Chase Elliott Wins at Phoenix, Crowned NASCAR Cup Series Champion

 Originally written for CLNS Media.

Chase Elliott won the Season Finale 500 from Phoenix Raceway on Sunday afternoon to pick up his first NASCAR Cup Series Championship.

Elliott was awarded the pole for Sunday’s race but had to start in the rear of the field following multiple inspection failures.  Elliott quickly drove up through the field, and took the lead at the beginning of Stage 2.

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Elliott led a race-high 154 laps in the winner-take-all finale for the Championship.  He took the lead away from Joey Logano with 43 laps remaining, and he was able to pull away for his fifth win of the season.

Elliott said he could see Logano struggling following the final pit stop and knew he needed to make his move.

“I saw Joey was pretty loose there; felt like I needed to get to him when I could,” Elliott said.  “Just waiting on the caution as always.”

Elliott, who won last weekend at Martinsville to lock himself into the Championship finale, said the season has shown how his team has grown.

“I just never would have thought that this year went the way it has,” Elliott said.  “I can’t say enough about our group.  I feel like we took some really big strides this year, and last week was a huge one.”

Elliott and his father Bill have now joined the Petty and Jarrett families as the only father-son duos to win the Cup Series Championship.  Elliott also became the youngest Champion since Jeff Gordon won it all in 1995, and becomes the first driver to win the Championship and Most Popular Driver in the same year since his father did it in 1988.

Elliott said becoming champion was a dream come true.

“All you can dream for is the opportunity, and I’ve been very fortunate to have that over the years,” Elliott said.  “This is a moment that I’ve dreamed about.  This is all I ever wanted to do…this moment is something not a lot of people get to enjoy.”

Logano finished third after fading late in the race, and he said his car’s handling went away over the final run after giving up the lead to Elliott.

“Just didn’t have the speed at the right time,” Logano said.  “Early in the race our Mustang was really fast.  We were close.”

The race was also the final one for drivers Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson. 

Johnson, the greatest driver of his generation, ended his career with seven Cup Series titles and 83 victories.

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

After his fifth-place finish, Johnson celebrated with his teammate Elliott in what many viewed as a passing of the torch.

Johnson said he was proud of the career he put together.

“It’s been a great run; I’ve had 19 years in the Cup Series, 2 years in the Xfinity Series,” Johnson said.  “This has been a great journey and I’m ready to spend my time a little differently.”

“My heart’s full, very thankful for today.  We had a great run on the track, and I can’t go without congratulating Chase Elliott and Hendrick Motorsports on another championship.”

Unofficial results:

1. Chase Elliott

2. Brad Keselowski

3. Joey Logano

4. Denny Hamlin

5. Jimmie Johnson

6. Ryan Blaney

7. Kevin Harvick

8. Matt DiBenedetto

9. William Byron

10. Martin Truex Jr.

11. Kyle Busch

12. Kurt Busch

13. Aric Almirola

14. Clint Bowyer

15. Bubba Wallace

16. Alex Bowman

17. Christopher Bell

18. Austin Dillon

19. Tyler Reddick

20. Chris Buescher

21. Ty Dillon

22. Erik Jones

23. Michael McDowell

24. Ryan Newman

25. Matt Kenseth

26. John Hunter Nemechek

27. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

28. Cole Custer

29. Brennan Poole

30. JJ Yeley

31. Daniel Suarez

32. Joey Gase

33. James Davison

34. Ryan Preece

35. Josh Bilicki

36. Timmy Hill

37. Garrett Smithley

38. Corey LaJoie

39. Quin Houff

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Byron Wins at Daytona as the Playoff Field is Set

 Originally written for CLNS Media.

William Byron won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 from Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night during the regular season finale.

Byron came into the weekend needing a strong finish as he was on the bubble with Matt DiBenedetto and Jimmie Johnson for the final two spots in the Playoffs.  After Johnson was caught up in a late wreck, Byron and DiBenedetto were all but locked in, allowing Byron to focus on the winning moves needed at the end of the race.

Byron found his way to the lead on the final restart, and his teammate Chase Elliott was able to push Byron to the victory and into the Playoffs.

Byron said he was focused on points throughout the race after struggling to pick up stage points early.

“Probably the hardest track to points race,” Byron said.  “We didn’t have a great Stage 2, kind of got back in the pack and got shuffled when everyone went single-file.”

Byron used a late push from Bubba Wallace to get to the front right as Joey Logano got sideways, sparking the accident that collected Johnson.

Byron said he was going for his first career win and a Playoff berth no matter what.

