NASCAR Hendrick Motorsports

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Kevin Harvick Edges Alex Bowman for Charlotte pole

NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Sprint Cup Series Track News
CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 06: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Hunting Chevrolet, poses with a trophy after winning the pole position during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 6, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images
CHARLOTTE, NC – OCTOBER 06: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Hunting Chevrolet, poses with a trophy after winning the pole position during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 6, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Kevin Harvick may have won the pole for Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (7 pm ET on NBC), but Alex Bowman continued to open eyes as a substitute driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Touring the 1.5-mile speedway in 27.547 seconds (196.029 mph), Harvick knocked Bowman (196.000 mph) off the pole by a scant 0.004 seconds in the final round of Thursday evening’s knockout qualifying.

The pole was Harvick’s first at Charlotte, his first of the 2016 season and the 16th of his career. Continue reading →

Johnson Encouraged by Progress of Earnhardt’s Recovery

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

Most race car drivers would rather wreck than watch someone else drive their cars.

From that perspective, Jimmie Johnson can understand why Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. hasn’t been frequenting NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race tracks as he spends the rest of the season recovering from a concussion.

Yes, Earnhardt made a brief appearance at Watkins Glen in August, and he participated in a longer press conference at Darlington a month later. But Sunday will be the first time Earnhardt will stay for a Sprint Cup race. Continue reading →

Sunday Chicagoland Notebook

NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Sprint Cup Series Track News

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Pit road penalty thwarts strong run by Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson had mixed feelings about his 12th-place run in Sunday’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

On the positive side, Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet showed excellent speed in the opening race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

The six-time Sprint Cup champion led a race-high 118 laps, but he drew a pit road speeding penalty during a green-flag stop on lap 234 of 270, and that infraction cost Johnson a shot at victory. After serving a pass-through penalty, he fell to 18th in the running order but rallied to finish 12th. Continue reading →

Jimmie Johnson Encouraged Despite Pit Road Snafu

NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Sprint Cup Series Track News
Photo - Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Despite a pit road problem that ruined his winning chances, Jimmie Johnson was surprisingly chipper after his sixth-place run in Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan Speedway.

Johnson led 37 laps, four fewer than race winner Kyle Larson, but the six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion lost ten seconds on pit road when his second can of fuel failed to engage properly with the intake during a green-flag stop from the lead on lap 108 of 200. Continue reading →