Top things to look for at Watkins Glen

This upcoming weekend at Watkins Glen looks to provide a great race and here are some things to look for August 6-9th when NASCAR returns to the Glen. First, look forward to great weather! Each day that weekend will be in the high 70s or low 80s with no more than a 10% chance of rain. Friday the NASCAR K&N East Series looks to provide a great show. Last years winner Scott Heckert already has a win this year and is 3rd in standings. But the real story is William Byron, who has won 4 of his 8 starts in his rookie year. Saturday the NASCAR Xfinity Series cars will take to the track for the Zippo 200. Last year Marcos Ambrose won in a tight battle with Kyle Busch. With Marcos no longer in NASCAR will Kyle take the victory, or will a Xfinity Series regular win at the Glen. Keep an eye out for 2014 Series Champion Chase Elliott, who has been closing in on championship leader Chris Buscher the past few weeks. Then on Sunday will be the main event, the Cheez-It 355 at the Glen. This will be a great opportunity for last years winner AJ Allmendinger to win and return to the Chase for the Sprint Cup. It will also be a great opportunity for many of the drivers who have not yet won this season. Tony Stewart will be returning to a track where he has had success in the past, will he be able to turn around this season? Also keep an eye on Jeff Gordon, who will be making his final start at the Glen, a track that has been very good to him throughout his career, despite some tough finishes in recent years. This years race will be the final race on the current surface, as the track will be repaved following the race, will the old pavement have any effect on the race? It sure will be an exciting weekend and Around The Track will be there all weekend to provide coverage as the action occurs at Watkins Glen.

Best In-Car Audio From The Brickyard 400

Windows 10 400 Race Weekend Schedule

Friday, July 31
11:00 AM, NSCS Pocono Practice, NBCSN
2:00 PM, NCWTS Pocono Practice, FS1
4:30 PM, NSCS Pocono Qualifying, NBCSN
7:00 PM, NXS Iowa Final Practice, NBCSN

Saturday, August 1
9:00 AM, NSCS Pocono Practice, NBCSN
10:00 AM, NCWTS Pocono Qualifying, FS1
11:30 AM, NSCS Pocono Final Practice, NBCSN
1:00 PM, NCWTS Pocono Race, FS1
4:30 PM, NXS Iowa Qualifying, NBCSN
8:00 PM, NXS Iowa Race, NBCSN

Sunday, August 2
1:30 PM, NSCS Pocono race, NBCSN

Kyle Bush talked to Stewart about injury

"Tony (Stewart) was actually the first one to the hospital -- as soon as the Daytona 500 was over he was there. He actually told everybody that was on his plane that they were going to wait. He was there for about four hours. We had a good talk, we had a good discussion about just what it was like and the process that he had to go through and how long it was probably going to be or what it was going to be. In all reality, our injuries were the same but entirely different. His was much more severe than mine. Just being able to talk with him, my mindset was okay. At first I was like, 'I'm never going to race again and I don't know what I'm going to do,' all those things go through your mind. You just continue to power through and listen to your doctors and those that are around you and of course my wife and the support system that I had. I wouldn't call it painless, there was certainly a lot of pain, but it went really, really well as far as you could say any injury healing goes. I was pretty pleased with everything."(Kyle Busch, Toyota Racing)

NASCAR responds to criticism of Indy rule package

NASCAR officials will not rush to judge the performance of the high-drag aero package used in Sunday's Brickyard 400 although drivers complained about its impact on the race. NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton said Monday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio's "The Morning Drive'' that officials will "take time" in assessing the package. "We're digesting the signs from it," he told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. "The fans and the industry saw the race unfold as we did. There were certainly some components, the balance of competition, the opportunities that this package presented for the drivers to perform were of benefit, but we've heard the expressions of some of the drivers that didn't like some of characteristics of the project. We can absorb all the of the science and the data we collect, including talking to the industry, the drivers, the crew members and the competition departments of the teams and the car owners to take all of that now and absorb it. That's part of the reason we created this specific package for Indianapolis - to see the characteristics of it, knowing that there are a lot of personalities in the garage area that have different opinions ... but it's on NASCAR to come up with the one that we put in front of the fans on each individual racetrack each weekend. So, we'll take time." The package is scheduled to be used again next month at Michigan International Speedway.(NBC Sports)

Danica Patrick close to new deal with Stewart-Haas

On Tuesday, SHR spokesman Mike Arning said in an email to FOXSports.com that the organization is moving toward re-signing Patrick and securing a new primary sponsor for her car in the 2016 season. "Re-signing Danica Patrick remains a priority for Stewart-Haas Racing, and we're confident an agreement will be formalized soon," Arning wrote. "Discussions regarding sponsorship for Danica and the No. 10 team are progressing nicely. Our timetable to have her contract and sponsorship in place by the end of the summer is certainly attainable."(FoxSports)

Drivers say rules package at Indy not effective

NASCAR might need to go back to the drawing board in its quest to create more competitive stock car racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. NASCAR officials debuted a "high-drag" aero package in Sunday's Brickyard 400, featuring a nine-inch spoiler and other measures intended to slow the cars down and punch a big hole in the air, which officials hoped would create drafting and pack racing. But the racing didn't look much different from previous NASCAR races at Indy. With the exception of some wild restarts, the racing was largely single file.

#4-Kevin Harvick called it a "huge science project that probably didn't really change that much." "I think everybody put in a lot of effort to try to really make everything a lot better, spent a lot of money, but I don't know that we accomplished everything that we were looking to accomplish," Harvick said.

#2-Brad Keselowski was disappointed the changes weren't more effective. "I think we were all expecting there to be more drafting than there was," Keselowski said. "I don't think the draft was much different than last year and the penalty for being behind someone in the corner was more significant."

All said, Harvick wondered whether the changes were worth the time and money they cost NASCAR teams. "I know my team did a lot of extra work to come to this race after we had already come here and tested and already spent that money to come here and test for a few days," Harvick said. "And then to come back and have to race something different was a huge undertaking for the teams for a huge science project that probably didn't change that much."
NASCAR is expected to use a similar package when teams run at Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 16.(USA Today)

Rule package specifics for Indy

At Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend, NASCAR will debut its second track-specific rule package of the season. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series package planned for Indianapolis includes a 43-inch radiator pan (increased from 38 inches), a two-inch splitter leading edge, a one-inch wicker bill and nine-inch spoiler (increased from six inches). The increased downforce adds drag to the car and creates a larger draft window in the back.

For Indianapolis, teams will be allowed to change their engines prior to qualifying and data will be permitted at practice. A single gear will be used, but teams will bring four different gears. NASCAR will determine which gear is needed after practice. Teams will start on a 3.70 gear.

The Indianapolis rule package differs from the first track-specific rule package used this season at Kentucky which created lower downforce. The modifications helped produce a track-record 22 green-flag passes for the lead and a total of 2,665 green-flag passes overall.(NASCAR)

Brickyard 400 Weekend Schedule

Friday, July 24
12:00 PM, NXS Indianapolis Practice, NBCSN
1:00 PM, NSCS Indianapolis Practice, NBCSN
2:30 PM, NXS Indianapolis Final Practice, NBCSN
4:00 PM, NSCS Indianapolis Final Practice, NBCSN

Saturday, July 25
11:30 AM, NXS Indianapolis Qualifying, NBCSN
1:30 PM, NSCS Indianapolis Qualifying, NBCSN
3:30 PM, NXS Indianapolis Race, NBC

Sunday, July 26
3:30 PM, NSCS Indianapolis Race, NBCSN

Pocono race to be the Windows 10 400

Pocono Raceway and Microsoft announced the renaming of the annual August NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held at "The Tricky Triangle" as the Windows 10 400. The Windows 10 400 race weekend will take place from July 31st to August 2nd, just two days after the launch of Windows 10. For the first time ever, Microsoft's popular operating system will be offered as a free upgrade* to customers with qualified Windows 7 and Windows 8 devices. Microsoft, an Official Technology Partner of NASCAR, will have device displays and interactive experiences in the Fan Fair and Paddock areas at Pocono Raceway during the Windows 10 400 race weekend. Race fans and members of the NASCAR industry will be able to relax and enjoy Windows 10 devices at these locations. Additionally, everyone is invited to interact on their social media channels using the official race hashtag, #Windows10_400. Additionally, Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., the defending winner of the August NSCS race at Pocono Raceway, will drive the #88 Microsoft Chevy SS during the Windows 10 400 race weekend.(Pocono Raceway)

