JOHNSON WINS AT CHARLOTTE, LOCKS IN ROUND OF 8 SPOT

Jimmie Johnson won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday. The victory locks in Johnson's spot in the Round of 8 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Johnson had to overcome the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Matt Kenseth on a late restart to take the lead back for good on Lap 317.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver led 155 laps en route to his eighth victory at the 1.5-mile track and his 78th victory in the sport's top series. Since the Chase moved to an elimination format in 2014, Johnson had never advanced out of the Round of 12.

Kenseth finished second, while Kasey Kahne finished third. Ryan Newman and Kyle Larson rounded out the top five. Of the top five, only Johnson and Kenseth are in the Chase.

Several Chase contenders had issues on this day. Martin Truex Jr. (No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota) came to pit road in the top three for his final stop under caution on Lap 311, but his car stalled leaving pit road. That trouble led him to finish 13th.

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) was running in second and had led 52 laps before his engine expired on Lap 307. Hamlin finished in 30th.

Polesitter Kevin Harvick had an electrical issue with his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet just shy of the midway point of the 334-lap event that brought his day to an early end. Harvick had spent much of his run in the top five before trouble hit; he finished 38th.

Joey Logano also had problems, smacking the wall twice due to tires going down over the course of runs. He went to the garage before returning 77 laps down and ultimately finishing in 36th. Last year, Logano swept all three races in the Round of 12.

A big wreck on a Lap 258 restart involving Austin Dillon's No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Chase Elliott's No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and several others shook up the running order late and brought out a red flag. Both Dillon and Elliott were in the top five at the time and Elliott had led 103 laps on the day. The RCR driver finished 32nd, while Elliott finished 33rd.

The driver that started second, Alex Bowman, (who was filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Chevrolet) was involved in a Lap 61 wreck with Casey Mears that saw the Hendrick Motorsports machine suffer major damage to the right side and call it a day early with a 39th-place finish.

Sunday's race was initially scheduled for Saturday night but rain and remnants of Hurricane Matthew led to the race being moved to Sunday as part of a doubleheader with the NASCAR XFINITY Series race, which was postponed from Friday night to Sunday.

The Round of 12 will continue next Sunday at Kansas Speedway with the Hollywood Casino 400 (Oct. 16, 2:15 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

This story will be updated.

Defending Charlotte winner Joey Logano slams the wall after blowing a tire (video)

Joey Logano won’t make it two consecutive wins in the October race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Logano took his No. 22 Ford to the garage on Lap 156 after hitting the wall for the second time in the Bank of America 500.

The defending race winner initially encountered trouble when he blew a left-front tire entering Turn 1 on Lap 118, slamming the outside wall. The accident came during a round of green-flag pit stops, but before Logano had pitted.

The No. 22 team from Team Penske fixed the right-side damage under caution, and Logano restarted 20th, the last car on the lead lap. The second accident occurred on Lap 157 when the right-front tire blew.

“I don’t know; tires are popping,” Logano said. “We’re not the only car that had the issue, but we’re the ones that hit the wall when it happened, so that’s not the best place to have them go down. We had a fast car. Our car was capable of winning the race. We drove up from 10th and were up to third and running down the leaders, so I felt really good about what we had. I don’t know. Things happen. It’s part of racing, I guess.”

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: