Weekend Wrap-up: Hamlin Saves Enough Fuel, Scores Fifth Pocono Win

Hamlin Heads JGR 1-2-3 Finish at Pocono

After a less than competitive Pocono race last month, the track known as the "Tricky Triangle" became the first non-Speedway Motorsports, Inc. facility to coat its corners with the sticky substance known as either VHT or PJ1. The extra adhesion did play a bit of a factor, but fuel mileage and pit strategy also helped Denny Hamlin score his third win of the year.

Denny Hamlin celebrates his fifth Pocono win
(Google Images)

Last week's winner Kevin Harvick grabbed the pole for the Gander RV 400, but it was Kyle Busch who would go onto win a fairly uneventful Stage One. This first stint also saw fans render a lap 11 salute to Nick Harrison, the crew chief of Kaulig Racing's No. 11 Xfinity Series entry who passed away in his sleep following last Saturday's Xfinity race in New Hampshire.

Chase Elliott's recent bad luck continued at the start of Stage Two, when the four-time cup series winner blew a right front tire in turn three on lap 85, destroying the right side of his NAPA Chevy and ending his day very early. Elliott's Hendrick Motorsports team would finish last on the day; an uncharacteristically bad run for a driver that many thought would contend for the title after a strong end to their 2018 season.

Following a brief caution for some light rain showers, Daniel Suarez and Ryan Blaney made contact off the Tunnel Turn that resulted in Blaney slowly backing his Mustang into the turn three wall and Suarez having to pit for a severe right rear tire rub.

The other side effect of this yellow flag was that, as most of the leaders pitted for fuel and tires, Jimmie Johnson stayed out on track to win his first stage of the year. Surprisingly, this is also just the seven-time champion's second stage victory since NASCAR began stage racing in 2017.

As Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, and Erik Jones began to assert their dominance in Stage Three, Ryan Preece tried to test the rigidity of the turn one wall on lap 115. His No. 47 Camaro got loose on entry and slid into the wall, demolishing his Kroger machine and relegating the rookie to a 37th place finish.

The trio of Gibbs drivers would swap the lead back and forth as the final stage went on, all the while trying to draft off each other and save fuel. As Jones was leading late in the race, it looked as though Truex and Hamlin were content to follow and wait until the closing laps to make a move. That is, until Hamlin made a move around both his teammates to grab the lead for good on lap 144.

Kurt Busch (1) and Michael McDowell (34) were wrecked
late in the race (Google Images)

With just five laps remaining, fuel got even tighter, as Kurt Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr made contact, sending Busch into the wall, then into Michael McDowell's No. 34 car.The lead cars almost immediately cut their engines off to conserve as much gas as possible. On the subsequent restart, Jones, Truex, Harvick, and a few others made a run at Hamlin, but it wasn't quite enough to keep the four-time Pocono winner from winning his third event of 2019, and fifth at the treacherous tri-cornered track.

“You just want to know that you’re a race winner,” said Hamlin. “You just want to know that you can contend for wins. Yeah, you’re looking for momentum, but you’re just looking for wins week-in and week-out."

Two of Hamlin's JGR teammates finished right behind him, with Jones and Truex grabbing second and third respectively. sophomore William Byron finished an impressive fourth-place, and Kyle Larson grabbed fifth. Harvick finished in sixth, rookie Daniel Hemric finished a very respectable seventh, Brad Keselowski came home eighth, Kyle Busch's offbeat pit strategy netted him ninth place, and Blaney rebounded from his early spin to finish tenth.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will now head to the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York and the always unpredictable road course at Watkins Glen International. The Go Bowling at the Glen will be run on Sunday, August 4 at 3:00 p.m. ET, and will be carried live on NBCSN, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Briscoe Breaks Through for Iowa Win

So far in 2019, Tyler Reddick, Cole Custer, and Christopher Bell have established themselves as frontrunners for the Xfinity Series title. In fact, save for Michael Annett and Ross Chastatin winning both Daytona events and Kyle Busch's three victories, the so-called "big three" have been the only other drivers to visit victory lane this year. That is until this weekend's race at Iowa Speedway, where a strategy call by Chase Briscoe and crew chief Richard Boswell allowed the Indiana native to run down Bell and score his first win of the year.

Chase Briscoe celebrates his first win of 2019
(Google Images)

"It was a fun race first off," Briscoe said in victory lane. "I just cant believe it ... once we got that caution when I was gonna restart fourth I knew we were in good shape. Christopher was way better than I thought he was gonna be on those tires though. It was fun we were throwing sliders on each other and everything else."

Bell established himself as the car to beat early on, passing Jeremy Clements on a restart following an incident between Austin Cindric and Noah Gragson to score the win in Stage One.

On lap 74, Bell's teammate Riley Herbst spun out, collecting Clements and forcing another restart. However, the 2017 Gander Outdoors Truck Series champion proved to be up to the task once again, winning the US Celluar 250's second stage.

During the race's final stage, things finally got interesting, as Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Briscoe and Custer were sent to the rear of the field for pit road violations with less than 100 laps to go. However, something would break on Custer's Mustang, sending him into the wall in turn three on lap 162. As the field rolled onto pit road under the caution for Custer's wreck, Dillon Bassett seemed to get lost in a cloud of speedy dry, causing him to drive into the back of a sweeper truck ending his day. Both Bassett and the sweeper driver were uninjured in the crash.

Dillon Bassett's car after hitting a track sweeper truck
(Google Images)

With 22 laps to go, the race went back green and Briscoe, who's crew had put scuffed tires on their car late in the race in favor of a fresh set, had run down Bell for the lead and passed him with just six laps to go. The move helped Briscoe claim his second career Xfinity win and relegated Bell to second place after leading 234 of the race's 250 laps.

