NASCAR
Johnson wins rain delayed Charlotte race: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the Bank of American 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway for his 3rd win of the season, 8th win at Charlotte and 78th career win. Johnson led a race high 155 laps.
#20-Kenseth finished 2nd followed by #5-Kahne, #31-Newman, #42-Larson, #18-Busch, #2-Keselowski, #41-Busch, #14-Stewart and #1-McMurray.
The race was delayed a day due to rain from Hurricane Matthew that hit the area Friday and Saturday.
Five Chase drivers had problems during the race. #4-Harvick had an engine issue and didn't finish the race, finishing 38th. #22-Logano had tire issues, the 2nd time he hit the wall, finishing 36th. #3-Dillon and #24-Elliott were involved in a 13 car wreck when #78-Truex Jr. got into the back of the #3 Chevy, causing the #3 to spin out. Dillon finished 32nd and Elliott finished 33rd. #11-Hamlin had an engine go up in smoke and finished 30th.
Sprint Cup Driver Chase Standings - Round of 12:
[after Charlotte, race 30 of 36, Chase race 4 of 10]
1) #48-Jimmie Johnson*, [3 wins], 3045 (won Charlotte)
2) #20-Matt Kenseth, [2 wins], 31 ahead of 9th
3) #18-Kyle Busch, [4 wins], +27
4) #2-Brad Keselowski, [4 wins], +25
5) #41-Kurt Busch, [1 win], +24
6) #19-Carl Edwards, [2 wins], +20
7) #78-Martin Truex Jr., [4 wins] +19
8) #11-Denny Hamlin, [3 wins], +3
Bottom 4 drivers are currently out of the Chase:
9) #24-Chase Elliott, 3 pts out of 8th and the Chase
10) #3-Austin Dillon, -3
11) #22-Joey Logano, [1 win], -6
12) #4-Kevin Harvick, [3 wins] -8
(ties are broken by wins, 2nds, 3rds, etc, with in that round of the Chase)
* will advance to the Round of 8 by winning a Round of 12 race
Daytona International Speedway Statement On Hurricane Matthew: "Daytona International Speedway experienced moderate damage from Hurricane Matthew with impacts to lights, speakers, signage, fences, gates, awnings and palm trees. Daytona International Speedway Ticket Office and Tours and the Richard Petty Driving Experience will be closed on Saturday and Sunday for facility cleanup. We will provide more updates through the weekend. Pictures of a past weather event at Daytona International Speedway have been circulating on social media during the storm. Those pictures are from a weather event in 2009. There was no flood damage to the facility from Hurricane Matthew. We are working with local, regional and state officials on recovery efforts following Hurricane Matthew. Daytona International Speedway is once again serving as a staging site for Florida Power & Light crews. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been impacted by this weather system."(Daytona International Speedway PR)(10-7-2016)
NASCAR serves as vehicle for heist film: NASCAR hasn't been the vehicle for a major Hollywood feature film since Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby a decade ago. That's set to change with Logan Lucky, a heist movie starring Channing Tatum that filmed several scenes at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday. It's scheduled to wrap up filming next week. But unlike the 2006 Will Ferrell comedy, NASCAR this time will be "on the inside of the joke" when the film hits theaters next fall, NASCAR vice president of entertainment marketing Zane Stoddard told USA TODAY Sports. "We wanted to make sure it was the antithesis of Talladega Nights," said Stoddard, who is also an executive producer on the film. Enter Tatum, director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) and producer Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad, Rain Man), who came to NASCAR with a script in hand and wanted the sanctioning body's assistance to make the film as realistic as possible. The plot is an Ocean's Eleven-type heist - Soderbergh also directed that film - in which Charlotte is robbed using an underground hydraulic tube system (which exists in the movie but not in real life). In addition to Tatum, other stars include Daniel Craig, Seth MacFarlane, Hilary Swank, Katherine Heigl, Adam Driver, and Riley Keough. One of the highlights for NASCAR fans will be six driver cameos in the movie. Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch play West Virginia state troopers, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are security guards, Kyle Larson is a limo driver, and Ryan Blaney is a delivery boy. Though the movie isn't about NASCAR, the sport is used as the background for the plot. And that's actually a good thing when thinking of the comparison to Ocean's Eleven, Stoddard said.(USA Today)(10-10-2016)
NEXT RACE: This Sunday at Kansas Speedway; TV on NBC at 11 a.m. PT
NHRA
NHRA hits the track at the Texas Motorplex this weekend; TV LIVE on FS1 Sunday at 11 a.m. PT
INDYCAR
CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAMS CONFIRMS SWITCH TO HONDA ENGINES FOR 2017
A successful pairing is back together again. Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, which has won nine Indy car championships powered by Honda engines, has signed a multiyear deal to work with the manufacturer again for the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season and beyond. CGRT and Honda teamed to win four straight CART titles from 1996-99 and four straight again in the Verizon IndyCar Series from 2008-11. The most recent championship came with Scott Dixon in 2013. CGRT has run Chevrolet engines the past three seasons.
The history of Honda Performance Development and Chip Ganassi Racing Teams dates to 1996, when driver Jimmy Vasser won the CART title. Alex Zanardi won back-to-back championships in 1997-98 before Juan Pablo Montoya made it four in a row in 1999. Dixon claimed the Verizon IndyCar Series crown in 2008 with Honda power before Dario Franchitti collected three straight from 2009-11. The CGRT-Honda relationship has produced 77 of the team's 102 Indy car victories over 12 years of partnership.
VIDEO: Some fun outtakes from the IndyCar season: http://www.indycar.com/Videos/2016/10/10-07-Celebration-outtakes
SONOMA RACEWAY
- Wednesday Night Drags and Sonoma Drift this Wednesday, Oct. 12
- Sonoma Drift Special Event: Meihan
Sonoma drift will host Japanese drifter Naoki Nakamura with his car to create a replica of the Japanese track Meihan Sportsland in our paddock. This popular track and event is expected to draw a sold-out crowd of drifters and lots of spectators!
