Month: May 2022

Categories
Fantasy NASCAR

NASCAR All-Star Race Format

all star race

NASCAR All-Star race format intensified with qualifying elimination bracket, stage winner and pit crew incentives.

NASCAR and Texas Motor Speedway announced the format and eligibility for the NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday, May 22, that features four stages and 125 laps of on-track competition for a $1 million payday, stage winner incentives, amplified roles for the pit crews, and a distinctive head-to-head elimination qualifying format.

The NASCAR All-Star Race returns to Texas Motor Speedway for the second consecutive season and this 38th edition brings some unique twists for the eligible Cup drivers pursuing the winner-take-all $1 million payday. The most prominent twist will come in the form of a four-round qualifying format with head-to-head elimination rounds and the pivotal role of the pit crews.

Qualifying

  • Opening round is the traditional single-car, one-lap format in reverse order of the current 2022 owner points.
  • Fastest eight qualifiers transfer to a three-round, head-to-head elimination bracket.
  • Elimination bracket will feature two cars staged in adjacent pit stalls near the end of pit road.
  • At the sound of an alert, each pit crew will perform a four-tire stop and, at the drop of the jack, drivers will exit their pit stalls (with no speed limit) onto the track.
  • First car back to the start/finish line advances to the next round.
  • Final pairing competes for the pole.

Race Format

The race will consist of four stages, with the first three 25 laps in length and the fourth and final being a 50-lap shootout for the $1 million prize. The new format has provided a major incentive to win any of the opening three stages or the pit stop competition during the break between Stages 2 and 3.

Incentives to Win a Stage

STAGE 1 (25 laps): Stage 1 winner will start on the pole in the final stage as long as he finishes 15th or better in Stages 2 and 3.

STAGE 2 (25 laps): Stage 2 winner starts second in final stage as long as he finishes 15th or better in Stage 3.

SPECIAL STAGE BREAK (Pit Stop Competition): Each team must pit and perform a four-tire stop. The team with the shortest time on pit road (pit in/pit out) wins the pit crew award and the driver will start fourth in the final stage as long as he finishes 15th or better in Stage 3.

STAGE 3 (25 laps): Stage 3 winner starts third in final stage.

STAGE 4 (50 laps): Stage 1 winner starts first, Stage 2 winner second, Stage 3 winner third and pit stop competition winner fourth. If a “natural” caution occurs between laps 15-25 of the final stage, standard race procedures will be in effect. If no “natural” caution occurs during that time, NASCAR will call an “All Star” competition caution. Winner of the Stage 4 earns $1 million.

“The NASCAR All-Star Race highlights our best athletes – from the driver to road crew to the pit crews – and this year’s edition brings that to another level,” said Scott Miller, NASCAR Sr. Vice President, Competition. “Fans will have a full weekend of exciting competition starting with a unique qualifying format and an All-Star Race that features the top talent in our sport.”

“The incredible intensity of the drivers and teams as well as the Texas-sized excitement from our race fans is what makes the NASCAR All-Star Race just that much more special,” Texas Motor Speedway General Manager Rob Ramage said. “The never-seen-before qualifying format will put even more pressure on drivers and pits crews to perform at their peak. Combining that with the easier-to-follow race format will create more action-packed competition for race fans at Texas Motor Speedway and those watching on FS1 as they watch their favorite drivers battle to earn a $1 million payday.”

The NASCAR Open will immediately precede the NASCAR All-Star Race and will consist of three stages (20 laps / 20 laps / 10 laps). Each segment winner will advance to the NASCAR All-Star Race as will the winner of the Fan Vote. Fans can vote for their favorite driver who has not qualified for the NASCAR All-Star Race by visiting NASCAR.com for details.

Eligible Drivers

  • Cup Series drivers who have earned a points-paying race victory in either 2021 or 2022.
  • Previous NASCAR All-Star Race winners who are competing full-time this season.
  • Previous NASCAR Cup Series champions who are competing full-time this season.

Drivers who currently have clinched a starting spot (through Talladega) and making return visits to the NASCAR All-Star Race are

  • AJ Allmendinger
  • Aric Almirola
  • Christopher Bell
  • Ryan Blaney
  • Alex Bowman
  • Chase Briscoe
  • Kurt Busch
  • Kyle Busch
  • William Byron
  • Ross Chastain
  • Chase Elliott
  • Denny Hamlin
  • Kevin Harvick
  • Brad Keselowski
  • Kyle Larson
  • Joey Logano
  • Michael McDowell
  • Martin Truex Jr.
  • Bubba Wallace
  • Austin Cindric
Blake Shelton 60-minute pre-race concert

Country music superstar Blake Shelton will perform a live 60-minute concert May 22 beginning at 3 p.m. as part of the NASCAR All-Star pre-race festivities. The full day of NASCAR competition and entertainment activities will conclude with a 60-minute post-race concert performed by legendary Mexican ranchero music group Banda MS.

Coverage of the NASCAR All-Star Race – sponsored by NASCAR’s Premier Partners Busch Light Beer, Coca-Cola, GEICO and Xfinity – will begin May 22 at 5 p.m. ET on FS1. The NASCAR Open will begin at 6 p.m. on FS1, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90, MRN, and 95.9 The Ranch and the NASCAR All-Star Race at 8 p.m. on FS1, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90, MRN, and 95.9 The Ranch.

Categories
Fantasy NASCAR

Statistical Advance: Analyzing the AdventHealth 400

KANSAS SPEEDWAY – SPECIFIC STATISTICS

(*Driver stats in the below section are from 2005-Present)

Ryan Blaney (No. 12 Team Penske Ford)
  • Three top fives, six top 10s; one pole
  • Average Finish of 17.286, 13th-best
  • Average Running Position of 9.540, second-best
  • Driver Rating of 95.1, fifth-best
  • 189 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
  • 2,937 Laps in the Top 15 (78.2%), ninth-most
  • 491 Quality Passes, 13th-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
  • Two wins, nine top fives, 13 top 10s
  • Average Finish of 14.815, eighth-best
  • Average Running Position of 12.974, ninth-best
  • Driver Rating of 92.9, eighth-best
  • 330 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
  • 4,982 Laps in the Top 15 (69.5%), fourth-most
  • 1,042 Quality Passes, second-most
Kurt Busch (No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota)
  • Five top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
  • Average Finish of 14.643, seventh-best
  • Average Running Position of 13.991, 11th-best
  • Driver Rating of 88.6, 10th-best
  • 177 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
  • 4,919 Laps in the Top 15 (66.1%), fifth-most
  • 1,033 Quality Passes, third-most
William Byron (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
  • One top five, five top 10s
  • Average Finish of 16.125, 11th-best
  • Average Running Position of 14.212, 12th-best
  • Driver Rating of 85.7, 12th-best
  • 99 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-best
  • 1,264 Laps in the Top 15 (58.8%), 17th-most
  • 341 Quality Passes, 15th-most
Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
  • One win, six top fives, eight top 10s
  • Average Finish of 9.750, second-best
  • Average Running Position of 10.847, third-best
  • Driver Rating of 100.2, third-best
  • 164 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
  • 2,510 Laps in the Top 15 (78.0%), 11th-most
  • 602 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
  • Three wins, nine top fives, ten top 10s
  • Average Finish of 14.074, sixth-best
  • Average Running Position of 12.470, seventh-best
  • Driver Rating of 92.0, ninth-best
  • 193 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
  • 5,057 Laps in the Top 15 (70.5%), third-most
  • 1,025 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford)
  • Three wins, 12 top fives, 19 top 10s; five poles
  • Average Finish of 7.750, series-best
  • Average Running Position of 8.529, series-best
  • Driver Rating of 109.9, series-best
  • 649 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
  • 6,126 Laps in the Top 15 (82.3%), series-most
  • 1,124 Quality Passes, series-most
Brad Keselowski (No. 6 RFK Racing Ford)
  • Two wins, seven top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
  • Average Finish of 11.500, third-best
  • Average Running Position of 12.386, sixth-best
  • Driver Rating of 94.0, seventh-best
  • 262 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
  • 4,622 Laps in the Top 15 (71.9%), sixth-most
  • 1,006 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
  • One win, four top fives, six top 10s
  • Average Finish of 15.500, 10th-best
  • Average Running Position of 11.287, fifth-best
  • Driver Rating of 99.9, fourth-best
  • 320 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
  • 2,793 Laps in the Top 15 (74.4%), 10th-most
  • 596 Quality Passes, ninth-most
Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford)
  • Three wins, eight top fives, 10 top 10s; two poles
  • Average finish of 17.120, 12th-best
  • Average Running Position of 14.646, 14th-best
  • Driver Rating of 88.5, 11th-best
  • 242 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
  • 3,921 Laps in the Top 15 (58.6%), seventh-most
  • 757 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Tyler Reddick (No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)
  • Two top 10s
  • Average Finish of 15.200, ninth-best
  • Average Running Position of 13.495, 10th-best
  • Driver Rating of 83.5, 13th-best
  • 38 Fastest Laps Run, 18th-best
  • 896 Laps in the Top 15 (66.9%), 19th-most
  • 237 Quality Passes, 19th-most
Martin Truex Jr (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
  • Two wins, nine top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles
  • Average Finish of 12.741, fifth-best
  • Average Running Position of 11.186, fourth-best
  • Driver Rating of 100.4, second-best
  • 493 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
  • 5,255 Laps in the Top 15 (73.3%), second-most
  • 961 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Kansas Race Record Data

Track Race Record:

Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 152.057 mph (2:38:02); Oct. 21, 2018

2021 race winner:

Kyle Busch, Toyota, 129.647 mph, (03:05:21), May 2, 2021

STARTS
  • Brad Keselowski leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Kansas with a 10.227 in 22 starts.
POLES
  • Six of the 16 NASCAR Cup Series pole winners are active this weekend.
Active Kansas Pole Winners (6)PolesSeasons
Kevin Harvick52019, 2018, 2014 sweep, 2013
Joey Logano22018, 2015
Martin Truex Jr22017, 2016
Ryan Blaney12017
Brad Keselowski12015
Kurt Busch12011
WINS
  • Eight of the 16 NASCAR Cup Series winners are active this weekend at Kansas Speedway.

Active Kansas Race Winners (8)

Wins

Seasons

Denny Hamlin

3

2020, 2019, 2012

Joey Logano

3

2020, 2015, 2014

Kevin Harvick

3

2018, 2016, 2013

Kyle Busch

2

2021, 2016

Brad Keselowski

2

2019, 2011

Martin Truex Jr

2

2017 sweep

Kyle Larson

1

2021

Chase Elliott

1

2018

  • No NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won their first career race at Kansas Speedway.
  • A total of 17 different starting positions on the grid have led to victories in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway.
  • The first starting position is the most proficient starting spot in the field producing more winners (seven) than any other starting position on the grid: Joe Nemechek (2004), Jimmie Johnson (2008), Matt Kenseth (spring 2013), Kevin Harvick (Playoffs 2013), Martin Truex Jr. (Playoffs 2017), Kevin Harvick (spring 2018), Kyle Larson (Playoffs 2021).
WINS
  • A total of six of the 30 (20%) NASCAR Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway have been won from the pole or first starting position; the most recent driver to accomplish the feat was Kevin Harvick (May 12, 2018).
NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions at Kansas Speedway

Starting Position

Wins

Winning %

Starting Position

Wins

Winning %

1

7

21.9%

11

2

6.25%

2

2

6.3%

12

1

3.13%

3

1

3.1%

13

2

6.25%

4

3

9.4%

14

1

3.13%

5

2

6.3%

19

3

9.38%

6

1

3.1%

21

1

3.13%

7

1

3.1%

23

1

3.13%

9

1

3.1%

25

1

3.13%

10

2

6.3%

Stats

Winning %

Wins

Winning from the First Starting Position:

21.9%

7

Winning from the Front Row:

28.1%

9

Winning from a Top-Five Starting Position:

46.9%

15

Winning from a Top-10 Starting Position:

62.5%

20

Winning After Starting Outside the Top 20:

9.4%

3

  • The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Kansas Speedway is 25th, by Brad Keselowski in the spring of 2011.
  • Martin Truex Jr. (17), Kyle Busch (16) and Kevin Harvick (15) all made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Kansas Speedway.
  • Kurt Busch leads the NASCAR Cup Series among active drivers with the most starts at Kansas Speedway without visiting Victory Lane at 32; followed by Michael McDowell (21 starts), Aric Almirola (20) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (18).
  • A total of eight different organizations have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway.

Organizations

Wins

Seasons

Hendrick Motorsports

8

2021, 2018, 2015, 2014, 2011, 2008, 2002, 2001

Joe Gibbs Racing

7

2021, 2020, 2019, 2016, 2013, 2012, 2006

Team Penske

6

2020, 2019, 2015, 2014, 2011, 2003

RFK Racing

4

2012, 2010, 2007, 2005

Stewart-Haas Racing

3

2018, 2016, 2009

Furniture Row Racing

2

2017 sweep

Richard Childress Racing

1

2013

MB2 Motorsports

1

2004

  • Hendrick Motorsports leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Kansas Speedway with eight victories among four drivers: Jeff Gordon (three: 2001, 2002 and 2014), Jimmie Johnson (three: 2008, 2011 and 2015), Chase Elliott (one: Playoffs 2018) and Kyle Larson (one: Playoffs 2021).
  • Four manufacturers have won at Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series; led by Chevrolet with 13 victories, Ford with nine, Toyota has eight and Dodge has two.
ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS
Runner-Up Finishes:
  • Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in runner-up finishes at Kansas Speedway with five second-place finishes (2014, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2021).
Top Five in Second-Place Finishes at Kansas Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Rank

All-Time Drivers

Runner-Ups

Rank

Active Drivers

Runner-Ups

1

Kevin Harvick

5

1

Kevin Harvick

5

2

Martin Truex Jr

3

2

Martin Truex Jr

3

3

Brad Keselowski

2

3

Brad Keselowski

2

Carl Edwards

2

Chase Elliott

2

Chase Elliott

2

Kurt Busch

2

Kasey Kahne

2

Kurt Busch

2

Ryan Newman

2

Top Five Finishes:
  • Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-five finishes at Kansas Speedway with 12 top fives.
Top Five in Top Fives at Kansas Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Rank

All-Time Drivers

Top Fives

Rank

Active Drivers

Top Fives

1

Kevin Harvick

12

1

Kevin Harvick

12

2

Jeff Gordon

11

2

Denny Hamlin

9

3

Denny Hamlin

9

Kyle Busch

9

Jimmie Johnson

9

Martin Truex Jr

9

Kyle Busch

9

5

Joey Logano

8

Martin Truex Jr

9

Top-10 Finishes:

  • Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick leads the series in top-10 finishes at Kansas Speedway with 19 top 10s each.
Top Five in Top 10s at Kansas Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Rank

All-Time Drivers

Top 10s

Rank

Active Drivers

Top 10s

1

Jimmie Johnson

19

1

Kevin Harvick

19

2

Kevin Harvick

19

2

Martin Truex Jr

14

3

Jeff Gordon

14

3

Brad Keselowski

13

4

Martin Truex Jr

14

4

Kurt Busch

13

5

Brad Keselowski

13

5

Kyle Busch

13

Carl Edwards

13

Kurt Busch

13

Kyle Busch

13

Matt Kenseth

13

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS
Average Finish
  • Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway with an average finishing position with a 8.906 in 32 starts.
Top 10 in Average Finishing Position at Kansas Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Rank

