The eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series will see a full grid of teams for the 2020 season, as 20 teams will be on the line when the green flag drops for the season opener at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 11. A majority of last year’s teams will return, with legendary NASCAR team Stewart-Haas Racing and NASCAR Cup Series stars Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson and William Byron also represented in the series for the first time.
“We’re elated to announce 20 teams for the 2020 eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series,” said Tony Gardner, president, iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations. “The amount of interest we’ve seen in the series has been beyond anything we could have possibly imagined when we first opened the series up to real-world racing teams and professional gaming squads for 2019. With a full grid for this season, including some prominent newcomers, we’re expecting some intense team battles throughout the year!”
The new team owners joining the series have combined for more than 90 NASCAR Cup Series victories behind the wheel, as well as three championships and three All-Star Race victories. Stewart-Haas eSports owner Tony Stewart will join the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020, while Hamlin, Larson, and Byron each made the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs last season. In addition to the real-world pros, Virtual Racing School will also continue a long tradition of participation in iRacing World Championships by joining the series with a team of its own.
The full list of 2020 eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series teams is as follows. Teams in bold will be new for the upcoming season:
Professional teams made their debut in the eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series for the 2019 season, with 12 two-car organizations starting off the year with a Driver Draft. As the season progressed, four additional teams also joined the championship, reflecting strong interest from throughout the motorsports and esports worlds. The competition will be even tougher in 2020 as all 40 drivers on the grid will race for professional teams, with a free agency period starting on Friday, Dec. 20 for drivers and teams to come to agreement on 2020 partnerships.
More details on the 2020 eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series, including the championship schedule and how to watch, will be revealed in the coming weeks. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Joe Gibbs Racing announced Thursday that James Small has been promoted from lead engineer to crew chief of the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry.
A native of Melbourne, Australia, Small is no stranger to teaming with Martin Truex Jr. as the pair have worked together in some capacity for the past three seasons dating back to their time at Furniture Row Racing. Last season, Small served as the lead engineer for the No. 19 team that won a series-best seven races and claimed 15 top-five finishes and 24 top 10s on the way to a runner-up result in the NASCAR Cup Series standings.
“This is an incredible opportunity,” Small said. “Having the confidence of Coach, Martin and everyone at JGR means a lot to me. I moved to the United States six years ago to work in NASCAR and I wanted to work my way up to become a crew chief. I’m ready for this and I am excited about working with Martin and the foundation we have in place on the 19 team with the group of guys we have.”
While this will be the 36-year-old Australian’s first full-time crew chief role, he has experience atop the pit box when he filled in for two races working with Erik Jones in 2017 with Furniture Row Racing. In those two races, Small guided the then-rookie Jones to a 10th-place finish at Watkins Glen International and a third-place result at Michigan International Speedway.
“I know James well and feel very comfortable with him,” Truex said. “I feel like we approach racing very similar. He and Cole (Pearn) have a lot of similarities. It’s a natural fit and I’m really excited about it. I think he’ll do a great job.”
Before transitioning to Joe Gibbs Racing at the start of the 2019 season, Small spent the previous two years at Furniture Row Racing where he was the No. 77 team’s lead engineer in 2017 and eventually shifted to Truex’s team in 2018. Prior to that, Small spent eight years working in Australia in the V8 Supercars Championship before moving to the United States and an engineering role at Richard Childress Racing from 2014-2016.
Additionally, Jeff Curtis has joined Joe Gibbs Racing as lead engineer for the No. 19 team. He previously worked with Truex at Furniture Row Racing, including the team’s 2017 championship season.
Car chief Blake Harris will return to the No. 19 team in the same capacity for the 2020 season.
Daytona International Speedway and Anheuser-Busch announced Dec. 18 that Busch Beer would return as the title sponsor of the preseason Clash race at Daytona for the first time since 1997.
Additional details provide a picture as to which drivers have qualified for the event, too.
The Busch Clash (Feb. 9, 3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will return in 2020 as a 75-lap/187.5-mile exhibition. The field is limited to 2019 Busch Pole Award winners; past Busch Clash champions who competed full-time in 2019; former DAYTONA 500 champions who competed full-time in 2019; former DAYTONA 500 pole winners who competed full-time in 2019 and 2019 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers.
Kyle Busch didn’t waste any time winning in the NASCAR Cup Series. In his first full-time season, Busch took the checkered flag at Auto Club Speedway in September 2005 at the age of 20. He was the youngest winner at that point in series history.
Although no one knew it then, Auto Club would come full circle for Busch some 14 years later. In 2019, Fontana delivered yet another milestone for Busch as he took home his 200th national series win after winning the 2019 Auto Club 400.
