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  • Ryan Newman hospitalized in serious condition after wreck at Daytona

    Ryan Newman hospitalized in serious condition after wreck at Daytona

    Ryan Newman was hospitalized after a fiery crash at Daytona International Speedway Monday night. The accident occurred on the final lap of the Daytona 500 after a couple of hard hits sent his car airborne and left it crumpled and in flames.

    It took track personnel quite some time to extricate Newman from his car before he was sent to Halifax Medical Center for further evaluation. As everyone collectively held their breath, fearing the worst but hoping for the best, an update was issued by Roush Fenway Racing almost two hours later.  

    Jeff Gordon, a four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, echoed the sentiments of the NASCAR community, saying, “Safety’s come a long way in this sport, but sometimes we are reminded that it is a very dangerous sport.”

    Thankfully, though Newman is in serious condition, the statement issued by the team indicated that his injuries are not life-threatening.

    NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer, Steve O’Donnell, shared the update.

    “I wanted to provide everybody an update on Ryan Newman. He’s been transported to Halifax Medical Center, undergoing further treatment and evaluation. We’ve been in continual dialogue with the race team and Ryan’s family. And on behalf of Roush Racing, they’ve asked us to read a statement to give you an update and the statement reads as follows:

    “Ryan Newman is being treated at Halifax Medical Center. He is in serious condition, but doctors have indicated his injuries are not life-threatening.

    “We appreciate your thoughts and prayers and ask that you respect the privacy of Ryan and his family during this time.

    “We appreciate your patience and cooperation and we will provide more information as it becomes available.”

    O’Donnell added, “That’s the end of the statement and then certainly on our behalf we’re going to continue to work with the race team and Ryan’s family to support them in any way we can. We’d ask that you respect their privacy and going forward we’ll provide updates as we can. But at this time our thoughts are with Ryan and his family. Thank you.”

  • Weekend Schedule for Daytona

    Weekend Schedule for Daytona

    This weekend the season officially begins as all three series head to Daytona International Speedway. The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series races Friday evening and the Xfinity Series takes the stage Saturday afternoon. Sunday features the main event with the 62nd annual Daytona 500.

    Thursday, Feb. 13

    4:05-4:55 p.m.: Truck Series first practice – FS2

    5:30-5:55 p.m.:  Final Truck Series practice – FS1

    7 p.m.:  First Daytona 500 qualifying race – Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 (60 laps,150 miles) – FS1/MRN

    8:45 p.m.:  Second Daytona 500 qualifying race – Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2 (60 laps/150 miles) – FS1/MRN

    Friday, Feb. 14

    2:05-2:55 p.m.:  Xfinity Series first practice – FS1

    3:10 p.m.:  Truck Series qualifying – FS1

    4:32-4:57 p.m.:  Xfinity Series final practice – FS1

    5:05-5:55 p.m.:  Cup Series third practice – FS1/MRN/TSN

    7:30 p.m.:  NASCAR Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 race (Stages 20/40/100 Laps = 250 Miles) FS1/MRN /SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Saturday, Feb. 15

    11 a.m.: Xfinity Series qualifying – FS1

    12:30-1:20 p.m.: Cup Series final practice – FS1/MRN/TSN

    2:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series NASCAR Racing Experience 300 race (Stages 30/60/120 Laps = 300 Miles) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Sunday, Feb. 16

    2:30 p.m.: Daytona 500 – (Stages 65/130/200 Laps = 500 Miles) FOX/MRN/TSN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Starting Lineup for the Daytona 500:

    1 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    2 88 Alex Bowman
    3 22 Joey Logano
    4 24 William Byron
    5 10 Aric Almirola
    6 48 Jimmie Johnson
    7 6 Ryan Newman
    8 42 Kyle Larson
    9 2 Brad Keselowski
    10 4 Kevin Harvick
    11 43 Bubba Wallace
    12 41 Cole Custer #
    13 3 Austin Dillon
    14 20 Erik Jones
    15 19 Martin Truex Jr.
    16 21 Matt DiBenedetto
    17 95 Christopher Bell #
    18 1 Kurt Busch
    19 17 Chris Buescher
    20 77 Ross Chastain(i)
    21 11 Denny Hamlin
    22 8 Tyler Reddick #
    23 38 John Hunter Nemechek #
    24 13 Ty Dillon
    25 9 Chase Elliott
    26 34 Michael McDowell
    27 12 Ryan Blaney
    28 18 Kyle Busch
    29 14 Clint Bowyer
    30 36 David Ragan
    31 37 Ryan Preece
    32 66 Timmy Hill(i)
    33 16 Justin Haley(i)
    34 15 Brennan Poole #
    35 0 Quin Houff #
    36 32 Corey LaJoie
    37 51 Joey Gase(i)
    38 52 BJ McLeod(i)
    39 62 Brendan Gaughan(i)
    40 27 Reed Sorenson

