Posted on by Staff Report

Wherever the track takes him, it always leads back to the farm. In the new NASCAR docuseries “Two-Track Mind” presented by Nutrien Ag Solutions, viewers get a behind-the-scenes view into the worlds of agriculture and racing courtesy of NASCAR driver Ross Chastain.

The release of the 12-episode docuseries brings fans beyond the Chastain they see on the track for a revealing look at the family and farming community that shaped him to become one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers. In each episode, Chastain, an eighth-generation watermelon farmer, tours farms and talks to farmers across America to find inspiration that he brings to the track.

“Getting a chance to tell this story is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I can’t pass it up,” Chastain said.

Watch a clip from the docuseries above and stream the first episode via NASCAR’s YouTube channel today.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Across Hendrick Motorsports’ storied NASCAR Cup Series history, the organization has won 257 Cup races spread out among 18 different drivers that include Chase Elliott, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, Terry Labonte and Tim Richmond. The NASCAR Hall of Fame owner also has 12 premier series titles among three drivers — Gordon, Johnson and Labonte.

RELATED: Hendrick Motorsports’ team page

So, who is the best driver in Hendrick Motorsports history? Is it the driver with the most wins in Gordon? Is it the driver with the most championships in Johnson? Or is it someone completely different? NASCAR.com’s RJ Kraft and Alex Weaver debate who the top driver is at Mr H.’s place.

WEAVER: Now, you’re asking me the best driver in Hendrick Motorsports history, but my pick is much more than just an organizational best. When talking about the GOATs (greatest of all time) in other sports — names like Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali and Tiger Woods come to mind. You’d be remiss if you didn’t include Jimmie Johnson on that list. When you walk around Hendrick Motorsports, the trophies and accomplishments line every wall and corner. In the No. 48 building, there are seven trophies that shine a little brighter than all the others. Those all have Johnson’s name etched on the bottom and are ALL NASCAR Cup Series championship trophies.

Some have made the mistake of asking the California kid, “What have you done for me lately?” Yes, 2019 was rocky for the No. 48 team but, ask yourself, what has Johnson done for the sport? If the seven championships don’t give you enough of an answer, there’s always his 83 wins, his 228 top-five finishes or his 18,847 laps led throughout his career. From 2002-17, Johnson’s lowest finish was 11th in the standings. Twelve of those seasons: fifth or higher.

The demeanor and personality of “Seven-Time” has allowed him to brush shoulders and become friends with Hollywood’s biggest celebrities, hang out with the heroes of the sports world and bring publicity to the sport of NASCAR. He’s a family man, a marathon runner and a media darling. If you need a walking poster for Mr. H’s drivers, it’s Johnson. “Seven-Time” isn’t just a nickname, it personifies the mecca of what athletes hope to reach in their career, to be one of the sports’ greatest of all time.

RELATED: Relive 4-8 day to celebrate Jimmie Johnson

KRAFT: The championships Jimmie Johnson won are hard to ignore, but I’m going to go with Jeff Gordon for my pick as the best driver in Hendrick Motorsports history. For me, it starts with the peaks of Gordon’s career just being higher. Take his run from 1995-99 — arguably the height of Gordon’s powers when his partnership was in full bloom with Hall of Fame crew chief Ray Evernham. Gordon’s win totals for that stretch read: 7-10-10-13-7. He won three of his four titles over that span in seasons that were for the most part quite simply dominating displays of speed that left opponents in the dust.

Given Johnson’s titles all came in the playoff era — I won’t dispute he has been the more clutch driver as the title format has called for — his peaks of production are statistically lower than Gordon’s. Johnson won 10 or more races in a season once, while Gordon did it three consecutive seasons. Johnson led more than 1,500 laps in a season four times, while Gordon did it six times. Johnson had one season with an average finish less than 10th; Gordon had five.

The career numbers to date all favor Gordon, too: Wins (Gordon 93, Johnson 83), top fives (Gordon 325, Johnson 228), poles (Gordon 81, Johnson 36), laps led (Gordon 24,936, Johnson 18,847) and average finish (Gordon 12.5, Johnson 12.9). The season-long consistency is also a strong point in Gordon’s favor, as he has only finished outside the top 10 in points once in his last 22 full-time seasons, while Johnson has finished outside the top 10 in points in three of the last five seasons. Yes, Gordon will end up with four more full-time seasons than Johnson, but the only reachable category if you evened tenures out would be wins.

In truth, had Evernham and Gordon remained together for a few more years — not quite to the length crew chief Chad Knaus was paired with Johnson (17 years) but longer than the seven years the Gordon-Evernham duo lasted — the statistical gap would be significantly wider. But that’s a topic to be broached on another day.

Posted on by Staff Report

An industry-wide celebration of Jimmie Johnson’s contributions to stock-car racing emerged April 8 — 4/8, or #JJDay. The goal: to cherish the seven-time NASCAR champion’s career, which is set to end with his planned retirement from full-time competition after this season.

RELATED: Full coverage of 4/8 JJ Day

Several of his fellow drivers, teams, crew members and others offered their tributes on social media Wednesday, sharing personal remembrances and photos.

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Most fans know Doug Coby as a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour legend, but the six-time champion is equally as passionate about real estate and rescue dogs.

The Milford, Connecticut, native has been able to blend the latter two.

Rescue Dog Realty, the two-person real estate brokerage firm Coby owns with his sister, is involved with donating funds to Connecticut-based shelters with the commission from their closings.

“There are some really dedicated people who devote their time and their dollars to rescue dogs, the same way people do in racing,” Coby said. “The people in the shelter community really do anything possible to save as many dogs as possible.”

Coby said that some of the biggest rescues come from Tennessee and Texas.

“We know a bunch of ladies who head down south and bring the dogs back by the truckload. They foster them so people can adopt them after they‘ve been vaccinated, spay and neutered.”

In his firms six years existence, Coby estimates that over $40,000 has been donated to several shelters.

“It‘s something that makes you realize there is more to business then money and its important to give back in the community,” Coby said. “I found that the passion amongst people in the racing community is equivalent to the dog rescuers. We really are in the same breed.”

RELATED: Doug Coby Profile | Doug Coby on Twitter

Before settling into his career in real estate, Coby quit his job in the financial service sector after nearly a decade despite not having a “fallback option.” The move happened when he was looking at prospective properties for his first house.

Coby Dogs

“I was seeing a lot of junk houses,” he recalled. “I thought I could buy them and fix them. I realized during that time period I wasn‘t a handyman and that these real estate investors, or house flippers, were fixing them up and flipping them for a profit.”

While in the process of obtaining his real estate license, Coby was introduced to his future business partner, Jason Flint, while networking and befriending people in the industry.

“We hit it off and his friends have become huge Modified Tour fans,” Coby said Property Edge business partner. “He‘s the licensed home improvement contractor and I‘m on the real estate side finding and selling those homes.”

Coby is the proud “Dog Dad” to Archie, his purebred French bulldog and his adopted French bulldog/ pit bull mix Briggs. Both dogs can be found camping out with Coby at various races on Tour.

“Adopt don‘t shop,” he said. “There are literally thousands of dogs out there that need homes. I was shocked at how well-behaved most of them are. Dogs aren‘t bad by nature. They want to love people and other dogs.”

Doug Coby Marches Back To Championship Form With Sixth Title | Doug Coby Looks To Own Seventh Whelen Modified Title

Posted on by George Winkler

Seven. Eighty-three. Forty-eight.

For NASCAR fans, that combination of numbers can mean only one thing: Jimmie Johnson.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver has captivated us for more than 20 years, through seven championships and 83 NASCAR Cup Series wins, and in this, his final full-time season, we’re handing over the keys to the city and declaring April 8 (4/8) Jimmie Johnson Day in honor of the driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet.

What can we say? We’re into numbers, and NASCAR Digital and Social have a full 4/8 day of content for you to engage with (use #JJDay). Below are the highlights, but for more content throughout the day, please check out NASCAR.com and the official NASCAR accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

NASCAR Digital

Forty-eight reasons to love Jimmie Johnson: Steve Luvender offers his unique take on why people should be enamored with “Seven-Time.” From the serious (two-time Daytona 500 winner) to the humorous (he has the best beard ever) stick around for the full 48. | READ MORE

Evolution of Jimmie Johnson’s look: With 83 wins, you can’t expect every Victory Lane to look the same. Whether it was sporty shades, leather jackets or Superman capes, Johnson wore it well. Check out some of Johnson’s best looks through the years. | READ MORE

Most memorable paint schemes: Shamu, Madagascar, Dover White, patriotic, Ally’s tribute to “Butch” and the list goes on. Who’s Butch? Flip through the schemes to find out why he’s such a big friend of Jimmie Johnson. | READ MORE

This Day in Jimmie Johnson history: Lots of big days for one successful hombre — including April 8. Our resident funnyman, @nascarcasm, plots out a calendar worth of JJ Days for the entire year. | READ MORE

Face morph: Clean-shaven, stubbly, marathon-tested and, well, you get the picture. Watch Jimmie Johnson’s face change through the years. For fun, hit pause on the video and see which look you get. | WATCH VIDEO

All he does is win: Like we said, there are 83 Cup victories, and you can enjoy them all from the first in 2002 at his hometown track of Auto Club Speedway to the most recent in 2017 at Dover International Speedway to tie Cale Yarborough for sixth place on the all-time win list.  | READ MORE

Memorable moments: From early beginnings to seven-time success, relive all the milestones, including off-track moments like starting the Jimmie Johnson Foundation with wife Chandra, earning AP Male Athlete of the Year and running the Boston Marathon. | READ MORE

What drivers are saying: Brad Keselowski, Erik Jones, Aric Almirola and others in the sport share their favorite memories of Jimmie Johnson. | READ MORE

What’s Jimmie up to now: The future NASCAR Hall of Famer dishes on his iRacing adventures and if 2020 will be his final season in light of the COVID-19 pandemic putting the season on hold. | READ MORE

NASCAR Social

One of the highlights from a full day of social programming is a schedule of races that will be streamed starting at 8 a.m. ET on NASCAR’s Twitter and Facebook channels:

— 2006 Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
— 2013 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway
— 2007 Crown Royal Presents The Jim Stewart 400 (available on Team Chevy’s Facebook)

In addition, share your favorite Jimmie Johnson moment, selfie, photos and more using #JJDay and visiting the NASCAR Twitter account.

Posted on by Staff Report

“If you’re looking for a driver, you’re looking for me.”

Working as a substitute teacher while chasing his racing career, Edwards would hand out business cards with that phrase. His persistent efforts led him to Roush Fenway Racing and ultimately a NASCAR national series career that featured 72 victories — each usually capped by a celebratory backflip.

Edwards’ quick Truck Series success earned him full-time rides in both the Cup and Xfinity Series in 2005. He won his first races in each series during an early season weekend sweep at Atlanta Motor Speedway and never looked back.

Edwards finished in the top two in the Xfinity Series standings five straight years, including his 2007 championship, and amassed 38 wins over seven full seasons.

Over 13 years in the Cup Series, he won 28 races, including the Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500, both in 2015. He was the championship runner-up twice, including the closest finish in NASCAR history, losing by tiebreaker in 2011.

The fan favorite retired as one of NASCAR’s top competitors of the 21st century.

CARL EDWARDS BIO

Born: Aug. 15, 1979
Hometown: Columbia, Missouri

Championships
Xfinity – 2007

Cup Series stats
Competed: 2004-2016
Starts: 445
Wins: 28
Poles: 2
Years on Ballot: 4

Posted on by Staff Report

“The Mayor” of NASCAR.

Jeff Burton earned that nickname for his insightful perspectives on issues affecting the well-being and safety of the sport. But it was his on-track performance that fueled his 22-year Cup Series career.

The 1994 Cup Series Rookie of the Year spent the first half of his career at Roush Fenway Racing, where he experienced his most success. His first Cup win came at Texas Motor Speedway in 1997, the track’s first race. Over the next five years, Burton would win 17 times and finish in the top five in the standings four times.

In 1999, he won a career high six races, including two of the sport’s crown jewel events – the Coca Cola 600 and Southern 500.

Burton finished his career with 21 Cup wins and 27 Xfinity Series wins, one of 10 drivers to have at least 20 wins in each series.

Since 2015, Burton has served as an analyst for NBC Sports’ NASCAR coverage.

JEFF BURTON BIO

Born: June 29, 1967
Hometown: South Boston, Virginia

Cup Series Stats
Competed: 1993-2014
Starts: 695
Wins: 21
Poles: 6
Years on Ballot: 5

Posted on by Staff Report

Jake Elder may not have stayed in one place very long, but he left his mark every stop he made.

Known as “Suitcase Jake” for his propensity to switch organizations, Elder helped guide some of NASCAR’s biggest stars to Victory Lane.

After a stint as a welder for Petty Enterprises, Elder moved to Holman-Moody under the tutelage of Ralph Moody. He won the 1967 Daytona 500 as crew chief for Mario Andretti followed by consecutive championships with David Pearson.

While not formally educated, Elder knew more about building race cars than most of his peers. He had a unique style and preferred to do things his own way.

Beyond his mechanical genius, Elder had a penchant for working with aggressive, up-and-coming drivers. He helped Darrell Waltrip to his first two career victories and set him up for a Hall of Fame career. Four years later he sent Dale Earnhardt to his first Victory Lane. He led Earnhardt for the first 13 races of his 1980 championship season before, appropriately enough, packing up and moving on to his next opportunity.

JAKE ELDER BIO

Born: Nov. 22, 1936
Died: Feb. 24, 2010
Hometown: Statesville, North Carolina 

Championships (3)

Cup – 1968-69, ‘80 (crew chief)

Cup Series Crew Chief Stats

Competed: 1966-92
Wins: 43
Poles: 36
Years on Ballot: 4

Posted on by Staff Report

If you won a NASCAR Cup Series race in the 1970s or ’80s, odds are the car originated on a surface plate in Banjo Matthews’ shop.

Matthews was a master car builder who found his calling supplying cars to teams at all levels of NASCAR. His work transformed the sport, introducing custom chassis built for both speed and safety.

Matthews began his career racing and working on modifieds, driving to Victory Lane 50 times in 1954. In 1963, however, Matthews traded in his helmet, opting to focus on the mechanical side. He worked for Ford Motor Company before starting his own shop, Banjo’s Performance Center.

It was estimated that in the 70s Matthews built cars for at least half the Cup field. From 1974-85, cars built by Matthews won 262 of the 362 Cup races held (72%). In 1978, his cars won all 30 races of the season, including the third consecutive championship for a Matthews car.

It’s no wonder that Matthews was often referred to as the ‘Henry Ford of race cars.’

BANJO MATTHEWS BIO

Born: Feb. 14, 1932
Died: Oct. 2, 1996
Hometown: Akron, Ohio

Championships (3)
Cup – 1976-78 (car builder)

Year on Ballot: 5

Posted on by Zack Albert

The ballot for the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021 contains five new faces, three of whom should ring quite familiar for recent viewers. Two are fixtures on stock-car racing broadcasts; the third has largely disappeared from the public eye.

Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Carl Edwards were announced Tuesday as first-year nominees for Hall of Fame induction, joining seven other returning names on the Modern Era portion of the 2021 ballot. Their debuts as Hall candidates coincide with the first-time nominations of mechanical geniuses Jake Elder and Banjo Matthews on the Pioneer Ballot.

This year’s vote is the first under new procedures that will tap three legends for induction — two from a 10-person Modern Era Ballot for careers that began within the last 60 years and one from a Pioneer Ballot of five earlier standouts. The previous 11 NASCAR Hall of Fame classes enshrined five members each.

The returning nominees on the Modern Era side are Neil Bonnett, Harry Gant, Harry Hyde, Larry Phillips, Ricky Rudd, Kirk Shelmerdine and Mike Stefanik. Shelmerdine’s nominations are nonconsecutive (2019, 2021).

RELATED: NASCAR announces nominees for 2021 Hall of Fame Class | Photos of the nominees

The careers of the three new Modern Era nominees overlapped through years of competition in the 2000s and 2010s. Burton and Earnhardt are competitors turned colleagues as analysts in the NBC Sports booth. Edwards competed against both before his sudden retirement before the 2017 season, and it was Edwards who replaced Burton in Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 99 when the latter departed for Richard Childress Racing in 2004.

Edwards holds the most NASCAR Cup Series victories of the three newcomers to the Modern Era ballot — 28 to Earnhardt’s 26 and Burton’s 21 — but Earnhardt’s resume stacks up as potentially the strongest of the trio.

Earnhardt Jr. claimed two titles (1998-99) in what is now the NASCAR Xfinity Series, while Edwards has just one (2007) and Burton none. Earnhardt also possesses two Daytona 500 wins and was named NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver 15 times.

Burton’s crown-jewel wins include a pair of wins in the Coca-Cola 600 and one in the Southern 500. Edwards won those prestigious races one time each.

Earnhardt has remained a popular figure in retirement, joining the NBC Sports booth after his full-time driving days ended in 2017. He’s also remained involved as a thriving team owner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, a podcast host in his company’s media productions arm and a celebrant of stock-car nostalgia on social media.

Burton has kept a similar ambassador’s role since joining NBC Sports for the 2014 season. His voice resonated as an unofficial mayor of the NASCAR garage throughout his career, and his family has maintained a racing presence with his 19-year-old son Harrison now a regular in the Xfinity Series.

Edwards drew fans with his trademark backflip celebration after victories, but also with his winsome personality and a tenacious demeanor behind the wheel. The Missouri native had multiple close brushes with the Cup Series championship, most notably in 2011 when he lost on a tiebreaker in a slugfest with Tony Stewart and in his lone Championship 4 appearance under the current playoff format in 2016.

Less than two months after his final title bid, Edwards announced his stunning departure from full-time driving while in his prime at age 37. Since that emotional news conference, Edwards has made few public appearances.

The inclusion of Elder and Matthews on the Class of 2021 ballot recognizes two figures behind the successes of star drivers with NASCAR Hall of Fame credentials. They join returning nominees Red Farmer, Hershel McGriff and Ralph Moody on the Pioneer Ballot.

Elder won championships as a crew chief with both David Pearson and Dale Earnhardt, but his transient nature when it came to employment gave him his nickname — “Suitcase Jake.” Matthews enjoyed a brief career as a driver in NASCAR’s infancy before moving to a successful career as a crew chief and team owner, but his stature only grew as the pre-eminent car builder of the 1970s and ’80s.

MORE: Photos of current Hall of Fame members