Cut tire ends Alex Bowman’s day early at Charlotte (video)

CONCORD, N.C. — Alex Bowman‘s impressive run in the No. 88 Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway came to an end on Lap 62 of the Bank of America 500.

Bowman was running third when his left-front tire failed as he entered Turn 3. It shot the Axalta Chevrolet up the racetrack and into Casey Mears‘ No. 13 Chevrolet. The two then made contact with the outside wall before Bowman brought the car on pit road and toward the garage.

“Blew a tire I guess,” Bowman said. “It’s really unfortunate. I hate it for these Axalta guys. Everybody at Hendrick Motorsports worked so hard. They brought a great race car here, brand new, and destroyed it. Really unfortunate, but it’s not anybody’s fault. We didn’t hit nothing. We just must have run over something.”

Sunday was Bowman’s fifth start substituting for Dale Earnhardt Jr. He started the weekend by qualifying a career-best second to Kevin Harvick and had not fallen outside the top five in the running order at the time of the accident.

Bowman’s best finish with Hendrick Motorsports in four starts was a 10th place at Chicagoland Speedway two weeks ago. He will be behind the wheel for five of the season’s six remaining races.

“They knew we were here; that’s all that matters,” Bowman said. “There is nothing more I can do, nothing more anybody on the race team can do. They all do a great job and did everything right, just bad luck.”

Charlotte Sprint Cup,XFINITY races both set for Sunday

RELATED: Weather updates from Charlotte | Update schedule for Charlotte

The effects of Hurricane Matthew reached far into North Carolina on Friday and Saturday as rain from the storm forced the cancellation of on-track activity at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including the postponement of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series races.


Sunday will be a NASCAR doubleheader with two races the same day on the same track for the second consecutive weekend.


The Sprint Cup Series race is scheduled to start at noon ET, with TV coverage simulcast on NBC and NBCSN (PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The XFINITY Series race would follow, with a projected start time of 4:30 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on NBCSN with the same radio coverage.


As of 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Hurricane Matthew was a Category 1 hurricane (down from a Category 4 on Thursday) and was causing severe damage along the South Carolina coast on its way northward.


Charlotte's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the Bank of America 500, is the first race in the premier series' Round of 12 of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.


The Drive for the Cure 300 Presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC is the final race in the XFINITY Series Chase's Round of 12. 


Two Sprint Cup Series practices were slated for Friday, and the NASCAR XFINITY Series was slated to have Coors Light Pole Qualifying as well. Those three events were canceled.

Sprint Cup race at Charlotte postponed to Sunday, noon ET

RELATED: Full Sprint Cup lineup | Weather updates

The Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway has been postponed to Sunday at Noon ET due to inclement weather, setting up a doubleheader for the second consecutive weekend. The Sprint Cup Series race will be broadcast on NBC, with the NASCAR XFINITY Series race following on NBCSN.



The decision to postpone from Saturday night to Sunday at noon was made at approximately 10:30 a.m. ET Saturday after rain pelted the track and surrounding area as the outer bands of Hurricane Matthew made their way through. Weather forecasts varied initially, but a change to Matthew's trajectory Saturday morning led to the call to postpone.


As of Saturday at 11 a.m., Matthew was a Category 1 hurricane after making landfall at McClellanville, South Carolina (about 55 miles southwest of Myrtle Beach), according to the National Weather Service.


Sunday will now serve as a doubleheader, putting on two races the same day on the same track for the second consecutive weekend.


The Sprint Cup Series race goes green at noon ET, with TV coverage on NBC and radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The XFINITY Series race will follow, with a projected start time of 4:30 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on NBCSN with radio coverage on PRN SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.


According to Charlotte Motor Speedway, the gates will open at 9 a.m. ET. Bank of America 500 tickets are valid for both races on Sunday; Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina ticketholders will be admitted after the Bank of America 500 ends.


Sprint Cup Series drivers have one practice session and qualifying in the books at Charlotte. All events Friday were wiped out due to weather, which scheduled to be two Sprint Cup Series practices and XFINITY Series qualifying and that series Round of 12 finale.


Chase driver Kevin Harvick will start on the Coors Light Pole on Sunday afternoon with Alex Bowman, filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Chevrolet, starting second. Chase Elliott will start third, with Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart completing the top five.


As the storm moved up the East Coast, Daytona International Speedway suffered some damage. Atlanta Motor Speedway was offering help to displaced people, opening its campgrounds to those fleeing the wind, rain and flooding.

