RACE-WINNING NO. 20 FAILS POST-RACE INSPECTION

RELATED: Kenseth's late charge nets New Hampshire win   The Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota of race winner Matt Kenseth failed post-race inspection Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.   The car did not meet compliance in the laser inspection station (LIS) after Sunday's New Hampshire 301. The car will face further scrutiny this week at the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina.   The Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Chevrolet for race runner-up Tony Stewart passed the LIS platform post-race and will also be taken to the NASCAR R&D Center for further evaluation.   The cars for the remaining top-five finishers -- Joey Logano (third), Kevin Harvick (fourth) and Greg Biffle (fifth) -- plus the random selection of seventh-finisher Ryan Newman were all cleared in post-race inspection at the 1.058-mile track.

MATT KENSETH SURGES LATE FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE WIN

Matt Kenseth came on strong late to get by Martin Truex Jr. and later Denny Hamlin for the win in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota also had to survive a rash of cautions late to secure the victory.Kenseth took the lead for first time at Lap 258, passing Truex for the first position. Kenseth then passed his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Hamlin on Lap 271 to take the lead back to stay after Hamlin stayed out under a Lap 264 caution while nearly the rest of the field pitted.The win is Kenseth's second of the season, third at New Hampshire and the 38th of his Sprint Cup career. All of Kenseth's wins at the 1.058-mile track have come in his four years at JGR.Tony Stewart scored the runner-up spot. This was his second straight top-five finish and fourth top-10 result in the past five races. Joey Logano took third. Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle, finished fourth and fifth, respectively. The fifth-place finish was Biffle's best of the season and his third straight top 10.Kyle Busch and Truex dominated the first two-thirds-plus of the race. Busch led a race-high 133 laps but came home eighth. However, he along with Carl Edwards secured their spots in the top 30 in the point standings and thus locked in their Chase spots. Truex guided his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota to lead 123 laps but suffered a broken shifter and had clutch issues late in the race. He wound up 16th.Alex Bowman placed 26th as the interim driver in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Bowman was making his first Sprint Cup start since last season's finale at Homestead, serving as a substitute with Dale Earnhardt Jr. sidelined by concussion-like symptoms.Bowman suffered a blown tire that brought out a caution on Lap 273. Before that, he spent much of the race in the top 15 with some time spent in the top 10 as well.The Sprint Cup Series will be back in action next weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Crown Royal Presents the Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard (Sunday, July 24, 3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).This story will be updated.

HENDRICK ON DALE JR.: 'WE WANT HIM FOR A LONG TIME'

RELATED: Support for Dale Jr.

Team owner Rick Hendrick said he is hopeful for a full recovery and long-lasting return to competition for driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. as he recovers from concussion-like symptoms.

Earnhardt, driver of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet since 2008, is sitting out Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

"He and I talked about years beyond next year, around I guess Daytona," Hendrick said before the start of Sunday's New Hampshire 301 (1:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM). "If there was something major, major wrong I think they would have seen it already.

"I'm very hopeful and he's very hopeful and I think the doctors want to err on the side of being sure. We want him for a long time. He loves the fans, he loves the sport, he loves to race and we love him in the organization. I'm proud of him."

This story will be updated.

READ MORE: Bowman keeps missing Junior's calls

CAIN:JUNIOR'S DECISION TO SIT OUT IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT

RELATED: Dale Jr. to miss Sunday's Loudon race

There should be no debate. No second-guessing.

The decision for NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr. to sit out this weekend's Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire was actually an easy one. The absolute right one.

Doctors are concerned that Earnhardt has suffered another concussion, or at least concussion-like symptoms and have recommended his body must heal.

He may even miss next week's race at one of the sport's most legendary venues, Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Should he need to do so, his former Hendrick Motorsports teammate and longtime friend Jeff Gordon has graciously offered to step out of retirement and drive Earnhardt's famous No. 88 Chevrolet -- allowing Earnhardt another week of healing.

Should the 41-year-old need to sit out the rest of the season, that's fine, too.

And should NASCAR's reigning 13-time Most Popular Driver ultimately find out that he needs to unstrap for good, how admirable and inspiring that he could make that decision, too.

Collective gasp.

That's right. At only 41 years old, Earnhardt still has a lot of wonderful, memory-making days ahead -- perhaps on the race track and certainly off the race track.

How good and fortunate that he is driving in an era when his symptoms could be properly diagnosed and addressed. And that both his boss, Rick Hendrick, and "Junior's" massive legions of fans, would fully understand and support his healing outside the cockpit of a race car.

"The most important thing in this whole process is for Dale to get better and feel better; and we're going to let that happen on the timeline it's going to happen on," Hendrick Motorsports General Manager Doug Duchardt said Thursday.

RELATED: Hendrick, NASCAR officials speak to Junior's injury, protocols

Ricky Rudd may have raced with his eyes taped open in the good 'ol days. And in the good old days, Tim Flock drove with a monkey in his car.

But this is NASCAR in 2016 -- with digital dashboards, million-dollar paychecks and best of all, the very tops in modern medical treatment.

Thankfully, Earnhardt doesn't have to feel compelled to drive when he is not right, when he is suffering from concussion-like symptoms.

It's not only best for him to heal up, but also best for the entire starting field that he heal up.

"For him to step out of the race car, it must be something serious," driver Carl Edwards said Friday at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "I hope he recovers quickly and, second, I have a lot of respect for making the decision. I can't imagine how tough that decision would be.

"Right now with the format, you do have the opportunity to take care of yourself, do what you think is right and still have a shot at the championship."

RELATED: Drivers react to Junior's health news

Beyond his massive NASCAR superstardom, Earnhardt is a rather "regular" guy. He drinks beer with his buddies and loves to spend time with his family. He's engaged to Amy Reimann, and they are set to be married soon. And who knows if a Dale Earnhardt III might follow in the near future.

The right decision this week -- and next week, and the next week -- is vital not just to his racing career, but for his life.

It's good that Earnhardt is listening to doctors, even when their news is troubling to hear and their instructions are tough to swallow.

This isn't the first time Earnhardt has been sidelined because of concussion-like symptoms and that makes the current situation even more significant.

In 2012, Earnhardt missed races in Charlotte and Kansas because of a concussion likely suffered in a hard crash during a test at Kansas Speedway. This time, he's not even sure where exactly he may have been injured. He crashed hard at both Michigan and Daytona in the past month.

This past week Earnhardt thought he was fighting a severe sinus infection, but returned to the doctors when medicine seemed ineffective.

"When that didn't help, I decided to dig a little deeper," Earnhardt said. "Because of my symptoms and my history with concussions, and after my recent wrecks at Michigan and Daytona, I reached out and met with a neurological specialist. After further evaluation, they felt it was best for me to sit out."

WATCH: Smith, who filled in for Junior in 2012, weighs in on news

And with the new "waiver" rules, Earnhardt potentially could miss races and still be eligible for the 16-driver Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs. He's currently 13th in points.

Racing is and has always been such an important, defining part of Earnhardt's life.

But, it is not his life.

So again, he is serving as an inspiring and fabulous example in times of hardship -- going back to the admirable way he handled his seven-time champion father's death. Not only did he somehow make everyone else feel better then, he had the gumption to get back behind the wheel and continue winning NASCAR's biggest races and the sport's heart.

I've known Earnhardt since his very first entrance in NASCAR's big leagues -- from the bleached-blond hair days. And I remember talking to his father about him often.

Of course, today, people always ask me about Earnhardt when they find out I report on NASCAR. And the truth is, I have always found him to be someone who speaks from the heart. He seems to find it quite amazing himself, the influence he wields and the people drawn to his every move. He is authentic and modest and seems to be as happy as he's ever been.

FULL STORY: Timeline of Junior's injuries

So many stories in sports are about an athlete who has fallen from grace or made bad choices.

This story is about a hugely popular superstar smart enough to heal up properly. The hard decision is absolutely the right decision. It is impressive and important. And we all wish him well.

"It takes a lot to come out and address some of the health concerns that he had," Duchardt said. "I really commend him for that. The whole time it's not about who are we going to get to back fill, what we are going to do when he does come back it's all about him getting better on a timeline that is satisfied to him. Not anything to do with the Chase, not anything to do with points or anything like that.

"Our team supports him 100 percent. We have a relationship that goes beyond driver. That is something that is more important than anything."

SECRET TO JIMMIE'S POLE? A 32-MILE BIKE RIDE WITH KENSETH

RELATED: Johnson earns first Coors Light Pole at Loudon

Jimmie Johnson 's No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was garbage on his final run in the opening Sprint Cup Series practice of the weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Go ahead and ask him, he'll tell you.

"The car was half a second faster on scuffed tires than it was when we put the stickers on to go at the end and I couldn't even stay on the racing line," Johnson said Friday at the "Magic Mile," site of Sunday's New Hampshire 301 (1:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). "So, something really weird went on."

The six-time series champion was 15th in the opening practice, his 132.135 mph well off the pace set by practice leader Martin Truex Jr. 's 133.562 mph.

Johnson then went out later in the afternoon and earned his first Coors Light Pole Award of the season and his first at Loudon -- in his 29th attempt.

Sure, you could point to the changes made by crew chief Chad Knaus (Johnson indicated it was mostly an issue with the set of tires he was using), but a grueling-yet-scenic bike ride he took with pal, fellow title contender and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Matt Kenseth in between practice and qualifying certainly didn't hurt.

"With experience, I try to just wash it away and start over. I hopped on my bike; Kenseth and I went for a 32-mile bike ride and just cleared our brains," Johnson said. "I came back, clean sheet of paper and tried to walk to the race car as if it was my first time in the car and didn't have any baggage that I carried with me. 

"I think experience has helped me get to that spot. Younger years, I certainly worried about things and over sensitive and over thinking a lot of what goes on. I think experience helps in these situations. Fortunately, the car was so different that one run that something was just flat-out wrong. It wasn't even the race car that I drove 10 laps prior to. Something was off."

The bike ride worked oppositely for Kenseth, who placed 10th in practice but will line up mid-pack after qualifying 18th.

