2017 Camaro announced for NASCAR XFINITY Series

Chevrolet is marking the 50th anniversary of the Camaro's introduction this year, and on Thursday unveiled its 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series Camaro SS -- the model for Chevrolet race cars starting next season.

The updated Camaro was displayed at Daytona International Speedway ahead of the Subway Firecracker 250 Presented by Coca-Cola (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.)

The neW XFINITY Series Camaro will debut in the 2017 season opener at Daytona. 

"For the past 50 years, Camaro has played a key role in Chevrolet's racing success in winning races and championships," said Mark Kent, director of Chevrolet Racing. "We look forward to further success with the new Camaro SS in the NASCAR XFINITY Series."

The fifth-generation Camaro was introduced into the NASCAR XFINITY Series in 2013.

NASCAR Release.

AutoLotto Sponsors XFINITY Race

Speed and efficiency, it's the quickest way around the track for a victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It's also two of the key features behind AutoLotto, a mobile app that allows people to buy and redeem lottery tickets from the convenience of their smartphones. Today, speedway officials announced that the mobile lottery company will sponsor the NASCAR XFINITY Series AutoLotto 200 at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 16.

"We're thrilled to have AutoLotto, a truly innovative product, serve as our entitlement sponsor for our NASCAR XFINITY Series race," said David McGrath, executive vice president and general manager of NHMS. "New Hampshire is the birthplace of the United States lottery, so to have Auto Lotto on board for one of the biggest races in the state where it all began, is truly a winning combination."

San Francisco-based AutoLotto launched this month in New Hampshire and allows users to purchase Powerball tickets from a mobile device. AutoLotto's "Tap. Tap. Ticket." approach to the lottery allows users to instantly order tickets without fees and record the ticket information on the mobile device, eliminating store lines, lost tickets and the need to track down results. AutoLotto checks the tickets for winning numbers and can even remember the user's favorite numbers, or automatically purchase tickets when the Powerball reaches a certain amount.

"The launch in New Hampshire is so fitting from a historical perspective, and for us to sponsor the XFINITY Series race plays right into what we're all about," said Tony DiMatteo, co-founder of AutoLotto. "The thrill of racing fits perfectly into the thrill of playing the lottery and hoping for a big win."

The AutoLotto 200 will be the 30th running of a NASCAR XFINITY Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the longest running NASCAR event at the speedway. Since NASCAR's debut at the Magic Mile in 1990, the 200-lap Saturday feature has seen 25 different drivers go to Sunoco Victory Lane.

Darrell Wallace Jr., who currently sits ninth in the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings and is looking for his first career win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, will have AutoLotto as his primary car sponsor for the race on July 16.

The AutoLotto 200 will be the second of three races on a Tripleheader Saturday of racing. It will follow the New England 100 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at 2:00 p.m. and precedes the United Site Services 70 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at 6:45. The AutoLotto 200 will be live on the NBC Sports Network and PRN affiliate radio stations.

Track Release.

XFINITY Series happy hour cancelled due to rain and lightning

• Due to rain and lightning at the track, NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice at Daytona has been canceled.

• NASCAR was able to get in some XFINITY Series action today. Erik Jones was fastest during a weather-shortened opening practice with a speed of 193.353 MPH. That session was cut short due to lightning at the track.
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Qualifying is scheduled for 2:10pm ET on Friday.

Both Sprint Cup practices rained out on Thursday At Daytona

Both Practices for the Coke Zero 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway were rained out on Thursday.

The first was scheduled to run from 3:00-3:55pm ET and Happy Hour (final) practice was scheduled for 5:00-5:55pm ET.

NASCAR has scheduled one Sprint Cup Series practice from 9:45-10:30am ET, which will air on NBCSN.

Qualifying is scheduled of 4:10pm ET on Friday.

50th Running At Daytona Has XFINITY Series Excited To Return

The World Center of Racing is nestled in Daytona Beach, Florida and the 2.5-miles of asphalt banked at 31 degrees in the turns welcomes the NASCAR XFINITY Series for the 50th series race at Daytona -- the Subway Firecracker 250 Powered by Coca-Cola.

The series has competed at Daytona International Speedway 49 times producing 36 different pole winners; led by Joe Nemechek with five. Also during those 49 races, the series has witnessed 25 different drivers enjoying the spoils of victory, led by Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart with seven wins each.

With 14 races in the books this season, the series has seen 10 different winners and six different pole winners. Chase Elliott, the 2014 series champ, won the season-opener at Daytona, and will return to defend his win in the JR Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro.

The series started racing two events per season at Daytona in 2002, and since then only one driver has been able to sweep both races - Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2003. Elliott is looking to become the second driver in the series to sweep both races at Daytona this weekend, joining his car owner.

Elliott has made five starts at Daytona, posting one win (2016 season opener), two top fives and an average finish of 13.4.

From Jayski.

First Sprint Cup Daytona practice rained out

First practice for the Coke Zero 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway was rained out on Thursday.

The practice was scheduled to run from 3:00-3:55pm ET. Happy Hour (final) practice is scheduled for 5:00-5:55pm ET.

Erik Jones leads shortened first XFINITY practice at Daytona

Erik Jones was fastest during a weather-shortened opening practice at Daytona International Speedway with a speed of 193.353 MPH.

David Ragan was second, followed by Ty Dillon, Brandon Jones, Justin Marks, Brennan Poole, Darrell Wallace, Jr., Joey Logano, Justin Allgaier and Aric Almirola.

Just 29 drivers were able to complete a lap during the session, which was cut short by lightning near the track.

The full session results are below.

Griffin gets strong start in GMSP debut, but night ends early for Vatterott / DHT Chevy

WRIGHT CITY, MO- Racing at a new track is a daunting task, but by watching 17 year-old Jake Griffin, you’d never know he had never raced at Gateway Motorsports Park. When the track opened for first practice Saturday morning, it was Griffin’s first chance to turn competitive laps at the 1.25 mile track in and the #63 Vatterott Educational Centers / Dirty Hand Tools / Jefferson’s Chevy. After making great progress in the two practice sessions, mechanical trouble ended the team’s night early in the Drivin' For Lineman 200.

“You never want to have mechanical trouble,” says Griffin, “but you really don’t want to have it in front of the hometown crowd.”

MB Motorsports is the only Missouri based NASCAR team, so when the Camping World Truck Series comes to Gateway Motorsports Park, it gets to race in front of friends, family and fans.

"Not only is the team's fan base here in St. Louis, but so many of our sponsors are, too," adds Griffin. "We had guests from Vatterott, Excel Bottling / Ski Soda, Back Auto Auction, Jefferson's Restaurant with us at the track, which was great. We also did a contest on Twitter with Dirty Hand Tools, so even though our night ended early, we had a lot of fun and were able to get our marketing partners some exposure."

Jake Griffin will return to the #63 MB Motorsports Chevy on August 17th at Bristol Motor Speedway in the UNOH 200. "Bristol is one of the tracks you always dream of racing at," according to Griffin. "So this is going to be really special." Griffin will also drive for the team in the season finale at Homestead - Miami on November 18th.

"Jake's only 17 years-old, but you'd never know it racing with him," notes team owner Mike Mittler. "He'll turn 18 just two days before we go to Homestead, so he'll get a chance to race on his biggest track yet as a birthday present."

Joe Gibbs Racing announces sponsorship partnership with DeWalt

Joe Gibbs Racing announced Thursday that DeWalt has added four races to it's 2016 sponsorship for Matt Kenseth and for "majority" of races in 2017.

In addition, DeWalt will add six races of sponsorship in the NASCAR XFINITY Series with drivers Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez.

DEWALT Tools will support two cars this weekend Daytona International Speedway with Kenseth (Sprint Cup Series) and Jones (XFINITY Series).

DEWALT Tools will sponsor Kenseth at Chicagoland, Dover, Kansas and Homestead-Miami in the Sprint Cup Series in 2016.

NASCAR to honor victims of Orlando tragedy at Daytona

Following the recent attack in the Orlando community, where 49 people were murdered and 53 injured on June 12, NASCAR has shared plans to remember the victims of this tragedy during the race weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

The #ORLANDOUNITED decal shown below will be placed on the A-Post of all cars in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Townley, Gallagher penalized post-Gateway

NASCAR penalized drivers John Wes Townley and Spencer Gallagher on Wednesday for their roles in an incident in Saturday night's Camping World Truck Series race at Gateway Motorsports Park.

