Cup stars call the shots in Keselowski’s Xfinity race win
LONG POND, PA. » Ryan Blaney was splashed with beer, accepted some handshakes and even gave a fist bump in a raucous victory lane celebration.
But with his car number nowhere on the leaderboard, the blossoming NASCAR Cup driver had to lift an ear on his headset to learn his result.
“How’d I do? It was fun. I tried not to mess up too bad,” Blaney said to his Fox TV crew.
The Fox team loved NASCAR’s pinch hitter in the pits.
Looking for a new spin on the standard telecast, Fox used eight active NASCAR Cup drivers to provide insight — from the studio to the booth to the pits — during Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway.
“I got my notes ready ,” pit reporter Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said. “Gonna toss it up to Danica.”
That would be Danica Patrick, Stenhouse’s girlfriend, and one of NASCAR’s more popular drivers.
They didn’t have to worry about learning any new names at the finish: Cup regular Brad Keselowski held off the field of mostly developmental drivers to win the Xfinity race.
Fox benched its starters for one race and used the all-Cup lineup, believed to be the first time an entire broadcast team was comprised only of active athletes in their respective sport.
Kevin Harvick, who had booth experience on Xfinity and Truck telecasts, handled play-by-play and Joey Logano and Clint Bowyer were the color analysts. Erik Jones and Stenhouse served as pit reporters. Denny Hamlin and Patrick were the in-studio hosts. Blaney worked the pits and was the victory lane host.
“Wow,” Harvick said late in the race. “We have a lot going on.”
Hamilton wins Canadian GP pole
MONTREAL » Lewis Hamilton held the bright yellow helmet over his head for the cheering crowd to see, and gave it a kiss as if he had already won the weekend’s biggest prize.
The souvenir: A helmet worn by Ayrton Senna , whose family sent it in anticipation of one three-time Formula One champion matching another by claiming his 65th career pole position on Saturday at the Canadian Grand Prix.
“This is the most special thing I have, above all my trophies and everything,” Hamilton said after setting a record at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve with a qualifying lap of 1 minute, 11.459 seconds . “I’m shaken, speechless. Ayrton, he was why I wanted to be here today.”
Hamilton remains three poles behind Michael Schumacher’s career record of 68.
But it was Senna, Hamilton’s favorite driver, who was the target.