FOX SPORTS, NASCAR RETURN FOR 'BEYOND THE WHEEL'

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. and CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- FS1 and NASCAR Productions will present the second season of the acclaimed documentary series Beyond the Wheel as part of FS1's NASCAR RACE HUB. Created to depict the sport's most pivotal moments and compelling narratives, the short films focus on influential characters -- both past and present -- and the unique stories that have shaped NASCAR as a sport since its inception. The first film premieres on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. ET during NASCAR RACE HUB on FS1.

The second season of the documentary short film series is comprised of the following:

· Bonneville 71 details how NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Bobby Isaac set 28 land speed records with a banned Dodge Charger Daytona on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1971, accompanied only by his crew members, a USAC official and a Chrysler engineer. Using the authentic No. 71 K&K Charger and featuring interviews with original crew members Buddy Parrott and Ken Troutt, the documentary pays homage to Isaac's historical runs by revisiting the Salt Flats to shoot all-new footage down a 10-mile straightaway. A remarkable story of innovation, the short film depicts Isaac's desire and dedication to always test the limits of speed, no matter the barriers.

· Sueños de NASCAR follows NASCARXFINITY Series driver Daniel Suárez from his roots in Monterrey, Mexico, to his rise in one of the sport's top series through the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program. As Suárez returns home to visit family and friends, the film explores his place in Mexican racing culture, how the country has embraced stock car racing, and the impact of Mexican drivers on the future of the sport. Illustrating the young driver as a source of inspiration, the documentary also examines Suárez's success as the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series race and his current pursuit of the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship.

· Miracle at Daytona -- The Tiny Lund Storyrecounts how DeWayne "Tiny" Lund risked his life to rescue fellow driver, Marvin Panch, from his burning Maserati atDaytona International Speedway before going on to win the 1963 Daytona 500 just days later. The true story of a journeyman driver who was one of the most likeable characters of his era, Lund was also awarded the Carnegie Hero's Medal for his selfless bravery in what became one of the greatest Daytona 500 stories of all time.

The second film in the series featuring Daniel Suárez will premiere on Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. ET, while the original special on Tiny Lund will air in early 2017. Each documentary will also be available on FOX Sports GO and FOXSports.com following its premiere.

NASCAR NAMES PEAK AS TITLE SPONSOR FOR MEXICO SERIES

RELATED: PEAK becomes title sponsor of Mexico Series

NASCAR announced a multi-year agreement with Old World Industries (OWI) to make PEAK title sponsor of the NASCAR Mexico Series, which will run a full slate of races in 2017 and ensuing seasons.
 
The NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series will kick off with an exhibition race on Dec. 3-4 in Mexico City. Its 10th season will begin in 2017 with a full championship schedule that will be announced at a later date.
 
"The NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series is a place where young drivers are honing their skills and competing for a championship against the toughest competition in Latin America," said Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. "The series drives interest in stock car racing in Mexico, while cultivating talented drivers and pit crew members who aspire to compete at the NASCAR national series level."
 
NASCAR XFINITY Series star Daniel Suárez -- the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series race, earn a national series Sunoco Rookie of the Year award and lead a national series in points -- developed his talents in the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series. Suárez is currently competing for the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship in its inaugural Chase playoff. Another young talent the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series has fostered is Ruben Garcia Jr., an alumnus of the NASCAR Next initiative that highlights the sport's top up-and-coming drivers. Both Suárez and Garcia are also alums of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program.
 
"Without (the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series), I wouldn't be here right now," Suárez said. "Really, road course racing in Mexico has been popular for many years, but in the last 10 years, with the NASCAR Mexico Series, a lot of drivers have had the opportunity to choose a different path, to choose stock car racing. I was one of those drivers and it felt like the right decision. Because of that, I was able to learn everything, how to race on ovals, how to race in a stock car. After that, I got my first opportunity in the U.S."
 
