Posted on by Staff Report

The fans have spoken. Justin Allgaier has been named the NASCAR Xfinity Series Most Popular Driver for the first time.

Allgaier, 33, takes the mantle from former teammate Elliott Sadler, who had won the fan-voted honor for three consecutive years. Sadler retired from full-time racing following the conclusion of the 2018 season, paving the way for Allgaier’s ascension in the voting this year.

RELATED: Relive Allgaier’s clutch win at ISM Raceway

The driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet finished fourth in the final Xfinity Series standings after making it to the Championship 4 for the third time in four years. His victory in the penultimate race of the year at ISM Raceway in Phoenix clinched a spot in Miami, where he finished 14th.

Allgaier is known for his affable attitude and fan-friendly demeanor. He often is surrounded by wife Ashley and daughter Harper on pit road before strapping in.
The veteran finished the year with that one win in Phoenix, 16 top-five finishes and 24 top 10s in 33 races. He’s up to 11 wins all time in the Xfinity Series.

The award for Allgaier continues an eight-year run for JR Motorsports drivers. Other former JRM drivers to earn the honor during that time include Sadler (2016-18) Chase Elliott (2014-15), Regan Smith (2013) and Danica Patrick (2012).

Posted on by Marissa Fuller

Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019 marked a significant day on the NASCAR calendar, one that demonstrated the true power and scope of the sport.

Amidst the excitement of the start of the holiday season, and the kickoff to our first-ever NASCAR Champion’s Week in Nashville, members of the NASCAR community across the country paused for a moment and celebrated the national Giving Tuesday observance by participating in The NASCAR Foundation’s third-annual Speedy Bear Brigade.

Volunteers from various areas came together to deliver The NASCAR Foundation’s Speedy Bears to local children’s hospitals and clinics in racing communities.

The initiative has grown from 14 participating locations in its first year to more than 30 locations coast-to-coast in 2019, surpassing a total of 2,500 Speedy Bears delivered to children spending the holiday season in the hospital.

This year, the effort even expanded as far as Alaska and into Canada. And it will take the national stage when 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch makes a stop at a children’s hospital as part of Champion’s Week in Nashville.

Each Speedy Bear delivery takes on a life of its own — generating a multitude of stories demonstrating the impact this effort has not only on the children who receive the bears, but also on the volunteers who participate.

NASCAR driver Jennifer Jo Cobb joined Kansas Speedway to kick off the campaign by visiting the University of Kansas Health System.

In the Charlotte area, NASCAR drivers Austin Cindric, John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Vargas, Chase Cabre, Gracie Trotter and  Nick Sanchez joined volunteers from the NASCAR offices in Charlotte and Concord, as well as Motor Racing Network and Racing Electronics to deliver bears to four hospital locations.

ISM Raceway enlisted the help of local up-and-coming drivers Sara Houston and brothers Jagger and Jace Jones to bring Speedy Bears to children at Banner Children’s Hospital in Glendale, Arizona.

Other participating locations include: Auto Club Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Richmond Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway, Watkins Glen International, Dover International Speedway, Pocono Raceway, NASCAR Headquarters in Daytona, NASCAR New York Office, Iowa Speedway, Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway, ARCA Headquarters, Alaska Raceway, Berlin Raceway, Edmonton International Raceway, Flatrock Speedway, New Smyrna Speedway, Seekonk Speedway, Thunderbird Speedway and Toledo Speedway.

Speedy Bear deliveries will continue to take place through the holiday season and into January. Help join The NASCAR Foundation’s efforts: https://foundation.nascar.com/public/nascar/?form_id=699

Posted on by Zack Albert

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Stewart-Haas Racing announced its crew chief lineup Wednesday for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series, shaking up its pairings for all but one of its four teams.

SHR indicated that the Nos. 10 and 14 teams would swap crew chiefs, moving Mike Bugarewicz to work with Aric Almirora and the No. 10 Ford. Johnny Klausmeier will shift over to pair with Clint Bowyer and the Stewart-Haas No. 14.

Rookie Cole Custer will bring Mike Shiplett, his crew chief from the NASCAR Xfinity Series, up to the No. 41 Ford for his first full season in the Cup Series. The only SHR pairing that remains intact is Kevin Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers, who have teamed up with the No. 4 entry since 2014.

RELATED: Catch up on latest Silly Season news

“It’s all in an effort to get better,” Bowyer said Wednesday during availabilities at the Music City Center, site of Thursday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards. “It’s just not normal for me, even as long as I’ve been doing this, to think it’s not just those four tires, steering wheel and a throttle pedal. To find success, the success is in the people. It’s still hard to find that chemistry, and as long as I’ve been doing it, it’s all about chemistry and finding the right people and the right match to find the success on a consistent basis, and obviously all that’s in an effort to make that better. “

Three of Stewart-Haas Racing’s teams qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs last season, with Harvick driving all the way to his third straight Championship 4 appearance. Almirola made an exit in the Round of 16 and Bowyer was ousted from contention in the Round of 12. Daniel Suarez, Custer’s predecessor in the No. 41, did not qualify for postseason eligibility.

All four SHR entries made the playoffs and won races in 2018. This season, Harvick was the only Stewart-Haas driver to scratch the win column.

PHOTOS: See every 2019 race winner

“Everybody in management talked a lot about the changes, and talked about how do we make everybody in the organization better, and quite honestly to be transparent, how to make everybody kind of step up to the level of the 4 team inside our four walls,” Almirola said. “They felt like this would be a good move to shake things up between the 14 and the 10 team and create a new dynamic and see if that sparks some better performance.”

Said Harvick: “I think the expectations are to be competitive with all four cars like we were last year. Obviously, this year I don’t think everybody met those expectations and I think that that obviously sends a message. … That’s definitely an indication that we have to make those position changes matter and get things back to where we were the year before.”

RELATED: Final series standings 

SHR brass chose to leave the long-running grouping of Harvick with Childers untouched. That tandem has produced 26 victories, the 2014 championship and five Championship 4 appearances in their six seasons together, a level of performance that SHR hopes will translate to all four cars in 2020.

“You look at teams like Kevin and Rodney and the success they’ve had.” Bowyer said. “If you’re in meetings and things like that, it’s just, they click, you know what I mean. All the successful pairings are that way and obviously, this is an effort to find a little more of that fit factor. I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s going to be a good thing for all of us. It was the right move.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — An all-encompassing lineup representing all facets of the NASCAR industry arrives in Nashville, Tennessee, this week as the “Music City” hosts its first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards and end-of-season activities. The sport’s top drivers, including recently crowned 2019 champion Kyle Busch, will be honored Thursday night in a fittingly “Grand Ole” style to wrap up a competitive racing season and celebrate a year of achievement for drivers, teams and the entire sport.

Grammy Award nominee and country music star Cassadee Pope will co-host the 2019 awards show alongside NASCAR on NBC’s Rutledge Wood on an evening that will feature an impressive list of special guest performers, such as country superstars Cole Swindell and Chris Janson. A full lineup of celebrities and star performers will be performing or presenting awards from Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL running back Eddie George, TV personality Kristin Cavallari and her husband, former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler, to music superstar and three-time Grammy winner Darius Rucker, who is currently touring with his popular band, Hootie & The Blowfish.

RELATED: NASCAR.com to live stream Champion’s Week events

The three-day NASCAR celebration shifts into high gear Tuesday night with a special performance crowned “NASCAR Night at the Opry” — at the famed Ryman Auditorium — where the world-renowned Grand Ole Opry will showcase a NASCAR tribute. Rascal Flatts, Henry Cho and Ashley McBride are among those scheduled to perform.

The “Burnouts on Broadway” will take place Wednesday — always one of the most popular events of the annual NASCAR Champion’s Week. At 7 p.m. ET, all 16 of the playoff drivers will hit the streets in their race cars — the sounds and action sure to be a thrilling must-see.

And throughout the three-day Champion’s Week celebration, the playoff drivers and cars will be making special appearances at various sites around the city with plenty of autograph and photo opportunities. The Fan Fest will take place at Riverfront Park from 1-9 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Wednesday and from noon-4 p.m. ET on Thursday.

The celebration culminates with Thursday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards (8 p.m. ET on NBCSN and MRN). The popular formal red carpet walk and photo opportunity will take place at the Music City Center to start the evening at 5:45 p.m. ET.

Not only will Busch receive his second Cup Series championship trophy this week, but the winner of the National Motorsports Press Association’s Most Popular Driver Award will also be announced at the banquet. Fans still have time to vote for their favorite Cup Series driver at www.nascar.com/mostpopulardriver or by using the NASCAR Mobile app. Votes on Facebook or Twitter count as double. Voting closes noon ET Wednesday.

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, won the 2018 Most Popular Driver Award. His father, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, holds the record for wins at 16. Chase’s former Hendrick teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr., took the honor for 15 years before retiring from full-time competition in 2017.

Adding to a long list of NASCAR’s A-list attendees for the formal program, Danielle Bradbery — winner of Season 4 of the “The Voice” and an Academy of Country Music New Female Artist of the Year nominee — will be a presenter. Joining her will be Roman Josi and Matt Duchene of the NHL’s Nashville Predators, country artists Frankie Ballard, Lee Brice and Clare Bowen, along with four-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion and 2019 “King of the Ring” Sheamus.

Posted on by Staff Report

With NASCAR set to kick off Champion’s Week festivities in Nashville, Tennessee, this week, the final list of presenters for Thursday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards has been announced — and it’s got a little bit of Nashville flair.

The group of highly respected celebrities ranges from NFL superstars to country music standouts to performers of the highest level on both the screen and in the squared circle.

RELATED: Full Champion’s Week schedule | TV schedule

Heisman Trophy winner and four-time NFL Pro Bowler for the Tennessee Titans Eddie George will be on hand, along with former Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler and his TV personality wife, Kristin Cavallari.

Fellow local professional athletes in Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi and teammate/Olympic gold medalist Matt Duchene are also set to present. WWE superstar and four-time World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus will also be on hand to dish out awards.

Three-time Grammy winner and multi-platinum selling country superstar Darius Rucker will make an appearance, as well as multi-talented singer/songwriters Frankie Ballard, Clare Bowen, Danielle Bradbery and Lee Brice.

RELATED: Darius Rucker to perform at Daytona 500

Previously, it was announced that Cassadee Pope will be the event co-host alongside NASCAR on NBC’s Rutledge Wood for the highly anticipated year-end awards televised on NBCSN. Singer/songwriters Cole Swindell and Chris Janson are also set to perform.

For a full schedule of Champion’s Week events, go to https://championsweek.nascar.com/.

Posted on by Team Release

Go Fas Racing is proud to announce it has re-signed Corey LaJoie to continue as the driver of the No. 32 Ford Mustang for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Both LaJoie and GFR are prepared to continue the year-to-year improvement of their program beginning with the 62nd running of the Daytona 500 in February with the addition of a new technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing.

RELATED: Catch up on Silly Season moves

“Mason (St. Hilaire) and I are excited to bring Corey back and continue Go Fas Racing’s growth with 2019 being our best year ever,” Go Fas Racing team owner Archie St. Hilaire said. “The Stewart-Haas Racing alliance should allow us to continue that progress throughout the 2020 season with all the great employees and marketing partners this team has. We couldn’t be more excited for the 2020 season to begin.”

The 28-year-old concluded his first full-time season in NASCAR’s premier series in 2019 by recording career-high statistics, including two top-10 finishes and seven top-20 results in the No. 32 entry.

“I’m really happy that we were able to work it out so I’m able to drive the No. 32 Mustang in 2020,” LaJoie said. “This group is a lot of fun to go racing with, and I look forward to utilizing these SHR cars and putting together some solid runs. We had some really good finishes in 2019, and I’m excited because with the potential we have going forward, we can make 2020 an even better year.”

The Charlotte, North Carolina, native joined the organization from TriStar Motorsports after the departure of Matt DiBenedetto at the conclusion of the 2018 season.

Schluter Systems, Keen Parts, Superior Logistics, Drydene Performance Products and many other partners from 2019 will be returning to the No. 32 car with some new partners to be announced soon.

Posted on by Team Release

STATESVILLE, NC — Halmar Friesen Racing (HFR) officials today announced plans to chase the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series championship with driver Stewart Friesen.

The ’20 season marks a new beginning for HFR and the No. 52.

RELATED: Catch up with Silly Season moves

HFR makes the move to Toyota with the support of Toyota Racing Development (TRD).

“We were all very impressed after spending time with Toyota,” Friesen said. “TRD has been welcoming to our organization. With their support, knowledge and technology, we hope to bring our team to another level.”

HFR has secured a new base of operations in Statesville, North Carolina, Trucks will be purchased through Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Tripp Bruce returns to the team as Crew Chief. Gene Nead has been signed as Competition Director.

“Through this transition, we’ve been able to retain several members of our team from last season,” Friesen said. “They’ve remained loyal to us and have new energy going into 2020.”

HFR principal Chris Larsen feels HFR has assembled a championship-caliber organization.

“The championship is our goal,” Larsen said. “Making it to the ‘Final Four’ was an accomplishment, but we’re all competitive. You want to be sitting at the head table at the series banquet. We’re working to be that team.”

Friesen, 36, enjoyed a career season on the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series in ’19, placing fourth in points and earning the first two victories of his career: on the dirt at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway in August and the ISM Raceway (Phoenix) in November.

In 23 events, Friesen’s two victories were accompanied by 12 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes.

The Canadian-born Friesen, who resides in Sprakers, New York, enters his fourth season of NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series competition.

Posted on by Track Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Three-time Grammy Award winner Darius Rucker will perform the DAYTONA 500 Pre-Race Show before the 62nd running of “The Great American Race” at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 16, the season-opening race for the NASCAR Cup Series (FOX, FOX Deportes, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Rucker, who first achieved multi-Platinum status as lead singer of the iconic pop-rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, has also earned chart-topping success as a solo artist. He has released five critically acclaimed country albums and notched nine No. 1 singles at country radio, also earning an induction into the famed Grand Ole Opry in 2012. Hootie & the Blowfish returned to the road in 2019 for their sold-out Group Therapy Tour and released Imperfect Circle, their first new album in nearly 15 years, last month.

RELATED: Buy tickets to the 2020 Daytona 500

“Darius Rucker’s appeal is massive, encompassing fans of both rock and country music, making him a perfect fit for fans attending ‘The Great American Race,’” said Daytona International Speedway President Chip Wile. “A talent like this is rare. Darius is a true American success story and we are proud to welcome him back once again.”

Fans who purchase UNOH Fanzone/Pre-Race Access for the DAYTONA 500 will be able to view Rucker’s DAYTONA 500 Pre-Race Show — as well as driver introductions — from the grass tri-oval area. A limited number of DAYTONA 500 Pre-Race Show ticket packages, available starting at $213, have been designed around Rucker’s appearance. The package includes a DAYTONA 500 ticket, UNOH Fanzone/Pre-Race Access and VIP area access to the performance. Race fans who have already purchased DAYTONA 500 tickets can add UNOH Fanzone/Pre-Race Access and VIP area access for $114. All VIP ticket packages are on sale now at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/dariusrucker.

The 62nd annual DAYTONA 500 will be Rucker’s fourth appearance at Daytona International Speedway — and his third appearance as a solo artist. In 2002 and 2010, Rucker delivered solo performances before the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and in 2003, Hootie & The Blowfish took part in the Dale Earnhardt Tribute Concert.

Tickets for the 2020 DAYTONA 500 and all Daytona International Speedway events can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Snapchat, and by downloading Daytona International Speedway’s mobile app, for the latest speedway news.

Posted on by Staff Report

Days before being feted as the 2019 Monster Energy Series champion, Kyle Busch won a title of another kind Monday night.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, in Nashville for Champion’s Week, took in the sights and sounds of WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” wrestling show and earned another title in the process.

Yes, Busch — with a helping hand (three times) from Michael Waltrip — won a WWE championship belt, the company’s “24/7” championship.

Busch and Waltrip had been shown earlier in the program as celebrity guests in the crowd, then later got involved in the action. Wrestler R-Truth, who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was the 24/7 champion, approached Busch and Waltrip and brought them onto the floor outside the ring.

Waltrip slowly unzipped his pullover to reveal a referee shirt, allowing Busch to sneak behind R-Truth and pin him for the title with Waltrip making the three-count.

RELATED: Champion’s Week schedule

The 24/7 championship is the WWE title that can be defended 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Any time, any place.

So, Busch is champion … for now.

Champion’s Week formally kicks off Tuesday in Music City, so “Rowdy” will have to be on high alert.

Editor’s note: According to the WWE Instagram account, Busch lost the championship back to R-Truth later Monday night following an R-Truth surprise pin in the dressing room area.

Posted on by Staff Report

Brad Keselowski and wife Paige have welcomed their second bundle of joy into the world, sharing a photo of their newborn daughter, Autumn, on Monday afternoon.

The couple’s first child, 4-year-old daughter Scarlett, is also seen taking in a special moment with her new baby sister.

Congratulations to the Keselowski family on their newest addition.