World Series-bound, Jon McKennedy a full-fledged Whelen Modified Tour title contender

Posted on February 5, 2021February 5, 2021 by Jason Christley

Jon McKennedy is one of the most accomplished Modified racers across the Northeast.

The success he’s had, however, hadn’t found its way to the Whelen Modified Tour heading into the 2020 season.

Sure, McKennedy has dominated other Modified series. He’s won the Modified Racing Series title four times and the Tri-Track Series title in 2014. It just hasn’t quite come on the Tour yet, where he has just one win, at Myrtle Beach in 2018.

For the first time, however, McKennedy took on the entire Tour schedule with car owner and crew chief Tommy Baldwin.

Baldwin and McKennedy have been working together on the Tour since the 2018 season, racing the series part-time. In their first race together, McKennedy picked up his first career win.

RELATED: Jon McKennedy Career Stats

But the results after that were somewhat sporadic. In 11 more races they ran in 2018, the No. 7 team failed to finish five of them. 2019 was better, but running only eight races of the 16 on the schedule kept the team from reaching its full potential.

The 2020 season was different, however. The No. 7 team made the decision in the offseason to run all the races on the schedule. Even after the pandemic hit, Baldwin and McKennedy were still able to complete the entire season.

“The more you get to race with the same group of guys, the more you get to learn how they race, their habits, good and bad,” McKennedy said. “Racing against the competitors makes a difference the longer you race against them.”

The improvements the pairing have worked on the last three years together were apparent immediately. Besides Justin Bonsignore, McKennedy was the only driver to finish inside the top-10 in all nine races in 2020, finishing second in points overall. He set career-highs for a single season in laps led, top-10s, poles, and average finish. The only boxes left unchecked were the points title itself and a race win.

“We didn’t get that win last year, but we certainly ran very well,” McKennedy said.

“This year, I think we’ve got a lot of momentum to build on from last year and a lot of good notes… We’re going to try to do one position better.”

The focus isn’t quite on the 2021 Whelen Modified Tour season just yet, however. Next week, McKennedy and Baldwin will be one of the 40-plus Modified teams to compete in the Tour Modified Division in the World Series of Asphalt at New Smyrna, just 10 miles from Daytona International Speedway. Of course, cars will be turning laps at Daytona as well, with the Daytona 500 coming up a week from Sunday. Baldwin went to victory lane there in the 2002 running of The Great American Race as Ward Burton’s crew chief.

To get back racing in a Modified for the first time since October has McKennedy, much like the rest of the garage, excited.

“Whenever you can win any type of Tour Modified event, it’s something to be proud of,” McKennedy said “It’s probably going to be one of the strongest fields of cars we’ve seen in a long, long time. If you can crack out a win or two down there, that’ll certainly be huge and be some pretty cool bragging rights for sure.

“We’ve got a ton of cars coming down, which is great. It’s going to bring out some of the best there is in Modifieds.”

The World Series of Asphalt may not just be about bragging rights for Jon McKennedy. It may be the catalyst for a Whelen Modified Tour championship run in 2021.

Jon McKennedy, driver of the #7 Ultra Wheel Chevrolet, had two Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole Awards, four top fives and nine top 10s in nine races on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour last year. (Billie Weiss/NASCAR)

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 5, 2021) – Once again supporting Anthony Alfredo, DUDE Products and its popular DUDE Wipes brand will be aligned with the Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate in his first NASCAR Cup Series season. DUDE Wipes will be the primary partner of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports team for six races throughout the year.

Courtesy: Front Row Motorsports

A leader in the wipes game, DUDE Products are sold throughout the country and continue to help NASCAR fans stay fresh. DUDE Wipes will be featured on Alfredo’s Mustang at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Feb. 28, the dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 28, Kansas Speedway on May 2, New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Alfredo’s home track) on July 18, the night race at Bristol on Sep. 18 and on Halloween night, under the lights at the Martinsville Speedway on October 31.

“DUDE Wipes can guarantee that Anthony will be the ‘swaggiest’ and most fresh on the circuit this year,” said Ryan Meegan, DUDE Products’ co-founder. “We’re big fans of Anthony since meeting him last year. He’s a great guy, driver and we are proud to have his back during his rookie year.”

DUDE Products is more than just DUDE Wipes. Its full line includes a head-to-toe assortment of energizing face and body wipes, on-the-go shower wipes and menthol chill body powder. Alfredo will promote DUDE Wipes and all products throughout the season on social media and other digital media with the team. He’s looking forward to the partnership.

“It’s going to be a fun ride this year with DUDE Wipes and our team.” Alfredo said. “DUDE Wipes was quick to step up when I came to Front Row Motorsports and into the NASCAR Cup Series. I really want to thank them for that. They are a young and aggressive company that fits well into what we’re building on this season. I can’t wait to get started next week.”

For more information about DUDE Products, visit www.DUDEProducts.com.

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Jason Christley

TIMMONSVILLE, S.C. – Florence Motor Speedway is gearing up for the IceBreaker Saturday, its first NASCAR-sanctioned event in more than 20 years.

The stars of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series will compete in the prestigious IceBreaker, which has relocated to Florence Motor Speedway after being hosted at Myrtle Beach Speedway since 2016. Past winners of the event include Tommy Lemons Jr., Lee Pulliam, Timothy Peters, Ty Gibbs and Sam Yarbrough.

Florence Motor Speedway track owners, Steve Zacharias and Savannah Brotherton, made the move to operate the .400-mile asphalt oval after Myrtle Beach Speedway shutdown in the summer of 2020. While Zacharias, Brotherton and staff packed the grandstands as they hosted several extremely successful events last season at Florence, the IceBreaker will kick off the track’s first full year under new ownership and the NASCAR banner.

As of Wednesday, the entry list features 28 Late Model Stock Car drivers, but Zacharias is expecting to have about a total of 30 or 35 drivers competing in the 125-lap race. He’s also expecting stout fields in the support divisions, too.

WATCH: IceBreaker on SpeedSport.TV

“I’m just excited for our guys to be able to go out there and race, whether it is against the National Championship guys or going for the State Championship,” Zacharias said. “It’s something that I think has been a long time coming for Florence, and I really think that it puts a good start to 2021 for us by having that (NASCAR) branding on us.”

Over the decades operating as a non-sanctioned track, Florence Motor Speedway has developed its own local stars, but now the Pee Dee region drivers will have the opportunity to compete against some of the most talented drivers that the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series has to offer.

“Anthony Adams and Averitt Lucas, they’re finally getting to prove their selves to the world going against Josh Berry, Ryan Millington, and Brandon Pierce,” Zacharias said. “I know that Chad McCumbee will be there. Matt Cox is going to be running. It’s kind of cool to see the guys that have run Florence for so long get to kind of merge in and proves themselves and say hey, we’re not low on the totem pole here. We’re able to keep up with you guys.”

Chad McCumbee, who was a regular competitor at Myrtle Beach Speedway, has followed the Zacharias and Brotherton to Florence. McCumbee has already proven that he will be a top competitor at Florence and that he will compete for wins. McCumbee is entering the IceBreaker coming off a 10th-place finish in the Grand Sport class in the Rolex24 at Daytona International Speedway. McCumbee competed for PF Racing in the 59th running of the prestigious IMSA event.

Chad McCumbee celebrates in Victory Lane at Myrtle Beach (Hunter S. Thomas)

“Fortunately, I’ve been doing this so long now that I’m used to it, but you do certainly switch gears in your brain,” McCumbee said about switching back and forth between sportscars and NASCAR Late Models. “It is a different discipline. Even though the end result and goals are the same, you certainly reach those goals in different ways. At this point, it’s kind of like just getting in something that I’m used to when I go back to the stock car stuff, and it’s usually not too big of a transition.”

Defending NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I champion, Josh Berry is entered to compete in the IceBreaker while piloting the JR Motorsports No. 88 iRacing Chevrolet.

Berry finished runner-up to Ty Majeski in the South Carolina 400 last November at the track. Berry says that Florence has a lot of character and although there are two grooves, the winner of the race will need to keep the car glued to the bottom of the track next to the inside wall in the turns.

“Florence is a pretty cool track, actually. It has got a lot of character, and it seems fast in multiple grooves, so it was one of the more fun places that I’ve been.”

Berry continued and said, “It definitely seems like there are two grooves,” Berry said. “You can hold somebody off on the top for a little bit, but really, it seems like when it comes down to it, the car that wins is going to be the car that can run the bottom the whole time.”

Ryan Millington finished out the 2020 season third in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I national standings, the highest effort of his career. He even captured the track championship at Hickory Motor Speedway during the impressive season, but Millington has never competed at Florence . Over the off-season, the North Carolinian tested at the track located in Timmonsville, South Carolina.

“Florence is probably one of the most different tracks around here,” Millington said. “A lot of these places are kind of very similar, but Florence is an odd shape. It has kind of short straightaways and long, sweeping corners. It’s really a different beast.”

Millington intends on competing for the national championship once again, but he will first have to outrun the stout competition this weekend at Florence. Historically, this race attracts the drivers who will be at the top of the standings at the end of the season. Millington is hoping that his Harrington Enforcer motor will help propel him to Victory Lane.

“This one is going to be tough,” Millington said about the IceBreaker. “We’re going down with a Harrington Enforcer motor, and a lot of people will probably end up having that (GM) 604 motor with weight break, which is going to be really tough to run with down here in a long race. We’re just going to have to see how it goes. We’re just hoping for a good night and everything, but to pop off a win with this motor will be tough, but I definitely think that it’s possible.”

Florence Motor Speedway will host rotating practice on Friday, February 5. Saturday’s schedule will be packed with practice and qualifying before the features get underway. The Late Models will kick off the day with a 125-lap feature, followed by Mini Stocks (40 laps), Street Stocks (35 laps) and Super Trucks (75 laps). The green flag will fly at 12:30 p.m.

