Nascar Race Today

A U.S. Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient from Ohio has been selected as the honorary starter for Sunday's Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR race.

The state of Michigan says David Balestrino Jr. of Youngstown won a contest on the Pure Michigan Facebook page, getting hundreds of votes for his entry on why he wanted to wave the green flag on race day at Michigan International Speedway.

Balestrino served as a combat engineer from 2003-2009 and received a Purple Heart during service in Iraq. In his entry, Balestrino said he would like to start the race in honor of his 6-year old son, Brady, after missing the first year of Brady's life while in Iraq.

TV personality and Traverse City native Carter Oosterhouse is Pure Michigan 400 grand marshal.

Feb. 16 - x-The Sprint Unlimited (Kevin Harvick)

Feb. 22 - NextEra Energy Resources 250 (Johnny Sauter)

A U.S. Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient from Ohio has been selected as the honorary starter for Sunday's Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR race.

Sprint Cup Series driver Juan Pablo Montoya climbs into his car during practice for the Brickyard 400 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Saturday, July 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)

Juan Pablo Montoya, one of the most decorated drivers in the world, will not have a chance to find success in NASCAR with longtime team owner Chip Ganassi.

The team owner informed Montoya he will not bring the Colombian back for an eighth NASCAR season. Earnhardt Ganassi president Steve Lauletta announced the decision to the team Tuesday, multiple people present for the announcement told nascarracetoday.blogspot.com on condition of anonymity because Ganassi does not comment on driver contracts.

Montoya, who has won the Indianapolis 500 and Formula One and NASCAR, has been with Earnhardt Ganassi since 2006 when he abruptly left Formula One - where he had seven wins and 30 podiums - for NASCAR. It's his second stint with the car owner - the two teamed together to win the 1999 CART championship and 2000 Indianapolis 500 before Montoya moved to F1.

But results in NASCAR have been sporadic. Montoya has just two wins in 239 career starts and his best season finish was eighth in 2009.

The poor showings led Montoya to rededicate himself this season and turn up his fitness, "I want to (expletive) succeed in this. I'm tired of sucking," he said before the Brickyard 400, in an effort to see if he's been the problem with the No. 42 Chevrolet.

Only there's no clear answer what has been the problem with Montoya, the No. 42 team or the Ganassi organization.

The program has been through several rebuilds since Montoya came aboard, and it was a middle-of-the-road organization when he signed on in 2006. It was Ganassi that was the draw for Montoya: The two had won 11 races together in 1999 and 2000 in CART, including the Indy 500.

Their first NASCAR season was decent and gave the organization a boost with a win on the road course at Sonoma, six top-10s and rookie of the year in 2007. But 2008 was the first sign of trouble as Montoya had two crew chief changes in the first 16 races.

Montoya made the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship in 2009 with crew chief Brian Pattie behind a career-best 18 top-10s, and he was third in points with six races to go in the season before fading to eighth in the final standings.

He won on the road course at Watkins Glen in 2010, but Pattie was let go before Indianapolis in 2011 for Montoya's fourth crew chief change. The Earnhardt Ganassi team began another overhaul that winter and Chris Heroy was hired as Montoya's fifth crew chief before 2012. That entire season was spent trying to get the Earnhardt Ganassi cars up to speed.

The pressure has been on Montoya all this year as he's been obviously racing for his job with hotshot Earnhardt Ganassi developmental driver Kyle Larson waiting in the wings. But Larson turned 21 just last month and has a whopping 21 Nationwide Series starts under his belt.

While today's NASCAR stars rave that Larson is the real deal, many believe it's far too soon to push him into the Sprint Cup Series and Ganassi himself has said repeatedly talk about his future is just speculation. Larson has 12 top-10 finishes in Nationwide and is eighth in the standings.

Others options for the No. 42 Chevrolet could be Kurt Busch, who drives for single-car team Furniture Row Racing, or possibly Ryan Newman, who has been let go from Stewart-Haas Racing.

It's not clear where Montoya goes next, either. He's got an impressive resume on the world level that's not appreciated in the confines of the NASCAR garage, and there aren't many open seats available - at least not any good ones - in the Sprint Cup Series.

It could force Montoya to look at sports car racing, a return to open wheel, or maybe even a European series if he chooses to continue racing.

Date: Saturday, Aug. 17

Start Time: 2:30 p.m. ET

Site: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course -- Lexington, Ohio

Track: 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course

Laps: 90

Miles: 203.22

Capacity: N/A

Total purse:

Payouts:

Year: 1st

On TV: ESPN

Announcers:

On Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio

Race record:

Qualifying record:

Defending champion:

Runner up:

Pole winner:

Top 10:

Average speed:

Time of race:

Margin of victory:

Caution flags:

Lead changes:

Past winners

Race: Zippo 200 at the Glen (Aug. 10)

Site: Watkins Glen International -- Watkins Glen, N.Y.

Miles: 200.9

Laps: 82

Finish line order: Brad Keselowski, Sam Hornish Jr., Brian Vickers, Regan Smith, Elliott Sadler

Time of Race: 2 hrs., 10 mins., 30 secs.

Average speed: 92.368 mph

Margin of victory: 1.418 secs.

Caution flags: 5 for 15 laps

Lead changes: 7 among 6 drivers

Lap leaders: S. Hornish Jr 1-15; B. Keselowski 16-17; P. Kligerman 18-24; B. S. Hornish Jr 1-15; B. Keselowski 16-17; P. Kligerman 18-24; B. Keselowski 25-51; R. Smith 52-52; B. Vickers 53-53; J. Logano 54-65; B. Keselowski 66-82.

#00 Blake Koch (West Palm Beach, FL) Toyota/TBA

#01 Mike Wallace (St. Louis, MO) Chevrolet/teamjdmotorsports.com

#2 Brian Scott (Boise, ID) Chevrolet/Shore Lodge

#3 Austin Dillon (Welcome, NC) Chevrolet/AdvoCare

#4 Kevin Lepage (Shelburne, VT) Chevrolet/teamjdmotorsports.com

#5 Ron Fellows (Toronto, Canada) Chevrolet//AER Manufacturing

#6 Trevor Bayne (Knoxville, TN) Ford/Nationwide Children's Hospital

#7 Regan Smith (Cato, NY) Chevrolet/Nationwide Children's Hosp

#9 Marcos Ambrose (Launceston,Australia Ford/Stanley

#10 Jeff Green (Owensboro, KY) Toyota/TriStar Motorsports

#11 Elliott Sadler (Emporia, VA) Toyota/One Main Financial

#12 Sam Hornish Jr. (Defiance, OH) Ford/Alliance Truck Parts

#14 Eric McClure (Chilhowie, VA) Toyota/Hefty/Reynolds Wrap

#15 Stanton Barrett (Bishop, CA) Ford/TBA

#18 Michael McDowell (Glendale, AZ) Toyota/K-Love

#19 Mike Bliss (Milwaukie, OR) Toyota/TriStar Motorsports

#20 Brian Vickers (Thomasville, NC) Toyota/Dollar General

#22 A.J. Allmendinger (Los Gatos, CA) Ford/Discount Tire

#23 Anthony Gandon (Bayonne, France) Ford/Rick Ware Racing

#24 Derek White (Kahnawake, Canada) Toyota/VIP Poker

#30 Nelson Piquet Jr. (Brasilia, Brazil) Chevrolet/Worx

#31 Justin Allgaier (Riverton, IL) Chevrolet/Accudoc Solutions

#32 Kyle Larson (Elk Grove, CA) Chevrolet/McDonald's

#33 Max Papis (Como, Italy) Chevrolet/Rheem/Menards

#40 Reed Sorenson (Peachtree City, GA) Chevrolet/E-Swisher.com

#42 Jason Bowles (Ontario, Canada) Chevrolet/Curtis Key Plumbing

#43 Michael Annett (Des Moines, IA) Ford/Pilot Travel Centers

#44 Chad Hackenbracht (New Phila., OH) Toyota/Tastee Apple Inc.

#46 T.J. Bell (Reno, NV) Chevrolet/Curtis Key Plumbing

#51 Jeremy Clements (Spartanburg, SC) Chevrolet/TBA

#52 Ryan Ellis (Torrance, CA) Chevrolet/TBA

#53 Andrew Ranger (Roxton Pond, Canada) Dodge/Waste Management Bagster

#54 Owen Kelly (Tasmania, Australia) Toyota/Monster Energy

#60 Travis Pastrana (Annapolis, MD) Ford/Nationwide Children's Hospital

#70 Tomy Drissi (Hollywood, CA) Toyota/TBA

#73 To Be Announced Chevrolet/TBA

#74 Kevin O'Connell (Newport Beach, CA) Chevrolet/TBA

#75 Kenny Habul (Etobicoke, Canada) Toyota/Sun Energy 1

#77 Parker Kligerman (Westport, CT) Toyota/Bandit Chippers

#79 Jeffrey Earnhardt (Mooresville, NC) Ford/Uponor

#86 Tim Cowen (Ashland, OH) Ford/Cowen Logistics

#87 Kyle Kelley (Huntington Beach, CA) Toyota/Jamison Engineering

#99 Alex Bowman (Tucson, AZ) Toyota/TBA

The Nationwide Children's Hospital 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is the 22nd race on the 2013 Nationwide Series schedule.

This will be the third and final road course race on the schedule this year. A.J. Allmendinger won at Road America, and Brad Keselowski took the checkered flag at Watkins Glen International last weekend.

Located roughly 60 miles north of Columbus, Ohio, this 2.258-mile road course opened in 1962. The IndyCar Series has been running there each year since 2007. CART and USAC races also were held at this course in the past.

Mid-Ohio was added to the Nationwide schedule after Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal had been dropped. The series competed in Montreal from 2007-12.

The next race is the Aug. 23 Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Joey Logano won last year's event there.

Brad Keselowski claimed his fourth consecutive Nationwide Series win by outrunning his Penske Racing teammate and pole sitter Sam Hornish Jr. in Saturday's Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International.

Sam Hornish Jr. will start on the pole for Saturday's Zippo 200 Nationwide Series race after setting a new track qualifying record at Watkins Glen International.

Officials anticipating crowds for a new NASCAR race in north-central Ohio worry about the traffic it's expected to create in a more rural area with a notable Amish population.

The NASCAR Nationwide Children's Hospital 200 is Saturday afternoon at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington. It's about halfway between Cleveland and Columbus and is several miles from the major highway linking those cities.

Morrow County Sheriff Steve Brenneman tells the Mansfield News Journal (http://ohne.ws/1buupeu ) many race fans will be arriving on two-lane roads. He says some motorists will be directed to a road in an area that's home to the Amish, but that creates a safety concern because many Amish travel in horse-drawn buggies rather than cars.

The sheriff issued fliers asking the Amish to avoid that road this weekend.

Officials anticipating crowds for a new NASCAR race in north-central Ohio worry about the traffic it's expected to create in a more rural area with a notable Amish population.

Juan Pablo Montoya, one of the most decorated drivers in the world with an Indianapolis 500 victory and wins in Formula One, NASCAR and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, will not have a chance to find success in NASCAR with longtime team owner Chip Ganassi.

You often hear about an athlete thanking God or their family for the win. Sometimes you'll even hear someone give a tearful shout out to their agent who stuck with them and helped them grow as a person, even as that agent learned a valuable life lesson involving Renee Zellweger and an abnormally adorable kid. It's not too often that you hear about an athlete giving some of the credit to video games though, but that is exactly what NASCAR racer Brad Keselowski did after winning a race at the Watkins Glen race track in New York.

Keselowski is the current Sprint Cup Series Champion, making him one of the best drivers ever to turn left hundreds of times in a row. Following an August 10 Nationwide Series win, the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen, Keselowski gave some love to gaming, and credited part of his understanding of the track to the unnamed video games he played growing up that featured Watkins Glen.

"I remember I spent a whole summer when I was kind of locked in my parent's shop, because I was just young enough to where they wouldn't let me touch anything and just old enough to where I wasn't getting a babysitter," he told NBC Sports. "And I remember spending a whole summer sitting on the computer in the office area running Watkins Glen as a video game."

"My Mom could tell you that story. I guess it was only a month or two that you have off, but Watkins Glen was always a track I ran," Keselowski continued. "It was just a place I really liked and, I don't know, it's hard to explain, but it's something about this track I have a real deep appreciation for."

Beyond being a good example of how video games have positive benefits, Keselowski is actually a fairly stand-up guy as well. Just ask fellow racer Kyle Busch.

The day after his Nationwide Series win, Keselowski raced Watkins Glen again, this time as part of the Sprint Cup series. Although he continues to do well in the Nationwide Series, Keselowski has yet to win a race in the Sprint Cup and desperately needed a first place finish to keep in contention. As the final lap began Keselowski trailed the leader, Busch. During the final corner Keselowski had a clear opportunity to wreck Busch into the wall - something almost every video game player would do with glee - but he instead backed off, later saying that he knew he "did the right thing."

"When you just run in the back of someone and drive them head first into the wall, that's BS racing and I just don't like it," Keselowski said.

There's always been a strong connection between NASCAR and the hot rod community, and nowhere was that more evident than Saturday night at the conclusion of the inaugural Barrett-Jackson Reno Tahoe Hot August Nights auction.

The week of festivities wrapped up with the awarding of the Barrett-Jackson Cup to the best hot rod selected by expert judges from about 400 cars entered in a series of show-and-shine events leading up to the big finale.

How serious was this competition? Well, a good indication is that Barrett-Jackson gave away $40,000 in prize money, including $20,000 in cash and a new Chevrolet LS3 crate motor to the winning entry.

And guess what?

The Barrett-Jackson Cup-winning car was a NASCAR-themed 1969 Ford Torino Talladega, patterned after the cars raced during the halcyon days of NASCAR's aero wars in the late 1960s and early 70.

Owned by George Poteet of Memphis, Tenn., the incredible Ford was built by Rad Rods by Troy, the Manteno, Ill.-based shop founded by legendary hot rod builder Troy Trepanier.

"Doing a car that no one else has done is a banner philosophy at Rad Rides," Troy said on the company's website said. "A '69 Talladega became the perfect blank canvas for creating a car distinct from the typical street machine. I didn't want to just copy an old NASCAR car. I liked the thought of building a car that recalled the NASCAR glory days of the 60's and early 70's, but then enhance it with modern day features and body modifications. George was already thinking along the same lines, so we set out to transform a plain-Jane '69 Torino GT into our interpretation of what Holman Moody might have created today."

Called the "GPT Special," the Torino has a fuel injected, 750-horsepower Boss 429 engine, rides on a Art Morrison-built chassis, with Corvette C5 front suspension, and is fully streetable. The car carries massive Wilwood disc brakes, GT40-style wheels and fat Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires all around, the rears being 14 inches wide.

The bodywork alone took more than 1,000 man-hours to complete and the interior is every bit as trick as the exterior is. The workmanship on the GPT Special truly is amazing, the details jaw-dropping.

The car is painted in "Tennessee Whiskey Gold" gloss paint on the bottom half, and "Daytona Sand" satin paint on the roof and in the interior. On the dash is a set of gauges copied - with permission - from an old Holman-Moody NASCAR race car.

In fact, even sitting still, this beautiful Torino looks like it should be on the high banks of Daytona or Talladega, with David Pearson behind the wheel, giving Richard Petty all he could handle and then some.

But the best part of the car?

It actually gets driven.

In fact, Poteet has trip planned to the Bonneville Salt Flats to determine exactly just how fast this bad boy can run. Now, that will be a story.

Posted: 08/12/2013 04:48:00 PM MDT

Updated: 08/12/2013 06:05:19 PM MDT

Kurt Busch suffered through a bad day Sunday at Watkins Glen. And for a bad day, it went pretty well. He drove Denver's No. 78 car to a ninth place finish and jumped two spots closer to NASCAR's playoffs.

"On bad days, we're finishing ninth. A year ago, we would have been slapping high-fives and touting around, "Ninth, baby. Yeah!" Busch said Monday in an interview with The Denver Post.

"Now it's a common theme. So that's when you know you're getting to the next level."

The next level for Busch's Furniture Row Racing team is a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. The top 10 drivers in the season standings qualify, with two other wild card spots.

Busch is now 11th, just two points behind Martin Truex and four points

behind Greg Biffle. With four races left before the playoffs start, Busch is moving up.

"Bottom line is, we're 11 points out of eighth place overall," Busch said. "That's our goal. To just get in above and ahead of people, that way there's a bigger buffer when we get to Richmond."

The Chase field will be set on Sept. 7, after racing a night draw at Richmond. And for the first time in FRR's nine-year existence, the team, behind Busch, is in contention.

"Right now, four weeks away, we're right there in the Chase mix," Busch said. "Half the races we're basically finishing top 10. And that's Chase material statistics."

Busch has 10 top-10 finishes this season and five in the top 5 - both among NASCAR's leaders. But he has yet to win a race and with the two wild-card spots going to the drivers with the most victories, Busch needs to make up ground.

Saturday's race at Michigan gives Busch another chance to move up. In June, he qualified second at the two-mile track and led the first 21 laps before getting loose into Turn 2 and wrecking the day.

"We're patterning Michigan off our Pocono results," Busch said. "At Pocono the first time around, we finished seventh. The next time, we finished third. We knew exactly what to do the second time at a track that's very similar to Michigan. So we'll take that car, that set-up and all the little things we learned from that June race."

Busch is working this season on a one-year contract with FRR and would be a free-agent after the season without an extension. It's led to some speculation that a larger team, perhaps Richard Childress Racing, could sign Busch away from FRR.

Busch, though, said he has been talking to FRR about a new deal.

"I hope that I'm back," he said. "What's been tough is we're focused on right now, to make the Chase. Let's not cluster up (contract) numbers and days off or goofy things with side-tracking what performance needs to be done.

"But talks have been going well. It's been a nice family atmosphere of 'Let's do our job at the track and focus on that, then the other stuff will come along with it.' "

Brad Keselowski celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2013, in Watkins Glen, N.Y. (AP Photo/Russ Hamilton Sr.)

You often hear about an athlete thanking God or their family for the win. Sometimes you'll even hear someone give a tearful shout out to their agent who stuck with them and helped them grow as a person, even as that agent learned a valuable life lesson involving Renee Zellweger and an abnormally adorable kid. It's not too often that you hear about an athlete giving some of the credit to video games though, but that is exactly what NASCAR racer Brad Keselowski did after winning a race at the Watkins Glen race track in New York.

Keselowski is the current Sprint Cup Series Champion, making him one of the best drivers ever to turn left hundreds of times in a row. Following an August 10 Nationwide Series win, the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen, Keselowski gave some love to gaming, and credited part of his understanding of the track to the video games (we don't know the titles) he played growing up that featured Watkins Glen.

"I remember I spent a whole summer when I was kind of locked in my parent's shop, because I was just young enough to where they wouldn't let me touch anything and just old enough to where I wasn't getting a babysitter," he told NBC Sports. "And I remember spending a whole summer sitting on the computer in the office area running Watkins Glen as a video game."

"My Mom could tell you that story. I guess it was only a month or two that you have off, but Watkins Glen was always a track I ran," Keselowski continued. "It was just a place I really liked and, I don't know, it's hard to explain, but it's something about this track I have a real deep appreciation for."

Beyond being a good example of how video games have positive benefits, Keselowski is actually a fairly stand-up guy as well. Just ask fellow racer Kyle Busch.

The day after his Nationwide Series win, Keselowski raced Watkins Glen again, this time as part of the Sprint Cup series. Although he continues to do well in the Nationwide Series, Keselowski has yet to win a race in the Sprint Cup and desperately needed a first place finish to keep in contention. As the final lap began Keselowski trailed the leader, Busch. During the final corner Keselowski had a clear opportunity to wreck Busch into the wall - something almost every video game player would do with glee - but he instead backed off, later saying that he knew he "did the right thing."

"When you just run in the back of someone and drive them head first into the wall, that's BS racing and I just don't like it," Keselowski said.

The post NASCAR champ credits video games for his recent win appeared first on Digital Trends.

NASCAR, commonly derided as turning left for 400 miles, does feature a couple of road courses in its top circuit. Reigning Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski has had unusual success at one of them, Watkins Glen International, and he attributes it all to playing a PC video game as a teenager.

Keselowski won the Nationwide Series race at Watkins Glen on Saturday and finished second in the track's Sprint Cup event on Sunday, for the third straight year. He's never finished lower than ninth in the Nationwide races (NASCAR's lower circuit) at the Glen. It's an 11-turn course, a far cry from the tri-ovals and short tracks that define stock car racing. Keselowski says he became familiar with it on a PC in his parents' shop when he was a teenager.

"I remember I spent a whole summer when I was kind of locked in my parent's shop, because I was just young enough to where they wouldn't let me touch anything and just old enough to where I wasn't getting a babysitter," he told NBC Sports' Motor Sports Talk. "And I remember spending a whole summer sitting on the computer in the office area running Watkins Glen as a video game.

Given his age at the time and the platform, Keselowski may be referring to NASCAR 2000, the first game in EA Sports' series to release on the PC (and one of only three editions ever to do so). Watkins Glen was a course in that game and Keselowski, today 29, would have been around 16 when it came to PC. [Edit: He may also be referring to the PC series of NASCAR racing games made by Papyrus Design Group, which had a run from 1994 to 2003.]

"Watkins Glen was always a track I ran. It was just a place I really liked and, I don't know, it's hard to explain, but it's something about this track I have a real deep appreciation for," Keselowski said, vowing that learning to race there on PC "absolutely" translated to his real-world approach.

He's not alone in that opinion. Teammate Joey Logano, better known for driving with a GameStop sponsorship in the Nationwide Series for four years, said he p racticed with the current console NASCAR game by Eutechnyx to familiarize himself with his racing line from track to track. "It's still racing, and a lot of things I do on racetrack as a driver - throttle here, brake here, a lot of that transfers over to video games," Logano told Kotaku in 2011. "The G-forces and all the other little things that come into play when you get going, no, you can't replicate that. But the line you run, where you brake, where you gas, that part transfers."

Keselowski moved up to eighth in the Sprint Cup standings with the second-place finish at Watkins Glen. The Sprint Cup series' next event is the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway; Nationwide's next race is at a different track, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course which is, yes, a road course.

Keselowski credits video games for Watkins Glen success [MotorSportsTalk]

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A Ford F-150 Tremor will pace a NASCAR Truck Series race this weekend in Michigan (Photo: Ford)

If you want to get a look at Ford's new sport truck, you'll want to head out to the the NASCAR Truck Series race next weekend at the Michigan International Speedway.

That's where you'll find a 2014 Ford F-150 Tremor, which comes billed as the automaker's first EcoBoost turbocharged sport truck, serving as pace truck at for the Michigan National Guard 200.

The Tremor may fly by so fast that you'll only get a passing glance. You'd better not blink.

"Michigan International Speedway is one of the fastest tracks on the NASCAR circuit, so the vehicle pacing the field also needs to be fast," said Jamie Allison, director of Ford Racing, in a statement. Tremor "is well-suited for this job."

The 365-horsepower truck with 420 pound-feet of torque will be pretty much stock. About the only addition will be some extra safety lights required by NASCAR.

In an entertaining race from world-famous Watkins Glen International, it was Kyle Busch and the No. 18 car that took the checkered flag and won the 2013 -It 355 at The Glen.

Kyle Busch holds off Keselowski -- this is three straight years Brad has finished second @WGI #NASCAR

#WinfromWithin RT @NASCAR: It's the 2nd time @KyleBusch has earned a win at @WGI. He last won here in 2008 --> pic.twitter.com/21MjO5zAL0

Busch has been a serious contender at each of the last two races at Watkins Glen, but after holding off Brad and the No. 2 car on the last lap, he was finally able to drive into victory lane.

held on for a second-place finish, Martin Truex Jr. managed a very respectable third-place finish and Carl Edwards finished fourth. Juan Pablo Montoya rounded out the top five.

Full -It 355 at The Glen Results

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Two-time Watkins Glen winner Marcos Ambrose raced his way to the pole for the race and started off red-hot, staying in the lead and putting a healthy gap between himself and the field.

David and the No. 83 car brought out the first caution of the day on Lap 6 with a blown engine. After the race returned to green for a few laps, Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 car brought out the second caution of the day with major front-end damage on Lap 14.

After Ambrose once again brought the field back to racing, the race stayed clean until teams began pitting under the green flag. Kevin Harvick then took the lead following the first round of stops.

The yellow flag came out for the third time as Michael McDowell blew out a tire on Lap 35. Shortly after returning to green-flag racing, the red flag was brought out in a four-car wreck on Lap 40 that involved Travis , Ron Fellows, , Landon and Victor Gonzalez Jr.

Ambrose took the lead once the race restarted and maintained it until a caution on Lap 60 came out when smashed into the tire barrier. Teams made pit stops under caution, and the field was shuffled.

With Ambrose stuck in traffic, Busch took the lead with just over 20 laps to go. Another yellow flag was brought out on Lap 78 and turned the race into a closing-lap shootout.

The hope of a clean finale was shattered with just 10 laps left as Kasey Kahne and the No. 5 car got sideways and collected the No. 88 of teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., as well as Jeff Burton, Alex Kennedy and David Ragan.

Just as the green flag came out once again, Ambrose was turned around coming up the hill. The wreck included Brian and Max . After the final restart of the day, Busch emerged to win the race.

2013 Sprint Cup Standings

Another wild race is in the books, and the Sprint Cup Series moves toward the Chase for the Sprint Cup as it travels to Michigan International Speedway for the Pure Michigan 400. The next race will take place Aug. 18 at 1:16 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN.

Greg Biffle was the 2012 race champion.

- At Richard Childress Racing, the post-race analysis begins Monday morning when four semis are unloaded from the weekend at Indy.

In the main shop, Sprint Cup crewmen have descended on No. 27, still muddy from the track. They're taking it apart, piece by piece, to see what worked, what didn't and what might be tweaked in the slightest way to run the car faster next time.

Across the floor on big metal plates, three cars are waiting for the finishing touches and the computer diagnostics as No. 27, No. 29 and No. 31 are readied for the next race. NASCAR fans gaze down on the sparkling floor from windows on the second floor fan walk, an observation deck just past the glitzy lobby and the historic photos that pay tribute to RCR's legendary driver, the late Dale Earnhardt.

Besides the Chevrolet being picked apart, roughly two dozen cars line the main shop at RCR. But that's just one room in one building among 15 at the RCR campus, where more than 450 employees make up one of the biggest operations in NASCAR.

There's the gear and transmission room, the finished fab room, the paint room, the chassis shop and the engine shop, where massive $70,000 engines line the halls in preparation for testing on three dynamometers, or "dynos" as the technicians call them. In a gigantic weight room, pit crews train several days a week and study films from the previous weekend's race.

And there are other buildings where top secret engineering takes place. No visitors or photographs are allowed.

RCR is among the most recognized names in NASCAR, but the complex in Welcome is just one of 1,000 racing teams, tracks or motorsports businesses that call North Carolina home, according to the N.C. Motorsports Association.

