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TMS_110815_14Nov. 8, 2015

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

FORT WORTH, Texas—For Jimmie Johnson, it was business as usual in Cowtown.

On Sunday, the six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion completed a sweep of this year’s Texas Motor Speedway races, powering past hapless Brad Keselowski with three laps left to win the AAA Texas 500 for the fourth straight year.

Johnson kept his record perfect, winning a race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup for the 12th consecutive season. His fifth victory of the year was also his record sixth at Texas—including the last three in a row—and the 75th of his career, leaving him one win behind Dale Earnhardt, who is seventh on the all-time list.

Johnson, who led six laps, harried Keselowski throughout the final 18-lap green-flag run, finally getting a decisive run on Lap 331.

“I just kept pressure on him,” said Johnson, who was eliminated from the Chase in the opening round. “I could see that he was really tight, and that was the first I had seen him that vulnerable all day. I just kept the pressure on him, kept searching for line. He saw me coming on the top and protected it.

“I just kept trying to put pressure on him, hoping for a mistake. He got real loose off of Turn 2, and I had a big run down the backstretch and drove it in really far into Turn 3 hoping to hear ‘Clear’ (from his spotter). Once I did, I knew I was home free.”

For Team Penske, on the other hand, Sunday’s race could be more aptly named the Heartbreak 500. Needing a victory at Texas or Phoenix after last Sunday’s Martinsville crash at the hands of Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano courted catastrophe on Lap 9, blowing a left rear tire and destroying the left rear quarter panel of his No. 22 Ford.

Logano finished 40th, 68 laps down, and remained last among the final eight eligible Chase drivers heading to the final Eliminator Round race at Phoenix, where he must win next Sunday to advance to the Championship Round.

Fate waited much longer to undo the winning chances of Keselowski, who led 312 of 334 laps but finished in the runner-up spot, 1.083 seconds behind Johnson.

Keselowski held a two-second lead over Martin Truex Jr. when NASCAR called a debris caution with 24 laps left. Those two drivers rubbed fenders soon after a restart on Lap 317, with Keselowski holding the top spot until Johnson passed him for the win through Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 331 of 334.

“The 48 (Johnson) car had mega turn (through the corners) that last run, and I couldn’t keep the turn, and it kept pushing real bad,” Keselowski said. “I did everything I could to hold him off, but he was way faster that last run.

“Their team did a hell of a job and found speed, and my team did a hell of a job, too. We led 300-some laps, and these debris yellows always favor someone, and it wasn’t our day for them to favor us. I’m still very proud of our effort today. We’ll have a great shot at winning next week. We really needed to win this one, and I know I gave it my all.”

Kevin Harvick ran third, overcoming two cut tires and a shifter he had to hold in place with his right hand to prevent the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Chevrolet from popping out of gear. The reigning series champion is third in the standings heading to Phoenix, where he has won seven times, including the last four straight.

Kyle Busch finished fourth and moved into sole possession of second in the Chase standings, two points behind Jeff Gordon, who punched his ticket to the Nov. 22 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway with last Sunday’s victory at Martinsville.

Carl Edwards came home fifth, the same position he occupies in the standings, seven points behind Truex in fourth, currently the last transfer position into the Championship Round. After the contact with Keselowski’s Ford, Truex dropped from second to eighth in the closing laps.

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – AAA Texas 500
Texas Motor Speedway
Fort Worth, Texas
Sunday, November 08, 2015
1. (8) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 334, $462976.
2. (1) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 334, $394391.
3. (2) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 334, $280475.
4. (3) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 334, $242766.
5. (13) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 334, $170575.
6. (10) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 334, $171240.
7. (7) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 334, $157615.
8. (23) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 334, $160910.
9. (18) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 334, $172351.
10. (27) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 334, $158556.
11. (26) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 334, $156576.
12. (6) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, 334, $153326.
13. (20) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 334, $120440.
14. (21) Brian Scott(i), Chevrolet, 334, $127748.
15. (14) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 334, $142973.
16. (11) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 334, $116140.
17. (30) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 334, $137398.
18. (24) Aric Almirola, Ford, 334, $143526.
19. (12) Greg Biffle, Ford, 333, $137148.
20. (16) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 333, $120765.
21. (28) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 333, $113540.
22. (19) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 333, $137240.
23. (15) David Ragan, Toyota, 333, $132079.
24. (32) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 332, $130910.
25. (36) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 331, $104265.
26. (17) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 330, $126123.
27. (39) Cole Whitt, Ford, 330, $115398.
28. (43) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 330, $120587.
29. (41) David Gilliland, Ford, 329, $108340.
30. (35) Brett Moffitt #, Ford, 329, $103130.
31. (37) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 329, $99915.
32. (40) Jeb Burton #, Toyota, 329, $99690.
33. (34) JJ Yeley(i), Toyota, 329, $99473.
34. (33) Michael McDowell, Ford, 328, $99240.
35. (38) Matt DiBenedetto #, Toyota, 328, $99040.
36. (42) Ryan Preece, Chevrolet, 326, $98810.
37. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Accident, 304, $126510.
38. (9) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 304, $111852.
39. (29) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 296, $134355.
40. (4) Joey Logano, Ford, 268, $132988.
41. (31) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Engine, 236, $81780.
42. (22) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, Accident, 52, $104994.
43. (25) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, Accident, 26, $74280.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 137.49 mph.
Time of Race: 03 Hrs, 38 Mins, 38 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.082 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 9 for 47 laps.
Lead Changes: 15 among 8 drivers.
Lap Leaders: B. Keselowski 1-17; K. Harvick 18-26; M. DiBenedetto # 27; B. Keselowski 28-41; Kyle Busch 42; B. Keselowski 43-53; D. Gilliland 54; J. Yeley(i) 55; B. Keselowski 56-251; J. Johnson 252-253; B. Keselowski 254-297; K. Harvick 298-299; B. Keselowski 300-316; M. Truex Jr. 317; B. Keselowski 318-330; J. Johnson 331-334.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): B. Keselowski 7 times for 312 laps; K. Harvick 2 times for 11 laps; J. Johnson 2 times for 6 laps; M. Truex Jr. 1 time for 1 lap; M. DiBenedetto # 1 time for 1 lap; J. Yeley(i) 1 time for 1 lap; D. Gilliland 1 time for 1 lap; Kyle Busch 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 16 in Points: J. Gordon – 4,082; Kyle Busch – 4,080; K. Harvick – 4,079; M. Truex Jr. – 4,076; C. Edwards – 4,069; B. Keselowski – 4,057; Kurt Busch – 4,048; J. Logano – 4,013; D. Earnhardt Jr. – 2,259; D. Hamlin – 2,257; R. Newman – 2,253; J. Johnson – 2,240; J. Mcmurray – 2,235; P. Menard – 2,208; M. Kenseth – 2,197; C. Bowyer – 2,153.

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The Final Lap Weekly Podcast LogoSHOW #383 – Jeff Gordon Martinsville Media Center – Plus we recap Martinsville including Kenseth Vs. Logano (hint: one isn’t racing this weekend) driver reaction via Twitter, point standings shake up, and a full Texas preview. It’s a packed show, have a listen. Hosted by Kerry Murphey and Toby Christie

( Roughly 48:00 mins)

Continue reading “The Final Lap Weekly NASCAR Podcast #383 – Jeff Gordon Media Center / Texas Preview”

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National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer Statement

(Nov. 5, 2015)

Today the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer, Mr. Bryan Moss, heard and considered the appeal of a Behavioral Penalty issued on Nov. 3, 2015 to Matt Kenseth (driver) relative to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series vehicle #20 at Martinsville Speedway.

The penalty concerns the following sections in the 2015 NASCAR Rule Book: Sections 12.1 and 12.8.

The original penalty assessed included suspension from NASCAR until the completion of the next two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events and placed on NASCAR probation for six months following the issuance of the Penalty Notice.

Earlier today, a three-person National Motorsports Appeals Panel heard the appeal and made the following decisions:

1. The Appellant violated the rules set forth in the Penalty notice;
2. The Panel affirms and upholds the original Penalty levied by NASCAR.

Upon hearing this afternoon’s testimony, the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer made the following decisions:

1. The Appellant violated the Rules set forth in the Penalty Notice;
2. The Penalty is amended to: “Suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Events. Placed on NASCAR probation through December 31, 2015.”

The decision of the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer is final and binding on all parties.

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Nov. 3, 2015

Staff Report
NASCAR Wire Service

Sending a clear message that it will not tolerate any actions that alter the outcome of playoff races, NASCAR has suspended Matt Kenseth for two races, the sanctioning body announced Tuesday evening.

After two-plus days of “extensive” review, NASCAR levied some of the stiffest penalties resulting from an act of on-track retaliation – in this case, Kenseth’s wreck of Joey Logano during last Sunday’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway.

The end result: Kenseth’s streak of 571 consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts will end.

With less than 50 laps remaining in the race, Kenseth appeared to intentionally wreck race leader Logano – retribution for a perceived purposeful spin by Logano of the 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion in the closing laps at Kansas Speedway two weeks ago.

“Based upon our extensive review, we have concluded that the No. 20 car driver [Kenseth], who is no longer in the Chase [for the NASCAR Sprint Cup], intentionally wrecked the No. 22 car driver [Logano], a Chase-eligible competitor who was leading the race at the time,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “The No. 20 car was nine laps down, and eliminated the No. 22 car’s opportunity to continue to compete in the race.

“Additionally, we factored aspects of safety into our decision, and also the fact that the new Chase elimination format puts a premium on each and every race. These actions have no place in NASCAR.”

Shortly after NASCAR’s announcement, Joe Gibbs Racing – owner of Kenseth’s No. 20 car – issued a statement that Kenseth would appeal the ruling.

“The appeal will challenge the severity of the penalty which is believe to be inconsistent with previous penalties for similar on-track incidents,” the JGR statement said.

NASCAR has informed Kenseth that if he chooses to appeal the penalty, the hearing will be expedited.

Logano, who led a race-high 207 laps and looked well on his way to a fourth-consecutive victory, ended the race in 37th place as a result of the wreck – and in a deep championship hole. Logano currently sits in the last position on the eight-driver Chase Grid, 28 points outside the fourth-place cut-off to make the Championship 4 field at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In all likelihood, Logano will need to win one of the remaining two Eliminator Round races, at either Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday (2 p.m. ET on NBC) or Phoenix International Raceway on Nov. 15.

In addition to Kenseth’s penalty, NASCAR also issued a 25-point penalty and $50,000 fine to Danica Patrick, who wrecked David Gilliland during Sunday’s Martinsville race.

On Tuesday morning, NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France appeared on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s The Morning Drive to offer his opinion of the Kenseth-Logano wreck, which foreshadowed this evening’s official announcement.

“We don’t want [a retaliation] to happen again,” France said. “We don’t want any of our events to be altered in a way where they shouldn’t be. That doesn’t mean that they don’t get altered because of hard racing. That’s going to happen depending on what end you’re on. That’s always going to be part of the game of NASCAR. …

“Historically, when someone races you hard, you race them hard. If they’re going to give you no inches late in the race, that’s how you’re going to race them. That’s NASCAR. But what happened on Sunday, that’s not quite the way that we would have liked to have seen that turn out.”