NASCAR ‘back to the drawing board’ to improve passing up front after Coca-Cola 600

Executive vice president Steve O’Donnell said Martin Truex Jr.’s dominant victory in the Coca-Cola 600 has NASCAR heading “back to the drawing board” to improve its 1.5-mile racing.

O’Donnell, the chief racing development officer for NASCAR, credited Truex and Furniture Row Racing for its “blowout” victory in which the No. 78 Toyota led a record 392 of 400 laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“Certainly great for Martin Truex Jr. and the race team and Furniture Row and (owner) Barney Visser,” O’Donnell told SiriusXM NASCAR’s “The Morning Drive” in his weekly appearance. “But also certainly a challenging race for us and things we’ve already learned and going to back to the drawing board, and one of our stated goals is passing up front. That was not what we saw (Sunday) night.

“Not to take anything away from Martin. He had the car to beat, and he didn’t give it up all night long.”

The quality of racing was in contrast to the Sprint All-Star Race the previous week on the same track. NASCAR changed its rear-toe alignment rules for the All-Star Race, restricting the amount of “skew” teams can employ to improve handling and stability. As a result, there hardly were any spins in the longest race of the season as several drivers said their cars felt more comfortable on the 1.5-mile oval.

O’Donnell said NASCAR used different rules in successive weekends at Charlotte to prove out whether the changes had a significant impact. Nearly four hours of mostly lackluster racing Sunday affirmed that.

“That’s one of the reasons we ran two different things to have some comparative data,” O’Donnell said. “We saw some really good things with the skew we had for the All-Star Race. It’s something we can immediately pull the lever on.”

NASCAR already announced last week that the skew rules from the All-Star Race would be used for the June 12 race at Michigan International Speedway and the July 9 event at Kentucky Speedway.

O’Donnell also said NASCAR would look at finding ways to improve tire wear in night races, which typically have cooler track conditions.

“More so than anything, you immediately look at the partnership with Goodyear and what we need to do to really look at how we wear tires as much as possible, particularly at night races,” he said. “We can go to work on that.

“Goodyear has been a great partner this year from the rules package and matching that up. We’ve seen some really strong results, particularly in the day races. Obviously, we’ve got some things to look at as we look at some of the future night races and see what we can do with that tire combination and the rules package.”

O’Donnell also conceded when a driver has a car as good as Truex’s was, there only is so much that can be done to improve passing at the front of the pack. There were nine lead changes across 600 miles Sunday, mostly during green-flag pit sequences.

“It’s one of those things,” O’Donnell said. “(NASCAR Chairman) Brian (France) said this. We only have one race to compare against vs. 14 to 15 NFL games, or 10 NBA games. But if you do look at, and we do compare ourselves in terms of being a playoff sport each and every week, and you’ll have those blowouts from time to time.

“I don’t want to by any means take anything away from what Martin, (crew chief) Cole Pearn and that team has done because they are more deserving of that win. He is a great story. When you look at it, he’s a guy who you expect could win a championship now. That is just great to see.”

Post-Charlotte notebook: Truex achievements make for a long list

Martin Truex Jr.’s dominant victory in Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 was notable on a number of accounts.

Not only was it his fourth career win in 382 career Sprint Cup starts, it was his first win in nearly a year (34 races, last win was June 2015 at Pocono).

Here are several more nuggets that also are notable (courtesy of Racing Insights).

* In just 13 races this season, Truex has led more laps (809) than he has in any other season in the Sprint Cup Series. The most laps Truex had led in a previous season was 581 in 2007 and 567 in 2015.

* It was the first win by a single-car team in the Coca-Cola 600 since Bobby Labonte for Joe Gibbs Racing in 1995.

* Truex became the first driver in 40 years to win the Coca-Cola 600 from the pole. David Pearson last did so in NASCAR’s longest race of the year in 1976.

* Truex wasted little time in earning the win. In fact, all drivers wasted little time, as it was the quickest race in Coca-Cola 600 history: Just 3 hours, 44 minutes and 8 seconds.

* The average speed in Sunday’s race was also the fastest in Coca-Cola 600 history: 160.644 mph.

