Posted on by Zack Albert

NASCAR officials released the 2021 Cup Series schedule Wednesday, introducing three new tracks, expanding to six road courses and placing a dirt-track race on the calendar for the first time in more than 50 years.

Next year’s Cup Series remains at 36 point-paying races, starting as it did this year with the season-opening Daytona 500 (Feb. 14) and ending with the championship finale at Phoenix Raceway (Nov. 7). In between those bookends, there are new venues and schedule shuffles as part of the dramatic changes long hinted at by NASCAR officials.

BUY TICKETS: 2021 events available

Among the shifts for 2021 are these highlights:

— May 23: Circuit of The Americas, a pristine 3.426-mile road course in Austin, Texas, that has been host to Formula 1, IndyCar and IMSA competition.

— June 20: Nashville Superspeedway, a 1.33-mile oval in Lebanon, Tennessee, that was confirmed for the 2021 schedule last spring.

— July 4: Road America, a historic 4.048-mile road circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, that last hosted the Cup Series in 1956.

— Aug. 15: Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.439-mile road course, a shift from the 2.5-mile oval layout.

RELATED: Official release from NASCAR

The Cup Series will also diversify its calendar with a temporary conversion of Bristol Motor Speedway to a dirt-track surface for its March 28 event. The last time NASCAR’s top division raced on dirt, Richard Petty won at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds’ dusty half-mile in Raleigh on Sept. 30, 1970.

“We developed the 2021 schedule with one primary goal: Continue to take steps to create the most dynamic schedule possible for our fans,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “Extensive collaboration between NASCAR, the race tracks, race teams and our broadcast partners allowed NASCAR to create what promises to be an exciting 2021 schedule of races.”

NASCAR president Steve Phelps had indicated in a Sept. 1 roundtable with reporters that the 2021 schedule could be released in segments as coronavirus safeguards continue to alter normal race-weekend operations. In a manner of speaking, it was, with tracks and other officials staggering their announcements throughout the day before the full 36-race release later Wednesday afternoon.

Phelps said Sept. 1 that he was “cautiously optimistic that many of the objectives that we would have had in a pre-COVID world, we will have during our 2021 season.” The 2021 slate was scheduled for a springtime release this year, but the more immediate efforts by competition and racing operations officials to salvage the 36-race schedule for 2020 have taken priority.

RELATED: More details about 2021 schedule changes

Among the other highlights in the 2021 schedule release:

— The NASCAR All-Star Race will move to Texas Motor Speedway for the first time, with the annual invitational set for a June 13 date. The non-points exhibition has been held at Charlotte Motor Speedway for 33 of 35 runnings, with only single All-Star events taking place at Atlanta Motor Speedway (1986) and Bristol Motor Speedway (2020).

— Darlington Raceway will play host to two Cup Series races in 2021, slotting in at May 9 and Sept. 5 on the schedule. The 1.366-mile South Carolina track held three Cup races this year as competition officials gave priority to events within driving distance in its return after the COVID-19 outbreak. It had held one event annually from 2005-19. Darlington’s annual Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend will again serve as the opener of the 10-race playoffs.

— Atlanta Motor Speedway also expands to two annual stops on the Cup Series schedule, set for March 21 and July 11. The 1.54-mile track has been a part of the NASCAR calendar since 1960 and has held one race each year from 2011-20.

— The 10-race postseason schedule remains largely intact, with Bristol Motor Speedway (Round of 16), the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (Round of 12) and Martinsville Speedway (Round of 8) returning as the elimination races. Only Texas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway trade places in the postseason lineup, with Texas (Oct. 17) aligned as the Round of 8 opener with Kansas (Oct. 24) to follow.

— Chicagoland Speedway and Kentucky Speedway have been removed from the Cup Series schedule. Chicagoland had been on the Cup calendar from 2001-19 and served as the playoff opener from 2011-16. Kentucky Speedway hosted 10 Cup Series races from 2011-20.

The full 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule:

Feb. 14 — Daytona International Speedway

Feb. 21 — Homestead-Miami Speedway

Feb. 28 — Auto Club Speedway

March 7 — Las Vegas Motor Speedway

March 14 — Phoenix Raceway

March 21 — Atlanta Motor Speedway

March 28 — Bristol Motor Speedway

April 4 — Easter holiday

April 10 — Martinsville Speedway

April 18 — Richmond Raceway

April 25 — Talladega Superspeedway

May 2 — Kansas Speedway

May 9 — Darlington Raceway

May 16 — Dover International Speedway

May 23 — Circuit of The Americas

May 30 — Charlotte Motor Speedway

June 6 — Sonoma Raceway

June 13 — Texas Motor Speedway, All-Star Race

June 20 — Nashville Superspeedway

June 26 — Pocono Raceway

June 27 — Pocono Raceway

July 4 — Road America

July 11 — Atlanta Motor Speedway

July 18 — New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Aug. 8 — Watkins Glen International

