PAUL MENARD, MORE RECEIVE WARNINGS POST-CHARLOTTE

NASCAR gave warnings to several Sprint Cup Series teams for failing either laser inspection station or template inspection during last weekend's on-track action atCharlotte Motor Speedway for the Bank of America 500, including the No. 27 Richard Childress Racing team for driver Paul Menard.


The No. 27 team failed pre-qualifying LIS three times, resulting in a written warning and a loss of 15 minutes of practice time for this weekend at Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400 (2:15 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). 


The No. 30 team of Josh Wise received a written warning and 15-minute loss of practice time, as well, after failing pre-qualifying template inspection three times. 


The No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing team ofTrevor Bayne, the No. 7 Tommy Baldwin Racing team of Regan Smith, the No. 20Joe Gibbs Racing team of Matt Kenseth, the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing team ofKurt Busch, the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing team of Kyle Larson, the No. 78Furniture Row Racing team of Martin Truex Jr., and the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team of Alex Bowman all received written warnings for failing pre-race template inspection twice.

The No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing team ofRicky Stenhouse Jr., the No. 20 of Kenseth, the No. 23 BK Racing team of David Ragan, the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team ofChase Elliott, the No. 31 RCR team of Ryan Newman, the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports team of Chris Buescher and the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team of Aric Almirola all received written warnings after failing pre-qualifying LIS inspection twice. 


Stewart Haas Racing's Nos. 4, 10 and 14 teams -- wheeled by Kevin Harvick, Danica Patrick, and Tony Stewart, respectively -- failed pre-qualifying template inspection twice and received written warnings along with the No. 88 HMS team -- driven Charlotte weekend by Alex Bowman.

Both Newman and Patrick served their respective penalties in Charlotte. 

The No. 3 RCR team of Ty Dillon was the sole XFINITY Series team to receive a written warning after failing pre-race LIS twice. 

NASCAR MEETS HOLLYWOOD IN UPCOMING 'LOGAN LUCKY' FILM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Better slow down on the highway -- Kyle Busch has traded his fire suit for a state trooper's uniform.

(Disclaimer: It's not permanent.)

Busch is one of the drivers who will make cameo appearances in the upcoming filmLogan Lucky, a heist movie set at a NASCAR track. Under the watch of multi-time Academy Award winning-director Steven Soderbergh, the film features a star-studded cast including Daniel Craig, Channing Tatum, two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank, Seth MacFarlane and Riley Keough. Academy and Emmy Award winner Mark Johnson -- who also produced "Rain Man," "Breaking Bad," and "The Notebook," among others -- will serve as one of the film's executive producers.

The production team was on the ground during a rainy Bank of America 500weekend shooting for the film. The crew also shot during Coca-Cola 600 weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, as well as at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

"It’s a movie that's designed to be a lot of fun," Johnson said Sunday at Charlotte, prior to a day of shooting at the track. "It's designed to be very, very commercial, where I joke we're not out to win Oscars -- we're out to win the Bank of America award ... (Viewers) should laugh and they should have fun with the intricacies of the robbery itself.

"It's a robbery that couldn't really take place, but (it can) in our world, and it's very important to us that the world of NASCAR be real."

What's more real than casting an actual NASCAR driver in a racing film? In addition to Busch, Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski,Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson will all be popping into the film for brief roles.

"We wanted to make sure that NASCAR was treated in a positive light, was the big, world-class, glossy event that it is," said Zane Stoddard, NASCAR Vice President of Entertainment, Marking and Content Development. "The thing that we worked closely with Mark and the production on was getting drivers into driver cameo roles. We thought that would fun for the fans, sort of Easter eggs throughout the film with these drivers in these roles for our fans.

"But it's also a bit of a wink and a nod that we’re on the inside of the fun of this film. So, we think the fans are going to love these roles that these guys are in."

Part of Stoddard's role in the production process was to help marry the worlds of NASCAR and Hollywood, a process that he says has been seamless on both ends.

"The general audience wouldn't have too much trouble buying into the authenticity of this," Stoddard said. "For us, the most important sort of a litmus for us is that it passes the smell test with the core fan because they know the sport so much better. These guys -- we haven't had to push at all in terms of getting them to want to be as authentic as possible. They are the best in the business and so it’s been a collaboration on making sure everything is right.

"… It’s amazing the detail that exists in our sport just on the race car, not even taking into consideration the tracks or the teams and everything that happens in our universe. These guys have been meticulous about all of that."

That starts with shooting at the track and getting into the garage. For Johnson, authenticity came from that hands-on research, where he spent about a week and a half simply observing NASCAR’s version of Hollywood Blvd.

"I produced two baseball movies, The Natural and The Rookie and those taught me a lot about baseball and you have to do the research and understand the world and NASCAR was not a world I understood," Johnson said. "I was fascinated by it, but I really didn't know how it worked.

"Look at this big all-access pass," he said with a smile, gesturing to his hot pass. "I can go into the garage and watch how people work and I ask stupid questions about cars and it's great because I will have spent a concentrated amount of time learning about NASCAR."

He echoed Stoddard's sentiment about this movie working for the core fan.

"We would be very upset if this movie doesn’t work for the NASCAR fan," Johnson said. "So we want to make sure the NASCAR fan, no matter who he or she is, that they see the movie and say 'They got it right.'"

But just who is the typical NASCAR fan? Not whom you would think, Johnson says.

"It's interesting -- any preconceptions I had about who the NASCAR fans were, were all wrong," Johnson said. "They come from all walks; surprising number of women. Quick revelation."

"Logan Lucky" will debut in theaters October 2017.

NASCAR America:Scan All from Charlotte

Relive the latest Chase race from Charlotte Motor Speedway with the best sights, sounds and team communications from the Bank of America 500.

NASCAR has no plans to add substance to tracks this season to enhance grip

 

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.’’

Upon Further Review: Charlotte chaos changes Chase for title contenders

CONCORD, N.C. — As smoke poured from his engine and the leaders sped away, Denny Hamlin lamented his fate.

“Denny Hamlin luck in the Chase,’’ he radioed his team. “That gets you every time.’’

Just when it seemed as if the top eight Chase drivers could relax after four foes suffered misfortune Sunday, Hamlin saw his comfortable points bulge waste away quicker than a before and after picture.

He was one of five Chase drivers to finish 30th or worse at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He became the oddity that could throw this Round of 12, which includes a cutoff race at Talladega Superspeedway, into chaos.

Before Hamlin’s woes, it appeared the top eight Chase drivers would hold a healthy advantage on the four — Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick — who suffered from miscalculations, miscues and mischievous machinery.

Just before Hamlin’s engine blew while running second, he had a 31-point lead on those outside a transfer spot.

At that point, it appeared as if Dillon and Elliott would be 19 points out of the cutoff spot. In the two previous years of the elimination format, only one driver more than 15 points out of the final transfer spot after the opening race in the second round advanced. That was Brad Keselowski. He did so by winning at Talladega in 2014. No one so far back made it on points.

After Hamlin’s woes put him in the final transfer spot in the standings, Dillon and Elliott found themselves only three points behind him.

Now, there are two Chases. Those in the top seven can take fewer risks because the penalty of losing points could be critical with Talladega looming in two weeks. The bottom five, including Hamlin, are in a race among themselves for the final transfer spot if they can’t win this weekend at Kansas or the following week at Talladega.

“All I can do is try to run as fast as I can,’’ Hamlin said. “I won’t be able to control what any of my competitors do. All I can do is try to go to Kansas and try to win, go to Talladega and try to win.’’

Last year, Hamlin’s luck saw him fail to advance from the second round. He entered the cutoff race at Talladega second in the standings, 18 points ahead of the cutoff. He failed to make transfer after an issue with the roof hatch and then was collected in a last-lap crash.

Teammate Kyle Busch had it worse in 2014. Busch was second in the standings, 26 points ahead of the ninth place, the first driver outside a cutoff spot entering Talladega and was eliminated after a crash when hit from behind by Dillon.

Logano, who finished 80 laps behind the leaders Sunday after suffering two tire issues and slamming the wall twice, joked that if he had finished only two laps down, “I could have had a good points day.’’

Had he done so, he would have finished 23rd instead of 36th and those extra 13 points would have put him in the final transfer spot instead of Hamlin.

That’s how volatile Sunday was for some Chase contenders. Now, it impacts decision drivers and crew chiefs will make the next two weeks.

“We’re not in must-win, but we’re in can’t-screw-up mode,’’ Logano said.

HAIRY SITUATION

Blake Koch thought he’d have some fun after making the inaugural Xfinity Chase.

He decided to mimic hockey players who grow beards during the playoffs and do it for NASCAR’s version of the playoffs.

