Ryan Newman to remain at Richard Childress Racing with multi-year extension

Ryan Newman will return to Richard Childress Racing next season with a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Monday.

“Ryan’s consistency on the track has been a benefit to our organization and this extension solidifies the future of our racing program,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of RCR, in a news release. “Ryan proved the first year he was here that we could contend for championships and with this continuation, I believe we can fulfill our commitment to winning races and a championship. Ryan has worked hard to represent many of our partners, especially the primary sponsors Caterpillar, Grainger and WIX Filters, helping them to get the most out of their respective racing programs.”

Newman’s contract was to have ended after this season, his third with RCR.

“I am pleased to continue driving for Richard Childress Racing,” Newman said in a team release. “Our goal to win a championship all but turned into a reality during our first year together. I feel like since then, we have some unfinished business to complete. I’m fortunate to have forged a great relationship with my crew chief Luke Lambert, and I very much want to not only help him reach our goal of winning a Cup championship but also getting him his first Cup victory.” 

Newman finished second in the points in 2014, his first season at Richard Childress Racing. He made the Chase in 2015 and placed 11th. He failed to make the Chase this year.

Newman placed fourth in Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It marked his second top-five finish and ninth top-10 result of the season.

With Newman staying, it likely means that Ty Dillon, who has said that he plans to race in the Sprint Cup Series next season, won’t be driving in NASCAR’s top series for grandfather Richard Childress’ team.

Childress, who will have Austin Dillon, Paul Menard and Newman drive for him next season, has three charters. It’s unlikely that Childress would run a fourth car without a charter. Although he could lease or buy a charter, a more likely option could be to have Ty Dillon drive for another Chevrolet team next season.

Ryan Newman announces RCR contract extension on 'Race Hub'

Ryan Newman has signed a multi-year contract extension to remain at Richard Childress Racing.

Newman, 38, made the announcement on Monday night's edition of Race Hub on FS1, when he unveiled the paint scheme for his No. 31 RCR Chevrolet beginning next season and also announced that his primary sponsor, Caterpillar, also will return.

Newman is currently in his third season of driving the car for RCR, which he joined in 2014. Although he has yet to win a race at RCR, he does own 12 top-five and 40 top-10 finishes with the company -- and in 2014, he finished second in the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs after making it to the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway as one of the last four drivers battling for a championship.

"It's a multi-year extension with Richard Childress Racing, which I'm super excited about," Newman told FOX Sports. "(Crew chief) Luke (Lambert) and all the guys have fought really hard the last three years. We had a disappointing Chase run this year. But nevertheless I've got to thank everyone at RCR and ECR (Earnhardt Childress Racing Engines) for having me back for what will be Caterpillar's 25th season in NASCAR."

Newman, who also has driven for what is now known as Team Penske, has 17 career wins in NASCAR's Premier Series and 51 poles in 542 career starts. His last win came at Indianapolis in July of 2013 while he was still driving for Stewart-Haas Racing.

Lesson learned: Joey Logano admits he should have called Matt Kenseth last year

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Nearly a year after a retribution-seeking Matt Kenseth sent Joey Logano’s championship hopes crashing into a wall, Logano admits he would have changed one thing about what happened between the two drivers.

He would have called Kenseth.

A year ago, Kenseth spun after contact from Logano in the final laps at Kansas during the Chase as they raced for the win. Logano celebrated. Kenseth seethed.

Kenseth said that day that Logano’s decision “strategically” wasn’t the best. Logano called it hard racing, noting how Kenseth blocked him.

But any comments they made were done through the media. Logano admitted he wasn’t sure what good a call would do, fearing Kenseth was “going to be more mad (and) I could make this worse.’’

So Logano never called, never texted and never reached out to Kenseth, who stewed and made his move three weeks later at Martinsville.

Already upset after contact with Logano’s teammate, Brad Keselowski, Kenseth later turned his wrecked car into Logano’s. Kenseth’s move took Logano out of the lead, costing Logano a possible win and advancement to the championship round. Logano’s Chase ended in that round.

Tuesday, Logano talked about that incident and what he’s learned since.

“I think you grow from every situation you’re put in,’’ he said at a media event promoting Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “In all honesty, what would I do different? I probably would have picked up the phone. Maybe we would have disagreed then and nothing changed, but at least I called. I didn’t know what I was going to say, and I didn’t think it was anything he wanted to hear.’’

Logano said his attitude also has changed in recent years.

He admits his attitude used to be more like “I’m here to win, and I don’t care if someone doesn’t like me.’’

That was evident in previous confrontations with Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin.

That’s not how Logano views things now.

“I over-communicate more,’’ Logano said. “If someone gave me extra room on the race track one day, I make sure they know, thank you.’’

Logano said he texted Stewart a thank you note after Sunday’s race at Dover International Speedway. Stewart’s pit stall was in front of Logano. Because Logano was in front of Stewart throughout the race, Logano would exit his stall when Stewart was still in his under caution. Logano said Stewart gave Logano “plenty of room” to exit his stall.

Logano also become more friendly to other drivers, particularly younger drivers in the series.

“It has been fun to build those relationships up and create those friendships,’’ he said. “It’s easier now because a lot of the guys are my age. You have a lot in common. You’re able to talk to them about stuff that is not racing, which is kind of fun.’’

Logano admits they’re still competitors and things can happen between them but he now better knows how to diffuse a tense situation and prevent it from escalating.

Starting grid for Sprint Cup’s Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire

For the sixth time this season Carl Edwardswill lead the Sprint Cup field to green after winning the pole for Sunday’s Bad Boy Off Road 300.

The top five for the second race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup is Edwards, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson andDenny Hamlin.

Here is starting grid:

Tony Stewart staunchly defends payback measures to Brian Scott, Ryan Newman

RICHMOND, Va. – The hard lessons learned by Tony Stewart over 20 years in the Sprint Cup Series are being returned in kind during his final lap around the circuit.

That has “zero to do” with the three-time series champion’s impending retirement, and everything to do with a firm belief in an old-school philosophy that the best way to express displeasure over getting roughed up is to play rough in return.

Stewart sent that message of payback to Brian Scott at Darlington Raceway last week, turning the Richard Petty Motorsports driver into the wall.

“There’s a lot of guys this week that were like, ‘Yeah, we were glad somebody did that,’” Stewart said about intentionally wrecking Scott in the Southern 500. “And that’s the way it used to be.”

Ryan Newman became another recipient of Stewart’s throwback justice Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway.

Stewart admittedly cut off his former teammate, whom he felt had pinched off his No. 14 Chevrolet three times earlier. The contact triggered an eight-car crash and effectively ended Newman’s long-shot bid for a berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, which Stewart felt contributed to Newman’s aggression.

“He had to press the issue tonight and put himself in a couple of bad spots,” Stewart said. “There’s 39 other guys you can put yourself in bad spots with. Don’t put yourself in a bad spot with me and don’t start shoving me around the racetrack because he knows from experience I don’t put up with it.”

Newman was aggrieved about the incident and blasted Stewart, who became a close friend during their five-year stint at Stewart-Haas Racing.

“It’s a stressful night for him,” Stewart said. “He was trying to make the Chase. It’s stressful moments, so he’s going to say whatever he’s going to say. I’d say by that he probably doesn’t want to be friends right now. So it’s up to him.”

But his sympathy was limited because “it’s like how many times is he supposed to hit you before you say I’ve had enough of it for the day?

“He put himself in that position, and the end of it was the end of it,” Stewart said. “He has to make his decisions for what he’s doing in his car, too. So he can blame me all he wants, but he’s got two pedals and a steering wheel, too, and he has to make good decisions in what’s in his best interests as well.”

Though it seems unlikely the fellow Indiana natives quickly will patch things up, Stewart said he and Scott found common ground in a prerace conversation Saturday.

“We had a great conversation,” Stewart said. “He wasn’t mad when we left. I wasn’t mad at him. He’s not mad at me, and we go racing. He understood.”

The same conversations happened for him with veterans such as Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt nearly two decades ago.

“I didn’t do anything different than what they did,” he said. “That’s how rookies learned then.”

He seemed to be hoping for a similar understanding from Newman.

“It’s not a feud,” Stewart said. “It’s one night. It’s one moment in time. When it’s over tonight, it’s over.

“He’s got a right to be mad about it, but I got a right to be mad for what he did to me. He wasn’t innocent like he’s acting. He never said once that he run into me three times. His version of how he was driving his car and mine are a little bit different.”

HAMLIN HOLDS ON FOR COORS LIGHT POLE AT RICHMOND

Virginia native Denny Hamlin surged to the Coors Light Pole Award in Friday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying, snagging the top starting spot for Saturday night's regular-season finale at Richmond International Raceway.

Hamlin powered the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota to a best lap of 122.344 mph in the last of three qualifying rounds on the .75-mile track. It's his first pole position of the season, third at Richmond and 24th of his Sprint Cup career.

Saturday night's Federated Auto Parts 400 (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM) is the final race before the 16-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup post-season field is decided. Hamlin will start alongside Kyle Larson, who notched the second-fastest lap at 122.288 mph in the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet.

Defending race winner Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota), Jamie McMurray (No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet) and Kurt Busch (No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet) completed the top five.

Ryan Newman, the highest-ranked driver outside the provisional Chase grid, will start in the 15th position in the Richard Childress Racing No. 31 Chevrolet. McMurray will aim to keep his grasp on the final provisional playoff berth as he makes his 500th Sprint Cup start.

Pocono winner Chris Buescher, hopes to maintain his position among the top 30 in points to clinch a Chase berth and will start 31st in the Front Row Motorsports No. 34 Ford. David Ragan, his closest pursuer in the Sprint Cup standings, will start 21st.

JGR's Carl Edwards, a winner in the series' most recent Richmond stop last April, just missed the cut-off line for the final round with a qualifying speed of 122.272 mph. His time was just .002 seconds slower than Joey Logano's (No. 22 Team Penske Ford) second-round lap.

Martin Truex Jr., last weekend's Bojangles' Southern 500 winner at Darlington Raceway, was sixth-fastest in the Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota. Jeff Gordon qualified 11th as he preps for his sixth start of the season as a fill-in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet.

Rookie Chase Elliott was a surprising omission after the first elimination, his Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet residing outside the fastest 24 qualifiers in Round 1. He'll start 34th in Saturday night's 400-lapper.

Cole Whitt failed to qualify for the 40-car field.

Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray prepare for 500th Sprint Cup starts

When the green flag drops on Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray will mark an achievement together with their 500th starts in the Sprint Cup Series.

The last time two drivers made their 500th starts in the same race was Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Terry Labonte at Watkins Glen International in 1995.

“I’m really excited about making my 500th start,” said Biffle in a team release. “It’s been a great ride and it’s amazing how fast the time goes by. I’ve got a lot of memories, wins, close races and fun times. I’ve won a lot of great races and look forward to running for that third championship.”

Biffle and McMurray did not make their first starts together, but their careers are intertwined.

The oldest full-time driver on the Cup circuit at 46, Biffle broke into the series on April 28, 2002, in the NAPA Auto Parts 500 at Auto Club Speedway. After three seasons and one title (2000) in the Camping World Truck Series and one Xfinity season, Biffle started in the No. 16 for Roush Fenway Racing.

The native of Vancouver, Washington, qualified 29th and finished 13th in the first of six starts that season.

McMurray’s debut, 20 races later, is much memorable.

A native of Joplin, Missouri, McMurray had 21 truck starts and a season and a half of Xfinity starts with no wins when Chip Ganassi called. On Sept. 29, Sterling Marlin suffered a fractured vertebra in his neck in a crash at Kansas Speedway. The injury forced Marlin from Ganassi’s No. 40 for the rest of the season.

McMurray, then 26, stepped into the car the next week at Talladega Superspeedway, where he would start fifth and finish 26th, a lap down.

McMurray would start fifth again a week later at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the UAW-GM Quality 500. He would lead three times that night for 96 laps. He assumed the lead for the last time with 31 laps to go en route to his first Sprint Cup victory.

Both Biffle and McMurray would be full-time rookies in 2003, with Biffle driving the No. 16 for Roush and McMurray the No. 42 for Ganassi. Since that season, only Biffle has failed to make a start, when he did not qualify for the third race of the 2002 season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“If I wouldn’t have missed the Las Vegas race I would have won Rookie of the Year, except he did,” Biffle said last month at the unveiling of his car for the Southern 500.

