TNT Sports, Amazon Prime add Dale Earnhardt Jr. to broadcast team starting in 2025

Posted on May 7, 2024May 7, 2024 by Staff Report

TNT Sports and Amazon Prime announced Tuesday that Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join their respective broadcast teams for coverage of NASCAR events starting in 2025.

Earnhardt will provide on-air analysis and commentary for the five NASCAR Cup Series races that TNT will broadcast during the summer months as part of NASCAR’s landmark media-rights deal announced last fall. Next season will mark NASCAR’s return to TNT for the first time since 2014, and the network will join FOX, NBC, Amazon and Warner Bros. Discovery as broadcast partners starting next year through 2031.

Earnhardt joined the NBC Sports broadcast booth in 2018, after his full-time career in the Cup Series concluded the previous year. The 15-time winner of NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award won 26 times during his Cup career, including two Daytona 500 triumphs. Earnhardt also won consecutive championships (1998-99) in the Xfinity Series, where he remains active as a team owner and occasional participant as a driver.

TNT also announced that Earnhardt will be a contributor for Bleacher Report’s social and digital platforms in partnership with his Dirty Mo Media productions company. The groups plan to launch a series of video interviews for select guests in ride-alongs with Earnhardt at the wheel during TNT’s five-race schedule.

“It is such an exciting time to welcome TNT Sports back to NASCAR,” Earnhardt Jr. said in a network release. “I remember watching the races on TNT back in the day, and it’s so nostalgic to see them return to the sport and to be a part of their team. I’m looking forward to joining their team and also getting the chance to work with Bleacher Report creating content that our fans will enjoy.”

TNT Sports indicated that more information about production, programming and on-air personnel “will be shared in the coming months.”

Turner Sports’ time in the sport dates back to 1983 with TBS, then known as SuperStation WTBS. NASCAR coverage shifted to sister network TNT in 2001.

Starting in 2025, Prime Video will exclusively stream five NASCAR Cup Series races following the FOX portion of the broadcast schedule. Prime Video will also present exclusive coverage of practice and qualifying for almost the entire first half of the NASCAR Cup Series season (excluding the Busch Light Clash, Daytona 500, Duel at Daytona, and NASCAR All-Star Race).

Prime Video will utilize in a number of capacities throughout its coverage, with specifics to be announced in the coming months.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dale as an official member of the Amazon family, and build our NASCAR coverage around him,” said Jared Stacy, Director of Global Live Sports Production, Prime Video. “One of the most beloved figures in racing history, Dale has an unrivaled passion for the sport. We are so excited for him to connect with NASCAR fans next season on Prime Video.”

For a complete list of compatible devices to stream NASCAR on Prime Video in 2025, visit amazon.com/howtostream.

Posted on May 6, 2024May 6, 2024 by Staff Report

Each of NASCAR’s national series will step back in time with Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway. From Trucks to the Cup Series, vehicles will be donning iconic motorsport paint schemes at the track ‘Too Tough to Tame.’ Once again, fans get to have their voices heard on which throwback scheme they think is best.

Voting is now open, and the rules are simple: Fans can vote up to five times per day using their email address. Be sure to vote for one throwback paint scheme per national series before voting closes. Remember, each series vote will close the morning of the series’ race day at 9 a.m. ET.

The winning schemes will earn bragging rights for the weekend and be awarded a ‘Best in Class’ trophy during pre-race ceremonies at Darlington.

Be sure to watch the Goodyear 400 this Sunday (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on May 6, 2024 by Zach Sturniolo

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — To the 1.5-mile oval sitting in America’s heartland, the following is a love letter to you, the darling known as Kansas Speedway.

Somehow, some way, NASCAR racing at Kansas Speedway keeps getting better. But there may be no topping the action we were treated to Sunday.

We were just witness to the closest margin of victory in NASCAR Cup Series history — a literal photo finish. Side-by-side racing from green flag to checkered. Two-wide, three-wide, four-wide, five-wide? You bet. Four cars across the checkered flag within 0.074 seconds of each other at an intermediate track.

What we were privileged to be privy to Sunday was an all-time classic that will etch Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher into NASCAR lore for eternity after No. 5 stole the win by 0.001 seconds, besting any of the tightest finishes the top level of stock-car racing has ever seen.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

“That race from start to finish was amazing,” Larson told FOX Sports after collecting the checkered. “That first stage was incredible. The second stage at the end was fun, and then that whole last stage with the wrecks and cautions and then fuel strategy and tires running long and all that was wild.

