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Ford Performance NASCAR: All-Star Race Post-Race Quotes

By
Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020
ALL-STAR RACE – BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FORD PERFORMANCE DRIVER – POST RACE QUOTES

Ford Finishing Results:
3rd — Kevin Harvick
4th — Brad Keselowski
6th — Ryan Blaney
7th — Joey Logano
9th — Aric Almirola
13th — Matt DiBenedetto
15th — Clint Bowyer
16th — Cole Custer
19th — Ryan Newman

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang — YOU WENT FROM 10TH TO THIRD IN THE FINAL 15 LAPS. ANYTHING DIFFERENT YOU COULD HAVE DONE? “There were a couple laps there that I had to spend a little more time in traffic than I needed to to get back to the front, but our Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang guys did a good job. I think that was the right call. That was our only chance. We weren’t gonna beat the 9 where we were sitting on the same tires, so it all came down to getting past those cars for the first couple laps, but, in the end, it was definitely one lane. Much different than I thought it was gonna be.”

POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH YOUR RACE? “It was okay. We were on all sides of the handling and just never really got that right. We had a good strategy there at the end, but just took a couple laps too long to get past some of the cars that we needed to pass, just needed a couple more laps to catch the leaders, but weren’t gonna beat the 9 heads-up where we were, running whatever it was without doing something different. A bunch of them didn’t do anything but stay out and wound up having to pass a couple more than we needed to. Other than that, our Busch Light Apple Ford was okay and just came up a little short.”

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE WHOLE NIGHT AND HAVING THE FANS BACK? “I thought having the fans back is obviously what we all want and having that energy back in the stands was definitely fun to hear and fun to be a part of, so I wish we would have had a couple more lanes to race in. I think the only thing I would like to see different if we raced here again was run all the other races so that the track was 100 percent run in, so you could run all over the racetrack. But it definitely was nice to have some energy back in the racetrack.”

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THE ALL-STAR RACE CONTINUE HERE AT BRISTOL AND DID IT FULFILL EXPECTATIONS? “I’d like to see it moved around. I don’t think it should stay in one spot. We could definitely have the track prepared better if we did race here again. They didn’t even clean the outside lane one time, so it never really had a chance to even get high enough to get that lane to come in. The second lane came in — a couple cars made a little ground — but the bottom was just so dominant that you had to run most of your laps down there.”

HOW DID THE CHOOSE RULE PLAY OUT? “I think the thing that it does is it just takes all the question out of where everybody is and who is where. When you get to that line everybody has already made their choice and there’s no funny business of people trying to start in a different lane or do something that they didn’t choose to do. I think that went really well and, for the most part, I don’t think there were any issues.”

DO YOU THINK THE RACE WAS TOO SHORT IN ORDER TO CREATE WHAT IT WAS INTENDED TO? “I don’t know that I’m the right guy to ask that. I think a short race when you look at last week, for the most part, it wasn’t a very good race and you had a great finish. I think it all depends on how all that goes and I think tonight Chase Elliott winning makes it a better race just because he’s obviously the most popular guy here and it’s good for all of us when Chase wins, so I think when you look at that, I don’t know that the time really matters. I think it’s, like I said earlier, I think the track could have been prepared and taken care of differently than it was tonight to allow for that top lane to come around.”

WHAT DOES IT DO FOR THE MOMENTUM OF THE SPORT TO HAVE CHASE WIN TONIGHT WITH THE FANS BACK? “Like I just said, I think when Chase wins it’s good for all of us, so, obviously, that’s a good thing.”

WHAT ABOUT THE UNDERGLOW LIGHTS? WAS IT WEIRD SEEING THAT? “I wish mine would have fallen off (laughing). The only person that I talked to that thought that underglow light was good was my eight-year-old. Hopefully, the kids liked it because it was definitely something that I’m way out of that age group for, I guess you’d call it the underglow light.”

THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT TRACK PREP AT KENTUCKY. IS THERE A CONCERN WITH WHAT”S HAPPENED THIS PAST WEEK AND IS THERE A WORRY GOING INTO TEXAS? “Yeah, I mean you’re definitely depending on the guys taking care of the racetrack. I think when we definitely went to Charlotte and the track prep didn’t seem like the PJ1 was what it had been the last couple years. It seemed like when we started at Kentucky the track prep obviously wasn’t very good for the XFINITY cars with dust flying everywhere and the top was just nasty dirty tonight and really no chance to ever really run up there. The track prep piece of it, just last week we showed up on race day and the PJ1 was put on the racetrack without anybody knowing, so I think you have to be concerned with it going to Texas because it just hasn’t been the same as what it was last year.”

WHAT IS THE LESSON OF THIS WEEK TO AVOID WHAT’S HAPPENED? WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE THIS WEEKEND? “That’s a good question. I think the one thing that lacks there is practice, so I think everybody is kind of guessing at what’s right and what’s wrong, but the track was definitely not ready to race last week at Kentucky when those guys took off in the XFINITY race. And tonight there was no chance that the top groove was gonna come in. There was enough stuff up there that if you drove up there it was gonna take you two or three laps to get cleaned back up. It just wound up not being able to push it high enough. We still had a second groove, but I think a lot of people had the expectations that the bump-and-run was gonna come into play tonight, but when the bottom has that much grip, then it becomes kind of an aero game, which it kind of became tonight.”

WAS THE TRACK PREP AND LACK OF THE OUTSIDE LANE THE DECIDING FACTOR TONIGHT? “Well, you just didn’t have any options to move around and make your car do different things. A lot of times if you can’t run the bottom, you move up to the top and it seems like the cars have a better chance to fix the problems that they had. With the short race tonight, not having an option besides the bottom, you just kind of took all those things away of tools that you had to try to race and make your car faster. Tonight, the 9 hit it and he had the dominant car in the lane that we had available.

