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PURE MICHIGAN 400 ■■ Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, and Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, lead the field during pace laps prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

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20. TONY STEWART: FAREWELL, SMOKE

22 HOW THE CHASE WORKS 26. 5 FAVORITES

TO WIN THE CHASE FOR THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP

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CONTENDERS

60 CHASE TRIVIA

56. 5 FAVORITES

TO WIN THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP

50. 5 FAVORITES

TO WIN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP

8. GREEN FLAG NEWS 10. TRADIN’ PAINT 12. WIVES & GIRLFRIENDS 14. SPOTLIGHT: GEICO

16. MY FIRST RIDE 18. TAILGATING: HONDA 28. SPOTLIGHT: COPD 64. 2016 SCHEDULES POLE POSITION MAG.COM

GREEN FLAG Free Admission for Kids in 2017

ASCAR officials announced that children ages 12 and younger will be admitted free to all NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races during the 2017 season. Many NASCAR tracks already have in place a bevy of offerings geared toward youth, including youth autograph sessions, youth garage tours, kids’ clubs and designated kids’ zones. Numerous tracks also have employed various ticket platforms focused on children, but this new program marks the first time in which tracks will institute a consistent offer wherever NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races take place. Beginning next year, the number of complimentary tickets available for children 12 and younger will vary from venue to venue for every adult ticket purchased.

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Furniture Row Racing owner Barney Visser has hired NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Erik Jones to pilot a second NASCAR Cup Series car the team will field next season. Jones, 20, will drive the No. 77 Toyota with sponsorship from 5-hour ENERGY. Jones has three Cup Series starts – all in Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas. He filled in one race for an injured Kyle Busch in 2015 and then substituted for a suspended Matt Kenseth later in the season.

endrick Motorsports signed NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points leader William Byron to a multi-year driver agreement. Byron will race full time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series for Hendrick Motorsports affiliate JR Motorsports beginning next February. Byron was crowned NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion in 2015 when he posted four wins and earned three poles. Through just 13 races this year, he had earned NCWTS victories at Kansas, Texas, Iowa, Kentucky and Pocono. Next season, Byron will drive for JR Motorsports, which won the 2014 XFINITY Series championship, placed second in 2015 and currently leads the 2016 standings. Byron, 18, is enrolled as a freshman at Liberty University this fall, while continuing to chase the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title.

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n conjunction with NASCAR’s effort to offer free NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and XFINITY Series tickets for children 12 and under next season, officials of Speedway Motorsports, Inc. announced a company-wide Fans First initiative to price select children’s tickets at just $10 each for the Cup Series events at its eight premier speedways.

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Smithfield partnered with Meijer and Richard Petty Motorsports prior to the NASCAR race weekend at Michigan International Speedway in August to provide more than 100,000 servings to the Food Bank of Central Michigan, which serves the South Central Michigan community. The donation provided more than 25,000 pounds of protein to a community where one in six people suffers from hunger. Helping Hungry Homes, now in its eighth year, is Smithfield’s coast-to-coast tour to help Americans become more food secure.

ONEMAIN, A LEADING CONSUMER FINANCE COMPANY, SIGNED A MULTI-YEAR extension to continue its sponsorship of veteran driver Elliott Sadler and the No. 1 JR Motorsports team in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. OneMain will receive primary branding on Sadler’s No. 1 car for 20 races in 2017. It will mark the seventh year of partnership between OneMain and Sadler, a NASCAR XFINITY Series championship contender. The announcement all but solidifies JR Motorsports’ driver lineup for next year. JRM will compete for a championship with full-time entries for drivers – Sadler, Justin Allgaier and William Byron. JRM will also enter a fourth car in select races.

“Citizen Soldier,” a feature film using real footage that follows an Oklahoma National Guard unit during its deployment to Afghanistan, is sponsoring the Oct. 2 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway. The race weekend will include an interactive USO Military Village display and military flyovers.

NASCAR AND REV RACing announced nine former college student-athletes have been selected to participate in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Crew Member Development Program. The new class of participants received invitations to train with Rev Racing following standout performances at the first national D4D pit crew combine in May. Multicultural athletes at the college level will receive expert training, with the goal of gaining fulltime employment with NASCAR national series race teams. The new class includes: Brehanna Daniels, Norfolk,

Virginia, Norfolk State Univ., Basketball; Kapil Fletcher, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Univ. of Kansas, Football; Tedarian Johnson, Jackson, Mississippi, Univ. of Kansas, Football; Jeremy Kimbrough, Decatur, Georgia, Appalachian State Univ., Football; Corey King, Boca Raton, Florida, Univ. of Kansas, Football; Lamar Neal, Virginia Beach, Virginia, Norfolk State Univ., Football; Breanna O’Leary, Amarillo, Texas, Alcorn State Univ., Softball; Jorden Paige, Buffalo, New York, Clark Atlanta Univ., Football; and Joshua Tate, Memphis, Tennessee, Clark Atlanta Univ., Football.

In Stores

Race-Win Die-Casts a Big Hit Lionel Racing’s race-win die-cast cars offer fans the unique opportunity to remember the season’s biggest races with models of the winning cars – just as they appeared in Victory Lane. PRESENTED BY

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ionel Racing Director of Production Gwynn Trenck is the first to admit she celebrated Kyle Larson’s first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory in August at Michigan International Speedway. The bottom line is Larson’s victory is good for business at Lionel Racing. Larson’s race-win die-cast, due to the driver’s popularity and the significance of the victory, figures to be one of the best-selling die-casts of the season along with Jimmie Johnson’s Supermanthemed Chevrolet from Auto Club Speedway and Tony Stewart’s Chevrolet from Sonoma Raceway. “The Kyle Larson die-cast could outpace the Jimmie Johnson one the way it’s been selling,” Trenck said. Lionel Racing has been producing racewin die-casts since 2000, and the models are arguably more accurate than the regular die-casts since they are produced in-season rather than the previous fall. The die-casts that hit the market each year before the Daytona 500 are often designed in September of the previous season. The race-win die-cast are modeled after the way a specific winning car looked in Victory Lane – complete with dents, scratches, damage and confetti. “Things change between September and

February, so these are generally more accurate,” Trenck said. “We take the winner’s circle photo and replicate every detail.” Lionel Racing artists will often spend 40 hours working on each race-win die-cast. Customers receive a bag of confetti and a fact card explaining the significance of the win along with the die-cast. “It’s a lot of detail, a lot of work,” Trenck said. “I have to rotate the artists because the ones that work on the race-win diecast for 40 hours are burned out. We have to cycle through artists.” Prior to the 2016 season, Lionel Racing assumed mass-distribution rights for NASCAR’s die-cast collection, expanding its prior role. Since 2010, Lionel Racing has produced NASCAR diecast cars and other products exclusively for the collector market, which includes hobby shops, e-commerce sites and official trackside retailers. Under the terms of the new agreement, the company’s distribution channel has been expanded to include big box retailers like Walmart, Target, Toys “R” Us and Meijer.

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TRADIN’ PAINT PRE S E N T E D B Y Iconic NASCAR Paint Schemes

hroughout NASCAR history, a race car’s paint scheme has become just as beloved by fans as the actual driver in the car. For instance, in 1971 Richard Petty originally walked away from a deal with STP because he didn’t want to paint his No. 43 Plymouth red. He held his ground, thus creating the Petty blue and red iconic paint scheme that is still used to this day. In this space, we’ll share some of the most iconic paint schemes in NASCAR history.

In 1987, three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Darrell Waltrip joined Hendrick Motorsports. He drove the No. 17 Tide Chevrolet Monte Carlo and then Lumina through the 1990 season.

Neil Bonnett made his return to NASCAR at Talladega in 1993, the No. 31 Goodwrench Chevrolet fielded by Richard Childress Racing. The start came three years after a serious crash at Darlington sidelined Bonnett.

Jamie McMurray drove the solid silver No. 40 Coors Light Dodge as a replacement driver for Sterling Marlin during the 2002 season. McMurray went to Victory Lane in just his second start during the October Charlotte race.

After a dismal 1978 Sprint Cup Series season of driving Dodge Magnums, Richard Petty chose the Oldsmobile Cutlass for 1979. Petty’s first outing in the car produced his sixth of seven Daytona 500 wins.

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G WIVES & GIRLFRIENDS

PRE S E N T E D B Y

â&#x2013; [Top left] Denny Hamlin celebrates in Victory Lane with girlfriend Jordan Fish at Watkins Glen; [top left lower] Kyle Larson, girlfriend Katelyn Sweet and son Owen enjoy a win at Michigan; [top right] NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Michigan pole winner John Wes Townley and girlfriend Laura Bird; [lower left] Joey Logano and wife Brittany at Watkins Glen; [lower right] Kyle Busch with wife Samantha and son Brexton at Indianapolis.

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G SPOTLIGHT

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600 MILES OF REMEMBRANCE

GEICO Camo Car Supports U.S. Military

ince its inception in 1936, GEICO targeted a customer base of military and federal employees. Although GEICO now offers insurance to those employed by both the government and private sectors, the Chevy Chase, Maryland-based company has not abandoned its roots. The latest example came on Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway when GEICO driver Casey Mears raced with a special camouflage paint scheme in support of the United States military. Mears, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series veteran, plans to also campaign the military colors in other races later this year. “It’s a good-looking paint scheme and definitely honors all the military,” Mears said. “All the way around it’s a really cool package as far as being able to show our appreciation for what

the military does.” So how much influence did the Germain Racing driver have in the overall design of his camo car? “They definitely asked for my input and the team’s input on what we thought would look good, and we ended up with a GEICO Military paint scheme that looks great. The camo with the way that it’s done is a very unique way to help further promote GEICO and its commitment to the military. It’s just a really cool paint scheme.” Although a driver can’t see the outside of his car when he’s strapped behind the steering wheel, Mears always has a little extra motivation when competing with special colors. “Having a mean-looking military paint scheme is definitely a plus,” he said. “I’ve driven an all-pink car, which is for a great cause in breast cancer

awareness. Because of what the cause is, it makes it very exciting. But a cool military paint scheme, from my standpoint, is fun, and it gets a lot of attention because we have a lot of military men and women who are fans, and people that enjoy that, so it makes it a lot of fun to be a part of.”

GETTY IMAGES JARED TURNER

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n addition to the military paint scheme, the windshield on Casey Mears’ Coca-Cola 600 car featured the name of Spc. Chris Wright, who served multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan as an Army Ranger and was killed in Afghanistan in 2010. “It’s just a great opportunity to celebrate a guy in Chris Wright, who made the ultimate sacrifice to help provide the freedom that we have today,” Mears said. “I think it’s really important to do these types of things because I think being over here on the right side of the world for the most part – even though we see things on the news – the reality of it doesn’t tend to hit home.” The Memorial Day weekend race was dubbed the “600 Miles of Remembrance” and each NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team replaced the driver’s name on its car’s windshield with the name of a fallen service member. “Quite honestly, I think all of us have always felt – when I say all of us, I mean from the NASCAR standpoint – we’re so heavily military involved as far as having troops out to the track and really wanting to support what they do and appreciate what they do for us,” Mears said.

