Penalty report: Two Cup teams, two Xfinity teams fined for lug-nut violations at The Glen

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Staff Report

NASCAR officials penalized two Cup Series teams and two Xfinity Series teams Tuesday for lug-nut violations during last weekend’s events at Watkins Glen International.

RELATED: Cup Series standings

Each of the two Cup Series teams was found with one unsecured lug nut in Sunday’s post-race check after the Go Bowling at The Glen, resulting in a $10,000 fine for each of the following teams/crew chiefs:

• No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (crew chief Ben Beshore; driver Kyle Busch)
• No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford (crew chief Seth Barbour; driver Anthony Alfredo)

In the Xfinity Series, two teams were also found with a single unsecured lug nut after Saturday’s Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey 200, resulting in $5,000 fines for each crew chief. The offending teams were the race-winning No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (crew chief Chris Gayle; driver Ty Gibbs) and the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (crew chief Jeff Meendering; driver Brandon Jones).

Additionally, No. 36 DGM Racing crew member Joseph Keim, the team’s car chief, is suspended from the next NASCAR Xfinity Series event, this Saturday’s Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. The team was hit with a penalty per Sections 12.5.2.7.4.e: Loss or separation of an improperly installed rear axle from the vehicle. The No. 36 Chevrolet of driver Alex Labbe lost an axle during the race.

Posted on August 10, 2021August 10, 2021 by Chase Wilhelm

Austin Dillon sits just 15 points below the playoff cutline with three races remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season.

That should be enough to make a competitor sweat without turning a lap in the summer heat, but Dillon remains cool as the postseason heat ramps up.

“I’ve been pretty calm, really, about it,” Dillon said Tuesday morning. “I know the situation I’m in. It’s been unfortunate the amount of winners we’ve had this year. I feel like we’d be well in a safe place right now, but we’re not. It’s just the situation we’re in and we’re racing our teammate.”

There have been 13 different winners in 2021, but Dillon and his Richard Childress Racing teammate, Tyler Reddick, aren’t on that list. Reddick sits right above the No. 3 Chevrolet driver with a hold on the final playoff position, 15 markers above the cutline.

The final two races of the regular season at Michigan International Speedway and Daytona International Speedway bode well for Dillon to earn a pair of strong finishes to point his way into the postseason, or even sneak a victory. Dillon finished eighth in the second Michigan race last season and third in this year’s Daytona 500.

Sunday’s Cup Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (1 p.m. ET, NBC, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) is a different story, though. While Dillon has improved his road racing prowess, a 17th-place average finish on the first five road courses this year could be a cause for concern in an effort to collect maximum points.

But Dillon is hoping to reap the fruits of his labor on the simulator.

“But I’m pretty confident after being on the sim at Indy,” Dillon said. “I usually don’t pick up the road courses on the sim very fast, but for some reason Indy came to me pretty quick, which is good I think for what we’re going into.”

While Sunday’s race hangs in the balance, there are two things on Dillon’s mind: a new season winner and starting position, given how much drivers will need to muscle their cars around Indy’s flat, 14-turn, 2.439-mile infield surface for position.

“Putting a lot of focus on the qualifying and making sure we start up front and give ourselves the best way to get points because we have a 15-point gap right now and if we can maintain or gain a little this weekend, I feel like the next two weeks are very good tracks for us,” Dillon said.“We’ll be in a pretty decent situation come Daytona if we’re in the same situation … if it is a points game. Obviously, I’d like to lock ourselves in with a win. Just don’t want any new winners, that would really put us out.”

Posted on August 10, 2021August 10, 2021 by Ken Martin

Editor’s note: Ken Martin was associate producer, booth stats, and research for ESPN for more than two decades, starting in 1982. He contributed to hundreds of broadcasts of the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Camping World Truck series. Since 2008 he has held the role of Director, Historical Content, for NASCAR Productions in Charlotte.

How do you measure the impact of one man’s life that has touched so many?

There are thousands of race fans who were thrilled by his voice. Bob Jenkins was always a welcome friend to everyone who gathered around the radio or television to hear his race call.