“You guys (the fans) got your money’s worth today, and I’m just proud to be a part of the show.”

And what a show it was. Drivers continuously crossed each other over, diving left and right to make moves and capitalize on the runs built from using different lanes around the track. Those battles ranged from the lead all the way back throughout the field — highlighted by exceptional, close-quarters racing between Larson and Ross Chastain in Stage 1.

“That was just incredible racing,” Larson said. “Way stressful racing for me, not really in the race, but that’s what you get with stages and stage points and a playoff on the line. You wouldn’t have seen us racing that hard (with a) previous era (of) points. So that was a lot of fun.

“I was obviously frustrated at myself — and I’m sure Cliff (Daniels, crew chief) was too — with how hard we were all racing, but when I got done with that stage, I gave Ross a big thumbs up, and we gave each other a big thumbs up under that caution because it was just fun, clean racing, and it was just a blast. It was that way, it felt like, the whole race.”

While Daniels was able to play a pivotal role in managing the adjustments needed for Larson’s car to perform, he was left as a spectator while his No. 5 Chevrolet darted through traffic in the fight for the win.

“It’s exciting and stressful, which is just what you want,” Daniels told NASCAR.com. “That’s what we want for the excitement in our sport. And with this car right now, I think the intermediate-style tracks are clearly far and above the best races that we produce.”

Logan Riely | Getty Images

But why is Kansas continuing to deliver some of the best action — if not the best action — on the Cup Series schedule?

“I think there’s a lot more tools in the toolbox for the driver and the crew chief here,” Daniels said. “Air-pressure changes are sensitive; wedge and height changes are sensitive to the car; track position is very sensitive to the balance of the car; lanes can be very sensitive. Having the tools in the toolbox of the driver where he can change the inputs of the car and there’s a lot more that he can work with and really similar for the teams, I just think it opens up the options so much more to advance yourself or to kind of punish your tires and maybe punish yourself.”

There are also features about the track’s configuration, Larson added, that help contribute to the insane moves seen Sunday — like Buescher’s daring five-wide split up the middle while racing for second.

“I think from my perspective, it’s got grip, but it’s got progressive banking, so you kind of move your angles around and stuff,” Larson said. “The way this car is, you can get good drafts and all that. The leader is typically at a disadvantage, I feel like, on these mile-and-a-halfs because it seems as though you abuse your right-rear tire more, so it’s hard to get away. You’ve got the draft plus you’re abusing your tires more. So it just keeps the field bunched up. I think with the old car, we’d probably get out to like an eight-second lead here. The couple-second lead that I got in the second stage was as big as you’d probably see in the Next Gen era on a mile-and-a-half.

“It’s always been good, though. Even with the other car it was always a good track. I think a lot of it has to do with the progressive banking and how that kind of affects the handling of the car.”

RELATED: Classic Kansas races to relive

Denny Hamlin, a three-time winner this season, came home fifth, the first car behind the mad dash to the finish line off Turn 4 in overtime. Despite coming just short of what could have been a fourth victory of the year thanks to a late caution, Hamlin was enamored with what Kansas provided — especially after an hours-long rain delay dampened the early afternoon.

“I felt the racing was fantastic. This race track is just built for this car,” Hamlin said. “I mean, it’s one that you can move around and certainly make some moves when you need to. And so I’m really happy for the fans that stayed to get to see great finish like that. That’s what they stayed here for and glad we got to reward them with that.

“It’s just a perfect place for the Next Gen car because you can avoid the wake. We obviously can’t run behind each other, but this is a track where you can maneuver your car around and make speed. You know, I thought that even though we got put to the teens most of the day, we were able to drive back up to the front every single time.”

Sunday’s finish will live in NASCAR history forever. The beauty of it, though?

We get another trip to Kansas in the playoffs come September.

RELATED: Buy tickets for Sept. 29

Posted on May 6, 2024 by Cameron Richardson

Have you ever?

Sunday’s 402-mile thriller at Kansas Speedway delivered the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history as Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher to the line by 0.001 seconds. It’s the second win of the year for Larson, who joins Denny Hamlin and William Byron as multi-time winners in 2024.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Kansas

Kansas saw a handful of comers and goers out front throughout the day. Ross Chastain looked like a true contender for the race win early but didn’t have the speed when the lights came on at the 1.5-mile facility, ending up with a 19th-place finish.

Michael McDowell was caught up in a wreck early in the final stage but rallied for his third top 10 of the year.

As the Cup Series gets set for a three-week stint in the Carolinas, see which drivers are trending upward and in the wrong direction.

THREE UP ⬆️

1. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

Started: 4th

Finished: 1st

What happened: Larson had the dominant car of the day. At one point, it looked like a slow pit stop might have cost the team a win, but on an overtime restart, the No. 5 was in prime position. Larson worked his way to the outside of Buescher on the final lap and beat him to the line by just an inch.

What’s next: Larson fans can only salivate right now thinking about what the No. 5 team’s next few weeks could look like. He’s the most recent winner at both Darlington and North Wilkesboro, which is where the Cup Series will be the next two weekends. After that, it’s off to attempt the Memorial Day weekend Sunday double with the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600.

2. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Brittney Wilbur | NASCAR.com

Started: 13th

Finished: 4th

What happened: Truex’s No. 19 woke up in the closing moments as he chased down the leaders, who were saving fuel, just before Kyle Busch spun to send the race to overtime. The 2017 champion took four tires on the final pit stop and rallied to secure a fourth-place finish. With consecutive top-five finishes and a worst result of 18th this season, Truex’s average finish is a whopping 8.9 — nearly a whole position better than next-closest Chase Elliott, who currently has a 9.7 average finish a third of the way through 2024.

What’s next: Even though he’s been winless through 12 races this year, there’s an argument to be made that he’s been the best Cup driver of the season. Truex could use a turnaround at Darlington next Sunday in the Next Gen car as he’s scored a best finish of just 18th in the last four races at “The Lady in Black.” However, Truex has a pair of Coke 600 trophies and finished third in the longest NASCAR event last season.

3. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

James Gilbert | Getty Images

Started: 18th

Finished: 7th

What happened: Bowman picked up his third consecutive top-10 finish Sunday at Kansas. Starting midpack, Bowman ground his way to the quality result amid a slew of cautions in the final stage and took two tires on the final pit stop just before overtime to gain and hold track position when the checkered flag flew.

What’s next: Maybe flying under the radar isn’t what the No. 48 team wants with the other three Hendrick teams all winning already this year, but it feels like a win is imminent for Bowman. It may not come this month as he finished 33rd at Darlington last year and was just outside the top 10 in last year’s Coke 600, which marked his return to action last year after injury.

THREE DOWN ⬇️

1. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

Started: 11th

Finished: 34th

What happened: Logano had a silent day before his spin in the final stage, spending just 10.5% of Sunday’s race inside the top 15, according to NASCAR Loop Data. A 34th-place result is the fourth consecutive finish outside the top 10 for the two-time Cup champion.

What’s next: A return to the Carolinas doesn’t bode well for the No. 22 either, as Logano was 18th and 21st at Darlington and the Coke 600 last year, respectively. However, the Team Penske stable always manages to find a gear in the summer so while a win may not be in the near future, don’t count out the defending-championship organization just yet.

2. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR.com

Started: 2nd

Finished: 19th

What happened: Halfway through Kansas, it appeared Chastain was in the mix to snag his first victory of 2024 after having hotly contested battles with Larson and Denny Hamlin for the lead. However, a strategy scramble amid caution after caution early in the final stage shuffled Chastain to midpack, and he wasn’t able to bring the No. 1 Chevy back to the front.

What’s next: Chastain’s last top-10 result came at COTA back in March but Darlington could turn it around for the Alva, Florida native. No. 1 finished fifth in last year’s Southern 500 and was battling for the win late in the spring Darlington race last year before a tangle with Larson.

3. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

Started: 15th

Finished: 20th

What happened: From the drop of the green flag, it appeared 23XI missed their setups Sunday, as neither Reddick nor Bubba Wallace was in the mix at Kansas. Reddick was able to muster three points in Stage 2, but when the checkered flag flew, No. 45 was down in 20th on the final results sheet.

What’s next: A Talladega win did not get Reddick on a hot streak as he’s now finished outside the top 10 twice since then, but this should turn around when the Cup Series returns home to the Carolinas. Reddick was runner-up to Larson in last year’s Southern 500 and rounded out the top five in last year’s Coke 600.

