Homestead Ford 400 Is SOLD OUT!

With three races still remaining in the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, Homestead-Miami Speedway President Matthew Becherer announced today that the Ford EcoBoost 400 on Sunday, November 22, is sold out for the second consecutive year. The championship race will air live from Homestead-Miami Speedway at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

In addition to reserved and general admission seating, all premium seating areas including the Champions Club, Speedway Club, Pit Box, suites and Pit Road Cabanas have been sold out since September. All that remains is a limited number of RV Camping available in the GEICO RV Park.

“There will be many storylines heading into the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway, one of which will be Jeff Gordon vying for a fifth championship title in his final Sprint Cup Series season,” said Becherer. “We saw last year that the new Chase format gives our fans the opportunity to truly witness history during the Ford EcoBoost 400, and we fully anticipate that again with this year’s race. Our guests who will be out here at the track will not only be treated to a terrific weekend of racing, but also an unforgettable overall experience with all of the entertainment and amenities that we have planned.

“For those who want to see some great racing, we encourage people to come out to the Camping World Truck Series race (Ford EcoBoost 200) on Friday night and the XFINITY Series race (Ford EcoBoost 300) on Saturday, as both of those series appear like they will be decided in the season’s final race here at Homestead-Miami Speedway.”

With two races left in the Eliminator Round, only Jeff Gordon has locked in his spot as one of the Championship 4 eligible to compete for the Sprint Cup Series title. Another driver could do the same after this weekend in Texas, and all four spots will be solidified after the Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway on November 15.

Although the Ford EcoBoost 400 is now sold out, fans of some of the most popular drivers on the Sprint Cup Series circuit will have a chance to see those same drivers a day earlier in the XFINITY Series race.

The Camping World Truck Series championship title could come down to the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as only 13 points separate the top three drivers in Erik Jones, Matt Crafton and Tyler Reddick. The Ford EcoBoost 200 will air live from Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday, November 20 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

The XFINITY Series championship could also come down to the final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as defending champion Chase Elliott is second in points to Chris Buescher, who is looking for his first championship title. Only 36 points separate first through fourth place in the XFINITY Series, with drivers Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott (27 points behind Buescher), Regan Smith (33 points behind Buescher) and Ty Dillon (36 points behind Buescher) will battle for the title. The Ford EcoBoost 300 will air live from Homestead-Miami Speedway at 2:45 p.m. ET on NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

 

Tickets for the Ford EcoBoost 200 and Ford EcoBoost 300 can be purchased by calling (305) 230-5255, or online at www.HomesteadMiamiSpeedway.com. 

Logano Firmly Focused On Chase Recovery

Joey Logano is fully focused on the here and now.

No lingering disappointment, no more controversy and no more upheaval.

The Team Penske driver said today that he has put his ongoing feud with Matt Kenseth behind him, in order to focus “out the windshield” on the task at hand; qualifying for the Championship Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.  

Logano met with the media today at Texas Motor Speedway for the first time since a late-race crash with rival Kenseth ruined his chance for victory at Martinsville Speedway last Sunday. And while Logano remains convinced that he did nothing to deserve being taken out last week, he clearly understands that continuing to focus on the controversy will do nothing but damage his effort, going forward.

"What happened has happened," he said. "It is in the past at this point. It is in the rear view mirror. The only way we will get in the Chase is if we keep looking out the windshield.

“To be honest, I’m not convinced it’s a bad thing,” said Logano of the controversy. “Our team is more fired up than ever. I’m more focused than ever. I’m pumped up about being here at the track today. What happened last week is what happened last week.

“Is it the way we wanted it to go? No, of course not. Did we get the finish we felt we deserved? No. But this team has plenty of confidence coming off three (wins) in a row and in position for four. There is plenty of confidence and more drive than there has ever been.”

Confidence notwithstanding, the Connecticut native has plenty of work to do in the next two weeks. He is dead-last among the eight remaining Chase contenders, 28 points behind the all-important transfer spot. With just two races to recover – beginning with Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway – Logano said he believes a berth in the Championship Round is still possible.

“We are not out of this thing,” he said, “and I’m not blaming anyone for what happened. We’re going to move forward. It would be one heck of a story if we win this thing, (and) like I said, I have more drive than ever.”

And for the record, the Shell/Pennzoil Ford driver said he will race no differently the rest of the way, against Kenseth or anyone else.

“When I walked in here, there is a pretty cool trophy with a cool hat on the top,” he said. “I want that. When we get to Homestead, there will be another cool trophy. We’re going to want that.

