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Drivers approached 220 mph at Michigan tire testing

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DARLINGTON, S.C. — They may have been "white-of-your-eyes" fast during a test earlier this week, but don’t expect those same outrageous speeds when NASCAR returns to Michigan International Speedway to race.

Five drivers took part in a two-day Goodyear tire test at the 2-mile oval, with a few of them taking to social media to report speeds that crept toward the 220 mph mark. Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted to Twitter a photo of a telemetry readout showing 215.2 mph, and Clint Bowyer tweeted that his top speed was 217. "That’s white-of-your-eyes fast," the Michael Waltrip Racing driver wrote.

Indeed, it was. But Greg Biffle, who also took part in the test — and told a TV reporter that he topped 220 mph on the straightaway — said Friday morning at Darlington Raceway that highs were in the 40s with a track temperature of around 66. Those colder conditions provided plenty of grip, and promised to be much different from what Sprint Cup Series teams will experience when they return in June for the first of its two annual events at the facility in Brooklyn, Mich. And teams won’t race on the tire that generated those eye-popping speeds, he added.

"They put a tire on the car that we are not going to race that went that fast," Biffle added. "So on the standard tire, I think the mph was down maybe three or four mph from that."

The track record at Michigan is 203.949 mph, set by Joey Logano in qualifying last year. The big oval has become lightning-fast since a resurfacing was completed in 2012, with three out of four pole winners cracking 200 mph in the time since. Although speeds in excess of that number are not uncommon during practice at Michigan, Dale Jr. doesn’t expect drivers to be going quite that fast during the race.

"The track should slow down as it rubbers up, tightens up, get slicker," Earnhardt, who also took part in the test, said at Darlington. "The seams will get slicker. So I don’t think we will see those kinds of speeds. That is basically what we saw in practice there last time. We may see those speeds in practice, but I doubt we will see those in the race. The race will slow down quite a bit, or enough."

Trevor Bayne and Ryan Newman also took part in the test, where drivers experimented with different types tires including the dual-zone treads that Goodyear has already employed at Atlanta, Kansas, and Texas, and plans to use at Richmond.

Multi-zone tread tires feature one compound on the outside 10 inches of the tire designed for traction, and another compound on the inside two inches designed for wear. The inside compound is more durable because that part withstands more heat and abuse.

The focus on tires at Michigan intensified after a race weekend there in June of 2012, when Goodyear switched left-side compounds after experiencing severe and unexpected blistering. Earnhardt said Goodyear tried about eight different types of compounds in this week’s test at Michigan, including two different dual-zone tread configurations. "It was a productive test," the two-time Daytona 500 champion added, and Biffle echoed that he was pleased with the initial results.

"Goodyear is trying to come up with a little more reliable tire, and I think they have done that," Biffle added. "I am thinking they are going with the dual-zone tread, possibly, or at least that is what they were leaning toward. We will see what they come up with after all the data. I think that is a better tire, because it puts a little margin in the right front. They don’t want to blow a right front at that track.”

Although many teams have experienced tire issues this season, NASCAR and Goodyear have maintained those problems stem primarily from teams running air pressures lower than recommended — an assertion backed up Friday by Biffle.

"A lot of it is team-oriented. The tire hasn’t changed from last year. What has changed, then? The ride-height rule has changed, and the car has a lot more downforce on it. That is what has changed the tire issue," the two-time Darlington winner said.

"We will probably have to continue to come up a little bit on left-side tire pressure. The tire is getting so much load on it when it is on low air, because the car is sucked to the ground so hard and has more downforce than it ever did. That is probably most likely what is causing these tire issues. The cars have more speed and more downforce. I would say that could potentially be a problem at any place we are going that fast and put that much load on the tire and low air. That can be a deal anywhere."

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Roush Fenway Racing is the only organization Biffle has competed for in the Cup Series

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DARLINGTON, S.C. — As Greg Biffle works toward another victory at Darlington Raceway, work continues behind the scenes to keep the 19-time race winner at Roush Fenway Racing beyond this season.

