Sprint Cup Series IRWIN Night Tools Race at Bristol Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Next Race: IRWIN Tools Night Race

The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway

The Date: Saturday, Aug. 22

The Time: 7:30 p.m. (ET)

TV: NBCSN, 7 p.m. (ET)

Radio: PRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 266.5 miles (500 laps)

 

Straight Outta Michigan: Kenseth Shows He’s Championship Contender

Matt Kenseth is showing the speed of bona fide Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship contender.

The No. 20 Toyota driver notched his second win in the last three races after visiting Victory Lane at Michigan International Speedway. On Kenseth’s way to the win – he led 146 of 200 laps – the most led on a track longer than a mile since Jimmie Johnson paced the field for 255 go-arounds at Texas on November 3, 2013. Kenseth’s three victories are the third-most in the Sprint Cup Series. He has nine bonus points for the Challenger Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup (one for each win) and ranks third on the Chase Grid. Continue reading

NASCAR XFINITY Series Food City 300 at Bristol Preview

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NASCAR XFINITY Series

Next Race: Food City 300

The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway

The Date: Friday, Aug. 21

The Time: 7:30 p.m. (ET)

TV: NBCSN, 7 p.m. (ET)

Radio: PRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 159.9 miles (300 laps)

 

Dash 4 Cash Round 3: Smith’s Million Dollar Chance

The third round of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash program rolls into Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 300 on August 21. Regan Smith, Daniel Suarez, Elliott Sadler and Ryan Blaney will compete for a $100,000 cash bonus this weekend. Smith, the winner of the first two rounds of the 2015 Dash 4 Cash program, can still win an extra $600,000 bonus at the end of the season. Smith will need to win this third round at Bristol for $100,000 and then win the Darlington race outright to claim another $100,000, which will then award him an extra $600,000 – bringing his total cash bonus winnings to $1 million dollars. Continue reading

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Next Race: Pure Michigan 400

The Place: Michigan International Speedway

The Date: Sunday, Aug. 16

The Time: 2:30 p.m. (ET)

TV: NBCSN, 2 p.m. (ET)

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 400 miles (200 laps)

‘Top-30 for No. 18’: A Kyle Busch Production

A mere 11 races after returning from a broken leg and foot suffered in February, Kyle Busch has cracked the top-30 in the point standings and is now eligible for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Busch will qualify for NASCAR’s playoffs if he can stay in the top-30 at the end of next month’s Richmond race.

Busch currently mans the 30th spot in the driver standings, six points ahead of 31st-place Cole Whitt and one point behind 29th-place Justin Allgaier.

The No. 18 Toyota driver started off slow with just one top-ten finish in his first four races back (Pocono), but has been on an absolute tear since, winning four of the last seven races along with a runner-up.

Over the last seven races Busch has dominated most of the statistical categories, leading the series in wins (4), driver rating (116.3), laps led (317) and points (283). No other driver has multiple wins during the span. Brad Keselowski’s 209 laps led marks the next-best total, while Kevin Harvick’s 107.5 driver rating is the second highest. The 283 points are 22 more than Joey Logano’s second-best total (261).

Busch’s run of wins has overshadowed the consistency of some other drivers in the Sprint Cup Series. Harvick and Joey Logano rank tied with Busch with five top-five finishes over the seven-race span.

Furthermore, Harvick and Kurt Busch lead with six top-tens each in the last seven races compared to Busch’s five. Keselowski, Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth also claim five top-tens. Continue reading

Regan Smith Pulls Last Lap Move for XFINITY Win At Mid-Ohio

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What a difference a week makes.

After experiencing pure frustration last weekend at Watkins Glen (NY) International, Regan Smith answered his second road course race of the season with a bump-and-run on leader Alex Tagliani in the second-to-last corner on the last lap to score his first NASCAR XFINITY Series win of the season in Saturday’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

The short-track-like move ended a 52-race winless streak for Smith driving the No. 7 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. Continue reading

XFINITY Series, Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 at Mid-Ohio Preview

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NASCAR XFINITY Series

Next Race: Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200

The Place: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

The Date: Saturday, Aug. 15

The Time: 3:30 p.m. (ET)

TV: NBCSN, 3 p.m. (ET)

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 169.35 miles (75 laps)

Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher Returns to Defend Win at Mid-Ohio

Chris Buescher’s win last season at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course was the first of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career. This weekend the 2015 series points leader returns to defend his win at the 13-Turn course and further extend his standings lead over second-place Chase Elliott (-24) and third-place Ty Dillon (-24).

Roush Fenway Racing’s hottest driver, Chris Buescher posted his series leading ninth top-five finish this past weekend at Watkins Glen, finishing third. Continue reading