Posted on by Staff Report

Tyler Reddick will move up to the NASCAR Cup Series to drive the No. 8 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing for the 2020 season, the organization announced on Wednesday.

Reddick will replace Monster Energy Series rookie Daniel Hemric following the Sept. 17 announcement that Hemric would be released from the team at the conclusion of the 2019 season.

RELATED: Silly Season moves | Reddick driver page

The defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion has competed in two full-time seasons in the second tier of NASCAR’s national division, earning the 2018 title while piloting the No. 9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports.

Reddick is currently in the thick of the Xfinity Series Playoffs battle, sitting third in the postseason standings with a 52-point cushion on the cutline heading into Saturday’s Round of 12 elimination race at Dover International Speedway (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“It means a lot to me that Richard, his team, and Caterpillar believe in my ability to represent them both on and off the racetrack,” Reddick said in a team release. “My goal was always to get to race on Sundays, and I’m so excited to achieve that next year with RCR, ECR and Caterpillar. I’m excited to take this next step in my career with their support, but also realize I’ve still got a lot of work to do this year with my No. 2 team to bring home the Xfinity Series Championship. I can’t think of a better way to end RCR’s 50th celebration and kick off next year than by capturing that trophy.”

Entering Dover, the 23-year-old from Corning, California, had earned five victories this season, along with 21 top-five and 24 top-10 results. Reddick has recorded eight triumphs in 79 races spanning three seasons in the Xfinity Series.

Reddick competed in a pair of full-time seasons for Brad Keselowski Racing in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series in 2015-16, earning three victories during that span.

Posted on by Staff Report

Through three weeks of the NASCAR Playoffs, there’s a question we must answer ahead of the Round of 12: Is Kyle Busch in trouble?

Busch’s most recent string of shaky performances started at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he brought home at 37th-place finish. That was followed up by a 19th-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, second place at Richmond Raceway and a 37th-place effort at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Roval. 

NASCAR.com’s Jonathan Merryman and Alex Weaver are here to debate: So, what does all that mean?

RELATED: Series standings | Round of 12 reset

Jonathan Merryman: Absolutely nothing. Over the past four seasons, no one has been better than Kyle Busch. While the Round of 16 didn’t go as planned for the No. 18 team, it doesn’t matter. Points reset, and he is again the points leader heading into the Round of 12 that comprises races at Dover International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and Kansas Speedway.

Busch has managed to win three times at Dover, Talladega is a wild-card, and Kansas saw a string of eight consecutive top 10s from Busch end this spring. On top of the natural talent, Busch also has a 41-point cushion to the cutline. In other words, he has one mulligan left and three races to dial it in before the heat is on in the Round of 8. 

Even then, the Candyman should be fine. After all, M&M’s do well in the heat – “They have a thin candy shell.”

Alex Weaver: Momentum needs to be in his favor. While Busch is one of the best drivers in the field — and ever — momentum has to be in your camp when fighting for a championship. The team has been stricken by mistakes on pit road, wrecks and mechanical issues over the last few weeks and hasn’t found Victory Lane in the past 15 races. That’s a slump for Kyle Busch.

RELATED: Every Kyle Busch Cup wins 

Do I think he needs to be worried in the Round of 12? Absolutely not. Do I think he needs to be worried about the Round of 8? Again, no. He came in with enough playoffs points, including the 15-point bonus for being the Regular Season Champion, his points cushion will continue to help his cause.

Does Busch need to be worried about adding another championship? Yes. It is time for Busch to turn on the heat and show his dominance in the next two rounds of the playoffs. To quote the Candyman himself, “It’s pathetic to have to lean on insurance. My premiums are going to go up.”

Sure, a cushion is a soft place to land. But when running for a championship, an average finish of 19.3 in the Round of 16 sure does jack up insurance prices.

Posted on by Staff Report

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s lone NASCAR start of the 2019 season came in last month’s Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway. A fifth-place finish capped his first start in about a year, as he drove a paint scheme first driven by his seven-time champion father in 1975.

The weekend was captured by Dirty Mo Media for a short film, “Time Machine.” From Earnhardt’s thoughts and nerves before practice and the race, fan reaction to his great run, handling questions about the plane crash he was in two weeks earlier outside of Bristol Motor Speedway to the joys of having wife Amy and daughter Isla experience the throwback weekend with him, “Time Machine” takes you inside the race weekend as the driver himself experienced it.

RELATED: Earnhardt soaks in Darlington | Junior through the years

“I don’t know that I’ve ever felt this good about any fifth-place finish in my life,” Earnhardt says in the film.

You can watch the full film below.

Posted on by Staff Report

With the NASCAR Playoffs transitioning from the Round of 16 to the Round of 12, here’s a round reset with an overview of the three races to date and the three ahead for the Monster Energy Series:

MORE: NASCAR Playoffs standings

***

• Who’s in (in order): Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Clint Bowyer.

• Who’s out (in order): Aric Almirola, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Erik Jones.

• Best Round of 16: Martin Truex Jr. Honorable mention to both Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski for completing the opening round with an average finish of 4.0, but the nod goes to Truex for winning the first two of the three and rallying for a seventh-place effort at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Roval.

• Worst Round of 16: Erik Jones. The Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 driver finished outside the top 35 in all three events.

• Next up: Dover International Speedway (Oct. 6), Talladega Superspeedway (Oct. 13), Kansas Speedway (Oct. 20).

• Trending up for Round of 12: Chase Elliott. Fresh from a momentum-stoking Roval victory, the No. 9 Chevrolet’s driver heads to three tracks where he holds recent wins.

• Trending down for Round of 12: Kyle Busch. Though he has won at all three tracks for this round, the three Round of 12 venues all rank in his bottom half based on average finish, with Talladega at the bottom (minimum five starts).

Posted on by Zack Albert

Competition officials announced rules changes Tuesday for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, limiting the adjustments to a handful of procedural regulations intended to contain costs for teams.

Officials indicated the rules tweaks should not impact on-track competition, opting to minimize wholesale changes for next season. That strategy comes ahead of more comprehensive modifications expected for the 2021 season, when the next-generation stock car is scheduled to debut in NASCAR’s top division.

MORE: 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule

“The 2019 season has produced great racing and we anticipate the level of competition to continue to rise as teams build off this rules package in 2020,” said John Probst, NASCAR senior vice president, innovation and racing development. “Collectively, we continue to work closely as an industry to put on the best racing possible for our fans, while working diligently on the Next Gen car, scheduled to make its debut in 2021.”

Among the new regulations released to teams for 2020:

• Each car number will be allowed a maximum of 12 certified chassis designated as “active” at any given time. There was previously no limit. Each vehicle number will also be allowed to retain four chassis designated as “inactive,” set aside for future use.

Chassis can be decertified or retired only after use in a minimum of three races or if damage from a crash is deemed irreparable. Chassis designated for the preseason Clash exhibition race at Daytona International Speedway will not count against a car number’s active allotment, unless that chassis is also used in the Daytona 500.

Also, each organization will be permitted a maximum of 10 unique chassis designs.

• Organizations will be limited to a total of 150 hours of wind-tunnel testing per year. There was previously no limit. Testing is only permitted at four approved wind-tunnel facilities: Aerodyn Wind Tunnel in Mooresville, North Carolina; Auto Research Center (ARC) in Indianapolis; Penske Technology Group Wind Tunnel in Mooresville, North Carolina; and Windshear Wind Tunnel in Concord, North Carolina.

Manufacturers, however, are not permitted to conduct wind-tunnel tests on current-generation cars. There is no restriction on the amount of wind-tunnel testing and development for the Next Gen car model slated for 2021.

• Officials have introduced new at-track roster limits for the 2020 season, reducing the maximum number of “road crew” personnel (engineers, mechanics, crew/car chief, spotters) from 12 to 10 during race weekends.

Additionally, the new structure will limit the amount of “organizational staff” for each organization to three. Previously, three- or four-car teams were allowed to carry a fourth rostered member at the organizational level (i.e., technical director, competition manager).

• Teams must compete in a minimum of eight events with a full long-block sealed engine and at least eight events with a short-block sealed engine. Previous rules dictated three full long-block seals and 13 short-block sealed engines.

Cup Series officials and teams recently began the post-race procedure of sealing engines — either fully (long block) or just the bottom portion (short block) — as a measure to prevent costly and time-consuming rebuilds. The practice originated in other NASCAR national series.

• The extended parts freeze for the NASCAR Cup Series will remain in place through 2020, as development continues to shift toward the Next Gen stock car.

Posted on by Staff Report

Corey LaJoie, driver of the No. 32 GoFas Racing Ford, will often tweet out #StackingPennies after a strong run for his small-time team to indicate the baby steps the organization is making.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver unveiled a new hashtag Tuesday morning — for a different kind of baby steps.

The 28-year-old LaJoie and wife Kelly, married last New Year’s Eve, will usher in a new bundle of LaJoie this coming Easter. Congrats to the happy couple.

