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.
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Monday, March 28
2:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250 (re-air), FS1
10 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series XPEL 225 (re-air), FS2
11 a.m., IMSA Auto Racing: Michelin Pilot Challenge, USA
Noon, NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250 (re-air), FS2
1 p.m., ARCA Menards Series East, USA
2 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Motormouths, Peacock
10:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (re-air), FS1
Tuesday, March 29
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, Radioactive: Best of Richmond, FS1
10 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Nalley Cars 250 (re-air), FS2
Wednesday, March 30 1 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (re-air), FS2
4 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250 (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Motormouths, Peacock
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub — Boundless: Betty Skelton, FS1
Thursday, March 31 6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub — Game Night: Family Edition, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub — Radioactive: Best of Road Courses, FS1
10 p.m., NASCAR Classics: 1986 Miller High Life 400, FS2
Friday, April 1
1 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub — Best of Radioactive: Road Courses, FS2
3:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub — Game Night: Family Edition, FS1
4:30 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 1986 Miller High Life 400, FS1
10 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub — Best of Radioactive: Road Courses, FS2
11 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub — Game Night: Family Edition, FS2
Noon, ARCA Menards Series NAPA Auto Parts 150, USA
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 1986 Miller High Life 400, FS1
On MRN
6:30 p.m., Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150
Saturday, April 2 6 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 1998 Autolite Platinum 250, FS1
8:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, FS1
9 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, FS1
10 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub Weekend Edition Richmond
10:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
12:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Xfinity, FS1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series ToyotaCare 250, FS1
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series ToyotaCare 250, FS1 (re-air)
10:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series qualifying, FS1 (re-air)
On MRN 10:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Pole Qualifying
1 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series ToyotaCare 250
Sunday, April 3 12:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series ToyotaCare 250, FS2 (re-air)
4:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series ToyotaCare 250, FS1 (re-air)
6:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive, FS1
7:30 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 1986 Miller High Life 400, FS1
10:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series ToyotaCare 250, FS1 (re-air)
2 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Richmond, FS1
3 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Richmond, FOX
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400, FOX
On MRN
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400
Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing announced Friday afternoon via a statement that the team will appeal the L2-level penalty NASCAR officials issued to its No. 6 NASCAR Cup Series team.
“In connection to the penalties announced yesterday by NASCAR, we have filed a notice of appeal and look forward to the opportunity to work through the process,” the statement read.
NASCAR officials issued an L2-level penalty to the No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team on Thursday morning, penalizing the team 100 driver points and 100 owner points. The penalty comes under Sections 14.1 and 14.5 in the NASCAR Rule Book, both of which pertain to the modification of a single source supplied part.
In addition to the points penalties, crew chief Matt McCall was fined $100,000 and suspended from the next four NASCAR Cup Series points races. Should the No. 6 team of Brad Keselowski qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, it will be penalized with the loss of 10 NASCAR Playoff points.
Next up: A three-member panel from the National Motorsports Appeals Panel will hear and consider the appeal at a later date.
Like her last name is pronounced, NASCAR.com writer Terrin Waack walks the walk, but she’ll let her achievements do the talking.
In January, Waack won the 2020-21 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year award, a prestigious accomplishment bestowed upon a writer within the motorsports industry. She earned it for various pieces of work, including:
•Saving the season: A five-part series detailing how NASCAR ran its 2020 season amid COVID-19 pandemic •Racing helps soul of NASCAR fan Travis Carpenter •A local lovin’ concessions crawl at Road America •Timing everything: How to consistently nail the perfect pre-race flyover
Waack has worked for NASCAR since July 2019. Prior to her current run in Charlotte, North Carolina, Waack was a beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News with a focus on University of Alabama athletics, which is also where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in journalism. Her work has also been featured for the Associated Press and in The Chicago Tribune.
Waack is the first woman in NASCAR.com history and third woman ever to win the NMPA Writer of the Year award.
“I love supporting females in the industry,” Waack told NASCAR.com. “Don’t get me wrong, you need to earn it. But, I think when you earn it and when you’re doing well, you deserve the support and recognition. So, to get that support and recognition as not only a female, but as a writer, meant so much to me. It was a huge shock.”
The above interview with Waack via Zoom showcased just two of five total awards she earned during the awards ceremony. What is just as telling regarding her accomplishments is the countless lanyards hanging beside them, which contain media credentials from national and international events she has covered throughout her career.
“They are all different,” Waack said. “There’s football, NASCAR, Formula E, boxing, golf and even a gaming championship. I’ve covered so many different things and they all have a special place in my heart. To see them is a reminder of what all I have done and what more I can do.”
Waack’s passion for sports transfers over to her personal life. In her spare time, she loves to run long distance and participate in boxing classes. She completed her first marathon in December 2021 in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
The juxtaposition of her personal and professional life exhibits a constant focus in striving for perfection — on the run to improve her physical fitness each day, but never willing to run away in the face of adversity — hitting a challenge head-on and with success in a profession that is continually evolving.
Her biggest piece of advice to other young women looking to break barriers is to work hard, take all the opportunities you can and don’t be scared to accomplish your goals.
“Any fear I have in going toward a situation, it’s like well, if you don’t do it, then you’re out of a job,” Waack said. “If I don’t get the interview, then I don’t get the story and that’s me not completing my job. That squashes any fear or nervousness I have in a situation.
“Knowing I am employed, I do have a job, I have a spot at the table, whether or not someone believes I deserve it, I don’t care. I have it. It’s mine. You’re not going to take it from me unless you do better than me.”
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has a storied history of teams, tracks and fans who have been around the sport for decades. Many who travel to events have been attending for years, and the teams remain committed to racing at the highest level with the goal of becoming a NASCAR champion in mind.
Better yet, the series also attracts specific followings at different tracks, and with a diverse schedule in place for 2022, more new fans than ever before will see NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour racing at their local short tracks.
Behind the scenes, work continues to produce the best for teams, drivers and fans alike. For 2022, that work is not just coming from NASCAR and the tracks, but also from an outside promotional group that is joining the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour for the second straight year.
JDV Productions, led by former Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park general manager Josh Vanada, will bring the Tour to four different venues in 2022. Vanada and his team have leased some of the Northeast’s top venues to bring the rumble and roar of NASCAR’s oldest touring series directly to diverse fan groups — specifically to some tracks the Tour has not visited in years.
JDV will continue to bolster the series through its own channels with some of the top professionals in short-track racing working behind the scenes to make it all possible.
Vanada, who grew up in a racing family, has been through the ranks of the sport. He started as an official at Massachusetts’ Seekonk Speedway, where he became the Chief Starter. Years later, he operated one of the most historic tracks in the country, Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, as General Manager.
“From the first time I saw a Modified, I was hooked,” Vanada told NASCAR.com. “There was something about the wide stance, low-to-the-ground look and noise that just drew me in. It’s important to me that our team produces regional stock car racing events with national quality. I think the Whelen Modified Tour fits in nicely with what we are trying to do with JDV Productions. It’s professional, organized and nationally recognized.”
The JDV season opens May 21 at New Hampshire’s Lee USA Speedway with the Granite State Derby 175, and it will conclude at New Hampshire’s Claremont Motorsports Park on July 29 with the Clash at Claremont. In between, the Tour will visit Pennsylvania’s Jennerstown Speedway on Memorial Day weekend (May 28) and Monadnock Speedway in the mountains of New Hampshire on June 18.
All four events will include a full slate of local track house divisions, most under the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series sanction.
In 2021, Vanada and his team operated successful events at Jennerstown, New York’s Oswego Speedway and Maine’s Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. This year, they’re taking the next step.
“I’m very encouraged by the energy and momentum that the NASCAR industry has this year, starting with the (Cup Series’) Clash at the Coliseum,” Vanada said. “The competition has been intense, and the crowds have been spectacular. It was encouraging to see a sellout crowd for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour opener at New Smyrna. We are looking to build on that momentum in the Northeast.”
JDV will bring the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour to Lee for the first time since 1998 and to Claremont for the first time since 2007. The return to Jennerstown will be for the fourth straight year (second under JDV), and Monadnock’s high-banks will host the Tour again after a hiatus in 2021.
Fans look on during the Laurel Highlands 150 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Jennerstown Speedway in Jennerstown, Pennsylvania and wins on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020. (Nate Smallwood/NASCAR)
“I’m excited about each of our events for different reasons. The returns to Lee and Claremont, honoring our fallen heroes with a special Memorial Day weekend race at Jennerstown, and dueling it out on Monadnock’s high-banks — they will all provide their own unique flare for a race fan,” he continued. “New England has always been home to me, and while the Modifieds are nationally recognized, New England is Modified country. It’s important that the Whelen Modified Tour competes on the tracks with the fans who are most passionate about them.”