NASCAR will address throwing of water bottles

A NASCAR executive said Monday that officials will address the issue of throwing water bottles out of the car with drivers after a water bottle was spotted on the apron during a debris caution in Sunday's Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Another water bottle was spotted on the apron during a caution for Paul Menard later in the race. Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio's "The Morning Drive" that it's not uncommon for drivers to discard water bottles during a race. "Coming off pit road sometimes you see it down on the apron where some water bottles are discarded," he said. "I think in this case, we candidly weren't really sure and knew it was potentially one of the drivers' ones that are a little bit different with the material they're made out of. If someone is purposely trying to manipulate a caution, that's not something that is going to be tolerated, and we'll have to look into that further as we go and we'll address that with the teams also."(NBCSports)

NSCS Recap: Kyle Busch continues march toward Chase with New Hampshire win

LOUDON, N.H. – The odds in Kyle Busch’s favor made another dramatic surge on Sunday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

In winning for the third time in eight starts since returning from an 11-race injury absence, Busch solidified his chances of qualifying for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with a serendipitous victory in the 5-Hour ENERGY 301 at the Magic Mile.

Two critical moves were essential to Busch’s winning for the second time at New Hampshire and the 32nd time in his career. First, with the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota sliding in a patch of oil and thinking he had a tire going flat, Busch brought his car to pit road on Lap 244, sooner than planned.

That allowed Busch to gain time on the track while other contending cars stayed out on old tires. The spur of the moment "strategy" ultimately played out in his favor.

Second, Busch got back on the lead lap with a gutsy pass of race leader Kevin Harvick and second-place Brad Keselowski, weaving through traffic on the frontstretch seconds before NASCAR called a caution for fluid on the track on Lap 251 of 301.

Busch inherited the top spot when the rest of the lead-lap cars came to pit road on Lap 253, and he stayed up front the rest of the way. After taking the white flag, Busch won the race under yellow when Alex Bowman’s accident in Turn 2 on the final lap caused the race’s seventh caution.

Given the discussion on team radios about the probability of that Lap 251 caution being called, Busch felt a strong sense of urgency to make what proved to be the decisive pass.

"I knew I’d been running it hard and I’d been trying to catch (Matt) Kenseth in front of me that entire run, and I had just been so tight that I couldn’t get going and couldn’t get a rhythm going to close in on Kenseth. And I figured I just chewed the right front off of it, because I went into the corner and the thing just went straight one time so I was like, ‘Man, I’m down to cords now, that’s it, it’s done.’

"We shot to pit road and got it changed there, and evidently it was oil on the race track that just made the car slip so bad from out from under me. We got a lucky break and I hauled butt, man, those five laps I ran were five qualifying laps through traffic trying to get back up to the front and pass Harvick to stay on the lead lap. That was our saving bucket right there. That was what we needed to do."

The offshoot of the victory is that Busch’s hopes of making the Chase now are better than realistic. To qualify, he must finish the first 26 races in the top 30 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings. With seven races left before the cutoff, Busch is 33rd, trailing 30th-place David Gilliland by 58 points.(Ried Spencer, NASCAR Media)

5-Hour Energy 301 at New Hampshire Weekend Schedule

Friday, July 17
11:30 AM, NSCS New Hampshire Practice, NBCSN
1:00 PM, NXS New Hampshire Practice, NBCSN
3:00 PM, NXS New Hampshire Final Practice, NBCSN
4:30 PM, NSCS New Hampshire Qualifying, NBCSN

Saturday, July 18
11:00 AM, NXS New Hampshire Qualifying, NBCSN
12:30 PM NSCS New Hampshire Final Practice, NBCSN
4:00 PM, NXS New Hampshire Race, NBCSN

Sunday, July 19
1:30 PM, NSCS New Hampshire Race, NBCSN

Final Start for Kenny Wallace at Iowa

The August 1st U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway will be Kenny Wallace's third NASCAR Xfinity Series start of 2015. The ever-popular Wallace announced that after what will be a series-record 547 career starts, the Iowa event will also mark the final start of his 26-year NASCAR career. While his NASCAR career may be coming to a close, the man affectionately known to friends and fans as "Herman," doesn't plan to go out without a fight. He heads to Iowa with what is likely one of his best chances ever to capture the checkers. Wallace will be at the helm of the U.S. Cellular Toyota in the event. The #20 team currently sits fourth overall in the Xfinity Series Owner Standings and won the pole position for the season's first race at Iowa Speedway. Wallace noted, "To me, this isn't a sad moment; I'm at a truly happy place in my life right now. After all, not too many guys get to have the privilege of being a NASCAR driver, especially for as long as I have. I really wanted to end my long career on a positive note and I'm very excited about our chances in Iowa. The #20 team is one of the best in the sport and I'm looking forward to having a chance to end my NASCAR career with a great finish. I really want to thank U.S. Cellular for helping me make that happen." When all is said and done after Iowa, the former Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year and three-time Most Popular Driver will leave behind a remarkable legacy of longevity and perseverance that is nearly unparalleled in the sport. This is shown by what will be--following Iowa--an all-time record 547 career Xfinity Series starts and 904 combined NASCAR national series starts (14th all-time). After making his NASCAR debut in Dale Earnhardt's #8 Xfinity Series ride at Martinsville in 1988, Wallace would go on to finish among the top-10 in the Xfinity Series standings in 10 of his 14 full seasons, including a runner-up finish in 1991. His nine series wins and ten poles rank him among the top-40 all-time in both categories, while his 173 top-ten finishes mark the seventh-best all-time career total. Wallace may have most often competed in the Xfinity Series, but he also enjoyed a fruitful career in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as well, where he had 344 career starts, including three poles. While he may not have reached victory lane in the Cup series, Wallace played a vital role in several of its most memorable finishes, including pushing the late Dale Earnhardt to his final NASCAR victory at Talladega in 2000. In recent years, Wallace has been able to capitalize on his charismatic personality and racing experience in becoming a NASCAR analyst for FOX Sports. In that role, he currently appears on Fox Sports 1's NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane shows.(Wallace PR)

Superspeedway qualifying format to be used at Indy and Michigan

NASCAR officials told NASCAR Sprint Cup, XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series teams on Wednesday that it plans to use the superspeedway qualifying format at Indianapolis Motor Speedway next weekend and Michigan International Speedway next month. Beginning in May at Talladega Superspeedway, there were two rounds of qualifying with drivers turning one timed lap. The top 12 advanced to the final round. Each driver took a warm-up lap, the timed lap and a cool-down lap before returning to pit road. Last weekend, the format was scheduled to be run by the Sprint Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway, but rain forced the field to be set per the rule book by practice speeds.
Based on a random draw at Indianapolis, vehicles will line up on pit road for the first round -- rather than nose in or nose out in a pit stall -- and NASCAR will release drivers at a predetermined interval. The sanctioning body reserves the right to have more than one vehicle on track at a time. It's likely that two vehicles will be on track at the same time, but the second vehicle won't impede or help the one it follows on track. Following each lap, NASCAR will impound vehicles, and there will be a 10-minute break between rounds. Only during that break may teams make adjustments, and they will only be allowed to adjust tape and use a cool-down unit at that time. The final round qualifying order will be set from slowest to fastest speeds in the first round with starting positions 1-12 determined by the fastest laps in that second session.(NASCAR)

NSCS Recap: Kyle Busch masters new aero package in Sprint Cup win at Kentucky

SPARTA, Ky. – Adapting adroitly to a new competition package for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars, Kyle Busch sped to victory in Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway, taking a giant step toward the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with his second victory since returning from an 11-race injury absence.

Busch won for the 31st time in his career and the second time at the 1.5-mile track. Race runner-up Joey Logano was the only interloper in a top five that also included all four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers—Busch, Denny Hamlin in third, Carl Edwards in fourth and Matt Kenseth in fifth.

Busch grabbed the lead from Logano after several laps of intense racing, taking the point at the stripe on Lap 248 and clearing Logano’s Ford through Turn 2 on Lap 249 of 267. From that point, Busch pulled away to win by 1.594 seconds.

The new aero package, in Busch’s view was a benefit as he closed on Logano in a race that saw a track-record 22 green-flag passes for the lead.

"All the drivers were kind of striving for this," Busch said. "I felt like it was a positive thing when I was chasing Joey down. Right when I got to him, he moved up and tried to block my lane. With the old package, you’d get stalled out, and get stuck behind the guy. I just moved down and went a little bit lower and got my Camry to stick and was able to power through and get back by him.

