Posted on by Eric Johnson

The ‘Outlaw’ discusses nickname, brother, favorites

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Q: Are you a fan of NASCAR’s colorful history?

NASCAR has had a proud history, and I am glad to be a part of it. Being a champion comes with it a great deal of responsibility to remind people of the roots of our sport. 

Q: Do you identify with legends in this sport? If so, who?

There are so many greats and many drivers I grew up admiring like the Allison brothers and Cale Yarborough. They were drivers who hung it all out on the line and threw caution to the wind — outlaws like me.

Q: Are NASCAR races too long?

Yes. We need to spice things up with a street race, races in foreign countries and throw in a dirt track for good measure. Besides cutting down the length of races, we need to cut back the number of races. 

Q: What does Daytona mean to you?

It’s our Super Bowl. It’s the most prestigious stock car race to win.

Q: Do you like the concept of The Chase?

Absolutely. It defines a regular season and a postseason like our other mainstream sports.

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Q: What are your top favorite NASCAR tracks?

Bristol, Darlington, Indy, Daytona and Sonoma.

Q: You’ve been in some dust-ups and calamities. What do you think after the dust settles and things calm down?

Nobody likes vanilla ice cream. We all need a little flavor.

Q: Are there certain achievements/victories you are most proud of?

2004 Sprint Cup Championship; 2013 Making the Chase with a one-car, 25th-place team; 2014 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year.

Q: When you’re at the races, what do you enjoy most?

Going to Victory Lane.

Q: What do you enjoy the least?

Wrecking. 

Q: Which drivers do you get along with the best?

Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Juan Pablo Montoya, Greg Biffle.

Q: Where did the nickname "Outlaw" come from?

A TV producer from New York City who was doing a short documentary on me. She heard others calling me that in the garage, and it became the name of the show and it stuck.

Q: Describe winning Martinsville this season?

This is one of my toughest tracks. There’s no driver that I would have rather beaten heads-up than Jimmie Johnson. It was a great feeling to have brought home a victory for my new team only a few races into the season and setting us up for a spot in the Chase.

Q: To many, you are the best race car driver out there and many people comment on your natural ability. What makes you so good?

I owe a lot of credit to my dad, who taught me a lot about racing at a young age.

Q: Most difficult thing about driving stock cars?

The schedule. It’s a long one. It’s a lot of dedication by our family to make it all work.

Q: Were you destined to be a race car racer?

No, my mom was hoping I would be a baseball player.  

Q: Could you race Formula 1, and if so, why don’t you?

I believe I could. Not sure how good I’d be, but I’d love the chance.

Q: Describe your relationship with Mr. Haas?

We have a great relationship filled with sarcasm and humor. He’s a guy I enjoy hanging out with. You never know what’s going to come out of his mouth. 

Q: Of ALL racers, who are, in your opinion, the top five racers in the world?

Michael Schumacher, Dale Earnhardt, Jeremy McGrath, A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti.

Q: Your goals for the rest of 2014?

To win races and advance through the Chase.

Q: Do you like The Chase — and can you win it?

I like the Chase, and yes we can win it.

Q: What will it take to win it?

Fast cars, consistency and focus by the whole team to bring their best game forward every week.

Q: When you compete in Vegas, do you ever look over at the old Dwarf dirt track?

Yes, it always brings back find memories of how it all began.

Q: Favorite bands or musicians?

Ice-T, Snoop Dogg, Aerosmith, Eurythmics, Red Hot Chili Peppers, DJ Snake & Lil Jon.

Q: Last concert you attended?

Poison.

Q: Favorite TV Shows?

"Survival Alaska" and  "Dude, You’re Screwed".
 

Q: Favorite websites?

The Weather Channel, USA Today, ESPN, FOX News.

Q: Favorite stores?

Bass Pro Shops, Gun Shops. I don’t like to shop and buy a lot of stuff online.

Q: Favorite brands?

Monster Energy, Alpinestars, Panic Switch Army, 7 Jeans.

Q: Favorite foods?

Lamb chops and Patricia’s homemade anything.

Q: Favorite Movies?

"Six Pack," the "Bourne" trilogy, the "Godfather" movies, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," "Good Will Hunting".

Q: Favorite Actor?

Matt Damon.

Q: Favorite actress?

Sandra Bullock.

Q: Athletes?

Boxer Manny Pacquiao, NBA star LeBron James, baseball hall of famer Ryne Sandberg, former Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher.

Q: Favorite place on Earth?

Cockpit of my race car.

Q: Who is in your personal Hall of Fame? 

President George W. Bush, Cubs announcer Harry Caray, baseball Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, Donald Trump.

Q: Hobbies?

No time, but when I can, hunting and shooting, driving any one else’s race car
.

Q: Do you have a guilty pleasure?

Sleeping in.
 

Q: What sports do you enjoy watching and following?

Baseball, any other motorsports.

Q: Who would play you in a movie?

Matt Damon. He already played me in "Good Will Hunting." 
 

Q: Something you always say?

"What?" The delay always gives me time to think.

Q: Between you and Kyle, who would win in arm wrestling?

Me. I’m in shape.

Q: Ping pong?

Me.
 

Q: A five-mile bicycle race?

Me.

Q: 100-yard dash?

Me.

Q: Checkers?

Me.

Q: Wheel of Fortune?

Me.

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Posted on by Holly Cain

‘You can’t really do anything different just because we’re down to two races’

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Speaking with reporters on a national teleconference Wednesday, Jamie McMurray joked that while he appreciates the excitement generated from a high drama, white-knuckle, must-win situation in these final two weeks to set NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup field, it just doesn’t feel like a desperate existence for him.

It’s business as usual for the mild-mannered 2010 Daytona 500 champ. And business is always about a win.

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"Gosh, I’d love to make it more dramatic than it is,” McMurray said with a laugh, adding, "but you race every single week to win and it doesn’t matter if you’re fighting for a spot to get in the Chase or whether you’re just in the Chase and you compete for the championship.

"So, even though we’re down to two races, it’s really not any different than it was at the Daytona 500, the first race of the year. The goal is the same every week. You can’t really do anything different just because we’re down to two races.”

With the way McMurray and his Chip Ganassi Racing No. 1 Cessna Chevy has been front-running lately, there isn’t much he would want to do differently except convert mid-race success to the last lap.

Last week at Bristol Motor Speedway, for example, McMurray led three times for a race-best 148 laps (out of 500) — and was leading with 68 laps remaining, but finished eighth.

It was his second top-10 in the last four races and McMurray is technically ranked 16th in the points standings.

But, with the new Chase for the Sprint Cup championship format’s emphasis on "the win," McMurray is on the outside of the 16-driver Chase eligible field – leap-frogged by five drivers ranked behind in him points but who have the all important victory that gives them an automatic Chase berth.

For McMurray, a win at the super fast Atlanta 1.5-miler or next week in the regular season finale at the 3/4-mile Richmond short track is his surest path into the Chase.

Two of his seven career Cup wins — plus the Sprint Cup All-Star Race victory in May — have come at the 1.5-mile Charlotte track. He has four top-10s in 20 starts at Atlanta’s mile-and-halfer. He finished 11th in the race last year. He finished 13th at Richmond in May, but only has four top-10s in 23 starts there and a total of 25 laps led.

McMurray is optimistic, however, that a combination of Ganassi’s Hendrick-powered engines, a good-handling car and the right calls atop the pit box could put him in position for a season-making trophy.

"I feel really good at both of those (tracks),” McMurray said. "Those tracks are somewhat unique because the tire fall-off is so big that strategy comes into play. If you get a long green flag run, a guy that short-pits has a big advantage. And it seems like at both of those places, we always get a caution with less than five laps to go.”

A part of McMurray’s confidence and optimism comes from the fact he’s had good cars for months, just not the results to show for it.

