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Is the NASCAR Chase Grid system is fair?

Do you think the NASCAR Chase Grid system is fair? Many of the NASCAR drivers think the playoff system is unfair this year! For many teams and drivers this year has been full of excitement. But is NASCAR’s Chase Playoff system is fair? See what the drivers have to say about it on the “Next Page”…

Source Article: SB Nation Source Video: NASCAR

It’s cutdown time for NASCAR’s Chase of the Sprint Cup Championship as the field of 12 drivers will be cut down to eight after Sunday’s CampingWorld.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Yes again, as in the first round, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and others need strong finishes to avoid being among those cut from the field! Is NASCAR’s Chase Playoff system is fair? See what the drivers have to say about it from this great article from SB Nation….

Just how cruel Talladega can be is a lesson Busch knows all too well. A year ago a cautious strategy saw him rack up enough points to rank second in the standings coming into Talladega, needing just to finish 28th or better to advance to the third round. Except, the cushion he accumulated in the first two races disappeared when a multi-car wreck broke out. Busch was clobbered from behind by Austin Dillon and sent crashing into the inside backstretch wall. Not able to overcome the damage, Busch didn’t advance.

One of those who did move on was Brad Keselowski, who similar to Kenseth this season, absolutely needed a victory to remain in the Chase after consecutive poor finishes to begin Round 2. Keselowski got that win via a determined drive that saw him fend off a swarm of cars over the final laps.

That’s the paradox of Talladega — where just about anyone can win thanks to the draft equalizing the field, and by extension the Chase. A victory can negate a pair of bad races, as it automatically qualifies a driver for the next round regardless of anything else. And a driver who demonstrates near weekly consistency yet doesn’t win is subjected to being booted out of the playoffs if someone else can pop-off and reach Victory Lane.

“People don’t care about greatness, they care about being entertained,” Keselowski said. “You’re seeing format changes that are a reflection of those demands.”

Kenseth and Busch (along with Jimmie Johnson) tied for the most regular season victories, but a real possibility exists that both may not make it to the third round. And with Johnson a surprise Round 1 elimination, a realistic scenario exists where the most proficient winners during the regular season will have their championship hopes extinguished by the semi-final bracket.

Of the 12 in the Chase, only Joey Logano, who won preceding races at Charlotte and Kansas, has clinched a spot in the next round, leaving the other seven position to be decided Sunday.

“It is stressful and it’s not enjoyable, but as a fan I would love the hell out of it,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “I’d love to watch somebody else go through this s*** besides me. So I get it. I don’t think that they should get rid of the Chase or anything like that because I think as a fan, once I’m done driving, it’s going to be really fun to watch somebody else squirm through this process. But it’s pretty nail‑biting, man. It’s pretty tough.”

Does that signify the composition of NASCAR’s playoffs is inherently unfair? No, as it’s no more or less fair than how the majority of other sports determine its champion.

The New York Mets had the fifth-best regular season record in the National League, but because of timely hitting and effective pitching the club will play in the World Series. In the NHL, only twice in the past 12 years has the President’s Trophy, awarded to the best team during the regular season, gone on to capture the Stanley Cup.

“The way the Chase is made and structured is providing a lot of excitement — the elimination factor really brings a lot of excitement,” Earnhardt said. “It’s just like college basketball, you get eliminated and you are out. Even if you were the number one team in the country you can get knocked out in that tournament. That is how it is. You have to be able to deliver when the time comes.”

Although it may not be how NASCAR long determined its champion and there may be elements resembling something out of a reality television show, at the end of the day the format is equitable for everyone. If you do well and succeed, the ultimate prize can be yours. If not, well, there’s always next year.

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Can Jeff Gordon turn things around and make the Chase

This is Jeff Gordon’s final Cup season and it hasn’t been a good at that for the four-time champion. Jeff Gordon is 10th in points and there is NO guarantee that he will make the Chase without a win. So the question is to Jeff Gordon, have you lost the fire to win? Click on the next page for more on this story…

Source Article: Fox Sports Source Video: Fox Sports Is Jeff Gordon trying to grab his crown back? Or has the four-time champion giving up? Jeff Gordon has a 99 percent chance of making the Chase this season because of points. But last season Jeff Gordon wasn’t careful and Ryan Newman got in the 2014 Sprint Cup Championship, making Jeff Gordon missing out. If Jeff Gordon doesn’t make the Chase this season, it will be a massive disappointment, on top of the currently disappointing fact he hasn’t even won a race yet in his last season in NASCAR. How do you feel about this? Leave your comments down below…

When Jeff Gordon announced 2015 would be his final season behind the wheel of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, many expected the veteran driver to win multiple races and contend for the title.

However, things have not gone as planned for the four-time champion. Wrecks, mechanical failures and mistakes both behind the wheel and on pit road have led to just three top-five finishes.

Heading into his final road-course event Sunday at Watkins Glen International, Gordon was hoping to score his 10th career road-course win and fifth at The Glen. Leading final practice and qualifying fifth, the outlook seemed bright for Gordon and the No. 24 team going into the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen.

Yet from the drop of the green flag, Gordon struggled with the handling of the car and urged crew chief Alan Gustafson to make wholesale changes. Pitting for the first time on Lap 23 from the eighth spot, the team took a big swing and adjusted the car with four rounds of wedge, but the problems were far from over.

When the first caution of the day flew on Lap 25, Gordon brought his car back to pit road for an extensive stop as the team diagnosed an issue with the brakes. An issue with the brake line was causing the car to lose brake fluid on the track, sending the team scrambling for repairs.

Sitting on pit road, Gordon lost four laps and fell to 43rd on the leaderboard as the team replaced the brake line under the car.

Gordon could do little to make up the four-lap deficit, but was able to take advantage of issues for teammate Kasey Kahne and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Tony Stewart to ultimately jump two spots and finish 41st.

“It’s disappointing, but right now I just feel like we can’t afford to have these kinds of finishes if we’re going to make the Chase,” a disappointed Gordon said after the race. “Just when you think you get something that’s going to go your way, then you get something like this happens. We’re going to keep fighting and digging and try to get the finishes we need to get ourselves solidly in there.”

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Ward family file a wrongful death lawsuit against Tony Stewart.

Kevin Ward Jr. parents, Kevin and Pamela Ward, filed a wrongful death suit asking for unspecified financial compensation. The Family filed the suit in Lewis County, where the family lives. Right now Tony Stewart was not criminally charged in the incident. What are the details to the case? Click on the “Next Page” to see…

Source Article: USA Today Source Video: ESPN

Kevin Ward Jr. family did file a wrongful death lawsuit Friday against NASCAR driver Tony Stewart. The Family feels that Tony Stewart struck and killed the 20-year-old driver under caution during a race. The lawsuit is claiming that Tony Stewart gunned his car as he drove by Ward, that caused it to slide and strike Kevin Ward with the right rear tire, tossing Ward in the air.

The suit claims that Stewart caused the accident that crashed Ward Jr.’s car initially, and citing his “unique race car and driving skills” and “extreme skill and control over his car” acted recklessly in revving his engine and not steering clear of Ward Jr. in the aftermath as other cars had. Ward Jr. died of blunt force trauma.

The suit does not state what the Ward family is seeking in damages. The suit contains four actions: wrongful death; terror, pain and suffering prior to death; intentional/reckless conduct; and gross negligence.

James: Tony Stewart returns to the Glen changed man, driver

 “Our son was truly the light of our lives and we miss him terribly every day,” the Wards said in a statement. “Our hope is that this lawsuit will hold Tony Stewart responsible for killing our son and show him there are real consequences when someone recklessly takes another person’s life.”

According to the release, neither the Ward family nor their attorneys will comment further.

Stewart-Haas Racing, where Stewart is a driver and co-owner, said it would not comment at this time. A NASCAR spokesman said the series will not comment.

Timeline of events in Kevin Ward Jr. death

 According to filing documents, Stewart has 30 days to respond to the Ward suit if the summons is personally served to him while in New York. He otherwise has 20. New York law dictates that the suit can only collect for the future loss of expected earnings or care Ward Jr. would have generated. No figure is included in the suit.

The family has requested a jury trial.

On Aug. 9, 2014, Stewart and Ward were involved in an on-track incident that left Ward unable to continue in the Empire Super Sprints race. During the ensuing caution, Ward jumped out of his car and walked down the track’s surface to motion at Stewart. Stewart hit him in what he later called “100% an accident.”

Tony Stewart hits, kills driver in sprint car race

Nearly seven weeks later, an Ontario County district attorney’s report stated that Ward Jr. was under the influence of marijuana at the time of the incident at a level high enough to impair judgement. A grand jury opted not to indict Stewart, who missed three races in the wake of the accident, including the event at Watkins Glen the following day.

Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, told USA TODAY Sports via email that Ward Jr.’s toxicology and conduct after the accident do not necessarily discount the civil suit. The assessment of damages depend “on how much responsibility a jury might assign to each person.”

“I think that the case will come down to how the jury views the facts and the respective responsibility of the two people involved,” Tobias said. “My sense is that the case will probably settle.

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How do you feel about Trump banner on a NASCAR Car?

Korbin Forrister’s for a second consecutive week in a row has showed support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. NASCAR Brian France says: That NASCAR does not support Trump. But does NASCAR fans support Korbin Forrister’s for putting Trump for President on his truck? See why Korbin Forrister’s has Trump for President banner on his NASCAR truck, click on the next page…

Source Photo: Twitter Feed Source Article: BPRRight now Korbin Forrister’s has no sponsorship backing his NASCAR efforts for two weeks in a row. So Forrister decided to show his full support for Donald Trump by putting his Presidential campaign back on the NASCAR truck. But what about you as a NASCAR fan? Do you support Donald Trump for president? Or do you side with Brian France and NASCAR? Tell us how you feel about it, comment down below…

Republican presidential contender Donald Trump is drawing support from a lot of unlikely sources, but one of the more surprising places is among the elite body of NASCAR race car drivers.

For the second week in a row, Korbin Forrister, a driver in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series, adorned his truck with a Trump for President banner, according to Fox Sports.

Forrister had no commercial sponsors for Saturday’s race at Pocono Raceway, so he took advantage of the available space on his No. 08 truck to show support for the GOP front-runner.

“I support Donald Trump and what he is trying to do,” the driver said. “America needs it. A large majority of the response we received was positive, there was some negativity, but we expected that.” Source Photo: Twitter Feed Source Article: BPR

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Danica Patrick leaving 2016 NASCAR season for F1?

After a week of speculation about Danica Patrick heading to Formula 1 to join the new Gene Haas team next year said: “Danica Patrick won’t be on the team.” I say whatever!

Anybody that knows anything about Formula 1, Indy Car and NASCAR understands that the “speculation” is just silly uninformed folks flapping their gums.

Now this would be a huge gamble for Danica Patrick. Plus she hasn’t in her NASCAR career demonstrated the ability to be competitive.

Here is the detail of requirements to obtain an F1 Super Licence FIA Super Licence

We will see if she leaves NASCAR for the F1 after this season. Read the Article from Sporting World News down below…

Per Formula1.com drivers hoping to obtain a super license must “be at least 18-years old, have spent at least two years in junior single-seater categories, hold a valid road driver’s licence and pass a test on the Formula One sporting regulations. The existing requirement of completing 300 kilometres in a recent F1 car also remains.”

Patrick would presumably just return to NASCAR in 2016, but her spot with Stewart-Haas Racing is not guaranteed either. Patrick’s contract expires at season’s end, and Go Daddy is not returning as a sponsor next year. There has been little word of Patrick’s future at Stewart-Haas Racing, and the free agency of Martin Truex Jr. may take precedence over re-signing Patrick.

This year Truex owns four Top 5 finishes, one victory, and has an average finish of 7.9. Should SHR decide they want to make a push for one of racing’s top names, Patrick may be deemed expendable. Truex Jr. has three career wins and 108 Top 10 finishes in 347 races (12 years) compared to Patrick’s zero victories and six Top 10 finishes in 95 races over three seasons.

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Denny Hamlin is $1 million richer after NASCAR All Star race

This NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race fired us up! Like most all-star exhibitions, the mandate was fun with a competitive edge with a $1 million on the line for the NASCAR drivers. What made it special All Star race is because 20 drivers accounted for an astounding 498 Cup wins, That means it was the cream of the crop driving in the NASCAR All Star race. Now Denny Hamlin gave Joe Gibbs a victory in NASCAR’s Sprint All-Star race, but why is it a special win for Joe Gibbs racing? Click “Next Page to see…

Source Article: SB Nation Source Video: NASCAR Denny Hamlin gave Joe Gibbs his first victory in NASCAR’s Sprint All-Star race by hold off Kevin Harvick at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “It’s been a long time coming,” said Joe Gibbs. Denny Hamlin also won the pole for Saturday night’s race. Now Denny Hamlin is $1 million richer after NASCAR All Star race and is focus to win the Sprint Cup Championship. Watch the video from Fox Sports to see how Denny Hamlin did it…

What transpired at Charlotte and many times over in recent seasons isn’t likely to change soon. The dreaded term “aero push” has been part of the sport’s lexicon for years with numerous attempts to correct the issue.

When NASCAR unveiled its 2015 package featuring a horsepower and downforce reduction it was with the intention of creating more side-by-side racing. The opposite, however, has played out. With less engine power drivers can now carry increased speed — upwards of 18 to 20 mph at some tracks — through the corners due to minimal deceleration. Which only exasperates just how challenging it is to catch and pass someone.

“It’s hard to pass,” Joey Logano said. “There’s no other way to put it. It’s hard to pass, so on restarts you have to be aggressive. All the cars are so close that you get in the dirty air and this race track is just a tough place to race at. It’s tough.”

If they had their druthers, drivers prefer additional horsepower and even less downforce, which would make the cars more difficult to handle and therefore give them more control over performance.

Initially NASCAR seemed receptive and toyed with using this past weekend’s All-Star Race as a forum to test such ideas. Yet recent public comments by high-ranking officials give indication no modifications are forthcoming. Why? Firstly is due to the exorbitant costs incurred by team owners, who’ve recently footed the bill for a completely new car and other competition initiatives. The second reason centers on what is the exact direction to go with its rule package.

“There will not be anything significant at all,” NASCAR CEO and Chairman Brian France told Sirius XM Radio last week. “Drivers have their own individual interests — as they should. Some like a car loose, some like it different ways.

“What we do is very simple. We want a package that gives us much closer competition — more lead changes, more drivers that have an opportunity to get up and mix it up if they’re good enough and if their team is good enough and putting them in a position to achieve that and safety and cost are paramount as well.”

So though drivers continue to gripe and fans lament the current on-track product, don’t expect a reprieve anytime soon. The modern NASCAR isn’t just about who’s the best driver and team in a given race. No, it’s also about getting in clean air; just as Hamlin demonstrated Saturday night.

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Denny Hamlin really upset with NASCAR safely

Denny Hamlin had a really tough race when he made contact with Dale Jr. and other drivers on a restart. He had a tire go down after the damage was done. But that wasn’t all for Denny. When ask about the first wreck Denny said in the video: “We got in an incident with the No. 88 and the 9  we were in the middle of them and the 88 came up and squeezed me into the 9,” Hamlin explained. “We cut a tire and then came in and changed those, but we didn’t change lefts. I told Dave that I thought the right sides were the only ones hurt. He didn’t see the left side damage and we had a tire run and blew a left rear.” Click “Next Page” to see more on why Denny Hamlin is upset with NASCAR….

Source Article: NBC Sports Source Video: NASCAR

All the  cars racing at full speed, Denny Hamlin was unable to make it to pit road initially and had to moving slowly another lap before hitting pit road for fresh tires. Back on track, Denny Hamlin night got worse on Lap 207 when he cut a tire off Turn 4 and hitting the outside wall. While Denny Hamlin was not too pleased with NASCAR’s timing on the caution flag. Denny was upset with NASCAR safety. See the article from NBC Sports below on what NASCAR Steve O’Donnell said about Denny Hamlin comment about NASCAR safely…

Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer, spoke with NASCAR.com and answered questions covering many topics, including Hamlin’s criticism. O’Donnell said no one from JGR came forward after the race to properly voice their concerns.

“First and foremost, we always talk to our competitors,” O’Donnell told NASCAR.com. “A lot of times, they’ll come up to the hauler after a race with a concern. We didn’t see Denny or anyone from the team postrace, so we’ll certainly reach out during the week to talk to them, but talking to the folks that were in race control Saturday night, David Hoots, as soon as he was alerted to the incident, looked down and saw Denny’s car and threw the caution immediately.”

