Member of the Month: July

Posted on July 1, 2020 by NASCAR.com

Meet Travis, the Official NASCAR Fan Council Member of the Month for July 2020.

Name: Travis
Current City: York, Pennsylvania
Member Since: 2017

Getting to KNOW Travis:

Q. How did you first become interested in NASCAR?
“My Father watched NASCAR and I can remember watching it with him since about when I was 10. The first race I remember watching was the 1990 Pepsi 400 at Daytona, and my favorite driver was Bill Elliott. I remember his “cool suit” going out in the middle of the race and he still won it! Dad was into cars and Street Rods and I was the same. Loved all things cars and NASCAR was so cool. Loved it ever since I can remember!”

Q. What is your favorite part about NASCAR?
“I love the competition, but I also really think it’s the personalities that really make up what the sport is. Ever since Twitter came along, fans can see more of who the drivers are. I have followed/liked more drivers that I never would have had I not had the ability to see who they really are and what they are like in the past. It puts a whole new perspective on my view of the sport from only really liking one or two drivers to really just wanting a good race with some action and a story to follow, and now with so many stories able to play out via Facebook and Twitter, its more interesting and more meaningful to follow everyone in the race, not only one or two drivers.”

Q. What is your favorite NASCAR memory?”
“My favorite memory was going to Charlotte with two friends in 2002 and seeing Mark Martin win. That was a great weekend with great friends. There are so many other memories involving NASCAR but that is my favorite.”

Q. Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?
Driver: “Ryan Blaney.”
Track: “Charlotte Motor Speedway.”
Sponsors: “My favorite sponsor is Ford because of the support they give to the teams and to the sport itself.”

Q. What are some of your hobbies?
“Search eBay for the remaining 3 cards I need to complete my MAXX Race Card Collection! I like to go to car shows in my 1965 Ford Falcon, spend time with my family at the local amusement park, and spend time with my boys at their sporting events.”

FROM ALL OF US AT NASCAR, WE THANK TRAVIS FOR HIS CONTINUED SUPPORT AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM HIM IN 2020!

Look for Travis on the Official NASCAR Fan Council page on NASCAR.COM.

Posted on July 1, 2020July 2, 2020 by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. (July 1, 2020) – SUNNYD, the iconic beverage brand made solely in the USA, will return to Chris Buescher’s No. 17 Ford Mustang just in time for the Fourth of July holiday weekend, as the NASCAR Cup Series rolls into the iconic Brickyard 400 race at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“We are really looking forward to getting to Indianapolis,” said Buescher. “We’ve started to gel as a team, and are starting to see those results on track. Indianapolis is one of the most iconic tracks in the country and it’s really fitting that we’ll have the SUNNYD ‘Made in America’ paint scheme back on our Ford this weekend for our first race at Indy during the Fourth of July weekend.”

Along with the bright, bold, unique orange and yellow colors, the No. 17 Ford will also sport a new patriotic theme with red, white and blue stars and stripes that reflect both SUNNYD’s heritage and the Fourth of July holiday. Since 1963, SUNNYD has been made in America and celebrates its roots with a limited-edition “Made in America” packaging that is released seasonally each year and available in stores now.

“It’s really neat to have an American-made product on board,” said Buescher. “I know the whole Roush Fenway organization, and Jack especially, are very proud of everything and anything made in America and we can’t wait to get to see the scheme on track this Sunday.”

Buescher will make his fourth start at the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, a track he has an average finish of 15.8 with one top-10. Buescher has scored two top-10 finishes in the past three races and with his seventh-place stage one finish at Pocono Raceway last weekend, the driver racked up his seventh top-10 stage finish of the season, and his fifth in the last eight races.

Coverage for Sunday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is set for 4 p.m. EST on NBC. Race coverage can also be heard on Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network and SiriusXM Channel 90.

