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NASCAR Cup Series

  • The White Zone: Dealing with mistakes and depression

    The White Zone: Dealing with mistakes and depression

    Last August, I sank to the lowest point in my life.

    My many mistakes as a NASCAR writer, neurodevelopment disorders and ongoing battle with depression drove me to attempt suicide.

    Come with me, as I show you what led me to that.

    The mistakes

    May 29, 2016.

    I stood on the frontstretch of Charlotte Motor Speedway several hours after Martin Truex Jr. won the Coca-Cola 600 in dominant fashion. I don’t recall the conversation that led to it, but I told some race fans there was a crossover gate that I either opened or just led them to it.

    Either way, that choice at Charlotte haunts me to this day.

    But wait, there’s more!

    Sept. 4, 2016.

    I spazzed out, because I couldn’t find a golf cart and was too lazy to walk. So I threw down my headset in the press box at Darlington Raceway.

    That choice haunts me to this day.

    Aug. 18, 2017.

    I climbed over a row of press box seats, rather than momentarily inconvenience the writers next to me (which would’ve been much simpler to do).

    Haunting isn’t strong enough. That’s straight up “What are you thinking? Are you thinking?!”

    Even at the age of 21 and 22, no excuse.

    But that’s not all!

    June 20, 2021.

    I walked into an unauthorized area on the spotter’s stand to take photos during the closing laps. This was after NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports, Inc. gave me a second chance in 2020 and 2021.

    In a six-year span, I learned nothing. I had an off-ramp, but I failed to learn anything.

    And that hurts the most.

    Contemplation and depression

    I’m supposed to think I have a place amongst writers far more talented than me, and don’t make such stupid mental errors? Amongst writers who parlayed their tremendous writing to make a living from watching NASCAR races?

    But that happens when you don’t socialize in high school until you do and your best friend ghosts you, because your introversion meant you developed bad tendencies.

    Immature and annoying.

    Compounding the matter, I suffer from verbal apraxia and ADHD. I’m no expert on either, but as far as I understand it, it made socializing with other people rather difficult, and careless mistakes frequent.

    Symptoms of attention deficit hyperactive disorder, as listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition.

    Frankly (and I’m no doctor), I think it’s a sizeable influence on my ongoing battle with depression. I have days where I feel fine. Then I’ll have days where I feel nothing. My energy, zapped. My mind in total molasses. My motor functions, slow.

    It’s a miserable hell to experience.

    July 31, 2023.

    I got an email from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, saying my media credentials request was denied.

    I sank to my lowest point.

    Aug. 1, 2023.

    I grabbed a pistol from my parent’s room, put it in my mouth and slowly squeezed the trigger.

    The hammer clicked.

    A few seconds later, I opened my eyes and thought, “Wait, nothing happened.” So I popped the magazine.

    No bullets.

    I broke down in laughter. My stupid dumb ass forgot to reload it, after firing off a few rounds at a tree in my backyard a few hours earlier!

    When I caught my breath and lied on my parents’ bed for a few minutes, I thought it over again. Since I couldn’t even do THAT right, I figured I might as well try to make the best of it.

    And I’m getting help.

    I attend weekly sessions at Autism Breakthrough. Where I work with people who specialize in helping high-function autistic adults like me talk to other people and open up to them.

    Anecdotally, I point to one moment where that work helped (but I still have room for improvement).

    Room to grow

    June 4, 2023.

    The Cup Series race concluded minutes earlier. I’m on pit road in the media bullpen. I’ve made it the whole weekend without getting pulled aside by someone at NASCAR IMC (the league’s PR people, who I mean no disrespect to). Now I’m still a little inexperienced on bullpen proceedings and stuff, but I just need to get through the final leg without a misstep, and I’m golden.

    We finished up talking to Truex and moved on to the next driver. Lee Spencer (who I thank for scolding me when I’ve stepped out of line on several occasions) walked up and asked if Truex had already come through. I and some other writers told her yes, and she asked about Joey Logano. I told her, no, but he’s coming over, too.

    I glanced at Brent Gambill (IMC), as Kyle Busch did his burnout down the frontstretch, and asked (well, shouted, so the engine didn’t drown me out) if he’d bring Logano over because Spencer needed audio from him.

    As we walked back to the deadline room, Gambill tapped me and told me for future reference, don’t shout for a driver like I did. He understood I was trying to help Spencer, but Logano’s PR person took it the wrong way. Especially after a race prolonged by rain and stretches of green flag stints.

    I face-palmed because I was so close to a weekend with no screwups.

    But on a more optimistic note, it showed my sessions at Autism Breakthrough weren’t in vain.

    After eight seasons on the beat, all I have to show for it is one NMPA writing contest award plaque (in the columns category). Now, I take great pride in that award. It was the first time I entered one and the two people who bested me were Ryan McGee and Amy Henderson (both of whom I respect).

    The irony of it coming after I blew it isn’t lost on me.

    I can still do this. I just need to work on myself and get help with communication. Then maybe, just maybe, I can repair my standing with both NASCAR and SMI.

    I’ve still got a ways to go, but I’m on the right track.

  • NASCAR 2024 Silly Season updates

    NASCAR 2024 Silly Season updates

    As 2023 comes to an end, the silly season begins. Check below for all of the driver and team news in anticipation of the NASCAR 2024 season. This list will be updated periodically.

    Lawless Alan, No. 33 Reaume Brothers Racing 33 Ford (NCTS)
    Reaume Racing announced on Jan. 14 that Lawless Alan has been signed to run full-time in the 2024 Craftsman Truck Series.

    Anthony Alfredo, No. 5 Our Motorsports Chevrolet (NXS) and Anthony Alfredo, No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet (Cup)
    Our Motorsports announced on Dec. 7 that beginning in 2024, Alfredo will race full-time in the No. 5 Chevrolet Xfinity Series car. It was later revealed that Josh Graham, former crew chief for Parker Retzlaff, will join the team as crew chief for Alfredo.
    Beard Motorsports announced on December 20 that Anthony Alfredo will pilot the No. 62 Chevrolet in the 2024 Daytona 500 and the GEICO 500 on April 21 at Talladega.

    Justin Allgaier, No 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet (NXS)
    Allgaier will return to JR Motorsports for the 2024 Xfinity Series season after signing an extension. Jim Pohlman will be back as his crew chief.

    AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (NXS) (NCS)
    Allmendinger will return to drive the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2024 with crew chief Alex Yontz and will compete in select Cup Series races next season. Travis Mack will serve as his crew chief for the Cup Series races and will also assume the role of Technical Director for their Cup Series program.

    Allmendinger will also compete in select Cup Series races next season. Travis Mack will serve as his crew chief for the Cup Series races and assume the role of Technical Director for their Cup Series program. On Dec. 20 it was confirmed that Allmendinger would drive the Kaulig Racing No 16 Chevrolet in the Cup Series Daytona 500.

    Aric Almirola, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (NXS)
    Almirola will run a part-time Xfinity Series schedule in 2024 sharing driving duties in the No. 20 JGR Toyota with John Hunter Nemechek for an unspecified number of races.

    Jordan Anderson, No. 32 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet (NXS)
    On Feb. 12, it was announced on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that team owner, Jordan Anderson, will drive the No. 32 Chevrolet as a third entry for the organization in the 2024 Xfinity Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway. Anderson’s father-in-law, Larry McReynolds, will join him as crew chief for the team.

    Marco Andretti, No. 04 Cook Racing Technologies in alliance with Roper Racing Team (NCTS) and No. 17 Cook Racing Technologies Chevrolet (ARCA)
    Marco Andretti has signed with Cook Racing Technologies to drive the No. 17 Chevrolet in 14 ARCA Menards Series races beginning at Daytona in February. Andretti will also compete in seven Craftsman Truck Series races in the No. 04 Chevrolet in an alliance with Roper Racing. His first Truck start will be at Circuit of the Americas on March 23.

    Tyler Ankrum, No. 18 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet (NCTS)
    Tyler Ankrum is moving to McAnally-Hilgemann Racing for the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. He will drive the No. 18, renumbered from the No. 35 driven by Jake Garcia in 2023.

    Beard Motorsports, No.62 Chevrolet (NCS)
    On Dec. 20, Beard Motorsports announced that it will compete in the following four races in 2024 – the Daytona 500 in February, the GEICO 500 on April 21 at Talladega, the Aug. 24 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, and the Oct. 6 YellaWood 500 at Talladega. Anthony Alfredo will drive the Beard Motorsports No. 62 Chevrolet in the Cup Series 2024 Daytona 500 and the GEICO 500 on April 21 at Talladega. Their schedule for the remainder of the 2024 season and the driver lineups will be announced at a later date.

    Josh Berry, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford (NCS)
    Stewart-Haas Racing announced in June that Josh Berry would replace retired driver, Kevin Harvick, in the No. 4 Ford in 2024. On Dec. 19, Eddie D’Hondt was named as the spotter for Josh Berry in his first season with SHR.

    Josh Bilicki, No. 92 DGM Racing Chevrolet (NXS)
    On Jan. 4, DGM Racing announced that Josh Bilicki will drive the team’s No. 92 Chevrolet Camaro in select Xfinity Series races in 2024. Bilicki’s first race will occur at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 17th.

    BJ McLeod Motorsports, No. 78 Chevrolet (NXS)
    On Jan. 30, BJ McLeod Motorsports announced that Pat Tryson will return to crew chief the No. 78 Chevrolet for the 2024 Xfinity Series season. The team has not revealed whether they will compete full-time or run a partial schedule.

    Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford (NCS)
    Blaney will have a new spotter in 2024 as Tim Fedewa joins the team. Fedewa is a former racer and was Kevin Harvick’s spotter for 10 years.

    Spencer Boyd, No 76 Freedom Racing Enterprises Chevrolet (NCTS)
    It was announced on Jan. 8 that Spencer Boyd and Chris Miller have formed a new Craftsman Truck Series team, Freedom Racing Enterprises. The team will compete full-time with Boyd in the No 76 Chevrolet & Greg Ely as crew chief. Jeff Hammond will serve as General Manager.

    Harrison Burton, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford (NCS)
    Burton has confirmed that he will return in 2024 to drive the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford with crew chief, Jeremy Bullins. Jason Jarrett (former spotter for Justin Haley) will spot for Burton in 2024.

    Jeb Burton, No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet (NXS)
    Jordan Anderson Racing announced on Nov. 2 that Jeb Burton will return to compete full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2024. Shane Whitbeck will be back as Burton’s crew chief.

    Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (NCS)
    Kyle Busch, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (NCTS)
    In addition to competing full-time in the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the Cup Series this season, it was announced on Feb. 7 that Busch will also drive an unspecified number of Craftsman Truck Series races in 2024 for Spire Motorsports.

    Rajah Caruth, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (NCTS)
    It was announced on Feb. 4 that Caruth will drive the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet full-time in the Truck Series in 2024. HendrickCars.com will be the primary sponsor for 10 races. He will be paired with crew chief Chad Walter. Caruth was formerly with GMS Racing who ceased operations at the end of the 2023 season.

    Ross Chastain/Busch Light, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (NCS)
    Chastain has signed a multiyear contract extension with Trackhouse Racing to drive the No. 1 with Anheuser Busch as his primary sponsor in 2024. He will also compete in select Truck Series races throughout the season for Niece Motorsports.

    Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford (NCS)
    Cindric announced in October that he will return to the No. 2 Ford next season.

    Dawson Cram, No. 4 JD Motorsports Chevrolet (NXS)
    JD Motorsports announced on Dec. 6 that beginning in 2024, Cram will race full-time in the No. 4 Chevrolet.

    Sheldon Creed, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (NXS)
    Creed joins Joe Gibbs Racing in 2024 to compete full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series after a two-year tenure with Richard Childress Racing in 2022 and 2023.

    Cole Custer, No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford (NXS)
    Stewart-Haas Racing announced on Nov. 2 that Custer is returning to the Xfinity Series in 2024. The Ford team will keep the same lineup of Custer and Riley Herbst.

