Posted on by Staff Report

For the first time since 2019, NASCAR is back in Napa Valley to snake its way through Sonoma Raceway in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 on Sunday (4 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Sit back, enjoy the left and rights, and pour your best glass of Cabernet Sauvignon as the stars of the Cup Series hit their second road course in three weeks.

STARTING FROM THE TOP

On the heels of a dominant performance at the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, Kyle Larson claimed the Busch Pole award for the fourth consecutive time at Sonoma, eclipsing the previous record of three set by Ricky Rudd from 1990-92. Joining Larson on the front row will be his Hendrick Motorsports teammate and road course ace Chase Elliott, while William Byron and Denny Hamlin complete the second row. Read the entire starting lineup here.

RELATED: Sonoma Paint Scheme Preview | Cup Series entry list

FAN ATTENDANCE

Sonoma Raceway is sold out at its allotted 33% capacity for Sunday’s Cup Series race. Fans on site are reminded to wear masks at all times and that cash will not be accepted at the track, in addition to other fan safety guidelines.

CUP HISTORY AT SONOMA

— Sonoma held its first Cup race in June 1989, a 74-lap contest around the 2.52-mile circuit won by Rudd.

— In 2019, the Cup Series returned to the “full course” layout of Sonoma by running The Carousel, a section eliminated from Cup competition in 1998 through 2018. The Carousel, which dives from Turn 4 and sweeps left through Turns 5 and 6, is back in 2021.

— With the exception of 2020 due to the COVID-induced cancelation, Sonoma has marked the 16th race on the schedule since 1998.

— Martin Truex Jr. has won each of the last two races in Napa Valley, leading at least 59 laps in each contest to go along with his 2013 victory.

— Chase Elliott has won five of the last six road-course races but has yet to visit Victory Lane in Sonoma. In four starts, he has two top 10s and a best finish of fourth (2018).

Source: Racing Insights

RULES PACKAGE

The 750-horsepower, low-downforce road course package is back in action this week in the rolling California hills. The last time NASCAR raced at Sonoma, the Cup Series utilized the same horsepower package but had more downforce than they’ll carry into the weekend this time around.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Teams will traverse the 2.52-mile circuit on a new tire code this time around, running the same compound on all four tire positions at Sonoma.

The change in compound was made to give drivers more grip around what is often considered the most technical courses of the season.

“Sonoma gives us a slightly different feel than what we see on other road courses like Watkins Glen or our recent stop at COTA,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing.  “Sonoma is a more technical course than most. Hard braking and acceleration on and off the tight corners means that grip is at a premium. Teams could make it a two-stop race, but many will choose to pit a third time to take advantage of fresh tires, especially at the end of the race.”

As with all road courses, wet-weather tires will be available at Sonoma, but teams won’t need them in the California sunshine, with clear skies forecast through the weekend.

SHOW ME THE MONEY

It should come as no surprise that Chase Elliott is the clear-cut favorite for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350. BetMGM lists the defending series champion at 21-10 odds to win ahead of two-time defending race winner Martin Truex Jr. at 15-4 odds.

Elliott has won six of the last nine road courses and five of the last six. His current streak is unmatched, but Truex offers solid competition as the duo has combined to win nine of the last 11 road course races.

Others to keep an eye out for are Kyle Larson (7-1), Kyle Busch (15-2) and Denny Hamlin (10-1).

If you’re looking for a sleeper, perhaps watch for Alex Bowman. While he lacks the resume of his dominant HMS teammate, has scored top 10s in four of the last five starts on road courses and has never finished worse than 14th at one since joining Hendrick. His best road-course finish is a second at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course in 2019.

RELATED: Betting odds for Sonoma

SONOMA STORYLINES, SEASON TRENDS

— Chase Elliott could, in theory, become NASCAR’s all-time winningest road course racer by the end of 2021. Jeff Gordon holds the current record with nine victories, but Elliott is already up to six with five road courses left on the Cup schedule this season.

— Hendrick Motorsports has finished 1-2 in each of the last three races (Dover, COTA, Charlotte). The last team to finish 1-2 in four consecutive races was  Carl Kiekhafer Racing in 1956, the only time in Cup it has happened.

— HMS has also won each of those three races with three different drivers, the first time the organization has done so since 2015 (Jeff Gordon at Martinsville, Jimmie Johnson at Texas and Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Phoenix).

