Posted on by Staff Report

Alaska’s baby grand racing division has a special place in the heart of Tonya Klayum. Her grandfather brought cars to the division to Alaska in the late 90s when he was a dealer and and had a three car frachise.

Klayum’s grandfather, Larry Theobold, and her dad, John Klayum, both raced the cars for several years. One night, when Klayum was about 16, her dad was unable to make the race, and the team needed an emergency fill in.

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“The track opened for the season and my grandpa said my dad couldn’t make it so he asked if my brother could run the car,” Tonya Klayum said. “He’s younger than me and he was actually working at the track so that was a no-go. So he was like ‘well, what about Tonya?’ and I said, ‘Well, I’ve give it a try.’ I hadn’t even driven a clutch before. So we got in there and that’s just kind of how it started for me.”

After Theobold sold all his cars when he sold the franchise, Klayum and her family got out of racing for several years before she got back into it about five years ago, almost by accident. Klayum’s boyfriend was perusing Craigslist one night and saw someone advertising a race car.

The same style baby grand her family had known for years.

“He said, ‘Hey, do you know this car?’ and I said, ‘Oh yea, I used to race with that guy over at North Star Speedway,’” Klayum said. “And we kind of read the ad a little more and it ended up being free to a good home and I said, ‘Well that can’t be true.’

“So we ended up calling him and it was legit, so he actually gave us the race car for absolutely nothing. It’s an awesome car. We had a little bit of work to do to it but aside from that it’s been awesome for us.”

Klayum now drives her baby grand at Alaska Raceway Park, a third-mile asphalt oval in Palmer, Alaska. She won the track championship in the Extreme Fun Center Baby Grands at Alaska Raceway in 2017, her first season at the track. She currently leads the points in the division, while also pulling double-duty driving sprint cars at the track.

Alaska Raceway Park | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Klayum’s success at Alaska Raceway has caught the eye of owners across the state. Another chance encounter got her a seat in the sprint car.

“I had a guy at the track approach me who owns a sprint car,” she said. “He’s actually one of my customers at work and he came in and I didn’t really know it was him driving the car until he came into my work and he was like, ‘Hey good racing out there.’ And I was talking to him and I said, ‘You guys are crazy running the sprint cars on asphalt. I can’t believe how fast you go,’ and all that good stuff. And he goes, ‘Well do you want to drive it? And I kind of shook it off like it was a joke. ‘No I don’t want to race your car, I don’t want to hurt it.’ And he just kept coming back. He said, ‘You’d be really good at it, your driving is awesome, you should really give it a try.’ So we did get in a sprint car toward the end of last season, actually after the season closed.”

A rented out track allowed Klayum to do some hot laps in the sprint car to get used to how different it drives from the baby grand.

That’s all it took. On opening day at Alaska Raceway this season, the team broke the track record.

“So that was a huge deal,” she said.

Tonya Klayum Alaska Raceway Park driver profile

Tonya Klayum

Right now, the plan is to run both divisions this season. Klayum said she’s still getting used to the difference in driving style – “I was just amazed at how different it was.” While she’s become accustomed to exactly how the baby grand is supposed to feel, it’s taken some time to get used to the sprint car.

“I know absolutely nothing about it aside from just watching the owner and seeing him go around the corners drifting,” she said. “So it’s definitely a learning curve on how to pilot both of these cars the way its supposed to be.”

This year, in both cars, is about playing it by ear. While getting as many wins as possible, and ultimately a championship, is the goal, she said the team is all about staying positive either way. The competition at Alaska Raceway has gotten better and better as the series has grown, and after some big set backs last season, this year she just wants to make sure they run as best as they can.

For her, racing is about more than just wins and championships. It’s about keeping the family legacy alive.

“It’s been a lot of fun, and that’s the biggest thing is just kind of keeping it in the family,” she said. “Just over the years, all the hard work my family has put into it time and time again. I mean, the whole week used to revolve around race cars. It still does, just on a smaller scale. It’s not a whole team any more, it’s just a single car.

“My Dad races late models so he’s always there to help us out and he has so much knowledge about the cars, and my grandpa, he has so much knowledge. We’re still learning. We don’t know everything about the cars, myself and my boyfriend, but we’ve also got two kids and they’re just cloud nine about it. It’s just awesome how family-oriented this racing team is, so that’s our biggest deal.”

Racing will return to Alaska Raceway Park on June 8 with NASCAR/INEX races featuring GCI Late Models, Extreme Fun Center Baby Grands, the Legends of Classic Country 100.9, Pruhs Construction Thunder Stocks, Sportsman Stocks, Mini Stocks, and Sprint Cars.