As part of the season, JDV and Whelen Engineering have teamed up to bring the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup into the series. With more than $15,000 as part of the bonus program, the three New Hampshire events — Lee, Monadnock and Claremont — will give teams even more incentive to chase the checkered flag.
“The Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup brings the series to New Hampshire three times and invites local drivers like Steven Dickey to take on three-time champion Justin Bonsignore and the rest of the field,” Vanada said. “Giving the drivers and fans access to that competition is something that we view as important.”
As part of the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup, the team who sees their driver earn the most points over the three events will earn a smooth $5,000 as the champion to be crowned at the Claremont finale. Second place will earn $2,000, with third collecting $1,000.
Other awards involved in the Bonus Program include:
$200 Challenger Bonus per race – offered to the driver who competed in fewer than 50 percent of the races in the past two seasons
$200 Hard Charger Bonus per race – offered to the driver who gains the most positions from their starting to finishing position in each event
$500 Lap Leader Bonus – offered to the driver who leads the most laps over the three events in the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup
$800 Consistency Bonus – offered to the driver who has the worst average finish over the three races
JDV will also offer the JDV Experience at all four races, and it’s something fans won’t want to miss. They can purchase an all-inclusive pass for a special treat of a day at the races.
Available now, the JDV Experience will give fans who purchase special tickets preferred seating at the specific race, but that’s just the start. The JDV Experience will also offer fans a private autograph session with some of the top Whelen Modified Tour drivers, a JDV Experience hat, a tour of the inspection area in the pits and a voucher for track concessions. Fans can purchase the Lee USA Speedway Experience for $150 per person, or the other three events for $125.
“It’s important to us to provide the best entertainment we can. We have many different ways to take races in from purchasing a grandstand ticket, to a pit pass, to the premium JDV Experience,” Vanada said. “Regardless of that ticket a fan purchases, they are going to get the great wheel-to-wheel, door-to-door racing that will showcase a variety of stock cars with New England’s most talented drivers behind the wheel. Meanwhile, we will build events around the racing – that includes unique trophies, appropriate pageantry, autograph sessions and excitement all the way through.”
Above all, Vanada and his team want what is best for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the teams, drivers and fans who support one of the top short-track divisions in the country.
“It’s easy to work with people when you value the same things. Since I’ve started working with Jimmy Wilson (director of the Whelen Modified Tour) 10 years ago, we have often thought similarly about important preparation and execution that go into these events,” Vanada said. “We do most of our work prior to the race, communicate widely, prepare for the unknown and demand that our events are executed with national quality.
“When two teams come together around those ideas, success is a lot easier. We’re grateful for our partnership with NASCAR, and we’re looking forward to some competitive racing for fans to enjoy in 2022.”
During the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway last weekend, Brad Perez had to navigate a unique set of emotions.
The 25-year-old from Hollywood, Florida, of course had to complete his job as a tire specialist for the Rackley W.A.R. team and driver Matt DiBenedetto’s No. 25 Chevrolet Silverado. He also had to ask off work ahead of the following weekend at Circuit of The Americas, when the series would head to Austin, Texas.
Perez early that morning had learned that he, himself would be racing against DiBenedetto at COTA.
“I was (in Atlanta) doing my tires and freaking out, trying to keep calm,” Perez told NASCAR.com with a laugh. “I’m like, ‘Sorry, if I see the 25 truck (on the track at COTA), I won’t touch it!’ ”
On March 24, the Monday after the Atlanta race and five days before COTA, Perez and Reaume Brothers Racing announced the driver would make his Truck Series debut in Austin. The announcement came just one week after Perez began searching for partners to help fund his entry for the team.
Perez, who has made a name for himself in the racing community by competing in Go Karts, Spec Miatas, Legend Cars and the ARCA Menards Series as well as on the iRacing platform, first learned of this opportunity on Sunday, March 13. He was in Fredericksburg, Virginia, helping ARCA driver Willie Mullins prepare a car for the East Series race at Florida’s Five Flags Speedway when Perez received a phone call from good friend and current Truck Series driver Will Rodgers.
