Posted on by Pat DeCola

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Two Smiths, one Rhodes and a guy named ‘Ty’ that keeps on winning — the Camping World Truck Series Championship 4 was set on Saturday afternoon at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Defending series champion Ben Rhodes was the last driver to clinch his championship-contending spot in next month’s finale at Phoenix Raceway, turning in a sixth-place effort that was just enough to hold off third-place finisher Stewart Friesen for the final transfer spot by a single point. He’ll be joined by Saturday’s winner and fellow ThorSport driver Ty Majeski — who clinched his position with a victory at Bristol Motor Speedway last month — along with Chandler Smith and Zane Smith at the Nov. 4 Lucas Oil 150 (10 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: Majeski wins Miami; Champ 4 set | Full results

“Had a lot of frustration (racing my teammates),” Rhodes said with a relieved smile on pit road after the race. “I had a blow-up on the radio at the end of the race, but I wouldn’t expect anything different because my teammates are good competitors. The Truck Series, it just is what it is. It’s hard racing. It’s why I think it’s the best racing in NASCAR. I really do.

” … and I knew it was close; they were filling me in. They told me that Stewart had, you know, he couldn’t exactly catch the guy in front of him, but I had to pass my teammate and then somehow hold both of them off behind me. And they’re dragging me through the pack. They’re trying to pull slide jobs. They’re doing everything they could to take it, and it was just really difficult. I was frustrated, but at the same time, I’m happy now because it’s all wiped clean.”

For Friesen, it’s a frustrating end to his best season since his lone Championship 4 appearance in 2019, winning his first race (Texas Motor Speedway) since that campaign and improving across the board following somewhat underwhelming 2020 and 2021 seasons.

“That’s how she goes, right? I’ve been around a while. And there’ll be more good days; there’ll be more frustrating days,” Friesen said. “I’m just proud of my group. That’s what we take home, and I’m proud of Chris Larsen, Halmar and my family. And that’s something that we hang our hats on. It’s our family and our guys. We’ll l keep digging. I mean, we’re gonna keep trying over the winter. We totally revamped our fab shop in the last two weeks. So we can do just about damn near anything now. Our guys are some of the best, and we’re gonna be hopefully around for a while and be a force here the next couple years.”

Also eliminated were two-time 2022 winner John Hunter Nemechek, Lucas Oil Raceway winner Grant Enfinger and another ThorSport driver in Christian Eckes.

Nemechek, arguably the best driver in the series the past two seasons, saw his title hopes washed away almost immediately on Saturday, scraping the wall twice in Stage 1 and eventually being forced to pit for a flat tire. He entered the race just five points below Rhodes but finished 35th in the 36-truck field, six laps off the pace.

“The first time I hit the fence, I got dirtied up in dirty air trying to roll to the outside of the 52 (of Friesen) carrying a lot of speed and then tried to make back, probably a little bit too much and too close to the time period and hit the fence again and had a tire go down,” Nemechek said. “I don’t know. Gotta figure out how to be better. Frustration. Should be in the (Championship) 4. This round hasn’t been very good to us; we spun, hit the fence at Bristol during practice, had to go to the backup truck and got behind. We tried to fight (today) and fought probably a little bit too hard.”

Enfinger had issues of his own, heading to pit road on Lap 80 after his own flat tire and brush with the wall. He wound up 14th, one lap down.

Eckes fared reasonably well (seventh) but entered the race three points below Rhodes and stayed on the wrong side of the bubble.

The consensus seems to be that Majeski will be the man to beat at Phoenix, but it also gives Rhodes an opportunity to not only back up his first career title last year — but perhaps top one of the most notably raucous, light-beer fueled post-championship celebrations in recent memory.

“I’m gonna relax in other ways (tonight) because I’m so focused on Phoenix,” Rhodes said. “We get to Phoenix (and win), though, and you’re gonna see a celebration like none other.”

Posted on by Pat DeCola

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — On the west side of Florida, there’s a watermelon farm included among the many parties still picking up the pieces from last month’s Category 4 Hurricane Ian. On the opposite coast just a hair under 200 miles away, a driver that grew up on said farm is hoping he can give his family a bit of a break and a few reasons to smile before getting back to a cleanup and rebuild process that “is going to be for years.”

Though not comparable in any way to the seriousness of the devastation caused by Ian, Ross Chastain’s 2022 emergence has been, proverbially, as disruptive to the NASCAR Cup Series’ “old guard” as he’s burst onto the scene this season to turn in career highs in just about every statistical measure. As such, the two-time 2022 winner enters Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) as the Round of 8 competitor best positioned to advance to the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway.

