NASCAR NAMES PEAK AS TITLE SPONSOR FOR MEXICO SERIES

RELATED: PEAK becomes title sponsor of Mexico Series

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

NASCAR executive hints at rule to limit Sprint Cup drivers in Xfinity,Camping World Truck Series

For fans who don’t like Sprint Cup drivers competing in Xfinity and Camping World Truck races, a NASCAR executive says “stay tuned’’ for an announcement “fairly soon’’ on the issue.

Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, uttered those words Monday on “The Morning Drive” on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio when asked about limiting Cup drivers in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series.

“It certainly is on our radar,’’ O’Donnell said. “We’ve heard the fans. It’s interesting, it’s been a balance throughout the years. We’ve always had Sprint Cup drivers come into the Xfinity Series and sometimes dominate, back in the Mark Martin days.

“As the sport has evolved one of the great things is we’ve got more of a fan following in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series. They like seeing those drivers come up through the ranks and it’s our job to make sure that Xfinity is where names are made. We’ve got to do on that on the racetrack.

“That is something we’re taking a really hard look at for next year, I’d say stay tuned. We’re going to look at and probably have something to announce fairly soon.’’

NASCAR prohibits any Cup driver who was in last year’s Chase from competing in this year’s season finale for the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

One possibility could be for NASCAR to extend such a ban for all future Chase races in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series.

This issue was raised after Kyle Buschwon Saturday’s Xfinity race at Kansas Speedway for his ninth victory of the season.

Since 2011, Cup regulars have won 138 of the 196 Xfinity races (70.4 percent).

Nineteen of the 30 Xfintiy races this season have been won by a driver who competes regularly in the Sprint Cup Series. While that is nearly two-thirds of the races won by a Cup regular, the total is down from recent years.

Last year, Cup regulars won 23 of 33 Xfinity races (69.7 percent)

In 2014, Cup regulars won 22 of 33 Xfintiy races (66.7 percent)

In 2013, Cup regulars won 28 of 33 Xfinity races (84.8 percent)

In 2012, Cup regulars won 18 of 33 Xfinity races (54.5 percent)

In 2011, Cup regulars won 28 of 34 Xfinity races (82.4 percent)

Here’s a look at the most wins by a Cup regular in the Xfinity Series since 2011

42 – Kyle Busch

22 – Brad Keselowski

19 – Joey Logano

9 – Carl Edwards

9 – Kevin Harvick

TALLADEGA CHAIRMAN EXPLAINS BURN BAN FOR RACE WEEKEND

Open campfires, long a staple of fans attending NASCAR races at Talladega Superspeedway, will not be allowed on track property during next weekend's race events at the track featuring the Sprint CupSeries and the Camping World TruckSeries.The ban is in conjunction with a Drought Emergency Declaration signed by Alabama Governor Robert Bentley that covers 46 counties, including Talladega County.
"We're not going to allow any open fires," Grant Lynch, Chairman of the 2.66-mile track, told NASCAR.com Thursday.
Campfires, fire pits, fireworks, flying lanterns and other similar outdoor activities or items will not be permitted. The use of grills for cooking will still be allowed "but you can't use it as a heat source (to stay warm)," he said.
"We are probably just a couple of days ahead of the state putting the same (restrictions) on maybe all the counties that are currently under the burn ban. It's just really a tough situation in the fact that our parking lots, our campgrounds, everywhere is just bone dry and crunches under your feet.
"I've been here 23 years and we've never had to do this. There are fires everywhere in Alabama right now. And it's depleting the resources. We are doing the thing that is safest for our fans and to protect the folks that are going to be here having to put out any potential issues we have anyway."
While the Carolinas coastal region continues to recover from Hurricane Matthew's heavy rain and high winds, Lynch said last week's wet weather never made it far enough inland to impact his facility.
"Not a drop. It never got this far," he said. "We would have taken all we could have gotten. There is no green grass on the property; it's all brown."
Approximately 1,200 acres of track property is used for parking and campgrounds. The infield alone accounts for nearly 250 acres.
"People say, 'Well, you should water everything,'" Lynch said. "You can't water 1,200 acres."
If there's a bright side to the situation, it's the weather outlook for next weekend's doubleheader. Currently, the extended forecast calls for unseasonably warm temperatures.
"It's not like we're telling fans you can't have a campfire and it's going to be 30 degrees at night," Lynch said. "A nice jacket and you should be fine all weekend.
"If everyone cooperates, it will keep everyone safe here and we don't have unnecessary, runaway fires. We've already had a fire by the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. We put it out and about three hours later it came back. We put it out again. This stuff can go down into the ground and come up somewhere else.
"We're not doing this without a lot of thought and a lot of concern for taking care of everybody that's going to come to our property in the best way we can and we have to enforce this. It's our duty to do that for our fans."

