Schedule changes for 2016 so far

As NASCAR tries to finalize the 2016 race schedule, here are some schedule changes - or lack thereof - from 2015 that have been confirmed or speculated.

• The spring tripleheader at Dover could be moved from the first weekend of June to mid-May, in between Kansas and the All-Star Race at Charlotte. Dover previously occupied this date in 2010 and 2011.
• The new Xfinity Series race at Pocono is expected to be held the same June weekend as the track's first of two Cup dates. This will replace the standalone event at Chicagoland.
• Michigan and Bristol are expected to switch their August dates to accomodate the college football game at Bristol. The summer Cup off-week could be in between Watkins Glen and Michigan as a result.
• The second Pocono Cup race would take place on the last weekend of July, but still in between the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis and Watkins Glen,
• Atlanta has been confirmed again as the second race weekend of the year after the Daytona 500 and its associated events. Chicagoland will once again be the Chase opener in mid-September. Homestead will continue to host the Ford Championship Weekend for at least another four seasons after 2015.

Tony Stewart confirms retirement rumors

Tony Stewart has proven the retirement tumors true. Stewart revealed Sunday that 2016 will be his last full-time season as a driver. His career has been in a downfall over the past few seasons, which played a huge part in his decision. The news that Clint Bowyer will drive the #51 HScott Motorsports Chevrolet, replacing Justin Allgaier next year, and then replace Stewart in the Stewart-Haas Racing #14 Chevrolet, appears to be holding true as well. Stewart won 48 Sprint Cup races in his first 15 seasons on the circuit, but has yet to visit victory lane since his come-from-behind win at Dover in June of 2013. He has missed several races since then in the aftermath of two sprint car incidents. Stewart is a three-time series champion, winning it in 2002, 2005 and 2011.

Kenseth takes advantage of Harvick's empty tank, steals New Hampshire win

When the #4 Stewart-Haas Chevrolet of dominant Kevin Harvick ran out of fuel with a handful of laps to go in Sunday's Sylvania 300 in Loudon, New Hampshire, Matt Kenseth was lurking behind him in second place. Kenseth wheeled his #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota past Harvick's sputtering car to steal the win and become the second driver to advance to round 2 of the Chase for the Sprint Cup with a win, after his teammate Denny Hamlin (#11) won last week at Chicagoland. Harvick, who ended Chicagoland 16th on the Chase grid thanks to his restart incident with the #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson, then moved up a spot after Clint Bowyer's (#15) penalty earlier this week, was looking to put the incident behind him with a win that would have locked him, the defending series champion, into the 12-driver Contender round after all. He now has to avoid misfortune next week at Dover.

Aside from Harvick, the #2 Team Penske Ford of Brad Keselowski and the #88 Hendrick Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr. had strong runs throughout most of the 300-lap race. Keselowski was penalized after it was ruled that he jumped a restart with about 50 laps to go; he worked his way up to 18th by the checkered flag. Restarting next to Keselowski that time was the #16 Roush Ford of Greg Biffle, who last pitted on lap 206, a full six laps before Harvick's last pit at the time he ran out, and pulled off an upset fourth-place finish behind Kenseth, Hamlin and the #22 Penske Ford of Joey Logano. Earnhardt lost several positions after his and many other drivers' pit strategies were messed up on lap 206 when Danica Patrick (#10) spun and collected the #55 Toyota of David Ragan, prompting a red flag for cleanup. Earnhardt got back up to 7th place, then settled into 12th behind the #78 Chevrolet of fellow Chaser Martin Truex Jr. Approaching the white flag, Earnhardt had to pit and ultimately finished in 25th place, leaving him 12th on the Chase grid only one point ahead of the cutoff.

Meanwhile, in 13th one point below the cutoff is Kyle Busch, whose #18 Gibbs Toyota hit the wall around lap 181, sending him to the garage and in danger of being eliminated next week, after his impressive comeback from his Daytona injury with four wins in five races during the summer. The fourth Gibbs driver, Carl Edwards (#19), started on the pole, got a tire rub about halfway through the race, and worked his way up to a fifth-place finish thanks to the timing of some of the cautions and the pit strategies of other drivers. The other two drivers up for elimination heading into Dover are Bowyer and Paul Menard, of the #27 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

Race Results:

1. (13) 20-Matt Kenseth - Toyota - 300 laps, led 27 laps
2. (7) 11-Denny Hamlin - Toyota - 300 laps, led 21 laps
3. (8) 22-Joey Logano - Ford - 300 laps
4. (25) 16-Greg Biffle - Ford - 300 laps, led 12 laps
5. (1) 19-Carl Edwards - Toyota - 300 laps, led 19 laps
6. (5) 48-Jimmie Johnson - Chevrolet - 300 laps
7. (10) 24-Jeff Gordon - Chevrolet - 300 laps
8. (21) 78-Martin Truex Jr. - Chevrolet - 300 laps
9. (12) 5-Kasey Kahne - Chevrolet - 300 laps
10. (9) 31-Ryan Newman - Chevrolet - 300 laps

Ryan Blaney wins crazy Xfinity race at Kentucky

Ryan Blaney cruised to the win in the #22 Team Penske Ford in a very eventful Xfinity Series race at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday evening, the second of two annual events for the series at the 1.5-mile tri-oval. It was Blaney's second Xfinity win of 2015 and the fourth of his career; he now has eight total national series wins including his four Truck Series wins. The 300-mile, 200-lap race was effectively split into two with a red flag after 100 laps when the #42 Chevrolet of Brennan Poole collided with the #0 Chevrolet of Harrison Rhodes on the backstretch. Poole was previously involved in a lap 2 incident with Ryan Reed (#16) and Blake Koch (#8). Rhodes' teammate Michael Self (#01) wrecked a few laps later.

Front row starters Daniel Suarez (#18) and Brian Scott (#2) had the good cars during the early laps, but it was ultimately Scott's RCR teammate Ty Dillon (#3), Blaney and Suarez's Joe Gibbs teammate Erik Jones (#54), who sped all the way from the back after Drew Herring qualified the car, who dominated the middle portions of the race. In between a pair of late cautions, it looked as though third Gibbs driver Matt Tifft (#20) could pull off an upset in his series debut. Two more restarts shuffled Tifft back several spots. Meanwhile, Suarez and Scott both encountered problems with their cars and lost multiple laps. The #9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet of Chase Elliott and the #1 Roush Ford of Elliott Sadler battled each other for a few laps, while Elliott's teammate Regan Smith (#7) snuck in a top-ten finish. After the race, Scott and Sadler's teammate Darrell Wallace Jr. (#6) exchanged words on pit road. The series next heads to Dover, Delaware as part of a tripleheader with the trucks and Cup.

Race Results:

1. 22-Ryan Blaney
2. 3-Ty Dillon
3. 7-Regan Smith
4. 9-Chase Elliott
5. 33-Brandon Jones
6. 62-Brendan Gaughan
7. 60-Chris Buescher
8. 54-Erik Jones
9. 6-Darrell Wallace Jr.
10. 20-Matt Tifft

Austin Dillon takes New Hampshire Truck win

Austin Dillon dominated the UNOH 225 truck race in Loudon, New Hampshire on Saturday in the #33 Chevrolet. Series rookie Erik Jones finished second in the #4 Toyota. Jones' truck owner Kyle Busch (#51) contended for the win but had troubles near the end.

Furniture Row Racing switching to Toyota next year

Furniture Row Racing has re-signed Martin Truex Jr. to drive their #78 car for a third season in 2016. Currently a Chevrolet, the team will switch manufacturers to Toyota in February and align with current top Toyota team Joe Gibbs Racing. Furniture Row will therefore end their alliance with Chevrolet team Richard Childress Racing, who also provides engines and equipment to JTG Daugherty Racing (#47) and Germain Racing (#13).

