Category: Cup Series

Hendrick team fined record amount for hood louver infractions

Hendrick Motorsports has been hit with the largest fine in NASCAR history as its four teams have been penalized for the confiscated hood louvers at Phoenix Raceway. NASCAR officials found the louvers, a single-source supplied part of the Next Gen …

Hendrick Motorsports has been hit with the largest fine in NASCAR history as its four teams have been penalized for the confiscated hood louvers at Phoenix Raceway.

NASCAR officials found the louvers, a single-source supplied part of the Next Gen car, were modified. The louvers were confiscated at the track and evaluated further this week at the NASCAR R&D Center.

Three of the four teams and drivers have been docked 100 points and 10 playoff points. The No. 9 team was docked playoff points and 100 team points but not docked driver points because Chase Elliott is sidelined with an injury, and Josh Berry is not eligible for Cup Series points.

Additionally, all four Hendrick Motorsports crew chiefs have been fined $100,000. Cliff Daniels of Kyle Larson’s No. 5 team, Alan Gustafson of the No. 9 team, Rudy Fugle of William Byron’s No. 24 team, and Blake Harris of Alex Bowman’s No. 48 team have also been suspended for the next four races.

The $400,000 fine total makes it the largest team total in NASCAR history. It surpasses the $300,000 fine issued to Michael Waltrip Racing in 2013 for race manipulation at Richmond Raceway.

“From time to time, we’ll capture parts and bring them back, and as we continued to investigate and look at parts, compare parts, it was obvious to us these parts had been modified in areas that weren’t approved,” NASCAR senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer said. “This is a consistent penalty with what we went through last year with other competitors.

“We felt like to keep the garage on a level playing field, the competition level where it needs to be, all the dialogue that went around this car last year working with the owners on what the deterrent model should be, we were put in a position that we felt there was no other way but to write a penalty.”

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Hendrick Motorsports had the louvers taken from their four cars after practice at Phoenix Raceway.

Kaulig Racing was issued the same penalty for the No. 31 team of Justin Haley. The hood louvers from the No. 31 Chevrolet were taken Saturday.

Haley has been docked 100 driver points and the No. 31 docked 100 team points and 10 playoff points. Haley’s crew chief Trent Owens has been suspended for the next four races.

All the penalties are appealable. In a statement, Hendrick Motorsports indicated it would appeal its penalties

Sawyer did not detail what areas were modified. However, he did admit there are approved areas teams and NASCAR work together to ensure pieces fit correctly, but this incident “rose to the level” beyond that.

“We don’t normally get into intent, but I think it’s fair to say there could be performance (advantages) around these modifications,” said Sawyer. “But let’s also give credit where it’s due — they also went out and had an outstanding race on Sunday and performed at a high level without those modifications.”

Byron won the race at Phoenix while Hendrick Motorsports drivers combined for 265 laps led.

Also on the post-Phoenix penalty report was a two-race suspension for crew members of Aric Almirola’s team. Almirola lost a wheel from his Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang during the event and will be without crew members Ryan Mulder and Sean Cotton at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Circuit of The Americas.

Hamlin on clash with Chastain: “I let the wheel go and said, ‘He’s coming with me’”

Denny Hamlin’s admission on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast that he intentionally fenced Ross Chastain on the last lap at Phoenix Raceway might cost him. Hamlin laid out in detail how his mindset changed Sunday from going into Turn 1 with the …

Denny Hamlin’s admission on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast that he intentionally fenced Ross Chastain on the last lap at Phoenix Raceway might cost him.

Hamlin laid out in detail how his mindset changed Sunday from going into Turn 1 with the intention of getting the best finish he could to taking advantage of the situation. The race went to overtime, and Hamlin was one of six drivers who had previously pitted for two tires.

“They were calling the 1 car (Chastain) on the outside, so at that point, I knew I was screwed,” Hamlin said. “I had all the four-tire cars on my ass. They were going to pass me more than likely in the next corner. I knew I had two fresh tire cars underneath me anyway — I was four wide. I was like, ‘I’m going straight to the back.’”

When the final caution flew, Hamlin was running fifth and chose to start in that position on the inside lane. Chastain restarted sixth, which put him to the outside of Hamlin.

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It didn’t take Hamlin long to realize he was in trouble. Although he restarted in the top 10, Hamlin knew he was unlikely to finish there.

“And I said, ‘You’re coming with me, buddy,’” Hamlin said of Chastain. “It wasn’t a mistake. I let the wheel go and I said, ‘He’s coming with me.’”

It was not a coincidence Hamlin chose Chastain as his victim, as the two have more than a brief history.

Hamlin did not like how Chastain raced him last season, particularly at World Wide Technology Raceway when Chastain ran into the back of Hamlin in Turn 1 early in the event, which sent Hamlin into the outside wall. Hamlin spent quite a bit of time the remainder of the race showing his displeasure.

Chastain also got into Hamlin in the summer race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Trackhouse Racing driver got into the left-rear quarter panel of Hamlin through Turns 3 and 4.

There was also Pocono Raceway. The two restarted on the front row late in the race, and while there was no contact, Hamlin squeezed Chastain into the wall off Turn 1.

Ironically, it was Chastain who ended Hamlin’s chances for a championship. Chastain’s video game move at Martinsville Speedway earned him five spots, including passing Hamlin, to put him in the Championship 4 and keeping Hamlin out.

However, Hamlin said on the podcast what he did at Phoenix had nothing to do with last season. Instead, Hamlin referenced their most recent contact when Chastain spun Hamlin at the Busch Light Clash in February.

“I’ve said for a while you’ve got to do something to get these guys’ attention,” said Hamlin. “Ross doesn’t like it when I speak his name in the media and when I have this microphone. But I told him, ‘Well, I have a microphone, and I’m going to call it like I see it, and until you get a microphone, you can then say whatever you want about me.’

“But the fact is, while I’m sitting here talking, I’m going to call things the way I see it, and sometimes I’m going to have to call myself out, which I’m the (expletive) who lost just as many spots as he did. But at the time, I said, well, I’m going to finish (expletive) anyway, and I’m just going to make sure he finishes (expletive) right here with me.”

Hamlin went on to say it’s difficult to do things like that because he doesn’t want to collect other drivers in a mess. Pocono was an example of that as Chastain came off the wall and collected Kevin Harvick, which was not Hamlin’s intention. But in Phoenix, Hamlin saw it was just himself and Chastain at the top of the track.

“So, I said, ‘I’m going to send him in the fence and door him,’” said Hamlin. “Now, my dumb (expective) got caught up in it because I got pinned. He was between me and the wall, and so I got all screwed up and lost a bunch of positions for my team, which was stupid as (expletive). But at the time, I said, I’m going to finish in the mid-teens anyway because my car is just plowing here. I’m about to get eaten up by all these new tires.

“I was just like, if I’m going to give this car a hard time, it’s going to be here.”

Hamlin and Chastain did talk on pit road afterward, with Chastain telling Hamlin he assumed he deserved what happened. Hamlin believes the two are now in a better place to move on with more respect.

While outsiders might appreciate Hamlin’s honesty, they’ve caught NASCAR’s attention. Elton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio he was made aware of Hamlin’s comments and officials will review them.

“It came to me late last night,” Sawyer said. “I’m aware of it, and we’ll dissect that early this morning and decide where we go.”

Jimmie Johnson to race at COTA and Charlotte

Jimmie Johnson’s part-time NASCAR schedule continues to take shape as the seven-time champion is set to run in the Cup Series races at Circuit of The Americas and Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Coca-Cola 600. March 26 will be the first time Johnson has …

Jimmie Johnson’s part-time NASCAR schedule continues to take shape as the seven-time champion is set to run in the Cup Series races at Circuit of The Americas and Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Coca-Cola 600.

March 26 will be the first time Johnson has competed on the road course in Austin, Texas. It was added to the NASCAR schedule in 2021, a year after Johnson retired from full-time NASCAR competition.

Johnson’s No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet will be sponsored by Club Wyndham. Although team ambassador Richard Petty has been associated with Club Wyndham for more than two decades as a timeshare owner, this will be the first time the company has had prominent space on a race car.

“COTA has been on my racing ‘bucket list’ for a very long time,” said Johnson. “But my timing was off by a year or so. I was hoping it was going to be on the IndyCar schedule — and it wasn’t — and then they added it to the NASCAR schedule after I left. I’m excited to finally be able to check this one off the list and thankful to Club Wyndham for making it happen. From everything I’ve heard, NASCAR drivers have had a lot of fun racing at COTA, so to say I’m looking forward to it is an understatement.”

