Posted on by Staff Report

Whelen Manufactured in America 100

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Whelen America 2022

  • Entry list
Car No. Driver Car owner Crew chief Chassis Mfg Sponsor
01 Melissa Fifield Kenneth Fifield Jake Marosz FURY Race Cars Pine Knoll Auto Sales
3 Donny Lia Jan Boehler Greg Fournier Boehler Racing Propane Plus – Huntington Honda
5 Kyle Ebersole Bob Ebersole Bob Ebersole FURY Race Cars Ebersole Excavating Inc., Technique Chassis
07 Patrick Emerling Jennifer Emerling Jan Leaty Troyer Captain Pips Marina & Hideaway
7 Doug Coby Tommy Baldwin Tommy Baldwin Troyer Mayhew Tools
16 Ron Silk Tyler Haydt Philip Moran FURY Race Cars Blue Mountain Machine and Future Homes
17 Corey LaJoie Michele Davini Doug Ogiejko LFR Needham Bank
18 Ken Heagy Robert Pollifrone Greg Gorman FURY Race Cars Buoy One Seafood Market and Restaurant
22 Kyle Bonsignore Kyle Bonsignore Cam McDermott FURY Race Cars Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto
26 Gary McDonald Sean McDonald Chad Mcdonald Troyer Lakeland Landscape Supply
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
40 Ryan Preece Ryan Preece Jeff Preece FURY Hunt Brothers Pizza & www.racechoice.com
44 Bobby Santos III Lawney Tinio Danny Gamache Jr LFR Harshaw Paving / Olivas Market
51 Justin Bonsignore Kenneth Massa Ryan Stone FURY Race Cars Phoenix Communications, Inc.
54 Tommy Catalano David Catalano David Catalano FURY Race Cars FX Caprara
58 Eric Goodale Edgar Goodale Jason Shepphard FURY Race Cars GAF roofing
64 Austin Beers Mike Murphy Ron Yuhas Jr LFR Dell Electric, Lumiere Electrical, Andrew James Interiors, AP Marquadt & Sons
70 Andy Seuss Steve Seuss Steve Seuss LFR Rockingham Boat
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. RYAN LUTZ LFR Horton Avenue Materials
92 Anthony Nocella Anthony Nocella Chris Burdell Chevrolet Nocella Paving, K+D Associates, Airgas
120 Edward McCarthy Edward McCarthy, Jr. William Cole LFR McCarthy’s Marine Sales
Posted on by Adam Fenwick

Jimmy Blewett took all the attention away from the battle for the 2022 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship Saturday evening as the local driver piloted Tommy Baldwin Jr.’s No. 7NY to victory at Wall Stadium Speedway in the Jersey Shore 150.

It was the fourth victory of the year for Baldwin’s team; he continues to hold a 29-point lead in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour owner standings.

Meanwhile, Ron Silk continues to lead the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings while Eric Goodale, Jon McKennedy and Tommy Catalano give chase.

RELATED: Complete Wall Stadium results

Silk started from the pole and led a majority of the race before finishing fifth. He entered with an 18-point advantage on Goodale, but that expanded to 26 points over new second-place driver McKennedy at the conclusion of the Jersey Shore 150.

An eighth-place finish allowed McKennedy to move past Goodale for second in the Tour standings. Goodale is now 29 points behind Silk, with Catalano one point further back in fourth.

Below is a breakdown of how the top 10 drivers in the standings fared in the Jersey Shore 150, plus a complete look at the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings.

Ron Silk, driver of the #16 Blue Mountain Machine and Future Homes, takes the pole during the Jersey Shore 150 for the Whelen Modified Tour at Wall Stadium Speedway on July 9, 2022 in Wall Township, New Jersey. (Kostas Lymperopoulos/NASCAR)
Ron Silk, driver of the No. 16 Blue Mountain Machine and Future Homes Modified, pictured during the Jersey Shore 150 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Wall Stadium Speedway on July 9, 2022 in Wall Township, New Jersey. (Photo: Kostas Lymperopoulos/NASCAR)

1. Ron Silk: 312 points

Silk entered the Jersey Shore 150 looking for his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory of the season, and he appeared to be headed in that direction for much of the race. Silk led 67 laps, but a late-race restart led to Silk falling to fifth by the time the checkered flag waved. He still expanded his championship lead by eight points following his fifth top five and series-best eighth top 10 of the year.