 

After a review of the on-track altercation and ensuing physical quarrel in the Drivin for Linemen 200, competition officials fined Townley $15,000 and assessed Gallagher a $12,500 fine. Both of the drivers have been placed on probation until Dec. 31. 

 

The two drivers collided in the 145 of 200 laps Saturday night, with Gallagher's GMS Racing No. 23 Chevrolet sending Townley's No. 05 Athenian Motorsports Chevy for a spin in Turn 1. The two made contact again 10 laps later in the same turn, leaving both trucks with heavy damage after impact with the outside retaining wall.

 

After both drivers exited their trucks unhurt, a brief verbal spat escalated to a wrestling match on the track with Townley landing a smattering of punches before the two were separated. Gallagher finished 22nd and Townley 23rd in the 32-truck field.

 

Among other penalties announced Wednesday, the teams of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth received written warnings for failing pre-qualifying inspection at Sonoma Raceway.

 

The Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota team for Kenseth was issued a warning for failing two trips through the Laser Inspection Station (LIS) before Coors Light Pole Qualifying. The Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet team of Earnhardt failed body template inspection twice before Friday's Sonoma qualifying.

NASCAR Release.

NXS: Subway Fiecracker 250 (Entry List)

The following is the entry list for Saturday's "Rattlesnake 400" NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

We will type in all updates to the list as they come in.

UPDATE: The No. 77 team has withdrawn. David Ragan will drive the No. 18 for Joe Gibbs. (6/28/2016)
UPDATE: John Wes Townley and the No. 05 team have withdrawn. There are now 43 on the entry list. (6/29/2016)

NSCS: Coke Zero 400 (Entry List)

The following is the entry list for Saturday's "Menards 250" NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

We will type in all updates to the list as they come in.

Balog Bests Outlaws at Beaver Dam Raceway

BEAVER DAM, Wis. (June 25, 2016) – Hartland, Wis. -native Bill Balog outdueled 2013 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series champion Daryn Pittman early, then held him off on a final green-white-checkered finish to capture his first series victory in the Jim "JB" Boyd Memorial presented by Karavan Trailers at Beaver Dam Raceway on Saturday night.

Balog, who is only the fifth non-Outlaw driver to win in 2016, captured the lead from Pittman on lap three after starting the feature in the second position.

"Now I feel like I have a home track advantage," Balog said as the Wisconsin fans cheered. "We have won a few here, but not really dominating wins. I got a lot of Wisconsin people here behind me, so I got to thank all of you guys.

"Maybe they didn't think we could do it, but we did it and it's an awesome, awesome night."

Pittman, who was victorious in a green-white-checkered finish on Friday night at Jackson Motorplex, tried everything possible to muscle the victory away from Balog, but came up one spot short of claiming back-to-back victories.

"I gave everything I had," Pittman said. "I had it all planned out perfectly in my head, but it didn't go that way. Nothing went the way I thought; we had that red flag, and I think my tire went down a little bit...think if my tire was low enough, I probably could've stuck it, because after the checkered I hit it really good down there, but too little, too late.

"Congrats to Bill and his team, they did a great job and he ran a great race, so they deserve to win. I just needed to make some better decisions and get to the top of the track quicker and hang on to the lead a little longer."

The night kicked-off with Joey Saldana picking up his 10th quick-time award of the season, when he paced qualifying with a lap of 11.895 seconds. Saldana continued to flash speed early as he accompanied Jason Johnson and David Gravel as heat race winners in the dash.

The dash inversion draw was not Saldana's friend, as a complete inversion of the six-car field placed Saldana at the rear and put Balog on the pole position.

Balog, in the Buesser Concrete/Extreme Stainless No. 17B, could not capitalize on the lucky break, as he lost the lead early to Pittman, who started the six-lap race in the third spot. Pittman easily scored the dash victory, which placed him on the pole position for the 40-lap feature.

As soon as the green flag dropped for the feature, Pittman, in the Great Clips/Sage Fruit No. 9, jumped out to an early lead on Balog. Pittman held on to the top spot for the opening two laps, but Balog charged his way back to the front of the field and retook the lead on lap three.

The race began with a 23-lap green flag run which allowed Balog to extend his lead on Pittman as the two battled through lapped traffic. Pittman kept within striking distance of the leader, before a caution with 17 to-go hampered his plans.