Aug. 15 — Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course

Aug. 22 — Michigan International Speedway

Aug. 28 — Daytona International Speedway

Sept. 5 — Darlington Raceway

Sept. 11 — Richmond Raceway

Sept. 18 — Bristol Motor Speedway

Sept. 26 — Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Oct. 3 — Talladega Superspeedway

Oct. 10 — Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval

Oct. 17 — Texas Motor Speedway

Oct. 24 — Kansas Speedway

Oct. 31 — Martinsville Speedway

Nov. 7 — Phoenix Raceway

Posted on by Staff Report

Denny Hamlin won the Busch Pole Award for Sunday’s YellaWood 500 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race at Talladega Superspeedway (2 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The lineup was determined using NASCAR’s competition-based formula, which is a total number based on the previous event: 15% of a fastest lap time position, 25% of the driver’s final race finish position, 25% of the owner’s final race position and 35% of the owner points position.

RELATED: Learn more about the new lineup formula | ADVANCING through the playoffs

The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver will be joined by Kurt Busch on the front row in the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

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.

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

Starting spot Driver Car # Team
1 Denny Hamlin (P) 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
2 Kurt Busch (P) 1 Chip Ganassi Racing
3 Martin Truex Jr. (P) 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
4 Alex Bowman (P) 88 Hendrick Motorsports
5 Kevin Harvick (P) 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
6 Kyle Busch (P) 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
7 Brad Keselowski (P) 2 Team Penske
8 Joey Logano (P) 22 Team Penske
9 Clint Bowyer (P) 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
10 Chase Elliott (P) 9 Hendrick Motorsports
11 Aric Almirola (P) 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
12 Austin Dillon (P) 3 Richard Childress Racing
13 Matt DiBenedetto 21 Wood Brothers Racing
14 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
15 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing
16 Erik Jones 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
17 Jimmie Johnson 48 Hendrick Motorsports
18 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
19 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing
20 Matt Kenseth 42 Chip Ganassi Racing
21 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
22 Christopher Bell 95 Leavine Family Racing
23 John Hunter Nemechek 38 Front Row Motorsports
24 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
25 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daugherty Racing
26 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
27 Bubba Wallace 43 Richard Petty Motorsports
28 Ty Dillon 13 Germain Racing
29 Corey LaJoie 32 Go Fas Racing
30 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
31 Daniel Suarez 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing
32 Brennan Poole 15 Premium Motorsports
33 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing
34 JJ Yeley 27 Rick Ware Racing
35 Justin Haley 77 Spire Motorsports
36 Joey Gase 51 Petty Ware Racing
37 Timmy Hill 66 Motorsports Business Management
38 James Davison 53 Rick Ware Racing
39 Brendan Gaughan 62 Beard Motorsports

 

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials and tracks will unveil the Cup Series schedule for 2021 all day Wednesday in a series of announcements, culminating in a full release later in the afternoon. The 36-race slate features new venues and new dates among some of the traditional returning races for NASCAR’s top division.

Tracks that will host Cup Series races next season will be revealing their dates and, in some cases, their debuts with their own degree of fanfare throughout the day. We’ll post the updates, details and social-media sizzle here as the momentum builds toward a new-look 2021 schedule.

BUY TICKETS: 2021 events available

Full 2021 Cup Series schedule ready for its close-up

With Wednesday’s major announcements complete, it’s time for a look at the full 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, which starts with the traditional season-opening Daytona 500 on the calendar for Feb. 14.

The full 36-race schedule includes four new venues — Circuit of The Americas, Nashville Superspeedway, Road America and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course — plus the return of NASCAR’s top series to dirt-track racing for the first time since 1970.

MORE: Full 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule 

Lone Star? All-Star. Texas to host invitational event for the first time

The NASCAR All-Star Race will be on the move again for 2021, joining the Texas Motor Speedway calendar for a June 13 running.

TEXAS: All-time track winners | Memorable moments

The annual non-points exhibition was held at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier this season after being held for 33 consecutive years at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Atlanta Motor Speedway also hosted the All-Star Race in 1986, one year after its Charlotte inaugural.

“If everything is bigger in Texas, 2021 will be the biggest year ever for NASCAR in the Lone Star State with the addition of the NASCAR All-Star Race,” said Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith. “Speedway Motorsports is proud to bring this legendary event to Texas Motor Speedway and add to the legacy of the Great American Speedway.

