Jones cruises to victory in Canada, takes points lead

 

Jones cruises to victory in Canada, takes points lead

Aug. 30, 2015

By Stephanie Wallcraft

NASCAR Wire Service

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario - Two weeks ago in the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Alex Tagliani got turned out of the lead by Regan Smith and lost his shot at a win.

Today in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Tagliani had a chance to be the one doing the turning.

Heading into Turn 5B on the final lap, Tagliani says he was in a position to push Erik Jones aside and claim victory for himself. But he didn’t. Instead, Tagliani held back as Jones cruised to his second win of the season and vaulted to the top of the NCWTS point standings.

“If I would have stayed where I was he would have been gone in (Turn) 5B,” Tagliani said. “I don’t drive that way. I just want to continue the trend.”

Tagliani thought he would have time to take one more clean shot at Jones through the final series of turns, but a broken third gear took that chance away.

“It shredded completely,” he said. “It was pretty much good all race. I felt a couple of times it was kind of scratchy on the downshift, but no sign it was going to be bad. As soon as I put third gear on the back straight, it just went.

“I put it in fourth and it just kind of limped all the way back home.”

The 19-year-old Jones felt the pressure from veteran road course racer Tagliani down the stretch, but maintained his concentration to become the first driver to lead the entire last lap of a NCWTS race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

“It was a blast,” Jones said of the race. “It was nerve-wracking. It’s a little intense when you’ve got a guy like that running you down for 15 laps.”

It turned out that Jones and Tagliani had shared a parade truck before the race and had a philosophical discussion about racing with respect. Tagliani told Jones he knew he was in a heated points battle and that Jones didn’t have to worry about him trying the same thing Smith had done to him at Mid-Ohio.

“We had a pretty long talk about racing people the way you want to be raced,” Jones said. “I’ve never been one to want to move somebody to win a race, and he hasn’t, either. It’s nice to see that respect, especially from a veteran like that to me.

“It’s not something he had to do. It means a lot to me that he did.”

Jones worked hard to improve his road course craft coming into this weekend. Time spent at a pair of driving schools paid off, as did a strong effort by the team to improve their truck.

“We had a good truck last year, and we were able to do some improving on our Tundra to get it to where it needed to be for this year,” Jones said. “I was able to improve on myself and fix some of my mistakes this year as well and get a little bit better.”

Matt Crafton finished in second place, which keeps him second in the point standings behind Jones, who now holds a three-point advantage. Tyler Reddick, the standings leader entering the race, placed 19th and is now third (15 points behind Jones) in the championship hunt.

Ben Kennedy, Daniel Hemric, and Tagliani rounded out the top five.

Cole Custer mounted one of the strongest challenges to Jones in the late going, but contact between he and Tagliani took him out of the running with 11 laps to go. He ended up in 10th.

uises to victory in Canada, takes points lead

Wisconsin native Paul Menard wins in nail-biting Road America finish

Wisconsin native Paul Menard wins in nail-biting Road America finish

Aug. 29, 2015

By Chris Knight

NASCAR Wire Service

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – The decision to compete in Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR XFINITY Series sixth annual Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville at Road America (Wis.) paid off in a huge way for Paul Menard who scored his third career XFINITY victory at his hometown track.

Menard, a native of Eau Claire, Wis. started eighth and saw a decision to stay out after pitting on Lap 24 work to his advantage as he edged out a relentless Ryan Blaney by 0.573 seconds at the 14-turn road course. After the contest, Menard said had the race extended a lap further, he would not have collected his first XFINITY win since Michigan International Speedway last June.

“I’ve been really fortunate to win at some of the coolest tracks, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Road America is right there,” Menard said. “These guys called a great race. We didn’t have the fastest car. We had a really good short run car. We really burned off the rear tires as we ran, but the Richmond Water Heaters / Menards Chevrolet was fast and (crew chief Danny) Stockman made a hell of a call at the end.”

If wondering about running out of fuel wasn’t enough, Menard also had to fend off a hard-charging Blaney.

                                                                                                                                                                                          

“I was definitely concerned,” added Menard on both circumstances. “I was saving as much as I could under caution, but then when we fired off I was just chattering the left rear tire really bad. It took a couple of laps for it to come in, then the (No.) 22 started burning his stuff up, but it just didn’t fire off very good in the end, but it came to us.”

After inclement weather forced the cancelation of Coors Light Pole qualifying, Ben Rhodes earned the top starting spot based upon turning the fastest lap at the 4.05-mile road course in the first XFINITY Series practice session Friday afternoon.

Rhodes, a NASCAR Next alum, would find himself under pressure from the drop of the green flag when JR Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott made the move for the lead in Turn 1. Quickly, though, the field would be under the first full-course caution of the day when Tomy Drissi found himself stuck in the gravel trap in Turn 5.

Racing resumed on Lap 4 with Elliott checking out from the field and before the first round of green-flag pit stops. The reigning champion stretched his lead to over 10 seconds, when he relinquished the top spot on Lap 11 for a routine pit stop.

Championship contender Ty Dillon inherited the lead when Elliott pitted. Dillon, who finished 10th, stretched his fuel run an extra lap to earn a crucial bonus point towards the championship picture.

When pit stops cycled through, Elliott reclaimed the point on Lap 16 and built a 13.7-second lead over second-place Brian Scott at the halfway mark. On Lap 22, the second caution waved for fluid on the track, erasing Elliott’s substantial advantage.

Despite half of the field electing to come to pit road for service behind them, Elliott and his JRM team stood firm on their plan and stayed out. On the restart, Elliott withstood a challenge for Brian Scott and Ryan Blaney, but in Turn 14 and through the frontstretch, Scott mounted the pressure and made the move on Elliott to take the lead on Lap 27.

Unable to make it to the end on fuel, Scott pitted under green on Lap 29 handing the lead to defending race winner Brendan Gaughan. Three laps later, though, Gaughan pitted, handing the lead to hometown hero Paul Menard who pitted during the second caution with 13 laps remaining.

Planning to stay out till the end, Menard in saving mode purposely gave up the lead to Blake Koch who led with 10 laps remaining when pole-sitter Rhodes found himself stuck in the gravel trap in Turn 7 issuing the third full course caution. During the extended caution, Koch lost power putting Menard back at the point.

On the Lap 41 restart, Menard withstood challenges from Darrell Wallace Jr. and Blaney to seal the win in his 197th career start. 

Next up for the NASCAR XFINITY Series is a trip to the track dubbed “Too Tough To Tame” at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway for the VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 on Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m. ET on NBC).

Stewart responds to wrongful death suit

Stewart responds to wrongful death suit: Tony Stewart claims he did not see Kevin Ward Jr. until just prior to his sprint car striking the 20-year-old driver and that Ward actually tried to make contact with Stewart's car in the accident that resulted in Ward's death. Stewart's local attorney, Brian Gwitt, filed the Stewart response Friday to the wrongful death lawsuit brought by Ward's parents. The response, filed in U.S. District Court in Utica, N.Y., states that Stewart didn't even know who it was on the track at the time, and that Ward was responsible for his own death because he not only walked out on to an active race track but also because he was under the influence of marijuana at the time. The three-time Sprint Cup champion has never talked publicly about what happened that night, other than to say it was "100 percent an accident."
"Stewart did not see Ward, Jr. or anyone else walking on foot on the track until just prior to contact, and did not know the identity of the person walking on the track until afterwards," the Stewart response states. "Stewart was not aware that Ward, Jr. had crashed because the crash was behind him, and was not aware that anyone was walking on the track. "Stewart did not know Ward, Jr., and had never had a pervious track incident with him. Ward, Jr. approached Stewart's car and attempted to make contact with it. As a result of Ward. Jr.'s actions, Ward, Jr. was killed." Stewart, in his answer to the complaint, denies the allegations that his actions resulted in Ward's death. He claims that the Ward's father, who owned the car, also had a responsibility to make sure his driver did not use drugs prior to the event. Stewart also said that the Wards gave up their right to sue other participants in the race as part of the waiver signed to compete in the event. No trial date has been set. A scheduling conference is set for Oct. 8.ESPN.com)(8-29-2015)

Road America / Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Weekend Preview

Road America / Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Weekend Preview

Aug. 27, 2015

Staff Report

NASCAR Wire Service

Dillon determined to gain more ground on Buescher at Road America

Chris Buescher gambled at Bristol and almost came up big. The key word in the previous sentence: 'Almost.'

The 22-year-old Roush Fenway Racing driver took the lead at the .533-mile track after electing not to pit on Lap 192 of 300. Buescher paced the field for the next 106 laps, but a fuel pick-up issue on the penultimate go-around of the race ended any hopes of triumph. Buescher was relegated to 11th, while Ty Dillon finished third, cutting Buescher’s NASCAR XFINITY Series points lead to 19.

If Buescher didn’t go for the win, he wouldn’t have lost as many points to Dillon.

“We had the speed, but it wasn’t meant to be,” Buescher said. “I’m glad we took the chance. I wouldn’t change it if we could do it over again, but unfortunately it knocked us right out of a top-10 and out of a win.”

Buescher and Dillon will continue to battle for the points lead in Saturday’s Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (3 p.m. on NBCSN) – the third and final XFINITY Series road course race of the season. The two drivers are the only competitors who finished in the top five of the previous two road course races.

A natural on road courses, Buescher won at Mid-Ohio last year in addition to his two top fives while turning left and right this year. He placed 18th in his lone start at Road America last season.

“Road America is a very difficult and unique road course,” Buescher said. “I love road racing and look forward to the challenge.”

Dillon finished 19th in his first-ever series start at Road America last year. He enters Saturday’s race riding a streak of four top-five finishes.

“Our team is looking at the big picture and sometimes we have to take a step back and realize that this is a long season; to take it little by little,” Dillon said. “This past weekend in Bristol was a perfect example - we struggled the first part of practice but (Crew Chief) Nick (Harrison), (Race Engineer) Danny (Efland) and the team just took a step back and reevaluated. We have a championship to win here and it won't be easy.

“We have 11 races to go and we're not going to let up."

‘Homecoming’ for Hayley at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

No one would blame Cameron Hayley for getting homesick.

The 19-year-old NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver resides in Sandusky, Ohio where his ThorSport Racing team is based – 1,891.3 miles away from his hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Most of the tracks he races at are even farther away.

Distance has not stopped Hayley from chasing his NASCAR dream. Although it’s located on the opposite side of Canada, Hayley will have a homecoming of sorts when he performs in front of his fellow countrymen in Sunday’s Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (1:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1) – the NCWTS’ only road course race of the season.

"Not only is this a track I've been to before, it's also in my home country,” said Hayley, who ranks sixth in the NCWTS standings on the strength of three top-five and seven top-10 finishes in 14 starts this season. “I just hope that I will have a good run for all of my Canadian fans.”

An alumnus of the NASCAR Next initiative highlighting the sport’s top up-and-coming drivers, Hayley is still searching for his first NASCAR national series win. If he takes the checkered flag on Sunday, he would be the first Canadian to win a NASCAR national series race since Ron Fellows visited Victory Lane in Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2008.

Racing in his first full-time NCWTS season, Hayley has gained momentum lately, logging six top-10 finishes in his last eight starts, including a career-best fourth-place showing at Pocono. He made his series debut at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park last season, finishing 11th and believes his prior experience there will help him on Sunday.

“We’ve done really well at tracks that I’ve been to in the past this year, already,” Hayley said. “I’ve been to Sonoma a couple times and that place was really difficult. You look at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and think, ‘it can’t be as difficult as Sonoma,’ but it’s a very fast race track, and fast race tracks are not forgiving. It takes a lot of finesse and a lot of guts to go out there and get it done. We are bringing a really good truck, so I think this will be another good race for us to go out and get a solid top five, if not a win.” 

NASCAR Race Weekend Guide

NASCAR XFINITY Series

Race: Road America 180

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway

Date and Time: Saturday, Aug. 29 at 3 p.m. ET

Tune-in: NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 182.16 miles (45 laps)

What to Watch For: Comcast announced the creation of the Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award, honoring NASCAR team members for their outstanding charitable endeavors. Comcast’s XFINITY brand is the title sponsor of the NASCAR XFINITY Series. … NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Paul Menard, an Eau Claire, Wisconsin native, will pilot the Richard Childress Racing No. 33 Chevrolet at Road America this weekend. … Defending Road America race winner Brendan Gaughan is the only former victor in the field who has taken the checkered flag at the Wisconsin road course. … Daniel Suarez attempts to increase his 27-point lead over Darrell Wallace Jr. in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings. ... NASCAR Next alum Dylan Kwasniewski will make his third start for Obaika Racing this season. … Boris Said and Kenny Habul will compete for Joe Gibbs Racing for the third time this season (all at road courses). … Chase Elliott attempts to post his 25th career top-five finish on Saturday. He ranks third in the series standings, 23 points behind Chris Buescher.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Race: Chevrolet Silverado 250

Track: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

Date and Time: Sunday, Aug. 30 at 1:30 p.m. (ET)

Tune-in: FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 157.37 miles (64 laps)

What to Watch For: Canadian Alex Tagliani takes the wheel of the Brad Keselowski Racing No. 29 Ford F-150 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park where he is the defending Coors Light Pole Award winner. … The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship points race is jam-packed with Tyler Reddick leading Matt Crafton (-7 points) and Erik Jones (-8). … NASCAR Next alum Gray Gaulding takes the wheel of a Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra for the first time. He logged a career-best fourth-place finish at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park last season. … Daniel Hemric goes for his fifth consecutive top-five finish. … Chinese-American Brian Wong makes his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut on Sunday.

