A NASCAR executive discounted the notion that tracks will add a substance to their racing surface to enhance grip this year
Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice
president and chief racing development officer, made the comment Monday
on “The Morning Drive” on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
“We’re looking at a lot of different
options, meeting with Goodyear to see where and when we could apply it
and how that would affect the racing on the track,’’ O’Donnell said. “A
lot of different options that we hope to have on the table, maybe not
necessarily at the start of 2017.’’
A substance was used at Bristol Motor
Speedway before the August races for the Camping World Truck Series,
Xfinity Series and Sprint Cup Series. The Cup race saw 20 lead changes.
Only one other Bristol event in the track’s last eight Cup races had
more lead changes.
A substance was put on the high lane at
Martinsville Speedway last weekend on the final day of a tire test there
to unfavorable reviews.
Among the biggest complaints was that it made both the high lane and low lane nearly equal in lap times. Martin Truex Jr., who was among those who tested there.
“I felt like with the second groove being
as fast as the first I don’t know how you would pass anyone,’’ Truex
said. “The great racing at Martinsville is the fight for the bottom. If
you can’t hold the bottom you’re going to get passed. In that case. I
don’t believe Martinsville is a place we ought to mess with.’’
That Martinsville test was done looking
ahead to 2017. Officials from the track and NASCAR told NBC Sports that
the track’s surface would not be changed for the Sprint Cup and Camping
World Truck Series races there later this month.
Also during his appearance on SiriusXM
NASCAR Radio, O’Donnell noted the type of racing in Sunday’s event at
Charlotte Motor Speedway despite the limited practice time.
Sprint Cup teams had one practice session Friday before rain canceled two practice sessions Saturday.
“One of the things we learned this
weekend, which we’ll have to see, we’ll get some pushback from the
garage, but it was nice to see teams almost just show up and have to
race,’’ O’Donnell said. “We’re looking at how much practice is too much
practice for an event. Maybe that is something we look at in the future
as well.’’
Matt DiBenedetto sports a Taylor Swift wig as he is introduced to the Bristol Motor Speedway crowd on Saturday night
Saturday night's Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway was rained out and rescheduled for 1 p.m. ET Sunday.
But before the rains fell, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers upheld a longstanding Bristol tradition, with each of the 40 pilots walking out to driver introductions to a different song.
Highlights included Matt DiBenedetto coming out in a Taylor Swift blonde wig to "Shake It Off" and Kyle Busch's mic drop to FloRida's "Welcome To My House."
Here's the full list from Saturday night's pre-race:
Josh Wise- "Narrow Mouth" by The Early November
Justin Allgaier- "Click, Click, Boom" by Saliva
Jeffrey Earnhardt- "Fishin' in the Dark" by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
David Ragan- "Ain't No Going Down Till the Sun Comes Up" by Garth Brooks
Reed Sorenson- "Take A Little Ride" by Jason Aldean
Cole Whitt- "Thunderstuck" by AC DC
Greg Biffle- "Trap Queen" by Fetty Wap
Regan Smith- "State of My Head" by Shinedown
Landon Cassill- "Famous" by Kanye West
Clint Bowyer- "Born to Boogie" by Hank Williams Jr.
Brian Scott- "Jungle" by X Ambassadors
Danica Patrick- "Maneater" by Nelly Furtado
Jamie McMurray- "Kickstart My Heart" by Motley Crew
Tony Stewart- "Better Man" by Pearl Jam
Michael McDowell- "Ice Cream Truck Song" by Ice Cream Truck
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.- "Shameless" by Garth Brooks
Kevin Harvick- "Good Company" by Jake Owen
Kyle Larson- "Another Round" by Whitney Morgan & the 78's
Trevor Bayne- "Rocky Top" Tennessee's Pride of the Southland Band
Casey Mears- "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" by Beastie Boys
Paul Menard- "We Are An American Band" by Jackyl
Kasey Kahne- "Record Year" by Eric Church
Matt DiBenedetto- "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift
Aric Almirola- "The Outsiders" by Eric Church
Jimmie Johnson- "Ain't No Man" by the Avett Brothers
Ryan Newman- "Huntin, Fishin', Lovin' Every Day" by Luke Bryan
Kurt Busch- "Living on the Edge" by Aerosmith
Austin Dillon- "Country Grammar" by Nelly
Chris Buescher- "Bad Reputation" by Adelitas Way
Jeff Gordon- "Show Me What You Got" by Jay-Z
Joey Logano- "On The Road Again" by Willie Nelson
Brad Keselowski- "Tom Sawyer" by Rush
AJ Allmendinger- "Remember My Name" by Maino
Martin Truex Jr.- "Great Day to Be Alive" by Travis Tritt
Chase Elliott- "Lotta Boot Left to Fill" by Eric Church
Richmond International Raceway wasn’t the only NASCAR track in use on Saturday night.
