Noah Gragson entered into ARCA finale at Kansas Speedway

Noah Gragson, a member of the NASCAR Next program and driver in both K&N Pro Series, will start in the final ARCA Racing Series event of the year at Kansas Speedway.

Gragson has joined Venturini Motorsports to drive the No.15 SpeedVegas – Alert ID Toyota Camry in the Kansas 150 on Friday. It will be his third career ARCA start. Earlier this year he started sixth and finished 30th at Pocono Raceway.

The announcement by Venturini Motorsports comes less than a week after Gragson was announced by Kyle Busch Motorsports as the driver who will succeed William Byron in its No. 9 entry in the Camping World Truck Series next year.

“The last couple weeks have truly been amazing,” Gragson said in a press release. “Running with Venturini Motorsports at Kansas is an exciting opportunity and just another step towards my integration into the Toyota family. The Venturini Motorsports group has a strong reputation in the series and a proven track record. I’m looking forward to working with Billy (Venturini) and the guys on the team

Gragson, a native of Las Vegas, has six wins between the K&N East and West Series, including two each this year.

Ryan Newman announces RCR contract extension on 'Race Hub'

Ryan Newman has signed a multi-year contract extension to remain at Richard Childress Racing.

Newman, 38, made the announcement on Monday night's edition of Race Hub on FS1, when he unveiled the paint scheme for his No. 31 RCR Chevrolet beginning next season and also announced that his primary sponsor, Caterpillar, also will return.

Newman is currently in his third season of driving the car for RCR, which he joined in 2014. Although he has yet to win a race at RCR, he does own 12 top-five and 40 top-10 finishes with the company -- and in 2014, he finished second in the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs after making it to the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway as one of the last four drivers battling for a championship.

"It's a multi-year extension with Richard Childress Racing, which I'm super excited about," Newman told FOX Sports. "(Crew chief) Luke (Lambert) and all the guys have fought really hard the last three years. We had a disappointing Chase run this year. But nevertheless I've got to thank everyone at RCR and ECR (Earnhardt Childress Racing Engines) for having me back for what will be Caterpillar's 25th season in NASCAR."

Newman, who also has driven for what is now known as Team Penske, has 17 career wins in NASCAR's Premier Series and 51 poles in 542 career starts. His last win came at Indianapolis in July of 2013 while he was still driving for Stewart-Haas Racing.

Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon pick up pieces after big wreck at Charlotte

