TALLADEGA CHASE RACE TO BE CALLED HELLMANN'S 500

RELATED: Buy tickets for Talladega

TALLADEGA, AL – Hellmann's mayonnaise, which has been a staple in American kitchens for generations, and NASCAR's Most Competitive Track – Talladega Superspeedway - announced today that Sunday’s (Oct. 23) much anticipated elimination race in the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup will now be known as the Hellmann's 500.

Hellmann's, a brand of Unilever, has been involved in the sport of NASCAR since 2004 and has a reputation for delivering fans with quality, delicious products. In addition to the newTalladega Superspeedwayy (TSS) partnership, the Hellmann’s brand has a long-time relationship with six-time TSS winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports. NASCAR fans have embraced many of the attributes that resonate with the Hellmann's family of products – plain and simple, they are the real deal. Hellmann's flagship product, Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise, is the best-selling mayonnaise in the United States.

"In honor of our long-standing partnership with NASCAR, Hellmann's is thrilled to show our dedication to the race car community by becoming the exclusive, title sponsor of the Talladega race," said Hellmann's Marketing Director Russel Lilly. "We've been a staple on the speedway for years, getting to know Dale Jr. and establishing his No. 88 Hellmann’s Chevrolet as the car to beat. Whether on the track or cheering from the stands, Hellmann's is a life-time fan of the sport of racing and we’re honored to be a part of such an iconic race."

"Hellmann's is an incredible nationally known product that fits in perfectly with our facility and the fans who attend the events here," said Talladega Superspeedway Chairman Grant Lynch. "We have an incredible fan base who are here all week and love to cook up a variety of tasty dishes to eat while they are enjoying the best racing in the world. Take a walk on our property and you will see campers and tailgaters using a host of Hellmann’s spreads. We are glad to welcome them to our Talladega family with the Hellmann's 500."

Sunday’s Hellmann's 500 at the mammoth 2.66-mile, 33-degree banked layout, will be the pivotal third and final race in the Round of 12 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. When the checkered flag falls in the pressure-packed event, the field of title contenders will be reduced from 12 drivers to eight.

While he won’t be competing in the Hellmann's 500, Earnhardt Jr. will be at Talladega and will be interacting with fans as part of the Fan Question & Answer session at the start-finish line as part of the track’s "Pre-Race Pit Pass Upgrade."

Weekend preparations for the Hellmann's 500 get underway Friday (Oct. 21) with two different practice sessions (1:00-1:55 p.m. CDT & 3:30-4:25 p.m. CDT). Foodland/Food Giant Qualifying, which will determine the starting lineup for the Hellmann's 500NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, is set for Saturday (Oct. 22) at 3:00 p.m. CDT. A ticket to the Hellmann's 500 also gets fans into the traditional Saturday Night Infield Concert, which will feature country star Jerrod Niemann, Tim Dugger and DJ Michaelis. The Hellmann's 500 is set for a 1:00 p.m. (CDT) start Sunday (Oct. 23).

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.

JIMMIE JOHNSON VS. REGAN SMITH:A RIVALRY IS BORN?

While I normally try to make every effort to watch every lap of every race (I knew I should have taken Kevin Harvick’s advice from that 2003 commercial), I seem to have missed a crucial element to one narrative -- Jimmie Johnson's apparent rivalry with Regan Smith, driver of the No. 7 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet.

Despite Johnson successfully snapping a 24-race winless streak at Charlotte last week, fans of the six-time champ are calling for the 7's head on Twitter.

While Johnson hasn’t yet taken any action or retaliation toward Smith, fans seem to consider it a matter of when -- not if -- Jimmie gets No. 7.

Their question is simple: What's holding him back? Is it the pit crew? A grand conspiracy?

It's unclear what sparked the rivalry with Smith, whose No. 7 Chevrolet isn't battling Johnson in this year’s Chase, but Johnson's fans make it clear that something is coming -- perhaps even this year.

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.

LOGANO WINS AT CHARLOTTE, XFINITY ROUND OF 8 FIELD SET

Joey Logano came on strong late to win the NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for the Cure 300 Presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday. The win is Logano's second of the season and 27th of his XFINITY career.