While Denny Hamlin was busy winning the Federated Auto Parts 400, 324 miles west in Bristol, Tennessee, a college football game was being played in Bristol Motor Speedway.
The Tennessee Volunteers played the Virginia Tech Hokies at Bristol Motor Speedway, one of the smallest tracks on the NASCAR circuit.
156,990 people crammed into “Thunder Valley” for the Flying J Bristol Battle at Bristol, making it the most people to ever attend a college football game. Those fans watched the Volunteers drum the Hokies 45-24.
Here’s a look at the scene Saturday night in Bristol.
Jeff Gordon says he will not drive the No. 88 car for Dale Earnhardt Jr. next weekend at Michigan International Speedway because of a prior commitment.
“I didn’t know I was going to be doing all of this,” Gordon said.
Gordon would not say what the commitment was but said he would only be at Michigan on race day. Hendrick Motorsports confirmed that Alex Bowman will drive the No. 88 car at Michigan if Earnhardt is unable to race. Bowman drove for Earnhardt last month at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and finished 26th.
Earnhardt has not said what his status for Michigan is. Thursday, Earnhardt posted a series of pictures and videos on his Instagram account showing some of the physical and mental exercises he is doing to aid his recovery.
Gordon said it’s simple why he’s not driving at Michigan.
“I can’t be there all weekend,” he said.
Asked if he could drive on race day only at Michigan, Gordon said: “It doesn’t make sense. I’ve not driven that (reduced downforce) package. I think it’s only fair, and I’m pretty sure that Alex Bowman would be in the car, it wouldn’t be fair to him, it wouldn’t be fair to this team. I’m not so sure I’m even the best choice for that package at that race anyway to get the most points for the car owner (standings). That’s my primary goal.”
The Sprint Cup Series will use the reduced downforce package at Michigan that was run there earlier this year and at Kentucky. That package is expected to be set for next season.
Gordon qualified 11th for Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. This will be his fourth race filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has been out because of a concussion suffered in June at Michigan. The symptoms, though, did not show up until weeks later. Bristol will be the fifth race Earnhardt has missed. Gordon drove for him at Indianapolis (finished 13th), Pocono (27th), Watkins Glen (14th) and Bristol.
Watkins Glen marked Gordon’s 800th career Sprint Cup start.
Gordon said he would be available to run in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway if Earnhardt was still unable to be back in the car by the Sept. 4 race.
BRISTOL, Tenn. – Chris Buescher took another important step toward earning a berth in this year's Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, garnering a hard-fought fifth-place finish in Sunday's rain-delayed Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
It was the second top-five finish of the season for the 23-year old driver of the No. 34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports, and came just three weeks after his first career win in the series.
That win, which came at Pocono Raceway, opened the door for a Chase berth but only if the 2015 XFINITY Series champion could make his way into the top 30 in points.
The finish at Bristol did just that, vaulting him past David Ragan and into 30th place. Teammate Landon Cassill sits 29th, 27 points ahead.
RELATED: How the Chase bubble looks post-Bristol
"I don't know exactly where we're at quite yet, but I know we had to get there," Buescher said on pit road after his top-five finish. "That's Chase eligibility in one race out of the four we had to do it. Now we have to hold onto it."
Sunday's event, the continuation of a race that started Saturday night but was interrupted after just 48 laps due to rain, was also impacted by weather, starting more than three hours late. Kevin Harvick, the 2014 series champion, won, with Ricky Stenhouse (Roush Fenway Racing), Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing), Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing) and Buescher completing the top five.
The overnight delay didn't seem to impact the performance of Buescher and his team. After running inside the top 20 for most of the race, Buescher finally cracked the top 10 with 125 laps of the 500-lap race remaining. From there, he steadily worked his way into the top five.
"I'm really proud of this team," he said. "... We knew Bristol would be a good one for us. It took us a day later to do it, but we got ourselves a top-five and had a blast out here. That was an awesome run."
Buescher has only a brief history at Bristol in Sprint Cup competition, finishing 25th here in last year's spring race and 21st earlier this season. In the XFINITY Series, he posted three top 10s in five starts.
"I love Bristol. I absolutely love this race track."
With five laps to go, Buescher had closed on Dillon when his team told him, "You've got room; try him if you can." Another position would mean another point earned. Buescher said the risk of losing spots should he make a run at the RCR driver wasn't a concern.
"I wasn't planning on messing up if I got next to him," he said. "It was one of those things where we could catch him and then mess up a corner and get a little bit of gap, and then we got back to him there.
"I think the 19 (of Carl Edwards) and someone else was behind us, and they were within a couple car-lengths, so I didn't want to go to the bottom and give those two cars a chance to pass us and lose two points that easily."
With a precarious points position and three races remaining to determine the full 16-team Chase field, Buescher says the team's plan of attack won't be altered by what could go wrong in those races, either. It's what should go right that matters.
"We came to Bristol knowing that we had speed, that we love this race track, and it was a good chance for us to go out and have an awesome run," he said, "and that's exactly what we were able to do.
"Points will fall however they will. You can't focus on them too much because you lose sight of what the main goal is, and that's to go out and win races."
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. dedicated his second-place finish in Sunday’s Bass Pro Shops / NHRA Night Race at Bristol to the memory of his late friend, Bryan Clauson.
Stenhouse has been on an emotional roller coaster since Clauson’s Aug. 6 crash in a USAC Midget race at Belleville, Kansas. Clauson, 27, died the next day, and Stenhouse spent the NASCAR off week comforting Clauson’s family at the Knoxville Nationals in Iowa.
“It’s definitely been tough, but I think going to Knoxville and being with his family, being with his fiancée (Lauren) and being with friends that we all had a great time together, you know, talking about it, talking through things and talking about all the good things that Bryan did and his organ donation really helped a lot of us really feel comforted with what he was still doing after the fact,” Stenhouse said.
Clauson’s memorial service Thursday was “one of the toughest days that I think I had,” Stenhouse said. “But again, just being there and telling stories really I think helped us all get through it. Lauren has been a rock getting everybody though. You would think it would be the other way around. She’s really helped a lot of people.”
Lauren Stewart and her parents attended the race at Bristol.
“They came and just hung out all day on Saturday throughout the day around the motor home, and I was like, well, rain delays are good for some things,” Stenhouse said. “We all got to hang out together and spend some more time together, and that definitely has been helping us a lot the last couple weeks.”
In his interview above with NBC Sports, Stenhouse also talked about the significance of doing well and how he just didn’t have quite enough to catch race winner Kevin Harvick.
Stenhouse also talked about Clauson’s plan to compete in a total of 200 races – across a variety of racing platforms including sprint and midget cars, as well as having competed this year in the Indianapolis 500, earning a career-best finish.
“I know Bryan was watching and wanting us to win tonight, and we gave it all we had,” Stenhouse said. “He was trying to run 200 races. Somebody asked me, how do you feel coming to here and racing, and talking with Tim, Bryan’s dad, he was like, ‘Man, I feel like Bryan is probably mad at me right now because I’m not at home working on a midget to get it ready to go racing because Bryan, all he wanted to do was race.’ That’s what he was doing, and leading one of the biggest races of the year.
“If he had to choose a way to go out, I feel like that was the way he wanted.”
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kyle Busch has seen this before. So has Denny Hamlin.
Their performances Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway showed the strength of Joe Gibbs Racing but also raised some questions about the organization’s performance even with two drivers placing in the top 10 — Hamlin was third and Carl Edwards was sixth.
Busch led a race-high 256 laps before a mechanical issue caused him to spin before he was struck by Justin Allgaier’s car. Busch finished 39th, two spots behind fellow teammate Matt Kenseth, caught up in a subsequent crash that involved Kyle’s older brother Kurt, and left upset.
“I’m not sure what our problem is with being able to put together cars that will last here,’’ Busch said. “Our teammates obviously have a strong sense of what to do, but we don’t. I don’t know what’s going on. Guys know how to set (the cars) up and make them quick, but they just don’t last. We’ve got work to do. We’ve got to make sure our stuff can work and last to the end.’’
So what more can he say at Joe Gibbs Racing?
“They already know,’’ he said. “Just by watching the race. It’s frustrating because that’s two or three or four races in a row at Bristol that we’ve had problems. Yeah, maybe a couple of them were my doing. We’ve also had parts failures here. We can’t be having that stuff.’’
BRISTOL, TN – AUGUST 21: Denny Hamlin leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
Another issue is mistakes. Hamlin was called for his series-high eighth speeding penalty on pit road this year and he also had to make a green-flag pit stop because of a loose wheel, falling two laps down before recovering for a top-five finish.
“I knew I sped when I did it,’’ he said. “In the playoffs, I’m not going to be that aggressive. Out here trying to get a win, win-or-nothing attitude in the regular season, that’s when I push it.’’
While Joe Gibbs Racing has had some quality control issues in the past — Busch’s frustrations can be traced to previous years when mechanical issues sidelined championship hopes in the Chase — Sunday still was a step forward for the organization compared to the spring race.
Although Edwards won at Bristol in the spring, Busch, Hamlin and Matt Kenseth each had tire issues with Busch placing 38th, Kenseth 36th and Hamlin 20th that day.
“We knew we had issues with the right front and we had to come here and correct it and that’s what we did,’’ Hamlin said. “We changed a lot of things to try to help with that right front tire.’’
One issue solved. More issues to fix. Three races before the playoffs begin.
Kevin Harvick won the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race on Sunday evening at Bristol Motor Speedway, one day after the race was postponed due to inclement weather.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., in the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, finished in second place, 1.9 seconds behind the 2014 Sprint Cup Series champion.
Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon and Chris Buescher rounded out the top five.
Scheduled for a green-flag time of 1 p.m. ET, persistent rain delayed the start for nearly four hours.
Kyle Busch led 256 laps, but was involved in a four-car wreck on Lap 357. His car spun due to what the driver said was a broken part, and Justin Allgaier drilled his No. 18 Toyota.
Shortly thereafter, an 11-car wreck -- triggered when Kurt Busch got loose and collected Brad Keselowski -- thinned the field further.
The Sprint Cup Series returns to the track on Sunday, Aug. 28 for the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). There are now just three races remaining in the regular season.
BRISTOL, Tenn. -- The start of Sunday's rain-delayed Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, postponed from Saturday night, is currently on hold as morning showers have delayed the event's scheduled 1 p.m. re-start.
Teams completed 48 laps before rain halted Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, forcing officials to reschedule the continuation of the race for Sunday. Morning rain in northeast Tennessee kept NASCAR and track officials busy trying to dry the track between frequent cloud bursts.
The race, when it does resume, can be seen on CNBC while radio networks PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR are also providing coverage.
Kyle Busch (Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota) will restart today's race out front, with Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports) and Ryan Blaney (Wood Brothers Racing) in second and third.
JGR teammates Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth complete the top five.
Records indicate this is the first time the annual night race at BMS has been run the following day since the track moved the event under the lights in 1978. NASCAR Hall of Fame member Cale Yarborough won that event, then known as the Volunteer 500.
It is the third time this season a race has been delayed one day due to rain, with the other two both coming at Pocono Raceway.
RELATED: Recap the action so far | Revised race-day schedule
With 48 of 500 laps complete at Bristol, here is a look at the running order heading into Sunday's resumption of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the 0.533-mile track.
1-Kyle Busch (26 laps led)
2-Chase Elliott (14 laps led)
3-Ryan Blaney
4-Denny Hamlin (8 laps led)
5-Matt Kenseth
6-Martin Truex Jr.
7-Carl Edwards
8-Jeff Gordon
9-Joey Logano
10-Kyle Larson
11-AJ Allmendinger
12-Brad Keselowski
13-Austin Dillon
14-Kasey Kahne
15-Ryan Newman
16-Kevin Harvick
17-Kurt Busch
18-Paul Menard
19-Chris Buescher
20-Jamie McMurray
21-Aric Almirola
22-Matt DiBenedetto
23-Trevor Bayne
24-Michael McDowell
25-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
26-Landon Cassill
27-Danica Patrick
28-David Ragan
29-Jimmie Johnson
30-Brian Scott
31-Tony Stewart
32-Greg Biffle
33-Casey Mears
34-Justin Allgaier
35-Clint Bowyer
36-Regan Smith
37-Cole Whitt
38-Reed Sorenson
39-Josh Wise
40-Jeffrey Earnhardt
BRISTOL, Tenn. – Denny Hamlin owns a new track record, but Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Carl Edwards won the round that counted in Friday’s knockout qualifying session at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Edwards sped around the .533-mile high-banked concrete short track in 14.602 seconds (131.407 mph) to claim the top starting spot for Saturday's Bass Pro Shops NRA night Race (8 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), edging Hamlin (131.200 mph) by .023 seconds.
Remarkably, Edwards earned his fifth Coors Light Pole Award of the season, his fourth at Bristol and the 21st of his career without making a mock qualifying run during either of Friday's two practice sessions. Instead, the driver of the No. 19 Toyota relied on setup information from his teammates – including Hamlin.
"It's nice to have fast teammates," said Edwards, who will try to duplicate his pole-winning, race-winning performance from April. "We wouldn't have had a shot at (the pole) if it wasn’t for them. We thought it was going to rain, so we didn't practice qualifying or anything. My guys made great adjustments based on that information.
"I just hope we can finish it off the way we did in the spring."
All four JGR drivers qualified in the top five for the 23rd NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the season. Kyle Busch (130.931 mph) will start third and Matt Kenseth (130.619 mph) fifth. The only interloper was Ford driver Ryan Blaney (130.637 mph), who grabbed the fourth spot on the grid in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Fusion.
With a blistering run in 14.573 seconds (131.668 mph) in the first round, Hamlin broke the track record he set for this event last year, eclipsing his own mark of 14.602 seconds (131.407 mph). But Hamlin was the last of 12 drivers out for the final round and fell just short of Edwards' winning time.
"We had really good speed, so I'm pretty optimistic about that," said Hamlin, who will start within the top six for the 15th time this season. "I can't believe we've qualified as good as we have this year and not gotten a pole.
"It's unbelievable – still a great effort by our whole team. I hope we can have a great race up here on (Saturday) night and get in Victory Lane."
Chris Buescher, fighting to crack the top 30 in the standings and qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup (based on his victory at Pocono), qualified 12th, one position behind Jeff Gordon, who made the final round for the first time in his fourth start in place of Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Gordon's Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott had the fastest Chevrolet, qualifying sixth.
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.
Ben Kennedy topped the field to win Wednesday's Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway in the No. 33 GMS Racing Chevrolet, his first career national series victory. Kennedy is the great-grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. and the son of Lesa France Kennedy, CEO of International Speedway Corporation and Vice Chairperson of NASCAR
Right behind him was Brett Moffitt in the No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota in second place.
Rounding out the top five were Daniel Hemric in the No. 19 Brad Keselowski Racing Ford, series points leader William Byron in the No. 9 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota and Johnny Sauter in the No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet.
The race's start was delayed approximately an hour as crews worked to dry the racing surface after a bout of rain.
The next Camping World Truck Series race is at Michigan International Speedway for the Careers for Veterans 200 presented by Cooper Standard and Brad Keselowski's Checkered Flag Foundation on Aug. 27 at 1 p.m. ET (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
RELATED: Latest updates, timeline of Dale Jr.'s recovery
BRISTOL, Tenn. -- The first time he met Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon never imagined that he would one day drive in relief for his Hendrick Motorsports teammate.
Yet here Saturday night, Gordon will do just that, suiting up for the fourth consecutive race to drive the organization's No. 88 Chevrolet in place of Earnhardt in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Earnhardt has been sidelined since mid-July due to concussion-like symptoms and the timing of his return has yet to be determined.
Their first meeting came in the mid 1990s at North Wilkesboro Speedway when Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Earnhardt Jr.'s father, were at the top of their game. The elder Earnhardt was already a legendary figure in the sport; Gordon was on his way to becoming one.
The cheering and jeering of the Earnhardt and Gordon fans was a weekly occurrence at tracks across the country. That the two would go on to become both friends and business associates seemed unfathomable to those in the grandstands.
"I remember sitting there on pit road and Dale Sr. and he came walking by … it was the first time I ever met (Junior)," Gordon told NASCAR.com recently. "They were getting ready to qualify; I don't remember if he was driving a Late Model maybe … I don't exactly remember but I knew he'd been doing some racing and was building some momentum.
"I remember that he was very respectful. It was cool to meet him and then shortly after that see him rise as quick as he did."
Gordon "retired" from competition at the end of 2015, with four series titles and 93 career victories. The last time he visited Bristol, he was working in the television booth, just two months into his new role as a FOX NASCAR analyst.
RELATED: Remembering some of the top moments at Bristol
Now, he's back behind the wheel at a track where he notched five wins and five of 81 career poles.
Hendrick officials announced July 14 that doctors had not cleared Earnhardt Jr. to compete the following weekend at New Hampshire. Alex Bowman stepped in and finished 26th in his only start with the team.
Gordon took over the driving duties for races at Indianapolis (13th), Pocono (27th) and most recently Watkins Glen (14th).
Getting back in the car, and the No. 88 in particular, was an unusual feeling for Gordon although the 45-year-old certainly garnered his share of the spotlight throughout his career.
"I knew it was a big story," he said of the return, "but still until you’re living it and the reality of it is there, you don't know how your heart's going to beat, how your hands are going to sweat. That first time on track at Indy, I was sweating. And not just because of the heat.
"It would be different if I had been out for one week or two weeks. But I'd been out for eight months. I hadn't really driven this package. There's added pressure because of the situation, it being Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car. To me the pressure was more about the performance."
Earnhardt, who also missed two races in 2012 after suffering a concussion, is a two-time champion in NASCAR’s XFINITY Series and has 26 Sprint Cup victories. His absence from competition has seen him fall from 13th to 21st in the points standings.
His move to the XFINITY Series (then Busch Grand National) is one Gordon hasn't forgotten either. Earnhardt made one start in the series '96 and eight in '97 before going full-time the following season.
"I went to see Dale Sr. about some business and he said 'Hey come check out Dale Jr.'s car for Watkins Glen," Gordon said. "… I looked at the car and remember it wasn't fancy, wasn't some super premium piece of equipment. The shifter on it was so long. Total old school. At that point we had been making really nice transmissions, road course cars, short shifters and all those things."
Gordon said he took the opportunity for a bit of friendly ribbing.
"I gave Senior a hard time," he said. "I was like 'What's this? You're going to make him go to Watkins Glen in this? That shifter is just wrong. This car is not at all what he deserves.'"
Earnhardt wasn't swayed by the comments, according to Gordon.
"He goes, 'Oh no. I'm going to make him work for it. He's not going to have it easy; he's going to work on it himself. I'm not going give him the best equipment. He's not going to learn anything being in the best equipment. He's going to have to drive some mediocre equipment so he can learn.'
While the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series enjoys its final in-season off-weekend, it seems everyone from drivers to crew chiefs to team owners and fans are breaking out their calculators.
They’re all trying to figure out who has the best chance of still making the upcoming 10 race Chase for the Sprint Cup – particularly those drivers who have yet to win a race thus far in 2016.
A total of 16 drivers will qualify for the Chase. As it stands now, 11 drivers are already qualified by virtue of winning at least one race already this season, plus they’re above 30th place, which is the cutoff for Chase eligibility.
A 12th winning driver, Chris Buescher, is not yet qualified for the Chase because he remains three points shy of the 30th place cutoff. If Buescher can leave Richmond in the top-30, he will make the Chase.
One of the most interesting stats is that of the four races remaining before the Chase, several drivers that remain winless this season have enjoyed past victories at those same tracks, particularly Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who both have won in the past at three of the next four tracks.
Can lightning strike again for them?
Here’s how it breaks down:
Bristol: Earnhardt, Kahne
Michigan: Greg Biffle, Earnhardt, Ryan Newman, Kahne
Darlington: Biffle, Regan Smith
Richmond: Earnhardt, Clint Bowyer, Kahne, Newman
For each of those past winners that might triumph again at those tracks, or for other first-time winners in 2016, it would further reduce the number of drivers who make the Chase solely on points.
It remains uncertain whether Earnhardt will be able to make the Chase after having missed the last several races due to a concussion – and remains sidelined.
Given that Earnhardt is ranked 21st in the standings, 51 points behind 16th ranked Trevor Bayne, it would appear the only way he would make the Chase is to win one of the last four – provided he’s cleared to even race at some point during that period.
Right now, drivers who have yet to win a race this year that appear the safest to make the Chase are Newman (50 points ahead of Bayne on the cutoff line), Chase Elliott (+49), Austin Dillon (+47) and Jamie McMurray (+38).
Kyle Larson is also above the cutoff line, but with only an eight-point edge over Bayne, is the driver in the riskiest position.
Larson is still simmering at how AJ Allmendinger wrecked him on the final lap of Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen. It cost Larson what appeared to be a likely top-five finish and left him with a disappointing 29th-place result – which greatly impacted his Chase chances and ranking.
“Pretty dumb move right there,” Larson said of Allmendinger. “I was the smarter one racing for points, lifted, could have wrecked him, but didn’t.”
Instead, it was Larson who was wrecked by Allmendinger.
“He has run me hard, but we always race pretty well, but today was flat out stupid,” Larson said.
The drivers outside the top 16 with the best chance of still sneaking into the Chase on points are Kahne (three points behind Bayne), Ryan Blaney (-8), Allmendinger (-26), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (-37) and Earnhardt (-51).
Bristol Motor Speedway is once again experimenting with the racing surface of the half-mile track in hopes of bringing back two-wide racing.
First reported by Motorsport.com, with consideration from the Sprint Cup Drivers Council, Bristol “polished” the lower groove of the track following the Food City 500 in April.