Posted on by Matt Lederer

Editor’s note: This is a letter by Matt Lederer, Vice President for Brand Partnerships

We created the Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award at the start of our NASCAR partnership to recognize and honor the incredible individuals in this industry giving back to communities in remarkable ways. As I reflect on the four Comcast Community Champions, and the countless stories we’ve uncovered, I am so proud to say this program has far exceeded all expectations. The ongoing commitment to giving back within the NASCAR industry continues to inspire us, and we’re greatly looking forward to what is to come in 2019.

The nomination window is now officially open for you to recognize someone within the industry who is working hard to make a difference in the community. Over the next few months, our Xfinity Racing team will be working closely with you to continue education and encourage participation during the nomination process.

Please take the time to nominate deserving candidates, and learn additional details about the award, by visiting ComcastCommunityChampion.com.

The nomination deadline is Monday, July 8. Eligible award recipients include team owners, drivers, all Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Gander Outdoors Truck Series team employees, employees of tracks on the 2019 schedule for NASCAR’s top three national series, NASCAR officials and motorsports media members. In October, we will announce the three finalists; the champion, determined by a selection panel, will be announced during NASCAR Championship Weekend in Miami and recognized at the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Awards Ceremony. Comcast will make a donation of $60,000 to the charity of the 2019 Comcast Community Champion, and a donation of $30,000 each to the two remaining finalists’ respective charities.

RELATED: Nominate someone today

Since the Comcast Community Champion of the Year program kicked off in 2015, we have donated a total of $480,000 to causes of inspirational individuals in the NASCAR industry who are truly living Comcast’s core values. From work with the Iowa Donor Network to hosting camps for children with heart disease to the incredible working being done by our 2018 Champion, Joey Logano, we have been able to shine a much-deserved spotlight on individuals who have dedicated their lives to making a difference beyond the track.

Thank you in advance for your help in identifying deserving individuals to be the next Comcast Community Champion.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

There are two camps when it comes to that Justin Timberlake meme that tends to pop up in everyone’s social media feeds the last week of April — those of us that hate it … and Hendrick Motorsports.

Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Jimmie Johnson and William Byron must be big fans of when it’s “gonna be May,” and for good reason.

RELATED: @nascarcasm’s NASCAR-inspired May memes

Over the course of the last four races stretching back to Talladega Superspeedway on April 28, the highly decorated organization has been the class of the field from top to bottom.

According to Racing Insights, HMS over that stretch owns the most Busch Pole Awards (two), runner-ups (three), top fives (seven), top 10s (12) and laps led (416) along with the best team average finish (9.13). The team has also had at least one car finish in the top five during that run, the longest active streak.

At the forefront of that push heading into Pocono? Bowman and Elliott, neither of which has finished worse than seventh the past month and have combined for a straight-up silly 3.375 average finish across eight starts between them.

MORE: Driver stats

“We have been running pretty well the last few weeks,” Bowman said in a team release. ” … Greg (Ives, crew chief) and the guys have worked really hard on this 88 car and it is showing on track. We have made up a lot of ground in the point standings and we need to continue having weeks like we have been.”

Hendrick’s recent prominence is particularly staggering given how many questions there were about the team’s performance early in the year. All four cars hung around the low teens in the standings in the first two months of the season, but have seemingly found something as temperatures have heated up. It bodes well for the organization as we enter the sport’s summer stretch.

For example, Elliott had led zero laps through the first five races, but has paced the field in seven of the past eight for a total of 400 circuits.

Bowman, too, has skyrocketed up the standings since sitting 21st post-Richmond. Thanks to a 91-point swing since then, “The Showman” has risen to 10th in the standings — a place he’s only been one other time in his career, and it was after this year’s season-opening Daytona 500.

As it stands halfway through the regular season, Hendrick Motorsports is one of just two organizations with four cars in the projected NASCAR Playoffs field, and it’s evident that it has not only righted the ship — there’s a gust of wind in those sails pushing them ahead of everyone else after spending the first few weeks of the season still docked at the port.

Posted on by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. (May 29, 2019) – Coming off a strong top-five finish in Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600, Roush Fenway Racing has announced a partnership with NOS Energy, that will see the High Performance Energy Drink serve as a primary partner with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and the No. 17 NASCAR Cup team, as well as a season-long associate. The No. 17 NOS Energy Ford will make its debut on June 9 at Michigan.

