Harrison Burton capitalizes from Ben Rhodes’ misfortune at Chicagoland

Posted on June 29, 2019 by Chase Wilhelm

JOLIET, Ill. — Harrison Burton made strong inroads to kickstart a vital playoff push with a fourth-place finish in Friday night’s Camping World 225 at Chicagoland Speedway.

Burton and Ben Rhodes hold the final two points positions in the eight-driver playoff, but Ross Chastain’s victory last week at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway throws in a wrench. But in order for Chastain’s win to count for playoff eligibility, he needs to eclipse the top 20 in points by the end of the regular-season finale at Michigan. Following a seventh-place result on Friday night, Chastain is 10 points out from 20th in the standings.

RELATED: Series standings | Race results

As Burton entered the race 53 points behind Ben Rhodes in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series points standings, Rhodes’ evening was over right after it began. The No. 99 ThorSport Racing Ford blew a puff of smoke at the start, forcing Rhodes out of the event with engines issues.

Rhodes’ misfortune allowed Burton to gain 40 points, sitting 13 points behind in what is evolving into a tight battle for the final playoff spot with four races remaining in the regular season. Burton’s been making a major push to earn a playoff spot with three top fives in his last four races.

“Just gotta keep gaining, keep chipping away,” Burton said after the race. “We got a break tonight and he’s (Rhodes) a tough car to beat, so we just have to go out and have finishes like this, if not better.”

Facing scrutiny from team owner Kyle Busch earlier in the year, Burton acknowledged he has to be “perfect” to have any shot at earning a postseason ticket.

“It’s really, really hard to make these playoffs because there’s only eight positions and there’s a lot of competitive trucks,” Burton said. “Everyone is battling for a spot, just clawing and digging. We just have to keep doing that, keep being aggressive, keep showing up to bring our friends with us and take the spot from him.”

Posted on June 28, 2019June 29, 2019 by Holly Cain

JOLIET, Ill. – Brett Moffitt has long insisted he wanted to earn a checkered flag this season with his performance on track and Friday night at Chicagoland Speedway he did just that – winning the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Camping World 225 by a no-doubt 3.950 seconds over Brandon Jones.

The reigning series champion Moffitt has been vocal in his desire to hoist a trophy this weekend at Chicago – for the second consecutive year. And he earned it in convincing style – smiling widely as the confetti flew in Victory Lane while the crowd cheered approvingly. It was a welcome and different scene from the win he was awarded two weeks ago at Iowa Speedway after Ross Chastain was disqualified.

Moffitt did not lead a lap in the race and only got to celebrate with his team in victory circle after the stands had emptied.

RELATED: Series standings | Official race results

Not this time.

“It’s like the first win,’’ his crew chief Jerry Baxter said with a wide smile after the race. “This feels real good.’’

“We’ll go home and celebrate,’’ Moffitt said. “I felt confident, it was just a matter of a caution coming out or not. I’m sure he (Baxter) was nervous, I was nervous, we were just praying for no caution to come out.’’

And celebrating in Victory Lane this time?

“It was a heck of a lot more fun, and it’s fun for not only me but for the whole pit crew,’’ Moffitt said.

Moffitt’s No. 24 GMS Racing Chevrolet certainly kept the field honest all race. Stewart Friesen finished third with rookie Harrison Burton and pole-winner Austin Hill rounding out the top-five. Six of the top-10-finishing drivers have never won a race before.

Three Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers earned top-10 finishes – 22-year-old Jones (runner-up), 18-year-old Burton (fourth) and 18-year old Todd Gilliland (sixth).

“We have just been working really really hard, all the guys at KBM busting their butts,’’ said Burton, who remains in playoff contention.

“I’m lucky to be in this position, we’re fighting our way into the playoffs and it’s a lot of fun. If we get in, they better watch out.”

Jones, who has only two previous truck starts this season, was equally as pleased with his runner-up finish.

“We put ourselves in position to learn a bit and that’s the most fun I’ve ever had in a truck race,’’ Jones said. “We’ve got two more with these guys.”

With playoff positions at stake and four races left to set the playoff field and plenty of pride on the line, a handful of the top-ranked drivers showed up at Chicagoland Speedway determined to settle for nothing less than a trophy. And it showed in a thrilling race featuring 12 lead changes and slowed by only five cautions (two for stage breaks).

The intensity was especially evident in the third and final stage. The trucks ran four-wide in the opening laps ultimately leading to the downfall of early race leader Grant Enfinger. The lapped car of Spencer Davis was running alongside Enfinger just after the final stage restart. Contact between the two forced Enfinger’s No. 98 Ford hard into the outside wall and sent Davis’ Chevrolet into the infield.

It was especially tough luck for Enfinger, who had led race-best 49 of the opening 73 laps up to that point and had scored the Stage 2 victory only minutes earlier. He ended up 16th and two laps down but maintained his championship points lead by 52 points over Friesen.

Enfinger’s fate was part of a rough night for his ThorSport Racing team. Two of his teammates – Ben Rhodes and Johnny Sauter had engine issues. Two-time series champion Matt Crafton scored a top 10 (eighth).

Chastain, who started 16th and had to pit early in the opening stage rallied back to a seventh-place finish. The hard work is especially important for Chastain, who won the race at Gateway last week but needs to break into the top 20 in the rankings to be playoff eligible. He is now 10 points behind Jennifer Jo Cobb at the 20th-place cutoff.

Posted on June 28, 2019June 29, 2019 by Holly Cain

JOLIET, Ill. – Ross Chastain smiled widely when asked Friday how his multi-win, playoff-brink of a season in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series has gone. But he insists he’s been too busy to bask in the spotlight or soak in the accolades coming his way.

And there have been plenty of both.

Chastain’s victory last weekend at Gateway put him in a more solid position to earn a shot at the truck series championship. With the win, the 26-year-old only needs to break into the top 20 in the points standings to earn the chance to compete for the season title. Coming off a seventh-place finish in Friday night’s Camping World 225 at Chicagoland Speedway, he now sits in 24th-place in the standings, only 10 points out of the 20th spot in the standings.

Chastain won earlier this season at Kansas Speedway but hadn’t declared his truck series championship intention yet so it didn’t count toward a truck championship eligibility. He won two weeks ago at Iowa, but his truck was disqualified and the victory wasn’t allowed to count toward his championship effort. It inspired instead of deterred him, however, and he answered with another win last week at Gateway.

So this weekend, Chastain’s only looking forward even if there’s little time to enjoy the view. He is entered in all three races at Chicagoland – Friday’s Gander Trucks race was his 40th start among the three series this season and most of any driver in NASCAR’s top three divisions. He’s also set to compete in Saturday’s Xfinity Series and Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races.

And Chastain says he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Definitely,’’ Chastain said. “I had three hours of truck practice yesterday then today I’ll have an hour of Xfinity (Series) practice then 10 minutes later I’ll be qualifying a truck, so that will help me in the truck for sure. It’s the sensation of speed for me.‘’

Next week, Chastain returns to his home state for the annual July stop at Daytona International Speedway. He’ll visit a children’s hospital in St. Petersburg on Monday and then head over to his home in Alva on the Southwest Coast near Fort Myers. Yet as his star brightly rises in the NASCAR world, Chastain insists his profile hasn’t changed much – at home or at the race locales he visits.

He’s still the humble, driven competitor who is seizing the opportunity he’s earned.

“We’re hustling and now is the time more than ever I have to prove I want it,’’ Chastain said.

Posted on June 28, 2019June 28, 2019 by Holly Cain

JOLIET, Ill. – Jeffrey Earnhardt has been all smiles and positive vibes this Xfinity Series season and Friday afternoon he remained optimistic and grateful for more opportunity awaiting him.

The 30-year-old grandson of the late seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Dale Earnhardt has scored major career milestones even in a part-time season. He earned his first Xfinity Series top 10 with a sixth-place showing at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March and his first top five, a third-place finish at Charlotte in May. He has three top 10s in six starts this season and earned the outside pole position at the season-opening Daytona race. He has started top 10 in five of the six races he’s competed in.

