Kyle Busch is 7/1 to win at Pocono on Saturday

 

KYLE BUSCH Seeing Double   HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (June 23, 2021) –  As the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway this weekend, NASCAR’s top series will be seeing double as it heads to the 2.5-mile triangle in the Pocono Mountains.    For many years, the two annual NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway had been runs five to six weeks apart. The tight window in which they’d traditionally been run didn’t give much time between trips to the Pocono Mountains for teams to make drastic changes to their cars. But when the Cup Series makes this year’s trek to the Poconos, the window of time between Saturday’s Pocono 325 and Sunday’s Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 is less than 24 hours for the second year in a row after last year’s successful doubleheader weekend debut.     The rules require NASCAR Cup Series teams to use the same car in both events, but they’ll be allowed to work on them between races. Following the finish of Saturday’s 130-lap race, the starting lineup for Sunday’s 140-lap event will be set by inverting Saturday’s top-20 finishers, and those finishing 21st through 38th on Saturday starting from those same positions Sunday.   Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Minis Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), knows he’s fortunate enough to be able to race, and win, for 17 seasons and counting in NASCAR’s top series. Not only has he won 58 races and two Cup Series championships, he’s had his fair share of recent success at the track nicknamed the “Tricky Triangle.” The Las Vegas native won the June 2019 Pocono race and has three wins in his last seven Cup Series starts there.   For the first time ever, a timeless M&M’S favorite – M&M’S Minis – with adorn Busch’s No, 18 Toyota this weekend. M&M’S Minis are a great way to share the delicious, colorful fun of M&M’S with friends and family. M&M’S Minis are perfect to include in baked treats for the same M&M’S taste, mini style.   Busch’s recent fortunes at Pocono began after he narrowly missed a victory in June 2017. He returned for that year’s July race looking for his first Pocono Cup Series win, and he was able to deliver behind some clever strategy as well as his own smart driving. While the top competitors headed to pit road for their final scheduled fuel-and-tire stops late in the race, Busch stayed out longer than the rest. The others were clearly faster on newer tires, but Busch took advantage of a clean track to make up time and, when he was finally called to pit road, he had much fresher tires than his fellow competitors for the closing stages of the race. He eventually drove by Kevin Harvick for his impressive maiden Pocono victory. Since then, Busch has been able to grab Pocono wins in 2018 and 2019 to add to his growing resume at the Tricky Triangle.   So, as the series heads back to the Pocono Mountains, Busch, crew chief Ben Beshore and the entire team will focus on not one but two races with their M&M’S Minis Toyota, hoping to take it a giant step further with a chance to win twice during this weekend’s doubleheader.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M'S Minis Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

What is it about you and your team that make you so good at Pocono Raceway?   “There are certainly a lot of things over the years that we’ve worked on and there are definitely things we’ve fine-tuned on and gotten a lot better at, I think starting in 2013 or 2014, and then we’ve still kept that speed ever since for the most part. We’ve run really well there. It’s a good track for us. I’ve learned a lot from my teammate Denny Hamlin who’s won there, and certainly working with Martin (Truex Jr.) and his guys has also brought on some new, fresh ideas, which help. It’s been a good track for us and hopefully we can carry our M&M’s Minis colors to victory lane there this weekend. Looking forward to having them on board with us and our No. 18 Toyota.”   How do you learn to get better at a track, like you have at Pocono?   “There are so many different ways you can do it. You can look at data, you can look at the driving technique. Talking is kind of the best resource, just being able to ask the guy, ‘Hey, when you do this, why do you do this, or what do you expect when you get into a run and you’re going this far, and tire wear, and how do you get around turn two,’ whatever it might be. Lots of different things there, being teammates with Denny (Hamlin) for this long, it’s lended itself to myself improving at Pocono and Martinsville, places like that, and him improving at places like Bristol and Charlotte from myself. It’s a good take there. And then having Martin (Truex Jr.) now, having him on board, who is really good everywhere, as well, has definitely brought a good basis to our team, as well as having our past teammates like Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards – so it’s been good.”   You make Pocono look easy, but what is still tough about Pocono even for you?   “Every time you go there, it’s a bit different. The bumps change, the characteristics change. Where the bumps are. Are they getting bigger? Are they getting worse? Is there more? That turn-two tunnel turn is always a culprit for the bumps, and the harsh winters up there really change the racetrack. Then, what happens in turn three, where the wind is blowing and stuff like that, is always kind of a convoluted piece to Pocono, and how you get through turn three versus turn one versus two. There are three distinctly different corners, there’s definitely going to be compromise.”   Do you see race two as the same as race one since they are on the same weekend, or will they be different?   “I think you will have to make some changes to your stuff. The first race, there’s only going to be the Truck Series rubber, it’s only 60 laps, so there’s just going to be a little rubber down. Then, we’re going to put a lot of rubber down with our race. Then you’ll have the Xfinity race the next day, and then you’ll have our race. Over the course of all those miles, I think the main similarities between the two days is going to be just that – they’re a day apart rather than a month apart. There’s a difference between the Pocono racetrack when it’s a month apart, but when it’s day one to day two, there are going to be big differences in day one to day two, so you have to take a lot of different things into account.”   What are the most critical adjustments you can make between each race at Pocono?   “Obviously springs, shocks, bars, whatever you can change, all that sort of stuff. Making some adjustments. Knowing how much that track changes in that first race will give you a basis to how much you expect it to change in the second race, barring any weather or other factors. If it’s 68 degrees one day and a 90 degrees on the other, there are going to be some big differences you’re going to want to adjust for and compensate for. Having a good notebook, I think, will certainly help us and our team. I think we could have a good idea of what to do with our M&M’S Minis Toyota.”

Event Overview:

Race #1 ● Event: Pocono 325 ● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 26 ● Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway ● Layout: 2.5-mile triangle ● Laps/Miles: 130 laps/325 miles ●Format: 130 laps, broken into three stages (25 laps/52 laps/53 laps) ● TV/Radio: NBCSN / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio   Race #2 ● Event: Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 ● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 27 ● Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway ● Layout: 2.5-mile triangle ● Laps/Miles: 140 laps/350 miles ● Format: 140 laps, broken into three stages (30 laps/55 laps/55 laps) ● TV/Radio: NBCSN / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Hendrick Motorsports Driver quotes for Nashville Superspeedway

Kyle Larson (5/2), driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on getting up to speed at Nashville: “I’ve tested there before – a couple times in an Xfinity car and I think once in a Cup car. It’s a track where very few drivers have any experience. We will have practice and qualifying before this Sunday’s race, so I’m looking forward to the challenge of getting up to speed quickly. This team and Hendrick Motorsports as a whole have been strong on intermediate-type tracks this year, so I hope we can have another strong finish in the Valvoline Chevrolet.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on past experience at Nashville: “The most relevant things to pull from my previous experience there and Kyle’s testing experience there is the nuance of the track. It’s a really unique track geometry. It’s sweeping into turn one but then gets tight off of turn two. We know the track is going to be temperature sensitive. Knowing that will help us, but we don’t have a pure setup or race strategy standpoint. We don’t have any data points to go off of.”



Chase Elliott (15/2), driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on how he is preparing for Nashville Superspeedway: “My preparation for this weekend is really going to revolve around the test that I’ve had at Nashville in the past. I actually had a test with the 24 team in 2013, back when Jeff (Gordon) was driving with Alan (Gustafson) and (engineer) Tom (Gray) and a lot of our same group that we have now. I’ve spent some time talking about that and just some of the tendencies that I remember from the racetrack. I feel like the rules have changed, the cars are different, and Cup has never raced there to look back at a ton of races. Maybe watching an Xfinity race or something, but I think a lot of it is really just going to be more from the test for me, personally.”

Elliott on being nominated for an ESPY: “It’s just an honor to be considered for an ESPY. I haven’t been doing this stuff near as long as guys like Lewis (Hamilton) and Scott (Dixon). I’m not sure I even belong on the same list as them, but it is such an honor to be there and be considered. Regardless of how it works out, I’ll certainly always be appreciative of being considered for something like that.”

Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on testing at Nashville Superspeedway: “We were lucky to have been able to test at Nashville Superspeedway when he tested for Hendrick Motorsports back seven or eight years ago. There may be a couple things that we can apply, but that test just gives us a rough baseline to know what drove decent back then, but things are so much different now. We have different tires, aero package and hopefully we are smarter than we were in then (laughing). Having that test definitely helps; it’s better than starting from square one with nothing.”



William Byron (13/1), driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the challenges of racing at a new track: “You’re not going to have a good feel in general going into this weekend, I think. Nashville (Superspeedway) is going to be one of those places that you just need to adapt and learn as you go. It looks like a superspeedway but it’s more of a short track with how tight the corners are. It’s going to be tough, especially with the heat. I think that this race is going to be one of the toughest places we will go this season just because we don’t have any notes on it. No one has any notes from any series, really. Things have changed so much since the last race there. I’m going to rely heavily on the truck race and watching the Xfinity race. I’ll use that info to hopefully learn and be able to adapt faster in our race. It’s going to be challenge but it’s good to have a new environment and the excitement around it.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on his experience at Nashville Superspeedway: “Nashville is a tricky place. It races like a short track and has short track features, but it also has the characteristics of a mile-and-a-half track. That’s going to be your biggest issue; finding a setup that balances that line perfectly. You want it to handle similar to how it would at a concrete short track like Dover but also handle well, aero-wise, like a mile-and-a-half. While we have limited notes across the board, we do know that it will also be a very temperature-sensitive track, as well. There’s going to be a lot of obstacles to overcome, but I think with William running the truck race and us having a practice session on the Cup side, we’ll be as prepared as we can be. I’m excited to get back to Nashville and see what we can do as a team.”



Alex Bowman (13/1), driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on competing at Nashville: “I have tested at Nashville Superspeedway before but haven’t actually raced there. It is going to be interesting learning the track with the No. 48 Chevrolet in practice on Saturday. Our last race we ran on concrete (Dover) we were able to claim the victory, so we are hoping for the same result on Sunday in our No. 48 Ally Chevy.”

Bowman on Ally hosting its first entitlement race: “This is a huge weekend for our partner Ally. It is their first entitlement race, and they have a lot of fun things planned for the sold-out crowd coming out to Nashville. We have a fun, neon paint scheme designed by Dale (Earnhardt) Jr., and I will have a new helmet that Bernard Pollard and Greg (Stumpff) from Off Axis Paint and I designed. It would be really cool to be able to bring home the Ally 400 trophy on Sunday with so many great people from Ally in attendance.”

Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on his experience at Nashville Superspeedway: “Nashville was always a fun track. You used to be able to test at the speedway all the time and it was always a lot of fun. I remember testing when it was 40 degrees out and you were shivering and wondering how the tires were holding up. Then there were times where you would test and it would be extremely hot out. We have been to Nashville Superspeedway a lot, just not with this configuration. We have been around this track with rental cars multiple times to try to dry the track, so hopefully I can study from some videos I have of that. It is going to be a fun track.”

Odds to win 2021 Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway

Good idea to review Dover results due to the concrete.

WESTGATE LAS VEGAS SUPERBOOK

NASCAR CUP SERIES

ODDS TO WIN 2021 ALLY 400

NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY

SUNDAY, JUNE 20, 2021 - 3:45 PM ET

Kyle LARSON 5/2
Martin TRUEX JR 11/2
Chase ELLIOTT 11/2
Denny HAMLIN 8/1
Kyle BUSCH 8/1
Kevin HARVICK 12/1
William BYRON 12/1
Alex BOWMAN 14/1
Joey LOGANO 16/1
Brad KESELOWSKI 16/1
Ryan BLANEY 20/1
Christopher BELL 40/1
Tyler REDDICK 40/1
Kurt BUSCH 60/1
Austin DILLON 80/1
Matt DIBENEDETTO 100/1
Chris BUESCHER 100/1
Ross CHASTAIN 100/1
Bubba WALLACE 200/1
Daniel SUAREZ 200/1
Cole CUSTER 200/1
Aric ALMIROLA 200/1
Ricky STENHOUSE JR 200/1
Ryan NEWMAN 300/1
Erik JONES 300/1
Chase BRISCOE 300/1
Michael McDOWELL 1000/1
Ryan PREECE 1000/1
Anthony ALFREDO 5000/1
Corey LAJOIE 5000/1
Justin HALEY 10000/1
Quin HOUFF 10000/1
BJ McLEOD 10000/1
Josh BILICKY 10000/1
Garrett SMITHLEY 10000/1
Joey GASE 10000/1
JJ YELEY 10000/1
Chad FINCHUM 10000/1
David STARR 10000/1

2021 NASCAR All-Star race at Texas Format

 The All-Star Open will consist of:

• 50 total laps.
• 3 stages (20-20-10).
• The winner of each stage will advance to the All-Star Race.
• The driver with the highest total in the fan vote that is not already in the race, will get the final spot in the All-Star Race.

The All-Star race format is as follows:

• The race will feature six rounds, totaling 100 laps.
• Starting lineup for Round 1 will be determined via random draw.
• Rounds 1 through 4 will be 15 laps each; Round 5 will be 30 laps; the Final Round will feature a 10-lap shootout.
• At the beginning of Round 2, the field will be inverted via random draw (minimum of eight/maximum of 12) live on FS1.
• Before the start of Round 3, the entire field will be inverted.
• At the beginning of Round 4, the field will be inverted via random draw (minimum of eight/maximum of 12).
• Starting positions for Round 5 will consist of the cumulative finish from Rounds 1-4. The lowest cumulative finisher starts on the pole, second-lowest starts second, and so forth. All cars must enter pit road for a mandatory four-tire pit stop during Round 5.
• The starting positions in the Final Round are set by finishing positions of Round 5.
• Only green flag laps will count in the NASCAR All-Star race.
• The fastest team on pit road during the mandatory pit stop will earn $100,000.
• The race winner will be awarded $1,000,000.

From a technical side, all elements of the car remain the same except for the tapered spacer which will be 57/64ths. That will give the cars a horsepower of about 510.

Sonoma NASCAR Betting Preview: 2021 Toyota/Save Mart 350

 NASCAR TOYOTA/SAVE MART 350 ANALYSIS

I had a quiet conversation with my conscience to start the week as I was setting up driver ratings for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, which is the third of seven road course races on the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season

• Me: Oh man, come on? Another road course race this week!

• Conscience: Yes, but you’ve always said Sonoma is your favorite course, what’s your problem?

• Me: I love Sonoma, but the race date was usually late June after 16 races of ovals had already run and the chance to see right and left turns for the first time during a season was a thrill and breath of fresh air.

• Conscience: It still has right and left turns, 12 of them over the 2.52-mile layout featuring 160 feet of elevation changes.

• Me: But the yearning for a road race isn’t there like it used to be, and I’m dreading the next five because not only is there too little passing and few lead changes, but it favors a small segment of drivers that are light years above most of the drivers with their road skills, which also skews the championship chase with the likes of Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. having a massive edge or head start on points heading into the Playoffs.

• Conscience: What are you talking about? Christopher Bell won the Daytona road course race in the second race of the season for his first career Cup win and got the automatic bid to the Playoffs with it.

• Me: You’re starting to annoy me, go away.

TOYOTA/SAVE MART 350 BETTING RESOURCES

• Date: Sunday, June 6, 2021
• TV-Time: FS1, 4:00 p.m. ET
• Venue: Sonoma Raceway
• Location: Sonoma, California
• Distance: 227 miles, 90 laps
• Defending Champions: Martin Truex Jr. (2019)

I remember in the mid-1990s when NASCAR die-hards poo-pooed the idea that two road course races a year were too many when there were only two road courses.

I would try to sell them on the idea of real racing across the world being done on courses and street circuits built to stress the drivers. I wonder how they feel about seven road courses on the schedule.

Chase Elliott is getting a lot of respect from oddsmakers this week as the top betting choice for Sunday's road race at Sonoma. (AP)

HANDICAPPING NASCAR AT SONOMA

Alright, enough complaining. We have sportsbooks offering odds on the race which means we have some business to take care of whether we like road courses or not. This isn’t about recreational fantasy leagues with no consequences if we lose, it’s about straight cash and I hate to lose so I work hard to ensure I don’t.

Let’s do a quick take on what has happened through the first 15 races where 11 different drivers have already won a race led by Joe Gibbs racing’s Martin Truex Jr. has three wins (all with 750 HP package).

Another JGR driver, Denny Hamlin, leads the series with points and nine top-fives but doesn’t have a win yet after having seven wins in 2020. Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch also have won under the JGR flag.

Kevin Harvick led the series with nine wins last season but doesn’t have any so far, although it looks like their 550 HP package will be their best chance. No top-fives in the eight races using the 750 package. Here’s to hoping we catch him at some point in the 14-to-1 range at one of the 1.5-mile tracks.

But the season has evolved with the elite teams getting better (Roush Fenway Racing, too) along the way. First, it was JGR doing the dominating, mostly in the 750 package, but Hendrick Motorsports has made it clear they are ready to take control as they’ve won the last three races on the season. They have two wins each for Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman and one each for Chase Elliott and William Byron.

Hendrick is the winningest organization in NASCAR Cup history with 269 wins following Larson’s Coca-Cola 600 win last week where for the fourth time in five races on 1.5-mile tracks he led the most laps.

Larson has finished second or better in his last four races and now goes to his home track in Sonoma. The Elk Grove native has never won on a road course in the Cup Series but does have a K&N Pro Series West win on it from 2014. He has some serious momentum coming into this weekend, where there will once again be no practices or qualifying (Larson already on pole) because it’s not a new track.

“Sonoma is a finesse track, but you still have to be aggressive,” said Larson who is 8-to-1 to win Sunday. “I’ve had a lot of success there with three poles but I seemed to struggle during the race, so I’m really looking forward to going there in Hendrick Motorsports equipment. Hendrick Motorsports’ road course program is really good, especially the 9 team. It seems like Chase Elliott has won every road course race the last four years.”

No on Larson’s Elliott insight, but he’s close. Elliott has six career road wins in 14 Cup starts on them and has won five of the last six, but none of them at Sonoma’s technical course, and Elliott knows he has some work to do to get better.

READ MORE HERE....TOP-5 FINISH PREDICTION ON VEGASINSIDER.COM

Kyle Busch is 10/1 to win 2021 Blue-Emu 500 at Martinsville

 

KYLE BUSCH Saturday Night Lights   HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (April 6, 2021) – When Martinsville (Va.) Speedway installed lights starting in late 2016 to be used for the 2017 season and beyond, track officials had aspirations to one day run a NASCAR Cup Series race that started and ended under those lights. That vision became a reality in 2019 when it was announced that there would be a true night race in May of 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic had other ideas. While the race did happen at night last season, instead of a Saturday night in May, it was run on a Wednesday night in June with no fans in the stands.   For 2021, fans, albeit a limited number of them, are finally able to see the first Martinsville Saturday night race and the first night points-paying race of the Cup Series season as NASCAR’s top series heads to the .526-mile short track for the 500-lap Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500.   Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 SNICKERS Peanut Brownie Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), hopes to build on some impressive recent statistics at the Virginia short track. At the pinnacle of recent Martinsville success for Busch and the SNICKERS Peanut Brownie team is the two-time Cup Series champion’s first career win at the paperclip-shaped oval in April 2016. Not only did he bring home his first Martinsville grandfather clock trophy in the Cup Series, he did it in dominating fashion, leading five times for a race-high 352 laps en route to victory lane.    In fact, in his 11 starts there, Busch has two wins and two runner-up finishes among his eight consecutive top-five finishes from October 2015 through April 2019, making SNICKERS Peanut Brownie driver a staple at the front of the Martinsville field. The tight, tricky oval was a much bigger challenge for Busch earlier in his career, especially during his first years racing under the JGR banner. In fact, Busch finished outside the top-10 in three of his first four races there with JGR in 2008 and 2009, but has certainly come into his own there in recent years.   Busch will no doubt shine bright under the lights with the scheme for the SNICKERS Peanut Brownie product adorning his No. 18 Toyota for the first time. The SNICKERS Peanut Brownie launched late last year and is in stores nationwide now. It combines two great treats – peanut butter and brownies – and comes in two individual squares. Proudly made in the Mars Wrigley plant in Waco, Texas, SNICKERS Peanut Brownie is also available in ice cream bars.   So as Busch and the rest of his NASCAR Cup Series competitors head to Martinsville for the first Saturday night race of the season, the two-time Series champion is hoping to be in the spot that will shine brightest – in victory lane with his first win of 2021. KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 SNICKERS Peanut Brownie Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:    Do you feel like you are finally turning things around with the No. 18 team?   “Yes and no. Certainly, I don’t want to get too far ahead of anything, but I will say the guys – Ben (Beshore, crew chief) and Jaik (Halpainy, race engineer) and Seth (Chavka, race engineer) did a great job of working on a good setup at Atlanta, and we had a good car at Bristol but didn’t have the finish to show for it. At Atlanta, we were fast right at the start of the race. We drove our way up toward the front. We kept clawing all day long. Every time we had setbacks, too, we’d get back toward the front. It was nice to have that speed in our racecar that we could perform like that. We’re trying to figure all of this out together right now and make sure we can continue to improve as the year goes along in order to be the best when it matters most.”   How do you feel about your program going into Martinsville?   “I look forward getting to Martinsville. Ben (Beshore, crew chief) last year was crew chief for Harrison Burton, and it was the first time the Xfinity cars had been to Martinsville in a long time, so there was no practice. They literally just lined it up and raced at Martinsville, and they were super-fast. Harrison was able to win that race. Ben was with me when we were successful at Martinsville, the years that we won in ’15 and ’17, so I’m looking forward to getting there, and hopefully we have some things in store for us to be fast and go for the win with our SNICKERS Peanut Brownie Toyota. There are a lot of great associates who make SNICKERS Peanut Brownie in Waco, Texas, so I’m hoping we can make them proud at Martinsville this weekend.”   With virtually no practice or qualifying before the races this year, you’re more dependent that ever on the time you spend in the simulator. Just how helpful is that?   “We’ve certainly built our notebook so far and we will continue to build our notebook. (Martin) Truex (Jr.) and I looked really close in the first run of the race at Phoenix, where we were handling the same. He hit the wall off of turn two about two laps after I hit the wall off of turn two, so they just came to pit road and made some wholesale adjustments to their car that really made it take off. We made some adjustments to our car three weekends ago in Atlanta that literally was a half a round out of the right rear during the race and we went from being kind of OK, like a fourth-place car, to a 12th-place car with half round adjustments. There’s a lot that can happen with those adjustments on pit road, so we are learning that stuff right now. I know Ben (Beshore, crew chief) is learning that stuff. He doesn’t have that experience. Jaik (Halpainy) and Seth (Chavka), my engineers, they’ve been in the Cup Series for a couple years on the 20, so we are all debriefing and talking about each and every thing we do and what magnitude those things feel like to me so they can help build their knowledge base as far as what we need to do going forward.”   What is the key to you getting a win at Martinsville?   “It’s a tough racetrack and, any time you come in the pits and make an adjustment on your car, you certainly hope it goes the right way, or you make enough of it, or you don’t make too much of an adjustment. The last run can be tricky, too, because you can be coming off a 50-lap run on right-side tires and take four and you’ve only got 30 (laps) to go, or you could have 80 to go and you know you have to manage that run all the way to the end.”   What do you feel is the biggest key to performing well in the longer races like this week at Martinsville?   “I think just being able to get comfortable, get settled, and make sure that you’re good to go for those long hauls. Don’t worry about what lap it is, ever, during a race. That’s the worst thing that could happen to you. You just try to not ever worry about what lap you’re on or what’s going on around you. You just keep battling, keep driving, keep your focus forward on what you’re doing. That’s the best way to go about those long, long races.”   Where have you put the Martinsville Speedway grandfather clocks you’ve won?   “One’s at home in the foyer and I had to turn off the buzzer because it’s close to (son) Brexton’s room, so we don’t get to hear it. We heard it a couple of times while it went off, but then I turned it off. And then, the other ones, we have at KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports).”     Event Overview: ●  Event:  Blu-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 (Round 8 of 36) ●  Time/Date:  7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 10 ●  Location:  Martinsville (Va.) Speedway ●  Layout:  .526-mile oval ●  Laps/Miles:  500 laps/263 miles ●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 130 laps / Stage 2: 130 laps / Final Stage: 240 laps ●  TV/Radio:  FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Meet the No. 18 SNICKERS Peanut Brownie/ Joe Gibbs Racing Team

Primary Team Members:   Driver: Kyle Busch Hometown: Las Vegas   Crew Chief: Ben Beshore Hometown: York, Pennsylvania   Car Chief: Nate Bellows Hometown: Fairfax, Vermont   Spotter: Tony Hirschman Hometown: Northampton, Pennsylvania   Over-The-Wall Crew Members:   Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida   Front Tire Changer: Blake Houston Hometown: Enochville, North Carolina   Jackman: T.J. Ford Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina   Tire Carrier: Joe Crossen Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina   Rear Tire Changer: Jeff Cordero Hometown: Salem, Connecticut   Road Crew Members:   Race Engineer: Seth Chavka Hometown: Soldotna, Alaska   Truck Driver: Chris Miko Hometown: Bronx, New York   Truck Driver: Tom McCrimmon Hometown: Spicer, Minnesota   Mechanic/Tire Specialist: Justin Peiffer Hometown: Lebanon, Pennsylvania   Mechanic: Scott Eldridge Hometown: Warsaw, Indiana

Circa Sports odds to win 2021 Daytona 500

 

Five Decades In The Making: NASCAR Introduces Three New Tracks

Two New Layouts to 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule

Historic Slate Includes Three New Road Courses and First Dirt Race in Half A Century

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 30, 2020) – NASCAR today announced the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, a historic slate that includes the introduction of three new racetracks – and new layouts at two iconic venues – to the sport’s top level.

