ISC Approves Phoenix Redevelopment

The Board of Directors of International Speedway Corporation has approved a multi-year redevelopment project for Phoenix International Raceway. 

The 52-year old venue will receive new and upgraded seating areas, vertical transportation options, new concourses, enhanced hospitality offerings and an intimate infield experience with greater accessibility to pre-race activities. In addition to fan and spectator areas, PIR is exploring improvements for competitors and industry personnel, particularly key structures located throughout the infield. 

The redevelopment project is expected to cost approximately $178 million, is expected to commence in early 2017 and be complete in late 2018.  

“Phoenix Raceway provides a one-of-a-kind setting for some of the most exciting and thrilling races that the sport has to offer,” said ISC Chief Executive Officer Lesa France Kennedy. “This project will further enhance that experience and ensure that the venue continues to be a treasured destination for race fans.”

BREAKING: Buescher To Second JTG Daugherty Chevrolet

JTG Daugherty Racing has announced that they will field a second Sprint Cup Series Chevrolet next season, with former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Chris Buescher at the wheel. 

Team owner Tad Geschickter confirmed the move today, saying, “We can confirm at this time that JTG Daugherty Racing is currently in the process of starting a second team in the NASCAR premier series. We would also like to confirm and welcome Chris Buescher to the team as our driver for the second car.” 

Buescher also commented on the move, saying, “I can confirm that I have signed to race for JTG Daugherty Racing as they expand to a two-car team in the NASCAR premier series in 2017. I’m thankful for the opportunity and look forward to competing for a spot in the Chase.” 

Details on sponsorship and crew alignments are expected in the coming days.

Ty Dillon To Germain Racing With GEICO Sponsorship

Ty Dillon will assume the full-time driving duties of the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Germain Racing. Dillon follows Casey Mears, who has driven for the last seven years.

"I have been preparing for this next step in my career for several years," Dillon said. "With my experience in the Camping World Truck Series and XFINITY Series, I am ready to drive full-time in the Sprint Cup Series. I want to thank Bob Germain and the entire Germain Racing organiza tion for giving me this opportunity. It will be an honor to represent a brand and sponsor like GEICO which has played such a significant role in the sport for so many years."

The 24-year old Dillon has made 17 starts in the Sprint Cup Series for several different teams, including Circle Sport/Leavine Family Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing. He scored a career-best sixth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in May 2016 while serving as a relief driver for Tony Stewart.

Germain Racing notched two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championships and two top-10 points finishes in the NASCAR XFINITY Series before making the jump to the nation's top racing series. Since the inception of their Sprint Cup Series program in 2009, the team has established itself as an accomplished restrictor-plate program, while also achieving success at the series' road course events.

With the switch to Chevrolet and the addition of Richard Childress Racing as a technical partner in 2014, they have experienced improvement at the challenging intermediate tracks. Team owner Bob Germain said he aims to continue making progress in the coming years.

"I want to thank Casey Mears for everything he's done for our race team over the past six years," Germain said. "He's been an integral part of our growth and a great representative for GEICO and our many partners. Bringing Ty onboard is an exciting opportunity for us and we are committed to giving him all the resources he needs to reach his full potential. He's a very talented driver and first class young man. I'm looking forward to working with him, as well as expanding our relationship with RCR."

RCR's partnership with Germain Racing includes technology sharing, research and development, and engineering under the Chevrolet banner. Germain Racing will also continue to utilize engines from ECR Engines.

"Ty has done an exceptional job for us at RCR in every series he has raced in," said RCR Chairman and CEO, Richard Childress. "He has won races at each level and competed for championships every year. Ty is a passionate driver and has shown that he is ready for the highest level of stock car racing. I'm proud of him and I am confident he will succeed. I have a lot of respect for Bob Germain and the organization he has built, and I know he and Ty will be successful together. I also look forward to Ty's continued involvement in RCR's XFINITY Series program."

Smoke, Out. Stewart Says Goodbye With 22nd-Place Finish At Homestead-Miami Speedway

Tony Stewart took his final ride in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car Sunday night at Homestead Miami Speedway, driving his Stewart Haas Motorsports Chevrolet to a 22nd-place finish in the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400.

The exit was not what Stewart or his fans would have wished. In a perfect world, the three-time Sprint Cup Series champion would have exited in Victory Lane; a winner in his final career NASCAR start. But in a 2016 campaign with relatively few competitive highlights, the Indiana native exited with a whimper, rather than a bang.

