Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

LAS VEGAS – Not only is Noah Gragson improving on the race track, but the 21-year-old NASCAR Xfinity Series driver is dedicating time to improve personally, as well.

Gragson has been working with a personal trainer and former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Josh Wise to ensure he’s healthy physically while exercising his mind, as well. During the Indianapolis race weekend, Gragson picked up a book entitled “25 Ways To Win With People” in search of enhancing his overall attitude.

It’s a monster task that takes hard work, but Gragson is ready to fight for it since a motivational attitude doesn’t come naturally.

RELATED: Las Vegas schedule | Xfinity Series clinching scenarios

“I have to make an effort,” Gragson said. “Ultimately, just be a better leader and that’s what I need to be for this race team. It’s really easy to be happy and smile when things are going good, but I feel like your true character comes out when maybe things aren’t going as well as you’d want.

“So, trying to lean on people who I call my mentors,” he added. “I’ve been doing a lot of that, reading that book and trying to be better and more positive. I feel like you can never be too positive and that’s what I’m focusing on right now.”

One of those mentors happens to be JR Motorsports owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., as the two have developed more than just a driver-owner relationship during Gragson’s first full-time Xfinity Series tour.

According to Gragson, Earnhardt isn’t one to micromanage his employees, instead taking a step back and allowing those he hired to thrive in a championship-capable environment. But Earnhardt is always there for Gragson when he needs a broader perspective while making an effort to boost his maturation process.

“He (Earnhardt) helps me see the overall picture of everything,” Gragson said. “I might get caught up in the moment and wondering why this is happening or why is that happening. I’ve been able to grow a friendship with him that’s been very valuable. We’ve become good friends throughout this year. I’m really lucky to be able to lean on him.”

And what if he told you he and Earnhardt even have something in common?

“Being able to lean on him has been really key for myself,” Gragson said. “I think we’re really similar. I know it might not look like that, but our personalities are maybe not to the outside world similar, but we communicate very similarly.”

Gragson already is locked into the Xfinity Series Playoffs heading into the regular-season finale in Saturday’s Rhino Pro Truck Outfitters 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), and he has finished 10th or better in eight of the last nine races.

That’s motivational and something to smile about for Gragson heading into his first Xfinity postseason.

Posted on by Holly Cain

LAS VEGAS – The smile hasn’t faded from Matt DiBenedetto’s face, and there is an unmistakable extra zip in his step. The 28-year-old has hardly been able to walk more than 2 feet at a time in his Las Vegas hotel lobby this week without a fan stopping him to ask for an autograph or pose for a photograph.

The warm reception is fresh off some career-changing news. On Tuesday, Wood Brothers Racing announced the popular Californian will drive the team’s famous No. 21 Ford in 2020. DiBenedetto will replace veteran Paul Menard, who is retiring from full-time competition at the end of this season.

RELATED: Menard retiring | DiBenedetto moving

The reaction from both fans and his competitive peers has been equally effusive – both for DiBenedetto’s recent work driving the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota and for the big news about his future.

“The support has been crazy,’’ DiBenedetto said. “I can’t believe how much my phone and social media has blown up just after (a runner-up finish at) Bristol (Motor Speedway) and then with this announcement this week and the success our team has had. We’ve been running well. All these things compounded and it’s been interesting walking around the track or at South Point (Casino) getting stopped, to an extreme I’m not accustomed to that at all – even walking through the garage.

“It’s definitely been interesting and crazy how in a couple weeks how much support you can gain, and it’s amazing how much people have gravitated to the this story and how much positive feedback there is in such a world where it can easily be negative. It’s amazing and heartwarming to see on how social media of all places, be super positive.”

RELATED: Las Vegas schedule | Las Vegas practices

Certainly DiBenedetto is in the midst of a career year performance-wise. He has accomplished four top-10 finishes in just the last seven weeks, highlighted by that career-best runner-up finish to Denny Hamlin at Bristol three weeks ago. He also led a race-high 49 laps in the season-opening Daytona 500 only to be collected in a late-race accident.

The three top fives – fourth place at Sonoma Raceway, fifth at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway and second at Bristol – are the first top-five finishes in his five-year career. His six top 10s – with 10 races remaining – are triple his previous best single season effort (two).