“That is the number-one goal when this team gets to the racetrack.

Logano called the challenge of the next two weeks “a test of character,” adding, “when you think about being a champion in life, this is a true test of the type of person you are.

“I look forward to the opportunity.”

Kenseth's Two-Race Suspension Will Stand

National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer Bryan Moss has ruled on the appeal of a Behavioral Penalty issued on Nov. 3, 2015 to Matt Kenseth, relative to last week’s incident at Martinsville Speedway. 

The penalty concerns the following sections in the 2015 NASCAR Rule Book: Sections 12.1 and 12.8.

The original penalty assessed included suspension from NASCAR until the completion of the next two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events and placed on NASCAR probation for six months following the issuance of the Penalty Notice.  

Earlier today, a three-person National Motorsports Appeals Panel heard the appeal and ruled that Kenseth violated the rules set forth in the Penalty notice; upholding the original penalty levied by NASCAR. 

Upon hearing this afternoon’s testimony, the Moss similarly ruled that Kenseth violated the rules set forth, and uphold the two-race suspension. However, Kenseth’s six-month probation was amended to run through December 31, 2015. 

The decision of the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer is final and binding on all parties.

Kenseth Denied On Initial Appeal

The National Motorsports Appeals Panel has ruled on the appeal of a Behavioral Penalty issued on Nov. 3 to driver Matt Kenseth, relative to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series vehicle #20 at Martinsville Speedway. 

The penalty concerned sections 12.1 and 12.8. of the 2015 NASCAR Rule Book. 

The original penalty assessed included suspension from NASCAR until the completion of the next two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events and placed on NASCAR probation for six months following the issuance of the Penalty Notice. 

Upon hearing the testimony, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel ruled that the Appellant (Kenseth) violated the rules set forth in the Penalty notice; affirming and upholding the original Penalty levied by NASCAR. 

The panel consisted of Langley (VA) Speedway owner Bill Mullis, Bowman Gray (NC) Stadium operator Dale Pinilis and former West Coast race promoter and NASCAR executive Ken Clapp.   

 

Kenseth has chosen to appeal the decision of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel to the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer in accordance with Section 15 of the NASCAR Rule Book. The appeal began at 1 p.m. ET.

COMMENTARY: As Championship Pressure Rises, Drivers Not Always Capable Of Policing Themselves

Sunday afternoon’s renewal of hostilities between Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano produced a teachable moment for NASCAR, its driver, teams and fans.

In recent years, NASCAR has abdicated some of the responsibility for on-track oversight to the drivers themselves, allowing competitors to assume a higher level of responsibility when it comes to policing their own conduct and settling disputes. In theory, that’s not a bad idea. After all, these are grown men (and women) who ought to be able to control their own emotions and police their actions.

In reality, however, it hasn’t always worked.

A number of on-track feuds – Keselowski vs Edwards and Gordon vs Bowyer, for example -- have managed to sort themselves out without significant involvement by NASCAR, albeit with a few torn-up race cars along the way. Unfortunately, the sanctioning body made another move two years ago, tweaking the postseason Chase format in a way that made “winning at all costs” more appealing than ever.

In the pressure cooker that is the modern-day Chase -- where each victory is rewarded with a veritable pot of gold and every poor performance could be your last -- the long-acknowledged, informal “Driver Code” has fallen more and more by the wayside. NASCAR is asking drivers to assume a higher degree of autonomy at a time when they are less capable than ever of doing so.

By themselves, either of those two moves might have succeeded. But together, they produced a ticking time bomb that was sure to explode, at some point.

Sunday was that point.

While fingers can rightly be pointed at NASCAR, the athletes themselves also bear a portion of the blame. Wiping out a race leader within sight of the checkered flag as Kenseth did Sunday – especially with two weeks of premeditation and while running multiple laps down –– is irresponsible in the extreme. It may be understandable, or even justifiable, based on Logano’s decision to spin Kenseth two weeks earlier in Kansas. But it is still irresponsible, and produced an unfortunate black eye for the sport.

NASCAR cannot expect drivers to harness their emotions and police themselves in moments of extreme duress. And drivers cannot abdicate responsibility for their actions, demanding that the sanctioning body protect them from themselves

Drivers, like the rest of us, generally do what is in their own best interest.

When they’re in need of a caution flag, drivers will swear on a stack of bibles that there is debris in Turn Three, knowing full well that there is none. They will scream of torrential rain on the backstretch at Daytona, despite the nearest rain cloud being hundreds of miles away. We cannot – and should not – expect a professional athlete with millions of dollars, a series championship and perhaps his very career on the line to put sportsmanship, fair play and the overall good of the sport above his own best interest.

Like placing a T-bone steak – media rare – in front of a starving man, then asking him politely not to take a bite, it’s just too much to ask.

While much discussed of late, the “Driver Code” is far from specific, and subject to a wide degree of variation from competitor to competitor. In recent weeks, a rift has emerged between the older, more traditional drivers – for whom on-track conduct is frowned upon -- and NASCAR’s new breed; a group raised on the credo, “You do what you have to do.”

As the stakes rise, drivers buy more and more into the belief that everything is excusable and anything is justifiable, so long as the reward is sufficient. With only a vague, unwritten “code” to guide them – one that exists only in the minds of its subscribers -- is it any wonder that competitors often disagree about what is (and isn’t) acceptable in the final laps of a race?

NASCAR is incapable of writing a rulebook that encompasses every on-track eventuality. Barring that, all the sanctioning body can do is react when someone steps over the line, saying, “Well, you can’t do that.”

That approach will almost certainly produce charges of inconsistency, since no two incidents are alike. But without the ability and prescience to act in advance and outlaw what’s about to happen in the final laps of next week’s race, NASCAR must be reactive, rather than proactive.

What happened Sunday at Martinsville Speedway has damaged our sport. In the aftermath of “Kenseth vs Logano,” one of the most emotional and significant victories in the history of the game -- a victory that could allow Jeff Gordon to retire as a champion – has been relegated to sidebar status, obscured by an event that was half Rock `Em Sock `Em Robots and half Demolition Derby.

That’s wrong, no matter how you slice it. Gordon deserves better, and NASCAR deserves better.

Reddick, Hemric To Race For BKR In 2016

Tyler Reddick

Brad Keselowski Racing today announced its full-time driver lineup in the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Tyler Reddick will pilot the No. 29 Cooper Standard Ford F-150 while Daniel Hemric joins the organization as the driver for the No. 19 Ford F-150 with support from partners California Clean Power and Cequent, a Horizon Global company.

"We're very fortunate to have partners like Cooper Standard, California Clean Power and Cequent that make it possible to give two young drivers an opportunity and that's something I'm very proud of," Team Owner Brad Keselowski said.  "Our main goal is to build off our momentum from 2015 and pursue a championship with two great full-time drivers.  Both Tyler and Daniel have shown a lot of success on the racetrack and have more than earned this opportunity. We have two of the best drivers in the Series running on a full-time basis and I'm really happy about that and very optimistic about our future and chance for success in 2016."

Keselowski added that his organization would like to field a third team with a variety of drivers behind the wheel and his company is hard at work in an effort to put a program together. 

Daniel Hemric

Tyler Reddick, 19, will return for his second full-time season at Brad Keselowski Racing in 2016 moving from behind the wheel of the Team's No. 19 Ford F-150 to the No. 29 Ford F-150 with primary sponsorship from Cooper Standard and the company's Careers For Veterans program.  The 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) season has been a breakout year for Reddick, who scored his first career win in the season-opening NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.  His second victory came just five races later at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.  Reddick has been atop the NCWTS championship standings or ranked third or higher after every race.   

Reddick said competing on a full-time basis for BKR "means everything to me.

"This is an outstanding opportunity that I have for a second consecutive season," Reddick said.  "Cooper Standard is a long-time partner of the Team and it will be great to work with them in an enhanced role to support their objectives including furthering awareness of their important Careers For Veterans program.  It's so much fun to drive for Brad Keselowski Racing.  It's such a great organization to be around.  We've grown so much as a team from the first part-time season in 2014 and I've really enjoyed the experience.  I'm very happy to be coming back for a second full-time year to get to do it all over again."

Hemric, 24, said it is an honor to drive for Keselowski and that finalizing his plans for the upcoming season is a weight lifted off his shoulders.

"When the opportunity was available with Brad Keselowski Racing and all of our great partners, it seemed like a good deal for everyone concerned," Hemric said.  "It's an honor to team up with Brad and to have common goals when you go to the racetrack:  win races and put yourself in contention for a championship.  To be able to insert yourself on a championship contending team and a team that has a solid baseline on what they need every weekend.  I'm really excited about continuing my relationship with California Clean Power and can't wait to work with everyone at Cequent and their brands such as Draw-Tite.  I'm already looking forward to Daytona."