Despite his lukewarm farewell performance, however, Stewart climbed from his No, 14 Chevrolet wearing a contended smile. Burdened these last few years by sponsor commitments, legal entanglements and injury, the driver known as “Smoke” is free to do what he wants to do going forward, rather than what he is contractually obligated to do.

“This is the last one,” said Stewart Friday, vowing not to be lured back into the cockpit the way Jeff Gordon was earlier this season.

“I think I learned my lesson from Jeff,” laughed Stewart. “He tried to do somebody a favor this year and got roped into running half the season. Thank you, Jeff for teaching me a lesson before I got roped in.”

While he will not be strapping into Sprint Cup Series machinery on Sunday afternoons any longer, Stewart made it clear that he has no plans to retire as a driver.

“I have a lot of race cars to have fun in,” he said, repeating his oft-stated pledge to increase the amount of time spent on dirt tracks across the country. “I would love to race the (Camping World) Truck race at Eldora.

“Since I was eight-years old, there has never been a thought in my mind about doing anything outside of racing,” he added. “I don’t know what to do outside of racing. 24/7, my mind is consumed (with racing) in some capacity.”

The mere mention of dirt racing brings a gleam to Stewart’s eye. He clearly relishes the thought of tossing a Sprint Car sideways through minefields of choppy red clay next season, and with career winnings in excess of $122 million, he has the financial wherewithal to do so at the very highest level. For Stewart, a return to dirt in 2017 represents a return to his racing roots; where post-race festivities are long on cold beer and short on Media Center obligations.

That’s dirt racing’s gain and NASCAR’s loss.

Since the day he arrived – a rail-thin wunderkind straight out of the open wheel Indy Car ranks – Stewart has served as NASCAR’s resident truth teller. Unwilling -- or perhaps incapable -- of giving anything but his honest opinion, Stewart angered NASCAR officials, track owners, fellow drivers and media members alike. He lampooned rule changes, criticized driving tactics and mocked moronic questions with equal glee. His weekly media availabilities were can’t-miss affairs, veering instantaneously from insightful to sarcastic, bombastic to belligerent.

He was sometimes inconsistent in his commentary, like the day he lambasted the blocking tactics employed by drivers at Daytona and Talladega, saying “we’re probably going to kill somebody… and it could be me.” Moments later, he employed those same blocking tactics himself; blissfully ignorant of the irony. NASCAR responded by implementing strict regulations on blocking and bump-drafting.

After criticizing NASCAR in the past for being over-officious, Stewart demand this season that the sanctioning body regulate lug nuts to save teams from themselves. The sanctioning body fined him $35,000 for those comments, then changed its lug nut rule less than a week later.

He blasted NASCAR Chairman Brian France earlier this year for failing to attend meetings of the Sprint Cup Drivers Council. France defending his absence, insisting that drivers spoke more candidly without him in the room. Weeks later, France attended his first Driver’s Council meeting.

That’s the wonder of Tony Stewart. Calling it like he sees it, come hell or high water.

Stewart’s brand of heart-on-his-sleeve outspokenness has its price, however. His periodic clashes with media, NASCAR and his fellow drivers have branded him a “loose cannon” in some circles, and the 2014 incident that resulted in the death of Sprint Car driver Kevin Ward, Jr. only reinforced the renegade image in some people’s eyes.

“Part of the reason I’m retiring is because I’m tired of being responsible for (speaking out),” Said Stewart recently. “It’s somebody else’s responsibility now. I’ve had my fill of it. I’ve had my fill of fighting the fight. At some point, you say, ‘Why do I keep fighting this fight when I’m not getting anywhere?’

“There are 39 of these guys (in the Sprint Cup garage) that -- 99 out of 100 times -- won’t say a thing to you guys or to NASCAR or anybody else. I’m the one guy that will say, ‘Man this is a bad thing to talk about, I shouldn’t talk about it,’ but I’ll get pissed off enough about it to talk about it, because I believe it’s worth talking about.”

Stewart’s on-track ride has not always been smooth, either. In 2013, he suffered a gruesome compound fracture of his right leg in a grinding Sprint Car crash, missing the remainder of the NASCAR season.

The following year brought Ward’s death, and allegations that Stewart had intentionally struck and killed the New York youngster after an on-track tangle just moments before. “It’s not something that goes away,’’ said Stewart after being cleared of criminal charges following the incident. “It will never go away. It’s going to be part of my life the rest of my life.’’

This season, a freak sand buggy accident left him with a fractured vertebra in his back that sidelined him for eight more races.

