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Author: Andrew Kim

  • NASCAR reveals 2024 Xfinity Dash 4 Cash, Craftsman Trucks Triple Truck Challenge schedules

    NASCAR reveals 2024 Xfinity Dash 4 Cash, Craftsman Trucks Triple Truck Challenge schedules

    As the 2024 NASCAR season nears its approach, the Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash and the Craftsman Truck Series’ Triple Truck Challenge initiatives are set to return and retain their spots in the first half of the upcoming racing season with one new and a bevy of familiar circuits also returning.

    For the Xfinity Series, the Dash 4 Cash program will launch its 16th consecutive season by hosting its qualifying event at Richmond Raceway on March 30, where the top four highest-finishing Xfinity regulars in the final running order will contend for the first round of bonus money. The first Dash 4 Cash event of the 2024 season will then occur at Martinsville Speedway on April 6 followed by the series’ lone visit of the season to Texas Motor Speedway on April 13, which is new to the initiative’s schedule, and Talladega Superspeedway on April 20 before concluding at Dover Motor Speedway on April 27.

    The highest-finishing Xfinity Dash 4 Cash contender in each event will receive the cash-winning prize of $100,000, with opportunities for the prize to increase should a competitor achieve the bonus more than once.

    This past season, where all Dash 4 Cash events occurred in April, Justin Allgaier claimed the first Dash 4 Cash bonus and the fifth of his career at Richmond Raceway despite finishing in 13th place, but by finishing ahead of his initiative rivals Sam Mayer, Sammy Smith and Daniel Hemric. John Hunter Nemechek claimed the second bonus at Martinsville in an event where he led a race-high 198 of 250 laps en route to his second Xfinity victory of the season. Cole Custer, the 2023 Xfinity Series champion, would conclude the initiative by claiming the final two bonuses at Talladega Superspeedway and at Dover Motor Speedway, where he finished fourth and seventh, respectively.

    Ironically, the trio of Allgaier, Custer and Nemechek would square off against one another along with Sam Mayer for the 2023 Xfinity Series championship at Phoenix Raceway in November for the Championship 4 round event. Allgaier and Custer are set to run another full-time Xfinity season and bid for more bonuses in 2024 with JR Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing, respectively, while Nemechek has moved up to the Cup Series to drive for Legacy Motor Club.

    For the Craftsman Truck Series, the Triple Truck Challenge initiative will occur in three events for a sixth consecutive season, beginning at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24, which will also serve as the series’ 700th race in history. The initiative will continue at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 1 before concluding at Nashville Superspeedway on June 28, a three-race schedule that resembles last year’s schedule.

    Each event will offer Truck Series regulars three opportunities to notch a $50,000 bonus for themselves per race victory, with opportunities for the bonus to increase to $150,000 if two Triple Truck Challenge events are won by any eligible competitor or even to $500,000 if all three events are won.

    Last season, Ben Rhodes, the 2023 Truck Series champion, claimed the first Triple Truck Challenge bonus after achieving his first victory of the season at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. Grant Enfinger, the 2023 championship runner-up finisher, would earn the second bonus with his second victory of the season at Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway in early June. Carson Hocevar capped off the program by winning at Nashville Superspeedway in mid-June for his second career victory in the Truck circuit. Rhodes and Enfinger are slated to remain in the Truck Series with ThorSport Racing and CR7 Motorsports, respectively, and contend for additional opportunities while Hocevar is set to campaign in his first full-time season in the Cup Series for Spire Motorsports.

    Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    With the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Dash 4 Cash and Craftsman Truck Series’ Triple Truck Challenge schedules set, the 2024 Truck Series season is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway for the Fresh From Florida 250 on February 16 with the event’s air coverage to occur at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The 2024 Xfinity Series season is scheduled to occur the following day, February 17, for the United Rentals 300 and air at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Marco Andretti inks part-time ARCA, Truck Series rides in 2024

    Marco Andretti inks part-time ARCA, Truck Series rides in 2024

    Marco Andretti will be elevating his racing resume to new heights by competing on a part-time basis across the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series divisions in 2024.

    The 36-year-old, third-generation Andretti from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, will be joining forces with Cook Racing Technologies for 14 ARCA events, beginning at Daytona International Speedway in February, and make seven Truck Series starts with Roper Racing, which is aligned with Cook Racing Technologies, beginning at Circuit of the Americas in late March.

