This Weekend in NASCAR – Charlotte Storylines May 20, 2016 NASCAR Charlotte Motor Speedway is the host for two of NASCAR’s three national series this weekend with races for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Friday evening along with the Sprint Showdown (qualifier for the All-Star Race), and on Saturday night it’s the annual All-Star Race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The NASCAR XFINITY Series is off this weekend, back in action next Saturday at Charlotte. This weekend’s storylines follow… Changes To NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race Format The 32st NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race will take place on Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway (9 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). This season, the event will last 113 laps total. Drivers will run two 50-lap segments with mandatory green-flag pit stops. After the segments, the event will culminate in a 13-lap dash to the $1 million prize. Prior to the start of the 13-lap dash, a random draw will decide whether the top nine, 10 or 11 cars will enter pit road for a mandatory four-tire pit stop. The rest will stay out on older tires and lead the field to green for the final segment. Cars with four new tires will line up behind those with older tires. Below are the full details on the format: Segment 1 (50 laps): Field set determined by qualifying, mandatory green-flag pit stop for a minimum of two tires; Break 1 (3-5 minutes): Mandatory pit stop with a minimum two-tire change before Segment 2; Segment 2 (50 laps): Field determined by pit-road exit, one mandatory green-flag pit stop for a minimum of two tires before lap 85; Break 2 (3-5 minutes): Random draw to decide whether the top nine, 10 or 11 cars must enter pit road for a mandatory four-tire pit stop, pit road closed for all other cars, pit-road exit determines Segment 3 starting order, cars leaving pit road line up behind cars that did not pit; Segment 3 (13 laps): Only green-flag laps count (NASCAR Overtime procedures apply). Drivers who have won a race in the current or preceding year, past NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winners, past NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions, Sprint Showdown Segment 1, 2 and last-chance qualifier winners and the Sprint Fan Vote winner are eligible to compete. The field will consist of the following drivers: Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Sprint Showdown Segment 1 winner, Sprint Showdown Segment 2 winner, Sprint Showdown Segment 3 winner, Sprint Fan Vote Winner, Sprint Fan Vote Winner #2. Kenseth Wheels To Thrilling Victory At Dover Matt Kenseth held off charging young upstarts Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott to visit Victory Lane in last Sunday’s AAA 400 Drive for Autism for his first win of 2016 and his third at Dover International Speedway. Kenseth’s checkered flag was the 135th overall for Joe Gibbs Racing, which is now tied with Roush Fenway Racing for third on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ all-time wins list. With the win, Kenseth virtually clinched a berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, joining his three JGR teammates as the latest of seven drivers to earn a spot in NASCAR’s playoffs. The No. 20 Toyota driver now has 37 career wins – tied with teammate Kyle Busch and NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Isaac for 19th in the record books. Expect Kenseth to keep producing strong results after finishing fourth at Kansas and first at Dover. Despite sitting 12th in points, He ranks fourth in this season in average running position (9.1) and driver rating (102.8), as well as fifth in laps led (398). Sprint Showdown Set To Advance 3 Drivers To All-Star Race This year, Friday’s Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET on FS1) will advance three drivers to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. The winner of each segment will earn a spot in Saturday’s night’s contest. Below is the detailed format for the Sprint Showdown: Segment 1 (20 laps): Field set by practice speed, winner advances to NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and does not continue in Showdown; Segment 2 (20 laps): Field set by pit-road order after mandatory minimum two-tire pit stop, winner advances to NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and does not continue in Showdown; Segment 3 (10 laps): Field set by pit-road order after mandatory minimum two-tire pit stop, winner advances to NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (NASCAR Overtime rules apply). Last year’s Sprint Showdown winners Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer will both compete in the event again. Bowyer is the only driver in the Sprint Showdown field with multiple victories in the qualifying race (2014, 2015) and will go for his third in a row this year. No driver has ever won the Sprint Showdown and advanced to win the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Michael Waltrip (1996) and Ryan Newman (2002) used transfer spots in the Showdown to win the All-Star Race. Rookies Ready To Rocket Past Stars Only two Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidates have ever won the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000) and Ryan Newman (2002). This year, NASCAR Next alumni Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney will try to make that number three. Elliott failed to qualify for the All-Star race last season after finishing fifth in the Sprint Showdown. Blaney will make his Showdown debut this year. Elliott enters the weekend Charlotte festivities coming off a career-best third-place finish at Dover. He leads Blaney by 22 points in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings on the strength of four top fives and eight top 10s. Elliott also sits ninth on the Chase Grid – 63 points ahead of Ryan Newman on the cutoff line. The No. 24 Chevrolet driver’s eight top-10 finishes in the first 12 races in his Sunoco Rookie season are the most since Jimmie Johnson accomplished the feat in 2002. His four top-five showings through 12 races in his Sunoco Rookie season are the most since Kasey Kahne posted the same total in 