When the green flag came back out, Balog again escaped the grip of the World of Outlaws regulars, as Pittman suddenly fell victim to a red-hot David Gravel, who started in the third position and remained there through most of the race.

Gravel slid in front of Pittman for second before turning his attention to the leader. Gravel appeared to have the faster car as he tried the infamous dirt track slide-job for the lead, but came up just short as Balog again pulled away from the field.

The caution was displayed again with 10 laps to go, as Brad Sweet, who currently sits second in the championship standings and was running the top five, suffered a mechanical problem and had to take his car to the work area. Sweet later returned, but finished in the 19th position.

On the ensuing restart, Pittman worked his way back around Gravel for the second, but still did not have enough speed to catch the leader.

While the top three remained glued bumper-to-bumper, a familiar face lurked just behind them. Seven-time series champion Donny Schatz, in the Bad Boy Off Road/Chevrolet Performance No. 15, charged his way from the 14th starting position to crack the top five with just five laps remaining. Schatz appeared to be peaking too late as the had a sizeable deficit to overcome to contend for the win, but a final caution on the white-flag lap changed the outlook of the race.

Balog restarted the race ahead of 2013 series champion Pittman, 1996 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Joey Saldana and seven-time series champion Schatz, who have combined to win 19 races this season.

Over the final two laps, Saldana and Schatz battled hard for the third position while Pittman tried everything possible to disrupt Balog and steal the victory.

In the end, the local driver kept his car glued on the outside line, which prevented Pittman from building up enough momentum to clear him for the lead. Balog held on to the lead and defeated the World of Outlaws to score the victory in his home state of Wisconsin.

"What a race, I have to thank everybody that helped me out," Balog said. "It's a really good feeling - we were in a similar position a couple of years ago and kind of gave it away, so I wanted to make sure that didn't happen again.

"We could restart really well off of the bottom, so I knew if I could just get up to the cushion and beat the slide job - I didn't know if Daryn [Pittman] was running the bottom or not. [The Outlaws] are the best of the best, so it's a pleasure to race with them really."

Pittman held off Schatz for the runner-up position, as he picked up his 17th podium finish of the 2016 season.

"I had a plan thinking [Balog] might slide himself, or short slide himself and cheat his entry into one and I was just going to try to hit as good a lap around the top," Pittman added. "I was killing him off of four on the bottom, so if I could get close enough off of two then I could get him. He ended up having a good two or three car lengths on me off of two and there wasn't enough time to get back to him.

"I had a good run going there and tried to pull the slider too early, with probably five or six to go, and then lost a lot of ground, but made it back up. It was a good effort, but I'm frustrated to run second."

Schatz, who finished sixth on Friday night at Jackson Motorplex, rebounded for his eighth top-three finish in the month of June and 18th of the season.

"Tony Stewart's guys are awesome at what they do," Schatz said. "The way the races play out, our cars just get better and better. Great job to be able to come through there and it was a respectable finish, but I think the two cars in front of us were a little better.

"You never know, the race tracks change and sometimes they change towards you and sometimes they change against you. I don't know if it went either way for us but we were lucky to pick up the spots that we did."

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series will invade the newly dirt renovated Rockford Speedway for the first ever Outlaw Clay Classic on Wednesday, June 29. For more race information and ticket purchasing options, visit: www.WoOSprint.com/Rockford-Speedway.

Follow the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WorldofOutlaws, like it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WorldofOutlaws, or check out the latest videos on YouTube at www.youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws.

Beaver Dam Raceway Notebook

RACE NOTES: Bill Balog captured his first career World of Outlaws victory...Joey Saldana claimed his series-leading 10th quick-time award of the season with a lap of 11.895 seconds...Daryn Pittman continues to lead the series in feature pole positions, after he scored his 10th of the season tonight.

CONTINGENCY WINNERS - MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): Russell Borland; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): Daryn Pittman; Penske Shocks ($50 cash): Donny Schatz; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Shane Stewart; VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash): Kerry Madsen; Edelbrock ($50 cash): Jacob Allen; Comp Cams ($50 cash): Jason Sides; Morton Buildings ($50 cash): Paul McMahan; Cometic Gasket ($50 cash): Paul Nienhiser; Super Flow ($50 cash): Scott Thiel; Craftsman/Sears ($100 cash): Bill Balog; KSE Racing Products ($100 product certificate): Donny Schatz; Comp Cams ($50 product certificate): Daryn Pittman; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Russell Borland; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Scotty Neitzel.

SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz - 10 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 14, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 4, Stockton Dirt Track on March 18, Stockton Dirt Track on March 19, Silver Dollar Speedway on April 2, Lincoln Speedway on May 19, Weedsport Speedway on May 22, Lincoln Park Speedway on June 8, Knoxville Raceway on June 11, River Cities Speedway on June 17); Brad Sweet - 6 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 13, Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 14, Cotton Bowl Speedway on Feb. 26, Ocean Speedway on April 1, Bakersfield Speedway on April 15, Plymouth Speedway on May 13); Daryn Pittman - 5 (Royal Purple Raceway on Feb. 27, Perris Auto Speedway on April 16, USA Raceway on April 18, New Egypt Speedway on May 24, Jackson Motorplex on June 24); Shane Stewart - 5 (Arizona Speedway on March 6, Devil's Bowl Speedway on April 23, Lawrenceburg Speedway on May 30, Granite City Speedway on June 15, Brown County Speedway on June 19); Joey Saldana - 4 (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 3, Devil's Bowl Speedway on April 22, Jacksonville Speedway on May 4, I-80 Speedway on June 22);David Gravel - 3 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 12, Tri-State Speedway on May 14, I-96 Speedway on June 6); Kerry Madsen - 2 (Eldora Speedway on May 6 and 7); Bill Balog - 1 (Beaver Dam Raceway on June 25); Lance Dewease - 1 (Williams Grove Speedway on May 20); Chad Kemenah - 1 (Fremont Speedway on June 3); Jason Johnson - 1 (Placerville Speedway on March 24); Terry McCarl - 1 (Knoxville Raceway on June 10);Jason Sides - 1 (I-30 Speedway on April 26); Greg Wilson - 1 (The Dirt Track at Charlotte on May 27).

World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Beaver Dam Raceway; Beaver Dam, Wis.; June 25, 2016.

A-Main - (40 Laps) - 1. 17B-Bill Balog [2][$10,000]; 2. 9-Daryn Pittman [1][$5,500]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [14][$3,200]; 4. 83-Joey Saldana [4][$2,800]; 5. 5-David Gravel [3][$2,500]; 6. 2-Shane Stewart [9][$2,300]; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart [10][$2,200]; 8. 29-Kerry Madsen [8][$2,100]; 9. 1A-Jacob Allen [12][$2,050]; 10. 7S-Jason Sides [6][$2,000]; 11. 7-Paul McMahan [13][$1,500]; 12. 9X-Paul Nienhiser [11][$1,200]; 13. W20-Greg Wilson [16][$1,100]; 14. 5J-Jeremy Schultz [18][$1,050]; 15. 64-Scotty Thiel [23][$1,000]; 16. O2-Mike Reinke [17][$900]; 17. 4B-Scott Biertzer [15][$800]; 18. 41-Jason Johnson [5][$800]; 19. 49-Brad Sweet [7][$800]; 20. 73-Ben Schmidt [19][$800]; 21. 23B-Russell Borland [21][$800]; 22. 50-Russ Egan [24][$800]; 23. 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski [20][$800]; 24. 2W-Scotty Neitzel [22][$800]. Lap Leaders: Daryn Pittman 1-2, Bill Balog 3-40. KSE Hard Charger Award: 15-Donny Schatz [+11].

Qualifying - 1. 83-Joey Saldana, 11.895; 2. 41-Jason Johnson, 11.947; 3. 5-David Gravel, 11.984; 4. 9-Daryn Pittman, 11.985; 5. 29-Kerry Madsen, 12.032; 6. 17B-Bill Balog, 12.036; 7. 49-Brad Sweet, 12.062; 8. 7S-Jason Sides, 12.115; 9. 2-Shane Stewart, 12.115; 10. 7-Paul McMahan, 12.143; 11. 9X-Paul Nienhiser, 12.181; 12. 1A-Jacob Allen, 12.214; 13. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 12.246; 14. 15-Donny Schatz, 12.298; 15. 5J-Jeremy Schultz, 12.338; 16. W20-Greg Wilson, 12.357; 17. 73-Ben Schmidt, 12.523; 18. 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski, 12.555; 19. 50-Russ Egan, 12.568; 20. O2-Mike Reinke, 12.603; 21. 4B-Scott Biertzer, 12.641; 22. 2W-Scotty Neitzel, 12.693; 23. 94R-Robbie Pribnow, 12.720; 24. 64-Scotty Thiel, 12.729; 25. 23B-Russell Borland, 12.791; 26. 12W-Josh Walter, 12.930; 27. 23D-Trey Datweiler, 13.159; 28. 13-Clyde Knipp, 13.344

