NASCAR Wire Staff Report

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Chase Elliott Reflects on Rookie Sprint Cup Season before Crucial Mid-Way Point in The Chase

NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Sprint Cup Series Track News
Photo - Sarah Crabill/Getty Images
Photo – Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

All eyes were on rookie NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, Chase Elliott, before he ever gripped the wheel of the famed No. 24 Chevrolet this season. As the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott and the successor of four-time champion Jeff Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports in the 24, the shadows of past racing legends and fan expectations loomed for the young talent even during his reign as the 2014 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion.

The younger Elliott grew up racing go-karts and late models while watching his father compete in NASCAR-sanctioned events long after his 1988 championship. But for the 20-year-old Dawsonville, Georgia, native, the realization that the baton had officially been passed didn’t set in until he headed to Daytona International Speedway in early 2016. Continue reading →

Harvick Needs Stellar Performance at Kansas

NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Sprint Cup Series Track News
Photo - Jerry Markland/Getty Images
Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

It’s happened again.

Kevin Harvick finds himself in poor position in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup following his 38th-place finish at Charlotte, caused by a blown engine.

He’s been able to overcome Chase adversity by winning in a dire situation in each of the past three seasons: New Hampshire this year, Dover last season when he finished championship runner-up and Phoenix in 2014 on his way to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. Continue reading →

Rain Forces Cancellation of Friday’s Track Activity at Charlotte

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Track News Xfinity Series
Photo - Robert Laberge/Getty Images
Photo – Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Persistent rain, and the forecast for more of it, forced NASCAR to cancel all of Friday’s on-track activity at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase Round of 12 finale.

The Drive for the Cure 300 will now run Sunday at 4 pm ET, (or after the Sprint Cup race, whichever comes first) and will broadcast on NBCSN.

The starting lineup for Sunday’s rescheduled race will be determined by the XFINITY Series rule book, which sets the field by fastest-to-slowest practice speeds from both of Thursday’s sessions. During final practice, Kyle Larson turned the fastest practice lap (185.198 mph) of the day and will start on the pole.

Erik Jones, who currently sits outside the top 8 cut-off line for advancement into the next round, will start second on Sunday.

Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 — the first race in the Chase’s Round of 12 — remains scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Snapchat Covers Sprint Cup Race with ‘Live Story’

NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Sprint Cup Series Track News
Follow SnapChat and NASCAR driver accounts during TheChase Photo - @NASCAR
Follow Snapchat and NASCAR driver accounts during TheChase Photo – @NASCAR

NASCAR’s third Snapchat Live Story of the 2016 season will take place around Saturday night’s Bank of America 500. Fans at Charlotte Motor Speedway can contribute content to the video stream, giving Snapchat users around the world a behind-the-scenes look at NASCAR race day.

Snapchat users can also unlock an exclusive Charlotte race week Snapchat filter by scanning the snapcode found in this tweet.

Front Row Motorsports driver Landon Cassill took over NASCAR’s Snapchat account earlier this week to unveil his Charlotte paint scheme, which features Snapchat’s ghost logo. Cassill promised free tacos to his Snapchat followers if he wins on Saturday.