Posted on by Zack Albert

This week’s bombshell news of forthcoming changes at Roush Fenway Racing and JTG Daugherty Racing touched off a new dimension to NASCAR’s Silly Season, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. suddenly becoming a free agent and an empty seat emerging for the No. 37 ride.

Speculation is rampant about where the key players might wind up next season. With plenty of potential landing spots, we present wildly unofficial, semi-arbitrary odds for 10 potential pairings for 2020.

MORE: Top moves in Silly Season

RICKY STENHOUSE JR.

JTG Daugherty Racing: A Stenhouse signing with the No. 37 team would amount to a straight swap with Roush Fenway for Chris Buescher’s services. A solid fit? Only if the JTG bunch opts against skewing younger than the 31-year-old Stenhouse. Odds: 10-1.

Front Row Motorsports: The vacancy created by David Ragan’s retirement could keep Stenhouse in the Cup Series with a move to the No. 38 ride. Stenhouse would add a veteran’s touch as the team continues to rebuild. Odds: 15-1.

Stewart-Haas Racing: A jostling of the SHR roster could mean an upgrade within the Ford camp for Stenhouse, but Xfinity prospect Cole Custer seems to be the front-runner for any open seat there. Odds: 20-1.

Richard Childress Racing: The No. 8 Cup Series seat seems destined for budding star Tyler Reddick, which would create a vacancy within RCR’s Xfinity Series program. Enter Stenhouse for a Sadler-ian reinvention of his career? Odds: 25-1.

Chip Ganassi Racing: Kurt Busch’s rejuvenation this season seems to add up for a return to CGR’s No. 1 team to extend his driving career. But if another unforeseen shake-up emerges, ponder the dynamics of a dirt-racing dream team with Stenhouse and Kyle Larson. Odds: 42-1.

JTG DAUGHERTY RACING

Daniel Hemric: With Christopher Bell and Matt DiBenedetto off the board, the departing RCR driver moves to the top reaches of the free-agency list. Potentially landing as a teammate to Ryan Preece would give the organization a pairing of two young racers with old-school cred. Odds: 5-1. 

Ross Chastain: Few drivers in the Xfinity and Gander Trucks ranks have done more to promote themselves with their own success this season. If anyone deserves a bump up the competition ladder, it’s the plucky Chastain. Odds: 8-1.

Corey LaJoie: The 28-year-old journeyman has proved himself as a steady presence in his first year with Go Fas Racing. A move to the No. 37 would be a logical step up; his personality and marketability don’t hurt that cause. Odds: 12-1.

Landon Cassill: Speaking of marketability, StarCom Racing’s current driver merits consideration to fill the No. 37’s void. His extraordinary efforts in helping Morgan Shepherd’s Xfinity Series car overachieve should not be overlooked. Odds: 18-1.

Brett Moffitt: Last year’s Gander Trucks champion has some Cup Series seasoning already, last competing in NASCAR’s top division in 2017. Is the 27-year-old driver’s recent performance surge in the Gander Trucks tour enough to warrant the promotion? Odds: 24-1.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Officials with NASCAR and Ilmor Engineering released preliminary findings Thursday from their investigation into an unusual spate of engine failures in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series’ Sept. 13 event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, saying that measures were being taken to improve reliability and prevent a recurrence.

“Ilmor Engineering is committed to our partnership with NASCAR and to the long-term development of the NT1 engine,” the company said in a statement released Thursday afternoon. “To that end, following the issues experienced by a number of different teams and competitors during the Sept. 13 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, engines were returned to the NASCAR R&D Center for technical inspection and data review. The combination of the high engine load condition combined with the extreme weather conditions in Las Vegas resulted in some engines suffering severe detonation. Ilmor is taking new measures in engine calibration to ensure to this situation is corrected for all future races.”

Four failures of Ilmor’s NT1 engine thinned the field in the World of Westgate 200, sidelining three playoff-eligible ThorSport Racing trucks and the No. 02 Young’s Motorsports entry of Tyler Dippel. The early exits eliminated ThorSport teammates Johnny Sauter (No. 13 Ford) and Grant Enfinger (No. 98), the regular-season champion, from the playoffs while Matt Crafton (No. 88) was able to survive based on his cushion in the series’ points standings.

RELATED: Gander Trucks points standings | 2019 schedule

Brad Moran, managing director for the Gander Trucks Series, said the multiple engine failures set a rapid response in motion. NASCAR competition officials were at ThorSport’s Sandusky, Ohio race shop to collect the four damaged engines four days after the race and began teardowns in the days that followed. After seeing signs of damage in a fourth ThorSport entry — the No. 99 Ford of Ben Rhodes — that engine was also collected.

“Obviously, the warning signs went off,” Moran told NASCAR.com. “It was very disappointing to see that happen to ThorSport and Ford. They’re a great team and did everything right. Unfortunately, the circumstances put them in a real bad spot. As that was happening, we were already putting plans together on what the next steps were. If we’d seen that with any organization or any number of teams in one race, we would’ve done the same thing. Measures were being taken the moment that happened.”

Further indicators of damage, including trouble with the GMS Racing No. 24 driven to seventh place by Brett Moffitt, prompted Ilmor to recall all 32 engines used in the Las Vegas event for disassembly and inspection.

NASCAR and Ilmor introduced the NT1 engine ahead of the 2018 season as a more cost-effective alternative to engines developed in-house by teams and manufacturers. Gear rules and rev limiters were later placed on the latter in an effort to provide a better competitive balance. In the nearly two years since the NT1’s debut, Moran said that failures had been relatively scarce.

Andrew Richards, a motorsports development engineer with Ilmor, said that no single part or area of the engine stood out as a solitary culprit at Las Vegas’ 1.5-mile track. He added that teams had no hand in the failures through their tuning or setups, but that failsafes for the NT1’s performance and operating condition “proved to be insufficient at Las Vegas,” Richards said.

Richards and Moran pointed to the extreme heat of the race weekend as a contributing variable. The high temperature on race day was recorded at 97 degrees, a figure observed just 90 minutes before the race’s 6 p.m. PT start time.

“That was definitely a factor, and it definitely promoted the failures,” Richards said. “Everybody took a look at the parts and came to an understanding of what happened and so it was widespread, all over the course of last week and it continues on this week. We’re replicating the conditions that were run at Las Vegas so that we can implement a fix moving forward.”

What followed was an exercise in transparency. NASCAR competition officials and representatives for teams, manufacturers and Ilmor were all present for the engine teardowns in the sanctioning body’s Research & Development Center in Concord, N.C.

That included assistance from ThorSport, which was hit the hardest by the engine issues in the final race of the postseason-opening Round of 8. In the heat of the Las Vegas garage that Friday night, the organization’s drivers reacted with varying degrees of frustration as three ThorSport trucks retired before the race’s halfway point.

In the days that followed, Moran said, the team had turned its attention to helping the troubleshooting efforts.

“They’re totally professional,” Moran said. “They’re a great organization and they come to win, so obviously it was more than disappointing for them, the way it went. The timing of it probably couldn’t have been worse. Again, they really went above and beyond on their side in letting us come into their shops and look at all the issues and take everything away. They wanted to know what the problem was, too. We feel badly how it went down, but mechanical issues and system issues, systems do fail. The timing was not good and very unfortunate on their side, but we’re pretty confident this will never happen again.”

Said Richards: “ThorSport was very cooperative and very cordial through it despite the difficult situation, to say the least. They’ve tried to understand what was going on and more than anything just trying to understand that it won’t happen again.”

Moran said that little consideration was given to somehow altering the playoff picture to restore championship eligibility to ThorSport’s Enfinger and Sauter. Parts from numerous suppliers are installed on every truck, he said, and that breakages occur in multiple areas, including those that appear to be engine-related that are not. Those occurrences, he said, are unfortunately part of the sport.

“We don’t have that opportunity of a re-do,” Moran said. “The playoffs are points earned throughout the season starting at Daytona, stage wins, race wins — that’s what gets you into the Round of 8. After that, it’s a three-race series, so it’s not just the one race. Unfortunately, we just don’t have that ability to pull a re-do on something like this without affecting the rest of the garage or players that are in there. So it wasn’t a one-race deal. It’s just a real unfortunate incident, but a mechanical issue that took out two of their trucks.”

Moran said that NASCAR officials applauded Ilmor’s efforts to examine the issues that it experienced at Las Vegas, saying that they still had full support of the engine program and its efforts to redouble its durability.