SPRINT CUP SERIES NOTE BOOK 8/27/15

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

Logano Wins Bristol Night Race For Second Straight Year

The No. 22 Team Penske driver successfully defended his August 2014 Bristol Motor Speedway win, leading 176 laps on his way to Victory Lane in Saturday’s IRWIN Tools Night Race at “The Last Great Colosseum.”

Logano seems to have Bristol figured out. In addition to his two wins at the Tennessee short track, he produced a dominant NASCAR XFINITY Series victory there in March when he led all 300 laps and logged a perfect 150.0 driver rating.

Logano’s win on Sunday was his third of the season and second in three weeks. He is third on the Chase Grid and ranks second to Kevin Harvick in top fives (14) and top 10s (18).

Parallels can be drawn from Logano’s performance right now to the same period of time last year. In 2014, he logged four consecutive top-six finishes going into his win at Bristol and took the momentum into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup where he won two races and posted a 6.4 average finish on his way to a Championship 4 Round final showing. This season, the 25-year-old Middletown, Connecticut native registered four top-five results in six races prior to his win at Bristol, a stretch that included two runner-ups and a win.

Harvick First Driver Since 1972 With Double-Digit Runner-Up Finishes

As the great Rickie Bobby once said, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”

Hopefully Kevin Harvick doesn’t agree with the fictitious Wonder Bread car driver’s logic.

The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing driver overcame two pit road penalties to log his 10th runner-up showing of the year.  It is only the 10th time a driver amassed double-digit runner-up finishes in a season and the first since Bobby Allison in 1972.

Harvick ranks tied for fifth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with two wins, but has dominated every other statistical category. He leads the NSCS in top fives (17) top 10s (21), driver rating (119.7), laps led (1,406/21.4%), average running position (7.5) and average finish (7.5).

Last season, Harvick topped the list in nearly every statistical category except wins entering the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Once in NASCAR’s playoffs, he turned his statistical production into victories, winning three races – including the last two events – to walk off with his first career NSCS championship.

2 To Go Until Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup

Drivers have just two races left to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – Darlington and Richmond.

As of now, 11 drivers are qualified for NASCAR’s playoffs with wins as long as they start the next two races and remain in the top 30 in points: Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards.

The five remaining drivers on the Chase Grid have to either visit Victory Lane or stay high enough in the points standings where they don’t get bumped by a new winner outside the top 16.

These drivers are Jamie McMurray (76 points above the cutoff line), Ryan Newman (+63), Paul Menard (+54), Jeff Gordon (+52) and Clint Bowyer (+35).

The winless drivers who have won at Darlington in the past and have yet to earn Chase berths this season are Gordon and Greg Biffle.

The winless drivers who have won at Richmond in the past and have yet to earn Chase berths this season are Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart.

For the first time, a winless CAN clinch a spot in the Chase. If a repeat driver wins at Darlington, a winless driver would need to have a 45 point lead on the fifth-highest of the winless drivers (or 44 points, depending on tie-breakers).  If there is a new winner, a winless driver would need to lead the fourth-highest winless driver by 45 points (or 44, depending on tie-breakers).

Loop Mania: A Sampling Of The Recent Statistical Leaders

Dating back to Kentucky Speedway in July, Joe Gibbs Racing has won five of the last seven races. The other two were won by Team Penske’s Joey Logano. While the JGR drivers (Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin), Logano and Kevin Harvick have been getting the majority of the hype lately, a closer look at the stats shows that Logano’s Team Penske shopmate Brad Keselowski might be ready to break out.

Laps Led

1.         Kyle Busch | 502

2.         Joey Logano | 337

3.         Brad Keselowski | 213

4.         Kevin Harvick | 181

5.         Matt Kenseth |150

Driver Rating

1.         Kyle Busch | 122.3

2.         Joey Logano | 121.0

3.         Brad Keselowski | 110.8

4.         Kevin Harvick | 110.6

5.         Carl Edwards | 107.5

Average Finish

1.         Joey Logano | 5.3

2.         Brad Keselowski | 6.0

3.         Kyle Busch | 6.4

4.         Carl Edwards | 7.9

5.         Kevin Harvick | 9.0

While he only ranks 14th in points gained all season (666), Carl Edwards looks to be gaining momentum as well.

Hamlin Heating Up At Right Time?

With top-five finishes in his last two starts, Denny Hamlin could be on the verge of a strong run.