Not bad for a driver that’s never even sniffed a playoff appearance before this season, let alone a win.

“A lot of my family is here for my race and Chad’s (Chastain’s brother) race this weekend. They’re just like ‘we’re ready to take a break,’ “ Chastain said Saturday morning at Homestead. “… They just wanted to come enjoy the race and it’ll all be there on Monday when we drive back. But they just keep telling me that I won’t believe it when I do see it, even when I come back after Phoenix at some point. They are like, you will not be able to comprehend what it looks like. It just looks like another country; something you would see on the news, on TV or online.

“For the farm, we pretty much survived. There’s some damage and some pull barns are down, but our main facility stayed up and offices are in working order. We’ll be shipping watermelons just like we always have.”

For much of the season, Chastain has found himself in the eye of the storm on the race track — most often of his own doing — with much speculation and weekly prompts from media about potential retribution from his many run-ins with front-of-the-field drivers. Yet here he is, methodically turning in solid performance after solid performance in the playoffs, slipping through the crosshairs of his competitors with as good a chance to advance as any of the other seven Round of 8 drivers not locked into Phoenix.

The No. 1 Trackhouse Racing driver isn’t unaware of any of this, knowing he had to evolve as the season progressed if he wanted to make a legitimate title run. And he’s doing it.

“I think that is what is so great about this sport, is that every seven days we pack up and move the circus to another town and we do it all again,” Chastain said. “I feel like I am in a good spot in the garage. The summer was definitely tough, and I learned a lot from a lot of that and we will continue to learn and evolve throughout this sport and this series. It’s incredible to race against your heroes, but it’s kind of odd and humbling when your heroes get mad at you. So, it’s been a learning experience for sure.”

One of those heroes — and perhaps most notable among his ’22 foes — is Denny Hamlin.

There was a period earlier this season where it seemed the Nos. 1 and 11 cars could not escape each other, with aggression running high, tempers poking through and payback surely coming Chastain’s way come playoff time delivered by one of NASCAR’s most tenured drivers.

But we haven’t seen that yet – and we may not at all.

Knowing he has a promising Cup career ahead of him and that sudden powerhouse Trackhouse Racing is “not just a flash in the pan,” Chastain wanted to ensure that he found some mutual respect or at least common ground with some of those he’d earned the ire of.

So he shared a meal with the 48-time Cup Series winner.

MORE: Chastain battles Hamlin at Pocono | Chastain explains Atlanta incident

“I won’t elaborate too much on it, but, you know, I wanted to kind of give him the benefit of the doubt and kind of hear where he was coming from,” Hamlin said Saturday of the summer meeting with Chastain, which the Joe Gibbs Racing driver recently revealed on former Cup driver Danica Patrick’s podcast. “And it was interesting to kind of hear, you know, his upbringing versus my upbringing and why we probably have different values on the race track than what we do, and so it was just good to hear that.”

ross chastain races denny hamlin
Getty Images

Now, don’t go ahead and assume these two will exactly “play nice” with each other — there’s a strong possibility they’ll each be battling for their first Cup title in two weeks’ time, and all bets are off there — but the respect of his elders obviously matters to Chastain, even if he doesn’t always appear to outwardly display it.

MORE: Revisiting regular-season rivalries

Like Hamlin, Chastain doesn’t come from a pureblood “racing family,” having to grind his way to the top along a winding career path full of twists, turns, teams and a whopping 402 mostly unfruitful (pun semi-intended) national series starts before 2022.

Earning respect on the race track is a difficult task when a driver is forced to scratch, claw and bump his way to the top — against the very same people he’s trying to earn the respect of. These are all stepping stones in that evolution process, however, and he’s literally grown up right in front of our eyes this season to round into the championship form behind the wheel and behind the microphone that we’re currently seeing.

“We are known in South Florida for farming and agriculture. We are not known for racing. The Chastain family is not a namesake in the sport, so I didn’t come in with a predisposed reputation of my dad,” Chastain said. “My dad raced locally down here in South Florida, but it wasn’t on this stage. So, we have built up our fanbase kind of at a grassroots level through the Melon Man Brand and through my racing in the last decade in this sport. … Along the way, I didn’t do myself any favors in those moments in the summer when the spotlight was on us, and I got out and my post-race interviews were not appealing. I look back and I wouldn’t root for that guy. That guy drives one way and he talks another, and he doesn’t know what he wants and he apologizes. So yeah, I get it and that is part of the evolution, I think.”

