Team: No. 44 Ruedebusch Development & Construction Chevrolet Silverado
Driver: Natalie Decker
Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport; @NatalieRacing
Natalie Decker on Racing at Richmond: “I can’t wait to get back into the truck after a week off,” said Decker. “The Truck Series hasn’t been to Richmond in a few years, so it will be a new challenge for most of us. I’m excited to go racing under the lights on Thursday!”
Decker at Richmond: Thursday night’s Truck Series race at Richmond Raceway marks the first time in 15 years that the Series returns to the .75-mile track.
On the Truck: Decker’s No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado will race with support from Ruedebusch Development & Construction.
Ruedebusch Development & Construction, Inc. is a highly qualified, vertically integrated full service commercial construction, and real estate development company located in Madison, Wisconsin which offers: Commercial Real Estate Development Design Build Construction Commercial Real Estate Brokerage Economic Development, Commercial Real Estate, and Facility Consulting.
About Niece Motorsports:
Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2020, Niece Motorsports enters its fifth season in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel / lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as Twitter @NieceMotorsport.
Team: No. 40 Scott’s/GM Parts Now Chevrolet Silverado
Driver: Carson Hocevar
Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport; @CarsonHocevar
Hocevar on Racing at Richmond: “I’ve been ready to get back into one of these Niece Motorsports trucks since we took the checkered flag at Gateway,” said Hocevar. “We’ve had strong trucks and good speed so far this season. I’m learning as much as I can every time I get in the truck. I love short track racing and am excited for Thursday night’s race. If we can keep our nose clean, we will be in contention for another solid finish.”
Hocevar at Richmond: Thursday night’s Truck Series race at Richmond Raceway marks the first time in 15 years that the Series returns to the .75-mile track.
On the Truck: The No. 40 Chevrolet will carry the Scott’s and GM Parts Now colors at Richmond Raceway.
Scott’s Sport Cards, Coins & Jewelry carries the largest selection of high-quality estate jewelry, rare coins, and anything in between in Southwest Michigan. Since 1972, Scott Hocevar has been collecting, buying, and selling gold and silver jewelry, coins, and bullion. Having earned a reputation for offering fair prices, working with Scott’s allows customers to be confident that they are getting the best, most current prices available when buying gold and silver, estate jewelry, and sports memorabilia.
GM Parts Now is the go-to online auto parts store for OEM car parts. Whether customers are looking to repair or customize an old or new vehicle, GM Parts Now has what you need. GM Parts Now offers car parts and GM accessories for a variety of years, makes and models.
About Niece Motorsports:
Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2020, Niece Motorsports enters its fifth season in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel / lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as Twitter @NieceMotorsport.
A busy weekend is scheduled to take place at Richmond Raceway as all three of NASCAR’s top series compete, beginning on Thursday night with the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series regular season finale. The NASCAR XFINITY Series will race on Friday and Saturday while the NASCAR Cup Series runs its second playoff race to close out the weekend on Saturday night.
Kevin Harvick’s dramatic win in Sunday night’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway was Ford’s 15th NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season. That already ranks as the fourth-highest single-season total for Ford in the NASCAR modern era (1972-present) and is within five of matching the manufacturer’s all-time high of 20. Here is a look at Ford’s best seasons in terms of victories since 1972.
Harvick’s second win of the season at Darlington Raceway continued Ford’s string of success since NASCAR returned to action on May 17 at the track Too Tough to Tame. Since then, Ford has won 13 of the 23 Cup points races (57%) and 10 of the 19 XFINITY events (53%). Overall, Ford leads each series in total wins (15 in Cup and 11 in XFINITY), and also tops both in the manufacturers’ standings.
FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT RR
· Ford has 32 all-time series wins at Richmond.
· Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski have Ford wins at Richmond while Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman and Clint Bowyer also have series victories.
· Logano is tied with seven other Ford drivers for most victories at Richmond with two.
