September 2018 News Archives
News from SEPTEMBER 30, 2018
Sunday Charlotte Notebook: Jimmie Johnson goes for Charlotte victory-and crashes out of Playoffs; Kyle Larson bounces off the wall to keep Playoff hopes alive; Wild restart ends improbable run for Brad Keselowski.[More](9-30-2018)
Ryan Blaney emerges from last-lap wreck as Charlotte Road Course winner: In a race that was as wild as advertised in the closing laps, Ryan Blaney sped past crashing Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. in the final corner to win Sunday’s inaugural Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. With his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season and the second of his career, Blaney advanced to Round of 12 in the Playoffs.[More](9-30-2018)
Ryan Blaney won the Bank of America ROVAL 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The win is his 1st win of 2018, 1st win at Charlotte and 2nd career win.
#1-McMurray finished 2nd followed by #14-Bowyer, #88-Bowman, pole winner #41-Busch, #9-Elliott, #47-Allmendinger, #48-Johnson, #4-Harvick, and #22-Logano.
Drivers that advanced to the Round of 12 in the Playoffs: #18-Busch, #4-Harvick, #78-Truex Jr., #2-Keselowski, #14-Bowyer, #22-Logano, #41-Busch, #12-Blaney, #9-Elliott, #42-Larson, #10-Almirola, and #88-Bowman.
Drivers that did not advance: #48-Johnson, #3-Dillon, #11-Hamlin, and #20-Jones.
Among the incidents that impacted Playoff drivers:
• #78-Truex, Jr was leading the race on the final lap. Coming into the chicane on the frontstretch, just before the start finish line, #48-Johnson tried to make a pass around Truex for the win. Johnson spun out. As he came back around onto the track, he clipped Truex, sending him up into the outside wall. Blaney slipped through to grab the win. Johnson fell to 8th place and missed the Playoffs on a tiebreaker with Larson and Almirola.
• #3-Dillon hit the went out of the race early after hitting the outside wall in a could different incidents. He finished 39th.
• #20-Jones cut a tire after contact on a late restart and spun out. He pitted under green and never could get back on the lead lap. He finished 30th.
• There was a large accident in turn one with six laps remaining. The leader, #2-Keselowski, got into the wall and collected several other drivers including #42-Larson, #18-Busch, #21-Menard, #24-Byron, #6-Bayne and several others. There was a red flag for track cleanup. #2-Keselowski and #18-Busch could not continue and finished 31st and 32nd respectively. Larson suffered heavy suspension damage but was able to continue to the checkered flag and finished 25th. He passed #96-Earnhardt coming to the finish to get the additional point he needed to make the playoffs.
Stage 1 was won by #42-Larson, finished 25th.
Stage 2 was won by #12-Blaney, finished 1st.
There were 10 lead changes among 8 drivers and 8 cautions for 16 yellow flag laps.
The average speed of the race was: 82.125mph.
See unofficial race results, awards, laps led, cautions and more at:
Unofficial Race Results (pdf)
Cumulative Report (pdf)
Penalty Report (pdf)
Where the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Playoff drivers finished at Charlotte:
#12-Ryan Blaney, 1st
#14-Clint Bowyer, 3rd
#88-Alex Bowman, 4th
#41-Kurt Busch, 5th
#9-Chase Elliott, 6th
#48-Jimmie Johnson, 8th
#4-Kevin Harvick, 9th
#22-Joey Logano, 10th
#11-Denny Hamlin, 12th
#78-Martin Truex, Jr., 14th
#10-Aric Almirola, 19th
#42-Kyle Larson, 25th
#20-Erik Jones, 30th
#2-Brad Keselowski, 31st
#18-Kyle Busch, 32nd
#3-Austin Dillon, 39th
Race Fast Facts – Charlotte
Ryan Blaney (P) won the 59th Annual Bank of America ROVAL 400, his second victory in 119 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races.
This is his first victory and 14th top-10 finish in 2018.
This is his first victory and first top-10 finish at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.
Jamie McMurray (second) posted his first top-10 finish at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. It is his seventh top-10 finish in 2018.
Clint Bowyer (P) (third) posted his first top-10 finish at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.
William Byron (34th) was the highest finishing rookie.
(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(9-30-2018)
2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings:
[after Charlotte – race 3 of 3 in the Round of 16, 3 of 10 in the Playoffs]
1) #18-Kyle Busch, 3055
2) #4-Kevin Harvick, 3050
3) #78-Martin Truex Jr., 3038
4) #2-Brad Keselowski, 3025
5) #14-Clint Bowyer, 3015
6) #22-Joey Logano, 3014
7) #41-Kurt Busch, 3014
8) #12-Ryan Blaney, 3013
9) #9-Chase Elliott, 3008
10) #42-Kyle Larson, 3006
11) #10-Aric Almirola, 3001
12) #88-Alex Bowman, 3000
Eliminated from the Playoffs:
#48-Jimmie Johnson
#3-Austin Dillon
#11-Denny Hamlin
#20-Erik Jones
See the Unofficial Drivers Points Standings page (pdf) and Unofficial Owners Points Standings page (pdf)
Top-Ten Stage 2 Results (lap 50) of the Bank of America ROVAL 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway (lap 50/109):
#12-Blaney, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#48-Johnson, 9pts
#41-Busch, 8pts
#22-Logano, 7pts
#14-Bowyer, 6pts
#9-Elliott, 5pts
#3-Dillon, 6pts
#88-Bowman, 3pts
#8-Hemric, 0pts
#42-Larson, 2pts
Top-Ten Stage 1 Results (lap 25) of the Bank of America ROVAL 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway (lap 25/109):
#42-Larson, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#41-Busch, 9pts
#14-Bowyer, 8pts
#78-Truex, Jr., 7pts
#9-Elliott, 6pts
#48-Johnson, 5pts
#18-Busch, 4pts
#47-Allmendinger, 3pts
#88-Bowman, 2pts
#12-Blaney, 1pt
Lucky Dogs, drivers that got a lap back during the cautions (and their finish):
Caution 1: #66-Hill, 38th
Caution 2: #66-Hil (2), 38th
Caution 3: #66-Hill (3), 38th
Caution 4: #72-Whitt, 20th
Caution 5: #72-Whitt (2), 20th
Caution 6: #72-Whitt (3), 20th
Caution 7: #96-Earnhardt, 26th
Caution 8: #72-Whitt (4), 20th
Kahne expects to return at Dover: After missing four races, he plans to to return to the #95 next week, pending doctor’s approval.[More](9-30-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 29, 2018
Saturday Charlotte Notebook: NASCAR Xfinity leader Christopher Bell enjoys Charlotte Road Course debut; NASCAR takes some teeth out of bus stop tire barrier; Short strokes.[More](9-29-2018)
Happy Hour (final) practice for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is over, after 50 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#2-Keselowski 105.596
#24-Byron 105.072
#42-Larson 104.995
#21-Menard 104.982
#78-Truex Jr. 104.876
best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 9 drivers): #48-Johnson 103.552.
slowest: #95-Smith 100.110 & #00-Cassill 95.231.
notes: The only major incident was #2-Keselowski spinning out in the front chicane and hitting the outside wall last in practice. He will have to go to a backup car.
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Happy Hour Practice speeds page (pdf) (9-29-2018)
Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway have been made.
With 40 cars running, pit stalls 1,2,3 are not in use.
Pole winner #41-Busch chose pit stall 4, the first stall available [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole winner #47-Allmendinger took pit stall15, with an opening in front of it.
#88-Bowman, who starts 3rd, took the 36th stall, with an opening in front of it.
The final pit stall was taken by #9-Elliott, who starts 4th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on Jayski.com’s Pit Stall Selection chart.(9-29-2018)
First Saturday practice for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is over, after 50 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#48-Johnson 105.173
#8-Hemric 104.962
#78-Truex 104.878
#2-Keselowski 104.870
#18-Busch 104.753
best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 3 drivers): #9-Elliott 103.100
slowest: #51-Barrett 98.812
notes: #43-Wallace was involved in a single-car incident and will move to a backup car. #10-Almirola also made contact in a separate incident and his team is repairing the rear of his Ford. #20-Erik Jones wrecked in the closing minutes and will also turn to a backup.
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Second Practice speeds page (pdf) (9-29-2018)
Buescher returning to JTG: JTG Daugherty Racing owner Tad Geschickter confirmed Friday that Chris Buescher would return to the team next season. Buescher signed what was termed as a “multi-year” deal last season, but there had been some speculation that he might not be back in the #37 Chevy in 2019.[More](9-29-2018)
NASCAR already considering a longer ROVAL race in 2019: Steve O’Donnell, executive vice president and chief racing development officer for NASCAR, tweeted that next year’s race would be longer.[More](9-29-2018)
Chase Briscoe gets first Xfinity win in inaugural Charlotte Road Course race: Chase Briscoe made the most of pit strategy that put him out front during Saturday’s inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. Leading the last 24 of 55 laps in the Drive for the Cure 200 at the challenging 2.28-mile, 17-turn road course-thanks to a pit stop on Lap 26, before the end of Stage 2-Briscoe held off Justin Marks after the last restart on Lap 45 and took the checkered flag 1.478 seconds ahead of Marks’ No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.[More](9-29-2018)
Briscoe wins Charlotte Motor Speedway XFINITY race: #98-Chase Briscoe won the Drive for the Cure 200 at Charlotte for his first career win.
#42-Justin Marks finished second, followed by #22-Austin Cindric, #18-Ryan Preece, #20-Christopher Bell, #2-Matt Tifft, #00-Cole Custer, #61-Kaz Grala, #9-Tyler Reddick, and #21-Daniel Hemric.
There were five cautions for 10 laps and four lead changes among four leaders.
The average speed was 81.267mph.
Complete results are on the Charlotte race results page (pdf).(9-29-2018)
Race stage winners:
Stage 1 – lap 15 – Winner, #21-Daniel Hemric
Stage 2 – lap 30 – Winner, #20-Christopher Bell
Stage 3 – lap 55 – Race winner, #98-Chase Briscoe
Charlotte XFINITY Race Fast Facts:
Chase Briscoe won the Drive for the Cure 200 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, his first victory in 14 NASCAR Xfinity Series races.
This is his first victory and fourth top-10 finish in 2018.
This is his first victory and first top-10 finish at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.
Justin Marks (second) posted his first top-10 finish at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. It is his second top-10 finish in 2018.
Austin Cindric (P) (third) posted his first top-10 finish at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.
Christopher Bell # (P) (fifth) was the highest finishing rookie.
Christopher Bell # (P) leads the point standings by 33 points over Daniel Hemric (P).
(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(9-29-2018)
XFINITY Driver standings:
[after Charlotte – race 2 of 3 in the Round of 12, 2 of 8 in the Playoffs]
1) #20-Christopher Bell, Richmond win
2) #21-Daniel Hemric, 2099
3) #9-Tyler Reddick 2090
4) #00-Cole Custer, 2083
5) #2-Matt Tifft, 2082
6) #1-Elliott Sadler, 2080
7) #7-Justin Allgaier 2080
8) #4-Ross Chastain, 2078
Currently outside the top 8 to advance to the next round:
9) #12-Austin Cindric, 2069
10) #11-Ryan Truex, 2054
11) #16-Ryan Reed, 2053
12) #19-Brandon Jones, 2050
See complete owner and driver standings on the driver standings(pdf) and owner standings page (pdf).(9-29-2018)
Free Pass – Who got a lap back on each caution: (and their finish)
Caution 1: none
Caution 2: #76-Boyd, 29th
Caution 3: #76-Boyd, 29th
Caution 4: #36-Labbe, 13th
Caution 5: #78-Miller, 31st
(9-29-2018)
Cindric on XFINITY pole at Charlotte:#22-Austin Cindric won the Busch pole for the Drive for the Cure 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a speed of 105.527mph. #21-Daniel Hemric will start second. The rest of the top 10: #9-Tyler Reddick, #42-Justin Marks, #36-Alex Labbe, #00-Cole Custer, #2-Matt Tifft, #60-Ty Majeski, #98-Chase Briscoe, and #18-Ryan Preece.
Did Not Qualify: #97-Tanner Berryhill
The starting lineup is posted on the Charlotte Motor Speedway starting lineup page (pdf).(9-29-2018)
Charlotte XFINITY Qualifying Notes:
Austin Cindric (P) won the Pole Award for the 37th Annual Drive for the Cure 200 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina with a lap of 77.781 seconds, 105.527 mph.
This is his third pole in 28 NASCAR Xfinity Series races.
This is his third pole and 15th top-10 start in 2018.
This is his first pole at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.
Daniel Hemric (P) (second) posted his 22nd top-10 start of 2018 and his first at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.
Tyler Reddick (P) (third) posted his first top-10 start at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. It is his 18th in 28 races this season.
Alex Labbe (fifth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(9-29-2018)
Richmond XFINITY TV ratings: The NASCAR Xfinity Series from Richmond (Va.) earned a 0.5 rating and 870,000 viewers on NBCSN last Friday, up 8% in viewership from last year (805K) but down 10% in both measures from 2016 (0.6, 970K). It was just the fifth Xfinity Series race this season to post an increase.[Sports Media Watch](9-29-2018)
Sonoma Raceway marks 50th anniversary with return to original NASCAR circuit: Sonoma Raceway will return to the historic 12-turn, 2.52-mile road-course layout for the 2019 Toyota/Save Mart 350 as part of its upcoming 50th anniversary celebration.[More](9-29-2018)
Fans can hit the track for “Drive Days” at Talladega Superspeedway during race week: While the greatest drivers in the world will be competing at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 12-14 during the highly-anticipated doubleheader NASCAR Playoff weekend (1000Bulbs.com 500 and Talladega 250), fans will have the opportunity to hit the pavement first and drive their personal car around NASCAR’s biggest and most competitive track earlier in the week during “Drive Days.”[More](9-29-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 28, 2018
Simulator prep helps Kurt Busch secure Charlotte Road Course pole: Kurt Busch and his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford crashed the Chevrolet party at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course on Friday, winning the pole for a race in which the word “crash” could be commonplace. Running late in the final round, Busch toured the 2.28-mile, 17-corner course in 76.805 seconds (106.868 mph) to edge road course ace AJ Allmendinger (76.846 seconds at 106.811 mph) for the top starting spot in Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 [More](9-28-2018)
Kurt Busch won the Busch pole for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway with speed of 106.868mph for his 4th pole of 2018 and 26th of his career. Busch has won once from the 25 previous poles.
#47-Allmendinger will start 2nd followed by #88-Bowman, #9-Elliott, #42-Larson, #48-Johnson, #14-Bowyer, #1-McMurray, #12-Blaney, #37-Bueshcer, #8-Hemric, and #20-Jones.
#47-Allmendinger was quickest in the first round with a speed of 106.658mph, will start 2nd.
Driver(s) who will miss the race: none as 40 were entered for 40 spots
See round-by-round qualifying results on the Qualifying results page (pdf) and the complete starting lineup on the Starting Lineup page (pdf).(9-28-2018)
Where the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Playoff drivers will start at Charlotte:
#41-Kurt Busch, 1st
#88-Alex Bowman, 3rd
#9-Chase Elliott, 4th
#42-Kyle Larson, 5th
#48-Jimmie Johnson, 6th
#14-Clint Bowyer, 7th
#12-Ryan Blaney, 9th
#20-Erik Jones, 12th
#78-Martin Truex, Jr., 13th
#18-Kyle Busch, 14th
#22-Joey Logano, 15th
#4-Kevin Harvick, 19th
#10-Aric Almirola, 20th
#3-Austin Dillon, 24th
#2-Brad Keselowski, 25th
#11-Denny Hamlin, 27th
Charlotte Motor Speedway – Qualifying Fast Facts:
Kurt Busch (P) won the Busch Pole Award Pole Award for the inaugural Bank of America ROVAL 400 with a lap of 76.805 seconds, 106.868 mph.
This is his 26th pole in 641 Monster Energy Series races.
This is his fourth pole and 21st top-10 start in 2018.
AJ Allmendinger (second) posted his third top-10 start of 2018 and his first at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.
Alex Bowman (P) (third) posted his first top-10 start at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. It is his 10th in 29 races this season.
William Byron (21st) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
Playoff drivers currently outside the top 12 in the championship standings and their starting positions – 13th place Clint Bowyer will start seventh; 14th place Jimmie Johnson will start sixth; 15th place Erik Jones will start 12th and 16th place Denny Hamlin will start at the rear of the field after having to go to a back-up car following qualifying.
(NASCAR Statistics)(9-28-2018)
First Round of Qualifying for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is over, after 25 scheduled minutes.
#47-Allmendinger 106.658
#8-Hemric 106.426
#88-Bowman 106.418
#9-Elliott 106.414
#37-Buescher 106.407
the rest of the top 12:48 42 14 1 41 20 12
out of the top 12 and not advancing to round 2: 78 18 22 6 19 34 4 10 24 21 17 3 2 13 11 32 31 38 15 95 72 43 7 23 96 00 51 66
Drivers who will miss the race: none, 40 entered
(9-28-2018)
Friday Charlotte Notebook: Full circle: Daniel Hemric promoted to RCR’s No. 31 Cup team; Ryan Preece hits the jackpot, lands ride with JTG Daugherty; Austin Dillon damages his Chevrolet in chaotic opening practice.[More](9-28-2018)
Daniel Hemric named driver of the No. 31: Richard Childress Racing has promoted Daniel Hemric to drive the No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series beginning in 2019. Hemric, 27, boasts back-to-back NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff berths at RCR, including a Championship 4 appearance at Homestead-Miami Speedway during his rookie season.[More](9-28-2018)
Qualifying Order for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is posted.
The first driver to be lined up on pit road will be #17-Stenhouse, Jr.
The final driver lined up on pit road will be #21-Menard.
The order is set by a random draw, how cars park on pit road before they qualify, held about an hour before the first practice.
After the first round, the cars lined up by speed.
For the qualifying order, see the Qualifying Order page (pdf).(9-28–2018)
Friday practice for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is over, after 50 scheduled minutes, the top-five, slowest and notes:
#18-Busch 106.397
#20-Jones 106.382
#22-Logano 106.122
#8-Hemric 106.081
#14-Bowyer 105.884
most laps run: #43-Walllace & #3-Dillon, 16 laps.
best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 1 driver): #43-Wallace 98.418.
slowest: #51-Barrett 96.753 & #00-Cassill 96.743.
notes: There were several issues in practice: #43-Wallace spun a couple times. #10-Almirola suffered some slight rear damage after a spin. #17-Stenhouse, Jr spun and hit the tire barriers. #3-Dillon spun out early, then hit the chicane wall late. #12-Blaney ran into the wall in the chicane, causing front left damage.
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the First Practice speeds (pdf) (9-28-2018)
Ryan Preece joining JTG Daugherty Racing: JTG Daugherty Racing announced today a new driver to their two-car lineup, signing 27-year-old Ryan Preece in a multi-year contract. Preece will join JTG Daugherty Racing for his first full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season starting in the 2019 DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway driving the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.[More](9-28-2018)
AfterShokz signs Chase Elliott and Bubba Wallace as brand ambassadors: AfterShokz, the award-winning headphone brand known for its patented bone conduction technology, announced today the signing of NASCAR drivers Chase Elliott and Bubba Wallace as professional athlete brand ambassadors. Elliott and Wallace are two of the most popular and accomplished young drivers in the sport of NASCAR with fast-growing fan bases.[More](9-28-2018)
Sparks Energy to donate Talladega sponsorship to PFK Foundation:Joey Gase will be pulling double duty at Talladega Superspeedway teaming up with StarCom Racing for 1000Bulbs.com 500 in the #00 and Copp Motorsports in the #83 truck for the Fred’s 250 powered by Coca-Cola. 100% of the sponsorship proceeds will be donated to the PFK Foundation for DIPG research.[More](9-28-2018)
Hemric paces final XFINITY practice: #21-Daniel Hemric was quickest in final practice at Charlotte with a speed of 104.966mph.
#11-Ryan Truex was second, followed by: #00-Cole Custer, #60-Ty Majeski, #7-Justin Allgaier, #42-Justin Marks, #22-Austin Cindric, #90-Andy Lally, #1-Elliott Sadler and #4-Ross Chastain.
See complete results on the Charlotte practice 4 speeds page (pdf).(9-28-2018)
Cindric fastest in Friday’s first XFINITY practice: #22-Austin Cindric was fastest during the first Friday practice at Charlotte with a speed of 104.636mph.
The rest of the top 10: #22-Daniel Hemric, #36-Alex Labbe, #18-Ryan Preece, #7-Justin Allgaier, #00-Cole Custer, #20-Christopher Bell, #60-Ty Majeski, #11-Ryan Truex, and #2-Matt Tifft.
See complete results on the Charlotte practice 3 speeds page (pdf).(9-28-2018)
Aschenbach returns to JD Motorsports: Maryland driver Lawson Aschenbach will return to the cockpit of a JD Motorsports with Gary Keller Chevrolet this week. Aschenbach will drive the No. 01 Chevrolet in Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 200 at the new “roval” at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Aschenbach, 34, has driven one race for JD Motorsports. He finished 23rd at Road America in 2015. [More](9-28-2018)
Gase to make Truck debut at Talladega:Joey Gase will be pulling double duty at Talladega Superspeedway teaming up with StarCom Racing for 1000Bulbs.com 500 in the #00 and Copp Motorsports in the #83 truck for the Fred’s 250 powered by Coca-Cola. It will be Gase’s first ever start in the Truck Series.[More](9-28-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 27, 2018
Weekend Preview: Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course: A weekend full of unknowns for Cup teams; The XFINITY Playoffs continue.[More](9-27-2018)
Team owners approve 2019 rules package: A majority of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams recently voted to endorse a ’19 rules package related to the so-called All-Star Package that was tested in May, according to sources. The exact number of races it will be used for was unclear, but it is said to be most events at 1.5- to 2-mile tracks, which would be around 20 of the sport’s 38 races.[More](9-27-2018)
Toyota expects “at least” five teams in 2019: Toyota Racing Development President David Wilson said there “absolutely is intent” for there to be “at least” five Toyota-supported cars in the Cup Series in 2019 and “potentially more.” Wilson made his comments three weeks after Furniture Row Racing announced it will shut down at the end of this season.[More](9-27-2018)
Congrats to Kyle Larson and Katelyn Sweet: The couple was married Wednesday evening.[More](9-27-2018)
Allgaier to return to JR Motorsports: Justin Allgaier will return to drive the No. 7 NASCAR Xfinity Series Chevrolet for JR Motorsports next year, he announced Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “It’s been an interesting Silly Season for sure, but for us, I’m extremely happy with where I’m at,” Allgaier said. “… From my standpoint, I’ve got a great team behind me right now and the folks at Brandt have obviously supported me for a number of years now and where we’re at for them, whether it’s with me or not, I think JR Motorsports is a great fit for them as well.”[More](9-27-2018)
Special scheme for Boyd at Charlotte: After a mechanical issue last weekend in Richmond, Boyd is ready to test his skills at the first annual running of the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. Boyd will sport special colors on his Grunt Style Chevy this weekend with pink- camouflage in support of breast cancer survivor Liz Alarik.[More](9-27-2018)
Custer paces second Thursday XFINITY practice: #00-Cole Custer was quickest in final practice at Charlotte with a speed of XXXXXmph.
#22-Austin Cindric was second, followed by: #9-Tyler Reddick, #21-Daniel Hemric, #7-Justin Allgaier, #1-Elliott Sadler, #11-Ryan Truex, #60-Ty Majeski, #18-Ryan Preece, and #42-Justin Marks. #nascar
See complete results on the Charlotte practice 2 speeds page (pdf).(9-27-2018)
Cindric fastest in Thursday’s opening XFINITY practice: #22-Austin Cindric was fastest during the first optional practice at Charlotte with a speed of 102.603mph.
The rest of the top 10: #21-Daniel Hemric, #11-Ryan Truex, #18-Ryan Preece, #42-Justin Marks, #2-Matt Tifft, #1-Elliott Sadler, #3-Brendan Gaughan, #7-Justin Allgaier, and #36-Alex Labbe.
See complete results on the Charlotte practice 1 speeds page (pdf).(9-27-2018)
Arrest warrant out for Jordan Anderson: Jordan Anderson, a popular competitor in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, has a warrant out for his arrest on a charge of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, according to the Rowan County (N.C.) Sheriff’s Office. The vehicle is a race truck that was involved in a crash at Texas. The department began an investigation Sept. 7 into the sale of a truck that was damaged in a race at Texas in June.[More](9-27-2018)
Fans can bet on the races during Dover International Speedway’s upcoming weekend: Race fans looking to wager on their favorite drivers during Dover International Speedway’s upcoming tripleheader weekend will have the convenience of placing their bets on-site on Oct. 6-7. A sports betting station will be set up near the Delaware Lottery display, not far from the Monster Monument at Victory Plaza, presented by Smithfield, on Saturday, Oct. 6 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 7 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.[More](9-26-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 26, 2018
A look at many news, notes and story lines for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte, see the stats on the NASCAR National Series News & Notes — Charlotte Motor Speedway
Richmond TV ratings UPDATE: NBCSN earned a 1.1 overnight rating for Saturday night’s race.(9-24-2018)
UPDATE: Last Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Richmond (Va.) earned a 1.0 rating and 1.77 million viewers on NBCSN, down 17% in ratings and viewership from last year (1.2, 2.14M) and down 38% and 34% respectively from 2016 (1.6, 2.71M). Kyle Busch’s win ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched NASCAR Cup Series race since at least 2000. [More](9-26-2018)
Richmond penalties announced: The Cup team of #18-Busch and the XFINITY team of #20-Bell were fined for lug nut violations.[More](9-26-2018)
StarCom Racing and Dairi-O Restaurants are back at it for the Bank of America ROVAL 400: StarCom Racing and Dairi-O Restaurants, located in North Carolina, rekindle the flame and team up again, this time for the Bank of America Roval 400 on Sunday, September 30.[More](9-26-2018)
Adirondack Tree Surgeons joins BK Racing at Charlotte and Martinsville: Adirondack Tree Surgeons will join the No. 23 BK Racing team and driver J.J. Yeley for two races this fall, including this weekend’s Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The New York-based tree care service will also be the primary partner of the team for the First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway.[More](9-26-2018)
Valley Technical Academy partners with Stewart-Haas Racing: The Mission, Texas-based school prepares individuals for a career in technology, and Valley Technical Academy has chosen NASCAR and, specifically, the No. 10 team of SHR and driver Aric Almirola, to showcase its curriculum within a technology-driven industry. Valley Technical Academy will be the primary sponsor for Almirola and the No. 10 team for two races in 2019, with associate sponsorship beginning with this weekend’s Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. [More](9-26-2018)
Happy Hour lasts all weekend with Talladega Superspeedway’s $24 College Ticket Package: There’s a whole lot of party with Talladega Superspeedway’s $24 college student ticket package to NASCAR’s “Party Capital” during its doubleheader NASCAR Playoff weekend, Oct. 12-14. The incredible deal offers some of the best entertainment for students looking to round up the crew and escape campus for an exciting weekend of fun.[More](9-26-2018)
Gander Outdoors to sponsor Dover race: Dover International Speedway and Gander Outdoors, the Official Outdoor Company of NASCAR, have reached a partnership agreement for the entitlement of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff race on Sunday, Oct. 7. [More](9-26-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 25, 2018
A.J. Allmendinger will not return to JTG Daugherty next season: “AJ Allmendinger has been a valuable asset to the growth of our company, and we are grateful for his professionalism with our brands and the passion he has shown for this race team over the years,” Tad Geschickter said. “As hard as it may be, we’re moving in a different direction for the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season and will be parting ways at the end of this season. It’s not an easy decision and change is never easy. We wish him the very best in his endeavors and he will always be family to us.”[More](9-25-2018)
Charlotte Goodyear Tire Notes See complete tire information for the race weekend across all series on the [Goodyear Tire Notes – Charlotte Motor Speedway page.(9-25-2018)
Ty Dillon will remain at Germain Racing: Ty Dillon says he remains committed to Germain Racing and will return to the #13 next season, despite some rumors that he could move to the #31 for Richard Childress Racing. “I made a commitment. And I’m standing by my commitment. And I believe in my race team. And that’s where I’m going to be.”[More](9-25-2018)
Charlotte to be Justin Marks’ final NASCAR races: Justin Marks has decided that this weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval will end his NASCAR career. Marks has entered both the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series-Xfinity Series doubleheader at the new infield road-course event for Premium Motorsports and Chip Ganassi Racing, respectively. Marks is a noted entrepreneur, primarily known in motorsports as a road-course ringer.[More](9-25-2018)
NASCAR Playoff clinch scenarios at Charlotte Motor Speedway: See what each driver needs to do to move to the next round of the Cup Playoffs.[More](9-25-2018)
Noah Gragson joins JR Motorsports for 2019: Today, during an episode of its popular JRM360 video series, JR Motorsports announced the addition of Noah Gragson to the team’s NASCAR Xfinity Series stable of drivers for 2019. Gragson has been tabbed in a multi-year deal that places him behind the wheel of JRM’s No. 1 Chevrolet in full-time pursuit of a series championship next season.[More](9-25-2018)
New look awaits fans at Bank of America ROVAL 400: The ROVALution has arrived at America’s Home for Racing. Race fans attending this weekend’s Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL™ will experience an electric, new-look road-racing atmosphere like nothing else in Charlotte Motor Speedway’s illustrious history.[More](9-25-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 24, 2018
Entry List for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is posted, 40 teams/drivers [for 40 spots] are listed.
Some of the drivers entered include: #6-Bayne, #7-Chastain, #8-Hemric, #15-Marks, #23-Yeley, ,#51-TBA, #66-Hill, #72-Whitt, #95-Smith.
Since only 40 cars are entered, all drivers will make the race.
See the full entry list on the Entry List (pdf)
Richmond TV ratings: NBCSN earned a 1.1 overnight rating for Saturday night’s race.[More](9-24-2018)
Richard Childress Racing and Stewart-Haas talking to Suarez: RCR could instead decide to move Daniel Hemric up from XFINITY, while SHR is believed to be able to put together a business-to-business deal for sponsorship.[More](9-24-2018)
Cup teams testing at Kansas Speedway: Before Cup teams race on the Charlotte Roval this weekend, some will take part in an organizational test Monday and Tuesday at Kansas Speedway.[More](9-24-2018)
XFINITY Entry List: There are 40 cars on the preliminary entry list for Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
See the complete list on the Charlotte Motor Speedway entry list page.
Bobby Earnhardt to make XFINITY Series return at Kansas: Bobby Earnhardt will be making his return to the track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Kansas Speedway. Earnhardt, son of Kerry Earnhardt, will pilot the No. 66 HABCO car for MBM Motorsports in the October running of the Kansas Lottery 300.[More](9-24-2018)
Vinnie Miller joining BJ McLeod Motorsports: To jumpstart his new direction for the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, Vinnie Miller will depart JD Motorsports with Gary Keller and join B.J. McLeod Motorsports for the final six races of the season beginning with Saturday afternoon’s Drive for the Cure 300 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Miller, a rookie in the Xfinity Series this season has also inked a multi-year deal with McLeod’s Mooresville, N.C.-based team which will see him compete a majority of the races in the team’s flagship No. 78 Chevrolet Camaro full-time through the 2020 season.[More](9-24-2018)
Coughlin out at GMS: Due to unforeseen issues with additional sponsorship needed, Cody Coughlin will no longer drive the No. 2 Chevrolet for GMS Racing. Spencer Gallagher will fulfill the No. 2 GMS entry at Talladega.[More](9-24-2018)
Ron Rivera named grand marshal for Bank of America ROVAL 400:The coach of the team known for its “Keep Pounding” motto will make 40 drivers’ hearts pound on Sunday, when Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 Grand Marshal and Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera gives the command to start engines for the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL™.[More](9-24-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 23, 2018
Richmond TV commercial breakdown: For those of you NASCAR fans that like stats and love to hate commercials, here is the breakdown for Saturday’s race.[More](9-23-2018)
Kenseth hopes to stay involved with Roush, no plans to race full-time: Matt Kenseth says he is not interested in running full-time, nor looking for rides outside of Roush.[More](9-23-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 22, 2018
Kyle Busch holds off Kevin Harvick to win Richmond Playoff race:The win was Busch’s seventh of the season-tying him with Harvick for the series lead-and the 50th of his career, tying him with NASCAR Hall of Famers Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett for 11th on the all-time list.[More](9-22-2018)
#18-Kyle Busch won the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway. The win is his seventh win of 2018, sixth win at Richmond and 50th career win.
#4-Harvick finished 2nd followed by #78-Truex, #9-Elliott, #10-Almirola, #3-Dillon, #42-Larson, #48-Johnson, #2-Keselowski, #and #14-Bowyer.
Pole winner, #4-Harvick led 40 laps and finished second.
Stage 1 and Stage 2 were won by #78-Truex, finished third
There were 16 lead changes among eight drivers and three cautions for 23 yellow flag laps.
The average speed of the race was: 103.152mph.
See unofficial race results, awards, laps led, cautions and more at:
Unofficial Race Results (pdf)
Cumulative Report (pdf)
Penalty Report (pdf)
Where the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Playoff drivers finished at Richmond:
#18-Kyle Busch, 1st
#4-Kevin Harvick, 2nd
#78-Martin Truex, Jr., 3rd
#9-Chase Elliott, 4th
#10-Aric Almirola, 5th
#3-Austin Dillon, 6th
#42-Kyle Larson, 7th
#48-Jimmie Johnson, 8th
#2-Brad Keselowski, 9th
#14-Clint Bowyer, 10th
#20-Erik Jones, 11th
#88-Alex Bowman, 12th
#22-Joey Logano, 14th
#11-Denny Hamlin, 16th
#41-Kurt Busch, 18th
#12-Ryan Blaney, 19th
Race Fast Facts – Richmond
Kyle Busch won the 61st Annual Federated Auto Parts 400, his 50th victory in 490 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series races.
This is his seventh victory and 23rd top-10 finish in 2018.This is his sixth victory and 20th top-10 finish in 27 races at Richmond Raceway.
Kevin Harvick (second) posted his 23rd top-10 finish in 36 races at Richmond Raceway. It is his 23rd top-10 finish in 2018.
Martin Truex Jr. (third) posted his ninth top-10 finish in 26 races at Richmond Raceway.
William Byron (20th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Martin Truex Jr. leads the point standings by 16 points over Kyle Busch.
(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(9-22-2018)
2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Driver Chase Standings:
[after Richmond, race 28 of 36]
2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings:
[after Richmond – race 2 of 3 in the Round of 16, 2 of 10 in the Playoffs]
1) #2-Brad Keselowski, Las Vegas win
2) #18-Kyle Busch, Richmond win
3) #78-Martin Truex Jr., 2141
4) #4-Kevin Harvick, 2113
5) #22-Joey Logano, 2081
6) #10-Aric Almirola, 2079
7) #42-Kyle Larson, 2073
8) #41-Kurt Busch, 2071
9) #9-Chase Elliott, 2066
10) #3-Austin Dillon, 2066
11) #88-Alex Bowman, 2061
12) #12-Ryan Blaney, 2060
Currently outside the top 12 to advance to the next round:
13) #14-Clint Bowyer, 2056
14) #48-Jimmie Johnson, 2054
15) #20-Erik Jones, 2039
16) #11-Denny Hamlin, 2031
See the Unofficial Drivers Points Standings page (pdf) and Unofficial Owners Points Standings page (pdf)
Top-Ten Stage 2 Results (lap 200) of the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway (lap 200/400):
#78-Truex, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#4-Harvick, 9pts
#10-Almirola, 8pts
#9-Elliott, 7pts
#2-Keselowski, 6pts
#88-Bowman, 5pts
#3-Dillon, 4pts
#48-Johnson, 3pts
#42-Larson, 2pts
#22-Logano, 1pt
Top-Ten Stage 1 Results (lap 100) of the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway (lap 100/400):
#78-Truex, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#4-Harvick, 9pts
#2-Keselowski, 8pts
#9-Elliott, 7pts
#41-Busch, 6pts
#10-Almirola, 5pts
#20-Jones, 4pts
#88-Bowman, 3pts
#11-Hamlin, 2pts
#22-Logano, 1pt
Lucky Dogs, drivers that got a lap back during the cautions (and their finish):
Caution 1: #38-Ragan, 23rd
Caution 2: #17-Stenhouse, 13th
Caution 3: #17-Stenhouse, 13th
Top-Ten Stage 2 Results (lap 200) of the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway (lap 200/400):
#78-Truex, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#4-Harvick, 9pts
#10-Almirola, 8pts
#9-Elliott, 7pts
#2-Keselowski, 6pts
#88-Bowman, 5pts
#3-Dillon, 4pts
#48-Johnson, 3pts
#42-Larson, 2pts
#22-Logano, 1pt
Top-Ten Stage 1 Results (lap 100) of the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway (lap 100/400):
#78-Truex, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#4-Harvick, 9pts
#2-Keselowski, 8pts
#9-Elliott, 7pts
#41-Busch, 6pts
#10-Almirola, 5pts
#20-Jones, 4pts
#88-Bowman, 3pts
#11-Hamlin, 2pts
#22-Logano, 1pt
Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway have been made.
Pole winner #4-Harvick chose pit stall 36, with an opening in front of it.
Outside pole winner #11-Hamlin took pit stall 1.
#78-Truex, Jr., who starts 3rd, took the 38th stall.
The final pit stall was taken by #51-Cole Custer, who starts 10th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on Jayski.com’s Pit Stall Selection chart.(9-21-2018)
Saturday Richmond Raceway Notebook: Ryan Newman to drive the No. 6 Roush Fenway Ford in 2019; Elliott Sadler reflects on final Richmond race as full-time driver. [More](9-22-2018)
NASCAR’s ‘Rocket Man’ to pilot Jack Roush’s iconic No. 6 Ford in 2019: Roush Fenway Racing announced that veteran Ryan Newman will take the reins of its iconic No. 6 Ford Mustang, competing full-time for Jack Roush in 2019.[More](9-22-2018)
Infield RV spots added for Talladega: After selling out of infield RV spots weeks ago, Talladega has reserved a one-time-only section near the start-finish line for additional RV camping. [More](9-22-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 21, 2018
Kevin Harvick edges Denny Hamlin for Richmond pole: Kevin Harvick vaulted to the forefront in the final round of Friday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series knockout qualifying at Richmond Raceway, securing the pole position for Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) by .006 seconds over Denny Hamlin.[More](9-21-2018)
Kevin Harvick won the Busch pole for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway with speed of 121.880mph for his 3rd pole of 2018, 2nd at Richmond and 24th of his career. Harvick has won 6 times from the 23 previous poles.
#11-Hamlin will start 2nd followed by #78-Truex, Jr., #12-Blaney, #19-Suarez, #41-Busch, #10-Almirola, #2-Keselowski, #20-Jones, #42-Larson, #51-Custer, and #18-Busch.
#19-Suarez was quickest in the first round with a speed at 122.912mph and the second round at 122.928. He will start 5th.
Driver(s) who will miss the race: none as 40 were entered for 40 spots.
See round-by-round qualifying results on the Qualifying results page (pdf) and the complete starting lineup on the Starting Lineup page (pdf).(9-21-2018)
Where the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Playoff drivers will start at Richmond:
#4-Kevin Harvick, 1st
#11-Denny Hamlin, 2nd
#78-Martin Truex, Jr., 3rd
#12-Ryan Blaney, 4th
#41-Kurt Busch, 6th
#10-Aric Almirola, 7th
#2-Brad Keselowski, 8th
#20-Erik Jones, 9th
#42-Kyle Larson, 10th
#18-Kyle Busch, 12
#22-Joey Logano, 13th
#88-Alex Bowman, 14th
#9-Chase Elliott, 19th
#48-Jimmie Johnson, 22nd
#14-Clint Bowyer, 25th
#3-Austin Dillon, 28th
Richmond Raceway – Qualifying Fast Facts:
Kevin Harvick (P) won the Busch Pole Award Pole Award for the 61st Annual Federated Auto Parts 400 with a lap of 22.153 seconds, 121.880 mph.
This is his 24th pole in 638 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series races.
This is his third pole and 21st top-10 start in 2018.
This is his second pole in 36 races at Richmond Raceway.
Denny Hamlin (P) (second) posted his 20th top-10 start of 2018 and his 16th in 25 races at Richmond Raceway.
Martin Truex Jr. (P) (third) posted his 14th top-10 start at Richmond Raceway. It is his 20th in 28 races this season.
William Byron (20th) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Statistics)(9-21-2018)
Second Round of Qualifying for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway is over, after 10 scheduled minutes.
#19-Suarez 122.928
#12-Blaney 122.316
#51-Custer 122.045
#78-Truex, Jr. 121.826
#2-Keselowski 121.830
the rest of the top 12: 41 42 11 20 10 4 18
out of the top 12 and not advancing to round 3: 22 88 1 17 31 6 9 24 21 48 37 34
(9-21-2018)
First Round of Qualifying for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway is over, after 15 scheduled minutes.
#19-Suarez 122.912
#41-Busch 122.895
#2-Keselowski 122.722
#11-Hamlin 122.649
#6-Kenseth 122.588
the rest of the top 24: 20 9 18 1 10 12 88 78 51 4 42 17 21 22 48 24 31 34 37
out of the top 24 and not advancing to round 2: 14 43 38 3 32 47 13 15 95 72 96 52 23 00 99 66
Drivers who will miss the race: none, 40 entered
(9-21-2018)
Friday Richmond Raceway Notebook: Can Kyle Busch finally get a breakthrough fall victory at Richmond? Alon Day hopes to impress in first NASCAR start on an oval; Short Strokes.[More](9-21-2018)
Hendrick talking to Lowe’s about possible return in limited role UPDATE: Hendrick Motorsports is continuing to try to find sponsorship for its No. 48 Chevy driven by Jimmie Johnson next season, and there are signs emerging that the team has a couple worthwhile leads that are developing.(9-14-2018)
UPDATE: Lowe’s says they will not reconsider their decision to step away from the sport next season.[More](9-14-2018)
Happy Hour (final) practice for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway is over, after 50 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#2-Keselowski120.224
#78-Truex Jr. 120.133
#3-ADillon 119.458
#13-TDillon 119.390
#31-Newman 119.305
best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 36 drivers): #19-Suarez 118.141
slowest: #66-Hill 112.122
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Happy Hour Practice speeds page (pdf) (9-21-2018)
First practice for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway is over, after 50 scheduled minutes, the top-five, slowest and notes:
#18-Busch 121.190
#10-Almirola 120.968
#20-Jones 120.697
#13-Dillon 120.514
#47-Allmendinger 120.273
most laps run: 58, #88-Bowman
best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 29 drivers): #18-Busch
slowest: #66-Hill 110.240
notes: Some drivers struggled during the session, missing pit road entrance, due to the reconfiguration at the track. #78-Truex suffered a flat tire early but suffered no damage to his car.
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the First Practice speeds (pdf) (9-21-2018)
Las Vegas TV ratings UPDATE: NBCSN earned a 1.3 overnight rating for Sunday’s race from Las Vegas Motor Speedway.(9-17-2018)
UPDATE: Last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Las Vegas earned a 1.3 rating and 2.14 million viewers on NBCSN – down a tick in ratings and 7% in viewership from last year’s playoff opener on the same weekend (Chicagoland: 1.4, 2.31M).[More](9-21-2018)
Qualifying Order for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway is posted.
The first driver to be lined up on pit road will be #48-Johnson.
The final driver lined up on pit road will be #10-Almirola.
The order is set by a random draw, how cars park on pit road before they qualify, held about an hour before the first practice.
After the first round, the cars lined up by speed.
For the qualifying order, see the Qualifying Order page (pdf).(9-21-2018)
Hooters extends sponsorship of Chase Elliott: Hooters has extended its primary sponsorship of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 9 Chevy driven by Chase Elliott, maintaining a deal that the restaurant chain has begun leveraging heavily. The extension is for three seasons (through ’21) and it will see a slight uptick in the investment to HMS by Hooters, which will go from two to three primary sponsorships on the No. 9 annually.[More](9-21-2018)
Christopher Bell Gains Upper Hand in NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff Victory at Richmond: A short run at the end of Friday night’s GoBowling.com 250 was just what pole winner Christopher Bell needed to charge into the second round of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs. In a race that saw regular-season champion Justin Allgaier end his night with a hard crash into the Turn 3 wall with 24 laps left, and in a race that saw Dale Earnhardt Jr. lead the most laps in his only scheduled race of 2018, Bell surged past race leader Matt Tifft after a restart on Lap 237 of 250 and pulled away to beat Ross Chastain to the finish line by .566 seconds.[More](9-21-2018)
Bell wins Richmond International Raceway XFINITY race: #20-Christopher Bell won the Go Bowling 250 at Richmond for his 6th career win and 5th of the season. The win moves him on to the NASCAR XFINITY Series Playoffs Round of 8.
#42-Chastain, making his final scheduled start in for Chip Ganassi, finished second, followed by #21-Daniel Hemric, #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr., #2-Matt Tifft, #1-Elliott Sadler, #9-Tyler Reddick, #19-Brandon Jones, #3-Shane Lee, and #16-Ryan Reed.
There were 5 cautions for 40 laps and 11 lead changes among 5 leaders.
The average speed was 91.364mph.
Complete results are on the Richmond race results page (pdf).(9-21-2018)
Race stage winners:
Stage 1 – lap 75 – Winner, #21-Daniel Hemric
Stage 2 – lap 150 – Winner, #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Stage 3 – lap 250 – Race winner, #20-Christopher Bell
Richmond XFINITY Race Fast Facts:
Christopher Bell won the 38th Annual GoBowling 250, his sixth victory in 35 NASCAR Xfinity Series races.
This is his fifth victory and 17th top-10 finish in 2018.
This is his second victory and third top-10 finish in three races at Richmond Raceway.
Ross Chastain (second) posted his first top-10 finish in eight races at Richmond Raceway. It is his eighth top-10 finish in 2018.
Daniel Hemric (third) posted his third top-10 finish in four races at Richmond Raceway.
Alex Labbe (21st) was the highest finishing rookie.
Christopher Bell leads the point standings by 28 points over Daniel Hemric.
(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(9-21-2018)
XFINITY Driver standings following Richmond:
1) #20-Christopher Bell, Richmond win
2) #21-Daniel Hemric, 2062
3) #7-Justin Allgaier 2056
4) #4-Ross Chastain, 2053
5) #1-Elliott Sadler, 2051
6) #2-Matt Tifft, 2047
7) #9-Tyler Reddick 2046
8) #19-Brandon Jones, 2035
Currently outside the top 8 to advance to the next round:
9) #00-Cole Custer, 2035
10) #11-Ryan Truex, 2033
11) #12-Austin Cindric, 2028
12) #16-Ryan Reed, 2027
See complete owner and driver standings on the driver standings(pdf) and owner standings page (pdf).(9-21-2018)
Free Pass – Who got a lap back on each caution: (and their finish)
Caution 1: #52-Starr, 20th
Caution 2: #23-Gallagher, 12th
Caution 3: #90-Diaz, 19th
Caution 4: #39-Sieg, 17th
Caution 5: #18-Preece, 18th
(9-21-2018)
Christopher Bell on XFINITY pole at Richmond: #20-Christopher Bell won the Busch pole for the Go Bowling 250 at Richmond International Raceway with a speed of 118.990mph.
#88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will start second. The rest of the top 10: #42-Ross Chastain, #00-Cole Custer, #7-Justin Allgaier, #21-Daniel Hemric, #11-Ryan Truex, #3-Shane Lee, #19-Brandon Jones, and #2-Matt Tifft.
Did Not Qualify: None.
The starting lineup is posted on the Richmond International Raceway starting lineup page (pdf).(9-21-2018)
Richmond XFINITY Qualifying Notes:
Christopher Bell (P) won the Pole Award for the 38th Annual GoBowling 250 with a lap of 22.691 seconds, 118.990 mph.
This is his fifth pole in 35 NASCAR Xfinity Series races.
This is his fourth pole and 19th top-10 start in 2018.
This is his first pole in three races at Richmond Raceway.
Dale Earnhardt Jr (second) posted his first top-10 start of 2018 and his seventh in eight races at Richmond Raceway.
Ross Chastain (P) (third) posted his first top-10 start at Richmond Raceway. It is his third in 27 races this season.
Alex Labbe (19th) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(9-21-2018)
Obaika Racing to make 2018 XFINITY debut at Charlotte: Next weekend, when NASCAR runs the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval for the first time, Obaika Racing and driver Tanner Berryhill will be running their first race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Berryhill will pilot the No. 97 Chevrolet Camaro with African companies Brand South Africa and VroomBrands on board as co-primary sponsors in the Drive for the Cure 200[More](9-21-2018)
Custer paces final XFINITY practice: #00-Cole Custer was quickest in the rain delayed final practice at Richmond with a speed of 119.798mph. Practice lasted less than 10 minutes after a rain shower passed through before the scheduled start.
#21-Daniel Hemric was second, followed by: #42-Ross Chastain, #11-Ryan Truex, #3-Shane Lee, #7-Justin Allgaier, #2-Matt Tifft, #1-Elliott Sadler, #23-Spencer Gallagher, and #9-Tyler Reddick.
See complete results on the Richmond practice 2 speeds page (pdf).(9-21-2018)
Bell fastest in opening XFINITY practice: #20-Christopher Bell was fastest during opening practice at Richmond with a speed of 120.854mph.
The rest of the top 10: #00-Cole Custer, #19-Brandon Jones, #60-Ty Majeski, #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr., #2-Matt Tifft, #21-Daniel Hemric, #11-Ryan Truex, #3-Shane Lee, and #23-Spencer Gallagher.
See complete results on the Richmond practice 1 speeds page (pdf).(9-21-2018)
Go Bowling renews sponsorship of Richmond XFINITY race:Richmond Raceway announces an extension of its relationship with the bowling industry as Go Bowling will return as the entitlement sponsor for the fall NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race in 2019. The Go Bowling 250, set for Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, marks the start of the 2019 NXS Playoff.[More](9-12-2018)
Bar Harbor Foods, Sea Watch International to sponsor Dover XFINITY race: Dover International Speedway and Sea Watch International have reached an agreement for Bar Harbor® Foods to serve as the entitlement sponsor for the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff race on Saturday, Oct. 6, track and Sea Watch officials announced today. The “Bar Harbor® 200” presented by Sea Watch International NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff race (3 p.m., NBCSN) will be the third playoff race in the seven-race NASCAR Xfinity Series postseason, and the first elimination race for the 12-driver playoff field. Four drivers will have their playoff dreams ended after 200 laps around the world’s fastest one-mile concrete oval.[More](9-21-2018)
Sherry Pollex, DeAngelo Williams named honorary pace car drivers at Charlotte: Two of the nation’s foremost advocates of the fight against cancer will serve as dignitaries for the inaugural Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 race weekend Sept. 28-30 on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL™. Sherry Pollex, an ovarian cancer survivor and the longtime partner of defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., will serve as honorary pace car driver for the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 on Sept. 30. DeAngelo Williams, a former Pro Bowl running back for the Carolina Panthers, will be the honorary pace car driver for the Drive for the Cure 200 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina on Sept. 29 to raise awareness for the fight against breast cancer. [More](9-21-2018)
Richmond Raceway unveils 21-foot Eternal Fan Piston: Before the start of Richmond Raceway’s (Richmond) first-ever NASCAR Playoff Race Weekend, presented by Who’s Your Driver, the track welcomed the installation of the world’s largest piston near the Frontstretch gate. The 21-foot tall Eternal Fan Piston was installed for fans to secure their precious objects and memories for future generations. The Eternal Fan Piston is a permanent place for race fans to secure items that remind them of their favorite memories at America’s Premier Short Track.[More](9-21-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 20, 2018
Richmond Raceway Weekend Preview: Richmond is a Cup Playoff race for the first time; XFINITY Playoffs kick off Friday night.[More](9-20-2018)
Jimmie Johnson’s Homestead scheme unveiled: As the 2018 season comes to a close, the No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will harken back to the very beginning of the Lowe’s era. In the penultimate race of the year, Jimmie Johnson will drive the very first paint scheme he ever piloted with Lowe’s, the “Power of Pride” car.[More](9-20-2018)
NASCAR President Brent Dewar moves to new role, Phelps named President: NASCAR today announced that Steve Phelps has been named NASCAR President, effective October 1, 2018. Brent Dewar has elected to step down and will remain with the company through the end of the 2018 racing season, transitioning to a senior consulting and advisory role in 2019. Phelps will assume the duties held by Dewar and will report to Jim France, NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. As President, Phelps will have responsibility over all competition and business operations for the sanctioning body. [More](9-20-2018)
Legge racing with Bubba Burger at Richmond: Sports car veteran Katherine Legge is returning to NASCAR – and bringing BUBBA Burger along for the ride. JD Motorsports with Gary Keller announced Thursday that BUBBA Burger will sponsor Legge’s No. 15 Chevrolet in Friday’s GoBowling 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Richmond Raceway in Virginia.[More](9-20-2018)
ISM Raceway offering new food and beverage options: ISM Raceway unveiled a series of enhanced food and beverage offerings located throughout the new grandstand mezzanine as part of the ISM Raceway Project Powered by DC Solar. Fans will get a first taste of these new offerings at Opening Weekend on November 9, 10 and 11 featuring the Can-Am 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Semi-Final race. These new convenient locations will feature expanded beverage and menu choices, and more social settings for restaurant and bar service.[More](9-20-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
A look at many news, notes and story lines for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond, see the stats on the NASCAR National Series News & Notes — Richmond Raceway
Richmond Goodyear Tire Notes See complete tire information for the race weekend across all series on the [Goodyear Tire Notes – Richmond Racewaypage.(9-19-2018)
Richard Petty Motorsports and World Wide Technology add Richmond to schedule: Richard Petty Motorsports and World Wide Technology (WWT), a market-leading technology solution provider, announced today that WWT will be the primary sponsor of Bubba Wallace and the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team this weekend at the Richmond (Va.) Raceway. WWT is the official Technology and Analytics Partner of Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM). WWT will pick up the additional race to support the team, now sponsoring three of the final nine races of the season.[More](9-19-2018)
ARRIS considering second sponsorship next season: In addition to honoring their contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, they would continue to support Daniel Suarez at some level.[More](9-19-2018)
Matt Tifft penalized after Las Vegas race: #2-Matt Tifft was penalized with the lost of 10 driver and 10 owner points after his car failed pre-race inspection 4 times.(9-19-2018)
ISC announces comprehensive ticket and travel protection program:International Speedway Corporation announced the implementation of a comprehensive ticket and travel protection program with the ISC Weather Protection Program and TicketGuardian, both initiatives that will provide safeguards to guests when planning and attending NASCAR events.[More](9-19-2018)
Richmond Raceway dedicates rooms in Virginia Business Systems Media Center: Richmond Raceway has honored three individuals who have had a long-term impact on motorsports in the RVA region with room dedications in the new Virginia Business Systems Media Center. Veteran Richmond Times-Dispatch motorsports journalist Randy Hallman was honored with the Randy Hallman Deadline Room, long-time award-winning track photographer John Harrelson was recognized with the John Harrelson Photo Room, and former Richmond PR Director Kenneth Campbell was remembered with the dedication of the Kenneth Campbell PR Office.[More](9-19-2018)
Richmond Raceway unveils Garage Walk of Honor Richmond Raceway announced the new Garage Walk of Honor in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series garages to honor the history and legends of the track and Racing Virginia. The new feature will debut for fans for the grand opening of the DC Solar FanGrounds, as part of Richmond Raceway Reimagined’s $30 million infield redevelopment project. The new Garage Walk of Honor unveiled the first four wall placements for friends and family of some of the icons of motorsports in the Commonwealth, along with local media, at Richmond today. The inaugural walls honored Richmond’s founder Paul Sawyer, NASCAR Hall of Famers Joe Weatherly, Curtis Turner, Wendell Scott, and Glen and Leonard Wood, and local legends Ray Hendrick and Junie Donlavey.[More](9-19-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 18, 2018
A look at some of the top statistical performers and top-10 driver ratings at Richmond, see the stats on the Statistical Advance – Analyzing Richmond Raceway page
Entry List for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway is posted, 40 teams/drivers [for 40 spots] are listed.
Some of the drivers entered include: #00-Gase, #6-Kenseth, #23-Day, #51-TBA, #52-TBA, #66-Hill, #72-LaJoie, #95-Smith, #99-Cassill.
Since only 40 cars are entered, all drivers will make the race.
See the full entry list on the Entry List (pdf)
NASCAR Xfinity Series Media Day Notebook: Justin Allgaier is wary of potential pitfalls as NASCAR Xfinity Playoffs begin; Brief stint in NASCAR’s fastest lane has helped Cole Custer; Xfinity Playoff schedule couldn’t be better for Christopher Bell.[More](9-18-2018)
XFINITY Entry List: There are 41 cars on the preliminary entry list for Friday’s Go Bowling 250 at Richmond International Raceway.
See the complete list on the Richmond International Raceway entry list page.
Larry’s Hard Lemonade Joins Sieg at Richmond: RSS Racing is pleased to welcome Larry’s Hard Lemonade as the primary sponsor for the #39 car at Richmond Raceway this weekend. This is a new company to join RSS Racing as well as the NASCAR XFINITY Series.[More](9-18-2018)
“The Walking Dead” actor Tom Payne to serve as honorary starter at Kansas: Tom Payne, who can currently be seen as Jesus Monroe in AMC’s record-breaking hit series, The Walking Dead, has been named as the honorary starter for the Oct. 21 Hollywood Casino 400, the elimination race for the second round of the Monster Energy NASCAR playoffs.[More](9-18-2018)
Talladega’s Saturday pre-race pass gives fans up-close access for Cup, Truck prep: Fans’ accessibility for Talladega Superspeedway’s NASCAR Playoff weekend just got even better with the introduction of the new Saturday Pre-Race Pass, which will allow them to witness the action and a host of morning activities from “pit alley,” a designated fenced area behind pit road, for both the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) on Saturday, Oct. 13.[More](9-18-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 17, 2018
Las Vegas TV ratings NBCSN earned a 1.3 overnight rating for Sunday’s race from Las Vegas Motor Speedway.[More](9-17-2018)
Alon Day to drive for BK Racing at Richmond Raceway: Alon Day, the first driver from Israel to ever compete in NASCAR’S top series, will make his 2018 Cup Series debut on September 22 in the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway. Day will be driving the BK Racing No. 23 Best Bully Sticks Toyota Camry.[More](9-17-2018)
Las Vegas TV commercial breakdown: For those of you NASCAR fans that like stats and love to hate commercials, here is the breakdown for Sunday’s race.[More](9-17-2018)
Virginia Governor named honorary pace car driver at Richmond:Richmond Raceway (Richmond) announces Governor Ralph Northam as the Honorary Pace Car Driver for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on Saturday, Sept. 22. The 73rd Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia will be behind-the-wheel of the Official Toyota Camry Pace Car with the field of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers in his rearview mirror.[More](9-17-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 16, 2018
Sunday Las Vegas Notebook: Late cautions foil Kyle Larson’s winning chances at Las Vegas; Jimmie Johnson finds speed in Vegas but can’t shake bad luck; Austin Dillon is a survivor in war of attrition in the desert.[More](9-16-2018)
Gene Haas says team continues search for No. 41 driver: Stewart-Haas Racing owner Gene Haas said Sunday that the team continues to search for a driver for the No. 41 car and that he does not view moving up SHR Xfinity driver Cole Custer as a viable option at this time. Haas said the team is not ready to sign any driver.[More](9-16-2018)
Brad Keselowski wins a Vegas race that trips up most Playoff contenders: In a war of attrition that caused a multitude of problems for the majority of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff contenders, Brad Keselowski emerged unscathed with his third straight victory in the series and the 500th triumph for Team Penske in all forms of racing combined. Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Playoff opener for NASCAR’s foremost series, went to overtime, lasting five laps longer than the scheduled 267. But Keselowski held the top spot through three tension-laden restarts to beat runner-up Kyle Larson to the finish line by 1.276 seconds on the final two-lap shootout.[More](9-16-2018)
Team Penske earns 500th all-time win: The most successful organization in the history of motorsports added another chapter to its legacy today as Team Penske earned its 500th all-time race victory. Brad Keselowski captured the checkered flag at today’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to record the landmark victory for the organization. Led by “The Captain” Roger Penske, Team Penske was formed in 1966 after Roger Penske walked away from his promising career as a race car driver to focus on his developing automotive business and forming his own race team. Team Penske won the very first race it entered – the 1966 Daytona 24-hour sports car race – and it’s continued winning ever since.[More](9-16-2018)
Brad Keselowski won the South Point 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in an Overtime finish. The win is his 3rd consecutive win of 2018, 3rd win at Las Vegas and 27th career win.
#42-Larson finished 2nd followed by #78-Truex, Jr., #22-Logano, #12-Blaney, #10-Almirola, #18-Busch, #19-Suarez, #31-Newman, and #21-Menard.
A number of Playoff drivers had problems during the race.
Pole winner #20-Jones was caught in an accident on lap 147 when #4 Harvick lost a tire and got into the wall. Jones had nowhere to go and ran into the back of Harvick. Harvick finished 39th, Jones 40th.
#9-Elliott was also eliminated from the race early. He finished 36th after contact following a spin by #1-McMurray on lap 211.
#18-Busch slid into the infield grass with 35 laps remaining. He lost a lap, but later got the free pass. He rebounded to finish 7th.
#11-Hamlin spun off turn 4 and into the infield grass with 21 laps left. He could not continue and finished 32nd.
#48-Johnson and #14-Bowyer made contact with less than 10 laps to go. Both drivers had to pit. Johnson finished 22nd, #14-Bowyer 23rd.
#88-Bowman also had a tire go down late and finished 19th.
#41-Busch was caught in an accident with 2 laps remaining and brought out a red flag for track cleanup and led to an overtime finish. He ended up 21st.
Stage 1 was won by #78-Truex, Jr., finished 3rd.
Stage 2 was won by #2-Keselowski.
There were 23 lead changes among 9 drivers and 12 cautions for 59 yellow flag laps.
The average speed of the race was: 111.849mph.
See unofficial race results, awards, laps led, cautions and more at:
Unofficial Race Results (pdf)
Cumulative Report (pdf)
Penalty Report (pdf)
Where the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Playoff drivers finished at Las Vegas:
#2-Brad Keselowski, 1st
#42-Kyle Larson, 2nd
#78-Martin Truex, Jr., 3rd
#22-Joey Logano, 4th
#12-Ryan Blaney, 5th
#10-Aric Almirola, 6th
#18-Kyle Busch, 7th
#3-Austin Dillon, 11th
#88-Alex Bowman, 19th
#41-Kurt Busch, 21st
#48-Jimmie Johnson, 22nd
#14-Clint Bowyer, 23rd
#11-Denny Hamlin, 32nd
#9-Chase Elliott, 36th
#4-Kevin Harvick, 39th
#20-Erik Jones, 40th
Race Fast Facts – Las Vegas
Crew Chief: Paul Wolfe
Brad Keselowski (P) won the Inaugural South Point 400, his 27th victory in 332 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series races.
This is his third victory and 15th top-10 finish in 2018.
This is his third victory and seventh top-10 finish in 11 races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Kyle Larson (P) (second) posted his fourth top-10 finish in six races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It is his 15th top-10 finish in 2018.
Martin Truex Jr. (P) (third) posted his sixth top-10 finish in 14 races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
William Byron (37th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Martin Truex Jr. (P) leads the point standings by 2 points over Kyle Busch (P).
(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(9-16-2018)
2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings:
[after Las Vegas – race 1 of 3 in the Round of 16, 1 of 10 in the Playoffs]
1) #2-Brad Keselowski, Las Vegas win
2) #78-Martin Truex Jr., 2087
3) #18-Kyle Busch, 2085
4) #4-Kevin Harvick, 2060
5) #22-Joey Logano, 2056
6) #41-Kurt Busch, 2046
7) #12-Ryan Blaney, 2042
8) #42-Kyle Larson, 2041
9) #10-Aric Almirola, 2034
10) #3-Austin Dillon, 2031
11) #14-Clint Bowyer, 2029
12) #88-Alex Bowman, 2028
Currently outside the top 12 to advance to the next round:
13) #48-Jimmie Johnson, 2022
14) #9-Chase Elliott, 2019
15) #20-Erik Jones, 2009
16) #11-Denny Hamlin, 2008
See the Unofficial Drivers Points Standings page (pdf) and Unofficial Owners Points Standings page (pdf)
Top-Ten Stage 2 Results (lap 160) of the South Point 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (lap 160/267):
#2-Keselowski, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#41-Busch, 9pts
#78-Truex, Jr., 8pts
#48-Johnson, 7pts
#1-McMurray, 6pts
#22-Logano, 5pts
#9-Elliott, 4pts
#12-Blaney, 3pt
#88-Bowman, 2pts
#42-Larson, 1pt
Top-Ten Stage 1 Results (lap 80) of the South Point 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (lap 80/267):
#78-Truex, Jr., 10pts, 1 playoff point
#4-Harvick, 9pts
#88-Bowman, 8pts
#41-Busch, 7pts
#9-Elliott, 6pts
#18-Busch, 5pts
#22-Logano, 4pts
#20-Jones, 3pts
#10-Almirola, 2pts
#31-Newman, 1 pt
Lucky Dogs, drivers that got a lap back during the cautions (and their finish):
Caution 1: #47-Allmendinger, 14th
Caution 2: #21-Menard, 10th
Caution 3: #37-Buescher, 15th
Caution 4: #95-Smith, 12th
Caution 5: #43-Wallace, 38th
Caution 6: #72-LaJoie, 16th
Caution 7: #00-Cassill, 18th
Caution 8: #15-Chastain, 20th
Caution 9: #18-Busch, 7th
Caution 10: #15-Chastain (2), 20th
Caution 11: #23-Yeley, 17th
Caution 12: #88-Bowman, 19th
Newman announces he is leaving RCR UPDATE: He says he intends to compete full-time in Cup in 2019 and beyond, but it not ready to announce his plans yet.(9-15-2018)
UPDATE: Richard Childress Racing says a new driver will be announced for the No. 31 “in the near future”.[More](9-16-2018)
Indianapolis TV ratings UPDATE: NBCSN earned 1.24 million viewers for Monday’s postponed Brickyard 400.(9-13-2018)
UPDATE: Last year’s race, which ran as scheduled in July, had 5.63 million on the NBC broadcast network. Earlier in the day, the delayed Xfinity Series race from the same track had 474,000.[More](9-16-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 15, 2018
Saturday Las Vegas Notebook: Alex Bowman’s rookie joke prompts a “serious” question; Kyle Larson sings the praises of departing teammate; Short strokes.[More](9-15-2018)
Newman announces he is leaving RCR: Ryan Newman announced his departure from RCR but did not announce further plans, as he is currently weighing his options to remain in the Cup Series. [More](9-15-2018)
Kenseth may return for partial schedule: Roush Fenway Racing is still plotting sponsor, driver lineup for 2019; could include a return by Matt Kenseth.[More](9-15-2018)
Happy Hour (final) practice for the South Point 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is over, after 50 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#20-Jones 181.251
#12-Blaney 181.238
#88-Bowman 181.202
#2-Keselowski 181.099
#31-Newman 180.777
best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 30 drivers): #20-Jones
slowest: #51-McLeod 168.135
notes: There were three 15-minute holds for failing pre-qualifying inspection twice; the #7, #21, and #47.
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Happy Hour Practice speeds page (pdf) (9-15-2018)
First Saturday practice for the South Point 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is over, after 50 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#31-Newman 183.892
#12-Blaney 183.268
#10-Almirola 183.194
#24-Byron 183.107
#19-Suarez 182.822
best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 19 drivers): #14-Bowyer 181.010
slowest: #40-Timmy Hill 167.240
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Second Practice speeds page (pdf) (9-15-2018)
Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the South Point 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway have been made.
With 40 cars running, pit stalls 43, 42, 41 are not in use.
Pole winner #20-Jones chose pit stall 1, the first stall available [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole winner #22-Logano. took pit stall 15, with an opening in front of it.
#11-Hamlin, who starts 3rd, took the 31st stall, with an opening in front of it.
The final pit stall was taken by #4-Harvick, who starts 5th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on Jayski.com’s Pit Stall Selection chart.(9-15-2018)
Ross Chastain scores career-changing victory at Las Vegas: Two weeks ago at Darlington, Ross Chastain showcased his potential in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, leading 90 laps before falling out of the race in a dust-up with veteran Kevin Harvick. In Saturday’s DC Solar 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his second trip in Ganassi’s car, Chastain closed the deal, surviving three restarts in the final 20 laps to earn his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in his 132nd start. Chastain led 180 of 200 laps and swept the first two stages at the 1.5-mile track. To cement the victory, he held of five-time winner Justin Allgaier, who clinched the regular-season championship and accompanying 15-Playoff-point bonus after finishing fifth in Stage 2. [More](9-15-2018)
Chastain wins Las Vegas Motor Speedway XFINITY race: #42-Ross Chastain won the DC Solar 300 at Las Vegas for his first career win.
#7-Justin Allgaier finished second, followed by#00-Cole Custer, #20-Christopher Bell, #1-Elliott Sadler, #18-Ryan Preece, #19-Brandon Jones, #11-Ryan Truex, #22-Austin Cindric, and #23-Spencer Gallagher.
There were eight cautions for 40 laps and 11 lead changes among four leaders.
The average speed was 119.258 mph.
Complete results are on the Las Vegas race results page (pdf).(9-15-2018)
Race stage winners:
Stage 1 – lap 45 – Winner, #42-Ross Chastain
Stage 2 – lap 90 – Winner, #42-Ross Chastain
Stage 3 – lap 200 – Race winner, #42-Ross Chastain
Las Vegas XFINITY Race Fast Facts:
Ross Chastain won the Inaugural DC Solar 300, his first victory in 132 NASCAR XFINITY Series races.
This is his first victory and seventh top-10 finish in 2018.
This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in five races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Justin Allgaier (second) posted his eighth top-10 finish in nine races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It is his 21st top-10 finish in 2018.
Cole Custer (third) posted his second top-10 finish in three races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Christopher Bell (fourth) was the highest finishing rookie.
Justin Allgaier leads the point standings by 44 points overCole Custer.
(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(9-15-2018)
XFINITY Driver standings following Las Vegas:
1) #7-Justin Allgaier 2039 [5 wins, 4 can be used for playoffs]
2) #20-Christopher Bell, 2032, -7 [4 wins]
3) #1-Elliott Sadler, 2011, -28
4) #00-Cole Custer, 2011 -28
5) #9-Tyler Reddick 2010, -29 [1 win]
6) #4-Ross Chastain, 2010, -29 [1 win]
7) #21-Daniel Hemric, 2010, -29
8) #19-Brandon Jones, 2006, -33
9) #2-Matt Tifft, 2003, -36
10) #11-Ryan Truex, 2003, -36
11) #12-Austin Cindric, 2001, -38
12) #16-Ryan Reed, 2000, -39,
missed the playoffs:
13) #5-Michael Annett, 496
14) #51-Jeremy Clements, 472
See complete owner and driver standings on the driver standings(pdf) and owner standings page (pdf).(9-15-2018)
Free Pass – Who got a lap back on each caution: (and their finish)
Caution 1: #2-Tifft, 36th
Caution 2: #39-Sieg, 12th
Caution 3: none
Caution 4: #51-Clements, 13th
Caution 5: #35-Gase, 15th
Caution 6: #38-Yeley, 11th
Caution 7: #39-Sieg, 12th
Caution 8: #51-Clements, 13th
(9-15-2018)
Custer on XFINITY pole at Las Vegas: #00-Cole Custer won the Busch pole for the DC Solar 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a speed of 179.295mph. #22-Austin Cindric will start second. The rest of the top 10: #1-Elliott Sadler, #20-Christopher Bell, #42-Ross Chastain, #3-Shane Lee, #9-Tler Reddick, #7-Justin Allgaier, #5-Michael Annett, and #39-Ryan Sieg.
Did Not Qualify: None.
The starting lineup is posted on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway starting lineup page (pdf).(9-15-2018)
Las Vegas XFINITY Qualifying Notes:
Cole Custer won the Pole Award for the Inaugural DC Solar 300 with a lap of 30.118 seconds, 179.295 mph.
This is his fifth pole in 64 NASCAR XFINITY Series races.
This is his fifth pole and 21st top-10 start in 2018.
This is his first pole in three races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Austin Cindric (second) posted his 14th top-10 start of 2018 and his first in two races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Elliott Sadler (third) posted his seventh top-10 start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It is his 18th in 26 races this season.
Austin Cindric (second) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(9-15-2018)
Talladega releasing the bat-signal for Kids Movie Night: The Lego Batman Movie headlines Kids Movie Night on Saturday, Oct. 13, during the track’s doubleheader NASCAR Playoff weekend. [More](9-15-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 14, 2018
Erik Jones takes the pole for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Playoff opener: Before Friday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series knockout qualifying session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Erik Jones considered himself a sleeper entering the first race of the Playoffs. That was before the driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota announced his presence by winning the pole for Sunday’s opening postseason race, the South Point 400. Jones toured the 1.5-mile intermediate speedway in 28.705 seconds (188.121 mph) to earn his first Busch Pole Award of the season and the second of his career by .003 seconds over Team Penske driver Joey Logano (188.101 mph). [More](9-14-2018)
Erik Jones won the Busch pole for the South Point 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with speed of 188.121mph for his 1st pole of 2018, 1st at Las Vegas and 2nd of his career.
#22-Logano will start 2nd followed by #11-Hamlin, #18-Busch, #4-Harvick, #12-Blaney, #9-Elliott, #41-Busch, #88-Bowman, #78-Truex, Jr., #42-Larson, and #1-McMurray.
#20-Jones was fastest in the second round with a speed of 187.911mph.
#4-Harvick was quickest in the first round with a speed of 188.778mph, will start 5th.
Driver(s) who will miss the race: none as 40 were entered for 40 spots
See round-by-round qualifying results on the Qualifying results page (pdf) and the complete starting lineup on the Starting Lineup page (pdf).(9-14-2018)
Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Qualifying Fast Facts:
Erik Jones (P) won the Busch Pole Award Pole Award for the Inaugural South Point 400 with a lap of 28.705 seconds, 188.121 mph.
This is his second pole in 66 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and 17th top-10 start in 2018.
This is his first pole in three races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Joey Logano (P) (second) posted his 18th top-10 start of 2018 and his ninth in 11 races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Denny Hamlin (P) (third) posted his third top-10 start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It is his 19th in 27 races this season.
William Byron (21st) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Statistics)(9-14-2018)
First Round of Qualifying for the South Point 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is over, after 15 scheduled minutes.
#4-Harvick 188.778
#22-Logano 188.699
#88-Bowman 188.258
#42-Larson 187.990
#14-Bowyer 187.963
the rest of the top 24: 10 12 20 48 2 3 24 41 21 31 11 6 19 1 17 78 9 34 18
out of the top 24 and not advancing to round 2: 95 32 38 37 47 13 43 72 99 15 96 23 00 51 66 7
Drivers who will miss the race: none, 40 entered
(9-14-2018)
Friday Las Vegas Notebook: Justin Allgaier not taking any of this season’s successes for granted; Kyle Larson’s special paint scheme honors the victims of the 2017 Las Vegas concert tragedy; Team Penske announces new sponsorship with MoneyLion.[More](9-14-2018)
Friday practice for the South Point 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is over, after 50 scheduled minutes, the top-five, slowest and notes:
#22-Logano 189.653
#4-Harvick 189.460
#10-Almirola 188.864
#20-Jones 188.640
#41-Busch 188.140
most laps run: #13-Dillon, 18 laps
best 10 consecutive lap avg: $43-Wallace 178.333. He was the only driver to run 10 consecutive laps.
slowest: #7-Sorenson 172.117, #66-Hill 170.702
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the First Practice speeds (pdf) (9-8-2018)
Qualifying Order for the South Point 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is posted.
The first driver to be lined up on pit road will be #21-Menard.
The final driver lined up on pit road will be #95-Smith
The order is set by a random draw, how cars park on pit road before they qualify, held about an hour before the first practice.
After the first round, the cars lined up by speed.
For the qualifying order, see the Qualifying Order page (pdf).(9-14-2018)
Hendrick talking to Lowe’s about possible return in limited role:Hendrick Motorsports is continuing to try to find sponsorship for its No. 48 Chevy driven by Jimmie Johnson next season, and there are signs emerging that the team has a couple worthwhile leads that are developing.[More](9-14-2018)
Reddick paces final XFINITY practice: #9-Tyler Reddick was quickest in final practice at Las Vegas with a speed of 176.696mph.
#42-Ross Chastain was second, followed by: #00-Cole Custer, #1-Elliott Sadler, #21-Daniel Hemric, #18-Ryan Preece, #20-Christopher Bell, #2-Matt Tifft, #16-Ryan Reed, and #7-Justin Allgaier.
See complete results on the Las Vegas practice 2 speeds page (pdf).(9-14-2018)
Tifft fastest in opening XFINITY practice: #2-Matt Tifft was fastest during opening practice at Las Vegas with a speed of 177.614mph.
The rest of the top 10: #1-Elliott Sadler, #7-Justin Allgaier, #21-Daniel Hemric, #42-Ross Chastain, #00-Cole Custer, #22-Austin Cindric, #20-Christopher Bell, #19-Brandon Jones, and #16-Ryan Reed.
See complete results on the Las Vegas practice 1 speeds page (pdf).(9-14-2018)
MoneyLion joins Penske for four races: MoneyLion announces its partnership with Team Penske in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. MoneyLion will serve as primary of Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford Mustang in Las Vegas, Richmond, Charlotte, and Homestead.[More](9-14-2018)
Grant Enfinger gets breakthrough NASCAR Truck Series win at Las Vegas: It took three overtimes for Grant Enfinger to get his first victory of the season, with a win that represented a giant leap in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs. In the second race of the postseason, Enfinger went from eighth in the Playoff standings to a guaranteed berth in the second round when he held off charging Johnny Sauter in the third overtime to win the World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by .142 seconds.[More](9-14-2018)
Enfinger wins Las Vegas: #98-Grant Enfinger took the lead following a final attempt at overtime to win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday night. The win was his first of the year and locked him in to the next round of the playoffs.
#21-Johnny Sauter, #24-Justin Haley, #41-Ben Rhodes, #88-Matt Crafton, #13-Myatt Snider, #15-Ross Chastain, #30-Austin Theriault, #22-Austin Wayne Self, and #54-Chris Eggleston were the top-10.
There were 11 caution flags for 47 laps and 21 lead changes among nine leaders.
See results on the Las Vegas race results page(9-14-2018)
Las Vegas Truck Series Race Fast Facts:
Grant Enfinger (P) won the 22nd Annual World of Westgate 200, his second victory in 55 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
This is his first victory and 13th top-10 finish in 2018.
This is his first victory and fourth top-10 finish in five races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Johnny Sauter (P) (second) posted his eighth top-10 finish in 11 races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It is his 15th top-10 finish in 2018.
Justin Haley (P) (third) posted his first top-10 finish in three races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Myatt Snider (sixth) was the highest finishing rookie.
Johnny Sauter (P) leads the point standings by 17 points over Noah Gragson (P).
(NASCAR Statistics) (9-14-2018)
Stage Information:
Stage 1 – 40, #18-Noah Gragson
Stage 2 – 80, #98-Grant Enfinger
Stage 3 – 134, #98-Grant Enfinger
Camping World Truck standings following Las Vegas:
Locked in on wins to the next round:
#24-Justin Haley, 2065, -16 [2 wins]
#98-Grant Enfinger, 2035, -46 [1 win]
Points
#21-Johnny Sauter, 2124 [5 wins]
#18-Noah Gragson, 2107, -17 [1 win]
#16-Brett Moffitt, 2102, – 22 [4 wins]
#88-Matt Crafton, 2091, -33
Would miss the next round:
#41-Ben Rhodes, 2084, -40
#52-Stewart Friesen, 2081, -43
See complete standings on Driver points standings page and the owner’s standings are posted on the Owner points standings page. (9-14-2018)
Free Pass – Who got a lap back on each caution at Las Vegas: (and their finish)
Caution 1: none
Caution 2: #10-Cobb, 12th
Caution 3: none
Caution 4: none
Caution 5: #10-Cobb, 12th
Caution 6: #83-Currey, 16th
Caution 7: #83-Currey, 16th
Caution 8: #52-Friesen, 17th
Caution 9: #18-Gragson, 18th
Caution 10: #52-Friesen, 17th
Caution 11: #18-Gragson, 18th
(9-14-2018)
Gragson on Truck pole at Las Vegas: Las Vegas native #18-Noah Gragson won the pole for Friday night’s World of Westgate 200 Camping World Truck Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a speed at 178.036mph. #52-Stewart Friesen, #98-Grant Enfinger, #54-Chris Eggleston, #46-Riley Herbst, #21-Johnny Sauter, #51-Brandon Jones, #8-John Hunter Nemechek, #16-Brett Moffitt, and #4-Todd Gilliland were the top-10.
Did not qualify: #12-Tate Fogleman, #33-JJ Yeley and #6-Norm Benning.
The starting lineup is posted on the Las Vegas starting lineup page(9-14-2018)
Premium seating upgrade options still available at Talladega Superspeedway: Take your pick! Whether it’s an up-close view of pit road or in a climate-controlled suite, fans can take in unique views of action-packed racing during Talladega Superspeedway’s doubleheader NASCAR Playoff weekend, Oct. 12-14, with one of many premium seating upgrade options such as the Paddock Club and Fan Suites (limited availability). Both are prime locations with various amenities for the 1000Bulbs.com 500 and the Talladega 250.[More](9-14-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 13, 2018
Thursday Media Day Notebook: Newfound speed has Kyle Larson optimistic for Playoff run; Austin Dillon tries to build a sinister alliance among young guns; Kurt Busch’s contract status for 2019 is still in limbo.[More](9-13-2018)
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Weekend Preview: Showtime for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs; Playoff Time Approaches for Xfinity; Round Two for Trucks.[More](9-13-2018)
A look at some of the top statistical performers and top-10 driver ratings at Las Vegas, see the stats on the Statistical Advance – Analyzing Las Vegas Motor Speedway page
Indianapolis TV ratings: NBCSN earned 1.24 million viewers for Monday’s postponed Brickyard 400.[More](9-13-2018)
American Soldier Network joins Jeffrey Earnhardt at Las Vegas:Xtreme Concepts has partnered with the American Soldier Network (ASN) for a special paint scheme at the Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway this weekend to raise awareness for suicide prevention. Joining Xtreme Concepts and ASN, and honoring fallen service members, is Tito Ortiz, UFC Hall of Famer and champion.[More](9-13-2018)
Cole Pearn expects to remain with Martin Truex, Jr. next season:Furniture Row Racing crew chief Cole Pearn indicated he and driver Martin Truex Jr. will stick together as they target a new ride for the 2019 season and beyond. The 2017 championship crew chief addressed his free-agent future Wednesday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.[More](9-13-2018)
Herbst fastest in final Las Vegas Truck practice: #46-Riley Herbst was fastest during final practice for Friday night’s World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a speed of 176.534mph. The rest of the top-10: #24-Justin Haley, #88-Matt Crafton, #13-Myatt Snider, #18-Noah Gragson, #54-Chris Eggleston, #8-John Hunter Nemechek, #21-Johnny Sauter, #25-Timothy Peters, and #4-Todd Gilliland. See complete results on the Practice 2 speeds (pdf)(9-13-2018)
Sauter fastest in opening Las Vegas Truck practice: #21-Johnny Sauter was fastest in the opening practice for Friday night’s World of Westgate 200 Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a speed of 175.718mph.
#13-Myatt Snider was second fastest, followed by #52-Stewart Friesen, #02-Austin Hill, #24-Justin Haley, #98-Grant Enfinger, #8-John Hunter Nemechek, #51-Brandon Jones, and #46-Riley Herbst.
See complete results on the Practice 1 speeds (pdf)(9-13-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 12, 2018
Trevor Bayne will not return to Roush Fenway Racing next season:Jack Roush told SiriusXM NASCAR that the team is in negotiations with other drivers to run the No. 6 in 2019.[More](9-12-2018)
A look at many news, notes and story lines for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas, see the stats on the NASCAR National Series News & Notes — Las Vegas Motor Speedway
NASCAR, race teams and Twitter unveil new hashtags and emojis for the Playoffs: To celebrate the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs™, NASCAR®, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™ race teams in collaboration with the Race Team Alliance and Twitter have unveiled customized hashtags and emojis for all 16 drivers competing for the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship™. For the first time, the Twitter hashtags and emojis will be displayed on the drivers’ race cars beginning with the NASCAR Playoffs kick-off race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway[More](9-12-2018)
Indianapolis Motor Speedway penalty announced: Daniel Suarez was penalized for failing pre-race inspection four times.[More](9-12-2018)
Xchange of America returns to sponsor Chastain: Premium Motorsports is thrilled to welcome back Xchange of America. The online currency exchange company sponsored multiple races as a primary sponsor throughout the 2017 season. They have returned to do it again starting with this weekend’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series ‘South Point 400’ at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Xchange of America will be the primary sponsor on the #15 Chevrolet Camaro for Ross Chastain.[More](9-12-2018)
Ryan Newman to Roush Fenway Racing? Newman has reportedly been exploring options with other teams, but could stay at RCR.[More](9-12-2018)
Autodesk to sponsor Custer: Autodesk will be the primary sponsor of the No. 00 Ford Mustang driven by Cole Custer and fielded by Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the Nov. 3 race at Texas Motor Speedway.[More](9-12-2018)
Grant Lynch to retire from Talladega Superspeedway next year:Grant Lynch, the jubilant, likeable and community-minded head of Talladega Superspeedway for the past 25 years, will have his swan song with the track’s recently announced Transformation – The Talladega Superspeedway Infield Project in the fall of 2019.[More](9-12-2018)
Richmond Raceway brings back iconic state of Virginia trophy:Richmond Raceway (Richmond) has brought back the iconic state of Virginia trophy for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race on Sept. 22. The new trophy returns the historic wooden shape of the Commonwealth as the main component of the piece.[More](9-12-2018)
Free wifi at Las Vegas’ Neon Garage: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is rolling out additional amenities for fans attending the NASCAR races during the South Point 400 weekend. Fans who have Neon Garage passes for the special interactive area in the 1.5-mile superspeedway’s infield will be treated to free wireless Internet all weekend. Once inside the Neon Garage, attendees will be able to connect their wireless devices into a network set up specifically for those pass-holders.[More](9-12-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 11, 2018
Kasey Kahne to sit out at least three more races: Kasey Kahne will continue to sit out from Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition this coming weekend in Las Vegas, as well as the upcoming series events at Richmond International Raceway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. This week the series travels west to Las Vegas Motor Speedway where temperatures for the weekend are projected to be around 100 degrees. The driver of the No. 95 Chevrolet with Leavine Family Racing continues to work with his physicians on a plan for his health.[More](9-11-2018)
Entry List for the South Point 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is posted, 40 teams/drivers [for 40 spots] are listed.
Some of the drivers entered include: #6-Bayne, #7-Sorenson, #23-Yeley, #51-McLeod, #66-Hill, #72-LaJoie, #96-Earnhardt, and #99-Weatherman.
Since only 40 cars are entered, all drivers will make the race.
See the full entry list on the Entry List (pdf)
Las Vegas Goodyear Tire Notes See complete tire information for the race weekend across all series on the Goodyear Tire Notes – Las Vegas Motor Speedway page.(9-11-2018)
Indianapolis TV commercial breakdown: For those of you NASCAR fans that like stats and love to hate commercials, here is the breakdown for Monday’s race.[More](9-11-2018)
XFINITY Entry List: There are 39 cars on the preliminary entry list for Saturday’s DC Solar 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
See the complete list on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway entry list page.
Truck Series entry list:There are 38 trucks entered for Friday night’s Stratosphere 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. See the complete list on the Las Vegas entry list page (pdf). (9-11-2018)
Moffitt’s Las Vegas scheme to recognize Childhood Cancer Awareness Month: Brett Moffitt will run a black and gold Toyota Tundra in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.[More](9-11-2018)
Austin Theriault returns to NASCAR action with On Point Motorsports: Officials from On Point Motorsports announced today that the 2017 ARCA Racing Series Champion, Austin Theriault, will pilot the team’s No. 30 Toyota Tundra in the upcoming NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race will mark the 12th career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start for Theriault and his return to the series for the first time since the 2016 season.[More](9-11-2018)
Richmond’s DC Solar FanGrounds to host driver appearances and more: As Richmond Raceway prepares for the grand opening race weekend of the DC Solar FanGrounds (FanGrounds), the track will now offer new fan experiences and amenities in the modernized infield. The DC Solar FanGrounds is part of Richmond Raceway Reimagined, the track’s $30-million infield redevelopment project that has been completed over the past year.[More](9-11-2018)
Hotel deals available for Talladega at DegaRooms.com: Before fans pack their bags for Talladega Superspeedway’s doubleheader NASCAR Playoff weekend, Oct. 12-14, they can avoid the stress of finding accommodations by booking through DegaRooms.com – Talladega’s official hotel reservation service. Don’t wait till the last minute, be sure to book early for best location options and pricing available.[More](9-11-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 10, 2018
Brad Keselowski executes late-race pass to win at Indy: It’s been a historical two weeks for Brad Keselowski. The No. 2 Ford driver executed a hard-nosed pass of Denny Hamlin with two laps remaining in Monday’s rain-delayed Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard to win his first race at prestigious Indianapolis Motor Speedway, one week after visiting Victory Lane in the “crown-jewel” Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Keselowski earned Team Penske its first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at the track to go with the storied organization’s 17 Indianapolis 500 trophies – including one this May. [More](9-10-2018)
Brad Keselowski won the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday afternoon. The win is his 2nd win of 2018, 1st win at Indianapolis and 26th career win. He took the lead on the final lap and pulled away for a win of nearly 1 second. The win is also Roger Penske’s first NASCAR win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
#20-Jones finished 2nd followed by #11-Hamlin, #4-Harvick, #14-Bowyer, #41-Busch, #1-McMurray, pole sitter #18-Busch, #21-Menard, and #31-Newman.
Stage 1 was won by #14-Bowyer, finished 5th.
Stage 2 was won by #6-Kenseth, finished 12th.
The race was the final one of the 2018 regular season. #18-Busch clinched the regular season championship. Drivers advancing to the Playoffs are: #18-Busch, #4-Harvick, #78-Truex, Jr., #2-Keselowski, #14-Bowyer, #22-Logano, #41-Busch, #9-Elliott, #12–Blaney, #20-Jones, #3-Dillon, #42-Larson, #11-Hamlin, #10-Almirola, #48-Johnson, #88-Bowman.
There were 14 lead changes among 9 drivers and 10 cautions for 39 yellow flag laps.
The average speed of the race was: 128.629mph.
See unofficial race results, awards, laps led, cautions and more at:
Unofficial Race Results (pdf)
Cumulative Report (pdf)
Penalty Report (pdf)
Race Fast Facts – Indianapolis
Brad Keselowski won the 25th Annual Big Machine Vodka 400 at The Brickyard, his 26th victory in 331 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races.
This is his second victory and 14th top-10 finish in 2018.
This is his first victory and fifth top-10 finish in nine races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Erik Jones (second) posted his first top-10 finish in two races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is his 14th top-10 finish in 2018.
Denny Hamlin (third) posted his seventh top-10 finish in 13 races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
William Byron (19th) was the highest finishing rookie.
(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(9-10-2018)
2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings:
[after Indianapolis, race 26 of 36]
1) #18-Kyle Busch, 2050
2) #4-Kevin Harvick, 2050
3) #78-Martin Truex Jr., 2035
4) #2-Brad Keselowski, 2019
5) #14-Clint Bowyer, 2015
6) #22-Joey Logano, 2014
7) #41-Kurt Busch, 2014
8) #9-Chase Elliott, 2008
9) #12-Ryan Blaney, 2007
10) #20-Erik Jones, 2005
11) #3-Austin Dillono, 2005
12) #42-Kyle Larson, 2005
13) #11-Denny Hamlin, 2003
14) #10-Aric Almirola, 2001
15) #48-Jimmie Johnson, 2000
16) #88-Alex Bowman, 2000
See the Unofficial Drivers Points Standings page (pdf) and Unofficial Owners Points Standings page (pdf)
2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers:
drivers in with at least one win
#18-Kyle Busch , 6 wins
#4-Kevin Harvick, 7 wins – 6 can be used for playoffs
#78-Martin Truex Jr., 4 wins
#2-Brad Keselowski, 2 wins
#14-Clint Bowyer, 2 wins
#22-Joey Logano, 1 win
#41-Kurt Busch, 1 win
#9-Chase Elliott, 1 win
#20-Erik Jones, 1 win
#3-Austin Dillon, 1 win
made the playoffs on points
#42-Kyle Larson
#12-Ryan Blaney
#11-Denny Hamlin
#10-Aric Almirola
#48-Jimmie Johnson
#88-Alex Bowman
Top-Ten Stage 2 Results (lap 100) of the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (lap 100/160):
#6-Kenseth, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#9-Elliott, 9pts
#20-Jones, 8pts
#22-Logano, 7pts
#41-Busch, 6pts
#19-Suarez, 5pts
#2-Keselowski, 4pts
#24-Byron, 3pts
#31-Newman, 2pts
#48-Johnson, 1pt
Top-Ten Stage 1 Results (lap 50) of the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (lap 50/160):
#14-Bowyer, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#41-Busch, 9pts
#11-Hamlin, 8pts
#42-Larson, 7pts
#18-Busch, 6pts
#2-Keselowski, 5pts
#10-Almirola, 4pts
#21-Menard,, 3pts
#9-Elliott 2pts
#20-Jones, 1pt
Lucky Dogs, drivers that got a lap back during the cautions (and their finish):
Caution 1: #66-Hill, 35th
Caution 2: #51-Starr, 39th
Caution 3: #66-Hill (2), 35th
Caution 4: None. No one on track a lap or more down.
Caution 5: None. No one on track a lap or more down.
Caution 6: None. No one on track a lap or more down.
Caution 7: None, #72-LaJoie was involved in the caution.
Caution 8: #7-Sorenson, 28th
Caution 9: #13-Dillon, 21st
Caution 10: #3-Dillon, 22nd
Ganassi offered McMurray a Daytona 500 ride, then leadership role at CGR: Jamie McMurray may be headed into the final Brickyard 400 of his career with Chip Ganassi Racing. McMurray won the race in 2010. Ganassi says he’s offered McMurray a contract to drive the Daytona 500 next season, then move into a leadership role with the organization similar to the one Dario Franchitti holds. Ganassi says McMurray has not decided if he will stay with the team or seek a full-time driving job elsewhere.[More](9-10-2018)
Natty Light unveils Chris Buescher’s Las Vegas resume paint scheme: Natural Light is at it again helping recent grads as they enter the real world. Natty Light unveiled today the NASCAR resume paint scheme – yes, an actual person’s job resume – and wrapped it around Chris Buescher’s #37 car for the South Point 400 race in Vegas on Sunday.[More](9-10-2018)
Dale Earnhardt Jr says Richmond XFINITY race could be his last:Dale Earnhardt Jr. has spent this season working in the broadcast booth for the first time in his career, but he will make another “first” in two weeks at Richmond Raceway. Although he has retired from full-time racing, he will make a one-race start in a JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the Sept. 21 Xfinity Series race at the track.[More](9-10-2018)
Justin Allgaier gets coveted NASCAR Xfinity win at the Brickyard:The Lilly Diabetes 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway may have been delayed by rain for two days, but that wasn’t enough to break the magical run Justin Allgaier is enjoying. Holding off JR Motorsports teammate Tyler Reddick after grabbing the lead on Lap 84 of 100 in Monday’s event, Allgaier collected his fifth victory of the season, his third in the last five races and – perhaps most important – his first at the vaunted Brickyard. The victory was the 10th of Allgaier’s career. With one race left before the cutoff for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs (Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway), Allgaier moved significantly closer to the regular-season title and accompanying bonus of 15 Playoff points.[More](9-10-2018)
Allgaier wins Indianapolis Motor Speedway XFINITY race: #7-Justin Allgaier won the Lilly Diabetes 250 at Indianapolis for his 10th career win and first win at Indianapolis.
#9-Tyler Reddick finished second, followed by #22-Ryan Blaney, #23-Chase Elliott, #21-Daniel Hemric, #2-Matt Tifft, #20-Christopher Bell, #10-Austin Dillon, #60-Chase Briscoe, and #19-Brandon Jones.
There were 7 cautions for 31 laps and 14 lead changes among 9 leaders.
The average speed was 112.038mph.
Complete results are on the Indianapolis race results page (pdf).(9-10-2018)
Race stage winners:
Stage 1 – lap 30 – Winner, #42-John Hunter Nemechek
Stage 2 – lap 60 – Winner, #21-Daniel Hemric
Stage 3 – lap 100 – Race winner, #7-Justin Allgaier
Indianapolis XFINITY Race Fast Facts:
Justin Allgaier won the 7th Annual Lilly Diabetes 250, his 10th victory in 265 NASCAR Xfinity Series races.
This is his fifth victory and 20th top-10 finish in 2018.
This is his first victory and second top-10 finish in five races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Tyler Reddick (second) posted his first top-10 finish in two races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is his 14th top-10 finish in 2018.
Ryan Blaney(i) (third) posted his second top-10 finish in three races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Tyler Reddick (second) was the highest finishing rookie.
Justin Allgaier leads the point standings by 49 points over Cole Custer.
(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(9-10-2018)
XFINITY Driver standings following Indianapolis:
(1 race until the playoffs begin)
#7-Justin Allgaier [5 wins, 4 can be used for playoffs]
#20-Christopher Bell [4 wins]
#9-Tyler Reddick [1 win]
#00-Cole Custer, 894 -49
#21-Daniel Hemric, 888, -55
#1-Elliott Sadler, 874, -69
#19-Brandon Jones, 723, -220
#2-Matt Tifft, 700, -243
#11-Ryan Truex, 679, -264
#16-Ryan Reed, 585, -358,
#4-Ross Chastain, 570, -373, 75 pts ahead of 13th
#12-Austin Cindric, 552, -391 57 pts ahead of 13th
outside the top 12:
#5-Michael Annett, 495, -448, -57 pts behind 12th
#51-Jeremy Clements, 448, -495, -104
See complete owner and driver standings on the driver standings(pdf) and owner standings page (pdf).(9-10-2018)
Free Pass – Who got a lap back on each caution: (and their finish)
Caution 1: #76-Boyd, 36th
Caution 2: #15-McLeod, 16th
Caution 3: #4-Chastain, 12th
Caution 4: 15-McLeod, 16th
Caution 5: 15-McLeod, 16th
Caution 6: #16-Reed, 11th
Caution 7: #90-Williams, 24th
(9-10-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 9, 2018
Brickyard postponed: Due to lingering rain and mist, the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard has been postponed until Monday. The XFINITY race will be run at 10:00am/et with the Cup race scheduled to go green at 2:06pm/et. Both races will be on NBCSN.(9-9-2018)
DiBenedetto will not return to Go Fas Racing UPDATE: He has spent the last two years driving the #32 Ford.(9-7-2018)
UPDATE: Matt DiBenedetto has no new job lined up for next season despite deciding to split with Go Fas Racing after two years together. “Maybe,” DiBenedetto laughed Saturday about being crazy to do such a thing. “Definitely a good possibility. Bold move, for sure. It was definitely a decision that I had to talk to my wife about extensively to make sure all parties were on board first because it’s definitely not the easiest of decisions to make.[More](9-8-2018)
Darlington XFINITY TV ratings: The NASCAR Xfinity Series from Darlington (S.C.) earned a 0.9 rating and 1.38 million viewers on the NBC broadcast network last Sunday, up 28% in ratings and 24% in viewership from last year on NBCSN (0.7, 1.11M) but down 12% and 11% respectively from 2016 on NBC (1.0, 1.54M).[Sports Media Watch](9-9-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 8, 2018
Saturday Indianapolis Notebook: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. faces all-or-nothing race on Sunday; Dale Jarrett remembers the Brickyard 400 he should’ve won; Matt DiBenedetto takes a major leap of faith – in himself.[More](9-8-2018)
Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway have been made.
With 40 cars running, pit stalls 41, 42, 43 are not in use.
Pole sitter #18-Busch chose pit stall 1, the first stall available [as do most pole sitters].
Outside polesitter #4-Harvick took pit stall 2.
#78-Truex, Jr., who starts 3rd, took the 10th stall, with an opening in front of it.
The final pit stall was taken by #95-Smith, who starts 27th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on Jayski.com’s Pit Stall Selection chart.(9-8-2018)
Rain washes out Saturday activity at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:Persistent rain forced postponement of all track activity at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, forcing postponement of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race until Monday at 10 a.m. Practice and qualifying sessions for both the Xfinity and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series were canceled. Accordingly, the fields for Lilly Diabetes 250 Xfinity race and for the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Cup series event will be set according to owner points.[More](9-8-2018)
Bowman focused on locking up Monster Energy Playoffs spot at Indy: Alex Bowman isn’t quite ready to assume his place in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is secure. Yet. But he has good vibes and a positive outlook heading into the final regular season race, Sunday’s Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard.[More](9-8-2018)
Kyle Busch on the Busch pole for the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after rain forced NASCAR to cancel the session and set the field based on points. It is his fourth pole of 2018, third at Indianapolis and 31st of his career. Busch has won 11 times from the 30 previous poles.
#4-Harvick will start 2nd followed by #78-Truex, Jr., #41-Busch, #22-Logano, #2-Keselowski, #42-Larson, #14-Bowyer, #12-Blaney, and #11-Hamlin.
Driver(s) who will miss the race: none as 40 were entered for 40 spots
See the complete starting lineup on the Starting Lineup page (pdf).(9-8-2018)
XFINITY race at Indianapolis delayed: Persistent rain has forced NASCAR to postpone Saturday’s Lilly Diabetes 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway until Monday at 10:00 AM. The teams will take the green flag without any track time under their belts, as both practice sessions and qualifying were knocked out due to weather.(9-8-2018)
Blaney on XFINITY pole at Indianapolis: #22-Ryan Blaney will start from the Busch pole for the Lilly Diabetes 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after NASCAR was forced to cancel the qualifying session due to rain. #7-Justin Allgaier will start second. The rest of the top 10: #18-Ryan Preece, #1-Elliott Sadler, #00-Cole Custer, #42-John Hunter Nemechek, #20-Christopher Bell, #21-Daniel Hemric, #9-Tyler Reddick, and #23-Chase Elliott.
Did Not Qualify: #13-Timmy Hill..
The field will take the green flag without any practice laps. Two practice sessions were scheduled for Friday but rain canceled the day’s activities.
The starting lineup is posted on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway starting lineup page (pdf).(9-8-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 7, 2018
Friday Indianapolis Notebook: Kasey Kahne seeking answers to dehydration issues that sidelined him; Christopher Bell won’t change approach in Xfinity Series Playoffs; Matt DiBenedetto announces departure from Go Fas Racing.[More](9-7-2018)
DiBenedetto will not return to Go Fas Racing: He has spent the last two years driving the #32 Ford.[More](9-7-2018)
Kasey Kahne press conference transcript: Kahne talked to the media Friday after being forced to sit out the Indianapolis race this weekend.[More]9-7-2018)
Kasey Kahne: ‘Don’t want to create any more damage to myself, to my body’: Kasey Kahne doesn’t know when, or if, he will return to the NASCAR Cup Series as dehydration issues caused him trouble seeing and elevated his heart rate to the point of “I definitely shouldn’t have been in the race car any more” over the final 100 laps Sunday at Darlington Raceway. The 38-year-old driver, who will retire from full-time Cup racing after this season, will be replaced by Regan Smith this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.[More](9-7-2018)
Cassill picks up Indianapolis sponsors: StarCom Fiber and StarCom Racing continue its ongoing partnership with the telecommunication company back as the primary sponsor on the 00 Chevy for The Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Powered by Florida Georgia Line. Landon Cassill, who debuted with the team at Martinsville and is the SCR primary driver through the 2018 season, will lead the team into one of NASCARS oldest and most historic tracks.[More](9-7-2018)
Several teams honoring Caleb Hammond at Indianapolis: An 11 year old boy from Iowa receives more than just race stickers for his casket, he’ll have the opportunity to see his name on over 12 NASCAR race cars at Indy. Shawn Magee Design (SMD) announced Wednesday that they are sending special #TeamCaleb decals to several Monster Energy NASCAR Series and NASCAR Xfinity race teams running at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on September 8th and 9th.[More](9-7-2018)
Weather wins at Indianapolis: Two XFINITY Series practice sessions were scheduled for Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but ongoing rain, with more in the forecast, forced NASCAR to cancel the day’s activities. Teams will now qualify (potentially, as rain is expected Saturday as well) and race without practice.(9-7-2018)
Houff to drive for JDM at Richmond: Quin Houff will team with JD Motorsports with Gary Keller to race in the Go Bowling 250 Xfinity Series event at Richmond Raceway Sept. 21. Houff will drive the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 4 Chevrolet in the 187-lap race. He will carry sponsorship from Beatin Cancer With Duke.[More](9-7-2018)
Harvick, Truex, and Bowyer to participate in pre-race fan Q&A at Talladega: Top NASCAR veterans Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer comprise a trio set to partake in the Pre-Race Fan Question & Answer Session prior to Talladega Superspeedway’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) event on Sunday, Oct. 14. Held at Talladega’s famous start-finish line, race fans will get the opportunity to ask drivers questions in advance of the critical second race in the Round of 12 in the MENCS Playoffs.[More](9-7-2018)
Jimmy Allen in concert at Dover: Country music artist Jimmie Allen, a Delaware native who is now making waves as a rising star in Nashville, will perform a free concert for Monster Mile fans on Sunday, Oct. 7 before the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Dover International Speedway[More](9-5-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
Kasey Kahne not driving at Indianapolis: compete in this weekend’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway due to lingering effects from extreme heat exhaustion following last weekend’s events at Darlington Raceway.[More](9-6-2018)
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Weekend Preview: Johnson readies to cement spot in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Indy; Crunch time for the XFINITY Series.[More](9-6-2018)
Speedco on the #34 for three races: Michael McDowell’s Love’s Travel Stops Ford will turn Speedco blue for three races this season. The national network of service locations for the trucking industry will be the primary partner for the No. 34 team at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. The three-race program will highlight Speedco partner Shell Rotella® heavy duty diesel engine oil as a co-primary partner.[More](9-6-2018)
BODYARMOR extends deal with Team Penske: Team Penske announced today that BODYARMOR Sports Drink has agreed to a multi-year extension that extends and expands its partnership with the No. 12 Ford Mustang team and driver Ryan Blaney through the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season and beyond. The 2018 season marked the first-ever race team partnership for BODYARMOR, which has enjoyed a personal relationship with Blaney since 2017.[More](8-5-2018)
Darlington TV ratings: NBCSN earned a 1.5 overnight rating for Sunday night’s Cup race at Darlington.(9-4-2018)
UPDATE: Last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Southern 500 from Darlington earned a 1.5 rating and 2.66 million viewers on NBCSN, down 17% in ratings and 14% in viewership from last year (1.8, 3.10M) and down 46% and 43% respectively from 2016 on the NBC broadcast network (2.8, 4.64M).[More](9-6-2018)
Skeet Ulrich named grand marshal at ISM Raceway: Actor Skeet Ulrich will say the most famous words in Motorsports to kick off the start of the Can-Am 500 at the new ISM Raceway, and serve as Grand Marshal for the track’s Opening Weekend Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff Semi-Final race on Sunday, Nov. 11.[More](9-6-2018)
NASCAR hauler parade returns to Dover: The annual NASCAR Hauler Parade, presented by Delaware’s Quaint Villages, will be held through the City of Dover on Thursday, Oct. 4 as part of the festivities surrounding the Oct. 5-7 NASCAR tripleheader weekend, Dover International Speedway officials announced today. A line of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series haulers will travel on some of the city’s most prominent streets and near some of Kent County’s famous landmarks, including Legislative Hall, Loockerman Street, and State Street on the way toward the Speedway. The parade will begin at 5 p.m. and is free and open to the public. [More](9-5-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 5, 2018
A look at many news, notes and story lines for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis, see the stats on the NASCAR National Series News & Notes — Indianapolis Motor Speedway
A look at some of the top statistical performers and top-10 driver ratings at Indianapolis, see the stats on the Statistical Advance – Analyzing Indianapolis Motor Speedway page
NASCAR Most Popular Driver voting underway: Voting for the 2018 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Most Popular Driver Award presented by Hooters officially opens today, Wednesday, Sept. 5th at 12:00 noon ET. Fans can cast a vote for a single driver once per day at www.nascar.com/mostpopulardriver or on the NASCAR Mobile app. Votes shared by fans on Facebook and / or Twitter count double.[More](9-5-2018)
Darlington post-race penalties announced: Kyle Larson’s team received a lug nut penalty. Brandon Jones’ XFINITY team was penalized for failing inspection multiple times.[More](9-5-2018)
Harvick not planning any additional XFINITY races: After making 346 starts and winning 47 times, last week’s Xfinity race at Darlington will be Kevin Harvick’s last in the series, the driver announced Tuesday on “Happy Hours,” his SiriusXM NASCAR Radio show. “For me (Darlington) will be the last scheduled Xfinity race that we put on the schedule,” Harvick said. The decision was made in order to allow him to concentrate on his Cup car.[More](9-5-2018)
South Point 400 trophy unveiled: Two weeks leading up to the inaugural South Point 400, South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa unveils the official trophy, which will be awarded to the winner of the September Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 16. The custom, hand-crafted trophy was designed by Amri Studio Owner Christina Amri, a national award-winning artist that has been creating custom glass work for South Point Hotel Owner Michael Gaughan for more than 35 years.[More](9-5-2018)
Kids get free gate admission at Pocono next year: Children, ages 12 and under, will receive free gate admission for Sunday Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Verizon IndyCar Series races at Pocono Raceway in 2019. This new initiative will start today as part of the 2019 Pocono Raceway Ticket Renewal Program. All remaining tickets for next season’s events at ‘The Tricky Triangle’ are scheduled to go on sale to the public in early October.[More](9-5-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 4, 2018
Furniture Row Racing to cease operations after 2018 season: Due to a lack of necessary funding to field a competitive team, Furniture Row Racing has been left with no reasonable option but to cease operations following the completion of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. “This is not good for anybody,” said team owner Barney Visser. “The numbers just don’t add up. I would have to borrow money to continue as a competitive team and I’m not going to do that. This was obviously a painful decision to arrive at knowing how it will affect a number of quality and talented people.[More](9-4-2018)
Entry List for the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is posted, 41 teams/drivers [for 40 spots] are listed.
36 teams with Charters are guaranteed to make the field. The rest need to make the field via qualifying / qualifying races / rules book (owners attempts/points).
Some of the drivers entered include: #7-Sorenson, #15-Chastain, #23-Yeley, #51-Starr, #52-McLeod, #66-Hill, #96-Earnhardt, #99-Gaulding.
Those required to make the field on time: #7-Sorenson, #52-McLeod, #66-Hill, #96-Earnhardt, #99-Gaulding.
See the full entry list on the Entry List (pdf)
Darlington TV ratings: NBCSN earned a 1.5 overnight rating for Sunday night’s Cup race at Darlington.[More](9-4-2018)
Indianapolis Goodyear Tire Notes See complete tire information for the race weekend across all series on the Goodyear Tire Notes – Indianapolis Motor Speedway page.(9-4018)
McDowell’s No. 34 to pay tribute to Andretti’s ‘Race for Riley’ efforts at Indianapolis: When Front Row Motorsports’ No. 34 Ford hits Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard, Michael McDowell’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car will already be celebrating a different race win. A commemorative paint scheme on the No. 34 will celebrate the 22nd year of the Kroger Race for Riley, presented by Pepsi, a charity go-kart race that benefits Riley Hospital for Children. The 2018 event is scheduled for Wednesday at New Castle (Ind.) Motorsports Park.[More](9-4-2018)
Obaika Racing plans to run some Cup races this season: NASCAR’s first and only African-owned race team, Obaika Racing, will be heading back to the track very soon. Obaika Racing’s owner, Nigerian entrepreneur Victor Obaika, recently acquired race cars and equipment from the former BK Racing team and plans to compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at some point during the remainder of the 2018 season and thereafter full-time in the 2019 season.[More](9-4-2018)
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Playoffs Clinch Scenarios
XFINITY Entry List: There are 41 cars on the preliminary entry list for Saturday’s Lilly Diabetes 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
See the complete list on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway entry list page.
Rockingham Speedway sold to investors UPDATE: A group of Raleigh investors Thursday bought the Rockingham Speedway. The buyer, Rockingham Properties LLC – of which Dan Lovenheim is majority owner – will finalize paperwork on the purchase of the Rockingham Speedway Thursday. Lovenheim could not provide details on the plans for the property Thursday afternoon, but said they are “remarkably encompassing.”(8-30-2018)
UPDATE: The future of the Rockingham Speedway will include racing, the new owners say – and much (much) more. Dan Lovenheim, majority owner of Rockingham Properties LLC, confirmed Saturday that racing would be an “integral part” of what he and his co-owners had in store for their new property, which will be known as the Rock Entertainment Complex.[More](9-4-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 3, 2018
Darlington TV commercial breakdown: For those of you NASCAR fans that like stats and love to hate commercials, here is the breakdown for Sunday’s race.[More](9-3-2018)
David Lee Murphy in concert at Richmond Raceway: As part of Richmond Raceway’s (Richmond) first-ever NASCAR Playoff Race Weekend, million-selling country singer-songwriter David Lee Murphy will perform on the Virginia Credit Union LIVE! stage prior to the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Driver/Crew Chief Meeting on Sept. 22 at 3:30 p.m. The concert will be free to all fans with a Federated Auto Parts 400 race ticket at Virginia Credit Union LIVE!, located just off the midway near the frontstretch gate.[More](9-3-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 2, 2018
Flawless execution on pit road propels Brad Keselowski to Darlington win: By a matter of inches, Brad Keselowski won the race off pit road under the final caution in Sunday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. That narrow margin was all the driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford needed to secure a stunning victory in one of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ marquee races.[More](9-2-2018)
Brad Keselowski won the Bojangles’ Southern 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway. The win is his 1st of 2018, 1st win at Darlington and 25th career win. He also won the XFINITY race at Darlington on Saturday.
Keselowski’s pit crew got him off pit road first during the final pit stop of the race and he was able to hold off teammate Joey Logano for a margin of victory of 1.224 second.
#42-Larson, who dominated most of the race leading 284 of the 367 laps and winning the first two stages, settled for 3rd, followed by #4-Harvick, #9-Elliott, #41-Busch, #18-Busch, #20-Jones, #1-McMurray, and pole winner #11-Hamlin.
The start of the race was delayed by nearly of an hour because of lightning in the area.
There were 7 lead changes among 5 drivers and 6 cautions for 35 yellow flag laps.
The average speed of the race was: 131.408mph.
See unofficial race results, awards, laps led, cautions and more at:
Unofficial Race Results (pdf)
Cumulative Report (pdf)
Penalty Report (pdf)
Race Fast Facts – Darlington
Brad Keselowski won the 69th Annual Bojangles’ Southern 500, his 25th victory in 330 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series races.
This is his first victory and 13th top-10 finish in 2018.
This is his first victory and fifth top-10 finish in ten races at Darlington Raceway.
Joey Logano (second) posted his fifth top-10 finish in ten races at Darlington Raceway. It is his 18th top-10 finish in 2018.
Kyle Larson (third) posted his fourth top-10 finish in five races at Darlington Raceway.
Bubba Wallace (26th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Kyle Busch leads the point standings by 39 points over Kevin Harvick.
(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(9-2-2018)
2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Driver Playoff Standings:
[after Darlington, race 25 of 36] – 1 race until the playoffs.
The following drivers have clinched a playoff spot:
#18-Kyle Busch [6 wins], 1038
#4-Kevin Harvick [7 wins – 6 can be used for playoffs], 999
#78-Martin Truex Jr. [4 wins], 883
#41-Kurt Busch [1 win], 835
#14-Clint Bowyer [2 wins], 777
#22-Joey Logano [1 win], 818
#2-Brad Keselowski [1 win], 785
#9-Chase Elliott [1 win], 737
#20-Erik Jones [1 win], 679
#3-Austin Dillon [1 win], 496
#42-Kyle Larson, 783, -255
#12-Ryan Blaney, 755, -283
#11-Denny Hamlin, 738, -300
#10-Aric Almirola, 681, -357
The following drivers have not clinched a playoff spot:
#48-Jimmie Johnson, 605, -433
#88-Alex Bowman, 586, -452
Johnson or Bowman can only miss the playoffs if a driver outside the top 16 wins at Indianapolis. Then the driver lower in points would miss the playoffs.
See the Unofficial Drivers Points Standings page (pdf) and Unofficial Owners Points Standings page (pdf)
Top-Ten Stage 2 Results (lap 200) of the Bojangles’ Southern 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway (lap 200/367):
#42-Larson, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#2-Keselowski, 9pts
#22-Logano, 8pts
#9-Elliott, 7pts
#20-Jones, 6pts
#41-Busch, 5pts
#31-Newman, 4pts
#18-Busch, 3pts
#1-McMurray, 2pts
#4-Harvick, 1pt
Top-Ten Stage 1 Results (lap 100) of the Bojangles’ Southern 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway (lap 100/367):
#42-Larson, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#20-Jones, 9pts
#78-Truex, Jr., 8pts
#22-Logano, 7pts
#2-Keselowski, 6pts
#4-Harvick, 5pts
#11-Hamlin, 4pts
#41-Busch, 3pts
#18-Busch 2pts
#9-Elliott,, 1pt
Lucky Dogs, drivers that got a lap back during the cautions (and their finish):
Caution 1: #37-Buescher, 13th
Caution 2: #1-McMurray, 9th
Caution 3: #3-Dillon, 16th
Caution 4: #4-Harvick, 4th
Caution 5: #41-Busch, 6th
Caution 6: #78-Truex, Jr., 11th
Sunday Darlington Notebook: NASCAR luminaries pace throwback Darlington field in six Camaros; Hendrick Motorsports shows uptick in speed at Darlington; Misfortune continues to follow No. 60 Roush Fenway Ford.[More](9-2-2018)
Bubba Wallace gets a new throwback scheme on race day: The sponsorship was for $250,000 in sponsorship dollars, by far the largest any NASCAR team or driver had seen at the time. Granatelli famously sent the contract to Petty Enterprises in Level Cross, North Carolina before the next race at the Daytona 500. The contract stated that the famed No. 43 was to be day glo red, with Granatelli offering Petty an additional $50,000 to do so. Petty, as he still does when needed today, crossed out the provision in the agreement and sent back to Granatelli.[More](9-2-2018)
XFINITY Road America TV ratings: NASCAR Xfinity Series racing from Road America (Wis.) earned a 0.55 rating and 901,000 viewers on NBCSN last Saturday, down 58% in ratings and 57% in viewership from last year on the NBC broadcast network (1.3, 2.12M) and down 14% and 3% respectively from 2016 on NBCSN (0.64, 970K).[Sports Media Watch](9-2-2018)
Jordan Smith to sing National Anthem at Charlotte: Vocal powerhouse Jordan Smith will rev up pre-race festivities for the inaugural Bank of America ROVAL 400 by singing the national anthem prior to the first playoff road-course race in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. The world-renowned singer, songwriter and musician became the highest-selling artist to ever compete on “The Voice” – making Smith the perfect choice to sing the anthem before the stars of NASCAR’s top series compete for the first time on the 17-turn, 2.28-mile ROVAL road course oval.[More](9-2-2018)
News from SEPTEMBER 1, 2018
Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway have been made.
With 40 cars running, pit stalls 14, 28, and 43 are not in use.
Pole winner #11-Hamlin chose pit stall 1, the first stall available [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole winner #42-Larson. took pit stall 8, with an opening in front of it.
#78-Truex, Jr, who starts 3rd, took the 35th stall, with an opening behind it.
The final pit stall was taken by #9-Elliott, who starts 11th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on Jayski.com’s Pit Stall Selection chart.(9-1-2018)
Denny Hamlin edges Kyle Larson for Darlington pole: Denny Hamlin started his Bojangles’ Southern 500 title defense in the best possible way, grabbing the pole position in the final round of Saturday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series knockout qualifying at Darlington Raceway. Hustling his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota around the 1.366-mile track in 28.332 seconds (173.571 mph) in the money round, Hamlin edged Kyle Larson (173.411 mph) by .026 seconds to claim the top starting spot for Sunday’s race.[More](9-1-2018)
Denny Hamlin won the Busch pole for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway with speed of 173.571mph for his 3rd pole of 2018, 1st at Darlington and 29th of his career. Hamlin has won 4 times from the 28 previous poles.
#42-Larson will start 2nd followed by #78-Truex, Jr., #88-Bowman, #18-Busch, #31-Newman, #20-Jones, #22-Logano, #41-Busch, #24-Byron, #9-Elliott, and #10-Almirola.
#88-Bowman was fastest in the second round with a speed of 174.624mph, will start 4th.
#42-Larson was quickest in the first round with a speed of 176.208mph, will start 2nd.
Driver(s) who will miss the race: none as 40 were entered for 40 spots.
See round-by-round qualifying results on the Qualifying results page (pdf) and the complete starting lineup on the Starting Lineup page (pdf).(9-1-2018)
Darlington Raceway – Qualifying Fast Facts:
Denny Hamlin won the Busch Pole Award for the 69th Annual Bojangles’ Southern 500 with a lap of 28.332 seconds, 173.571 mph.
Kyle Larson (second) posted his 13th top-10 start of 2018 and his second in five races at Darlington Raceway.
Martin Truex Jr. (third) posted his sixth top-10 start at Darlington Raceway. It is his 17th in 25 races this season.
This is his 29th pole in 459 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series races.
This is his first pole in 13 races at Darlington Raceway.
This is his third pole and 17th top-10 start in 2018.
William Byron (10th) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Statistics)(9-1-2018)
Second Round of Qualifying for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway is over, after 10 scheduled minutes.
#88-Bowman 174.624
#42-Larson 174.278
#9-Elliott 174.161
#11-Hamlin 173.976
#31-Newman 173.687
the rest of the top 12: 18 20 22 78 24 41 10
out of the top 12 and not advancing to round 3: 2 21 6 19 14 3 37 48 12 4 38 47
(9-1-2018)
First Round of Qualifying for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway is over, after 15 scheduled minutes.
#42-Larson 176.208
#24-Byron 175.647
#88-Bowman 175.591
#9-Elliott 174.904
#48-Johnson 174.507
the rest of the top 24: 41 11 31 12 22 21 18 4 6 14 2 38 47 19 78 10 3 20 37
out of the top 24 and not advancing to round 2: 17 34 43 13 95 32 1 52 15 72 00 66 51 99 23 96
Drivers who will miss the race: none, 40 entered
(9-1-2018)
Saturday Darlington Notebook: Kurt Busch’s teams takes a page from the driver’s beloved Cubs; Denny Hamlin sports a shiner during Darlington presser; Christopher Bell thankful to be back on an oval track.[More](9-1-2018)
Keselowski wins Darlington Raceway XFINITY race: #22-Brad Keselowski won the VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 at Darlington for his 39th career win and first win at Darlington.
#00-Cole Custer finished second, followed by #9-Tyler Reddick, #18-Denny Hamlin, #1-Elliott Sadler, #23-Chase Elliott, #7-Justin Allgaier, #2-Matt Tifft, #3-Ty Dillon, and #5-Michael Annett.
There were 6 cautions for 30 laps and 10 lead changes among 5 leaders.
#42-Ross Chastain dominated the race after starting from the pole and winning the first two stages. But contact with #98-Kevin Harvick while battling for the lead on lap 110 of the 147 ended his run for the win.
The average speed was 111.179mph.
Complete results are on the Darlington race results page (pdf).(9-1-2018)
Race stage winners:
Stage 1 – lap 45 – Winner, #42-Ross Chastain
Stage 2 – lap 90 – Winner, #42-Ross Chastain
Stage 3 – lap 147 – Race winner,#22-Brad Keselowski
Darlington XFINITY Race Fast Facts:
Brad Keselowski(i) won the 36th Annual Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200, his 39th victory in 254 NASCAR XFINITY Series races.
This is his third victory and fifth top-10 finish in 2018.
This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in seven races at Darlington Raceway.
Cole Custer (second) posted his second top-10 finish in two races at Darlington Raceway. It is his 20th top-10 finish in 2018.
Tyler Reddick (third) posted his first top-10 finish in two races at Darlington Raceway.
Tyler Reddick (third) was the highest finishing rookie.
Justin Allgaier leads the point standings by 16 points overElliott Sadler.
(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(9-1-2018)
XFINITY Driver playoff standings following Darlington:
(2 races until the playoffs begin)
#20-Christopher Bell [4 wins]
#7-Justin Allgaier [4 wins, 3 can be used for playoffs]
#9-Tyler Reddick [1 win]
#1-Elliott Sadler, 872, -16
#00-Cole Custer, 871 -17
#21-Daniel Hemric, 844, -44
#19-Brandon Jones, 687, -201
#2-Matt Tifft, 663, -225
#11-Ryan Truex, 660, -228
#16-Ryan Reed, 559, -329,
#22-Austin Cindric, 549, -339 60 pts ahead of 13th
#4-Ross Chastain,543, -345, 54 pts ahead of 13th
outside the top 12:
#5-Michael Annett, 489, -399, -54 pts behind 12th
#51-Jeremy Clements, 425, -463, -118
See complete owner and driver standings on the driver standings(pdf) and owner standings page (pdf).(9-1-2018)
Free Pass – Who got a lap back on each caution: (and their finish)
Caution 1: #19-Jones, 12th
Caution 2: #8-Martins, 22nd
Caution 3: #4-Smithley, 20th
Caution 4: #15-McLeod, 23rd
Caution 5: #78-Ware, 24th
Caution 6: #78-Ware, 24th
(9-1-2018)
Chastain on XFINITY pole at Darlington: #42-Ross Chastain won the Busch pole for the VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway with a speed of 169.531mph. #20-Christopher Bell will start second. The rest of the top 10: #9-Tyler Reddick, #21-Daniel Hemric, #18-Denny Hamlin, #00-Cole Custer, #98-Kevin Harvick, #1-Elliott Sadler, #22-Brad Keselowski and #7-Justin Allgaier.
Did Not Qualify: None.
The starting lineup is posted on the Darlington Raceway starting lineup page (pdf).(9-1-2018)
Darlington XFINITY Qualifying Notes:
Ross Chastain won the Pole Award for the 36th Annual Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 with a lap of 29.007 seconds, 169.531 mph.
This is his first pole in 130 NASCAR XFINITY Series races.
This is his first pole and first top-10 start in 2018.
This is his first pole in four races at Darlington Raceway.
Christopher Bell (second) posted his 16th top-10 start of 2018 and his first in one races at Darlington Raceway.
Tyler Reddick (third) posted his first top-10 start at Darlington Raceway. It is his 15th in 24 races this season.
Christopher Bell (second) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(9-1-2018)
Joe Gibbs Racing team penalized for failed Darlington inspection:The #19 Brandon Jones team failed inspection 4 times; hit with hefty penalties that will carry over to Indianapolis.[More](9-1-2018)
AISIN adds another race for Moffitt: With sponsorship secured for Texas, Moffitt needs a partner for the final race of the Round of 8 at Talladega.[More](9-1-2018)
Florida Georgia Line to power Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard: Global superstars Florida Georgia Line were already slated to have a huge presence as race namesake and festival headliners at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next weekend. Now, they have also been tapped as the grand marshals of the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Powered by Florida Georgia Line on Sunday, Sept. 9. Big Machine Label Group Founder, President and CEO Scott Borchetta will wave the green flag to start the 25th Running of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, which starts at 2 p.m. (ET) on the 2.5-mile IMS oval.[More](9-1-2018)