(L-R) Team owner Rick Hendrick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, and crew chief Greg Ives celebrate in victory lane after winning the rain-shortened NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 15, 2015 Photo – Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images
(L-R) Team owner Rick Hendrick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, and crew chief Greg Ives celebrate in victory lane after winning the rain-shortened NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 15, 2015 Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images
(L-R) Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, and crew chief Greg Ives celebrate in victory lane after winning the rain-shortened NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 15, 2015 Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images
(L-R) Amy Reimann celebrates with Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, in victory lane after Earnhardt won the rain-shortened NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 15, 2015 Photo – Matt Sullivan/Getty Images
A serendipitous sequence of pit stops and a drizzle that turned into a downpour made a winner of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Sunday night’s Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, with a delayed start moving the race from daytime to under the lights by rain in the afternoon.
But again, halting the race due to rain 93 laps short of its scheduled distance of 312 laps was hardly the satisfying conclusion Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch or Joey Logano had hoped for.
Eliminating those four drivers from the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup was disappointing, while defending champion Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. joined Jeff Gordon in next Sunday’s Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Continue reading →
Party of Five: Harvick Goes for Fifth Straight Win at Phoenix
Pretty much automatic at Phoenix International Raceway, Kevin Harvick will go for his fifth straight win at the one-mile track in Sunday’s Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup cutoff race. With a visit to Victory Lane on Sunday, Harvick would join NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty (Richmond, 7) and Darrell Waltrip (Bristol, 7; North Wilkesboro, 5) as the only drivers to win at least five consecutive races at a single track.
Currently third on the Chase Grid, ten points above the cutoff line, Harvick is trying to advance to the four-driver Championship Round race at Homestead-Miami Speedway to defend his 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title. Regardless of how the rest of the field performs at Phoenix, Harvick can clinch a Championship Round berth with a finish of second or better; third and at least one lap led; or fourth and the most laps led. Continue reading →
Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, poses with the pole award after qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series DAV 200 Honoring America’s Veterans at Phoenix International Raceway on November 14, 2015 Photo – Robert Laberge/Getty Images
Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, and Austin Dillon, driver of the #33 Rheem Chevrolet, lead the field at the start of the NASCAR XFINITY Series DAV 200 Honoring America’s Veterans at Phoenix International Raceway on November 14, 2015 Photo – Robert Laberge/Getty Images
Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR XFINITY Series DAV 200 Honoring America’s Veterans at Phoenix International Raceway on November 14, 2015 Photo – Jeff Gross/Getty Images
Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR XFINITY Series DAV 200 Honoring America’s Veterans at Phoenix International Raceway on November 14, 2015 Photo – Robert Laberge/Getty Images
Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR XFINITY Series DAV 200 Honoring America’s Veterans at Phoenix International Raceway on November 14, 2015 Photo – Jeff Gross/Getty Images
Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, celebrates with the checkered flag after winning the NASCAR XFINITY Series DAV 200 Honoring America’s Veterans at Phoenix International Raceway on November 14, 2015 Photo – Robert Laberge/Getty Images
Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, celebrates with the checkered flag after winning the NASCAR XFINITY Series DAV 200 Honoring America’s Veterans at Phoenix International Raceway on November 14, 2015 Photo – Robert Laberge/Getty Images
If Saturday’s DAV 200 Honoring America’s Veterans had been a court case, 39 NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers would have pleaded ‘no contest.’
The exception was polesitter Kyle Busch, who led 190 of 200 laps in registering a dominating victory at Phoenix International Raceway, his eighth in 19 starts at the track.
In a race that saw defending series champion and seventh-place finisher Chase Elliott trim XFINITY leader Chris Buescher’s margin in the standings from 24 to 18 points, Busch ran away with the event, crossing the finish line 3.097 seconds ahead of runner-up Brad Keselowski. Continue reading →
Two to Go: Buescher Close to Title for Roush Fenway Racing
Count ‘em.
Just two races remain until crowning NASCAR XFINITY Series champion for the 2015 season.
Current standings leader, Chris Buescher can clinch the title this weekend if he leaves Phoenix 49 points ahead of second-place in the standings. Buescher is now 24 points up on second-place Chase Elliott. Continue reading →