RELATED: Elliott, Dillon give their perspectives on wreck

CONCORD, N.C. -- Leading 103 laps, Chase Elliott looked poised as a contender for the win in Sunday's Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
But a Lap 258 wreck steered the No. 24 Chevrolet -- as well as the No. 3 Chevrolet of Austin Dillon -- to the garage, rather than Victory Lane, leaving the young drivers just outside the Chase bubble sitting ninth and 10th, respectively.
"We had such a good car and I am devastated that we didn't get the result that the guys deserved," Elliott said after the wreck, his No. 24 Chevrolet being scored 33rd. "They gave me such a fast 3M Chevy and that is all you can ask for. We just have got to go and do more of that next week."
Elliott hung back on pit road before the restart, trying to grab the preferred line. But he wasn't able to get the fourth spot and lined up fifth, as a gutsy two-tire call put Dillon on the front row. When the green flag waved, Martin Truex Jr. gave Dillon a shove, getting the No. 3 loose and sending it sharply into the SAFER barrier on the inside wall near the exit of pit road.
In a domino effect, Kyle Busch's No. 18 hit the back of Elliott's No. 24 Chevrolet, causing Elliott to crash in the outside wall. Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Ryan Blaney, Paul Menard, Kurt Busch and Brian Scott were also involved in the multi-car melee that brought out the red flag for more than 10 minutes.
"It just sucks," Dillon said. "We will have to work hard the next two weeks to get the points back. I felt like I got to third gear pretty clean and then the next thing -- I feel contact and I am spinning through the grass. It's part of it and we took two tires there and you know the risk when you get into it. You just hope that doesn't happen obviously."
Crew chief Slugger Labbe echoed his driver's disappointment.
"We had been behind most of the day and we tried to make something happen by taking two tires," Labbe told NASCAR.com in the garage. "We had 12 laps on the tires, thought it was the right call and on the restart, Austin had a good restart -- the EFI data we just downloaded clearly shows that Austin didn't spin the tires like the 48 did in the top groove -- and Martin (Truex Jr.) just got into him turning left.
"It's part of it ... (No. 78 crew chief) Cole Pearn already sent me a text saying him and Martin feel terrible and he flat out wrecked us. ... I'm sure Martin feels bad, (but that) doesn't fix it and Austin's pissed. It is what it is. We took a chance, it didn’t work out."
Truex, who finished 13th, immediately expressed regret for his actions on the radio and then again after the race.
"Unfortunate, but more importantly I want to say that I'm sorry to Austin Dillon, the 3 team, Slugger and all those guys," Truex said on pit road following the 500-mile event. "I know they're working hard and they certainly didn't need me to turn them around on that restart. I feel terrible about that. I was just trying to help get him going and just pushed way too hard so I just want to apologize to those guys and hopefully I can talk to Austin and make sure he's OK with everything."
Elliott and Dillon weren't the only Chase drivers to experience misfortune: Denny Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota blew up late in the race, while Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano experienced electric and tire issues, respectively, that left them at the bottom of the Chase Grid.
For Labbe, that provides a little encouragement with two races left before the next round of eliminations.
"We were the underdogs, no one expected us to be here, so we could take chances," Labbe said. "We took a chance, unfortunately we got dumped, that's the way it goes. The thing that's neat going to Kansas is there's five Chase guys that had a bad day: the 11 blowing up, obviously the 4 guys, us ... So it's kind of crazy, but it is what it is -- you don't want it to happen but it's the Chase and you gotta win."

Chase Bubble Watch: Analyzing the playoff picture ahead of Kansas

RELATED: Race results | Series standings | Updated Chase Grid

SHOP: Chase gear

A bright, sunny day at Charlotte turned cloudy in a hurry for Chase contenders Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano, who both experienced major issues within seconds of each other in the Bank of America 500.

Harvick lost power on Lap 154 of a scheduled 334 in his No. 4 Chevrolet, and Logano smacked the wall in Turn 2 of the 1.5-mile track, doing extensive damage to his No. 22 Ford. Both headed behind the wall for repairs that put them multiple laps down, and Harvick never returned to the race.
The good news for Harvick and Logano is other Chase contenders also experienced major problems. Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon were involved in a wreck that brought out a red flag with 74 laps to go and fell behind in the Chase standings. Then, while running in second place with 25 laps to go, Denny Hamlin experienced engine failure that knocked him out of the race and firmly into eighth place and on the Chase bubble.
Charlotte wasn't cloudy for everyone, though. Let's see what the Chase race looks like heading to Kansas.
Who's hot: There were questions leading up to Charlotte about whether the No. 48 team of Jimmie Johnson had what it took to make another title run, and at least for one week the answer was a resounding, "Yes!" Johnson led a race-high 155 laps to capture his 78th victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and he advanced to the Round of 8 for the first time since the Chase format changed in 2014. ...
Matt Kenseth beat Johnson by one second in a late pit stop, but he couldn't hold the lead on the restart. Still, a second-place finish sets up well for Kansas, where Kenseth has the second-best driver rating behind Johnson and has two wins.

Who's not: Harvick has one win apiece at Kansas Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, with his most recent win at those tracks coming in the fall of 2013 at Kansas. Since 2014 (when the new Chase format took over), Harvick has three top-10 finishes in five races at Talladega and three second-place finishes in five races at Kansas. It's not a stretch to say Harvick could win during the next two weeks. ...
Logano, meanwhile, has two career wins at Kansas and one at Talladega, and he won at both tracks last year during the Chase. He hasn't shown quite the speed he had last year, but like Harvick, Logano has a legitimate chance at getting a desperation win. ...
Those who don't have such Sprint Cup experience are Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon, who were involved in a wreck that brought out the red flag with 74 laps to go. Elliott led 103 laps at Charlotte, and Dillon was in second place after gambling on two tires on a late pit stop, so the wreck was a big jolt to their chances at Charlotte and in the Chase.
 
