“Summer’s Five Things” is a daily column for NASCAR fans to catch up on the most recent, relevant, and need-to-know news and information in the sport! While mostly focused on NASCAR, this column may also feature other interesting and exciting moments from the world of motorsports. Enjoy!
- Robert Wickens sustains injuries in terrible crash in Pocono
While the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was off Sunday following the Saturday night race in Bristol Motor Speedway, the IndyCar Series had the spotlight on Sunday for the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway.
Though Alexander Rossi had a dominant performance, leading 180 of 200 laps en route to his fifth career victory and third of the season, the moment that everyone will remember is Robert Wickens’ terrifying crash on lap seven.
Wickens was awake and alert following the crash and was transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest with what were described as “orthopedic injuries”.
Schmidt Peterson updated Wickens’ condition yesterday evening:
The crash started while Wickens was racing with Ryan Hunter-Reay, and collected James Hinchcliffe, Pietro Fittipaldi, and Takuma Sato. Though there was some concern that Hinchcliffe and Fittipaldi had sustained injuries as well, all drivers were released from the infield medical center and cleared to drive.
Fittipaldi sustained leg injuries earlier this season during a sports car race that caused him to miss the 2018 Indianapolis 500.
- Most of the 16-driver Playoff grid already set
With just two races remaining in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular season, most of the 16-driver playoff field has already been locked up, with four drivers clinching a Playoff berth with their finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night.
First off, race winner Kurt Busch won his first race of the season on Saturday night, thus guaranteeing himself a spot in the Playoffs. Though he was virtually guaranteed a spot based on his position in the points standings prior to the race, his victory locked up his spot once and for all.
Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski also clinched a spot in the Playoffs after Saturday night, along with Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kyle Larson. None of the three drivers have won (yet?) this season but had such a large points lead over the 17th-place driver (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) that even two new winners from outside of the top 16 in points would not be enough to knock Blaney, Keselowski, or Larson out.
Keselowski finished 16th while Blaney finished seventh after leading 121 laps. Larson led 17 laps and finished runner-up to Busch.
In addition to Kurt Busch, other drivers who have clinched their spot in the Playoffs with at least one victory are Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, and Austin Dillon.
Four drivers who are currently in the top 16 but have not yet secured a spot by virtue of a win or points are Denny Hamlin (+214), Aric Almirola (+135), Jimmie Johnson (+111), and Alex Bowman (+79).
The Cup Series is off this weekend and will return to the track for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, September 2nd.
3. Charlotte Motor Speedway reveals trophy for “ROVAL” winner
In anticipation of the first-of-its-kind “ROVAL” race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the track unveiled the trophy that the winner of the first ever race at the part road course, part oval configuration will take home.
The trophy is three feet tall and weighs 60 pounds.
The Bank of America Roval 500 will the be the final race in the Round of 16 of the Playoffs, meaning that four drivers will be eliminated from the 16-driver Playoffs at the conclusion of the race. Drivers can secure their spot in the Round of 12 by winning one of the three races in the round of 16 (Las Vegas, Richmond, or Charlotte), or by maintaining enough of a points gap between themselves and the 13th-place driver.
CMS also announced that, as part of their ROVAL weekend, Sammy Hagar and The Circle will be hosting a concert on pit road the Saturday night before the race (the race is September 30th). The concert will start at 9:00PM after the XFINITY Series race and will last 90 minutes. The event is free to any ticket holders of the XFINITY Series or Cup Series races.
- Kyle Busch has a few things to say on social media following tumultuous Bristol
If there is any racetrack on the schedule that could be considered Kyle Busch’s personal playground, it is Bristol Motor Speedway. Busch’s seven wins at the racetrack is highest amongst any active driver, and he has an astounding 21 wins at Bristol across all three of NASCAR’s national series.
You would think with those kinds of numbers that Busch would have been a shoo-in to win Saturday night at Bristol.
Instead, it was a night to forget.
Busch was involved in a multi-car wreck on lap two; spun out Martin Truex Jr. late in the race; and was again involved in a caution on lap 482.
The damaged vehicle made fueling the car challenging, but he was still able to work his way up to the top five before the final caution of the day. He ultimately finished 20th following the final incident of the night.
After the race, Busch got into a shoving match with a heckling fan, with police interfering to separate the two.
Following a tough night on track, an interview that was perceived negatively by some, and the incident with the fan, many fans took to Twitter to fire at Busch …
… and Busch fired right back.
Busch had a rather frustrating Friday night in the XFINITY Series race as well, which likely didn’t help with the social media dogpile.
Of course, he also took the time to respond to some of his ardent supporters as well.
- Where were “The Big 3” on Saturday night?
We’ve already documented Kyle Busch’s woes from Saturday night, and Martin Truex Jr. wound up as a product of one of those moments, finishing 30th.
The third driver of that trio, Kevin Harvick, finished 10th, leading only eight laps, which wouldn’t be so bad except for the fact that Harvick has won seven freaking times this season with 17 top-five finishes!
This was arguably the worst combined race for the Big 3 since the season-opening Daytona 500 in February, where all three finished outside the top 10. Since then, the three have combined for 17 victories in the 24 races run this season.The only other driver to have won multiple victories this year is Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Clint Bowyer.
After a weekend off, the series heads to Darlington Raceway, where each of the “Big 3” has one career victory. Denny Hamlin, who is winless so far in 2018, is the defending winner of the Bojangles’ Southern 500.
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If you would like to receive “Five Things” in your inbox, or just connect with me, you may send me an e-mail at [email protected].
You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram.
Summer’s Five Things: What You Need To Know For August 20, 2018
“Summer’s Five Things” is a daily column for NASCAR fans to catch up on the most recent, relevant, and need-to-know news and information in the sport! While mostly focused on NASCAR, this column may also feature other interesting and exciting moments from the world of motorsports. Enjoy!
While the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was off Sunday following the Saturday night race in Bristol Motor Speedway, the IndyCar Series had the spotlight on Sunday for the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway.
Though Alexander Rossi had a dominant performance, leading 180 of 200 laps en route to his fifth career victory and third of the season, the moment that everyone will remember is Robert Wickens’ terrifying crash on lap seven.
Wickens was awake and alert following the crash and was transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest with what were described as “orthopedic injuries”.
Schmidt Peterson updated Wickens’ condition yesterday evening:
The crash started while Wickens was racing with Ryan Hunter-Reay, and collected James Hinchcliffe, Pietro Fittipaldi, and Takuma Sato. Though there was some concern that Hinchcliffe and Fittipaldi had sustained injuries as well, all drivers were released from the infield medical center and cleared to drive.
Fittipaldi sustained leg injuries earlier this season during a sports car race that caused him to miss the 2018 Indianapolis 500.
With just two races remaining in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular season, most of the 16-driver playoff field has already been locked up, with four drivers clinching a Playoff berth with their finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night.
First off, race winner Kurt Busch won his first race of the season on Saturday night, thus guaranteeing himself a spot in the Playoffs. Though he was virtually guaranteed a spot based on his position in the points standings prior to the race, his victory locked up his spot once and for all.
Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski also clinched a spot in the Playoffs after Saturday night, along with Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kyle Larson. None of the three drivers have won (yet?) this season but had such a large points lead over the 17th-place driver (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) that even two new winners from outside of the top 16 in points would not be enough to knock Blaney, Keselowski, or Larson out.
Keselowski finished 16th while Blaney finished seventh after leading 121 laps. Larson led 17 laps and finished runner-up to Busch.
In addition to Kurt Busch, other drivers who have clinched their spot in the Playoffs with at least one victory are Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, and Austin Dillon.
Four drivers who are currently in the top 16 but have not yet secured a spot by virtue of a win or points are Denny Hamlin (+214), Aric Almirola (+135), Jimmie Johnson (+111), and Alex Bowman (+79).
The Cup Series is off this weekend and will return to the track for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, September 2nd.
3. Charlotte Motor Speedway reveals trophy for “ROVAL” winner
In anticipation of the first-of-its-kind “ROVAL” race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the track unveiled the trophy that the winner of the first ever race at the part road course, part oval configuration will take home.
The trophy is three feet tall and weighs 60 pounds.
The Bank of America Roval 500 will the be the final race in the Round of 16 of the Playoffs, meaning that four drivers will be eliminated from the 16-driver Playoffs at the conclusion of the race. Drivers can secure their spot in the Round of 12 by winning one of the three races in the round of 16 (Las Vegas, Richmond, or Charlotte), or by maintaining enough of a points gap between themselves and the 13th-place driver.
CMS also announced that, as part of their ROVAL weekend, Sammy Hagar and The Circle will be hosting a concert on pit road the Saturday night before the race (the race is September 30th). The concert will start at 9:00PM after the XFINITY Series race and will last 90 minutes. The event is free to any ticket holders of the XFINITY Series or Cup Series races.
If there is any racetrack on the schedule that could be considered Kyle Busch’s personal playground, it is Bristol Motor Speedway. Busch’s seven wins at the racetrack is highest amongst any active driver, and he has an astounding 21 wins at Bristol across all three of NASCAR’s national series.
You would think with those kinds of numbers that Busch would have been a shoo-in to win Saturday night at Bristol.
Instead, it was a night to forget.
Busch was involved in a multi-car wreck on lap two; spun out Martin Truex Jr. late in the race; and was again involved in a caution on lap 482.
The damaged vehicle made fueling the car challenging, but he was still able to work his way up to the top five before the final caution of the day. He ultimately finished 20th following the final incident of the night.
After the race, Busch got into a shoving match with a heckling fan, with police interfering to separate the two.
Following a tough night on track, an interview that was perceived negatively by some, and the incident with the fan, many fans took to Twitter to fire at Busch …
… and Busch fired right back.
Busch had a rather frustrating Friday night in the XFINITY Series race as well, which likely didn’t help with the social media dogpile.
Of course, he also took the time to respond to some of his ardent supporters as well.
We’ve already documented Kyle Busch’s woes from Saturday night, and Martin Truex Jr. wound up as a product of one of those moments, finishing 30th.
The third driver of that trio, Kevin Harvick, finished 10th, leading only eight laps, which wouldn’t be so bad except for the fact that Harvick has won seven freaking times this season with 17 top-five finishes!
This was arguably the worst combined race for the Big 3 since the season-opening Daytona 500 in February, where all three finished outside the top 10. Since then, the three have combined for 17 victories in the 24 races run this season.The only other driver to have won multiple victories this year is Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Clint Bowyer.
After a weekend off, the series heads to Darlington Raceway, where each of the “Big 3” has one career victory. Denny Hamlin, who is winless so far in 2018, is the defending winner of the Bojangles’ Southern 500.
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If you would like to receive “Five Things” in your inbox, or just connect with me, you may send me an e-mail at [email protected].
You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram.