561 mph, 11th-fastest

The 12 Challengers at Kansas Speedway

Driver

Races

Poles

Wins

Top Fives

Top 10s

DNFs

Average Finish

Driver Rating

1

Brad Keselowski

9

0

1

2

4

0

10.6

89.2

2

Joey Logano

10

0

0

2

2

1

21.7

73.2

3

Kevin Harvick

17

2

1

3

8

1

11.5

99.1

4

Jimmie Johnson

16

3

2

6

14

1

7.6

117.4

5

Jeff Gordon

17

0

3

10

12

2

10.1

101.1

6

Kyle Busch

14

0

0

0

2

4

22.7

76.8

7

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

16

1

0

2

8

2

15.2

91.5

8

Matt Kenseth

17

2

2

6

10

2

14.3

107.4

9

Ryan Newman

17

0

1

3

4

3

18.7

69.6

10

Carl Edwards

14

0

0

5

10

1

10.5

97.1

11

Denny Hamlin

12

0

1

3

3

0

15.1

87.7

12

Kasey Kahne

14

3

0

4

7

1

13.2

93

* – Based on last 13 races at Kansas Speedway.

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 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, one NSCS event from 2001 – 2010 and two races per year since 2011.

· 116 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas; 86 in more than one.

· Five drivers have started all 17 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 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).

· 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).

· 11 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).

· Chevrolet leads the series in wins at Kansas with nine victories; followed by Ford with four wins.

· Four of the 17 (23.5%) 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 17 (29.4%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway have been won from the front row: four from the pole and one from second-place.

· 10 of the 17 (58.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Kansas Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position.

· Two of the 17 (11.7%) 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: Ryan Newman (10/05/2003 – 25 years, 9 months, 27 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), Edwards, Kenseth each have 10.

· Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Kansas Speedway with an 11.000.

· Jimmie Johnson (7.625) leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Kansas Speedway – he is the only driver with an average finish in the top-10 at Kansas.

· 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 16 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 (12).

· 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion and 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Austin Dillon (10/09/2011) 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 17.

· 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 16 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

40

32

10/21/2012

Danica Patrick

25

25

4/21/2013

Danica Patrick

29

43

10/6/2013

Danica Patrick

9

7

5/10/2014

NASCAR in Kansas

· There have been 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Kansas.

Track Name

City

NSCS

Kansas Speedway

Kansas City

17

· 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

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