Truth be told, Koch, figured he’d have the beard for only the first three races and then could shave, but he’ll keep it going after advancing to the Round of 8 after Sunday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“I’m a pretty optimistic person, but I expected us to make the Chase, not to really transfer to the next group of eight,’’ he said. “That’s really tough to do. If I would have known that, I wouldn’t have set to growing this Chase beard because it’s going to get long now.

“I thought it was going to be a three-week beard. It’s going to be an eight-week beard, at least, maybe nine weeks.’’

Koch advanced with a team that has 16 employees and moved shops during the season. They prepared cars for Dover in May with flashlights because their new shop didn’t have power yet.

“I think that’s definitely the biggest story of the first round, Blake and his guys making the second round,’’ said Elliott Sadler, who advanced to the Round of 8 via his win at Kentucky Speedway. “The start-up team and where Blake came from last year to this year, congratulations, that to me is a job well done.’’

PIT STOPS

— Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski are tied with the best average finish in the eight races on 1.5-mile tracks. Both have a 7.0 average. Keselowski finished seventh on Sunday; Busch eighth. Three of the last six races, including the season finale at Homestead, are on 1.5-mile tracks.

— For the first time in this Chase, there were multi-car accidents. In the first three Chase races, there were seven cautions for spins or accidents. All had been single-car incidents. Sunday, two of the five cautions for accidents featured multiple cars, including the 12-car incident off a restart.

— Last year, Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick were 1-2 in the points after the opening race in the second round. This year, they are 11th and 12th.

— Kasey Kahne’s third-place finish was his best result since his win at Atlanta in Sept. 2014 — a span of 77 races.

— Danica Patrick’s 11th-place finish Sunday was her best result of the year. Her previous best was 13th at Dover in May.

— Five of the top-10 finishers Sunday were drivers not eligible for the title. They were Kasey Kahne (finished third), Ryan Newman (fourth), Kyle Larson (fifth), Tony Stewart (ninth) and Jamie McMurray (10th).

— Tony Stewart’s ninth-place finish snapped a streak of seven consecutive finishes of 13th or worse.

— Michael McDowell’s 14th-place finish was his second top-15 result in his last four starts.

Ryan:Finally reaching the Round of 8 will mean a chance at seven for Jimmie Johnson

CONCORD, N.C. – The silver-edged and black magnetic bulletin board with the handy brackets and snazzy magnets didn’t tell the full story while displayed in victory lane Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson’s name and No. 48 was listed on the first magnet slotted into one of eight slots below “Martinsville/Texas/Phoenix.”

Because of that trio, no one would have blanched if Johnson’s name would have been slid over to the next tidy collection of empty straight lines on the board.

Those represent the four championship contenders in the Nov. 20 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The six-time series champion undoubtedly will be among them after a three-year absence.

With his win in the Bank of America 500, Johnson qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup’s Round of 8 for the first time Sunday.

In reality, the Hendrick Motorsports superstar effectively clinched much more than that — a shot at a record-tying seventh championship. Securing passage to the third round lays out like a layup for Johnson.

He has eight wins, tops among active full-time drivers, at Martinsville Speedway, the 0.526-mile that Johnson adores.

He also has eight wins at Texas Motor Speedway, including four consecutive in the November race on the 1.5-mile oval where Johnson’s knack for tire management is supreme.

Phoenix International Raceway, the flat 1-mile track where Johnson has four wins and 19 top 10s, would be considered his “worst” of the lot.

After Auto Club Speedway, these are the three best tracks on Johnson’s resume when ordered by average finish (7.5 at Martinsville, 7.8 at Phoenix, 8.3 at Texas).

“I’m super excited from the simple fact if there is any driver you want to go into the third round with, I don’t know who else it would be other than Jimmie Johnson,” crew chief Chad Knaus told NBC Sports. “We’re very optimistic for the next segment.”

Leading his team (including the driver) with the single-minded discipline of a drill sergeant for 15 seasons, that’s as close as you’ll come with getting Knaus to size up the No. 48 Chevrolet’s path to the championship as a cakewalk.

But it’s an absolute firewall that will catapult Johnson into the championship round for the first time in the three-year history of the playoffs revamped with points resets, elimination rounds and expanded fields that make it more difficult to recover from a setback.

There have been whispers of whether the changes had “Jimmie-proofed” the Chase.

But Sunday reaffirmed it mostly was circumstantial that Johnson – who raced for a championship at Miami in every season but one from 2004-13 – hadn’t reached the championship round in the new era.

Remove an axle seal failure at Dover in 2015 and a flat tire at Kansas in 2014, and Johnson might be aiming for his ninth title this year.