“Club Wyndham owners and Legacy Motor Club fans know what it means to be a part of a club. It means finding a place to make memories with friends and family around shared passions,” said Tom Shelburne, chief marketing officer for Club Wyndham. “We are excited about this new partnership with the Legacy M.C. team, growing from our long relationship with Richard Petty. This new agreement will be great for our owners, race fans, and our business. We can’t wait to see Club Wyndham on Jimmie Johnson’s No. 84 Chevrolet.”

COTA and Charlotte are the third and fourth confirmed races for Johnson this season. Johnson competed in the season-opening Daytona 500 and previously announced he’ll run in the inaugural Chicago street course event in early July.

Johnson is an eight-time winner at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Four of those victories were in the Coca-Cola 600.

“The Coke 600 is one of those premiere races on the schedule,” said Johnson. “For fans, it’s truly one of the greatest days in motorsports with Monaco (Formula 1), IndyCar’s Indianapolis 500, and then NASCAR’s longest race that starts in the afternoon and ends at night. Last year I lived out another ‘bucket list’ item and was able to race in the Indy 500. I’m looking forward to driving this NextGen car at Charlotte and putting on a great show for Club Wyndham.”

ANALYSIS: Hendrick, Chevy, then everybody else

Hendrick Motorsports is the clear leader of the NASCAR Cup Series clubhouse as the circuit moves back toward its home base after a three-week Western swing. William Byron claimed back-to-win wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway to …

Hendrick Motorsports is the clear leader of the NASCAR Cup Series clubhouse as the circuit moves back toward its home base after a three-week Western swing.

William Byron claimed back-to-win wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway to give the organization two out of three wins. Hendrick drivers combined to lead 524 laps in the three Western races, including its first stop at Auto Club Speedway.

Byron and Kyle Larson won four of the six stages. And two wins in the first four races should assure Byron’s place in the postseason.

The numbers are as impressive as the eye test, where it was clear over the last three weeks the Hendrick Chevrolets were close to untouchable. Alex Bowman leads the point standings on the strength of four consecutive top-10 finishes — the only driver in the series to have finished in the top 10 in each race.

But take Daytona out of the equation. Daytona is a superspeedway race, a different animal every team wants to win for prestige. Three weeks out west, however, have given a good look at who is on the right path and has an early leg up on the competition.

Chevrolet has won all four races. Chevrolet drivers have dominated the races. Although Kyle Busch was in victory lane at Fontana, Ross Chastain swept the stages and led the most laps.

Fontana and Las Vegas are high-speed racetracks but with different characteristics. Fontana is unique with how fast and rough it is, but drivers still say some variables can carry over to other racetracks. Performing well at Fontana can be a confidence booster. Vegas, meanwhile, is a fast intermediate that is the bread and butter of the NASCAR schedule.

Phoenix is flat and, although pretty fast, is one mile and considered a short track to some. Most importantly, it’s the site of the season finale, which makes its spring date an important one for teams with the attention it gets beforehand in preparation.

All four Hendrick drivers finished in the top 10 at Phoenix.

Take those three weeks: Chevrolet, specifically Hendrick Motorsports, leads the Toyota and then Ford teams. Chevrolet is above the rest, but the gap isn’t too large for Toyota. Some execution needs to improve, and the hunt for speed never ends, but Toyota drivers are in the race. It has primarily been Chevrolet and Toyota teams in the top 10 the last three weeks.

Harvick gave Ford fans something to smile about at Phoenix, but the Blue Oval remains shut out of the win column, Matt Thacker/Motorsport Images

The same can’t be said for Ford drivers. Sunday at Phoenix was the best they looked out west as Kevin Harvick contended for the win and had an average running position of fifth. Ryan Blaney was also in the picture with an average running position of seventh. And Brad Keselowski showed some more glimmer of hope with an average running position of sixth before the two late cautions took away a potential top-10 finish.

Keselowski was also strong in Fontana and Las Vegas. In Fontana, he finished seventh despite being spun by Corey LaJoie, and really flexed some muscle in Las Vegas as the highest-running Ford driver at some points.