The No. 11 Toyota driver proved his ability to navigate through the new Chase format by making the Championship 4 Round last season. Also, he has a track in every round at which he is historically strong. Hamlin has two wins at Loudon (Challenger Round), owns a win at Talladega (Challenger Round) along with the sixth-best driver rating among active drivers at Superspeedways (92.7), boasts five victories at Martinsville (Eliminator 8 Round) and claims two checkered flags at Homestead (Championship 4 Round).

XFINITY SERIES NOTEBOOK 8/26/15

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

Points Tighten As Dillon Capitalizes On Buescher’s Fuel Mileage Mistake At Bristol

When Chris Buescher’s Roush Fenway Racing Ford faltered on the front row of the green-white-checkered restart last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, the points leader faded to an 11th-place finish, as championship contender Ty Dillon motored to a third-place showing, closing the standings lead gap between first and second to 19 points.

Buescher was visibly upset about his finish outside the top 10; his sixth in the last eight races.

“It’s unfortunate. I’m really upset,” Buescher said. “We had the speed, but it wasn’t meant to be.  I’m glad we took the chance. I wouldn’t change it if we could do it over again, but unfortunately it (gamble on fuel) knocked us right out of a top-10 and out of a win.”

Dillon who jumped to second in the standings and closed the points lead gap to 19 sang a different tune.

“This race was an overall great points day for us,” said Ty Dillon after posting his seventh top five of the season and qualifying for the final round of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash next week at Darlington.

On Saturday, the series heads to Road America (Plymouth, Wisc.) for the Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville (3 p.m. on NBCSN) - the third and final road course race on the XFINITY Series schedule. Buescher’s slide could continue as he struggled in his only start at Road America last season. He started ninth but finished 18th. Dillon also had a negative place differential at Road America in his series track debut last season starting seventh but finishing 19th.

“Road America is a very difficult and unique road course,” Buescher said. “I love road racing and look forward to the challenge.”

On a high note, Dillon and Buescher are the only two drivers who have top-five finishes in the previous two road course races this season.

Wisconsin Native Paul Menard Moonlighting In XFINITY Series This Weekend

While most of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers are enjoying their last off weekend of the 2015 season, Eau Claire, Wisconsin native Paul Menard will be strapping into the Richard Childress Racing No. 33 Chevrolet for the Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville on Saturday. 

Menard has made five series starts this season in the No. 33 RCR Chevrolet posting one top five, four top 10s and an average finish of 8.6. His season-to-date driver rating is 107.7.

Menard has made one series start at Road America in 2010, driving for car owner Jack Roush; he started eighth and finished 16th.

Menard’s hometown of Eau Claire is almost four hours (232 miles) northwest from where Road America is located in Plymouth, Wisconsin. 

Odds Are Road America’s Streak Of Different Winners Continues 

In the last five NASCAR XFINITY Series races at Road America there have been five different winners, and since only one of the former winners (Brendan Gaughan) is entered, odds are we will see a sixth this weekend in the Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville.  The odds of a repeat winner this weekend are a 1 in 40 chance or 2.5%-meaning there is a 97.5% chance for a sixth different winner. 

The five former Road America winners are Carl Edwards (2010), Reed Sorenson (2011), Nelson Piquet Jr. (2012), AJ Allmendinger (2013) and Brendan Gaughan (2014).

Two drivers to watch this weekend who might become the sixth different winner at Road America are Chase Elliott and Elliott Sadler.

Chase Elliott is currently third in points and looking for his first win of the season. Elliott has only made one start at Road America (2014), starting 12th and finishing fourth. In 2015, Elliott has an average finish of sixth on road courses – third-best among championship contenders.

Sadler is currently fifth in the points and also looking for his first win of the season. Sadler (9.2) and Gaughan are the only two drivers with more than one start at Road America with an average finish inside the top 10. He has finished ninth at Road America the last two seasons.

Though the odds are against him, don’t count out Gaughan just yet, he can become the first driver to be a repeat winner at Road America this weekend. Among active drivers with more than one start at Road America he has the best average finish (5.0). In three starts at Road America, Gaughan has posted one win (his first XFINITY Series victory) and two top fives.

Sunoco Rookie Update: Suarez’s Hot Streak Continues With Dash 4 Cash Prize

Daniel Suarez is so hot he sizzles these days. Not only does the Monterrey, Mexico native lead the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by 27 points over second-place Darrell Wallace Jr., but he also padded his wallet this past weekend when he took home the $100,000 cash prize from the third round of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash program. The Dash 4 Cash win automatically qualifies Suarez to compete in the final round of the program at Darlington as well. 

“I didn’t win it (Dash 4 Cash prize), we won it,” Suarez said. “We are a great team. Everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing – all these guys who help to put this program together, I’m very, very thankful for them. All the hard work looks like it’s paying off. I’m very happy.”