The Team Penske driver was one of five drivers to run both events on Sunday at Charlotte, joining Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski.

Logano led 12 laps en route to the win at the 1.5-mile track, surging late to overtake a dominant car driven by Larson, who led 165 laps and finished fourth.

Elliott Sadler finished second, with Daniel Suarez in third and Erik Jones rounding out the top five. The top-five effort from Jones secured his spot in the Round of 8 of the first XFINITY Series Chase. Suarez and Sadler won the races at Dover and Kentucky, respectively, to earn their Round of 8 spots.

The following drivers will join them in the next round: Justin Allgaier, Brendan Gaughan, Ryan Reed, Blake Koch and Darrell Wallace Jr.

The four drivers eliminated from the postseason were: Ty Dillon, Brennan Poole, Ryan Sieg and Brandon Jones.

Dillon's 11th-place finish left him one point behind Wallace for the final spot in the Round of 8 field. A battery issue around Lap 120 spoiled a top-five run for Poole and led to an 18th-place finish.

Sunday's race was originally scheduled for Friday night but rain and the remnants of weather from Hurricane Matthew moved the start time to immediately following the Charlotte NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event.

The XFINITY Series Chase will kick off its Round of 8 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday with the Kansas Lottery 300 (3 p.m. ET on Oct. 15, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Gus the Bandit strikes again, claims Charlotte Motor Speedway as victim

He gone done it again.


Gus the Irish Setter Landscaping Bandit was back at work Tuesday night, fertilizing the infield grass at Charlotte Motor Speedway, free of charge.


Thanks to those giant security/regular track lights atop the CMS stands, Gus' owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., was able to catch the outlaw red-pawed.

Gus fertilized the lawn @CLTMotorSpdwy tonight. pic.twitter.com/hkdfxdhwH1

— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) October 5, 2016

As we all know -- or if you need an updated briefing on this high-priority case -- this isn't the first time Gus' clock has struck "2."

Last year, Gus introduced himself to the world by ... leaving Martin Truex Jr. a present in his bus.


RELATED: Junior's new puppy poops in Truex's bus


And then some "unnamed" pooch found out Joey Logano had to fifth-wheel it with Junior, Truex and their respective lady friends on the flight to Phoenix and took a stand (squat?) in protest.

When u realize "Dammit he's Tweeting a picture. There's gonna be like eight blogs posted tomorrow about this." #NASCAR (h/t @DaleJr) pic.twitter.com/TYSFWkjiuk

— nascarcasm (@nascarcasm) October 5, 2016

Of course we blogged about it. Gotta bring awareness to this heightened threat of future landscaping vandalism. Gus the Bandit must be stopped.

NASCAR TV SCHEDULE: OCTOBER 3-9

What channel is the NASCAR race on this week? We answer that and provide all the weekly NASCAR television listings here.

RELATED: Find NBCSN in your area

All times ET
Monday, October 3
1:30 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lane, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7:30 p.m., NASCAR 120, NBCSN

Tuesday, October 4
5:30 p.m., Racing Roots, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Wednesday, October 5
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Thursday, October 6
Noon, NASCAR: The List "Memorable Moments" (re-air), NBCSN
12:30 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Series: Stafford Motor Speedway (taped), NBCSN
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, NBCSN
3 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, NBCSN
4 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series: Dover International Speedway (taped), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
5:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN

Friday, October 7
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, NBCSN
4:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN
7:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green, NBCSN
8 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for the Cure 300 Presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC, NBCSN
10:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Post-Race Show, NBCSN

Saturday, October 8
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR America Saturday, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Countdown to Green, NBCSN
7 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500, NBC
11 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race Show, NBCSN

REDDICK CAPTURES FIRST WIN OF SEASON,SHAKES UP CHASE

LAS VEGAS – Tyler Reddick outdueled Brad Keselowski Racing teammate Daniel Hemric to win Saturday night's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series DC Solar 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The victory was Reddick's first of the 2016 season and marked the first time the Brad Keselowski Racing team had fashioned a one-two finish in the series.