* Truex led 98 percent of the 400 laps. That’s the most dominating win in the last 714 races, dating back to September 2000 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, when current NBC NASCAR analyst Jeff Burton led 100 percent of the laps.

* With 13 races, 23 races remain in the 2016 Sprint Cup season. However, time is getting more crucial for drivers to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Only 13 races remain to make the Chase. Truex is the eighth driver to win a race in 2016, meaning there still are eight spots remaining to fill the 16-driver Chase field.

* With his late May win at Charlotte, Truex began a new timetable of sorts. All three of his previous Sprint Cup wins came in June.

Upon Further Review: Coca-Cola 600

So how to explain why a week after the Sprint All-Star Race was praised for its racing could the Coca-Cola 600 not have similar racing at the front?

Kevin Harvick, who finished second to Martin Truex Jr. in Sunday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, suggests that one shouldn’t be quick to judgement.

“The All‑Star Race is just so much different,’’ Harvick said. “I don’t know if it’s a fair assessment of was it better or was it worse. I think both nights we’ve seen good racing.

“We were able to pass tonight with our car once we got the handling better and make up ground, so I don’t know what the racing was like with the rest of the pack, but I think as you look at what’s coming down the road, I think that the cars were already sliding around a fair amount. They seemed like they slid around more (Sunday) than they did actually at the All‑Star Race. But my car had some different balance characteristics tonight than it had at the All‑Star Race.

“I think compared to last year, we’re light years ahead of where we were, and I think we’re headed in a great direction with the new package.’’

Two of the next five Sprint Cup races — Michigan on June 12 and Kentucky on July 9 — will feature rule changes NASCAR is looking to incorporate next season. The changes are intended to reduce downforce and sideforce, lowering corner speeds and making it easier for drivers to run closer together.

One of those changes is a rear-toe alignment change that reduces the amount of “skew,” or how much the car can be slanted at speed. That change was in place at the All-Star Race but not in the Coke 600, and some drivers said the return of skew seemed to increase their cars’ stability, making it easier to keep competitors at bay and fend off passes.

Sunday, few got close enough to Truex, who led a record 392 of the 400 laps. Truex and Jimmie Johnson briefly dueled for the lead with less than 60 laps to go, but Truex quickly pulled away.

“He wasn’t going to be denied, there was no way around that,’’ Johnson said.

— Each race, NASCAR takes at least two Sprint Cup cars back to its R&D Center for further inspection.

The winner of each races goes except for the Daytona 500 winner  (inspection is completed at the track because the winning car remains in Daytona for a year after that race). The runner-up also goes to the R&D Center. At times, NASCAR selects a random car as well.

Here’s how many times each car has gone to the R&D Center.

Kyle Busch — 5 times (Kansas, Talladega, Richmond, Texas, Martinsville)

Kevin Harvick — 5 times (Coke 600, Kansas, Auto Club, Phoenix, Daytona 500

Joey Logano — 3 times (All-Star, Las Vegas, Daytona 500)

Brad Keselowski — 3 times (All-Star, Talladega, Las Vegas)

Carl Edwards — 3 times (Richmond, Bristol, Phoenix)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. — 3 times (Bristol, Texas, Atlanta)

Martin Truex Jr. — 2 times (Coke 600, Daytona 500)

Jimmie Johnson — 2 times (Auto Club, Atlanta)

Kasey Kahne — 2 times (Dover, Las Vegas)

Greg Biffle — 1 time (Coke 600)

A.J. Allmendinger — 1 time (Martinsville)

Matt Kenseth — 1 time (Dover)

Kyle Larson — 1 time (Dover)

So that’s a tally of 14 Chevrolets, 11 Toyotas and 8 Fords since the Daytona 500.

— All five cars in the Joe Gibbs Racing/Furniture Row Racing alliance now have won a race, all but putting each in the Chase.

— The last Sprint Cup victory by a Chevrolet team was by Jimmie Johnson on March 20 at Auto Club Speedway.

Kurt Busch fastest in first of two final practices for Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte

Kurt Busch was fastest in the first of two final Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup practice sessions Saturday morning at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Busch was the only driver to exceed 191 mph, clocking a field-best speed of 191.002 mph.