In 22 starts this season, Suarez has posted two Coors Light poles, five top fives, 10 top 10s and an average finish of 12.6.

This will be Suarez’s series track debut at Road America this weekend.

Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings following Bristol: Daniel Suarez (232), Darrell Wallace Jr (205), Ross Chastain (159), Cale Conley (141), Harrison Rhodes (125), Peyton Sellers (97), Josh Reaume (55).

Dylan Kwasniewski Making Most Of Obaika Racing Opportunity

The first year team, Obaika Racing, owned by African businessman Victor Obaika has fielded the No. 97 Chevrolet this season with four different drivers – Peyton Sellers, Johanna Long, Josh Reaume and this weekend Dylan Kwasniewski. 

Kwasniewski competed full-time last season for Turner Motorsports but was not resigned for the 2015 season.  Kwasniewski earned his chance at a seat last season with Turner after he became the first driver to win the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West (2012) and East (2013) championships.

Kwasniewski has made two previous starts for Obaika Racing this season posting a best finish of 32nd last weekend at Bristol. He has made one XFINITY Series career start at Road America (last season); he started second but finished 26th. 

Third Time’s A Charm: Road America, Site Of Final Road Course On The Schedule

The third and final road course on the NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule is upon us. The four-mile multi-elevation track holds fourteen turns to challenge the drivers this weekend in the Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville.

The first two road courses have brought lots of action and this weekend is expected to be more of the same. In one lap a driver will experience around 171 feet in elevation changes.

Road America is a track of firsts. Three drivers have posted their first XFINITY Series career Coors Light pole at Road America: Michael McDowell (2011), Nelson Piquet Jr. (2012), and AJ Allmendinger (2013). Three drivers have also posted their first XFINITY Series career win at Road America: Nelson Piquet Jr. (2012), AJ Allmendinger (2013) and Brendan Gaughan (2014).

Qualifying will be very important for the competitors this weekend because three of the five NXS Road America races (60%) have been won from the Coors Light pole. The deepest a Road America winner has started is 12th-place (Reed Sorenson, 2011).  

Road America has a streak of five different winners, as well as five different NXS Coors Light pole winners: Carl Edwards (2010), Michael McDowell (2011), Nelson Piquet Jr. (2012), AJ Allmendinger (2013) and Alex Tagliani (2014).  None of the previous five pole winners are entered this weekend.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.:

NASCAR In Wisconsin – There have been 40 NASCAR national series races (NSCS 1, NXS 24, NCWTS 15) among two tracks (Road America, six races; Milwaukee Mile, 34 races) in the state of Wisconsin. The first time NASCAR competed in Wisconsin was the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Road America in 1956, the event was won by Tim Flock (73.858 mph, 03:29:50). The first NASCAR XFINITY Series race held in Wisconsin was at the Milwaukee Mile in 1984, the event was won by Sam Ard (97.206 mph, 02:03:26). The first race at Road America for the NASCAR XFINITY Series was in 2010 and won by Carl Edwards (68.501 mph, 02:57:17). One-hundred fourteen different drivers have competed in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Road America, and 52 have participated in more than one race. Brian Scott, Eric McClure and Mike Bliss are the only three drivers who have competed in all five XFINITY Series races at Road America.

Drivers From Wisconsin – A total of 49 drivers have competed in a NASCAR national series race with their home state recorded as Wisconsin. Of the 49 Wisconsin drivers, 30 have competed in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Of the 30, only five have won in the NASCAR XFINITY Series: Matt Kenseth (29), Scott Wimmer (6), Johnny Sauter (3), Paul Menard (2) and Dick Trickle (2).

Said and Habul Return For JGR – They’re back and ready for Road America. For the third time this season Joe Gibbs Racing has called on the road course skills of veterans Boris Said and Kenny Habul. Said will pilot the No. 54 Toyota and Habul take the wheel of No. 20 Toyota.

Milestones: Chase Elliott will attempt to post his 25th career top-five XFINITY Series finish this weekend. Elliott is currently tied with Dick Trickle, Rob Moroso and Trevor Bayne for 68th on the all-time XFINITY Series top fives list.

Saturday Bristol Notebook

Saturday Bristol Notebook

Notebook Items:

-           Bruton Smith returns to race track after battling lymphoma

-           Jeff Gordon grateful for commemorative honor at Bristol

August 22, 2015

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

Bruton Smith returns to race track after battling lymphoma

BRISTOL, Tenn. – From high in the grandstands at Bristol Motor Speedway, you can see a message in bold letters on top of one of the tents that covers the NASCAR inspection line.

The message reads, “Bruton Smith, Class of 2016, NASCAR Hall of Fame, Congratulations Mr. Chairman.”

But more than congratulations were in order for the chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., the corporate entity that owns a portfolio of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race tracks, including Bristol Motor Speedway, site of tonight's IRWIN Tools Night Race (on NBCSN at 7:30 p.m. ET).

Smith, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in January, returned to the track this weekend for the first time since undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. According to Smith and his son, SMI CEO and President Marcus Smith, the prognosis is excellent.

“The doctors said I probably needed a bit of a rest and I got that,” Bruton Smith told reporters on Friday at Bristol. “And I probably needed it. You see, I could depend on Marcus. SMI—they can easily do with my absence. He knows what he’s doing. He’s doing a great job and I’m proud of him.

“I hate to miss any of our races. I really do. It’s kind of heartbreaking, really. I like to be there to see what’s going on.”

Marcus Smith said the family opted to go public with his father’s condition to head off speculation.

“We talked about this for the last few days actually, about having a conversation, because health and personal matters are personal,” Marcus Smith said. “The family, we’re private about personal matters. A lot of people have asked me about, ‘Where’s Bruton? How’s he feeling?’

“I’m really excited about this weekend, because Bristol was a goal. For us. For my dad. The time was such that it was a good goal to try to hit to be healthy and strong. Back around the All-Star Race in May, my dad had not been feeling 100 percent and a little bit prior.

“Coming back, people might think that because he lost weight that something was wrong. I thought it was better to tell the good part of the story.”

The good part is the current diagnosis.

“The really good news is, through the process, treatment and ups and downs and having Bristol as a goal to be healthy by, we’re back here, and the last word from the doctor was things have been really good,” Marcus Smith said.

“He’s progressed beyond expectations they all had, and we’re very thankful about that, of course, and they have given a really good prognosis on his health. In short, he’s responded really well to treatment and even beyond the expectations from the doctors.”

GORDON GRATEFUL FOR COMMEMORATIVE HONOR

Throughout Jeff Gordon’s final season as a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, race tracks have been trying to outdo each other in recognition of Gordon’s last visits as a competitor.

The honor bestowed by Bristol Motor Speedway—a grandstand terrace named after the four-time champion. The gift made a visible impression on Gordon when the signage was unveiled in the BMS media center on Friday.

“That means the world to me,” Gordon said. “This place is awesome. I love coming here. I’ve enjoyed competing here, but this is one of those tracks that it brings the fan out in all of us. 

“For you to honor me this way means so much to me. I get to enjoy this honor for years to come. I’m very proud of that. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished here and can’t thank you enough.”

Gordon entered Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race as a five-time winner at the .533-mile short track, hoping for a sixth victory, which would lock him into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

But Gordon made one important distinction.

“We’re doing everything that we possibly can to be the best we can be, to communicate and work together and come out of this thing knowing that we gave it everything that we’ve got. And so, we don’t need a win.

“A win would be nice. And a win would certainly make things a little easier over these next couple of weeks, but when you say ‘need’ a win, I’ve won 92 times. I don’t need a win. I want to win. That’s all.”

Logano holds off Harvick to defend Bristol night race title

Logano holds off Harvick to defend Bristol night race title

August 22, 2015

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

BRISTOL, Tenn. – With Kevin Harvick hounding him mercilessly for 63 laps, Joey Logano kept his No. 22 Team Penske Ford out front after taking the lead on a Lap 438 restart and held on to win Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Successfully defending last year’s victory at Thunder Valley, Logano won his third race of the season, his second at the .533-mile short track and the 11th of his career.

Harvick recovered from two pit road speeding penalties to finish second, a mere .220 seconds behind Logano. Polesitter Denny Hamlin ran third, and Clint Bowyer got a much-needed fourth place result in his No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota.

It was a fascinating Chase over the final 63 laps, as Harvick would bury his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet into the corner at the top of the track, catch Logano in the turns and watch as Logano dived to the bottom on corner exit and pull away.

“There’s not much time to look in the rearview mirror, but I realized how different his line was than mine,” Logano said. “He’d drive in so hard and almost get to my back bumper, and then I’d drive off really good.

“It’s kind of interesting to watch a race like that, when two cars are a similar speed, but in two completely different ways. That’s what’s so fun about Bristol is you can drive the car about five or six different ways and make it fast, so it’s fun to race here.”

Harvick said Logano’s ability to diamond the corner gave the Ford an advantage when it came to working traffic.

