Posted on by Pat DeCola

While we all miss the roar of engines and on-track activity, the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series has been a sight for sore eyes, enough to whet our whistle on Sundays as we await the resumption of the 2020 NASCAR season. The racing has been compelling, drivers are super invested and the sport is picking up new fans left and right. One of the best things to come out of the first three races of the spectacle? The surprises along the way.

From Garrett Smithley and Timmy Hill becoming household names to Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. putting on a show in the closing laps of the inaugural event at Homestead-Miami Speedway we’ve found ourselves grinning for reasons we did not expect. So, with that said, which drivers have been the most pleasant surprises to come out of the series so far?

POWER RANKINGS: Who’s the top driver in the Pro Invitational Series?

NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola and George Winkler offer their picks.

DeCOLA: I already had my eye on John Hunter Nemechek through the first four races of the NASCAR Cup Series season, as he had far exceeded my expectations. An 11th-place finish in the Daytona 500 boosted his start to the campaign, and he has gotten more out of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports entry already than we’ve seen the past few years.

It seems the talent has carried over to iRacing.

Nemechek was caught up in a wreck at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but he has come on full force the past two races to catapult himself into the top 10 in the unofficial standings. The 22-year-old has handled himself like an iRacing veteran the past two weeks, leading 10 laps at Texas Motor Speedway and finishing eighth before winning his heat at Bristol Motor Speedway en route to a runner-up finish to William Byron.

A win for Nemechek feels like a legitimate possibility before this whole thing wraps up, and who knows how that’ll carry over to the real race track in the future — momentum is momentum, after all.

WINKLER: When you’re as good as Kyle Busch is at racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, it can be risky to try something relatively new to you like iRacing, because the only way to go might be down. But I don’t think Busch approaches it that way. He always has been a fierce competitor and tries to win no matter what he’s doing, so when at first he doesn’t succeed, he has the grit and determination to try, try again until he gets it right.

That’s basically what has transpired over the course of the first three races in the Pro Invitational Series. Although Busch has failed to register a top-15 finish yet, he has shown improvement — from finishing 29th in the opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway to 18th last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. His starting spots have gone from 34th at Miami to 19th at Texas Motor Speedway to sixth last week at Bristol when two heat races were used to decide everyone’s starting position.

Busch even resembled the driver who has racked up eight Cup Series wins at Bristol when he posted the fastest lap of any competitor in last week’s race on the high banks at virtual “Thunder Valley.” With virtual tracks the only option on the immediate horizon for Cup Series drivers, Busch will put in the practice time needed to keep improving and will score a top-10 finish — or even a top five, or heck, end up in virtual Victory Lane. I wouldn’t put it past him.

Posted on by Terrin Waack

Brad Keselowski has known Dale Earnhardt Jr. would one day be nominated for the NASCAR Hall of Fame since 2014. In fact, the realization hit when Keselowski tried — and failed — to take the lead from Earnhardt in the Daytona 500 that year. Earnhardt was just too good.

In this “Brad Keselowski breakdown,” the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion analyzes film of the 2014 season opener at Daytona International Speedway, solely focusing on the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

“There’s no bigger race in NASCAR than the Daytona 500,” Keselowski said. “It’s quite simply ‘The Great American Race.’ We’ve seen some great Daytona 500s over the last few decades. A couple of them stand out to me. The 1979 Daytona 500? One of the best.

“But then, there’s another one that stands out to me as one of the toughest and one of the grittiest: the 2014 Daytona 500. At the end of the day, it’ll go down as one of my favorites, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. taking home his second win in a race that was quite simply action packed from start to finish. With rain on the way, the drivers really stepped up their intensity.”

RELATED: Race results | Watch full breakdown | All of Earnhardt’s wins | Earnhardt’s Daytona 500 history

The current driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford chose four key moments in the race to break down. Keselowski starts with Earnhardt’s pass on Carl Edwards for the lead with 18 laps to go, analyzing it from the broadcast angle and from the in-car camera.

There was then a late-race restart that allowed Earnhardt to line up next to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson. Keselowski explains how Earnhardt took the top lane, with Johnson on the bottom, and used the partnership to his advantage. Earnhardt ended up on the inside with Johnson behind him, the two strongly leading the line.

The final two key moments both involved the race’s final restart on Lap 199 of 200. First, a random piece of debris landed on Earnhardt’s grill “perfectly.” Keselowski said that kind of coverage would give the car extra speed and the extra heat didn’t matter at that point. So, as the green flag waved, Earnhardt immediately pulled ahead by a full car-length. It was actually Keselowski who was originally beside Earnhardt, so he had a first-person view of Earnhardt’s acceleration.

Keselowski had one more chance to pass Earnhardt in Turn 2 — a side draft off Jeff Gordon and a push behind from Kyle Busch — but before his run could pay off, Earnhardt blocked him.

“He’s going to earn himself a Daytona 500 win with that move,” Keselowski said. “And, in my mind, he’s going to make his way into the NASCAR Hall of Fame as a two-time Daytona 500 winner. Well done, Dale. Although I’m still mad at you, nice move.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Earlier this year, as Denny Hamlin piloted his No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry to his third career Daytona 500 victory, fundamental concepts of aerodynamics were at play when his car surpassed 200 miles per hour — speeds routinely achieved by NASCAR Cup Series drivers at Daytona International Speedway.

For 500 miles on race day, the “Three Ds of Speed” — drafting, downforce and drag — each had a role in Hamlin’s historic drive to Victory Lane at the “World Center of Racing.”

In 2015, the parallels between stock-car racing and STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) inspired NASCAR to develop the motorsports industry’s first national in-school STEM program in conjunction with Scholastic. NASCAR Acceleration Nation was introduced and racing-themed learning materials, including lessons on the “Three Ds of Speed,” were distributed to elementary and middle-school classrooms across the country.

“We believe there’s no other sports league that can speak to STEM the way that we can,” said Edwin Gotay, NASCAR senior director of fan development. “NASCAR Acceleration Nation was designed to introduce children to NASCAR in an authentic way, and that’s through STEM education and making learning these subjects even more fun for kids.”

RELATED: Acceleration Nation web site

Within a few short months, more than 10,000 teachers were giving lessons on the advantages of drafting in racing and the impact of spoilers — which create downforce — on a race car’s speed. NASCAR Acceleration Nation soon became the single-most requested Scholastic partnership resource by teachers, and NASCAR and Scholastic made the resources available online.

Since the program’s inception, more than 5.3 million children have engaged with NASCAR Acceleration Nation through the Scholastic partnership and its channels.

Now with schools closed across the country in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Scholastic is featuring the NASCAR learning materials for at-home study through Extra Credit, the company’s online resource for remote learning.

As parents are challenged with keeping their kids stimulated and entertained while at home, NASCAR said its youth platform is an option for both learning and fun.

“Our fans are an extension of our NASCAR family, and right now we know that a lot of parents are looking for materials, resources, content — anything they can get their hands on to ensure their children are entertained, but also continuing to learn,” Gotay said. “We’re a fun sport, so we wanted to ensure a balance between the teaching components and games and activities on the website. Kids can work through lessons on kinetic and potential energy, for example, and then design and drive their own race car online.”

The STEM learning materials, available for download via Accelerationnation.com, are designed for students in fifth, sixth and seventh grade and divided into two primary buckets: aerodynamics and energy. Each includes individual lessons and before-and-after knowledge assessment tests.

Diane Spiga is an elementary and middle-school teacher for the St. Marys Area School District in St. Marys, Pennsylvania, and has featured the supplemental NASCAR materials as part of her classroom instruction for several years. Spiga said the materials continue to engage her students by also incorporating art and design, or STEAM.

“This program as a whole has all the components for 21st century skills and embeds all areas of STEAM into the activities as well,” Spiga said. “Every lesson had the students providing their full attention and some who had never been able to work in groups were able to have group success.”

The NASCAR Acceleration Nation website also features interactive NASCAR games, activities and printable puzzles and quiz worksheets. For those new to the sport, there are sections that help kids get to know national-series drivers and learn about its tracks and events.

“Over the years, we’ve focused on simplicity and making this program fun and easy to use,” Gotay said. “That’s especially important now given the adjustments teachers, parents and kids are having to make.”

Efforts to provide STEM resources for children have extended beyond the sanctioning body to the greater NASCAR industry. Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing have made drawing and coloring activities available for kids, and tracks like Auto Club Speedway are promoting interactive games and activities via kids clubs.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame is offering project-based learning experiences online for students in elementary school through 12th grade. The content includes lessons on the roles of crew chiefs and race engineers, along with build-a-racecar activities using recycled materials around the house.

The STEM applications aren’t limited to educational activities during this unscheduled break.

With NASCAR racing on hold due to the continued spread of COVID-19, the sanctioning body has turned to esports and simulated racing on computers — another platform popular with the next generation of fans — to help fill the void.

RELATED: How to get started in iRacing

The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series was introduced last month and features top NASCAR Cup Series drivers and retired stars like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Bobby Labonte. Thus far, three virtual races have been broadcasted nationally on FOX and FS1, attracting millions of viewers.

The next Pro Invitational Series race is scheduled for April 19 at the virtual Richmond Raceway.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Jimmie Johnson’s #OneFinalTime send-off from full-time NASCAR racing is on hiatus — as is NASCAR racing, the sports world in general and normal life in the face of a global health crisis. There are now far greater concerns than how his final Cup Series season might play out and what sort of farewell gifts the seven-time champion might receive along the way.

The perspective isn’t lost on Johnson, who took time to soak in remembrances Wednesday as the stock-car racing industry celebrated his career on 4/8 — a day that represented his car number on the calendar — as NASCAR remains on hold as it follows national health guidelines to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.

RELATED: Celebrating Johnson on 4/8 Day

NASCAR President Steve Phelps said March 17 that the sanctioning body would do “everything in our power” to complete all 36 points-paying races on the 2020 Cup Series schedule, indicating that many options were under consideration for how to fit those in. How that uncertainty might ultimately impact Johnson’s best-laid plans is also unclear.

“It’s been a popular question and I really don’t have an answer just yet, partly because I don’t know what’s going to happen in the coming months and if we’ll be able to run the full season or not,” Johnson told reporters in a Thursday morning teleconference. “I feel like I set out to make 2020 my last full-time year, but I’ve always left the door open for other racing in NASCAR and abroad for the future, and I feel like I’m still pretty much on that path.

“I am hopeful that we get our full year in and we can get back going here in a month or so or whatever the latest projected number possibly could be and that I can run the season in its entirety. I’ve just got to stay fluid at this point. I really don’t have an answer and it’s up in the air, just as so much is in the world right now.”

Johnson announced his plans Nov. 20, saying that while his full-time career in NASCAR was set to end after the 2020 Cup Series season, he still had “bucket-list” items to explore — either in stock car one-offs or other forms of racing. But that was months before the onset of the coronavirus, which has temporarily halted his final campaign just four races in.

MORE: NASCAR industry’s relief efforts

When racing does resume, Phelps said a revised schedule may entail more doubleheader Cup Series weekends or the possibility of compact, midweek events. It’s a scenario that Johnson called a “balancing act” for the series, tracks and broadcast partners, one that gets more complex as the pandemic’s effects continue to alter the schedule.

“How that happens for me, I’m totally fluid. I’m totally open,” Johnson said of a revamped 36-race slate. “I know we’re in uncharted territory here, and I’ll do my part in whatever I can and certainly support whatever decisions are made to try to get in all 36 races.”

Thus far, Johnson has done his share as a competitor in iRacing events — both in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series and in the IndyCar iRacing Challenge — offering fans a chance to see him drive on a near-weekly basis, even as real-world racing sits idle. It’s something he hopes fans will be able to savor again, once a sense of normalcy returns to this most unique of NASCAR farewells.

“For me in my final year in a Cup car, I feel more for the fans that wanted to see me at their track and experience that and have it,” Johnson said. “I mean, I know where I am, and I’m very content and fulfilled with the career I’ve had, and sure I want to be on track, and sure I want to go to these places a final time, but I feel more for the fans that aren’t having that opportunity now than I long for myself to experience it and be there, if that makes any sense.

“That’s only a small piece in the grand scheme of things when you look at the individuals that are affected by the coronavirus, the families that it’s affected, the economy, businesses, business owners. This is way bigger than me, way bigger than what was going to be my final time at these tracks, so that stuff hasn’t really even crossed my mind honestly is why I bring it up. There’s been so many other issues at hand to think about and be concerned with that I haven’t thought much about it at all being my final year and what I might be missing for myself. It’s been more about others.”

Posted on by Jonathan Merryman

In 1985, you couldn’t ask for a better duo battling it out for a win at Bristol Motor Speedway. That’s exactly what we got with Dale Earnhardt and Ricky Rudd, who combined to lead 377 out of the 500 laps in the 1985 Valleydale 500.

Rudd looked to be in control with 25 laps to go, but a late caution between Don Hume and Clark Dwyer set up a duel between Rudd and Earnhardt on the restart with 20 laps to go. Adding intrigue to the battle, Earnhardt had driven for Bud Moore prior to the 1984 season and Rudd had driven for Richard Childress prior to that season. In 1984, Earnhardt moved over to drive the No. 3 Chevrolet for RCR, while Rudd took over the No. 15 Ford for Moore.

RELATED: Race results | All of Dale Earnhardt’s wins | Other classic replays 

Earnhardt started trying to go the high side and even gave Rudd a little tap to let him know he was close by.  “The Intimidator” then went to the inside to get the lead over the course of two laps from Rudd — eventually getting the top spot with 18 to go thanks to his use of the chrome horn to move Rudd up the track and the two battled side-by-side for several laps.

In the end, it was Earnhardt who would go on to win. Rudd, who never earned a win at Bristol, went on to finish second. Earnhardt also drove the last 400 laps with no power steering, making the win that much more impressive.

Future NASCAR Hall of Famers Terry Labonte, Buddy Baker and Rusty Wallace took spots third through fifth.

Earnhardt would go on to win the summer race at Bristol in 1985 to sweep both Cup races at the .533-mile track for the first of two season sweeps at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” in his Hall of Fame career. He would win nine times at the track in his Cup career.

Check out the late-race battle between Dale Earnhardt and Ricky Rudd in this Classic Race Replay of the 1985 Valleydale 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

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