Daytona Road Course 101: TV times, key statistics, revised procedures and more

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Staff Report

For the first time in NASCAR history, all three national series will compete on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course.

The Xfinity Series will go first Saturday (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN). Then, on Sunday, the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series (noon ET on FS1) and Cup Series (3 p.m. ET on NBC) will hunker down.

Here’s all the tea for the 23rd race of the Cup Series season — the GoBowling 235. Just three regular-season events will remain after the weekend.

TRACK DETAILS

The Daytona Road Course — originally called the International Horseshoe bend — has been around for 61 years now, with the annual Rolex 24 as a highlight event, but 2020 will mark NASCAR’s debut on winding track in Daytona Beach, Florida. It’s normally 3.56 miles long.A new chicane located off Turn 4 in the famed oval, though, was added and ultimately extended the course to 3.61 miles. NASCAR introduced the addition July 30.

“NASCAR and its OEMs ran several simulations to determine the course layout and engine/aero package for the inaugural NASCAR race on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course,” said John Probst, senior vice president of racing innovation. “Due to the predicted high speeds and loads on the braking system, NASCAR will add a chicane off oval Turn 4 at Daytona and move to a high downforce 750 hp aero/engine package for the NASCAR Cup Series race on Aug. 16. We believe this will combine vehicle performance and safety to provide the best possible road course race for our fans.”

The Daytona Road Course features 14 turns and includes part of the superspeedway’s high-banked turns and a tight, technical infield section. You can get a closer look at each turn here.

This will be NASCAR’s 147th Cup Series race at the Daytona venue overall, thanks to its history on the oval dating back to 1959. It’ll also mark the series’ 130th road-course race.

STAGE LENGTHS

Stage 1 is set to end at Lap 15, Stage 2 at Lap 30, with the final stage slated to conclude on Lap 65.

STARTING LINEUP

Fore the first time, the starting lineup and pit-stall selection was determined by a competition-based formula, eliminating the random-draw element from all three national series through the end of the 2020 season.

The formula uses three performance metrics, which will be weighted and averaged to determine the lineup and pit selection order:

Finishing position from the previous race (weighted 50%)
Ranking in team owner points standings (35%)
Fastest lap from the previous race (15%)

The competition-based formula also brings back the awarding of the Busch Pole Award in the NASCAR Cup Series. Kevin Harvick will lead Sunday’s Cup Series field to green.

RELATED: Official lineup | Pit stall selections

RULES PACKAGE

The developed rules package for the GoBowling 235 combines elements of both the 2020 rules packages currently in use. The high downforce aero package, which is also high in drag, will be combined with the 750 horsepower engine used at short tracks and road courses. This package is only scheduled to be used at the Daytona Road Course.

GOODYEAR TIRES

The Daytona Road Course is expected to be a fast course that incorporates much of the 2.5-mile superspeedway oval. Therefore, with speeds expected to be close to what cars run at Watkins Glen International – as compared to a slower, more technical course like Sonoma Raceway – the Watkins Glen tire was determined to be the best fit.

“Our history in other series at Daytona, plus our extensive experience with these cars on the oval, helped us come up with our decision,” Goodyear director of racing Greg Stucker said. “We are very familiar with the requirements of running the banking as a part of this road course, and that helped us with choosing a tire with the correct compounds. While we were not able to run a test with the Cup cars on the course, we did confirm our recommendation using the simulation data that NASCAR and the OEM’s generated. The Watkins Glen tire is a good choice for this high speed course from a technical standpoint, and it is also a known quantity for the teams.”

NASCAR’s three national series will all run the same tire. Goodyear will also bring its wet weather radials for use in the event that rain occurs during a race.

The Cup Series will be given seven tire sets. The Xfinity Series will receive six. And the Gander Truck Series will have five. All three will be allotted two sets of “wets.”

STATS TO KNOW

— Two drivers won six of the last seven road-course races. Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. split the wins at three victories apiece.

— Ford has only one win in the last seven road-course races. Ryan Blaney took the 2018 checkered flag at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval after the leaders wrecked on the final corner.

— Six of the last seven road-course winners started in the top 10 when the initial green flag dropped.

— Six (again) of the last seven-road course races were won by the driver who led the most laps.

— There has not been an overtime finish in the last 17 road-course races.

— The Stage 2 winner has gone on to win the race in the last three races of 2020, and Ford drivers have won Stage 2 in the last nine races.

Source: Racing Insights, NASCAR statistics

LIVE COVERAGE

Tune in to television coverage Sunday for the Cup Series on NBC or on the NBC Sports App at 3 p.m. ET. For full radio coverage from the Daytona Road Course, dial in to MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Channel 90.

RELATED: Ways to follow the races

For a more interactive experience, steer over to NASCAR.com or the NASCAR app to check out an enhanced Race Center, live Lap-by-Lap coverage, the customizable live leaderboard with Scanner and the return of Drive (featuring in-car cameras).

Be sure to set your lineup in Fantasy Live and make your picks in the NASCAR Finish Line App.

ACTIVE DAYTONA ROAD COURSE WINNERS

None. Whoever wins Sunday will be the first.

Posted on August 13, 2020August 13, 2020 by Staff Report

Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson will have a different look as he attempts to make a run at the playoffs in his final full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series. The Hendrick Motorsports team is changing the paint scheme for the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, tabbing it as their rAlly scheme.

Johnson is 26 points below the playoff cutline entering this weekend’s GoBowling 235 at the Daytona Road Course (3 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Perhaps the new look will give his team a spark to get over the playoff hump.

Check it out:

rALLY scheme pic.twitter.com/cPRQb0Ykov

— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) August 13, 2020

Posted on August 12, 2020August 13, 2020 by Terrin Waack

Being a successful mentor requires a special balance, one Kyle Busch seems to have mastered in 11 years as a team owner and is starting to learn in just five years as a father.

Busch has coached two drivers to NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series championships: Erik Jones and Christopher Bell. Jones was 19 years old and Bell was 22 years old when they won their titles with Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2015 and 2017, respectively.

Now Busch is teaching his own son, Brexton, how to properly wheel a motorized vehicle.

“He listens to what I say, it’s just that I’m not sure he believes in himself that he can do what I’m saying yet, which I totally understand and get,” Busch told NASCAR.com Wednesday. “He’s new. He’s very, very new, so that process of teaching someone who is 5 years old and just getting started and getting into it is way different than somebody that’s been racing cars for 10 or 15 years and understands a heck of a lot more about it. I definitely expect a lot more from the KBM guys than I probably do my son at this point.”

Understandably so.

Kyle Busch Motorsports boasts a record seven Gander Truck Series owner championships on top of the most career wins (79) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). The standards are high there, considering the team has won races in every season since its 2010 debut. Its drivers move up in the NASCAR world, too.

Jones and Bell currently race in the Cup Series, as do former full-time KBM pilots Bubba Wallace and William Byron. They’ve all had four or less years of experience at the top level, while Busch is on his 16th full-time season. Still relatively new in comparison to the two-time, reigning champion.

“If they come to me, certainly I give as much advice and as much help as I possibly can,” Busch said. “But there are some times I tell them flat out, ‘Look, I’m gonna hold back some information from you. I’m gonna give you 80% of the information. I’m going to get you heading down the right path. You gotta figure out the final 20% on your own.’ ”

Jones has actually been Busch’s teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing for the past three seasons, including the ongoing 2020 slate. Busch steers the No. 18 Toyota. Jones handles the No. 20 entry. Bell is a JGR affiliate in the No. 95 Toyota with Leavine Family Racing, which is in its final year.

Last week, JGR announced it’ll part ways with Jones at the end of the season. This week, Bell was named the replacement for next season.

“I brought Erik Jones in,” Busch said. “Look, I’m one of the first guys that will tell you I absolutely hate hearing it, hate seeing that he’s not going to be with us next year.”

But Busch also acknowledges Jones has yet to win this year and Jones’ one-year contact is nearing its expiration date. Jones had one win each year in both 2018 and 2019.

“It’s just a performance-based business,” Busch said. “That’s what it boils down to.”

Bell, meanwhile, is just a rookie. His full potential is still unknown.

These are all off-track lessons Brexton will also eventually learn from his father. One day. Down the road. When the time is right.

Right now, the focus is getting Brexton comfortable in the driver’s seat.

“You try to be gentle enough with him that he likes it, that it can still be fun for him,” Busch said. “But you try to be forceful enough, tell him like, ‘Hey, we gotta go faster, we gotta get better, we gotta do this and we gotta do that’ in order for him to have that competitive nature, too. There’s a balance, and we’re trying to figure all that out – him and me.”

Posted on August 12, 2020August 12, 2020 by Staff Report

Members of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel overturned penalties Wednesday against DGM Racing, team owner Mario Gosselin and NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Alex Labbe for violation of testing policy.

Gosselin initially was fined $50,000 and docked 75 owner points while Labbe took a 75-point hit in driver points for violating Section 5.1.a. and d. in the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rule Book, which strictly prohibits private vehicle testing. The rescinded penalty moves Labbe to 16th in driver points while the No. 36 entry moves to 23rd in owner points.

Social media posts pictured Labbe driving a No. 91 Chevrolet for the Sports Car Club of America’s (SCCA) GT-1 class two weekends ago at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course.

Wednesday’s appeal was heard by Chuck Deery, Jay Signore and Kevin Whitaker. Their ruling is final.

The Xfinity Series is set to debut on the layout Saturday.

Posted on August 12, 2020August 12, 2020 by Chase Wilhelm

All three NASCAR national series plus the ARCA Menards Series are set for their inaugural voyage on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course.

The ARCA Menards Series kicks off the historic race weekend on Friday, Aug. 14, at 5 p.m. ET. The NASCAR Xfinity Series follows on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET (on NBCSN), with the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series (12 p.m. ET on FS1) and NASCAR Cup Series (3 p.m. ET on NBC) combining for a doubleheader on Sunday.

It will be a unique test for all drivers with no practice or qualifying ahead of each event. Ahead of a quartet of races, here is a turn-by-turn detail of the 14-turn, 3.61-mile course.

RELATED: Daytona Road Course schedule

TURN 1

Drivers will take the green flag at the tri-oval before a heavy braking zone, downshifting to first gear entering the first turn. This is a flat, sweeping left-hander that takes drivers into the infield of the course.

TURN 2

The second turn is a quick right- and left-hand chicane that is also flat, working up to second gear while gaining a little bit of speed through it.

TURN 3

The third turn, also known as the International Horseshoe, is a flat, sweeping right-hand corner where drivers are shifting back down to first gear entering it.

TURN 4

This turn is a quick, flat left-hander while drivers are working their way up to third gear exiting the third corner. Directly after exiting this turn, it’s heavy on the brakes to set up for Turn 5.

TURN 5

Drivers are back down to first gear entering this slow, flat right-hand corner. Heading into Turn 6, drivers will gain a little speed, grabbing second gear.

TURN 6

It’s back down to first gear entering another flat left-hand corner, which shoots drivers out of the infield section of the course and onto the high banks of the oval.

TURNS 7 & 8

These two corners should look familiar to you. After exiting Turn 6, the drivers race onto the 31 degrees of banking that originally serve as Turns 1 and 2 of the oval layout. Drivers will work their way up to fourth gear as they head onto the backstretch and off into the chicane.

TURNS 9 & 10

Another heavy braking zone of the course is right here as drivers gain a ton of speed through Turns 7 and 8. It’s back down to second gear as they make a series of quick left- and right-hand turns that make up the backstretch chicane, also known as the Bus Stop.

