NASCAR

Brad Keselowski wins at Daytona: #2-Brad Keselowski won the Coke Zero 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway for his 3rd win of the season, 1st win at Daytona and 20th career win in his 250th start.
#18-Busch finished 2nd followed by #6-Bayne, #22-Logano, #17-Stenhouse Jr., #42-Larson, #3-Dillon, #16-Biffle (pole winner), #15-Bowyer and #95-McDowell.
There was one 'big one' wreck with 19 cars involved including points leader #4-Harvick, #48-Johnson, #20-Kenseth, #24-Elliott, #5-Kahne and #1-McMurray. Last week's winner, #14-Stewart was running in the top ten late in the race when his car got loose and hit the wall and a couple other cars, ending his night, despite wrecking and finishing 26th, Stewart moved into 30th place in the series standings, the position he needs to maintain or improve to remain eligible for the Chase. #41-Busch was running in the top-five on the last lap when #22-Logano got into the #41, sending it spinning thru the infield grass, Busch finished 23rd.

 

Latest on Sprint's replacement as series sponsor: Sprint's sponsorship of NASCAR's top national series ends after the 2016 season, which raises a simple question: Who's next? Negotiations are under way for a new title sponsor, and it appears likely an announcement will come in early fall. That's the word from NASCAR executive Steve Phelps. Speaking on a SiriusXM show, Phelps laid out in rather general terms how the talks were going. Some companies remain in the mix; Phelps pegged the number at eight to 10. Others have fallen out, mostly as bad fits for one reason or another. A month after his interview, Phelps had little to offer in new information. The vetting process goes on and NASCAR maintains its optimism. Happy-face time, however, is growing short. In all likelihood, NASCAR will announce the Cup series title change in September or October. That's when, Phelps noted, current agreements with Xfinity and Camping World were made for the second-level series and the trucks series, respectively. NASCAR's deal with Xfinity runs through 2024. Its Camping World agreement runs through 2022. Another key point raised by Phelps: There might be more than one sponsor. Don't be surprise to see a sponsor that is currently involved in NASCAR and one that is new to the sport. (Sporting News / Motorsport)(7-2-2016)

 

Hamlin didn't give Stewart the win at Sonoma: Joe Gibbs Racing driver #11-Denny Hamlin was made available to the media at Daytona International Speedway, some of the Q&A's from the transcript:
Q) Did you let Tony win at Sonoma?
HAMLIN: "I didn't let Tony (Stewart) win. I made a mistake and didn't execute good. Ultimately I made a mistake and thought we would maybe drag race to the line because we were in the center of the corner side-by-side and I thought this could be good. Once I saw him steer left, I knew it was over with. He had an opportunity to - if I'm in his situation, I probably would do the same. My biggest mistake I feel like is not recognizing the gap I had behind me. I don't know whether Tony would have gotten there. I thought it would have been very close if you really wanted to carry the car down in there, whether he still would have got to me or not. I still needed to execute to make him make the decision. Instead I made the decision for him."

NEXT RACE: This Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway; TV on NBCSN at 4:30 p.m. PT

 

NHRA

Pro Stock veteran Gaines announces retirement

Pro Stock veteran V. Gaines has announced his retirement, effective immediately, from NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series competition. Gaines, 69, of Lakewood, Colo., said in a statement released Thursday that he was grateful for his time in the sport and the relationships he made along the way.

'Voice of the NHRA' Dave McClelland inducted into Motorsports Hall of Fame of America

Dave McClelland, widely known as "The Voice of the NHRA" and one of the most legendary motorsports announcers to ever hold a microphone, is one of seven icons from the world of motorsports to be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America's class of 2016. He was inducted Wednesday evening in Florida.

NEXT RACE: NHRA hits the track this weekend for the Route 66 Nationals in Chicago; TV LIVE on FS1 on Sunday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. PT

 

INDYCAR

NEXT RACE: The Iowa Corn 300 this Sunday at Iowa Speedway; TV on NBCSN at 2 p.m. PT

 

THIS WEEK AT SONOMA RACEWAY…

  • Wednesday Night Drags, Sonoma Drift and Top the Cops return tomorrow!
  • The Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition will host a "Bike the Track" event on Thursday, July 14. Details here: http://bikethetrack.brownpapertickets.com/.