ALL-STAR OPEN POST-RACE INTERVIEWS

MATT DIBENEDETTO, No. 21 Menards/FVP Ford Mustang — ALL-STAR OPEN WINNER — POST-RACE INTERVIEW: “Oh, man. I was hanging on for dear life. We were so loose on entry. I was right on the ragged edge, so just thankful to the team for battling back. My gosh, we had big damage there at the start and had to fix it. That’s battling back. That’s been this team lately. We’ve been fighting so hard. I’m so proud to be driving this thing and thankful for Menards, FVP, the Wood Brothers team, Motorcraft/Quick Lane, everyone that allows me to have the opportunity to race in my first All-Star Race.”

CLINT BOWYER, No. 14 Rush Truck Centers Ford Mustang — FAN VOTE WINNER — “You hate to lean on them (the fans), but it damn sure feels good to have the fans back at the track. Thank you, guys! We’re gonna go out here and see if we can make some more noise. It’s fun to be around this place. You want to talk about an All-Star event, this is the right track to do it. It’s only gonna get better as we go here. We’ve already seen sparks flying, tempers flaring. I think you’re gonna see more of it. We’ve got a little bit of work to do on our car, but we’re in it. I watched my buddy, Kasey Kahne win it one time off a fan vote — maybe we can do the same thing.”

Toyota Racing NCS Post-Race Recap — All-Star Race 7.15.20

By
Official Release
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BUSCH DRIVES TO RUNNER-UP FINISH IN ALL-STAR RACE AT BRISTOL
Four Toyotas finish in the top 11 in the annual event

BRISTOL, Tennessee (July 15, 2020) – Kyle Busch (second) and Denny Hamlin (fifth) led Toyota with top five finishes at the annual All-Star Race at the Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday evening.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Bristol Motor Speedway
All-Star Race – 74.6 miles, 140 laps, 4 Segments

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Chase Elliott*
2nd, KYLE BUSCH
3rd, Kevin Harvick*
4th, Brad Keselowski*
5th, DENNY HAMLIN
10th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
11th, ERIK JONES
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

What were you fighting in the closing laps with the top groove?

“It just wasn’t quite wide enough. If it had been a little bit wider and you could carry a little more speed with it, I might have had a chance. I tried to run up there early in the last stage to make it go a little earlier than I probably should have. I went back down because I knew I wasn’t going to catch him (Chase Elliott) or pass him there and I had to do something different. I just tried and I think we inched up a little closer on him, but that was about it. The M&M’s Camry, we’re trying hard and we’re running okay. It seemed like we were mired in 10th most of tonight and then the last couple adjustments really helped us. Adam (Stevens, crew chief) did a great job helping the car and making it better. I got a good restart. I think I went from 12th all the way up to fifth so that was a huge bonus for us getting that track position. Overall, just have to keep fighting. I think that four or five second places this year, what do you do? We just have to keep going. Have to thank M&M’s for supporting us. Interstate Batteries, Snickers, Toyota and Rowdy Energy – we’ll go fight next week.”

What did you struggle with in the high groove to try to catch Chase Elliott?

“I just had to try something different than what we were doing. Even if I got to him, I wasn’t going to be able to pass him because the air following guys just wouldn’t let me get close enough all night. Me anyways. Overall, I don’t know. Still felt like I had to drive 110 percent to even make that finish happen. Still kind of slow, just missing something. Adam (Stevens, crew chief) made some good adjustments on pit road there during the race to get us closer instead of just running 10th all night. Just second, that’s it.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 5th

What more did you need to get to the front in tonight’s race?

“We started in the back and we just didn’t have a great balance to start. Overall, just chipped away at it. Just not enough time. 140 laps around here goes real quick and not enough cautions to kind of let us get up there. It took 140 laps to move up 10 spots so that’s all we had.”

# # #

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

Early Spin Spoils All-Star Race for Newman

By
Official Release
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BRISTOL, Tenn. (July 15, 2020) – Track position proved to be key in Wednesday night’s All-Star Race from Bristol Motor Speedway, where Ryan Newman went for an early spin in the Oscar Mayer Ford Mustang, ultimately setting him back to finish 19th in the 140-lap non-points event.

Newman – the 2002 winner of NASCAR’s All-Star Race – was one of 20 cars to take the green flag in the sport’s first-ever All-Star event at Bristol. The starting lineup was determined by a full random draw, with Newman rolling off 11th.

The opening stage ran 55 laps, with Newman finishing 10th in the segment reporting he was too loose in the Oscar Mayer Bacon machine. After a pit stop under the break, Newman fired off fifth for the ensuing restart, but went for a solo spin just after the green dropped which cut down a right-front tire.

After a pair of stops for fresh tires and slight damage repairs, Newman restarted tail end of the field, but picked off five spots to close the second stage. With a loose machine and lacking track position as the laps wound down, Newman ultimately went on to finish 19th.

Next up, the NASCAR Cup Series heads West for a 500-mile event Sunday afternoon from Texas Motor Speedway. Race coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, with coverage also on PRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

The Immense Appeal of Vintage Cars

By
SM
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How well do you remember your first car? There is a good chance that it was something your dad handed down to you. A lot were introduced into driving in the same way, and it is a memory worth remembering and sharing. Some hold their first car dearly, opting to keep it and care for it as much as they can. Maintenance is a must, and eventually, you will have to do some work on the body, like giving it a headlight restoration.

The same passion goes for those who are into vintage cars. These are vehicles that existed from 1919 to 1930, basically within the first few decades of their mass production. Additionally, it has been more than a century since Ford’s Model T rolled out of the factories. Why are people still enamored with them?

Unique Aesthetic

When something new comes out and blows everyone’s minds, it will be subject to scrutiny decades later. But a lot of people will also look back fondly at them, for they brought something fresh to the table. In terms of cars, the vintage ones originally came out at a time when manufacturers just wanted to bring out an automobile that is affordable. They did not care that much about aerodynamics then, which is why you will see most vintage cars having wide bodies and tall front grills.

It was a time when experimentation was king, and these car makers were scrambling to put out what they thought was their most eye-catching designs then. Wheels came in all manner of shapes and sizes, and plenty of them came with shiny chrome accents around the body and also in the interiors.

An Era of Luxury

The vintage era is one where the automotive industry was at the cusp of going mainstream. Not a lot of people owned cars during the first three decades of the 1900s, and it was usually the prominent and rich people who could afford them. Although Ford had already started to produce their cars in factories, they were still quite a rare sight. But things would soon start to pick up in the 1920s. Slowly but surely,the industry was gearing towards separate offerings that would cater to value-oriented individuals and those who have more discerning tastes.

This was also the age when the concept of the top-class gangster was birthed, and they were often seen brandishing the luxury car models of the time. Many people would associate these vehicles as vintage due to this.

Time Capsule

Today, even the most basic entry-level models offer a good range of features. Electronic windows used to be offered on the more expensive models, but it would be surprising now if a car does come with them as a standard option. But when you are in the presence of a vintage car, you are transported back to the past. This feeling can also be explored when searching through Retrolista and finding out more about these cars. It was a time when the concept of an automobile was fresh and inventive, and people were amazed just knowing such a thing exists. It definitely does not have the trappings of cars today, but you can see the framework of what would eventually become a lucrative industry. Just seeing the craftsmanship is enough to make you imagine the sensibilities and personal tastes of people back then.

Since they were part of the formative years of the automotive industry, expect vintage cars to stick around, maybe forever. They are a large part of history and have looks that one cannot get tired of. If you are lucky enough to own one, treasure it because you have something that is unique and very valuable.

NASCAR Betting Features

By
SM
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Every year, NASCAR holds in the United States. The calendar includes 36 races and races that are more prestigious but without the ability to score points. In terms of popularity within the United States, this sport is on a par with the NHL and NBA, second only to NFL. Today we are going to tell you NASCAR betting features, bookmaker rating, and the regulations of the competition.

NASCAR regulations

The season in the top division consists of 36 main races and two additional races, passing out of the classification. In addition to them, about 10 different regional races without points can be added to the calendar. Most races are held on traditional oval tracks – speedways, but the calendar also has more familiar European spectators ring tracks with various turns.

In 2011, NASCAR established the current points system in the top division. Points are awarded to racers who complete the race in the place from 1st to 43rd. The forty-third racer receives one point, the forty-second – two points, and so on. The second place in the race brings 42 points and the first – 46 points. After the 26th race, the chase starts: 16 racers who score the most points continue the fight, and the rest drop out. Each subsequent race reduces the number of participants at the expense of those who come last. The racer, who will score the most points by the end of the season, becomes the champion. According to the same system, the winning team is also determined.

NASCAR Betting Features

Racer Betting

A feature of NASCAR racing is the unified technical specifications for cars. Therefore, in the first place, it is worth paying attention to the racers, and not sports cars. When betting on a specific racer, you should definitely watch his history of performances on this road. This will help with choosing a more accurate prediction.

Variety of winners

Races of stock cars in the USA differ from the same Formula 1, a large number of different track winners for one season. This is due to a highly competitive environment. Therefore, if the racer won one stage, then do not immediately bet on it in the next race. On average, for one season up to 15 different athletes can be seen on the 1st place in 36 races.

Top 10 Betting Odds

If you want to beat the bookie when betting on NASCAR, it is important to have an understanding of the driving style of each racer. Aggressive racers feel more comfortable on tracks with many steep turns. Another category of racers prefers a quieter distance. Therefore, bets on getting into the TOP-10, TOP-20 of the second category of racers look especially profitable.

The role of rain in NASCAR racing

When betting on races, you should always study the weather forecast. Rain can make serious adjustments to the alignment on the highway. Therefore, the best bet on NASCAR during bad weather is the one you decided to skip.

The most appropriate and convenient web resource that helps to identify the best odds on the event is tipleader.com. Here you can see the best odds in the various bookmaker companies and compare them.

Opinion: Wallace’s detractors proof that NASCAR “fandom” can still be pretty toxic

By
Joseph Shelton
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BRISTOL, TENNESSEE - JULY 15: Bubba Wallace, driver of the #43 World Wide Technology Chevrolet, waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on July 15, 2020 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Come to think of it, that’s not much of an opinion, it’s a fact. Some of you reading this are proof that social media really isn’t for everyone. I know I should delete my Facebook. It doesn’t really do me any good except for pictures of my kids and talking to old college buddies. But every time I see a NASCAR social media post I can pretty much be assured that someone is going to be quick to let the world know that “Bubba Wallace is a disgrace to NASCAR” and “LOL Bubba Smollett” and “Bubba Wallace is ruining NASCAR.”

To those who continually spout that nonsense, delete that. Then delete your Facebook. Or Twitter. Or Instagram if you’ve figured out how to work the camera on your phone for more than selfies to fit your Facebook profile picture banner.

It’s one thing to not like a driver. Back in the day I was a die-hard Dale Earnhardt Sr./Jr. fan and detested that No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet of Jeff Gordon. I would have given anything to see Gordon wad up that Hendrick Chevy in person, right? That comes with the territory of fandom. You love your team and loathe their rivals with a passion; I can tell you right now as an Oklahoma Sooners fan I take every opportunity I can to deface Texas Longhorns memorabilia.

There’s that, then there are the social media cries for Wallace to be fired, or hanged, or harmed. There’s calls comparing him to Jussie Smollett, the actor who faked an attack on his person. There are claims that his activism and push for inclusion in the sport is ruining the sport. There are claims that because he’s black that he’s automatically a thug. That’s not a matter of fandom – that’s a matter of ignorance. If that’s you, then there’s no place for you in today’s NASCAR. The sanctioning body is making that clear.

I engaged one of the ranks on a NASCAR social media page. In retrospect, that was a bad idea, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I was feeling a bit rambunctious, and I made the claim that “with all the Bubba hate, you might as well just come right out and say that you hate black people in NASCAR.” I don’t really know what I was expecting, but I wasn’t surprised when the first response I got was “hell yeah I do, don’t you?”

Really? This isn’t okay. Nothing about that is helping bring any fans or money to the sport. We should be celebrating that for the first time since the hazy days of Brian France the sport is actually reaching the demographic it’s wanted for some time and is actually growing in the manner it’s been aspiring to for awhile. We should celebrate that just as we should celebrate our differences. It shouldn’t be hard, right?

For some, it’s rocket science. The same morons who no doubt grudgingly wear their face mask in public underneath their noses are the same folks stuck in Talladega a month ago, looking for any reason they can to discredit Wallace. “LOL Bubba Smollett!” Actually, Wallace didn’t find the noose, his crew did. “It was fake!” Actually, the noose was there awhile – talk about poor coincidence. “NASCAR is pandering to Wallace!” Well Karen, if you weren’t boasting about wanting to drag Wallace around pit road with your truck’s bumper then maybe his crew and the NASCAR officials wouldn’t feel like they need to be on their guard. They acted accordingly because your dumb ass made a scene because your beloved Confederate flag got taken away.

Wallace’s stance and activism is bringing high-profile eyes to the sport. This is a good thing. Repeat, this is a good thing. You might not agree with it – okay. One of the great things about being an American is the right to have a different opinion. However, just because you have a different opinion doesn’t mean it matters, just like your Facebook status about how much you hate Wallace. You can cry “Free Speech” all you want, but every right you have has a consequence attached to it.

That being said, if you’re one of those who thinks it’s their standing in life, their “right,” their raison d’être, to be as hateful as possible regarding Wallace and what he’s doing to and for the sport, you might have a bit of the ol’ racism bone in you. At the very least you’re suffering from an unconscious bias. Whatever it is, it’s something that requires some introspection and reflection – you’re the problem. Not Wallace, not NASCAR, not Richard Petty – you.

You can hide behind your whataboutisms, your Facebook/Twitter/Instagram memes, your white privilege, whatever. But in the end, you’re getting left behind by the sport. NASCAR has done a great job in looking back at the less-than-savory aspects of it’s past and doing what they can to rectify the situation. Not only do we, the fans who truly care and want to see the sport grow and be appreciated by everyone (not just white Southerners), appreciate that, the world appreciates that. You’re more than welcome to join as long as you’re not a jerk, but something tells me that’s more than what your wounded pride can bear.

So for that, go ahead and hide behind your facades and excuses. Continue making racist cracks and hating a driver because he’s a human too. Continue telling everyone on every NASCAR fan group that you don’t watch NASCAR anymore – nobody cares. You’re as relevant as the hipster in the coffee shop with his laptop open because he wants the world to know he’s writing the next great American novel. Meanwhile, you’re a part of the toxic problem that plagues an otherwise decent fandom. This may be a source of pride for you, but in all actuality, you should probably get some help for that.

Until then, wear your mask in public, at least. Make sure it covers your nose too.

Wallace crashes in All-Star Open; responds by leaving bumper at McDowell’s No. 34 hauler

By
Joseph Shelton
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Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images Bubba Wallace, driver of the #43 World Wide Technology Chevrolet, spins during the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Open at Bristol Motor Speedway on July 15, 2020 in Bristol, Tennessee.

What was looking like a sure-fire entry into the All-Star Race at Bristol by Bubba Wallace and his No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team quickly turned into an outright denial after contact with Michael McDowell sent Wallace hard into the outside wall, effectively ending Wallace’s chances of competing in the All-Star race.

17 laps into the event, Wallace had made minor contact with McDowell’s rear bumper in order to move him out of the way, only for McDowell to make a hard left turn into Wallace’s right-rear. The move cost the No. 43 team a race car and a shot at racing in the All-Star since the rule states that if a driver wins the fan vote they must have a car to compete in.

Afterward Wallace was pictured leaving the front bumper of the No. 43 at the No. 34 team’s hauler as a way of communicating his frustration with McDowell. He later spoke with reporters on his perspective of the incident.

“Oh, just disrespect,” said Wallace. “When you get hooked into the wall – my hair looks terrible. Sorry, Mom. When you get hooked the right rear into the wall – I don’t even need to see a replay. Look at that. Yeah, wow. People say one of the nicest guys in the garage. Can’t wait for the God-fearing text he’s going to send me about preaching and praising respect. What a joke he is.”

Meanwhile Chase Elliott took the win in front of the limited crowd in attendance, joining his father as an All-Star race winner, becoming only the second father-son duo to win the event behind Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jr. Chase’s father Bill won the All-Star the only other time it wasn’t held at Charlotte, winning it at Atlanta in 1986.

Elliott records first All-Star triumph at Bristol

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.

In front of a packed grandstand and with an orange-colored neon glowing underneath his No. 9 UniFirst/Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE under the lights, Chase Elliott held off Kyle Busch in a 15-lap dash to the checkers to win the 36th running of the NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway following a dominating performance. The victory marked Elliott’s first All-Star triumph as he became the 25th Cup competitor to win the annual race.

The starting lineup was based on a random draw. Martin Truex Jr. drew the pole position, but he dropped to the rear of the field due to failing pre-race inspection twice. Alex Bowman, who drew the second-place starting position, led the field to the start alongside Ryan Blaney.

When the green flag waved for the start of the race and the first stage, spanning 55 laps, Bowman, who started on the outside lane, jumped to an early lead. After leading the first two laps, Blaney emerged with the lead. Behind, Kevin Harvick was in third, trailing by a second to Blaney, while teammates Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth battled for fourth, trailing by more than three seconds. 

On the seventh lap, just as Kevin Harvick moved into the runner-up spot, Brad Keselowski made the slightest of contact to the left rear quarter panel of Kurt Busch while battling for fourth, which sent Busch’s No. 1 Monster Energy/Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE spinning through Turn 1 as the first caution flag flew. Busch was able to keep his car off the wall and proceed with no significant damage while also being dodged by the oncoming field. Under the first caution, he along with Justin Haley made a pit stop.

The race restarted with 40 laps remaining in the first stage, and Blaney retained the lead following a strong start on the outside lane. Harvick settled into second followed by Bowman, Joey Logano and Chase Elliott, who made contact with Keselowski to move up the leaderboard. Keselowski settled in sixth followed by Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman while Matt Kenseth and Erik Jones were scored in the top 10. Behind the leaders, Matt DiBenedetto made contact with the outside wall entering Turn 3 after making contact with William Byron when Byron checked up, but he proceeded under green. 

Ten laps later, Blaney was still ahead by nearly a half second over Harvick. Bowman was trailing by more than two seconds while Logano and Elliott battled for fifth. Four laps later, Elliott pulled off a bump-and-run move to move into fourth after passing Logano.

While the laps in the first segment continued to dwindle under green, Blaney continued to stabilize his lead over Harvick by approximately half a second. Elliott was in third followed by Bowman and Jones while Almirola, Logano, Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Newman were in the top 10. Jimmie Johnson was in 11th followed by Denny Hamlin while Matt Kenseth had fallen back to 15th, one position ahead of Truex. Rookie Cole Custer and Justin Haley, both of whom were making their All-Star debuts, were in 17th and 18th, while Kurt Busch was mired in 20th, the rear of the field.

With nine laps remaining in the first stage, Blaney lapped Kurt Busch as Harvick started to narrow the deficit to himself and Blaney. Behind, Elliott was behind by around a second while being one of the fastest cars on the track. Despite encountering DiBenedetto, who was on the verge of going a lap down, Blaney was able to hold off Harvick to emerge as the leader when the first stage concluded. DiBenedetto was able to remain on the lead lap while Kurt Busch received the free pass to return on the lead lap under the stage break.

Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Harvick assumed the lead followed by Elliott, Blaney, Jones and Bowman.

When the second stage, spanning 35 laps, commenced, Harvick jumped to an early advantage on the outside lane while Elliott and Blaney battled for the runner-up spot. The caution returned a lap later when Newman got loose entering Turn 4 and spun towards the bottom lane, where he made minimal contact with the inside wall. He was able to drive back to pit road for tires and repairs.

Five laps later, the race resumed under green and Harvick, again, jumped to an early advantage on the outside lane. The following lap, Elliott bolted his way to the lead on the outside lane when Harvick briefly fell off the pace. Four laps later, Elliott, Harvick and Blaney were separated by above half a second while fourth-place Bowman trailed by nearly two seconds. Keselowski was in fifth behind Bowman while Logano, Bowyer, Hamlin, Almirola and Kyle Busch settled in the top 10.

With 10 laps remaining in the second stage, Elliott was still ahead by three-tenths of a second over Harvick while Blaney trailed by more than a second as the 20-car field settled in racing in a single file line. 

Though Harvick remained within sight of Elliott, the Georgia native in the No. 9 Chevrolet was able to stabilize his advantage as he also started to extend it to nearly a second. With no interferences within sight in front or behind him, Elliott was able to retain the lead at the time the second stage concluded.

Under the stage break, Blaney remained on track while the rest of the field pitted. Following the pit stops, Keselowski was the first to exit off pit road after having two left-side tires changed on his car. Elliott, the first with four fresh tires, followed pursuit along with Harvick and DiBenedetto, who also had two tires changed on his car. Logano was fifth over Bowman.

Once the third stage spanning, 35 laps, commenced, Blaney, restarting on old tires, benefitted on the outside lane to retain the lead followed by teammate Keselowski, Elliott and Harvick. Three laps later, Elliott made contact to the rear bumper of Keselowski entering Turn 4 to pull himself beneath Keselowski while challenging for the runner-up spot. Two corners later, Elliott and Keselowski raced three wide with Harvick in Turn 2 before Keselowski settled back into the runner-up spot followed by Elliott and Harvick.

With 23 laps remaining in the third stage, Blaney was ahead of a four-car battle for the lead as Keselowski and Elliott with Harvick trailing. Shortly after, Elliott pulled the bump-and-run move on Keselowski in Turn 1 to move into the runner-up spot as he quickly pursued Blaney for the lead. 

Approximately 10 laps later, Elliott passed Blaney to reassume the lead. With the stage reaching its final 10 laps, he started to stretch his advantage to nearly a second over Blaney while teammate Keselowski and Kyle Busch caught him for position. While Keselowski and Kyle Busch continued to battle for third, Elliott was able stabilize his advantage to above half a second over Blaney to win the third stage.

Under the stage break, some of the leaders led by Elliott and Blaney remained on track while others led by Harvick, Logano and Bowman pitted. The decision to pit for Harvick and others moved teammates Kyle Busch and Hamlin up to the top five.

At the start of the final stage, spanning 15 laps, Elliott retained the lead following a strong launch, but he was pursued by Blaney and Kyle Busch while Keselowski fell back to fourth ahead of Hamlin. With 10 laps remaining, Elliott was ahead by less than half a second over Kyle Busch, who made a late appearance towards the front. Keselowski and Hamlin trailed the front two leaders while Blaney had fallen back to fifth with his tires starting to wear out. Harvick, racing on fresh tires, was back in seventh behind Jones and was running out of time to race back to the front. 

Though Kyle Busch remained within sight of Elliott, he was unable to narrow the deficit between himself and Elliott nor was he able to find another groove/lane with his No. 18 M&M’s/Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry to pass him. On the final lap, Elliott was able to stabilize his advantage for a final circuit to race back to the finish line under the checkered flag and win the All-Star Race by 0.418 seconds over Busch while cashing in over a million dollars.

With the victory, Elliott recorded the ninth All-Star win for Hendrick Motorsports, (becoming the fourth HMS competitor to win the featured race), the 19th for the Chevrolet nameplate and the first for veteran crew chief Alan Gustafson. He also became the third youngest winner of the All-Star event at age 24 years, seven months and 18 days. As an added bonus, Elliott is guaranteed a spot in the All-Star Race for the next 10 seasons.

In addition, the Elliotts joined the Earnhardts as the only father-son duo to win the All-Star Race. Ironically, Elliott joined his father, Bill, as the only drivers to win the All-Star Race at a different track from Charlotte Motor Speedway, (Bill won the All-Star Race at Atlanta in 1986).

After taking the checkered flag, Elliott greeted his crew members, performed a smokey burnout and saluted the fans while receiving a chorus of cheers under the lights. With a crowd of above 20,000 in attendance for the race, this marked the largest crowd gathering for a NASCAR race since May and amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Oh, my gosh! I can’t believe it,” Elliott said in front of a roaring crowd on FS1. “What a better night to have fans back than tonight. I mean, y’all are awesome. There’s nothing like Bristol. There’s nothing like the lights here. There’s nothing like racing here. I’ve never won here – what a race to do it. Just really proud of our team tonight and rebounding. We’ve had a really tough couple of weeks and just felt like we had kind of gotten off base and I felt like I was struggling. Just tried to hit the reset button this week, and came out and put on a great performance – great car. Just can’t thank all our partners enough, everybody that makes this happen. All those No. 9 hats and t-shirts up in the stands – love to see it…Bristol is an electric atmosphere that is unlike any other [racetrack] that we go to. [I] Couldn’t be more excited. We’re gonna celebrate this one, for sure, and we’ll take that million dollars back to Georgia. Why don’t we?”

Kyle Busch, who won the All-Star Race in 2017, settled in the runner-up spot for his sixth top-five result in the All-Star event followed by Kevin Harvick, who fell short in winning his third All-Star event.

“We’re trying hard and we’re running okay, but it seemed like we were mired in 10th place for much of that race tonight and the last couple of adjustments really helped us,” Busch said. “[Crew chief] Adam [Stevens] did a great job helping the car and making it better. I got a good restart and went from 12th all the way up to fifth [in the final 15-lap stage] so that was a huge bonus for us getting that track position. Overall, just got to keep fighting. I think that’s like four, five six second places this year, what do you do? You just have to keep going.”

“There were a couple laps there that I had to spend a little more time in traffic than I needed to to get back to the front, but our Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang guys did a good job,” Harvick said. “I think that was the right call [for tires]. That was our only chance. We weren’t gonna beat [Elliott] where we were sitting on the same tires, so it all came down to getting past those cars for the first couple laps, but, in the end, it was definitely one lane. Much different than I thought it was gonna be.”

Keselowski finished fourth followed by Hamlin while Blaney, who led a race-high 72 laps, settled in sixth on old tires.

“We managed to win Stage 1 but fought a tight condition most of the race,” Blaney said. “I should have pitted at the end of Stage 2, but it was a fun event and glad to see fans back in the stands at Bristol tonight. We’ll be ready to go racing for real on Sunday in Texas.”

Logano, Bowman, Almirola and Truex rounded out the top 10. DiBenedetto, Haley and Custer finished 13th, 14th and 16th in their first All-Star attempts while Johnson finished 17th in his 19th and final All-Star appearance.

In addition to the neon glow under 16 of the 20 cars and the packed grandstands, this year’s All-Star Race featured the implementation of the “choose rule” format, which allowed all competitors to choose their lanes for all restarts, and the exposure of sponsors alongside the cars, where the numbers were moved from the door towards the rear wheels with the sponsors gaining a greater presence alongside the cars for a race.

All 20 participants of the 2020 All-Star Race finished on the lead lap. There were six lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 13 laps.

Results.

1. Chase Elliott, 60 laps led, Stage 2 & 3 winner

2. Kyle Busch

3. Kevin Harvick, six laps led

4. Brad Keselowski

5. Denny Hamlin

6. Ryan Blaney, 72 laps led, Stage 1 winner

7. Joey Logano

8. Alex Bowman, two laps led

9. Aric Almirola

10. Martin Truex Jr.

11. Erik Jones

12. William Byron

13. Matt DiBenedetto

14. Justin Haley

15. Clint Bowyer

16. Cole Custer

17. Jimmie Johnson

18. Matt Kenseth

19. Ryan Newman

20. Kurt Busch

The NASCAR Cup Series will return on July 19 to race at Texas Motor Speedway as part of a triple-header weekend. The race will air at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Almirola, Byron, DiBenedetto, Bowyer advance to All-Star Race

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.

Aric Almirola, William Byron and Matt DiBenedetto transferred to the All-Star Race after each won one of three stages in the All-Star Open at Bristol Motor Speedway. For the final transfer spot, it was Clint Bowyer who earned a one way ticket to the main event after being named the Fan Vote winner.

The starting lineup was based on a random draw. Michael McDowell drew the pole position and was joined on the front row with Aric Almirola. Corey LaJoie started at the rear of the field due to failing pre-race inspection twice. 

When the green flag waved, McDowell received a strong start on the outside lane to jump to an early lead. After the first lap, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. moved into second while Almirola settled in third. Behind, with the field jumbling up through the corners and entering the straightaways, rookies Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick made contact in Turn 3 and nearly spun, but both saved their cars from spinning. Following the contact, Reddick fell off the pace and out of the top 10. During the contact between the two rookies, the field raced four wide entering Turn 1 before Matt DiBenedetto scrubbed the outside wall.

At the front, McDowell continued to lead, but was hotly pursued by Almirola, Stenhouse, Bubba Wallace and William Byron. On the 11th lap, Almirola made his move below McDowell and took the lead entering Turn 1, where he started to pull away. Shortly after, Stenhouse moved into the runner-up spot after passing McDowell. 

When the first stage reached its halfway point, Wallace pulled a bump-and-run move beneath McDowell for position through Turns 1 and 2, but McDowell hooked Wallace’s right-rear quarter panel in Turn 2 and sent Wallace into the Turn 3 wall as he made hard contact into the Turn 3 outside wall, sustaining heavy damage to his No. 43 World Wide Technology/Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. Behind, Byron made contact with McDowell as McDowell spun with left-rear damage, but was able to continue. The wreck, however, ended Wallace’s attempt to make his second consecutive All-Star Race appearance since he was unable to continue the race with his wrecked primary car, which also took him out of contention of potentially winning the Fan Vote.

“Just disrespect when you get hooked into the wall,” Wallace said on FS1. “I don’t even need to see a replay…What a joke [McDowell] is.”

With six laps remaining in the first segment, the race restarted and Almirola took off with the lead on the outside lane. Behind, Ryan Preece got loose in Turn 3 and Reddick made contact to the rear bumper of Preece, which damaged part of Reddick’s front nose. 

At the front, Almirola continued to pull away with Byron in second and Ty Dillon in third ahead of Bowyer and Corey LaJoie. Despite Byron closing in towards the rear bumper of Almirola’s No. 10 Smithfield/Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang in the final laps, the Floridian was able to win the first stage spanning 35 laps and to transfer to the All-Star Race for the third time in his career.

“Man, we’ve just had such a good run lately,” Almirola said on FS1. “We deserve to be in the All-Star Race. Our team has been doing an amazing job. We’ve been bringing really fast Ford Mustangs to the racetrack every weekend. So, proud to have Smithfield involved in the big show tonight. I was, actually, really nervous. When you come to a race like this, you just never know what could happen and you hate to have the All-Star Race and not be in it, especially with as good as we’ve been running lately. Proud of my guys, proud of the team…we’ll get ready for the big show tonight.”

Under the stage break, some like Bowyer, Daniel Suarez, Preece, rookie Quin Houff, Ty Dillon, Reddick, rookie Brennan Poole and McDowell pitted.

When the second stage started, Byron, who inherited the lead, jumped to an early lead, but was quickly pursued by Ty Dillon followed by LaJoie. The following lap, with the field jumbling up, Preece made contact with rookie John Hunter Nemechek as both spun through Turns 1 and 2, but both continued.

With 28 laps remaining in the stage, the race restarted. On this occasion, Ty Dillon remained dead even with Byron through Turn 1, but slipped in Turn 2 as Byron was able to clear Dillon and retain the lead. Dillon fell back to fifth while Bell, Austin Dillon and Austin Dillon moved into the top 5. At the front, Byron stretched his advantage to nearly a second over Bell while Reddick moved back into the top five ahead of Clint Bowyer. Ty Dillon, meanwhile, had fallen all the way back to 12th following contact with Stenhouse and LaJoie as the pack behind the leaders were jumbling, again, for positions.

As the laps progressed, Reddick fell out of the top 10 after making contact while McDowell was back up to sixth. At the front, Byron continued to lead, leading by nearly two seconds while approaching lapped traffic. With 13 laps remaining in the second stage, DiBenedetto made contact to the rear bumper of Bell to move into the runner-up spot and was quickly pursued by Austin Dillon and Bowyer while Bell fell back to fifth.

With no drama occurring at the front nor the rear of the field, Byron was able to cruise his No. 24 AXALTA/Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE across the start/finish line to win the second stage after leading all 35 laps in the stage and transfer to the All-Star Race for the second consecutive year. With Byron transferring to the All-Star Race, all four Hendrick Motorsports competitors will compete in the main event for a million dollars.

“It’s always good to advance to the All-Star Race and have a shot to go for a million dollars,” Byron said on FS1. “The guys did a good job with this car, a little bit different AXALTA look for us this week, but it needs a little bit of love on the left-rear quarter panel, but hopefully, we can get that fixed up and just be ready to go. This is, actually, one of my favorite tracks, so it’s pretty awesome to see the fans here.”

For the start of the final stage spanning 15 laps, DiBenedetto and Austin Dillon battled dead even through the first two turns before DiBenedetto pulled away with the lead. Behind, Bowyer moved into second and quickly drew himself to the rear bumper of DiBenedetto. 

With 10 to go, DiBenedetto was ahead by half a second over Bowyer with Austin Dillon trailing by nearly a second. Buescher was in fourth followed by Nemechek and Ty Dillon. Five laps later, DiBenedetto stabilized his advantage by nearly a second over Bowyer with some battles for positions taking place behind the leaders. The advantage and the gap between himself and Bowyer was enough for DiBenedetto and the Wood Brothers Racing’s No. 21 Ford Mustang to cruise under the checkered flag to win the All-Star Open for his first non-point NASCAR Cup Series victory and to transfer to the All-Star Race for the first time in his career. 

“I was hanging on for dear life,” DiBenedetto said on FS1. “We were so loose on entry. I was right on [the] ragged edge. Just thankful to the team for battling back. My gosh, we had big damage there at the start. Had to fix it. … So proud to be driving this thing.”

Bowyer finished in the runner-up spot, but earned the final spot to the All-Star Race after being named the Fan Vote winner. With the vote, Bowyer will make his 11th All-Star Race appearance. With Bowyer transferring to the All-Star Race, all four Stewart-Haas Racing competitors will compete in the main event for a million dollars.

“You hate to lean on [the fans], but man, [it] damn sure feels good to have fans back at the track!” Bowyer said on FS1. “It’s fun to be around this place. You want to talk about an All-Star event. This is the right track to do it. It’s only gonna get better as we go here. We got a little bit of work to do on our car. Hey, we’re in it. I watched my buddy, Kasey Kahne, win it one time off of the Fan Vote. Maybe, we can do the same thing.”

Austin Dillon finished third followed by Buescher and Ty Dillon while Stenhouse, McDowell, Nemechek, LaJoie and Reddick rounded out the top 10, all of whom were 17 competitors who failed to qualify for the 2020 All-Star Race.

There were three lead changes for four different leaders. The race featured four cautions for 18 laps.

Results.

1. Matt DiBenedetto – Stage 3 winner, 15 laps led

2. Clint Bowyer – Fan Vote winner

3. Austin Dillon

4. Chris Buescher, one lap led

5. Ty Dillon

6. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

7. Michael McDowell, 10 laps led

8. John Hunter Nemechek

9. Corey LaJoie

10. Tyler Reddick

11. Christopher Bell

12. Daniel Suarez

13. Ryan Preece

14. J.J. Yeley

15. Brennan Poole

16. Garrett Smithley

17. Quin Houff, two laps down

18. Joey Gase – OUT, Handling

19. William Byron – Stage 2 winner, 35 laps led

20. Aric Almirola – Stage 1 winner, 25 laps led

21. Bubba Wallace – OUT, Accident

The NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway is next on July 15 at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

Envision Virgin Racing Announces Nick Cassidy for Season Seven

By
Briar Starr
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CIRCUIT INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOBILE MOULAY EL HASSAN MARRAKESH, MOROCCO - MARCH 01: Nick Cassidy (NZL), Rookie Test Driver for Envision Virgin Racing during the Rookie Test Marrakesh at Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan Marrakesh on March 01, 2020 in Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan Marrakesh, Morocco. (Photo by Sam Bloxham / LAT Images)

Just 24 hours after Sam Bird’s exit of Envision Virgin Racing, the team has announced a replacement driver for season seven on Wednesday afternoon.

Nick Cassidy, Envision Virgin’s rookie test driver, will join the team for the 2020/21 racing season. Cassidy will replace Bird in the Audi e-tron FE06 entry.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for me to be joining Formula E and Envision Virgin Racing from next season,” said Cassidy. “The team is one of the most successful on the grid, have a great set-up and facilities, and have continually impressed me since I joined them for the rookie test back in March. All drivers know the depth and quality of the field in Formula E is among the best in the world, so it is great to be adding my name to this roster.”

Cassidy has had experience racing in Japan, but is now ready to make the leap to Formula E and test his driver ability.

“Racing in Japan has been an amazing experience and I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to achieve so much in a short space of time, but I feel it’s now time for the next challenge in my career and I’m very much looking forward to doing that with Envision Virgin Racing and Formula E.”

CIRCUIT INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOBILE MOULAY EL HASSAN MARRAKESH, MOROCCO – MARCH 01: Nick Cassidy (NZL), Rookie Test Driver for Envision Virgin Racing, Audi e-tron FE06 during the Rookie Test Marrakesh at Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan Marrakesh on March 01, 2020 in Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan Marrakesh, Morocco. (Photo by Andrew Ferraro / LAT Images)

As Cassidy looks forward to what he can bring to the highly regarded successful team in Formula E, Managing Director Sylvain Filippi, says they believe in Cassidy’s ability and strive to stand out against a competitive field next year.

“As a team, it is always important to look ahead to ensure our long-term success,” Filippi said. “In Nick we know we have a very ambitious, capable driver with raw talent, speed and race craft, as well as an impressive track record for his age. Moving to become a world championship next season, we know Formula E is going to be as competitive as ever, but from his short time with us we are confident – together with Robin Frijns – we have two drivers that can compete at the sharp end to win championships.”

Cassidy will become just the third New Zealander to race in Formula E, as Mitch Evans and Brendon Hartley were the other two New Zealanders competing in Formula E. Cassidy also has some experience in the electric field of racing, when he drove in the rookie test prior to the Marrakesh e-Prix. And, while Bird currently races in the No. 2 machine, Cassidy hopes he can still bring the No. 37 when he races as that was his dad’s number and added three titles to the number.

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