For a sport with roots in bootlegging in the Appalachian region, stock car racing is an enormous economic engine in this state and beyond. North Carolina boasts 90 percent of NASCAR teams, and more than 25,000 people in this state work in motorsports companies or related businesses. The motorsports association estimates the overall economic impact of the enterprise to be $6 billion in North Carolina.

For John Penny, a fabricator at RCR, working in racing is a dream come true. Behind double doors and a handwritten sign, "Respect the Parts Room," Penny shows a visitor the carbon fiber hoods and the parts that are "gun drilled" to make them lighter. Here is where teams can gain an edge, but sometimes they run afoul of the rules. Earlier this summer, a bunch of teams were busted for illegal roof flap spacers at Daytona International Speedway.

Penny used to work in furniture, first for a cabinet manufacturer, then for a mattress factory. But he hurt his back, and after two surgeries, there was no way he'd work the line again.

At age 39, he returned to school at Forsyth Tech's Race Car Technology program, where in two years he earned an associate's degree and learned how to build a car from bumper to bumper. Now he's able to work on his feet, without risking further injury to his back by having to lift heavy objects. Before, he watched cookie-cutter kitchen cabinets roll down an assembly line.

"Now I turn on the TV on the weekend, I can see what I do. I see my work," he said. "If we run bad, it makes me mad. If we run good, hey, it makes me happy.

"This," he added, "is the best job I've ever had."

All told, more than 20 RCR employees came through the Forsyth Tech program, which is housed in a new Transportation Technology Center, a separate campus of the community college that opened in 2012.

'My students work'

The race car program started in 1999. Bill Wilder, the founder, spent two years making the case to Forsyth Tech and the N.C. Community College System that a separate racecar technology program would attract students. He said he made at least five trips to Raleigh to make the pitch.

"The first year in 1999, it filled up off the bat," Wilder said. "The program has stayed full ever since."

The students learn the entire process from welding to machining to chassis fabrication to sheet metal work. They learn transmissions, brakes and suspension systems and, of course, race engine fundamentals.

"They get dirty," said Randy Butner, the program's coordinator. "My students work."

Salaries for graduates start at $30,000, Butner said, but some of NASCAR's top crew chiefs can make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year up to $1 million.

Not all motorsports techies end up at a big operation such as RCR. Some go into smaller businesses that make and sell auto parts. Or they end up in other jobs such as welding or heating and air conditioning or machine work.

On the last day of summer school classes recently, students were testing an engine from Butner's car, which he races on the weekends. The college has its own racecar that runs on a track in Burlington, and it has a slick red racecar that promotes the program at parades and high schools.

'Mecca for motorsports'

Timothy Phillips, 28, will start his second year in the program later this month. He got into racing as a kid, helping his uncle who ran on a dirt track in New Jersey.

He worked in automotive repair for a while and saved his money to move to the Winston-Salem area to enroll at Forsyth Tech. He's a full-time student with a big goal, he said: "I'm hoping I can start my career with a NASCAR team."

Butner has big ideas, too. North Carolina is NASCAR country, of course. But he'd like to see the state come up with incentives to lure teams that race Indy cars, monster trucks and drag racers.

"We want North Carolina to be the mecca for motorsports," Butner said, "not just NASCAR."

Next week: Aviation

Stancill: 919-829-4559

NASCAR Watkins Glen 2013: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth differ on who caused wreck

Earnhardt Jr. and Kenseth have differing opinions on who caused the wreck near the end of Sunday's NASCAR race at Watkins Glen.

A multi-car wreck just 18 laps from the finish ended the strong runs for a trio of drivers and knocked one out of the top 10 in points in the Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen.

As the field was bunched tightly together, Matt Kenseth appeared to get into the rear of Kasey Kahne's car turning him into the guardrail and back into the path of Dale Earnhardt Jr., who plowed into his teammate.

The substantial contact sent Earnhardt and Kahne to garage for repairs. They finished 30th and 34th, respectively. Kenseth was able to continue, but placed 23rd.

Earnhardt thought the wreck started because Kenseth was seeking retribution on Ambrose for an earlier skirmish.

"The No. 20 (Kenseth) was going after the No. 9 (Ambrose) and missed him or got him a little bit," Earnhardt said. "I don't know if the No. 9 ended up wrecking or not, but ended up knocking the No. 5 (Kahne) out of the race and knocked ourselves out of the race and a couple of other guys."

Kenseth would clarify afterward that he wasn't seeking vengeance on Ambrose. He merely lost control of his Toyota racing up the hill through the esses.

"It probably looked like that," Kenseth told Sporting News. "I was trying to carry my momentum so I didn't have four more cars pass me, and I just lost control of my car and went across and I guess somebody was outside of me.

"I guess it was Kasey. That part was my fault."

Of all those involved it was Kahne who suffered the most.

While Earnhardt (sixth) and Kenseth (seventh) are comfortably inside the top 10 in points, Kahne dropped to 11th overall. But with a pair of victories on the year and with just four regular-season races remaining, he is in excellent shape to claim one of two wild cards available.

"I don't know how it all happened because I haven't seen it," Kahne said. "I felt like I was kind of over on my side of the road, but I would have to see it to know for sure."

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On August 17, Speed Channel will be no more, and Fox Sports 1 will become NASCAR's new home on cable.

The move was announced back in January, but the reality is finally sinking in for fans, who have taken their feelings to Twitter:

OMG! I just found out @FOXSports1 is going to replace the @SPEED channel! Nooooo!!! I am literally crying right now, why can't we have both!

Gonna miss the @SPEED Channel. Always kept me entertained. Hopefully we have one last amazing race weekend with them!

Some have been more blunt in their criticism:

You suck, leave Speed Channel alone!! #FOXSports1

Though losing Speed will undoubtedly hurt fans of Australian V8 Supercars and the World Touring Car Championship, the new network is a boon for NASCAR. Fox Sports 1 is making NASCAR a priority, increasing its coverage of Sprint Cup, the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series while featuring NASCAR heavily in its promotion of the new network.

Speed Channel may be gone, but NASCAR is gaining a stronger partner, one that will help grow the sport's fan base in the coming years.

While many Speed mainstays like Monster Jam, MotoGP and AMA Supercross are left in limbo by the changeover, NASCAR will actually see increased coverage on the network. Fox has already announced that seven Sprint Cup races will move to the network in 2014, along with 14 Nationwide Series events and the entire Camping World Truck Series.

Popular Speed shows like NASCAR RaceHub will remain a part of FS1's programming after the switch.

Previously the network announced that popular shows like NASCAR RaceDay, NASCAR Victory Lane and NASCAR Race Hub will all remain on the FS1 schedule. NASCAR qualifying and practice will remain on the network as well.

And because Fox is so heavily invested in NASCAR, the sport will likely be a major part of Fox Sports 1's highlight and discussion shows.

Beyond a handful of SportsCenter segments, NASCAR rarely receives coverage on ESPN's daily programming. NASCAR Now bounced around on ESPN2's schedule before losing its daily time slot. With the exception of an occasional driver interview, the sport is virtually ignored on popular programs like Pardon the Interruption, Around the Horn and First Take.

ESPN may have owned the rights to the Nationwide Series and the Chase for the Sprint Cup, but the network never really needed NASCAR to be successful. Fox Sports 1 needs NASCAR as much as NASCAR needs Fox Sports 1.

There's no denying that NASCAR was Speed Channel's bread and butter, but the network struggled to gain viewers beyond its Sprint Cup coverage.

Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports

Speed's broadcast of the Mudsummer Classic at Eldora drew a 1.2 rating and 1.4 million viewers, making it the 10th-most watched Camping World Truck Series race the network has ever aired, according to USA Today's Nate Ryan.

It was a great number for the series and the network, but it's an average number for the UFC, which debuts on Fox Sports 1 next Saturday following the Truck Series race from Michigan. The UFC has televised eight live events on the FX cable network, averaging 1.3 million per event, including 1.9 million for an event in January, according to MMA Weekly.

The network will also be showing college football games from the Pac-12, Big 12 and Conference USA, college basketball games from four conferences and UEFA Champions League soccer. And original programming like Fox Football Daily, Fox Soccer Daily and a new talk show starring Regis Philbin is sure to garner higher daily ratings than Speed ever got from Two Guys Garage or Truck U.

NASCAR has been featured heavily in promotions for the new Fox Sports 1 network.

NASCAR is going to reap the benefits of the new programming. Speed constantly used NASCAR to promote its newest shows. Hard Parts: South Bronx and RU Faster than a Redneck were two of the many shows heavily promoted during race weekend broadcasts. But none of Speed's original programming performed well enough to give NASCAR a boost in return.

With an increased variety of sports, Fox Sports 1 will have greater opportunity for cross-promotion. NASCAR will still be a major portion of FS1's programming, but it will no longer have to carry the network. Instead, NASCAR can benefit from in-game advertising and commercials during major sporting events and daily shows.

A prominent place on a major network and increased cross-promotion with other sports will help NASCAR gain new fans and return it to its former popularity.

The creation of Fox Sports 1 is the best thing that could happen for the sport.

