Posted on by Terrin Waack

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Family finished first in this race.

David Ragan is retiring as a full-time NASCAR driver after this season to spend more time at home. The 33-year-old who has been in the sport since the age of 18 and his wife, Jacquelyn, have two daughters he wants to be around more. Julia is the eldest at 5; Meredith is 3.

“One of the things that was kind of a catalyst to this decision was they have some interest in different things they haven’t been able to do because of my schedule,” Ragan said Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway. “They can’t go and do extra gymnastics on the weekends or go to swim lessons because I’m leaving to go to the track or I’ve got a commitment somewhere. … I think it’s an important time in their years as they’re developing and growing older – learning the difference between right and wrong – that I’m there to show them, teach them and love them.”

RELATED: Ragan to retire after 2019 | Ragan through the years

Currently in the middle of his third consecutive year driving the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford, Ragan is ranked 30th in the Monster Energy Series champion standings with 256 points – for perspective, leader Kyle Busch has 892 – and his place in the standings did play a minor part in his Wednesday announcement that he will retire, he said. His last win was in 2013, and he has two Cup victories and 15 top fives since he began competing in the series full time in 2007. The highest he has ever finished in the standings is 13th in 2008.

The season isn’t over, though. There are three races, starting with Saturday’s Bristol Night Race (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), until the NASCAR Playoffs begin. Ragan’s hope is to right the ship and have a sold, final run with his team.

“We admire David for making what I’m sure was a very difficult decision,” Front Row Motorsports team owner Bob Jenkins said of Ragan’s retirement in a statement. “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.”

When Ragan looks back on his career, sure, he’d like to have won a title. But he’s not willing to stick around and see if that’ll eventually happen. The sacrifice is too large.

“I think, first off, we should be remembered for who we are, not the accomplishments that we had, the trophies that we had and the amount of zeros in our bank account,” Ragan said. “Those are material things that come and go. When I’m dead in the ground down the road, that stuff doesn’t make any difference. It’s the impact you have on others and what you do for your family, for others that you care about. So, I hope (people) remember me as a good guy, a guy who loves the Lord, loves my family and loves racing. That’s who I am.”

RELATED: Full Bristol schedule | Ragan’s driver page

There are specific events – the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway and the Eldora Dirty Derby at Eldora Speedway – Ragan would love to participate in now that he’ll have a rather open schedule. Short tracks and late models are also on his radar. He could even break out his Legends car again.

Future plans include an increased involvement with Shriners Hospitals for Children, a sponsor he has a strong relationship with outside of work, too.

Then his TV deal with FOX as an analyst on RaceHub will be further discussed.

Long story short: Ragan will be around the racing world, still. Just not as much. Other responsibilities will take precedence.

“Gymnastics and swimming coach,” he said. “We’ll see how that goes. That’s a real-life stress.”

Posted on by Team Release

HARRISBURG, N.C. (AUGUST 16, 2019) – For Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year contender Ryan Preece, his first Darlington Raceway throwback weekend means more than a new paint scheme. Preece and the No. 47 Kroger team will tribute Ron Bouchard, who not only raced the No. 47 in the NASCAR Cup Series from 1981-1987, but also raced for Bob Judkins, Preece’s grandfather who passed in October 2018.

The No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1 resembles the No. 47 Majik Market/Hawaiian Punch car, driven by Bouchard at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway in 1984. Preece and Bouchard both began their racing careers at their roots in the Northeast, racing short tracks locally in the Modified Series. Bouchard, a native of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, won track championships at Stafford Motor Speedway, Thompson Speedway and Seekonk Speedway racing for Judkins before moving up to what was then known as NASCAR’s Grand National Division in 1981.

Ryan Preece Darlington Unveil Main

“This paint scheme means more to me than just running a throwback,” Preece said. “We lost my grandfather in October, and this is the perfect way to honor someone that meant so much to me in my racing career. Not only in the Modified Series but persuading me to continue fighting for my dream of racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to run my first Cup race at Darlington Raceway, and I’m so grateful to Kroger for allowing us to race a paint scheme that Ron raced during his NASCAR tenure.”

PHOTOS: Every Darlington throwback scheme

Judkins, a legendary team owner in the Modified racing world, passed on Oct. 25, 2018. Judkins began building Modified cars in the 1960s, fielding cars for a multitude of top drivers including Ed Flemke Sr., Bugsy Stevens, Ron Bouchard, Brett Bodine and Jerry Marquis. Judkins was also the driving force behind what became known in Modified racing in the early 1970s as the “Pinto Revolution.”

In addition to running the same number, running in the Modified Series in the Northeast and Bouchard racing for Judkins, Bouchard and Preece have one final thing in common. Bouchard won Rookie of the Year in 1981 driving the No. 47 despite running only 22 races. Preece is in the hunt for the Rookie of the Year battle in his first season driving the No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1.