"I feel like really since, even before winning the All-Star race that we’ve had great cars,” McMurray stressed. "We tend to run better than where we’ve finished. I feel like after the last pit stop, somehow the car hasn’t went the way it needed to be.

"At the beginning of the year, it was kind of the opposite. It seems like we finished better than what we raced. If we can just put a whole weekend together and be able to finish off as well as or better than we ran throughout the race, I feel like the next two races should be really good for us.”

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Posted on by Holly Cain

Cain: Willingness to adapt evident in new lineup

MORE: Labor Day weekend at Darlington highlights 2015 schedule | Official NASCAR release on 2015 schedule
PRINTABLE SCHEDULES: Sprint Cup Series | Nationwide Series |Camping World Truck Series

Long before "Save the Dates" were vogue and news came via Twitter "scoops," the release of NASCAR’s three national schedules got less TV time than today’s Air Titan track dryers get during a rain delay.

For the most part the dates and venues were a formality. Fans — and the sport itself — were reasonably set in their ways. And why not? The predictability worked well for fans, tracks and teams, and it was considered a model for continuity and contentment.

With NASCAR’s explosive venue expansion that began in the mid-to-late 1990s, the schedule grew and diversified.

Quite naturally, so did the suspense and intrigue surrounding it.

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So it is a bit ironic that Tuesday’s much-anticipated nationally televised announcement of all three NASCAR national series 2015 schedules was highlighted by a well-received shift back to that tradition — the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series‘ Southern 500 returning to Labor Day weekend at historic Darlington Raceway.

Bits and pieces of the schedule leaked out and tantalized in the past few weeks, but it was still a massive undertaking to be able to reveal all three national slates at once. And the excitement and attention it has generated is a real sign of the sport’s growth.

The scheduling shows a common-sense approach that eases travel, restores some traditional dates, factors in local weather trends and adds intrigue and events to race weekends like a same-day doubleheader of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series events at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 28.

And it even gives everyone a well-timed extra off-week just before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins, situated between the Aug. 22 Bristol night race and the Sept. 6 race at Darlington.

Armchair quarterbacks may still clamor for a shakeup in the 10 Chase championship venues — I’d still love to see a road course included — but that may also come in due time. Change has been the norm, not the exception in recent years.

Beyond restoring Darlington’s traditional date, the biggest thing that stands out in 2015 is a much-applauded shift toward geographical practicality.

Instead of crisscrossing the country, the first three races out west — at Phoenix, Las Vegas and Fontana — occur in consecutive weekends. Not only will that help contain costs for teams and perhaps entice fans to consider a three-race NASCAR road trip, it just makes sense.

When the series return east of the Mississippi, there is a robust mix of mile-and-a-half ovals, short tracks and a superspeedway (Talladega) to head into the hot summer with competitive flare.

A slight shift in July dates — the July 5 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona will be on a Sunday just this year and the Kentucky tripleheader moves from June to July — highlights a familiar summer slate that will culminate and benefit from that extra off-weekend. And the 2015 championship elimination will have the added advantage of following on this year’s inaugural format that has already produced Cinderella Chase berths and created dramatic urgency in these final two weeks to set the 2014 16-driver field.

The television contract, which brings NBC and NBC Sports Network back into the NASCAR fold along with longstanding trailblazer FOX, will undoubtedly create excitement and a new vibe worthy of NASCAR’s willingness to evolve and transform.

The new schedule is a tangible example of the sport’s wise willingness to balance tradition with forward progress.

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Posted on by Jason Lofing

Strategy and hard-nosed driving got Lewandowski (16) to the stripe ahead of Conti (5).

Tom Lewandowski played the fuel mileage game perfectly at Atlanta Motor Speedway and held-off a charging Michael Conti, finally breaking a three-year winless drought in the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series Powered by iRacing. Lewandowski did not have the fastest car, but the caution-free race let him play the strategy game while Conti, Ray Alfalla and other contenders ran dry and needed an extra pit stop to go the distance.