2004. Blaney placed eighth at Dover for his third consecutive top-10 finish. On the season, he claims one top five and five top 10s. He occupies the 15th spot on the Chase Grid where he sits 10 points above Ryan Newman on the cutoff line. $2-Million Man? Hamlin Readies To Repeat In All-Star Race Denny Hamlin will attempt to win the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the $1 million bonus that comes with it for the second straight season on Saturday. Last year, the No. 11 Toyota driver pitted sixth, but a fast pit stop moved him to the point, prior to the 10-lap (now 13) dash to the finish. He proceeded to hold off Kevin Harvick for the victory. Hamlin’s all-star win was the first for Joe Gibbs Racing. If he visits Victory Lane on Saturday night, Hamlin would join Davey Allison (1991-92) and Jimmie Johnson (2012-13) as the only drivers to win consecutive All-Star races. JGR’s Dominance Began Last May Since Denny Hamlin won the 2015 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Joe Gibbs Racing has been the most dominant team in NASCAR, capturing the checkered flag in 19 of the 36 points races (52.7%). Kyle Busch leads the four-driver contingent with eight wins, followed by Matt Kenseth’s five. Carl Edwards has four victories, while Hamlin owns two. Additionally, JGR has won all of the marquee events on the NASCAR schedule since then: Coca-Cola 600 (Edwards), Brickyard 400 (Busch), Bojangles Southern 500 (Edwards), Ford EcoBoost 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship race (Busch) and Daytona 500 (Hamlin). Johnson Boasts Four All-Star Victories Jimmie Johnson’s four wins in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race are the most in the sport’s history. He is followed on the all-time list by Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon, who have three all-star wins each. The only other drivers with multiple all-star race wins are Davey Allison, Terry Labonte and Mark Martin. In 14 career NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race starts, Johnson also claims eight top fives and nine top 10s. His 6.5 average finish and 100.1 driver rating rank second among active drivers. His 7.3 average running position in All-Star races is the best among active drivers. The six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion has dominated Charlotte Motor Speedway throughout his career. His seven wins in points-paying races at CMS are a track record. Larson Shows Off Speed At Dover Kyle Larson produced a season-high second-place finish at Dover on Sunday, tying his career-best result he’s achieved four times (most recently at Kansas on Oct. 5, 2014). The No. 42 Chevrolet driver contended for his first career win, leading 85 laps, but in the end could not clear Matt Kenseth, who beat him to the start/finish line by a mere 0.187 seconds. Larson currently ranks 21st on the Chase Grid, 40 points behind AJ Allmendinger on the cutoff line. On the season, he has two top fives and three top 10s. Stewart Set For Final All-Star Race Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart will compete in his final NASCAR Sprint All-Star race on Saturday. He won the event in 2009. Among those eligible for the 2016 contest, Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jamie McMurray are the only drivers who have won both a Sprint Showdown Qualifier and a NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. His eight all-star top 10s are tied with Jimmie Johnson’s total for second-best all-time (Dale Earnhardt boasts nine top 10s). Competing in his 17th full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, Stewart claims 48 career wins, 182 top fives and 301 top 10s. Kyle Busch Craves First All-Star Win Kyle Busch checked a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship and Brickyard 400 off his bucket list in the last calendar year. He’s even won races at three more tracks and has only two more (Charlotte and Pocono) to add to his victory list to own a checkered flag at every active NASCAR Sprint Cup facility. His next task is to try to win his first NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Despite having the highest driver rating in all-s tar races among active competitors (104.3) and the second-best average running position (7.8), Busch has failed to win one in 10 career starts. Three drivers other than Busch who are qualified for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race have also never won it – Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Etc. Assorted NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race Facts – Jeff Gordon is the youngest winner of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at 23 years, 9 months and 18 days (1995). … Mark Martin is the oldest NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winner at 46 years, 4 months and 12 days (2005). … NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip won the inaugural NASCAR Sprint All-Star race in 1985. … The deepest in the field a NASCAR Sprint All-Star race winner has started was 27th (Ryan Newman, 2002). … Five drivers have won the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in the same year: Darrell Waltrip (1985), Dale Earnhardt (1987, 1990, 1993), Rusty Wallace (1989), Jeff Gordon (1995, 1997, 2001) and Jimmie Johnson (2006, 2013). … Singer Grammar, Panther Pro Bowler Olsen Headline All-Star Entertainment – Triple-platinum recording artist Andy Grammer will perform a concert in advance of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. No stranger to the sport, Grammer sang his hit single “Good To Be Alive (Hallelujah)” at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards in Las Vegas in December. … Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen will serve as the honorary pace car driver for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. For the past two years, Olsen has participated in fundraising efforts with 13-time Most Popular Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. to support The Dale Jr. Foundation and The Greg Olsen Foundation’s Heartest Yard campaign. “Since arriving in Charlotte I have developed a great admiration for NASCAR and their athletes,” Olsen said. “Their concept of teamwork and commitment to excellence is second to none and I have a great deal of respect for the drivers and their teams. I am honored to be included in such an event and am looking forward to driving the pace car to kick off the 2016 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.” Off this weekend, back on track May 28 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Crafton Conquers Monster Mile He did it again. After leading the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with six victories in 2015, Matt Crafton visited Victory Lane for the first time this season when he captured his 12th career checkered flag at Dover International Speedway. The triumph was also the first of his career at the Monster Mile. As a result of his second consecutive top-two finish, the No. 88 Toyota Tundra driver vaulted to the top spot in the standings where he leads second-place Timothy Peters by two points. In five starts, he owns one win, two top fives and four top 10s. Crafton will attempt to build his points advantage in Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1). He won his first career race there in 2008. In 13 career Queen City starts, Crafton claims five top fives, 10 top 10s and an 8.2 average finish. He placed third, second and fourth in his last three starts at Charlotte. An intermediate track maven, consider Crafton the favorite to win Friday’s race. Dating back to 2014, Crafton has finished in the top 10 in 17 of his last 19 races at ovals measuring 1.5 or 1.54 miles. Included in that stretch are six wins and four runner-ups. Crafton ranks first in the in the majority of Loop Data statistics: average running position (6.0; second is Christopher Bell, 8.942), driver rating (111.9; second is William Byron, 98.0), fastest laps run (93; second is Byron, 69), laps led (217; second is Kyle Busch, 123). The ThorSport Racing driver’s Dover victory virtually assures him a spot in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase along with previous winners Johnny Sauter, John Hunter Nemechek and Byron. Suárez Still Zoning In On First Win Daniel Suárez continues to zero in on his first NASCAR national Series win, but still hasn’t been able to close the door. In last Friday’s JACOB Companies 200 at Dover International Speedway, the Kyle Busch Motorsports driver produced the sixth NASCAR national series runner-up showing of his career after he finished .571 seconds behind Matt Crafton. Suárez takes the wheel of the No. 51 KBM Toyota Tundra again in Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In 18 career starts, he has eight top fives and 11 tops 10s. Bell Barrels To Season-Best Finish Christopher Bell finished a season-high third in his first career start at Dover International Speedway on Friday. He now ranks ninth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings, 25 markers behind leader Matt Crafton. The No. 4 Toyota driver, who placed fourth in the previous race at Kansas, will attempt to earn his third straight top-five finish in his track debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday. Bell’s KBM teammate William Byron placed 11th after starting on the pole. He led a race-high 80 laps. Byron sits sixth in the standings, 13 points behind Crafton. His 69 fastest laps run this season rank second to Crafton’s 93. A Charlotte native, Byron will also make his track debut at CMS. GMS Racing Continues Strong Season Start At Dover After winning its first race last season, GMS Racing continues to trend upward in 2016. In last Friday’s JACOB Companies 200, the team placed three drivers in the top 10: Johnny Sauter (fourth), Spencer Gallagher (sixth), Kaz Grala (10th). Ben Kennedy finished close behind in 13th. Gallagher leads the GMS racers in the points standings where he occupies the fifth spot, 12 markers behind leader Matt Crafton. His four top 10s this season tie Crafton and Daniel Hemric for the series lead. Ben Kennedy sits 12th in the standings (30 points behind Crafton), while Sauter ranks 13th (-35). Sauter virtually clinched a berth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase with his win in the season opener at Daytona. Truex Time Ryan Truex continued his strong season with an eighth-place finish at his home track – Dover International Speedway. The Mayetta, New Jersey native and younger brother of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Martin Truex Jr. ranks fourth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings, six points behind first-place Matt Crafton. The Hattori Racing Enterprises driver has produced a positive place differential in four of the five races this season: +13 at Daytona, started 20th and finished second; +6 at Martinsville, started 18th and finished 12th; +15 at Kansas, started 21st and finished sixth; +10 at Dover, started 18th and finished eighth. His overall place differential through five races is +32. Custer On The Rise Cole Custer – the youngest race winner in NASCAR national series history – started the season with a top result of only 17th in the first three races, but has picked up the pace with two consecutive top-10 finishes (seventh at Kansas and fifth at Dover). Custer will try to climb from the 16th spot in the standings (41 points behind Matt Crafton) in Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200. Kasey Kahne won last year’s race driving Custer’s No. 00 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Kahne edged out eventual NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Erik Jones by a track-record 0.005 seconds. The finish is tied for the third-closest in series history with Aug. 14, 2008 at Michigan when Erik Darnell defeated second-place Johnny Benson by the same margin. Reddick Back In Business The trip to Dover treated Tyler Reddick well. The No. 29 Brad Keselowski Racing driver did not defend his victory from 2016, but he did log his first top-10 finish of the year – a seventh-place showing. Reddick’s 39 laps led was the third-highest total in the race. Following the Dover contest, Reddick jumped from 15th to 10th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings – 29 points behind series leader Matt Crafton. Reddick, who was last year’s championship runner-up, ranks second among series regulars with 107 laps led – only 10 less than his total from all of 2015. source – NASCAR communications