RELATED: Full Chicago schedule

Five of Earnhardt’s previous starts came in Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas. This week he’ll drive the No. 81 XCI Racing Toyota for the second time this season – and is splitting starts between the two teams.

“It’s been huge,’’ Earnhardt said of the results this year. “In my opinion it’s every driver’s dream to be able to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing and also with Xtreme Concepts Racing and them having the support from Joe Gibbs. It’s incredible.

“You go out every weekend knowing you’re racing for a win when before, a good day was racing for 25th you know, and you’re trying to take care of the car. Now, if you don’t leave it all out on the track they get mad at you.

“It’s been a change, but it’s been a good change. It’s exciting to have the opportunity to showcase my talents because people start to doubt you and wonder if you can drive or not when you’re in bad equipment. There’s tons of drivers out there well-talented who may never get the opportunity to compete in good equipment just because of circumstances. So I’m very fortunate and thankful for the opportunity I’ve got. I just really want to capitalize on it and get that win this year. I know we’ve been close and had some good runs but I really want to put it all together and put the car in victory lane.”

Posted on June 28, 2019June 28, 2019 by Zack Albert

Xfinity Series standout Christopher Bell says he’ll be back with Joe Gibbs Racing next season, though he’s unsure which NASCAR series will be his focus.

Bell, 24, confirmed that he extended his contract with the Toyota-backed team, which has fielded his cars on the Xfinity circuit since he joined the tour part-time in 2017. Bell’s remarks came Thursday at Chicagoland Speedway before the opening of on-track activity for the Xfinity Series.

“It’s really good that I have a job,” Bell said. “Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing is where I want to be at, so I’m thankful that I get to go for another year.”

RELATED: Chicagoland weekend schedule

Bell has 12 wins in 55 Xfinity starts, including four victories already this season. Bell’s rise has fueled the sense that he is primed for a career in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, though where he might land is unclear. JGR’s current premier-series roster includes Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones and Martin Truex Jr., and the organization is maxed out at a rules-mandated four teams.

“It’s a little too early to tell,” Bell said when asked about which series would be his home in 2020.

Bell prevailed in the Xfinity Series’ most recent race June 16 at Iowa Speedway. He enters Saturday’s Camping World 300 (3:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM) ranked second in the Xfinity standings behind points leader Tyler Reddick.

MORE: Xfinity Series standings

Bell, who still competes regularly in the sprint-car ranks, has been in the Toyota pipeline on the NASCAR national-series level since 2015. He claimed the championship in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series in 2017, driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Posted on June 28, 2019June 29, 2019 by Staff Report

NASCAR’s Short Track Summer kicks off this weekend, and FansChoice.tv will broadcast more than 20 events from June 28-30 — including local racing at the famed Bowman Gray Stadium on June 29 and the K&N Pro Series West race at Douglas County Speedway in Oregon later that night.

Starting at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, FansChoice.tv will stream the entire Bowman Gray Stadium card, which includes a 100-lap feature in the McDowell Heating & Air Sportsman Series. This Saturday’s card also features twin 25-lap races in the iconic modified series, plus races in the street stock and stadium stock series.

RELATED: FansChoice.tv live coverage

A local short track racing landmark, Bowman Gray Stadium is NASCAR’s longest-running weekly track. Bowman Gray hosted 29 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events between 1958-1971. Despite the Cup Series’ departure, Bowman Gray has thrived as a grassroots racing institution.

In the K&N Pro Series West, Hailie Deegan and Derek Kraus enter the seventh race of the season separated by just one point in the standings, with Kraus sitting first. The two most recently battled for the win at Colorado National Speedway on June 8, which Deegan won after she initiated contact with Kraus on the final lap.

The K&N West race in Oregon is just one of several local NASCAR races this weekend. Four premier events across four regions of the United States will kick off the Short Track Summer celebration — the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut, the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown event at South Boston, the Super Late Model Race at Evergreen (Wash.) Speedway and the Freedom Classic dirt racing at Salina (Okla.) Highbanks Speedway.

MORE: Short Track Summer content

Other live streaming events from this weekend include events at Berlin Raceway, Langley Speedway, Myrtle Beach Speedway and more. Get the full schedule here.

Posted on June 27, 2019April 1, 2021 by Staff Report

Getting a win at Grandview Speedway was about more than just a win for 22-year-old Parker Guldin.

“It‘s like, you’re watching a show on TV and you‘re a fan of the show. You love that show, you have the posters on your wall, you have the t-shirts. Everything,” Guldin said. “And one day you get a chance to be in that show and you become the main star. It‘s not about being famous, it‘s about being a part of something you dreamed of being a part of your entire life. It‘s something that‘s on a whole nother level of reward.”

On June 16, Guldin took the checkered flag at Grandview, a third-mile banked clay oval in Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania, that has seen the likes of Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, Sterling Marlin and Kyle Petty in the past. As he crossed the finish line for a win in the track’s TP Truck Equipment Sportsman division, Guldin’s mind went blank. He slammed the brake in excitement and almost accidentally put his car in the wall.

Standing in Victory Lane, he heard someone in the crowd yell “get up!”, so he climbed to the top of his car.

“I didn’t know what to do with myself,” he said. “I remember looking down as I was celebrating and I was like ‘I’m in Victory Lane with my car. This is nuts.‘”

Getting a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series feature race win at Grandview Speedway was about more than just getting his first win at a new track. Guldin grew up at Grandview. His mom was a scorer there from the time he was little kid, and his dad was a ticket taker. His grandfather and two uncles both raced on its dirt.

Grandview Speedway | Facebook | Twitter

Some of Guldin’s best memories as a kid were at that racetrack, just 20 minutes from his home. When he was really little, he would take a bag of toy cars with him to play with in the stands while races went on.

When he was in high school, he told anyone who would listen that one day he would race there.

“That‘s always a dream racing there,” he said. “I told my whole family, this is when I was in high school, ‘when I graduate high school, you mark my words, I’m getting a job, I‘m getting a car, and I‘m going to run at Grandview.’ Obviously that‘s changed over time, I realized how incredible tough it is.”

Guldin knew he couldn’t start his career at his home track, because he saw with his uncles how tough and cut throat the racing there can be. So he spent his first season at Bridgeport Speedway in New Jersey, racing in their sportsman rookie class. He wanted to get some races and experience under his belt — he won two feature races last season — so he knew what he was doing behind the wheel and developing his own driving style.

That doesn’t mean his first season at Grandview hasn’t been without issues though. Several times this season his car has had to be completely torn apart and put back together, and Guldin said they’ve dealt with a lot of bad luck. At least five weeks in a row they’d show up to the track and realize there was something little wrong with the car that would turn into a major malfunction that would ruin the night.

“In the beginning of the season I told everybody, ‘I just want one feature win.‘ I just want one. But as the year went on I started thinking, ‘You know what, I kind of just want to finish features from here on out.‘ I‘m thankful enough just to be running at this track,” he said.

Guldin said he’s had a huge learning curving this season, and he knows his car doesn’t have the same power that a lot of his competitors’ cars have, so he has to be nearly perfect night-in and night-out.

“If I‘m missing a line, if I come into a turn pushing just a little bit, well there goes any little edge I have and I have no power to get back,” he said. “For me it really is cut throat because I have to be on my game 100 percent of the time I‘m out there. It‘s tough, especially at Grandview. Racing anywhere, they want to get to the front, but for me it‘s been a lot more tough.

“In racing, you’re never really 100 percent comfortable because you have to always be changing. With dirt tracks especially, tracks are always changing. With Grandview being so fast, so intense, so in your face, just being constantly aggressive. Every weekend I learn something different.”

All those struggles made the win even sweeter for Guldin, and thankfully he had his family there beside him through it all. When Guldin decided to start racing last year, both his mom and dad quit their positions at Grandview so they could be there for him each race.

Now that he’s back at Grandview, they haven’t returned to their old jobs because now they’re on his crew, standing in the pits during races and providing constant support through the ups and downs.

“She‘s my mom, she’s my biggest supporter I‘ve ever had in my entire life. There‘s no way she could watch me and score at the same time. There‘s no way,” Guldin said with a laugh.

“You can never have enough tools, but your biggest tool you‘ll always need is support, and the support I get from my mom and dad is unexplainable. I can‘t explain to them how important that is and how much it helps everyone. If you have a rough night, the best thing you could hear is, ‘Hey, you did a good job. At least we have a car at the track. We could be sitting in the stands being miserable… so good job.‘ And that‘s what they both do.”

Grandview Speedway Points Standings

Now that he’s got his win, the rest of the season for Guldin is now about moving up in the points some, keeping the car straight, and still having fun. Guldin sits lower than 20th in points, but a fan of his made him promise he can get up into the top 15 by the end of the year.

Whatever happens, though, he just wants to continue having fun and making more memories at his favorite track.

“My crew is God’s gift. I tell everyone I have the best in the business around me,” Guldin said. “They’re there 100 percent of the time giving me 100 percent of their time and 100 percent of their effort, so I owe it to them to give them and myself a strong car every week.. I owe it to them just to have a strong finish to the year and just a relaxing time and enjoy racing like we always were and we always do.

“When it‘s not racing season I walk around like a dog with no lease. I don‘t know where to go on a Saturday night. That‘s what I live for.”

Racing will return to Grandview Speedway this Saturday night with Modifieds, Sportsman, and MASS Sprints beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Grandview Speedway schedule

Posted on June 27, 2019June 27, 2019 by Staff Report

The MLS Chicago Fire won’t be the only thing sporting flames this weekend in the Windy City. That’s because Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and the rest of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series are headed to town for a showdown at Chicagoland Speedway in the Camping World 400 (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, NBCSN).

And when it comes to putting down laps along with some really big stats, good luck finding two athletes who are perched higher atop their game than the two Joe Gibbs Racing teammates.

RELATED: Full Chicagoland schedule

For Truex, the last eight races have constituted quite a run including a unique combination of four wins — coming at short tracks (Richmond and Dover), in a test of endurance (the Coca-Cola 600) and at arguably the most challenging road course (Sonoma). His 504 laps led in the past eight races are nearly double that of any other driver, according to Racing Insights.

Meanwhile, for Busch, he is the only driver who has matched Truex’s four wins this season. He is also the only driver with more wins since the start of the 2015 season: 26 to Truex’s 21. Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the two that shows just how big this duo has been in the first part of the 2019 season.

Big 2 anyone?

Driver	Truex Jr.	Busch
Wins	4	4
Seconds	2	2
Top five	7	10
Top 10	10	15
Laps led	518	766
Avg. finish	10.81	6
Stage wins	2	5
Playoff points	22	25

Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that these drivers are responsible for the past three victories at Chicagoland, with Busch the defending race winner and Truex coming away with the wins in 2016 and 2017. We’ll see what happens this weekend.

Now for the rest of the rundown for Chicagoland:

TRACK

Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5-mile D-shaped tri-oval speedway located in Joliet, Illinois. Banking is 18 degrees in the turns, 11 degrees on the frontstretch and 5 degrees on the backstretch. The first Monster Energy Series race was in 2001 and won by Kevin Harvick.

TIRES

Goodyear held a tire test in May at Chicagoland Speedway, the results of which led to a right-side tire that provides more grip to help cars potentially get a bigger run on lead cars, according to the manufacturer. Drivers participating in that test included Brad Keselowski, Ryan Newman and Paul Menard.

Each Monster Energy Series team will get 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).

RULES

The Chicagoland race will feature the 2019 base rules package that has been run at other 1.5-mile tracks this season with an engine that has a tapered spacer and expected horsepower of about 550. Cars will have aero ducts this weekend as well.

TV INFORMATION
TV: NBCSN (3 p.m. ET, Sunday), NBC Sports App
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
NASCAR.com: Live leaderboard, Drive, RaceView

Of note: They’re back! NBC that is. This is the kickoff event for NBC’s coverage of NASCAR this season and also includes the NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday at 3:30. Join Rick Allen, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and a cast of others for another exciting racing season on NBC and its affiliates. Meanwhile, FOX Sports will continue to cover the Gander Outdoors Truck Series with Friday night’s race airing at 9 p.m. ET on FS1. | NBC team fired up for new season

Posted on June 27, 2019June 27, 2019 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola, (#NASCARSalutes) a continued effort to show appreciation for the United States Armed Forces, concludes with two full weekends of military appreciation at Chicagoland Speedway and Daytona International Speedway, where a NASCAR Xfinity Series windshield header salute to military units and installations will take place during the Circle K Firecracker 250 Powered by Coca-Cola.

“For NASCAR as an industry, it’s a privilege to honor the military men and women who protect our country’s freedom,” said Jill Gregory, NASCAR executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “As we culminate NASCAR Salutes in Chicago and Daytona Beach, we remain humbled by the opportunity to recognize our military community and thank service members for the sacrifices made on our behalf.”

Through the NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola race weekends, “Future” will be the celebrated theme during the Chicagoland Speedway Camping World 400 race weekend alongside the 10th anniversary of NASCAR Troops to the Track hosted by Coca-Cola, a season-long initiative that pays tribute to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces by inviting service members from local military installations to a VIP race day experience. At Chicagoland Speedway, NASCAR Official Partners Comcast, MACK and SiriusXM will provide a behind-the-scenes look at their work in the sport and veteran-hiring efforts, showcasing opportunities within the industry as they consider their future transitions to civilian life.

For the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Chicagoland Speedway, a patriotic red, white and blue Comcast NBCUniversal “Salute to Service” paint scheme will adorn Jeffrey Earnhardt’s No. 81 Xtreme Concepts Racing Toyota Supra and raise awareness of Comcast’s military community hiring efforts. Comcast NBCUniversal is committed to hiring 21,000 military community members — veterans, National Guard and reserve members, and military spouses by the end of 2021.

Camping World, parent company of NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series entitlement partner and sponsor of the Chicagoland Speedway race weekend, provided more than 2,500 tickets to the military community for the race weekend. Additionally, local service members with their families will receive grandstand tickets and access to NASCAR Xfinity Series race day activities on behalf of Comcast.

As part of the NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola “Patriotism”-themed weekend at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers will bear the names of active military units and installations on their race car windshields during the Circle K Firecracker 250 Powered by Coca-Cola on July 5 (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The 3rd Infantry Division, 33rd Fighter Wing, and aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) are among the groups from all five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces that will replace the Xfinity header on NASCAR Xfinity Series race cars for the fourth-consecutive year.

NASCAR Xfinity Series teams were given the opportunity to identify a unit or installation to honor for the Circle K Firecracker 250 Powered by Coca-Cola, while NASCAR worked with Comcast’s Military and Veteran Affairs team to match units with the remaining teams for the tribute. Many teams have connections to the units being honored on their cars, such as Cole Custer’s team, who will honor the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, where crew chief Mike Shiplett’s family member serves. The Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 team will honor the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Arkansas National Guard, where driver Brandon Jones’ cousin serves.

New for the NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola race weekend at Daytona International Speedway is a free Coca-Cola fan element in the midway where a local Publix chef will offer food samples, Coca-Cola products and the opportunity to write a “thank you” message to the military community. A VIP section is available for military members and their families by showing their military ID.

For the 11th consecutive year, Daytona International Speedway will honor two Medal of Honor recipients throughout the race weekend. Honorees include Retired U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major Gary Littrell (Vietnam) and U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Ronald Shurer II (Afghanistan). Retired U.S. Army Colonel Hal Kushner, a Daytona Beach resident who served in Vietnam and was held as a prisoner of war for more than five years, will drive the Honorary Pace Truck for the 61st annual Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday, July 6 at Daytona International Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

In addition, all active, veteran and retired military members and their families will have access to a Midway suite within the Daytona facility on Saturday where they can take a break from the busy day of activities to cool off and enjoy complimentary Coca-Cola products and snacks. The suite will be accessible from 3 p.m. through the end of Stage 1 of the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Throughout the day, various special guests will visit the suite and participate in Q&A sessions including Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace at 4:45 p.m ET.

Tickets to NASCAR national series events are available at NASCAR.com/tickets.

Posted on June 26, 2019June 26, 2019 by Marissa Fuller

They’re back, back again.

This weekend’s Camping World 400 at Chicagoland Speedway (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) marks the return of NBC to the broadcast booth, providing insider scoop for the remainder of the season including the playoffs and the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The NBC Sports crew of Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is back in action with Rick Allen in the booth, Marty Snider, Dave Burns, Kelli Stavast and Parker Kligerman on pit road while Krista Voda, Kyle Petty, Dale Jarrett and Nate Ryan set the stage for each race weekend.

RELATED: Full Chicagoland schedule

Earnhardt made his first appearance as an NBC analyst last season during the network’s debut at Chicagoland and did not disappoint.

The race ended with Dale Jr. yelling ‘Slide job!’ in the booth as Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson bumped and battled on the last lap for the victory, with Busch ultimately taking home the checkered flag. That moment became almost iconic throughout the NASCAR world for the remainder of the season.

“Well, when I was hollering slide job, I was yelling it at Rick Allen, I wasn’t talking to the audience as much as I was Rick,” Earnhardt explained. “So, when we’re in the booth, when it’s great, I think is when it’s us four having a conversation with each other and we’re just talking racing and about what we’re seeing. In that moment, I’m hollering at Rick, ‘Hey, here comes a slide job!’

“Rick is tasked with calling the final lap of the race and I was just like, ‘Hey buddy, look what I see, this is what I see.'”

Burton, Letarte and Allen have years of experience announcing from the booth and used their knowledge to help rookie Dale Jr. get acclimated.

“It was a tribute to Rick (Allen) and Jeff (Burton) and Steve (Letarte) getting me that comfortable that quickly,” Earnhardt said. “I’m really a shy guy and a bit of an introvert, to be honest, and they worked really hard as a group of three guys, to help me get comfortable as fast as I could. We had a lot of mock broadcasts last year that helped me a ton. We talked a lot, communicated together a lot and they all went out of their way to help me get comfortable quickly.”

Don’t let Dale’s natural persona in the booth fool you, though. The retired driver claims that it wasn’t always smooth sailing from that debut broadcast.

“Not every broadcast got better after that, from my point of view, from what I was doing in the booth,” Earnhardt said. “I remember one race, in particular, at Pocono, in the first stage, we got done and I told them, I said, ‘I was awful, I couldn’t figure out when to speak.’ And they’re like, ‘Look, get aggressive. We’re not going to hold your hand here and stop talking so you can come in here and say what you need to say. You’ve got to work your way into this conversation.’ ”

NBC’s coverage last season included the first race for the inaugural Charlotte Roval, where Jimmie Johnson crashed into leader Martin Truex Jr. in the final chicane, handing Ryan Blaney the victory from the third position. The close battle within the Championship 4 provided compelling story lines and the crowning of a new champion in Joey Logano.

Executive Producer Sam Flood is looking forward to the next 20 weeks and continuing to give the fans what they want week in and week out, while incorporating new ideas and promotions in the booth. He also gave FOX Sports a nod for its increase in ratings throughout the first half of the season.

“We’re going to keep having fun and mixing it up,” Flood said. “Steve Letarte told me when we were first talking about Dale Jr., he said, ‘Dale likes to be challenged, if it’s just kind of make the donuts and the pattern stays the same, he’s not going to be as engaged.’ ”

“But, we engaged the heck out of him last year and I think we learned something, that we’re better when we’ve got challenges with new techniques and new groupings.”

Dale Jr.’s booth co-hosts enjoyed what he brought to the broadcast last season and the group is just as excited, if not more, to get this season going.

“I am so fired up about getting back going,” Burton said. “We have a good time together; we just love what we do. If I could have a race right now, I would.”