“Summer’s Five Things” is a daily 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. Kyle Busch wins seventh race of the season in Richmond
The Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL has been prevalent on all competitors’ minds since before the Playoffs even began. With the ROVAL serving as the finale to the Round of 16 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) Playoffs, this made the first two races — Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Richmond Raceway — that much more important.
Brad Keselowski locked up his ticket to the Round of 12, winning three in a row and thus earning some adequate stress relief for the ROVAL.
Kyle Busch joined him Saturday night, winning the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway, his seventh victory of 2018 and 50th MENCS career victory.
“It’s really good to have the win, to be able to go into next week,” said Busch in his post-race press conference. “I think any time you can automatically punch your ticket to the next round, that just makes it even better.”
The victory puts Busch at 193 victories across all three of NASCAR’s national series, pushing Busch that much closer to his goal of reaching 200.
“It’s just a number,” said Busch. “There’s no correlation or comparison to the Richard Petty 200 wins. It’s completely different, completely different eras, it’s just a number. So when I was growing up, I was taught to have goals and to go strive and reach those goals, achieve those goals, and that’s the number that I set out there, so it’s obviously achievable. Maybe I didn’t set it high enough, but people would probably look at me with two eyes crossed if I said 250 or 300. But that’s obviously maybe achievable. I don’t know. I don’t know if I can get through the 200s that fast. But certainly looking forward to that moment and what that means to me and my career. It’s going to be really, really cool to get there, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Busch’s 50th career victory also ties him with Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett on the all-time wins list.
Unofficial Race Results: Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway
2. Truex clinches Round of 12 spot, Hamlin in precarious position heading to ROVAL
Speaking of the ROVAL and the role it will play in determining this year’s champion, Kevin Harvick said post-race that he is “terrified” of the chaos that he expects will ensue this weekend.
However, unless Harvick has an abysmal day in Charlotte this Sunday, he should sail right on through to the Round of 12.
Martin Truex Jr. won’t have to worry about that, however, as he clinched a spot in the Round of 12 on points with a third-place run Saturday night on Richmond Raceway, joining Round of 16 winners Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch with guaranteed spots in the next round regardless of their finishing position in Charlotte.
For the remaining nine positions, the driver in the most dire situation is Denny Hamlin.
After a 32nd-place finish to start the Playoffs last weekend in Las Vegas, Hamlin was already in a hole heading to his home track of Richmond Raceway. He struggled mightily throughout the night, including a near-spin after contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and ultimately finished 16th, one lap down.
Hamlin is now 29 points out of the top 12, and will likely need to win at the ROVAL to advance to the Round of 12.
Erik Jones (-21), Jimmie Johnson (-6), and Clint Bowyer (-4) join Hamlin as the other three drivers on the outside looking in heading into this weekend.
Ryan Blaney is the last driver inside the top 12, holding a four-point advantage over Bowyer. Alex Bowman is 11th with a five-point cushion over 13th place. Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon are tied for the ninth position with a 10-point gap over Bowyer.
3. Ryan Newman will join Roush Fenway Racing in 2019
On Saturday afternoon prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race later that evening, Ryan Newman joined Jack Roush — owner of Roush Fenway Racing — and Steve Newmark — president of Roush Fenway Racing — to announce that he is joining the team in 2019 to drive the No. 6 car.
“I’ve always been a big appreciator of the history of our sport and I think that a big part of that has always been Roush and Roush Fenway Racing, and what Jack’s done and contributed to all forms of motorsports but specifically in the Cup garage here and he has created a great namesake and opportunity for me for next year,” said Newman. “So I look forward to the opportunity of driving and with the ultimate goal of winning. I’m in a position where I’ve never wanted to stop, never wanted to quit, never wanted to retire and want to win a championship. So I look forward to this opportunity. Obviously finishing out this year as strong as we both can in our respective positions. But at the same time with enthusiasm for the Daytona 500 in 2019.”
The No. 6 car is currently shared by Trevor Bayne and Matt Kenseth. Bayne and RFR started out the 2018 season with the intention that Bayne would run the full schedule. However, poor performance and a shortage of sponsorship caused the team to make the decision to have Kenseth in the ride on a part-time basis.
Bayne has acknowledged that he is looking for a ride in 2019 and Kenseth has told RFR that he is not interested in a full-time ride next season.
“We always kind of left the arrangement with Matt that he would come back and we would sit down in late August, early September and have a dialogue about what the future looks like,” said Newmark. “That’s the way it played out. He came and sat down with me when he was looking at everything, talking to his family, considering at what stage he is in his life, meaning that he’s got four young girls and he’s been on the road for almost 20 years, kind of sacrificing a lot of family time that he just wasn’t prepared to run full time.”
Neither Bayne nor Kenseth has finished inside the top 10 yet this season, though Newmark has said that Kenseth’s feedback and insight has resulted in marked improvement.
“If you ask Matt how it went with his kind of self deprecating nature, he probably would say, he hasn’t helped at all,” Newmark said. “But from our perspective, he’s been invaluable. He’s really helped us kind of move the needle and try to focus on what we need to do.”
No announcement was made as far as any sponsorship for 2019.
40-year-old Newman has driven for Richard Childress Racing the past five seasons and has only one win in that time frame. He missed the Playoffs this season and hasn’t had a multi-win season since 2004.
RFR will be the fourth team that Newman has driven for. Aside from RFR and RCR, the Indiana native also competed with Team Penske from 2000 to 2008 and Stewart-Haas Racing from 2009 to 2013.
He has earned 18 career victories since his first full-time season in 2002.
4. New Hampshire Motor Speedway hosts three NASCAR races in one day
Just because Saturday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race was at night race doesn’t mean there wasn’t any racing to watch during the day.
As part of New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s Full Throttle Fall Weekend, the “Magic Mile” welcomed the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, and the NASCAR Pinty’s Series — on the same day.
All three series were given a rare opportunity to be broadcast live via a stream on FansChoice.tv.
The NASCAR Pinty’s Series “Visit New Hampshire 100” was the first race of the day, as the series made its first appearance in the United States. Kevin Lacroix led 90 of the race’s 100 laps en route to the victory, earning his second win of the season.
Race Results: Visit New Hampshire 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Up next was the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East for the Apple Barrel 125. Brandon McReynolds — son of 23-time winning NASCAR Cup Series crew chief Larry McReynolds — took advantage of a late-race restart, leading 78 laps on the way to his first career victory in the series.
13th-place finisher Tyler Ankrum clinched the K&N Pro Series East championship with one race remaining. The 17-year-old driver has four wins this season.
Race Results: Apple Barrel 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
The third and final race of the day was the Musket 250 for the Whelen Modified Tour. A hectic final lap saw Justin Bonsignore and Ryan Preece make contact while racing for the lead, crashing up the racetrack and making way for Chase Dowling to drive by for the victory. This was Dowling’s first career win in the series.
Race Results: Musket 250 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
All three races will appear on television at a later date. The Apple Barrel 125 will appear on NBCSN on Thursday, September 27 at 6:00PM ET while the Musket 250 will air on NBCSN Thursday, September 27 at 7:00PM ET.
The Visit New Hampshire 100 can be seen on TSN2 on Sunday, September 30th at 12:30PM and on RDS2 on Tuesday, October 16th 10:30PM.
5. Former NASCAR driver Rico Abreu transported to hospital following crash in USAC event
It has been a hard week in the world of motorsports with the loss of sprint car driver Greg Hodnett on Thursday night.
On Saturday night at Eldora Speedway in New Weston, Ohio, the racing community briefly received another scare, as Rico Abreu was involved in a violent crash while participating in a hot laps session for a USAC National Midget Series race later that night. After being evaluated at the track’s infield care center, he was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
Abreu later took to Twitter, saying that he was okay and would be returning to the track to watch the features at Eldora Speedway for the 4-Crown Nationals.
Abreu cran the full 2015 season for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. He earned one win in the K&N Pro Series and earned two top fives in the Truck Series.
Tyler Courtney earned the victory in the 4-Crown USAC Midget division and the USAC Sprint division, while CJ Leary took the checkered flag in the Silver Crown division.
Kody Swanson clinched the 2018 Silver Crown Series championship.
Summer’s Five Things: What You Need To Know For September 23, 2018
“Summer’s Five Things” is a daily 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. Kyle Busch wins seventh race of the season in Richmond
The Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL has been prevalent on all competitors’ minds since before the Playoffs even began. With the ROVAL serving as the finale to the Round of 16 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) Playoffs, this made the first two races — Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Richmond Raceway — that much more important.
Brad Keselowski locked up his ticket to the Round of 12, winning three in a row and thus earning some adequate stress relief for the ROVAL.
Kyle Busch joined him Saturday night, winning the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway, his seventh victory of 2018 and 50th MENCS career victory.
“It’s really good to have the win, to be able to go into next week,” said Busch in his post-race press conference. “I think any time you can automatically punch your ticket to the next round, that just makes it even better.”
The victory puts Busch at 193 victories across all three of NASCAR’s national series, pushing Busch that much closer to his goal of reaching 200.
“It’s just a number,” said Busch. “There’s no correlation or comparison to the Richard Petty 200 wins. It’s completely different, completely different eras, it’s just a number. So when I was growing up, I was taught to have goals and to go strive and reach those goals, achieve those goals, and that’s the number that I set out there, so it’s obviously achievable. Maybe I didn’t set it high enough, but people would probably look at me with two eyes crossed if I said 250 or 300. But that’s obviously maybe achievable. I don’t know. I don’t know if I can get through the 200s that fast. But certainly looking forward to that moment and what that means to me and my career. It’s going to be really, really cool to get there, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Busch’s 50th career victory also ties him with Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett on the all-time wins list.
Unofficial Race Results: Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway
2. Truex clinches Round of 12 spot, Hamlin in precarious position heading to ROVAL
Speaking of the ROVAL and the role it will play in determining this year’s champion, Kevin Harvick said post-race that he is “terrified” of the chaos that he expects will ensue this weekend.
However, unless Harvick has an abysmal day in Charlotte this Sunday, he should sail right on through to the Round of 12.
Martin Truex Jr. won’t have to worry about that, however, as he clinched a spot in the Round of 12 on points with a third-place run Saturday night on Richmond Raceway, joining Round of 16 winners Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch with guaranteed spots in the next round regardless of their finishing position in Charlotte.
For the remaining nine positions, the driver in the most dire situation is Denny Hamlin.
After a 32nd-place finish to start the Playoffs last weekend in Las Vegas, Hamlin was already in a hole heading to his home track of Richmond Raceway. He struggled mightily throughout the night, including a near-spin after contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and ultimately finished 16th, one lap down.
Hamlin is now 29 points out of the top 12, and will likely need to win at the ROVAL to advance to the Round of 12.
Erik Jones (-21), Jimmie Johnson (-6), and Clint Bowyer (-4) join Hamlin as the other three drivers on the outside looking in heading into this weekend.
Ryan Blaney is the last driver inside the top 12, holding a four-point advantage over Bowyer. Alex Bowman is 11th with a five-point cushion over 13th place. Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon are tied for the ninth position with a 10-point gap over Bowyer.
3. Ryan Newman will join Roush Fenway Racing in 2019
On Saturday afternoon prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race later that evening, Ryan Newman joined Jack Roush — owner of Roush Fenway Racing — and Steve Newmark — president of Roush Fenway Racing — to announce that he is joining the team in 2019 to drive the No. 6 car.
“I’ve always been a big appreciator of the history of our sport and I think that a big part of that has always been Roush and Roush Fenway Racing, and what Jack’s done and contributed to all forms of motorsports but specifically in the Cup garage here and he has created a great namesake and opportunity for me for next year,” said Newman. “So I look forward to the opportunity of driving and with the ultimate goal of winning. I’m in a position where I’ve never wanted to stop, never wanted to quit, never wanted to retire and want to win a championship. So I look forward to this opportunity. Obviously finishing out this year as strong as we both can in our respective positions. But at the same time with enthusiasm for the Daytona 500 in 2019.”
The No. 6 car is currently shared by Trevor Bayne and Matt Kenseth. Bayne and RFR started out the 2018 season with the intention that Bayne would run the full schedule. However, poor performance and a shortage of sponsorship caused the team to make the decision to have Kenseth in the ride on a part-time basis.
Bayne has acknowledged that he is looking for a ride in 2019 and Kenseth has told RFR that he is not interested in a full-time ride next season.
“We always kind of left the arrangement with Matt that he would come back and we would sit down in late August, early September and have a dialogue about what the future looks like,” said Newmark. “That’s the way it played out. He came and sat down with me when he was looking at everything, talking to his family, considering at what stage he is in his life, meaning that he’s got four young girls and he’s been on the road for almost 20 years, kind of sacrificing a lot of family time that he just wasn’t prepared to run full time.”
Neither Bayne nor Kenseth has finished inside the top 10 yet this season, though Newmark has said that Kenseth’s feedback and insight has resulted in marked improvement.
“If you ask Matt how it went with his kind of self deprecating nature, he probably would say, he hasn’t helped at all,” Newmark said. “But from our perspective, he’s been invaluable. He’s really helped us kind of move the needle and try to focus on what we need to do.”
No announcement was made as far as any sponsorship for 2019.
40-year-old Newman has driven for Richard Childress Racing the past five seasons and has only one win in that time frame. He missed the Playoffs this season and hasn’t had a multi-win season since 2004.
RFR will be the fourth team that Newman has driven for. Aside from RFR and RCR, the Indiana native also competed with Team Penske from 2000 to 2008 and Stewart-Haas Racing from 2009 to 2013.
He has earned 18 career victories since his first full-time season in 2002.
4. New Hampshire Motor Speedway hosts three NASCAR races in one day
Just because Saturday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race was at night race doesn’t mean there wasn’t any racing to watch during the day.
As part of New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s Full Throttle Fall Weekend, the “Magic Mile” welcomed the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, and the NASCAR Pinty’s Series — on the same day.
All three series were given a rare opportunity to be broadcast live via a stream on FansChoice.tv.
The NASCAR Pinty’s Series “Visit New Hampshire 100” was the first race of the day, as the series made its first appearance in the United States. Kevin Lacroix led 90 of the race’s 100 laps en route to the victory, earning his second win of the season.
Race Results: Visit New Hampshire 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Up next was the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East for the Apple Barrel 125. Brandon McReynolds — son of 23-time winning NASCAR Cup Series crew chief Larry McReynolds — took advantage of a late-race restart, leading 78 laps on the way to his first career victory in the series.
13th-place finisher Tyler Ankrum clinched the K&N Pro Series East championship with one race remaining. The 17-year-old driver has four wins this season.
Race Results: Apple Barrel 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
The third and final race of the day was the Musket 250 for the Whelen Modified Tour. A hectic final lap saw Justin Bonsignore and Ryan Preece make contact while racing for the lead, crashing up the racetrack and making way for Chase Dowling to drive by for the victory. This was Dowling’s first career win in the series.
Race Results: Musket 250 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
All three races will appear on television at a later date. The Apple Barrel 125 will appear on NBCSN on Thursday, September 27 at 6:00PM ET while the Musket 250 will air on NBCSN Thursday, September 27 at 7:00PM ET.
The Visit New Hampshire 100 can be seen on TSN2 on Sunday, September 30th at 12:30PM and on RDS2 on Tuesday, October 16th 10:30PM.
5. Former NASCAR driver Rico Abreu transported to hospital following crash in USAC event
It has been a hard week in the world of motorsports with the loss of sprint car driver Greg Hodnett on Thursday night.
On Saturday night at Eldora Speedway in New Weston, Ohio, the racing community briefly received another scare, as Rico Abreu was involved in a violent crash while participating in a hot laps session for a USAC National Midget Series race later that night. After being evaluated at the track’s infield care center, he was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
Abreu later took to Twitter, saying that he was okay and would be returning to the track to watch the features at Eldora Speedway for the 4-Crown Nationals.
Abreu cran the full 2015 season for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. He earned one win in the K&N Pro Series and earned two top fives in the Truck Series.
Tyler Courtney earned the victory in the 4-Crown USAC Midget division and the USAC Sprint division, while CJ Leary took the checkered flag in the Silver Crown division.
Kody Swanson clinched the 2018 Silver Crown Series championship.