Josh Berry (88) and Ty Majeski (77) battled for the win in the South Carolina 400 last year at Florence Motor Speedway. (Hunter S. Thomas)

Preliminary Late Model Stock Entry List

Car	Driver	Hometown	Sponsors
2	Brandon Pierce	Oak Ridge, NC	Fremont Properties/Discount Oil/Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort
2	Bobby McCarty	Kernersville, NC	Patriot Chevrolet/Solid Rock Carriers/Autos by Nelson
7	Averitt Lucas	Manning, SC
7	Brandon Clements
8	Bob Saville
9	Riley Gentry	Easley, SC	Shore2Shore Express
10	Janson Marchbanks	Anderson, SC	Door Tech
15	Ryan Millington	Statesville, NC	Leisure Tyme Rentals/Carolina Specialty Products
16	Chad McCumbee	Ocean Isle Beach, NC	Aarons Sales and Lease/Elliotte Properties
18	David Roberts	Gray Court, SC	Roberts Racing
18	Anthony Adams	Simpsonville, SC	V6 Conveyors
18	Jason York	Reidsville, NC	J & T Woodworks Construction, Inc.
25	Robbie Mew	Aynor, SC	Lamb Performance/Small Town Lazer Arts
28	Ryan Glenski	Mooresville, NC
44	Justin Johnson	Roxboro, NC	Puryear Tank Lines/GXS Wraps
48	Kyle Campbell	Concord, NC	Prospect Motorsports/Battle Scarred Outdoors/Jersey
51	Matt Cox	Longs, SC	Aaron’s Sales and Lease/Elliott Properties/Renegade Fuels
55	Mark Wertz	Chesapeake, VA	CorvetteParts.net/Dunkin Donuts
57	Justin Carroll	Concord, NC	Industrial Battery and Charger Inc.
59	Heath Causey	Snow Camp, NC	H&A Directional Boring/Silk Hope Service
60	R.A. Brown	Columbia, SC
61	Justin Hicks
70	Jeremy McDowell	Conway, SC	Coastal Marine/Carquest Automotive
88	Josh Berry	Mooresville,NC	I-Racing
91	Jonathan Shafer	Ashland, OH	Lee Pulliam Performance
94	Jamie Weatherford	Darlington, SC	Cannon’s Small Engines
99	Austin Somero	Taylors, SC	Ted Cook Heating Service/Fika Farms

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Jason Christley

Going to watch races the last 11 years has been difficult for Justin Drawdy.

He would go to dirt tracks, but every time he went to an asphalt track he’d get the itch to get back in the car himself.

Justin Drawdy, with his family, will race at New Smyrna Speedway this week for the first time in 11 years. (Courtesy Justin Drawdy)

“I missed it. I wouldn’t go to the races because of that,” Drawdy said.

Drawdy raced go-karts as a kid, and after taking some time off, for a little more than a decade he raced at New Smyrna Speedway, a NASCAR-sanctioned half mile oval track just outside of Daytona Beach, Florida, as well as the ARCA Menards Series and other tracks across Florida. That was until an accident forced him to give up the sport for a time.

In 2009, Drawdy was driving from work early on a foggy morning. A pack of cows had gotten out onto the highway, and Drawdy, unable to see them through the fog, ran through the cows with his car.

Following the accident, he started losing feeling in his right hand and had bad shoulder pain. Nothing worked to help him improve, and he eventually had to have surgery for a fusion and steel plate put in his neck.

“I raced for probably 11 years and never got hurt in a race car at all,” Drawdy said. “I’ve hit the wall at high speeds before and never had an injury at all. But I was going 40 miles per hour and got hurt.”

Even though he didn’t think he’d ever get back behind the wheel, the itch to drive again never left.

He went to the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Florida this year, and told a few different people there he was thinking of getting back into racing. The next thing he knew he was getting a call from Lee Faulk Racing saying they had somebody who backed out of their car for Speed Weeks at New Smyrna if he was interested.

“I said I’ve always wanted to, so I just decided to get back into it this time.” he said.

“Once you start racing and get in it it’s hard to get back out of it.”

New Smyrna Speedway schedule

Drawdy will drive a pro late model at New Smyrna this week for the track’s 55th annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing

Drawdy agreed to drive for the Faulks under one condition. If he was going to drive, he was going to be driving for wins. He and his team were at the top of their game when he had to stop racing a decade ago, and he wants to get that feeling back.

“I basically told him, ‘Listen, I’m not here just to say I did it again. If I can’t get a couple days of practice in ahead of time I’m not interested in doing this,’” he said. “To be honest I’m not getting back in the car to ride around and be in the top 10. I want to win.

“I’m not going to tear the car up but I’m going to try to race every single night with the sense I’m going to win.”

He got the chance to test his car last Saturday and Sunday, and did a lot better than he expected, even if it took a bit of time to regain his speed. He had someone take out the car out for a few laps before him to see if everything was good.

When he ran the car himself, he got out expecting to see the same times as his crew mate.

“I asked what the times were and I was about a second off. I was like, ‘Man, I swore I was getting into the corners harder than that.’” he said. “The speed was a lot different and the cars are a lot different. You’ve got to be really consistent with the cars now. It’s not like what I used to drive there, but we got up to speed really quick and we were running really well by the end of the day on Sunday.

“I had kind of high expectations for myself there but I didn’t think I’d get up to speed that quick. But the car was extremely good so I’m looking forward to it actually.”

Drawdy isn’t the only one looking forward to him racing this weekend. His oldest daughter was just three when he stopped racing, and none of his other four children have ever seen him behind the wheel.

