GMS Racing locks in driver-crew chief lineup for 2020 Gander Trucks season

Posted on December 13, 2019 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.

What you’ve all been waiting for… #WeAreGMS #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/E1eTzfnjKz

— GMS Racing (@GMSRacingLLC) December 13, 2019

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 December 13, 2019 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.

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.

The 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 December 12, 2019December 13, 2019 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 December 12, 2019 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.

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 December 12, 2019December 12, 2019 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.

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.”

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.”

Posted on December 12, 2019December 12, 2019 by Chase Wilhelm

Youth and experience will collide at Front Row Motorsports for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.

The Ford Performance-powered organization revealed its driver lineup Thursday as Michael McDowell will return to the No. 34 Ford Mustang, while John Hunter Nemechek will join the Sunoco Rookie of the Year battle in the No. 38 Ford Mustang. FRM will pivot back to a two-car operation.

McDowell will return with crew chief Drew Blickensderfer, while Nemechek links back up with Seth Barbour after working with him for the final three races of the 2019 season while subbing for Matt Tifft in the No. 36.

“Front Row has been getting better and better every season,” McDowell told NASCAR.com. “A big part of that this year for us on the 34 car was Drew Blickensderfer. So just having a second year with him, going back to the same race tracks and with the same package. …I feel like we can build on some of the momentum we have from last year and we’ve been able to really improve our program in the offseason.”

McDowell earned a handful of team-best marks during the 2019 season, including earning the best qualifying position from FRM at 19 races in 2019. The 12-year Cup Series driver also earned two top-five finishes, including a fifth-place finish in the 2019 Daytona 500.

“Michael is a veteran leader who is determined to win in the Cup Series,” said Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins. “He gives our organization the experience we need to continue to get better. Most importantly, both Michael and John Hunter also fit our team values and are tremendous assets to our partners on-and-off the track.”

Nemechek moves up from the NASCAR Xfinity Series where he placed seventh in the 2019 driver standings with GMS Racing. The 22-year-old will join a stacked rookie battle alongside Christopher Bell, Cole Custer and Tyler Reddick.

The goal is simple for Nemechek in his maiden full-time voyage at NASCAR’s highest level.

“I want to run every lap,” Nemechek added. “You’re not learning anything if you’re on jack stands. It’s more of a learning year for me. If we can go out to Daytona or Talladega and have a shot to win or run up front with Michael or whatever it may be, that would be great.”

“At Front Row Motorsports it’s all about maximizing your opportunities and utilizing your resources to the max to have the best performance that you can,” he added.

Nemechek’s resume includes six NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series victories and one Xfinity Series triumph.

STATS: Nemechek’s career stats | McDowell’s career stats

“We are looking to the future with a young talent like John Hunter Nemechek,” said FRM owner Bob Jenkins. “John Hunter impressed us at the end of last season, he comes from a racing family, and he’s a winning driver. We believe that we can grow with him in the years to come.”

Posted on December 11, 2019 by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – DGR-Crosley announced a manufacturer change Wednesday as it joins forces with the historic Ford Performance family, effective immediately. The David Gilliland-led driver development program will field Ford entries across multiple racing series including late models, ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.

The multi-year manufacturer agreement will help further develop Ford’s pipeline of young talent to support its successful efforts in NASCAR’s top series.

“We’re very excited to have DGR-Crosley come to Ford as part of our long-term efforts to develop drivers for NASCAR,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “We have just scratched the surface of what is possible in developing the next generation of Ford drivers with people like Chase Briscoe, and we believe a coordinated effort with a team like DGR-Crosley will help move that process forward successfully. David Gilliland was a trusted and valued Ford driver in NASCAR for many years, and we look forward to renewing that relationship with him in this new effort.”

The partnership will also provide DGR-Crosley and its drivers with assets that will help elevate its program to a championship-caliber organization across multiple racing series. While Ford is new to the driver development program that was established in 2017, Gilliland has a long-standing relationship with the manufacturer. The veteran NASCAR Cup Series driver was a part of the Ford family for nearly 10 years in his full-time racing days.

“I’m super excited about the partnership with Ford and how things are lining up for 2020,” said team co-owner Gilliland. “I spent a lot of time racing Fords throughout my career, and it’s really special to now be able to bring them into our race shop. A lot of time and consideration was spent on this decision, and internally we know that this is the move that we needed to make in order to advance our program to the top level. We have a great group of hard-working, talented people at DGR-Crosley, and with Ford coming on board, our future is really bright. We’re excited for all the things ahead.”

A lineup of DGR-Crosley drivers that will join the Ford Performance team in 2020 will be released in the coming days.

Posted on December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 by Team Release

STATESVILLE, N.C. – Ty Majeski will drive the No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado at Niece Motorsports full time in 2020 in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.

“I’m really excited for the opportunity to race full time with Niece Motorsports,” said Majeski. “I’m appreciative of Al and everyone at the team for giving me this opportunity. We’re looking to continue to build on what Ross (Chastain) and the team accomplished this year. We expect to be contending for wins and ultimately the championship.”

In just its third full-time season, Niece Motorsports and Ross Chastain earned one pole, three wins and 10 top-five finishes. In addition, Chastain captured the most stage wins and led the most laps. Chastain and the No. 45 team finished second in both the driver and owner point standings.

RELATED: 2020 Gander Trucks schedule

“Last season was really a dream come true for me and this team,” said team owner Al Niece. “No one expected us to be contending for a championship in Homestead — but there we were. We’re confident that we can do the same next season. Ty is clearly extremely talented — he’s won in everything he’s driven. I’m excited to have him join the team full time. We’re looking forward to great things in 2020.”

The 2019 season saw Majeski compete in six ARCA Menards Series events, earning wins in half of those starts. In addition to his three wins (at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Chicagoland Speedway), Majeski also earned top-five finishes in all six starts and led a total of 112 laps.

Majeski earned four wins in the ARCA Midwest Tour in 2019. He teamed up with Niece Motorsports last season in his first Truck Series start at ISM Raceway in November.

“Ross is a wheelman, and his skill helped us to elevate our program and continue to build faster trucks,” said general manager Cody Efaw. “We’re really proud of everything we accomplished last season, and excited to continue to build on that with Ty. Any time you get a chance to put a driver like Ty or Ross in your trucks, you don’t pass that up. Ty is a tremendous talent and we are looking forward to a successful season with him.”

Majeski competed in 15 NASCAR Xfinity Series races for Roush Fenway Racing in 2017 and 2018, with his best finish of seventh coming at Iowa Speedway in 2018.

MORE: Key moves in Silly Season

Majeski kicked off 2017 by earning his second consecutive victory in the Rattler 250 Super Late Model race at South Alabama Speedway. The win put Majeski in elite company, as just the second driver to win the Rattler back-to-back, and only the fourth driver to win more than one Rattler 250.

Majeski, who started his racing career in go-karts at the age of nine, is the Snowball Derby track record holder at Five Flags Speedway. In addition, he also boasts many of late model racing’s biggest wins, including the 2015 and 2016 Governor’s Cup. He was also the 2016 Super Late Model Champion at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway.

In his rookie season in the ARCA Midwest Tour, Majeski not only captured Rookie of the Year honors, but earned the championship on the strength of two wins. In his sophomore year, Majeski followed that up with five more wins and another championship. The young driver earned his third consecutive championship in the series in 2016, earning six wins in just 10 races.

Majeski was one of seven drivers to compete in the first-ever class of the Kulwicki Driver Development program (KDDP). Majeski’s outstanding performance in the KDDP led him to being crowned the inaugural Kulwicki Cup Champion for 2015.

The remainder of Niece Motorsports’ driver lineup is forthcoming.

Posted on December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 by Zack Albert

Joey Logano provided an insightful walkthrough and initial feedback on driving the NASCAR Cup Series’ Next Gen car Tuesday morning, conveying his anticipation for a tougher driving challenge with the new model’s debut in 2021.

Logano’s first impressions came before the second day of a two-day test at ISM Raceway near Phoenix. The 2018 series champ spent Monday shaking down the prototype, which was making just its second on-track appearance. Tuesday brought more test runs at the 1-mile track, with officials trying out different tires, setups, aerodynamics and spoiler combinations.

“It’s not about what drives the best, what’s the easiest to drive … we don’t want that,” Logano said. “We want something that’s challenging that will show that the best driver and the best team will prevail. … So we’re trying things on different extremes — a lot of downforce, and then little downforce and then figure out what’s going to make the best racing. And then you go from there to make the next step, bring some more cars. We’re still in the preliminary stages, but we definitely have some cool pieces to the car.”

RELATED: Next Gen car in photos

Logano offered a three-plus-minute walkaround on social media, illustrating some of the Next Gen car’s components, including a larger and wider wheel-tire combination, a new body design, a shorter rear spoiler for Tuesday’s test, a raised splitter and larger brakes.

The prototype was built by Richard Childress Racing, which continues to play a leading role in the car’s development. Delegations from Team Penske — including Todd Gordon, Logano’s crew chief — and NASCAR’s competition wing are in Phoenix for this week’s test, observing and assisting in making changes to the vehicle.

The car is the same test mule that RCR’s Austin Dillon drove in a two-day test Oct. 8-9 at Richmond Raceway.

“We had a really good test at Richmond, and then said, ‘How can we make the car better?’ ” said John Probst, NASCAR senior vice president of racing innovation. “We came up with 60-plus things we could do to the car. Not all of the things could be implemented into the car we have now, but some of them are in the design phase. We effectively updated a lot of the aerodynamics on the car.”

Logano said the largest difference between the Cup Series’ current car and its Next Gen counterpart was the brakes, which he characterized as “way bigger.” He said the increased stopping power and a different steering feel were an adjustment to make over the course of Monday’s sessions.

“When the car gets loose with this Next Gen car, it doesn’t come back until the driver steers the car back — it doesn’t fix itself. And that puts it more in the driver’s hands. And I like that piece,” Logano said. “It’s going to be challenging, but I think you’ll see more mistakes on the race track which makes, in my opinion, better racing, and more passing opportunities.

“The tire is completely different, and the body isn’t close to the same. So your natural reactions are wrong. And you have to be able to adapt quick when you feel something instead of trying to let the car fix itself.”

Probst said the choice to test at ISM Raceway represented a “logical progression” from the previous visit to .75-mile Richmond. The slightly faster lap speeds at the Arizona track allowed officials to measure the performance and durability of the new car’s parts and components under an increased load. The next step will be a faster intermediate track, with a test at 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway scheduled in January.

Logano was also pleased to be chosen for the Next Gen car’s second voyage, a trip that took the 29-year-old driver back to the earliest moments of his career.

“It’s been fun. I was actually thinking about this earlier today — the opportunity of sitting here developing the future of NASCAR,” Logano said. “I think that’s really neat. It brought back feelings of when I was 15, 16 years old for Joe Gibbs Racing — I wasn’t able to race in the Cup Series because I was too young, but testing was open at that time. I was the test driver — I tested everywhere, all the time. And I thought it was the coolest thing that I was driving the test car.

“And over the years, you race Cup cars all the time so testing isn’t neat, but this brought me back to when I was 16 years old and you’re driving something for the first time and it’s exciting, and what it means for the sport, and what it means for me to drive the car. They could have picked anyone to drive it and they picked me, and that’s really cool.”

Posted on December 10, 2019 by Staff Report

Ryan Newman grew up in open-wheel country, races stock cars and got his first NASCAR Cup Series win in the land of modifieds — Loudon, New Hampshire.

The win came during Newman’s rookie season in 2002, and his numbers for a newcomer were incredible. He achieved that win, 14 top fives and 22 top 10s driving for Roger Penske.

He also won six poles during that season, earning the nickname “Rocket Man” in the process. Newman’s first pole win came the year before at the Coca-Cola 600 when he drove seven races for Team Penske.

In this full race replay, relive Newman’s first NASCAR Cup Series win where he held off stars like Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart to take home the New Hampshire 300 trophy. Oh, and by the way, the “Rocket Man” started on the pole for this race.