    Did not qualify: Chad Finchum (No. 49) JJ Yeley (No. 54) Daniel Suarez (No. 96)

    To the rear: Blaney No. 12 (backup car), LaJoie No. 32 (backup car)

  • William Bryon wins Duel 2 at Daytona in dramatic fashion

    William Bryon wins Duel 2 at Daytona in dramatic fashion

    William Byron got the very first win of his Cup Series career Thursday night and while it was just an exhibition race, the victory was still a huge statement heading into The Daytona 500. Byron ended up winning the Duel 2 race after making a gutsy move to the outside lane on Lap 57, which allowed him to hook up with Jimmie Johnson and take the lead from Kevin Harvick.

    “Yeah, we’re going to use this momentum as it should be,” Byron said. “I feel like we didn’t luck into this.  We’ve built something over the last year working with Chad. He’s allowed me to grow up a lot. I think he’s held me accountable for a lot of things that are really good.”

    “I just feel comfortable walking into the shop,” he continued. “I think that took me really till this year, this off-season, to walk in and just feel like a racecar driver and comfortable. That’s a lot of credit to him and Tyler, Brandon, all the guys on the team.”

    Jimmie Johnson came home in second place after pushing his teammate out front, Kyle Larson worked his way to third, Harvick shuffled back to fourth and rookie Cole Custer rounded out the top-five. Other notable finishers include Matt DiBenedetto, who finished seventh, Ross Chastain in ninth and Tyler Reddick, who came home 10th.

    While Bryon’s win was impressive, especially considering the questions that were hanging over The Chevrolet camp, it was also very surprising. The reason for this is that if Chevrolet didn’t get a lucky caution on Lap 43 when JJ Yeley hit the wall, they would have most likely remained five or six seconds behind the Toyota and Ford camps due to pit stops.

    The Chevrolets pitted on Lap 24, which was a full 10 laps before The Toyota and Ford cars came in to get serviced. This gave Toyota and Ford a huge advantage with track position and left little chance of the Chevrolets catching up. This was ultimately remedied by the JJ Yeley incident and bunched the field back up for one last shootout.

    Due to Yeley’s incident on Lap 43, he did not qualify for The Daytona 500, which opened the door for Timmy Hill to make The Great American race. Hill joins Reed Sorenson who qualified for the field in the first duel race of the evening and beat out Daniel Saurez and Chad Finchum to do so.

    Coverage for The Daytona 500 will take place Sunday at 1 p.m. on FOX. Prerace festivities including predictions, driver introductions and more can be seen at 11 a.m.

    Starting Lineup for the Daytona 500:

    Starting Lineup for the Daytona 500:

    1 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    2 88 Alex Bowman
    3 22 Joey Logano
    4 24 William Byron
    5 10 Aric Almirola
    6 48 Jimmie Johnson
    7 6 Ryan Newman
    8 42 Kyle Larson
    9 2 Brad Keselowski
    10 4 Kevin Harvick
    11 43 Bubba Wallace
    12 41 Cole Custer #
    13 3 Austin Dillon
    14 20 Erik Jones
    15 19 Martin Truex Jr.
    16 21 Matt DiBenedetto
    17 95 Christopher Bell #
    18 1 Kurt Busch
    19 17 Chris Buescher
    20 77 Ross Chastain(i)
    21 11 Denny Hamlin
    22 8 Tyler Reddick #
    23 38 John Hunter Nemechek #
    24 13 Ty Dillon
    25 9 Chase Elliott
    26 34 Michael McDowell
    27 12 Ryan Blaney
    28 18 Kyle Busch
    29 14 Clint Bowyer
    30 36 David Ragan
    31 37 Ryan Preece
    32 66 Timmy Hill(i)
    33 16 Justin Haley(i)
    34 15 Brennan Poole #
    35 0 Quin Houff #
    36 32 Corey LaJoie
    37 51 Joey Gase(i)
    38 52 BJ McLeod(i)
    39 62 Brendan Gaughan(i)
    40 27 Reed Sorenson

    Did not qualify: Chad Finchum (No. 49) JJ Yeley (No. 54) Daniel Suarez (No. 96)

    To the rear: Blaney No. 12 (backup car), LaJoie No. 32 (backup car)

  • Joey Logano fends off the field to win Duel 1 at Daytona

    Joey Logano fends off the field to win Duel 1 at Daytona

    Rain seemed to be a minor setback for the first Bluegreens Vacations Duel at Daytona International Speedway but the drivers did not hold anything back as it became a massive dogfight at the end between the leaders. Joey Logano held off pole-sitter Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to win Duel 1. As a result, it gives him 10 points and a starting position of third for this weekend’s Daytona 500.