The 2015 season was Hemric's first in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.  He has racked up four top fives and 12 top 10 finishes and is currently seventh in the series championship standings.  His best finish this season is fourth-place (three times, most recently on the road course at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada).   

"One of the things I wanted to do at BKR is give talented young drivers an opportunity," Keselowski said.  "Both Tyler and Daniel are perfect examples of what I'm trying to accomplish.  We saw a lot of improvement with Tyler in 2014 and he's done a great job in 2015.  We hope we can finish it off with our first championship but we're also excited about running for it again together in 2016.

"The first time I went to watch Daniel race in 2012 he won and that impression hasn't left me.  He's having an incredible year in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series as a rookie.  I feel like he has a lot of untapped potential that we hope to showcase for our team."

BREAKING: Kenseth Parked For Two Races, Patrick Loses Points, 50K

Matt Kenseth, the driver of the No. 20 car, has been penalized for an infraction that occurred during the Nov. 1 race at Martinsville Speedway. This is a Behavioral Penalty (Sections 12.1, 12.8). Kenseth has been suspended from NASCAR through the completion of the next two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship events and placed on NASCAR probation for a six-month period following issuance of the penalty notice.

“Based upon our extensive review, we have concluded that the No. 20 car driver, who is no longer in the Chase, intentionally wrecked the No. 22 car driver, a Chase-eligible competitor who was leading the race at the time,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “The No. 20 car was nine laps down, and eliminated the No. 22 car’s opportunity to continue to compete in the race.

“Additionally, we factored aspects of safety into our decision, and also the fact that the new Chase elimination format puts a premium on each and every race. These actions have no place in NASCAR.”

Additionally, Danica Patrick, the driver of the No. 10 car, has been penalized for an infraction that also took place during the Nov. 1 race at Martinsville Speedway. This is a Behavioral Penalty (Sections 12.1, 12.8). Patrick has been fined $50,000, assessed with the loss of 25 series championship driver points and placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31.

France Hints At Possible Kenseth Sanctions

NASCAR Chairman and CO Brian France said today that the sanctioning body wants to prevent  drivers from “taking matters into their own hands” as Matt Kenseth did when he took out leader Joey Logano in the late going of Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway.

Kenseth wrecked Logano in apparent retaliation for an incident two weeks earlier at Kansas Speedway when Kenseth spun out of the lead following contact from Logano on the final lap. Speaking on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio’s The Morning Drive, France said that situation was different from Sunday’s race at Martinsville.  

“Late in a race, we expect drivers to take chances to win,” he said. “They’ve got the skill to do it. We expect them to race hard. Blocking is part of this game, as Matt was doing (in Kansas), and contact will happen in NASCAR from time to time. That’s really all that was. The unfortunate thing for Matt is that he had a lot of on the line that day. It’s understandable the disappointment he had. Late in that race, a faster car is behind you and you’re blocking. There’s some contact and you get the short end of it and you go around. That was an entirely different situation than Martinsville.”

France said he will not allow the sport to deteriorate into vigilante justice, with drivers meting out punishment for perceived on-track slights.  

“What we’re not going to do is to take the style of NASCAR and parlay that into something where one driver or another believes the way to pay back somebody for something that happened is to take matters into their own hands. Obviously, we won’t be accepting that. The way to pay drivers back is to race them hard. When someone races you hard, you race them hard. If they’re going to give you no inches late in the race, then that’s how you’re going to race them. That’s NASCAR.

“What happened on Sunday, that’s not quite the way we would have liked to have seen that turn out.”

France said that while NASCAR strives to rule fairly and consistently in matters such as this, “all situations are different and that’s hard to follow sometimes. When you don’t have all the facts and you want to say, `That thing between so-and-so at that track that was the same exact thing,’ they seldom are.

“They’re never the same, but there (are) similarities,” said France. “We’ll take some of the history that we have ruled on in the past, because we want to be as consistent as we can. But remember, this (Chase) format is much different than it’s ever been and there is more on the line. We knew when this format was developed that it would present some unique situations for drivers to take more chances… and make the job of officiating the events more difficult for us. We understood that.”

France said he wants drivers to understand that “at the end of the day, there’s a real clear set of requirements to be a NASCAR driver… a set of rules.

“What we want to prevent (from) happening is drivers… to take matters into their own hands and begin to control the outcome of races. When that happens, that’s a very serious thing for us, and we’ll be dealing with that.”

He said Kenseth’s status as a past Sprint Cup Series champion will not impact the sanctioning body’s decision, adding, “(Kenseth is) driving the car, he makes those decisions. It doesn’t matter somebody’s background. It matters what they did that day. We will make sure that what is the acceptable style of racing is always a part of NASCAR and what is not, will not. We have lots of ways to make sure. We will deal with that as we always have, very clearly and very carefully.

“We’ll get it right. That’s our job to do that.”

An announcement on possible penalties is expected later today.

COMMENTARY: Random Thoughts On Matt vs Joey

1. After contact with Joey Logano sent him spinning out of the lead at Kansas Speedway two weeks ago, I fully expected Matt Kenseth to make things tough for Logano in the final four races of the season. I expected him to race Logano hard and cut him absolutely no slack. I expected him to be the toughest SOB to pass in the history of NASCAR. But never – not in a million years -- did I expect to see what happened yesterday at Martinsville Speedway.

2. Sunday’s race provided the perfect storm of both opportunity and circumstance for Kenseth. After contending throughout the day for the win, Kenseth found himself torn-up, out of contention and headed for his second lousy finish in the last three weeks. Logano, meanwhile, was dominating yet again, en route to his fourth consecutive win and a guaranteed shot at the championship at Homestead Miami Speedway. For Kenseth, there would never have been a better time to send a message.

3. Kenseth deserves major bonus points for keeping a straight face while insisting that mechanical failure was to blame for the crash.

4. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was decidedly more forthcoming when he said, “You never like to be in these situations. They really stink, to be honest with you, but sometimes you get put in these spots and you've got to try to keep respect in the garage area.”

5. Logano handled himself impeccably under incredibly difficult circumstances. He answered every question honestly, stated his opinion with eloquence and made no attempt to hide his unhappiness. That’s all we can reasonably ask.

6. Tom Logano, meanwhile, could take a lesson or two in decorum from his son. While young Joey acted his age Sunday, Papa Tom pitched himself a world-class tizzy, rampaged through the garage area in an apparent attempt to kick the ass of Kenseth, or anyone wearing his team colors. The elder Logano was eventually restrained by a handful of Penske Racing personnel, including Shell-Pennzoil Ford crew chief, Todd Gordon. For the record, Mr. Logano, your son is a 25-year old professional athlete, who is more than capable of handling his own affairs without the assistance of his daddy. Pipe down, calm down. It’s not about you.

7. 99.9% of yesterday’s grandstand attendees cheered their lungs out when Kenseth wrecked Logano. They cheered him all the way to his NASCAR-mandated ambulance ride to the Infield Care Center, then booed like banshees when Logano made the same long walk. Interestingly, 88.5% of those same attendees are now demanding that NASCAR fine and suspend Kenseth.

8. For the second week in a row, Denny Hamlin used his post-race interview to chastise NASCAR for failing to control his fellow competitors. "It's a no-holds-barred, Wild, Wild West,” said Hamlin. “The structure… we have around us is not very strong as far as an authority figure saying, 'No, you cannot do that anymore.' I love Brian France, but when he says that drivers are 'doing what they have to do,' it seems like he's promoting this type of racing. It's tough to crown a true champion when things go like this." Denny is entitled to his opinion, of course. But I am the only one who’s tired of hearing drivers say, “NASCAR should protect us from ourselves?” Brian France and Mike Helton don’t drive race cars. Drivers do. These are grown men (and women) who can handle their own affairs, both on and off the race track. They do not need an “authority figure” to teach them right from wrong.

9. A monetary fine will not hurt Matt Kenseth, and it won’t alter anyone’s actions going forward. If drivers feel they have been wronged, they will retaliate.

10. If NASCAR suspends Kenseth, they should probably suspend Danica Patrick, as well. She announced on her in-car radio yesterday that she was going to wreck David Gilliland after they tangled in the opening 100 laps of the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500. Over 250 laps later, she did just that.

11. There is nothing wrong with rivalry. This sport was built on rivalries.

12. Contact is a part of stock car racing. If you lack the stomach for our specific style of racing, allow me to introduce you to one of the many sports car and road racing circuits that disqualify drivers for engaging in “avoidable contact.” These are the same series that count the number of live spectators on the fingers of one hand.

13. In my 40-plus years in the sport, I have never been in a more electric grandstand than the one I sat in at Martinsville Speedway Sunday. They cheered, they booed, they jumped up and down like a bunch of school kids. I can’t imagine anyone leaving Martinsville last night, feeling they didn’t get their money’s worth.