Justin Drawdy said his five children are “spun out and upside down, they’re so excited” to see him race this week at New Smyrna Speedway. (Courtesy Justin Drawdy)

One thing Drawdy’s wife said is that racing has to be fun for the whole family, and so far it has been. On test day, the Faulks let Drawdy’s six year old son tighten lug nuts on the tires, help jack the car, and be involved with other small jobs in the pits.

Letting the family be involved has made Drawdy’s return “ten times better.”

“If the family is not involved we really don’t want to do it,” he said.

“They have been wanting daddy to get back in the race car, so that was a big push from them to get my wife convinced to let me drive again. They’re a big reason too. We go to watch the races but they’ve always wanted to see dad race again.

“They’re spun out and upside down, they’re so excited.”

Drawdy has high expectations for himself for this week’s World Series, and especially after seeing how well the tests went he’s excited to see what happens.

He knows things will be different when he gets back on the track racing against other cars, but he’s ready to see how it goes.

“We’ll see Thursday,” he said. “It’ll help out being around other cars there so just got to be smart, keep all the fenders on it and try to finish. You’ve got to finish if you want to be able to win. I think the car is extremely fast. I think we were extremely fast when we were testing but racing is going to be a bit different so hopefully it’ll get up to speed for that as well.”

If he can be competitive and regain that feeling he had before he was forced to get out of the sport 11 years ago, then this week may not be the last behind the wheel for Drawdy.

“I don’t want this to be a one-and-done deal,” he said.

Posted on February 5, 2021February 5, 2021 by Zack Albert

Editor’s Note: Today’s Hendrick Motorsports preview completes NASCAR.com’s countdown of team previews for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, ranked in reverse order of best finish in last year’s owner standings.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS

Manufacturer: Chevrolet
Engine: Hendrick Motorsports
Driver-crew chief pairings: Kyle Larson-Cliff Daniels (No. 5), Chase Elliott-Alan Gustafson (No. 9), William Byron-Ryan “Rudy” Fugle (No. 24), Alex Bowman-Greg Ives (No. 48)

What’s new: Plenty, actually. The departure of seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson opened a prime vacancy on one of NASCAR’s longest-running four-car teams, which now skews younger with four drivers in their 20s. Alex Bowman shifted over to take the reins of the No. 48 Chevrolet, and newcomer Kyle Larson was hired to take Bowman’s place, with that team changing car numbers from No. 88 to the team’s original, No. 5. Rudy Fugle is the lone newbie among the HMS crew chief ranks, pairing with William Byron on the No. 24, and Cliff Daniels will work with Larson after his previous partnership with Johnson ended. The other two driver-crew chief pairings remain intact.

MORE: Changes to know for 2021

Team outlook: A virtual whirlwind of change-ups greet the organization that hoisted the Cup Series title for the 13th time, with first-time champ Chase Elliott doing the honors. All four teams should contend for race wins and have the potential for deep playoff runs. A revamped 2021 schedule should especially suit Elliott, the sport’s current ruler on road courses. Still, questions remain for his three teammates. How soon will Larson regain his form after nearly a year out of a Cup Series ride? Can Byron and Fugle recreate the magic they had in a seven-win Camping World Truck Series season five years ago? Will Bowman build on his best Cup Series season and begin writing his own chapter in the No. 48 team’s top-shelf legacy? Time will tell.

Racing Insights stats break: Hendrick Motorsports won seven times in 2020 — its most since nine in 2015 — and is only six wins away from passing Petty Enterprises for most Cup wins all-time (Hendrick has 263 and Petty Enterprises has 268). Three of the team’s four drivers won in 2020 with the only winless driver being the now-retired Jimmie Johnson. Kyle Larson hopes to join his three teammates as the newest driver to win for Hendrick Motorsports while Alex Bowman, William Byron and Chase Elliott hope to better their career years set in 2020.

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Chevrolet

Hendrick Motorsports

Experience: Seventh full-time season in NASCAR Cup Series
2020 stats: 34th in the final standings (4 races); 0 wins, 1 top fives, 3 top 10s
2020 final Fantasy Live ranking: 38th
2021 championship odds: 11-1

Outlook: The road back to the Cup Series has been a convoluted one, after his use of a racial slur last April left him suspended by NASCAR and fired from his ride at Chip Ganassi Racing. He’s quietly taken measures to better educate himself about racial inequality, and the terms of his reinstatement require that to continue. In the interim, he returned to his dirt-track roots and collected checkered flags by the bucket-load, jumping to Hendrick when the opportunity arose. He’ll be under a microscope this year for both his on- and off-track actions, but there’s little doubts to his abilities, which should help shake any stock-car rust.

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet

Hendrick Motorsports

Experience: Sixth full-time season in NASCAR Cup Series
2020 stats: 1st in the final standings; 5 wins, 15 top fives, 22 top 10s
2020 final Fantasy Live ranking: 3rd
2021 championship odds: 7-1

Outlook: Life is good when you’re the champ. Not shockingly, HMS plans no changes to the core of the No. 9 team, which capped Elliott’s first title march with clutch victories on back-to-back weekends to close the season. Alan Gustafson remains as crew chief to pair with Elliott for their sixth consecutive season together. Elliott posted career-high numbers in several statistical categories in 2020, and the potential is there for more this season. Seven road courses are on the 2021 schedule, teeing up nicely for the team that has won the Cup Series’ last four race on the twisty circuits.

