Rico Abreu kisses the wall, then chance at first win goodbye

FORT WORTH — Rico Abreu hopped down from his No. 98 Toyota and was immediately met by two crew members.

As William Byron conducted his second victory burnout of the year on the Texas Motor Speedway front stretch, they helped the 4-foot-4 Abreu remove his helmet and safety equipment and told him there was no reason to be mad.

Minutes before, Abreu had gone from running second with three laps to go in the Rattlesnake 400 to finishing ninth, his best result in nine Camping World Truck Series starts.

As Byron drove his No. 9 truck past where Abreu stood on pit road, on the way to victory lane, one crew member told the Abreu he had just experienced some of the most fun he’d ever had.

When Byron passed Matt Crafton with five laps to go, Abreu soon followed. The native of St. Helena, California, spent the next two laps driving like he had for most of the race and his whole career – staying as close to the Texas Motor Speedway wall as possible.

“When it gets hot and slick like that, your tires get wore out; I just felt so comfortable up there,” Abreu said of the area of the track and style of racing he mastered while rising through the ranks on dirt tracks.

The driver Abreu was chasing down had the same strategy. However, Byron, who won his first race at Kansas Speedway last month, “wasn’t paying attention much” to Abreu as he bore down on him.

“I was still running the top, because that’s what I was running (all night),” Byron said. “Then they said ‘two back’ and I was like ‘Man, we’ve got to figure something out here, so I got to make sure I hit both corners right.'”

Byron did that, taking away Abreu’s racing line, which Byron called the “name of the game” Friday night.

“A couple of guys took my line away and got me into the wall a bit, but you just can’t give up on it,” Byron said. “That outside gives you such huge momentum down the frontstretch.”

Abreu took the momentum he had and reached Byron’s bumper as they came down to two laps to go. But as they entered Turn 1, Abreu’s favorite place on the track became very uncomfortable.

“I figured I maybe could have cleared him off of (Turn) 4, maybe coming to the white,” Abreu said. “But I just got too tight behind him and got into the wall. Can’t have that stuff happening.”

Abreu kept his speed up enough that teammate Matt Crafton, who was running in third, believed Abreu would have “definitely” finished second.

But those chances ended after the white flag when Abreu once again impacted the wall in Turn 2. This time, he didn’t leave the wall until he was on the backstretch.

“That shows how much heart he had that he wanted to win the race,” said Crafton, who led a race-high 133 laps. “He likes that high, wide and handsome stuff and it bit him right there.”

The loss didn’t shake the confidence of Abreu, who started the night in 13th. But he felt bad for the crew members that met him after the best night of his short Truck career.

“They built a great truck this weekend and I just smashed it all,” Abreu said. “I got speed, I just got to put a whole damn night together. I haven’t figured that part out yet.”

Saturday NASCAR schedule at Michigan International Speedway

Today’s track action at Michigan International Speedway includes two Sprint Cup practice sessions, Xfinity Series qualifying and the Menards 250 Xfinity race.

Here’s the schedule:

All times Eastern:

7 a.m. – Xfinity garage open

7 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup garage open

9 – 9:55 a.m. – Sprint Cup practice (FS1, MRN)

10 a.m. – Xfinity qualifying; two rounds/single car (FS1)

11:45 a.m. – Xfinity driver-crew chief meeting

12 – 12:55 p.m. – Final Sprint Cup practice (FS1, MRN)

1 p.m. – Xfinity driver introductions

1:30 p.m. – Menards 250 presented by Valvoline; 125 laps, 250 miles (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Today’s Xfinity race at Michigan: Start time, weather, radio/TV info and lineup

The Xfinity Series makes its return to Michigan International Speedway for today’s Menard’s 250 presented by Valvoline. Here are the details:

(All times are Eastern)

START: John Menard, owner and founder of Menard’s, will give the command for drivers to start engines at 1:37 p.m. Green flag is set to wave at 1:46 p.m.

DISTANCE: The race is 125 laps (250 miles) around the 2-mile oval.

PRERACE SCHEDULE: The Xfinity Garage opens at 7 a.m. The driver/crew chief meeting is at 11:45 a.m. Driver introductions are at 1:05 p.m.

NATIONAL ANTHEM: Trent Broussard of the West Michigan Opera Project and Holland Chorale in Michigan will perform the anthem at 1:31 p.m.

TV/RADIO: FS1 will broadcast the race with its coverage beginning at 1 p.m. Motor Racing Network’s broadcast on radio and at MRN.com begins at 1 p.m. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the MRN broadcast.

FORECAST: wunderground.com predicts a high temperature of 86 degrees with 15 percent chance of rain at the start.

LAST TIME: Kyle Busch won in his first Xfinity race since being injured at Daytona last year. Chase Elliott was second with Kyle Larson third, Chris Buescher fourth and Elliott Sadler fifth.

STARTING LINEUP: Qualifying is at 10 a.m.

Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon meet to discuss Gordon’s broadcast comments

Brad Keselowski and Jeff Gordon met Friday at Michigan International Speedway for the first time since Keselowski questioned Gordon’s comments of Keselowski’s team Monday.

“There were no hugs I can confirm,’’ Keselowski said of the session with Gordon, which was filmed by FS1. “There were handshakes. We talked at length. There’s certainly some differing opinions. I don’t necessarily know if that is going to change. It’s nice to be able to have those conversations in a one-on-one format, of course there was a camera there.

Keselowski raised issues Monday about Gordon, a part owner in Jimmie Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports team, after Gordon’s comments about a penalty incurred by Keselowski’s team at Pocono Raceway.

Keselowski stated after the race that the sport needed to have people in the TV booth who do not own teams or have a commercial interest in the sport. Keselowski said during Nate Ryan’s NBC Sports Podcast this week that he felt the comments were a “direct attack on myself and my team.’’

Keselowski discussed the topic more on Friday at Michigan International Speedway.

“My big thing is I don’t want somebody who is invested in another team talking about my race car in a derogatory form or even if it’s a perceived derogatory form,’’ Keselowski said. “I don’t think that’s right, and I’m going to defend my team in those situations no matter who it is.

“Beyond that, I think (Gordon) has a position that requires his insight, but there’s some limitations to what insight I think is fair play for that position when you’re still invested in the sport. I feel that was over the line and not just that particular example but a number of other examples on other broadcasts. I just want to make sure if anyone wants to criticize me and how I drive the race car, that’s one thing, not my team and not things that could be perceived as self-serving.’’

Of course, Keselowski has served as an analyst in the TV booth for Xfinity broadcasts before.

“I feel like if you’re in the booth or a position such as that, not just the booth it could be anything, and you’re invested in the sport, I think you just should probably bow out of some conversations that are, of course, a conflict of interest,’’ Keselowski said.

“It’s OK to be out there in the booth if you can respect the limitations that you almost self imply to being a journalist. People have asked me what is it like being in the booth for the Xfinity races because I have a relationship obviously with Team Penske and they compete in that series even when I’m not driving.

“I would say that in those situations where something comes up about that team or car or whoever it might, that it’s my belief don’t say anything. There’s a lot more than one person in the booth and on the production teams and that’s kind of how I’ve treated that situation. I feel like that’s probably a more reasonable guiding light to go forward or request. It’s not my right to enforce by any means, but that’s what I think is fair.’’

Matt Crafton: No movement on a Drivers’ Council in the Truck series

FORT WORTH – A year ago at Texas Motor Speedway, two-time Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton stated he believed all three of NASCAR’s national touring series should have a Drivers’ Council.

Crafton’s statement came a month after the Sprint Cup Series’ first council formed.

“(NASCAR’s) constantly making rule changes and trying to make the sport better and sometimes we as drivers feel things whenever they make a rule change, and I think they need to hear it sometimes,” said Crafton at the time. “Not in a bad way or good way, but we need to be able to talk to them for sure.”

Crafton, in his 16th full-time season in the Truck series, now says he hasn’t heard any rumblings about the formation of similar Drivers Councils for the lower-tier series.

“I haven’t had any talks about it,” Crafton told NBC Sports in his team’s hauler Thursday. “I wish they would; they would talk to us. There’s not a whole lot of drivers in this series that they’re probably going to listen to, because they haven’t been here long enough to listen to them.”

The Sprint Cup Drivers Council currently is comprised of nine drivers, including five past champions and defending series champion Kyle Busch. In the Truck series, Crafton is the only champion from the last 10 seasons actively driving in the series. Last year’s champion,Erik Jones, is driving full time in the Xfinity Series.

Crafton said a hypothetical Drivers Council for the truck series would be comprised of series veterans.

“I know there is probably a handful of them they probably should listen to and be able to speak their minds and talk to them about things,” Crafton said. “I’m not saying the rookies shouldn’t have a voice, but at the end of the day, they need to earn the respect to have it.”

Veterans of Crafton’s caliber are sparse among the 20 drivers who have run all six races in 2016. Of those 20, Crafton is one of five drivers who have competed in every race over the past two seasons (22 races in 2014, 23 races in 2015). That includes, Johnny Sauter,Timothy Peters, Ben Kennedy and Tyler Young.

John Wes Townley, who won his first Truck race last year, has missed only four races since 2012. Drivers such as John Hunter Nemechek and Cole Custer, both multiple race winners, likely would have attempted full-time seasons if not for NASCAR’s age limits for tracks larger than 1.25-miles.

If he officially were able to convene with his fellow veterans and a couple of younger drivers with NASCAR, Crafton knows at least one topic he’d like to discuss.

“Differences in how (the trucks) drove in traffic five years ago and how they drive in traffic now,” Crafton said “I’d like to talk about some of that stuff with them and see if we can make the racing even better than what it is already.”

Five drivers to watch at Michigan

Keep an eye on these drivers throughout the Sprint Cup weekend at Michigan International Speedway.

Kevin Harvick

Harvick has finished second in five of the last six Michigan races, including the Cup Series’ most recent visit last August. Since joining Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, he’s averaged 35 laps led per race at Michigan – 47 if you throw out the Aug. 2014 race where he never led in route to a second-place result.

Matt Kenseth

Speaking of last August, Kenseth won that race in dominant fashion. That race featured the much-maligned high-drag package. Now there’s a different set of rules, designed to take away downforce. But expect him to be a threat again at Michigan where he carries an average finish of 10.2. That’s boosted by three wins and 14 top-five finishes (best among active drivers).

Brad Keselowski

Keselowski has kept momentum from his Talladega win and heads home to Michigan on a streak of five consecutive top-10 finishes. Since Michigan’s repave entering the 2012 season, Keselowski’s posted an average finish there of 8.1. However, he hasn’t exactly been a front-runner, either. During that same span, the most laps he’s led in a single Michigan race is 17 (Aug. 2012 & 2013).

Chase Elliott

An impressive run at Pocono hammered home the feeling that it’s only a matter of time before Elliott earns his first Sprint Cup win. After a 20th-place result at Martinsville, Elliott’s posted an average finish of 6.25 in the eight races since. In regards to Michigan, Elliott showed well in his Xfinity Series days with finishes of sixth (2014) and second (2015).

Paul Menard

With only one top-10 finish this season, Menard’s well back in the playoff picture (22nd in points, 73 behind 16th-place Ryan Newman). But he’s found a sweet spot at Michigan with three top-five and five top-10 finishes in his last seven Cup starts there, as well as an Xfinity Series win two years ago.

Team engineer to serve as Kyle Larson’s interim crew chief at Michigan

Chip Ganassi Racing announced Friday on Twitter that Phil Surgen will serve as the interim crew chief for Kyle Larson‘s team this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. Crew chief Chad Johnston is serving a one-race suspension for a lug nut violation at Pocono.

Surgen joined the team before this season. He’s worked for various teams in the last decade, including Richard Childress Racing.

Johnston is the fourth Sprint Cup crew chief to miss a race weekend because of a lug nut violation since the rule was updated before the May 1 Talladega race.

Car owner Chip Ganassi was critical in a SiriusXM NASCAR Radio interview of the new lug nut policy and how it was taking the focus away from other areas NASCAR should dealing with.