Reddick led five times for 70 of the 146 laps around the 1.5-mile track, taking the advantage for the final time from Cole Custer shortly after the race's third caution.

Custer, who finished third in the No. 00 Chevrolet, faded from contention after a furious battle with Hemric, one that likely assured Reddick of the victory as the pursuers used up the grip in their tires.

Reddick's margin of victory over his teammate was 1.404 seconds as he completed the race at an average speed of 143.163 mph.

"We were spot-on from the beginning," said Reddick, who started 16th in the 31-truck field but reached the top three by the 19th lap. The victory was his third in the series and first since June 2015 at Dover International Speedway.

Ben Kennedy and William Bryan completed the top-five finishers. Christopher Bell, Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton, pole starter Timothy Peters and Grant Enfinger were sixth through 10th.

Peters and Kennedy led the early stages of the race. Peters held the point until the 14th lap when Kennedy took over followed by Custer. The caution clock triggered the yellow flag at lap 39, giving Reddick the lead after pit service.

Reddick, Hemric and Custer exchanged the lead through most of the remainder of the event, which saw a dozen total lead changes among five drivers. Hemric led the second-most laps, 38.

Saturday night's race was the second of three in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase's Round of 8. While Reddick was not among the eight post-season qualifiers, a Hemric victory could have allowed the runner-up finisher to advance to the next round. As it is, he's 15 points outside the six-driver cutoff line heading into the Oct. 22 Talladega Superspeedway elimination race, the same as John Hunter Nemechek, who finished 16th in Las Vegas.

"Unfortunately, I was a spoiler for my teammate," Reddick said.

Hemic said it could be easy to be frustrated – so near yet so far – but noted Reddick did what he was supposed to do for the team.

"We're both racing for the win," he said. "We're doing all we can to win these races. He did everything picture-perfect."

New Hampshire winner William Byron, who's guaranteed to advance to the next round, continues as the points leader. Bell, Crafton, Kennedy, Peters and Sauter all are above the cutoff line after two of the three Round of 8 races.

KYLE BUSCH AMONG SPRINT CUP REGULARS TO MISS RESCHEDULED XFINITY RACE

The XFINITY Series Dover race postponement -- due to weather -- left teams scrambling to assemble its lineups Saturday afternoon with playoff chances on the line.

Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contenders, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Austin Dillon were expected to perform double-duty, but with both races now on Sunday, teams had to reassemble its lineups so the trio could focus on their main event -- the first elimination race in the Chase.

Drew Herring will wheel the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for Busch, while Ryan Blaney will sit behind Team Penske's No. 22 Ford for Logano and Regan Smith is set to replace Dillon in the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, according to multiple reports.

Busch enters the Sprint Cup Citizen Soldier 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) fourth on the Chase Grid and, just a few spots behind, sits Logano in sixth. Dillon is currently 14th, five points below the cutoff.

BUSCH FAMILY, NO. 18 TEAM VISIT THE WHITE HOUSE

As part of his Sprint Cup championship duties, Kyle Busch had one more thing left on his to-do list: visit the White House. So that's exactly what he did on Wednesday with the entire No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team and wife, Samantha.

And no, Brexton wasn't in attendance, but President Obama gave him a nice, little shout-out.

Follow along on the crew's trip to Washington, D.C.

DALE JR. POSTS UNEDITED* VIDEO OF HIS "TALKING" DOGS

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s "talking" dogs, Gus and Junebug, enjoy a level of celebrity that few other dogs have ever reached. Unfortunately, it doesn't really look like the two get along as well as he would probably like. Perhaps because the "dog days" of summer are over?

Junior posted this video on Instagram Wednesday of his dogs. We promise this video has in no way been altered from the original.

*By unedited, we mean that @nascarcasm actually may have tweaked the video a little bit.

NASCAR CASM'S CHASE WEEKLY:NEW HAMPSHIRE

BRUCE: XFINITY CHASE INTENSITY RATCHETS UP AGGRESSION

SPARTA, Ky. -- Was Saturday night's opening Chase race for NASCAR’s XFINITY Series an example of good, hard racing or a case of folks driving over their heads?

