Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials issued L2-level penalties Tuesday to Xfinity Series driver Alex Labbe and team owner Mario Gosselin for a violation of NASCAR’s testing policy.

Gosselin, who fields multiple Xfinity Series cars under the DGM Racing banner, was fined $50,000 and docked 75 points in the series’ team owner standings. Labbe was also hit with a 75-point penalty, dropping him from a tie for 16th place to 21st in the driver standings.

RELATED: Penalty report from NHMS Cup weekend

The infraction falls under the heading of Section 5.1.a. and d. in the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rule Book, which strictly prohibits private vehicle testing.

Social media posts pictured Labbe driving a No. 91 Chevrolet during track time for the Sports Car Club of America’s (SCCA) GT-1 class last weekend at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course. The Xfinity Series is set to debut on the layout Aug. 15, without practice or qualifying scheduled beforehand.

DGM Racing indicated in a statement later Tuesday that it intends to appeal the ruling. “DGM Racing is aware of the allegations against us,” the statement on social media read. “We feel we followed all the proper protocol and will be appealing the penalty. We are unable to comment further. Thank you for the support we have received so far.”

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials handed down penalties to six Cup Series teams after Sunday’s event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, including a one-race suspension for Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 14 crew chief, Johnny Klausmeier.

The SHR No. 14 Ford was found with two lug nuts not safely secured after Clint Bowyer drove the car to an 18th-place finish in Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301. Klausmeier was fined $20,000 and suspended from the next Cup Series race, scheduled Saturday at Michigan International Speedway.

An updated entry list Wednesday for Saturday’s Michigan race showed Greg Zipadelli, SHR’s competition director, will be the crew chief for Bowyer. Zipadelli won two Cup Series championships as the crew chief for Tony Stewart at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2002 and 2005. Earlier this year, Zipadelli filled in for the suspended Richard Boswell and guided driver Chase Briscoe to three NASCAR Xfinity Series wins.

RELATED: Race results | Cup Series standings

Three other crew chiefs were assessed $10,000 fines after their cars were found with one lug nut not safely secured in a post-race check:

  • Jeremy Bullins, crew chief of the Team Penske No. 2 Ford driven by race winner Brad Keselowski
  • Randall Burnett, crew chief of the Richard Childress Racing No. 8 Chevrolet driven by rookie and 10th-place finisher Tyler Reddick
  • James Small, crew chief of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota driven by third-place finisher Martin Truex Jr.

Officials also issued L1-grade penalties to two teams for improperly mounted ballast, a violation found in pre-race inspection at New Hampshire:

  • No. 32 Go Fas Racing Ford driven by Corey LaJoie
  • No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Bubba Wallace.

Both organizations were docked 10 championship points in the drivers’ and team owners’ standings. On Sunday, both teams’ crew chiefs were ejected and the cars were forced to drop to the rear of the field for the start.

MORE: DGM Racing, Labbe penalized for violation of testing policy

Posted on by Press Release

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — History for the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Navy, and NASCAR will have another chapter written come this weekend. LCDR Jesse Iwuji will make his debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Road America (Wisconsin) piloting the No. 13 MileMarker10 car owned by Carl Long.

LCDR Iwuji is the only current driver at the national levels of NASCAR that has ever served the country and still does. July 2020 Iwuji also earned a promotion in the U.S. Navy moving from Lieutenant to Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserves.

“This next step in NASCAR is special not only for me, but for all of my fellow service members and others out there with big goals and dreams. Most will tell you that your goals and dreams are impossible and that you can’t do it,” said LCDR Iwuji. “This entire Navy to Nascar journey is me showing those that dare to dream it’s all possible! With this being my first start in the Xfinity Series, my goal is to go out there and learn from a field of some amazing drivers, stay in my lane, and be there at the end of the race to finish. We can build off that.”

This Xfinity debut opportunity for LCDR Iwuji would not be possible without the support of new partners MileMarker10 and G2Xchange. These brands are Veteran owned.