Rodgers informed Perez that RBR owner Josh Reaume wanted to meet to discuss an opportunity at COTA. Mullins understood when Perez explained why he needed to drive back to North Carolina immediately.
After his meeting with Reaume the next day, Perez went into scramble mode trying to find partners. He did not need to search nearly as hard as he thought he would to get GreenTech Energy, Kimberly Kirven and Apex Coffee, among others, on board.
Perez works as a driving instructor at the BMW Performance Center in Greer, South Carolina. That’s where he met Kirven, a real estate agent who recently rode with Perez on a hot lap at the driving school.
“I didn’t even have her phone number; we knew each other through Instagram,” Perez explained. “I asked her who she knew in Austin, and she goes, ‘No, I’ll do it!’ ”
Rich Lawson of GreenTech knew Perez through an iRacing sponsorship deal and wanted to help with the driver’s COTA efforts. The partnership with Apex Coffee was the result of a connection Perez made when he was trying to fund his ARCA Menards Series entry at Watkins Glen International last year. Victory SIM and The Mohawk Foundation also joined.
Perez said the final “yes” on his partnerships arrived the morning of that Atlanta race.
That so many were quick to jump in and help fund Perez’s Truck Series debut is no surprise given his embedded status in racing. On top of his job at BMW, Perez helps Mullins whenever he can. He also volunteers at fellow South Floridian Josh Williams’ shop in Concord, North Carolina. Josh Williams Motorsports, of course, was the team that gave Perez his first ARCA Menards start last year at The Glen. Perez finished 24th after dealing with a brake issue.
Perez, whose aspirations always revolved around racing even when he was working jobs that had nothing to do with motorsports, was overcome with emotion after that ARCA race.
Driver Brad Perez and car owner Josh Williams work on their No. 60 JWM Chevrolet ahead of the Clean Harbors 100 at The Glen for the ARCA Menards Series at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 6, 2021. (Brett Carlsen/ARCA Racing)
“All the things that went wrong don’t matter, because all my family’s here, all my friends are here,” he told ARCARacing.com at the time. “A lot of people work seriously hard to be able to give me my dream. A lot of people built their businesses up — these are their babies — and they did not have to do this. I just hope I did them proud. I got to do the coolest thing in the world, and I hope I get to do it again.”
He does get to do it again, and he will do it in one of NASCAR’s three national series driving a No. 43 Silverado.
Perez figures his experience at COTA will be similar, at least emotionally.
“At the end of the day I like to sit in bed and reflect on the day,” Perez said, “but I’ve been getting home at midnight or 2 a.m. this whole week, so I haven’t really had time to reflect. I feel like when the national anthem is on, and I’m standing next to the truck, I feel like that’s probably when it’s going to hit me.
“My parents are going to be there. It’s a big event. It’s COTA. It’s the freaking United States Grand Prix track. It’s super cool. I feel like I’m not going to really grasp it until then.”
Before the first road-course challenge of the season Sunday at Circuit of The Americas (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), try your hand at some props on the race ranging from who will win a featured matchup to where a driver will finish.
The Next Gen car is primed for its road-course debut.
NASCAR heads back to Circuit of The Americas on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. After a downpour of rain shortened the inaugural event in 2021, the Cup Series returns to Austin, Texas, for what’s setting up to be a (dry!) thrilling weekend.
Get set for the weekend with everything you need here:
SHIFTING INTO PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING
The Cup Series will hit the track for practice on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET (FS1), with the 39 entered teams divided into Group A and Group B. Each group will be allotted 20 minutes of practice.
After practice, each group will be given a 15-minute timed qualifying session in which teams can set multiple lap times. The fastest five cars from each group will advance to the second round, in which the 10 remaining drivers will fight for the pole award.
— Twenty minutes southeast from the Texas capital in Austin sits the mammoth, 3.41-mile track. Tavo Hellmund announced plans to build the facility on an 890-acre piece of property in 2010, with billionaire Red McCombs named the most financially significant investor.
— The track’s design was submitted by HKS, Inc. and Tilke Engineers & Architects. The Dallas-based HKS designed AT&T Stadium where the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys play, SoFi Stadium which houses the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, among other stadiums. Hermann Tilke is one of four designers recognized by the FIA and has helped create other Formula One facilities like Bahrain International Circuit, Marina Street Bay Circuit and Yas Marina Circuit.
