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  • Kyle Busch to make 550th Cup start at Indianapolis

    Kyle Busch to make 550th Cup start at Indianapolis

    With big brother Kurt set to achieve a milestone start of his NASCAR Cup Series career, Kyle Busch will also make a milestone start of his own at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 5. By taking the green flag for the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400, the younger Busch will reach 550 starts in NASCAR’s premier series. The milestone comes in his 16th season racing in the Cup Series, 13th in the No. 18 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing.

    A native of Las Vegas, Nevada, and the younger brother to the 2004 Cup champion Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch made his Cup debut at his home track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, in March 2004 and in the No. 84 CARQUEST Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. At the time, he was competing for the team on a full-time basis in the Xfinity Series, where he won five races, finished second in the final standings and claimed the series Rookie-of-the-Year title. He finished 41st in his Cup debut due to a crash and competed in five more races throughout the 2004 season, scoring a best result of 24th at California Speedway in September.

    The following season, Busch was promoted as full-time driver of the No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series. Following an up-and-down season, Busch achieved his first Cup win in his 31st series start at California Speedway in September 2005. At that time, Busch became the youngest winner in the Cup Series’ history at age 20 years, four months and two days. Despite missing the Chase for the Cup, Busch achieved his second Cup victory at Phoenix International Raceway in November 2005 following a late battle with Greg Biffle. To go along with a pole, nine top-five results and 13 top-10 results with a final standings result of 20th, Busch claimed the 2005 Cup Rookie-of-the-Year title. Busch continued driving the No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet for HMS in 2006 and 2007, winning one race apiece and tallying one pole, 21 top-five finishes and 38 top-10 finishes with a best points result of fifth in 2007.

    When the 2007 season concluded, Busch was replaced at Hendrick Motorsports by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and he joined forces with Joe Gibbs Racing to pilot the No. 18 Toyota Camry sponsored by Mars Inc. and Interstate Batteries. In his first race with the team, Busch led a race-high 86 laps in the Daytona 500 before finishing in fourth. After finishing fourth the following week at Auto Club Speedway, Busch emerged as the points leader for the first time in his Cup career. Two races later, Busch notched his first win with JGR and recorded the first Cup win for crew chief Steve Addington and the Toyota nameplate at Atlanta Motor Speedway. From there, Busch went on a hot streak as he won seven more races across seven different tracks, (all of which he won at for the first time), and entered the 2008 Chase for the Cup as one of the title favorites. He, however, recorded three consecutive finishes outside the top 20 in the first three Chase races, which left him eliminated from title contention. He concluded the 2008 Cup season in 10th in the final standings.

    The following season, Busch won four races, which included his hometrack, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and winning on his 24th birthday at Richmond International Raceway in May, but he missed the Chase by eight points to Brian Vickers. Despite the up-and-down season in the Cup Series, he went on to win his first NASCAR Xfinity Series title after achieving nine victories throughout the season. The 2010 season was a record-breaking season for Busch as he won 24 races across NASCAR’s three major division series, three of which came in the Cup Series while paired with new crew chief Dave Rogers. The racing events at Bristol Motor Speedway from August 18-21 marked a major milestone moment for Busch, when he became the first NASCAR competitor to win across all three major division series in the same weekend at the exact racetrack. He made the Chase in 2010, but concluded the season in eighth in the final standings.

    Between 2011 and 2012, Busch tallied five Cup wins, three poles, 27 top-five finishes and 38 top-10 finishes, though he finished 12th and 13th in the final standings within the two years. By then, he had surpassed 100 wins across NASCAR’s three major division series and he had also won the inaugural Cup race at Kentucky Speedway in 2011. He rebounded in 2013 by winning four races and three poles along with 16 top-five results and 22 top-10 results to conclude the season in fourth in the final standings after making the Chase for the sixth time in his career. Among Busch’s Cup highlights in 2013 was dodging a last lap incident involving teammate Denny Hamlin and ex-teammate Joey Logano to win at Auto Club Speedway in March and winning at Texas Motor Speedway in April in his 300th series start. To July 2020, Busch is one of seven competitors to win in career start number 300.

    After winning only once in 2014 and concluding the season in 10th in the final standings, Busch was paired with Xfinity Series crew chief Adam Stevens for the 2015 Cup season. Then came February 21, when Busch was involved in a late multi-car wreck and made head-on contact into a concrete wall installed with no SAFER barriers. He was transported to the Halifax Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with a massive compound fracture in the lower right leg along with a small fracture in his left foot. The wreck left Busch on the sidelines for the first 11 Cup races into the season, though he was granted an injury waiver that would allow him to make the Chase as long as he met the qualification standards. In May, Busch returned as driver of JGR’s No. 18 Toyota and in June, he achieved his first victory of the season at Sonoma Raceway. The win at Sonoma completed the first phase for Busch to make the Chase as he needed consistent runs through September to be guaranteed a spot. He then went on a hot streak, winning three consecutive races, (Kentucky Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and at Indianapolis Motor Speedway), and earning enough consistent finishes and points to qualify for the Chase. Following a consistent run throughout the Chase, Busch raced his way into the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 22 and as the only JGR competitor still in contention for the title. On that day, Busch won the finale and claimed his first NASCAR Cup Series championship in his 11th season. To go along with Busch’s first title, it was the first Cup title for crew chief Adam Stevens, the first for Joe Gibbs Racing since 2005, the first for Mars Inc. and for Toyota. Busch also became the first competitor to win a Cup title despite not competing the entire season since Richard Petty made the last accomplishment in 1971.

    From 2016 to 2018, Busch won 17 more Cup races and tallied 14 poles, 53 top-five results and 75 top-10 results, all while reaching the Championship Round in all three seasons with a best result of second in 2017. Among his achievements within the three seasons included winning at Martinsville Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Pocono Raceway for the first time, winning his second straight Brickyard 400 victory in 2016, claiming his first All-Star win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2017, winning across all three division series at Bristol in August 2017, becoming the first driver to record a win in every active NASCAR Cup track following his first Coca-Cola 600 victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2018 and surpassing 50 Cup wins following the 2018 season.

    Last season, in his 12th season driving for JGR, Busch reached his 500th Cup start at Atlanta in February, a week after finishing second to teammate Denny Hamlin in the season-opening Daytona 500. He finished sixth in his milestone start and in third the following week at his hometrack in Las Vegas. The following week, he achieved his first victory of the 2019 Cup season at Phoenix in March and returned the following week by winning at Auto Club Speedway. On that day, Busch recorded his 200th victory across NASCAR’s three major division series. He won two more races throughout the regular season to make the Playoffs. He was able to race his way into the Championship Round and win the finale at Homestead to claim his second Cup championship.

    This season, through the first 15 races of the 2020 Cup season, Kyle Busch has recorded seven top-five finishes and eight top-10 finishes, and is ranked 11th in the regular-season standings, trailing points leader Kevin Harvick by 158 points. He has won a total of 56 Cup races, though he continues to pursue his first victory of the season. Sunday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will mark Busch’s 16th Cup start at the famed racetrack and at a place where he has won twice in back-to-back seasons in 2015 and 2016 along with recording 10 top-10 results and averaging a result of 12.47. He is also a four-time winner at the venue’s oval-shaped layout in the Xfinity Series. Busch will also look to become the third NASCAR competitor to achieve three Cup wins at Indianapolis.