Posted on by Holly Cain

LAS VEGAS— Longtime fan favorite Elliott Sadler, 44, will be making his final NASCAR national series start in Saturday’s Rhino Pro Truck Outfitters 300 Xfinity Series race.

Even following the 2018 season finale, where Sadler contended for the series title, the Virginian said Friday he “kinda knew” that he had the possibility of running a couple races this season. But this weekend, for sure, he maintains, will be his last NASCAR green flag.

JAYSKI: Special paint scheme for Sadler’s last start

“This one definitely has a different feel to it,’’ Sadler said Friday. “This one, 100 percent, unless you’re visiting [his hometown] Emporia, Virginia, you won’t see me around anymore. So it has a different feel about it.

“I have different emotions just maybe the competitive side when I take the helmet off for the last time. I definitely feel it’s the right time to close the book and move onto the next chapter of my life. A few mixed emotions, but honestly, I feel really good going into this weekend, really relaxed.

“I know deep down inside, this is it.’’

Sadler certainly leaves on not only his own terms – which was important to him – but also on very good terms competitively speaking. In 22 years of national series NASCAR competition, he won three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races, 1 Gander Outdoors Truck Series race, 13 Xfinity Series races and finished championship runner-up in the Xfinity Series an unprecedented four times (2011, 2012, 2016, 2017).

Respected by his fellow competitors and well-liked by the massive NASCAR fandom, Sadler said he takes great solace in his exit. He looks forward to more time at home with his young kids – a busy daughter and son.

Elliott Sadler Kaulig Racing car Las Vegas
Zack Albert | NASCAR Digital Media

And he is especially grateful to the Kaulig Racing team, who surprised him with a specially designed No. 10 Chevrolet, which he had 14th on the speed chart in opening practice Friday. His car will have the same yellow and red paint scheme he ran as a kid in go-karts and a young man in Late Models. It’s even the same colors his father’s business used on its service trucks.

“For 50 years, it’s the color of everything we’ve done in the Sadler family,’’ Sadler said.

“When they surprised me with it this week, that probably got me more than anything because it means so much.’’

It’s especially important to him this final weekend.

“I feel so good about this weekend and the decision that has been made and leaving on my own terms,’’ Sadler said. “No one’s pushing me out the door. I’m going out on my own accord and I can sleep with that, no regrets at all.’’

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

LAS VEGAS — Erik Jones has been on a hot streak heading into the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, but it’s turning down the heat that has been the key to his success.

Jones spent his third full year in the Cup Series intensely focusing on what he and the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team needs to compete against the sport’s elite, including the improvement of decisions he makes on the track – his top priority.

“I would say my natural tendency is to do too much,” Jones said during Thursday’s NASCAR Playoffs Media Day. “Try to drive too hard. I still do it, right? Look at Bristol (Motor Speedway) – we were still racing for the win, racing for the lead and there were still 80 laps to go and I made a mistake, got into the wall. You have to refocus.”

RELATED: Jones signs JGR contract extension

Apart from finishes of 18th or worse at Bristol, Michigan International Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Jones has finished fourth or better in five of the last eight races, including his second career victory in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

It’s that triumph during NASCAR’s throwback weekend that showcased how Jones has been able to fast-forward his ever-evolving learning process.

“There’s situations in the race where it’s not time to push and where it’s not time to be aggressive,” Jones said. “That’s the biggest thing I had to focus on was when to be aggressive and when not to be aggressive. Darlington was a perfect race for us. Just be aggressive when it mattered, giving stuff up when it didn’t matter.”

While Jones doesn’t possess the experience of JGR teammates Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. – all major threats for the 2019 Monster Energy Series Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway – he has performed with more veteran-like prowess on a consistent basis recently.

RELATED: Printable playoff grid | Las Vegas schedule

Jones needed time to figure out the new aerodynamic rules earlier in the year, but he has simultaneously achieved better finishes while learning when to push the envelope and when to not give the car more than it can handle.

It’s that advancement that could make Jones a significant sleeper for a deep title run as the NASCAR Playoffs kick off with Sunday’s South Point 400 (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“This was a new learning experience with what to focus on and what you need to be fast,” Jones said. “All those things kind of combined is what I’ve been trying to work on this year. As a driver you’re always growing and learning. That was the biggest thing for me this year to try to work on and be better at.”

