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Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Slow stop slumps Chase Elliott's winning chances at Kansas; Hamlin also derailed
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Chase Elliott was up front, leading laps and seemingly poised to fight toward snapping a 38-race winless streak. But one miscue at Lap 198 of Sunday's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway unraveled an otherwise impressive day for the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, ultimately fading to a 15th-place finish. Advertisement MORE: Race results | Best Kansas photos Elliott had impressive speed throughout the weekend, qualifying ninth and surging to second place at the end of both stages. A strong pit stop at the end of Stage 2 propelled Elliott to the lead to restart the final stage. Elliott did his part when the green flag waved to fend off teammate Kyle Larson and RFK Racing's Brad Keselowski to maintain the top spot. A flat tire for Keselowski at Lap 195, however, triggered the first domino in derailing Elliott's day. The caution flag waved and ushered in an ensuing round of pit stops that ultimately played a pivotal role in determining the outcome of Sunday's race. Elliott led the field to pit road and planted his No. 9 Prime Video Chevrolet into pit stall No. 41, the first box nearest pit entry. All looked routine as the crew serviced the right side of the car — until jackman TJ Semke dropped the jack a millisecond too early. Rear-tire changer Chad Avrit hadn't yet secured the right-rear wheel before the car was lowered, forcing Semke to re-jack the vehicle for Avrit to tighten the lug nut. Advertisement The mistake marked the group's only significant error of the contest, but the stop anchored Elliott in the box for over 14 seconds — a relative eternity in a NASCAR world rocketing forward with common eight-second services. Elliott plummeted from the lead to 16th place and never truly recovered. The 2020 Cup champion worked his way back to 12th place in the closing laps of the contest, but Todd Gilliland, Corey Heim and Noah Gragson all eventually worked past him to drop Elliott to 15th at the checkered flag. On one hand, there are plenty of positives for Elliott, crew chief Alan Gustafson and the No. 9 crew to take from Kansas after leading 29 laps and averaging a fourth-best 6.37 running position, according to NASCAR's loop data. Per NASCAR Insights, Elliott also ranked third in Defense Rating with the fifth-best Speed Rating and seventh-best Passing Rating. But the end result dampens what could have been for Elliott, who ranked just 23rd in NASCAR Insights' Restart Rating. 'It was great for the 9 this weekend,' said Chad Knaus, Hendrick Motorsports' vice president of competition. 'They unloaded, they were good. Chase had very favorable comments about the race car straight out of the gate, which was really nice. I know that Alan and Chase are digging in deep and working extremely hard with their team to try to make sure that they do that on a weekly basis, because when they do, they execute very well. Advertisement 'It's unfortunate that issue happened today because I think we'd be sitting here with them easily in the top five with the pace that they had. But it only takes one hiccup and it can derail your day. So we've got to keep working on those things. But as long as they continue to bring good race cars and fast race cars and execute at a high level, they're going to be where we need them.' That particular round of pit stops ended others' days while propelling others back into the mix. Christopher Bell launched three spots forward to escape pit road with the lead at Lap 198 while his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe rocketed four spots up to sixth. Bell was a constant presence inside the top five Sunday, but Briscoe largely struggled to start the event before leaping to a fourth-place finish. Denny Hamlin, meanwhile, another JGR driver, suffered a mechanical failure, speculating that the transaxle broke on his No. 11 Toyota while attempting to leave his pit stall with an already-broken clutch. A handful of quick cautions in succession — first for spins by Cody Ware, Daniel Suárez and Ty Dillon, then for Kyle Busch and again for a five-car incident — jumbled the running order once again before Larson finally emerged as the day's dominant driver, leading 221 of 267 laps to score his third Kansas win.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NASCAR Insights: Trackhouse duo overcomes lack of speed for Texas top 10s
Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez both overcame a lack of speed in their Trackhouse Racing Chevrolets to leave Texas Motor Speedway with top-10 finishes. According to NASCAR Insights, Chastain's No. 1 Chevrolet ranked just 23rd in overall speed in Sunday's Würth 400 presented by Liqui Moly, and Suárez's No. 99 28th. But Chastain stormed to a second-place finish despite the relative lack of pace, while Suárez came home 10th. Advertisement MORE: Texas results | NASCAR Insights analysis explained Chastain's surge was bolstered by his No. 2 ranking in restarts Sunday and bettered with defense, which ranked third overall. That continues a trend of overcoming hindered performance from his No. 1 Chevrolet, which ranks 14th this season in speed. But Chastain isn't alone. His Trackhouse teammates Suárez and Shane van Gisbergen are facing similar issues, ranking 22nd and 35th in outright speed. 'That's a working-class day,' Chastain told FOX Sports. 'Just no confidence in the car (Saturday), and you all saw that. Just the speed of the Trackhouse cars on Saturdays is just terrible. And we're just not confident — all three drivers. 'There was one pit stop today that (crew chief) Phil Surgen and the group — it takes a ton of people back at Trackhouse and on the box here and at GM Chevrolet, and they made me a confident driver all of a sudden with one adjustment. And it was small stuff. It doesn't even make sense. But after that, I was a confident driver. … But yeah, I can't drive an uncomfortable car, personally. So as soon as they got it comfortable — or at least gave me some confidence — we started going forward.' Advertisement At Texas, no one defended positions better than Suárez, a two-time Cup race winner. He maximized the productivity of his pit crew as well, which ranked fourth Sunday with front tire changer Josh Bush, rear changer Seth Gajdorus, tire carrier Charles Plank, jackman Josh Appleby and fueler Milan Rudanovic. However, the No. 99 car ranked 28th in passing and 20th on restarts. 'It was a good day for this No. 99 Kubota Chevrolet team,' Suárez said. 'We had decent speed out there. I think that we potentially had a little bit more, but we were struggling a lot on restarts all day long, except for the start of the race for some reason. All in all, it was a decent day, and it's good to get back-to-back top-10 finishes.'
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tire changer Ryan Flores eager for 'mentor' role with No. 38 team
Despite moving organizations after nine races in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, Ryan 'Skip' Flores is taking his pit-crew change in stride, viewing the opportunity to help propel an up-and-coming Cup Series team with driver Zane Smith as an exciting proposition. Flores, who joins the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports group as a front-tire changer, was a front-tire changer for the No. 12 since 2022 before he was replaced last week by Keiston France, who served in the same position on the No. 38 team. Flores co-hosts 'Stacking Pennies' with Corey LaJoie. Advertisement RELATED: Cup Series schedule | Listen to 'Stacking Pennies' podcast 'There's a lot of young guys on the 38, and if we look at where the 38's been on the charts, they're at the lower end of the charts,' Flores said during a podcast segment about the move. 'So, OK, my mind just immediately doesn't go to, 'What the hell, that's not fair.' Like, OK, shift gears, how do we win, what's the steps with this team? How do I prepare them to be a top-20 team, to be a top-10 team and how do I take the experiences I have from racing for championships for the last 10 years … and I understand what it takes to win at this level, how do I pass that on to these guys that are gonna want to get there? 'That's where my mind goes. My mind doesn't go anywhere of being destructive or being mad, being frustrated, feeling wrong.' The No. 12 pit crew has struggled at times this season, including most recently at Darlington Raceway, where a slow stop resulted in a fifth-place finish instead of a possible visit to Victory Lane. According to NASCAR Insights, Blaney's No. 12 pit crew rating currently ranks 25th, while the 2023 champ's passing, defense, speed and restart ratings all rank inside the top 12. Meanwhile, Smith's No. 38 Ford ranks outside the top 20 in all categories; the No. 38 pit crew ranks 29th. Advertisement Flores, who has been a part of several Xfinity and Cup Series championships — including Blaney's Cup title triumph — understands the sport's shifting nature, including that of pit-crew members changing teams. However, Flores views the move as an opportunity to help the next up-and-coming pit-crew member find their place in the sport. 'I want to be somebody that, when I come back to pit road, the young guys, and I've passed on the good of what the sport is and how you're supposed to act and how you're supposed to be a champion,' Flores said. ' … If I can bring a good attitude to a team, show kids what it means to win, inevitably, if I'm meant to be on a championship car and go win another championship. If I'm meant to be a mentor and somebody that is on a car to help kids and help younger guys to get to where they're at, then that's great, too.' MORE: Talladega weekend schedule The Cup Series resumes action this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway (Sun., 3 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NASCAR Insights: Ryan Blaney earns needed bounce-back at Bristol
The first quarter of the season has been a rollercoaster for Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 crew. He went from leading the driver standings after the first two races to a string of three consecutive DNFs (two engine issues, one crash) from Phoenix to Homestead. But after a fifth-place performance at Bristol, which marks Blaney's second consecutive race with a fifth-place finish, it signals that the 2023 Cup Series champion may be starting to find a rhythm. In Sunday's race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Blaney and Kyle Larson were the only two drivers to net top-10 ratings in all five NASCAR Insights statistical categories — passing, defense, speed, restarts and pit crew. While he didn't finish runner-up to race-winner Larson, the performance overall merits one that Blaney deserved after having a stretch of misfortune that also included a handful of pit-road woes at Darlington that cost him a chance to win. Advertisement RELATED: Cup Series standings | NASCAR Insights analysis explained It was a different story, though, at the 'Last Great Colosseum' as Blaney's complete race craft was rewarded. The No. 12 Team Penske driver was consistently fast, rated as having the fourth-quickest car. Blaney made that speed count by executing clean passes, especially after his crew chief, Jonathan Hassler, made a gamble to stay late on older tires in the final stage, leading Blaney to charge up from ninth during his final stint. His defensive driving was equally sharp, rated eighth overall, helping him fend off pressure during long green-flag runs. 'It was a good risk to take,' Blaney told FOX Sports after the race. 