2013 NASCAR At Watkins Glen: Race day weather forecast

No weather problems for today's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International.

More of the same for NASCAR at Watkins Glen International when it comes to the weather forecast. Lots of sunshine and pleasant temperatures can be expected for the Sprint Cup series race later this afternoon. High pressure will settle in across the region, skies will be mostly sunny and temperatures will warm into the upper 70s. Winds will not be a problem either coming out of the west-northwest between 5 and 15 mph.

Please follow me on Twitter @ NASCAR_WXMAN and like me on Facebook for the latest weather updates through the weekend.

Conditions in Watkins Glen, NY: Click here for Current Weather Conditions - Look at Doppler Radar | Mobile Friendly Site | Mobile Radar

NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series visits New York's Finger Lakes region today. (Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig, USA TODAY Sports)

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. - It's NASCAR race day at Watkins Glen International, and we've got some essential information you need to get ready for today's Cheez-It 355 at The Glen.

START TIME: Two executives from Kellogg will instruct drivers to start their engines at 1:09 Eastern time today, followed by the green flag at 1:20 p.m. So if you want to skip the pre-race show and just tune in for the race, turn on your TV at 1:20.

RACE DISTANCE: The Cheez-It 355 is not 355 miles (thankfully) but 355 kilometers. It's actually a 220.5-mile race, which takes 90 laps around Watkins Glen's 11-turn, 2.45-mile layout.

NATIONAL ANTHEM: Angie Johnson, a tech sergeant from the Army Air National Guard, will sing the anthem today. Johnson is also a recording artist for Sony.

TV/RADIO SCHEDULE: ESPN will broadcast today's race and has a pre-race show beginning at noon ET. The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will call the race on the radio.

Gorgeous. Temperatures are expected to be in the low-to-mid 70s with mostly sunny skies and a slight breeze. It's perfect summer weather in New York's Finger Lakes region.

LAST TIME: Marcos Ambrose held off Brad Keselowski in one of the best last laps in NASCAR history, winning his second straight race at the Glen.

STARTING LINEUP: Ambrose showed he's fast again this year by winning the pole position for today's race. He took advantage of NASCAR's group qualifying format to snag the top spot.

Here's the starting lineup for today's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen:

Jimmie Johnson, left, and Jeff Gordon would support a longer race at Watkins Glen that includes the Boot section. (Photo: Randy Sartin, USA TODAY Sports)

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- The road course at Watkins Glen International has been on display for NASCAR fans since the Sprint Cup Series found its way there in 1986. Much of it anyway.

The full course used by Formula One and the IndyCar Series during their stints at Watkins Glen gives way to the track's short configuration during NASCAR weekend. The short course measures 2.45 miles whereas the long track is 3.4 miles.

"The Boot" section of the track, which was added in 1971 midway through Formula One's 20-year run at the track, instead turns into campsites around the outside of the course.

Although fans have a chance to see the long course in action during other race weekends, a question that has been asked with greater frequency is whether Nationwide or Sprint Cup cars will ever race on it.

Some of the drivers are game.

"Absolutely," replied four-time Glen race-winner Jeff Gordon when asked if he'd like to see the series use "The Boot". "For years I always said put more turns in and I think we'll have a better chance at better results.

"I like road courses and I like challenges, so I at least would like to give it a shot one time."

Jimmie Johnson has driven the long course in a Grand-Am Rolex Series car at Watkins Glen and said he's up for the challenge of driving a Cup car on it.

"I would love to see them race down through there," said Johnson, a five-time Sprint Cup champion.

Five-time Watkins Glen race winner Tony Stewart, who is out this weekend after breaking his leg in a sprint car crash Monday in Iowa, had the opportunity to drive on the long course two years ago during a car swap with Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton. Afterward, Stewart talked enthusiastically about the full course.

"It's such a historic racetrack," he said at the time. "There are some pretty cool corners down there that we don't get to run on a Cup weekend."

Of course, there is a flip side to the enthusiasm. Johnson and Gordon both said there may be unforeseen safety issues for the stock cars on the tight turns in 'The Boot'.

"I don't know the turn number, but the first corner would be exciting in one of our race cars," Johnson said. "You can crest the hill and have a blind entry into that left-hander. I could see us having some big problems there would be my only concern.

"But we're professionals. We understand the risks and I think it would be worth the risk to run us through there. It is a very, very fun experience down through The Boot."

Said Gordon: "Would we have brake issues? I don't know all the ins and outs because I've never driven it."

The big argument against using the long course is that it takes longer for the cars to come around, providing less action for fans at the track.

WGI President Michael Printup said he is open to the possibility of using the long course, though he also doesn't want to do anything that would compromise the fan experience. Printup has talked casually about the possibility with NASCAR Senior Vice President of Operations Steve O'Donnell and NASCAR President Mike Helton.

"From (the track's) point of view, it's been a big topic. Tony's brought it up numerous times," Printup said. "We'd take a look at it. I'm not against it. There's no bleachers back there, there's no services back there. We'd have to look at the whole logistics; it's not just open up the course and race. You've got to make sure people are taken care of.

"I would be a little worried, honestly, about adding a mile to the track. ... We'd probably have to reduce the laps to work in with TV and everything else, all the other TV partners we have. I wouldn't want to give the feel of short-changing people by making the race longer."

Clint Bowyer is among the favorites to win Sunday at Watkins Glen. (Photo: Sam Sharpe, USA TODAY Sports)

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. - Tony Stewart has won five of the past 11 races at Watkins Glen and would have been one of the favorites again for Sunday's Cheez-It 355.

But Stewart is expected to spend the day in a North Carolina hospital -- he's recovering from two surgeries to mend a broken right leg -- instead of racing behind the wheel of his No. 14 Chevrolet, removing a top contender from the race.

Without Stewart, who are the drivers most likely to pick up a win at Watkins Glen? Here's a look at five who could get it done:

A no-brainer. Ambrose has won the last two Watkins Glen races and is the clear favorite again. He took the pole position on Saturday and also has three Nationwide Series wins at the Glen. Ambrose's background racing V8 Supercars in Australia gave him skills that translate much better to NASCAR's full-bodied stock cars than drivers with open-wheel backgrounds who try to make the jump.

"I think we've got one of the best race cars out there," Ambrose said after winning the pole. "We've got (qualifying) out of the way and we can really focus now on getting our car ready for the race. We've got a real chance to go three in a row here."

Only two other drivers have won three consecutive Glen races: Mark Martin (1993-95) and Jeff Gordon (1997-99).

The ex-Formula One driver and Indianapolis 500 champ has won at both of NASCAR's road courses - the Glen and Sonoma - and is certainly capable of doing it again. For a few years when Montoya first arrived in NASCAR, he was in the Ambrose-like position of being considered the favorite for every road race.

Ambrose has taken the primary spotlight, but Montoya remains a serious threat.

"I have a lot of road course experience," Montoya said. "I did that all my life, so that's like second nature to me. We go testing anywhere - tracks that I haven't been in years - and within five laps, I'm on pace, and it's easy."

Though Busch has two Watkins Glen wins in the Nationwide Series, his aggressive style has hurt him in the past when it comes to longer races. Busch noticed his brakes kept getting glazed over and losing their effectiveness in Cup races at the Glen, but a recent test may help fix that problem.

"It really opened my eyes as to why this road course is so much different than most road courses," he said. "There's such high-speed braking zones and a good quantity of them that burns up the front brakes."

With that in mind, Busch now says he's "the best that I've ever been prepared coming into Watkins Glen." He qualified 13 ^th for Sunday's race.

Michael Waltrip Racing's cars have been fantastic at road courses, winning the last two Sonoma races and also running well at the Glen.

Bowyer, who finished fourth here last year, has yet to finish outside the top five at a road course in three starts since joining MWR. He won last year's race at Sonoma, a surprise since the Kansas native said "We don't even have curved roads in Kansas!"

"These road courses have become something I look forward to," Bowyer said after qualifying second on Saturday. "I never would've thought I'd ever say that, but we're certainly having fun."

Allmendinger, driving JTG Daugherty Racing's No. 47 car this week, said his team will be "somebody to be reckoned with" if it keeps making improvements on the car after qualifying fourth.

The team tested at Watkins Glen, which will mark Allmendinger's first road race since winning a Nationwide Series event in June at Wisconsin's Road America. Allmendinger had five wins in the Champ Car World Series, which were all on street/road circuits.

But Allmendinger cautioned there are a lot more than five drivers who are capable of winning Sunday.

"That's what makes the Sprint Cup Series so hard, especially these road course races," he said. "You could usually pick out a handful of guys and say, 'OK, these are the guys to worry about,' but you can't even do that anymore. I think there will be a legit 10, 15 guys that can win this race."

1. (9) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 128.241.

2. (15) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 127.958.

3. (56) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 127.462.

4. (47) A J Allmendinger, Toyota, 127.433.

5. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 127.4.

6. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 127.374.

7. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 127.146.

8. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 127.141.

9. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 127.111.

10. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 127.038.

11. (42) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 126.932.

12. (35) Michael McDowell, Ford, 126.823.

13. (78) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 126.813.

14. (39) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 126.766.

15. (55) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 126.515.

16. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 126.464.

17. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 126.377.

18. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 126.357.

19. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 126.321.

20. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 126.209.

21. (38) David Gilliland, Ford, 126.124.

22. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 126.086.

23. (51) Owen Kelly, Chevrolet, 126.011.

24. (33) Ron Fellows, Chevrolet, 125.924.

25. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 125.876.

26. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 125.711.

27. (32) Boris Said, Ford, 125.707.

28. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 125.591.

29. (14) Max Papis, Chevrolet, 125.589.

30. (13) Casey Mears, Ford, 124.89.

31. (34) David Ragan, Ford, 124.848.

32. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford, 124.793.

33. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 124.576.

34. (36) Victor Gonzalez Jr., Chevrolet, 123.878.

35. (10) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 123.75.

36. (83) David Reutimann, Toyota, 123.708.

37. (19) Alex Kennedy, Toyota, Owner Points.

38. (93) Travis Kvapil, Toyota, Owner Points.

39. (30) David Stremme, Toyota, Owner Points.

40. (7) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, Owner Points.

41. (40) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, Owner Points.

42. (87) Tomy Drissi, Toyota, Owner Points.

43. (52) Brian Keselowski, Toyota, Owner Points.

Marcos Ambrose was blunt and to the point as he contemplated the twists and turns of Watkins Glen International.

Sam Hornish Jr. has won the pole for the Nationwide Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International.

1. (5) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 82 laps, 0 points.

1. (5) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 82 laps, 0 points.

2. (1) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 82, 43.

3. (8) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 82, 42.

4. (4) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 82, 41.

5. (11) Elliott Sadler, Toyota, 82, 39.

6. (9) Parker Kligerman, Toyota, 82, 39.

7. (6) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 82, 37.

8. (17) Cole Whitt, Toyota, 82, 36.

9. (7) Nelson Piquet Jr., Chevrolet, 82, 35.

10. (12) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 82, 34.

11. (10) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 82, 33.

12. (14) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 82, 32.

13. (19) Alex Bowman, Toyota, 82, 31.

14. (16) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 82, 0.

15. (20) Travis Pastrana, Ford, 82, 29.

16. (27) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 82, 28.

17. (24) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 82, 27.

18. (13) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 82, 0.

19. (22) Kyle Kelley, Chevrolet, 82, 25.

20. (26) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 82, 24.

21. (3) Joey Logano, Ford, 81, 0.

22. (18) Michael Annett, Ford, 81, 22.

23. (28) Bryan Silas, Ford, 81, 0.

24. (2) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 77, 0.

25. (35) Derek White, Toyota, 75, 19.

26. (21) Andrew Ranger, Dodge, rear gear, 71, 18.

27. (25) Mike Bliss, Toyota, 71, 17.

28. (30) Eric McClure, Toyota, 67, 16.

29. (33) Tony Raines, Toyota, brakes, 47, 15.

30. (15) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, engine, 41, 14.

31. (37) Carl Long, Chevrolet, engine, 35, 13.

32. (39) Anthony Gandon, Ford, 27, 12.

33. (38) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, electrical, 20, 11.

34. (32) Kenny Habul, Toyota, engine, 15, 10.

35. (40) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, brakes, 12, 9.

36. (36) Blake Koch, Toyota, overheating, 7, 8.

37. (29) Jeff Green, Toyota, vibration, 4, 7.

38. (34) T.J. Bell, Chevrolet, electrical, 2, 6.

39. (31) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, brakes, 1, 5.

40. (23) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, accident, 0, 4.

---¢

Average Speed of Race Winner: 92.364 mph.

Time of Race: 2 hours, 10 minutes, 32 seconds.

Margin of Victory: 1.418 seconds.

Caution Flags: 5 for 15 laps.

Lead Changes: 7 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders: S.Hornish Jr. 1-15; B.Keselowski 16-17; P.Kligerman 18-24; B.Keselowski 25-51; R.Smith 52; B.Vickers 53; J.Logano 54-65; B.Keselowski 66-82.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): B.Keselowski, 3 times for 46 laps; S.Hornish Jr., 1 time for 15 laps; J.Logano, 1 time for 12 laps; P.Kligerman, 1 time for 7 laps; B.Vickers, 1 time for 1 lap; R.Smith, 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 10 in Points: 1. A.Dillon, 730; 2. S.Hornish Jr., 727; 3. R.Smith, 725; 4. E.Sadler, 718; 5. B.Vickers, 712; 6. J.Allgaier, 685; 7. B.Scott, 674; 8. K.Larson, 665; 9. T.Bayne, 661; 10. P.Kligerman, 656.

---¢

A maximum of 150 points can be attained in a race.

The formula combines the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish.

Marcos Ambrose was blunt and to the point as he contemplated the twists and turns of Watkins Glen International.

Sam Hornish Jr. has won the pole for the Nationwide Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International.

1. (5) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 82 laps, 0 points.

NASCAR Nationwide Series at Watkins Glen lineup: Sam Hornish Jr. earns the pole

Sam Hornish Jr. has a good shot at continuing his climb in the NNS point standings after earning the pole for the race at Watkins Glen on Saturday.

Sam Hornish Jr. earned the pole position for the 19th annual NASCAR Nationwide Series Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International Speedway. Hornish will start alongside Kyle Busch in the front row.

Hornish topped the qualifying session on Saturday, breaking Kurt Busch's previous course record with a top speed of 123.291 miles per hour. Though Saturday marks just the third time Hornish will start first in 87 career NASCAR races, it's the second such accomplishment for Hornish in just three events at Watkins Glen.

Hornish enters the race tied for second place in the NNS points standings with Regan Smith, who will start fourth on Saturday. Points leader Austin Dillon will start 14th, behind Sprint Cup Series regular Kasey Kahne.

Here is the full lineup:

1. Sam Hornish Jr.2. Kyle Busch3. Joey Logano4. Regan Smith5. Brad Keselowski6. Justin Allgaier7. Nelson Piquet Jr.8. Brian Vickers9. Parker Kligerman10. Brian Scott11. Elliott Sadler12. Trevor Bayne13. Kasey Kahne14. Austin Dillon15. Kyle Larson16. Brendan Gaughan17. Cole Whitt18. Michael Annett19. Alex Bowman20. Travis Pastrana21. Andrew Ranger22. Kyle Kelley23. Mike Wallace24. Landon Cassill25. Mike Bliss26. Jeremy Clements27. Reed Sorenson28. Bryan Silas29. Jeff Green30. Eric McClure31. Josh Wise32. Kenny Habul33. Tony Raines34. TJ Bell35. Derek White36. Blake Koch37. Carl Long38. Joey Gase39. Anthony Gandon40. Morgan Shepherd

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— Jeff Gordon and crew chief Ray Evernham saw the light more than a decade ago, and road racing in the Sprint Cup Series has never been the same.

Mark Martin won three straight races at Watkins Glen International in the early 1990s. But Gordon, with Evernham atop the pit box for the rainbow-colored No. 24 Chevrolet, matched the feat from 1997-99 and took it a giant leap forward. He won three straight times on the road course at Sonoma (1998-2000), though the final victory of the streak came after Evernham had left Hendrick Motorsports to form his own team.

"I feel like we put a good amount of effort into our road-course package, improving the brakes and the cooling and dialing in the transmission gearing," said Gordon, who finished second at Sonoma in June to Truex. "I think that not everybody looked at the road courses, they kind of looked at road courses as throwaway races in some cases. That's just not the case now."

Gordon has upped his resume to a series-record nine road-course wins on the two tracks the Cup series visits annually, but it's been more than a decade since he notched his fourth and last victory at Watkins Glen. That was in 2001 when he started 13th and held off Jeff Burton for the win.

Today, there is plenty of competition: Tony Stewart has seven road-course wins; Kyle Busch, Marcos Ambrose and Juan Pablo Montoya have two apiece; and five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, and Michael Waltrip Racing teammates Martin Truex Jr., and Clint Bowyer have won once.

"Everybody takes these races very serious," Gordon said. "The cars can't be manipulated as much, everybody has good brakes and everybody has all the equipment that you need to go be competitive. So then it just comes down to the driver pushing the limits of the car and the team engineering, finding the right package to go fast at those tracks."

The new Gen-6 car has been fast all year, and the competition is tight heading to Sunday's Cup race, the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen.

"I still think there are a handful of guys that are real big threats, the guys like Juan (Montoya) and Marcos (Ambrose)," Gordon said. "But there's a bunch of other guys that are holding their own and putting up good laps, qualifying well and maintaining pace during the race, which makes it just more challenging than it's ever been. The cars are as competitive against one another as they've ever been, as well."

Truex easily held off Gordon for the victory at Sonoma and credits Ambrose, a two-time V8 Supercar Champion in his native Australia before coming to NASCAR, for MWR's road-course success.

"When I first came there, Marcos was there and he really helped elevate that program," Truex said. "He definitely really led us in the right direction without a doubt."