Posted on by Jonathan Merryman

LAS VEGAS — The road to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series can be a hard one, but then again, it’s all in how you approach it. For defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Tyler Reddick, the attitude is simple; do your job, do it well and the rest will take care of itself.

This season, Reddick has all but locked up the Xfinity regular-season title with the top three national series hitting the track this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. With the playoffs looming and eight races left in the Xfinity Series season, silly season rumors are flying. Reddick happens to be at the center of quite of few of those, a distraction that won’t turn the points leader’s attention from the task at hand: Winning a second consecutive Xfinity Series title.

RELATED:  Full Xfinity standings

“For me, the only focus is the Xfinity championship,” Reddick said. “That other stuff will sort itself out and whenever it comes time for it to be announced, then we will start thinking about it going forward. I’m here to run the Xfinity car and I want to be a Cup driver someday. I can’t let the thought of all the opportunities that could come along cloud what’s right in front of us. That’s to win the Xfinity Series championship.”

Reddick currently has four wins on the year, two less than Christopher Bell and Cole Custer. The trio make up the series’ “Big Three.” Despite having fewer wins, Reddick’s stats are phenomenal for 2019. Out of the 25 races run this year, Reddick has 21 top-10 finishes, 19 of those being top fives; numbers he chalks up to the team mentality and one common theme: fun.

“I spend a lot of time with my guys in the shop. We just have a lot of fun, that’s all there is to it. Even on the rough days we still find a way to enjoy it and we get along great as a group.” Reddick says. “We realize it’s a group effort, a team sport and it takes a lot of things to go the right way to get to Victory Lane. Even when someone has a bad day or something goes wrong, it’s not about picking them apart, it’s about picking them back up. We win and lose together. That’s been our mentality.”

Reddick will try and lock up the regular-season championship for the NASCAR Xfinity Series this Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). He can clinch by earning at least 11 points in the 300-mile event.

Posted on by Steve Luvender

Hey, haven’t you heard? NASCAR Heat 4 is here! The latest title in the series from 704Games features a multitude of updates and improvements for an even more fun NASCAR console gaming experience.

Here are a few reasons we think it’s the best game of the series yet. 

RELATED: Buy special Gold Edition

Upgraded Handling and Tire Wear

You like multi-groove racing, you say? NASCAR Heat 4’s new gameplay features better handling, improved tire wear, and the true ability to run different grooves around the track. 

Custom Numbers and Improved Painting

One of the community’s most-requested updates—more painting tools—takes the spotlight in NASCAR Heat 4. Gamers can use any car number; plus, there’s a brand new custom number font in play. 

Oh, and not to mention all the new NASCAR paint schemes available.

https://twitter.com/ACav704/status/1171541473591906304

 

Opponent AI Car Upgrades

Non-player AI cars get a serious upgrade in NASCAR Heat 4 compared to previous titles. 

Not only are the AI cars improved, but the game includes robust new settings to tweak and customize opponent cars.

 

Day-to-Night Transitions

Another cool, immersive feature of NASCAR Heat 4 is day-to-night transitions, mimicking watching real-world races that start in the afternoon and end under the stars. The result is beautiful as the time shifts to twilight and the lights glow on the speedway. 

Oh, yeah, and you can race Martinsville at night. 

 

Heat Pro League Makes the Upgrade

The eNASCAR Heat Pro League upgraded to NASCAR Heat 4 to kick off the inaugural playoffs of the season Wednesday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

Ross Chastain even stopped by the broadcast studio to celebrate.

On Xbox, mrTRACKBAR33 took the win for the JTG Daugherty Throttlers, while ThAbEaR95 bested the PlayStation 4 field. 

 

Race Any Car at Any Track

Gander Trucks at Watkins Glen? Xfinity Series at Watkins Glen? Cup cars at Iowa? Yep. All doable, new for NASCAR Heat 4. 

(The only exception, of course, is asphalt cars can only race asphalt tracks, and dirt cars can only race on dirt tracks, which seems pretty reasonable.)

