Posted on by Brandon White

An even mix of new faces and short track veterans find themselves atop the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown standings following a chaotic Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway.

Nearly every single driver in the 42-car field endured a problem during the race on July 2, ranging from mechanical failures to being swept up in a massive, 20-car pile-up on the frontstretch with just more than 10 laps remaining.

Not even the finish was free of carnage. Corey Heim ended up taking home the checkered flag in a battered Late Model Stock after he and South Boston regular Jacob Borst crashed across the start-finish line after making contact off Turn 4.

With Heim preoccupied with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series commitments at Pocono Raceway, Borst enters Saturday’s Hampton Heat 200 at Langley Speedway as the Virginia Triple Crown points leader over a talented group of drivers looking to rebound from a tumultuous night at South Boston.

RELATED: Follow the Hampton Heat 200 at Langley Speedway

Defending NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champion Peyton Sellers sits right behind Borst in second, while others like the most recent Virginia Triple Crown winner in Bobby McCarty have work to do to stay in contention after the Hampton Heat.

With points in the Virginia Triple Crown being determined by average finish, a strong run at Langley will be imperative toward deciding who will be declared the champion in September’s ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway.

Below is a breakdown of the current top 10 in the Virginia Triple Crown standings and how they fared in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway.

Corey Heim and Jacob Borst crash across the start-finish line in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway. (Photo: Victor Newman Photography)
  1. Jacob Borst: 2.0 

The Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 showed that Borst could hang with the best Late Model Stock drivers in the southeast. While his race ended under less-than-ideal circumstances, Borst has momentum on his side as he heads up north to Langley Speedway for the Hampton Heat.

  1. Peyton Sellers: 3.0

Despite being swept up in a late accident, Sellers avoided getting major damage on his car throughout the night and brought home a solid third-place run. A three-time Virginia Triple Crown champion, Sellers will look to put together another efficient run in the Hampton Heat, a race he has not won since 2013.

  1. Mason Diaz: 4.0

Diaz was among the drivers who had nowhere to go on the frontstretch when Jonathan Shafer was turned around by Mike Looney. Of those involved, Diaz only took a couple of moderate hits from the oncoming traffic and was able to get his wounded car back out on track for a top-five finish.

  1. Carter Langley: 5.0

Although he was in front of the 20-car pileup on the frontstretch, Langley ended up sustaining significant damage to his car in a separate accident with Looney and Sellers. Langley still displayed decent speed after the crash and worked his way through the dwindled field to finish fifth.

  1. Mark Wertz: 6.0

Wertz showcased his experience by methodically working his way through an opening on track to escape major damage from the 20-car pileup. While he was not able to claim a top five, Wertz’ sixth-place run puts him in contention for the Virginia Triple Crown as the series heads to his home track of Langley.

  1. Camden Gullie: 7.0

A quiet-but-successful outing for Gullie at South Boston briefly turned chaotic after he was involved in the late big one. Gullie was among the few cars that were successfully repaired for the final 10 laps, allowing him to salvage a seventh-place run.

  1. Bobby McCarty: 9.0

The Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 was far from the typical efficient outing McCarty usually enjoys, as the defending Virginia Triple Crown champion struggled to move through the field after starting 32nd. Getting involved in the big one only compounded McCarty’s issues, but he managed to nurse his wounded car around the track and keep his hopes of defending the Virginia Triple Crown title alive.

  1. Jared Fryar: 10.0

Like nearly everyone else who placed inside the top 10 in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200, Fryar had to pilot a damaged car across the line after getting damaged in the big one. Fryar was the last car to finish, two laps behind the winner in Heim.

  1. Conner Jones: 13.0

Several hard hits in the late big one forced Jones to visit a nearby hospital for further evaluation with a minor neck injury. Jones was scored 13th in the final running order and will try to build upon the speed he showed for Saturday’s Hampton Heat.

  1. Landon Pembelton: 14.0

The defending ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winner’s bid for a Virginia Triple Crown title got off to a rough start when he was collected in the big crash on the frontstretch. Pembelton still ended up being placed in 14th, putting himself in a better position to rebound compared to others involved in the accident.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR is set to make a major announcement on the future of racing in Chicago, and you can watch the news live on NASCAR.com and NASCAR’s social media platforms.

RELATED: Watch live stream from Chicago

Bookmark the link above and come back at 3:30 p.m. ET as Ben Kennedy, senior vice president racing development & strategy; Lori Lightfoot, mayor of Chicago; Bubba Wallace, driver of the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series; and others reveal the big news.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

The Victory Bell struck 14 on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

NASCAR’s 2022 playoff picture became a little clearer at the “Magic Mile,” frustratingly so for some while being a tremendous relief for race winner Christopher Bell. Six races remain between now and the start of this year’s postseason on Labor Day Weekend at Darlington Raceway, with still plenty to sort out in that timeframe.

The ’22 Cup Series campaign has been a wild one, as unpredictable and raucous as anyone could have hoped in the maiden voyage for the sport’s landmark Next Gen racer. Fourteen different winners from seven different organizations across all three manufacturers have taken a trip to Victory Lane at least once this year — and arguably for the first time in the history of NASCAR’s playoff elimination format there’s a realistic scenario that one of them could wind up getting squeezed out of the 16-driver postseason field.

Bell has had a fine season to date, his best so far at the Cup level, but after sputtering out of the gates a bit to open the season, the No. 20 had to methodically claw its way back up the points standings from basically Circuit of The Americas onward. The Norman, Oklahoma, native entered this past weekend’s events eighth in the standings but still on the outside looking in with 13 drivers having already picked up wins. Everything about his season has now changed, as he’s now on essentially equal footing with his other two teammates currently provisionally locked in with wins — Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin — sitting at 2,008 playoff points to their 2,011 and 2,012 points, respectively.

MORE: Bell holds off Elliott for NH win | Playoff Watch

When it comes to racing at Loudon, every most winning drivers are just thrilled to be able to take home a giant lobster. For the ones who pick up their first win of the season there in the dead of summer at such a critical point in the postseason hunt, the real gift is just the ability to exhale.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s been stressful,” Bell said in his post-race press conference. “After the first couple races of the year, I kind of wrote off pointing our way into the championship, and then we had a stretch of really good races and kind of turned that around to like, ‘hey, we may be able to do this.’ And then you’ve got guys that kept winning, and the cutoff line kept creeping up and up and up, so it feels really good to hopefully get myself above that cutoff line by a couple spots.”

Some of that stress, however, has now shifted over to his teammate.

There’s no question Martin Truex Jr. has been among the best drivers on a near-consistent basis this year — in a season that’s been hard for anyone to build consistent momentum — currently leading the series in stage wins while sitting third in stage points and fourth in overall points. He is, however, winless.

After securing Saturday’s Busch Light Pole Award, Truex noted that he’s “not really that that worried about the playoffs. I think … we’ll be OK either way,” and for the first two stages of Sunday’s race anybody on the planet probably would’ve agreed with him. The No. 19 Toyota was as dominant as any car we’ve seen this year.

It was Truex’s race to lose, and he did. A two-tire call late in the final stage by crew chief James Small wound up being an incorrect decision, and the car that looked unstoppable all afternoon was suddenly unable to race its way back to the front, resulting in a fourth-place run.

The 2017 champ now sits directly on the bubble, the 16th and final driver in the current projected playoff field and 68 points ahead of Kevin Harvick, also winless.

It seems unfathomable that Truex, whose 12-1 odds to win the ’22 championship entering the weekend were ninth-best in the series, could miss the playoffs entirely. That’s the reality, however, and it just furthers the point that winning is everything in this sport.

The path to pointing his way in is still open, of course. There aren’t 16 winners yet and it seems likely that if we do hit that sweet number, he could be one of them. But he’s not the only elite driver in this position.

Directly above and below him in the standings are Ryan Blaney and Harvick, respectively, who have combined for 27 victories since 2018. Both Truex and Harvick netted top fives at Loudon, and both walked away frustrated. Harvick, believe it or not, actually lost ground despite the quality result. There’s truly a sense of “win-or-bust” right now.

The No. 12 Team Penske driver is safest among them, but it’s almost jaw-dropping that a driver currently third in points and fighting to claim a Regular Season Championship with six races to go could theoretically be left off the playoff grid a month and a half from now.

Ryan Blaney looking off into the distance
Getty Images

Of course, like we just mentioned — all three are elite drivers. They could all win before Darlington (heck, it’s not even the most unreasonable notion to think they could split the six remaining trophies just among themselves), and then what happens? A whole new can of worms.

We’ve known all along since the birth of this playoff system in 2014 that the possibility of more than 16 winners would result in a driver who “clinched” a playoff spot with a win earlier in the season having that position wrestled out of his hands by a fellow winning driver with more points.

And wouldn’t you know it — there’s a chance that if one more driver wins and then Harvick wins to become lucky No. 16, he could bump out Stewart-Haas Racing teammate and Phoenix winner Chase Briscoe, currently the driver with the fewest points among winners.

There’s no denying that at least one driver and possibly two from the group of current one-time winners — Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Bell, Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric, Kurt Busch, Daniel Suárez, Tyler Reddick and Briscoe — along with Blaney, Harvick and Truex could miss the playoffs. Just a matter of who, and how many.

But wait, there’s more.

The six regular-season races remaining are anything but routine or straightforward, featuring a track with just three turns (Pocono), an infield road course (Indianapolis), a 2-mile behemoth where speed is king (Michigan), a 0.75-mile “action track” (Richmond), the fastest road course we go to (Watkins Glen) and for the icing on the cake to lock in the field of 16, the most unpredictable track on the schedule — Daytona.

Blaney is the defending winner at both Michigan and Daytona, and as the highest among the winless drivers, he’s probably going to get the most sleep among any of them over the coming weeks. Truex won Richmond last year and has been an ace on road courses in the past, but the Virginia race last year came a month later — in the playoffs — and at night, where this year’s will be an afternoon special. Toyota as a whole has self-admittedly struck out on road-course setups this year as well, so it’s anything but a lock that Truex will strike at Indy or The Glen. Harvick can win anywhere — and has 12 total wins at the remaining six tracks — but the No. 4, while competitive all season, has seemed to be a tick off a winning pace in ’22.

What these tracks really offer, however, is for the remainder of drivers currently on the wrong side of the bubble a chance for a last-ditch strike to finagle their way into a crowded field.

A group of cars race at Daytona
Getty Images

Six of the eight drivers next in line under Harvick have won at Daytona previously (Aric Almirola, Erik Jones, Austin Dillon, Michael McDowell, Justin Haley and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) while the other two (Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace) always seem to be in the mix at the front of the field late at the World Center of Racing, including a Duel victory for the No. 17 during this year’s lead up to the Daytona 500.

Road courses always offer the potential for a wild-card winner, of course. And Buescher, himself, knows that Pocono can be an unexpected gateway to the playoffs with his sole career victory coming there during his 2016 rookie year and clinching his only playoff appearance to date.

This is all to say: we’ve got a long way to go before we know for sure who’s going to be in the playoffs. The only drivers that shouldn’t be squirming in their seats right now are those with two-plus wins and the only thing we can count on right now in mid-July is that a month and a half from now we’ll be saying “I can’t believe ____ missed the playoffs!”

And no driver wants to be the one to fill in that blank.

Posted on by Brandon White

Saturday’s Whelen Manufactured in America 100 produced all the thrills fans and drivers have grown accustomed to every time the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour visits New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

A furious battle between series veterans Patrick Emerling and Eric Goodale ended with the duo crashing on the frontstretch coming to the checkered flag, allowing Anthony Nocella to slip past both for his first victory.

Goodale’s late accident was only one twist on what turned out to be a chaotic day in the series standings.

RELATED: Race results from the Whelen Manufactured in America 200

Ron Silk’s efficient 2022 season hit its first major detour when he was swept up in a big crash just 28 laps into the race, forcing him to settle for a 21st-place finish while the rest of his closest competition finished ahead of him.

Although Silk still managed to keep his points lead, the breathing room he enjoyed all year has now evaporated, as several drivers are now in position to potentially overtake the 2011 Whelen Modified Tour champion when the series heads to Claremont Speedway on July 29.

Below is a breakdown of how the top 10 drivers fared in the Whelen Manufactured in America 100 along, plus a complete look at the Whelen Modifed Tour standings. 

Anthony Nocella (92) leads the field off Turn 4 for a late restart during the Whelen 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 16, 2022. (Nick Grace/NASCAR)
  1. Ron Silk: 335 points

The current championship leader had nowhere to go when Austin Beers lost control in front of him in Turn 1, with the ensuing accident also collecting Dave Sapienza and Kyle Ebersole. Silk’s team was able to make repairs and get him back on track, but he only gained a couple positions and finished 51 laps behind the leader.

  1. Jon McKennedy: 325 points

McKennedy was the one who benefitted the most from Silk’s misfortune. Although he was unable to battle the leaders for the victory in the closing laps, McKennedy dodged the last-lap crash and ended up bringing home a solid fifth-place finish, which cut his deficit to Silk from 26 points to just 10.

  1. Eric Goodale: 324 points

A golden opportunity for Goodale to pick up his first win of the 2022 season ended moments away from crossing the start-finish line after colliding with Emerling. Despite this, Goodale still drove his wounded car to a fourth-place finish, allowing to gain valuable ground on Silk.

  1. Justin Bonsignore: 310 points

Bonsignore’s roller coaster 2022 season continued at New Hampshire on Saturday. An early mechanical issue cost the three-time champion two laps, yet Bonsignore made up both to salvage a 12th-place finish and minimize the damage from the missed opportunity of capitalizing on Silk’s wreck.

  1. Austin Beers: 307 points

Of the four cars involved in the Lap 28 crash, Beers sustained the least amount of contact and stayed in the lead draft for most of the day. The Rookie of the Year points leader came home 11th, but the run was soured by right-front suspension damage he got in the last-lap crash.

  1. Tommy Catalano: 306 points

 A promising afternoon for Catalano ended when the engine on his car expired with 19 laps remaining. Despite this, Catalano still finished one spot in front of Silk and remains in the championship hunt with seven races left on the schedule.

  1. Kyle Bonsignore: 298 points

Like his cousin Justin, Kyle Bonsignore endured an eventful day at New Hampshire that started with him having to overcome an early pit road penalty. Kyle persevered through the adversity and picked up his best finish on the season after barely getting nipped at the start-finish line by Nocella.

  1. Craig Lutz: 274 points

Saturday’s Whelen Manufactured in America 100 was a quiet race for Craig Lutz. He successfully kept his car out of trouble to obtain his third top-10 finish on the year.

  1. Dave Sapienza: 241 points

Sapizena’s day ended before he had a chance to battle the leaders after getting swept up in the Lap 28 crash that also included Silk. The 24th-place finish was the worst for Sapienza in 2022 and the first time he failed to finish a race this year.

  1. J.B. Fortin: 236 points

Saturday proved to be a struggle for Fortin. He failed to keep pace with the lead pack and ended up finishing in 16th, two laps behind the race winner in Nocella.

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings

Pos. Driver Races Wins Top fives Top 10s Poles Laps Laps led Average start Average finish Points Diff.
1    Ron Silk 9 0 5 8 2 1492 232 7.4 7.2 335  –
2    Jon McKennedy 9 0 4 7 0 1532 16 10.4 8 325 -10
3    Eric Goodale 9 0 2 6 0 1541 30 8.9 8.1 324 -11
4    Justin Bonsignore 9 2 3 6 3 1305 127 5.2 10.7 310 -25
5    Austin Beers 9 0 0 4 0 1541 0 11.8 9.9 307 -28
6    Tommy Catalano 9 0 2 4 0 1523 70 14.1 10.3 306 -29
7    Kyle Bonsignore 9 0 1 5 0 1533 6 7.3 11 298 -37
8    Craig Lutz 9 0 0 3 0 1449 0 11.4 13.6 274 -61
9    Dave Sapienza 9 0 0 0 0 1449 0 14.2 17.2 241 -94
10    J.B. Fortin 8 0 1 2 0 1097 0 14.4 14.5 236 -99
11    Patrick Emerling 7 0 3 4 0 1037 0 12.1 11 231 -104
12    Doug Coby 5 2 3 5 0 894 294 5.2 4.8 206 -129
13    Gary McDonald 8 0 0 0 0 1274 0 23.8 20.6 187 -148
14    Tyler Rypkema 5 0 3 3 1 791 108 9.2 8.6 180 -155
15    Matt Hirschman 4 1 4 4 1 731 282 4 2 176 -159
16    Walter Sutcliffe, Jr. 7 0 0 0 0 1016 4 23.7 19 176 -159
17    Melissa Fifield 9 0 0 0 0 470 0 24.3 25.3 168 -167
18    James Pritchard, Jr 4 0 0 0 0 683 0 22 17.3 130 -205
19    Timmy Solomito 4 0 1 2 1 641 131 7.8 12.5 129 -206
20    Andrew Krause 4 0 2 2 0 589 70 14.5 13.8 123 -212
21    Ken Heagy 5 0 0 0 0 752 0 19.6 19.4 123 -212
22    Mike Christopher, Jr. 3 1 2 2 0 550 28 11.3 5.7 120 -215
23    Jimmy Blewett 3 1 1 2 0 500 13 9 7 115 -220
24    Jake Johnson 4 0 1 2 1 573 3 15.8 15.5 115 -220
25    Eddie McCarthy 4 0 0 0 0 532 0 16.5 17.8 105 -230
26    Kyle Ebersole 4 0 1 1 0 472 0 18.5 18 104 -231
27    Dylan Slepian 3 0 2 2 0 610 0 13.7 10 102 -233
28    Donny Lia 3 0 0 2 0 415 44 12.7 12.7 96 -239
29    Ronnie Williams 3 0 0 0 0 612 0 7.7 12.7 94 -241
30    Kyle Soper 2 1 1 2 0 413 39 16.5 4 84 -251
31    Chris Young 3 0 0 0 0 551 0 17 18.7 76 -259
32    Ryan Preece 2 0 0 2 0 300 26 7 8 73 -262
33    John Beatty, Jr. 1 0 0 1 0 200 0 11 7 73 -262
34    Sam Rameau 2 0 1 1 0 380 0 8 8 72 -263
35    Matt Kimball 3 0 0 0 0 381 0 18 20 72 -263
36    Max McLaughlin 2 0 0 1 0 299 10 7 9.5 70 -265
37    Spencer Davis 3 0 0 0 0 337 0 18 21.3 68 -267
38    Anthony Nocella 2 1 1 1 0 100 4 16.5 14.5 63 -272
39    Jacob Perry 2 0 0 1 0 378 0 15.5 12.5 63 -272
40    Bobby Santos III 1 0 0 0 0 100 0 16 13 58 -277
41    Chris Turbush 2 0 0 0 0 268 0 17.5 19.5 49 -286
42    Matt Brode 2 0 0 0 0 322 0 10 20 48 -287
43    J.R. Bertuccio 1 0 0 0 0 198 0 7 18 47 -288
44    Tom Rogers, Jr. 1 0 0 0 0 66 0 21 25 43 -292
45    Chuck Hossfeld 1 0 1 1 0 150 5 14 3 42 -293
46    Jeremy Gerstner 2 0 0 0 0 296 0 26.5 23 42 -293
47    Roger Turbush 2 0 0 0 0 283 0 22.5 23.5 41 -294
48    John Baker 1 0 0 1 0 213 0 20 6 38 -297
49    Blake Barney 1 0 0 1 0 150 0 8 9 35 -300
50    Corey LaJoie 1 0 0 1 0 100 0 8 9 35 -300
51    Joey Coulter 2 0 0 0 0 232 0 19 27 34 -301
52    Ryan Newman 1 0 0 0 0 149 2 4 13 32 -303
53    John Fortin 1 0 0 0 0 211 0 11 15 29 -306
55    Eddie Brunnhoelzl III 1 0 0 0 0 198 0 19 16 28 -307
56    Jack Ely 1 0 0 0 0 147 0 14 16 28 -307
57    Anthony Sesley 1 0 0 0 0 97 0 13 21 23 -312
58    Andy Seuss 1 0 0 0 0 46 0 24 22 22 -313
59    Paul Charette 1 0 0 0 0 194 0 23 23 21 -314
60    Brian Roble 1 0 0 0 0 149 0 19 23 21 -314
61    Bryan Dauzat 1 0 0 0 0 78 0 25 24 20 -315
62    Danny Bohn 1 0 0 0 0 76 0 12 24 20 -315
63    Todd Patnode 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 26 18 -317
Posted on by Dustin Albino

LOUDON, N.H. – Bubba Wallace’s weekend didn’t start off ideally. His motorhome didn’t make it to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, pushing him to a hotel room.

On Saturday morning, Wallace quickly changed his fortune, turning in the best qualifying effort of his career in fourth.

Come the green flag in Sunday’s Ambetter 301, Wallace wasn’t sure if he’d have race speed, despite Toyota having a solid outing at Gateway last month, a similar layout to New Hampshire. But he indeed did have a hot rod.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos

In the opening stage, Wallace’s No. 23 car was the only one that could contend with Martin Truex Jr., though he was multiple seconds back of the No. 19 machine. He finished second, his best stage finish of the season on a non-superspeedway.

Wallace remained competitive in the second stage, dropping back to 10th after a rash of restarts. And after making his final stop – on a 92-lap run to the finish – the No. 23 car charged through the field, ending the race in third.

“It’s been a down season for us,” Wallace told a group of reporters after the race. “It’s finally good to come out on top. [We] finally have a good race to highlight besides the Daytona 500.”

The third-place finish marks Wallace’s best effort since finishing runner-up to Austin Cindric in the ‘Great American Race’. In the 18 races between Daytona and New Hampshire, the No. 23 team had just one additional top-10 result, coming at Kansas when he was the caboose of the top 10.

Bubba Wallace by his No. 23 car post-race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Meagan Thompson | NASCAR Digital Media

Speed hasn’t been a factor for the No. 23 team; Wallace has had plenty. Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing, has said multiple times this year that this season is the best Wallace has ever driven in his racing career.

“We’ve had a lot of speed all year and we’ve had cars capable of that,” Wallace said. “It’s finally good to see that come to fruition. That’s what our races can be like if we continue to do that. Just take a page out of this book for everybody on the team to learn from.

“I’m sure we can do better; bring a better car and an all-around team. We did excellent today, I’m proud of everybody. You can always be better, right?”

The stat sheet would say it’s been a down year, as Wallace is now sitting 23rd in points with an average finish of 20.7, one full position behind last year’s pace of 19.7. It’s safe to say the team, which has had up to eight loose wheels this season, needed a good day’s work.

“You’ve got to crawl before you walk and we’ve been falling,” Wallace said. “We haven’t even been able to crawl. To finally get our feet underneath us and get a good finish, this is good momentum to build off of.”

Bootie Barker, crew chief of the No. 23 team, said of New Hampshire: “This is only our second clean race, unfortunately. We’re trying, but this is our second clean race.”

Knowing the team needs to win one of the final six regular-season races to be part of the postseason, Wallace believes his New Hampshire effort gives him momentum moving forward. His numbers aren’t stellar on road courses – there’s two of them in the final six races – and there’s races at Pocono and Michigan that loom as potential fuel mileage contests.

There’s also Daytona, where the No. 23 car will be among the pre-race favorites.

Based on the speed Wallace has shown this year, he believes he can claim the checkered flag in one of the final six events.

“We’ve had top-five speed in a handful of the races,” said Wallace, who claimed his first top-five finish with 23XI Racing in the second race of the Pocono doubleheader last season. “To use this and build off of and show up to Pocono next week, I’m excited for that place. I usually make the highlight reel there for whatever reason, and hopefully it’s for a win.”

Posted on by Pat DeCola

LOUDON, N.H. — There’s perhaps no track on the schedule that would mean more to Martin Truex Jr. to win at than New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

And yet, it’s the one that eludes him most.

The 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champ picked up his first Busch Light Pole Award for Joe Gibbs Racing on Saturday and carried that speed into the main event, clearly in possession of the best car for the majority of Sunday’s Ambetter 301 at the “Magic Mile.” Truex claimed the win in each of the first two stages — to add to his now series-leading seven — but a late pit strategy call in the final stage for two tires sunk him to the back of the top 10 after the ensuing restart and he had to claw his way back to finish an eventual fourth, despite leading a race-high 172 laps.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos

“We restarted third and the 22 (of Joey Logano) got a bad jump in front of us,” Truex said on pit road following the race. “I tried to push him to get him going and the 4 (of Kevin Harvick) made us three-wide and I got put in a bad spot and lost a few spots but overall we recovered from that and just didn’t have anything to go forward on two tires. I mean, the car absolutely hated it so it was nothing like it had been all day long. And you couldn’t go anywhere, just had to ride it out and get what we could out of it.”

The northeast native has been itching to get his claws on, well, a pair of claws at the Granite State track for years, having competed here since some of his earliest days in racing. After winning the pole Saturday, he indicated that while a win Sunday would’ve essentially locked him into the playoffs, his first thoughts climbing out of his No. 19 Toyota would have been, “I just won Loudon!”

Instead, Truex’s old history of being snakebitten in races he dominates reared its ugly head once more.

“Just the Loudon curse for me, I guess,” Truex said. “I just don’t know how many times it’s gonna happen, you know? We lead all day and then we get beat on strategy or whatever it is so I don’t know. It’s just Loudon. It’s the way it’s been, you know, my whole career. It doesn’t matter how good we are, we can’t win.”

As frustrating as it is to once again miss out on hoisting a hefty crustacean in Victory Lane at Loudon — this is the fifth time he’s led 100-plus laps here and lost since 2016 alone, four of which came in consecutive races – there’s a bit more consternation for Truex and Co. to focus on at the moment.

Fellow JGR cohort Christopher Bell won Sunday’s race, ticking one more playoff spot off the board for winless drivers — such as Truex — to point their way into the playoffs. He remains second highest in the standings among those still seeking victory, but with six races left before the 16-driver field is set and 14 different winners already, Truex is by no means guaranteed a spot on points at this juncture. No driver is.

RACE REWIND: Best moments, highlights

Considering half of those six are a pair of road courses and Daytona, the potential for wild-card winners (or other title contenders such as Ryan Blaney and Harvick, who are also looking for their first win) to squeeze Truex out is very real.

“I’m very nervous about it,” team owner Joe Gibbs said during Bell’s post-race press conference. “I think all of us, I don’t think any of us would have dreamed when the year started and we would have, you know, (14) winners at this point. And so, yeah, that’s why we were pulling so hard for him to get it. And then of course, Christopher was in pretty much the same boat. And so thank goodness, Christopher was able to get it done. But we gotta give Martin everything we can give because we need that car. We need it in the playoffs. That’s for sure.”

Another thing Truex mentioned on Saturday after winning the pole — that he wasn’t nervous about making the playoffs.

The 42-year-old Cup mainstay is as unflappable as they come, but there was a clear tone change after the results of Sunday.

“I mean, it is what it is, you know,” Truex said. “Like, if another guy wins then we’re out. And, you know, that’s just the way it is. We race every week. Do the best we can to try to win races and obviously lately we’ve been capable. We’ve had cars capable winning this year. We have the most stage wins of anybody. And we haven’t won a race yet.

“You know, it’s just whatever for whatever reason, that third stage, we just muck it up, as James (Small, crew chief) can say, so we’ll just keep digging. We’ve got a great team, our guys at JGR are working really hard, our cars are fast obviously. We’re getting better, to run like this here today after our short-track season, it says a lot about all of our people. And you know for Christopher to win, it was a JGR-dominated day so that’s that says a lot and we can use that going forward. We just do all we can do. It’s all we can do.”

The Cup Series next heads to Pocono Raceway, where Truex has a pair of wins in 2015 and 2018.

Maybe that’ll do the trick, because the No. 19 ran out of magic at Loudon once again.

Posted on by Staff Report

Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski engaged in a wild, fender-scraping show of displeasure and retaliation during a mid-race caution period Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

After the yellow flag flew on Lap 163 for Kyle Busch’s solo spin in the Ambetter 301, both Dillon and Keselowski left pit road in close quarters. Dillon’s No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet veered up to bump Keselowski’s No. 6 RFK Racing Ford on the backstretch. Keselowski paid him back with a more aggressive sideswipe that spilled onto the Turn 3 apron.

The contact forced Keselowski’s car to pit road with a flat left-front tire, but he rallied to grab a season-best seventh-place finish.

RELATED: Official results

“He was mad at me about something,” Keselowski told reporters post-race. “We very lightly got together off of (Turn) 2 during a restart. Shoot, half the field’s bouncing off each other. I didn’t even leave a mark on our cars, but I can understand why he was probably frustrated. Then, he came over and door-slammed me and cut tires down. Didn’t help any of our days. Ultimately, it probably didn’t make a difference for me. We were strong enough to recover and run seventh, but didn’t do any of our teams a favor, so moving on.”

Keselowski admitted to the rising tensions on a warm New England day. “When it’s hot in the cars, it ain’t no cooler in the helmets. We’re all probably guilty from time to time of letting our anger get to us.”

Dillon placed 23rd, one lap down. In his post-race remarks, he referenced a tangle with Keselowski last season at Michigan International Speedway, where his No. 3 Chevy was severely damaged.

“You guys saw it, right? I mean, it’s just hard racing, I guess,” Dillon told NBC Sports. “We’ve gone at it a couple times the last two years. One time, I hit really hard. Just don’t like the way certain people race me and probably not the right way to do it under caution.”

Asked if he planned to talk to Dillon to potentially mend fences, Keselowski said any discussion would take place outside of the public eye.

“We’ll figure that out outside the media … I hope,” Keselowski said.

Dillon was less optimistic: “Naw, I don’t talk to him.”

WATCH: Dillon sounds off on the 6 | Keselowski shares his perspective

Posted on by Holly Cain

Christopher Bell has quietly established himself as a New England force over the past three years coming up the NASCAR ranks and on Sunday afternoon, he convincingly earned his biggest triumph to date there, a victory in the NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter 301 and a ticket to the 2022 Playoffs.

Bell led the last 42 laps of the 301-lapper at the 1.058-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway, claiming the trophy – and the traditional lobster hoist in Victory Lane – with a massive 5.767-second victory over last week’s race winner Chase Elliott.

RELATED: New Hampshire results | At-track photos

It’s only the second NASCAR Cup Series win for the third-year driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota but oh, so significant as it launches the 27-year-old Oklahoman into a provisional postseason berth. The 14th different winner of the season came into the race ranked last among the top 16 drivers that would advance to the Playoffs. Now he has bolstered his hopes of a title run.

“Man, that one was much-needed right there,” said Bell, who won three consecutive NASCAR Xfinity Series races at the track from 2019-2021 and was runner-up in last year’s NASCAR Cup Series race there.