That depends on who one asked afterward.

Race winner Elliott Sadler wasn’t pointing fingers, and race winners have rarely been heard to utter a discouraging word. But the JR Motorsports driver said he did notice an uptick in intensity during the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 at Kentucky Speedway.

"About halfway through the race, it was 'note to self; you can tell it's the Chase because it was caution after caution after caution," Sadler said afterward. "People were tense, eager, frustrated, nervous. A lot of different things going on with drivers right now ... trying to make it to the second (round).

"I think people are giving each other less room. Restarts are crazy in the back."

They were crazy up front, too. The race, which kicked off a seven-race, two-round elimination playoff for the series, saw the caution flag fly a track record 12 times. More than one-fourth of the race (64 laps) was run under the yellow. Yes, there was even a brief (5 min., 34 sec.) red-flag period.

Erik Jones, the top seed and regular-season leader in race wins, got crossed up while racing with Ty Dillon and both the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota and the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet ended up in the wall.

RELATED: See the wreck the caught two title contenders

Each is now outside eighth place in points with two races to try and improve their standing; only the top eight (with the exception of a Chase race winner that might be 9th-12th) advance to the second round.

Not surprisingly, Jones wasn't particularly pleased with the early ending to his night and said later that the aggressive driving does cause one to approach the race differently.

"Yeah, it makes me try to stay out of trouble," he said. "I didn't want to have something like that happen. ... You try to play defense some. I was for sure."

Of course, there was the matter of a reconfigured track that sports new asphalt and distinctly different turns. That, too, played a role in the difficulties for some.

And that was to be expected, said Brendan Gaughan, driver of the No. 62 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.

"It didn't seem like it was any more aggressive than normal," Gaughan said after finishing sixth.

"It's a very narrow race track here right now. That Turn 3 is treacherous, man. There's no grip on the entry, there's no width on the entry. It's a treacherous, treacherous place at the moment. ...

"It's still Kentucky. I love it."

The fight to advance into the next round began early, but it's not the only battle going on and Saturday night's race brought some of that to light.

In addition to the driver's championship, there's an owners title at stake and a couple of teams didn’t forget about that.

At the end of the regular season, the No. 2 team of RCR was atop the owners' standings, followed by the No. 18 of Joe Gibbs Racing, the No. 1 of JRM with Sadler behind the wheel, and the No. 22 of Team Penske.

Chevy, Toyota, Chevy and Ford. You think those folks aren't paying close attention?

RCR brought in Sam Hornish Jr. to keep the No. 2 team in the hunt; Penske handed the reins to Sprint Cup driver Ryan Blaney.

Sadler got the win, but a solid fifth-place run by Matt Tifft put the JGR No. 18 atop the owners' standings. JRM (No. 1) now sits second thanks to the victory while Hornish, who finished fourth, kept the RCR entry in the mix -- it's now third.

Blaney did not fare badly but the way it all shook out left him third on the track and the team now fifth in the owners' battle.

Dover, a fast, unforgiving mile of concrete, is up next. Some folks will be looking to rebound, some looking to continue to ride a hot start.

If Kentucky was any indication, they better hope they can just hang on.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES OWNER STANDINGS

After Race 28 of the 2016 season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Pos Owner Car # Points Ldr Nxt PPos G/L Wins Attempts
1 Team Penske 2 2,087 0 0 2 1 4 28
2 Furniture Row Racing 78 2,086 -1 -1 1 -1 3 28
3 Joe Gibbs Racing 18 2,085 -2 -1 3 0 4 28
4 Joe Gibbs Racing 20 2,078 -9 -7 7 3 2 28
5 Team Penske 22 2,073 -14 -5 5 0 1 28
6 Stewart-Haas Racing 4 2,071 -16 -2 14 8 3 28
7 Joe Gibbs Racing 11 2,071 -16 0 4 -3 3 28
8 Hendrick Motorsports 48 2,070 -17 -1 8 0 2 28
9 Hendrick Motorsports 24 2,068 -19 -2 6 -3 0 28
10 Joe Gibbs Racing 19 2,068 -19 0 9 -1 2 28
11 Stewart-Haas Racing 41 2,067 -20 -1 10 -1 1 28
12 Chip Ganassi Racing 42 2,057 -30 -10 15 3 1 28
13 Chip Ganassi Racing 1 2,052 -35 -5 11 -2 0 28
14 Richard Childress Racing 3 2,052 -35 0 13 -1 0 28
15 Stewart-Haas Racing 14 2,046 -41 -6 12 -3 1 28
16 Front Row Motorsports 34 2,027 -60 -19 16 0 1 28
17 Hendrick Motorsports 5 699 -1,388 -1,328 18 1 0 28
18 Hendrick Motorsports 88 697 -1,390 -2 17 -1 0 28
19 Richard Childress Racing 31 676 -1,411 -21 19 0 0 28
20 Wood Brothers Racing 21 642 -1,445 -34 20 0 0 28
21 JTG Daugherty Racing 47 627 -1,460 -15 21 0 0 28
22 Roush Fenway Racing 17 607 -1,480 -20 23 1 0 28
23 Roush Fenway Racing 6 607 -1,480 0 22 -1 0 28
24 Stewart-Haas Racing 10 534 -1,553 -73 25 1 0 28
25 Roush Fenway Racing 16 518 -1,569 -16 24 -1 0 28
26 Richard Childress Racing 27 516 -1,571 -2 26 0 0 28
27 Richard Petty Motorsports 43 488 -1,599 -28 28 1 0 28
28 HScott Motorsports 15 484 -1,603 -4 27 -1 0 28
29 Germain Racing 13 451 -1,636 -33 29 0 0 28
30 Circle Sport-Leavine Family 95 416 -1,671 -35 30 0 0 28
31 Front Row Motorsports 38 397 -1,690 -19 31 0 0 28
32 BK Racing 23 369 -1,718 -28 32 0 0 28
33 Tommy Baldwin Racing 7 364 -1,723 -5 33 0 0 28
34 Richard Petty Motorsports 44 332 -1,755 -32 34 0 0 28
35 BK Racing 83 309 -1,778 -23 35 0 0 28
36 Premium Motorsports 98 256 -1,831 -53 36 0 0 28
37 HScott Motorsports 46 243 -1,844 -13 37 0 0 28
38 GO FAS Racing 32 222 -1,865 -21 38 0 0 28
39 Premium Motorsports 55 182 -1,905 -40 39 0 0 23
40 The Motorsports Group 30 151 -1,936 -31 40 0 0 28
41 Front Row Motorsports 35 46 -2,041 -105 41 0 0 3
42 Circle Sport - Leavine Family 59 26 -2,061 -20 42 0 0 1
43 BK Racing 93 15 -2,072 -11 43 0 0 5
44 BK Racing 26 3 -2,084 -12 44 0 0 1
45 Hillman Racing 40 0 -2,087 -3 45 0 0 1

STEWART'S FATHEAD MAKES POST-RACE PRESSER CAMEO

New Hampshire winner Kevin Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers had some company during their post-race winners press conference.

Harvick's son Keelan, a couple cans of beer and Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner and driver Tony Stewart's Fathead.

No, literally. There was a cardboard Fathead of Stewart -- identical to the ones several fans held up in the grandstands at New Hampshire Motor Speedway -- sitting humorously in front of the beer.

Let it be noted that good dad Kevin removed the beer from Keelan's reach. Guess that means more for "Smoke" -- cheers, Tony!

NO. 8 OF NEMECHEK FAILS POST-RACE INSPECTION

LOUDON, N.H. – Following the conclusion of Saturday's UNOH 175 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series inaugural Chase race, NASCAR officials announced that the No. 8 Chevrolet of John Hunter Nemechek failed the post-race heights inspection.

Nemechek brought out the fourth caution of the day, spinning on Lap 53 after slight contact with Kaz Grala, but rallied to finish ninth.

The driver currently sits fourth on the Chase Grid.

Any penalties would be announced later in the week.

WILLIAM BYRON WINS AT LOUDON IN CHASE OPENER

LOUDON, N. H. – William Byron stole a page from his mentor and team owner, Kyle Busch.

Leading 161 of 175 laps in Saturday’s UNOH 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway – the first race in the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase – Byron cruised to victory, the way Busch has done so many times before, and punched his ticket into the Chase's Round of 6.

Not that runner-up Christopher Bell, Byron’s stablemate at Kyle Busch Motorsports, didn’t make it interesting in the closing laps. As Byron worked traffic in the late going, Bell closed from 1.325 seconds behind with five laps left to .430 seconds down on the next-to-last lap.

But Bell ran out of time and crossed the finish line .446 seconds behind his No. 1-seeded teammate, who won for a series-best sixth time.

"I wore myself out passing some lappers," Byron said. "But with the amount of laps we had left, I thought I'd be OK. I was afraid the 4 (Bell) was going to catch us there at the end. We started to get tight, but that's what happens sometimes when you get out front.

"It was really good – just a great race for us. I can't thank these guys enough. Everyone at KBM, (sponsor) Liberty University – it's just really cool to get a win here in the Chase. It feels awesome."

Two-time series champion Matt Crafton came home third, followed by Tyler Reddick and Timothy Peters.

With the Chase field to be trimmed from eight to six drivers two races hence at Talladega Superspeedway, Ben Kennedy and Daniel Hemric fell below the provisional cut line. Kennedy finished 11th and trails Johnny Sauter (10th on Saturday and sixth in the standings) by one point.

If Kennedy's result was only mildly disappointing, Hemric's was a catastrophe. With his left rear tire cut down to the rim, Hemric spun in Turn 1 on Lap 25 to bring out the third caution of the race. His truck suffered a cut brake line and consequent fire in the left rear wheel well.

Hemric lost 33 laps under repairs, finished 28th and fell to last in the Chase standings, 21 points behind Sauter with two races left in the Round of 8. In all probability, Hemric will have to win one of those two events, at Las Vegas and Talladega, to advance to the Round of 6.

After leading the first 54 laps, Byron lost the top spot briefly when Cody Coughlin stayed out under the fourth caution and Bell, Kennedy, Crafton and Spencer Gallagher leap-frogged ahead of Byron with two-tire and fuel-only calls in the pits.

But Byron regained the lead from Bell on Lap 69 and held it the rest of the way. As Bell gained ground in the final laps, Byron was trying to save his equipment to prepare for a possible late caution.

"I was expecting it, so I didn't push too hard," Byron said. "I was expecting to get a caution, hopefully save something, but we gave it all we had there the whole race, and I just can’t thank these guys enough."

Byron leaves New Hampshire with a 16-point lead in the standings and guaranteed admission to the next round of the Chase. Crafton (+11 points above the cutoff line) is second in the Chase standings, followed by Bell (+10), John Hunter Nemechek (ninth on Saturday, +5), Peters (+3), Sauter (+1), Kennedy (-1) and Hemric (-21).

Note: Nemechek's No. 8 Chevrolet failed the post-race heights inspection. Any potential pnelaties will be announced next week.

ERIK JONES HOLDS OFF LARSON TO WIN AT CHICAGOLAND

Holding off a fast-charging Kyle Larson in the closing laps of Saturday's XFINTY Series' Drive for Safety 300, Erik Jones took his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to Victory Lane in the regular season finale at Chicagoland Speedway. Jones took the lead for good from JR Motorsports' Elliott Sadler with less than 10 laps remaining in the 200-lap event to post his fourth XFINITY Series win of the season.

Larson crossed the start-finish line second in his No. 42 Chevrolet, while Sadler came up third in the No. 1 Chevrolet. Joe Gibbs Racing's Daniel Suarez and JR Motorsports' Justin Allgaier completed the top 10.