Since 2002, Biffle has driven only for Roush, earning 19 victories (the first coming in the 2004 Pepsi 400) 92 top fives and 175 top 10s. Biffle will be the second driver to make his 500th Cup start at Roush. Mark Martin made his in March 2002.

Biffle hasn’t won since the spring Michigan race in 2013.

McMurray, now 40, is in his second stint with Chip Ganassi Racing after competing with Biffle at Roush from 2006 – 2009. The two remain good friends from their days as teammates, often vacationing together and sharing plane rides to races.

“More of a friendship of any other driver, a colleague at work that you respect their talent and ability,” Biffle said. “A lot of times friendships kind of stay intact … you can usually get over, ‘Hey I cut you off or you ran into you on accident.’ Typically you can put those behind you. We haven’t had too many of those.’’

While McMurray has only seven wins on his record – and none since 2013 – his victories tend to come on NASCAR’s biggest stages.

Nicknamed the “Big Game Hunter” by Ganassi, McMurray won the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and fall Charlotte race in 2010. His second Cup win was the 2007 Pepsi 400. He also has two wins at Talladega (2009, 2013). His last trip to victory lane was the 2014 All-Star Race.

Heading into Saturday’s race, McMurray holds the final provisional spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup and is 22 points ahead of Ryan Newman.

Biffle needs to win in order to qualify for the Chase.

NASCAR issues warnings to 10 Sprint Cup teams for Michigan inspection issues

Ten NASCAR Sprint Cup teams received warnings for inspection issues last weekend at Michigan International Speedway.

Those that received warnings were:

Josh Wise’s team failed the Laser Inspection Station three times before qualifying for its first warning. The team also will be docked 15 minutes of practice time this weekend at Darlington Raceway.

Michael McDowell’s team failed the Laser Inspection Station three times before qualifying for its fourth warning and lost its pit stall pick for that race. The team also will lose 15 minutes of practice time at Darlington. McDowell’s team also failed the Laser Inspection Station twice before the race. That marks the team’s first warning toward the new set of four that determines when a team loses its pit stall pick.

Regan Smith’s team received its third warning after failing the template inspection before qualifying at Michigan. The team received its fourth warning after failing the Laser Inspection Station twice before the Michigan race. Smith’s team will lose its pick of pit stalls for this weekend’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

Brad Keselowski’s team received its third warning for failing the Laser Inspection Station twice before last weekend’s race at Michigan.

Ryan Newman’s team received its third warning for failing the Laser Inspection Station twice before last weekend’s race at Michigan.

Chase Elliott’s team received its third warning after failing the Laser Inspection Station twice before qualifying.

Michael Annett’s team received its third warning after failing the Laser Inspection Station twice before qualifying.

Kasey Kahne’s team received its second warning after failing the Laser Inspection Station twice before qualifying at Michigan.

Trevor Bayne’s team received its fourth warning after failing template inspection twice before qualifying at Michigan. The team lost its pit stall pick at Michigan.

Kyle Larson’s team received its second warning after failing template inspection twice before qualifying at Michigan.

With first top five of season, Newman nearly matching 2014 performance that led to final four

Ryan Newman had a decent car at Kentucky Speedway, but not one that would have placed him in the top five on its own.

Newman made sure to thank the person who came up with the strategy that saved him enough fuel to place him third at night’s end in the Quaker State 400, his first top five in 28 races.

“A good well-played race by (crew chief) Luke (Lambert) and all of us to get the finish that we did,” Newman said Saturday night. “We did have a good car. We just never seemed to be able to get good track position and played the fuel game there at the end, did what I thought I had to do, and with no fuel gauge or any kind of telemetry was able to make it to the end.”

After starting the night at Kentucky Speedway in 14th, the Richard Childress Racing car had an average running spot just outside the top 10 (11.80). But staying out during the final 68 caution free laps, as leaders Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick pitted, proved a worth calculation on Lambert’s part. Newman saved enough to score his first top five since Chicagoland Speedway last year, the first race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

“Was hoping that we were going to be the first guy that could pull that one off, not the third guy,” said Newman, whose previous best result this year was seventh at Kansas Speedway.