    “It feels so good,” Logano stated. “I mean, obviously it’s the Duels, not the Daytona 500, but momentum is momentum.”

    “This is awesome, he added. “What great teamwork by the Ford’s, especially Aric Almirola, my goodness. He was a great pusher at the right time and we were able to hold off the bottom when we needed and hold off the Chevy’s and showed the speed that the Ford’s have here. That is something I am proud to be a part of. I am proud to be driving that Blue Oval and these Roush Yates motors. We are ready to rock and roll. I can’t wait for the 500.”

    Stenhouse led the way early on until he and the other Chevys pitted on Lap 23, beginning the cycle of green-flag pit stops.

    A lap later the Toyotas would enter pit lane, but not all were free of trouble.

    Martin Truex Jr. and rookie Christopher Bell made contact, causing the No. 19 to miss his pit stall. Daniel Suarez, who was racing his way in, would lose the draft of the Toyotas.

    While the Chevys and Toyotas pitted, the Fords stayed out on track, with Clint Bowyer leading the group. However, as they entered pit lane, a caution would come out when Suarez and Ryan Blaney collided off of Turn 4.

    Suarez, who had just finished his pit stop, was on the inside line. Trying to check up for Brad Keselowski’s car, Suarez’s No. 96 slid up, while Ryan Blaney was trying to pit from the outside line, causing a crash.

    Blaney accepted the blame for the contact, saying, “It was just an error on my part and kind of a little lack of communication that didn’t end well.”

    The wreck resulted in massive front end damage to Suarez’s Toyota. Blaney received right-side damage to his No.12 Ford Mustang. Suarez’s chances of making the 500 came to an end, while Blaney kept on going.

    Many of the Fords that had committed to pit lane did not take service due to the caution, but Bowyer and Chris Buescher took service and both received an end of the longest line penalty.

    Stenhouse would lead on the restart, but things would get heated up as Logano would challenge the No. 47 for the lead with help from Almirola. With Logano taking over, the field calmed down and stayed mostly single file until the 10 lap to go mark, guarding the inside line. It became a Ford top six consisting of Penske, Stewart-Haas Racing and Roush Fenway cars.

    At first, Keselowski formed an outside line, but the leaders migrated upward to block the outside line. Stenhouse was thinking otherwise. The No. 47 went down to the bottom and made huge runs on the leaders with help from the inside line. Stenhouse would steal some laps from Logano and it became a drag race between him and the No. 22.

    Stenhouse’s momentum would stall out as Almirola would shove Logano, creating a massive gap ahead of the main pack. With runs coming left and right, Logano blocked both lanes to win. Logano, who led 19 laps in the event, will get 10 points, giving him a head start in the standings.

    Almirola would finish second, with Newman, Keselowski, and Bubba Wallace Jr. rounding out the top five. Pole sitter Stenhouse finished eighth.

    Rookie Bell would finish ninth in his first-ever Duel.

    Due to Suarez’s crash, Reed Sorenson would make it into the Daytona 500 with an 18th place finish. Chad Finchum would not qualify for the main event, as he finished 20th in the Duel.

    There were 11 lead changes and only one caution for seven laps.

  • Jones wins wreck-filled Busch Clash, only six cars finish

    Jones wins wreck-filled Busch Clash, only six cars finish

    In a testing exhibition race, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Erik Jones captured the checkered flag in the 42nd annual non-points paying race at Daytona International Speedway. This is his first time winning the Busch Clash and his second time winning at Daytona. This marks Joe Gibbs Racing’s ninth victory in the race, which allows them to lead in all-time victories by teams over Richard Childress Racing.

    Ryan Newman led the 18-car field to the green flag a little after 3 p.m. on a sunny Florida day. The first half of the 187-mile trek proved to be uneventful as several Fords led the pack while a majority of the Chevrolets in the pack fell to the back. But as the cross flags were put up, strategy talks began to unfold, which provided some on-track action and mix-up.

    On Lap 46, Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones, along with Ryan Blaney, took a splash and go, except for Jones, who took four tires after a brief mishap missing his pit box. Other Stewart-Haas Racing and Team Penske drivers shortly followed suit at Lap 47, leaving the Chevrolet camp and Joey Logano.

    With less than 20 to go, the Chevrolet drivers including Logano were faced with the decision of pit or be hunted down by a second pack who had been triumphed by the Chevrolet competitors who had yet to pit. Keselowski brought the pack to the bottom line, which mixed in with the first pack at Lap 63.

    Kyle Busch, Logano and Keselowski were involved in a wreck after Logano tried to come low on Busch. Both Busch and Keselowski were scored out of the race. Keselowski showed obvious frustration as he slammed the door to his ambulance in which he rode to the infield for further mandatory evaluation. Logano was able to return to the track with repairs. Jimmie Johnson also received minor damage from the incident.

    Following the conclusion of the caution, Denny Hamlin led the field back to the green flag with four laps to go, though more than six cars piled up as they crossed the start/finish line beginning with pole winner Ryan Newman clashing into Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney and William Byron. Truex and Byron retired from the race before the restart.

    Hamlin and Almirola led the field back to the green and Hamlin cut a tire in the entrance of turn three, collecting many cars, bringing out the red flag. Another caution flew as cars wrecked attempting to make a white flag run, taking out Chase Elliott.

    Jones was damaged in two incidents. Out of 18 drivers, six finished.

  • Kevin Harvick signs contract extension with Stewart-Haas Racing

    Kevin Harvick signs contract extension with Stewart-Haas Racing

    By Staff Report | NASCAR.com

    Kevin Harvick confirmed to media members Saturday at Daytona International Speedway he has signed a two-year contract extension with Stewart-Haas Racing.

    Harvick, the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion, said his new deal with SHR lasts through the 2023 season. It was initially slated to end after 2021, but now the 44-year-old has a deal to race in NASCAR’s top series for four more years.

    The veteran’s future was the subject of much speculation, given his contract status, age and the manner in which he capably joined the FOX broadcast booth for select events as an analyst. Harvick said Saturday that he was dialing back his TV and radio commitments this year, in part to spend more time with his family, but that making a transition to media after 2023 would coincide with the expected arrival of a new TV broadcast contract.

    “I’m intrigued by that and for me, that’ll keep me in the car a few more years as we go through 2023 and see where we’re at,” Harvick said. “Really, that timing works well for me from a media standpoint, just because of the fact that you have a TV contract that’s coming up, you’ll know who the players are and I think at that particular point, you’ll have a fair amount of experience in the new car. You’ll hopefully have been through the engine change, the vehicle change. So there were a number of things that go along with that. I really like racing with the group of guys in the organization where I’m at and I worked my whole career and feel like I got here with a group of guys and people that I want to have had success with. For me, going through a few more years in the car just made sense.”

    Harvick continues to stay busy with Kevin Harvick Inc., his sports marketing agency, in addition to his full-time role with SHR. But even with the side projects, Harvick said his drive to excel at the sport’s top level still sustained him.

    “KHI’s definitely bigger than I thought it was going to be at this particular point, but the TV and radio stuff is definitely something that I’m extremely interested in,” Harvick said. “But I talked with some of my friends over the offseason just about where I was at with things, and everybody told me the same thing: If you’re not done with that competitive side of it, just keep chasing that side and I’ve got everything around me that I need to be competitive, so I’m just going to continue doing that.”

    After a career-long stint with Richard Childress Racing, Harvick signed with the Tony Stewart co-owned team prior to the 2014 season. Paired with crew chief Rodney Childers, he delivered his best-ever season — five wins, more than 2,000 laps led and, most importantly, the series championship — in the first year of the elimination-style playoff format.

    Harvick and Childers have posted 26 wins together in the No. 4 Ford over six years, averaging more than four wins per year together. Harvick has qualified for the Championship 4 five times in six years and blossomed into one of the most feared — and respected — drivers in the garage.

    With 49 career Cup Series wins, Harvick is set to join just 13 other drivers in NASCAR history with 50 career victories at the sport’s highest level. He ranks second among active drivers in all-time wins, behind only Kyle Busch.

    With Jimmie Johnson entering his last year of full-time racing, a Next Gen car slated to debut in 2021 and various other big-name drivers reportedly nearing the end of their contracts, the next two years of Silly Season is expected to produce plenty of turnover throughout the garage.

    Count the SHR No. 4 Ford, though, as a ride that is taken.

  • Weekend Schedule for Busch Clash at Daytona

    Weekend Schedule for Busch Clash at Daytona

    NASCAR returns to Daytona International Speedway this weekend for the Busch Clash. Jimmie Johnson is the defending race winner. He also won the event in 2005.

    The other active drivers who have won include Brad Keselowski (2018), Joey Logano (2017), Denny Hamlin (2016, 2014, 2006), Kevin Harvick (2013, 2010, 2009), Kyle Busch (2012) and Kurt Busch (2011).

    The ARCA Racing Series will kick off the competition Saturday at 4:45 p.m. in the Lucas Oil 200. The Cup Series will qualify Sunday and the Busch Clash will close out the weekend at 3 p.m.

    The Busch Clash at Daytona will consist of 75 laps with an opening segment of 25 laps and a final segment of 50 laps. The starting lineup will be set by a random drawing that will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Fan Zone.

    All times are Eastern.

    Saturday, February 8
    11:35 a.m.: NASCAR Cup Series Busch Clash at Daytona final practice – FS1/MRN/TSN
    12:30 p.m.: ARCA qualifying – No TV
    1:35 p.m.: Cup Series Daytona 500 qualifying practice – FS1/MRN/TSN
    3 p.m.: Cup Series Daytona 500 qualifying final practice FS1/MRN/TSN
    4:45 p.m.: ARCA Auto Racing Lucas Oil 200 – FS1

    Sunday, February 9
    12:30 p.m.: Cup Series Daytona 500 qualifying – FOX/MRN/TSN
    3 p.m.: Cup Series Busch Clash at Daytona – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Entry List for Busch Clash:

    Aric Almirola (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Ryan Blaney (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Alex Bowman (former Daytona 500 pole winner)
    Clint Bowyer (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Kurt Busch (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Kyle Busch (former Clash winner)
    William Byron (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Austin Dillon (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Chase Elliott (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Denny Hamlin (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Kevin Harvick (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Jimmie Johnson (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Erik Jones (2019 Cup Series playoff driver)
    Brad Keselowski (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Kyle Larson (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Joey Logano (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Ryan Newman (former Daytona 500 winner)
    Martin Truex Jr. (former Daytona 500 pole winner)

    There are 20 drivers eligible for the 2020 Busch Clash but only the 18 drivers listed above will compete. Daniel Suarez will focus his efforts on qualifying for the Daytona 500 with Gaunt Brothers Racing. Daniel Hemric, who will drive for JR Motorsports part-time in the Xfinity Series, is not entered in the Clash.

  • Daniel Suárez joins Gaunt Brothers Racing

    Daniel Suárez joins Gaunt Brothers Racing

    Driver and Team to Campaign No. 96 Toyota Camry in Full NASCAR Cup Series Schedule with Sponsorship from Coca-Cola and CommScope

    Gaunt Brothers Racing has signed Daniel Suárez to drive its No. 96 Toyota Camry fulltime in the NASCAR Cup Series beginning with the 2020 season.

    It will mark Suárez’s fourth year in the NASCAR Cup Series and a return to the manufacturer with whom the Mexican driver has enjoyed so much NASCAR success.

    “It’s great to be back with Toyota and back in the NASCAR Cup Series,” said the 28-year-old Suárez, who was born in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico and now calls Huntersville, North Carolina home. “My NASCAR career started off really well and Toyota was a very big part of that. To have them in my corner again gives me a lot of confidence. Gaunt Brothers Racing has something to prove and so do I. We’re committed to each other and we’re going to build each other up.”

    Suárez won the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship behind the wheel of a Joe Gibbs Racing-prepared Toyota Camry. His title-winning drive earned him a promotion to Gibbs’ NASCAR Cup Series program where he continued in Toyotas throughout the 2017 and 2018 seasons before joining Stewart-Haas Racing in 2019. As the 2020 season is set to get underway, Suárez is happy to be back with the manufacturer who ushered him up the NASCAR ladder and into the elite NASCAR Cup Series.

    “We are pleased that Daniel is rejoining the Toyota family in 2020,” said Ed Laukes, group vice president, marketing, Toyota Motor North America. “He has been a member of the Toyota Racing family throughout the majority of his career and contributed greatly to our shared success, most notably in winning the 2016 Xfinity Series championship. We are excited to see Gaunt Brothers Racing move to a fulltime entry next season and thrilled to have Daniel behind the wheel. We look forward to this new partnership.”

    Just as Suárez knows the possibilities that exist at his new home, Gaunt Brothers Racing realizes the opportunity it now has with an experienced driver coming into his prime.

    “We’ve been working toward this moment since Gaunt Brothers Racing joined the Cup Series in 2017,” said Marty Gaunt, president, Gaunt Brothers Racing. “We’ve made steady improvement every year, but bringing Daniel on board allows us to take a giant leap forward. We’re investing in each other. He’s not content to just be here and neither are we. We’ve been very strategic in everything we’ve done, and between our partnership with Toyota and the resources now available to us, we can take that next step and deliver for Daniel and all of our partners.”

    Dave Winston will serve as Suárez’s crew chief. The NASCAR veteran comes to Gaunt Brothers Racing from Richard Childress Racing where he was vehicle performance group engineer and also the race engineer for driver Daniel Hemric. Winston has served as a crew chief before, spending 2014 at BK Racing with driver Alex Bowman and 2016 at Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing with driver Michael McDowell. Winston has a degree in mechanical engineering from Florida Atlantic University.

    Coca-Cola and CommScope continue their respective partnerships with Suárez at Gaunt Brothers Racing. The iconic Coca-Cola brand has been with Suárez since 2015 when he won the Xfinity Series rookie-of-the-year title. CommScope, a leader in communication network technology, has been with Suárez through its ARRIS and Ruckus Networks brands since 2014 when he first competed in the Xfinity Series.

    “We are excited to continue our partnership with Daniel Suárez and build a new relationship with Gaunt Brothers Racing,” said John Mount, vice president, sports marketing and region assets, Coca-Cola North America. “Daniel is a valuable member of the Coca-Cola Racing Family and he embodies the values most important to Coca-Cola. We’re looking forward to supporting Daniel in this next step of his career at Gaunt Brothers Racing.”

    “CommScope solutions deliver power, speed, precision and innovation – just like a race team – and provide fans with an optimal experience as they watch NASCAR through our video, wireless and broadband technologies,” said Eddie Edwards, president and CEO, CommScope. “We wish Daniel Suárez much success this year and look forward to cheering him on at the finish line.”

    Suárez’s racing career began in 2003 when he competed in go-karts. He is a two-time Mexican national karting champion (2004 and 2008) and twice earned a spot to compete in the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals karting event – 2004 in Spain and 2008 in Italy. In 2008, he joined the mini-stock division – an official support series of the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series. Suárez won 10 races in the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series before coming stateside to compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. He kept on winning, scoring three victories in 2013 before transitioning to the Xfinity Series. His championship season in 2016 consisted of three wins, three poles and 19 top-five and 27 top-10 finishes. In winning his first career Xfinity Series race on June 11, 2016, at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Suárez became the first Mexican driver to win a NASCAR national series race.

    Gaunt Brothers Racing traces its roots back to 2010 when it began competing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and the Canada-based NASCAR Pinty’s Series. Gaunt Brothers Racing won the 2011 Toyota All-Star Showdown with driver Jason Bowles at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway and scored the pole for the 2011 Streets of Toronto 100 with a track-record qualifying time on the city circuit, with Bowles again at the wheel.

    Suárez’s first competitive outing with Gaunt Brothers Racing comes Feb. 9 with Daytona 500 qualifying starting at 12:30 p.m. EST with live coverage on FOX. His lap will determine his starting spot in the Feb. 13 Duel – twin 150-mile heat races that set the rest of the field for the Daytona 500. That event begins at 7 p.m. with live coverage on FS1. Daytona Speedweeks then culminates with the 62nd running of the Daytona 500 at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at 1 p.m. All of these races can also be heard live on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90).

    While eligible for the non-points Busch Clash on Feb. 9, Suárez and Gaunt Brothers Racing have opted not to compete in the exhibition race to instead focus attention on their preparation for the Daytona 500.

  • Cup Series driver changes and updates for the 2020 season

    Cup Series driver changes and updates for the 2020 season

    As the 2020 NASCAR racing season approaches, let’s take a look at the changes that have happened during the off-season.

    One of the major announcements was that its premier series will now be known as the NASCAR Cup Series. Replacing the single branding model, NASCAR will have four Premier Partners that include Busch Beer, Coca-Cola, GEICO and Xfinity.  

    Another significant decision by NASCAR was implementing a reduced-downforce package for 2020 on six short tracks and on all three road courses. The major changes include using smaller spoilers, going from an 8-inch height to 2.75 inches and a revamped front splitter. The splitter will measure a quarter-inch (previously 2 inches) with 2-inch wings (down from 10.5 inches).

    The intent is to limit downforce which stabilizes the cars and will allow the drivers more input and control over handling, intensifying the competition. The new package will be utilized at Bristol Motor Speedway, Dover International Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Richmond Raceway and Phoenix Raceway. It will also be used at the road courses of Sonoma Raceway, Watkins Glen International and for the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval course.

    Chevrolet will feature a new car in 2020 as they switch from the Camaro ZL.1 to the Camaro ZL1 1LE. It will make its debut during Daytona Speedweeks.

    “The ZL1 1LE is the highest performer within the Camaro production-car lineup,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president of Performance and Motorsports. “We took lessons from the production car and applied them to the new 2020 Cup car.”

    Schedule Changes:

    Daytona International Speedway’s second race of the season will move from the July 4th weekend to host the Cup Series regular season finale on Aug. 29. Indianapolis Motor Speedway will take its place on the schedule.

    Pocono Raceway will present the first-ever doubleheader weekend on June 27-28 with Cup Series races on both Saturday and Sunday. The Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series and the Xfinity Series will compete as well for an action-packed weekend.

