Best of Xfinity driver Natalie Decker in images
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NBC Sports
15 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Confidence high for another playoff run for reigning Cup champ Joey Logano despite results
Reigning Cup champion Joey Logano has one top-10 finish in the last eight races, but he and crew chief Paul Wolfe see progress by the team that could lead to another title run. Logano claimed a playoff spot with his victory in Texas in early May. But since placing fourth at Nashville in early June, Logano has not finished better than ninth. He'll look to change that Sunday at Iowa Speedway (coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network). 'When I sat down with Joey a couple of weeks ago and just kind of laid out the playoff rounds and what tracks are where, obviously it's a little different again this year, I told him I feel pretty good, there's a pretty clear path, 'Wolfe told NBC Sports ahead of last weekend's race at Indianapolis. ' … There's no reason if we do our jobs that we can't be in Phoenix again.' Nate Ryan, After winning only once in the regular season last year, Logano won three playoff races on the way to his third Cup title. Fifteen of his 37 career Cup wins — 40.5% — have come in the playoffs. While Logano finished 14th at Dover and 32nd at Indianapolis the past two weeks, both races showed promise for the team, Logano said this week on 'The Morning Drive' on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. 'Dover has notoriously been our worst racetrack, and we were pretty good there,' he said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. 'Like we weren't great, we weren't going to go up there and win the race, but we can run the top six to 10. That's way better than last year. 'In Indy, we had better speed than we had last year and we were positioned to win that race if we can just keep air in the tire.' Wolfe's strategy had Logano as the lead car that had made its final pit stop before a right rear went down 25 laps from the scheduled finish. Logano's race was made worse when he was collected in a crash on the first of two overtime restarts. 'There is some momentum behind the 22 right now, behind Team Penske, that there's some good things going,' Logano said this week on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. 'I mean, if I look at Indy alone, (teammate Austin Cindric) was probably the best car, probably the car that could have won the race. Had a flat tire, too. Then we were next in line. I feel like that's a good thing. We're not that far off.' Wolfe said a tire test last week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway went well for the No. 22 team. New Hampshire will host the opening race of the second round of the playoffs in September. 'I feel confident in where we're at,' Wolfe said ahead of Indy. 'We had a great two days up in New Hampshire, which was encouraging. I think the driver probably has some pretty good confidence after the test as well.' Dustin Long, That Logano did the Goodyear tire test at New Hampshire was a part of Wolfe's strategy to make a run at back-to-back Cup titles. 'As we looked at the testing schedule in the offseason, all the Ford teams divvy them up and then we divvy them up amongst our company,' Wolfe said. 'So we're like where do we want to go, what's going to be most productive for us? 'There's different theories and approaches. Do you go test at the track that is your weaker track, or do you go somewhere that is your strength and really make it better and know that you have a legit chance to win that race? 'That was kind of the approach I took, was, hey, we know (New Hampshire) is a really good track for us, it is a short track, obviously, Phoenix, the final race, is a short track, let's take that one and make that one even a step better than what we've been and that was our approach.' Wolfe admitted he had to convince Logano that it would be best to test at New Hampshire than do a tire test elsewhere. Teammate Ryan Blaney took part in a tire test at Charlotte and Cindric did the tire test at Iowa earlier this season. 'Joey, at first, when we discussed it, (he was saying) we're not very good on intermediates, should we take the Charlotte test?' Wolfe said. 'I said let (Blaney) have that, he's typically our fastest car on the high-speed tracks. Maybe they can learn something there that helps us all. 'I feel like if we're going to go somewhere and really dial in a setup, Joey's going to do it as good or better than any one of our drivers in our company. I feel like we've shown that over the years. 'When we go to Phoenix for these championship races, us and (Blaney) are running the same setup because it works and we've developed it throughout the year and testing and that's kind of what we did (at New Hampshire) and we feel good about it.'