O’Donnell also was asked what the sanctioning body intends to do in the near future regarding pit road safety for crew members after fires broke out two weeks in a row at Richmond International Raceway and Talladega.

Both fires originated in the pit stalls of Richard Childress Racing teams, but the first occurred in the Xfinity Race in the pit of Brendan Gaughan’s No. 62 team. The fire sent two of Gaughan’s crew members and one from Eric McClure‘s team to the hospital.

“We’ve had a number of internal conversations about what’s worn on pit road,” O’Donnell said. “We’ve talked to a lot of the teams, taken an inventory of what equipment they have and then what equipment is available for immediate purchase. We have all that now, and you’ll see us continue to work with the race teams to become more and more safe in terms of what they’re wearing on pit road. I think they understand we learned a lot from the last incident, and they understand where we are going forward and are already taking steps to comply with that.”

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Can Jimmie Johnson win his seventh title this year?

Jimmie Johnson won Kansas Speedway make it his third win of the season. It looks like Jimmie Johnson could win the Sprint Cup Championship for his seventh title making the third person in NASCAR History with Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty. Here is a question for you, did Jimmie let Dale Jr have a win last week? Something smells funny? Click “Next Page”…

Source Article: ESPN Source Video:

Jimmie Johnson could have won last week too. But Jimmie at Kansas Speedway managed to hold off Kevin Harvick to win SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway. This win gave Jimmie Johnson his third this season and came after a two-hour and 17-minute rain delay. But question remains, did Jimmie let Dale Jr have a win last week? We don’t like it when something smells funny? We would like to know your opinion, comment down below…

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Martin Truex Jr. was the show Saturday night at Kansas Speedway. Then Jimmie Johnson stole not only the show but also the unique SpongeBob SquarePants 400 trophy.

Sure, Johnson’s daughters might appreciate this trophy more than many of the 72 others he has won in the Sprint Cup Series, but it would have made a great birthday present for Sherry Pollex, Truex’s long-time girlfriend who is currently battling cancer.

The trophy also would have made a great addition to the setting when Martin and Sherry host Catwalk for a Cause on Wednesday. The annual fundraiser benefits Levine Children’s Hospital and features kids who are battling cancer. It is a longstanding cause for the duo.

A mistake in the pits knocked Truex from the lead, and it was going to be hard for him to track leader Kevin Harvick down, until a caution came out with 12 laps remaining. That’s when Truex’s night took a turn, as he pitted for fuel only in a gamble for track position.

After his late-race gamble paid off, Jimmie Johnson pulled into victory lane to win the rain-delayed Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway.

That left him fifth on the restart, behind four cars that stayed out but alongside Harvick, who took right-side tires and fuel. The others behind Truex also had at least two fresh tires, which left him a sitting duck on the restart.

Truex came home ninth. It was another solid finish for a driver who trails just Harvick in points earned this year. That wasn’t much consolation for a driver searching for his first win since Sonoma in 2013. Still, he tried to focus on the bright side.

“It’s kind of disappointing, but at the same time, [I’m] proud of the way we ran, and I think it’s something we can build off of,” said Truex, whose Furniture Row Racing team unveiled a new chassis this weekend. “Felt like we were in a decent position there towards the end. Really hate when it comes down to fuel mileage. Seems like I’m always on the wrong end of that deal.

“But really wishing we could have raced Kevin for it. Seemed like we were both saving gas, and then seemed like about 10 [laps] to go, we were both kind of hammer down. It would have been fun to see if we could have had anything for him. But all in all, hard to be disappointed with how we ran, just disappointed in the outcome and the finish. But again, the guys have really done a great job, and this is something we can, moving forward, build on, and hopefully we can be in position to win some races this year.”

He was there most of the night until Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Buschand Jeff Gordon stayed out after Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got into the wall to bring out the caution.

“It was very unexpected to be here right now. I think we had a little bit of good fortune on our side, for sure,” said winning crew chief Chad Knaus, who nearly watched his driver go for a spin early in the race, before wrestling the car under control.

It was the type of race champions find a way to win, and Johnson, who has already won three times this year, is looking like a strong threat for his seventh Sprint Cup championship.

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Did Jimmie Johnson let Dale Jr win at Talladega?

Did Jimmie Johnson let Dale Jr win at Talladega?  Jimmie realized some Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans actually believed Johnson “let” Dale Jr. car win Sunday’s race at Talladega. Is that true? Jimmie Johnson, speaking after a news conference said Dale’s fans shouldn’t discount the effort Dale Earnhardt Jr and his teammates made to pull off that victory. But did he answer the question? Read down bleow the artcile from NASCAR.com for more on this story…

“Since I let Junior win last week,” the six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion joked Tuesday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, site of this year’s non-points race.

Former All-Star race winners Michael Waltrip and Rusty Wallace, crew chief Chad Knaus,Charlotte Motor Speedway president Marcus Smith and Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer, joined Johnson at CMS for the press event. Each spent time on stage surrounded by $1 million, the winner’s take for this year’s race.

Johnson has heard the comments this week and seen the chatter on social media. He didn’t pull out and try to pass Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the end of Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, some have said, because his teammate pushed him to a win years ago. It was a favor returned. Or was it?

Johnson has two victories and a spot in this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup in his pocket. Until Sunday, Earnhardt had been winless through this year’s first nine races.

Make no mistake, Johnson said. Those facts had nothing to do with Sunday’s outcome.

“Absolutely not. That’s the most ridiculous thing ever,” he said.

“If I didn’t win, absolutely I’’d want it to be the 88 or the 24 (of teammate Jeff Gordon) or the 5 (of teammate Kasey Kahne).”