“The dependability has been there. It’s been a great savings to the teams. The competition has probably never been better and the teams have never been stronger,” Moran said. “… All of this wouldn’t be possible without the program, so we believe 100 percent in the program. We’re definitely disappointed in what happened at Las Vegas. I believe that NASCAR and Ilmor Engineering have done all the steps to make sure this’ll never happen again in this way. Still disappointed in what happened, but very confident from this point going into the end of the season and as well next year.”

Posted on by Staff Report

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs continue this weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course with the Bank of America Roval 400 on Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The race marks the final race in the Round of 16 for the drivers vying for a title. By Sunday evening, the Round of 12 playoff field will be set.

Martin Truex Jr. has swept the playoffs thus far, with a victory at the opener in Las Vegas and last weekend’s short-track race at Richmond Raceway. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick have also secured their spot in the Round of 12 on points.

Here is the rest of the need-to-know information for Sunday’s action at “America’s Home of Racing.”

RELATED: Turn-by-turn analysis of the course

TRACK DETAILS

Last season marked the inaugural race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, where Ryan Blaney was victorious as Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson crashed on the final lap. Kurt Busch holds the qualifying record currently with a fast lap of 106.868 mph. The road course it 2.28-miles with 17 turns. The banking in corners varies from two to 24 degrees and the banking on straights ranges from zero to five degrees. The race will be 109 laps with the stages ending on Lap 25 and Lap 50.

RULES PACKAGE

This weekend’s race will feature the 2019 rules package with no aero ducts and a tapered-spacer engine generating a targeted 750 horsepower.

Each team will be provided with three sets of Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials for practice, one set for qualifying and eight sets for the 248.52 mile race (seven sets plus one set transferred from qualifying or practice).

Goodyear will bring a traditional road course tire to the Roval, although there is a big difference in the air pressure recommendations compared to what is run at other road courses like Watkins Glen and Sonoma. Those two courses are run in a clockwise direction for the most part with a majority of right-hand turns. The Roval is run counter-clockwise, which makes it a majority left-hand course.

“While the course has gone through several changes since it was first laid out in late 2017, the fact remains that we treat the Roval as a road course from a tire perspective,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing.  “The Roval is definitely unique in the NASCAR world, and requires us to be aware of many factors.  Similar to other road courses, we have to bring a tire and recommend air pressures that reflect the hard braking and acceleration on and off the corners.  The main difference is the use of the oval as part of the course, where loads on the right-front will be higher than any other corner of the car.”

STATS

  • Martin Truex Jr. has the most playoff wins since 2016 with eight. Kyle Busch is behind him with five, Kevin Harvick has four, Joey Logano has four and Jimmie Johnson has three.
  • Three different manufacturers have won the last three road course races. Ryan Blaney won the 2018 Charlotte Robal in a Ford, Martin Truex Jr. won at Sonoma in a Toyota and Chase Elliott won at Watkins Glen in a Chevrolet.
  • Hendrick Motorsports owns the most team wins on a road course with 17. Joe Gibbs Racing has 12, Wood Brothers has eight and Richard Petty Motorsports and Team Penske each have six.
  • Chase Elliott is the best playoff driver on road courses with nine starts, five top 10s and and average finish of 11.56. Clint Bowyer is right behind him with 29 starts, 16 top 10s and an average finish of 11.97.

Source: Racing Insights

LIVE COVERAGE

This weekend’s race will air live Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and streamed on the NBC Sports App. Radio coverage can be found on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Also, follow along on NASCAR.com for live Lap-by-Lap coverage, the live leaderboard, Drive (featuring in-car cameras) and RaceView (subscription: in-car audio, stats, more). Be sure to set your lineup in Fantasy Live and make your picks in the Props Challenge.

2018 RACE WINNER

Ryan Blaney is the only active winner at the Charlotte Roval as last year marked the first ever race on the 17-turn road course. Blaney started ninth and led 16 laps and was running third on the final lap when Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson collided, giving Blaney and the No. 12 Team Penske Ford the victory. There were eight cautions for 16 laps in the inaugural race, with 10 lead changes throughout the race.

Posted on by Steve Luvender

We love the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval and its 17 twists and turns. However, in re-watching last year’s race, we realized the only corner name people could remember was the TUMS Heartburn Turn — you know, the one where Brad Keselowski led half the field straight into the wall on a late-race restart. To help with memorization, we’ve built a random generator that’ll come up with some new names for the remaining turns. This way, when a spotter tells a driver, “There’s a spin in Turn 8,” the driver doesn’t have to unfold a tiny map inside the car to locate the incident. Try it out and share some of your favorites!