— Tyler Reddick has finished top 10 in eight of the first 15 races this season, including seven of the last nine. The last Richard Childress Racing driver to score at least eight top 10s in the first 15 races was Ryan Newman in 2015.

— Each of the last two Sonoma races have been won by Martin Truex Jr. on a three-stop strategy, pitting with two laps to go in each of the first two stages. Kevin Harvick won in 2017 on a four-stop strategy.

— No cautions have fallen during the final stage since 2016, with the exception of a last-lap caution when Harvick won in 2017.

— After the season began with 10 different race winners in 11 races, three of the last four races have been won by repeat victors.

Source: Racing Insights

FANTASY LIVE

Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts. It’s not too late to join in on the competition.

The 2021 Fantasy Live points leaders are Denny Hamlin (629), William Byron (548) and Kyle Larson (543).

ALSO ON NASCAR.COM

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.

New for this season, 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.

Posted on by Steve Luvender

When NASCAR stars visit a new track for the first time, it seems James Davison’s a quick study.

Davison led flag-to-flag in Tuesday night’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series’ Windy City 110, picking up his second consecutive victory on a brand-new circuit on the streets of Chicago in iRacing’s virtual version of the NASCAR Next Gen race car.

For the first time ever, NASCAR Cup Series stars took to a conceptual street course brought to life on iRacing in the downtown Chicago Loop around Grant Park. The 2.2-mile virtual circuit features plenty of Chicago landmarks, including Lake Shore Drive and Buckingham Fountain. And, while the circuit doesn’t host NASCAR races today, iRacing still laser-scanned the streets and modeled the famous Chicago skyline for as much of a realistic experience as possible. 

In the last Pro Invitational Series race, which was hosted at Circuit of the Americas, Davison dominated, earning his first series victory at the 3.41-mile road course in Austin, Texas, just four days prior to the Cup Series’ first visit to the track. 

Davison picked up where he left off last month, grabbing his second win in a row and writing his name in history as the first NASCAR winner on the streets of Chicago — virtually, at least.

Mirroring COTA’s front row, Davison, the 34-year-old Australian racer, qualified on pole alongside second-place Anthony Alfredo. Alfredo’s promising qualifying run went sour in a hurry, however; a first-turn, first-lap spin ended his trip to the Windy City early, denying his hopes of a first Pro Invitational Series win. 

Davison wasted no time putting distance on the field after Alfredo’s mishap, running fast lap after fast lap, untouchable from any other driver.

A necessary pit stop added another twist with most drivers opting to split the race in two with a refuel and fresh tires around the halfway mark. 

Attrition was the name of the game, with plenty of Cup Series heavy-hitters, well, hitting heavily against the track’s narrow course and tough walls. Drivers were afforded two fast repairs — a fresh, new car after a crash that’s a luxury of racing virtually — but plenty of racers quickly used up their cars on the unfamiliar twists and turns.

But all the while, Davison checked out from the field, easily picking up the win over Rick Ware Racing teammate Josh Bilicki — by a staggering 56-second margin.

Justin Haley held his own against the road-racing experts throughout the night to finish third, while Garrett Smithley and Martin Truex Jr. finished just behind. Timmy Hill edged Matt DiBenedetto late to claim sixth place, and Ross Chastain, Quin Houff, and NASCAR on FOX in-race reporter Joey Logano rounded out the top 10.

And, while the race is all just for fun — and to sling some stock cars around the streets of Chicago for the first time ever — iRacing will donate $5,000 (that’s U.S. dollars, James) to a charity of Davison’s choice in celebration of the victory. 

The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is set to continue later this season with coverage on NBC Sports. For now, however, iRacing members can try out the Chicago Street Circuit, made available for the first time in the sim following the Windy City 110. 

Posted on by Marcus DiNitto

Three weeks ago at Dover International Speedway, they took the top four finishing spots. The next week at Circuit of The Americas, they finished one-two. At Charlotte Motor Speedway over Memorial Day weekend, they took first, second, fourth and fifth.

Short track, road course, intermediate track – it hasn’t mattered. Regardless of the layout or racing package, Hendrick Motorsports drivers have asserted their dominance over the rest of the Cup Series field, and it’s something we should probably get used to.

“I think it’s sustainable. I don’t think it’s just a three-race run,” said sharp NASCAR bettor Blake Phillips. “There’s been a lot of signs pointing to Hendrick having a dominant season, and it’s happening. They’ve had the speed, they’ve had the runs.”