Posted on July 1, 2020July 2, 2020 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 1, 2020) – Beginning this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and running through July 31, the NASCAR industry will honor United States Armed Forces and frontline healthcare heroes as part of this year’s expanded NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola – an industry-wide opportunity to recognize and thank those who have gone above and beyond to keep society safe and healthy.

For the first time ever, NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola will kick off with the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 at the Brickyard (Sunday, July 5 at 4 p.m. ET on NBC, IMS Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), as the platform shifts to a mid-summer window due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

NASCAR Premier Partner Coca-Cola returns as the presenting sponsor of NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola, as the company will take an active role curating and highlighting stories of frontline personnel and other heroes during the platform window.

“We take pride in honoring all who work tirelessly to keep our nation safe, whether a frontline worker in the fight against COVID-19 or part of our U.S. Armed Forces protecting us around the world,” said Jill Gregory, executive vice president and chief marketing and content officer, NASCAR. “The NASCAR industry has always been passionate about saluting our nation’s heroes both past and present, and we once again look forward to recognizing those who serve.”

Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images

As part of the evolved campaign for 2020, NASCAR and Coca-Cola will create content opportunities to celebrate heroic work from our military and first responder community during the COVID-19 pandemic. In partnership with NBC, NASCAR and Coca-Cola will celebrate heroes in the military and medical community, and NASCAR and Coca-Cola’s dedicated actions to support our community. Through NASCAR digital and social channels, the industry will spotlight even more stories with a new “NASCAR Salutes Refreshing Moments” feature that will also be hosted on NASCAR.com/Salutes.

“While this crisis has impacted everyone’s daily lives, we are able to race because of the selfless acts by our military community and frontline workers,” said John Mount, vice president, sports marketing and region assets, Coca-Cola North America. “NASCAR Salutes offers an impactful opportunity to showcase our pride and appreciation for these heroes and their families.”

While NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola shifted due to COVID-19, the industry continued its tradition honoring fallen service members during the annual Memorial Day Weekend 600 Miles of Remembrance at the Coca-Cola 600. All 40 NASCAR Cup Series cars featured the name of a fallen service member on the windshield during the race in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

The next weekend during the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Xfinity recognized its military community employees from across the company that are working to keep communities safe and connected during the pandemic. Among those recognized were 23 employees actively serving in the National Guard who are responding to the current crisis. The names of those Comcast employees, and a patriotic red, white and blue design replaced the Xfinity logo adorning each drivers’ windshield.

A number of other NASCAR Official Partners leaned in to support the program as well:

Mack Trucks will wrap its NASCAR Mack Anthem haulers with NASCAR Salutes-themed graphics voted on by fans at MackTrucks.com/NASCARSalutes. The paint schemes honor both military and frontline heroes and the winning designs will be unveiled July 4 and debut during the NASCAR Salutes window.
AMR, the “Official Emergency Medical Services Partner of NASCAR,” will feature the NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola branding on its NASCAR safety trucks and safety team helmets throughout the program.
Goodyear continued its tradition of replacing the iconic “Eagle” sidewall for 600 Miles of Remembrance at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This year’s recognition was the Honor and Remember organization, which works closely with the industry to honor gold star families who have lost family members while serving.
Mack Trucks and Blue-Emu also collaborated on a day-long effort to thank truckers and critical workers for their hard work during COVID-19. After a kickoff at Mack Trucks’ headquarters, NASCAR’s Mack Anthem haulers visited Virginia-based Sovah Health to thank the frontline workers at the hospital en route to the NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.

Fans can learn more about the heroes honored throughout the NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola program by visiting NASCAR.com/Salutes.

Posted on July 1, 2020July 1, 2020 by Staff Report

For the third consecutive year, NASCAR Official Partner Mack Trucks will wrap its NASCAR Mack Anthem haulers with NASCAR Salutes-themed livery, voted on by fans at MackTrucks.com/NASCARSalutes.

The paint schemes honor both military and front-line heroes, and the winning designs will be unveiled July 4 and debut during the NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola window, which runs from July 1-31.

Here’s where you come in. Fans will vote on the four schemes, with the top two favorites winning. One will be a military-specific wrap, and the other will be a front-line workers-specific wrap.

The vote runs from noon ET on July 1-3. So vote early, and vote often!

MORE: Cast your vote now

Posted on July 1, 2020July 2, 2020 by Zack Albert

The Xfinity Series’ Friday arrival at Indianapolis Motor Speedway comes with a bit of a milestone, marking the first practice sessions scheduled for a NASCAR national tour since the sport returned in May after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Adding on extra track time comes with good reason. The prep will be necessary for Xfinity teams to acquaint themselves with Indy’s road-course layout, which will be used for the first time for Saturday’s Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard (3 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Cup Series regular Matt DiBenedetto tested a Team Penske entry back on January 22 to help determine the 14-turn, 2.439-mile configuration, which uses portions of the historic 2.5-mile oval with the twisty, road-course sections that wind through the speedway’s infield. DiBenedetto won’t be entered in the 62-lap race, so the full Xfinity field will get its first taste of the layout — outside of simulators — in Friday’s two 55-minute sessions (1:30 and 3 p.m. ET).

IMS

“Yeah, I’ve been practicing on the simulator since February for the Indy race,” said Chase Briscoe, an Indiana native and winner of two of the last three Xfinity Series races. “It means the world to me to win there, just with it being new nobody knows what to expect, so we’re trying to be the best we can be.

“I go to the simulator every Wednesday and every Wednesday I’ve been running at least an hour-and-a-half to two hours at Indy, just trying to get prepared for the race track. I feel like I’ve got a pretty good idea of where to make speed. It’s hard to really say how much the simulator will correlate over to the real-life thing, but I feel like I have a really good general idea of what to do and I’m not gonna be lost for those first couple of laps.”

Former Cup Series driver AJ Allmendinger and Team Penske’s Austin Cindric stand out on the entry list for their road-racing expertise. Kaulig Racing’s Allmendinger scored his first NASCAR oval win on June 6 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but his other four national-series victories have come on road courses. All three of Cindric’s national-series wins have been on road-racing circuits, including two in the Xfinity Series (Watkins Glen International, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course) last year.

MORE: Early reviews from Indy road-course test

The series’ bigger organizations may have the opportunity to log simulated laps on the Indy road course, but independent teams may have to count on Friday’s practice — or get resourceful. Jeremy Clements’ lone Xfinity Series win for his family-owned team came at Road America in 2017, and his approach to Indy so far is to embrace the unknown.

“I think it’ll be a lot of fun. I really have no idea about the track,” Clements said after a third-place finish at Pocono Raceway last weekend. “I hear it was fun for Matty D. … I don’t know anything about it. We don’t have any simulators or any of that stuff. I don’t know. Kind of going in blind, so I’m going to be a little bit behind there. I think Ford’s got the track on their simulator, but I don’t know. I’m going to get on Forza on my Xbox and see, I think it’s on there. …

“It’s really all I got. I don’t think iRacing even has the exact track. I just enjoy the chance to go to a track that nobody knows that good and we can make the most of it. I think it’ll be a survival-type race for sure, and you need to be there at the end and I think we can capitalize on that and possibly pick up a win or another top-three finish. But I’m excited about it.”

Posted on June 30, 2020July 1, 2020 by Staff Report

Editor’s note: NASCAR issued a correction on Wednesday to the section on Cup Series penalties:

NASCAR officials handed out fines to four Cup Series teams and one Gander Trucks team for lug-nut infractions last weekend at Pocono Raceway.

On the Cup Series side, four teams were each penalized for having one lug nut not safely secured in post-race checks after the circuit’s two events during a weekend doubleheader. The violations of Sections 10.9.10.4 in the NASCAR Rule Book resulted in $10,000 fines for each team’s respective crew chief:

The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford for driver Kevin Harvick (crew chief Rodney Childers)
The No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford for driver Ryan Newman (crew chief Scott Graves) UPDATE: It was not the No. 11 of Denny Hamlin as originally reported.
The No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford for driver Clint Bowyer (crew chief Johnny Klausmeier)
The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for driver Martin Truex Jr. (crew chief James Small)

In Gander Trucks, the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 51 Toyota driven to victory by Brandon Jones at Pocono was also found with one unsecured lug nut. As a result, crew chief Danny Stockman Jr. was fined $2,500.

Posted on June 30, 2020June 30, 2020 by Zack Albert

Dr. Rose Mattioli, who co-founded Pocono Raceway with her husband and served as the Pennsylvania track’s matriarch for more than five decades, died Monday. She was 92.

Dr. Rose and Dr. Joseph “Doc” Mattioli established the 2.5-mile speedway in 1968 on land they developed in Long Pond in the Pocono Mountains. Their track’s first major event for IndyCars came in 1971. Pocono became an annual stop for the NASCAR Cup Series in 1974 and moved to two races per year in 1982.

“Dr. Rose was the heart and soul of Pocono Raceway for over 50 years,” read a statement from the Mattioli and Igdalsky families. “She would often tell us, ‘I love Pocono and auto racing more than Doc,’ and we believed her. While Doc moved the mountains, Rose moved your spirit. Dr. Rose’s contributions to motorsports and her philanthropic efforts will always live in a class of their own. She played a vital role in allowing women into auto racing garage areas during an era where they were otherwise unwelcome.

“Additionally, Dr. Rose and Doc gave back to the community, often anonymously and without hesitation. Her passing has motivated us to remain steadfast, now more than ever, to never waiver from Rose and Doc’s commitment of always doing right by our Pocono Raceway family, our fans, our local community and the auto racing industry. While we will miss her, we take comfort in knowing Rose and Doc are reunited and that their legacy will live on forever.”

NASCAR Chairman & CEO Jim France and NASCAR Executive Vice Chair Lesa Kennedy issued the following statement: “Our family and all of NASCAR is saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Rose Mattioli. For three generations, the relationship between our families has been more personal than professional. Rose and Doc created a unique racing experience at Pocono Raceway, bringing a passion for race fans and love of racing to everything they touched. On behalf of the France family and the entire motorsports industry, NASCAR extends our deepest condolences to the Mattioli family during this difficult time.”

The Mattiolis had met in 1947 while attending Temple University, with Dr. Rose studying podiatry and Dr. Joseph dentistry. They eloped one year later and celebrated their marriage in an “official” ceremony with family and friends on Aug. 5, 1950. Dr. Joseph Mattioli died in 2012.

The Mattiolis practiced medicine in northeast Philadelphia for years, branching out with investments by purchasing a share of an area golf course and a housing development in the early 1960s. When a proposal for an auto-racing venue on a large piece of land in the mountains arrived in 1963, they listened and eventually invested $50,000 in the venture. Days later, their family attended their first race at a dirt track in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

“Well, by the end of the day, one half of my face was white and the other was red from the clay and dust,” Dr. Joseph Mattioli told The Morning Call from Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1971. “I had my ears stuffed with tissue because of the noise. I remember telling Rose that I thought maybe we had made a mistake.”

Six years after their initial investment and eager to attract big-league racing to the area, the Mattiolis went from mostly silent partners to the driving force behind the raceway that would become their lives’ work.

Dr. Rose Mattioli told reporters that they came to motorsports as investors who were quickly converted to fans. By the time the NASCAR Cup Series arrived at Pocono in 1974, the former site of a spinach farm was already busy hosting IndyCars, NASCAR Modifieds and USAC stock-car events.

Racing at the track evolved through the years, but Dr. Rose Mattioli’s presence at Pocono remained a constant. On the eve of his final NASCAR Cup Series start at the 2.5-mile track in 2016, three-time series champion Tony Stewart vowed to return, saying, “I’m going to be here next year and still want to see Dr. Rose.”

Dr. Rose Mattioli will be remembered not just for her work in establishing Pocono Raceway, but for her philanthropic efforts. The Mattioli Foundation established scholarships and supported numerous charities in Northeast Pennsylvania. The track launched the Rose Pedals program in 2017, an all-women’s initiative that provides mentoring and volunteer services designed to expand opportunities for girls and women in the Pocono community.

Memorial services will be private. Dr. Rose Mattioli is survived by two daughters, Looie and Michele, and a son, Joseph III, along with seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Posted on June 30, 2020April 1, 2021 by Staff Report

The competitiveness and hard work it takes to get better is what Jake Wright loves most about racing.

After years of work trying to perfect how to get around Houston Motorsports Park, Wright’s efforts have paid off the last two seasons. In 2019 he had two wins and never finished outside of the top 5 in HMP’ Advance Auto Parts Pro Truck Series. He carried that momentum into 2020, winning the division’s opening night race last Saturday.

“It is an incredible feeling,” Wright said of his win. “Me and my team have worked so hard to get where we are in the series and it just means so much to start it out with a really good win. It‘s awesome.”

Wright has been driving at HMP — a NASCAR-sanctioned 3/8-mile banked asphalt oval in Houston — for about 12 years. It was a long road to his current track. He began racing quarter midgets in Austin, Texas when he was five years old, and then eventually moved up to bandoleros at HMP. He then moved to the Allison Legacy Series, where he admits he and his team were rusty.

That’s when he moved to the truck, where they again struggled for a couple of years before finding success last season.

“That‘s kind of why it‘s so gratifying these last couple years… that we‘ve been doing really good,” he said. “Because we look back to the past years and we haven‘t really had that much success so it‘s a really awesome feeling that we‘re finally doing good.”

Houston Motorsports Park

Wright has spent years learning as much as he could about racing, from the mechanical to the on-track aspects, which he has not only enjoyed but that dedication to educating himself has shown in his recent success at Houston.

“Learning… how I can change the line on the track or the entries, when I can get back on the gas, it‘s all very fascinating to me,” he said. “I‘ve been doing this quite a while now and it never gets old. I‘ve yet to get bored. I always have a smile on my face every time I put that helmet on and I‘m just ready to go to work.

“I really do feel like Houston is the one track that I now I feel like I have it down pretty darn good. I know my braking points, I know what a good line to run is. Seeing those other guys, what they‘re doing, how can I do it a little different? Maybe it could be better, it could be worse, just trying different things.”

Wright has also had a racing family to learn from. His dad raced quarter midgets before getting into stock cars at Longhorn Speedway in Texas in the 80s. The elder Wright quit racing when Jake Wright’s brother was born, but he supported the two brother’s dreams in the sport. Wright’s brother now works as a timing and scoring official with NASCAR.

His dad, mom, and stepmom have always been there every step of his race career.

“Having them there and having my back as much as I have theirs, it‘s a real team,” Wright said. “There‘s no other people that I would want to trade them for.”

Texas Short Track Racing Series Facebook | Instagram

Wright missed the first race of the 2019 season while the team finished getting his truck ready, which ultimately hurt his championship hopes.

This season, the title is his No. 1 goal. The start of the season was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Wright said getting back in the truck was “just like riding a bike,” and there wasn’t any rust despite going more than seven months between races.

Wright has learned a lot in his time at HMP to know how to keep the momentum going throughout the rest of the season.

“Just keeping a cool head. Don‘t get overzealous, don‘t get cocky, just run your race, keep a good head on your shoulders. You‘ll be fine, I‘ll be fine,” he said. “That‘s kind of how I look at it. As long as I stay calm, hit my marks, do what I got to do, I should be good. And if I don‘t win that night, I don‘t win that night, but as long as I do the best I could then that‘s all I care about.

“I don‘t know what it really is about racing that I like, but it‘s just everything about it is just awesome.”

Houston Motorsports Park Schedule

Posted on June 30, 2020April 1, 2021 by Staff Report

Justin Bonsignore ran away from the field in the season opener.

He won’t have as much space on Saturday.

After Bonsignore dominated the race at Pennylvania’s half-mile Jennerstown Speedway, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will celebrate the Independence Day 200 with its inaugural visit to White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, New Hampshire. The banked quarter-mile should offer fans plenty of sparks on the track, and the facility will cap the night with a fireworks show.

INDEPENDENCE DAY 200

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

The good news for teams chasing Justin Bonsignore, is that this will be the tour’s first visit to the track. So, theoretically, the Long Island driver does not have the advantage of, say going to Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, where he’s won seven of the last eight races.

The bad news is Bonsignore has shown to be pretty good on quarter-mile tracks.

He’s won the last four races at his home track of Riverhead Raceway, and seven of the last 10 races there. And he had two wins and six top fives in seven starts at New Hampshire’s Monadnock Speedway.

Throw in the fact Bonsignore has four wins, two seconds and a fifth in his last seven races on the tour dating back to last August.

Six-time tour champion Doug Coby wound up seventh is his debut as a driver/owner. But the Milford, Connecticut, driver has shown over his title runs to be unruffled by a slow start; although only with Coby’s resume would a top 10 be considered a slow start. Like Bonsignore, Coby won at Monadnock. He also has had a pair of wins at the third-mile Seekonk Speedway in Massachusetts.

Craig Lutz scored his first career win at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway and turned in a strong runner-up performance at Jennerstown. Matt Hirschman and Matt Swanson took their turns in the top five, while Calvin Carroll moved up 19 spots to pick up his first career top five.

RACING REFERENCE: 2020 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Standings

RACE FACTS

RACE	INDEPENDENCE DAY 200
PLACE	White Mountain Motorsports Park
DATE	Saturday, July 4, 2020
TIME1	7 p.m. ET
TELEVISION	Trackpass on NBC Gold (live), 7 p.m. ET; NBCSN — Monday, July 13, 12 a.m. ET
TRACK LAYOUT	Quarter-mile paved oval
EVENT SCHEDULE	Saturday, July 4 — Garage opens: 12:45 p.m. ET; Practice: 3-4 p.m.; Qualifying: 6 p.m.; Independence Day 200: 7 p.m.
TWITTER	@NASCARRoots
HASHTAG	#IndependenceDay200, #NWMT

RACE CENTER | ENTRY LIST | RACE SCHEDULE

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the Independence Day 200 is limited to 28, including provisional positions. The field will be set by qualifying (1-22) and provisional process per the entry blank (23-28) for the Independence Day 200. In the event that qualifying as stated on this entry blank does not take place for any unforeseen circumstance, the field will be set in accordance with the 2020 NASCAR Touring Series Rule Book.

QUALIFYING: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. Vehicles will be impounded after qualifying. Vehicle must qualify on race set up.

The Independence Day 200 will be 200 laps (50 miles) and is to be run without a break.

The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is eight (8) tires per team.

Posted on June 29, 2020June 29, 2020 by Staff Report

NASCAR officials announced Monday that the 2020 Cup Series Awards and Champion’s Week festivities will not occur as scheduled in Nashville in early December because of COVID-19 concerns.

In the statement, officials indicated that the year-end celebration would return to Nashville in 2021. The statement also said NASCAR’s three national series champions will be feted with postseason honors to be determined at a later date.

“With the uncertainty surrounding the Coronavirus and the impact on the industry, this year’s NASCAR Champion’s Week and NASCAR Cup Series Awards originally scheduled to take place in Nashville will not occur,” the statement reads. “The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series champions will be celebrated at the end of the season with more details to come. We look forward to returning to Nashville in 2021.”

NASCAR celebrated its season-ending awards banquet for the first time in the Tennessee capital last December. Kyle Busch savored the laurels of his second series title at the Music City Center, and the NASCAR industry embraced the new setting with burnouts on the famed Broadway strip and other music-themed activities.

NASCAR announced June 3 that the Cup Series would race at Nashville Superspeedway in 2021.