William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet

Hendrick Motorsports

Experience: Fourth full-time season in NASCAR Cup Series
2020 stats: 14th in the final standings; 1 win, 4 top fives, 14 top 10s
2020 final Fantasy Live ranking: 14th
2021 championship odds: 35-1

Outlook: The 2020 campaign marked a breakout for Byron, who finally ticked the Cup Series win column with a victory in the regular-season finale at Daytona. But it was a measured breakout, since that triumph was one of just four top-five finishes all season. Enter Rudy Fugle as crew chief, taking the role from longtime signal-caller Chad Knaus, who moves to a managerial role in the HMS competition department. Fugle helped guide Byron’s burst onto the national-series scene five years ago with Kyle Busch Motorsports’ truck operation, but this marks his first Cup Series gig. Byron has gained valuable experience entering Year 4 with the No. 24 team, but the anticipation is still burbling for that banner season that’s yet to arrive.

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Chevrolet

Hendrick Motorsports

Experience: Sixth full-time season in NASCAR Cup Series
2020 stats: 6th in the final standings; 1 win, 6 top fives, 15 top 10s
2020 final Fantasy Live ranking: 9th
2021 championship odds: 35-1

Outlook: The adjustment phase of seeing someone not named Jimmie Johnson driving the No. 48 may be a long one, given the seven-time champion’s 19-year association with the car number and team. Seeing a familiar teammate take over may help to smooth that transition. Bowman’s task will be to help return the No. 48 to the Cup Series Playoffs after the team’s two straight heart-aching misses. He’ll be paired again with crew chief “Riddler” Greg Ives for a fourth consecutive season. The two pushed their way into the postseason’s Round of 8 last year; making the step to a multiple-race winner this year would bolster Bowman’s case to contend for more.

NASCAR.com 2021 team previews schedule

Jan. 18: 23XI Racing
Jan. 19: Trackhouse Racing Team
Jan. 20: Live Fast Motorsports
Jan. 21: Spire Motorsports
Jan. 22: JTG Daugherty Racing
Jan. 25: Front Row Motorsports
Jan. 26: Richard Petty Motorsports
Jan. 27: Roush Fenway Racing
Jan. 28: Wood Brothers Racing
Jan. 29: Richard Childress Racing
Jan. 30: Non-chartered and teams outside the top 30
Feb. 1: Chip Ganassi Racing
Feb. 2: Stewart-Haas Racing
Feb. 3: Joe Gibbs Racing
Feb. 4: Team Penske
Feb. 5: Hendrick Motorsports

Posted on February 4, 2021February 4, 2021 by Sponsored Content

Fans, have you ever dreamed of taking on the fast and furious responsibilities of joining a championship-caliber racing crew?

Now’s your chance, thanks to Busch Beer.

The official beer of NASCAR is giving one fan an epic, full-time, paid position on Kevin Harvick’s racing crew for the 2021 season. The official position is the Busch Crewmaster within the Stewart-Haas Racing organization, earning $50,000 for the ’21 campaign. The new team member will attend races throughout the season, training and flying with the SHR team, taking on responsibilities for crucial race team tasks.

Fans are able to “apply” for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in a way that has never been done before.

Tune in to the Daytona 500 (Feb. 14, 2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, Sirius XM) for the first-ever live job interview via NASCAR race. The questions will be asked live over the race broadcast and on Busch’s Twitter page, and fans will need to flex their knowledge in order to get through to the next round — and possibly get hired for the position.

“We love creating these unique NASCAR opportunities for fans to get involved with both the sport and our brand,” said Daniel Blake, VP of Value Brands at Anheuser-Busch. “No one has ever conducted an interview during the Daytona 500 or given a fan a shot at joining a driver’s racing crew for the season, and we’re hoping to find an amazing candidate to join our NASCAR family with this once-in-a-lifetime job.”

The new role is inspired by The Crew, a new Netflix show starring Kevin James as the crew chief of a fictitious NASCAR team. Busch is giving fans the chance, however, to be a real Crewmaster.

MORE: Watch the trailer for The Crew, coming Feb. 15

Through the partnership, Busch and Netflix look to highlight the importance of the people behind the wall in driving success on the track.

“I’m beyond grateful to work with such a skilled team at SHR, and it’s amazing to join Busch beer on this first-of-its-kind experience to offer one lucky fan the opportunity to get on-site training for their dream job while learning from the best of the best,” Harvick said.

As the official beer of NASCAR, Busch Beer is constantly finding unique and exciting ways to bring their fans closer to the sport they love. To learn more about the Busch Beer Crewmaster position, follow @Buschbeer, #TheCrew or visit Buschbeer.com/jointhecrew or SHR job page to see the full “Busch Crewmaster” job.

Posted on February 4, 2021 by Pat DeCola

Longtime Camping World Truck Series powerhouse organization ThorSport Racing made headlines last month when it announced a decision to part ways with manufactuer Ford Performance just weeks before the start of the 2021 season.

The biggest jaw-dropper, however, came Thursday.

MORE: ThorSport returns to Toyota, adds Christian Eckes

In an announcement noting a return to a championship-winning partnership with Toyota Racing Development, ThorSport also unveiled its driver and crew chief lineup — featuring a ride-split between 2020 Championship 4 driver Grant Enfinger and former Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Christian Eckes.

The 36-year-old Enfinger, 2019 Regular Season champion and fourth-place points finisher a season ago, will cede seat time in his No. 98 Tundra to the 20-year-old TRD talent after he opens the season at Daytona International Speedway in the NextEra Energy 250 (Feb. 12, 7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Eckes will then take over for races on the Daytona Road Course and at Las Vegas Motor Speedway before Enfinger hops back in at Atlanta Motor Speedway more than a month later.

“I definitely want to be (in) the seat any chance I get. …. It’s a little bit bittersweet, man, because it’s still a great situation,” Enfinger said Thursday via video conference. “Got a great team behind us and we’re very capable of winning races. I feel like being in the Toyota Racing family is going to help us out even more. Duke Thorson and ThorSport Racing have been so good to us over these four years, I’m looking forward to a new challenge at this point.

” … It is a demotion to be running part time but you know, it’s part of it. It’s part of rolling with the punches. This is the whole racing deal; it’s such a rollercoaster of emotions and I’ve been doing this for a long time. It’s not the first time something like this has happened. Just going to go into the year with an open mind and make the most of it.”

The four-time 2020 winner indicated many factors went into the decision, and he doesn’t “know exactly (what happened)” but is taking it all in stride, knowing he still has the opportunity to compete for wins and to earn another owner’s championship for ThorSport.

“There’s so much that’s in our control and so much that isn’t. … As much as this is a competition-based sport, it’s also a business. There’s a million different ways to put these deals together and to make them work, and this year it just happens to be part time. That’s what it is and that’s what it ended up being. Like I said, it’s not that I’m happy about it or anything like that but it’s still a great opportunity and how it all played out this year.”

The move to ThorSport marks a second chance with a championship-capable organization for Eckes after a departure from KBM after parts of three seasons. While last year’s winless full-time campaign may not have met the lofty expectations of his future Hall of Fame owner, the 2019 ARCA Menards Series champ has shown enough in spurts to maintain the confidence of his manufacturer.

He knows he has to make the most of this opportunity, however, as Thursday’s news shows just how fickle opportunity can be at racing’s highest levels.

The ability to focus entirely on checkered flags and not the points standings is a notion both he and Enfinger pointed to, and it might work out well enough to further showcase each of their individual skills for future shots.

“I think honestly, it’s pretty nice we don’t have to worry about points or making the playoffs, for each other at least,” said Eckes, who finished eighth last year. “We can just kind of go run as well as we can and try to win races and be aggressive and if we make it to the playoffs I feel we’ll have a pretty good shot at the owner’s championship. All just about making that and win some races. … It’s going to take a lot of hard work from me and Grant to get to that goal but I think it’s achievable that the team that we’ve kind of assembled with ThorSport as a whole.”

Splitting a ride with a championship contender in his prime isn’t the only potential wrinkle of awkwardness Eckes may run into this year. He’s now teammates with Ben Rhodes, who he had a particularly fiery run-in with at Texas Motor Speedway just a few short months ago.

After the incident, the No. 99 Toyota driver reached out to Eckes in a text message that went completely unanswered — until recently.

MORE: Ben Rhodes has choice words for Christian Eckes after run-in

“I texted (Ben) the other day. I finally responded to the text he sent me, I don’t know, four months ago,” Eckes said. “We’ll go get some dinner or something to smooth it over. At the end of the day, it was in 2020 and yeah, rough deal. But whatever. Team first.”

Three-time series champ Matt Crafton, who will also return to the stable alongside longtime teammate Johnny Sauter, interjected with a nod to an infamous meeting between Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus — and perhaps to their ages, which combined are still less than the series vet’s 44 years on Earth.

“They’re gonna have to get milk and cookies together,” Crafton said.

To his credit, Rhodes is open to mending fences despite the championship implications the fracas caused, and he hopes it can actually wind up being a good thing.

“I need to have a run-in with somebody that I really, really like this year, that way they can become my teammate,” Rhodes said. “In the past couple of years, I get into a run-in with Johnny Sauter two years in a row, I think, at Canada and then he becomes my teammate. And then obviously Christian and I had a run-in last year and now he’s my teammate.

“But I’m proud to say that Johnny and I started off on a rough path and now I would consider him one of my better friends at the race track and I hope the same can be said with Christian and I.”

Posted on February 4, 2021February 8, 2021 by Staff Report

The Busch Clash at Daytona is NASCAR’s annual exhibition race that kicks off Speedweeks and the final countdown for the Daytona 500. This year’s Clash, the 43rd such race, is set for Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. ET and will run for the first time on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course.

Television coverage will start at 6 p.m. ET on FS1 with the RaceDay Daytona pre-race show. Then coverage of the Busch Clash will get underway at 7 p.m. ET on FS1. Radio coverage will start on MRN at 6 p.m. ET. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will also have coverage.

