Christopher Bell leads final Truck practice at Eldora

Christopher Bell, who won last year’s race at Eldora Speedway, paced the field in Tuesday night’s final Camping World Truck Series practice at the half-time dirt track.

Bell led the way with a lap of 82.369 mph heading into Wednesday night’s Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby 150.

Bell was followed by Cameron Hayley(81.893 mph), Rico Abreu (81.685), Kyle Larson (80.718) and Ben Rhodes (80.645).

Schedule for NASCAR Truck Series at Eldora

The Camping World Truck Series rolls into the small town of Rossburg, Ohio, this week for its fourth annual race at Eldora Speedway, the half-mile dirt track owned by Tony Stewart.

Here’s the full schedule for the Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby, including TV and radio info.All times are Eastern.

Tuesday, July 19

3:30 – 11 p.m. – Garage open

6:30 – 7:55 p.m. – Truck practice (No TV)

9 – 9:55 p.m. – Final Truck practice (No TV)

Wednesday, July 20

noon – Truck  garage opens

4:30 p.m. – Driver-crew chief meeting

5:15 p.m – Qualifying; single car/two laps (Fox Sports 1)

7 p.m. – First qualifying race; 10 laps (FS1)

7:09 p.m. – Second qualifying race; 10 laps (FS1)

7:18 p.m. Third qualifying race; 10 laps (FS1)

7:27 p.m. – Fourth qualifying race; 10 laps (FS1)

7:36 p.m. – Fifth qualifying race; 10 laps (FS1)

8:15 p.m. – Last chance qualifying race; 15 laps (FS1)

8:40 p.m. – Driver introductions

9 p.m. – Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby; 150 laps, three segments of 40, 50 and 60 laps/75 miles (FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Retro Rundown 2016: Throwback paint schemes for the Southern 500

It’s almost here. By almost, we mean less than two months.
That’s how long we have to wait for this year’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, which can be seen Sept. 4 on NBC. It’s also how long we have to wait to see the second batch of retro paint schemes dedicated to honoring the sport’s history after last season’s successful venture into nostalgia.
What makes it even better this time around is that the entire field will likely be in on the fun. Last season, Joe Gibbs Racing stood out as one of the few teams not to participate. The team has already announced paint schemes for Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards.
Here’s a rundown of the retro paint schemes announced to date. Which is your favorite?
Brad Keselowski – The No. 2 Ford will feature the design of the original Miller Lite can that was produced before 1974.

Austin Dillon – Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet will bare the paint scheme driven by Ricky Rudd in 1983 when he earned Richard Childress Racing’s first Sprint Cup win at Riverside International Raceway.

Kevin Harvick – The No. 4 Chevrolet will look just like the Busch-sponsored car driven by Cale Yarborough during the 1979-1980 Sprint Cup seasons. Yarborough earned 10 of his 83 careers win during that span.


Trevor Bayne – No matter what anyone tells you, the 1990s were awesome and so were Mark Martin‘s paint schemes. For the second year in a row, Bayne’s No. 6 Ford will have a ’90s flavor to it. After bringing back memories of Martin’s career-best season in 1998 last year, Bayne’s car will have the paint scheme Martin used in the 1996 and 1997 seasons.

Regan Smith – The “Underbird” will fly again. Sort of. Smith’s No.7 Chevrolet, instead of a Ford Thunderbird, will have the paint scheme, sans Hooters sponsorship, that was driven by the late Alan Kulwicki. The paint scheme was on track for 59 Sprint Cup races, including his 1992 championship campaign.


Danica Patrick – Patrick’s sponsor, Nature’s Bakery, hasn’t been around very long. So there’s not a 20-year-old paint scheme for Stewart-Haas Racing to blow the dust off of. But Patrick’s No. 10 Chevrolet still has a late 70s/early 80s vibe to it.

Casey Mears – The No. 13 Geico Chevrolet will pay tribute to the career and legacy of Smokey Yunick. The paint scheme and number were used by drivers Mario Andretti and Curtis Turner in 1966 and 1967 when they raced for Yunick. Turner sat on the pole for the 1967 Daytona 500 with this paint scheme.


Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Darrell Waltrip won a lot of races in his Sprint Cup career, including five at Darlington. But the first of his 84 wins came in the No. 17 in 1975 at Nashville Speedway. The paint scheme Waltrip carried in that race will be resurrected by Stenhouse, 41 years later.

Kyle Busch – Just days after Matt Kenseth won at Dover International Speedway to give Joe Gibbs Racing its 135th Sprint Cup win (tying it for third all time with Roush Fenway Racing) the team showed off Busch’s paint scheme. The No. 18 will look like it did when it was driven by Dale Jarrett in 1993, the year he won JGR’s first Cup race in the Daytona 500.

Carl Edwards – The No. 19 Arris Toyota will have the paint scheme that was used by Tony Stewart when he drove the No. 20 Home Depot car for Joe Gibbs Racing from 1999-2008.

Joey Logano – The No. 22 Ford will pay tribute to the first paint scheme used on a car sponsored by Shell. The look was used by Bobby Labonte on his No. 44 Pontiac in the Xfinity Series in 1998. Labonte drove the car to a win at Darlington that season.

David Ragan – The No. 23 Toyota for BK Racing will be sponsored by Dr. Pepper and feature the soft drinks classic “I’m a Pepper” slogan.

Chase Elliott – The No. 24 NAPA Chevrolet will have a paint scheme inspired by the look of NAPA’s old delivery trucks from the 1960s. NAPA’s original colors were yellow and black before transitioning to yellow and blue.

Ryan Newman – Just like teammate Austin Dillon, Newman’s paint scheme will evoke RCR’s first win in 1983 with Ricky Rudd.

Jeffrey Earnhardt – The grandson of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Sr. will drive a paint scheme based on the seven-time champion’s time being sponsored by Wrangler in the 1980s.


Kurt Busch – Last year, Busch’s No. 41 car used the paint scheme that was first used in the Sprint Cup Series by Gene Haas in 2002. This season, Busch’s car will honor the VF-1, the first CNC machine built by Haas Automation in 1988.

Aric Almirola – The No. 43 Ford will carry the colors used by Richard Petty when he won his sixth Daytona 500 in 1979.

AJ Allmendinger –  It’s a bit of a deep cut, but Allmendinger’s car is still a love letter to NASCAR history. The No. 47 will look just like it did in during the 1977 Sprint Cup Season when it was driven by 1975 Rookie of the Year Bruce Hill. The Kansas native never won a Sprint Cup race, but he earned one of his three career top-five finishes at Darlington Raceway in 1975.

Matt DiBenedetto – The No. 83 Toyota for BK Racing will be sponsored by Orange Crush and will have the soft drink’s 1970s design.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Earnhardt will drive his favorite paint scheme in the history of the sport. His No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet will look like the “Gray Ghost,” the car driven by Buddy Baker in 1979 and 1980.


Michael McDowell – The No. 95 team of Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing, which is part of a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, will honor Childress with a paint scheme based off a car he raced in the 1970s.

Michael McDowell’s Darlington paint scheme honors Richard Childress’ racing career

Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing, which is part of a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, will honor the owner of its partner team with a paint scheme in the Sept. 4 Southern 500 on NBC.
The No. 95
 
Thrivent Financial Chevrolet of Michael McDowell will bear a paint scheme similar to one used By Richard Childress during his time racing in the Sprint Cup Series. The car borrows from Childress’ No. 3 Captain Jack Chevrolet he drove throughout the 1970s.
“Darlington was one of the races that I attended years ago that spurred my passion for NASCAR,” said Bob Leavine, co-owner of Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing in a press release. “For our team to participate in the Throwback weekend for the first time is going to be really special. We’re proud to pay tribute to Richard Childress, a true NASCAR Hall of Famer, and honor his driving career with this special scheme.”
In his career Childress never recorded a win, but in 17 starts at Darlington Raceway he earned one top five in his 1973 rookie season.
MORE: 2016 Southern 500 throwback paint schemes 
 