“All we needed was an opportunity to make it to that final round, and we could have been competitive,” Knaus said. “When you have mechanical problem that’s unforeseen. Those things happen. It just does. It’s life. Racing is a tough sport. It knocks you back into reality in a heartbeat.”

There will be no rude awakenings anytime soon. Clutching a golden ticket to the Round of 8, a rare two-race respite awaits the No. 48 – along with the dread-filled 500-mile roulette wheel at Talladega Superspeedway, which was the first place Johnson went after his 78th career victory.

“I just took a deep breath and was like, ‘Yes, we did it,’” he said. “I don’t have to be worried about finishing at Talladega.”

It’s the rest of the Chase field that should be worried now – though Johnson typically wasn’t betraying any hint of overconfidence and presumption.

“We can’t sit back and celebrate too much,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to buckle down and get to work and keep advancing our race cars.”

A date with history at Homestead-Miami Speedway awaits – and is virtually assured.

Ty Dillon eliminated from Xfinity Chase:“We were terrible today”

CONCORD, N.C. — The difference was one point for Ty Dillon.

Dillon was the first driver out of a transfer spot when the Xfinity Series Chase cut the field from 12 to eight Sunday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Drive for the Cure 300. After finishing 11th, one lap down, team owner Richard Childress apologized on the team’s radio to his grandson after the checkered flag.

“Gave you a piece of (expletive), sorry about that. Man, we just go try to win some races.”

Dillon told NBCSN: “We were terrible today and didn’t give ourselves much of a shot. For whatever reason, our car was not the same today … It’s heartbreaking. We couldn’t even stay on the lead lap. It’s very upsetting. I wanted this championship so bad. It hurts.”

Crew chief Nick Harrison also didn’t hide his disappointment.

“We didn’t have a car fast enough today capable of making it,” he told NBC Sports in the garage. “Disheartening, but part of it. Just got to keep our head up, move on, try to win some races before the year’s up.”

Dillon entered Sunday’s race needing to make up three points to advance. A crash in the Chaser opener at Kentucky Speedway and a 27th-place finish put the team last on the Chase grid. Second place last weekend at Dover International Speedway closed the gap, however, Dillon wound up needing his competitors to have trouble in Charlotte.

Two did in Brennan Poole and Darrell Wallace Jr., but it wasn’t enough. While Poole was eliminated after finishing 18th, Harrison gave credit to Wallace’s team for making up the necessary ground. Dillon, Harrison said, didn’t have a car fast enough to build the gap he needed even though he finished nine spots ahead of Wallace.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Austin Dillon said of his younger brother. “I hate it for him. I don’t know what else we could have done. As a whole, RCR is struggling in the Xfinity Series now. We’ve just got to give him a better car (and) he makes it into the next round.’’

Austin Dillon, who was running a spot ahead of his younger brother, got the free pass on what was the race’s final caution on Lap 185. That left Ty Dillon unable to get on the lead lap and have the opportunity to gain any more positions – and points – that could have helped him advance.

As for what he’ll tell his brother, Austin said, “Go out and try to win races. From right here, it’s nothing fun about it. I wish he was going on to the next round. He really deserves it. It’s just a bummer. The 44 (JJ Yeley) and 48 (Poole) got into it back there, and it made the 44 pit too. And that was another position that he lost. I don’t know. Not good.’’

Harrison will share the same sentiment with his driver when the two sit down and talk about the first round of the Chase.

“I think you just have to move forward and keep your head up and be big boys,” Harrison said. “We’ve had an up and down season, definitely want to get some wins and have been close, we just haven’t. That wreck in Kentucky put us in a hole that we really didn’t need; we could have used our consistency to try and get us is, but we got in a hole, and we didn’t run good enough today to advance.”

LOGANO WINS AT CHARLOTTE, XFINITY ROUND OF 8 FIELD SET

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOHNSON WINS AT CHARLOTTE, LOCKS IN ROUND OF 8 SPOT

Jimmie Johnson won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday. The victory locks in Johnson's spot in the Round of 8 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Johnson had to overcome the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Matt Kenseth on a late restart to take the lead back for good on Lap 317.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver led 155 laps en route to his eighth victory at the 1.5-mile track and his 78th victory in the sport's top series. Since the Chase moved to an elimination format in 2014, Johnson had never advanced out of the Round of 12.

Kenseth finished second, while Kasey Kahne finished third. Ryan Newman and Kyle Larson rounded out the top five. Of the top five, only Johnson and Kenseth are in the Chase.