John Hunter Nemechek finished third, Gragson rebounded to finish fourth, and Reddick came home fifth. Justin Allgaier finished sixth, Shane Lee got seventh, Justin Hayley finished eighth, just one week removed from the unexpected passing of his crew chief Nick Harrison, Zane Smith finished ninth, and Annett rounded out the top-ten.

The Xfinity Series will join their Cup Series counterparts in New York wine country this weekend, as they attempt to tackle the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International. The race will be run on Saturday, August 3 at 3:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Chastain Scores Convincing Pocono Victory

Ross Chastain's career trajectory has been unconventional, and incredibly difficult to keep on track. But at Pocono Raceway, he made things look oh so simple, as he cruised to his third win of the season in the Gander RV 250.

Ross Chastain celebrates another sweet truck win
(Google Images)

Stewart Friesen, who is on the bubble to make the Gander Outdoors Truck Series playoff field, started the race with a bang - literally. On lap one of the race, the dirt track ace spun his truck around in turn one, making an aggressive three-wide move to the inside of Sheldon Creed. Friesen slid up the track and into Anthony Alfredo's No. 15 truck. The wreck relegated Friesen to a last place finish, making a good run at Eldora Speedway critical to making a playoff run that is hanging by a thread.

Chastain, who started second, set sail once the race went green again. The Florida native led twice for 54 laps, with truck series newcomer Harrison Burton leading the other six circuits.

Late in Stage Two, Chastain pitted from the lead on lap 33, but regained the top spot not long after to beat Kentucky winner Tyler Ankrum by just over a second. In victory lane, Chastain and his Niece Motorsports team dedicated their victory to Nick Harrison, the crew chief of Kaulig Racing's No. 11 car, who passed away unexpectedly following last week's Xfinity race at New Hampshire.

“I know we were a little mad because we lost Nick Harrison,” Chastain said. “We realize that everybody goes when it’s their time, but, man, we miss that big boy. These boys (on the Niece Motorsports team), a lot of them worked with him.

“I got to work with him at Kaulig Racing this year. Man, we miss him.”

Ankrum came home second, while Stage Two winner Burton came home third. While he didn't win, the 18-year old rookie did have an excellent points day. Sitting just one spot outside of the eight-team playoff field, Burton is now just 13 points behind Friesen thanks to his first-lap fowl-up with just two races left until the cutoff.

Burton's Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate, Christian Eckes, came home fourth after winning Friday's ARCA race, and defending truck champ Brett Moffitt finished fifth. Matt Crafton got sixth, Todd Gilliland netted seventh, Johnny Sauter finished eighth, Ben Rhodes got ninth, and Grant Enfinger completed the ThorSport trifecta by rounding out the top-ten.

The next race on the schedule for NASCAR's truckers is tomorrow night's Eldora Dirt Derby from Tony Stewart's Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Coverage of this bit of appointment television will begin with heat races at 7:00 p.m. ET on August 1. The broadcast will be carried on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

NASCAR President Steve Phelps Gives Fans a Look at Racing's Future

NASCAR President, Steve Phelps
(Google Images)

In the midst of what has been a season of change for NASCAR, specifically the Monster Energy Cup Series' new 550 horsepower engine and aero package updates, fans have had many different questions about what else might be coming down the pike. Has the 2020 rules package helped or hurt attendance? What will the schedule look like in a few years? Will rumored electrification technology lead to quiet, Formula E-style cars?

Well aware that the fan base is more than a little curious about the direction the sport is heading, NASCAR President Steve Phelps stopped by SiriusXM Speedway on Tuesday afternoon to speak with host Dave Moody about a wide array of subjects and help put some fans fears about the state of the sport and it's future to rest.

But before discussing what lies ahead, Phelps spoke about NASCAR's present and how the aero and engine changes made for 2019 have been successful and had a positive impact on competition in the eyes of the sanctioning body.

“If you listen to the fan base, or you’re watching on television, or listening on the radio, and the excitement of the announcers, I think it’s been an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the racing product. So, from that perspective, I think it’s been fantastic," he stated.

Phelps went on to explain that other important metrics, such as social media traffic and television ratings, have been trending in a positive, upward direction. "I would say, if you look at the first half of the season, and as we head down the stretch here to the playoffs, we’ve been very pleased with what we’ve seen," he said.

As far as at-track attendance, Phelps explained that, following a sold out Daytona 500 and greater fan presence at four of the five races that followed, attendance took a bit of a dip through the spring. However, that has proved to be the exception rather than the rule as we approach the playoffs.

"We’ve been either flat or up almost every race that we’ve had," the president explained. " The All-Star Race was up, the (Coca-Cola) 600 was up, we had a couple of weather issues obviously. But Sonoma was a sellout. If you look at kind of the 'eyeball test,' I think you would say yes, it looks like things are positive in that direction, and our racetracks have worked really hard on that. We’ve worked hard with out racetracks as well and we’ve had our drivers do significantly more promotion to try to drive both ticket sales, as well as ratings, and it’s working.”

The 2019 Daytona 500 was a sellout (Google Images)

Naysayers have made the case for years now that NASCAR is in trouble because television ratings are down. Well, according to Phelps, ratings so far this year have been up 3%. While this may not sound like a huge increase, the sanctioning body is happy with what they've seen through the Fox portion of the season, and are looking for more positive news as NBC grabs the broadcasting baton.

Phelps also explained that, while gaining that 3% increase has been a struggle, NASCAR is not alone in that fight.

"If you’re going to look at all sports, and we have all this research that we look at, all sports for the first half of the year was down 9%. And so, for us being +3, we’re 12 points to the good. That’s a pretty good metric," he stated.

Phelps again credited the closer competition on the track, as well as some of the story lines that have developed this year and the sport's younger drivers taking root among fans, for the ratings increase. "Those are all positive things for this sport, and I think that’s why we’re seeing an increase in metrics, both from a television standpoint and what we’re doing, trending on the attendance side as well," said Phelps.

The conversation then shifted to the future of the sport, and how the current race car's truck arm rear suspension and internally cammed, push rod driven V8 engine have made it a bit archaic compared to their showroom counterparts. For that reason, NASCAR has been developing what has become known as their Gen-7 car. This new iteration of stock car will also increase brand identity and individual body styling for each of the manufacturers.

"Do I think that having increased body style and some of the chassis things that we’re looking at, will have the car be more relevant and more like the showroom counterpart? Yes, I think that will be a good thing. If I’m a fan, do I care? I care because, really for two reasons: one, the body styling is going to be more like the showroom car. So, to me, to have it more 'stock' and look like that showroom car is a really important thing for us, and our fans tell us the same thing," Phelps stated.

"As it relates to the engine, which is the second piece of it, the new engine won’t have push rod technology. It will have, most likely, some form of electrification," he continued. "We’re working right now with our OEM partners to determine what that is going to be. A lot of healthy debate about what it should be. But we’re excited about the direction that it’s going, and I think this kind of Gen-7 body style, chassis, and then Gen-7 engine, is something that, ultimately, is going to be very good for this sport. But again, to me it comes back to why should I care as a fan? You’re going to care as a fan because the racing is going to be better and the car is going to look cooler and more stock.”

Moody then brought up the elephant in the room. The phrase "some form of electrification" has caused more than a few race fans to worry that NASCAR would be shifting towards a Formula E-style of racing that would replace the roar of engines with the woosh of cars gliding down the frontstrech at Daytona.

Overall, NASCAR has been satisfied with the results the
2019 rules package has provided (Google Images)

Phelps put those fears to rest fairly quickly.

"What I can say is we’re not racing electric cars. That’s not what we’re interested in doing. So, the cars will continue to sound like our stock cars, our current cars," he explained. "It’s just, the architecture of that engine is going to have some type of electrification in  it, some type of battery storing device that allows this combustible engine to create additional horsepower and make it more relevant to what our existing  manufacturers have in their vehicles today. That’s what this is meant to be. We are not going to be an E series that’s running electric cars around the racetrack. That’s not something we are interested in doing. That’s not what NASCAR is. That’s not part of our DNA. So, we will never get there, and we don’t want to get there."

However, Phelps stated that this type of change is essential for car manufacturers to keep their stock cars relevant to those in their showroom. "If I’m an OEM and I can talk about that to people who are buying my cars and say that this race car goes 200 mph in the Coke 600, you’re racing for 4.5 hours on this engine, and it’s relevant to another engine that they’re trying to sell in the showroom, that’s important to them. And I think it’s important to us, and I think it creates more relevance for the fan as well," explained Phelps.

There have also been rumors that NASCAR has been in discussions with new manufactures who might be interested in joining the sport. As it turns out, the sport is in fact in talks with some new automakers, and the idea of an updated, Gen-7 race car has played a major role in that.

"As it relates to new OEMs who might come into the sport, yes, we are in discussions with a half dozen right now, at varying stages of levels of talks with them," stated Phelps. "The body style is important to them, the engine is a must. So, we wouldn’t be having these discussions with our current engine architecture. No new OEM wants to come in and run that block V8, with push rod technology. They just don’t want to do it. So, when they hear about us talking about the direction we want to take this new vehicle they get very excited about it."

When could the sport see a new brand join Chevy, Ford, and Toyota on the track?

"Hard to say when we would have a new OEM, if we’re able to close things up and get something signed how quickly they’d be on the racetrack," Phelps explained. "It’s going to take a while, it’s not an easy thing to do. You just can’t flip a switch, like a new sponsor, and you just have a new paint scheme out that you can do or wrap a car. This takes a significant amount of time. So I would say, maybe 2022, if it’s going to be engine and body style. So, the new body is coming out in 2021, I would say the earliest we’d be able to get a new engine would be 2022, maybe 2023."

The "Tricky Triangle" at Pocono Raceway will host a
double-header weekend next season (Google Images)

NASCAR will head to Pocono this weekend for the second time in 2019. Next year, the track will still have two races, however they will be held on the same weekend. This outside the box, innovative idea is one that the sanctioning body will be watching closely, especially as track sanctioning agreements are set to expire in the next year.

"We wanted to try and test it with a track, (Pocono) raised their hands and said  'hey, listen, given our camping, we think we can have a blowout weekend with these two cup dates being on the same weekend, and then companion events that go with it,'" said Phelps. "So, do I think that other tracks are looking at it? For sure. I know we’re looking at it, I know our broadcast partners are looking at it, and I think it’s going to be a phenomenal weekend for them, I really do."

The maiden Pocono double-header is just one of a few changes taking place next year. Indy will move to Fourth of July weekend, Daytona will move to the final regular season event, and short track racing will play a more prominent role in the playoffs. So, as these sanctioning agreements expire, does Phelps see any major schedule shakeups on the horizon?

"I do not see our season contracting in terms of the number of events that going to run in 2021. I just don’t see that. I think that our existing fan base likes the length of the schedule," he stated. "There are certainly those in the sport that, you know, the season is a long one, right? 36 points paying events, plus the two exhibitions. So, I don’t see a contraction in the number of races.

"Whether in 2021 we pull the season up further, so we pulled it a week from ‘19 to ‘20, whether we pull it up further it’s hard to say. I do think that, again, our fan base likes racing into November and, you know, the first, second, third week are all potential options for us moving forward in ’21. I do not think we’re going to have significant pullback to what those dates are. I could be wrong. As I’ve said before, everything is on the table, but based on the conversations that we’re having with our broadcast partners, our fans, our teams, our OEMs I think that, again, the length of the season, in terms of the number of races, as well as when we start and finish, it’s going to remain roughly the same, if I had to guess.”