“He was just one step ahead of me in traffic,” Harvick said.  “I couldn't get my car to rotate across the center like I needed it to, and every time I tried to force it, it would snap the back out. He was able to go in really high and before the center of the corner drive down the corner and I was just having to wait just a split second to be able to put the throttle back down, and I couldn't do that, that huge diamond all the way to the bottom like he could, and that was really beneficial for him through traffic…

“He was able to get those huge runs up off the exit of the corner and just stayed one step ahead of me through traffic, I felt like, and in clean air we probably were a little faster, but it didn't really matter. I had to be in front of him to show that.”

Brad Keselowski came home fifth, followed by Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch, who led a race-high 192 laps but was hit with a pit road speeding penalty on his last stop under yellow on Lap 432.

Logano took over from there and racked up 176 laps out front in a race that saw 14 lead changes among five drivers. The runner-up finish was Harvick’s 10th of the season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished ninth, followed by Ryan Newman and Jamie McMurray, who solidified their positions in the fight for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup berths on points. McMurray and Newman are 10th and 11th in the standings, respectively, the highest-scored drivers without a victory this season.

Given that there have been only 11 different winners in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this year, at least three drivers are certain to qualify for the Chase on points.

Kyle Busch, a four-time winner and 29th in the standings, also moved closer to locking up a Chase berth, padding his advantage to 46 points over 31st-place Cole Whitt. Busch, who missed the first 11 events of the season because of injury, must remain in the top 30 for the next two races to qualify for the Chase.

Busch wasn’t pleased when NASCAR flagged him for the speeding penalty, but he made a masterful drive from the rear of the field to eighth place.

“I was proud of Kyle, keeping his cool and getting back up, because I think that gave us some more points, some more cushion there,” team owner Joe Gibbs said. “I think he’s doing a really good job of focusing and not losing his poise.”

Chase Grid.Going Into Bristol

Below is the complete list of drivers currently in the Chase Grid.

Drivers with wins who have clinched a spot in the Chase as long as they stay in the top 30 in points:

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Kyle Busch
3. Matt Kenseth
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Joey Logano
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
7. Kurt Busch
8. Martin Truex Jr.
9. Brad Keselowski
10. Denny Hamlin
11. Carl Edwards

Drivers currently in the top 16:

12. Jamie McMurray
13. Paul Menard
14. Ryan Newman
15. Jeff Gordon
16. Clint Bowyer

If a winless driver goes to Victory Lane at Bristol, he or she would clinch a spot only if that driver is 97 points ahead of 31st place. No driver who remains winless after Bristol will clinch a spot.

Kyle Busch grabs overtime XFINITY win at Brist

Kyle Busch grabs overtime XFINITY win at Bristol

 

August 21, 2015

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

BRISTOL, Tenn.  – When Chris Buescher’s Ford faltered on a green-white-checkered restart on Friday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch took full advantage, as is his custom.

In a Food City 300 that went to two laps of overtime at the .533-mile short track, Busch finished .427 seconds ahead of Kyle Larson, as Buescher faded to 11th after his car failed to pick up fuel off Turn 2 of the next-to-last lap.

The victory was Busch’s third of the season in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, his eighth at Bristol and the 73rd of his career, extending his own series record. 

“This is home—this is where I’m supposed to be,” Busch said, standing outside the car in Victory Lane. “I wish I was here Wednesday night (after the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race), so we could continue the sweep lookout for (Saturday), but that was a second place. Oh, well.”

Polesitter Denny Hamlin ran third, followed by Ty Dillon and Daniel Suarez, who got a bonus for his top-five run. As the highest finishing eligible driver in the XFINITY Dash 4 Cash program, Suarez picked up an extra $100,000.

Pit strategy put Buescher at the front of the field under the fourth caution of the race, caused by Cale Conley’s spin in Turn 4. Staying out on older tires while most of the lead-lap cars came to pit road for fresh rubber and fuel, Buescher nevertheless pulled away from Busch during a succession of restarts, as Busch saved his equipment for what he thought would be the inevitable late-race caution.

“I let the 60 (Buescher) go,” Busch said. “He ran out there to about a straightaway on us, and I was just trying to save and do what I could to keep my tires underneath me. I knew we were going to get some cautions at the end to bunch us back up, and fortunately we did.

“I wasn’t sure they were going to make it on fuel (having pitted on lap 131 of 302), and obviously they cut it close—a little too close.”

Busch got the yellow he needed, just in time. Brad Teague’s wreck on the frontstretch with five laps left set up the green-white-checkered and gave Busch the chance he needed.

Buescher, who saw his series lead shrink to 19 points over Ty Dillon, knew he could have made it to the end on fuel, had the race not gone to overtime.