Kelly Francis Finds Support, New Love of Racing in First Year at Kingsport Speedway

Posted on October 10, 2020January 21, 2021 by Staff Report

Kelly Francis has typically been the type to sit back and watch while other people have fun. But when her husband bought her a racecar, he made sure that she knew it was for her.

“I‘m the type that‘s like, ‘No, no, you have fun, I‘ll sit back and take pictures or whatever,‘” Francis said. “He said ‘if I get you this car you can‘t pawn it off on me. This is going to be your deal.‘”

Francis has taken the chance to get in a racecar for the first time, and surprised even herself with the success she’s found on the track. Running a full season at Kingsport Speedway, she entered the weekend 10th in the track‘s Pure 4 division.

Until last year, Francis didn‘t even know how to get in and out of a racecar. In May 2019 she participated in a Ken Schrader Experience with Federated Auto Parts at Kingsport — a NASCAR-sanctioned .375-mile semi-banked concrete oval in Kingsport, Tennessee — which allowed her to get in a car and run a few laps at the track.

“It blew me away. It was a fantastic experience,” she said. “I didn‘t even know how to get into the car. I had all the guys help me out with that and everything.”

A friend of Francis‘s husband, Jason, was at the event watching and told Jason he was selling a Pure 4 car.

“So that was my birthday present last year,” she said.

Francis and her husband met in Florida, where Jason would street race. The two have always been into classic cars, and now run an auto repair shop that specializes in Hondas. Jason raced at Kingsport a few years ago.

Francis had some familiarity with cars and practiced a bit last year, but admitted she was not successful from the get-go.

“I did find out where the inside wall was and where the outside wall was,” she said with a laugh. “That was the extent of it.”

Racing is “just a whole different animal” from anything she‘s done before, she said. Francis grew up playing sports, mostly ice hockey. Even though there was a lot to learn in racing, she did say having an athletic background has helped.

“It all does in some sort of way tie in together,” she said. “When you‘re competitive in something I think a big aspect of that is playing through things, anticipating things happening, and just having a frame of mind that really can make or break you. Anticipating things, that‘s a big thing in racing.”

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The biggest learning curve, once she joked she learned how to get in and out of the car, was learning how to drive a stick-shift, something Francis never learned growing up.

Francis said she went into 2020 wondering if racing was something she was really cut out for, but after 11 races under her belt she now feels the season as been about as successful as she could have imagined.

“Starting out from basically nothing, a lot of these people have been racing for years, and this is my first time,” she said. “To see me moving up in the points and everything, it‘s very exciting and I‘m very hyped every week about it.”

Jason is Francis‘s biggest help with the car, and other friends will also help out with setups and body work. She‘s also received help, she said, from many of the other drivers in her class.

The Pure 4 class at Kingsport is the biggest at the track, with anywhere from 25 to 30 cars every week. And while the class has an array of experience levels with racing, Francis said they‘ve all been great about helping her learn the ropes when it comes to getting around the track.

“You‘ll hear women say, ‘I had to really prove myself,‘… but this has been probably the exact opposite of that,” she said. “I‘ve never had so much support from a group of people, group of guys, their wives and girlfriends too. It‘s been sort of a dream all the way around.

“There‘s just been so many people that have played a role in getting that car going and getting me going around the track consistently.”

Francis has received help from dozens of people at Kingsport, but her biggest fan is likely her 10-year-old son, Colin. Colin also began kart racing this year at Kingsports‘ Miniway, and has shown a love of the sport that Francis knows will be lifelong.

The two share a bond in their cars and their numbers.

“I chose my number last year, 18, which was my number in hockey,” Francis said. “When he got his kart and he knew he was going to race he said, ‘Mom, I‘m going to be 18, just like you.‘

“Honestly he is my absolute biggest fan. Anytime I get off the track it‘s really great. He‘s right here to give a high five in the windows. No matter what he says, ‘Mom, you just did so awesome.‘ It melts my heart… He‘s probably the most supportive person.”

Racing has been a family event with two Francis‘s driving this year, but a third could join the fray in 2021. While Francis said she‘s focused on making sure she makes every race this season as she vies for Kingsport‘s rookie of the year title, she‘s thinking about stepping back next year and splitting time in the car with her husband.

She‘s ready to share the fun with others again.

“I said, ‘You‘ve been working on it for me, next season I want to reward you if you want to go out there and have fun, take some races, and race for yourself,‘” she said. “We‘ll see how it works out.”