Posted on by Staff Report

Spire Motorsports is introducing a new number and “meatless” primary sponsor ahead of this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader at Michigan International Speedway as part of the new Netflix comedy series from Kevin James, The Crew.

The multi-camera sitcom, slated to premiere on Netflix in 2021, stars Kevin James as a crew chief for the fictional Bobby Spencer Racing team. When the owner steps down and passes the team off to his daughter, James finds himself at odds with the tech reliant millennials she starts bringing in to modernize the team. Freddie Stroma portrays Jake Martin, charismatic driver of the team’s No. 74 Fake Steak-sponsored car.

RELATED: NASCAR, Netflix to debut comedy series

Beginning at Saturday’s FireKeepers Casino 400, Reed Sorenson’s car will switch to the No. 74 Fake Steak Chevrolet. Throughout the weekend, NASCAR will capture footage of Spire’s renumbered car in competition at Michigan to be featured in the series.

James, star of the long-running The King of Queens as well as movies such as Paul Blart: Mall Cop, True Memoirs of an International Assassin, and Hitch, will star and executive produce the series. Jeff Lowell (The Ranch, Two and Half Men, Spin City) is the writer, showrunner, and executive producer. Jeff Sussman (The King of Queens, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, True Memoirs of an International Assassin), Todd Garner (Tag, Isn’t it Romantic, Mortal Kombat), Andy Fickman (Playing With Fire – Parental Guidance – The Game Plan) along with NASCAR’s managing director of entertainment marketing Matt Summers and chief digital officer Tim Clark serve as executive producers.

Posted on by Staff Report

The No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing team has made a crew chief change with six races left in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series regular season. Phil Surgen will take the reins of calling the shots for the team and driver Matt Kenseth, replacing Chad Johnston ahead of this weekend’s doubleheader at Michigan International Speedway.

RELATED: Full schedule for Michigan

Surgen has been a race engineer with the No. 42 team and has been with the organization since 2016. Surgen served as a fill-in crew chief for one race in 2016 with then-driver Kyle Larson, recording a third-place result at Michigan.

Johnston had been the crew chief for the past four-and-a-half seasons on the No. 42 team and earned six wins atop the pit box — all with Larson.

The Kenseth-Johnston pairing in 16 races produced just one top five and two top 10s. Michigan stands as Kenseth’s best track remaining in the regular season with three wins and an 11.3 average finish. He will enter the race weekend 28th in the point standings.

Posted on by Staff Report

JR Motorsports revealed a retro paint scheme Tuesday for the No. 8 Chevrolet that will take part in Darlington Raceway’s annual throwback weekend, a design that pays tribute to the memory of John Andretti.

Daniel Hemric is scheduled to drive the Poppy Bank sponsored entry Sept. 6 in the Xfinity Series’ Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200. The No. 8 design is reminiscent of the Kranefuss-Haas Racing cars that Andretti drove during the 1995-96 seasons.

Andretti won two NASCAR Cup Series races as part of a long career that established him as one of motorsports’ most versatile drivers. He also excelled in IndyCar, sports-car circuits and briefly in NHRA drag racing.

Andretti died Jan. 30, 2020 after a nearly three-year battle with colon cancer. In the last years of his life, he used his platform to promote awareness and encourage testing and early detection of the disease. His message of #Checkit4Andretti will also be featured on JRM’s car during Darlington weekend.

Posted on by Staff Report

Bob Leavine announced Tuesday morning that he sold his family-owned racing team, indicating that Leavine Family Racing will cease operations at the end of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Leavine has fielded cars in NASCAR’s top division since 2011, when it embarked on a four-race stint with veteran David Starr. The team currently campaigns the No. 95 Toyota for Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Christopher Bell, who ranks 23rd in Cup Series points.

In a teleconference with reporters, LFR team president Jeremy Lange did not identify the buyer(s), saying “it’s their news, and we’re going to let them make their announcement.”

RELATED: Cup Series standings | Midseason rookie review

Leavine indicated that the COVID-19 epidemic’s impact on the economy was an insurmountable hurdle. The coronavirus outbreak shut the sport down from mid-March to mid-May and also delayed the projected 2021 debut of the Cup Series’ Next Gen car, which forced LFR to shift its inventory and focus. That development — combined with the economic impact on Leavine’s Texas-based construction business, WRL General Contractors — factored into the team owner’s decision in what he called “a perfect storm in the wrong direction.”

“This decision has not been made lightly,” Leavine said in a statement. “Family has always been a part of the team’s name and this is how we view every member of our race team — as our family. There is no good time to make this announcement, but doing it earlier allows our people to explore employment opportunities, for next season, to provide for their families. There will be opportunities with the new owners which was important to our decision.”

Leavine Family Racing flew the banners of all three manufacturers during its time in the sport, transitioning from Ford (2011-2015) to Chevrolet (2016-2018) to Toyota (2019-2020). Its final shift to Toyota Racing Development included a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, which will regain some assets from LFR after the sale.

“Everything that we own — charter, building, inventory — we sold,” Leavine said. “The things that were not were no chassis, no bodies, anything that came from JGR goes back to JGR.”

Other drivers who suited up for LFR’s No. 95 entry include Michael McDowell, Kasey Kahne, Matt DiBenedetto, Ty Dillon and Scott Speed. It was DiBenedetto who delivered the team’s best finish, a spirited second-place effort in Bristol’s annual night race last season.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Team Penske locked up one of the NASCAR Cup Series’ top free agents Monday, reaching a contract agreement to keep Brad Keselowski in the No. 2 Ford.

Terms of the contract extension were not disclosed. The deal keeps Keselowski with the Roger Penske-owned organization that has been his home since late in the 2009 season.

“I have been racing for Team Penske for the vast majority of my NASCAR career and to continue to represent Roger Penske, our partners and his organization is exactly where I want to be,” Keselowski said in a release provided by the team. “We’ve accomplished a lot of things together over the years, including winning both the Cup and Xfinity Championships, the Brickyard 400, the Southern 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. Now, my goal is to win the Daytona 500, another championship and continue to build Team Penske into the best NASCAR team in the garage area.”

RELATED: Cup Series standings

Keselowski has scored 32 of his 33 career NASCAR Cup Series wins while driving Penske’s No. 2 Ford. That includes a convincing triumph in the series’ most recent race just one day ago at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He has also carried Team Penske to championships in the Cup Series (in 2012) and the Xfinity Series (2010).

Keselowski was among the most sought-after targets in NASCAR free agency. The 36-year-old driver had insisted that his contract status for 2021 did not pose a distraction, even as the uncertainty pushed into half of this season. Now Keselowski has resolution that meshes with his rise into a stronger-still championship contender.

“It’s good to get it done and not have to worry about next year,” Keselowski said in a Monday afternoon appearance on NASCAR’s Instagram Live. “It can really wear on you quick, I can tell you that. Really happy to check that box and get that one out of my head so I can just focus on winning races and doing the best I can do on the race track. So hopefully it’ll just keep taking care of itself as I go, but I’m glad. I’ve got a great team that’s really coming together, and to not have to worry about that, I’m very thankful for.”

The move solidifies Team Penske’s three-driver lineup on the Cup Series side for 2021 and possibly beyond. The organization announced March 6 that it had signed Ryan Blaney to a multi-year extension, and Joey Logano — Keselowski’s other teammate — re-signed with Penske in February 2017, reaching a deal that is set to run through at least the 2023 season.

“We are pleased that Brad will continue to be a part of our organization,” said team owner Roger Penske. “Brad not only demonstrates talent and skill on the track, but his leadership away from it and his dedication to our partners have had a huge impact in making our organization one of the best in NASCAR. I am proud that we will be able to able to keep the continuity we have with Brad, Ryan and Joey and look forward to competing for more wins and championships together.”

Posted on by Track Release

BROOKLYN, Mich. — The competition has always been fierce in the NASCAR Cup Series among drivers, teams and even the three manufacturers (OEM) — Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota. When that stage shifts to the OEMs’ backyard, the stakes become even greater.

