Protection order against Kurt Busch upheld

A Kent County Family Court Judge has upheld a previous decision granting a protection order against NASCAR driver Kurt Busch. In March, Busch's legal team asked for a Family Court Judge to review Commissioner David Jones's February decision to grant the protection order earlier this year. Judge William Walls' decision was issued Thursday morning as NASCAR gears up for race weekend at Dover International Speedway and affirms Jones' decision to grant the protection order. The incident prompting the protection order filed against Busch occurred during the last time NASCAR was in Dover, a September race weekend. Busch was not charged by the Delaware Attorney General's Office.(Delaware News-Journal)

NASCAR penalizes Jimmie Johnson’s team and two others

NASCAR announced penalties to three Sprint Cup teams, including Jimmie Johnson‘s team Wednesday.

Also penalized were the teams of Jamie McMurray and Justin Allgaier.

NASCAR cited Jimmie Johnson’s team with a written warning for the second consecutive race weekend – making it a P1 penalty. Johnson’s team will have among the last two picks for pit stalls this weekend at Dover International Speedway regardless of how they qualify.

NASCAR issued the team a written warning after the May 16 Sprint All-Star Race for modifying a side skirt. NASCAR issued the team a written warning Wednesday for needing too many times to pass pre-qualifying inspection before last weekend’s Coca-Cola 600. NASCAR’s rule book states that if a team receives two warnings during two consecutive events, they may receive one or more P1 penalties at NASCAR’s discretion. Having last choice of pit stalls is among those P1 penalties.

NASCAR sent a memo to teams last month about penalties for needing multiple attempts to get through inspection.

Allgaier’s team received a written warning All-Star weekend and was issued a written warning for pre-race inspection at the Coca-Cola 600. The two warnings equal a P1 penalty, which will be to have among the last two choices – along with Johnson’s team – in pit stall selection for this weekend’s race at Dover.

NASCAR also announced that Matt McCall, crew chief for McMurray’s team has been placed on probation through Dec. 31 after a P2 penalty. NASCAR cited McMurray’s team modifying the right rear quarter panel wheel opening after qualifying inspection.

NASCAR also stated Wednesday that the cars of Coca-Cola 600 winner Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman all passed inspection at the R&D Center.(Dustin Long, NBC Sports)

FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks Weekend Schedule

Friday, May 29
10:00 AM, NXS Practice, FS1
11:00 AM, NSCS Practice, FS1
12:30 PM, NCWTS Qualifying, FS1
2:00 PM, NXS Final Practice, FS1
3:30 PM, NSCS Qualifying, FS1
5:30 PM, NCWTS Race, FS1

Saturday, May 30
10:00 AM, NSCS Practice, FS1
11:00 AM, NXS Qualifying, FS1
1:00 PM, NSCS Final Practice, FS1
2:30 PM, NXS Race, FOX

Sunday, May 31
1:00 PM, NSCS Race, FS1

NSCS Recap: Fuel strategy gives Carl Edwards first win at Charlotte

CONCORD, N.C. – Will the mystery winner of Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 enter and sign in please?

Hint: It’s the guy who does back flips every time he takes the checkered flag.

But for the first 370 of 400 laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway, no one would have picked Carl Edwards or his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota as the likely winner of the season’s 12th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin had spent the lion’s share of time at the head of the field, but none of that mattered when Edwards got 62 laps out of his last tank of fuel and took the checkered flag 4.785 seconds ahead of Greg Biffle, who also was on a fuel-saving strategy.

In fact, the top four finishers all stretched their gas mileage after pit stops under caution on Lap 337. Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran third, followed by polesitter Matt Kenseth and Truex, who led a race-high 131 laps.

Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski, Hamlin (53 laps led), Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch (118 laps led) completed the top 10. Kyle Busch came home 11th in his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points race of the season, after missing the first 11 races of the season because of injuries sustained Feb. 21 at Daytona.

The victory was Edwards first of the season, his first for Joe Gibbs Racing, his first at Charlotte and the 24th of his career.

"It’s so cool to get this win—we’ve had such bad luck," said Edwards, who joined Joe Gibbs Racing as the organization’s fourth Sprint Cup driver after the 2014 season. "And we were the slowest of the (JGR cars) tonight, but we had (crew chief) Darian (Grubb) on the box. He made the right call, he put us in a position to win, and it worked. ...

"This is truly a gift. I took advantage of it to win, and we’ll get better."

