CAIN: EXPANSION AN IMPORTANT STEP FOR JONES, FURNITURE ROW

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- The weekend announcement that up-and-coming star Erik Jones will drive a second Furniture Row Racing car in 2017 was one of the worst-kept secrets in recent big-time NASCAR news. And that's a real compliment to Jones and to the organization.

People are intently interested in the championship-worthy team's expansion. All the buzz and grins speak largely about the team's firm place among Sprint Cup Series top shelf. Expansion is a logical next step.

And looking around at team executives, its drivers and Toyota bigwigs last weekend at Watkins Glen International when Jones' new No. 77 5-hour Energy Camry was unveiled, there are both high hopes and high expectations.

"Today has been a long time coming for Furniture Row Racing," team owner Barney Visser acknowledged over the weekend.

Jones, the 20-year-old reigning Camping World Truck Series champion, currently is contending for the XFINITY Series title with three wins this season while driving a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.

His ticket to the Sprint Cup was inevitable.

This will be an important step for the young Jones, but also for the Denver-based Furniture Row Racing team that already is hard at work preparing its shop to house and operate a second team -- which, Visser said Wednesday night on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, may only house Jones for one season.

"With how we're running, we will get a very, very good driver after he leaves, if he leaves, and I’m fairly certain he will," Visser said. "We will attract one of the best drivers in the garage for that second slot, I am confident. The cars are just going to be running too well."

When asked again about the likelihood of Jones leaving after one year, Visser said: "I think that’s most likely. We're working on that. What I am saying is the team will go on no matter what and people need to understand that when they come looking for jobs."

From Toyota's standpoint, at least for 2017, this is as natural an evolution as possible. Jones has been "their guy." Pairing him with veteran Martin Truex Jr., driver of the team's current No. 78 Toyota, is the right development right now for manufacturer, team and driver.

From Toyota's perspective, Jones also is truly the first driver the manufacturer has groomed from development series to big league.

"I think it's a great story for Toyota, but probably a greater story for NASCAR and the future of our sport," Toyota Racing Development President David Wilson said at Watkins Glen. "We're all really proud of Erik and think a lot of him not just as a talent, but as a person.

"With Erik, obviously he's a rookie and we like the chemistry of having the veteran Martin Truex side-by-side. And the other great thing is we have the Gibbs drivers to lean on. Our intention is Erik will sit in the competition meetings as early as this season and observe and learn.

"The point we really wanted to make was for Toyota and for Furniture Row adding an additional team, this isn't a one-year deal. My intention is to run at least six Toyotas in the (Sprint) Cup Series from 2017 running forward."

And while initially the expectations will be tightly controlled, below the surface, a real feeling of progress and hope appeared after speaking with the team's executives, and its current championship caliber driver, Truex.

"This goes into the very beginning when we started Furniture Row," team president Joe Garone said. "We just gradually have ramped it up and built the relationships that we felt we've needed to be successful. That comes back to Barney's commitment to invest in the team and our sponsors that Barney brought to the team, Denver Mattress and Furniture Row. … To finally get to a platform that will support multiple cars.

"It's huge. It's at the sacrifice of a lot of hours and a lot of hard work from a lot of people. We're just really excited to be at this platform right now."

Truex, who has qualified for this year's Chase courtesy of one of the most dominating performances in recent years -- he led all but eight laps of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte -- acknowledged the change in logistics and said, "It's going to be a little more work getting off the ground, but fortunately it's early enough this season to get the cars built and ready for next year."

Truex signed a two-year contract extension with the team earlier last week, as well.

"The biggest thing is I'm excited for Barney and Furniture Row to grow the program," he said. "It's nice to see the success and him having fun with it and able to expand. Two teams should be a more efficient way of doing business and it should make sure we're around for a long time.

"This is no different than the JGR guys welcoming us into the system. We'll all work as one to make our team the best it can be. Erik seems like a great kid and obviously has a lot of talent."

JOHNSON'S NO. 48 TO HONOR PEARSON, EARNHARDT AT DARLINGTON

CONCORD, N.C. -- The throwback paint scheme featured on the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson for this year's Bojangles' Southern 500 pays tribute to a pair of former series champions and NASCAR Hall of Fame members.Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports entry will carry a familiar blue and yellow scheme reminiscent of the colors associated with Dale Earnhardt in which he captured rookie of the year honors for NASCAR's premier series in 1979 and the first of his seven series championships a year later. Earnhardt drove for team owner Rod Osterlund at that time.Earnhardt did not compete in the '79 Southern 500, the fourth and final race of the season he was forced to miss due to injuries sustained in a hard crash earlier that season at Pocono Raceway. Subbing for the team in those four events was three-time NASCAR premier series champion and Hall of Fame member David Pearson.Pearson finished second at Talladega, fourth at Michigan and seventh at Bristol before putting the team in victory lane at Darlington Raceway. It was his ninth title at Darlington, long considered the series' most difficult track to master, and his third in the Labor Day classic."I think it's really cool," Chad Knaus, crew chief for Johnson, said Wednesday during the unveiling of the car. "I can remember the car and scheme from when I was younger, seeing it on television."Obviously Dale's first championship (in 1980) came in a paint scheme similar to this."Earnhardt's nine Darlington wins are second only to Pearson's 10; he also won three Southern 500 titles.Lowe's Home Improvement, longtime sponsor of Johnson and the No. 48 HMS team, has a tie-in as well, providing funding for the No. 2 entry at Talladega in '79.More than two dozen throwback paint schemes for this year's running of the Bojangles' 500 (Sunday, Sept. 4, 6 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR) have been announced. The program launched last season and is expected to continue for the next several seasons."The whole Darlington thing is a lot of fun, the environment is full of energy," Knaus, who'll sport a throwback-styled firesuit similar to that of his driver, said. "Maybe I'll get a couple of stopwatches (to time cars), too."Johnson, a six-time series champion, has three Darlington wins, two in the 500."To get another victory there," Knaus said, "would be fantastic."

