NASCAR Foundation hosting 10th anniversary gala in New York

The NASCAR Foundation will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a Sept. 27 gala in New York City that will feature singer Rachel Platten and also reveal the winner of the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award.

The gala at the Marriott Marquis will be to commemorate the Foundation’s 10 years of work that has helped raise $25 million.

Betty Jane France, the Founder and Chairwoman Emeritus of The NASCAR Foundation, will present the award named after her to a NASCAR fan who has shown “tremendous dedication to improving the lives of children in their communities.” The efforts of those nominated for the award have helped more than 200,000 children since the award’s inception six years ago. The winner will be chosen following a public vote of four finalists that begins July 13.

Other awards will be given out, including the first Founder’s Award, which will be given to Mark Lazarus, Chairman of the NBC Sports Group.

The Founder’s Award recognizes “contributions to philanthropy through use of time, talent and resources – both personally and professionally – to make a meaningful impact on the lives of children.”

Lazarus serves on the board of governors of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America as well as the board of directors for the Atlanta-based East Lake Foundation. That foundation helps families build better lives through community revitalization with mixed-income housing, cradle-to-college education, and health and wellness programs.

“Mark is simply an exceptional individual, and we could not have chosen a more deserving person to receive this inaugural award,” France said in a press release. “This will make the evening even more memorable and we thank all of our partners for their continued support.”

The annual Children’s Champion Award also will be presented to a medical professional who has “showcased significant contributions, leadership, and dedication to enriching the lives of children.”

The NASCAR Foundation also will announce the launch of the Speediatrics Children’s Fund through a long-term partnership with a New York-area medical organization providing services to children in need.

HATE IT OR LOVE IT, POKÉMON GO IS THE FUTURE

Chances are, any scrolling you did through your various social media news feeds this past weekend revealed that Pokémon is back. And it's back in a big way.

"Pokémon Go," a free-to-play, augmented reality mobile game, was released late last week and has sent the masses into hysteria. People are blindly roaming the streets in search of that elusive Mewtwo so they can take a screenshot of it in a funny location, post it to Facebook and get 11 maybe likes, tops.
 

It may seem to be a silly trend that you think will likely fade quickly. And you'd be very, very wrong.
 

Facebook. Twitter. Snapchat. Pokémon Go.

We've been wondering what the next "big thing" could be, and it's here -- and it's time to accept it. According data from Similar Web via Business Insider, the game is already bigger than Tinder, having been installed on 5.16 percent of all U.S. Android phones, compared to 2 percent for Tinder as of July 8.

Roughly 70 percent of the people I know have Tinder on their phones. Now, I don't do math good, but using the data above I think it means that something like 110 percent of the people I know have already or will be installing Pokémon Go. Scary!

Even scarier -- Twitter is next on its radar. From the same study, 3 percent of those Android owners were using the game daily, compared to 3.5 percent for the Blue Bird. It's just a matter of time before we're all wearing backpacks and sporting spikey hair.
 

And it's only going to snowball.

 

Nine billion dollars.

There's only one thing we can do -- submit and accept that Pokémon is just part of our lives now.

And I, for one, welcome our new Poké-overlords.

NASCAR to ‘reiterate’ pit road rule this week to teams after penalty to Martin Truex Jr.

All NASCAR executive said series officials will “reiterate” this week the rule that drivers cannot pass to the inside on pit road after penalizing Martin Truex Jr. for that Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway.

Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, made the comments Monday on “The Morning Drive” on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Truex was penalized on Lap 196 for passing leader Kevin Harvick on the inside on pit road before heading to his stall. Truex was upset with the penalty.

“You get to your timing line, you step on the gas and you head straight toward your pit,’’ he told NBCSN after the race. “Obviously, I turned left and came up next to (Harvick) and passed him … as I was driving to my pit, guys do it every week. I don’t know why it was different today.

“I would think that if they didn’t want us doing that anymore, they would tell us in the drivers meeting. Hell, it’s every week. I’ve been passed on pit road 15 times this year that same exact way and I didn’t see guys get penalized. So I guess when you’re doing it for a win it’s different circumstances or something.’’

Truex was the first Sprint Cup driver penalized this season for that specific violation.

O’Donnell said series officials saw this issue happening more often this season and described what Truex did as “blatant,’’ leading to the penalty.

“It is clear in the rule book that you can’t pass to the left,’’ O’Donnell said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “It’s also brought up in every drivers meeting. If you look at drivers pulling off just as they pull into their pits and kind of pull up alongside a car, sure, that’s happened.

