What does Rick Hendrick do when two of his drivers are racing for the win?

   Longtime NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick found himself holding his breath a little near the end of Sunday's Crown Royal 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Why? Because it looked like two of his drivers - Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne - were going to battle down to the wire for the win.

   Gordon passed Kahne on a restart with 17 laps remaining to win for a record fifth time at the Brickyard.

   After the race, Hendrick was asked if he had any conflicting emotions regarding the battle between Gordon and Kahne.

   "When you have that situation, you just hope they don't wreck each other. Two cars, kind of the class of the field at that time. You hold your breath till they get apart," Hendrick said.  "I have a lot of confidence in our guys not to do that intentionally. I know Kasey, he needed a win. He ran awful good. But Jeff had the dominant car, so it all worked out. 

   "It's like having your two kids in a state championship, one is pitching, one is hitting, you go somewhere else than by your wife."

Check out the 2014 Summer Shootout champions at Charlotte Motor Speedway

   Six champions were crowned Tuesday night at the final round of the 21st annual Jack in the Box Summer Shootout Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Daniel Hemric, Joshua Brimecombe, Tom Pistone and Carson Ferguson were among the season champions. 

   Hemric, of Kannapolis, N.C., capped the series with his sixth Legend Car Pro division win of the season, charging through the field to claim the lead by Lap 7. He led the rest of the way to drive away from second place William Byron. Hemric clinched his third Pro division championship when he started the feature race.

    Ferguson entered the Legend Car Young Lions division race with a 52-point lead and left with both a victory in the night's race and the division championship. Ferguson, of Charlotte, sparred with Matt Thomas for first place during the first half of the 20-lap race but eventually took over the top spot on Lap 8 and stayed there until the end of the race.

   The Quaker Steak and Lube Legend Car Semi-Pro race was the tightest points competition of the night with three possible champions going into the race. Devin O'Connell led the division by only five points at the start of the night, with Brimecombe and Dillon Faggart close behind. Faggart, of Concord, N.C., took the checkered flag but it wasn't quite enough to edge out Brimecombe, also of Concord, who finished third and ultimately won the division championship.

   In other Legend Car action, Robby Faggart claimed his first win of the season in the Security Force Legend Car Masters division while Tom Pistone, of Mooresville, N.C., who won seven of 10 races, finished second and won his third series championship in a row.

   Jensen Jorgensen, a Stockbridge, Ga., native, began the race with a 17-point lead in the Bandolero Outlaw standings and finished in fourth place to capture his first championship.

   In the LiveWell Homes Bandolero Bandits feature, DJ Canipe, of Fallston, N.C., ruined Chandler Smith's pursuit of perfection, claiming the win for his first victory of the season. Smith, a Jasper, Georgia, native, started the race 54 points in front of Canipe, but his second place finish solidified the points championship for the 12 year-old.

Denny Hamlin's Cup team gets penalized by NASCAR

   NASCAR Press Release

   

No. 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Team Penalized For Rules Infraction At Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Daytona Beach, Fla. (July 29, 2014) — The No. 11 team that competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has been penalized for a rules infraction discovered in post-race inspection July 27 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

This infraction is a P5 level penalty which is outlined in Section 12-4.5 A (9) of the 2014 NASCAR rule book:

Approved parts that fail or are improperly installed to fail in their intended use of great importance (e.g.; rear wheel well panels that fail and allow air evacuation in the trunk area; oil box cover that fails and allows air evacuation in the driver compartment; shifter boot cover that fails and allows air evacuation through the floor pan. 

This infraction violates Sections:

12-1 - Actions detrimental to stock car racing;

20-2.1 – Car body must be acceptable to NASCAR officials and meet the following requirements:

·         K – Any device or ductwork that permits air to pass from one area of the interior of the car to another, or to the outside of the car, will not be permitted. This includes, but is not limited to, the inside of the car to the trunk area, or the floors, firewalls, crush panels and wheel wells passing air into or out of the car;

·         L – All seams of the interior sheet metal and all interior sheet metal to exterior sheet metal contact point must be sealed and caulked. This includes, but is not limited to, floors, firewalls, wheel wells, package trays, crush panels and any removable covers;

20-3.4 - All references to the inspection surface in sub-section 20-3.4 have been determined with the front lower edge of both main frame rails set at six inches and the rear lower edge of both main frame rails set at eight inches. For driver protection, all firewalls, floors, tunnels, and access panels must be installed and completely secured in place when the car is in competition;

20-3.4.5 - A rear firewall, including any removable panels or access doors, constructed using magnetic sheet steel a minimum of 22 gage (0.031 inch thick), must be located between the trunk area and the driver’s compartment and must be welded in place. Block-off plates/covers used in rear firewalls in place of blowers, oil coolers, etc., must be constructed of 22 gauge (0.031 inch thick) magnetic sheet steel. Block-off plates/covers must be installed with positive fasteners and sealed to prevent air leakage. Carbon fiber or aluminum block-off plates/covers will not be permitted.

      Per Section 12-4.5 B, the minimum P5 penalty includes:

·         Loss of 50 championship driver and owner points, regardless of whether the violation occurred during a championship race or not;

·         $75,000 to $125,000 fine;

·         Suspension for the next six series championship races, plus any non-championship races or special events which might occur during that period, for the crew chief and any other team members as determined by NASCAR;

·         Probation through the end of the calendar year for all suspended members, or for a six-month period following the issuance of the penalty notice if that period spans across two consecutive seasons.

Since this infraction is a P5 level penalty and was discovered in post-race inspection, Section 12-4.5 C (1,2) also applies:

·         If the infraction is detected during post-race inspection, then the following penalty elements will be added:

o   Loss of an additional 25 championship driver and owner points; regardless of whether it was a championship race or not;

o   Loss of an additional $50,000.

As a result of these violations, crew chief Darian Grubb has been fined $75,000 plus an additional $50,000 post-race fine for a total of $125,000. Grubb has also been suspended from NASCAR for the next six series championship events, plus any non-championship races or special events that might occur during that time period. Grubb will also be on NASCAR probation for the next six months.

            Car chief Wesley Sherrill has been suspended from NASCAR for the next six series championship events, plus any non-championship races or special events that might occur during that time period and will be on NASCAR probation for the next six months.

            This infraction has also cost the No. 11 team the loss of 50 championship driver and owner (Denny Hamlin and J.D. Gibbs) points plus an additional 25 post-race points for a total loss of 75 championship driver and 75 championship owner points.

     

Two NASCAR team planes collide on ground at Concord Regional Airport

   A team Joe Gibbs Racing team plane collided with a parked plane from Stewart Haas Racing at Concord (N.C.) Regional Airport on Sunday night as NASCAR teams were returning to the Charlotte area following Sunday's Crown Royal 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

   A team spokesman for SHR said an empty and parked SHR plane was hit by another plane as that plane was parking. The plane's wing hit the tail of the parked SHR plane. 

   No one was hurt, the spokesman said.

   Several members from various NASCAR teams posted comments about the incident on Twitter, including some pictures (one is posted above).

Ford statement on Carl Edwards leaving Roush Fenway Racing

   FORD RACING STATEMENT ON CARL EDWARDS DEPARTURE

   JAMIE ALLISON, director, Ford Racing – “Carl Edwards has been a part of the Ford family for a decade, and it will certainly be tough to see him leave Ford and Roush Fenway Racing. During Carl’s time with Roush, he has represented Ford Motor Company with the utmost class, both on and off the track. We at Ford Racing did everything to facilitate keeping Carl a part of the Ford Racing & Roush Fenway family, but in the end that option did not come to fruition.

   “While we are disappointed in his decision to leave Roush Fenway Racing, we certainly want to extend our appreciation for Carl’s contributions winning races and a NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship in a Ford, and especially for his outreach to Ford fans. That said, with this decision out of the way, our plan for 2014 has not changed. We will go forward strongly with our stated goal of securing a NASCAR championship for Ford.”

Carl Edwards will not return to Roush Fenway Racing in 2015

   Roush Fenway Racing confirmed its 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver lineup on Sunday and as many expected it will not include Carl Edwards.

   Greg Biffle will continue to drive the No. 16 Ford, Trevor Bayne will drive the No. 6 Ford and Ricky Stenhouse will drive the No. 17 Ford. 

   Edwards will not return to the organization but many reports have him joining Joe Gibbs Racing next season with an official announcement coming in the next month or so.

   "I will always be thankful for Carl’s contribution and the role he played in many Roush Fenway wins and championships,” said team co-owner Jack Roush. “We wish him well for the future.  In the meantime, we are excited about continuing our quest for a championship with Carl and the No. 99 team in 2014.”

   Biffle, who has 746 NASCAR starts, first joined Roush Fenway in 1998, and earned the organization its first NASCAR championships in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2000 and in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) in 2002. He has qualified for the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup in five of the last six seasons; with a runner-up finish in 2005. Of his 55 NASCAR wins, 19 came in the NSCS, including Ford’s 1,000^th NASCAR victory last year.

   “I don’t have the words for what Jack Roush has meant to my career,” said Biffle. “During our 16 years together, we have won multiple championships and numerous races on every level.  I am as excited about what the future holds for me here as I am about what we have been able to accomplish in the past."

Tony Stewart on crew chief Chad Johnston: 'I think the world of him'

   While three-time Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart has gotten off to a slow start this season - he is currently without a win and is 19th in the series standings - there has been much speculation as to the cause, including questions about his new crew chief this year, Chad Johnston. 

   Stewart, who missed the last 15 races of the Cup season last year with two broken bones in his right leg, dismisses that idea outright.

   "Chad and I keep learning each other better and better each week. I really like Chad Johnston. I think the world of him," Stewart said. "I think he's probably been the best match personality-wise of any of the crew chiefs I've had since Zippy (Greg Zipadelli, Stewart's first crew chief in NASCAR).

   "So, I've had four really good crew chiefs now, but I think Chad and I really are kind of on the same page, so I'm excited about that side of it.  We've just got to find that one piece of the puzzle that gets us the rest of the way there."