Matt Crafton returns to truck victory lane at Martinsville

Matt Crafton, who has fallen from first to third in the Camping World Truck Series standings over the past couple of months, got a much-needed boost Saturday with a win at Martinsville, the second in four races at the .526-mile paperclip for the driver of the #88 ThorSport Racing Toyota. Crafton had experienced several misfortunes in recent weeks, including running dry on fuel at Las Vegas on October 3 and then allegedly throwing a piece of trash out his window to try to get a caution; followed by involvement in multiple wrecks at Talladega last week. It was his fifth win of 2015 and his tenth overall.

The 200-lap race had its typical short-track share of cautions. Points leader Erik Jones, driving his #4 Kyle Busch-owned Toyota, got caught up in an incident that also involved specialty racer Austin Cindric, competing in his series debut in Brad Keselowski's #29 Ford as a substitute for the injured Austin Theriault. Keselowski's current main driver, Tyler Reddick (#19), at one time the points leader, remains second in the standings heading into next Friday night's event in Fort Worth, Texas. Jones maintains a three-point lead over Reddick.

Harvick will not be penalized for Talladega incident

Kevin Harvick will not be penalized for his part in Sunday's crash on the final restart of the Sprint Cup Contender round finale in Talladega, Alabama, to the dismay of a number of fans and fellow competitors. Rumors state that Harvick intentionally turned his ailing #4 Chevrolet into the #6 Ford of Trevor Bayne, triggering a multi-car wreck on the frontstretch, to avoid elimination for the second time in three weeks. Harvick won in Dover, Delaware on October 4 to claim one of the last Contender spots. The leaders took both the white and checkered flags under caution on Sunday, eliminating Dale Earnhardt Jr. by about half a car length, and causing angry fans to throw beer cans at race winner Joey Logano. But NASCAR president Mike Helton said Sunday evening and again Tuesday that there was no evidence that Harvick, who was undoubtedly struggling with his car in the final laps, purposely triggered the crash as a cheating mechanism.

2016 Cup and Xfinity schedules revealed

After several months of work, NASCAR has announced the 2016 race scheduled for the Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series. There are fewer changes than the 2015 schedule. Changes include the spring Dover race moving to mid-May before the All-Star Race, Bristol and Michigan swapping their August dates, the June Chicagoland Xfinity race moving to Pocono, and the first Iowa Xfinity date filling Chicagoland's former date, moving from the Sunday after the All-Star Race. Atlanta, Phoenix and Bristol will keep their new spring dates from this year. The Southern 500 at Darlington will stay on Labor Day Weekend. The spring Richmond weekend will become a daytime one, and the fall switch between Kansas and Charlotte will remain.

Logano completes Contender sweep at Talladega; Earnhardt eliminated

Joey Logano won his third straight Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway after a crazy and confusing finish under caution after a failed lone attempt at a green-white-checkered finish. On the final restart, Kevin Harvick (#4), who had been complaining of several issues since prior to the previous yellow, changed lanes on the track and turned the #6 Ford of Trevor Bayne, collecting Cole Whitt (#35), Denny Hamlin (#11) and several others. The resulting frozen field meant that the dominant #88 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr. could not win, thus eliminating him from the Chase.

Earnhardt, leader of 63 of 188 scheduled laps around the 2.5-mile superspeedway, had taken his fast car from 27th place back to the lead after a lap 124 pit penalty, aided by a lap 133 caution caused by the sputtering #51 Chevrolet of Justin Allgaier, who already had misfortune during Saturday qualifying when his 2016 replacement Clint Bowyer backed his #15 Toyota into Allgaier's car on pit road. The first 132 laps had gone caution-free, and there were only two more cautions including the GWC attempt. Meanwhile, a promising day for young phenom Ryan Blaney went south when his #21 Ford lost its engine around lap 70. Prior to the lap 183 second caution, Greg Biffle attempted to stretch the fuel in his #16 Ford, leading by as much as 40 seconds over the Penske Fords of Logano and Brad Keselowski (#2). Just shy of the scheduled distance under caution, Biffle had to top off his tank, ceding the lead to Logano, with Earnhardt moving up to the outside lane of the front row. On the second attempt of the restart is when some say that Harvick intentionally turned Bayne to trigger the race-ending wreck, although there was ultimately no evidence that he did so on purpose.

The four Chasers eliminated after the race's finish was sorted out were Earnhardt, Hamlin, Ryan Newman (#31) and Matt Kenseth (#20). Hamlin and Newman made the Chanpionship Round at Homestead in 2014 with a combined one win between them, which was Hamlin's at the spring Talladega race. Earnhardt also got eliminated after Talladega last year after a late-race shuffle back to about 25th place, followed by a wreck. Kenseth, who started the Contender round on top of the Chase grid just like Jimmie Johnson (#48) in the Challenger round, got eliminated after trouble at Charlotte and Kansas. The Eliminator round begins Sunday, November 1 at the famous Martinsville, Virginia paperclip short track.

Timothy Peters takes another Talladega truck win

Timothy Peters won for the second straight year in the Camping World Truck Series at Talladega on Saturday, taking his #17 Toyota to victory lane after a wild second half of the 250-mile, 94 lap race that under under caution after a single green-white-checkered attempt. Brian Keselowski (#29) in his first race driving for brother Brad, and Brandon Jones (#33) had chances to win near the end, but were set back by late cautions, one of which was a red flag for a multi-truck crash.

Regan Smith not returning to JRM in 2016

Regan Smith told the NASCAR on NBC crew after Saturday's Xfinity Series race in Kansas City, Kansas that he will not stay as the driver of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s #7 Chevrolet for the 2016 season. Smith took control of the JR Motorsports #7 car late in 2012, replacing the Sprint Cup-bound Danica Patrick; Smith in turn was moving back down to what was then the Nationwide Series after swapping Cup rides with Kurt Busch. Smith's first win came in the 2012 season finale at Homestead. He has gone on to win five more races, including two within the past two months, at the Mid-Ohio road course and in Dover, Delaware two weeks ago. This means that Earnhardt will not have either of his current full-time drivers next year, as Chase Elliott (#9) is moving full-time to the Sprint Cup Series to replace Jeff Gordon in the #24 car. Earnhardt will continue using himself and other Cup and development drivers as co-drivers for his third Xfinity car, the #88.

Logano wins, Kenseth spins at Kansas

Joey Logano won his second straight Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday in the Hollywood Casino 400, allowing him to remain the only Chase driver who has won during the 12-driver Contender Round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. The win was controversial, as Logano, driving his #22 Team Penske Ford closely behind the #20 Joe Gibbs Toyota of Matt Kenseth, caused Kenseth, whose car was slightly above Logano's on the track, to spin out as Kenseth was leading. Kenseth, the leader of 153 of 267 scheduled laps, was trying to win to get back above the round 3 cutline. He was upset with Logano after the race, but Logano, who won last week at Charlotte in another race where Kenseth led and then had problems, was under the impression that Kenseth self-spun. Kenseth's teammate Denny Hamlin (#11) and eliminated Chaser Jimmie Johnson (#48) finished second and third.

Early in the race, the #4 Stewart-Haas Chevrolet of Kevin Harvick was reported to have some sort of vibration. Within a few laps, the issue suddenly disappeared and Harvick passed Logano's teammate Brad Keselowski (#2) for the lead before Jeb Burton's #26 Toyota hit the wall to bring out the first caution. Austin Dillon (#3) made it into the top-five just past halfway before blowing his right front tire. Clint Bowyer's #15 Michael Waltrip Toyota and Justin Allgaier's #51 HScott Chevrolet also hit the wall during the race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (#88) stayed 11th on the Chase grid after having to pit to fix yet another loose wheel, after which he got lapped twice. This leaves Jeff Gordon (#24) as the only Hendrick Motorsports driver not up for elimination heading into next weekend, as Kasey Kahne (#5) missed the Chase entirely this year.

Next week is the second Chase elimination race in Talladega, Alabama, where four more Chasers' championship hopes will end, cutting the field from 12 drivers to 8. A restrictor plate track, Talladega has a tendency to host unpredictable races. The grid could change dramatically by the end of that race, leaving some drivers previously up for elimination safe from it.

Race Results:

1. (14) 22-Joey Logano - Ford - 269 laps, led 42 laps
2. (5) 11-Denny Hamlin - Toyota - 269 laps
3. (21) 48-Jimmie Johnson - Chevrolet - 269 laps, led 5 laps
4. (24) 5-Kasey Kahne - Chevrolet - 269 laps
5. (3) 18-Kyle Busch - Toyota - 269 laps
6. (9) 41-Kurt Busch - Chevrolet - 269 laps
7. (8) 21-Ryan Blaney - Ford - 269 laps, led 5 laps
8. (2) 19-Carl Edwards - Toyota - 269 laps, led 6 laps
9. (1) 2-Brad Keselowski - Ford - 269 laps, led 28 laps
10. (6) 24-Jeff Gordon - Chevrolet - 269 laps

Kyle Busch wins another Xfinity race at Kansas

Kyle Busch overcame some early issues to bring his #54 Toyota to his 75th career Xfinity Series win in the Kansas Lottery 300 on Saturday. Busch held off his Cup teammate Matt Kenseth (#20) for the win. Kenseth and Busch combined to lead every lap, including the four extra green-white-checkered laps that came after the #52 Toyota of Joey Gase blew its engine and lay down fluid on the track. Roush Fenway driver Chris Buescher (#60) maintained his points lead, while defending series champion Chase Elliott (#9) pulled away from his JR Motorsports teammate Regan Smith (#7) by six points to take second place in the standings. Richard Childress driver Ty Dillon (#3), second for several weeks earlier in the year, now sits in fourth.The other three Roush drivers - Darrell Wallace Jr. (#6), Elliott Sadler (#1) and Ryan Reed (#16) - are fifth, sixth and tenth in points. Also in incidents during the race were Cale Conley, Truck drivers Jennifer Jo Cobb and Korbin Forrister, and B.J. McLeod.

Race Results:

1. (4) 54-Kyle Busch - Toyota - 204 laps, led 56 laps
2. (1) 20-Matt Kenseth - Toyota - 204 laps, led 148 laps
3. (10) 22-Joey Logano - Ford - 204 laps
4. (5) 3-Ty Dillon - Chevrolet - 204 laps
5. (3) 7-Regan Smith - Chevrolet - 204 laps
6. (2) 60-Chris Buescher - Ford - 204 laps
7. (12) 9-Chase Elliott - Chevrolet - 204 laps
8. (15) 39-Ryan Sieg - Chevrolet - 204 laps
9. (6) 18-Daniel Suarez - Toyota - 204 laps
10. (8) 62-Brendan Gaughan - Chevrolet

2016 rules package revealed

NASCAR unveiled the 2016 rules package for the Sprint Cup, Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series, a package which emphasizes lower downforce in the hopes of increasing passing, as well as different splitter and spoiler heights.

Dale Jr. not sure who'll drive his #7 Xfinity car in 2016

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has hired Elliott Sadler to replace Chase Elliott in his #9 Xfinity Series Chevrolet Camaro in 2016, is not sure about the future of championship contender Regan Smith, who for three full seasons has driven the team's #7 Chevrolet. Smith has won six races during his tenure with the team, but Earnhardt has been unable to secure full sponsorship for the car in 2016. He evidently wanted modified driver Josh Berry to drive the #9 car in 2016 for a full schedule, but those plans quickly fell through. Smith hopes his success over the past couple of seasons will get him the sponsorship needed to re-sign with JRM. Besides the #7 and #9 cars, Earnhardt fields the #88 car in the series for various Cup and development drivers including himself, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Berry and Ben Rhodes.

Logano wins Round 2 opener at Charlotte; Kenseth, Earnhardt run into trouble

Joey Logano took the #22 Team Penske Ford to his fourth win of the 2015 season in the rain-delayed Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday. He dominated the event, leading all but 105 laps. This makes Logano the first of eight drivers to get a spot in the Eliminator round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, which starts November 1 in Martinsville, Virginia. The Charlotte race was the beginning of the 12-driver Contender round, which makes its other two stops in Kansas City, Kansas and Talladega, Alabama. Matt Kenseth, the points leader coming into the race, ran into trouble after leading 73 of 334 laps, when his #20 Joe Gibbs Toyota hit the wall. Chasers Brad Keselowski (#2) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (#88) apparently ran into leftover oil laid down by the #51 Chevrolet of Justin Allgaier, relegating Earnhardt to a 28th-place finish. Eliminated Jimmie Johnson (#48) also had a second straight week of misfortune, finishing 39th. Kyle Busch (#18) and Kyle Larson (#42) collided during a caution during confusion as to whether to pit with the rest of the leaders. The other two Gibbs drivers - Denny Hamlin (#11) and Carl Edwards (#19) - are still in the top eight on the Chase grid.

Race Results:

1. (3) 22-Joey Logano - Ford - 334 laps, led 229 laps
2. (11) 4-Kevin Harvick - Chevrolet - 334 laps
3. (15) 78-Martin Truex Jr. - Chevrolet - 334 laps
4. (5) 11-Denny Hamlin - Toyota - 334 laps
5. (6) 41-Kurt Busch - Chevrolet - 334 laps
6. (8) 19-Carl Edwards - Toyota - 334 laps, led 1 lap
7. (14) 3-Austin Dillon - Chevrolet - 334 laps, led 1 lap
8. (22) 24-Jeff Gordon - Chevrolet - 334 laps, led 1 lap
9. (13) 2-Brad Keselowski - Ford - 334 laps
10. (9) 43-Aric Almirola - Ford - 334 laps

Austin Dillon wins Xfinity race at Charlotte; Kyle Busch has trouble late

Austin Dillon took the #33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to his fifth Xfinity Series win of the season in the North Carolina Drive for the Cure 300 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday evening. Dillon completed the Xfinity season sweep of Charlotte with this win, as he also won in May the day before the Sprint Cup's Coca-Cola 600. Kyle Busch once again appeared to have a dominant #54 Toyota, but on lap 154 of 200 he got caught up in an incident with the #88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet of Kasey Kahne, in which both drivers, Busch apparently aided by Kahne, hit the wall on the backstretch. Busch was done for the night. Kahne led a few laps in the race, as did Busch's Truck Series driver, Erik Jones in the #20 Toyota. Chris Buescher (#60) maintained his points lead over last week's winner Regan Smith (#7) by 26 points.

Race Results:

1. (1) 33-Austin Dillon - Chevrolet - 200 laps, led 61 laps
2. (3) 20-Erik Jones - Toyota - 200 laps
3. (13) 22-Brad Keselowski - Ford - 200 laps
4. (7) 18-Daniel Suarez - Toyota - 200 laps, led 1 lap
5. (12) 7-Regan Smith - Chevrolet - 200 laps
6. (8) 3-Ty Dillon - Chevrolet - 200 laps
7. (4) 60-Chris Buescher - Ford - 200 laps
8. (9) 6-Darrell Wallace Jr. - Ford - 200 laps
9. (17) 9-Chase Elliott - Chevrolet - 200 laps
10. (10) 1-Elliott Sadler - Ford - 200 laps

Harvick wins at Dover to advance; Johnson eliminated

After being on the brink of elimination following bad luck at Chicagoland and New Hampshire, Kevin Harvick finished the first round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup on a strong note by dominating the AAA 400 at Dover to win and advance to the next round after all in the #4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet. Meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson shockingly failed to advance his #48 Hendrick Chevrolet after early issues. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (#88) and Kyle Busch (#18) managed to save themselves from elimination. Also eliminated were Jamie McMurray (#1) after a fierce battle with Earnhardt, Paul Menard (#27) and Clint Bowyer (#15).

Townley shocks with Las Vegas truck win; Theriault injured

John Wes Townley quite literally stole the win on Saturday evening in the Rhino Auto Linings 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, saving fuel in the final laps and taking the #05 Athenian Motorsports Chevrolet to his much-awaited first Camping World Truck Series win. Townley started the race on the outside pole next to the #88 ThorSport Toyota of Matt Crafton. Besides Townley and Crafton, Crafton's teammates Cameron Hayley (#13) and Johnny Sauter (#98) also led some laps in the race. Hayley had an issue on pit road late, while Sauter spun after contact with the #8 NEMCO Chevrolet of John Hunter Nemechek. Crafton ran out of fuel with a handful of laps left in the 146-lap race, as did the #4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota driven by Erik Jones. Townley had to continually coast to the checkered flag, but he got it done.

Approaching the start of lap 15, a major wreck occurred when the two Brad Keselowski Fords driven by Tyler Reddick (#19) and Austin Theriault (#29) made contact on the frontstretch. Theriault hit a SAFER barrier-less wall at high speed, and took a while to get out of his truck. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he was announced as conscious and alert. This comes just a week after Eric McClure also suffered a concussion in the Xfinity Series race at Kentucky, and just over seven months after Kyle Busch's hard Xfinity crash at Daytona.

Regan Smith saves fuel, wins Dover Xfinity race

Regan Smith saved enough fuel in the closing laps of Saturday's Hisense 250 at the Dover International Speedway to take the #7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to his second win of the season and sixth series win overall. Smith held off the #20 Joe Gibbs Toyota of Denny Hamlin, who was carrying the title sponsor and had enough fuel to make it to the end. The race was red-flagged for a crash, and had a competition caution as well on lap 25 due to the rain that fell on and off in the area starting early Friday morning. The Xfinity cars' Friday practice was cancelled, as was their Saturday practice and qualifying also scheduled for Saturday morning, meaning the drivers got absolutely no official practice time, which was another reason the competition yellow was needed. Smith's driver Chase Elliott (#9) has fallen down to fourth in the standings behind Smith, Ty Dillon (#3) and points leader/spring Dover winner Chris Buescher (#60).