Posted on by Zack Albert

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Chase Briscoe endured a roundabout route to his third consecutive top-five finish in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. There was the metaphorical ache of a Stage 1 spin on pit road that forced him to rally from two laps down. Then there was a more palpable pain, stemming from a surgically repaired finger fracture earlier in the week.

Briscoe drove home fourth in Sunday’s GEICO 500, picking his way through a pair of overtime finishes with his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. The result marked his best finish of the year, bettering the fifth-place efforts in the previous two weeks at Martinsville and Bristol’s dirt.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

“Wild day. I made a huge mistake coming to pit road. We’re two laps down, and then we were one and was going to get the lucky dog at the end of Stage 2, and then (Joey) Logano had that speeding penalty and barely got us for the lucky dog,” Briscoe said, making reference to a bold move that Logano made to blend in with the pack and receive the free pass at the stage-break caution.

“It was a battle all day long — very similar to how we kind of were at the end of last year, just continuing to fight and keep doing everything we could to try to maximize our day. At the end, found ourselves up there and in the top five. I would have loved to have a little bit more, but if you told me we were going to finish fourth there — at any point of the race really, even there with 20 to go — we were so stuck in the back and couldn’t really do anything.”

Briscoe’s first pit stop of the day nearly wound up being disastrous. He headed to pit road for service in a coordinated group with fellow Ford drivers, but lost control at pit entry and slid to a stop. He avoided contact with the wall or other cars, but the car stalled out with a flat right-front tire, and Briscoe helplessly flailed as he tried to right it.

“I felt like I was gonna be a meme eventually or something,” Briscoe said. “But it was weird. Like I literally couldn’t move. I went from first gear to reverse, up to third gear just trying anything I could, and it was definitely just a helpless feeling. It was funny. I think the pit box that I was spinning out in, all their pit-crew guys had their phones out and were videoing it. It was kind of just like embarrassing. I was just sitting there doing circles in front of them. So yeah, it was a weird circumstance. Honestly, super lucky that we didn’t go three laps down there.”

By the time he wound up returning to the race, he was still two laps back of the lead pack in 37th place. He regained one lap at the Stage 1 intermission, then worked back onto the lead circuit when the yellow flew again on the 143rd of 196 laps.

WATCH: On-board view of Briscoe’s pit-road spin

Briscoe made the most of evasive action in both overtimes. He was in the vicinity when Kyle Larson and Ryan Preece made severe contact in a multicar crash in the first extra session, then scooted by when contact between Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace at the front of the pack ended the race in the second OT. He was on the fringes of the top 10 when the white flag emerged, but his nifty path along the top groove left his No. 14 Mustang unscathed.

Worse for wear was Briscoe’s wrapped-up left hand, braced after surgery six days earlier on his broken middle finger. The injury came during a dirt-track race April 6, but Briscoe didn’t miss time in the three Cup Series races since then as he remains on the mend.

Briscoe said hardware was inserted during the operation to assist the bone’s healing process, but his pain level spiked over the course of Sunday’s race. He plans to make adjustments before the next Cup Series event, scheduled for Sunday at Dover Motor Speedway (2 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM).

“Not good,” Briscoe said. “Yeah, it’s weird. The last two weeks I’ve had absolutely zero issues, and with the pins in there, it’s like anytime anything touches one of those pins, it just is excruciating pain. I mean, I was literally screaming in the car at some points because it was just, it hurt so bad. So in the past, I’ve kind of had two splints — one on top, one on bottom — and I think I just need to go to one on bottom now, because that one on top kind of hits that pin a lot.

“So yeah, I was not really worried about Dover or really any of the rest of the races coming up, but definitely a little more … not worried, but I guess I just need to be a lot more particular about what I do going into this week to make sure I get it as good as I possibly can, because it was definitely an issue today, and some of it, I don’t know if you just have more time to think here so you kind of notice it more, too, but it was definitely not fun today.”

Posted on by John Crane

A two-way podium finish during the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum on Feb. 5 might have suggested something was brewing with Richard Childress Racing. A dominant win at Auto Club Speedway on Feb. 26 — precisely three weeks later — might have further proved as such.

But a down-to-the-wire win at Talladega Superspeedway in the GEICO 500 on Sunday cemented it.

Cemented what, you might ask? Simple — while the 2023 season might still be in its relative infancy, the long-fabled — yet new-look — RCR team is turning heads in significant ways. Race trophies aren’t the only hardware the organization has its eyes set on, however.

It wants the Bill France Cup.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Talladega-1 weekend

The obvious major factor ushering in 2023’s success comes in the form of Kyle Busch, who claimed his second win under the RCR banner following his GEICO 500 victory at Talladega. And while the effort wasn’t necessarily a dominant one for the No. 8 RCR Chevrolet, it was definitely a notable one. After all, the win was not only the team’s 13th at the 2.66-miler but the first since Oct. 23, 2011, when now-FOX Sports broadcaster Clint Bowyer found Victory Lane over then-RCR teammate Jeff Burton. And for Busch himself, the Talladega win was, too, a throwback of sorts, winning there for only the second time in his Cup career and his first since April 27, 2008, in his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing.

“It’s awesome,” Busch said after the win. “I know they’ve (RCR) had a lot of superspeedway love for a long, long time. One of the best to ever do it was obviously one of the winningest ones. It’s fun to be able to come out here and be a part of this team and work with Randall (Burnett, crew chief) and all my guys. Pit stops today were fine. We were never really in a position to push hard, but we got everything to go our way and came out on top.”

Then, there’s Austin Dillon. While his 38th-place finish at Talladega wasn’t the performance he or RCR wanted, the upside certainly remains for the 32-year-old’s No. 3 team. A silver medal during the LA Clash (ahead of Busch’s bronze), preseason or otherwise, suggests as such.

WATCH: Late wrecks, multiple overtimes highlight Talladega spring race

Whether looking at a 62-time Cup Series winner in Busch or a potential breakout candidate in Dillon can all pivot back to the same junction: RCR can contend now. No one doubted the long-term viability of the two-driver tandem, really — bringing in the ninth-winningest driver in Cup Series history in Busch during the offseason was a move emphasizing the team’s hunger to vie for a championship in due time.

Instead, to some in preseason chatter, there were concerns about how quickly RCR could contend. Perhaps not this year, one could’ve argued — an adjustment for Busch would likely be in the works after being at JGR for 15 years. The Next Gen car’s sophomore season might have been another hurdle for Busch and Dillon alike, especially with Rowdy’s move from Toyota to Chevy. Perhaps 2024 was the year, instead.

However, a dramatic win for the team at Talladega instead put any need for doubting title contention to bed. While the team was certainly ready to contend in the future, it’s now ready to contend in the present. Busch’s two wins alone through 10 races is more than JGR has collectively put together thus far, and if Dillon’s ability to turn heads late in the season is any indicator, then perhaps both drivers could make significant noise come September, October and November. Time will tell, but so far, so good.

While barely a quarter of the 2023 season is complete, one driver has already left his mark with another having the potential to do so quickly. For RCR, the potential has already been highlighted, and if that ceiling continues to rise as the remainder of the season unfolds, then perhaps the team can have a chance to hoist its first driver championship since 1994 when Dale Earnhardt did so.

With plenty of season left, the options are endless for the entire field. In the case of RCR, however, one thing has already been proven — it’s here to stay.

Cement it.

Posted on by Zack Albert

TALLADEGA, Ala. — All’s fair in sharing among friends, and Bubba Wallace and Ryan Blaney have a deep-rooted relationship that dates back to their rise up the NASCAR ranks. With the stakes high at Talladega Superspeedway, the two longtime buddies had shared the lead for almost half of the Cup Series’ Sunday showdown but made contact that left both empty-handed in a double-overtime scramble.

The contest for the lead came down to the final lap of Sunday’s GEICO 500, and Wallace led at the drop of the white flag with Blaney in close quarters behind him. As Blaney attempted to mount a charge to the outside line through Turns 1 and 2, Wallace countered with multiple blocks to stem his progress.

RELATED: Official race results | At-track photos

Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford and Wallace’s No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota made repeated contact, which ended with Wallace’s car turned into the outside retaining wall. The collision also slowed Blaney enough to allow Kyle Busch’s No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to scoot into the lead. He was there when the caution period froze the field, relegating Blaney to second place.

Wallace finished 28th in the 38-car field, the first driver one lap down. He was evaluated and released after a quick check at the infield care center.

“Just got jumped by the 12. I pulled a late block – close, close, close block — and just that sent us around,” said Wallace, who led 35 laps — second only to Blaney’s 47. “Not the 12’s fault, just I honestly thought that he would leave me high and dry coming back around and so just hate it, hate it for my team. That’s how it goes. So that was our best, by far, (superspeedway) race that we’ve ever done, so hat’s off to the 23 group, Freddie (Kraft, his spotter) on top of the roof. Just a great day for us, just a crap result, so … hate it. I caused that one and man, I just thought it’d play out a little bit different, obviously not getting wrecked, but I thought the move would’ve happened coming off through the trioval.”

Blaney agreed with that version of events, saying he was in a difficult position where he couldn’t afford to stall out his momentum.

