Sprint Cup qualifying order for Sonoma

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Staff Report

Hamlin will roll off first for Coors Light Pole Qualifying (Sat., 1:40 p.m. ET, FS1)

#	Car	Driver	Team
1	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Freight Toyota
2	9	Marcos Ambrose	DeWalt Ford
3	15	Clint Bowyer	5-hour Energy Toyota
4	1	Jamie McMurray	Cessna Chevrolet
5	38	David Gilliland	Love’s Travel Stop Ford
6	47	AJ Allmendinger	Kingsford / Clorox Chevrolet
7	43	Aric Almirola	Nathan’s Famous Ford
8	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	EcoPower Oil Ford
9	7	Michael Annett #	Pilot / Flying J Chevrolet
10	24	Jeff Gordon	Panasonic Chevrolet
11	22	Joey Logano	Shell Pennzoil Ford
12	66	Tomy Drissi	MightyHercules.com Toyota
13	41	Kurt Busch	Haas Automation Chevrolet
14	10	Danica Patrick	GoDaddy Chevrolet
15	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet
16	20	Matt Kenseth	Dollar General Toyota
17	4	Kevin Harvick	Outback / Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet
18	16	Greg Biffle	3M Ford
19	55	Brian Vickers	Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota
20	44	JJ Yeley(i)	Phoenix Warehouse Chevrolet
21	40	Landon Cassill(i)	carsforsale.com Chevrolet
22	33	Alex Kennedy	Media CAST Chevrolet
23	95	Michael McDowell	K-LOVE Radio Ford
24	34	David Ragan	Long John Silver’s Free Fish & Fries Ford
25	2	Brad Keselowski	Alliance Truck Parts Ford
26	78	Martin Truex Jr.	Furniture Row Chevrolet
27	13	Casey Mears	GEICO Chevrolet
28	3	Austin Dillon #	Dow Chevrolet
29	31	Ryan Newman	Caterpillar Chevrolet
30	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe’s Chevrolet
31	51	Justin Allgaier #	Brandt Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
32	14	Tony Stewart	Mobil 1 / Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet
33	23	Alex Bowman #	Dr Pepper Toyota
34	27	Paul Menard	Richmond / Menards Chevrolet
35	98	Josh Wise	Dogecoin / Reddit.com Chevrolet
36	42	Kyle Larson #	Target Chevrolet
37	83	Ryan Truex #	Burger King Toyota
38	5	Kasey Kahne	Great Clips Chevrolet
39	36	Reed Sorenson	Theme Park Connection Chevrolet
40	32	Boris Said	Seven-11 / Amerigas Ford
41	18	Kyle Busch	M&M’s Pretzel Toyota
42	26	Cole Whitt #	Rinnai Tankless Water Heaters Toyota
43	99	Carl Edwards	Aflac Ford

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

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Posted on June 20, 2014 by Staff Report

Each week an expert will answer a tech question on GarageCam presented by Mobil 1

RELATED: Mobil 1 Technology Center

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

This week, Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Chevrolet answers the Mobil 1 Tech Question of the Week.

Watch the video above to hear McMurray explain the impact that a road course, like Sonoma Raceway, can have on not only a driver but the car as well.

Be sure to tune in to GarageCam presented by Mobil 1 next week at Kentucky Speedway and see another question answered.

Camping World Truck Series GarageCam, presented by Mobil 1: 10 a.m. ET, Thursday, June 26. (Watch here)

Sprint Cup Series GarageCam, presented by Mobil 1: 10 a.m. ET, Friday, June 27. (Watch here)

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Posted on June 20, 2014 by Staff Report

Rookie Dylan Kwasniewski will roll off first (Saturday, 11:40 a.m. ET, ESPN2)

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#	Car	Driver	Team
1	42	Dylan Kwasniewski #	Up & Up Chevrolet
2	39	Ryan Sieg #	RSS Racing Chevrolet
3	17	* Tanner Berryhill #	NationalCashLenders.com Dodge
4	55	Andy Lally	Viva Auto Group Chevrolet
5	43	Dakoda Armstrong #	WinField Ford
6	54	Sam Hornish Jr.	Monster Energy Toyota
7	4	Jeffrey Earnhardt	teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet
8	01	Landon Cassill	G&K Services Chevrolet
9	62	Brendan Gaughan	South Point Chevrolet
10	87	Stanton Barrett	barcodemedia.net Ford
11	3	Ty Dillon #	Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet
12	22	Alex Tagliani	Discount Tire Ford
13	28	JJ Yeley	Texas 28 Spirits Stage Dodge
14	79	* Tim Schendel	Cobblestone Inn Chevrolet
15	52	Joey Gase	Cobblestone Hotels/DB Equipment Sales Chevrolet
16	51	Jeremy Clements	AllSouthElectric.com/RepairableVehicles.com Chevrolet
17	76	* Tommy Joe Martins #	Cross Concrete Construction Dodge
18	15	* Carl Long	Lilly Trucking Chevrolet
19	10	* Jeff Green	Supportmilitary.org Toyota
20	44	Carlos Contreras	38 Special/Ingersoll Rand/VOLI Toyota
21	60	Chris Buescher #	Roush Performance Ford
22	6	Trevor Bayne	AdvoCare Ford
23	93	Kevin Lepage	JGL Racing Dodge
24	23	Kevin O’Connell	Shania Kids Can Chevrolet
25	74	* Bobby Reuse	www.bapihvac.com/www.wciparts.com Chevrolet
26	7	Regan Smith	TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
27	14	Eric McClure	Hefty Ultimate/Reynolds Wrap Toyota
28	46	* Matt Dibenedetto	Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet
29	40	Josh Wise(i)	Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet
30	19	Mike Bliss	TriStar Motorsports Toyota
31	11	Elliott Sadler	OneMain Financial Toyota
32	70	* Derrike Cope	YOUTHEORY Chevrolet
33	16	Ryan Reed #	ADA Drive to Stop Diabetes presented by Lilly Diabetes Ford
34	31	Justin Marks	SOL Republic Chevrolet
35	2	Brian Scott	Shore Lodge Chevrolet
36	9	Chase Elliott #	NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet
37	20	Kenny Habul	Sun Energy 1 Toyota
38	99	James Buescher #	Rheem Toyota

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

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Posted on June 20, 2014 by Staff Report

Follow what’s happening at the track with live updates from teams, drivers and NASCAR.com writers

Can’t be at the track for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 (Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, TNT), Gardner Denver 200 Fired up by Johnsonville (Saturday at 2:45 p.m ET, ABC)? See what’s going on as if you were there with at-track updates from teams, drivers and NASCAR.com reporters.

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Posted on June 19, 2014 by

Gordon has eight consecutive top 10s at his hometown track

If Hendrick Motorsports wishes to extend its three-driver, five-race winning streak, Jeff Gordon needs to be Jeff Gordon.

The undisputed King of the Road Course has nine career wins on road courses, a robust record considering the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series turns left-then-right-then-left-again only twice a year.

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And though both Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne each have a win at Sonoma Raceway — site of Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 (3 p.m. ET on TNT) — Gordon remains Hendrick’s best bet to tie a Modern Era record for the longest win streak by a team.

Owner Rick Hendrick’s drivers have won five consecutive races — Gordon at Kansas, Johnson at Charlotte and Dover, Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Pocono and Johnson again at Michigan. That streak is one short of the Modern Era record of six consecutive victories by an owner, set by Hendrick during the 2007 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. That year, Gordon won two in a row followed by a four-victory streak that carried Johnson to his second-consecutive series championship.

The Modern Era is considered to have begun in 1972, when the number of races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was drastically reduced, from 48 to 31. The all-time record for consecutive car owner victories is an incredible 16 by Carl Kiekhaefer in 1956. Kiekhaefer, like Hendrick, owned a multi-car team that dominated NASCAR’s top series in 1955-56. Four different drivers won for Kiekhaefer during his streak: Buck Baker, Tim Flock, Herb Thomas and Speedy Thompson.

But first thing’s first — and that’s a sixth straight win. And Gordon, who has scored eight consecutive top 10s at Sonoma, is the team’s best bet.

"I grew up in Vallejo — which is a few miles from the track in Sonoma — but I was always racing on ovals or dirt tracks as a kid," Gordon said. "It was much later before I turned my first lap at Sonoma while in a driving school preparing for my first Cup start there. I immediately saw the challenges and the fun of racing at Sonoma and on road courses. We’ve worked hard as a team to be competitive on road courses and we’ve had a lot of success at Sonoma. But it’s not an easy track to conquer."

The only Hendrick driver without a Sonoma victory is Earnhardt, whose current momentum could change a shaky past at the track. In 14 previous Sonoma starts, Earnhardt has yet to finish in the top 10.

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Posted on June 19, 2014 by Holly Cain

Stewart was critical of a move Larson made at Michigan

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – During a luncheon with local media in San Francisco’s famed Gharadelli Square on Thursday, Sprint Cup Series rookie Kyle Larson downplayed that any drama existed between him and veteran Tony Stewart after an on-track exchange last week at Michigan.