— Since opening in 2012, the circuit has hosted a number of racing and live sporting events including Formula One (2012-2019, 2021), MotoGP World Championship (2013-2019), American Rallycross (2018-2019), V8 Supercars, American Le Mans Series, Rolex Sports Car Series, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar series, IndyCar and more.
— The track features 20 turns, the first of which is a hairpin atop an 11% gradient incline at the end of the front straightaway. After a series of esses, a blind corner and a hairpin at Turn 11, drivers attack a 0.62-mile (1 km) straightaway that carries them to the second half of the track.
— Sunday’s race will mark the second for Cup at COTA after last year’s debut.
— COTA is the first of six road courses on this year’s schedule.
Source: Racing Insights
GOODYEAR TIRES
While the sidewalls are thinner and the bead diameter increases from 15 inches to 18 for the Next Gen car, Goodyear returns to Circuit of The Americas with the same tread compound as teams used in 2021. This tread is also scheduled to run at Sonoma Raceway and Road America.
Additionally, Goodyear has entirely redesigned its wet-weather radial tire and will bring it to COTA — although the forecast indicates they will not be necessary. The new tire tread is based on Goodyear’s Eagle Supercar 3 consumer tire.
COTA STORY LINES
— Hendrick Motorsports has won eight of the last 11 races overall as well as nine of the last 11 road courses.
— Each of Chase Elliott’s last two wins came on road courses, including this race one year ago as well as the inaugural race at Road America. After William Byron’s win at Atlanta, Elliott is Hendrick Motorsports’ only winless driver this season.
— The last 11 races have been won by drivers under the age of 30, the longest streak in series history.
— Trackhouse Racing is tied with Hendrick Motorsports for the most top fives this season. Ross Chastain, driver of Trackhouse’s No. 1 Chevrolet, finished fourth in this race one year ago and has finished inside the top three in each of the last three races.
— Kurt Busch leads all drivers with a 9.6 average finish through five races. Busch finished inside the top five at both Phoenix (fifth) and Atlanta (third).
Source: Racing Insights
ROAD COURSE? SAFE BETS AHEAD
The best pick of the weekend is the easiest pick of the weekend: Chase Elliott. Elliott, the 3-1 favorite, has won an absurd 36.8% of all road course starts (seven of 19) and won this race a year ago, even if teammate Kyle Larson (4-1) was chasing him down before rain halted the event.
The bets that will actually make you money, of course, are the more interesting ones. Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric is posted at 16-1 odds according to BetMGM. However, the rookie made one of his seven Cup starts here a season ago and blistered the field through the opening laps on slick tires while his competition opted for wets. Cindric is a road-course veteran and may be a factor Sunday.
The same 16-1 odds are applied to the No. 16 Chevrolet of AJ Allmendinger. Allmendinger is on a part-time schedule for the second straight year but is a two-time Cup winner on road courses and an excellent road racer overall, winning last year’s Indianapolis Motor Speedway road-course event.
Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $25,000 prize for the winner.
The 2022 Fantasy Live points leaders are Chase Elliott (165 points), Joey Logano (162 points) and William Byron. (150 points).
Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.
NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement in the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.
There are 41 active drivers with at least one career NASCAR Cup Series start at a road course. Forty of those drivers not named Chase Elliott have combined for 20 wins in 781 starts.
Elliott has seven wins in 19 starts, including a staggering six in 12 starts since 2019, and he’s back at Circuit of The Americas this weekend looking to remove “arguably” before “the greatest road-course driver in NASCAR history.”
Ten months after Elliott won a rain-shortened EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix, the 26-year-old is BetMGM’s favorite to win in Austin, where mid-80s and clear skies are forecasted.
And while it’s obvious why Elliott is favored to increase his career road-course winning rate to a staggering 40%, it’s anyone’s guess — including his own — why he’s dominated on these tracks.
“I really have no idea,” Elliott said last July about the road-course success. “I feel like it’s just good cars. Our team as a whole has been good at road courses the whole time, too. Kyle (Larson) won at Sonoma. I feel like drivers are only as good as what they have to drive. Fortunately, I feel like I’ve got the best stuff and just got to make it work.”