Jimmie Johnson was second fastest at 190.617 mph, followed by 600 pole sitter Martin Truex Jr. (190.061), Carl Edwards (189.887) and a strong run from Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (189.414).

On the flip side, several drivers struggled in the session, including three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers: Denny Hamlin (25th fastest, 185.848 mph), Matt Kenseth (26th fastest, 185.510) and defending Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch, who was 32nd fastest (184.281 mph).

Dale Earnhardt Jr. suffered a slight problem during the session when the power steering fluid seal broke, causing smoke to come out of the rear of his car. The problem was fixed and Earnhardt returned to the track.

The final practice session takes place this afternoon at 1 to 1:50 pm ET. The Coca-Cola 600 begins Sunday night at 6 p.m. ET.

Here’s how Saturday’s first practice session played out:

No secrets: From setups to strategy, group chat among some crew chiefs shares all

CONCORD, N.C. — As Martin Truex Jr. led fellow Toyota driver Carl Edwards at Dover earlier this month, crew chief Cole Pearn plotted his strategy, wondering what Edwards’ crew chief, Dave Rogers, planned to do.

So Pearn asked Rogers.

He messaged him, actually.

“Come on man, throw me a bone,’’ Rogers recalled Pearn’s note. “Tell me when you’re going to pit.’’

Pearn, Rogers and his fellow Joe Gibbs Racing crew chiefs are on a group chat with Andy Graves, group vice president, technical director for Toyota Racing Development, USA. They share information throughout the week and an occasional quip — often by Pearn. The chat doesn’t stop when the race starts.

Group chats are not new in NASCAR among crew chiefs on the same team or alliance. Graves recalls a more modest system in place at Hendrick Motorsports when he served as Terry Labonte’s crew chief from 1997-99.

With team computers showing each car’s setup and pertinent information, crew chiefs know what their teammates are doing at all times. Joe Gibbs Racing has incorporated Furniture Row Racing’s Truex so that the information available to each team is if they truly were teammates.

Even with all that information to both Toyota teams, the group chat provides answers to questions about key issues, setup notes and other matters. The more a crew chief knows, the more informed their decisions can be.

Still, what about asking a teammate/competitor on strategy that could hurt them?

It’s all fair.

“What did you tell him?’’ Edwards asked Rogers upon hearing of Pearn’s Dover request. “Get back to you in a minute?’’

They laughed.

No, that’s not what Rogers told Pearn.

Before Rogers revealed how he responded, he recalled that weekend and the struggles Rogers and Edwards had with their car during practice. It was confusing because the setup had worked so well previously. As they tried to figure out how to be faster, Truex posted quick times.

Rogers told his engineers to get Truex’s setup and they would change Edwards’ car to match what Truex had with his.

Edwards went faster.

So when Pearn’s request came during the race asking about what lap Edwards would pit, Rogers responded in the only way he could.

“I told him what I was going to do,’’ Rogers said.

As Graves watched the exchange on the chat, he beamed.

“It’s competitive inside, but not to the point that we’re willing to jeopardize the good of the whole,’’ he said.

That’s the message ingrained in the teams. There’s a closeness between JGR and Furniture Row Racing that is different when Michael Waltrip Racing was with Toyota. The group chat for JGR and MWR crew chiefs was primarily used during restrictor-plate events at Daytona and Talladega.

It’s used constantly among JGR and Furniture Row Racing.

“There’s no question that each one of us wants to be the top team every week,’’ Rogers said. “If you didn’t, you don’t belong in this sport. But we all know that our unity and our sharing of information is going to separate us from the field. It’s a heck of a lot easier to beat four guys than it is to beat 39. So if we work together and we can separate our group and fight amongst ourselves, our odds of winning are better.’’

Pearn said that the openness will keep their working relationship strong.

“Once you go down the path of hiding from each other is when most teammate relationships break down,’’ he said. “You hide one time and it’s easier to do the next time and you just slowly drift apart.’’

Another key to the group chat is that Graves can add his insight on matters, including things during the race the other crew chiefs might be too busy to notice.

Graves noticed during that Dover race that Dale Earnhardt Jr., running outside the top 10 at the time, was saving fuel to make it to the end based on his slower lap times. Graves altered his crew chiefs to the maneuver. In the end, it didn’t matter when Earnhardt was collected in the 18-car crash late in that event, but it could have.

The cooperation was evident Thursday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Truex and Edwards were staged next to each other on pit road during Coca-Cola 600 qualifying. Before the final session, which would determine the pole, Rogers walked over to Pearn and talked briefly. Truex went on to win the pole.

“There’s no information that is not shared,’’ Rogers said.

As a result, Joe Gibbs Racing has won seven of the first 12 points races this season and Truex seems on the cusp of winning.

Mark Martin returns to track as pace car driver for Coca-Cola 600

Newly elected NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin hasn’t been to a NASCAR race since the 2013 Sprint Cup finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He’ll return in a big way Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600, serving as the race’s pace car driver prior to the green flag..

The honor will cap off a day for Martin that starts off in Indianapolis, where Martin will watch the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. Then in his own version of “The Double,” the 2002 winner of the Coke 600 will fly to Charlotte to jump in the Toyota pace car.

“When the speedway called to ask me if I’d do it, my first reaction was ‘Hell, yeah!’” Martin said in a press release. “Originally I’d planned to be at Indy, but now I get to do the ‘double’ in a way, and I can say I’ll be driving at Charlotte. Charlotte Motor Speedway was always my favorite race track.”

In addition to his Coke 600 win, Martin won at Charlotte a total of four times in the Cup series and had 18 top fives. In the Xfinity Series, Martin earned another six wins at the 1.5-mile track.

“I was fortunate enough to have a lot of success there, including winning a Coke 600,” Martin said. “Bruton and Marcus (Smith) always put on a fabulous show, and this will be cool to lead the field to green in front of thousands of fans that I enjoyed racing for all those years.”

Starting grid for the 57th Coca-Cola 600

Martin Truex Jr. will lead the field in the Coca-Cola 600 to the green flag Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Behind him in the field will be Joey Logano, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski. Defending race winner Carl Edwards starts ninth. Seven-time Charlotte winner Jimmie Johnson rolls off seventh.

Here’s the starting grid for NASCAR’s longest race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team among three that will lose pit stall selection for Coca-Cola 600

NASCAR announced Thursday that three Sprint Cup teams had received their fourth warning and would lose pit stall selection for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s team received its fourth warning after failing template inspection twice before qualifying.

Jimmie Johnson‘s team received its fourth warning after failing template inspection twice before qualifying.

Aric Almirola‘s team received its third and fourth warnings Thursday after failing template inspection twice and the Laser Inspection Station twice before qualifying.

Teams lose pit stall selection for every fourth warning. With pit stall selection not taking place until Saturday morning, the teams of Earnhardt, Johnson and Almirola lose pit stall selection for this weekend’s event.

Joey Logano has chance to earn first All-Star, Coke 600 sweep since 2010

Joey Logano‘s win in the Sprint All-Star Race last Saturday might have been the result of the event’s confusing format, but it was also a result of broader trend.

Logano is kind of good at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Through his first seven seasons in the Sprint Cup Series, Logano made 14 starts at the 1.5-mile track, plus six starts in the All-Star Race.

Logano’s win last weekend was his second visit to victory lane in Charlotte in as many races, including his win last year in the October points race.

Based on his results in the 14 point races, Logano now owns the best average finish at Charlotte among active Cup drivers with an average of 9.57. NASCAR’s totals for the stat date back to the 2005 season, which was four years before Logano’s first full-time campaign.

In his last seven Charlotte starts, Logano has three top five and four top-10 finishes. If Logano were to win Sunday, he would be the first driver since Kurt Busch in 2010 with Team Penske to sweep the All-Star Race and the Coke 600.

Behind Logano in the avg finish category is defending Coca-Cola 600 winner Carl Edwards, with an avg of 10.5. Edwards has seven top five and 15 top-10 finishes at Charlotte since he broke into the Cup series in 2005. Last’s year’s Coke 600 was his first win in 22 Charlotte starts.

