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CRAFTSMAN truck seriesarca menards series NTERNATIONAL RACE OF CHAMPIONS

CRAFTSMAM truck series 

 

www.nascar.com

Celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2023, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series™, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour™), one local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series™) and three international series (NASCAR Pinty’s Series™, NASCAR Mexico Series™, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series™). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

 

Justin Casterline/Getty Images

July 19, 2024

 

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

 

INDIANAPOLIS — Ty Majeski’s victory in Friday night’s TSport 200 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park wasn’t the sort of dominating performance he enjoyed last year—until the final stage of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race.

 

Majeski overcame a restart violation on Lap 50 that sent him to the rear of the field but rallied to defend his 2023 victory at the 0.686-mile short track. The driver of the No. 98 ThorSport Racing Ford earned his first victory of the season and the fourth of his career.

 

Majeski, who swept the stages and led 179 laps in last year's win, was penalized for jumping the restart after the first caution of the race for Ty Dillon’s spin in Turn 3 on Lap 43. He scored no points in Stage 1, but by the time the second stage ended, Majeski had charged to third.

 

Sixteen laps after the restart for the final stage, Majeski took the lead for the first time, using the lapped truck of Thad Moffitt as a pick and charging past Eckes through Turns 1 and 2.

 

The Seymour, Wisconsin, driver led the final 56 of 200 laps and took the checkered flag 4.129 seconds ahead of Eckes.

 

“It’s huge,” Majeski said. “Obviously, I made a little bit of a mistake. It was probably a little bit of a close call on that restart. I had to pony up and get it back. Obviously, when you make a mistake as a driver, you drive a little bit harder to make up for it, but these guys had my back—awesome pit stops.

 

“It’s been an up-and-down year. We’ve had the speed to win. Just haven’t been able to put it together, had some bad luck along the way, some of it self-inflicted. But, man, so proud of this Road Ranger group.”

 

Grant Enfinger finished third after leading 71 laps. Tyler Ankrum was fourth, followed by Layne Riggs, Sammy Smith, Luke Fenhaus, pole winner Rajah Caruth, Dean Thompson and Nick Sanchez.

 

Fenhaus’ seventh-place result was his best in three Truck Series starts.

 

By the time he took the checkered flag, Majeski already had clinched a Playoff spot on points, leaving three berths still available in the postseason, with the Aug. 10 race at Richmond left to decide the final Playoff grid.

 

With a 20th-place finish on Friday, Tanner Gray took over the 10th and final Playoff-eligible position from Daniel Dye, who came home 27th after an unscheduled pit stop on Lap 81. Dye trails Gray by five points entering the last regular-season race.

 

Five-time race winner Corey Heim finished 17th, a lap down, after contact from Eckes’ No. 19 Chevrolet cut his left-front tire and forced him to the pits under caution on Lap 88. Forced to use his last set of tires prematurely, Heim finished second in Stage 2 on the fresh rubber but faded in the final stage.

 

“I just misjudged the straightaway,” said Eckes, who led a race-high 73 laps. “He’s got every right to be mad.”

 

Eckes retained the series lead by 50 points over second-place Heim.

 

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race - TSport 200

Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park

Indianapolis, Indiana

Friday, July 19, 2024

 

                1. (4)  Ty Majeski, Ford, 200.

                2. (6)  Christian Eckes, Chevrolet, 200.

                3. (2)  Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, 200.

                4. (3)  Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, 200.

                5. (17)  Layne Riggs #, Ford, 200.

                6. (12)  Sammy Smith(i), Chevrolet, 200.

                7. (14)  Luke Fenhaus, Ford, 200.

                8. (1)  Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 200.

                9. (19)  Dean Thompson, Toyota, 200.

                10. (11)  Nick Sanchez, Chevrolet, 200.

                11. (16)  Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 200.

                12. (26)  William Sawalich, Toyota, 200.

                13. (10)  Chase Purdy, Chevrolet, 200.

                14. (22)  Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, 199.

                15. (23)  Jack Wood, Chevrolet, 199.

                16. (13)  Taylor Gray, Toyota, 199.

                17. (9)  Corey Heim, Toyota, 199.

                18. (20)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 199.

                19. (25)  Timmy Hill, Toyota, 199.

                20. (21)  Tanner Gray, Toyota, 199.

                21. (15)  Ben Rhodes, Ford, 199.

                22. (34)  Matt Mills, Chevrolet, 199.

                23. (28)  Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 199.

                24. (5)  Matt Crafton, Ford, 199.

                25. (29)  Marco Andretti, Chevrolet, 199.

                26. (30)  Bret Holmes, Chevrolet, 199.

                27. (7)  Daniel Dye, Chevrolet, 198.

                28. (24)  Lawless Alan, Ford, 198.

                29. (35)  Conor Daly(i), Chevrolet, 197.

                30. (18)  Jake Garcia, Ford, 197.

                31. (31)  Tyler Tomassi, Ford, 197.

                32. (33)  Thad Moffitt #, Chevrolet, 195.

                33. (8)  Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 194.

                34. (32)  Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 164.

                35. (27)  Mason Massey, Chevrolet, Accident, 44.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  82.238 mph.

Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 40 Mins, 6 Secs. Margin of Victory:  4.129 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  4 for 27 laps.

Lead Changes:  5 among 3 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   R. Caruth 0;G. Enfinger 1-55;C. Eckes 56-68;G. Enfinger 69-84;C. Eckes 85-144;T. Majeski 145-200.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Christian Eckes 2 times for 73 laps; Grant Enfinger 2 times for 71 laps; Ty Majeski 1 time for 56 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 19,9,11,18,71,45,2,5,7,43

Stage #2 Top Ten: 19,11,98,88,18,45,38,5,71,2

 

 

 

Corey Heim earns his fifth win this season at Pocono Raceway

 

 James Gilbert/Getty Images

Corey Heim earns his fifth win this season at Pocono Raceway

 

July 12, 2024

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

Long Pond, PA – Corey Heim earned his series’ best fifth victory of the season in Friday evening’s rain-interrupted CRC Brakleen 175 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. The 21-year old swept both stages and led 55 of the 70 laps to add to his trophy total.

 

But, he had to battle competitors and climate for this win.

 

The Georgian’s No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota led Grant Enfinger’s Chevrolet across the finish line by .867-second to take his 10th career victory – quickly re-establishing himself as the race leader – again – on the final re-start with three laps remaining.

 

“It started from the very beginning, we’ve had such a close bond,’’ Heim said of his strong working relationship with crew chief Scott Zippidelli and the career-best single season win mark.

 

“Week in and week out, so proud of these guys, can’t say enough about them,’’ Heim said.

 

Rain drops covered the windshields of the trucks – particularly in Turn 2 of the 2.5-mile Pocono track – and eventually brought out a caution flag for weather with only nine laps remaining in the race. But after parking on pit road for just over 10 minutes of red-flag stoppage, the field returned to the track for a lap only to come back down pit road again as the rain got heavier with seven laps remaining.

 

Not surprisingly Heim immediately told his crew the rain was substantial. Enfinger, who was 2.2-seconds behind Heim at the time of the initial red flag, was optimistic it was going to be a brief shower. NASCAR had already determined before the green flag that the race would be official no matter the circumstance at 8:20 p.m. ET – approximately one hour and 10 minutes after the first red flag waved Friday evening.

 

But the sun shone on the re-start allowing enough laps to complete the race –  a light rain beginning again during driver’s post-race interviews.

 

Enfinger’s second-place finish equals his best mark of the year – also at North Wilkesboro, N.C. – and certainly helped solidify the CR7 Motorsports driver’s position in the Playoff standings. He is seventh place with only two races remaining before the 2024 Playoffs begin Aug. 25 at the Milwaukee Mile Speedway. 

 

McAnally Hilgemann’s Christian Eckes finished third, followed by TRICON Garage’s Taylor Gray and NASCAR Cup Series regular Ross Chastain, driving for Niece Motorsports.

 

The closing laps featured close racing up front with many among the lead pack having to be conscious about saving fuel – a variable then made moot with the rain stoppage. Heim was trying to hold off the hard-charging, highly-motivated veteran Enfinger, who was racing for his first win of the season while Eckes had to hold off Chastain for third place.

 

The pole-winner Eckes led the race’s opening 11 laps in the No. 19 McAnally Hilgemann Chevy and finished second to race-winner Heim in both stages. But a slow pit stop during the secong stage break forced Eckes to play catch-up. He restarted 10th but was up to fourth place within five laps and continued to move forward. 

 

He rallied to that ultimate third-place showing giving him a series best 12-race streak of Top-10 finishes and he still holds a 32-point edge on Heim for the regular season championship.

 

The first caution flag for a race incident came out with 26 laps remaining when Rajah Caruth spun on track. At the time Heim led Chastain by almost 3-seconds. As the trucks drove under caution, drivers were alerted that rain was imminent, so the front-runners did not pit.

 

Chase Purdy, Stewart Friesen, Matt Crafton, Dean Thompson and Caruth rounded out the Top-10.

 

With only two races remaining to set the 10-driver Playoff field, Daniel Dye holds a single-point edge on Tanner Gray in that 10th position and a slight four-point advantage over Friesen.

 

Only four fulltime series drivers have won this season to claim automatic Playoff berths including Heim, Eckes, Friday’s 13th place finisher Nick Sanchez and Caruth.

 

The Craftsman Truck Series moves to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for Friday’s TSport 200 (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Ty Majeski won last year’s race by more than 3-seconds over Eckes. Championship leader Heim was eighth.

 

--30--

 

 

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race - CRC Brakleen 175

Pocono Raceway

Long Pond, Pennsylvania

Friday, July 12, 2024

 

          1. (2)  Corey Heim, Toyota, 70.

          2. (8)  Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, 70.

          3. (1)  Christian Eckes, Chevrolet, 70.

          4. (19)  Taylor Gray, Toyota, 70.

          5. (27)  Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 70.

          6. (16)  Chase Purdy, Chevrolet, 70.

          7. (10)  Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 70.

          8. (15)  Matt Crafton, Ford, 70.

          9. (22)  Dean Thompson, Toyota, 70.

          10. (3)  Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 70.

          11. (13)  Matt Mills, Chevrolet, 70.

          12. (30)  Bret Holmes, Chevrolet, 70.

          13. (9)  Nick Sanchez, Chevrolet, 70.

          14. (4)  Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, 70.

          15. (18)  Connor Mosack, Chevrolet, 70.

          16. (5)  Daniel Dye, Chevrolet, 70.

          17. (20)  Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, 70.

          18. (7)  Ben Rhodes, Ford, 70.

          19. (11)  Tanner Gray, Toyota, 70.

          20. (21)  Zane Smith(i), Chevrolet, 70.

          21. (12)  Jake Garcia, Ford, 70.

          22. (28)  Luke Fenhaus, Ford, 70.

          23. (25)  Timmy Hill, Toyota, 70.

          24. (29)  Mason Massey, Chevrolet, 70.

          25. (14)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 70.