Those incidents left Stewart with far more pain -- both physical and emotional – than the average 45-year old, and while he energized his fan base with a flashback victory at Sonoma in June, he ended the 2017 campaign left him only 15^th in the championship standings, with almost as many finishes of 30^th or worse (seven) as Top-10s (eight).

Few drivers leave the sport at their competitive peak. Father Time is undefeated, after all. But Stewart’s decline into competitive mediocrity has been as difficult for him to accept as it was for us to watch.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed that I didn’t win a Daytona 500, a Southern 500 and most of all, an Indy 500,” said Stewart at Homestead last week. “But when I was 15 (or) 18 years old, I never even thought I would get a chance to race those races, let alone to win them.

“In a perfect world, I would have loved to be able to cross those three races off the list. But at the same time, I look at the big picture. It was pretty damn cool to just have the opportunity to race those races.”

His 49 career NASCAR Cup Series wins place him 13^th on NASCAR’s all-time list. His three premier series championships make him a guaranteed, first-ballot Hall of Famer. And his take-no-quarter style – both on and off the race track – will ensure that he is sorely missed by NASCAR Nation.

Thanks, Smoke. It’s been one hell of a ride.

Logano Poised For Championship Breakthrough

For Joey Logano, the opportunity for redemption is less than seven days away.

Sunday’s win at Phoenix International Raceway qualified Logano to return to the second Championship Four race of his career at Homestead Miami Speedway. Two years ago, in the inaugural season of the Chase’s elimination format, the Team Penske driver appeared to be en route to a title-clinching victory, until a jack failure on his final pit stop dropped him back in the pack and out of title contention.

Last season, the Middletown, Conn., native won a season-high six races, but failed to qualify for the Homestead finale after on-track feud with rival Matt Kenseth eventually cost both men their shot at the title.

This time around, however, there have been no such missteps. No mistakes, no letdowns, no loss of championship focus. This time around, Logano has his eye on the prize.

“I don’t think I can put it into words,” said Logano after Sunday’s dramatic Phoenix victory. “This isn’t just a race. This is a championship. We raced today like it was Homestead, because we had to. I was still yelling and screaming down in Victory Lane.

“What an amazing feeling to be able to succeed under that amount of pressure… to have a race team that is truly better under pressure. I couldn’t be more proud of that.

For those who appreciate such things, Sunday’s race featured a certain degree of karmic resolution.

After being crashed out of title contention by Kenseth just 12 months ago – payback for a previous tangle between the two at Kansas Speedway a few weeks earlier -- Logano watched as Kenseth wrecked out of the lead within sight of the checkered flag Sunday. He threaded his way through the wreckage, then waltzed away from Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch to claim his spot in the 2016 Homestead finale.

“We’ve got momentum,” said Logano in Victory Lane. “I remember when we (qualified for Homestead) a couple of years ago. I remember standing here -- we finished third or fourth that day -- and I wasn’t as excited. This is not that feeling. This is a feeling of, `Hey, we’ve got confidence. I know we can do it.’ I don’t feel like it’s a long shot like it was last time. 

“I feel like we’ve been here before. We’ve been in these situations.”

Logano’s path to the 2016 championship will be anything but easy. Six-time series champion Jimmie Johnson is poised to take his shot at a record-tying seventh title. Defending champ Kyle Busch has designs on a back-to-back reign, while Carl Edwards hopes to atone for a 2011 Homestead finale that saw him lose the championship to Tony Stewart on a tiebreaker; the closest result in the sport’s 60-plus year history.

“Sometimes, you’ve just got to live through things once” said Logano. “After the 2014 race, everyone told me, `You’ve got to lose one to win one,’ and I thought that was the biggest crock of crap I’ve ever heard in my life.

“But you know what? Maybe it really did help me, to live through it once. Since then, we’ve been in those situations. We raced today for a championship.  We raced in Talladega for a championship. We’ve done this before.”

“The last few years, we’ve been in a position where we’ve had our backs against the wall and had to win. We’ve been able to do that, so it’s really cool. We have experience now. We've been together four years, and we've gone through some hard situations together.”

"We're peaking at the right time, which is a good sign,” he added. “We've had some speed in the last three races. Texas was one of our best races of the year and to go to a race track (Homestead) that's very similar makes me excited. We know what it takes to win a championship, because we've been through that situation once before.”

In seven career Homestead starts, Logano has one Top-5 (a fourth last season) and two Top-10 finishes. But the Connecticut native isn’t interested in statistics right now. He’s focused fully forward, on a winner-take-all championship finale and an opportunity to fulfill the “Best Thing Since Sliced Bread” predictions that have dogged him since the age of 14.