“I tell you what, that was a helluva race from my viewpoint. It was so much fun racing with the 45 (Kurt Busch), the 22 (Joey Logano) and the 9 (Elliott). We were all running different lines. That was a blast. Just so happy to be here at Joe Gibbs Racing and so good to get that 20 car back in Victory Lane.”

Christopher Bell's No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
James Gilbert | Getty Images

“Winning Cup races is hard,’’ he added with a smile, thanking the crowd. “Just seems like we’ve been close then we had fallen off a little bit last week. I was talking to my best friend and I told him, earlier in the year I felt like we were right on the verge of winning. Then the last couple of weeks I felt like we were pretty far away.

“But here we are today.’’

Elliott, who hasn’t finished worse than second in the last four races (including two victories), said he just didn’t have anything for Bell at the very end.

“I feel like just a poor run of execution on my end in the last run,’’ said Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. “It took me a while to get past Joey (Logano) and the 45 (Busch) and I had to run harder than I wanted to.

“Just make a couple mistakes and couldn’t get much breathing room.”

The string of top-two finishes was of little consolation to the 2020 series champion.

“When you’re in position like we’ve been in, you need to finish it off,” he said.

Bubba Wallace, driver of the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota, turned in a banner day at New Hampshire, finishing third – his second top-five effort of the season but first top-10 result since a 10th place at Kansas eight races ago.

“Just proud of the team, proud of myself and proud of everybody at the shop,’’ Wallace said, adding, “It’s been hell for me the last month so good to come out with a top five. This sport humbles you so there’s really no surprises. Have to keep the task at hand and be mindful of your surroundings and do your job.’’

Bell’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. finished fourth followed by Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick.

The pole-sitter Truex won both stages – his series-leading sixth and seventh of the year – and led a race-best 172 laps; including the first 95 consecutively to start the race.

His No 19 JGR Toyota seemed like the car to beat, but a two-tire stop for him – and for Harvick – with about 100 laps to go turned out to unsettle the car and he dropped briefly outside the top 10 before racing back to his first top-five since a fifth place at Talladega, Ala., in April.

JGR’s Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Trackhouse Racing’s teammates Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez and 23XI Racing’s Kurt Busch rounded out the top 10. Seventh place was Keselowski’s best finish of the season in his first year as co-owner/driver of the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford.

MORE: Keselowski, A.Dillon crunch fenders

With Chastain’s 14th top-10 run and Ryan Blaney’s 18th-place finish, there was significant movement atop the Cup Series standings. Chastain has moved into second place, 67 points behind standings leader Elliott. Blaney – who is still looking for his first victory of the season – is now third.

Truex, who is also still racing for a playoff-securing victory is now in the 16th and final Playoff position – 68 points ahead of Harvick, who has not won in 2022 either.

The NASCAR Cup Series’ next race is the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400, scheduled next Sunday (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM) at Pocono Raceway.

Notes: Inspection in the Cup Series garage is complete with no issues, confirming Christopher Bell as the winner. … A multicar crash sidelined four drivers with just four laps complete, knocking out Alex Bowman, Ty Dillon, Josh Bilicki and BJ McLeod. … The green flag was delayed roughly 20 minutes by a mid-afternoon shower and lightning in the area.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Staff Report

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

Note: All 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

Monday, July 18                                                                                                                                                             
6 p.m., NASCAR America Motormouths, Peacock

Tuesday, July 19
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay (2022 Season Recap), FS1
8 p.m., American Flat Track: New York short track race (re-air), FS2

Wednesday, July 20
6NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR America Motormouths, Peacock
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (Best of Radioactive 2022 Season), FS1
11:30 p.m., Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane, USA Network

Thursday, July 21
1 a.m., American Flat Track: Laconia race (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, Peacock
7 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: 2022 Season Recap, FS1

Friday, July 22
7 a.m., NASCAR RaceDay: 2022 Season Recap (re-air), FS1
8 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Trucks (re-air), FS1
8:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (Race Hub Game Night: Truck Series Edition), FS1
9:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive, 2022 Season (re-air), FS1
10:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Features, 2022 Season (re-air), FS1
11 a.m., NASCAR RaceDay: 2022 Season Recap (re-air), FS1
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Practice/Qualifying at Pocono Raceway, FS1
NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

8:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Practice/Qualifying at Pocono Raceway (re-air), FS1
10 p.m., ARCA Menards Series: General Tire Delivers 200 at Pocono Raceway (re-air), FS1

On MRN:
6:30 p.m., ARCA Menards Series:

Saturday, July 23
NASCAR RaceDay: 2022 Season Recap (re-air), FS1
1 a.m., American Flat Track: Laconia race (re-air), FS1
2 a.m., American Flat Track: Lima half-mile race (re-air), FS1
3 a.m., American Flat Track: New York short track race (re-air), FS1
8 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Practice/Qualifying at Pocono Raceway (re-air), FS1
9:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Practice/Qualifying at Pocono Raceway, USA Network
11 a.m.,
11:30 a.m.,
11:30 a.m., NASCAR RaceDay: CWTS at Pocono, FOX
12 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: CRC Brakleen 150 at Pocono Raceway, FOX
12 p.m., Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane (re-air), USA Network
12:30 p.m., IMSA: Lime Rock Park 120 (re-air), USA Network
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Practice/Qualifying at Pocono Raceway, USA Network
4:30 p.m., Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane (re-air), USA Network
5 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono Raceway, USA Network
7 p.m., ARCA Menards Series: General Tire Delivers 200 at Pocono Raceway (re-air), FS1
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Post-Race Show, USA Network