Several Chase contenders had issues on this day. Martin Truex Jr. (No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota) came to pit road in the top three for his final stop under caution on Lap 311, but his car stalled leaving pit road. That trouble led him to finish 13th.

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) was running in second and had led 52 laps before his engine expired on Lap 307. Hamlin finished in 30th.

Polesitter Kevin Harvick had an electrical issue with his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet just shy of the midway point of the 334-lap event that brought his day to an early end. Harvick had spent much of his run in the top five before trouble hit; he finished 38th.

Joey Logano also had problems, smacking the wall twice due to tires going down over the course of runs. He went to the garage before returning 77 laps down and ultimately finishing in 36th. Last year, Logano swept all three races in the Round of 12.

A big wreck on a Lap 258 restart involving Austin Dillon's No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Chase Elliott's No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and several others shook up the running order late and brought out a red flag. Both Dillon and Elliott were in the top five at the time and Elliott had led 103 laps on the day. The RCR driver finished 32nd, while Elliott finished 33rd.

The driver that started second, Alex Bowman, (who was filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Chevrolet) was involved in a Lap 61 wreck with Casey Mears that saw the Hendrick Motorsports machine suffer major damage to the right side and call it a day early with a 39th-place finish.

Sunday's race was initially scheduled for Saturday night but rain and remnants of Hurricane Matthew led to the race being moved to Sunday as part of a doubleheader with the NASCAR XFINITY Series race, which was postponed from Friday night to Sunday.

The Round of 12 will continue next Sunday at Kansas Speedway with the Hollywood Casino 400 (Oct. 16, 2:15 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

This story will be updated.

Defending Charlotte winner Joey Logano slams the wall after blowing a tire (video)

Joey Logano won’t make it two consecutive wins in the October race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Logano took his No. 22 Ford to the garage on Lap 156 after hitting the wall for the second time in the Bank of America 500.

The defending race winner initially encountered trouble when he blew a left-front tire entering Turn 1 on Lap 118, slamming the outside wall. The accident came during a round of green-flag pit stops, but before Logano had pitted.

The No. 22 team from Team Penske fixed the right-side damage under caution, and Logano restarted 20th, the last car on the lead lap. The second accident occurred on Lap 157 when the right-front tire blew.

“I don’t know; tires are popping,” Logano said. “We’re not the only car that had the issue, but we’re the ones that hit the wall when it happened, so that’s not the best place to have them go down. We had a fast car. Our car was capable of winning the race. We drove up from 10th and were up to third and running down the leaders, so I felt really good about what we had. I don’t know. Things happen. It’s part of racing, I guess.”

Cut tire ends Alex Bowman’s day early at Charlotte (video)

CONCORD, N.C. — Alex Bowman‘s impressive run in the No. 88 Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway came to an end on Lap 62 of the Bank of America 500.

Bowman was running third when his left-front tire failed as he entered Turn 3. It shot the Axalta Chevrolet up the racetrack and into Casey Mears‘ No. 13 Chevrolet. The two then made contact with the outside wall before Bowman brought the car on pit road and toward the garage.

“Blew a tire I guess,” Bowman said. “It’s really unfortunate. I hate it for these Axalta guys. Everybody at Hendrick Motorsports worked so hard. They brought a great race car here, brand new, and destroyed it. Really unfortunate, but it’s not anybody’s fault. We didn’t hit nothing. We just must have run over something.”

Sunday was Bowman’s fifth start substituting for Dale Earnhardt Jr. He started the weekend by qualifying a career-best second to Kevin Harvick and had not fallen outside the top five in the running order at the time of the accident.

Bowman’s best finish with Hendrick Motorsports in four starts was a 10th place at Chicagoland Speedway two weeks ago. He will be behind the wheel for five of the season’s six remaining races.

“They knew we were here; that’s all that matters,” Bowman said. “There is nothing more I can do, nothing more anybody on the race team can do. They all do a great job and did everything right, just bad luck.”

Charlotte Sprint Cup,XFINITY races both set for Sunday

RELATED: Weather updates from Charlotte | Update schedule for Charlotte

The effects of Hurricane Matthew reached far into North Carolina on Friday and Saturday as rain from the storm forced the cancellation of on-track activity at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including the postponement of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series races.


Sunday will be a NASCAR doubleheader with two races the same day on the same track for the second consecutive weekend.


The Sprint Cup Series race is scheduled to start at noon ET, with TV coverage simulcast on NBC and NBCSN (PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The XFINITY Series race would follow, with a projected start time of 4:30 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on NBCSN with the same radio coverage.