Four in, four out: Here's a look at the Chase bubble, with four drivers being eliminated after the third race of this round, Oct. 23 at Talladega Superspeedway (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Chase Bubble Watch

Standing	Driver	Point Differential from Cutoff
5.	Kurt Busch	+24
6.	Carl Edwards	+20
7.	Martin Truex Jr.	+19
8.	Denny Hamlin	+3
------------	CUT-OFF LINE	------------
9.	Austin Dillon	-3
10.	Chase Elliott	-3
11.	Joey Logano	-6
12.	Kevin Harvick	-8

Up next: Hollywood Casino 400, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2:15 p.m. ET, Kansas Speedway (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Who it favors
Most wins: Jimmie Johnson, 3 (20 races); Matt Kenseth, 2 (21 races); Joey Logano, 2 (14 races).
Best driver rating: Jimmie Johnson, 110.4 (20 races); Matt Kenseth, 107.4 (21 races); Kevin Harvick, 103.4 (21 races).
Best average finish: Chase Elliott, 9.0 (1 race); Jimmie Johnson 9.2 (20 races); Carl Edwards, 10.6 (19 races).

Who it hurts
Worst percentage of top 10s: Kyle Busch, 29.4 percent (5 in 17 races); Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., 31.3 percent (5 in 16 races).
Worst driver rating: Austin Dillon, 71.0 (6 races); Chase Elliott, 79.3 (1 race); Kyle Busch, 83.8 (17 races).
Worst average finish: Austin Dillon, 20.3 (6 races); Kyle Busch, 19.2 (17 races); Joey Logano, 18.7 (14 races).

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Owner Standings

Pot	Owner	Car #	Points	Ldr	Nxt	PPos	G/L	Wins	Attempts
1	Hendrick Motorsports	48	3,045	0	0	11	10	3	30
2	Joe Gibbs Racing	20	3,040	-5	-5	4	2	2	30
3	Joe Gibbs Racing	18	3,036	-9	-4	3	0	4	30
4	Team Penske	2	3,034	-11	-2	7	3	4	30
5	Stewart-Haas Racing	41	3,033	-12	-1	8	3	1	30
6	Joe Gibbs Racing	19	3,029	-16	-4	10	4	2	30
7	Furniture Row Racing	78	3,028	-17	-1	1	-6	4	30
8	Joe Gibbs Racing	11	3,012	-33	-16	9	1	3	30
9	Richard Childress Racing	3	3,009	-36	-3	12	3	0	30
10	Hendrick Motorsports	24	3,009	-36	0	6	-4	0	30
11	Team Penske	22	3,006	-39	-3	5	-6	1	30
12	Stewart-Haas Racing	4	3,004	-41	-2	2	-10	3	30
13	Chip Ganassi Racing	42	2,109	-936	-895	14	1	1	30
14	Stewart-Haas Racing	14	2,106	-939	-3	13	-1	1	30
15	Chip Ganassi Racing	1	2,084	-961	-22	15	0	0	30
16	Front Row Motorsports	34	2,070	-975	-14	16	0	1	30
17	Hendrick Motorsports	5	766	-2,279	-1,304	18	1	0	30
18	Richard Childress Racing	31	738	-2,307	-28	19	1	0	30
19	Hendrick Motorsports	88	731	-2,314	-7	17	-2	0	30
20	Roush Fenway Racing	17	658	-2,387	-73	22	2	0	30
21	Wood Brothers Racing	21	655	-2,390	-3	21	0	0	30
22	JTG Daugherty Racing	47	653	-2,392	-2	20	-2	0	30
23	Roush Fenway Racing	6	651	-2,394	-2	23	0	0	30
24	Stewart-Haas Racing	10	577	-2,468	-74	24	0	0	30
25	Roush Fenway Racing	16	548	-2,497	-29	25	0	0	30
26	Richard Childress Racing	27	542	-2,503	-6	26	0	0	30
27	Richard Petty Motorsports	43	539	-2,506	-3	27	0	0	30
28	HScott Motorsports	15	526	-2,519	-13	28	0	0	30
29	Germain Racing	13	467	-2,578	-59	29	0	0	30
30	Circle Sport-Leavine Family	95	452	-2,593	-15	30	0	0	30
31	Front Row Motorsports	38	431	-2,614	-21	31	0	0	30
32	BK Racing	23	398	-2,647	-33	32	0	0	30
33	Tommy Baldwin Racing	7	394	-2,651	-4	33	0	0	30
34	Richard Petty Motorsports	44	371	-2,674	-23	34	0	0	30
35	BK Racing	83	339	-2,706	-32	35	0	0	30
36	Premium Motorsports	98	277	-2,768	-62	36	0	0	30
37	HScott Motorsports	46	268	-2,777	-9	37	0	0	30
38	GO FAS Racing	32	242	-2,803	-26	38	0	0	30
39	Premium Motorsports	55	201	-2,844	-41	39	0	0	25
40	The Motorsports Group	30	165	-2,880	-36	40	0	0	30
41	Front Row Motorsports	35	46	-2,999	-119	41	0	0	3
42	Circle Sport - Leavine Family	59	26	-3,019	-20	42	0	0	1
43	BK Racing	93	15	-3,030	-11	43	0	0	5
44	BK Racing	26	3	-3,042	-12	44	0	0	1
45	Hillman Racing	40	0	-3,045	-3	45	0	0	1