Dale Earnhardt Jr. not yet confirmed as Fox Xfinity guest

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has not yet been selected as a guest analyst for Fox's Xfinity Series broadcasts next year, despite reports that he had. Current driver analysts for Fox's rotating broadcast panel include Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Danica Patrick and Clint Bowyer. Jeff Gordon, who served as an Xfinity Series guest in a couple of races this year, will replace Larry McReynolds in the Cup booth starting in February during Speedweeks. But there will be no Dale Jr. just yet.

Bowyer fined, docked points; crew chief suspended

Clint Bowyer, an outgoing Michael Waltrip Racing driver in the Chase for the Sprint Cup on points, was caught with an illegal trackbar following Sunday's race at Chicagoland. He has been assessed a P4 penalty.

Denny Hamlin steals the win in Chase opener at Chicagoland

After spinning early and losing a lap, Denny Hamlin battled back to take the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to victory in Sunday's Chase for the Sprint Cup opener, the MyAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Meanwhile,  Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Stewart-Haas Chevrolet, got a tire run on a restart after contact with the #48 of Jimmie Johnson, then spun on lap 130 of 267 to bring out another caution. Johnson appeared to be forced up the track by the #22 Ford of Joey Logano. Harvick is now 16th on the Chase Grid. Hamlin is the first to advance to the Contender Round with his win.

Kyle Busch steals another Xfinity win at Chicagoland

Kyle Busch sped to his third Xfinity Series win of 2015 in Saturday's Furious 7 300 at Chicagoland Speedway in his #54 Toyota. During the closing laps, Busch and teammate Matt Kenseth (#20), both prepared to compete for ten races in the Chase for the Sprint Cup starting with Sunday's Cup race, were engaged in a battle for the lead. With less than three to go, Kenseth passed Busch for the lead, but the lapped #25 Chevrolet of John Wes Townley got in the way of Kenseth and allowed Busch to pull a crossover move. Roush driver Darrell Wallace Jr. (#6) had a good run and finished third. Another battle for position near the end took place between Richard Childress teammates Brian Scott (#2) and another Cup Chaser, Paul Menard (#33). Ryan Blaney, already out of Sunday's Cup race due to a qualifying rainout despite having a good car in Cup practice, had more bad luck when his #22 Team Penske Ford blew two tires early, putting him several laps down, During the closing laps, Scott and Kyle Larson (#42) had to pit for fuel.

Can-Am signs as new sponsor for Daytona twin qualifiers

ATV manufacturer Can-Am has signed on as the sponsor for the Daytona 500 twin 150-mile qualifying races beginning this coming February. Can-Am replaces Budweiser as the title sponsor after a three-season sponsorship for the latter. The collective event will formally be known as the Can-Am Duel at Daytona. The withdrawal of Budweiser from the sponsorship of the duel races (it still has naming rights for Speedweeks as a whole for now), coming soon after it also dropped out of the Stewart-Haas Racing stable effective at season's end in favor of sister brand Busch becoming the new sponsor of Kevin Harvick's #4 Chevrolet, fuels speculation among fans that Budweiser could be lined up to replace Sprint as the title sponsor of NASCAR's top series beginning in 2017.

John Hunter Nemechek wins Chicagoland truck race

John Hunter Nemechek won the Camping World Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday morning following a wild restart on which the #00 Chevrolet of Kyle Larson ran out of fuel, allowing Nemechek to wheel the #8 Chevrolet to victory. The race was postponed from Friday evening due to rain.

Jeffrey Earnhardt running most of 2016 Cup season with Go FAS Racing

Jeffrey Earnhardt will pilot the #32 Ford of Go FAS Racing in the majority of the 2016 Sprint Cup season, running for the Rookie of the Year award in the series. Earnhardt, the son of former national series driver Kerry Earnhardt and a half-nephew of Dale Earnhardt Jr., made his series debut last Saturday in Richmond, Virginia, while continuing to compete in some Xfinity Series races with multiple teams throughout the season, including Viva Motorsports until June. Returning in 2016 to drive the #32 car in the remaining races - probably the four combined events at Daytona and Talladega - will be veteran and 2000 Cup champion Bobby Labonte, who has made occasional starts for Go FAS for about two years.

Complete list of the 16 Chasers

Matt Kenseth dominates Richmond; final Chase spots taken

Matt Kenseth dominated the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond on Saturday evening, leading 351 of 400 laps in the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota en route to his fourth win of the season. Kenseth's win was not without controversy, as he was accused of jumping the final restart on lap 380 by several car lengths, a move for which he was not penalized. This happened as Aric Almirola was trying to take his #43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford to an upset win for his second straight Chade berth, but on the restart Almirola was shuffled back several positions. During an earlier restart, Kenseth's teammate Kyle Busch (#18), driving alongside third Gibbs driver Denny Hamlin (#11), evidently made a move to switch lanes (top to bottom) prior to the designated restart line. Almirola ultimately finished fourth. Aside from the restart controversy, much of the race was uneventful; there were several debris cautions, one of which featured an incident in which Michael McDowell hit a safety truck with his #95 Ford, damaging both vehicles. Chevrolet drivers Martin Truex Jr. (#78), already in the Chase, and Michael Annett (#46) both hit the wall early as well.

This was the regular-season finale for the Sprint Cup Series, as the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins next Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. Claiming the last-minute spots on points were Jamie McMurray (#1), who clinched by taking the green flag; Jeff Gordon (#24) in his final season of competition; Clint Bowyer (#15) trying to take Michael Waltrip Racing out with a bang; Ryan Newman (#31) and his teammate Paul Menard (#27). This is McMurray and Menard's first-ever Chase appearance. Eliminated from Chase contention after the race were Almirola, Kyle Larson (#42), Austin Dillon (#3), Casey Mears (#13), Kasey Kahne (#5), Tony Stewart (#14), Danica Patrick (#10) and A.J. Allmendinger (#47) along with various others who were mathematically eliminated prior to this weekend. Kenseth's race win moved him up to third on the Chase Grid, tying him with Jimmie Johnson (#48) and Kyle Busch for four wins apiece. Race polesitter Joey Logano (#22) finished third and moved down to fourth on the Chase Grid.

The first of four Chase rounds, the Challenger round, begins next Sunday with the MyAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland. Four drivers will be eliminated every three rounds, until there are four drivers left in the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 22 to battle for the championship.

Race Results:

1. (2) 20-Matt Kenseth - Toyota - 400 laps, led 351 laps
2. (4) 18-Kyle Busch - Toyota - 400 laps, led 9 laps
3. (1) 22-Joey Logano - Ford - 400 laps, led 25 laps
4. (24) 43-Aric Almirola - Ford - 400 laps
5. (29) 88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Chevrolet - 400 laps
6. (25) 11-Denny Hamlin - Toyota - 400 laps, led 14 laps
7. (23) 24-Jeff Gordon - Chevrolet - 400 laps
8. (3) 2-Brad Keselowski - Ford - 400 laps
9. (9) 48-Jimmie Johnson - Chevrolet - 400 laps
10. (26) 15-Clint Bowyer - Toyota - 400 laps

Chase Elliott returns to Xfinity victory lane at Richmond

Chase Elliott took his fourth Xfinity Series win and first on 2015 on Friday evening in the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond. It was the first win for the defending series champion since Chicagoland last July.

Denny Hamlin suffers basketball injury

Denny Hamlin tore his ACL playing basketball on Tuesday. After an evaluation, he is expected to remain behind the wheel of the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for the remainder of the season, but undergo surgery during the offseason. It is one of several injuries Hamlin has sustained in recent years.

Carl Edwards win lengthy Southern 500 at Darlington

Carl Edwards took the #19 Joe Gibbs Toyota to his second win of the season in the prestigious Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday evening. This was the first Labor Day eve running of the historic race since 2003; the tradition goes all the way back to 1950. Edwards was one of the few not running a throwback paint scheme to celebrate the Southern 500's return to its traditional date. The 367-lap race featured 18 cautions which stretched it over 4 hours long, about the same length as NASCAR's longest race, the Coca-Cola 600.

The first caution came a few laps in when the #25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Chase Elliott, making his fifth and final Cup start of the year before moving full-time to the series next year to replace Jeff Gordon, collided with the #35 Front Row Motorsports Ford of Cole Whitt, damaging the front of Whitt's car. Whitt's teammate Brett Moffitt (#34) also got a piece of the wreck. Whitt went to the garage and was soon done for the evening. Some laps later, Mike Bliss hit the wall with his #33 Chevrolet, leaving a huge Darlington Stripe along the wall. Jimmie Johnson spun the #48 Chevrolet before the halfway mark, but got back going and worked his way into the top ten. Edwards' teammate Kyle Busch in the #18 Toyota also had a run-in with the #16 Ford of Greg Biffle which brought out a caution. Trevor Bayne (#6), Biffle's teammate, was involved in multiple incidents including a crash with the #55 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota of David Ragan (who later brought out another caution when he hit the wall). Danica Patrick (#10) sustained heavy damage from a wall hit around lap 200, as did third Roush driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (#17) a few laps after the ensuing restart.

Because of the high amount of cautions, some teams reported being low on tires, although no crews completely ran out. Hendrick drivers Kasey Kahne (#5) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (#88) had tires going down just past halfway. Joey Logano reported a tire going down on his #22 Team Penske Ford, which he pitted to fix. Jeff Gordon (#24) and Tony Stewart (#14) had some nice runs in the lead.

Logano's teammate Brad Keselowski (#2) led 196 of 367 laps, and clearly had the dominant car after taking it to the pole on Saturday. On lap 327, Tony Stewart's driver Kurt Busch (#41) spun and dropped from ninth to 29th, but fought his way back into the top ten by the end of the race. Fourth Stewart-Haas driver and defending race winner Kevin Harvick (#4) was challenging Edwards for second place late in the race as Keselowski led. Jeb Burton (#23) brought out the final caution on lap 356 and Harvick lost a few positions as the leaders made their final pit stops. On the restart, Edwards pulled ahead of Keselowski to steal the win.

After the race, Jamie McMurray (#1) and Ryan Newman (#31) came close to clinching Chase spots like the 11 wins so far this year have, while Kyle Busch, a four-time winner after missing the first 11 races of the season, was reported to have clinched. The four or five Chase spots to be determined by points will be set next Saturday evening in the regular season finale in Richmond, Virginia.

Denny Hamlin dominates Xfinity Series at Darlington

Denny Hamlin tamed The Lady in Black for the fourth time in his career, leading 117 of 147 laps in the #20 Joe Gibbs Toyota in Saturday's Xfinity Series race from the pole at the historic Darlington Raceway. Hamlin's teammates Kyle Busch (#54), who had to start from the rear after qualifying 36th, and outside polesitter Daniel Suarez (#18) finished second and third, giving JGR a sweep of the top three. Hamlin passed Suarez, who was on older tires and running low on fuel, a few laps from the checkered flag. Suarez was the winner of the final Dash 4 Cash payout of the season, winning $100,000 as all previous winners have done. Kevin Harvick in the #88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet was the highest non-JGR driver in fourth. Harvick's teammate Chase Elliott (#9) and Brian Scott (#2) tangled at one point in the race.

Rumor: Tony Stewart retiring after 2016?

A number of unnamed sources evidently reported Friday that Clint Bowyer, who will lose his ride at Michael Waltrip Racing in the #15 Toyota in November when the season ends, will drive for HScott Motorsports in 2016, replacing either Michael Annett or Justin Allgaier in the #46 or #51 Chevrolets, or driving a third car for the team. After that, these sources say that Bowyer would replace Tony Stewart in Stewart's #14 Chevrolet for the 2017 season, indicating a possible retirement for Stewart, whose career has been in a downfall for the past couple of years, after 2016. There is no official word on this yet and is only speculation right now.