Kyle Busch holds off Kevin Harvick at Texas for season’s first victory

NASCAR Wire Service

FORT WORTH, Texas – In a race that saw two of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ elite drivers play chase to the checkered flag, Kyle Busch held off Kevin Harvick to win Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Harried by Harvick for 23 laps after a restart on Lap 312 of 334, Busch powered his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota across the finish line .300 seconds ahead of the driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. The key to Busch’s victory was a mistake-free run over the final laps.

“(Harvick was) probably just a tick faster overall, but I just had to make sure to do everything I could to hit all my marks and everything to focus on making sure that I did the right things to block his air a little bit,” Busch said.

Harvick acknowledged that Busch did a good job of protecting the bottom lane and avoiding errors over the closing laps.

“Kyle’s car was good enough to where he could get out there and run pretty good in clean air,” Harvick said. “It took us the whole run to be able to get everything back together and do everything we needed to do to make up a position.

“We weren’t as good behind him as we were in front of him. His car would run fast enough. There is only so much you can make up.”

The win was Busch’s first of the season after three runner-up results, his third victory at Texas and the 44th of his career, tied with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott for 16th on the all-time list.

“It feels awesome,” Busch said. “Any time you can win at a track that kind of isn’t maybe one of your favorites or isn’t one of your best, then it definitely means even more because it just – you try to focus on those tracks and make it a little bit more meaningful and a little bit more special to get it done.

“So cool though to be in Victory Lane here – finally this year and punch our ticket into the Playoffs and of course, you know also just continue our hot streak of being the points leader right now and keeping these guys focused on what we need to do all year long.

Harvick was the poster child for Murphy’s Law on Sunday, and it was a minor miracle that he was there at the end of the race to challenge Busch. The 2014 series champion won the first stage of the race under caution after building a lead that exceeded 12 seconds but lost the top spot to Busch off pit road on Lap 86.

That was just the beginning of Harvick’s troubles. He came off pit road ninth, losing eight spots, after a flying lug nut jammed the jack on a Lap 129 stop and prevented it from lowering. On Lap 136, he brought the No. 4 back to pit road with a loose wheel and lost a lap, only to regain it by staying on the track during an extended cycle of stops.

During a Lap 237 pit stop under caution for Paul Menard’s blown right front tire, one of Harvick’s crew members fell into his pit stall trying to corral a tire, resulting in a too-many-men-over-the-wall penalty.

By Lap 278, however, Harvick had regained the second spot with a pass of eventual fourth-place finisher Erik Jones, and a caution on Lap 303 for Ryan Newman’s hard crash into the Turn 1 wall gave him the opportunity to close up on Busch.

That was as close as Harvick got. Busch pulled ahead after the Lap 312 restart and stayed in front the rest of the way.

Jamie McMurray ran third, the best finish for the driver of the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet since a second place at Talladega in May of last year. Jones likewise collected his first top five of the season.

Ryan Blaney overcame brake problems to run fifth. Joey Logano, pole winner Kurt Busch, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr., Clint Bowyer and William Byron completed the top 10. The 10th-place result was a career-best for Byron, a contender for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors.

Wallace collected his first top 10 since running second in the Daytona 500.

Busch expanded his series lead to 38 points over second-place Logano. Blaney is 51 points back in third.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race – O’Reilly Auto Parts 500

Texas Motor Speedway

Fort Worth, Texas

Sunday, April 8, 2018

1. (8) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 334.
2. (2) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 334.
3. (24) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 334.
4. (21) Erik Jones, Toyota, 334.
5. (4) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 334.
6. (7) Joey Logano, Ford, 334.
7. (1) Kurt Busch, Ford, 334.
8. (15) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Chevrolet, 334.
9. (3) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 334.
10. (33) William Byron #, Chevrolet, 334.
11. (20) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 333.
12. (13) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 333.
13. (23) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 332.
14. (27) Michael McDowell, Ford, 332.
15. (18) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 331.
16. (30) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 329.
17. (28) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 328.
18. (31) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 325.
19. (34) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 324.
20. (32) Gray Gaulding, Toyota, 322.
21. (35) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 321.
22. (36) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, 319.
23. (29) David Ragan, Ford, 317.
24. (22) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, Engine, 316.
25. (26) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, Suspension, 315.
26. (17) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 304.
27. (25) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, Accident, 303.
28. (16) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 294.
29. (14) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 290.
30. (19) Paul Menard, Ford, Accident, 215.
31. (37) * Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, Overheating, 209.
32. (12) Aric Almirola, Ford, Accident, 178.
33. (11) Brad Keselowski, Ford, Accident, 178.
34. (5) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, Accident, 177.
35. (9) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, Accident, 175.
36. (10) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Accident, 126.
37. (6) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, Accident, 80.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 141.714 mph.
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 32 Mins, 07 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.300 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 8 for 48 laps.
Lead Changes: 16 among 8 drivers.
Lap Leaders: Kurt Busch 0; K. Harvick 1-43; D. Hamlin 44-55; K. Harvick 56-86; Kyle Busch 87-116; K. Harvick 117-129; Kurt Busch 130-166; Kyle Busch 167-172; Kurt Busch 173; E. Jones 174-231; Kurt Busch 232-233; W. Byron # 234; E. Jones 235-240; Kyle Busch 241-290; C. Elliott 291-294; R. Stenhouse Jr. 295-304; Kyle Busch 305-334.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Kyle Busch 4 times for 116 laps; K. Harvick 3 times for 87 laps; E. Jones 2 times for 64 laps; Kurt Busch 3 times for 40 laps; D. Hamlin 1 time for 12 laps; R. Stenhouse Jr. 1 time for 10 laps; C. Elliott 1 time for 4 laps; W. Byron # 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage No. 1 Top Ten: 4,18,41,22,42,14,1,2,9,20
Stage No. 2 Top Ten: 18,41,22,20,14,9,2,17,11,10

Ryan Blaney gives Team Penske third straight NASCAR Xfinity victory

NASCAR Wire Service

FORT WORTH, Texas – On a cold, cold day in Texas, Ryan Blaney continued the hot streak of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, winning Saturday’s My Bariatric Solutions 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race in thoroughly convincing fashion.

Blaney won the first stage in a runaway, led 132-of-200 laps and beat runner-up Christopher Bell to the finish line by 2.327 seconds. The victory was Blaney’s first of the season, his first at Texas Motor Speedway and the seventh of his career.

Furthermore, Blaney was the third different driver to pilot the No. 22 Ford to victory in the third of three straight races, following teammates Brad Keselowski at ISM Raceway in Phoenix and Joey Logano at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

Ten years had passed since three different drivers had won three consecutive races with the same car number. Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin won at Mexico City, Talladega and Richmond in 2008, with Stewart adding another victory in the following event at Darlington.

Blaney definitely felt extra pressure entering the race, thanks to Keselowski and Logano.

“Brad and Joey, they definitely reminded me of that this week,” said Blaney, who has finished in the top three in five of his six Texas starts (and eighth in the other). “They told me that they won in that thing, that it has won two in a row and not to mess it up. That’s what you don’t want to do. They were definitely reminding me of that.

“And it’s in the back of your mind. You never want to be the person that breaks a streak of wins, especially when the car has been so fast. That’s a huge feat to do, win three in a row with three different drivers at pretty much three different race tracks. That is amazing. It’s nice to be a part of. There was that reminder in the back of my head to try to get this one.”

As part of his victory celebration, Blaney gave the checkered flag to a young fan – something that has become a signature aspect of his victories.

“Whenever you can see them up close and personal and see how excited everyone is to be here, it’s just a bonus for us,” Blaney explained. “That makes us feel good. It makes us feel like we put on a really good show. I appreciate them sticking around.

“It was cold today for those watching, and they stayed out there the whole race. It was unbelievable how many kids were in the stands and at the fence and really cheering and pumped up. Hopefully they had a great time. My main thing is trying to make a memory that lasts a lifetime.”

Bell led a group of four qualifiers for next week’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Eligible drivers include Daniel Hemric, Cole Custer and Ryan Preece, who ran third through fifth, respectively, in Saturday’s race.

Notes: Tyler Reddick suffered two speeding penalties entering pit road during a green-flag pit cycle late in the race and finished 23rd, five laps down… Staying out on old tires for a one-lap shootout at the end of Stage 2, Brandon Jones won the stage, but one lap after the subsequent restart on Lap 98, he spun off Turn 4, slapped the outside wall and exited the race in 33rd place… Elliott Sadler finished eighth and retained the series lead by 11 points over Reddick… Morgan Shepherd finished 38th in his 1,000th start in NASCAR’s top three series combined… Austin Cindric will drive the No. 22 Ford next Saturday at Bristol… The temperature at the start of the race was 34 degrees, unofficially the coldest event at the track by 13 degrees.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – My Bariatric Solutions 300

Texas Motor Speedway

Fort Worth, Texas

Saturday, April 7, 2018

1. (1) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, 200.
2. (18) Christopher Bell #, Toyota, 200.
3. (35) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, 200.
4. (10) Cole Custer, Ford, 200.
5. (13) Ryan Preece, Toyota, 200.
6. (36) Matt Tifft, Chevrolet, 200.
7. (5) Jamie McMurray(i), Chevrolet, 200.
8. (34) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 200.
9. (16) Austin Cindric #, Ford, 200.
10. (14) Spencer Gallagher, Chevrolet, 200.
11. (21) Chase Briscoe, Ford, 199.
12. (7) Ty Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 199.
13. (2) Ryan Truex, Chevrolet, 199.
14. (4) Ryan Reed, Ford, 199.
15. (20) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 199.
16. (12) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 198.
17. (24) Dylan Lupton, Ford, 198.
18. (11) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 198.
19. (40) Kevin Harvick(i), Ford, 198.
20. (27) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 196.
21. (32) David Starr, Chevrolet, 196.
22. (39) Bayley Currey(i), Chevrolet, 196.
23. (6) Tyler Reddick #, Chevrolet, 195.
24. (30) Josh Bilicki #, Toyota, 193.
25. (28) Spencer Boyd #, Chevrolet, 193.
26. (37) Kaz Grala #, Ford, 189.
27. (19) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, Fuel Pump, 186.
28. (15) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 147.
29. (17) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, Clutch, 137.
30. (38) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, Suspension, 112.
31. (9) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, Engine, 109.
32. (22) Alex Labbe #, Chevrolet, Accident, 104.
33. (3) Brandon Jones, Toyota, Accident, 99.
34. (26) Chad Finchum #, Toyota, Accident, 77.
35. (8) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, Engine, 70.
36. (23) Timmy Hill, Dodge, Fuel Pump, 54.
37. (25) Stephen Leicht, Toyota, Electrical, 53.
38. (31) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Suspension, 33.
39. (33) Vinnie Miller #, Chevrolet, Accident, 15.
40. (29) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, Electrical, 13.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 124.986 mph.
Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 24 Mins, 01 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 2.327 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 8 for 42 laps.
Lead Changes: 11 among 9 drivers.
Lap Leaders: R. Blaney(i) 1-75; C. Bell # 76-83; B. Jones 84-92; J. Yeley 93; D. Hemric 94-132; R. Blaney(i) 133-142; C. Bell # 143-144; R. Truex 145; R. Chastain 146-147; J. Clements 148; M. Annett 149-153; R. Blaney(i) 154-200.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): R. Blaney(i) 3 times for 132 laps; D. Hemric 1 time for 39 laps; C. Bell # 2 times for 10 laps; B. Jones 1 time for 9 laps; M. Annett 1 time for 5 laps; R. Chastain 1 time for 2 laps; J. Clements 1 time for 1 lap; J. Yeley 1 time for 1 lap; R. Truex 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage No. 1 Top Ten: 22,19,9,18,11,16,00,98,2,20
Stage No. 2 Top Ten: 19,11,39,4,16,38,23,0,5,51

Clint Bowyer breaks 190-race drought with Martinsville win

Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Clint Bowyer was so excited he started his celebratory burnout at the entrance to Turn 3 at Martinsville Speedway, flirting perilously with the outside wall.

Bowyer had ample reason to start the party early, before he got to the frontstretch for a traditional smoke show. With his victory in Monday’s snow-delayed STP 500, he had just ended a winless streak in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series that had reached 190 races, dating to the fall race at Charlotte in 2012.

The victory did more than end a drought. It validated the decision of Stewart-Haas Racing to put him behind the wheel of the No. 14 Ford last year, after team co-owner Tony Stewart retired from NASCAR competition. With his ninth career victory and his first at the .526-mile short track, Bowyer paid off SHR’s investment in his future.

With Kevin Harvick stringing together victories at Atlanta, Las Vegas, and ISM Raceway at Phoenix, Stewart-Haas has won four of the first six races of 2018.

“We learned last year,” said Bowyer, who finished 1.146 seconds ahead of runner-up Kyle Busch in a race that was delayed from Sunday to Monday when an unexpectedly severe snowstorm hit southern Virginia on Saturday afternoon. “Obviously, Harvick came on strong at the end of last year, but it was a learning year for our team and the 14 bunch.

“It was just time.”

Bowyer had a strong feeling before Monday’s race, and he told his young son Cash as much.

“For whatever reason, it felt right driving up here,” said Bowyer, who led 215 laps, all but one (under caution) after taking the lead from third-place finisher Ryan Blaney on Lap 285. “Such a cool place, to be able to drive up through the countryside on a two-lane road and think about the race.

“I told him (Cash) this morning, I was like, ‘Dammit, we’ve got to get a picture in Victory Lane.”

That’s exactly what Bowyer did, avoiding any misstep over the final 200 laps that would have allowed Busch to close in. Busch finished second for the third time in four races and took over the series lead from Martin Truex Jr., who started from the pole and came home fourth.

“We just tried to maintain and keep ourselves in the right position, in the right spots all day long on the long runs and save our stuff as much as we could to see if we couldn’t mount a charge late in the going,” Busch said.

“For us, saving our stuff, the 14 was able to save his stuff, and he was a little bit better than we were. He was able to kind of edge out there through the early laps of firing off each and every time, first 10 or 15 (laps), and kind of get that gap, and then he’d kind of just hold that. He was probably saving just as much as I was trying to save to make sure he had something to go at the end.”

The victory was Bowyer’s sixth top five in 25 starts at the paper-clip-shaped speedway.

“This place is an acquired taste,” Bowyer said. “When I first got here I was a duck out of water, just like everybody else that starts here at first. I learned from Jimmie Johnson and learned from Jeff Gordon, sometimes the hard way, but nonetheless, I learned over the years and finally put it to good use.

“To keep Kyle Busch, one of the best in the business, behind you in those closing laps, the nerves were through the roof. It’s unbelievable how it all came true.”

Harvick ran fifth after a run-in with 12th-place finisher Denny Hamlin near the midpoint of the event. Joey Logano, Alex Bowman, AJ Allmendinger, Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski completed the top 10. For Elliott, the top 10 was a significant accomplishment, given that he twice went a lap down to the leader, only to regain the lost circuits as the beneficiary under caution.

Johnson, who leads active drivers with nine victories at Martinsville, finished 15th, a lap down. Blaney led 145 laps, second only to Bowyer, and won the second 130-lap stage of the race. Hamlin led 111 laps early, claimed the first stage victory and, like Blaney, collected a playoff point.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race – STP 500

Martinsville Speedway

Martinsville, Virginia

Monday, March 26, 2018

1. (9) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 500.
2. (2) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 500.
3. (5) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 500.
4. (1) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 500.
5. (8) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 500.
6. (3) Joey Logano, Ford, 500.
7. (16) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 500.
8. (25) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 500.
9. (21) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 500.
10. (4) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 500.
11. (11) Kurt Busch, Ford, 500.
12. (6) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 500.
13. (15) Paul Menard, Ford, 500.
14. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford, 500.
15. (18) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 499.
16. (7) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 499.
17. (13) Erik Jones, Toyota, 497.
18. (23) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 497.
19. (14) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 497.
20. (20) William Byron #, Chevrolet, 497.
21. (24) Michael McDowell, Ford, 497.
22. (32) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 496.
23. (22) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 496.
24. (29) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 496.
25. (28) David Ragan, Ford, 495.
26. (26) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 495.
27. (35) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 493.
28. (37) * DJ Kennington, Toyota, 493.
29. (33) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 493.
30. (12) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 493.
31. (38) * JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, 493.
32. (31) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 488.
33. (27) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 486.
34. (19) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Chevrolet, 486.
35. (30) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, 482.
36. (34) Gray Gaulding, Toyota, 481.
37. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 481.
38. (36) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 211.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 81.663 mph.
Time of Race: 03 Hrs, 13 Mins, 14 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.146 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 4 for 33 laps.
Lead Changes: 11 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: M. Truex Jr. 1-4; Kyle Busch 5-26; D. Hamlin 27-51; Kyle Busch 52; D. Hamlin 53-135; B. Keselowski 136; R. Blaney 137-142; D. Hamlin 143-145; R. Blaney 146-284; C. Bowyer 285-385; Kyle Busch 386; C. Bowyer 387-500.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): C. Bowyer 2 times for 215 laps; R. Blaney 2 times for 145 laps; D. Hamlin 3 times for 111 laps; Kyle Busch 3 times for 24 laps; M. Truex Jr. 1 time for 4 laps; B. Keselowski 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage No. 1 Top Ten: 11,2,12,18,14,4,47,41,22,48
Stage No. 2 Top Ten: 12,14,18,2,11,4,41,47,22,48

John Hunter Nemechek charges to Camping World Truck Series win at Martinsville

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — In a race delayed for two days by a freak snowstorm in southern Virginia, John Hunter Nemechek charged to the front on a restart with 31 laps left on Monday and held off Kyle Benjamin to win the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race by a mere .106 seconds.

The victory was the first at Martinsville for Nemechek, who had two previous runner-up finishes at the .526-mile short track. This time, despite Benjamin pounding his rear bumper in the final corner, Nemechek earned the grandfather clock trophy that goes to the race winner.

“I’ve finished second here multiple times so, tick, tock – we finally got a clock,” Nemechek said. “It’s going to be awesome to take that thing home.”

Nemechek picked up his sixth career win in the Truck Series in his third start of the season, and he did it with a skeleton staff at the race shop owned by his father, Joe Nemechek.

“I can’t thank everyone on our staff enough – everyone who pours their heart and soul into this deal,” Nemechek said. “There’s only four guys in our shop this year, so it’s really cool to be able to come back over here to the Truck Series…

“Congrats to all these guys – these guys deserve it.”

After Nemechek grabbed the top spot on Lap 220 of 250, he held it through three subsequent cautions. Nemechek cleared Benjamin after the final restart on Lap 244, and though Benjamin closed on the No. 8 Chevrolet over the last seven laps, finally getting to the bumper in the final corner, he needed a few more laps to make a concerted run at the victory.

“We had a really good truck, mostly for long runs, and unfortunately, it came down to a short run,” said Benjamin, who was making his Martinsville debut. “It’s Martinsville, so I figured I had to give him a run for his money in the last corner.”

Benjamin had a lead of more than one second over Todd Gilliland when a debris caution slowed the race on Lap 214 and gave Nemechek the chance he needed on the subsequent restart. The shuffling of the order, at least, alleviated one case of divided loyalties.

David Gilliland was co-owner of the No. 54 Toyota Benjamin was driving, and his son Todd was behind the wheel of the No. 4 Toyota of Kyle Busch Motorsports. After the restart on Lap 220, Todd Gilliland brushed the wall and lost track position with a pit stop under caution on Lap 234. He finished 14th.

Pole winner Ben Rhodes led the first 23 laps on Saturday before rain and snow halted the race. With heavy snow falling Saturday night and early Sunday morning, NASCAR was forced to postpone the finish until Monday.

Rhodes won both the first and second stages of the race, collecting two playoff points, but severe trouble with his right front tire on a Lap 145 pit stop after the second stage dropped him to 15th in the running order.

Rhodes never recovered from the loss of track position and came home 12th.

Johnny Sauter lost two laps changing a battery after losing power on Lap 224 and getting rear-ended by Matt Crafton. Sauter finished 19th but retained the series lead by 29 points over Grant Enfinger, who ran fourth on Monday.

Brett Moffitt, who pitted late for new tires, fought his way up to third at the finish and is third in points, 31 behind Sauter.

Noah Gragson, Myatt Snider, Timothy Peters, Harrison Burton, Austin Hill and Justin Haley completed the top 10 in Monday’s race.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – Alpha Energy Solutions 250

Martinsville Speedway

Martinsville, Virginia

Saturday, March 24, 2018

1. (8) John H. Nemechek(i), Chevrolet, 250.
2. (4) Kyle Benjamin(i), Toyota, 250.
3. (7) Brett Moffitt, Toyota, 250.
4. (3) Grant Enfinger, Ford, 250.
5. (11) Noah Gragson, Toyota, 250.
6. (9) Myatt Snider #, Ford, 250.
7. (16) Timothy Peters, Ford, 250.
8. (13) Harrison Burton, Toyota, 250.
9. (15) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 250.
10. (12) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 250.
11. (18) Dalton Sargeant #, Chevrolet, 250.
12. (1) Ben Rhodes, Ford, 250.
13. (17) Cory Roper, Ford, 250.
14. (23) Todd Gilliland #, Toyota, 250.
15. (2) Matt Crafton, Ford, 250.
16. (20) Reid Wilson, Chevrolet, 250.
17. (28) Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, 250.
18. (29) Wendell Chavous, Chevrolet, 250.
19. (6) Johnny Sauter, Chevrolet, 249.
20. (5) Stewart Friesen, Chevrolet, 248.
21. (14) Tyler Matthews, Chevrolet, 248.
22. (25) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, 248.
23. (22) Kyle Donahue, Chevrolet, Electrical, 234.
24. (24) Robby Lyons, Chevrolet, Engine, 227.
25. (26) Josh Reaume, Chevrolet, 227.
26. (10) Cody Coughlin, Chevrolet, 225.
27. (21) Austin Wayne Self, Chevrolet, Electrical, 164.
28. (19) Justin Fontaine #, Chevrolet, Accident, 158.
29. (31) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, Electrical, 55.
30. (27) Kevin Donahue, Chevrolet, Brakes, 49.
31. (30) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, Too Slow, 35.
32. (32) Mike Senica, Chevrolet, Parked, 8.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 64.628 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 02 Mins, 05 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.106 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 10 for 68 laps.
Lead Changes: 10 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: B. Rhodes 1-25; M. Crafton 26-29; B. Rhodes 30-76; S. Friesen 77-81; B. Rhodes 82; S. Friesen 83; B. Rhodes 84-92; T. Gilliland # 93; B. Rhodes 94-145; K. Benjamin(i) 146-219; J. Nemechek(i) 220-250.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): B. Rhodes 5 times for 134 laps; K. Benjamin(i) 1 time for 74 laps; J. Nemechek(i) 1 time for 31 laps; S. Friesen 2 times for 6 laps; M. Crafton 1 time for 4 laps; T. Gilliland # 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage No. 1 Top Ten: 41,88,98,21,54,8,52,18,16,13
Stage No. 2 Top Ten: 41,4,21,88,8,16,18,98,13,51