Austin Wayne Self’s truck at Talladega will promote Donald Trump’s presidential bid

 

Austin Wayne Self‘s truck will sport a scheme that backs Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and vice presidential candidate Mike Pence at the Oct. 22 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

The AM Racing No. 22 truck will be red, white and blue and feature Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again.”
Election day is Nov. 8.

“This will be the first presidential election I’ve been old enough to take part in,” said Self, who is 20, in a release on his website. “Politics has never really been that important to me until now – but now more than ever we need change. Trump and his values are in line with my beliefs. I’m a big supporter of his business background and believe his experience is what this country has been waiting for. I’m really excited to show my support.”

Tim Self, owner of AM Racing, explained why team will have the Trump-Pence scheme: “We have to get God back into our lives and rebuild our country on a foundation of Godly values. Trump’s actions indicate that he will push public policy in that direction. Jerry Falwell Jr, Franklin Graham and our good friend Dr. James Dobson have faith in Trump. He is our guy. Hopefully, the Trump-Pence truck will make a small difference. It represents our family and friends doing our part.”

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France endorsed Trump at a Feb. 29 rally at Valdosta State University. France was joined on stage at that rally by NASCAR drivers Ryan Newman, David Ragan, Chase Elliott and NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott.

Austin Wayne Self, a rookie in the series, has competed in all 18 truck races this year. His best finish is ninth at Eldora Speedway in July. He finished second in the ARCA standings in 2015.

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.

HEADS UP:DOVER AND LAS VEGAS WEEKEND

Here are the hot topics, trending news and key story lines to get you ready for this weekend's races at Dover International Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.



WEATHER



The weekend forecast for Dover, Delaware, looks like there's a chance for rain. Friday for Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole qualifying there is a 60 percent chance for precipitation. For the XFINITY Series race on Saturday, there is an 50 percent chance for precipitation with a high of 76 degrees. And for the Sprint Cup race on Sunday, there's a 30 percent chance for precipitation and a high of 76 degrees.

For Las Vegas, site of this weekend's Camping World Truck Series events, it will be clear and 70 degrees for the start of Saturday's practices. And on Saturday it will be clear and 90 degrees for the start of the race.

KEY TIMES



Sprint Cup Series: The Sprint Cup Series holds its first practice Friday at 10 a.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App) followed by Coors Light Pole qualifying at 3:40 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App).

 The Citizen Soldier 400 is at 2 p.m. ET Sunday (NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

XFINITY Series: The XFINITY Series opens practice on Friday at 11:30 a.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App) and qualifies Saturday at 11:45 a.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App). The Drive Sober 300 is on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).



Camping World Truck Series: The Camping World Truck Series is scheduled for a Keystone Light Pole qualifying session Saturday at 6:10 p.m. ET on FS2, followed by the DC Solar 350 race at 8:30 p.m. ET (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).



CATCH DRIVERS LIVE



We'll stream every driver press conference in the Dover media center at NASCAR.com/presspass. Click here for a full schedule. Click here to tune into the live stream.

LAST TIME

In September of 2015, Kevin Harvick punched his ticket to advance to the next round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup by leading 355 of 400 laps at Dover International Speedway, a career-best at any track. Harvick beat out eventual 2015 Sprint Cup Series champion Kyle Busch by 2.639 seconds for the victory. 