Bristol Motor Speedway hopes ‘polishing’ of lower groove improves racing

Bristol Motor Speedway is once again experimenting with the racing surface of the half-mile track in hopes of bringing back two-wide racing.

First reported by Motorsport.com, with consideration from the Sprint Cup Drivers Council, Bristol “polished” the lower groove of the track following the Food City 500 in April.

The changes, the first to the track surface since BMS grounded the high line in 2012, were finished last week and will be first raced on Aug. 17 by the Camping World Truck Series. Since the grinding, the preferred racing line has been up high. The track has progressive banking from 24 to 28 degrees in the turns, which came about after a 2007 resurfacing.

This has resulted in less side-by-side racing and fewer dramatic finishes and thrown helmets, which the track has become known for.

BMS released the following statement to NBC Sports from Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager of the track:

“Following the Food City 500 we evaluated the race and track surface, as we always do. During that process we made a decision to make some minor modifications to the bottom groove. Throughout this process we had great collaboration with industry stakeholders and the NASCAR Driver’s Council. We look forward to another great race weekend during the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race week August 17 -20.”

Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer, was on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s “The Morning Drive” Tuesday and addressed the “minor” alterations to the track. O’Donnell said the track “certainly consulted” with the sanctioning body in addition to drivers.

O’Donnell described the work done to the lower lane as “just smoothing the track to get it ready really to apply what’s called VHT (Track bite), which is used in NHRA, kind of at the starting line that applies more grip,” O’Donnell said.

VHT, also known as PJ1 TrackBite, is a “custom formulated resin that provides controlled traction for competition racing” according to Jegs.com.

“So they applied that and then really used the tires to drag the track, so if you get up there you will see what already looks like kind of an asphalt track on the first groove that was concrete,” O’Donnell said, referencing a machine that was also used by Kentucky Speedway following its repave to help improve tire traction. “A lot of work has been done to really bring the lower groove back in. We’ll see how it plays out, but we’re certainly excited heading into this weekend.”

After the Truck race on Aug. 17, the Xfinity Series competes in the Food City 300 on Friday, Aug. 19 before the Sprint Cup Series’ Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race the following evening.

Blake Koch gets his ‘dew’ on with Darrell Waltrip throwback scheme for Darington

On Tuesday, Blake Koch and Kaulig Racing became the latest Xfinity Series team show off their retro paint scheme for the Sept. 3 VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway, which will air on NBC.

Kock’s No. 11 LeafFilter Chevrolet will be a time capsule from the early 1980s as a tribute to the career of three-time Sprint Cup champion Darrell Waltrip.

Kaulig Racing revealed Koch’s paint scheme, based on Waltrip’s No. 11 Mountain Dew car that he ran in the 1981 and 1982 seasons when Waltrip won his first two titles.

MORE: Check out all of the Darlington throwback paint schemes

Twenty-four of Waltrip’s 84 career wins came with the white-and-green paint scheme, including the 1981 CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 at Darlington.

Waltrip won at Darlington five times in his career.

“Running this paint scheme at Darlington is a huge honor for us at Kaulig Racing as well as those of us at LeafFilter,” said Matt Kaulig, owner of Kaulig Racing in a press release. “Darrell Waltrip is a true icon in the sport of NASCAR, and his success in the Mountain Dew paint scheme makes it extremely recognizable to both those in the racing industry and fans new and old. In 2015, Darlington Raceway delivered on its first ‘throwback’ themed Labor Day weekend, and we’re excited to be apart of this year’s celebration that’s guaranteed to be even bigger.”

Koch is in his sixth season of Xfinity Series competition and is 12th in the point standings. In five starts at Darlington, Koch’s best finish is 18th in 2011.

“It is an awesome feeling to be apart of something as cool as the throwback weekend at Darlington,” Koch said in a press release. “It’s even cooler to be able to run a Darrell Waltrip paint scheme, a driver who is a legend in our sport. He had a ton of success during his career in the No. 11, hopefully we can continue that trend.”

Koch is not the only driver who will compete in an old Waltrip paint scheme at Darlington. For the Sept. 4 Southern 500, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will use the paint scheme Waltrip had for his first Sprint Cup win.

Denny Hamlin receives Daytona 500 trophy with wrong year inscribed

Everybody has their name misspelled or botched in a public forum at least once. Even NASCAR drivers.

That’s what Denny Hamlin discovered Monday when he opened USA Today to find someone else had won Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen International.

Will Denny Hamilton please stand up?

While someone might have had the Lin-Manuel Miranda Broadway musical on their mind at an unfortunate time, it was fixed for a later edition of the national paper.

But the hits kept on coming for Hamlin on Tuesday.

The winner of this year’s Daytona 500 has finally received his version of The Harley J. Earl Trophy that’s given out each year to the victor of the “Great American Race.”

However, the trophy was mislabelled to identify Hamlin as the winner of the 2015 Daytona 500.

That race was won by Joey Logano.

At this rate it will be a very long off-week for Hamlin, who returns to the track with the rest of the Sprint Cup Series on Aug. 20 for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

MORE: Back pain doesn’t keep Denny Hamlin from victory lane

SPRINT CAR STAR BRYAN CLAUSON DIES AT 27

RELATED: NASCAR Nation offers condolences to Clauson family

Bryan Clauson, a sprint-car specialist who made 26 career starts in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, died Sunday. He was 27 years old.

Clauson crashed Saturday night during a U.S. Auto Club (USAC) midget car race at the Belleville High Banks, a half-mile dirt track in Belleville, Kansas. Amateur video showed his open-wheel sprint car flipping in Turn 4, where it was struck by another vehicle.

Clauson was airlifted to a hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he was pronounced dead late Sunday. His death was confirmed on Monday morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where a statement from the family was read.

"NASCAR extends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of Bryan Clauson, a passionate competitor whose love for racing fueled his unmatched positive spirit," NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O'Donnell said in a statement. "He was a dear friend to many in the racing community, and he was loved and respected by all who knew him. He touched the lives of so many in our motorsports family, and his warm presence and relentless enthusiasm will be missed."

Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart was a longtime team owner for Clauson's sprint-car efforts. He extended his condolences and thoughts to Clauson's family after finishing fifth in Sunday's race at Watkins Glen International.

"Yeah, terrible thoughts. It's a tragedy," Stewart said. "That kid drove for us for a long time and did a great job and never went anywhere, I don't care what happened, no matter how bad his day was, he always found a way to smile with it. Him and Lauren being engaged, the kid had such a bright future, and it's just ... it was hard to start the day today in the car. It sucks when it's anybody in racing. It's hard when you lose them, but it's even worse when they’re somebody as close to you as Bryan was."

Clauson made the majority of his XFINITY Series starts for team owner Chip Ganassi in 2008. He had one pole position (Daytona in July 2008) and one top-five finish (fifth place, Kentucky in June 2008) in his NASCAR career.

Clauson had set a preseason goal of competing in 200 open-wheel races this year. That ambitious schedule included a start in the 100th Indianapolis 500, where he placed 23rd in his third effort at the famed Brickyard. According to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Clauson had accumulated 27 wins in 116 races this season.

Clauson, a native of California and a resident of Noblesville, Indiana, was a seven-time champion across three divisions of USAC racing. He also was champion of the prestigious Chili Bowl Nationals in 2014 and scored a win in the ARCA stock-car series in 2007 at Gateway Motorsports Park.

"Short-track racing has always been the heart and soul of auto racing in America," Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles said in a release. "Bryan Clauson combined his passion and enthusiasm for grassroots racing with a God-given talent that made him the favorite to win every time he got in a midget or sprint car. And he proved on the world's largest racing stage -- by leading three laps in the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 -- that he could use that talent in just about anything with wheels.

"More importantly, he possessed a humility and character out of the race car that made him a person that fellow competitors and fans alike enjoyed being around. His spirit, his positive outlook and his thrilling talent will be missed by the entire racing community. The thoughts and prayers of everyone at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are with the Clauson family in this difficult time."

USAC President Kevin Miller added that, "This is truly one of the darkest days in the history of the U.S. Auto Club."

Donations in memory of Clauson can be made through the USAC Benevolent Foundation at USACBF.org.

Chase grid: Denny Hamlin vaults up standings, Kyle Larson on edge of top 16

With his win in the Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International, Denny Hamlin became the sixth Sprint Cup driver to win multiple races in 2015. He jumped six spots on the latest Chase grid to fourth.

Losing spots were Jimmie Johnson and Austin Dillon, who each dropped two spots after being involved in a multi-car wreck Sunday that led to Johnson finishing last.

Luckily, Johnson is already locked into the Chase. Dillon is 14th on the grid and has yet to win this season.

Chris Buescher, who won last week at Pocono Raceway, is still not on the grid. After finishing 33rd due to being in a late wreck and being forced to go to the garage, Buescher is still three points out the top 30 in points. A driver must have a win and be in the top 30 to automatically qualify for the Chase.

AJ Allmendinger re-entered the top 20 after finishing fourth Sunday. He is now 34 points behind the cutoff spot of 16th. In 16th is Kyle Larson. Larson is teetering on the edge of the top 16, only eight points up on 17th, after Allmendinger wrecked him on the final lap of Sunday’s race, sending Larson to a 29th-place finish instead of a top five.