Dover Bound: Chris Buescher Returns to Complete the Sweep
Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher returns to Dover International Speedway for the Hisense 200 hoping to see Victory Lane Déjà vu and complete the single-season sweep at the Monster Mile.
Earlier this season, Buescher and crew chief Scott Graves played the fuel mileage strategy to perfection beating second-place finisher and 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Challenger Matt Kenseth by more than 11 seconds at Dover.
This weekend, Buescher will attempt to pull off the sweep, becoming the seventh driver in series history to carry out the feat: Robert Pressley (1992), Todd Bodine (1993), Randy LaJoie (1996), Kyle Busch (2010 and 2014), Carl Edwards (2011), Joey Logano (2012 and 2013; four straight). Continue reading →
Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota, races Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Dollar General Toyota, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series SYLVANIA 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 27, 2015 Photo – Todd Warshaw/Getty Images
Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Dollar General Toyota, crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series SYLVANIA 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 27, 2015 Photo – Todd Warshaw/Getty Images
Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Dollar General Toyota, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series SYLVANIA 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 27, 2015 Photo – Todd Warshaw/Getty Images
Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Dollar General Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series SYLVANIA 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 27, 2015 Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Kevin Harvick clarified his championship status on Sunday—but not the way he had planned.
After dominating the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for most of the afternoon, Harvick ran out of fuel while leading on lap 298 of 300, handing the top spot and the victory to Matt Kenseth, who joined teammate Denny Hamlin as an automatic qualifier for the Contender Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Despite leading 216 laps on Sunday, Harvick, the defending series champion, heads to next Sunday’s Chase race at Dover almost certainly needing a victory at a track where he has never won, to escape the Challenger Round of the Chase and keep his title hopes alive.
Kenseth, who came to pit road for fuel and tires on lap 239, triumphed for the fifth time this season (tops in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series), for the second time at the Magic Mile and for the 36th time in his career. He finished 8.941 seconds ahead of Hamlin, who nursed his car to a runner-up finish despite a late-race issue with the right front wheel. Continue reading →
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John’s / Budweiser Chevrolet, sits in the grass after an incident on the track during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series myAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 20, 2015 Photo – Josh Hedges/Getty Images
Going into Chicagoland Speedway, Kevin Harvick was one of the favorites to win the first race of the Chase. His swagger of confidence coming into Chicago was clear when Harvick told the media last Thursday, that he intended to pound the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers throughout the Chase. The JGR drivers have won eight of the last ten races leading up to the Chicagoland race – the first in the ten-race playoff. So, obviously, Harvick sees them as his biggest rivals in defending his title this season.
On Sunday, Joe Gibbs Racing responded with a Denny Hamlin victory in the myAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. The rest of their drivers finished in second with Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth finished fifth and Kyle Busch finished ninth – all four drivers with top-ten finishes. In contrast Harvick finished a rough day in 42nd-place and is now last of the 16 drivers contending for the championship.
An on track incident between Jimmie Johnson and Harvick resulted in a cut tire on the No. 4 car. Harvick blames Johnson for the incident, and confronted Johnson after the race with a shove, before an ally, and his wife Delana intervened and separated the two drivers. Johnson pointed his finger, but that was the extend of the exchange.
The skirmish between Harvick and Johnson certainly contributed to the problem, but Harvick didn’t help his situation by staying on the track until the tire blew.
Hindsight is always 20/20, but Harvick could have changed the tire and would have most likely lost fewer positions and certainly would have lost fewer laps, giving his team a chance to regain their track position and perhaps even contend for the win in the end. By staying out and letting the tire blow out, Harvick wrecked his car, causing his crew to feverishly work to get it fixed enough that he could return to the track. Harvick then finished the race 58 laps down, sending him from first to last in the Chase point standings, not only deflating to his team, but bursting his Joe Gibbs Racing threat bubble.
Perhaps a tire changed in time could have saved Harvick and his No. 4 team, 58 laps in this case.
Harvick is now 43 points behind the Chase points leader, Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Matt Kenseth. Apparently, Hamlin, Kenseth and the other Joe Gibbs drivers were not rattled by Harvick’s threat to pound them in the Chase. Harvick instead pounded himself right into 16th place after the first race of the Chase – seems his threat ended with a back-fire at Chicagoland Speedway.
‘Chasing’ Earnhardt And Petty: Johnson Sets Sites on Seventh Series Title
Ten races separate Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup No. 1 seed Jimmie Johnson from potential immortality. If Johnson wins NASCAR’s 16-driver, four-knockout round playoff, he will capture his seventh series title, tying Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the all-time lead.
Johnson begins his quest in Sunday’s MyAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. He has never won at the Windy City track, but boasts seven top-fives, and seven top-tens to go along with the series-best average running position (7.129) and driver rating (115.5) there. Chicago remains one of four active tracks at which Johnson has not won – Homestead, Kentucky and Watkins Glen.
The No. 48 Chevrolet driver has won four races this season, but has made 13 starts since his last victory. He tends to elevate his élite skill to an even higher level during NASCAR’s playoffs though, as he leads all drivers with 25 total Chase wins.