YOU SHOULD KNOW


• Chris Buescher (-30 from 12th place), Tony Stewart (-11), Austin Dillon (-5) and Jamie McMurray (-5) are all on the outside looking in as far as the Chase Grid standings are concerned. Of those drivers, Stewart is the only one who has won at the "Monster Mile" -- three times to be exact. Stewart's most recent win came in 2013.

• With 10 wins, six-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson has been to Dover's Victory Lane more times than any NASCAR driver. Johnson is looking to punch his ticket to the next Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup round and a win at his best track could be in the cards.

• Winning the opening XFINITY Series Chase race at Kentucky, Elliott Sadler continues his momentum to Dover where he has earned three top five and 10 top-10 finishes, two of which came in the last two XFINITY Series races at the 1-mile track. Sadler's experience in 17 starts at Dover could shine through on Saturday compared to the young guns he's competing against for the championship.

• Of the Camping World Truck Series Chase drivers, only Johnny Sauter and Timothy Peters have wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park winner John Hunter Nemechek has the best average finish of 4.0 out of the Truck Series Chase drivers. Behind Nemechek is Ben Kennedy with 5.0. Nemechek has run just one Truck Series race at Dover, while Kennedy has experienced two. In 15 starts, two-time Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton has an average finish of 11.9, but is still seeking a win.

THE FAVORITE

Jimmie Johnson. Who better to pick than the 10-time Dover winner as this weekend's victor? With a championship at stake, Johnson is comfortable under pressure and is looking like a solid pick to win on Sunday.

Others to consider: Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr.

THE SLEEPER

Kyle Larson. In five starts, the No. 42 driver has come as close as second (2016 spring race) to a win at Dover and has earned a total of four top-10 finishes. Larson earned his first Sprint Cup Series win this season and that victory could have given the boost to break the runner-up ceiling at the "Monster Mile." 

Others to consider: Tony Stewart, Chase Elliott.

STAFF PICKS

Kyle Larson: 5
Jimmie Johnson: 2
Kevin Harvick: 1
Martin Truex Jr.: 1

 
TAYLOR NUNNALLY is a Senior Coordinator, Digital Content for NASCAR.com, where she has covered the sport for three years. She previously worked at Sixers.com and is a graduate of Auburn University.

LIVE CHAT: DOVER AND LAS VEGAS

Chat with fans this weekend during the NASCAR action at both Dover International Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

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.

Upon Further Review: Mirror image with No. 24 car

JOLIET, Ill. — While rookie Chase Elliott’s third-place finish puts him in a good spot to advance to the next round of the Chase, it doesn’t put away any frustration with trying to score that first Sprint Cup victory.

For the second time in the last four races, Elliott lost the lead in the late stages of a race.

Sunday, Elliott was leading at Chicagoland Speedway when a caution came out for Michael McDowell’s blown tire, sending the race into overtime. Elliott went to pit but came out second. Three cars did not pit. That meant Elliott restarted fifth. Martin Truex Jr. restarted fourth and took the lead shortly after the green flag waved to win his third race of the season.

“There are some things you just can’t control with the amount of guys that stay out and where you line up on a restart,’’ Elliott said. “We played the cards we were dealt and came up short.’’

So when will Elliott win?

Maybe one should look at the driver he’s replaced in the No. 24 — Jeff Gordon.

Sunday’s race was Elliott’s 32nd career Sprint Cup race. Comparing his stats to what Gordon accomplished in his first 32 races (his 32nd career start was the 1994 Daytona 500), the results are eerily similar. Consider their totals:

Wins: Gordon 0; Elliott 0

Runner-up finishes: Gordon 2; Elliott 2

Top-five finishes: Gordon 8; Elliott 8

Top-10 finishes: Gordon 12; Elliott 14

Poles: Gordon 1; Elliott 2

Laps led: Gordon 237; Elliott 238

Gordon scored his first career victory in the 1994 Coca-Cola 600. That was Gordon’s 42nd career series start.

Will Elliott beat that?

RESOUNDING DAY

Although Hendrick Motorsports saw its winless drought reach 22 races — tying its third-longest drought in team history — there was much for the organization to feel good about.

