Posted on by Terrin Waack

Matt Crafton hasn’t missed a Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race since 2000, when he made his NASCAR debut with a single event. The next year, he became a full-time driver. And 452 starts later, he’s still there.

Gander Trucks, for Crafton, is home.

“It’s the greatest race in NASCAR,” Crafton said at the NASCAR Awards in Charlotte, North Carolina, back in November. “Just ask all the fans to be totally honest. I remember back in 1995 whenever I used to watch truck races I was like, ‘Man, those truck races. I hopefully one day can be a part of it.’ Now that I’m a part of it and able to do it, it’s amazing.”

Not only is Crafton a part of the series, he’s a three-time champion.

RELATED: Gander Truck Series standings | Crafton secures third title

Crafton took home the title for the first time in 2013 with the help of one lone victory, seven top-five showings and an average 7.9 finish. He then went back-to-back in 2014 and improved all those marks to two wins, 13 top fives and a 7.0 average finish. His most recent championship came in 2019, when he managed to survive the playoff format and score the title without any wins. He did have seven top-five and 18 top-10 performances, though, while averaging an 8.8 finish.

There is only one driver with more Gander Truck Series championships — Ron Hornaday Jr. in 1996, 1998, 2007 and 2009 — and he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame just last year.

“I’ll worry about that when I’m all done,” Crafton said. “At the end of the day, I still have a lot left in me.”

Crafton, who drives the No. 88 ThorSport Racing Ford, is 43 years old. Hornaday completed his last full-time Gander Truck Series season in 2013 at the age of 55.

“If you think about it, back in the day with the Dale Earnhardts and Darrell Waltrips, those guys were late 40s or 50s and they were still kicking butt,” Crafton said. “It’s just the generation of a lot younger drivers that are coming up and getting the opportunity.

“To be where I’m at right now at 43, I feel very competitive and each and every weekend know I can beat them.”

Crafton has won 14 races in his Gander Truck Series career. Six were in 2015 alone, but he placed third that season overall. He has finished top five in the final standings 10 times.

Also on his resume are two Cup Series (2015 and 2019) and four Xfinity Series (2013-14) starts. Those tallies look insignificant when compared to the triple digits reached in the Gander Truck Series. And that number is only going to continue to grow considering Crafton has no plans on retiring any time soon, nor is he really looking to switch circuits.

“It’s been 19 years,” Crafton said. “I’d say I’m here to stay.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Jimmie Johnson grew up as a California boy racing whatever he was allowed to drive. In only his 13th start, he secured his first NASCAR Cup Series win at his home track, California Speedway in Fontana, California.

The 2002 season was Johnson’s rookie run, and his numbers for a newcomer were strong. Johnson started from the pole four times during his rookie season, including the Daytona 500, Talladega Superspeedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. He also achieved three wins, six top fives and 21 top-10 finishes driving for Rick Hendrick.

RELATED: Johnson through the years | Johnson sets retirement date

Johnson has lit the NASCAR world on fire during his career. His nickname is “Seven-Time” after winning seven NASCAR championships, and with a year left in the NASCAR Cup Series, he will go down as one of the greatest of all time.

In this full race replay, relive Johnson’s first-ever NASCAR Cup Series win in which he held off Kurt Busch to cross the finish line with a 0.62-second advantage to take home the NAPA Auto Parts 500 trophy.

Posted on by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: How to find NBCSN | Get the NBC Sports App | How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App

Monday, December 16
4 a.m., Twin Turbos: NASCAR Dreams – Joey Logano (re-air), Discovery Channel
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive, FS1/FOX Sports App
7 p.m., Unrivaled: Earnhardt vs. Gordon (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App

Tuesday, December 17
3 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App

On MRN
7 p.m., NASCAR Live

Posted on by Staff Report

This has been quite the busy week for John Hunter Nemechek.

On Tuesday, it was announced that he will drive the No. 38 Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series and compete for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors with Front Row Motorsports in 2020.

RELATED: Nemechek readies for rookie battle | Front Row sets 2020 lineup 

On Saturday, the driver revealed via social media that he is now engaged to Taylor Stier. Congrats to the couple.

Posted on by Staff Report

Team owner Joe Gibbs will add another achievement to his storied career when he’s inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame as a member of the 2020 class.

But before Coach Gibbs is honored on Jan. 31 in Charlotte, the Joe Gibbs Racing team decided to pay homage with a different kind of horsepower, creating a parody video of the popular song “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X.

RELATED: Gibbs named to NFL 100 All-Time Team | Gibbs honored with Bill France Award of Excellence

Check it out below as 2019 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Erik Jones and others trade in their race cars and fire suits for a horse and cowboy attire to recognize the three-time Super Bowl-winning coach and five-time NASCAR championship-winning owner.

Posted on by Team Release

STATESVILLE, N.C. — GMS Racing announced Friday their crew chief and number lineup for their four full-time NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series entries for the 2020 season.

Chad Norris has been named crew chief for Brett Moffitt and the No. 23 Chevrolet team, Chad Walter will lead Tyler Ankrum and the No. 26 team, Kevin “Bono” Manion will call the shots for Zane Smith, who will drive the No. 21 entry, and Jeff Stankiewicz will remain as the crew chief for the No. 2 team piloted by Sheldon Creed.

RELATED: 2020 Gander Trucks schedule

Norris has been with the Statesville, N.C.-based organization for two years. He led GMS Racing to their first NASCAR Xfinity Series win with Spencer Gallagher at Talladega Superspeedway in 2018. The Iowa native has experience in all three NASCAR Series and has called the shots for many successful drivers such as Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin. Most of his experience came in the Xfinity Series where has called the shots for 23 different drivers and has accumulated four wins, 39 top fives, 132 top 10s and five poles.

Walter, who served as an engineer for Ankrum last year, will step up to lead the team. Walter is no stranger to the crew chief role, he has served as a crew chief in seven Cup Series and 208 Xfinity Series events since 2005 for Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and many others. In 208 Xfinity Series starts he claimed five wins, 42 top fives, 101 top 10s and eight poles.

MORE: Key figures in Silly Season moves

Manion has called the shots atop the pit box for many notable top-name NASCAR drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and many others. Over all three NASCAR series, Manion has accumulated five Cup Series wins, 27 top-fives, 65 top-10s, and 10 poles, 15 Xfinity Series wins, 36 top-fives, 53 top-10’s, and nine poles, two Xfinity Championships with Martin Truex Jr. in 2004 and 2005 and four Gander Trucks wins, 16 top fives, 28 top 10s and one pole.

Stankiewicz will remain as crew chief for Sheldon Creed after the team hired him on partway through the 2019 season. The duo accumulated seven starts, two top fives, four top 10s, and led 36 laps. In 2018, Creed won four races and earned 11 top-five, 12 top-10 finishes and three poles with Stankiewicz atop the pit box en route to the 2018 ARCA championship. Stankiewicz was previously with GMS Racing from 2015-2017 and led the team to an ARCA Championship in 2015 with Grant Enfinger.

“All four of our teams have veteran crew chiefs to lead the way and I don’t think we could get a better group,” said Mike Beam, President of GMS Racing. “All of them have the knowledge and experience to lead each of their teams to success this year and I am excited to see what they can do.”

Posted on by Jonathan Merryman

When Dale Earnhardt Jr. asks for something, you just don’t sit on your hands. You do it.

Earnhardt, who was on hand at North Wilkesboro in early December to prep the speedway for iRacing’s highly anticipated scan and digital build-out took to Twitter and asked for any photo or videos to help the iRacing team recreate the magic of Wilkesboro in 1987.

https://twitter.com/DaleJr/status/1204493168890327046

NASCAR.com answered the call with not just one, but two full race replays from North Wilkesboro Speedway from 1987.

RELATED: Dale Jr., crew clean up North Wilkesboro for iRacing scan

The 1987 First Union 400 was run on Sunday, April 5, 1987 and won by Dale Earnhardt Sr. Earnhardt dominated the day, leading 319 of the 400 laps after taking the lead early from Bill Elliott.

2019 Nwilkesboro Main2The fall race at Wilkesboro that year was a bit of a redemption story for Terry Labonte. Labonte, who took pace laps in the spring and was replaced by Brett Bodine for that race came back to Wilkesboro with a vengeance winning the Holly Farms 400 on October 4, 1987. Earnhardt would finish second this day.

With all that said, it’s time to sit back, relax and take in all of what North Wilkesboro Speedway had to offer in 1987 as we all wait patiently for iRacing’s retro build of one of NASCAR’s most legendary tracks.

Posted on by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. (December 12, 2019) – Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) announced today that longtime motorsports owner and visionary Felix Sabates will retire from the sport in 2020. Sabates, 74, founded SABCO Racing in 1987 and joined forces with current Owner Chip Ganassi in 2001, where it became known as Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.

The duo combined to field cars in NASCAR’s top two divisions of competition and produced 43 total wins, including the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400, and nine trips to the NASCAR Playoffs. Both cars driven by Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson won races in 2019 and made the post-season, with Larson advancing to the Round of 8 – the furthest a CGR car has ever advanced since the playoff system began.

In addition to NASCAR, Sabates and Ganassi fielded entries in IMSA, where they won seven championships, 64 races, including a record eight Rolex 24 At Daytona races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring.

NOTES OF INTEREST:

  • NASCAR Involvement: For decades, Sabates has been a trusted community leader throughout the Charlotte region for a myriad of reasons, but most notably because of his business, civic and philanthropic endeavors for over 40 years.  This fun-loving Cuban-American also is one of the most widely known and respected team owners in the NASCAR garage — a result of his over 30 years in the sport, his keen business sense, his close relationship with the France family and most of all because he is simply a “good guy.”
  • Ventures in Other Sports: Sabates, who has been a Charlotte resident since 1963, has always had a soft spot in his heart for sports. In 1988, he became an original owner of the Charlotte Hornets basketball team and played a key role in negotiating with the NBA to grant Charlotte a franchise. He also is the only person who had ownership in the original Hornets to still have an ownership stake with Michael Jordan in the Charlotte Hornets. He also has been an owner of the East Coast Hockey League’s Charlotte Checkers, which won the league championship in 1995. In addition, in the early 1980s, he started the first indoor professional soccer team and was one of the first investors of the World Football League.
  • Philanthropy: Sabates is well known for his many philanthropic contributions and has received several honors and awards for his generosity. Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina has named its dining hall after him, Elon College and UNC Charlotte bestowed upon him Honorary Doctorate degrees and he received a “Special Blessing” in writing from Pope John Paul II. Sabates became a member of the philanthropic Dream Makers Society of the Boys and Girls Club of Broward County, Fla., in recognition of his 12-year commitment to and support of special fundraising events. In his honor, the Felix Sabates Athletic Center was dedicated in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in November 2000. The facility is the largest Boys and Girls Club in the state. He also is a large contributor to the Levine Children’s Hospital, which bears a special plaque in his honor is in the main lobby. Sabates has contributed much money to and served on the board of Atrium Health Care system for over 30 years while also being a member of the Atrium Health Foundation Board.

QUOTEBOARD:

  • Chip Ganassi, Owner, Chip Ganassi Racing: “Where do you even begin to describe Felix Sabates? He’s done so much for the sport of racing. I teamed up with him almost 20 years ago, and he’s been a great business partner and an even better friend. In that time, the only thing we’ve had an argument over was who was picking up the tab at dinner. Felix helped me develop as an owner as well as an individual. His track record in this sport certainly sets the bar high for anyone that follows. I’m proud to call him a friend and wish him all the best.”
  • Felix Sabates, Co-Owner, Chip Ganassi Racing: “I look back to the 1980s when I first started in this sport, and I can tell you that the landscape has really changed. It’s been challenging at times, and tremendously rewarding watching the sport grow. When I started the NASCAR team, it was just a different time —a smaller regional sport. Then NASCAR grew and grew into a big business and continued to grow after my partnership with Chip. I’m proud of what I’ve done over the last 30 years. I have friendships that will last a lifetime. I hope that what I have tried to give back to the sport — whether it be bringing NASCAR to Mexico or being instrumental in starting the sports car program with Chip — will be equal to what the sport has taught and given me. I’ve always said that I never wanted to be an old man walking around at the track; this is my way of honoring that commitment I made to myself years ago. I wish Chip and his teams all the success in the world and will be keeping a close eye on the sport from afar and maybe even make an appearance from time to time.”
Posted on by Staff Report

If your last name is Busch and you race in NASCAR’s top level, odds are you are a pretty aggressive guy. Kurt Busch is no exception.

RELATED: Busch through the years | All of Busch’s Cup Series wins

Busch racked up four wins in his sophomore season (2002) and paired that with 12 top fives and 20 top 10s. The marquee win for the then-Roush Fenway Racing driver came at Bristol Motor Speedway in the spring, holding off Jimmy Spencer, a driver who would eventually punch Busch in the face a year later.

Bristol has been a good track for Busch. He has six total wins at the “Last Great Coliseum,” making it his best track by the numbers.

Relive Busch’s first career NASCAR Cup Series win in the full race replay below.

Posted on by Zack Albert

An already crowded and highly touted Sunoco Rookie of the Year class just got another talented entrant.

John Hunter Nemechek joins Front Row Motorsports’ driver lineup for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series, marking his first full season in the organization’s No. 38 Ford, teamed up with veteran Michael McDowell. But the contest within the larger competition will be hashed out among a capable group of NASCAR Xfinity Series graduates ready for their first Cup Series campaigns.

RELATED: McDowell, Nemechek secure Front Row Motorsports rides

That microcosm includes last year’s Xfinity “Big 3” of two-time champ Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Cole Custer, all three of whom racked up multiple wins and advanced to the championship round in 2019. Now enters the rookie candidacy of Nemechek, who is aware of the challenge ahead.

“It’s going to be a tough task,” said Nemechek, who ranked seventh in the final Xfinity standings for GMS Racing last season. “I mean, the Big 3 was definitely very sporty this year in the Xfinity Series, but being able to go to the Cup Series, it’s a whole different ballgame. You never know what can happen. Guys may wreck out; guys may finish well. Who knows if any of us in the rookie class will win, but I definitely feel like it’s going to be who can have the best average finish and being consistent. That’s what it comes down to, being able to maximize your performance and results and just have solid finishes all year.

“That’s my goal. Take what the car will give us and if we can increase it by a few spots, then great, but we’re not going to go out there and try to run fifth and wreck it when we have a 10th-place car. Just something that I’ve had to learn the hard way over the past couple years, but overall the opportunity with Front Row is pretty special to put my name in the rookie class with the Big 3.”

RELATED: 2020 Cup Series schedule | Key plays in NASCAR’s Silly Season

Nemechek received his first taste of NASCAR’s top division last season under unfortunate conditions. Matt Tifft, then a rookie for Front Row, suffered a seizure during Martinsville Speedway’s race weekend in October, an ailment that sidelined him for the rest of the season. NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series champ Matt Crafton was a late-hour substitute for Tifft at Martinsville, but the team opted to give 22-year-old Nemechek an audition for the final three races of the season.

The rookie kept it clean in all three events, notching a best result of 21st place in his series debut at Texas Motor Speedway. But the fill-in duty also gave Nemechek a head start on adapting to Cup Series competition and building chemistry with crew chief Seth Barbour for his rookie voyage.

“Any experience is valuable experience,” Nemechek said. “Being able to run those three races, it’s not the circumstances that I wanted it under with Matt, but at the same time, it gave me an opportunity. It’s been great to be able to have a few solid finishes. … Overall, just being able to learn, communicate and working with a crew chief for three races before kicking off at Daytona (International Speedway). The engineers, car chief, just the whole team in general — it’s all about communication and that’s what it goes back to.”

Adding an extra dose of special feeling to those initial Cup Series starts was the chance to race against his father, Joe, in all three events. The family duo had competed against each other in national-series races before, and in November, the two made history with appearances in all three races of the tripleheader NASCAR weekend at ISM Raceway near Phoenix.

The elder Nemechek, 56, set the all-time record for NASCAR national-series starts in the season-ending weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. That trip also provided a father-son moment worth remembering.

“It was cool. We were able to race around each other a little bit. I threw a nasty slide job on him at Homestead, and I didn’t know if he was going to lift or not,” the younger Nemechek said with a laugh. “Luckily he lifted, and I was able to clear him. But we talked about that one after the race — a lot of smiles, we were laughing about it. Any time that you can race against your dad, and the way that my dad has been a mentor, an advisor, a boss and a dad, just being able to be on the same race track with him at the top level of NASCAR is pretty amazing. …

“Not many people in other sports, from baseball to football to soccer or whatever, can say that hey, we played professional soccer or professional baseball with our dad on the same field. Pretty amazing. That’s what it goes back to in NASCAR. It’s a family sport.”