Posted on by Cameron Richardson

A year after nearly scoring his first-career Cup Series win at his home race track of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Chase Briscoe returns for his second Cup race on the road-course layout.

There’s already a specific prestige racing at Indianapolis for any driver, but for a Hoosier like Briscoe, he said there’s a feeling different than anything else.

“It’s a different type of pressure,” Briscoe said. “I’ve joked around with Tony (Stewart) about it but you just go to this different level. It’s weird. I wish I could do it at other race tracks, but I feel like you’re so determined every time you go there and to put on for the state of Indiana.

“I remember just going there and dreaming about what it would be like to be on the other side of the fence and now to be on the other side is special.”

As results go, Briscoe certainly backs up going to that different level as he scored two top 10s on the oval layout in the Xfinity Series before winning the inaugural event on the road-course layout in 2020. Last season, Briscoe led 12 laps in the Cup Series’ debut on the road course and was in contention for the win late but was penalized for cutting the course in a tight battle with Denny Hamlin that led him to settle for a 26th-place result.

RELATED: Throwback: Briscoe spins Hamlin | Memorable Indy moments

Entering Sunday, Briscoe is in a much different situation when it comes to the playoff picture.

Last season at Indy, the 27-year-old was in a must-win situation to reach the playoffs. That’s not the case this year because, in March, Briscoe scored his first Cup win at Phoenix Raceway. While a win initially guarantees drivers a playoff spot, there have already been 14 drivers to score a win and secure one of the 16 positions for the postseason.

With five races still remaining for the playoffs, there’s a scenario where more than 16 drivers could win a race before the playoffs begin. Briscoe could be the odd man out if that were to occur as he’s toward the bottom of single-race winners in points. He will enter Sunday two points ahead of Kurt Busch in what could be a points battle for playoff position.

“It definitely makes it hard from a strategy standpoint,” Briscoe said. “We kinda have to go for points during the stages which, in turn, can make it harder to win the race. We feel like we have a chance to win but you have to take those guaranteed points. We will have to figure it out as the day goes on unlike last year, where we were in a must-win situation.”

RELATED: Cup Indy odds | Cup Series standings

“ … If you grow up in motorsports, you dream of going to Indianapolis. That’s the one place you want to race at and it’s probably the most prestigious racetrack in the world.”

Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard is scheduled at 2:30 p.m. ET and can be viewed on NBC and the NBC Sports App, and can be listened to on IMS Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on by Zack Albert

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Petty GMS Motorsports announced Saturday that Erik Jones will remain in the No. 43 Chevrolet with a newly signed multiyear deal.

News of the contract extension came before the start of Saturday’s on-track activity for the NASCAR Cup Series at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in preparation for Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM).

RELATED: Indy weekend schedule | Cup Series standings

Jones, 26, joined the Richard Petty-owned team in 2021. He remained as the driver of the iconic No. 43 when the organization grew to a two-car team this season, after a merger with Maury Gallagher’s GMS Racing operation. Saturday’s announcement keeps him in the fold for 2023 and beyond.

“It’s been a few years since I’ve really had a multiyear deal,” Jones said Saturday before Cup Series qualifying. “I’ve been kind of running out one-year deals for the last two or three years at this point in my career. And that’s not necessarily — something I kind of wanted to do is trying to find the right home, the right place where I was comfortable. So I finally found somewhere where I feel like I’m happy and feel like we’re growing and heading the right way. Petty GMS and Maury came to me with a multiyear offer, and I thought that was something that was going to be good for all of us. So, just happy to get it done.”

Jones said he officially signed the contract last Sunday morning, pre-race at Pocono Raceway. He said he’d entertained the idea of timing the announcement for next weekend at Michigan International Speedway in his home state, but opted against delaying the long-expected move.

“It was something that I think everybody kind of knew was going to happen, so it wasn’t going to be a big shock,” Jones said. “So I felt like today, it was a good day to do it.”

Jones is a two-time winner in Cup Series competition, prevailing at two of the sport’s most historic venues — Daytona International Speedway (2018) and Darlington Raceway (2019). He made his 200th Cup Series start in June at Nashville Superspeedway.

Jones began his career in the Toyota pipeline of prospects, famously attracting the eye of Kyle Busch as he competed in Late Models. He later brought Busch’s Camping World Truck Series team a championship in 2015, collecting seven victories in a three-year span.

The Michigan native joined the Cup Series full time in 2017 for Furniture Row Racing, which was then an affiliate of Joe Gibbs Racing. He soon shifted to JGR’s No. 20 team, where he remained for three seasons before being replaced by Christopher Bell.

MORE: Key figures in Silly Season | Sunday’s starting lineup

Jones wound up 24th in the series standings last season, scoring six top-10 finishes. This season has marked a year of modest improvement — Jones is 18th in the Cup Series points, with seven top 10s and two top fives to date.

Petty’s team had operated as a single-car operation since 2017. This year’s expansion brought in Gallagher as a co-owner and Ty Dillon as a teammate, driving the No. 42 — another car number dear to the Petty family’s legacy.

The team previously announced that Dillon would not return to the No. 42 Chevrolet next year. With that ride open, Jones said he’s had some feedback for team officials on who might fill the seat.

“They kind of asked me what I thought about future drivers and gave them a few names and guys who I thought deserved an opportunity and could make good use of it, would be good teammates, good team players,” Jones said. “And so, I think they’re kind of going through that and getting down to it, right. Getting around ready to make a decision and getting close on it. So we’ll see. Like I said, I think they’re close on that one as well. I think they’ll have something there to announce hopefully soon, but they did give me some input on that.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

Grant Enfinger picked a fine time to win his first race of the season.

Charging to the front on fresh tires after the TSport 200 went to overtime on Friday night, Enfinger passed Zane Smith for the lead on Lap 206 of 207 and went on to win the first event in the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs.

RELATED: Official race results | Photos from the track

In the return of the series to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for the first time since 2011, Enfinger beat runner-up Ben Rhodes to the finish line by 0.477. Rhodes passed Smith on the final lap to secure the second spot.

With his first victory since 2020 and the seventh of his career, Enfinger gained automatic advancement to the second round of the playoffs after a regular season that saw a lackluster performance by his GMS Racing team and a reunion with veteran crew chief Jeff Hensley before the July 9 race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

It was Hensley who brought Enfinger to pit road for a tire change after Carson Hocevar knocked Colby Howard into the outside wall on Lap 191 of 200. That call proved decisive.

“We’ve just been off a little bit as an organization,” Enfinger said. “We’ve been working so hard because we’ve been sucking. It hurts to say it, but we’ve had a terrible season to this point. But we had a great Chevrolet all day. It felt like every time we got into the lead, a caution came out, and it put Hensley in a bad spot. I knew from experience to just trust his gut.”

Zane Smith held third in a finish that was not without controversy. The playoff’s top seed entering the race, Smith had crowded Chandler Smith into the outside wall earlier in the event, damaging both trucks.

Zane Smith also sustained damage in a three-truck incident involving Lawless Allen and Chase Purdy, but he brought his No. 38 Ford to pit road for fresh tires on Lap 156 and worked his way forward over the closing 40 laps.

On the final restart on Lap 206, Zane Smith pinched eventual 10th-place finisher John Hunter Nemechek into the outside wall and took the top spot until Enfinger made the winning pass.

It was Nemechek, though, who sent the race to overtime when he spun race leader Taylor Gray in Turn 3 on Lap 199 of a scheduled 200.

Nemechek insisted the accident was unintentional.

“Sometimes you’re the bug and sometimes you’re the windshield, and tonight we were the bug,” said Nemechek, who led a race-high 75 laps and won the first stage. “I made a mistake early on and spun myself, and we had a restart there at the end on old tires.

“Everybody had fresher tires. I tried driving down in the bottom of (Turn) 3 underneath the 17 (Gray), and I just kept sliding and accidentally got into his left rear. I tried to stay off him. That team has their opinion, I have my opinion, and I’m sure we’ll talk at some point.”

Playoff driver Stewart Friesen finished fourth behind Zane Smith, followed by Corey Heim, Tyler Ankrum and Layne Riggs in his debut. Playoff drivers Ty Majeski, Matt Crafton and Nemechek completed the top 10.

Those results left Crafton and 16th-place finisher Christian Eckes seven points below the current cut line. After the third race of the first round, the playoff field will be trimmed from 10 drivers to eight. Hocevar is eighth in the standings, seven points to the good.

The penultimate race in the Round of 10 is Saturday, August 13 at Richmond Raceway (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Nemechek won at Richmond in 2021.

NOTE: Inspection is complete in the Truck Series garage with no issues, confirming Enfinger as the race winner.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Brandon White

CLAREMONT, N.H. — Saturday’s Clash at Claremont 150 was four years in the making for veteran Jon McKennedy.

After last visiting Victory Lane at Myrtle Beach Speedway in 2018, McKennedy put together the most efficient performance of his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour career to score his second Tour win at Claremont Motorsports Park.

McKennedy has worked tirelessly since his first victory in 2018 to get another NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory and was simultaneously thrilled and relieved to accomplish that goal in a car prepared by Tim Lepine.

“This was way overdue,” McKennedy said. “I had a really good deal with Tommy Baldwin Racing and we had so many seconds and poles with Tommy. We were always in contention, but just couldn’t get that W the last few years. We’re back [in Victory Lane] and it’s awesome.”

The Clash at Claremont 150 was a relatively peaceful outing for McKennedy. Once he passed rookie Jake Johnson for the lead in the opening laps, McKennedy set the pace and finished the night uncontested ahead of the rest of his competition.

Despite breaking his long dry spell, McKennedy was unable to bring home the $5,000 paycheck that came with winning the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup.

RELATED: Clash at Claremont 150 results from Claremont Motorsports Park

That honor belonged to veteran Matt Hirschman, whose fourth-place finish in the Clash at Claremont 150 allowed him to edge out NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship leader Ron Silk by two points to claim the honor.

Hirschman, who has been a part-time Whelen Modified Tour competitor since 2016, was honored to bring home the inaugural Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup and said the initiative highlights the need for fans and competitors to support Modified racing in the Northeast.

“I probably wouldn’t have gone to all three races had they not been tied together with a bonus,” Hirschman said. “I remember going to Beech Ridge last year and they thanked me for coming. Stuff like that is appreciated, and I talked to my car owner [Roy Hall] about [the Granite State Short Track Cup] and he said this is something we should support.”

The Granite State Short Track Cup was far from a smooth experience for Hirschman, who saw a win in the series’ second race at Monadnock Speedway slip away late after contact with the lapped car of J.B. Fortin.

Hirschman still thinks about that near miss at Monadnock, but considers himself fortunate the outcome did not significantly hinder his chances of winning the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup. He also expressed his gratitude to JDV Productions and the full-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers for mostly racing him clean during the three-race series.

Matt Hirschman, driver of #60 PeeDee Motorsports Modified car, poses for a photo with the pit crew after winning the inaugural Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup championship, during the Clash at Claremont 150 for the Whelen Modified Tour at Claremont Motorsports Park on July 29, 2022 in Claremont, New Hampshire. (Rachel O'Driscoll/NASCAR)
Matt Hirschman, driver of No. 60 PeeDee Motorsports Modified car, after winning the inaugural Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup championship during the Clash at Claremont 150 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Claremont Motorsports Park on July 29, 2022. (Photo: Rachel O’Driscoll/NASCAR)

“I don’t think I’ve ever won a three-race series that paid that much to the champion,” Hirschman said. “This is certainly appreciated. The guys that we were contending with are in for the big prize during the whole season. Hopefully they have a good race up until the end, but we’ll join them a couple of more times.”

One of those drivers expected to contend for the championship is McKennedy, who trailed Silk by 10 points entering the Clash at Claremont 150 and is expected to trim that deficit slightly as the 2011 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion finished right behind him in second.

Now that he has a win during the 2022 season, McKennedy feels confident heading into the final six races on the schedule and believes that he can overtake Silk in the standings and add a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship to his resume.

“This gives us some momentum heading into the last handful of races,” McKennedy said. “We’re heading to Thompson next, which is a really great track for me. I feel really good, and we’ll be going to Thompson with a brand new car, so hopefully that’ll give us a little extra.”

Johnson followed McKennedy and Silk in the running order with a third-place finish. Kyle Bonsignore finished behind Hirschman to complete the top-five.

Rounding out the top-10 were Justin Bonsignore, Tommy Catalano, Brian Robie, Doug Coby and Matthew Kimball.

A replay of the Clash at Claremont 150 at Claremont Motorsports Park can be seen on the USA Network on Friday, Aug. 5 at 1 p.m.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to action on Wednesday, Aug. 17 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. The race can be streamed live on FloRacing.

Posted on by Staff Report

Clash at Claremont 150

Claremont Motorsports Park

Clash At Claremont Logo

  • Race results
Pos. No.  Name Sponsor Laps Diff.
1 79 Jon McKennedy Middlesex Interiors 150
2 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine and Future Homes 150 1.885
3 3 Jake Johnson* Propane Plus/Huntington Honda 150 3.725
4 60 Matt Hirschman PeeDee Motorsports 150 4.081
5 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munn’s Auto 150 4.538
6 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communication Inc. 150 5.908
7 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara 150 7.366
8 25 Brian Robie* Maurice Enterprises 150 7.851
9 7 Doug Coby Mayhew Tools 150 8.242
10 76 Matthew Kimball* Kimball Trucking & Firewood/Gomarlos Supermarket 150 8.956
11 64 Austin Beers* Dell Electric/Lumiere Electrical 150 9.867
12 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 150 10.682
13 82 Craig Lutz Danny’s Cesspool Pool Service 150 11.399
14 19 Anthony Sesely Wanick Construction Inc. 150 11.631
15 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Enterprises 149 1 Lap
16 34 J.B. Fortin Red Camel Racing/Johns Fuel/John Tree Removal 149 1 Lap
17 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood Market & Restaurant 148 2 Laps
18 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Landscape/TRC Electrict 148 2 Laps
19 92 Anthony Nocella Nocella Paving/K&D Associates/Airgas 148 2 Laps
20 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 112 38 Laps
21 78 Walter Sutcliffe, Jr. Last Minute Racing 110 40 Laps
22 06 Sam Rameau Dennison Lubricants/Powdis Stone & Gravel 95 55 Laps
23 12 Todd Patnode* APEX Racing/Swanzey Oil 62 88 Laps

RACE STATISTICS

Time of Race: 0 hrs., 45 mins, 13 secs

Average Speed: 65.684 mph

Margin of Victory: 1.885 Seconds

Caution Flags: Laps 64-69 (Car #12 turn 1 lost power, no FP); 81-86 (Car #36 & #82 turn 4 contact, no FP); 97-101 (Car #06 & #36 turn 3 & 4 contact, FP #01); 111-116 (Car #92 turn 1 lost power, FP #36). 4 for 23 laps.

Lap Leaders: Justin Bonsignore 1-11, Jake Johnson * 12-13, Jon McKennedy 14-150.

Total Laps Led: Jon McKennedy 137, Justin Bonsignore 11, Jake Johnson * 2. 2 changes involving 3 drivers.

Posted on by Staff Report

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — The Kaulig Racing No. 16 and No. 31 entries and Team Hezeberg No. 26 entry each failed NASCAR Cup Series pre-qualifying inspection twice Friday, resulting in the ejection of one crew member from each team at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

NASCAR officials indicated that each of Kaulig’s car chiefs have been ejected. The No. 16 Chevrolet team for driver AJ Allmendinger will be without car chief Andy Seuss, and the No. 31 Chevy of Justin Haley will not have Jaron Antley on hand. For Team Hezeberg, the No. 26 Ford and driver Danil Kvyat will be without mechanic Devin Foken this weekend.

Each team also loses pit stall selection.

RELATED: Indy weekend schedule | Cup Series standings

Allmendinger is the defending winner of Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM) on the Indianapolis Road Course layout. Busch Light Pole Qualifying is scheduled Saturday at 10:35 a.m. ET on USA Network.

