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Six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion joins Billy Crystal, Ken Jeong as only non-anchors to host

RELATED: Full Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage

Tuesday night’s recipe is simple, yet untested. Take one part Stuart Scott, one part Billy Crystal. Add a handful of Chris Berman, and a pinch of Ken Jeong. The result: Television history, as six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson becomes the first athlete to guest host ESPN’s flagship news and information program, SportsCenter.

Johnson will join regular anchors John Anderson and Lindsay Czarniak for the 6 p.m. ET show on Tuesday, Nov. 19 on ESPN.

The aforementioned actors Crystal and Jeong are the only other celebrity guest hosts of SportsCenter in the show’s 34-year history. Crystal was the first in 2012 and Jeong hosted earlier this month on Nov. 1.

Johnson, who wrapped up his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title in 12 full seasons this past Sunday, has appeared on SportsCenter numerous times during his racing career both in-studio and via satellite, but always as a newsmaker. He also appeared in a humorous and memorable “This Is SportsCenter” commercial in which he used a pickaxe to remove speed bumps in the ESPN parking lot.

But this time the driver of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet will perform all of the duties of a SportsCenter host, including presenting news and highlights and conducting interviews from around the world of sports. And just like SportsCenter veterans Scott and Berman, and every other anchor who has sat behind the desk, Johnson will spend the day Tuesday preparing for his guest-hosting responsibilities.

“I don’t know if SportsCenter knows what they are getting themselves into,” Johnson joked. “It’s probably a good thing I’m there pretty much all day preparing. I’ve got some tough shoes to fill with Billy Crystal and Ken Jeong but I’ve met most of the anchors and I am really looking forward to becoming the first athlete to ever guest host SportsCenter.”

Since its debut on ESPN’s launch day of Sept. 7, 1979, SportsCenter has aired more episodes than any television show in U.S. history, reaching the 50,000-episode mark in 2012.

“We’re always looking for opportunities to change it up and give SportsCenter viewers a different take on the day’s news, have some fun and do some memorable television,” said Jack Obringer, SportsCenter senior coordinating producer. “And having a six-time champion like Jimmie Johnson on your set is pretty cool.”

Fans are encouraged to join in on the conversation using the hashtag #JimmieOnSC.

In addition to his SportsCenter guest-hosting duties, Johnson will also appear on Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35 p.m. ET tonight on CBS and LIVE with Kelly and Michael tomorrow morning (check local listings for time and channel) to talk about winning his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title.

MORE:

READ: Jimmie Johnson
wins 2013 Sprint Cup Series title

READ: HOF-worthy career
in the books, Martin bows out

READ: Finale represents
end of a chapter for some

READ: Kenseth won’t dwell
on coming up short
Posted on by Holly Cain

Nationwide, Truck Series champions celebrate at year-end banquet

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — On the heels of the weekend’s Ford Championship season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, NASCAR’s Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series series drivers and teams came to the Loews Miami Beach Hotel on Monday evening to celebrate the 2013 season and crown its champions.

Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton delivered an emotional trophy acceptance speech while new Nationwide champ Austin Dillon — one of only five drivers to win two of three NASCAR national series titles — quoted the rapper Drake.

“We started from the bottom and now we’re here," Dillon said ending the night with a rowdy standing ovation just moments after accepting a check for $1.2 million from series sponsor Nationwide Insurance.

The first major recognition of the evening went to Nationwide Series driver Regan Smith and 21-year old Camping World Truck Series driver Ty Dillon, who were voted Most Popular Drivers in their respective series. Both looked genuinely surprised to hear their names announced and confirmed as much later.

"A big thank you to all the Regan Smith fans and all those in Junior Nation," said Smith, who drives the No. 7 Chevy for Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s JR Motorsports team.

"I think the full power of Junior Nation has spoken and I’m very appreciative of that," he said with a wide grin.

The tuxes and gowns ceremony also mixed in humor and informality with the trophy presentations and corporate sponsor thank-yous that uniquely drive this sport. Co-hosts Rick Allen and Krista Voda spoke with the runner-up through fifth-place drivers seated on a couch, much like a late-night television show.

That setting produced most of the lighter moments of the night, including an exchange between Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year Ryan Blaney on stage and fellow competitor Darrell Wallace Jr. in the audience.

Blaney, 19, shared the couch with Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year, Kyle Larson, who like Wallace was a product of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity class.

With Larson looking on with a big smile, Blaney and Wallace took good-natured jabs at each other and joked about a YouTube video playing on the huge video screen on stage, showing the 20-somethings doing the hip hop dance "The Dougie."

Blaney declined to demonstrate on stage saying, "My bosses are out there in the audience."

Veteran Elliott Sadler, who finished fourth in the Nationwide Series championship, used the moment to announce both of his big sponsors — OneMain Financial and Sports Clips — re-upped this weekend to be on his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota in 2014.

Later in the evening, Sprint Cup driver Kyle Busch accepted his second Camping World Truck Series owner’s title in the last four years. He thanked the list of young drivers that also drove his Toyotas to the trophy.

When he mentioned one of them, 17-year-old Erik Jones — who became the youngest NASCAR national series winner in history earlier this month — Busch laughed, "I say he’s a kid and yet, I’m only 28."

By far, Crafton’s champion’s speech drew the largest applause of the evening.

The 37-year-old spoke about his small ThorSport Racing team, which resisted relocating to the NASCAR hub of North Carolina from the team’s hometown, Sandusky, Ohio.

Crafton — the first series champion in history to finish every lap of season competition — captivated the audience during his speech. With tears in his eyes and his voice shaking, he asked, "What are the chances a 37-year-old man changes the entire outlook on his life on April 26?"

That was the day his daughter, Elladee, was born. Crafton noted the week before he took the championship points lead and after she was born, never relinquished it.

"She changed me," Crafton said.

Legendary owner Roger Penske accepted the trophy for Nationwide Series owner’s championship. Four drivers combined for 13 wins in his No. 22 Ford and the title was something Penske had long sought.

The evening closed with a speech from Dillon, who stopped and looked over at the head table on stage where he had been seated between Penske and Dillon’s team owner and grandfather, Richard Childress.

"To be sitting between two great guys like that is pretty awesome," Dillon said. "I can’t thank everybody enough.’"

MORE:

READ: Jimmie Johnson
wins 2013 Sprint Cup Series title

READ: HOF-worthy career
in the books, Martin bows out

READ: Finale represents
end of a chapter for some

READ: Kenseth won’t dwell
on coming up short
Posted on by Holly Cain

Six-time champion not looking too far ahead after winning latest title

RELATED: Race results | Championship hub | Chase coverage
FINAL STANDINGS: Drivers | Owners | Manufacturers

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Even before Jimmie Johnson could climb out of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship winning No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet on Sunday evening, the thousands of fans crowding the championship stage were chanting: "Se-ven! Se-ven! Se-ven!"

But the sport’s newest six-time champ was all about celebrating the incredible six-time moment, not looking too far ahead for a record-tying seventh.

"It’s awesome to hear the cheers, this is extremely sweet and I’m going to slow things down here and enjoy it," Johnson said.

Anticipating the discussion will be raised about whether he could eclipse NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, who both won seven titles, Johnson says, "That’s all out ahead of us. I don’t want to focus on that. I want to enjoy six."

Johnson scored his sixth championship in the last eight years with a ninth-place finish that resulted in a 19-point title victory over Matt Kenseth. Other than a close call on a restart with 74 laps remaining, it was business as usual for the calm, collected, well-vetted champ.

"This truly was the most calm and normal weekend I’ve had in a race car," Johnson said. "Maturity and being prepared as a team helped. The vibe, the energy we had going allowed us to go into the weekend as stress free as ever.

"But with 74 (laps) to go it got serious, I’m not gonna lie, but before that everything felt like a normal race."

As the final laps ticked off and the championship came into sight, Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports crew watched the track nervously, craning their necks to look at Turn 4 to make sure their bright blue No. 48 was going to come around again.

Crew chief Chad Knaus — who actually had to do a bit of crowd control on the starting grid to keep excited fans away from the car before the race — sat on the pit box in the final laps with his legs crossed. He rolled his head around his shoulders as if to let off tension.