TURNS 11 & 12

Known as Turns 3 and 4 on the oval course, drivers are shot back up onto the 31 degrees of banking following the backstretch chicane. Drivers will work their way up to fourth gear before another braking zone to set up for the frontstretch chicane.

TURNS 13 & 14

This is a new section of the course specifically for the NASCAR race weekend to slow the cars down before heading back to the 18-degree banked tri-oval. This will be a tricky place to enter because drivers will still be on the high banks while downshifting and braking, which increases the risk for wheel hop entering the corners. Once drivers are slowed down, they will make a slight left-hand turn, followed by a right-hander and a left-hander. If those curbs, or “turtles,” look familiar in this section, that’s because Daytona International Speedway borrowed them from the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

Posted on August 12, 2020August 12, 2020 by Holly Cain

The names read like a list of motorsports legends: Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Hurley Haywood, Scott Pruett, Scott Dixon. All these storied racing champions have won trophies for their work driving the Daytona International Speedway Road Course.

And this weekend, for the first time in its 61-year history, Daytona International Speedway’s road course will host regular season points races in all three NASCAR national series.

MORE: Full weekend schedule

The iconic Daytona high-banked 2.5-mile superspeedway where NASCAR’s best traditionally race (including twice this season) will instead be replaced just this weekend by the facility’s 3.61-mile, 14-turn road course – a necessity as the sport schedules around COVID-19 hot spots.

And while the vast majority of the drivers competing don’t have much experience on the track’s famous road course alternative – that incorporates both the speedway’s high-banked turns and a tight, technical infield section – there is a lot of excitement about the competitive possibilities.

“It’s a fun track,” seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson said. “It might seem like a surprise to some, but in my mind, I felt like it would be a good option.

“It’s fun just doing different things, new things and this year has brought a lot of that. There’s silver lining moments we’re all experiencing with this pandemic. You look at the schedule and races moving around and Daytona being an example of that with the road course, it’s nice to have something a little different, especially where I sit with my career and looking for new experiences.”

Johnson, the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, is easily one of the most experienced on the Daytona Road Course among current NASCAR Cup Series regulars who will be competing in Sunday’s Go Bowling 235 (3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). He’s competed in seven Rolex 24 at Daytona IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship races (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) on the Daytona Road Course finishing runner-up twice (2005 and 2008). The only other active Cup driver this weekend to make that many Rolex 24 starts (seven) is Front Row Motorsport’s Michael McDowell (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012); he scored his career-best finish in the event (third) in 2012.

Among the NASCAR Cup Series field, reigning champion Kyle Busch is the most recent to compete on the road course. He drove a GTD-class Toyota Lexus-RCF in the 2020 Rolex 24, finishing 26th overall, ninth in class.

Busch said he is curious how the heavier stock cars will do on the course compared to the sportscar he drove in January. And while he says those few with experience in the Rolex 24 sportscar race – such as his brother Kurt Busch (2005, 2008), championship leader Kevin Harvick (2002), Clint Bowyer (2013), Matt Kenseth (2005), Brendan Gaughan (2011), Timmy Hill (2012), McDowell, Johnson and himself – will have some edge on the field, he is not sure how that sportscar “feel” will carry over to NASCAR’s stock cars.

“I think anytime you’re able to go to a race track and gain some experience, run some laps obviously it helps with the visuals, how the corners transition and so on,” said Busch, driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

“There’s definitely, I hope anyway, there’s a little added advantage there, but the cars I drove in the spring that GTD class, they’re very technologically- advanced with the brakes, traction control so a lot of things you can really attack with those cars plus a lot of downforce, not a lot of power and they’re lighter.

“Our [NASCAR Cup Series] cars are going to be heavier, more power, less braking ability, everything is going to be opposite. It’s going to be like driving a 1960s Cadillac around the track. Certainly, though, if you can learn from what driving technique it took to drive that car and apply it to the Cup car, then you’ll get up to speed relatively quicker than some of the other guys probably.”

MORE: Elliott: Busch has a leg up at Daytona

For more than a decade NASCAR’s road courses featured a tight battle between the sport’s all-time road course aces – now-retired NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart who have a combined 17 wins at the Sonoma (Calif.) and Watkins Glen (N.Y.) courses where the series has traditionally competed.

Among the current drivers, driver standings leader Kevin Harvick, 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. and Busch are the only current drivers with victories at both Sonoma and The Glen. Truex’s four road course wins – three at Sonoma and one at Watkins Glen – are most among active drivers. Busch has three wins – two at Sonoma and one at The Glen.

Fan-favorite Brendan Gaughan is the only NASCAR Cup Series race entrant this weekend with a past victory at the Daytona Road Course, earning the GT3 class win in the 2011 Rolex 24.

In the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, championship contenders Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe both competed in GT races at Daytona prior to the Rolex 24 this year. Cindric has three previous Rolex 24 race starts.

A.J. Allmendinger, who has provided the capital E in Excitement for the Xfinity Series road course events already this year – at both the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course last month and Road America last week – returns to drive the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. He’s a past overall winner in the Rolex 24 – earning the 2012 trophy. He was runner-up in 2006 and third in 2013. He finished runner-up to race winner Cindric last week at Road America. Allmendinger earned his first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Watkins Glen, N.Y. in 2014.

Sportscar champion Andy Lally, the 2011 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year and a four-time Rolex 24 at Daytona class champion, will be back behind the wheel of the No. 02 Chevrolet in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Daytona. Last week he raced from a 23rd-place start at Road America to earn an impressive fifth-place finish in that Xfinity Series road course event.

He is certainly optimistic about bettering that showing this week at Daytona considering the hours and miles he’s logged on the famed road course.

“I am extremely excited for the race and for the opportunity to drive a stock car on a track I have probably raced on more than any other race track on the planet after almost 20 years doing the Daytona 24-hour and a handful of years doing the Paul Revere [sports car race] on the same [Daytona] circuit,” Lally said. “It is very cool to go there with the stock cars and I think it’s going to produce some awesome racing.

“I think a lot of people are looking at it as sort of a simple layout but when you have asphalt that’s aged and sun-soaked, it’s definitely going to pose some unique set-up options and aspects to how the race will go, how tire wear will go. I think it’s going to be pretty challenging for everybody, including myself.”

Johnson, Busch and Lally conceded that the advantage to competing on this new venue without any qualifying or practice laps is the new-age reliance on simulators that most drivers have been using for weeks to prepare for this highly-anticipated Daytona schedule anomaly.

They are optimistic about the level of competition from the drop of the green flag.

“A hundred drivers maybe are going to be experiencing the [road course] track for the first time, but most of them will have hours on the sim,” Lally said. “For drivers of this caliber, though, in most scenarios, it just takes 10 laps or so to get really good. Three laps to get it right and 10 laps to get it really good and then spend another 20 years perfecting that.”

“For me, it’s huge because I have not sat in one of these cars in two years [other than Elkhart Lake race],” Lally added. “To go no practice, no qualifying straight into race means I’m gonna buckle into car, do a couple pace laps at slow speed then go race.

“That’s going to be something.”

And that’s exactly what NASCAR fans are expecting.

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Team Release

PORTLAND, Ore. — Columbia Sportswear, a leading innovator in active outdoor lifestyle apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment, is proud to announce a multiyear sponsorship with NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace. The agreement enlists Wallace as Columbia’s newest brand ambassador and includes a primary sponsorship of the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet.

Columbia will leverage its first NASCAR driver and team sponsorship to promote its innovative product lines and proprietary technologies, including its PFG (Performance Fishing Gear) collection.

“There has always been a strong correlation between NASCAR and Columbia, especially with PFG,” Columbia brand president Joe Boyle said. “We are excited by the opportunity to work with Bubba and Richard Petty Motorsports to engage our shared fans.”

Said Wallace: “Columbia Sportswear is a perfect fit for my lifestyle away from the track. I love spending time outdoors — boating, golfing, hiking, photography — just anything to help me decompress from a hectic racing schedule. I’m beyond excited to be a part of the Columbia family and can’t wait to work with them on some unique content and fly their colors next weekend at Dover (International Speedway).”

A six-time NASCAR national-series winner, Wallace was recently thrust into the national spotlight when his calls for NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag at all events was ultimately adopted. He promotes a message of “compassion, love, understanding” with the intention of making racing more inclusive and ultimately broadening NASCAR’s reach.

“In addition to his racing talent, Bubba is a charismatic and courageous leader,” Boyle said. “It is his internal fortitude that most aligns with the Columbia brand and our Tested Tough ethos. Bubba is a Tested Tough trailblazer and we are thrilled to be working with him.”

When he’s not racing at 200 mph on the top tracks in the NASCAR circuit, Wallace can often be found outdoors hiking, fishing, mountain biking, playing golf and shooting photos of amazing wilderness areas. As part of this sponsorship, Columbia will be working closely with Wallace to further the brand’s efforts to unlock the outdoors for everyone.

The No. 43 Columbia Chevrolet Camaro will debut Aug. 23 at the Drydene 311 at Dover.

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Staff Report

See where your favorite driver will pit for Sunday’s GoBowling 235 (3 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Daytona International Speedway Road Course.

Posted on August 12, 2020August 12, 2020 by Press Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR and SPEED SPORT, America’s Motorsports authority since 1934, announced Wednesday a strategic digital partnership. SPEED SPORT Network will now distribute select NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series events in 2020. SPEEDSPORT.com also joins the NASCAR Digital Media platform for content sharing, ad sales, podcast distribution and website hosting.

NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series tracks that choose to participate can now work directly with SPEED SPORT Network to distribute – and monetize – their events. TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold will continue to show weekly series races and coordinate with SPEED SPORT Network to deliver an even wider variety of quality broadcasts on both platforms.

MORE: Sign up for TrackPass today

The first live event available on both TrackPass and SPEED SPORT Network will be the Sun Fun 101 at Myrtle Beach Speedway on Aug. 15 at 6:45 p.m. ET. It will be the final race hosted at the historic track where Dale Earnhardt Jr. launched his career.

“We’re excited to partner with such a reputable brand as SPEED SPORT to further spotlight the thrilling competition and passion that’s displayed in grassroots racing nationwide,” said Tim Clark, NASCAR senior vice president and chief digital officer. “The biggest beneficiaries of this partnership are race fans, who now have access to more quality content and live grassroots racing.”

NASCAR Digital Media will revamp and oversee the technical infrastructure and design of SPEEDSPORT.com, as well as distribute SPEED SPORT podcasts.

“We’re thrilled to see this partnership become a reality. SPEED SPORT Network is the ideal fit for NASCAR’s Weekly tracks – and we look forward to helping them develop broadcast strategies that allow them to thrive even during these tough times,” SPEED SPORT CEOT Joe Tripp said. “And on our editorial side, by joining NASCAR Digital Media, we are going to be able to vastly expand the audience for our award-winning content and better support our growing advertising base, while maintaining 100 percent control of our editorial independence.”

Race fans can continue to catch select NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series races live and on-demand via TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold. NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series races are part of the NASCAR Roots package for $2.99 monthly or $19.99 annually. The full TrackPass package, which includes NASCAR Roots, IMSA and American Flat Track events, is available for $4.99 per month or $44.99 per year. TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold is available on desktop web browsers and via the NBC Sports app on iOS and Android phones and tablets, Apple TV (Gen 4), Roku, Amazon Fire TV, AndroidTV, Xfinity X1, Xfinity Flex and Chromecast devices connected via HDMI.

RELATED: NASCAR Roots coverage

TrackPass begins its live motorsports coverage this weekend with the first NASCAR regional series race at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course – the ARCA Menards Series’ General Tire 100 (Friday at 5 p.m. ET).

NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series tracks and SPEED SPORT Network are working to roll out more broadcast plans. Fans should follow their favorite track’s news for event announcements. All content will also be available on-demand on SPEEDSPORT.tv, home to the widest variety of motorsports events, award-winning shows and exclusive features. SPEED SPORT TV offers plans for $134.99 annually and $14.99 monthly. SPEED SPORT TV is available on web browsers on most connected devices, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, iOS and Android.

“SPEED SPORT is the undisputed motorsports authority. At 86 years old, nobody has covered NASCAR longer than SPEED SPORT, starting with the races on the beach, the first ever Daytona 500 and every race since,” SPEED SPORT publisher Ralph Sheheen said. “Of course, SPEED SPORT covers it all and has deep and loyal connections to the grassroots racing scene. Today, SPEED SPORT is a complete media company offering so much more for fans and the industry. It’s exciting that our two legendary brands are now working together helping to elevate grassroots racing and to tell its amazing stories to a much broader audience.”

Posted on August 12, 2020August 12, 2020 by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. — Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection, has joined 12-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Hendrick Motorsports to form a multiyear marketing and technology relationship that will run through June 2023, the team announced Wednesday.

In 2020, Acronis will be featured as a three-race primary partner of the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro driven by Alex Bowman. The car will appear during the Aug. 22-23 Dover International Speedway doubleheader weekend and the Oct. 25 playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway.

As the Official Cyber Protection Partner of Hendrick Motorsports, Acronis will also become a major associate partner of the team’s full four-car stable. Its logo will appear on all Hendrick Motorsports race cars, uniforms and equipment beginning with the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Acronis’ founder and executive officer, Serguei Beloussov, strongly believes the company’s technologies are a perfect fit for Hendrick Motorsports’ cyber-protection needs.

“The risk associated with losing data grows heavier every day new data is created, and the COVID-19 pandemic introduces new problems such as managing and safeguarding remote workspaces,” he said. “Hendrick Motorsports is well aware of these risks, and we are certain that our partnership will help the team get even more #CyberFit, which will no doubt help them improve operational efficiency both on and off the track.”

Acronis leads the world in cyber protection by solving safety, accessibility, privacy, authenticity and security (SAPAS) challenges. Hendrick Motorsports will utilize Acronis’ leading solutions to enhance its racing operations and overall technology capabilities, including cyber protection, security, backup, anti-ransomware and disaster recovery for all data, applications and systems. One such solution is Acronis Cyber Protect, which provides AI-powered anti-malware as well as fast and reliable backup and recovery from a single, easy-to-use management console.

“In today’s environment, cyber protection is a priority for every company,” Hendrick Motorsports president Marshall Carlson said. “We are a technology operation in many ways, so the chance to partner with an industry leader like Acronis is a great fit. Our team looks forward to collaborating with them to promote their tremendous products and services, as well as utilizing those same offerings in our own business, which is winning NASCAR races.”

Bowman, 27, is enjoying another playoff season in the NASCAR Cup Series. The Tucson, Arizona, native secured his third consecutive postseason berth with his March 1 victory at Auto Club Speedway. He is currently projected in the eighth position in playoff points and has posted a personal best in laps led through 22 of 36 races in 2020.

“I’m looking forward to representing Acronis,” Bowman said. “We’ve had a strong season so far, and Dover and Texas are very good tracks for us. We will do everything we can to keep the No. 88 Chevy up front and welcome Acronis to the Hendrick Motorsports family in the right way.”

Acronis has a powerful presence in professional sports, including team partnerships in the NFL, MLB, English Premier League and across a wide variety of auto-racing series such as NASCAR, Formula 1, Formula E and IndyCar.