Posted on by Staff Report

Clash at Claremont 150

Claremont Motorsports Park

Clash At Claremont Logo

  • Qualifying results
Pos. No.  Name Sponsor Best Time Best Speed
1 3 Jake Johnson* Propane Plus/Huntington Honda 13.57 87.546
2 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communication Inc. 13.597 87.372
3 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine and Future Homes 13.64 87.097
4 79 Jon McKennedy Middlesex Interiors 13.657 86.988
5 25 Brian Robie* Maurice Enterprises 13.673 86.887
6 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 13.719 86.595
7 06 Sam Rameau Dennison Lubricants/Powdis Stone & Gravel 13.723 86.57
8 60 Matt Hirschman PeeDee Motorsports 13.737 86.482
9 82 Craig Lutz Danny’s Cesspool Pool Service 13.775 86.243
10 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara 13.806 86.05
11 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munn’s Auto 13.81 86.025
12 34 J.B. Fortin Red Camel Racing/Johns Fuel/John Tree Removal 13.823 85.944
13 92 Anthony Nocella Nocella Paving/K&D Associates/Airgas 13.825 85.931
14 76 Matthew Kimball* Kimball Trucking & Firewood/Gomarlos Supermarket 13.837 85.857
15 64 Austin Beers* Dell Electric/Lumiere Electrical 13.849 85.782
16 19 Anthony Sesely Wanick Construction Inc. 13.854 85.751
17 7 Doug Coby Mayhew Tools 13.918 85.357
18 12 Todd Patnode* APEX Racing/Swanzey Oil 13.96 85.1
19 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Enterprises 14.055 84.525
20 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood Market & Restaurant 14.228 83.497
21 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Landscape/TRC Electrict 14.574 81.515
22 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 15.156 78.385
23 78 Walter Sutcliffe, Jr. Last Minute Racing 15.2 78.158
Posted on by Brandon White

Clash at Claremont 150

Claremont Motorsports Park

Clash At Claremont Logo

 

  • Practice Results
Pos. Car No. Name Sponsor Best Time In Lap Laps Diff.
1 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine and Future Homes 13.539 47 48
2 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communication Inc. 13.645 48 59 0.106
3 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 13.656 38 39 0.117
4 64 Austin Beers* Dell Electric/Lumiere Electrical 13.660 58 58 0.121
5 06 Sam Rameau Dennison Lubricants/Powdi’s Stone & Gravel 13.661 38 55 0.122
6 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara 13.664 38 38 0.125
7 19 Anthony Sesely Wanick Construction Inc. 13.672 40 47 0.133
8 79 Jon McKennedy Middlesex Interiors 13.697 38 39 0.158
9 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munn’s Auto 13.705 53 53 0.166
10 92 Anthony Nocella Nocella Paving/K&D Associates/Airgas 13.730 25 26 0.191
11 60 Matt Hirschman PeeDee Motorsports 13.747 7 33 0.208
12 7 Doug Coby Mayhew Tools 13.752 62 62 0.213
13 3 Jake Johnson* Propane Plus/Huntington Honda 13.769 51 51 0.230
14 34 J.B. Fortin Red Camel Racing/John’s Fuel/John Tree Removal 13.797 40 56 0.258
15 25 Brian Robie* Maurice Enterprises 13.816 18 26 0.277
16 82 Craig Lutz Danny’s Cesspool Pool Service 13.825 30 55 0.286
17 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Enterprises 13.826 47 47 0.287
18 76 Matthew Kimball* Kimball Trucking & Firewood/Gomarlo’s Supermarket 13.919 57 86 0.380
19 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood Market & Restaurant 14.114 38 38 0.575
20 78 Walter Sutcliffe Jr. Last Minute Racing 14.201 31 33 0.662
21 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Landscape/TRC Electric 14.312 18 53 0.773
22 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 14.765 19 30 1.226
Posted on by Zack Albert

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — The Nos. 11 and 18 teams from Joe Gibbs Racing were back in the NASCAR Cup Series inspection line at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, five days after both cars were disqualified in post-race tech at Pocono Raceway. Instead of starting and finishing 1-2 last Sunday, teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch were knocked to the back of the finishing order, elevating third-place finisher Chase Elliott to victory.

JGR officials opted against appealing the penalty for modifications to the front fascia of both cars earlier this week. Friday, it was back to business for both teams.

RELATED: Indy weekend schedule | Cup Series standings

“I think we all sort of admitted we made a mistake or an error in the build process,” Ben Beshore, No. 18 crew chief, told NASCAR.com. “So we accept the penalty, and yeah, we’re going to move forward, march on and try to make the best of Indy this weekend.”

Had the victory stood, Hamlin would have been level with Elliott as the series’ only three-time winners. Instead, Elliott stands alone as a four-time victor, and Hamlin became the first driver to have a win revoked since 1960, when Emanuel Zervakis was docked for an illegal fuel tank.

The No. 11 Toyota unloaded Friday in an effort to turn the page, without the looming uncertainty of a Pocono appeal.

“There were things we need to do better, so that’s what we’re focused on,” Chris Gabehart, No. 11 crew chief, told NASCAR.com. “The appeals process is typically a pretty tall mountain to climb. It takes a lot of effort and exercise, and history shows you kind of how that goes. So we’re more focused internally on how we can get better, just like we do each and every week.”