And that’s all he can do — own up to his mistakes, learn from them and try to get better tomorrow. It’s refreshing for a driver to openly talk about this much in-season introspection, and it likely bodes extremely well for the long-term prospects of his racing career.

“I take each lap and build my notebook throughout the weekend, my race, my career and my life,” said Chastain, set to roll off 20th on Sunday. “ … But it feels good … it feels really good to see the smiles of my family and friends. Guys that let me drive race cars when I was 14 years old. There were only a few that weren’t my dad and a couple of those guys are here. Just enjoying the weekend living out all of our dreams of racing in the Cup Series. It was their dreams, too, and they’re living it through me.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Ty Majeski took a big step to solidify himself as the championship favorite with a victory in Saturday’s Baptist Health Cancer Care 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway – the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ penultimate event to set the Championship 4 field for the 2022 title race in two weeks.

The 28-year-old Wisconsin native led a race-best 67 of 134 laps, his No. 66 ThorSport Racing Toyota Tundra crossing the finish line a convincing 4.524 seconds ahead of Zane Smith’s No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford.

RELATED: Official results | Weekend schedule

Behind Majeski, it was a tight and valiant rush to the checkered flag to set the four-driver final. Stewart Friesen finished third, but ultimately missed making the Championship 4 by a single point – as reigning series champion Ben Rhodes turned in a sixth-place run to secure that position — all he needed.

Majeski, Zane Smith, Chandler Smith and Rhodes will now race for the big trophy on Nov. 4 at Phoenix Raceway.

Saturday’s work at the 1.5-mile Homestead oval marked Majeski’s series-best second win of the playoffs and second win of his young career. He makes the Championship 4 in only his first year competing full-time in the series and smiled, saying he doubted if anyone had him penciled in for the championship round.

Majeski said he had no idea what the points situation was behind him. “I knew it was close,’’ he said, adding that he holds a lot of confidence in his ThorSport team for the season finale.

Ty Majeski celebrates in Victory Lane at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Sean Gardner | Getty Images

“We certainly have momentum on our side winning two of the last three,’’ Majeski said. “I can’t really say who the favorite is and who isn’t. But I really like my chances going to Phoenix.”

Zane Smith, 23, the regular season champion, is a three-race winner this season and will be making his third run at the championship – the most final-four appearances among the 2022 title-eligible drivers.

Chandler Smith, 20, a three-race winner in the Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota, finished 10th on Saturday and will be making his debut in the Championship 4. He is the defending Phoenix race winner.

Rhodes, 25, who won on Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt track, will be defending his title. It’s only the second time he’s advanced to the Playoffs’ final round and it was a tense afternoon for the driver of the No. 99 ThorSport Toyota.

“Fighting with my teammates really hard there for the last few laps,’’ Rhodes said. “Every spot matters and we got in by one point. I’m just really happy we had a good showing for this Toyota Tundra.

“Really happy to have an intense race for them, give them some excitement,” Rhodes said of guests this weekend.  “But man, it was harder than it should have been. Just glad we can defend the title really. ‘’

Ryan Preece finished fourth, followed by Corey Heim. Rhodes, his teammate and fellow playoff competitive Christian Eckes, former series champion Matt Crafton, Parker Kligerman and Chandler Smith rounded out the top 10.

MORE: At-track photos: Homestead

Friesen, Eckes, Grant Enfinger and John Hunter Nemechek were the four drivers who did not advance to the postseason’s final round. Enfinger essentially needed to win the race to move on, but he suffered a tire problem midway through the race and never recovered, ultimately finishing 14th.

Nemechek also had a long, rough afternoon. He hit the wall in the No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota and had to pit two different times for cut tires that ultimately left him six laps down. He finished 35th in the 36-truck field.

“Frustrating day, just can’t recover two, three laps,’’ Nemechek said in a post-race interview. “On me. But proud of all the guys at KBM. It’s been an up-and-down season, but overall we’ve been in contention almost every week. Proud of them and grateful for the opportunity.

“Sucks we won’t be racing for the championship,’’ Nemechek added. “But one last race to go win with this bunch and hopefully we can go get it done.’’

The trucks have an off-week next week and return Nov. 4 for the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix Raceway (10 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Chandler Smith is the defending race winner.