    Hailie Deegan, No. 15 AM Racing Ford (NXS)
    Deegan will move to the NASCAR Xfinity Series with AM Racing in 2024 with a multiyear deal. It was announced on Dec. 19 that Joe Williams Jr. will serve as Deegan’s crew chief in her rookie season.

    Matt DiBenedetto, No. 25 Rackley W.A.R. Chevrolet (NCTS)
    DiBenedetto announced on Aug. 30 that he would not be returning to Rackley W.A.R. in 2024, adding that he has no plans for next season but is “exploring all options in all series.”

    Ty Dillon, No. 25 Rackley W.A.R. Chevrolet (NCTS)
    On Dec. 29, it was announced that Ty Dillon is returning to the NASCAR Truck Series and will compete full-time in 2024 driving the Rackley W.A.R. No. 25 Chevrolet. Shane Wilson was named as Dillon’s crew chief on January 9.

    Daniel Dye, No. 43 GMS Racing Chevrolet (NCTS) and No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (NXS)
    Dye, formerly with GMS Racing, will join McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in 2024 as the full-time driver of the No. 43 Chevrolet in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. On Jan. 16, it was announced that Dye will also compete in 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series races for Kaulig Racing in the No. 10 Chevrolet.

    Kaulig Racing will enter the NXS No. 10 Champion Container Chevrolet in the following races:
    Feb. 17 at Daytona International Speedway
    April 6 at Martinsville Speedway
    April 27 at Dover Motor Speedway
    June 15 at Iowa Speedway
    July 13 at Pocono Raceway
    July 20 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
    Aug. 17 at Michigan International Speedway
    Sept. 28 at Kansas Speedway
    Oct. 19 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
    Nov. 9 at Phoenix Raceway

    Jeffrey Earnhardt, No. 26 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota NXS)
    Sam Hunt Racing announced on January 16 that Jeffrey Earnhardt will drive the No. 26 Toyota in 2024 for multiple races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. His first race will be at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 24

    Christian Eckes, No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet (NCTS)
    Eckes will return to drive full-time in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in 2024. Crew Chief Charles Denike will also return.

    Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, NCS
    It was confirmed on Jan. 2, that Trey Poole will join Elliott’s team as his spotter in 2024. Poole is Elliott’s cousin and has previously worked as an additional spotter for the team as needed. His former spotter, Eddie D’Hondt, will move to Stewart-Haas Racing as the spotter for Josh Berry.

    Ryan Ellis, No. 43 Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet (NXS)
    Alpha Prime Racing announced in August that Ellis will compete in his first full-time season in the Xfinity Series in 2024. On Jan. 27 the team revealed that Mike Hillman will lead the No. 43 team as crew chief.

    Patrick Emerling, No. 07 SS-Greenlight Racing Chevrolet (NXS)
    On Feb. 1, the team announced that Patrick Emerling will be the primary driver of the No. 07 Xfinity Chevrolet in 2024 when there isn’t a conflict as he attempts to also win a championship in the Whelen Modified Tour. Emerling’s first Xfinity Series race will be the United Rentals 300 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17. His complete Xfinity Series schedule will be announced at a later date.

    Grant Enfinger, No. 9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet (NCTS)
    CR7 announced on Dec. 12 that it signed Grant Enfinger to a multiyear deal to race full-time for the team, beginning in 2024.

    Jake Garcia, ThorSport Racing (NCTS)
    ThorSport announced on Nov. 15 that Garcia would join the lineup beginning in 2024.

    Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford (NCS)
    Front Row Motorsports announced in August that Gilliland will return to drive the No. 38 Ford full-time in 2024.

    GMS Racing (NCTS)
    On Aug. 25, 2023, GMS officials announced that it would cease operations after the 2023 race season

    Noah Gragson, No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford (NCS)
    On Aug. 13 Stewart-Haas Racing announced that they had signed a multiyear deal for Gragson to drive the No. 10 Ford. The news came following Gragson’s reinstatement by NASCAR after a suspension for violating member conduct rules.

    Kaz Grala, No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford (NCS)
    On Jan. 17 Rick Ware Racing announced that Kaz Grala has been signed to compete in 25 Cup Series races in the No. 15 Ford Mustang with crew chief Billy Plourde. His first start with the team will be in the Busch Light Clash exhibition race and his first regular season points race will be on Feb. 25 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The remainder of his schedule will be announced at a later date.

    It was announced on Jan. 23 that Grala will also attempt to qualify the Front Row Motorsports No. 36 Ford Mustang for the Daytona 500. He will participate in the qualifying session on Wednesday, Feb. 14 and he can also lock into the race during the Duel events on Thursday.

    Tanner Gray, No. 15 Tricon Garage Toyota (NCTS)
    No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (ARCA)
    Tricon Garage announced on Nov. 9 that Gray will return to the organization full-time for the 2024 Truck Series season. He will also substitute for William Sawalich in six races in the ARCA Menards Series (until Sawalich turns 18) driving the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

    Gray will also compete in six ARCA Menards Series races: Daytona International Speedway (Feb. 17), Talladega Superspeedway (April 20), Kansas Speedway (May 4 and Sept. 27), Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 24) and Michigan International Speedway (Aug. 16).

    Taylor Gray, No. 17 Tricon Garage Toyota (NCTS)
    Tricon Garage announced on Nov. 10 that Gray will race his first full Truck Series season as pilot of the No. 17 next season.

    Justin Haley, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford (NCS)
    Haley will compete full-time for Rick Ware Racing in 2024 after signing a multiyear deal. He will be paired with crew chief Chris Lawson.

    Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (NCS)
    Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing announced in September that he will return to drive the No. 11 Toyota in 2024 and beyond.

    Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford (NCS)
    Harvick will move to the FOX Sports broadcast booth starting with the 2024 season after retiring from NASCAR competition at the end of the 2023 season.

    Corey Heim, No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota (NCTS), No. 26 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota (NXS), Legacy Motor Club and 23XI Racing reserve driver
    In October 2023, TRICON Garage announced that Heim would return to compete full-time in the Truck Series in 2024.

    On January 10, 2024, Sam Hunt Racing revealed that Heim will drive the No. 26 Toyota for the team in the Xfinity Series for multiple races. His first start will be at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 2.

    Heim posted on social media on Jan. 25 that he has also been signed by Legacy Motor Club and 23XI Racing, saying, “I’m grateful to announce that I’ve been signed by @LEGACYMotorClub as their simulator & reserve driver for this season and will also be the reserve driver for @23XIRacing.”

    Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (NCS)
    Hemric will return to the Cup Series in 2024 driving the No. 31 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing.

    Riley Herbst, No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford (NXS) and No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford (NCS)
    It was announced on Feb. 2 that Herbst will pilot the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford in the Daytona 500, the first of select Cup Series races for the team. Herbst currently competes full-time in the Xfinity Series for Stewart-Haas Racing.

    Austin Hill, No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (NXS)
    Hill will remain with Richard Childress Racing and compete in the Xfinity Series in 2024.

    Timmy Hill, No. 56 Hill Motorsports Toyota (NCTS)
    Hill Motorsports announced on Dec. 8 that Timmy Hill would race a full-time Truck Series schedule in 2024

    Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (NCS)
    Hocevar moves to the Cup Series as the driver of the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports and will be joined by veteran crew chief, Luke Lambert.

    Bret Holmes, No 32 Bret Holmes Racing Chevrolet (NCTS)
    Bret Holmes Racing announced on Jan. 19 that Brett Holmes will compete full-time this year in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in the No. 32 Chevrolet. They have signed a technical alliance with Spire Motorsports for 2024 and Mike Shiplett will join the team as crew chief.

    Leland Honeyman Jr., No. 42 Chevrolet Young’s Motorsports (NXS)
    Young’s Motorsports announced on Jan. 3, 2024, that Leland Honeyman Jr. will compete full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2024 with Andrew Abbott as his crew chief.

    Joe Gibbs Racing names Xfinity Series lineup (NXS)
    JGR announced its full-time and part-time roster on Dec. 13. Sheldon Creed and Chandler Smith will race full-time, while six drivers will compete part-time between two race cars. Aric Almirola, John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Truex, Taylor Gray, William Sawalich and Joe Graf Jr. will make up the part-time portion of the lineup.

    Jimmie Johnson, Legacy Motor Club No. 84 Toyota (NCS)
    Johnson will run a limited number of NASCAR Cup Series races in 2024. As of Jan. 16, nine races have been announced:
    Feb. 18 – Daytona (Sponsor – Carvana)
    April 14 – Texas (Sponsor – AdventHealth)
    April 28 – Dover (Sponsors – Dollar Tree and Family Dollar)
    May 5 – Kansas (Sponsor – AdventHealth)
    May 26 – Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (Sponsor – AdventHealth)
    July 21 – Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis (Sponsor – Carvana)
    Sept. 29 – Kansas (Sponsors – Dollar Tree and Family Dollar)
    Oct. 20 – Las Vegas (Sponsors – Dollar Tree and Family Dollar)
    Nov. 10 – Phoenix Season Finale (Sponsor – Carvana)

    Brandon Jones, No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet (NXS)
    Jones re-signed with JR Motorsports in September and will continue to compete in the Xfinity Series in 2024.

    JR Motorsports – Chevrolet (NXS)
    JR Motorsports announced its crew chief lineup for the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series on Dec. 18:
    Phillip Bell – Brandon Jones in the No. 9
    Mardy Lindley – Sam Mayer in the No. 1
    Jim Pohlman – Justin Allgaier in the No. 7
    Adam Wall – Sammy Smith in the No. 8

    Sage Karam, No. 26 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota (NXS)
    Sam Hunt Racing announced on Jan. 23 that Karam will compete in multiple Xfinity Series races for the team this season beginning with the race at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 17.

    Kaulig Racing – Chevrolet (NXS)
    Kevin Walter will join the No. 11 Chevrolet team as a first-time crew chief and be paired with Josh Williams in 2024.
    Alex Yontz will return to the team for a fifth season and will serve as the crew chief for AJ Allmendinger in the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro.
    Bruce Schlicker will also return for a fifth season at Kaulig as crew chief for the No. 97 Chevrolet Camaro with Shane van Gisbergen.

    Parker Kligerman, No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet (NXS)
    In August, it was confirmed that Kligerman will remain with Big Machine Racing in 2024 to compete in his second full-time season in the Xfinity Series.

    Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (NCS)
    LaJoie announced in August that he had re-signed with Spire Motorsports in a multiyear extension Ryan Sparks will continue as the crew chief for Corey LaJoie and the No. 7 team.

    Legacy Motor Club (NCS)
    The team announced in May that they would leave Chevrolet and partner with Toyota in 2024. Team co-owner Jimmie Johnson will drive the No. 84 in select Cup Series races with Jason Burdett as his crew chief. In October the team also announced that Matt Kenseth would join the organization as a competition adviser.

    Legacy Motor Club released the news that Trevor Bayne would join the team on Jan. 25. “We are adding on two important members to the Club! Welcome Trevor Bayne as our Driver Optimization Leader and Corey Heim (previously announced) as our simulator & reserve driver.”

    Jesse Love, No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (NXS)
    Love will move up to the Xfinity Series in 2024, taking over as driver of the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet on a full-time basis.

    Mason Massey, No. 02 Young’s Motorsports Ford (NCTS)
    On February 12, Young’s Motorsport confirmed that Mason Massey will drive the No. 02 Chevrolet full-time this season in the Craftsman Truck Series.

    Michael McDowell, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford (NCS)
    Front Row Motorsports announced in August that McDowell will return to drive the No. 34 Ford full-time in 2024.

    BJ McLeod, No. 78 BJ McLeod Motorsports Chevrolet (NXS)
    On Feb. 9, it was announced that BJ McLeod will return to his Xfinity Series team as the driver of the No. 78 Chevrolet to compete in the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway. It is unknown at this time if the team will run a full or part-time schedule.

    CJ McLaughlin, No. 38 RSS Racing Ford (NXS)
    McLaughlin will compete part-time in the 2024 Xfinity Series in the No. 38 Ford for RSS Racing as announced on Jan. 10. His first race will be on Feb. 17 at Daytona International Speedway. The remainder of his schedule has not been released.

    Thad Moffitt, No. 46 Faction46 Chevrolet (NCTS)
    On Dec. 8, it was announced that Thad Moffitt would race full-time in the Truck Series with the newly announced team, Faction46.

    Frankie Muniz, No. 35 Joey Gase Motorsports Ford (NXS)
    Muniz will run a limited number of Xfinity Series races this year for Joey Gase Racing. He will begin the season by attempting to qualify for the United Rentals 300 scheduled for Feb. 17 at Daytona International Speedway. On Feb. 9 the team also confirmed that the 25th-place owner points have been transferred to the No. 35 team.

    John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota (NCS) (NXS)
    Nemechek will return to the Cup Series full-time in 2024 as the driver of the No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota. In addition to driving full-time in the Cup Series for Legacy Motor Club, Nemechek will make 10 Xfinity Series starts in the JGR No. 20, sharing driving duties with Aric Almirola.

    Niece Motorsports, No. 41, No. 42 and No. 45 Chevrolet (NCTS)
    The team revealed its 2024 Craftsman Truck Series driver lineup in February for the upcoming season.
    Mike Hillman Jr. will return as crew chief for Bayley Currey and the No. 41 team as Bayley competes in his first full-time season.

    Jon Leonard will join Niece Motorsports as the crew chief for Matt Mills in the No. 42 Chevrolet as Mills also enters his first full-time season in the Truck Series.

    Ross Chastain, Kaden Honeycutt, Connor Mosack and Johnny Sauter will share driving duties in the No. 45 throughout the season with crew chief Phil Gould on the pit box. Sauter will be behind the wheel as the season begins at Daytona International Speedway.

    Stefan Parsons, No. 75 Henderson Motorsports Chevrolet (NCTS)
    On Jan. 13, Parsons announced on social media that he will drive the Henderson Motorsports No. 75 Chevrolet in the Craftsman Truck Series this season. His complete schedule has not been released but he will compete in the season-opener at Daytona International Raceway.

    Brad Perez, No. 45 Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet (NXS)
    On Jan. 8 Alpha Prime Racing announced Brad Perez will drive select Xfinity Series races this season in the No. 45 Chevrolet (which will compete in a partial schedule). His first race will be at Circuit of the Americas on March 23 with the remainder of his schedule to be determined. He will also take on the role of Development Driver and assist with simulator setup and will be the team’s reserve driver.

    Blaine Perkins, No. 29 RSS Racing Ford (NXS)
    RSS Racing has signed Blaine Perkins to race full-time in the Xfinity Series for the 2024 season.

    Brennan Poole, No. 44 Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet (NXS)
    Poole and Alpha Prime announced on Nov. 9 that Poole will run a full-time season in the No. 44 for the 2024 Xfinity Series season. On Jan. 27 it was announced that Poole will be paired with crew chief, Frank Kerr.

    Ryan Preece, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford (NCS)
    Preece announced on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Sept. 26 that he will return to race the SHR No. 41 in 2024.

    Chase Purdy, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (NCTS)
    Spire Motorsports announced on Jan. 3 that Chase Purdy has been signed to drive the No. 77 Chevrolet full-time in the Truck Series. NASCAR veteran, Jason Trinchere, most recently a crew chief for Kaulig Racing’s Xfinity Series program, will be paired with Purdy to lead the team.

    Parker Retzlaff, No. 31 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet (NXS)
    Jordan Anderson Racing announced on Nov. 2 that Parker Retzlaff will return to compete full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2024 with Chad Kendrick (formerly with Matt DiBenedetto) as his crew chief.

    Layne Riggs, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford (NCTS)
    Front Row Motorsports announced on Dec. 14 that Riggs has been signed to a multi-year deal to drive the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford F-150 full-time in the Craftsman Truck Series after limited starts in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and Xfinity Series in 2022 and 2023. Dylan Cappello will move up from his position as lead engineer to work as Rigg’s crew chief. Chris Lawson will leave his position as crew chief but will serve as a consultant to the team at the beginning of the season as well as working on projects outside of NASCAR.

    RSS Racing (NXS) – Crew chief and spotter lineup:
    28 Ford: Kyle Sieg – CC: Mike Scearce, Spotter: Freddie Kraft
    29 Ford: Blaine Perkins – CC: Steve Addington, Spotter: Tony Raines
    38 Ford: CJ McLaughlin – CC: Kevin Johnson, Spotter: Doug Campbell
    39 Ford: Ryan Sieg – CC: Matt Noyce, Spotter: Tim Fedawa

    Nick Sanchez, Rev Racing No. 2 Chevrolet (NCTS)
    On Jan. 16 Rev Racing announced that Sanchez will drive the No. 2 Chevrolet in 2024 and compete full-time in the Craftsman Truck Series with Spire Motorsports as a new technical alliance partner. Sanchez will be paired with Kevin “Bono” as crew chief. Allen Hart, former crew chief for Sam Hunt Racing in the Xfinity Series, will join the team as the chief engineer.

    William Sawalich, No. 1 Tricon Garage Toyota (NCTS), No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (NXS) and No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (ARCA)
    Sawalich will return to Tricon Garage in 2024 and compete in a partial schedule of nine Craftsman Truck Series races in the No. 1 Toyota:
    Bristol – March 16, Martinsville – April 5, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park – July 19, Richmond – Aug. 10, Milwaukee – Aug. 25, Bristol – Sept. 19, Homestead – Oct. 26, Martinsville – Nov. 1, Phoenix on Nov. 8.

    In addition, he will also make three Xfinity Series starts for Joe Gibbs Racing. His schedule includes Homestead, Martinsville and Phoenix (after he turns 18 on Oct. 3), in the No. 19 JGR Toyota.

    Sawalich, the 2023 ARCA East champion, will also compete in the ARCA Menards Series in 2024 as the primary driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, in all but six races. Tricon Garage Truck Series driver, Tanner Gray, will substitute for Sawalich until he turns 18.

    Kyle Sieg, No. 28 RSS Racing Ford (NXS)
    RSS Racing announced on Dec. 1 that, beginning in 2024, Sieg would race full-time with the team.

    Chandler Smith, No. 81 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (NXS)
    On Dec. 12, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Chandler Smith would drive the No. 81 Toyota in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2024. Smith will join JGR after one full-time season in the series with Kaulig Racing in 2023.

    Sammy Smith, No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet (NXS)
    Smith will join JR Motorsports in 2024 with a multi-year deal to drive the No. 8 Chevrolet, previously driven by Josh Berry who will move up to the Cup Series with Stewart-Haas Racing.

    Zane Smith, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (Cup), No. 91 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet (NCTS)
    Zane Smith has signed a multiyear contract with Trackhouse Racing and will move up to the Cup Series full-time in 2024, driving a Spire Motorsports Chevrolet in alliance with Trackhouse Racing. He will be paired with first-year crew chief, Stephen Doran. Josh Williams, former spotter for Ryan Blaney, will make the move to Spire Motorsports in 2024 and spot for Smith.

    On Feb. 9 the team announced that Smith will also drive the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing No. 91 Chevrolet in four Truck Series races. His schedule includes:
    March 1 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
    March 16 at Bristol Motor Speedway
    April 5 at Texas Motor Speedway
    May 4 at Kansas Speedway

    Garrett Smithley, JD Motorsports No. 6 Chevrolet (NXS)
    JD Motorsports announced on Feb. 13 that Smithley will return to the team this year and pilot the No. 6 Chevrolet in four Xfinity Series races, including the season-opener at Daytona, Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

    Spire Motorsports Spotter Lineup
    TJ Bell will return as the spotter for Corey LaJoie. As mentioned above, Josh Williams (previously the spotter for Ryan Blaney) will spot for Zane Smith. Tyler Green (previously the spotter for Harrison Burton) will spot for Carson Hocevar.

    Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (NCS)
    Matt Swiderski will replace Travis Mack as the crew chief for Suarez and the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.

    Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (NCS)
    Truex will return to race the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in 2024 for at least one more year.

    Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (NXS) and No. 16 (NCS)
    In December it was announced that Shane van Gisbergen will race full-time in the Xfinity Series next year for Kaulig Racing with crew chief Bruce Schlicker. He will also compete in a minimum of seven Cup Series races and an unspecified number of Craftsman Truck Series races for Trackhouse Racing in 2024.

    In January 2024 it was announced that he will be doing double duty at Daytona International Speedway as he takes to the track for the season-opening race in the ARCA Menards Series in the Pinnacle Racing Groupentry before making his Xfinity Series debut.

    Cup Series races announced as of Dec. 13:
    Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin on March 24
    Talladega Superspeedway on April 21 and Oct. 6
    Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26
    Chicago Street Race on July 7
    Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International on Sept. 15
    Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 20

    Kyle Weatherman, No. 91 DGM Racing Chevrolet (NXS)
    On Nov. 14, 2023, DGM Racing announced that Kyle Weatherman will compete full-time in 2024 in the Xfinity Series after racing a part-time schedule for the team in 2023.

    Josh Williams, No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (NXS) and No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (NCS)
    Kaulig Racing announced on Nov. 16 that Josh Williams will pilot the No. 11 Chevrolet in 2024. He will be joined by crew chief Kevin Walter, formerly an engineer for the JR Motorsports No. 8 team.

    On Jan. 29 Kaulig Racing announced that Williams will also run the No. 16 Alloy Employer Services Camaro ZL1 in select Cup Series races during the 2024 season, beginning with the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum on Feb. 4.

    Jack Wood, No. 91 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet (NCTS)
    McAnally-Hilgemann Racing announced on Dec. 6 that beginning in 2024, Jack Wood will race a 14-race schedule in the No. 91 Chevrolet.

    Connor Zilisch, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (NXS) (NCTS)
    On Jan. 11 Trackhouse Racing announced that they have signed a multi-year agreement with Connor Zilisch. He will enter a developmental program in 2024 and 2025 that will include races in the CARS Tour, ARCA, Trans Am and IMSA series. Zilisch will also compete in select NASCAR Truck and Xfinity Series events.

  • Hamlin reigns supreme with fourth Busch Light Clash victory, first at The Coliseum

    Hamlin reigns supreme with fourth Busch Light Clash victory, first at The Coliseum

    Amid an off-season surgery that nearly placed his availability status for NASCAR’s exhibition event at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in question, Denny Hamlin responded with resurgence and early momentum after surviving a war of attrition evening to win the third annual Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, February 3.

    The three-time Daytona 500 champion from Chesterfield, Virginia, led twice for 58 of 151 laps in an event where he claimed the pole position for The Clash based on setting the fastest lap during the event’s practice session that set the starting lineup. The event was bumped a day early from its original starting time on Sunday amid threat concerns of rain and flash flooding.

    Despite losing the lead to Joey Logano early, Hamlin regained the lead on the third lap and led through Lap 49 until he was overtaken by teammate Ty Gibbs. Amid a series of bumps and on-track chaos ensuing throughout the event, Hamlin would then capitalize on a 10-lap restart to overtake Gibbs and Logano for the lead. He retained the lead to fend off Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney during a two-lap shootout to achieve his fourth career victory at The Clash.

    The eligibility for the event included all NASCAR Cup Series chartered and non-chartered team competitors. The lineup for The Clash was initially set to be determined through each competitor’s fastest lap time from their final practice session that was originally scheduled to occur on Saturday. This would then be followed by four heat events and a Last Chance Qualifier Race between Saturday and Sunday that would feature 36 participants battling for 23 entrance spots.

    With the exhibition event being rescheduled to occur on Saturday night instead of Sunday due to the threat of rain and flooding on Sunday within the Southern California region, the starting lineup was instead determined through the event’s practice sessions separated into three groups, including the final session being a qualifying session, where the first 22 starting spots were determined based on practice speeds while the 23rd and final provisional spot was left for the top finisher in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series standings who has not qualified for the event.