In the 50^th anniversary season of Team Penske, Logano can also deliver a NASCAR title to bookend the IndyCar Series championship earned by Simon Pagenaud a few weeks ago, while delivering the first Sprint Cup Series title to Ford Motor Company since Kurt Busch turned the trick with Roush Fenway Racing in 2004.

"We're racing for a championship now," said Logano Sunday. "We did exactly what we had to do today. Now, we're going to go to Homestead and do the same thing."

Scott Announces Retirement From NASCAR

Richard Petty Motorsports driver Brian Scott has announced his retirement from full-time competition at the end of the 2016 Sprint Cup Series season. 

"This was a difficult decision, but one that I made myself for my family," said Scott. "Racing -- and specifically NASCAR -- has been and will always be in my heart. But right now, I want to turn all my attention to my family and to be able to spend more time with them. Racing has blessed me with great opportunities, and I'm very grateful for everything that it has allowed me to do, but for me, it's time to move on. I can't thank everyone enough who helped me in my career. I would not have made it to where I am at today without their trust and commitment." 

Scott began competing in NASCAR's national series in 2007, debuting in the NASCAR Camping World Series and competing full-time there in 2008 and 2009, with a win at the Dover International Speedway in 2009. From 2010 through 2015, he competed in the NASCAR XFINTY Series, finishing in the Top-10 in the championship standings in five of his six seasons. He signed to compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with RPM in 2016, with a best finish of second at Talladega Superspeedway last month. 

"Brian competed at a level that very few do in NASCAR," said Brian Moffitt, Chief Executive Officer of Richard Petty Motorsports. "Brian became part of the Petty family this year, and he committed himself to making our organization better. We feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to get to know Brian and wish him nothing but the best for him and his family." RPM will continue to field the No. 44 Ford Fusion in 2017 with a driver to be announced later.

In a related story, Albertsons Companies has announced that they will not return to RPM in 2017. "Local sports sponsorships are an important part of our marketing strategy in communities across the country," said Albertsons Chief Marketing and Merchandising Officer Shane Sampson. "While we have decided to focus our investments elsewhere in 2017, we appreciate the work that Brian, Richard Petty Motorsports and the entire No. 44 team put forth for Albertsons Companies this year, and we wish them the very best in the future."

Charter System Has Owners Examining Their Options

Silly Season is well underway on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, with a handful of drivers mulling new opportunities for 2017 and beyond.

Baldwin is "exploring all opportunities."

New to the Silly Season dance, however, is the concept of team owners selling or leasing their competition charters to other organizations. As least two NSCS owners are openly discussing the possibility of unloading their charters in coming weeks, with others looking to acquire the guaranteed starting spots and increased purse and point fund payoffs that come with being a chartered team.

Team owner Tommy Baldwin, Jr. is expected to sell his Sprint Cup Series charter to Leavine Family Racing for the 2017 season. Baldwin met with his employees last week to “give them the options if they needed to go find a job,” and multiple published reports have the Long Island, NY native ready to sign documents on the transfer in the coming days.

The former NSCS crew chief-turned owner confirmed that he is “exploring all my opportunities right now… trying to figure everything out.'' Baldwin told NBC Sports he is not interested in shutting down his team, which made its initial Sprint Cup Series start in 2009, preferring instead to sell his charter – and possibly the assets of his team – to another organization.

"The options are (to) keep going, or sell,'' said Baldwin, who has fielded Chevrolets for driver Regan Smith this season en route to 33^rd place in the championship standings, with one Top-5 and two Top-10 finishes. Their best finish of the season – a third in the Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono in early August – was not enough to attract additional sponsorship to the team, forcing Baldwin to confront the looming possibility of shuttering or selling the team.

Baldwin has reportedly found a willing buyer in Leavine Family Racing, which currently partners with Circle Sport Racing to field Michael McDowell’s No. 95 Thrivent Financial/K-LOVE Chevrolet. Team owner Bob Leavine has leased a charter from Joe Falk Racing this season, on a one-year basis. NASCAR rules allow such an arrangement for only one year, however, and Falk will be forced to either use his charter in 2017, or sell it outright.

Leavine Family Racing Vice President Jeremy Lange confirmed last week that his organization is, in fact, purchasing a charter for 2017, but would not name the seller.

St. Hilaire (L) is also looking.

While Baldwin and Leavine dot the “I”s on their deal, GoFas Racing owner Archie St. Hilaire is considering his options, as well.