“[Logano and Wallace] made some contact and opened up a hole for me,” Byron said.  “I wasn’t going to lift.  It’s awesome.”

DiBenedetto was the final driver to transfer into the Playoffs, and beat Johnson by six points for the final spot.

DiBenedetto said he was excited to move on and have a shot at the Cup Series Championship.

“We made it, I don’t care how we did it,” DiBenedetto said.  “My goal was to come in here and make it and we had some pretty good competitors, obviously.”

“We’ll celebrate tomorrow and have a good day, then it’s going to be time to get to work.”

DiBenedetto, in his first season with Wood Brothers Racing, said his previous seasons of driving for under-funded teams helped prepare him for the pressure this weekend.

“That was the most stressful situation inside a race car I’ve ever been in my life, hands down,” DiBenedetto said.  “I was calm going into the week, and I really think I have to thank my career path for kind of grooming me for this type of situation.”

“It’s been a tough fight, and it makes me so appreciative of these situations.”

Johnson’s team was able to get his car back on track following his accident, but he fell six points shy of making the Playoffs in his final season.

Johnson said the focus now turns trying to get one final win in the 10 remaining races.

“There’s 10 races left; 10 races to go chase and we’ll have to focus our efforts there,” Johnson said.  “Last three years have been tough, we all know that.  I think we’ve shown some bright spots…Cliff Daniels and these guys on this team have poured their guts out for me.”

“We did all that we could this year; I am so thankful for Hendrick Motorsports and the career that I’ve had here.  I’m not going to dwell on it too much, I don’t know what I could have done differently.”

Unofficial results:

1. William Byron

2. Chase Elliott

3. Denny Hamlin

4. Martin Truex Jr.

5. Bubba Wallace

6. Ryan Blaney

7. Alex Bowman

8. Brendan Gaughan

9. Chris Buescher

10. Brad Keselowski

11. John Hunter Nemechek

12. Matt DiBenedetto

13. Christopher Bell

14. Michael McDowell

15. Brennan Poole

16. Ross Chastain

17. Jimmie Johnson

18. Aric Almirola

19. Clint Bowyer

20. Kevin Harvick

21. Corey LaJoie

22. Ty Dillon

23. Quin Houff

24. Timmy Hill

25. Austin Dillon

26. Daniel Suarez

27. Joey Logano

28. Matt Kenseth

29. Tyler Reddick

30. Cole Custer

31. Joey Gase

32. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

33. Kyle Busch

34. Kurt Busch

35. Erik Jones

37. Ryan Preece

38. Josh Bilicki

39. James Davison

40. JJ Yeley

 Photos courtesy Chris Graythen (Getty Images)

Harvick Dominates in Dover

 Originally written for CLNS Media.

Kevin Harvick won the Drydene 311 from Dover International Speedway on Sunday afternoon in the second half of a doubleheader weekend.

Harvick was strong throughout the day, and led the most laps and won both stages on his way to a series-leading seventh victory.

Jimmie Johnson took the lead using pit strategy following a late caution, but he was not a match for Harvick on the restart.  When they took the green flag for the final time with 17 laps to go, Harvick was able to get around Johnson and pull away on his way to the checkered flag.

Harvick said his team worked overnight to help make the adjustments needed to win on Sunday.

“Really got to thank everybody on this team,” Harvick said.  “[Crew Chief] Rodney Childers and everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing for overcoming what happened yesterday with the trackbar and being able to nail the balance today.”

After he won the first stage, Harvick clinched the regular season championship, which awards him an additional 15 Playoff Points.  With the Playoffs set to begin in two weeks, Harvick will now have 57 bonus points when it begins.

Harvick said his team must continue to push forward, especially after Denny Hamlin picked up his sixth win on Saturday.

“With Denny winning yesterday, we needed to win today and we’re going to need all the points we can get,” Harvick said.  “As you look at these Playoffs, you just never know what to expect.”

For the second day in a row, Martin Truex Jr. finished second.  With the finish, Truex extended his streak to seven-consecutive races finished inside the Top 3.

Truex said the car was worse Sunday than it was on Saturday, but his team worked hard to challenge for the win.

“We tried some things overnight; definitely didn’t do what we hoped it would do,” Truex said.  “We fought hard…we executed well and came home with a good result.”