“I’m excited to have NOS Energy back on our No. 17 Ford,” Stenhouse said. “They have been a great supporter and partner of mine since 2012 on and off the track. Their support throughout the entire racing community shows their dedication and passion to all forms of motorsports. It’s great to have them back in the Cup Series.”

Stenhouse teamed up with NOS Energy Drink in 2012 the same year that he went on to win his second Xfinity Series championship. When the two-time champion moved up to the premier NASCAR Cup series taking over the helm of the No. 17 Ford, NOS Energy followed him up through the ranks and continued their partnership through 2015.

“Ricky, NASCAR and NOS Energy have become synonymous with one another and we couldn’t be more pleased about it,” said Lauren Albano – Marketing Director, NOS Energy. “Ricky is a proven winner and NOS Energy is high performance drink that completely mirrors the high banks, high-horsepower world of NASCAR. We’re all in it to win it. A great driver, team and sport.  All of us at NOS Energy are very confident we’re going to reach for a higher gear this summer – and way beyond”

In addition, NOS Energy Drink is a partner of Stenhouse’s No. 17 sprint car team, which competes full-time in the World of Outlaws Series. NOS Energy Drink is the title sponsor of the USAC Midget National Championship as well as the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series.

Posted on by PJ Walsh

The Action Network specializes in providing sports betting insights/analytics and is a content partner with NASCAR. Check out more NASCAR betting analysis here.

After two straight weekends at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) heads north to visit Pocono Raceway for the first time this season.

Last week we had the luxury of relying on results from other 1.5-mile racetracks this season to help make picks for Charlotte. However, Pocono Raceway, a flat, 2.5-mile tri-oval, is unique compared to the rest of the racetracks on the MENCS schedule.

As a result, we don’t have much data to lean on since there truly aren’t any comps to Pocono. Therefore, I’ll be analyzing results from recent races at the “Tricky Triangle” to make my NASCAR Props Challenge picks for Sunday’s Pocono 400.

1. Three of the last four Pocono winners have started from inside the top four. Does the Pocono winner start from inside the top two rows?

While three of the last four winners have started inside the top four, just four of the last 10 races at Pocono were won from the first two rows.

Pick: No

2. O/U 34.5 race points for Clint Bowyer?

Seven drivers finished with 35 or more race points at Pocono last season, meaning we need to project Bowyer to be a top-seven car to take the over here.

Interestingly, Bowyer has the eighth-best average running position (ARP) at Pocono over the past two seasons, meaning he’s been very close to one of the best seven cars.

Still, he’s led just five laps over those four races and, as always, I have a hard time “expecting” performances good enough to go over when the data is this close.

Pick: Under

3. Toyota has won the last three Pocono races. Does this streak continue?

Over the last four races at Pocono, Toyota drivers Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Erik Jones rank first, third and fourth, respectively, in laps led, with Busch and Truex combining for three wins.

However, I do think the new aero package is going to make drafting more prevalent, which should keep the rest of the pack in touch with the leaders.

Busch and Truex will certainly be in the mix for the win, but I’ll take the field here.

Pick: No

4. O/U 15.5 lead changes?

This is so tough because it’s recent track history vs. the new aero package. While the new package should result in more lead changes, there has been an average of just 13.25 lead changes since 2017.

I have to take the under here until this package proves me otherwise.

Pick: Under

5. Which driver scores more race points at Pocono? Paul Menard or Ryan Newman?

Download the FREE Action Network app to finish reading this article and get the rest of PJ Walsh’s NASCAR Props Challenge Picks.

Posted on by Staff Report

Current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series star Ryan Preece is returning to his racing roots next week.

The Berlin, Connecticut, driver will compete in both the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Thompson 125 and the 30 lap Sunoco Modified feature next Wednesday, June 5 right here at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.

“It‘s another chance for me to race, and I think that‘s a huge part of it. I always enjoy going to this race,” Preece said. “Thompson and I have a love-hate relationship, where I have had some really good runs, but also a lot of bad luck, where things haven‘t worked out.”

In 43 career Thompson starts in Whelen Modified Tour competition, Preece has three wins — one of them driving for Eric Sanderson and two for Ed Partridge. Next week, he will sit behind the wheel of the No. 6, owned by Partridge. He has been to Victory Lane in two of his last six Thompson starts, including the Thompson 125 back in 2017.

The car he will compete in for the Whelen Modified Tour race will be brand new for him on the track. He‘s been working on the car down south to prepare it for action.

“It‘s a place I enjoy racing at because it‘s so difficult to position yourself at the end of the race to have the track position, but also have the speed,” Preece said. “It‘s something I am looking forward to doing.”

In Sunoco Modified competition, Preece is no stranger to the front of the field. He has two championships in the competitive class in 2012 and 2014, and picked up a victory last year driving for the Moniz family, adding to a list of many checkered flags.

“The Sunoco Modified is still up in New England with the Moniz family, I‘ve been running that car for about eight years, and it‘s been a great relationship,” the JTG Daughtery Racing driver said.

Even though he will have just limited practice behind the wheel, the veteran of modified racing isn‘t concerned about it.

“I feel confident in the setups we are bringing and the people that are preparing the cars. I have more than enough laps to know what I need,” Preece said. “It‘s a tough place to race at, but I do feel confident that we will have some good cars.”

For Preece, one of the most important parts of returning to New England and his racing roots is coming home to see his hometown fans that have been watching him compete on the Cup circuit. In his first 13 starts this season, Preece has a best finish of third in Cup action at Talladega Superspeedway. He also was in the front draft at the finish of the Daytona 500 in February.

“I remember when I was younger and watching Tony Stewart come to Thompson and do a match race. Going there, from the Northeast, and from Connecticut, having raced weekly there and run the Whelen Modified Tour for many years, it‘s something that I make a point to get back and show that I love the racing,” Preece said. “I want to continue to do it when I can.”

Preece isn‘t going to be the only driver chasing the checkered flag in these two modified races next week. In the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Thompson 125, Justin Bonsignore looks to make it six Thompson victories in a row driving the No. 51 Phoenix Communications Chevrolet for Ken Massa. Names like Doug Coby, Timmy Solomito, Woody Pitkat and Ron Silk aren‘t going to be far behind.

When the Whelen Modified Tour was in town for the Icebreaker back on April 7, Bonsignore beat Silk, Eric Goodale, Patrick Emerling and Coby to the finish line. The Thompson 125 is well known for the pit strategy teams will use during the race.

It will be important for fans to keep an eye on when cars pit early in the race, because it‘s likely they will stay out in the second half while some of the leaders pit, creating thrilling final restarts. Bonsignore is the defending winner of the race.

In the Sunoco Modifieds, George Brunnhoelzl III adds to a star-studded field making a start for Justin Albernaz in a backup car. NASCAR K&N Pro Series East regular Max McLaughlin will begin to tune-up his Thompson driving line in the same feature, as the rising star will compete in a car for Keith Rocco Racing. Rocco and Ronnie Williams scored the first two wins of the year.

Drivers return to the track at Thompson on Wednesday, June 5, for the Thompson 125. The schedule includes qualifying and feature racing for all five NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions and the Whelen Modified Tour.

Posted on by Staff Report

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway this weekend for a “Tricky Triangle” showdown on the 2.5-mile track.

Leading into Sunday’s Pocono 400 (2 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), here’s the rundown on a few things to watch.

RELATED: Full weekend schedule for Pocono  

TRACK DETAILS

Pocono Raceway is a 2.5-mile triangular track and has a minimum width of 60 feet. With a unique track design featuring a 3,055-foot back straightaway, the banking in each corner varies: Turn 1 – 14 degrees, Turn 2 – 8 degrees and Turn 3 – 6 degrees. The raceway also has the longest main straightaway in motorsports, with a 3,740-foot frontstretch. The inaugural Monster Energy Series race at the track was won by Richard Petty on Aug. 4, 1974.

GOING LIVE?

This year, kids ages 12 and under are free for all three days of racing. Yes, that includes Sunday — for the first time ever — for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.

Additionally, Pocono Raceway touts more than 30 events and activities for fans throughout the weekend. Explore more on Pocono Raceway’s website.

RULES PACKAGE 

Pocono will feature the 2019 rules package with a tapered-spacer engine that will generate about 550 horsepower. The cars will have aero ducts, a change that NASCAR made after seeing the non-duct package at Atlanta earlier this season.

In addition to both Pocono races, this change also goes into effect for the races at Darlington and Homestead later this season.

Cup teams are allowed three sets of Goodyear Eagle tires for practice, one set for qualifying and seven sets for the race.

“Pocono provides several challenges for tires and teams, being pretty flat with long, fast straightaways and three unique corners,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “We have to bring a tire setup that handles those demanding conditions, perhaps most notably the corners where we need to provide grip levels more like what’s needed on a short track. This being a race with higher downforce than last year paired with the lower horsepower package, the tread compounds remain unchanged from 2018, which should help with grip as well.”

STATS

• Kyle Busch has dominated the scene at Pocono in recent years, winning two out of the last four races and leading in all four. He also has 239 combined laps led in the last two years at the track.

