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).