Posted on by Staff Report

Duel at the Dog 200

Monadnock Speedway

  • Race Results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Laps
1 7 Doug Coby Mayhew Tools 200
2 79 Jon McKennedy Middlesex Interiors 200
3 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine and Future Homes 200
4 64 Austin Beers Dell Elect/Lumierre Elect/Andrew James Interior 200
5 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc. 200
6 06 Sam Rameau Quality Fleet Services/Dennison Lubricants 200
7 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 200
8 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chateau Performance/MTT/Munn’s Auto 200
9 60 Matt Hirschman Pee Dee Motorsports 200
10 07 Patrick Emerling Bonesteel Automotive 200
11 32 Tyler Rypkema Northeast Drilling/MUSCO Lighting 200
12 34 J.B. Fortin A&R Materials/John’s Fuel Oil/Rapid Recovery 200
13 25 Brian Roble * Maurice Enterprises 200
14 3 Jake Johnson * Propane Plus/Lins Propane Trucks 200
15 6 Woody Pitkat Koopman Lumber 199
16 82 Craig Lutz Horton Ave Materials 199
17 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara/Catalano Motorsports 199
18 46 Justin Brown * Riverhead Building Supply 199
19 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood and Restaurant 198
20 43 Matt Kimball * J&M Towing/Poodlack Wealth Mgmt/Post & Beam 197
21 5 Kyle Ebersole Ebersole Excavating Inc. 197
22 24 Andrew Krause Supreme Manufacturing 197
23 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Landscape /TRC Electric 193
24 4 Tim Connelly * Connelly Companies LLC 187
25 19 Anthony Sesely Wanick Construction Inc. 142
26 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 121
27 92 Anthony Nocella Nocella Paving/K&D Associates/Airgas 94
28 47 Jacob Perry * Jacks Competition Engine/Rick Rak 20
29 1 Cory Plummer * Apex Racing/Gene’s Auto Service 11
30 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Enterprise/Eastport Feeds 4
Posted on by Reid Spencer

If William Byron maintains his pace, he’s going to earn a nickname — as “Rocket Man” Ryan Newman did for his qualifying prowess.

With a lap at 179.206 mph (30.133 seconds) on Saturday afternoon at Kansas Speedway, Byron earned the pole position for Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at the 1.5-mile intermediate track (3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Sunday’s starting lineup | Weekend schedule

In an extremely tight final round, Byron edged teammate Kyle Larson (179.134 mph) by 0.006 seconds to earn the 10th Busch Light Pole Award of his career in 192 events, which included a stretch during the pandemic when qualifying did not take place.

Larson and teammate Chase Elliott (21st in qualifying) are the only Chevrolet drivers to win in the last 12 Cup races at Kansas.

The pole was Byron’s second of the season and his first at Kansas. Ross Chastain claimed the third starting spot with a lap at 179.134 mph, just 0.012 seconds behind Byron.

“I had to work on the balance (in practice) to get (the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) freer for qualifying, but it seemed like we did that there,” said Byron, who continued without issue after a minor wall scrape in practice. “So really good through (Turns) 1 and 2 and got a little tight through 3 and 4, so I’ve got some data to probably study of how I can get through that end.

“But I’m just proud of the effort from the whole team.”

Martin Truex Jr., Monday’s winner at Dover Motor Speedway, qualified fourth, followed by Tyler Reddick, who is attempting to extend the two-race Kansas winning streak of the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota. Kurt Busch and Bubba Wallace won in the car last season at the track on the Kansas side of the Missouri River.

Joey Logano, Ty Gibbs, Denny Hamlin, Daniel Suárez and Ryan Blaney completed the top 10 in qualifying, which included an eclectic mix of four Chevrolets, four Toyotas and two Fords.

With hot weather predicted for Sunday, Byron spent the week preparing for the high temperatures on the track.

“Yeah, it’s going to be a scorcher, so I’m just trying to stay hydrated,” said Byron, who has never converted a Cup pole into a victory. “I did a lot of work throughout the week for that. Yeah, it’s going to be tough inside the car, so just got to stay mentally locked in and hopefully have a solid, smooth race, have good pit stops and good restarts.”

Byron said that, as part of his training for the heat, he stayed in the sauna until he couldn’t stand it. But some of that heat apparently transferred to his car during Saturday’s qualifying session.

Truex (Group A) and Chastain (Group B) were tops in their respective portions of qualifying. The five fastest from each group went for the pole position in the final round.

Hamlin fastest in Kansas practice

Denny Hamlin powered to the top of the Cup Series practice leaderboard Saturday, leading the way with a best lap of 174.887 mph.

Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota also performed in the longer-haul runs, topping the charts in the consecutive 10-lap, 15-lap and 20-lap averages categories.

Austin Cindric was second-fastest on the single-lap ledger, clocking a 174.531-mph lap in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford. Kyle Busch was third-fastest, with Joey Logano and Bubba Wallace completing the top five in that order.

RELATED: Practice results

William Byron scrubbed the outside retaining wall in Turn 3 roughly five minutes into the Group A practice session. His No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet made its way back to the pit road with slight right-side damage. He later recovered to make the final round of qualifying and eventually secured the pole position.

Josh Bilicki’s No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet was the only other casualty of practice, with the car breaking loose off Turn 2 and sliding to a halt on the backstretch apron. Bilicki did not post a lap in qualifying.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials penalized two Cup Series teams Saturday for issues in pre-race technical inspection at Kansas Speedway.

RELATED: Weekend schedule | Latest odds: Kansas

The No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota for driver Tyler Reddick and the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford driven by Brennan Poole both failed pre-race inspection twice at the 1.5-mile track. Those penalties meant an ejection for the car chief for each team and a loss of pit-stall selection for Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The corresponding car chiefs who will be barred from the rest of the weekend are Dave Jones (No. 15) and Michael Hobson (No. 45), according to the NASCAR rosters portal.

Reddick was among the pre-race favorites, clocking in at 8-1 odds to win Sunday’s 400-miler. The No. 45 team has swept the last two Kansas Speedway races, with Kurt Busch (spring) and Bubba Wallace (fall) dividing victories in last year’s Cup Series events there.

Reddick qualified fifth for Sunday’s race, the 12th Cup Series event of the season. Poole is set to start 34th in the 36-car field, making his second Cup Series start of the year.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — NASCAR officials met with media members Saturday morning to display and explain the specific modified part that led to the L1-level penalty issued to the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team, following the April 16 race at Martinsville Speedway.

MORE: Kansas schedule | Cup standings

Brad Moran, managing director of the NASCAR Cup Series, and Carl Goodman, who manages and oversees technical inspection for the series, brought the piece to Kansas Speedway to further explain what went wrong, leading to a 60-point penalty against the No. 3 team and its driver Austin Dillon, in addition to the $75,000 fine and two-week suspension issued to crew chief Keith Rodden.

The part is known as a splitter stay, one of six bars that connect the splitter to the frame of the body as part of the overall underwing. Each bar is supposed to feature three separate securing nuts — two jam nuts and a centered couple nut — that lock the splitter into place within one one-thousandth of an inch and is not adjustable after pre-race inspection.

However, on the specific bar utilized by the No. 3 team at Martinsville, those three nuts were bonded together, creating one singular piece instead — which disables the locking function of the nuts and permits further movement and adjustability either after pre-race inspection or during a pit stop.

The No. 3 Chevrolet was not inspected during at-track post-race inspection, selected instead to be taken to the NASCAR Research & Development Center for a full teardown. Moran explained Saturday each vehicle that is brought back to R&D gets a full, thorough strip down to the bare bones, disassembling and inspecting each panel, rod and piece with intense scrutiny. That process, he said, is meant to further ensure the model of the Next Gen vehicle, which features a plethora of single-sourced parts that teams must purchase to build their vehicles.

The modified parts that led to the penalty issued to Dillon’s No. 3 team are parts that the team is responsible for, though the rod and adjuster are supplied by single-source providers. Goodman explained that adjusting the splitter manipulates the floor of the vehicle, which is the most aerodynamically powerful section of the car. A single turn, the officials said, creates a significant adjustment.

The piece was made available for display Saturday in the NASCAR hauler for team managers and crew chiefs who chose to see it themselves. NASCAR is implementing a renewed sense of transparency and intends to make illegal parts available to media and team members on the first day of a Cup Series race weekend for further explanation, pending conclusions of any appeals.