14. As fans, we say we don’t want “vanilla drivers.” We say we want drivers who speak their minds, stand up for themselves and refuse to toe the politically correct company line. If NASCAR gets back into the business of fining and suspending people for on-track incidents, it’s vanilla ice cream for life.

15. Not too many years ago, Bristol Motor Speedway was the home of contact, crashes, rivalries and hurt feelings. Back then, you couldn’t buy a seat, at any price. Thunder Valley tickets were contested in divorce proceedings and handed down in wills. Today, the crashes and rivalries have been all-but eliminated, and you can purchase all the tickets you want on race day.

Gordon’s “Rockstar Moment” Opens Door For Title Bid

After 23 years at the pinnacle of the sport, Jeff Gordon is not easily moved.

With four Sprint Cup Series championships and 93 career victories – third on NASCAR’s all-time list – the Hendrick Motorsports driver has achieved virtually everything there is to accomplish in the sport. But as he basked in the gloaming of a Sunday evening Victory Lane at Martinsville Speedway, even Gordon was at a loss for words.

His victory in the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500, achieved only after runaway leader Joey Logano was unceremoniously wrecked by rival Matt Kenseth with just 50 laps remaining, punched Gordon’s ticket for an unlikely chance at a fifth series title.

“Yeah, baby, yeah! We go to Homestead!” shouted Gordon over his in-car radio, after claiming a .335-second victory over Jamie McMurray and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Sunday. “That was huge! That was huge! I love you guys!”

In Victory Lane, an emotional Gordon struggled to be heard over a thundering grandstand of frenzied race fans; each of whom knew they had just witnessed a pivotal moment in the history of the sport.

“(Retirement) was a joke,” he teased, hopping up and down like a toddler on a sugar high. “I’m coming back next year! This is the sweetest, most amazing feeling. I am so proud of this team. You want to talk about holding back emotions; right now man, wow. We’re going to Homestead! I can’t believe it.”

The California native called his ninth career Martinsville victory, "one of the finest moments I've ever had." And perhaps more important, it created an opportunity for Gordon to author his greatest – and most unlikely – moment of all, just three weeks hence at Homestead Miami Speedway..

Coming into the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Gordon was the longest of longshots. Winless in 26 regular-season starts, he struggled simply to qualify for NASCAR’s playoffs. Once the Chase began, he remained decidedly under the radar with a 14^th-place finish in the opener at Chicagoland, followed by lukewarm showings of seventh and 12^th at New Hampshire and Dover. He upped the ante only modestly in the Contender Round – eighth at Charlotte, 10^th in Kansas and third at Talladega – once again doing enough to advance, but not much more. Sunday at Martinsville, though, Gordon answered the bell with a rousing victory that could turn the tide in the 2015 championship Chase.

“It’s never over,” said Gordon in Victory Lane. “People don’t give this team enough credit. We seized an opportunity (today). I don’t think this opportunity would present itself the next couple of weeks. We’re going to take advantage of this.”

He also spoke of persevering through the first half of the season, when he struggled to find speed and squandered his rare good days with a slew of miscues and pit road speeding penalties.

“When we went through those moments and came through it -- still talking to each other, still smiling, communicating and trying to be better -- I knew that if we could just get in this position, we could do something special.”

Nearly 30 minutes after the checkered flag waved Sunday, the darkened Martinsville grandstands remained packed with race fans, celebrating what might have been the final victory for one of the sport’s most transcendent stars.

"I don't know what it feels like to be a rock star, but that's as close as it can get," said Gordon, as the crowd roared its approval. "That's a rock star moment right there."

And even while posing with his ninth Martinsville grandfather clock, Gordon turned his focus to the championship race to come.

“This has turned into a fairytale year,” he said. “Homestead is going to be an unreal weekend and we’re going to completely focus now. We talked about this in our meeting before the race; that if we could make it through today and win, all our focus is on the Homestead car.

Gordon’s numbers at Homestead Miami Speedway are solid, with seven Top-5 and 12 Top-10 finishes in 16 career starts. He went to Victory Lane there in the 2012 season finale and has a lifetime average finish of 10th.

Gordon can win at Homestead. And if he does, he will retire as champion.

“We’ll grind it out,” he promised. “We’re going to give them something to think about. Don’t count us out. We’ve proved that during this entire Chase, and we certainly proved that today. This team is fired up. We’ve got some momentum now!

"Yeah, we had a few things that fell in our favor (today). But you've got to be there and be ready for that moment when it comes, and we were."

You can bet he’ll be ready again at Homestead Miami Speedway.

AM Racing Announces New Truck Series Team

AM Racing owner Tim Self

AM Racing has announces the formation of a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series organization. Led by owner Tim Self, AM Racing will field the No. 22 Toyota in the Camping World Truck Series for the full 2016 campaign, kicking off at Daytona International Speedway in February. 

"This is an extremely interesting and exciting project for us and all of our partners," said Self. "We will be working hard to establish AM Racing as a leader in the NASCAR Truck Series and add an energizing dynamic to the brands of our partners. I have a vision of how I want to build this race program and all of the pieces are coming together pretty quick. We will be well prepared for the season when we show up in Daytona. We are committed to one full time truck already and expect to announce a second one in the near future."

AM Racing will field Toyota Tundras in the 2016 season, having partnered with Toyota Racing Development (TRD). The team has also entered into an agreement with Triad Racing Technologies as their engine supplier.

"We are grateful to have Toyota as our principal racing technology partner," added Self. "Direct access to Triad Racing Technologies and Toyota Racing Development products and services sharply ramps our performance curve. Integration of AMTS Engineering and project tools into our program model will hopefully give us a performance advantage both on and off the race track."

Self founded AM Technical Solutions in 1994 to provide Engineering and other Technical Services to advanced technology Industries including Semiconductor and Life Sciences. His technology industry experience spans 25 years, and he has extensive expertise in process systems and project management. He has published a number of articles on the design and installation of process systems and has held memberships in the Institute of Environmental Sciences, the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and owns Central Texas Speedway in Kyle, Texas.

"We have developed highly efficient project delivery models from many years of experience and expect to bring effective operational Solutions to the racing industry," he said. 

AM Racing will be making a driver and sponsor announcements in the near future.  The organization is also looking to expand with the second truck for the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Kenseths Set For Big Weekend At Martinsville

Saturday will be a big day for the Kenseth family.  

When Matt climbs out of the car after final practice for Sunday’s Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500, he’ll turn his attention to the Kroger 200, where his son Ross will make his debut in the Camping World Truck Series. 

“I’m happy any time someone gives Ross an opportunity to race in NASCAR,” Matt said. “They’re not easy to come by and I know this one came about pretty quickly. He’s been working hard to try to get some more opportunities.  

“I think he’s performed well in the chances that he’s had, both with JGR in the No. 20 Dollar General car for his first XFINITY start this season, and in the No. 52 ARCA car with (Ken) Schrader." 

Ross is looking forward to the opportunity, especially because it’s at Martinsville. 

“It’s one of the places I’ve always wanted to race at,” Ross said. “I’ve seen a lot of exciting races here and it seems to be a track where a lot of young kids get their start.” 

Naturally, Ross has turned to his father for some advice on how to get around the half-mile track. 

“We talked about it,” he said. “You know it’s a pretty technical place and a lot of the guys who run smooth here end up doing pretty well.” 

While his father is a Sprint Cup Series champion, he doesn’t know if he’s the best person for Ross to lean on. In 31 career Martinsville starts, Matt remains winless. 

“I’m not sure that I’m the guy he wants to get advice from at Martinsville,” Matt said. “We’ve talked about it, but the most important thing for him to do, and I think he knows this, is to run a clean, smart race and try to complete every lap, which isn’t always easy to do there. It’s his first time in a truck and his first time at Martinsville, with a brand new team, so if they had a clean day and got every lap, I think that would be a good debut." 

Ross was quick to answer if he would rub it in, should he take home the iconic grandfather clock trophy before his father. 

“Oh, of course,” he said. “It would be pretty cool.” 

The Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 race weekend starts on Friday with Virginia Lottery Pole Day.  The Camping World Truck Series returns for the Kroger 200 on Saturday, with the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 on Sunday.

Lack Of Sponsorship Derails Conley's Season

Cale Conley, driver of the #14 TriStar Motorsports NASCAR Xfinity Series Toyota, announced today that he has ended his 2015 race season prematurely, due to a lack of sponsorship and team funding. 

“I would like to thank the TriStar Motorsports organization and owner Mark Smith for giving me this opportunity to race at tracks I had not visited in the past,” said Conley.  “I am really looking forward to finalizing my 2016 race season plans and I am excited to see everyone at Daytona International Speedway in February. I want to thank all of my loyal fans, my family and the support from the members of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.”

Conley currently ranks 19^th in the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship standings, with a pair of 16^th-place finishes at Auto Club and Kentucky Speedways.

COMMENTARY: No Shortage Of Emotion After Volatile Talladega Finish

It was hard to know who to be angry with following a bizarre conclusion to Sunday’s CampingWorld.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Fans directed their anger – and a few dozen cans of beer -- at winner Joey Logano, after Logano denied Talladega favorite Dale Earnhardt, Jr. an opportunity to advance to the Eliminator Round of the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup by claiming the checkered flag.

A number of drivers expressed unhappiness with colleague Kevin Harvick, who triggered a race-ending, multi-car crash with a questionable lane change that sent Trevor Bayne spinning.

Others were angry with NASCAR, after the sanctioning body made a late-race decision to wave off an abortive green-white-checkered flag restart and realign the cars for another try.

The wreck-plagued finale came with Logano running mere inches in front of Earnhardt when the caution flag flew for the final time, allowing the Team Penske driver to win his third consecutive Chase victory. It also enabled Harvick to advance in the Chase, despite a balky race car that would almost certainly have doomed him to elimination, had the race run to its planned conclusion. The Budweiser/Jimmy Kohn’s Chevrolet driver ensured that would not happen however, pin-balling off the side of Bayne’s Ford and triggering a multi-car melee that ended the race, with Harvick still in position to advance.

Logano won again at Talladega

Bayne was uncharacteristically outspoken after the crash, saying, “That's a crappy way for Harvick to have to get in the Chase; to wreck somebody -- what I believe to be on purpose (but) maybe it wasn't. The restart before that, he had engine problems and got out of the way. I think he realized if the caution came out, he was going to be fine. So I go by and get hooked in the left-rear. Harvick is a really good driver. I think he knows the limits of his car and where it's at, so that's why I think it was intentional."

Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth – both of whom failed to make the cut to the Eliminator Round – also emptied both barrels on Harvick afterward, accusing him of intention wrecking Bayne, and others.

“I knew (Harvick) could only run 30-40 miles an hour,” said Hamlin after scrambling free of his flaming Fed Ex Toyota. He knew he wasn’t going to (advance) unless a wreck happened. I don’t know if he called for it, but everyone’s trying to do everything they can.”

Hamlin emerged angry after a fiery finish

“The 4 knew he was blew up, so he said he was going to stay in his lane,” said an angry Kenseth afterward. “So (Bayne) then went up and outside, and (Harvick) clipped him and caused a wreck because he knew he’d make the Chase that way.

“I got wrecked two weeks in a row by people doing what they had to do to make the Chase. Call it what you want.” 

Harvick, expectedly, saw it differently.

“It wasn’t running really well on the restarts,” he explained. “Then at the end, I was trying to get out of the way. I don’t know if I clipped (Bayne) or if he came across as I was coming up. It was one of those days where everything went well until the very end, until the bottom fell out on those last couple of restarts when it cooled off. It has a broken exhaust pipe or something.”

NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton said that after reviewing the incident, he saw no reason to penalize Harvick. That’s not surprising, in the absence of any NASCAR rule outlawing crashes; whether intentional or not.

“Procedurally, we don’t see anything that is of suspect so far,” Helton said. “The only thing I mean about ‘so far’ is I’ve been around long enough to know that something could crawl out of the woodwork in the next 24 hours. We believe we did everything procedurally correct and the 4 car did nothing wrong.”

Harvick: Did he, or didn't he?

Ironically, Earnhardt’s championship bid was thwarted – in large part – by a revised restart rule that he had championed; an irony not lost on NASCAR’s perennial Most Popular Driver.

“Everybody is going to ask me a hundred times how I feel about the green-white-checkered rule now,” Earnhardt said. “I feel good about it. It was a good safe call. The race ended per the rules, and I'm totally OK with that. (NASCAR) decided officially who won the race, and Joey won it. He has had an awesome round. Unbelievable, really. We did everything we could today. Almost perfect, tried really hard.

“I felt like, per the rule book, it sorted out and I finished second,” Earnhardt said. “I’m OK with that. We could argue they could have waited another hundred feet to throw the caution, but they didn't have to. They threw it when they needed to and I'm fine with that.”

Intensity? We’ve got that.

Controversy? In abundance.

And with four races still remaining until a champion is crowned at Homestead Miami Speedway, there is no indication that things will calm down, anytime soon.