St. Hilaire told reporters last week that he would be willing to lease his charter next season, or partner with another chartered team in an effort to help his operation grow. NASCAR rules state that if a chartered organization finishes in the bottom three (of 36 charter holders) in three consecutive seasons, their charters can be revoked and awarded to another organization.

“Anybody in the bottom three is exploring all their options right now,'' admitted St. Hilaire, who has fielded his No. 32 Ford for a revolving-door lineup of drivers this season, including Bobby Labonte, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Joey Gase, Jeb Burton, Eddie MacDonald and Boris Said. The team is currently 38^th in the championship owner’s standings.

St. Hilaire says he hopes to have a 2017 plan in place within the next 30 days.

While it’s always unfortunate when team owners face the end of the line, Baldwin and St. Hilaire are better off than they would have been as little as two years ago. Prior to the advent of NASCAR’s Charter System, they would have been left with little to sell but a few race cars, parts, pieces and transporters. There is usually not a long line of buyers for older, mid- to back-of-the-pack equipment, however, meaning that both organizations would be liquidated for mere pennies on the dollar.

Now, Baldwin and St. Hilaire own two of just 36 Sprint Cup Series charters, complete with guaranteed starting spots in each race, along with purse and point fund payouts large than those awarded to non-chartered, “open” teams. Depending on demand on the open market, those charters will almost certainly be worth multiple millions of dollars.

With Leavine Family Racing openly looking to buy, Furniture Row Racing expending to a second full-time operation with driver Erik Jones and JTG Daugherty Racing also reportedly planning to expand to a second car in 2017, both Baldwin and St. Hilaire stand to cash a much larger exit check than ever before possible in the history of the sport.

At the very least, they will be able to lease their respective charters for a season, allowing them time to regroup, forge new alliances and court additional sponsorship.

That opportunity has never existed before.

Skinner Round-Up Raises $220,000 For Hope For The Warriors

Last week’s Skinner Round-Up presented by Cessna raised over $220,000 in support of Hope For The Warriors, a national nonprofit dedicated to restoring a sense of self, family and hope for service members, veterans and military families. Held at Mountain Falls Luxury Motorcoach Resort and Burlingame Country Club in Lake Toxaway, N.C., the event included everything from a shooting competition and golf tournament to a hoedown bash and daytime festival for service members, the community and a variety of celebrities.

"I've always been proud to have my name associated with the Skinner Round-Up each year, and 2016 was no different," said Mike Skinner, 1995 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion. "Angie [Skinner, wife] works so hard to plan out every detail of the event, and she has a great team of volunteers behind her helping every step of the way. Between their dedicated effort and the support of some great corporate sponsors like Cessna, Toyota, Bad Boy Off Road and E-Z-GO, we were able to exceed our fundraising goal for our friends at Hope For The Warriors. We had a group of service members present again this year, and we were able to have them golfing side-by-side with accomplished athletes, musicians and business leaders. The relationships that are formed through events like this are instrumental in continuing hope."

Ten years after the first Skinner Round-Up event was held in Daytona Beach, Fla., the event moved to a new venue in 2016 as service members, celebrities, corporate executives and the general public all flocked to Lake Toxaway, N.C., in support of Hope For The Warriors. The funds raised will be used to support Hope For The Warriors' core programs, including health and wellness, sports and recreation, transition services, and community engagement and development.

"Mike and Angie Skinner have been advocates, supporters and friends of Hope, and those we serve, for years," said Robin Kelleher, co-founder and president of Hope For The Warriors. "As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, it's humbling to have them name us as beneficiaries of the 2016 Skinner Round-Up. Their support and the support of all those who attended the Skinner Round-Up will help us serve hundreds in need. We look forward to utilizing the funds raised from this event to empower veterans, service members and military families in our communities."

Countless sponsors joined the effort to make the 2016 Skinner Round-Up presented by Cessna possible, including Mountain Falls Luxury Motorcoach Resort and Burlingame Country Club who graciously hosted the event. The NRA and Bad Boy Off Road joined forces to bring a new element to the Round-Up with the Gunslinger's 30 Shot Competition, while Liberty Coach helped involve the community through the Skinner Corral of HOPE, which was free and open to the public. Thursday night's Hoedown Bash was presented by Cessna, while E-Z-GO presented Friday's Skinner Round-Up Golf Classic. Additional partners supporting the Skinner Round-Up included Black Bear Lodge, Bulova, Calvin and Peggy Braxton, Carrabba's, Chimney Rock Cattle Co., E-Z Line, FocusPoint, Forth Right Wealth Management, Andrew T. Franzone, Sam and Edwina Friedman, Germain Racing, Millennium Luxury Coaches, Molto Bella Boutique, mpower, Suntrust, Toyota, Toyota Racing, Walker Marina and Renee Wampler.