And then finally with one lap to go, several Lowe’s executives started snapping "selfies" in the pit box. Johnson’s good friends, actress Angie Harmon and her husband, former NFL star Jason Sehorn, took video of the scene and raised their hands, cheering as Johnson drove by to take the checkered flag.

Only after Johnson drove by for his final lap did Knaus look down from his pit box perch at a crewman, slip the slightest smile and simply wink. Then, he pulled out his own cell phone and took video of his team celebrating with Johnson doing a smokey, ear-shattering burnout in the background.

After Johnson climbed out of his car in front of the stage, he greeted his wife Chandra, their daughter Genevieve and alternately took congratulatory back slaps and handshakes from championship runner-up Kenseth, Roger Penske and three-time Cup champ Tony Stewart.

After the confetti cannons blew and fireworks sounded, a gentleman dressed in flip flops and shorts wearing a huge grin and sporting unmistakable pride in his eyes excused himself as he politely picked his way through the sea of celebrators.

As soon as Gary Johnson’s son saw him, the two embraced.

"I just told him I was so proud," Gary Johnson said, adding with a laugh, "Then I told him that I had planned to bring him a six-pack to celebrate his ‘six-pack’ but I drank it already watching the race. I had to watch from my camper in the infield because I was so nervous."

It was a moving moment for the elder Johnson, who introduced Jimmie and his two younger brothers to racing at an early age running off-road dirt bikes in the Southern California desert each weekend. He tells the story of using their motorcycles as bedside tables in their modest home in a blue-collar neighborhood outside San Diego. They worked hard and played hard. And raced hard.

"This is big," Gary Johnson said. Then he laughed acknowledging it sounded like such an understatement.

"I was just telling the Chevrolet people, this is a dream come true. He used to sit on the couch back in El Cajon and watch NASCAR on the TV and thought it would be so cool to meet Jeff Gordon or Mr. Hendrick or get their autograph. And now they’re his teammates and all these championships … it’s a dream come true.

"It’ll be hard to drive home tomorrow," said Gary Johnson, who not only watched Sunday’s race from a camper in the Homestead-Miami Speedway infield but also says he can’t stick around to celebrate because he has to get back to work Tuesday.

His son, meanwhile, plans to take care of that for him.

"We were going to have a fun dinner with my friends tonight regardless of the outcome," the six-time champion said. "I don’t know how long that dinner’s going to go, but sitting there with all my friends and throwing ’em back … it might not be as big and flashy but it will mean a lot.

"I just want to enjoy the moment, soak it all in."

MORE:

READ: Jimmie Johnson
wins 2013 Sprint Cup Series title

READ: HOF-worthy career
in the books, Martin bows out

READ: Finale represents
end of a chapter for some

READ: Kenseth won’t dwell
on coming up short
Posted on by RJ Kraft

Hamlin scores first victory of 2013 in season finale

The Ford EcoBoost 400 was the season finale for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, and Denny Hamlin made the most of it. Hamlin scored his first victory of 2013 and now has won a race in each of his eight full-time seasons in NASCAR’s premier series.

Here is the roundup for the Coca-Cola Racing Family at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Denny Hamlin (No. 11)

Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota 

Recap: Hamlin entered the season finale in danger of not posting a win this season. But he made the most of his race at Homestead, leading 72 laps on his way to posting his first victory of an up-and-down 2013. Hamlin won the finale at Homestead in 2009 and hopes he can repeat history. Following his 2009 victory, Hamlin went on to win eight races in 2010 and was in contention for the championship until the final race that season.
Quotable: "We started kicking things into gear about two months ago and then last week with a horrific effort and that kind of gets your spirits down, but then to come here to Miami and back it up with a win — this is something we can think about for the entire winter."
His standing: Hamlin finished the season 23rd in the standings with 753 points.

Joey Logano (No. 22)

Penske Racing, Ford

Recap: Logano started the race from the second row and spent a good portion of the season finale running in the top 10. The 23-year-old finished in eighth place, which was his third straight top-10 finish in the Chase. The eight-place result also helped Logano move up a spot in the standings and helped him secure his place as one of the 10 drivers who will be on the stage in Las Vegas for Champions Week.
Quotable: "No matter what we’d do it gets loose. We would fight ahead and maintain a little bit and finished eighth, so overall it was a solid day. I’m more impressed with our year. We did a good job this year and learned a lot about each other, and learned a lot about where we could have done a better job in races and where we need to improve next year and where to work on our cars during the offseason."
His standing: Logano finished the season 8th in the standings with 2,323 points.