Bouchard began his career as a standout Modified driver, but pulled off one of NASCAR’s most stunning victories when he shot from third to first on the final lap at Talladega Superspeedway (then known as Alabama International Motor Speedway), passing Darrell Waltrip and Terry Labonte to score his lone premier series victory coming in just his 11th start during his rookie season.

The Bojangles’ Southern 500 from Darlington Raceway waves the green flag on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 6 pm ET broadcast on NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on by Staff Report

Matt DiBenedetto continued to exhibit speed as his No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota led final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday after turning a fast lap of 128.848 mph.

DiBenedetto also was fourth-fastest in first practice at the .533-mile track just a couple hours earlier.

RELATED: Final practice results

Ryan Blaney recorded the second-fastest practice lap of 128.245 mph before he said he lost power steering in his No. 12 Team Penske Ford about eight minutes ahead of when practice was scheduled to end. Smoke billowed from the back of the No. 12, and his team evaluated the car afterward to determine its viability for qualifying.

Blaney, meanwhile, exited his car gingerly, holding his right shoulder — but said it was not a significant injury.

“When it (power steering) blows out like that, it was an instant snap,” Blaney told NBCSN. “Not sure what I did to my shoulder, but I just needed a second. Good thing we didn’t hit the wall or anything. … Luckily it happened now and not in the middle of the race.”

NASCAR added 12 minutes to what was a scheduled 50-minute practice session after a lengthy cleanup was needed from the No. 12’s power steering loss.

Aric Almirola in the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford was third at 128.228 mph. Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (128.219 mph) and Alex Bowman in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (128.168 mph) completed the top five.

Matt Tifft had vertigo symptoms after first practice at the .533-mile track, and visited the infield care center. Chase Briscoe drove the No. 36 Front Row Motorsports Ford in final practice, and Tifft will be evaluated before qualifying.

Monster Energy Series Busch Pole Qualifying is scheduled to begin at 5:35 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App).

FIRST PRACTICE

Denny Hamlin topped the leaderboard in the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice Friday, recording a fast lap of 128.606 mph in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Hamlin, who has finished in the top five in each of the last five Monster Energy Series races, led three Joe Gibbs Racing cars in the top five in the 50-minute practice session in preparation for Saturday’s Bristol Night Race (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: First practice results

Erik Jones, who led both Xfinity Series practice sessions Thursday, was second-fastest in the No. 20 JGR Toyota (128.151 mph), while teammate Kyle Busch, an eight-time winner at Bristol, was fifth-fastest in the No. 18 Toyota (127.597 mph).

Joey Logano was the lone Ford in the top five, recording a lap of 127.852 mph in the No. 22 Team Penske car for the third spot on the leaderboard. Matt DiBenedetto was fourth in the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota (127.648 mph).

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Matt DiBenedetto revealed Thursday on social media that he will not return to Leavine Family Racing for the 2020 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

This is DiBenedetto’s fifth full-time season in the Monster Energy Series, but his first with LFR. The Grass Valley, California, native had 163 Monster Energy Series starts at the time of his announcement.

Four of DiBenedetto’s eight career top-10 finishes have come this season with LFR, including his only two top-five finishes in NASCAR’s premier series. The top fives came at Sonoma Raceway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Plus, he finished sixth at Watkins Glen International earlier this month.

Leavine Family Racing is affiliated with Joe Gibbs Racing, an alliance that began this season with LFR switching manufacturers to Toyota.

JAYSKI: Bell moving to No. 95?

Posted on by George Winkler

Goodyear has been working with NASCAR on plans to introduce a new tire in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2021. Instead of the 15-inch tires currently used, the targeted size of the new tire is 18 inches and the change would coincide with the introduction of the Generation-7 vehicle.

The impetus behind the change, according to Goodyear’s Director or Racing Greg Stucker, is to help make the cars look more like the ones a customer would drive off the showroom floor.

RELATED: Bristol 101, tires, TV info, more

“There are not a lot of vehicles out there that run 15-inch wheels,” Stucker said. “Everything is from 17 (inches) on up, so that’s really the driving factor to try to make it a bit more relevant to what’s on the street today.”

As far as how the tires will perform in competition, Stucker says it’s too early to tell. Until track tests can be run with the Generation-7 vehicle and the new tires, he said it’s hard to say what the overall performance implications will be — plus the project is in the early stages.

Goodyear and NASCAR are currently looking at a possible timeline for when those tests will take place, but Stucker said nothing has been nailed down yet.

“NASCAR is the driver behind the new Gen-7,” Stucker said. “That was one of the goals to update the tire and wheel package and that’s what we’re working through now to plan exactly where we’re going to be.”

For now, Stucker said the goal is to outfit the Monster Energy Series cars with the new tires, and no plans are being made yet for NASCAR’s other national series.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Top-seeded Brett Moffitt held off determined 17-year-old Chandler Smith after a restart with three laps left and took home the trophy in Thursday night’s UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

With the victory in the first event of the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Playoffs, Moffitt, the defending series champion, gained an automatic berth in the Round of 6, as other playoff contenders either overcame adversity or succumbed to it.

RELATED: Official results

“It was tough,” Moffitt said in Victory Lane. “Our (No. 24) Silverado was strong on long runs, but it was hard to get fired off. So it was really tough just getting the first couple of laps under our belt after a restart.

“There’s no more important win than right now for the season, getting into the Round of 6, so we’ll take this and move on with it. We’re playing with house money now. We still want to go get points and ultimately win races and get playoff points to set ourselves up with a little safety net for the next round.  But now we’ll just go and race to win, and the pressure’s off.”

In his third start in the Truck Series, Smith held his own to the inside of Moffitt for one lap after the final restart, but Moffitt cleared Smith’s No. 51 Toyota on Lap 199 and pulled away to win by .743 seconds. Playoff driver Ross Chastain overcame a violation for an uncontrolled tire to run third, muscling his way through the field and drawing ire from competitors along the way.

Stewart Friesen recovered from a spin off the nose of Matt Crafton’s Toyota, as the two playoff drivers raced in close quarters around the truck of Tyler Dippel. Regular-season champion Grant Enfinger, the only driver other than Moffitt and Chastain to lead laps, ran fifth.

Sheldon Creed, Crafton, Ben Rhodes, Todd Gilliland and Playoff driver Austin Hill completed the top 10, though the latter two lost considerable ground to the playoff leaders.

After an action-filled race that produced 12 cautions for 73 laps, Chastain was unapologetic for the aggressive style that carried him to a third-place finish.

“We put ourselves in a hole there with that one pit stop,” Chastain said. “Yeah, I hate that, but the fastest truck didn’t win tonight. Congrats to Brett… But it’s one lane—it’s the old Bristol. They took the top (of the concrete track) and ground it without telling us, or they didn’t tell me.

“So it was one lane around the bottom. That’s what built this place. You come through this tunnel, and there’s talk about rattling cages, there’s helmets thrown. If we’re going to fill these places up, the CarShield Chevy’s going to be the one that adds to the excitement.”

After the race, several crew chiefs approached Chastain to express their displeasure.

“I think the crew chiefs come down here and puff their chests out—they’re old washed-up race car drivers,” Chastain said. “I love Marcus (Richmond) and Rudy (Fugle), but, my goodness, let your drivers come handle it. And one at a time, line ‘em up, and let’s race. And let’s handle it after, outside the race car.

“Obviously, I’m no stranger to this.”

Bad luck continued to follow playoff driver Johnny Sauter who suffered hard contact from John Hunter Nemechek’s truck on Lap 75—after Sauter turned Nemechek. After a litany of subsequent incidents, Sauter drove his battered No. 13 Ford to an 11th-place finish and is clinging to the sixth spot in the standings by three points over Hill.

Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Tyler Ankrum fared worst of all. His No. 17 Toyota developed electric problems, relegating the 18-year-old to a 20th-place result, six laps down. Ankrum heads to the Aug. 25 race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park last in the playoff standings and 13 points behind Sauter.

If the race had plenty of contact in the heat of battle, it also had a moment of comic relief. After a wreck on Lap 182 caused the 11th caution, a wrecker attempting to push Natalie Decker’s No. 54 Toyota spun the truck instead. Decker retired from the race in 25th place.

But Moffitt finished where he started—from the pole and in the playoff lead. He now holds a 16-point lead over Chastain in second and a free pass to the next round of the playoffs.

Posted on by Zack Albert

BRISTOL, Tenn. — NASCAR officials suspended driver Bayley Currey for violating NASCAR’s Substance Abuse Policy.

Officials announced the indefinite suspension — effective immediately — Thursday at Bristol Motor Speedway, where Currey was entered in the Monster Energy Series and Xfinity Series races for Rick Ware Racing. The news was first reported by Frontstretch.com.

Currey said in a statement that he had used a pre-workout supplement called Juggernaut Irate, which contained a banned substance called DMAA (2-Amino-5-methylhexane). The 22-year-old driver said the ingredient was in his system when medical personnel administered a drug test last week.

“I was obviously not aware that I was violating NASCAR’s Substance Abuse Policy,” Currey said in a statement provided by his team. “I have immediately asked NASCAR to enter me into the Road to Recovery Program where I will gain more knowledge about such banned supplements and I will fully cooperate with NASCAR’s direction and advice.

“I have worked very hard for a lifetime to reach this level and I am eternally grateful to be afforded the privilege to compete in the sport that I love. I want to publicly apologize to my Owner’s Rick and Lisa Ware, all the employees of Rick Ware Racing, my sponsors, NASCAR, and most importantly the fans. My lack of knowledge is no excuse for this to happen. I will expediently complete the process and I will strive to have my suspension lifted as soon as possible.”

Currey is eligible to return to competition once he completes the Road to Recovery program.

Team owner Rick Ware said the team supported both NASCAR’s ruling and Currey’s path. The organization did not immediately announce its plans for the No. 52 Cup Series entry or the No. 17 Xfinity entry for this weekend’s events.

“At Rick Ware Racing, we stand by NASCAR’s decisions to uphold the Drug Policy for each and every owner, driver and crew member in the garage,” Ware said. “We believe that Bayley Currey has made an honest mistake, by not checking his pre-workout supplements for ingredients that are not allowed through the NASCAR systems. As an organization, we stand behind Bayley’s Road to Recovery journey, and will always have a place for him within our organization.”

Currey has competed on a part-time basis in all three NASCAR national series this season, making nine Monster Energy Series starts, eight Xfinity Series appearances and three starts in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series. His best finish this season was a sixth-place effort last weekend in the Gander Trucks event at Michigan International Speedway.

Posted on by Staff Report

Chase Cabre was transported to a local hospital following Thursday evening’s NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Bristol Motor Speedway, according to NASCAR HomeTracks.

Following the race, Cabre, who is a member of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Class of 2019, was able to exit his No. 4 Rev Racing Toyota under his own power, but immediately received medical attention for lower back pain. Cabre was then placed onto a stretcher and carted to the infield care center.

Cabre held the lead at the start when eventual race winner Sam Mayer got into the back of his car at the entrance of Turn 3 on Lap 1, sending him spinning into the outside retaining wall. The 22-year-old completed the 150-lap event, finishing eighth.

Cabre provided an update later in the evening:

Posted on by Terrin Waack

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Rumors ran amok at Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday that Christopher Bell would be making the jump from the Xfinity Series to the Monster Energy Series for the 2020 season.

Well, the driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota currently in the middle of his second full-time season in the Xfinity Series neither confirmed nor denied them.

“It’s still all up in the air,” Bell said. “There’s a number of different cars that I could drive next year. Obviously I could still run the Xfinity Series. I could go to the Cup Series. It’s not in my hands right now. I just have to go out there and try to continue to win races. Ultimately, that’s the only way I’m going to better myself.”

RELATED: Erik Jones ‘really close’ on new JGR contract

In 62 Xfinity Series starts, Bell has won 13 races and notched 35 top-five finishes overall. The 24-year-old joined NASCAR’s second-tier link as a full-timer in 2018, right after winning the Gander Outdoors Truck Series championship the year prior.

Bell announced a 2020 extension with Joe Gibbs Racing back in June but never mentioned what series he’d be officially racing in. The issue is JGR already has four full-time Cup drivers in Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones and Martin Truex Jr., meaning its roster is maxed out.

Matt DiBenedetto did reveal Thursday he’s not returning to Leavine Family Racing for 2020. This year was his first and last with the organization. LFR now has an available seat.

That very well could be Bell’s opening, or so reports hinted.

“I don’t know,” Bell said. “That’s tough for me to answer because right now I drive for Joe Gibbs Racing and the 95 is not a Joe Gibbs Racing car. So, we’ll just have to see how it works out here in the next coming weeks.”

As of this season, though, Leavine Family Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing are technically affiliated. Bell should be allowed to make this switch without any issues.

Bell doesn’t have an agent, so he made it clear no news is official unless it comes from him or his team. Bell did say wherever he ends up in his career he wants his current crew chief, Jason Ratcliff, with him every step of the way. He would also like Rheem, his sponsor, to stay with him but is unsure how that would work out.

Handling his own affairs can be stressful, Bell admitted, but it does not affect his performance.

“I feel like I do a good job of turning all the distractions off,” he said. “Whenever you put a helmet on, it goes away pretty quick. You don’t really think about anything. You just go out there and perform the task at hand.”

RELATED: Complete Bristol weekend schedule

Bell’s next tasks: The Xfinity Series qualifies Saturday at 4:05 p.m. ET and then race the Food City 300 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Bristol Motor Speedway. Both events will air live on NBCSN and the NBC Sports App.

Bristol will knockout one of the five regular-season races left before 12-driver playoffs begin. Bell is currently ranked second in the championship standings with 901 points and locked into the postseason thanks to his five wins this season. One season at a time, for now.

“I do have a job for next year,” Bell said. “Ultimately, that’s all that really matters. I’ll be racing something, whether it’s in the Cup Series or the Xfinity Series.”