    Catch Kyle Busch’s milestone start on July 5 for the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 at 4 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Hendrick Motorsports Playoff drivers are likeliest to advance following Talladega Playoff event

    Hendrick Motorsports Playoff drivers are likeliest to advance following Talladega Playoff event

    Despite being behind in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup win column, Chevrolets face the likeliest chance to succeed at Talladega for Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 Playoff event. The 2.66-mile superspeedway is no stranger to upset winners, but if the April event is any indicator then not only do the Hendrick Chevrolets face the likeliest chance of winning, they’re also the likeliest to carry on the recent Bowtie winning streak but also advance to the Playoff Round of Eight.

    Chase Elliott – His Daytona results notwithstanding, Elliott is showing to be a steady performer on the superspeedways. Along with his April victory in Alabama, he holds three top-fives and three top-10s. It may not seem like much in seven starts, but in the races where he held a dismal finish including his two DNFs in 2017, he has always run near the front including leading 26 laps before a hard crash in the Fall 2017 event.

    Still, with two of his three teammates also in the Playoffs as well as the performance of teammate Alex Bowman in the Spring, Elliott could be leading the charge to get out of the Playoff rut his last-place finish at Dover has left him in.

    Alex Bowman – 2019 has become the defining year of Bowman’s Cup Series career. It has been a breakout in every sense of the word – one win, six top-fives, 10 top-10s, and a comfortable spot in the seventh slot in the standings. Bowman isn’t satisfied, however, and with Talladega around the corner, a track where he finished second to teammate Elliott in April, he could be kicking his Playoff campaign into high gear and showing the rest of the field that the No. 88 Greg Ives-led crew could be the team to beat in the Playoffs.

    Bowman and Elliott proved themselves to be a formidable duo in the Spring, not unlike the early 00s’ when Dale Earnhardt Incorporated drivers Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were winning every other race at Talladega. Should Bowman or Elliott win at Talladega, then it could be the dawn of a new era in NASCAR.

    William Byron – Byron’s 2019 Playoff campaign is showing zero signs of a sophomore slump. If anything, it shows that Hendrick Motorsports is catching up in leaps and bounds with the rest of the field, currently led by the Team Penske Fords and the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas. He’s scored five poles already, with three top-fives (including a second at Daytona in July) and 11 top-10s to boot.

    He’s only in his second full-time Cup Series campaign, so his previous Talladega results can be chalked up as educational experiences. Same thing goes with his Daytona results, although he has led 56 laps at the 2.5-mile Superspeedway. But one thing to take into account for the Chad Knaus-led No. 24 team is momentum. Byron has been quietly consistent, having finished in the top-25 in every race this season. Granted, that doesn’t equate to wins, but still, quiet consistency is better than no consistency. He could be a sleeper at Talladega, if not in the Playoffs overall. He could have a run equivalent to Ryan Newman’s in 2014 if the could just keep up with the consistency.

    Although those drivers are the only Hendrick Chevrolets in the Playoffs at this moment, there are other drivers to consider for the win in Sunday’s race. Talladega is well-known for upset winners, and although rookie Ryan Preece is not a Playoff driver, he’s been stout on the superspeedways in 2019. He was in contention to win the Daytona 500 late in the going before being shuffled back to eighth, for one.

    But it was his Talladega performance in April which could translate to a win on Sunday, as the No. 47 was able to latch onto the Hendrick Motorsports train of Elliott and Bowman en route to a third-place finish in the final order. His JTG-Daugherty Racing No. 47 is also powered by Hendrick engines, and given their proclivity for running up front on the superspeedways, he could very well put his car at the front in Sunday’s event. Preece is definitely the dark horse pick for the 1000Bulbs.com 500.

    The 1000Bulbs.com 500 will be on NBC on Sunday, October 13, at 2 p.m.

  • Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Watkins Glen

    Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Watkins Glen

    WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL (2.45-MILE ROAD COURSE)
    LOCATION: WATKINS GLEN, NEW YORK
    EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACE 22 OF 36)
    TUNE IN: 3 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, AUG. 4 (NBCSN/MRN/SIRIUSXM)

    Chase Elliott
    No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
    Driver Chase Elliott   Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
    Age 23                       Resides Dawsonville, Georgia

    2019 Season
    8th in standings
    21 starts
    1 win
    2 pole positions
    6 top-five finishes
    7 top-10 finishes
    409 laps led

    Career
    134 starts
    4 wins
    6 pole positions
    39 top-five finishes
    66 top-10 finishes
    1,652 laps led

    Track Career
    3 starts
    1 win
    0 pole positions
    1 top-five finish
    1 top-10 finish
    61 laps led

    Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media on Saturday, Aug. 3, at 12:15 p.m. local time in the media center at Watkins Glen International.

    2018 ROAD COURSE SUCCESS: Chase Elliott proved his road course prowess in 2018 after collecting his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Watkins Glen International. The win made Elliott the ninth-youngest first-time winner in the Cup Series (22 years, eight months, eight days) and the youngest road-course winner of all time. In 2018, he was one of only three drivers to finish inside the top 10 in all three road course races (Sonoma, Watkins Glen, Charlotte “roval”) and he also garnered the second-most laps led on road courses (52) behind only Martin Truex Jr. (71) last season. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native held the best average finish on road courses last season (3.67) and his 141 points collected on those tracks were 20 more than any other driver. He is also tied with teammate Jimmie Johnson for the most top-10 finishes in Stage 1 and Stage 2 on road courses since 2018 with six.

    ROAD COURSE STATS: The No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver is set to make his ninth Cup Series start on a road course this weekend. In his previous eight starts on a road course, he has collected one win, two top-five finishes, four top-10s and a total of 64 laps led. He has started inside the top five in each of the last five road course races.

    WATKINS GLEN STATS: On Sunday, Elliott will make his fourth Cup Series start at Watkins Glen International. In the Dawsonville, Georgia, native’s previous three starts at The Glen, he averages a finishing position of 9.0 – the third-best average of active drivers. Last season at the 2.45-mile road course, Elliott qualified third and led a total of 52 laps en route to a dramatic finish as he held off Truex down the stretch to bring home his first career Cup Series win.

    NAPA AT THE GLEN: For the first time in his Cup Series career, Elliott will pilot the blue, white and yellow NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet at Watkins Glen. The Atlanta-based company will serve as majority sponsor for the driver and the No. 9 team for a total of 26 NASCAR Cup Series races this year.

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson will celebrate his 44th birthday on Monday, Aug. 5. Last season, the crew chief celebrated his birthday in Victory Lane. He grew up just down the road from historic Daytona International Speedway, where he got his start in racing turning wrenches on the go-karts of a childhood friend, Casey Yunick. Yunick is the grandson of legendary car builder and mechanic Smokey Yunick.

    DALE JR DOWNLOAD: This week, Elliott was the special guest on the “Dale Jr. Download.” He talked Dawsonville living, flying, world travel and more. Dirty Mo Media released the podcast on Monday evening and a condensed version was shown on NBCSN Tuesday evening.

    HOOTERS SPIRITS: On Monday, Hooters announced that Elliott would pilot the No. 9 Hooters Spirits Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Bristol Motor Speedway in August. The scheme comes ahead of the Fall 2019 launch of Hooters’ premium line of spirits that will be available at Hooters restaurants and select retailers.

    HEADING TO NASHVILLE: Wednesday, Elliott headed to Nashville to promote the upcoming Bristol night race. He joined the Tennessee National Guard in a Blackhawk and met with members of the military before heading to Fairgrounds Speedway to give them and media members a ride around the track in the Bristol Motor Speedway pace car.

    William Byron
    No. 24 Hendrick Autoguard Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
    Driver William Byron   Hometown Charlotte, North Carolina
    Age 21                         Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

    2019 Season
    12th in standings
    21 starts
    0 wins
    3 pole positions
    2 top-five finishes
    7 top-10 finishes
    180 laps led

    Career
    57 starts
    0 wins
    3 pole positions
    2 top-five finishes
    11 top-10 finishes
    241 laps led

    Track Career
    1 start
    0 wins
    0 pole positions
    0 top-five finishes
    1 top-10 finish
    0 laps led

    William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Autoguard Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media on Saturday, Aug. 3, at noon local time in the media center at Watkins Glen International.

    HEATING UP IN THE SUMMER: Collecting his second NASCAR Cup Series career top-five finish this past weekend at Pocono Raceway, William Byron’s success in the summer months hasn’t slowed down. In the last five races, the sophomore driver has the second-best average finish in the Cup field, 8.8, which includes two top-five finishes, three top-10s and four top-15s. In those five races, he has continued to put ground between himself and the playoff bubble spot, now holding a 62-point gap in 12th in the point standings with only five races remaining before the playoffs begin.

    HENDRICK AUTOGUARD RETURNS: Returning for the fourth time on board the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 during the 2019 season, the Hendrick Autoguard colors will adorn Byron’s ride for this weekend’s road course race at Watkins Glen International. Available at Hendrick Automotive Group dealerships, Hendrick Autoguard includes additional individualized maintenance products like tire and wheel protection, paintless dent repair, an oil change program, a mechanical repair service contract, flexible maintenance and others. The program affords customers numerous options to get the maximum value from their vehicle with the highest level of service in the industry. All Autoguard vehicle protection programs are available as single products or value-packaged for additional savings. For more, visit the Hendrick Autoguard website.

    WATKINS GLEN WHIZ: This weekend’s race will mark Byron’s second NASCAR Cup Series start at Watkins Glen and his fourth NASCAR national series start at the road course. In his three previous national starts at the 2.45-mile track, Byron has never finished outside the top-10 running order. Last year, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native had one of the best races of his Cup rookie season, qualifying 16th and racing to a solid eighth-place finish at Watkins Glen. Previous to his Cup start, he made his Watkins Glen debut in the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race, starting second and finishing seventh. He raced at the venue in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2017, qualifying 17th and crossing the line 10th.

    KNAUS WANTS WATKINS GLEN WIN: This weekend’s race marks the third track of four this season where No. 24 team crew chief Chad Knaus has yet to claim a victory, with only the Charlotte Motor Speedway “roval” remaining this year. Calling the shots for 17 races at the 2.45-mile road course, third with Jimmie Johnson in 2012 is the closest Knaus has come to taking home a checkered flag. In those 17 starts, the veteran crew chief has two poles (2004 and 2009), three top-five finishes and seven top-10s. As an extra incentive, if Knaus is able to secure his first victory at The Glen this upcoming weekend, it will come the day before he celebrates his 48th birthday.

    RUNNER-UP RESULT: Byron is one of four Cup Series drivers who have finished second in a race in 2019 but have yet to capture the checkered flag. He is also ranked third among the Cup field for most laps led (180) without a win.

    HOME SWEET HOME: One member of the No. 24 team is excited to make the trip to Upstate New York this weekend – primary hauler driver Mark Ellis. Hailing from Utica, New York, which is less 150 miles from Watkins Glen International, Ellis graduated from Proctor High School before pursuing his racing career. Other than NASCAR, Ellis has also spent time working in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), where he was an engine builder on Tony Schumacher’s Top Fuel team, ultimately winning a world championship before heading back to the NASCAR circuit.

    POCONO PLAYBACK: Despite starting from the 31st position due to issues in pre-race technical inspection, Byron began his march through the field last weekend at Pocono Raceway early on until the handling of his Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 swung to the extremely tight side and hindered his progress through traffic. Finding himself back within the top-10 running order at the start of the final stage, Knaus made the call for two right-side tires when the caution came out with fewer than 45 laps remaining. Told to save fuel aggressively to make it to the end of the race, Byron maintained his position within the top 10 until a caution with six laps to go changed the complexion of the race. Despite being close on fuel but restarting from the sixth position, Knaus gave Byron the green light to “go all out” for the final laps. Byron was able to move within the top five and crossed the finish line with a track-best fourth-place finish, running out of fuel as he crossed the finish line.

    Jimmie Johnson
    No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
    Driver Jimmie Johnson   Hometown El Cajon, California
    Age 43                             Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

    2019 Season
    17th in standings
    21 starts
    0 wins
    1 pole position
    3 top-five finishes
    8 top-10 finishes
    81 laps led

    Career
    636 starts
    83 wins
    36 pole positions
    227 top-five finishes
    360 top-10 finishes
    18,784 laps led

    Track Career
    17 starts
    0 wins
    1 pole position
    4 top-five finishes
    8 top-10 finishes
    18 laps led

    DANIELS ON THE BOX: On Monday, Hendrick Motorsports named Cliff Daniels as the new crew chief for seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team. Daniels, 31, won the 2016 Cup Series championship as Johnson’s race engineer. The Smithfield, Virginia, native joined the No. 48 team in December 2014, moved into Hendrick Motorsports’ competition systems group following the 2018 season and rejoined the No. 48 team as race engineer last month at Sonoma Raceway.

    MORE CLIFF: Daniels started competing in Bandolero cars as a 9-year-old. As a child, he worked on cars out of the family garage in Smithfield, following his father Charlie Daniels, a Late Model driver at Langley Speedway in the 1980s and ’90s, into racing. The younger Daniels was winning Legends races at Langley in his teens before pursuing a mechanical engineering degree at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. After graduating, he joined RAB Racing in 2011 and then moved to Stewart-Haas Racing, where he served as the race engineer of the No. 14 Chevrolet driven by Tony Stewart from 2013 to 2014 before coming to Hendrick Motorsports.

    NO STRANGER TO THE PIT BOX: Daniels has been sitting on top of the No. 48 pit box for quite some time. Beginning in the 2015 season, Daniels served as the race engineer of the No. 48 Chevrolet and worked closely under the guidance of champion crew chief Chad Knaus. During that timeframe, the No. 48 team had much success, accumulating 13 wins, 31 top-five finishes, 60 top-10s, two pole positions, 1,552 laps led and most notably a record-tying seventh NASCAR Cup Series Championship in 2016 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    ROAD COURSE STAGE POINTS: Since 2018, Johnson has six top-10 stage finishes on road courses, which is tied for the most in the Cup Series during that span. Last year at Watkins Glen, he finished second and 11th in the first two stages and was on target for a great finish when a penalty for driving through too many pit boxes relegated him to a 30th-place result.

    PUSHY TEAMMATE: Johnson is always willing to lend a helping hand to a teammate in need, as he did for Chase Elliott at the end of the Watkins Glen event last year. Elliott had just scored his first NASCAR Cup Series win before running out of gas during his celebratory burnout. Johnson came to the aid of his young teammate and pushed him back to the start-finish line, where he could collect his checkered flag, and then got out to congratulate the first-time winner on his accomplishment.

    PLAYOFF PICTURE: With five races remaining until the playoffs, Johnson is currently 12 points behind the cutoff 16th position. In his career, he owns a top-10 starting position at Watkins Glen (7.9) and has earned eight top-10 finishes at the New York road course, including four top-five results. Johnson’s best finish at The Glen is third, as it remains one of the four tracks where he has yet to score a win along with Chicagoland Speedway, Kentucky Speedway and the road course at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    HOMESTATE GUY: No. 48 team underneath mechanic Thomas Heslink, 28, hails from Clymer, New York and considers Watkins Glen his hometown track. Heslink graduated from Clymer Central High School and the University of Northwestern Ohio before joining the team late in the 2018 season.

