Custer tackles Nemechek after wild finish

Cole Custer takes down John Hunter Nemechek after the two wrecked coming to the finish line in Canada.

Nemechek, Custer wreck coming to the line in Canada

In the final laps, John Hunter Nemechek and Cole Custer wreck coming to the finish line. Nemechek was awarded the win.

STEWART CALLED TO HAULER AFTER INCIDENT WITH SCOTT

NASCAR officials summoned Tony Stewart to the Sprint Cup Series hauler for a post-race consultation Sunday night after an on-track altercation with Brian Scott.

Stewart, a three-time series champ in his final Bojangles' Southern 500, got loose racing alongside Scott's No. 44 Ford outside of Turn 4. Stewart regained control on the frontstraight and veered his No. 14 Chevrolet back into Scott's car, sending him spinning into the inside retaining wall on the 202nd of a scheduled 367 laps.

During the race's ensuing third caution period, Stewart's crew chief Mike Bugarewicz indicated that his driver's actions had drawn the attention of NASCAR race control.

"After the race, we've been scheduled for a meeting," Bugarewicz said.

Stewart initially questioned the call. His team communications then sounded off: "Hey man, made it 25 races, I'd say that's pretty good."

Scott's car was too damaged to continue. He wound up 39th in the 40-car field.

"I have a lot of respect for Tony. He has always raced me really clean," Scott told NBC. "I am not sure what he thought was going on there. I am not sure if he thought I was trying to hold him up there; I wasn't. I was trying to let him go. I even pointed him to the inside. Maybe he thought I was giving him the finger or something. I will talk with him. We will figure it out.

"It is a tough race. The Southern 500 is a tough race. Everybody is slipping and sliding a lot. It is getting to the point where people's tempers are getting short."

PETTY FAMILY ANNOUNCES 10-MONTH CELEBRATION FOR 'THE KING'S 80TH BIRTHDAY

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (September 3, 2016) - The Petty family and its brand of companies today announced a 10-month long campaign to celebrate NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and owner, "The King" Richard Petty turning 80. Petty may not be celebrating his 80th birthday until July 2, 2017, but the Petty brand of companies including, Richard Petty Motorsports, Petty's Garage, Petty Family Foundation, Petty Museum and Victory Junction, plan to celebrate for the next 10 months.

The Petty family, who are well known for giving back to local communities and race fans, is now turning the table, allowing fans to give their thanks of 80 years with "The King." The Petty family introduced a celebration calendar this week, www.KINGs80th.com, where fans can follow the various activities planned leading to the Petty's birthday celebration in Daytona Beach, Fla.in 2017.

To kick off the activities, Petty's children, Kyle, Lisa, Rebecca and Sharon, Petty's Garage and Ford Motor Company partnered to surprise the American Icon with the 43rd and last build of the 2017 Petty's Garage "King Edition" Ford Mustang GT. The car is colored silver and is one of now only 26 left available to the public through your local Ford dealer. The family presented the keys to the car today at the prestigious and popular Mustang Club Car Show in Indianapolis, Indiana.

"We are so proud to celebrate Daddy's birthday with all his fans over the course of the next year," said Rebecca Petty-Moffitt. "There is no better way to kick it off than with Ford Motor Company and Petty's Garage allowing us to give Dad the 43rd build of the 'King Edition' Ford Mustang GT. Ford is a huge supporter of all of the Petty brands with strong partnerships with Richard Petty Motorsports, Petty's Garage, Victory Junction and more, and even provided support for Dad during his career. We have so much more planned for our fans; today is just the start."

In addition to today's car giveaway, the Petty Museum announced its newest offering to fans. The Petty Museum is now offering shirts that replicate the first racing tee Petty wore. The shirt features the 1964 Plymouth that Petty raced. The shirt will be available at the Petty Museum and on their website until July 2017.

All of the Petty brands will get in on the action. Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) will engage fans with special promotions, including special packages from its sponsors. Petty's Garage will continue their celebration during their mobile tour stops throughout the country. The Petty Museum will soon announce special apparel along with additional merchandise throughout the celebration. Petty Museum will culminate their celebration with the opening of the Petty-Toomes Homestead historical landmark in Level Cross, N.C., the birthplace for Petty. Petty Family Foundation, Victory Junction and the Kyle Petty Charity Ride will also join the celebration during various events throughout the year, including special donations to the charities throughout the year.

Stay tuned to www.KINGs80th.com as all brands continue to expand the celebration through licensing partners and other special celebration promotions.

Fans are welcome to join in the conversation through social media using the hashtag, #KINGs80th across all Petty entities.

Tonight’s Sprint Cup race at Darlington: start time, weather, TV/radio info and lineup

NASCAR celebrates its past with tonight’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Hall of Fame Inductees Mark Martin, Rick Hendrick and Richard Childress will help give the command to fire engines to a 40-car field that features throwback paint schemes from the 1990s on back.

Here’s all the info you need for tonight’s race.

(All times Eastern)

START: NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductees Mark Martin, Rick Hendrick and Richard Childress, along with Bojangles’ CEO Clifton Rutledge will give the command for drivers to start their engines at 6:12 p.m. The green flag is scheduled for 6:20 p.m.

DISTANCE: The race is scheduled for 367 laps (501.3 miles) around the 1.366-mile speedway.

PRERACE SCHEDULE: The Sprint Cup garage opens at noon. The driver/crew chief meeting is at 4 p.m. Driver introductions are at 5:25 p.m.

NATIONAL ANTHEM: Actor Barry Williams will perform the anthem at 6:06 p.m.

TV/RADIO: NBC will broadcast the race with its coverage beginning at 5 p.m. with NASCAR America on NBCSN, followed by Countdown to Green at 5:30 p.m. on NBCSN and race coverage at 6 p.m. on NBC. Motor Racing Network’s radio broadcast begins at 5 p.m. and also can be heard at mrn.com. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have MRN’s broadcast.

FORECAST: The wunderground.com site predicts a temperature of 81 degrees at race time with a 0 percent chance of thunderstorms.

LAST TIME: Carl Edwards led the final nine laps to win last year’s race. Brad Keselowski, who led a race-high 196 laps, finished second. Denny Hamlin placed third.

STARTING LINEUP:

NO. 88 DRIVER SCHEDULE

Following Friday's announcement that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will sit out for the remainder of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season as he continues to recover from concussion-related symptoms, Hendrick Motorsports officials said that Jeff Gordon and Alex Bowman would split time behind the wheel in a fill-in role.

Gordon, 45, will be the interim driver in four of the remaining 12 races this year. A four-time series champion, Gordon has driven in four races in Earnhardt's stead already this season. Bowman, 23, will handle driving duties for the No. 88 team for eight of the 10 races in the season-ending Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs. Bowman, a part-time driver for the JR Motorsports operation in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, has two fill-in starts already under his belt in 2016.

"Jeff and Alex will give us a great opportunity over the rest of the season," team owner Rick Hendrick said in a release provided by the organization. "Jeff is one of the best of all time and knows our system. He brings things to the table that no one else can. Alex is a young driver with a lot of talent, and he will give us a fresh perspective. We know they're not only capable of running up front and giving us a chance to win, but they'll help us get better."

A detailed list of who will wheel Earnhardt's No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at each race during his absence.
NO. 88 DRIVER SCHEDULE
TRACKDATEDRIVERNOTE
Darlington RacewaySept. 4Jeff Gordon  Gordon is a seven-time Darlington winner
Richmond International RacewaySept. 10Jeff Gordon  Gordon has won twice at Richmond in his career
Chicagoland SpeedwaySept. 18Alex BowmanBowman will make his third Chicagoland start
New Hampshire Motor SpeedwaySept. 25Alex Bowman  Bowman ran well early, but had car trouble and finished 26th in his first start in the No. 88 earlier this year
Dover International SpeedwayOct. 2Jeff Gordon  Gordon is a five-time Dover winner and last won this race in 2014.
Charlotte Motor SpeedwayOct. 8Alex Bowman  Bowman will make his fifth Charlotte start
Kansas SpeedwayOct. 16Alex Bowman  Bowman's previous four Kansas starts yielded a best finish of 31st
Talladega SuperspeedwayOct. 23Alex Bowman  Bowman's second-best career finish (16th) came at Talladega in 2015
Martinsville SpeedwayOct. 30Jeff Gordon Martinsville is home of Gordon's last win, an iconic moment in 2015 that clinched his spot in the Championship Round at Homestead
Texas Motor SpeedwayNov. 6Alex Bowman  Bowman will make his fifth career Texas start
Phoenix International RacewayNov. 13Alex Bowman  Bowman finished 30th here in the spring of 2015, his best showing in four starts
Homestead-Miami SpeedwayNov. 20Alex BowmanThe season finale will be Bowman's third career start at the Miami-based track

Elliott Sadler extends Xfinity points lead after Darlington win

Elliott Sadler extended his points lead to 54 points after his victory in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway.

Daniel Suarez remains second in the season standings. The top 26 drivers did not change positions in the points after the race.