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G MY FIRST RIDE NASCAR Legends Reflect Horsepower was at a premium for many of NASCAR’s stars when they first secured a driver’s license and got behind the wheel. These two race car drivers were willing to share their experience of purchasing their first rides.

DALE EARNHARDT JR. 1988 CHEVY S-10

CAR FACTS The original Chevy S-10 was built from 1982-93. This S-10 was available in extended and regular cab styles, with the latter available in two wheelbases. It, too, was available with four- and six-cylinder engines, although the 2.5-liter fourbanger made only 105 horsepower.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Dale Earnhardt Jr. had his eye on a special ride when he turned 16 in October 1990 – a 1988 Chevy S-10 pickup. He financed it for $100 per month for five years. Earnhardt became obsessive about the care of his first ride, washing, waxing and detailing the truck – on the inside and out – whenever he had a spare moment. But in a split second, it turned to a heap of rubble. “I financed it for five years for a $100 payment,” Earnhardt Jr. said in a 2014 FOX Sports article. “I had it for about three months, and I flipped it on Christmas morning driving to MeMaw’s for a family reunion. There was a little snow off the road, but not on the road. I’d gotten a Walkman CD player from my sister with a tape adaptor, and I was messing with that, and drove it off the road, hit a driveway culvert and flipped over like six or seven times. It totaled the truck.” “I don’t think anything survived the wreck. Luckily, I didn’t get hurt; it was a pretty nasty spill.” Earnhardt called his father, seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt, and soon a rollback carried the badly damaged truck to the family farm. Today, Earnhardt Jr. owns a fully restored 1988 Chevy S-10 pickup identical to his first ride.

LANDON CASSILL 1988 FORD FESTIVA

CAR FACTS The 1988 Ford Festiva offered a single 1.3-liter B3 four-cylinder engine and three trim levels: L, L Plus and LX. The two base models featured a four-speed manual overdrive transmission, with the LX upgraded to a five-speed unit. A tachometer and tilt steering wheel were also featured on the LX trim, as were alloy wheels, remote mirrors, cloth interior seating and an AM/FM cassette radio.

Landon Cassill received the ultimate hand-me-down from an older brother when he turned 14. He was gifted the family’s 1988 Ford Festiva. Cassill wasn’t exactly the talk of the town behind the wheel of that vehicle. Cassill, driver of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford, admits the Ford Festiva looked a bit rough on the surface, but had several unique qualities. “I don’t think anybody in the family ‘officially’ bought it,” Cassill said with a laugh. “I come from a car dealer family so I don’t know exactly how we ended up with it. My brother drove it for two years. When he bought a Ford Explorer with his own money, I turned 14 about that time and had my school driving permit. “Out of the factory, it was originally black. But over time, it became a nice sun-faded gray. I had a back-up sensor that I stole off a trade my [father] got at the dealership. I had it wired into the reverse light and it would beep and say, ‘Attention, please! This car is backing up!’ It did have a radio, but over time three of the four speakers finally went out. The driver side speaker worked but I had to kick it. I finally got another speaker from the parts department and zip-tied it under the dashboard.”

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G TAILGATING Martinsville: Small Track with Big Tailgates

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Martinsville Speedway might be the smallest track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series tour, but there’s plenty of room for tailgating and lots of it.

In fact, the .526-mile paperclip-shaped oval in Southern Virginia is one the sport’s best places for a good tailgate – at least in the minds of Sue and Richard Kenyon, a husband and wife who reside near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and attended their first Martinsville race five years ago. “I was very unsure about going there since my husband said the camping was in big empty fields around the track,” Sue Kenyon said. “I really didn’t know what to expect, but it was one of the best

tracks we have ever been to. The track is kind of located in the middle of nowhere, and it is so intimate and fan-friendly.” Helping make Martinsville one of NASCAR’s most tailgate-friendly tracks is the fact that parking is free throughout the property. “We found a great barbeque place while we were in town and bought a container of pulled pork and made sandwiches with it all weekend,” Sue Kenyon said. “Pulled pork is great because you can eat it hot or cold.” The Kenyons have been NASCAR fans since 2008, and attended their first race in June of that year. “We made a last-minute decision to go and we were not disappointed,” Sue said. “I really didn’t follow NASCAR too much, so I really didn’t know what to expect. We are pretty big SEC football fans, so we knew how to tailgate, but we had no idea people did it for three days! Once we pulled into the parking lot on Sunday morning, we were amazed at how many people were already there and the setups that they had. Right then we decided this was our kind of sport, and have not looked back since.” JARED TURNER

“MOM MASON’S” PASTA SALAD

ue Kenyon shares a favorite tailgating recipe she’s been using more than 20 years, thanks to a friend’s mother. Here are the ingredients:

■ 1 jar of Salad Supreme (found in the spice aisle) ■ Bottle of Wish Bone Italian Dressing (16-ounce) ■ 1 box of Rotini Pasta (cooked/drained) ■ Broccoli (chopped) ■ Cauliﬂower (chopped) ■ 2 peppers (chopped) ■ 1 can of Black Olives (halved) ■ 1 jar of Green Olives (drained) ■ Chopped Pepperoni ■ Cubed Cheese – Cheddar & Monterey Jack

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■ Mix half a jar of salad supreme and Italian dressing, and set aside. Cook/drain the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, chop the veggies/ peperoni/cheese and add them to the bottom of the bowl. Once the pasta has been drained and rinsed to cool down, add the pasta to the bowl. Lastly, add the dressing mixture and stir it all together until well-combined. Chill for at least an hour.

MUST-HAVE PRODUCT Every die-hard tailgater needs a reliable koozie to keep his or her beverage of choice cold enough for consumption. But when that koozie has a No. 88 featured prominently on it, well, that’s even better – at least for the many fans of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Junior Nation can purchase a one-of-a-kind “Dale Yeah” koozie at the NASCAR.com SuperStore for $5.99. This highly decorated can cooler will support a can containing up to 12 ounces of liquid. In addition to the big “Dale Yeah” in its design, the Dale Jr. koozie also features the logo for “Dirty Mo Radio” – the name of the third-generation driver’s weekly Internet podcast.

Q&A WITH A TAILGATE TITAN

JIM SCHILLING CINCINNATI, OHIO HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A RACE FAN? I’ve been a NASCAR fan since starting back in the ’60s when I was a teenager, and I’m 67 years old now. I just like racing in general. I’ve always been a fan of especially the older drivers, like Pearson and Yarborough. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE DRIVER? I’m kind of torn between Keselowski and Logano. I was a big Carl Edwards fan until he switched over to Toyotas. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE TAILGATING FOODS? I just try to do it simple because I don’t want to tote anything I’ve got to cook. So we just make potato salad and macaroni salad and just bring lunch meat and cheese and dips. We don’t get as fancy as some people. WHO ATTENDS YOUR TAILGATES? My wife Debie, my son-inlaw Shawn and daughter Addie, and friends Bill and Kim. WHAT MAKES FOR A GOOD TAILGATE? I think just being able to sit back and relax and enjoy everybody and talk. It’s just enjoyable to be out and not have to worry about anything, and just kick back. It’s kind of like being on a mini-vacation.

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TONY STEWART

Farewell, ‘Smoke’ As Tony Stewart wraps up his illustrious driving career, here are five lasting contributions to the sport from the racer nicknamed “Smoke.” CANDOR Other than perhaps the late Dale Earnhardt, there hasn’t been a NASCAR driver in the past two decades more willing to speak his mind than Tony Stewart. Whether using a tongue-in-cheek approach, plain old sarcasm or just telling it like it is, Stewart has never been one to refrain from making his thoughts known. His candor with members of the media, fellow competitors, NASCAR officials and even his teammates will be missed, but the good news is that he’ll still be around the track on a regular basis in his continued role as co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing. Rest assured – Stewart is going to be vocal as long as he’s part of the sport.

RESILIENCE There’s no tougher driver in NASCAR than Tony Stewart. In both 2013 and 2016, the veteran missed significant portions of the season due to injuries, but ultimately battled back to return to the seat of his No. 14 Chevrolet. The first of Stewart’s injuries was a broken right leg he suffered in a sprint car crash in Iowa. As a result, Stewart missed the final 15 races of the 2013 season. This year, Stewart missed only the first eight races after suffering a broken back when an ATV he was driving crashed during a recreational trip to the West Coast in late January. But even while out of the car, Stewart was often at the track with his team and helping coach his substitute driver. PHILANTHROPY No NASCAR driver has done more for charitable causes than Tony Stewart. The goal of the Tony Stewart Foundation is to raise funds primarily distributed to serving three groups – chronically ill and physically disabled children, animals that are endangered or at-risk and drivers injured in the sport of motor racing.

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The foundation has awarded millions of dollars to assist charitable initiatives for more than 150 organizations throughout the United States. Also, every December, Stewart traditionally opens up his home to sick children and their families. One child and family are paired up with Stewart for the better part of three days through the Catch-A-Dream Foundation, which grants once-in-a-lifetime hunting and fishing experiences to youth with terminal or life-threatening illness. BUSINESS SAVVY From co-owning a multi-car NASCAR Sprint Cup Series organization to owning multiple sprint car teams, a well-known dirt track and a traveling sprint car series, Tony Stewart has been quite the busy man over the past few years. Since 2009 – the year he partnered with Gene Haas to form Stewart-Haas Racing – Stewart has been co-owner of SHR, a two-time championship-winning organization that started with two teams but has since expanded to four. Meanwhile, Stewart continues to have a hand in the World of Outlaws sprint car team he owns

along with Eldora Speedway, a historic half-mile clay oval in Rossburg, Ohio. Stewart’s purchase of the All Star Circuit of Champions winged sprint car series in early 2015 was his most recent business acquisition of note. WINS AND CHAMPIONSHIPS It’s impossible to look back on Tony Stewart’s stellar NASCAR career without acknowledging his success on the race track. Stewart snared his first title in 2002 and added his second championship – and final one with Joe Gibbs Racing – in 2005. After leaving JGR to become a co-owner and driver in 2009 for the organization rebranded as Stewart-Haas Racing, Stewart needed only three years to capture a third championship, and in so doing became the first owner/driver champion since Alan Kulwicki in 1992. Of course, championships are just part of Stewart’s on-track legacy. He’s also won many of the sport’s big races, with the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500 being notable exceptions. Darlington and Kentucky are the only active tracks where Stewart has never won.