    At the conclusion of the practice sessions that included qualifying, Denny Hamlin secured the pole position for the main event after posting a pole-winning speed at 68.498 mph in 13.139 seconds during his practice session. Joey Logano joined Hamlin on the front row after he posted the second-fastest speed at 67.925 mph in 13.25 seconds while Ty Gibbs, Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace and Justin Haley started in the top 10. The following names that included Tyler Reddick, Ryan Preece, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Todd Gilliland, Michael McDowell, Noah Gragson, Corey LaJoie, Martin Truex Jr., Ricky Stenhouse Jr., John Hunter Nemechek and Chase Briscoe started 11th through 22nd, respectively, while Ryan Blaney was awarded the provisional, 23rd and final, starting spot into the main event based on being last year’s Cup Series champion.

    The following names that include Josh Williams, Carson Hocevar, Josh Berry, Daniel Suarez, Austin Dillon, Erik Jones, Chris Buescher, Austin Cindric, Daniel Hemric, Christopher Bell, Kaz Grala, Harrison Burton and Zane Smith did not qualify for the main event.

    When the main event commenced under green, Hamlin and Logano dueled for the lead amid two tight-packed lanes entering Turn 1 until Logano used the outside lane to rocket his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse ahead of Hamlin through Turn 2. Despite Hamlin’s efforts in side-drafting and making contact with Logano to stall his momentum, Logano managed to withstand his ground as he proceeded to lead the first lap. With Logano leading Hamlin, Ty Gibbs and Alex Bowman battled for third place before William Byron joined the battle along with Kyle Busch.

    Two laps later, Hamlin prevailed in his early battle and on-track skirmish with Logano to lead for the first time in his No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota Camry XSE, where he moved in front of Logano in Turn 3, as Ty Gibbs would assume the runner-up spot over Logano during the following lap. Gibbs would then find himself locked in a tight situation of fending off Logano, Byron and a bevy of competitors for the runner-up spot while teammate Hamlin retained the lead by the fifth lap mark.

    Through the first 10 laps of the event, Hamlin was leading by six-tenths of a second over teammate Ty Gibbs followed by Logano, Byron and Kyle Busch while Alex Bowman, Ryan Preece, Kyle Larson, Justin Haley and Ross Chastain were scored in the top 10. Behind, Bubba Wallace occupied 11th place in front of Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr. and Michael McDowell while Noah Gragson, Corey LaJoie, Todd Gilliland, Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. John Hunter Nemechek and Ryan Blaney rounded out the 23-car field.

    Ten laps later, Hamlin extended his advantage to nearly a second over teammate Gibbs while Logano, Byron and Busch occupied the top five in front of Bowman, Preece, Larson, Haley and Chastain. Meanwhile, Blaney, mired in 22nd place, was trying to carve his way up the leaderboard to avoid being pinned a lap down.

    Another 10 laps later, Hamlin lapped last-place Noah Gragson, all while having his advantage shrink to within four-tenths of a second over teammate Gibbs and nearly a second over third-place Logano. In the process, Byron and Busch remained in the top five ahead of Bowman, Larson, Preece, Haley and Wallace.

    At the Lap 50 mark and with the leaders mired in tight lapped traffic, the battle for the lead re-ignited as Gibbs used the lapped competitors of Gragson to move into the lead. Behind, Logano challenged Hamlin for the runner-up spot while Busch and Byron remained within close distance.

    Just past the Lap 60 mark, Gibbs stretched his advantage to more than two seconds over Logano while Busch, Larson and Byron moved into the top five. Meanwhile, Hamlin fell back to seventh behind Bowman while Haley, Wallace and Chase Elliott were mired in the top 10.

    Then 10 laps later, the first caution of the event flew after Todd Gilliland spun sideways into the Turn 1 outside wall as he became the first retiree of the event.

    With the event restarting on Lap 71, where Gibbs and Logano occupied the front row, Logano and Gibbs dueled for the lead through Turn 1 until Gibbs bounced off of Logano and nearly got loose, which allowed Busch to place Gibbs and Logano in a tight three-wide battle for the lead until the latter muscled ahead from the outside lane in Turn 2. Logano would retain the lead through Turns 3 and 4 over Busch while Gibbs fell back to third in front of Larson and Byron. During the following lap, Hamlin would overtake Bowman for sixth place while Wallace tried to follow suit.

    Then on Lap 74 and just as Logano was within reach of reaching the halfway segment under green flag conditions, the caution returned after John Hunter Nemechek was sent for a spin in between Turns 3 and 4 after Corey LaJoie threw a divebomb move beneath Nemechek entering Turn 3 that sent the latter into a spin.

    During a one-lap shootout to the halfway mark, Logano and Busch dueled for the lead through the first turn until Logano managed to pull ahead with the lead through Turn 2. Shortly after, Larson and Gibbs placed Busch in a tight three-wide battle for the runner-up spot through Turn 2, which resulted in Larson assuming the runner-up spot as Gibbs and Busch nearly got sideways amid light contact, which allowed Byron to join the battle while Logano retained the lead. As the field returned to the start/finish line to reach the halfway mark on Lap 75, the event was placed in a brief intermission period. By then, Logano was scored the leader followed by Larson, Gibbs, Byron and Busch while Hamlin, Wallace, Bowman, Reddick and Chastain were scored in the top 10.

    At the conclusion of the intermission period, the event restarted under green on Lap 76. At the start, Logano retained the lead over Larson, Busch and Ty Gibbs until Larson made his move on the inside lane as he challenged Logano for the top spot during the following lap. The caution, however, would return on Lap 77 after Bowman bumped Reddick into Wallace entering Turn 3 as Wallace spun his No. 23 Columbia Toyota Camry XSE in between Turns 3 and 4. Amid the incident, Elliott took his car to the Coliseum’s infield area due to a mechanical issue to his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

    When the race restarted on Lap 78, Logano and Gibbs dueled for the lead again while Reddick, who restarted in the top 10, made a bold three-wide move on the inside lane to move his No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry XSE up within the top five just before entering Turn 1. Amid more bumps and side-by-side action within the field, the caution quickly returned after McDowell and Stenhouse bumped against one another and proceeded to send Chastain for a spin in Turn 1 while LaJoie slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting Chastain’s No. 1 Busch Light Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The incident resulted in McDowell and Stenhouse rubbing fenders under a cautious pace to express their displeasure towards one another. Meanwhile, Reddick, who made the three-wide move during the restart, was assessed a restart violation and sent to the rear of the field for pulling out of line before reaching the start/finish line.

    During another Lap 78 restart, Gibbs muscled ahead of Logano and cleared the field through Turns 1 and 2. Entering Turn 3 and as Gibbs retained the lead, Larson bumped and sent Hamlin up the track and almost into the path of Byron, which enabled Larson to move into third place followed by Truex while Hamlin was left battling and bumping Busch for fifth place. Four laps later, Larson engaged in repetitive bumps into Logano’s rear bumper for the runner-up spot while Truex maintained his distance in fourth place. Amid the battles, Gibbs stretched his advantage to more than two seconds.

    By Lap 90, Gibbs was leading in his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE by more than two seconds over Logano, who was continuing to fend off Larson for the runner-up spot as Truex, Busch, Hamlin, Preece, Byron, Bowman and Blaney followed suit in a tight single-file line in the top 10.

    At the Lap 100 mark, Ty Gibbs continued to lead by more than two seconds over Logano while Larson, Truex, Busch, Hamlin, Preece, Byron, Blaney and Bowman continued to run in the top 10. Behind, Wallace occupied 11th place in front of Chastain, Bowman, Haley and Keselowski while Stenhouse, Reddick, McDowell, Nemechek, LaJoie and Gragson occupied the remaining top-21 spots on the track.

    With 35 laps remaining, Ty Gibbs retained the lead by within two seconds over Logano. By then, Busch was up in third place in his No. 8 Morgan & Morgan Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 followed by Hamlin and Truex while Blaney continued his late march to the front in sixth place. Meanwhile, Larson dropped to seventh ahead of teammate Byron, Briscoe and Wallace while Preece was down in 11th ahead of Chastain, Bowman, Haley and Keselowski.

    Down to the final 25 laps of the event and as the leaders were navigating through lapped traffic, Gibbs continued to lead despite having his advantage decreased to a second over a hard-charging Logano. Behind, Hamlin trailed in third place by two seconds while Busch and Truex followed suit in the top five. Gibbs would continue to lead Logano by more than a second with 20 laps remaining, all while trying to bump and place Chastain a lap down.

    With 14 laps remaining, Haley, who was having a steady run within the top 15, fell off the pace due to a mechanical issue to his No. 51 Walmart Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Amid the issue, he managed to coast his entry into the infield without drawing a caution. Amid Haley’s late issues, Gibbs retained the lead by a second over Logano.

    Then with 10 laps remaining, the caution flew after McDowell, who was battling Chastain for 13th place, made contact with Chastain through Turn 2, which resulted in the latter sending the former sideways as he spun his No. 34 Margaritaville at Sea Ford Mustang Dark Horse backward towards the outside wall in Turn 3.

    As the event restarted with 10 laps remaining, Gibbs and Logano briefly dueled for the lead through Turn 1 until Gibbs slipped and moved Logano up the track, which resulted with Logano getting sideways and losing his momentum as Hamlin issued his challenge for the lead beneath teammate Gibbs through Turn 2. Then in Turn 3, Hamlin moved into the lead over teammate Gibbs as Busch joined the battle and tried to shove Gibbs up the track in Turn 1 while Hamlin locked up his front tires. Hamlin, though, maintained his ground through Turn 2 over teammate Gibbs and Busch while Logano was mired back in sixth behind teammate Blaney and Larson.

    With seven laps remaining, Hamlin went wide entering Turn 1, which allowed teammate Gibbs to draw even with Hamlin entering Turn 2 until Hamlin quickly rocketed back ahead with the lead. Hamlin would continue to retain the lead by a tight margin over teammate Gibbs, Busch and Blaney with five laps remaining despite getting constantly bumped by Gibbs through the turns.

    With four laps remaining, however, Gibbs overshot Turn 1, which allowed Busch to draw even with Gibbs entering Turn 2. As Busch and Gibbs made contact entering Turn 3, Blaney tried to shove his way in between both, but Busch assumed the runner-up spot during the following lap. Blaney would follow suit into third place followed by Logano as Gibbs fell back to fifth. Then just as Hamlin was about to start the final lap of the event, the caution flew after Gibbs was bumped and sent for a spin off the front nose of Larson in Turn 3 as he plummeted below the leaderboard.

    With the field restarting under green for a two-lap shootout to conclude the event, where Hamlin and Blaney occupied the front row, Hamlin launched ahead from the inside lane as he fended off both Blaney and Busch through Turns 1 and 2. Despite locking up his tires entering Turn 3, which allowed Busch to try and get to Hamlin’s rear bumper, Hamlin maintained the top spot as he started the final lap of the event.

    During the final lap, Hamlin again locked up his front tires entering Turn 1, which nearly provided another opportunity for Busch to use the bumper. Hamlin, though, managed to pull away from the field through Turn 2. With Hamlin placing a reasonable gap between himself and Busch with the lead through Turn 3, he was able to smoothly navigate his way to the fourth turn and streak across the finish line to claim the first checkered flag of the 2024 Cup Series season.

    With the victory, Hamlin notched his fourth career victory in The Clash, which makes him the second-winningest competitor in The Clash behind Dale Earnhardt, who has six Clash victories, and his first in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. He also recorded the first NASCAR victory for the new Toyota Camry XSE Cup Series’ stock car as the nameplate racked up its eighth victory in The Clash. The 2024 Clash victory was also the fourth in five years and the 12th overall for Joe Gibbs Racing.

    “A lot of it was just what happened in front of me, with [Gibbs] and [Logano], and you just never know what was going to happen there, but I got a really good run off of Turn 2 and just got position and was able to hang on from there,” Hamlin said on FS1. “It’s so chaotic, the restarts, with everyone just bumping and banging, but it feels great to win here at [Los Angeles]. [The win]’s just a great momentum boost. It doesn’t do much more than that, but I’ve cleaned off all the trophies every January 1st into the entryway of the house and now, we get to add one pretty quick. Really happy about that.”

    Meanwhile, Kyle Busch, a two-time winner of The Clash, settled in the runner-up spot for the second time in three years while Ryan Blaney, the reigning Cup Series champion, navigated his way from the rear of the field to settle in third place. Amid the disappointment of ending up in second place in The Clash, Busch remained optimistic ahead of the 2024 season.

    “[The runner-up finish] definitely does sting,” Busch said. “I felt like the first half [of the race], we were better. [I] Had a better car than [Hamlin], but some of the adjustments we made weren’t as good, some of the adjustments they made were better. All in all, just glad to have a good night. Glad to come out of here in one piece, even with all the bumping and banging and everything else that happens. We’ll try to figure out rest of the year.”

    Logano, who led eight laps, came home in fourth place followed by Larson while Bowman, Briscoe, Brad Keselowski, Truex and Byron finished in the top 10. Notably, Ty Gibbs, who led a race-high 84 laps, ended up in 18th place, the final competitor on the lead lap.

    There were seven lead changes for four different leaders. The race featured a total of seven cautions.

    Results.

    1. Denny Hamlin, 58 laps led

    2. Kyle Busch

    3. Ryan Blaney

    4. Joey Logano, eight laps led

    5. Kyle Larson

    6. Alex Bowman

    7. Chase Briscoe

    8. Brad Keselowski, one lap led

    9. Martin Truex Jr.

    10. William Byron

    11. Ryan Preece

    12. Bubba Wallace

    13. John Hunter Nemechek

    14. Tyler Reddick

    15. Ross Chastain

    16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    17. Corey LaJoie

    18. Ty Gibs, 84 laps led

    19. Michael McDowell, one lap down

    20. Noah Gragson, three laps down

    21. Justin Haley – OUT, Engine

    22. Chase Elliott – OUT, Steering

    23. Todd Gilliland – OUT, Brakes

    The NASCAR Cup Series teams and competitors will be taking a one-week break before returning to action at Daytona International Speedway in preparation for the 66th running of the Daytona 500. Qualifying that will determine the front row for the main event will occur on February 14 and air at 8:15 p.m. ET on FS1 while the rest of the lineup will be determined through the Bluegreen Vacation Duels on February 15, beginning at 7 p.m. ET on FS1. The Daytona 500, which will officially launch NASCAR’s 76th season of competition, is scheduled to commence on February 18 with the event’s coverage to occur at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • Shane van Gisbergen joins Kaulig Racing for part-time Cup Series effort in 2024

    Shane van Gisbergen joins Kaulig Racing for part-time Cup Series effort in 2024

    Shane van Gisbergen will be competing in seven NASCAR Cup Series events in a joint effort between Kaulig Racing and Trackhouse Racing for the 2024 season.

    The news comes as the three-time Supercars champion from Auckland, New Zealand, is set to compete with Kaulig for the upcoming Xfinity Series season on a full-time basis while under contract with Trackhouse Racing.

    Van Gisbergen will be piloting Kaulig’s No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry that will serve as the team’s “all-star” entry, where AJ Allmendinger and Josh Williams will also make select Cup starts throughout the 2024 season while Travis Mack will serve as the entry’s crew chief. The New Zealander will make his first start of the season at Circuit of the Americas in late March. His other Cup starts include both Talladega Superspeedway events (April & October), the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (May), the Chicago Street Course (July), Watkins Glen International (September) and at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (October). During the Cup events, he will compete alongside Daniel Hemric, who will be piloting Kaulig’s No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 on a full-time basis.

    “When I first started talking with Trackhouse about moving to the U.S., we had no idea how many races we could secure but I knew I wanted to be with that team and organization,” van Gisbergen said. “There has been a lot of hard work to get to this point and I could not be happier to know that I get to race for an Xfinity Series championship and then get a proper go at the Cup Series on road courses and ovals. Kaulig is a proven winner in both the Xfinity and the Cup Series, and I know with the alliance with Trackhouse, this will be an incredible first year for me in NASCAR.”

    Van Gisbergen took the NASCAR competition by storm during the 2023 season when he piloted Trackhouse Racing’s PROJECT91 entry to his first Cup Series win in his series’ debut at Chicago last July. In doing so, he became the 204th different competitor to win in NASCAR’s premier series and the seventh to do so in a Cup debut. He would proceed to finish 10th in his second Cup career start at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and 19th in his Craftsman Truck Series debut at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, both occurring in August, all of which elevated his interest in transitioning from Supercars to NASCAR competition in the years to follow.

    Last September, van Gisbergen was announced to participate across NASCAR’s top three national touring series for the 2024 season as part of a development deal with Trackhouse Racing. Three months later, an alliance was formed with Kaulig Racing that would result in van Gisbergen inking a full-time Xfinity Series ride and a part-time Cup Series campaign. He will compete alongside Allmendinger and Josh Williams as full-time Xfinity competitors while Daniel Dye will make 10 Xfinity starts this upcoming season.

    In addition to his Xfinity and Cup efforts, van Gisbergen is set to compete in this year’s ARCA Menards Series’ season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway with Pinnacle Racing Group two weeks from now to receive approval to compete in superspeedway venues in NASCAR.

    “I’m excited to work with Trackhouse and have Shane join our Cup program this season,” Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing, said. “When we locked in [Shane van Gisbergen] for the Xfinity Series, it just became a natural next step on the Cup side since we have all the existing infrastructure and a relationship with the pit crews. Remember, SVG had to pass our car to win the Chicago race. We finished second. So, now we get to race with him which is kind of awesome.”

    “Shane is one of the best talents I’ve ever seen.” Justin Marks, owner of Trackhouse Racing, added. “We know he will be competitive on the road courses, so we needed to challenge him and ourselves on oval tracks against Cup Series drivers. This is a big freshman season for Shane, and I really appreciate Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice for helping us bring this to life.”

    Shane van Gisbergen’s 2024 part-time Cup Series campaign with Kaulig Racing is set to commence at Circuit of the Americas for the fourth annual running of the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. The event is scheduled to occur on March 24 and air at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • Busch Light Clash weekend schedule and format

    Busch Light Clash weekend schedule and format

    Please Note: NASCAR Schedule Change – The Cup Series practice and qualifying for the NASCAR Busch Light Clash have been moved to 5:35 p.m. ET. The Busch Light Clash will be at 8 p.m. ET tonight on FS1. The Mexico Series race will take place tonight following the Busch Light Clash on FS2. Heat Races and the Last Chance Qualifying Race have been canceled. The lineup (22 drivers) will be set by the fastest laps in final practice which will be televised on FS1. The 23rd position will be based on 2023 driver points.

    NASCAR travels to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the Busch Light Clash on Feb. 4. The exhibition race on the 0.25-mile asphalt oval will feature 36 Cup Series drivers vying for 23 spots and the opportunity to claim the trophy in this historic venue.

    The race will consist of 150 laps, only green flag laps will count and the race must finish under green.

    There will be three practice sessions on Saturday, set by 2023 owner points. The 2023 Cup Series champion (Ryan Blaney) will be in the third group, the driver second in points (Kyle Larson) will be in the second group, the driver third in points (William Byron) in the first group, and so on throughout the field.

    Group 1: William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Ross Chastain, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, Ty Gibbs, Josh Williams, Austin Cindric, Erik Jones, Chase Briscoe, Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith

    Group 2: Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Bubba Wallace, Alex Bowman, Ryan Preece, Corey LaJoie, Austin Dillon, John Hunter Nemechek and Justin Haley

    Group 3: Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott, Josh Berry, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Daniel Suarez, Noah Gragson, Daniel Hemric, Todd Gilliland, Harrison Burton and Kaz Grala

    Each driver’s fastest lap time from their final practice session will be used to determine the starting lineup for the four heat races.

    The four heat races will be 25 laps each with up to 10 drivers per heat. The lineup is set by practice times. The driver with the fastest practice time will claim the pole position in Heat 1, the second-fastest will start on the pole for Heat 2, the third-fastest on the pole for Heat 3, the fourth-fastest in practice will be on the pole for Heat 4 and so on throughout the field. Only green-flag laps will count in the heat races with no overtime.

    The top five finishers in each heat will advance to the Busch Light Clash while the drivers who finish below fifth will compete in the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ). The starting positions are determined by the finishing order in the heat races. The top two finishers in the LCQ advance to the Clash and start in positions 21 and 22. Again, only green-flag laps will count with no overtime.

    The final position is reserved for the driver who finished highest in the 2023 season points standings and did not transfer in the heat races or LCQ. Ryan Blaney, the 2023 Cup Series champion, is automatically locked into the Busch Light Clash.

    This year, the NASCAR Mexico Series will also compete in the famed Los Angeles Coliseum. NASCAR Cup Series regular, Daniel Suárez, a former participant in the Mexico Series, will drive a Jimmy Morales entry in the Mexico Series exhibition race with crew chief, José Blasco-Figueroa.

    The Clash at The Coliseum is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 4 at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on FOX with radio coverage provided by MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    All times are Eastern.

    Saturday, Feb. 3

    1:15 p.m.: Mexico Series Practice 1 – No TV
    2:45 p.m.: Mexico Series Practice 2 – No TV
    4:30 p.m.: Mexico Series Qualifying – FS1

    6 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    8:30 p.m.: Cup Series Heat Race 1 – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    8:45 p.m.: Cup Series Heat Race 2 – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    9 p.m.: Cup Series Heat Race 3 – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    9:15 p.m.: Cup Series Heat Race 4 – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM

    Sunday, Feb. 4

    4:30 p.m.: Mexico Series King Taco La Batalla en El Coliseo
    FS1/FOX Deportes/MRN/SiriusXM
    Distance: 37.5 miles (150 laps), 60 Minute Time Limit

    6:30 p.m.: Cup Series Last Chance Qualifying Race – FOX/MRN/SiriusXM
    Distance: 37.5 miles (150 green flag laps), Stage Break: Lap 75

    8 p.m.: Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum – FOX/MRN/SiriusXM
    Distance: 37.5 miles (150 laps) Stage Break: Lap 75
    The Purse: $2,210,000

    Post Race: NASCAR PressPass

    The starting lineup:

    1. Heat 1 winner
    2. Heat 2 winner
    3. Heat 3 winner
    4. Heat 4 winner
    5. Heat 1 – second place
    6. Heat 2 – second place
    7. Heat 3 – second place
    8. Heat 4 – second place
    9. Heat 1 – third place
    10. Heat 2 – third place
    11. Heat 3 – third place
    12. Heat 4 – third place
    13. Heat 1 – fourth place
    14. Heat 2 – fourth place
    15. Heat 3 – fourth place
    16. Heat 4 – fourth place
    17. Heat 1 – fifth place
    18. Heat 2 – fifth place
    19. Heat 3 – fifth place
    20. Heat 4 – fifth place
    21. Last Chance Qualifier Winner
    22. Last Chance Second Place
    23. Points Provisional – The driver who finished highest in the 2023 season points standings and did not transfer via the heat races or LCQ
  • Hamlin, Kyle Busch primed for milestone Clash starts

    Hamlin, Kyle Busch primed for milestone Clash starts

    With Kevin Harvick set to join the FOX Sports’ NASCAR broadcast team for the 2024 season following his retirement from full-time Cup Series competition, Denny Hamlin enters this year’s Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum weekend with the most starts in the Clash as an active Cup competitor at 18, all occurring in consecutive years.

    Hamlin and former teammate Kyle Busch, who has made 17 starts in the Clash, will also enter this weekend with potential milestone starts in the Clash set to occur. By earning a spot and competing in the main event at The Coliseum, Hamlin will tie Harvick, Ken Schrader and Rusty Wallace for having the fourth-most starts in the Clash at 19 while Busch will tie brother Kurt, Jimmie Johnson and Terry Labonte for eighth place in the Clash’s all-time starts list at 18.

    Hamlin’s debut in the Clash occurred during the 2006 season at Daytona International Speedway. By then, the Chesterfield, Virginia, native had made his first seven career starts in the Cup Series in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 11 FedEx entry in the second half of the 2005 season, where he recorded three top-10 results and notched his first career pole position at Phoenix Raceway in November, the latter of which earned him a spot into the 2006 Clash.

    During his first Clash start, Hamlin pulled the upset by leading three times for 16 laps and fending off a bevy of Cup stars amid a two-lap shootout to win the event and become the first Rookie-of-the-Year candidate to win the Clash. The Clash victory would serve as a pivotal moment for Hamlin, who would proceed to win his first two Cup points-paying victories by sweeping both Pocono Raceway events, qualifying for the Playoffs, settling in third place in the 2006 final driver’s standings and capturing the Rookie-of-the-Year title.

    Following the 2006 season, Hamlin finished no higher than ninth place during his next three starts at The Clash as he would be involved in two final lap accidents during the three years. Then after finishing in fifth place during the 2010 Clash event, Hamlin was in a prime position to win the 2011 Clash as he pulled a slingshot move on drafting partner Ryan Newman entering the frontstretch on the final lap and came across the finish line dead even with Kurt Busch. With Hamlin overtaking Newman’s No. 39 Wix Filters Chevrolet by racing below the double yellow line boundary zone, however, he was relegated to 12th place, the final competitor scored on the lead lap, as Busch would be awarded the victory.

    Three years later, Hamlin achieved his second career Clash victory after overtaking teammate Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski amid a three-wide pass for the lead with two laps remaining before steering his No. 11 FedEx Toyota to victory in an event where he led a race-high 27 laps and where only eight of 18 starters finished the event. Another two years later, the Virginia veteran would fend off a late challenge from former teammate Joey Logano amid an overtime shootout to claim his third Clash victory after retaining the lead before a multi-car wreck on the final lap that concluded the event under caution. Ironically, Hamlin, who led a race-high 39 laps, rallied from being involved in an early incident with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. During the 2016 season, he would proceed to win the 58th running of the Daytona 500 and achieve his first Great American Race victory after edging Martin Truex Jr. across the finish line by 0.010 seconds, which stands as the closet margin of victory in a 500 event.

    Following the 2016 Clash victory, Hamlin would finish no higher than sixth three times in the next five Clash events that continued to occur at Daytona. Since the Clash’s move to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2022, he has finished no higher than ninth, which occurred during the previous season’s event.

    Through 18 previous starts at The Clash, Hamlin has racked up a total of three victories, five top-five results, 10 top-10 results, 201 laps led and an average-finishing result of 9.89.

    Ironically, Kyle Busch’s first start in the Clash also occurred in 2006, a year after he won his first two Cup career victories, claimed his first pole position at Auto Club Speedway and achieved the 2005 Rookie-of-the-Year title. Driving the No. 5 CARQUEST Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, Busch ended up in 15th place despite leading four laps. The following season, the Las Vegas native led a race-high 39 laps and was leading with eight laps remaining until he was shoved out of both the lead and draft by Tony Stewart. Stewart would proceed to win while Busch, who dodged a final lap wreck, managed to finish seventh.

    After not being eligible to compete in the 2008 Clash due to not securing a pole position in 2007, Busch returned to the featured event in 2009. By then, he was campaigning in his second season piloting the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing and was coming off a season where he had notched 10 victories and finished in 10th place in the final standings. Ultimately, Busch would finish in 10th place after being involved in a final lap wreck and would finish fourth and 16th, respectively, during his next two Clash starts (2010-11).

    Then during the 2012 Clash, Busch achieved the impossible by rallying from two near spins amid a shower of sparks to draft Stewart to the lead on the final lap and pull a successful slingshot move on Stewart to win his first career Clash event by 0.013 seconds. By then, Busch recorded the fifth Clash career victory for Joe Gibbs Racing and the first for the Toyota nameplate. As noted earlier, Busch’s victory occurred after he slipped sideways twice on different occasions, but managed to straighten his car amid a shower of sparks to finish and ultimately, win the race.

    The first incident occurred with 28 laps remaining after Busch, who was carving his way to the front, attempted to turn left and move his No. 18 M&M’s Toyota in front of Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet amid the draft in Turn 1 when he made contact with Johnson and veered sideways twice through the superspeedway’s banked apron before managing to proceed without completely spinning sideways as the field scattered to avoid him. Then with two laps remaining, Busch was running in the runner-up spot behind Stewart and had Jeff Gordon drafting him through Turns 3 and 4 when Busch veered sideways off of Gordon’s No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet and triggered a multi-car wreck.

    As a result, Gordon was turned across the outside wall and sent on his side before he slid across the track and barrel-rolled three times entering the frontstretch before coming to rest on his roof. Amid the carnage, Busch veered sideways three times across the apron in a shower of sparks before he fully spun below the track entering the frontstretch and managed to keep his car intact before he proceeded and eventually navigated his way to victory.

    During his next eight starts in the Clash, Busch notched two top-three results and four top-10 finishes in the Clash, with his best result being a runner-up result in 2017 after edging Alex Bowman and Danica Patrick in a three-wide photo finish. Then in 2021, when the Clash occurred on the Daytona road-course layout for the first time, Busch capitalized on a final lap incident involving Ryan Blaney and reigning Cup Series champion Chase Elliott to storm to his second Clash career victory.

    Busch’s 2021 Clash victory would serve as the final time where the exhibition event occurred at Daytona International Speedway. For the previous two seasons, where the Clash occurred at The Coliseum, Busch has finished in the top three during both events. He finished in the runner-up spot behind Logano despite leading a race-high 64 laps and ended up in third place during the 2023 Clash in his first event driving the No. 8 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.

    Through 18 previous starts at The Clash, Busch has achieved two victories, seven top-five results, 12 top-10 results, 131 laps led and an average-finishing result of 7.71.

    Photo by David Myers for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    Currently, Hamlin and Kyle Busch are the top two active Cup Series competitors with the most starts in the Clash at 18 and 17, respectively, followed by Joey Logano (15), Martin Truex Jr. (12), Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski (nine) and Kyle Larson (eight), as they attempt to race their way into the main event to extend their current starts streak in The Clash and contend for more victories.

    Hamlin’s three Clash victories place him in a four-way tie with Dale Jarrett, Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick for the second-most wins in The Clash while Dale Earnhardt holds the record for most Clash wins at six. Meanwhile, Busch is tied with Neil Bonnett, Ken Schrader, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano for the third-most Clash victories at two.

    The starting lineup for the 2024 Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will be determined through four Heat Race qualifying events that will set the majority of the grid and occur on Saturday, February 3, beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1 followed by a 75-lap Last Chance Qualifying Race that will occur on Sunday, February 4, at 6:30 p.m. on FOX. Afterward, 23 competitors from a field of 40 will make the main event, The Clash, which will occur on Sunday and air at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • NASCAR Cup Series: First-time winner(s) in 2024?

    NASCAR Cup Series: First-time winner(s) in 2024?

    In 75 years of NASCAR competition, a total of 204 competitors have achieved at least one victory in the sport’s premier series: the Cup Series.

    The commencement of the list of Cup Series winners dates back to June 19, 1949, when Jim Roper, a native of Halstead, Kansas, won NASCAR’s first-ever event at Charlotte Speedway after initial winner Glenn Dunaway was disqualified due to illegal springs being detected in his race-winning car during the post-race inspection process.

    The most recent occurrence of a first-time Cup Series winner was during NASCAR’s inaugural event on the Streets of Chicago this past July when Shane van Gisbergen, a three-time Supercars champion from Auckland, New Zealand, won in his series debut while driving Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 entry. In winning at Chicago, van Gisbergen became the seventh different competitor to win in a Cup Series debut, a feat that includes Roper, Jack White, Harold Kite, Leon Sales, Marvin Burke and Johnny Rutherford.

    Over the last decade (2014-23), 22 competitors won for the first time in the Cup Series, minus the 2015 season that featured no first-time winners. The list of 22 first-time winners between the 2014-23 seasons is more than the list between the 1974-83 seasons (14), the 1984-93 seasons (15) and the 2004-13 seasons (17), but the same as between the 1994-2003 seasons combined. Currently, the season that holds the all-time record of occurrences of first-time Cup winners is 1950, which featured 12 first-timers, including the season’s eventual champion Bill Rexford.

    During the last decade (2014-23), a Cup Series season featured on average two first-time winners, minus the 2017 and 2021 seasons that featured three. Another season within the last decade that did not feature two first-time winners is 2022. Instead, it was a season that featured five first-timers (Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Tyler Reddick and Daniel Suarez) stapling their names among NASCAR’s elite, from the past to the present and future, as winners in NASCAR’s premier series. The previous season with the most first-time winners was back in 2011, which also featured five first-time winners (Marcos Ambrose, Trevor Bayne, Paul Menard, David Ragan and Regan Smith).

    To date, the 2011 and 2022 seasons along with the 2001 and 2002 seasons hold the record with the most first-time winners in the modern era of NASCAR at five each. Between 2001 and 2002, the following names that include Johnny Benson Jr., Kurt Busch, Ricky Craven, Robby Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, Elliott Sadler and Michael Waltrip each scored their first Cup career victory.

    Additional names that have won in the Cup Series for the first time from 2003 to 2023 include AJ Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Christopher Bell, Greg Biffle, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Chris Buescher, William Byron, Cole Custer, Austin Dillon, Carl Edwards, Chase Elliott, Justin Haley, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Erik Jones, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Michael McDowell, Casey Mears, Juan Pablo Montoya, David Reutimann, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Martin Truex Jr., Brian Vickers and Bubba Wallace.

    From the list of 49 first-time winners between 2001 to 2023, 37 would proceed to win multiple Cup events. In addition, 10 would become Cup Series champions and 12 would become Daytona 500 champions.

    With the 2024 season set to present a new season of Cup Series competition, beginning this upcoming weekend for the third annual running of the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, it also presents an array of opportunities for a bevy of competitors, new and familiar, to elevate their names and achieve the title of race winner in NASCAR’s premier series.

    The competitor who leads the group of potential first-time Cup Series winners entering the 2024 season is Ty Gibbs. The 21-year-old Gibbs, who is the grandson of NASCAR championship-winning team owner and Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs from Charlotte, North Carolina, is coming off his first full-time campaign in the Cup Series, where he achieved the 2023 Rookie-of-the-Year title on the strength of four top-five results, 10 top-10 results, 112 laps led, an average-finishing result of 18.4 and an 18th-place finish in the final standings.

    A former champion of both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the ARCA Menards Series divisions, Gibbs’ highest finish in the Cup Series is fourth place, which occurred at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course last October. He also displayed a strong performance at Bristol Motor Speedway last September, where he led 102 laps before finishing fifth. Having completed his first full-time Cup season, new goals await for Gibbs and the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry XSE team in the form of achieving a first Cup victory, making the Playoffs and continuing to make the presence of running towards the front known frequently.

    Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    Another name that stands out as a potential first-time winner is Josh Berry. The 33-year-old Berry from Hendersonville, Tennessee, graduates to the Cup Series to drive the No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing as he replaces the 2014 Cup champion Kevin Harvick, who retired at the 2023 season’s conclusion. Berry, a former champion of the CARS Late Model Stock Tour is the all-time wins leader in the series and spent the bulk of his career competing in late models and earning his way toward the top level of stock car competition.

    He spent the previous three seasons as an Xfinity Series competitor for JR Motorsports, where he made the Playoffs during the last two seasons, made the Championship 4 round in 2022, and notched five series victories. He has also made 10 career starts in the Cup Series, with his first two occurring with Spire Motorsports in 2021.

    This past season, he made 10 Cup starts as an interim competitor between Hendrick Motorsports and Legacy Motor Club, where he filled in for top names that included Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman and Noah Gragson. During the short stint, he piloted Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 48 Chevrolet to a non-points victory in the NASCAR All-Star Race Open at North Wilkesboro Speedway that allowed him to compete in his first All-Star Race in May. He also piloted the No. 9 Chevrolet to a career-best runner-up finish behind teammate Kyle Larson at Richmond Raceway in April. With a new opportunity in the form of a new seat in a new team earned for him in 2024, the next goal for Berry is to earn a first Cup career victory.

    Next is Harrison Burton, who returns to pilot the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse for a third consecutive Cup season. A 23-year-old, second-generation racer from Huntersville, North Carolina, Burton, who is also the 2017 ARCA Menards Series East champion and a four-time Xfinity Series race winner, is coming off two consecutive seasons in the Cup Series. During those two seasons, he has tallied only a total of four top-10 results, 60 laps led, average-finishing results outside the top-20 mark and final points results below the top-25 mark. His best on-track result was a third-place finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in July 2022.

    Amid the on-track difficulties, Burton remains optimistic about turning the tide and regaining his competitiveness from his early racing career that would enable him to join his father Jeff, and Uncle Ward, as Cup Series winners. Should Burton accomplish his goal of winning in 2024, he would also strike gold in recording the elusive 100th Cup career win for Wood Brothers Racing, a goal that has eluded the organization since 2017.

    After relinquishing his full-time seat at Front Row Motorsports for select events but managing to compete the entire 36-race schedule with select starts with Rick Ware Racing last season, Todd Gilliland reclaims his seat in FRM’s No. 38 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for the entire 2024 season. Like Burton, the 23-year-old, second-generation Gilliland from Sherrills Ford, North Carolina, is also a two-time ARCA Menards Series West champion and a three-time Craftsman Truck Series race winner. is coming off two full-time Cup seasons, where he has only achieved a single top-five result, six top-10 results, 11 laps led, average-finishing results outside the top-20 mark and two consecutive 28th-place finishes in the final standings, with his best result being a fourth-place finish at Indianapolis in July 2022.

    Compared to his rookie season in 2022, Gilliland steadily improved his stats to notch 11 top-15 results this past season, which is seven more than the 2022 season, and he tallied a total of 554 points at this season’s conclusion, which is 23 points extra than the previous season. With Front Row Motorsports slowly becoming competitive on a weekly basis and coming off a dominant victory at Indianapolis with teammate Michael McDowell that enabled them to contend in the first round of the 2023 Cup Playoffs, the next step for Gilliland remains to gain more consistency that would enable him to contend for victories with FRM and become the first member of the Gilliland racing family to win in the Cup Series.

    Photo by Chad Wells for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    Coming off his strongest Cup Series season to date, Corey LaJoie enters the 2024 season with an aim to continue to elevate both himself and Spire Motorsports from the midfield to the front on a consistent basis that would enable both to motor their way to Victory Lane. The 32-year-old, third-generation LaJoie from Kannapolis, North Carolina, is coming off his fifth full-time season in NASCAR’s premier series, second piloting the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports, where he recorded career-high stats in top fives (two), top 10s (three) and laps led (66) as he also notched a career-best average-finishing result of 20.8 on the strength of 18 top-20 results and a career-best 25th place in the final standings. Throughout the season, he scored a career-best fourth-place finish twice, the first at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March and the second at Talladega Superspeedway in October, and made a single start in Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 9 entry in place of the suspended Chase Elliott at World Wide Technology Raceway in June, where he finished 21st.

    LaJoie’s closet opportunity to win a first Cup event still dates back to July 2022 at Atlanta, where he led 19 laps and was leading during a three-lap shootout until he was overtaken by Elliott during the final lap and wrecked on the final lap while trying to overtake Elliott through the first turn as he plummeted to 21st place in the final running order. Compared to the 2022 season, where he ended up with eight DNFs throughout the 36-race schedule, LaJoie was the only competitor to sustain no DNFs throughout the 2023 campaign, which marks a drastic level of improvement amid a rocky start to his career as the driver strives to march closer to the front and contend for the first Cup victory regularly beyond superspeedway venues.

    Coming off a difficult first-time campaign with Stewart-Haas Racing, Ryan Preece aims to turn the tide amid the on-track struggles directed to SHR and Preece’s No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry entering the 2024 Cup season. The 33-year-old Preece from Berlin, Connecticut, who is the 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion and a race winner across the Truck and Xfinity Series divisions, made his return to full-time Cup competition after previously competing in the series from 2019 to 2021 with JTG-Daugherty Racing.

    Amid five DNFs throughout the 2023 season, including a harrowing barrel-roll accident at Daytona in August while contending for a Playoff berth, Preece managed to pilot SHR’s No. 41 entry to 12 top-15 results and 19 top-20 results throughout the 36-race campaign before settling in 23rd place in the final standings. With Richmond Raceway in late July providing his best run of the season in fifth place, he notched his first pole at Martinsville Speedway in April in an event where he led the first 135 laps before he was penalized early for speeding on pit road and rallying up to 15th place. He also displayed a strong performance during last year’s Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum, where he led a race-high 43 laps before fading to seventh place. After concluding the 2023 season with a steady gain in the form of five top-15 results in the final eight-scheduled events, the next step for Preece involves steadily gaining consistency within the top-10 mark that would enable him to contend and add a Cup Series victory next to his accomplished modified tour resume.

    Within this year’s list of potential first-time Cup Series winners, the series will also feature two future stars who have been elevated from Truck Series competition to full-time Cup Series rookies in 2024.

    The first is Zane Smith, the 2022 Truck Series champion who won nine series races, including twice at Daytona, in four seasons (92 starts) and made 12 career starts in the Xfinity Series. The 24-year-old Smith from Huntington Beach, California, will pilot the No. 71 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports in collaboration with Trackhouse Racing, a team which Smith is under contract with on a multi-year basis. While Smith enters the Cup Series as a first-time full-time competitor, he does so with limited Cup starts noted on his resume as he made his series’ debut at World Wide Technology Raceway as an interim competitor for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing in 2022 before making eight starts between Front Row Motorsports and Rick Ware Racing this past season. His best result in the Cup circuit is a 10th-place run at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the Coca-Cola 600 in May followed by a 13th-place finish during the 65th running of the Daytona 500 in February. Having made his name known within the top ranks of NASCAR based on his Truck Series performance and championship, the next step for Smith will involve elevating himself amongst NASCAR’s elite as he contends for both his first series victory and the Rookie-of-the-Year title.

    Photo by Kirk Schroll for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    Another Cup Series rookie contender who has been elevated from the Truck Series is Carson Hocevar, a 21-year-old native from Portage, Michigan, who comes with three full-time seasons of Truck competition and a total of five Xfinity starts within his resume. A former winner of the Winchester 400, Hocevar is coming off a career year to date, where he notched his first four career victories in the Truck Series and transferred to the Championship 4 round before ending up in third place in the final standings while competing for Niece Motorsports. Amid his full-time Truck campaign, Hocevar made his first nine career starts in NASCAR’s premier series in 2023, with his first occurring at World Wide Technology Raceway in June. He then competed in eight of the final 10 races for Legacy Motor Club, where he achieved a season-best 11th-place result at Bristol in September. Driving the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports for the 2024 season, Hocevar aims to implement the select Cup starts gained throughout the 2023 season along with his early Truck Series success to gain consistency in NASCAR’s premier series that would enable him to contend for both a first Cup victory and this year’s Rookie-of-the-Year title.

    This year’s growing list of potential first-time winners also features a host of names who re-enter the series and aim for redemption by being consistently competitive against NASCAR’s elite. One of the names from this category is Noah Gragson, a competitor who was deemed a prominent star at the start of the 2023 season before his career was placed on a hiatus amid an off-track action that nearly derailed his path to becoming a future Cup Series winner and champion. After graduating to the Cup level with a full-time ride at Legacy Motor Club this past season, the 25-year-old Gragson from Las Vegas, Nevada, competed in 21 events, where he recorded an average-finishing result of 28.2 and a season-best 12th-place finish at Atlanta in March, before being suspended indefinitely from both Legacy Motor Club and NASCAR for violating the sport’s member conduct policy and liking an offensive meme on social media in early August.

    A month later, Gragson was reinstated by NASCAR after completing the sport’s diversity and inclusion program. Another three months later, the opportunity for him to return to the Cup level arrived when he was selected as the driver of the No. 10 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing on a multiyear basis, beginning in 2024, as he replaced veteran Aric Almirola, who scaled back to competing on a part-time basis in the Xfinity Series.

    Before his suspension, Gragson had already developed a name for himself within the NASCAR ranks, having achieved victories across both the ARCA Menards Series East and West divisions along with the Truck and Xfinity circuits. His best results in championship standings are a pair of runner-up finishes, the first occurring during the 2018 Truck season and the second occurring during the 2022 Xfinity season. The Las Vegas native also campaigned in half of the Cup events throughout the 2022 season between Beard Motorsports, Kaulig Racing and Hendrick Motorsports, where he notched a strong fifth-place run at Daytona while driving the No. 62 Beard entry. With his past success, Gragson strives to make the most of a second opportunity and transform a hard-working, off-season period into success with a championship-winning organization.

    Another competitor who returns to full-time Cup Series competition for a second opportunity amid a five-year absence is Daniel Hemric. The 33-year-old Hemric from Kannapolis, North Carolina, who also won the 2010 Legends Million, made his first two Cup career starts in 2018 with Richard Childress Racing before achieving a full-time Cup ride in RCR’s No. 8 entry in 2019. Despite claiming the rookie title, Hemric, who only notched one pole, two top-10 results with an average-finish result of 22.5, was replaced by Tyler Reddick before the 2020 season.

    Since the 2020 season, the North Carolina native scaled back down to the Xfinity Series, a series in which he made two Championship 4 appearances in 2017 and 2018, where he started as a part-time competitor for JR Motorsports before returning as a full-time competitor in 2021 with Joe Gibbs Racing. During his series’ return, Hemric achieved a breakthrough moment by achieving both his first Xfinity victory and championship during the 2021 finale at Phoenix. He also recorded a pole, 31 top-five results, 65 top-10 results and nearly 800 laps led while also achieving three Playoff appearances.

    With Hemric coming off two full-time Xfinity seasons with Kaulig Racing, where he made the Playoffs and ended up in the top 10 in the final standings during both seasons, an opportunity to return to Cup competition for this season was announced last August as he replaces the departing Justin Haley in Kaulig’s No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry. With his new Cup ride, the next step for Hemric involves striving to both keep his name in the series and continue to have the final word against his doubters for years to come.

    Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images.

    Like Hemric, John Hunter Nemechek experienced a similar path in having a first full-time Cup season marred with on-track challenges that resulted in him scaling back down in NASCAR’s divisional ranks and working his way back up to the top to obtain another opportunity to compete against NASCAR’s elite.

    A 26-year-old, second-generation racer from Mooresville, North Carolina, Nemechek’s inaugural presence in the Cup Series occurred in the final three events of the 2019 season, where he replaced Matt Tifft to drive for Front Row Motorsports before becoming a full-time FRM competitor in 2020.

    After only obtaining three top-10 results and finishing 27th in the final standings with an average-finishing result of 22.4, Nemechek made the big decision to scale back down to the Truck Series and join forces with Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2021 with a goal to win races and regain his competitiveness. Having previously achieved six Truck Series victories and two Playoff appearances in 2016 and 2017, Nemechek quickly regained his competitive form as he notched six victories between 2021 and 2022 with KBM, won the 2021 Truck Series Regular Season championship, clinched a Playoff berth during both seasons and the Championship 4 round in 2021, where he ended up in third place in the final standings.

    This past season, Nemechek, who competed for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series, nabbed seven victories and made it to the Championship 4 round, where he contended for the series’ title until a final lap incident during an overtime shootout resulted with the North Carolina native settling in fourth place in the final standings. Nonetheless, this past season marked Nemechek’s strongest in the Xfinity circuit as he ended up with an average-finishing result of 9.5 and finished in the top 10 in all but nine of the 33-race schedule. Now set to pilot the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE for Legacy Motor Club for the 2024 Cup season amid a rejuvenated, three-year climb back to the top, Nemechek next strives to both etch a new legacy towards his racing family and a new chapter to his racing career in the form of winning in the Cup Series.

    Lastly, this year’s list of potential first-time Cup winners features a host of names who will campaign in NASCAR’s premier series on a part-time basis, but remain on the radar for any element of potential on-track surprises. The first name within this category is Anthony Alfredo, who is currently scheduled to make two Cup starts in the No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry for Beard Motorsports, which includes this year’s 66th running of the Daytona 500. The 24-year-old Alfredo from Ridgefield, Connecticut, makes a limited return to the Cup circuit after campaigning in two events with Live Fast Motorsports this past season.

    Previously, he competed on a full-time Cup basis with Front Row Motorsports in 2021, where he recorded a single top-10 result, a total of five top-20 results and a 30th-place result in the final standings. To date, he has also made a total of 85 starts in the Xfinity Series and 13 in the Truck Series. Despite having his overall average-finishing result in the Cup circuit hovering outside of the top-25 mark, the Connecticut native’s previous successes of strong runs on superspeedway venues across NASCAR’s top three national touring series along with Beard Motorsports’ grit in vying for spots on superspeedway venues, including the Daytona 500, gives Alfredo a strong sense of optimism to place himself in a potential spot of vying for a victory in the Great American Race. Aside from his part-time Cup campaign, Alfredo is set to compete on a full-time basis in this year’s Xfinity season with Our Motorsports.

    After making select premier series starts in three of the previous four seasons, Kaz Grala will campaign in an expanded Cup slate of 26 races, 25 in the No. 15 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Rick Ware Racing and one in the No. 36 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse throughout Daytona Speedweeks as he attempts to qualify for this year’s 66th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

    The 25-year-old Grala from Boston, Massachusetts, notches Cup Series rides for the majority of the 2024 season after competing in this past season’s Xfinity Series circuit with Sam Hunt Racing, where he ended up in 17th place in the final driver’s standings on the strength of nine top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 19.1. In total, Grala has 77 Xfinity career starts and 51 Truck Series starts within his racing resume, with a single victory occurring during the Truck opener at Daytona in 2017.

    Meanwhile, the Boston native has only made seven Cup career starts, with his first occurring during the series’ inaugural event at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in 2020, where he achieved an impressive seventh-place result as a fill-in competitor for Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team after Dillon was absent following a positive COVID-19 test. His other Cup starts include three with Kaulig Racing in 2021 and three with The Money Team Racing in 2022, where he competed in the Daytona 500 during both seasons and notched a career-best sixth-place finish at Talladega in 2021.

    Amid his limited Cup starts, the newly formed alliance for Rick Ware Racing with Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, a championship-winning organization that achieved three victories and placed both owner Brad Keselowski and veteran Chris Buescher into the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs, gives both the team and driver a sense of optimism and excitement approaching the new season, with Grala striving to claw his way to the top amongst NASCAR’s elite. Grala’s 2024 campaign with Rick Ware Racing commences with this weekend’s Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum followed by Atlanta Motor Speedway in late February. The rest of his schedule with RWR remains to be determined.

    Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    More than two months after scoring a full-time seat in Kaulig Racing’s No. 11 entry for this year’s NASCAR Xfinity Series season, Josh Williams has scored again by notching a part-time Cup Series ride in Kaulig’s No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry, beginning this upcoming weekend at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the Busch Light Clash. The 30-year-old Williams from Port Charlotte, Florida, leaps into the spotlight amongst NASCAR’s elite with only three previous Cup starts listed in his extensive racing resume that includes 186 career starts in the Xfinity circuit, two in the Truck Series and 102 in the ARCA Menards Series.

    Within his three Cup career starts, all occurring with Live Fast Motorsports in 2022, the Floridian managed to finish on average 10 spots better than where he started, with his best results being a pair of 25th-place runs at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Course and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. Having full confidence in the team’s model and management amid the intensity to boost his performance, Williams strives to capitalize on the biggest opportunity of his racing career by being both consistent and competitive on the track that would enable him to contend for an Xfinity Series championship and potentially become a future Cup Series star. Following The Clash, Williams will make his first points-paying start of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway in late February while the rest of his schedule remains to be determined. He will have race-winning crew chief Travis Mack as his crew chief and share the No. 16 ride with veteran AJ Allmendinger while the rest of the entry’s driver lineup also remains to be determined.

    The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season is set to commence this Sunday, February 4, with the third annual running of the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum that will air at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. Afterward, the 66th running of the Daytona 500 will follow suit on February 18, which will serve as the first points-paying event on the schedule and provide one of 36 opportunities for any competitors listed above to achieve a first-time win in NASCAR’s premier series. The 2024 Daytona 500’s broadcast time is set to air at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Elimination Format: 10-Year Anniversary

    NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Elimination Format: 10-Year Anniversary

    Ten years ago on this day, January 30, NASCAR announced a major overhaul to the Cup Series Playoff system by revealing a new 10-week format and postseason battle for the championship. This new format places a heavy emphasis on winning throughout an entire season for an expanded postseason field. It also leaves very little room for error as the field narrows by quarter sections per round throughout the Playoffs until the last competitor standing after the finale will emerge as a champion in NASCAR’s premier series.

    From the new format, a victory for any full-time competitor who qualified and competed in every regular-season event on the schedule, from the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway through Race No. 26, the regular-season finale, would guarantee him/herself a berth for the 10-race Playoffs (except for waiver instances from NASCAR that would even grant those who did not compete the entire regular-season stretch to still be eligible to contend for the Playoffs). In addition, the Playoff field that started with 10 vacant spots (2004-06) and grew to 12 (2007-12) and 13 (2013) would expand to 16, with those accumulating the most regular-season victories along with points and a winless regular-season points leader (if needed due to less than 16 regular-season victors for the latter two categories) clinching spots for the postseason format.

    Once the Playoffs commenced, the first nine postseason events would be sliced into three per Playoff round and eliminate the bottom four competitors in the Playoff standings, from 16 to 12 to eight and lastly, four. Within the new elimination format, a victory within any round (maximum three for three races per round) would guarantee a Playoff competitor a spot into the proceeding round with the remaining vacant rounds being set by those highest in points. After each round, the remaining competitors who are still championship eligible would have their points reset while those who are eliminated would have their points total readjusted to the normal points format in sync with the rest of the field, but still eligible to battle as high as for fifth place in the standings.

    Once the Round of 8, the penultimate round, concluded, the top-four competitors in points would transfer to the Championship 4 round and square off against one another in the final event on the schedule. During the finale, the highest-finishing title contender would be awarded the Bill France Cup championship-winning trophy in NASCAR’s premier series.

    Since the inception of the current Playoff format (2014-23), a total of 40 competitors qualified for the Playoffs at least once, either by winning at least once throughout the regular-season stretch or based on points. In addition, 19 teams had at least one competitor/entry represented in the Playoffs. Through the 2023 season, the following names that include Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick are the only competitors to make the postseason since the current Playoff format’s debut in 2014. Harvick, however, is set to depart this list after retiring from full-time Cup Series competition as he is replaced by incoming rookie Josh Berry for the 2024 season.

    Within the list of 40 names, 19 clinched a Playoff spot by winning for the first time in the Cup Series in the process. In 2014, Aric Almirola and AJ Allmendinger guaranteed themselves first-time opportunities to make the Playoffs and contend for a championship after both scored their first Cup career victory throughout the regular-season stretch. Additional names of first-time winners claiming automatic berths to the Playoffs from 2014 to 2023 include Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, Chase Briscoe, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Cole Custer, Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, Kyle Larson, Michael McDowell, Tyler Reddick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Daniel Suarez. The most recent newcomer to the Playoffs is Bubba Wallace, who secured the 16th and final transfer berth into the 2023 Playoffs based on points.

    Of the 40 Playoff qualifiers recorded, 16 transferred to the Championship 4 round and contended for a Cup Series championship. Of the 16 finalists, eight won a championship. Of the eight championship-winning competitors, seven became first-time Cup champions. During the current Playoff’s inaugural use in 2014, Kevin Harvick achieved his first Cup title after fending off a late charge from title rival Ryan Newman to also win the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in his first season driving for Stewart-Haas Racing.

    Most recently, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney etched his name as a first-time Cup champion in 2023 after emerging as the highest-finishing title contender over Kyle Larson, William Byron and Christopher Bell during the season’s finale at Phoenix Raceway. Other notable names who became first-time champions from the format include Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. The only competitor who had previously won a championship during the Playoff’s former use from 2004 to 2013 and proceeded to win again during the Playoff’s current use is Jimmie Johnson, who joined Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt as the only competitors to win a record-tying seven titles in 2016. From the list of seven competitors who became first-time champions, Busch and Logano would each proceed to win a second Cup title (2019 & 2022).

    With the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season set to mark the 11th consecutive season of the current Playoff format’s use, it presents an abundance of new memories toward the postseason battle for the premier series championship that remains to be determined with the commencement of this year’s Playoffs.

    With this year’s Cup Series regular-season finale occurring at Darlington Raceway on September 1, the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs are scheduled to commence at Atlanta Motor Speedway a week later, on September 8, and air at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network. The 2024 Cup Series Championship Race is set to return to Phoenix Raceway for a fifth consecutive season and air on November 10 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Darlington Raceway selects grassroots racing theme for Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR, May 10-12

    Darlington Raceway selects grassroots racing theme for Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR, May 10-12

    Darlington Raceway announced today that the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR will be making its return to the track Too Tough to Tame during the Goodyear 400 weekend, May 10-12. This year’s theme – Celebrate our Roots through Grassroots Racing – will honor the racing origins of drivers, owners, team members, and NASCAR as a whole.

    “We’re honored to continue the tradition of hosting NASCAR’s Official Throwback Weekend in the spring,” said Darlington Raceway President Josh Harris. “Grassroots racing is the lifeblood of our sport, and providing our industry with a chance to pay tribute to their grassroots origin story acknowledges the importance that it plays in the past, present and future of NASCAR.”

    Every driver has a story about their rise through grassroots/local track racing that led them to one of NASCAR’s national series, and they will each have the opportunity to celebrate their ascent with paint schemes that harken back to the beginning of their racing careers. Drivers will simultaneously be able to utilize Throwback Weekend to amplify their ongoing efforts to support grassroots racing and tell their story.

    NASCAR and Darlington Raceway will also showcase historic local racetracks and drivers in the region for long-time fans to appreciate and new fans to discover.  Throughout the weekend, those in attendance can expect several displays and events that highlight the history and importance of grassroots racing across the country.

    The Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR begins with the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race on Friday, May 10, at 7:30 p.m. Then, the action will continue into Saturday, May 11, with the NASCAR Xfinity Series Race at 1:30 p.m. Finally, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will pay homage to their grassroots origins in the Goodyear 400 on Sunday, May 12, at 3:00 p.m.

    NASCAR fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets via phone at 866-459-7223 or online at darlingtonraceway.com while supplies last.

    — Darlington Raceway —

  • Kaz Grala to Attempt Daytona 500 with Front Row Motorsports

    Kaz Grala to Attempt Daytona 500 with Front Row Motorsports

    Ruedebusch Development and Construction to Primary Sponsor No. 36 Entry

    MOORESVILLE, N.C. (January 23, 2024) – Front Row Motorsports (FRM) will once again attempt a third entry in the Great American Race. This year, Kaz Grala will be behind the No. 36 Ford Mustang Dark Horse during Daytona Speedweek. Ruedebusch Development and Construction will partner with FRM and Grala to qualify for the most prestigious race in NASCAR.

    FRM has had recent success with its third entry at the Daytona 500. In 2019, Matt Tifft raced the No. 36 into the “500” before David Ragan qualified the No. 36 in the race in both 2020 and 2021. In partnership with Rick Ware Racing, Ragan finished fourth in the FRM-prepared No. 36 Ford in the Daytona 500. FRM did not attempt a third entry in 2022 and last year Zane Smith put the No. 36 Ford back in the event with a 13th-place finish.

    On a streak of his own, Grala will be attempting his third Daytona 500 start. He has made the Super Bowl of Racing in his two previous attempts on the famed superspeedway, finishing 28th in 2021 and 26th in 2022. He did not attempt last season.

    “I have to thank Bob (Jenkins) and Carl (Ruedebusch) for this opportunity to return to the Daytona 500,” said Grala. “Qualifying is so unique for the 500 and it is the toughest challenge, mentally, on a driver and team as you prepare a car, qualify, and then race the 150. But I know the car we have will be fast, the Ford engine from Roush Yates Engines will be the best out there, and I am ready. I feel this is one of my best chances at the Daytona 500 with everyone involved.”

    Grala will first take a qualifying time on Wednesday, February 14 to attempt to lock into the race through speed. Grala and the team can also race their way into the Daytona 500 through Thursday night’s Duel event qualifying races.

    About Front Row Motorsports

    Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.