If Bob were present, it had to be a big event — the Indy 500 or the USAC Midgets at Terre Haute. Bob always brought his A-game, exciting the fans with his infectious enthusiasm.

Although his heart was always in Indianapolis, he spent nearly two decades calling NASCAR races on ESPN. Bob’s voice is eternally etched in the ears with his calls of some of stock-car racing’s most historic moments. Alan Kulwicki’s championship in 1992 at Atlanta Motor Speedway was a race for the ages, with a call that painted the perfect image of the event. Bob’s call of Jeff Gordon’s win in the inaugural Brickyard 400 will always ring in the sport’s history.

Bob partnered with several ESPN broadcasters, including Larry Nuber in his early days with NASCAR. Still, the magical matching of Bob, Ned Jarrett and Benny Parsons will never be forgotten. Bob set a perfect stage for Ned and Benny to perform at their best. Their chemistry was as natural as it sounded to the fans. With a simple nod or look they knew what was wanted to be said. Pure race fans, broadcasting to all in the television audience precisely what needed to be said.

Bob Jenkins (l) and Ken Martin. | Ken Martin photo collection

A great deal of the growth NASCAR experienced from 1981-2000 can be directly tied to the broadcasts featuring Bob, Ned and Benny, along with pit reporters Dr. Jerry Punch, John Kernan, and Bill Weber.

While Bob loved television, his passion was radio. He loved to listen to music, and his rise to national prominence first came with his beloved Indy 500 radio network. When he was chosen to be the voice of the 500, there was never a prouder day for him. His call of the Goodyear-Unser finish in 1992 will never be erased. Bob rose to the occasion so many times.

He was one of the most humble men I ever met. The impact he had on my life was immense. My first broadcast for ESPN came in 1982 at Richmond Raceway. Terry Lingner saw something in me that I did not see myself. He put me in the broadcast booth with Bob and Larry to do their history and stats, and there was immediate chemistry that cannot be explained. I worked with Bob for more than 300 broadcasts and had the thrill of a lifetime. Bob made my research come alive. I would hand Bob an index card, and before I could release it, he was saying it on the air.

I loved to write scripts in “Bob’s voice.” We worked on countless documentaries and features together. Bob gave every project instant credibility with his delivery and professionalism.

For more than two decades, Bob was part of Sport of Indiana, then Lingner Group Productions that gave birth to ESPN SpeedWeek, Thursday Night Thunder and so many other memorable motorsports productions. It was a gathering of talent and race fans that changed the course of racing history.

Bob deeply loved his wife, Pam. She held his heart like no other, and they spent 44 years together before Pam’s passing in 2012. Bob had retired from broadcasting to spend time with Pam, but that time was unfortunately cut short.

Bob remained a welcoming voice on the Public Address System at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. One driver described his voice as giving a “welcoming hug to the speedway.”

The honors bestowed upon Bob were many, including Indiana’s highest honor, “Sagamore of the Wabash.” He was a member of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. He earned numerous awards for excellence in broadcasting and radio.

No matter the award or accolade, Bob remained humbled and somewhat amazed about his popularity and impact on his listeners.

Although his voice is now silenced, it will live on forever in the minds of everyone who had the privilege to hear him call a race.

I was most fortunate to call him my friend.

Posted on August 10, 2021August 10, 2021 by Zack Albert

After 23 NASCAR Cup Series races, there’s not a clear-cut front-runner for the 2021 Regular-Season Championship. There’s actually two. Kyle Larson won last Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen International, forging a tie with Denny Hamlin atop the points standings.

Hamlin has ridden remarkable consistency to stay atop the standings since Week 2 of the Cup Series season, but Larson has rallied back on the strength of a series-best five wins. Hamlin is still searching for his first win of 2021.

Three races remain in the regular season — Sunday’s series debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, Aug. 22 at Michigan International Speedway and Aug. 28 at Daytona International Speedway. With time winding down and a 15-point playoff bonus going to the regular-season champ, NASCAR.com’s Zack Albert and Sean Montgomery debate which driver has the best shot to hold the points lead once the playoffs arrive.

ALBERT: Tough to go against the hot hand, so here’s a vote for Kyle Larson to keep his upward trend and come out on top of the regular-season heap. In the last 12 races, Larson has finished first or second eight times — a big reason why he has chopped Hamlin’s regular-season lead from a high-water mark of 144 points to nothing during that same stretch.

Variables remain among the three regular-season races, but Larson holds a favorable forecast for at least two of them. The Cup Series hasn’t competed on Indy’s grand-prix layout, but Larson has won two of the series’ last three road-course events, flexing the strength of Hendrick Motorsports’ road-racing program. Larson is also a three-time winner at Michigan. His Daytona stats stack up less favorably as Larson is still seeking his first win on a superspeedway, a strong suit for Hamlin’s No. 11 team. Playoff fortunes can turn quickly in the regular-season finale at Daytona, but if Larson pours it on in the next two races, it may be buffer enough.

The 2021 season has marked a breakout for Larson and his No. 5 group, but the seemingly insurmountable points cushion — and sense of invincibility — Hamlin amassed in the regular season’s first half has started to fizzle. Enter Larson, who may add another win to his total to nail down a regular-season coronation.

MONTGOMERY: Denny Hamlin is still the guy. The veteran has a mind-boggling goose egg in the win column this season and is still contending for the trophy. As tight as they’ve competed, it’s all about consistency — the buzzword for Hamlin’s 2021 title run.

Conceding that Larson moves oddsmakers at Indy and may be the outright favorite at Michigan, it’s worth noting his toughest competition this season has been within his own organization. Even after a mistake-induced stumble at Watkins Glen, Chase Elliott should still be the overall favorite to win at the Brickyard. But don’t forget, Hamlin is no slouch on road circuits either, tallying a 7.0 average finish at the first five left-and-right-turn tracks this season. Expect the two regular-season title contenders to remain relatively close on points.

Heading to Michigan, Hamlin has three consecutive top six finishes and four top 10s in his last five races at the track. Larson has dominated many of the intermediates this season and won at Michigan in the past, but he hasn’t turned laps there in more than two years. And the D-shaped two-mile oval often runs more like a superspeedway, settling right into Hamlin’s wheelhouse.

That sets up the “wild card” finale, and nobody does Daytona quite like Hamlin. Seemingly immune to “The Big One,” Hamlin has only crashed out of a Daytona race three times in 31 starts. Larson has five DNFs in 14 races. Crashing out would be catastrophic for the title battle, and odds are it won’t be Hamlin. If he needs a win to clinch, he has done that as well — winning two of the last five at The World Center of Racing.

Posted on August 9, 2021August 10, 2021 by Zack Albert

Bob Jenkins, an esteemed motorsports broadcaster at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway who also anchored NASCAR coverage for ABC Sports and ESPN for nearly two decades, died Monday. He was 73.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway confirmed Jenkins’ passing. Jenkins had revealed in February that he was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment for brain cancer. He had survived a bout with colon cancer in 1983.

“Bob Jenkins lent his iconic voice to so many memorable NASCAR moments, telling the story of our sport to millions of fans for years,” NASCAR said in an official statement. “Though known for his immense talent as a broadcaster, Bob’s passion for motorsports truly defined what it meant to be a racer. The motorsports industry lost a broadcasting legend and a friend with Bob’s passing. NASCAR extends its deepest condolences to Bob’s friends and family.”

Jenkins was a popular broadcaster in both television and radio at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Hoosier native served in multiple roles on the track’s airwaves — on the lead play-by-play call and as a turn reporter, guest analyst and later its public-address announcer. He was inducted into the IMS Hall of Fame in 2019.

“Bob Jenkins, over the years, he was just a figure that was always there and very much front and center in Indianapolis,” racing legend Mario Andretti told the Indianapolis Star, which first reported Jenkins’ passing. “His voice is just absolutely unique. I would always know who was talking. He was just one of those that developed his career alongside ours, you know. He was one of us in every way.”

RacingOne | Getty Images

It was with ESPN and later ABC Sports that Jenkins became a familiar voice in stock-car racing as NASCAR’s reach expanded to a national level through the 1980s and ’90s. Jenkins’ motorsports tenure with the network began in 1981, first paired with colleague Larry Nuber and later leading a formidable three-man booth with NASCAR Hall of Famers Ned Jarrett and Benny Parsons.

“He certainly was very good at leading Benny and I where we needed to go and always making us look good,” Jarrett said in 2012, “and that’s something I’ve always appreciated.”

Jenkins was the lead on-air voice for many memorable races, from Al Unser Jr.’s victory in the closest Indy 500 finish in 1992, Alan Kulwicki’s stirring march to the NASCAR Cup Series championship at Atlanta that same year, to Jeff Gordon’s win in the inaugural Brickyard 400 at IMS in 1994.

Jenkins attended nearly every Indy 500 at the Speedway from 1960 on, missing with only rare exception. His early years in local radio news eventually led him to the IMS Radio Network in 1979, the same year that ESPN launched. Jenkins was later part of the cable network’s earliest motorsports broadcasts, which included NASCAR, IMSA, IndyCar, USAC and other racing series.

After ESPN/ABC’s first run as a NASCAR broadcast partner ended in 2000, Jenkins remained involved with IndyCar, later signing as the play-by-play voice for the Versus network, which would eventually become NBCSN. Jenkins retired from that full-time role in 2012 to care for his wife, Pam, who died of brain cancer later that year.

Jenkins shared his own diagnosis in an emotional interview with Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles in February, noting in the track’s “Behind The Bricks” video series that he would scale back his broadcasting duties at the track. He said had awoken Christmas night in 2020 with a severe headache; tests initially showed a stroke, but a later diagnosis revealed two malignant tumors.

Jenkins welled up during his recounting of his health challenges, saying that he felt the first people he should tell would be his family and the community of race fans, who he said he had leaned on for their prayers and support.

“You know what I tell people often when they ask me how this whole thing of my career came together? I tell them, you know, I don’t know, because I have only been a race fan who got lucky, and I think that’s what I will have on my tombstone because it’s true,” Jenkins said. “I was a race fan for many, many years before my career came about, but I have the same passion for auto racing and especially the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that I had when I was growing up. It’s always a thrill to come to this place, and to visit the Museum and especially see the activity on the race track.”

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Staff Report

Team Penske announced Monday that Austin Cindric is scheduled to make his final NASCAR Cup Series start of the season this weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.

Cindric, the defending champion and current points leader in the Xfinity Series, will drive the No. 33 Ford in Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (1 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The race will mark his seventh Cup Series start this season as he wraps up his on-track preparation for a full-time jump to Cup competition in Penske’s No. 2 Ford next year.

Cindric had hinted last week that Indianapolis could be the site of his final 2021 start on the Cup Series side, calling it “the most logical place” for that to occur. He’ll be pulling double duty with Saturday’s Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard (4 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the 21st of 33 races for the Xfinity Series this season.

Cindric’s best Cup Series finish this season is 15th place, a result achieved in his series debut at the Daytona 500 in February. He’s led multiple laps in three of his six Cup Series starts.

Cindric is a 12-time winner in the Xfinity Series. His four victories this season rank first among Xfinity regulars.

Posted on August 8, 2021August 8, 2021 by Zack Albert

Chase Elliott made a pair of major comebacks Sunday afternoon at Watkins Glen International but didn’t have quite enough oomph to unseat teammate Kyle Larson and continue his winning ways on NASCAR Cup Series road courses.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Elliott’s bid for a third consecutive Cup Series victory at the 2.45-mile layout ended in second place despite his charge up through the field as the laps clicked down in the Go Bowling at The Glen. The outcome marked his fourth straight road-course finish among the top two, but he failed to lead a lap on a road course for the first time since 2018 (at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval).

“Yeah, I made too many mistakes to get the win, unfortunately, and made it too late in the race,” Elliott said. “Super proud of our team. Been kind of an uphill battle all day, but everybody was just super prepared coming into the day, and our NAPA team just did a really good job of fighting it.”

The dejection was evident in his post-race exchange with his crew on the cool-down lap.

“Great drive, bud,” spotter Eddie D’Hondt told Elliott. “A long way to go there, but you did a great job.”

Said Elliott: “I’m so sorry, guys. (expletive). That was my bad. Y’all deserved that one.”

