Phoenix Raceway – Page 4 – Syndication Server

Fans to take the reins of SS Greenlight Mustang at Phoenix

SS Greenlight Racing has partnered with Fan Controlled Sports & Entertainment (FCSE) to provide fans the chance to interactively control the team’s No. 08 Ford Mustang at Phoenix Raceway. During the NASCAR Xfinity Series season finale Nov. 4, fans …

SS Greenlight Racing has partnered with Fan Controlled Sports & Entertainment (FCSE) to provide fans the chance to interactively control the team’s No. 08 Ford Mustang at Phoenix Raceway.

During the NASCAR Xfinity Series season finale Nov. 4, fans will have the chance to make decisions about race strategy and which lane to pick for a restart. Fans will also decide who will drive the car that weekend as well as its paint scheme.

The program is being called Fan Controlled Racing (FCR). Those participating will need to use the Control App for iOS and Android.

FCSE is the creator of Fan Controlled Football.

The Fan Controlled Racing finalists are set!

Either @jjyeley1 or @Mason_Massey will be driving the Yellow Jacket or the Purple Raider🏁

📲Vote now in the Control App
🤳Download here: https://t.co/6bczm8gfVU pic.twitter.com/vpvFQCboiV

— Fan Controlled Sports (@fancontrolled) October 19, 2023

“We couldn’t be more excited about bringing the energy and interactivity of Fan Controlled Sports to the racetrack,” said FCSE co-founder Patrick Dees. “This will be the first of many live race experiences where fans get to call the shots, help determine the strategy, and be a part of the race team.”

In the lead-up to the race, a poll is now live for fans to vote on the driver. The drivers to choose from are Stefan Parsons, JJ Yeley, David Starr and Mason Massey.

“This sport is nothing without the fans,” Starr said. “So, getting them more involved on race day is the future.”

“Giving fans more control on race day is a wildly fun idea,” Yeley said.

The more fans use the Control App, it will allow them to earn Fan Experience Points. Those will earn the most will be rewarded with a chance to have their picture on the hood of the No. 08 for the Phoenix event and earn a VIP pass for race weekend.

Hamlin penalty upheld on appeal

The National Motorsports Appeals Panel has upheld the behavioral penalty levied against Denny Hamlin for his last-lap incident with Ross Chastain at Phoenix Raceway. NASCAR fined Hamlin $50,000 and docked him 25 points. Hamlin admitted a day after …

The National Motorsports Appeals Panel has upheld the behavioral penalty levied against Denny Hamlin for his last-lap incident with Ross Chastain at Phoenix Raceway.

NASCAR fined Hamlin $50,000 and docked him 25 points.

Hamlin admitted a day after the race on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast that he took Chastain with him as he fell through the field, squeezing the Trackhouse Racing driver into the wall on the last lap at Phoenix. Hamlin was on older tires going into the overtime restart, and once the Joe Gibbs Racing realized he was going to fall through the field, decided Chastain, who was on his outside, could be taken advantage of as the two have had issues in the past.

“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.”

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Hamlin was penalized under section 4.4 of the NASCAR rule book. Infractions covered in that section include attempting to manipulate the outcome of a race and actions detrimental to the sport.

Elton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, said officials initially viewed the contact as a racing incident. But Hamlin’s comments prompted a review.

“The way we look at these situations, they are all individual and unique to themselves,” Sawyer said. “When you look at this one this past weekend, we would have viewed that as a racing incident, but then 24 hours later have a competitor that has gone on a podcast — which I will say, we’re delighted Denny has a podcast. We think that’s great; he interacts with the fans. But when you start admitting you have intentionally done something that would comprise the result of the end of the race, then that rises to the level that we’re going to get involved. There’s no other way to look at that. We’re going to get involved in those situations. We’ve been consistent in the past with that, and we will be consistent going forward.”

Hamlin fined over run-in with Chastain

Denny Hamlin has been fined $50,000 and docked points for intentionally fencing Ross Chastain on the last lap Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. NASCAR penalized Hamlin under section 4.4 of the NASCAR rule book and member code of conduct. The penalty covers …

Denny Hamlin has been fined $50,000 and docked points for intentionally fencing Ross Chastain on the last lap Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.

NASCAR penalized Hamlin under section 4.4 of the NASCAR rule book and member code of conduct. The penalty covers “attempting to manipulate the outcome of the race of championship” and “wrecking or spinning another vehicle, whether or not that vehicle is removed from the competition as a result.”

Ironically, part of the penalty also includes actions “detrimental to stock car racing or NASCAR,” and Hamlin admitted Monday his move was intentional on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast.

Hamlin has been docked 25 driver points. There was no owner points penalty.

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“The way we look at these situations, they are all individual and unique to themselves,” NASCAR senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer said. “When you look at this one this past weekend, we would have viewed that as a racing incident, but then 24 hours later have a competitor that has gone on a podcast — which I will say, we’re delighted Denny has a podcast. We think that’s great; he interacts with the fans.

“But when you start admitting you have intentionally done something that would comprise the result of the end of the race, then that rises to the level that we’re going to get involved. There’s no other way to look at that. We’re going to get involved in those situations. We’ve been consistent in the past with that, and we will be consistent going forward.”