          26. (26)  Kris Wright, Toyota, 70.

          27. (32)  Mason Maggio, Ford, 70.

          28. (36)  Justin Carroll, Toyota, 70.

          29. (31)  Thad Moffitt #, Chevrolet, 70.

          30. (17)  Layne Riggs #, Ford, 69.

          31. (6)  Ty Majeski, Ford, 68.

          32. (24)  Lawless Alan, Ford, 68.

          33. (33)  Sage Karam(i), Ford, 67.

          34. (34)  Bryan Dauzat, Chevrolet, 65.

          35. (35)  Stephen Mallozzi, Ford, Transmission, 22.

          36. (23)  Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, Hub, 5.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  113.269 mph.

Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 32 Mins, 42 Secs. Margin of Victory:  .867 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  4 for 17 laps.

Lead Changes:  3 among 3 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   C. Eckes 1-11;C. Heim 12-32;J. Garcia 33-36;C. Heim 37-70.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Corey Heim 2 times for 55 laps; Christian Eckes 1 time for 11 laps; Jake Garcia 1 time for 4 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 11,19,18,43,9,98,2,17,52,15

Stage #2 Top Ten: 11,19,43,9,18,98,45,52,15,42

 

 

 

Christian Eckes dominates at Nashville Superspeedway

James Gilbert/Getty Images

Christian Eckes dominates at Nashville Superspeedway

 

June 28, 2024

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

LEBANON, Tenn. – Christian Eckes absolutely dominated Friday night’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series’ Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway, the 23-year old leading all 150 laps – the first time a driver has led every race lap in 12 years.

 

Eckes, driver of the No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet raced forward from a third place starting position to take the lead from pole winner Stewart Friesen by Turn 2 of the opening lap at the 1.333-mile oval and essentially never looked back. He led by more than three-seconds in the closing laps and ultimately crossed the finish line 2.028-seconds ahead of his teammate Daniel Dye – the runner-up showing a career best effort for the 20-year-old Floridian.

 

It is the third win of the season for Eckes and extends his championship lead to 40 points over TRICON Garage’s Corey Heim, who finished third after passing Spire Motorsports’ Rajah Caruth on the final lap. McAnally-Hilgermann Racing’s Tyler Ankrum was fifth.

 

“Can’t say enough about these guys,’’ said Eckes, who has three wins on the season and now eight in his seven seasons in the series. It’s the second time this season (also at Martinsville, Va.) that he has swept both stage wins and claimed the winner’s trophy.

 

“We were really motivated to get this truck out there. Nice job for the day,’’ added Eckes who says he can’t ever remember leading every lap in any race he’s competed in.

 

The win also earned Eckes a $50,000 bonus check for claiming the final leg of the series’ Triple Truck Challenge – Nick Sanchez and Heim are the other winners in the incentive program.

 

“I saw the 11 (Heim) has four of them [wins] so got a little upset walking in [to Nashville Superspeedway], so now another one to go catch another one,’’ Eckes said.

 

Grant Enfinger, Ben Rhodes, Matt Mills, Ty Majeski and Jake Garcia rounded out the top 10 in the finishing order. Rhodes rally was especially impressive considering how he started.

 

And while Eckes spent the day up front – mastering every restart on an evening that saw seven caution flags for 42 laps – there was plenty of action behind him as the caution count would indicate.  

 

On the other hand, Sanchez, who started his No. 2 Rev Racing Chevy from the rear of the 36-car field after hitting the wall in qualifying, rallied to finish 13th and sits third in the championship 89 points behind Eckes.

 

NASCAR Cup Series star and current FOX Sports NASCAR broadcaster Clint Bowyer finished 17th after his No. 7 Spire truck suffered damage when the field stacked up on the Stage 1 restart. In his typically colorful manner, Bowyer was frank about his night – the first NASCAR national series race he’s competed in since retiring from fulltime competition in 2020.

 

“We fought loose-in the whole time from the word go, but I know from a lot of years of experience that’s hard to overcome,’’ said Bowyer, a 10-time NASCAR Cup Series winner and the 2012 championship runner-up.

 

“I don’t know what happened on the [Stage 1] restart, they all checked up in front of me and I crashed,’’ Bowyer said, adding, “I will be back. I promise you there’s no way I’m ending on that.” 

 

Three races remain to set the 10-driver Playoff field. Currently Tanner Gray, who finished 14th Friday night sits in the 10th place position, 14 points ahead of Dye.

 

The CRAFTSMAN Truck Series returns to competition for the CRC Brakleen 175 at Pocono Raceway on July 12 (5:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Kyle Busch is the defending race winner.

 

---30--

 

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race - Rackley Roofing 200

Nashville Superspeedway

Nashville, Tennessee

Friday, June 28, 2024

 

                   1. (3)  Christian Eckes, Chevrolet, 150.

                   2. (9)  Daniel Dye, Chevrolet, 150.

                   3. (7)  Corey Heim, Toyota, 150.

                   4. (5)  Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 150.

                   5. (14)  Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, 150.

                   6. (2)  Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, 150.

                   7. (26)  Ben Rhodes, Ford, 150.

                   8. (36)  Matt Mills, Chevrolet, 150.

                   9. (4)  Ty Majeski, Ford, 150.

                   10. (17)  Jake Garcia, Ford, 150.

                   11. (1)  Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 150.

                   12. (21)  Conner Jones, Ford, 150.

                   13. (33)  Nick Sanchez, Chevrolet, 150.

                   14. (34)  Tanner Gray, Toyota, 150.

                   15. (35)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 150.

                   16. (15)  Jack Wood, Chevrolet, 150.

                   17. (11)  Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 150.

                   18. (16)  Dawson Sutton, Chevrolet, 150.

                   19. (12)  Brenden Queen, Toyota, 150.

                   20. (24)  Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, 150.

                   21. (10)  Chase Purdy, Chevrolet, 149.

                   22. (23)  Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 149.

                   23. (19)  Matt Crafton, Ford, 148.

                   24. (22)  Lawless Alan, Ford, 148.

                   25. (6)  Layne Riggs #, Ford, 148.

                   26. (13)  Stefan Parsons, Chevrolet, 148.

                   27. (25)  Timmy Hill, Toyota, 147.

                   28. (29)  Dean Thompson, Toyota, 146.

                   29. (20)  Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, 146.

                   30. (31)  Akinori Ogata, Chevrolet, 144.

                   31. (32)  Frankie Muniz, Ford, 130.

                   32. (27)  Mason Massey, Chevrolet, Brakes, 94.

                   33. (8)  Kaden Honeycutt, Chevrolet, 84.

                   34. (18)  Taylor Gray, Toyota, Accident, 53.

                   35. (28)  Mason Maggio, Ford, Mechanical, 40.

                   36. (30)  Bret Holmes, Chevrolet, Accident, 10.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  101.829 mph.

Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 57 Mins, 33 Secs. Margin of Victory:  2.028 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  7 for 42 laps.

Lead Changes:  1 among 1 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   S. Friesen 0;C. Eckes 1-150.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Christian Eckes 1 time for 150 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 19,38,11,9,43,71,52,98,7,18

Stage #2 Top Ten: 19,11,71,43,9,99,52,88,18,98

 

 

 iNTERNATIONAL RACE OF CHAMPIONS

 

Known as IROC (International Race of Champions), a series of races was held annually from 1973 to 2006. IROC brought together the greatest drivers from all forms of motorsport to compete against each other in iconic cars on historic tracks. Although the annual events ended in 2006, the legacy and recognition of the IROC brand has continued throughout the years. IROC Holdings plans to bring the historic brand back to life. In 2024, NASCAR Hall of Fame member Ray Evernham and former NASCAR Cup Team Owner and venture capitalist Rob Kauffman, announced their acquisition of the rights to the IROC brand and plans to bring the historic brand back to life.

www.iroc-racing.com

 

IROC at Lime Rock Park Event T-Shirts Available Now!
 

The limited edition IROC at Lime Rock Park event t-shirt commemorating IROC's return to the race track is available online now! There are only a limited number of shirts available so get yours today!
 
 

arca menards series 

 

www.arcaracing.com

Celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2023, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series™, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour™), one local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series™) and three international series (NASCAR Pinty’s Series™, NASCAR Mexico Series™, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series™). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).
 

 

National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing

www.nascar.com

Celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2023, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series™, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour™), one local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series™) and three international series (NASCAR Pinty’s Series™, NASCAR Mexico Series™, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series™). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

 

Emotions high following the 30th anniversary of the Brickyard 400

 

July 23, 2024

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson left Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday night with a new trophy and a major contribution to his NASCAR Cup Series championship legacy. With his runner-up to Larson in the Brickyard 400, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick was buoyed by his own showing and the impact it has on his championship run. 

 

Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney headed out of town frustrated at his trophy near-miss but surely feeling confident and motivated about his chances to defend his series championship. Hendrick’s Chase Elliott was still lamenting a sometimes-maddening outing that still resulted in a top-five finish. And Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, a contender all day, needed no further introspection, after being collected in a late-race accident. 

 

After that thrilling 30th anniversary edition of the Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG– full of storylines, both big triumphs and headline-making disappointments - the NASCAR Cup Series heads into a two-week break during the Summer Olympics. Most drivers and team members have recently said they are eager to step away from competition focus briefly to vacation with family or take an overseas trip. Maybe seize the chance not to travel at all.

 

But make no mistake, Sunday’s race was a dramatic preview of the intensity level you can expect for the upcoming 10-race Playoff. These drivers take a schedule respite well aware that the season is at critical mass.

 

Larson heads into the break as the only four-time race winner on the season. With his victory at Indy, he overtook his teammate Elliott atop the regular season championship standings - a 10-point advantage with only four races remaining to set that 16-driver Playoff field. The regular season champ receives a hugely valuable 15 Playoff points.

 

Reddick is 15 points behind Larson and Hamlin – who at one point early in Sunday’s race was leading the standings – is now 43 points off Larson. Blaney is 73 back.

 

The reigning series champ, who was in position to vie for the win in the closing stages, was perhaps most vocal about his frustration Sunday. Blaney was lined up on the front row alongside race leader Brad Keselowski for the first overtime restart when Keselowski suddenly veered his No. 6 Ford to pit lane to avoid running out of gas in front of the field. It allowed Larson – the car behind Keselowski - to move forward and by the time they got to the re-start Larson passed Blaney and was out front.

 

Blaney, whose team owner Roger Penske owns the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, got another chance to try and take the lead on a second overtime restart. But Larson got the jump again. After coming so close to a historical win, Blaney was understandably devastated afterward. 

 

“That's a heartbreaker,’’ said Blaney, who’s won two of the last six races. “We did everything right today. I mean, was in prime position to win and just didn't work out for us. Just got unlucky. 

 

“Gosh, not going to sleep very good tonight.’’

 

His reaction is not just about his disappointment on a near-miss win at Indianapolis, but indicative of the time of the season – go-time. Earning a win sets up Playoff ranking and for others, salvaging a good points day could make all the difference in getting into the Playoff lineup.