"We swapped the lead back and forth a couple times. I thought it was pretty good racing. You don’t want to spend too much time racing around and putting on too good of a show for the fans to take yourself out of a win. I thought that was a really good race, at least it wasn’t a guy who checked out on the last run and you didn’t see a pass for the lead coming down the final stretch."

Long a proponent of lower downforce, Edwards was even more effusive in his praise of the new package.

"This package, we need to keep going in this direction," Edwards said. "We could race closer together—I was steering right. We were using the whole car. We just need to keep taking downforce away. It was an awesome show. Just an awesome, fun day and I’m glad Kyle got the win."

Busch led a race-high 163 laps, scoring a maximum 48 points and moving to 35th in the standings, 87 points behind Cole Whitt in 30th. Busch must finish the first 26 races in the top 30 in order to be eligible for the Chase.(Reid Spencer, NASCAR Media)

100th start for Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick will make her 100th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start in Saturday's Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway, becoming the first female to reach the milestone. Patrick's six top-10 finishes are the most all-time among female drivers. She is also the only female driver to earn a NSCS Coors Light Pole Award (2013 Daytona 500). On the season, Patrick ranks 20th in the driver points standings. The #10 Stewart-Haas Racing driver is one of 16 female drivers who have competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.(NASCAR)

Quaker State 400 Weekend Schedule

Thursday, July 9
10:00 AM, NCWTS Kentucky Final Practice, FS1
2:00 PM, NXS Kentucky Practice, FS1
4:00 PM, NXS Kentucky Final Practice, FS1
5:00 PM, NCWTS Kentucky Qualifying, FS2
7:30 PM, NCWTS Kentucky Race, FS1

Friday, July 10
11:30 AM, NSCS Kentucky Practice, NBCSN
1:00 PM, NSCS Kentucky Final Practice, NBCSN
3:30 PM, NXS Kentucky Qualifying, NBCSN
5:30 PM, NSCS Kentucky Qualifying, NBCSN
7:30 PM, NXS Kentucky Race, NBCSN

Saturday, July 11
7:30 PM, NSCS Kentucky Race, NBCSN

Watkins Glen introduces new "Bronson Hill" camping area

Race fans looking to camp at Watkins Glen International now have a new area to consider. Due to the increasing demand of RV camping space, the historic circuit has introduced "Bronson Hill", an outfield location set just outside of the Gate 6 entry into the facility. All sites are sized at 30x50 feet, and feature non-trackside pricing -- $375 until Monday, August 3rd, when rates rise to $425. In addition, Two vehicle passes come with each site purchase. Fans can call 866.461.RACE or log onto www.theglen.com for more information.(WGI)

NSCS Race Recap: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Wins Coke Zero 400

Dale Earnhardt Jr. endured a weekend of rain, a three-hour-plus pre-race delay, and nine caution flags to win the Coke-Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway early Monday morning.

The race ended at 2:41 a.m. and concluded with a large crash featuring Austin Dillon's No. 3 Chevrolet going airborne and smashing into the catch-fence near Turn 1 after he crossed the start-finish line. Dillon walked away from the wreck, the fourth major crash of the night. After being released from the infield care center, Dillon said he suffered a bruised tailbone and forearm.

Pole-sitter Earnhardt dominated the night, leading 96 laps in his No. 88 Nationwide Stars and Stripes Chevrolet. He also had the convincing support of the fans remaining at the track following the 154-minute rain delay. The delay was a harbinger for the race itself, which included four multi-car crashes and those nine caution flags that covered 43 of the scheduled 160 laps before the green-white checkered finish. It was Earnhardt’s fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup career victory on the 2.5-mile Florida track.

"I had a lot of fun tonight," a somewhat subdued Earnhardt said after the race. "We have such great motors and good cars. We ran Very fast. I had to block a lot, get a lot of pushes from everybody. I had to run real hard to win this race here. We got shuffled back a few times."

Driver Paul Menard could have been speaking for everyone at the speedway when he said on his radio during the race that Earnhardt’s No. 88 was "ridiculously" fast. Earnhardt consistently outran the competition on re-start after re-start.

Earnhardt’s crew raced onto the track after the last-lap crash to check on Dillon’s condition. The catch fences at Daytona International Speedway were reinforced following an accident in 2013 during a NASCAR XFINITY Series race.

Denny Hamlin finished third, with Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch rounding out the top five. Harvick leads the Sprint Cup points standings by 63 points over Earnhardt.(Bill Speros, NASCAR Media)