NBC Sports
6 hours ago
- NBC Sports
How to watch Sunday's Cup race at Iowa Speedway: Start time, TV info and weather
With four races remaining in the regular season, the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race heads to Iowa Speedway with varying points battles across the standings. On the bubble, the margin is as large as it's been this season with Chris Buescher hanging onto the final provisional spot by 42 points over Ryan Preece. But it'll be hard to get comfortable for the three drivers above the cutline: Buescher, Alex Bowman (plus-63) and Tyler Reddick (plus-138). Since the advent of the Next Gen car, at least one driver below the cutline has won in the last four races of the regular season. Buescher, Ross Chastain and Bubba Wallace were bumped from the playoffs despite being above the cutline with four races left. In the battle for the regular-season championship, the top four are separated by 20 points — the closest margin after 22 races since a 17-point gap among the top four in 2012. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott, William Byron and Kyle Larson occupy the top three spots for the seventh week this season. Elliott leads Byron by four points with Iowa, Watkins Glen, Richmond and Daytona remaining in the regular season. Sunday's will mark the second for Cup at the 0.875-mile oval. Ryan Blaney won the inaugural race last year. The track's 25,000-seat grandstands have been announced as a sellout. Details for Sunday's Cup race at Iowa Speedway (All times Eastern) START: The command to start engines will be given at 3:38 p.m. ... The green flag is scheduled to wave at 3:47 p.m. PRERACE: The Cup garage will open at 12:30 p.m. ... The national anthem will be performed at 3:31 p.m. DISTANCE: The race is 350 laps (306.25 miles) on the 0.875-mile oval in Newton, Iowa. STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 70. Stage 2 ends at Lap 210. PURSE: $9,797,935 ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 37 cars entered at Iowa Speedway. TV/RADIO: USA Network will broadcast the race starting at 3 p.m. ... Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have radio coverage. FORECAST: WeatherUnderground — Sunshine with some clouds. A high of 77 degrees with winds from the southeast at 5 to 10 mph. It's expected to be 75 degrees with a 4% chance of rain at the start of the Cup race. LAST TIME: Ryan Blaney led 201 of 350 laps to win the inaugural Cup race at Iowa Speedway on June 16, 2024.
NBC Sports
7 hours ago
- NBC Sports
How to watch Saturday's Xfinity race at Iowa Speedway: Start time, TV info and weather
The Xfinity Series will have a new short-track winner for 2025 at Iowa Speedway, the third of five short-track races this season. With Cup Series champion Kyle Larson (Bristol) absent from the entry list and Austin Hill (Martinsville) suspended for an intentional wreck, there will be a fresh face in victory lane at the 0.875-mile oval in Newton, Iowa. Dustin Long, Austin Dillion will replace Hill in Richard Childress Racing's No. 21 Chevrolet, joining Ross Chastain (No. 9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports) and Carson Hocevar (replacing Josh Williams in the No. 11 for Kaulig Racing) as three Cup Series regulars in the race. With five races remaining in the regular season, there are five spots open in the Xfinity playoffs. Jeb Burton holds the final provisional spot, leading cousin Harrison Burton by 10 points. Having become the youngest Xfinity driver to win three consecutive races, Connor Zilisch can become the third in series history to win four in a row (joining Sam Ard in 1983 and Noah Gragson in 2022). Zilisch has a series-high nine consecutive top fives since returning from a back injury that sidelined him at Texas. Toyota is seeking to end a 13-race winless streak, the longest for the manufacturer since its first Xfinity victory in 2007. Details for Saturday's Xfinity race at Iowa Speedway (All times Eastern) START: The command to start engines will be given at 4:41 p.m. ... The green flag is scheduled to wave at 4:50 p.m. PRERACE: The Xfinity garage will open at 9:30 a.m. ... Practice will be held at 11 a.m., followed by qualifying at 12:05 p.m. ... Driver introductions are at 4 p.m. ... The national anthem will be performed at 4:34 p.m. DISTANCE: The race is 250 laps (218.75 miles) on the 0.875-mile oval in Newton, Iowa. STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 60. Stage 2 ends at Lap 120. PURSE: $1,651,939 ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 38 cars entered at Iowa Speedway. TV/RADIO: CW will broadcast the race starting at 4 p.m. ... Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have radio coverage. FORECAST: WeatherUnderground — A mix of clouds and sun early, then becoming cloudy later in the day. A high of 76 degrees with winds from the east to southeast at 5 to 10 mph. It's expected to be 74 degrees with a 1% chance of rain for the start of the Xfinity race. LAST TIME: Sam Mayer held off Riley Herbst on an overtime restart to win the Xfinity race on June 15, 2024.