The 2016 Skinner Round-Up once again turned into a reunion of sorts among old friends and competitors from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, as drivers Rick Crawford, Ron Hornaday, Jack Sprague and Mike Skinner were together for the event. Other NASCAR-related personalities who joined the group included Steve Park, Pat Patterson, Dave Moody and Bill and Gail Davis. Additionally, former NFL punter Chris Mohr and former Washington Redskins offensive linesman Ken Huff were both in attendance. Nashville-based singer/songwriters Billy Austin, Dillon Dixon and D. Vincent Williams, as well as "Nashville Blues Doctor" Stacy Mitchhart and singer/songwriter Teresa Wade, each performed for attendees throughout the event.

To learn more about Hope For The Warriors, apply for services or find out how you can get involved, visit HopeForTheWarriors.org.

NASCAR's “Captain Clutch” Comes Through Again

Kevin Harvick has acquired a number of nicknames over the course of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career. Known at various points as “Happy Harvick” and “The Closer,” the 2014 series champion has long been known as a driver capable of delivering clutch performances in times of greatest need.

After Sunday’s “Hollywood Casino 400” at Kansas Speedway, perhaps it’s time to bestow the Stewart Haas Racing driver with a new nickname.

“Captain Clutch.”

For the third time since NASCAR introduced its new Chase elimination format three years ago, Harvick pulled his backside out of the fire Sunday with a victory that guarantees him a spot in the upcoming playoff Round of Eight. 

Harvick came to Kansas in a decidedly precarious position; dead last in the 12-man Chase standings after a disastrous, 38^th-place verdict the previous week at Charlotte Motor Speedway. With their backs to the wall and their season in jeopardy, Harvick and his Rodney Childers-led team did what they always seem to do; shrugging off the pressure with a big time performance that renders this weekend’s gut-wrencher at Talladega Superspeedway wholly irrelevant.

Harvick didn’t dominate Sunday’s race, but he never fell far from lead, either. Massaging the handling of his Outback Steakhouse Chevrolet throughout the afternoon, Harvick overcame a pair of shaky pit stops to seize the lead from Carl Edwards on a final, Lap 237 restart, the drove away to a 1.183-second decision that removed him and his team from the Talladega pressure cooker to come.

“When they're in a must-win situation, they seem to find a little more speed," lamented third-place finisher Joey Logano afterward. ""I don't know how, (but) they always seem to have a little extra left in the tank."

“He's tough to beat in these final races," added fellow Chaser Austin Dillon. "There's no doubt about it, he steps up when the pressure is there."

“We prepare this thing for every race,” explained Harvick, following a raucous Victory Lane celebration that included chants of “I believe that we will win” from his crew. “I try every week to find something to motivate myself, and I know these guys do the same thing. It’s hard to keep yourself motivated and continue to perform at a high level. Being able to do it for three years now says a lot about the character of this team and the things that they do.”

Prior to Sunday’s race, Childers admitted that he would prefer to advance in a safer, less dramatic fashion.

“If you keep playing with fire, eventually you get burned,” he said. “We don’t enjoy being in this position, but it is what it is. We just have to perform and persevere.”

In Kansas Sunday, they did just that, punching their ticket to NASCAR’s coveted Round of Eight. 

“These guys are just so good at the details,” said Harvick, who is two-for-two lifetime in Chase elimination races, with wins at Phoenix (2014) and Dover last season. “You put their backs against the wall, and they get better. I’m really proud of them.

“I got two good restarts against (Edwards). He didn’t have a car close to him, and I was able to break the draft before I got to the middle of One and Two. I just needed to go for it, and that’s really the mind-set we go into every race in the Chase (with)… to go for it.

“And we did.”

Locked in – along with Jimmie Johnson -- to the next round of NASCAR’s playoff grid, Harvick can enjoy a pressure-free weekend at Talladega. But questions remain regarding his team’s readiness to win a second Sprint Cup Series championship.

They continue to struggle on pit road, repeatedly forfeiting track position when the pressure is on. It happened again in Kansas – twice – and while the Bakersfield, California, native took the high road in Victory Lane, there is no denying that SHR’s No. 4 Chevrolet team has a major chink in its championship armor. Harvick overcame his team’s pit road shortcomings with a vintage display of balls-out driving, but as the Chase field is narrowed in coming weeks, the margin for error will diminish, as well.