Posted on by Terrin Waack

Martin Truex did something he’d never done before in his career last weekend and could do something no one’s ever done before in NASCAR history this weekend.

The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota won back-to-back races to open the 2019 NASCAR Playoffs, taking the checkered flag most recently at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and then Richmond Raceway. That was his first. There are only three other drivers who have won the first two postseason races since the playoff format was installed in 2004: Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth.

RELATED: What happened to those three

The thing is, none of those drivers went on to score a third win in a row and Truex could very well be the first to do so considering where the next race is: Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Roval.

Truex’s road-course resume looks solid upon first glance. He has made 29 starts and averages a 14.4 finish. That places him seventh-best among playoff-eligible drivers – No. 1 is Chase Elliott with nine starts and an 11.56 average finish.

In five of the last six road-course races, though, Truex has finished first or second. The only one he didn’t end up in the top 10 was last season’s Roval race, where he wound up 14th after he and Jimmie Johnson made contact on the last turn of the last lap battling for the lead. Other than that, he won once at Watkins Glen International (2017) and twice at Sonoma Raceway (2018 and 2019) in that stretch. He was runner-up in the 2018 and 2019 Watkins Glen races, with the former seeing a fuel shortage while chasing Elliott on the last lap and the latter featuring an average running position of third.

So, within three years, Truex accomplished three of his four road-course victories overall. His tally ties Kyle Busch for most road-courses wins among all active drivers. The fourth victory came from Truex’s first trip to Sonoma’s Victory Lane back in 2013.

Truex is also on a roll this season, boasting the most wins in the series with six – the next highest are Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch with four apiece – and holding the top spot in the championship standings with 2,141 points – a 21-point advantage over Kevin Harvick in second. The points will reset at the end of the Round of 16, but Truex will keep the 41 playoff points he has accumulated over the season. Busch is only driver with more playoff points at 46.

Sunday is the third and final race in the Round of 16 – the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at 2:30 p.m. ET (NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The field will then be cut down to 12.

MARTIN TRUEX JR + ROAD COURSE
(2014-present: Elimination era)

Date Track Finish
Aug. 4, 2019 Watkins Glen 2nd
June 23, 2019 Sonoma 1st
Sept. 30, 2018 Roval 14th
Aug. 5, 2018 Watkins Glen 2nd
June 24, 2019 Sonoma 1st
Aug. 6, 2017 Watkins Glen 1st
June 25, 2017 Sonoma 37th
Aug. 7, 2016 Watkins Glen 7th
June 26, 2016 Sonoma 5th
Aug. 9, 2015 Watkins Glen 25th
June 28, 2015 Sonoma 42nd
Aug. 10, 2014 Watkins Glen 13th
June 22, 2014 Sonoma 15th
Posted on by Staff Report

It was a night of firsts as the eNASCAR Heat Pro League rolled through Kansas Speedway for Round 2 of the inaugural Playoffs. At the conclusion of a pair of races, two teams were left celebrating in Victory Lane for the first time in 2019, while two others saw their championship dreams fade.

The night got off to a raucous start as Josh Parker led Chip Ganassi Gaming to its first win in the eNASCAR Heat Pro League, courtesy of a late pass in the PlayStation race. Tyler Dohar was not to be outdone, as he jumped behind the wheel in the Xbox race and also carried JR Motorsports to its first victory.

Behind the victors, all eyes were on those still fighting for their playoff lives. Eight teams entered the night still in the running, but the bottom two would once again be dropped after the checkers. Unfortunately for Wood Brothers Gaming and GoFas Gaming, their deficits entering Kansas proved to be too much to overcome.

RELATED: More eNASCAR coverage

It was a close call for JR Motorsports, who entered the night holding the sixth and final transfer spot. However, Dohar’s breakthrough win and Jason Keffer’s sixth-place result was enough to propel the JRM squad into the next round.

Another night of consistent finishes saw Team Penske Esports extend its lead atop the championship standings, 13 points clear of the field. The remaining five playoff teams, however, are separated by only five points:

Unofficial Standings After Kansas Main

 

Who will survive Homestead-Miami Speedway and advance to the eNASCAR Heat Pro League Finale? It’s sure to be a barnburner as we’re only taking four teams.

BUY: NASCAR Heat 4 now!

Coverage of the eNASCAR Heat Pro League refreshed by Coca-Cola will come to you Oct. 9 at 7:30 pm ET on eNASCAR.com, Facebook and Twitch.

Posted on by PJ Walsh

The Action Network specializes in providing sports betting insights/analytics and is a content partner with NASCAR. Check out more NASCAR betting analysis here.

Martin Truex Jr. came to party. After winning NASCAR’s first playoff race at Las Vegas, Truex backed it up with another victory at Richmond on Saturday night.

On the other end of the spectrum, Alex Bowman, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch and Erik Jones are all below the 12-driver cutoff line heading into Sunday’s elimination race at the Charlotte Roval.

To make this week’s NASCAR Props Challenge picks, I’ll rely on betting odds to project expected driver performance, as well as race trends from last year’s race at the Charlotte Roval.

1. Which playoff driver will score the higher finish: Alex Bowman or William Byron?

Both drivers are 80-1 at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, so oddsmakers view them as evenly-matched for Sunday’s race.

But when it comes to road courses, Bowman had a better finish than Byron at Sonoma and at Watkins Glen this year, as well as an impressive fourth-place finish in this race one year ago.

Pick: Bowman

2. O/U 0.5 drivers underneath the cutoff line will advance to Round 2 of the Playoffs?

I’m expecting this week’s race to see plenty of action (and wrecks), and with both Alex Bowman and Clint Bowyer sitting within four points of the cutoff, I think it’s likely that one will find a way to jump into the top 12 in points.

Pick: Over

3. Aric Almirola will advance to the Round of 12: Yes or No?

Almirola currently occupies the 11th position in points, meaning as of right now he’s in. In addition, Aric had the ninth-best finishing position at road courses this season.

If Almirola doesn’t beat himself, he should advance to the Round of 12.

Pick: Yes

4. Matt DiBenedetto has finished in the top 10 at both road courses so far this year. Does that trend continue? Yes or No?

Download the FREE Action Network app to finish reading this article and get the rest of PJ Walsh’s NASCAR Props Challenge Picks.

Posted on by Track Release

TALLADEGA, Ala. — The name of Talladega Superspeedway’s one-of-a-kind 35,000-square-foot open-air social club was unveiled Wednesday, and fittingly, the centerpiece of the new fan-friendly Talladega Garage Experience honors the track’s visionary creator: William H. G. “Big Bill” France, who brought big-time automobile racing to northeastern Alabama.

BIG BILL’S was introduced to a crowd of more than 300 local community leaders and guests with the help of France’s granddaughter, Lesa France Kennedy (International Speedway Corporation chief executive officer), along with Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Talladega Superspeedway chairman Grant Lynch and legendary driver Red Farmer, one of the original famed “Alabama Gang” members. A gigantic cover was pulled off the mammoth 6-foot BIG BILL’S black letters that adorn the top front of the unique, rustic building. Just behind the letters is a 70-by-18 collage of historic France photos at his iconic venue.

BIG BILL’S, along with the entire Talladega Garage Experience (part of the Transformation Infield Project presented by Graybar) that will feature unparalleled access, free Wi-Fi and incredible $4 or less value-priced concessions, will debut Oct. 11-13 on the track’s 50th anniversary weekend. It is comprised of a NASCAR Playoffs doubleheader, featuring the Sugarlands Shine 250 for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series and 1000Bulbs.com 500 for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

“Talladega Superspeedway has always been special to me and our family,” Kennedy said. “My grandfather built this race track, and both my father, Bill France Jr., and my Uncle – Jim France – worked here. It’s so gratifying to see my grandfather’s name adorn this unique social club, which along with the entire Talladega Garage Experience, will elevate the guest experience that only Talladega can offer. It’s a world-class extension of my grandfather’s vision that will carry the track well into the future.”

BIG BILL’S, which also showcases a host of artwork of France inside the building, will be the ultimate social club. It will offer an array of comfortable seating and be lined on both sides by two garages that will house the top 22 drivers (11 in each) in the Monster Energy Cup Series. Fans will be just a few steps away and up close via the fan viewing walkway, which is under the same roof where the cars will be prepped by the race teams. In addition, it will feature the Sugarlands Shine Bar, which stretches an incredible 74 feet, as well as a huge 41-foot diagonal video screen that will feature action on the track as well as other visuals for fans to see. The total size of the building is 268 feet wide and 300 feet deep, and it is 34 feet high at the center crown.

Like BIG BILL’S, everything about France was big. His size. His deeds. His smile. His goals. His accomplishments. His vision. His Alabama track.

As NASCAR’s founder, the 6-foot-5 France was one of the most influential men in automobile racing. He spark-plugged the organization, delivering stock car racing to a form of excitement that is unequalled in modern American sports. Nowhere was that excitement more evident than at his creation of Alabama International Motor Speedway (now known as Talladega Superspeedway), the most competitive race track in the world and biggest in NASCAR, which hosted the first Talladega 500 on Sept. 14, 1969.

Years prior, with the assistance of local officials, France looked at the land of an almost abandoned Eastaboga Airfield, which was once used by the Air Force and later by the city of Talladega before groundbreaking on the new 2.66-mile, 33-degree banked venue took place on May 23, 1968.

“Our fine state owes a great deal of gratitude to Bill France Sr., who decided to build the biggest and most competitive track in NASCAR here in 1969,” Ivey said. “It’s been an economic engine for tourism in Alabama since its inception 50 years ago. With this incredible Talladega Garage Experience and BIG BILL’S social club, I know more race fans are going to make the trip to historic Talladega Superspeedway in the future.”

A special part of BIG BILL’S will be the new “Activation Shows” that play on top of every hour featuring custom created, heart-pounding sound and video synchronized to lighting and effects that bring the garage to life.  

Some of the new additions include: overhead LED neon outlining each beam of the structure, Peterbilt icons with strobe and moving headlights and Haze & CO2 with new industry noise suppression heads delivering CO2 with very low noise operation, delivering added impact these shows deserve.

The official Peterbilt – designed to look like the front of the cab of Johnny Ray’s iconic Peterbilt truck that sports the giant American flag around Talladega’s high banks during the national anthem prior to races – will have its air horn sound at the start of every show. Fans will also have the opportunity to take group photos in a digital photo booth that can be seen high above the interior via a 20-by-16 rendition of Ray’s iconic big rig that places fans in the drivers’ seat.

The Talladega Garage Experience is a major part of the $50 million Transformation endeavor that will stretch from the tri-oval down near the start-finish line. It will feature a host of activities and destinations, including more than 140,000 square feet of social and engagement areas and a new Gatorade Victory Lane where fans will be just a few steps away from the winner’s celebration.

For every fan who purchases a Talladega Garage Experience admission, other amenities include: the Kids Zone, Watch Zone, Clyde May’s Courtyard, Iron Alley (historic race cars), new restrooms, concession and souvenir stands, as well as a new guest services center.

The Transformation Infield Project presented by Graybar is part of International Speedway Corporation’s (parent company of Talladega Superspeedway) long-term capital allocation plan and reinvestment into its major motorsports complexes. DLR Group is the architect of the entire project, while Hoar Construction (Birmingham, Alabama) continues to spearhead Phase II. GT Grandstands (Plant City, Florida) is constructing a new race operations tower high above the tri-oval, as well as the pit road club suites that will house 600 guests who will get a bird’s-eye view of team pit stops from behind pit road, along with food and beverages.

Fans can learn more about the project and view the progress 24/7 via the construction cam by visiting www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/transformation. For ticket information on the track’s NASCAR doubleheader playoffs weekend and all things on Transformation and the Talladega Garage Experience, including BIG BILL’S, log onto www.talladegasuperspeedway.com.

Posted on by Marissa Fuller

For the second year, The NASCAR Foundation and the NASCAR Hall of Fame Foundation partnered up to build a better future for youth across the community through healthcare and education services with the “Over the Edge Charlotte” campaign.

“Over the Edge” allows those who like to test their limits or just everyday community advocates to rappel 10 stories down the Embassy Suites in Uptown Charlotte — all for the kids.

In order to earn a spot, participants needed to raise a minimum of $1,000. Those funds are then shared equally between The NASCAR Foundation and the NASCAR Hall of Fame Foundation with a common goal of helping children live happier and healthier lives.

Hall of Fame executive director Winston Kelley and NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace rappelled for the second year in a row, joined Tuesday by newcomers Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kurt Busch and NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Justin Allgaier.

Busch announced he’d match whatever is donated to the cause up to $1,000 and has currently raised $1,135, while his efforts just keep growing.

Busch went to Twitter after rappelling, describing how much fun it was to go “Over the Edge,” and The NASCAR Foundation captured Busch gearing up to head to the roof.

On the second day of the event, Wednesday, NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series drivers Ross Chastain and Jordan Anderson took part in the fun, as well as NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers Jeremy Clements and Vinnie Miller.

“It is really cool to be a part of something bigger than you are, really,” Anderson told NASCAR.com. “What the Foundation does and being able to help kids, especially here in the Charlotte area, I’m from Columbia, live in Mooresville now so Charlotte is home for me now. To see what they’re doing in the community, it’s just so amazing. I’m blessed to be able to do what I love to do, to be in NASCAR, but to see what NASCAR does to give back, I’m just so passionate about that and to be a part of that definitely puts things in perspective.”

Since it started last year, “Over the Edge Charlotte” has raised approximately $350,000 and just this year, there have been 694 donor and 813 donations.

“The awareness that it brings to our sport and for our cause, the awareness it brings to the Hall of Fame and their foundation, it’s really just a great thing,” said Nichole Krieger, executive director of The NASCAR Foundation. “At the end of the day, it’s all about the kids.”

RELATED: Find out more about the NASCAR Foundation

Posted on by Staff Report

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has lost his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series ride for the 2020 season, as Chris Buescher will take over the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, the team announced Wednesday.

Stenhouse has been a part of Roush Fenway since 2008 — that includes his ARCA Series days — and piloted the No. 17 since 2013. During his time in the national series, Stenhouse won two Xfinity Series titles (2011 and 2012) and two Monster Energy Series races (both in 2017). His best finish among the top competitors was 13th in the 2017 final standings.

RELATED: Silly Season’s key players

“We can’t say enough about Ricky and his contributions to Roush Fenway Racing,” team co-owner and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jack Roush said in the release. “We’re proud to have been a part of Ricky’s development from ARCA to Xfinity and ultimately the Cup Series. He has served as a great representative to our partners, while helping to accumulate numerous accolades, wins and multiple championships on the race track. We wish him well as he enters the next chapter of his career.”

Stenhouse has never been a part of another team — save for one Cup start he made for the Wood Brothers in 2011. He has brought RFR 15 top fives and 33 top 10s at NASCAR’s top level, and the 2019 season isn’t over.

Meanwhile, Buescher is returning to Roush Fenway as a former member of the team’s development driver program. He first joined RFR in 2009 and went on to win the 2012 ARCA Series championship with Roulo Brothers Racing. He made his Xfinity Series debut in 2011 and then became full-time in 2014. The next year, his last at the time with RFR, Buescher won Roush his eighth NASCAR championship, leading the Xfinity Series standings for 24 consecutive weeks.

“We are certainly excited to have Chris back in the fold at Roush Fenway Racing,” Roush said.

“He has a long history with our organization and we’ve always been a big fan of Chris and his racing style. We have watched his progress with great interest over the last couple of seasons and we are looking forward to having him in the No. 17 as we continue to grow our program next season.”

The same year Buescher won the Xfinity Series championship he also made his Monster Energy Series debut. He did six races in 2015 for Front Row Motorsports and was one of the team’s full-time driver in 2016. The next year, though, Buescher switched to JTG Daugherty Racing and has been there ever since.

“We were in the final strokes of the contract when learning that Chris has gone in a different direction,” JTG Daugherty Racing team owner Tad Geschickter said in a statement. “We appreciate all of the efforts from Chris through the past three seasons at JTG Daugherty Racing. When the dust settles, we will begin the process of searching for our next driver to fill the No. 37 seat for the 2020 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.”

During his time in the Monster Energy Series, Buescher has won one race and had a best overall finish of 16th in the final standings — both in 2016. He has accumulated four top fives and 12 top 10s entering this weekend’s race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

Buescher released his own statement later Wednesday night.

“Jack Roush and John Henry have emphasized that they believe in my ability to compete at a high level in their race cars; and that is the expectation,” Buescher said. “This is a bit of a homecoming for me and I am very excited to be able to return to Roush Fenway and pick up where we left off in 2015; winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship.

“… This news also brings sadness that my time at JTG Daugherty Racing driving the No. 37 will come to an end in 2019. I am forever grateful to Tad and Jodi Geschickter, Brad Daugherty, and Gordon Smith for giving me the opportunity to drive for them over the past three years.”