Heat 1 - (10 Laps - Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) - 1. 83-Joey Saldana [1]; 2. 9-Daryn Pittman [2]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [3]; 4. 1S-Logan Schuchart [5]; 5. 7-Paul McMahan [4]; 6. W20-Greg Wilson [6]; 7. 50-Russ Egan [7]; 8. 23B-Russell Borland [9]; 9. 13-Clyde Knipp [10]; 10. 2W-Scotty Neitzel [8]

Heat 2 - (10 Laps - Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) - 1. 41-Jason Johnson [1]; 2. 7S-Jason Sides [3]; 3. 29-Kerry Madsen [2]; 4. 9X-Paul Nienhiser [4]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz [5]; 6. O2-Mike Reinke [7]; 7. 73-Ben Schmidt [6]; 8. 12W-Josh Walter [9]; 9. 94R-Robbie Pribnow [8]

Heat 3 - (10 Laps - Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) - 1. 5-David Gravel [1]; 2. 17B-Bill Balog [2]; 3. 2-Shane Stewart [3]; 4. 1A-Jacob Allen [4]; 5. 4B-Scott Biertzer [7]; 6. 5J-Jeremy Schultz [5]; 7. 64-Scotty Thiel [8]; 8. 23D-Trey Datweiler [9]; 9. 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski [6]

Dash - (8 Laps, finishing order determined first 6 starting positions of A-feature) - 1. 9-Daryn Pittman [3]; 2. 17B-Bill Balog [1]; 3. 5-David Gravel [4]; 4. 83-Joey Saldana [6]; 5. 41-Jason Johnson [5]; 6. 7S-Jason Sides [2]

Last Chance Showdown - (12 Laps - Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) - 1. 73-Ben Schmidt [1][-]; 2. 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski [2][-]; 3. 23B-Russell Borland [7][-]; 4. 2W-Scotty Neitzel [4][-]; 5. 64-Scotty Thiel [6][-]; 6. 50-Russ Egan [3][-]; 7. 12W-Josh Walter [8][$300]; 8. 23D-Trey Datweiler [9][$250]; 9. 13-Clyde Knipp [10][$225]; 10. 94R-Robbie Pribnow [5][$200].

Unofficial World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series Championship Standings

Pos.	Car	Driver	Total	Diff	Wins	Top 5's	Top 10's	QT
1	15	Donny Schatz	5814	0	10	28	39	2
2	49	Brad Sweet	5736	-78	6	24	35	6
3	9	Daryn Pittman	5708	-106	5	25	32	4
4	2	Shane Stewart	5706	-108	5	22	37	2
5	5	David Gravel	5662	-152	3	23	33	2
6	83	Joey Saldana	5596	-218	4	17	31	10
7	41	Jason Johnson	5318	-496	1	9	23	2
8	7S	Jason Sides	5196	-618	1	3	17	2
9	1S	Logan Schuchart	5124	-690	0	4	16	2
10	7	Paul McMahan	5038	-776	0	0	11	0
11	W20	Greg Wilson	4798	-1016	1	3	7	0
12	1A	Jacob Allen	4426	-1388	0	1	5	0
13	29	Kerry Madsen	3700	-2114	2	10	19	0
14	24	Terry McCarl	2594	-3220	1	1	4	0
15	1	Sammy Swindell	2535	-3279	0	2	5	1
16	13	Clyde Knipp	2270	-3544	0	0	0	0
17	17W	Bryan Clauson	1918	-3896	0	1	6	0
18	11k	Kraig Kinser	1848	-3966	0	1	4	0
19	82	Dusty Zomer	1792	-4022	0	1	4	0
20	41X	Dominic Scelzi	1610	-4204	0	1	2	0

WOOSprint.com Race Report.

Tifft to undergo surgery to remove brain tumor

Joe Gibbs Racing issued a medical update on XFINITY Series and NASCAR Next driver Matt Tifft on Tuesday, announcing the 20-year-old will undergo surgery for removal of a low-grade glioma in the brain.

Per the team release, the slow-growing tumor was found during treatment and evaluation for a recent disc condition in his back. Tifft is expected to undergo surgery and rehabilitation soon and once cleared by physicians is expected to return to racing. The release noted the JGR rookie is anxious to return to the race track as soon as possible.

As stated, I will be undergoing a brain tumor removal surgery after a scan during back procedure. No correlation pic.twitter.com/6dnox6arj6

— Matt Tifft (@Matt_Tifft) June 28, 2016

In six series starts this season, the driver has two top-10 finishes and earned the 21 Means 21 Pole Award at Talladega.

Tifft was replaced by interim driver Sam Hornish Jr. earlier this month at Iowa Speedway. Hornish won the race, leading 183 of 250 laps.

David Ragan has been enlisted to drive the No. 18 Surface Sunscreen/Rugged Maniac Toyota Camry XFINITY series entry for Joe Gibbs Racing for Friday's Subway Firecracker 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN).

NASCAR Release.

Full schedule for Daytona

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series will race at Daytona International Speedway this week, while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is off. Check out the full weekend schedule below.

Note: All times are ET

THURSDAY, JUNE 30:
-- 2-2:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series first practice, NBCSN
-- 3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first practice, NBCSN
-- 4-4:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN
-- 5-5:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN

FRIDAY, JULY 1: 
-- 2:10 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
-- 4:10 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
-- 7:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Subway Firecracker 250 Powered by Coca-Cola (100 laps, 250 miles), NBCSN

SATURDAY, JULY 2:
-- 7:45 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola (160 laps, 400 miles), NBC

From NASCAR.com.

NASCAR updates Sprint Cup Series race eligibility

Starting at Daytona this weekend, NASCAR has
updated their Sprint Cup race eligibility and new
provisional starting guidelines for races during the
Chase.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR today announced updated procedures for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race eligibility and new provisional starting guidelines for races during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Starting with Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway (7:45 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), current-year owner points will replace practice speeds for determining race eligibility and starting position in the event adverse conditions prevent Coors Light Pole Qualifying from taking place. Starting in 2017, for the second and third events of the season, practice speeds for Open teams will remain the criteria used to determine race eligibility.

NASCAR also announced that Open teams that earn a berth in the Chase will be awarded a provisional starting position for every Chase race, guaranteeing those teams an opportunity to compete for the championship in NASCAR's playoffs.

"These changes provide a more even competition field for both Charter and Open teams, rewarding strong performances over the course of a season," said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president, racing operations. "Earning a berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is extremely difficult and requires consistent elite performance. Those teams should be guaranteed an opportunity to race for the title, and this ensures that will be the case."

The creation of provisional starting positions for Open teams that earn a berth in the Chase has been discussed extensively with industry stakeholders.

The adverse conditions qualifying procedures remain unchanged for the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Official NASCAR Release.

Briscoe out-duels Sargeant on final restart at Winchester for career-first win

WINCHESTER, Ind. (June 26, 2016) – Chase Briscoe got the best of Dalton Sargeant on the final restart inside of 30 laps to go, then drove away to win the Herr’s Potato Chips 200 Sunday afternoon at Winchester Speedway.

It was Briscoe's career-first ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards victory in his 12th series start.

“This feels so good…I’ve been so frustrated,” Briscoe said. “To finally get my first win, and especially in my home state is just incredible,” added the Mitchell, Indiana rookie.

Debris on the frontstretch brought out the final caution and set up the final restart coming to the 177th lap.

Briscoe, in the No. 77 Big Tine-Cunningham Motorsports Ford, went side-by-side with Sargeant for a full three laps before pushing his car ahead of Sargeant’s No. 55 TRD-Windows 10 Toyota. Sargeant fell back 10 lengths at the checkered flag, finishing second.

“Car got really tight,” Sargeant said. “I gave it my all…I just got beat. I just want to thank everyone at Venturini Motorsports. This team did everything it needed to win this race…we just came up one short. Those final restarts didn’t help.”