Unofficial results:

1. Kevin Harvick

2. Martin Truex Jr.

3. Jimmie Johnson

4. William Byron

5. Alex Bowman

6. Joey Logano

7. Aric Almirola

8. Brad Keselowski

9. Austin Dillon

10. Cole Custer

11. Kyle Busch

12. Ryan Blaney

13. Kurt Busch

14. Chris Buescher

15. Matt Kenseth

16. Clint Bowyer

17. Matt DiBenedetto

18. Tyler Reddick

19. Denny Hamlin

20. John Hunter Nemechek

21. Bubba Wallace

22. Erik Jones

23. Corey LaJoie

24. Ryan Newman

25. Michael McDowell

26. Ryan Preece

27. Christopher Bell

28. Daniel Suarez

29. Ty Dillon

30. Brennan Poole

31. BJ McLeod

32. Josh Bilicki

33. Reed Sorenson

34. Quin Houff

35. Garrett Smithley

36. Timmy Hill

37. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

38. JJ Yeley

39. Chase Elliott

40. Joey Gase

Photos courtesy Jared C. Tilton (Getty Images)

Keselowski Wins Coca-Cola 600

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Brad Keselowski won the Coca-Cola 600 from Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday night.

Keselowski inherited the lead when Chase Elliott pitted before an Overtime restart.  Keselowski held off Jimmie Johnson over the final two laps to pick up his first win in NASCAR’s longest race.

Keselowski said the victory knocked another one of NASCAR’s majors off his list.

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

“I know we’ve lost it the way Chase lost it and that really stinks, but today we finally won it that way,” Keselowski said.  “It’s a major; it’s the Coke 600 and this only leave one major left for me, the Daytona 500, so we’re checking them off.”

Keselowski said the victory was emotional because of what Memorial Day means and because he was able to take the name of a fallen soldier to victory lane.

“It means a lot to me, but I can’t help but think about the Reep family and Donovan [the fallen soldier’s name on Keselowski’s windshield],” Keselowski said.  “I know Memorial Day’s about a lot more than racing, but we’re glad to be able to do cool things like racing because of the freedoms provided by those that are willing to make those sacrifices.”

Elliott had a strong car throughout the race, and was leading when his teammate William Byron brought out the caution with three laps to go.  Elliott pitted while the other leaders stayed out, and he was only able to work his way back to third in the final two laps.

Elliott said the leader is always at a disadvantage when a late-race caution comes out.

“Those guys are going to do the opposite of whatever we do, but that’s just part of it,” Elliott said.  “You make those decisions and live with them.  Just trying to make the best decision you can.”

Elliott’s teammate Jimmie Johnson ran towards the front throughout the night, and he finished second on Sunday. 

Johnson, who has gone winless since June 2017, said his team is starting to put together stronger runs.

“Very proud of everyone on this Ally Chevrolet, second’s okay,” Johnson said.  “It’s tough being this close to victory lane, but we’re knocking on the door and we’ll get there.  Very proud of the effort we’re putting in, but second stinks.”

Unofficial results:

1. Brad Keselowski

2. Jimmie Johnson

3. Chase Elliott

4. Ryan Blaney

5. Kyle Busch

6. Kevin Harvick

7. Martin Truex Jr.

8. Kurt Busch

9. Tyler Reddick

10. Christopher Bell

11. Chris Buescher

12. Erik Jones

13. Cole Custer

14. Joey Logano

15. Austin Dillon

16. Aric Almirola

17. John Hunter Nemechek

18. Matt DiBenedetto

19. Michael McDowell

20. Alex Bowman

21. William Byron

22. Ross Chastain

23. Ryan Preece

24. Corey LaJoie

25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

26. Ty Dillon

27. Matt Kenseth

28. Ryan Newman

29. Daniel Suarez

30. Denny Hamlin

31. Brennan Poole

32. Gray Gaulding

33. BJ McLeod

34. Garrett Smithley

35. Timmy Hill

36. Quin Houff

37. Joey Gase

38. JJ Yeley

39. Bubba Wallace

40. Clint Bowyer

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Johnson Wins Season-Opening Clash at Daytona

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Jimmie Johnson won Sunday’s season-opening Advanced Auto Parts Clash from Daytona International Speedway after rain ended the race early.

Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Rain threatened the race throughout the day, and caused the race to be red-flagged three times throughout the afternoon.

The final red flag followed a wreck that collected 17 of the 20 cars.  With rain imminent, Johnson got a run on Paul Menard and the two made contact.  Menard spun up the track and collected most of the field.

Johnson said he knew he had to make a move with the rain on the horizon. 

“Extremely excited to win,” Johnson said.  “It’s not a points race, but it’s a good start.”