PHOTOS: See every winner of the Busch Clash

The lineup for the Busch Clash was determined on Monday, Feb. 8 with a drawing held virtually at Daytona International Speedway. Track president Chip Wile and the crew chiefs were with NASCAR.com’s Alex Weaver on Daytona’s Facebook page to reveal the results. Each crew chief picked a Busch Beer can that Wile turned over to reveal the lineup spot, and Ryan Blaney’s crew chief Todd Gordon picked the pole-winning can. Here’s the full lineup:

Lineup	Driver	Team
1.	Ryan Blaney	Team Penske
2.	Alex Bowman	Hendrick Motorsports
3.	Denny Hamlin	Joe Gibbs Racing
4.	Brad Keselowski	Team Penske
5.	William Byron	Hendrick Motorsports
6.	Tyler Reddick	Richard Childress Racing
7.	Chase Elliott	Hendrick Motorsports
8.	Cole Custer	Stewart-Haas Racing
9.	Erik Jones	Richard Petty Motorsports
10.	Joey Logano	Team Penske
11.	Ryan Newman	Roush Fenway Racing
12.	Matt DiBenedetto	Wood Brothers Racing
13.	Chris Buescher	Roush Fenway Racing
14.	Ty Dillon	23XI Racing
15.	Kurt Busch	Chip Ganassi Racing
16.	Kyle Busch	Joe Gibbs Racing
17.	Kevin Harvick	Stewart-Haas Racing
18.	Martin Truex Jr.	Joe Gibbs Racing
19.	Austin Dillon	Richard Childress Racing
20.	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	JTG Daugherty Racing
21.	Aric Almirola	Stewart-Haas Racing

With the lineup set, the drivers are one step closer to the race. This year’s race will feature 35 laps with one scheduled caution at Lap 15. As mentioned, this will be the first time the Clash is run on the road course, a 14-turn, 3.61-mile course that was introduced for the first time in NASCAR’s top three national series last August.

Entrance into the Busch Clash is by invitation only, and here’s how drivers qualified for the race:

2020 Busch Pole Award winners
Past Busch Clash winners who competed full-time in 2020
DAYTONA 500 champions who competed full-time in 2020
Former DAYTONA 500 Busch Pole winners who competed full-time in 2020
2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers
2020 NASCAR Cup Series race winners
2020 NASCAR Cup Series stage winners

There are 21 drivers on the entry list to compete in the 2021 Busch Clash, and they include:

Aric Almirola
Ryan Blaney
Alex Bowman
Chris Buescher
Kurt Busch
Kyle Busch
William Byron
Cole Custer
Matt DiBenedetto
Austin Dillon
Ty Dillon
Chase Elliott
Denny Hamlin
Kevin Harvick
Erik Jones
Brad Keselowski
Joey Logano
Ryan Newman
Tyler Reddick
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
Martin Truex, Jr.

Posted on February 4, 2021February 4, 2021 by Jason Christley

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR, ARCA and NBC Sports announced today broadcast coverage for the 2021 slate of grassroots races across TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold and NBCSN, including events in the ARCA Menards Series East and West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing.

All races from the ARCA Menards Series East and West, and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will air live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold. NBCSN will air tape-delayed coverage of every race from the three series –except those that are combined ARCA Menards Series events – for a total of 27 race broadcasts.

ARCA Menards Series East

The season fires up with the Jeep Beach 175 at New Smyrna Speedway on Monday, Feb. 8 at 7:40 p.m. ET, airing live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold. NBCSN will provide tape-delayed coverage of the event on Monday, Feb. 15 at 10:30 p.m. ET.

ARCA Menards Series West

The General Tire 125 at Sonoma Raceway marks the first NBCSN ARCA Menards Series West race of the season. It will air live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold on Saturday, June 5 at 5 p.m. ET before NBCSN provides tape-delayed coverage on Wednesday, June 9 at 4 p.m. ET.

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour

The 2021 campaign begins at Martinsville Speedway on Thursday, April 8 at 8 p.m. ET live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold. NBCSN coverage of the event will air on Wednesday, April 14 at 5 p.m. ET.

World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing

The 55th annual World Series of Asphalt at New Smyrna Speedway features nine consecutive nights of racing from Feb. 5-13. TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold will provide coverage of the entire World Series of Asphalt, which includes NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series events, highlighted by super late models, pro late model and tour-type Modifieds.

“NBC Sports is a tremendous partner that provides incredible support for the growth of racing at all levels,” said Brandon Igdalsky, NASCAR managing director, touring series. “Showcasing NASCAR and ARCA grassroots racing on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold and NBCSN spotlights fiery competition, provides a platform for upcoming stars, and best of all, provides our passionate fanbase with the entertainment they crave.”

The TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold NASCAR Roots package that includes the ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Pinty’s Series and select NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series events is available for $2.99/month. The full TrackPass package, which includes NASCAR Roots, IMSA and American Flat Track events is available for $4.99/month.

Complete event/air dates and times for all three series on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold and NBCSN are below. All times eastern and schedule subject to change.

2021 ARCA Menards Series East Schedule

Date	Location	TrackPass Coverage	NBCSN Coverage	Time
Mon. Feb.8	New Smyrna Speedway	Live – 7:40 PM	Mon. Feb 15	10:30 PM
Sat. Feb. 27	Five Flags Speedway	Live – 6:00 PM	Thurs. March 4	4:00 PM
Sat. May 8	Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway	Live – 9:00 PM	Thurs. May 13	1:00 PM
Fri. May 14	Dover International Speedway	Live – 5:00 PM	Thurs. May 20	5:00 PM
Sat. June 12	Southern National Speedway	Live – 8:00 PM	Thurs. Jun 17	4:00 PM

2021 ARCA Menards Series West Schedule

Date	Location	TrackPass Coverage	NBCSN Coverage	Time
Sat. June 5	Sonoma Raceway	Live – 5:00 PM	Wed. June 9	4:00 PM
Sat. July 3	Irwindale Speedway	Live – 10:00 PM	Thurs. July 8	5:00 PM
Sat. July 31	Colorado National Speedway	Live – 10:30 PM	Wed. Aug. 11	3:00 PM
Sat. Aug. 21	Irwindale Speedway	Live – 10:00 PM	Sat. Aug 28	4:00 PM
Sept. 10-12	Portland International Raceway	TBA	Sat. Sept. 18	3:30 PM
Thu. Sept. 23	The Bullring at LVMS	Live – 10:00 PM	Wed. Sept. 29	6:00 PM
Sat. Oct. 9	All American Speedway	Live – 10:00 PM	Thurs. Oct. 14	6:00 PM
Sat. Nov. 6	Phoenix Raceway	Live – 3:00 PM	Wed. Nov. 10	4:00 PM

2021 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Schedule

Date	Location	TrackPass Coverage	NBCSN Coverage	Time
Thu. April 8	Martinsville Speedway	Live – 8:00 PM	Wed. April 14	5:00 PM
Sun. April 25	Stafford Motor Speedway	Live – 6:00 PM	Thurs. April 29	6:00 PM
Sat. May 15	Riverhead Raceway	Live – 8:00 PM	Fri. May 21	5:00 PM
Sat. May 29	Jennerstown Speedway	Live – 7:30 PM	Wed. June 2	4:00 PM
Sat. June 12	Oswego Speedway	Live – 7:30 PM	Sun. June 20	10:00 AM
Sat. June 19	Riverhead Raceway	Live – 8:00 PM	Wed. June 23	4:00 PM
Sat. July 17	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	Live – 12:45 PM	Wed. Aug. 11	1:00 PM
Sat. July 31	New York International Raceway	Live – 8:00 PM	Wed. Aug. 11	2:00 PM
Fri. Aug. 6	Stafford Motor Speedway	Live – 9:15 PM	Sun. Aug. 15	9:30 PM
Sat. Aug 21	Beech Ridge Motor Speedway	Live – 7:30 PM	Sat. Aug. 28	5:00 PM
Sat. Sept. 4	Oswego Speedway	Live – 7:30 PM	Thurs. Sept. 9	6:00 PM
Fri. Sept. 10	Richmond Raceway	Live – 7:00 PM	Sat. Sept. 18	2:30 PM
Sat, Sep 18	Riverhead Raceway	Live – 8:00 PM	Wed, Sep 22	4:00 PM
Sun, Sep 26	Stafford Motor Speedway	Live – 6:00 PM	Fri, Oct 01	6:00 PM

Posted on February 4, 2021 by Jason Christley

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Drivers battling for glory at NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series tracks across the United States and Canada now have something else to race for.

NASCAR officials announced Thursday during the annual NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series promoters meeting that the sanctioning body is re-introducing regional championships to its weekly racing format.

4⃣ Regions.
4⃣ Championships.
More 💰#NASCAR adding more 🏆s for short-track stars to shoot for in 2021.@AdvanceAuto | @NASCAR pic.twitter.com/4cp3eFEt3h

— NASCAR Roots (@NASCARRoots) February 4, 2021

Champions will be crowned in four regions: Southeast, Northeast, Midwest and West.

Each Division I regional champion will receive a $15,000 prize for their achievement, with a total of $35,000 being paid out to the top-10 drivers in each region. Drivers racing in Divisions II-V will compete for regional championship recognition.

A driver’s 14 best finishes within their respective regions will count towards regional championships.

Tracks that are part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series include North Carolina’s historic Hickory Motor Speedway, California’s Irwindale Speedway and Pennsylvania’s Grandview Speedway, among many others. Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, the home track of 10-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner Clint Bowyer, also recently returned to the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series.

The NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series previously crowned regional champions from 1982 to ’04. Among the drivers to earn regional titles during that time period were Bowyer, Ted Christopher, David Rogers and Philip Morris, as well as NASCAR Hall of Famer Richie Evans and Hall of Fame nominees Larry Phillips and Sam Ard.

NASCAR will also continue to crown track champions, U.S. state and Canadian province champions, in addition to the overall NASCAR Weekly Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national champion. The national champion will earn a $25,000.

Drivers do not need to be a regional champion in order to qualify to race for the overall NASCAR Weekly Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national championship; a driver’s best 18 finishes, regardless of region, will count towards the overall Division I national championship.

Drivers in Divisions II-V will see their 14 best finishes counted towards their respective national championships.