The heat probably didn’t help either with temperatures reaching well into the 90s.

“This one was definitely harder than most,” Briscoe said. “I was getting worn out…it was so hot. You have to be up on the wheel every lap here. We almost threw it away on those final restarts. This was our race to lose.”

Briscoe nearly did just that, giving the lead up to Sargeant in the back half of the race before getting it back for the final 24 laps.

“I can’t thank my car owners Briggs Cunningham and Kerry Scherer enough,” Briscoe continued. 

“Last year, I was catching tires for Cunningham Motorsports. Now we’re leading the points. I feel like the next win is going to come a little easier now.”

Briscoe, who earned his fifth Menards Pole presented by Ansell Saturday, led the first 118 laps, pulling away by as much as a full straightaway before Sargeant reeled him in. Sargeant followed Briscoe’s rear bumper for several laps before getting underneath the eventual winner coming off turn two. Sargeant finally cleared Briscoe off turn four to lead the 119th lap. From there, Sargeant pulled away by a near straightaway, leading up through the 176th lap. Sargeant looked like he was on his way to victory lane; however, three late-race restarts kept bringing the field back together, and kept Briscoe’s hopes alive.

Sargeant managed to out-duel Briscoe during two of the three restarts, but lost the battle on the third and final restart in the closing laps.

Kyle Weatherman, who started at the back for unapproved adjustments, battled all day for a hard-fought third-place finish in the No. 98 St. Charles Glass Chevrolet.

“Long, hard race,” Weatherman said. “Starting in the back made it a lot harder. I thought we had the best car on long runs but we were giving up too much in the beginning. Just something we need to work on. Thanks to Mason Mitchell Motorsports for the opportunity.”

Matt Kurzejewski finished fourth in the No. 52 Ansell-Menards Toyota.

“We had an awesome car the first half of the race,” Kurzejewski said. “But I think everyone else got a little better than us. We weren’t as good on the long runs as we needed to be, but we’ll take this finish and build on it for the next one.”

Tom Hessert finished fifth in the No. 25 Cherry Hill Classic Cars Toyota. Josh Williams was sixth in the No. 6 Circle Track Warehouse Chevrolet, the last car on the lead lap. AJ Fike, Will Kimmel, Dakoda Armstrong and Josh Reeves completed the top 10 finishers, respectively.

Iowa Speedway will host the next event for the ARCA Racing Series with the ARCA 150 presented by Casey’s General Stores July 9, live on FS2. ARCAracing.com will feature live timing and scoring, and live chat.

ARCA Race Recap.

No. 10 team hauler broken into at Sonoma

For the second year in a row, the No. 10 Sprint Cup crew of Danica Patrick has their team van broken into at Sonoma.

Crewmen on the team say the burglary happened while they were at an event for their sponsor Natures Bakery.

The crew were guests at a pro Volleyball event and they parked on a main road next to plenty of people. When they returned to their vehicle after the event, a window was busted and bags were taken.

Most of the guys had their cell phones and wallets on them but plenty of valuables were gone.

One crew member said, “They got everything they could grab without opening the doors. Its seemed to be a smash and grab type of robbery."

Info from PitTalks.

Stewart nudges Hamlin for Toyota/Save Mart 350 victory

Tony Stewart won Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series race at Sonoma Raceway.

SONOMA, CA – Tony Stewart gave it all he had to hold off (and pass) Denny Hamlin in the last lap of the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway.

"Last night I would have said we were lucky to be a 15th place car," Stewart said after the race.

Hamlin passed Stewart in Turn 7 of the road course on the last lap. But exiting Turn 11 Stewart seemed to nudge Hamlin pull away and win the race, which comes with a great feeling, since Stewart missed so much of the beginning of the season due to an injury.

"They're [wins] all good," Stewart said in victory lane. "It doesn't matter where you get them."

"It's special for us."

This win at Sonoma is Stewart's first since winning at Dover on June 2, 2013. It's the 49th of his Sprint Cup career.

"I thought I had just missed the corner more than anything," Hamlin, who finished second, said after the race.

"What a cool win for Tony Stewart," said third-place finisher Joey Logano. "This is probably a historic moment here."

Carl Edwards came in fourth followed by Martin Truex Jr. to round out the Top-5.

"That is the most fun I've had here in a long time," said Edwards.