Johnson won on a day that was dominated by Hendrick Motorsports.  Earlier in the day, William Byron and Alex Bowman swept the front row for Daytona 500 qualifying.  In the offseason, Byron was paired up with Johnson’s longtime crew chief Chad Knaus, while Johnson was paired with Kevin Meendering.

Johnson said the partnership was already off to a good start.

“This group of Ally team members…have been working so hard and we’re off to a good start,” Johnson said.

“Just really happy for a great day for Hendrick Motorsports…qualifying 3rd for the Daytona 500 then to win the Clash.  There’s been a lot of new things going on; extremely excited to win.”

Unofficial results:

1. Jimmie Johnson

2. Kurt Busch

3. Joey Logano

4. Ryan Blaney

5. Alex Bowman

6. Austin Dillon

7. Chase Elliott

8. Aric Almirola

9. Ryan Newman

10. Daniel Suarez

11. Jamie McMurray

12. Kevin Harvick

13. Paul Menard

14. Kyle Busch

15. Martin Truex Jr.

16. Clint Bowyer

17. Denny Hamlin

18. Brad Keselowski

19. Kyle Larson

20. Erik Jones

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Blaney Wins Thrilling Roval Debut

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Ryan Blaney won the Bank of America Roval 400 on Sunday afternoon from the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

The race was the first at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Road Course, named the “Roval,” and the buildup to the race promised that the first elimination race of the Playoffs would be exciting on the tight track.

On the final lap, Jimmie Johnson caught leader Martin Truex Jr., and the two made contact in the chicane before the finish line.  Blaney was able to take advantage to win his first race of the season and lock himself into the next round of the Playoffs.

Blaney said he wasn’t expecting the two former champions to wreck coming to the finish.

“Sometimes it’s better to have a little bit of luck on your side,” Blaney said.  “You hate to see two guys get into there and tear up two of the best cars all day, but that’s racing sometimes.”

Johnson failed to make the next round of the Playoffs after wrecking coming to the checkered flag.  After driving through the chicane, Johnson had to come to a complete stop to avoid a penalty, which cost him just enough positions to end in a tie with Kyle Larson and Aric Almirola for the final spot in the next round.

After losing the tiebreaker to Larson and Almirola, Johnson said he wasn’t thinking about the Playoffs and wanted to get to victory lane.

“These wins are so important and the veteran would have taken the safe route,” Johnson said.  “Ultimately we were in a transfer position and didn’t get it.”

Larson drove a heavily-damaged car for the last five laps, and passed Jeffrey Earnhardt coming to the checkered flag to force the three-way tie.

Larson said he pushed his car to the limit to get the final point he needed.

“I could see the 96 [of Earnhardt] was still stopped, and I knew I needed that point to get to the tiebreaker,” Larson said.  “I knew I was screwed, then I saw they were all crashing [on the frontstretch] and it had to be 45 seconds before I got over there.”

The playoff field was cut from 16 to 12 drivers; Johnson, Austin Dillon, Erik Jones and Denny Hamlin were the four drivers eliminated from championship contention.

Unofficial results:

1. Ryan Blaney

2. Jamie McMurray

3. Clint Bowyer

4. Alex Bowman

5. Kurt Busch

6. Chase Elliott

7. AJ Allmendinger

8. Jimmie Johnson

9. Kevin Harvick

10. Joey Logano

11. Ryan Newman

12. Denny Hamlin

13. Matt DiBenedetto

14. Martin Truex Jr.

15. Regan Smith

16. David Ragan

17. Chris Buescher

18. Michael McDowell

19. Aric Almirola

20. Cole Whitt

21. Daniel Suarez

22. Ty Dillon

23. Daniel Hemric

24. Ross Chastain

25. Kyle Larson

26. Jeffrey Earnhardt

27. Justin Marks

28. JJ Yeley

29. Landon Cassill

30. Erik Jones

31. Brad Keselowski

32. Kyle Busch

33. Paul Menard

34. William Byron

35. Trevor Bayne

36. Darrell Wallace Jr.

37. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

38. Timmy Hill

39. Austin Dillon

40. Stanton Barrett

Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Johnson Makes History With Dover Victory

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Jimmie Johnson picked up his 11th victory at Dover International Speedway in the AAA Drive for Autism 400 on Sunday afternoon.

The race was dominated by two drivers; Kyle Larson led the most laps and Martin Truex Jr. won both stages.  Johnson had to work his way through the field after he was forced to start the race from the back of the pack, but he had worked his way up to the top 10 by the end of the first segment.