“It’s hard to believe we are about to celebrate our 25th year. When my dad, Bruton Smith, built Texas Motor Speedway, he wanted everything to be bigger and better than anything that had been built before. He wanted a SHOW-PLACE, and nearly 25 years later, it’s still one of the finest racing facilities in the world. It’s the perfect place to host an event as big as the NASCAR All-Star Race.”

Season finale set for a Phoenix return

Phoenix Raceway is already gearing up for its role as the first-time host to NASCAR’s season finales for all three national series this year. But before those circuit’s champions are crowned in the desert, the 1-mile track has announced that it will return as the curtain closer for the Cup Series on Nov. 7, 2021.

PHOENIX: All-time track winners | Memorable moments

The Arizona facility received a massive renovation that debuted in late 2018 with fan-friendly amenities and a move of the start-finish line. Phoenix first joined the schedule in 1988 and has held two annual Cup Series events since 2005.

The Cup Series’ first stop at Phoenix in 2021 is set for March 14.

“It’s an honor to once again be the host track for the most important weekend in our sport and it’s an opportunity all of us at Phoenix Raceway are extremely excited about,” said Phoenix Raceway President Julie Giese. “With the return of the NASCAR Championship Weekend, coupled with an action-packed spring event weekend, the 2021 schedule at Phoenix Raceway is set to be another memorable year for our fans, our local communities and the entire state of Arizona.”

Bristol’s 2021 plans include a date on dirt

Bristol Motor Speedway returns with two Cup Series events next season — March 28 and Sept. 18 — but with a wild twist for its springtime event: a temporary conversion to dirt.

The March race will mark the Cup Series’ first race on a dirt track since Richard Petty prevailed at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh on Sept. 30, 1970. Dirt-track racing returned to the national series ranks in 2013, when the Gander Trucks tour established an annual event at Eldora Speedway in Ohio.

BRISTOL: All-time Night Race winners | Memorable moments

Bristol has been paved since it joined the Cup Series schedule in 1961, but it converted to a dirt-track venue in 2000 and 2001 for Late Model and World of Outlaws sprint car events.

The track’s September event will be contested on the concrete oval.

“As everyone knows, Bristol Motor Speedway is the home to big events and we feel like this will be one of the most anticipated races in the NASCAR Cup Series in quite some time,” said Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. “We have proven in the past that we know how to transform Bristol Motor Speedway into one of the most pristine dirt facilities anywhere around, so we can’t wait to see how the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will perform on the high banks at the World’s Fastest dirt Half-Mile.”

Historic return set for Road America

The NASCAR Cup Series plans only its second-ever trip to Wisconsin for Independence Day weekend with a visit to Road America.

The sprawling Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, circuit has hosted the NASCAR Xfinity Series every season since 2010. The only Cup Series race in Road America’s history came in a long-ago era, with NASCAR Hall of Famer Tim Flock prevailing there in 1956.

ROAD AMERICA: 2020 race weekend

With its July 4 date set, Road America becomes the longest track currently on the Cup Series schedule at 4.048 miles.

“Since we welcomed the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2010, our fans have been asking for the NASCAR Cup Series, and we are very proud to make it happen on the Fourth of July,” said Road America’s President and General Manager, Mike Kertscher. “The weekend is going to be memorable and exciting for everyone as we celebrate Independence Day at America’s National Park of Speed. We encourage new and returning fans to get their tickets and campsites early because we intend to host four full days of on-track action. Our entire staff is excited to welcome the teams, drivers, and new visitors to show them that Road America is the ideal facility to come for the experience and stay for the race.”

Circuit of The Americas ready for Cup Series debut

In the spirit of adding new road courses, one of the nation’s newest joins the Cup Series schedule in 2021 — Circuit of The Americas. The gleaming 3.426-mile layout in Austin, Texas, has hosted Formula 1, IndyCar and IMSA sports car events since opening in 2012.

MORE: All-time winners on road courses

COTA will take a May 23 spot on the NASCAR Cup Series calendar, placing it as the tour’s first road-course race of the season.

“Our company is proud to have a 60-year history of fabulous firsts in motorsports entertainment, and we are honored to bring America’s premier racing series to one of the world’s most renowned entertainment venues and cities for the very first time,” said Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith. “I’d like to thank COTA CEO Bobby Epstein as well as NASCAR’s executive leadership for supporting us in an endeavor to do something that we believe will be spectacular for race fans, not only in Texas but around the world. We work and challenge ourselves every day at Speedway Motorsports to create amazing experiences that will last a lifetime, and we know NASCAR at COTA will deliver in 2021.”

https://twitter.com/NASCARatCOTA/status/1311335455485460480

A new road test looms for Cup Series at Indy

The NASCAR Cup Series’ 28th visit to Indianapolis Motor Speedway will have a new look, shifting from the 2.5-mile oval to the road-course circuit for an Aug. 15 stop on the schedule.

The Xfinity Series debuted earlier this season on a 2.439-mile layout that produced a home-state winner in Chase Briscoe after a captivating dash to the finish. The planned Cup Series road race is the latest bold move for track owner Roger Penske, whose deal to purchase the historic speedway was announced last November.

INDIANAPOLIS: 2020 race weekend | All-time Brickyard 400 winners

The Indianapolis race will move six weeks later on the 2021 schedule after playing host to NASCAR’s top series during Independence Day weekend earlier this year.  The revamped Brickyard weekend also will feature a brand-new NTT IndyCar Series race Saturday, Aug. 14 on the road course, setting the stage for another history-making NASCAR-IndyCar weekend after this year’s successful collaboration at IMS.

“Our first NASCAR-IndyCar weekend was a big success last July, with positive feedback from our loyal fans who watched the races on NBC and from the drivers, teams and participants involved,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “The Xfinity Series’ debut on the IMS road course provided exactly the kind of thrilling action from the green to checkered flags that we anticipated, so we know the teams and drivers of the Cup Series will put on a great show as they turn left and right for the first time at IMS.

“We can’t wait to welcome back fans to see NASCAR and IndyCar together during this exciting weekend as we add another memorable chapter in the long, storied history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”

Doubling up at Darlington on tap for 2021

NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway will return with two annual dates on the Cup Series schedule as Darlington Raceway announced that a May 9 event will join its Sept. 5 Labor Day Weekend classic on the 2021 slate. The May 9 date is Mother’s Day 2021.

DARLINGTON: 2020 Labor Day race weekend | All-time Southern 500 winners

Darlington played host to three Cup Series races this season as NASCAR adjusted to the COVID-19 outbreak with an initial focus on tracks within driving distance to the Charlotte-area hub. Before that, the South Carolina venue had been host to one annual event — the crown-jewel Southern 500 — from 2005-2019. It was home to two Cup Series races each year from 1960-2004 and has been a staple on the NASCAR schedule since opening for business in 1950.

https://twitter.com/odsteve/status/1311315841955233793

“A NASCAR tradition returns as Darlington Raceway will host two NASCAR Cup Series race weekends as part of the 2021 NASCAR schedule,” said Darlington President Kerry Tharp. “We are grateful for NASCAR’s trust in the track ‘Too Tough To Tame’ to continue to deliver one of the most competitive race experiences and loyal fan bases in the sport. Thanks to Governor Henry McMaster and the state of South Carolina for their continued support as NASCAR was the first to bring live team sports back at Darlington in 2020. We look forward to hearing the roar of the engines twice as part of our traditional Mother’s Day and Labor Day weekends.”

Atlanta expands to two races in 2021

Atlanta Motor Speedway’s schedule will grow next season with a pair of Cup Series dates — March 21 and July 11. The 1.54-mile Georgia track last hosted two annual races in 2010.

The track’s second event will mark the first time since 1974 that the Cup Series has raced at Atlanta in July.

ATLANTA: 2020 race weekend | All-time track winners

Atlanta’s race weekend this season was the first postponed by the COVID-19 outbreak. Instead of running its 500-miler on March 15, the Cup Series shifted the Atlanta event to June 7.

“We’re beyond excited to deliver what our fans have been yearning for: A second weekend of NASCAR action in Atlanta once again,” said AMS Executive Vice President and General Manager Brandon Hutchison. “Folds of Honor and QuikTrip continue to be phenomenal partners for our spring weekend of racing and we’re thrilled to have Quaker State and Walmart on board this summer as we put together two weekends of entertainment and excitement for race fans.”

https://twitter.com/amsupdates/status/1311289829527826432

Posted on by Terrin Waack

An unexpected wild-card elimination race changed the tone of the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series playoff schedule.

Originally, Talladega Superspeedway was supposed to fall in the middle of the Round of 8. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, however, prompted changes to the postseason slate. And now, the Alabama track known for its high speed and high banks is hosting the Round of 10 cutoff event.

RELATED: Talladega weekend schedule

“I wasn’t a big fan of it until I sat there and watched the Cup cutoff race at Daytona (International Speedway),” Gander Trucks playoff driver Grant Enfinger said Tuesday on a Zoom teleconference. “I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, seeing if Jimmie Johnson was going to make it in and what was going to happen.”

That’s when Enfinger finally understood NASCAR’s draw and decision.

“From an entertainment standpoint, from a fan’s standpoint, it is awesome,” Enfinger said. “From a competitor’s standpoint, it’s terrible. This is going to be a stressful race. Even though we’re going in with a bit of a cushion, anything can happen.”

Enfinger sits fourth in the postseason standings, safe by 31 points. He’s comfortable his No. 98 ThorSport Racing Ford team can safely score enough stage points to secure its spot in the next round — and then go for the win.

The only driver locked in is Austin Hill, winner of last weekend’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Sam Mayer won the opener at Bristol Motor Speedway but is not a playoff contender due to his part-time status.

Todd Gilliland is sitting in 10th, 19 points below the cutline — the lowest-ranked title-eligible driver. The No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford crew has little choice but to reach Victory Lane if it wants to continue vying for the title.

“If we wreck trying to go for the win, I think we can live with ourselves on that,” Gilliland said. “Whereas, other guys that might be able to let someone in and still make it on points, those guys are going to be looking behind them and worrying about points this whole week. For us, it’s pretty simple. There’s no one behind us. We can only move forward from here if we do our job right.”

Four races remain before the Nov. 6 championship event at Phoenix Raceway, starting with the Chevrolet Silverado 250 (1 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Talladega determines the Round of 8, while Martinsville Speedway sets the Championship 4 on Oct. 30. That’s a 2.66-mile superspeedway versus a .526-mile short track.

“I don’t think you can ask for anything more than that,” Gilliland said. “I love it. We’re in the entertainment business, and it’s definitely going to be entertaining.”

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR fined three crew chiefs in the Cup Series and four crew chiefs in the Xfinity Series for safety violations in last weekend’s playoff races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Each team had one lug nut not safe and secure in post-race inspection, a violation of Sections 10.9.10.4 in the NASCAR Rule Book.

STANDINGS: Cup Series | Xfinity Series | Gander Trucks

As a result, the crew chiefs for the No. 1 of Kurt Busch (Matt McCall), No. 21 of Matt DiBenedetto (Greg Erwin) and No. 38 of John Hunter Nemechek (Seth Barbour) in the Cup Series owe $10,000 each. Meanwhile, the crew chiefs for the No. 10 of Ross Chastain (Bruce Schlicker), No. 18 of Riley Herbst (Dave Rogers), No. 20 of Harrison Burton (Ben Beshore) and No. 22 of Austin Cindric (Brian Wilson) in the Xfinity Series each owe $5,000.

Busch won the South Point 400 in the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet to advance to the Round of 8 in the Cup Series playoffs.

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Hendrick Motorsports promoted Chad Knaus to an executive management position Tuesday, announcing organizational moves that also included the elevation of Jeff Andrews to executive vice president and general manager.

Knaus, 49, will finish out the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season as William Byron’s crew chief for the No. 24 Chevrolet team before moving into his new role as vice president of competition. For Andrews, who will be Knaus’ boss, his transition will be made effective immediately.

RELATED: Chad Knaus crew chief stats | Chad Knaus through the years 

The changes will signal the end of Knaus’ 21 years as a crew chief at NASCAR’s top level. During that span, Knaus has won seven championships with Jimmie Johnson in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and has amassed 82 Cup Series victories. Only Hall of Fame crew chiefs Dale Inman and Leonard Wood have more race wins at NASCAR’s top level than Knaus.

“When I started at Hendrick Motorsports (in 1993) working for Ray Evernham, my goal was to be a crew chief,” Knaus said in a team release. “Starting at a young age, I wanted to win every race we entered and battle for every championship. Mr. (Rick) Hendrick has given me the chance to do exactly that, and I could not be more thankful to him.

“After all these years, my competitive desire has not changed at all, but now I have a family that deserves my attention. This new executive role will allow me to compete in a different way with all four of our teams while spending more time with my wife and two young children.”

As vice president of competition, Knaus will oversee the technical development of Hendrick Motorsports’ stable of cars, including implementation of NASCAR’s 2022 Next Gen vehicle. Knaus will be responsible for personnel that includes crew chiefs, pit crews, engineers, fabricators, assemblers and other team-related staff.

Knaus will report to Andrews, 55, who joined Hendrick Motorsports in 1992 and had served as vice president of competition since 2017. He reports to Hendrick Motorsports president Marshall Carlson.

“As we look to the years ahead, Jeff and Chad are going to play significant roles in our success,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “They’re tremendous leaders who are respected within our organization and across the entire auto racing world.”

Hendrick Motorsports will announce a new chief for Byron and the No. 24 team at a later date. Knaus has overseen Byron’s efforts with the No. 24 since 2019, following a successful 17-season run with Johnson and Hendrick’s No. 48 operation.

Knaus’ drivers qualified for the Cup Series Playoffs in every year since the 10-race postseason format was established in 2004. He was atop the pit box for Byron’s first Cup Series win earlier this season, a clutch victory in the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway on Aug. 29.

MORE: Jimmie Johnson career photos

Posted on by Terrin Waack

Editor’s note: This is Part III of a five-part series detailing how NASCAR successfully ran its 2020 season amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Part I: Overview | Part II: Schedule | Part IV, Wednesday: Teams | Part V, Thursday: Fans

The roof cam on the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford carries the viewer to the white flag at Darlington Raceway before panning out to show the full car on its final lap around the 1.366-mile track. The moment Kevin Harvick takes the checkered flag, the in-car camera captures his celebratory fist pump and congratulatory radio shouts. The scene quickly cuts to teammates celebrating on pit road.

This isn’t any normal NASCAR race weekend, and the only giveaway in this moment is the lack of fans in the stands as the drone camera follows Harvick’s burnout on the frontstretch. Harvick was the NASCAR Cup Series’ first winner after a two-month shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. FOX Sports managed to make it look like business as usual.

“That was our mantra: How do we produce this safely and more efficiently so that the viewer can’t really tell the difference?,” said Bill Wanger, FOX Sports’ executive vice president and head of programming and scheduling. “Yeah, they might notice people are wearing masks and they might notice instead of four pit reporters we have one. But we’re still telling the story of the race.”

For NASCAR’s broadcast partners, FOX took the brunt of the coronavirus impact. Its equipment was already set up at Atlanta Motor Speedway back in March when the sanctioning body postponed that race weekend and then eventually seven more, all of which were FOX’s to broadcast.

Normally, FOX and NBC split the season. FOX is responsible for the first 16 races, along with any additional events such as the Busch Clash, Bluegreen Vacation Duels, All-Star Open and All-Star Race. NBC then takes over for the remainder of the schedule – 20 races, including the playoffs.

COVID-19: Timeline, schedule, driver and track messages

It wasn’t a seamless handoff this year. NBC kept its events and FOX remained in charge of those rescheduled, leaving the two networks to switch off briefly in July.

FOX was affected first, though, and therefore the most.

“In those early days, I guess May when we restarted, there weren’t a lot of sports back,” Wanger said. “NASCAR was the first major sport back. So, we did have a lot of open windows. You didn’t get a lot of pushback from us in terms of, is May 20 open? Because pretty much it was.”

Conversations started with scheduling. FOX representatives were on the phone with NASCAR’s Ben Baker (managing director, domestic broadcasting) and Brian Herbst (senior vice president, media and productions) twice a week, figuring out which tracks would work when. Proximity to Charlotte, North Carolina, where a majority of the teams resided, was prioritized for safety reasons.

Even that was easier said than done.

“I didn’t even think about it,” said NASCAR’s vice president of racing development, Ben Kennedy, who worked heavily on the revamped 2020 schedule. “Some of these tracks, you look at a map and it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s actually pretty close, you can do it within driving distance.’ But you don’t take into account the time it takes to tear down at the track and then the time it takes to build up at the track particularly on the TV side.”

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According to a FOX Sports Media Relations spokesperson, setting up required more than twice the time it did under normal circumstances due to limited personnel numbers and social-distancing protocol. The road crew needed two full days to travel and unload.

That was important to consider when mid-week races preceded weekend events, especially in the event of a rain postponement.

“We adopted the PACE model of planning,” said Tom Bryant, NASCAR managing director of racing operations. “Here is our Primary plan, here is our Alternate plan, here is our Contingency plan and here is our Emergency plan for each one.”

These were things NASCAR and FOX needed to handle before even scheduling an event. The races themselves were then a learning curve all on their own.

FOX had about half its usual manpower and half its usual camera count at track. Only two people were allowed in the productions truck during the race. As Wanger noted, there was one pit-road reporter – Vince Welch, Jamie Little, Matt Yocum or Regan Smith – as opposed to the usual four for Cup Series events.

Booth personalities Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Larry McReynolds, along with their support staff, worked remotely from FOX Sports’ Charlotte studio. Graphics and replay responsibilities moved to the Los Angeles headquarters.

All those unorthodox adjustments came on top of a busy return: three national series events at Darlington scheduled from May 17-21, bookended by a pair of Cup Series races.

Crop15

“It allowed us, at that first particular race in Darlington, to get two races under our belt within a couple days without having to travel to a different track so that we can get our sea legs underneath us in terms of how we produced it,” Wanger said. “That was really important to us, and that was something that we really stressed with NASCAR that we needed another race right after the first race from the same location.”

FOX continued to include pre-race festivities – invocation, national anthem and command to fire engines – but did so remotely and virtually with the honorary guests. For example, numerous medical professionals gave the command for the Cup Series’ first race back – the Real Heroes 400. All of their videos were personally pre-recorded and sent into FOX for editing and broadcasting purposes.

From start to finish, FOX didn’t seem to miss a beat with on-air responsibilities, even if there were some kinks that needed to be worked out along the way. Then, when NBC’s broadcast duties began, the network continued the seamless operation through to the postseason and present day.

“If you’re a fan at home watching, this is the same great racing you expect to see, the same high-quality broadcasting you expect to see,” Bryant said. “We couldn’t have had any degradation of the product. But at the same time, we had to protect our people.”

PART 4: TEAMS

Posted on by Staff Report

After 25 years of racing, starting the season then having to stop due to rainouts and the coronavirus pandemic didn‘t hurt Brad May‘s momentum at his home track of New Smyrna Speedway.

May started the season off with what he called a great week, finishing second in annual World Series Stock Car Racing championship for the Super Late Model Division for the second straight season.

Even though it was nearly four months until May was able to race again, the winning didn‘t stop. With five wins and 10 top fives, he leads the Florida championship and is 30th in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I standings.

“As far as momentum, we started off right off the bat with a win. We had a really good start,” May said. “I‘ve ran there for so long I think being away for a couple months doesn‘t really affect us as much as some guys that don‘t really run there as much.

“By the end of Speedweeks you pretty much have worn out everything you‘ve got so it kind of gave us an opportunity to go through the car, kind of freshen everything back up and get everything back. Just go through everything really to try to prepare.”

May has won three of the last four super late model championships at New Smyrna — a NASCAR-sanctioned half-mile oval just south of Daytona International Speedway in Florida.

He started racing at New Smyrna in 1995, but only began racing at the track full time a few years ago. Throughout his career, May mainly picked big races to run at the track rather than going for points. He also spent a few years in the 1990s travelling up and down the east coast while racing in the Hooters Pro Cup.

“I‘ve raced in 30 different states in my life,” May said. “I couldn‘t even tell you how many race tracks.”

It was when May stated racing for car owner Bobby Sears he began focusing on racing for points.

“He had always been somebody that was loyal and hit the track every week,” May said of Sears. “And he was always somebody who was interested in trying to run for points and race as much as possible. So the last four or five years it‘s given us the opportunity to do a lot more racing.”

Racing at New Smyrna gave May a chance to race alongside one of his childhood racing idols — David Rogers.

Rogers, an award winning super late model legend at New Smyrna who passed away from cancer earlier this year, was a friend of May‘s parents.

“We would go out and watch him when I was really, really young,” May said of Rogers. “He gave me my first trophy when I was like three or four years old.”

May always wanted to race when he was a kid, with an obsession for go-karts, motorcycles, and 4-wheelers. He raced  quarter-midgets from the time he was seven until he was about 16 before switching to late models. When May and his family got interested in starting to find a late model to race, Rogers found one of his old cars and gave May advice on if it was good.

“He knew the car and helped do a lot of the setup,” May said. “He coached us on changes and coached me on different things as far as the driving end of it, giving me pointers and helped me really get started.”

May raced Rogers’s car as a pro late model at some speed weeks from 2012-2014.

“We ran a lot of the big races and speed weeks for a couple years for him, which was an awesome opportunity,” May said. “Kind of a dream to be able to get into a David Rogers car. With him kind of being my idol my whole life, it was a huge opportunity for me and kind of something I had always dreamed about.”

May makes sure to always remember his mentor whenever he gets in the car at their home track.

“He‘s such a huge part of New Smyrna Speedway,” May said of Rogers. “He always parked right next to us so we just definitely are always thinking about him every time we‘re at the track and thinking about all his crew guys and all his family and sponsors. Everybody that we usually see on an ongoing basis, our thoughts are just constantly with them every time we‘re at the track.”

May is tied for the super late model lead at New Smyrna with one race remaining. He knows he may need to win in the track‘s final race to get his fourth title.

May and the team, which is sponsored by R.K. Edwards, have a goal of winning the track and state championship. He would also like to get a win at New Smyrna‘s Florida Governor‘s Cup on November 13, the track‘s biggest race of the year. The best he‘s finished in the race is third.

Until then, the team will try to win the NASCAR finale on October 17, not only to secure the track title but to continue proving his team‘s hard work has paid off.

“We‘ve got a lot of experience there. We spend a lot of time working on a car that‘s good at the end of a race, and I think a lot of times people work on cars that are quick for qualifying or quick for short runs. We just continue to focus on how to make a car the best by the end of the race. I feel like in most scenarios by the end of the race we‘re usually the best car,” May said.

“I think even though a lot of times people have bigger sponsors and more money and probably smarter people working on the race cars, you can sometimes just take a team that‘s worked together and a couple guys that have done it for a long time and find ways to outrun guys that if you looked on paper should be able to easily beat you. Finding ways to still win without having a huge budget and all the technology that some people have. A lot of people say it‘s so much about money but there‘s still so much you can do to still win races without all that money. And I think it‘s still a challenge for me to find ways to run with guys that are spending three, four times as much as we are and I still love doing that.

“Everybody just pitches in. Nobody is paid, it‘s just a lot of guys having fun and we‘re just out there to have fun.”

The end of the NASCAR Points Season at New Smyrna will take place on October 17 with the Southern Super Series Hart to Heart 100 featuring David Rogers Super Late Models, Mod Minis, and Ground Pounders.

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

After the the first race in the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, here’s a brief look at the playoff picture. Two races remain in the second round — Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval — before the playoff picture is shaved to eight drivers.

WINNER

Kurt Busch. After two decades, the 2004 Cup Series champion finally got into Victory Lane at his home track. Busch is the first to advance into the Round of 8 of the playoffs. It’s Busch’s first race win since Kentucky Speedway in July 2019.

RELATED: Kurt Busch earns Las Vegas win to advance in playoffs

WHO’S HOT

Kyle Busch. Although he’s still winless on the year, the younger Busch brother has been consistent in the first four races of the postseason. A sixth-place finish at Las Vegas continued his streak of four consecutive top 10s. Although Busch still finds himself nine points below the cutline heading into Talladega, another consistent finish in a wild-card race could propel him into the right side of the equation in his effort to defend his 2019 title.

Alex Bowman. The No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports driver earned his fourth top-five finish of the 2020 season with a fifth-place result at Las Vegas. Bowman hung around the front of the field for the majority of the race, coming up short of his second win of the year after being slightly shuffled out on the overtime restart. But the strong result is his third top 10 of the playoffs, rebounding from a 16th-place finish at Bristol. Bowman takes Hendrick horsepower to Talladega, where he finished second in the spring race of 2019 and seventh earlier in the season.

Martin Truex Jr. The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing rebounded from a 24th-place finish at Bristol for a fourth-place result at Las Vegas. While the postseason has been up-and-down for Truex with a 22nd and second at Darlington and Richmond, respectively, he still finds himself 15 points above the cutoff line heading into Talladega. The 2.66-mile Alabama superspeedway hasn’t treated him well in the past, however, if he can survive with a decent showing, he’ll be sitting pretty to advance to the Round of 8 on points at the very least.

WHO’S NOT

Austin Dillon. After finishes of second, fourth and 12th in the first three races of the postseason, Dillon had another strong run going before disaster struck in the final stage. Dillon was forced to pit with a little more than 50 laps remaining to fix an overheating issue and a broken power steering belt on the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, returning to the track eight laps down. Dillon wound up finishing 32nd, now 12th in the standings and 32 points below the cutoff line.

Aric Almirola. The No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford driver began the Round of 16 with three straight top-10 finishes. But Almirola wouldn’t be as fortunate at Las Vegas, finishing 17th after struggling to dial in the speed necessary to compete at the front of the field. Almirola is now 27 points back of the cutline heading into Talladega, where he won the fall race to advance to the Round of 8 in 2018.

BUBBLE WATCH

Rank Driver Points to cutoff
5. Martin Truex Jr. +15
6. Joey Logano +11
7. Chase Elliott +10
8. Alex Bowman +9
——-                               CUT-OFF LINE ———————
9. Kyle Busch -9
10. Clint Bowyer -20
11. Aric Almirola -27
12. Austin Dillon -32

NEXT RACE

The NASCAR Cup Series travels to Talladega Superspeedway for the second race of the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs on Oct. 4 (2 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

WHO IT FAVORS

Team Penske. While Ryan Blaney has earned the past two victories at Talladega, Team Penske as a whole is always stout on the superspeedway tracks. Joey Logano owns three wins since 2015 there, while Brad Keselowski has five victories, although he hasn’t scored a top-10 finish since his win in 2017.

WHO IT HURTS

Austin Dillon. In 14 starts at Talladega, Dillon only has one top five and three top 10s. In an effort to overcome a 32-point deficit on the cutline with two races remaining in the Round of 12, he’ll need a better show than that or some misfortune from other drivers ahead of him if he wants a shot at the next round of the postseason.