Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 2, 2020) – NASCAR and Dover Motorsports, Inc. (NYSE: DVD) have agreed to host a NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway in 2021.

“We were energized to see how excited Nashville was to host the NASCAR Cup Series banquet last December,” said Denis McGlynn, president & CEO of Dover Motorsports, Inc. “When we built Nashville Superspeedway in 2001 our goal was to one day secure a NASCAR Cup Series race for the venue. Nashville, central Tennessee and the surrounding market area is filled with passionate race fans. We are thrilled that we were able to collaborate with NASCAR and our television partners to get this done and we can’t wait to put on a great show there in 2021.

“While we have been in discussions with NASCAR for some time about the possibility of bringing the NASCAR Cup Series back to Nashville Superspeedway, plans really just became solidified in recent weeks. We will have many more announcements and exciting updates to share regarding plans for the facility shortly.”

The 1.33-mile concrete track was built in 2001 by Dover Motorsports, Inc. and hosted NASCAR- and IRL-sanctioned events from 2001 to 2011. It is situated on approximately 1,000 acres just outside of Nashville, and currently has 25,000 permanent grandstand seats and lights for night racing. The property played host to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, NTT INDYCAR SERIES and other racing series in its history.

Current NASCAR Cup Series competitors who have notched wins at Nashville Superspeedway include Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Clint Bowyer and Austin Dillon.

“Thanks to the collaboration of Dover Motorsports and our broadcast partners, we are excited to bring NASCAR racing back to Nashville, a place where the passion for our sport runs deep,” said NASCAR President Steve Phelps. “The Nashville market is a vital one for our sport, and bringing NASCAR Cup Series racing to Nashville Superspeedway will be an integral building block in helping us further deliver on our promise in creating a dynamic schedule for 2021.”

In turn, Dover International Speedway will host one NASCAR Cup Series race weekend in 2021.

“Our company is excited about the terrific opportunity to not only host a NASCAR Cup Series race weekend but opening our Nashville facility will enable us to host other exciting forms of racing and entertainment options,” said Mike Tatoian, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Dover Motorsports, Inc.

“We are also proud that our long history with NASCAR will continue at the Monster Mile in 2021, and we also look forward to hosting the 9th Firefly Music Festival next summer.”

More information about the 2021 Dover and Nashville events will be made available in coming months. For inquiries, email [email protected].

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR issued a penalty Tuesday for a lug-nut violation after Sunday’s Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was found with one lug nut not safely secured in a post-race check after Erik Jones drove the car to a fifth-place finish in the Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 at the .533-mile track.

NASCAR officials fined crew chief Chris Gayle $10,000 per Sections 10.9.10.4: Tires and Wheels of the NASCAR rule book.

RELATED: Official race results

Posted on by Staff Report

Bubba Wallace and Ty Dillon, who have been among the NASCAR drivers to comment in recent days on the ongoing civil unrest, joined together to host an insightful 30-minute conversation Monday night on Instagram Live.

“We all need to have conversations in our communities to create change,” Dillon wrote in his post before he and Wallace discussed racism, racing and their life experiences.

Other drivers also used their platforms to add to the public conversation.

RELATED: NASCAR issues statement

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Posted on by Zack Albert

The overly simplistic view might be to say that Brad Keselowski somehow lucked into his two NASCAR Cup Series victories this year, that gift-wrapping was involved and that a doubly hexed Chase Elliott personally tied the bow. After all, the element of chance also smiled on Keselowski in both starting lineup draws this season, giving his No. 2 Ford the No. 1 spot each time.

“It’s nice to catch some of those breaks,” Keselowski admitted after his Sunday visit to Bristol Motor Speedway’s Victory Lane, but he noted that something still matters about being in contention, being in a proper position to pounce at opportunities when they unfold. It happened last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It happened Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway. It may happen when his status as NASCAR’s top free-agent prospect is finally resolved for 2021 and beyond.

RELATED: Keselowski wins Bristol | Cup Series standings

Opportunity might be the story of Keselowski’s season so far, as he adds to Team Penske’s series-leading victory tally with a right-place, right-time strut. Riding two wins in a three-race span have the 36-year-old veteran and new crew chief Jeremy Bullins building their case as early championship players, even as the questions persist about his future, about whether his hot streak will solidify his long-term place at Team Penske or boost his market value for a ride elsewhere.

Keselowski hears the questions, dutifully answers and insists he’s tuning it all out.

“I haven’t put that much thought into anything other than competing and winning and wanting to be in a spot to compete and win for a long time,” Keselowski said. “I don’t let it be a distraction. I can’t always speak for others. The experience I’ve had with the team, they’re not either.”

Bullins, installed in the offseason as Keselowski’s new point man on the No. 2 team, has also heard the questions. He heard them again Sunday and said it’s something he and his driver have addressed. Even as uncertainty abounds, their mission remains fixed on staying the course.

“He and I have talked a lot about it,” Bullins said. “We both have said it’s not going to be a distraction to what we’re doing. If we keep having days like this, it won’t matter anyways.”

Days like Sunday were awfully similar to the previous Sunday, when Keselowski arose to lead the final five laps of the Coca-Cola 600. Elliott’s pre-overtime trip to pit road surrendered that perch to Keselowski for the final stretch, and the former champ didn’t buckle. Sunday at Bristol, Keselowski’s inheritance came from Elliott’s late-race clash with Penske’s Joey Logano, a shunt that handed him the lead for the final three laps.

MORE: Chase Elliott, Joey Logano collide late at Bristol

Part of what put Keselowski there wasn’t just his skill or the strength of his cars, but the team’s resilience, even when other drivers spent more time in front.

“I think that means everything,” Bullins said. “The fact that we know that we just have to keep Brad in the fight, keep him in position to where he can make something happen.  I think if we do that, if we can manage to do that throughout the day, he’s certainly not going to give up. I think our team has shown just how strong he can be when you put him in the right position. We’ve been able to do that a couple times.”

It has been eight years since Keselowski hoisted the Cup Series trophy for the first time, back when he drove a Penske-owned Dodge and when “Gangnam Style” became a thing. NASCAR’s playoff format and race structure have undergone two major changes in that time, and Keselowski has stacked 23 more Cup Series wins onto what has become a Hall of Fame-worthy resume.

RELATED: Team Penske wins by driver | All of Brad Keselowski’s Cup wins

He has waited the better part of a decade to reprise his boozy celebration from an outsized pilsner glass on ESPN’s SportsCenter. Now in a contract year and with team chemistry growing, 2020 might present a prime opportunity for a second swig.

“We’re all just really happy for each other’s success,” Keselowski said. “We’re there to pick each other up when things aren’t going our way and somebody is having a bad day. I think that’s what great teams do. This is turning into a great team. I’m super, super proud of them. I’m proud to be a part of it. I’m driving my butt off. Sometimes I think I might be driving a little bit too hard. So far it’s been paying off.”

The ultimate payoff may be long-term job security at Team Penske or a lucrative gig with another high-caliber organization.

Just don’t say he lucked into it.

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

Noah Gragson isn’t in the business of wrecking teammates for victories, but he’s also not going to let a chance at victory slip away without a fight.

Gragson was in the second position lined up alongside JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier for a restart with seven laps remaining in the scheduled distance of Monday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Allgaier charged out to a slight lead over Gragson as the laps dwindled, but a minor slip-up by Allgaier allowed Gragson to mount a final challenge.

That’s when the plot thickened, as Gragson powered to the bottom lane to push past Allgaier. The pair raced side by side for a half lap before Gragson’s No. 9 Chevrolet broke loose into Turn 1, sliding up to make contact with Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevrolet. Allgaier went up the 36-degree banking, hitting the outside wall before sliding back down and spinning hard into the inside fence on the backstretch.

RELATED: Official race results

From Gragson’s perspective, it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up despite the risk of upsetting a counterpart.

“(Allgaier) slipped up in 1 and 2 when I was running him down and that allowed me to get inside of him,” Gragson said. “I wouldn’t have gotten to him if he didn’t slip up. Got into him going into 1 and 2 and just got loose underneath him.

“I don’t make excuses. I take responsibility. I apologize for the 7 car, but I’m here to win races for the No. 9 team and they put in way too much effort for me to ride around and finish second.”

RELATED: Noah Gragson apologizes to No. 7 team, Justin Allgaier

While Gragson hung on for his second triumph of the 2020 season after an overtime restart, Allgaier was unable to finish the race despite leading a race-high 156 laps, placing 18th. The veteran JRM driver admitted to his mistake, but it didn’t change the fact he left the .533-mile Tennessee track frustrated.

“The team did a great job getting us track position we needed,” Allgaier told PRN after the incident. “I’m more mad at myself for making a mistake and getting off the bottom, but yeah, we got wrecked.”

Gragson passed by Allgaier after his victory celebration.

“I saw him and he said he would talk to me later,” Gragson said. “We are a family over at JR Motorsports and that’s not my goal is to tear up race cars, but I had the opportunity. The opportunity is there. The opportunity can slip away and I want to damn well take advantage of it.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. I take full responsibility for getting loose underneath him, that’s a fact. One thing you can’t say is I’m not aggressive and I’m not going to try. I’m sure he probably owes me one, but you don’t slip up the lap before and I don’t get to you and you drive off to victory. Don’t mess up, I guess.”

While Gragson showed some remorse for ending his teammate’s night early, he didn’t back down from his stance on leaving it all out on the track, noting he’d be unable to look his crew members in the eyes if he didn’t make the aggressive effort.

“I have a lot of respect for Justin and the No. 7 team,” Gragson said. “All of us drivers are on the limits and I don’t know if it’s a mistake or whatnot, but it ended bad for him unfortunately, but still a tremendous amount of respect for him. He’ll probably race me differently, but time will tell, that’s why everyone should keep watching.

“I don’t like wrecking people. I don’t like wrecking teammates, that’s not how I race. I’m an aggressive race-car driver, and when you’re battling for wins, I guess (expletive) happens. … I leave it all out on the track, and it is what it is.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

Noah Gragson held off Chase Briscoe after an incident with his JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier to earn his second victory of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season in a frantic finish to the Cheddar’s 300 presented by Alsco at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Gragson’s No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet edged Briscoe’s No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford by a mere .328 seconds for Gragson’s second victory of the season, matching his winning work in the Daytona International Speedway season opener. And his victory Monday night on the high-banked Bristol half-miler was equally as dramatic as the three-way finish he prevailed in at the big speedway this past February.

RELATED: Teammates make contact late | Official race results

Allgaier, who led a race-high 156 of the 303 laps, was leading the field when 21-year-old teammate Gragson caught up, pulled alongside and ultimately made contact, sending Allgaier’s No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet into the wall and out of the race for an 18th-place finish. It marked the third consecutive Bristol race Allgaier has led at least 100 laps and didn’t celebrate in Victory Lane.

“I really apologize to Justin and the 7 team, that’s not how I want to race but I saw a position open up, he kind of slipped off the bottom the lap before and I tried to get to the bottom and I just got too loose,” Gragson said. “But one heck of a night for this 9 team.”

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Brandon Jones and pole-sitter Harrison Burton finished third and fourth, respectively, followed by Myatt Snider, who rallied to a fifth-place finish after starting 22nd.

Daniel Hemric, Brandon Brown, Jeremy Clements, Josh Williams and A.J. Allmendinger rounded out the top 10 in order.

With their top-four finishes at Bristol, Gragson, Briscoe, Jones and rookie Burton have qualified for the first round of the four-race Dash 4 Cash incentive program that begins next weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The highest finisher among those four in the Atlanta race will win an additional $100,000 and automatically earn a spot to try again for another big payday at the next race.

“Last year I don’t know if we ever qualified one time for it, this year is a whole new ballgame and I’m showing up to win races,” Jones said. “I think we’re going to be a competitor when we come to tracks that are eligible.”

Bristol’s early stage wins went to both Gragson (Stage 1) and Allgaier (Stage 2), with Allgaier really taking control of things around the race’s midpoint.

Several race favorites were taken out in a typically hard-nosed style of racing that comes at the famed Bristol high-banks with 12 caution periods for 85 laps.

RELATED: Ross Chastain spins, makes contact with Austin Cindric, Michael Annett

Two drivers among the championship top five coming into the event, Ross Chastain and Austin Cindric, made contact a mere six laps into the race, ending Cindric’s day and damaging Chastain’s Chevrolet enough to hamper him the rest of his night. Cindric finished 36th of 37 cars, and Chastain was 28th.

The melee dropped Cindric from second place in the standings to sixth place — now 56 points behind leader Briscoe. Gragson’s victory moved him up to second in the standings, only nine points behind Briscoe. Chastain is fifth, 52 points back from the series standings lead.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series moves to the 1.54-mile Atlanta track for a doubleheader with the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series on Saturday.

Posted on by NASCAR Statement

“The NASCAR family like so many others is hurt and angered by the immensely troubling events that have taken place across our country in recent weeks. For us to heal and move forward as a nation, we all need to listen more and be united in the stand against racism, hatred and senseless violence and loss of life. And we must all hold ourselves accountable to driving positive change.

While our sport has made progress over the years, there remains much work to be done and we fully embrace our responsibility to help bridge the racial divide that continues to exist in our country. We must do better and our commitment to promoting equality and inclusion continues and will never waver.”

Posted on by NASCAR.com

Name: Paul
Current City: Moody, Alabama
Member Since: 2016

Getting to know Paul:
​
Q. ​ How did you first become interested in NASCAR?
“My grandfather took me to a Talladega race when I was 8 years old in the fall of 1988. I was of course a Davey fan being from Alabama, but someone handed me a Mark Martin poster and I hung it on my wall when I got home and pulled hard for him ever since. After that first race, I spent every Sunday afternoon when I could in my grandfather’s living room glued to the TV watching the race with him growing up.”

Q. What is your favorite part about NASCAR?
“The speed, the history, and watching it evolve with time. The different personalities and paths drivers take to make it. Watching someone come into trucks and trying to predict where they will be in a few years. Watching drivers grow and become dominant or struggle to finally succeed. There is so much more to it than just “going in circles” as some say. The whole world of NASCAR is what I enjoy, not just the races.”

Q. What is your favorite NASCAR memory?
“There are so many to choose, sitting in the orange recliner at my grandads growing up watching races, standing in a Walmart electronics center in the 90’s watching nearly a whole race while my family shopped. But my favorite is probably my most recent. Darlington was always on my bucket list of tracks and I finally got to go to a race there 2 years ago. Since Martin Truex Jr. started in the Busch Series, I had been pulling for him to make it. I have been to many races but never got to watch one of my favorite drivers win while there. So, seeing Martin pull off that win at one of my favorite tracks was one of the happiest times watching racing.”

Q. Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?
Drivers: “Martin Truex Jr, Ryan Blaney, and Landon Cassill.”
Tracks: “Talladega, Darlington, Watkins Glen, Atlanta.”
Sponsors: “I don’t have one single favorite, but a few that pop into my head when I think NASCAR like STP, Bass Pro, and the old Valvoline and Havoline cars.”

Q. What are some of your hobbies?
“Hunting and fishing when I am not at the softball fields watching my daughter.”

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

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

Posted on by Zack Albert

Bristol Motor Speedway has long been built on atmosphere. The eggshell-anticipation that comes with the Colosseum theme of full-contact racing. The noise that echoes off the grandstands and surrounding hills, giving it the Thunder Valley nickname. The roar that erupts from the bleachers when tens of thousands react to the almost inevitable short-track drama.

The speedway — no dummies — markets that bottled-up emotion to the hilt. Sunday, with COVID-19 safety restrictions still in place, there was no admittance save for essential personnel. It didn’t stop a handful of hearty faithful from parking outside to soak in a whiff of it — sounds only and sights unseen.

RELATED: Keselowski prevails | Elliott, Logano clash

Sunday’s Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 brought back many familiar ingredients to the “It’s Bristol, Baby” formula that built the place. Never mind that the track was very nearly built in the nearby Piney Flats community, and that the slogan “It’s Piney Flats, Baby” wouldn’t have quite the same ring.

Digressions aside, shades of the Bristol that brought people clamoring for more emerged Sunday. Crumpled sheet metal and equally damaged egos were commonplace, and winner Brad Keselowski was one of the few who left the .533-mile bullring smiling.

It was dynamic, just far, far quieter.

“Early on in the race everybody was hitting each other. It carried in all the way to the end,” said Keselowski, who sprang up to lead the final three laps. “Some people ran me over. I probably ran some people over. Everybody is mad at everybody going into Atlanta next week.”

NASCAR’s five-race return since the pandemic outbreak has been heavy on drama and subplots. Besides the unique situation of racing under new public-health protocols, the addition of shorter midweek races has ramped up the urgency to gain ground wherever possible. Darlington’s second event erupted with a Chase Elliott vs. Kyle Busch confrontation, and Charlotte’s pair of races came loaded with heartbreak then redemption for NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver.

Bristol stood next as a likely candidate to add more pressure in the cooker. The track’s calling card was already close-quarters racing, but NASCAR’s reduced-downforce package for its shorter venues in 2020 meant a greater challenge. Holding the event without practice or qualifying produced more variables, and the addition of PJ1 traction compound to the lower lanes in the turns offered grooves, options and possibilities as the race’s complexion evolved.

As the daytime start progressed to evening, the cream rose and the specter of late-race contact among some of the sport’s heavyweights came through. Elliott was again at the center of that crescendo, with Joey Logano as his rival this time, and both of their cars cramming together into the Turn 3 wall with fewer than five laps remaining. They dismounted and argued, with reasonable social distance and through face masks, but oddly without any crowd buzz to stoke the confrontation. Piped-in cheers and jeers just wouldn’t have done the trick.

That’s where the long-range hopes come in. Bristol’s annual night race remains one of the best tickets on the Cup Series schedule, an event that mixes all of Sunday’s recipe essentials under the glare of bright lights. In a delicious wrinkle, those ingredients move this year from mid-August to a September date in the NASCAR Playoffs with elimination from the postseason picture in the balance. Same formula, higher stakes.

“More of the same. That’s Bristol, man,” said runner-up Clint Bowyer, who likened the place to I-70 Speedway in Missouri, a short track entrenched in his racing roots. “Just like this place. They called it the action track. When you pull in here, you know all hell’s going to break loose. You don’t know where it’s coming from, where it’s going to be, how it’s going to be, who is going to be the benefactor, who is going to leave pissed off.

“That’s short‑track racing at its best. Nobody does it better than Bristol.”

It’s an atmosphere that the faithful fans parked outside Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday can hopefully feel, hear and see when September arrives.

Posted on by Data Skrive

Ryan Preece finished 12th in the Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday after heading into the race with an average finish position of 27.4.

Preece’s result added 25 points to his season total.

Preece started in 33rd position. The third-year driver has collected one top-five and three top-10 finishes in his career.

Sunday marked Preece’s second career start at Bristol Motor Speedway. He’s completed both of those races, but has not had a top-10 finish at the track.

The Berlin, Connecticut native began the race four spots behind his career mark of 28.9, but finished 17 places ahead of his career average of 29.1.

Preece raced against 40 other drivers on the way to his 12th-place finish. The race endured 17 cautions and 102 caution laps. There were 21 lead changes.

Brad Keselowski secured the win in the race, and Clint Bowyer finished second. Jimmie Johnson crossed the finish line third, Kyle Busch secured fourth, and Erik Jones grabbed the No. 5 spot.

Chase Elliott got off to a great start in the race, winning Stages 1 and 2, but couldn’t hang on to secure the race victory.

Ryan Preece Driver Page | Get Preece Gear | Race Center