Poole wins fans as he loses in Talladega review

From NASCAR.com.

TALLADEGA, Ala. – Brennan Poole won Saturday's XFINITY Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

And then he didn't.

After a chaotic finish was ruled final under caution, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender was initially named the Sparks Energy 300 victor before Elliott Sadler was told to bring his No. 1 Chevrolet to Victory Lane, several minutes after the checkered flag flew.

Before NASCAR came to that conclusion, however, the pair of drivers each patiently sat on opposite sides of the start/finish line at the 2.66-mile Alabama track, about to swap emotions.

"As I was waiting there, one, I was thinking hopefully the caution didn't come out as early as I think it came out and I'm hoping we race to the line but at the same time I'm thinking 'I hope NASCAR gets it right,' " Poole said in his post-race press conference. "I want the guy who deserves to win the race be the winner and go by the rules. And according to the rules, Elliott was the winner. I can't get mad about it. It just is what it is."

The finish was certainly among NASCAR's wildest -- both with the wreck that saw Joey Logano get airborne to spark the caution and with the period of time it took to make the final call. The minutes must have felt like an eternity to Poole and Sadler as the running order was sorted out.

NASCAR is certain it got it right.

"Took us a little time up in the tower. We feel 100 percent that we got it exactly right," said Wayne Auton, XFINITY Series managing director. "We used film, we used eyes. ... We took our time in the tower.

"I think all of you saw the 1 and the 48 come and sit at the start/finish line, which was pretty cool, to just have both drivers sit there really calm. ... We used every bit of film that we had; slow down, speed up -- we arrived at the finish we did and that's by using every piece of technology that we had to our availability."

Poole was lauded on social media and by the press for how he handled the situation, being told that he'd picked up his first career NASCAR win at any national level -- on a day which his sponsor, DC Solar, brought droves of people to the track -- only to have it swept out from under him. He had to settle for a third-place finish.

It was still a career-best showing for the promising 25-year-old, but moreso it was his post-race demeanor that people will come away remembering.

"I was just glad that they were able to take the time to get it right. Happy that the rightful winner has taken the trophy home tonight. I wish it was us, but we were close," said Poole, who now sits eighth in the points standings. "So, Elliott's the winner and it is what it is. It's racing.
"Any time you come up a little bit short, it kind of sucks. We've been fast for several weeks this year, we just haven't been able to close a whole race out and that's been tough.

"It's been an exciting last couple weeks and certainly this afternoon is one of the most exciting times in my racing career."

Sadler Wins Wild Talladega Tussle, Allgaier Finishes Second for JRM

Statement from JR Motorsports website.

TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 30, 2016) – Elliott Sadler gave himself a fantastic 41st birthday present on Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway, winning the Sparks Energy 300 for NASCAR Xfinity Series cars in a wild last-lap sequence with Joey Logano. The victory broke a 65-race winless streak for the Virginia native.

Sadler, running second, faked high as the cars came thundering toward the checkered flag, and Logano blocked. Sadler swept low and Logano lost control as Sadler went past. Sadler maintained control of his OneMain Chevrolet and was leading when the caution flag came out moments later. JRM teammate Justin Allgaier, who pushed Sadler to second place, wound up second when NASCAR reviewed the finishing order.

“Dale Jr. gave me an incredible opportunity to come here, and we had so many people here from OneMain,” an emotional Sadler said in Victory Lane. “They are the longest-tenured sponsor in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and they’ve been with me through thick and thin. I said this morning that we had the car to win this race, things went our way, had a little luck and we were able to make it to the end.”

The victory, Sadler’s first for JRM and second at Talladega, was the second straight for the team after team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. won last week at Richmond. It was JRM’s fifth restrictor-plate victory and second on the 2.66-mile track (Regan Smith won this race in 2013). It was also the 11th overall for Sadler in the series. Combined with Chase Elliott’s victory to open the season at Daytona, JRM has won a third of the NXS races run so far this season. JRM now has 29 NXS victories as a team.

With his victory, Sadler qualifies for the season-ending Chase, the first JRM driver to do so.

Elliott Sadler wins Sparks Energy 300 after Brennan Poole is originally declared winner

Here's the full finish of today's #SparksEnergy300 courtesy of @NASCARonFOX. #NASCAR https://t.co/bwDc3Put7r

— Ultimate NASCAR Blog (@BlogNascar) April 30, 2016

By @GucciardoJoey.

Elliott Sadler won Saturday's Sparks Energy 300 at
Talladega Superspeedway.

TALLADEGA, AL – It was an absolute crazy finish at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday.

Joey Logano in the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford had the lead coming to the tri-oval in the NASCAR XFINITY Series' Sparks Energy 300, until he was turned coming to the checkered flag.

Elliott Sadler was pushing Logano at the time. Sadler and XFINITY Series rookie Brennan Poole wound up battling to the checkered flag.

Poole beat Sadler to the checkered flag, so Poole was originally declared the winner of the race.

But then NASCAR reviewed the finish, which showed that Sadler was in the lead the moment the caution came out. Therefore, Elliott Sadler was officially declared the race winner.

"People don't know how hard it is to win these races," Sadler said in victory lane after the race.

Poole handled his interview after the race really well, doing the interview with true professionalism.


"Just really cool to have an opportunity at the win," Poole said.

Poole was credited with a third-place finish.

