“Summer’s Five Things” is a column by Summer Bedgood 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!
1. Joey Logano wins pole for Sunday’s elimination race
In what will be the final race of the Round of 12, Joey Logano will start with an extra cushion between himself and the rest of the field, as he will start on the pole position for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.
The qualifying result was Logano’s first pole position of 2018, 20th in his career, and second at Kansas Speedway.
The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford wasn’t in much trouble heading into this weekend’s race even before winning the pole. He already holds a 39-point lead over ninth-place driver Brad Keselowski (who also happens to be Logano’s teammate). With two prior victories at Kansas Speedway, all Logano likely has to do is stay out of trouble and he will advance to the next round.
Fellow Ford Racing driver Kevin Harvick will start alongside Logano on the front row. In fact, the first five drivers in the starting lineup drive for the Ford camp, with Aric Almirola, Ryan Blaney, and Keselowski rounding out the top five, respectively.
Ford drivers have combined to win 16 of the 31 races this season.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Starting Lineup by Row
2. Long day for Kyle Larson at Kansas Speedway on Friday
There wasn’t a lot in the way of good news for Kyle Larson on Friday. He entered the weekend 36 points behind the cutoff line for the Round of 8, as the 9th through 12th place Playoff drivers will be eliminated from championship contention after this Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway.
A 10-point penalty following last week’s race at Talladega Superspeedway dropped him down to his current deficit, with NASCAR stating that Larson’s No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing team violated Section 10.9.9.d of the NASCAR rulebook:
“Damaged vehicle repair, regardless of how the damage occurred, is permitted to have original body parts removed or reattached in their original location with fasteners and/or tape only.”
“I don’t know much about the appeal stuff,” Larson said during a Friday morning press conference before the first decision had been announced. “I kind of just drive the race car. Obviously, a 10-point penalty doesn’t help, but I felt like with even being 26 points back we were going to probably have to go into this week and get a win to make it to the next round. It doesn’t really mean much to me the 10 points like I said because I view this weekend or viewed it before that we had to come in here and win.”
The No. 42 team twice appealed the penalty on Friday — once with the National Motorsports Appeals Panel and again with National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer Brian Moss — and both times the penalty was upheld.
In addition to the loss in points, crew chief Chad Johnston was fined $25,000 and car chief David Bryant was suspended for one race.
Adding insult to injury, Larson crashed during the lone Cup Series practice session on Friday, and will race in a backup car. He will start Sunday’s race from the back of the field.
“Yeah, I’m good, just mad at myself,” said Larson after the crash. “Made a mistake, got loose and had it corrected and then it was like the second time I corrected, I don’t know if I got it on the splitter or what, but then it didn’t turn and went straight. I just hate that we wrecked the primary car there. I’m sure our back-up car will be fine. We are always pretty good here at Kansas. We should be fine. I have been in a back-up car here before and been really fast. Just dig deep and work hard and see what we can do on Sunday.”
Kansas Speedway was the track that knocked Larson out of championship contention last season as well, after the team suffered an engine failure in a crucial elimination race.
Larson has finished in the top five in two of his last three starts in Kansas Speedway and has three top-10 results in nine starts.
3. Ryan Blaney leads Cup Series practice session on Friday
Aside from Larson’s crash, the one and only Friday session for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on Friday at Kansas Speedway was otherwise uninhibited. Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney, who won at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course just a few weeks ago, led the session. His fastest time was 28.106 seconds at 192.130 mph on a track that, due to cooler temperatures, had a lot of grip and a lot of speed.
Kyle Busch was second quickest, followed by Kevin Harvick.
Blaney’s teammate Joey Logano was fourth quickest and would go on to earn the pole position for Sunday’s race. Dover’s winner from a couple of weeks ago, Chase Elliott, rounded out the top five.
Three Playoff drivers were outside of the top 10 on the speed charts.
Blaney is currently 22 points outside of the top eight in the Playoff standings, meaning he will likely need to win on Sunday to move on to the Round of 8 and keep his championship hopes alive.
The series will have two more practice sessions on Saturday. The first session will begin at 10:30AM ET and will last 50 minutes. The session will be broadcast on CNBC.
The final session will start at 1:05PM ET and will last until 1:55PM ET. The broadcast for this session will be on NBCSN.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice 1
4. Richard Childress Racing teammates lead Friday NXS practice sessions
With the NASCAR XFINITY Series racing later today (October 20th) at Kansas Speedway, both of the series’ practice sessions took place on Friday.
Playoff driver Daniel Hemric led the first session, with a time of 30.014 seconds at 179.916 mph. Fellow Playoff drivers Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick were second and third, respectively. Shane Lee was fourth quickest followed by Austin Cindric to round out the top five.
Hemric’s teammate Lee would lead the speed charts in the second and final session for the XFINITY Series drivers, with a fastest lap time of 30.087 seconds at 179.480 seconds. Ty Majeski was second quickest, followed by Bell, Cindric, and Hemric.
The only incident in either session came when Matt Tifft spun out in final practice.
XFINITY Series pole qualifying will begin later today at 11:40AM ET and can be seen on CNBC. The Kansas Lottery 300 will begin at 2:55PM ET on NBC.
NASCAR XFINITY Series Practice 1
NASCAR XFINITY Series Final Practice
5. Spencer Gallagher stepping away from driving in 2019
Current NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Spencer Gallagher made a visit to the Kansas Speedway media center on Friday to announce that his role at GMS Racing will look a little different next season.
At the end of 2018, the 28-year-old driver will hang up his helmet and instead move to a managerial role with the race team for 2019 and beyond.
“Trust me when I say this is the hardest decision I have ever had to make and I do not make it lightly,” said Gallagher. “At the end of the day, this came down to what do I want for my future, what do I want for GMS’ future and how can I grow this team and this sport.”
A self-proclaimed “professional nerd”, Gallagher stated that his suspension following his victory at Talladega Superspeedway for violating NASCAR’s substance abuse policy had no bearing on this decision, nor were there any health concerns that made him want to step away from driving.
“This is a life decision and a business decision as much as anything,” said Gallagher. “I have come to believe that the best way to grow GMS and that is what is in my heart of hearts. This entire thing is bigger than Spencer Gallagher. Nothing matters more to me than these three letters on this shirt, and I’ve come to believe that the best way I can grow GMS is from atop the box rather than in the seat.”
Gallagher was suspended after his April 28th victory at Talladega (his only career victory) and was reinstated on July 4th. He resumed his driving duties at Kentucky Speedway on July 13th.
Gallagher also mentioned that he has spoken with several drivers in regards to filling the now vacant seat of the No. 23 Chevrolet for 2019 and declared “open season” for the ride. The team is also expected to continue to have a presence in the Truck Series.
Gallagher does not have an official role or title with the team at this time.
~~
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 October 20, 2018
“Summer’s Five Things” is a column by Summer Bedgood 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!
1. Joey Logano wins pole for Sunday’s elimination race
In what will be the final race of the Round of 12, Joey Logano will start with an extra cushion between himself and the rest of the field, as he will start on the pole position for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.
The qualifying result was Logano’s first pole position of 2018, 20th in his career, and second at Kansas Speedway.
The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford wasn’t in much trouble heading into this weekend’s race even before winning the pole. He already holds a 39-point lead over ninth-place driver Brad Keselowski (who also happens to be Logano’s teammate). With two prior victories at Kansas Speedway, all Logano likely has to do is stay out of trouble and he will advance to the next round.
Fellow Ford Racing driver Kevin Harvick will start alongside Logano on the front row. In fact, the first five drivers in the starting lineup drive for the Ford camp, with Aric Almirola, Ryan Blaney, and Keselowski rounding out the top five, respectively.
Ford drivers have combined to win 16 of the 31 races this season.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Starting Lineup by Row
2. Long day for Kyle Larson at Kansas Speedway on Friday
There wasn’t a lot in the way of good news for Kyle Larson on Friday. He entered the weekend 36 points behind the cutoff line for the Round of 8, as the 9th through 12th place Playoff drivers will be eliminated from championship contention after this Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway.
A 10-point penalty following last week’s race at Talladega Superspeedway dropped him down to his current deficit, with NASCAR stating that Larson’s No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing team violated Section 10.9.9.d of the NASCAR rulebook:
“I don’t know much about the appeal stuff,” Larson said during a Friday morning press conference before the first decision had been announced. “I kind of just drive the race car. Obviously, a 10-point penalty doesn’t help, but I felt like with even being 26 points back we were going to probably have to go into this week and get a win to make it to the next round. It doesn’t really mean much to me the 10 points like I said because I view this weekend or viewed it before that we had to come in here and win.”
The No. 42 team twice appealed the penalty on Friday — once with the National Motorsports Appeals Panel and again with National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer Brian Moss — and both times the penalty was upheld.
In addition to the loss in points, crew chief Chad Johnston was fined $25,000 and car chief David Bryant was suspended for one race.
Adding insult to injury, Larson crashed during the lone Cup Series practice session on Friday, and will race in a backup car. He will start Sunday’s race from the back of the field.
“Yeah, I’m good, just mad at myself,” said Larson after the crash. “Made a mistake, got loose and had it corrected and then it was like the second time I corrected, I don’t know if I got it on the splitter or what, but then it didn’t turn and went straight. I just hate that we wrecked the primary car there. I’m sure our back-up car will be fine. We are always pretty good here at Kansas. We should be fine. I have been in a back-up car here before and been really fast. Just dig deep and work hard and see what we can do on Sunday.”
Kansas Speedway was the track that knocked Larson out of championship contention last season as well, after the team suffered an engine failure in a crucial elimination race.
Larson has finished in the top five in two of his last three starts in Kansas Speedway and has three top-10 results in nine starts.
3. Ryan Blaney leads Cup Series practice session on Friday
Aside from Larson’s crash, the one and only Friday session for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on Friday at Kansas Speedway was otherwise uninhibited. Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney, who won at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course just a few weeks ago, led the session. His fastest time was 28.106 seconds at 192.130 mph on a track that, due to cooler temperatures, had a lot of grip and a lot of speed.
Kyle Busch was second quickest, followed by Kevin Harvick.
Blaney’s teammate Joey Logano was fourth quickest and would go on to earn the pole position for Sunday’s race. Dover’s winner from a couple of weeks ago, Chase Elliott, rounded out the top five.
Three Playoff drivers were outside of the top 10 on the speed charts.
Blaney is currently 22 points outside of the top eight in the Playoff standings, meaning he will likely need to win on Sunday to move on to the Round of 8 and keep his championship hopes alive.
The series will have two more practice sessions on Saturday. The first session will begin at 10:30AM ET and will last 50 minutes. The session will be broadcast on CNBC.
The final session will start at 1:05PM ET and will last until 1:55PM ET. The broadcast for this session will be on NBCSN.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice 1
4. Richard Childress Racing teammates lead Friday NXS practice sessions
With the NASCAR XFINITY Series racing later today (October 20th) at Kansas Speedway, both of the series’ practice sessions took place on Friday.
Playoff driver Daniel Hemric led the first session, with a time of 30.014 seconds at 179.916 mph. Fellow Playoff drivers Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick were second and third, respectively. Shane Lee was fourth quickest followed by Austin Cindric to round out the top five.
Hemric’s teammate Lee would lead the speed charts in the second and final session for the XFINITY Series drivers, with a fastest lap time of 30.087 seconds at 179.480 seconds. Ty Majeski was second quickest, followed by Bell, Cindric, and Hemric.
The only incident in either session came when Matt Tifft spun out in final practice.
XFINITY Series pole qualifying will begin later today at 11:40AM ET and can be seen on CNBC. The Kansas Lottery 300 will begin at 2:55PM ET on NBC.
NASCAR XFINITY Series Practice 1
NASCAR XFINITY Series Final Practice
5. Spencer Gallagher stepping away from driving in 2019
Current NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Spencer Gallagher made a visit to the Kansas Speedway media center on Friday to announce that his role at GMS Racing will look a little different next season.
At the end of 2018, the 28-year-old driver will hang up his helmet and instead move to a managerial role with the race team for 2019 and beyond.
“Trust me when I say this is the hardest decision I have ever had to make and I do not make it lightly,” said Gallagher. “At the end of the day, this came down to what do I want for my future, what do I want for GMS’ future and how can I grow this team and this sport.”
A self-proclaimed “professional nerd”, Gallagher stated that his suspension following his victory at Talladega Superspeedway for violating NASCAR’s substance abuse policy had no bearing on this decision, nor were there any health concerns that made him want to step away from driving.
“This is a life decision and a business decision as much as anything,” said Gallagher. “I have come to believe that the best way to grow GMS and that is what is in my heart of hearts. This entire thing is bigger than Spencer Gallagher. Nothing matters more to me than these three letters on this shirt, and I’ve come to believe that the best way I can grow GMS is from atop the box rather than in the seat.”
Gallagher was suspended after his April 28th victory at Talladega (his only career victory) and was reinstated on July 4th. He resumed his driving duties at Kentucky Speedway on July 13th.
Gallagher also mentioned that he has spoken with several drivers in regards to filling the now vacant seat of the No. 23 Chevrolet for 2019 and declared “open season” for the ride. The team is also expected to continue to have a presence in the Truck Series.
Gallagher does not have an official role or title with the team at this time.
~~
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.