Posted on by Staff Report

Dale Earnhardt Jr., wife Amy and daughter Isla were safe and taken to a hospital for evaluation following a plane crash on Thursday afternoon in Elizabethton, Tennessee, Earnhardt’s sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, confirmed via Twitter.

Earnhardt Jr.’s plane, a Cessna Citation, rolled off the end of Runway 24 and caught fire after landing at Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee at 3:40 p.m. ET, according to a report from the Federal Aviation Administration. The aircraft registration is N8JR, which is the plane registered to Earnhardt Jr., according to FAA.gov.

Earnhardt Jr. is an analyst for NBC Sports and was traveling to Bristol Motor Speedway for this weekend’s races.

“I got here within five minutes, and the airplane was fully engulfed (in flames),” Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford said during an evening news conference. “All of the people were out of it … Five occupants, no one’s injured. Under the circumstances, we’re extremely blessed and fortunate.”

Elizabethton Fire Department Chief Barry Carrier confirmed that Earnhardt was talking to EMS staff and the family was transported to a local hospital in a non-emergency capacity.

“We’re extremely relieved to learn that Dale, Amy, Isla and the pilots of the aircraft are safe, and we commend the first responders and medical staff for their quick action,” NASCAR released in a statement. “We look forward to seeing Dale back at the race track very soon.”

Law enforcement officials said that a section of Highway 91 near where the plane came to rest would remain closed until the area could be secured. Lunceford said there were no injuries on the ground, a circumstance that the sheriff said was fortunate considering the roadway’s usual mid-afternoon traffic.

The FAA later released the incident notice on Friday morning. The cause of the accident, it said, was the airplane experiencing a hard landing, which led to it bouncing off the runway, where it caught fire. In the injury portion of the report, all five people onboard — the two pilots and the Earnhardt family — were marked as having no injuries.

Ralph Hicks, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said in a Friday briefing that footage from nearby surveillance cameras showed that the plane bounced twice on the runway in what he described as “a firm landing.” Hicks also said a portion of the landing gear collapsed upon touchdown.

Hicks said NTSB officials had interviewed the Earnhardt family and the pilots, saying their remarks were consistent with the video footage. Hicks indicated the NTSB would be on the scene for two or three more days conducting its investigation and that a preliminary report would be released in seven days.

NBC Sports PR released on social media that Dale Jr. would not be in the booth this weekend at Bristol but would return in two weeks at Darlington.

By Thursday evening, flights had resumed at the small airport tucked into the Tennessee hills, even as the events from just hours earlier had cast a national spotlight onto the normally quiet town.

“Nothing like this,” Lunceford said. “We have robberies, burglaries, pursuits, things of that sort. Armed people. We just have the standard, usual calls in a population somewhere between 58 and 60 thousand. … We stay busy, but no, nothing like this.”

Contributing: Zack Albert in Elizabethton, Tenn.

Posted on by Zack Albert

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Erik Jones said Thursday that he’s inching toward a contract extension that will keep him in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota for another season.

Jones, 23, is in his third year in the Monster Energy Series, his second season driving for team owner Joe Gibbs. Media reports swirled Thursday around the driver roster for JGR and its affiliate teams, indicating that Jones had reached an agreement in principle to stay put.

RELATED: DiBenedetto out at LFR

“We’re really close. I’ve gotten it and seen it. Nothing’s been signed yet, but we’re definitely really close on getting a deal done,” Jones said about a proposed contract extension. “I hope in the next couple of weeks, I don’t have any plans of going anywhere else, so I see myself hopefully announcing something here pretty soon. But not signed yet, nothing’s done, but definitely going in the right direction.”

Jones currently ranks 14th in Monster Energy Series standings, and his recent performance has helped to fortify his positioning for the 16-driver playoff grid. He finished 18th last weekend at Michigan, but he had strung together four consecutive top-five efforts before that.

“I think that definitely helped out. It doesn’t hurt,” Jones said. “You want to run well, and you want to run up front, and I felt like over the last two months, we’ve shown we belong there. (Crew chief) Chris (Gayle) and I both have done our jobs well and done everything but win a race, so we’ve got to keep doing it. There’s no reason to let up, but I think that’s definitely helped out.”

Jones’ status update was the latest in a flurry of reports arounds drivers for Joe Gibbs Racing and its affiliate team, Leavine Family Racing. Matt DiBenedetto announced Thursday morning that he wouldn’t return to the LFR No. 95 operation.

That proclamation fueled reports that earmarked Christopher Bell for a jump to the Monster Energy Series in the No. 95 ride, with Jones returning to the No. 20. Though those pieces have yet to officially fall into place, Jones said he wished DiBenedetto well in the next phase of his career.

“I’m sad to see Matt go. He’s done a great job in that car,” Jones said. “I haven’t heard exactly what they’re doing over there. I think most can assume. Matt’s done a good job and I’m sure he’s going to land on his feet. I don’t doubt that. He took a big risk getting in that car this year and made the most of it, so it’s a tough situation for him, but I think he’ll end up being just fine.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Trackside Live is back this weekend in Thunder Valley! The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Gander Outdoors Truck Series all head to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend for short-track action — and two Trackside Live shows.

The live shows are Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET and Saturday at 4 p.m. ET with drivers Grant Enfinger, Austin Cindric, Justin Allgaier and Kevin Harvick slated to appear Friday, and Kurt Busch, Terry Labonte, Matt DiBenedetto and JJ Yeley scheduled to appear Saturday.

WATCH: Trackside Live | MORE: Full schedule for Bristol | Buy tickets

The Trackside Live crew will come prepared with games, Q&As with drivers, prizes and a lot of family fun for everyone. Join in on this unique experience, take home some great stuff and even better memories in advance of Saturday’s Bristol Night Race (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Aren’t able to make it to the track this weekend? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! You don’t have to miss a second of the Trackside Live fun as the entire show will be streamed live on NASCAR.com here.

Posted on by Staff Report

The Bristol Night Race holds promise for those outside of the provisional playoff grid, but it’s also a place of opportunity for those winless drivers in the inner postseason circle to lock in with a victory and eliminate the guesswork.

Just three races remain in the Monster Energy Series regular season, starting with Saturday night’s annual night race (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM). Several familiar faces and plucky underdogs still have yet to win this year. What better place to snap that skid than at Bristol, with the privilege of brandishing the track’s trademark coliseum sword in Victory Lane.

RELATED: Full Bristol schedule

Several candidates stand out as likely suspects for changing their win column zero to a one on Saturday night. NASCAR.com’s Zack Albert and Terrin Waack size up their favorites:

ZA: Here’s a vote for Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who heads to one of his best tracks this side of Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway with an opportunity to launch a last-ditch playoff bid. The track has produced four top-five finishes during Stenhouse’s career, second only to Talladega in his portfolio. Those stats include a brush with victory in Bristol’s night race in 2016, when he came home as the tough-luck runner-up.

The Roush Fenway Racing driver said last weekend, “Bristol is by far the one that we circle.” If the extra emphasis, the short-track savvy and a small dose of luck all line up, Stenhouse has the inside line on playing a postseason spoiler.

TW: Putting all the eggs in William Byron’s basket. As the series continues to return to tracks it hit up earlier in the season, Byron continues to better his marks at each of them. The No. 24 improved 19 spots (21st to second) between his first and second stops at Daytona. Byron’s latter run at Pocono Raceway was five spots better than his previous (ninth to fourth). This past weekend at Michigan then saw Byron finish eighth, which is 10 spots better than his June showing (18th).

Byron was 16th at Bristol back in the spring. First will be a big jump. Go get that checkered flag, kid.

Posted on by Terrin Waack

There is not a woman with a full-time ride at the NASCAR national series level, but that doesn’t mean talented female drivers don’t exist.

They just need to be discovered.

“I think there are a lot of girls across America that are working very hard to fill that void,” K&N Pro Series team owner Bill McAnally told NASCAR.com. “Matter of fact, I know. I’ve got two of them.”

Their names are Hailie Deegan and Brittney Zamora, and they’re the only female full-time drivers in NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series West, a developmental league that feeds into the national ranks. Deegan is in her second season, steering the No. 19 Bill McAnally Racing Toyota. Zamora took over the No. 99 this year.

MORE: Full K&N West coverage

Deegan and Zamora went through the same tests as other drivers to join BMR’s roster. Three categories were evaluated: car knowledge, driving capabilities and everyday professionalism.

“All of those things we look at,” McAnally said. “If they’re 15 or 90 years old, male or female, that’s beside the point.”

For the record, Zamora is 20 and has been racing since she was 5. Deegan is 18 and started racing at 8.

No one questioned McAnally’s decision to fill two of his three openings this season with female drivers. Nor did he acknowledge it.

“That conversation never really came up because he knew my background in racing,” Zamora said. “As long as you can prove yourself on the track, he didn’t care if you’re a boy or a girl. So that didn’t really come up. It was just, ‘I’ve seen what you can do. Let’s do it in this series, too.’

“It’s kind of nice sometimes just to be known as a racer. That’s what I want to be known as rather than, ‘Oh, she’s a female.’ ”

This is Zamora’s first K&N season. She previously made a name for herself racing in the Northwest Super Late Model Series, even winning back-to-back championships in 2017-18. Her father was also a racer, much like Deegan’s dad.

In the midst of her second K&N season, Deegan wrapped up last year fourth in the final standings and as the Sunoco Rookie of the Year. She had a strong off-road history, including two different titles in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series and a Driver of the Year honor in 2016.

Then there’s Derek Kraus, the third and final member of BMR who also dabbles in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series. He’s in his third K&N season at 17 years old and currently leads the West Series with 329 points. Deegan has 16 fewer points in second as the series heads to Washington’s Evergreen Speedway for Saturday’s NAPA Auto Parts 150. Zamora is fifth with 268 points.

RELATED: Watch K&N racing live

Kraus has won three West races and a pole this year, while Deegan has claimed two of each. Zamora has one pole to her name.

“It’s funny because I never grew up seeing myself as different,” Deegan said. “I hold myself to a really high standard of not just being the best girl racer. Every time I’m on the track and, say, Derek beats me, I’m like, ‘What’s Derek doing that I’m not? Why can he do something I can’t?’ And I go and I figure it out.”

Overall, BMR has more than 80 victories in the K&N Series. In the West alone, BMR has a record eight championships. The organization has been a pipeline into NASCAR’s national ranks with drivers such as Gander Trucks’ Todd Gilliland (11th in standings) and Xfinity Series’ Cole Custer (third in standings) racing for BMR before the move up. Monster Energy Series driver Clint Bowyer (16th in standings) even once did a pair of races for BMR.

McAnally has high standards and wants his drivers to know their car inside-out, to speak up when something feels off and to work with their team to fix it. If they’re not happy with their car come race day, tough. It was their responsibility to communicate what they needed.

That voice goes beyond the garage, too.

RELATED: Deegan smart about career

When any of the drivers need to make a statement toward the competition, it’s up to them to do so. Just like when Deegan spun out Kraus – her own teammate, remember – on the final lap at Colorado National Speedway in June to take the checkered flag. Afterward, she offered no apologies.

“People are going to to be taking swings at me,” Deegan said at the time. “I’m OK with that. Take all the swings you want. But just know that I’m going to swing back.”

McAnally had no complaints about Deegan standing up for herself.

“Both of them (Deegan and Zamora) handle their affairs on the track without problem,” McAnally said. “I haven’t seen any issues with male drivers doing anything to them that they wouldn’t do to another male driver on the track.”

RELATED: Full West schedule

There are no gender rules in racing. If it weren’t for the names and numbers on the car, no one would know who’s behind the wheel, anyway.

Until the helmet comes off.

“If you go to your local Saturday night show, you’re going to see girls out there racing,” Zamora said. “It’s a lot more common than a lot of people think it is. Go to a go-kart track, there’s going to be girls racing. Go to a dirt track, there’s going to be girls racing. Sprint cars. Bandos. Legends. There’s girls racing. I think that really needs to be put in perspective, kind of get recognition.

“We are out here. We are doing this.”

Last year, Deegan became the first female driver to win a K&N race.

The year before, Zamora became the first female driver to win a Northwest SLM Series race and championship.

And their careers are both just beginning.

“What’s going to excite me is not only getting a female driver that makes it to the Cup level but get one that can contend for race wins and contend for a championship,” McAnally said. “Can you imagine a female driver being the Cup champion?

“If we keep going the way that we’re going – breaking new grounds and doing things that have never been done before – it’s definitely a possibility.”

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.