Ryan Newman (No. 39)

Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet 

Recap: Newman started 15th at a track where he has had limited success. Newman struggled to get much going and spent little time running in the top 10 during the race. Ultimately, Newman finished in 17th place and failed to move up in the standings. The race was also Newman’s last run with Stewart-Haas Racing as he is moving to Richard Childress Racing next season.
Quotable: "That certainly wasn’t the way that we wanted to end the 2013 season. We struggled with our Quicken Loans Chevrolet all weekend. We never could really get it where I needed it to be. I’ve got to thank Matt Borland (crew chief) and everyone on this No. 39 team for their hard work tonight and all season."
His standing: Newman finished the season 11th in the standings with 2,286 points.

Danica Patrick (No. 10)

Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet 

Recap: Patrick started 24th in her first race at Homestead and twice fell a lap down to the leaders. But twice, she was the beneficiary of the free pass to get back on the lead lap. Patrick spent most of the race running in 20s and finished in 20th. The result was her ninth top-20 finish of the season.
Quotable: "We did a good job of keeping up with the track and changes that needed to be made. It was a solid run for us — a good way to end the year and go into the offseason."
Her standing: Patrick finished the season 27th in the standings with 646 points.

Greg Biffle (No. 16)

Roush Fenway Racing, Ford 

Recap: It was a tough race for Biffle, who had posted three wins at Homestead (winning in 2004, ’05, and ’06). Biffle started the race 16th but couldn’t muster enough to get into the top 10. He spent much of the race in latter half of top 20 and finished the day in 24th place. Although, Biffle dropped two spots in the standings, he will still be on the stage in Las Vegas for Champions Week as he finished in the top 10 in the final standings.
Quotable: Biffle was unavailable for comment.
His standing: Biffle finished the season 9th in the standings with 2,321 points.

Tony Stewart (No. 14)

Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet 

Recap: Stewart missed his 15th consecutive race this past weekend and watched Mark Martin (in what was expected to be his final race) pilot the No. 14 Chevrolet to a 19th-place finish at Homestead. Stewart is still recovering from a broken leg and hopes to return in 2013.
His standing: Stewart finished the season 29th in the standings with 594 points.

Posted on by Staff Report

Keith Rodden comes to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing from Hendrick Motorsports

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing has hired longtime engineer Keith Rodden to be Jamie McMurray‘s crew chief for the organization’s No. 1 Chevrolet team.

Rodden comes to EGR from Hendrick Motorsports, where he was the lead engineer on Kasey Kahne‘s No. 5 team. He also served as crew chief for three races in 2007 as a replacement for Kenny Francis.

"I am excited and appreciative for this opportunity and can’t wait to be just a small piece of an excellent team that Earnhardt Ganassi Racing is building," Rodden said. "Chip (Ganassi) has quality people and is also building great race cars. This team has shown that they can win races and compete at the highest level of this sport and I look forward to working with Jamie and everyone on the team as we work to prepare for the 2014 season."

Rodden replaces Kevin Manion, who was at the helm of the No. 1 for four seasons. Manion won four races with McMurray, including the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in 2010. Manion and McMurray returned to Victory Lane this year in the fall at Talladega following winless seasons in 2011 and 2012.

Rodden, according to an EGR release, will assume the position immediately. 

"We are very happy to get a crew chief that is the caliber of Keith," said Ganassi, EGR’s owner. "He brings a lot of great experience with him to our organization. We are building the foundation for what we believe will be long-term success in our NASCAR operation and Keith fits into those plans perfectly. I look forward to having him in the organization and leading the No. 1 team."

Before Hendrick, Rodden worked for Evernham Motorsports, Richard Petty Motorsports and Red Bull Racing in similar positions. He has 10 years of NASCAR experience.

McMurray will begin his 12th full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season in 2014. He has seven career wins, 45 top-fives, 108 top-10s and nine poles in 402 starts.

Rodden’s hire continues an EGR overhaul that was put in motion earlier this season when Ganassi announced that Juan Pablo Montoya would not return. Heralded rookie Kyle Larson will fill his seat in the No. 42 Chevrolet.

MORE:

READ: Jimmie Johnson
wins 2013 Sprint Cup Series title

READ: HOF-worthy career
in the books, Martin bows out

READ: Finale represents
end of a chapter for some

READ: Kenseth won’t dwell
on coming up short
Posted on by Staff Report

Sport Clips to serve as primary sponsor for nine NASCAR national series events with JGR

Joe Gibbs Racing and Sport Clips Haircuts are continuing their partnership for the 2014 NASCAR season.

Sport Clips Haircuts will serve as the primary sponsor for a total of nine races; two Sprint Cup Series races and seven Nationwide Series races.

For the races on April 12 at Darlington Raceway and on Aug. 31 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Sport Clips will serve as the primary sponsor for Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota Camry. Hamlin won the 2012 Atlanta race in his Sport Clips Toyota.

Hamlin had a trying 2013 season and missed four races because of a compression fracture in his back. However, Hamlin won the season finale on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway to give him at least one win in his eight full-time Sprint Cup seasons. He finished 23rd in the final standings of the season.

The company will also serve as the primary sponsor for seven Nationwide races, with Elliott Sadler running six races in the No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota. Drew Herring will also make one start in a Sport Clips Toyota for JGR.

Sadler’s Sport Clips starts will come on March 22 at Auto Club Speedway, April 11 at Darlington, July 4 at Daytona International Speedway, Aug. 22 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Sept. 27 at Dover International Raceway and Nov. 8 at Phoenix International Raceway. Earlier on Monday, it was announced that OneMain Financial would continue on as Sadler’s primary sponsor for a fourth season.

Sadler finished fourth in the Nationwide Series standings this year; he and Justin Allgaier both finished with 1,090 points, but Sadler owned the tiebreaker. In 33 starts, Sadler had nine top-fives and 20 top-10s during his third consecutive season as a full-time Nationwide Series competitor.

Herring’s start for Sport Clips will come on Sept. 13 at Chicagoland Speedway.

Over the past three seasons, Herring has run 11 Nationwide races for JGR with one top-five finish and five top-10 finishes.

MORE:

READ: Jimmie Johnson
wins 2013 Sprint Cup Series title

READ: HOF-worthy career
in the books, Martin bows out

READ: Finale represents
end of a chapter for some

READ: Kenseth won’t dwell
on coming up short
Posted on by Staff Report

OneMain Financial returns for fourth year with driver

Elliott Sadler will once again drive the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Nationwide Series next year. And once again, OneMain Financial will serve as the primary sponsor of his car.

The team announced the agreement Monday. OneMain Financial has supported Sadler for the past three years.
 
"I’m honored for the opportunity to drive for OneMain Financial again in 2014,” said Sadler. “It’s such a privilege to be teamed with an organization that cares as much about teamwork as I do. I am looking forward to working with Coach Joe Gibbs and the JGR organization again this upcoming season. We have some unfinished business and will work to bring home a championship in 2014 for this team, our sponsors and JGR."
 
Sadler finished fourth in the Nationwide Series standings this year; he and Justin Allgaier both finished with 1,090 points, but Sadler owned the tiebreaker. In 33 starts, he had nine top-fives and 20 top-10s during his third consecutive season as a full-time Nationwide Series competitor.
 
In 230 career Nationwide starts, Sadler has nine wins, 55 top-fives and 106 top-10s. He also has 435 career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts — including five this year, four as a substitute driver for Brian Vickers — and three wins in the premier series.
 
OneMain Financial will also continue to have associate sponsorship in the two additional JGR entries.
 
"We are excited to continue our relationship with Elliott Sadler for the fourth straight year," said Mary McDowell, president and CEO of OneMain Financial. "He truly is a great ambassador for our company and our brand. We are also thrilled to once again partner with Joe Gibbs Racing for another successful season on and off the track as we continue to leverage this platform to grow our brand and our business in 2014."

MORE:

READ: Jimmie Johnson
wins 2013 Sprint Cup Series title

READ: HOF-worthy career
in the books, Martin bows out

READ: Finale represents
end of a chapter for some

READ: Kenseth won’t dwell
on coming up short
Posted on by Zack Albert

JGR driver also explains why his postseason performances have tailed off in the past

RELATED: Full Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Kyle Busch gave a candid assessment of the best finish of his career in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points Monday, saying his performance in past postseasons often tailed off because he didn’t care as much once he was out of championship contention.
 
Busch’s comments came one day after he wrapped up a fourth-place finish in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs, capped by his seventh-place run in the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

"Years past, you’ve probably seen it if you study it enough, but you would notice that when I’d eliminate myself or get eliminated from the championship, it’d pretty much just go pfffft! Right?" Busch said. "I’d finish 10th, I’d finish 12th, I’d finish ninth, whatever it might be. This was the first year that I really gave total focus through the whole thing and just said, ‘doesn’t matter if we get eliminated, we’re going to continue to battle hard all the way through and see where we end up,’ and we ended up fourth.
 
"As far as I was considered in the past, if I wasn’t going to win the championship, I didn’t care where I’d finish in the points."
 
Busch said the change in attitude this season was for a fairly simple reason.
 
"Too many people were telling me that I suck, and that I fold up when it comes to the end of the season, which is true. I do," Busch said. "You know, when the championship is on the line and you start falling away from that, you give up and you’re like, ‘Ah, whatever. Another year wasted. Go on to next year.’ This year, we changed that, we fought hard all the way through and I wished we ended up better, but we finished fourth."
 
In his five Chase appearances before this season, Busch’s best finish was fifth in 2007, his final year with Hendrick Motorsports before moving to his current team, Joe Gibbs Racing. In 2008, he wilted to a 10th-place result in the final standings after an eight-win regular season. His other Chase results were little, if any, better: 10th in 2006, eighth in 2010 and 12th in 2011.
 
This season, Busch righted the ship after an exasperating crash-related 34th at Kansas Speedway in October. He fell to fifth in the points, but dipped no lower than that the rest of the way.
 
Despite his uptick in postseason performance and the season-long strength of Gibbs teammate Matt Kenseth, his inability to make inroads on Jimmie Johnson‘s dominant march to a sixth Sprint Cup crown — finishing 55 points back — was clearly a troubling reality.
 
"Depressing. Very depressing, because no matter how good you are, your level, you still got your ass handed to you," Busch said. "I mean, Jimmie had no bad luck. His worst finish was 13th? That’s really good, but you’re also going to have to win one of these Chase races. It’s just so hard."

MORE:

READ: Jimmie Johnson
wins 2013 Sprint Cup Series title

READ: HOF-worthy career
in the books, Martin bows out

READ: Finale represents
end of a chapter for some

READ: Kenseth won’t dwell
on coming up short
Posted on by Zack Albert

Team will investigate, report findings to NASCAR’s research and development department

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Team owner Richard Childress said Monday that his team was still uncertain what caused a pit-road explosion that blasted the No. 27 Chevrolet driven by Paul Menard in the late stages of Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Childress, involved in the sport either as a driver or team owner for decades, remarked he’d never seen anything like it.
 
"No, never have," Childress said Monday at a luncheon before the awards ceremony for NASCAR’s Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series. "I’ve seen tires blow out before sitting right there on pit road, but nothing that turned into a fiery explosion. And we don’t have the answer to it yet, so it’s really hard for me to comment on what happened."

Childress said his team would investigate the incident back at its Welcome, N.C., race shop and report its findings to NASCAR’s research and development department.

Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president of competition, spoke with Childress and seconded the team owner’s opinion on the violent impact.
 
"Pretty wild," Pemberton said. "We’ve had situations in the past where we’ve had excessive heat buildup in tires and we’ve melted tires and inner-liners, but that was a pretty unusual set of circumstances and stuff that we can learn out of it. Thankfully, no one was hurt."
 
Menard’s right rear wheel housing caught fire after an earlier failure wrapped shredded rubber around the rear gearing. Multiple pit stops to remedy the problem were fruitless, and the assembly caught fire, forcing Menard to the pits a final time on the 231st of 267 laps.
 