Martinsville doubleheader postponed to Monday

NASCAR officials have postponed Sunday’s scheduled Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race and conclusion of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway to Monday following persistent snowfall throughout the night.

The Monster Energy Series race at the historic .526-mile venue was slated to begin at 2 p.m. ET, with the remainder of the Truck Series race following — and under the lights. But conditions worsened overnight, causing NASCAR officials to make a quick decision to postpone early Sunday morning.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race is scheduled to resume at 11 a.m. ET. The Monster Energy Series will follow, at approximately 2 p.m. ET. Both races will be televised on FS1.

Fans with a ticket to either the Truck Series or Monster Energy Series race will be good for both races.

Defending Monster Energy Series champion Martin Truex Jr. will start from the top spot on the grid for the third straight week after Saturday’s scheduled qualifying was canceled.

Though the Martinsville pole doesn’t count in official statistics, it does have its perks. Truex will pit his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota in the stall closest to the exit from pit road, a huge advantage in terms of potential track position.

“I would have liked to try to get three in a row, no doubt about,” said Truex, who was fastest in both Saturday practices before the rain arrived. “I think we would have had a shot at it. We’ve qualified well here in the past. I’d say that qualifying is probably the strongest thing we’ve done on average here.”

Kyle Busch, whose No. 18 Toyota is second in owner points, will line up next to Truex on the front row

Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski will line up side-by-side on the second row in third and fourth, respectively, for the sixth points race of the season.

In the Camping World Truck Series race, Ben Rhodes started from the pole and led every lap before the No. 1 truck of Mike Senica stalled on the track on Lap 15, causing the first caution.

The race never restarted, and NASCAR stopped the trucks on pit road after Lap 23 at 2:16 p.m. Shortly thereafter, NASCAR postponed the race.

Rhodes will remain the leader when the race restarts on Monday, followed by his ThorSport Racing teammate Matt Crafton, who qualified second, and Kyle Benjamin, who advanced one position from fourth after the start on Saturday.

Martin Truex Jr. answers doubters with dominating win at Fontana

NASCAR Wire Service

FONTANA, Calif. – Martin Truex Jr. drove three things on Sunday afternoon at Auto Club Speedway.

First, he drove the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota to a dominating victory in the Auto Club 400, the fifth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of the season.

Second, he drove a time machine, turning back the clock to 2017 when his mastery of stage racing propelled him to his first series championship.

Truex’s effort in Sunday’s race was every bit as overwhelming as his most convincing triumphs of last season. He started from the pole, then swept the first two stages and the victory, leading 125 of 200 laps and beating runner-up Kyle Larson to the finish line by a whopping 11.685 seconds.

Finally, Truex drove home a point, that those who doubted he could continue the excellent performance that led to the title just might be wrong.

“People kept asking ‘When are you going to win again? When are you going to win one of these stages?’ said Truex, who went to Victory Lane eight times last year. “Well, there you go.”

The victory was Truex’s first at Fontana and the 16th of his career.

Truex’s form, however, wasn’t the overriding question entering the race. Kevin Harvick entered the event riding a wave of three straight wins and was the heavy favorite to win a fourth, having dominated Saturday’s practices in race trim.

But Harvick’s bid came to an abrupt end on Lap 38, when contact with Larson’s No. 42 Chevrolet under extremely hard racing sent Harvick’s No. 4 Ford into the outside backstretch wall, crippling the car. Larson recovered, but Harvick was consigned to a 35th-place finish, nine laps down.

That left Toyota drivers Truex and Kyle Busch to battle for the lead throughout the middle portion of the race, with Truex prevailing in decisive fashion and Busch ultimately finishing third behind Larson, who fought a vibration in his Chevrolet and had to charge through the field on three occasions after precautionary pit stops.

“We had a lot of weird issues, vibrations, and different stuff that happened where we had to restart at the back and drive back forward,” said Larson, who saw his streak of four straight Cup victories on two-mile tracks end with the runner-up finish.

“It seemed like we could always get to third or fourth and kind of stall out there. Still, a really good day. The 78 (Truex) was really good. I think the 4 (Harvick)—he didn’t get to race a lot, but he was probably the best car again.”

Truex might dispute that, having picked up all seven available playoff points and taken over the series lead by nine points over Kyle Busch in second.

“I knew we really had a good race car after the first adjustment of the race,” Truex said. “The thing just came alive. From there it was just about managing my tires and being smart. We had a little trouble getting beat out of the pits, and that was tough.

“At one point we fell back to fifth, and then we needed to work our way back up. I really just needed to take care of my front tires, and once we got some clean air, this thing was unbelievable.”

Joey Logano (fifth Sunday) and Brad Keselowski (fourth) are third and fourth in points, respectively. Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones, Ryan Blaney, Jimmie Johnson and Austin Dillon completed the top 10 in the Auto Club 400.

