Category: Cup Series

Byron survives late chaos to win at The Lady in Black

William Byron took full advantage of a late on-track incident between Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson to triumph in Sunday’s Goodyear 400 Darlington Raceway and become the first three-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series this season. For Byron, the …

William Byron took full advantage of a late on-track incident between Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson to triumph in Sunday’s Goodyear 400 Darlington Raceway and become the first three-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series this season.

For Byron, the victory was sweet redemption for last season’s spring race at the Lady in Black, where Joey Logano’s bump-and-run denied Byron his first victory at the fabled speedway.

“Yeah, it’s pretty amazing,” said Byron, who earned the 100th victory for the No. 24 team. “My granddad passed away on Thursday, and just, man, I wish my family could be here. Just things have a way of working out, honestly. It just worked out that way today. We didn’t have the best third stage. We just kept battling, and things just kind of come back around.

“Definitely didn’t expect this. But just thankful for a great team, and, yeah, just things have a way of working out, and to come back here to Darlington and have it go exactly the other way.”

It was a lap 288 crash between Chastain and Larson—while battling for the lead—that gave Byron the opportunity to collect his seventh career victory.

Taking the inside lane, with Larson beside him, Chastain led the field to a restart after an eight-car wreck necessitated the seventh caution on lap 281. Chastain drove hard into Turn 1, plowed up the track and wrecked both his No. 1 Chevrolet and Larson’s No. 5.

“How does that make any sense, running us into the fence?” Cliff Daniels, Larson’s crew chief fumed on the team radio. “That’s three races he’s taken us out of—the No. 1 car—three races he’s taken us out of.”

Chastain took responsibility for the mistake that took him out of the race and relegated Larson to a 20th-place result.

“Full commit into Turn 1,” said Chastain, who finished 29th. “I got really tight and drove up and turned myself. I wanted to squeeze him. I wanted to push him up. We’d been racing back and forth all day. But I definitely didn’t want to turn myself.”

The incident forced overtime, handed the lead to the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Byron outran Kevin Harvick in the final two-lap dash.

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In a race that included massive wrecks on laps 194 and 281, Chase Elliott ran third, followed by Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace, Harrison Burton, Kyle Busch, Justin Haley, Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher.

In sharp contrast to the aggressive battling between Chastain and Larson, Harvick, whose No. 4 Ford had sustained front-end damage during the lap 281 wreck, gave Byron plenty of room after the overtime restart on lap 294.

“We had a good car all day,” Harvick said. “We just never could get up towards the front in our Sunny Delight Ford Mustang. Struggled in traffic today, but we were really good at the second half of the run and just struggled at the beginning of the run.

“But we had good track position, then had a bad pit stop under green, and then wound up having everything work out there at the end. Didn’t have anything for William. The front is torn up pretty good. But they did a great job and just kind of kept ourselves in the game, and you never know what’s going to happen.”

Pole winner Martin Truex Jr. had the dominant car for the first half of the race. The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota handily won the first stage and led a total of 145 laps, but the handling on Truex’s Camry tightened up during the second stage, allowing Chastain to pass for the lead on lap 151.

Truex recovered to challenge Chastain for the Stage 2 victory, but on the final lap of the stage, Chastain braked hard behind a lapped car, bounced off the outside wall and sent Truex spinning toward the apron.

Chastain picked up his fifth stage win of the season, but Truex dropped to 10th, and his car never recovered after the incident. And though Truex gained four spots on pit road after the sixth caution and restarted third on lap 281, he was part of the massive eight-car wreck that decimated the field in the first two corners.

“When we got into Chastain there at the end of the second stage going for the win in that, it knocked the toe out, so we were tight from there on out,” said Truex, who finished 31st. “Just an unfortunate deal. There was plenty of room there, but he just came off the wall and hit me.

“Like I said, knocked the toe out in the right front. Pretty crappy from there, and then on that restart (lap 281), I guess I just got real tight and I don’t even know who I squeezed into the wall, but I apologize to them. Probably my fault, just got real tight and couldn’t stay down the track.”

RESULTS

Sneak peak: Fox – NASCAR’s greatest Darlington finish

Do you remember what happened at Darlington Raceway a little over 20 years ago? Hint: Ricky Craven vs. Kurt Busch. Still need more? It was a photo finish between the two in the spring race at one of NASCAR’s toughest and most respected racetracks. …

Do you remember what happened at Darlington Raceway a little over 20 years ago?

Hint: Ricky Craven vs. Kurt Busch.

Still need more? It was a photo finish between the two in the spring race at one of NASCAR’s toughest and most respected racetracks.

Fox Sports will air a short feature on the duel between Craven and Busch before Sunday’s Goodyear 400. With this season being the 75th anniversary of NASCAR, there is no better time to celebrate some of the sport’s great moments, and Fox Sports has been airing features and re-enactments throughout.

Craven and Busch became an instant classic on March 16, 2003 — one that has withstood the test of time when it comes to NASCAR highlights and the conversation around classic races and great finishes.

Both drivers sat for the feature, which Fox Sports shared with RACER early. Both explained the frantic finish as the race played out on screen in front of them.

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The view switches back and forth between Craven and Busch.

“(Turns) 1 and 2, I’m fine,” recalls Busch of the final lap.

“I came off the accelerator here because it’s not going to happen,” says Craven as the race footage rolls. “But (Turns) 3 and 4 is where the magic was.”

“This is where I froze,” says Busch.

The two made contact coming off the final corner, their cars seemingly locked together coming to the finish line. The margin of victory with Craven nipping ahead of Busch was 0.002s — the closest in NASCAR history. Just once has that margin been matched: Talladega Superspeedway in April 2011 during the tandem draft era.

Others included in the feature: Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds, two of the broadcasters from that day. The excitement from the two in the booth made the call unforgettable.

Busch gets emotional at one point in the feature as he talks about coming up short in the battle against Craven. Of the triumphs that Busch had in his Cup Series career, winning at Darlington Raceway never happened for him.

Darlington was the second and final win of Craven’s Cup Series career, and, “It was the only time my children were in victory lane with me,” he explained.

The full feature will air during NASCAR RaceDay at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday.

Newman returns to Cup Series, but will only stay if it’s ‘fun’

Ryan Newman enjoyed his welcome back to the NASCAR Cup Series on Saturday at Darlington Raceway in the first of what’s expected to be a handful of races for Rick Ware Racing. The former Daytona 500 winner hasn’t run a race since the finale in 2021 …

Ryan Newman enjoyed his welcome back to the NASCAR Cup Series on Saturday at Darlington Raceway in the first of what’s expected to be a handful of races for Rick Ware Racing.

The former Daytona 500 winner hasn’t run a race since the finale in 2021 but fell right back into a rhythm, qualifying 26th in the No. 51 Ford. He found the adjustment to driving the Next Gen car easier than expected.

“It’s fun to be back and at my favorite racetrack,” Newman said. “I will say that the practice and qualifying session was less dynamic than I thought it was going to be. The changes from the old car, the shifting, and all that stuff — I felt like I adapted to all that stuff rather quickly.

“But the track is still my favorite, so that made it a lot easier. It’s easier to dance with a girl that knows how to dance.”

It was perfect timing for Newman to make his return as far as balancing time with his daughters and there being an open seat. He’s never stopped wanting to be a Cup Series driver, but it was about finding the right opportunity.

“I literally started this conversation prior to Martinsville and it was by accident when I texted Tommy Baldwin asking him about an opportunity to race a modified,” said Newman. “He asked me if I wanted to go to Martinsville, and I said, ‘In a modified?’ And he goes, ‘No, in a Cup car.’

“It all worked out for us to put all this together and do this, so thanks to Jacob Companies and Biohaven and Rick Ware Racing to give us the opportunity to…I say play, but ultimately I feel like we’ve got a pretty competitive car that we just have to execute and see if we can move up from where we start.”