Since that September day in 2005, Busch has added another 55 Cup wins, 200 top fives, 32 poles and two premier series championships to his resume.
Relive the race that started it all for Busch at NASCAR’s highest level in this Full Race Replay of the 2005 Sony HD 500 from Auto Club.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Dec. 19, 2019) – Since opening in 2010, the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s signature exhibit, Glory Road, has served as a prominent focal point for guests and members alike.
Every three years, the exhibit receives a makeover with a new theme and 18 new race cars. For the fourth iteration of Glory Road, the NASCAR Hall of Fame will partner with Dale Earnhardt Jr. as its first-ever guest curator to debut “Dale Jr.: Glory Road Champions,” on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, featuring 18 premier series championship cars personally selected by Earnhardt.
On January 15, the NASCAR Hall of Fame will host a special media-only event at Glory Road providing an inside look into his curation process in collaboration with the NASCAR Hall curatorial team.
“We are excited to present some of NASCAR’s most iconic premier series championship cars from the eyes of one of our biggest fans and ambassadors, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.,” said Winston Kelley, Executive Director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “I have always been inspired by Dale Jr.’s sincere interest in, and appreciation for, the history of our great sport. Having Dale guest curate one of our most recognizable exhibits following his days as a full-time driver has always been one of my personal goals. With so much from which to choose, selecting a theme, and narrowing that theme to 18 cars from a list of 75 – 100 available cars, is a very tough task. I know I can speak for my fellow NASCAR fans in thanking Dale for once again giving back to the sport he so dearly loves.”
Over the past 10 years, the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Glory Road has featured some of most recognizable race cars and drivers throughout the history of NASCAR. For the fourth generation of the exhibit, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Earnhardt worked together to create a collection unlike any other, celebrating the champions and championship moments of the sport.
“Dale Jr.: Glory Road Champions” will showcase a lineup of cars that fans will instantly recognize for their significance in some of the most memorable races and championship seasons in NASCAR. Glory Road displays the cars in race formation on a curved “track” representing the different levels of banking found where NASCAR’s national series competes, along with some of NASCAR’s historic tracks.
“Having the chance to help choose the cars for the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s newest installment of Glory Road was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up,” said Earnhardt. “Everyone knows how much I enjoy learning about the history of our sport and sharing that history with people, and with this, I’m able to play a small role in what we share with fans who visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame. I knew when Winston (Kelley) and his team first met with me that if I was able to pick the cars for the exhibit, I wanted it to focus on the champions of our sport.
“I felt like that was a no-brainer,” he continued. “I picked cars for this exhibit for many different reasons. But I definitely wanted to represent a broad history of the sport as a whole, so we could also see the progression of the cars. It’s really cool when they’re all there together and you can see all that’s changed in the technology from where we started to where we are today.”
More information on the media-only event with Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be released in early January. The complete list of the new cars installed on Glory Road will be announced on the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s social channels prior to the exhibit opening. Follow the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for daily unveils of several cars per day, which will begin on Monday, Jan. 6 leading up to opening day.
For more information about the NASCAR Hall of Fame, including Holidays at the Hall events happening now until Dec. 26, visit nascarhall.com.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.(Dec. 18, 2019) – Daytona International Speedway and Anheuser-Busch announced today that for the first time since 1997, Busch Beer will return as the title sponsor for The Clash At DAYTONA on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 3 p.m. The exhibition race will return to its original iconic name – Busch Clash At DAYTONA.
Anheuser-Busch’s history in NASCAR dates back to 1978, when it sponsored the Busch Pole Award, and the Busch Clash At DAYTONA debuted the following year in 1979. Following the 1997 Busch Clash, Anheuser-Busch continued sponsorship of the exhibition event with its Budweiser brand through 2011. But after a couple of name changes, the legendary race name is now back on this fan-favorite event.
“Busch Beer will forever be linked to the history of The Clash and we are thrilled to welcome them back as we collectively drive excitement for the start of the 2020 season,” Daytona International Speedway President Chip Wile said. “Our brand-loyal fans have been awaiting Busch’s return to The Clash for years and we expect this will rekindle memories and help set the stage for the next generation of NASCAR fans.”
The Busch Clash (3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will return in 2020 as a 75-lap/187.5-mile exhibition event featuring 20 drivers. The exclusive field is limited to 2019 Busch Pole Award winners; past Busch Clash champions who competed full-time in 2019; former DAYTONA 500 champions who competed full-time in 2019; former DAYTONA 500 pole winners who competed full-time in 2019 and 2019 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers.