Such is the case again this year, when, for just the second time in NASCAR history, NASCAR Cup Series races will be contested at the same track on consecutive days, with Michigan International Speedway (MIS) serving as the site. The NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 will be held on Saturday, Aug. 8 at 4 p.m. ET (NBCSN), while the Consumers Energy 400 will take place the following day at 4:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN). The top-finishing OEM from the weekend Cup Series events will be presented with the Michigan Heritage Trophy, which has been awarded by MIS since 2013. The distance for each race will be 312 miles.

RELATED: Michigan schedule | Manufacturer standings

In an effort to bring even greater awareness to the significance of the Heritage Trophy, this year the NASCAR Cup teams will be saluting their respective manufacturers during the course of both races, with each car featuring the decal of their manufacturer in the “contingency space,” which is located on the left front-quarter panel of the car. In addition, the hashtag #HeritageTrophy will be included on each car as well.

The Heritage Trophy gives well-deserved bragging rights to the winning manufacturer of the Michigan race weekend. For the 2020 historic doubleheader, an OEM must win one or both NASCAR Cup Series races at Michigan International Speedway. If one OEM sweeps both races, that OEM will be declared the winner of the Heritage Trophy. If different OEMs win on Aug. 8 and 9, then the award will go to the OEM with the most points earned by top-10 finishers of both races.

This year’s salute to the manufacturers is being done in partnership between Michigan International Speedway, NASCAR and the Race Team Alliance, on behalf of its member teams.

“The Michigan Heritage Trophy is one of the more unique and coveted prizes in NASCAR,” said Michigan International Speedway President Rick Brenner. “The competitive spirit at any race, especially at MIS, isn’t just confined to the drivers, and this trophy allows the winning manufacturer to boast about their accomplishment. We are thrilled that the race teams have joined us this year in recognizing the prominence of this trophy to our sport and in the state of Michigan, and look forward to an amazing doubleheader of racing in the Cup Series this weekend.”

“The Race Team Alliance is happy to assist in this salute to the OEMs and bring greater awareness to the historic rivalry associated with the Heritage Trophy,” said Race Team Alliance Executive Director Jonathan Marshall. “What makes this especially exciting is the fact that the OEM Tribute takes place in Michigan — home to the auto capital of the world.”

The race teams fully understand the significance of their respective manufacturer taking the honors for a full year. This is especially true for Michigan native Greg Ives, crew chief for Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports. Ives grew up in Bark River, in the Upper Peninsula, and graduated from Michigan Tech University in Houghton.

“We race to win trophies every week, but Irish Hills of MIS pose the battleground for the manufacturers,” Ives said. “Michigan was my first NASCAR track I went to as a kid and with this being my home state track, I look forward to capturing the Michigan Heritage Trophy not only for the 88 Hendrick team, but also for our partner in Chevrolet.”

Posted on by Team Release

STATESVILLE, N.C. – GMS Racing announced Monday that Kris Wright will run a select schedule with the team in 2020. Wright will pilot the No. 21 Chevrolet in the ARCA Menards Series at Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 9 and the No. 24 Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Series at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course on Aug. 16.

RELATED: Gander Trucks 2020 schedule

Wright, 26, made his ARCA West debut in June at the Utah Motorsports Campus doubleheader, where he finished second and third in the two events. Wright finished second in the LMP2 class in the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona. The Wexford, Pa., native claimed the IMSA Prototype Challenge Championship (LMP3) in 2018 and was the IMSA Prototype Challenge Rookie of the Year in 2017.

“I’m really excited to be making my first ARCA and NASCAR starts with GMS and Chevrolet,” said Wright. “You always want to be doing it with the best team. I’m a Chevy guy from birth so it’s a dream come true.”

The VizCom 200 from Michigan International Speedway will air live Sunday, Aug. 9 at 1 p.m. ET on MAVTV and NBC Sports Gold TrackPass. The Gander Trucks event at the Daytona Road Course will air live at noon ET on Sunday, Aug. 16 on FS1 and MRN.

Sponsorship for the No. 24 Chevrolet in both events will be announced at a later date.