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Another variable that plays into it being the right opportunity is the race car. Newman knows he’s not driving a winning car with Rick Ware, but Next Gen has equalized the competition, and he believes he can be competitive.

“When you tell the guys that they have to put this nut, this washer, this bolt, this whatever, and have all these tolerances, then you’re taking a lot of the team characterization out of performance,” Newman said. “When I left, Gibbs was stout. Hendrick was stout. And there were obvious advantages per chassis that grandfathered in, who had the best nose and things like that. So, I think it’s a good opportunity for me to sample where the series is right now.”

Newman hasn’t been out of the loop while away, staying tuned into what’s been going on, especially the development of the new car. Next Gen is in its second year of action, and for a while Newman was hesitant about where things stood with safety. He felt proven right with the injuries seen last season, but said he’s racing at Darlington because he feels comfortable.

“It’s fun to be back, and it’s fun to have the opportunity,” he said. “I look forward to tomorrow.”

Rick Ware Racing announced Newman for select races this season, but it’s unclear where he’s going to appear after Darlington. Newman was also tightlipped about what was next.

“I told them, ‘The only way I’m going to do this and continue to do this is if it’s fun,’” he said. “Today was fun, so we’ll see.”

NASCAR drivers torn on ground rules for fighting

Noah Gragson might have proven a point in not being afraid to confront Ross Chastain last weekend in Kansas, and had it not been for NASCAR security, may have accomplished more. The rookie was heated from feeling he had been run into the outside …

Noah Gragson might have proven a point in not being afraid to confront Ross Chastain last weekend in Kansas, and had it not been for NASCAR security, may have accomplished more.

The rookie was heated from feeling he had been run into the outside wall by Chastain during the race and confronted him on pit road afterward. Gragson was only able to grab Chastain’s firesuit before the Trackhouse Racing driver threw a punch and NASCAR security stepped in, leaving him no chance to even the score.

“I feel like security stepped in about 10 seconds too quick,” Kyle Busch said Saturday at Darlington Raceway. “You let one guy get a (heck) of a hit, and then you block the other guy from getting a hit back. You’ve got to at least let the guy try and then maybe get in.

“I would seriously urge NASCAR to go with some hockey rules. Once you get to the ground, we’re going to break it up. Or when one of you guys looks gassed, we’re going to break it up. Let them get a good 30 seconds. It’s going to be way better for TV and ratings are going to go off the charts.”

Busch did joke that perhaps Gragson wasn’t the right guy to confront Chastain but appreciated that he showed his frustration. As Gragson mentioned — others are frustrated with Chastain, too, but don’t do anything about it but talk into a microphone.

With the altercation still a hot topic, the idea of hockey rules in NASCAR was brought up to numerous Cup Series drivers Saturday, as well as the role of NASCAR security.

“I don’t have an answer for you on that,” Joey Logano said when asked if NASCAR security should get involved. “I’m not a huge fan of tearing up race cars because that’s dangerous, but it’s also probably not safe to have fights on pit road either if they’re not equally matched. A big guy versus a little guy, you might want to go run into a wall. I don’t know. I don’t have the answer.

“You look at the NHL and sometimes they let them fight and sometimes they don’t. I don’t know. Usually, it never escalates into too much. Typically, it’s just a shoving match or people yelling at each other, but I don’t know. I don’t have an answer.”

No crew members from Trackhouse or Legacy Motor Club were involved in the Kansas incident, but two NASCAR security members were already near Chastain’s car when Gragson came over.

NASCAR senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio earlier this week that officials understand the emotion of the sport. They would have preferred things not to escalate to the level they did, though.

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“We tell our officials – these are the people that are officiating the race – to not get involved in that,” Sawyer said of NASCAR protocol. “I think if you look at that particular situation, the officials, the other crew members — both from the No. 42 and the No. 1 — I thought they handled it extremely well. They didn’t get involved, they allowed the drivers to show their displeasure, which is what we would prefer to see.

“Our security people did get involved, and they will get involved. They’ll let them have their space to be able to talk, but once it rises to a level like it did on Sunday, they’re going to get involved and break it up. They all handled it really well.”

Brad Keselowski deferred to whatever NASCAR officials want to when it comes to confrontation. The former Cup Series champion said it’s whatever NASCAR feels is right.

“Bad things can happen in those scenarios,” Keselowski said. “Good things can happen, I guess, sometimes. The sport is always the winner; the individuals are always the losers, so fights are great when they’re not you.”

Kyle Larson acknowledged NASCAR security is there to defuse the situation but probably didn’t know Chastain was going to throw a punch. It was hard for the Hendrick driver to offer much because he doesn’t see any scenario where he’s going to be in that situation. Larson didn’t engage with an angry Bubba Wallace after Wallace took him out late last season in Las Vegas and then confronted him on the frontstretch.

Wallace, on the other hand, said drivers should be able to show their displeasure. He didn’t feel Gragson got to do that and subsequently lost the fight.

“Treat it like hockey, I guess,” said Wallace. “Let them go until they fall.”

NASCAR did not fine or penalize either driver after Kansas.

“I’ve been on both sides of this and probably done it right or wrong,” Kevin Harvick said. “It’s hard to know what is right. It’s like when we had the Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace incident – that’s not really a fair fight. Or you don’t know if Kyle is hurt in that particular incident with all the concussions and things that are happening. So, as I get older, I think they need to not let it happen. If they want to fight, they can go fight somewhere else.

“I find myself torn on it. I think in today’s day and age, it almost seems a little cheap.”

Someone who doesn’t want to see drivers be left to settle things like hockey players is Chastain.

“I don’t have any preconceived ideas of what that would be,” he said on where the line is to start fighting. “It’s more just in the moment, living and reacting, but knowing this is big-time auto racing…not hockey. I stand by last week (and) what happened. I’m not saying that every time, in a little bit different situation, I’m going to react like that. I want to talk to guys and have conversations, but last week was too far.”

‘I’m comfortable making these guys uncomfortable’ – Chastain

Ross Chastain has worked long and hard to be a successful race car driver. Now, at the top of his game with Trackhouse Racing, he’s leading the NASCAR Cup Series points going into Darlington Raceway (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, FS1). With success – be it …

Ross Chastain has worked long and hard to be a successful race car driver. Now, at the top of his game with Trackhouse Racing, he’s leading the NASCAR Cup Series points going into Darlington Raceway (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, FS1).

With success — be it winning races or leading in points  — comes more attention both on and off the racetrack. Sometimes that attention isn’t the good kind…

“On the track, I’m comfortable making these guys uncomfortable, and that’s not always going to come across well, but I’m OK,” Chastain said Saturday. “Get out of the car, and I’m learning to become comfortable in this role. I’m not the guy that grew up wanting to be on camera. I wanted to be like my dad – I wanted to farm watermelons, I wanted to be like all the other guys in our town that we knew that I grew up around.

“I wanted to drive my three-quarter-ton diesel truck to the farm and work and grow a crop and go home. Out there in the field, you can go all day and never see anybody if you want to. Everybody thinks about Florida and the beaches, but you come inland where we’re at, and there’s nobody out there. It’s something I’m growing into off the track. Sometimes I’ll get on camera — and I see it when I watch it back – I’ll kind of bring my jaw in and protect, in my mind.”

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Chastain protected himself last week at Kansas Speedway by getting in the first – and only – punch on Noah Gragson on pit road after the race. Confronted by an upset Gragson, who grabbed his fire suit, the Trackhouse driver told Gragson to stop and then threw the punch. NASCAR security quickly intervened.

