Posted on by Staff Report

DEARBORN, Mich., August 15, 2019 – Ford today revealed the all-new 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Mustang race car, rounding out its presence as Ford’s global flagship in race series around the world, from hot rods to stock cars to endurance racers.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series Mustang marks the fifth all-new motorsports Mustang unveiled in the past year. It joins the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, National Hot Rod Association Funny Car division, Virgin Australia Supercars Championship and grassroots Cobra Jet, which have all found their way to the winner’s circle in their respective forms of racing.

The new racing Mustangs all were projects that included members of Ford’s engineering and aerodynamics teams based out of the Ford Performance Technical Center in Concord, North Carolina. The facility has evolved from a racing-only facility to a test-bed of development for production vehicles as well as motorsports including the all-new 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500.

“We’ve always talked about Mustang being a car that was born to race, and it’s been gratifying to see it performing so well in multiple series around the world,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “It’s a credit to all of our engineers and teams that have worked so hard to make Mustang a championship contender right out of the box.”

This has been particularly evident in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, where the new Mustang has won 17 of the first 20 races of the season and has now clinched the Supercars Manufacturer’s Championship just halfway through the season. DJR Team Penske has won 16 of the events, including defending champion Scott McLaughlin’s 14 victories.

In addition to the new motorsports Mustangs, Ford also competes with the Mustang GT4 in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series in North America, and the FIA British GT4 Championship in Europe.

2020 Ford Mustang Xfinity Main 2

In 2019, Team Penske captured five of the first 15 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events with drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick has also won two Cup events, including this past weekend at Michigan International Speedway.

“Ford and NASCAR have enjoyed a long and storied partnership, and the iconic Mustang has solidified its place within that legacy with an impressive performance in the NASCAR Xfinity Series,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR managing director of racing operations and international development. “We’re looking forward to seeing what the newest generation of the Mustang will do on the track.”

In NHRA Funny Car drag racing competition, Bob Tasca III recently won back-to-back events in Bristol, Tennessee, and Norwalk, Ohio.

Before revealing today’s all-new Xfinity Series Mustang, the previous Xfinity Mustang started racing full-time in 2011, winning the driver’s championship three times and the owner’s title on six occasions.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won back-to-back driver’s championships in 2011 and 2012, with car owner Jack Roush taking the manufacturer’s crown in 2011. Chris Buescher followed with the driver’s title in 2015 while fellow Ford owner Roger Penske capped off a run that saw him win three straight owner’s championships. Penske added a fourth owner’s title in 2017 before Tony Stewart and Gene Haas won their first with driver Cole Custer last season.

The new NASCAR Xfinity Series Mustang will debut at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 15.

Posted on by Staff Report

The Busch brothers will get plenty of attention entering the Bristol Night Race at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday (NBCSN, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), and deservedly so with 14 victories between them on the famed short track. But it’s Denny Hamlin who comes in scorching hot with top-five finishes in each of his past five races, including a win at Pocono.

RELATED: Bristol schedule

It’s the longest top-five streak of Hamlin’s career, according to Racing Insights, and the longest top-five streak by any driver in the 2019 season. Hamlin has one win at Bristol, coming in the 2012 night race. It’s been a while, but perhaps this is the time Hamlin keeps the Busch brothers out of Victory Lane.

Here is the rest of the need-to-know information for the Bristol Night Race.

TRACK DETAILS

Bristol Motor Speedway is a 0.533-mile concrete oval with 26- to 30-degree banking in the turns and 6- to 10-degree banking in the straightaways. The first NASCAR race at Bristol was July 30, 1961. Jack Smith beat Fireball Roberts by more than two laps in a 1961 Pontiac, but Johnny Allen relieved Smith after 290 laps and the two shared the payday.

RULES PACKAGE

Bristol will employ the 2019 baseline rules package, which includes a taller, 8-inch by 61-inch rear spoiler, a larger front splitter and a wider radiator pan. For short tracks like Bristol, the aero ducts are not used, and the larger tapered spacer is in play giving engines about 750 horsepower.

Goodyear notes that each team will be allotted three sets of Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials for practice, one set for qualifying and nine sets for the race (eight race sets plus one set transferred from qualifying or practice). Unlike most other NASCAR short tracks, teams are required to run inner liners in their right-side tires at Bristol.

PJ1 will be used at Bristol this weekend to give drivers an additional racing groove. At Bristol, PJ1 will be applied to the bottom lane. Goodyear, NASCAR and the track will monitor the track condition throughout the weekend.

STATS

— Looking for an upset? Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has had six top-10 finishes in the last 11 races at Bristol and finished runner-up twice.

— Jimmie Johnson owns the best average finish at Bristol over the past 11 races at 8.45. Joey Logano is second at 10.55.

— Martin Truex Jr. has an average finish of 20.93 in 27 starts at Bristol and only one top-10 finish there in the past 14 races.

Source: Racing Insights

LIVE COVERAGE

This week’s race will air live at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday on NBCSN and will be 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

Four drivers led more laps than him, but Kurt Busch came away with his sixth Bristol win to lock into the playoffs. Kurt won despite his brother Kyle making an improbable run from the back of the pack after a Lap 2 incident left his No. 18 Toyota crumpled. Kurt Busch, who was driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, finished .367 seconds ahead of Kyle Larson, while Kyle Busch ended up 20th.

ACTIVE BRISTOL WINNERS

Kyle Busch, eight times; Kurt Busch, six times; Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano, two times apiece; Denny Hamlin, one time.

Posted on by Staff Report

What do “Days of Thunder,” The Intimidator, the grandson of “The King” and the Wienermobile have in common?

You wouldn’t think there would be much binding them all together, but all are inspirations for throwback schemes that will run at Darlington Raceway for the weekend of the Bojangles’ Southern 500 on Sept. 1 (6 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

And all those schemes are vying for the coveted “Best in Show” title that will crown the fan-favorite scheme.

RELATED: See all the throwbacks | Vote for your favorite

This year, the track “Too Tough to Tame” celebrates the NASCAR era from 1990-94 — a span when Richard Petty’s career was wrapping up but Jeff Gordon’s was just beginning.

Voting opened Aug. 6 and runs through Aug. 30, and so far, Bubba Wallace’s No. 43 Chevrolet honoring Adam Petty has a substantial lead on the pack.

William Byron’s “Days of Thunder” neon green look is in second, while Chase Elliott’s No. 9 in honor of his father, Awesome Bill, is third. Corey LaJoie’s No. 32 honoring Dale Jarrett is fourth, while Paul Menard’s No. 21 that celebrates late team owner Glenn Wood is fifth.

Somehow, once-perennial “Most Popular Driver” Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Xfinity Series scheme honoring his father’s first premier series start doesn’t even crack the top 10.

There’s only one way to rectify that: Vote.

Posted on by Staff Report

For the past seven races, William Byron has held steady at 12th in the driver standings. That’s good enough for the second-year driver to qualify for the NASCAR Playoffs, but also close enough to the cutline where there is still room for concern.

But in that span, since the Chicagoland race where Byron finished eighth, he’s also seen his padding on the cutline grow by 50 points.

In all, his swing on the cutline in the last 11 races has been 104 points, according to Racing Insights.

RELATED: Driver standings

Byron has had six top 10s in that span, started on the pole twice (Charlotte and Pocono-1), logged a runner-up finish at the Daytona summer race and earned the ire of Kyle Busch at Watkins Glen. Even that last one can count as a huge accomplishment because it means he’s a factor in races that the 2015 NASCAR champ can’t ignore.

If it continues, it looks like Byron will dispel any speculation of the dreaded Sophomore Slump and qualify for the playoffs in his second season of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing.

A closer look at the rise of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports driver in the last 11 races:

Track Race finish Standing Position  +/- Cutline
Kansas 20 19 -15
Charlotte 9 15 +7
Pocono-1 9 14 +19
Michigan-1 18 14 +22
Sonoma 19 14 +29
Chicago 8 12 +39
Daytona-2 2 12 +58
Kentucky 18 12 +46
New Hampshire 12 12 +61
Pocono-2 4 12 +62
Watkins Glen 21 12 +60
Michigan-2 8 12 +89
Posted on by Staff Report

Veteran David Ragan, the affable and respected driver of the Front Row Motorsports No. 38 Ford, announced Wednesday morning that he would retire from full-time NASCAR competition following the 2019 season.

The 33-year-old said he will continue to race on a part-time basis in NASCAR and other series at his desire, but that he would officially step away from full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series duty at the end of his 13th consecutive season at the sport’s highest level.

RELATED: David Ragan driver page

“I’ve prayed and heavily considered this decision, but for myself and my family, I believe this is the right thing to do,” Ragan said in a team statement. “I am a husband and a father to two young girls first, and I am a driver second. To compete in what I consider the greatest series in the world, you need full dedication of your time and focus. My children are growing up quickly, and I want to concentrate my time in being the best father and husband I can be. I feel this is where God is leading my life, and therefore I’m making this decision.

“There aren’t enough words to thank everyone who has helped me in my career and to all the fans who have supported me in this journey. It’s not over, but I’m ready to spend more time at home.”

Ragan has 457 starts in NASCAR’s top series entering this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, good for 10th most among active drivers. And of that total, 204 have come with Bob Jenkins, team owner of Front Row Motorsports.

RELATED: Ragan through the years

Ragan is in his third consecutive year driving for the Jenkins-owned operation, and he previously drove for the team from 2012-14.

The team indicated it would announce its driver plans for the No. 38 Ford Mustang at a later date.

“We admire David for making what I’m sure was a very difficult decision,” Jenkins said in a team release. “We also commend him for his reason. David has always put family first, and as a father, I understand what it’s like to not be at that game or big event for your child. Throughout his time at Front Row Motorsports, David has always gone beyond what was asked of him — or even volunteering his own time to help grow our team. Now it’s time for him to give some of that back to his family and we totally support that. Our doors are always open for David and we’ll miss seeing him every week.”

Ragan has two wins at NASCAR’s top level, including the first-ever Cup Series win for Front Row Motorsports. In the twilight at Talladega in the spring of 2013, Ragan powered to the front of the pack on a green-white-checkered finish. He took the checkered flag thanks to a huge push from then-teammate David Gilliland, giving Jenkins and his organization an incredible 1-2 finish.

Ragan also won at Daytona International Speedway in 2011, when he drove the No. 6 Ford for team owner Jack Roush. Ragan got his start driving for Roush, who brought him into the Cup Series for a pair of races in 2006 when Ragan was 20 years old.

RELATED: Relive Ragan’s Daytona win

He would spend the 2006-11 seasons piloting the No. 6, notching 12 of his 15 career top-five finishes and 30 of his 40 career top-10 finishes during that span. Ragan’s best season came for Roush in 2008 at age 22, when he logged six top fives and 14 top 10s to finish 13th in the season standings.

A brief stint with Joe Gibbs Racing, replacing an injured Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Toyota, was a highlight of Ragan’s 2015, a year in which he also drove for Jenkins and Michael Waltrip.

Ragan also has two victories in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, both in 2009 for Roush, and also logged 29 starts in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

Posted on by @nascarcasm

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSUP my loyal subjects. It’s been a while since ol’ Gus cracked open the internet box and typed up himself one of them blogs. Why is that? It’s because I tried “vlogging” for a while but that never took because it was 10-minute videos of me barking at nothing and licking my own nether regions and apparently YouTube HAS SOMETHING CALLED “COMMUNITY STANDARDS” AND TOOK IT DOWN.

My owner said “Sh-t” on TV years ago and got docked 25 points but HEY, guess what you can still find on YouTube? THIS VERY CLIP. Double-standard much, internet? Sheeeesh.

So anyways, got a LOT to cover in a short amount of time ­– it’s scotch-and-cigars night with the bison and they get mad when you arrive late.

First, over a year ago, my owner yells “Slide job!” really loud on the TV and y’all react like I do when the mailman pulls up. Apparently none of y’all have been subjected to Dale Jr. yelling things at you for YEARS like I have. You aren’t victimized by a shrill “GUS, NO! GUS, NO!” every time I’m humping a stuffed animal in the living room when company’s over. MAN that pissed him off. First off, I’m a dog, that’s what I do. Second, how the hell was I supposed to know it belonged to Isla? Pardon me for not discerning and keeping an open mind.

The fact is, he yells stuff all the time. “DON’T EAT THAT!” “DON’T USE MY EBAY ACCOUNT!” “DON’T USE MY GOOD ELECTRIC BEARD TRIMMER ON YOUR BUTT!” I’m like I GOTS TO KEEP IT CLEAN, GINGER. Y’all love it but it’s been the bane of my existence for years. That and when I’m standing there as he eats a sandwich hoping for some cold cuts to fall on the floor and all I get is mayonnaise dripping onto my head. Know how hard it is to get mayonnaise out of your own fur? It’s like transcribing a Ward Burton interview.

On to Isla – I have to admit that she is absolutely adorable and a lot of fun to play with. I like when mom takes me and Isla for walks. So many people walk up and bend down and look at Isla in that little stroller, her big eyes staring back at them, and remarking about what a doll she is. Am I jealous? No. It’s actually a ploy she and I came up with. She distracts them, and I sniff their butts. Call it collusion if you want, I don’t care – butt-sniffing has NEVER been easier. TEAM ISLAGUS.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Every. Damn. Morning.

A post shared by Amy Earnhardt (@mrsamyearnhardt) on


Hold on, Alex Bowman’s dog is calling. I gotta take this. MAN, Alex Bowman, what a guy, and his dogs are a blast. Everyone likes to joke that Alex is still in his rookie year. That’s why I always tell his dogs “Hey, you’re seven!” Get it? It’s a dog years joke. Go to hell, that joke was grade-A beef. Anyways, they were over the night that Alex won at Chicagoland, and we all went over to Alex’s for the celebration. Dude goes through beers like backup cars.

They were making noise, chugging maple syrup – basically everything that we would get in trouble for. We all had a good laugh at Alex getting the car stuck in the infield grass. We bury things in the dirt all the time. Usually our owners’ belongings or animal carcasses. Hell, there’s one of Dale’s Asics I took out to the Old West town and buried deeper than Daniel Suarez buried Michael McDowell. HA.

OK, that’s all for now, sorry to keep it short. You heard of the Big 3? Well, subtract one, and that’s what I gotta do out in the backyard. Peace.

— Gus.

Posted on by Staff Report

Playoff pressure has ramped up in recent weeks, with drivers shuffling for position in the provisional 16-car postseason field. But as the hourglass sands start to trickle out with just three races left in the regular season, the tension and potential for sparks ratchet up.

Enter Bristol, cauldron of conflict.

Bristol Motor Speedway’s annual night race (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM) provides a prime setting for the crumpling of fenders and feelings. Old differences are often rekindled, and new disagreements frequently sprout during a 500-lap grinder on the .533-mile bullring.

Which will occur Saturday night? NASCAR.com staffers Zack Albert and Terrin Waack will be trackside to find out but offer their midweek predictions ahead of the Bristol build-up.

RELATED: Bristol’s best bump-and-runs

ZA: Here’s sensing a new argument that will burble up at Bristol, particularly between drivers with the most perilous playoff perch. The potential to settle old scores is there, but so many of Bristol’s best battles are situational. With so little running room available, the battles for real estate are often on edge.

We’re probably due for a good helmet throw, a finger wag or another overboard display of frustration. The hunch is it won’t be a Round 2 for a past transgression.

TW: Keep an eye on Jimmie Johnson. The seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion is on the verge of not making the playoffs for the first time since the postseason format was installed in 2004, and he’s surely feeling the pressure. Johnson went from barely safe – tied for the 16th and final spot with the tiebreaker leaning in his favor – to not safe, now in 18th.

Johnson snapped at Ryan Blaney two weeks ago in Watkins Glen and then apologized for his own aggression this past weekend at Michigan. The blame game is bound to continue at Bristol.

Posted on by Staff Report

It’s that time of the year again, time to keep watch on drivers who can clinch a spot in the NASCAR Playoffs. Of course, the easiest way to clinch is to win this weekend’s Bristol Night Race (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

But if that’s not possible, then here are the drivers who have a chance to clinch on points when all the beating and banging is done in Thunder Valley.

RELATED: Driver standings | Bristol schedule

A repeat winner from this season at Bristol and being 111 points ahead of 15th place on the playoff grid would clinch a spot for Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola, William Byron and Kyle Larson. Some more detail on the scenarios:

— Ryan Blaney: Has already clinched a top-30 spot. With a win, he would clinch a playoff spot on wins. Could clinch on points with a repeat winner (or a win by Aric Almirola, William Byron, Kyle Larson or Erik Jones) and help.

— Aric Almirola: Has already clinched a top-30 spot. With a win, he would clinch a playoff spot on wins. Could clinch on points with a repeat winner (or a win by Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Kyle Larson or Erik Jones) and help.

— William Byron: Has already clinched a top-30 spot. With a win, he would clinch a playoff spot on wins. Could clinch on points with a repeat winner (or a win by Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola, Kyle Larson or Erik Jones) and help.

— Kyle Larson: Has already clinched a top-30 spot. With a win, he would clinch a playoff spot on wins. Could clinch on points with a repeat winner (or a win by Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola, William Byron or Erik Jones) and help.

All other drivers need to win to clinch at this point.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR announced L1-level penalties for the Nos. 3 and 8 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series following action at Michigan International Speedway last weekend. Both Richard Childress Racing Chevrolets were in violation of Section 20.7.4 of the NASCAR Rule Book, alternators were not functional.

NASCAR fined the respective crew chiefs, Danny Stockman Jr. and Luke Lambert, $25,000 apiece and subtracted 10 owner points and 10 driver points from each team.

RELATED: Michigan results | Bristol schedule

Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3, is currently in 22nd place in the Monster Energy Series standings. Daniel Hemric, driver of the No. 8, is in 25th place and also outside the playoff field. There are three regular-season races remaining before the NASCAR Playoffs begin.

In the Xfinity Series, NASCAR cited the No. 19 team for one lug nut not properly installed after last weekend’s race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. NASCAR fined crew chief Jeff Meendering $5,000. Brandon Jones drove the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to a 10th-place finish last week.

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.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) heads to the mountains of Tennessee for a showdown under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Bristol, a half-mile, highly-banked concrete oval, provides plenty of side-by-side racing that results in lots of beating and banging, wrecks and hot tempers.

To make this weekend’s NASCAR Props Challenge picks, I’ll look at recent races at Bristol Motor Speedway, as well as historical trends on how these races tend to play out.

1. Kyle and Kurt Busch have won the last four Bristol races. Which brother scores more race points?

Bristol is arguably Kurt Busch’s best track historically, but this is an easy answer for me.

Kyle has won three of the past four races in Thunder Valley, and opened as the heavy +250 favorite at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas.

Pick: Kyle Busch

2. Does the Stage 1 winner lead O/U 85.5 laps in that stage?

It’s important to remember that Saturday’s race at Bristol consists of 500 laps (not miles) around the track’s half-mile circuit. As a result, a car out front can quickly hoard laps led under green flag conditions.

Considering that the first stage is 125 laps, I can easily see one driver getting out front for at least 86 laps before taking the Stage 1 victory.

Pick: Over

3. Does the Stage 2 winner earn stage points in both stages?

In each of the past three Bristol MENCS races, the Stage 2 winner earned points in Stage 1 as well.

Pick: Yes

4. The race winner leads O/U 225.5 laps?

Since stage racing was introduced before the 2017 season, no winning driver has eclipsed 225 laps led at Bristol.

In fact, the most laps an eventual winner has led over that span was 156 (Kyle Busch in August of 2017).

Pick: Under

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