Friday morning at NASCAR’s oldest major speedway, Biffle said he’s nearer to a contract extension with Roush Fenway, the only organization he’s ever competed for in the Sprint Cup Series. 

"I think so. I think we are getting closer," the two-time Darlington winner said. "There are a lot of moving parts to a contract and a lot of new people at (sponsor) 3M, but I know the folks are going up there next week to visit some more. I have a feeling it is getting closer. I know there has been a lot of activity. The program works really well for them and we have the American Red Cross on the car this weekend, so it is a good program for 3M, and I think they are happy and it looks like we are closing in on an announcement. Hopefully here soon we will have something.”

It’s not uncommon for NASCAR teams to roll out driver and sponsor extensions at the same time, given that sponsor funding is often crucial to keeping a driver in the car. Biffle and Carl Edwards are each in contract years at Roush Fenway, and team officials have expressed their desire to re-sign both. Biffle, 43, has been with Roush since debuting in the Camping World Truck Series in 1998. Edwards, 33, is also a Roush lifer, having started with the team in the Trucks in 2003.

Edwards does not typically talk about contract issues, and maintained that stance Friday. "I promise you, no drama," he said.

Edwards has enjoyed the better start to this season, scoring a race victory at Bristol and currently standing third in Sprint Cup points coming to Darlington, where he’s never won. Biffle won back-to-back races at Darlington in 2005 and ’06, but hasn’t yet won this year. He is coming off his best finish of the season, sixth in Monday’s rain-delayed race at Texas, and ranks 15th in the standings.

"Last week was a huge uplift for us. We had really struggled as a team and organization even though Carl got a win. We have struggled a little bit this year on speed, especially the intermediates which has been our strong suit," Biffle said.

But Texas was different.

"We were fast right off the truck last week and had good speed, qualified good and ran good. That gave us some confidence coming here this week that hopefully we are starting to get the zero ride-height and new aero package down a little more and going to be more competitive. We just got done doing a two-day tire test, and we’ve had a busy week at Michigan, and felt like our car had good speed there, too. We will continue to try to build on it, and hopefully have a good run here. Maybe we can add to that list, and maybe be in here tomorrow night talking about it.”

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18-year-old rookie wins second consecutive race

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DARLINGTON, S.C. — There’s a new sheriff in town, and he’s barely legal.

With a banzai run in a two-lap dash to the finish of Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Darlington Raceway, 18-year-old Chase Elliott muscled his way past Elliott Sadler on the final lap to score his second straight win in his seventh start in the series.

Elliott, who restarted sixth on Lap 146, charged to the front and claimed victory in the VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 in his first event at the fabled 1.366-mile track. The victory was Elliott’s second in as many weeks and the second of his career.

Sadler, who gambled on two tires for the final restart with two laps left, held the second spot. Matt Kenseth ran third, followed by polesitter Kyle Busch and Joey Logano.

"I knew the guys on two tires (Sadler and Kyle Larson) were going to be a little slower than the guys on four," Elliott said of the final restart. "Our lane went and Elliott (Sadler) got a little loose off (Turn) 2 and let me get to the outside, and that was where I wanted to be anyway."

Elliott won last Friday at Texas Motor Speedway, but the victory at Darlington, where his father Bill Elliott won five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, had special significance.

"Darlington has always been my favorite place to watch a race," said Chase Elliott, the youngest driver ever to win at Nationwide Series race at Darlington at 18 years, 4 months, 4 days. "Just to be a part of this race is unbelievable.

"To win this thing is a day I’ll never forget."

Elliott also is the youngest driver ever to win two NNS races, and he’s the youngest driver to lead the series points standings, a feat he accomplished for the first time last week at Texas. On Friday night, Elliott extended his points lead to 13 over Regan Smith, who recovered from a spin to finish eighth.