ROUND OF 16 NCS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 12 advance after Bristol)
1. Kevin Harvick (Clinched: Darlington win)
3. Joey Logano +27
4. Brad Keselowski +22
12. Aric Almirola +0
13. Clint Bowyer -0
14. Cole Custer -3
15. Matt DiBenedetto -17
16. Ryan Blaney -17
FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT RR
· Ford has 19 series wins at Richmond.
· Mark Martin leads Ford with five series wins at Richmond.
· Cole Custer is the last Ford winner at Richmond (2019).
FORD IN THE NASCAR GANDER RV & OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES AT RR
· Ford has two all-time series wins at Richmond.
· Ben Rhodes, Grant Enfinger and Matt Crafton have qualified for the playoffs.
· Todd Gilliland holds the final playoff spot based on points with one race to go.
RICHMOND CUP HIGHLIGHTS
GOLDSMITH GOLDEN
The first time Ford went to victory lane in the NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond Raceway was on May 5, 1957 when Paul Goldsmith started seventh and won the Richmond 250. That was his second win of the season and came on a day that Ford dominated from start to finish by leading all 200 laps. Pete DePaolo fielded three cars under his DePaolo Engineering sponsorship and watched as Fireball Roberts jumped to the lead and held it for the first 159 laps before Goldsmith came on and passed him with 41 laps remaining. Goldsmith went on to win the race by one lap with Roberts finishing second and Marvin Panch third to give Ford and DePaolo a sweep of the top three spots. Goldsmith ended up winning a career-high four races with Ford that season, which included victories in Greensboro (NC), Lancaster (SC), and Raleigh (NC).
KYLE PETTY’S FIRST WIN
The Wood Brothers have 99 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories and many of those have been first-time wins for whoever was lucky enough to be behind the wheel. Kyle Petty was that man in the mid-1980s and on Feb. 23, 1986 found himself in the right place at the right time. Driving the No. 7 Ford for Glenn Wood – the car carried that number because of sponsor 7-Eleven – Petty was the beneficiary of an ongoing battle between Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt. After Waltrip passed Earnhardt to take the lead with two to go, Earnhardt made contact with Waltrip and both cars went spinning into the wall. Others got collected in the aftermath, but Petty was able to get through unscathed and took the checkered flag under caution for his first series triumph.
BURTON WINS BATTLE OF THE JEFFS
Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon waged a memorable battle at RR on Sept. 12, 1998 in the Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 in which Burton emerged victorious. The two drivers exchanged the lead eight times during the middle stages of the 400-lap feature until Jimmy Spencer joined them. Those three combined to lead the final 259 laps, but the winner was in doubt until the very end as Gordon steadily chased down Burton, who grabbed the top spot from Spencer with 40 to go. Gordon was on Burton’s bumper as the two took the white flag, and he dove to the inside as they entered turn three. Burton maintained his high line and got enough momentum off turn four to win by half-a-car length (.051 seconds).
A PENSKE SEASON SWEEP
Thanks to Team Penske, Ford dominated the 2014 season at RR as both Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski made it to victory lane. Keselowski clinched the top seed for the ensuing Chase with a dominating performance that saw him lead all but 17 of the 400 laps, including the final 274 circuits. The win was his fourth of the season and marked the third time Ford swept both NCS races at the three-quarter-mile track, and the first since 1997. Logano won the first RR race after passing Matt Kenseth with four laps to go to claim his fifth career series victory.
FORD MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP WINNERS AT RICHMOND
1957 – Paul Goldsmith
1959 – Tom Pistone and Cotton Owens
1960 – Speedy Thompson (2)
1963 – Ned Jarrett (2)
1965 – Junior Johnson (1)
1968 – David Pearson (1)
1969 – David Pearson (1)
1970 – James Hylton (1)
1979 – Bobby Allison (2)
1980 – Bobby Allison (2)
1981 – Benny Parsons (2)
1984 – Ricky Rudd (1)
1986 – Kyle Petty (1)
1988 – Davey Allison (2)
1990 – Mark Martin (1)
1992 – Bill Elliott (1)
1993 – Davey Allison (1)
1994 – Ernie Irvan (1)
1995 – Rusty Wallace (2)
1996 – Ernie Irvan (2)
1997 – Rusty Wallace and Dale Jarrett
1998 – Jeff Burton (2)
1999 – Dale Jarrett (1)
2001 – Ricky Rudd (2)
2002 – Matt Kenseth (2)
2005 – Kurt Busch (2)
2013 – Carl Edwards (2)
2014 – Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski
2017 – Joey Logano (1)
FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT RICHMOND
1987 – Mark Martin
1993 – Mark Martin (Sweep)
1994 – Kenny Wallace (2)
1995 – Kenny Wallace (1) and Dale Jarrett (2)
1996 – Kenny Wallace (2)
1997 – Mark Martin (1)
1998 – Jeff Burton (1)
1999 – Mark Martin (1)
2000 – Jeff Burton (2)
2002 – Jason Keller (1)
2005 – Carl Edwards (1)
2008 – Carl Edwards (2)
2009 – Carl Edwards (2)
2013 – Brad Keselowski (Sweep)
2017 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2019 – Cole Custer (1)
FORD NASCAR GANDER RV & OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT RICHMOND
1999 – Greg Biffle
2000 – Rick Carelli
Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Frontline Enterprises Ford F-150
Thursday night’s NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series (NGROTS) race at Richmond (Va.) Raceway is the last chance for Todd Gilliland to secure his place in the 2020 playoffs. Richmond, which was not originally on the NGROTS schedule before the Covid-19 pandemic, is now the regular-season finale. Gilliland sits on the bubble in 10th place with a 10-point lead over 11th-place driver Derek Kraus, and is only four points behind ninth place Tyler Ankrum.
Although Gilliland has no prior experience at Richmond, neither do the two drivers he is competing against for the final two spots up for grabs in the playoffs. Gilliland was only five years old the last time the Truck Series raced at Richmond in 2005, but he has watched a lot of film of recent races and spent time on the Ford Performance simulator to prepare for the 250-lap race.
In 15 starts this season, Gilliland has four top-five, nine top-10 finishes and has led 92 laps in the No. 38 Ford F-150 for Front Row Motorsports (FRM). He did not make the playoffs last year in his first full season in the NGROTS, so clinching one of the 10 playoff spots would be a first for him and FRM in the Truck Series. Frontline Enterprises will be the primary sponsor on the No. 38 Ford F-150 Thursday night at Richmond.
The NGROTS 250 from Richmond Raceway will be run on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast live on FS1. The 250-lap race will be broken into three segments with stage-ending cautions on laps 70 and 140.
Quick Facts:
Number of Truck Series Starts at Richmond Raceway: 0
2020 Driver Point Standings: 10th (+10 above playoff cut line)
Gilliland on Richmond: “Before this year we’d be nervous about going to a track we’ve never been to, but really we’ve gotten used to dealing with stuff we’ve never done before. The biggest thing is just getting our setup right for Richmond. We’re trying to base it off races in the past like we have been all season. I think our Frontline Enterprises Ford F-150 will be good and hopefully I can get more laps on the Ford simulator to be as prepared as I can. We need to run the best race we can as a team and I think if we do that we should be able to stay above the cut line and focus on the playoffs.”
Bow, NH – September 8, 2020 – The Mike Cope platforms have been among the most successful chassis in Trans Am since Mike Cope became an authorized car builder for the TA2 series back in 2013. Now providing cars for a number of different Trans Am outfits, one of the most recent additions to the stable is the New Hampshire based LTK Insulation Technologies team and the No. 97 Ford Mustang.
Behind the wheel of the Damon Racing machine sponsored by LTK is Tom Sheehan, winner of the “Iron Man” award presented in Daytona in 2019 and one of the most tenacious competitors on the Trans Am circuit. Having scored 48 points to date, Tom currently sits in P7 in the 2020 Trans Am presented Pirelli Championship TA2 Class, the same position he filled at the Mid Ohio race where he was one of those who lost out in a major way when the initial results were overturned. Tom does not stay down on his luck and the Granite State wheelman isn’t one to dwell on the past or what might have been. He was similarly philosophical when we spoke to him last week about the loss of the event at Watkins Glen and its replacement with the double-header at Virginia International Raceway.