'I thought Jonathan did a good job of taking a chance. We weren't going to win, I was already running fifth and at the end of the day we got back to where we were running, which is good. I took a chance trying to get a yellow and trapping a bunch of guys lap down, but really good effort.' The No. 12 crew also rebounded as they rated eighth-best in pit-crew performance, which marks a significant improvement from their season average of 25th. The combination of speed, different tire strategy and a clean day from the crew gave Blaney a race where he wasn't playing catch-up but rather showing what his team is capable of when they are firing on all cylinders. Advertisement 'Honestly, a really good weekend by the 12 boys,' Blaney added. 'I thought we got better and better from practice, which was good. I didn't think we were very good yesterday in race trim, so they did a great job of getting us to where we need to be and getting better all day. Like you said, blue-collar day.' Blaney's season average rating in passing and speed rank first and second, which is another indication that the Bristol result aligns with the pace Blaney has shown throughout the season but hasn't been able to convert. While the Cup Series takes this weekend off, he will look to keep the momentum going Sunday, April 27 at Talladega (3 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio), a track where he has three wins, eight top 10s and 290 laps led. Other notables from Sunday: — Ross Chastain charged up from 35th to seventh despite having a passing rating of 13 and a speed rating of 11. Advertisement — The two Spire Motorsport cars of Carson Hocevar and Justin Haley each had speed ratings in the top six. — Chase Briscoe had the best passing rating in the race but had a defense rating of 15th and was 13th-best on restarts.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Racing Insights: Should we expect a vintage Hendrick performance at Darlington?
Despite having all four of its drivers in the top five of the NASCAR Cup Series standings, Martinsville was something of a missed opportunity for the Hendrick Motorsports camp to track down the 'perfection' Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon emphasized after Kyle Larson's win at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Sunday's race at Darlington Raceway (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio) is the perfect setting for Hendrick to bounce back and run the standings table. Advertisement RELATED: Throwback Weekend schedule However, a better performance on pit road will be needed in order to put the team back in Victory Lane. At Martinsville, Chase Elliott, who finished fourth, had a Pit Crew Rating of 14. Similarly, William Byron and Alex Bowman had Pit Crew Ratings of 20 and 13, respectively, which was unusual given all four Hendrick teams have top-10 ratings on the season, according to NASCAR Insights. Looking ahead to Darlington, it's a track that puts more pressure on pit crews. There will be a lot of stops to service the car due to the track's aged asphalt, meaning the race won't just be in the driver's hands. Speaking of the drivers, Racing Insights' early metric predicts all four Hendrick drivers to net top 10s — something the organization has already done twice this season. Byron and Larson have won at the iconic track already and are great candidates to win again this Sunday. Bowman has reeled in top 10s in the last two spring races at Darlington. Elliott failed to record top 10s in both trips to South Carolina last year, but he has a best finish of third in this race two years ago and has finished top 20 in all seven races this season. Advertisement FANTASY: Set your lineup | Make a 36 for 36 pick OTHER DRIVERS TO WATCH TYLER REDDICK: Since the start of 2022, Reddick has been one of the best, if not the best, at Darlington. He has three top-three finishes, 275 laps led and an average running position of 6.8 at the track 'Too Tough to Tame.' CHRIS BUESCHER: Buescher could've won this race last year if he hadn't collided with Tyler Reddick, which led to a fiery discussion. Not only has Buescher started the last three Darlington races in the top 10, but he's also recorded five top 10s in the last eight races there. Advertisement KYLE BUSCH: It was the fall race, but Rowdy had one of the best cars when he finished second to Chase Briscoe in the 2024 Southern 500. Busch hasn't won at Darlington since the spring of 2008 but has recorded 15 top 10s over 26 Darlington starts. Plus, the track has a history of ending long winless streaks. ROSS CHASTAIN: He nabbed a seventh-place finish last week and comes to the 'Lady in Black' this week, where he's had three top-five performances in 11 starts. Sunday will be a great opportunity for Chastain to string solid weekends together. RACING INSIGHTS' PROJECTIONS FOR THE GOODYEAR 400 Racing Insights' advanced statistical formula includes current track, current track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to arrive at a projected winner and full race results. Updated on race day with practice and qualifying factored in.