    Andretti’s other Truck starts with Roper Racing will include Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in July, the Milwaukee Mile in August, Bristol Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway in September, Homestead-Miami Speedway in October and the finale at Phoenix Raceway in November.

    The news comes as Andretti is coming off an eventful season, where he competed in his 18th consecutive Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May, where he finished 17th. He also competed in the Camping World SRX Series, where he finished in the runner-up spot in the final standings, and made his first three Truck Series career starts with Spire Motorsports, where he notched two top-20 results and a season-best 18th-place result at Homestead-Miami Speedway last October.

    “I’m really happy with the program we’ve put in place for my racing schedule in 2024,” Andretti said. “This plan is a good mixture of races with the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series that provides maximum track time, which is what I’m after. It will answer a lot of my unknowns in stock cars. I also want to do it the right way and not go right to the top of their sport on my INDYCAR and SRX merit as I respect the amount of talent in all of the various stock car series. I’m looking forward to having a lot of fun with Bruce and the team. I’m confident that we can be pretty competitive right out of the gate.”

    To date, Andretti, the grandson of racing legend Mario Andretti and the son of former racer Michael Andretti, has achieved two victories, six poles, 20 podiums and 1,035 laps led in 251 starts in the NTT IndyCar Series, with his best result in the Indy 500 being a runner-up result during his event’s debut in 2006. Having achieved championships in Skip Barber National division and the SRX Series along with making a single start in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Andretti made his NASCAR national touring series debut in the Xfinity Series level at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in October 2022 with Big Machine Racing Team, where he ended up in 36th place.

    The addition of Andretti to Cook Racing Technologies brings excitement for Bruce Cook, co-owner of the team who will serve as Andretti’s crew chief, as the organization is coming off the 2023 ARCA Menards Series West owner’s championship and three victories produced between Landen Lewis and Kaden Honeycutt.

    “I am looking forward to working with Marco and helping him to develop and grow as a driver in stock cars,” Cook said. “Marco has a proven track record across multiple racing platforms. I think with some more seat time and guidance in the stock car world, he’ll be able to compete up front on a regular basis.”

    Marco Andretti’s part-time campaign in the ARCA Menards Series is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 17 and air at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1. His part-time campaign in the Craftsman Truck Series is set to occur at Circuit of the Americas on March 23 and air at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Kevin Manion named crew chief for Nick Sanchez, Rev Racing for 2024 Truck Series season

    Kevin Manion named crew chief for Nick Sanchez, Rev Racing for 2024 Truck Series season

    Kevin “Bono” Manion will be joining Rev Racing to serve as Nick Sanchez’s new crew chief for the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.

    The news comes as Rev Racing prepares to embark on its second season in the Truck Series and first in a technical alliance with Spire Motorsports. It also comes as Manion is coming off a full 2023 Truck Series schedule with Spire Motorsports, where he worked with nine different competitors while calling the shots atop the No. 7 Spire Chevrolet entry pit box.

    “I am really looking forward to working with Nick [Sanchez] in the upcoming season,” Manion said. “He is incredibly committed to his craft and I know we are going to work really well together. We have a great group of guys surrounding this effort and we are positioned for success, we just need to execute.”

    Manion, a native of Boylston, Massachusetts, joins Rev Racing amid an illustrious NASCAR career that includes two Xfinity Series championships with Martin Truex Jr. (2004-05), 17 Xfinity career victories, and five Cup career wins, including the 2010 Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 titles with Jamie McMurray, all while being a crew chief.

    In 2016, Manion became a crew chief in the Truck Series for the first time as he joined Kyle Busch Motorsports to lead the team’s No. 51 “all-star” entry that was piloted between four competitors. He would then spend the next two seasons at DGR-Crosley before transitioning to GMS Racing for the following two seasons as he led Zane Smith to three career victories and back-to-back runner-up results in the final driver’s standings. For the previous two seasons, Manion moved to Spire Motorsports, which expanded to the Truck Series for the first time, beginning on a part-time basis in 2022 before expanding to a full schedule in 2023. Throughout the two seasons, Manion worked with a total of 12 competitors and achieved two victories.

    Manion achieved his first Truck victory as a crew chief with Daniel Suarez at Phoenix Raceway in November 2016 and has since compiled a total of nine Truck victories with six competitors, with his latest occurring with Kyle Larson at North Wilkesboro Speedway last May.

    Manion’s move to Rev Racing brings excitement for Sanchez, who retains driving responsibilities of the No. 2 Gainbridge Chevrolet Silverado RST for a second full-time Truck campaign. The 22-year-old Sanchez from Miami, Florida, is coming off the first Truck campaign for himself and Rev Racing after winning the 2022 ARCA Menards Series championship. Throughout the 2023 season, Sanchez achieved five poles, two top-five results, 12 top-10 results, 309 laps led and an average-finishing result of 13.0, with his best result being a runner-up finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. He qualified for the 2023 Truck Series Playoffs and settled in sixth place in the final driver’s standings after missing the Championship 4 cutline in a tie-breaker. Nonetheless, he managed to achieve the 2023 Rookie-of-the-Year title as he prepares for another bid for both a Championship 4 berth and his first series’ victory.

    “I am thrilled to be returning to Rev Racing for a full season in the [NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series],” Sanchez said. “I certainly have some unfinished business. I am grateful for another opportunity to compete with [owner] Max [Siegel] and appreciative for the returning support of my partners at Gainbridge. They truly are catalysts in my career and continue to drive positive change in our sport. I am energized by the new talent I have surrounding me in 2024, but feel foundationally grounded by those that are returning for a second season. The team makeup is positioned for success and we are all focused on the same goal, to win a Championship.”

    In addition to Manion, Allen Hart, a former engineer and technical director who recently served as crew chief for Sam Hunt Racing in the Xfinity Series, will join Rev Racing to serve as the team’s chief engineer.

    Rev Racing’s 2024 Craftsman Truck Series season is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway for the Fresh From Florida 250. The event is scheduled to occur on February 16 and air at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Jeffrey Earnhardt returns to Sam Hunt Racing for part-time Xfinity campaign in 2024

    Jeffrey Earnhardt returns to Sam Hunt Racing for part-time Xfinity campaign in 2024

    Jeffrey Earnhardt will be reuniting with Sam Hunt Racing in a multi-race deal for the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season that will commence at Atlanta Motor Speedway in late February.

    The news comes as the fourth-generation racer from Mooresville, North Carolina, is coming off a part-time campaign in the Xfinity circuit, where he competed in the Nos. 44 and 45 Chevrolet entries for Alpha Prime Racing. Competing in 24 of the 33-race schedule, Earnhardt recorded a total of six top-20 results and a season-best 11th-place finish at Daytona International Speedway in August.

    “I’m really excited to be returning to Sam Hunt Racing and the [Toyota Racing Development] family,” Earnhardt said. “We had strong races in 2022 and I feel like we have some unfinished business. Sam’s program continues to impress, and Toyota makes me feel so welcome. I know this is the right move and can’t wait to get back in the ForeverLawn GR Supra with Sam & team.”

    Earnhardt, the son of former NASCAR competitor, Kerry Earnhardt, and the grandson of the late NASCAR Hall of Famer, Dale Earnhardt, made his inaugural presence in the Xfinity circuit at Watkins Glen International in August 2009. Since then, he has amassed a total of 168 starts with 13 organizations in the Xfinity circuit. Within the 168 starts, he has recorded a single pole, two top-five results, five top-10 results, 47 laps led and an average finishing result of 24.3. His best on-track result is a runner-up finish at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2022, the same weekend where he notched his first career pole while piloting his grandfather’s iconic No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing and with championship-winning crew chief Larry McReynolds calling the shots.

    In 2022, Earnhardt made nine of his 13 Xfinity starts with Sam Hunt Racing, where he recorded six top-20 results and his highest result being a seventh-place run at Nashville Superspeedway in June.

    For the 2024 season, Earnhardt’s Xfinity starts with Sam Hunt Racing will occur in the No. 26 Toyota GR Supra entry with ForeverLawn returning to sponsor him. The North Carolina native also becomes the second competitor confirmed to make select starts for Sam Hunt Racing alongside Corey Heim, who will make his first of select starts with the team at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in early March.

    “Jeffrey is a great guy that everyone enjoys being around and working with,” Sam Hunt, owner of Sam Hunt Racing, added. “We’ve had some great conversations over the past couple months and know he is committed to the program, as well as to the TRD family. His experience and full perspective view on the sport is always refreshing, and feel we had great speed together in 2022. I’m excited to build on that momentum and pick up where we left off and look forward to welcoming the ForeverLawn family back to the Sam Hunt Racing camp.”