Posted on May 5, 2024May 6, 2024 by Dustin Albino

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — They beat and they banged. A literal photo was needed to declare the winner of Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher raced back to the checkered flag when the two drivers made contact out of Turn 4. The No. 5 Chevrolet was scored ahead of the No. 17 Ford by 0.001 seconds, the closest finish in the 76-year history of the NASCAR Cup Series.

“I felt like I was pretty defensive on it and was going to make a drag race coming to the finish line and got to banging doors a little bit and lost some momentum,” Buescher said. “I was aggressive trying to cover it and needed to draft to keep speed up down the straightaway for us. Watching the replay, I just can’t see it right now. I’m sure it will come in. It hurts to see the pylon say we get it and then not.”

RELATED: Race results

Larson got a great run down the backstretch on the final lap and drove it hard into Turns 3 and 4. He thought he was going to pound the wall on corner exit, but ended up getting a run through the corner that was enough to inch ahead of Buescher.

While driving down the backstretch on the cool-down lap, Buescher thought he was the winner. By the time he got to the frontstretch, NASCAR declared Larson victorious, scoring his second triumph through the first third of the NASCAR season.

“I got to the start/finish line and had no clue if I won or not,” Larson said. “I didn’t honestly care because I was like, ‘Man, that was freaking awesome.’ I think I asked if I won or not and (Cliff Daniels, crew chief) said timing and scoring showed the 17. I was like, ‘Cool.’ Then, my spotter was going crazy shortly after that. Just incredible.”

Surpassing the 0.002-second photo finish between Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch at Darlington Raceway in 2003 and Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer at Talladega Superspeedway in 2011 is a bummer for Buescher. Being that close puts the added sting on finishing runner-up.

“It sucks to halfway celebrate down the backstretch and pull up to the front straightaway and get told no,” Buescher said. “I don’t know how everything transpired right now. It sucks in a lot of ways. Second hurts a lot worse than third.”

While Buescher missed out on his first victory of the 2024 season, he gets satisfaction out of how strong his No. 17 car performed. The 53 laps he led Sunday are the most Buescher paced the field since last summer at Richmond Raceway. He had led 26 laps total during the first 11 races of the season. His second-place result is his first-ever top-five finish on a 1.5-mile track.

Logan Riely | Getty Images

From the jump of the initial green flag, Buescher charged through the field. He soared from his 12th-place starting position to finish fifth in the opening stage. At the beginning of the second stage, he diced through the middle of a five-wide battle to gain four positions. When Larson had an issue during his green-flag pit stop, the No. 17 car cycled to the lead to win his first stage of the season.

“We had [speed] from the get-go,” Buescher said. “We drove forward and led a ton of laps today. It’s huge for us to have that and know we are in contention. We’ve got to keep that up.”

Buescher entered Kansas with four consecutive finishes of 15th or worse. By earning 51 points throughout the race, he jumped to 11th in the regular-season standings, 33 points above the elimination line.

“This group has done a nice job of stepping up,” Buescher said. “Knowing where we came from last year and where we’re at right now, it’s good to see momentum. Second hurts way worse than third or fourth. A top-five day is great, but to be that close and not just second but within — I don’t know, I can’t even see it on the photo right now.”

The series heads to Darlington Raceway next on May 12 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), where Buescher finished third in the playoffs last fall.

Posted on May 5, 2024May 5, 2024 by Reid Spencer

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — In the closest finish in NASCAR history, Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher to the checkered flag by roughly one inch to win Sunday night’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway.

After Kyle Busch’s spin on Lap 261 of a scheduled 267 sent the race to overtime, Buescher took the lead on the restart of the two-lap shootout, only to have Larson pull even on the backstretch on the final lap.

Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet and Buescher’s No. 17 Ford banged doors twice coming to the finish line. Buescher held the edge a foot from the stripe, but Larson surged ahead to win in a photo finish, with timing and scoring showing a margin of 0.001 seconds.

The victory was Larson’s second of the season, his second at Kansas and the 25th of his career. The win was the sixth this season for Hendrick Motorsports, the most in the NASCAR Cup Series so far this year.

“That was wild,” said Larson, who had faded from second to fourth before Busch’s spin. “I was obviously thankful for that caution. We were dying pretty bad. Was happy to come out third (off pit road), and figured my best shot was to choose the bottom and try and split three-wide to the inside.

SHOP: Get race winner gear

“Worked out my car turned well and was able to get some runs. Got through (Turns) 1 and 2 really good down the backstretch and had a big tow on Chris, and got him to kind of enter shallow, and I just committed really hard up top.

“Wasn’t quite sure if we were going to make it out the other side. I got super loose in the center, and then we’re just trying to… I’m trying not to get too far ahead of him to where he can side-draft, and then I was just trying to kill his run. It was crazy.”

In the frenzied overtime, Chase Elliott was third, 0.059 seconds behind Larson, followed by Martin Truex Jr., who trailed the leader by 0.075 seconds.

The caution for Busch’s spin negated the fuel-saving measures that had dominated the race’s final stage. The lead-lap cars pitted en masse on Lap 263, with most taking right-side tires only and Truex opting for fresh rubber on all four corners.

Fifth-place finisher Denny Hamlin was first off pit road and chose the bottom lane for the overtime restart with Larson behind him and Buescher to his outside. But Larson ducked to the inside entering Turn 1, abandoning Hamlin and allowing Buescher to surge into the lead.

Buescher, who scored his first career top five on an intermediate speedway, held the top spot until Larson surged ahead by a half-car-length on the backstretch to set up the wild drag race to the finish line.

“That sucks to be that close,” said Buescher, who overcame a penalty for a pit crew member over the wall too soon during the Stage 2 break. “It was a great finish for us, a really strong day. A lot of speed in this Castrol Edge Ford Mustang, and we really needed that. Needed a win more, and I thought might have had that one.

“Had a lot of speed there firing off. We were really good really all day, and really proud of that. Had some good strategy to get us back up there and tried to cover what I could and gave him half a lane too much, I suppose, but good hard race right there down to the line. But, yeah, it just hurts.”

The race featured 27 lead changes among 10 drivers and seven cautions for 43 laps. Except for stage breaks, the race ran caution-free until Lap 176, when contact from Corey LaJoie’s Chevrolet sent seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson spinning in a three-car accident that slowed the race for seven laps.

Three more cautions followed in rapid succession, creating varying strategic options as drivers either chose to pit for fuel or to stay out. Truex, who had ample fuel, was closing fast late in the race on then-leader Hamlin, who was saving gas when the caution for Busch’s spin forced the overtime.

Pole winner Christopher Bell ran sixth, followed by Alex Bowman, Busch, Noah Gragson (scoring his third straight top 10) and Michael McDowell.

“That race from start to finish was amazing,” said Larson. “That first stage was incredible. The second stage at the end was fun, and then that whole last stage with the wrecks and cautions and then fuel strategy and tires running long and all that was wild.

“You guys got your money’s worth today, and I’m just proud to be a part of the show.”

MORE: 2024 Cup standings | 2024 Cup schedule

The Cup Series shifts to the Carolinas for the rest of May, with the Darlington throwback race on tap next Sunday (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NOTE: Post-race inspection in the Cup Series garage at Kansas concluded without issue, confirming Larson as the race winner. No vehicles will be taken back to the NASCAR R&D Center for further inspection.

Posted on May 5, 2024May 5, 2024 by Staff Report

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Denny Hamlin is calling his shot again.

The perennial NASCAR Cup Series title contender and past championship runner-up made another bold claim during Sunday’s pre-race show on FS1 at Kansas Speedway. Egged on by FOX Sports analyst and former Cup driver Clint Bowyer, Hamlin declared he would win the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship.

“This is it. This is the year,” Hamlin told FOX Sports. “This is the year it’s going to happen.”

MORE: Current Cup standings | Full Kansas preview

"This is it. This is the year it's gonna happen."- 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Denny Hamlin? pic.twitter.com/aUmpj2Yvvq

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 5, 2024

It’s not the first time Hamlin has made that assertion — most recently stating “it’s our year” after winning the 2023 playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway last fall. One week ago, Hamlin won at Dover Motor Speedway to score his third win of 2024 — and just days after calling his shot on his podcast, “Actions Detrimental.”

“The Great Hambino” came through, leading a race-high 136 laps and celebrating at the start/finish line, swinging the checkered flag like a baseball bat in his best Babe Ruth impersonation.