While Francis said there were a few speed bumps in her rookie season, she‘s made sure to heed the advice of a friend and just have fun with a sport she‘s newly fallen in love with.

She won‘t be on the sidelines too long though.

“I was like, ‘You know what, I really do love this. I would like to come back and keep doing this,‘” she said.

Racing will return to Kingsport will conclude with Championship Night on Friday, Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. with late models, sportsman, Pure 4, Mod 4, and Pure Street divisions.

Kingsport Speedway schedule

Posted on October 10, 2020January 21, 2021 by Staff Report

THOMPSON, Conn. — Doug Coby may be a longshot to win another NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship going into the weekend, but he’s off to a fast start to contend for the win Sunday.

Coby’s No. 10 Mayhew Tools Chevrolet paced Saturday afternoon’s 1 hour, 15 minute practice session at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in advance of qualifying.

Coby’s best time in 58 laps around the .625-mile oval was 19.172 seconds (117.359 mph).

RELATED: Complete practice results

Ronnie Williams posted the second fastest lap at 19.255 (116.853).

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship points leader Justin Bonsignore was third fastest at 19.296 (116.604).

The 32-year-old from Holtsville, New York, enters the Sunoco World Series 150 with a 27-point lead over six-time champion Coby. Bonsignore has to finish 23rd or better in the 27-car field to clinch the championship regardless of what Coby does.

Timmy Solomito and Craig Lutz were fourth and fifth fastest in practice, respectively.

Patrick Emerling was sixth quick, followed by Matt Swanson, Woody Pitkat, Anthony Nocella and Ron Silk.

Mayhew Tools Pole Award qualifying is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

The Sunoco World Series 150 is scheduled for Sunday at 4 p.m. There are tickets available to see this race in person, and the race will also be streamed live on TrackPass on NBC Gold.

Posted on October 10, 2020January 21, 2021 by Staff Report

THOMPSON, Conn. — Doug Coby continues to move closer to the all-time pole record for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The 40-year-old from Milford, Connecticut, earned the Mayhew Tools Pole Award in Saturday’s qualifing for Sunday’s Sunoco World Series 150 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.

It’s Coby’s second pole of the season and his 32nd of his career. His total is third all-time behind only NASCAR Hall of Famer Mike Stefanik (48) and Tony Hirschman (41).

Coby’s No. 10 Mayhew Tools Chevrolet posed a lap of 19.233 (116.986) to take the top spot.

Patrick Emerling qualified second at 19.257 (116.841), followed by NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship points leader Justin Bonsignore at 19.311 (116.514).

Ronnie Williams and Craig Lutz qualified fourth and fifth, respectively.

Chris Pastyerak, Woody Pitkat, Jon McKennedy, Ron Silk and Eric Goodale rounded out the top 10.

The Sunoco World Series 150 is scheduled for Sunday at 4 p.m. There are tickets available to see this race in person, and the race will also be streamed live on TrackPass on NBC Gold.

Posted on October 9, 2020October 9, 2020 by Chase Wilhelm

Chase Elliott heads into Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Round of 12 elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM) as a heavy favorite.

That’s rightly so, considering the defending winner of the Bank of America ROVAL 400 has won the past three races on road courses – Watkins Glen International and the Roval in 2019, along with the series’ inaugural running of the Daytona International Speedway Road Course back in August.

But with the forecast showing a 90% chance of precipitation as of Friday evening, the use of rain tires, as long as NASCAR officials deem the conditions safe to compete, will throw a huge curveball toward drivers and teams.

Elliott is among the majority of the field who lack experience slinging a 3,400-pound stock car around damp right- and left-hand turns. While much uncertainty lies ahead, one thing is for sure — it’s going to be a whale of a show.

“I think it’ll be an entertaining event,” Elliott said Friday. “Cutoff race at the Roval in the rain. I’m not sure what else NBC could ask for.”

Last year, Elliott took victory at the 2.28-mile, 17-turn oval and road-course combination, recovering from hitting the tire barrier after missing his entry into Turn 1 earlier in the race.

This time around, Elliott is hoping to avoid mistakes and make a smoother ride into Victory Lane once again, but the margin of error will shrink even more if the skies decide to open up during the race.

Regardless, Elliott acknowledged the track conditions are the same for everybody every week, so the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team will just need to make the most of what comes their way.