In all likelihood, the victory will propel Edwards into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. It was also Toyota’s 300th national series victory in the manufacturer’s 300th Sprint Cup start.(Ried Spencer, NASCAR Media)

Jeff Gordon joins the NASCAR Sprint Cup Broadcast booth in 2016

Jeff Gordon joins FOX NASCAR fulltime in 2016 as race analyst for its 16th year of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series coverage, teaming with three-time champion Darrell Waltrip to offer seven championships' worth of expertise. Gordon, currently competing in his 23rd and final fulltime Sprint Cup Series season, served as race analyst for FOX Sports' coverage of three NASCAR XFINITY Series races this year. He has agreed to a multi-year contract that begins this season with in-race reporting from the #24 Chevy during select Cup Series races, and segues to an analyst role that commences with Daytona Speedweeks in February 2016. "NASCAR has provided me so many incredible memories, experiences and opportunities throughout my 23 years as a driver, and I can't wait to start a new chapter in racing with this new relationship with FOX and to be in the booth with Mike (Joy) and Darrell," said Gordon. "I feel so lucky to be a part of a sport that I'm very passionate about, and now I get the opportunity to share that passion to millions of race fans from a whole new perspective."
Gordon will call all NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, practice and qualifying sessions for FOX Sports alongside play-by-play announcer Mike Joy and NASCAR Hall of Famer and analyst Darrell Waltrip. Chris Myers hosts the network's coverage alongside analysts Larry McReynolds and Michael Waltrip.
"Jeff is not only a champion but an icon of a racing generation," said Eric Shanks, FOX Sports President, COO & Executive Producer. "We are thrilled he has chosen to become a part of the FOX Sports family and pair his experience with Darrell. Each is credited with helping elevate NASCAR to the popularity it attained in his respective era, and alongside Mike Joy, this duo will treat fans to unmatched insights each and every week."(FOX Sports)

Four drivers and track mogul Bruton Smith make list for seventh class

The NASCAR Hall of Fame voting panel elected a varied, decorated Class of 2016 on Wednesday, tapping Jerry Cook, Bobby Isaac, Terry Labonte, Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner for enshrinement.

The seventh five-member class was revealed in the Hall of Fame's Great Hall. The 57 voters, with two recused, weighted their ballots by selecting four drivers among the five inductees as well as track mogul Smith.

Harold Brasington, the visionary who carved Darlington Speedway out of the South Carolina sandhills to host NASCAR's first 500-mile race in 1950, was named the recipient of the Landmark Award.

Smith was listed as the top vote-getter from the pool of 20 nominees. He was followed in the balloting by Labonte, Cook, Turner and Isaac.

Smith, the always candid 88-year-old CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc., built an empire of race tracks from his earliest days as builder and promoter of Charlotte Motor Speedway, putting on NASCAR's first 600-mile race in 1960. Today, his group controls eight tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.

Labonte, 56, made his mark with two championships, claimed 12 years apart (1984, 1996), and 22 victories in NASCAR's premier series. His calm, steady demeanor both inside and out of a race car earned him the nickname "The Iceman," and he ranks third on NASCAR's list of all-time starts with 890.

Cook, 71, found fame driving in the northern-based NASCAR Modified Tour, winning six championships, including four in a row from 1974-77. He follows fellow Modified standout Richie Evans into the Hall of Fame.

Curtis Turner, who died in a plane crash in 1970 at age 46, established himself as one of NASCAR's earliest stars with both his hard-nosed driving style and his ebullient personality. Turner was the winningest driver in NASCAR's Convertible Division and made 17 visits to Victory Lane in NASCAR's top series.

Isaac, who died at age 45 in 1977, assembled one of the most brilliant two-season hot streaks in NASCAR history, culminating with the 1970 premier-series championship. His run of success from 1969-70 totaled 28 victories and 33 pole positions.