Whether Hamlin finally pulls through and wins a title in his 19th full-time season at the Cup level remains to be seen, but momentum seems to be favoring Hamlin and his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team through the first third of the year.

MORE: Denny Hamlin through the years

First, he’ll have to get through Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, where he will roll off from the 14th position.

Posted on May 5, 2024May 5, 2024 by Staff Report

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Rain has put the start of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway on hold.

The AdventHealth 400 was scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET before inclement weather rolled over the 1.5-mile oval. When weather permits, FS1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have live broadcast coverage of the 12th Cup Series race of the year.

MORE: Track latest Kansas weather

Christopher Bell and Ross Chastain will lead the field to the green flag when the race gets underway. Noah Gragson qualified a career-best third, with Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch completing the top five.

Denny Hamlin, the race’s defending winner, will start from the 14th position. 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, who was fastest in Saturday’s practice and won the track’s most recent race in September, will start 15th.

William Byron was fastest in both 10-lap and 20-lap average speed in Saturday’s session but hit the wall during qualifying, ruining his lap. The No. 24 Chevrolet will start 36th after the team repaired the right-side damage.

Posted on May 5, 2024May 5, 2024 by Zach Sturniolo

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — William Byron posted the fastest 10-lap and 20-lap averages in Saturday’s Cup Series practice session, but wall contact in qualifying derailed the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports’ driver’s starting position.

Byron will be credited with a 36th-place starting spot in Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) as the team made repairs to the right side of Byron’s green, black and white Chevrolet.

MORE: Starting lineup at Kansas | Full Kansas preview

In time trials, Byron carried significant speed into Turn 1 and, like most competitors, pinned his No. 24 car next to the outside retaining wall. But that speed proved too strong, forcing his car to push upward and into the wall, scraping against the SAFER barrier through Turn 2 and ruining the lap.

“I just was a little tight coming up to the green there and then just overcommitted a little bit,” Byron explained Saturday. “There’s definitely a lot of throttle to get out there to have a fast lap, and I’ve got to look back but probably a combination of my angle and a little too much throttle and a little tight balance. So just all those things and hit the wall. I hate it, but our car’s really good, so we’ll just have to work a little bit harder.”

Byron, already a three-time winner in 2024, was not concerned with the damage to his vehicle as the body simply scraped against the wall without a hard impact.

“It’s just the right side,” Byron said. “You know, the right sides are really tough in these things, but we obviously want to get the toe and everything, you know, fixed as good as we possibly can and and all the components. Looked like the fenders were a little bit caved, so we’ll probably have a little work to do, which I hate, but our car is really good. So we just gotta, like I said, I have to pass a lot of cars.”

With 13 career wins — 11 of which have come since the introduction of the Next Gen car in 2022 — Byron appeared in a light mood despite the Saturday setback. That stems from a deep-rooted confidence that permeates the No. 24 team, led by crew chief Rudy Fugle. But there was a tinge of reflection upon last week’s race at Dover Motor Speedway, where a mistake on pit road mired Byron back in traffic before he was eventually collected in a crash, leading him and the team to an earlier qualifying position than usual.

“I mean, I’m frustrated. Like, I’m really frustrated,” Byron said. “But it’s just like, typically qualifying is really good for us. Our metric from last week hurt us a little bit, going a little bit sooner. So probably just took less grip in the race track and overestimated all those conditions and hurt us. So, typically, qualifying is pretty solid for us. It’s part of it.”

Sunday will feature a charge from the rear of the field if Byron wants to contend for his first career victory at Kansas, the 1.5-mile oval where he scored a personal-best third-place finish last spring.

“I think the only thing that’s different is just that it’s cool out so it’ll probably be a little tougher to pass,” Byron said. “But you know, try to get a chunk of them at the beginning and have our balance close and have a good cycle. Probably miss out a little bit on Stage 1 points which stinks, but (we’re) just really after the end of the race, so should be good.”

RELATED: Cup standings

The points chase is no small item on the team’s to-do list in search of the 2024 regular-season championship. Byron enters Sunday’s contest sixth in points, 62 markers back of points leader and Hendrick teammate Kyle Larson.

“We’re really down on stage points,” Byron said. “We have 59 stage points. I think Kyle has like (126). I just looked at that before coming out here. So this isn’t gonna help that. But I mean, we’ve just got to keep working on that, getting points throughout the race. Even when we run really well, it seems like we’re not getting a ton.”

But if the No. 24 team exudes the same speed Sunday that it displayed Saturday, Byron could be celebrating a big payday by evening’s end in the Midwest.

Posted on May 4, 2024 by Dustin Albino

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Still fresh to the NASCAR scene, Kaden Honeycutt has yet to get a plethora of opportunities. But he’s finally found a stable situation with Niece Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series.

In a schedule that is currently set to be 11 truck races throughout the 2024 season, Honeycutt notched his first career top-five finish in a national series race with a fourth-place finish at Kansas Speedway on Saturday night.

Honeycutt entered the weekend with a ninth-place average finish in three prior starts this season. He kicked off the season with a sixth-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway before returning to his short track core, earning a 12th-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway and a ninth-place outing at Martinsville Speedway.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Kansas was the first time visiting a true intermediate track with one of the top teams in the series. His preparation work backed that up, knowing that the No. 45 team’s crew chief, Phil Gould, would be bringing a hot rod to the track.

“This was probably the most studied track that I’ve had on my schedule,” Honeycutt said. “I’ve struggled here the last couple of years, just not knowing what to do. Now with all our partners at Chevrolet that have helped us on sim and for me to get better and know what to do when I show up, it’s so helpful to have all the backing that we have from Chevrolet.”

Throughout Saturday, Honeycutt continued to improve as he laid more laps down at Kansas. The No. 45 Chevrolet was middle-of-the-pack in practice and qualified in a dissatisfying 23rd place. As soon as the green flag waved, however, he charged through the field and finished fifth in the opening stage.

During the second stage, Honeycutt continued to impress and even contended for the race lead early in the stage. He bettered his position to fourth with the halfway point looming.

When the final stage went green, Honeycutt shined. He battled series points leader Corey Heim fearlessly for the lead until a cycle of green-flag pit stops began. Heim pitted one lap before Honeycutt, who had made just one green-flag pit stop in his career prior to Kansas. He keyed up his veteran spotter TJ Bell on the radio, wanting to know what his marker was for getting on to pit road.

It wasn’t perfect, but Honeycutt managed the deficit, losing just two spots.

“That was my second green-flag stop ever,” he said. “My first one was here in the playoffs. TJ did an amazing job spotting for me, telling me where my mark was and not speeding on pit road. I didn’t make a whole lot of mistakes and was able to get in and out and still salvage a top five.”

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Over the final 40 laps, Honeycutt maintained his track position and took the checkered flag in fourth. It was his best career finish in 24 truck starts – and the best finish for Niece Motorsports through the first half of the regular season.

“Whenever you run up front and contend for a win like that, you want to finish the job off,” Honeycutt stated. “Just needed to be better myself on pit road and being able to navigate the air better, attack the corner differently when I was racing [Heim] to try to take the lead from him.

“It’s still an amazing night for my guys. Another career-best finish for myself. I wanted to win, right? Phil is fantastic at this race track and my guys are as well. We will come back to Charlotte and be better, clean up my mistakes and try to win this year. You’ve got to crawl before you walk, and that’s the next goal.”

Aside from his partial schedule with Niece, Honeycutt is competing in the zMAX CARS Tour in both a late model stock and a pro late model, in addition to competing in dirt late models throughout the 2024 season. He’s also a highly-touted simulator competitor and qualified for the NASCAR iRacing Road to Pro Series, which led to a move to JR Motorsports in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series last season.

Honeycutt is trying to follow in Carson Kvapil’s footsteps, who nearly missed out on winning his first Xfinity Series race last weekend at Dover Motor Speedway. While a fourth-place effort at Kansas stung, Honeycutt can also see the bigger picture.

“That we’re hard-nosed, grassroots racers,” Honeycutt added. “This is what we want to do; this is what we fight for every day of our lives. Every opportunity that I have and Carson has, we try to maximize it the best we can. That’s why I’m a little hard on myself for not winning, but you have to remember you have to take steps at a time in order to get to the win and run up front.

“Being my first time ever even running in the top five in that scenario, I felt like I did a good job.”

Honeycutt won’t return to the Truck Series until late this month at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Between now and then, he will compete at North Wilkesboro Speedway the week of the NASCAR All-Star Race in the pro late model race and late model stock events.