    Darlington Raceway will be the site of the first race in the Playoffs with the Southern 500 on Sept. 6. Richmond Raceway will join the Playoffs for the first time the following weekend and Bristol Motor Speedway will host the first elimination race on Sept. 19.

    Martinsville Speedway will have its first official Cup Series night race on May 9 and will also host the final elimination race of the Playoffs on Nov. 1.

    Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Roval will be home to the elimination race in the Round of 12 on Oct. 11.

    Phoenix Raceway will host the final race of the year and crown the Cup Series champion on Nov. 8. Homestead-Miami Raceway, the site of the finale for almost two decades, will not be a factor in the Playoffs with its race moved to March 22.

    Drivers on the move:

    Christopher Bell will move from the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the Xfinity Series to the Leavine Family Racing No. 95 Toyota in the Cup Series. His crew chief, Jason Ratcliff, will move with Bell to LFR.

    Chris Buescher will change teams. After three years with JTG-Daugherty Racing, he will move to the No. 17 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford vacated by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Luke Lambert will make the move from Richard Childress Racing to join Buescher at RFR as his Crew Chief.

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr., after seven full-time seasons with Roush Fenway Racing, heads to JTG Daugherty Racing and will compete in the No. 47 Chevrolet. Crew chief Brian Pattie will make the move with Stenhouse to continue as his crew chief.

    Ryan Preece will remain with JTG Daugherty Racing for his second full-time year in the Cup Series but will move from the No. 47 into the No. 37 Chevrolet with Trent Owens as his new crew chief.

    Cole Custer will move from the Xfinity Series to the Cup Series, staying with Stewart-Haas Racing and replacing Daniel Suarez in the No. 41 Ford. Mike Shiplett will move up with Custer to continue as his crew chief.

    Daniel Suarez, after only one season at Stewart-Haas Racing, lost his ride to Cole Custer. His plans for 2020 are unknown.

    Matt DiBenedetto lost his ride in the Leavine Family Racing No. 95 to Christopher Bell but quickly found another ride for 2020 when Paul Menard announced his retirement. He will pilot the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford in his sixth year of competition in the Cup Series.

    Joey Gase has competed in six full-time seasons in the Xfinity Series. He also has 41 previous starts in the Cup Series but will compete full-time for Rick Ware Racing in 2020 in NASCAR’s premier series.

    Quin Houff will replace Landon Cassill in the No. 00 StarCom Racing Chevrolet in the 2020 Cup Series. In 2019 he made 17 starts for Spire Motorsports.

    Landon Cassill lost his ride in the No. 00 StarCom Racing Chevrolet to 22-year-old Houff. In a statement, StarCom Racing said, “we have a commitment to Landon that we plan to honor in 2020,” but no further details have been announced.

    John Hunter Nemechek will move from the Xfinity Series to the Cup Series in the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford. In his first full-time season in the Xfinity Series, he scored six top-fives and 19 top-10s, finishing seventh in the year-end rankings.

    Brennan Poole, after running part-time in No. 30 On Point Motorsports Chevrolet in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, will move up to the Cup Series with Premium Motorsports in the No. 15 Chevrolet. The 2020 Daytona 500 will mark his first start in the Cup Series.

    Tyler Reddick is headed to Richard Childress Racing to compete in the No. 8 Chevrolet. He has two Xfinity Series championship titles with two different teams and nine career wins. Randall Burnett will make the move with Reddick as crew chief.

    JJ Yeley is going from a part-time ride with Rick Ware Racing to a full-time ride with the organization in 2020.

    Matt Tifft‘s future in NASCAR is on hold while he focuses on his health after he missed the last four races of the 2019 season due to a seizure. Tifft and Front Row Motorsports Cup Series amicably agreed to end their relationship.

    Crew Chief Changes:

    James Small will move up from lead engineer on the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to crew chief for Martin Truex Jr. after the retirement of Cole Pearn.

    Justin Alexander will return to the No 3 RCR as crew chief for Austin Dillon.

    Ryan Sparks, former race engineer for the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 team moves to join Go Fas Racing as crew chief for Corey LaJoie. Also, of note, Go Fas Racing will have a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing beginning with the 2020 season.

    Jerry Baxter, former crew chief of the No. 24 GMS Racing Chevrolet in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, moves to the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet as Bubba Wallace‘s crew chief.

    Mike Bugarewicz moves from the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 team to work with Aric Almirola as crew chief of the SHR No. 10 team.

    Johnny Klausmeier moves from the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 10 team to serve as the crew chief for Clint Bowyer in the No. 14.

    Jeremy Bullins will move from the No. 12 Team Penske Ford to crew chief for Brad Keselowski and the Team Penske No. 2 Ford.

    Todd Gordon will move from the No. 22 Team Penske Ford to serve as crew chief for Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Team Penske team.

    Paul Wolf, former crew chief for the No. 2 Team Penske Ford will move to crew chief for Joey Logano and the No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

    Retirement:

    Drivers Paul Menard and David Ragan announced their retirement from full-time racing in the Cup Series after the 2019 season.

    Impending Retirement:

    Jimmie Johnson announced in November that the 2020 season would be his last as a full-time competitor. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has spent his entire career with Hendrick Motorsports driving the No. 48 Chevrolet, making his first Cup Series start in 2001.

    “I’m so thankful for 18 incredible years of racing in NASCAR,” Johnson says. “The sport has been good to me. It has allowed me to do something I truly love. I showed up chasing a dream and achieved more than I ever thought possible. I’m looking forward to next season and celebrating what will be my last year as a full-time NASCAR Cup driver. I know what this team is capable of, and I hope 2020 is one of the best yet.”

    Even more intriguing is the question of who will replace Johnson in 2021.

    Stay tuned for what promises to be an exciting season of NASCAR racing beginning with the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 16

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

  • LFR welcomes Bell, prepares for second year with TRD

    LFR welcomes Bell, prepares for second year with TRD

    From their first steps as a part-time team in 2011 to finishing in the top-25 in points and three top-fives in 2019, Leavine Family Racing (LFR) is looking to capitalize in 2020 as the young team continues their partnership with Toyota Racing Development (TRD) and brings in an Xfinity Series great to the stable.

    In 2019, the No. 95 car led nearly a fourth of the Great American Race and produced an eighth-place finish during the July Coke Zero Sugar 400. And though it was rained out, Leavine states that Procore Toyota was one of the better cars left.

    “I wanted to finish the race; I was not satisfied with an eighth-place finish,” says team owner Bob Leavine.

    Looking to unload a strong car in Daytona for rookie Christopher Bell, who comes from Joe Gibbs Racing’s (JGR) Xfinity Series, Leavine calls the 25-year-old focused and very intense with a sense of urgency.

    “He’s adapted at every level he’s come up through. Sure, there will be adjustments,” said Leavine. “He drives his heart out. From my standpoint, what more can I ask for?”

    LFR announced in September 2019 that the Oklahoma-native prodigy would be behind the wheel of the No. 95 Toyota Camry in 2020. Bell, a 2017 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series champion, has 16 career wins in the Xfinity Series with seven Truck Series wins. Bell moves with experienced crew chief Jason Ratcliff atop the pit box. Ratcliff has a combined total of eight years working on Sunday with multiple drivers including Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano.

    Upon in-house conversation regarding maintaining continuity with Bell, Leavine says, it was decided to move Mike Wheeler as crew chief to the position of competition director, allowing Ratcliff to step up to the Cup Series once more with Bell.

    “There’s always a comfort level when a driver is able to maintain his crew chief; it’s just familiarity,” Leavine said. “It’s difficult switching to somebody you don’t know. Wheels is a great engineer and we wanted to have additional engineering support, so we talked to Jason about it, how he felt about it. Wheels and Jason did a lot of visiting and in fact, the TRD people thought “man if you can pull that off, that’s kind of a dream team.’”

    While starting with LFR during the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series will be a first for Bell, the season will mark LFR’s second season with TRD, who provides enginers and technology, data and technical assistance to the team.

    “We were just one of a dozen or 15 cars when we were with Ford and with Chevrolet, and we saw absolutely no growth there because the big Chevy teams and the big Ford teams get all the support and then it’s a trickle-down effect to those teams that are in alliances,” Leavine added, calling their TRD support a relationship.

    In a 2019 NASCAR press release when Bell’s upcoming tenure with LFR was announced, TRD president David Wilson made his support for both Bell and LFR clean.

    “TRD and Toyota have worked with Bell since his early dirt track career and we’ve been proud to see him work his way to NASCAR’s highest level,” Wilson stated. “Christopher is a special talent and we’re happy to have him winning races and championships in a Toyota. We look forward to seeing his continued growth and success at LFR in 2020. We’re also pleased with how the relationship between JGR and LFR has progressed during their first season working together. We’re confident this enhanced alliance for 2020 will continue to make them a threat for race wins week in and week out.”

    2020 marks LFR’s fifth full-time season and hopes to secure their first win with Bell after coming close following a second-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway in August 2019 with Matt DiBenedetto. Bell will make his debut in the NASCAR Cup Series with the orange and black Procore colors during the 62nd running of the Daytona 500. Tune in to FOX at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 16, to catch the action.