Sam Hornish Jr. filling in for injured Matt Tifft in Iowa Xfinity race

Sam Hornish Jr. will make his return to NASCAR racing a little bit sooner with Matt Tifft having to sit out this weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Iowa Speedway due to a “disc condition” in his back.

Joe Gibbs Racing announced Tuesday that Tifft, who was supposed to drive the No. 18 Toyota in the American Ethanol E15 250, would be replaced by Hornish. Hornish hasn’t raced anything since the 2015 Sprint Cup finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Last week, Richard Childress announced Hornish would drive its No. 2 Xfinity car for the July race at Iowa and at Kentucky Speedway in September.

Of Hornish’s three Xfinity wins, one was at Iowa in 2014.

Tifft also was supposed to drive in the Camping World Truck Series’ Speediatrics 200 at Iowa in Red Horse Racing’s No. 11. The team has not yet announced plans for a substitute driver.

Tifft, a member of the current NASCAR Next class, has competed in six Xfinity race this season, including three in the No. 18 car. His best result is eighth at Talladega and Dover.

Fourteen teams testing Monday and Tuesday at Kentucky Speedway

Fourteen teams will take part in a test at the repaved Kentucky Speedway today and Tuesday.

NASCAR is allowing a car from each organization to test at Kentucky because next month’s race will be the first on the repaved surface. Teams also will use the same lower downforce package at Kentucky as they did this past weekend at Michigan International Speedway.

Teams scheduled to test at Kentucky:

• Jamie McMurray (Chip Ganassi Racing)
• Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing)
• Kasey Kahne (Hendrick Motorsports)
• Greg Biffle (Roush Fenway Racing)
• Kyle Busch (Joe Gibbs Racing)
• Ryan Blaney (Wood Brothers Racing)
• Joey Logano (Team Penske)
• Paul Menard (Richard Childress Racing)
• Chris Buescher (Front Row Motorsports)
• Aric Almirola (Richard Petty Motorsports)
• Michael Annett (HScott Motorsports)
• AJ Allmendinger (JTG Daugherty Racing)
• Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing)
• Matt DiBenedetto (BK Racing)

Jacksonville Jaguar named pace car driver for July Daytona race

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith will serve as the honorary pace car driver for the 58th annual Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup race July 2 at Daytona International Speedway.

The race will be broadcast by NBC.

Smith played at Florida State before being selected by the Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He started all 14 games he played in 2015 for the Jaguars. Smith owns the NFL’s longest streak of 16 consecutive games with at least six tackles per game.

“I’m looking forward to this great experience,” Smith said in a statement from the track. “I’ve never been to a NASCAR event before, so the opportunity to attend my first race, as well as drive the pace car, will make for an unforgettable evening.”

Watch LIVE: NASCAR America at 6 p.m. ET has exclusives with Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez

NASCAR America moves to its new permanent 6 p.m. time slot today on NBCSN, recapping a weekend of strong finishes by young drivers.

Krista Voda hosts with analysts Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty in Stamford, Connecticut, and Steve Letarte at NBC Sports Charlotte.

Today’s show features:

–An interview with Joey Logano, who will call from testing at Kentucky Speedway to talk about his victory Sunday at Michigan International Speedway;

–An interview with Daniel Suarez, who will stop by the NBC Sports Charlotte to discuss becoming the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series race with Saturday’s Xfinity victory at Michigan;

–A report from Stewart-Haas Racing by Marty Snider.

–A recap of the Michigan weekend, including another near-miss at victory lane by Chase Elliott.

If you’re not near a TV, you can watch online or on the NBC Sports app via 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.

Kentucky test shows not all things change even with repave and reconfiguration

While it needed to be done, Kentucky Speedway’s repave and reconfiguration is not coming at a good time for reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch.

Mired in a four-race slump where he’s not finished better than 30th, Busch faces races at Sonoma and Daytona — where it is easy to get into trouble — before returning to Kentucky Speedway for the first race on its new surface.

Monday, Busch was among 14 drivers testing at Kentucky. NASCAR allowed each organization to have one team at the test to gather data on the new surface and the changes made to Turns 1 and 2 with the reconfiguration.

Busch admits new surfaces are not his forte.

“I don’t like repaves at all,’’ Busch said during a break in testing Monday. “I struggle on repaves. I did win the last race here at Kentucky Speedway before they repaved it. I won the last race at Michigan (International) Speedway before they repaved it. I won the last race at Bristol before (track surface changes). I have a history of being really good before they tear it all up and screw it all up for me.’’

Some drivers didn’t want to see Kentucky Speedway repaved, but with water coming up through the track after rain, further delaying track activity, and the bumps worsening, it became apparent the surface needed work.

“Essentially, the weepers were just so bad that we could never get it dry enough,’’ Busch said. “The racetrack was dry, but it was still weeping water hours later, days later. That’s frustrating for us drivers trying to put on a good show for the race fans. Hopefully those situations have been … rectified and we won’t have that situation going forward.’’

Busch, Kevin Harvick and Ryan Blaney talked to the media Monday after some time on the track.

Harvick said Monday was for prepping the track and that the relevant information with the lower downforce package, which also was used at Michigan, will come.

“It’s going to be until (Tuesday) before you really know where you need to be,’’ Harvick said. “(Monday), you’re just really trying to get track maps and know where the bumps are and try to get some sort of rhythm when the track gets conditioned. (Tuesday) with rubber on the racetrack you’ll be able to get a much better read for where the speed is going to be and how you’re car is going to actually drive.’’

All three agreed, though, that Turn 3 will remain a challenge. The banking was increased in Turns 1 and 2 from 14 to 17 degrees. Turns 3 and 4 remain 14 degrees.

“Turns 1 and 2, being more banked, we are definitely carrying a lot more speed through there,’’ Blaney said. “It does make your entrance into Turn 3 a lot more difficult. It was already difficult the way it was. It’s so flat getting into Turn 3 and then that transition is tough. Now … it seems you’re going to be a bit more faster.

“You can definitely feel the speed difference. We always worked on the entrance to (Turn) 3 here. That’s always the biggest problem in the race, trying to make sure your car is tight enough into (Turn) 3. Now it seems to be more of a factor.’’

Chase Grid: Ryan Blaney on bubble with 11 races left before playoffs begin

Joey Logano‘s win last weekend at Michigan International Speedway made him the 10th different winner this season, leaving six playoffs spots based on points. Ryan Blaney fell one spot to 16th — the final transfer spot — after finishing 17th in Sunday’s race. Blaney leads Kasey Kahne by 11 points for 16th.

Tony Stewart, who finished seventh on Sunday, is 45 points out of 30th place with 11 races to go before the playoffs start. He must be in the top 30 in points and win a race to make the Chase.

Here’s a look at the Chase Grid after 15 races:

Upon Further Review: Michigan

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s slide in the points could be worrisome to his fans, but how concerned should they really be?

Maybe not as much as they are.

Since placing second at Bristol in mid-April, Earnhardt has had one top 10 and three finishes of 30th or worse. He enters this off weekend 12th in the standings, 30 points ahead of Hendrick Motorsports teammateKasey Kahne, the first driver outside a Chase spot.

With 10 different winners in the first 15 races, the question is how many more will there be before the playoffs being in September. That’s pivotal if Earnhardt doesn’t win a race. More winners means fewer spots to make the Chase via points.

Last year, five winless drivers made the Chase. In 2014, it was three.

Take a look at what this eight-race slide has done to Earnhardt’s position in the standings. Since Bristol, Earnhardt has scored 133 points (Brad Keselowski has scored a series-high 256 points during that time).

The four drivers behind Earnhardt in the standings who also are in a Chase spot all have closed on him. Austin Dillon has gained 35 points on Earnhardt in those eight races. Jamie McMurray has gained 42 points, Ryan Newman has gained 54 points, and Ryan Blaneyhas gained 57 points. On average they’re making up between four to seven points per race on Earnhardt. With 11 races left until the Chase field is set, they’d pass him at this rate.

Of course, one would question if Earnhardt’s struggles will continue and allow those drivers to catch him at that rate.

Among drivers outside a Chase spot at this time, Kahne has gained 35 points on Earnhardt in the last eight races, Trevor Bayne has gained 40 points, and Kyle Larson has gained 50 points. Again, can they continue to catch Earnhardt at the same rate if they don’t win a race?

Now, look at what has taken place on the track. Three times in the last eight races, Earnhardt has been eliminated by a crash (Talladega, Dover and Michigan). Dillon, McMurray, Newman and Blaney — all behind Earnhardt in a Chase spot — have been eliminated by an accident a combined three times in that stretch.

Do you think Earnhardt’s misfortune will continue? Better yet, do you think those four drivers will avoid being collected in accidents in the coming weeks?

Also, the six times in the last eight races that Earnhardt made it to the halfway mark, he’s gained a total of 40 spots from the start. In five of those races he’s been running between seventh and 11th at the halfway point.

That’s well enough to make the Chase if he can finish there.

Something else to consider is that with Sonoma next it would be easy for Earnhardt fans to fret because of how he used to run there, but he’s placed seventh and third in his last two races there. Not a guarantee he’ll do that again, but he’s been much better there than he was.

Now, all this isn’t to say there’s work to do. There is. Qualifying, as crew chief Greg Ives noted in a tweet after Sunday’s race at Michigan, must get better. Running between seventh and 11th won’t be good enough to win a championship. That’s the goal.

Earnhardt knows it and has said so in recent weeks.

Still, there’s time for this team to improve and be a title contender instead of an underdog.

YOUTH MOVEMENT

While much was made of young drivers Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson finishing second and third in Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Michigan, the entire weekend showcased NASCAR’s youth movement.

Last Friday’s Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway was won by 18-year-old William Byron. Saturday’s Xfinity race was won by 24-year-old Daniel Suarez, and Sunday’s Sprint Cup race was won by 26-year-old Joey Logano.

Combined, the average age of those winners is 22.7 years — the youngest average age for winners in the same weekend in NASCAR’s top three series since last year’s season-opening races at Daytona.

The 2015 season started with Tyler Reddick, then 19 years old, winning the Truck race at Daytona. Ryan Reed, then 21, won the Xfinity race, and Logano, then 24, won the Daytona 500. Their combined average age was 21.3 years old.

“The future of NASCAR is present, and it’s going to be big,’’ Logano said after his win Sunday at Michigan in reference to being followed across the finish line by Elliott and Larson. “It’s amazing you see some of those guys that are coming in how good they are, and particularly with Chase today and Larson, as well, here recently how fast he’s been.’’

Sunday’s Cup race marked the ninth time in the last 11 points events that a driver seeking his first series win finished in the top five with Elliott and Larson doing so. It also marked the third time in the last six points races that two drivers seeking their first series win each finished in the top five in a  Cup race.

A GOOD SIGN FOR Tony Stewart

There’s still work to do, but Tony Stewart finally had a good weekend — weekend being the key point — since coming back after missing the first eight races of the season with a back injury.

Stewart was solid throughout the weekend. He was 20th in the opening practice, qualified third, ran 16th in the first practice Saturday, 19th in the final practice and finished seventh in Sunday’s race.

Not spectacular numbers some could argue, but Sunday marked only his seventh race with new crew chief Mike Bugarewicz. Compare it to what he did at Charlotte two weeks ago. Stewart was 28th, 15th and 26th in the three practice sessions, qualified 21st and finished 24th.

“That is the kind of weekend I’ve been looking for all year out of this group,’’ Stewart said after the Michigan race. “Today is proof that we can do it. I would rather have this than win a race and run 15th to 20th the next week. From start to finish all weekend, it’s been solid, and that is what we are looking for right now. I’m tickled to death.”

Stewart’s result moved him to within 45 points of 30th in the season standings. He needs to be in the top 30 in points to be eligible for a Chase spot should he win one of the remaining 11 races before the playoffs begin.

OH WOE IS JOE (GIBBS RACING)

For the first time since last May and June, Joe Gibbs Racing failed to score a top five in back-to-back races.

The team’s top finisher Sunday at Michigan was Carl Edwards, who was sixth. He was the team’s only driver in the top 10.

Reigning champion Kyle Busch scored his fourth consecutive finish of 30th or worse after an engine issue. Denny Hamlin placed 33rd after an incident. Matt Kenseth finished a quiet 14th. No Gibbs cars led a lap.

Of course, many teams would like to have the problem of being noted for not scoring back-to-back top-five finishes.

PIT STOPS

— The last seven Cup points races each have had a different winner: Carl Edwards (Richmond), Brad Keselowski (Talladega), Kyle Busch (Kansas), Matt Kenseth (Dover),Martin Truex Jr. (Charlotte), Kurt Busch (Pocono) and Joey Logano (Michigan). It’s the longest streak of different winners since there were eight from the 2013 season finale to the first seven races of the 2014 season.

— Kurt Busch remains the only driver to have completed all 4,664 laps this season. The last time a driver had completed every lap this late in the season was 2012 with Dale Earnhardt Jr. He ran every lap through the first 20 races that season.

— Hendrick Motorsports has gone 10 races since its last victory (Jimmie Johnson at Auto Club Speedway). The team went 15 races between wins last year. In the last 36 races (equivalent to one season), Hendrick cars have won six races. Joe Gibbs Racing leads the way with 18 victories during that stretch. Team Penske has won eight races in the time, followed by Stewart-Haas Racing (three wins) and Furniture Row Racing (one). No other team won during that stretch.