It's always refreshing to hear high-level decision makers like Phelps take to the airwaves to have an honest discussion about the direction of the sport. NASCAR is very unique, and very fortunate, in that regard.

Change can be difficult, but it sounds like there is a lot on the horizon for NASCAR Nation to get excited about. While many things still need confirmation, Phelps' comments have made things a bit less murky. Hopefully, they also assuaged the fears of fans who thought pit crews would soon be plugging extension cords into their race cars instead of gas cans.

Weekend Wrap-up: Harvick Hoists Lobster After First 2019 Victory

Kyle Busch (18) grabs the lead from Brad Keselowski (2) (Google Images)

With the Gander Outdoors Truck Series taking the weekend off, both the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series drivers made their way up north to Loudon, N.H. and the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

After the finish we saw at Kentucky one week ago, fans were no doubt looking forward to seeing what the "Magic Mile" had to offer. Following some scuffed paint and bent sheet metal, it came down to two of the best at New Hampshire dukeing it out for the victory.

Harvick Edges Hamlin for Fourth Loudon Win

After it seemed that Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske would keep their stranglehold on the rest of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series field, it's been somewhat refreshing to see three different race winners in as many weeks.

Kevin Harvick scored his first win of 2019 (Google Images)

During the late stages of the Foxwoods Resort & Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, it appeared as though Denny Hamlin and his No. 11 FedEx team would score their third win of the season, a late strategy call by Rodney Childers netted Kevin Harvick his first victory of 2019 and snapped the team's 21-race winless streak. The No. 4 team also gave fans the fourth consecutive different driver in the winner's circle.

The race began with polesitter Brad Keselowski choosing to start on the outside of Kyle Busch. In spite of the VHT "grip strip" that had been laid down prior to the green flag, Busch sprinted out to a commanding lead over the rest of the field, grabbing the Stage 1 victory.

Stage 2 saw the action on the track pick up a bit. Daniel Suarez and Daniel Hemric got together on lap 111, sending Hemric's No. 8 into the wall and relegating the rookie to a last place result. Ricky Stenhouse Jr also made hard contact with the wall off turn two, after losing a right front tire on lap 138.

Clint Bowyer has been on the playoff bubble for a few weeks now. After coming close to a victory at Kentucky one week ago, the two-time Loudon winner had some issues in this race. On lap 146, Bowyer slid up the track off turn four, making heavy contact with Martin Truex Jr and damaging his post season hopes. While Truex was able to rally, Bowyer was relegated to 20th place.

After Aric Almirola won the race's second stage, Hamlin established himself as the driver to beat. The three-time Loudon winner led 118 circuits, but following a couple of late spins by Kyle Larson, Harvick stayed on track for the final run, while Hamlin pitted and took right side tires.

While it seemed as though Hamlin would make quick work of passing the No. 4, Harvick was able to hold off Hamlin, leading to a side-by-side battle on the last lap of the race.

Harvick poses with his team, and his dinner, in victory lane
(Google Images)

“I really didn’t want to see that traffic there at the end,” Harvick said. “It made my car tight when (Hamlin) got to me. He tried to move me out of the way down there and I knew that was coming, as close as he was. So I just stood on the brakes — half-throttle down the back straightaway.

“I was like, ‘You’re not getting under me again,’ and he drove to the outside of me and I waited until he got to the outside of me and put a wheel on him.”

Behind the leaders, Erik Jones grabbed his second third place result in a row, Ryan Blaney finished fourth, and Matt DiBenedetto stunned everyone with a fifth place showing. Truex Jr rallied from their wreck with Bowyer to finish sixth, Ryan Newman finished seventh, Kyle Busch crossed the line in eighth, Joey Loganon finished ninth, and Keselowski came home tenth.

The Monster Energy Cup Series’ next race is the Gander RV 400 at Pocono Raceway, scheduled Sunday, July 28 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Bell Thumps Xfinity Field, Takes Fifth Victory

The temperature wasn't the only thing that overwhelmed the Xfinity Series field in the ROXOR 200. Christopher Bell played a major role in that as well, leading all but 14 laps en route to a dominating victory. His margin of victory was four seconds over Kentucky winner Cole Custer.

Christoper Bell celebrates his fifth win of 2019
(Google Images)

A series of pit stops on lap 33 saw Brandon Jones and Ryan Sieg each lead laps, but that was the only time Bell's No. 20 Rheem Supra was not out in front of the field.

“I just had a really good race car,” said Bell after the race. “I’m very thankful to be driving these Supras for Joe Gibbs Racing. All of our partners, man, they just provide really fast race cars, and I’m the lucky guy who gets to drive them.”

Custer was able to put his No. 00 Mustang on the pole, but like the rest of his competitors, he had nothing for Bell once the race went green.

“I wasn’t driving the car right at the start of the race, so I kind of got behind on adjustments,” said Custer, who lost the lead to Bell on a hotly contested first lap. “I wish we’d had another caution so we could catch up to him.”

The race did have one eventful moment, however. On lap 153, Paul Menard hit Harrison Burton’s Toyota in Turn one, sending him around. With his car damaged, Burton was relegated to a 29th-place result. After the race, the Joe Gibbs Racing wheelman approached Menard to get an explanation.

“He hit me twice, and I hit him once,” Menard said. “He was mad at me for hitting him that one time.”

Burton, however, wasn't having any of Menard’s explanation.

Cole Custer (00) started first, but had nothing for Bell (20)
(Google Images)

“We had a restart there (on Lap 148), the first thing he said he was mad about was I hit him on the restart,” said the 18-year-old Burton. “But I was on the apron, and he turned down across my nose. He got mad about that, and then I barely touched his door, and I got out of the gas because I didn’t want to hit him any harder than I did.

“Then I passed him clean, and he wrecked me. … He didn’t really seem to care, and that’s fine for him. I’m just going to go out and beat him on the race track. That’s all I can do to show these guys that I’m here to play. I’m not going to get pushed around anymore.”

Justin Allgaier finished third on the day, Tyler Reddick grabbed fourth, and Menard finished in fifth. Chase Briscoe came home sixth, part-timer Ryan Truex finished seventh, Sieg was eighth, Jones was ninth, and Noah Gragson rounded out the top ten.

While the Cup and Truck Series races will head to Pocono this weekend, the Xfinity Series will travel to the corn fields of Iowa for the U.S. Cellular 250. The race will be run on Saturday, July 27 at 5:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Weekend Wrap-up: Busch Brothers Battle in the Bluegrass State

Kurt Busch edges out brother Kyle for the Quaker State 400 win
(Google Images)

NASCAR made their annual pilgrimage to Kentucky Speedway this past weekend. After a duo of dreary Daytona races, fans were anxious to see what the Bluegrass State had in store for all three of the sport's top divisions.

Kurt Bests Kyle in Thrilling 1-2 Finish

There have only been three drivers who have visited victory lane in the Monster Energy Cup Series at Kentucky since Kyle Busch edged out David Reutimann in 2011. Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr are the other two. Going into this weekend, many expected Truex to be the favorite, having won the previous two events at the speedway.

The No. 1 team celebrate their first win of the year
(Google Images)

Ford got off to the fastest start, however, as Daniel Suarez drove to his first Busch Pole Award, flanked by his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Aric Almirola. However, that didn't last long, as the race looked like it would be a family affair right off the bat. Kurt Busch had won an uneventful Stage 1, while Kyle took Stage 2.

But, as is often the case with races that get off to a calmer start, once the laps wind down and the pay window opens, the intensity picks up in a big way.

It's no secret that seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson has had a rough year. Despite a top-five finish at Daytona, that downward trend continued at Kentucky when he pancaked the wall on lap 180 and spun down the backstrech. On the subsequent restart, leader Clint Bowyer appeared to lay back a bit to try and get second place driver William Byron to jump the start. This is the NASCAR equivalent of a running back trying to draw draw a linebacker offside in the NFL. It worked, and officials black flagged Byron's No. 24, eliminating him from contenting for his first cup win.

As the laps clicked off, both Kyle Busch and Joey Logano got around Bowyer, and it seemed as though it would be a battle between these two for the victory. That is, until Bubba Wallace blew a right rear tire with five laps to go, forcing the rest of the field into overtime.

On the final restart, Kurt took his car to the outside of Logano, making it three-wide into turn one. As the leaders came down the backstrech, both Buschs were side-by-side battling for the win, with Erik Jones to their inside. The brothers were able to break away from Jones to settle the race among themselves. They swapped the lead multiple times on the final lap, Kyle even tried to run Kurt to the outside wall in the final corner. But in the end, we saw one of the most thrilling finishes of the year, with Kurt besting Kyle by .076 seconds.

This is the first time since they began competing together in the Monster Energy Cup Series that Kurt was able to beat his younger brother for the win. This was also the first win for crew chief Matt McCall, as well as many others on the No. 1 team. "Welcome to victory lane!", radioed the 2004 series champion as he took the checkered flag.

Kurt Busch gives his crew a lift to victory lane
(Google Images)

As he climbed from his car, Busch pumped his fists for the crowd and did a stage dive into the waiting arms of his pit crew. Following his interview with NBC, the team went a bit old school, climbing on the outside of their No. 1 Chevy as Busch drove them to victory lane.

"It's awesome. To get back to victory lane for the first time with a new team means the world to me," said Busch. "With all these guys, there's so many that got their first win tonight, and they put me in position. Fast car, we had lap time, and we got a nice lucky break to get a shot at it. It takes teamwork all the way through."

Busch also took a congratulatory call from owner Chip Ganassi on-air. "You're in victory lane, buddy! Thank you so much. I told you we'd make these guys winners," he told his car owner.

One week after a heartbreaking finish, where one pit stop meant the difference between winning and finishing tenth, Busch's Chip Ganassi Racing team seems as motivated as ever to make a deep run into the playoffs.

"When he starts talking, he tells you we're coming in, we're going to win, it's definitely a confidence booster for sure,” said McCall of his driver. “He's almost delivered and he delivered (at Kentucky), so it's been pretty fun this first half of the season.”

Jones came home in third, Busch's CGR teammate Kyle Larson got fourth, and Denny Hamlin finished fifth. Bowyer finished sixth, Logano came home seventh, Suarez got eighth, Ryan Newman crossed the line in ninth, and Chris Buescher rounded out the top-ten.

The next race on the docket for the Cup Series is the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 from New Hampshire Motor Speedway at 3:00 p.m. ET. The event will be broadcast on NBCSN, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Custer Bests Bell for Fifth Win

The "big three" of the NASCAR Xfinity Series continued their dominance at Kentucky Speedway. The Alsco 300 was dominated by Stewart-Haas Racing's Cole Custer and Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell; the duo led 160 of the event's 200 laps between them.

Cole Custer celebrates his fifth win of the year
(Google Images)

Bell started second and won the race's first two stages, but he wasn't able to beat Custer for the race win. This was Custer's fifth victory of the year, breaking a tie with Bell for most wins on the season.

“It’s been unbelievable,” said Custer, who fell off his car in victory lane during his celebration. “This one just goes to my team. That car was just unbelievable, and they knew exactly what to do with it when the track changed, and I was just lucky to drive it there at the end.”

Custer's SHR teammate Chase Briscoe was also strong, leading 14 circuits, but he didn't have anything for the No. 00 Mustang either, losing the lead to Custer on lap 111.

Bell charged from fifth to second after a restart on Lap 97 but had nothing for Custer at the end.

“We just kind of got worse there,” Bell said of his runner-up finish. “My car was driving really good. Probably just got a little too comfortable there, needed to free it up a little bit... We were able to win two stages, so we got a couple more playoff points. We’ve just got to work on a couple more things, and we’ll be good.”'

The other member of the big three, Tyler Reddick, ran third, Michael Annett took fourth, and Briscoe came home fifth. Jr Motorsports' other drivers joined Annett in the top-ten, with Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier, and Ryan Truex finishing sixth, seventh, and eighth respectively. Ryan Seig finished ninth, and Daytona Cup Series winner Justin Hayley finished tenth.

The Xfinity Series tour heads up to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the ROXOR 200, which kicks off at 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday July 20. Coverage will be on NBCSN, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Ankrum Scores First Truck Series Win

History was made in the Buckle up in Your Truck 225 at Kentucky Speedway. Not only did Tyler Ankrum win his first Gander Outdoor Truck Series race, he also became the first driver born in the new millennium to into victory lane.

Tyler Ankrum collects his first career checkered flag
(Google Images)

Sheldon Creed won an uneventful first stage, while Matt Crafton won a decidedly more exciting Stage 2 that also saw his teammate Grant Enfinger have major trouble.

Enfinger won the pole and showed early on that he had a truck capable of winning. But on lap 66, as he drove underneath leader Brandon Jones in turn four, Enfinger got loose, sending both trucks into the outside wall. Both trucks came to rest in the infield grass, ending their nights early.

It seemed as though Brett Moffitt was set to go back-to-back after his win in Chicago, leading 35 laps late in the race. However, the finish came down to fuel mileage and who could save the most gasoline. Moffitt, who admitted after the race he'd never been in the position of having to save fuel before, was about two laps shy of making it to the end. Ankrum, who led a race-high 40 laps and took one more can of fuel than the leader on his final stop, was able to bide his time and pass the GMS Racing No. 24 when Moffitt ran out of fuel coming to the white flag.

“I was driving my butt off—holy cow,” said Ankrum, who led a race-high 40 laps. “I think I was holding my breath for the last three laps there. Holy cow, that was awesome… I just don’t know what to say. I cannot believe I just did this…

“Honestly, one of my biggest faults is I’ve always doubted myself, and I kind of saw all of that wash away.”

Stewart Friessen, who had his primary truck confiscated by NASCAR for a rear firewall issue, finished second on the night, Harrison Burton got third, Ross Chastain came home fourth, and Dylan Lupton finished fifth. Austin Wayne Self got sixth, Moffitt dropped to seventh after running out of gas, Spencer Davis got eighth, Jeb Burton finished ninth, and Johnny Sauter came home in tenth.

The tailgate brigade will take this week off to regroup, but the series will return to action at Pocono Raceway on Saturday, July 27 for the Gander RV 150. The race will go green at 1:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on FS1, as well as heard on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Weekend Wrap-up: Weather Dominates Final July Daytona Weekend

The Monster Energy Cup Series raced to beat each other, as well as the rain
in Daytona this weekend (Google Images)

This Independence Day weekend was bittersweet racing for many race fans. Next year, the traditional Fourth of July pageantry that has surrounded Daytona International Speedway for 61 years will be moved to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, while Daytona will be moved to the final race of the regular season; an adjustment that many in the sport believe will create more playoff excitement, and possibly lead to an underdog qualifying for NASCAR's post season.

While the major story through much of the weekend was the stormy weather (it is Florida in July, after all), a couple of surprise winners is exactly what we came away with as the sport heads to Kentucky next weekend.

Haley, Spire Motorsports Score Surprising Win

There are upset wins in sports every now and then. Then there are upsets so big that it almost seems inappropriate to classify them as such. Justin Haley's win in Sunday's Coke Zero Sugar 400 seems to fit into that latter category.

Justin Haley scored his first premier series win at Daytona
(Google Images)

After weather washed out the scheduled running of the final Monster Energy Cup Series race at Daytona in July for the forseeable future, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch finally led the field to green under partly cloudy skies on Sunday afternoon.

Stage 1 went caution free, and saw Logano work with his Ford Performance teammates to score the victory in the race's initial segment. While these are some of the best drivers in the world, they would not stay calm for long.

An ill-timed block of Kurt Busch's No. 1 car sent leader Ricky Stenhouse, Jr through the rain-soaked infield grass on lap 60. But as Stage 2 continued, the sky behind the grandstands grew darker and the intensity began to pick up.

Brad Keselowski had been saying that he would not lift if any drivers tried to block him during the weekend; a point he tried to drive home by driving through William Byron in practice. However, on lap 84, Keselowski died by that very same sword, as Kevin Harvick didn't lift after bumping the No. 2 car. This got the 2012 series champion loose and sent him into the outside wall, ending his day. The wreck also collected Daniel Suarez, David Ragan, and Daniel Hemric.

What was Byron's response to the Keselowski incident? After finding out the "Blue Deuce" had been shunted into the wall, the sophomore driver simply radioed to his crew, saying "that's too bad."

Following that chaos, Austin Dillon found himself out in front, claiming the victory in Stage 2.

The clouds around Daytona International Speedway grew darker as Stage 3 went on. This led to a great deal of three- and four-wide racing for what could wind up being the win, should bad weather come. Drivers dodged the big wreck all day long, but it always seems to be a matter of 'when' and 'where' at these superspeedways, rather than 'if" a major pileup will happen.

On lap 120, Dillon blocked a run by Clint Bowyer to try and protect his lead coming out of the tri-oval, which sent his No. 3 Chevy around off Bowyer's nose, collecting many of the leaders. Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, defending race winner Erik Jones, and last week's winner Alex Bowman were among the 18 casualties that resulted from this wreck.

The "Big One" collected nearly 20 cars in the closing laps
at Daytona (Google Images)

Because it took so long to get many of these cars out of the over-saturated grass in turns one and two, that allowed the bad storms that had been around the racetrack all afternoon to creep ever closer and literally put a damper on things. Once things were cleaned up, NASCAR told teams that it was going to go back racing. Kurt Busch and his team agreed to pit with one lap to go before the restart, putting themselves in position to race for the win on fresh tires. But Mother Nature had other ideas.

As soon as Busch came down pit road, a lightning strike could be seen behind the speedway. This resulted in a mandatory 30-minute red flag, as a precaution to protect fans and crews. Once that half hour had expired, the rain that had stayed away from the track all day long finally showed up just as drivers were beginning to climb back aboard their cars.

 This meant Busch was tenth and Haley was the leader, with little indication that we would go back green anytime soon.

NASCAR waited for the better part of two hours before finally calling the race official and awarding a controversial victory to Haley and Spire Motorsports. Byron was second, Jimmie Johnson was third, Ty Dillon fourth and Ryan Newman fifth. Sixth place went to Corey LaJoie, seventh went to Aric Almirola, Matt DiBenedetto was eighth, Matt Tifft came home ninth, and Kurt Busch was forced to settle for tenth.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will join both the Xfinity Series and Gander Outdoors Truck Series at Kentucky Speedway this weekend, when the Quaker State 400 goes green at 7:30 pm ET on Saturday, July 13. Coverage will be on NBCSN, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Chastain Scores Second Career Xfinity Win

Mother Nature delayed things for a few hours on Friday night, but when it came time for the Circle K Firecracker 250 to go green, fans were not disappointed. Polesitter Tyler Reddick was strong, as he and his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing team have been all season, but it was the three-car team of Kaulig Racing that would dominate the evening.

Alva, Fla. native Ross Chastain celebrates his first Xfinity win
  of 2019 by smashing another watermelon (Google Images)

Justin Haley is the only Kaulig driver running for points this season, but team owner Matt Kaulig and General Manager Chris Rice have been looking a win since joining the Xfinity Series in 2016. So, to help bolster that effort, they brought along the No. 10 Chevy for driver A.J. Allmendinger, as well as the brand new No. 16 Camaro for driver Ross Chastain.

Everything went according to plan, as this trio was able to team up and work together for the majority of the race.

The first incident in Stage 1 happened early. On lap 10, the No. 90 car of Caesar Bacarella got loose on the bottom of the racetrack and spun, collecting Austin Cindric, Cole Custer, Brandon Jones, and a few other drivers.Most all of these drivers were able to repair their vehicles and return to action. An errant bump draft from the No. 7 of Justin Allgaier sent his teammate Sheldon Creed spinning with just seven laps remaining in the race's first stage. The incident also collected the No. 23 of John Hunter Nemechek, and helped lock up the Stage 1 victory for Chastain.

Stage 2 saw just as much action as the first segment, as on lap 46, Reddick's Camaro drifted up the track entering the tri-oval and collected the Mustang of Chase Briscoe. Both drivers slid to the inside of the track, with Briscoe making heavy head-on contact with the inside Safer Barrier.

Kaulig Racing's three entries continued to run roughshod over the rest of the field, with Allmendinger winning the race's second stage.

As the race for the win wound down, Reddick and Hayley were side-by-side for the top spot when "the Big One" happened behind them. The No. 20 of Christopher Bell gave a shot to an unstable Michael Annett, tipping his No. 1 Chevy into the outside wall. This collected 15 cars, including Custer, who t-boned Annett in the passenger side door, and resulted in a 17 minute red flag for cleanup.

Chase Briscoe (98) slides through the grass after contact
with Tyler Reddick (2) (Google Images)

In the closing laps, Haley pushed Chastain around the 2.5 mile, high banked oval, but couldn't get enough help from behind to pass his teammate. Chastain was able to hold off his challengers and score his second career Xfinity Series win. Allmendinger also went from fifth to third on the final lap, which meant that Kaulig Racing had not only won it's first race, but it had also finished in the top three positions. Or so it seemed.

Allmendinger's engine failed a vacuum test after the race.A part failure around the area of the tapered spacer had allowed additional air into the intake manifold, which meant that the No. 10 team was disqualified. Kaulig Racing will not appeal the ruling.

This meant that Chastain was your winner, Haley was second, and Bell jumped up to third. Cindric was fourth, Stephen Leicht was fifth, Brandon Brown was sixth, Jeff Green was seventh, Gray Gaulding was eighth, Jeremy Clements crossed the line in ninth, and Matt Mills finished in tenth.

The Xfinity Series Alsco 300 from Kentucky Speedway will go green at 7:30 pm ET on Friday, July 12, with coverage on NBCSN, PRN, and SiriusXM Nascar Radio.

The truck series Buckle Up in Your Truck 225 will be held on Thursday, July 11 at 7:30 pm ET. Coverage can be seen on FS1 and heard on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Weekend Wrap-up: Chicagoland Speedway

After a string of second place finishes, Alex Bowman won his first
cup series race at Chicagoland (Google Images)

It was an eventful triple-header weekend for NASCAR at Chicagoland Speedway. Not only were all three of the sport's top touring series in action in the Windy City, the weekend also featured some severe weather, a disqualification, and a first-time Monster Energy Cup Series winner.

Bowman Finally Breaks Through

After a mediocre start to 2019 for Hendrick Motorsports, the organization seemed to begin righting their four-car ship once the calendar turned to April. Chase Elliott secured a playoff spot with a win at Talladega, barely beating teammate Alex Bowman. But while many assumed that seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson or sophomore sensation William Byron would be next to take the checkered flag, it would be Bowman who would go on a hot streak, culminating in his first cup series win this past weekend at Chicagoland.

Bowman and his crew pose with their new hardware
(Google Images)

The 26-year-old journeyman driver had finished second three times in a row at Talladega, Dover, and Kansas. Many argued that this last event was one he probably should have won, had Brad Keselowski not overtaken him in the closing laps.

It looked as if Sunday's Camping World 400 would be a repeat of that Kansas heartbreaker. As Bowman grabbed the lead with 41 laps to go, Kyle Larson, last year's Chicago runner-up, was getting bigger and bigger in the rearview mirror of the No. 88 Camaro. The two battled through lapped traffic, trading lanes back and forth, until Larson powered his No. 42 Chevy past Bowman's, in what seemed to be the race-winning move.

That is, until the Arizona native got his car back underneath Larson's off turn two with six laps to go, almost willing his car back to the top spot. Bowman got back by Larson, pulled away, and grabbed the first win of his cup career. Coincidentally, he also led 88 total laps en route to the win.

In a race that was stopped after 11 laps for a 3 hour, 18 minute red flag for rain, Bowman's gutsy performance no doubt made fans happy they stuck it out till the end.

“I was just tired of running second,” Bowman said. “I don’t want to do that anymore. I feel like this is the last box, aside from going and chasing a championship, that I needed personally for myself to validate my career.”

Finishing behind Larson was defending champ Joey Logano in third, Johnson in fourth, and Keselowski rounding out the top five. Sixth place went to Ryan Blaney, seventh to Erik Jones, Byron finished eighth, Martin Truex Jr. finished ninth, and Austin Dillon crossed the line in tenth. Denny Hamlin won the first stage of the race, while Kevin Harvick won the second.

Custer Scores Fourth Win of 2019

Last year saw the "big three" drivers, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., and Kyle Busch, dominate the Monster Energy Cup Series season. This season, however, it appears that the "big three" has migrated down to the Xfinity Series, as Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, and Cole Custer have won 10 of the season's first 15 races. Michael Annett has been the only other Xfinity Series regular to win a race, claiming the season opener at Daytona. Cup series interloper Kyle Busch won the other four.

Cole Custer celebrates his fourth win of 2019 
(Google Images)

This weekend, Custer was the dominant driver, claiming the victory in the Camping World 300. Leading 151 of the race's 200 laps, there was little doubt that the Stewart-Haas Racing driver would be the one to beat on Saturday.

“I think we’re going to hit it this summer, we have some awesome cars,’’ Custer exclaimed to the fans on the frontstrech. “I don’t know how to get the car any better, I’m just lucky to drive it.’’

Cup star Joey Logano started on the pole, but Custer quickly overtook the Penske Racing driver to win the race's first stage. Logano would come back to win Stage 2, but Custer's machine proved too much for the rest of the field. He passed Annett on a restart with 22 laps to go and never looked back.

Logano would go on to finish second, while Bell crossed the line in third, Annett fourth, and Brandon Jones fifth. Austin Cindric was sixth, Noah Gragson seventh, Justin Hayley eight, ninth place went to Ross Chastain, and Reddick was tenth.

However, following post race inspection, Bell's No. 20 Toyota was found to be too low on both the left and right front corners, as well as too high on the right rear. Similar to Chastain's penalty in the truck race at Iowa a few weeks ago, this bumped Bell from third to last place in the 38-car field. He was awarded one point. Joe Gibbs Racing will not appeal the penalty.

“When we put the (height) sticks on, the car failed both front heights and the right rear,” said Wayne Auton, Managing Director for the Xfinity Series. “The front was extremely low. The right rear was a little high, which is normally what you see when a car on the front sort of tilts toward the front. It’s going to come up, it has to go somewhere.”

The biggest beneficiary of this penalty wound up being Bell's teammate, Riley Herbst, who was moved up to tenth place in the finishing order.

Moffitt Scores Second Win of the Year

Two weeks after netting his first win of the year in unconventional fashion, Ross Chastain's disqualification at Iowa Speedway, Brett Moffitt took the checkered flag at Chicagoland Speedway in the Camping World 250.

Brett Moffitt celebrates with his team in Chicagoland
victory lane (Google Images)

This time, Moffitt dominated. The defending truck series champion led twice for 72 laps and won by a margin of just under four seconds in front of second place finisher Brandon Jones. After the race, Moffitt said this celebration was a lot more fun, as the victory at Iowa seemed to ring hollow.

“It was a heck of a lot more fun, and it’s fun for not only me but for the whole pit crew,’’ he said after the race.


While he failed to win a stage in this race, Jones and 16th-place finisher Grant Enfinger won Stages 1 and 2 respectively, Moffitt was certain that his GMS Racing team had a truck to win if circumstance played out like he hoped.

“We’ll go home and celebrate,’’ he said. “I felt confident, it was just a matter of a caution coming out or not. I’m sure (Baxter) was nervous, I was nervous, we were just praying for no caution to come out.’’

While Jones, who has already made one start for the Kyle Busch Motorsports this season, was disappointed he couldn't win, he was very optimistic about being able to pick up a victory before the season comes to an end.

“We put ourselves in position to learn a bit and that’s the most fun I’ve ever had in a truck race,’’ he said. “We’ve got two more with these guys.”

Stewart Friesen finished behind Moffitt and Jones in third place, while Harrison Burton and Austin Hill rounded out the top-five. Todd Gilliland finished sixth, Chastain came home seventh, veteran Matt Crafton was eighth, truck series rookie Anthony Alfredo was a respectable ninth, and Dylan Lupton finished tenth.

The Gander Outdoors Truck Series is off this weekend, but the Xfinity and Monster Energy Cup drivers will take to the high banks of Daytona International Speedway one final time to celebrate Independence Day weekend. The Xfinity Series Circle K Firecracker 250 will go green at 7:35 pm ET on Friday on NBCSN, while the Monster Energy Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 will begin at 7:48 pm ET on Saturday on NBC. Both races will also be covered on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.