Gragson is just one of a handful of drivers who have been vocal about the way Chastain races over the last year. There were multiple run-ins with Denny Hamlin last season as well as the Busch Light Clash earlier this year, plus an incident at Phoenix Raceway. The latter led to Hamlin being penalized since he initiated the contact and admitted it afterward on his podcast.

Kyle Busch has said Chastain hasn’t learned from any of the issues. Martin Truex Jr. and Austin Dillon are two others who took issue with Chastain last season.

“Just being myself is the best thing I can do, and if people like it, they do,” Chastain continued. “I’d say (Friday) night at the Truck (Series) race, it was maybe 70/30 cheers to boos. I’m interested to see what Sunday is. But no matter what, I’m proud to be moving the needle.

“I hear it. I see it. People come to me, either online or in person, and they’re telling me the good and the bad, and I kind of just walk away, and I’m like, ‘That’s pretty wild that they’re watching my racing, and they care that much.’ I’m learning to become comfortable in that role, too.”

There appears no lingering tension between Chastain and Gragson, who see each other throughout the week in their training program. The two spoke on the phone Monday after Kansas and they’re in a good place moving forward.

“We both went to Millbridge (Speedway) on Monday night with the Chevy program and ran micros, had a blast, and just bonded over fast little sprint cars,” Chastain said. “It was good, laughing and joking; been good with him all week.”

Truex takes Darlington Cup pole

Toyota drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Bubba Wallace will start on the front row for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway. Truex earned the pole with a lap of 169.409 mph. It is his first pole of the season, the 21st of his career, and …

Toyota drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Bubba Wallace will start on the front row for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway.

Truex earned the pole with a lap of 169.409 mph. It is his first pole of the season, the 21st of his career, and his first at Darlington. Truex is a two-time Darlington winner, most recently in the spring 2021 event.

“Honestly, the guys made a really good adjustment,” Truex said of his run. “I felt like we left a little on the table in round one, and they made the adjustment to help me off (Turn) 4, and it helped. I was not really sure what kind of lap time we were going to need to run or how the tires would affect it, but we just nailed the balance really good, so I was definitely happy with that.

“I’m proud of all the guys, they’ve been working hard. Qualifying has never been our greatest thing, especially with this car last year. We struggled a lot in qualifying and have been working hard on that, so proud of them for that. The Auto-Owners Camry is really fast, so we’ll look to have some fun tomorrow.”

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Wallace qualified second at 169.339 mph. The effort is Wallace’s best in 10 starts at Darlington.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. qualified third at 168.752 mph, William Byron was fourth at 168.342 mph, and Ross Chastain took fifth at 168.094 mph. Chastain’s teammate, Daniel Suarez, qualified sixth at 167.836 mph.

Kyle Larson qualified seventh at 167.562 mph, Denny Hamlin was eighth at 167.4465 mph, Tyler Reddick was ninth at 167.311 mph, and Brad Keselowski 10th at 166.292 mph. Keselowski was the only Ford in the final round of qualifying.

Defending race winner Joey Logano qualified 15th. Logano clocked in at 168.764 mph.

Kevin Harvick qualified 20th and Chase Elliott took 21st. Josh Berry was 23rd in the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

Ryan Newman qualified 26th for Rick Ware Racing in his return to NASCAR Cup Series competition. Sunday will be Newman’s first start since the 2021 season finale.

There are 36 drivers entered in the Goodyear 400.

RESULTS

Reddick crew chief ejected after Darlington inspection

Tyler Reddick will be without crew chief Billy Scott this weekend at Darlington Raceway after NASCAR ejected Scott following multiple inspection failures for Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota. Dave Rogers will fill in for Scott during Sunday afternoon’s race. …

Tyler Reddick will be without crew chief Billy Scott this weekend at Darlington Raceway after NASCAR ejected Scott following multiple inspection failures for Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota. Dave Rogers will fill in for Scott during Sunday afternoon’s race.

Reddick’s was one of two NASCAR Cup Series cars that failed pre-race inspection twice Friday. It is at NASCAR’s discretion which team member is ejected based on the infraction, and no details were given about the issue on Reddick’s car. Additional penalties could be announced next week.