As part of OWI's deal, PEAK becomes an official NASCAR partner. The NASCAR bar mark will be featured on select PEAK products, including PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant (Official Antifreeze/Coolant of NASCAR) and PEAK Windshield Washer Fluid and Wipers (Official Washer Fluid and Wiper Blade of NASCAR), BlueDEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid and Equipment (Official Diesel Exhaust Fluid of NASCAR and Official Diesel Exhaust Fluid Equipment of NASCAR) and Herculiner Truck & Bed Liners (Official Roll-On and Spray-On Bed Liner of NASCAR).
 
PEAK has been involved in NASCAR since the 1990s. This season, it served as a season-long associate sponsor of Clint Bowyer's No. 15 Chevrolet. PEAK is the title sponsor of NASCAR's eSports partner iRacing.com, which aided in developing current NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series points leader William Byron.
 
"Old World Industries products have been a recognized part of the racing industry for decades, and we're proud to help bring NASCAR to the passionate fans in Mexico and the U.S. for years to come," said Bryan Emrich, chief marketing officer at Old World Industries. "Whether in the garage or on the track, we'll continue to deliver quality products that auto enthusiasts can count on."

NASCAR announces continuation of Mexico Series with new series sponsor

NASCAR announced Tuesday night the continuation of its Mexico Series and that Peak will be the series sponsor.

The NASCAR Peak Mexico Series will make its return with an exhibition event Dec. 3-4 in Mexico City. The series will officially get underway in 2017 with a full schedule to be announced later.Ruben Garcia Jr. won the 2015 series title, the most recent season the series completed.

“The NASCAR Peak Mexico Series is a place where young drivers are honing their skills and competing for a championship against the toughest competition in Latin America,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, in a statement. “The series drives interest in stock car racing in Mexico, while cultivating talented drivers and pit crew members aspiring to compete at the NASCAR national series level.”

Xfinity Series driver Daniel Suarez, who competed in the Peak Mexico Series previously, is excited to see the series continue.

“I am extremely proud to be a Mexican driver competing against the best young drivers making a name for themselves in the NASCAR Xfinity Series,” he said in a statement. “I am lucky to have had the support of NASCAR’s developmental programs along the way – including the NASCAR Mexico Series. I am excited to see that other talented Latin American drivers will continue to have similar opportunities for many years to come.”

Kyle Busch wins Kansas Lottery 300, few Xfinity Chase drivers left unscathed

 Kyle Busch led 150 of 200 laps Saturday in winning the Xfinity Series’ Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway.

Busch earned his 85th Xfinity win and ninth of the year.

Busch did it in a race where only three of the eight remaining Chase drivers finished on the lead lap. Busch had been a lap down and took a wavearound after a caution came out in the middle of green-flag stops.

“There was a lot of things trying to work against us there towards the end,” Busch said. “We just persevered and made it through everything.”

Busch has won the past three Xfinity race at Kansas Speedway.

All five Chase drivers who finished off the lead lap were involved in accidents with less than 35 laps left in the race.

Busch was followed by Elliott Sadler,Daniel Suarez, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson. The third Xfinity Chase driver on the lead lap was Blake Koch (ninth).

MORE: Race results

MORE: Point standings

WHO HAD A GOOD RACE: Elliott Sadler finished second, earning his 15th straight top 10 … Daniel Suarez led six laps and finished third, his seventh top five in eight races … Regan Smith finished sixth for his first top 10 in three Xfinity starts this year … Matt DiBenedetto finished 11th. In 15 Xfinity starts this season, it’s only the second race he’s finished.

WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Cole Custer was involved in three cautions, including a five-car wreck on Lap 165 that collected Chase drivers Darrell Wallace Jr and Justin Allgaier. Custer finished 35th, Wallace 33rd and Allgaier 14th … Brendan Gaughan was another Chase causality, spinning out of Turn 4 with 23 laps left and slid through the grass, receiving significant damage. After being cleared in the medical center, Gaughan dashed back to his car, returning to the race with less than 10 laps left and finishing 31st … Erik Jones raced up front most of the day until contact with Kyle Larson on a restart with 24 to go sent him into Ty Dillon. Jones’ Toyota began smoking from damage, and he pitted before finishing 15th, one lap down.

NOTABLE: If Team Penske’s No. 22 car does not win the Nov. 5 race at Texas Motor Speedway, it will have been a full year since the team’s last victory.

NEXT:  O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET

Results and stats for Xfinity Series race at Kansas

Kyle Busch once again dominated to win a Xfinity Series race, claiming victory in the Kansas Lottery 300 for his ninth win of 2016.

Busch was followed by Elliott Sadler,Daniel Suarez, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson.

Only three Xfinity Chase drivers finished on the lead lap.

The race had 10 cautions for 51 of the 200 laps.

Click here for full race results

Elliott Sadler, Daniel Suarez tied for points lead after Kansas

Elliott Sadler and Daniel Suarez are tied for the Xfinity Series points lead after the Kansas Lottery 300. Sadler finished second, and Suarez was third.

Each has 3,039 points after the opening race of the second round of the Xfinity Chase.

Filling out the top five is Blake Koch (-7),Justin Allgaier (-12) and Erik Jones (-12).

Click here for the full Xfinity Series point standings

XFINITY CONTENDERS TO APPLY ROUND OF 12 LESSONS AT KANSAS

RELATED: Chase Grid

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The first round of the first Chase for NASCAR's XFINITY Series trimmed the field of championship hopefuls from 12 to eight.

The three-race subset also served as a learning tool for those who advanced to the second round, which begins Saturday with the Kansas Lottery 300 (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) here atKansas Speedway.

"I learned that in the first race of the first round the intensity level was very high,"Daniel Suarez (Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota) said Friday. "It was definitely more high than what I was expecting."

Elliott Sadler (JR Motorsports No. 1 Chevrolet) won the Chase opener held atKentucky Speedway. Suarez was a close second, won the following week at Dover and finished third last weekend at Charlotte, unofficially taking the mantle of Chase favorite with four races remaining.

"I thought everyone was going to go out there to try to be consistent and to try to make it for the next round and that wasn't the case," Suarez said. "Everyone was going for the win and everything got a little crazy in the first race in Kentucky.

"But, honestly I'm very proud of everyone …. We had three races with three top-three finishes which I think is something really good for the first round. We have to do exactly the same thing for the second round and after that try to put ourselves in a good position for Homestead and pull everything we have for that last race and the most important race of the year."

Sprint Cup Series regular Joey Loganowon the Charlotte event, the only race not won by an XFINITY Series regular in the Round of 12. 

Suarez, 24, said he expects the level of intensity seen in that opening race to return here this weekend as drivers and teams try to knock out an early win and qualify for the Round of 8.

"For some reason everyone – I thought everyone was going to be more relaxed in the first race but for some reason everyone was very, like I said, the intensity level was very high," he said. "And, then for the second race it was lower and everyone was more relaxed because everyone was a little bit too crazy in the first one. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same in this second round.

"I don't think that I was myself, I don't think I got super crazy in Kentucky and we ended up with a pretty good result. Actually I felt like we should've won that race, we just came up one lap short.

"I felt like everything that we learned the whole year we are trying to put that in the most important part of the year in the Chase in the first round and second round in order to get to the last race at Homestead and so far it's been working out. So, hopefully we can keep it up and move forward."

Justin Allgaier (JRM), Erik Jones (JGR),Brendan Gaughan (Richard Childress Racing), Ryan Reed (Roush Fenway Racing), Darrell Wallace Jr. (RFR) andBlake Koch (Kaulig Racing) complete the Round of 8 for the XFINITY Series Chase.

Suarez, Sadler and Jones are the only drivers in the postseason with victories this season.

Gaughan, who has 15 top 10s, including a season-best runner-up at Road America, said the first round taught his team that "organizationally, to make sure we are prepared. 

"Make sure … we have everything kind of set and ready.

"Another thing Shane (Wilson, crew chief) and I learned was (we) still are clowns that do it our way. It works for us. We don't scream and yell. … He doesn't get down on me when I hit a wall twice at Kentucky. And I don't bark at him when I think he makes the wrong call on pit road or we unload and it doesn't handle quite the way I want.

"We're going to do it the way we think it needs to be done, stay patient and stay on each other’s team. A lot of pressure comes on these guys … and a lot of people succumb to that pressure."

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have won the last three XFINITY Series races at Kansas.

SUAREZ VISITS WHITE HOUSE FOR NATIONAL HISPANIC MONTH

Joe Gibbs Racing's Daniel Suarez has exciting things happening for him on and off the track with his XFINITY Series championship hopes still alive and a month-long National Hispanic Month celebration underway.

Tuesday, the Mexican-born wheelman visited the White House, representing NASCAR for National Hispanic Month. Take a peak inside his busy day in Washington, D.C.

Kyle Larson fastest in final Xfinity Series practice at Charlotte

Kyle Larson was fastest in final Xfinity Series practice Thursday evening at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a lap of 185.198 mph.

Erik Jones, looking to avoid Chase elimination in the Charlotte cutoff race, was second at 184.995 mph with Joey Logano third (184.856 mph), Daniel Suarez (184.332 mph) fourth, and Brandon Jones (184.150 mph) fifth. Larson and Logano are two of five Sprint Cup Series drivers entered in Friday night’s Drive for the Cure 300.

Rounding out the top 10 were Blake Koch (183.830 mph), Justin Allgaier (183.592 mph), Ty Dillon (183.411 mph), Ryan Sieg (182.803 mph), and Austin Dillon (182.636 mph).

There was a brief red flag during the session when Brandon Hightower got loose and crashed off Turn 4.

Watch LIVE:NASCAR America at 6 p.m. ET: Dover recap, look back at Tony Stewart’s final season

A 90-minute episode of NASCAR America begins at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN and recaps the first elimination race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Mike Massaro hosts with Dale Jarrett and Parker Kligerman in Stamford, Connecticut. Jeff Burton joins them from Burton’s Garage.
In today’s show:
• The Round of 16 is complete as four drivers have been eliminated from the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Gone are Kyle Larson, Jamie McMurray, Chris Buescher and Tony Stewart. The second round is set and the 12 drivers in it are led by Martin Truex Jr., after winning two of the first three Chase races. Jarrett, Kligerman and Burton weigh in on the advances and the surprises, comparing how they their Chase Grids compared to the actual after results of the opening round.
• NASCAR America takes a look back at Tony Stewart’s storied career. He has been eliminated from the playoffs after finishing 13th at Dover. Our analysts reveal how they will remember Tony Stewart’s final season.
• We’ll also feature Sunday morning’s Xfinity Series race where Daniel Suarez joined Elliott Sadler in the second round of the Xfinity Chase. We’ll also get reaction from top-seeded Erik Jones, who now faces elimination this week at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
If you can’t catch the show on TV, you also can watch it via the online stream at http://nascarstream.nbcsports.com
If you plan to stream the show on your laptop or portable device, be sure to have your username and password from your cable/satellite/telco provider handy so your subscription can be verified.
Once you plug-in that information, you’ll have access to the stream.
Click here at 6 pm ET to watch live via the stream.

Xfinity Chase grid:Erik Jones on outside ahead of elimination race

With only one race left in the first round of the Xfinity Chase, the No. 1 seed and favorite to win it all isn’t in the top eight.
Erik Jones sits at 10th on the Chase grid, four points out of eighth after a DNF and a 16th-place finish in the first two races.
Also outside the top eight, which will advance to the second round, are Ty Dillon (-3), Ryan Sieg (-10) and Brandon Jones (-18).
Daniel Suarez locked himself into the second round with his Dover win. He’s ahead of Elliott Sadler on the grid after having top-two finishes in both races.
The eight drivers in the next round will be decided by the Drive for the Cure 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Friday night.
Click here to view the Xfinity Chase grid.

MEXICAN NASCAR STAR DANIEL SUÁREZ STOPS BY ¡DESPIERTA AMÉRICA!

The young Mexican driver appeared on Univision's ¡Despierta América! to talk about his racing career and being considered as a favorite to win NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors leading into NASCAR's 2015 Ford Championship Weekend.

Results from the Xfinity Series race at Richmond

Kyle Busch took the lead on Lap 51 and never looked back Friday night at Richmond en route to his eighth Xfinity win of the season.

It was the 84th win of Busch’s career and his sixth at Richmond.

Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Erik Jones, finished second followed by Brad Keselowski, Elliott Sadler, and Justin Allgaier.

Ty Dillon, Austin Dillon, Daniel Suarez, Alex Bowman, and Brennan Poole rounded out the top 10.

Results:

KYLE BUSCH DOMINATES FOR XFINITY WIN AT RICHMOND

RICHMOND, Va. -- With one ferociously fast pit stop, Kyle Busch erased a lackluster qualifying effort and cruised to victory in Friday night’s Virginia529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway.

A master at getting on and off pit road in minimal time, Busch entered the pits in fourth place under the first caution of the race after a tap from J.J. Yeley sent Justin Marks spinning into the frontstretch grass on Lap 48.

Busch was first off pit road -- decisively -- and at that point it was game over, thanks for playing, and Busch was well on the way to his sixth NASCAR XFINITY Series victory at Richmond, his eighth in 14 starts this season and the 84th of his career, extending his own gargantuan series record.

"I never would have guessed that," Busch exulted on the team radio before he started his celebratory burnout. "Great pit stop! Awesome!"

Before the second caution flew on Lap 164 of 250, Busch had a lead of 7.312 seconds and had lapped up to eighth place in the running order before a cycle of green-flag stops began.

Busch finished 6.453 seconds ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate and runner-up Erik Jones, who ran the same setup Busch had in his No. 18 Toyota. The victory marked a decisive return to form for the reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, who had crashed out of his two previous XFINITY races.

"I just doubted our car today," said Busch, who led 197 laps and scored a perfect driver rating of 150.0. "It just wasn’t right. We just kind of missed it all through practice. It wasn’t good there, and then we qualified, and it was just a handful in qualifying. We didn’t qualify very well -- seventh. That’s not very well for my expectations.

"We worked on it there at the start of the race. We were really out of control and loose, and I got to fourth, I thought that was kind where we were going to be. But my guys had an awesome pit stop, got me out front, and (crew chief) Chris Gayle made some really smart adjustments to it that first time on pit road.

"After that, it was lights out. It was on a rail from there."

Jones could only admire the skill of his more experienced teammate --  when he was close enough to see Busch ahead of him, that is.

"Not much to say," said Jones, whose two laps led during a cycle of green-flag pit stops constituted the only interruption to Busch’s charge to the finish. "He had the same setup as us. He’s just that good. It’s unfortunate. We’ve run second to him a number of times this year.

"I wish all those were wins, but we’ve been getting stronger every time."

Brad Keselowski ran third, followed by XFINITY regulars Elliott Sadler, the series leader, and Justin Allgaier. Ty Dillon, polesitter Austin Dillon, Daniel Suarez, Alex Bowman and Brennan Poole completed the top 10.

Ryan Reed, the last driver to finish on the lead lap, clinched a spot in the inaugural XFINITY Series Chase with an 11th-place run, leaving two berths still open heading to the Sept. 17 cutoff race at Chicagoland Speedway.

Elliott Sadler remains Xfinity point leader after Richmond

Elliott Sadler continues to sit atop the Xfinity Series point standings following a fourth-place finish Friday night at Richmond.

Sadler extended his lead to 58 points over Daniel Suarez. The top 40 drivers did not change positions in points following the Virginia 529 College Savings 250.

With an 11th-place finish, Ryan Reed became the 10th driver to lock himself into the Chase. Two spots remain in the 12-driver playoff field.

Ty Dillon leads NASCAR Xfinity practice at Richmond

Ty Dillon posted the fastest lap in Friday’s lone Xfinity practice session at Richmond International Raceway with a lap of 122.144 mph.

The top seven on the speed chart are full-time Xfinity Series drivers.

Dillon was followed by Daniel Suarez (121.212 mph), Blake Koch (121.190), JJ Yeley (120.984), Ryan Reed (120.805), Brandon Jones (120.741) and Jeremy Clements (120.719). Brad Keselowski, who was eighth, was the first full-time Cup driver on the speed chart at 120.697 mph.

Jeb Burton had the best 10 consecutive lap average at 118.043 mph. He was followed by Justin Marks (117.805 mph) and Erik Jones (117.107).

Austin Theriault had the only significant contact with the wall, hitting it with less than 20 minutes left in the 1-hour, 55-minute session.

Xfinity qualifying is scheduled to begin at 4:15 p.m. ET with the race set to take the green flag at 7:44 p.m. ET. Both can be seen on NBCSN.

Elliott Sadler extends Xfinity points lead after Darlington win

Elliott Sadler extended his points lead to 54 points after his victory in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway.

Daniel Suarez remains second in the season standings. The top 26 drivers did not change positions in the points after the race.

Alex Tagliani wins Xfinity Series pole at Road America

Alex Tagliani will start from the pole at Road America after a lap of 109.866 mph in Xfinity Series qualifying on Friday night. It was Tagliani’s fourth career pole in his eighth start.

Tagliani enters the Road America 180 looking for his first career NASCAR win. He will lead the field to the green flag alongside Michael McDowell, who qualified second at 109.591 mph. McDowell is driving the No. 2 for Richard Childress Racing.

Tagliani credited crew chief Greg Erwin with helping him achieve the pole lap.

“Greg did some fine-tuning changes just to make the car a little bit less tight, it was the right call,” Tagliani told NBCSN. “It’s a good day for the No. 22 Discount Tire team and a good day for the No. 22 as Joey (Logano) is on the pole in Michigan. It’s a good day for Team Penske.”

The top five were Tagliani, McDowell, Justin Marks (109.196 mph), Owen Kelly (109.129 mph), and Daniel Suarez (108.644 mph). Marks is the most recent road course winner, having captured his first career win two weeks ago at Mid-Ohio.

There were two incidents during qualifying, both in the first round, which brought out red flags.

Alon Day, making his second Xfinity Series start, went off track and was stuck in the gravel in Turn 12. Day did not complete a lap and will start 40th on Saturday afternoon.

The second red flag was for rookie Josh Bilicki. He spun and crashed into the tire barriers in Turn 1, resulting in heavy damage to the right side of the No. 77. Bilicki had clocked in 23rd fastest at 107.092 mph at the time of the accident.

Here is how qualifying played out:

Daniel Suarez tops first Xfinity practice at Bristol Motor Speedway

The first of two scheduled Xfinity Series practices at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 300 was topped by Daniel Suarez, who finished the session with a best speed of 126.046 mph.

The session was cut short by about three minutes due to the threat of severe weather.

The top five was made up of Regan Smith (125.782), Austin Dillon (125.330), Brad Keselowski (125.020) and Kyle Busch (124.587).

Busch had the best 10-lap average speed at 124.005 mph.

Brenna Poole recorded the most laps in the session with 37.

Speed Chart

Elliott Sadler retains Xfinity point lead after rain-filled race at Mid-Ohio

Elliott Sadler is still the leader in the Xfinity Series point standings following his ninth-place finish at Mid-Ohio.

Sadler has a 25-point lead over Daniel Suarez, who finished 23rd.

The top 19 positions in the standings remained unchanged from last week.

Here are the point standings following the 21st race of the year.