Hamlin tried to make at least some light of the situation on social media the day after the decision, playfully offering up the trophy and champagne for eBay auction fodder. But deep down, Gabehart says, the ruling smarts, and that’s for everyone who makes the No. 11 go.

“It stinks for everybody, not just Denny. Denny is one member of this 11 team — one member. It stinks for everybody, and if it didn’t, I would be disappointed with the amount of intensity with which the 11 team wants to win,” Gabehart said. “So it stinks for everybody, but it’s motivating, too. In my three and a half years with the 11 car, we’ve been through a lot together. We’ve won a lot of races. I don’t know of any team that’s won more in that time frame, but we have lost a lot of races, too. So this is no different. We’ll learn from it, get better and move on.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

SPEEDWAY, Ind. – One day after the fire that cloaked the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports hauler in smoke, the team had a day of relative quiet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. On a Friday without on-track activity, crew chief Rudy Fugle and the rest of the group assessed the damage, which was thankfully minimal.

The No. 24 team unloaded and began its initial prep for William Byron’s efforts in Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) with some adjustments necessary. Parts, spares and tires that ordinarily would have found homes by the No. 24 hauler all took up real estate in the Speedway’s spacious garage area, and some extra cleaning helped to remove the soot smell from the car and the team’s uniforms.

RELATED: Indy weekend schedule | Cup Series standings

Fugle said he’d received a phone call Thursday evening as the hauler was still ablaze in a staging area adjacent to the track. He said a fortunate stroke for the team was the presence of a wash crew that was actively cleaning road grime from the NASCAR Cup Series haulers. When the fire sparked, they sprang into action and kept the flames at bay until the fire department’s arrival.

“It was a great team effort from NASCAR personnel and track workers, fellow truck drivers, the fire department to be able to get it contained where we have everything we need this weekend,” Fugle told NASCAR.com, adding that fire department officials were investigating the cause of the incident. “We have to get a new hauler, but everybody’s safe and all the equipment was able to be salvaged so that part’s great.”

Fugle said the call he received mid-fire initiated a series of contingency plans, including moving the team’s flight to an earlier time, arranging for a reserve hauler and leaning on Hendrick Motorsports’ other three teams for resources. Once on the ground in Indy, the overall assessment was a blend of thankfulness and relief.

“We’re not gonna really know until we go on track but as of right now we don’t see any kinds of performance damage at all,” Fugle said. “The biggest impact is just not having a trailer, which is our hub in the garage area for now. We probably won’t have one that we can work out of until Sunday, but we have teammates that we can borrow from and NASCAR has helped us out by having an internet hub in here so we can use our garage area toolbox generator and kind of use that as our home base for looking at information, data and things for inspection, and tomorrow to make good decisions.”

Byron arrived at the team’s garage stall shortly after lunchtime, chatting with Fugle and the rest of the crew. He said he was thankful first and foremost that no injuries were reported, and secondly that the impact of the incident to the car and equipment was small.

“I just think our team just takes it in stride, and just moves on and focuses on what we can control this weekend,” Byron told NASCAR.com. “I’m excited for it, and it doesn’t really change much for the weekend. I feel like these guys do a really good job of just adapting. We’re really fortunate to have a lot of good resources at Hendrick, so I think they’re going to bring the test hauler that we ran at Watkins Glen and tested with, so we’ve got a lot of great resources. If we were a single-car team or something, I’d be concerned, but thankful for all the people and support we have at Hendrick to deal with something like this.”

Byron is a two-time winner this season, which locks him into the Cup Series Playoffs field. His victories have come at Atlanta in March and Martinsville in April, but he hasn’t scored a top-five finish since that second tally – an especially dry 13-race stretch.

An early indicator that a turnaround could be nigh: Byron showed speed and won the pole position for the series’ Indianapolis Road Course debut last year. This year, the team has already had another first – an unwanted distinction before the haulers ever parked on the Brickyard’s grounds.

“I worked with some older guys as you’re growing up, and they say if you do this long enough, you’re gonna have something new happen and something crazy happen, and things you never thought would happen to you always happen,” said Fugle, who has been a crew chief in NASCAR national-series competition since 2011. “So definitely mark this off when they go write it down in the book.”