Posted on by Staff Report

Moments that changed the course of the ninth race of the season

HARVICK DOMINATES AT DARLINGTON
The 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season has been one of feast or famine for Kevin Harvick — and on Saturday night at Darlington Raceway, Harvick enjoyed the delectable taste of victory.
 
Passing Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the next-to-last lap of the second attempt at a green-white-checkered-flag finish, Harvick won Sunday’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 and all but locked himself into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup as the first two-time winner in the series this year (he still needs to finish in the top 30 and attempt to qualify for every race).
 
The victory was Harvick’s first at Darlington and the 25th of his career. It was the third win of the season for Stewart-Haas Racing.
 
Harvick led 239 of 374 laps in a race that went seven laps past its scheduled distance.

"The restart at the end, I was talking to the guys on the radio and they said the outside was kind of the place to be," Johnson said. "I hadn’t seen the front all night long and I was talking to Junior as I got out of the car and he said that was a bad move."

UPS


JOHNSON LOSES AFTER CHOOSING HIGH LINE ON RESTART

On the next-to-last restart, Jimmie Johnson took the lead on pit road with a two-tire stop and chose the outside lane. He was quickly passed on his way to a third-place finish. After talking with teammate Earnhardt Jr., he later regretted the move.

"The restart at the end, I was talking to the guys on the radio and they said the outside was kind of the place to be," Johnson said. "I hadn’t seen the front all night long and I was talking to Junior as I got out of the car and he said that was a bad move."

The six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion sits fifth in points and is still seeking his first win of the season.

HARD NIGHT FOR MENARD ENDS EARLY

Paul Menard brought out the fifth caution of the night at Lap 202 after hitting the Turn 1 wall hard following a tire failure.

"I hit the wall like 10 laps before and I guess the right-front tire just went down," Menard said. "Kind of rode the wall in (Turns) 3 and 4 and I guess I was just in denial, I guess I didn’t realize the right-front tire was down.

"It felt fine going down the front stretch and let go it killed Turn 1. A lot of damage, the guys are going to try to fix it."

The No. 27 Richard Childress Racing team was able to fix his Chevrolet SS and get it out on track but another hit ended his night in 41st place, 104 laps down.

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Catch up on everything that has happened halfway through the Sprint Cup Series race

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Time Elapsed: 1 hour, 32 minutes

Lap leaders:
Brad Keselowski, Laps 1-31
Kevin Harvick, Laps 32-42
Travis Kvapil, Lap 43
Kevin Harvick, Laps 44-55
Brad Keselowski, Laps 56-101
Landon Cassill, Lap 102
Jeff Gordon, Laps 103-165
Brad Keselowski, Lap 166
Jeff Gordon, Laps 167-172
Brad Keselowski, Laps 173-200

Lead changes as of Lap 200: 10
Record at Richmond: 25, achieved in 1991 and 1996

Cautions:
Laps 1-8 (Clint Bowyer spins out polesitter Kyle Larson before Turn 1.)
Laps 40-47 (competition caution)
Laps 99-106 (debris on the track)
Laps 159-165 (debris on pit road)

Best lap: Brad Keselowski | 21.556 seconds | 125.255 mph

Average speed: 97.858 mph

What to watch for:

Here comes Gordon: Jeff Gordon, who started the race 25th, worked his way up to third by the 69th lap and won the race off pit road to take the lead on Lap 103. Gordon said his car was handling well in the corners and didn’t want any adjustments when he pitted for a debris caution after Lap 99.

Biffle’s day? Greg Biffle, who entered the race without a short-track victory in 69 previous starts, started 26th but moved into 10th by passing Clint Bowyer on the Lap 82. Biffle has been hanging around the top 10 since.

You again: Kyle Busch hasn’t led a lap but pushed his way into the top five at the midpoint. Busch has won four times at Richmond, including last year.

Bad luck for: Rookie Kyle Larson, who started on the pole but was spun out by Clint Bowyer on the opening lap. It was Larson’s first career pole start in the Sprint Cup Series. Larson returned to the race after getting four new tires and re-started at the back of the field. Bowyer went behind the wall on Lap 166 with a right-front tire problem that led to a fire.

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Logano joins Harvick as the only drivers with two Cup wins this season

MORE: Full race results | Series standings
RELATED: Full coverage of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format changes | Official news release | Changes explained | Chase Facts and FAQ | Chase Grid (PDF)

Joey Logano won the Toyota Owners 400, surging to the lead with four laps to go during a frantic finish followed by a restart on Lap 392.

With the win, Logano joins Kevin Harvick as the only two drivers to have two wins this season in the Sprint Cup Series. Both drivers have all but locked up spots in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Logano led four times for a total of 46 laps, but had not led since Lap 337 until the closing four circuits. Matt Kenseth held the lead on the restart with nine laps to go and was able to maintain it through Lap 396, when Logano emerged with the lead as Kenseth fought to hold off Logano, Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski.

The victory is the fifth of Logano’s career in the Sprint Cup Series and his first at Richmond International Raceway.

Combined with his win at Texas, Logano has all but assured himself one of the 16 spots in the new postseason format. As long as he finishes among the top 30 in points and attempts to qualify for every race, his ticket is punched.

Gordon led a race-high 173 laps at Richmond and was dominant for long stretches, but ultimately the four-time champion couldn’t snag his first victory of 2014. He did, however, maintain his lead in the point standings.

In addition to two-time winners Logano (Texas and Richmond) and Harvick (Phoenix and Darlington), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Daytona), Keselowski (Las Vegas), Carl Edwards (Bristol), Kyle Busch (Fontana) and Kurt Busch (Martinsville) already have wins.

Drivers with one win through the first 26 races, and a top-30 ranking in the points standings, could also potentially qualify for the Chase. If the points leader does not have a win, that driver will also qualify for the Chase.

After the ninth race of NASCAR’s regular season, here is how the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings look:

Pos. Driver Chase berth
1. Joey Logano Winner: Texas, Richmond
2. Kevin Harvick Winner: Phoenix, Darlington
3. Carl Edwards Winner: Bristol
4. Kyle Busch Winner: Fontana
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Winner: Daytona
6. Brad Keselowski Winner: Las Vegas
7. Kurt Busch Winner: Martinsville
8. Jeff Gordon Points leader
9. Matt Kenseth 2nd in points
10. Jimmie Johnson 8th in points
11. Ryan Newman 9th in points
12. Brian Vickers 10th in points
13. Greg Biffle 11th in points
14. Austin Dillon 12th in points
15. Kyle Larson 13th in points
16. Denny Hamlin 14th in points


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Posted on by Zack Albert

Kenseth: ‘I was the leader, and I was trying to protect my spot’

RICHMOND, Va. — Brad Keselowski was poised to have one of the biggest late-race jumps of the night at Richmond International Raceway, rising up from fifth place on the final restart to challenge for the win. After a spirited battle up front that knocked him from contention, his biggest jump was out of his car on pit road to confront Matt Kenseth.

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Both drivers’ chances for victory in the Toyota Owners 400 evaporated in the final sprint to the finish Saturday night, leaving both with hurt feelings and finishes below their potential. Kenseth, the leader as the field doubled up for the final restart, faded to fifth place, one spot behind Keselowski, who purposely roughed up his rival as the checkered flag neared.

"I just felt like he needed to know what was up, and I wasn’t going to put up with that," Keselowski said. "So I was going to make for damn sure he didn’t finish third or fourth, and not win that race." 

Both cars limped back to pit road with significant damage after the finish, Keselowski’s No. 2 Team Penske Ford dented on the front end and Kenseth’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a crumpled left-rear fender above a shredded-bare wheel rim. Keselowski, still helmeted, charged at Kenseth’s car and pointed his finger as he yelled. 

"I’m not sure why he’s so worked up, really, honestly," Kenseth said. "We race hard and yeah, I ran him up the track down there, and I understand being frustrated by that. He tried to wreck me back and cost me a bunch of spots, too. I was racing hard to get the win. I was the leader and I was trying to protect my spot as hard as I could. I’ve seen him do the same thing a bunch of times." 

Kenseth restarted in the lead with nine laps left in the 400-lapper, but he quickly came under fire from Keselowski, one of the few drivers able to mount a challenge on the outside groove. Keselowski squeezed high on the backstretch, but Kenseth pushed up the track, taking the No. 2 Ford with him.

"Every race track you should race for the win, but you don’t run somebody off the race track to race for the win if you really aren’t fast enough," Keselowski said. "Three, four other cars passed him so it didn’t win him the race running me off the race track. He probably finished where he was going to finish anyway. It just cost me the win, and I don’t think that’s very smart. That’s something I’ll remember." 

Keselowski expressed his displeasure with a sizable shove, allowing Joey Logano — Keselowski’s Team Penske teammate — to pull away and post his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory of year and allowing Jeff Gordon to score his second runner-up finish in the last three races. 

After the checkered, Keselowski gave Kenseth’s car one last rap for good measure, slamming his brakes in front of the No. 20 car and forcing contact with Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The extracurriculars, Kenseth said, pushed the confrontation over the line. 

"I think you race as hard as you can to win. I’m not going to go wreck somebody to win, and he certainly tried to wreck me on the race track," Kenseth said. "That’s one thing and then trying to wreck all those cars after the race is totally another. That’s always uncalled for. I can see he’s upset. I ran him up the track. I’d probably be upset, too, but like I said we’re racing as hard as we could to try to get that win."

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Posted on by Zack Albert

Runner-up finish to JRM teammate Harvick teaches valuable lesson

RICHMOND, Va. — Chase Elliott‘s two-race run of wins in the NASCAR Nationwide Series hardly ended with a thud as a rain-delayed Friday night start morphed into an early Saturday morning finish. But despite a solid runner-up finish behind dominant JR Motorsports teammate Kevin Harvick, the hotshot rookie was frank in taking the lion’s share of the blame for coming up just shy of a historic streak.

"I’ve just got to step up, man," Elliott said. "When your teammate goes to Victory Lane and he beats you, that’s all me. We’re driving the same cars. It’s up to me to get the job done. I don’t feel like I did that to the best of my ability tonight, so just got to step up next time."

Elliott entered the ToyotaCare 250 at rainy Richmond International Raceway with a head of steam, notching back-to-back victories in the series’ preceding two races at Texas and Darlington. He stood to become the first Nationwide Series regular to three-peat since Dale Earnhardt Jr., his team owner, did so in 1999.

Despite the sour taste over the end of the streak, the 18-year-old phenom took some solace in the bigger picture — carrying a 19-point lead over JRM teammate Regan Smith into the second quarter of the Nationwide season and logging the organization’s first 1-2 finish.

"You’ve got to take it on a week-by-week basis," Elliott said. "I hate we didn’t get the win tonight but it is good to have a teammate go to Victory Lane. We know what they ran, so it’s good coming back to know where we need to be. Like I said, there’s definitely positives to take from tonight. Obviously you want to win every week, but I feel like we gave it our best effort but we didn’t exactly have what we needed to beat Kevin, but we did have a car good enough to finish second and that’s what we did."

Elliott’s stunning rise as a two-time winner this season coincides with the prospect of major upheaval to the driver roster in NASCAR national series. On the day that the newest class of the NASCAR Next youth initiative was announced at Richmond, Elliott was tops among the three Next alumni to finish in the top 10 — Kyle Larson wound up fourth, with Ryan Blaney fading late to snag ninth.

But Elliott’s ascent also dovetails with a show of strength for JRM, which has four victories in just eight Nationwide races so far and boasts one of the strongest stables of drivers on the circuit. Having a stacked lineup of Harvick, Earnhardt, Smith and part-time driver Kasey Kahne as a sounding board has helped Elliott mature as the team continues to find a rhythm.

It’s a mutually beneficial relationship so far, one that Harvick said has pushed him to be a better driver, even at one of his best tracks.

"I told Chase in Victory Lane, in this sport you’re not going to win all the races, but he wants to know why and what he needs to do to get better," Harvick said. "He’s been here before, but he’s never raced anything like this before. … He adapts very well and does a very good job and gives good feedback. It doesn’t take him long to pick up on things.

"It’s our job to help make sure his learning curve is not very steep, but it’s our job as the 5 car and his job, and Kasey’s job and Regan Smith’s to make sure we accelerate that to help them race for this championship and minimize mistakes and the learning curve, so that they can be in the right spot at the end of the year to win a championship."

With seven top-10 finishes in eight events to start his Nationwide career, Elliott is in prime position to contend for the season-long prize, but the balance of the long 33-race schedule looms. He leaves Richmond with what he called "a lot of positives" as the circuit heads to Talladega Superspeedway next weekend.

"You’ve just got to take what’s given to you some weeks and unfortunately that might not be the win in tonight’s case," Elliott said, "but we’ll take it and move on."

Posted on by Zack Albert

Support Our Troops logo will appear on tires for the fifth straight year

Photo credit: @GoodyearRacing

RICHMOND, Va. — With the calendar set to dig deeper into the heart of spring, certain annual racing traditions associated with the month of May take hold. Goodyear started one of the newest institutions as a simple expression of gratitude and awareness five years ago. Now it’s accredited as a nearly seven-figure fundraiser for America’s military.
 
The Ohio-based tiremaker announced Saturday at Richmond International Raceway that the logo for the Support Our Troops Foundation will adorn its racing tires for the fifth straight year in all three of NASCAR’s national series. The program will roll out in conjunction with the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600 race weekends at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Goodyear’s involvement is part of an annual NASCAR industry-wide movement that often reaches its height around Memorial Day and July 4 weekend. In the coming weeks, patriotic paint schemes, military salutes and more details will emerge to raise awareness and support.
 
"It kind of gains momentum, doesn’t it?" said Stu Grant, Goodyear’s general manager of worldwide racing. "It’s not just the ‘Support Our Troops’ on the tires, there’s logos on the cars and themes by a lot of different people in the sport. It’s so good to see all that effort for such a good cause."
 
Grant helped unveil the new tire design Saturday afternoon with former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth in attendance, accompanied by Toyota Owners 400 grand marshal Dakota Meyer, a sergeant who became the first living Marine in 38 years to receive the Medal of Honor in2011.
 
Not only does the new tire logo help to generate awareness, it’s also raised funds. Grant said that more than $800,000 had been raised to benefit the foundation over the course of the program’s existence.
 
"I think there’s certain months and certain holidays that mean certain things, and certain sports and organizations grab on to different things, and fortunately the military is one that’s really close to NASCAR that they work with and that people like to help a lot," Kenseth said. "So I think it’s cool that Goodyear does their program — it’s certainly something they don’t have to do. They’ve raised a lot of money and awareness."

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Posted on by Zack Albert

Contact from Bowyer leads to spin; MWR driver has rough night at Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. — A stunning first-turn, first-lap incident slowed the start of the Toyota Owners 400, sending rookie polesitter Kyle Larson spinning and leaving both him and Clint Bowyer scratching their heads.
 
Larson was sent spinning after contact with third-place starter Bowyer, who dipped low to make an inside move for the lead into Turn 1. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver righted his No. 42 Chevrolet and avoided contact with the outside wall and rejoined the 43-car field at the back of the pack.

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"What the (expletive)?" radioed an exasperated Larson, starting first for the first time in his young NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career.
 
Bowyer, a two-time winner at Richmond, relayed confusion to his Michael Waltrip Racing crew but continued without significant damage to his No. 15 Toyota.
 
"Like I wasn’t even there!" Bowyer said over his radio. "Obviously, I didn’t mean to do that. I got under him and he just turned back down."
 
Bowyer’s crew replied: "Spotter probably told him he was clear and he wasn’t, so let’s go. He has no damage. He’ll make it back up; he’s got a good car."

Bowyer’s day went from strange to worse before the midway point. He made a green-flag pit stop in the 97th of 400 laps with a vibrating right-front tire, then a caution flag flew for debris on Lap 99 to catch him two laps down to the leader.
 
"Imagine that, before anybody else’s tires blew out," Bowyer carped to his crew.
 
On Lap 166, Bowyer’s No. 15 was behind the wall after another right-front tire issue triggered a fire. His MWR crew went to work to replace oil and brake lines, burned off in the flames, and said the balance of the race would serve as a virtual test session.
 
"How in the hell were we that good in practice?" Bowyer radioed as his crew pushed the car to the garage. Bowyer’s night would officially be over a little later.

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Catch up quickly before Saturday’s running of the Toyota Owners 400

RELATED: Race lineup | Pit stall assignments | Series standings

What: 60th annual Toyota Owners 400
Where: Richmond International Raceway
When: Saturday, April 26
TV/Radio: FOX; MRN; SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Channel 90.
Distance: 400 laps; 300 miles
Time: 7 p.m. ET

Pit road speed: 40 mph
Caution car speed: 45 mph

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On the front row
1. Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet. (no speed; qualifying rained out)
2. Brad Keselowski, Team Penske No. 2 Ford 

Failed to qualify
Michael McDowell, Leavine Family Racing No. 95 Ford
Dave Blaney, Randy Humphrey Racing No. 77 Ford 

Moving up front: Rookie Kyle Larson starts from the pole position, but because Coors Light Pole Qualifying was washed out by heavy rain Friday, he isn’t credited with a pole win. Still, his first front-row start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is an improvement over his previous best — an eighth-place starting spot at Phoenix International Raceway in March.

Fastest in practice
First practice: Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet (126.880 mph)
Final practice: Ryan Newman, Richard Childress Racing No. 31 Chevrolet (124.235 mph) 

History lessons: Saturday night’s race is the 116th for NASCAR’s premier series at Richmond. The venue has undergone several changes in its lifetime, starting as a half-mile dirt track in 1953, progressing to a 0.542-mile asphalt track and eventually taking its current 0.75-mile form midway through the 1988 season. Davey Allison was the first Cup Series winner on the current configuration. 

Rainy review: For all the rain that has seemingly disturbed several race weekends in 2014, Friday’s washout marked the first time Coors Light Pole Qualifying has been scrapped this year. 

Front-row success: Brad Keselowski notched the second-fastest speed in the first Sprint Cup practice at Richmond, clinching the No. 2 starting spot for the No. 2 Ford. The outcome means that Keselowski will start from the front row for the sixth time in the last eight Sprint Cup races. 

Quotable: "People are just trying to take chances to get that win and I think for us we have been I guess like a Ricky Bobby scene, we have been first or last. There has really been no in between." — Kevin Harvick, two-time winner this year, on his up-and-down season. 

"We did have us a good honeymoon — had a big bonfire at the house the other night. I was burning some brush and I look over and I was like, ‘How’s your honeymoon, honey? Pretty good, huh?’ " — Newlywed Clint Bowyer, on his post-wedding extravaganza. 

Defending Toyota Owners 400 Champion
Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet (won last April in the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet) 

Former Richmond winners in field

Kyle Busch (4), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (3), Kevin Harvick (3), Jimmie Johnson (3), Tony Stewart (3), Clint Bowyer (2), Denny Hamlin (2), Jeff Gordon (2), Kurt Busch (1), Carl Edwards (1), Kasey Kahne (1), Matt Kenseth (1), Joe Nemechek (1), Ryan Newman (1). 

Fantasy sleeper (from Rotowire.com)

Aric Almirola — The Richard Petty Motorsports driver has been absolutely dynamite on the circuit’s short tracks this season. With finishes of 15th, third and eighth at Phoenix, Bristol and Martinsville, Almirola has gotten off to the best start of his career on these small ovals in 2014. Almirola will be making his fifth career Richmond start this Saturday night. In his previous four starts, he has one top-10 finish and it came in this event one year ago. In the fall of 2013 he returned to RIR and claimed a respectable 20th-place finish. The way the No. 43 Ford team is racing right now, there’s no reason to expect less than a top-15 finish from Almirola in the Toyota Owners 400.

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Plan your NASCAR weekend with these on-track times for Talladega

All times ET / TV SCHEDULE / BUY TICKETS / WEEKEND TRACK EVENTS

THURSDAY, MAY 1:

ON TRACK
— 3-4 p.m. ET: NASCAR Nationwide Series practice (Get results)
— 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m. ET: NASCAR Nationwide Series final practice (Get results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 1:45 p.m. ET: Sam Hornish Jr.
— 2:15 p.m. ET: Regan Smith

GARAGECAM PRESENTED BY MOBIL 1
— 2:30 p.m. ET, Nationwide Series (Watch live)

FRIDAY, MAY 2:

ON TRACK
— 2-2:50 p.m. ET: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FOX Sports 1 (Get results)
— 3:30-4:25 p.m. ET: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, FOX Sports 1 (Get results)
— 6:40 p.m. ET: NASCAR Nationwide Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FOX Sports 1 (Get results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— Noon ET: Joey Logano
— 12:30 p.m. ET: David Ragan
— 12:45 p.m. ET: Matt Kenseth
— 1 p.m. ET: Jimmie Johnson
— 1:15 p.m. ET: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
— 1:30 p.m. ET: Darrell Wallace Jr.
— 1:45 p.m. ET: Chase Elliott
— 7:45 p.m. ET: Post-NNS qualifying

GARAGECAM PRESENTED BY MOBIL 1
— 1:30 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series (Watch live)

SATURDAY, MAY 3:

ON TRACK
— 1:10 p.m. ET: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FOX (Get results)
— 3 p.m. ET: NASCAR Nationwide Series Aaron’s 312 (117 laps, 311.2 miles), ESPN coverage starts at 2:30 p.m. ET (Get results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 2 p.m. ET: Post-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying
— 5:45 p.m. ET: Post-NASCAR Nationwide Series race

SUNDAY, MAY 4:

RACE-DAY RUNDOWN
11 a.m.: Driver/crew chief meeting
12 p.m.: Talladega Superspeedway Parade Lap
12:19 p.m.: Official welcome by Grant Lynch, chairman, Talladega Superspeedway
12:24 p.m.: Intro honorary starter, Andrea Freeman, vice president of marketing, Aarons Inc.
12:27 p.m.: Intro grand marshal, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley
12:28 p.m.: Intro honorary pace car driver, Gus Malzahn, Auburn head football coach
12:29:30 p.m.: Intro Miss Sprint Cup, Kim Coon
12:30 p.m.: FOX on air
12:30 p.m.: Driver Introductions with NASCAR Special Awards
1 p.m.: Intro presentation of colors, Alabama National Guard
1:00:20 p.m.: Invocation by The Rev. Mark Stokes, Alabama Raceway Ministries
1:00:45 p.m.: Intro national anthem
1:01 p.m.: National Anthem by "The Arsenal Brass Quintet," Army Materiel Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama
1:02:15 p.m.: Flyby, 1 C45 and 2 T28’s
1:07:30 p.m.: "Drivers, start your engines" command by Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley
1:19:30 p.m.: Green flag, Aaron’s 499 (188 Laps, 500 miles)

ON TRACK
— 1 p.m. ET: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Aaron’s 499 (188 laps, 500.08 miles), FOX coverage starts at 12:30 p.m. ET (Live leaderboard)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 10 a.m. ET: Randy Houser, country music artist
— 10:15 a.m. ET: Aaron’s announcement
— 10:25 a.m. ET: Gus Malzahn, Auburn University head football coach
— 4:45 p.m. ET: Post-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race

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