NASCAR

  • Martin Truex, Jr. won the Quaker State 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway for his 3rd win of 2017, 1st win at Kentucky and 10th career win. Truex dominated the race, leading 151 of the 274 laps and winning all three stages. He had a more than 15 second lead with 2 laps to go when a late caution bunched up the field and forced an Overtime finish. He got a great restart and held on to win when the race went back under caution on the final lap.
  • #42-Larson, who started the race in 40th, drove to 3rd by the end of the first stage, but was penalized for speeding and sent back to the tail end of the field. He came back through the field to finish 2nd.
  • #24-Elliot finished 3rd followed by #11-Hamlin, #18-Busch, #77-Jones, #1-McMurray, #22-Logano, #4-Harvick, and #21-Blaney.
    Pole winner #18-Busch led 112 laps.
  • #48-Johnson was caught in an early accident and finished 40th. It was only the second last place finish of his career.
  • #42-Larson maintains the driver points lead by 1 point over #78-Truex Jr.

Matt Kenseth, the 2003 NASCAR Cup Series champion who has 38 career Cup race victories, doesn't expect to return to Joe Gibbs Racing next season.

The 45-year-old Kenseth didn't go into details, but he said Friday morning that he does not have a ride for 2018. He is winless this year and 11th in the Cup standings, teetering on the brink of a playoff berth.

"I do not think I will have the option to race for JGR next year, unfortunately," Kenseth said prior to practice at Kentucky Speedway.

 

Matt Kenseth doesn't expect to race for Joe Gibbs next season

Matt Kenseth, the 2003 NASCAR Cup Series champion who has 38 career Cup race victories, doesn't expect to return to Joe Gibbs Racing next season.

The 45-year-old Kenseth didn't go into details, but he said Friday morning that he does not have a ride for 2018. He is winless this year and 11th in the Cup standings, teetering on the brink of a playoff berth.

"I do not think I will have the option to race for JGR next year, unfortunately," Kenseth said prior to practice at Kentucky Speedway.

Team owner Joe Gibbs responded to Kenseth's statement Saturday before the race.

"Matt's statement kind of stands on its own," he said. "We love Matt. Right now, it's kind of a tough time for everybody -- we're kind of working through some stuff."

JGR likely would replace Kenseth in its No. 20 Cup car with Erik Jones, whom JGR allowed to sign a one-year Cup contract with JGR affiliate Furniture Row Racing for 2017.

Gibbs, however, said of the prospect of Jones replacing Kenseth, "There is quite a bit up in the air."

More: www.espn.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/19893053/matt-kenseth-expect-race-forjoe-gibbs-racing-next-season

 

NEXT RACE: This weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; TV LIVE on NBCSN at Noon PT.

 

NHRA

TORRENCE, CAPPS, SKILLMAN & TONGLET SECURE WALLY'S AT ROUTE 66 RACEWAY

Steve Torrence powered his Top Fuel dragster to his fifth victory of the season Sunday at the 20th annual Fallen Patriots NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by K&N Filters at Route 66 Raceway. Ron Capps (Funny Car), Drew Skillman (Pro Stock) and LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were also winners in their respective categories at the 13th of 24 events on the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

Top Fuel points leader Torrence secured the win with a run of 3.779-seconds at 326.08 mph in his Capco Contractors dragster to take down Antron Brown after he ran a 3.786 at 326.71 in his Matco Tools dragster in the final round. Torrence notched his 13th career victory and his third in the past four events.

Leah Pritchett narrowly remains in second after a quarterfinal appearance and teammate Brown trails by just two points for the second spot in the standings.

Points leader Capps locked down his sixth victory of the season after a 4.026 at 319.67 in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T to defeat teammate Tommy Johnson Jr. who ran a 4.047 at 319.90 in his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T in the final round. Capps has now reached three final rounds in the past four races, earning two victories in that span.

Capps holds a 200-point lead over second-place Matt Hagan, who fell in the semifinals. Jack Beckman sits in third place after making a quarterfinal appearance.