Harvick, however, seems unfazed, convinced that his team’s Al Davis-esque, “Just win, baby” philosophy will continue to carry the day.

"We've won two races in the Chase, and I feel like we won both of them on restarts,” he said. “That's something we've worked on for probably a year now. When we get behind on something, we dive right in and try to make it better."

He also pointed to Childers, a low-key leader who provides the perfect balance to his more mercurial driver.

"We could say `We need to go jump off a cliff in the morning’ and everybody would be there at sunrise saying, 'All right, where do we jump?'" said Harvick Sunday. "That's the kind of group this is. Everybody has got each other's back and nobody takes offense if somebody tells them they need to do something better.

"It's a unique bunch of people, and you're only as good as the people around you. That's true in every business, and it's no different in this garage.

"I had no idea where we were in the points, or how many we were behind," he added. "The only thing we talked about was trying to figure out how to win this race. And if we didn't win this race, what we needed to do at Talladega.

"For us, it's always about reaching for something to motivate us," he continued. "If it's having to win a race, going to a racetrack we haven't won at, or rebounding from a bad week, we've been fortunate to be on the good side of this deal for three years now. We know we can perform, and we know we can perform in good and bad situations."

Just another day in the life of NASCAR’s “Captain Clutch.”

Newman Returning To Richard Childress Racing

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series veteran Ryan Newman has agreed to a multi-year agreement to remain with Richard Childress Racing as the driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet. The renewal marks Newman's fourth year with RCR and his 16th full season in NASCAR's premier series.

New colors for Newman in 2017

"Ryan's consistency on the track has been a benefit to our organization and this extension solidifies the future of our racing program," said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of RCR. "Ryan proved the first year he was here that we could contend for championships and with this continuation, I believe we can fulfill our commitment to winning races and a championship. Ryan has worked hard to represent many of our partners, especially the primary sponsors Caterpillar, Grainger and WIX Filters, helping them to get the most out of their respective racing programs."

Newman's tenure at RCR with crew chief Luke Lambert boasts two-straight Chase appearances including the 2014 effort that culminated in a single point separating the 38-year-old driver from the coveted Cup title and a career-best finish in the Cup point standings. Entering this weekend's Cup race at Kansas Speedway, Newman and his No. 31 team have accumulated 11 top-five, 39 top-10 and 65 top-15 finishes in 102 starts.

"I am pleased to continue driving for Richard Childress Racing," said Newman. "Our goal to win a championship all but turned into a reality during our first year together. I feel like since then, we have some unfinished business to complete. I'm fortunate to have forged a great relationship with my crew chief Luke Lambert, and I very much want to not only help him reach our goal of winning a Cup championship but also getting him his first Cup victory."

Before joining RCR, the South Bend, Indiana native's Cup career spans 17 years and over 540 races totaling 17 victories including the 50th Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in 2008 and the 2013 Brickyard 400.

Talladega Offers New TallaTaxi Fan Service

Race fans sometimes find themselves in a need of speedy transportation to various locations during a race weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. With that in mind, NASCAR’s Most Competitive track has introduced an all-new TallaTaxi service.

The TallaTaxi golf cart service, from Patron Transportation, will make its Talladega debut during the Alabama 500 and fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola weekend, beginning Tuesday, Oct. 18 and running through Sunday, Oct. 23. For only $5 a seat, TallaTaxi will provide 24-hour transportation to take fans wherever they need to go on speedway property, excluding only the West C campground.

To catch a ride on a TallaTaxi during race weekend, fans can call or text a pick-up request to 205-863-6137, or flag down the unmistakable black and yellow checkered carts while they make their rounds around Talladega’s nearly 3,000 acres.

TallaTaxi offers safe rides to keep guests moving and rested while they enjoy a NASCAR Chase double-elimination weekend for both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

“Creating a one-of-a-kind fan experience has always been an important part of the events at Talladega, and TallaTaxi will provide a premium service to our thousands of fans who normally walk to their desired destinations,” said Talladega Superspeedway Chairman Grant Lynch. “Bringing the largest and most efficient taxi service to the largest and most competitive track made perfect sense.”

The speedway will continue to provide free tram and ADA shuttle services throughout the weekend as well, at select locations.

Tumultuous Charlotte Signals A Return To Chase Drama

Harvick was out early Sunday...

The Opening Round of the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup was a relatively mundane affair, with drivers utilizing conservative strategies to advance safely – and unremarkably -- to the Round of 12.