To earn a seventh road-course win in the last four years, Elliott must, at minimum, finish ahead of road-course ringer AJ Allmendinger and Kyle Larson, who finished second last year in Austin and is the only other driver with multiple road-course wins since 2019.
Elliott and Allmendinger are paired in one of BetMGM’s four Featured Matchups for NASCAR betting this weekend:
Chase Elliott (-200) and A.J. Allmendinger (+165)
Chase Elliott sits atop BetMGM’s odds for race winner, top-2 finish, top-3 finish, and top Chevrolet car.
None of those positions are surprising for arguably the best road-course driver in NASCAR history, nor is his position as a heavy favorite over Allmendinger, who finished fifth last year at COTA and is one of only four other drivers with a road-course win since 2019.
The public is willing to pay the price for Elliott, too. As of Wednesday, he was receiving 80% of the bets and 99% of the handle in the head-to-head matchup with Allmendinger. Elliott also has 11.1% of the tickets to win the race, the highest share in the field.
Kyle Larson (-200) vs. William Byron (+165)
If the 2021 race wasn’t stopped after 54 (of a scheduled 68) laps, Kyle Larson might’ve won, overtaking Elliott from his second-place position.
Larson returns to Austin seeking his second win of the year after disappointing starts at Phoenix and Atlanta. With three road-course wins and five top-five finishes in 10 races since 2019, he’s the best active road-course driver outside of Elliott.
Larson, however, is not the public’s pick against William Byron, who’s dominating the tickets (80%) and handle (96%) in this matchup. Byron also ranks second in race-winner handle, 10.8% to Larson’s 3.7% (ninth).
Kyle Busch (-150) vs. Denny Hamlin (+125)
Only Elliott and Larson have higher average road-course finishes than Denny Hamlin since 2019 (minimum two starts), yet Hamlin hasn’t won over that time; he has seven top-five finishes, a driver rating of 100, and 85 laps led.
Despite the sustained success, Hamlin is an underdog to Kyle Busch, who finished 10th last year but has 404 laps led and four wins in 41 career road-course races. And bettors are taking the dog; Hamlin has 63% of the tickets and 59% of the handle against Busch.
Martin Truex Jr. (-125) vs. Austin Cindric (+105)
This matchup pits one of the Cup Series’ most experienced road-course drivers in Martin Truex Jr., against one of the least experienced in Austin Cindric.
Among active drivers, only Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick have more career starts than Truex. His 39 starts dwarf the three career starts for the 23-year-old Cindric, who finished third in qualifying, fifth in Stage 1, and fourth in Stage 2 last year before dropping well out of contention.
Truex has the second-highest race-winner handle (14.2%) but has smaller ticket (20%) and handle (39%) shares than Cindric in their matchup.
You can view updated EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix odds and more online sports betting opportunities at BetMGM.
NASCAR officials issued an L2-level penalty to the No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team on Thursday morning, penalizing the team 100 driver points and 100 owner points to significantly impact its path to the postseason.
The penalty came under Sections 14.1 and 14.5 in the NASCAR Rule Book, both of which pertain to the modification of a single source supplied part.
In addition to the points penalties, crew chief Matt McCall was fined $100,000 and suspended from the next four NASCAR Cup Series points races. Should the No. 6 team of Brad Keselowski qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, it will be penalized with the loss of 10 NASCAR Playoff points.
Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing announced Friday afternoon via a statement that the team will appeal the penalty.
“In connection to the penalties announced yesterday by NASCAR, we have filed a notice of appeal and look forward to the opportunity to work through the process,” the statement read.
Prior to Sunday’s race at Atlanta, Keselowski’s No. 6 car was sent to the rear of the field for unapproved adjustments. The violations announced Thursday morning were discovered during teardown inspection at the NASCAR R&D Center following the race weekend.
The 100-point penalty will take Keselowski from 16th in the points standings with 122 points to 35th, behind every full-time driver in the field.
NASCAR officials released a more stringent penalty structure for the 2022 Cup Series season in January, introducing a list of deterrence options on a three-tiered system — from L1 to L3.
Penalty options for an L2 infraction include:
• Points deductions: 75-120points • Playoff points deductions: 10-25 points • Suspension of one or two crew members for 4-6 races • Fines: $100,000-$250,000
“To make sure that all of those things stay above board, there’s going to have to be a culture shift from the way that the teams and NASCAR, for that matter, have done business,” NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Scott Miller said in January when announcing the new penalty structure. “So this deterrence model has more meat in it, more meaningful penalties, but I think we all thought that it was time for this with the introduction of the new car.”
Also announced on Thursday’s penalty report: Veteran crew chief Eddie Troconis was indefinitely suspended from NASCAR for violating Sections 4.3 and 4.43 of the rule book, which pertain to member conduct.
Troconis’ NASCAR membership was previously suspended on Oct. 6 and reinstated Feb. 11.
Editor’s note: Bozi Tatarevic is a professional racing mechanic and pit crew member. He will provide technical analysis for NASCAR.com throughout the 2022 season.
NASCAR heads back to the Circuit of The Americas this weekend and the anticipation is high as the NASCAR Next Gen car makes its road-course debut after starting the season on a variety of ovals. This will be a big test for the new Cup car as teams will look to take advantage of some of the new features, such as the independent rear suspensions and increased braking capacity that make it more compatible with courses where they will turn both left and right.
While the cars will have drastically different suspension setups from what we’ve seen over the last few weeks, the base cars will not be based on unique chassis as we’ve seen in the past and instead will have different pieces bolted onto the same suspension uprights that teams have used on the ovals this year.
The most notable and visible difference between oval racing and road-course racing is camber of the wheels. Camber is the angle of the wheel in relation to the car when viewed from the front. Negative camber is when a wheel is leaning inward while positive camber is when a wheel is leaning outward. Oval tracks have positive camber on the left side and negative camber on the right while road course configuration have negative camber on both sides.
As the right side of the car is set up for negative camber on both ovals and road courses, most of the parts there can be used on both types of tracks. But the left side has multiple options, and many of the changes in advance of road-course racing happen on the left front corner of the car.
Other notes:
• The suspension upright assembly is the centerpiece of each corner of the suspension and it is what other suspension components and the brakes bolt up to. The upright is a sealed component that the wheel mounts to and is a part that is the same for all courses. It gets adapted for ovals and road courses based on a unique Ackermann bracket that gets bolted up to the top of it, and a unique control arm shear plate that gets bolted up to the bottom of it. These components on the upright allow for unique toe link and control arm combinations for each type of track.
This is a cost-effective method that allows more expensive components, such as the suspension upright, to be reused for a variety of tracks with just some bracketry changes. Control arms and toe links are different from left to right when set up for an oval configuration, but when set up for a road-course configuration, then the same parts are used for both sides.
The best way to imagine these configuration differences is to think of a cylinder versus a cone. A road-course configuration is like rolling a cylinder, where you want both sides to be equal and center because you are turning left and right. An oval configuration is more like a cone, where you want the car to only turn left and roll in a circle.
• The rear suspension of the car receives similar changes with control arms being mirrored for negative camber on both sides, but it also sees changes to the abutment plates, which sit between the driveshafts and the hubs. These abutment plates are customized based on the angle of the suspension and sit behind the tripods of the driveshafts.
These are some of the main component changes that need to be made to the cars in order to run them on a road course, but the largest takeaway here is that an oval car can be converted for road-course duty by bolting on new plates and brackets. This allows flexibility that teams may not have had in the past, with unique welded chassis for each type of track.
• In addition to the suspension changes, road courses also see the addition of wet weather equipment such as defoggers, windshield wipers and rain lights. New for this year are rain flaps, which must also be installed if wet weather conditions are declared. These rain flaps are to be installed behind the front and rear wheels and are intended to reduce spray for following cars. In addition to the flaps, a wet weather declaration also comes with a requirement to block or remove the driver cooling duct on the windshield in order to prevent water from entering the cabin.
A windshield wiper motor must be installed for road-course events, but teams have flexibility in how they mount the motor. The wiper arm must exit the windshield somewhere in the lower center of the windshield in an 11 inch by 7 inch area that has been drawn out for teams to use. Teams are also free to choose their own wiper blade, but in order to prevent teams from attempting to use the wiper blade as an aerodynamic tool, they are now limited to a maximum cross section of 2.50 inches in height and 1.50 inches in width for that wiper blade assembly.
Austin weather is looking dry for the entire weekend, so we’re unlikely to see any of this equipment put to use, but teams will come prepared in case it does have to be employed and Goodyear will have rain tires on hand to be prepared for all situations.