 

That was certainly the case at the other end of the Playoff bubble, where Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain now finds himself with a slim seven-point edge over 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace for the points-transfer position. Roush Fenway Keselowski driver Chris Buescher is only 17 points up on Wallace and is the defending winner of the next race, the Aug. 11 Cook Out 400 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway.

 

 “All-in-all, a good day - a good points day,” Wallace said.

 

So as these competitors take a break and a breath for the next two weeks, Sunday’s Brickyard 400 proved the intensity is picking up and the championship stakes are unmistakable.

 

 

 

Ryan Blaney rues the victory that slipped away at the Indianapolis oval

 

July 21, 2024

 

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

 

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Ryan Blaney was so close to winning Sunday’s Brickyard 400 — twice — he could almost feel the cold metal of one of the NASCAR Cup Series’ most desirable trophies.

 

Blaney was running second in NASCAR’s return to the oval track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, trailing Brad Keselowski on Lap 159 of a scheduled 160. Keselowski was so short on fuel that he was all but certain to run out before the finish.

 

Blaney, who drives for IMS and Team Penske owner Roger Penske, was biding his time behind his fellow Ford driver when Kyle Busch’s Chevrolet pushed up the track into Denny Hamlin’s Toyota, slamming Hamlin’s car into the outside wall and causing the eighth caution of the race.

 

For the ensuing restart, Keselowski chose the inside lane and Blaney the top. But as the cars approached the restart zone, Keselowski followed the pace car to pit road, out of fuel.

 

Eventual race winner Kyle Larson, who had lined up third behind Keselowski in the bottom lane, move up beside Blaney for the restart and pulled ahead into Turn 1 before a multicar wreck in the corner stopped the action again.

 

As the new race leader, Larson had control of the final restart, chose the inside lane and cleared Blaney into Turn 1 in the second overtime.

 

Pole winner Tyler Reddick followed Larson into second place, and that’s the way the race ended when NASCAR called the 10th caution for Ryan Preece’s spin on the backstretch—after Larson had taken the white flag.

 

“It's no fun,” Blaney said of his disappointing third-place finish. “Had a really good shot to win today. Our car was fast. Thought we had really good strategy. Kind of was the front guy having to save a little bit of gas. I thought we put ourselves in a great spot.

 

“I know the 6 (Keselowski) was probably going to run out if it went green. Came to the restart, I couldn't believe they stayed out. I knew there was no way they were going to make it. So, I obviously chose the top because he might run out in the restart zone. He runs out coming to the green, so he has to go to pit road, and the 5 (Larson) gets promoted.”

 

Even though Larson moved up to the front of the bottom row, Blaney’s No. 12 Ford was the control car as the second-place vehicle to Keselowski. But Keselowski’s exit from the track and the subsequent restart happened so fast it made processing the situation difficult.

 

“Luck of the day right there, I guess,” Blaney said. “I don't know. I don't know what to be mad about. Mad at losing this race, because I thought we were in the perfect position. Once I lost control of the race, obviously I would have been on the bottom (for the final restart), but I thought the 6 would run out in the restart zone or down the back… I don't know. Stinks to lose in that way.

 

“Appreciate the effort. I hate we don't get to celebrate with Mr. Penske and everyone at Penske here. That stings a lot. Just try to keep going. That's all you can do.”

 

Blaney, the defending Cup Series champion, lost his chance at a third win this season, but he’s firmly locked into the Playoffs. Still, a victory would have been a perfect sendoff to a two-week break in the schedule to allow for the Summer Olympics in Paris.

 

“I'm just upset,” Blaney said. “That's a heartbreaker. We did everything right today. I mean, was in prime position to win and just didn't work out for us. Just got unlucky.

 

“Gosh, not going to sleep very good tonight, I can tell you that. Like I said, I appreciate Team Penske and everybody for the fast car. Gosh, we've been super-fast. It definitely showed again today. Just wasn't meant to be.”

 

 

Saturday Indianapolis Notebook

 

Notebook Items:

  • Cole Custer will return to NASCAR Cup Series with Haas Factory Team
  • Denny Hamlin longs to add Brickyard 400 trophy to his collection
  • Martin Truex Jr. reflects on the Indianapolis win that got away
  • Chase Briscoe in pursuit of memorable victory on his home track

 

July 20, 2024

 

By Reid Spencer and Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

Cole Custer will return to NASCAR Cup Series with Haas Factory Team

 

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — In 2025, reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer will get a second chance in the sport’s top division.

 

Custer will drive the No. 41 Ford for the Haas Factory Team in 2025 after the dissolution of Stewart-Haas Racing’s four-car NASCAR Cup Series operation at the end of the season.

 

The Haas Factory Team also will maintain a technical alliance with Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, with additional support from Ford Performance.

 

Custer spent three full seasons in the Cup Series from 2020 through 2022, winning one race at Kentucky Speedway and posting one other top five in 108 starts during that period.

 

Returning to the Xfinity Series last season, Custer won three races, including the Championship 4 season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

 

The 26-year-old driver from Ladera Ranch, Calif., welcomes the chance to return to NASCAR’s top level for owner Gene Haas, who also operates the Haas F1 Team.

 

“To get an opportunity back in Cup was the biggest goal,” said Custer, who won last Saturday’s Xfinity race at Pocono and leads the series standings by 51 points over second-place Justin Allgaier.

 

“To have this opportunity to get to drive for Haas Factory Team next year is huge for me, and I think we can do some really special things with the resources we have as a team. We’re ready to get work and get some great people, and I think we’ll be able to compete with the best.”

 

Haas Factory Team also will continue to maintain the Xfinity Series program started under the Stewart-Haas banner. Haas Factory Team president Joe Custer, Cole’s father, says the new organization has made an offer to current driver Riley Herbst, but no deal has been finalized.

 

Custer also said Haas Factory Team explore other possibilities before settling on the technical alliance with RFK.

 

“Along with Ford as a partner, we’re lacing no resource going into next year,” Custer said.

 

Denny Hamlin longs to add Brickyard 400 trophy to his collection

 

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin has fashioned a celebrated career—54 NASCAR Cup Series wins, including three Daytona 500 victories, three Southern 500 wins and a Coca-Cola 600 trophy.

 

But the 43-year old veteran still has that one cherished trophy he’d love to add to the collection: a Brickyard 400 win on the historic oval track.

 

Hamlin has eight top-10 finishes in 15 starts on the oval and scored a career-best third-place finish three times, in 2008, 2014 and 2018.

 

“To me the Southern 500 and the Brickyard 400 (are) kind of equal in prestige," said Hamlin, who added that he’s glad NASCAR moved its big event from the road course back to the 2.5-mile oval.

 

“I always felt that we were going to come back here one day,” said the driver of the No. 11 JGR Toyota. “I was never resigned to the fact that the road course was going to be a permanent thing.

 

“But I just didn’t know how long my career would go at that point. I don’t have that many chances left. It’s less than what’s on my hand I would think, so just going to take advantage of every opportunity.

 

“Overall, I feel like I’ve always been in contention here, just never gotten it done.”

 

Hamlin was one of three drivers who participated in a test at Indianapolis earlier this season and was third quickest in practice on Friday.

 

Martin Truex Jr. reflects on the Indianapolis win that got away

 

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. will be the first to tell you that his record on the 2.5-mile oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is far from exemplary.

 

In 16 starts on the big track, Truex has one top five and three top 10s to his credit. His average finish is a lackluster 22.4.

 

But the Brickyard 400 Truex remembers most vividly is the race in 2017, when he had a car capable of winning.

 

Kyle Busch had the dominant car that day, having led 87 of the first 102 laps, but Truex had taken the top spot from his fellow Toyota driver on Lap 103, before Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Jimmie Johnson crashed on the backstretch to cause the eighth caution of the afternoon.

 

As the leader, Truex chose the inside lane for the restart on Lap 111, with Busch to his outside. Their cars raced side-by-side toward Turn 1, with Busch pulling slightly ahead entering the corner.

 

That’s when Truex’s car lost grip and slid up the track into Busch’s Camry, wrecking both cars beyond repair.

 

“Yeah, that one definitely hurt,” Truex acknowledged. "This has never been what I’d consider one of my best tracks, and that year we had what we needed to win, and I made a dumb move.

 

“I wish I could redo that one, for sure, and see how the day would have played out.”

 

Sunday’s race may be Truex’s last chance for a victory at Indianapolis. In June, he announced his retirement from full-time, effective at the end of the season.

 

Chase Briscoe in pursuit of memorable victory on his home track

 

Chase Briscoe has a lot to look forward to—his wife is pregnant with twins, and he recently signed a contract with the championship Joe Gibbs Racing organization to continue competing in the NASCAR Cup Series after his current team, Stewart-Haas Racing, closes shop at the end of the season.

 

Before all those other important events commence, however, the proud Hoosier most wants to earn a win at his home track, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in his racing idol Tony Stewart’s iconic No. 14 Ford.

 

Briscoe won a NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the road course configuration in 2020. He competed in a pair of Xfinity Series races on the 2.5-mile oval in 2018 and 2019, scoring top-10 finishes both times. All three of his NASCAR Cup Series starts in the No. 14 have been on the road course, however.

 

“It certainly means a little bit more when it’s on the oval," Briscoe allowed. “When you think about the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the history is on the oval, it’s not on the road course.

 

“But still, winning here in general is very, very special. So, for me, if I was able to win on the oval, it would mean a little bit more, but it’s going to mean more than any other race track I could win at regardless."

 

Briscoe conceded it will be emotional for him driving for fellow Indiana-native Stewart one last time at The Speedway.

 

“Full transparency, I cry every year just on the ride-around deal," Briscoe said. “With it being on the oval and doing it in the 14, all that, it’s going to definitely be emotional for me. It’s something that I honestly hadn’t even thought about until a couple weeks ago.

 

“For seven- or 10-year-old Chase, if you would have told him that he was going to get around one Brickyard 400 in the 14 car for Tony Stewart, I don’t think I would have ever believed you.”

 

 

Friday Indianapolis Notebook

 

July 19, 2024

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

SPEEDWAY, Ind. – 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick set the pace in NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 practice Friday afternoon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, turning a lap of 182.582 mph in the No. 45 Toyota – out-pacing Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford by .177-second. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin was third quickest in the No. 11 Toyota.

 

Reddick also posted the best 10-lap average speed, followed by Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson and Hamlin.

 

“It seemed pretty solid," Reddick said of his car. “When you come to a place like this, that’s always something you hope for. I’ve been fortunate we’ve run the road course here and we’ve been really, really strong. Obviously it seemed like [fellow Toyota driver] Denny [Hamlin] had a really good test and we were able to get some good data from him."

 

“Tracks like this, it’s always a question mark to some degree, you know? How close is your sim preparation going to be? But it seemed like everyone did a pretty good job. Pretty happy with how the car drives."