Not since 1969 has NASCAR added this many new venues to its premier series schedule.

The 36-race slate includes races at three new road course layouts, and the first Cup Series dirt race in more than 50 years.

The road course at Circuit of the Americas (May 23) joins the schedule for the first time, Road America (July 4) returns for the first time since 1956 and, after a thrilling debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2020, the Cup stars will race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in 2021 (Aug. 15).

The high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway will transform into a dirt track for a NASCAR Cup Series race on March 28, the first premier series race on dirt since Sept. 30, 1970 (North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, N.C.).

And as previously announced, NASCAR returns to the Music City with a race at Nashville Superspeedway on June 20, which will kick off the NBC Sports portion of the season.

“We developed the 2021 schedule with one primary goal: Continue to take steps to create the most dynamic schedule possible for our fans,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “Extensive collaboration between NASCAR, the racetracks, race teams and our broadcast partners allowed NASCAR to create what promises to be an exciting 2021 schedule of races.”

In addition, NASCAR announced the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race’s return to a high-speed 1.5-mile track in 2021, as the annual star-studded event moves to Texas Motor Speedway on June 13 for the first time in its 36-year history.

NASCAR will open its Cup Series season with two consecutive races in Florida. As is tradition, the season will kick off with the running of The Great American Race – the DAYTONA 500 – at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 14 live on FOX before heading south to Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 21.

The series will also double down on a pair of familiar venues in markets threaded deep with historical NASCAR ties and passionate fanbases. Cars will hit the track at Darlington Raceway for the first time on Sunday, May 9 and again to kick off the Playoffs on Sunday, Sept. 5 while Atlanta Motor Speedway will host NASCAR’s premier series on Sunday, Mar. 21 and Sunday, July 11.

After an overhaul for the 2020 season, the only change in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will be a swap of dates between Texas and Kansas in the Round of 8. Wholly unpredictable venues – Bristol Motor Speedway (Sept. 18), the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (Oct. 10) and Martinsville Speedway (Oct. 31) – will once again serve as the cutoff races in 2021.

Phoenix Raceway culminates the 10-race Playoffs slate as host of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race for the second consecutive year.

NASCAR Cup Series races in 2021 will once again air on the FOX and NBC family of networks. Start times and specific networks will be announced at a later date. Schedules for the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will also be announced at a later date.

Below is the full 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule (Playoff races in bold font):

2021 NASCAR CUP SERIES SCHEDULE

 

Date	Race / Track
Tuesday, February 9	Clash (Daytona Road Course)
Thursday, February 11	Duel at Daytona
Sunday, February 14	DAYTONA 500
Sunday, February 21	Homestead-Miami
Sunday, February 28	Auto Club
Sunday, March 7	Las Vegas
Sunday, March 14	Phoenix
Sunday, March 21	Atlanta
Sunday, March 28	Bristol Dirt
Saturday, April 10	Martinsville
Sunday, April 18	Richmond
Sunday, April 25	Talladega
Sunday, May 2	Kansas
Sunday, May 9	Darlington
Sunday, May 16	Dover
Sunday, May 23	COTA
Sunday, May 30	Charlotte
Sunday, June 6	Sonoma
Sunday, June 13	All-Star (Texas)
Sunday, June 20	Nashville Superspeedway
Saturday & Sunday, June 26-27	Pocono Doubleheader
Sunday, July 4	Road America
Sunday, July 11	Atlanta
Sunday, July 18	New Hampshire
Sunday, August 8	Watkins Glen
Sunday, August 15	Indianapolis Road Course
Sunday, August 22	Michigan
Saturday, August 28	Daytona
Sunday, September 5	Darlington
Saturday, September 11	Richmond
Saturday, September 18	Bristol
Sunday, September 26	Las Vegas
Sunday, October 3	Talladega
Sunday, October 10	Charlotte Roval
Sunday, October 17	Texas
Sunday, October 24	Kansas
Sunday, October 31	Martinsville
Sunday, November 7	Phoenix