“I would probably relate this to other sports. If you look at the three-second rule (in the NBA), it’s always there but it’s rarely called because you don’t see it blatantly, and then you’ll see a coach or some teams say, ‘Hey, you’ve got to focus on this rule, it’s getting out of hand.’

“That was the case certainly for us. We saw a trend that was getting bigger and bigger. For us, that was a blatant pass to the left. We felt we had to make that call. We’ll certainly address it with the industry prior to New Hampshire again to reiterate what the rule is as well, and if there’s any questions where we have to make it more clear, we’ll certainly do so.’’

On the pit road penalty card issued to all teams, Section 20 states that entering pit road: “Vehicles must enter the pit road in single file. After a vehicle commits to their assigned pit box, the vehicle behind may pass to the outside.’’

Truex was cited for a safety violation for passing on entry to pit road. Safety violations are defined in the pit road penalty card as: “Violation of NASCAR safety precautions or careless acts during a NASCAR Event.’’

Crew chiefs are reminded by the rules video that plays during each drivers meeting to “have the current crew chief handout and pit road penalty card with you for the race.”

Section 10.11.4.c of the Sprint Cup Rule Book states: “After a vehicle commits to their assigned pit box, the vehicle behind may pass to the outside.”

Upon Further Review: Kentucky

So when does it become time to wonder about Hendrick Motorsports?

Now? Or is it too soon?

Saturday’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway was a forgettable night for the four-car team, as Hendrick Motorsports failed to place a car in the top 10 for the second consecutive race.

That’s been part of a rough month for the organization. In the last four Sprint Cup races, Hendrick has scored two top-10 finishes with a lineup that boasts Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chase Elliott and Kasey Kahne.

To compare, Chip Ganassi Racing, Roush Fenway Racing and Richard Childress Racing each has had twice as many top-10 finishes during the same span as Hendrick Motorsports.

So what to make of that?

Consider the last four races: Michigan and Kentucky were run with an aero package that won’t be used again this season. Another race, Sonoma, was on a road course, which isn’t represented in the playoffs. The fourth track, Daytona, is one where results can be skewed by how many cars are collected in crashes.

Then factor in that Chase Elliott was eliminated in a crash at Kentucky while battling for sixth, all four Hendrick cars were involved in the 22-car crash at Daytona, and Johnson was hurt by the late caution that put Tony Stewart in a position to win at Sonoma.

In one sense, it’s easy not to take too much from the past four races. That doesn’t mean one ignores those facts or what has happened this season.

There’s a concern because Hendrick cars are not leading laps as has been customary.

Hendrick’s four drivers have combined to lead 399 of 5,202 laps this season (7.7 percent). A key reason that total is down 54.5 percent from this time last year is the strength of the Toyota teams, but those are cars Hendrick will have to beat to capture its first title since 2013 and avoid the organization’s longest title drought in more than a decade.

Leading fewer laps shows that Hendrick cars are not having as many opportunities to win races. That can mean fewer bonus points that can help a driver advance to the second round of the playoffs. It also means fewer opportunities to win a race to make the playoffs. Elliott should make the Chase unless his team dramatically falters in the next eight races before the playoffs begin. Earnhardt also should make it, but his margin for error is thinning. Kahne might have to win a race, and he hasn’t led a lap all season.

The next three weeks should provide a clearer picture on Hendrick Motorsports. This weekend’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway marks the final race on a Chase track before the playoffs begin.

The series then goes to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a track that shows off horsepower and aerodynamics — areas Hendrick typically excels — followed by Pocono Raceway, a track that also highlights horsepower and aerodynamics.

While there are questions about Hendrick Motorsports after its recent showings, what happens in the next few weeks should show how close or how far Hendrick is from its competition heading toward the Chase.

21 AND COUNTING

Brad Keselowski’s victory Saturday night was his 21st career Sprint Cup victory, and it came in his 251st career series start.

Here’s how he compares with active series champions on how many races it took them to score their 21st career Cup victory.

Jimmie Johnson … 156 races
Tony Stewart … 229 races
Kyle Busch … 231 races
Brad Keselowski … 251 races
Kurt Busch … 332 races
Matt Kenseth … 431 races
Kevin Harvick … 442 races
FAST AND FURIOUS?

Saturday night’s race marked the 15th time since the start of last season that Kevin Harvick has led the most laps in a race.

He’s won four times.