All-Time Drivers

Avg Finish

Races

Rank

Active Drivers

Avg Finish

Races

1

Rusty Wallace

8.200

5

1

Kevin Harvick

8.906

32

2

Ricky Rudd

8.800

5

2

Chase Elliott

9.750

12

3

Kevin Harvick

8.906

32

3

Brad Keselowski

11.500

24

4

Chase Elliott

9.750

12

4

Martin Truex Jr

12.741

27

5

Jeff Gordon

9.950

20

5

Denny Hamlin

14.074

27

6

Brendan Gaughan

10.000

2

6

Tyler Reddick

15.200

5

7

Carl Edwards

10.158

19

7

Kurt Busch

15.500

32

8

Brad Keselowski

11.500

24

8

Kyle Larson

15.500

14

9

Jimmie Johnson

11.793

29

9

Kyle Busch

15.607

28

10

Greg Biffle

12.714

21

10

Cole Custer

15.750

4

LAP LEADERS
  • Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Kansas Speedway with 949 in 32 starts.
Top 15 Lap Leaders in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway

Rank

All-Time Lap Leaders

Races

Laps Led

Completed

% Led

1

Kevin Harvick

32

949

8,397

11.3%

2

Martin Truex Jr

27

803

7,066

11.4%

3

Matt Kenseth

27

774

6,735

11.5%

4

Jimmie Johnson

29

601

7,513

8.0%

5

Joey Logano

25

500

6,335

7.9%

6

Kyle Larson

14

426

3,539

12.0%

7

Kyle Busch

28

404

6,933

5.8%

8

Denny Hamlin

27

349

7,077

4.9%

9

Greg Biffle

21

346

5,319

6.5%

10

Brad Keselowski

24

327

6,305

5.2%

11

Kurt Busch

32

276

8,087

3.4%

12

Jeff Gordon

20

218

5,250

4.2%

13

Mark Martin

16

212

4,188

5.1%

14

Chase Elliott

12

187

3,206

5.8%

15

Carl Edwards

19

176

4,993

3.5%

LAP LEADERS
  • The most laps led by the winner of a NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway was 197 of the scheduled 272 laps (72.4%) on October 9, 2011 by Jimmie Johnson. He started the race in 19th.
  • The most laps led by a driver that did not win a NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway was 173 of the scheduled 267 (64.7%) on April 22, 2012 by Martin Truex Jr.; he ultimately finished the race runner-up after Denny Hamlin passed Truex with 37 laps to go and went on to win.
  • The fewest laps led by the winner of a NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway was five laps of the scheduled 267 on October 1, 2006 by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart. He took the lead over Jimmie Johnson on Lap 263 and led the final five laps to win.
TRACK & EVENT SPECIFIC STATS
  • Since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993, the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway is 0.081-second. The race was held on October 10, 2004 – the inaugural series event – Joe Nemechek beat Ricky Rudd.
Top Five Closest Margins of Victory at Kansas Speedway

Margin of Victory

Winner

Runner-Up

Date

0.081

Joe Nemechek

Ricky Rudd

Sunday, October 10, 2004

0.112

Jeff Gordon

Kevin Harvick

Saturday, May 10, 2014

0.128

Denny Hamlin

Chase Elliott

Sunday, October 20, 2019

0.150

Matt Kenseth

Kasey Kahne

Sunday, April 21, 2013

0.205

Brad Keselowski

Alex Bowman

Saturday, May 11, 2019

Top Five Largest Margins of Victory at Kansas Speedway

Margin of Victory

Winner

Runner-Up

Date

12.422

Tony Stewart

Casey Mears

Sunday, October 1, 2006

7.638

Greg Biffle

Jimmie Johnson

Sunday, October 3, 2010

3.619

Kyle Larson

Chase Elliott

Sunday, October 24, 2021

2.813

Brad Keselowski

Dale Earnhardt Jr

Sunday, June 5, 2011

2.284

Martin Truex Jr

Kurt Busch

Sunday, October 22, 2017

  • In the 32 NASCAR Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, only four have resulted in NASCAR Overtime (12.5%):

Date

Scheduled Laps

Actual Laps

Overtime

Race Winners

Sunday, October 18, 2015

267

269

2

Joey Logano

Sunday, October 9, 2011

267

272

5

Jimmie Johnson

Saturday, May 11, 2019

267

271

4

Brad Keselowski

Sunday, October 20, 2019

267

277

10

Denny Hamlin

  • Only one of the 32 NASCAR Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions:

Date

Scheduled Laps

Actual Laps

Fewer Laps

Race Winner

Sunday, September 30, 2007

267

210

-57

Greg Biffle

  • Of the 32 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Kansas Speedway, only the Sept. 30, 2007 event has ended under caution – weather – Greg Biffle won the event.
  • Qualifying has never been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway. The NASCAR Cup Series events from 2019-2021 have had their qualifying sessions cancelled due to the pandemic.
  • The NASCAR Cup Series Kansas race has never been postponed to another date due to weather conditions.
  • The most lead changes in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas was 26 on October 4, 2009.
  • The most leaders in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas was 14 on October 4, 2009.
KANSAS DRIVERS IN NASCAR

A total of 17 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Kansas.

  • Of the 17 Kansas drivers, only two of them have won a NASCAR national series race; both have won in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Kansas Race Winners

Cup

Xfinity

Truck

Combined

Clint Bowyer

10

8

3

21

Jim Roper

1

0

0

1

Totals

11

8

3

22

Categories
NASCAR Weekend Preview

Weekend Preview: Darlington Raceway

Hendrick Motorsports Poised to Break 10-year Darlington Drought

On the positive side, Hendrick Motorsports has won five of the 11 NASCAR Cup Series races so far this season.

Further, Hendrick drivers collectively have 14 all-time Cup victories at Darlington Raceway, more than any other organization in the sport.

Here’s the negative, though: Hendrick hasn’t earned a trophy at the Lady in Black since Jimmie Johnson won the spring race in 2012, and no current driver in the Hendrick stable has a victory at the track.

Based on recent performance, however, that decade-long drought has a good chance to end in Sunday’s Goodyear 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

After winning for the first time this season in last Sunday’s race at Dover Motor Speedway, 2020 Cup champion Chase Elliott comes to Darlington looking to go back-to-back. Though winless in the Cup Series at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped track, Elliott won at Darlington in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2014, the first time he raced on the track.

This weekend, Elliott will get extra seat time by running the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race.

“I always look forward to going to Darlington,” Elliott said. “It’s really cool, and I feel like it’s really a driver’s race track. For some reason, I’ve kind of struggled there the last couple of years, so I’m looking forward to getting some practice on Saturday in the Xfinity race.

“Hopefully, that can help me come Sunday. I also feel like there are some things that we learned from Dover that we can take to Darlington. It’ll be interesting with the new car and how things go.”

Teammate William Byron, a two-time winner this year, also has shown speed at Darlington. The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet won the pole for the 2019 Southern 500 before falling to 21st at the finish. For Throwback Weekend at the ‘Track Too Tough to Tame’, Byron’s Camaro is sporting a paint scheme reminiscent of one his predecessors in the No. 24 car—NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon, a seven-time winner at the track.

Recently, though, Darlington has been the nearly exclusive province of Toyota driver Denny Hamlin and Ford driver Kevin Harvick. In the five races since the coronavirus pandemic caused a 10-week hiatus in NASCAR competition, Hamlin and Harvick have won two events each, with Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. taking last year’s spring race.

In fact, a Chevrolet driver hasn’t won at Darlington since Harvick took the checkered flag in the 2014 spring race, the year before Stewart-Haas Racing switched to Ford.

Hamlin has a victory at Richmond to all but ensure a berth in this year’s Playoff, but the rest of his season has been fraught with error—notably an unattached wheel that sabotaged a potential race-winning car last Monday at Dover.

But Hamlin leads all active drivers with four Darlington wins, not to mention his five victories at the track in the Xfinity Series. Hamlin got a feel for the track in the Next Gen car during a March 15 Goodyear tire test that included Harvick and reigning Cup champion Kyle Larson, a Hendrick driver seeking his second win of the season.

“We’re looking forward to this weekend.” Hamlin said. “Darlington has been a great track for us, and we feel like we learned a lot at the tire test, so that gives us confidence going back.

“Like all season, our biggest thing is just eliminating mistakes—whether that’s me or on pit road or something happening with the car. It seems like every week has been something, but our speed has been good most weeks, if we can just put everything together.”

JR Motorsports Looks to Continue Darlington Success on Throwback Weekend

There are four former Darlington winners in the field for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race—and three of them are driving for JR Motorsports.

Xfinity regulars Justin Allgaier and Noah Gragson will be joined by double-duty driver Chase Elliott as they try to extend JRM’s winning streak at the Lady in Black in Saturday’s Mahindra ROXOR 200 (1:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

JR Motorsports drivers swept last year’s races at the venerable 1.366-mile speedway, with Allgaier winning last spring and Gragson taking the checkered flag in the fall race. Gragson already has two victories to his credit this season. Allgaier is looking for his first.

“I can’t wait to get to Darlington this weekend,” said Allgaier, who finished a close second to teammate Sam Mayer last Saturday at Dover Motor Speedway. “We have an awesome throwback design for our Hellman’s Chevrolet, and hopefully we can replicate the same kind of success we had last year and get back into Victory Lane.

“I know this team is capable of doing it, and I’m ready to get down there and make it happen.”

As strong as the JRM Camaros have been at Darlington, it would be unwise to ignore the Joe Gibbs Racing contingent. Brandon Jones won the fall race in 2020, and 19-year-old Ty Gibbs already is a series-leading three-time winner this season.

Gibbs’ No. 54 Toyota features an Interstate Batteries paint scheme from the year he was born—2002.

Already qualified for the Xfinity Series Playoffs thanks to a win at Martinsville, Jones won the pole and finished seventh last Saturday at Dover.

Defending NASCAR Truck Series Champ Ben Rhodes Tries to Double-Up at Darlington

There are two former Darlington winners in the field for Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, and they’re both driving Toyotas.

But that’s about the only similarity between the two competitors in Friday’s Dead On Tools 200 (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Twenty-five-year-old Ben Rhodes is the defending series champion. He won at Darlington in 2020 in the Truck Series’ return to the ‘Track Too Tough to Tame’ after a nine-year hiatus. Rhodes is fresh from an impressive April 16 victory at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt track.

Todd Bodine, 58, will make his 796th career start in NASCAR’s three national series combined when he takes the green flag. Bodine is driving the No. 62 Tundra for Halmar Friesen Racing.

Series regulars with hopes of winning and securing a Playoff berth will have to deal with a formidable obstacle. Two-time NASCAR Cup Series winner Ross Chastain will drive a fifth Chevrolet for Niece Motorsports.

Chastain began his rise to prominence at Darlington in 2018, when he won the pole and the first two stages in Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 42 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Categories
Fantasy NASCAR

Dover Motor Speedway Notebook

RFK RACING’S CHRIS BUESCHER ON THE POLE

Chris Buescher earned his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole position at Dover Motor Speedway Saturday and will lead the field to green in Sunday’s DuraMAX Drydene 400 (3:00 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The driver of the No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford turned a fast lap of 159.207 mph around the concrete Monster Mile – the second of the 10 final qualifiers to go in the final session. The 29-year old Texan’s time was .057-second faster than Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

This is Buescher’s first pole position in 233 NASCAR Cup Series race starts.

“That’s just awesome right there,’’ a smiling Buescher said after watching the final session on pit road.

“That was a good effort during practice. [His teammate] Brad [Keselowski] went out there and put down some really great laps and came over and saw some things, relayed it and everyone did a good job working on this thing and got our Fastenal Mustang on the front row so that’s a heckuva start.

“Good to do that here in Dover. I love this place. It’s a ride. We’re flying around here.’’

Hendrick Motorsports drivers Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott will start from the second row, followed by Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney and defending race winner, Hendrick’s Alex Bowman.

Last week’s Talladega Superspeedway race winner Ross Chastain – fastest in the opening round of time trails – will start seventh alongside Daniel Suarez. Bubba Wallace and Kyle Busch will round out the Top-10 starters in a pair of Toyotas.

Austin Cindric was fastest in practice but did not advance to the final qualifying round. He was the fastest rookie qualifier and will start the No. 2 Team Penske Ford from 12th position.

Kevin Harvick, one of three three-time Dover race winners, was 11th fastest in qualifying just missing the final round. It will be his highest starting position in the last three races. The driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford is looking to score his first win since Sept. 19, 2020 (at Bristol, Tenn.) – 53 races ago. He won at Dover, Del. that same year.

ACTION-PACKED PRACTICE

Four drivers did not make NASCAR Cup Series qualifying laps on Saturday. William Byron, rookies Todd Gilliland and Harrison Burton and Josh Bilicki all had incidents during practice and will go to back-up cars for the race.

Byron, a two-race winner in 2022, had an incident in the opening minutes of his practice session and hit the wall hard enough that his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team immediately knew it would need to prepare a back-up car. He will start 33rd among the 36 cars.

“Just hate it for our guys more than anything,’’ said Byron, who is ranked third in the championship standings.

“Have to pull out a back-up car obviously. The primary was probably going to be really fast and I know our back-up car can be just as fast and we can still go and try to win on Sunday. But just a little bit over-confident on my end (in the accident).’’

Gilliland and Bilicki made contact with the wall early in the opening practice. Byron and Burton had their trouble in the second practice session. Tyler Reddick, spun twice in that session but did not need to go to a second car. He will start the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing 26th.

BACK HOME AGAIN FOR TRUEX

Dover Motor Speedway is a special place to Martin Truex Jr. It’s the New Jersey native’s “home track” and also the place where the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion fittingly earned his first premier series victory in 2007.

Truex, driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, joins teammate Kyle Busch and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Harvick as three-time Dover race winners – most among active drivers in the series.

“Having experience around this track brings confidence to know what you might want is important, but we only have 20 minutes (of practice) to figure that out – figure out how to get that in the car and not have a lot of ability to change the big things,’’ said Truex, who qualified 18th.

KYLE BUSCH’S FUTURE

Two-time former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch was asked about comments he made last week saying he was unsure of his future with the Joe Gibbs Racing team. He is in the middle of negotiating a new contract with the team and last week deferred reporters’ questions about his status to the team.

Asked on Saturday if he’s had any more talk with JGR in the last week, Busch said, “yeah, there were some discussions and such,’’ adding, “There is nothing to elaborate on, it’s all good.’’

Busch, a three-time Dover winner, will start the No. 18 JGR Toyota 10th.

ROSS CHASTAIN

Ross Chastain has earned his first two NASCAR Cup Series race victories in just the past five weeks – a career first win at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas’ road course on March 27 and answered it with a win on the series’ biggest track, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway last weekend.

Both Chastain’s wins in the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet came on last lap passes. It’s been quite a season debut for Chastain with the Trackhouse Racing team. And Chastain, who had a reputation for a more aggressive racing style earlier in this career, says he’s learned from that and made an effort to race differently.

“It’s all about being there at the end,’’ said Chastain, who is ninth in the championship. “There were opportunities in both of those races to take ourselves out and it didn’t happen. Now there have been other races this year that small mistakes added up to us not winning and we had the same opportunity to.

“I’m not perfect. I’m human. There’s mistakes and we’ve had a great start to the season and stats look great, but there’s mistakes in there that I’ve also learned from this year. Continue to evolve that is tough. I mean, this is the best group of race car drivers in the world, in my opinion. Any mistake and they exploit it.’’

INSPECTION UPDATE

Only one car had issues during pre-qualifying inspection for Sunday’s race. The No. 42 Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Ty Dillon failed inspection twice, costing the team pit selection. One crew member was also ejected for the race.