{"id":22877,"date":"2018-11-09T18:05:14","date_gmt":"2018-11-10T00:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=22877"},"modified":"2018-11-10T12:56:36","modified_gmt":"2018-11-10T18:56:36","slug":"nascar-friday-phoenix-notebook-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2018\/11\/09\/nascar-friday-phoenix-notebook-2\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR: Friday Phoenix Notebook"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

Martin Truex Jr. expects business as usual in approach to Sunday\u2019s race<\/b><\/p>\n

AVONDALE, Ariz. \u2013 Martin Truex Jr. has two paths to the Championship 4.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Martin Truex Jr. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

He can either win Sunday\u2019s Can-Am 500 at ISM Raceway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), or he can score 34 points or more in the event. Either way, the reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion would lock himself into the Monster Energy Cup Series title race.<\/p>\n

Truex says the dual scenario isn\u2019t likely to chance the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team\u2019s approach to the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s business as usual,\u201d Truex said. \u201cI think if we just have a good, solid weekend with no mistakes and execute with no pit road penalties and none of that crazy stuff happening\u2026 With that said, (Friday) was a complete disaster in practice. We took forever to get through inspection, we only got two runs, and we were way off.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully we can get it turned around for qualifying and have a good starting spot, but we\u2019ve come from the back here before and got stage points\u2014we did it last week (at Texas). Just hopefully we\u2019ll have a good day (in Saturday\u2019s practice) and a car we feel confident we can run up front with, top-five and go get some stage points and try to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

But for Joey Logano\u2019s bump-and-run on the final lap at Martinsville Speedway, Truex might be the only driver already locked into the final four. Logano moved Truex out of the way in the last two corners to claim the victory and advance.<\/p>\n

Given his recent performance in the Playoffs, Logano bandied about the notion with crew chief Todd Gordon that he and the No. 22 Team Penske Ford team should be considered the favorite for the championship.<\/p>\n

Asked to react to that assertion, Truex answered succinctly.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood for him,\u201d Truex said. \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s the case, but that\u2019s just my opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n

JIMMIE JOHNSON IS PSYCHED UP FOR CAR SWAP WITH FERNANDO ALONSO<\/b><\/p>\n

Seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will get his first taste of action in a Formula 1 car, and he\u2019ll go halfway around the world for the opportunity.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Jimmie Johnson (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

In the same session at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso of Spain will test his skills in one of Johnson\u2019s road course cars.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our back-up car from the (Charlotte) Roval event,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThe way the timing worked out, it worked out well, we figured we would have a road course car freshly prepped and ready to go. We kicked around other dates where we were going to swap cars and (thought about) somewhere in the U.S.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe opportunity in Bahrain developed, and just made a lot of sense. Obviously, it\u2019s just something really different, and that was of importance to me. Let\u2019s do something different, and let\u2019s truly get time in each other\u2019s cars.\u201d<\/p>\n

The No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has already left for Bahrain in a container. Johnson will attend the F1 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Nov. 25 before heading to Bahrain for the car swap a week later.<\/p>\n

\u201cImmediately after the ROVAL race, we needed to get the container packed and put that on a ship, and the ship has arrived in Dubai, and there are a few more stops that it needs to make,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cBut it should arrive in Bahrain probably a week before the event takes place and will be transferred over to the race track.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then our guys will get there probably a day or two in advance and start unpacking, unloading and getting the pit stall set-up and everything up and running. And then it\u2019s got to come all the way back, obviously, after that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alan Gustafson, Chase Elliott\u2019s crew chief in the Cup series, will lead the Hendrick Motorsports team in Bahrain.<\/p>\n

Alonso is just as excited by the opportunity as Johnson is.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the first thing I think is going to be to have fun,\u201d Alonso told reporters in Phoenix via Skype from Brazil, site of this weekend\u2019s F1 race. \u201cI think we all love racing, any type of racing, and to test for the very first time a NASCAR car with the huge following and all the repercussions that NASCAR has in the world of motorsports\u2026 I want to experience that, and I want to have that opportunity in life, and it\u2019s happening now in a couple of weeks\u2019 time.\u201d<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ISM_MENCS_JJohnson_110918.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

ROSS CHASTAIN EARNS FULL-TIME XFINITY RIDE WITH CHIP GANASSI RACING<\/b><\/p>\n

Ross Chastain\u2019s impressive performances in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet have led to a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series ride in the car for 2019, with D.C. Solar as the primary sponsor, the team announced Friday at ISM Raceway.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Ross Chastain (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

In fact, it was D.C. Solar principal Jeff Carpoff who lobbied team owner Chip Ganassi to give Chastain a shot, after Carpoff observed Chastain outperforming the quality of his equipment in the No. 4 JD Motorsports ride this season.<\/p>\n

The result was a three-race deal that began on Labor Day weekend at Darlington, and Chastain made the most of the opportunity. Chastain won the pole and the first and second stages at Darlington before tangling with Kevin Harvick while battling for the lead.<\/p>\n

He won his next start, at Las Vegas, and a week later finished second to Christopher Bell at Richmond. In his three events with Ganassi, Chastain led 270 of 597 laps.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re putting him in the car because we think he can win races and compete for championships,\u201d Ganassi said. \u201cIn the short time we\u2019ve gotten to known him, I think you\u2019ve all seen the kind of performance he\u2019s capable of, and I want to thank Jeff for pushing me to hire him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I told most of you that story, that I could not have pointed Ross out of a lineup of all women and him, before Jeff pushed me into trying this guy out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sitting between Ganassi and Carpoff on the dais in the ISM Raceway media center, Chastain was almost at a loss to assess the giant step in his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just trying not to throw up, honestly,\u201d Chastain quipped. \u201cIt\u2019s unreal, honestly. These two guys sitting next to me, it\u2019s a dream just to know \u2018em\u2026 I didn\u2019t think anything like this would come about, especially not this soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ganassi also indicated he would like to run a second Xfinity car for John Hunter Nemechek, who picked up his first win in the series in the No. 42 car at Kansas on Oct. 20.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s safe to say that John Hunter has done a good job for us,\u201d Ganassi said. \u201cI like the kid, and I want him around. I\u2019m actively working. Like I said, I\u2019d love to run two cars in Xfinity next year, full time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019d be the best. That\u2019d be the best of all worlds if I could do that.\u201d<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ISM_NXS_Chastain_110918.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Martin Truex Jr. expects business as usual in approach to Sunday\u2019s race AVONDALE, Ariz. \u2013 Martin Truex Jr. has two paths to the Championship 4. He can either win Sunday\u2019s Can-Am 500 at ISM Raceway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), or he can score 34 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":22515,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[561,244,16,655],"class_list":["post-22877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-ism-raceway","tag-martin-truex-jr","tag-nascar","tag-ross-chastain"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/358278.jpg?fit=4816%2C3095&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-5WZ","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22877"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22884,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22877\/revisions\/22884"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}