Jordan Anderson Airlifted to Hospital from NASCAR Truck Race with Burns After Crash
Oct 1, 2022
TALLADEGA, ALABAMA - OCTOBER 01: Jordan Anderson, driver of the #3 Dometic Outdoor Chevrolet, spins after an on-track incident in front of Dean Thompson, driver of the #40 WWEX Racing Chevrolet, and Ty Majeski, driver of the #66 Tenda/Quarter Horse Congress Toyota, during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chevy Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 01, 2022 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NASCAR Truck Series driver Jordan Anderson was airlifted from Talladega Superspeedway after he was involved in a crash at Saturday's Chevy Silverado 250.
Anderson's No. 3 truck had an engine issue that caused the vehicle to catch fire. He came to a stop along an inside wall and exited the truck.
NASCAR reports that Jordan Anderson is awake and alert after this scary crash at Talladega. pic.twitter.com/z3qe4VpWWz
According to the Associated Press, the 31-year-old suffered burns, but the full extent of his injuries is not yet known.
One of his teammates told Fox Sports' Jamie Little he was "in a lot of pain." According to Little, he was transported to a medical facility in Birmingham, Alabama.
This was Anderson's fifth start of the 2022 Camping World Truck Series season. He has 138 appearances under his belt, with two top-five finishes and six top-10s.
In addition to his duties as a driver, Anderson owns his own team, Jordan Anderson Racing, which runs in the truck and Xfinity Series.
Chase Elliott Rips NASCAR's Next Gen Car, Says Safety Standards Have Gone 'Backward'
Oct 1, 2022
FORT WORTH, TX - SEPTEMBER 24: Chase Elliott (#9 Hendrick Motorsports NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet) looks on during Saturday morning practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 race on September 24, 2022 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Chase Elliott, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, spoke out Saturday against the Next Gen car due to his belief that the cars aren't sufficiently protecting drivers.
"These types of incidents that result in injuries ... I'm not a doctor, but I've watched a lot of cars back into the wall and the guy would be fine. No one's immune to it. It could be me next week. It could be any of my peers or fellow competitors. I just hate to see us go backward, and I'm afraid that we have."
Elliott's comments came in the wake of Alex Bowman, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, suffering a concussion last week after the rear of his car hit a wall at Texas Motor Speedway.
There has been a rash of injuries in NASCAR's top series this season. In addition to Bowman's concussion, Kurt Busch continues to deal with a concussion, and Cody Ware is racing despite a broken foot.
Elliott is just the latest high-profile driver to speak out since Bowman got concussed, echoing both Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick:
Pretty disappointing that our sanctioning body refuses to acknowledge or accept any responsibility for drivers getting hurt. It’s the same THEY said. WE knew better. It’s wrong these drivers continue to get taken advantage of by the system.
Completely unacceptable that those in charge have let things get to this point. I remember it like it was yesterday @dennyhamlin in the presentation of the new car to the drivers pleading that the car was to stiff. Data didn’t agree. TIME TO LISTEN TO THE DRIVERS CRASHING THEM! https://t.co/Q9urnlbaWa
Per the AP, drivers are of the belief that NASCAR needs to soften the back end of the cars. The current design seemingly does not absorb impact like it should, leaving drivers to take the brunt of the blow when the car crashes.
Elliott insisted that the issues with the Next Gen car are unacceptable since NASCAR had plenty of time to work out any potential issues before introducing it at the start of this season:
"Heck, we had plenty of time to test this car and crash it, do all the things that we need to do to ensure that some of these things that are happening now weren't happening. We had a ton of time to do that, and this car was delayed an entire calendar year on top of that. We got an extra year of time to work on it, and we're still in this position.
"There's no excuse for going backward. We have too many smart people, too much technology, too many years of crashing. We should not be in the position we are in. When you come out with a new product, you should take [a step] forward, not stay the same or go backward, especially in the safety category."
The concern among drivers has perhaps been ratcheted up this week since the YellaWood 500 will be held Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, which is as fast and susceptible to crashes as any track on the schedule.
Sunday marks a key playoff race in the Round of 12, as drivers are looking to stamp their ticket to the Round of 8, which begins in two weeks at Las Vegas.
The most unpredictable season in recent NASCAR Cup Series history heads to one of the most unpredictable tracks on the circuit on Sunday. The trip to Talladega...
NASCAR Legend Jimmie Johnson Announces Retirement from Full-Time Racing
Sep 26, 2022
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 24: Jimmy Johnson, Nascar driver, looks on from the 12th tee during Saturday morning foursomes on day three of the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Country Club on September 24, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Jimmie Johnson doesn't plan on giving up racing altogether, but his full-time career is over.
The seven-time NASCAR champion told Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press that he's stepping away from a full-time schedule and will only race in "bucket list" events.
“It’s been an interesting process to feel so fulfilled with the experience and then also try to make a decision,” Johnson said. “In the big scheme of things, there is so much life-planning going on with the kids. We’ve always had an idea of trying to live abroad for a year or two. We love Colorado and want to spend more time there, and there’s just so much swirling personally and professionally that I just wanted to take some time and make the decision not on the back of a positive or negative experience on the racetrack.”
The 47-year-old retired from NASCAR after the 2020 season for open-wheel racing. He spent the last two years racing for Chip Ganassi Racing in IndyCar, where he had little success. The No. 48 driver had only one top-five finish over the last two years and only two top-10s.
“I do have a desire to go back; it’s just at this point, I know what’s required to do a full schedule, and I don’t have that in me,” Johnson said. “I don’t have that passion that I need for myself to commit myself to a full season.”
Racing in his first Indianapolis 500 this year, Johnson placed 28th. One event—or, rather, one accomplishment—that continues to pique Johnson's interest is The Double, which sees a driver race in both NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 and the Indy 500 on the same day.
Johnson has not competed in NASCAR since his 2020 retirement, but he maintains he'd be open for a potential return in the right situation.
NASCAR at Texas 2022 Results: Tyler Reddick Earns 3rd Win of Season After Rain Delay
Sep 26, 2022
FORT WORTH, TX - SEPTEMBER 24: Tyler Reddick (#8 Richard Childress Racing Lenovo/ThinkEdge Chevrolet) looks on during Saturday morning practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 race on September 24, 2022 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Tyler Reddick took the win at the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, his third win of the 2022 season. It was the first race of the round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
CHECKERED FLAG: @TylerReddick is victorious in Texas!
Joey Logano finished second, while Justin Haley placed third. Reddick was eliminated from the playoffs at the end of the round of 16, so he didn't pick up any points with the win. It's the fourth straight playoff race where a non-playoff driver was victorious. No driver has clinched a spot in the round of eight as of yet.
Here's a look at the leaderboard from Sunday's race and a recap of some of the highlights.
The tricky course at Texas Motor Speedway caused problems for the drivers early and often Sunday. A caution flag was waved when Martin Truex Jr. spun and ran into the wall.
The troubles continue for Martin Truex Jr. #NASCAR
After a couple of more cautions were brought out for crashes by Alex Bowman, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Christopher Bell and Cole Custer, Kyle Larson took the win in Stage 1. The incident-filled first 105 laps set the tone for the rest of the day as further chaos ensued.
Early in Stage 2, Bell spun out for the second time. His pit crew was unable to get the repairs done in time, ending his race.
Not long after that, Cody Ware was involved in a scary wreck. He was able to get out of the car on his own, but he was placed on a stretcher and taken in an ambulance to the in-field care center. After he was evaluated, he was cleared to be released.
The ambulance drove to the infield care center and did not leave the racetrack, FYI.
No broken bones and no concussion for Cody Ware, who underwent x-rays in the care center and has been released. Some ankle discomfort. Team manager Robby Benton feels like he should be ok to drive next week but will need NASCAR approval.
Chase Elliott emerged as the leader after the restart, but his day surprisingly came to an early end when he ran into the wall on turn No. 4, which proved to be problematic for most drivers Sunday.
Ryan Blaney ended up taking the win in Stage 2. Before the final stage could really get going, a red flag was brought out because of rain and lightning in the area. The delay gave the drivers a much-needed break to meet with their crews and reassess their strategies while dealing with the slick racetrack.
After nearly an hour, engines were fired up once again and drivers quickly resumed battling. Tyler Reddick took an early lead with Erik Jones fighting him for the top spot. The 12th caution of the day was brought out when Chris Buescher blew a right rear tire on turn No. 4.
Kevin Harvick emerged as the leader after the restart, but it wasn't long before he had tire issues of his own that caused him to run into the wall.
Truex took the lead after the race went green. But once again, the leader was not safe, as Truex lost a tire and got into the wall. It brought out the 14th caution flag, which broke the record for Texas Motor Speedway. Denny Hamlin also spun after contact from William Byron.
"How do we get to the end of this race?" - @DaleJr
Another caution came out when Stenhouse spun into the wall and made contact with Austin Cindric, causing him to lose control. The race barely restarted before Aric Almirola got loose and ran into the wall, bringing out the 16th caution of the day.
Reddick faced a challenge from Logano during the final stretch of the race, but he managed to hold him off to earn the win.
The NASCAR Cup Series postseason round of 12 kicks off on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. The first three races of the playoff circuit ended with winners that...
NASCAR at Bristol 2022 Results: Chris Buescher Earns 2nd Cup Series Win of Career
Sep 18, 2022
BRISTOL, TENNESSEE - SEPTEMBER 17: Chris Buescher, driver of the #17 Fastenal Ford, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 17, 2022 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
Chris Bueschertook the checkered flag at the Bass Pro Shops Night Race in Bristol, Tennessee, on Saturday night.
Buescher's win is just the second of his NASCAR Cup Series career. He previously won the Pennsylvania 400 as a rookie in 2016. The 29-year-old is the third straight non-playoff driver to win in the Round of 16, joining Bubba Wallace and Erik Jones.
This race was also notable for being the final leg of the first round of the playoffs, with the field being cut from 16 to 12 based on the point standings after this result.
Kevin Harvick, the 2014 Cup Series champion, was first on the cut line coming into Bristol. He was 35 points behind Austin Cindric in the No. 12 spot. The other three drivers facing elimination—Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon and Chase Briscoe—were all within nine points of advancing.
Briscoe put himself in a good position to make a move after qualifying in the No. 2 spot. Aric Almirola, who did not make the playoff field, won the pole position.
Buescher began the race from the No. 20 position and climbed all the way up to the top spot in the first stage. He wound up blowing by his previous career-high total for laps led set earlier this year.
The 45 laps Buescher has led tonight are already the second most of his #NASCAR Cup career.
Chase Elliott was the only driver who finished within one second of Buescher (0.458 seconds). Keselowski fell off the pace in the final stage after experiencing issues with his car. He ultimately finished 13th overall, but he did get a point bump from winning the first stage.
Elliott's second-place finish and seven bonus points in stage two pushed him all the way up to first place in the playoff standings. The Hendricks Motorsports star began the day 12 points behind Christopher Bell for the top spot, but he's now 15 points ahead of No. 2 Joey Logano.
Things got very close for Dillon after the second stage. He was one point behind Daniel Suárez for the 12th and final spot.
Some of the drama was gone by the final stretch of the race, as Suarez wound up finishing in the 19th spot and Dillon was No. 31 in the standings.
Briscoe was the only driver on the brink of elimination who was able to climb out of the bottom four. He racked up 15 points in the two stages and finished 14th in the race. The 27-year-old moved up to ninth overall in the point standings.
Tyler Reddick fell from the 11th spot in the playoff standings to No. 13 and missing the cut after another rough outing. He finished 25th in Bristol, coming on the heels of a 35th-place finish at Kansas last week.
The first race in the Round of 12 playoffs will be at Texas Motor Speedway on Sept. 25.
The start of the NASCAR Cup Series postseason delivered a few unexpected twists. None of the 16 drivers that qualified for the playoffs won the round-of-16...
NASCAR at Kansas 2022 Results: Bubba Wallace Earns 2nd Career Win
Sep 11, 2022
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS - SEPTEMBER 11: Bubba Wallace, driver of the #45 ROOT Insurance Toyota, waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on September 11, 2022 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace won the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, on Sunday in the second race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
The win marks Wallace's second career victory in the NASCAR Cup Series and first since 2021 at Talladega. He is the 18th different winner of the 2022 season.
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott entered the playoffs ranked No. 1 with 2,040 points, but after finishing last in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway last weekend, he entered Sunday ranked No. 9 in the playoff standings.
Joey Logano entered Sunday's race ranked No. 1 with 2,065 points after a fourth place finish at Darlington. He finished 17th at Kansas Speedway.
Stage 1 saw two playoff drivers knocked out of Sunday's race early—Kevin Harvick and Tyler Reddick.
Harvick, who was already last in the playoff standings entering Sunday's race, got loose off Turn 4 and hit the wall on Lap 33, sustaining damage to the front right of his No. 4 Ford.
It is the second straight week that Harvick hasn't been able to finish the race. Last week at Darlington Raceway, his car burst into flames on Lap 275 as his front rocker panel caught fire and he was unable to continue.
The Stewart-Haas Racing driver will now have to win next week's race at Bristol Motor Speedway to advance.
Reddick exited the race on Lap 66 after his No. 8 Chevrolet hit the wall, causing his right rear tire to become flat. At the time, he was leading the race.
When Reddick returned to pit road, his crew put on a new tire, and it looked like he was ready to go. However, as he attempted to leave pit road, he turned around to end his race, citing issues with the right front area of his car.
The yellow flag came out after three cars were involved in a crash on Lap 115, and it came out again on Lap 138 after Kyle Busch spun off Turn 4 and drove through the grass with two blown tires on the right side.
In the third stage, Wallace passed Bowman to take the lead with 67 laps to go and he held on to the lead for the victory despite a significant push from Hamlin to cut into his lead.
Playoff drivers are now 0-2 to start the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
However, Wallace's victory on Sunday qualifies the No. 45 car of 23XI Racing for the second round of the playoffs.
The No. 45 car qualified for the playoffs with Kurt Busch’s win at Kansas in May, though Busch has been sidelined since July after suffering a concussion during a crash at Pocono in qualifiers.
Wallace was then placed in the No. 45 car and Ty Gibbs was placed in the No. 23 car.
Next weekend's race will be at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. The Round of 12 will begin after that on Sept. 25 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas.
The 16 drivers competing in the NASCAR Cup Series postseason enter Kansas Speedway with a level playing field after none of them earned a win in the first...