 

The Little Things

Sometimes it’s the smaller features you come to appreciate the most in a new game. For instance, based on feedback, NASCAR Heat 4 now features:

  • The ability to start your career in any racing series (instead of the Xtreme Dirt Tour)
  • Your own name on the car’s windshield banner (instead of the original driver’s name)
  • Motion blur visual effects
  • A visual on-screen track map
  • All-new sounds sourced from real race cars

Grab NASCAR Heat 4 Gold Edition or Standard Edition today from NASCARHeat.com, available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, or PC via Steam. Game purchases include a $50 race ticket coupon valid for admission to a NASCAR event at select tracks. 

Official release on eNASCAR.com 

Posted on by Staff Report

Kurt Busch’s No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet pulled through in the last minute of Friday’s final practice at Las Vegas Motor Speeding to clock the fastest lap at 177.276 mph.

Up until those final moments, Joey Logano was leading the pack, but he ultimately wound up with the second-best speed at 176.783 mph. The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford won the spring race at this 1.5-mile track in March. Sunday’s South Point 400 (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) is the series’ second visit to Las Vegas this season.

RELATED: Lap averages from final practice | Final practice results

Last year’s winner of this race, Brad Keselowski, was right behind Logano at 176.321 mph. Chase Elliott (176.223 mph) and Ryan Blaney (176.114 mph) made up the rest of the top five, who are all a part of the 16-driver NASCAR Playoffs field.

Clint Bowyer, who topped the first practice’s leaderboard and is also playoff eligible, was 17th in the final session at 175.450 mph.

The Monster Energy Series will return to the track for Busch Pole Qualifying on Friday at 4:05 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

FIRST PRACTICE

Clint Bowyer and his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford had a late surge in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ first practice at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday. With less than two minutes left in the 50-minute session, Bowyer took the No. 1 spot with a top lap of 178.059 mph. That was good enough to be 0.836 mph faster than the next best, William Byron.

The No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was at the top of the leaderboard for the majority of the practice. Byron circled the 1.5-mile track at 177.223 mph, which was ultimately good for second fastest.

RELATED: Lap averages from first practice | First practice results

Both Bowyer and Byron are among the 16-driver NASCAR Playoffs field.

Jimmie Johnson churned out the third-best performance at 177.148 mph. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (176.748 mph) and Austin Dillon (176.684 mph) rounded out the top five, as the Monster Energy Series begins its postseason Sunday with the South Point 400 (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). None of the final three in the top five is among the playoff field.

Last year’s winner of this race, Brad Keselowski, came in sixth at 176.678 mph.

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (September 11, 2019) – With the NASCAR Playoffs™ set to kick off this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NASCAR® fans will be able to engage with the postseason on a deeper level than ever before courtesy of a new augmented reality experience designed to help fans feel the emotional highs of a NASCAR victory.

Starting this week, NASCAR Mobile users will be able to use AR to get behind the wheel of their favorite NASCAR Playoff driver’s car and perform burnouts in a 3D-rendered vehicle. The NASCAR AR Burnout Experience Driven by Goodyear will be available to all users with AR-enabled devices now through the end of the playoffs, all while the real-life stars of stock car racing perform burnouts on the Vegas Strip during NASCAR Burnout Blvd: Driven by Goodyear on Thursday, September 12.

“As NASCAR’s top drivers take to the streets of Las Vegas this week, fans around the world will be able to strap in and perform burnouts of their very own – right from their mobile devices.” said Tim Clark, Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, NASCAR.

“For decades, burnouts have symbolized victory and the excitement following a race,” said Stu Grant, Goodyear’s Director of Racing. “This technology gives NASCAR fans a chance to experience the burnout tradition – on virtual Goodyear tires.”

Augmented reality continues to be a key area development for NASCAR, as the sport looks to bring immersive experiences to fans via next-generation engagement channels. Fans will be able to access the AR feature via a call-to-action prompt that will appear upon opening the NASCAR Mobile app.

The feature extends the in-venue experience to a mobile device using the latest augmented reality functions available with Apple ARKit2 and iOS 12 for iPhone devices and Google ARCore and 9+ for Android. The experience leverages photo-realistic imagery to bring the cars to life in users living rooms.

“Augmented reality is helping us revolutionize the way that NASCAR fans engage with the sport,” said Clark. “Our goal is to bring fans as close to the sport as possible, and AR is an ideal medium to help us accomplish that as we look to engage the NASCAR fans of both today and tomorrow.”

Beyond AR, NASCAR fans will have a multitude of ways to engage live with the NASCAR Playoffs this season. Returning for 2019 will be the NASCAR Playoffs Fantasy Game, a special postseason-optimized fantasy experience aimed at keeping fans engaged from the drop of the green flag at Las Vegas all the way through the last lap at Homestead.

In addition, 2019 will see the return of the live 360-degree video in-car camera stream, which will be available for three playoff races: the Bank of America Roval 400  at Charlotte Motor Speedway, First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway, and Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, all accessible via NASCAR.com and NASCAR Mobile.

Fans will also be able to participate in the NASCAR Props Challenge, where they will be tasked with correctly picking a set number of outcomes based off of each Playoff race – ultimately serving as another fun tool to help fans find new aspects of the race to root for.

The 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™ Playoffs begin this week with the South Point 400 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast live on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90), with additional coverage on NASCAR.com.

Posted on by Staff Report

Users, start your virtual engines.

Starting this week, NASCAR Mobile users will be able to use augmented reality to get behind the wheel of their favorite NASCAR Playoff driver’s car and perform burnouts in a 3D-rendered vehicle.

The NASCAR AR Burnout Experience Driven by Goodyear is available to all users with AR-enabled devices now through the end of the playoffs. It’s fitting, then, that the real-life NASCAR stars performed burnouts on the Las Vegas Strip during NASCAR Burnout Blvd: Driven by Goodyear on Thursday.

It’s just another way NASCAR fans can engage with the postseason on a deeper level than ever before. All you need is the NASCAR mobile app — and perhaps a couple of ideas on where to do the virtual burnout (think your driveway, the desk at your office, the backyard with your dog, etc.).

RELATED: Download NASCAR’s mobile app

“As NASCAR’s top drivers take to the streets of Las Vegas this week, fans around the world will be able to strap in and perform burnouts of their very own – right from their mobile devices,” said Tim Clark, NASCAR senior vice president and chief digital officer.

Augmented reality continues to be a key area of development as NASCAR looks to bring immersive experiences to fans via next-generation engagement channels. Fans can access the AR feature via a call-to-action prompt that will appear upon opening the NASCAR Mobile app.

“Augmented reality is helping us revolutionize the way that NASCAR fans engage with the sport,” Clark said. “Our goal is to bring fans as close to the sport as possible, and AR is an ideal medium to help us accomplish that as we look to engage the NASCAR fans of both today and tomorrow.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

LAS VEGAS — For the first time in 16 years Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson won’t be a part of NASCAR’s championship Playoff run. However, his three young teammates will.

Chase Elliott, 23, paced the championship organization with two wins – at Talladega and Watkins Glen – this season and heads into Sunday’s playoff opener ranked seventh. The driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet is a perfect 4-for-4 in qualifying for the Cup playoffs. His best championship finish was fifth in 2017 – his second year at the Cup level.

RELATED: Meet the full playoff field | What the 16 drivers are saying 

Alex Bowman, 26, driver of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, earned his career first Cup victory at Chicago this summer to secure his second consecutive playoff run. He’s ranked ninth heading into the Vegas opener.

And the series’ youngest Cup driver, 21-year-old William Byron, brings the famed No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet back to the Playoffs. He’s ranked 13th in the playoffs’ points re-set and is already turning in a career year in top-fives (three) and top-10s (nine). He has won a team-best four pole positions too. And while it may seem like a stretch for the driver to have earned a playoff bid in only his second Cup season, Byron said that was actually the expectation.

“I think for our team we at least expected to make it for a while now,’’ Byron said. “We don’t feel like we’re just sneaking into the Playoffs or anything. We locked it in a couple races ago. So I feel good about that. I think the next step is just how do we perform in the Playoffs and how do we get to the next level of our progression as a program.’’

And with so much buzz surrounding the three Joe Gibbs Racing teammates – Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. – or the title talk about Team Penske’s high expectations to earn a second consecutive Cup title, Byron said he doesn’t mind making his first playoff run perhaps a little more under the radar.

“It’s a little bit of an advantage to have that lack of pressure on our team,’’ Byron said. “Our goal was obviously to make the Playoffs and to accomplish that has been really good. I feel like now we can focus more on executing the first three races and try to get through that round. So yeah, I don’t think it really matters either way, but it does help that we don’t really have that pressure on us.’’