    Sam Hunt Racing’s full driver lineup along with Earnhardt’s part-time schedule for the 2024 Xfinity Series season remains to be determined.

    Jeffrey Earnhardt’s 2024 part-time campaign in the Xfinity Series with Sam Hunt Racing is set to commence at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the RAPTOR King of Tough 250. The event is scheduled to occur on February 24 and air at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Stefan Parsons joins Henderson Motorsports for 2024 Truck Series campaign

    Stefan Parsons joins Henderson Motorsports for 2024 Truck Series campaign

    Stefan Parsons will compete for Henderson Motorsports throughout the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.

    The news comes as the 25-year-old Parsons from Cornelius, North Carolina, is coming off an 18-race campaign between the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series divisions, where he competed for five organizations. Throughout the 18-race campaign, he logged in three top-20 results, all occurring in the Xfinity circuit. In the Truck Series, he made two starts for Young’s Motorsports before competing for Rackley W.A.R. in the 2023 finale at Phoenix Raceway.

    Parsons, who is the son of former NASCAR competitor Phil Parsons and the nephew of the late NASCAR Hall of Famer Benny Parsons, has made 65 career starts in the Xfinity Series and 11 in the Truck Series to date. His best result is an eighth-place finish achieved at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2022 in the Xfinity circuit with Alpha Prime Racing. His best result in the Truck circuit is a 17th-place run at Bristol in 2018 with Premium Motorsports.

    Meanwhile, Henderson Motorsports is coming off a nine-race campaign throughout the 2023 Truck Series season. Parker Kligerman, who won two races with the team (Talladega Superspeedway in 2017 and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2022), made eight starts while Sean Hingorani, the 2023 ARCA Menards Series West champion, made his Truck debut during the finale at Phoenix. Kligerman recorded the team’s best result of the season in the form of a ninth-place run at Talladega in October.

    With Parsons commencing his 2024 Truck season behind the wheel of Henderson Motorsports’ No. 75 entry at Daytona International Speedway in February, the remainder of his schedule remains to be determined.

    Parsons’ 2024 Craftsman Truck Series campaign with Henderson Motorsports is scheduled to commence at Daytona International Speedway for the Fresh From Florida 250. The event is scheduled to occur on February 16 and air at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Corey Heim returns for partial Xfinity campaign with Sam Hunt Racing in 2024

    Corey Heim returns for partial Xfinity campaign with Sam Hunt Racing in 2024

    Corey Heim will run a partial NASCAR Xfinity Series stint with Sam Hunt Racing for the second time in his career for the 2024 season.

    The news comes as the 21-year-old Heim from Marietta, Georgia, is coming off his first full-time campaign in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with TRICON Garage, where he achieved three victories, clinched the 2023 Truck Series regular-season championship, made the Championship 4 round and finished in third place in the 2023 driver’s standings. He also made his first four career starts in the Xfinity circuit with Sam Hunt Racing throughout the 2023 campaign, where he recorded two top-15 results.

    “I can’t wait to join Sam Hunt Racing again in 2024,” Heim said. “I saw improvement throughout every start I made with [Sam Hunt Racing] in 2023 from top to bottom, including in myself as a driver. That’s really what I’m looking for in a partnership — the constant push to be better, and I know SHR will continue to make that their goal in 2024. It really excites me as a driver to be part of a group like this. I’m looking forward to building this year together and contending for wins.”

    Heim, a former Rookie-of-the-Year recipient in both the CARS Super Late Model and Late Model Stock Car Tour regions along with being a nine-time winner in the ARCA Menards Series, made his inaugural presence within NASCAR’s top three national touring series in 2021 when he competed in three Truck Series events for Kyle Busch Motorsports. The following season, he scored his first career victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway, his home track, and would achieve another victory at World Wide Technology Raceway. Despite competing in 16 of the 23-race schedule in 2022, Heim achieved the Truck Series Rookie-of-the-Year title.

    This past season, Heim became a full-time competitor in the Truck Series for the first time in his career as he joined forces with the newly rebranded TRICON Garage while remaining as a Toyota Racing Development competitor. Despite being absent at World Wide Technology Raceway in June due to an illness, Heim generated his strongest season to date with three victories, four poles, 12 top-five results, 19 top-10 results, 611 laps led and an average-finishing result of 6.8 in 22 starts, all en route to making the Playoffs and settling in third place in the final standings. He is set to return for a second full-time Truck Series campaign and championship bid with TRICON Garage this upcoming season.