“The boys and I were really pulling for what the Series could workout in terms of the upcoming events. I love Watkins Glen and how hard everyone at Trans am was working to make that happen but it seems it wasn’t meant to be this year.”
Looking ahead to the trip south from New Hampshire to Virginia he added, “We’re all set now for VIR. Virginia International Raceway is a great course, and it’s going to be two races which is fantastic. It’s a great job by Trans Am, giving us an opportunity to get back to racing and taking care of equipment. That’s going to be the key to the weekend.”
For VIR, where the Heacock Classic Gold Cup and Trans Am racing is happening over the weekend of September 24 to 27, Trans Am have not only scheduled two races, but for the second feature event on the Sunday, all the cars from the various classes will be on the track at the same time. It promises to be a terrific spectacle.
The “Full Course” at VIR is 3.27 miles in length with 17 turns. It was first opened in 1957 but was closed for 26 years from 1974 until 2000 when it was reopened by New Yorkers Harvey Siegel and Connie Nyholm who purchased the facility. The entrepreneurs from the Big Apple have brought the track back to life using a country club model. Memberships to the track are sold with each member of the VIR Club receiving track time on member days, tickets to all spectator events, and other benefits. VIR’s membership model has since been followed by other race tracks across the United States.
LTK Insulation Technologies, Damon Racing’s title sponsor, manufactures “state of the science” insulation jackets and covers for the construction trade. The LTK Insulation products are very fast and easy to use and save your firm real money and time with installation is as fast as identification. LTK’s carefully designed products line allows; fast, sure fit, 100% clean and no tool installation. Their products are designed for; balance valves, control valves, flex hoses, in line specialties, couplings, quick connects, unions, zone pumps. Your imagination is the only limit….#GOLTK!
About LTK Insulation Technologies: Putting LTK insulation jackets & covers to work on your project saves your firm real money and time. The LTK Insulation products are so fast and easy. Installation is as fast as identification. Our carefully designed products line allows; fast, sure fit, 100% clean, no tool installation. Product designed for; balance valves, control valves, flex hoses, in line specialties, couplings, quick connects, unions, zone pumps. Your imagination is the only limit….GOLTK!
Finally, the vehicle was revealed in November 2019, and we must say the Cybertruck looks unreal. When we saw it most of us thought: “Am I living in the dystopian future of Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner”?
The all-electric truck is a performance beast and it features a cold-rolled 30x steel body with a sharp angular design. Although the vehicle looks very Sci-Fi, some new concepts reveal that the truck can be used for public service duty. Tesla has revealed that this is the third part of the three-phase plan of bringing all-electric cars to the world market.
Many organizations around the world have already shown interest in employing the vehicle in their operations. The vehicle may take a number of roles in the future, such as police, Taxi, pizza delivery, coastguard, etc.
You may find it hard to believe, but some organizations such as Police forces in Kansas, Dubai, and Ciudad Valley are already getting on board.
There is no denying that the Cybertruck’s spec sheet makes it a perfect vehicle for public service duty, and in this article, you will find out why the Cybertruck will soon conquer the road.
The Ford F-150 has been the most popular choice of AA firms for decades. In the image above you can see a mock-up of a Cybertruck towing a Ford which is the truck’s main competitor. The popular Ford can tow up to 2800 kg braked, however, tests have shown that the Cybertruck with its tri-motor system, can tow up to 6350 kg. This shows us that the all-electric truck is one mean towing machine.
Police
Although the NYPD hasn’t declared anything officially, the above mock-up shows that the car could look very slick. The vehicle comes with bulletproof glass, solid cold-rolled steel unibody construction, and with mind-blowing acceleration 0 to 60 mph in 2,9 seconds. This vehicle will probably make a powerful addition to any police force. For that matter, the mayor of Ciudad Valley has stated that having this vehicle is inevitable.
