On the move: Driver moves, changes for 2017

Clint Bowyer, Stewart-Haas Racing In 2016: No. 15 Chevrolet for HScott Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

In 2017: No. 14 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.The scoop: Bowyer takes over the ride of retiring three-time champion and team owner Tony Stewart. Moves to SHR worked well for Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch, so the optimism is high that this will be a boon for Bowyer, who is winless since 2012.

Watch Live: NASCAR America at 6 p.m. ET with Austin Dillon in studio

Today’s episode of NASCAR America airs from 6 – 7 p.m. on NBCSN and begins to preview the second race of the Chase at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Krista Voda hosts with Jeff Burton in Stamford, Connecticut. Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon will join them in studio.

On today’s show:

Austin Dillon will offer insight on how he’s handling his first playoffs so far after a 14th-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway. Dillon will also share how he’s looking forward to seeing his little brother, Ty, begin the Xfinity Series Chase at Kentucky Speedway.

And speaking of Ty, he’ll chat with NASCAR on NBC’s Marty Snider about what it’ll take to bring another Xfinity title to the Dillon family.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Dover International Speedway are the tracks left in the Round of 16. Matt Kenseth of Joe Gibbs Racing won at both those tracks earlier this season and he’ll talk to NASCAR America about his chances to advance deeper into the Chase.

There will also be a big announcement for the Sprint Cup Series championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

If you can’t catch the show on TV, you also can watch it via the online stream at http://nascarstream.nbcsports.com

If you plan to stream the show on your laptop or portable device, be sure to have your username and password from your cable/satellite/telco provider handy so your subscription can be verified.

Once you plug in that information, you’ll have access to the stream.

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

NASCAR drivers reflect on the Sept. 11 attacks

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and like many, the NASCAR community will remember all those who were lost.

Prior to racing Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway, drivers took the time to remember where they were on this day 15 years ago.

“Just like everyone, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” said Carl Edwards.

Kyle Busch recalls how he had just arrived at school, while older brother Kurt was with his race team. Jimmie Johnson, who has made a second home in New York over the last few years, was heading to the gym.

WATCH LIVE: NASCAR America at 6 p.m. ET: Kevin Harvick’s win, Kyle Busch’s frustration

NASCAR America is back after its Olympic break with a 90-minute show today, beginning at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Host Dave Briggs is joined by Dale Jarrett in our Stamford, Connecticut, studio. Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte join them from Burton’s garage.

On today’s show, the crew will examine these topics and more:

Following a rainy start on Saturday night, Kevin Harvick won at Bristol on Sunday night. Jarrett, Letarte and Burton will weigh in on the race and the rain that turned it into a marathon.
After his win, Harvick convinced teammate and owner Tony Stewart to join in for celebratory burnouts. We’ll hear from Stewart about that special moment, as well as his own reflections on Bristol after what was likely his final Sprint Cup start there.
Kyle Busch led a race-high 256 laps but his dominant day turned sour with a parts failure, followed by a spin and crash with Justin Allgaier. Busch had plenty to share with the media about the setback, and you’ll get to hear it all. We’ll also discuss the various on-track problems that have marred an otherwise strong season for the defending Sprint Cup champion.
Even with Mother Nature ensuring it would take nearly 24 hours to decide a winner at Bristol, the track received positive reviews after putting a substance on the bottom groove to make the racing more competitive. Will this become a new NASCAR standard? Nate Ryan chimes in on the new expectations Bristol set this past weekend with track transformations.If you’re not near a TV, you can watch online or on the NBC Sports app at the NASCAR stream on NBC Sports.
If you plan to stream the show on your laptop or portable device, be sure to have your username and password from your cable/satellite/telco provider handy so your subscription can be verified.

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

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

CAIN: EXPANSION AN IMPORTANT STEP FOR JONES, FURNITURE ROW

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- The weekend announcement that up-and-coming star Erik Jones will drive a second Furniture Row Racing car in 2017 was one of the worst-kept secrets in recent big-time NASCAR news. And that's a real compliment to Jones and to the organization.

People are intently interested in the championship-worthy team's expansion. All the buzz and grins speak largely about the team's firm place among Sprint Cup Series top shelf. Expansion is a logical next step.

And looking around at team executives, its drivers and Toyota bigwigs last weekend at Watkins Glen International when Jones' new No. 77 5-hour Energy Camry was unveiled, there are both high hopes and high expectations.

"Today has been a long time coming for Furniture Row Racing," team owner Barney Visser acknowledged over the weekend.

Jones, the 20-year-old reigning Camping World Truck Series champion, currently is contending for the XFINITY Series title with three wins this season while driving a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.

His ticket to the Sprint Cup was inevitable.

This will be an important step for the young Jones, but also for the Denver-based Furniture Row Racing team that already is hard at work preparing its shop to house and operate a second team -- which, Visser said Wednesday night on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, may only house Jones for one season.

"With how we're running, we will get a very, very good driver after he leaves, if he leaves, and I’m fairly certain he will," Visser said. "We will attract one of the best drivers in the garage for that second slot, I am confident. The cars are just going to be running too well."

When asked again about the likelihood of Jones leaving after one year, Visser said: "I think that’s most likely. We're working on that. What I am saying is the team will go on no matter what and people need to understand that when they come looking for jobs."

From Toyota's standpoint, at least for 2017, this is as natural an evolution as possible. Jones has been "their guy." Pairing him with veteran Martin Truex Jr., driver of the team's current No. 78 Toyota, is the right development right now for manufacturer, team and driver.

From Toyota's perspective, Jones also is truly the first driver the manufacturer has groomed from development series to big league.

"I think it's a great story for Toyota, but probably a greater story for NASCAR and the future of our sport," Toyota Racing Development President David Wilson said at Watkins Glen. "We're all really proud of Erik and think a lot of him not just as a talent, but as a person.

"With Erik, obviously he's a rookie and we like the chemistry of having the veteran Martin Truex side-by-side. And the other great thing is we have the Gibbs drivers to lean on. Our intention is Erik will sit in the competition meetings as early as this season and observe and learn.

"The point we really wanted to make was for Toyota and for Furniture Row adding an additional team, this isn't a one-year deal. My intention is to run at least six Toyotas in the (Sprint) Cup Series from 2017 running forward."

And while initially the expectations will be tightly controlled, below the surface, a real feeling of progress and hope appeared after speaking with the team's executives, and its current championship caliber driver, Truex.

"This goes into the very beginning when we started Furniture Row," team president Joe Garone said. "We just gradually have ramped it up and built the relationships that we felt we've needed to be successful. That comes back to Barney's commitment to invest in the team and our sponsors that Barney brought to the team, Denver Mattress and Furniture Row. … To finally get to a platform that will support multiple cars.

"It's huge. It's at the sacrifice of a lot of hours and a lot of hard work from a lot of people. We're just really excited to be at this platform right now."

Truex, who has qualified for this year's Chase courtesy of one of the most dominating performances in recent years -- he led all but eight laps of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte -- acknowledged the change in logistics and said, "It's going to be a little more work getting off the ground, but fortunately it's early enough this season to get the cars built and ready for next year."

Truex signed a two-year contract extension with the team earlier last week, as well.

"The biggest thing is I'm excited for Barney and Furniture Row to grow the program," he said. "It's nice to see the success and him having fun with it and able to expand. Two teams should be a more efficient way of doing business and it should make sure we're around for a long time.

"This is no different than the JGR guys welcoming us into the system. We'll all work as one to make our team the best it can be. Erik seems like a great kid and obviously has a lot of talent."

NASCAR on NBC podcast, Episode XXVII: Rick Allen

Rick Allen, the lead announcer for NBC Sports’ NASCAR Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series race coverage, joined the NASCAR on NBC podcast to discuss his circuitous route to becoming one of the sport’s most recognizable voices.

While competing as a decathlete who once was ranked in the top 10 in the world and trained for the 1992 Olympics with bronze medalist Dave Johnson, Allen discovered his calling for PA announcing. After a stint as the PA announcer for the University of Nebraska, Allen moved into NASCAR broadcasting and joined NBC Sports in 2014.

He explains how he handles the serious and uncertain moments of racing (such as Austin Dillon‘s crash at the end of last year’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway), but he embraces its chaos.

“I’ve always felt comfortable,” he said. “I think under pressure situations, I think clearer. I feel like when the intensity is really high, I think I have better focus.