2. Jon McKennedy: 286 points

McKennedy ran a quiet and uneventful race Saturday night. He started 15th and was able to cross the finish line eighth, which helped him move from third to second in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings. It was his sixth top-10 finish of the season.

3. Eric Goodale: 283 points

Goodale struggled for speed during the Jersey Shore 150. He qualified 18th but was unable to advance much beyond there; he ultimately finished 15th after spinning late in the race. He was the first competitor one lap down. As a result, he dropped from second to third in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings.

4. Tommy Catalano: 282 points

Another driver who ran a quiet, uneventful race, Catalano started 17th and finished 12th in the Jersey Shore 150. The New York native finds himself 30 points behind championship leader Silk at the halfway point of the season.

5. Justin Bonsignore: 277 points

The comeback trail continues for three-time and defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Bonsignore, who scored a sixth-place finish Saturday night. After starting fourth, Bonsignore was able to race within the top five for much of the evening. He ran as high as second but was unable to mount a major challenge for the lead and finished sixth. He is 35 points behind Silk as he chases his fourth Tour title.

6. Austin Beers: 274 points

Saturday was a good day for leading NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour rookie Austin Beers. The driver from Northampton, Pennsylvania, qualified sixth and raced in the top 10 all night. His seventh-place finish equaled his season-best result and allowed him to remain sixth in the Tour standings after eight races. It was his fourth top-10 finish of the year.

7. Kyle Bonsignore: 256 points

Starting 11th, Kyle Bonsignore advanced one position by the time the checkered flag waved to finish 10th despite being one of 10 competitors involved in a crash on the 70th lap. His fourth top-10 finish this year keeps him seventh in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings.

8. Craig Lutz: 240 points

After starting 16th, Lutz fell one position short of a top-10 finish. The 11th-place result is his third-best finish of the season behind a sixth-place run at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway in February and a 10th-place finish at Pennsylvania’s Jennerstown Speedway.

9. Dave Sapienza: 221 points

Things started off well for Sapienza at Wall Stadium, as the driver from Riverhead, New York, qualified ninth. However, things went downhill from there. He was one of 10 competitors involved in an accident in Turns 1-2 on the 70th circuit, and he was unable to recover. He finished 18th, three laps down. He is still in search of his first top-10 finish this season.

10. J.B. Fortin: 208 points

Saturday was not a good day for J.B. Fortin. He was another driver who was involved in the 10-car melee on Lap 70, with his car suffering significant nose damage. He was eventually able to continue, but he finished more than 50 laps off the pace in the 22nd position.