Three of its four drivers finished in the top 10 and its cars led 193 of 270 laps.

Chase Elliott led 75 laps and finished third.

Kasey Kahne finished seventh for his third consecutive top-10 finish.

Alex Bowman, driving the No. 88 in place of Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished a career-best 10th.

Jimmie Johnson led a race-high 118 laps but finished 12th after a speeding penalty on pit road late.

WHAT HARKENS AHEAD?

One of the fascinating aspects about the inaugural Chase in the Camping World Truck Series and Xfinity Series is that no one is quite sure what to expect.

This weekend completed the 12-driver lineup for Xfinity and eight-driver field for the Truck series. Their playoffs begin this week (Trucks in New Hampshire and Xfinity in Kentucky).

While many competitors professed excitement about the tracks in their Chase, some talked about being leery of the aggression surely to be seen in the coming races — just as it has in the Sprint Cup Chase, leading to driver confrontations on and off the track each of the previous two seasons of the elimination-style format.

“It’s going to be very interesting to see how everybody races,’’ said two-time Truck series champion Matt Crafton. “It’s going to bring a lot of different characters.’’

Said Timothy Peters: “I guess the unknown is that the Trucks are already aggressive anyway and the Chase is adding that to boot. The unknown is how many people want to be play bumper cars.’’

There’s also that feeling among some in the Xfinity Series, especially with five of the seven races on 1.5-mile speedways. Track position will be critical.

“I feel like restarts are going to be really important,’’ Brennan Poole said.

Justin Allgaier said aggression could be a key in the Chase but not how much.

“The aggression level is really high right now,’’ he said. “I don’t think it will elevate a whole lot, but I think you’re going to have to manage that through the Chase. You watch a guy get too aggressive and get himself in trouble, then you’re going to have to back yourself down to make sure that you are going to capitalize.’’

Most drivers anticipate the aggression will increase as it gets closer to the championship in Miami.

“Most of these young kids understand the Chase format because they’ve watched it,’’ Brendan Gaughan said. “The problem is understanding it. They see John Hunter Nemechek do what he did a couple of weeks ago (vs. Cole Custer ). They see Ryan Newman at Phoenix (move Kyle Larson out of the way two years ago to reach the final).

“They see all the exciting things. You can make the Chase pretty exciting.’’

PIT STOPS

— Martin Truex Jr. had three wins in his first 369 Sprint Cup starts. He has three wins in his last 27 Cup starts.

— Denny Hamlin’s sixth-place finish extended his career-best streak of consecutive top-10 finishes to nine races.

— Trevor Bayne was Roush Fenway Racing’s top-finishing driver Sunday at Chicagoland. He placed 23rd.

— Clint Bowyer finished 22nd for the third consecutive race.

— Austin Dillon (14th) has placed between 12th and 16th in each of the last four races.

— Jimmie Johnson led 118 laps Sunday. He had led 120 laps in the previous 22 races combined.

— Through 27 races, Kasey Kahne has led 0 laps this season.

— Tony Stewart (16th) has failed to finish in the top 15 in each of the last five races.

Entry list for opening Chase Truck race at New Hampshire

The inaugural Chase in the Camping World Truck Series begins this weekend with the UNOH 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

There are 32 trucks on the preliminary entry list for the race. Four trucks

– The No. 7, No. 11, No. 71 and No. 74 – do not have drivers attached to them yet. No Sprint Cup drivers are on the entry list.

Last years’ UNOH 175 was won by Austin Dillon.

Entry List

NASCAR alters penalty for lug nut and Laser Inspection violations

NASCAR announced Wednesday increased penalties, including not allowing a win to count toward advancement in the Chase, for teams that fail the Laser Inspection Station by a significant amount or do not have enough lug nuts secure at the end of the race.

The changes are effective immediately. Teams are scheduled to receive the bulletin on this at 4 p.m. ET. Only the Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series use the Laser Inspection Station after the race. The lug nut policy would be for all three national series.

If a winning team fails the Laser Inspection Station by a significant amount or has more than three of 20 lug nuts not secure after the race, it will still keep the win but be penalized so severely that it could hurt their chances of advancing in the Chase or making the Chase.

In such cases, NASCAR would declare an encumbered race finish.

An encumbered race finish has the following effects, as applicable:

If a win, that finish would not count when determining Chase eligibility, eligibility for advancement in the Chase, eligibility for non-championship events such as the Unlimited and All-Star Race.
Regardless of the finishing position, that finish does not count when determining the champion and three runners-up in the final race of the Chase; tie-breakers in Section 17 and as those tie-breakers may be applied relative to finishing positions elsewhere
An encumbered race finish is not a disqualification.
The finishing position is still shown on the Official Results
A team would face such penalties if more than three of the 20 lug nuts on its car were not secure at the end of the race. In such a case, a team also would face a $65,000 fine, loss of 35 driver and owner points and the crew chief will be suspended three races.

With the Laser Inspection Station, if the rear toe is equal to or greater than 0.86 on one side and equal to and greater than 0.56 on the opposite side, it would be a P4 penalty and the team would face a $65,000 fine, loss of 35 driver and owner points and the crew chief would be suspended three races.

“We want to ensure that everything was in check with the LIS and the lug nuts, which are both new rules for this year,’’ said Scott Miller, senior vice president of competition for NASCAR, on the increased penalties. “We wanted to make sure that the door wasn’t open for a team to really take advantage of the rules. The level of infraction that it takes to end up with an encumbered finish, we haven’t seen that. It would certainly be egregious from everything we’ve seen before. We want to get these things in place to ensure we have a level playing field and nobody tries to take advantage of the current rules.’’

One change NASCAR announced was a lessening of a penalty. Previously, a team’s crew chief was suspended for one race if the team had one lug nut not secure after the race. Now, a crew chief won’t be suspended unless there are two of the 20 lug nuts on the car not secure.

“That was kind of a one-tier approach to assure that the garage area complied with a pretty serious penalty for a crew chief suspension,’’ Miller said of the previous penalty. “As we looked at a more global approach and deeper, what we proposed here and what we enacted here is a lot more the penalty fitting the crime.’’

John Hunter Nemechek gains primary sponsorship for five of seven Truck chase races

Ahead of his participation in the first Camping World Truck Series Chase, NEMCO Motorsports has announced that John Hunter Nemechek has gained sponsorship from Fire Alarm Services, Inc. for five of the seven postseason races.

Nemechek, who claimed his second win of the year two weeks ago at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in a controversial finish, has already been sponsored by FAS in three races this year, which included a pole at Iowa Speedway.

The No. 8 Chevrolet will have FAS on it beginning with the Chase opening race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 24. It will reappear at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Phoenix International Raceway and the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“NEMCO Motorsports is very proud and honored to have Fire Alarm Services, Inc., return as a primary sponsor for a majority of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase events,” team owner Joe Nemechek said in a press release. “John Hunter (Nemechek) captured the first pole award for Fire Alarm Services, Inc., and we hope to capture the first championship with them as well.”

Nemechek will be one of eight drivers in the Truck Series’ Chase field. The field will be completely set in this weekend’s regular season finale at Chicagoland Speedway.

FULL SCHEDULE FOR DARLINGTON AND CANADIAN TIRE

The NASCAR Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series will gather for a doubleheader showing at Darlington Raceway this weekend while the Camping World Truck Series makes a stop at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Check out the full schedule below.

Note: All times are ET
FRIDAY, SEPT. 2:
ON TRACK: DARLINGTON
-- noon-1:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
-- 1:30-2:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
-- 2:30-3:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
-- 3:30-4:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)

GARAGECAM (Watch live)
-- 11:30 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series
-- 1 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
-- 10:30 a.m.: Elliott Sadler
-- Noon: Chase Elliott
-- 12:15 p.m.: Joey Logano
-- 2:35 p.m.: Carl Edwards

SATURDAY, SEPT. 3:
ON TRACK: DARLINGTON
-- 11:45 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
-- 1:45 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
-- 3:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 (147 laps, 200.8 miles), NBC/NBC Sports App (Follow live)