The four are teammates at Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson’s cars are prepped in the same shop as Earnhardt’s. Kahne and Gordon’s cars reside in another building. The teams share information and resources. But when a win is on the line?

“On that side I’m stoked for him and stoked for the shop,” Johnson said. “But man I was doing everything within my power to set up a pass for the win. I didn’t know that he had debris on the grille … that’s only going to speed his car up. Then we had such a small group of guys in line there just wasn’t any energy. I drug the brake a few times and backed up to the cars behind me; I just got this small run off of their push. Junior was easily able to defend that.”

There was no three- or four-wide, last lap battle for the lead after the leaders took the white flag in Sunday’s race. Instead, for much of the final lap, most stayed in line, waiting until the finish line and checkered flag was in sight before attempting to make a pass.

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Fans cheered for Dale Earnhardt Jr's emotional win at Talladega

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the GEICO 500 Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway and it was an exciting race filled with crashes and cautions. In the grandstands at Talladega, Fans cheered loudly for the driver who is ranked as NASCAR’s favorite athlete. But why was it emotional win for Dale Earnhardt Jr? Click “Next Page” to see why…

Source Article: NASCAR Source Video: NASCAR

Dale Earnhardt Jr, who is 40 now, was clearly overcome with emotion after the race. Dale Jr said: “It’s real emotional. I haven’t won here in a long time and this last week was my Dad’s birthday,” he said in victory lane. “I don’t feel like I deserve it. I just feel overcome with a lot of emotion.” Dale Earnhardt Jr. avoided trouble in that crash and the other five cautions on the day and led the most laps 67. Check out the video down below…

The victory came barely 24 hours after Earnhardt had acknowledged a responsibility to perform well here for his fan base, saying, “I feel like I’m supposed to get up there and lead.”

He did so, leading 67 of the 188 laps, then wove his way into Victory Circle, where he gushed nearly as dramatically as the geyser spewing from an engine that began overheating because of debris on the grille.

“It’s just real emotional,” Earnhardt said. “I haven’t won here in a long time (November 2004), my daddy’s birthday was a couple of days ago. It was real emotional. Everything is so good for me right now. I don’t know why I don’t feel like I deserve it. I just feel overcome with a lot of emotion.

“I’m just blessed. Everything’s going so great.”

Unlike many Talladega races, the final two dozen laps were essentially run in a single-file parade, first with a 10-car string, then ultimately caught up by a line of another 20 cars.

“I don’t know what creates that in the drivers’ minds to say we’re all going to ride at the top,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t happen every time (but) it does happen every now and then and today was one of those days.”

At the white flag, Johnson tried to get a run with Blaney on his bumper, and defending race winner Denny Hamlin made a run.

“I knew he would wait and that’s what I would do,” Earnhardt said of Johnson. “I wouldn’t want to screw it up for both of us. He tried to back up but he couldn’t get a run.”

As a wreck happened in their rear-view mirror, with Carl Edwards being spun out, Earnhardt kept his lead, zooming past a nearly filled grandstands celebrating his triumph.

“Everybody at Talladega is happy,” Truex said of the fans. “So all is good.”

There was the typical “Big One” accident. On the backstretch on lap 47, Trevor Bayne was passed on the right side by Menard as Kurt Busch was closing on his left rear quarterpanel. It was, as Bayne put it, “double trouble.” He lost control of his No. 6 Ford and careened into the outside retaining wall, triggering a crash that affected 14 cars.

It effectively took out of contention Kasey Kahne, who started on the front row, Kyle Larson, Greg Biffle and, in his final ride subbing for Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Toyota, David Ragan.

Source Article: NASCAR Source Video: NASCAR

PUMPED. pic.twitter.com/VfJqigyzyl

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Will NASCAR CEO Brian France cut the races short?

Will NASCAR CEO Brian France cut the races short? Brian France was asked about NASCAR’s comfort with 500 mile events, the length of time it takes to complete those stock car races. Brian France said a longer race doesn’t necessarily allow drivers time to relax. So what is Brian going to do about it? Click “Next Page” to find out…

Source Article: NBC Sports CEO Brian France has not rule out dropping the length of a race below 400 miles. Any such decisions would also depend on format changes. We’d be willing to consider, that we look at all the time, and that we historically haven’t done. So NASCAR fans, what are your thoughts of Brian France cutting the races short? Comment down below…

A subject picking up steam in NASCAR is whether the sanctioning body should shorten the length of races.

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France was asked about the topic last week in a Q&A with the Associated Press Sports Editors. It was brought up again Wednesday in an interview on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio with “Tradin’ Paint” hosts Jim Noble and Chocolate Myers.

“We’ve been reducing races for the last 10 years in one form or another,” France said on the show. “Any new event that has come on or (moved) got 400 miles. The reason for this is, generally speaking and there’s always exception, we like the little bit shorter event because we think it tightens the action a little bit. The little lull you’d get in the 500-mile race, there’s no time for that.

“Look no further than the finale we run every year at Homestead, that’s 400 miles and that decides the championship. We’re going to take a careful look at it, and we’ll make decisions on what events need to be for what length.”

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Is Danica Patrick losing GoDaddy as a sponsor?

Danica Patrick is looking for a new sponsor to continue racing in 2016 NASCAR Season, as GoDaddy announced that they are going to drop its sponsorship of her car at Stewart-Haas Racing. GoDaddy had sponsored Patrick since in 2010. Both Patrick’s and GoDaddy’s contracts will expire after 2015 NASCAR season. Is this the end for Danica and GoDaddy business relationship? Click “Next Page” to find out…

Source Article: USAToday Source Video: Fumble Is this the end for Danica and GoDaddy business relationship? No! GoDaddy is going to keep her on a personal services contract for the future, but GoDaddy will not sponsor her race car, or any car NASCAR. Watch this video from Fumble for more details…

GoDaddy, the Sprint Cup driver’s long-time primary sponsor and benefactor announced Wednesday that it will not return to NASCAR after this season, leaving one of the sport’s most popular drivers and most recognized names without full-time funding as she seeks a new contract with Stewart-Haas Racing.

Patrick, 33, is in the final year of her three-year contract at SHR after transitioning through the Xfinity Series from IndyCar.

Both Patrick and SHR officials have expressed hope she will return in 2016 to the four-car organization, which is co-owned by driver Tony Stewart and Gene Haas and also fields cars for three-time Cup champion Stewart, reigning champion Kevin Harvick and 2004 titlist Kurt Busch.

 Patrick called GoDaddy an “incredible partner” and said she hoped to continue the relationship. Both GoDaddy chief marketing officer Phil Bienert and Patrick told USA TODAY Sports that it hoped to negotiate a personal services contract to continue the nine-year partnership.

“I think initially the first thought is ‘bad’ because it feels like it’s going away, but then I have to remember that it’s not really going away for me, it’s just going away in the way that it was,” Patrick told USA TODAY Sports. “I really feel like there’s really a lot of good work to do. We’ve really grown up together.”

The move comes as GoDaddy, a global online domain registrar serving more than 13 million customers in 37 countries, shifts focus toward small business and international markets. It has been at least an associate sponsor of Patrick since 2007 and became her main backer in the 2010 IndyCar season at Andretti Autosport. The decision, Bienert told USA TODAY Sports, should be viewed as the result of a relationship reaching fruition, not stagnation, because “we recognize in the United States we are not really in a brand-building phase anymore.”

Though the company has been making a methodical shift toward global markets, and took months evaluate its sponsorship options, the move away from NASCAR was decisive.

“The process that we took on this, we were very data-driven about it,” Bienert said. “We actually hired a third party to help us evaluate all our sponsorship dollars, the effectiveness of it. What the data showed was that this platform has been great for us, but where we are right now, it’s time to shift.

“We finally had that data, probably Friday afternoon, then wanted to talk to Danica. We’ve not been sitting on this. We really wanted to do our due diligence for the past couple months or two to get to the right answer.”

The answer was unwelcome but not unexpected for Patrick, after being credited by Bienert with helping grow the company’s brand awareness to 81 percent domestically.

“It’s not accurate to say this scenario never crossed any of our minds,” she said. “Sponsorship is tough to come by.”

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Kurt Busch wins an emotional race at Toyota Owners 400

Kurt Busch has spent time in a Delaware courtroom late 2014 and the beginning 2015, then having NASCAR sidelining him (for a crime that he did not commit) for a three-race suspension because of an allegation domestic assault on a former girlfriend. But now Kurt Busch has won the Toyota Owners 400 and a trip to Victory Lane! With Kurt Busch’s victory on Sunday at Richmond International Raceway, the question is this, should NASCAR apologize for Kurt Busch? To find out this answer click on “Next Page”…

Source Article: ESPN Source Video: NASCAR

Should NASCAR apologize for Kurt Busch? The answer is Yes! But now Kurt Busch got his first win of the 2015 NASCAR season and will returned in the fourth race, at Phoenix International Raceway. Busch received a waiver from NASCAR, (I guess that is their apology to Kurt) which will make him eligible for the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff. Kurt thanked Gene Haas, who funds his No. 41 Chevrolet, and crew chief Tony Gibson. Read the story from ESPN for more on Kurt Busch’s win at Toyota Owners 400…

RICHMOND, Va. — Kurt Busch’s victory in the Toyota Owners 400 will no doubt spark a spirited debate over whether he deserves his place in the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Of course Busch missed three races earlier this year, suspended by NASCAR while he was investigated in a domestic violence case. He has been on a tear since returning to the wheel of the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet after authorities chose not to pursue charges and NASCAR lifted the suspension, his hot streak culminating with his win Sunday in the rain-delayed race at Richmond International Raceway.

Granted a Chase eligibility waiver from NASCAR, Busch has now likely qualified for the playoffs — assuming he can remain in the top 30 in the point standings, which shouldn’t be a problem because he has already moved all the way up to 18th despite not starting at Daytona, Atlanta or Las Vegas.

While Busch’s berth will once again rev up discussion about the merits of the NASCAR Chase system, one inarguable fact is that when he is on his game, Busch is one of the strongest drivers in the Sprint Cup Series.

He has been threatening to break into Victory Lane since a crew chief swap late in the 2014 season that teamed him with veteran Tony Gibson. Busch’s win at Richmond was his 26th in Cup Series competition, tying him with NASCAR Hall of FamerFred Lorenzen.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” Busch exclaimed in a television interview upon alighting from his car. “It’s a total team effort. And the way that everything came together just seemed like we were building and building and building toward a great finish like this.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling when you pull deep from within and you go through troubles. When you’re accused of something and things go sideways, your personal life doesn’t need to affect your business life,” he continued. “And I’m here in Victory Lane.”

Certainly nobody else deserved to win this race. Busch led 294 of the 400 laps in a dominant short-track performance.

Kevin Harvick completed a 1-2 finish for Stewart-Haas Racing, Jimmie Johnson ran third and Jamie McMurray fourth. Harvick was slowed by a bad set of tires that set him back to midfield in the middle of the race, Johnson couldn’t overcome a poor 36th-place qualifying effort, and McMurray had perhaps the fastest car over a long run, but he ran out of laps.

In short, Busch wasn’t going to be beaten on this day.

“Kurt had what you needed to win today,” McMurray said. “I could run him down by the end of green-flag runs, but he had such a quick car on restarts. I had three shots at him where I tried to get him to make a mistake but he was perfect.”

In truth, this wasn’t a race that Busch and Gibson were expecting to win after practice, and even after qualifying third fastest on Friday. Gibson said he thought the No. 41 was a fifth-place car at best.

But Gibson disclosed that Busch is more involved in car setup than any other driver he has worked with in his long stock-car racing career. Their collaborative work paid off, because Kurt moved past Denny Hamlin into second place on the opening lap.

Once Busch got ahead of pole man Joey Logano on Lap 95, he was rarely challenged again.

“We made adjustments going into today, and the way the car drove, the change we made overnight was perfect,” the 2004 Cup Series champion said. “It’s a total team effort. There’s no one person or no single difference-maker.

“There are so many things you have to do right to win in Sprint Cup — get the chassis right, get the tires right, get the engine right, pit strategy — I had it all today.”

If Busch’s NASCAR career as a whole has been tumultuous, the past six months since the domestic violence allegations made by his ex-girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll, were made public may have been the bumpiest to date.

Yet perhaps as a result of the counseling he has received, Busch’s demeanor since being cleared is calm to the point of serene.

Clearly showing plenty of speed since his return, Busch brushed the wall a week ago at Bristol Motor Speedway and realized that he was pressing, perhaps over-driving the car, and he made a conscious effort to slow himself down.

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Jeff Gordon: NASCAR should had stopped the cars earlier

At Bristol there was hours and hours of rain delays, crashes and at the end, concern about running out of gas. But given all that went on, Jeff Gordon said third place is pretty good, especially how his car was handling at the end of the race. But wasn’t happy with NASCAR Jeff Gordon believes NASCAR should had stopped the stock cars earlier to give each team a “fair shot to go finish.” Is Jeff Gordon right? Click “Next Page” to see the interview and read the story from Fox Sports on Jeff Gordon’s comments about the end of the race…

Source Article: Fox Sports Source Video: TheDieHardWWEAddict Jeff Gordon fights back! He had worked his way into the top 10 despite a poor qualifying effort. Plus he had a loose wheel and continued to show that speed after getting the wheel changed during the race at Bristol. But Jeff feels that NASCAR should had stopped the stock cars earlier to give each team a “fair shot to go finish.” Read the interview from Fox Sports down below. Tell us what you think, is Jeff right or wrong?

While many of the drivers were pleased to end the race under green flag conditions, some questioned why NASCAR did not red flag the race sooner.

“I love the fact that that race ended under green. What makes no sense to me is when it started raining hard that they ran lap after lap after lap under caution,” said third-place finisher Jeff Gordon. “I think that they did the right thing, but go ask the 3 car. I don’t think it was right that they ran that many laps under caution when they started to lose the track.”

With his car overheating, Dillon’s car was not getting the best fuel mileage of the night and he was forced to hit pit road.

“Sitting there at the end restarting third, and we were overheating there, so our fuel mileage was going up when we were overheating like that. I thought they should have red flagged it while we were sitting out there and it was raining,” said Dillon. “As soon as we ran out (of gas), they red flagged it. It was like they had to wait for one car to run out and it was us. It was unfortunate.”

Gordon believes NASCAR could have stopped the cars earlier to give each team a “fair shot to go finish” the race.

“I don’t know if it needed to be a green-‘white-checkered, either, but I can promise you I’d have a whole different opinion had I run out of fuel,” he said. “I think we all want to see the fans see, especially a day like today where they stay here … for nine hours, I mean, that’s commitment, and you want to give everything back to them. You don’t want it to end under caution. But you’ve got to make sense of the whole situation and what’s going on from a competition standpoint, as well. So I think they could have managed that slightly better, but all in all, it turned out pretty good.”

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Did Danica Patrick made history Sunday night at Bristol?

Danica Patrick didn’t win at Bristol last weekend, but she finished in ninth place and set a record breaking nonetheless. But also Danica Patrick had sixth career top 10 finish in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series. That gave her the most ever by a female driver in NASCAR history. How does Danica feel about this? Click “Next Page” to see…

Source Article: Fox Sports Source Video: Fox Sports

Danica Patrick now sits in 13th place in the Sprint Cup Chase standings with 19 races left in the 2015 NASCAR season. How does Danica feel about this? Danica said this: “I’m proud of everybody for keeping their heads up and staying positive and these are the things that happen when you work together as a team,” Patrick said. “Just keep at it. We had some luck on our side and I really feel like that positivity feeds into getting some luck and being at the right place at the right time.” Yes she has a shot to make it in the Sprint Cup Chase elimination style playoffs for the title. Watch the interview from Fox Sports down below…

Danica Patrick made history Sunday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, as she survived being caught up in two crashes not of her making to come home with a ninth-place finish in the Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up To Cancer.

The top 10 was Patrick’s second in three races and the sixth of her career, breaking a tie with Janet Guthrie for the most career top-10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finishes by a female driver. And the excellent result moved her all the way up to 13th in Cup points after eight races.

“I didn’t think this day was ever going to end,” Patrick said. “I’m proud of everybody for keeping their heads up and staying positive, and these are the things that happen when you work together as a team.”

Patrick had to overcome plenty of chaos, first going a lap down at Lap 126.

Chris Buescher made contact with Patrick on Lap 279, sending the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet down the apron to avoid other cars. After multiple pit stops for repairs, she rejoined the field in 20th.

