Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Category: Featured Headline

Featured headlines from SpeedwayMedia.com

  • Harvick set to move into second place on NASCAR national series starts list following Martinsville

    Harvick set to move into second place on NASCAR national series starts list following Martinsville

    Racing for a championship spot is not the only task at hand for Kevin Harvick for this upcoming weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoff event at Martinsville Speedway. By taking the green flag at Martinsville on Sunday, November 1, the 2014 Cup champion is set to achieve another major accomplishment to his racing resume. That accomplishment is moving into second place on NASCAR’s national series starts list with his 1,186th career start.

    Following Wednesday night’s Cup event at Texas Motor Speedway, where he finished 16th, Harvick reached 1,185 career starts between NASCAR’s top three national series (Truck: 123, Xfinity: 346, Cup: 716). He also moved into a tie with NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, who made all of his 1,185 career starts in the Cup level, for second place on the all-time national series starts list.

    Through 1,185 career starts, Harvick has amassed 119 wins, 60 poles, 459 top-five results, 709 top-10 results and over 27,000 laps led between NASCAR’s top three division series. He has also achieved two Xfinity Series championships (2001 and 2006) and one Cup championship (2014). Other accomplishments include the 2007 Daytona 500, three Brickyard 400 victories, two Coca-Cola 600 wins, two NASCAR All-Star Race wins, two Southern 500 victories and the 2001 Cup Rookie-of-the-Year title.

    Once Harvick surpasses Petty’s mark in national career starts, veteran Joe Nemechek will be next on Harvick’s radar. Nemechek holds the all-time record for starts between NASCAR’s top three national series with 1,197 career starts. He has made eight Xfinity starts and one Truck start throughout the 2020 season.

    This season, which marks his seventh season driving the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing, Harvick has claimed a career-high nine victories, 20 top-five results, 26 top-10 results and the 2020 Cup regular-season championship through 34 of the 36-race schedule. He also became the 17th competitor to reach 700 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series, a feat he made at Texas Motor Speedway in July 2020.

    Harvick enters this weekend’s Playoff event at Martinsville with a 42-point cushion for the finale at Phoenix Raceway scheduled on Sunday, November 8, as he attempts to qualify for the Championship 4 round and contend for his second Cup title.

    Catch Harvick’s milestone start at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, November 1, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Keselowski to start on pole position at Martinsville

    Keselowski to start on pole position at Martinsville

    The 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski was awarded the pole position for the upcoming Cup Series Playoff race, the Xfinity 500, at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, November 1.

    Keselowski, who finished in sixth place in the recent Cup event at Texas Motor Speedway on Wednesday, October 28, was awarded the pole position based on four stats: current owner’s standings, the driver’s results from a previous Cup race, the owner’s results from a previous Cup race and the fastest lap established from a previous Cup race.

    Keselowski, a two-time winner at Martinsville, enters this weekend’s event holding sole possession of the fourth and final transfer spot to the Championship 4 round, the top-four cutline, in the Playoff standings by 25 points as he aims to compete for his second Cup title for the season finale at Phoenix Raceway scheduled on Sunday, November 8.

    Martin Truex Jr., who finished in the runner-up spot at Texas and is 36 points below the cutline, will join Keselowski on the front row. Alex Bowman, who is 25 points below the cutline, will start in third place followed by Denny Hamlin, who is 27 points above the cutline, and Kurt Busch, who is 81 points below the cutline and faces a “must-win” situation to retain his hopes for a second Cup title.

    Kevin Harvick, who is 42 points above the cutline, will start in sixth place followed by Joey Logano, a 2020 Cup championship finale contender, and Chase Elliott, who is 25 points below the cutline.

    Kyle Busch, winner of Wednesday’s race at Texas, will start in ninth place and as the highest non-title contender on the starting grid alongside Ryan Blaney.

    Starting in positions 11-25 are Christopher Bell, Matt DiBenedetto, William Byron, Austin Dillon, Cole Custer, Clint Bowyer, Tyler Reddick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Erik Jones, Aric Almirola, Ryan Newman, Ryan Preece, John Hunter Nemechek, Michael McDowell and Ty Dillon.

    Starting in positions 26-39 are Corey LaJoie, Jimmie Johnson, Chris Buescher, Daniel Suarez, Brennan Poole, Matt Kenseth, Bubba Wallace, Josh Bilicki, Timmy Hill, Quin Houff, Garrett Smithley, James Davison, J.J. Yeley and Joey Gase.

    The Xfinity 500 is scheduled to occur on Sunday, November 1, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Autotrader Echopark Automotive 500 postponed until Wednesday due to continued weather

    Autotrader Echopark Automotive 500 postponed until Wednesday due to continued weather

    FORT WORTH, Texas (OCT. 27, 2020) – An unfortunate combination of continued mist and low temperatures hampering drying efforts forced the rescheduling of the NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway to Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. 

    Gate 4 will open for spectators at 1:30 p.m. All tickets for today’s race will be honored on Wednesday. Access to parking will be by Petty Place on the west side of the facility. A total of 52 of the scheduled 334 laps were completed Oct. 25 before competition was halted. 

    MORE INFO:Keep track of all of Texas Motor Speedway’s events by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Keep up with all the latest news and information on the speedway website and TMS mobile app.

  • Cup Series playoff race at Texas postponed to Monday due to wet weather

    Cup Series playoff race at Texas postponed to Monday due to wet weather

    By Staff Report / NASCAR.com

    NASCAR officials postponed Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark 500 Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 race at Texas Motor Speedway after wet weather halted the race 52 laps into the 334-lap event.

    The race will resume at 10 a.m. ET on Monday on NBCSN.

    Clint Bowyer, in search of his first 2020 win and set to retire to the FOX Sports broadcast booth following the conclusion of the season, led the field at the time of the red flag. The race is almost exactly halfway through the 105-lap Stage 1.

    Bowyer’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick has won the last three fall playoff races at Texas and appeared set to cruise to the Championship 4 based on his points lead, but a Stage 1 brush with the wall while leading has him slotted in 36th place and one lap down with the race on hold.

    Denny Hamlin slipped up the track on a Lap 28 restart and fell back to 28th in the running order, but the driver of the No. 11 Toyota avoided contact with the wall and worked his way back to 15th at the time of the delay.

    There have been four lead changes, with Alex Bowman, Martin Truex Jr., Brennan Poole and Bowyer all spending at least a lap out front. The yellow flag for rain was the third caution of the afternoon after spins for Chris Buescher and JJ Yeley.

    Contributing: NASCAR Wire Service

  • Berry to compete with JR Motorsports on a part-time Xfinity basis in 2021

    Berry to compete with JR Motorsports on a part-time Xfinity basis in 2021

    Fresh off this year’s NASCAR Weekly Series championship, Josh Berry will be competing as a part-time competitor in JR Motorsports’ No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro for the first half of the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, spanning approximately 12 races.

    The news was revealed by team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Thursday and it also comes as Berry achieved the 2020 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly National title in a season where he earned 24 victories, 33 top-five results and 36 top-10 results in 37 starts.

    “I’m honestly speechless,” Berry said. “That’s the last thing I would have expected. Gosh, that’s amazing. I can’t wait to prepare for that and get going. [It’s] truly unbelievable. I just can’t thank everybody enough for believing in me and giving me these opportunities. For a short track guy, it’s just amazing to see these opportunities come about.”

    The 29-year-old competitor from Hendersonville, Tennessee, is no stranger in achieving past success in racing nor with JR Motorsports. Having raced in JRM’s late model program for 10 years, Berry is also the 2017 CARS Tour Late Model Stock champion and the 2019 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winner. He has also achieved the 2016 CARS owners’ title and track championships at North Carolina’s Hickory Motor Speedway and at Virginia’s Motor Mile Speedway.

    Berry has also made limited starts across NASCAR’s top three national touring series. In August 2014, Berry made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut with JR Motorsports at Iowa Speedway. Driving the No. 5 Tackle Grab Powered by Earnhardt Outdoors Chevrolet Camaro, Berry started 10th and finished 12th in his series debut.

    From 2014 to 2017, Berry has made seven career starts in the Xfinity Series, all except one occurring with JR Motorsports, and has earned two top-10 results. His lone start outside of JRM was at Darlington Raceway in September 2016 with Obaika Racing. His best result in the series was a seventh-place result at Richmond Raceway in September 2015 while driving JRM’s No. 88 Speedco Truck Lube & Tires Chevrolet Camaro. He has also made one career start in the NASCAR Truck Series, which occurred at Chicagoland Speedway in September 2016. Driving the No. 71 American Club/RaceTrac Chevrolet Silverado for Contreras Motorsports, Berry started 22nd and finished 13th.