First off, I need to congratulate Kasey Kahne, crew chief Kenny Francis and the No. 5 team for an absolutely awesome finish last Sunday at Pocono. I love Jeff Gordon to death. He's our sport's third most winningest driver and a four-time champion, but Kasey simply put a whuppin' on Jeff on that last restart. He made the pass and won the race.

It was his second win of the season. It moved Kasey up to eighth in the points, but even more important to all that, it all but locked him into the 2013 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. There are still five races to go and I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see them win yet again before the Chase starts, so a big congratulations to Kasey and the No. 5 team.

Now onto the bad news that came the very next evening when Tony Stewart broke his right leg while racing at Southern Iowa Speedway Monday night. Stewart-Haas Racing has chosen Max Papis to drive for Tony this weekend at Watkins Glen. There is no word yet on how long Tony will be out. He had a second surgery on Thursday for his right tibia and fibula.

I can honestly say I know what Tony is going through both physically and mentally. I was in a wreck in Daytona in 1990 with only five minutes left in final practice that shattered my left femur. I was out of the race car for something like three months. Even back then, with 1990 medical technology, doctors were telling me it was going to be six months to a year before I was going to be able to get back in the car.

Professional athletes simply aren't mortal humans. You have a goal that is a burning desire in your soul. It's to get back on that field and catch a touchdown pass. It's to walk to the plate and knock the ball out of the park. In Tony's case, it's to get back behind that wheel and make the Chase. Yes, I am telling you right here, right now - do not count Anthony Wayne Stewart out of this Chase picture yet.

You are motivated to go through the rigors and, yes, the extreme pain of rehab. I didn't want to but I knew if I wanted to reach my goal, then I had to suck it up and just do it. You push yourself hard. Honestly, in most cases when it comes to a professional athlete, take the time the doctor says it will take to be ready to go again and then cut that time in half because of the motivation of the athlete.

Tony's passion is racing. If there's an open day on his calendar, you won't find him playing 18 holes of golf, you will find him somewhere in the United States thrilling crowds in some sprint car at some track. That's where Tony came from. That's where he got his start. There's just something about taming one of those monsters on a dimly lit dirt track that motivates Tony.

That's the amazing thing about Tony and why you hear everyone say he is a throw-back to the days of A.J. Foyt. Tony will race anything, anywhere, and the scary part about it all - he will win in it. He simply has that Midas Touch and you see it time and time again.

Look what happened when he faced down all the critics, left his championship winning team at Joe Gibbs Racing and became a partner with Gene Haas to form Stewart-Haas Racing. If I remember correctly, Haas CNC Racing on its own up to that point had only something like one top-10 finish in all the races they competed in.

Don't think this was some rag-tag operation, either. Those teams wanted for nothing. They had all kind of assets at their fingertips, including support, cars and engines from Hendrick Motorsports. What Tony did was come in there and give the place the kind of leadership and direction it needed.

The 2011 season not only saw Stewart-Haas Racing win its first championship but they made history doing it. Tony hadn't won a race all season. He barely makes the Chase. He personally tells the media that they don't belong there and that they are taking up a space someone more deserving should have gotten.

What happened next was literally the stuff of legends. Tony wins five out of the 10 Chase races. He literally ties Carl Edwards in the final season points and because of his five wins, Tony won the tie-breaker and the championship. If that isn't hard enough to believe, add in the fact that it came out later that Tony had already informed his crew chief before the Chase was over that he wasn't going to be with the No. 14 car in 2012, and yet they all achieved stock car's ultimate goal - 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.

Tony was the first owner-driver to win a championship since the late Alan Kulwicki did it back in 1992. Tony did what I couldn't do. Tony did what Cale Yarborough, Buddy Baker, Geoff Bodine, Bill Elliott and so many others of us that were owner/drivers couldn't do. He won a championship. That's just a tribute to the type of businessman and driver Tony is.

Tony will be the first person to tell you that he had a lot of help doing all this. He will also be the first one to tell you that the secret to his success in business is that he hires people smarter than he is and doesn't micro-manage them. He lets them do their job to the best of their capabilities.

Tony does it his way whether it's on the track or whether it's owning a track like he does at Eldora. The thing I love about Tony is that he will get up in your face on Sunday after a race if he thinks you did him wrong on a restart, yet he's the first guy on Monday that will buy you a steak dinner and a beer to wash it down with.

There's a side to Tony that really reminds me of Dale Earnhardt Sr. Oh sure, Dale was the Intimidator. Dale was one tough customer. Dale lived the creed, "You hit me once, I'll hit you twice." That was his persona that he created and cultivated on the racetrack.

Off the track Dale had a very soft side and helped a lot of folks along the way. Tony Stewart is identical to that. He'll do anything for anybody at any time if he can. There's a lot of things that Tony does for charity that the general public never hears about, and you know what, Tony is just fine with that. Dale was like that, too.

Some critics like to say "Tony Stewart is this" and "Tony Stewart is that" - but let me tell you what Tony Stewart really is - he's one fine guy. He's a three-time champion of our sport and one hell of an ambassador for our sport. He's a gentleman. He's passionate about what he does.

As I mentioned earlier, he's the second coming of A.J. Foyt. Tony is the only person I have ever seen that is like A.J. and can not only drive but win in anything he sits in. Those two could build 'em, wreck 'em, fix 'em and go back and race them again. It's God-given and sorta like Haley's Comet; you only see it in your lifetime but once.

The reality is, my friend Tony has a broken leg. He doesn't have a broken career. Back in 1990 after what happened to me, doctors speculated that my career might be over. I lost a sponsorship deal because they said they didn't want a driver with a broken leg.

Tony Stewart doesn't have any of that to worry about. Will he rethink his schedule and cut it back some? Who knows, but that's not for any of us to decide. That's for Tony Stewart to decide. Tony is not one to compromise, and I hope he doesn't have to. Trust me, Tony is not a happy man when he has to compromise.

Here's what I can tell you about ol'Smoke. I love him to death. I am fortunate to call him a dear friend. I love his passion. I love his desire. I love the fire that burns in his soul when it comes to racing. I love his attitude. You always know where you stand with Tony. He doesn't mind speaking his mind to another driver or to the media. Gosh, he sorta reminds me of another driver from back in the day.

If you think Tony is down and if you think Tony is out - friend, you are sadly mistaken. Trust me, you'll be stunned with what Tony still does in the 2013 season. The bottom line is actually pretty simple folks. Sure, he might have a broken right leg, but he'll still kick your ass with his left.

Fox Sports, continuing to add sports programming in advance of the Aug. 17 launch of the new national channel Fox Sports One, on Friday announced it has made a five-year deal for United SportsCar Racing events through at least the 2018 season. No financial terms were released.

United SportsCar Racing was formed in September 2012 when the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car series and the American LeMans series were merged.

This latest deal follows last week's announcement that Fox had made a deal with NASCAR to broadcast its Sprint Cup Series and other races through 2024. That completes negotiations which saw NBC grab a major portion of the NASCAR races and Fox the rest. Those events previously were on ESPN and Turner Broadcasting, whose contracts expire in 2014.

NBC will now have 20 Sprint Cup races and 19 nationwide races starting in 2014. Fox gets 14 nationwide races and retains rights to the Camping World Truck series, enhancing a deal first signed in fall 2012.

USA Today reported the total value of the NBC and Fox deals to NASCAR was about $8.2 billion, up 46 percent from the previous deals worth about $4.5 billion.

The United SportsCar races are generally considered less important than NASCAR but still provide content for Fox Sports One and its companion channel Fox Sports Two. What was formerly on Fox's Speed Channel is being folded into the new services.

Tony Stewart is not at Watkins Glen -- he's still recovering from two surgeries on the right leg he broke Monday night racing a sprint car -- but his presence is certainly felt.

Drivers and team officials from across NASCAR are still reeling from the accident that forced the three-time Sprint Cup champion out of his car for the foreseeable future.

They also were supportive of his efforts to race anything, anytime.

"... I look at the coverage and opinions that are flying around, and it's troubled me some to see people giving him a hard time about his decisions to race other vehicles," said five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. "We always praise him for his contributions to the motorsports world and his ability to drive and race anything and to own all these different types of vehicles.

"And then you look at the racetracks that he owns and his involvement with. The guy has done so much for our sport and of course we don't want to see him injured, but I've been disappointed that people have given him a hard time over it."

Stewart is definitely out this weekend here at Watkins Glen. Max Papis is replacing him in the No. 14 Chevrolet. It was also announced that Stewart will miss next weekend at Michigan, and no timetable was given for his return. A replacement driver for him beyond this weekend will be announced at a later time.

Danica Patrick chimed in with the insider's perspective on her teammate and boss, and what being at the track without him will be like.

"Well, he is like one of the masters of this track," Patrick said. "I called him the master. He's won here a lot, and so before we left I asked for all of his speed secrets.

"We will see if they work," she added, laughing. "You know, he just has a good spirit about him, and everybody that works around him or doesn't, to be honest, loves Tony. He will just be missed from a presence and a morale standpoint."

Jeff Gordon: When conversation is on flip-side about who is a 'real racer' in this garage? Tony Stewart rises to top of list.

Eight drivers posted a lap over 127 mph in Friday's final Sprint Cup practice, with Carl Edwards leading the way at 128.397.