RELATED: NASCAR Bet Center | Betting odds for Sonoma

That sentiment is consistent with the championship futures pricing at Las Vegas-based SuperBook USA, where Hendrick’s Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott are listed as the top two favorites to hoist the Cup in November. Larson boasts the shortest odds at 9/2 (+450, or bet $100 to win $450), followed by Elliott at 6/1 (+600). William Bryon and Alex Bowman are also getting respect in the futures market, offered at 12/1 and 14/1, respectively, after both opening the season at long odds of 30/1.

Ed Salmons, vice president of risk management at the SuperBook, pointed to this past Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 as a prime example of the garage’s superiority.

In addition to Larson’s wins in Charlotte and Las Vegas, “there was so many races he dominated that he didn’t win,” Salmons said. “Chase was all over the place in these races (early in this season); he’s finally now putting it together. If it wasn’t for Larson, he would have been the dominant winner (in Charlotte). It seemed like (Byron) was faster than Kyle, but he just couldn’t figure out how to pass them. Bowman had (a shock issue), and he ran fifth. So yeah, I think that says how fast these guys have been.”

Elliott is the easy early favorite to win Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, eyeing his second straight road course victory after finishing first two weeks ago in Austin. The SuperBook opened the No. 9 at 9/4 odds (+225) and he now sits at 2/1 odds. He’s followed by Martin Truex Jr. – who won the two most recent races here (2018, 2019) – at 5/1. Larson and Kyle Busch are next on the oddsboard, priced at 7/1 apiece, while oddsmakers give Denny Hamlin a reasonable shot at 10/1 odds.

The betting market, in other words, expects Hendrick drivers to be occupying many of the top spots once again.

“This season, we have an unusual mix of different formats, track sizes, track types, and Hendrick’s been good at all of them so far,” said Phillips. “They’ve been good at the short tracks and, and they’ve been good at the mile-and-a-halfs, and of course you’ve got really great road course guys, like Chase Elliott. It’s hard to count them out for any track. …. They’ve had speed across the board. I don’t think they’re unbeatable by any means, but I think that we should expect to see all four of those cars up there in the top 10, top 15 for the foreseeable future. And you’re at least gonna see one or two of those guys in the top three pretty much every race.”

This is NASCAR, though, so of course there will be some ebbs and flows throughout the season.

“NASCAR is just such a sport of change,” said Salmons. “…. You’re going to get into some different tracks, like Pocono, which is more just straight horsepower, and usually that changes some things. The Hendrick cars are really good on these turning tracks. …. I’m interested to see how they do at Pocono because they haven’t really run all that well there. But the way they’re running this year, it’s hard to tell they’re not going to do it again, just because every week now it’s just complete domination.”

And under the current playoff format, the oddsmaker anticipates the top drivers being around at the end with a chance to claim the championship. After accounting for bonus points for wins and stage wins, Larson, for example, figures to advance with little trouble.

“Kyle Larson should probably just start each of the three (first-round playoff) races, run a lap and go home,” Salmons said. “That’s how many points he’s going to be up. He’s guaranteed to move through. And even in the second round, it’s not going to take much for him to move through. It’s such a low bar to cross to get the good guys to at least the final eight. …. It’s just hard to think that between Larson and Elliott, that those two guys aren’t going to have (a chance at the title).”

Marcus DiNitto is a writer and editor living in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has been covering sports for nearly two-and-a-half decades and sports betting for more than 10 years. His first NASCAR betting experience was in 1995 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, where he went 0-for-3 on his matchup picks. Read his articles and follow him on Twitter; do not bet his picks.

Posted on by Cara Cooper

When Jeff Sarver retired from the United States Army in 2011, there were times he felt lost, “not knowing where I’m supposed to be, what I’m supposed to do,” he said. He was looking for something to keep him occupied and moving, and he found it at the race track.

In 2013, Sarver put in an offer for a race car he said was “sleeping under a tarp” at his neighbor’s house. He had raced dirt bikes and ATVs when he was really young, and had always had a love for race cars and mechanical work that challenged him mentally.

There was a lot more to racing than he realized, though.

6.16.18 lax Speedway 2018©Forte Design/Mary Schill
Jeff Sarver (Forte Design/Mary Schill)

“I was an idiot. I had no clue,” Sarver said with a laugh. “I had three different sized wheels on the car. I didn’t know about wedge. I didn’t know anything about that stuff. I just thought you just jump in it and go, and the majority of the work is really setting the car up and making changes.”