Once there, his crew stood ready to change tires with one crewman preparing to use a fire extinguisher. Barely a few seconds after Menard had brought the car to a halt, an explosion blew black smoke out of the back end, shaking the 1.5-mile facility but snuffing the fire in the process.
 
"It caught on fire on the race track and built a lot of heat, tremendous amount of heat — about like holding a blow torch on it with the wind blowing under the car and everything," Childress said Monday. "It blew the whole hub, brake rotor, everything off of it. It didn’t blow a tire, and that’s why we’ve got to find out why it blew everything off the car."
 
Childress said the impact raised the hood and blew out the car’s floorboard. While the damage to the car was severe, Childress said he was thankful that Menard, his crew and nearby NASCAR officials were uninjured.
 
"That’s the first thing I went down there to make sure of, that no one was hurt," he said. "Checked with Paul, he wasn’t hurt, but you could tell the concussion from the explosion was so strong that it blew the hood up, blew everything out from inside the car. It was pretty violent. For no one to get seriously hurt, it was a miracle."

MORE:

READ: Jimmie Johnson
wins 2013 Sprint Cup Series title

READ: HOF-worthy career
in the books, Martin bows out

READ: Finale represents
end of a chapter for some

READ: Kenseth won’t dwell
on coming up short
Posted on by Nascar

Driver exits Richard Childress Racing on positive note

RELATED: Race results | Championship hub | Chase coverage
FINAL STANDINGS: Drivers | Owners | Manufacturers

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Kevin Harvick faced the longest odds of the three championship contenders, and in the end couldn’t overcome a troublesome car or a 34-point deficit.

But as he has done for most of his career, the 37-year-old finished strong, with a 10th-place run in his final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start with Richard Childress Racing.

"We just weren’t very good," said Harvick, who held on to third in the final points standings. "Just couldn’t turn like we needed to. We had one set of tires … I don’t know what was wrong with (them), but just like always these guys … kept after it. We were able to salvage something out of the night.

"Obviously it’s not what we wanted, but we came back and were way better at the end than what we were in the beginning. It’s what we’ve done all year and I’m just proud of everybody and thank them for everything that they have done."

Harvick, who has spent his entire Cup career, which began in 2001, with team owner Richard Childress, was apologetic when the race ended.

"I’m sorry about that," he radioed his team once the race had ended.

"Nothing to be ashamed of," Childress said. "We were coming at the end."

A winner 23 times in points races, Harvick will leave RCR to join Stewart-Haas Racing for 2014. His third-place points finish equaled his career best, where he has now finished three times.

He won four races in 2013, including two in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Although trailing eventual series champion Jimmie Johnson by a large points margin when the race started, Harvick was still mathematically alive heading into the Ford EcoBoost 400. But Johnson avoided potential disasters, as did Matt Kenseth, who wound up second in the standings — and in the race.

Harvick briefly led early, a lap under caution here, out front on a restart there. But changes to the car weren’t working, and Harvick soon found himself falling back through the field.

"Can’t … drive it; it’s so tight," Harvick radioed to crew chief Gil Martin. "It’s amazing how we can (expletive) it up that bad."

Eventually, Martin brought his driver to pit road earlier than scheduled, and while he lost a lap under green, eventually through pit cycles Harvick was back on the lead lap.

A two-tire call late put him back up front just past the 200-lap mark, but Harvick still didn’t have the car capable of holding the lead.

"Today was no different than any other day," he said. "Sometimes you take off with it and sometimes you don’t. We just kept working on it and salvaged a top-10 out of it.

"I’m happy … I’m happy with everything that we have been able to accomplish as a group. We had a great year knowing what the circumstances were and we have won a lot of races, a lot of the (top) races. We have won Nationwide championships."

Only weeks ago, it seemed as if the ties between the two were damaged beyond repair. Harvick lashed out at teammate Ty Dillon, Childress’ grandson, after contact between the two in the closing laps of a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville.

But the harsh words were dealt with, and the group soldiered on.

"I think Martinsville brought a lot of things to a head and we were able to talk about a lot of things," Harvick said. "Really this was the way I would want to leave, with everybody shaking hands and happy that we have been together and been successful together.

"I can’t wait for our first hunt together as friends. That will be good times.”

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