The uphill climb that Elliott referenced started even before the green flag. Elliott started at the rear of the field after officials discovered a technical infraction on his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in pre-race inspection. That also meant the ejection of crew chief Alan Gustafson, with Tom Gray — the team’s lead engineer — taking the helm as an 11th-hour sub.

Elliott rallied into the top 10 by the end of the first stage, but then a brake lock-up midway through Stage 2 forced him into an out-of-sequence pit stop, knocking him further down the running order.

Elliott closed the gap on the front-runners down the stretch, getting by Martin Truex Jr. for second place with nine laps to go and applying some pressure to Larson as the pair navigated lap-down traffic in the race to the checkers.

“If I hadn’t have let them down there, I think we would have had a shot at it, but congrats to Kyle, Cliff (Daniels, crew chief), all the guys on the 5 (team),” Elliott said. “Happy for everybody at HMS. Hendrick Motorsports has been working extremely hard, and not only do the people deserve to win, but Mr. Hendrick deserves to win. Really happy for him, and I’ll try to clean some things up and make less mistakes next time. Maybe it’ll work out.”

Posted on August 8, 2021August 8, 2021 by Holly Cain

Kyle Larson had to navigate lapped traffic in the closing laps and hold off his hard-charging Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott – the track’s most prolific winner of late – to earn the victory in Sunday’s Go Bowling at the Glen.

But the 28-year-old Larson has been a driver to count on this season, finishing either first or second 10 times through the 23 races to date. And Sunday’s trophy at the historic Watkins Glen International road course is Larson’s NASCAR Cup Series-best fifth of the year, 11th of his career.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos

His 2.430-second victory over Elliott was good enough to move him into a tie with Denny Hamlin for the regular-season championship with only three races remaining before the playoffs.

It marked the eighth Hendrick Motorsports victory in the last 11 races and the fourth time Larson and Elliott have finished 1-2 – the third time at a road-course event.

Larson led the final 27 laps of the 90-lap event, taking the lead for good from Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr., who had paced the field for a race-best 34 laps. Elliott got around Truex with nine laps remaining to claim second place.

Truex finished third, followed by his JGR teammates Kyle Busch and Hamlin. Hendrick driver William Byron was sixth with JGR’s Christopher Bell, Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kevin Harvick and Chase Briscoe and Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick rounding out the top 10.

“Chase was already catching me pretty quick, even with me being in open track so when I caught those, I think four (lapped) cars and got into the 38 (Anthony Alfredo) right here, I thought I would look at my mirror and the 9 (Elliott) would be right on me, but thankfully had a comfortable enough gap to where I could make a mistake like that,” said Larson, who apologized to Bell during his post-race interview. The two made contact racing door-to-door for second place late in the race.

“Incredible race today, hats off to Hendrick Motorsports,” Larson added. “It’s awesome. It really just shows how good the organization is, all the people that they’ve assembled at the race shop, all the men and women. All four of us (Hendrick drivers) could not be getting these wins like we have been without them. Thanks to them and thanks to everybody else I get to race for.”

Although Elliott, 25, had to settle for a runner-up showing, it was a stellar drive for the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion and two-time Watkins Glen winner. He started the race from the last row – and his crew chief Alan Gustafson was suspended – after his car failed pre-race technical inspection.

Elliott steadily made his way forward, picking off cars with each turn. And as with Larson, he had to navigate that lapped traffic in the closing laps, which essentially cost him any shot at getting close enough to his teammate to challenge for the lead.

“I made too many mistakes to get the win unfortunately, and made it too late in the race,” Elliott said. “Super proud of our team. Been kind of an uphill battle all day, but everybody was just super prepared coming into the day and our NAPA team just did a really good job of fighting it.”

With three races remaining to set the playoff field, Reddick gave himself a little more cushion in that 16th and final transfer position. He improved his advantage over his Richard Childress Racing teammate, 17th-place Austin Dillon, from six points entering the race to 15 points heading to Indianapolis next week.

Brad Keselowski started from the pole and led the first nine laps before spinning out of the top spot in Turn 6. He recovered, but another brake lock-up in the final stage sent his No. 2 Team Penske Ford sliding into teammate Joey Logano’s No. 22 entry on Lap 56. Keselowski kept going and finished 35th. Logano, who started second and won Stage 1, continued and finished 22nd.

The series makes its Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course debut next Sunday with the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (1 p.m. ET, NBC, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It will mark the first time the NASCAR Cup Series has raced on the famed track’s 2.439-mile road course since it began racing at Indianapolis in 1994.

Note: Post-race inspection in the Cup Series garage was clear without major issue, confirming Larson’s victory. Two cars were found with one unsecured lug nut each — the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Kyle Busch and the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford of Anthony Alfredo. According to the guidelines in the NASCAR Rule Book, those infractions should result in fines for each crew chief in next week’s penalty report.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on August 8, 2021August 13, 2021 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 NBCSN | Get the NBC Sports App | How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App

Monday, August 9
5:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: United Rentals 176, FS1 (re-air)
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Tuesday, August 10
1 p.m., IMSA Auto Racing Pilot Challenge Lime Rock Park 120, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
3 p.m., IMSA Auto Racing SportsCar Championship, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1 (re-air)
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Game Night —Part 1, FS2 (re-air)
8 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Game Night — Part 2, FS2 (re-air)
9 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Features — Part 1, FS2 (re-air)
10 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Features — Part 2, FS2 (re-air)
11 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Women in Wheels, FS2 (re-air)

Wednesday, August 11
1 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Series New Hampshire, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (tape delay)
2 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Series New York, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (tape delay)
3 p.m., ARCA Menards Series West Colorado National, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (tape delay)
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Thursday, August 12
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
7 p.m., Renegades: The Bad Boys of NASCAR, FS1 (re-air)

Friday, August 13
Midnight, Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (re-air)
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Indianapolis Practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6:30 p.m., NASCAR/Indy Bridge Show, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Classics: 1997 Daytona 500, FS1 (re-air)

Saturday, August 14
10 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Pole Qualifying, TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold
11 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series Indianapolis practice, TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Countdown to Green, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
4 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN5)
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Post Show, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

On PRN
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard

Sunday, August 15
5 a.m., NASCAR Presents Trackhouse: Get Ready, FS1 (re-air)
6 a.m., NASCAR Race Classics: 1994 Brickyard 400, FS1 (re-air)
9 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, CNBC/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN5)
11 a.m., NASCAR Raceday: Indianapolis, FS1
12:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green, NBC/NBC Sports App
1 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Verizon 200 at the Brickyard, NBC/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN3, 5)
4 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race Show, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
9 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Series Stafford, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (tape delay)

On PRN
Noon, NASCAR Cup Series Verizon 200 at the Brickyard

Posted on August 8, 2021August 8, 2021 by Staff Report

Chase Elliott’s quest for a three-peat at Watkins Glen International will have to begin from the rear of the field — and without his crew chief.

The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet failed pre-race inspection twice Sunday morning at the Upstate New York track, forcing Elliott to the back of the pack for the start of the race and leading to the ejection of crew chief Alan Gustafson. Elliott was set to start 11th.

MORE: Full starting lineup | Race preview

Daytona Road Course winner Christopher Bell finds himself in a similar boat to Elliott, with his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota sent to the rear and crew chief Adam Stevens ejected. Bell was slated to start seventh.

Both cars were assessed L1 penalties for violating Rules 20.4.8.3.a and 20.4.8.3.b (rear-window air deflectors). The penalty also includes a loss of 10 driver and owner points and a $25,000 fine.

“Unfortunately today at Watkins Glen, the No. 9 car had an issue at technical inspection,” Hendrick Vice President of Competition Chad Knaus said in a team release. “The team has been assessed with an L1 penalty and Alan has been suspended from the race. Tom Gray, lead engineer of the No. 9, will take over calling the race in Alan’s absence. It’s an unfortunate circumstance for Alan, Chase and the race team. We apologize to our fans and partners associated with the No. 9 team, and will now focus forward on achieving the best possible results in today’s race.”

Elliott, who owns a whopping seven road-course wins, has won the past two races at The Glen, dating back to 2018.