Brad Keselowski wins from the pole at Kentucky Speedway

Sometimes the fastest car doesn’t always win. Tonight, at Kentucky Speedway, it did.

Battling back from varying pit stop strategies, Brad Keselowski climbed six positions over the final 47 laps to pick up his second win of the season in dominating fashion in Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts. By winning, Keselowski guarantees himself a berth into the Chase and also becomes the first two-time winner at the 1.5-mile speedway in three years.

"Our car was awesome," said Keselowski, who earned his 12th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win. "The team did a great job and I’m just really thankful to have a car this good. I don’t know how else to put it. The Miller Lite Ford Fusion was hauling and I just can’t wait to get deeper in the season and the post-season. I think this is where we need to be to have a shot at another championship, so I’m just real proud of everyone right now."

Pole sitter Keselowski led the opening 27 Laps until Denny Hamlin wrecked in Turn 4. The first yellow flag of the night would also serve as the scheduled competition caution.

Keselowski brought the field down pit road, where teams tried varying strategies. The top 10 cars elected for two tires, while the others took on four tires.

The Lap 34 restart kept Keselowski in control and by Lap 60 he had extended his lead to 3.5-second over Kevin Harvick. The gap would close on Lap 77 for Kyle Larson, who lost a right-front tire and slammed the Turn 2 wall.

Under the yellow, everyone took four tires, with outside pole sitter Joey Logano beating his teammate off pit lane ahead of Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne.

Logano set the field back into racing conditions, but Keselowski was determined to put his Ford Fusion back at the helm, moving past the No. 22 on Lap 88 and by Lap 104 had extended his lead to 2.7 seconds. By Lap 125, Busch had knocked a chunk out of his lead, but a lap later, the yellow flag waived for debris in Turns 3 and 4.

Pit road became a very busy place and for the second time of the night, Keselowski lost the lead on pit road to Logano with Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. leading the parade back onto the racetrack.

The race resumed on Lap 132, but 15 laps later, Keselowski took the lead back from Logano.

A three-car incident on Lap 154 for Aric Almirola, Alex Bowman and Jamie McMurray brought out the fourth yellow of the night and sent the lead lap cars to pit road, where Keselowski and others taking two tires and fuel. Once again, Logano had the better stop and took the lead from Keselowski.

While Logano led for the Lap 161 restart, Keselowski didn’t waste any time and reasserted his control on Lap 163 and led until a Lap 177 caution for a solo spin by David Stremme. Pit road opened with the leader deciding to stay out, as did much of the top 10.

86 Laps remained when the green flag flew, with Keselowski fumbling, which allowed Logano to take advantage, but not for long as the ‘Blue Deuce’ quickly pedaled back to the point.

The Rochester Hills, Michigan native led through Lap 215, when Almirola lost a tire and hit the Turn 1 wall. The sixth yellow flag of the night was a welcomed sight for the lead pack, as they were within a few laps of having to pit under green flag conditions.

Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, and Earnhardt Jr. remained on the track as they pitted before the caution waived and became the top-three leaders. Meanwhile, a two-tire stop allowed Paul Menard to beat Matt Kenseth off pit road and they restarted fourth and fifth respectively. Keselowski was sixth.

The Lap 220 restart saw Busch trying to fend off Ryan Newman, with the Team Penske cars of Keselowski and Logano stalking them from the rear. Keselowski made the move around Newman for second on Lap 233 and set his sights on leader Busch, who grew his lead to 1.7 seconds.

As the laps ticked away, Keselowski began to catch the No. 18 of Busch and when the No. 18 ran into trouble passing the lapped machine of Reed Sorenson, Keselowski was able to make up nearly 1.1 seconds over three laps to grab the lead from him on Lap 249.

Over the next 18 laps, Keselowski drove to a 1.015 second margin over Busch and claimed his second checkered flag of the season, his first since winning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.

Even with the fastest car of the night, the 2012 NSCS champion wasn’t sure he would have enough to catch Busch at the end. "It was gonna be tough," he said when thinking about having to chase him down. "I knew it was gonna be really, really tough. I figured we’d get to him, but I didn’t really think I’d be able to pass him. I caught a little break in lap traffic and the car was just that good. I was able to take advantage of it and get the lead. That was awesome."

Keselowski trip to Victory Lane was momentarily interrupted, as he cut his right hand while opening a champagne bottle, which exploded in his possession. He rushed to the infield care center, where he received four stitches, changed his race uniform and returned to Victory Lane for additional post-race celebrations.

"We were playing around with some champagne bottles and as I told my good friend, ‘We should have stuck with beer.’ We were having too much fun with champagne and one of the bottles broke and I cut my hand open. It’s no big deal," the 30-year old said.

As for Busch, who racked in three top-three finishes across NASCAR’s three National divisions this weekend.

"We were a lot better than we’ve been all year long and that’s a testament to what the guys did overnight fixing this M&M’s Toyota Camry into what I could drive today and making it fast," Busch sounded. "We had good speed, so I was real proud of that effort. I got so loose there at the end -- the loosest I’ve gotten all day and the loosest I’ve been in traffic all day too. I just couldn’t hold on and couldn’t keep it where I wanted it, and was sliding all over the place and just trying not to wreck basically."

Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top-five.

For Newman, it was his first top-five finish since joining Richard Childress Racing this season.

"It’s a big gain for us and our Caterpillar Chevrolet," he said. "All the guys at RCR and ECR got us that first top five of the season. I’ve got to thank everybody from Caterpillar and Quicken Loans for the opportunity they’ve given us this year. It was a good run. The No. 2 (Brad Keselowski, race winner) was obviously the fastest car all night. The No. 18 (Kyle Busch) got a little bit better there at the end. We were pretty solid. We never really changed the car. It felt like we were pretty neutral and didn’t want to screw it up. So, we ended up where we did."

Jeff Gordon finished sixth ahead of Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano, with an alleged down cylinder and Jimmie Johnson comprised the remainder of the top-10.

Jeff Gordon remains the point’s leader over Jimmie Johnson by 24 points (618 to 594). Dale Earnhardt Jr. is third (-24), Keselowski fourth (-58) and Kenseth fifth (-63).

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the Coke Zero 400 from Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, July 5, 2014. Reining NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson is the defending champion of the event.(Chris Knight, NASCAR Media)

Spirit Of Daytona Wins At Watkins Glen

WATKINS GLEN, NEW YORK (June 29, 2014) – In a six-hour TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race that came down to the wire, Richard Westbrook was in the right place at the right time.
Westbrook drove his No. 90 VISITFLORIDA.COM/GoPro Corvette DP past Alex Brundle in Turn 4 at Watkins Glen International after a late-race caution wiped out Brundle’s sizable lead. He then led the final five laps for a 0.877-second victory in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. The race was the third round in the four-race Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup.

“Richard and my approach for the last couple of races was to keep the car safe and be in a position that would allow us to take a podium or possibly the win,” said Spirit of Daytona co-driver Michael Valiante. “It’s worked for us the last two races.”

The team was coming off a second-place finish in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic presented by the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers at the Belle Isle Street Circuit, its first podium of the season.

The win was the fourth for Daytona Beach-based Spirit of Daytona, and the first since Sept. 9, 2012 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. All three of the team’s previous wins came that season.

"It’s a massive relief for us to get a victory,” Westbrook said. “It’s been a bit of a dry spell for us, especially on the back of a successful 2012. We’ll take that win for sure.”

Despite taking a runner-up finish after leading late, Brundle and his No. 42 OAK Racing Morgan/Nissan co-drivers Gustavo Yacaman and Ho-Pin Tung were able to take positives away from their first visit to the historic 3.4-mile track.

“It’s been a tremendous effort from my team and both teammates,” Brundle said. “We made a step forward in pace, understanding the car and understanding the tire. I think we can go away happy but we did kind of snatch defeat from the jaws of victory a little bit.”

Brundle, who started the race from the pole position, grabbed the lead on Lap 170 after Valiante brought the No. 90 to pit road for tires, fuel and a driver change with 48 minutes remaining in the race. An accident between Alex Tagliani and Ian James brought out a full-course caution, giving Westbrook the opportunity to catch Brundle.

Brundle had one last chance to track down Westbrook when Scott Pruett was spun by Renger van der Zande with 10 minutes remaining. Safety officials hurried to ready the race track, and Westbrook prevailed in a one-lap dash to the checkered flag.

Momentum is on the side of OAK Racing, however, having placed on the podium two consecutive races.

"I’m really proud of the team, the guys worked really hard on the car last night,” Yacaman said. “They stayed up until 1 a.m. making some updates to the car and getting it ready for the race.

“Every race we’ve started we’ve been consistent. We keep moving up the ladder on the podium. We really need that win, we’re looking for that win. We’ll keep working, working hard until we can get the win."

Westbrook and Valiante earned eight points in the Patrón Endurance Cup, matching leaders Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi of Action Express Racing, who led at the race’s halfway point.

Wayne Taylor Racing teammates Ricky Taylor and Jordan Taylor finished fifth, but were able to maintain their TUDOR Championship Prototype lead in the standings.

Busch's truck too low

SPARTA, Ky. – The race-winning truck of Kyle Busch measured too low in the front during post-race inspection following Thursday night’s UNOH 225 atKentucky Speedway.

Officials said the issue would be evaluated further at the NASCAR Research and Development Center during the upcoming week.

Busch dominated the Camping World Truck Series event, leading 91 of 150 laps. It was his fifth win of the season in five starts.

Unlike the Sprint Cup Series, ride-height rules remain in place for entries in the Nationwide and Truck Series.

Earlier this season, the No. 9 entry of driver Chase Elliott measured too low during post-race inspection at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. NASCAR determined that the violation was a P2 penalty and placed Elliott’s crew chief, Greg Ives, on probation for the remainder of the year.

Eric Phillips is crew chief for Busch and the No. 51 team.

2014 Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway Weekend Schedule

Thursday, June 26
10:30 AM 12:00 PM UNOH 225 FINAL PRACTICE (FS1)
4:40 PM UNOH 225 QUALIFYING (FS1)
8:00 PM 2014 UNOH 225 (FS1)

Friday, June 27
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Quaker State 400 PRACTICE (FS1)
1:00 - 2:20 PM Quaker State 400 FINAL PRACTICE (FS1)
3:40 PM John R. Elliott HERO Campaign 300 QUALIFYING (FS1)
5:40 PM Quaker State 400 QUALIFYING (FS1)
7:30 PM 2014 John R. Elliott HERO Campaign 300 (ESPN)

Saturday, June 28
7:30 PM 2014 Quaker State 400 (TNT)

ALL POSTED TIMES LOCAL TO TRACK

Johnson, Earnhardt, Jr. nominated for ESPYs

Teammates Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have something else in common now. Both are among the driver nominees for this year's ESPY awards. Johnson is on the ballot in two categories -- for best championship performance for his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup title and for best driver. Other nominees in the best championship performance category are: NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs; UConn's Shabazz Napier, who helped the Huskies upset Kentucky to win the men's NCAA tournament; and David Ortiz of the World Series champion Boston Red Sox. Joining him in the best driver category are: Hendrick Motorsports teammate Earnhardt Jr., 2013 IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, 2014 Indianapolis 500 champion Ryan Hunter-Reay and 2013 NHRA Funny Car titlist John Force.(USA Today)

Kyle Busch makes odd comments about M&M's

File it under things that make you go "hmm..." but there was an interesting exchange over the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing radio frequency after Carl Edwards won the Toyota/SaveMart 350 on Sunday. While Kyle Busch was driving into the garage after race he asked, "Is the M&Ms contract signed yet?" To which an unidentified voice replies, "No". Crew chief Dave Rogers then adds, "But you fought hard all day. Sorry we didn't bring you a better race car. You drove all day. Bring it back to us." While we're not sure what to make of the comments, the timing seems curious, particularly since J.D. Gibbs told reporters this weekend that M&Ms will remain with Busch through 2015.(Motorsport)

ESPN cancels "NASCAR Now"

The popular daily news show which launched in 2007 and was the first program on ESPN devoted strictly to NASCAR has been on hiatus since the start of World Cup Soccer started last week Network spokesperson Andy Hall said ESPN "just decided to make a change in the programming schedule." And although ESPN will not be an official broadcast partner beyond 2014 as FOX and NBC takeover the entire schedule Hall added the move was "totally unrelated to our telecast of NASCAR races. "We will continue to present the race telecasts at the same high level fans expect from ESPN for the remainder of our final season," Hall said. ""We will continue to aggressively cover NASCAR across our news platforms, including SportsCenter, ESPN.com and others".(Motorsport)

Edwards wins at Sonoma

Carl Edwards won the Toyota / SaveMart 350(k) Sprint Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway for his 2nd win of 2014, his 1st win at Sonoma, his first road course win and his 23rd career win. Gordon finished 2nd followed by Earnhardt Jr., pole sitter McMurray, Menard, Kahne, Johnson, Ambrose, Biffle and Bowyer. AJ Allmendinger led the most laps with 35 of 110, but got involved in a wreck late in the race and finished 37th. Gordon (1 win) keeps the points lead after finishing 2nd and extends his points lead over Johnson to 20 points. Johnson leads the Chase Grid with three wins, 2nd in points. Earnhardt Jr. is second with 2 wins, 3rd in points. There were 11 lead changes among 9 drivers. There were 6 cautions for 19 yellow flag laps.

Race Hub exclusive: NASCAR president talks changes for 2015

Credit to Fox Sports

Goodyear completes Indy, Chicago and Kentucky tests

With its at-track session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this past Monday and Tuesday, Goodyear completed a busy stretch of testing in preparation for this summer's NASCAR schedule. Participating in the test at Indianapolis were Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart. "Our test speeds were extremely fast at Indianapolis," said Greg Stucker, Goodyear's director of racing. "Like a lot of race tracks we've been to this year with this new car package, it appears the race pace can be significantly faster than it's been in the past. Because of that, we have to make sure we come back with a recommendation that is robust enough for the conditions we'll have in the race. "The weather conditions during the test were exactly what we have to come to expect during the race weekend in late July -- pushing 90 degrees and sunny. That enabled us to evaluate the tires we brought under the proper conditions." More than the weather conditions, the race conditions always conspire to make the Brickyard 400 one that is high up on Goodyear's radar. "The thing about Indianapolis is the tough conditions the cars -- and the tires -- have to endure," said Stucker. "The surface is very abrasive, the long straightaways and short chutes are fast, cornering is tough with very little banking. Combine that with this new car package, and you've got conditions that put a lot of stress on the tires."
In spite of some of the speeds where teams were consistently running a half-second faster in race trim than in the past, the test was problem free outside of one incident with the Stewart Haas Racing car of Tony Stewart. On day two of the test, the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion had a right-front tire lose air 17 laps into a 20-lap run. "Tony was approaching the end of a very strong 20-lap run, with his lap times as much as a second faster than what has become the norm at Indianapolis at that point of a run. It appears that increased, sustained speed over that run generated a significant amount of heat, which eventually caused the right-front to go down. Those are the conditions we have to consider in making the right decisions for the race." Goodyear will continue to talk to the Indianapolis test teams and review the data from the session to come up with its final recommendation over the next week.
Over recent weeks, Goodyear also completed tests at Chicagoland Speedway (June 10-11) and Kentucky Speedway (May 20-21). At Chicagoland, Goodyear confirmed its expectations and will bring a race recommendation that includes the same left-side tire it ran at that track last season and the multi-zone tread right-side that was run at Texas earlier this season. Handling the test at Chicagoland were Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Paul Menard.
At Kentucky, Goodyear ran a true confirmation test and will race the same combination of left- and right-side tires they ran at that track in 2013. Running at the Kentucky test were Brad Keselowski, Jamie McMurray and Brian Vickers.
Goodyear continues its testing program with sessions at Richmond International Raceway on July 8-9 and Homestead-Miami Speedway on August 26.(Goodyear Racing)

Four drivers to run K&N Pro Series West race

Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon, Michael Annett and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are entered in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Sonoma Raceway this weekend. They're seeking additional road course experience before Sunday's Sprint Cup race there.(Motor Racing Network)

2014 Toyota/SaveMart 350(k) at Sonoma Raceway Weekend Schedule

Friday, June 20
12:00 - 1:50 PM Toyota/SaveMart 350(k) PRACTICE (FS1)
3:30 - 5:00 PM Toyota/SaveMart 350(k) FINAL PRACTICE (FS1)

Saturday, June 21
10:40 AM (11:40 AM/ET) Gardner Denver 200 QUALIFYING (ESPN2)
10:40 AM Toyota/SaveMart 350(k) QUALIFYING (FS1)
1:45 PM (2:45 PM/ET) 2014 Gardner Denver 200 Fired Up By Johnsonville (ABC)

Sunday, June 22
12:00 PM 2014 Toyota/SaveMart 350(k) (TNT)

ALL POSTED TIMES LOCAL TO RESPECTIVE TRACKS

New, larger Sprint Vision makes debut at Michigan

Large video boards at Texas Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway have changed and enhanced the overall viewing experience for fans who attend races at those venues.

With that in mind, a new and larger Sprint Vision board made its debut this weekend at Michigan International Speedway.

While the new video board isn’t as big as its counterparts in Charlotte and Fort Worth, it is big enough for fans in the stands to get a good up-close view of what’s going on around the track and in the driver’s seat.

Plus, unlike the boards at Texas and Charlotte, the new Sprint Vision is “portable” enough that it will appear at every remaining track on the Sprint Cup schedule this season (except, of course, the two tracks with the huge boards).

The new Sprint Vision is 18 feet high by 32.4 feet wide, a significant size increase from the former version. Plus, it’s High Definition to give a crisper, clearer viewing experience, according to Sprint officials.(NBC Sports)

Ron Fellows a no-go for both Sonoma and JR Motorsports Nationwide

Sports car racing legend and one of Canada’s most recognizable drivers, Ron Fellows, has long been regarded as one of the best – if not the best – of the NASCAR “road race ringers.”

But unfortunately, barring any last-minute adjustments, we won’t be seeing the 54-year-old Fellows at either Sonoma Raceway (NASCAR Sprint Cup) or Road America (NASCAR Nationwide Series) this weekend.

On the Cup side, Fellows’ place in the No. 33 Circle Sport Racing Chevrolet that he had last year will be taken by Alex Kennedy. Meanwhile, his JR Motorsports Nationwide deal is a no-go for 2014 because of a sponsor conflict.

“I’m heavily involved with Canadian Tire, and JRM has NAPA this year (for Chase Elliott, who, incidentally, won the first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park last year), so it doesn’t work,” Fellows told MotorSportsTalk at Le Mans this week. “It’s unfortunate, but that’s the way it is.”(NBC Sports)

Comcast Xfinity, NASCAR in talks for series title deal

NASCAR is in advanced talks with Comcast Xfinity about becoming title sponsor of the sport's secondary series. Nationwide Insurance, which has sponsored the series since 2007, is in the final year of its title sponsorship, and NASCAR has been looking for a replacement sponsor for the Nationwide Series since last fall. Conversations with Xfinity, which is Comcast's video service, have been going on for several months. Sources familiar with the negotiations said the parties have not reached a contract phase but that Comcast has emerged as a leading candidate for the sponsorship. NASCAR Chief Sales Officer Jim O'Connell said the company doesn't comment on discussions with current or potential sponsors. He added, "With regards to the Nationwide Series, we're speaking to a number of companies in a number of different industries." Comcast did not reply to a request for comment. NASCAR is asking $12 million to $15 million annually in rights fees for the title sponsorship of the series. Media and activation commitments would take the total costs of the deal to more than $25 million. In addition to Comcast Xfinity, NASCAR has met with a number of companies in the auto aftermarket category, including Advance Auto Parts and AutoZone. Nationwide Insurance is spending approximately $10 million in rights fees for title sponsorship of the series. Its total spend, which includes activation at track and media spending, is in excess of $20 million. The company opted to discontinue its sponsorship of the series in order to become an official NASCAR sponsor and sponsor the #88 car driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Next year, Nationwide will sponsor Earnhardt Jr. in 12 Sprint Cup races.(Sports Business Journal)

Michael Schumacher out of coma

Nearly six months after sustaining serious head injuries in a skiing accident, seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher left a French hospital on Monday and was transferred to neighboring Switzerland to continue his recovery. Schumacher "is not in a coma anymore," his manager, Sabine Kehm, said in a brief statement announcing that the German driver had left the Grenoble University Hospital, where he had been treated since his accident Dec. 29. Kehm gave no further details of his condition or medical outlook, saying only that he would "continue his long phase of rehabilitation." Schumacher left the Grenoble hospital Monday morning, said hospital spokeswoman Brigitte Polikar, who declined to give any details on his condition. He was transferred to the Lausanne University Hospital, near the Schumacher family's Swiss home. Hospital spokesman Darcy Christen confirmed the 45-year-old German was admitted but stressed that the facility wants "to ensure that he and his family fully enjoy privacy and medical confidentiality."(ESPN)

Jimmie Johnson gets third win of the season at Michigan

At long last, Jimmie Johnson knows what it feels like to visit victory lane at Michigan International Speedway.

The six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup series champion took the lead for good on Lap 191 after a cycle of pit stops and cruised to the checkered flag at Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400 to end a 24-race drought here.

"We’ve figured out every way to lose this race and today we were able to get it done," he said after getting out of his No. 48 Chevy.

Johnson had encountered heartbreak several times when leading late here and admitted he was nervous as he dashed through the final few laps.

"About 200 yards before the finish line I knew if the car exploded I’d still make it across the line," he said with a chuckle, "so that’s when I finally relaxed."

Johnson pitted on Lap 165 and took on four tires and enough fuel to finish the race, which was green the rest of the way. Anyone close to him pitted later and left Johnson comfortably ahead as Hendrick Motorsports captured its fifth straight Sprint Cup series race.

"We were really in a win-win situation," said Johnson, who led 39 laps and jumped to second in the Sprint Cup points standings behind Gordon. "Those guys had to come to pit road to make it to the end.

"Once the strategy unfolded, we knew we were in the catbird’s seat."

Crew chief Chad Knaus said the team had an extra ace in the hole.

"We knew there was going to be some opportunities to play some strategy today," he said. "We were fortunate to have a fast racecar and hit the strategy correct."

The car was the same the team used to win Johnson’s first race of the season at Charlotte.

Pole sitter Kevin Harvick, who led a race-best 63 laps, was second, followed by Brad Keselowski, Paul Menard and Kasey Kahne.

Johnson’s win capped a stellar day for HMS, which saw all four Chevys in the top seven thanks to Kahne and Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who were sixth and seventh.

Johnson became the series’ first three-time winner and picked up his 69th career Sprint Cup victory. He’s finished first in three of the series’ last four races and jumped to from fourth to second in the series points standings, 15 points behind Gordon.

Harvick was especially fast on restarts during the first 150 laps of the race but got caught in a series of green-flag stops that dropped him to second. He did little to hide his frustration.

"The car was fast, just wound up on the wrong side of the strategy," he said.

Harvick had the fastest car on the track for most of practice and set a new track record to earn the pole.

The pit strategy chess game forced several other contenders farther back in the field, including Joey Logano, who led the field for 15 laps before being passed by Harvick on Lap 141.

The race wasn’t quite a lap old when Brian Vickers brushed the Turn 4 wall, then spun before collecting Travis Kvapil near the entrance to pit lane. Rookie Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. brought out another caution on Lap 6 when they made contact near Turn 2.

Casey Mears and Brett Moffitt tangled in Turn 4 on Lap 115 and Aric Almirola and Denny Hamlin spun in the same place on Lap 122 to bring out another caution. The race was yellow-flagged eight times for 36 laps.(NASCAR Media)

Hendrick Motorsports on a streak

Dale Earnhardt's performance on Sunday at Pocono marked Hendrick Motorsports' fourth consecutive points-paying Sprint Cup win in 2014. Jeff Gordon kicked off the current streak with his Kansas victory on May 10, which was followed by Jimmie Johnson winning on May 25 at Charlotte and June 1 at Dover. It is the sixth separate time Hendrick Motorsports teams have combined to win at least four consecutive points races, including the 2007 Sprint Cup season when the organization posted three separate win streaks of four, five and six races apiece. The team also won four consecutive races in both 1996 and 1998.(HMS)

Daytona looking to host football games

Daytona International Speedway is undergoing a $400 million renovation that is to be completed before the 2016 Spring Cup Series begins. The front stretch grandstand is being rebuilt with three levels and will include additional restrooms and concession areas. Once it's complete, Speedway president Joie Chitwood III has said he would like to have the speedway play host to a college football game. A Jacksonville Jaguars preseason game would be something Chitwood would be interested in staging on the speedway's infield, though he said he hasn't approached the Jaguars about that yet. "We've not had a formal discussion with the Jags here but we've got some great relationships," Chitwood said. "I know Mark Lamping, their president, and we've done some nice things where he's participated in some sports conferences in Daytona. I've come up and visited some games with those guys. There's always an opportunity."(ESPN)

Mayfield adamant he didn't use drugs

Jeremy Mayfield has learned never to say never but it appears that any chance of him returning to NASCAR racing is slim as he remains adamant that he did not use methamphetamine and does not need to go through NASCAR's Road to Recovery program. In an hour-long interview Wednesday with Sporting News, Mayfield covered a wide range of topics that stemmed from his 2009 drug test that NASCAR says was positive for methamphetamines. "I don't use drugs, for sure," Mayfield said. "I don't drink. I might have a couple of beers a year, maybe. ... I don't steal. I haven't broke into any buildings and stole race parts and stuff."(SportingNews)

2014 Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway Weekend Schedule

Friday, June 13
11:00 AM - 12:20 PM Quicken Loans 400 PRACTICE (FS1)
3:40 PM Quicken Loans 400 QUALIFYING (FS1)

Saturday, June 14
9:30 - 10:20 AM Quicken Loans 400 PRACTICE (FS2)
10:40 AM Ollie's Bargain Outlet 250 QUALIFYING (ESPN2)
12:30 - 1:20 PM Quicken Loans 400 FINAL PRACTICE (FS2)
2:00 PM 2014 Ollie's Bargain Outlet 250 (ESPN)
4:10 PM (5:10 PM) Drivin' for Linemen 200 QUALIFYING (FS1)
7:30 PM (8:30 PM) 2014 Drivin' for Linemen 200 (FS1)

Sunday, June 15
1:00 PM 2014 Quicken Loans 400 (TNT)

ALL POSTED TIMES LOCAL TO TRACK

57th Annual Daytona 500 Tickets On Sale

Tickets to NASCAR's biggest, richest and most prestigious race - the 57th annual DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, Feb. 22 - will go on sale Tuesday, June 10 at 9:00am/et. Tickets for the Daytona 500 start at $65. For the third straight year, the Speedway is offering special youth pricing for Budweiser Speedweeks 2015:

•  57th Daytona: Children 12 and under will receive 50 percent off all backstretch grandstand seats while supplies last. Children 12 and under are also free in the Sprint Fanzone
• All other Budweiser Speedweeks events: Children 12 and under are $10 in reserved grandstands and free in general admission areas and in the Sprint Fanzone.

In addition to the 57th annual Daytona 500, tickets for all Budweiser Speedweeks 2015 events will be available for purchase including the NASCAR Nationwide Series race, the NextEra Energy Resources 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, the Budweiser Duel, The Sprint Unlimited At Daytona and Lucas Oil 200 Presented By MAV TV American Real doubleheader and Daytona 500 Qualifying Presented By Kroger. Race fans can also pre-purchase weekend infield camping for The Sprint Unlimited weekend; Rolex 24 At Daytona infield car parking packages; and hospitality packages and Pre-Race/Sprint FANZONE passes for all Budweiser Speedweeks 2015 events. Race fans have three different ways to purchase tickets:

• Online at daytonainternationalspeedway.com
• Calling 1-800-PITSHOP
• Visiting the Daytona International Speedway ticket office

The stars of NASCAR return to Daytona International Speedway on July 3-5. Tickets to the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race and the Subway Firecracker 250 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Nationwide Series race are available by calling 1-800-PITSHOP or online at daytonainternationalspeedway.com.(DIS)

Kahne unhappy with Kyle Busch

Kasey Kahne wasn't happy with Kyle Busch after their accident with 17 laps remaining Sunday in the Pocono 400. The accident occurred on the lap following a restart, and Kahne was on the outside of Busch, who appeared to try to cut in front of Kahne. Contact between the two sent Kahne into the outside wall twice, ending his day. "I had just passed Kyle and I caught (Ryan) Newman (and) I was passing him off Turn 3," Kahne said on the race radio broadcast. "We were side-by-side so Kyle was able to get a good draft down the straightaway. We got to Turn 1 and I was on the outside and then he knew if he didn't clear me there that I would pass him back because I just had. So he just floored it and didn't care there was someone out there and ran me right in the wall." (Sporting News)

Earnhardt lucky and good, in Pocono victory

LONG POND, PENNSYLVANIA – Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in position to pounce on Sunday, punching his ticket to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup by winning his second race this season and his first-ever at Pocono Raceway.

It took a little racing luck.

Runner-up Brad Keselowski was terrific in clean air. What he lacked was a clean grille.

