Posted on by Staff Report

It’s a new year and a new look for William Byron’s No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series.

RELATED: See every angle of the new-look No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet

Axalta unveiled the multi-colored scheme on Thursday afternoon. This year’s scheme added green, a lighter blue (than last year’s scheme) and black to the pallet of the No. 24.

In addition to the Axalta paint scheme, Byron’s Liberty University paint scheme and fire suit were revealed on social media on Thursday morning.

Byron is entering his fourth season in the Cup Series — all of which have seen Axalta and Liberty on board as primary partners. The 23-year-old scored his first Cup win last August at Daytona International Speedway and will have a new crew chief in Rudy Fugle atop the box in 2021.

RELATED: Rudy Fugle to be crew chief  | Recap William Byron’s 2020 season

Posted on by Zack Albert

Beard Motorsports announced Thursday that NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Noah Gragson will drive its No. 62 Chevrolet in a bid for the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 14.

Gragson, who drives full-time in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports, will attempt to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in the 500-mile crown jewel (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM). The 22-year-old driver has already had success at Daytona International Speedway, claiming his first Xfinity triumph in last year’s season opener.

RELATED: On the Move: Changes for 2021

The move keeps the organization’s connection to Las Vegas drivers intact. Brendan Gaughan retired from his part-time driving schedule with the Beard Motorsports group last year. According to the team’s publicists, the 45-year-old veteran was involved in selecting Gragson as his successor.

“I’m excited and humbled to have this opportunity with Beard Motorsports,” Gragson said in a team release. “As a young racer from Las Vegas, I had always dreamt of racing in the Daytona 500. I’m very appreciative of the faith the Beard family and Brendan have in me, and equally appreciative to JR Motorsports for allowing me to pull double duty and compete for them in the Xfinity Series and also Beard Motorsports while we’re down in Daytona.”

Gragson returns for his third season in JRM’s No. 9 Chevy this year. Last season, he scored two victories (Daytona, Bristol) and advanced to the Round of 8 in the Xfinity Series Playoffs.

JAYSKI: Speculative entry list for 2021 Daytona 500 

Beard Motorsports, which shares a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, has focused its efforts on superspeedway events at Daytona and Talladega in recent years. Gaughan helped the No. 62 team cash in on those occasional starts, sweeping to top-10 finishes in both Daytona events last season.

“I loved racing for the Beard Family and even though I’m retired, I’m honored to be a part of their team and I’m very protective of what they’ve built,” Gaughan said. “I’ve known Noah a long time and I know he’s a very good race car driver who is ready to do some Cup racing. Just as importantly, he takes good care of his equipment and he’s there at the end of races. In his entire Xfinity Series career, he’s only had four DNFs. That’s important no matter who you’re racing for, but it’s especially important for Beard Motorsports.

“I’m proud to see Noah have this opportunity and proud to see another Las Vegas guy in the NASCAR Cup Series.”

Gragson becomes just the second driver in Beard Motorsports’ existence. The team has made just 17 Cup Series appearances since its 2017 debut, with all but a one-off road-course event last season happening at superspeedways. Gaughan netted top-10 results in four of those 17 starts.

“Racing is our passion project,” said team owner Mark Beard Sr. “Even with Brendan’s retirement, we wanted to keep racing. We’ve accomplished a lot with the resources we have and we’re proud to give Noah the chance to chase his dream just like we chase ours.”

Before his move to the Xfinity Series, Gragson was a two-time winner in the Camping World Truck Series. He finished runner-up in the 2018 standings. He also has seven wins in what is now called the ARCA Menards Series East and West tours, and has prestigious Late Model wins to his credit, including the 2017 Winchester 400 and the 2018 Snowball Derby.

“When you’re racing Late Models and trying to work your way up, the Daytona 500 seems pretty far away,” Gragson said. “To have it become a reality is something I don’t take lightly. I’m ready for this moment and I’m proud to have it.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Joe Gibbs Racing announced Thursday that Reser’s Fine Foods will move its sponsorship to Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 19 Toyota for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. Reser’s will become the primary sponsor for four races, including Dover International Speedway (May 16), Pocono Raceway (June 27), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July 18) and Watkins Glen International (Aug. 8). Reser’s will also be an associate sponsor for the full season.

RELATED: NASCAR Cup Series schedule

This will be the ninth season Reser’s has had a relationship with JGR, a partnership that started in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Reser’s was previously on the No. 20 Toyota in Xfinity.

Other sponsors for Truex this year include Bass Pro Shops, which will be the primary for 24 races, while Auto-Owners Insurance will be the primary for eight races.

Truex finished the 2020 campaign seventh in the standings and had one win at Martinsville Speedway. This will be Truex’s third season driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Posted on by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — For the third consecutive season, CURO Financial Technologies will partner with Front Row Motorsports. Its brands, Speedy Cash and Revolve Finance Online Banking, will be highlighted on all three teams and drivers. Speedy Cash will be the primary sponsor of Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Anthony Alfredo during his first Daytona 500 on Feb. 14 on FOX.

RELATED: Cup Series schedule 

Speedy Cash or Revolve Finance Online Banking will also be the primary partner of Alfredo and the No. 38 team at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, Talladega Superspeedway in April, Daytona International Speedway in August and Kansas Speedway in October. Speedy Cash will be the primary partner during the All-Star Race and the NASCAR Cup Series weekend in October at Texas Motor Speedway. In addition, Speedy Cash and Revolve Finance Online Banking will be a season-long associate partner of the No. 38 team.

“It’s just awesome to see Speedy Cash and Revolve Finance Online Banking support me in my first Daytona 500 and throughout my rookie season.” Alfredo said. “I want to thank them for their support, and I can’t wait to work with them this year.”

Speedy Cash will also be the primary partner of Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team at the SpeedyCash.com 400 at Texas in June. Speedy Cash will be a season-long associate partner of Gilliland and Michael McDowell’s No. 34 NASCAR Cup Series team.

“I want nothing more than to get our Speedy Cash Ford F-150 into Speedy Cash Victory Lane at the Texas Motor Speedway this summer,” Gilliland said. “They are stepping up for Front Row Motorsports and that includes our Truck program, too.  We’re going to race for the championship and it’s awesome to have Speedy Cash with us.”

 

2021 Jan14 Alfredo Scheme
Front Row Motorsports

Headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, CURO Financial Technologies offers a variety of convenient, easily-accessible financial services, including installment loans, lines of credit, title loans and check cashing. The lender is also the exclusive provider of Revolve Finance Online Banking. For more than 20 years, Speedy Cash has provided the latest and most innovative lending methods to its customers with services available in branches, online, over the phone and via mobile app.

“Our company and our customers enjoy our partnership in the sport and with Front Row Motorsports,” said Don Gayhardt, CURO Financial Technologies’ CEO. “This partnership helps us connect with our customers across the country. Speedy Cash will continue to be front and center as the brand our customers know and love, but this year we’re excited to introduce them to a new online banking brand, Revolve Finance. We are excited to see the progression of Anthony Alfredo and wish the best to Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland this upcoming season.”

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Last year’s class of freshmen NASCAR Cup Series drivers led by Christopher Bell, Cole Custer and two-time Xfinity Series champion Tyler Reddick was one of the most buzzed about rookie crops in recent years.

Bell had an up-and-down season peaking with a third-place run in the third-to-last race of the year at Texas Motor Speedway, Reddick showed extremely promising flashes in a fourth-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway and a runner-up finish at Texas in the summer. However, it was Custer who nabbed a win with a thrilling restart at Kentucky Speedway in July, made the playoffs and captured Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. The victory made Custer the first Cup rookie to win since Chris Buescher did so at Pocono in 2016.

Who will be the best in their respective sophomore seasons? Reddick and Custer have continuity on their side as they had the same crew chiefs and rides as last year with Richard Childress Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing, respectively. Bell is on the move to Joe Gibbs Racing to pilot the No. 20 Toyota and will have two-time championship-winning crew chief Adam Stevens atop the pit box.

NASCAR.com’s RJ Kraft and Pat DeCola debate which driver from the trio is most primed to make a jump in their second Cup season.

RELATED: Christopher Bell brings soft-spoken approach to Stevens-led team

KRAFT: Each driver in this group has an appealing reason to choose them. Custer came on in the second half of the season with 12 top 15s (including the Kentucky win) in the final 21 races of the season (after he had just two top 15s in the first 15 races) and Reddick’s high-line, hard-charging style is exciting to watch even if does lend itself to greater variance in his peaks and valleys.

That said, I’m taking Bell as he moves from Leavine Family Racing to JGR for Year 2. Bell was a bit unlucky in his rookie year as the COVID-19 pandemic procedure forced a change from qualifying sessions to a lineup formula that hurt his starting positions for much of the summer. He started 15 races 26th or worse — something that is unlikely to happen a second year in a row. A good starting position can lead to significant stage points — Bell finished with just 75 on the year — and be a major boon in a playoff push and move up the standings.

While Bell finished the lowest in the standings of the three 2020 rookies we are discussing, I believe he has the biggest ceiling. The move in-house to JGR is big for Bell — LFR was affiliated with Toyota and JGR — now being directly linked to the mothership for Toyota. He has championship-winning teammates to lean on in Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. and a driver who has reached the Championship 4 the past two seasons in Denny Hamlin in the same stable as him.

The biggest reason for optimism with Bell’s 2021 season is atop the pit box in Stevens. Paired with Busch, Stevens won 28 races at the Cup level as well as the 2015 and 2019 championships, but is coming off a disappointing 2020 that eventually led to his new assignment. Bell is coming off a season that left a little to be desired as well. Both parties have something to prove — Stevens that he can succeed away from Busch, and Bell that he can get it done at the Cup level.

I liken the Stevens-Bell pairing to when William Byron and Chad Knaus were paired together after Byron’s first Cup season — starting with the 2019 campaign. Byron was coming off a learning-filled rookie year that resulted in four top 10s (Bell had two top fives and seven top 10s in 2020) and a 23rd-place finish in the standings (Bell finished 20th). Byron’s sophomore year produced five top fives, 13 top 10s, a playoff appearance, a berth in the Round of 12 and an 11th-place finish in the standings. Stevens and Bell can certainly follow that blueprint. A more ambitious path would be that of Erik Jones, who won in his sophomore season at the Cup level … in the same ride Bell will be piloting in 2021.

DECOLA: All compelling points per usual, RJ, but I’m going to go with Reddick on this one.

A lot has changed over the past few years, of course, but we’re still not too far removed from Reddick topping both Bell and Custer in two straight Xfinity Series Championship 4 races in 2018 and ’19 — while driving for two different organizations. This season also marks the first time since Reddick’s Brad Keselowski Racing days (2014-16) that he’ll be with the same organization for a third straight season.

Despite Custer being the only one of the three to win in 2020, when I think back to which one of them seemed to find his way to the front and battle the leaders the most … it’s Reddick. His overall stats were the best of the trio as well, landing just behind seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson in the standings and nearly matching him in top 10s (nine to Johnson’s 10) and average finish (17.5 to Johnson’s 17.3). For a rookie to achieve that, I’m willing to bet he’s just scratching the surface of his potential.

Looking at his trajectory within his own organization, Reddick’s rookie season was statistically better than each of teammate Austin Dillon’s first two. AD then broke through for his first playoff appearance in 2016 with his first win coming a year later. After Reddick nearly kept up the pace, stats-wise, with his teammate in Dillon’s seventh Cup campaign, it feels more likely than not that Reddick lands in Victory Lane this year rather than down the road.

Reddick showed consistently throughout the ’20 season — and en route to those back-to-back NXS titles, which feel worth re-mentioning — that he’s not afraid to drive aggressively and battle with the sport’s veterans, a trait that will likely only be fine-tuned in his sophomore campaign.

It’s a little concerning that six of his nine top 10s came in the season’s first half last year, but something tells me he and crew chief Randall Burnett are well aware of this and have focused on bringing more consistency to the Californian’s results this season.

Really, you can’t go wrong with any of these rising stars in the sport, but Reddick stands out to me as the one to make the most noise in ’21.

Posted on by Staff Report

DoorDash and 23XI Racing, Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s new NASCAR Cup Series team, revealed a 2021 primary paint scheme for Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota on Thursday.

RELATED: See the new look from all angles

The scheme features the DoorDash logo on the hood and MJ’s iconic No. 23 on the door and will run in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 14 on FOX. Wallace and Hamlin celebrated the new look on social media:

The number of races for which DoorDash will decorate the No. 23 will be revealed at a later date. This will be Wallace’s fourth full-time season in the Cup Series.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Kaulig Racing added detail to its NASCAR Cup Series plans, announcing Wednesday that Kaz Grala will drive its No. 16 Chevrolet in a part-time schedule, starting with a bid for the Daytona 500 next month.

The Matt Kaulig-owned organization had announced Jan. 7 it would focus on road-course and superspeedway races for a limited Cup Series slate in 2021 with aspirations for a full-time Cup effort in the future. The team indicated Grala would compete in several of those events for Kaulig this season.

RELATED: On the Move: Changes for 2021

Grala has some history of success at Daytona International Speedway. He became the 2.5-mile track’s youngest winner in 2017, prevailing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season opener at 18 years, one month, and 26 days of age. He also made his Cup Series debut at the DIS road-course layout last season, recording an impressive seventh-place finish for Richard Childress Racing as a late fill-in for Austin Dillon.

“This is a huge opportunity for me both personally and professionally,” Grala said in a release from the team. “I’ve grown up dreaming of reaching the NASCAR Cup Series, so it will be really special to get more chances to race against my heroes, with Kaulig Racing being the perfect team to take that next step with. I can’t thank Matt Kaulig and (team president) Chris Rice enough for trusting me in their Cup program, as well as RCR for helping shape my career the past couple seasons.”

Kaulig Racing is set to field three full-time teams in the Xfinity Series this season, with AJ Allmendinger, Jeb Burton and Justin Haley on its driver roster. The organization made its lone Cup Series start to date last season, with Haley turning in a 13th-place result in the Daytona 500.

Grala, 22, has competed most recently in the Xfinity Series as a part-time driver for the Childress organization, which shares a technical alliance with the Kaulig group. The Massachusetts native ran a five-race slate in each the 2019 and 2020 Xfinity seasons for RCR, producing two top-five finishes — both at Road America in consecutive years.

“We’re super excited to have Kaz join our team in 2021, and we can’t wait to get started with him at Daytona,” Rice said. “He has had some great success in different series and layouts at Daytona, so we think he will be a great addition to our team beginning with the Daytona 500.”

The team indicated sponsorship and further schedule announcements would be made at a later date.

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

Chase Elliott experienced a preliminary qualifying event unlike any other on Wednesday night at the Chili Bowl Nationals.

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion participated in Circle City Raceway Qualifying Night at the 1/4-mile dirt oval at the River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma for his maiden stint in the prestigious dirt racing crown jewel. Elliott finished fourth in the fifth heat of the night and seventh in his respective qualifier race. Due to his finish and total passing points in both races, Elliott was forced to start in the second B-Main, finishing eighth after spinning while running in the fifth position. He failed to make the A-Main.

Elliott’s chances to make Saturday’s A-Main finale aren’t over, though. In what is coined as “alphabet soup,” he’ll need to make his way through a set of last-chance qualifying events. He’ll start his long journey in the F-Main for a final crack at claiming a starting position on Saturday.

While Elliott is battling more than 300 drivers for 24 coveted starting spots on Saturday, Elliott’s expectations are very low, serving more as a learning experience above all else. But he wasn’t far off from predicting where he wound up.

“I think making the E-Main would be a great day for most of us,” Elliott joked during an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “I’m super excited. I think a lot of my excitement for that event just comes from me not having any background in it and just knowing really nothing about it. Kind of stepping into something new and kind of stepping outside the comfort zone outside of asphalt racing. Really just trying to learn and learn the right way.”

While Elliott turned some initial practice laps during opening day on Monday, the Hendrick Motorsports driver is diving head-first into a motorsports realm with limited seat time. He participated in a dirt midget event at the 1/6-mile Millbridge Speedway near Salisbury, North Carolina in December, finishing third and fourth to Chase Briscoe and Kyle Larson in a pair of A-Main events.

RELATED: NASCAR drivers in Chili Bowl: Give dirt fans ‘more reason to watch on Sundays’

One of Elliott’s biggest takeaways from his experience so far is the fast pace of dirt racing.

“There is no waiting around,” Elliott told NASCAR.com. “I think that is the biggest difference for me is the intensity level is up from the get-go and not just the last 100 miles of one of our normal events, which is really cool. You have to get going and if you have an opportunity you have to take it and I think that’s what makes this type of racing entertaining.”

Regardless of Elliott’s outcome in the Chili Bowl, the event serves as quality practice for the NASCAR Cup Series’ first dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 28. The 25-year-old will also compete in the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 30-31. Elliott also finished third in the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in December.

RELATED: Chase Elliott’s road to Rolex precedes Cup Series title defense

The action-packed offseason for NASCAR’s newest title winner has been on his radar for a number of years.

“I’ve always paid a lot of attention to the races that go on throughout the offseason, being the Snowball Derby, the Chili Bowl, Rolex 24; races that I admire and really enjoy watching,” Elliott said. “I had some opportunities to go and be a part of them this year so I just felt like I enjoy them and have a lot of respect for each of these different types of cars and felt like it would be a really cool challenge for me to go do something different.”

When Elliott hits the dirt track on Wednesday night, he’ll be using lessons and advice offered up by highly talented dirt drivers, including his new Hendrick Motorsports teammate Larson.

“I’ve been trying to learn as quick as I can,” Elliott said. “Kyle (Larson) has been great, he’s been super open and honest talking about midget and dirt racing in general. As much as he’s willing to share, I’m certainly going to lean on him at least to help me get going. I’m excited to talk to him and learn some things that might be second nature to him, but that are completely foreign to me.”

RELATED: Rundown of Chili Bowl Nationals schedule

Posted on by Zack Albert

NASCAR competition officials said they were pleased with the outcome of a brief Tuesday afternoon test of the Next Gen car at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Kurt Busch drove the prototype at the 1.5-mile track as officials worked to sort through adjustments to some of the car’s components. The model is set to debut in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022, and Tuesday’s closed session marked its first on-track time since a one-day test at Daytona International Speedway last month.

RELATED: Scenes from November’s Next Gen test at Charlotte

“We had a successful test at Charlotte Motor Speedway today and were able to validate some work we’ve done since our recent tests at Charlotte and Daytona,” said John Probst, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Racing Innovation. “We wanted to return to Charlotte with Kurt to collect direct comparisons of data and driver feedback. We’re happy with what we saw on the track today.”

Busch was the first driver to be called upon for a second time shaking down the Next Gen model. In his first stint, he tested alongside Martin Truex Jr. at the Charlotte venue in November, marking the first time two prototypes shared the track at the same time.

“I was honored to get a call to come back and verify things from our last test,” Busch said. “I haven’t been in our current car since then, so it’s good for me mentally to have that benchmark and be able to explain what the car is doing on the track. It’s great to see the progress from November to January and know that we’re headed in the right direction.”

A full schedule for the Next Gen testing in 2021 has not been announced. Probst indicated last month that three or four tire tests with Goodyear officials were tentatively scheduled for the first half of the year.

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

When the NASCAR Cup Series arrives at Daytona International Speedway in February, three new full-time teams will be hitting the track for the first time.

Bubba Wallace will drive the No. 23 Toyota for 23XI Racing, Daniel Suarez will drive the No. 99 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing Team and B.J. McLeod will drive the No. 78 Ford for Live Fast Motorsports.

It’s an exciting time for the sport as new owners and sponsors ready for the upcoming 2021 season, but which organization is the most intriguing? NASCAR.com’s Terrin Waack and Chase Wilhelm share their thoughts.

RELATED: 2021 schedule in photos | Changes to know for 2021

WILHELM: Well, since I go first, I’ll take the easy layup. All eyes will be on 23XI Racing, co-owned by basketball legend Michael Jordan and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, when we unload the haulers at Daytona.

Bubba Wallace, driver of the new No. 23 Toyota, outperformed on a number of occasions with limited funding while driving the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet. Now the sky is the limit.

Although the brand new team will surely have kinks to work out along the way, Wallace will be expected to perform at a higher level on a weekly basis sooner rather than later. With the star power Jordan brings, Hamlin’s prowess from what he’s learned at Joe Gibbs Racing and Wallace’s ability to get more out of a race car than what it might typically be capable of, this is quite possibly the beginning of something special.

What’s intriguing for me is how competitive Wallace and team will be out of the gate. When the Jordan brand is brought into the mix, success is probable — and expected. That puts added pressure on everyone involved.

Pressure, however, is something Wallace has become accustomed to after a 2020 season that launched him into the national spotlight, both on and off the race track. For that, I feel Wallace is ready for the task at hand. If the 23XI Racing team can put a fast car underneath him, it will finally be his moment to shine.

Wallace said there will be “no excuses” in 2021. Honestly, I don’t think he’ll need any.

RELATED: 23XI Racing welcomes founding partners | Denny Hamlin’s long-term vision for new team

WAACK: Yes, I’ll admit, a Michael Jordan-owned team is beyond exciting for the sport. Exciting being the key word there. I, however, am more intrigued by the Trackhouse Racing Team addition to the NASCAR Cup Series. There are multiple industry veterans in charge of that team.

Trackhouse owner Justin Marks himself has competed in all three NASCAR national series. Marks won a 2016 Xfinity Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, which isn’t all that surprising considering his road-course background via sports-car racing. With seven road courses spread across the 2021 schedule — postseason included — Marks’ behind-the-wheel, left-and-right knowledge surely can help Trackhouse with those events.

Ty Norris was named the president of racing operations at Trackhouse. Norris used to serve as the executive vice president and general manager at both Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Michael Waltrip Racing. Behind-the-scenes experience: check.

Last but not least, four teams in four seasons? Trackhouse’s driver, Daniel Suarez, may have bopped around the garage in recent years, but he has to know by now what he does and does not like when it comes to organizational chemistry and dynamics. This is an absolutely clean slate for him. And though he’s still seeking his first Cup Series win, Suarez has had success in NASCAR. He holds eight top-five results at the sport’s top level, highlighted by a 2018 runner-up finish from the pole position at Pocono Raceway, where there’s a doubleheader this season. He also has three Xfinity Series victories on his resume, topped off by a championship title in 2016.

These Trackhouse folks may know what they’re doing.

RELATED: Learn more about Trackhouse Racing Team | Live Fast Motorsports launches