Before the NASCAR Hall of Fame voting panel convened, Bryson Byrnes -- the 12-year-old son of FOX broadcaster Steve Byrnes, who died of cancer on April 21 -- cast his father's ballot in an emotional ceremony in the Charlotte Convention Center.(NASCAR.com)

Coca Cola 600 Race Weekend Schedule

Thursday, May 21
2:30 PM, NSCS Charlotte practice, FS1
4:00 PM, NXS Charlotte practice, FS1
5:30 PM, NXS Charlotte final practice, FS1
7:00 PM, NSCS Charlotte qualifying, FS1

Friday, May 22
NO ON TRACK ACTIVITY

Saturday, May 23
10:00 AM, NSCS Charlotte practice, FS1
11:00 AM, NXS Charlotte qualifying, FS1
1:00 PM, NSCS Charlotte final practice, FS1
2:30 PM, NXS Charlotte race, FOX

Sunday, May 24
6:00 PM, NSCS Charlotte race, FOX

NASCAR Hall Of Fame Class Of 2016 To Be Announced

The NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2016 and winner of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR will be announced following a vote by the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel on Wednesday, May 20 at 6:00pm/et at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte. The five NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees will be selected from the list of 20 nominees: Buddy Baker, Red Byron, Richard Childress, Jerry Cook, Ray Evernham, Ray Fox, Rick Hendrick, Harry Hyde, Bobby Isaac, Alan Kulwicki, Terry Labonte, Mark Martin, Hershel McGriff, Raymond Parks, Benny Parsons, Larry Phillips, O. Bruton Smith, Mike Stefanik, Curtis Turner and Robert Yates.
The second Landmark Award recipient will be chosen from the list of five nominees: Harold Brasington, H. Clay Earles, Raymond Parks, Ralph Seagraves and Ken Squier. The announcement will air live on NBCSN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and NASCAR.com.(NASCAR)

Latest Top Five in Fan Vote

The top-five drivers in the Sprint Fan Vote to be voted into the Sprint All-Star Race (not already in the race) are (alphabetical order as of May 13th at 6pm/et): #15-Clint Bowyer, #42-Kyle Larson, #10-Danica Patrick, #78-Martin Truex Jr. and #98-Josh Wise (Miss Sprint Cup)

Sprint All Star Race and 3M 250 Weekend Schedule

Thursday, May 14
3:00 PM, NCWTS North Carolina Education Lottery 200 Practice, FS1
6:00 PM, NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7:00 PM, NCWTS North Carolina Education Lottery 200 Final Practice, FS1

Friday, May 15
12:00 PM, NSCS Sprint Showdown Final Practice, FS1
1:45 PM, NSCS Sprint All-Star Final Practice, FS1
3:30 PM, NASCAR Race Hub - Weekend Edition, FS1
4:00 PM, NSCS Sprint Showdown Qualifying, FS1
5:30 PM, NCWTS North Carolina Education Lottery 200 Qualifying, FS1
7:00 PM, NSCS Sprint Showdown, FS1
8:00 PM, NCWTS SetUp, FS1
8:30 PM, NCWTS North Carolina Education Lottery 200 Race, FS1

Saturday, May 16
7:00 PM, NSCS Sprint All-Star Qualifying, FS1
8:30 PM, NASCAR RaceDay - All-Star, FS1
9:00 PM, NSCS Sprint All-Star Race, FS1

Sunday, May 17
1:30 PM, NXS RaceDay, FS1
2:00 PM, NXS 3M 250 Race, FS1

NASCAR issues written warnings to five teams

NASCAR announced Wednesday that Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team and Joey Logano's team were among five Sprint Cup teams that received written warnings for failing inspection last weekend at Kansas Speedway. NASCAR stated that the teams of Logano, Casey Mears and Paul Menard received written warnings for failing pre-qualifying inspection twice. NASCAR stated that the teams of Earnhardt and Cole Whitt received written warnings for failing pre-race inspection twice. The Sprint Cup Rule Book states in section 12.5.3.1.c that if the same team receives two warnings during two consecutive events - whether a points event or not - then the team faces a P1 penalty that could include one or more of the following: Deduction of practice time, deduction of qualifying time, last choice in selecting pits, delay in order of inspection and/or other penalties. NASCAR has placed an emphasis on teams getting through inspection in a timely fashion this season. Teams were warned last month about formalized penalties for failing to pass inspection. NASCAR also announced that the cars taken from last weekend's Kansas race to the R&D Center for further inspection all passed. Those cars were Jimmie Johnson's, Kevin Harvick's and Matt Kenseth's.(NBC Sports)

Kyle Busch to Remain Eligible for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship

NASCAR announced today that Kyle Busch will remain eligible to compete for the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. Busch will qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup by meeting all requirements of eligibility excluding Rule 17.6.2.1.a, which requires a driver to start all Championship Events of the current season. NASCAR made the decision after the driver of the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota received the appropriate medical clearance documentation to immediately return to NASCAR racing. To qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Busch will need to be within the top 30 of the Championship point standings after race No. 26, and meet all other stated requirements within the NASCAR Rule Book. "On behalf of everyone at NASCAR, it's great to have Kyle Busch back racing," said Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. "Our decision to grant Kyle a waiver that allows him to continue running for a championship is one we discussed extensively. The spirit of the rule never was designed to punish drivers who are unable to compete due to extenuating circumstances such as recovering from a racing accident. We wish Kyle the best of luck in the balance of the season, and look forward to his return to the car this week for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway."(NASCAR)

LFR working out of Penske shop after fire

Four of the team's 12 cars were destroyed. Tools, parts and pieces were ruined. Ash and soot covered cars and equipment. Heat from the fire had melted windshields and popped tires. Yet, Leavine Family Racing will compete this weekend in the Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Unable to work in its 20,000-square foot shop, Leavine Family Racing is preparing its cars for this weekend at Team Penske in an area formerly used by its Porsche racing program and not far from where the Sprint Cup cars of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are prepared. Leavine Family Racing is aligned with Team Penske. Friday's fire was contained to the back of Leavine Family Racing's shop and Lange said he's hopeful to be back working in the shop shortly after the Coca-Cola 600. The team, which is running a partial schedule, already had planned to race at Charlotte the next two weekends and skip races at Dover, Pocono and Michigan before returning at Sonoma in late June. The fire does not change that schedule. Lange said the cars destroyed were to be used as backup cars for upcoming races - the primary cars are located elsewhere in the building and were not damaged by the fire. One of the cars destroyed had been used at Sonoma previously but the team was planning on a new car for that race.(NBC Sports)

NSCS Recap: Johnson secures third win of the season at Kansas

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Thanks to a brief but wild Kansas spring storm and the long delay it produced, Jimmie Johnson on Sunday became the first Sprint Cup driver to win a race on Mother’s Day since 2007.

Johnson, who is pursuing a record-tying seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship this season, held off Kevin Harvick over the final six laps to win Sunday morning’s SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Johnson’s victory – which was recorded just after midnight local time because of a delay of 2 hours and 16 minutes – was his third of the season and his third at the 1.5-mile Kansas oval.

"It was a long, hard night," Johnson, who led just 10 laps and who spun out unassisted early in the race, said in Victory Lane. "Once we got up front, we were able to hang on."

Reminded about what day it was when he finally took the checkered flag, Johnson said, "I just want to wish Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. My mother and especially my wife Chani (Johnson, wife), hopefully she is still awake. I wish she was here. I wish my girls were here too, but I will be home tonight and we will have some fun tomorrow."

Harvick, who led 53 laps, finished second in his Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet.

Third was Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Fourth was another Hendrick driver, Jeff Gordon, while pole-sitter Joey Logano was fifth in a Team Penske Ford.

The victory was the 73rd of the six-time champion’s career. It came thanks to some late-race strategizing by teams who had cars and drivers at the front of the field.(NASCAR Media)

Save Mart Supermarkets offers free kids' tickets for Sonoma

For the first-time ever, Sonoma Raceway and Save Mart Supermarkets have teamed up to offer free admission to young race fans for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, June 28. For the fifth straight year, the raceway and supermarket chain will offer fans the lowest-priced Sunday reserved-seat ticket for NASCAR's only stop in Northern California for just $45. New for 2015, kids (12 and under) are free with the purchase of an adult ticket at Save Mart Supermarkets or Lucky stores. That means a family of four could enjoy NASCAR in Sonoma for as little as $90. The reserved seats are located in the Turn 9 Terrace, known for providing some of the best views of the road course. Toyota/Save Mart 350 tickets are now on sale in all Save Mart and Lucky Supermarkets locations.(Sonoma Raceway)

SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Weekend Schedule

Friday, May 8
12:00 PM, NSCS SpongeBob SquarePants 400 Practice, FS1
1:30 PM, NASCAR Race Hub - Weekend Edition, FS1
2:30 PM, NSCS SpongeBob SquarePants 400 Final Practice, FS1
3:30 PM, NASCAR Race Hub - Weekend Edition, FS1
4:30 PM, NCWTS Toyota Tundra 250 Qualifying, FS1
6:00 PM, NASCAR Race Hub - Weekend Edition, FS1
6:30 PM, NSCS Kansas Qualifying, FS1
8:00 PM, NCWTS Toyota Tundra 250 SetUp, FS1
8:30 PM, NCWTS Toyota Tundra 250 Race, FS1

Saturday, May 9
7:00 PM, NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
7:30 PM, NSCS SpongeBob SquarePants 400 Race, FS1

NAPA Auto Parts will sponsor Elliott in the #24

NAPA Auto Parts will grow its relationship with 11-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports in 2016 when it becomes the majority sponsor of driver Chase Elliott and his #24 Chevy SS team. The news was announced Tuesday evening in Las Vegas during the NAPA EXPO, which is attended by more than 17,000 store owners, managers and dealers. The expanded partnership will feature NAPA AUTO PARTS as a primary sponsor of the #24 team in 24 Sprint Cup races annually, including the season-opening Daytona 500, and as an associate-level partner in all other events. The agreement covers the 2016, 2017 and 2018 seasons. NAPA was the full-season primary sponsor during Elliott's historic 2014 XFINITY Series campaign when he became NASCAR's youngest-ever national series champion while earning rookie of the year and most popular driver honors. In 2015, NAPA remains the sole primary sponsor for Elliott's second full NXS season with JR Motorsports along with the driver's Sprint Cup debut schedule, which includes five points-paying races with Hendrick Motorsports. It was announced in January that Elliott, 19, will join Hendrick Motorsports as a full-time Sprint Cup driver in 2016. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native currently is third in the 2015 NXS standings with seven top-10 finishes in nine races. In 51 combined NXS and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events, he has recorded four wins, 25 top-five finishes and 40 top-10s.Additional sponsorship for Elliott's 2016 Sprint Cup season will be announced at a later date.(Hendrick Motorsports)

Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief almost missed the race

Greg Ives, the crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr., won his first race in Sprint Cup, but he nearly missed the race. On Saturday, his eight-year-old daughter Payton broke her arm in a playground accident, requiring surgery. Earnhardt offered to fly Ives back to Charlotte to be with his daughter, but Payton talked her father into remaining at Talladega. "I wanted to give him that obligation to choose," Earnhardt said. "She's tough as nails and she told him not to come home. She was mad at him for the call he (made) in Richmond." Earnhardt related encountering a downcast Ives after that race, only to learn that "he's worried about what she's going to tell him when he got home. It's good she keeps him honest."(NASCAR Wire Service)

NSCS Recap: Dale Earnhardt Jr. captures sixth career Sprint Cup victory at Talladega

TALLADEGA, Ala. – It's a toss-up which is greater, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s passion for Talladega Superspeedway or the Talladega fan base's passion for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

On a glorious afternoon, Earnhardt offered a one-word order to his team over the radio, a message that could be shared with the thousands of his devotees in the stands: "Celebrate!" he proclaimed.

Earnhardt, his team and Junior Nation could celebrate his 0.159-second victory over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 Sunday afternoon, his sixth Sprint Cup win here. It all but assures Earnhardt a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship for a fifth consecutive year.

Paul Menard was third, Ryan Blaney fourth and Martin Truex Jr. fifth. Points leader Kevin Harvick, racing with a mangled hood after an early accident, was eighth.

The victory came barely 24 hours after Earnhardt had acknowledged a responsibility to perform well here for his fan base, saying, "I feel like I’m supposed to get up there and lead."

He did so, leading 67 of the 188 laps, then wove his way into Victory Circle, where he gushed nearly as dramatically as the geyser spewing from an engine that began overheating because of debris on the grille.

"It’s just real emotional," Earnhardt said. "I haven’t won here in a long time (November 2004), my daddy’s birthday was a couple of days ago. It was real emotional. Everything is so good for me right now. I don’t know why I don’t feel like I deserve it. I just feel overcome with a lot of emotion."

Unlike many Talladega races, the final two dozen laps were essentially run in a single-file parade, first with a 10-car string, then ultimately caught up by a line of another 20 cars.

"I don’t know what creates that in the drivers’ minds to say we’re all going to ride at the top," Johnson said. "It doesn’t happen every time (but) it does happen every now and then and today was one of those days."

At the white flag, Johnson tried to get a run with Blaney on his bumper, and defending race winner Denny Hamlin made a run.

"I knew he would wait and that’s what I would do," Earnhardt said of Johnson. "I wouldn’t want to screw it up for both of us. He tried to back up but he couldn’t get a run."

As a wreck happened in their rear-view mirror, with Carl Edwards being spun out, Earnhardt kept his lead, zooming past a nearly filled grandstands celebrating his triumph.(Mark McCarter, NASCAR Media)