Note: Inspection is complete in the Truck Series garage with no issues, confirming Majeski as the winner and locking in the Championship 4 for Phoenix.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Sean Montgomery

Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
(⏰ 2:30 p.m. ET | 📺 NBC, NBC Sports App | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead, the eighth playoff race of the 2022 campaign.

Where: Homestead, Florida
Approximate start time: 2:30 p.m. ET | Weekend schedule
TV/Radio: NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio | Full TV schedule
The purse: $7,342,738
Forecast: Sunny, with a high near 84 degrees, according to NOAA.gov | Weather tracker
Race distance: 267 laps | 400.5 miles
Stages: 80 | 165 | 267
Pit-road speed: 45 mph
Caution car speed: 55 mph
Homestead 101: Get the full lowdown
Starting lineup: Byron earns first pole of 2022
Pit stalls: Where drivers will pit on Sunday
Playoff grid: Print yours now
Cars to the rear: Nos. 7 and 38 for unapproved adjustments

Key things to watch 🔑

Big story line

Joey Logano claimed the first ticket to Phoenix with his win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, leaving seven contenders to fight for three spots in the remaining two races leading up to the Championship 4. Only one driver will be able to wiggle his way in on points, putting a bigger premium on relieving that stress with a win this Sunday. Although it has been the site of many championship races in the past, the track’s February date in 2021 means there have been nearly two full seasons since Cup Series drivers have worked their way around the 1.5-mile South Florida favorite. It will be important for playoff drivers and teams to put forth their best effort of the season in practice and qualifying to avoid starting behind the 8 ball. There aren’t many points left you can leave on the table.

Who’s hot? Who’s not? 

Expected to make an early Round of 16 exit, Chase Briscoe has been proving he is a serious contender for the Cup Series championship. Briscoe is the only playoff driver with four consecutive top-10 finishes, doubling his total from the first 30 races of the season. One setback may be Briscoe’s lack of experience racing Cup Series drivers at Homestead-Miami Speedway, only making one start at the track. But with a Miami win in the Truck Series and Xfinity Series on his resume, don’t count out the talented young driver on Sunday as he aims to complete the premier series trifecta.

After reeling off an impressive top-10 streak at the beginning of the playoffs, William Byron‘s speed has waned a bit and leaves him on the outside looking in regarding points. The No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team finished 12th or worse at Talladega Superspeedway, the Charlotte Roval and last week at Las Vegas. If the trend continues, Byron will see his title hopes fade quickly after some other contenders have picked up the pace. Fortunately for Byron and company, he won at Homestead last year and has scored crucial points in five of the eight stages at the track. Look for them to flip the switch this weekend.

Driving under the radar

Make no mistake, Tyler Reddick’s announcement on his shift to 23XI Racing in 2023 hasn’t slowed down the No. 8 team one bit. Though they were eliminated from the playoffs, Reddick and the gang have been routine contenders nearly every week, finishing eighth or better three times in the last four races. Focus will be on playoff drivers in the remaining portion of the schedule, but if there is anything to be said from a non-playoff driver, the rising star is surely at the top of the list. He finished runner-up at Homestead in 2021.

Cars race around the track as the sun sets.
Robert Laberge | Getty Images

Race-day staples ✅

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• Paint Scheme Preview: Sun, sand and schemes | Pick a favorite
• Power Rankings: Chastain knocking on the Championship 4 door | Updated driver rankings
• NASCAR betting: Favorites, long shots for Sunday’s race | Underdogs, value bets
• Fantasy Fastlane: Hamlin is headlining Homestead fantasy | Must starts, sleepers
• Backseat Drivers: Crunch time for Blaney and Bell | Watch the segment

Catch the pack 💨

Read up on the top headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.

• Suspension: Bubba Wallace issues one-race suspension after Vegas | Read more | Apology
• Do it for Dale: NC man buys 3 lottery tickets, wins big prize | Read more
• RFTC: Kyle Busch opens up on relationship with Joe Gibbs | Read more
• Elliott’s focus: Chase Elliott is keeping his eyes on the ‘ultimate prize’ | Read more
• Boys & Girls Club: NASCAR helping create digital content and experiences | Read more
• Silly Season: Spire taps LaJoie, Ty Dillon for 2023 lineup | Read more
• Humanitarian Award: Finalists announced, voting open now | Learn more, vote
• Partnership news: Chicago Street Race announces new partner | Read more

Get in on the action 💰

Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.

• Fantasy preview: Top tips, strong picks for Sunday’s race | Hear the advice
• BetMGM: Chase Elliott pulling in the most bets | Sunday’s betting outlook
• The Action Network: Betting Logano vs. Blaney | Expert betting insight
• Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2022 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | New rules for playoffs
• Going all the way: 2022 Cup Series championship odds | See them here

Miami moments 🏝

From championship crownings to regular-season rumbles, Homestead has a rich racing history. 

• Pace out front: Top 10 lap leaders at Homestead-Miami | See full list
• Winner, winner: All-time winners at Homestead-Miami | Who has the most?
• Last year: William Byron puts on a South Florida show | 2021 race recap
• Race Rewind: Byron dominates Miami race late | Full highlights

Fast facts ⏩

Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• There are only two past champions in the Round of 8, the fewest in playoff history.
• The last 10 races of 2022 were won by 10 different drivers.
• Since the last race at Miami, there have been 66 races with 24 drivers winning in between.
• Chase Briscoe won at Miami in both Xfinity (June 2020) and Trucks (November 2017).
• In the last two races, the pole winner from the week prior won the race.

Say what? 🎙

Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.

• “Homestead for me has been a great racetrack. It’s really how I got my start to go Cup racing. I filled in for Richard Petty Motorsports back in 2010 and I finished fourth after running up front. That opened some people’s eyes. Sure enough, I got my first start in the Cup Series because of it.” — Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

• “As disappointing as Vegas was, if anyone can pull through it’s our No. 20 group. I expect to be extremely competitive again and am ready to tackle the challenge.” — Christopher Bell, driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

• “I loved that we got to test there. Everyone figured out after about three or four laps the top was the place to be. I was watching 10 or 12 drivers that were running and everyone was getting better at running the fence. The drivers who tested there will be really good at running up top when we go back and I’m going to have my work cut out for me, that’s for sure.” — Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Posted on by Holly Cain

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron won the Busch Light Pole Award for Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a lap of 166.389 mph in the No. 24 Chevrolet – his first pole position of the 2022 season and eighth of his career.

“It’s not like a guaranteed point gain,” Byron said. “The pit stall is good. I’m happy with that part of it. And just the momentum for the team. We’ve tried to get poles this year, and we’ve come close, third, second — kind of all around that area. But it’s nice to kind of knock that off the list.

“That’s one of the things you want to do going into a season, win a pole. It shows where our team is, and hopefully, that’s a good sign.”

RELATED: Starting lineup | Weekend schedule

Byron – the defending Homestead-Miami race winner – edged fellow NASCAR Cup Series Playoff contender Christopher Bell for the top starting position – his lap only .049 seconds faster than Bell’s in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

William Byron practices at Homestead.
Sean Gardner | Getty Images

Hendrick driver Chase Elliott will start third, alongside John Hunter Nemechek, who was impressive on track all morning — posting the fastest lap during practice. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular is driving the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota this week for the team’s full-time driver Bubba Wallace, who is serving a one-race suspension from NASCAR for dangerous driving last week at Las Vegas.

Kyle Larson, who was involved with Wallace in that incident, will start his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet fifth. He’ll line up alongside 23XI Racing’s Ty Gibbs, who is filling in for that team’s other full-time driver Kurt Busch – out for the remainder of the season while recovering from a concussion.

Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, qualified seventh just ahead of both RFK Racing Fords driven by Chris Buescher and driver/owner Brad Keselowski.

Xfinity Series championship contender AJ Allmendinger was 10th – rounding out those who advanced to the final round of qualifying.

Five of the eight Cup Series Playoff drivers did not make the second round of time trials on Saturday, including Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney and JGR’s Denny Hamlin, who will roll off 13th and 14th, respectively. Penske’s Joey Logano, the only driver who has already clinched a position in the Championship 4 with a victory at Las Vegas last Sunday, will start 17th.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe and Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain will start 19th and 20th on the grid. Chastain topped the consecutive 10-lap average category on the practice chart but will start the furthest back of the eight remaining playoff-eligible drivers.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Pat DeCola

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Put 40 NASCAR drivers in a room and chances are the topics they fully agree on are few and far between.

So it’s notable, then, that there appears to be near-unanimous consent to actions taken by the sanctioning body over the past few weeks in handing out harsh penalties stemming from on-track incidents.

NASCAR earlier this week suspended 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace for one race after he intentionally crashed Kyle Larson then proceeded to shove Larson after each exited their vehicle in last Sunday’s Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway,

This came a week after NASCAR also penalized driver Cole Custer and his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford team for their actions in attempting to “artificially alter” the race’s finishing positions in the Round of 12 finale at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s round course. Custer and No. 41 crew chief Michael Shiplett were each fined $100,000, and Shiplett was suspended indefinitely. Competition officials also issued 50-point deductions to Custer and the team in their respective driver and owner standings.

MORE: Bubba Wallace suspended | SHR penalized after Roval

NASCAR’s chief operating officer Steve O’Donnell told Sirius XM NASCAR Radio after the Wallace decision was announced that “it’s been very rare, if ever, that we suspend drivers, so we don’t take that action lightly.”

The message has been sent. And it’s been received, loud and clear.

“Yeah, I would say (NASCAR has sent a message). Yeah, I would,” Joey Logano said Saturday morning at Homestead-Miami Speedway, site of Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio). “I think there’s, I mean, there’s a few things that kind of go to all that stuff, right? What’s acceptable to NASCAR; what’s acceptable to you, as an individual? … I always say sports test your morals and test your character a lot of times, and it’s sometimes tough to balance all that in the heat of the moment. It’s hard, right? It’s hard to imagine yourself inside of a race car if you haven’t done it before. And you sometimes make decisions that you’re not proud of later on. But you learn lessons every time. I’ve made mistakes and made dumb decisions inside race cars, and I regret them, but I learned from every one of them. And I feel like I really know where my line is now. Fifteen years later, but (I’ve found) where my line is and what I feel is acceptable or not on the race track.”

For some other drivers who don’t have the 15 years of Cup experience that the veteran ­— and only driver currently locked into the Championship 4 — has, perhaps they haven’t quite found that “line” yet. And perhaps NASCAR just provided it.

“It’s NASCAR’s decision; whatever they thought was the right thing to do and that kind of case, that’s all NASCAR’s kind of judgment call. And they did what they thought was fit for it,” said Logano’s Team Penske teammate and fellow Round of 8 contender Ryan Blaney. “I personally think it’s good that NASCAR’s putting the law down, right? Like, (laying) the hammer down on things that they think (are) wrong. … I mean, that’s the only way you can kind of police it, right? You have to do those things. And at the end of the day, it’s their call. They see something that they don’t like, I expect them to act on it, and they have the last couple of weeks.”

The interesting twist to all of this — with just three races remaining to settle this year’s championship and the intensity only ratcheting up on a weekly basis — is that drivers could be presented with similar situations before the year is over, and the precedent has been set.

RELATED: Cup Series standings | Full Miami schedule

How will teammates out of the playoffs help their teammates in the playoffs? How will drivers choose to issue any retaliation before the year is out, especially with the short-track mayhem of Martinsville Speedway looming next week?

Certainly not in the ways we’ve seen recently, both because NASCAR has laid out its heavy hand of repercussion cards but also, it turns out because the consensus seems to be that those weren’t the correct methods to handle these situations, anyway.

“Honestly, it hasn’t changed anything in the way I think or the way I do things because, in my opinion, all those moves were extremely, extremely dumb. Both of them,” said No. 99 Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suárez, who was eliminated after the Round of 12 but whose teammate Ross Chastain is still racing for a title.

“And I was going to be extremely surprised if there were not penalties. Like, before even those situations happened, I would never do something like that. I mean, not that clear. You have to be smarter. I don’t know what those guys were thinking. I’m glad NASCAR reacted to this because, you know, when is too much? When is it too much, helping a teammate like that? And people know I’m gonna race. I race everyone very hard. But yeah, in the next few weeks, I’m gonna race Ross not super hard, because he’s my teammate. … I will never give up a win to help him, you know? But definitely, my level of aggression to my teammate right now is gonna be a little bit lower. I will never brake to give up a position. I know the consequences of that. That’s not professional. The same thing, wrecking somebody in the way that happened last week, it’s just not smart, especially with everything that is happening right now. So, honestly, I’m glad that NASCAR stepped in and they were able to put everyone in their places because it was too much.”

The preferred course of action for all parties is typically to let things play out organically, within reason, with NASCAR only stepping in to take action when necessary. The drivers are ultimately the ones that need to deal with each other out on the race track and find that “line” amongst themselves. Race a certain way, and there are 39 other competitors out there to help you know when you’ve crossed the threshold. But there are certain situations where authority needs to step in, and drivers appear to agree that these circumstances warranted it.

“I mean, there’s a line between ‘boys have at it’ and ‘we’ve gone way too far,’ right?” said Logano, no stranger himself to on-and-off-track disputes. “Like, it’s one thing that, you know, someone knocks you out of the way, you knock them back out of the way. Okay, that’s one thing. It’s different if someone, you know, pushes you up a little bit, and then you right rear hook them into the wall at 180 miles an hour. … That’s a different story. So there’s a line.

“NASCAR’s like your parents a lot of times, right? … You gotta let the boys figure it out sometimes, and they’ll figure it out together and move on. Or mom and dad have to step in a little bit and control the situation because it’s gotten out of hand. So I believe NASCAR kind of decided that it was a little getting out of hand. And I would agree with them.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200

Martinsville Speedway

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  • Entry list
Car No. Driver  Car owner Crew chief Chassis Mfg Sponsor(s)
01 Melissa Fifield Kenneth Fifield Jake Marosz FURY Race Cars Pine Knoll Auto Sales
02 Joey Coulter IV Susan Coulter Harold Holly Jr FURY Race Cars SRI Performance, Air Shok, Race-Fan, Molecule
2 Chuck Hossfeld Joseph Bertuccio Michael Bologna Troyer Gershow Recycling
3 Ryan Preece Jan Boehler Greg Fournier Boehler Racing Propane Plus, Island International
07 Patrick Emerling Jennifer Emerling Jan Leaty Troyer Captain Pips Marina & Hideaway
7 Jimmy Blewett Tommy Baldwin Tommy Baldwin Troyer John Blewett Inc
10 Doug Coby Josh Bowley John Mckenna LFR Mayhew Tools
16 Ron Silk Tyler Haydt Philip Moran FURY Race Cars Blue Mountain Machine and Future Homes
18 Ken Heagy Robert Pollifrone Greg Gorman FURY Race Cars Buoy One Seafood Market and Restaurant
21 JR Bertuccio Jr Joseph Bertuccio TBA Troyer Gershow Recycling
22 Kyle Bonsignore Kyle Bonsignore Cam McDermott FURY Race Cars Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto
24 Andrew Krause Diane Krause Robert Hyer LFR Supreme Mfg. Co.
26 Gary McDonald Sean McDonald Chad Mcdonald Troyer Lakeland Landscape Supply
29 Spencer Davis Spencer Davis Alex Query III FURY Race Cars Max Industrial
32 Tyler Rypkema Dean Rypkema Zach Truesdail FURY Race Cars Northeast Drilling / MUSCO Lighting
34 J B Fortin Nicole Fortin Kenneth Lechner FURY Race Cars Red Camel Racing, Johns Fuel, John Tree Removal, Golden Jalapenos
36 David Sapienza Judy Thilberg Tommy Grasso LFR Sapienza Enterprises
39 Ryan Newman William Stanley Neal Cantor PSR Products Pacematic, PSR Products
44 Bobby Santos III Lawney Tinio Danny Gamache Jr LFR Harshaw Paving / Olivas Market
50 Ronnie Williams Paul Les Adam Skowyra Troyer Empower Financial Service, RB Enterprises
51 Justin Bonsignore Kenneth Massa Ryan Stone FURY Race Cars Coastal Fiber
53 Corey LaJoie Mike Curb Kevin Manion Chevrolet Curb Records
54 Tommy Catalano David Catalano David Catalano Troyer FX Caprara
55 Jeremy Gerstner Dawn Gerstner Terry Slater Troyer Jerry Hunt SuperCenter, GMR Complete Lawn Care
58 Eric Goodale Edgar Goodale Jason Shepphard FURY Race Cars GAF Roofing
60 Matt Hirschman Roy Hall Anthony Hirschman Iii Troyer PeeDee Motorsports
64 Austin Beers Mike Murphy Ron Yuhas Jr LFR Lumiere Electrical, Dell Electric, Andrew James Interiors, AP Marquadt & Sons
77 Max McLaughlin Mike Curb Gary Putnam Troyer CURB Records
78 Walter Sutcliffe Jr. Steven Sutcliffe Kevin Anderson Troyer Last Minute Racing
79 Jon Mckennedy Tim Lepine Dale Hedquist LFR Middlesex Interiors
82 Craig Lutz Danny Watts, Jr. Scott Tocci LFR Horton Avenue Materials
92 Anthony Nocella Anthony Nocella Chris Burdell Chevrolet Nocella Paving, K+D Associates, Airgas
97 Bryan Dauzat Bryan Dauzat Todd Cooper Troyer Brother in Law Motorsports
99 Jamie Tomaino Cheryl Tomaino Trey Tomaino Chevrolet Dunleavey’s
120 Edward McCarthy Edward McCarthy Jr. William Cole LFR McCarthy’s Marine Sales
217 Bobby Labonte Phil Stefanelli TBA PSR Pace-O-Matic
Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials said Friday that Stewart-Haas Racing’s appeal of penalties handed to driver Cole Custer and the No. 41 team will be heard Thursday, Oct. 27.