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It is the second consecutive week that Reddick’s 23XI Racing car has failed pre-race inspection. Last weekend at Kansas Speedway, his car chief was ejected.

The No. 54 Toyota of Joe Gibbs Racing rookie Ty Gibbs was the other car that failed twice. Gibbs will be without his car chief, Nate Bellows, this weekend for the Goodyear 400.

Both teams also lost pit stall selection. The cars passed inspection on the third time through.

NASCAR racing toward first Chicago Street Race, ‘but it’s a fun fast’

The first-ever NASCAR Cup Series street race is less than 60 days away, and as the ticking clock grows louder, business is picking up for track president Julie Giese. “It’s definitely busy, and time definitely feels like it’s going faster each day,” …

The first-ever NASCAR Cup Series street race is less than 60 days away, and as the ticking clock grows louder, business is picking up for track president Julie Giese.

“It’s definitely busy, and time definitely feels like it’s going faster each day,” Giese told RACER. “But it’s a fun fast because there is so much opportunity, and we’re doing something that has never been done before. It’s a huge event, and there are a lot of things that we want to do.

“The to-do list, we continue to check things off, but we continue to add things as well because it’s all about making sure we’re delivering the best experience possible. But, yes, it’s going to come quick.”

NASCAR invades downtown Chicago July 1-2 with the Cup and Xfinity Series.

It’s been a quick turnaround for Giese. NASCAR announced the street race in July of last year. Giese, the former president of Phoenix Raceway, is one of the most respected executives in the sport and known for overseeing significant projects, was chosen to lead the event in August.

Giese hit the ground running — it wasn’t long before NASCAR had an office and team in Chicago, keen to show they are not just showing up, racing and leaving. Understanding there is only one chance at a good first impression, Giese and her team have a constant presence in the city and can continue to grow their relationship with locals.

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“It’s incredibly humbling,” Giese said of the job. “It’s interesting for me personally because I started with this company 24 years ago in an entry-level position at a road course, Watkins Glen. So, it’s kind of coming full circle. But for me, it is humbling. To say the sport has not done something in 75 years is hard to find things like that, so to be a part of it, to lead a team that’s bringing it together, it’s an honor.

“I’ve enjoyed it. I remind myself every day — we sell fun. That’s truly what we do. Bringing people together to have a good time, enjoy racing, educate them about NASCAR, and really show longtime NASCAR fans a different way to enjoy the race.”

Regarding the relationship between NASCAR and the city, Giese is well aware of the critics about the disruption the race will bring. Giese and her team continue to address every question and concern around the event, but she also acknowledged the tremendous amount of excitement around it.

“We have been working really hard to be a good member of the community, and that includes all the different initiatives we’ve been announcing,” Giese said. “But this is also an opportunity to give the city a nice boost in the arm from a tourism perspective. Specifically, in my conversations with the businesses and business community, they see that opportunity, and they’re excited about it and want to support it, want to help. From a resident perspective, it’s very similar.

“There’s a lot of pride in that city. I knew that having visited as a Midwesterner, but now that I live there, there is a tremendous amount of pride for the city of Chicago by Chicagoans. So, they do see the opportunity. This is a great chance to showcase the see. And for me, I enjoy the conversations because hearing the questions they have is only going to make us better. I think the more conversations we have and the more we have to answer questions and hear from them, the more they are like, ‘OK, this is interesting. I’m excited about it.’ That’s been our process — have any and all conversations, answer questions, find solutions where they are needed, and continue to be a good partner.”

NASCAR has done numerous events in Chicago over the last few months. Strikingly so compared to the buildup of other NASCAR events. Some things include STEM events in the city, continued announcements about race weekend, taking a simulator to a Chicago Red Stars game, and having local teens create an official mural for race weekend through a partnership with After School Matters.