As of 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Hurricane Matthew was a Category 1 hurricane (down from a Category 4 on Thursday) and was causing severe damage along the South Carolina coast on its way northward.


Charlotte's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the Bank of America 500, is the first race in the premier series' Round of 12 of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.


The Drive for the Cure 300 Presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC is the final race in the XFINITY Series Chase's Round of 12. 


Two Sprint Cup Series practices were slated for Friday, and the NASCAR XFINITY Series was slated to have Coors Light Pole Qualifying as well. Those three events were canceled.

Sprint Cup race at Charlotte postponed to Sunday, noon ET

RELATED: Full Sprint Cup lineup | Weather updates

The Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway has been postponed to Sunday at Noon ET due to inclement weather, setting up a doubleheader for the second consecutive weekend. The Sprint Cup Series race will be broadcast on NBC, with the NASCAR XFINITY Series race following on NBCSN.



The decision to postpone from Saturday night to Sunday at noon was made at approximately 10:30 a.m. ET Saturday after rain pelted the track and surrounding area as the outer bands of Hurricane Matthew made their way through. Weather forecasts varied initially, but a change to Matthew's trajectory Saturday morning led to the call to postpone.


As of Saturday at 11 a.m., Matthew was a Category 1 hurricane after making landfall at McClellanville, South Carolina (about 55 miles southwest of Myrtle Beach), according to the National Weather Service.


Sunday will now serve as a doubleheader, putting on two races the same day on the same track for the second consecutive weekend.


The Sprint Cup Series race goes green at noon ET, with TV coverage on NBC and radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The XFINITY Series race will follow, with a projected start time of 4:30 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on NBCSN with radio coverage on PRN SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.


According to Charlotte Motor Speedway, the gates will open at 9 a.m. ET. Bank of America 500 tickets are valid for both races on Sunday; Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina ticketholders will be admitted after the Bank of America 500 ends.


Sprint Cup Series drivers have one practice session and qualifying in the books at Charlotte. All events Friday were wiped out due to weather, which scheduled to be two Sprint Cup Series practices and XFINITY Series qualifying and that series Round of 12 finale.


Chase driver Kevin Harvick will start on the Coors Light Pole on Sunday afternoon with Alex Bowman, filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Chevrolet, starting second. Chase Elliott will start third, with Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart completing the top five.


As the storm moved up the East Coast, Daytona International Speedway suffered some damage. Atlanta Motor Speedway was offering help to displaced people, opening its campgrounds to those fleeing the wind, rain and flooding.

Tonight’s Sprint Cup race at Charlotte: Start time, weather, TV/radio info

EDITOR’S NOTE: Tonight’s race has been postponed. The Sprint Cup race will move to noon ET Sunday on NBC. The prerace show will begin at 11 a.m. ET.
The Xfinity race, previously rescheduled for Sunday morning will not be held 45 minutes after the Sprint Cup race. The Xfinity race will be shown on NBCSN.
The round of 12 begins with tonight’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on NBC. All 12 drivers have had their points reset to 3000 for this three-race round.
Here’s all the important info for today’s race.
(All times are Eastern)
START: The command to start engines will be given Bank of America’s special guests, the USO of North Carolina at 6:52 p.m. The green flag is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is scheduled for 334 laps (50 miles) around the 1.5-mile track.
PRERACE SCHEDULE: The Cup garage opens at 11 a.m. The driver/crew chief meeting is at 4:45 p.m. Driver introductions are at 6:15 p.m.
NATIONAL ANTHEM: Danielle Peck will perform the National Anthem at 6:46 p.m., followed by a flyover by a C-130 from the 14th Airlift Wing in Charlotte, North Carolina.
TV/RADIO: NBC will broadcast the race. Coverage begins at 5 p.m. on NBCSN with NASCAR America. Countdown to Green airs at 6 p.m. on NBCSN. Race coverage on NBC begins at 7 p.m. Performance Racing Network’s radio broadcast begins at 5:30 p.m. and also can be heard at goprn.com. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have PRN’s broadcast.
FORECAST: The wunderground.com site predicts a temperature of 69 degrees at race time with a 17 percent chance of rain at the start of the race.
LAST TIME: Martin Truex Jr. led 392 of 400 laps to win the Coca-Cola 600 in May. Kevin Harvick placed second. Jimmie Johnson was third. In this race a year ago, Joey Logano won. Harvick was second and Truex third. 
STARTING LINEUP: Click here to see the starting lineup for Charlotte: