Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — As NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Chase Elliott sailed his No. 9 Chevrolet across the Phoenix Raceway finish line to capture his first NASCAR Cup Series championship, several more numbers came into focus, none more important than this one: 36.

Together, the NASCAR industry accomplished the improbable, completing a full 36-race NASCAR Cup Series schedule, making it the only major sport to complete a full season in 2020. Not only did NASCAR run every race despite several challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR saw numerous positive trends both on and off the track.

On the track, the sport enjoyed some of the most competitive racing in years, evidenced by an increased number of passes, both for the lead and throughout the field.

The intense racing led to viewership on television remaining stable during the most competitive television landscape in history, while NASCAR’s social and digital metrics enjoyed several increases across its platforms.

Finally, positive buzz around NASCAR’s brand is trending 25% higher than last year, a testament to the incredible strides the sport made to get back to racing under incredibly challenging circumstances.

Below is a full “by the numbers” look at milestones from NASCAR’s 2020 season.

Statistical Superlatives

23.3 – Average age of NASCAR’s national series champions: Cup Series, Chase Elliott (24.11); Xfinity Series, Austin Cindric (22.1); Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, Sheldon Creed (23).

1,190 – Green flag passes for the lead in the NASCAR Cup Series, second-most in the past 14 seasons.

20.0 – The average number of lead changes per NASCAR Cup Series race, the most since 2014 (21.17).

20 – Number of races with a margin of victory of less than a second, most since 2014.

1988 – The last year that NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver won the championship (Bill Elliott).

4 – NASCAR transitioned from a series entitlement model to a premier partner model that welcomed four global leading brands as premier partners – Busch Beer, Coca-Cola, Geico and Xfinity.

3 – Three new teams have announced they will enter the NASCAR Cup Series in 2021, including 23XI Racing owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin.

COVID-19 Protocols

90,391 – Health questionnaires returned from essential personnel who enter the race track.

102,347 – Documented temperatures taken from essential personnel.

45,100 & 39,000 – Number of cloth and disposable masks purchased to help essential personnel combat the virus while in-venue.

205 – Number of thermometers purchased for at-track health screenings.

2 – Pulse oximeters purchased to be used at secondary screening locations.

64 – Gallons of high-grade disinfectant solution purchased to disinfect the garage area.

In-Venue

94 – National Series races conducted in 2020, completing the entire schedule.

5,000 – First responders and military personnel invited to attend the first sporting event with fans at Homestead-Miami Speedway on June 14.

1969 – The last year NASCAR introduced three new venues to a NASCAR Cup Series schedule. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule will introduce three new racetracks and two new layouts at iconic venues.

Fan Engagement (Television & Digital)

3.058M – Average viewers on television of the NASCAR Cup Series, off just -2% year-over-year during one of the most competitive television landscapes in history.

+1% – NASCAR viewership was up across races 2 thru 36 (excluding a rain impacted DAYTONA 500) – consistently bringing a stable audience each weekend.

+11 – On FS1, weekday editions of “NASCAR Race Hub” were up 11% this season compared to 2019 (show started back on Jan. 27).

190+ – NASCAR content was distributed in over 190 countries and territories.

+7% – Total visits to NASCAR’s digital platform rose +7% from 2019.

+10% – Increase in the amount of time fans are spending on NASCAR’s digital platforms on race days.

+56% ­­– NASCAR social media engagements have increased significantly.

18% – Increase in NASCAR Mobile App downloads year-over-year.

30% – @NASCARonFOX recorded a +30% increase over 2019 with more than 431 million views across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

8.6M – Video of drivers pushing Bubba Wallace’s car to the front of the grid at Talladega is FOX Sports’ most-watched Twitter video of all time on any account with 8.6 million views.

140+ – Live races aired in debut season of OTT platform TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.

eNASCAR

6 – eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series events on FOX and FS1 that rank as the highest-rated esports TV programs of all time.

2M – New unique viewers (people who had not previously watched NASCAR in 2020) that tuned into the seven eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series events on FOX and FS1.

Sports Betting

3 – Deals brokered with sports-betting operators (Penn National Gaming, BetMGM, WynnBET).

1st – NASCAR became the first league to join responsible betting campaigns with the American Gaming Association and National Center for Responsible Betting.

Licensing

10 – Chase Elliot’s first Cup Series title resulted in the most first-day merchandise sales of any NASCAR champion in the last 10 years.

+78% – Overall NASCAR Shop Sales are significantly up year-over-year / since NASCAR’s return to racing in May, NASCAR Shop Sales are +147% year-over-year.

Television Metrics Source: The Nielsen Company
Digital Metrics Source: Adobe Analytics
Social Metrics Sources: Conviva and Meltwater

Posted on by Team Release

STATESVILLE, N.C. — GMS Racing announced Friday that Chase Purdy will join the organization full time in 2021. The NASCAR Next alumni will pilot one of the team’s Chevrolet entries in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

“I am very excited to be back full-time racing again, especially with a strong organization like GMS Racing,” Purdy said. “I am ready to get to work with this team and start preparing for 2021. I am already counting down the days until we leave for Daytona (International Speedway).”

RELATED: Stay on top of all the Silly Season moves

Purdy piloted a Silverado in seven events for the Statesville, North Carolina-based organization in 2020. Purdy’s best finish was 10th at the second Kansas Speedway event. Purdy ran full time in 2018 in the ARCA Racing Series for MDM Motorsports alongside GMS Racing drivers Sheldon Creed and Zane Smith. Purdy amassed 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes en route to a fourth-place finish in the championship standings. The 2018 season also marked Purdy’s Gander Trucks debut, competing at Martinsville Speedway and Phoenix Raceway with current GMS Racing crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz atop the pit box.

“We are happy to have Chase back and this time for a full-season,” said Mike Beam, president of GMS Racing. “He will be a great addition to our powerhouse team for 2021. Sheldon, Zane and Tyler (Ankrum) will be great mentors for him to learn off of.  I can’t wait to see how he learns and grows as a driver this coming season.”

Posted on by Jason Christley

The short-track season continues this weekend at New Smyrna Speedway.

The half-mile banked oval is the destination for Super Late Model drivers from across the country as it hosts the 55th Annual Halifax Health Race to Stop Suicide Florida Governor’s Cup Weekend presented by Solar Fit. Both days of racing will stream live on TrackPass on NBC Gold.

Wisconsin’s Ty Majeski is a three-time winner of the Governor’s Cup and will return for a shot at No. 4. Majeski won the Orange Blossom 100 at New Smyrna in February. North Carolina’s Matt Craig is the defending race winner.


Brad May and Bubba Pollard will look to bring home the trophy that has eluded them.

May won his fourth Super Late Model division championship and fourth NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Florida championship this year. He also won the week-long World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing title for the first time earlier this year. Pollard, who has piled up big event wins across the country, won the World Series title in 2019. The field is also expected to include ARCA Menards Series driver Kris Wright, 2019 Pro Late Model champion at New Smyrna Daniel Dye, and former New Smyrna Super Late Model champion Anthony Sergi.

RELATED: Full Schedule | Buy Tickets

The Florida Governor’s Cup was first run in November of 1965 at Golden Gate Speedway in Tampa, and was won by Wayne Reutimann over runner-up Bobby Allison. The event was held at Golden Gate or Showtime Speedway in Pinellas Park through 1987, before moving permanently to New Smyrna.

More recently, Erik Jones won the event in 2011 as a 15-year-old, beating David Rogers and Ben Kennedy. Harrison Burton was third in 2014 and ’17, while Tyler Ankrum (fifth) and Derek Kraus (sixth) made runs in 2015, and Raphael Lessard was third in 2018.

Posted on by Staff Report

Harrison Burton will return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2021 and continue to pilot the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, the team announced Friday in a release.

RELATED: Keep up with all the Silly Season movement

The 20-year-old from Huntersville, North Carolina, had a standout first season as a full-time driver in 2020. Burton claimed the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Sunoco Rookie of the Year honor after a four-win run. He also had 15 top-five and 22 top-10 results — good for a 10.0 average finish and eighth in the standings.

Burton’s debut win came in the third race of the season on Feb. 29, 2020 at Auto Club Speedway. He beat then-teammate Riley Herbst to the finish by .455 seconds after leading a second-best 40 laps of the 150-lap event. The victory clinched Burton’s sport in the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.

Burton had one more win during the regular season — at Homestead-Miami Speedway in June. He wasn’t able to advance through the first round of the playoffs, getting the boot at the end of the Round of 12. In the Round of 8, though, Burton rattled off back-to-back wins at Texas Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway, the last two races before the finale at Phoenix Raceway, where he placed sixth.

For the 2021 season, Burton will join Brandon Jones and the recently named Daniel Hemric as full-time drivers for JGR.

RELATED: Brandon Jones returning to JGR | Daniel Hemric joins JGR

Prior to his first full-time season, Burton had nine starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, also with JGR. He had one top-five and five top-10 showings in his part-time role.

Burton spent one full season in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Season with Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2019. He didn’t win any races, but he did have seven top fives and 11 tops 10. Burton made his NASCAR national series debut in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series on Oct. 29, 2016 at Martinsville Speedway.

In 2017, Burton won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East — now known as the ARCA Menards Series East — championship.

This story will be updated.

Posted on by Staff Report

Daniel Hemric will pilot the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra full time and compete for the Xfinity Series championship in 2021, the team announced Thursday.

“It’s been quite a roller coaster ride for me over the last few years, but I can’t say how thankful I am for the opportunity to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing,” said Hemric in a team release. “Their reputation speaks for itself. I know they have high expectations for me, as I do as well, and I could not be more excited to chase the Xfinity Series championship with them next season.”

MORE: Keep tabs on Silly Season moves

Hemric was behind the wheel of the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet for 21 of the series’ 33 races in 2020, compiling an average finish of 16.2 and scattering in seven top fives, 12 top 10 and a pair of runner-ups at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway. A season prior he earned Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors at the Cup Series level, running the full season for Richard Childress Racing in the No. 8 Chevrolet.

The veteran also made back-to-back Xfinity Series Championship 4 appearances in ’17 and ’18 for RCR, with a third-place finish in the series standings coming in his career year in ’18.

Sponsorship and team personnel details will be announced at a later date.

Harrison Burton and Brandon Jones will also be competing for the organization in the Xfinity Series on a full-time basis in 2021.

RELATED: Brandon Jones back at JGR for 2021

Riley Herbst, who piloted the ride in 2020, is leaving Joe Gibbs Racing to pursue other opportunities, according to the release and his Twitter account.

Posted on by Staff Report

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour added upstate New York to the 2021 slate Thursday.

The tour will visit New York International Raceway Park at Lancaster Speedway on Saturday, July 31. The night race will be 150 laps.

Lancaster, located just outside of Buffalo, is steeped in Modified history. NASCAR Hall of Famer Richie Evans was a frequent winner at Lancaster, as was Modified pioneer Maynard Troyer. Tyler Rypkema, the 2020 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Sunoco Rookie of the Year, has also won at the .625-mile oval which first opened in 1959.

More recently, Modified tour veterans Chuck Hossfeld and Matt Hirschman dominated Race of Champions events at the track. A.J. Foyt and Parnelli Jones picked up USAC Sprint car wins at Lancaster.

The NASCAR announced last week that the Whelen Modified Tour will visit Virginia’s Martinsville Speedway Thursday, April 8, and Richmond Raceway on Friday, Sept. 10.

Wednesday, Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway released its 2021 schedule that included three Whelen Modified Tour dates: Sunday, April 25 as part of the NAPA Spring Sizzler weekend, Friday, Aug. 6, and Saturday, Sept. 25 as part of NAPA Fall Final.

 

Posted on by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. (Nov. 11, 2020) – Roush Fenway Racing has named Jimmy Fennig executive vice president in charge of competition. Fennig, who joined the organization in 1997 and played a major role in several of the team’s greatest successes, will oversee all aspects of competition for Roush Fenway’s racing operations that currently fields two entries in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The Milwaukee native served as a crew chief at Roush Fenway for almost two decades, working with a parade of all-star drivers like NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch. He most recently oversaw the team’s superspeedway racing program, growing Roush Fenway into a recurrent powerhouse at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

“I’m certainly humbled at the opportunity provided to me by Jack (Roush) and everyone at Roush Fenway Racing,” said Fennig, who in 2018 was awarded the prestigious Smokey Yunick Award for his lifetime impact on the motorsports industry. “I’ve been a part of this organization for a long time and during that time we’ve experienced a lot of highs and lows, but I believe in the team, I believe in Jack and I believe in the people we have here to help us get back to the top.

“Make no mistake, our goal is to get these Roush Fenway Fords to the front. We know we have a lot of work in front of us, but I believe we owe that to Jack and we owe that to ourselves as racers, and I know the entire team embraces that challenge.”

RELATED: More about Roush Fenway Racing | Jimmy Fennig crew chief stats

In a career worthy of major Hall of Fame consideration, Fennig guided his vast lineup of drivers to 40 wins, 192 top-five and 255 top-10 finishes, while seeing his race cars lead more than 10,200 laps in Cup Series action. He cut his teeth on the pit box at NASCAR’s highest levels with a young Martin in 1986, before moving to head up Bobby Allison’s team the next year – where he helped guide the NASCAR Hall of Famer to a 1988 Daytona 500 win.

Fennig joined Roush in 1993, teaming with Martin from 1997-2001 and building Roush’s No. 6 team into a perennial championship contender. The duo won 14 races in that span and finished runner-up in the Cup Series in 1998 – after winning seven races, scoring 22 top-five finishes and leading 1,730 laps in one of the most successful seasons in NASCAR history.

Fennig was instrumental in leading Roush Fenway to its second consecutive Cup Series championship with Kurt Busch in 2004, and in 2012, he kicked off the team’s 25th-anniversary season by guiding Matt Kenseth to a dramatic win in the Daytona 500 – marking Jack Roush’s historic 300th NASCAR victory.

“Jimmy Fennig has been a key part of our organization for over two decades,” Hall of Fame team owner Jack Roush said. “Jimmy is a real racer and his record and accolades as a championship level crew chief speak for themselves.

“His passion and drive have played an important role in our success as a race team. He is one of the most loyal and dedicated people I’ve ever known and I’m confident that he is the right man for the job. I’m certainly excited to work with him as we continue to build our program back to the level that will see us compete on the track each week for wins and championships.”

Both Tommy Wheeler and Kevin Kidd will continue to serve in their current roles under Fennig as director of operations and director of competition, respectively.

Posted on by Staff Report

Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr. got their first taste of the Next Gen stock car for the 2022 Cup Series on Monday, as a two-day test session opened at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The two former NASCAR Cup Series champions are on hand for the next step in the 2022 model’s development, including the first time that two prototypes of the new model are scheduled to be on track at the same time.

The two Next Gen tests are scheduled Monday and Wednesday at the Concord, North Carolina track. Monday’s test will be on the 2.32-mile oval/road course layout while Wednesday’s session will be held on the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval. Officials will use the Tuesday in between tests to change track configurations.

The sessions will mark the sixth and seventh on-track shakedowns for the proposed 2022 model. The most recent test was a two-day session at Dover International Speedway in August, when Sunoco Rookie of the Year Cole Custer took his first laps in the “P3” prototype, the third model built by Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR’s Research & Development team as a collaboration.

RELATED: Next Gen debut moves to 2022 | Cole Custer shares Next Gen impressions

The Dover test was intended to test the model’s durability and adjustability, plus putting miles on some of the car’s final-production parts. Each test so far has been held using a single prototype.

Monday’s test marks the first official NASCAR test of the Next Gen model on a road course. IMSA team Action Express Racing held its own track day with a Next Gen car in August at the Daytona International Speedway road course.

PHOTOS: See scenes from the Next Gen test at Auto Club Speedway

Busch is driving the P3 prototype at Monday’s test, and Truex is behind the wheel of the Action Express test car.

Posted on by Staff Report

Stafford Speedway management has released the official 2021 race schedule for the Stafford Springs, CT half-mile. The 24-race schedule offers a blend of Stafford‘s classic weekly racing events and special events. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is set to return to Stafford Speedway for 3 events in 2021.

“Another season is on the horizon,” explained Stafford Speedway CEO Mark Arute. “2020 was a challenge but with the support of the race teams, race fans, and Team Stafford, we were able to get through it. For 2021 we look to continue to build on our strong weekly program and special events. We‘ve added a few twists and turns in the schedule to keep things interesting but our approach continues to be schedule consistency, we think that is important for the sport.”

The season kicks-off with the 49th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzleru00ae Weekend Saturday, April 24th and Sunday, April 25th. New for the 2021 Spring Sizzleru00ae Saturday and Sunday will be two separate tickets with the Granite State Pro Stock Series joining the SK Modifiedsu00ae, Late Models, Limited Late Models and Street Stocks on Saturday. Spring Sizzleru00ae Sunday will see the SK Modifiedsu00ae return for their 2nd race of the weekend along with the SK Light Modified division, the Vintage All-Stars, and finally the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competing in the 150-lap NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzleru00ae.

“We had multiple Friday and Saturday events this season due to Covid,” continued Arute. “With capacity restriction as the big unknown entering 2021 we took a look at what we could do to ensure that even if we are at a reduced capacity we‘d be able to run our entire schedule. This included making the 2021 NAPA Spring Sizzler Weekend a two day, two ticket event. The NASCAR Modified Tour will headline the weekend and we‘ve added the Granite State Pro Stocks and the SK Modifiedu00ae teams will run both Saturday and Sunday.”

Weekly Friday night racing at Stafford will commence Friday, May 7th after 1 off week following the NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzleru00ae and will continue weekly through the fall. Headlined by Stafford‘s SK Modifiedu00ae division, Stafford‘s 5 weekly divisions will compete at each Friday night event through the season. New for 2021, race teams will have their worst finish of the season dropped from their final championship point total allowing for an off week, if necessary. More information on this rule will be included in the 2021 general rules to be released in the near future.

The fan favorite Open Modifieds take to the Stafford half-mile 4 times in 2021, Friday, May 14th for the Modified Open 80, Friday, June 11th for the Twisted Tea 80, Friday, July 9th for the Bud Light 80, and Friday, August 20th for the Lincoln Tech 80. The 2020 season featured 4 different winners including Marcello Rufrano, Keith Rocco, Ronnie Williams, and Woody Pitkat.

Each of Stafford‘s 5 weekly divisions have at least 1 extra distance race scheduled in 2021. Extra distance races for the full fendered divisions kicks off with 25 laps for the Limited Late Models on Friday, June 18th, the Street Stock Firecracker 30 is slated for Friday, July 2nd, and the traditional Late Model 50 returns to the schedule on Friday, September 3rd. Three extra distance races for Stafford‘s weekly Modified divisions are scheduled, the 8th Annual NAPA Auto Parts SK 5K on Friday, June 25th, Dunleavy‘s Modifiedz Night for the SK Light Modifieds on Friday, July 23rd, and the Senators Cup for the SK Modifiedu00ae division on Friday, August 13th. The SK Modifiedu00ae division will also compete in the 4th Annual TC 13 SK Modifiedu00ae Shootout on Friday, September 10th.

New for 2021 the season will be extended 1 week beyond NAPA Auto Parts Fall Final Weekend with the addition of NAPA Auto Parts Championship night on Friday, October 1st.

“We were forced to extend beyond the NAPA Fall Final this season due to Covid,” continued Arute. “The fans and drivers liked the NAPA Champions night format so we will continue that in 2021. Running our weekly divisions as the final night of the season gives our champions their own night in the spotlight.”

Season tickets for the 2021 season are now on sale at staffordspeedway.com/store. Early bird discount pricing is in effect until December 16th when prices increase. Season pass holders saved over 60% in 2020 when compared to purchasing a ticket every week.

For more information, visit www.staffordspeedway.com, checkout Stafford Speedway on Facebook or Twitter, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR became one of the first sports leagues to resume following the COVID-19 pause, and the sport soon began to shift its attention to another problem well beyond the race track: racial inequality.

RELATED: Start your free trial today on the MotorTrend App

As the death of George Floyd and countless other acts of racial injustice sparked cultural change around the country, Bubba Wallace, NASCAR’s lone Black driver, led the sport through the national conversation about racial justice and inclusion.

In “We Stand United,” Episode 2 of MotorTrend’s docuseries “NASCAR 2020: Under Pressure,” Wallace shares his thoughts on the journey to take a stand against racism while trying to perform at his best in the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet. The episode shares new perspectives on an emotional few weeks over the summer, a movement that sparked NASCAR’s ban on the Confederate flag as drivers and crew members rallied around Wallace in a monumental moment at Talladega Superspeedway.

MORE: Drivers, crews stand behind Bubba in show of support | Bubba Wallace’s inspired drive at Martinsville

Come back every Saturday, from Nov. 7 to Dec. 12, to see an all-new episode of “NASCAR 2020: Under Pressure,” an inside look at the unforgettable 2020 NASCAR season.

Plus, with your free trial to the MotorTrend App you will also get access to over 3,600 hours of automotive entertainment, including shows from MotorTrend, Discovery Channel, live events and more. Start watching “Under Pressure” today.