Harvick dropped from first to eighth in the series standings.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race – Auto Club 400

Auto Club Speedway

Fontana, California

Sunday, March 18, 2018

1. (1) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 200.
2. (3) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 200.
3. (2) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 200.
4. (11) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 200.
5. (6) Joey Logano, Ford, 200.
6. (25) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 200.
7. (4) Erik Jones, Toyota, 200.
8. (8) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 200.
9. (33) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 200.
10. (5) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 200.
11. (26) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 199.
12. (27) Aric Almirola, Ford, 199.
13. (28) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 199.
14. (7) Kurt Busch, Ford, 199.
15. (29) William Byron #, Chevrolet, 199.
16. (31) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 199.
17. (15) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 199.
18. (16) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 199.
19. (14) Paul Menard, Ford, 199.
20. (19) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Chevrolet, 199.
21. (9) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 199.
22. (32) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 199.
23. (30) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 199.
24. (34) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 199.
25. (21) David Ragan, Ford, 199.
26. (22) Michael McDowell, Ford, 199.
27. (17) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 198.
28. (37) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 198.
29. (36) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 198.
30. (12) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 197.
31. (18) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 196.
32. (20) Gray Gaulding, Toyota, 194.
33. (35) Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, 193.
34. (24) * Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 193.
35. (10) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 191.
36. (23) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 189.
37. (13) Trevor Bayne, Ford, Accident, 108.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 147.526 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs., 42 Mins, 41 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 11.685 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 5 for 21 laps.
Lead Changes: 16 among 7 drivers.
Lap Leaders: M. Truex Jr. 1-10; Kyle Busch 11-28; J. McMurray 29; Kyle Busch 30; M. Truex Jr. 31-63; J. Logano 64-72; M. Truex Jr. 73-89; Kyle Busch 90-93; M. Truex Jr. 94-123; Kyle Busch 124-130; K. Kahne 131; W. Byron # 132; Kyle Busch 133-160; M. Truex Jr. 161-163; D. Hamlin 164; Kyle Busch 165-168; M. Truex Jr. 169-200.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): M. Truex Jr. 6 times for 125 laps; Kyle Busch 6 times for 62 laps; J. Logano 1 time for 9 laps; W. Byron # 1 time for 1 lap; J. McMurray 1 time for 1 lap; D. Hamlin 1 time for 1 lap; K. Kahne 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage No. 1 Top Ten: 78,18,22,2,48,42,41,20,14,11
Stage No. 2 Top Ten: 78,2,18,11,20,22,48,42,14,24

Joey Logano spanks NASCAR Xfinity Series field at Fontana

FONTANA, Calif. – The best measure of Joey Logano’s dominance in Saturday’s Roseanne 300 at Auto Club Speedway came during one of the rare instances when the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford didn’t have the lead.

Off-cycle on pit stops late in the race, Logano chose to pit under caution on Lap 122 while most of the other contending cars stayed out on tires that had only six green-flag laps of use. Logano restarted 16th on Lap 125. By Lap 126 he was third.

On Lap 127 Logano passed Justin Allgaier for second. One Lap later he sailed past Elliott Sadler for the lead.

In claiming his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the season and the 29th of his career, Logano survived a late restart on Lap 143 and pulled away to win by 1.429 seconds over Allgaier, who passed Sadler for the runner-up spot.

“It was a great car—oh, my gosh,” said Logano, who led 139 of 150 laps in winning for the third time at the two-mile Fontana track. “It’s one of those races where you feel relieved when you win. It wasn’t a cheerful one—you’re supposed to win when you have a car that fast.”

That didn’t keep Logano from second-guessing crew chief Brian Wilson for choosing to keep Logano on the track after a Lap 110 caution for Dylan Lupton’s blown engine.

“Brian opted (to stay out),” said Logano, who won the first and second stages of the race. “That was not my thought at all. But it ended up working out. I thought we were going to lose more track position than we did. We were able to stay out front, actually, on older tires, which I didn’t think we had a chance of doing.

“It just showed how fast our car was. It was an amazing day.”

Allgaier edged Sadler for the runner-up spot by .047 seconds, but much earlier than that Allgaier realized he was probably racing for second place, the position he also claimed a week earlier in Phoenix when Brad Keselowski drove the No. 22 to victory for Team Penske.

“The 22 was definitely the class of the field today and had everybody covered,” Allgaier said. “So hats off to those guys.

“I’ve been following the 22 for a couple of weeks now, and that’s getting kind of depressing.”

Austin Dillon ran fourth behind Sadler, followed by Richard Childress Racing teammate Daniel Hemric. Cole Custer, Tyler Reddick, Matt Tifft, Ryan Preece and Ross Chastain completed the top 10.

Pole winner Christopher Bell brushed the wall early, spun off Turn 4 on Lap 97 and was collected by the No. 5 Chevrolet of Michael Annett eight laps later. Bell salvaged a lead-lap, 21st-place finish and held fourth place in the series standings.