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 8 0 5 8 2 1443 232 7.5 5.5 312  —
2    Jon McKennedy 8 0 3 6 0 1432 16 11.5 8.4 286 -26
3    Eric Goodale 8 0 1 5 0 1441 0 9.3 8.6 283 -29
4    Tommy Catalano 8 0 2 4 0 1442 70 14.3 9.1 282 -30
5    Justin Bonsignore 8 2 3 6 2 1205 125 5.8 10.5 277 -35
6    Austin Beers 8 0 0 4 0 1441 0 12.1 9.8 274 -38
7    Kyle Bonsignore 8 0 0 4 0 1433 6 7.9 12.1 256 -56
8    Craig Lutz 8 0 0 2 0 1349 0 10.6 14 240 -72
9    Dave Sapienza 8 0 0 0 0 1422 0 13.9 16.4 221 -91
10    J.B. Fortin 7 0 1 2 0 999 0 13.3 14.3 208 -104
11    Patrick Emerling 6 0 2 3 0 937 0 12.3 12.3 190 -122
12    Matt Hirschman 4 1 4 4 1 731 282 4 2 176 -136
13    Doug Coby 4 2 3 4 0 794 274 5.5 4.3 168 -144
14    Gary McDonald 7 0 0 0 0 1178 0 24.3 21 161 -151
15    Tyler Rypkema 4 0 3 3 1 699 108 9 6 155 -157
16    Walter Sutcliffe, Jr. 6 0 0 0 0 918 4 23.5 19.3 149 -163
17    Melissa Fifield 8 0 0 0 0 435 0 24.8 25.6 147 -165
18    James Pritchard, Jr 4 0 0 0 0 683 0 22 17.3 130 -182
19    Timmy Solomito 4 0 1 2 1 641 131 7.8 12.5 129 -183
20    Andrew Krause 4 0 2 2 0 589 70 14.5 13.8 123 -189
21    Mike Christopher, Jr. 3 1 2 2 0 550 28 11.3 5.7 120 -192
22    Jimmy Blewett 3 1 1 2 0 500 13 9 7 115 -197
23    Jake Johnson 4 0 1 2 1 573 3 15.8 15.5 115 -197
24    Dylan Slepian 3 0 2 2 0 610 0 13.7 10 102 -210
25    Ronnie Williams 3 0 0 0 0 612 0 7.7 12.7 94 -218
26    Ken Heagy 4 0 0 0 0 653 0 19.8 20.5 94 -218
27    Kyle Ebersole 3 0 1 1 0 445 0 20 15.7 85 -227
28    Kyle Soper 2 1 1 2 0 413 39 16.5 4 84 -228
29    Chris Young 3 0 0 0 0 551 0 17 18.7 76 -236
30    Eddie McCarthy 3 0 0 0 0 432 0 14.3 19 75 -237
31    John Beatty, Jr. 1 0 0 1 0 200 0 11 7 73 -239
32    Sam Rameau 2 0 1 1 0 380 0 8 8 72 -240
33    Matt Kimball 3 0 0 0 0 381 0 18 20 72 -240
34    Max McLaughlin 2 0 0 1 0 299 10 7 9.5 70 -242
35    Spencer Davis 3 0 0 0 0 337 0 18 21.3 68 -244
36    Jacob Perry 2 0 0 1 0 378 0 15.5 12.5 63 -249
37    Donny Lia 2 0 0 1 0 315 0 11.5 15 58 -254
38    Chris Turbush 2 0 0 0 0 268 0 17.5 19.5 49 -263
39    Matt Brode 2 0 0 0 0 322 0 10 20 48 -264
40    J.R. Bertuccio 1 0 0 0 0 198 0 7 18 47 -265
41    Tom Rogers, Jr. 1 0 0 0 0 66 0 21 25 43 -269
42    Chuck Hossfeld 1 0 1 1 0 150 5 14 3 42 -270
43    Jeremy Gerstner 2 0 0 0 0 296 0 26.5 23 42 -270
44    Roger Turbush 2 0 0 0 0 283 0 22.5 23.5 41 -271
45    John Baker 1 0 0 1 0 213 0 20 6 38 -274
46    Blake Barney 1 0 0 1 0 150 0 8 9 35 -277
47    Ryan Preece 1 0 0 1 0 200 26 2 10 35 -277
48    Joey Coulter 2 0 0 0 0 232 0 19 27 34 -278
49    Ryan Newman 1 0 0 0 0 149 2 4 13 32 -280
50    John Fortin 1 0 0 0 0 211 0 11 15 29 -283
52    Eddie Brunnhoelzl III 1 0 0 0 0 198 0 19 16 28 -284
53    Jack Ely 1 0 0 0 0 147 0 14 16 28 -284
55    Anthony Sesley 1 0 0 0 0 97 0 13 21 23 -289
56    Paul Charette 1 0 0 0 0 194 0 23 23 21 -291
57    Brian Roble 1 0 0 0 0 149 0 19 23 21 -291
58    Bryan Dauzat 1 0 0 0 0 78 0 25 24 20 -292
59    Danny Bohn 1 0 0 0 0 76 0 12 24 20 -292
60    Todd Patnode 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 26 18 -294
61    Anthony Nocella 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 28 16 -296
Posted on by Press Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 5, 2022) – NASCAR announced today Michael Verlatti, who has led the creation, production and execution of elite event experiences at major venues across the country for more than two decades, has been hired as Managing Director of Event Experience.

Verlatti, a San Francisco native, has worked with some of the most recognizable sports and entertainment organizations, as well as several Fortune 500 companies throughout his career, including extensive involvement in enhancing elements of the event experience at NASCAR races in his previous role of Chief Operating Officer at ISM Connect. Prior to his time at ISM Connect, Verlatti played an integral role in the acquisition and development of Sprint’s multi-million dollar experiential activation programs in 2007 and 2013 before starting his own company, Traction Event Labs, in 2014. After two years of rapid growth, his company was acquired by ISM Connect where he was named COO.