Justin Allgaier finished second, followed by Poole, Jeremy Clements, Brendan Gaughan, Austin Dillon, Daniel Suarez, Matt Tifft - who started the race on the pole, Chase Elliott and Aric Almirola to round out the Top-10.

Gaughan earned his first Top-5 of 2016 and his best career finish at Talladega in the XFINITY Series.

Sadler and Daniel Suarez are now tied for the NASCAR XFINITY Series points lead. The tiebreaker is based on wins. With the win, Sadler now breaks the tiebreaker, as Suarez has not yet won this season.

In the race, there was six cautions for a total of 29 caution laps. There were 13 different leaders among 20 lead changes.

Chase Elliott on pole as lineup is set for GEICO 500 at Talladega

From FOXSports.com.

Chase Elliott won the pole for Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, as the big dogs of NASCAR get set to slug it out over 500 tense miles.

Elliott, who earlier this year won the Daytona 500 pole, captured the No. 1 spot with a lap of 192.661 miles per hour in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Austin Dillon, the 2014 Daytona 500 polesitter, was second at 192.441 mph in his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

There were no real shockers or outliers during time trials, as seven of the top 12 qualifiers belonged to either Joe Gibbs Racing or Hendrick Motorsports, and an eighth was a JGR satellite team.

All four Hendrick Chevrolets were in the top 12 with Elliott on the pole, Dale Earnhardt Jr. third, Jimmie Johnson fifth and  Kasey Kahne 11th.

Four of the five JGR and Furniture Row Racing Toyotas made it to the final round, with only defending Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch failing to make the cut. Busch will start tomorrow’s race in 17th.

The other Toyota drivers were fast: Matt Kenseth was fourth, Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin eighth, Carl Edwards ninth and Martin Truex Jr. 12th.

Tony Stewart will start the race in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet, but will get out of the car at the first available opportunity and turn it over to Ty Dillon, who will finish the race in it.

By starting the race, Stewart will get credited with the driver points, although he’ll have to drop to the back of the field prior to the green flag because Dillon drove the No. 14 in qualifying.

Stewart’s teammate, Danica Patrick, was a hugely disappointing 37th in qualifying after being in fourth-fastest in both practices on Friday. “I don’t know,” said Patrick. “The car’s not real fast but that doesn’t mean anything isn’t possible on Sunday.”

Kevin Harvick, the 2014 Sprint Cup champ, qualified 29th in his SHR Chevy.

Josh Wise was the only driver who failed to qualify.

Matt Tifft wins Sparks Energy 300 pole

Matt Tifft on Saturday won the pole for the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at
Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, the Sparks Energy 300.

Tifft had a speed in the final round of 180.846 MPH. He also led the first round with a speed of 180.652 MPH.

Daniel Suarez will start second, followed by Austin Dillon,  Erik Jones, Ty Dillon, Brendan Gaughan, Ryan Reed and Joey Logano.

Derrick Cope, Josh Reaume and Mike Harmon failed to qualify for the 40-car event.

Joey Logano leads final Geico 500 practice

From Jayski.

Final practice for the GEICO 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway is over after 55 scheduled minutes. The top five, slowest and notes:
1. Joey Logano - 196.290 MPH
2. Ryan Blaney - 196.238 MPH
3. Chase Elliott - 196.185 MPH
4. Danica Patrick - 195.094 MPH
5. Brian Scott - 195.003 MPH
Slowest: Clint Bowyer - 187.978 MPH & Josh Wise - 186.209 MPH. 35 drivers have been on track.
Most Laps Run: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - 30, Kurt Busch - 24

Jamie McMurray leads opening GEICO 500 practice

First practice for the GEICO 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway is over after 55 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
1. Jamie McMurray - 199.737 MPH
2. Chase Elliott - 199.729 MPH
3. Kurt Busch - 199.409 MPH
4. Danica Patrick - 199.384 MPH
5. Trevor Bayne - 199.317
Slowest: AJ Allmendinger -  191.708 MPH & Regan Smith - 187.820 MPH
Most Laps Run: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - 37, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. - 36

Matt Tifft leads Sparks Energy 300 happy hour

Matt Tifft on Friday led happy hour for Saturday's NASCAR XFINITY Series at Talladega Superspeedway, the Sparks Energy 300.

Tifft led the session with a speed of 181.918 MPH.

Ty Dillon came in second, followed by Brandon Jones, Daniel Suarez and Jeremy Clements to round out the Top-5.

33 cars ran speeds in the session.

Darrell Wallace Jr. leads opening Sparks Energy 300 practice

Darrell Wallace Jr. on Friday led opening practice for Saturday's NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, the Sparks Energy 300.

Wallace led the session with a speed of 192.413 MPH.

Finishing second in the session was Ryan Reed (192.355), who was followed by Ty Dillon (191.827), Matt Tifft (191.670), and Austin Dillon (190.601) to round out the Top-5.

Tifft drove the most laps in the session, completing 24.

Joey Gase was slowest in the session in 43rd place with a speed of 170.539 MPH.

Stewart Haas Racing makes major changes to pit crews

From PitTalks.com.

You can always tell the changes on pit road because all you have to do is look. In an effort to improve pit stops, it appears SHR has moved around more than a few guys between their teams. This weekend at Richmond there were different faces on different teams . So let’s start with the easy stuff: The #4 and #41 looked to be the same as at Daytona. Both those teams have been top teams for years and we didn’t see any changes as of Richmond. Now the fun stuff.

The #10 car of Danica Patrick looked to have a different front carrier, rear changer, and rear carrier. They moved rear carrier Matt Holzbaur to the front and added rear changer Jonathon Sherman and rear carrier Jeremy Howard. Both Sherman and Howard came from the #38 team who is pit supported by SHR. The #14 of Tony Stewart got a new front changer in Ryan Mulder. Mulder was moved from the rear of the #10 to the front of the #14.

The #38 team, who like we said earlier is supported by SHR pit crew members, got a new front changer, front carrier, rear changer and rear carrier. Bryan Jacobsen is now on the fronts with Jeff Shoaf. Anchoring the rears will now be Chris Jackson and Tyler Bullard.

From what we can tell, no new pit crew members were hired or fired, just a restructuring of crewmen. Sometimes it takes a shake up to get the best crews together and it looks like SHR is trying to find the best combinations for its teams.

Good luck to everyone at SHR and all crewmen this weekend in Talladega.

Cash It: Runner-up finish at Richmond has Dillon back in the title mix

From Jayski.

Ty Dillon’s title chances started to look a little hazy when he had dropped back to sixth in the points following Texas, but he rebounded mightily following his best finish (second) of the season last weekend at Richmond. Dillon not only finished second in the race, he also won the NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash bonus, taking home an additional $100,000. Dillon now sits third in the standings, just 19 points back from the standings lead.  

In three starts at Talladega, Dillon has posted one top 10 and an average finish of 15.6.

Suárez opens up points lead as Talladega approaches

From Jayski.

Tension within the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship battle has slightly loosened for standings leader Daniel Suárez after he posted his fourth top five of the season, increasing his lead to nine points over new second-place driver, Elliott Sadler. (Heading into Richmond, Suárez held a six-point lead over Erik Jones.)

In eight starts this season, Suárez has posted four top fives, seven top 10s and an average finish of 6.3 - best among title contenders.

Suárez’s performances on NASCAR’s two biggest ovals has improved. In his first two starts (Daytona, 39th and Talladega, 31st) he finished outside the top 30. Since then, he has finished 15th at Daytona last July and eighth there this past February.

“In my race last year (at Talladega), we had a fast Toyota Camry, I just got caught up in an accident towards the middle portion of the race and that set us back,” Suárez said. “We learned a lot in Daytona about our restrictor-plate package that I think we can carry over to this weekend. Anything can happen at Talladega, but I’m looking forward to the race on Saturday and hopefully coming home with our first win!"

Sunoco Rookie Update: One Jones Slips, The Other Capitalizes

From Jayski.

The tale of two Joneses continues.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Erik Jones and Richard Childress Racing’s Brandon Jones are the two front runners in this season’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year campaign. Erik Jones currently leads Brandon Jones by 27 points in the rookie standings.

Erik Jones’s season has had its ebbs and flows. Richmond wasn’t kind to Erik Jones last weekend, as he was caught in two separate accidents during the race, relegating him to a 34th-place finish - his worst of the season.  Jones has posted one win and five top fives this year.

This weekend, the young the JGR driver will have his work cut out for him. He has only made four series starts on restrictor-plate tracks (three at Daytona and one at Talladega), posting one top-10 finish (Daytona - July, 2015). His lone Talladega start resulted in a 30th-place finish due to overheating.

“Talladega is definitely a place where you have to have everything go right, not only from a team perspective, but also from the perspective of being in the right spot at the right time of the race, and making sure you are up front and challenging for the win all day and trying to miss the wrecks and stay out of everything,” Erik Jones said. “If that happens, then usually you can be up at the front with a chance to win.”

On the other hand, Richard Childress Racing’s Brandon Jones has seen a season of solid consistency with not one finish outside the top 15. In eight starts in 2016, he has posted four top 10s and an average finish of 9.9.

This weekend will be Brandon Jones’ series debut at Talladega, but if his performance earlier this season at Daytona (seventh-place finish) was any indication of how he will do, expect a solid performance.

Dale Jr. takes JR Motorsports to owner points summit with win at Richmond

From Jayski.

With a big win in dominating fashion last weekend at Richmond International Raceway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet team from third in the NASCAR XFINITY Series car owner points to first by one point over second-place Richard Childress and his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team.

Earnhardt’s win at Richmond was his first in JR Motorsports’ equipment. It marked his last start of the season.

This weekend, 2014 series champion Chase Elliott takes the reins of the 88. Elliott has made four starts this season, posting a win (season opener at Daytona), and four top fives. His average finish this season is 3.5.

The No. 88 JR Motorsports team has been led by crew chief David Elenz. Elenz will serve as crew chief for eight different drivers behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet this season - Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Kenny Habul, Cole Custer and Josh Berry.

XFINITY Series Chase Outlook: Breakdown By Team

From Jayski.

With eight series races in the books, it’s time to take a look at how the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase is going to shake out with respect to the teams. Below is a snapshot of the teams that currently have drivers who qualify for this season’s NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase:

Joe Gibbs Racing - Erik Jones (one win) and Daniel Suárez (points lead)
JR Motorsports - Elliott Sadler (second in points) and Justin Allgaier (seventh in points)
Richard Childress Racing - Ty Dillon (third in points), Brandon Jones (fourth), Brendan Gaughan (sixth)
Chip Ganassi Racing - Brennan Poole (eighth in points)
Roush Fenway Racing - Ryan Reed (ninth in points) and Darrell Wallace Jr. (10th in points)
Richard Petty Motorsports - Jeb Burton (11th in points)
RSS Racing - Ryan Sieg (12th in points)

The seven-race NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase will begin at Kentucky Speedway on Sept. 24, and feature 12 drivers and two elimination rounds, with four drivers competing in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

David Starr released by TriStar; JJ Yeley to the #44

From Jayski.

In ongoing effort to increase the competitive level of the #44 Zachry Toyota, TriStar Motorsports announces a driver change effective immediately.

Starting this weekend with the NASCAR XFINITY Series race in Talladega, JJ Yeley will transfer over to fill the seat of the #44 Zachry Toyota, until further decisions are made.

Yeley drove the #44 Zachry Toyota last weekend in Richmond and earned a 12th place finish.

On Wednesday, driver David Starr was released from TriStar Motorsports. Starr joined the team full-time in 2015. For the 2016 season, he has competed in seven races with a best finish of 17th and is currently ranked 20th in Driver Standings.

"We have made significant changes in an effort to improve our overall program," said team owner Mark Smith. "With our commitment to our sponsor, we felt that an immediate change was necessary. We have every confidence in the team we have assembled and we will continue to pursue our competitive goals. We wish David all the best in his career and we will announce further plans as they are confirmed."

Brandon McReynolds in the No. 24 XFINITY car at Talladega

By @GucciardoJoey

Brandon McReynolds will be making his first career NASCAR XFINITY Series start at Talladega Superspeedway in the Sparks Energy 300 in the No. 24 Toyota for JGL Racing.

McReynolds had two wins, five Top-5s and eight Top-10s in 13 races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2015.

Full schedule for Talladega Superspeedway

This weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR XFINITY Series will head to Talladega Superspeedway for a full weekend of racing activities, while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has the weekend off.

Here is the full schedule for Talladega:

FRIDAY, APRIL 29:
ON TRACK
-- 11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, FS1
-- 1:30-2:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, FS1
-- 2:30-3:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FS1
-- 4:30-5:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, FS1

SATURDAY, APRIL 30:
ON TRACK
-- 10:30 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
-- 12:30 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FOX
-- 3 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Sparks Energy 300 (113 laps, 300.58 miles), FOX

SUNDAY, MAY 1:
ON TRACK
-- 1 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 (188 laps, 500.08 miles), FS1

Sprint Cup and Xfinity Tire Notes/Facts for Talladega

Tire: Goodyear Eagle Superspeedway Radials

Set limits:
Sprint Cup: 3 sets for practice/qualifying and 6 sets for the race;
Xfinity: 4 sets for the event

Tire Codes:
Left-side -- D-4596; Right-side -- D-4630

Tire Circumference:
Left-side -- 87.91 in. (2,233 mm);
Right-side -- 88.39 in. (2,245 mm)

Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 27 psi; Left Rear - 27 psi;
Right Front -- 50 psi; Right Rear -- 50 psi

Notes: Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series will run the same tire set-up at Talladega this weekend . . . for Sprint Cup teams, this combination of left- and right-side tires dates back to October 2014 . . . for Xfinity teams, since they don't run at Talladega in the fall, they started running this tire set-up in May 2015 . . . teams in both of these series also ran this left-side code at Daytona in February . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Talladega . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.

Sprint Cup penalties given after Richmond

Info from Jayski.

Following the Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway, the No. 17 team of Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. team was given P3 penalty for violation of Section 20.13.I-1.d. [related to the steering system].

Stenhouse, Jr's crew chief, Nick Sandler, has been fined $20,000, suspended from one race, and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.

The violation was found on opening day inspection.

In addition, the No. 48 team of Jimmir Johnson and tge No. 14 team of Tony Stewart teams were given written warnings.

The No. 48 team failed template inspection twice, while the No. 14 team failed laser inspection twice.

Both violations were found in pre-race inspection.

Ben Kennedy Set to Join GMS Racing Driver Lineup

Statement from GMS Racing.

Ben Kennedy

Statesville, N.C. (April 25, 2016) – Team officials announced today that Ben Kennedy will join the GMS Racing stable for a multi-race deal with 10 races already confirmed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) races, beginning May 6 at Kansas Speedway. Kennedy will pilot the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado alongside teammates Johnny Sauter and Spencer Gallagher. Kennedy has 53 NCWTS starts under his belt and looks to claim his first victory in the series with GMS Racing.

“I am very excited to join GMS Racing for the remainder of the 2016 season,” says Kennedy. “I have watched the organization grow into a powerhouse team over the last year. All of their teams show up to the track each weekend with fast Chevrolets and I have total confidence that GMS will provide me with a solid truck each weekend. It’s a great privilege to join Johnny (Sauter), Spencer (Gallagher), Kaz (Grala) and Grant (Enfinger) in the driver lineup. I am looking forward to the accomplishments we will achieve together as a team. ”

Jacob Companies, a first-year partner of Kennedy, plans to continue their support under the GMS Racing banner.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to continue to support Ben with this new opportunity with GMS Racing,” states Don Perry, President of Jacob Companies. “Ben and GMS Racing exemplify the foundation of our business, which was built on respect, hard work, perseverance, and dedication.  Ben’s excitement and enthusiasm for the sport compliments the way we feel not only about NASCAR, but also our construction projects.  Ben is just the kind of young man we want to represent and have act as an ambassador for our company.  We can’t wait to see him and the Jacob truck in the winner’s circle with GMS!"

NASCAR updates Lug Nut rules

From NASCAR.com.

NASCAR has made updates to the rule book regarding lug nuts, effective immediately. 

In a memo sent to teams Monday, the sanctioning body informed organizations that they will be expected to have all five lug nuts installed in a safe and secure manner throughout all national series events. 

Scott Miller, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition issued an official statement.

"NASCAR has been closely monitoring the aggressive strategies on pit road. Safety is an area we do not take lightly, as our record has clearly indicated. It's important for us to have a system in place immediately for addressing lug nut installation, while we also work alongside the industry to develop the best long-term solution."

Any identification of missing lug nut(s) on a wheel will result in the following penalties for Sprint Cup Series teams:

If found pre-race, it counts as an unapproved adjustment and the team will have to start at the tail of the field and must make a correction immediately.

Tires intended for race use without all five lug nuts glued to the wheel results in a written warning and must be corrected immediately.  If found post-race, the first offense is a minimum of $20,000 fine and crew chief suspension for one race and probation. Multiple offenses will result in escalated penalties.

Penalties are as follows for NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series teams.

NXS: Post-race (P3 penalty) First offense: minimum of $10,000 fine, crew chief suspension for one race and probation.

NCWTS: Post-race (P3 penalty) First offense: minimum of $5,000 fine, crew chief suspension for one race and probation.

Goodyear to host IMS tire test on Wednesday

INDIANAPOLIS - Goodyear will hold a tire test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Four drivers are scheduled to take part in the test, Aric Almirola (Ford), Chase Elliott (Chevy), Tony Stewart (Chevy) and Carl Edwards (Toyota).

Logano salvages Top-10 finish at Richmond

From the Ford Performance website.

It was an overall tough day for the Ford Performance teams at Richmond International Raceway Sunday, the first scheduled afternoon race since 1997 at the track. It was a race that saw lots of passing and tire wear, and a crazy finish as Carl Edwards (Toyota) moved teammate Kyle Busch (Toyota) on the final lap for the win.  

Joey Logano paced the Blue Oval, finishing eighth after running as far back as 32nd and a lap down. Teammate Brad Keselowski, who led two laps on pit strategy late in the race, wound up 11th.

Greg Biffle (14th) and Trevor Bayne (17th) were the only other Fusions in the top-20 with Aric Almirola just missing in 21st.

The series heads back to superspeedway racing next Sunday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway.

SPRINT CUP RACE TOP-10 FINISHERS

1st Carl Edwards

2nd Kyle Busch

3rd Jimmie Johnson

4th Kasey Kahne

5th Kevin Harvick

6th Denny Hamlin

7th Matt Kenseth

8th Joey Logano

9th Martin Truex Jr.

10th Kurt Busch

REMAINING FORD FINISHERS

11th    Brad Keselowski

14th    Greg Biffle

17th    Trevor Bayne

21st    Aric Almirola

26th    Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

27th    Landon Cassill

28th    Ryan Blaney

34th    Chris Buescher

35th    Brian Scott

38th    Jeffrey Earnhardt

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Fusion (Finished 8th) – “I needed to find a different lane. Every lane I found didn’t work. At the end it started to and I felt like maybe a couple of more restarts and good pit-stops we could have track positioned ourselves to be closer to the front and maybe squeak out a top-five at the end. Taking a car from being the 35th place car to a top-five car throughout a race is quite impressive for what my team was able to do today. It was great teamwork. Everyone kept working hard and those are great opportunities to implode internally as a race team and completely throw away a whole race and start yelling and screaming at each other but there was not one moment of that today from my team. Everyone was very methodical about the changes and we tried things that didn’t work so we went the other way and it started to work for us. I am proud of the effort from my team today. We need to make the cars a little faster, but I am proud of the effort.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Thomas Built Buses Ford Fusion (Finished 11th) – “We weren’t where we wanted to be for sure but we were able to get through it. Sometimes that is all you can do.”   HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO MOVE UP TOWARD THE END? “We were probably a 5th-10th place car and fell back from the strategy but drove up there into about 11th and honestly we just ran out of time.”

GREG BIFFLE., No. 16 Cheez-It Ford Fusion (Finished 14th) – “We certainly didn’t end up where we were running. We were running mostly around 11th or 12th most of the day and the last couple of restarts we got shuffled back. That happens though. I guess that is racing. I wish we were better than that but we definitely had a better car than 14th which makes you feel good.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion (Finished 28th) – “It was a struggle all day for us. We weren’t very good in the beginning and got a lap down early and short-pitted and that actually worked out well for us. We still ended up a lap down but kind of gained a few spots. We raced hard for the Lucky Dog all day and at one point I thought we had it but they gave it to somebody else which was unfortunate. That made us kind of be on equal tires the rest of the day as we were taking wave arounds. It was just a big struggle today. The second run I thought we were okay but then we just kind of lost the track a little big. It was tough. We have to go back and I have to do a better job and we all have to figure something out here for the next race. It is a good learning day though and we learned a lot and it is a good character builder for sure.”  RAVE REVIEWS FOR THE STYLE OF RACING, DO YOU AGREE? “Yeah, the cars were all over the place. The bottom, middle and top. The top rolled pretty well at the beginning of the race when it was fresh. Then rubber got laid on it and it wasn’t very good. You could roll the middle pretty good. I was best in the middle. I couldn’t run the bottom at all. It looked like the leaders, the guys who won, ran the middle too. That is promising I guess. We can move around the racetrack a lot and I think Goodyear did a decent job with that and bringing a good tire for us. That was fun."

Kasey Kahne on RIR top-five finish: 'Really encouraging'

From FOXSports.com.

Kasey Kahne was pleased to be able to bring his No. 5 Hendrick
Motorsports Chevrolet home in fourth place in the Toyota Owners
400 at Richmond. (Drew Hallowell)

The last-lap fireworks between Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch naturally dominated the headlines in Sunday's Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

Edwards bumped Busch out of the way on the final turn of the race to win for the second week in a row in a hugely dramatic ending.

But just a little further back, Kasey Kahne was putting on a show of his own.

Kahne finished the race fourth behind Edwards, Busch and Kahne's Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson. That might not sound like that big a deal, but it was Kahne's first top-five finish since Kansas Speedway last October.

"It was really encouraging," said Kahne. "The performance of the team all weekend long, you know, practice, we didn't get all of our practice in, but we got a lot of it in, then qualifying, didn't get that. But I felt like we would have been great there, too.           

"It was a strong weekend for our team," said Kahne. "Communications side with Keith (Rodden, crew chief) and the engineers, just kind of what we worked on, the direction we went was really solid all weekend, similar to Bristol. We just finished it off today."           

Understandably, Kahne was pleased with the result, which moved him up to 14th in points.

"That was good," he said. "We haven't had a lot of these in the last year, two years. So it was nice to run up front, nice to be competitive, battle with the Gibbs cars a little bit, Jimmie (Johnson) a lot, Kevin (Harvick) some. I could always see those guys, so it was nice to see the fastest cars in this particular race."

Carl Edwards beats Kyle Busch for win at Richmond

By @GucciardoJoey.

Carl Edwards won Sunday's NASCAR XFINITY
Series race at Richmond.

Kyle Busch had Saturday's Toyota Owners 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond basically won.

Until Carl Edwards came along.

All throughout the final laps, Edwards had been challenging Edwards for the win.

In the final turn on the final lap, Edwards pulled the famous bump and run move to get around Busch for the win.

"Kyle's an amazing teammate, and it's like he got really slow there at the end," Edwards said in Victory Lane. "Something happened that last lap. It was like his rear tires went off or something. He went down into (Turn) 1 and I dove it in and I got to him and I thought, ‘Man, I've got something.'

What did Busch say about Edward's move?

"It's racing, I guess."

This is Edwards' second consecutive win, both wins have come on short tracks. This is also the first last-lap pass for the win in NASCAR history at Richmond International Raceway.

Edwards led 151 laps in the race, while Busch led 78.

Busch finished second, followed by Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr., and Kurt Busch to round out the Top-10 finishers.

Joe Gibbs Racing has so far dominated the 2016 Sprint Cup Series season, winning the past four races (including Sunday at Richmond) and the Daytona 500 in February to start the season.

On Lap 268 of 400, Tony Stewart, who was making his first Sprint Cup start since his injury before the season started, and Joey Logano made contact which cut the left-rear tire of Stewart's No. 14 car to bring out a caution.

Stewart was running 21st and one lap down at the time of the incident.

Logano got the free pass as a result of the caution.

Stewart would get back on the lead lap thanks to earning the beneficiary of the free pass on a caution on Lap 325, and would go on to finish in 19th place.


"This place is so cool," Stewart said after the race. "It's always been my favorite race track."

BASIC RACE STATS:

• Today's race lasted three hours, seven minutes and 34 seconds.
• The race's average speed was 92.620 MPH.
• Carl Edwards had a margin of victory of 0.675 seconds.
• The race featured eight cautions and eight different leaders.

Blake Koch nets career-best finish at Richmond

From the Kaulig Motorsports website.

Blake Koch finish eigth in the NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday at Richmond.

Stats:
Started: 16th
Finished: 8th
Laps:  149/149
Status: Running
Driver Points: 13th
Owner Points: 18th

Richmond, VA (April 23, 2016)- Battling rain showers throughout the day Friday, Blake Koch and the rest of the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) were forced to wait an extra day before they could get on track at Richmond International Raceway. With the schedule changing to adapt for one less track day, NXS qualifying was cancelled in exchange for a 55-minute practice session before Saturday afternoon’s NXS 250.

Koch quickly found his No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection™ Chevrolet Camaro towards the top of the leaderboard during practice, in eighth. However, with only a few laps under his belt for the weekend at the 0.75-mile track, Koch discovered a power steering problem, forcing the LeafFilter Racing team to change power steering pumps before the practice session was over.

With heat races taking place for the second consecutive weekend, Koch started 10th in Heat 2 per the rulebook setting the field. Fighting with a Chevrolet Camaro that had “no drive off,” Koch battled his way to an eighth-place finish in his 35-lap heat, lining him up 16th for the NXS 250.

Losing a couple spots on the initial start of the 140-lap main event, it was quickly apparent that Koch’s No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection™ Chevrolet Camaro was extremely fast on a long green flag run. Battling his way through the pack in front of him, Koch made his way into the top-15 after only 50 laps on track.

With the race staying green for the first 99 laps, Koch was forced to pit under green, like the rest of the field, relinquishing him a lap down to the leaders. Coming to the attention of his LeafFilter Gutter Protection™ team, crew chief Chris Rice made the call for four tires, fuel and to take a piece of tape of the grill to aid in a Chevrolet Camaro that had “lost drive off” once again.