And it’ll be more of the same when NASCAR arrives in town for race weekend. While the weekend’s culmination will be the Cup Series race Sunday, July 2, by then, it will not have been a typical race weekend with all of the other activities included in the event.

“The way we’re approaching it is a two-day racing and musical festival, and ‘festival’ is really the word we’re leaning in on because it is a little bit of everything,” Giese said. “You have the races, which will be the hallmark both days, but then adding on those four concerts. We’re working on some additional entertainment options. We’ll have a lot of partner activations throughout the footprint. We have Butler Field, which is on the north end of the entry, it’s a free area, so that’s where the community can come out and be a part of the event whether you have an admission ticket or not.

“(That is) a huge opportunity for us to educate people about NASCAR in that footprint. Photo moments. Even looking at how we do pre-race and post-race and thinking about that differently. The fun part about this whole thing is it’s a blank sheet of paper, and we’re able to keep adding pieces and pull from different elements. Chicago, in the summertime, there is a festival every weekend in different neighborhoods, so we’re leaning into that and making sure we’re being very intentional and celebrating Chicago.”

Giese learned about creating opportunities to experience the race differently through her time at Daytona, where she oversaw the Daytona Rising project and Phoenix. The latter also went through a massive renovation project and became the site of the season finale.

As race weekend draws closer, Giese is bullish about how it will go. There will already be a lot of pride to go around for the industry doing something for the first time, but in her eyes, a successful weekend is introducing the sport to new fans and putting NASCAR’s best foot forward. It’s why Giese and her team spend so much time working and communicating with local city departments to make things as smooth as possible.

“That’s a big one for us over the next 50-something days,” Giese said. “Every day, we are working hard to make sure everyone knows what to expect.”

It’ll be a staggered process of the course coming together, but in June, it’ll start to take life. The first structure, the two-story President’s Paddock Club, will begin construction in early June. The course, primarily barriers going in place along the curb lines, will start being put in place in mid-June. There will not be street closures until the week of the race. And as soon as the race is over, everything begins getting cleared out immediately.

As for how ticket sales are going for the event, Giese said there has been a tremendous positive response.

“Reserve seats are going well incredibly well,” she said. “We still have some general admission tickets available. Most of our clubs are going very well. The Paddock Club, especially. So, we’re seeing a really positive trend on ticket sales.

“One thing that we’re specifically looking at is who’s coming. We have ticket holders from 48 states and 12 different countries across three different continents right now. Those are numbers that I’m paying close attention to because, again, we have a commitment to the city of Chicago to drive tourism. So, seeing people coming from all over to be a part of this event is fun to see. I think we’re going to see those numbers grow over the next 50-some days as we get closer to race weekend.”

Joe Gibbs Racing celebrates 400th NASCAR win at Kansas Speedway

Joe Gibbs Racing hit a milestone Sunday afternoon, crossing the 400-win mark in NASCAR with Denny Hamlin’s victory at Kansas Speedway. Hamlin earned his 49th career win in the NASCAR Cup Series after last-lap contact and a pass on Kyle Larson. All …

Joe Gibbs Racing hit a milestone Sunday afternoon, crossing the 400-win mark in NASCAR with Denny Hamlin’s victory at Kansas Speedway.

Hamlin earned his 49th career win in the NASCAR Cup Series after last-lap contact and a pass on Kyle Larson. All of Hamlin’s wins have come driving for Gibbs.

Joe Gibbs now has 203 wins in the Cup Series. The other wins to make up the 400 are from the Xfinity Series, where the organization has won 197 times.

“It’s a thrill,” team owner Joe Gibbs said. “When we started in racing, our very first year in ’91, we had 17 people and raced one car. We just kept building and building and building. I didn’t dream that it would be anything like where we are today.

“I’m just thrilled for all of our people that helped build our race team. That’s the people back in town. I appreciate, obviously, all of our sponsors; it meant so much to me today to be able to call Fred Smith and talk to him. As we know, in our sport, the thing that’s really different is our sponsor partners, and I call them partners.”

Fred Smith founded FedEx, the winning sponsor at Kansas Speedway on Sunday. FedEx is a longtime Gibbs partner and has been with Hamlin since he joined the Cup Series with JGR in late 2005.

“The other wild thing that I’m not sure…has been done before, but I called Norm Miller at Interstate Batteries. He’s been here for all 400,” said Gibbs. “Can you imagine that? I just thanked Norm so much for getting us started. If it hadn’t been for him, we may not be in racing. We love it, and just really appreciate everything today and appreciate the crowd here and everybody.”

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Interstate Batteries is in its 32nd season of partnership with Joe Gibbs, appearing on all four cars this year. It was the organization’s founding sponsor.

Drivers who have won Cup Series races for Gibbs include Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Christopher Bell, Erik Jones, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte and Dale Jarrett.

In the Xfinity Series, the organization has won with Ryan Truex, Sammy Smith, John Hunter Nemechek, Brandon Jones, Ty Gibbs, Daniel Hemric, Busch, Bell, Harrison Burton, Ryan Preece, Jones, Hamlin, Daniel Suarez, Sam Hornish Jr., Elliott Sadler, Kenseth, Logano, Stewart, Aric Almirola, Mike Bliss, Mike McLaughlin and Labonte.

“I grew up in football on that side (in the NFL) and I was the technical guy, helped design stuff, called plays,” said Gibbs. “That’s a thrill. Over here, I’m not the technical person, so I try and focus on the people and the sponsors, and the great thing about over here, too, is my family.

“I think back to J.D. J.D. spent his entire professional life building our race team and then Coy, when his brother got sick, stepped over. And Coy and his son Ty, everything that’s taken place. Heather’s (Coy’s widow) now stepping into our ownership role. It’s family.

“So, on this side, it’s a thrill for me because I missed so much of both boys when I was coaching and (being) after it so much, and I got a chance to relive some of that time with them. Obviously I miss them, but they were a big part of building this, too.”

Gragson, Chastain come to blows in Kansas

Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson came to blows Sunday on pit road at Kansas Speedway after a frustrated Gragson confronted Chastain for an incident earlier in the afternoon. The two were having a conversation next to Chastain’s car following the …

Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson came to blows Sunday on pit road at Kansas Speedway after a frustrated Gragson confronted Chastain for an incident earlier in the afternoon.

The two were having a conversation next to Chastain’s car following the AdventHealth 400 because Gragson took exception to the Trackhouse driver crowding him off Turn 4. Although the two did not make contact coming off the corner, Gragson brushed the wall with his Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet. He then came down the track and made contact with the right side of Chastain’s car.

On pit road, Gragson grabbed a fist full of Chastain’s firesuit, which led to Chastain throwing a bunch. The two had to be separated by NASCAR security.

“I got tight off of (Turn 4), for sure,” Chastain said. “Noah and I have a very similar attitude on the racetrack and we train together, we prepare together, we know every little bit about each other. I definitely crowded him up off of (Turn) 4, and he took a swipe at us in (Turn) 3, and then came down and grabbed a hold of me. A very big man once told me we have a no push policy here at Trackhouse.”

Chastain finished fifth. The Trackhouse Racing driver continues to lead the point standings.

Gragson finished five laps down in 29th position.

“Just got fenced by the No. 1,” said Gragson. “He took care of us at Talladega – we’re Chevrolet teammates and he didn’t work with us there – and then fenced us here and I’m just over it. Nobody else has the balls to at least confront him, so if you don’t at least just grab him and do something, he’s just going to keep doing it, and I’m over it. It’s the second time.

“I have respect for Justin Marks and the rest of the Trackhouse team, and that’s why I’m not wrecking him on the racetrack, but we’re ready to fight him. I didn’t even get a shot in because the security guards got in the middle of it, but nobody confronts the guy. He just keeps doing it, and I’m sick and tired of it.”