“The way I see it, we all have the equal opportunity as far as what conditions or what a course might bring on a given weekend,” Elliott said. “Whether you have rain experience in the past can certainly help with that, but I don’t think a lot of the Cup field does from that standpoint. It will be a big learning curve for all of us. This road course being relatively new, you haven’t watched races be run in the rain, where as far as, you know, you see races being run in the rain all the time at let’s say the Daytona Road Course with the Rolex (24) and things like that. You kind of know what it looks like, whereas here we don’t and we don’t have any history to look back on. I think it’ll be a lot of learning on the fly.”

The four-time road-course winner currently sits fourth in the playoff standings, 44 points ahead of Joey Logano on the cutline. On Sunday, four drivers will be eliminated from the postseason. While that may seem like a comfortable margin, Elliott would disagree.

“No, I don’t think there’s ever a sense of comfort, even in the regular season because I think wins are too valuable there, too,” Elliott said. “My opinion is to push as hard as possible and try to put yourself in the best position to win each week as you can do and I think the points and things of that nature will be what they’re going to be if you’re giving it your best shot.”

“At the end of the day, we’re all trying as hard as we can and whether I’m 10 points behind or 10 points to the good, I don’t feel like I’m going to try any harder or have an extra gear to get if I’m behind or ahead,” he added. “I feel like I’m always trying my best to get the best possible finish.”

Posted on October 9, 2020 by Staff Report

The threat of rain looms over this weekend’s races for the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. Remnants from Hurricane Delta are expected to have a drenching effect on the 2.28-mile circuit for the Saturday-Sunday doubleheader.

Since it’s a road-course venue, teams will have rain tires at the ready should conditions allow for wet-weather racing. With drivers bracing for the uncertain possibility of competing in Mother Nature’s adverse conditions on one of stock-car racing’s trickiest layouts, it’s time for a review of the procedures, information and other fast facts for NASCAR’s version of racing in the rain.

Race rules and procedures

In the event of inclement weather, each series’ race director can declare a “wet” start or “damp” start, according to the NASCAR Rule Book. A wet start means that the entire racing surface is covered in moisture; a damp start means that the track has areas of moisture, but that other areas are dry. The race director can also declare the conditions not race-ready, if heavy downpours cause puddles and impaired visibility.

For a wet weather start:

All vehicles must mount rain tires, activate their rear flashing light and have a working windshield wiper installed.
Normal starting procedures follow.

For a damp weather start:

All vehicles may elect to install rain tires at the crew chief’s discretion. The rear flashing light must be activated, and windshield wipers may be installed.
Any team making a pit stop for rain tires on subsequent pace laps will forfeit their starting spot.

After the green flag, teams are permitted to change tires — to treaded rain tires or dry-weather slicks — at the crew chief’s discretion.

Goodyear rain tires

NASCAR Cup Series teams will each have four sets of Goodyear wet-weather tires available for their 109-lap race Sunday. Xfinity Series teams will have two sets of rain tires each for Saturday’s 67-lapper.

The rain tires have a distinctive tread pattern to channel away water as opposed to the treadless dry-weather slicks that each series normally uses. The rain tires also feature white Goodyear lettering on the sidewalls instead of the customary yellow.

Weather outlook

Charlotte Motor Speedway’s forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of precipitation for Saturday’s Xfinity Series’ Drive for the Cure 250 (3:30 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and an 80 percent chance for Sunday’s Cup Series’ Bank of America Roval 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), according to the National Weather Service. Sunday’s forecast includes the possibility of thunderstorms, in which case a lightning strike within eight miles of the speedway would force a 30-minute hold.

For further updates, please check NASCAR.com/weather for at-track conditions and hourly forecasts.

Rain-racing history

The Xfinity Series has been the most affected of NASCAR’s three national tours, having raced in wet-weather conditions seven times — all since 2008. Those include two instances this season — Aug. 8 at Road America and then briefly at the start of the Daytona Road Course event one week later.

The Cup Series conducted two feasibility tests for rain tires in 1995 (Watkins Glen, Martinsville) and has only used wet-weather Goodyears in practice and qualifying since. Teams qualified in the rain for a Japanese exhibition race in 1997, then used rain tires during a practice session at Watkins Glen in 2000.

Part of the Cup Series’ lone race at Road America in 1956 was conducted in the rain, but the cars were not equipped with special wet-weather tires.

Posted on October 9, 2020October 9, 2020 by Zack Albert

How much of an unknown would a playoff elimination race held in the rain pose to the NASCAR Cup Series field? So much of one that veteran Martin Truex Jr. isn’t exactly certain of the best way to term it.