 

The 55-minute session had a brief caution period for debris midway through, but was otherwise uneventful in the series’ return to the historic 2.5-mile Indianapolis oval for Sunday’s race (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

JGR’s Christopher Bell and Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman rounded out the top-five in practice for Sunday’s race – the first time the series has raced on the oval since 2020.

 

Series championship leader Chase Elliott was 12th quickest in Friday’s practice, his teammate Larson – who trails Elliott by a mere three-points in the standings – was sixth quickest.

 

Larson, who competed in May’s Indianapolis 500, is driving the No. 5 Chevrolet with the same paint scheme he was scheduled to drive later that that day in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. After a rain delay at Indy, Larson didn’t arrive in time to race it before rain showers ended the Charlotte race early.

 

There are three former Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval-race winners entered this weekend – including four-time Brickyard champion Jimmie Johnson, two-time winner Kyle Busch and 2018 winner Brad Keselowski.

 

Qualifying for the Brickyard 400 is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET Saturday (USA Network, NBC Sports App, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

Chandler Smith led the NASCAR Xfinity Series 55-minute practice early Friday afternoon posting a lap of 166.756 mph in the No. 81 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota - .060-second better than Parker Kligerman in the No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet.

 

IndyCar veteran Conor Daly was third fastest, followed by Brandon Jones and Riley Herbst. Current championship leader, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer was 11th on the speed chart.

 

The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Pennzoil 250 is Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET (USA Network, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

NOTEBOOK:

 

*Hendrick Motorsports’ Elliott holds a slim three-point edge over his teammate Larson atop the NASCAR Cup Series championship with five races remaining to settle the regular season title. Reddick is only 15 points back and Hamlin is only 20 points off the pace entering Sunday’s Brickyard 400.

 

Asked about the close title race, Elliott reiterated Friday afternoon the importance of winning that Regular Season Championship is not so much to claim the “title” but because of the valuable 15 bonus points it rewards the driver; a bonus that is carried throughout each round of the Playoffs.

 

“We’re trying to win it," Elliott said emphatically. “We’re trying to run as good as we can to accumulate as many points as possible to win the 15-points. I mean, that’s all that matters. The Regular Season Championship is really meaningless, it’s just [about] the points."

 

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champ certainly knows first-hand how crucial that guaranteed bonus is for each Playoff round. It was an incredible help for him in 2022, even though he didn’t ultimately take the title.

 

“We just had a really good first half of the year and then we ran really bad those last eight-and-a-half weeks," Elliott recalled. Without those points, we would have been long out of it, in my view. Mathematically, I’m not exactly sure where we would have been. Just going off the way we ran, we needed to be a lot better and that certainly helped to have some points to lean on because it would have been really, really tough without that. So, they can man a lot.

 

“You hope that you’re running good enough that you don’t need them is the goal that everyone has."

 

*Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion and last week’s Pocono (Pa.) Raceway winner Ryan Blaney reiterated his strong motivation to win Sunday’s Brickyard 400 – at a track owned by his boss Roger Penske and for a team that’s IndyCar driver Josef Newgarden won the Indianapolis 500 in May.

 

In fact, Blaney, smiled, and promised, “Kissing the bricks is like a dream come true, I’ll lick the bricks if I win, that’s for sure. It’s going be nasty but it’s going to happen.

 

“Kissing the bricks, that’s just what everyone wants to do. … to be able to do that with RP (Penske), that would be like the coolest moment in my life.

 

“We know how special this place is, it’s not even talked about in our camp," the driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford continued. “You just know what it means. It’s meant the world even since I got there in 2012 before he [Penske] owned the race track.

 

“We have a unique opportunity to sweep Indy this year with Josef winning the 500 and us coming here and having a good shot on the NASCAR side, so there’s a cool opportunity to do something special. That’s what you want to do for our team, you want to make memories and do well by his race team and do well by him. Big weekend and a lot of pressure on us, but this race team likes pressure."

 

Blaney’s best showing in six Indianapolis oval starts is seventh place in 2019.

 

*Before taking his place on the podium to answer reporters’ questions Friday, Josh Berry stood off by himself in the Media Center looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway front-straight below.

 

The driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford is one of 10 fulltime NASCAR Cup Series drivers entered for Sunday’s Brickyard 400 that has never competed on the historic 2.5-oval before. During his time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, races were held on the track’s infield road course.

 

“It definitely feels different coming here to run the oval than it did the road course," Berry said. “I think just getting to take in the oval and just the history behind it, is something that’s going to be really fun. This is my first time up here, so just checking things out a little bit."

 

Berry conceded he has an advantage in his back pocket – crew chief Rodney Childers led the former driver of the SHR No. 4, Kevin Harvick, to back-to-back wins the last two races on the big oval.

 

“I think obviously he’s really excited to get back here because they won the last two Brickyard 400s," Berry said. “I feel like we’re leaning on each other and communicating like we always do. … The team’s got a little extra confidence this week for sure."

 

A victory this weekend would be crucial for Berry’s team with only five races remaining to set the 16-driver Playoff field, Berry – a series rookie - is currently ranked 21st in the Playoff standings, 144 points out of the final points transfer position.

 

 

ASCAR Weekend Preview: Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park

 

July 18, 2024

 

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

 

NASCAR Cup Series’ return to Indianapolis oval likely to be drama-filled affair

 

For the first time since 2020—and the first time ever in the Gen 7 race car—the NASCAR Cup Series will race on the historic 2.5-mile oval track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

 

The return to the oval marks the 30th anniversary of the Brickyard 400, which immediately acquired status as one of NASCAR’s Crown Jewel races on its debut in 1994.

 

Jeff Gordon won the inaugural event. Denny Hamlin, who stopped a five-race skid last week with a runner-up finish at Pocono Raceway, hopes to add another marquee victory to his resume in Sunday’s 28th running of the event (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, IMS Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

Hamlin already has scored victories in three of NASCAR’s Crown Jewel events, the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500. With a win on Sunday, he would complete the racing equivalent of a Grand Slam, a feat accomplished only by NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson (who will race Sunday), Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Sr.

 

If Hamlin is eager to win on the Indianapolis oval, so is his crew chief, Chris Gabehart, who grew up in Lafayette, Indiana, and earned a mechanical engineer degree from Purdue University.

 

To win at Indianapolis, Hamlin knows he’ll have to survive an intense fight for optimum position on the track.

 

“It’s going to be tough,” said Hamlin, who is tied for the series lead with three victories this season. “It’s going to be wild on restarts. I think you’ll have restarts very similar to Pocono, where guys are trying to fit in spots that are not there—and you’re talking about a track that is even narrower than what Pocono is.

 

“We all know being on the outside is not going to be preferred, so you’re going to want to be on the bottom. What’s going to happen is we’re going to go down these long straightaways and everyone is going to try to go three-wide bottom, and you’re probably going to see a lot of wrecks late if there are restarts to bunch us up.”

 

Hamlin, who represented the Toyota camp in a tire test on the Indy oval in June, is securely in the Playoffs this year. The same can’t be said of Mitchell, Indiana, native Chase Briscoe, or of Michael McDowell, who won last year’s race on the Indianapolis Grand Prix Course.

 

With five races left in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season and four Playoff spots still available, Briscoe is 75 points below the current Playoff cut line, likely needing a victory to qualify for the postseason.

 

After the announcement of Stewart-Haas Racing’s dissolution at the end of the season, Briscoe landed a job as the successor to Martin Truex Jr. at Joe Gibbs Racing next year. But Briscoe would love nothing better than to win at the Brickyard for SHR co-owner Tony Stewart, who preceded Briscoe in the No. 14 Ford.

 

“I’m excited. It’s cool,” Briscoe said. “Especially with how this year’s played out, with it being the last year for SHR… I was talking to Tony and told him it was pretty special that I’m going to get to run at least one Brickyard 400 in the 14 car. That means a lot to me personally, and even Tony—I don’t think it had hit him yet that it was going to be his last time as a car owner at Indy, at least for the time being.

 

“Yeah, it’s cool that we’re going back to the oval, with the history of that race. And as a Hoosier myself, I feel that there’s a little more emphasis on it… It’s obviously a Crown Jewel for all of us, but when you grow up in Indiana—and we’ve seen the Tony Stewarts and Ryan Newmans and how much different it is for those guys—it’s the same for me.”

 

With the move to the oval, McDowell won’t get a chance to defend his victory on the road course. Given that he’s 22nd in the Playoff standings and 152 points below the current cut line, McDowell will have to win one of the next five races to compete for the Cup championship.

 

“It’s funny—I have mixed emotions about it,” McDowell said of the return to the oval. “Obviously, winning there last year and having a fast car, you’d want to go back and race on the road course. I know it’s going to be hard for you to believe, but I’m glad we’re going back to the oval.

 

“As far as tradition and history—just the magnitude of the event—it’s different on the oval than it is on the road course. Now, do I wish it was a doubleheader, or we had another race to go back there and run the road course? For sure. But I’m actually excited to race back on the oval.”

 

Both Briscoe and McDowell drive Fords, and Ford drivers have won the last three races on the oval. Brad Keselowski’s victory in 2018 broke an 18-race drought for the car maker, dating to Dale Jarrett’s victory with Robert Yates Racing in 1999.

 

Qualifying could be critical in NASCAR Xfinity Series’ return to Indianapolis “big track”

 

Historically, if there’s one thing that’s been consistent at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, it’s the importance of qualifying to NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers.

 

Brad Keselowski won the 2012 series debut race at big track from the eighth starting position. Since then, all seven Indy winners have started from the top three spots on the grid, four from the pole position.

 

Kyle Busch has been the dominant Xfinity Series driver at the Indy oval, winning three times from the pole. He won the last race held there in 2019, leading a race-high 46 laps.

 

Busch, however, won’t be competing in Saturday’s Pennzoil 250 (3:30 p.m. ET on USA, IMS Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

In fact, JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier is the only former winner entered in Saturday’s race. Allgaier scored an emotional win at the track in 2018.

 

“It’s great to be going back to the oval at Indianapolis,” Allgaier said. “This is such a special place. I grew up watching races here, and to be able to have the opportunity to go to Victory Lane again on the oval definitely means a lot.

 

“Hopefully, our Jarrett Chevrolet will be just as strong as we have been throughout this season and we can put ourselves where we want to be in the end. If we can do that, I see no reason why we won’t have the opportunity to kiss the bricks come Saturday afternoon.”

 

To do so, Allgaier will have to execute a clean race. Though he leads the Xfinity Series with 11 stage wins this season, the speed in his No. 7 Chevrolet has produced just one victory so far, thanks to a series of mishaps and ill fortune.

 

In a star-crossed season, Ty Majeski looks for turnaround at LOIRP

 

Justifiably, there will be two primary areas of focus as the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series visits Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for Friday night’s TSport 200 (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

The first will be the front of the field. The second will be the Playoff cut line, and, of course, the two areas may intersect.

 

Ty Majeski will try to defend the dominating victory he scored at LOIRP last year after leading 179 of 200 laps. He beat runner-up Christian Eckes to the finish line by 3.422 seconds at the 0.686-mile short track.

 

With two races left before the Truck Series Playoff field is set, Majeski is securely 125 points above the cutoff (needing just three points on Friday to clinch a berth in the postseason), but the driver of the No. 98 ThorSport Racing Ford has scored just five top fives and no wins in 14 races this season.

 

Also hoping for excellent results on Friday are four “bubble” drivers clustered around the current cut line.

 

Defending series champion Ben Rhodes is 18 points to the good entering Friday’s race and far from a certainty when it comes to qualifying for the 10-driver Playoffs field. Tenth-place Daniel Dye is in a more perilous position, leading 11th-place Tanner Gray by a single point.

 

Stewart Friesen is four points behind Dye in 12th, all but assuring a wild scramble for the final two Playoff spots at LOIRP and Richmond Raceway, where the final regular-season race will take place on Aug. 10.

 

NASCAR Playoff standings take intriguing twist heading into Indianapolis

 

July 16, 2024

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

With this week’s Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Sunday, 2:20 p.m. ET on NBC, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) marking the last race before a two-week sporting layoff during the Summer Olympics, most of the NASCAR Cup Series competitors can now fully concede, it is officially “go time” to secure one of the 16 Playoff positions.

 

It certainly felt like that over the weekend at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway when reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney earned his second win of the year and the already-tight Playoff standings took another intriguing twist.

 

The competition for the Regular Season Championship – currently more of a duel between Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson – has been intense. Elliott took the lead this weekend and only three-points separate the two former champions.

 

Blaney’s win Sunday was significant at the top of the Playoff standings as well - making him one of five drivers with multiple wins on the season – a victory away from tying Elliott, Larson, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell in trophies.

 

There have been four new race winners guaranteeing their title opportunity in just the last seven weeks. And the vying for a “Playoff safe” points position among those still without a victory has reached a new urgency in that competitive vibe - particularly for those close to that 16th place cutoff line.

 

Fan favorites and past championship challengers such as Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain and Bubba Wallace are tightly contesting that final transfer position. Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, who is ranked 19th in the Playoff-adjusted points standings, is hoping Indianapolis will finally be a dose of well-timed success too.

 

Chastain crashed his No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet at Pocono while Wallace finished 10th in the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota – the bad luck-good luck day significantly cut the margin between Chastain in 16th place and Wallace in 17th place in the Playoff outlook standings to only 27 points. Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher, in 15th, holds a 44-point edge on Wallace.

 

“It’s about points, so we didn’t capitalize [much] on points, but the 1 (Chastain) had a bad day, the 54 (Ty Gibbs) had a bad day so it was a nice rebound," Wallace said. “Usually, it’s the opposite. We start really good and end up fading and giving up a lot of track position. Here, we were able to call a good strategy and hang on."

 

The 39-year-old Kyle Busch is mired in an uncharacteristic slump with five finishes of 32nd or worse in the last seven races – including Sunday at Pocono when his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet was running well, but was collected in a crash. By this time last season – his first in the RCR Chevrolet – he had three victories before teams even arrived in Indianapolis.

 

Past success should give Busch reason to be optimistic this week. The series is celebrating the race’s 30th anniversary by moving from the road course back to the iconic 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval – a venue Busch has had headline-grabbing showings; including three pole positions and two victories (2015-16).

 

“We’re having the opportunity to go out there and have some fun and to continue to work on our program and build everything up," said Busch, who trails 16th place Chastain by 102 points. “It’s just unfortunate circumstances. Thank you to Rowdy Nation and all the fans for their continued support. We’ll go back to work and get ready for Indianapolis."

 

There is a Friday practice at 2:35 p.m. ET (NBC Sports App) for the series allowing extra laps for drivers to get acquainted with the oval. Busch Light Pole Qualifying is Saturday at 1:05 p.m. ET (USA Network, NBC Sports App, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and the Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG green flag is slated for 2:30 p.m. ET.

Saturday Weekend Notebook

 

July 13, 2024

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

Long Pond, Pa. – *The defending Pocono race winner Hamlin conceded Saturday that securing NASCAR records do indeed matter to him and his legacy. The 43-old veteran holds an active driver’ series best mark of seven wins at Pocono Raceway – including his career first victories in the NASCAR Cup Series – a sweep of the 2006 season.

 

Hamlin currently has 54 wins – one shy of NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace’s 55-victory total and second only to Kyle Busch’s mark of 63 wins among active drivers.

 

“Where I’ve shifted my goals in the final years of my career is to try to get to a big win number, get inside the top-10 of all-time winners,’’ said Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.  “That’s the goal I can achieve week in and week out, right? Certainly, always have goals of winning a championship and that goes over a long period of time. But week-to-week, that’s what fuels me to continue to go to the racetrack and do this grind every week, is to try to nail down victories. 

 

“To me, I think when this is all said and done, all these different formats have changed cars, have changed over time, but the wins still stand as equal. I think that’s why I value them so much.’’

 

*Hendrick Motorsports driver Byron conceded he’s genuinely excited to return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval next week for the 30th anniversary of the Brickyard 400 – the inaugural race in 1994 won by Hendrick executive and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon.

 

After racing on The Speedway’s road course the last three years, the NASCAR Cup Series will again race on the 2.5-mile oval next Sunday.


“I’m excited for it. I think the track is fun to make laps on,’’ said Byron, who drives the same No. 24 Chevy that Gordon drove to a record five IMS trophies. “I’m sure it will be tricky with the Next Gen car, probably a little bit edgy. But I think it will be everything we want as drivers, to be back on the oval with the history that it has.’’

 

 

*Team Penske driver Austin Cindric fully admits it’s a big deal that Penske was the first team to earn a Playoff sweep – all three drivers qualifying for the 2024 Playoffs. All three Penske drivers advanced to the Playoffs with wins in the last month and a half. Cindric won at World Wide Technology Park on June 2. Teammate and reigning series champion Ryan Blaney won two weeks later at Iowa and Joey Logano – a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion - won two weeks at that at Nashville.

 

“As a team, we’ve won the championship with Joey and Ryan the last two years, and it’s all about using that system to be able to get to the next round each time,’’ said Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford. “Whether if that’s winning races late in the Playoffs or having enough points, our guys have been able to really execute in that round of eight and propel themselves into a position to be in the Championship Four.

 

“That’s all just about having your best day. I think for us, it’s about maximizing each opportunity with each Playoff track and being able to understand where our strengths and weaknesses are. Apart from that, the biggest way to win the championship is to be in it.’’

 

 

 

 

NASCAR Weekend Preview: Pocono Raceway

 

July 11, 2024

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

Only six opportunities left in the regular season to earn a Playoff spot

 

After a thrilling race on the downtown Chicago streets last weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series moves to one of its most iconic venues, the 2.5-mile Pocono (Pa.) Raceway for Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VISITPA.com (2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

With Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman’s victory at Chicago, only four positions remain up for grabs with six races to go to formalize the 16-driver Playoff field. Sunday marked the second consecutive race a new driver earned a Playoff bid with Team Penske’s Joey Logano securing his position at Nashville two weeks ago.

 

Three former Pocono Raceway winners – Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr., RFK Racing's Chris Buescher and Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch - are still competing for their first win of the 2024 season to become championship eligible.

 

Martin Truex Jr. – ranked fifth, the highest points position of a driver without a win so far this year - has a pair of past victories (2015 and 2018) at the Tricky Triangle. Buescher, ranked 16th, earned his first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Pocono in 2016. And the two-time series champion Kyle Busch, who is a surprising 19th place in the standings, has celebrated in Pocono’s Victory Lane four times (2017, ’18, ’19, ’21) – second most among active drivers. Only defending race winner Denny Hamlin (seven) has more wins.

 

“Really looking forward to going to Pocono this weekend in our Interstate Batteries car," the New Jersey native Truex said. “It’s one of our home tracks, as they say. I’ve won there a couple times but really excited to get back with the fast race cars [crew chief] James [Small] and all the 19 guys have been bringing to the track lately. We’re fired up and hope we can get another win at Pocono.

 

The regular season championship presents a compelling storyline in addition to the dramatic Playoff contention. Kyle Larson holds a slight 11-point edge over his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott atop the championship - even having missed a race (Charlotte). The three-time 2023 winner Larson has never won at Pocono. Elliott, who has one win this season, was the 2022 Pocono race winner.

 

Should either 2021 series champion Larson or 2020 series champion Elliott win the regular season title, they would join Truex and Busch as the only multi-time regular season champions. 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick is now ranked a season high third place, 23 points behind Larson.

 

Also, with victories this year to secure their race for a championship are Joe Gibbs Racing’s Hamlin, Hendrick Motorsports’ Byron, JGR’s Christopher Bell, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski, Bowman, Logano, Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez and Team Penske’s Austin Cindric.

 

Truex, his JGR teammate Ty Gibbs, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain and Buescher hold the current remaining four Playoff positions based on points. 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace is 17th, 45 points behind Buescher followed by Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe (-88 ) and Busch (-98).

 

Wallace has one top five and a pair of top 10s in 11 starts at Pocono. Briscoe’s best finish in four Pocono starts is 15th-place. In addition to his four wins at the track, Busch has 11 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes in 36 starts.

 

Busch finished ninth at Chicago - his first top-10 since an eighth place at Kansas eight races ago. The two-time series champ’s best finish of the season is third-place at Atlanta, the second race of the year. He is looking to extend his career winning streak to 20 consecutive years.

 

“You make your own luck, it’s when opportunity meets preparation and we just haven’t done that," said Busch, driver of the No. 8 RCR Chevrolet.

 

Practice for the Great American Getaway 400 is Saturday at noon ET followed immediately by Busch Light Pole Qualifying. Both sessions will be televised live on the USA Network. At Pocono, the pole position has resulted in more winners (16) than any other starting spot. There have only been two back-to-back Pocono race winners in the last 20 years – Busch (2018-19) and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2014 sweep).

 

Cole Custer leads the Xfinity Series back to Pocono

 

New Zealand driver Shane Van Gisbergen collected a series high third win of the season on the Chicago Street Course last week to move into the top position on the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff grid. But racing moves off the city streets to one of the sport’s most traditional ovals, Pocono Raceway for Saturday’s Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 (3 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

 

In eight Xfinity Series races there has never been a repeat winner at the unique 2.5-mile three-turn track and reigning series champion Cole Custer sure would like to change that statistic on Saturday. The driver of the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford won from pole position at the “Tricky Triangle” in 2019 leading more than half of the laps.

 

A frustrating 19th-place finish at Chicago snapped a five-race top-10 streak for Custer. Although he is still racing for his first win of 2024, he sits atop the regular season standings by 38 points over JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier.

 

Six of the season’s 12 Playoff positions are filled with race winners. And Custer currently has the regular season championship lead, leaving five spots still to be decided with eight races remaining before the Xfinity Series Playoffs begin Sept. 28 at Kansas Speedway.