Only Martin Truex Jr. went over 127 mph in the first practice.

Brian Keselowski was the slowest at 118.072. With only 43 drivers entered in Sunday's race, no driver has to fear qualifying for the 43-car field.

NASCAR's new road course qualifying rules are in effect for Saturday's session.

Cars will go out in groups based on the practice times from the first Sprint Cup practice session that concluded at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Three groups of six cars will qualify first on Saturday (comprised of the 18 slowest cars), followed by five groups of five cars.

The five fastest cars from practice will comprise the final group on track.

Each group gets five minutes on track, with the group's time starting when the first car in the group crosses the start/finish line under the green flag. The fastest time in the session for each car will be the official qualifying speed for that driver.

The fast five on Friday after the first practice?

Martin Truex Jr., Marcos Ambrose, Carl Edwards, Juan Pablo Montoya and Casey Mears will get the final crack at the pole.

Watkins Glen Qualifying Order posted: The qualifying order is set for the 43 cars/drivers entered in t... http://t.co/Fx8gcPWADl #NASCAR

.@MaxPapis woke up this morning and told his kids, "I'm going to drive for #TonyStewart."

Max Papis is geared up to take Tony Stewart's place in Sunday's Cheez-It 355 at the Glen (1 p.m. ET, ESPN and WatchESPN) and he isn't taking the responsibility lightly.

"I hope that Tony will be back soon because that is actually his car," Papis said. "It's just an honor to be able to be called by an organization like Stewart-Haas and fill the shoes of Tony. It was not really a dream come true, but it was more like recognition towards all the work that I've done so far in my career. I feel that I have a lot of confidence to go out there and give them solid results.

"Obviously, if I would have been maybe 25 years old, I would have been maybe sitting on the toilet for how nervous I was, but I guess now I'm 30-plus 12, so I feel pretty good about it."

All kidding aside, Papis is an accomplished driver throughout the world, with time spent in the Champ Car World Series, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Formula One. He was originally going to race a Ferrari this Sunday in the American Le Mans Series contest at Road America (3 p.m. ET, ABC) in Elkhart Lake, Wis.

For Stewart-Haas Racing competition director Greg Zipadelli, having Papis in the seat this weekend was an easy call to make.

"He had done some road course testing recently, about two weeks ago, in the No. 14 car," Zipadelli said. "There was a little bit of a database built. A little communication had already been started and we felt like that was our best option for this weekend. Max has a lot of experience here and it's road racing [experience]."

We could make room for another... http://t.co/C9aT8626T1

Marcos Ambrose has won the past two races at Watkins Glen, and he's the odds-on favorite to do it again, if you ask the drivers he will be competing against.

But he still has to run the race, and he knows everyone will be aiming for him on Sunday.

"If you've played poker, the chances of continuing to win get slimmer as you win, so I think it's gonna be a really hard weekend for us," he said. "I don't anticipate domination. I know we're gonna be a contender. I know we're gonna be up there in the mix, but there is certainly no guarantee of success here, and we have to make sure we get going here in practice -- if we get some -- and get on the front foot and hopefully have a car that's close that we can be ready.

"I feel like I'm a little behind coming into this weekend, especially with the inclement weather. We'll just have to wait and see how it works out."

Martin Truex Jr., who won earlier this season at the other road course in Sonoma, even credited Ambrose with helping Truex's team, Michael Waltrip Racing, elevate its road-race program when Ambrose was on board.

"They spent a lot of time testing different things, and road racers kind of have a different mentality when it comes to tuning on the car," Truex said. "And the little things that you need to work on -- transmission things and brakes and stuff, he definitely really led us in the right direction."

Jeff Gordon, one of the best road course drivers in NASCAR history with five wins at Sonoma and four at The Glen, pinpointed what he believes works for Ambrose, particularly at Watkins Glen.

"What makes him so good -- not to mention his road racing experience over the years -- is his aggressiveness," Gordon said of Ambrose. "He's just so aggressive. While I think sometimes that holds him back on the ovals, it pays off big time here.

"That's going to be tough to beat. I think it was interesting because we were at Sonoma, and he doesn't do as well at Sonoma as he does here because this track, it loves aggressiveness. Sonoma does not like aggressiveness.

"I think you're going to see him be extremely fast this weekend. He was fast at Sonoma, but just the fall-off was pretty big there, where here that's not the case. I think he's going to be very, very difficult to beat."

Fans steaming up Maryland blue crab #fansr1st #cheezit355 pic.twitter.com/Q3Gv4MiioV

Attendance woes have been noted across NASCAR with the exception of a few tracks, but Watkins Glen has never seen much of a dip. It's a place most drivers enjoy coming to, and it seems the fans feel the same way.

"There's just something about the atmosphere of this place," Jeff Gordon said. "You go into the campground and there's just people that love being here and love being a part of the event. They're having a good time and it's not just about coming and watching a race, it's a lot more than that and I think that's just part of the appeal.

"There's a lot of very avid fans around this area, too, that don't maybe get a chance to get to NASCAR races or they are just a little more road racing enthusiasts, hard to say. We love it and we love coming here."

Friday's crowd was building as the weather continued to improve and the campgrounds were filling up quickly.

@NASCAR_NNS garage has gotten louder as cars are being started up #zippo200 pic.twitter.com/lj6zozXP1Y

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Friday isn't over yet, but the amount of rain the Southern Tier of New York is getting is causing problems inside and outside the track at Watkins Glen International.

Roads to and from Watkins Glen have experienced intermittent closures due to flooding and the campgrounds around the track are pretty swampy.

NASCAR hopes the track is ready for the first Sprint Cup practice at 3:30 p.m. ET. If all goes as planned, track activity would conclude with final Sprint Cup practice beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET. Nationwide practice will be sandwiched in between.

The forecast for Saturday and Sunday is excellent, however, and Sprint Cup qualifying (11:30 a.m. ET on ESPN2) and the Nationwide Series race (2:30 p.m. ET on ABC) should be a go for Saturday.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- My, how Ryan Newman's season has turned around since last month when Stewart-Haas Racing announced he would not return in 2014.

First he wins the Brickyard 400 in his home state of Indiana.

Then his boss, Tony Stewart, breaks his leg to move Newman into prime position for the second wild-card spot.

[+] Enlarge Warshaw/Getty Images Tony Stewart's misfortune opens the door for Chase wild-card contender Ryan Newman and crew.

The only thing he hasn't gotten is a job offer.

But first things first, and that is making the Chase. Newman's playoff hopes, much to his chagrin, improved dramatically when Stewart broke his leg in a sprint car race in Iowa on Monday night.

With Stewart out at least several weeks, Newman is in prime position to move into the second wild-card position -- maybe even the first depending on what happens this weekend at Watkins Glen.

He'll also have even more focus from SHR in making sure he gets there.

"Obviously, now that the 39 is our only chance, we will do whatever we can to help," SHR competition director Greg Zipadelli said. "I don't know that it's any more than what we have been doing, but we'll certainly do our best to work together as a team, and if there's anything they need, we will certainly do our best to give them what they need to have that opportunity."

Newman is 15th in points with a victory. He's 19 points behind Stewart, who at 11th with a victory holds the first wild-card spot. If Newman finishes 23rd or better at Watkins Glen, he'll pass his boss.

But that doesn't guarantee Newman will move into a wild-card spot. He still has to pass Martin Truex Jr., who holds the second wild-card spot at 14th in points with a victory.

Greg Biffle (10th in points with a win) and Kasey Kahne (eighth with two victories) easily could fall outside the top 10 with a poor finish. That would move them into prime spots for a wild card.

Defending Cup champion Brad Keselowski and 2004 champion Kurt Busch, 12th and 13th in points, could move into one of the wild-card spots or into the top 10 with a victory.

Both will be among the favorites this weekend at the 2.45-mile road course, particularly Keselowski, who has finished second there the past two years.

Jamie McMurray and Joey Logano, 16th and 17th in points, also could get into the mix with a win.

It's not completely out of the question that Marcos Ambrose gets into wild-card position. He is only seven points outside the top 20 needed for consideration, and he's won the past two races at The Glen.

So Stewart's injury doesn't guarantee Newman anything as far as the Chase. As far as his future there are no guarantees either.

There have been rumors in recent weeks that he could return to Penske Racing if the organization expands to three or four teams. I'm told that won't happen, that Penske plans to remain a two-car organization.

There have been rumors he could go to Richard Childress Racing if enough sponsorship can be found. I've also heard RCR could consider bringing the No. 47 team of JTG Daugherty Racing in house with AJ Allmendinger as the driver.

Both seem like long shots.

Newman's name has come up with the No. 55 at Michael Waltrip Racing, which has yet to officially announce Brian Vickers with current sponsor Aaron's. But all signs still point to Vickers being in that ride with an announcement possible by the Chase.

Roush Fenway Racing also has been rumored as a landing spot for Newman in a fourth car, but RFR appears focused on developing younger stars such as Trevor Bayne.

So as much as Newman's Chase fortune has turned around since it was announced he would not be a part of SHR with Stewart, Kevin Harvick and Danica Patrick in 2014, his future remains cloudy.

NASCAR