“There is nothing like the thrill and excitement of attending a race in person, and NASCAR continues to reinvest in our event weekends to ensure the fan experience is immersive, dynamic and best-in-class at every race track we visit,” said NASCAR Chief Properties Officer Chip Wile. “Michael’s pedigree and experience in this space will bolster even further our ability to deliver on that promise and ensure every fan has the best experience possible from the moment they arrive to the moment they get in their car after the checkered flag flies.”

In this new role, Verlatti will set the strategic direction for all event experience activities and implement an innovative, best-in-class event experience across all NASCAR series events. He will also lead the execution for all year-round sports and entertainment events at NASCAR-owned properties beyond motorsports activities.

Verlatti and his wife, Kelly, reside in Daytona Beach, FL.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Erik Jones had another brush with a season-changing victory Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a potential triumph that would have thrown a further jolt into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs picture. Instead, the consolation was a fortifying finish and a modest gain in the hunt for a postseason berth.

Jones spurred the Petty GMS Motorsports No. 43 Chevrolet to a fourth-place finish in Sunday’s Quaker State 400, notching his second top-five result of the season. The 26-year-old driver helped steady his course after an uneven batch of recent finishes, nearly cashing in again on a track using the series’ superspeedway rules package.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos

“We needed a tick more speed,” said Jones, who led 10 laps in the race’s final stage. “I think we had to do some things for handling that slowed us down a little bit. We were up there, but I couldn’t really break out and do much. When I got in the lead there, I wasn’t really quick enough to hold it myself. We were close. It feels good to just have a good race. We’ve had a rough month, so it’s nice to get a top five and get some points.”

Jones actually jumped up one spot to 17th in the Cup Series standings, but with the influx of 13 winners thus far onto the provisional 16-driver postseason grid, he remained 19th in the playoff standings. Jones stayed behind Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola in that category, but was able to whittle nine points off his deficit to the cutline, which is now 76.

MORE: Playoff watch rolls with seven races to go

Jones’ recent runs have lacked a measure of consistency. A seventh-place outcome at Gateway plus an 11th-place pop at Nashville were offset by finishes outside the top 20 on the road courses at Sonoma and Road America. His day at Atlanta, which packs superspeedway-style racing into an intermediate track size, represented a return to a sweet spot.

Jones finished sixth at Talladega Superspeedway in April, allowing the lead to slip away in the last bit of the final lap. His next shot at the same track type comes in the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway, where he notched his first Cup Series win in the track’s annual 400-miler in 2018.

“It’s motivating,” Jones said. “I think our superspeedway and 1.5-mile stuff has been so good all year. We were close here in the spring in the end and we were close again today. We were close at Talladega and close in Daytona. So, all the superspeedway races, we’ve been really fast. We’re there, we just need to have one play out for us.”

It nearly did Sunday, where Jones had a prime viewing point for Chase Elliott’s run to the checkers, under intense pressure from eventual runner-up Ross Chastain, underdog Corey LaJoie, and Jones himself.

“I would have loved to have run that last lap out,” Jones said of the final caution flag, which froze the running order with half a lap remaining. “I think Ross and Chase were going to run each other pretty hard in (turns) three and four, and I would have loved to have a chance to make something happen. I feel like we’ve been close at a lot of superspeedways, just haven’t closed one out. I would love to get the No. 43 in Victory Lane and I hope we can do it before the playoffs.”

Posted on by Sean Montgomery

HAMPTON, Ga. — The on-track incidents continued for Ross Chastain in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and one of them involved a familiar face: Denny Hamlin.

Both the No. 1 Chevrolet of Chastain and the No. 11 Toyota of Hamlin were racing toward the front in the closing laps when Chastain clipped Hamlin’s left-rear and sent the No. 11 spinning from fourth place.

At first glance, it was a loose replay of their incident at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway earlier this year, one that sparked a feud between the two racers.

RELATED: Official results | Chastain involved in multi-car crash

But when asked about the routine run-ins with Hamlin and others, Chastain pumped the brakes.

“This one’s so different because I had so much damage,” Chastain said in a post-race interview. “Y’all know that I would take full responsibility if I just ran into him. I had so much damage, I was so much tighter, we had done a lot to free the car up and it was just way too tight. And I just couldn’t carry the throttle I could earlier and I still lifted some but it wasn’t enough.

“But I don’t put this one anywhere near the other incidents.”

The No. 1 Chevrolet saw its front end damaged after a Stage 2 tangle with Martin Truex Jr. According to Chastain, that made the car increasingly tougher to handle down the stretch.

“We had a lot of damage to repair and get it turning again,” said Chastain. “And we had to completely shift the balance of the car. … I should have lifted more and just slid up and was tight. I knew I was gonna be tight, it was just down to the end and I just overestimated the grip level and was sliding. And his left-rear is what caught me.”

After expressing his thoughts after the last incident, Denny Hamlin took a more cryptic approach in his post-race interview with NBC Sports: “It all works out in the end.”

WATCH: Hamlin’s full post-race interview

Hamlin had been hanging around the top five nearly all afternoon. The late spin and a subsequent crash seven laps later relegated the No. 11 team to a 25th-place finish.

“I truly hate it for those guys and him,” Chastain said. “I’ve gotten to know him a lot better the last few weeks. … We’ve got a relationship now where I can talk to him, I’ve got his phone number now. I definitely will [reach out to him] and keep working towards a better relationship there.”

Posted on by Deja Dorsey

HAMPTON, Ga. — Corey LaJoie’s last-ditch bid for his first NASCAR Cup Series victory went south Sunday in a final-lap crash at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

LaJoie led three times for a career-best 19 laps, but gave way to eventual winner Chase Elliott on the next-to-last lap of the Quaker State 400. LaJoie battled back in the Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet, but his high-side move was rebuffed by Elliott’s No. 9 Chevy.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos

LaJoie made contact with the outside retaining wall, and several other cars piled into the tangle. The caution flag ended the race, freezing the field with Elliott just ahead of runner-up Ross Chastain. LaJoie wound up 21st in the 36-car field.

LaJoie had signaled in an interview with NASCAR.com earlier in the week that his approach at the 1.54-mile Georgia track would be to “throw a Hail Mary and steal one.” He almost did, jumping up into the lead spot with a fuel-only pit stop late in the 400-mile event and staying at the front of the pack as the laps trickled down.

“If it was caution free, he probably would’ve been in trouble on fuel,” No. 7 crew chief Ryan Sparks said. “But I just had to kind of build him up and, you know, coach him through it, make sure he’s doing all the right things lifting, trying to save fuel when he can. You know, I haven’t had to call a race like that in a long time, so definitely felt good to be up there and gave me a little more confidence in our efforts and, you know, just excited to keep moving on, keep moving forward.”

Both Sparks and LaJoie mentioned that confidence was gained throughout the race, and Sparks made it clear that Sunday’s end result is nothing to hang their heads about.

“Super proud of, you know, everybody… it’s a lot of work for 30 people to bring Cup cars to the race track and be able to contend for a win like that,” Sparks said. “Obviously, a superspeedway increases that opportunity and we’ll try to take advantage of another at Daytona here in a few weeks.”

In reference to Daytona, LaJoie said his experience being up front in last year’s race should help.

“We were second coming to the white flag there last year, and I definitely was a rookie in that situation. Going to Daytona, we’re not using that car that was going to the junkyard,” LaJoie said. “But I’m sure that those guys, though, had the thing built and handled well and we’re going to have another solid game plan and execute like today. And hopefully we’re in the top two or three rows in the pay window again.”

This was the second time Cup Series drivers experienced the new configuration of Atlanta Motor Speedway. LaJoie came away from it reiterating his pride in Sunday’s performance although it wasn’t the happy ending to an underdog story.

“Obviously, it’s a bit of an equalizer. You know, people can discredit what we did today all they want. I know enough about the narrative,” LaJoie said. “You know, the guy that runs sixth is trying no less hard than the guy running first. (It’s like) playing chess with cars. Now you’re not dancing with the paddles and you’re not hanging it out and you’re not trying to find every morsel of grit. But there’s some heart to it.”

