Upon Further Review: Coca-Cola 600

So how to explain why a week after the Sprint All-Star Race was praised for its racing could the Coca-Cola 600 not have similar racing at the front?

Kevin Harvick, who finished second to Martin Truex Jr. in Sunday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, suggests that one shouldn’t be quick to judgement.

“The All‑Star Race is just so much different,’’ Harvick said. “I don’t know if it’s a fair assessment of was it better or was it worse. I think both nights we’ve seen good racing.

“We were able to pass tonight with our car once we got the handling better and make up ground, so I don’t know what the racing was like with the rest of the pack, but I think as you look at what’s coming down the road, I think that the cars were already sliding around a fair amount. They seemed like they slid around more (Sunday) than they did actually at the All‑Star Race. But my car had some different balance characteristics tonight than it had at the All‑Star Race.

“I think compared to last year, we’re light years ahead of where we were, and I think we’re headed in a great direction with the new package.’’

Two of the next five Sprint Cup races — Michigan on June 12 and Kentucky on July 9 — will feature rule changes NASCAR is looking to incorporate next season. The changes are intended to reduce downforce and sideforce, lowering corner speeds and making it easier for drivers to run closer together.

One of those changes is a rear-toe alignment change that reduces the amount of “skew,” or how much the car can be slanted at speed. That change was in place at the All-Star Race but not in the Coke 600, and some drivers said the return of skew seemed to increase their cars’ stability, making it easier to keep competitors at bay and fend off passes.

Sunday, few got close enough to Truex, who led a record 392 of the 400 laps. Truex and Jimmie Johnson briefly dueled for the lead with less than 60 laps to go, but Truex quickly pulled away.

“He wasn’t going to be denied, there was no way around that,’’ Johnson said.

— Each race, NASCAR takes at least two Sprint Cup cars back to its R&D Center for further inspection.

The winner of each races goes except for the Daytona 500 winner  (inspection is completed at the track because the winning car remains in Daytona for a year after that race). The runner-up also goes to the R&D Center. At times, NASCAR selects a random car as well.

Here’s how many times each car has gone to the R&D Center.

Kyle Busch — 5 times (Kansas, Talladega, Richmond, Texas, Martinsville)

Kevin Harvick — 5 times (Coke 600, Kansas, Auto Club, Phoenix, Daytona 500

Joey Logano — 3 times (All-Star, Las Vegas, Daytona 500)

Brad Keselowski — 3 times (All-Star, Talladega, Las Vegas)

Carl Edwards — 3 times (Richmond, Bristol, Phoenix)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. — 3 times (Bristol, Texas, Atlanta)

Martin Truex Jr. — 2 times (Coke 600, Daytona 500)

Jimmie Johnson — 2 times (Auto Club, Atlanta)

Kasey Kahne — 2 times (Dover, Las Vegas)

Greg Biffle — 1 time (Coke 600)

A.J. Allmendinger — 1 time (Martinsville)

Matt Kenseth — 1 time (Dover)

Kyle Larson — 1 time (Dover)

So that’s a tally of 14 Chevrolets, 11 Toyotas and 8 Fords since the Daytona 500.

— All five cars in the Joe Gibbs Racing/Furniture Row Racing alliance now have won a race, all but putting each in the Chase.

— The last Sprint Cup victory by a Chevrolet team was by Jimmie Johnson on March 20 at Auto Club Speedway.

Chase Elliott’s Darlington paint scheme is a blast from NAPA’s past

Chase Elliott‘s paint scheme for the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway is now here for us all to enjoy.Elliott’s No. 24 Chevrolet will be sponsored by NAPA for the Sept. 4 race. Instead of the familiar blue and yellow, the car will be black and yellow, based on how NAPA’s delivery trucks looked in the 1960s.Last year, Elliott’s Southern 500 paint scheme was a subtle tribute to the one used by his father, Bill Elliott, in 1985.

NASCAR’s Saturday schedule at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway is dedicated to final prep for the Coca-Cola 600 and the Xfinity Series’ Hisense 300.