NASCAR has no plans to add substance to tracks this season to enhance grip

 

A NASCAR executive discounted the notion that tracks will add a substance to their racing surface to enhance grip this year

Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, made the comment Monday on “The Morning Drive” on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

“We’re looking at a lot of different options, meeting with Goodyear to see where and when we could apply it and how that would affect the racing on the track,’’ O’Donnell said. “A lot of different options that we hope to have on the table, maybe not necessarily at the start of 2017.’’

A substance was used at Bristol Motor Speedway before the August races for the Camping World Truck Series, Xfinity Series and Sprint Cup Series. The Cup race saw 20 lead changes. Only one other Bristol event in the track’s last eight Cup races had more lead changes.

A substance was put on the high lane at Martinsville Speedway last weekend on the final day of a tire test there to unfavorable reviews.

Among the biggest complaints was that it made both the high lane and low lane nearly equal in lap times. Martin Truex Jr., who was among those who tested there.

“I felt like with the second groove being as fast as the first I don’t know how you would pass anyone,’’ Truex said. “The great racing at Martinsville is the fight for the bottom. If you can’t hold the bottom you’re going to get passed. In that case. I don’t believe Martinsville is a place we ought to mess with.’’

That Martinsville test was done looking ahead to 2017. Officials from the track and NASCAR told NBC Sports that the track’s surface would not be changed for the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series races there later this month.

Also during his appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, O’Donnell noted the type of racing in Sunday’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway despite the limited practice time.

Sprint Cup teams had one practice session Friday before rain canceled two practice sessions Saturday. 

“One of the things we learned this weekend, which we’ll have to see, we’ll get some pushback from the garage, but it was nice to see teams almost just show up and have to race,’’ O’Donnell said. “We’re looking at how much practice is too much practice for an event. Maybe that is something we look at in the future as well.’’

Sprint Cup Chase grid: Harvick, Logano headline bottom fou

Sunday was not a good day to be a driver in the Chase for the Sprint Cup after five of the 12 remaining finished 30th or worse at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon are tied at three points behind Denny Hamlin in eighth, the cutoff spot for the third round. Following them are Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick.
But it was business as usual for Jimmie Johnson at Charlotte, who won his track record eight race. He advances to the third round for the first time since the elimination format was introduced.
Immediately behind Johnson is Matt Kenseth (+31) and Kyle Busch (+27).
Click here to see the full Sprint Cup Chase Grid.