Hamlin was on older tires as Sunday’s race went into overtime. Going into the restart, Hamlin, who was fifth, said he intended to get the best finish he could, but once the drivers on fresher tires started to charge forward, Hamlin knew he would finish outside the top 10 and decided to take Chastain with him.

Hamlin further went on to explain, “So, I said, ‘I’m going to send him in the fence and door him,’” said Hamlin. “Now, my dumb (expletive) 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.”

The two drivers have a history dating back to last season. Hamlin felt he still owed Chastain after Chastain spun him in Feb. in the Busch Light Clash at the L.A. Coliseum.

Hamlin and Chastain had a conversation on pit road after the race, and Hamlin said the two can now move forward with better respect between them.

Sawyer said the sanctioning body encourages drivers to settle incidents among themselves but viewed Hamlin and Chastain as a different situation.

“We want them to show their personalities. We want them to settle this. We don’t want to be in the middle of it,” Sawyer said. “But this one has gone on for a little while. It went on last year. We felt like maybe we were in a good spot, it looked like it was rearing its head again, and then the comments that were made afterward put us in a position that we had no choice but to react.”

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.’”

👂 #NASCAROvetime from the No. 1's point of view. @RossChastain | @TeamTrackhouse pic.twitter.com/Qh64i9jfX2

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 13, 2023

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.

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.”

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.

Here's a look at the full #NASCAROvertime at @phoenixraceway. pic.twitter.com/Z39O6AL2hy

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 12, 2023

“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

Sammy Smith wipes field en route to first Xfinity win at Phoenix

High school senior Sammy Smith made the most of the fastest car in Saturday’s United Rentals 200, becoming the youngest NASCAR Xfinity Series winner Phoenix Raceway at age 18. In a race that featured 11 cautions for 69 laps, Smith held off teammate …

High school senior Sammy Smith made the most of the fastest car in Saturday’s United Rentals 200, becoming the youngest NASCAR Xfinity Series winner Phoenix Raceway at age 18.

In a race that featured 11 cautions for 69 laps, Smith held off teammate Ryan Truex after a restart with 15 of 200 laps left to give Joe Gibbs Racing its 16th victory at the 1.0-mile track.

"YES! YES! THANK YOU GUYS!" 🏁 pic.twitter.com/YZWIHw3mKK

— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) March 12, 2023

Smith led a race-high 92 laps, including the last 52, taking the lead from Kyle Busch onlLap 149. To secure his first victory in the series in his 13th start, Smith had to survive restarts on laps 157, 177 and 186.

“That was tough with all of those restarts—and going against some of the best,” said Smith, who takes his high school classes online. “I just have to thank everybody on Pilot/Flying J, Toyota, JGR guys and everybody on this 18 team for giving me an awesome car. This is awesome.

“This is a dream come true, and I did know that at some point this was coming. It took a lot of hard work and a lot of great people around me. Without all of these guys, I wouldn’t be here.”

In a part-time role with JGR, Truex matched his career-best finish after restarting seventh on lap 186.

“That was a good restart at the end,” Truex said. “I thought I could at least try to make it exciting. Congrats to Sammy—he was the class of the field all day. His car was so good. He could really kind of do whatever he wanted.

“Sammy was just a little bit faster, but I’ll try again next time.”

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Sheldon Creed ran a miraculous third after spinning and losing track position on lap 148 to cause the ninth caution. Creed got help from Kaulig Racing teammates Busch and Chandler Smith, who tangled on the last lap while racing for fourth.

Smith got the better of the exchange, finishing fifth to Busch’s ninth.

Busch and Chandler Smith weren’t the only teammates who traded paint on Saturday. JR Motorsports’ Josh Berry spun off the bumper of Sam Mayer on lap 84 and fought back to finish eighth.

Justin Allgaier, who won the race’s first two stages, crashed hard on lap 178 after contact from JR Motorsports teammate Brandon Jones and Sam Hunt Racing’s Kaz Grala. The accident eliminated Allgaier and set up Smith’s triumphant run to the checkered flag.

Riley Herbst ran fourth. John Hunter Nemechek recovered from a restart penalty—dipping below the yellow line on the apron before the start/finish line—to come home sixth. Austin Hill was seventh, followed by Berry, Busch and Daniel Hemric.

Mayer finished 11th and pole winner Cole Custer 12th.

Hill leads the series standings by 30 points over second-place Nemechek.

RESULTS

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 takes Hendrick hood louvers

NASCAR took the hood louvers from all four Hendrick Motorsports cars for further examination after practice Friday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway. An unspecified potential issue with the louvers was discovered in the garage but all four teams – the …

NASCAR took the hood louvers from all four Hendrick Motorsports cars for further examination after practice Friday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway.

An unspecified potential issue with the louvers was discovered in the garage but all four teams — the Nos. 5, 9, 24, and 48 — were permitted to participate in practice. The 50-minute practice was the first time NASCAR Cup Series teams worked with the new short-track aero package.

Kyle Larson and the No. 5 team topped the speed chart at 131.258 mph (27.427 seconds). Alex Bowman and the No. 48 team were third fastest at 131.105 mph. Larson also topped the best 10 consecutive lap average, while William Byron was fifth best in the category.

The parts will be taken back to the NASCAR R&D Center for further evaluation before any potential penalties are handed down.

Louvers are the openings in the hood that were a key component of the Next Gen design to allow for maximum engine performance. The louvers allow for air to exit through the hood for better engine cooling and aerodynamics.