Nationwide adds races with Earnhardt: Nationwide Insurance announced Friday it has expanded its thre

Keselowski was ninth fastest in Round 1 in Friday s knockout qualifying but quickly put up the fastest speed in Round 2, an average lap speed of 126.618 mph that stood up the remainder of the session. The pole is Keselowski airline flight tracking real time s fourth of the season second most in the series.
Nationwide adds races with Earnhardt: Nationwide Insurance announced Friday it has expanded its three-year relationship with Hendrick Motorsports to become the majority sponsor of driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his No. 88 team beginning with the 2015 Cup season.
Almirola to run Nationwide races: Aric Almirola will run two Nationwide Series races for Biagi-DenBeste this fall with his first being next weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. He also will compete in the Sept. 27 race at Dover.
This race a year ago may have been the low point of Clint Bowyer s NASCAR career. He ll need one of his best highlights to make the Chase this season. Last year Bowyer was at the center of a controversial finish that included officials at Michael Waltrip Racing attempting to manipulate the outcome of the race in order to assist then-teammate Martin Truex Jr. in making the Chase field. This year, Bowyer is on the outside of the Chase looking in. He ll likely need to earn his first win of the season on Saturday night to secure a berth in the 16-driver field. He has a good record at Richmond, but many other drivers who are good at Richmond already have secured wins this season and aren t going to just lay down.
Richmond has spiced up its postrace activities for the 16 drivers who make the Chase. A postrace party will take place on the frontstretch complete with a DJ, glow sticks, light-up sunglasses and thunder clappers.
Sooner or later fans and media will learn many drivers don t follow the nuances of the numerous rule changes that come in the sport. Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Friday had trouble coming up with the details of the new Chase format. One year at the All-Star race, a crew chief told me his driver asked him about the year s rule change during pace laps.