When green flag pit stops had cycled through, Koch was scored on the lead lap in 14th, where he remained until leader, Dale Earnhardt Jr., put him a lap down with only 25 laps remaining. However the first caution flag of the race waved on lap 127, completely changing the strategy of the NXS 250. Rice made the call to keep Koch on the track, electing to take the “wave around” to put him back on the lead lap when the field went back green with seven laps left.

Restarting 14th, Koch had to make some evasive maneuvers on the restart to avoid a major wreck that took place directly in front of him, drawing the caution flag out for the final time on lap 135. Looking to take advantage of strategy, Koch came down pit road for four tires, fuel and more tape off the grill to prepare him for the final restart of the race.

Lining up 11th for the first and only attempt at a green-white-checkered finish, Koch was able to grab three more spots, crossing the finish line in a career-best eighth-place to eventual race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Quote:

“I got a career-best finish in this LeafFilter Gutter Protection™ Chevy today. I can’t thank everyone at LeafFilter™ enough for this opportunity. If it wasn’t for them selling so much LeafFilter™, I wouldn’t be able to come out here and finish in the top-10. It was an amazing feeling being that fast and running up front all day. Aside from that, we definitely needed a good finish after the troubles we’ve had the last two weeks. It was an awesome day in points for us.”

Notes:

• Blake Koch was eighth in the lone NXS practice session Saturday morning at Richmond International Raceway after rain cancelled both Friday sessions.
• With qualifying cancelled due to rain Friday, Koch lined up 10th for the second heat race of the day. Koch finished eighth in his heat race, giving him a 16th-place starting spot for the 140-lap main event. He raced to a career-best eighth place finish at the 0.75-mile oval.
• The Kaulig Racing™ driver gained two positions in the 2016 NXS driver point standings, jumping to 13th, after the eighth race of the season, only 113 points behind leader Daniel Suarez, just 11 points outside the Chase cutoff point.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the NXS 250 at Richmond International Raceway followed by Ty Dillion (second), Elliott Sadler (third), Daniel Suarez (fourth) and Austin Dillion (fifth).
• Up next: Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala. on Sat., April 30

Dale Jr. holds off Ty Dillon for XFINITY win at Richmond

From NASCAR.com.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won Saturday's NASCAR
XFINITY Series race at Richmond.

RICHMOND, Va. -- After a massive late-race wreck scrambled the running order in Saturday's ToyotaCare 250, Dale Earnhardt Jr. survived a two-lap dash in overtime to win his first NASCAR XFINITY Series race since 2010 and the first in his own JR Motorsports equipment.

Earnhardt held off Ty Dillon by .266 seconds in a main event that ran nine laps past its scheduled distance of 140 laps, but Dillon collected the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus available to the two highest finishes among XFINITY Series regulars from each of the two heats that preceded the main event.

The victory was Earnhardt's fourth at Richmond -- his first at the .75-mile short track since 2002 -- and the 24th of his career. Earnhardt's last win in the series came in the July 2010 race at Daytona in a No. 3 Chevrolet owned by Richard Childress. 

Earnhardt has not driven the No. 3, the number closely associated with his father, since that victory. On Saturday, he drove the No. 88 Chevrolet in his last scheduled start of the season for JR Motorsports.

Though Earnhardt led 128 of the 149 laps after passing Erik Jones for the top spot on Lap 18, the final two were a challenge, with Dillon restarting beside him for the two-lap overtime.

"Those last couple of laps, we were real loose in the corner," Earnhardt said. "I thought Ty was going to get to me -- he tried to get to me. When we got to (Turn 3), we drove into the corner wide-open."

But Dillon couldn't pull even with Earnhardt, who cleared Dillon's No. 3 Chevrolet off Turn 4 on the first overtime lap.

"We came up a little short, but we're going to get one soon," Dillon said.

Dillon wouldn't have had a shot at the win at all, had a nine-car pileup on Lap 134 not bunched the field and necessitated the overtime.

The wreck came moments after a restart, with Brennan Poole leading the field to the green. Poole had stayed out on old tires when Earnhardt and the rest of the lead-lap drivers came to pit road for fresh rubber under caution on Lap 127.

Earnhardt restarted third behind Poole and JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier , but when Poole spun his tires, Earnhardt dived to the inside approaching Turn 1, creating a three-wide lead group. After side-by-side contact with Earnhardt's No. 88, Poole's No. 48 Chevrolet washed up the track, clipped and turned Allgaier's No. 7 and ignited a chain-reaction wreck that damaged three of the four cars eligible for the Dash 4 Cash bonus – those of Poole, Allgaier and Jones.

"When he spun the tires, I had to go to the inside," Earnhardt said. "I tried not to drive up into him – I don't think I got into him. They just kind of came together up there (in the outside lane) and had a heck of a wreck.

"I hate that it happened, but, man, I had to do what I had to do to try to get the win. We ran so well and led all those laps."

Elliott Sadler came home third, followed by series leader Daniel Suárez, who leaves Richmond nine points ahead of Sadler in second. Austin Dillon ran fifth and Cole Custer sixth in Custer's XFINITY Series debut.

Poole brought his damaged car home in 10th.

Ty Dillon wins Dash 4 Cash Heat No. 2 at Richmond

Ty Dillon on Saturday led every lap to win Heat Race No. 2 for Saturday's NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Richmond International Raceway, the ToyotaCare 250.

Justin Allgaier finished second. Allgaier, Dillon, Erik Jones and Brennan Poole are the four drivers eligible to win the Dash 4 Cash in today's race.

Daniel Suarez finished third, Brad Keselowski finished fourth, and Austin Dillon finished fifth to round out the Top-5.

Erik Jones wins Dash 4 Cash Heat No. 1 at Richmond

Erik Jones on Saturday led every lap to win Heat Race No. 1 for Saturday's NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Richmond International Raceway, the ToyotaCare 250.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second, followed by Matt Tifft, Brennan Poole (who along with Jones qualified to win today's Dash 4 Cash prize), and Elliott Sadler to round out the Top-5.

Jimmie Johnson leads Toyota Owners 400 happy hour

Final practice for the Toyota Owners 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway is over.

After 80 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
1. Jimmie Johnson -  120.849 MPH
2. Kasey Kahne - 120.622 MPH
3. Kyle Busch - 120.493 MPH
4. Kevin Harvick - 120.374 MPH
5. Carl Edwards - 119.979 MPH
Slowest: Michael Annett - 115.321 MPH & Josh Wise - 114.446 MPH
Most Laps Run: Kurt Busch - 122, Austin Dillon - 99

Justin Allgaier leads ToyotaCare 250 happy hour

Justin Allgaier was fastest during opening practice at Richmond International Raceway with a speed of 121.174 MPH.

Austin Dillon was second, followed by Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones, Darrell Wallace Jr., Blake Koch, Elliott Sadler, and Justin Marks.

All 40 drivers practiced during the session.

Saturday's XFINITY Series qualifying at Richmond cancelled

Details from Jayski.

Rain washed out both Friday practices for XFINITY Series teams, so NASCAR canceled Saturday's qualifying session for the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond International Raceway. Teams will now practice from 9:00-9:50am ET. Both heat races and the main event will run as scheduled.

The field for the two heat races was set by the rule book.

The Top-5 starters in the first heat race will be Matt Tifft, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Erik Jones, Elliott Sadler, and Brandon Jones, while the Top-5 starters in the second heat race: Austin Dillon, Daniel Suarez, Justin Allgaier, Brad Keselowski, and Ty Dillon.

Results of the heat races will determine the lineup for the 140 lap main event.

The #10 team of Matt DiBenedetto team withdrew so only 40 cars were entered. That means that all drivers and teams qualified for the race.

Martin Truex will have a new tire changer this weekend at Richmond

From PitTalks.com.

Furniture Row Racing has made a change on its #78 pit crew moving forward this week. Tire changer Chris Taylor will be taking over duties on the front for the foreseeable future. Taylor is a veteran changer who’s won plenty of races with Jamie McMurray at CGR and more recently on the #20 of Matt Kenseth. Taylor has spent most of his career as a rear guy and had worked on the #20 up until this year when a change was made. Taylor has been serving as the JGR back up for most of the year. 

Good luck to Chris in his new role and good luck to entire #78 crew moving forward.

Rest of Friday's Richmond track activity cancelled die to weather

By @GucciardoJoey

NASCAR on Friday cancelled all track activity at Richmond International Raceway due to inclement weather.

Included in the cancellations are XFINITY Series practices and Sprint Cup qualifying.

NASCAR was able to get in an hour and two minutes of Sprint Cup Series practice, which saw Kevin Harvick fastest.

Harvick won the pole for Sunday's Sprint Cup race because starting positions were based off of first Sprint Cup practice speeds. Because of that, Cole Whitt failed to qualify for the race.

Sprint Cup teams will now have a final practice 10:30-11:50am ET on Saturday.

Kevin Harvick leads rain-shortened first Sprint Cup practice at Richmond

By @GucciardoJoey

Kevin Harvick on Friday led opening Sprint Cup Series practice at Richmond International Speedway after the practice session was rained out after one hour and two minutes of running time.

Harvick led the session with a speed of 129.069 MPH.

Joey Logano came in second, Jimmie Johnson came in third, Carl Edwards came in fourth and Denny Hamlin came in fifth to round out the Top-5.

Tony Stewart ran 38 laps, the most in the session. He finished the session in 18th.

Michael Annett spun early in the session and made contact with the inside wall on the backstretch. The team will have to go to a backup.

40 of the event's 41 entered cars ran laps in the session.

Richard Childress Racing Still In The Thick Of The Points Battle

From Jayski.

Brendan Gaughan currentky sits seventh in the
XFINITY Series standings.

We’re seven races into the (XFINITY Series) season, and Richard Childress Racing drivers are in the thick of the title hunt. Three of the organization’s drivers are in the top 10 in points: Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Brandon Jones (fifth); Ty Dillon (sixth) and Brendan Gaughan (seventh).

Brandon Jones has been a breakout star so far this season. In seven starts in his rookie campaign, he has posted four top-10 finishes. Jones is currently 19 points behind the standings lead. This weekend will be Jones’ series track debut at Richmond.

Two points behind his teammate Jones, Dillon currently sits fifth in the standings, 21 points behind standings leader Daniel Suárez. Dillon has been in recover-mode in the standings since he finished 17th at Auto Club and dropped to fifth, then eventually sixth in the standings. Dillon’s seven starts this season have produced one top five and four top 10s.

Richmond could be where Dillon turns around his season. He has made six starts at the .75-mile track, posting four top 10s and an average finish of 10.5.

Last but not least is Brendan Gaughan, who is currently seventh in the standings, 34 points back from the lead. Gaughan has record three top 10s in seven starts this season.


Gaughan has had mixed results at RIR. He finished 11th in the spring at Richmond last season.