Coast guard
As we can see from the mockup above, the coast guard is probably going on board as well. The truck will have excellent traction that will keep from getting stuck in the mud and will also come with a useful jet ski in the back for search and rescue missions. Tesla stated that the truck will also come with additions like locks for securing storage and solar wings for boosting range.
Pizza delivery
Well at first it may seem too much for pizza delivery, but considering its acceleration speed, food delivered cold may the thing of the past. Anyone for cyber-pizza?
Taxi
Taxi organizations are also taking an interest in the Cybertruck. It’s towing capacity, speed, and acceleration make the trip to the airport or bus-station look easy.
Royal mail
Looks like the Royal Mail is also getting on board and in the mockup above the truck looks pretty sharp in action.
Justin Haley and Ross Chastain lead the field during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington Raceway on September 05, 2020. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series visited Darlington Raceway Saturday afternoon on Labor Day weekend for race No. 23 of the 2020 Xfinity Series season.
All eyes were on Ross Chastain and the No. 10 Kaulig Racing entry, after the incident the week before at Daytona when he made contact with his teammate A.J. Allmendinger in the final turn of the final lap.
It was almost a repeat story at Darlington but this time it was just hard racing and two veterans going for the victory. Inside 20 laps to go, Denny Hamlin, who makes one Xfinity Series start a year, and Chastain, were racing each other for the top spot. Both drivers were beating and banging off one another, and not one letting the other get ahead. It seemed as though no one could contend with these two with no other driver in sight.
However, Hamlin and Chastain made contact with each other with about two laps to go. Due to the contact, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Brandon Jones was able to go right on by and pick up his third victory of the season. When the battle was said and done, Chastain held on to finish second, while Hamlin limped his damaged No. 54 Sports Clips machine home to a sixth-place finish.
With the thrilling battle over in what was quite possibly the best Xfinity Series race to date, there are now three races left before the Playoffs start. And with three races left, many had a solid outing at Darlington and hope to carry that momentum to the Richmond doubleheader this weekend.
Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Sports Clips Haircuts 200 at Darlington Raceway.
Ryan Sieg – Sieg avoided what could have been a disastrous day at Darlington. It started early on Lap 3 when the Georgia native got involved in an accident on the backstretch after trying to avoid it. But he had nowhere to go and received some damage to the No. 39 RSS Racing Chevy. Despite the incident, Sieg worked the entire race to put his team back in position for a top-five finish. However, when Hamlin and Chastain were battling with each other, Sieg, at one point, was in the third position. Had both of those drivers wrecked, Sieg could have capitalized and brought home his second career win. Sieg remained in the third position and gained his fourth top-five of the year.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
Chase Briscoe – Looking for his seventh win of the year and that magic goal of eight wins this season, the Indiana native would, unfortunately, spin while leading the race. Up until that point, Briscoe had led most of the laps with 55, and placed fourth and third respectively in both stages. Even with the help of the late-race caution, Briscoe narrowly missed out on the top 10 by finishing 11th. Still, it was a disappointing finish after what could have been another victory for the No. 98 camp.
Previous Week Ranking – First
Harrison Burton – It was a sixth-place finish for Burton after earning a Stage 2 finish of fifth. Burton was quiet for most of the day but was in contention for the win if a late-race caution had occurred. The late-race caution did fly with 21 to go, but Burton was still mired in mid-pack. Nonetheless, Burton continued his strong 2020 season by picking up his 16th top-10 of the year.
Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
Brandon Jones – It only took two laps for Brandon Jones to get the victory in Saturday’s race. But before taking the lead after the Hamlin/Chastain battle, Jones had a consistent race throughout the 147- lap event. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver placed sixth in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2. The victory marked Jones’s third of the season and his first since Kansas in July. The 2020 season has been up and down for Jones, who has three wins, eight top five’s and 12 top-10 finishes, along with five DNFs. If Jones can keep the top five and 10 finishes going, and of course the victories, he’ll be an easy pick for the Xfinity Series championship.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
Ross Chastain – Chastain had the race in his hands inside not only 20 laps to go, but also five to go. However, a hard-charging Denny Hamlin kept Chastain from stretching out the lead and running away with the victory. Unfortunately, after leading 43 laps, Chastain once again came one spot short of gaining his first victory of the season and ending his one-year plus winless streak in the Xfinity Series. His last victory was in July at Daytona last year. With the help of finishing second in Stage 1 and fourth in Stage 2, Chastain has now clinched a spot in the 2020 Xfinity Series Playoffs.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
Fell Out
Riley Herbst – Herbst placed in the fourth position and overall had a quiet day without making too much noise, which sometimes is a good thing. He is still winless through 23 races and will need a win in the regular season or a win in the Playoffs if Herbst wants to be a threat for the championship.
Previous Week Ranking – Second
Austin Cindric – It has been a whirlwind of a week for Austin Cindric’s No. 22 Team Penske entry and it all started on social media. Twitter began to light up Wednesday night when race fans quickly assumed Cindric was out of a ride after what looked like his merchandise was pulled from every website, including the NASCAR.com website. Though Cindric posted a video the day after and cleared the air. He let everyone know that he is still racing with Penske through the end of the year and that they were only temporarily sold out of merchandise. Switching to the race, Cindric disappointingly finished 12th after being strong early in the stages, where he finished third and seventh, respectively.
Previous Week Ranking – Third
Justin Haley – One week after his Daytona victory, Justin Haley was looking forward to carrying that race winning momentum to Darlington on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately for Haley, his race was pretty much forgettable after he made slight contact with Justin Allgaier off Turn 4, which gave Haley right-front damage on his No. 11 Chevrolet. Ultimately, the damage ruined a good race car and the Indiana native could only manage a 13th place result after leading seven laps. In addition, Haley did not earn any stage points for his efforts. Certainly, a forgettable Darlington outing following his big Daytona victory just a week ago.
During the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 06, 2020 in Darlington, South Carolina. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.
Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.
1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick took the win at Darlington after inheriting the lead when Chase Elliott and Martin Truex, Jr. hit the wall battling for the lead late.
“If this were the Olympics,” Harvick said, “I would have won the gold, while Eliott and Truex would have shared the silver, for handing me that win on a platter of such.”
2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 13th at Darlington.
“I missed getting into the pits late in the race,” Hamlin said, “and that cost me. I missed the left into the pits. Several other drivers made mistakes at Darlington. So I guess as far as making mistakes goes, it was ‘my turn.'”
3. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished 20th in the Cook Out Southern 500.
“Martin Truex Jr. tried to pass me for the lead and wasn’t clear,” Elliott said. “The result? We both hit the wall and lost our chances to win. So, in our tangle, there were no winners.”
4. Joey Logano: Logano finished third at Darlington, posting his seventh top-5 of the season
“It was ‘throwback’ weekend at Darlington,” Logano said. “Mine honored Bobby Allison. His brother Donnie will be honored whenever NASCAR has a ‘throw punch‘ weekend.”
5. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski hit the wall in Stage 1 and fell a lap down before recovering to post an 11th at Darlington.
“When you make a mistake at Darlington,” Keselowski said, “the wall makes you pay for it. Now, if Corey LaJoie hits the wall with his ‘Trump 2020’ car, the wall makes Mexico pay for it.”
6. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex swept Stages 1 and 2, but fell from contention after initiating contact while trying to pass Chase Elliott with 15 laps to go. Truex finished 22nd.
“I take full responsibility,” Truex said. “I said as much on Twitter, where my new Twitter handle is ‘@fault.'”
7. Ryan Blaney: Blaney suffered a flat rear tire early in Stage 2, and the ensuing pit stop left him a lap down. Unable to recover, he finished 24th.
“Even before that,” Blaney said, “I was docked 10 points and sent to the back of the field for improperly mounted ballast. That’s a pretty stiff punishment, and is also known as being ‘heavily penalized.'”
8. William Byron: Byron finished fifth at Darlington, just ahead of Handrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman.
“I just signed a two-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports,” Byron said. “I signed on the dotted line, while also making sure I didn’t sign below the yellow line.”
9. Kyle Busch: Busch finished seventh at Darlington and is 10th in the points standings.
“I’m the guy most people might be overlooking to win the championship,” Busch said. “My odds in Vegas to win the title are pretty slim. So, as far as oddsmakers go, ‘no one likes me to win.’ Remove the ‘to win’ part of that phrase, and you have another true statement.”
10. Aric Almirola: Almirola finished ninth in the Cook Out Southern 500 and is now 12th in the point standings.
“I’m sitting right on the playoff bubble,” Almirola said. “My Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick doesn’t have to worry about that. In fact, he’s thinking not about the ‘playoff bubble,’ but the ‘playoff bubbly.'”
While Kevin Harvick celebrated another momentous victory of this season in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 6 and punched his ticket to the second round of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, teammates Aric Almirola and Clint Bowyer battled back from early struggles to their respective cars and persevered through a long night of racing to record top-10 results, thus opening the Playoffs on a decent note.
For Almirola, who started in 10th place, he started the race on a strong note as he kept his No. 10 Go Bowling Ford Mustang within the top 10, running as high as seventh place. Throughout the run, however, Almirola began battling loose-handling conditions as he lost track position and he was also involved in an incident past the Lap 80 mark involving Playoff contender Brad Keselowski, who cut a tire and drew out a caution due to debris. At the end of the first stage, he was scored in 18th place.
Restarting inside the top 20 at the start of the second stage, Almirola was able to work his way back into the top 15 and following adjustments to his car, he nearly cracked the top 10 before he settled in 11th place following the second stage. For the remainder of the run in the final stage, Almirola was able to work his way back into the top 10 on the track following a stellar pit stop from his crew and gaining track position. He was scored in seventh place prior to a late restart before he settled in ninth place when he crossed the finish line.
The top-10 result was Almirola’s 15th of the season and despite scoring no stage points throughout the race, he holds sole possession of the 12th and final transfer spot above the top-12 cutline in a tie-breaker over teammate Clint Bowyer, who finished right behind him.
“I think the downforce package has been a little bit different, for sure,” Almirola said in a post-race conference call. “I enjoy slipping and sliding around. Tires still seemed like they mattered, for sure. I think tires were a second-and-a-half to two seconds faster, so I’m excited about Richmond — going back to a short track package with low downforce and that’s been a good place for us, so I’m looking forward to there and Bristol and we’ll go from there…As far as Darlington compared to Las Vegas, I felt like I ran about the same as I would have at Las Vegas. I’ve been about a sixth to tenth place car at both places and that’s about what we ran tonight. We got in a little bit of a hole early in the race with some left-rear quarter panel damage that we had to fix on pit road and really put us in a spot to where we couldn’t capitalize on stage points, so that hurt us a little bit just not scoring any stage points, but we were able to battle back from that and get back to the top 10, which is where we felt like we were capable of running. I felt like we were a seventh to tenth place car and we finished ninth.”
For Bowyer, who started ninth, he was scored back in 10th place on the track when the competition caution flew on Lap 25. Though he had a car capable of running inside the top 10 and was able to work his way up to eighth place, he dropped back to 12th place, where he finished following the first stage. During the early run, he also had an on-track altercation with Kyle Busch, where both competitors made contact with one another for two consecutive laps and ended with Bowyer getting bumped by Kyle before he was passed for position in the top 10. Restarting inside the top 15 for the second stage, Bowyer received adjustments to his car throughout the run to improve the handling, which he was able to carve his way back into the top 10 and finish ninth when the second stage ended. As a result, he collected a couple of stage points.
Restarting in 11th place to start the final stage, Bowyer continued to methodically work his way towards the front as he worked his way up as high as sixth place on the track with his pit crew delivering strong service to his No. 14 PEAK Ford Mustang. With 66 laps remaining, however, he pitted to have a flat right-rear tire addressed. Though he returned to the track on fresh tires and was poised to gain more track position, a caution with less than 50 laps remaining due to debris evaporated Bowyer’s progress and chances of making a late rally for the win. Instead, he restarted inside the top 15 with approximately 40 laps remaining and made his way up to 10th place when the checkered flag flew and he crossed the finish line.