Harvick finished ninth at Kentucky after having to pit late. In the five times he’s led the most laps in a race this season, he’s won once (Phoenix).

In the other races he led the most laps in a race this season:

He was collected in the 18-car crash at Dover.
Jimmie Johnson passed him on the overtime restart to win at Auto Club Speedway; Harvick finished second.
He was shuffled back on a final restart and finished sixth at Atlanta.
PIT STOPS

— Two drivers have finished in the top 10 in each of the six races on 1.5-mile tracks this season: Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick. Busch was fourth at Kentucky, while Harvick placed ninth. Kentucky was the last race on a 1.5-mile track before the playoffs begin at Chicagoland Speedway. Five of the 10 Chase races are on 1.5-mile tracks.

— Josh Wise’s 24th-place finish was his best of the season. His previous best was 27th at Pocono.

— Brad Keselowski’s victory snapped Toyota’s three-race win streak on 1.5-mile tracks.

— After winning seven of the first 12 races, Joe Gibbs Racing is winless in the last six races.

— Ryan Newman has finished in the top 15 in six of the last eight races. He’s climbed from 19th in the points to 13th in that span.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. candidly assesses 2016 struggles: ‘Things aren’t coming as easy’

SPARTA, Ky. – More than 20 minutes after the Quaker State 400, there was only one driver still lingering with his team in the pits at Kentucky Speedway.

As a group of a half-dozen reporters stood on the periphery of the scene at the No. 88 Chevrolet as several blue and white-uniformed team members scrambled to pack up after a 13th-place finish, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and crew chief Greg Ives calmly debriefed on their Saturday night. Earnhardt animatedly gestured with his hands several times to Ives, who silently nodded with his arms crossed.

It seemed an intense dissection of a fairly nondescript finish.

But if Earnhardt is to sew up his sixth consecutive berth in the playoffs of NASCAR’s premier series, the discussion symbolizes the path forward in his second season with Ives, who guided the team to three wins last year.

“Communication, talking and sitting down,” Earnhardt said when asked how his team can fix its recent struggles. “It starts with me and Greg. Last year, it came real easy. We get along great. It’s just we’re kind of faced with some adversity. Things aren’t coming as easy on the racetrack. The car’s got speed, but the finishes aren’t there.”

NASCAR’s 13-time most popular driver took a baby step toward improvement Saturday at Kentucky with his third top 15 in five races. After falling from seventh to 13th in the points standings during a four-race stretch in May, Earnhardt’s results have stabilized during the summer, and he currently holds a provisional spot on the Chase for the Sprint Cup grid.

It’s the deepest Earnhardt has gone in a season without a victory since going winless three years ago, but he also has four runner-up finishes — three in the first seven races.

“We had a really rough May that disappointed us,” he said. “We just started off the season so good, and it just ended. We couldn’t get anything right.”

The struggles have been nowhere more evident than at the restrictor-plate tracks of Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, where he crashed and finished last in the May 1 race to start the slump.

After that wreck, Earnhardt vowed the team would address his car’s handling problems before the July 2 race at Daytona. But two months later, nothing had improved. Complaining of handling problems for much of the race, Earnhardt finished 21st in the Coke Zero 400, bringing his average finish to 32.3 on plate tracks in 2016.

“How we’ve negotiated the plate tracks this year has been a real disappointment, because those are easily places we can go get a top 10 or a top five when we need it,” he said. “So we’ve given away 60 points at those races. That’s a lot of damn points, man, those three races. We’ve got to do something. We’ve got to build another car and go to Talladega, and hopefully we’ve got the gremlins figured out and the issues we’ve had.

“But me and (Ives), we talk. We communicate. We talk, text. We spend time together during the week. We’re in meetings together.  So we’re around each other working. We’re trying to figure it out.”

It was encouraging for Earnhardt that the team got a reasonable handle on Kentucky after “we sucked on Thursday and Friday.”

NASCAR provided a break by canceling qualifying in favor of more practice time the team desperately needed.

“If you’d have told me I was going to finish 13th Friday, I’d have took it, happily,” he said. “After the way we ran (Saturday), I’m a little frustrated because I thought we should have finished a little better than 13th. We had good speed and a good car at times, but I told Greg, we have the speed, and that’s the hardest thing to get in this sport. If we can fix the little flaws — the human error that I’m doing or anyone else is doing — if we can fix the flaws that we’re creating ourselves that’s easier to do than finding true speed.”