Posted on by
No. Driver Sponsor Make Organization
00 Landon Cassill Clean Origin Chevrolet StarCom Racing
1 Kurt Busch GearWrench Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing
2 Brad Keselowski Wurth Ford Team Penske
3 Austin Dillon AAA Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
4 Kevin Harvick Busch Beer All Harvick Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
6 Ryan Newman Acronis Ford Roush Fenway Racing
8 Daniel Hemric Lucas Oil Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
9 Chase Elliott Hooters Give a Hoot Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
10 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
12 Ryan Blaney PPG Ford Team Penske
13 Ty Dillon GEICO Chevrolet Germain Racing
14 Clint Bowyer ITsavvy / Haas Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
15 Ross Chastain Low-T Center Chevrolet Premium Motorsports
17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastenal Ford Roush Fenway Racing
18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
19 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
20 Erik Jones DeWalt Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
21 Paul Menard Menards / Cardell Cabinets Ford Wood Brothers Racing
22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford Team Penske
24 William Byron Axalta Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
27 Joe Nemechek TBA Chevrolet Premium Motorsports
32 Corey LaJoie Drydene Ford Go Fas Racing
34 Michael McDowell The Pete Store Ford Front Row Motorsports
36 Matt Tifft Delaware Lottery / Surface Ford Front Row Motorsports
37 Chris Buescher Kroger Simmer Like A Winner Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
38 David Ragan MDS Transport Ford Front Row Motorsports
41 Daniel Suarez ARRIS Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
42 Kyle Larson Clover Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing
43 Bubba Wallace Victory Junction Chevrolet Richard Petty Motorsports
47 Ryan Preece Kroger Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
48 Jimmie Johnson Ally Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
51 BJ McLeod Jacob Companies Chevrolet Petty Ware Racing
52 JJ Yeley DriveSmart Ford Rick Ware Racing
54 Garrett Smithley TBA Ford Rick Ware Racing
77 Reed Sorenson TBA Chevrolet Spire Motorsports
88 Alex Bowman Cincinnati Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
95 Matt DiBenedetto Dumont Jets Toyota Leavine Family Racing
Posted on by NASCAR.com

Name: Derek
Current City: Las Vegas, Nev.
Member Since: 2017

Getting to know Derek:
​
How did you first become interested in NASCAR? 

“Initially, I became interested in NASCAR through my co-workers after moving to Alabama. My interest stayed on the lighter side for a few years, attending the spring race at Talladega in 2006, but mostly just watching races on TV or following the results online. After meeting my wife, who followed NASCAR more closely, we started attending more races together, trying to make at least one a year, and both of our interests continued to grow.”

What is your favorite part about NASCAR?

“The racing action is obviously entertaining, and not much can beat the sound and force you feel when the cars speed by, but I think the sense of community across such a spectrum of people is honestly what I enjoy most about NASCAR. At every race you see people from all walks and places of life that come together to enjoy an afternoon or evening at the track, for the most part treating each other with kindness outside normally friendly jeers towards a rival driver’s fans.”

What is your favorite NASCAR memory?

“This past spring race in Las Vegas, my wife and I finally splurged for the Clubhouse seats and had some family come out to enjoy the weekend with us. It was a great experience with all of the recent upgrades made to LVMS (Las Vegas Motor Speedway).”

Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?

Driver: “Clint Bowyer.”

OEM: “Ford.”

Sponsor: “There are several sponsors that I like (Mobil 1, Menards, Bass Pro, etc.), but I think Monster Energy has done a great job in taking over the series sponsor role. Their branding has brought in some fun race weekend activities outside of the races.”

What are some of your hobbies? 

“Spend time with my family and spend time outdoors.”

FROM ALL OF US AT NASCAR, WE THANK DEREK FOR HIS CONTINUED SUPPORT AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM HIM IN 2019!

Posted on by Staff Report

Kurt Busch gave a next-day assessment of his three playoff races to date and the seven races that remain Monday, calling his team’s opening-round performance “a friggin disaster.”

RELATED: Bowman advances; four ousted | Race results

Busch was bounced from the Monster Energy Series playoffs Sunday after a 20th-place finish in the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. That result capped off a rough three-race stretch in the Round of 16, which included a last-place run after a crash in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway opener and an 18th place in the middle race at Richmond Raceway.

Busch ranked 15th out of 16 drivers after the Charlotte Roval, leading to his ouster from the postseason field. Busch’s post-elimination quest for a turnaround begins this weekend at Dover International Speedway, the first race in the NASCAR Playoffs’ Round of 12 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Staff Report

Finally.

After 65 starts without a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win, Craig Lutz earned his first checkered flag on Sunday at Stafford Motor Speedway.

The victory came in the annual NAPA Fall Final, a staple event on the schedule, and one of the final two in the season. While Lutz celebrated, Justin Bonsignore and Doug Coby, the top two title contenders, rounded out the podium.

All of this and more in the Rapid Rewind from the 15th race of the Whelen Modified Tour season — the third appearance at Stafford for 2019.

NAPA Fall Final 150: Race Results | Race Recap | Championship Standings

LUTZ TAKES RUSSELL GOODALE TO VICTORY LANE

Two years ago, Craig Lutz rolled into Stafford Motor Speedway in August with a new team. Fast-forward 25 months, and Lutz took his Goodie Motorsports entry to Victory Lane at the historic Connecticut half-mile.

Even though he didn’t start off with the finishes he would have liked with his Russell Goodale owned team, this season, the team has really stepped to the next level. They’ve finished inside the top five in nine of 15 races, and had earned five finishes of third or better entering Sunday.

He had finished second three times in his career. Sunday, it was time to move forward one spot.

“I’ve put more pressure on myself. I have an awesome group of guys,” Lutz said. “Ever since we switched over to LFR cars and Rob Fuller has been in our corner, everything has been going really good.”

That switch happened late in the 2018 season, and things have clicked since. Sunday, Lutz wasn’t the dominant car in the early laps, but charged up inside the top five, and took advantage of some pit strategy to be in position on the final restart.

He passed Doug Coby — a two-time Stafford track champion and 12-time Whelen Modified Tour Stafford winner — to take the lead. Lutz followed Coby and Bonsignore down pit road just after lap 100, and when the leaders took the green for the final time on lap 117, he passed Coby for the top spot.

“Everyone kept on asking me when the win was coming,” Lutz said. “I knew I had to be on my game on the restart. I got a really good restart and beat Coby off two, then tried to set my own pace.”

For Lutz, the final 25 laps, minding a gap in the lead, left him no time to think about what it would be like to finally hold the checkered. When the trophy was in his hands, you could see the emotion.

“It’s amazing, especially for my car owner Russell Goodale, he puts so much into this,” Lutz said. “In the last three years, he lost his son and his wife. Our race team is his family. It’s extra special to win for him.”

BONSIGNORE GAINS TWO POINTS ON COBY

Not what he was looking for, but a solid day for Justin Bonsignore.

His winless streak continues at Stafford, but, Bonsignore would finish second in the NAPA Fall Final 150, which helped him close the championship battle down to 19 points heading for the finale.

“Probably not,” Bonsignore said when asked if he could have done anything differently at the end. “When Doug beat us off pit road it played a big part in the strategy. Our car was really tight for a while on both sets of tires today, it showed at the end of the first run that we were the better car. Craig was really tight at the beginning, but Doug was really smart, making sure I had to worry about him.”

Once Bonsignore shook Coby off his back bumper in the final 10 laps, he was a bit quicker than Lutz on the stopwatch. But it wasn’t quite enough.

“Craig was going to be really tough to pass going for his first win, but it’s frustrating, we were just so close,” Bonsignore said. “But I’m, really happy with our performance here this year. It’s the first time we had a good finish, but we’ve made good gains. I just want to win here so bad — more than anything.”

COBY SURVIVES STAFFORD WITH COMFORTABLE LEAD

Comfortable.

That seems like a good word to describe Doug Coby’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship points lead with one race remaining. He leads by 19 points over Bonsignore in search of his sixth championship with the Sunoco World Series at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, October 11-13, still looming.

“Hopefully we go to Thompson and it’s one of those World Series that’s tame and boring,” Coby joked. “We will have a good car, but they (No. 51) will have a good car. We’re going to have to be every bit as good. It’s going to come down to the last lap.”

Sunday, Coby was in a good spot to try to earn his 13th career Stafford win, but it didn’t pan out in his favor in the final laps. He tried the back bumper of Bonsignore for second for much of the final 25 circuits, but had to settle behind.

“He (Bonsignore) pinched me down just about every time, and I kinda just lifted and figured I’d try to set him up,” Coby said. “I was better for a while, but I kinda used my stuff up, and my car got tighter, and his was more neutral at the end. It was just get it to the finish and hope Justin didn’t pull something out of his magic hat and pass the No. 46.”

NAPA FALL FINAL 150 RACE NOTES:

  • After earning his first career Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole Award in qualifying, Chris Pasteryak led 15 laps, and finished 11th. It was the first career pole for Pasteryak, and the second time this season he had led laps.
  • Chuck Hossfeld, who didn’t practice or qualify on Saturday because he was competing at another modified event, arrived at Stafford, and started from the tail of the field. At the end of the 150-lap distance, he would earn his second straight fourth-place finish.
  • In just his second outing for Eddie Harvey Racing, Woody Pitkat finished eighth at his home track, while in his debut, Matt Galko, a regular in Stafford’s SK Modified ranks, would finish 12th.