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  • Nemechek rejoins Joe Gibbs Racing for three-race Xfinity schedule

    Nemechek rejoins Joe Gibbs Racing for three-race Xfinity schedule

    John Hunter Nemechek has been added to the list of competitors who will be piloting the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra on a part-time basis throughout the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

    The 24-year-old second-generation Nemechek from Mooresville, North Carolina, will be making his first Xfinity start in JGR’s No. 18 Toyota entry at Richmond Raceway on April 2 followed by Dover Motor Speedway on April 30. He will then make his third and final start in JGR’s equipment at Texas Motor Speedway on September 24 during the 2022 Xfinity Series Playoffs. With veteran Jason Ratcliff atop the pit box as the crew chief of JGR’s No. 18 team, Safeway, ACME and ROMCO will be sponsoring Nemechek’s three-race schedule with JGR.

    “I am really excited to have this opportunity to race again in JGR’s Xfinity Series program after the success we had last season,” Nemechek said. “We were able to pick up a win in just three starts and hopefully we can add to that success this season. I am also looking forward to working with crew chief Jason Ratcliff, who has found victory lane with a lot of different drivers over the year. I really appreciate the support of my long-term partners Safeway, ACME, and ROMCO for coming on board to support me and of course Toyota.”

    The 2022 season will mark Nemechek’s second part-time effort as an Xfinity competitor for JGR. He made his first start in the team’s No. 54 Toyota Supra last October at Talladega Superspeedway, where he finished 22nd. Two races later, he rebounded from a late pit road penalty by notching a dominant victory at Texas Motor Speedway, which marked his second career victory in the series and first since winning at Kansas Speedway in October 2018. Nemechek’s final start with JGR in 2021 occurred during the season finale event at Phoenix Raceway in November, where he finished in sixth place.

    Nemechek, who is campaigning in his second full-time season as a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitor for Kyle Busch Motorsports, is coming off back-to-back Xfinity Series starts of this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and at Phoenix Raceway, where he finished 12th and fifth respectively while driving for Sam Hunt Racing. He is scheduled to return to SHR for the series’ second trip to Las Vegas on October 15.

    “John Hunter was impressive in his starts with us last year and we’re excited to have him back this season to work with Jason (Ratcliff) and our 18 team for a few races,” Steve de Souza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series and Development for Joe Gibbs Racing, said. “He really has made the most of every opportunity and we expect he will run up front again in these races.”

    Nemechek is the fourth competitor alongside Drew Dollar, Trevor Bayne and Ryan Truex to be named a part-time competitor for Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota entry for this year’s Xfinity schedule. The No. 18 entry has achieved two top-five results through the first four scheduled events, both made by Bayne as he finished third at Auto Club Speedway and fourth at Phoenix Raceway. Bayne is scheduled to drive the No. 18 Toyota Supra this upcoming weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 19.

    The remainder of Joe Gibbs Racing’s driver lineup for the No. 18 team will be determined at a later date.

    Nemechek’s first Xfinity Series start of the season with Joe Gibbs Racing is scheduled to occur at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, April 2, with coverage to occur at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • 34th Annual Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Induction Ceremony Presented by Toyota Racing Features Past and Present Stars, Industry Leaders and Racing Legends from all Facets of Motorsports

    34th Annual Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Induction Ceremony Presented by Toyota Racing Features Past and Present Stars, Industry Leaders and Racing Legends from all Facets of Motorsports

    • Roger Penske, Donnie Allison, Larry Dixon, Jr., Lyn St. James, Mike Helton and More to Present Equally Accomplished Class of 2022 for Induction
    • Sold Out 34th Induction Ceremony Presented by Toyota Racing Crowning Event of Two-Day Class of 2022 Celebration in Daytona Beach March 7 and 8
    • Two-Time Indianapolis 500 Winner and 2009 Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) Inductee Al Unser Jr. Honorary Chair of 34th MSHFA Induction Ceremony Presented by Toyota Racing
    • 1985 Indianapolis 500 “Spin to Win” Panel Discussion and Q&A with Race Winner and 2012 MSHFA Inductee Danny Sullivan and Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles Just Added to 34th Induction Celebration Schedule
    • Tuesday Night Gala and Monday Afternoon “Spin to Win” Panel Livestreamed on MSHFA Facebook Page; Additional Inductee and Guest Interviews Air on MSHFA YouTube Channel in Live and Complementary Streaming Coverage Hosted by Ryan Myrehn from Tuesday Night Gala

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 6, 2022) — Past and present stars, top industry leaders and racing legends from all facets of the sport arrive in Daytona Beach early this week to honor the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America’s Class of 2022 in a two-day celebration culminating with the sold out 34th Induction Ceremony presented by Toyota Racing at the Shores Resort and Spa, March 8.

    The Motorsport Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) Class of 2022 includes the designer of the 1965 World Champion Cobra Daytona Coupes, Peter Brock (Sports Cars), record-equalling four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves (Open Wheel), the only person in history to win NHRA Top Fuel championships as a driver and crew chief, Dick LaHaie (Drag Racing), the Davidsons & Harley, founders of Harley-Davidson (Historic), “The Henry Ford of race cars,” NASCAR builder Banjo Matthews (Business), the first woman to receive the Ken W. Purdy Award for Excellence in Automotive Journalism, Autoweek cofounder Denise McCluggage (At Large), NASCAR cofounder and championship-winning team owner Raymond Parks (Historic), “The Cat in the Hat” who has masterminded more than 300 NASCAR wins, Jack Roush (Stock Cars) and motorcycle racing innovators who have won NHRA drag racing titles, AMA Supersport and Superbike titles, two Daytona 200s and more, Terry Vance & Byron Hines (Motorcycles).

    Several members of the Class of 2022 will be presented for induction into the MSHFA by an equally accomplished lineup of legends who are Hall of Famers already or are on the shortlist of future Hall of Famers.

    Fresh off sweeping the Daytona 500 and Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg season-opening NASCAR and NTT IndyCar races, Roger Penske (MSHFA Class of 1995 and pictured at top right in collage below) will present Castroneves for induction. Donnie Allison (MSHFA Class of 2011 and pictured at top center in collage below) will do the honors for his friend, car builder and team owner Matthews, while Larry Dixon, Jr. (pictured at top left in collage below) – fresh off his own MSHFA induction in the Class of 2021 – will present fellow NHRA Top Fuel Champion LaHaie. McCluggage will be lauded by Lyn St. James, an accomplished sports car driver herself and the 1992 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year.

    With two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr. (MSHFA Class of 2009) presiding over the Class of 2022 as the evening’s Honorary Chair, Tuesday’s Ceremony presented by Toyota Racing brings the two-day 34th MSHFA Induction Celebration to a close in an expanded schedule of what is now four must-attend events.

    The MSHFA Museum at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) is the site of the Heroes of Horsepower Reception presented by Firestone at 7 p.m. EST on Monday, March 7. Another sold-out event, this more casual get together allows guests to enjoy a strolling dinner while taking in the spectacle of the MSHFA Museum. The evening’s highlight is the unveiling of the nine new inductees’ bronze plaques that will be displayed permanently in the Hall.

    Another event central to the annual induction process is the Inductee Breakfast presented by American Honda that will take place on Tuesday, March 8 at 9:30 a.m. EST in the Rolex 24 Lounge in the DIS Stadium. The Inductee Breakfast features the formal induction of each year’s Historic category nominees that in 2022 includes the founders of iconic motorcycle brand Harley-Davidson and NASCAR pioneer Parks.

    Members of the famous Davidson and Harley families will both present and accept the honor on behalf of their ancestors while Mike Helton, NASCAR’s Vice Chairman, will present NASCAR pioneer Parks for induction.

    An all-new and recent addition to 2022’s Induction Celebration is a special 1985 Indianapolis 500 “Spin to Win” panel discussion and Q&A with race winner and 2012 MSHFA Inductee Danny Sullivan and Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles (pictured at top right in collage above). Scheduled for Monday, March 7 at 3 p.m. EST at the Shores Resort and Spa, the discussion will recount Sullivan’s 1985 victory and share some never-before-told stories on the famous spin that didn’t stop him from winning that year’s race (pictured at bottom in collage below). The event is open to all guests and ticket holders for 34th Induction Celebration events.

    David Hobbs (MSHFA Class of 2009) returns as the 34th Induction Master of Ceremonies and once again will be ably assisted by longtime motorsports broadcasting pro Marty Reid throughout the two-day celebration (pictured together at right in collage above).

    The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is offering three different livestreams of the 2022 Induction Celebration. Both the Tuesday Night Gala and Monday afternoon “Spin to Win” panel will be livestreamed on the MSHFA Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MotorsportsHOF. Monday’s “Spin to Win” show begins at 3 p.m. EST while Tuesday’s 34th Induction Gala, presented by Autoweek, goes live at 7:45 p.m. EST. A second livestream on the MSHFA YouTube Channel at the same 7:45 p.m. EST start time Tuesday night runs in tandem with the main Autoweek feed on Facebook and includes complementary and inductee and guest interviews with host Ryan Myrehn (pictured at left in collage above).

    For more information, visit the MSHFA at www.mshf.com or contact MHSFA President George Levy at (248) 895-1704 or glevy@mshf.com. For museum tickets call 1-800-PIT-SHOP.

    The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MotorsportsHOF/ and Instagram and Twitter at @MotorsportsHOF.

    About the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America: The MSHFA is the only hall that honors all American motorsports: cars, motorcycles, airplanes, off road and powerboats. Its mission is to celebrate and instill the American motorsports values of leadership, creativity, originality, teamwork and spirit of competition. Founded by Larry G. Ciancio and Ronald A. Watson, it held its first induction in 1989. Watson spent the next 30 years tirelessly building it into the nation’s premier such hall until his passing in 2019. The original museum in Novi, Mich., relocated to Daytona Beach, Fla., in 2016 and greets more than 100,000 guests a year. MSHFA is operated by the nonprofit Motorsports Museum and Hall of Fame of America Foundation, Inc.

  • Crafton to make 500th Camping World Truck Series career start at Las Vegas

    Crafton to make 500th Camping World Truck Series career start at Las Vegas

    A record-setting milestone start is in the making from Matt Crafton, three-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion and driver of the No. 88 ThorSport Racing Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Crafton, who enters his 22nd consecutive season of Truck competition, will achieve his 500th consecutive career start in the Truck circuit.

    A native of Tulare, California, Crafton made his inaugural presence in the Truck Series during the season finale at California Speedway in October 2000. By then, he had achieved the 2000 Featherlite Southwest Series championship. Driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for SealMaster Racing, Crafton started 17th and finished ninth. 

    The following season, Crafton took over the No. 88 Chevrolet for SealMaster Racing as a full-time Truck Series competitor. He commenced his first full-time season with a 27th-place result in the season-opening event at Daytona after retiring midway into the event due to an engine failure. He then went on to record 11 top-10 results throughout the 24-race schedule, including two season-best sixth-place results at Martinsville Speedway in April and at Pikes Peak International Raceway in May, before settling in 12th place in the final standings.

    After recording a total of 17 top-10 results between 2002 and 2003, with his best points result being 11th place in 2003, Crafton joined Kevin Harvick Inc. as driver of the No. 6 Chevrolet Silverado. He finished 19th during the season-opening event at Daytona, but proceeded to finish in the top five for the first six times in his career. His best results were a pair of third-place finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway in August and at Phoenix Raceway in November. To go along with a total of 17 top-10 results throughout the 25-race schedule, Crafton finished in fifth place in the final standings. By then, he surpassed 100 career starts in the Truck Series.

    Crafton, who was released by KHI at season’s end, rejoined ThorSport Racing for the 2005 Truck Series season as the team rebranded from SealMaster Racing during the previous season. In his return to ThorSport, he started on pole position for the first time in his career at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September. He also recorded two top-five results, a season-best fourth-place result at the Indianapolis Raceway Park in August and a total of 10 top-10 results before finishing in ninth place in the final standings. 

    From 2006 to 2007, Crafton achieved a total of five top-five results and 20 top-10 results, including three third-place results, as he notched an eighth-place result in the final standings in 2007. Four races into the 2008 Truck season, Crafton dodged a last lap collision between Kyle Busch and Johnny Benson Jr. to earn a career-best second-place result at Martinsville Speedway in March. Then two races later at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, he fended off the field during a two-lap shootout to score his first NASCAR Truck Series career victory in his 178th series start, which marks the most starts for a competitor prior to a first victory in the Truck circuit. In a season where he etched himself as a first-time NASCAR winner, Crafton also earned a total of nine top-five results and 12 top-10 results throughout the 25-race schedule before finishing in fifth place in the final standings.

    Despite going winless in 2009, Crafton endured a successful, consistent season, where he earned two poles, five runner-up results, 11 top-five results, 21 top-10 results, an average-finishing result of 6.7 and a career-best runner-up result in the final standings behind four-time champion Ron Hornaday Jr. By then, Crafton surpassed 200 career starts in the Truck Series. 

    After finishing in fourth place in the final standings during the 2010 season, where he also earned a pole, 10 top-five results and 20 top-10 results, Crafton snapped a two-year winless drought at Iowa Speedway in July 2011 and claimed his second Truck Series career victory after leading the final 12 laps while fending off Austin Dillon. While he earned an additional pole from the previous season, Crafton, however, earned less top-five and top-10 results from 2010 (five and 13), as he settled in eighth place in the final standings in 2011.

    The 2012 season featured a manufacturer change from Chevrolet to Toyota for Crafton and ThorSport Racing as the California veteran recorded a pole, eight top-five results, 14 top-10 results, an average-finishing result of 9.8 and a sixth-place result in the final standings. At Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September, Crafton had the lead late in the event until he was overtaken by Nelson Piquet Jr. on the final lap and settled in a close runner-up result.

    Crafton commenced the 2013 season, his 13th as a full-time Truck competitor, with three consecutive top-10 results, including a runner-up result behind teammate Johnny Sauter at Martinsville in March. Then at Kansas Speedway in April, Crafton notched his third career win in the Truck Series after leading the final 30 laps and holding off Joey Coulter. The victory vaulted Crafton to the top of the driver’s standings. From there, Crafton and the No. 88 ThorSport Racing Toyota Tundra team displayed a superb consistent season by finishing in the top 10 during the following 12 scheduled events. By then, he surpassed 300 consecutive career starts in the Truck Series. He then finished no lower than 17th during the following five events as he maintained the points lead. Entering the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November with a 46-point advantage over Ty Dillon, Crafton clinched his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship by starting his engine and rolling his truck out on the track for the pace laps. Despite being involved in a late incident and settling in 21st place in the final running order while on the lead lap, Crafton locked up his first title by 40 points over Dillon and became the first competitor to complete every lap of a Truck Series season. To go along with a first NASCAR title for himself and for ThorSport Racing, Crafton recorded seven top-five results, 19 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 7.9 throughout the 22-race schedule.

    The 2014 Truck Series season was an historic season for Crafton, who earned multiple victories in a season for the first time in his career and repeated as a champion. After finishing 13th during the season-opening event at Daytona, he persevered during a two-lap shootout to claim his fourth career victory at Martinsville in March. Four races later, he utilized fuel strategy to claim his fifth career win at Texas Motor Speedway in June. By September, Crafton was leading the driver’s standings and went on to claim his second consecutive Camping World Truck Series championship on a strength of 13 top-five results, 17 top-10 results and a career-best average-finishing result of 7.0. Overall, Crafton became the first NASCAR competitor to win back-to-back Truck Series championships.

    Crafton began his quest for a record-setting third consecutive Truck title during the 2015 season, which marked his 15th consecutive full-time season in the series, by finishing eighth at Daytona before notching his sixth career win at Atlanta Motor Speedway in late February. During the following eight scheduled events, he collected three additional victories at Kansas, Texas and Kentucky Speedway as he remained as the points leader. Over the next 12 events, Crafton won at Martinsville in late October and earned seven results in the top 10 as he remained in the championship battle between himself, Erik Jones and Tyler Reddick. Two late accidents and finishes outside of the top 20 at Talladega in October and at Phoenix Raceway in November, however, were enough to prevent Crafton’s opportunity in making history with a third consecutive title as he slipped into third place in the final standings. Nonetheless, Crafton went on to record his sixth victory of the season (a career best) during the finale at Homestead as he walked away from the 2015 season with four poles, 13 top-five results, 18 top-10 results, and an average-finishing result of 7.7 in 23 races.

    In 2016, Crafton earned back-to-back victories for the first time in his career after winning at Dover Motor Speedway and at Charlotte Motor Speedway in back-to-back weekends in May. He also earned an additional nine top-10 results throughout the 16-race regular season stretch as he emerged as one of eight competitors to qualify for the inaugural 2016 Truck Playoffs. Throughout the Playoffs, Crafton utilized consistency, including four results in the top 10 to transfer all the way to the Championship Round and contend for the title at Homestead in November. During the finale, however, Crafton finished seventh on the track, four spots behind title rival Johnny Sauter, as Sauter claimed the championship while Crafton settled in second place in the final standings. Overall, Crafton earned two victories, a pole, eight top-five results, 16 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 10.9 throughout the 23-race schedule.

    Crafton commenced the 2017 Truck Series season on a harrowing note after he was involved in a multi-truck wreck while leading on the final lap at Daytona, where he was clipped by teammate Ben Rhodes on the backstraightaway as Crafton’s No. 88 Toyota went airborne and barrel-rolled in the air before landing back down on all four wheels and coming to rest against the infield wall. He rallied from the incident by finishing second at Atlanta. Nine races later, Crafton snapped a 27-race winless drought by claiming his first victory of the season and the 14th of his career at Eldora Speedway in July. The Eldora win along with nine results in the top 10 throughout the 16-race regular season stretch were enough for the two-time champion to qualify for the 2017 Truck Playoffs. Despite earning five top-10 results throughout the Playoffs and reaching the Championship Round for a second consecutive season, Crafton ended up in sixth place during the finale at Homestead and in fourth place in the final standings behind Christopher Bell, Sauter and Austin Cindric. Crafton, though, was able to achieve a victory, a pole, five top-five results, 16 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 9.3 throughout the 23-race schedule as he even surpassed 400 consecutive career starts in the Truck Series. 

    Swapping to a new manufacturer from Toyota to Ford, Crafton endured an up-and-down season in 2018, where he earned a season-best runner-up result at Dover in May along with seven top-five results, 13 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 11.2 throughout the 23-race schedule. Despite making the 2018 Truck Playoffs, he was eliminated from championship contention following the Round of 6 and settled in sixth place in the final standings.

    Commencing the 2019 Truck season with a fifth-place result at Daytona, Crafton produced a consistent regular season stretch that included 14 results in the top 10 to secure the eighth and final spot to the Playoffs. He then returned to the Championship Round at Homestead in November after finishing in the top 10 in all but two Playoff events. Then at Homestead, Crafton finished in second place behind race winner Austin Hill, but managed to finish ahead of title rivals Ross Chastain, Brett Moffitt and Stewart Friesen to score his third Camping World Truck Series championship. With the result, Crafton, who recorded three poles, seven top-five results, 18 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 8.8 in 2019, became the first competitor to achieve a championship in a winless season since Austin Dillon made the last accomplishment during the 2013 Xfinity Series season. His three championships moved him into a tie with Jack Sprague for the second-most championships in the history of the Truck Series and one shy behind four-time champion Ron Hornaday Jr. 

    Campaigning in his 20th consecutive full-time season as a NASCAR Truck competitor, Crafton achieved four top-five results during the first nine scheduled events before snapping a 67-race winless drought and collecting his 15th career victory at Kansas Speedway in July. He went on to earn three additional results in the top five before the 2020 Truck Playoffs commenced. From the Round of 10 to 8, Crafton recorded six consecutive results in the top 10, but missed the cutoff to the Championship Round by three points as he settled in fifth place in the final standings.

    Reuniting with Toyota as his manufacturer in 2021, Crafton initiated the season with a 15th-place result at Daytona despite being involved in a multi-truck wreck on the final lap. He rallied with four top-10 results during the following seven races before finishing no higher than 15th during the next three. Crafton, nonetheless, was able to claim three consecutive top-six results before qualifying for the Playoffs. Finishing no lower than 14th throughout the Playoffs, he managed to return to the Championship Round at Phoenix Raceway in November. During the finale, however, Crafton finished 12th on the track and in fourth place in the final standings.

    The 2022 Truck Series season marks Crafton’s 22nd consecutive season of competition, where he is coming off a 27th-place result at Daytona after being involved in a late multi-truck wreck.

    Through 499 previous Truck starts, Crafton has achieved three championships, 15 victories, 16 poles, 130 top-five results, 300 top-10 results, nearly 2,700 laps led and an average-finishing result of 11.2.

    Crafton is schedule to make his 500th Camping World Truck Series consecutive career start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday, March 4, with the event scheduled to occur at 9 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • NASCAR 2022 driver and team updates

    NASCAR 2022 driver and team updates

    As the NASCAR season winds down, we typically look forward to all the driver and team announcements. This year, however, has given new meaning to the name, “silly season.”

    The biggest surprise came on June 30 when Chip Ganassi Racing announced the sale of its entire NASCAR operation to Trackhouse Racing Team, effective at the end of the 2021 season.

    While rumors had hinted of it in the preceding months, on July 20 it was confirmed that Brad Keselowski was leaving Penske Racing to drive the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford and will also have a minority ownership stake in the company.

    One of the most anticipated changes is the introduction of the Next Gen car in 2022. After months of testing, NASCAR announced on Dec. 21 that the 670 Horsepower and the 4-inch rear spoiler will be used for all tracks except for Daytona and Talladega which will have a “separate speedway package” with 510 Horsepower and a 7-inch rear spoiler.

    Please check out the list below for more NASCAR updates. Future news and announcements will be added regularly.

    Cup Series 2022 driver and team updates

    Anthony Alfredo

    Front Row Motorsports announced on Nov. 9 that Alfredo will not return to drive for the team in 2022. His future plans are to be determined.

    AJ Allmendinger

    In addition to competing full-time in the Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing, Allmendinger will also run part-time in the Cup Series for the team in the No. 16 car (16 races) sharing driving duties with Noah Gragson (14 races) and Daniel Hemric (nine races).

    Aric Almirola

    Stewart-Haas Racing announced on Jan. 4, 2022, that Drew Blickensderfer will serve as the crew chief for Almirola in the Cup Series this season. On Jan. 10, Almirola announced that he would be retiring at the end of the 2022 season.

    Josh Bilicki

    Spire Motorsports announced on Jan. 10 that Bilicki will drive the team’s No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro for the majority of the 2022 Cup Series race schedule. Kevin Bellicourt will return as crew chief for Bilicki and the other drivers who will compete in the No. 77. In addition to his Cup Series schedule, Alpha Prime Racing announced on Jan. 27 that Josh Bilicki will also compete in six races for them in the Xfinity Series that will include four road courses and two ovals in the No. 44 Chevrolet. Bilicki’s first race with Alpha Prime Racing will be at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) on March 26.

    Alex Bowman

    Hendrick Motorsports announced on June 18 that Bowman signed a two-year extension to drive the No. 48 Chevrolet in the Cup Series through 2023 with Ally Financial as his primary sponsor. With Bowman’s extension, all four HMS drivers have been resigned through 2022.

    Harrison Burton

    Burton will leave Joe Gibbs Racing where he currently competes in the Xfinity Series to move up to the Cup Series in 2022 with Wood Brothers Racing. The press release on July 15 stated that sponsorship will be announced at a later date but would include support from Ford Quick Lane and Motorcraft. On Nov. 11 it was announced that Brian Wilson will serve as crew chief for Burton with Tyler Green as the spotter. 

    Kurt Busch

    After the announcement that Chip Ganassi Racing has been sold to Trackhouse Racing, Busch became a free agent. On August 27, 23XI Racing announced that Busch will join them as they field two full-time teams, alongside Bubba Wallace in his second year with 23XI. Busch will race the No. 45 Toyota with Monster Energy as a sponsor. It was confirmed on Nov. 16 that Billy Scott will be Busch’s crew chief. Jason Jarrett (Ryan Newman’s former spotter) will spot for Busch in 2022. 

    William Byron

    On Sept. 21, 2020, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Byron signed a contract extension through 2022. In June of this year, Rick Hendrick stated that his “plan is for Chase (Elliott) and William (Byron) to retire with us, so that’s an ongoing situation with me. I love the lineup right now, and I want to keep the band together.” Brandon Lines, spotter for Ryan Preece in 2021, will spot for Byron in 2022.

    Chris Buescher

    Buescher will continue to drive the No. 17 Ford for RFK Racing with Scott Graves as his crew chief. Graves began working with Buescher in Oct. 2021 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

    Ross Chastain

    On August 3, Trackhouse Racing announced that Chastain will join the team to drive the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro in the Cup Series. Another announcement was made on Oct. 25 stating that Phil Surgen will make the move with Chastain to continue as his crew chief at Trackhouse Racing.

    Austin Cindric

    After the news that Brad Keselowski was leaving Team Penske next season, it was announced that Cindric will move up from the Xfinity Series with Team Penske to take over Keselowski’s No. 2 Ford in the Cup Series in 2022. Jeremy Bullins will serve as Cindric’s crew chief with, spotter, Doug Campbell.

    Ty Dillon

    On Sunday, Oct. 10, it was announced that Dillon will drive full time in the No. 94 Chevrolet for GMS Racing (now Petty GMS Motorsports) in 2022 in their inaugural NASCAR Cup Series season. On Nov. 16, Jerame Donley, Ganassi engineer, was named as Dillon’s crew chief for next year.

    Chase Elliott

    On February 20, Hendrick Motorsports announced that they had signed a five-year contract extension with Elliott that will be in effect through the end of the 2027 racing season.

    Todd Gilliland

    On Nov. 30 it was announced that Gilliland will move up from the Camping World Truck Series to the Cup Series to drive the No. 38 Ford for Front Row Motorsports.

    Noah Gragson

    On Dec. 14 it was announced that Gragson will drive a part-time schedule in the Cup Series for Kaulig Racing in the No. 16 car in addition to driving full-time in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports. His first Cup Series race with Kaulig Racing will be on Sunday, Mar. 20, at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    Kaz Grala

    Grala will attempt to qualify for the Cup Series Daytona 500 in the No. 50 Chevrolet for The Money Team Racing (TMT Racing), as announced by the organization on Feb. 1.

    On Jan. 24, Alpha Prime Racing announced that Grala will join their Xfinity Series driver lineup for select starts in 2022. His first race with them will be at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 26th.

    His season will get even busier as it was confirmed on Feb. 3 that Grala will return to Young’s Motorsports this year and drive the No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado in 11 Truck Series races. His first scheduled race with Young’s Motorsports will be at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 4, 2022.

    Justin Haley

    Haley will drive the No. 31 Camaro for Kaulig Racing in 2022 as he moves from the Xfinity Series to drive for the team in their first full-time season in the Cup Series. Trent Owens will join the team as the crew chief.

    Joey Hand

    Rick Ware Racing announced on Jan. 27 that Hand will drive all of the six Cup Series road course races for the team this year. His first race will be at Circuit of the Americas on March 27 followed by Sonoma on June 12, Road America on July 3, the Indianapolis road course on July 30, Watkins Glen on Aug. 21 and the Charlotte Roval on Oct. 9.

    Daniel Hemric

    Hemric will begin the 2022 season competing in the Daytona 500 in the No. 16 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing. As noted below, Hemric, along with AJ Allmendinger and Noah Gragson will split the driving duties for Kaulig Racing’s No. 16. Chevrolet in the Cup Series this year. Hemric will also compete full-time in Kaulig Racing’s No. 11 entry in the Xfinity Series.

    Erik Jones

    Jones announced Sunday, August 22 at Michigan International Speedway that he will return to Richard Petty Motorsports (now Petty GMS Motorsports) in 2022 for his second season driving the No. 43 Chevrolet. Dave Elenz (Noah Gragson’s former crew chief) will serve as the crew chief for Jones.

    Brad Keselowski

    On July 20, Roush Fenway Racing confirmed the rumors that Keselowski will move from Team Penske to drive the No. 6 Ford for RFR in 2022 and will also have a minority ownership stake in the company. He explained the move as a way to live “up to the maximum potential that I have. I don’t feel like I’ve lived up to that. I feel like I have a lot more to offer than being just a race car driver. Short of having won championships in the last few years, I haven’t achieved that.” It was announced on Nov. 2 that Matt McCall (currently crew chief for Kurt Busch) will join Keselowski in 2022 as crew chief. TJ Majors will spot for Keselowski.

    Corey LaJoie

    Spire Motorsports announced in November 2020 that they had signed a multi-year deal with LaJoie to continue as the driver of the No. 7 Chevrolet full-time in the Cup Series. Ryan Sparks will return as crew chief for LaJoie.

    Kyle Larson

    It was confirmed on July 14 that Larson’s contract with Hendrick Motorsports has been extended through 2023. HendrickCars.com will provide the majority sponsorship of the No. 5 Chevrolet for 35 races per year and will sponsor Larson in his non-NASCAR races.

    Michael McDowell

    McDowell will return to the Cup Series and Front Row Motorsports to drive the No. 34 Ford Mustang for his fifth year with the team, as announced on Nov. 30. On Jan. 6, the team announced that Blake Harris will serve as the crew chief for McDowell.

    Ryan Newman

    Keselowski will take over the driving duties in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in 2022, leaving Newman’s future uncertain. RFR team president Steve Newmark indicated that a part-time role within the company is possible but Newman has not announced his plans for next season.

    Ryan Preece

    Stewart-Haas Racing announced on Jan. 6 that they have hired Preece as a reserve driver for the 2022 season. As part of an alliance between SHR and Rick Ware Racing, Preece will run a total of 12 races in the No. 15 including two in the Cup Series on May 1 at Dover Motor Speedway and May 29 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and three in the Xfinity Series on April 2 at Richmond Raceway, May 28 at Charlotte and June 25 at Nashville Superspeedway. He will also run seven Truck Series races – March 4 at Las Vegas, March 19 at Atlanta, May 6 at Darlington, May 20 at Texas, June 24 at Nashville, July 23 at Pocono, and Sept. 9 at Kansas Speedway.

    David Ragan

    Rick Ware Racing announced on Jan. 12 that Ragan will pilot the No. 15 Ford in multiple Cup Series races this season beginning with the Daytona 500. Sponsors will be announced at a later date.

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    During a media availability session prior to the Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, Stenhouse confirmed that he will return to drive the No. 47 for JTG Daugherty Racing for the 2022 season. Tab Boyd will move from Hendrick Motorsports as the spotter for William Byron to spot for Stenhouse in 2022.

    Bubba Wallace

    Wallace will enter his second season with 23XI Racing. It was announced on Nov. 16 that Bootie Barker will be the full-time crew chief for Wallace in 2022.

    Cody Ware

    On Jan. 14, Ware confirmed that he will drive full-time in the Cup Series driving the Rick Ware Racing No. 51 Ford.

    Beard Motorsports – Will return to the Cup Series in 2022

    Beard Motorsports, a non-chartered team, announced today that they will return to compete in 2022 in the Cup Series in the No. 62 Camaro and attempt to race in the Daytona 500 and subsequent races at Daytona as well as Talladega. The driver is yet to be determined.

    Chip Ganassi Racing – Sold and will cease operations at the end of the 2021 season

    On June 30 Chip Ganassi Racing announced the sale of its NASCAR operation to Trackhouse Racing Team, effective at the end of the 2021 season.

    Front Row Motorsports – Will field two cars in 2022

    Front Row Motorsports announced on Nov. 9 that they will continue to field two cars in the 2022 Cup Series (No. 34 and No. 38). The team also said that Anthony Alfredo will not return next year to FRM. On Nov. 30 they announced that Michael McDowell will return to drive the No. 34 Ford and Todd Gilliland will move up to pilot the No. 38 Ford next year in the Cup Series. With Gilliland moving up, Zane Smith will join the team to compete in the No. 38 Ford in the Truck Series.

    GMS Racing/Petty GMS Motorsports – Will make its Cup Series debut in 2022

    It was announced on Dec. 1 that RPM sold a majority interest to GMS Racing owner, Maury Gallagher. The team announced the name change of Petty GMS Motorsports on Dec. 7. Erik Jones will return to drive the No. 43 Chevrolet in 2022. Ty Dillon will drive the No. 42 which was the original number used by Lee Petty from 1949 to 1961.

    JTG Daugherty Racing

    The team confirmed on Sept. 30, 2021, that they will only field one car in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022 with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as the driver of the No. 47 Chevrolet.

    Kaulig Racing – Purchased two charters from Spire Motorsports

    Kaulig Racing purchased two charters from Spire Motorsports for the 2022 season. As noted above, Justin Haley will drive full-time for the team in the Cup Series in the No. 30 entry. On Dec. 14, Kaulig Racing announced the driver lineup for their second Cup Series entry. Noah Gragson will drive the No. 16 Chevrolet in 14 races. AJ Allmendinger and Daniel Hemric will split the driving duties for the other 24 races. Sponsors and the race schedule for each driver will be announced at a later date. On Jan. 8, it was announced that Matt Swiderski will serve as the crew chief for the No. 16 entry. It will be Swiderski’s first, full-time season as a crew chief in the series.

    Richard Petty Motorsports agrees to sell majority interest to Maury Gallagher, owner of GMS Racing

    It was announced on Dec. 1 that RPM sold a majority interest to GMS Racing owner, Maury Gallagher. The team announced the name change of Petty GMS Motorsports on Dec. 7. They will race out of GMS Racing’s current headquarters in Statesville, NC. As confirmed in August, Erik Jones will return to drive the No. 43 Chevrolet in 2022. Ty Dillon will drive the No. 42 which was the original number used by Lee Petty from 1949 to 1961. Petty will serve as Chairman of the Board, with Mike Beam as President and Brian Moffitt as the Executive Vice President of Sales.  

    Roush Fenway Racing – Changes name

    Roush Fenway Racing announced on Nov. 16 that it has changed its name to Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (RFK Racing).

    Stewart-Haas Racing

    Stewart-Haas Racing announced their driver/crew chief lineup for 2022 on Jan. 4 with Mike Bugarewicz making the move from crew chief to serve as the performance director at Stewart-Haas Racing after two years with Aric Almirola. Drew Blickensderfer will take over as crew chief for Almirola in the Cup Series this season. All of the other driver/crew chief pairings will remain the same – Kevin Harvick with Rodney Childers, Cole Custer with Mike Shiplett and Chase Briscoe with Johnny Klausmeier. Xfinity Series crew chief, Richard Boswell, will return to his position as crew chief for Riley Herbst.

    The Money Team Racing

    On Feb. 1, Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced his plans to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series on a partial schedule this season with The Money Team Racing (TMT Racing). They will start out the year with Kaz Grala behind the wheel of the No. 50 Chevrolet as they attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500. Tony Eury Jr. will serve as crew chief for the team.

    Trackhouse Racing Team – Will field two cars in 2022

    Trackhouse Racing’s purchase of Chip Ganassi Racing includes two charters and they confirmed that Daniel Suarez will be back to drive for the team in 2022. On August 3, they announced that Ross Chastain will join the team to drive the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro in the Cup Series. Another announcement was made on Oct. 25 stating that Phil Surgen will make the move with Chastain to continue as his crew chief at Trackhouse Racing.

    23XI Racing

    On August 27, 23XI Racing announced that Kurt Busch will join them as they field two full-time teams, alongside Bubba Wallace in his second year with 23XI. It was announced on Nov. 16 that Billy Scott will serve as crew chief for Kurt Busch and Bootie Barker will continue as crew chief for Bubba Wallace. Dave Rogers will also join the team to serve as performance director.

    Xfinity Series 2022 driver and team updates

    Anthony Alfredo

    Our Motorsports announced their driver lineup in the Xfinity Series on Dec. 16. Alfredo will drive full-time with crew chief Pat Tryson. Brett Moffitt and Jeb Burton will complete the three-driver team for Our Motorsports.

    Justin Allgaier

    JR Motorsports announced Sept. 14 that Allgaier will return to drive the No. 7 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2022. Jason Burdett will return as his crew chief. It will mark Allgaier’s seventh season with JRM.

    AJ Allmendinger

    It was announced on July 18 that Allmendinger has signed a multi-year agreement with Kaulig Racing and will continue to compete full-time in the Xfinity Series in the No. 16 Chevrolet. Bruce Schlicker will serve as the crew chief for Allmendinger in the Xfinity Series in 2022. Allmendinger will also run part-time in the Cup Series for the team in the No. 16 car, sharing driving duties with Noah Gragson and Daniel Hemric.

    Michael Annett

    It was announced on Oct. 6 that JR Motorsports driver, Annett, will retire from full-time competition in the Xfinity Series at the end of the 2021 season.

    Trevor Bayne

    2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne will make his return to NASCAR in the Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 18 Devotion Nutrition Toyota for seven starts. Bayne made the announcement Feb. 9 on FS1’s NASCAR Race Hub. His first start will be on Feb. 26 at Auto Club Speedway. He’s also scheduled to race at Phoenix Raceway on March 12, Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 28, Nashville Superspeedway on June 25, New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 16, Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 15, and Homestead-Miami Speedway on Oct. 22. Jason Ratcliff will serve as crew chief for the team. Additional drivers and sponsors will be announced at a later date.

    Josh Berry

    JR Motorsports announced on August 16 that Josh Berry will compete full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series next season, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet with Mike Bumgarner as crew chief.

    Josh Bilicki

    In addition to his Cup Series schedule, Alpha Prime Racing announced on Jan. 27 that Bilicki will also compete in six races for them in the Xfinity Series that will include four road courses and two ovals in the No. 44 Chevrolet. Bilicki’s first race with Alpha Prime Racing will be at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) on March 26.

