Posted on by Staff Report

Chase Elliott won the Busch Pole Award for Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway (4 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App), the first of two in a weekend doubleheader.

The lineup was determined using NASCAR’s new competition-based formula, which takes into account finishing position from the previous race (weighted 50%), ranking in team owner points (35%) and the fastest lap from the previous race (15%).

RELATED: Learn more about the new lineup formula

After crunching the numbers, Elliott in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet is this week’s Busch Pole Award winner and will lead the field to the green flag for this week’s 311-lap race. Denny Hamlin, in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, will join him on the front row, starting P2 for the second consecutive race.

In the majority of national series events since NASCAR’s May return, starting lineups have been set by random draws. The new structure draws on performance from both individual races and season-long results, rather than leaving a range of starting spots up to chance.

An example of how the math works: Elliott finished first in the last race (1 x 0.5), is fourth in owner points (1 x 0.35) and his fastest lap in Sunday’s race at the Daytona Road Course ranked first in the field(1 x .15). His metric total is 2.05. That was enough to beat Hamlin, whose metric total was 2.6; he finished second last Sunday to Elliott (2 x 0.5), is second in owner points (2 x 0.35) and scored the sixth-fastest lap of the race (6 x 0.15).

The difference? Elliott’s first-place run.

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Clint Bowyer make up the second row, powered by their finishes of third and sixth, respectively, at Daytona.

See the full starting lineup for Saturday’s race below.

Note: Austin Dillon is the official driver of entry for the No. 3 team, but he has not yet been medically cleared to return after self-reporting a positive COVID-19 test result. Because Dillon missed last week’s race at Daytona, he would be given “41” as his finishing position and fastest lap — it would rank worst in a 40-car field, since he did not participate in the race.

Starting spot Driver Car # Team
1 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports
2 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
3 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
4 Clint Bowyer 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
5 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
6 Jimmie Johnson 48 Hendrick Motorsports
7 Brad Keselowski 2 Team Penske
8 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
9 Kurt Busch 1 Chip Ganassi Racing
10 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
11 Alex Bowman 88 Hendrick Motorsports
12 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing
13 Erik Jones 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
14 Matt DiBenedetto 21 Wood Brothers Racing
15 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
16 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
17 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
18 Christopher Bell 95 Leavine Family Racing
19 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
20 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
21 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
22 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
23 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing
24 Bubba Wallace 43 Richard Petty Motorsports
25 Ty Dillon 13 Germain Racing
26 Matt Kenseth 42 Chip Ganassi Racing
27 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daugherty Racing
28 Daniel Suarez 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing
29 Corey LaJoie 32 GoFas Racing
30 Brennan Poole 15 Premium Motorsports
31 John Hunter Nemechek 38 Front Row Motorsports
32 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
33 Timmy Hill 66 Motorsports Business Management
34 JJ Yeley 27 Rick Ware Racing
35 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing
36 Reed Sorenson 77 Spire Motorsports
37 Josh Bilicki 53 Rick Ware Racing
38 Joey Gase 51 Petty Ware Racing
39 Garrett Smithley 7 Tommy Baldwin Racing
40 BJ McLeod 78 BJ McLeod Motorsports

 

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials issued penalties to two Cup Series teams Tuesday for lug-nut violations after Sunday’s Go Bowling 235 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course.

RELATED: Race results | Cup Series standings

Competition officials discovered one lug nut not safely secured on two cars in a post-race check:

  • The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford of Kevin Harvick
  • The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Martin Truex Jr.

As a result, Rodney Childers (No. 4 crew chief) and James Small (No. 19 crew chief) were each fined $10,000 for the safety violations of Section 10.9.10.4 in the NASCAR Rule Book.

No other penalties were announced from the NASCAR tripleheader weekend, which also included races for the Xfinity Series and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.

Posted on by Steve Luvender

Wednesday night. The culmination of a season’s worth of work for the fastest console gamers will come down to a high-stakes, elimination-style championship event featuring three races in one historic evening.

For the first time in Heat Pro League history, all 28 drivers — 14 from the Xbox One platform and 14 from PlayStation 4 — will race together in the same event simultaneously using the newly-released NASCAR Heat 5 game. ASUS, the official gaming hardware of eNASCAR, will provide each of the drivers with an ASUS ROG Strix G15CK PC, ASUS ROG Strix PG248 monitor and ASUS ROG Strix GO 2.4 headset for the championship event. Combined with Fanatec ClubSport steering wheels officially licensed by NASCAR, it’ll be a unique showing of what the gamers can do on equally-matched equipment.