The No. 3 team did appeal the penalty but lost its hearing on May 2. The National Motorsports Appeals Panel, which saw J. Kirk Russell, Lake Speed and Kevin Whitaker hear the case, stated: “As submitted the nuts are not a thread locking device – they are connected and part of the turnbuckle. The nuts do not lock the assembly. Therefore, the assembly has been modified.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Duel at the Dog 200

Monadnock Speedway

  • Qualifying Results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed
1 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc. 12.703 70.849
2 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine & Future Homes 12.734 70.677
3 32 Tyler Rypkema Northeast Driling/MUSCO Lighting 12.734 70.677
4 7 Doug Coby Mayhew Tools 12.738 70.655
5 60 Matt Hirschman Elite Towing/Baker Racing 12.758 70.544
6 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 12.765 70.505
7 3 Jake Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 12.77 70.478
8 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 12.781 70.417
9 64 Austin Beers Hughes Motors/AP Marquadt & Sons/Dell Electric 12.799 70.318
10 82 Craig Lutz Horton Ave Materials 12.837 70.11
11 92 Anthony Nocella Nocella Paving/K and D Associates/Airgas 12.846 70.061
12 79 Jon McKennedy Middlesex Industries 12.865 69.957
13 06 Sam Rameau Quality Fleet Services/Dennison Lubricants 12.876 69.897
14 07 Patrick Emerling Captain Pips Marina & Hideway 12.888 69.832
15 19 Anthony Sesely Wanick Construction, Inc. 12.895 69.794
16 43 Matt Kimball* J&M Touring & Recovery/Edmunds Ace Hardware 12.91 69.713
17 34 J.B. Fortin A&R Materials/CYA Screen Printing/Queens Concrete 12.919 69.665
18 6 Woody Pitkat Koopman Lumbar 12.921 69.654
19 25 Brian Roble Maurice Enterprises 12.922 69.649
20 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprera 12.939 69.557
21 24 Andrew Krause Supreme Manufacturing Company 12.969 69.396
22 5 Kyle Ebersole Ebersole Excavating Inc. 12.986 69.305
23 47 Jacob Perry* Jack’s Competition Engine/Rick Rak 13.038 69.029
24 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One 13.114 68.629
25 46 Justin Brown* Riverhead Building Supply 13.172 68.327
26 1 Cory  Plummer* Apex Racing/Gene’s Auto Service 13.203 68.166
27 4 Tim Connolly* Connolly Companies, LLC 13.225 68.053
28 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Ave Landscape Supply/L.I. Wood Heat 13.579 66.279
29 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 13.883 64.827
Posted on by Press Release

CONCORD, North Carolina – The NASCAR Cup Series has not raced at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Motor Speedway since 1996 – a long time before the Trackhouse Racing drivers Daniel Suárez and Ross Chastain began their racing careers.

To get both drivers ready for a chance to win $1 million at the May 21 NASCAR All-Star Race held for the first time at the historic North Wilkesboro track, Trackhouse Racing announced today Suárez and Chastain will enter the May 17 CARS Tour Late Model Stock race on the .625-mile oval.

The pair join a field of CARS regulars plus Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chase Briscoe and Kevin Harvick.

“I have never been to North Wilkesboro nor really spent much time driving a late model,” said Suárez who became the first Mexican driver to win a Cup Series race when he dominated at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in June. “Every little bit helps. Plus, it is going to be a lot of fun going short track racing. Getting familiar with the track will help our program a lot.”

Suárez will drive the No. 99 Jockey Chevrolet for R and S Race Cars, a full-service race car facility, in South Boston, Virginia.

The Jockey partnership with Trackhouse began last year and was the first such team sponsorship in the 147-year history of the apparel brand. At the core of the partnership was the launch of the brand’s Made in America* Collection – an effort aimed at delivering premium quality product, support reshoring American manufacturing jobs, supporting families and farmers in local communities, and providing a more sustainable option for American consumers.

Chastain echoed Suárez’s comments about the importance of track time at North Wilkesboro.

“They are paying $1 million dollars and giving out a beautiful trophy to win that race so we are going to do everything we have to do to prepare for that night,” said Chastain who won at Circuit of the Americas in Austin Texas and at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway last year in a season that saw him finish second in the standings.

Chastain will drive the No. 28 Ambetter Health Chevrolet for the Pinnacle Racing Group of Mooresville, North Carolina.

Ambetter Health is a health insurance offering that is available on the Health Insurance Marketplace, or exchange, established by the Affordable Care Act. It is one of the healthcare programs provided by Centene Corporation, a leading healthcare enterprise. Ambetter Health is made available through local health plans and covers a wide variety of healthcare services, including preventive and wellness services, maternity and newborn care, pediatric services, mental health and substance misuse services, prescription drug coverage, and more.

The CARS Tour debuted in 2015 and features Late Model Stock Cars and Pro Late Model divisions.  At the end of the 2022 season, an ownership group consisting of Earnhardt Jr., Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Trackhouse Entertainment Group founder and owner Justin Marks purchased the series.

The CARS Tour event will be part of a full week of racing at North Wilkesboro. The ASA STARS National Tour will compete on Tuesday, May 16 in the ECMD 150. Suárez will also race in that series where he will drive the No. 99 for Rackley W.A.R. of Nashville, Tennessee.

Rackley W.A.R. competes nationally in the NASCAR Craftsman® Truck Series with driver Matt DiBenedetto as well as operating a driver development program based at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and in regional Super and Pro Late Model events.

Both Suárez and Chastain have qualified for the 200-lap NASCAR All-Star Race on May 21. FS1 will televise the All-Star Race while the subscription service Flo Racing will broadcast the late model events.

Posted on by Staff Report

The two winningest brothers in the NASCAR Cup Series record books shared a historic honor Friday as Kurt and Kyle Busch were added to the special anniversary list of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.

Both brothers are champions at NASCAR’s highest level, with Kyle Busch claiming the Cup Series title in 2015 and 2019, and Kurt Busch becoming the first champ in the sport’s playoff era in 2004. Younger brother Kyle has 62 Cup Series wins with Kurt contributing 34 victories to the Busch family tally.

RELATED: See latest drivers added to 75 Greatest Drivers list

Kyle Busch established himself as a stock-car great with more than 200 – and counting – victories across all three NASCAR national series. The 38-year-old driver tops the all-time win list in both the Xfinity Series and the Craftsman Truck Series, and he currently ranks ninth in the Cup Series.

Kurt Busch, 44, sports crown-jewel triumphs in both the Daytona 500 (2017) and the Coca-Cola 600 (2010). Of his 22 seasons at the Cup Series level, 19 of those campaigns included at least one win.

THROUGH THE YEARS: Kyle Busch | Kurt Busch

NASCAR is unveiling the 75 Greatest Drivers list as part of its diamond-anniversary season, with 25 new names being added to the original 50 Greatest list revealed in 1998. Just four open slots remain on the elite list, and those will be revealed next week in the run-up to NASCAR’s Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway.

The Busches became just the second group of drivers to join the Greatest Driver roster. Terry and Bobby Labonte – who also have three Cup Series titles between them – were recognized 25 years apart, with Terry as one of the original 50 Greatest and younger brother Bobby joining the new group of honorees last week.

Posted on by Staff Report

RFK Racing co-owner and driver Brad Keselowski has been in the headlines in recent weeks due to a publicized pit-crew swap between the RFK No. 17 team and the No. 47 group of JTG Daugherty Racing.

There’s more to talk about with Keselowski and his crew post-Dover, but this time it’s simply about performance — and it’s a good story for the No. 6 squad.

RELATED: Full Dover results

Keselowski’s crew was on point last weekend at Dover Motor Speedway, putting in its best outing of the season as the veteran driver sprinted to an eighth-place finish.

The No. 6 crew consisting of tire changers Johnny Roberts and Steve Price, tire carrier Telvin McClurkin, fueler Brad Robison and jackman Dustin Lineback turned the 10th-fastest four-tire pit stop of the entire season on Lap 124, according to Racing Insights. The 9.776-second stop is tied with an Alex Bowman stop at Las Vegas from earlier this year in the season-long top 10 rankings (the full top 10 is below).

Additionally, the No. 6 crew was the fastest at Dover with both the best single-best pit stop and also the best average four-tire stop time at 10.099 seconds. That time of 10.099 is the second-quickest average time of a race this season, behind only Kyle Larson’s 10.051-second average from the No. 5 team at Martinsville.

Keselowski’s crew also jumped from fifth place to second place on the list of best average four-tire pit stops this year (see more below). No one else jumped that high. William Byron’s No. 24 crew, though, supplanted Chase Briscoe’s squad at the top of the rankings following Dover.

See below to analyze additional pit-road statistics from Racing Insights.

10 FASTEST FOUR-TIRE PIT STOPS IN 2023

RankTrackDriverTime
1RichmondCorey LaJoie9.309 seconds
2RichmondCorey LaJoie9.615 seconds
3PhoenixTy Gibbs9.643 seconds
4RichmondChase Briscoe9.647 seconds
5PhoenixChase Briscoe9.676 seconds
6MartinsvilleKyle Larson9.677 seconds
7COTAMartin Truex Jr.9.684 seconds
8PhoenixKyle Busch9.688 seconds
9RichmondTyler Reddick9.749 seconds
t-10DoverBrad Keselowski9.776 seconds
t-10Las VegasAlex Bowman9.776 seconds

