Monthly Archives: October 2016

102 posts

Top-Ten Qualifying Effort puts Austin Dillon in Strong Position for Sunday

NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Sprint Cup Series Track News
Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 American Ethanol Chevrolet, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hellmann's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 22, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama Photo -Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 American Ethanol Chevrolet, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 22, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama Photo Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Perhaps more than any other driver in Sunday’s Hellman’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Austin Dillon will have to walk a tightrope.

Tied for eighth with Joey Logano in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, Dillon needs a strong finish to advance to the Round of 8, but he can’t afford a reckless move that could sacrifice his position in the points.

Dillon got off to a good start on Saturday, advancing to the second round of knockout qualifying and earning the ninth starting position for Sunday’s elimination race in the Round of 12 at 2 pm. ET on NBCSN. Continue reading →

Roush Fenway Drivers Invade Top-12 in Sprint Cup Qualifying

NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Sprint Cup Series Track News
Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 Cheez-it Ford, stands on the grid prior to qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hellmann's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 22, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. Photo - Jerry Markland/Getty Images
Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 Cheez-it Ford, stands on the grid prior to qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 22, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Collectively, Roush Fenway Racing turned in an admirable performance during Saturday’s time trials, putting all three of its full-time Fords in the top-11 on the grid.

Greg Biffle led the RFR qualifying effort with a fifth-place effort, followed closely by teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the No. 17 Fusion. Trevor Bayne was 11th in the No. 6 Ford. Continue reading →

Martin Truex Jr. Wins Pole for Chase Cutoff Race at Talladega

NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Sprint Cup Series Track News
TALLADEGA, AL - OCTOBER 22: Martin Truex Jr, driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Toyota, poses with the Coors Light Pole Award after qualifying for the pole position for the NNASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hellmann's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 22, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images
TALLADEGA, AL – OCTOBER 22: Martin Truex Jr, driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Toyota, poses with the Coors Light Pole Award after qualifying for the pole position for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 22, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Just 13 points to the good entering Sunday’s Round of 12 cutoff race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Martin Truex Jr. gave himself as much of a cushion as possible, winning the pole for the Hellman’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway during Saturday’s knockout qualifying session.

Seventh in the Chase standings, and 13 points ahead of Joey Logano and Austin Dillon, Truex covered the 2.66-mile distance in 49.508 seconds (193.423 mph) to claim the Coors Light Pole Award for Sunday’s race at 2 pm ET on NBCSN that will trim the Chase field from 12 drivers to eight. Continue reading →

Grant Enfinger Scores First Truck Series Win; Chase Feld is Cut to Six

Camping World Truck Series NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Track News

Grant Enfinger is our guest on Fan4Racing NASCAR & Race Talk on Monday, October 24, 2016 at 9 pm ET. Call 929-477-1790 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite or @Sal_Sigala with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast.

In the race that decided the lineup for the Round of 6 in the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase, Alabama native Grant Enfinger stole the thunder from the playoff drivers in Saturday’s Fred’s 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.

With a strong push from GMS Racing teammate and Chase driver Ben Kennedy after a restart on lap 93 of 94, Enfinger surged to the front and stayed there in the face of a last-lap challenger from another teammate, Spencer Gallagher, who came home second, 0.108 seconds behind the winner.

The victory was Enfinger’s first in 13 career starts in the series. Continue reading →