Here’s the full schedule for the the day, including TV and Radio info.

All times are Eastern.

7 a.m. – Xfinity garage opens

8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup garage opens

10 – 10:55 a.m. – Sprint Cup practice (FS1)

11:15 a.m. – Xfinity qualifying; multi-car/three rounds (FS1)

12:45 p.m. – Xfinity driver-crew chief meeting

1 – 1:50 p.m. – Final Sprint Cup practice (FS1)

2 p.m. – Xfinity driver introductions

2:30 p.m. – Hisense 300; 200 laps, 300 miles (FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Kurt Busch fastest in first of two final practices for Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte

Kurt Busch was fastest in the first of two final Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup practice sessions Saturday morning at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Busch was the only driver to exceed 191 mph, clocking a field-best speed of 191.002 mph.

Jimmie Johnson was second fastest at 190.617 mph, followed by 600 pole sitter Martin Truex Jr. (190.061), Carl Edwards (189.887) and a strong run from Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (189.414).

On the flip side, several drivers struggled in the session, including three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers: Denny Hamlin (25th fastest, 185.848 mph), Matt Kenseth (26th fastest, 185.510) and defending Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch, who was 32nd fastest (184.281 mph).

Dale Earnhardt Jr. suffered a slight problem during the session when the power steering fluid seal broke, causing smoke to come out of the rear of his car. The problem was fixed and Earnhardt returned to the track.

The final practice session takes place this afternoon at 1 to 1:50 pm ET. The Coca-Cola 600 begins Sunday night at 6 p.m. ET.

Here’s how Saturday’s first practice session played out:

Today’s Xfinity race at Charlotte: Start time, weather, radio & TV info

After a week off, the Xfinity Series returns to the track today at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Hisense 4K TV 300.

Here’s what you need to know for today’s race.

(All times are Eastern)

START: The command to start engines will be given at 2:37 p.m. by the Boys & Girls Club of Cabarrus County.

DISTANCE: The race is 200 laps (300 miles) around the 1.5-mile track.

PRERACE SCHEDULE: The Xfinity Garage opens at 7 a.m. The driver/crew chief meeting is at 12:45 p.m. Driver introductions are at 2:05 p.m.

NATIONAL ANTHEM: Colby Bell will perform the anthem at 2:31 p.m.

TV/RADIO: Fox Sports 1 will broadcast the race with its coverage beginning at 2 p.m. Performance Racing Network’s broadcast on radio and at goPRN.com, begins at 2 p.m. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the PRN broadcast.

FORECAST: wunderground.com predicts a temperature of 84 degrees at 2 p.m. with no chance of rain.

LAST TIME: Austin Dillon swept both Xfinity races at Charlotte last year, leading a combined 224 laps in both wins.

STARTING LINEUP: Qualifying is at 11:15 a.m.

No secrets: From setups to strategy, group chat among some crew chiefs shares all

CONCORD, N.C. — As Martin Truex Jr. led fellow Toyota driver Carl Edwards at Dover earlier this month, crew chief Cole Pearn plotted his strategy, wondering what Edwards’ crew chief, Dave Rogers, planned to do.

So Pearn asked Rogers.

He messaged him, actually.

“Come on man, throw me a bone,’’ Rogers recalled Pearn’s note. “Tell me when you’re going to pit.’’

Pearn, Rogers and his fellow Joe Gibbs Racing crew chiefs are on a group chat with Andy Graves, group vice president, technical director for Toyota Racing Development, USA. They share information throughout the week and an occasional quip — often by Pearn. The chat doesn’t stop when the race starts.

Group chats are not new in NASCAR among crew chiefs on the same team or alliance. Graves recalls a more modest system in place at Hendrick Motorsports when he served as Terry Labonte’s crew chief from 1997-99.

With team computers showing each car’s setup and pertinent information, crew chiefs know what their teammates are doing at all times. Joe Gibbs Racing has incorporated Furniture Row Racing’s Truex so that the information available to each team is if they truly were teammates.

Even with all that information to both Toyota teams, the group chat provides answers to questions about key issues, setup notes and other matters. The more a crew chief knows, the more informed their decisions can be.

Still, what about asking a teammate/competitor on strategy that could hurt them?

It’s all fair.

“What did you tell him?’’ Edwards asked Rogers upon hearing of Pearn’s Dover request. “Get back to you in a minute?’’

They laughed.

No, that’s not what Rogers told Pearn.

Before Rogers revealed how he responded, he recalled that weekend and the struggles Rogers and Edwards had with their car during practice. It was confusing because the setup had worked so well previously. As they tried to figure out how to be faster, Truex posted quick times.

Rogers told his engineers to get Truex’s setup and they would change Edwards’ car to match what Truex had with his.

Edwards went faster.

So when Pearn’s request came during the race asking about what lap Edwards would pit, Rogers responded in the only way he could.

“I told him what I was going to do,’’ Rogers said.

As Graves watched the exchange on the chat, he beamed.

“It’s competitive inside, but not to the point that we’re willing to jeopardize the good of the whole,’’ he said.

That’s the message ingrained in the teams. There’s a closeness between JGR and Furniture Row Racing that is different when Michael Waltrip Racing was with Toyota. The group chat for JGR and MWR crew chiefs was primarily used during restrictor-plate events at Daytona and Talladega.

It’s used constantly among JGR and Furniture Row Racing.

“There’s no question that each one of us wants to be the top team every week,’’ Rogers said. “If you didn’t, you don’t belong in this sport. But we all know that our unity and our sharing of information is going to separate us from the field. It’s a heck of a lot easier to beat four guys than it is to beat 39. So if we work together and we can separate our group and fight amongst ourselves, our odds of winning are better.’’

Pearn said that the openness will keep their working relationship strong.

“Once you go down the path of hiding from each other is when most teammate relationships break down,’’ he said. “You hide one time and it’s easier to do the next time and you just slowly drift apart.’’

Another key to the group chat is that Graves can add his insight on matters, including things during the race the other crew chiefs might be too busy to notice.

Graves noticed during that Dover race that Dale Earnhardt Jr., running outside the top 10 at the time, was saving fuel to make it to the end based on his slower lap times. Graves altered his crew chiefs to the maneuver. In the end, it didn’t matter when Earnhardt was collected in the 18-car crash late in that event, but it could have.

The cooperation was evident Thursday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Truex and Edwards were staged next to each other on pit road during Coca-Cola 600 qualifying. Before the final session, which would determine the pole, Rogers walked over to Pearn and talked briefly. Truex went on to win the pole.

“There’s no information that is not shared,’’ Rogers said.

As a result, Joe Gibbs Racing has won seven of the first 12 points races this season and Truex seems on the cusp of winning.

Mark Martin returns to track as pace car driver for Coca-Cola 600

Newly elected NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin hasn’t been to a NASCAR race since the 2013 Sprint Cup finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He’ll return in a big way Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600, serving as the race’s pace car driver prior to the green flag..

The honor will cap off a day for Martin that starts off in Indianapolis, where Martin will watch the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. Then in his own version of “The Double,” the 2002 winner of the Coke 600 will fly to Charlotte to jump in the Toyota pace car.

“When the speedway called to ask me if I’d do it, my first reaction was ‘Hell, yeah!’” Martin said in a press release. “Originally I’d planned to be at Indy, but now I get to do the ‘double’ in a way, and I can say I’ll be driving at Charlotte. Charlotte Motor Speedway was always my favorite race track.”

In addition to his Coke 600 win, Martin won at Charlotte a total of four times in the Cup series and had 18 top fives. In the Xfinity Series, Martin earned another six wins at the 1.5-mile track.

“I was fortunate enough to have a lot of success there, including winning a Coke 600,” Martin said. “Bruton and Marcus (Smith) always put on a fabulous show, and this will be cool to lead the field to green in front of thousands of fans that I enjoyed racing for all those years.”