ON TRACK: CANADIAN TIRE
-- 9:30-10:25 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice (Follow live)
-- 11:35 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice (Follow live)
-- 5:45 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FS2 (Follow live)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
-- 11 a.m.: NMPA/Sprint Most Popular Driver announcement
-- 2:45 p.m. approx: Post-NSCS qualifying
-- 5:15 p.m. approx.: Post-NXS race

SUNDAY, SEPT. 4:
ON TRACK: DARLINGTON
-- 6 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bojangles' Southern 500 (367 laps, 501.3 miles), NBC/NBC Sports App (Follow live)

ON TRACK: CANADIAN TIRE
-- 2:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250 (64 laps, 157.37 miles), FS1 (Follow live)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
-- 3 p.m.: Darrell Waltrip
-- 3:15 p.m.: Mark Martin
-- 3:30 p.m.: Barry Williams
-- 10:30 p.m. approx.: Post-NSCS race

Xfinity and Truck Series warning and penalty report

NASCAR has fined Camping World Truck Series driver Spencer Gallagher $5,000 following the series’ race at Michigan International Speedway for approaching the track surface after exiting his wrecked car.

Gallagher left his No. 23 truck after a Lap 76 incident with Christopher Bell, whose truck he approached. Gallagher said he was concerned for Bell’s safety.

NASCAR also issued a written warning to the No. 18 Xfinity series team of Joe Gibbs Racing during the race weekend at Road America.

The No. 18, which was driven by Owen Kelly, failed pre-race laser inspection twice and received its fourth warning. A team loses pit selection after a fourth warning. There was only one inspection period prior to qualifying before cars were impounded.

BEN KENNEDY PICKS UP FIRST CAREER WIN IN BRISTOL THRILLER

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).

This story will be updated.

Wednesday schedule for Camping World Truck Series at Bristol

It’s a one-and-done show for the Camping World Truck Series this week at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The Truck series will need only today to get its job done for the UNOH 200.

Here’s the full Wednesday schedule for the series, including TV and information.

All times are Eastern.

8 a.m. – Garage opens

9:30 – 10:25 a.m. – Truck practice (Fox Sports 1)

11:30 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. – Final Truck practice (FS1)

4:45 p.m. – Qualifying; multi-round/three rounds (Fox Sports 2)

8 p.m. – Driver introductions

8:30 p.m. – UNOH 200; 200 laps, 106.6 miles (FS1, Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Rookies make NASCAR history with weekend sweep of national series

If it wasn’t for quite a bit of fog, last weekend’s slate of NASCAR action likely wouldn’t have been that different from many race weekends the last two decades.

Fog forced NASCAR to halt the Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway 22 laps from its scheduled distance, giving the win to Chris Buescher, one of the Rookie of the Year contenders. That sealed a milestone that had never been accomplished since the Camping World Truck Series debuted in 1995.

Buescher’s win meant Rookie of the Year contenders in all three national series – Sprint Cup, Xfinity and the Camping World Truck Series – swept the weekend.

The feat was started by William Byron, who won in the Truck series. It was his fifth win of the year, which set a Truck series record for rookies. Later Saturday night, Erik Jones led 154 laps at Iowa Speedway en route to winning his third race of the year.

Then Buescher’s team gambled on Monday during pit stops, putting his No. 34 Ford out front just in time for fog to cover all of Turn 1.

Buescher was the first rookie contender to win a Sprint Cup race since Joey Logano did at New Hampshire in 2009. Before that it had only been four times since 2005: Kyle Busch at Phoenix (2005), Denny Hamlin in Pocono I and II (2006) and Juan Pablo Montoya at Sonoma (2007).

Buescher’s win was also his first Sprint Cup top-10 finish, which came a week after his career-best finish of 14th at Indianapolis. The Prosper, Texas, native is one of just five drivers to have earned their first top 10 via a win.

Before him it was Trevor Bayne (2011), Brad Keselowski (2009), Jamie McMurray (2002) and Mark Donohue (1973).

BYRON WINS AT POCONO FOR FIFTH VICTORY OF 2016

William Byron won his fifth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race of the season, this time taking the checkered flag in the Pocono Mountains 150 at Pocono Raceway on Saturday.