    Berry joins Sam Mayer, the 2020 ARCA Menards Series East champion, as two competitors who are scheduled to share the seat of the No. 8 JRM Chevrolet Camaro for next year’s Xfinity Series season, with Mayer graduating to a full-time role with the team in 2022.

    Further details regarding Berry’s schedule and JRM’s No. 8 team will be announced at a later date.

  • Jeffrey Earnhardt to make 100th Xfinity start at Texas

    Jeffrey Earnhardt to make 100th Xfinity start at Texas

    A significant milestone is in the making for Jeffrey Earnhardt, driver of the No. 0 Chevrolet Camaro for JD Motorsports with Gary Keller in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s event at Texas Motor Speedway, Earnhardt will achieve his 100th career start in the Xfinity Series.

    A fourth-generation competitor from Mooresville, North Carolina, and grandson of the late NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, Jeffrey made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Watkins Glen International in August 2009. By then, he had competed in the NASCAR Busch East Series and what is now the ARCA Menards Series East for the last two seasons for Dale Earnhardt Inc. before being released. 

    Driving the No. 40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet at Watkins Glen, Earnhardt started 36th and finished 24th in his series debut. He ended up competing in another Xfinity race in 2009 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, where he finished 31st. 

    After competing in select NASCAR Truck Series races for Rick Ware Racing in 2010, Earnhardt was set to compete in the series on a full-time basis with RWR as a rookie contender. Following the first four races of the season, however, Earnhardt’s full-time ride was cut and he ended up competing in one additional Truck race and two Xfinity races for the remainder of the season. In the Xfinity Series, he drove for RWR in two races at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May and at Daytona International Speedway in July, where he notched a 19th-place result.

    In 2012, Earnhardt competed on a full-time basis in the Grand Am Series in the Rolex GT Class for Rick Ware Racing. He also competed in a total of six Xfinity races, four with RWR while making one with Go Green Racing and one with Randy Hill Racing. His best result during his six-race slate in 2012 was 21st at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.

    Earnhardt’s racing schedule in 2013 expanded as he made 17 starts throughout the 33-race Xfinity Series schedule. During the season, all but one of his 17-race Xfinity schedule occurred with Go Green Racing, where he finished no higher than 16th place. His lone start outside of Go Green Racing was with JR Motorsports and for his nephew, Dale Earnhardt Jr., at Richmond Raceway in April. Driving the No. 5 Keen Parts/CorvetteParts.net Chevrolet Camaro for JRM, Earnhardt started 22nd and finished 17th.

    In 2014, Earnhardt competed on a full-time basis in the Xfinity Series with JD Motorsports and in the No. 4 Chevrolet Camaro. Throughout the season, his best result was 12th place at Bristol Motor Speedway in August. He was able to capture six top-20 results and an average result of 26.3 throughout the 33-race schedule before finishing in 18th place in the final standings.

    Throughout the 2015 season, Earnhardt made a total of six Xfinity starts in the No. 55 Chevrolet Camaro for Viva Motorsports. His best on-track results were 15th at Bristol in April and 12th at Talladega in May.

    From 2016 to 2018, Earnhardt competed in a total of 73 races in the NASCAR Cup Series as he drove for teams that included Go Fas Racing, BK Racing, Circle Sport-The Motorsports Group, StarCom Racing, Premium Motorsports and Gaunt Brothers Racing. His best result in NASCAR’s premier series during the three-year span was 11th place at Daytona in July 2018.

    A week before the 2018 season concluded, it was announced that Earnhardt will be returning to the Xfinity Series and join Joe Gibbs Racing to drive the No. 18 Toyota Supra sponsored by Xtreme Concepts/iK9 for nine races in 2019. A few days before the 2019 Xfinity Series commenced, Earnhardt’s part-time 2019 schedule expanded when Xtreme Concepts Inc. formed Xtreme Concepts Racing (XCI Racing) with intentions of competing in five Xfinity races and two Cup races with Earnhardt driving throughout the season. 

    Earnhardt made his first start with JGR in the 2019 season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway. During the event, Earnhardt finished in the top five in both stages and led 29 laps before being shuffled back to a 15th-place result. The following race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Earnhardt restarted on the front row alongside teammate Christopher Bell on a three-lap shootout and was in position to win his first NASCAR career race. His chances of winning, however, evaporated when he struggled to pick up speed on the outside lane and was shuffled back. Nonetheless, he was able to finish in sixth place and achieve his career-best result within NASCAR’s top three major division series. 

    Four races later, Earnhardt made his first start with XCI Racing at Texas Motor Speedway, where he finished in eighth place. Another five races later, Earnhardt rallied from a spin with 58 laps remaining to make a late charge and notch a career-best third-place result at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The result marked Earnhardt’s first top-five career result across NASCAR’s top three major division series and it was also meaningful for Earnhardt, who sported a special patriotic scheme to his No. 18 Toyota during the Charlotte race while paying tribute to Mooresville, North Carolina, Officer Jordan Sheldon, who died in the line of duty during a traffic stop earlier in May. 

    In August, Earnhardt announced that he and XCI have parted ways, which ended Earnhardt’s 2019 season early and the end of his partnership with XCI and Joe Gibbs Racing. By then, he had made five Xfinity starts with JGR, two Xfinity starts with XCI Racing and one Cup start with XCI, which occurred at Talladega Superspeedway in April.

    In February 2020, Earnhardt rejoined JD Motorsports with Gary Keller and started the season with plans on competing in 12 Xfinity Series races. He made his first start of the season at Darlington Raceway in May, where he finished 23rd. He went on to finish 25th the following week at Charlotte before he notched a 15th-place result the next week at Bristol.

    Since Darlington in May, Earnhardt ended up competing on a full-time basis with JDM and he has driven the No. 0 Chevrolet Camaro in all but two races, where he drove the No. 15 Chevrolet for JDM. Through last weekend’s event at Kansas Speedway, Earnhardt has achieved 13 top-20 results, a best result of 11th place at Charlotte in October and an average result of 22.3.

    Catch Earnhardt’s milestone start at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, October 24, at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Almirola to reach 350 Cup starts at Texas

    Almirola to reach 350 Cup starts at Texas

    A significant milestone is in the making for Aric Almirola, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series winner and driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s Cup event at Texas Motor Speedway, Almirola will achieve his 350th career start in NASCAR’s premier series.

    A native of Tampa, Florida, Almirola’s debut in NASCAR’s premier series occurred at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March 2007. By then, he made 10 career starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 29 starts in the Truck Series. Driving the No. 80 Joe Gibbs Driven Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing, Almirola started 31st and finished 41st in his Cup debut after being involved in an early accident.

    Later in the 2007 season, Almirola transitioned from Joe Gibbs Racing to Dale Earnhardt Inc. and he piloted the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet in five of the remaining 13 scheduled Cup races. His best result during his five-race stretch with DEI was 30th place, which occurred at Talladega Superspeedway in October.

    In 2008, Almirola remained with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and served as a co-primary driver of the No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala along with veteran Mark Martin. Following the first four races of the season, Almirola made his first Cup start of the season at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, where he collected his first top-10 career finish in eighth place. He made 11 additional starts throughout the 2008 Cup season, where he collected two 13th-place results in the fall and led 53 laps at Martinsville Speedway in October before being shuffled back to a 20th-place result. He capped off the season by finishing in 35th place in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November.

    Almirola started the 2009 season as a full-time Cup Series competitor of the No. 8 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc. He started the season by finishing in 30th place in the Daytona 500 after being involved in two separate incidents. Following the first seven races of the season, however, Almirola’s full-time Cup ride with DEI came to an end due to sponsorship issues. He, ultimately, went on to compete in four Xfinity and 16 Truck Series races throughout the 2009 season.

    For the 2010 season, Almirola started the season with plans of competing on a full-time basis in the Cup Series with Phoenix Racing while also racing in the Truck Series for Billy Ballew Motorsports. Following the first seven races of the season, where he failed to qualify for three and finished no higher than 39th, he parted ways with Phoenix Racing and competed the remainder of the season with Billy Ballew Motorsports in the Truck Series, where he went on to win his first two Truck career races and finish in second place in the final standings. He also competed in eight Xfinity races with JR Motorsports. In October, Almirola served as an interim competitor of the No. 9 Budweiser Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports at Martinsville after Kasey Kahne left RPM for Red Bull Racing. Almirola ended up competing in the final five Cup races of the season with RPM, where he notched a career-best fourth-place result in the season finale at Homestead in November.

    After spending the 2011 season in the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports, where he finished in fourth place in the final standings, Almirola returned to the Cup Series for the 2012 season as a full-time competitor of the iconic No. 43 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola started the 2012 season by finishing in 33rd place in the season-opening Daytona 500 after being involved in a late multi-car accident. His best result during the first nine races was an eighth-place result at Martinsville in April.

    For the next scheduled race at Talladega Superspeedway, Almirola was paired with veteran Mike Ford, who replaced Greg Erwin. Finishing in 12th place at Talladega and in 19th place the following week at Darlington Raceway, Almirola captured his first Cup career pole for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Despite finishing in 16th place in the Coke 600, Almirola rebounded the following week at Dover International Speedway by finishing in sixth place. 

    From Pocono Raceway in June through Richmond Raceway in September, Almirola finished no higher than 17th place on the track. After missing the Playoffs, he was paired with veteran Todd Parrott for the upcoming race at Chicagoland Speedway. For the remaining 10 Cup races of the season, Almirola captured one top-five result, two top-10 results, a total of 72 laps led and a 20th-place result in the final standings.

    Remaining with Richard Petty Motorsports for the 2013 Cup season, Almirola started the season by finishing 13th in the Daytona 500 before finishing 15th the following race at Phoenix Raceway. Following the first 10 Cup races of the season, he was coming off four consecutive top-10 results and was in eighth place in the regular-season standings. The consistency for Almirola and the No. 43 team, however, did not last for the remainder of the regular-season stretch, as he achieved only one top-five result and failed to make the Playoffs. He went on to conclude the 2013 season in 18th place in the final standings along with six top-10 results and a career-best average result of 18.8. Following the 2013 season, Almirola surpassed 100 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series. 

    Prior to the 2014 season, which marked Almirola’s third season with Richard Petty Motorsports, RPM announced a three-year contract extension for Almirola to remain as driver of the No. 43 Ford with Smithfield Foods and its brands serving as key primary sponsors. Almirola was also paired with crew chief Trent Owens.

    Almirola started the 2014 season with a 39th-place result in the Daytona 500 after being involved in a late multi-car accident. Three races later, he captured his first top-three result in the Cup circuit after finishing in third place at Bristol Motor Speedway behind Roush Fenway Racing’s Carl Edwards and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 

    Entering Daytona International Speedway in July, Almirola achieved one top-five result and three top-10 results, with an opportunity grab an upset victory and race his way into the 2014 Cup Playoffs. During the race, Almirola dodged two multi-car accidents and outlasted the field, including late challenges from Brian Vickers, Kurt Busch and Casey Mears, to retain the lead when the race was red-flagged and deemed official on Lap 112 due to rain, thus giving Almirola his first Cup career victory in his 125th series start. Almirola’s first Cup win marked the first win for the Richard Petty Motorsports’ No. 43 car since 1999, which was last made by the late John Andretti. The victory also occurred 30 years to the day where Richard Petty recorded his unprecedented 200th and final NASCAR win at Daytona. With his victory, Almirola clinched a spot for the 2014 Cup Playoffs.

    Following his upset victory at Daytona, Almirola recorded two top-10 results for the remaining eight regular-season races before entering the Playoffs and as one of 16 competitors with an opportunity to win the championship. Following finishes of 41st, sixth and 28th in the first three races of the Playoffs, Almirola was one of four competitors who were eliminated from title contention. Despite the early exit from title contention, he went on to finish the season in 16th place in the final standings and with a career-high seven top-10 results.

    Determined to return to the Playoffs, Almirola started the 2015 Cup season with a 15th-place result in the Daytona 500 followed by an 11th-place run at Atlanta. Through 25 of the 26-race regular-season stretch, he achieved only one top-five result and 13 top-15 results. During the regular-season finale at Richmond in September, Almirola recorded a strong fourth-place result, but he missed the Playoffs by 17 points. He went on to record one additional top-five run and four top-10 results for the remaining 10 Playoff races before finishing in 17th place in the final standings. In addition, he achieved a career-best result of 17.9, compared to his average result of 21.4 in 2014 when he won a race and made the Playoffs.

    Remaining with Richard Petty Motorsports for a fifth consecutive season, Almirola started the 2016 season with a 12th-place result in the Daytona 500. He finished in 15th place the following race at Atlanta despite being involved in a four-car wreck during overtime. Compared to his previous two seasons, the 2016 season was a down season for Almirola, who achieved only one top-10 result and an average result of 23.3 before concluding the season in 26th place in the final standings. Following the 2016 season, Almirola surpassed 200 Cup career starts.