    JOHNSON AND HELMET OF HOPE WINNERS: The Jimmie Johnson Foundation announced the five recipients of this year’s $25,000 Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope grants this week. The final five were selected via a week-long public vote and more than 215,000 votes were cast for the 10 semi-finalists during the voting period. The five recipients are: Art with a Heart in Indianapolis; High Mountain Youth Project in Ruidoso, New Mexico; Immigrant Family Services Institute in Roslindale, Massachusetts; Lakeshore Elementary School PTA in San Francisco; and Pilot Light in Chicago. For more information, go to www.JimmieJohnsonFoundation.org.

    HELMET SWAP STORIES: Johnson has been documenting his history in the sport via a video series titled “The Archives,” which lives on his social media feeds. This week’s release was a story about the late Nicky Hayden, and his helmet swap with the Kentucky Kid. Fans can view the video on Johnson’s Twitter feed.

    Alex Bowman
    No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
    Driver Alex Bowman   Hometown Tucson, Arizona
    Age 26                         Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

    2019 Season
    11th in standings
    21 starts
    1 win
    0 pole positions
    4 top-five finishes
    6 top-10 finishes
    182 laps led

    Career
    138 starts
    1 win
    2 pole positions
    7 top-five finishes
    20 top-10 finishes
    456 laps led

    Track Career
    3 starts
    0 wins
    0 pole positions
    0 top-five finishes
    0 top-10 finishes
    0 laps led

    Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media on Saturday, Aug. 3, at 9 a.m. local time in the media center at Watkins Glen International.

    AXALTA ON BOARD: This weekend marks the ninth of 12 events in which the Axalta colors will adorn Alex Bowman’s No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The leading global supplier of liquid and powder coatings will be on board this weekend in Watkins Glen International and then again at Michigan International Speedway, Darlington Raceway and ISM Raceway later this season. Axalta unveiled a new Axalta Racing website last year that includes plenty of behind-the-scenes content, photos, and videos. Check out Bowman’s page here.

    ACCELERATE THE CURE WINNING DESIGN: Axalta has partnered with CARSTAR, North America’s premier network of independently owned collision repair facilities, for this weekend’s event at Watkins Glen. The CARSTAR logo will be placed on the roof and television panel of the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Through the “Accelerate the Cure” contest with cystic fibrosis (CF) chapters across North America, individuals affected by CF had the chance to design Bowman’s helmet for this weekend. On Saturday, Aug. 3, at 9 a.m. local time, the winning helmet design will be unveiled in the WGI media center.

    WATKINS GLEN PERFORMANCE: Bowman has three previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at Watkins Glen. His best finish at the track came in August 2018 when he finished 14th with the No. 88 team. In 2013, he made one start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the 2.45-mile road course and finished 13th after qualifying 19th.

    ROAD COURSE CAREER: Since 2018, the driver has averaged a finish of 10.25 on road course events in the NASCAR Cup Series. This number ranks sixth on the list of average finishes for drivers on a road course since last season. The 26-year-old hasn’t finished outside the top 14 in a road course event since June of last year. Bowman’s best road-course finish of fourth came at the Charlotte Motor Speedway “roval” in September 2018. The driver of the No. 88 Chevy has captured five top-10 stage finishes in road course events since last season, which ranks him second behind three drivers tied for first with six top-10 stage finishes in that span.

    STATS AT THE GLEN: No. 88 team crew chief Greg Ives will call the shots for the fifth time at the New York-based road course this weekend. The Bark River, Michigan, native’s resumé includes three top-15 finishes. Ives’ best result at the track came back in 2015 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 11th after starting seventh in the 90-lap event. Last year at Watkins Glen, Ives led Bowman to a 14th-place finish. The crew chief has two starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the track, capturing one top-five finish and two top-10s. Ives was a race engineer for the No. 48 team from 2006-2012 and captured one pole (2009), two third-place finishes and four top 10s at Watkins Glen.

    HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CAREER NUMBERS: Since Bowman’s first start with Hendrick Motorsports at New Hampshire in 2016, the driver has made 67 starts and has two pole wins (Phoenix in 2016, Daytona 500 in 2018). The Tucson, Arizona, native claimed his first Cup Series victory at Chicagoland Speedway back in June. The driver of the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet has claimed seven top-five finishes, 20 top-10s and 453 laps led with Hendrick Motorsports in that span.

    BACK HOME IN NEW YORK: Andrew Seamans, the interior specialist on the No. 88  team, is going back to his home state of New York this weekend. Seamans grew up in Liverpool, New York, which is approximately 80 miles from Watkins Glen International. The 32-year-old attended college at SUNY Oswego in Oswego, New York, and has a degree in informational science. Prior to joining Hendrick Motorsports, Seamans worked with Kasey Kahne Racing and Kyle Larson Racing in the World of Outlaws Series.

    Hendrick Motorsports

    HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT WATKINS GLEN: In 33 races at Watkins Glen, Hendrick Motorsports has seven wins, six pole positions, 19 top-five finishes and 37 top-10s. Chase Elliott earned the organization’s most recent victory at the road course when he won the event last season to capture his first career NASCAR Cup Series trip to Victory Lane.

    ON THIS DATE: The last time a Cup race fell on Aug. 4 was in 2013, when Kasey Kahne won at Pocono Raceway. Following him to the finish line was Jeff Gordon in second, Dale Earnhardt Jr. in fifth and Jimmie Johnson in 13th. During that race, the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers led 118 of the 160-lap race (74 percent).

    ROCKING THE ROAD COURSES: Hendrick Motorsports owns the all-time record for the most wins (16), poles (17), top-five finishes (58), top-10s (104) and laps led (1,512) on road courses.

    PLAYOFF POSITIONING: Three Hendrick Motorsports drivers are currently in position to make the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at the end of the regular season. Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman have essentially locked in their spots by finding Victory Lane and rank eighth and 11th, respectively, in the standings. William Byron is currently 12th, with Jimmie Johnson 17th, just 12 points behind the cutoff line.

    ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 12 championships, 254 race victories, 221 pole positions, 1,060 top-five finishes and 1,815 top-10 finishes in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Its teams have led more than 68,500 laps since 1984.

    QUOTABLE /
    Chase Elliott on going back to Watkins Glen after his 2018 win:
    “Any time you run good somewhere, whether you win it or not, it’s always nice to go back. It makes you feel a little more confident. It will be a special weekend going back. That was a big moment for us last year and hopefully we can do that well again.”

    Elliott on his first win:
    “Last year’s win at Watkins Glen was just such a relief. It was so good to finally get the first one for not only me but my guys, too. We had been working on three years and I hadn’t won one, we gave ourselves a good opportunity that day and I was able to get it done.”

    William Byron on Watkins Glen versus Sonoma:
    “Sonoma was a good race for us, but Watkins Glen is really fast and narrow compared to that track. I think with this package, the track is going to be a lot faster. I’m excited to see what that’s all about. We can translate some stuff from our setup in Sonoma and I think it will really be strong for Watkins Glen. I’m excited about that, for sure.”

    Byron on what he learned at Spring Mountain:
    “Before Sonoma we got the chance to drive the Chevy cars out at Spring Mountain. It was helpful for me to work on hitting my marks and being consistent every lap, but it really helped us with overall communication. (No. 24 team crew chief) Chad (Knaus) could really understand better what I was talking about with the car and what I needed, and I think it paid off in Sonoma. We wanted to put a lot of importance into the road course races this year because it’s really like every other race. You can win the race and lock yourself into the playoffs just like the others. I don’t think a lot of guys really prepare completely for them since there’s so few road courses on the schedule, but I think that’s starting to change with the Charlotte ‘roval’ being added into the playoffs. There’s now more of an importance on road courses and we want to make sure we’re as ready as we can be.”

    Jimmie Johnson on the rest of the regular season:
    “Our focus and No. 1 priority right now is to make the playoffs. Our road course game has been pretty good the past few outings, and with stage racing it adds a huge element of strategy, so we will be looking at this weekend from a lot of different angles. Every point, every lap counts from now until the end of the regular season. We are looking at everything. I have a lot of faith in (crew chief) Cliff (Daniels) and in the No. 48 team, so I know we can do this, we just need to execute.”

    No. 48 team crew chief Cliff Daniels on his new role:
    “I know this is the first weekend I will be calling a race as a crew chief but I am confident in myself and the team. The cool part about it is that Hendrick Motorsports has a very good recent history of success at The Glen. (No. 9 team crew chief) Alan (Gustafson) and Chase (Elliott) and the No. 9 team winning last year, they had a fast car last year and did a great job with strategy. I was a part of the No. 48 team with Jimmie as he was two turns away from winning at Charlotte on the ‘roval’ last season but that just didn’t work out for us. Jimmie has so much experience of driving cars and trucks on different types of tracks, so he is super adaptable on road courses. I have a lot of notes to rely on and many resources to pull from, so I will be studying up heading into the weekend and have a good plan going into it.”

    Alex Bowman on Watkins Glen versus Sonoma:
    “Even though the tracks are pretty different, I think Watkins Glen is probably a little easier than Sonoma from a driver’s standpoint. I am excited to get there and unload a fast car that (No. 88 team crew chief) Greg (Ives) and the guys have put together. I know our road course stuff is really strong, so it should be fun.”

    Bowman on wearing a special helmet:
    “This weekend I will be wearing a special helmet that was designed by an individual with cystic fibrosis. This individual won the ‘Accelerate the Cure’ contest that was promoted through CARSTAR and cystic fibrosis chapters across North America. I can’t wait to unveil the winning helmet design on Saturday morning at Watkins Glen.”

  • Nationwide to end sponsorship with Hendrick Motorsports

    Nationwide to end sponsorship with Hendrick Motorsports

    Nationwide announced Wednesday that they will end their sponsorship with the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 team with driver Alex Bowman at the end of the 2019 season.

    The insurance company has been a sponsor of the car since partnering with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2015. After Earnhardt’s retirement at the end of the 2017 season, they renewed their commitment as a sponsor when Bowman was named as the new driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet.

    Nationwide will continue their long-standing personal service relationship with Earnhardt in 2020.

    The full statement from Nationwide:

    “Since 2015, Nationwide has had the pleasure of being the primary sponsor of the No. 88 team—first with Dale Earnhardt Jr. as the driver and then with Alex Bowman. In that time, the platform has played a valuable role in building the Nationwide brand, sharing with NASCAR fans our noble purpose of protecting what matters most to our members and raising money and awareness for Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

    As Nationwide’s business needs to evolve, we are adjusting our marketing resources to ensure that we are aligning to those new business priorities.

    “With that in mind, we have informed Hendrick Motorsports of our decision to step away from our sponsorship of the 88 team at the end of the year. We have not made this decision lightly, given our 20-plus year involvement in NASCAR and our deep appreciation for Rick Hendrick, Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, and the millions of NASCAR fans we have engaged with over the years.

    “Nationwide will continue to leverage our sponsorship for the rest of 2019 and have many special activations planned. In 2020, we will host partners at select NASCAR races and continue our relationship with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    “We thank Mr. Hendrick for a wonderful five years and wish him and the entire Hendrick Motorsports organization the very best in their future endeavors.”

    Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick issued the following statement:

    “We understand the changing dynamics of business, and we’re grateful to the entire team at Nationwide for their wonderful partnership over the past five years. Whether it’s been winning races, competing in the NASCAR playoffs or our recent on-track performance, we have accomplished so much together. Off the track, we have been just as successful, from collaborating on national advertising campaigns to supporting the important mission of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. It has been a pleasure to work with all of their people and to help drive Nationwide’s business forward.

    “Alex (Bowman) is having a breakout season and showing the world just how talented he is. He’s signed through next year (2020) and will be a big part of our future. The momentum we’re building as a sport is due in large part to NASCAR’s leadership and a unique combination of emerging personalities like Alex, established stars and the exciting shows our racing is putting on. There’s tremendous confidence in the product we have to offer our fans and partners.”

    In a separate statement, Bowman said, “I owe a lot to Nationwide. They wanted me as their driver and have supported me from the beginning, which I can’t thank them enough for. I’m proud to represent them and have a lot of appreciation for all the awesome people I’ve met and worked with. I couldn’t be more positive about my No. 88 team and what the future holds for us this year and beyond. I know we’re just scratching the surface, and I’m pumped for what’s ahead. We appreciate the role Nationwide has played in our success.”

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • Elliott name back in victory lane at Talladega

    Elliott name back in victory lane at Talladega

    With four different crashes in the final seven laps, Chase Elliott emerged victorious in the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series.

    “Obviously it could have gone both ways but fortunately everybody stayed together and stayed the course and had some help on that last lap with the caution,” Elliott said. “I just appreciate all the support. This is unbelievable. This is special. This is close to home for me. It feels a little bit like a home race.

    “We’ll take it. Unbelievable feeling. The crowd was intense. We’re proud to get it done for them.”

    Elliott is the first driver for the 2019 season to break the win streak by Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske. He edged his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman, who was disappointed to not have a chance at the win coming to the line despite scoring his career-best finish.

    “I’m not just going to let him win, right?” Bowman asked rhetorically. “I’ve got to try. I knew I could get to his quarter panel. I was pretty confident I could get to his quarter panel through the tri-oval. Who knows who is going to get to the line first? At that point, I thought I could do it. Depends on the car behind you, where he goes.

    “It would have been fun to try, but happy for Chase, Nationwide (Bowman’s sponsor), everybody that lets us keep doing this thing. I’m glad to kind of turn the season around. It’s been a rough start to the year. These guys deserve way better than the finishes they’ve had. To come home second, it’s not a win, but headed in the right direction.”

    Ryan Preece also scored his best career Cup series finish with a third place run. Upon further video evidence, Joey Logano unofficially finishes in fourth just slightly ahead of Daniel Hemric, who also got his best career finish. The rest of the top 10 finishing positions were Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Brendan Gaughan, Aric Almirola and Kyle Busch. Busch now extends his top-10 finishing streak to 10 for the 2019 season.

    Three Multi-Car Wrecks at Talladega

    The race officially ended under caution on the final lap as William Byron tangled with David Ragan on the back stretch. The two drivers collected Kyle Larson and Jeffrey Earnhardt. Both Larson and Earnhardt spun toward the inside wall, with Larson beginning to flip moments before impact with the inside SAFER barrier. The No. 42 Chevrolet tumbled and began to flip multiple times before finally coming to rest on the wheels. However, with Stenhouse spinning on the front stretch as the field took the white flag, the combination of debris on the track a few hundred feet before the start-finish line and Larson’s flip on the back stretch, NASCAR had to throw the yellow. Erik Jones spun in Turns 3 and 4 with two laps to go, but was able to continue on right away.

    “That was probably the longest flip I’ve ever had,” Larson said after he was checked out of the infield care center. “I didn’t know if it would ever stop. It was a little bit scary, but thankfully I’m all right.”

    A separate incident occurred with just seven laps remaining, as Chris Buescher’s No. 37 Chevrolet got turned by Aric Almirola on the backstretch. For the majority of that previous lap, Almirola kept looking to the inside to make a three-wide pass, but tucked back in line. However, on the back stretch, Almirola made contact with Buescher as he fell back in line and started a five-car crash. Buescher’s car hit the outside wall, then was t-boned by Matt DiBenedetto’s No. 95 Toyota, lifting Buescher’s car in the air. Martin Truex Jr. made slight contact, but avoided most of the wreck and was able to continue in the race. Justin Haley, who was making his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut, was not so fortunate and had his great debut end after hitting DiBenedetto in the side.

    “We just got turned,” Buescher told FOX. ”Good position there with just a handful of laps to go. Just got turned right, destroyed our race car.”

    The red flag lasted for 8 minutes and 47 seconds.

    Back in the first stage, another multi-car wreck took out a few other major contenders as well. Just 10 laps into the race, Bubba Wallace had a strong run on Ryan Blaney. While the two bump drafted around, Blaney’s car got sideways but he was able to correct it. Wallace was not, and spun toward the inside across traffic. Clint Bowyer’s car slid up and collected his Stewart-Haas teammate Kevin Harvick. Michael McDowell and Matt Tifft were also collected, and those four retired from the race immediately.

    “The No. 22 (Joey Logano) pulled up and he checked up a little bit,” Wallace said of the crash. “I went to go to the bottom, where I was safe. I don’t know if I crossed (Blaney’s) bumper or whatever. But it got him wiggled down and shoved me even farther down than I wanted to go.

    “So I went back up just to stay off the apron and it just unloaded. It’s just unfortunate, but I tried not to wreck my buddy, Ryan, and it cost our day and some others’.”

    Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota also received damage, and went a few laps down early. After hitting the wall on Lap 83, Hamlin took his car to the garage with mechanical failures and would not return to the race. Jimmie Johnson received damage after running over debris from McDowell’s car. On Lap 25, Johnson hit the wall in Turn 3. He was able to get his Chevrolet to pit road, but was out of contention after finishing nine laps down.

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competes next at Dover International Speedway on May 5.

    Monster Energy Cup Series Race Number 10
    Race Results for the 50th Annual GEICO 500 – Sunday, April 28, 2019
    Talladega Superspeedway – Talladega, AL – 2.66 – Mile Paved
    Total Race Length – 188 Laps – 500.08 Miles

    FinStrNoDriverTeamLapsS1PosS2PosPtsStatus
    1119Chase ElliottMountain Dew/Little Caesar’s Chevrolet1884157Running
    2988Alex BowmanNationwide Chevrolet1882253Running
    33047Ryan Preece #Kroger Chevrolet1880034Running
    4822Joey LoganoMoneyLion Ford1880935Running
    558Daniel Hemric #Caterpillar Chevrolet1880835Running
    6141Kurt BuschMonster Energy Chevrolet1880636Running
    7246Ryan NewmanAcorns Ford1886035Running
    82962* Brendan Gaughan(i)BeardOilDstrbtng/SthPntHtl&Casino Chevrolet188000Running
    9210Aric AlmirolaSmithfield Ford1880028Running
    102218Kyle BuschM&M’s Chocolate Bar Toyota18891030Running
    113632Corey LaJoieSchuler Systems Ford1880026Running
    121641Daniel SuarezCoca-Cola Orange Vanilla Ford1885031Running
    1342Brad KeselowskiSnap On Ford1880024Running
    1413Austin DillonDow Chevrolet1883537Running
    15712Ryan BlaneyMenards/Knauf Ford1880429Running
    161721Paul MenardQuick Land Tire & Auto Center Ford1880021Running
    171313Ty DillonGEICO Chevrolet1881030Running
    183727* Reed SorensonLow-T Centers Chevrolet1880019Running
    192720Erik JonesSTANLEY Toyota1880018Running
    202019Martin Truex JrBass Pro Shops Toyota1880017Running
    212524William ByronHertz Chevrolet1887328Running
    223381* Jeffrey Earnhardt(i)Xtreme Concepts Toyota187000Accident
    231538David RaganShriners Hospital for Children Ford1870014Accident
    241042Kyle LarsonClover Chevrolet1870717Accident
    25617Ricky Stenhouse JrFifth Third Bank Ford1878015Accident
    263415Ross Chastain(i)Chevrolet187000Running
    273596* Parker Kligerman(i)TRD 40th Anniversary Toyota186000Running
    284051Cody Ware(i)JACOB Companies Ford184009Running
    29314Clint BowyerToco Warranty Ford182008Running
    303137Chris BuescherTide Pods Chevrolet181007Accident
    312695Matt DiBenedettoProcore Toyota1811007Accident
    323877Justin Haley(i)Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevrolet180000Accident
    332148Jimmie JohnsonAlly Chevrolet178004Running
    34320Landon Cassill(i)Home Town Lenders Chevrolet154000Running
    353952Stanton BarrettHUSKI CHOCOLATE Chevrolet132002Suspension
    362311Denny HamlinFedEx Express Toyota80001Accident
    371836Matt Tifft #Surface Suncreen/Tunity Ford11001Accident
    38194Kevin HarvickBusch Beer Flannel Ford11001Accident
    392843Bubba WallaceWorld Wide Technology Chevrolet10001Accident
    401234Michael McDowellLove’s Travel Stops Ford10001Accident


  • William Byron: No Ordinary 21-Year-Old

    William Byron: No Ordinary 21-Year-Old

    William Byron is no regular 21-year-old.

    Byron, the 21-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, won the pole for the 61st annual Daytona 500 on Sunday. But as Chad Knaus told Fox’s Mike Yocum, “He is a man. Not a kid.”

    It was business as usual for the Liberty University college student.

    “It is a good first start for us, but we got a lot more to do and that starts with the Duels on Thursday.”

    Byron got his start in racing by a man named Dennis Lambert. Lambert was no slouch and challenged William but he also simplified it for him as well.

    “He really helped me start my career,” Byron said. “Taught me a lot about driving. Learning from him, he was a challenge to me. He was really good in the cars and I could learn a lot from him. He made it simple and some people make it really complicated but he just made it simple for me and I think that has helped me along the way as well.”

    He then moved up to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Series in 2015 where he ran the entire year with Justin Marks and Liberty University. This is the first step for many drivers that are currently in the Cup Series as they start their NASCAR career, and for Byron, it was beneficial beyond belief.

    “It kinda taught me how it is to race in a big series for the first time,” said Byron. “Having some televised events and bigger tracks like Bristol, Iowa, Richmond. It kinda taught me the ropes of those tracks so I don’t forget.”

    Byron racked up four wins, five top fives and he ran every single lap except for one at Winston-Salem, finishing off the year with his name above everyones on the top of the point standings.

    After a K&N Pro Series East championship, it was time to take a step up as Kyle Busch Motorsports offered Byron a full ride in the No. 9 Truck with Liberty University at the helm for the 2016 season. Once again, nothing was stopping Byron as he tallied up his first win at Kansas followed by wins at Texas, Iowa, Kentucky and Pocono. Byron was neck and neck with Johnny Sauter all the way until the final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. And even though he did everything he could do (win the race, and score the most amount of points), it was just not enough as Sauter finished third and won the title by three points. That didn’t discourage Byron. In fact, the defeat did the exact opposite. It encouraged him to want it more.

    With a bunch of determination, Byron took the next step toward his destination as JR Motorsports offered him the No. 9 Xfinity Series car with, once again, Liberty University, as his main sponsor. Obviously driving for the 14-time most popular driver in the highest NASCAR series, would be intimidating beyond belief for the average driver but for Byron, only just a tad.

    “I mean, only a little at first,” he said. “I think you learn to block out the outside noise. What really matters is what is inside that car, what is inside that team, so if the team is really not letting it get to them I don’t let it get to me. I would say yeah, there is some added pressure but you got to make sure you live up to that by the way you do things and the way you approach things so I think you learn that over time. So, it’s about what is inside that team.”

    If you didn’t believe Byron was intimidated driving for Dale Earnhardt Jr., his performance on the track didn’t tell anybody otherwise. Byron received the checkered flag first in Iowa, and seven days later captured another victory at the World Center of Racing, Daytona International Speedway. He followed that up with a win and a kiss at the yard of bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. When he needed to win, he succeeded by doing just that at the second to last race of the season at Phoenix and qualifying for the final 4 for the Championship at Homestead.

    Nervousness? Hardly any at all. This is nothing new for Byron. Byron finished third in the race, the highest of all the drivers in the final four and won the 2017 Xfinity Series Championship.

    So, what was next for Byron? Would he spend another year in the Xfinity Series or move up to Cup? He didn’t know.

    There is one thing that will always advance drivers in any sport and that is winning. For Byron, that was no different, as he received the opportunity to move up to the Cup Series.

    “Most opportunities came above other people by just winning,” Byton said. “You just need to win races so that is what afforded me to get this chance. That’s really what afforded me the opportunity in the Cup Series was winning and the championship and that’s kinda how it has gotten to me to this point so you really have to win to stay around.”

    In what was a rough first season in the series for Byron (by his standards), he had zero wins, but it did seem like he was getting onto a streak toward the end of the year.

    Now it is on to the 2019 season for the young Hendrick driver and while he returns to the same car for the season, he has a new superstar in his crew chief and that is Chad Knaus. Knuas has spent the last 17 seasons as the crew chief for Jimmie Johnson, the seven-time champ. It has since been a seamless transition between the two.

    When asked if Johnson talked with Byron about working with Knaus and if he has given any advice to the young 21-year-old, Byron said, “We have talked a lot. Chad and I have talked.”

    Johnson confirmed this during his media availability at the Daytona 500 Media Day, saying, “William and Chad have talked. I and William have talked. I think the situation that they are in, Chad is going to be able to bring so much to the table for William to make him grow to become the driver that he wants to be.”

    What does the future hold for Byron? Time will tell. Many of his competitors agree though, that Byron is definitely one to watch.

    “You look at a guy that has probably the best equipment out there in William Byron.” Casey Mears said during Media Day. “I know he sat on the pole here for Daytona. He still has a lot to prove, you know? Watching last season, I don’t think Hendrick Motorsports was really where they needed to be last year as well. I’m really curious as to how he progresses now that he has a year under his belt and hopefully the team being a little down the road.”

    This year’s expectations, though?

    “Yeah obviously, playoffs, wins, those are great,” said Byron, “but we got to do the work first to get there. We are going to get through the first four and five races first and then once we get through the first four and five races, hopefully we are where we want to be and we can work from there to figure out how we can get better and go from there.”

    William Byron is no normal 21-year-old. He is a star in the making.

  • Hendrick Motorsports and the Daytona 500 Front-Row Curse

    Hendrick Motorsports and the Daytona 500 Front-Row Curse

    Saying that the Hendrick Motorsports camp has a lock on Daytona 500 qualifying is like saying water is wet.

    With William Byron scoring his first-career pole for the 2019 edition of the Great American Race, he joins the ranks of other Hendrick notables like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, and even Ken Schrader in being the eighth HMS driver (and third in the No. 24) to win a 500 pole.

    Yet with 13 poles and 12 outside-pole starts, Gordon, Darrell Waltrip, and Geoff Bodine are the only HMS drivers to win the 500 from the front row (Bodine started second in 1986 and Waltrip started second in 1989 while Gordon won from the pole in 1999).

    Schrader was a three-time (’88, ’89, ’90) 500 pole winner, as well as a two-time winner of the Clash at Daytona (’89, ’90). But with a runner-up finish in the ’89 500, Schrader couldn’t seal the deal in the No. 25 Chevrolet, with a sixth-place run in ’88 and a 40th-place run in ’90 sandwiching his ’89 disappointment.

    No more HMS drivers started on the front row until Gordon’s 500 win in ’99, then it was Jimmie Johnson on the front row in 2002, winning his first of two 500 poles and four front-row starts overall. His runner-up qualifying efforts in 2005 and 2015 were rewarded with a fifth-place finishes in both instances, but his ’02 and ’08 poles were met with 15th-place and 27th-place finishes, after spinning in both races. Despite all that, the seven-time series champion is a two-time 500 winner.

    Despite being a three-time 500 winner and two-time 500 pole sitter, Gordon hasn’t had much 500 luck from the front row. Qualifying second in 2006, the No. 24 crew found themselves in a few scrapes before finishing 26th. Again qualifying second in 2011 and 2013, Gordon’s efforts were met with finishes of 28th and 20th, respectively. His pole run in 2015 was followed up with a dominant showing in the 500, where he led the most laps (87) before being turned around as the field was heading for the finish. He was credited with a 33rd-place finish.

    Joining HMS in 2009, Mark Martin’s comeback season started off with a second-place qualifying run in the 500. However, five wins and a runner-up points finish masked a forgettable 16th-place finish in the 500, and not even a pole the next season in the 500 could bare any success: He finished 12th after leading 11 laps.

    Earnhardt’s 2011 effort saw him put his No. 88 on the pole to put HMS on the 500 front row for the second-straight year after he qualified second in the 2010 event. But although he finished second in that event, ’11 saw him lead a meager nine laps before crashing and finishing 24th. He returned to the 500 front-row in 2017, but a crash while leading after halfway put the two-time 500 winner in 37th in the final running order.

    Chase Elliott has two 500 poles to his credit (’16, ’17) but lacks the finishes to back up his qualifying efforts. His 500 debut in ’16 put him in the lead for three laps after starting first, but an early-race spin put him in 37th after extensive damage was made to the No. 24. In 2017 he led 39 laps but was shuffled out of the running order late in the race, finishing 14th in the final order.

    The most recent 500 had HMS driver Alex Bowman on the pole, but a late-race involvement in The Big One left him in 17th even though he led 13 laps early on.

    With all of this being said, the argument can be made that HMS has a lock on 500 qualifying, as mentioned before. But with three 500 wins from the front row in 33 years, the argument can also be made that the odds are not in the organization’s favor that they’ll put the No. 24 or the No. 88 in Victory Lane even though come Sunday Byron and Bowman will be leading the field to the green flag.

    Regardless, being on the front row for the 500 hasn’t proven that successful for an organization that has eight 500 wins despite the fact. The odds may not be in favor for two of the drivers, but with established drivers like Johnson and Elliott picking up the slack, things are evened out so there may be an HMS Chevy in Victory Lane regardless.

  • Elliott Scores Much Anticipated First Cup Win at Glen

    Elliott Scores Much Anticipated First Cup Win at Glen

    After 98 career starts in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Chase Elliott finally got the proverbial monkey off his back at Watkins Glen.

    Much like his famous father Bill back in 1983, the Dawsonville, Georgia native scored his first career MENCS race at a road course. Just like his father, he had to endure many runner-ups before celebrating that inaugural Cup victory.

    This time, the 22-year-old racer made his magical moment happen at the legendary 2.45-mile road course in his 99th start.

    Starting third, Elliott was a factor throughout today’s GoBowling at the Glen despite finishing 19th in Stage 1.