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However fellow Cup driver Brian Vickers seized the opportunity to offer advice to the 21-year-old first-year Cup driver having had his own on-track "issues" with Stewart several years ago at this week’s Sonoma Raceway road course.

"There is no right or wrong answer to your problem, but there are consequences," Vickers said, inciting loud laughter from those in the room and getting a big grin from Larson and 2012 Cup champ Brad Keselowski as the three conducted a news conference in advance of Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350.

Last week at Michigan, the three-time Cup champ Stewart was critical of Larson’s driving during a restart and pulled alongside him at one point to express his frustration.

After the race, Stewart said of his 11th place finish: "We got the nose damage when the 42 (Larson) got impatient there and blocked us."

Asked for his take after the race Larson – who finished eighth in the No. 42 Target Chevy – explained the situation as "Tony just being Tony" in reference to the famously feisty champ, who shares an open-wheel background with Larson and has often praised the Chip Ganassi Racing team rookie.

Larson offered a more detailed version of the events on Thursday.

"On the restart he lined up behind me and I was mirror driving and saw him go to the right so I went to right, felt him hit me and thought, ‘Tony’s going to be pissed,’ so I pulled up top, let him by and drove around him a couple corners later," Larson said. "When the (next) caution came out, I knew what was going to happen and I knew he was going to pull next to me and show me he wasn’t happy."

Egging on the recollection, Keselowski asked Larson, "How did he show he wasn’t happy?"

"His middle finger," Larson replied, smiling.

"In sprint car racing, blocking is a little more normal so I don’t know if he gets as angry in that as he does with blocking in stock cars. Anyway, a guy like Tony Stewart probably respects you more if you don’t back down.

"Coming to a place like Sonoma, I’m sure we’ll be around each other and we’ll see what happens. But I don’t feel like I’ve done anything dirty so I’m not going to do anything to make the situation worse and I hope he doesn’t."

Larson insisted Thursday throughout questioning that he wasn’t worried about things going forward. He’s ranked eighth in the Cup standings and Stewart is 16th – both still looking for their first victory in 2014.

"It’s not as if I did something real bad to him," Larson said. "I’m real good friends with Tony, but it doesn’t matter on the race track, we all know how super competitive he is. I’m not too worried about it.

"Maybe he’s just trying to intimidate me or treat me (like the new kid.) I get that. I understand that.

"It’s really not a big deal yet. We haven’t wrecked each other or anything major. I really don’t think it’s a big deal."

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Posted on June 19, 2014 by Staff Report

NASCAR Next driver will run three Nationwide races for Joe Gibbs Racing

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Erik Jones will be moving up for a few races as he will make his first career Nationwide Series start at Chicagoland Speedway next month.

The 18-year-old Jones will be behind the wheel of the No. 20 car on July 19 at Chicagoland.

In an interview on SiriusXM Speedway, Jones announced that he would be running three Nationwide Series races with Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 20 car. Besides Chicagoland, Jones will also run the No. 20 car at Bristol Motor Speedway (Aug. 22) and Phoenix International Raceway (Nov. 8).

Jones later shared the news on Twitter.

Cats out of the bag! Erik will pilot the No.20 @joegibbsfeedr in 3 @NationwideNNS – @ChicagolndSpdwy, @BMSupdates and @PhoenixRaceway!

— Erik Jones (@erik_jones) June 19, 2014

Jones is just the latest driver to be announced to get seat time in the No. 20 Toyota for JGR. This season has seen Matt Kenseth behind the wheel for nine Nationwide races and Sam Hornish Jr., Michael McDowell, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Daniel Suarez have each driven the car for one race.

"I’m really excited about the opportunity to run some Nationwide races this year with Joe Gibbs Racing," Jones said in a release. "Since I wasn’t able to run a full season this year, adding to my Truck Series schedule was something I’ve been working hard on."

Jones later added in the release that he has "high expectations for all three races."

Currently, the NASCAR Next driver is sharing the No. 51 Toyota Tundra in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with Kyle Busch.

On SiriusXM Speedway, Jones said that despite the slow start to his 2014 season (in three starts, he has a best finish of 11th place, which came at Texas), he felt like the team turned the corner at Gateway.

"Unfortunately, we’ve had a little bit of bad luck in the (Camping World) Truck Series and then one where we just weren’t on our game. It hasn’t gone quite like we’d hoped this year, but Gateway was definitely a big step for us. It does make me feel good that I got this opportunity and really felt like we accomplished something in the Truck Series to make it happen.