“Becoming a NASCAR Cup Series Premier Partner afforded us the opportunity to evolve our presence in the sport, and authentically connect our deep-rooted history in NASCAR to its future,” said Nick Kelly, vice president partnerships, beer category and community, Anheuser-Busch. “We’re looking forward to enjoying the Busch Clash with all the fans who’ve waited, and asked, for the return of the original race name.”
The return of the Busch Clash At DAYTONA highlights Busch Beer’s position as a NASCAR Cup Series Premier Partner, announced earlier this month. As a Premier Partner, Busch Beer, will continue to activate across the sport through its exclusive sponsorship of the Busch Pole Award and will be featured prominently in multiple platforms across the sport, including integrations in broadcast, NASCAR digital and social channels, in-market promotions and at-track activations. Busch Beer is joined as a NASCAR Cup Series Premier Partner by Coca-Cola, GEICO and Xfinity.
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.
DARLINGTON, S.C. – In the sixth year of its award-winning throwback weekend, Darlington Raceway will celebrate “NASCAR’s Champions…Past, Present and Future” and “New Traditions…First Race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs” for its 2020 throwback campaign.
The “Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR””will be celebrated during the track’s 71st running of the famed Southern 500® (NASCAR Cup Series) and Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 (NASCAR Xfinity Series) on Labor Day weekend, September 4-6.
Darlington Raceway will honor all the past champions of the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series during the weekend, which will coincide with the start of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs (Sept. 6) and the future crowning of another champion at ISM Raceway in November.
“Celebrating our NASCAR Champions – past, present and future – during our 2020 Throwback Weekend is a great tie-in for Darlington hosting the opening round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs,” Darlington Raceway President Kerry Tharp said. “There is so much history and correlation between NASCAR champions and Darlington race winners that this Throwback theme makes our 2020 event that much more special for our fans, teams, partners and stakeholders.”
There are 33 different NASCAR Cup Series Champions that have won 71 total championships since 1949. Drivers with multiple championships include: Richard Petty (7 championships), Dale Earnhardt (7), Jimmie Johnson (7), Jeff Gordon (4), Lee Petty (3), David Pearson (3), Cale Yarborough (3), Darrell Waltrip (3), Tony Stewart (3), Herb Thomas (2), Tim Flock (2), Buck Baker (2), Joe Weatherly (2), Ned Jarrett (2), Terry Labonte (2) and Kyle Busch (2). Seventeen drivers have one championship each.
Additionally, there were 19 years in which the NASCAR Cup Series champion won one or more Darlington races in the same year.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, 29 different drivers have won the series’ championship since 1982. Drivers with multiple championships include: Jack Ingram (2), Sam Ard (2), Larry Pearson (2), Randy LaJoie (2), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2), Kevin Harvick (2), Martin Truex Jr. (2), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2) and Tyler Reddick (2). Twenty drivers have one championship each.
Just in time for the holidays, fans can renew their tickets and campsites early with the ability to print a gift letter when they renew.
Renewal brochures will be mailed in early January, but fans may log in to their accounts now to receive exclusive renewal benefits. Renewing tickets early guarantees great seats for the 2020 playoff race and throwback weekend prior to the opening of all remaining seats to the general public on Friday, February 21, 2020.
Renewing fans receive many outstanding benefits for being a loyal customer for Labor Day weekend.
Renewal benefits include:
The best value of the season for the Southern 500® and Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200.
Convenient four-part payment plan.
First to upgrade or relocate seats during the special relocation window.
One (1) free admission to the Darlington Raceway Museum ($7.50 value).
Special renewal pricing for Southern 500 pit passes ($15 savings).
Special renewal pricing for an exclusive VIP “Untamed Access” race day experience.
Fans can create custom “Weekend Ticket Packages” that can save up to $60 per person for tickets, pit passes and scanners.
Guests may renew their tickets and campsites by calling 866-459-RACE (7223) or visiting DarlingtonRaceway.com/renewals. The renewal deadline is Friday, February 7, 2020.
The Tradition Continues on Labor Day weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series Southern 500® is set for Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020. Throwback Weekend coverage will once again be covered in its entirety on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM. The NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 will race on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020. You can keep up with all of the latest news from Darlington Raceway at DarlingtonRaceway.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DarlingtonRaceway and on Twitter at Twitter.com/TooToughToTame.
Always dreamed of spinning the wheel!!! Great meeting you @DrewFromTV, thanks for having me as a guest on @PriceIsRight. Will update you all before its air date. Try and guess what I spun. Hint: it’s pretty damn good 😎👍 pic.twitter.com/OP93O1NLXf
CONCORD, N.C. — Brian Deegan rattled off the dates as if he was reading from an annual planner. His daughter, Hailie, had just been introduced as the latest member of Ford Performance’s driver development program, but the careful and deliberate blueprint for her long-term future was also top of mind.
“So it’d be ARCA, 2020; ’21, trucks; ’22, trucks; ’23, ’24 Xfinity, which is kind of what we’re hoping and laying out as our goal for her to have that path and then get to Cup,” Brian Deegan said, spelling out the provisional plan for the 18-year-old prospect’s aspirations for reaching NASCAR’s major leagues.
“Where do you see yourself in five years?” is almost a job interview trope by now. For Hailie Deegan, that question already has a tentative outline, but with a heavy emphasis on a measured approach.
Deegan is set for a full 20-race schedule next season in the ARCA Menards Series, joining DGR-Crosley’s operation for 2020. Her slate also includes spot duty in IMSA sports-car competition, and the potential for a midseason debut in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series was breathed more than once during Tuesday’s news conference at the Ford Performance Technical Center.
Mark Rushbrook, the global director of Ford Performance Motorsports, indicated that no firm timetable was in place for Deegan’s advancement to NASCAR’s top division and that any moves up the career ladder would be determined by her progress at each step. While acknowledging that it was enticing to possibly accelerate Deegan’s timeline, Rushbrook said that a more gradual track was something mutually agreed upon from an early date.
“From the very first serious discussion, that was very clear — both from us and the Deegan representation — that that’s the way everybody wanted to approach it,” Rushbrook said. “There’s no good reason to jump to Cup too quickly and to not win and be competitive. We don’t want to do that, they don’t want to do that, so I think we’ve got the right approach, the right timing.”
Not that it’s been easy. Deegan branched off from her full-time duties last season in the K&N Pro Series West (now ARCA Menards Series West) for some seasoning in the ARCA Menards Series. All the while, Derek Kraus — her then-teammate at Bill McAnally Racing and the eventual West champion — delved into the Gander Trucks ranks with four starts over the course of the 2019 campaign.
It’s prompted talk about when Deegan’s own shot at the tailgate tour might happen, but those thoughts have been tempered by patience from all sides.
“There’s moments where you want to rush it a little bit, and then you have to realize, man, I can’t make the mistake of doing that,” Deegan says. “Because at the end of the day, you really only have one reputation and one shot, and once you kind of get that bad reputation and don’t have some good results, then it’s kind of over. It’s really hard to build it back. It’s going to take a lot more money and funding, so you want to make sure you do it the right way, the best way that’s not going to keep you in a giant hole, trying to find sponsors that want to commit to you and are on the same page and don’t try to rush you.”
Deegan has made little secret that a potential Gander Trucks start on Eldora Speedway’s dirt half-mile is on her wish list of possible appearances. Her background in off-road racing plus her penchant for dirt-track showcases is what helped her to victory in the West Series opener this year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s dusty bullring.
The ultimate goal, however, is a well-earned place in NASCAR’s premier series, a position that’s going to take time, no matter how methodical the progression.
“Of course there’s a rush to get there, and it’s hard when you’re looking over the fence and you’re in one series and you see that other series as much bigger and more attention,” Brian Deegan said. “Trust me, we love media and we love attention, but the problem is, we gotta take our time, right, because what happens if she rushes there and just can’t hang with the pace and then it’s done, right? And then all that for that. So it’s important for us to take some time.
“The bottom line, that’s most important, and Ford understands that. That’s why we laid out the deal the way we did. It’s a clear-cut path to get through those ranks and get to Cup. That’s what we wanted to lay out because the most important thing was as a family, making a decision of where can we be that’s going to be the best path for us to develop and learn and get faster and faster.”
CONCORD, N.C. — Ford Performance announced Tuesday the addition of Hailie Deegan to its driver development program, ensuring that the next steps of the rising star’s stock-car racing career will be made with the automaker’s backing.
The groundwork for that progression was spelled out in the mid-December announcement, with Deegan slated for a full 20-race season in the ARCA Menards Series, plus select sports-car events in a Mustang GT4 in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. Her ARCA schedule will be contested with the DGR-Crosley organization, which made its own switch to Ford last Wednesday.
“It was really cool because they came to me,” Deegan told NASCAR.com about Ford’s interest. “It shows that people care, it shows that they want to be fully invested and want to better your future and have a good relationship for a long time, and that’s something that I was super-interested in when they came to me. I know that it’s going to be a crazy next year, and if everything goes well with David Gilliland Racing, which I think it will because he has such a good program, we should have some good success next year.”
Deegan became one of NASCAR’s top budding prospects by making history as the first woman to win a race in its developmental K&N Pro Series West (now ARCA Menards Series West) in 2018. The 18-year-old driver added two more series victories this year. All three wins came by bold final-lap passes.
That sort of potential mixed with a sometimes-brash driving style is what drew the attention of Mark Rushbrook, Ford Performance Motorsports’ global director. That she has already established an engaging social media presence came as a bonus.
“From the competition side, it was seeing her aggression on track, seeing how she races, the results that she delivers, and more importantly what we see off the track in terms of her mindset, her commitment to develop in every way that she can, whether it’s on the simulator, driving her own sim at home, a motorcycle, a quad or whatever,” Rushbrook said. “It’s all about getting in a vehicle and vehicle dynamics.
“That’s the biggest thing that attracted us from the competition side, and then also on the marketing side, just the way that she’s already been able to develop such an extensive reach to be able to tell her story at such a young age is very impressive, and that’s only going to continue to grow, we think, as she advances through the different levels inside of NASCAR. We expect her competition level to grow as well as her marketing presence.”
Deegan got her first taste of ARCA competition last season, netting four top-10 finishes in a six-race slate for Venturini Motorsports. That partial schedule included a best result of fifth place at Lucas Oil Raceway near Indianapolis.
Though her new alignment with DGR-Crosley could eventually provide an avenue to the organization’s involvement in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, Deegan says she’s concentrating for now on the two-series task that’s ahead.
“I think by the end of the year, I would love to. As of now, we’re fully investing into ARCA and our funding is invested into ARCA,” Deegan says. “If some other deals come along, then yeah, I’ll go truck racing. Man, I want to race Eldora. So I for sure do, but at the end of the day for right now, we’re focusing on the ARCA program and being successful there.”
Her aspirations for both series will begin next year in Daytona. Deegan, who has already acclimated herself to Ford’s IMSA entry through simulator work, will drive the Mustang GT4 for real in the Roar Before the 24 test session Jan. 3-5. She’ll team with fellow Ford prospect Chase Briscoe for Multimatic Motorsports in the series’ season opener Jan. 24 on the 3.56-mile oval and road course layout, a day before the annual Rolex 24.
Road courses haven’t been a part of Deegan’s varied background, which has its roots in off-road racing with some go-karting spliced in. Time with Ford’s simulator has helped establish a baseline, something she can build on as IMSA’s opening weekend nears.
“What makes a good driver is well-rounded drivers, ones that are good at multiple things,” Deegan said, “so I think that coming from dirt racing, getting to asphalt, then having some road-course background thrown into it, it’s going to help the whole, all-around stock-car racing a lot.”
Zack Albert | NASCAR Digital Media
Deegan joins a crop of Ford development drivers that includes Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Ben Rhodes and others. Cole Custer, 21, is the most recent graduate from the Ford youth initiative as he joins Stewart-Haas Racing for his rookie season in the NASCAR Cup Series next year.
Deegan’s shift to Ford also represents a family homecoming. Her father, Brian, drove Fords as part of his decorated X Games career, wheeling a Ford Fiesta to Rallycross gold in 2011. He also drove Fiestas in the Global Rallycross Championship and a Ford Raptor in the Lucas Oil Off-Road Series. Tuesday marked the Deegan family’s newest connection to Ford as a No. 4 Fusion with Hailie Deegan’s name above the door sat on the floor of the Ford Performance Technical Center.
The younger Deegan’s move also represents a break with Toyota Racing Development, which fostered her career the last two seasons. While eager to begin her next chapter, Deegan took care to express her gratitude for Toyota’s role in her progress.
“The Toyota program is a great program, and they develop a lot of drivers,” Deegan says. “It has its pros and cons because there’s so many drivers there. I think that they gave me a good introduction to the NASCAR world, helped me kind of find my place, and I think after that, once Ford came to us, it was just something that, OK, what’s going to be best for us long term?”
In the short term, the spotlight has already beamed brightly on Deegan’s emergent career. Her arrival at Ford not only signals the potential for continued on-track performance, but brings the intangibles possessed by one of the sport’s most engaging and marketable young talents.
The jump to a full ARCA slate and IMSA will likely ratchet up that attention, scrutiny that relatively few teenagers have to face. Deegan, however, seems to embrace that spot on the larger stage.
“It’s really hard because at the end of the day in NASCAR racing, you’re going to have a lot more bad races than good races,” Deegan says. “That’s just how it is. One person wins. You’re going to have a lot of bad days.
“The thing is, when the spotlight’s on you, they notice the bad days and the good days. It’s not just the good times and when you’re on top that they notice you. They notice those days that you’re off a little bit, you’re having a bad day or you’re not on top of your game. So that’s something that has its pros and cons, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