    Brandon Brown

    Brown announced on Dec. 30 that he would compete full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2022 after securing a sponsorship agreement with LGBcoin.io for his team, Brandonbilt Motorsports. However, NASCAR chose not to approve the sponsorship, though the team and LGBcoin.io stated that NASCAR had already granted the approval. After a week of ‘he said, they said,’ LGBcoin.io, on Jan. 8, made the decision to expand their commitment to a 2-year sponsorship/personal endorsement deal with Brandon Brown. While NASCAR will not allow any sponsorship decals or logos on the car, Brown’s uniform, etc., the partnership will include Brown’s “participation in publicity events, videos and crypto conferences.”

    Jeb Burton

    Our Motorsports announced their driver lineup in the Xfinity Series on Dec. 16. Burton will drive full-time with crew chief Chad Walter. On Oct. 11 Burton had confirmed that he would not be returning to Kaulig Racing for the 2022 season due to funding issues. Brett Moffitt and Anthony Alfredo will complete the three-driver team for Our Motorsports.

    Landon Cassill

    It was announced on Dec. 9 that Cassill will drive the No. 10 Chevy in the Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing in 2022. Voyager Digital Ltd., a publicly-traded cryptocurrency platform, also announced a two-year extension of their partnership with Cassill who will be paid in a portfolio of cryptocurrencies. Jason Trinchere was announced on Jan. 8 as Cassill’s crew chief for the 2022 season.

    Sheldon Creed

    On September 14 Richard Childress Racing announced that Sheldon Creed will join RCR in 2022 to compete full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Creed currently drives for GMS Racing in the Camping World Truck Series.

    Bayley Currey

    It was announced on Dec. 27 that Currey will return to JD Motorsports with Gary Keller for the 2022 season to compete full-time in the Xfinity Series. Sponsorship will be announced at a later date.

    Howie DiSavino III

    On Jan. 26, Alpha Prime Racing announced that DiSavino will join the team’s Xfinity Series driver lineup for select starts. He will make his Xfinity Series and Alpha Prime Racing debut at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday, March 12.

    Jeffrey Earnhardt

    On Jan. 14. 2022, Sam Hunt Racing announced that Jeffrey Earnhardt will drive multiple Xfinity Series races for them this year in the No. 26 Toyota.

    Ty Gibbs

    On Feb. 16 Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed that Ty Gibbs will compete full-time for the team this year in the Xfinity Series driving the No. 54 Toyota. Chris Gayle will return to the No. 54 team as crew chief.

    Noah Gragson

    JR Motorsports announced on August 31 that Gragson has been re-signed and will remain with the team in 2022 to compete in the Xfinity Series driving the No. 9 Chevrolet. Bass Pro Shops, TrueTimber® Camo and Black Rifle Coffee will return as sponsors. Dave Elenz will not return as Gragson’s crew chief and will move to Richard Petty Motorsports to serve as the crew chief for Erik Jones. On Dec. 14, it was announced that Gragson will also drive a part-time schedule in the Cup Series for Kaulig Racing in the No. 16 car and is scheduled to compete in 14 Cup Series events, sharing driving duties with AJ Allmendinger (16 races) and Daniel Hemric (nine races). Luke Lambert was announced as Gragson’s crew chief for this season on Jan. 4, 2022.

    Kaz Grala

    Kaz Grala – Alpha Prime Racing announced on Jan. 24 that Grala will join the team’s Xfinity Series driver lineup for select starts in 2022. His first race with them will be at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 26th.

    His season will get even busier as it was announced on Feb. 3 that Grala will also return to Young’s Motorsports this year and drive the No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado in 11 races Truck Series races. His first scheduled race with Young’s Motorsports will be at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 4, 2022.

    His diverse schedule will also include an attempt to qualify for the Cup Series Daytona 500 in the No. 50 Chevrolet for The Money Team Racing (TMT Racing), as announced on Feb. 1.

    Derek Griffith

    Sam Hunt Racing announced on Feb. 2 that Griffith will drive multiple Xfinity Series races for the team this year. His first start will be at Martinsville in April with additional races to be announced at a later date.

    Daniel Hemric

    Kaulig Racing announced on Sept. 25 that Hemric will drive the team’s No. 11 car in the Xfinity Series in 2022. On Jan. 8 Alex Yontz was announced as the crew chief for Hemric. He will take over for Justin Haley who will transition to drive Kaulig Racing’s first full-time entry in the Cup Series. Hemric will also run a part-time schedule for them in the Cup Series and compete in nine races, sharing driving duties with AJ Allmendinger (16 races) and Noah Gragson (14 races) in the No. 16.

    Austin Hill

    Richard Childress Racing announced on Oct. 29 that Austin Hill will join the team and compete in the No. 21 Chevrolet full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2022. On Feb. 11, it was announced that Hill will also drive in the Truck Series race at Daytona for Spire Motorsports in the No. 7 Chevrolet.

    Jesse Iwuji/Jesse Iwuji Motorsports

    On Aug. 21, 2021, Jesse Iwuji announced that he had partnered with NFL Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith to form Jesse Iwuji Motorsports for the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. On Feb. 7, Iwuji and Smith announced a partnership with Chevrolet and their intention to use car number 34, as a tribute to Wendell Scott. They will run a full-time schedule with Iwuji as the driver and Jason Houghtaling as the crew chief.

    Brandon Jones

    Joe Gibbs Racing announced on Oct. 20 that Jones will return to drive the No. 19 Toyota full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2022.  It will be his fifth consecutive season with JGR.

    Alex Labbé

    On Feb. 12 DGM Racing announced that Alex Labbé will return to the team to run a partial schedule of 18 Xfinity Series races in 2022. Labbé will drive the No. 90 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 19 and will then move to the No. 36 car for the next three races at Auto Club Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Phoenix Raceway. Labbé will also try to secure sponsorship so that he can compete full-time in the series.

    Mason Massey

    DGM Racing announced on Dec. 15 that Massey will drive the No. 91 Chevrolet in the “majority” of races in 2022.

    Sam Mayer

    JR Motorsports also confirmed on August 16 that Mayer will run a full-time Xfinity Series schedule for JRM in 2022 in the No. 1 with Taylor Moyer as crew chief.

    CJ McLaughlin

    On Jan. 17, McLaughlin announced that he will rejoin RSS Racing with sponsorship from SciAps for 13 Xfinity Series races in the No. 38 Ford Mustang beginning with the season-opener at Daytona on Feb. 19. He will also race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5, Talladega Superspeedway on April 23, Texas Motor Speedway on May 21, New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 16, Michigan International Speedway on August 6, Daytona on August 26, Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 16, Texas on Sept. 24, Talladega on Oct. 1, Las Vegas on Oct. 15, Homestead-Miami Speedway on Oct. 22 and Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 29.

    Matt Mills

    It was announced on Jan. 20 that Mills will return to BJ McLeod Motorsports in 2022 to compete in the Xfinity Series in the No. 5 Chevrolet.

    Brett Moffitt

    Our Motorsports announced their driver lineup in the Xfinity Series on Dec. 16. Moffitt will be back to drive full-time with Jeb Burton and Anthony Alfredo as teammates. Jeff Hensley will join the team as Moffitt’s crew chief. Car numbers were not revealed.

    Miguel Paludo

    Paludo will drive the JR Motorsports No. 88 for three Xfinity Series road course races in 2022 at Circuit of the Americas (March 26), Road America (July 2) and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on July 30.

    Stefan Parsons

    B.J. McLeod Motorsports announced on Sept. 21 that Parsons will compete full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2022 with “returning primary sponsor Sokal Digital and Advertising on-board for the entire season as well as Springrates Automotive Suspension Source.” This will be his first full-time season with the team.

    Ryan Truex

    Truex will race for Sam Hunt Racing in the No. 26 Xfinity Series car at Daytona with Circle B sponsorship. Any additional races are to be determined and announced at a later date.

    Will Rodgers

    Reaume Brothers Racing announced on Feb. 16 that Will Rodgers will join the team to drive a part-time schedule in the Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2022. He will make his debut in the Xfinity Series race at Auto Club Speedway on Feb. 26. Rodgers will also compete in the Truck Series race at Sonoma Raceway on June 11 and will race in the Xfinity and Truck Series races at Circuit of the Americas on March 26.

    Myatt Snider

    Jordan Anderson Racing announced on Nov. 3 that Myatt Snider has signed with the organization to compete full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2022. He will drive the No. 31 Chevrolet and his longtime sponsor, TaxSlayer, will make the move with him.

    David Starr

    It was announced on Feb. 18, 2022, that Starr will drive the No. 08 Ford for SS Green Light Racing in 28 Xfinity Series races this season. His first race will be at Daytona International Speedway in the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner 300 race.

    Ryan Vargas

    On Jan. 19. JD Motorsports w/Gary Keller announced that Vargas will return to the team for his second full-time season in the Xfinity Series. His car number and sponsors will be released at a later date.

    Kyle Weatherman

    DGM Racing announced on Jan. 31 that Weatherman will race in the first five Xfinity Series races of 2022 in the No. 92 Chevrolet.

    Josh Williams

    Williams confirmed on Nov. 15 that he will not return to DGM Racing next year. On Dec. 8, BJ McLeod Motorsports announced that Williams will join their Xfinity Series team driving the No. 78 in 2022 with crew chief Danny Johnson.

    DGM Racing

    DGM Racing announced on Nov. 15 that the team plans to field at least two full-time entries in the Xfinity Series in 2022 with the driver lineup to be announced at a later date. On Dec. 15, they also announced that Mason Massey will drive the majority of the Xfinity races in the No. 91 next season. This will be in addition to the two full-time teams announced in November.

    Joey Gase Racing

    On Nov. 18, driver Joey Gase announced plans to start an Xfinity Series team in 2022. He released a statement stating that the team “currently has 5 cars and bought the remaining cars and equipment of H2 Motorsports from Shane Lee.” The team plans to run a full-time schedule and Gase will drive the No. 35 car most of the year with Rick Bourgeois as the General Manager of the team. Gase also plans to drive part-time in the Cup Series. The newly formed team is now looking for additional sponsors and hiring for all positions, including qualified drivers. More information will be announced at a later date.

    Camping World Truck Series 2022 driver and team updates

    Tyler Ankrum

    Hattori Racing announced on Dec. 1 that they are expanding to two Truck Series teams in 2022 and that Ankrum will join them to compete in the No. 16 Toyota with crew chief Scott Zipadelli.

    Matt Crafton

    On Nov. 12, ThorSport Racing confirmed that Crafton will return in 2022 to race full-time for the team in the Truck Series in the No. 88.

    Hailie Deegan

    David Gilliland Racing announced on Dec. 15 that Deegan has been re-signed to run the full season in the Truck Series in 2022.

    Matt DiBenedetto

    It was announced on Jan. 6 that DiBenedetto will compete full-time in the Truck Series in 2022 for Rackley W.A. R. driving the number 25 Chevrolet.

    Christian Eckes

    On Feb. 3, ThorSport Racing announced that Eckes will drive a full Truck Series schedule for the team in the No. 98 Toyota this year.

    Grant Enfinger

    GMS Racing announced on Oct. 1 that Enfinger will drive the team’s No. 23 Chevrolet Silverado full-time in 2022 and 2023. His longtime sponsor, Champion Power Equipment, will serve as the primary sponsor for the majority of races over the next two seasons.

    Tate Fogleman

    It was announced on Nov. 30 that Fogleman will move from Young’s Motorsports to drive the No. 30 Toyota Tundra for On Point Motorsports.

    Jake Garcia

    Garcia, who currently races Super Late Models and Pro Late Models will make his debut in the Camping World Truck Series this season and compete in five truck races for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. He will drive the No. 35 Chevrolet Silverado, the same number he has used in Pro Late Models.

    His first race will be at Martinsville Speedway on April 7. Garcia is also scheduled to compete at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 4, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on July 29, Richmond Raceway on Aug. 13 and Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 15.

    Kaz Grala

    it was announced on Feb. 3 that Grala will return to Young’s Motorsports this season and drive the No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado in 11 Truck Series races. His first scheduled race with Young’s Motorsports will be at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 4, 2022.

    In addition to his Truck Series schedule, Alpha Prime Racing announced on Jan. 24 that Grala will join the team’s Xfinity Series driver lineup for select starts in 2022. His first race with them will be at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 26th.

    To complete his schedule, on Feb. 1 The Money Team Racing (TMT Racing) announced that they will attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 with Grala in the No. 50 Chevrolet.

    Chris Hacker

    Reaume Brothers Racing announced on Dec. 21 that Hacker will return to the team in 2022 to run a limited schedule in the Truck Series. His first race will be at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 19, 2022. The remainder of his schedule and sponsorship will be announced at a later date.

    Corey Heim

    Kyle Busch Motorsports announced on Dec. 21 that Heim will compete in 15 Truck Series races in the No. 51 truck in 2022. Heim will begin the season at Daytona International Speedway and in the final eight races. The remainder of his season is to be determined.  

    Austin Hill

    Hill announced on Oct. 2 that he will not return to drive in the Truck Series for Hattori Racing Enterprises next year. On Oct. 29 Richard Childress Racing announced that Hill will join RCR to compete full time in the Xfinity Series in 2022. On Feb. 11, it was announced that Hill will also drive in the Truck Series race at Daytona for Spire Motorsports in the No. 7 Chevrolet.

    Timmy Hill

    On Dec. 6, 2021, Hill Motorsports announced that they will field two Truck Series teams in 2022 and make the switch from Chevrolet to Toyota. Timmy Hill will drive the No. 56 Toyota full-time in 2022. The number of the second truck and the driver will be revealed at a later date.

    Carson Hocevar

    Niece Motorsports announced on August 17 that Carson Hocevar will race full time for Niece Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2022. It will be his second full-time season with the team.

    Jesse Little

    Young’s Motorsports announced on Dec. 22 that Little will join the team and compete in the Truck Series in 2022. His first race will be at the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway. His truck number, crew chief, schedule, and sponsors will be announced at a later date.

    Ty Majeski

    ThorSport Racing announced on Feb. 11 that Ty Majeski will compete full time with the team in the Truck Series driving the No. 66 with Joe Shear Jr. as crew chief. Majeski joins returning drivers Ben Rhodes and Matt Crafton and Christian Eckes in his first full-time season with ThorSport.

    Matt Mills

    Young’s Motorsports confirmed on Feb. 10 that Matt Mills will join the team and drive the No. 20 Chevrolet for a limited Truck Series schedule beginning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Fri., Mar. 4, 2022. He will also be behind the wheel at Kansas Speedway (May 14), World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (June 4) and Richmond (Va.) Raceway (Aug. 13). These races are in addition to Mills’ Xfinity Series races with BJ McLeod Motorsports this year in the No. 5 Chevrolet.

    Thad Moffitt

    It was announced on Feb. 10 that Moffitt, the fourth-generation driver, and grandson of Richard Petty, will run a partial Truck Series schedule driving the No. 43 Chevrolet as part of a GMS Racing partnership with Reaume Brothers Racing. He will make his debut at Daytona International Speedway on February 18 in the NextEra Energy 250. STP will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Richard Petty’s “Fan Appreciation Tour” with a paint scheme that will pay homage to his 1992 retirement season. Moffitt’s 2022 schedule will include races in the Camping World Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, and the Trans-AM Series. More information on his schedule and sponsorship will be announced at a later date.

    John Hunter Nemechek

    On Oct. 14, Kyle Busch Motorsports announced that Nemechek will return to drive the No 4 Toyota full time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2022.

    Blaine Perkins

    On Dec. 23, CR7 Motorsports (owned by Codie Rohrbaugh), announced that Perkins compete full-time for the team in 2022 and pilot the No. 9 Chevrolet in the Camping World Truck Series after signing a single-year contract.

    Chase Purdy

    It was announced on Nov. 30 that Chase Purdy will move from GMS Racing to Hattori Racing Enterprises and drive the No. 61 Toyota Tundra in the Camping World Truck Series. On Dec. 22 the team also announced that Matt Lucas has joined the organization as Team Manager and will also serve as crew chief for Purdy.

    Ben Rhodes

    On Nov. 12, ThorSport Racing confirmed that Rhodes will return in 2022 to race full-time for the team in the Truck Series in the No. 99.

    Will Rodgers

    Reaume Brothers Racing announced on Feb. 16 that Will Rodgers will join the team to drive a part-time schedule in the Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2022. He will make his debut in the Xfinity Series race at Auto Club Speedway on Feb. 26. Rodgers will also compete in the Truck Series race at Sonoma Raceway on June 11 and will race in the Xfinity and Truck Series races at Circuit of the Americas on March 26.

    Johnny Sauter

    On Feb. 3 it was announced by G2G Racing that Johnny Sauter will drive the No. 47 entry at Daytona, as part of a 13-race schedule with the team.

    Chandler Smith

    It was announced on Nov. 30 that Smith will return to Kyle Busch Motorsports next season to drive the No. 18 in the Camping World Truck Series.

    Zane Smith

    As announced on Nov. 30, Smith will move from GMS Racing and join Front Row Motorsports to drive the No. 38 Ford in the Camping World Truck Series with crew chief Chris Lawson.

    Dean Thompson

    On Nov. 2 Thompson announced that they will join Niece Motorsports in 2022 to compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and contend for Rookie of the Year.

    Jack Wood

    It was announced on Aug. 26 that Wood has been re-signed by GMS Racing for the 2022 Truck Series season and will compete full-time in the No. 24 Chevrolet.

    G2G Racing

    G2G Racing will field two full-time trucks in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team is owned by NASCAR driver, Tim Viens, and business partner Bill Shea. Matt Jaskol will pilot the No. 46 Toyota full-time while the No. 47 Toyota will be driven by three different drivers in 2022, including Johnny Sauter who will run a 13-race part-time schedule.  Sauter’s first race will be at Daytona. Roger Reuse and Viens will compete in the remaining races.

    GMS Racing – Truck Series

    GMS Racing confirmed on Dec. 7 that they will continue to compete full-time in the Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series after their majority purchase of Richard Petty Motorsport, operating as GMS Racing. Grant Enfinger will drive the Truck Series No. 23 Chevrolet with Jack Wood in the No. 24.  

    ThorSport Racing

    ThorSport Racing will field four full-time teams in the Truck Series this year. Ty Majeski will compete full time with the team in the Truck Series driving the No. 66 with Joe Shear Jr. as crew chief. Majeski joins returning drivers Ben Rhodes and Matt Crafton and Christian Eckes in his first full-time season with ThorSport.

  • Ryan Truex rejoins Joe Gibbs Racing for a four-race Xfinity deal in 2022

    Ryan Truex rejoins Joe Gibbs Racing for a four-race Xfinity deal in 2022

    Ryan Truex will be adding more NASCAR Xfinity Series events to his 2022 racing schedule after it was announced that he will be reuniting with Joe Gibbs Racing and drive the No. 18 Toyota Supra in a four-race Xfinity deal.

    Truex, a two-time ARCA Menards Series East champion and brother of the 2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., will be making his first start in JGR’s No. 18 Toyota at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5. He will then return to compete at Martinsville Speedway on April 8, Darlington Raceway on May 7 and at Texas Motor Speedway on May 21.

    The announcement comes as Truex is coming off a 12th-place result at Daytona International Speedway in his first of select starts for Sam Hunt Racing.

    “I’m honored to compete in the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra with Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season,” Truex said. “Having the opportunity to get  behind the wheel of a Joe Gibbs Racing entry is an absolute dream come true. Even better, Toyota is sponsoring my inaugural race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next weekend. I can’t thank them and Joe Gibbs Racing enough for making this happen.”

    Prior to this season, Truex’s latest competition in the Xfinity Series occurred in 2019, where he made six starts for JR Motorsports. Since making his Xfinity debut in 2010, Truex has made 79 career starts in the Xfinity circuit, 12 occurring with Joe Gibbs Racing. During the 79-race schedule, he earned a pole, four top-five results and 24 top-10 results. His best result in the series are a pair of runner-up finishes: the first at Dover Motor Speedway in June 2012 and the second at Phoenix Raceway in March 2019. 

    Through 2022, he has also made 73 career starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and 26 career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series. 

    Truex is the third competitor to be confirmed to pilot Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota entry throughout this year’s Xfinity Series season. Drew Dollar made his first of four scheduled starts at Daytona International Speedway, where he finished 36th, while Trevor Bayne is scheduled to make his first of seven starts this upcoming weekend at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, February 26.

    Truex is scheduled to make his first Xfinity Series start with Joe Gibbs Racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5 with coverage to occur at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Clements set for 200th Xfinity Series career start at Fontana

    Clements set for 200th Xfinity Series career start at Fontana

    With a new season of NASCAR Xfinity Series competition underway, Jeremy Clements is within striking distance of a a milestone start in his 12th full-time season in the Xfinity circuit. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s event at Auto Club Speedway, the driver of the No. 51 Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet Camaro will make his 400th career start in the Xfinity Series. 

    A native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, Clements, who grew up competing in go-karts before moving up to the Modified and Stock Series, the Late Model division and the ARCA Racing Series, made his Xfinity debut at Pike Peaks International Raceway in July 2003. By then, he was coming off a Late Model division season where he achieved nine victories and the championship at Cherokee Speedway. Driving the No. 71 Chevrolet for Young Racing, Clements started 35th and finished 31st in his debut following an early accident.

    Four years later, Clements returned to the Xfinity Series and competed in the final five events of the schedule in the No. 36 Chevrolet for McGill Motorsports. His best result during the five-race span was 23rd at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October 2007.

    Throughout the 2008 and 2009 racing seasons, Clements made select Xfinity starts in his family-owned team, Jeremy Clements Motorsports, while practicing and qualifying cars for Joe Gibbs Racing, notably at Kentucky Speedway in 2008 and at Iowa Speedway in 2009. Late in the 2009 season, Clements competed in six races in the No. 0 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports, where he earned a best result of 12th at Auto Club Speedway in October.

    Clements started the 2010 Xfinity Series season with plans of competing in the opening three races in the No. 0 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports. After failing to qualify for the season opener at Daytona, Clements scaled back and made select starts in the No. 04 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports. Throughout the 2010 season and the 35-race schedule, he made 16 starts and failed to qualify for seven races. At Gateway in October 2010, Clements notched his first top-10 career result (10th place).

    The following season, Clements competed on a full-time basis with his family-owned team, Jeremy Clements Racing, and sporting the No. 51 alongside his car. He recorded nine top-20 results with a best finish of 14th in September. Clements returned for another full-time racing role in 2012 for his family-owned team. Clements’ best results in 2012 were a pair of 10th-place finishes at Dover Motor Speedway in June and at Indianapolis. Following the 2012 season, where he finished in 14th place in the final standings, Clements surpassed 100 career starts in the Xfinity Series.

    Clements started the 2013 season by finishing 33rd in the season opener at Daytona. Not long after, however, he was suspended from competition indefinitely for using a racial slur during a live interview. Missing the next two events, where Ryan Sieg drove Clements’ No. 51 car, Clements returned the following race at Bristol Motor Speedway in March and competed the rest of the 33-race schedule. His best results were a ninth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in May and a 10th-place finish during the inaugural race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course as he settled in 16th place in the final standings.

    From 2014 to 2016, Clements remained as a full-time Xfinity Series competitor for his family-owned team and he notched a total of six top-10 results between the three seasons. His best runs were a fourth-place finish at Talladega in April 2016, a sixth-place result at Road America in June 2014 and a sixth-place result at Bristol in August 2016. His best points result between the three seasons was 14th in 2015. By then, he surpassed 200 Xfinity career starts.

    For the first 22 races of the 2017 Xfinity Series season, Clements had recorded only one top-10 result, which was a seventh-place result at Iowa Speedway in June. The following race at Road America was where Clements rose to the occasion and shined under the spotlight as he battled rookie Matt Tifft for the win in the the final laps. On the final turn on the penultimate lap, Clements, who gained a big run to draw himself alongside Tifft, got loose and collided into Tifft as both spun through the turn. With no caution falling and both competitor not sustaining any significant damage to their respective machines, Clements was able to quickly straighten his No. 51 Chevrolet Camaro, take the lead and bolt away, where he methodically navigated around the circuit for one final lap to achieve his first NASCAR win in his 256th career start. The victory was enough for Clements and his family organization to clinch a spot for the 2017 Xfinity Series Playoffs and contend for his first NASCAR national touring series championship. For the remainder of the season, however, he finished no higher than 16th and settled in a career-best 12th place in the final standings after having his title hopes come to an end following the Playoff’s Round of 12 in October.

    Between 2018 and 2019, Clements achieved a total of six top-10 results and a season-best result of fourth place at Bristol in August 2019, but he missed the Playoffs during both seasons with his best points result being 14th in 2019. By then, he surpassed 300 career starts.

    After notching five top-10 results, a season-best on-track result of third place at Pocono in June and a 13th-place result in the 2020 Xfinity final standings, Clements commenced the 2021 season with a 22nd-place result at Daytona. He was able to return to the Xfinity Playoffs on a strength of seven top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, with his best result being sixth place at Darlington Raceway in May. After his 2021 hopes diminished due to respective finishes of 39th, 24th and 12th during the first round of the Playoffs, he went on to match his career-best result in the final standings of 12th place.

    Through 199 previous Xfinity starts, Clements has achieved one victory, four top-five results, 32 top-10 results, 83 laps led and an average-finishing result of 21.0. He is coming off a 37th-place result at Daytona to commence the 2022 Xfinity Series season.

    Clements is bound to make his 200th career start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Auto Club Speedway, which will occur on Saturday, February 26, at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Chase Elliott signs contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports

    Chase Elliott signs contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 20, 2022) – Hendrick Motorsports and driver Chase Elliott have reached a five-year contract extension that will keep the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion with the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team through the end of the 2027 racing season.

    The agreement was signed Saturday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway in advance of today’s season-opening DAYTONA 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX).

    Elliott, 26, has never missed the Cup Series playoffs in his six full seasons at NASCAR’s top level. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native earned rookie of the year honors in 2016 and secured his first Cup title in 2020. He has already won 13 career points-paying races, including two in 2021 when he appeared in the Championship 4 for the second consecutive season.

    In February 2011, Elliott signed with Hendrick Motorsports as a 15-year-old high school freshman and has since been successful at every level of competition. He won his first NASCAR national series title in 2014 (Xfinity Series) and is now a second-generation Cup Series champion following his father, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, who earned the top honor in 1988.

    “I feel so fortunate to be in this position,” said Chase Elliott, who will drive the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in today’s DAYTONA 500. “I have a great team with leadership from Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and the support of the best car owner and racing organization in the world. For me, there’s a lot of pride in driving for Hendrick Motorsports and having the opportunity to win races and compete for championships. We are capable of accomplishing a lot more and it starts today.”

    In addition to his performance on the track, Elliott has been voted by fans as the NASCAR Cup Series’ most popular driver in each of the last four years. In 2017, he established the non-profit Chase Elliott Foundation, which provides support and financial assistance to well-qualified charitable organizations with an emphasis on helping others live healthier, happier lives. It has raised thousands of dollars in support of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and other important causes.

    “Chase is a champion on and off the track,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “His talent inside the race car is undeniable, and he’s just scratching the surface of what he can do. This is a young man who is mature beyond his years, comes from an incredible family, and is humble, hardworking and never takes anything for granted. As long as Chase is driving, we want him right here with Hendrick Motorsports. This is an exciting way to start the season, and we look forward to many, many more together.”

    Elliott’s previous contract with Hendrick Motorsports ran through 2022.

    ABOUT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS:
    Founded by Rick Hendrick in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest team in NASCAR Cup Series history. At the sport’s premier level, the organization holds the all-time records in every major statistical category, including championships (14), points-paying race victories (280) and laps led (nearly 75,000). It has earned at least one race win in a record 37 different seasons, including an active streak of 36 in a row (1986-2021). The team fields four full-time Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entries in the NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Alex Bowman, William Byron, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. Headquartered on more than 100 acres in Concord, North Carolina, Hendrick Motorsports employs approximately 600 people. For more information, please visit HendrickMotorsports.com or interact on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

  • Ty Gibbs named full-time Xfinity Series competitor for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2022

    Ty Gibbs named full-time Xfinity Series competitor for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2022

    With the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season three days away from commencing, Joe Gibbs Racing unveiled the news that had been amplifying from months by announcing that Ty Gibbs will driving for the organization on a full-time basis in the Xfinity circuit.

    The 19-year-old grandson of Joe Gibbs, team owner of Joe Gibbs Racing and a NASCAR Hall of Famer, from Charlotte, North Carolina, will be piloting the No. 54 Toyota Supra, beginning at Daytona International Speedway, in his quest to contend for his first Xfinity Series driver’s championship and defend JGR’s title following the 2021 championship-winning season with Daniel Hemric, who is now competing for Kaulig Racing. Veteran Chris Gayle, who led the No. 54 JGR Toyota team to 11 victories and a runner-up result in the 2021 Xfinity Series’ owners’ standings while working with seven different competitors, will be returning to JGR to serve as Gibbs’ crew chief.

    “I’m excited to get going on the 2022 season,” Gibbs, who will make his first NASCAR national touring series start at Daytona, said in a team statement. “Monster Energy will sponsor the majority of the races, including the first one at Daytona and it’s great to have Interstate Batteries and Sport Clips on board. Chris Gayle and the crew guys from the 54 were great last year and hopefully we can have even more success this year.”

    Gibbs is coming off a sensational season to date, where he competed in 18 of the 33-race Xfinity schedule. Making his debut at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in February, he claimed his first career win and became the sixth different competitor to achieve a victory in an Xfinity debut. He backed it up with victories at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, Watkins Glen International in August and at Kansas Speedway in October. To go along with a pole at Road America in July, a total of nine top-five results and 10 top-10 results, Gibbs claimed the 2021 Xfinity Series’ Rookie-of-the-Year title.

    Photo by Simon Scoggins for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    Gibbs is also coming off a championship-winning season in the ARCA Menards Series, where he drove the No. 18 JGR Toyota Camry to 10 victories, 11 poles and top-10 results in all but one of the 20-race ARCA schedule as he wrapped up his first ARCA title by 37 points over Corey Heim. He also achieved four victories in the ARCA Menards Series East region and two in the ARCA Menards Series West region.

    Gibbs’ announcement completes Joe Gibbs Racing’s three-car roster for the 2022 Xfinity Series season as Ty Gibbs and Brandon Jones will both contend as full-time JGR Xfinity competitors. Trevor Bayne and Drew Dollar are scheduled to make select starts in JGR’s No. 18 Toyota Supra that will be driven by multiple competitors for the entire season, beginning at Daytona.

    Ty Gibbs is scheduled to embark in his first full-time campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 19, with coverage to occur at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Biffle joins NY Racing for Daytona 500 bid

    Biffle joins NY Racing for Daytona 500 bid

    NY Racing will attempt to compete in this year’s 64th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway with former NASCAR veteran Greg Biffle selected to drive the team’s single-car entry throughout Daytona Speedweeks.

    The 52-year-old veteran from Vancouver, Washington, will be piloting the No. 44 NY Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 with sponsorship support from Grambling State University and HBCU League Pass Plus. Veteran Jay Guy will be serving as Biffle’s crew chief as the team will be fielding cars built from Richard Childress Racing and powered by Hendrick Motorsports engines.

    Should he qualify for the 500 with NY Racing that enters Daytona Speedweeks without a charter nor a guaranteed starting spot, Biffle will make his first NASCAR Cup Series start since the 2016 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which also marks his last full-time Cup and Daytona 500 campaigns to date. It will also mark his first NASCAR national touring series start since competing in the Camping World Truck Series event at Darlington Raceway with GMS Racing in September 2020.

    “I’m really excited to have the opportunity to drive the Next Gen car and help NY Racing make its entry into the 2022 season,” Biffle announced in a team release. “I’ve always said since the day I stepped away from full-time competition that I would return under the right circumstances.”

    Since making his debut at Auto Club Speedway in April 2002 through his last scheduled start at Homestead in November 2016, Biffle has made a total of 510 starts in NASCAR’s premier series (504 with Roush Fenway Racing, four with Andy Petree Racing, and two with Petty Enterprises). During this span, he has achieved 19 career victories (all with RFR) with his last occurring at Michigan International Speedway in June 2013. He has also achieved 13 Cup career poles, 92 top-five results, 175 top-10 results, 5,844 laps led, an average-finishing result of 16.6 and seven Playoff appearances with a best points result of second place in 2005.

    Biffle is a former champion of the Camping World Truck Series (2000) and Xfinity Series (2002). In 244 Xfinity career starts, he has achieved 20 victories, 14 poles, 93 top-five results and 149 top-10 results with his final victory occurring at Phoenix Raceway with Roush Fenway Racing in April 2009. In 83 Truck career starts, he has achieved 17 victories, 12 poles, 43 top-five results and 55 top-10 results with his final victory occurring at Texas Motor Speedway in a one-race deal with Kyle Busch Motorsports in June 2019.

    Biffle has also made 14 consecutive starts in the Daytona 500 (2003-2016) with his best on-track result being third place twice in 2010 and 2012. While he has yet to achieve his first 500 victory, he is a former winner at Daytona International Speedway after winning in July 2003, where he notched his first win in the Cup Series.

    “Urban Edge Network, Inc., is excited to announce our relationship with black owned NY Racing,” Todd F. Brown, CEO of Urban Edge Network, Inc., said. “John is an alumni of Grambling State University. We’re excited to bring our HBCU audience across 101 campuses into the NASCAR arena virtually and physically. We know that our fan base supports sports that reflect and invite blacks into the experience. We’re looking forward to branding and partnering with Fortune 500 companies to support this fully black owned team as they’ve supported other NASCAR teams in the past.”

    Biffle’s 2022 Daytona 500 bid with NY Racing will commence on Tuesday, February 15, for a pair of practice sessions (the first at 5:05 p.m. ET on FS1 and the second at 6:35 p.m. ET on FS1) followed by the Daytona 500 pole qualifying session on Wednesday, February 16 (8:05 p.m. ET on FS1), and the Bluegreen Vacations Duels on Thursday, February 17 (Duel 1 at 7 p.m. ET on FS1 and Duel 2 at 8:45 p.m. ET on FS1). The 64th running of the Daytona 500 is scheduled to occur on Sunday, February 20, at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • Bayne joins Joe Gibbs Racing for seven-race Xfinity schedule in 2022

    Bayne joins Joe Gibbs Racing for seven-race Xfinity schedule in 2022

    For the first time in six years, Trevor Bayne will be returning to the NASCAR Xfinity Series after it was announced that the 2011 Daytona 500 champion from Knoxville, Tennessee, will be campaigning in seven Xfinity events in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota Supra sponsored by Devotion Nutrition this upcoming season.

    Bayne’s first run with Joe Gibbs Racing will occur at Auto Club Speedway on February 26 followed by Phoenix Raceway on March 12. Following a one-month break, he will return at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 28 before competing at Nashville Superspeedway on June 25, New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 16, Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 15 and at Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 22. Veteran Jason Ratcliff will return to JGR to serve as crew chief for Bayne and the No. 18 Toyota Supra that will be piloted by multiple competitors throughout the 2022 Xfinity Series season.

    The news comes as Bayne returns to NASCAR following a one-year absence. His last campaign in the sport was during the latter half of the 2020 Camping World Truck Series season, where he competed in eight of the final nine events with Niece Motorsports. During this stint, he recorded a season-best runner-up result at Talladega Superspeedway along with a 10th-place result at Kansas Speedway, both in October.

    “Returning to NASCAR with Devotion Nutrition and Joe Gibbs Racing is beyond huge for me,” Bayne said. “Devotion is a super passionate family-run business with a mission to help people live a healthy lifestyle. Their passion is something I certainly relate to. Over the past three years, I didn’t know if I’d ever get an opportunity to race for wins again, but my desire to do so never faded. I’m so excited to have this opportunity to work with Jason [Ratcliff] and everyone at JGR. I want nothing more than to come back stronger than ever and put that Devotion Nutrition GR Supra into victory lane.”

    Bayne’s last recorded start in the Xfinity circuit was at Watkins Glen International in August 2016, where he piloted Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 60 Ford Mustang to a fifth-place result. Since making his series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway in March 2009 through Watkins Glen in 2016, Bayne has made a total of 152 career starts in the Xfinity circuit. During this span, he has achieved two career victories while driving for Roush Fenway Racing (Texas Motor Speedway in November 2011 and Iowa Speedway in June 2013). He has also recorded seven poles, 25 top-five results, 73 top-10 results, 485 laps led, an average-finishing result of 13.5 and two career-best sixth-place results in the final standings (2013 and 2014).

    In addition to the Truck and Xfinity circuits, Bayne has made a total of 187 career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series, where he drove between Wood Brothers Racing and Roush Fenway Racing (2010-2018). In just his second Cup career start, he claimed his first victory in the 2011 Daytona 500 while driving for the Wood Brothers and became the youngest competitor to win the Great American Race at age 20 years. He has also recorded five top-five results, 16 top-10 results, 71 laps led, an average-finishing result of 23.3 and a career-best points result of 22nd place (2016 and 2017).

    “We are proud to be a part of Trevor’s return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing,” Dana Lynn Kaye, owner of Devotion Nutrition, said. “We are extremely passionate about our brand and excited about the platform JGR and NASCAR provides to reach new consumers and educate them on how Devotion Nutrition can become an easy part of a daily healthy lifestyle.”

    Additional details regarding additional competitors and sponsors for the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra team have yet to be determined.