“It’s four places better than our best finish all year,” said Newman. “Our first top five … that’s a big deal. Proud of that effort. Leading into this stretch of races, especially where we are in the Chase, to have good points tonight, even though it wasn’t a win. It’s a small victory in itself.”

It might be small, but it could be a big sign of what the team is capable of. Newman didn’t earn his first top five of the 2014 season until the Cup series came to Kentucky in its 17th race. The team went on to qualify for the Chase and then the final four at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where it finished second in the race and the championship to Kevin Harvick.

Also like 2014, Newman entered Kentucky this year with five top 10s.

But after that 2014 Kentucky race, Newman was eighth in the points and earned four more top fives before the end of the season.

Newman’s result Saturday night has him at 12th in the point standings, the second-highest driver without a win and not qualified for the Chase. The highest is Chase Elliott, who is eighth in the standings.

“We started the season off decent but not where we wanted to be or where we thought we should’ve been,” Newman said. “We’ve still got some more work to do. We’re not leading a bunch of laps or leading the most laps in a given race and talking about how we didn’t win. We’re talking about how we can finish in the top five. We’ve got some work to do, don’t get me wrong, but I’m proud of the effort that went into tonight.”

Now Newman’s team heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July 17) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 24). Newman has three wins at Loudon, but none since 2011. Since then he has one top five and four top tens. Indianapolis was the site of his last win in 2013. He finished 11th there the last two years.

Ryan: A case for Brad Keselowski’s plate greatness – and the reasons some still reject it

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In becoming the most decorated Millennial in NASCAR history, it never seems easy for Brad Keselowski – even just garnering credit when he makes it seem remarkably easy on track.

That’s been the recurring theme lately for the Team Penske star in the restrictor-plate bedlam of Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. Keselowski’s victory in Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 was his second straight on the tracks that choke down horsepower and create massive packs – requiring deft navigation of its capricious draft at 200 mph – and his improvement curve seems to be accelerating.

He led a race-high 115 of 161 laps at Daytona, bettering his previous plate track high of 46 laps led in May at Talladega.

In both races, he took the lead with 16 laps to go and coolly dictated the rhythm and tone on mammoth ovals whose sound and fury allegedly can’t be harnessed.

Of course, he has exhibited a flair for the dramatic, too. In the fifth start of his Cup career – and his first in a part-time, underfunded car that was blessed with a Hendrick Motorsports engine but little in the way of manpower – Keselowski outdueled a host of veterans by gamely holding the bottom lane and launching Carl Edwards into the catchfence at Talladega. The first lap he led in his Sprint Cup career was the last that day on the 2.66-mile oval.

His next two wins at Talladega – a jaw-dropping maneuver that snookered Kyle Busch in 2012 and a last-lap pass of Ryan Newman during a must-win playoff race to advance in 2014 – were just as compelling and helped bolster an inescapable conclusion.

Keselowski currently might be the world’s best plate racer, and one number bears it out nicely.

Since 2009, he has more plate victories (five) than any driver in NASCAR’s premier series.

Ahh, but it’s not so simple for some.

Just peruse the musings from the angst-ridden peanut gallery of NASCAR social media since Saturday night.

Stating the abundantly obvious – that having the most wins in the past seven years at Daytona and Talladega might merit some measure of praise – was cast as hyperbolic trolling of Keselowski’s mastery.

How can you label someone the best solely based on the number of times they finished first?

The reaction isn’t entirely unpredictable given that Keselowski has been a target of fans’ boos for several years.

It could be construed as a byproduct of the 2012 Sprint Cup champion’s hard-nosed and indefatigable will. Respect among fans and peers always has seemed elusive for the Rochester Hills, Mich., native.

While establishing himself as a rising star, he butted heads with Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. It didn’t subside much after he won the 2012 championship, though the clashes became less frequent and vocal. Keselowski was elected to the Sprint Cup Drivers Council, but he won’t win popularity contests in many quarters of the industry.

That doesn’t explain all of why Kez has been denied his due for plate greatness, though.

Here are some reasons why:

–He’s threatening the supremacy of a 13-time most popular driver: In 2015, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who leads active drivers with 10 restrictor-plate wins, posted two wins, a second and a third between Daytona and Talladega. But he is having arguably the worst plate season of his career. After crashing in the Daytona 500 and at Talladega, Earnhardt finished a nondescript 21st Saturday while battling the same handling problems plaguing the No. 88 Chevrolet in 2016 plate races.

Keselowski’s rise hasn’t come at Earnhardt’s expense, but there are mitigating factors that make it less palatable for Junior Nation to accept. Earnhardt gave Keselowski his big break by putting him in a JRM Xfinity ride a decade ago. Since then, he’s won a Cup championship, which Earnhardt still doesn’t have.

Plate greatness has been a constant through the ups and downs of Earnhardt’s career. If Keselowski were perceived as snatching it, Earnhardt’s fervent following wouldn’t take kindly.

–His success has come in one of the oddest eras of plate racing: None of Keselowski’s victories came during the 2011 season that featured the wretched rise (and fall) of tandem drafting, but the taint still lingered.

Plate racing went through a bizarre spell during that period, and the interruption in continuity made an impact on how the racing was celebrated.

Keselowski’s winning stretch would be more appreciated if it had occurred in the early to mid-2000s, when the rules for plate racing were in a sweet spot that engendered decent racing while emphasizing driver talent (see: Earnhardt’s winning run at Talladega in 2001-04).

–He has taken advantage of depleted fields: The most specious of narratives, driven mostly by the 22-car wreck Saturday at Daytona – while conveniently omitting that it didn’t eliminate every legitimate contender. Keselowski still had to make a nifty move to take the lead from Busch (ranked first in driver rating at Daytona among active Cup drivers) as well as beat 2016 Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, restrictor-plate sleeper Kurt Busch and others.

There also was a 21-car wreck in May at Talladega, a 10-car wreck in 2014, two nine-car wrecks in 2012 and a 14-car and 10-car wreck in 2009.

Yes, massive pileups have happened in all of Keselowski’s victories. Generally, they occur in the middle of the pack, wiping out mostly cars that weren’t a serious threat to start.

–He initially struggled at Daytona: Going strictly by the numbers (which always is a dangerous trap in analyzing plate results), Keselowski’s results have lagged at the World Center of Racing. The 2.5-mile track is his worst in Sprint Cup based on average finish (20.7).

But a closer examination shows he already has been headed in the right direction. He unquestionably was mediocre at the 2016 Daytona 500 (20th), prompting his team to construct a much sleeker No. 2 Ford for this past weekend, but aside from that, he has been strong the past three seasons.

He was running well last July before a mid-race wreck, he was contending in the top five of the 2015 Daytona 500 before a late engine failure, and he finished third in the 2014 Daytona 500 – delivering the winning push to Earnhardt in the two-lap dash to the finish.

Watch LIVE: NASCAR America at 6 p.m. ET: Previewing the Coke Zero 400

Today’s episode of NASCAR America, which airs from 6 – 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN, gives you one last preview of this weekend’s action at Daytona International Speedway.

Dave Briggs hosts with Parker Kligerman from Stamford, Connecticut.

Included in today’s show:

Hear from our crew at Daytona International Speedway, including Krista Voda, Kyle Petty, Dale Jarrett, Rick Allen, Steve Letarte and birthday boy Jeff Burton.
On Saturday, Tony Stewart makes his final start at Daytona as a full-time Sprint Cup driver. Stewart has never won the Daytona 500, but can tie David Pearson’s record of five July Daytona wins this weekend. We’ll look back on his summertime success.
Marty Snider is down in Daytona with the rest of the crew and he spoke with Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman as they get ready for Saturday night’s race.
The art of side-drafting has become critical to success everywhere – especially at Daytona. Parker Kligerman jumps in the simulator to break down how drivers use side-drafting to their advantage.
If you’re not near a TV, you can watch online or on the NBC Sports app via at the NASCAR stream on NBC Sports.

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 enter that information, you’ll have access to the stream.

Click here at 6 p.m. ET to watch live via the stream.

NASCAR racing returns to NBC this weekend with the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. Coverage begins July 2 at 7:45 p.m. ET on NBC.

Kyle Larson competing in USAC midget race tonight after winning Tuesday

Kyle Larson will go for his second consecutive USAC midget win tonight at Gas City I-69 Speedway in the second night of Indiana Midget Week.

Larson, whose background is in sprint and midget cars, took a break from his Chip Ganassi Racing duties to race Tuesday at the quarter-mile Montpelier Motor Speedway. He scored his first USAC National Midget win since 2013.

Larson held on in a three-lap shootout to earn his fourth career Indiana Midget Week win and his 13th career USAC National Midget Week victory, tying him with Rico Abreu, Steve Knepper, Don Meacham, Ryan Newman and Stevie Reeves for 49th on the all-time list.

Also competing Tuesday was NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Christopher Bell, who finished third. Abreu finished 14th in the 23-car feature.

Chase Grid: Kenseth qualifies, Elliott earns big gain after Dover

With his win at Dover International Speedway, Matt Kenseth became the first driver to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup in the last five races.

There have now been seven different winners through the first 12 races of the Sprint Cup season. With Denny Hamlin‘s poor performance since winning the Daytona 500, Kenseth was able to move up eight spots on the latest Chase grid to sixth, ahead of Hamlin.

Chase Elliott, who finished third Sunday for a career-best result, moved up three spots on the grid to ninth. The only driver ahead of him on the gird who hasn’t won a race is Kurt Busch. Busch is the only driver with 10 finishes in the top 10 through 12 races.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Austin Dillon had the biggest drops, each falling three spots to 13th and 12th, respectively.

The first four drivers out of the 16 spots that will qualify for the Chase are AJ Allmendinger, Ryan Newman, Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Will Ryan Newman and Richard Childress be together next season?

WELCOME, N.C. — Ryan Newman and car owner Richard Childress both offered little on Newman’s future with Richard Childress Racing on Wednesday.

Newman signed a three-year contact to drive for the team beginning with the 2014 season. This is Newman’s third year with the organization.

No extension on Newman’s contract has been announced. With RCR at three cars and Ty Dillon, Childress’ grandson, on the path to move to Cup, the question is what RCR’s driver lineup will be next year if it doesn’t find sponsorship to expand to four cars.

“I’ll keep doing this as long as somebody wants me to do it and it’s fun doing it,’’ Newman said of his future.

Asked about next year’s driver lineup, Childress said: “We’re not looking at anything right now. We’ve got to focus and focus hard on trying to go out and win races. That’s our No. 1 focus right now.’’

Richard Childress Racing last won a Sprint Cup race in 2013.

Although Newman has yet to win at RCR, he finished second in the points in 2014 and was 11th last year. He enters this weekend’s race at Dover International Speedway 17th in the points.

He blew a tire late at Atlanta and finished 24th. A melted bead caused Newman’s tire to go down and he crashed at Phoenix, finishing 39th. He placed 28th at Talladega after being involved in a 21-car crash.

“Some of that is bad racing luck, some of that is self-inflicted,’’ Newman said.

Other than those finishes, Newman has finished between seventh and 18th this season.

Newman, who has 17 career Cup wins, is focused on snapping his 99-race winless streak.

“That’s what we’re working on is winning races,’’ he said. “It’s important for our sponsors that we get at least one win and hopefully can knock off two or three once we make it in the Chase and have a successful season again.’’

Will winning change if he is back at RCR?

“I have no idea,’’ Newman said.

NASCAR America: Ricky Rudd helps Richard Childress unveil throwback paint schemes

Richard Childress Racing unveiled the Southern 500 paint schemes Wednesday for Ryan Newman and Austin Dillon.

During the unveiling in Welcome, North Carolina, NBC Sports’ Marty Snider spoke with team owner Richard Childress and retired veteran Ricky Rudd, who scored RCR’s first Sprint Cup victory on June 5, 1983 at Riverside International Raceway in a No. 3 Chevrolet sponsored by Piedmont Airlines.

Dillon’s car for the Sept. 4 race at Darlington Raceway will salute Rudd’s car with the same paint scheme.

Watch LIVE: NASCAR America at 6 p.m. ET: Adam Stevens’ suspension, RCR paint schemes and more

Today’s episode of NASCAR America once again airs for 30 minutes beginning at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Krista Voda hosts with Dale Jarrett from Stamford, Connecticut. Kyle Petty and Ray Evernham join them from NBC Charlotte.