Sadler leaves Auto Club with a slim lead over his JR Motorsports teammates. Reddick is second in the standings, four points back, with Allgaier five points behind Sadler in third.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – Roseanne 300

Auto Club Speedway

Fontana, California

Saturday, March 17, 2018

1. (2) Joey Logano(i), Ford, 150.
2. (6) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 150.
3. (11) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 150.
4. (19) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 150.
5. (5) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, 150.
6. (4) Cole Custer, Ford, 150.
7. (16) Tyler Reddick #, Chevrolet, 150.
8. (20) Matt Tifft, Chevrolet, 150.
9. (8) Ryan Preece, Toyota, 150.
10. (13) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 150.
11. (15) Spencer Gallagher, Chevrolet, 150.
12. (10) Ryan Truex, Chevrolet, 150.
13. (9) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 150.
14. (12) Kaz Grala #, Ford, 150.
15. (22) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 150.
16. (23) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 150.
17. (7) Ryan Reed, Ford, 150.
18. (18) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 150.
19. (21) Alex Labbe #, Chevrolet, 150.
20. (17) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 150.
21. (1) Christopher Bell #, Toyota, 150.
22. (26) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 150.
23. (25) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 149.
24. (31) Tommy Joe Martins, Chevrolet, 149.
25. (27) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 148.
26. (36) David Starr, Chevrolet, 148.
27. (34) Vinnie Miller #, Chevrolet, 148.
28. (14) Austin Cindric #, Ford, 147.
29. (3) John H. Nemechek, Chevrolet, 147.
30. (29) Spencer Boyd #, Chevrolet, 147.
31. (37) Stephen Leicht, Toyota, Brakes, 132.
32. (38) Josh Bilicki #, Toyota, Engine, 122.
33. (40) Dylan Lupton, Ford, Engine, 109.
34. (24) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, Power Steering, 76.
35. (35) Timmy Hill, Dodge, Vibration, 56.
36. (28) Chad Finchum #, Toyota, Engine, 45.
37. (30) Matt Mills #, Chevrolet, Accident, 29.
38. (33) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Suspension, 22.
39. (32) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, Brakes, 10.
40. (39) Mike Harmon, Chevrolet, Engine, 6.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 127.283 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs., 21 Mins, 25 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.429 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 7 for 32 laps.
Lead Changes: 6 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: C. Bell # 1-4; J. Logano(i) 5-121; J. Allgaier 122-123; E. Sadler 124-127; J. Logano(i) 128-140; R. Sieg 141; J. Logano(i) 142-150.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): J. Logano(i) 3 times for 139 laps; E. Sadler 1 time for 4 laps; C. Bell # 1 time for 4 laps; J. Allgaier 1 time for 2 laps; R. Sieg 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage No. 1 Top Ten: 22,7,00,1,9,20,42,21,4,11
Stage No. 2 Top Ten: 22,9,20,1,7,00,21,3,18,5

JR Motorsport’s Hold On The Series Driver Standings Strengthens

Is anyone a match for the trio of JR Motorsports drivers, Elliot Sadler (standings leader), Tyler Reddick (second in points) and Justin Allgaier (third in points) in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver standings this season? Not through the first four races, as a JRM driver has held the top spot in the standings following every race this season.

Now the organization has strengthened their hold atop the points with drivers occupying the top three spots in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship driver standings; much like they finished the season with last year (2017 final standings top three: 1. William Byron 2. Sadler 3. Allgaier).

The veteran Sadler has taken the standings lead for the second time in 2018, leaning on a one-point cushion over his teammate Reddick as the series heads to California this weekend. Sadler leads the series in average finish with a 5.3 after posting three top fives and four top 10s in his first four starts of 2018.

Sadler is no stranger to Auto Club Speedway, as the Emporia, Virginia, native has made 13 series starts on the 2-mile track, posting four top fives and nine top 10s. He has finished in the top 10 in his last seven consecutive Auto Club Speedway starts. He has yet to win at Auto Club Speedway and Sadler is looking to end a 43-race winless streak that dates back to 2016 (Kentucky).

“With the strong start to the season that this No. 1 Cessna team has had, I’m really looking forward to seeing how we finish out the West Coast swing,” said Sadler.

Sadler will be taking over OneMain Financial’s Facebook Live on Friday, March 16 at 2:30 p.m. ET to provide details on the OneMain Financial 200 at Dover International Speedway sweepstakes and to answer fan questions.

Reddick’s visit to ISM Raceway in the Valley of the Sun last weekend was one of perseverance. The California native crashed in qualifying and had to start the race at the rear of the field (40th) but managed to pilot his No. 9 Chevrolet to a 10th-place finish. Now the 22-year-old is second, just one point behind his teammate Elliott Sadler, in the championship standings. Reddick will be making his series track debut at Auto Club Speedway this weekend.

The latest JR Motorsports driver to join the top three in the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings is Allgaier, who currently sits third in points, seven markers back from Sadler in the lead. Allgaier joins the JRM points party on the heels of an impressive performance at ISM Raceway, where he led the most laps (76) and finished runner-up to Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski. The Riverton, Illinois, native has now posted two top fives and three top 10s this season.

“This No. 7 team has had a lot of momentum the past few weeks and I’m hoping we can continue that into this weekend at Auto Club Speedway. This is definitely a race where you need to bring your A-game.”

Allgaier has made nine series starts at Auto Club Speedway, posting four top-10 finishes; including a ninth-place finish last season.

West Coast Love: NASCAR Xfinity Series California Natives A Plenty

A total of 56 different drivers representing three countries (U.S.A., Mexico and Canada) and 26 different states have made at least one start this season in the first four races of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. And of those drivers, six are from the state of California.

California is tied with Florida (six each) for the second-highest number of series participants this season behind North Carolina’s eight drivers. The six drivers that call California home are Cole Custer (Ladera Ranch), Ryan Reed (Bakersfield), Dylan Lupton (Sacramento), Tyler Reddick (Corning), Kyle Larson (Elk Grove) and Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield).

Of the six California natives who have made series starts this season, four are entered in Saturday’s Roseanne 300 at Auto Club Speedway (5 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio):

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang, hails from Ladera Ranch, California, which is about 60 miles south of Auto Club Speedway. The 20-year-old in his sophomore season is currently 11th in the series driver standings after posting two top 10s in his first four starts of 2018. Custer made his series track debut last season at Auto Club Speedway and started fourth before getting caught in an incident on Lap 105 and that relegated him to a 35th-place finish. The So-Cal youngster will be looking to redeem himself in front of the home track fans this weekend.