The work and learning has been healing for Sarver, though. He finds working on the car comforting, and gives him something to do in retirement.

Sarver spent 17 years in the Army. In 2005, a reporter spent 38 days embedded with him on a deployment, and took all the videos, pictures, and notes from that time and made it into the movie, “The Hurt Locker,” which was released in 2008 and was awarded Best Picture and five other Oscars.

Sarver began racing at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway — a 1/4-mile and 5/8-mile asphalt oval track in West Salem, Wisconsin, in 2013.

Since he began eight years ago, he said the sport of racing has helped him “more than anybody could ever understand.”

“Ever since I retired I’ve always felt lost,” Sarver said. “This kind of keeps me grounded, keeps me occupied, keeps me moving. Because if you’re not doing anything you’re just sitting around thinking about 20 years of being away from home in other countries and the whole combat.

“With other drivers, they’re kind of thick-headed and have big egos, but they also have a human side where they remember how they felt when they started off. The majority of them are really personable. A lot of them have helped me out in many ways that they don’t even know.

“There’s friendships I have at La Crosse that are probably as tight as the friendships I had in the Army.”

Even though he’s been racing eight years, Sarver said he’s never really ran a full season, and there are still learning curves he’s trying to overcome.

“I want to race a little bit harder. I’ve always been afraid of either tearing my car up or tearing somebody else’s car up and I’ve been really, really, really reserved,” he said. “I don’t have that background of go-kart racing for years and four-cylinder racing for years. I don’t have that. So it’s taken me several years to try to figure it out and now that I’ve finally figured it out at the end of last year and was finally getting comfortable in the car, this year it’s like, OK, I’m comfortable now in the car. Now I’ve just got to push.’”

Racing has grown into a family sport for the Sarvers, and Sarver said the sport allows him to spend even more time with his children. His 13-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter are at all the races, and get in the cars themselves, racing a 4-cylinder enduro car last summer.

And this year will be “a lot more racing” for the whole family. Sarver and his son are putting together a car to take to street drags at the track, and this week they picked up another limited late model they’re going to put together this summer so his two kids can get in some practice laps on a bigger track. His son also has 16 shows scheduled for this season.

“My kids, we do everything together,” he said. “I enjoy spending time with my kids. My kids come first before racing and if it was something my kids wanted to do, we’ll go do it.”

Sarver said his car got “tore up,” in an Octoberfest event, and between getting his car and his son’s car ready, he hopes both can be on the track in the next couple weeks.

When he’s not racing, though, he’s at the track, his new comfort zone.

“Between my kids and gymnastics and wrestling and their racing and my dogs, the rest of my time goes to the cars,” Sarver said.

“I love the car, I love working on the car, but it’s just something about being at the track with other people with the same like-minded hobbies or passions. But then you also have all the little kids walking round talking to the drivers.

“It’s just the people. It’s the little kids that come to watch.”

Posted on by Staff Report

See where your favorite driver will pit for the Toyota / Save Mart 350 Sunday at Sonoma Raceway (4 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM).

Posted on by Staff Report

Stewart-Haas Racing announced Wednesday that Autodesk Fusion 360 has agreed to an extension of its partnership with the team, serving as primary sponsor for its No. 41 Ford and driver Cole Custer for six NASCAR Cup Series races this season.

Autodesk’s 2021 livery debuts this weekend at Sonoma Raceway, not far from the software company’s San Francisco headquarters. Autodesk will also serve as primary sponsor of the No. 41 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course (Aug. 15), Daytona International Speedway (Aug. 28), Bristol Motor Speedway (Sept. 18), Talladega Superspeedway (Oct. 3) and Charlotte Motor Speedway’s road course (Oct. 10).

“It’s just been a great relationship and it’s been awesome having them on the car,” Custer said.  “We use their software a ton at the race shop to be able to design parts and do different things, so they’re a huge part of what we do.”

RELATED: Sonoma/Mid-Ohio weekend schedule

The partnership extends beyond mere product placement on the car, as Autodesk is in its fourth year helping SHR develop lightweight, durable components for its vehicles. Among those advances was Stewart-Haas’ redesign of a lighter brake pedal, made through Autodesk’s Fusion 360 program.

“Autodesk is more than just a sponsor — it’s a key asset in making our cars perform every weekend,” said Greg Zipadelli, SHR’s vice president of competition. “How we stay on top of new technologies while ensuring reliability is directly attributable to Autodesk and its technical support.”

Autodesk was a featured or associate sponsor on the No. 41 Ford in six Cup Series races last year, sharing space with HaasTooling.

Posted on by Staff Report

Kyle Larson has claimed the Busch Pole Award for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 (4 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Sonoma Raceway.

Larson, who won last weekend’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, will start his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet from the pole position. Larson is one of three drivers with multiple wins in 2021, joining Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. and teammate Alex Bowman.

RELATED: Sonoma/Mid-Ohio weekend schedule | 2021 Cup Series standings

Austin Cindric’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford is on the pole for Saturday’s B&L Transport 170 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (1 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM) in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

As NASCAR adapted to COVID-19 protocols last season, practice and qualifying were eliminated at a majority of national-series events to limit at-track time, exposure and to cut race weekend costs. To determine starting lineups, competition officials used grouped draws, added inversions for weekend doubleheaders, and eventually adopted a performance-metrics formula. That metrics format remains in place this season, drawing on performance from both individual races and season-long results.

NASCAR’s metrics formula for 2021 weighs:

    • 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
    • 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
    • 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
    • 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race

See the full lineup for Sunday’s Cup Series race below.

Start pos.
 Driver Car # Team
1 Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports
2 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports
3 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
4 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
5 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
6 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
7 Alex Bowman 48 Hendrick Motorsports
8 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
9 Brad Keselowski 2 Team Penske
10 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
11 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
12 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing
13 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
14 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
15 Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing
16 Daniel Suarez 99 Trackhouse Racing Team
17 Matt DiBenedetto 21 Wood Brothers Racing
18 Erik Jones 43 Richard Petty Motorsports
19 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
20 Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
21 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
22 Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports
23 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
24 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing
25 Chase Briscoe 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
26 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
27 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daugherty Racing
28 Anthony Alfredo 38 Front Row Motorsports
29 Ross Chastain 42 Chip Ganassi Racing
30 Kurt Busch 1 Chip Ganassi Racing
31 Ben Rhodes 77 Spire Motorsports
32 James Davison 15 Rick Ware Racing
33 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing
34 Garrett Smithley 53 Rick Ware Racing
35 Scott Heckert 78 Live Fast Motorsports
36 Josh Bilicki 52 Rick Ware Racing
37 Cody Ware 51 Petty Ware Racing

Practice and qualifying are tentatively scheduled for eight Cup Series races this year. Busch Pole Qualifying was held for the season-opening Daytona 500, and rain canceled the qualifying races for Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt-track race. The next Cup Series event with qualifying scheduled is before the June 20 debut at Nashville Superspeedway.

Posted on by NASCAR.com

Meet the NASCAR Fan Council Member of the Month for June 2021!

Name: Matt
Current City: Scranton, Pennsylvania
Member Since: 2019

GETTING TO KNOW MATT:
​
Q: ​ How did you first become interested in NASCAR? 

“I’m sure my father introduced me to NASCAR but I’ve loved it ever since I can remember! I remember at a very young age (7-8), my father taking us to Harvey’s Lake, PA to see Rusty Wallace’s show car. They fired it up that day and I remember standing there scared, excited, curious and all around just fired up! Never looked back!”

Q: What is your favorite part about NASCAR?

“I don’t think I could narrow it down to one thing I like most. The competition, the noises, the characters, the ingenuity, teamwork, excitement, accessibility, air guns, it’s all just great! For me, NASCAR brings my family together each week to share a meal and watch the race. That is probably my favorite thing about NASCAR.”

Q: What is your favorite NASCAR memory?

“I took my wife to her first NASCAR race at Pocono a few years back. Dale Jr won the race when Brad Keselowski got held up by Danica Patrick allowing Jr. to make a pass for the lead with just a few to go. The place went insane and my wife was just as excited as everyone else! She wasn’t a fan of anyone really at the point but we were sort of Junior Nation that day and it was a blast. She is pregnant with our first child right now, Gatlin James (this Fan Council Q&A was done before Gatlin was born in March). I’m hoping to make some new favorite memories with him by side like I have with my father!”

Q: Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?

Current Driver: “Corey LaJoie.”

Past Driver: “Jeff Gordon.”

Up and Coming Driver: “Chase Briscoe.”

Team: “Stewart-Haas.”

Track: “Martinsville Speedway.”

Q: What do you like to do in your free time? 

“I’m an outdoorsman so most of my free time is hunting and fishing related. I enjoy dirt track racing as well and have found a real love of Port Royal in Pennsylvania. This is about to shift I’m sure as we welcomed our first child Gatlin James!”

FROM ALL OF US AT NASCAR, WE THANK MATT FOR HIS CONTINUED SUPPORT AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM HIM IN 2021!

Look for Matt on the Official NASCAR Fan Council page on NASCAR.COM.

Posted on by Staff Report

The fifth round of the 2021 eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is set for Wednesday at virtual Chicago Street Course, with coverage beginning at 6 p.m. ET on FS1. The race, a 51-lapper featuring 37 cars and two resets, will get underway at 8 p.m. ET, also on FS1. Practice will be an extension of Race Hub/pre-race programming from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

The fan-vote winner, as revealed on FS1’s NASCAR Race Hub is once again Jesse Iwuji. The popular NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver will join promoter’s provisional pick Dale Earnhardt Jr. as special entries into the race.

Wednesday’s race was designed with the idea to give fans a preview of the Chicago Street Course, which has a tentative configuration of the virtual circuit measuring roughly 2.2 miles and connecting some of Chicago’s landmark streets, including Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive, lapping the perimeter of Grant Park with the downtown skyline as a backdrop.

Here is the entry list for Wednesday’s Pro Invitational Series race (subject to change).

No. Team Driver
00 StarCom Racing Quin Houff
2 Team Penske Brad Keselowski
3 Richard Childress Racing Austin Dillon
4 Stewart-Haas Racing Kevin Harvick
5 Hendrick Motorsports Kyle Larson
6 Roush Fenway Racing Ryan Newman
7 Spire Motorsports Corey LaJoie
8 Richard Childress Racing Tyler Reddick
9 Hendrick Motorsports Chase Elliott
10 Stewart-Haas Racing Aric Almirola
11 Joe Gibbs Racing Denny Hamlin
12 Team Penske Ryan Blaney
14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chase Briscoe
15 Rick Ware Racing James Davison
17 Roush Fenway Racing Chris Buescher
19 Joe Gibbs Racing Martin Truex Jr.
20 Joe Gibbs Racing Christopher Bell
21 Wood Brothers Racing Matt DiBenedetto
22 Team Penske Joey Logano
23 23XI Bubba Wallace
24 Hendrick Motorsports William Byron
38 Front Row Motorsports Anthony Alfredo
41 Stewart-Haas Racing Cole Custer
42 Chip Ganassi Racing Ross Chastain
43 Richard Petty Motorsports Erik Jones
47 JTG Daugherty Racing Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
48 Hendrick Motorsports Alex Bowman
51 Petty Ware Racing Garrett Smithley
52 Rick Ware Racing Josh Bilicki
53 Rick Ware Racing Joey Gase
77 Spire Motorsports Justin Haley
78 Live Fast Motorsports Kyle Tilley
99 Trackhouse Racing Team Daniel Suarez
66 MBM Motorsports Timmy Hill
88 Promoter’s Provisional Dale Earnhardt Jr.
87 Fan Vote Jesse Iwuji
Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR issued penalties to three Cup Series teams Tuesday, including a one-race suspension to Kevin Bellicourt of Spire Motorsports after Sunday’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Spire’s No. 77 Chevrolet was found with two unsecured lug nuts after Justin Haley drove the car to a 28th-place finish in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. The violation of Section 10.9.10.4 in the NASCAR Rule Book meant a $20,000 fine for Bellicourt, plus a one-race ban for the next points-paying event.

RELATED: Sonoma/Mid-Ohio weekend schedule

Spire announced Tuesday afternoon that veteran Peter Sospenzo would fill in for Bellicourt this weekend at Sonoma Raceway. Camping World Truck Series regular Ben Rhodes is set to make his Cup Series debut in Spire’s No. 77 in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 (4 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM).

Crew chiefs for two other teams — both from Hendrick Motorsports — were issued $10,000 fines for single-lug infractions after the 600-miler:

• No. 24 Chevrolet crew chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle (driver William Byron)
• No. 48 Chevrolet crew chief Greg Ives (driver Alex Bowman)