On MRN:
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: CRC Brakleen 150 at Pocono Raceway
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Practice/Qualifying at Pocono Raceway
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono Raceway

Sunday, July 24
4 a.m., ARCA Menards Series: General Tire Delivers 200 at Pocono Raceway (re-air), FS2
6 a.m., The Relentless (re-air), FS2
6:30 a.m., The NASCARcade (re-air), FS2
7 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: CRC Brakleen 150 at Pocono Raceway (re-air), FS2
9 a.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour: Whelen 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (re-air), USA Network
10:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: CRC Brakleen 150 at Pocono Raceway (re-air), FS2
12:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Cup Series at Pocono Raceway, FS1
2 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Countdown to Green, USA Network
3 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway, USA Network
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Post-Race Show, USA Network
7 p.m., Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane (re-air), USA Network
7:30 p.m., Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane (re-air), USA Network
10 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: CRC Brakleen 150 at Pocono Raceway (re-air), FS2

On MRN:
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway

Posted on by Pat DeCola

LOUDON, N.H. — Things have never been better at JR Motorsports.

The powerhouse Xfinity Series team is fresh off Justin Allgaier’s strong victory Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the Chevrolet-backed organization’s sixth victory since late April and series-best seventh on the season. All four teams are communicating data intimately, all four are in the championship hunt inside the points standings’ top eight, and if you added any more proverbial cylinders to the mix, they’d probably be clicking on all those, too.

The blend of people from those turning wrenches on the shop floor to those turning left and right on Saturdays is just working, and it has been a long time in the making for the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-Kelley Earnhardt Miller joint operation.

“Trying to find the right way to fit those pieces together is always a fun challenge,” Earnhardt said after Allgaier’s win, the No. 7 driver’s third of the season. “And I think our lineup of drivers is as strong as it has ever been. I think our lineup of crew chiefs are working better together than they ever have. We’ve had some great crew chiefs like Dave Elenz and other people in our organization that were tough to see go but you know, when they work together, they can be stronger as a group. And so there’s a lot of great information going from car to car and we’ve got great engines. Really, really great engines from Hendrick. Our support from Hendrick when it comes to resources, engineering and sim and all those things, that river’s never flowed as smooth and as current as it does now. And so everything’s working well.”

MORE: Allgaier claims ‘Magic Mile’ | Full race results

Then again, are they perhaps working too well?

We’re at the point of the season where Cup Series rides of all sorts are starting to become available as drivers and teams play musical chairs with eyes cautiously looking ahead to the 2023 and 2024 seasons while keeping a keen focus on this year’s impending NASCAR Playoffs.

Given how dominant JR Motorsports is at the moment and the variety of talent the four-car team boasts, it’s not unreasonable to think one — or more — of them could be pilfered up to Cup by a team looking to capture lightning in a bottle with a driver on the rise. And JRM offers an enticing menu of options for other teams to potentially take a look at, from the veteran guile of 30-somethings Allgaier and Josh Berry, who look like they could hop into a Cup car tomorrow and make it competitive, to young, aggressive upstarts Noah Gragson and Sam Mayer, who ranked fifth and ninth, respectively, among our 23-and-under prospect rankings from this year’s preseason.

MORE: Power Rankings: Top 10 young prospects

With a few Silly Season shakeups this past week alone — Tyler Reddick and Ty Dillon leaving their respective rides — there are rumblings Gragson could be among the favorites to land one of those opportunities.

Not only can this be considered a good problem to have, according to Earnhardt, it’s actually a situation and environment Junior himself has cultivated — to make JRM a stepping stone to Sundays, even if it means part of the family has to move on.

“The one thing I’ll say is that I can’t wait for the phone to ring for any of our four guys to get a call. I want to know about it as soon as it happens, and I can’t wait to help them make the decision of whether that’s a smart move for them or not,” the Hall of Famer said. “That was such a great day (when Aric Almirola called to tell me he was leaving to drive the No. 43 full-time). I was standing in the house, standing in the lobby or the foyer of my house, when Aric Almirola called me and he said I got some tough news. He said, ‘Richard Petty has called me to see if … ‘ and I was like, ‘You gotta go.’ I didn’t even let him finish the sentence. I was like, ‘That’s it. That’s what we do this for.’ Like, this is your chance, you know? And I was so happy. You know, because that’s like a win. That’s like a trophy. That’s like what happened today to get a call. It’s kind of like getting pulled up from the minors. And it could happen any minute right in the middle of the year.

“And so yeah, I’m excited anytime that happens and the potential for Noah had that opportunity. I’m waiting. I’m waiting to hear that phone ring any second for him for any of our guys.”

Until that happens, the gregarious team owner is content to just keep winning races, celebrating in Victory Lane with his racing family and focusing on the next race ahead from now through Phoenix while enjoying the ride.

“We’re taking advantage of it and enjoying it for sure,” Earnhardt said. “We go home and have beer toasts and everybody, the morale in the shop, I don’t think could be better.”