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HOW THE CHASE WORKS

fter 10 years with a Chase format where the driver who accumulated the most points over the season’s final 10 races was crowned NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, officials made a radical change in 2014. Instead of allowing for the possibility of any number of drivers to remain mathematically championship eligible until the conclusion of the final race, NASCAR instituted an elimination-style playoff format culminating in a one-race, winnertake-all season finale in which just four drivers would compete for the title. So far, the change has delivered on its intended goal of boosting TV ratings and the level of fan excitement, and ratcheting up the pressure that drivers and teams face over the course of 10 already fiercely intense weekends. “A lot of people thought that an elimination-style format in motorsports wasn’t possible – and it wouldn’t work properly – and the reality is it’s not only possible; it is the most exciting form of motorsports,” NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France said. “Rather it’s the way to crown the champion in

the most exciting form of motorsports, and there’s no question about that.” The top-15 drivers with the most wins over the first 26 races earn a spot in the Chase Grid – provided they have finished in the top 30 in points. The 16th Chase position goes to the points leader after race No. 26 if that driver does not have a victory. If there are fewer than 16 different winners in the first 26 races, the remaining Chase Grid positions go to those winless drivers highest in points. The number of Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers in contention for the championship decreases after every three Chase races, from 16 to start in the Chase Grid; 12 after Chase Race No. 3; eight after Chase Race No. 6; and four after Chase Race No. 9. The first three races of the Chase (27-29) are known as the Round of 16 and are held at Chicagoland Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Dover International Raceway, respectively. Dover, where the field of championship-eligible drivers decreases from 16 to 12, is the first of three elimination races. JARED TURNER

POLE POSITION 2016

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HOW THE CHASE WORKS Races 30-32 on the season are known as the Round of 12 and are held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, respectively. Talladega is the elimination race where the Chase field is whittled from 12 drivers to eight. Races 33-35 are dubbed the Round of 8 and are held at Martinsville Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway, respectively. Only four drivers leave PIR still in title contention. The season’s 36th and final race is the winner-take-all NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. A win by a championshipeligible driver in any Chase race automatically clinches the winning driver a spot in the next Chase round. The positions for each round that aren’t filled based on wins in the previous round are filled based on points, and point totals are reset at the beginning of each round to be equal for every driver who remains title-eligible. The highest finisher at HomesteadMiami Speedway among the four championship finalists – formally dubbed the Championship 4 – is the series champion. In both seasons with the elimination format, the winner-take-all finale has come down to the final lap, with the champion winning the race and another Championship 4 driver finishing just behind him in second place. It happened in 2014 with Kevin Harvick beating out Ryan Newman, and it happened again last year with Kyle Busch edging Harvick. “Our fans have rallied around the format,” France said. “Our drivers, our teams have done that. And what you saw was in year two a real understanding of what it takes to compete in each of the rounds, the strategies and so on, and that makes the racing better, because chances are taken, things are getting figured out, more teams are competitive, more surprises are happening. “So we couldn’t have felt better about leading up to the finale in Homestead where we had a record audience – the best audience on television in a decade. And they watched four drivers battle it out, and as was the case in the first year, we thought that you had to win the race to win the championship. That was the case.” 24

POLE POSITION 2016

HOW THE XFINITY SERIES CHASE WORKS

NEW CHAMPIONSHIP FORMAT INCLUDES 12 DRIVERS, 7 RACES

HOW THE CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES CHASE WORKS

FORMAT FEATURES 8 DRIVERS, 7 RACES FOR THE TAILGATE BRIGADE

s with the NASCAR XFINITY Series, the new NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase features an elimination format modeled after the one used the past two years in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. But the Truck Series Chase isn’t identical to the playoff format used in either of NASCAR’s top two divisions. Consisting of seven races, the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase kicks off at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 24. The playoff will feature eight drivers and two elimination rounds, with four drivers making up the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. A win in the season’s first 16 races all but guarantees a driver entry into the Truck Series Chase, as long as that driver is in the top 30 in series points. The first round, called the Round of 8, consists of races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. All qualified drivers will have their points adjusted to 2,000, with three additional bonus points added to their total for each win in the first 16 races. If a driver wins a race in the Round of 8, the driver automatically advances to the next round. The remaining available positions (1-6) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points. Each driver who advances to the Round of 6 – consisting of races at Martinsville Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway – will have his points reset to 3,000. Drivers who win in the Round of 6 automatically advance to the Championship 4 at Homestead. The remaining available positions (1-4) that have not been filled by wins will be filled based on points. The four drivers in the Championship 4 will have their point totals reset to 4,000, and the highest finishing Championship 4 driver will be crowned series champion.

hen NASCAR executives announced in January the implementation of a playoff system for the NASCAR XFINITY Series, many in the sport voiced their approval – and with good reason. The new, elimination-style championship format is similar, although not identical, to the one used to great success the past two years in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The seven-race NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase begins at Kentucky Speedway on Sept. 24, and features 12 drivers and two elimination rounds, with a quartet of drivers competing in the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. A win in the first 26 races all but guarantees a driver entry into the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase, provided the driver is in the top 30 in points and has attempted to qualify for each race. Drivers who win two Dash 4 Cash bonuses are also all but guaranteed a Chase berth. The first round, called the Round of 12, consists of races at Kentucky Speedway, Dover International Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. All drivers start with their points adjusted to 2,000, with three additional bonus points added to their total for each win in the first 26 races. If a driver wins a race in the Round of 12, the driver automatically advances to the next round. The remaining available positions (1-8) that have not been filled by wins will be filled based on points. Each driver who advances to the Round of 8 (Kansas, Texas and Phoenix) then will have his points reset to 3,000. Drivers who win a race in the Round of 8 automatically advance to the Championship 4. The remaining available positions (1-4) that have not been filled by wins will be filled based on points. The four drivers who make up the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway will have their points reset to 4,000. The highest finishing Championship 4 driver will be the champion.

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NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

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TO WIN THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES TITLE

KYLE BUSCH: Like in most professional sports leagues, repeating as champion is extremely hard to do in NASCAR. Kyle Busch and his No. 18 team certainly have a great shot, however, after ﬂexing their muscle early and often this season. The fact that Busch has already once climbed NASCAR’s mountain and knows how to close the deal on a title could make him even more potent.

BRAD KESELOWSKI: Four years removed from his ﬁrst and only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title, Brad Keselowski has garnered a reputation as a driver who really ratchets up the aggression in the Chase – sometimes to his detriment, and sometimes to his gain. Keselowski hasn’t been super-close to winning a title since his championship season, but the Team Penske driver has performed at a championship level this year.

KEVIN HARVICK: No one has a better average ﬁnishing position in the standings the past two years than Kevin Harvick, who followed up his 2014 title by ﬁnishing second to Kyle Busch last season. While Harvick might not be quite as well-positioned for a title run as he’s been the past two years, he’s still a good bet for making it to Homestead – where, of course, anything can happen.

CARL EDWARDS: Already twice a bridesmaid in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship battles, Carl Edwards has felt the agony of defeat like few others currently in the sport. Remember, it was Edwards who lost a title by the “narrowest” margin in NASCAR history – a tiebreaker – to Tony Stewart in 2011. If Edwards qualiﬁes for the Championship 4, no one will be more inspired to close the deal.

JARED TURNER 26

POLE POSITION 2016

JIMMIE JOHNSON: While Jimmie Johnson hasn’t enjoyed a great season by his lofty standards, counting him out is risky business. Johnson and veteran crew chief Chad Knaus have won six titles together for a reason. The two historically thrive when the pressure is at its zenith – and there’s no time when the pressure is any higher than it is in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

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A New Lease on Life LUNG TRANSPLANT SAVED JIM NELSON

im Nelson liked to consider himself a big-game hunter when he was diagnosed with Stage 3 COPD at the age of 55 in 1995. The truth was his days as a big-game hunter were a thing of the past. Hunting had turned to fishing, and fishing had turned to traveling by motorhome. “I got my diagnosis, and we went home with a car load of oxygen equipment,” Nelson said. “It was a total shock for both of us [including wife Mary].” COPD is a lifethreatening lung disease, the fourthleading cause of death globally, and affects more than 300 million

individuals worldwide. Within the United States, COPD ranks as the third-leading cause of death, with more than 30 million Americans affected and approximately 12 million symptomatic but undiagnosed. However, a simple, painless breathing test, called spirometry, can determine whether or not a person has COPD. The Nelsons tried to gather as much information as they could find on the internet and through support groups. Mary Nelson began volunteering in hospice care and started to get a sense of what her husband’s future might look like.

“I think that probably helped me more than anything,” Mary Nelson said. “I don’t even know the number of patients I’ve seen that are actively dying from lung disease. I saw my husband get slower and slower. We’d take slower walks. I would find flowers or rock art to look at to slow things down. At home and in our business life – we worked together in an accounting firm – I tried to take over more levels of work without Jim ever knowing I had done it. There was no way I was going to emasculate him. When you’re caregiving, it can become something where you put your own life on hold. When you’re doing

it for someone you love, it doesn’t matter.” In 2011, Jim Nelson learned from a friend who was suffering from lung disease that he didn’t need to succumb to the inevitable slow decline of COPD. The friend recommended that Jim look into the possibility of a lung transplant through St. Joseph’s Transplant Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Thirty-nine days after he was placed on the donor list, Nelson received a new set of lungs from a recently deceased 32-year-old Mormon marathon runner. “I was very fortunate in many respects,” Jim Nelson said. “No. 1 – I was in good shape. No. 2 – I received the lungs from the perfect match in terms of body, blood type, tissue, antibodies and size. I have had zero rejection issues so far.” Since the transplant surgery, Jim and wife Mary have become Arizona Advocacy Captains for the COPD Foundation. They travel the country to spread the message of hope to others who have been diagnosed or affected by COPD.

ADVICE FROM THE WIFE OF A COPD PATIENT

im and Mary Nelson have become somewhat of a celebrity couple in the COPD community. Many people at COPD conferences or Town Hall events call them “Uncle Jim and Aunt Mary.” Mary Nelson has seen her husband live with the disease for the last 21 years, and she also has seen many COPD patients in her role as a hospice volunteer. “The best advice I have for everybody is to sign that organ donation card,” Mary Nelson said. “We’ve now had the opportunity to meet the family of Jim’s donor – all 50 members of the family including the widow and children. That has been an unbelievable gift.” Mary Nelson also shared advice for family members of people who are living with COPD. While a family member may think he or she can help a COPD patient push through the obstacles the disease provides, Nelson encouraged care-givers to remain patient and organized. “My mantra is: Do not ask a lung patient to hurry,” Nelson said. “They just can’t do it. They become short of breath and anxiety sets in. It’s a train on the way to disaster. Be organized, so you don’t have to hurry.”

DAN GUTTENPLAN 28

POLE POSITION 2016

COPD making you huff and puff?

SYMBICORT does not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. COPD can make it hard to get air out, which can make it hard to get air in. SYMBICORT is a twice-daily maintenance medication for adults with COPD, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, that could help make a significant difference in your breathing.* *Results may vary.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT SYMBICORT Important Safety Information About SYMBICORT SYMBICORT contains formoterol, a long-acting beta2 -adrenergic agonist (LABA). LABA medicines such as formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems. It is not known whether budesonide, the other medicine in SYMBICORT, reduces the risk of death from asthma problems seen with formoterol. • Call your health care provider if breathing problems worsen over time while using SYMBICORT. You may need different treatment • Get emergency medical care if: ° Breathing problems worsen quickly, and ° You use your rescue inhaler medicine, but it does not relieve your breathing problems SYMBICORT does not replace rescue inhalers for sudden symptoms. Be sure to tell your health care provider about all your health conditions, including heart conditions or high blood pressure, and all medicines you may be taking. Some patients taking SYMBICORT may experience increased blood pressure, heart rate, or change in hear t rhythm. Do not use SYMBICORT more often than prescribed. While taking SYMBICORT, never use another medicine containing a LABA for any reason. Ask your health care provider or pharmacist if any of your other medicines are LABA medicines. SYMBICORT can cause serious side effects, including: • Pneumonia and other lower respiratory tract infections. People with COPD may have a higher chance of pneumonia. Call your doctor if you notice any of the following symptoms: change in amount or color of mucus, fever, chills, increased cough, or increased breathing problems • Serious allergic reactions including rash, hives, swelling of the face, mouth and tongue, and breathing problems

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• Immune system effect and a higher chance of infection. Tell your health care provider if you think you are exposed to infections such as chicken pox or measles, or if you have any signs of infection such as fever, pain, body aches, chills, feeling tired, nausea, or vomiting • Adrenal insufficiency. This can happen when you stop taking oral corticosteroid medicines and start inhaled corticosteroid medicine • Using too much of a LABA medicine may cause chest pain, increase in blood pressure, fast and irregular heartbeat, headache, tremor, or nervousness • Increased wheezing right after taking SYMBICORT. Always have a rescue inhaler with you to treat sudden wheezing • Eye problems including glaucoma and cataracts. You should have regular eye exams while using SYMBICORT • Lower bone mineral density can happen in people who have a high chance for low bone mineral density (osteoporosis) • Swelling of blood vessels (signs include a feeling of pins and needles or numbness of arms or legs, flu like symptoms, rash, pain or swelling of the sinuses), decrease in blood potassium and increase in blood sugar levels Common side effects in patients with COPD include inflammation of the nasal passages and throat, thrush in the mouth and throat, bronchitis, sinusitis, and upper respiratory tract infection. Approved Uses for SYMBICORT SYMBICORT 160/4.5 is for adults with COPD, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. You should only take 2 inhalations of SYMBICORT twice a day. Higher doses will not provide additional benefi ts. Please see full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide and discuss with your doctor. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Ask your doctor about SYMBICORT Learn more at MySymbicort.com

I M P O R TA N T I N F O R M AT I O N A B O U T S Y M B I C O R T Please read this summary carefully and then ask your doctor about SYMBICORT.

WHAT SHOULD I TELL MY HEALTH CARE PROVIDER BEFORE USING SYMBICORT?

No advertisement can provide all the information needed to determine if a drug is right for you or take the place of careful discussions with your health care provider. Only your health care provider has the training to weigh the risks and benefits of a prescription drug.

Tell your health care provider about all of your health conditions, including if you: have heart problems have high blood pressure have seizures have thyroid problems have diabetes have liver problems have osteoporosis have an immune system problem have eye problems such as increased pressure in the eye, glaucoma, or cataracts are allergic to any medicines are exposed to chicken pox or measles are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. It is not known if SYMBICORT may harm your unborn baby are breast-feeding. Budesonide, one of the active ingredients in SYMBICORT, passes into breast milk. You and your health care provider should decide if you will take SYMBICORT while breast-feeding Tell your health care provider about all the medicines you take including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. SYMBICORT and certain other medicines may interact with each other and can cause serious side effects. Know all the medicines you take. Keep a list and show it to your health care provider and pharmacist each time you get a new medicine.

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION I SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SYMBICORT? People with asthma who take long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA) medicines, such as formoterol (one of the medicines in SYMBICORT), have an increased risk of death from asthma problems. It is not known whether budesonide, the other medicine in SYMBICORT, reduces the risk of death from asthma problems seen with formoterol. SYMBICORT should be used only if your health care provider decides that your asthma is not well controlled with a long-term asthma control medicine, such as an inhaled corticosteroid, or that your asthma is severe enough to begin treatment with SYMBICORT. Talk with your health care provider about this risk and the benefits of treating your asthma with SYMBICORT. If you are taking SYMBICORT, see your health care provider if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. It is important that your health care provider assess your asthma control on a regular basis. Your doctor will decide if it is possible for you to stop taking SYMBICORT and start taking a long-term asthma control medicine without loss of asthma control. Get emergency medical care if: breathing problems worsen quickly, and you use your rescue inhaler medicine, but it does not relieve your breathing problems. Children and adolescents who take LABA medicines may be at increased risk of being hospitalized for asthma problems.

WHAT IS SYMBICORT? SYMBICORT is an inhaled prescription medicine used for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It contains two medicines: Budesonide (the same medicine found in Pulmicort Flexhaler™, an inhaled corticosteroid). Inhaled corticosteroids help to decrease inflammation in the lungs. Inflammation in the lungs can lead to asthma symptoms Formoterol (the same medicine found in Foradil® Aerolizer®). LABA medicines are used in patients with COPD and asthma to help the muscles in the airways of your lungs stay relaxed to prevent asthma symptoms, such as wheezing and shortness of breath. These symptoms can happen when the muscles in the airways tighten. This makes it hard to breathe, which, in severe cases, can cause breathing to stop completely if not treated right away SYMBICORT is used for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as follows: Asthma SYMBICORT is used to control symptoms of asthma and prevent symptoms such as wheezing in adults and children ages 12 and older. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease COPD is a chronic lung disease that includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both. SYMBICORT 160/4.5 mcg is used long term, two times each day, to help improve lung function for better breathing in adults with COPD.

WHO SHOULD NOT USE SYMBICORT? Do not use SYMBICORT to treat sudden severe symptoms of asthma or COPD or if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in SYMBICORT.

Visit www.MySymbicort.com Or, call 1-866-SYMBICORT

HOW DO I USE SYMBICORT? Do not use SYMBICORT unless your health care provider has taught you and you understand everything. Ask your health care provider or pharmacist if you have any questions. Use SYMBICORT exactly as prescribed. Do not use SYMBICORT more often than prescribed. SYMBICORT comes in two strengths for asthma: 80/4.5 mcg and 160/4.5 mcg. Your health care provider will prescribe the strength that is best for you. SYMBICORT 160/4.5 mcg is the approved dosage for COPD. SYMBICORT should be taken every day as 2 puffs in the morning and 2 puffs in the evening. Rinse your mouth with water and spit the water out after each dose (2 puffs) of SYMBICORT. This will help lessen the chance of getting a fungus infection (thrush) in the mouth and throat. Do not spray SYMBICORT in your eyes. If you accidentally get SYMBICORT in your eyes, rinse your eyes with water. If redness or irritation persists, call your health care provider. Do not change or stop any medicines used to control or treat your breathing problems. Your health care provider will change your medicines as needed While you are using SYMBICORT 2 times each day, do not use other medicines that contain a long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA) for any reason. Ask your health care provider or pharmacist if any of your other medicines are LABA medicines. SYMBICORT does not relieve sudden symptoms. Always have a rescue inhaler medicine with you to treat sudden symptoms. If you do not have a rescue inhaler, call your health care provider to have one prescribed for you.

Call your health care provider or get medical care right away if: your breathing problems worsen with SYMBICORT you need to use your rescue inhaler medicine more often than usual your rescue inhaler does not work as well for you at relieving symptoms you need to use 4 or more inhalations of your rescue inhaler medicine for 2 or more days in a row you use one whole canister of your rescue inhaler medicine in 8 weeks’ time your peak flow meter results decrease. Your health care provider will tell you the numbers that are right for you your symptoms do not improve after using SYMBICORT regularly for 1 week

WHAT MEDICATIONS SHOULD I NOT TAKE WHEN USING SYMBICORT? While you are using SYMBICORT, do not use other medicines that contain a long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA) for any reason, such as: Serevent® Diskus® (salmeterol xinafoate inhalation powder) Advair Diskus® or Advair® HFA (fluticasone propionate and salmeterol) Formoterol-containing products such as Foradil Aerolizer, Brovana®, or Perforomist®

WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS WITH SYMBICORT? SYMBICORT can cause serious side effects. Increased risk of pneumonia and other lower respiratory tract infections if you have COPD. Call your health care provider if you notice any of these symptoms: increase in mucus production, change in mucus color, fever, chills, increased cough, increased breathing problems Serious allergic reactions including rash; hives; swelling of the face, mouth and tongue; and breathing problems. Call your health care provider or get emergency care if you get any of these symptoms Immune system effects and a higher chance for infections Adrenal insufficiency–a condition in which the adrenal glands do not make enough steroid hormones Cardiovascular and central nervous system effects of LABAs, such as chest pain, increased blood pressure, fast or irregular heartbeat, tremor, or nervousness Increased wheezing right after taking SYMBICORT Eye problems, including glaucoma and cataracts. You should have regular eye exams while using SYMBICORT Osteoporosis. People at risk for increased bone loss may have a greater risk with SYMBICORT Slowed growth in children. As a result, growth should be carefully monitored Swelling of your blood vessels. This can happen in people with asthma Decreases in blood potassium levels and increases in blood sugar levels

WHAT ARE COMMON SIDE EFFECTS OF SYMBICORT? Patients with Asthma Sore throat, headache, upper respiratory tract infection, thrush in the mouth and throat Patients with COPD Thrush in the mouth and throat These are not all the side effects with SYMBICORT. Ask your health care provider or pharmacist for more information. NOTE: This summary provides important information about SYMBICORT. For more information, please ask your doctor or health care provider. SYMBICORT is a registered trademark of the AstraZeneca group of companies. Other brands mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners and are not trademarks of the AstraZeneca group of companies. The makers of these brands are not affiliated with and do not endorse AstraZeneca or its products. © 2010 AstraZeneca LP. All rights reserved. Manufactured for: AstraZeneca LP, Wilmington, DE 19850 By: AstraZeneca AB, Dunkerque, France Product of France Rev 11/11 1504903

TITLE CONTENDERS

PRESENTED BY

KEEP AN EYE ON THESE TITLE CONTENDERS Sixteen drivers will start the battle for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship at Chicagoland Speedway. The list of title contenders will be down to just four when the series arrives at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the season finale in November. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a look at how the top drivers stack up heading into the Chase.

JARED TURNER

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TITLE CONTENDERS PRE S E N T E D B Y Kyle Busch Kyle Busch’s bid to join the elite club of back-to-back NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions has been nothing short of stellar. Unlike 2015, when the Joe Gibbs Racing driver missed the first third of the season with injuries, Busch has endured no such setbacks this year. He’s been no worse than ninth in points all year – a year in which he won four times in the first 20 races. Busch’s most dominant performance of all came on one of the sport’s biggest stages – legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway – where the driver of the No. 18 Toyota captured his second consecutive Brickyard 400 trophy. Only this time, Busch did so after starting from the pole and leading a whopping 149 of 170 laps. “At this level of motorsports and the competition level across the field, you can’t hit on one thing and beat people,” said Busch’s second-year crew chief, Adam Stevens. “You have to hit on everything. There are 550 employees at JGR to make sure we are working on everything that makes a race car go fast. At the end of the day, it comes down to the communication between the driver and the crew chief and the team and taking what he’s saying the car is doing and what it’s not doing

POLE POSITION 2016

and translating that into changes that make the car better. That’s Kyle’s strongsuit. I think you’re seeing a little bit of that.” The primary threat to Busch’s quest for another championship could actually be his three JGR teammates – Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth – all of whom, like Busch, won fairly early in the season to punch their respective tickets to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. “The speed in all the Gibbs cars is a testament to everybody at JGR and Toyota,” Stevens said. “We’ve got a lot of dedicated people that work really hard to give us the best stuff, and it’s up to us guys at the race track to execute. You know, Kyle is special. … Really what he wants to do with the car is the fastest way around and maybe what other guys want to do isn’t the fastest way around, and that gives him another level of feedback that lets us dial his car in for him.”

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88 INFO

OWNER RICK HENDRICK TEAM HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS SPONSORS NATIONWIDE, AXALTA, TAXSLAYER.COM MANUFACTURER CHEVROLET CREW CHIEF GREG IVES

Dale Earnhardt Jr. A year that began with promise for Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been disappointing on many levels. First, there was the season-opening Daytona 500 – a race Earnhardt has won twice and entered 2016 as a favorite to win again. After having one of the fastest cars throughout Speedweeks and even winning his respective qualifying race, Earnhardt crashed out of the Daytona 500 when the handling of his once beloved restrictor-plate car – dubbed “Amelia” – proved surprisingly difficult. NASCAR’s most popular driver rebounded with a second-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway the following weekend, however, and finished no worse than 14th over the next seven races, netting two more second-place finishes in the process. Despite a challenging summer stretch and being winless after 18 races this season, Earnhardt and his team, led by second-year crew chief Greg Ives, were holding steady in the points – just outside the top 10 and pretty comfortably in position to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – when Hendrick Motorsports announced July 14 that the driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet had been suffering from concussion-like symptoms and would be

sidelined for that weekend’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Earnhardt also missed the next weekend’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and additional races, leaving him in a deep points hole that all but required him to win a race to qualify for the Chase. The concussion-like symptoms were believed to stem from wrecks Earnhardt was involved in at Michigan International Speedway and Daytona International Speedway just a few weeks prior to him being forced out the car. Earnhardt also suffered a concussion back in 2012, which forced him to miss two Chase races and effectively eliminated him from title contention. Like in 2012, the decision for Earnhardt to sit out this year came with the full support of his team owner and good friend, Rick Hendrick. “We love all of our drivers and we want to see them good and healthy,” Hendrick said. “To punish yourself when you don’t feel good, it’s tough enough if you just got a bad cold. It’s hard to get out of the car, but we want him for the long haul. He wants to race for a long time.”

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Jimmie Johnson No driver is traditionally stronger when it really counts – in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – than six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.

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But while Johnson might be considered the master of the Chase – all six of his titles have come since NASCAR instituted a playoff format in 2004 for its top series – the Hendrick Motorsports driver hasn’t been nearly as potent the past two years since the implementation of the elimination-style championship format. Last year, Johnson failed to advance beyond the Round of 16. A year earlier, he failed to make it beyond the Round of 12. Still, given his propensity for winning titles, Johnson has to be considered a favorite to be the driver on top when the 2016 season concludes in November. But in order for him or any driver from Hendrick to make major noise in the Chase, some gains must be made. After winning twice in the first five races of the season – both times courtesy of Johnson – Hendrick was shut out of Victory Lane for more than four months. “It’s been tough, but I think we have a good foundation to build from,” Johnson

said. “We have respectable finishes in our cars, but nobody wants to be a decent finisher or a respectable finisher. We all want to dominate. And, we’re working real hard on all fronts – from our engine shop, chassis shop, aero, teams, pit stops and all of it. But we’re all highly inspired to get back on top of the mountain, as it’s where we feel we should be at Hendrick Motorsports.” Johnson shoulders some of the blame for his No. 48 car not winning more often this season. “I’ve been at 110 percent and you make too many mistakes there,” he said. “I think our team has, too. So that’s one thing we have recognized, and we’re going to really try to dial back and make sure that we run where we should. If we have a fifth-place car that week, let’s be sure that we at least finish fifth. Maybe there are some opportunities to give us a chance to win, but stop making mistakes. And, I’ve got to do that, first and foremost.”

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TITLE CONTENDERS PRE S E N T E D B Y Matt Kenseth Speed has rarely been lacking for Matt Kenseth this season. Good luck has been a bit harder to come by, however. Kenseth started the year getting the proverbial short end of the stick in the Daytona 500, where he led at the white flag but crossed the finish line in 14th after losing the lead and wiggling in the final turn after a near collision with teammate Denny Hamlin as the two battled for the top spot. Kenseth, the 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, went on to post only two top-10 finishes – and no top fives – in the first 10 races despite having a potential race-winning car almost every weekend. Kenseth’s luck began to turn around in May, however, as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver rattled off four consecutive finishes of seventh or better highlighted by a win at Dover International Speedway. Kenseth then went on another mini-skid, finishing worse than 13th in three consecutive races, before three consecutive top-10 finishes that were capped by a victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The season has been a roller-coaster ride for the veteran driver. “It’s been an up-and-down year,” he said. “Beginning of the year we performed really, really, really well and just didn’t get the finishes for it seems like a different reason every week. But since then we’ve been a little bit up and down, so I’m just glad we’re

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running well here, and just want to continue that hopefully for the rest of the year and keep building on that and just trying to get stronger.” As for his championship prospects, Kenseth has to be considered a favorite simply by virtue of being part of Joe Gibbs Racing – by far the top-performing organization of 2016. Of course, that also means a teammate could end up being Kenseth’s biggest championship foe. “I’ve got great teammates,” said Kenseth, who is joined at JGR by fellow drivers Hamlin, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch. “I’ve got great teammates that drive those things every week and there are great crew chiefs over there, and they’ve been able to get those things where they need to be each and every week, which obviously makes our job a lot easier. Once you get those guys up front, they’re hard to get out of there.”

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20 INFO OWNER JOE GIBBS TEAM JOE GIBBS RACING SPONSORS DOLLAR GENERAL, DEWALT MANUFACTURER TOYOTA CREW CHIEF JASON RATCLIFF

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TITLE CONTENDERS PRE S E N T E D B Y Brad Keselowski One of the fastest drivers all season long, Brad Keselowski enters the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup as an unequivocal favorite to bring home the championship hardware at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. Keselowski, the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and one of two drivers for Team Penske, has consistently been the biggest threat this year to Joe Gibbs Racing – by far the Sprint Cup Series’ most dominant organization of 2016. After picking up victories at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and in the July race at Daytona International Speedway, Keselowski became the season’s first four-time winner with a trip to Victory Lane at Kentucky Speedway on July 9. The win at Daytona was especially gratifying for Keselowski since he’d been close before but had always come up empty at The World Center of Racing. “I’ve had very, very little success at Daytona,” he said. “It’s been one of our worst tracks, quite honestly, next to probably Sonoma. You know, thinking about that, I don’t know if we had the highest of expectations, but Daytona is always a big race to have success at. I know it maybe doesn’t feel the same way because it isn’t the 500, but it’s still a big

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deal to me. My family has been coming to Daytona for a long time, and I’d had zero success at Daytona as a driver. I think we’d led a lot of laps in XFINITY and Cup and even some in truck and hadn’t been able to close it out. To do it this year was a big deal for me personally.” With 21 races in the books, Keselowski was second in the standings on the strength of 13 top-10 finishes – including nine top fives. No one is hungrier for a title than Keselowski – especially in light of how terrific his season has been. “We want to finish it off and win another championship, and I think I said at Pocono in June or told a bunch of the people at Pocono that I was ready for the Chase to start,” he said. “I’m still ready for it to start right now. Let’s go. I feel like we’ve got a great effort. We’re as good as we’ve ever been, if not better, and we’re ready.”

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OWNER ROGER PENSKE TEAM TEAM PENSKE SPONSORS MILLER LITE, ALLIANCE TRUCK PARTS MANUFACTURER FORD CREW CHIEF PAUL WOLFE

Joey Logano Following a somewhat quiet start to the season, Joey Logano began to make some noise in the hot summer months. And the Team Penske driver has been humming right along pretty much ever since. Logano, whose career has soared to new heights since joining Team Penske in 2013, is in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup for the fourth consecutive year. This is the third year of the elimination-style Chase format – one under which Logano has excelled. In 2014, he was among the Championship 4 drivers who competed for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title in the winner-take-all season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Last year, Logano won all three races in the Chase Round of 12 but was unable to advance beyond the Round of 8 due to circumstances largely not of his own making. Logano has the experience, the team and the talent to make another deep run in the Sprint Cup Series’ 16-driver playoff this year. After 21 races this season, Logano was a solid sixth in the standings on the strength of 13 top-10 finishes that included eight top fives and a dominant victory from the pole at Michigan International Speedway in June. Still not convinced the Middletown, Connecticut, native and his

team, led by veteran crew chief Todd Gordon, are equipped and highly motivated to make a serious title run? Think again. “I don’t feel like we’re in a much different spot than we were last year,” said Logano, who notched a career-high six wins in 2015. “I feel like as a team we stick together, and I think this team is the definition of team in my opinion, which is a team that doesn’t point fingers at somebody when things go wrong. And obviously it’s easy to say win as a team, lose as a team, but actually doing that is a challenge. We don’t single people out. We’re all in it together. We’re going to make decisions together and we’re going to stand behind each other on those, and we know we’re going to make mistakes, and we talk about learning from them and not making them again, and I talk a lot about how mistakes aren’t a bad thing as long as you learn from them and you don’t do it again.”

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22 INFO

OWNER ROGER PENSKE TEAM TEAM PENSKE SPONSORS SHELL-PENNZOIL, AUTOTRADER MANUFACTURER FORD CREW CHIEF TODD GORDON

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TITLE CONTENDERS PRE S E N T E D B Y Kevin Harvick As the only driver to be part of the Championship 4 in both seasons since NASCAR implemented the winner-take-all season finale for its top series, Kevin Harvick knows – better than anyone – how to get to Homestead-Miami Speedway and deal with the pressures that come with racing for a title once he gets there. Harvick, of course, won the title in dramatic fashion in 2014 by holding off second-place finisher and fellow Championship 4 driver Ryan Newman at Homestead to claim both the race win and the series crown. Last year, Harvick was the bridesmaid, finishing second at Homestead to race winner and champion Kyle Busch. The bottom line: No current driver, with the possible exception of six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, has displayed a penchant for excelling on the big stage that rivals that of Harvick – whose nickname, appropriately, is “The Closer.” Like the past two seasons, Harvick has been a model of consistency in 2016 – racking up top-10 finishes seemingly with ease. With 21 races down, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver was the points leader despite having gone to Victory Lane only once. Harvick’s season has perhaps been even

POLE POSITION 2016

more interesting off the track. The veteran driver re-signed with Stewart-Haas Racing after weeks of rumors that he was leaving SHR for Hendrick Motorsports next season. The speculation was fueled when SHR announced plans to switch from Chevrolet to Ford beginning in 2017. Harvick has driven Chevys his entire NASCAR career. While Harvick clearly is about remaining loyal to Stewart-Haas, he hasn’t been bashful this season about offering constructive criticism when he’s deemed it necessary. Back during the summer, Harvick expressed frustration about not winning more often, and suggested that his team must improve its performance on pit road to get to Victory Lane. Don’t be surprised if “The Closer” and his team, led by veteran crew chief Rodney Childers, rise to the occasion when it really counts. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened.

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OWNERS TONY STEWART/GENE HAAS TEAM STEWART-HAAS RACING SPONSORS BUSCH BEER, JIMMY JOHN’S, DITECH MANUFACTURER CHEVROLET CREW CHIEF RODNEY CHILDERS

Carl Edwards A year ago in his first season at Joe Gibbs Racing, Carl Edwards made the Round of 8 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and won the Coca-Cola 600 and Bojangles’ Southern 500 – two of the sport’s biggest races. Despite that success, team owner and threetime Super Bowl-winning coach Joe Gibbs instituted a crew chief change on Edwards’ No. 19 team for the 2016 season. Edwards, who spent 2015 with Darian Grubb calling the shots, joined forces with JGR veteran Dave Rogers, who spent last year in the same role with teammate Denny Hamlin. Clearly, Gibbs’ decision to switch things up was spot-on. The chemistry between Edwards and Rogers was almost immediate – and their results reflected as much when Edwards picked up early-season wins at Bristol Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway to punch his ticket into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. “I spent more time with Dave and the guys this year, and in the offseason, than I ever have in my career,” Edwards said. “When Dave says this is a real team effort, and Coach [Gibbs] says it’s a team effort, it’s true. I’ve never been around a group that really brings everyone together as much as Coach does at JGR, from the sponsors to the families to

everybody that builds the cars, to guys that are on the road and guys that jump over the wall. There is no more close-knit team in sports probably, so it’s really cool to be a part of it. It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve had a great time getting to know Dave, and it’s really just fun to be a part of something like this.” Rogers, likewise, has been impressed with Edwards. “I think the biggest thing is chemistry, just the way we communicate about the car and the way we communicate about life. That’s a big thing,” Rogers said. “I feel you’re always trying to get the most out of your driver. You’re always trying to tell him what you need to tell him to allow him to perform, and the driver is doing the same for the crew chief. But the relationship that Carl and I were able to build this past winter, I just feel really comfortable being me calling the races.”

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OWNER JOE GIBBS TEAM JOE GIBBS RACING SPONSORS ARRIS, STANLEY, SUBWAY, SPORT CLIPS MANUFACTURER TOYOTA CREW CHIEF DAVE ROGERS

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TITLE CONTENDERS PRE S E N T E D B Y Tony Stewart The past three years have provided few highlights for Tony Stewart. Then, one Sunday afternoon in June, everything changed. Mired in an 84-race drought dating back to the summer of 2013, Stewart seemingly came out of nowhere to win at Sonoma Raceway. With his victory at the serpentine circuit, Stewart took a major step toward locking up a berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – a feat that had seemed highly improbable before that Sunday in Northern California. Stewart missed the first eight races of the season while recovering from a back injury suffered during the offseason. In the first few races after returning to the seat of his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet in late April, Stewart was mostly a nonfactor. The three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion’s breakthrough at Sonoma seemingly lit a fire under his team, however, and Stewart has been running near the front pretty much ever since. While Stewart still isn’t the odds-on favorite to win the championship in this his final season behind the wheel, the veteran driver is now at least part of the discussion – something almost no one expected him to be when he was laid up in a hospital back in late January and early February. Stewart attributes his renaissance to little more

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than his team “just getting cars to feel right. … I think that was the biggest thing – just trying to get through the speculation of, ‘Can he do this anymore,’ and, ‘Why is he not competitive?’” said Stewart. “When you finally get going and you start running up front with guys that you are used to running with again, then you are getting text messages after the race saying, ‘Hey, I was glad to see you up there with us again.’ That is the stuff that makes you feel like, ‘Hey we are back where we belong now.’” Since Stewart’s return to competition, the driver and his team, led by first-year crew chief Mike Bugarewicz, have steadily improved, making it clear that their Sonoma win was no fluke. “Sonoma gave us a lot of confidence. It gave me a lot of confidence,” Stewart said. “It gave Mike confidence. It really picked the morale of the team up.” And the results prove it.

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OWNERS TONY STEWART/ GENE HAAS TEAM STEWART-HAAS RACING SPONSORS MOBIL 1, BASS PRO SHOPS MANUFACTURER CHEVROLET CREW CHIEF MICHAEL BUGAREWICZ

Denny Hamlin This season started in grand fashion for Denny Hamlin when the Joe Gibbs Racing driver executed a bold last-lap pass on teammate Matt Kenseth and then nipped Martin Truex Jr. at the finish line by .01 seconds – the smallest margin of victory in Daytona 500 history since the advent of electronic timing. With Hamlin’s first triumph in NASCAR’s biggest race also came an automatic berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Hamlin, of course, is no stranger to being part of NASCAR’s season-ending playoff. He’s made the Chase in all except one season since joining NASCAR’s top series full time in 2006. Especially notable, Hamlin finished runner-up to Jimmie Johnson for the championship in 2010, and was third in points as part of the inaugural Championship 4 who competed for the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2014. They say that to win a championship in any major sport, you first have to lose one – and Hamlin has been within striking distance of the title not once, but twice, and under two different championship formats. This experience could give the Chesterfield,

Virginia, native a decisive advantage down the stretch. It also doesn’t hurt Hamlin that he’s a two-time winner at Homestead, the 1.5-mile South Florida track that hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series only once each season. So how confident would Hamlin be of leaving Homestead with the championship trophy in hand if he should make it all the way to the Championship Round? “Just challenge me and put me in that same position again and see how it all plays out, especially going to a race track where we’ve had a lot of success,” he said. “I think if you put us in the Final 4 at Homestead, how are we not a favorite at that point?” This will be Hamlin’s first Chase with crew chief Mike Wheeler atop the No. 11 pit box. Hamlin and Wheeler go back much farther than just this season, however. Wheeler was Hamlin’s longtime race engineer before being named an XFINITY Series crew chief for JGR last season.

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11 INFO OWNER JOE GIBBS TEAM JOE GIBBS RACING SPONSORS FEDEX, SPORT CLIPS MANUFACTURER TOYOTA CREW CHIEF MIKE WHEELER

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TITLE CONTENDERS PRE S E N T E D B Y Kurt Busch With 21 races down in the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series campaign, Kurt Busch had completed all 5,811 laps run this season. Clearly, going the distance hasn’t been a problem for the 2004 Sprint Cup Series champion and his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing team. His speed hasn’t been half bad, either. After 21 races, Busch had recorded 16 top-10 finishes highlighted by six top fives that included a victory at Pocono Raceway in June. The strength and depth of Busch’s team was evidenced by his Pocono win coming in the absence of veteran crew chief Tony Gibson, who was serving a one-week suspension for a lug nut violation. Paired with interim crew chief Johnny Klausmeier – a lead engineer with the team – Busch won a race ultimately decided by fuel mileage. From speed in the car to the strategy the team used in the final laps, it was an all-round impressive performance that put the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage area on notice that Busch can’t be overlooked as a serious title contender this year. “It takes an elite team and an effort that you have to have as a driver in this day and age to be in position to win, and so far this year on the Haas

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Automation/Monster Energy Chevy team, we’ve been on one side of the yellow or one side of the restart at the end of a bunch of races, and it sits there and it wears on you a little bit, but then you’ve got to focus,” Busch said. “Focus, focus, focus, and allow the races to unfold. The more often that you’re in position to win, the more chances at winning you’re going to have.” Busch has an opportunity in this Chase to join Terry Labonte – who won NASCAR premier series titles in 1984 and 1996 – as the driver who has gone the longest between championships in NASCAR’s top division. “It’s great to have the win, but we want more wins,” Busch said. “[Team owner] Gene Haas is a great owner to race for. He said congratulations and then in his normal sarcastic Gene Haas tone, he said, ‘I want more. Where are more? Why do we only have one?’ But you have to stay patient.”

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OWNERS GENE HAAS/TONY STEWART TEAM STEWART-HAAS RACING SPONSORS HAAS AUTOMATION, MONSTER ENERGY MANUFACTURER CHEVROLET CREW CHIEF TONY GIBSON

Martin Truex Jr. A year after being the biggest surprise among the Championship 4, Martin Truex Jr. is back in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Only this time around, no one is surprised to find him in the playoffs. And, likewise, no one will be surprised if the New Jersey native and his No. 78 team, led by second-year crew chief Cole Pearn, end up making it all the way to Homestead-Miami Speedway to compete for the title in the winner-take-all season finale. Fast throughout most of the schedule after his team made an offseason switch from Chevrolet to Toyota and formed a technical alliance with Toyota powerhouse Joe Gibbs Racing, Truex punched his ticket into this Chase with a dominant victory in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day weekend. How dominant was Truex in NASCAR’s longest race? He led 392 of the 400 laps for a total 588 miles spent out front. The 392 laps led were a Coke 600 event record, and the 588 miles led were the most in a single race in NASCAR history. “Really amazing weekend, the kind you dream about,” Truex, who took the checkered flag 2.572 seconds ahead of runner-up Kevin Harvick, said of

his fourth career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory and the second win with his Denver, Coloradobased team. “I mean, it’s incredible to think – to see what we’ve done. That’s what every driver wants. We all want to go to the track each and every weekend and know we have a chance of winning, running up front and leading laps. … We’re going to keep pushing hard and keep trying to work toward that championship goal.” After only 13 races this season, Truex’s 809 laps led were a career high, surpassing his previous mark of 581 set in 2007. “I have confidence in my team,” said Truex, a twotime NASCAR XFINITY Series champion. “I’ve got a lot of great people behind me. Sherry (girlfriend Sherry Pollex), she gives me a lot of inspiration and we just keep fighting. We never give up. We never quit. We always just keep digging, and I’m just proud of my guys for sticking behind me.”