The top-10 result was Bowyer’s eighth of the season as he is ranked in 13th place in the Playoff standings and is tied with teammate Aric Almirola for the 12th and final transfer spot while being below the top-12 cutline.
“I certainly was hoping for more,” Bowyer said in a post-race conference call. “Frustrated to be honest with you. I have to go back and look at the race to see what happened with the debris. By the time that they picked it up I’d say it was way off the race track, so that kind of set us up to not have a not very good day. That put us in a hole. We were gonna be in the single digits for sure there, looking pretty good, but just had a lot of trouble. Right-rear — threw the rubber off the right-rear and had to pit there. It could have been catastrophic. At the end the left-rear was about to fall off of it, so we’ve got to clean some things up. I told you going into this we’ve got to put 10 races together. We’ve got to put whole races together. We can’t make these mistakes. If we can clean those up, we’re going to some good tracks for us — for us all, Aric, Kevin and all of us, we enjoy these short tracks. We’ve got a good short track program, so looking forward to what’s to come.”
Photo by Ted Seminara for SpeedwayMedia.com.
Following the race, however, disaster struck for Bowyer, when NASCAR discovered that his No. 14 Ford had two lug nuts not safely secured on his race car during post-race inspection. A similar discovery was made to Kyle Busch’s No. 18 M&M’s/Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry. As a result, both competitors will compete next weekend’s Playoff race at Richmond without their respective crew chiefs. Bowyer will have veteran Greg Zipadelli, Stewart-Haas Racing’s competition director, as an interim crew chief on a one-race basis next weekend.
Teammates Almirola and Bowyer, along with their fellow Cup contenders, will return for the next NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
For the majority of Sunday night’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Jimmie Johnson drove like a legend as a non-title contender and down to his final 10 races as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series competitor. Despite recording top-five runs in both stages and having a car to contend for a possible victory, contact with fellow competitor Denny Hamlin and being shuffled towards the middle of the pack in the closing laps left the seven-time champion and his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team with an 18th-place run in the final running order.
Starting in 22nd place while sporting a special blue, white, red and black scheme to his No. 48 Chevrolet and paying tribute to Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt (two of three seven-time champions in NASCAR), Johnson wasted no time making his way to the front. Five laps into the event, Johnson was scored in 15th place and he continued to march towards the front. Following the competition caution on Lap 25 and the ensuing restart past the Lap 30 mark, Johnson made his way into the top 10. Battling teammates and Playoff contenders William Byron and Alex Bowman for position (both of whom sported special Jimmie Johnson throwback schemes), Johnson was scored in the top five by Lap 60. Following a caution past the Lap 80 mark due to debris, his pursuit to the front continued on the ensuing restart when he moved up to third place and then passed teammate Chase Elliott for second place on the track. Unable to catch leader Martin Truex Jr., Johnson settled in second place in the first stage on Lap 115.
Following a slow pit stop under the stage break, Johnson was shuffled back to eighth place for the start of the second stage. Nonetheless, when the racing resumed under green, he methodically worked his way back towards the front. Racing as high as third place in the stage when he cycled through a green flag pit stop and gained a handful of track position, he settled in fifth place when the second stage concluded on Lap 230.
Starting in eighth place for the final stage, Johnson raced as high as fourth place before he dropped and settled inside the top 10. His race, however, went away with less than 50 laps remaining and during a cycle of green flag pit stops. After completing his stop and cycling his way back on the track, he made contact with Denny Hamlin, who struggled and missed the pit road entrance. The incident dropped Johnson and his No. 48 team back within the top 20. Trying to charge his way back towards the front, he ended up getting shuffled back to 18th place when the checkered flag flew.
In the end, Johnson emerged as the second highest-finishing non-title contender on the track in his 24th and final run at Darlington, a track where he won three times during his 19-year career run in NASCAR.
Johnson, along with his fellow competitors, will return for the next Cup event at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