Elliot asserted his superiority early in the race. After restarting fourth on Lap 24, he made short work of the cars in front on him. On Lap 27, he stormed past Kevin Harvick and Kenseth into the second spot and seven laps later sped by Busch, the polesitter, for the lead.

Harvick followed into second place four laps later, and the top three — Elliott, Harvick and Busch — remained constant until NASCAR called a caution on Lap 59 for debris on the backstretch. During pit stops under the yellow, Harvick and Elliott swapped the top two positions, and Harvick led the field to green on Lap 65.

By the time they got back to the stripe, Elliott had retaken the top spot, but the green-flag run didn’t last long. On Lap 68, a wild wreck involving the Chevrolet of Dylan Kwasniewski and the Ford of Chris Buescher slowed the field for the third time.

Elliott controlled the action through two subsequent yellows but lost four positions during pit stops under caution on Lap 89 for Smith’s spin in Turn 1. Busch assumed the lead off pit road, with Kenseth, Harvick, Larson and Elliott trailing for a restart on Lap 94.

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Harvick earns first pole at Darlington and seventh of his Cup career

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DARLINGTON, S.C. — Aric Almirola has the record, but Kevin Harvick has the starting spot that counts most after Friday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series knockout qualifying session at Darlington Raceway.
 
With a lap at 183.479 mph in the five-minute third round of time trials, Harvick won the Coors Light Pole Award for Saturday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at the egg-shaped 1.366-mile track.
 
The pole was Harvick’s first of the season, his first at Darlington and the seventh of his career.

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Joey Logano earned the second spot with a lap of 183.049 mph and will start from the front row for the third time in eight Sprint Cup races this season. Almirola qualified third at 182.946 mph after setting a track record in the second of the three rounds.
 
Marcos Ambrose (182.485 mph) will start fourth Saturday night, followed by Brad Keselowski (182.059 mph) and Jamie McMurray (182.019 mph). Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, series points leader Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Paul Menard and Martin Truex Jr. will start from positions seven through 12 on the grid.
 
Crew chief, Rodney Childers, himself a former driver, advised Harvick to change his racing line after the first round of time trials.
 
"I was on the bottom all day in practice, and Rodney felt like that, in order to get the pole, we were going to need to run the top after we ran our first run," Harvick said. "That’s the driver in him. That’s why he’s good to have sitting there watching, because he knows what’s going on.
 
"He can relay — and also having (spotter) Tim Fedewa up on top — as former drivers, knowing what’s going on, they can relay what you need to do. We moved up and picked up in the second (round). I felt like I didn’t roll through there fast enough. In the last one, I felt like I rolled through there pretty good."
 
In the first round, which pared the number of drivers eligible for the pole from 44 to 24, Menard posted a best lap at 183.946 mph, breaking Kurt Busch‘s previous track record of 181.918 mph, set May 10, 2013.
 
In round No. 2, Almirola one-upped Menard with a record lap at 184.145 mph on scuffed tires, despite having an electrical short in his No. 43 Ford that forced his team to push-start the car before it rolled onto the track.
 
"After that first session, when I tried to fire the car up, when I would go to turn the starter on and it would try to engage with the flywheel, the electrical system in the whole car would shut itself down," Almirola said.
 
"We obviously had a short in our starter or something, and every time we would flick the starter switch on, it would shut the electrical system down, so we had to push-start it the last two sessions. It made it interesting trying to blend on the race track."
 
In the second session, though, Almirola blended well enough to set the record.
 
Notes: Logano is the only driver to make the final round of all seven knockout qualifying sessions held so far. … David Reutimann failed to make the 43-car field. … Coming off a 43rd-place finish last Sunday at Texas — the result of an early accident — Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start 15th. … Six-time series champion Jimmie Johnson will take the green flag in 26th place after failing to advance to the second round of knockout qualifying.

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Kyle Petty says ‘it’s been a lot harder and a lot tougher’ for his father

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Kyle Petty says his father, seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty, is coping as best he can after losing his wife, Lynda, last month.

”He’s doing pretty good, he’s used to going to the race tracks and being at the race tracks alone, but he’s not used to being at home and being alone,” Kyle Petty told the Associated Press on Friday. ”So I’ve stayed with him some, and my sisters have stayed some. It’s just going to take time."

The King’s son won the pole for Saturday’s Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in Long Beach, Calif., and addressed his father’s reaction to the loss of Lynda Petty.

"They were together 57 years and even though he spent 50 of those 57 years on the road, according to him, at race tracks, it’s been a lot harder and a lot tougher (than he thought)," Kyle Petty told AP. ”My mother had been really sick for 4 1/2, almost five years, so she fought pretty hard.”

Lynda Petty underwent treatment in 2010 for a brain tumor and Central Nervous System Lymphoma. Although she was eventually declared cancer free, health issues including mini strokes stemming from the treatment greatly reduced her physical activities in recent years.

The former Lynda Owens and NASCAR’s all-time winningest driver were high school sweethearts, eventually marrying in 1958 just as Richard Petty’s racing career got underway. She was 17 and still in high school; he was 21 and worked alongside his father, Lee, and brother, Maurice, in what was to become Petty Enterprises.

With her husband competing in as many as 40 or more races a year across the country, and women restricted from being in the NASCAR garage at the time, Lynda Petty remained home to run the Petty household, which eventually grew to include four children — son Kyle and daughters Sharon (Petty) Farlow, Lisa (Petty) Luck and Rebecca (Petty) Moffit.

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At home or on the go, here’s how to keep tabs on the Bojangles’ Southern 500 and VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200

This weekend brings us both the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series under the lights in Darlington, S.C. We know you may not have the time to watch the Friday night Nationwide race or Saturday’s Sprint Cup race without any interruptions, so if you’re on the go, here’s how to keep up at Darlington Raceway.

NASCAR.com’s live Cup leaderboard and Nationwide 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.

Lap-by-Lap will keep you caught up even if you can only 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.

For an interactive experience, join crew chief Brad Parrott for in-race analysis as he chats with readers about the Bojangles’ 500.

We’ll also be sending race updates via Twitter through the official @NASCAR and @NASCARStats handles, as well as curating NASCAR tweets from the Twitter universe with a social timeline.

Haven’t tried RaceView yet? This is the last weekend to cash in your one-week free trial. Use it as a second screen or as your only screen. You’ll get virtualized video of cars on the track from various angles and hear what your favorite team is saying over the radio. Just want to scan the radios? You can have that too with RaceView Audio. On a mobile device? Get RaceView Mobile here.

RaceBuddy lets you follow a single driver or several drivers using a mosaic view through the entire race. With 10 live high-def feeds to choose from, watch your races your own way. This weekend, RaceBuddy will be live for the Nationwide Series race at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, April 11. Follow along while chatting with fellow fans on NASCAR.com using our live chat page.

If you want to be more involved in the on-track action, you can manage your own 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 streams will keep the NASCAR action rolling even after the winner rolls in and out of Victory Lane. Catch interviews with the top finishers immediately following the checkered flag, and stay tuned to NASCAR.com throughout the week for the latest news.

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Operation may be based out of Stewart-Haas Racing Kannapolis, N.C. facility

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One of NASCAR’s top team owners will add a Formula One program to his burgeoning stable.

Gene Haas, co-owner of the Stewart-Haas Racing organization that fields the cars of Tony Stewart, Danica Patrick, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, has been granted a license by the FIA to start a Formula One team for the 2015 season. No team based in the United States has competed in F1 since Lola-Hart attempted a limited number of races in 1985-86.

"Obviously, we’re extremely pleased to have been granted a Formula One license by the FIA," Haas said in a statement released Friday. "It’s an exciting time for me, Haas Automation and anyone who wanted to see an American team return to Formula One. Now, the really hard work begins. It’s a challenge we embrace as we work to put cars on the grid. I want to thank the FIA for this opportunity and the diligence everyone put forth to see our license application come to fruition.”
 