“I loved Darlington, it was one of my favorite tracks,” Childress said in a press release. “It was really narrow back then had guard rails around it. I’ll never forget being there as a rookie and taking it all in.”
McDowell will be making his fifth Darlington start. In his first four attempts, McDowell only finished once, in 2008 when he finished 28th for Michael Waltrip Racing.
“The Darlington Throwback weekend is really cool,” said McDowell in a press release. “I love how we can all look back at our sport and remember the great stories and people who made it what it is today.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ELDORA RACE FORMAT

A Kenseth's car fails inspection after New Hampshire win http://nascargillesrobson.blogspot.com/2016/07/kenseth-car-fails-inspection-after-new.html Wednesday night NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on dirt represents a big change from the normal schedule, but it's nothing to worry about. This "Eldora Explained" article will get you up to speed on the technical aspects of the competition, so you can sit back and enjoy the Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby, scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

There are two practices on the half-mile dirt track Tuesday. All of the events below take place Wednesday.

Qualifying: Two laps, single truck. Keystone Light Pole Qualifying is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. ET on FS1. A random draw will determine the qualifying order. The fastest qualifier will be awarded the Keystone Light Pole Award, but won't necessarily start first.

The results of qualifying will determine all starting positions for the five qualifying races; the qualifying races themselves set the lineup for the race.

Qualifying Races: Five races, 10 laps each, starting at 7 p.m. ET on FS1, and only green-flag laps will be counted. Lineup for the qualifying races will be based on speeds from Keystone Light Pole Qualifying. The top five trucks from each qualifying race will automatically transfer to the race. Upon completion of the qualifying races, 25 of the 32 trucks in the field will be set for the race.

Last Chance Qualifying Race: This race will be 15 laps, and the lineup for it will be set based on finishing position in the qualifying races. Only green flag laps will be counted, and the top two finishers of this race will fill lineup positions 26 and 27 for the race.

Lineup spots 28-31 will go to the highest-ranking eligible trucks in owner points that haven't already earned a starting position through qualifying. The 32nd lineup spot will go to the most recent eligible past series champion. If the 32nd position is not filled by an eligible champion, it will be assigned based on owner points.

Race: Divided into three segments (40, 50 and 60 laps) with competition cautions at the breaks on Laps 40 and 90. Caution laps will not count during competition cautions and positions can't be improved on pit road. Teams are not required to pit during competition cautions. Those that remain on the track will restart in front of those that pit.
HOW ELDORA RACE LINEUP IS DETERMINED
STARTING SPOT HOW DETERMINED
1 Top finisher in Qualifying Race #1
2 Top finisher in Qualifying Race #2
3 Top finisher in Qualifying Race #3
4 Top finisher in Qualifying Race #4
5 Top finisher in Qualifying Race #5
6 Second finisher in Qualifying Race #1
7 Second finisher in Qualifying Race #2
8 Second finisher in Qualifying Race #3
9 Second finisher in Qualifying Race #4
10 Second finisher in Qualifying Race #5
11 Third finisher in Qualifying Race #1
12 Third finisher in Qualifying Race #2
13 Third finisher in Qualifying Race #3
14 Third finisher in Qualifying Race #4
15 Third finisher in Qualifying Race #5
16 Fourth finisher in Qualifying Race #1
17 Fourth finisher in Qualifying Race #2
18 Fourth finisher in Qualifying Race #3
19 Fourth finisher in Qualifying Race #4
20 Fourth finisher in Qualifying Race #5
21 Fifth finisher in Qualifying Race #1
22 Fifth finisher in Qualifying Race #2
23 Fifth finisher in Qualifying Race #3
24 Fifth finisher in Qualifying Race #4
25 Fifth finisher in Qualifying Race #5
26 Top finisher in Last Chance
27 Second finisher in Last Chance
28 Owner points
29 Owner points
30 Owner points
31 Owner points
32 Past series champ/owner points

DALE JR.: RECOVERY IS GOING TO TAKE 'A LOT OF PATIENCE'

RELATED: Latest updates, timeline on Dale Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said problems with balance and nausea prevented him from driving in Sunday's New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and he is encouraged by concussion test results that match his baseline test.

Earnhardt Jr. spoke for about three minutes in "The Dale Jr. Download" on his weekly audio update on Dirty Mo Radio, providing his first comments on his condition since Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday that he would miss the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire race for concussion-like symptoms.

"The symptoms that I have are balance and nausea," Earnhardt Jr. said in the episode recorded Sunday night. "I've struggled with my balance over the last 4-5 days, and I definitely wouldn't be able to drive a race car this weekend. Making the right decision really was out of the question; I made the decision I had to make."

Earnhardt Jr. said he was encouraged by the results of concussion tests he took, however.

"My mind feels real sharp," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I took the ImPACT tests, which measures thought process and the speed of your thought process, and memory and retaining memory, and my results matched my baseline -- which made me feel confident that my brain was pretty sharp. It feels good."

RELATED: O'Donnell outlines what Junior has to do to return

Earnhardt Jr. repeated that there remains no timeline for his return to the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. If he cannot race this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon already has been tapped to be his replacement. Alex Bowman replaced Earnhardt Jr. in the New Hampshire 301 and finished 26th.

"I'm going to continue to work with my doctors to understand more about the injury and how to treat it," Earnhardt Jr. said. "They can give me a lot of exercises that will retrain my brain to handle what I need to handle. It's just going to take a lot of patience. I put my health and quality of life as a top priority. I'll always do that. I'm going to take this slow and strictly follow the advice of my doctors and try to learn as much as I can to be smarter and wiser."

RELATED: Ives discusses possibility of Gordon in the No. 88

Earnhardt Jr. also praised the performance of Bowman in filling in for him in New Hampshire, and thanked fans and fellow drivers for the supportive messages he's received.

"It's always been a real experience going through this kind of stuff because you learn so much through the experience," he said. "I've got some great doctors to learn from. I miss everybody. I really appreciate all the support I've got. It's really unnecessary, but it really does make me feel good, I have to be honest. To hear everybody wishing me well really does my heart good. This kind of thing can beat you down and get you sad, but I've got a lot of good people around me and a lot of people supporting me."

The full audio recording can be found here.

NASCAR TV SCHEDULE: JULY 18-24

RELATED: Find NBCSN in your area

All times ET
Monday, July 18
3 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lane (re-air), FS1
3:30 a.m., Continental SportsCar Challenge: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (re-air), FS1
2:30 p.m., NASCAR 120, NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN

Tuesday, July 19
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
9:30 a.m., Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge: Canadian Tire (re-air), FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN

Wednesday, July 20
7 a.m., Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge: Canadian Tire (re-air), FS1
3 p.m., NASCAR Masters of the Clock: The Legend of Martinsville (re-air), FS1
4 p.m., A Perfect Storm: The 1979 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR The List (re-air), NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
7 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Heat Races, FS1
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series SetUp, FS1
9 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series #Eldora, FS1

Thursday, July 21
7:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying (re-air), FS1
8:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Heat Races (re-air), FS1
10 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series #Eldora (re-air), FS1
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series #Eldora (re-air), FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR RaceHub, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
7 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Series: All-Star Shootout, New Hampshire (taped), NBCSN
11 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race: New Hampshire (taped), NBCSN

Friday, July 22
Midnight, Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge: Canadian Tire (re-air), FS1
Noon, NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, NBCSN
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, NBCSN
3 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN
4 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN
5:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN

Saturday, July 23
11:40 a.m., NASCAR XFINITY Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
1 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
1:30 p.m. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
3 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown, NBCSN
3:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Lilly Diabetes 250, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Post-Race Show, NBCSN

Sunday, July 24
Midnight, WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: Lime Rock Park (taped), FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
2 p.m., WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: Lime Rock Park (re-air), FS1
2 p.m., NASCAR America Sunday, NBCSN
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Countdown, NBCSN
3 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The 'Your Hero's Name Here' at The Brickyard, NBCSN
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race Show, NBCSN
7 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN
10:30 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lane, FS1