 

Three drivers that won races last season – Riley Herbst (ranked eighth), A.J. Allmendinger (ninth), and Sammy Smith (12th) - are currently Playoff-bound based on their points positions. But, like Custer, are still looking for their first trophy of the year. Sheldon Creed and Parker Kligerman, ranked 10th and 11th respectively, are racing for their career first wins in the series.

 

Smith holds only a tenuous 23-point advantage over Ryan Sieg for that 12th and final Playoff position.

 

Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill is the defending Pocono race winner and his title chase momentum could use a trip to Victory Lane. After winning the first two races of the year – at Daytona Beach and Atlanta – Hill led the points and has been ranked first or second eight times in the 18-race season. After a tough Spring, he’s fourth in the championship heading into Pocono, 60 points behind Custer. He’s had top-10 finishes in the last two races, however.

 

NASCAR Cup Series driver Josh Berry will make his first Xfinity Series start since he was a full-timer in the series in 2023. He’ll drive the No. 15 AM Racing Chevrolet. This year’s Daytona 500 winner William Byron will drive the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet this weekend and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship leader Corey Heim will be in the No. 26 Sam Hunt Racing Chevrolet.

 

Ryan Truex will drive the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota making his second start for the team since a victory at Dover Del. in April.

 

Practice for the Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET Saturday followed by pole qualifying at 10:30 a.m. ET. The sessions will be televised on USA Network and the NBC Sports App.

 

Just three races left in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series regular season

 

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to competition after a week break with only three races remaining to set the 2024 10-driver Playoff field.

 

McAnally-Hilgemann Racing driver Christian Eckes shows up at Pocono Raceway for Friday’s CRC Brakleen 175 (5:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) fresh off one of the most dominating performances of the season. The three-race winner led every lap in winning the most recent Truck Series race, two weeks ago at Nashville.

 

There are four drivers with guaranteed Playoff positions - four-race winner Corey Heim, three-race winner Christian Eckes, two-race winner Nick Sanchez and a first-time series’ winner, Rajah Caruth. Ty Majeski is fifth in the Playoff standings with a healthy 144-point edge on the cutoff line.  Tyler Ankrum, Taylor Gray, reigning series champ Ben Rhodes, Grant Enfinger and Tanner Gray are currently above the Playoff cut line.

 

Tanner Gray holds only a slim 14-point advantage on Daniel Dye and a 17-point advantage on veteran Stewart Friesen in that final position. Three-time series champion Matt Crafton is 54 points behind Gray.

 

NASCAR Cup Series’ champion Kyle Busch earned his third Pocono Truck Series win last year. There are no former winners entered this week. Heim, who has won three races just since May, finished runner-up to Busch last summer and was fourth in his debut at the Tricky Triangle in 2022.

 

A pair of NASCAR Cup Series drivers are on the Pocono entry list. Ross Chastain will run the No. 45 Neice Motorsports Chevrolet and former Truck Series champion Zane Smith will drive the No. 91 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet.

 

Heim, Taylor Gray and Dye will all pull double-duty competing in both the trucks and Xfinity Series races at Pocono.

 

Practice for the CRC Brakleen 175 is Friday at 2 p.m. ET followed immediately by Cometic Gasket pole qualifying at 2:30 p.m. ET. Both sessions will be televised live on FS2.

 

 

Pressure is mounting with another NASCAR Playoff spot taken

 

July 9, 2024

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

Alex Bowman’s victory on the Chicago Street Course Sunday marks the second consecutive week the driver on the Playoff points position cutoff line has won a race to secure his chance to race for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship.

 

Last week, Team Penske’s Joey Logano won at Nashville Speedway vaulting from a tenuous place in the standings to a sure-bet opportunity to race for a third title too.

 

Those new winners bring the season-total to 12 race winners, leaving only four points positions to transfer into championship contention – as of now. There are still six races remaining to set the 16-driver Playoff field starting with Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VISITPA at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

NASCAR Cup Series driver standings leader Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Bowman, Logano, Daniel Suarez and Austin Cindric have all hoisted trophies to receive their Playoff berths.

 

Martin Truex Jr., Ty Gibbs, Ross Chastain and Chris Buescher round out the top 16 in the points standings. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver Truex holds a 125-point advantage over 17th-place Bubba Wallace. Buescher, holds a much slimmer 45-point edge over Wallace, whose 13th place effort at Chicago significantly helped his bid to return to the Playoffs this season.

 

Just behind the 23XI Racing’s Wallace in the standings are Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe (-88 points) and two-time series champion, Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch (-98 points).

 

Securing his Playoff opportunity – which now puts all four Hendrick Motorsports cars in the championship run – was an emotionally-charged achievement for Bowman on Sunday. It not only punched his ticket to contend for a title, but it ended an 80-start winless streak for the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet. And he conceded, his struggles to win in that time and to be a part of this season’s Playoff picture have weighed on him.

 

“Obviously we have all the tools we need to win and our teammates have been really good throughout that time," Bowman said, “But we just couldn’t put it together.

 

“It has certainly been a large mental test to go through everything that has happened in the last two years and try to continue to overcome that each and every week, especially when things aren’t going your way," Bowman said of missing races due to injury in both 2022 and 2023.

 

“Honestly, the last month has been super frustrating for us. We’ve had a lot of things outside of our control cost us a lot of points and it’s been really frustrating. There’s a lot of emotions that go with this because of how hard that has been."

 

Hendrick Motorsports executive Jeff Gordon – a NASCAR Hall of Famer and four-time series champion – was candid about what the win meant in such a competitive season.

 

“I think today was a huge day for both of these guys and the whole team," Gordon said of Bowman and his crew chief Blake Harris, whose win Sunday was his first ever in that role.

 

“I couldn’t be more proud or happy for the whole group because I know what kind of pressure they’ve been feeling and it’s amazing for all of us now to have all four cars in the Playoffs. … I’m sure for both of them, it’s nice to have this one off their back and then just start focusing forward on getting where they need to be in the Playoffs."

 

It speaks to the competitive tune-up and increasing pressures that competitors are feeling heading into a two-week summer break – after next week’s Brickyard 400  - and the final four-race regular season push.

 

Three drivers still racing for that first win – Truex, Buescher and Busch – have won previously at Pocono. Busch has four trophies, the last coming in 2021. Truex has won twice, the last time in 2018. Buescher claimed his first career NASCAR Cup Series win there in 2016.

 

NASCAR Cup Series practice at Pocono is Saturday at noon ET followed immediately by Busch Light Pole Qualifying at 12:45 p.m. ET. Both will be televised on USA Network and carried live on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

 

 

Second City ranks No. 1 again for NASCAR with Chicago’s one-of-a-kind event

 

July 7, 2024

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

CHICAGO – Young kids in race caps, groups of college-aged co-eds with colorful NASCAR t-shirts, families dressed in race gear taking in the sights and sounds. Big smiles and unmistakable enthusiasm were everywhere in Chicago’s famed Grant Park and all along the city’s famed downtown waterfront throughout the NASCAR race weekend. 

 

Thousands showed up for “Bubba’s Block Party” hosted by NASCAR Cup Series star, 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace; so many in the crowd there enthusiastically attending their first race weekend.

 

The Mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, spoke at Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series pre-race drivers meeting and shared how much of a positive impact the two-year event has had on the city. He was so enthusiastic about the race he even wore a driver’s suit standing on the grid before the race – the towering, iconic skyline in the background.

 

All week, local Chicago newscasts led with weather reports specific to the race with the news anchors and reporters excitedly talking about sneaking over to Grant Park to watch the action themselves.

 

There’s a reason the Sports Business Journal proclaimed last year’s inaugural race the 2023 national sporting “Event of the Year” beating out the Super Bowl and the Las Vegas Formula One race among other big-ticket sports events. 

 

Not even rain and a red flag delay mid-race Sunday could dampen the enthusiasm in Chicago for this weekend’s one-of-a-kind NASCAR doubleheader on the downtown streets.

 

Sure, Sunday’s mid-race rain delay was disappointing, but judging by the reception shown by this audience of largely new – and apparently loyal - NASCAR fans, the weekend was a win-win. Grandstands throughout the circuit were full once the race re-started.

 

Popular New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen won Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race and Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman dramatically took the lead – on wet weather tires no less – with eight laps remaining to claim his first win of the year and end an 80-race winless streak in Sunday’s Grant Park 165 NASCAR Cup Series race.

 

“From a fan perspective from where I was sitting in a dryer place, it makes for a great show,’’ Hendrick Motorsports executive and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon said.

 

“I thought other than just running out of time and not being able to get the full race in and having to stop, it’s a really entertaining event and I hope it does stay on the schedule. I think this is a very important race for us because as I’m walking around the city yesterday and today, I’m hearing people, say, ‘oh the NASCAR race is here.’ And you can just tell there are people that are here, even the hotels and restaurants, they know that NASCAR is here, they know a race is happening here and maybe a lot of those folks had never even watched NASCAR before.

 

“It’s a great way to show we are capable of racing at places like this, right here in the center of a major metropolitan city which is an important market in exposure but it’s also opening the door up to a lot of new fans. And I hope we continue to come back here and I hope we can try to experiment with some other places too.’’

 

It was a long but thrilling afternoon, the perfect punctuation to another weekend of well-received action. The NASCAR presence both in the city and on-track has been well-appreciated by fan and competitor. 

 

“It's nice to be back,’’ said reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, who finished 10th in the race. “I came up here a couple months ago promoting the race and the excitement level was through the roof. … I'm happy that you know, the city wanted us back and we decided to come back and put on even a better race than what we did last year. So it should be good.”

 

Blaney later said of the support shown from the city and specifically, Mayor Johnson, “He just spoke to us in the driver meeting and showed what he thinks of the event. He loves it.’’

 

Yes, there was some rain on Sunday but the atmosphere in the city and the racing on the track delivered all weekend.

 

Chicago sports stars, National Hockey League Hall of Famer Chris Chelios and former National Football League’s Chicago Bears superstar Matt Forte spent time at-track and were happy to serve as race grand marshals. And of course, longtime Chicago Bulls NBA legend Michael Jordan is co-owner of the 23XI Racing team.

 

Members of country music superstar Keith Urban’s band – one of four major musical acts that played trackside over the weekend – spent Sunday’s rain delay sitting on A.J. Allmendinger’s pit box. 

 

“I came around yesterday and got to see all the behind-the-scenes on the track and a lot of work that goes into that to set that up in the middle of a city,’’ Forte said. “That’s a big production. So, to see everybody walk around and enjoying the event and all the other activations set up I think are great for the city.’’

 

The Chicago weekend was a must-see event for Wisconsin’s Mike and Rhonda Battuello, who can check off the Chicago track and have now proudly attended races at all but four NASCAR venues.

 

“The place is freaking awesome, unlike any other track we’ve ever been to, just a crazy experience downtown. It’s amazing,’’ Mike Battuello said.

 

The weather may not have been ideal all weekend, but judging by the fans who turned out – and stayed out, the Chicago Street Race has been a welcome addition to both the city and the sport.