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OWNER BARNEY VISSER TEAM FURNITURE ROW RACING SPONSORS BASS PRO SHOPS, FURNITURE ROW MANUFACTURER TOYOTA CREW CHIEF COLE PEARN

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TITLE CONTENDERS PRE S E N T E D B Y Chris Buescher Looking for the ultimate underdog among the 16 participants in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup? Look no further than rookie Chris Buescher. The reigning NASCAR XFINITY Series champion, Buescher has struggled throughout much of the season with his small, under-resourced team from Front Row Motorsports. But Buescher and his team, led by veteran crew chief Bob Osborne, provided easily the biggest upset of the season when they gambled and won a weather-shortened event at Pocono Raceway in late July. Buescher, whose team elected to leave his No. 34 Ford on the track when the leaders pitted for the final time, went to Victory Lane after lingering fog forced officials to call the race 22 laps shy of the scheduled distance. On top of being the first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory for Buescher, it was the first triumph for Front Row Motorsports since David Ragan scored at Talladega Superspeedway in May 2013. Buescher, a soft-spoken, unflashy Texan fully cognizant of his long odds of getting a win in his first Sprint Cup Series season, was understandably ecstatic to prevail at Pocono – even if it required some clever strategy to make it happen. While Buescher knows his odds of advancing beyond the opening Chase Round of 16 are slim, the 23-year-old

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driver’s win at Pocono was a reminder that anything is possible in this sport. Sometimes, as the old adage goes, it’s better to be lucky than good. “We had pretty steep odds coming into Pocono, but we’ve been heading in the right direction, and there’s no mistaking that,” Buescher said. “We’ve been qualifying better. We’ve been racing better. We’ve had better speed, better averages. We’re just getting to the point now where we need to be able to finish them.” Buescher certainly wants to make the most of the opportunity that being in the Chase has afforded him and his team. “You take advantage of every situation that’s presented to you, and that’s what we did at Pocono,” he said. “We’re going to keep working to make sure that we find more speed, and we’re able to go win races on days where the track is dry and clear all the way to the checkered flag.”

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OWNER BOB JENKINS TEAM FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS SPONSORS LOVE’S TRAVEL STOPS, CSX TRANSPORTATION MANUFACTURER FORD CREW CHIEF BOB OSBORNE

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NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

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TO WIN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES TITLE

ELLIOTT SADLER: Elliott Sadler has been so close to a XFINITY Series championship he could taste it. A championship runnerup to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in 2011 and 2012, Sadler is once again squarely in the mix – this time as a driver for JR Motorsports, a winner of the 2014 series title with driver Chase Elliott. If Sadler can avoid a familiar late-season misstep, he’s probably the favorite.

TY DILLON: The youngest grandson of his legendary team owner, Richard Childress, Ty Dillon is all but certain of moving into a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ride for 2017, but the native of Lewisville, North Carolina, first has some unfinished business with his grandfather’s team in the XFINITY Series. Dillon has finished fifth and third in points, respectively, in his two previous years in NASCAR’s No. 2 division.

ERIK JONES: Of all the young, talented drivers in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, Erik Jones might just have the most upside. But is he ready to claim the championship as a rookie at the tender age of 20? While Jones – a Joe Gibbs Racing development driver – has accumulated multiple wins this year, he’s also been a little bit inconsistent – which could work against him in an elimination-style Chase.

DANIEL SUAREZ: Despite a lack of experience compared to most of his fellow title contenders, Mexican-born Daniel Suarez has displayed tremendous potential by winning a race and consistently running near the front this year – his second full season as a NASCAR XFINITY Series driver. Suarez has the talent and speed to go all the way, but does the youngster have the mental toughness to prevail in a winner-take-all championship scenario?

JARED TURNER 50

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DARRELL WALLACE JR.: An alumnus of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, Darrell Wallace Jr. – known by most everyone as “Bubba” – has shown ﬂashes of brilliance since bursting onto NASCAR’s national scene a few years ago. After a successful stint in the Camping World Truck Series, Wallace has found wins more difﬁcult to come by in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, but the Roush Fenway Racing driver has the ability to make a legitimate title run.

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Erik Jones Baby-faced but seemingly bent on becoming one of NASCAR’s stars of tomorrow, Erik Jones became the youngest champion in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series history when he captured the 2015 title for Kyle Busch Motorsports at just 19 years, 5 months and 21 days old. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Austin Dillon, who claimed the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title in 2011 at 21 years, 6 months and 22 days old, had been the series’ youngest champion before Jones. A native of Byron, Michigan, and a Joe Gibbs Racing development driver, Jones first gained national exposure when he won the prestigious Snowball Derby Late Model race in 2012 by outdueling Kyle Busch, his future boss, in the final laps. “I never would have expected to get beat by him in that race,” Busch later said. “The last run of the race he did a great job, we raced clean, we raced hard and he scored the victory.” Jones’ performance helped convince Busch to offer him a part-time ride with KBM in 2013, which led to another partial schedule in 2014 and then a full season last year. “I’m thankful that he stuck with me and he believed in what our plan was for him to give him this shot and to give him this opportunity,” Busch said.

After winning a Truck Series title, the next natural step in Jones’ progression was to move into a full-time XFINITY Series ride with JGR for the 2016 season. Not surprisingly, Jones has excelled in his newest assignment. After 19 races as a full-time XFINITY Series driver, he’d already punched his ticket to the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase by virtue of going to Victory Lane three times. Unlike most of his fellow drivers, Jones isn’t completely sold on the Chase concept for the XFINITY Series, however, since the winner-take-all format for the final race eliminates any points advantage a driver might have carried into Homestead. “As a NASCAR fan I love it, I think it’s great,” Jones said. “I think it’s going to be nice to have that kind of common theme throughout the top three NASCAR series, but it’s definitely going to make Homestead a little tougher.”

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OWNER JOE GIBBS RACING TEAM JOE GIBBS RACING SPONSORS GAMESTOP, RESER’S, HISENSE, DEWALT MANUFACTURER TOYOTA CREW CHIEF CHRIS GABEHART

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TITLE CONTENDERS PRE S E N T E D B Y Ty Dillon When the year started, Ty Dillon knew he was going to be a busy man. Just how busy? Well, no one – including Dillon himself – could have ever forecasted that. Already slated to run a full-time XFINITY Series schedule for his grandfather’s organization, Richard Childress Racing, on top of a partial NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule for Leavine Family Racing, Dillon was also called on by StewartHaas Racing to drive the No. 14 car three times while Tony Stewart recovered from a back injury suffered during the offseason. “I have to thank Stewart-Haas Racing for the opportunity to be in the 14 car,” Dillon said. “Due to unfortunate circumstances, I was able to be in the car, which was good for me to get the experience in such great equipment. I can’t thank them enough for the opportunity. It was an honor to drive the 14 for Tony. I want to go out there and impress a lot of people and show people what I’m made of and what I can do in these race cars.” All the double-duty meant extra seat time for Dillon, who admittedly began the season a little frustrated that plans didn’t come to fruition for him to have a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ride.

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“It was a little bit of a sting,” the 24-year-old driver said. “I wanted to start the year knowing I was going to run more Cup races. So when the opportunity to fill in for Tony came about, it gave me a chance to showcase what I can do in these cars and gain experience. I’ve only run a certain amount of races in the Sprint Cup Series so far, so any time I can get more laps and more experience it’s always going to help. It took away a little bit of the sting from not running more of a schedule that I was hoping for this year in the Sprint Cup Series.” Now with Stewart back behind the wheel, Dillon is focused squarely on winning a NASCAR XFINITY Series championship after being in the title hunt but falling short in his first two years in the series. All signs suggest he’ll be one of the drivers in the mix, perhaps all the way to Homestead.

3 INFO

OWNER RICHARD CHILDRESS TEAM RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING SPONSORS RHEEM, BASS PRO SHOPS MANUFACTURER CHEVROLET CREW CHIEF NICK HARRISON

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TITLE CONTENDERS PRE S E N T E D B Y Daniel Suarez NASCAR is an international sport. If you need evidence, look no further than 24-year-old Daniel Suarez. A native of Monterrey, Mexico, Suarez spent four years in the NASCAR Mexico Series before landing a full-time NASCAR XFINITY Series ride with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2015, in addition to running a part-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule with Kyle Busch Motorsports. Although he wasn’t able to win in 2015, Suarez turned heads in both kinds of vehicles, finishing an impressive fifth in NASCAR XFINITY Series points. Then, in June of this year, the Mexican born-driver closed the deal – and he couldn’t have done it in any more impressive or thrilling fashion. Suarez muscled his way past 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and all-time NASCAR XFINITY Series wins leader Kyle Busch with one lap remaining to capture the XFINITY Series victory at Michigan International Speedway. “I think the first win is always the most difficult to get in every series, pretty much in everything,” Suarez said. “We finally got that one.” In the process, Suarez became the first Mexican to win in any of NASCAR’s top three national touring series. “Honestly, it means a lot,” Suarez said of the milestone. “Winning the way we did, beating one of the best drivers in NASCAR today. And not only that,

POLE POSITION 2016

but also having some issues at the beginning of the race. The truth is that the team worked very hard, they never gave up.” In addition to helping Suarez write his name in the history books, the victory also put the young driver in this year’s inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase from which the 2016 champion will be crowned. Suarez is a fan of the new XFINITY Series Chase that features elimination rounds and a one-race, winner-take-all finale at HomesteadMiami Speedway. “I’m in favor of it,” he said. “I think it’s going to be more interesting, I think it’s going to be more fun for us – for the drivers – and more fun for the fans. We’re going to have a lot of excitement going on in the last part of the season. We didn’t have a lot of that last year. That part is going to be more fun for everyone, I guess.”

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19 INFO OWNER JOE GIBBS TEAM JOE GIBBS RACING SPONSORS ARRIS, JUNIPER NETWORKS MANUFACTURER TOYOTA CREW CHIEF SCOTT GRAVES

Elliott Sadler Elliott Sadler firmed up his future at JR Motorsports beyond 2016 last month when he signed an extension with his longtime primary sponsor, OneMain Financial. The veteran driver hasn’t disappointed in his first year with the organization owned by good friend, Dale Earnhardt Jr. In addition to picking up a Chase-clinching victory at Talladega Superspeedway in the spring, Sadler has been near the front nearly every weekend. “The guys have really impressed me,” Sadler said. “Showing up with really fast cars each and every week has been so much fun.” Sadler has been paired this season with crew chief Kevin Meendering, who was Earnhardt Jr.’s highly regarded race engineer at Hendrick Motorsports the past few seasons. It took virtually no time for Meendering – who was handpicked by Earnhardt Jr. to call the shots for Sadler – to establish a rapport with his new driver. “Elliott’s a great guy,” Meendering said. “He’s easy to work with.” Ultimately, Meendering’s goal for this season is to help Sadler, who was shut out of Victory Lane last year with Roush Fenway Racing, capture the

championship that has narrowly eluded him in the past. “The guys at JR Motorsports have won a championship before, so I know we have what it takes to do it,” Meendering said. “And Elliott is capable of it.” A former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winner who returned to the XFINITY Series full time in 2011 and has since consistently been one of the series’ title contenders, Sadler has driven for multiple XFINITY Series teams the past few years. Among them are Joe Gibbs Racing, Richard Childress Racing and, most recently, Roush Fenway. Sadler has finished no worse than sixth since returning to full-time XFINITY Series competition, and earned championship runner-up honors in 2011 and 2012. But he has yet to reach the proverbial Promised Land, which influenced his decision to join JR Motorsports. “It’s definitely a good situation to be in,” Sadler said.

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OWNERS DALE EARNHARDT JR., KELLY EARNHARDT-MILLER, RICK HENDRICK TEAM JR MOTORSPORTS SPONSOR ONEMAIN FINANCIAL MANUFACTURER CHEVROLET CREW CHIEF KEVIN MEENDERING

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NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

5 Favorites

TO WIN THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES TITLE

MATT CRAFTON: No driver in the hunt for the championship in NASCAR’s No. 3 series boasts a résumé or level of experience that can come remotely close to rivaling Matt Crafton’s. Crafton, who became the ﬁrst back-to-back champion in Truck Series history with his titles in 2013 and 2014, just missed out on a three-peat last year when he won a career-high six races but ﬁnished third in the standings.

WILLIAM BYRON: Easily the most pleasant surprise of the season, William Byron has taken the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series by storm as a rookie driver for Kyle Busch Motorsports. With primary sponsorship from Liberty University on his KBM Toyota, the 18-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, amassed ﬁve wins in the season’s ﬁrst 12 races while jumping to the top of the standings and proving to be a formidable title contender.

TIMOTHY PETERS: Never known for his flash but seemingly always lurking close to the front, Timothy Peters has quietly recorded at least one victory in each of the past seven NASCAR Camping World Truck Series seasons. Peters’ best season came in 2012 when he finished runner-up in Truck Series points. Winless after the first 12 races this year, the soft-spoken Virginian still can’t be left out of the championship discussion.

JOHNNY SAUTER: No one besides perhaps Matt Crafton has been a more consistent frontrunner in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in recent years than Johnny Sauter. The Wisconsin native and second-generation driver ﬁnished a career-best second in the 2011 standings and has ranked fourth in each of the past three seasons. Sauter might not be the championship favorite, but he’s a steady hand who can’t be ignored.

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TYLER REDDICK: On the heels of a 2015 season when he ﬁnished a close runner-up in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points to Erik Jones, Tyler Reddick entered this year with understandably high expectations for himself and his Brad Keselowski Racing team. Those expectations were not met in the ﬁrst half of the season, however, as Reddick failed to win a race. Still, a lateseason surge isn’t out of the question.

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William Byron When the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season commenced in February, no one expected little-known William Byron to be the standout driver of 2016. But that’s exactly what the 18-year-old rookie sensation has been. Driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports with primary sponsorship from Liberty University, Byron has taken the series by storm. As of press time, the youngster from Charlotte, North Carolina, owned a series-high five wins and sat atop the standings. That’s pretty impressive for a guy who might not have ever even been discovered if it hadn’t been for his love of iRacing. “I did online racing before I raced in a real car and I presented the idea to Liberty that I could promote their online school because of how I succeeded online in racing, and it turned into a real career just like kids succeed online in classes and they take that and pursue a real job,” Byron said. Byron, who spent 2015 honing his skills in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, won for the first time in just his fifth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start. And it has only gotten better from there for Byron, who has been hands-down the biggest surprise of the season. “I didn’t expect it to be like it is and for us to have

the success, but I know that individually and teamwise we’re putting so much into it,” Byron said. “It’s just good to see your hard work pay off. Sometimes you work really hard at it, and it’s just not there yet and it takes time, but in this instance it’s come quicker and the hard work is paying off.” In addition to working hard, Byron has benefited from the wisdom of some impressive mentors – most notably NASCAR Sprint Cup Series veterans Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch. “Dale is just a great influence,” Byron said of NASCAR’s 13-time most popular driver, who helped the youngster get his start. “When I was running a Late Model program for him, he was always a great guy and just really down to earth. With Kyle, he’s really technical in what he knows, and he’s obviously won a lot of truck races, so when he’s at the race track with us or he’s texting me about things I know his information is going to be right.”

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OWNER KYLE BUSCH TEAM KYLE BUSCH MOTORSPORTS SPONSORS LIBERTY UNIVERSITY MANUFACTURER TOYOTA CREW CHIEF RYAN FUGLE

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TITLE CONTENDERS PRE S E N T E D B Y Matt Crafton Despite posting a career-high six wins last year in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Matt Crafton fell short in his bid for a third consecutive truck championship. This year – in the first ever Camping World Truck Series Chase – he’s determined to return to the Promised Land. Crafton and his ThorSport Racing team have been their usual front-running selves in 2016, picking up two wins in the first six races to lock up a berth for Crafton in the inaugural Truck Series Chase. Crafton has spent most of the season overshadowed – a familiar position for him – by the surprising success of rookie William Byron, a driver who is likely to be the main obstacle between Crafton and a third championship. Nevertheless, Crafton is confident about his prospects down the stretch. After all, he and his Sandusky, Ohio-based team have been in championship battles numerous times before. “I can’t be more excited to hopefully win a championship this year,” said Crafton, whose earlyseason wins came at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Dover International Speedway on consecutive weekends. “I mean, we won six races last year, and didn’t win a championship. [It was] just truly one big mistake that cost us the championship. Hopefully,

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we can minimalize those mistakes and contend for a championship this year. With the new point system, it’s going to be interesting.” In addition to Byron, a Kyle Busch Motorsports driver, Crafton could also have to contend with at least one of the other drivers within the ThorSport organization, which is also fielding entries for youngsters Rico Abreu, Cameron Hayley and Ben Rhodes. But regardless of how stiff the competition might be, Crafton is justifiably confident about his championship prospects and has extra motivation to get back to the top of the mountain after finishing third in the standings behind Kyle Busch Motorsports’ Erik Jones and Brad Keselowski Racing’s Tyler Reddick in 2015. “It’s was just that one column – the DNF column, where we made those mistakes,” Crafton said. “I made mistakes, and I wrecked us, and we ran out of fuel, and we did just about everything last year.”

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88 INFO OWNERS DUKE & RHONDA THORSON TEAM THORSPORTS RACING SPONSORS MENARDS MANUFACTURER TOYOTA CREW CHIEF CARL JOINER JR.

RENE WABLE , HOMEGROWN POWER AND PERFORMANCE AMERICAN ETHANOL IS MOVING FROM THE TRACK TO THE ROAD

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CHASE TRIVIA How Well Do You Know NASCAR? Score 10 points for each correct answer. Add up your points and see how you rank! 0-20 Rookie 30-40 Spectator 50-60 Fan 70-80 Race Chaser 90-100 Super Fan

Prior to Chicagoland’s acceptance as host of the first Chase race each season in 2011, which track hosted the Chase opener? A. Dover International Speedway B. New Hampshire Motor Speedway C. Kansas Speedway D. Darlington Raceway

Which driver’s win at the inaugural Kansas race in 2001 marked the third time he had won an inaugural event at a track? A. Kurt Busch B. Tony Stewart C. Mark Martin D. Jeff Gordon

How many times has Tony Stewart failed to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup since 2004? A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4

In what year did Brian Vickers earn a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field? A. 2009 B. 2008 C. 2010 D. 2011

DAN GUTTENPLAN 60

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Which of the following drivers has qualified for the Chase more times than Brad Keselowski? A. Mark Martin B. Martin Truex Jr. C. Jamie McMurray D. Kasey Kahne

8 10

How many drivers will qualify for the Chase in this year’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series format? A. 4 B. 12 C. 8 D. 16

Who was the last nonChase driver to win a Chase race? A. Jimmie Johnson B. Denny Hamlin C. Jamie McMurray D. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

How many races will the NASCAR XFINITY Series have in its Chase format this season? A. 7 B. 8 C. 9 D. 10

How many Chase races has Darlington Raceway hosted? A. 0 B. 1 C. 4 D. 6

ANSWERS // 1. D.; 2. B.; 3. D.; 4. A.; 5. C.; 6. D.; 7. D.; 8. C.; 9. B.; 10. A

What is Joey Logano’s best finish in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup? A. 2nd B. 3rd C. 4th D. 1st

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2016 SCHEDULES

GETTY IMAGES NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES Feb. 13 Daytona International Speedway Feb. 18 Daytona International Speedway Feb. 21 Daytona International Speedway Feb. 28 Atlanta Motor Speedway March 6 Las Vegas Motor Speedway March 13 Phoenix International Raceway March 20 Auto Club Speedway April 3 Martinsville Speedway April 9 Texas Motor Speedway April 17 Bristol Motor Speedway April 24 Richmond International Raceway May 1 Talladega Super Speedway May 7 Kansas Speedway May 15 Dover International Speedway May 20 Charlotte Motor Speedway May 21 Charlotte Motor Speedway May 29 Charlotte Motor Speedway June 5 Pocono Raceway June 12 Michigan International Speedway June 26 Sonoma Raceway July 2 Daytona International Speedway July 9 Kentucky Speedway July 17 New Hampshire Motor Speedway July 24 Indianapolis Motor Speedway July 31 Pocono Raceway Aug. 7 Watkins Glen International Aug. 20 Bristol Motor Speedway Aug. 28 Michigan International Speedway Sept. 4 Darlington Raceway Sept. 10 Richmond International Raceway Sept. 18 Chicagoland Speedway Sept. 25 New Hampshire Motor Speedway Oct. 2 Dover International Speedway Oct. 8 Charlotte Motor Speedway Oct. 16 Kansas Speedway Oct. 23 Talladega Superspeedway Oct. 30 Martinsville Speedway Nov. 6 Texas Motor Speedway Nov. 13 Phoenix International Raceway Nov. 20 Homestead-Miami Speedway

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES Feb. 20 Daytona International Speedway Feb. 27 Atlanta Motor Speedway March 5 Las Vegas Motor Speedway March 12 Phoenix International Raceway March 19 Auto Club Speedway April 8 Texas Motor Speedway April 16 Bristol Motor Speedway April 23 Richmond International Raceway April 30 Talladega Superspeedway May 14 Dover International Speedway May 28 Charlotte Motor Speedway June 4 Pocono Raceway June 11 Michigan International Speedway June 19 Iowa Speedway July 1 Daytona International Speedway July 8 Kentucky Speedway July 16 New Hampshire Motor Speedway July 23 Indianapolis Motor Speedway July 30 Iowa Speedway Aug. 6 Watkins Glen International Aug. 13 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Aug. 19 Bristol Motor Speedway Aug. 27 Road America Sept. 3 Darlington Raceway Sept. 9 Richmond International Raceway Sept. 17 Chicagoland Speedway Sept. 24 Kentucky Speedway Oct. 1 Dover International Speedway Oct. 7 Charlotte Motor Speedway Oct. 15 Kansas Speedway Nov. 5 Texas Motor Speedway Nov. 12 Phoenix International Raceway Nov. 19 Homestead-Miami Speedway

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES Feb. 19 Feb. 27 April 2 May 6 May 13 May 20 June 10 June 18 June 25 July 7 July 20 July 30

Daytona International Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway Martinsville Speedway Kansas Speedway Dover International Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway Texas Motor Speedway Iowa Speedway Gateway Motorsports Park Kentucky Speedway Eldora Speedway Pocono Raceway

Aug. 17 Aug. 27 Sept. 4 Sept. 16 Sept. 24 Oct. 1 Oct. 22 Oct. 29 Nov. 4 Nov. 11 Nov. 18

Bristol Motor Speedway Michigan International Speedway Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Chicagoland Speedway New Hampshire Motor Speedway Las Vegas Motor Speedway Talladega Superspeedway Martinsville Speedway Texas Motor Speedway Phoenix International Raceway Homestead-Miami Speedway