“The very first race we have on NBC goes rain delayed for almost eight hours, and the way it ends, we think that someone dies. That chaos, I knew I’m not going to say the wrong thing. That’s in me. I know the situation and the magnitude and how to convey that. I have a lot of confidence that I believe I’m in the right job.”

You can listen to the podcast by clicking below or download and subscribe to it on iTunes by clicking here. The free subscription will provide automatic downloads of new episodes to your smartphone. It also is available on Stitcher

Stay tuned for time cues to provide easy referencing while listening to the episode.

NASCAR on NBC podcast, Episode XXV: Landon Cassill

Shortly after being named NASCAR’s “most stylish driver” by GQ, Landon Cassill joined the NASCAR on NBC podcast to discuss his unconventional approaches to social media and promotion.

Cassill, who recently appeared on YouTube’s Gary Vee Show and sat courtside for Game 3 of the NBA Finals (in an appearance that gained traction on social media), has turned up in some unlikely places for a NASCAR driver, and some of it is by design. While the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native hasn’t won in NASCAR’s national series, he has become a fixture in the Xfinity and Sprint Cup series over the past five years by grinding out consistent results with mid-tier teams.

The key to keeping a spot, though, is sponsorship, and Cassill believes in ensuring he can gain attention while working to build results. It’s why he has lobbied Front Row to consider hiring a film crew to follow him in the garage, guaranteeing some form of exposure that would help keep pace with teams whose success brings coverage.

“I like getting involved in media outside the traditional space in our sport,” Cassill said. “It’s cool to have the conversation with people who don’t really pay attention to our sport about NASCAR. It’s definitely good for me. It’s good for our sponsors.”

Cassill also discussed:

–His racing roots and what Iowa Speedway has meant to his native state;

–His sometimes irreverent approach to social media;

–How Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule might apply to racing;

–Earning compliments from the Sprint Cup establishment and how that could help his career.

You can listen to the podcast by clicking below or download the AudioBoom app and listen there. You also can download and subscribe to it on iTunes by clicking here. The free subscription will provide automatic downloads of new episodes to your smartphone. It also is available on Stitcher

Stayed tuned for time cues to provide easy referencing while listening to the episode.

FULL SCHEDULE FOR MICHIGAN AND TEXAS

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series will race atMichigan International Speedway this week, while the NASCAR Camping World TruckSeries is at Texas Motor Speedway. Check out the full weekend schedule below.

Note: All times are ET

THURSDAY, JUNE 9:

ON TRACK: TEXAS

-- 3:30-4:25 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice (Follow live)

-- 5:30-6:25 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series second practice  (Follow live)

-- 7:30-8:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice (Follow live)

FRIDAY, JUNE 10: 

ON TRACK: MICHIGAN

-- 11 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first practice, FS1 (Follow live)

-- 12:30-1:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series first practice, FS1  (Follow live)

-- 3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series second practice, FS1 (Follow live)

-- 4:15 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1 (Follow live)

GARAGECAM (Watch live)-- 10:30 a.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
-- noon: NASCAR XFINITY Series

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)

-- 9:45 a.m.: AJ Allmendinger

-- 10 a.m.: Kurt Busch

-- 10:15 a.m.: Martin Truex Jr.

-- 1:30 p.m.: Brad Keselowski

-- 2:15 p.m.: Brendan Gaughan

-- 5:15 p.m. (approx.): Post-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying

ON TRACK: TEXAS

-- 6 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying (Follow live), this will air tape delayed on FS1 at 7:30 p.m. ET

-- 9 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rattlesnake 400 (167 laps, 250.5 miles), FS1 (Follow live)

SATURDAY, JUNE 11:

ON TRACK: MICHIGAN

-- 9-9:55 a.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series second practice, FS1 (Follow live)

-- 10 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1 (Follow live)

-- noon-12:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, FS1 (Follow live)

-- 1:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Menards 250 Presented by Valvoline (125 laps, 250 miles), FS1 (Follow live)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live) 

-- 3:30 p.m. (approx.): Post-NASCAR XFINITY Series race

SUNDAY, JUNE 12:

ON TRACK: MICHIGAN

-- 1 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 (200 laps, 400 miles), FS1(Follow liv

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)e)

-- 4 p.m. (approx.): Post-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race