On Sunday, when Keselowski’s car began to overheat due to a piece of trash on his front end, Earnhardt roared by, becoming the fourth consecutive Hendrick Motorsports driver to put a Chevrolet in Victory Lane at Pocono Raceway.

"Brad had the better car; he had me beat," said Earnhardt, who has known his share of late-race misfortune. Take the third race of the season at Las Vegas, when he ran out of gas on the final lap, enabling Keselowski to win.

"I’ve lost some in some strange ways, so it feels good to win one like that," Earnhardt said.

Earnhardt’s triumph in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ Pocono 400 gave him two victories this season, his first multiple-win campaign since 2004 when he won six times. He has seen and appreciated the gradual-but-steady strides his team has made.

"The difference between running fourth at the end of this race and running second is a very small thing," said Earnhardt, praising the effort of his crew chief Steve Letarte in the process. "In years past, it was someone else seizing the opportunity. We’d be third or fourth, watching it happen.

"Each year we’ve seen a progression of performance. What I’m seeing us do and how I’m seeing us run makes a lot of sense to me. We’ve been fast every week. We started [to improve] toward the middle of last year. We haven’t peaked, but we’re certainly doing some of our best work right now."

Keselowski led 95 of Sunday’s 160 laps and led Earnhardt by more than one second when his engine temperature forced him to take decisive action with five laps to go. Keselowski tucked in behind the lapped car of Danica Patrick, hoping to draw the debris off his grille.

"I felt really bad for Brad to see him in a situation to be that desperate," Earnhardt said. "He’s a good friend … he had it won. We weren’t going to get to him. I could not believe he was going to do that when I saw him go up the race track behind the No. 10 (Patrick's car). His temperature had to be super-hot for him to do that."

Keselowski said he was desperate and felt he had no choice.

"There was debris on the grille, so I had to do something," Keselowski said. "[Maybe] I should have just ran it to see if it would have blown off … but I had to make some kind of move or the car wasn’t going to make it. The car was starting to blow up. It was going to break or I was going to get passed because we were really down on power in the straightaway.

"I took a shot to clear it off and not lose time, but I misjudged it. [The move] made enough difference for me to lose the lead in the process. When I got down in the corner and the car finally got sideways, I realized I’d made a mistake."

In 28 previous Sprint Cup starts at Pocono, Earnhardt had managed seven top-five finishes including a pair of second-place finishes despite what he thought were some excellent cars.

"We’ve had so many opportunities slip away," he said. "We’ve been so close. So it feels so good to get into Victory Lane here. I used to come here as a kid because it was a summer race. I just always wanted to win at this place. We’ve had some good cars here, so it feels good to finish the deal."

Kurt Busch finished third, polesitter Denny Hamlin fourth and rookie Kyle Larson took fifth. Hendrick driver Jimmie Johnson, winner of the previous two Sprint Cup races, started 20th, overcame a pit road collision with Marcos Ambrose that dropped him as far back as 31st, and wound up sixth. (NASCAR Media)

Kurt Busch: 36

NBC Sports will present an all-access look into the intense preparation, 200+ MPH competition and extreme logistics surrounding Kurt Busch's running the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. The 30-minute special, featuring in-depth interviews, on-track footage, team communications and a seat right next to Busch throughout his races against drivers from two elite series, pulsating travel conditions and the limits of his own endurance, is scheduled to debut on Sunday, June 8, at 4:30 pm/et on NBC. A 60-minute "director's cut" of Kurt Busch: 36 is scheduled to air the following day, Monday, June 9, at 11:30pm/et on NBCSN. NBC Sports' Emmy Award-winning NASCAR production team, led by Executive Producer Sam Flood, teams with the Emmy Award-winning NASCAR Productions to create Kurt Busch: 36.(NBC)

TNT Revs Up for NASCAR Coverage

TNT's presentation of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will feature all-access coverage throughout the six-week NASCAR Summer Series. TNT's coverage will start Sunday, June 8, at Pocono, continuing throughout the summer with behind-the-scenes content featuring a select driver and their team, along with special "off the track" segments and more.

The Toyota Camry Test Car, a new addition for this year's race coverage, will take viewers inside the car and bring them closer to the action. TNT analysts Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach will use the car for pre-race driving segments on the track, taking viewers into the turns and down the straightaways before the green flag drops each week. Additionally, the car will be a resource for analyst Larry McReynolds during the race as the former crew chief will outline key performance features and mechanical challenges during the race.

TNT will once again follow a driver and their team over the course of the entire week as they travel and prepare for the upcoming race, with coverage beginning when the driver leaves the previous track and continuing throughout the network's next NASCAR Summer Series telecast. Featured drivers will include Kyle Larson (Pocono), Austin Dillon (Michigan) and AJ Allmendinger (Daytona), among others. The all-access pieces will air during the pre-race Countdown to Green served by Sonic show.

The network will return its marquee commentator crew with analysts Petty, Dallenbach and McReynolds joining play-by-play announcer Adam Alexander for each race. Alexander will also host the network's 60-minute Countdown to Green served by Sonic pre-race show with Petty, Dallenbach and McReynolds. In addition, veteran reporters Ralph Sheheen, Marty Snider, Matt Yocum and Chris Neville will patrol pit road to bring viewers comprehensive coverage and access prior to and during each race.(Turner Sports)

Pocono removes tunnel turn curb

Jeff Gordon comments on the removal of curbing in tunnel turn at Pocono Raceway: "I don't think the track has changed - it's just the curb I believe has been removed from Turn 2 and the access road is now like a normal apron. I think visually it's going to take some getting used to. We used that curb as a real focal point and, now that it's gone, what you used to get through that corner will be different."(HMS)

Foyt would consider giving Tony Stewart or Jeff Gordon shot at Indy 500

Legendary IndyCar driver and owner A.J. Foyt was impressed with NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Kurt Busch's performance in the Indianapolis 500 a week ago. Foyt wouldn't mind having Sprint Cup stars Tony Stewart or Jeff Gordon driving for him next year at Indy. "If he wanted to, yes he could do a good job at Indy and if he wanted to, I'd consider it," said Foyt of having Jeff Gordon compete for him in the Indy 500. "Tony too. I gave Tony his first Indy ride in testing. Definitely I would (consider giving them a seat) because I know they could do the job." Foyt was speaking on the sidelines of the Detroit Grand Prix on Sunday. Foyt said it would cost approximately $1 million for a second car to compete at Indy during the month of May.(Detroit News)

2014 Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway Weekend Schedule

Friday, June 6
12:00 - 1:20 PM Pocono 400 PRACTICE (FS1)
4:40 PM Pocono 400 QUALIFYING (FS1)
8:00 PM 2014 WinStar World Casino and Resort 400k - Texas Motor Speedway (FS1)

Saturday, June 7
9:00 - 10:00 AM Pocono 400 PRACTICE (FS1)
11:30 AM - 12:20 PM Pocono 400 FINAL PRACTICE (FS1)

Sunday, June 8
1:00 PM 2014 Pocono 400 (TNT)

(ALL POSTED TIMES LOCAL TO RESPECTIVE TRACKS)

Hendrick, Ganassi at NHMS on Wednesday

A six-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. The current series' points leader. The winner of this year's Daytona 500. And the favorite to win this year's Rookie of the Year. All four and more will be on-track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday, as track officials announced today that Hendrick Motorsports and Ganassi Racing will hold a test session at the facility in preparation for the Camping World RV Sales 301 on July 13.

Included in the field will be Hendrick drivers Jimmie Johnson, the defending six-time Sprint Cup champion that is coming off back-to-back wins at Charlotte and Dover; Jeff Gordon, a four-time champion and current points leader; Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won his second Daytona 500 in February; and Kasey Kahne, winner of Magic Mile's July race back in 2012.

Rookie of the Year contender Kyle Larson and 2010 Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray will also be testing under the Ganassi Racing moniker.

The grandstands will be open and free of charge to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. The two-day test session will take place exactly two months before NASCAR returns to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Camping World RV Sales 301.

This will be the first of two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team tests this season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Michael Waltrip Racing and Richard Childress Racing are also planning a combined test session in the first week of July, one week before the July Camping World RV Sales 301 NASCAR weekend. Dates and information will be released at a later time.(NHMS)

Johnson wins at Dover

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports won the FedEx 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway for his 2nd win of 2014, 9th win at Dover and his 68th career win. He dominated most of the race, leading 272 of the 400 laps.

NASCAR discusses Dover track repair

Just before the halfway point of Sunday's FedEx 400 at Dover, a piece of concrete came up from the track. Jamie McMurray hit the concrete, causing front end splitter damage. The race was red flagged for more than 20 minutes while NASCAR repaired the track. Robin Pemberton, NASCAR Vice President of Competition and Racing talked to the media about it Sunday after Dover's race.
Q. Robin, a few drivers said over the radio that they saw problems with that this morning. Were any of those concerns brought to you or any of the NASCAR officials?
ROBIN PEMBERTON: We do a track walk after every race and in the morning, so at the time that had been a previous patch, but our staff, our crew didn't see anything wrong with it.
Q. I was just wondering if you could talk about the decision not to let the cars work under the red flag, especially Jamie.
ROBIN PEMBERTON: Yes. We've had issues of things like this in the past, and Martinsville comes to mind, some other things similar to that, and our policy is not to let them work on the car. You may remember when we had an equipment failure, broadcast equipment failure, sometime back, and that affected the entire field of race cars, and at that time we did red flag and we did allow the teams to fix the damage that was caused by that equipment failure. But that is our normal policy, to not allow teams to work on their cars.
Q. Can you talk a little bit about how the actual repair was made, the materials used?
ROBIN PEMBERTON: Yeah, our teams are -- we have equipment and we have product at every facility. Facilities keep it on hand. We do bring extras in case there is a need for it, but it is an epoxy type filler that we use, and it's basically the same filler that's used any time we make a repair at the track, whether it be asphalt or concrete.(NASCAR)