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Johnson passed Larson for the lead on the final restart, and the race ended when Ty Dillon made contact with Ryan Newman to start a big wreck coming out of turn 2.  Johnson was able to pass the overtime line entering turn 3 before the caution came out, and the race finished under yellow.

Johnson picked up his 83rd career victory, which tied him with NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough.  Johnson said he was excited to win while driving with a Yarborough-inspired helmet.

“I was a big Cale Yarborough fan,” Johnson said.  “To tie him at 83 wins…we just got the tribute helmet.  I wasn’t sure how quickly we’d get it done.”

Larson controlled the final restart as the leader, but he said Johnson did a better job at executing with the race on the line.

“He did what he had to do to get a fast launch like he did,” Larson said.  “He just took off better than I did.”

“He’s a seven-time champion for a reason…and he’s really good at executing.  I just got to get better at that.”

Unofficial results:

1. Jimmie Johnson

2. Kyle Larson

3. Martin Truex Jr.

4. Ryan Newman

5. Chase Elliott

6. Daniel Suarez

7. Jamie McMurray

8. Denny Hamlin

9. Kevin Harvick

10. Danica Patrick

11. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

12. Austin Dillon

13. Matt Kenseth

14. Ty Dillon

15. Erik Jones

16. Kyle Busch

17. Kasey Kahne

18. AJ Allmendinger

19. Michael McDowell

20. Ross Chastain

21. Trevor Bayne

22. Cole Whitt

23. Chris Buescher

24. Gray Gaulding

25. Joey Logano

26. Ryan Sieg

27. Jeffrey Earnhardt

28. Timmy Hill

29. Matt DiBenedetto

30. David Ragan

31. Clint Bowyer

32. Ryan Blaney

33. Paul Menard

34. Regan Smith

35. Cody Ware

36. Landon Cassill

37. Kurt Busch

38. Brad Keselowski

39. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Jimmie Johnson Wins Rain-Delayed Food City 500

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Jimmie Johnson won the rain-delayed Food City 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway on Monday afternoon.

Photo courtesy Adam Niemeyer

Johnson took the lead late in the race, and led the final 21 laps on his way to victory lane for the second-straight race weekend.  Johnson said he was happy his car handled well late and that he didn’t have to fight anyone for the lead in the closing laps.

“I was happy to get away at the end and not have to worry about Clint [Bowyer] or anybody else behind me,” Johnson said.  “Our cars have been very capable of running up front, and it’s been nice these last two weeks to execute from the start of the race.”

Leading up to the race, Bristol Motor Speedway staff sprayed a sticky substance known as VHT on the bottom lane of the track to add grip.  The track staff wanted the track to return to the “old Bristol,” with single-file racing with drivers using their bumpers to move one another out of the way.

Johnson said the racing was fun, and that the VHT helped the bottom lane compete with the top line.

“There were so many competitive passes and so much racing going on over the course of the event,” Johnson said.  “I think the bulk of the race they did a nice job with the VHT on the bottom…second line finally came in and a very exciting race.”

Kyle Larson led a race-high 202 laps, but a speeding penalty late in the race caused him to restart in the back of the pack.  Larson was able to recover to finish sixth, but said he was disappointed he cost himself a shot at the victory.

“I knew I gave the race away there,” Larson said.  “Disappointed in myself.  I was surprised I was able to line up with an opportunity there at the end.”

“I think even if I was able to get to the lead, I don’t think I would have won because Jimmie and Clint were way faster than I was.”

Unofficial results:

1. Jimmie Johnson

2. Clint Bowyer

3. Kevin Harvick

4. Matt Kenseth

5. Joey Logano

6. Kyle Larson

7. Chase Elliott

8. Martin Truex Jr.

9. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

10. Denny Hamlin

11. Trevor Bayne

12. Jamie McMurray

13. Austin Dillon

14. Ryan Newman

15. Ty Dillon

16. Paul Menard

17. Erik Jones

18. Daniel Suarez

19. Matt DiBenedetto

20. Kasey Kahne

21. Cole Whitt

22. Aric Almirola

23. David Ragan

24. Corey LaJoie

25. Kurt Busch

26. Michael McDowell

27. Jeffrey Earnhardt

28. Reed Sorenson

29. Gray Gaulding

30. AJ Allmendinger

31. Derrike Cope

32. Landon Cassill

33. Ryan Blaney

34. Brad Keselowski

35. Kyle Busch

36. Danica Patrick

37. Timmy Hill

38. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

39. Chris Buescher

Photo courtesy Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Thanks to Adam Niemeyer for the photo of Jimmie Johnson on Monday.  Check out more of his work on his blog.