Sunday’s Bank Of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway was anything but unremarkable, however, with no less than five title contenders suffering major setbacks and finishing in the bottom quarter of the 40-car field.

Defending winner Joey Logano cut a pair of tires Sunday and spent multiple laps in the garage making repairs. Just two weeks removed from a dominant win in New Hampshire, former series champion Kevin Harvick was also a non-factor Sunday, as engine woes ended his day with a 38^th-place finish. Now 11th and 12th in the championship standings, Logano and Harvick find themselves teetering on the brink of elimination, just two weeks before the Chase field is trimmed to eight drivers at Talladega.

“I hate it for everybody on our team,” said a disconsolate Harvick Sunday night. “They made some great adjustments today and got our car where we needed to be to run up front. Everything was going fine, (but) lots of things can go wrong. And today, they did.

...as was Logano.

Logano and Harvick weren’t the only ones to find themselves in trouble Sunday.

On Lap 259, Chasers Austin Dillon and Chase Elliott were sidelined in a grinding restart crash triggered when Dillon – who had taken just two tires on a pit stop moments before -- was slow to accelerate, He was clipped by the trailing car of Martin Truex, Jr. and hammered the inside wall, while Elliott got turned into the outside SAFER barrier. They finished 32^nd and 33^rd, respectively, and also find themselves behind the eight-ball heading to Kansas.

“This has been a troublesome day for a lot of guys,” said Elliott afterward.  “Hopefully, we can have another car like we had today and not make any mistakes next week.”

Denny Hamlin also stumbled Sunday, retiring just 26 laps from the finish when his engine expired while running second. While disappointed with a 30^th-place result, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver insisted that he is “not out of it by any means. We just have a little hole we have to dig out of.

“Each race, you’re going to have a handful (of drivers) that are going to have issues,” he said. “I don’t think Kansas will be any different, and Talladega we know will be crazy.”

Hamlin ran well...

With the exception of winner Jimmie Johnson, every Chase contender dealt with some degree of drama Sunday.

Runner-up Matt Kenseth started at the rear of the field after his team made unapproved, post-qualifying adjustments, then overcame a midrace penalty for a crewmember that went over the wall too soon.

Kyle Busch lost a lap after pitting under green with a tire problem, was penalized for a crewman over the wall too soon and an uncontrolled tire, and suffered damage in the Dillon/Elliott melee. He finished sixth.

Brad Keselowski also paid the price for an early-over-the-wall crew, but fought back to seventh at the finish.

Kurt Busch suffered damage same crash as his brother, but recovered to finish eighth.

Truex suffered a clutch failure on his final pit stop while running in the Top-5, stalled the car and eventually finished 13^th.

It was as if suddenly, nobody wanted to win the 2016 championship. And in the aftermath of a tumultuous Charlotte race, the stage is set for even more drama in the weeks to come.

...before Johnson prevailed.

With Talladega looming ominously on the horizon, this weekend’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway feels an awful lot like an elimination race. For Harvick, Logano, Dillon, Elliott and Hamlin, another poor result in the Jayhawk State will almost certainly push their championship dreams to the brink. There is no room for error, no margin for any further mistakes.

“We’re not out of it by any means,” insisted Logano Sunday. “Things happen. It’s part of racing, but we’re not out. We’re not going to die. This team is resilient. We’ve proved it before and we’ll just have to go out and prove it again. We just have to have two flawless races. It’s something we can make up.”

"We would all love to tell you that we aren't thinking about Talladega,” said Cole Pearn, crew chief for Martin Truex, Jr. “But we definitely know it's out there. You’re never totally in control of what might happen… and at Talladega, you have way less control than anywhere else."

"It's weird how each round of this thing kind of takes on its own personality," said a grim-faced Hamlin  Sunday night. "So many of us moved on into this round because we were consistent. Now, there are so many of us who left early today. Winning becomes even more important than it already was. Some guys will be hanging it out at Kansas."

"We'll see guys making mistakes behind the wheel because they are pressing so hard,” predicted 12^th-place Charlotte finisher Carl Edwards. “We'll see pit crews making mistakes… and we'll see equipment breaking down because teams are pushing the limits. I can't imagine what the last lap at Kansas is going to be like. I can't imagine what the last lap of Talladega is going to be like. Every lap matters more than the last one did. It's hard to describe.

“Stress, pressure, fun... I don't know what the right word is."

For drivers, crew chiefs and team members, the next two weeks will be a walking advertisement for Pepto-Bismol.

Fans, however, could hardly ask for more.

Photos: Getty Images/NASCAR