The Contenders

All eyes, however, will be on the eight drivers competing for the title.

  • Justin Brooks, JTG Daugherty Throttlers
  • Daniel Buttafuoco, Germain Gaming
  • Maxwell Castro, Chip Ganassi Gaming
  • Slade Gravitt, Wood Brothers Gaming
  • Brandyn Gritton, Stewart-Haas eSports
  • Josh Harbin, Leavine Family Gaming
  • Josh Parker, Gibbs Gaming
  • Brian Tedeschi, Team Penske eSports

These eight drivers separated themselves throughout the course of the regular Heat Pro League season, clinching their place in the championship by either winning a three-race segment throughout the year — or, in the cases of Tedeschi and Harbin, winning a wildcard race at Daytona following Segment 3.


Race Format

For the first time in Heat Pro League history, three races will be used to determine the series champion. The eight championship contenders enter on equal footing with two rounds of eliminations cutting two drivers each, whittling the field to a final four. 

Drivers will need to showcase their skills across totally different types of race tracks, too. Who said it would be easy? 

The first round takes place at Michigan International Speedway: a high-speed, 2-mile oval where working the draft is key to success. Eight championship finalists will enter this round, but only six will leave. (Well, technically, the entire field of 28 will leave and compete all night; just six will remain in title contention!)

Phoenix Raceway plays host to the second round, and shares almost no characteristics with Michigan; it’s a flat 1-mile tri-oval. Handling, patience and race strategy will reign supreme. The field of six will become the final four following Phoenix.

Finally, the championship race will take place at Bristol Motor Speedway — the high-banked, concrete short track that’s been the site of too many bump-and-run maneuvers to count in NASCAR. Really, anything can happen.

 

Big Money at Stake

In addition to bringing home a championship trophy and a name etched in eNASCAR history, there’s quite a bit of cash at stake — $70,000 — but who’s counting?

The champion will win a $30,000 slice for first place. Not a bad payday for an evening of virtual racing.

There’s also a Team Championship at stake Wednesday. The team scoring the most points over the course of the entire season will wear the crown, combined from the entire season to date with the three championship races. Currently, Germain Gaming leads the JTG Daugherty Throttlers by 62 points — but it’s far from over, especially considering the fact that JTG’s Justin Brooks has won an insane seven times in 2020.

 

How to Watch

Catch the eNASCAR Heat Pro League championship finale live Wed., Aug. 19, at 8:00 p.m. ET on:

Or, tune in later on MAVTV in the USA or REV TV in Canada.

Posted on by Steve Luvender

It all comes down to Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday. Eight drivers fought tooth-and-nail all season long throughout the eNASCAR Heat Pro League’s second tour to reach the tripleheader championship event — Michigan, Phoenix, and Bristol. Here’s how the contenders stack up before they race with $70,000 on the line.

8. Brian Tedeschi, Team Penske eSports

Team Penske eSports driver Brian Tedeschi made it to the championship — but it took until the wildcard last-chance race at Daytona to reach that point. He’s the lone championship contender who didn’t win a race in 2020, but maybe he’s just saving what he’s got for the finale. You never know.

7. Maxwell Castro, Chip Ganassi Gaming

Not only did 15th-overall draft pick Maxwell Castro pick up a victory this year, he did it at the Watkins Glen road course — not the easiest track to master compared to many of the oval tracks. Furthermore, he put himself in position to contend for a championship, scoring seven top-five finishes throughout the 2020 tour. Not too shabby for a rookie!

6. Josh Harbin, Leavine Family Gaming

Well, that was close! Josh Harbin had to transfer to the finale via the Daytona wildcard race, but hey, a win’s a win. It’s worth noting Harbin’s other 2020 victory came at New Hampshire, a flat mile-long track not too unlike Phoenix. If he can survive Michigan and repeat his New Hampshire performance at Phoenix, we might just be looking at a Harbin championship. Don’t sleep on him.

5. Josh Parker, Gibbs Gaming

One of Parker’s two wins this season came at Fontana, a track with many similarities to Michigan. As for Phoenix, he’s won there in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series — though that was back in 2010. Parker should be a contender to make the final four, perhaps by experience alone. At the very least, he’ll be competing against fellow PS4 driver Josh Harbin for top-Josh honors.

4. Slade Gravitt, Wood Brothers Gaming

Slade Gravitt’s got one distinct advantage heading into Wednesday night’s tripleheader, and that’s his consistency. Remarkably, he’s put his Wood Brothers Gaming Ford in the top 10 in all 13 regular-season races. When the name of the game is survival, Gravitt’s knack to not, well, Spin (sorry, it’s such an easy sponsor plug) will come in handy.

3. Brandyn Gritton, Stewart-Haas eSports

He’s got what no other championship contender has: a title. Half of the inaugural Heat Pro League championship-winning team, Brandyn Gritton knows what it’s like to face the pressure of a nerve-wracking finale. Oh, and those two wins and 11 top 10s show he can still get the job done in 2020. Perhaps Gritton will add a second championship trophy to his shelf.

2. Daniel Buttafuoco, Germain Gaming

Nobody scored more top-five finishes in the 2020 season than Daniel Buttafuoco; he did it 10 times in 13 races. Combined with his tendency to find Victory Lane — he won three races this season — Buttafuoco’s easily a favorite to win the title and pick up the $30,000 first-place prize.. It’s hardly a wonder Germain Gaming has such an impressive lead in team points with this guy in their corner.

1. Justin Brooks, JTG Daugherty Throttlers

Winning more than half the season — seven races, to be exact — has made the Justin Brooks 2020 season the gold standard in Heat Pro League competition. We could rattle off all the tracks at which he’s won this year, but it would sound an awful lot like a verse in Johnny Cash’s “I’ve Been Everywhere.” To put it simply, Brooks is the guy everybody’s chasing Wednesday, though we’ve learned this season that just about anything can happen.

Catch the eNASCAR Heat Pro League Season 2 finale Wed., Aug. 19 at 8 p.m. ET at eNASCAR.com/live.

Posted on by Staff Report

Richard Childress Racing revealed the No. 3 Chevrolet paint scheme that Austin Dillon will pilot next month in Darlington Raceway’s annual throwback event, with a nod to NASCAR’s “Last American Hero.”

 

 

3amdarlington2020f
Photo courtesy of Richard Childress Racing

This year’s throwback theme celebrates “NASCAR’s Champions … Past, Present and Future.”

While Junior Johnson never won a NASCAR Cup Series title as a driver, the Hall of Famer had six as an owner, 50 career wins on the track himself and certainly shaped of NASCAR’s past, present and future. The late legend is worth celebrating, as Dillon will do with his clean, white-with-stripes No. 3 American Ethanol Chevy.

The championship organization also showed off the new visor above the windshield that 2020 NASCAR Playoffs drivers will adorn in a teaser Tuesday morning.

Dillon clinched his ticket to the postseason earlier this year with a win at Texas Motor Speedway. He will receive a playoff waiver after missing the race on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.

RCR revealed teammate Tyler Reddick’s throwback scheme on Monday as well, in a nod to former driver Jeff Burton.

RELATED: Reddick’s Darlington scheme revealed

Posted on by Track Release

Tickets for the 63rd Annual DAYTONA 500, the biggest and most prestigious event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, are on sale now. The 2021 edition of “The Great American Race,” which could see the event’s first three-time consecutive winner, will again be held on Presidents’ Day Weekend on Sunday, Feb. 14. Tickets start at $99.

MORE: Buy your tickets today!

Race fans travel from all over the world to attend the DAYTONA 500, which has been sold out every year since 2016. The 2020 DAYTONA 500, which was won by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, had attendees representing all 50 states and 45 countries.

Fans in attendance will get to see Hamlin’s attempt to rewrite the Daytona record book. The three-time DAYTONA 500 champion has won back-to-back season-opening classics, and can become the first driver in the history of the 2.5-mile venue, which opened in 1959, to capture three consecutive checkered flags. Currently, he, along with Richard Petty (1973-74), Cale Yarborough (1983-84) and Sterling Marlin (1994-95), are the only drivers to claim two straight DAYTONA 500 victories. In fact, with a win, Hamlin would join Yarborough with four total DAYTONA 500 triumphs, trailing only Petty, who has seven. Hamlin’s other DAYTONA 500 victory came in 2016.

Guests will have the opportunity to experience the pageantry and edge-of-your-seat excitement of the DAYTONA 500 in a state-of-the-art motorsports facility with amenities that include more than 101,500 seats, thousands of premium club seats, 40 escalators and 17 elevators, 60 luxury suites, social “neighborhoods” and three concourse levels that span the nearly mile-long frontstretch.

Premium and extended-stay camping packages include access to general admission seating and the UNOH Fanzone/Pre-race access for each event during DAYTONA Speedweeks Presented By AdventHealth, excluding the DAYTONA 500.

RELATED: Select your seat now

Those wishing to attend “The Great American Race” in person should make their plans early to secure the best seats and pricing:

  • Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-PITSHOP or visiting www.DAYTONA500.com.
  • Hospitality and premium seat packages, including the Rolex 24 Lounge, Harley J’s, Trioval Club, DAYTONA 500 Club and President’s Row are available, as well as
  • UNOH Fanzone/Pre-race wristbands.
  • For all other DAYTONA Speedweeks Presented By AdventHealth events, children 12 and under are $10 in reserved seating and free in general admission areas and in the UNOH Fanzone/Pre-race access.
  • Fans can also visit PrimeSport.com, the official travel package provider of Daytona International Speedway, where they can find multiple options for tickets, lodging and hospitality.

In addition to the “The Great American Race,” fans may purchase tickets and multi-day packages for a fresh look of events as part of DAYTONA Speedweeks Presented By AdventHealth. It will include a packed six days of racing. Instead of the Busch Clash At DAYTONA and qualifying for the DAYTONA 500 taking place the Sunday before the DAYTONA 500, the Busch Clash will be held in primetime on Tuesday, Feb. 9 and qualifying for the DAYTONA 500 will be Wednesday, Feb. 10.

The Busch Clash At DAYTONA, an exhibition-style event, will be held for the first time on the same course as the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA and the DAYTONA 200, North America’s premier races for sports cars and motorcycles, respectively.

This past weekend, history was made as NASCAR’s three national series, along with the ARCA Menards Series, made their first-ever appearance on the DAYTONA Road Course with outstanding reviews. Winners include Chase Elliott in Sunday’s Go Bowling 235 NASCAR Cup Series race, along with Austin Cindric (UNOH 188 – NASCAR Xfinity Series), Sheldon Creed (Sunoco 159 – NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series) and Michael Self (General Tire 200 – ARCA Menards Series).

DAYTONA 500 Qualifying Presented By Kroger will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 10, to set the front row for the DAYTONA 500. The Bluegreen Vacations Duel at DAYTONA qualifying races remain on Thursday night, Feb. 11, followed by the NextEra Energy 250 to open the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series season on Friday night, Feb. 12.

Other aspects of 2021 DAYTONA Speedweeks Presented By AdventHealth include the Lucas Oil 200 Driven By General Tire ARCA event shifting to Saturday, Feb. 13, as part of a doubleheader with the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, the NASCAR Racing Experience 300.

Full Schedule for DAYTONA Speedweeks Presented By AdventHealth:

  • Tuesday, Feb. 9: Busch Clash at DAYTONA
  • Wednesday, Feb. 10: DAYTONA 500 Qualifying Presented By Kroger
  • Thursday, Feb. 11: Bluegreen Vacations Duel at DAYTONA qualifying races
  • Friday, Feb. 12: NextEra Energy 250
  • Saturday, Feb. 13: NASCAR Racing Experience 300 and Lucas Oil 200 Driven By General Tire Doubleheader
  • Sunday, Feb. 14: DAYTONA 500

Also available are Multi-day tickets for the 59th Rolex 24 At DAYTONA, the season-opening event (Jan.30-31) to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Tickets for the 63rd annual DAYTONA 500, the 43rd annual Busch Clash and all other speedway events can be purchased online at www.daytona500.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and by downloading Daytona International Speedway’s mobile app, for the latest Speedway news throughout the season.

While the DAYTONA 500 is just six months away, history will be made yet again at Daytona International Speedway in less than two weeks as the NASCAR returns to the high banks of the 2.5-mile venue for a doubleheader. The Saturday, Aug. 29, Coke Zero Sugar 400, will be the last-chance race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season for drivers to get into the 2020 Cup Series Playoffs. The weekend kicks off on Friday, Aug. 28, with the Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola for the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Posted on by Staff Report

Kevin Harvick will drive a throwback paint scheme honoring former NASCAR Busch Series champions at Darlington Raceway.

The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang will sport a retro blue-and-white Busch Beer look for the NASCAR Cup Series Southern 500 throwback race at the 1.366-mile South Carolina oval on Sept. 6 (6 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The car also features the old Busch Series logo (which is now the NASCAR Xfinity Series) and a tribute to Harvick’s pair of series championships in 2001 and 2006.

RELATED: Clint Bowyer to honor Kyle Petty with Darlington throwback

In addition to the paint scheme, Busch Beer, the Official Beer of NASCAR, has also created a specialty can that pays homage to all the former Busch Series title winners.

Harvick has established himself as a championship favorite this season. He currently sits as the Cup Series regular-season points leader with three races to go before the playoff opener at Darlington. He has recorded six race victories, 15 top fives and 19 top 10s in 23 races this year.

Posted on by Staff Report

Chase Elliott and Hendrick Motorsports revealed a paint scheme for the No. 9 Chevrolet for this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series action at Dover International Speedway that will aid first responders. To come up with the look, Hendrick and Mountain Dew teamed with Team Rubicon, an organization that uses the skills and experiences of military veterans and first responders to serve communities impacted by disasters.

Proceeds from Mountain Dew’s sponsorship of Team Rubicon’s Fuel the Mission program will go to help disaster response operations and disaster response training programs.

Elliott is coming off a win in Sunday’s GoBowling 235 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, his fourth road-course win out of eight Cup Series victories. The driver is currently fourth in the standings as the series heads to Dover for a doubleheader weekend of races, with only three races remaining in the regular season.

2020 Chase Elliott Team Rubicon
Courtesy Hendrick Motorsports
Posted on by Staff Report

The first NASCAR Cup Series race at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course had plenty of firsts and memorable moments, including a sprint to the finish following a late caution that saw a topsy-turvy final few laps with plenty of movement in the running order.

We analyzed the running position of the final three, then used our Compare tool in Race Center and footage from in-car cameras shown on NASCAR Drive to paint a fuller picture. Here’s some of the significant movement over the final three laps at Daytona.

NASCAR Drive: Use compare tool

Bubba Wallace

Lap 63: 8
Lap 64: 9
Lap 65: 25

Note: As you can see in the video above, Wallace’s top-10 run was spoiled on the final lap. Shortly after crossing the start/finish line after the white flag dropped, Wallace led a tight pack of five cars into the first turn. In tight quarters, Joey Logano nudged Alex Bowman’s No. 88 Chevrolet from behind, sending Bowman into Wallace’s No. 43, which took a spin way off course. There was not significant damage and Wallace continued the race, but lost 16 positions.

Ryan Blaney

Lap 63: 19
Lap 64: 24
Lap 65: 31

Note: Blaney’s final lap was undone after he missed the frontstretch chicane (shown in the GIF below), which forced a stop-and-go penalty on the track. The 31st-place finish was especially disappointing after running in the top 10 most of the day. In fact, 31st was the worst Blaney had run in the entire race — and it’s where he finished.

Blaney Last Lap

Brad Keselowski; Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Lap 63: 18; 11
Lap 64: 17; 15
Lap 65: 13; 16

Note: Keselowski and Stenhouse Jr. were the other drivers to gain or lose five spots over the final three laps — with Keselowski gaining five and Stenhouse Jr. losing five. Below is a graphic from the Compare tool.

Kes Stenhouse Compare

Posted on by Zack Albert

A test of the Next Gen car for NASCAR’s Cup Series is scheduled Monday and Tuesday at Dover International Speedway following a Cup Series doubleheader weekend.

Competition officials confirmed Monday that Stewart-Haas Racing rookie Cole Custer will make laps in the prototype at the 1-mile Delaware track, putting more production parts into use and testing the high-load conditions of the concrete high banks. It’s the first test for the Next Gen model since the COVID-19 outbreak in March.

NASCAR officials announced April 2 that the Next Gen car’s Cup Series debut would be delayed from 2021 to 2022 as the industry weathered the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The outbreak also scratched a March 16-17 test scheduled with SHR’s Clint Bowyer at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Additionally, competition officials revealed that IMSA team Action Express Racing is making laps Monday with its own Next Gen prototype at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course. The team test is being conducted with reigning series champ Felipe Nasr and Team Penske’s Austin Cindric, who won Saturday’s Xfinity Series race on the 3.61-mile Daytona Road Course layout.

“The Action Express test allows a sports car team to learn about the architecture of the Next Gen car and explore any opportunities to adopt new technologies,” said John Probst, NASCAR Senior VP of Innovation and Racing Development. “The test also benefits NASCAR — it helps us check the durability of parts, helps with tire development and gives us data from a road course test.”

Previous tests of the Next Gen car include Austin Dillon at Richmond (Oct. 8-9, 2019), Joey Logano at Phoenix (Dec. 9-10, 2019), Erik Jones at Homestead-Miami (Jan. 15-16) and William Byron at Auto Club Speedway (March 2-3).

RELATED: William Byron details Next Gen test