    During the previous season, Heim’s first Xfinity Series career start with Sam Hunt Racing occurred at Dover Motor Speedway in April. He would then achieve his first top-10 career result in the series at Darlington Raceway in May by finishing 10th before returning for Pocono Raceway in July and at Darlington in September, where he finished 15th in the latter event.

    Heim’s first Xfinity start of the 2024 season will be at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in early March as he will pilot Sam Hunt Racing’s No. 26 Toyota GR Supra. The remainder of his part-time Xfinity schedule along with Sam Hunt Racing’s full driver lineup for the 2024 season remains to be determined.

    “Everyone at Sam Hunt Racing is excited to have Corey back with us at an expanded capacity in 2024,” Sam Hunt, owner of Sam Hunt Racing, added. “Corey is a young man that I’ve been a vocal believer in for years now, and I know he will be a driver that can grow into a staple of our Xfinity Series program. He embraces and believes in our group, and he is willing to put the work in to grow with us and compete at the highest level possible.”

    Corey Heim’s first Xfinity Series start of the season with Sam Hunt Racing is set to occur at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 2. The event’s broadcast time is slated to occur at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Santino Ferrucci returns to A.J. Foyt Enterprises for second IndyCar campaign in 2024

    Santino Ferrucci returns to A.J. Foyt Enterprises for second IndyCar campaign in 2024

    Santino Ferrucci will be returning to A.J. Foyt Enterprises for a second full-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES campaign in 2024 and in the team’s No. 14 Dallara-Chevrolet sponsored by Sexton Properties.

    The news comes as the 25-year-old Ferrucci from Woodbury, Connecticut, is coming off his maiden IndyCar campaign with A.J. Foyt Enterprises, where he achieved his maiden podium result during the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last May in the form of a strong third-place finish. The result occurred in an event where he started on the second row in fourth place, led 11 laps and was in contention for the victory in the closing laps. Ferrucci would proceed to settle in 19th place in the 2023 driver’s standings after averaging a finishing result of 18.5 throughout the 17-race schedule.

    The third-place result during the 2023 Indy 500 also extended Ferrucci’s string of top-10 results he has achieved in five consecutive Indy 500s he has participated in since 2019.

    “I’m super stoked to be back with the team,” Ferrucci said. “It’s really good to start building some continuity with everybody, and I think it’s going to improve our results. My expectations for the year are to come out of the gate a lot more prepared than we were last year. Working with Penske, things are hopefully going to be a lot smoother, and I’m looking forward to being back at the Indy 500 again.”

    Ferrucci, who previously competed in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship region before ascending to GP3 Series and the Formula 2 Championship region, made his inaugural presence in the IndyCar circuit during the series’ doubleheader feature at Belle Isle Park in Detroit Michigan, for Dale Coyne Racing in 2018. He would then compete for Dale Coyne as a full-time competitor during the following two seasons before scaling back to a part-time role between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, where he competed between Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Juncos Hollinger Racing. During the 2021 and 2022 seasons, he also made select NASCAR Xfinity Series starts for Sam Hunt Racing.

    Through 60 previous starts in the IndyCar circuit, Ferrucci has accumulated a single podium result, five top-five results and 19 top-10 results, with five of his total top-10 results occurring in five consecutive starts in the Indianapolis 500 (2019-23). He has also racked up a total of 135 laps led and an average-finishing result of 14.5.

    “I’m very happy to have Santino back,” Larry Foyt, team president of A.J. Foyt Enterprises, added. “We worked well together, and he brings a good energy to the team. Obviously, we have our eyes set on the Indy 500, but we also had some good pace in other races but didn’t get the results. Together we are focused on moving up in the championship standings, and I believe we can achieve that.”

    Ferrucci is set to compete alongside Sting Ray Robb, who is coming off his maiden IndyCar campaign with Dale Coyne Racing in association with Rick Ware Racing and was announced to pilot A.J. Foyt’s No. 41 Dallara-Chevrolet for the upcoming IndyCar season last December. The pairing of Ferrucci and Robb completes A.J. Foyt Enterprises’ two-car lineup for the 2024 season.

    Ferrucci’s second full-time NTT INDYCAR Series campaign with A.J. Foyt Enterprises is set to commence at the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for the 2024 season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The event is scheduled to occur on March 10 and air on NBC.

  • Kaulig Racing reveals 2024 Cup Series crew chief lineup

    Kaulig Racing reveals 2024 Cup Series crew chief lineup

    Kaulig Racing took to social media to reveal its crew chief lineup for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season which features a new addition alongside a returning notable.

    The person who is new to the team for this upcoming season is Travis Mack, who will assume two roles, the first as crew chief for Kaulig’s No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry in the Cup Series and the other as technical director for Kaulig’s Cup program.

    Mack, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, joins Kaulig Racing after spending the previous three seasons at Trackhouse Racing, where he worked as Daniel Suarez’s Cup crew chief. He achieved his first career victory at Sonoma Raceway in June 2022, the same day where Suarez notched his first Cup career victory that enabled them to make the 2022 Cup Playoffs. Mack was also a crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in two Cup events in 2017 and for Kasey Kahne in 15 events in 2018.

    Through 124 appearances as a Cup Series crew chief, Mack achieved one victory, one pole, 10 top-five and 27 top-10 results while working with three competitors. He also worked as a crew chief for 79 Xfinity Series events, where he achieved his lone victory at Daytona International Speedway in February 2019 with Michael Annett while working for JR Motorsports.

    Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry is set to be piloted by multiple competitors for the 2024 Cup Series season, starting with AJ Allmendinger competing in this year’s 66th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in February. The remainder of the entry’s driver lineup and schedule for the 2024 season remains to be determined.

    Returning to Kaulig Racing is Trent Owens, who will continue to work atop the pit box of the No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 as a crew chief and for Daniel Hemric, the 2021 Xfinity Series champion who returns to the Cup Series after spending the previous three seasons in the Xfinity Series, including the last two with Kaulig Racing as he made the Xfinity Playoffs and settled in the top 10 in the final driver’s standings during both seasons.

    Owens, a native of Davidson, North Carolina, is coming off his second full-time season as a Cup Series crew chief for Kaulig’s No. 31 entry that was piloted by Justin Haley. During the two-year stint, the duo achieved four top-five results and nine top-10 results, with their best points result being a 22nd-place result during the 2022 season. Owens’ first and only Cup victory to date as a crew chief spans back to July 2014 at Daytona International Speedway, where he led Aric Almirola and the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford team to a rain-shortened victory that enabled them to make the 2014 Cup Series Playoffs.

    Through 348 previous appearances as a Cup Series crew chief, Owens has achieved one victory, 12 top-five and 40 top-10 results while working with 10 competitors. He has also accumulated five Xfinity Series victories and one Craftsman Truck Series victory as a crew chief.

    Kaulig Racing’s 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season commences with the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on February 4 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. This event will then be followed by the 66th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway which will occur on February 18 and air at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • Matt Swiderski named crew chief for Daniel Suarez for the 2024 Cup Series season

    Matt Swiderski named crew chief for Daniel Suarez for the 2024 Cup Series season

    Matt Swiderski will be replacing Travis Mack as the crew chief for Daniel Suarez and the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.

    The news comes as the Chicago native is coming off his third season as a Cup Series crew chief for Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry. During the three-year stint, Swiderski achieved victories with veteran AJ Allmendinger at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in August 2021 and at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course last October. During the previous season, he also led Allmendinger and the No. 16 team to a total of four top-five results and seven top-10 results before settling in 21st place in the final driver’s standings.

    “Everyone sees what Trackhouse Racing is building and I am thankful for the opportunity to come to a winning organization and lead the No. 99 team,” Swiderski said. “I am looking forward to working with Daniel. We are both striving to achieve the same thing, winning. Every day we are going to work on perfecting the next steps that it takes to get more wins and compete for a championship.”

    Swiderski, who received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University before attaining a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University, spent the bulk of his early racing career at Richard Childress Racing, where he first worked as a data acquisition engineer before ascending towards becoming a race engineer both on the Xfinity and Cup Series divisions. After briefly departing NASCAR to join Space Exploration Technologies as a loads engineer in 2012, he returned to both NASCAR and Richard Childress Racing eight months later by assuming the title of chief race engineer, where he would eventually be named head of vehicle performance in 2014.

    In 2017, Swiderski made his inaugural presence as a crew chief in the Xfinity Series, where he worked atop the pit box of RCR’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro entry that was piloted between Ty Dillon, Scott Lagasse Jr. and Brian Scott. Throughout the season, the No. 3 entry obtained four top-five results and 18 top-10 results before ending up in 11th place in the final owner’s standings. The following season, Swiderski joined Team Penske and worked as a crew chief for the team’s No. 12 Ford Mustang entry that was competing on a limited basis with rookie Austin Cindric and Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski, with the trio achieving a single top-five result and a combined five top-10 results in eight starts. Swiderski would lead the No. 12 team to a combined five top-five results and three poles in eight races, with the entry split between Ryan Blaney, Keselowski, Joey Logano and Paul Menard, before serving as Keselowski’s Xfinity crew chief for a single event in 2020 and two for Ty Dillon in 2021.

    During the 2021 season, Swiderski joined Kaulig Racing as a crew chief for the team’s No. 16 entry in the Cup Series that was split between AJ Allmendinger, Kaz Grala and Justin Haley. He would remain as the crew chief for the No. 16 entry for the 2022 Cup season that was split between Allmendinger, Noah Gragson and Daniel Hemric before Allmendinger assumed the ride on a full-time basis in 2023.

    Through 78 appearances as a Cup Series crew chief, Swiderski has achieved two victories, nine top-five results and 20 top-10 results while working with five different competitors.

    The 2024 Cup Series season will mark Swiderski’s first at Trackhouse Racing and first being paired with Suarez. The 32-year-old Suarez from Monterrey, Mexico, is coming off his seventh full-time campaign in the Cup circuit and third with Trackhouse, where he recorded a pole position at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, three top-five results, 10 top-10 results, 48 laps led and an average-finishing result of 19.0 before settling in 19th place in the 2023 driver’s standings. His first and latest victory to date occurred at Sonoma Raceway in June 2022, a victory that enabled him to make the 2022 Playoffs before settling in 10th place in the final driver’s standings.

    “Matt is a proven winner with a dynamic engineering background, and we are confident he will pair well with Daniel,” Justin Marks, Trackhouse founder and owner, added.

    Matt Swiderski’s first Cup Series campaign as a crew chief for Daniel Suarez and Trackhouse Racing commences with the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on February 4, with the event’s coverage to occur at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, followed by the 66th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway that will occur on February 18, with the event’s coverage to occur at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • Shane van Gisbergen joins Pinnacle Racing Group for the 2024 ARCA opener at Daytona

    Shane van Gisbergen joins Pinnacle Racing Group for the 2024 ARCA opener at Daytona

    Shane van Gisbergen will be joining forces with Pinnacle Racing Group for the 2024 ARCA Menards Series’ season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway in February.

    The news comes nearly a month after the three-time Supercars champion from Auckland, New Zealand was announced to compete in the ARCA opener at Daytona as a required procedure to gain approval for a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series campaign, which van Gisbergen is set to embark with Kaulig Racing in 2024. His car number and sponsorship details with Pinnacle Racing Group remain to be determined.

    The 34-year-old van Gisbergen is coming off a historic debut season in NASCAR, where he piloted Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 entry to his first Cup Series career victory in his series debut at the Chicago Street Course last July. In doing so, he became the first competitor to win in a Cup Series debut since Johnny Rutherford made the last accomplishment at Daytona International Speedway in 1963. He also became the first New Zealander to win in NASCAR’s premier series.

    Following his victory at Chicago, van Gisbergen would make his Craftsman Truck Series debut with Niece Motorsports at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in August, where he finished 19th before finishing 10th in his second Cup career start at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course two days later.

    For the 2024 season, van Gisbergen is set to campaign in his first full-time stint in the Xfinity Series, where he will be driving the No. 97 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing in an alliance with Trackhouse Racing. He will also make seven Cup Series starts with Trackhouse Racing this season, beginning at Circuit of the Americas in March and including both Talladega Superspeedway events (April & October), the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, Chicago Street Course in July, Watkins Glen International in September and at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October.

    Shane van Gisbergen’s first career start in the ARCA Menards Series with Pinnacle Racing Group at Daytona International Speedway is scheduled to occur on February 17 and air at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1. His first full-time season in the Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing will follow suit on the same day as the event’s coverage is set to air at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.