Saturday's race at Chicagoland marked the final race before the inaugural XFINITY Series Chase playoffs, officially setting the 12-car field. Jones came out on top of the Chase Grid, followed by Sadler, Suarez, Allgaier, Ty Dillon, Brendan Gauaghan, Brennan Poole, Brandon Jones, Darrell Wallace Jr., Ryan Reed, Blake Koch and Ryan Sieg.

Friday night's Camping World Truck Series winner Kyle Busch nearly made it two-for-two at Chicagoland, dominating with a race-high 154 laps led. But a blown tire at Lap 182 sent Busch's No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota spinning and left him with little time to rebound, resulting in a 13th-place finish.

Reed brought out the fifth caution of the afternoon when his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford made contact with the wall after getting close to Larson's No. 42 Chevrolet. Having sustained right-front damage, the team elected to bring the car to the garage for repairs and Reed was ultimately scored 32nd.

The XFINITY Series returns to the track Sept. 24 at Kentucky Speedway (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN/PRN/SiriusXM) for the first race in the Chase.

This story will be updated.

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.

LAST-LAP PASS LEADS MOFFITT TO VICTORY AT MICHIGAN

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- In five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts, Brett Moffitt had never led a lap.

But in Saturday's Careers for Veterans 200 at Michigan International Speedway, Moffitt picked the perfect time to take the point for the first time.

Powering around Red Horse Racing teammate Timothy Peters and five-time series winner William Byron off the second corner of the final lap at the two-mile track, Moffitt held off Peters by .098 seconds to win a NASCAR national series race for the first time.

Moffitt's victory, however, left Shane Huffman, Peters' crew chief, slapping his seat on the pit box in frustration. Peters, who led a race-high 42 laps, could have locked himself into the inaugural Camping World Truck Series Chase with a victory. Running a limited schedule this season, Moffitt is ineligible for the championship this year.

But Moffitt made no apologies for taking advantage of the opportunity that presented itself when Byron pushed Peters into Turn 3 on the white-flag lap, cut to the inside and slowed both trucks down. Moffitt cruised around the outside off Turn 2 on the final lap and kept Peters behind him.

"I'm here to win," Moffitt said. "I said it earlier and I'll say it again. I'm not going to wreck him (Peters) for it. I'm going to race him clean because I know he needs to get in the Chase, but this team needs to win and these guys deserve to win.

"That's what we come to do, and our partners at Toyota want to do the same, and we got it."

Daniel Hemric passed Byron on the last lap to come home third, with Byron following in fourth and Cameron Hayley in fifth.

The good news for both Peters and Hemric was the wide margin both drivers opened over their closest pursuers in the race to make the Chase. Though winless this year, Hemric and Peters lead Cameron Hayley by 55 and 47 points, respectively, in the battle for the last two Chase spots.

If no new winner surfaces in the final two regular-season races, both Hemric and Peters are highly likely to qualify on points.

"It's a good day for Red Horse Racing," Peters said. "Congrats to Brett Moffitt. One-two finish. I wish we were 'one,' but all in all, the company brings the trophy back. The 9 (Byron) locked onto our bumper there in Turn 2 and pushed us really hard down into Turn 3.

"We had to do all we had to do to stay in front. ... Tough to swallow right there, but it felt good to run the way we did all day."

Both Cole Custer and Tyler Reddick entered the race needing to win to make the Chase. Reddick's Ford bounced off the side of Johhny Sauter's Chevrolet on Lap 70 and sustained heavy damage during contact with the Turn 3 wall.

Custer, however, had the lead for a restart on Lap 84, only to lose control and spin into the Turn 4 wall, grazing the left rear of Moffitt's No. 11 Toyota in the process.

"We didn't have the raw speed of the guys up front, but it drove pretty well, and it was hard to keep those guys off of me," Custer said. "The 11 (Moffitt) stopped pushing me -- which it's his right to do that.

"We were kind of losing the 17 (Peters) there. He (Moffitt) went to the outside and I started getting tight. Once he got on my door, I got loose and over-corrected it. I just hate it for my guys that brought a great truck."

Like Hayley, Custer and Reddick will have two more chances to force their way into the Chase by winning one of the final two regular-season races.