    Parlaying pit strategy with a fast No. 9 SunEnergy 1 Chevy Camaro, Elliott battled defending race winner Martin Truex Jr tenaciously before taking the lead en route to a Stage 2 win.

    From there on, it was a cat and mouse game between Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. in the final laps.  Needless to say, Elliott had to earn his first win in the premier division.

    Surely, Elliott tried mightily to hold off one of the title threat triumvirates in the final 15 laps.

    “Holy cow!” Elliott exclaimed after the race. “What a thrill. I don’t know what to say. I’m so thrilled. So much relief. Worked on it for three years. I was able to get it done!”

    Not surprisingly, the No. 9 team has showcased some speed in recent weeks. In fact, Elliott has won at least one stage in a race since the Foxwoods Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    All told, Elliott soaked in the moment and reflected on the struggles that led to his team’s recent rejuvenation.

    “Man, it’s such a relief,” Elliott said. “Had some hard times to get here and learned a lot personally and had to have a good group around me to keep pushing me. This is a helluva day.”

    The final laps played out like an action film or a thriller, as fans stood on their feet, particularly on the final lap. Forced to make a split second decision going into turn one, Elliott’s choice proved to be the correct one on this day.

    “I was starting to wheel hop and I knocked it out of gear to not spin out,” Elliott observed. “I had a big enough gap where Martin (Truex Jr) wasn’t near me. What a day.”

    Elliott’s first Cup win was truly special as he got to celebrate it with his father Bill in Victory Lane.  Notably, the Georgian also snapped a 37-race winless streak for Hendrick Motorsports that dated back to the spring race at Dover in 2017.

    Meanwhile, race runner-up Truex was able to cross the finish line on fumes while third-place finisher Kyle Busch overcame a fueling issue. Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones, Kyle Larson, Jamie McMurray, William Byron, Kurt Busch, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-10.

    Next up for the MENCS drivers and teams will be the Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway (Sunday, August 12 at 2:30 p.m. on NBCSN). Fellow Chevrolet racer Kyle Larson hopes to return to the winner’s circle as he bids for his third straight summer race victory at MIS.

  • Johnson captures first top-10 of the season in his chase for eight

    Johnson captures first top-10 of the season in his chase for eight

    Jimmie Johnson scored his first top-10 of the season Sunday evening, finishing ninth in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway. It was not the finish he wanted but it was a step in the right direction and proof that his desire and determination have not wavered in the chase for an eighth championship.

    “Each week, we’ve been getting a little bit better,” Johnson said. “We’re definitely not happy with where we are right now but to see the improvements, we’ve been seeing it internally and to make the cars drive better and better and get more competitive. A strong day for the Lowe’s for Pros Chevy, definitely not where we want to be but we’re getting closer every week.”

    The top-10 could not have come at a better time. On March 14 Hendrick Motorsports announced that Lowes would discontinue their sponsorship of Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet after the 2018 season. Lowes has been the only primary sponsor of the team since 2001.

    As the news hit, questions about Johnson’s future with NASCAR began to circulate. Was this a foreshadowing of the end of the seven-time champion’s career?

    The doubts are somewhat understandable when you consider his season to date.

    Johnson got off to a shaky start after he was caught up in a multi-car accident on Lap 59 of the season-opening Daytona 500, ending his day early and resulting in a 38th place finish. Although the progress this year has been slow, the No. 48 team has been steadily improving. Johnson placed 27th the following week at Atlanta, followed by a 12th place at Las Vegas and a finish of 14th at Phoenix.

    At first glance, the gains made may seem insignificant but when it comes to NASCAR’s dynamic duo of Johnson and Chad Knaus, never, under any circumstances, count them out. Since his first full-time season in 2002, Johnson has captured a minimum of two wins every single year of his Cup Series career.

    The question remains. Is he nearing the end of his career? Johnson quickly responded with an unequivocal no.

    “I have more to accomplish in this sport,” he said. “I feel the best I’ve ever felt physically. I’m motivated. I’m focused on winning races and chasing more championships. Someone (a new sponsor) will be a big part of writing that story with us. I’m not going anywhere.”

     

  • Martin Truex Jr. Wins Pole for the 2018 Auto Club 400

    Martin Truex Jr. Wins Pole for the 2018 Auto Club 400

    Martin Truex Jr. took the top spot in the final round of qualifying Friday to win back to back poles in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series, his first at Auto Club Speedway. Toyota Racing Development will share the front row with the efforts of Kyle Busch.

    Truex becomes the first driver to claim the pole with NASCAR’s new Cup level pole award sponsor, Anheuser-Busch.

    “It’s definitely cool to win that award and know the history behind it,” Truex said during his press conference. “Racing in the Busch North series, and my first big pole award was by Busch. It feels good to have that ‘throwback’ feel, and excited to get the first one when they came back with them partnering again with NASCAR and sponsoring the sport again, it’s exciting.”

    Truex and his team seemed to feel confident after the first practice earlier in the day when he posted the seventh fastest time. They opted to stay on a single set of tires throughout practice, and after Harvick’s rare mistake in Turn 2, the door opened for Truex to jump after the top spot.

    Kyle Busch came home with a runner-up to the pole and will start alongside Truex on the front row.

    “The TRD (Toyota Racing Development) guys down in Costa Mesa always put this one on the calendar. Proud of the effort to have two of us on the front row, and Erik [Jones] there in fourth. Overall, a good day for us with our Interstate Batteries Camry.”

    Kyle Larson was right on the rear bumper of Kevin Harvick across the first two qualifying rounds and had new competition in the final round. His No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro will start in the third position alongside a third TRD car of Erik Jones and Austin Dillon, rounding out the top five starting spots.

    “Decent qualifying run,” Larson said, who was earlier inducted into the Auto Club Speedway Walk of Fame. “We would have liked to have been on the pole but got a little tighter each run. That is kind of what ended up hurting us a little bit and lost some speed off Turn 2.”

    Kevin Harvick set the track record in the first round and was on his way to sweeping all three rounds of qualifying, but a mistake coming out of Turn 2 hurt his overall speed and time. He will start in the 10th position in his No. 4 Stewart Haas Ford Fusion behind Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Ryan Blaney and Ryan Newman, respectively. The rest of the running order from the final round of qualifying included Brad Keselowski (11th) and Chris Buescher (12th).

    Only 24 cars made an attempt at qualifying in the first round, so all drivers advanced into the second round. This gifted a few drivers with a much higher than average start for Sunday’s race, including Chris Buescher (12th), Trevor Bayne (13th) and Matt DiBenedetto (18th).

    The notable team that did not make a qualifying effort was the entire camp at Hendrick Motorsports. Jeff Andrews, Vice President of Competition for the team, told FOX Sports about their struggle saying that all their cars had issues with the rear end of the car passing inspection.

    “No, they were all similar, in the same area of the car,” Jeff shared. “We’ve got to go back, we have to talk obviously, internally, and talk with NASCAR. We felt like we were making changes, obviously in the area affected and just we were not seeing the results when we went back through.”

    Other key drivers that missed the first round of qualifying were Clint Bowyer and Aric Almirola, who were second and third fastest in the first practice, respectively. While Kyle Busch said it was a better question for the crew chiefs, Truex had his take on the substantial increase of failed inspections from 13 teams during qualifying.

    “I don’t really know what happened today or what guys were fighting,” Truex shared. “I think the biggest issue with the LIS is measuring the rear hub. You go across there four times, you get four different numbers, so I think for the crew chiefs, it’s a tough situation to be in. Nobody goes into tech expecting to fail or trying to fail, and sometimes you just get caught off guard.”

    The NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series will wave the green flag on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. local time for the Auto Club 400.