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Cup teams to test Charlotte road course today

By Dustin LongJul 17, 2018, 7:00 AM EDT
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The second half of Cup tests on Charlotte’s road course will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET today. It is open to the public.

Testing today are: Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Clint Bowyer, Aric Almirola, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray, Alex Bowman, William Byron, Austin Dillon, AJ Allmendinger, Trevor Bayne and Ty Dillon. Chris Buescher is in a Chevy wheelforce car.

Last week, several Cup drivers tested on the course for a day. Bubba Wallace crashed early and left the test because his team did not have a backup car.

Jimmie Johnson had the fastest lap in last week’s session, according to NASCAR timing and scoring. Johnson had a lap at 1 minute, 17.4 seconds. Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin each had a lap at 1:17.5 last week.

 

 

 

Richard Petty Motorsports continues to seek sponsorship for Bubba Wallace

Photo: Dustin Long
By Dustin LongJul 14, 2018, 1:30 PM EDT
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SPARTA, Kentucky – Richard Petty Motorsports states it is seeking sponsorship for some races the rest of the season for Bubba Wallace.

He is being sponsored in tonight’s Cup race at Kentucky Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN) by Petty’s Garage and Medallion Bank. Those companies are tied to team owners Richard Petty and Andrew Murstein.

“Our ownership of Andrew Murstein and Richard Petty are fully behind our plan with Bubba Wallace this year and into the future,” said Brian Moffitt, chief executive officer at Richard Petty Motorsports, in a statement. “They are going to step up and support RPM with their two great companies at various races this summer, but at the same time, they want everyone to know that there are sponsorship opportunities with the Petty brand and Wallace this season. we have a unique opportunity for companies to be a part of this season, and it’s important that people know.”

This is the second race that Petty’s Garage and Medallion Bank have been Wallace’s primary sponsor. Both companies were on his car at Talladega in the April. The team has had 14 different primary sponsors in the first 19 races. Click n’ Close and World Wide Technology each have been the primary sponsor the most on the car at three races each.

Wallace starts 25th in tonight’s race. He finished 14th last weekend at Daytona, his best finish since placing eight at Texas in April.

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Martin Truex Jr. wins pole for Quaker State 400

By Daniel McFadinJul 13, 2018, 7:35 PM EDT
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Martin Truex Jr. won the pole for Saturday’s Cup race at Kentucky Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN), claiming his series-best fourth pole of the season.

Truex, the defending winner of the Quaker State 400, posted a top speed of 188.890 mph. It’s his 19th career pole.

He is joined on the front row by Erik Jones (188.739 mph), who is coming off his first career Cup win last week.

The top five is completed by Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch.

“It’s Turn 3, man. That sucker will get you every time,” Truex told NBCSN. “If you want to go fast you’ve got to put it on the edge. I’m talkin’ a half a MPH going into (Turn) 3 from over rolling the speed and just missing the bottom. It’s a treacherous corner but it’s a lot of fun when you get it right.”

Austin Dillon qualified 13th and was followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Larson.

Larson has started 11th or worse in seven of the last nine races.

Bubba Wallace qualified 25th followed by AJ Allmendinger and Jimmie Johnson.

Johnson has started 27th or worse four times this season.

Four drivers, including Denny Hamlin, Jesse Little, Timmy Hill and Matt DiBenedetto, did not make qualifying attempts after their cars failed to pass inspection in time.

Click here for the starting lineup.

Bubba Wallace wrecks during Charlotte road course test

By Daniel McFadinJul 10, 2018, 10:56 AM EDT
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Bubba Wallace’s test day on the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course ended early when his No. 43 Chevrolet spun and plowed in a Turn 1 tire barrier during the second hour of the test.

The team left the test due to not having a backup car.

Wallace declined to talk to media after his release from the infield medical center.

It was the second caution of the test following a mechanical issue for Chase Elliott that put fluid on the track.

Wallace’s wreck follows his 29th-place finish at Sonoma Raceway last month.

Charlotte road course race to be called Bank of America Roval 400

Dustin Long
By Daniel McFadinJul 9, 2018, 1:00 PM EDT
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The Sept. 30 Cup race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course will be 400 kilometers and called the Bank of America Roval 400, the track announced Monday.

The race, the longest road course event in NASCAR, will be held on a 2.28-mile, 17-turn circuit and is the last race in the opening round of the playoffs. The race is scheduled to air on NBC.

The race will be 109 laps. Stage 1 will end at Lap 25. Stage 2 will end at Lap 50.

The circuit, which includes most of the 1.5-mile oval, is the second longest of the three road courses the Cup Series visits. Watkins Glen International is 2.45-miles and Sonoma Raceway is 1.99-miles.

The Sept. 29 Xfinity race will be the Drive for the Cure 200 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. The race will be 55 laps. Stage 1 will end at Lap 15. Stage 2 will end at Lap 30.

The announcement came the day before the first of two open tests for Cup teams on the road course.

Sixteen teams will take part in Tuesday’s test from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET.

The teams scheduled to test will be those of: Martin Truex Jr.; Jimmie Johnson; Kurt Busch; Chase Elliott; Kevin Harvick; Denny Hamlin; Daniel Suarez; Brad Keselowski; Paul Menard; Kyle Larson; Ricky Stenhouse Jr.; Ryan Newman; Chris Buescher; Bubba Wallace; Kasey Kahne; Michael McDowell.

A second test will be held July 17.

NASCAR held a test on the road course with its original 2.4-mile, 13-turn layout in October. Busch, Truex, Daniel Hemric and Jamie McMurray took part in it.