DILLON ON BOWMAN: 'HE WRECKED ME ON PURPOSE'

RELATED: Best at-track photos Saturday at New Hampshire

LOUDON, N.H. -- Alex Bowman gained a lot of new fans this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway -- but he may have earned an on-track enemy, as well.

Bowman, the 23-year-old tapped to replace Dale Earnhardt Jr. (concussion-like symptoms) in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series New Hampshire 301 (1:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), got into an on-track incident with full-time XFINITY Series driver Ty Dillon shortly before the midway point in Saturday's NASCAR XFINITY Series Auto Lotto 200 race.

The No. 88 JR Motorsports driver appeared to clip the right rear of Dillon's No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet on the straightaway, sending the title hopeful into the outside wall and out of race contention.

Bowman indicated over his team radio that it was not intentional and that his Camaro was battling tight handling, but Dillon wasn't buying it.

"Just watching the replay, he wrecked me on purpose," Dillon said in the garage as his No. 3 crew worked to repair his ride. " ... You can ask everybody that was around the 88 today. I'm sure after the race they'll say that he was the toughest one to pass for whatever reason.

" ... He felt like he needed to turn me down the straightaway. Obviously I'm not very happy. I'll just try and be the cooler head right now because I'm glad he's still out there on the track and not here (in the garage) with me."

Bowman maintained after the race that while he "wasn't really thrilled with how (Dillon) drove (him) prior to the wreck" that "it wasn't, by any means, intentional," but he'll probably wait a bit to offer a face-to-face apology to Dillon.

"I'll talk to him, probably let him cool down a little bit," said Bowman, set for his first Sprint Cup Series start of the season on Sunday. "Kid tried to wreck me like four times but he couldn't get it done after that. Probably let him calm down without it turning into just him yelling at me. That's probably what he's going to do. That's probably what I'd do, too. I'd be upset, too. He has every right to be upset.

" ... He'll get over it someday."

Dillon was able to get back out on the track after the midway mark, but came out more than 50 laps off the pace. He finished 33rd.

The championship hopeful came into the race 19 points behind leader Daniel Suarez, in third place. That gap widened to 48 points, just six ahead of second-place finisher Erik Jones .

"Pretty upset right now. It's not how you race," Dillon said. "You don't turn me when we're going down the straightaway. I don't know what to say, because I don't have anything good to say, except for I'm glad he's not around right now.

"Seemed like (his car) turned pretty good down the straightaway when I was passed him, so maybe he needs to figure out what loose and tight mean. Maybe I can explain it to him."

KYLE BUSCH DOMINATES NEW HAMPSHIRE TO SNAG SIXTH WIN OF 2016

LOUDON, N.H. -- Another NASCAR XFINITY Series race, another set of milestones for Kyle Busch.

Leading 190 of 200 laps in Saturday's AutoLotto 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Busch held off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Erik Jones in the closing laps to claim his 82nd career victory, extending his own series record.

In the process, Busch raised his total of XFINITY laps led to 17,064, once again extending his own record. Busch won for the fifth time in 11 races at the Magic Mile and the sixth time in 10 starts this season.

"I guess they're big numbers," said Busch, who ran the entire race on one set of left-side tires and arrived at the finish line 1.499 seconds ahead of Jones, who had taken four tires on his final pit stop under caution on Lap 178. "I really don't know what big numbers are, and records are made to be broken.

"There may be somebody like me that comes along down the road that does the same thing that I've been fortunate enough to do … Running in this series is something fun for me to do, cool for me to do, and it also helps me out and gets me a little more experience."

Brad Keselowski ran third but didn't have an answer for the top two JGR cars. Daniel Suarez came home fourth, followed by Austin Dillon .

"We had a decent day," Keselowski said. "A little better than where we have been, which was something to be proud of, but of course we want to get to Victory Lane with the (No. 22 Team Penske) Ford. We aren't quite there, but we'll keep pushing.

"That was a step in the right direction overall for sure."

Busch may have been dominant up front, but there were compelling subplots behind him, the most noteworthy between Ty Dillon and Alex Bowman .

Bowman, who will sub for ailing Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, turned left into Dillon's No. 3 Chevrolet off Turn 2 on Lap 76, sending Dillon's car into the outside wall.

Dillon was convinced Bowman wrecked him on purpose. Bowman asserted his car was forced wide, and the contact was unintentional. Dillon returned to action 55 laps down after repairs in the garage and twice tried to impede Bowman's progress on the track.

"He tried to wreck me about four times after (the accident)," Bowman said after the race. "I don't blame him for being upset. He has every right to be upset…

"He drove me way up the race track (right before the contact). He obviously got tight underneath me. I had a ton of wheel in it, and it finally caught. I barely came off the wall. You come off the wall six inches and you tag somebody in the right rear. I hate that for the 3 car, but I definitely didn't do it intentionally. He can think what he wants."

Bowman was able to continue despite damage to the left front of his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet and posted an eighth-place finish. Dillon, on the other hand, was scored 33rd and held third place in the XFINITY standings but fell to 48 points behind Suarez, who also expanded his series lead to 15 points over second-place Elliott Sadler , who ran 10th on Saturday.