Austin Wayne Self’s truck at Talladega will promote Donald Trump’s presidential bid

 

Austin Wayne Self‘s truck will sport a scheme that backs Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and vice presidential candidate Mike Pence at the Oct. 22 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

The AM Racing No. 22 truck will be red, white and blue and feature Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again.”
Election day is Nov. 8.

“This will be the first presidential election I’ve been old enough to take part in,” said Self, who is 20, in a release on his website. “Politics has never really been that important to me until now – but now more than ever we need change. Trump and his values are in line with my beliefs. I’m a big supporter of his business background and believe his experience is what this country has been waiting for. I’m really excited to show my support.”

Tim Self, owner of AM Racing, explained why team will have the Trump-Pence scheme: “We have to get God back into our lives and rebuild our country on a foundation of Godly values. Trump’s actions indicate that he will push public policy in that direction. Jerry Falwell Jr, Franklin Graham and our good friend Dr. James Dobson have faith in Trump. He is our guy. Hopefully, the Trump-Pence truck will make a small difference. It represents our family and friends doing our part.”

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France endorsed Trump at a Feb. 29 rally at Valdosta State University. France was joined on stage at that rally by NASCAR drivers Ryan Newman, David Ragan, Chase Elliott and NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott.

Austin Wayne Self, a rookie in the series, has competed in all 18 truck races this year. His best finish is ninth at Eldora Speedway in July. He finished second in the ARCA standings in 2015.

Tonight’s Sprint Cup race at Charlotte: Start time, weather, TV/radio info

EDITOR’S NOTE: Tonight’s race has been postponed. The Sprint Cup race will move to noon ET Sunday on NBC. The prerace show will begin at 11 a.m. ET.
The Xfinity race, previously rescheduled for Sunday morning will not be held 45 minutes after the Sprint Cup race. The Xfinity race will be shown on NBCSN.
The round of 12 begins with tonight’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on NBC. All 12 drivers have had their points reset to 3000 for this three-race round.
Here’s all the important info for today’s race.
(All times are Eastern)
START: The command to start engines will be given Bank of America’s special guests, the USO of North Carolina at 6:52 p.m. The green flag is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is scheduled for 334 laps (50 miles) around the 1.5-mile track.
PRERACE SCHEDULE: The Cup garage opens at 11 a.m. The driver/crew chief meeting is at 4:45 p.m. Driver introductions are at 6:15 p.m.
NATIONAL ANTHEM: Danielle Peck will perform the National Anthem at 6:46 p.m., followed by a flyover by a C-130 from the 14th Airlift Wing in Charlotte, North Carolina.
TV/RADIO: NBC will broadcast the race. Coverage begins at 5 p.m. on NBCSN with NASCAR America. Countdown to Green airs at 6 p.m. on NBCSN. Race coverage on NBC begins at 7 p.m. Performance Racing Network’s radio broadcast begins at 5:30 p.m. and also can be heard at goprn.com. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have PRN’s broadcast.
FORECAST: The wunderground.com site predicts a temperature of 69 degrees at race time with a 17 percent chance of rain at the start of the race.
LAST TIME: Martin Truex Jr. led 392 of 400 laps to win the Coca-Cola 600 in May. Kevin Harvick placed second. Jimmie Johnson was third. In this race a year ago, Joey Logano won. Harvick was second and Truex third. 
STARTING LINEUP: Click here to see the starting lineup for Charlotte:

Pit losses: Mistakes on stops have saddled title contenders with tough choices in Chase

CONCORD, N.C. – Pit stops long have been a determinant in Sprint Cup race outcomes, but the 2016 playoffs have featured the flip side of the over-the-wall warriors who win races.
Execution hasn’t been the storyline as much as the errors that can spell doom even for a dominant car.
“I think now it’s certainly harder to be able to make up from those mistakes on pit road,” defending series champion Kyle Busch said Thursday after practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “There’s risk versus reward in everything we do, but pit road especially with the extra segments and timing zones.”
Since NASCAR generally doubled the timing sections at virtually all tracks three months ago, speeding penalties have spiked, and the trend has continued during the playoffs — but with a twist.
The teams with the fastest cars also are among those making the most mistakes in the pits.
Of the 13 pit infractions committed in the Round of 16 by Chase for the Sprint Cup contenders, more than half belonged to the cars that have demonstrated the most speed during the regular season.
All four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers –Busch, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth – committed pit penalties during the first three races of the playoffs.
But the plight of Jimmie Johnson has been most indicative of the immense downside of pushing the pit limits with a stronger car. Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet has been faster since the playoffs started, but his finishes aren’t reflecting it because of two costly penalties.
He led a race-high 118 of 270 laps at Chicagoland Speedway but was 12^th after speeding while exiting on a stop with 36 laps remaining. At Dover International Speedway, he led 90 laps after taking the lead from winner Martin Truex Jr. just before halfway but finished a lap down in seventh when his crew was penalized for going over the wall too soon.
Truex has said Johnson’s car virtually was equal to his before serving a pass-through punishment. It highlights the thin line between gaining a spot that could mean a win and advancement to the next round, or a disastrous penalty that could mean elimination.
While there has been increased chatter about whether drivers should embrace “points racing” — essentially playing it safe for top-10 finishes instead of going for broke.
But Johnson’s Dover punishment raises another vexing question: Should pit crews also be erring on the more conservative side?
“No, I don’t even want to think about that stuff,” Edwards said with a grimace when asked about it. “Everybody just has to go do their jobs the best they can, and you can’t give up any speed. It’s so competitive that (if) you a lose a spot or two on pit road being conservative, at the end of the day, (that) could be as bad as being fast and just having one bad pit stop.”
With Saturday’s Bank of America 500 starting the Round of 12, the competitiveness also is expected to ratchet up with four fewer contenders.
“You can’t be conservative I guess is the short answer,” Edwards said. “With less people, and arguably faster people, there’s less room to give up any spots. The 12 guys racing for these eight (transfer) spots could be first through 12th in finishing order in these first two races.
“If you’re a little bit conservative, it’s really easy to run 10^th, and you just can’t do that. We’re planning on being as fast as we can be. The word ‘conservative’ hasn’t come up at our shop this week.”
Busch said drivers have focused on “rolling time” – the distance between the last timing line before a pit stall and the first line after it – in order to improve speed on pit stops. Among the best has been Johnson, but the six-time series champion also has been busted six times for speeding this season, ranking him among the top 10 violators.
“Jimmie’s been really good at that,” Busch said. “He’s probably been one of the top-two or three all year long on rolling times, but they also have the pit road speeding penalties to go along with it throughout the year So there’s a fine line there, and there’s a balance that you’ve got to be able to withhold in being able to be successful.”

Coach of Jimmie Johnson’s pit crew remains confident in unit despite recent penalties

CONCORD, N.C. — As the Chase field narrows, what happens on pit road could play a key role in who advances.

That might not seem to be a good thing for Jimmie Johnson’s team, heading into tonight’s Sprint Cup race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the opening event in the Round of 12.

No Chase team had as many pit road penalties in the first round or as many penalties in the last 10 races. Despite those totals, Chris Krieg, pit coach for the No. 48 and 88 teams at Hendrick Motorsports, remains confident in the group.

Johnson has had two pit road penalties in the Chase. He was caught speeding in the Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway, and his crew was penalized at Dover when the jackman jumped off the wall too soon.

In the last 10 races, Johnson’s team has had 10 pit road penalties. Four have been for speeding, two have been for not controlling the tire in the pit box. The team also has been penalized for the crew over the wall too soon once and for a body modification during a pit stop another time.

The Dover penalty was a result of Johnson having to slow as he headed toward his pit stall when Aric Almirola exited his stall. That threw the timing of the pit stop off and the team’s jackman jumped over the wall too soon.

While that incident can be viewed as a fluke incident for the crew, Krieg looks at it another way.

“It’s awareness before you get to that point,’’ Krieg told NBC Sports. “Before you get to that millisecond where you’re up on the wall and your weight is forward, it’s all those seconds that led up to that. The 10 seconds before that we get up on the wall and we see our surroundings. (Crew chief Chad Knaus) and myself as a coach go, ‘Hey, be aware, we may get checked up here.’ It’s all the seconds before you get to that point where we keep learning and getting better.’’

Krieg, who is in his fourth year as a coach, isn’t worried about the crew bouncing back from a penalty or mistake. That’s why Hendrick Motorsports seeks former college athletes and those who have competed professionally in another sport.

“They’ve had negative plays or things happen their whole athletic career,’’ Krieg said. “They’re used to bouncing back. It’s what they’ve done their whole life from an athletic standpoint. If you were to take a regular person and have that happen to them, they may be in a dark room all week.’’

As he examines the performance of Johnson’s pit crew this season, Krieg sees improvement.

“Last year the 48 (pit crew) was quite possibly the best pit crew on pit road,’’ Krieg said. “This year may have started out slower on the stop watch then we would have liked. So we dug in, the guys did a great, great job. They worked harder than any other group than I’ve seen in a very long time.

“Our times on the stopwatch have went down considerably in the last two months.’’