The 18-year-old Kyle Busch Motorsports driver led a race-high 44 laps and set a record for the most wins by a rookie in the Camping World Truck Series.

Cameron Hayley came in second in the No. 13 Toyota.

Brett Moffitt in the No. 11 Toyota finished third, while Timothy Peters in the No. 17 Toytota and Cole Custer in the No. 00 Chevrolet rounded out the top five.

The 60-lap race was beset by a bevy of spinning trucks and wrecks, as the caution flag flew nine times; the race did not run more than eight laps at a time without a caution.

The Camping World Truck Series is off for two weeks before returning to the track at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 17 for the UNOH 200 (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, Sirius XM).

This story will be updated.

LARSON BOUNCES BACK TO WIN AT ELDORA DIRT TRACK

ROSSBURG, Ohio -- Battling back from all kinds of adversity, Kyle Larson sailed away on a late race restart with 16 laps to go to win Wednesday night's fourth annual Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby 150 at Eldora Speedway.

"It means a lot, especially losing the way I did the two years I ran," said Larson from Victory Lane. "Thanks to everyone on this GMS Racing team, DC Solar for coming on-board for this, this is very special for them. I knew running a blue No. 24 I had to run hard here at Eldora. Rico (Abreu) does a really good job in a Sprint car with that. I had to put on a show.

RELATED: Larson puts on a show

"We got the flat tire there early, I knew we would get a lucky dog, I just didn't know if I could get back to the top-three as quick as I did. It just worked out where I got by (Christopher) Bell when he got in the wall and I think Bobby (Pierce) had a gear issue. He was definitely better than I was for sure.

The win didn't come easy though.

Larson took the lead from last year's runner-up Bobby Pierce following the second caution on Lap 35 and appeared to be in control of the event, but while leading, Larson spun in Turn 4 on Lap 52 to bring out the fourth caution of the night.

Adding fuel to his fire, Larson was docked one lap by NASCAR for intentionally causing the yellow after spinning and stopping on the race track.

Two cautions later, however, Larson found himself back on the lead lap courtesy of the free pass and his mission to rally from the back to the front began.

Chasing down Pierce for the race lead, Larson took advantage of Pierce's transmission being stuck in fourth gear to take the lead with 30 laps to go, Pierce attempted to take the lead back three laps later, but slammed the outside Turn 4 wall, ending his night and bringing out the final caution of the event.

RELATED: Pierce discusses late-race woes

Despite a late race charge from Bell on the restart, Larson pulled away as the laps dwindled away and earned a 0.767-second advantage to win his second NCWTS race in his 12th start.

"I guess I didn't really hold him (Pierce) off, he slid in there and hit the wall and got a flat I think," Larson said. "I hated that I couldn't race with him, but I was happy when he was out. I almost gave it away again after that restart. I went to the middle of three and four in third gear and I missed a shift off Turn 4 and Bell got into my back bumper. Thankfully, he wasn't inside of me, because he would have got the lead there and probably would be standing where I am."

Bell, last year's winner, was disappointed with second but knew he gained crucial points towards his championship chase.

"Tony (Stewart, Eldora Speedway owner) did an awesome job with the race track tonight," said Bell. "It was really technical, it was really tough to get around and it was really fun, too. Kyle's been trying to win this race for a long time and it was cool for him to win tonight. The guys at KBM ( Kyle Busch Motorsports) worked really hard to put me in this position. I was disappointed we couldn't repeat."

Pierce who led a commanding 102 laps finished 25th in likely his final truck race of the season.

"The carburetor was flooded and I couldn't get off the corner at all. Larson drove a great race," Pierce said. "When that happened on the restart, I caught him a little bit, he hit the wall and I tried to slide him. I went in there a little too hard, it was super-slick and I got the wall and knocked the right-rear off the rim and that was that."

Notes: The event was halted for seven minutes, 29 seconds for a nine truck accident in Turn 3 on Lap 38. ... The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to competition at Pocono Raceway on July 30 for the running of the Pocono Mountains 150 (1 p.m., FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Kyle Busch is the defending champion.