In Pro Stock, Skillman notched his first victory of the season after driving to a 6.627 at 209.23 in his Ray Skillman Chevy Camaro to defeat Erica Enders who ran a 6.655 at 207.37 in her Elite Motorsports Chevy Camaro in the final. Skillman became the ninth different winner in Pro Stock in 13 events, earning his fourth career victory.

Butner remains in the top spot of the Pro Stock standings after the semifinal appearance, while Greg Anderson and Tanner Gray round out the top three. Skillman's victory put him in eighth in the standings, while Enders now sits at sixth after her second runner-up of the season.

Points leader Tonglet secured his fourth Pro Stock Motorcycle victory in six events with a 6.835 at 195.99 on his Nitro Fish Racing Suzuki to defeat Hector Arana Jr. who ran a 6.878 at 193.29 on his Lucas Oil Buell in the finals. This is Tonglet's first victory at Route 66 Raceway since he went back-to-back in 2010-11. He has now earned victories in all four of his final round appearances this season.

Eddie Krawiec remains in second following the semifinal appearance. Arana Jr. moves up to third with the runner-up, surpassing Pollacheck who fell to fourth.

 

Brittany Force will try her hand at Funny Car later this season

John Force Racing is building a Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for the team's Monster Energy Top Fuel driver, Brittany Force, so that the second-generation driver can experience in testing the class that helped make her father famous. The announcement from JFR does not mean that the event-winning driver is leaving the Top Fuel class.

The car was specially engineered by the JFR fabrication shop to fit her. She will drive the car during tests later this season.

"I never had a car that fit Brittany," John Force said. "Brittany, because she's so light, we had to move a lot of weight. We had to move the steering to her. We're making a bunch of changes to make it fit her perfect. There's no hurry.

"I want my daughter to experience the Funny Car. Hell, I may get into that dragster. But we had to build a car especially for her."

 

NEXT RACE: The Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, July 21-23.

 

INDYCAR

Castroneves ends victory drought, climbs fence at Iowa

The victory drought is finally over for Helio Castroneves. Now his chase toward a first Verizon IndyCar Series championship is in high gear. The three-time Indianapolis 500 winner ended a three-year, 54-race streak without a win by taking the checkered flag today in the Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway. In the process, the driver of the No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet closed within eight points of the championship lead after 11 of 17 races.

Castroneves led 217 of the 300 laps on the high-speed, 0.894-mile Iowa oval, winning by 3.9647 seconds over JR Hildebrand. As anticipated, Castroneves celebrated the occasion by hopping out his car at the start/finish line after the race and performing his trademark climbing of the catch fence to the delight of Iowa Speedway fans.

It is Castroneves' first triumph since the opener of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader on June 1, 2014. It also gave the 42-year-old Brazilian, celebrating his 20th season in Indy cars, career win No. 30 to move him into sole possession of 12th place on the all-time victory list. Castroneves had been tied with retired Team Penske great Rick Mears, who now serves as Castroneves' spotter on ovals.

The decisive pass of the race came on Lap 268, when Castroneves darted past Hildebrand and leader Marco Andretti into first place. He steadily pulled away to give Team Penske its 192nd Indy car win - most all time - and its first at Iowa Speedway. Castroneves is the ninth different driver to win a race this season, a list that now includes all four Team Penske drivers.

Hildebrand, in the No. 21 Fuzzy's Vodka Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing, equaled his career-best finish first accomplished when he was runner-up at the 2011 Indianapolis 500. Hildebrand was driving the same car that Josef Newgarden raced to victory at Iowa in 2016 for Ed Carpenter Racing.

Ryan Hunter-Reay, a three-time winner at Iowa, equaled his season-best finish of third place for Andretti Autosport. Pole sitter Will Power led 23 laps before finishing fourth for Team Penske.

Points leader Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing finished eighth and has collected 403 points through 11 races. Team Penske drivers hold the next four positions in the standings, with Castroneves second (395 points), reigning series champion Simon Pagenaud third (372), Power fourth (350) and Newgarden fifth (347).

 

VIDEO: Iowa Race Highlights: www.indycar.com/Videos/2017/07/07-10-Iowa-race-highlights

 

NEXT RACE: This weekend at the Honda Indy Toronto on the street of Toronto, TV LIVE on Sunday at noon PT on CNBC.

 

AT SONOMA RACEWAY: