Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Category: NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series

  • Jack Roush Earns RRDC’s 2020 Phil Hill Award

    Jack Roush Earns RRDC’s 2020 Phil Hill Award

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 23, 2020) – Jack Roush, racer, former Ford engineer, college physics teacher, and current CEO of a number of engineering-related companies, was honored by the RRDC with the 2020 Phil Hill Award. The 2019 award recipient, RRDC President Bobby Rahal, made the presentation at the annual RRDC members’ dinner on January 22 prior to the running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the season opener of the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

    The Phil Hill Award has been presented annually since 1993 to the person who the RRDC feels has rendered outstanding service to road racing. The recipient may be a driver, entrant or outstanding member of a sanctioning body.

    It is named in honor of America’s first Formula 1 World Champion (in 1961), and is not only a tribute to his masterful accomplishments on the race track, it also recognizes his contributions as a great ambassador for the sport. Hill passed away in 2008.

    Born in Covington, Ky., in 1942, Jack Ernest Roush was always interested in finding out what made things tick. He received his mathematics degree with a minor in physics from Berea College in 1964 and moved to Detroit to work for Ford Motor Company that same year. He went on to earn his Master’s Degree in Scientific Mathematics from Eastern Michigan University in 1970.

    He’s the founder of Roush Racing and Roush Performance Engineering. Prior to entering NASCAR competition, Roush had competed and won championships in various drag racing and sports-car racing series since the mid-1960s, including the NHRA, SCCA Trans-Am Series, IMSA GT Championship, and the 24 Hours of Daytona. The racing business was originally a small branch of co-owner Jack Roush’s successful automotive engineering and road-racing equipment business based in Livonia, Mich.

    For over 50 years Roush has been committed to winning on and off the track, having won 32 championships and more than 400 races in drag racing, sports car and stock car racing. In 2007, Roush Racing and Fenway Sports Group (FSG) announced the formation of Roush Fenway Racing, one of NASCAR’s premier racing teams, with championships earned in NASCAR’s top three divisions.

    Roush also heads up Roush Industries, Inc. which employs more than 1,800 people and operates facilities in five states, as well as in Mexico and Great Britain. Although primarily known for providing engineering, management and prototype services to the transportation industry, Roush has developed a significant role in providing engineering and manufacturing for the electronics, sports equipment, aviation and motorsports industries.

    “Jack Roush wears many different hats,” said M.C. Leigh Diffey, TV commentator and RRDC member. “CEO of Roush Racing, Roush Industries, Roush Performance, among many others.

    “In the ’80s and early ’90s when Roush Racing really kicked into gear with successful runs in SCCA’s Trans-Am series and IMSA Camel GT, the team earned 24 national championships, 12 manufacturers’ championships, and 119 road racing victories. Incredible.

    “Roush Racing has also claimed 10 consecutive class victories in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. And, by the way, those 10 class championships still rank as the highest in Rolex 24 history. That record still stands.

    “Since Jack Roush entered NASCAR competition, he has had 325 Cup series’ victories and is the winningest race team in NASCAR history.”

    Diffey then conducted a spirited Q&A session with Roush, covering nearly every aspect of Roush’s achievements and his interaction with many of the drivers who raced for him, including Ricky Rudd, Lyn St. James, Scott Pruett, Tommy Kendall, Willy T. Ribbs, Carl Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and many more.

    “I think recently there have been some expectations that I’m about ready to retire,” said Roush. “My son Jack is here with me. He’s got two boys that are go-kart racing right now, my daughter Susan is still winning championships drag racing and her daughter is driving some too. So we Roushes are going to be around for a long time.

    “I really appreciate this award because of the legacy and all the understanding of what Phil Hill did to promote road racing in the United States. He demonstrated to the Europeans he could win over there as well as here and is one of the first to do that. I am very proud to receive this award in his name.”

    When asked if there was one driver he wish had raced for him, he answered, “Yes, Bobby Rahal,” to which Rahal responded, “Jack, there’s still time.”

    Past RRDC Phil Hill Award Winners include:

    1993 John Bishop
    1994 Juan Manuel Fangio II
    1995 Leo Mehl
    1996 Charlie Slater
    1997 Danny Sullivan
    1998 Rob Dyson
    1999 Bob Fergus
    2000 Elliott Forbes Robinson
    2001 Bill France
    2002 Jim Downing
    2003 Derek Bell
    2004 Brian Redman
    2005 Jim France
    2006 Roger Werner
    2007 Skip Barber
    2008 Roger Penske
    2009 Bob Bondurant
    2010 Nick Craw
    2011 Rick Mears
    2012 George Follmer
    2013 Peter Brock
    2014 Hurley Haywood
    2015 Vic Elford
    2016 Scott Pruett
    2017 Chip Ganassi
    2018 David Hobbs
    2019 Bobby Rahal

    About the RRDC:
    The Road Racing Drivers Club was formed in 1952 as a way to give champion drivers a say in their sport, particularly in the areas of safety, and has evolved to serve the future of road racing by mentoring new drivers on both amateur and professional levels. The Club’s membership includes leading industry professionals, race officials and motorsports journalists, in addition to prominent racing names.

    In 2011, the FIA launched SAFEisFAST.com, a free online training program offered by the Mark Donohue Foundation and presented by Honda. More than 100 video tutorials taught by over 200 RRDC members and championship drivers from Formula 1, IndyCar, the WEC and IMSA, teach driving techniques, physical preparation, mental acuity, driver safety, car setup and racing sponsorship. New videos are released 8-10 times annually with top drivers regularly answering readers’ questions through “Ask a Pro.” To date, more than 750,000 racers in 174 countries have viewed over six million tutorials.

    In 2017 The Mark Donohue Foundation, a 501(C)(3) organization, was formed to support the SAFEisFAST.com program and to help ensure its operations. http://www.rrdc.org/mark-donohue-foundation/.

    Bobby Rahal is President, John Fergus is Vice President/Treasurer, and Tom Davey is Secretary.

    The RRDC presents three annual awards: the Phil Hill Award, the Mark Donohue Award, and the Bob Akin Award, and supports the Team USA Scholarship, which has been assisting young Americans in the early stages of their careers since 1990. The RRDC also honors icons of the sport at its annual dinner at the Long Beach (Calif.) Grand Prix. Honorees have been Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Roger Penske, Jim Hall, Brian Redman, Mario Andretti, Bobby Unser, George Follmer, Emerson Fittipaldi, Johnny Rutherford and David Hobbs.

    Membership in the RRDC is by invitation only. For more information, visit www.rrdc.org.

  • ThorSport Racing celebrates 25th anniversary with silver schemes at Daytona

    ThorSport Racing celebrates 25th anniversary with silver schemes at Daytona

    On Feb. 14th, 2020, the legendary ThorSport Racing crew will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series by having silver paint schemes on their Trucks. Johnny Sauter, Ben Rhodes, Grant Enfinger, and defending Truck Series champion Matt Crafton will carry the special honorary numbers that night. ThorSport Racing has sponsored entries in every season since 1996 with various drivers with Terry Cook being the first driver for them in the team’s history.

    It wasn’t until 1998 when Duke and Rhonda Thorson earned their first victory with driver Cook at the former track, Flemington Speedway. Since that victory, the team has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success. Overall, the company has 253 top fives, 533 top-10 finishes along with 33 poles and four driver series championships. ThorSport also has collected Rookie of the Year titles with Willie Allen in 2007, Johnny Sauter in 2009, and Myatt Snider in 2018.

    The three-time champion Matt Crafton has the most starts with the team with 453 races to his name, far surpassing Terry Cook starts who had 296 starts.

    With the driver lineup remaining the same for the 2020 season, so will the crew chiefs. Sauter will have Joe Shear Jr., Carl Joiner Jr. with Matt Crafton, Jeff Hensley for Grant Enfinger, and Matt Noyce for Ben Rhodes.

    The 2020 Truck Series season gets underway on Friday, Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio.

  • Hendrick Motorsports extends innovation partnership with Microsoft through 2021

    Hendrick Motorsports extends innovation partnership with Microsoft through 2021

    TWO NASCAR CUP SERIES TEAMS TO SHOWCASE THE MICROSOFT BRAND

    CONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 21, 2020) – Hendrick Motorsports has extended its marketing and technical relationship with Microsoft Corp., which will continue as the Official Cloud Partner of the 12-time NASCAR Cup Series champions for the 2020 and 2021 racing seasons.

    The agreement incorporates new promotional assets, notably the iconic Microsoft brand debuting as an associate sponsor on Hendrick Motorsports’ Nos. 48 and 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE teams competing in the Cup Series. In addition, Microsoft will continue to collaborate with Hendrick Motorsports on key technology projects including enhanced data analysis capabilities, a speech-to-text solution and race simulation upgrades.

    “We’re excited to build on the success of our longstanding marketing and technology partnership with Hendrick Motorsports,” said Mike Downey, principal software engineer at Microsoft. “The organization, from the drivers to the race engineers, trusts in our innovative technology to give the team a competitive edge. As the sport evolves, we’ll continue to find new opportunities to promote our solutions and utilize Microsoft technology in the team’s quest for another championship.”

    Hendrick Motorsports relies heavily on Microsoft technologies, including Azure cloud services, Windows 10 and Office 365, along with artificial intelligence and machine learning. Last year, the company fully transitioned to Microsoft Teams for chat, meetings, calling and collaboration. In addition, Hendrick Motorsports rolled out custom data tools developed via the partnership to analyze large amounts of data in real time and help guide decision-making during race events.

    “Success on the racetrack is a product of having world-class people and the finest tools and technology,” said engineer Alba Colón, director of competition systems for Hendrick Motorsports. “In today’s environment, the data available is almost infinite, and we must make split-second decisions utilizing all the information at our disposal. Our partnership with Microsoft allows us to quickly analyze that data and make the best choices. The technology also lets us communicate and collaborate more efficiently and effectively. It’s a powerful relationship that we are proud to extend and build on.”

    ABOUT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS:
    Founded by Rick Hendrick in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports has earned 256 points-paying race victories and a record 12 car owner championships in the premier NASCAR Cup Series. The organization fields four full-time Chevrolet teams on the Cup circuit with drivers Chase Elliott, William Byron, Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman. Headquartered in Concord, North Carolina, Hendrick Motorsports employs more than 600 people. For more information, please visit HendrickMotorsports.com or interact on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

  • AdventHealth Grows Partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing and Kyle Larson; Adds Ross Chastain for Two Races

    AdventHealth Grows Partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing and Kyle Larson; Adds Ross Chastain for Two Races

    AdventHealth Back with Larson and CGR in 2020; Will Also Partner with Chastain at DAYTONA 500 and Coca-Cola 600

    DAYTONA BEACH, FL (Jan. 9, 2020) – AdventHealth, one of the nation’s largest faith-based health systems, continues to expand its relationship with Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) by once again teaming up with Kyle Larson on the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for two races during the 2020 season. AdventHealth is also teaming up with Florida-native Ross Chastain on the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, prepared by CGR, in conjunction with Spire Motorsports, for starts at the DAYTONA 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    Larson, CGR and AdventHealth have a history of winning. Previously, and quite memorably, Larson and AdventHealth partnered in 2019 for the All-Star Race weekend, where Larson won the Open race to transfer into and ultimately win the All-Star Race. AdventHealth will be on Larson’s No. 42 Chevrolet for the Clash at Daytona, and later in the season when the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway for the Fall playoff race. AdventHealth has a significant business presence in both markets.

    Florida-based AdventHealth will support Chastain, who continues to be a CGR development driver, in a Spire Motorsports entry as he makes his second career DAYTONA 500 start, following a 10th place finish in last year’s race. Chastain will also run the No. 77 AdventHealth Chevrolet in Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600, while juggling full-time duties in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2020.

    With 50 hospitals in almost a dozen states, iconic racetracks like Daytona International Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway, are all located in close proximity to an AdventHealth market.

    In addition to the race team sponsorship, AdventHealth has been a Founding Partner of Daytona International Speedway since 2014. As the Official Healthcare Partner of Daytona International Speedway, AdventHealth cares for more than 1,000 patients each year on-site. In the event of an emergency, there are 11 AdventHealth ambulances, two care centers and nine first aid stations standing ready to care for drivers and fans alike. The AdventHealth injector– or gate entrance – at the Daytona Beach, Florida, track is a 20,000-plus-square-foot oasis. The hospital system’s injector features messages of health, well-being and wholeness, as well as interactive games that naturally tie the sport of racing to health and wellness, testing race fans’ hand-eye coordination – a vital skill on the racetrack.

    NOTES OF INTEREST:

    • Welcome Back: Partnering with CGR since 2016, AdventHealth has also had a presence on the No. 1 car, racing in last year’s Clash at Daytona with Jamie McMurray, and with Kurt Busch’s entry in last year’s Fall race at Kansas, in addition to sponsoring Larson’s All-Star Race winning ride.
    • Feeling Whole, On and Off Track – AdventHealth continues to support the Human Innovation and Development Lab (HIDL) at CGR. The HIDL features tools, technology and unique training to improve the performance of CGR’s pit crews and drivers and help them prepare for upcoming races both mentally and physically. Headed by Josh Wise, both Larson and Chastain utilize the resources made available in the HIDL.

    QUOTEBOARD:

    • David Banks, Chief Strategy Officer, AdventHealth: “We’ve been a proud supporter of Chip Ganassi Racing since 2016, and I’m really excited to further expand our winning partnership by teaming-up with both Kyle and Ross. This collaboration is something all of our employees across the nation can get excited about. We had a great run with Kyle last year and are excited about the 2020 season. In our first race on Kyle’s car, he not only raced his way into the NASCAR All-Star race, but also went on to win it! We are looking forward to continuing that momentum and success together in 2020. With our injector at the Daytona International Speedway, we’ve been able to engage with the hundreds of thousands of race fans that attend Speedweeks, but are beyond thrilled to have an AdventHealth car racing in the DAYTONA 500 for the first time ever. I can’t wait to watch Florida’s own “Melon Man” race on the track this year in our watermelon-themed AdventHealth Chevy.”
    • Doug Duchardt, Chief Operating Officer, Chip Ganassi Racing: “We are thrilled to be continuing our partnership with AdventHealth for a fifth year. The partnership has generated some exciting moments on track, like Kyle’s All-Star win. Additionally, AdventHealth’s dedication to helping people feel whole has aided the growth of our drivers and pit crews off the track through the Human Innovation and Development Lab. We’re looking forward to another exciting year of the partnership.”
    • Kyle Larson, Driver No. 42 AdventHealth Chevrolet Camaro ZL1: “It’s great to have AdventHealth back with the No. 42 team for some races in 2020. It was awesome to win with AdventHealth on our car at the All-Star Race, in their first race with the 42 team, and I hope we can have more exciting races with them this year. They have been a great partner, on and off the track, and I’m glad to see our relationship continue.”
    • Ross Chastain, Driver No. 77 AdventHealth Chevrolet Camaro ZL1: “To have the opportunity to run the DAYTONA 500 is awesome, and it’s great to do it this year with AdventHealth on board my car. I’ve only had one start in the DAYTONA 500, and can’t wait to run that race again in what I know will be a competitive car. I’m also looking forward to racing the Coca-Cola 600. That’s another iconic race that all of us want to win.”

    About AdventHealth:

    With a sacred mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ, AdventHealth is a connected system of care for every stage of life and health. More than 80,000 skilled and compassionate caregivers in physician practices, hospitals, outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies and hospice centers provide individualized, wholistic care. A shared vision, common values, focus on whole-person health and commitment to making communities healthier unify the system’s 50 hospital campuses and hundreds of care sites in diverse markets throughout almost a dozen states.

    For more information about AdventHealth, visit AdventHealth.com, or Facebook.com/AdventHealth.

    About Chip Ganassi Racing:

    Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for over 30 years and is considered one of the most successful as well as innovative owners the sport has anywhere in the world. Today his teams include three cars in the NTT IndyCar Series and two cars in the NASCAR Cup Series. Overall his teams have 19 championships and over 220 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400, eight Rolex 24 At Daytonas, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Pa.

    For more information log onto www.chipganassiracing.com

  • What 2020 brings to the table

    What 2020 brings to the table

    As a new year fast approaches, there are a number of changes that can be noted prior to the start of the 2020 season, including driver switches and schedule alterations. The upcoming season may also be the year of sport-changing announcements regarding the upcoming 2021 body style and the anticipated reorganization to the 2021 season schedule.

    But as drivers and teams prepare to dial in their steel chariots at the World Center of Racing, here are a couple of changes that you should be aware of during the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.

    62 years of speed: The Daytona 500 is less than 50 days away, which only means one thing: the start of another NASCAR Cup Series season. The Great American Race has produced astronomical victories for several drivers; namely Austin Dillon bringing the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing car back to Daytona’s victory lane, 20 years following Dale Earnhardt’s accomplishment; or Denny Hamlin securing an emotional victory following the death of J.D. Gibbs, son of team owner Joe Gibbs.

    The week-long 2020 Speedweeks presented by Advent Health will welcome back the Busch Clash (formerly dubbed the Advance Auto Parts Clash) on Sunday, Feb. 9, following Daytona 500 Qualifying presented by Kroger. This annual exhibition race will return to its namesake, as it was named the Busch Clash, for the first 18-years of its history, beginning in 1979.

    Continuing to add to the anticipation, Daytona International Speedway announced on Friday, Nov. 22, the renaming of the Thursday 150-mile qualifying races. Bluegreen Vacations Corporation, a Boca Raton, Fla. based vacation and resorts-industry hot spot will take over the entitlement sponsor of the twin duels on Thursday, Feb. 13. Speedway president Chip Wiles calls the duel races an “an integral part of Speedweeks.”

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – FEBRUARY 18: The Thunderbirds perform a flyover prior to the start of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 60th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo: Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

    “The qualifiers’ history is rich and now we’re beginning a new chapter of that history, thanks to Bluegreen Vacations,” Wiles added.

    The 62nd running of the Daytona 500 will be held on Sunday, Feb. 16, accompanied by the pageantry of NASCAR’s finest drivers. County musician Darius Rucker will bring excitement through the microphones before the drop of the green flag by two-time Daytona 500 champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. Tune in to live coverage, brought to you by FOX, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.

    The 2020 shuffle: Many changes regarding drivers and sponsorship have been made so far during the 2019 portion of the NASCAR off-season; particularly, Paul Menard’s retirement and the inclusion of Matt DiBenedetto into the famed Wood Brothers family.

    32-year-old Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will adjust to the No. 47 Chevrolet in the JTG Daugherty Racing camp. The No. 17 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford Mustang, a gig held by Stenhouse since 2013, will be driven by former-JTG Daugherty Racing driver Chris Buescher, a past Xfinity Series champion (2015) while employed by Jack Roush. This move, announced in September of 2019, drops 2019 rookie Ryan Preece into the No. 37 car, ran also by JTG Daugherty Racing.

    A pair of Daniels are out of the top NASCAR series in 2020. Rookie Daniel Hemric wheeled the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro to his only top-five finish at the spring Talladega race. However, things changed for the one-year Cup driver when he was released from the two-car operation in September. “Forever grateful to Richard and everyone at RCR racing for the opportunity,” Hemric mentioned on Twitter following the announcement.

    Hemric will be replaced by back-to-back Xfinity Series Champion Tyler Reddick. Hemric will transition back into the Xfinity series to drive 21 races for JR Motorsports in 2020.

    Photo Credit: Adam Lovelace for Speedwaymedia.com.

    Despite announcing that he was “surprised” and had “secured millions,” Stewart-Haas Racing announced in November that Daniel Suarez will not return to the No. 41 Ford Mustang, as he was replaced by Cole Custer, who will come to the Cup Series after an outstanding four-year performance in the Xfinity Series.

    Suarez put a cap on his third season in the Cup Series, following a desperate bid for a win with Stewart-Haas Racing after spending two years with Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 19 Toyota Camry. During his reach, 27-year-old Suarez has secured 32 top 10s and two poles. A career best-finish of second place came for Suarez in the Pocono Hills of Pennsylvania in July of 2018.

    Suarez has yet to announce plans for the 2020 season.

    Aside from the notable, Xfinity great Christopher Bell will be welcomed by Leavine Family Racing in 2020, replacing DiBenedetto in the No. 95 Toyota Camry. Matt Tift and David Ragan are out at Front Row Motorsports, leaving veteran Michael McDowell in the No. 34 car and John Hunter Nemechek, who will replace Tift in the No. 38 Ford Mustang following Tift’s recent medical concerns.

    We’re headed west: As Kyle Busch zoomed under the checkered flag at Homestead-Miami Speedway, it was the track’s final hosting of the series’ championship-deciding match up.

    Photo by Rachel Schuoler for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    In 2020, teams will pack up and head west to decide the NASCAR’s top series’ champions. ISM Raceway (formerly known as Phoenix International Raceway) announced in March of 2019 they will host the 2020 NASCAR Championship Weekend.

    The timely announcement comes after the completion of a $178-million modernization project that not only moved the start-finish line between what was seen as turns one and two but, re-envisioned the future of the Arizona 1.5-mile track.

    In an exciting twist, Homestead-Miami Speedway will welcome back drivers, teams and fans back to their South Florida location for the Dixie Vodka 400, just over a month following the conclusion of the 2020 Daytona 500. During this time, Homestead-Miami Speedway will celebrate 25 years of racing while ending an 18-year run of championship hosting in the fall.

    “Ralph Sanchez’s vision for our track more than 25 years ago was to host a spring race and be a part of South Florida’s March calendar,” said then-Homestead-Miami Speedway President Matthew Becherer. “A March race weekend affords us many unique opportunities to entertain the South Florida community as we host NASCAR races for many years to come.”

    NASCAR’s top drivers will see additional switch-ups in the 2020 schedule. Among those changes, Atlanta Motor Speedway’s date as second on the season schedule will be bumped back to host the sport following the daring west coast swing, immediately after the Daytona 500. Pocono Raceway will condense their two-date schedule into an entire June weekend and Daytona International Speedway says goodbye to their summer July race and says hello to the regular-season finale, to take place on Saturday, Aug. 29.

  • Should NASCAR drivers be allowed to compete in other forms of motorsport?

    Should NASCAR drivers be allowed to compete in other forms of motorsport?

    NASCAR Cup Series stars Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell have been spending a busy offseason in New Zealand competing in the United Truck Parts International Midget Series. Despite going in aiming for success, however, both American drivers have seen their efforts end early. On the opening night of the event, Larson violently rolled his midget and was carried away on a stretcher. On Boxing Day, Bell suffered a similar fate but was able to walk away unhurt.

    Despite walking away unharmed, however, Bell’s management team informed him not to compete in the remaining events, despite having won the event a year ago. The decision looks to be based on circumstance, according to Bell’s midget team owner Brian Theobald per Velocity News, as Bell and the team are looking at future opportunities to race again in New Zealand.

    It’s easy to understand the decision to bring Bell back to the US following such an incident. Not only does he have a fourth Chili Bowl title to chase in just a few weeks time, but he also happens to be at the front of a promising class of NASCAR Cup rookies for the 2020 season. There’s a lot riding on Bell in terms of investments, and on the business side of things it makes sense to protect that investment.

    But like Larson, Bell is from a dirt discipline, and made his bones slinging Sprint Cars at I-44 Speedway in Oklahoma. Both Larson and Bell are rarely far from a dirt track or the Sprint Car business, as both identify dirt racing as a way of life. Larson has made it clear that being able to race on dirt when he can will play a key role in contract negotiations when his contract is up.

    That puts owners into the position of having to jostle a happy driver and a safe driver. Some team owners, such as Tony Stewart at Stewart-Haas Racing, understand how important it is to let their drivers race as much as possible wherever they can; Stewart is spending most of his racing time behind the wheel of a Sprint Car, which is where he also spent a lot of time during his driving career when he wasn’t in a stock car. Not to mention, Kurt Busch was also an SHR driver when he attempted the Memorial Day double in 2014, when he raced in the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.

    What about Matt Crafton? The 2019 Gander Outdoor Truck Series champion went from testing modifieds in order to better himself at dirt racing since Eldora’s inclusion on the Truck Series tour, to regularly competing in his No. 88 open-wheel modified painted up to look like his ThorSport Racing F-150. He’s won at Eldora since (2017), and is a regular contender on the dirt.

    Matt Crafton’s open-wheel modified. Photo by Tim Jarrold

    But it all goes back to the investments that the backing organizations make and the management teams make. Many team owners aren’t keen on letting their drivers race elsewhere for fear of that driver getting hurt. It’s a reasonable affair, as that driver is supposed to be piloting their car for their team. It’s doubtful Bob Leavine would want to see Bell harmed in a crash before he took to Daytona’s high banks in his flagship No. 95 Toyota.

    But racing is a dangerous sport. This goes without saying. Despite the major advances in safety over the last 60, 70 years, drivers still get hurt, and in many tragic instances, they are killed. Saying that a driver can race in discipline A but not discipline B is neglecting the fact that anything can happen at any moment, anywhere. Just because the 2010s’ didn’t see a single driver perish in NASCAR’s top touring divisions does not mean it couldn’t happen again in 2020.

    So where is the line drawn? Where does a driver’s team and investors relax the reigns a bit and let them tear up a track elsewhere? Where do they tighten their reigns and tell their drivers “No more?” Does driver quality play a factor? Larson was able to convince Ganassi to turn him loose on dirt, and considering Larson is Ganassi’s best NASCAR driver since Sterling Marlin in the early 00s’, did Ganassi want to risk hindering his star driver’s on-track product? More importantly, what does it matter? Ganassi also owns an IndyCar team and an IMSA team. How is the risk any different across the disciplines?

    Racers that are true at heart will race anything, anytime, anywhere, because they are at their happiest and best when they are behind the wheel. It doesn’t matter if it’s IndyCar, NASCAR, World of Outlaws, Formula One (See: Fernando Alonso’s foray from F1 into the Indianapolis 500), or even NHRA (See: NASCAR’s John Andretti and Kurt Busch). A happy driver translates into better results in some cases.

    However, in others cases it’s a matter of getting too distracted (See: Kyle Busch’s 2012 results the same year he ventured into Nationwide Series ownership). It’s all a matter of balance, and while some drivers may prefer focusing on just one venue of racing, other drivers would rather be racing when they aren’t racing. That’s not to say there shouldn’t be limits, but drivers should be allowed a degree of freedom to race in other disciplines of motorsport. In the end, it’s all about the variables at play and what the team and investors are willing to concede.

  • My First Race: 2001 Harrah’s 500 at Texas Motor Speedway

    My First Race: 2001 Harrah’s 500 at Texas Motor Speedway

    We’re one month removed from the end of the 2019 NASCAR season, which means we’re enmeshed in the holiday routine race fans across the world are taking part in. This includes but is not limited to excessive eating, family visits, excessive viewings of Days of Thunder, Talladega Nights, Redline 7000, Driven, Rush, Grand Prix, et cetera, excessive podcast listening of everything from the Dale Jr. Download to Off-Track with Hinch and Rossi. So on and so forth.

    But the holiday season is also a time to reminisce, and what better things for race fans to reminisce about than the first major race event they ever attended? Very few of us can remember the first race we saw on TV that got us hooked (For me it was the 1999 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 at Richmond…otherwise known as Tony Stewart’s first Cup win). But we all remember that first time waiting in line to get tickets and entering the tunnel on the way to find a seat and take in our first green flag. In my case, it was the 2001 Harrah’s 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

    Those of us who remember the 2001 season remember the tagline networks used in reference to it: 2001: A Race Odyssey. In many ways, by the seventh race of the Winston Cup season we were facing a season’s worth of surprises: The loss of Dale Earnhardt. Three first-time winners in the first six races including Michael Waltrip and Earnhardt’s rookie replacement Kevin Harvick. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s slump following his Daytona 500 runner-up finish.

    With that said, many believed that things would turn around for Junior at Texas, given it was the site of his first Cup win the year before. He was due for a good run, as his Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammates Waltrip and Steve Park had won the first two races of the season. In qualifying, he added fuel to the fire by putting his red No. 8 Chevy on the pole for Sunday’s race.

    Meanwhile, Winston Cup points leader Dale Jarrett had turned a DNF at Daytona into two poles, three top-fives, and four top-10s including a win at Darlington coming into the race weekend. He put his No. 88 Robert Yates Racing Ford into the third-place qualifying slot for Sunday’s event. Meanwhile Park was also coming into the weekend fourth in points, with a win, two top-fives, and four top-10s. He’d put his No. 1 Pennzoil Chevy fifth on the grid for Sunday’s race.

    Starting grid for the 2001 Harrah’s 500. Photo by Joseph Shelton

    When the green flag dropped, Junior immediately took charge of the event as expected, before the race was slowed for a multi-car accident on lap five that involved rookie Kurt Busch, Waltrip, rookie Ron Hornaday, Jimmy Spencer, and Buckshot Jones. From my vantage point in the infield, all I saw coming back around the track were the heavily damaged cars of Waltrip, Spencer, and Jones, while the others weren’t as heavily damaged. It wasn’t enough for them to fall out of the race, as every driver who went to the garage returned to the track.

    When the race restarted Junior continued to lead before Jarrett took the point, and over the first 100 laps of the race the lead was exchanged between those two as well as Johnny Benson before outside pole-sitter Bobby Labonte took the lead for two laps. They would be the only two laps he would lead before we saw his green No. 18 Pontiac slowly putter by on the apron on lap 150 when his engine expired.

    By this point Park had taken the lead on lap 142 and had a stronghold on it. In his first venture with the front he would lead the next 48 laps before Junior would retake the lead on lap 190 and would hold onto it until lap 208. Around this time a caution would come out for a backstretch tangle involving Ward Burton, rookie Casey Atwood, and Joe Nemechek. Sterling Marlin would lead a few laps under caution before the restart, when Jarrett retook the lead.

    This late in the race, it was looking like it’d come down to a battle between Jarrett, Park, Junior, and Benson, as all four happened to have the strongest cars in the race. Jarrett had had some strong runs at Texas at this point, holding two runner-up finishes at the speedway (1997, ’99) heading into the weekend. Meanwhile Park was in the midst of hitting his stride in Cup racing, in only his fourth full season in the No. 1 Chevy. Junior had the provenance of TMS being this site of his first Busch Series and Cup series wins, and Benson’s No. 10 Pontiac just so happened to have Hendrick Motorsports power under the hood, which seemed to be working just fine for his MB2 Motorsports team.

    When Junior wrestled the lead from Jarrett on lap 275 and held onto it on a lap 285 restart following a caution where we saw Marlin’s No. 40 Dodge back into the turn three wall, we knew at that point a win for the DEI camp was certain, and Junior’s slump would be over. But when Elliott Sadler’s No. 21 bounced off the turn one wall and brought out a caution, on the lap 314 restart Benson stole the lead and held on tight.

    But just like the ending of the 2000 Daytona 500, we saw as Benson was chased relentlessly by Jarrett. Park was close behind, while Junior’s No. 8 was shuffled back into the field. With six laps to go, the inevitable happened when Jarrett and Park finally stole past Benson, and when the checkered flag dropped Jarrett became the first repeat winner of the season. Park finished second, while Benson finished third and Busch finished fourth. Jeff Gordon rounded out the top-five.

    Dave Blaney had an admirable day, meanwhile, turning a last-place starting spot to a sixth-place finish for his Bill Davis Racing Dodge. Harvick would finish seventh, and Junior would finish eighth after leading 107 laps on the day. Mark Martin would finish ninth, while Benson’s MB2 teammate would round out the top-10.

    The race saw 18 lead changes among seven drivers, while the race was slowed 10 times for 44 laps. Jarrett would go on to finish fifth in points after winning two more times, while Park would be sidelined in the fall following a violent crash at Darlington. Benson would finish the season 11th in points, scoring six top-fives and 14 top-10s before scoring his only Cup win the next fall at Rockingham. Gordon would go on to win the championship later that year, while Busch would score his first Cup championship three years later.

    As for Junior, 2001 would prove to be the season where he became a legend in his own right. He would win three times, starting with an emotional win at Daytona in July, and would follow it up with huge wins at Dover and Talladega before finishing eighth in the final standings, a huge improvement over his rookie season the year before.

    As of this writing, only two drivers from that race are still racing full-time (Harvick, Busch).

    2001 Harrah’s 500 Post-race. Photo by Joseph Shelton

    Meanwhile, this race became the turning point for me as a fan. It probably helped that I was only 12, because while some of the more experienced fans/pundits would call this an average race for Texas, for me it became a watershed moment. It was everything I needed as a fan: Eventful, loud, fast. I saw drivers in person I’d never expected to encounter. I saw things in a perspective I never knew existed.

    In the years since, I’ve been fortunate enough to cover multiple events at Texas thanks to the folks here at SpeedwayMedia.com, and I’ve been fortunate enough to meet several drivers and dignitaries across the world of motorsport from NASCAR to Formula One. How different would things have been had I not attended that race in April of 2001?

    Would my love for NASCAR had gone the way most things do in regards to young pre-teens? I was the only NASCAR fan in my family at the time, and there’s no telling if my fandom would have intensified or not. But what I do know is that when it comes to professional sporting events, from NASCAR to Major League Baseball (Go Braves!), there’s no better way to intensify a young fan’s love for the sport. It can only grow from there.

    So kudos to NASCAR and to the staff at the Texas Motor Speedway, because on April 1, 2001, they undoubtedly played a vital part in my love for motorsport. So on that note, I have to ask you a question:

    What was your first race like?

  • Statement from NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France on the passing of Junior Johnson

    Statement from NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France on the passing of Junior Johnson

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (December 20, 2019) – “Junior Johnson truly was the ‘Last American Hero.’ From his early days running moonshine through the end of his life, Junior wholly embodied the NASCAR spirit. He was an inaugural NASCAR Hall of Famer, a nod to an extraordinary career as both a driver and team owner. Between his on-track accomplishments and his introduction of Winston to the sport, few have contributed to the success of NASCAR as Junior has. The entire NASCAR family is saddened by the loss of a true giant of our sport, and we offer our deepest condolences to Junior’s family and friends during this difficult time.”

  • Nemechek’s addition to Front Row Motorsports a boon for both driver and organization

    Nemechek’s addition to Front Row Motorsports a boon for both driver and organization

    As it turns out, John Hunter Nemechek’s stint as a substitute driver for Front Row Motorsports turned out to be a tryout for a possible seat in 2020, to nobody’s surprise. His performance in the last three races of 2019 was enough to net him an average finish of 23.7 (a 21st-place finish at Texas, a 27th-place at ISM Raceway, and a 23rd-place finish at Homestead), which is quite strong for a driver in his position.

    It’s obvious that FRM might not be on the level with Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, or even Hendrick Motorsports. They ended the 2019 season with two top-fives and three top-10s among their three Cup Series entries. But for being a solid midpack team, they have pulled off more than one upset. It’s difficult to pick which of their two victories was more memorable – rookie Chris Buescher’s fog-shortened win at Pocono in 2016, or the organization’s first 1-2 finish at Talladega in 2013 with longtime FRM staple David Ragan leading teammate David Gilliland to the finish.

    They’re a consistent team prone to the occasional strong finish, and Nemechek is a consistent driver, prone to bringing his car home in one piece and earning a strong run or two. While the NASCAR world will be focusing on the A-Lister rookies (Cole Custer, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell), Nemechek may very well be a dark horse when it comes to the rookie race.

    Nemechek seems to understand his position as a rookie and could be the only rookie to act accordingly in the education sense. He knows he’s there to learn and earn respect. Of course, he also knows what’s expected of him should the opportunity for strong run present itself to him.

    “That’s my goal,” said Nemechek regarding his expectations for 2020. “Take what the car will give us and if we can increase it by a few spots, then great, but we’re not going to go out there and try to run fifth and wreck it when we have a 10th-place car. Just something that I’ve had to learn the hard way over the past couple years, but overall the opportunity with Front Row is pretty special to put my name in the rookie class with the Big 3.”

    This isn’t unlike fellow Cup driver Buescher. When Buescher ran a limited schedule for FRM in 2015, he performed on an impressive level, with zero DNFs and a best finish of 20th in six starts. Buescher went on to pilot the No. 34 entry full-time in 2016, where he scored his lone win and a Playoff appearance.

    That doesn’t mean a win, Playoff appearance, or even a Rookie of the Year award is going to be a surefire thing. Nemechek’s work is going to be cut out for him, and he may come up short. But what sets him apart is that he’s aware of this as well and still knows what’s expected of him in the long run.

    For what it’s worth, the FRM cars have historically performed well at Daytona and Talladega, with a win at Pocono and a couple of top-10s at Martinsville and Bristol to boot. Nemechek could very well earn a superspeedway win in the No. 38 and make the Playoffs just like his predecessor Buescher if not capitalizing off of a strong run elsewhere. But if he doesn’t, that’s fine too. He knows that the bigger picture is about learning and growing.

    Whatever happens in 2020, Nemechek’s career is at a pivotal point. He’s now a NASCAR Cup Series driver. But instead of resting on his laurels, he has a chance to learn and grow in a big way. FRM could be a springboard for Nemechek to do great things in the sport, and if he continues to keep himself in check and use this opportunity to improve, there’s every reason to belief that he will accomplish those goals.

  • Cole Pearn announces departure from Joe Gibbs Racing, NASCAR

    Cole Pearn announces departure from Joe Gibbs Racing, NASCAR

    On Monday, Joe Gibbs Racing announced on Facebook that Cole Pearn, Crew Chief for the No. 19 Toyota NASCAR Cup team, will be stepping away not only from the JGR organization but from NASCAR as well. The decision was effective immediately.

    “This was an incredibly difficult decision,” Pearn said. “At the end of the day, I really want to spend time with my family and actually see my kids grow up. Being on the road, you are away from home so much and miss a lot of time with your family. I don’t want to miss that time anymore.”

    “I want to be there for all the things that my kids are going to experience while they are still young. I love racing and there isn’t a better place to be than Joe Gibbs Racing, but I don’t want to look back in 20 years and think about everything I missed with my wife and kids while I was gone. They are what is most important to me.

    Following a brief career in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series where he made 27 starts in four years, Pearn worked for Richard Childress Racing from 2007 to 2009 as an engineer for Kevin Harvick’s team before going to Furniture Row Racing in 2010. He spent 2011 with JTG-Daugherty Racing before returning to FRR, where following the 2014 season he was promoted to Crew Chief for Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 78 team. The pair earned 24 wins together and the 2017 Cup Series championship.

    “I cannot say enough good things about Cole and what he has meant for my career,” said Truex. “I appreciate his hard work and dedication to our race team over the past six years going back to when he was my engineer at Furniture Row. Our friendship is what matters most to me and I’m happy that he is doing what’s best for him and his family.”

    JGR will announce a Crew Chief for the No. 19 at a later date.