RELATED: Cup Series standings

Three members of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel will hear the case, which stems from penalties issued Oct. 11 after the Cup Series Playoffs event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course. Custer’s No. 41 Ford appeared to slow on the final lap of the Bank of America Roval 400, blocking the path of Austin Dillon and Erik Jones while allowing SHR teammate Chase Briscoe to slip by in the track’s backstretch chicane.

Custer and the No. 41 team were penalized for violations of Section 5.5 of the NASCAR Rule Book, which states that competitors must race at 100% of their ability and takes action against competitors who intend to “artificially alter” the race’s finishing order. Custer and No. 41 crew chief Michael Shiplett were each fined $100,000. Shiplett was also suspended indefinitely, and the team was docked 50 points in each the drivers’ and team owners’ standings.

The organization indicated it would appeal a day after the penalties were issued, saying: “Stewart-Haas Racing denies any wrongdoing and will vigorously defend its personnel against these allegations in its appeal with NASCAR.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Editor’s note: Tune in live or set your DVRs for weekly episodes Thursday nights at 10 ET on USA Network. Previous episodes are currently available for streaming on Peacock.

Change isn’t always easy. Not even for two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch.

Even in NASCAR, a sport with such deeply rooted history and tradition, it is rare for a driver to spend 15 years with a single organization. Busch had become synonymous with the Joe Gibbs Racing brand and the bright yellow M&M’s Toyota Camry that even the most casual fans could recognize anywhere. He even secured the organization’s first title in over a decade after winning at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2015 (he also was champion in 2019) and has been a top title contender nearly every season since.

Despite all that success, according to Busch in the latest episode of USA Network’s exclusive documentary series, “Race for the Championship,” for the first time in his career, things felt different as the 2022 season stretched on.

“Something that is so disappointing to me, and so hurtful about this whole situation with JGR, is they were like family,” Busch said in the emotional Episode 8 interview. “For 15 years, Joe had my back in the stupidest of moments that Kyle Busch was. Like, he was there for me and it’s gone. It just flipped and gone and it’s like nothing I’ve ever been a part of.” (Editor’s note: If you missed Thursday’s episode, it is available for streaming on Peacock.)

RELATED: Kyle Busch through the years | Every national series win

Longtime sponsor Mars announced earlier this season that it would be their last with the coveted “Candy Man,” ramping up the pressure and increasing the sleepless nights in pursuit of a new sponsor and contract extension with the team.

But with talks of an extension stalling midseason, many began to see the writing on the wall. Change was inevitable.

“What’s crazy is to be in this position in someone’s prime,” Busch said in “Race for the Championship” Episode 8. “Change is scary, right? You’ve been in a place for 14-15 years that you’ve built into winning races, winning championships. Going somewhere else is scary.”

Busch has been a key face of JGR in his decade-and-a-half with the organization, racking up 57 of his 60 career wins to add to a pair of championships. Driving the No. 8 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing next season, he will contend against them on track for the first time since 2007.

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

RELATED: Biggest free agent signings in NASCAR history

In 18 full-time seasons at the premier series level, Busch has never had a winless season and including his 2015 title run, five of the last eight seasons have resulted in four or more wins.

Many will agree that despite the many unfortunate circumstances surrounding the move, Busch is still very well in the midst of his prime. Count Dale Earnhardt Jr. among those not ready to sell stock of the 37-year-old superstar.

“If I was gambling on this, I would absolutely put all my money on the table that Kyle Busch has at least five to six more peak years,” said Earnhardt Jr. in Episode 8. “Not good, but at his top. He’s as hungry as he’s ever been, he’s got a chip on his shoulder and he’s absolutely gonna prove to the world that somebody made a mistake and he’s still got what it takes.”

With three races remaining in the Cup Series’ regular season, the sun is setting on one of the most accomplished driver-team pairings in the sport’s history — but a new chapter is being written for Busch’s career. And if one thing has been made clear, he still has a lot more left to tell.