"Being in the Nationwide Series, it’s really such another level, but it’s one that I’ve been wanting to get on now for so long. It’s a series that you look at as definitely the next step on the development ladder. To have my opportunity and my shot at going out there and running those races with those guys is pretty special."

In eight career Truck Series starts, Jones has one victory, two top-10 finishes and five top-10 finishes. His first win came at Phoenix last November when he became the youngest winner in Truck Series history at 17 years old.

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Posted on June 19, 2014 by Staff Report

Snap Fitness to serve as primary sponsor for four races; see the paint scheme

Landon Cassill has picked up a new sponsor for his No. 40 car for Hillman Racing in the Sprint Cup Series.

Snap Fitness will serve as the primary sponsor on the car for four races this season, starting with the Quaker State 400 Presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway on June 28.

See the complete paint scheme below.

The company will also serve as the primary sponsor on the car for three Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup races this season: Sept. 14 at Chicagoland Speedway, Sept. 21 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Sylvania 300) and Oct. 5 at Kansas Speedway (Hollywood Casino 400).

Cassill is also currently training for an Ironman 70.3 half triathlon to be held on July 20 in Racine, Wisconsin.

"Fitness is a tremendous part of my life and I’m honored to represent the Snap Fitness brand in the NASCAR Sprint Cup," Cassill said in a release.

This season is Cassill’s fifth in the sport’s premier series. He has run in 13 races this season with two top-20 finishes at Talladega (11th) and Daytona (12th).

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Posted on June 19, 2014 by Staff Report

First NASCAR premier series race was held at Charlotte Speedway

PHOTOS: First NASCAR race revisited

Everything has a beginning and June 19 marks the 65th anniversary of the first NASCAR premier series race (under the banner of NASCAR Strictly Stock). The race was held at Charlotte Speedway on June 19, 1949 before an estimated crowd of 13,000.

The race was scheduled to be 200 laps long on the a .750 mile dirt track and was won by Jim Roper. Glenn Dunaway crossed the finish line first but was disqualified, giving Roper the win. Dunaway was disqualified because his car owner Hubert Westmoreland had shored up the chassis by spreading the rear springs, a trick to help improve traction and handling. Dunaway was credited with a last place finish in the 33-car field.

Fonty Flock was the runner-up, followed by the series first champion Red Byron, Sam Rice and NASCAR Hall of Famer Tim Flock finished fifth.

Other NASCAR Hall of Famers to compete in the race included: Buck Baker (11th place), Lee Petty (17th place) and Herb Thomas (29th place).

Sara Christian finished 14th in the race. She was one of NASCAR’s earliest and most successful female driving stars.

A historical marker was placed at the site of the old Charlotte Speedway in May of 2006.

In May 2006, a new State of North Carolina Historical Marker was placed at the site of the old Charlotte Speedway, the venue used for the inaugural NASCAR Strictly Stock (now NASCAR Sprint Cup Series) race on June 19, 1949. On hand were left to right, NASCAR Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett; C.T. Allison, owner of the property; Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue; Humpy Wheeler, Charlotte Motor Speedway President; Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory (now governor of North Carolina); NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison, NASCAR President Mike Helton and Concord Mayor Scott Padgett.
(Photo courtesy of Harold Hinson Photography)

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Posted on June 19, 2014 by Staff Report

No. 5 JR Motorsports crew chief Ernie Cope to fill in for Greg Ives

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As Chase Elliott heads to Road America for the first time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, he’ll be without crew chief Greg Ives.

Ives and wife Jessica are expecting their third child so Ernie Cope will sit atop the No. 9 JR Motorsports NAPA Chevrolet box in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Cope’s regular ride, the No. 5, is sitting out this week’s race.

Elliott sits in third place in the driver standings, 20 points behind leader and JR Motorsports teammate Regan Smith.

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"I’ve always enjoyed road racing," Elliott said. "It has always been really fun for me. My dad has always enjoyed it. He’s been a big fan of it and that’s probably where I got my liking from. It’s really cool because it’s something we don’t get to do a whole lot of. Fortunately for us (in the Nationwide Series), we get to race at three road courses (Mid-Ohio and Watkins Glen International are the others) this season."

It’s Elliott’s second start at the 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course. He started third, led five laps and finished fourth last summer in an ARCA race at the facility. Elliott won his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory on a road course last season at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

"Road America is a very unique place," Elliott said. "You don’t find many road courses that big with so many characteristics. It’s easy to make mistakes at a big place like that. One lap has so many different variables to it and you certainly have to prove your worth on Saturday."

The Gardner Denver 200 Fired Up by Johnsonville rolls off Saturday at 2:45 p.m. ET on ABC.

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