    Returning for a sixth full-time Cup season with RPM and with new full-time crew chief Drew Blickensderfer, Almirola started the season on a high note by finishing in fourth place in the Daytona 500. For the first 10 races of the season, he achieved three top-10 results, despite being penalized 35 points following the recent event at Talladega for a post-race infraction. 

    For the following race at Kansas Speedway, Almirola was involved in a late harrowing accident involving Danica Patrick and Joey Logano, where he could not slow his No. 43 Smithfield Ford in time and rammed into Logano at full speed as the rear end of Almirola’s car came off the ground amid a shower of sparks. Following the incident, where Logano and Patrick were able to emerge uninjured, Almirola had to be extricated from his car and placed on a stretcher, where he was airlifted to the University of Kansas Hospital. It was later determined that he had suffered a compression fracture of his T5 vertebrae. While Almirola spent time recovering from his injuries, he was absent for eight races, including the All-Star Open/Race weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. During his absence, Regan Smith, Bubba Wallace and Billy Johnson each took turns piloting the No. 43 Smithfield Ford.

    In July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Almirola returned to the track and finished in 24th place. Despite missing the Playoffs, he remained in the No. 43 seat for the remaining 18 races of the season, where he collected three top-10 results and finished in 29th place in the final standings. He also recorded an average result of 18.8.

    In September, two months before the season’s conclusion, Almirola and Smithfield Foods announced their departure from RPM at season’s end. Two months later, both announced that they will be joining Stewart-Haas Racing and the No. 10 Ford team led by Johnny Klausmeier for the 2018 Cup Series season.

    Three months later, Almirola made his first Cup start with SHR in the 60th running of the Daytona 500. During the event, he ran consistently and was able to move into the lead over Denny Hamlin at the start of the final lap. Entering the backstretch, Almirola continued to lead, though he had Austin Dillon and Bubba Wallace closing in on him for the lead and the win. Entering Turn 3, however, Dillon made contact and turned Almirola, which sent Almirola’s No. 10 Ford into the outside wall and out of contention while Dillon went on to win. Instead of a possible trip to Victory Lane in one of NASCAR’s crown-jewel events, Almirola ended his race in 11th place and with a wrecked race car. 

    For the first 16 Cup races of the season, Almirola recorded seven top-10 results and 14 top-15 results, as he was also ranked in 10th place in the regular-season standings. He went on to record three additional top-10 results and secure a spot in the 2018 Playoffs based on points and following a strong consistent regular-season stretch with no victories. 

    Almirola opened his second appearance in the Playoffs as a title contender by finishing sixth at Las Vegas and in fifth at Richmond. Despite finishing in 19th place at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, he was able to transfer into the Round of 12 in the Playoffs on a three-way tie-breaker along with Kyle Larson and over Jimmie Johnson.

    After leading 64 laps and finishing 13th the following week at Dover due to being involved in a late multi-car incident, Almirola came into the following race at Talladega Superspeedway with a “Checkers or Wreckers” mindset. After spending the majority of the race running towards the front with his Stewart-Haas Racing teammates, he capitalized on a late restart and with teammate Kurt Busch running out of fuel on the final lap to hold off teammate Clint Bowyer and capture his first elusive victory of the season. With his second Cup career win and first with SHR, Almirola transferred into the Round of 8 in the 2018 Cup Playoffs.

    After finishing 10th the following week at Kansas, Almirola finished 11th, eighth and fourth in the Round of 8. Despite the results, he failed to advance to the Championship 4 round at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he finished ninth. Though he missed an opportunity to contend for his first Cup title, Almirola capped off a successful and productive 2018 season with SHR with a win, a career-high four top-five result, a career-high 17 top-10 results, a career-high 181 laps led and a career-best points result of fifth place.

    With the 2018 season complete, Almirola approached the 2019 season with high aspirations of being a title threat and contending for wins, beginning with the 61st running of the Daytona 500. His season, however, started off on a low note when he was involved in a late multi-car accident and ended his run in 29th place. He rebounded the following six weeks by finishing in the top 10 in all of them. 

    Throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, Almirola and the No. 10 Smithfield/SHR team achieved 10 top-10 results, as Almirola qualified for his third Cup Playoffs as a title contender. After finishing 13th, 16th and 14th through the first three races of the Playoffs, however, he was eliminated from title contention. Unable to produce a late rally for this year’s title run, he went on to capture two top-five results, including a season-best second place behind teammate Kevin Harvick at Texas Motor Speedway in November, and conclude the season in 14th place in the final standings despite not winning once throughout the season. Following the 2019 season, Almirola surpassed 300 Cup career starts.

    Almirola remained with SHR for the 2020 season, but was paired with crew chief Mike Bugarewicz while Johnny Klausmeier was reassigned. For the third consecutive year, Almirola’s season started off on a down note after he was involved in a late multi-car accident that took him out of contention of winning his first 500 title.

    Following the first 11 Cup races of this season, Almirola achieved three top-10 results and was in 14th place in the regular-season standings. For the next scheduled race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Almirola and the No. 10 team began to turn the tide as they went on a nine-race stretch of finishing in the top five or top 10 on the track. After finishing in seventh place at New Hampshire in July, he was ranked in eighth place in the regular-season standings. Ultimately, he went on to record two additional top-10 results and secure a spot in this year’s Playoffs, which marked his fourth career appearance in the Playoffs as a title contender.

    Entering the 2020 Cup Playoffs with momentum and high expectations, Almirola advanced into the Round of 12 after finishing ninth, eighth and fifth in the first round of the Playoffs spanning three races. His momentum, however, came to an end during the second round, where he finished 17th, 37th and 16th during the following three races and failed to advance to the Round of 8. He went on to finish in 13th place in last weekend’s event at Kansas.

    Through October 2020, Almirola has achieved two Cup career victories, two poles, 24 top-five results and 78 top-10 results in 349 previous starts in the Cup circuit. He is set to remain with Stewart-Haas Racing for the 2021 Cup Series season.

    Catch Almirola’s milestone start at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, October 25, at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Harvick to start on pole position at Texas

    Harvick to start on pole position at Texas

    Kevin Harvick, the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion, was awarded the pole position for the upcoming Cup Series Playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway, the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500, on Sunday, October 25.

    Harvick, who led a race-high 85 laps and finished in second place in last weekend’s Playoff race at Kansas Speedway, earned the pole based on four stats: current owner’s standings, the driver’s results from a previous Cup race, the owner’s results from a previous Cup race and the fastest lap established from a previous Cup race.

    The pole award marks the sixth time of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, third in the Playoffs, where Harvick and his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang team will lead the field to the start of an event. Currently, Harvick is 41 points above the top-four cutline in his efforts to make the Championship 4 round and contend for his second Cup title. In addition, Harvick enters this weekend’s event at Texas with extra momentum as he has won the last three fall Texas races.

    Joey Logano, winner of last weekend’s Playoff race at Kansas and a 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship contender, will start alongside Harvick on the front row. Teammate Brad Keselowski will start in third place followed by Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman, all of whom produced strong results at Kansas.

    Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin will start in sixth and seventh followed by Kurt Busch, who looks to rebound following his late engine failure at Kansas.

    Kyle Busch will start in ninth place and as the highest non-title contender on the starting grid alongside Ryan Blaney and followed by William Byron and Austin Dillon.

    Rounding out positions 13-26 are Aric Almirola, Matt DiBenedetto, Christopher Bell, Cole Custer, Erik Jones, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, Chris Buescher, Clint Bowyer, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Michael McDowell, John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson.

    Rounding out positions 27-40 are Ty Dillon, Corey LaJoie, Ryan Preece, Daniel Suarez, Brennan Poole, Matt Kenseth, J.J. Yeley, Quin Houff, Reed Sorenson, Timmy Hill, Josh Bilicki, Garrett Smithley, Joey Gase and Chad Finchum.

    The Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway will occur on Sunday, October 25, at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Speedway Media mourns the passing of Ed Coombs

    Speedway Media mourns the passing of Ed Coombs

    Speedway Media (SM) is saddened by the loss of one of our founding members, Ed Coombs. Ed was instrumental in the early stages of SM for gathering and developing the resources, relationships, and respect among the NASCAR community. He fought hard every day to make online coverage recognized and respected during times in the early 2000s when online coverage was not. Ed’s hard work eventually paid off and SM and many other outlets have him, in part, to thank.

    Ed loved photography and NASCAR was a part of it. You can view some of Ed’s great shots that span over two decades on our photography page here.

    Photo credit: Brad Keppel

    Along with photography Ed also contributed his thoughts throughout the season. His weekend stories and opinions can be viewed here.

    Ed helped out as an editor and publisher when needed, but he was our credential guy for 20 years. If you ever needed an opinion or just a straight answer, Ed was the guy. His support, advice, and encouragement were integral to the success of Speedway Media. Ed, you will be greatly missed.

    Ed’s Facebook post.

    Sending our heartfelt condolences out to the entire Coombs family during this time. Ed, we will never forget you, RIP my friend.

    The funeral and memorial details have not been finalized at the time of this post. We will update the arrangements when they become available.

  • LaJoie to achieve 150 starts across NASCAR at Kansas

    LaJoie to achieve 150 starts across NASCAR at Kansas

    A significant milestone is in the making for Corey LaJoie, driver of the No. 32 Go Fas Racing Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s Cup Series Playoff race at Kansas Speedway, LaJoie will reach 150 starts across NASCAR’s top three major division series. 

    A native of Kannapolis, North Carolina, and the son of two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Randy LaJoie, Corey’s first appearance within NASCAR’s three major division series was the 2013 Xfinity Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. By then, he was a development competitor for Richard Petty Motorsports and he had won six career races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and three in the ARCA Racing Series. Driving the No. 9 Ford Mustang for RPM, LaJoie finished 34th in his debut after being involved in an early accident. 

    LaJoie’s racing schedule in 2014 expanded, as he made his first two starts in the NASCAR Truck Series with RBR Enterprises and five starts in the Xfinity Series with Biagi-DenBeste Racing. His best result in the Truck Series was 10th at Bristol Motor Speedway in August and his best result in the Xfinity Series was 16th at Kentucky Speedway in June. He also made his first two career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series with Randy Humphrey Racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September and at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October.

    Following a one-year absence from NASCAR, LaJoie returned in 2016 and competed in 10 Xfinity Series races with JGL Racing. His best results during his 10-race slate were a 10th-place result at Bristol in August and a sixth-place result at Dover International Speedway in October. 

    The following season, LaJoie joined forces with BK Racing as a part-time Cup Series competitor. During the first Can-Am Duel race at Daytona International Speedway in February, LaJoie rallied from being involved in a controversial wreck with Reed Sorenson, whom LaJoie wrecked in the closing laps, to finish 16th and earn a transfer spot in the Daytona 500 a few days later. LaJoie went on to finish 24th in his first Daytona 500 appearance.

    Throughout the 2017 season, LaJoie competed in 32 of 36 Cup races while earning a best result of 11th place at Daytona in July and an average result of 30.2. He also competed in six Xfinity races with JGL Racing and earned a best result of 15th place (twice).

    In 2018, LaJoie joined TriStar Motorsports as a part-time Cup competitor. He competed in 23 of 36 races with the team, earning a best result of 16th place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September and an average result of 31.5. 

    After TriStar Motorsports ceased operations following the 2018 season, LaJoie teamed up with Go Fas Racing to drive the No. 32 Ford Mustang for the 2019 Cup season. LaJoie started the season by finishing in 18th place in the Daytona 500. Through the first 10 races of the season, his highest result on the track was 11th place at Talladega Superspeedway in April. He went on to achieve his first pair of top-10 results in the Cup circuit at Daytona in July (sixth place) and at Talladega in October (seventh place). He concluded the season in 29th place in the final standings along with seven top-20 results and an average result of 25.9. Following the 2019 season, LaJoie surpassed 100 starts between NASCAR’s three major division series.

    LaJoie remained with Go Fas Racing for the 2020 Cup season. He started this season on a harrowing note when he rammed into the upside down car of Ryan Newman on the driver’s side approaching the finish line. The impact demolished the front nose of LaJoie’s No. 32 RagingBull.com Ford Mustang, though he was able to finish in eighth place and emerge uninjured. He went on to finish in 16th place the following week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    Through 32 of 36 races this season, LaJoie’s eighth-place result in the Daytona 500 marks his lone top-10 result, though he has achieved a total of six top-20 results. He is in 30th place in the standings and is coming off a 27th-place result in last weekend’s Cup race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. 

    LaJoie is set to become a free agent after announcing in August that he will not be remaining with Go Fas Racing for the 2021 season, though he has yet to announce next year’s racing plans.

    Catch LaJoie’s milestone start at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, October 18, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.