The changes, the first to the track surface since BMS grounded the high line in 2012, were finished last week and will be first raced on Aug. 17 by the Camping World Truck Series. Since the grinding, the preferred racing line has been up high. The track has progressive banking from 24 to 28 degrees in the turns, which came about after a 2007 resurfacing.
This has resulted in less side-by-side racing and fewer dramatic finishes and thrown helmets, which the track has become known for.
BMS released the following statement to NBC Sports from Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager of the track:
“Following the Food City 500 we evaluated the race and track surface, as we always do. During that process we made a decision to make some minor modifications to the bottom groove. Throughout this process we had great collaboration with industry stakeholders and the NASCAR Driver’s Council. We look forward to another great race weekend during the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race week August 17 -20.”
Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer, was on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s “The Morning Drive” Tuesday and addressed the “minor” alterations to the track. O’Donnell said the track “certainly consulted” with the sanctioning body in addition to drivers.
O’Donnell described the work done to the lower lane as “just smoothing the track to get it ready really to apply what’s called VHT (Track bite), which is used in NHRA, kind of at the starting line that applies more grip,” O’Donnell said.
VHT, also known as PJ1 TrackBite, is a “custom formulated resin that provides controlled traction for competition racing” according to Jegs.com.
“So they applied that and then really used the tires to drag the track, so if you get up there you will see what already looks like kind of an asphalt track on the first groove that was concrete,” O’Donnell said, referencing a machine that was also used by Kentucky Speedway following its repave to help improve tire traction. “A lot of work has been done to really bring the lower groove back in. We’ll see how it plays out, but we’re certainly excited heading into this weekend.”
After the Truck race on Aug. 17, the Xfinity Series competes in the Food City 300 on Friday, Aug. 19 before the Sprint Cup Series’ Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race the following evening.
Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen continued a trend that has seen pit road speeding penalties increase 375 percent compared to the three races before NASCAR doubled the number of timing zones.
And next for the Sprint Cup Series is Bristol — where there were 17 speeding penalties on pit road in the spring race.
This recent increase is significant because an ill-timed speeding penalty could impact a driver’s chances of racing their way into the playoffs or winning and collecting additional bonus points for the first round of the Chase.
NASCAR has issued 19 penalties for speeding on pit road in the last three races — Indianapolis, Pocono and Watkins Glen. That corresponds to when NASCAR doubled the timing zones on pit road.
The change was made after competitors raised issues about NASCAR penalizing Martin Truex Jr. for passing leader Kevin Harvick on pit road July 9 at Kentucky Speedway. Truex accelerated after he crossed the last timing line before his pit stall and passed Harvick, who had yet to cross the final timing line before his stall, and could not increase his speed.
NASCAR responded by doubling the timing zones. The move was made at New Hampshire on an experimental basis but the extra zones were not used to determine speeding penalties that weekend. NASCAR officially went to the increased timing zones the following week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
At Pocono, there were 18 timing zones on pit road — twice as many as earlier this year there. The change equated to a timing zone about every 2.5 pit stalls.
Shortening each timing zone, though, makes it harder for drivers to correct their pit road speed if they must.
“With the timing lines being so far apart, you kind of had some leeway to where if you are supposed to be running one red light and you happen to flash two or three red lights (on the dashboard), which would be speeding, you had an opportunity to kind of slow back down,’’ Aric Almirola said recently. “Now, with the timing lines closer together, if you just get a little bit greedy, or you look up to see where your pit stall is at and you creep up your RPMs a little bit, you’re going to get a speeding penalty.’’
Among those caught for speeding since the change are Chase contenders Jimmie Johnson (at Indianapolis and Watkins Glen), Denny Hamlin (Indianapolis), Tony Stewart (Indianapolis), and Joey Logano (Watkins Glen). Chris Buescher, who is seeking to become Chase eligible after winning at Pocono, was called for speeding in that race.
Here’s a look at the number of speeding penalties in the three races before the change at Indy and the three races since:
2 — Daytona
1 — Kentucky
1 — New Hampshire
4 — Indianapolis
8 — Pocono
7 — Watkins Glen
The 19 speeding penalties since the timing zone change are six more than the total number of speeding penalties called in the six Sprint Cup races before the change was made.
Now looms Bristol on Aug. 20. In the last four races at the half-mile track, NASCAR has called an average of 11.3 speeding penalties. That number could increase dramatically if drivers and teams do not properly adjust to these new conditions on pit road.
TONY STEWART HOT AGAIN
Tony Stewart’s hot run continued Sunday with a fifth-place finish at Watkins Glen, his fifth top-five finish in the last seven races.
It’s easy to overlook what rookie crew chief Mike Bugrarewicz has done this season. He’s made what have turned out to be the right calls in races and helped put Stewart in position to score strong finishes.
In seven of the last eight races, Stewart has finished better than he was running at the halfway mark. The result is he’s scored seven top-10 finishes and had a win during that stretch — his best stretch of racing since the 2011 Chase when he won the title.
At Watkins Glen, he was 18th before pitting three consecutive laps for fuel just past halfway. That dropped him to 32nd on Lap 50, but he moved into the top 10 on a caution after the restart when most of the field pitted and he didn’t. Stewart needed additional cautions to stretch his fuel and got it for a top-five finish.
He was 16th at the midway point at Kentucky last month and stretched his fuel to finish fifth.
A pit call by Bugarewicz to pit ahead of most of the field helped Stewart go from 16th at the halfway mark to the lead at Sonoma. He went on to win that race.
Though the differing pit strategies and weather issues at Pocono, Stewart was 13th at halfway and finished fifth.
At New Hampshire, he was 17th at the midway point but finished second. He was helped by being in the outside line, the favorable line, on a couple of late restarts.
The only time Stewart hasn’t gained spots from the halfway point to the finish was Indianapolis. He was pitting under green with 38 laps to go but the caution came out while on pit road. He was penalized for speeding on pit road as he exited to try to remain on the lead lap. Still, he finished 11th, placing only two spots worse than where he was running at the halfway point of that race.
HENDRICK WOES
Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen marked the fifth time in the last six races Hendrick Motorsports did not have a car finish in the top 10. Chase Elliott was Hendrick’s top car at Watkins Glen, finishing 13th.
Sunday also marked the 17th consecutive race Hendrick has failed to win, tying the organization’s longest winless drought since 2001-02.
This is how rough it has been for Hendrick’s drivers: Only once in the last six races has any Hendrick driver scored back-to-back top-15 finishes. That was Jimmie Johnson, who was 12th at New Hampshire and then third at Indianapolis.
Johnson’s last-place finish Sunday — the result of being collected in a crash when he could not avoid Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s spinning car — marked the seventh time in the last nine races that Hendrick Motorsports has had at least one car finish 30th or worse.
Sunday also marked the fourth time in the last nine races that Johnson has failed to finish because of an accident. He was in that position after multiple penalties on pit road, including his second speeding penalty in the last three weeks.
PIT STOPS
— Brad Keselowski’s third-place finish Sunday was his fourth top-three result at Watkins Glen in his last six starts there.
— Three drivers scored top-five finishes on both road courses this season: Denny Hamlin won at Watkins Glen and was second at Sonoma; Joey Logano was second at Watkins Glen and third at Sonoma; Tony Stewart was fifth at Watkins Glen and won at Sonoma.
— Denny Hamlin’s victory marked the eighth time in the last 10 races at Watkins Glen that the winner started sixth or better. Hamlin stated sixth.
— Kurt Busch extended his NASCAR record of running every lap to 22 consecutive races to start the season. He finished 11th Sunday, completing all 90 laps.
— Since his return, Jeff Gordon has finished 13th at Indianapolis, 27th at Pocono and 14th at Watkins Glen.
— Trevor Bayne’s ninth-place finish marked his career-high fifth top-10 of the season.
On what would have been Dale Earnhardt’s 65th birthday, fans are being invited to Dale Earnhardt Inc. today in Mooresville, North Carolina, to celebrate the annual Dale Earnhardt Day.
Items from Earnhardt’s past and that of DEI will be on display, and the Grand Showroom also will be open to the public in honor of the seven-time NASCAR champion who died on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. This year’s celebration includes the first public viewing of a life-sized statute of Dale Earnhardt by artist Jason Fizer of Roanoke, Virginia.
The Dale Earnhardt Foundation will be accepting good used or new books to benefit the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope in Charlotte, North Carolina.
On Earnhardt’s birthday, here are some memorable moments to recall in Hall of Famer’s driving career:
Earnhardt’s 76th and final Cup win came in the 2000 fall race at Talladega Superspeedway. He went from 18th to first in the last five laps to win:
Here is Earnhardt’s interview after winning the 1998 Daytona 500:
Earnhardt collected his record-tying seventh series championship by winning the title at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina, in 1994.
Here is the dramatic finish in the 1999 Bristol night race where Earnhardt made contact with Terry Labonte on the final lap, meaning only to “rattle his cage.”