With eight races remaining until the 16-driver field is set for the playoffs, Earnhardt remains 13th in the points standings with a 32-point cushion on the current cut line for the provisional field.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver isn’t nervous.

“Yeah, I’m good,” he said. “What am I going to do? We’re running as good as we can. It’s either going to be good enough or won’t be enough. I’m not really going to lose any sleep over it, at least at this moment.

“When we miss the Chase, it’ll be frustrating and disappointing, but we’re going to plan on not doing that. We’re going to plan on making it.”

With first top five of season, Newman nearly matching 2014 performance that led to final four

Ryan Newman had a decent car at Kentucky Speedway, but not one that would have placed him in the top five on its own.

Newman made sure to thank the person who came up with the strategy that saved him enough fuel to place him third at night’s end in the Quaker State 400, his first top five in 28 races.

“A good well-played race by (crew chief) Luke (Lambert) and all of us to get the finish that we did,” Newman said Saturday night. “We did have a good car. We just never seemed to be able to get good track position and played the fuel game there at the end, did what I thought I had to do, and with no fuel gauge or any kind of telemetry was able to make it to the end.”

After starting the night at Kentucky Speedway in 14th, the Richard Childress Racing car had an average running spot just outside the top 10 (11.80). But staying out during the final 68 caution free laps, as leaders Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick pitted, proved a worth calculation on Lambert’s part. Newman saved enough to score his first top five since Chicagoland Speedway last year, the first race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

“Was hoping that we were going to be the first guy that could pull that one off, not the third guy,” said Newman, whose previous best result this year was seventh at Kansas Speedway.

“It’s four places better than our best finish all year,” said Newman. “Our first top five … that’s a big deal. Proud of that effort. Leading into this stretch of races, especially where we are in the Chase, to have good points tonight, even though it wasn’t a win. It’s a small victory in itself.”

It might be small, but it could be a big sign of what the team is capable of. Newman didn’t earn his first top five of the 2014 season until the Cup series came to Kentucky in its 17th race. The team went on to qualify for the Chase and then the final four at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where it finished second in the race and the championship to Kevin Harvick.

Also like 2014, Newman entered Kentucky this year with five top 10s.

But after that 2014 Kentucky race, Newman was eighth in the points and earned four more top fives before the end of the season.

Newman’s result Saturday night has him at 12th in the point standings, the second-highest driver without a win and not qualified for the Chase. The highest is Chase Elliott, who is eighth in the standings.

“We started the season off decent but not where we wanted to be or where we thought we should’ve been,” Newman said. “We’ve still got some more work to do. We’re not leading a bunch of laps or leading the most laps in a given race and talking about how we didn’t win. We’re talking about how we can finish in the top five. We’ve got some work to do, don’t get me wrong, but I’m proud of the effort that went into tonight.”

Now Newman’s team heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July 17) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 24). Newman has three wins at Loudon, but none since 2011. Since then he has one top five and four top tens. Indianapolis was the site of his last win in 2013. He finished 11th there the last two years.

TONY STEWART CHASE WATCH

Tony Stewart returned from a back injury in April, and the three-time Sprint Cup Series champion is in pursuit of one of the 16 spots in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in his final season. Here's a look at where the driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet stands in his hunt after Saturday's fifth-place finish in the Quaker State 400 Presented by Advanced Auto Parts at Kentucky, the season's 18th of 26 regular-season races.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED
The Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner/wheelman had one of his best races of the season in his 600th career Sprint Cup start, finishing fifth. It was Stewart's second top-five finish of the season; his only other finish among the top five was his win at Sonoma. Stewart started 22nd, and had enough fuel left to continue running near the front at the end.

He now sits 31 points inside of the top 30 -- which is where he needs to be in order to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and compete for his fourth championship. As it stands now, he's in.

WHAT HE NEEDS
Stewart received a waiver from NASCAR for Chase eligibility. The surest way into the Chase is by winning before the end of regular season (at Richmond International Raceway on Sept. 10) -- which Stewart did at Sonoma -- and remain in the top 30 in the points standings. En route to his 2015 championship, Kyle Busch faced a similar path after missing the first 11 races with a leg injury. With the win now in the bank, Stewart can focus on reaching the top 30. He sits 30th in the standings with 248 points, 31 points ahead of  Brian Scott ’s 217 points. Stewart is 15 points back of David Ragan for 29th in the standings. 

WHAT'S NEXT
"Smoke" heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July 17 at 1:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), where he has three victories. In his 33 starts there, Stewart has 14 top fives and 18 top 10s.