“I mean, it’s hard to block in these cars. I felt like he kind of triple-moved on me. Can’t really do that,” Blaney said. “I mean, he blocked the middle, blocked the bottom, blocked the top, and I’m there. I mean, I’m kind of there. It’s a shame he got turned, but I don’t know what else I can do besides slam on the brakes, and you can’t do that. So I’m not blaming anybody. I mean, it’s just hard racing. I mean, as the leader, I would have done the same thing, right? You’re trying to block and maintain the lead. So, but in second, I’ve gotta take every run I can get and keep my momentum. So yeah, just one of those things that stinks.”

MORE: Blaney expands on Wallace block

Both drivers are former Talladega winners, and the two looked the part again Sunday at various points. Wallace contended late, but spent most of his time up front during the first stage of the race. Blaney didn’t lead until the final stage, but that’s when his No. 12 Mustang was most stout.

As for their friendship, Blaney said those bonds only go so far during the pressure of competition.

“You never want to have someone turned off the front end of your nose, no matter what the situation is, and obviously you don’t want to do that to a friend,” Blaney said. “But you know, everyone’s competitors out there, and it’s not like I’m going to race Bubba any less hard than anyone else. We’re trying to beat him just as much as everybody else, so that definitely stinks when it’s your buddy. Maybe if it’s someone you don’t really like too much, you wouldn’t blink an eye at it, but when it’s your buddy, you’re just like, ‘Man, that just kind of stinks that one of us got turned.’ ”

Wallace had sidestepped Busch’s No. 8 as the pack flashed under the white flag as the deciding overtime wound down. The No. 12 of Blaney was in his mirror then, as it had been at other points of the final stage. He was among Wallace’s top choices as a partner in the aerodynamic draft.

“Oh, when I saw the 12, I was pumped,” Wallace said. “We work well together obviously, every speedway race and that’s just the way it goes. Not the 12’s fault at all.”

Blaney came away with his fourth finish in the top two in the last eight Talladega races. He also tied his season-best result, matching the runner-up effort he had at Phoenix in March.

But still lingering was another statistic that’s hounded him – a winless skid that now stands at 56 races, and the thought of what else can he do to shake it.

“Every single day,” Blaney said. “Every single day.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

TALLADEGA, Ala. – Kyle Busch is a Las Vegas native after all, so he was “all in” to stay on track instead of pitting for fuel during a pair of overtime restarts in the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway Sunday afternoon. And he ended up the big winner.

Busch’s No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet had just enough gas to make it back to the checkered flag as a half dozen other lead pack cars around him were collected in a multi-car accident while maneuvering forward to challenge for the lead on the final overtime lap.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Talladega

“We got to gamble,’’ Busch, 37, said he told his crew while contemplating whether to pit for fuel or stay in the lead pack for the final overtime restart – noting afterward he probably wouldn’t have been willing to be so daring if he hadn’t already earned a victory this season at Fontana. He didn’t even do a celebratory burnout after the race, convinced his Chevrolet didn’t have enough fuel at that point.

Busch and 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace exchanged the lead during the final two laps of the race but Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota was tagged by Ryan Blaney in the No. 12 Penske Racing Ford as those two vied for the lead just after the white flag flew, signaling one lap to go.

Wallace’s Toyota turned sideways, hit the wall and triggered a chain-reaction accident that eliminated several other of the frontrunning cars while the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Busch was able to continue forward and take his second win of the season and 62nd of this career. It’s Busch’s second career win at Talladega – the first coming 15 years (and 55 wins) ago.

“Sometimes you’ve got to be lucky, you know,’’ said a smiling Busch, who led only three laps in securing the RCR team its 13th Talladega victory. “Sometimes these races come down to that and you’ve got to take them when they come your way.

“The seas kind of parted there when they [Blaney and Wallace] went up the race track there,” Busch said. “They were trying to push-draft and these cars are just not stable enough to do that. I saw the 23 (Bubba Wallace) turn a little bit sideways, and I was like, ‘just get out of the way.’ “

Blaney, who led a race-best 47 of the 196 laps, looked poised to snap a 55-race winless streak at Talladega before the last lap incident. He was still able to continue after the contact with Wallace, but finished runner-up despite leading the most laps on the afternoon.

“It’s just you get big runs and you take them when you can,’’ Blaney said, noting of the contact with Wallace, “I’m glad everyone’s okay, but in my mind you can’t make a triple move like that, a triple block. You can’t block three times, I don’t know, the runs are so big and as the leader Bubba’s (Wallace) trying to block, which is the right thing to do. But I think he kinda moved three times. I got to go somewhere. I hate for cars to get torn up and I hate for us to be so close to the win.

“I’m not blaming anybody. It’s just hard racing at the end of this thing and unfortunate that cars got torn up and we missed out on another win.’’

Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver Chris Buescher finished third, followed by Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe and RFK owner-driver Brad Keselowski, who leads all current competitors with six career Talladega wins.

Legacy Motor Club’s Erik Jones, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez and Front Row Motorsports’ Todd Gilliland rounded out of the top 10.

It was by all accounts, the typical, hard-nosed, tight-quarter racing fans and drivers have come to expect at the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway. Sunday’s race featured 57 lead changes – the most at Talladega since 2011 (72 lead changes).

It was a markedly different top of the final leaderboard based on the afternoon’s efforts. SHR drivers Aric Almirola and Kevin Harvick each led 11 laps and ran among the front pack for most of the day, but were collected in a multi-car accident in the first overtime period. They finished 20th and 21st, respectively.

Wallace, whose 35 laps out front in his No. 23 Toyota finished 28th after the last lap accident.

Also noteworthy, Chase Elliott finished 12th and led seven laps – the first laps he’s led since returning to competition last week after missing six races recovering from a broken leg. Pole winner Denny Hamlin led seven laps on the day and finished 15th.

Ironically the race’s earlier mishaps didn’t happen from aggressive action on the race track but instead in slower miscues on pit road. Tyler Reddick spun his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota getting on pit road making his first stop of the race and only six laps later Briscoe spun his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford on pit road bringing out a yellow flag – only to recover and take that top-five finish.

MORE: Briscoe spins, gets stuck on pit road

Wallace, who earned his first career NASCAR Cup Series win here at Talladega in 2021, led the most laps (23) in Stage 1. But it was Hendrick Motorsports’ Elliott who ultimately drove forward to claim his first stage win of the season leading the final 11 laps.

There were 17 lead changes among nine drivers in Stage 2 – with Almirola moving out front in the final feet to the finish line to get around Elliott and claim that stage win.

As for the two victories in the opening 10 races of Busch’s tenure with Childress, the NASCAR Hall of Fame owner grinned.

“I think he’s helping us build RCR back up to where we want it to be,’’ said Childress, glancing with a smile at a bottle of race-winning champagne he brought to the winner’s press conference.

Christopher Bell maintains the NASCAR Cup Series championship lead by 11 points over Ross Chastain as the NASCAR Cup Series moves to the “Monster Mile” – Dover Motor Speedway – for the Würth 400 next Sunday at 1 p.m. (FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NOTE: Post-race inspection in the NASCAR Cup Series garage is complete with no issues. The Nos. 2, 5 and 45 are going back to the NASCAR R&D Center for inspections.

Posted on by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR Dover TV programming this week? We answer that and give the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR Dover TV schedule.

Note: All NASCAR Dover TV times are ET.

MORE: How to find USA Network | How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App | Watch on USA Network | Get the NBC Sports App | Watch on Peacock | FloRacing | How to watch NASCAR International

Monday, April 24
3 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Talladega (re-air), FS1
4 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (re-air), FS1
Noon, NASCAR Race Hub: 75 Years of Racing (re-air), FS2
1 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway (re-air), FS2
3 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Dover (re-air), FS1
8 p.m., NASCAR Presents: Beyond the Wheel (re-air), FS1

Tuesday, April 25
1:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway (re-air), FS1
4 a.m., ARCA Menards Series: General Tire 200 at Talladega Superspeedway (re-air), FS2
6 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway (re-air), FS2
8 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (re-air), FS2
11 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Talladega (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, Peacock

Wednesday, April 26
Midnight, NASCAR Cup Series: GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (re-air), FS1
3 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Dover (re-air), FS1
4 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Dover (re-air), FS2
5 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 75 Years of Racing (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, Peacock
7 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway (re-air), FS2
9 p.m., ARCA Menards Series: General Tire 200 at Talladega Superspeedway (re-air), FS2

Thursday, April 27
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, Peacock
9:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (re-air), FS2

Friday, April 28
12:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway (re-air), FS1
Noon, NASCAR Pace Lap, MAVTV
3 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series practice and qualifying at Dover Motor Speedway, FS1 (CANCELED)
3 p.m., NASCAR Pace Lap (re-air), MAVTV
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series practice and qualifying at Dover Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1

Saturday, April 29
6:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series practice and qualifying at Dover Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
10:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice at Dover Motor Speedway, FS2
11 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying at Dover Motor Speedway, FS1 (QUALIFYING CANCELED)
12:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Xfinity Series at Dover, FS1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: A-GAME 200 at Dover Motor Speedway, FS1
3 p.m., NASCAR Weekly Racing at Florence Motor Speedway, FloRacing
4 p.m., NASCAR Weekly Racing at Berlin Raceway, FloRacing
5 p.m., NASCAR Weekly Racing at Langley Speedway, FloRacing
5:30 p.m., ARCA Menards Series East: General Tire 125 at Dover Motor Speedway, FloRacing
6:05 p.m., NASCAR season opener at All American Speedway, FloRacing
6:05 p.m., NASCAR Opening Night at Jennerstown Speedway, FloRacing
7 p.m., NASCAR Weekly Racing at Hickory Motor Speedway, FloRacing
7:50 p.m., NASCAR Weekly Racing at Bowman Gray Stadium, FloRacing

On PRN:
1 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: A-GAME 200 at Dover Motor Speedway

Sunday, April 30
6 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying at Dover Motor Speedway (re-air), FS2
11 a.m., ARCA Menards Series West: NAPA Auto Parts BlueDEF 150 at Kern County Raceway Park (re-air), CNBC
Noon, NASCAR RaceDay: Dover, FS1
PPD, NASCAR Cup Series: Würth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway, FS1

On PRN:
PPD, NASCAR Cup Series: Würth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway

Editor’s note: The NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway will run at 12 p.m. ET on Monday, May 1 on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on by Sean Montgomery

In the midst of his 14th year full time at the NASCAR Cup Series level, Brad Keselowski, the 2012 series champion, knows it takes every ounce to consistently have the best performance in pursuit of a title — especially in a time where teams are still trying to find their footing with the Next Gen cars.

According to Keselowski, things like playoff urgency, a more equal mechanical playing field and other vital factors all play a role in the fiery racing on display each week.

“The NASCAR Next Gen car is a pretty good shift in the paradigm of racing and the margins of competition are lower and everybody is searching for any advantage they can find,” Keselowski said in an interview with NASCAR.com. “Some of that comes with some really difficult ethical decisions on how you wanna compete. But it is the reality of the racing that I think NASCAR expects to see and its fans expect to see. We’d all like to have the racing where it’s super respectful and so forth, but I don’t know if that’s really possible given the landscape of NASCAR with the Next Gen car and the playoffs and everything else.

“All the formats, and the layouts of the cars, the stages and all that and the yellow flags — all of this is made to make the racing super intense and to really throw respect out the window and it’s working.”

Respect, or lack thereof, seems to be one of the frequent themes throughout the garage, most notably from Kyle Busch at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and it’s not a topic of conversation limited to on-track competition.

Earlier this week, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and JTG Daughterty Racing confirmed the Daytona 500 winning pit crew for the No. 47 team would be heading over to the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford and Chris Buescher.

For Stenhouse, who is on a roll with three top-eight finishes in the last four races, the development was a disappointing one. He made that clear.

Since the pit crews for the No. 47 are fielded by RFK Racing, Keselowski discussed the change and mentioned that it was a minor issue that Stenhouse could have reached out about, personally.

‘Yeah, I wish he would have talked to me if he had a problem,” Keselowski said in an at-track interview Saturday. “I’m really proud of the pit crews we have at RFK, we don’t just do the 6 and the 17. As you know, we do the 47 and the 38 as well, which is a super intentional move to add more depth to what we have on pit road and to be able to amortize the costs. And you know, I think over the years we’ve really provided some really good pit crews for other teams and it serves really everybody you know, to be able to use those resources across multiple teams.

“But in the 47 car I think we’ve provided some really great pit crews for them I would say, won Daytona 500 this year and then the 34 car two years ago, so lots to be proud of some really good people there but we’re always making adjustments. Always trying to get better.”

Keselowski also mentioned that adjustments to crew members are made fluidly throughout the season and based on individual chemistry as much as the crew performing well as a unit.

“We made adjustments for that team to start the year, made adjustments for that team last week and made adjustments for that team this week. So not really sure why it’s a story this week. I guess it is so we’re gonna continue to make adjustments to field the best pit crews we can across all four teams that we have on any given week. And you know, I think our intentions are sincere in doing that.”

Both pit crews will have their first post-swap test in Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (3 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

FANTASY: Don’t forget to set your lineup | Read this week’s advice

As one of the sport’s integral driver-owners, Keselowski realizes the difficulty of decision-making at the highest level. From crew changes to diverse track types, the 39-year-old veteran realizes the challenge of finding balance within his own team and organization. And despite his decade’s worth of knowledge, the sport is an ever-changing landscape.

For example, the most diverse premier series schedule in quite some time.

“There’s a significant difference in the continuity of the schedule from today to when I joined the sport as a Cup driver 12 or 13 years ago,” Keselowski said. “You know, I feel like we had too much continuity at that time, and today you could argue we don’t have enough. But that’s probably subjective. It’s certainly a different challenge.”

But so far, both RFK cars have risen to the challenge and made big strides from this point last season — Keselowski’s inaugural season with the group. And though they’re still searching for their first win, both cars are in position to point their way into the playoffs.

CUP SERIES: Current standings | Full season schedule, buy tickets

“But that’s not where we want to be,” Keselowski told NASCAR.com. “We want to be winning races. Winning races is really the key in this sport and I feel like there’s been a few weeks where we’ve been in position and a few weeks where we haven’t. That’s kinda frustrating but this [upcoming] stretch is a good stretch for us. Talladega, specifically. We just need to go execute these races.

“If we can do that, we’ll keep ourselves in a good position. I think we can win.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Sunday marked a milestone 800th NASCAR Cup Series start for Kevin Harvick. The 47-year-old veteran accomplished the feat after taking the green flag during the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 23 (3 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Harvick became the 10th driver to reach 800 starts, joining Richard Petty, Ricky Rudd, Dave Marcis, Terry Labonte, Mark Martin, Kyle Petty, Bill Elliott, Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Gordon. The 2014 Cup Series champion also became the fifth-youngest driver to achieve 800 starts.

RELATED: Drivers with 600 or more starts | Talladega weekend schedule

“I think I’ve taken pretty good care of myself throughout the years to make myself durable through all the travel and time and things you put into doing this,” Harvick said in a team press release. “Being able to adapt and adjust to new things and new people, and being honest with people in situations, and sticking up for yourself when you think something’s right, and having those traits and the ability to have people who will accept those things because they know that you put a lot of thought and effort into what you’re doing.”

“The King” is the only driver to win his 800th start. Petty achieved the feat in 1979 at Dover Motor Speedway.

In 44 starts prior to Sunday at Talladega’s 2.66-mile superspeedway, Harvick owns one win (spring 2010) and 19 top 10s.

When Harvick completes his 23rd and final season in November at Phoenix Raceway, he will get to 826 starts, which will put him eighth on the all-time list surpassing Gordon and Waltrip.

“Well, I didn’t even know if I’d get to one,” Harvick said. “When you think about 800 races and you try to put it into perspective, you really start adding the years up. It’s a really wide body of work, and I think that’s what I’m the most proud of. Through those 800 starts, it’s not like we started the year cashing checks and just riding around. We’ve been competitive, racing at the front of the pack, leading laps and having the chance to win races. For me, that’s the thing that I’m most proud of, and I think from your colleagues and people from other race teams, they see that body of work and being competitive across that long period of time.

“You hear it all the time, ‘I can’t believe they’ve been that competitive for that long.’ And to me, that’s the part I’m most proud of, being able to do this at a high level for such a long time.”

ICYMI: Harvick to retire, head to FOX Sports booth after season

Posted on by Brandon White

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — For most of Saturday’s season-opening Hayes Jewelers 200 at Bowman Gray Stadium, it appeared Tim Brown would finally end a prolonged winless drought.

The defending track champion earned his 12th title without visiting Victory Lane once during the 2022 season, yet the veteran resembled his efficient form by leading every lap from the pole up until the closing stages.

Contact with Danny Bohn ended a perfect evening for Brown on an abrupt and sour note, while also allowing 10-time Bowman Gray Stadium champion Burt Myers to collect his 89th career victory at the track in front of the always-exuberant crowd.

Myers was a spectator to the on-track feud between Brown and Bohn. Once the two knocked each other out of the groove in Turn 3, nothing impeded Myers from driving away with the win.

“This might be one of the sweetest ones I’ve gotten,” Myers said. “I’ve lost races that way, so to finally win one that way feels really good. We had the best car tonight, but Tim was in the catbird’s seat to win the race. I saw it coming, and I was hoping we’d come out on the best end of it and we did.”

A long-time fan favorite at Bowman Gray, Myers admitted his triumph in the Hayes Jewelers 200 was cathartic in many aspects.

Despite finding Victory Lane four times in 2022, Myers struggled to build consistency and had to settle for a disappointing fifth-place finish in the Modified point standings. Not satisfied with his overall performance, Myers worked diligently over the offseason to ensure he could better capitalize on his wins moving forward.

The prestigious Hayes Jewelers 200 was exactly what Myers needed to showcase the speed of his cars. Myers has always favored the longer, more grueling features at Bowman Gray, and he knew he was in a great position to open 2023 on a convincing note.

Myers constantly stayed in Brown’s rearview mirror during the Hayes Jewelers 200 and was unsure if the right opportunity would come about to take the victory for himself.

Brown attempting to retaliate on Bohn for contact on a restart gave Myers the opening for which he was looking.

“Danny moved [Tim] out wide and drove under him,” Myers said. “When we got back [to Turn 3], Tim moved him out of the way and when he did, he got in hot enough and I was able to drive by both of them.”

Following the contact, Bohn recovered to come home with a second-place finish behind Myers while Brown ended up getting stuck on the high lane during the final sprint, forcing him to settle for 10th.

Bohn said there was no other way for him to take advatange of Brown’s sluggish short run speed and was left frustrated over Brown’s decision to respond against a move he has seen unfold numerous times in his career at Bowman Gray.

“[Tim] was tight during those first three or four laps on the restart,” Bohn said. “With no outside [line], the only way you can get by [someone] is to shoot the hole or put the bumper to him. I didn’t wreck him, I moved him up a groove and then he drove me down in the grass and then tried to wreck me in Turn 3.”

While Bohn reflected over the final laps of the Hayes Jewelers 200, Myers was ecstatic about earning another accomplishment at the track that defined his career.

Earning an 11th championship is the furthest thing from Myers’ mind now. Two 25-lap features are up next for the Modifieds on Apr. 29, but Myers is confident he can excel in those sprints while also carrying over the momentum from the Hayes Jewelers into the rest of Bowman Gray’s big events.

“We hang our hat on [these big races],” Myers said. “It makes us proud as a team to know that we are not out there just running a 25-lap sprint. We’ve won the big one and this is our Daytona 500. [It was great to] win this tonight in the exciting fashion we did. I think you could see I had them on their feet.”

Brandon Ward ended up placing third at the end of a wild 200-lap feature. Rounding out the Top 5 were Chris Fleming and James Civali.

OTHER NOTES:

  • In the 40-lap Sportsman feature, polesitter Chase Robertson had to come from the 10th starting position following a full field redraw. It did not take long for Robertson to make his way up through the field before passing Zack Ore to open the 2023 season with a victory at Bowman Gray. He then quickly departed the track to attend his high school prom.
  • There were two races for the Stadium Stock division. Isaac Harris took home the checkered flag in the first feature while Blaine Curry claimed the second event.
  • A chaotic Street Stock feature wrapped up an eventful season opener at Bowman Gray Stadium. Brad Lewis took home the checkered flag.
Posted on by Zack Albert

TALLADEGA, Ala. — The process of elimination in the Dash 4 Cash contest within Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race netted out with Cole Custer leaving Talladega Superspeedway $100,000 richer.

Custer outlasted the rest of the Dash 4 Cash bonus-eligible field in Saturday’s Ag-Pro 300, placing fourth after surviving 10 caution periods and a double-overtime finish. His fellow contenders for the Xfinity payday — Josh Berry, John Hunter Nemechek and Sammy Smith — all finished 30th or worse after crashes sidelined them in the final stage.

RELATED: Race results | Weekend schedule

Custer said he was involved in just one of the yellow flags, and the scraped-up right side of his No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford would attest, but he said he was thankful for his third consecutive top-five finish and the oversized check that went with it.

“I mean, it’s nice to have a little bit of luck,” Custer said. “You know, I’ve been on the wrong side of luck and a lot of times on these superspeedways, so it’s nice to have a little bit and come out on top of that. But we had a solid car, we raced up front for a little bit there and just guys did a solid job. And you know, we fought hard with it with the damage, the little bit that we had.”

Berry was in position to be the six-figure winner, and the JR Motorsports driver seemed to be living a charmed life after a big save through Turn 4 in the 94th of 121 laps. Just six laps later, he was done, gobbled up in the same corner in a major stack-up behind Ryan Truex’s No. 19 Toyota that also eliminated his JRM teammates Sam Mayer and Justin Allgaier.

“It looked like the 19 hesitated a little bit on the block on Sam, and Sam kind of had to check and got a little loose and we were right there and we all just piled into each other,” said Berry, who ended up 30th. “Just kind of an up-and-down day for us. I think we got to the front several times. We just had trouble staying in there for various different reasons, but all in all, I hate to get tore up like that.”

The two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers who were eligible for the bonus met a similar fate. Smith had the worst finish of the foursome, with a crash that ended his day after just 63 laps. His No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was in close competition with the No. 9 JRM Chevrolet of Brandon Jones, when Smith’s car veered left off Turn 2 and crunched into the inside retaining barrier. Smith finished 33rd.