Ford is behind, though. Three Ford drivers finished in the top 10 at Phoenix and at Fontana. Two Ford drivers finished in the top 10 at Las Vegas.

Joey Logano won the pole at Las Vegas but sank like an anchor and ended up knocked out of the race after getting squeezed into the outside wall off Turn 4. After being released from the care center, Logano agreed the Fords have work to do. Then in Phoenix, the No. 22 Penske team, which won at the track in the fall when clinching the championship, was an also-ran much of the day, having gotten lapped early on and then fighting to stay in the top 20. Somehow, Logano ended up 11th.

The pendulum will swing back in the other direction at a certain point. Or at least that’s what everyone would expect if Next Gen taught us anything last season. It seems much easier with this car to be good one week and fall off the next, so for those who are behind, the benefit of a long season is getting to hone in on their setups now for a robust second half.

Hendrick Motorsports might be the favorite right now, with the keywords being “right now.” Teams continue to learn and science out their race cars, and with the different aero packages on some of the short tracks and road courses, it’s another variable thrown into the equation.

The last three weeks, however, make it clear which teams the weekend’s high expectations should start with and who still has work to do.

Larson leaves Phoenix a bridesmaid yet again

Kyle Larson had fortune swing his way late at Phoenix Raceway before disappearing just as quickly, leaving him with a third-place finish instead of standing in victory lane. Larson led the most laps, 201, in the United Rentals Work United 500 and …

Kyle Larson had fortune swing his way late at Phoenix Raceway before disappearing just as quickly, leaving him with a third-place finish instead of standing in victory lane.

Larson led the most laps, 201, in the United Rentals Work United 500 and won the second stage. The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports car looked untouchable, just once being passed (by teammate William Byron on lap two) on track for the lead through the first two stages.

But in the third stage, Larson became vulnerable on longer runs. Kevin Harvick, who got stronger the longer a run went on, took advantage by pitting a lap before Larson under green flag conditions to erase a 1.2s gap.

The No. 5 cycled back to the race lead with 51 laps to go but was now hounded by Harvick. The Stewart-Haas driver took the lead and drove away with 44 laps to go.

But a caution with 11 laps left gave Larson a second chance. He used the first pit stall to his advantage by taking two tires and regaining the race lead.

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It was a brief respite. Although Larson cleared the field on the restart, the caution came back out for a spin in Turn 3. He was unable to hold on through the overtime restart as Byron grabbed the lead on the outside and Ryan Blaney drove by on the inside.

“We got lucky with the one caution, and the team made a great call to take two (tires) and get us out in the lead,” Larson said. “The restarts are just tough. I felt like I ran William up pretty high, and I expected him to lose some grip, but he did a really good job of holding it to my outside and clearing me down the back.”

Larson was hoping his teammate would run into the marbles and lose his momentum, but the outside lane had gotten better throughout the final stage, and Byron held strong on the outside coming off the corner and down the backstretch.

“Yeah, I’m (mad), but a great fight by the team, a great car,” Larson said. “Way better than we were here last year. It’s a long season, but hopefully we’re in the final four when we come back here in November and can have a run similar to that, with speed, and try to execute a little bit better in the end.”

Harvick loses out but doesn’t regret four-tire gamble at Phoenix

Kevin Harvick lamented a missed opportunity Sunday at Phoenix Raceway by missing out on a victory, but didn’t question the pit call that lost him the race lead. “It’s what I would have done,” Harvick said of the No.4 Stewart-Haas Racing team taking …

Kevin Harvick lamented a missed opportunity Sunday at Phoenix Raceway by missing out on a victory, but didn’t question the pit call that lost him the race lead.

“It’s what I would have done,” Harvick said of the No.4 Stewart-Haas Racing team taking four tires on the final pit stop. “I’d always rather be on offense. I just didn’t get a couple of cars when that first caution came out, and kind of lost our chance. And still thought I had a chance there at the end; those cars were quite a bit slower, but they get all jammed up, and that’s the way it goes.”

He came off pit road seventh, the first driver on four tires. The nine-time Phoenix winner was running away with the race when the caution flew with 11 laps to go after Harrison Burton spun down the frontstretch.

The race restarted with three laps to go, and Harvick was lined up on the inside lane. He did his best to charge forward in Turns 1 and 2 but didn’t make up any ground before the caution flew because of an AJ Allmendinger spin.

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The No. 4 lined up eighth, on the outside lane, for the overtime restart. He finished fifth.

“Just smoked ’em up until the caution,” Harvick said. “They did a great job with our Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang and just didn’t need the caution at the end.”

A strong third stage put Harvick in a position to win the race. He was routinely one of the best drivers on long runs and kept pace with the Hendrick Motorsports cars of Larson and William Byron by the end of the second stage.

The final round of green flag pits with under 70 laps to go gave Harvick and his team their opening to make a move. Rodney Childers pitted the car a lap before leader Larson, eliminating their gap.

Harvick’s pit stop was 11.1s to Larson’s 12.6s. Before the pit stop, they were 1.2s behind Larson but a few car lengths behind afterward.

Harvick took the lead from the No. 5 with 44 laps to go. He had easily driven away with the lead before the Burton caution changed the race’s complexion.

“That one is not fun to swallow,” Harvick said. “We had a great car and didn’t need that caution at the end. We had a strong car and a chance to win. Just hate missing an opportunity when you have a car that strong.”

Byron goes two in a row after late yellow in Phoenix

For the second consecutive week, William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team took advantage of a late caution to grab the victory. Sunday, Byron prevailed in overtime at Phoenix Raceway. He took the lead on the outside of a three-wide …

For the second consecutive week, William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team took advantage of a late caution to grab the victory.

Sunday, Byron prevailed in overtime at Phoenix Raceway. He took the lead on the outside of a three-wide battle coming to the white flag, using a shove from Tyler Reddick to clear teammate Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney.

“I owe the last couple of weeks to him,” Byron said of crew chief Rudy Fugle. “He’s done a really good job strategy-wise and execution-wise; we’ve done a good job to put ourselves in those positions on the front row with a shot at the end. Thank you to everybody back at Hendrick Motorsports for putting together great cars and just doing a great job.”

Byron led 64 laps and won the first stage, but he struggled to show the same strength when in traffic after losing the lead on pit road to Larson at the end of the stage.

The race’s complexion changed when a caution flew with 11 laps to go for a Harrison Burton spin. At the time of the caution, Kevin Harvick was driving away in the lead, with Larson second.

Larson had dominated the day but lost the lead to Harvick after a round of green flag pit stops with less than 70 laps to go. Stewart-Haas Racing pitted Harvick one lap sooner than Larson to erase a gap of over one second. Harvick ended up a few car lengths behind Larson and soon tracked him down to take the lead.

On the final trip down pit road after Burton’s spin, though, Harvick took four tires. He exited pit road seventh as Larson, Byron, and four other drivers took two tires.

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On the restart with three laps to go, the caution quickly flew again when AJ Allmendinger spun in Turn 3. Larson chose the inside lane for the restart as Byron moved to second, choosing the outside lane.

The teammates battled hard on the restart. Coming off Turn 2, they were joined by a charging Blaney, who made it three-wide going into Turn 3. Byron surged ahead with an assist from Reddick, who was among those who took four tires, and was clear into the final lap for his second straight win and first at Phoenix.

Blaney finished second, Reddick was third and Larson finished fourth. Larson won the second stage and led a race-high 201 of 317 laps.

Harvick rounded out the top five finishers in the United Rentals Work United 500. Christopher Bell finished sixth, Chase Briscoe seventh, Kyle Busch eighth, Alex Bowman ninth and Josh Berry 10th.

There were 10 lead changes among six drivers and five caution flags Sunday afternoon.

RESULTS

INSIGHT: Ty Gibbs loves being a rookie

The main Joe Gibbs Racing shop in Huntersville, North Carolina is home to many different departments – most importantly: its four NASCAR Cup Series teams. Ty Gibbs grew up in the family’s race shop and has explored it from corner to corner. He and …

The main Joe Gibbs Racing shop in Huntersville, North Carolina is home to many different departments — most importantly: its four NASCAR Cup Series teams.

Ty Gibbs grew up in the family’s race shop and has explored it from corner to corner. He and his friends, brothers and cousins used to take stools and roll up and down the shop floor.

“It’s huge in there,” Gibbs said.

His time at the shop changed as he got older and his racing career began. While training in the gym, Gibbs can look out to the Cup shop floor, but not until this season has he been able to walk out on the floor and see his name on a JGR race car.

“Having a car in there is a different world,” Gibbs said. “I work out in the gym all the time with my team, and looking out and seeing my name on the back of the cars — that’s really special.”

The first time Gibbs saw a Cup Series Toyota Camry TRD with his name on it was about a week before the Busch Light Clash. It really hit home when he saw the car on the setup plate ready to go for the Daytona 500. Rusty Jarrett/Motorsport Images

Gibbs, of course, has driven for his family team before 2023, but his race cars — whether ARCA Menards or Xfinity Series cars — were housed further down the road in a smaller race shop.

The change of scenery is just another reminder Gibbs is no longer a big fish in a small pond. He drove a car envied by many in the garage last season in the Xfinity Series, going on to win seven races and the championship — the main focus even as he put 15 races on his Cup Series resume as the 23XI Racing substitute driver.

“I think being a rookie is something you don’t take for granted. I enjoy being a rookie,” he admitted. “Being in the Xfinity Series in 2021 as a rookie was really cool. Being an ARCA rookie was awesome. It’s a cool experience.

“It’s fun because people around you don’t think you’re going to do well and I like proving them wrong. Even though I’m not out here to prove people wrong, I’m out here because I enjoy racing cars. It’s the cool part about being a rookie — you only get to do it one time. It’s my third and last chance before I go do something different.”

There’s no back-and-forth between teams anymore, though.

Pulling double duty did have its upside. Gibbs loved the seat time and felt it made him enjoy racing even more, but he’s glad to really be able to dig into the Next Gen car.

“I enjoyed all my Xfinity starts and hope to do more, but (it’s) definitely peaceful,” he said of only focusing on one ride. “I did it for 14 weeks straight — the duty double — and that’s a lot of time, a lot of meetings, a lot of work, a lot of grinding time. But I enjoyed the journey and the process. That was really special to me.”

Gibbs says adapting to the new car’s driving style is like going from an Apple phone to an Android.

“It’s completely different, but in a good way,” he explained. “I really enjoy the Cup car, and I’m happy to be in the Cup Series. The Xfinity Series car I enjoyed as well, and it’s always fun racing in that series. So there are just differences that are hard to get used to because the car is the opposite. It’s not like back in the day when the Cup and Xfinity Series cars had the same rear-end housings and stuff like that. This is completely different.

“We’re learning that it’s really hard for the rookies, but if you work really hard and put your time into it, it’s going to speed that process up. And the style you drive it is completely different as well. It’s almost a road course car, so not having (any skew in the rear end), you have to learn to drive differently. That’s the fun part. I enjoy learning new things and getting better at that.”

Results have been slow to come for Gibbs and crew chief Chris Gayle so far in 2023, but not for lack of trying. John K. Harrelson/Motorsport Images

The first few weeks have been up and down for the No. 54 team. Both Gibbs and his crew chief, Chris Gayle, have been pleased with their speed, but the execution is a work in progress. A 16th-place finish at Fontana is their best result in three races and they sit 20th in the championship standings.

The two are confident things will get better as they go. Gayle is learning the Next Gen car for the first time and Gibbs continues getting more experience. There is a big difference in the depth of competition from the Xfinity Series to the Cup Series, and while it’s something Gibbs is working on getting acclimated to, he’s already picked up a few pointers.

“The style of racing in the Cup Series is, of course, different from the Xfinity Series, but it’s almost a little bit more laid back, in my opinion,” Gibbs said. “The guys are very talented and very good, but in running up on somebody, you’re way faster than some of these guys (and they) just let you by. In the Xfinity Series, they’ll race you as hard as they possibly can.

“Guys here still race very hard for stage wins and they’re very good, but they are very tactical and can understand the moves a lot more.”

Watching how calculated drivers race around him reinforces the need to think about the bigger picture, especially in races that are much longer than ones he’s used to.

“I’m going to be here for a while, hopefully, so looking bigger picture,” Gibbs said. “One race is not going to control your destiny, and one decision might not help at all.”

Larson nabs pole in continued Phoenix domination

Kyle Larson was the last driver on track Saturday in NASCAR Cup Series qualifying, and the best was definitely saved for last. The No. 5 went to the top of the board to earn the pole for the United Rentals Work United 500 at 130.237mph (27.642s). …

Kyle Larson was the last driver on track Saturday in NASCAR Cup Series qualifying, and the best was definitely saved for last.

The No. 5 went to the top of the board to earn the pole for the United Rentals Work United 500 at 130.237mph (27.642s). The Hendrick Motorsports driver was the only one to crack 130mph as he scored his first pole of the season. It’s Larson’s second pole at Phoenix, coming after setting fastest times in Friday’s practice session and both rounds of single-car qualifying.

“It’s definitely a blast,” Larson said of driving a car this good. “A huge thank you to everybody at Hendrick Motorsports and especially everybody on this No. 5 car (team) for getting a new aero package thrown at them and doing their homework and bringing a fast race car to the rack. Super happy about yesterday.

“I thought my car handled good and had a lot of speed, and then it translated to qualifying today. It’s a tough race tomorrow. These Next Gen races are really, really hard to win, so it’ll be nice to get a little bit of redemption from last week. But we’re off to a good start and that’s all you can ask for.”

Denny Hamlin joins Larson on the front row, having qualified second at 129.931mph.

“We’re really optimistic about our long-run speed,” Hamlin said. “Kyle’s just mad because I beat him at pickleball, so he chose to unleash his anger on us in qualifying. I’m proud of this whole (Shingrix Toyota Camry team) for putting us toward the front. This is all we can ask for. We typically always race better than we qualify, so I’m pretty optimistic.”

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William Byron qualified third (129.922mph), Brad Keselowski fourth (129.762mph), and Christopher Bell fifth (129.580mph).

Ross Chastain qualified sixth (129.394mph), Michael McDowell seventh (129.185mph), Ryan Blaney eighth (129.083mph), Kyle Busch ninth (128.949mph), and Erik Jones 10th (128.880mph).

It is a career-best qualifying effort for McDowell at his home track.

“You always want more in the second round but really proud of everybody on this Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang,” McDowell said. “We weren’t very good in practice, but Travis Peterson and all the guys made good adjustments overnight.”

Josh Berry qualified 17th in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports car. Berry will make his second start with the team Sunday afternoon as the fill-in driver for the injured Chase Elliott.

NASCAR also confiscated the hood louvers from Justin Haley’s No. 31 Kaulig Racing car prior to qualifying. They will be evaluated at the NASCAR R&D Center along with louvers confiscated from Hendrick Motorsports earlier Saturday.

NASCAR regulars look forward to F1 invasion at COTA

The March 26 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas in will acquire additional luster with the appearance of former Formula 1 champions Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen. Button, the 2009 F1 champion, will be driving the No. 15 …

The March 26 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas in will acquire additional luster with the appearance of former Formula 1 champions Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen.

Button, the 2009 F1 champion, will be driving the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford, supported by Stewart-Haas Racing, and SHR driver Chase Briscoe believes he’ll benefit from Button’s road course expertise.

“Growing up in a town of 3,000 people and one stop light, I would have never thought in a million years I’d race against an F1 guy, let alone two of them in one race–even be teammates with an F1 world champion,” said Briscoe, a native of Mitchell, Ind. “It’s going to be really cool for me to get to experience that, get to know Jenson, and just see how he prepares.

“Truthfully, I think on the road course side, he’s going to be able to bring a lot to the table. Last year, I kind of did that in a driver swap with (Haas F1 drivers) Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen. They only ran like five laps apiece at the (Charlotte) Roval. They were within a second of what I was running at pretty much 100 percent.

“So, those guys are such unbelievable road racers that Jenson is going to bring a lot to the table just as far as things to look for and maximize. I’m really excited for that side of it and the opportunity, because it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

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Button will make his NASCAR debut at COTA before racing on the Chicago street course and the Indianapolis Road Course later in the season.

Raikkonen, who won the 2007 F1 title, has one previous start in each of NASCAR’s top three national series and will compete at COTA as part of Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91. The driver from Finland drove the No. 91 Chevrolet last year in the Cup race at Watkins Glen but was collected in a crash on Lap 45.

“It’s going to be cool to have them out there and be a part of our show,” said Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch. “They’re not used to the full contact sport of what NASCAR is.

“I’m sure Kimi’s eyes were opened quite a bit on how all that went down at Watkins Glen. But he’s more ready and more prepared this time around.”