Founded in 1983 and based in Oxnard, Calif., Haas Automation is the largest CNC machine tool builder in the western world. Stewart-Haas Racing won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in 2011. Haas is also founder of the Windshear rolling-road wind tunnel in Concord, N.C.

Stewart-Haas Racing competes out of Kannapolis, N.C., in a facility that’s currently being expanded to better accommodate Busch’s No. 41 program, which was added prior to this season. Haas has indicated in the past that the F1 operation may also be based out of the Kannapolis, N.C. facility.

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See the complete starting lineup for the Darlington Nationwide Series race

MORE: Qualifying speeds for VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200
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Pos Car Driver Team
1 54 Kyle Busch(i) Monster Energy Toyota
2 9 Chase Elliott # NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet
3 20 Matt Kenseth(i) GameStop Toyota
4 5 Kevin Harvick(i) Armour Vienna Sausages Chevrolet
5 3 Ty Dillon # Yuengling Light Lager Chevrolet
6 60 Chris Buescher # Mustang 50 Years Ford
7 2 Brian Scott Shore Lodge Chevrolet
8 7 Regan Smith TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
9 11 Elliott Sadler Sport Clips Toyota
10 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford
11 33 Cale Conley(i) OKUMA Chevrolet
12 42 Kyle Larson(i) Cartwheel Chevrolet
13 62 Brendan Gaughan South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet
14 39 Ryan Sieg # RSS Racing Chevrolet
15 22 Joey Logano(i) Snap-on Ford
16 01 Landon Cassill teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet
17 31 Dylan Kwasniewski # Rockstar Chevrolet
18 16 Ryan Reed # ADA Drive to Stop Diabetes Ford
19 40 Josh Wise(i) Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet
20 19 Mike Bliss TriStar Motorsports Toyota
21 51 Jeremy Clements RepairableVehicles.com Chevrolet
22 99 James Buescher Ruud Toyota
23 28 JJ Yeley Dodge
24 44 David Starr Striping Technologies Toyota
25 43 Dakoda Armstrong # WinField Ford
26 4 Jeffrey Earnhardt teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet
27 93 Mike Wallace Dodge
28 17 Tanner Berryhill # bwp Bats Dodge
29 55 Todd Bodine(i) Chevrolet
30 14 Eric McClure Hefty Ultimate / Reynolds Wrap Toyota
31 87 Kevin Lepage teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet
32 52 Joey Gase Chevrolet
33 46 Matt Dibenedetto Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet
34 76 Tommy Joe Martins Dodge
35 70 Derrike Cope Youtheory Chevrolet
36 23 Carlos Contreras Voli Voli Voli Chevrolet
37 13 Matt Carter Headrush Toyota
38 91 Jeff Green TriStar Motorsports Toyota
39 74 Mike Harmon Dodge
40 10 Blake Koch SupportMilitary.org Toyota
Did Not Qualify: None.

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Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott start on the front row at Darlington

MORE: VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 lineup
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The pit stall assignments are out for the Nationwide Series‘ VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway (Friday, ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET)

Coors Light Pole Award winner Kyle Busch chose the pit stall closest to the pit road exit. Busch also has an empty stall in front of him.

Joining Busch on the front row is last week’s winner at Texas, Chase Elliott, who also has an opening in front of his pit stall.

Matt Kenseth, Brendan Gaughan and Cale Conley also have that advantage as well.

Ryan Sieg has the stall closest to the entrance of pit road.

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See where the Sprint Cup Series drivers will pit at Darlington

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The pit stall assignments are in for Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway, the Bojangles’ Southern 500 (6:30 p.m. ET, FOX).

Polesitter Kevin Harvick has the pit stall closest to the pit road exit. He also has no cars or a stall in front of him.

Joey Logano, who will join Harvick on the front row, has a pit stall with an opening in front of him. Marcos Ambrose (starting fourth) and Ryan Newman (starting seventh) also have the same advantage.

Brian Vickers chose the pit stall closest to the pit road entrance.

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