BEST AVERAGE FOUR-TIRE PIT STOPS TIMES OF 2023

RankNumberDriverAverage stop
124William Byron11.293 seconds
26Brad Keselowski11.326 seconds
314Chase Briscoe11.371 seconds
41Ross Chastain11.399 seconds
55Kyle Larson11.462 seconds
623Bubba Wallace11.485 seconds
799Daniel Suárez11.487 seconds
84Kevin Harvick11.508 seconds
954Ty Gibbs11.513 seconds
108Kyle Busch11.547 seconds

BEST PIT CREW BY RACE IN 2023

** Pit Times are in seconds

TrackFastest 4 Tire PitAverage 4 Tire Stop
DaytonaWilliam Byron 11.278Kyle Larson 12.763
Auto ClubDaniel Suárez 9.777Ross Chastain 10.896
Las VegasAlex Bowman 9.776Chase Briscoe 10.259
PhoenixTy Gibbs 9.643Corey LaJoie 10.405
AtlantaKyle Busch 10.243Kyle Busch 11.094
COTAMartin Truex Jr. 9.684Austin Dillon 10.668
RichmondCorey LaJoie 9.304Alex Bowman 10.388
Bristol DirtNANA
MartinsvilleKyle Larson 9.677Kyle Larson 10.051
TalladegaDaniel Suarez 11.011Ross Chastain 11.577
DoverBrad Keselowski 9.766Brad Keselowski 10.099
TestBrad Keselowski 9.766Brad Keselowski 9.766
Posted on by Staff Report

Ryan Newman, recently named one of the 75 greatest drivers in NASCAR history, is scheduled to return to the Cup Series, making select starts with Rick Ware Racing throughout the remainder of the 2023 season.

The 18-time premier series winner made his most recent start at Phoenix Raceway in 2021, bringing him to a remarkable 725 starts at the sport’s top level. In addition to his victories, Newman has 117 top-five finishes, 268 top 10s and 51 pole awards.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Rick Ware Racing and Ford,” Newman said. “I think this will be good for all of us with our combined experience and knowledge. Being part of the Throwback Weekend at one of my favorite tracks in Darlington is pretty special. After recently being named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers, it carries even some significance.”

NASCAR 75: Newman named to Greatest Drivers

Rick Ware Racing has been a mainstay in the Cup Series garage since the mid-2010s, fielding a number of drivers from David Ragan to J.J. Yeley. Newman, perhaps the most successful veteran to drive for the team, is a welcome addition.

“I remember watching ‘Thursday Night Thunder’ on ESPN and seeing Ryan compete against some stout competition in those days,” said team owner Rick Ware when commenting about Newman’s talent. “I became a fan then and when he first came to NASCAR, I knew he was going to be a great driver and win a lot of races.

“He brings great depth and insight to RWR while we continue to grow our team. Ryan’s been a great ambassador for our sport and Ford. We’re really looking forward to racing with him this season.”

RELATED: Check out Darlington throwback schemes | Buy race tickets

Newman’s first challenge will be an exciting one, returning to action for the first time in over 500 days at Darlington on Sunday, May 14 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the Goodyear 400.

Contributions from Jayski.com

Posted on by Staff Report

The 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday, May 21 (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), is inching closer and closer. If you haven’t already, it is time to vote in your favorite driver that has yet to clinch their bid in what should be an unforgettable weekend.

RELATED: Vote your favorite driver into the All-Star Race 

Midway through the Fan Vote, the top 10 vote-getters as of Friday, May 5, are as follows, in alphabetical order: AJ Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Harrison Burton, Ty Gibbs, Noah Gragson, Corey LaJoie, Michael McDowell, BJ McLeod, Ryan Preece and Chandler Smith.

Polls officially opened on April 21 at noon ET. Eager race fans will have until 9 a.m. ET on May 21 to cast their ballots. To vote, the rules are simple: You can vote once per day, per unique email address. Fan Rewards members will earn 50 points for voting.

Ken Schrader won the first fan vote in 2004, and Erik Jones was the most recent winner in 2022. Kyle Petty, Danica Patrick and Clint Bowyer are others on the list who have achieved the feat.

MORE: 2023 NASCAR All-Star Fan Vote rules 

Drivers are eligible for the Fan Vote if they attempted to qualify for the 2023 Daytona 500, have not won a 2023 NASCAR Cup Series race yet or have not finished inside the top two in the NASCAR Open qualifying race.

Put your voting cap on and cast your choice today!

ALL-STAR RACE: Buy tickets now