“Either the 9 hit me or just got me really loose, I’m not sure,” Smith said after a quick check at the infield care center. “I never was getting loose at all up top. I haven’t seen a replay so I’m not gonna say anything, but a frustrating day.”

Nemechek’s charge lasted just 18 laps longer, and he wound up just one position better than Smith in the finishing order. A wayward lane change across the start/finish line in front of JGR teammate Truex’s No. 19 sent Nemechek’s No. 20 Supra skidding to the apron and into hard, flush contact with the inside wall.

The final event in the four-race series comes next Saturday at Dover Motor Speedway (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM). Drivers eligible for the $100,000 bonus are Talladega race winner Jeb Burton, runner-up Sheldon Creed, third-place finishing Parker Kligerman and Custer.

Posted on by Holly Cain

TALLADEGA, Ala. – It was the kind of hard-nosed, impatient – and thrilling – competition that NASCAR fans have come to expect in the final laps of racing at Talladega Superspeedway. In the end, Jeb Burton took the checkered flag on a double overtime restart to claim the victory in Saturday’s Ag-Pro 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race.

The victory was the Virginia native Burton’s second in this Spring event on the 2.66-mile Talladega high banks – both his career wins have come there – and he earned it by being fast, patient and, at times, truly fortunate. His No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet led 20 of the race’s 121 laps on the afternoon, won the second stage and, most importantly, was able to hold off Sheldon Creed by a mere 0.113 seconds to earn the team its first-ever NASCAR Xfinity Series win.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Talladega 

Burton, 30, the son of 2002 Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton, was hoarse after the race, having used his voice instead to scream congratulations to his team on the radio on the cool-down lap. It was a big afternoon-turned-evening for all involved.

“Man, I’m pumped up and out of breath from yelling,” Burton said, grinning. “These guys have made racing fun for me again.”

The fans were on their feet in the grandstands as the field filed up for the final restart; both Burton and Creed racing for their first wins of the season, and most of the remaining top-10 drivers racing for the first win of their careers.

“I let the 27 [Burton] get way out there and had the 00 [Cole Custer] on me getting ready for a big run,” said Creed, who was in front of Burton when the last caution came out, but the field was set according to the last scoring line and that went in Burton’s favor allowing him first choice on lane selection for that final restart.

“Nonetheless, a great day,” he added. “Plate racing is not my best, and I’ve been trying to get better at it. Happy to get Whelen Manufacturing a good finish. We’ve been up and down this year, so just to have a solid day like that is really good for us.”

Big Machine Racing’s Parker Kligerman finished third, with Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer and JD Motorsports’ Brennan Poole rounding out the top five.

Caesar Baccarella was sixth in the Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet – his best career finish in part-time starts since 2017. Parker Retzlaff was seventh, followed by Gray Gaulding, Joey Gase and Josh Williams, who all earned their first top-10 finishes of the season.

The dramatic race ending was indicative of the afternoon – restarts and close-quarter racing. Two red flags slowed the event – a result of multi-car incidents that have become characteristic of this style of competition.

Twelve cars were involved in an accident with three laps remaining – including then-leader Daniel Hemric who ended up upside down against the wall. A red flag was thrown while the safety crew got Hemric out of the No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevy, and Hemric waved to the crowd, walking to the ambulance on his own.

“Just got too far out, it looks like,” Hemric said, watching his accident on video replay afterward. “For sure, late on the block there. I committed – there had been so much give and take on the day.”

MORE: ‘Big One’ takes out numerous contenders

Driver Blaine Perkins was transported to a local medical facility in an abundance of caution after being involved in the first accident to bring out a red flag. He and Dexter Stacey’s cars collided just before the second stage break, and Perkins’ car flipped over multiple times. Both drivers climbed out of their cars on their own.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Custer won the Talladega Dash 4 Cash $100,000 check with a fourth-place finish – the only one of the four eligible for the bonus to finish the race. With that effort, he, race winner Burton, Creed and Kligerman are eligible for the bonus in next weekend’s final of the four Dash 4 Cash events at Dover Motor Speedway.

“It’s nice to have a little bit of luck, I’ve been on the wrong side of that many times at these superspeedway races,” said Custer, driver of the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, adding, “This is the happiest I’ve ever been running fourth.”

Austin Hill, who leads the series with three wins, reclaimed the NASCAR Xfinity Series points lead by four points over John Hunter Nemechek, who finished 32nd. Brett Moffitt’s 20 laps out front were the most among the 12 leaders.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to competition next week in the A-GAME 200 at Dover Motor Speedway on Saturday (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Note: Post-race inspection is complete without issues. The No. 02 will be taken back to R&D for further inspection after its accident.