Ryan Reed, driver of the No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang, is from Bakersfield, California, which is about 155 miles north of Auto Club Speedway. Reed isn’t the only Californian on the No. 16 team, the car chief, Dan Bormann, is also from The Golden State (Shingle Springs, California).

The 24-year-old Reed has been the model of consistency during his career, finishing in the top 10 in points ever since he started running full-time in 2014. Reed is ninth in the series standings heading into this weekend. In his first four starts of the season, he has posted one top five and two top 10s.

“It’s (Auto Club Speedway) so much fun, I love going there, it’s one of my favorite race tracks we go to, if not my favorite, and also it’s a home track for me since I grew up in Bakersfield a few hours away,” said Reed. “I look forward to going there every year and it just means a lot to have a lot of friends and family there.”

Reed has made four series starts at Auto Club Speedway, posting an average finish of 14.2, including a 15th-place finish last season.

Dylan Lupton, driver of the No. 28 JGL Racing Ford Mustang, is from just outside Sacramento in Wilton, California, which is about 450 miles north of Auto Club Speedway. The 24-year-old is currently 22nd in the series standings after posting an average finish of 27.8 in his first four starts of the season. Lupton made his series track debut and lone start at Auto Club Speedway in 2016, where he started 22nd but finished 36th after being caught in an incident on Lap 56.

“Auto Club Speedway is my favorite track that we race at all year long,” said Lupton. “The worn-out surface, the seams, and all the different lanes you can run on the track makes Auto Club really unique. I look forward to racing in my home state and having my friends, family, and Fatal Clothing guests join us at the track this weekend.”

Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, is from Corning, California, which is about 550 miles north of Auto Club Speedway. The 22-year-old Reddick is currently second in the series standings, just one point behind his JRM teammate and the series standings leader Elliott Sadler. In the first four races of the season, Reddick has posted one win (Daytona) and three top 10s. His average finish of 9.5 this season is second only to Sadler’s 5.3 among title contenders this season. Reddick will be making his NASCAR national series track debut at Auto Club Speedway this weekend.

Larson, Byron quickest on first day of NASCAR testing at LVMS

Kyle Larson and William Byron clocked the fastest laps during the first day of NASCAR testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Wednesday.

Larson finished atop the speed chart with a lap of 28.662 seconds at 188.403 miles per hour, while Byron was second at 28.678 and 188.298. Larson’s fastest time came during the afternoon session, while Byron clocked his best lap in the morning.

“It was a really good test overall, and I was pretty excited to get here and get in the new Camaro,” said Larson, who was testing the re-designed Chevy Camaro ZL1 for the first time. “These were my first laps in it, so it’s just nice to know it has as much speed or more than what we had last year. We’ll work on it some more tomorrow and maybe see if we can find some traffic to get in to see if it handles any different.”

More than a dozen NASCAR drivers – including Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champions Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch – spent the day knocking the offseason rust off and helping their teams collect crucial data at the 1.5-mile oval. The day-long session was the first of two at LVMS in advance of the 2018 NASCAR season, which begins with the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 18 and makes its first of two LVMS stops on March 4.

Las Vegas native Busch met with the media during the lunch break on Wednesday to talk about being back behind the wheel. He is optimistic about the 2018 season and excited about LVMS having two tripleheader weekends this year.

“It kind of feels like the first day of school, and it’s exciting to be back at the track going 200 miles per hour,” said Busch, the defending Daytona 500 champion. “It’s huge for our track here in Las Vegas to kick off NASCAR’s (MENCS) Playoffs, and it’ll be a new and exciting feel for our sport to kick it off on a stage like Las Vegas Motor Speedway.”

Busch was also asked his thoughts on attempting to become the first NASCAR driver to repeat as Daytona 500 champion since Sterling Marlin won two in a row from 1994-95.

“I’m definitely feeling the pressure for Daytona, and my family and friends have been asking me if I feel more or less pressure,” Busch said. “I feel more (pressure) and want to go back there and repeat, and it hasn’t been done since the early 1990s by Sterling Marlin. That gives us extra motivation to go there and win, and frankly I don’t want to share any of the spoils that come with winning Daytona.”

LVMS’ first 2018 tripleheader weekend will consist of Stratosphere Qualifying and a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Friday, March 2, the Boyd Gaming 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, March 3, and the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube on Sunday, March 4. LVMS will be the first track in history with two NASCAR tripleheader weekends in the same year when it hosts a second trifecta Sept. 14-16.

For Brad Keselowski, coming back to LVMS is always a thrill considering he is a two-time winner (2016, 2014) of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race in Las Vegas.

“It’s a fun track to come to, and I always like coming to the tracks we win at,” said Keselowski, who also won the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Boyd Gaming 300 at LVMS in 2014. “I’ve won here twice at the Cup level, and we probably should have won this race last spring, but had a part failure on the next-to-last lap while leading. Now that we’ve got two races here, it seems to justify us coming here and putting a little extra effort into this one with us kind of starting out the season and it having such an important effect on the back half of the season.

“We’re glad to be here, to kind of get off the couch a little bit and get warmed up for Daytona. You always get a little bit of jitters like, ‘Did I forget know how to drive?’ but then you get back in and get going and knock the rust off.”

A portion of the LVMS grandstands and pits will be open and available to the public free of charge, so fans can get an early racing fix roughly a month before the speedway’s March 2-4 NASCAR tripleheader weekend. Gates open at 9 a.m. Pacific Time on Thursday for Day 2 of testing, which will run until 5 p.m.

Morning Session Results

Afternoon Session Results