“Rain, I don’t know,” Truex said in a Thursday video conference. “I’ve never raced in the rain or in the wet, I guess you would call it.”

As if the test of competing on the treacherous Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval was not challenge enough, now the prospects include Mother Nature’s latest twist. Cue Hurricane Delta, which is on track for Friday landfall in the Gulf of Mexico with its remnants expected to take a northeasterly path toward the Charlotte area — just in time for this weekend’s NASCAR doubleheader.

The weekend will be capped by Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the finale of the Round of 12 in the Cup Series playoffs. Four drivers will be eliminated from championship contention after the 109-lap road-course event, which — barring downpour conditions and severe puddling — is prepared to be held in wet-weather conditions with treaded Goodyear rain tires at the ready.

“I’m gonna sneak in there and put a plug in the tunnel so it’ll just flood and that way we can’t race until Monday when the sun is out,” joked Clint Bowyer, who carries a 38-point deficit into Sunday’s race. “I think if it does rain, boy, all hell is gonna break loose. There’s a lot of unknowns. I can say that — unknowns for all the above. Look out if it rains.”

After landfall, Delta’s winds are expected to dissipate by the time the storm reaches North Carolina, but the chance of precipitation associated with the system sits at 80 percent throughout Sunday for the speedway’s vicinity, according to the National Weather Service.

Should NASCAR decide track conditions are wet but race-able, teams will each have four sets of rain-ready Goodyear radials for the nearly 250-mile event. The tires will be easily distinguishable by their tread patterns, but the sidewall lettering will be white instead of the usual yellow for NASCAR’s untreaded slicks for dry-weather conditions.

Rain would add just another wild-card element into a 2.28-mile circuit that’s tough enough to contend with in the dry, with tire-hopping chicanes, high-speed oval sections and scant run-off area in certain parts. Bowyer — who competed in a rainy Montreal road-course event in the NASCAR Xfinity Series years ago — said wet-weather conditions would turn the event into a race of survival, where teams hope their windshields won’t fog, their wipers will work and that visibility can be optimized.

MORE: Rain tire procedures, info for weekend | Paint Scheme Preview: Charlotte Roval

“With the Roval being the track that it is, I don’t know how that’s going to look,” said Truex, adding he’ll lean on the rain-racing experience of James Small, his crew chief. “It’s already tough enough to stay on the track and make it to the end of that one, so I think if you make it to the wet, it’s going to be pretty wild. … Honestly, strategy-wise, there’s only so much you can do looking at the weather. For me, it’s just asking questions to the guys that have raced in the wet and be as prepared as I can if it comes to that.”

Posted on October 8, 2020October 8, 2020 by Staff Report

Clint Bowyer will trade in his fire suit for a business suit at the end of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, the long-time race car driver announced Thursday night in a statement on his personal Twitter account. Bowyer will no longer drive for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2021 but instead work for FOX Sports in the booth.

pic.twitter.com/zvmllugq3s

— Clint Bowyer (@ClintBowyer) October 8, 2020

Bowyer has piloted the No. 14 Ford since 2017. Out of his 10 career wins, two were with Stewart-Haas Racing. Both of those victories came in his second season – 2018 at Martinsville Speedway and Michigan International Speedway. Bowyer has been winless since then, including the current 2020 slate.

Bowyer’s best performance was 2012, when he finished runner-up in the final standings and scored a career-best three wins. He drove the No. 15 Toyota for the now-defunct Michael Waltrip Racing at the time.

PHOTOS: Clint Bowyer through the years

This year, Bowyer spent an increased amount of time in the FOX Sports booth prior to Thursday’s announcement. He was a regular analyst during NASCAR Xfinity Series races. He was also on camera during the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series season that filled the COVID-19 schedule void.

Stewart-Haas Racing did not reveal who will take over its No. 14 entry for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Posted on October 8, 2020October 8, 2020 by Holly Cain

With one race remaining to determine who advances to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs at a relatively new and particularly challenging venue – the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval – Saturday afternoon’s Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (3:30 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) has all the makings of a high-drama, high-stakes event.

Eight of the current 12 playoff drivers will advance to the next three-race round that sets the final four-driver 2020 championship field. Only 20 points currently separate sixth-place Ryan Sieg from Ross Chastain, who goes to Charlotte in the final eighth-place transfer position.

Chastain holds a mere seven-point lead on ninth-place Harrison Burton and a 19-point edge on 10th-place Brandon Brown.

MRN: Harrison Burton on the outside looking in

Veteran AJ Allmendinger, a part-time Kaulig Racing teammate of Chastain’s, is the defending Charlotte Roval race winner and is entered this weekend. The Xfinity Series championship leaders – regular-season champ Austin Cindric (Road America and Daytona International Speedway Road Course) and series winningest driver Chase Briscoe (Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course) – have won all the road-course races to date in 2020.

Briscoe, who won the playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Justin Haley, who won at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend, have earned the automatic bids into the next round. Cindric is ranked highest among those without a playoff win.

Chastain, who recently announced he will pilot the famed No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet next year in the NASCAR Cup Series, holds a tenuous advantage over Burton. None of the four drivers currently below the eighth-place cutoff line have ever won an Xfinity Series road-course race.

Seventh-place Justin Allgaier – who holds a 12-point edge on Chastain and a 19-point edge on ninth-place Burton – has three road-course wins, which comes second only to Cindric’s four among full-time Xfinity Series drivers. Allgaier has scored top 10s in two of the three previous road-course races this season. He has finished 15th (2018) and fourth (2019) at the Roval but yet to lead a lap there.

Among the four drivers at the bottom of the playoff standings, Michael Annett has the best average finish (11.3) on the three road courses this season. He was ninth at Indianapolis and 10th at Road America. But the nine-year series veteran finds himself ranked last (12th) among the playoff contenders heading to the Roval after his runner-up finish at Talladega last week was disqualified due to a violation in post-race inspection. That cost the driver of the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet dearly in the standings and now instead of being in ninth place, a mere three points behind Chastain, he’s 38 points out of the transfer spot. He will need to win Saturday.

“To have a runner-up finish taken away in post-race inspection this close to the cutoff race was a tough blow,” Annett said. “We were in the playoffs at that point too. That leaves us a lot of work to do this weekend at the Roval. (Crew chief) Travis Mack and the No. 1 team have given me fast Pilot J Chevrolets all year long and the key to finishing well in these road course events is to stay on the track.

“We’ll do that and do everything we can to win the race and keep going in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.”

Posted on October 8, 2020October 8, 2020 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR will host the 13th annual NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards today in celebration of the sport’s diversity and inclusion trailblazers. A special virtual ceremony will honor industry members whose pioneering efforts are making a difference both on and off the racetrack.

NASCAR executives, drivers, pit crew members, partners and other industry leaders will gather virtually to recognize the contributions of 10 deserving awardees who are setting an example by advocating for diversity and inclusion across the NASCAR industry.

“As we continue in our mission to enhance diversity across this great sport, we are inspired by the stories and efforts of so many leaders within the industry who are setting positive examples and driving meaningful change,” said NASCAR President Steve Phelps. “We are proud to recognize these 10 individuals and organizations whose hard work and accomplishments are having a profound impact and contributing to a more diverse and inclusive NASCAR.”

The NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards are traditionally held in the spring and recognize winners for their efforts and contributions the previous year. The 2020 event, postponed due to the impact of COVID-19, will mark the first live-stream of the awards.

The 2020 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Award recipients are as follows:

Diverse Driver Award: Hailie Deegan, DGR-Crosley — Deegan became the first female to win a race in the former NASCAR West Series and the first female to earn Rookie of the Year (2018). Her third-place finish among 2019 championship standings was the highest for a female driver in series history. In the ARCA Menards Series this season, Deegan has already matched the highest finish in a race by a female (second, twice) and currently leads the series’ Bounty Rookie of the Year standings. Off the track, Deegan is constantly engaging with fans on social media to grow her following and overall brand.

Young Racer Award: Isabella Robusto, Rev Racing — Robusto is in her fourth season with Rev Racing and the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program. She competed as a youth driver in the Legends division during her first three seasons with the team. Robusto currently competes full-time in a Late Model Stock car. She uses her voice and position to support The NASCAR Foundation, most recently by participating in the #GivingTuesdayNow campaign to bring awareness for efforts to help children dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Crew Member Award: Brehanna Daniels, Independent Contractor — Daniels made history in 2019 when she became the first female African-American graduate of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Development Program to pit in the DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Daniels currently works with aspiring pit crew members as a mentor and coach helping them to pursue their career dreams. Daniels has been featured on national morning shows and The Titan Games on NBC.

Outstanding Intern Award: Monon Rahman, Rick Ware Racing — Rahman was a member of the 2019 NASCAR Diversity Internship Program class working at the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, N.C. Upon completing his internship, he was hired as lead engineer at Rick Ware Racing working on the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and IMSA teams. Monon graduated from the University of Kentucky at age 19 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Partner Award: The Coca-Cola Company — In 2019, Coca-Cola brought together a collective of industry partners to establish Daniel’s Amigos, a fan-facing initiative to welcome new fans into NASCAR by connecting around shared cultural passion points of sports, racing, music, family, food and togetherness. This initiative strives to create deep and meaningful at-track experiences to increase the sport’s connection and interest within the Hispanic community.

Industry Ambassador Award: Jennifer Satterfield-Siegel, Rev Racing — Satterfield-Siegel is the first African-American female team owner and sponsor in the NASCAR Touring Series. She and her husband, Max Siegel, co-own and manage Rev Racing. An Indianapolis native, Satterfield-Siegel has made a national impact with her involvement in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program.

Institution Award: Urban Chamber of Commerce, Las Vegas — The Urban Chamber of Commerce in Las Vegas is being recognized for its efforts to help educate the local community about NASCAR and its diversity and inclusion initiatives. Urban Chamber members helped turn their memorable experience during a 2018 NASCAR Cup Series race — part of a NASCAR Opinion Leader Initiative activation at Las Vegas Motor Speedway — into a three-day outreach event surrounding the race weekend a year later.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

National Series Driver Award: Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports — On the track, Johnson is known as a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, tying NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. He has also spent his career pursuing excellence off the racetrack as a philanthropist, triathlete, businessman and father. More than a decade ago, Jimmie and his wife established the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, which has impacted diverse youth and communities through $12 million in support to various organizations.

Curtis Francois, owner and CEO of World Wide Technology Raceway.

Track Award: World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) — The raceway partnered on a youth outreach program with the Jackie Joyner Kersee Foundation (JJK), NASCAR Diversity & Inclusion and NASCAR Acceleration Nation. During the summer of 2019, WWT Raceway personnel visited JJK’s center along with NASCAR drivers, and have also assisted with an iRacing program at JJK. More than 11,000 children and their families were treated to a day at the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race.

Team Award: Richard Childress Racing (RCR) — Richard Childress Racing is a team that engages drivers, manufacturers and sponsors to effectively reach fans on and off the track in support of NASCAR’s diversity and inclusion goals. Several pit crew members who have trained with the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Development Program now pit for RCR. Additionally, the team recently named its first woman vice president and currently has a total of four women serving in director-level or higher roles within the marketing and communications departments.

The NASCAR Cup Series’ Bank of America ROVAL 400 will be broadcast live from Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on October 8, 2020October 8, 2020 by NASCAR Hall of Fame Release

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (October 8, 2020) — The NASCAR Hall of Fame announced Thursday that it will postpone the Induction Ceremony and Induction Week events for the Class of 2021. The decision was made in partnership with NASCAR after very thorough and thoughtful conversations regarding how best to plan and execute one of the sport’s most cherished moments while facing the ongoing uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Induction Ceremony, which was set to take place on Friday, February 5, 2021, is now anticipated for early 2022. The Class of 2021 consists of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Red Farmer, the late Mike Stefanik and Landmark Award recipient Ralph Seagraves.

“Without question, the safety of our inductees, our guests and our staff is the highest priority for us,” said Winston Kelley, NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director. “The ongoing public health crisis prohibits our ability to plan for and celebrate these honorees’ landmark achievements as originally scheduled to the fullest extent – with their families, friends and fans present – and in a manner that’s representative of their incredible accomplishments in NASCAR and their contributions to the sport.”

The celebration annually draws fans, members and visitors from across the country to a variety of special events throughout the week at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, leading up to the official Induction Dinner and Ceremony. In addition to class Inductees and the Landmark Award recipient, the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence is also recognized during the week’s events.

It is anticipated that the new date for the Class of 2021 Induction Ceremony and Induction Week events will be announced sometime in summer 2021. In addition, events celebrating both the class of 2020 and 2021 are hopeful for later in 2021.

The Class of 2020 exhibit in the museum’s Hall of Honor will remain on display until the Class of 2021 is enshrined in 2022. The NASCAR Hall of Fame recently reopened its doors to the public with enhanced safety measures following six months of closure due to COVID-19 restrictions.

MORE: NASCAR Hall reopens with COVID protocols

To learn more about the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the Class of 2021 and current exhibits visit nascarhall.com.