 

“I’ve gone to a lot of races and this is so unique in so many ways,’’ said Jack Brinson, 29, who travelled from Atlanta to attend the Chicago race.

 

“The energy has been great.  And it’s been nice seeing the interest in the sport, alone, and seeing it grow like it has. This weekend is an example of that.’’

 

 

 

Shane van Gisbergen acknowledges the target on his back

 

July 6, 2024

 

By Reid Spencer & Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

CHICAGO—New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen, the defending winner of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 (4:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) conceded that he expected this year’s race to go down differently from last summer’s rainy, inaugural edition.

 

His competition, now at least, has experience on the tight, technical 2.2-mile circuit between Chicago’s famed downtown waterfront and Grant Park. But, he said with a smile, he still carries a lot of optimism into NASCAR’s only street course event.

 

Van Gisbergen has two opportunities to hoist a trophy this year—driving his fulltime ride, the No 97 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, which he put on pole position in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race, and the No. 16 Chevy in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series, where he qualified fifth. 

 

 “I know for sure that there’s probably a target on us,’’ the three-time Australian Supercars Series champion said. “People are going to be looking at us a lot more and try to study what we’re doing. But just have to keep our heads down and expectations in check. Our prep has been good with all the Kaulig Racing guys and obviously some Trackhouse Racing input as well. So yeah, I feel ready to go and prepared. Just have to go out there and do it.’’

 

 Van Gisbergen is already a two-race winner as a rookie in the Xfinity Series – claiming trophies at both the Portland and Sonoma, Calif., road courses. His technique—right-foot braking—is admired by his competitors, even though most say they cannot replicate it successfully real time.

 

 “To me, it’s normal,’’ he said, laughing. “I see stuff that Kyle Larson does on ovals and I go, ‘What the hell? How did he do that?’ so it’s relative right? It’s what I’ve always been used to with this kind of racing and making moves like that. On the ovals, people are doing stuff to me and I’m like, ‘how did he come up with that or know that I was going to do the opposite.’ “

 

 Larson, the 2021 series champion and Sunday’s race polesitter, smiled speaking about van Gisbergen’s winning move last year to claim the trophy in his first ever NASCAR Cup Series start.

 

 “We hope we’re closer to him but you just never know,’’ Larson said of van Gisbergen. 

 

 “I feel like with him, some of us can go as fast as him, but his race craft is just way better than ours,’’ Larson added. “Last year he was making passes I’ve never seen before—the pass for the lead, the passes into Turn 2 and making it look really easy.

 

“He sees things different than us and is able to execute it better than us because he’s real experienced. When you can race with a guy like that, it elevates everybody.”

 

Daniel Suárez was eager to do double duty in Chicago

Ordinarily, full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver Daniel Suárez doesn’t get overly excited about opportunities to run races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he won a championship in 2016.

But that attitude doesn’t apply to the Chicago Street Course, where Suárez was eager to run both races this weekend.

 

The reason: the chance to get more “reps” on a track that is markedly different from all other NASCAR venues.

 

“If we were in Sonoma, Watkins Glen or any other race track, and I had the opportunity to run the Xfinity race, I may do it, I may not,” Suarez said. “I don’t know, like I would really have to think about it, because the cars are so different nowadays that it can be helpful or it can be hurtful.

 

“But here on a street course, I personally, don’t have a lot of experience on street courses. I’ve had three street courses, so far, in my career. So the more laps that I can get, the more reps that I can get at this track, I’m going to take it.

 

“With that being said, I have in my mind very clearly, that the cars are completely different; the transmission is going to be different and everything is going to be different… the brakes are going to be different. But the goal of this for me is to get some extra reps on a race track that I know is different than 99 percent of the schedule that we have in NASCAR.”

 

Recurring duel between Larson and Hamlin a rivalry among friends

NASCAR Cup Series championship contending drivers Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin have carried a high-speed low-intensity rivalry throughout the season.

 

Both Larson, the 2021 series champion who drives the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and Hamlin, who drives the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, have a series-leading three wins this year. And they have been close to one another consistently during the final laps of recent racing—close enough for contact the last three weeks. 

 

The Californian Larson, however, instead of retaliating on track or outside the race car, has calmly soldiered through, no matter the injustice perceived by others. He says that’s largely because he and Hamlin are friends, even golfing buddies.

 

“Just feeling like you can trust, trust the moves that somebody is going to make on you,’’ Larson said, conceding he probably tolerates the rougher racing with Hamlin because they are friends.

 

“I feel like that’s when you can have close racing and trust what they’re going to do I think that’s fun to me. I’ve always enjoyed racing him a lot, before I guess middle of last year (when contact from Hamlin knocked Larson out of a Pocono, Pa. race).

 

“I’m sure we can get back to that point and we’ve had fun racing each other since Pocono. There’s just been a few incidents where I feel like I’ve been run out of space a little more than maybe someone else would put me into that situation. But, yeah, I guess that could just be considered racing sometimes.”

 

Michael McDowell: NASCAR Cup stars have gained on SVG

Last year, even some of the most experienced NASCAR Cup Series veterans were awestruck by some of the moves Shane van Gisbergen made in wet conditions to win the inaugural Chicago Street Race.

 

But Michael McDowell, winner of last year’s road course event on the Indianapolis Grand Prix Course—a race in which van Gisbergen finished 10th—doesn’t concede that the New Zealander is head-and-shoulders above the Cup competitors this year.

 

“The gap has definitely closed,” McDowell said. “Obviously, you can’t rule him out as one of the contenders, but I think it was a perfect storm for him last year—literally.

 

“So, is he going to be a challenge and a threat? For sure, but I also feel like, beyond the Chicago Street Course… he wasn’t (as strong) at Indy and some of the other places we went to. I feel like it’s still Cup racing. It’s really tough, but he’s definitely a guy that everyone will have to contend with.”

 

McDowell mounted a successful challenge on Saturday, qualifying third behind pole winner Kyle Larson and Ty Gibbs—and two grid positions ahead of van Gisbergen. 

 

All three Team Penske cars now qualified for NASCAR Cup Playoffs

Though it took a few months into the season, the three-car Team Penske organization is the first multi-car team to secure 2024 Playoff berths for all of its entries.

 

The newest member of the team, 25-year-old Austin Cindric won Penske’s first race of the year June 3, at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in Illinois—ironically as teammate Ryan Blaney ran out of gas while leading on the next-to-last lap. 

 

 Blaney, the reigning series champion, got his win two weeks later, claiming the trophy at Iowa Speedway, and two-time series champ Joey Logano finally got his win last week in a five-overtime Nashville Superspeedway finish.

 

“It is definitely something to be proud of, no doubt, it’s hard,’’ Logano said in Chicago, where he finished eighth in last year inaugural race. “This NextGen car, I’m telling you, it isn’t like it used to be where you can just count on the Penske cars to be in the Playoffs. There are really solid teams that are going to miss the Playoffs this year. It is just what it is not with this NextGen car.

 

“It is hard to get a huge advantage and if you have a few things that just don’t go your way time after time, you find yourself behind the eight ball on the outside looking in pretty quickly.

 

“It’s just different than it used to be where you would look at Hendrick, Gibbs and Penske and on a bad day they would finish 10th to 12th. Now on a bad day, you finish 25th just off of raw speed. It’s a different game that it used to be. Because of that there are more players in the game and it makes it harder to get through the rounds and get in the Playoffs for sure.’’

 

New EV prototype highlights announcement of NASCAR, ABB partnership

 

July 6, 2024

 

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

 

CHICAGO—The watchwords are community, sustainability and electrification.

 

Those concepts comprised the primary thrust of Saturday’s announcement of NASCAR’s partnership with ABB, a global leader in electrification, and simultaneous unveiling of the ABB NASCAR EV Prototype in the Fan Zone at the Chicago Street Course.

 

ABB is the first partner of NASCAR IMPACT, the sanctioning body’s platform promoting the mission of strengthening its communities and contributing to a healthier planet.

 

The ABB NASCAR Electrification Innovation Partnership will play a large role in helping NASCAR reach its goal of net-zero carbon emissions over the next decade.

 

“NASCAR IMPACT is an umbrella platform that spotlights sustainability, community engagement and other important social initiatives across our sport,” said Eric Nyquist, NASCAR senior vice president and chief IMPACT officer.

 

“At the core of NASCAR IMPACT is our sport’s commitment to reduce our carbon footprint to net-zero operating emissions by the year 2035.”

 

Let’s be clear. NASCAR remains committed to the historic role of the internal combustion engine in racing. Hence, ABB NASCAR EV Prototype is the first step in an open-ended process with a variety of possible outcomes, as NASCAR experiments with different power trains.

 

“It’s the biggest project NASCAR’s ever done,” NASCAR senior vice president of racing development John Probst said of the latest innovation from the NASCAR Research and Development Center team.

 

The prototype unveiled on Saturday is a Crossover Utility Vehicle (CUV) with an electric motor that can generate a maximum of 756 direct current volts and 1,000 kilowatts of peak power. The chassis is made of steel tubing with a bolt-on front clip and front and rear bumpers.

 

Because the vehicle has no fuel cell, there is no rear clip. Hence, the prototype measures 185.5 inches in length versus the 193.4 inches of the current Next Gen NASCAR Cup Series race car.

 

The all-wheel-drive ABB NASCAR EV Prototype, however, is heavier—roughly 4,000 pounds compared with 3,485 for the Next Gen.

 

It’s also symbolic of the initiatives that provide the foundation for the historic partnership.

“What we do is help accelerate this energy transition by working with companies to become more efficient as they optimize their operations, as they electrify their operations and ultimately make their operations sustainable to a net-zero impact,” said Mike Plaster, ABB’s lead business manager for electrification in the United States.

 

“As we look at NASCAR and this car as an example of their technology achievement, it’s part of a larger partnership between NASCAR and ABB. Finally, NASCAR has a rich history of performance and innovation and community engagement. That makes them just a great partner.”

The prototype was developed in collaboration with NASCAR’s OEM partners—Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota—and was built by the NASCAR engineers responsible for the Next Gen car and the Garage 56 entry into the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Throughout the process, NASCAR and the OEMs collaborated on the design elements of the vehicle.

 

“It’s the reason we race,” said Eric Warren, executive director, GM Motorsports, “to introduce fans to new cars.”

 

“We’re going to go in that direction (EV),” added Ford Performance’s Patrick DiMarco, “putting our drivers in ‘em.”

 

Former NASCAR Cup Series regular David Ragan tested the ABB NASCAR EV Prototype on three different tracks—the temporary quarter-mile at the Los Angeles Coliseum, ZMax Dragway at Charlotte and Martinsville Speedway.

 

The laps Ragan ran at Martinsville were within a half-second of race speeds for the Next Gen car. One major difference between the cars is the absence of drive gear changes on the EV car. The CUV prototype features just forward and reverse, but the acceleration is intense.

 

“The throttle is more responsive than what we have now,” Ragan said. “It’s just instant torque. There are literally hundreds of adjustments with the power/torque curve and the distribution between the front wheels working and the rear…

 

“They found the sweet spot to where I could get through the center of the corner and mash the gas. You’d better be pointing the right way, because that baby is going to accelerate. That was when the kilowatts were turned up to over a thousand horsepower… The acceleration was incredible.”

 

NASCAR currently has no plans to launch an electric series. Rather, the development of the ABB NASCAR EV Prototype is a door opening to further innovations. As NASCAR explores options that coincide with the future directions of the OEMs, Probst hopes fans will keep open minds.

 

“Presentation’s everything,” Probst said. “I think, though, if you look at… take when we launched the Next Gen car. We went from five lugs to one. Everybody was saying, ‘Oh, no, the pits stops are going to look all different…

 

“But you get in the (prototype) car, and the acceleration and the braking of it blows you away. So I’d just ask our fans to give it a chance, learn about it, experience it, and I think that then we’ll make judgments and ask for feedback.”

 

That feedback will help guide NASCAR’s future with EV.

 

“I can’t say as we’re sitting here today that we’ll introduce a series,” Probst said at the unveiling. “But I can say that we are here—and I use my automaker friends here as an example—this ABB NASCAR EV Prototype was built to go out and demonstrate what this technology is capable of, and we look forward to hearing from our fans what they’d like to see out of it.

 

“We’re here for the journey.”

NASCAR Weekend Preview: Chicago Street Race

 

July 4, 2024

 

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

 

On wet pavement or dry, Christopher Bell is a threat in Chicago Street Race

 

With the vast majority of drivers hoping for sunshine in Chicago, Christopher Bell may be the most notable exception.

 

Understandably, Bell would be just as happy to race on wet pavement in Sunday’s Grant Park 165 Chicago Street Race (4:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

Bell recently demonstrated his comfort level on a wet track in winning the June 23 rain-interrupted NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led the final 64 laps on wet-weather tires to score his third victory of the season.

 

That win, however, didn’t constitute the only successful wet work Bell has done in the Cup Series. In last year’s Chicago Street Race, he led a race-high 37 laps, won the first two stages and at one juncture built a lead of almost nine seconds.

 

But Bell’s performance was all but lost in the hoopla surrounding New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen’s victory in his NASCAR debut. As the Chicago streets began to dry, the driver known as “SVG” drove like lightning and stole the thunder from the Cup regulars with a late charge from 18th to take the checkered flag.

 

So don’t blame Bell for hoping for wet conditions on Sunday, despite a forecast that promises mostly sunny skies and a minimal chance of rain throughout the weekend.

 

“Yeah, I think at this point, I’d probably prefer the rain,” Bell said. “Going into the Chicago Street Race (last year), we had a really good practice, and I was looking forward to a dry race. And then the wet, and when we started the race, we just took off and were really good.

 

“The track is very, very technical, very high-risk and high-reward. I think it’s Turn 4, which is a very fast section of the race track, gets very tight and you have to push hard there to make some lap time. And I don’t know the turns very well, after we come through that half-circle (Turns 8, 9 and 10) on the backside of the race track, that’s another section that’s super-fast, super-rough.

 

“Really easy to throw it into the wall there. The race track is filled with a lot of very high-risk, high-reward corners, and if you want to do good, you have to push the car hard and be right on the edge.”

 

It’s not that Bell hasn’t been fast on both wet and dry tracks this season. He won decisively at Phoenix earlier this season, by 5.465 seconds over runner-up Chris Buescher.

 

In last Sunday’s Cup race at Nashville Superspeedway, Bell won the first two stages to take a one-point edge over regular-season leader Kyle Larson in Playoff points before spinning out in the final stage.

 

Joey Logano’s five-overtime victory at Nashville moved the shifted the Playoff bubble to Alex Bowman in the last Playoff-eligible position. Heading for Chicago, Bowman holds a 51-point edge over Bubba Wallace, the first driver below the current cut line.

 

Bowman hopes to preserve his standing with better luck than he had in last year’s Chicago Street Race.

 

“Chicago’s honestly pretty fun from the driver’s seat,” said Bowman, who fell out after 40 of 78 laps last year and finished 37th. “We had a failure there last year, so I’m excited to go back there and run that whole race, hopefully, and have a good day, ‘cause we were pretty good there, I felt like.”

 

Van Gisbergen is a slight favorite over Larson and Bell entering Sunday’s race, but if the Kiwi hopes to repeat his success, he’ll have to do so with a different team. Last year, SVG won in the No. 91 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing. This year, he’s driving the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro.

 

Shane van Gisbergen goes for third straight NASCAR Xfinity road course win

 

Last year, New Zealand’s Shane van Gisbergen won the NASCAR Cup Series’ Chicago Street Race in his NASCAR debut.

 

This year, the three-time Australian Supercars champion will try to add a NASCAR Xfinity Series victory to his resume in The Loop 110 on the 2.14-mile, 12-turn course on the streets of the Windy City (3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

"I’m looking forward to racing the Xfinity car on this Chicago Street Course,” said van Gisbergen, who is competing full-time in the series for Kaulig Racing. “Obviously, I have already raced the Cup car here, but these cars (Xfinity and Cup) are not comparable.

 

“So, it’s going to be another massive challenge for me but (crew chief) Bruce (Schlicker) and my 97 Kaulig Racing team always bring fast cars to the track. Happy to have (sponsor) WeatherTech on board with us this weekend in their home city and hopefully park it in Victory Lane.”

 

Van Gisbergen is seeking his third straight Xfinity victory on courses with both right and left turns, having won back-to-back races at Portland (June 1) and Sonoma (June 8). With the two triumphs, van Gisbergen is guaranteed a spot in the Xfinity Playoffs in his rookie season.

 

Van Gisbergen will have plenty of competition in Saturday’s race. Defending series champion Cole Custer also is the defending race winner, having led all 25 laps in last year’s inaugural race, which was shortened because of drenching rain.

 

The Xfinity event also features a handful of excellent road course racers doing double duty, among them Xfinity regular AJ Allmendinger and full-time NASCAR Cup drivers Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, John Hunter Nemechek, Joey Logano and Daniel Suarez.

 

 

 

 

Ginormous gamble has Joey Logano in the Playoffs

 

July 2, 2024

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

Joey Logano’s victory in Sunday’s historic five-overtime race at Nashville Superspeedway launched the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion into the 2024 Playoffs and with only seven regular season races remaining to decide that 16-driver Playoff field competition is getting intense.

 

That was evident at Nashville and will be again in this weekend’s Grant Park 165 (4:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) on the Chicago Street Course through the iconic downtown lakeside.

 

Before the Nashville race, Logano had uncharacteristically been at the Playoff cutline, a few points making him Playoff-eligible one week and out of the mix another week – a tenuous time for one of only two active multi-time series champions.

 

Logano’s win in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford on Sunday included an amazing 110-lap fuel run during the caution filled final laps to claim the checkered while so many other cars were running out of gas and/or crashing with each restart in the 31 extra laps of overtime. Instead of pitting for fuel, Logano’s team decided to stay on track and race for the win. And the gamble paid off.

 

“That’s the risk that was to me, a ginormous risk, because you pit and you go back out and you maybe can finish in the top-15 – maybe – versus going for the win," Logano said. “But you could finish 35th. Makes it a pretty hard call.

 

“But gosh, when you’re winning the race, how do you not [stay out]? Especially when you see the other cars that were up there. Chase Briscoe, if he wins that wouldn’t have been good for our Playoff hopes.

 

“… I think the 23 [Bubba Wallace] was somewhat close up there as well. When you think about who we were racing against, we needed to make sure that we were able to at least stay on the strategy the same as they were."

 

Logano became the 11th driver to win a race this season – joining both his Team Penske teammates Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney – the trio all clinching Playoff positions with victories in just the last month.

 

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron each have three wins as do Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell. Hendrick’s Chase Elliott, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski and Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez complete the list of 2024 race winners.

 

That leaves JGR drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain, RFK’s Chris Buescher and Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman above the Playoff cutoff line based on points-earned.

 

23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace sits below that Playoff line – 51 points behind Bowman and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe is 78 points back; best on that four-car team.

 

Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch is 104 points behind after yet another gut-wrenching finish for the two-time series champion at Nashville. After challenging for the win late in the race, Busch was collected in an accident. His last top-10 was eight races ago (eighth place at Kansas). His best finish in the last two months was a 12th-place run on the Sonoma, Calif. road course. He’s finished 27th or worse in five of the last seven races.

 

“It’s frustrating for sure, but we’ll bounce back next week in Chicago," said Busch, who has advanced to every Playoff since 2006 and is trying to maintain a 19-year winning streak in the sport’s top series.

 

The second running of the Chicago race this weekend is a big opportunity to score points or perhaps the win. New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen won the event in his first ever start. Wallace finished 31st and Briscoe was 20th. Busch, a proven road-course winner in the NASCAR Cup Series finished fifth on the Chicago streets last year. Bowman, sitting in that final Playoff points position, was 37th; last place at Chicago.

 

A 50-minute practice gets underway at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 6 followed by two rounds of Busch Light Pole Qualifying at 1:30 p.m. ET.

 

 

 

CRAFTSMAN truck series arca menards series NTERNATIONAL RACE OF CHAMPIONS

2024 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES SCHEDULE

Friday, February 16

Daytona International Speedway

FS1

7:30 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Saturday, February 24

Atlanta Motor Speedway

FS1

2:00 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Friday, March 1

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

FS1

9:00 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Saturday, March 16

Bristol Motor Speedway

FS1

8:00 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Saturday, March 23

COTA

FS1

1:30 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Friday, April 5

Martinsville Speedway

FS1

7:30 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Friday, April 12

Texas Motor Speedway

FS1

8:30 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Saturday, May 4

Kansas Speedway

FS1

8:00 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Friday, May 10

Darlington Raceway

FS1

7:30 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Saturday, May 18

North Wilkesboro Speedway

FS1

1:30 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Friday, May 24

Charlotte Motor Speedway

FS1

8:30 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Saturday, June 1

World Wide Technology Raceway

FOX

1:30 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Friday, June 28

Nashville Superspeedway

FS1

TBD

MRN/SiriusXM

Friday, July 12

Pocono Raceway

FS1

5:30 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Friday, July 19

Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park

FS1

8:30 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Saturday, August 10

Richmond Raceway

FS1

7:30 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Sunday, August 25

Milwaukee Mile Speedway

FS1

4:00 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Thursday, September 19

Bristol Motor Speedway

FS1

8:00 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Friday, September 27

Kansas Speedway

FS1

8:30 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Friday, October 4

Talladega Superspeedway

FS1

5:00 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Saturday, October 26

Homestead-Miami Speedway

FS1

Noon

MRN/SiriusXM

Friday, November 1

Martinsville Speedway

FS1

6:00 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

Friday, November 8

Phoenix Raceway

FS1

8:00 p.m.

MRN/SiriusXM

 

  
 

 

     

 

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