On today’s show:

· The latest on the No. 18 team’s penalties for violating the revised lug nut policy. Kyle Busch’s crew chief, Adam Stevens, and front tire changer Josh Leslie have been suspended for one race, and Stevens has also been fined $20,000. Our team of analysts – former Sprint Cup champ Dale Jarrett, driver Kyle Petty, crew chief Ray Evernham, and NASCAR on NBC insider Nate Ryan – will weigh in.

· It was a big day at Richard Childress Racing, which revealed its Darlington “throwback” paint schemes for drivers Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman. NASCAR on NBC’s Marty Snider has reaction from Childress, Dillon, and Newman – plus the former RCR driver they’ll be honoring on Labor Day weekend.

· Kyle Petty takes us through the memories of the 22nd Annual Kyle Petty Charity Ride, where nearly 200 riders covered over 2,000 miles to raise money for Victory Junction.

If you’re not near a TV, you can watch online at the NASCAR stream on NBC Sports.

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 enter that information, you’ll have access to the stream.

Click here at 6 p.m. ET to watch live via the stream.

Hendrick, Chevrolet most successful in first 15 years of racing at Kansas Speedway

The newest track on the Sprint Cup circuit is Kentucky Speedway, which has hosted five Cup races since 2011.

But 10 years before that, the new kid on the block was Kansas Speedway, the 1.5-mile track in Kansas City, Kansas, the series returns to for its 16th season this weekend for the GoBowling.com 400.

Saturday’s race marks the 21st race for the Cup series on the track. The very first one, held on Sept. 30, 2001, was won by Hendrick Motorsports’ Jeff Gordon in his No. 24 Chevrolet.

Over the following 14 seasons, that would be the scene that played out the most – a Chevrolet owned by Hendrick going to victory lane.

Six times in 20 races, a Hendrick car has won at Kansas Speedway. Gordon won the first two races and then claimed another in 2014 before retiring at the end of 2015.

Jimmie Johnson is the defending winner of Saturday’s race and has Hendrick’s other three wins, in 2008, 2011 and 2015.

“I really like the surface of the Kansas track and looking forward to a great race,” Johnson said in a press release. “Last year (Crew chief) Chad (Knaus) made a great call and we had a fast Lowe’s Chevy and the gamble paid off.”

Looking to bounce back from a dismal outing at Talladega is Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose best Kansas finish is second in 2011. He wound up third in last year’s spring race.

“That place has widened out pretty good and you can run against the fence there, which is a line that I like to run,” Earnhardt said in a press release. “It’s a very fast racetrack and very smooth – a lot of fun, so we should have a good time. We ran good there on the last several trips, so I anticipate us being very competitive.”

Chevrolet has won 10 of the 20 Kansas races, with Tony Stewart earning two (2006, 2009) with Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing. The remaining two victories were claimed by Joe Nemechek and Kevin Harvick while he was with Richard Childress Racing.

Ford has six wins and Toyota has two, but none since 2013.

The next most successful teams at Kansas are Roush Fenway Racing and Team Penske with four wins each. Penske has the most recent success, winning with Joey Logano in two of the last three races, both in the fall race held in the day.

Penske’s first Kansas win came with Ryan Newman in 2003 driving a Dodge. Now Newman is in a Chevrolet at RCR.

“It’s super-fast and it has a little bit of a goofy transition into Turn 1,” Newman said in a press release. “It just seems like it is a combination of downforce and horsepower to go fast. It’s super smooth so it doesn’t really matter so much how your car rides as much as how you have the tires loaded up in each corner and the overall grip you can get out of the car with the downforce.”

Roush’s last Kansas win came in 2012 with Matt Kenseth. The three-car team is looking for its first win since 2014 and has performed well on intermediate tracks so far in 2016, but Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has the only top-10 finish, placing 10th at Atlanta Motor Speedway. But he and teammate Trevor Bayne ran in the top 10 for much of the Texas race.

Stenhouse will be back with crew chief Nick Sandler this week after Sandler was suspended for the Talladega race for an unapproved steering wheel coupler.

“The tires usually don’t wear (at Kansas) so pit strategy becomes a factor because you want to minimize the amount of time you are on pit road,” Sandler said in a press release.