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DIS_100315_06Oct. 4, 2015

By Seth Livingstone
NASCAR Wire Service

DOVER, Del.—Jimmie Johnson has had so many memorable and triumphant days at Dover International Speedway.

He’d won three of the previous four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at the Monster Mile and taken the checkered flag in 10 of his 27 Sprint Cup starts.

But when it came to securing a place in the 2015 Contender Round of NASCAR’s playoffs, the six-time premier series champion and his team were literally unable to seal the deal on Sunday.

A faulty axle seal on the No. 48 Chevrolet sent Johnson to the garage, creating an obstacle he could not overcome, in the process short-circuiting his attempt to match Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. as seven-time Cup champions.

Crew chief Chad Knaus and the 48 crew elected to replace the entire rear end assembly in the hope of saving time. Still, the major operation dropped Johnson to the back of the pack, 37 laps behind the leaders.

He finished 41st, ahead of only crash victims Jeb Burton and Brett Moffitt, in the AAA 400.

Entering the day, Johnson appeared to be in excellent position to advance in the Chase. He was fifth in points, 27 ahead of the dreaded 13th-place elimination point.

Although he was 16th in the running order, thanks primarily to a speeding penalty on pit road, he was doing what he needed to do when his racing luck turned sour after his 100th lap.

“It was instantaneous,” Johnson said of the moment he experienced trouble. “I was coming down the front stretch and it started vibrating. The right rear hub started seizing up and it was just metal-on-metal.

“It’s part of racing. It shows how critical everything is on a race team and how important every component is. You just can’t take anything for granted.”

Still, a rear end seal was one of the last things on Johnson’s mind at Dover.

“As I worry about things, I worry about a flat. I worry about a pit call. You worry about hard racing and something going on,” he said. “You don’t worry about an axle seal failing and the rear end burning up. It’s just not on your radar.

“Maybe five in my career have ever gone (failed). I know it’s a delicate piece and, obviously, a very important piece. But I don’t think it was due to anything on the track. It’s inside the hub. … Not being at the root cause of the mistake, I guess I’ll sleep a little bit better.”

That was small consolation. Sitting in his car in the garage as his team made the necessary repairs, Johnson knew his Chase hopes were in definite jeopardy.

“Once you’re behind the wall and you get more than one or two (laps) down, you know it’s out of your hands,” he said. “I was trying to run through scenarios. Chad updated me a couple of times of what needed to happen. We needed a few big pileups to get us back in that thing and I just didn’t see it happening.”

Back on the track, with laps ticking down, the sickening feeling only intensified.

“I really didn’t have anything to fight for,” Johnson said. “It was completely out of my control how many laps we were down. Within 20 or 30 minutes of being back on the track, I could see the flow of the race. Guys were minding their manners (with) a lot of green-flag runs and I knew we were in trouble.”

Just out of his car on pit road, Johnson had yet to digest the day with his team. But he knew Knaus and his crew would take this one hard.”

“We pride ourselves on no mechanicals (issues),” he said. “Stuff doesn’t fall off our race cars. Our cars don’t break. So, this stinks for sure.

“We take for granted how indestructible these cars are. But a very simple and inexpensive axle seal took the rear end out of our car and cost us.”

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DIS_100415_11NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – AAA 400
Dover International Speedway
Dover, Delaware
Sunday, October 04, 2015

1. (15) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 400, $263590.
2. (13) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 400, $206191.
3. (12) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 400, $157175.
4. (11) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 400, $156691.
5. (18) Aric Almirola, Ford, 400, $155336.
6. (17) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 400, $116640.
7. (1) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 400, $145901.
8. (27) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 400, $102215.
9. (19) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 400, $119673.
10. (4) Joey Logano, Ford, 400, $134273.
11. (9) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 400, $116285.
12. (10) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 400, $132571.
13. (20) Greg Biffle, Ford, 400, $117818.
14. (16) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 400, $119493.
15. (3) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 400, $85035.
16. (8) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 400, $128351.
17. (7) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 400, $97710.
18. (2) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 400, $97480.
19. (6) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 399, $115080.
20. (26) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 398, $109600.
21. (24) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 398, $90480.
22. (28) David Ragan, Toyota, 398, $109394.
23. (21) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 398, $118866.
24. (22) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 397, $107838.
25. (14) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 397, $89405.
26. (25) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 396, $108369.
27. (30) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 395, $105138.
28. (31) Cole Whitt, Ford, 394, $94488.
29. (23) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 394, $107338.
30. (32) David Gilliland, Ford, 394, $96577.
31. (29) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 393, $121930.
32. (35) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 393, $77155.
33. (40) Reed Sorenson, Ford, 391, $77005.
34. (37) Matt DiBenedetto #, Toyota, 391, $78330.
35. (42) JJ Yeley(i), Toyota, 390, $76605.
36. (41) Josh Wise, Ford, 389, $76437.
37. (38) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 387, $76501.
38. (36) Alex Kennedy #, Chevrolet, 386, $71402.
39. (43) Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, 380, $67330.
40. (33) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, Engine, 365, $63330.
41. (5) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 364, $107266.
42. (34) Brett Moffitt #, Ford, Accident, 346, $55330.
43. (39) Jeb Burton #, Toyota, Accident, 186, $51830.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 119.87 mph.
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 20 Mins, 13 Secs. Margin of Victory: 2.639 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 8 for 43 laps.
Lead Changes: 14 among 3 drivers.
Lap Leaders: M. Kenseth 1-23; K. Harvick 24-41; M. Kenseth 42; K. Harvick 43-112; Kyle Busch 113; K. Harvick 114-195; Kyle Busch 196; K. Harvick 197-232; Kyle Busch 233-247; K. Harvick 248-312; Kyle Busch 313; K. Harvick 314-354; Kyle Busch 355; M. Kenseth 356-357; K. Harvick 358-400.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Harvick 7 times for 355 laps; M. Kenseth 3 times for 26 laps; Kyle Busch 5 times for 19 laps.
Top 16 in Points: M. Kenseth – 2,137; J. Logano – 2,123; D. Hamlin – 2,119; C. Edwards – 2,118; M. Truex Jr. – 2,104; Kurt Busch – 2,100; J. Gordon – 2,100; B. Keselowski – 2,100; Kyle Busch – 2,099; R. Newman – 2,099; D. Earnhardt Jr. – 2,098; J. Mcmurray – 2,098; J. Johnson – 2,086; K. Harvick – 2,082; P. Menard – 2,075; C. Bowyer – 2,048.

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Oct. 4, 2015

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

DOVER, Del.—By Jove, he’s done it again!

Forced to win at Dover International Speedway to keep his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship hopes alive Sunday, Kevin Harvick did just that, dominating Sunday’s AAA 400 to stave off elimination from the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

In a virtual carbon copy of last year’s Chase race at Phoenix, where the 2014 premier series champion had to win to advance to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Harvick led 355 of 400 laps (a career best at any track) in winning for the third time this year and the 31st time in his career.

“I think we’re better than we were last year, just because of the experiences and things that we’ve had,” Harvick said after the race. “I think when we look at everything that’s gone on over the last couple of years, it’s just been a lot of fun.

“So, it’s just that never-quit attitude. That’s what (team co-owner) Tony Stewart said when we went to Homestead last year. He said, ‘Whatever you do, do not quit until they throw that checkered flag.’”

Harvick won the race and secured his first Sprint Cup title by a half-second over Ryan Newman.

But there was one major difference between last year’s must-win race and the one on Sunday. Phoenix is Harvick’s best track. At Dover, on the other hand, he had never won before and had posted just four top-five finishes in 29 previous starts.

As fast as Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet was, however, none of the statistics mattered. After a restart with 24 laps left, he pulled away to a 2.639-second victory over Kyle Busch, who likewise secured a berth in the 12-driver Contender Round with his second-place run.

Nor did the stats help Jimmie Johnson, whose shocking ouster from the playoffs took place at the Monster Mile where he holds a record 10 victories. The six-time series champion took his No. 48 Chevrolet to the garage on Lap 106 after a rear axle seal failed.

Johnson lost 36 laps while his team replaced the rear end housing and was credited with a 41st-place finish, leaving him 12 points shy of the Chase cutoff, which came down to a tiebreaker for the 12th and final spot between third-place finisher Dale Earnhardt Jr. and fourth-place Jamie McMurray.

Joining Johnson and McMurray on the Chase sidelines were Paul Menard (25th Sunday) and Clint Bowyer, who like Harvick faced a win-or-bust scenario at the one-mile concrete track.

Narrowed to 12, the field for the Contender Round now includes Challenger Round winners Matt Kenseth (Chicago), Denny Hamlin (New Hampshire) and Harvick, as well as Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Newman and Earnhardt.

But on Sunday, Harvick showed his hand as the speed horse in the Chase, just as he was last year. Harvick’s car was fast last week at New Hampshire, but he ran out of fuel while leading with three laps left to create the must-win scenario at Dover.

“Anytime you can go through moments like this and gain some momentum and prove to yourself that you can do things like this, there’s no way you can’t be stronger,” Harvick said. “I’m just so proud of those guys and so proud of our fans and everybody for all their support all week. There it is—stay the course.”

Kyle Busch conceded Harvick’s victory was bad news for everyone else still in the Chase.

“The way he ran today—hell, yeah,” Busch said. “That was a guy that we wanted to knock out. That’s a guy that can win all these races, and you don’t want to have to compete against a guy like that.

“But that’s why they’re as good as they are, and they were last year’s champion, so they’re going to have an opportunity to continue on. We’ll see what happens. There’s still two more rounds to figure out who’s going to make it to Homestead.”

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DIS_100315_11Oct. 3, 2015

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

DOVER, Del.—Regan Smith charged from fourth to first during a restart on Lap 121 and stayed there for the rest of the Hisense 200 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Dover International Speedway Saturday, posting his second victory of the season and working his way back into championship contention.

After a 31-minute rain delay, Smith passed Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and leader Elliott Sadler on the restart on Lap 121 of 200, staved off intense pressure from Hamlin midway through the final green-flag run and pulled away as the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates battled for second place.

Without a concrete deal in place for next season, Smith won for the first time at the Monster Mile—in fact, the 80 laps he led were the first circuits he had ever spent out front at Dover. The victory was the sixth of Smith’s career, and all of them have come under the JR Motorsports banner.

Hamlin won the fight for the runner-up spot, crossing the finish line .703 seconds behind Smith. Busch led a race-high 110 laps and came home third, followed by Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson.

Austin Dillon ran sixth, one spot ahead of Chase Elliott, who moved into second place in the series standings, 24 points behind leader Chris Buescher, who finished eighth on Saturday. Smith, who rallied from a flat tire in the first third of the race, took over third in points, 36 behind Buescher.

“I knew the car was fast, but I didn’t know it was that fast until we got out in clean air,” Smith said in Victory Lane. “This wasn’t a Hail May. We came from the back to the front and just had a fast race car.

“If we can keep doing that every week, and get another win or two here or there, I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m trying to figure out some things for next year, so wins never hurt—that’s never a bad thing going forward.”

A victory for Smith was not even a remote consideration when a light rain began falling shortly after the halfway point, with the race already under caution for a wreck involving Stanton Barrett and Cale Conley on Lap 106.

Sadler, whose 2016 move to JR Motorsports was announced on Friday, took two new tires under the yellow and was first off pit road, leading the race and praying for a monsoon. But the rain abated, depriving Sadler of a going-away present to Roush Fenway Racing, the organization he will leave at season’s end.

“I’ve never had much luck with the rain,” Sadler said ruefully. “I’ve always been on the wrong side of that, going back to the 2009 Daytona 500 (where Sadler was fifth with a chance to win when the race was called because of rain after 152 laps).”

Note: Ty Dillon cut a tire and hit the outside wall on Lap 24, resulting in a 28th-place finish. He slipped from second to fourth in the series standings, 39 points back of Buescher.

Byron notches K&N East title; D4D member Cabre wins first race
For William Byron, an extra day was worth the wait at the Monster Mile.

After the Drive Sober 125 was postponed Friday due to inclement weather, and the start was delayed again Saturday morning, the 17-year-old NASCAR Next member from Charlotte, N.C., was finally able to drive his No. 9 Liberty University Chevrolet to a ninth-place finish and raise the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship trophy Saturday afternoon at Dover International Speedway.

The rain delay didn’t slow down Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Collin Cabre, as the 21-year-old from Tampa scored his first career victory.

Cabre became the sixth different driver from the NASCAR Drive For Diversity program to win a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race and gave Rev Racing, which has fielded the competition team for the program since 2010, its 17th win.

Cabre’s No. 2 UTI/NTI Toyota crossed the finish line 6.454 seconds in front of series veteran Eddie MacDonald’s Chevrolet.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Hisense 200
Dover International Speedway
Dover, Delaware
Saturday, October 03, 2015

1. (8) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 200, $49402.
2. (7) Denny Hamlin(i), Toyota, 200, $35586.
3. (2) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 200, $34950.
4. (1) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 200, $30183.
5. (15) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 200, $22698.
6. (5) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200, $21077.
7. (6) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 200, $27457.
8. (3) Chris Buescher, Ford, 200, $28315.
9. (10) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 200, $25816.
10. (13) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 200, $27362.
11. (9) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Ford, 199, $25158.
12. (19) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 199, $25031.
13. (11) Ben Rhodes, Chevrolet, 199, $24931.
14. (16) Ryan Reed, Ford, 199, $24803.
15. (23) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 198, $25328.
16. (14) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 198, $24652.
17. (21) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 196, $24576.
18. (22) David Starr, Toyota, 196, $24526.
19. (26) Mario Gosselin, Chevrolet, 195, $24475.
20. (20) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 195, $24925.
21. (17) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 194, $24369.
22. (27) Eric McClure, Toyota, 190, $24263.
23. (24) Blake Koch, Toyota, 187, $24186.
24. (28) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 187, $24111.
25. (36) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 185, $18210.
26. (30) Ryan Ellis(i), Chevrolet, 132, $24009.
27. (32) Harrison Rhodes #, Chevrolet, Suspension, 126, $23959.
28. (4) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 115, $23883.
29. (25) Cale Conley #, Toyota, Accident, 103, $23808.
30. (34) Stanton Barrett, Ford, Accident, 100, $24057.
31. (12) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, Accident, 80, $23701.
32. (35) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, Accident, 79, $23640.
33. (38) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Suspension, 72, $17575.
34. (33) Josh Reaume #, Dodge, Parked, 72, $23540.
35. (40) Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, Brakes, 39, $17499.
36. (29) TJ Bell(i), Toyota, Suspension, 38, $21806.
37. (18) Ross Chastain #, Chevrolet, Accident, 23, $20806.
38. (39) Dexter Bean, Chevrolet, Suspension, 17, $13806.
39. (37) Carl Long, Chevrolet, Suspension, 10, $12806.
40. (31) Jeff Green, Toyota, Suspension, 4, $11806.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 105.156 mph.
Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 54 Mins, 07 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.703 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 4 for 29 laps.
Lead Changes: 5 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: 0; K. Busch(i) 1-29; J. Yeley 30-31; K. Busch(i) 32-112; E. Sadler 113-120; R. Smith 121-200.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Busch(i) 2 times for 110 laps; R. Smith 1 time for 80 laps; E. Sadler 1 time for 8 laps; J. Yeley 1 time for 2 laps.
Top 10 in Points: C. Buescher – 1,018; C. Elliott – 994; R. Smith – 982; T. Dillon – 979; E. Sadler – 908; D. Wallace Jr. # – 907; D. Suarez # – 886; B. Scott – 870; B. Gaughan – 864; R. Reed – 765.

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Elliott Sadler to Drive OneMain Financial Chevrolet in NASCAR XFINITY Series

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 2, 2015) – JR Motorsports announced today a key component of the company’s future with the addition of OneMain Financial and driver Elliott Sadler to its NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) program for 2016. Sadler will compete full-time for JRM next season and pilot the OneMain Financial Chevrolet Camaro in pursuit of the NXS championship.

In addition to its season-long primary placement, OneMain Financial will also receive associate branding on all JRM team cars for the full season. Crew chief duties and car number for the OneMain Financial Chevrolet Camaro are still being determined.

“We are very pleased to welcome OneMain Financial and Elliott into the JR Motorsports family,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, co-owner and general manager of JRM. “Elliott has raced a few times for us in the past, and now together with OneMain Financial, we’re thrilled to put together a championship-caliber team for him in 2016. Off-track, JRM is looking forward to developing a mutually beneficial partnership with OneMain Financial and one that will help further their brand.”

OneMain Financial has been helping people realize their financial goals and dreams since 1912. The company is a well-established sponsor in NXS competition and embarks on its 13th year in the sport and sixth year partnering with Sadler.

“We are delighted to continue our commitment to racing as one of the longest running primary sponsors in the NASCAR XFINITY Series,” said Mary McDowell, OneMain Financial CEO. “To say we are excited about partnering with JR Motorsports in 2016 is an understatement. Not only will Elliott Sadler continue to represent our brand while driving for us again, but JRM has a number of unique platforms and assets which will prove valuable to our employees, customers and brand.”

A veteran racer from Emporia, Va., Sadler has 14 victories to his credit across NASCAR’s top-three series. Sadler has been an NXS regular since 2011, twice producing runner-up finishes in the championship point standings (2011-12). Along with 10 victories at the NXS level, he holds 66 top-five and 144 top-10 finishes with 16 poles.

“It’s an honor to be in the position to represent JR Motorsports and OneMain Financial on and off the track next season,” Sadler said. “I’ve known Kelley and Dale Jr. a long time, and I respect their passion and desire to win in this business. I’m proud to partner with OneMain Financial and continue our longstanding relationship.”

Although 2016 marks Sadler’s debut as a full-time JRM driver, he’s certainly familiar with competing under the company’s banner. In 2010, Sadler made four starts for JRM in NXS competition, earning a best finish of seventh at Michigan International Speedway.