“Last year’s win at the Coca-Cola 600 was huge for us,” Edwards said in a press release. “It was a turning point in our season and it’s still sinking in that our 19 team are the defending champions of the Coca-Cola 600.”

Edwards’ win was his first with Joe Gibbs Racing.

“The track changes a lot as we go into the night and you have to stay on top of it and regardless of how long it is,” Edward said. “A lot of it is you have to be on your game at the end and those have been some long nights and I think that at the end of the day that does wear on you and you have to be prepared for it.”

Not among the top drivers in avg finish is a surprising name – Jimmie Johnson. While the six-time Sprint Cup champion is has the best driver rating at Charlotte since 2005 (109.0), his avg finish in that time is 14.9, which trails drivers like Logano, Edwards, Kevin Harvick (13.9), Denny Hamlin (12.8), Kasey Kahne (12.0) and Kyle Busch (13.5).

Since 2005, Johnson has won four of his record seven Charlotte races. His sweep in 2005 was part of four wins in a row for the No. 48 team. His two wins since 2005 came in the 2009 fall race and the 2014 Coke 600.

“Last weekend’s All-Star event was in essence a ‘test’ for this weekend,” said Johnson’s crew chief, Chad Knaus, in a press release. “We learned some important things about tire fall off even though we didn’t get a ton of practice. The 600-miler is a tough, tough race and it takes a lot of patience and some endurance on everyone’s part to be there at the end.”

In his 22 Charlotte starts over the last 10 seasons, Johnson has nine top fives, 11 top-10 finishes and four DNFs.

Since 2013, he has one win, but in the four races he hasn’t finished in the top five, he has failed to finish better than 17th.

Could Kansas race be start of something special for a Sprint Cup team?

It was about this time a year ago that Joe Gibbs Racing began making its push toward dominance and a Sprint Cup championship.

Can someone else make that move this month?

Tonight’s race at Kansas Speedway begins a key stretch for NASCAR Sprint Cup teams. Three of the next four races, including the Sprint All-Star Race, will be at 1.5-mile tracks — Kansas, the All-Star race at Charlotte and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.

After this stretch, teams will race on one more 1.5-mile track (Kentucky in July) before the Chase begins in September. Five of the 10 Chase races are on 1.5-mile speedways.

Last May, Denny Hamlin won the Sprint All-Star Race for Joe Gibbs Racing and Carl Edwards followed with a win in the Coca-Cola 600.

“It just seems like since that point they have been the cars to beat,’’ Jamie McMurray said of JGR. “The No. 4 car (Kevin Harvick) has still been really quick. Maybe not quite as quick as he was last year, but he is still fairly quick, but the Gibbs cars just since last May have been the cars to beat.’’

The success continued for the Gibbs cars after last May. Kyle Busch won at Kentucky. Hamlin made it four in a row on 1.5-mile tracks by winning at Chicagoland Speedway to open the playoffs. Although the streak ended at Kansas with Joey Logano’s victory, Busch went on to win at Homestead-Miami Speedway, a 1.5-mile track, to capture the title.

Entering tonight’s race, Busch is tied with Jimmie Johnson with the best average finish (2.7) in the first three races on 1.5-mile tracks. Busch won at Texas, the most recent race on a 1.5-mile track. Johnson won at Atlanta. Brad Keselowski won at Las Vegas.

While McMurray and Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Kyle Larson have struggled on these tracks this season, McMurray is hopeful that tonight will change their fortunes and season.

“They’ve learned quite a bit of stuff in the wind tunnel that we are going to apply this weekend that I think will make a big difference,’’ McMurray said of his Ganassi team. “And I’ve said this for the last couple of years and over the winter, that to me, if you can get your 1.5-mile program good, it carries you through the road course and the short tracks. It’s just so important to be good at the 1.5-mile tracks.’’

Best average finish on 1.5-mile tracks this season (3 races)

2.7 — Kyle Busch

2.7 — Jimmie Johnson

4.0 — Dale Earnhardt Jr.

5.7 — Joey Logano

7.3 — Kurt Busch

7.7 — Kevin Harvick

8.0 — Martin Truex Jr.

9.3 — Brad Keselowski

10.0 — Carl Edwards

11.7 — Austin Dillon