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Holly Cain

Chase Elliott is a former NASCAR Cup Series champion and currently the 2022 title leader. But finally scoring a dramatic victory Sunday afternoon at his home track – Atlanta Motor Speedway – in front of a vocal and adoring home crowd ranks right up there as far as he’s concerned.

Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet led a race-best 97 of the 260 laps and held off a charging field to win Sunday’s Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart, ultimately securing the trophy when the caution flag came out in the closing portion of the frenzied final lap.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos

Corey LaJoie, who was dueling it out with Elliott on the last lap, brought out that caution after hitting the wall in Turn 1 in a final attempt to pull alongside and pass Elliott for what would have also been a popular first-career NASCAR Cup Series victory for the well-liked LaJoie.

“This one’s up there for sure, to win at your home track is a real big deal I think to any race car driver,’’ said Elliott, 26, of nearby Dawsonville, Ga. “I watched a lot of guys do it over the years, Jimmie [Johnson] out in California. We haven’t really had a very good run here, so I felt like today was a good opportunity for us.

“I’m just so proud. This is obviously home for me and home to a lot of great fans who made a lot of noise today. Couldn’t be more proud of our team.”

Obviously disappointed not to earn the victory, but not disheartened, LaJoie said he was encouraged by the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team’s work on Sunday and boosted by the confidence of being in position to win late in a race.

“Closest I’ve ever been, for sure,” LaJoie said. “That was fun. I’m proud of my guys at Spire and everyone who’s helped us out.

“I made my move and it didn’t work out, and the siren is ringing in Dawsonville (Ga.) unfortunately,’’ LaJoie said referencing the famed Dawsonville (Ga.) Pool Room where the owners ring a bell to celebrate each of Elliott’s victories.

With 27 lead changes among 12 drivers and 13 caution periods, it was an eventful day on the newly-reconfigured and repaved Atlanta Motor Speedway’s 1.54-mile track, hosting its second event on its new layout. And there was plenty of drama from the hometown kid winning his series-best third race of the year to several dust-ups among popular drivers.

Ross Chastain, who had a busy day on track and was part of a couple of those incidents, rallied to finish runner-up to Elliott.

“I hated that I took the best car here and I tore it up a couple times, but yeah, it’s incredible,’’ Chastain said of rebounding to score his fifth top-two finish of the season.

“Hats off to Chevrolet and Trackhouse for bringing this fast of a Jockey Chevrolet to be able to come back. Our road crew and pit crew did an awesome job to rebound through all the damage repair and we had a shot and I got inside of the 9 [Elliott] coming off [turn] 2 coming to the checkered and the caution came out.”

After being collected in a nine-car accident just before the race’s midpoint, Chastain worked his way forward again only to make contact with veteran Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin as the two were running in the top 10 late in the race. The pair have had run-ins previously this season and Hamlin, whose car was badly damaged, was not happy after the race.

MORE: Multicar crash slows Stage 2 | Chastain, Hamlin clash again

“Everyone has different tolerance levels and as you all know, I’ve reached my peak,’’ Hamlin said.

Team Penske rookie Austin Cindric – winner of the season-opening Daytona 500 – finished third, with Petty GMS Motorsports’ Erik Jones and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney rounding out the top five.

Chastain’s Trackhouse Racing teammate Daniel Suárez was sixth, followed by Justin Haley, Aric Almirola, Cole Custer and Harrison Burton rounding out the top 10.

With the victory, Elliott extended his championship lead over Blaney to 47 points. Chastain is now third, 50 points behind Elliott.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to competition next weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with the Ambetter 301 on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Stewart-Haas Racing driver Aric Almirola is the defending race winner.

NOTE: Inspection in the Cup Series garage is complete, confirming the No. 9 of Chase Elliott as the race winner. The Nos. 2, 5, 19, 38, 43 and 99 will be taken back to the NASCAR R&D Center for further, routine inspection.


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 11
5:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 (re-air), FS1
11 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 (re-air), FS2
NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Motormouths, Peacock
11:31 p.m., Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane (re-air), USA Network

Tuesday, July 12
4:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 (re-air), FS2

Wednesday, July 13
12:38 a.m., Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane (re-air), USA Network
6NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Motormouths, Peacock

Thursday, July 14
6 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, Peacock
9:31 p.m., Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane, USA Network

Friday, July 15
NASCAR Xfinity Series: Practice/Qualifying at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, USA Network
NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour: Jersey Shore 150 at Wall Stadium Speedway (re-air), USA Network
NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7:30 p.m., Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane (re-air), USA Network

Saturday, July 16
NASCAR Cup Series: Qualifying at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, USA Network
1:30 p.m., Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane (re-air), USA Network
NASCAR Xfinity Series: Crayon 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, USA Network
 USA Network

On PRN:
2 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Crayon 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Sunday, July 17
NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
12:30 p.m., Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane (re-air), USA Network
1 p.m., Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane (re-air), USA Network
1:30 p.m., Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane (re-air), USA Network
NASCAR Cup Series: Ambetter 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, USA Network
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

On PRN: 
2 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Ambetter 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Posted on by Staff Report

A multi-car crash during Stage 2 thinned the field of contenders in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Contact between Martin Truex Jr. and Ross Chastain — both running among the top five — blocked a portion of the 1.54-mile track through Turn 2, collecting several other cars in their wake. Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, Noah Gragson and Michael McDowell were also snagged behind Truex’s spin.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos

The crash forced the fourth caution period in the Quaker State 400. Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet was the most severely damaged, making hard contact with the outside retaining wall. He was evaluated and released from the infield care center, credited with a 35th-place finish in the 36-car field.

“The hit looked bad, but the impact wasn’t as bad as it looked,” Dillon said, who issued some share of the blame to Chastain in televised interviews after the crash. “I told myself that we were going to race hard all day rather than riding in the back, but when you got guys out there wrecking half the field, you might as well pick a different strategy. These Next Gen cars are hard to drive, and you’ve got to make them drive better when it’s hot outside. I thought we did a good job making my car get to the bottom. We were making a lot of headway in the race before we got caught up in someone else’s mess. We’re going to keep on keeping on, and work each week to get to Victory Lane.”

For their prominent roles in the wreck, Chastain and Truex rallied to lead laps afterward and post respectable finishes. Chastain led three times for 32 total laps, and drove away from a later scrape with rival Denny Hamlin to score a runner-up result. Truex led twice for 27 laps and salvaged 11th place.

“I hate that I took the best car here and I tore it up a couple of times,” Chastain said. “Hats off to Chevrolet and Trackhouse Racing for bringing this fast of a Jockey Chevrolet. Our road crew and our pit crew did an awesome job to rebound through all of the damage repair.”

Posted on by PJ Walsh

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With one race already under its belt at this circuit, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the “new” Atlanta Motor Speedway for Sunday’s Quaker State 400 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network).

What was once a very abrasive, intermediate-style race track is now an extremely smooth superspeedway-type layout that provides the pack racing we typically see at Daytona and Talladega.

This results in racing that can be quite unpredictable and allows some longer shots to contend and even cash for bettors.

So with this in mind, here are two bets I’m making for Sunday’s Quaker State 400 at Atlanta.

MORE: Race-day Atlanta odds | Fantasy preview

NASCAR Picks for Atlanta

*Odds as of Sunday morning

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 50-1 to Win

Our very own Nick Giffen highlighted this as his favorite early bet, and with no practice and qualifying rained out, it’s my top value as well heading into today’s race.

Since Giffen has already done the legwork on this one, there’s no need for me to reinvent the wheel (pun intended).

So, take it away Nick (that means click here to read his analysis)!

But before you place your bet, be sure to shop around to snag Stenhouse at the best number.

His price varies wildly across the market, with Caesars Sportsbook offering an extremely delightful 50-1.

Corey LaJoie (+325) for a Top-10 Finish

LaJoie is the king of minding his own business, keeping his car clean and scoring better-than-expected finishes at superspeedways.

Through three superspeedway races this season (Daytona, Atlanta and Talladega), LaJoie has the fifth-best average finish in the Cup Series.

In fact, if we look back to the start of the 2020 season, LaJoie still has the eighth-best average finish in the series over a much larger sample of 11 races.

He’s not typically the type of driver who will get up front and contend for wins, but there are other ways to extract value from LaJoie.

At +325 (BetMGM), I like backing LaJoie to once again bide his time, stay out of trouble and be in contention for a top-10 finish with the laps winding down at Atlanta