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Remembering Our Favorite NASCAR Anchor Steve Byrnes

Sad day for all of us in NASCAR our favorite NASCAR anchor Steve Byrnes died Tuesday at the age of 56 with his battle head and neck cancer. As FOX’s NASCAR broadcaster,  Steve Byrnes really enjoyed a successful and was a highly respected television broadcaster for 30 years. Steve Byrnes joined NASCAR FOX Sports family in 2001. His fight with cancer went on,  NASCAR community rallied behind him. See the twitter feeds from the NASCAR community said about Steve Byrnes, Click “Next Page”…

Source Article: USA Today Source Video: Fox Sports Steve Byrnes did watch the race on TV. President Barack Obama was at the event honoring 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Kevin Harvick but stopped to take a moment to remember the life of Steve Byrnes. The President said: “I want to offer my condolences to everyone in the NASCAR community on the passing of a legendary reporter and broadcaster, Steve Byrnes,” Obama said. “I know a lot of fans’ thoughts and prayers today are with his wife, Karen, and his son, Bryson.” We will miss you Steve! Watch the video from Fox Sports and read the tweets from the NASCAR community down below…

Steve Byrnes, the longtime FOX Sports NASCAR broadcaster whose courageous battle against cancer drew support from every corner of stock car racing, died Tuesday at age 56.

Byrnes passed away just two days after the race at Bristol Motor Speedway, which was named the “Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes.” Though he was unable to attend the race, Byrnes watched it on TV and tweeted a response to a fan who asked if he made it through the entire rain-delayed event.

“I went the distance,” Byrnes tweeted.

President Obama, who honored Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick at the White House on Tuesday, offered his condolences and called Byrnes a “legendary reporter and broadcaster.”

“I know a lot of fans’ thoughts and prayers today are with his wife, Karen, and his son, Bryson,” Obama said.

NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France said Byrnes’ “work ethic and authenticity made him a beloved individual inside and outside the garage.”

“His level of professionalism was matched only by the warmth he showed everyone he met,” France said. “He battled cancer with tenacity, and was a true inspiration to everyone in the NASCAR family. Simply stated, we’ll miss Steve dearly.” Reaction poured in from around the NASCAR world, as many drivers knew Byrnes from his 30 years of broadcasting, including as a reporter for FOX since it began covering the sport in 2001.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose late father was friends with Byrnes, tweeted: “My hope is Steve was able to see how much he was loved & appreciated by so many. Rest easy friend. Prayers to his family. #ByrnesStrong”

“So hard to hold back the tears and emotion,” tweeted Elliott Sadler, who occasionally worked alongside Byrnes on trackside programming. “You were such a great man and amazing father. Fun co-worker and the best friend.”

So sad to hear that @SteveByrnes12 passed away. His last tweet-“I went the distance”,You did my friend. Heaven gained a real fighter today!

— Danica Patrick (@DanicaPatrick) April 21, 2015

Very sad day. We lost one of the very best!! RIP @SteveByrnes12 #ByrnesStrong

— Clint Bowyer (@ClintBowyer) April 21, 2015

So hard to hold back the tears and emotion.. You were such a great man and amazing father.. Fun co-worker and the best friend #ByrnesStrong

— Elliott Sadler (@Elliott_Sadler) April 21, 2015

Very sad to hear about our friend Steve Byrnes passing today. Huge loss for our racing family. He was one of the best ever! We will miss you

— Tony Stewart (@TonyStewart) April 21, 2015

My thoughts n prayers are with the Byrnes Family. Steve was a great man, and a blessing to all that knew him. He will be greatly missed.

— Kyle Busch (@KyleBusch) April 21, 2015

My hope is Steve was able to see how much he was loved & appreciated by so many. Rest easy friend. Prayers to his family. #ByrnesStrong

— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) April 21, 2015

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Victory lane for Matt Kenseth at Bristol

After the rain delays that happen at Bristol, and 11 extra laps, Matt Kenseth finally got his first win of the season. It took Matt Kenseth nine hours because of a water-logged Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee. Kenseth snapped a 51 race losing streak and shut down Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson on one final restart. So how does Matt Kenseth feel after his win? Click Next Page to see the interview…

Source Article: NASCAR Source Video: NASCAR

During the last final part of the race, Matt Kenseth had the preferred outside lane, but still on a still wet track it would be really easy for Matt Kenseth to make a lot of mistake. But Matt Kenseth had a flawless restart and created some distance between himself and the NASCAR Drivers. Check out the video down below…

BRISTOL, Tenn. — In a race delayed and interrupted by rain, and ended in overtime, Matt Kenseth broke a drought of more than a year’s standing in Sunday’s Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes at Bristol Motor Speedway.

In a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race that went 11 laps past its scheduled distance of 500 laps — making it the longest race in the history of the 0.533-mile short track — Kenseth crossed the finish line 0.287 seconds ahead of Jimmie Johnson, who recovered from a succession of issues to claim the runner-up finish.

Kenseth, who inherited the top spot when Kurt Busch pitted from the lead under the ninth caution on Lap 477, stayed out front the rest of the way. He was three car lengths ahead of third-place finisher Jeff Gordon when Carl Edwards got loose underneath Gordon’s No. 24 Chevrolet and ignited the wreck that brought out caution No. 11 and demolished Busch’s Chevy in the process.

After a brief delay because of a late shower, a far cry from the 3-hour, 58-minute hiatus that came after the first 22 laps, Kenseth pulled away on a green-white-checkered-flag restart and was unchallenged to the finish, as Johnson got past Gordon for second.

The victory was Kenseth’s fourth at Bristol, his most at any track, and the 32nd of his career. Kenseth broke a 51-race winless streak dating to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September 2013. The win all but locks up Kenseth’s spot in the Chase.