Conti crossed the line in second ahead of Alfalla, while CBR/Virtual Performance Racing teammates Cody Byus and Adam Gilliland were strong all night and rounded-out the top five.

“(I) knew that if I lifted off that he would have the run to beat me to the line.” – Tom Lewandowski

Conti, who clearly had the fastest car and led 118 of 163 laps, nearly pulled-off a miraculous comeback. With 24 laps to go, he came down pit road for a splash of gas and two right side tires. Upon exiting Conti found himself just over 16 seconds back of Lewandowski’s Ford Fusion, but immediately got up on the wheel and started closing the gap, taking advantage of the leader being held-up by lapped traffic.

As the laps ticked down it became apparent that Conti was going to have a shot at the win regardless if Lewandowski had enough fuel. Conti was over half a second a lap quicker and pulled up on Lewandowski’s rear bumper with two laps to go. Despite his worn tires, Lewandowski played defense and used every trick he knew to keep Conti at bay.

The two took the white flag nose-to-tail, with Lewandowski still holding on. Conti tried to get a run down the backstretch but Lewandowski blocked the bottom and gave Conti no choice but to try the outside groove through Turns Three and Four. Conti drove his Chevy SS hard into Turn Three and pulled nearly even with Lewandowski as the two worked their ways to Turn Four. With the checkered flag in sight, Conti started to surge ahead off of Turn Four but Lewandowski, foot to the floor, slid up the track and made contact with Conti which sent the championship leader into the wall. The impact with the wall broke Conti’s momentum and he came up just .2 seconds short of picking up his fourth victory of the 2014 NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series.

“I was pushing as hard as I could coming off Turn Four and knew that if I lifted off that he would have the run to beat me to the line,” said Lewandowski. “We made some contact coming off the corner and I managed to hold on for the win.”

Early in the going it looked as if no one had anything for Conti. He missed the line a bit on his qualifying run leading to a third place start but jumped into the lead on the first lap. Alfalla, who started fourth, followed Conti through and sat on his bumper for the first half of the opening fuel run. However, Alfalla could not match Conti’s long run speed and slowly started to fade as the #5 got smaller and smaller in his windshield.

By the time the first round of stops was complete, Conti’s lead had ballooned to more than five seconds and it looked as if he was a shoo-in for the victory . . . until Lewandowski and his miserly fuel strategy crashed the party. It seems strange for a driver to be disappointed with a second place finish but after a second straight dominating win it was frustrating for Conti not to close the deal and pick-up the four extra points in Victory Lane.

Even though Conti came up short he still slightly padded his point lead on Alfalla in the battle for the championship. With a two point gain, Conti is now 25 points ahead of Alfalla with three races remaining. Nick Ottinger struggled most of the night on his way to a tenth place finish and now is 35 points out of the series lead. Two other contenders, Chad Laughton and Chris Overland, also fell farther behind after sub-par runs and are now most likely out of the running unless both Conti and Alfalla falter down the stretch.

And we would be remiss if we didn’t give a special shout-out to Bryan Blackford for his gritty performance last night.  Bryan was injured in a karting accident over the weekend, but still competed in the Atlanta race and came home P31 — all while driving with just his left hand.  Well done Bryan!

With the championship battle basically narrowed to three drivers, the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series heads to Richmond International Raceway for this season’s final round of short track sim racing. RIR just happens to be one of Conti’s stronger tracks so Alfalla and Ottinger will have to be on top of their games if they hope to make any ground. Look for all three to be at the front in some combination but the pre-race edge is firmly with Conti. Can Alfalla, Ottinger, or someone else pull the upset or will Conti make a move to solidify his championship run? Find out in two weeks on iRacing Live and MRN.com!


Posted on by Staff Report

Keep tabs on all three national series races this weekend

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This weekend brings the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series to Atlanta Motor Speedway and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.

The Sprint Cup Series Oral-B USA 500 is on Sunday, Aug. 31, at 7:30 p.m. ET with coverage on ESPN.

The Nationwide Series Great Clips 300 to benefit Feed the Children is on Saturday, Aug. 30, at 7:30 p.m. ET with coverage on ESPN2.

The Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250 is on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 1:30 p.m. ET with coverage on FOX Sports 1.

For more information on track times, press conferences and GarageCam, you can check out this weekend’s schedule. For TV times, see this week’s TV schedule.

We know you may not have the time to watch the race action without any interruptions, so if you’re on the go, here’s how to keep up at Atlanta and Canada.

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NASCAR.com’s live Sprint Cup Series leaderboard, Nationwide Series leaderboard and Camping World Truck Series leaderboard update in real-time and offer constant text updates of lead changes, cautions, strategies, strong runs and everything in between. On the go? Download the NASCAR Mobile app to follow the leaderboards live from your device.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Series RaceBuddy is back on NASCAR.com and NASCAR Mobile. Get 10 live high-definition feeds, including views of pit road and battle cams. The drivers featured for RaceBuddy this week are: Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Larson, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

For the Nationwide Series RaceBuddy, Harvick, Regan Smith, Chase Elliott, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch will be the drivers featured.

Lap-by-Lap will keep you caught up even if you can take a peek here and there. Check in now and then to read back through all the laps you’ve missed, or keep an eye on the feed for real-time race updates.

We’ll also send race updates via Twitter through the official @NASCAR and @NASCARStats handles.

Haven’t tried RaceView yet? If you sign up, you’ll get virtual video of cars on the track from various angles and hear what your favorite team is saying over the radio. Use it as a second screen or as your only screen. Just want to scan the radios? You can have that too with RaceView Audio. On a mobile device? Get RaceView Mobile here.

If you want to be more involved in the on-track action, you can manage your fantasy team on NASCAR.com and follow your team’s performance in NASCAR Fantasy Live. Mobile users can also download NASCAR Connect, a game from OneUp Sports that allows users to play other fans with race predictions, for some off-track competition while drivers battle it out on the track.

Live Press Pass video streams will keep the NASCAR action rolling even after the winner goes in and out of Victory Lane. Catch interviews with the top finishers immediately following the checkered flag for the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series, and stay tuned to NASCAR.com throughout the week for the latest news.

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Posted on by Nascar

Title contender Hornaday Jr. is not scheduled to compete at Canada track

Turner Scott Motorsports, which fields three full-time entries in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, will send only two entries to this weekend’s race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

The No. 31 Chevrolet of Ben Kennedy and the No. 32 of Cameron Hayley will be competing in the Chevrolet Silverado 250 (FOX Sports 1, 1:30 p.m. ET).

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Currently not scheduled to make the trek across the border is the No. 30 team of four-time series champion Ron Hornaday Jr., who is fourth in points following last week’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Turner Scott also fields teams in the Nationwide Series while Scott owns HScott Motorsports, a Sprint Cup team with driver Justin Allgaier. 

It was reported earlier Wednesday that the organization, founded by Steve Turner and co-owned by Harry Scott Jr., had shuttered its entire NCWTS operation. 

"Turner Scott Motorsports remains in operation and will compete in this weekend’s NASCAR events," Scott said in a statement issued by the team. "TSM’s Nationwide Series race teams represented by the No. 42 driven by Kyle Larson and the No. 31 driven by Dylan Kwasniewski will compete this weekend as scheduled at Atlanta Motor Speedway." 

Scott said the entries of Kennedy and Hayley would compete, as scheduled, at Canadian Tire as well.

"My investment company, a co-owner of TSM, will continue to do all that it can to keep the team moving forward with or without our business partner Steve Turner," Scott said. "To all TSM employees, partners and fans I pledge we will continue to do what we can to keep the teams racing hard each and every week of the season." 

The No. 30 entry of Hornaday, while a part of the TSM organization, is the responsibility of Turner, according to a team spokesperson.

Kennedy is currently ninth in points while Hayley, a product of NASCAR Next, will be making his series debut in the No. 32 entry. That team has had several drivers behind the wheel this season, including Sprint Cup driver Larson as well as Tayler Malsam and NASCAR Next driver Ben Rhodes.

Hayley is also scheduled to compete at New Hampshire and Texas with the team later this year.

Turner Scott has 11 victories in the Truck Series, but is winless thus far in 2014. James Buescher captured the series’ championship for the organization in 2012.

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Posted on by Nascar

Six-time champion on speeding penalties at Thunder Valley: ‘I blew it twice’

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MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson said pit-road speeding problems last week at Bristol Motor Speedway "were definitely on us."
 
“We still haven’t had a chance to break it down but we assume something went wrong with the marks that we had on pit road for me to accelerate to; we either had it wrong or underestimated how fast the car would be up to speed," Johnson said Tuesday while taking part in a Hendrick Motorsports test session at Martinsville Speedway.

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Johnson managed to overcome the two speeding penalties in the Irwin Tools Night Race to score a fourth-place finish. It was his first top-five since winning at Michigan International Speedway in June.
 
A winner of 69 Sprint Cup races, Johnson had been running fourth when he was penalized for speeding coming onto pit road on Lap 63 at Bristol. He was still outside the top 10 when he was penalized a second time for a pit road speeding violation on Lap 132.
 
By staying out under a caution at Lap 196, he managed to restart inside the top five and stayed inside the top 10 for the remainder of the race.
 
"I blew it twice," he said of the penalties. "After the second time I (was) just doing the basic speed limit all the way around."
 
The pit road speed limit at Bristol was 30 mph.
 
While he has eight wins at Martinsville, Johnson said the Hendrick organization hadn’t tested at the 0.526-mile track "in a long, long time."
 
"As a group, we kind of sat in a room and raised our hands to what tracks in the Chase we wanted to test at, and the majority wanted to come to Martinsville," he said.
 
"We’re not reinventing the wheel while we’re here, but we’re certainly learning a lot."
 
All four Hendrick teams, which include Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne in addition to Johnson, are scheduled to return to Martinsville for additional testing on Wednesday.
 
Johnson said his No. 48 team also has tests scheduled for Phoenix and Homestead later this season.

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Chat with fans while following the action

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Posted on by NASCAR Official Release

NBC Sports joins FOX Sports as broadcast homes to all three national series

RELATED: Buy tickets for 2015 races

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 26, 2014) — NASCAR announced today its national series schedules for the 2015 season, featuring date enhancements to races at some of its most storied tracks along with a pair of long-term broadcast partners that will provide the exciting action to the sport’s fans.

"The 2015 NASCAR national series schedules promise to provide our fans with the compelling competition and storylines they so richly deserve," said Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "These enhancements to our race dates, particularly in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, will be of benefit to our fans and other stakeholders in our industry. From the start of the season at Speedweeks at Daytona culminated by our championship finales at Homestead-Miami, we’re looking forward to the great racing that will be delivered through our outstanding television network broadcast partners FOX, FOX Sports 1, NBC and NBCSN."

Key date changes featuring Darlington Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Daytona International Speedway, some of NASCAR’s most tradition-laden tracks, highlight the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. Following the 57th running of the Daytona 500 Feb. 22 on FOX, Atlanta Motor Speedway will host the season’s second race weekend (March 1), while Darlington returns to its traditional Labor Day weekend date (Sept. 6). The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to Atlanta for the first time since 2012 as part of a unique doubleheader on Feb. 28 with the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Additionally, Daytona’s always-anticipated July race weekend takes on a different look as the Sunday, July 5 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race marks the return of broadcast partner NBC.

RELATED: Labor Day weekend at Darlington highlights 2015 schedule

A big "West-Coast swing" during the schedule’s early stages spotlights markets where NASCAR’s fan base is growing and sponsor opportunities are on the rise. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series run on three consecutive weekends, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 7-8, Phoenix International Raceway on March 14-15 and Auto Club Speedway on March 21-22.

Bristol’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series spring date moves deeper into the calendar from mid-March to April 19. Dates for the spring races at Phoenix and Texas Motor Speedway (April 11) step back one week from their 2014 schedule slots.

From the season-opening weekend at Daytona through June’s events, FOX and FOX Sports 1 will combine to serve as the broadcast home of all races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Starting in July at Daytona through the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, including each series’ championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, NBC and NBCSN will carry the second-half action for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series. The entire 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule will be broadcast exclusively on FOX and FOX Sports 1. On radio, programming surrounding the 2015 NASCAR season along with the exciting national series race calls can be heard on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Motor Racing Network (MRN) and the Performance Racing Network (PRN). The Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s radio network will carry the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series events at IMS.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will feature 36 events including two standout non-points races – the Sprint Unlimited on Feb. 14 at Daytona and the 31st annual NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 16. Soon to have a new entitlement partner, the NASCAR Nationwide Series once again contests 33 races, while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series increases to 23 events next season with the addition of the Atlanta date.

When running concurrently during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series companion weekends, the date changes are also reflected on the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedules. There are nine companion weekends on the 2015 schedule that feature all three national series along with 18 combination weekends between the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series and seven dual events where the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series run together.

There are six "stand-alones" on next year’s NASCAR Nationwide Series calendar, starting May 17 at Iowa Speedway. Included among those are two road-course races, at Mid-Ohio on Aug. 15 and Road America on Aug. 29. The later Road America date takes the place of the former Atlanta date. There are seven NASCAR Camping World Truck Series stand-alone races and two Wednesday appearances — on the dirt at Eldora Speedway on July 22 and at Bristol on Aug. 19. Iowa hosts the trucks three weeks earlier in 2015, on June 19. And the series again runs internationally on Aug. 30 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario.

Sprint Cup Series 2015 schedule

Date Site Network
2/14/15 Daytona International Speedway (Sprint Unlimited) FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
2/15/15 Daytona International Speedway (Daytona 500 Qualifying) FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
2/19/15 Daytona International Speedway (Duel) FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM
2/22/15 Daytona 500 FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
3/1/15 Atlanta Motor Speedway FOX, PRN, SiriusXM
3/8/15 Las Vegas Motor Speedway FOX, PRN, SiriusXM
3/15/15 Phoenix International Raceway FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
3/22/15 Auto Club Speedway FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
3/29/15 Martinsville Speedway FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
4/11/15 Texas Motor Speedway FOX, PRN, SiriusXM
4/19/15 Bristol Motor Speedway FOX, PRN, SiriusXM
4/25/15 Richmond International Raceway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
5/3/15 Talladega Superspeedway FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
5/9/15 Kansas Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
5/16/15 Charlotte Motor Speedway (NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race) FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
5/24/15 Charlotte Motor Speedway FOX, PRN, SiriusXM
5/31/15 Dover International Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
6/7/15 Pocono Raceway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
6/14/15 Michigan International Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
6/28/15 Sonoma Raceway FOX Sports 1, PRN, SiriusXMXM
7/5/15 Daytona International Speedway NBC, MRN, SiriusXM
7/11/15 Kentucky Speedway NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM
7/19/15 New Hampshire Motor Speedway NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM
7/26/15 Indianapolis Motor Speedway NBCSN, IMS, SiriusXM
8/2/15 Pocono Raceway NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM
8/9/15 Watkins Glen International NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM
8/16/15 Michigan International Speedway NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM
8/22/15 Bristol Motor Speedway NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM
9/6/15 Darlington Raceway NBC, MRN, SiriusXM
9/12/15 Richmond International Raceway NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM
9/20/15 Chicagoland Speedway NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM
9/27/15 New Hampshire Motor Speedway NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM
10/4/15 Dover International Speedway NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM
10/10/15 Charlotte Motor Speedway NBC, PRN, SiriusXM
10/18/15 Kansas Speedway NBC, MRN, SiriusXM
10/25/15 Talladega Superspeedway NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM
11/1/15 Martinsville Speedway NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM
11/8/15 Texas Motor Speedway NBC, PRN, SiriusXM
11/15/15 Phoenix International Raceway NBC, MRN, SiriusXM
11/22/15 Homestead-Miami Speedway NBC, MRN, SiriusXM

Nationwide Series 2015 schedule

2/21/15 Daytona International Speedwayay FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM
2/28/15 Atlanta Motor Speedway FOX Sports 1, PRN, SiriusXM
3/7/15 Las Vegas Motor Speedway FOX Sports 1, PRN, SiriusXMXM
3/14/15 Phoenix International Racewayy FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
3/21/15 Auto Club Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
4/10/15 Texas Motor Speedway FOX Sports 1, PRN, SiriusXMXM
4/18/15 Bristol Motor Speedway FOX Sports 1, PRN, SiriusXMXM
4/24/15 Richmond International Racewayway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
5/2/15 Talladega Superspeedway FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
5/17/15 Iowa Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
5/23/15 Charlotte Motor Speedway FOX, PRN, SiriusXM
5/30/15 Dover International Speedway FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
6/13/15 Michigan International Speedwayway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
6/20/15 Chicagoland Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
7/4/15 Daytona International Speedwayay NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM
7/10/15 Kentucky Speedway NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM
7/18/15 New Hampshire Motor Speedwayway NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM
7/25/15 Indianapolis Motor Speedway NBC, IMS, SiriusXM
8/1/15 Iowa Speedway NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM
8/8/15 Watkins Glen International NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM
8/15/15 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM
8/21/15 Bristol Motor Speedway NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM
8/29/15 Road America NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM
9/5/15 Darlington Raceway NBC, MRN, SiriusXM
9/11/15 Richmond International Racewayway NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM
9/19/15 Chicagoland Speedway NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM
9/26/15 Kentucky Speedway NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM
10/3/15 Dover International Speedway NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM
10/9/15 Charlotte Motor Speedway NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM
10/17/15 Kansas Speedway NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM
11/7/15 Texas Motor Speedway NBC, PRN, SiriusXM
11/14/15 Phoenix International Racewayy NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM
11/21/15 Homestead-Miami Speedway NBC, MRN, SiriusXM

Camping World Truck Series 2015 schedule

2/20/15 Daytona International Speedwayay FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
2/28/15 Atlanta Motor Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
3/28/15 Martinsville Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
5/8/15 Kansas Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
5/15/15 Charlotte Motor Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
5/29/15 Dover International Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
6/5/15 Texas Motor Superspeedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
6/13/15 Gateway Motorsports Park FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
6/19/15 Iowa Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
7/9/15 Kentucky Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
7/22/15 Eldora Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
8/1/15 Pocono Raceway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
8/15/15 Michigan International Speedwayway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
8/19/15 Bristol Motor Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
8/30/15 Canadian Tire Motorsport Parkk FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
9/18/15 Chicagoland Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
9/26/15 New Hampshire Motor Speedwayway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
10/3/15 Las Vegas Motor Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
10/24/15 Talladega Superspeedway FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
10/31/15 Martinsville Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
11/6/15 Texas Motor Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
11/13/15 Phoenix International Racewayy FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM
11/20/15 Homestead-Miami Speedway FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXMXM

 

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Trucks of the 19, 00 and 30 were found to be too high at the rear spoiler

RELATED: Keselowski among three trucks penalized

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 26, 2014) — Three teams that compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series — the No. 00, 19, and 30 — have been penalized for post-race infractions committed following the Aug. 21 race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
 
The infraction for all three teams is a P2 level penalty as outlined in Section 12-4.1 of the rule book and violates sections:
 
·         12-1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing;
·         20B-12.8.1 Truck failed to meet post-race height requirements
 
As a result of this violation, crew chiefs Joel Shear (No. 00); Doug Randolph (No. 19); and Doug George (No. 30) have each been fined $5,000. Each team has also been penalized with the loss of 10 championship driver and 10 championship owner points. This includes drivers Cole Custer (No. 00) and Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 30) along with owners Gene Haas (No. 00), Brad Keselowski (No. 19), and Steve Turner (No. 30).

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