• Over the last four Monster Energy Cup Series races in 2019, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers have trended upward. The Hendrick team has the most poles (two), most top-five finishes (seven), most laps led (416), and is tied for second in wins after Chase Elliot’s victory on April 28 at Talladega.

• With a win at the track in 2017, Ryan Blaney is hoping to cash in on a win for the first time in 2019. Blaney has led 359 laps in races this season, the most without a victory.

LIVE COVERAGE

This week’s race will be televised on FS1, with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Log onto NASCAR.com for coverage, including in-car cameras on Drive and in-car audio on RaceView. Be sure to follow your Fantasy Live team and make your garage decision by the end of Stage 2 when rosters are final.

2018 RACE WINNER 

Martin Truex Jr. brought home the checkered flag at last year’s race, finishing ahead of Kyle Larson by 2.496 seconds. Truex led 31 laps en route to his second victory at the Pennsylvania track.

ACTIVE POCONO WINNERS 

Denny Hamlin (four), Kurt Busch (three), Jimmie Johnson (three), Kyle Busch (two), Martin Truex Jr. (two), Ryan Blaney (one), Chris Buescher (one), Brad Keselowski (one), Joey Logano (one), and Ryan Newman (one).

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR cited a pair of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams for violations incurred following Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Post-race inspection revealed that the Nos. 17 (of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) and 22 (of Joey Logano) each had one lug nut not properly installed. NASCAR fined crew chiefs Brian Pattie and Todd Gordon, respectively, $10,000 each, per Sections 10.9.10.4: Tires and Wheels of the NASCAR Rule Book.

RELATED: Charlotte results | Standings

Stenhouse Jr. finished in fifth place for his first top five of the season, and is in 19th place in the driver standings for Roush Fenway Racing. Logano, meanwhile, finished second place in the Coca-Cola 600 and is second in the standings for Team Penske.

The series now heads to Pocono Raceway for Sunday’s Monster Energy Series race at the 2.5-mile track (2 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Staff Report

Two of the three NASCAR national series are headed to Pocono Raceway this weekend. The NASCAR Xfinity and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will have two events live-streamed on NASCAR.com/live on Friday, May 31. The events can also be viewed in the NASCAR Mobile App.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series is set to kick off the weekend with first practice at 1:05 p.m. ET followed by the Monster Energy Series at 2:05 p.m. ET. Bookmark NASCAR.com/live or go to the NASCAR Mobile App and don’t miss any of the action, as the top drivers return to the track.

RELATED: Full Pocono schedule

Commentary from MRN will be available on the live stream.

To recap, here is the full schedule of on-track activity being streamed on NASCAR.com:
— 1:05 -1:55 p.m. ET: NASCAR Xfinity Series first practice
— 2:05-2:55 p.m. ET: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series first practice

Fast Friday will kick off on FS2 and the FOX Sports App at 3 p.m. ET with Xfinity Series final practice.  That will be followed by the Monster Energy Series final practice at 4 p.m. ET, also on FS2.

Tune in Saturday, June 1 for the Xfinity Series Pocono Green 250 at 1 p.m. ET on FS1/FOX Sports App and Sunday, June 2 for the Monster Energy Series Pocono 400 at 1 p.m. ET on FS1/FOX Sports App.

Posted on by Team Release

DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 28, 2019) — Roush Fenway Racing unveiled its No. 6 Oscar Mayer throwback paint scheme during a Tuesday morning event at the famed Darlington Raceway. The scheme pays homage to Mark Martin’s 1993 scheme that scored Jack Roush’s first Southern 500 win in 1993.

Reimagined in Oscar Mayer colors, the iconic ‘Wienermobile’ was also on hand for the event, proudly wrapped in the same throwback layout.

“It think the scheme looks great,” said Ryan Newman, who will pilot the Ford Mustang during September’s throwback weekend at the 1.366-mile oval affectionately termed the ‘Track Too Tough to Tame.’

“Darlington is my favorite track on the circuit and the Southern 500 is one of the best events on our schedule. I can’t wait to come back here in September and see if we can put this No. 6 back in Victory Lane.”

RELATED: Buy Darlington tickets

Newman has led 334 laps in his career at Darlington, scoring 13 top-10 finishes; including a runner-up finish in 2002. Roush Fenway Fords have won 20 times at Darlington, leading over 4,500 laps and winning five times in NASCAR’s premier Cup Series.

The September race will be the 70th running of the Southern 500. This season’s throwback weekend at Darlington pays tribute to the years 1990-94. Martin led 178 laps in route to his 1993 Southern 500 win and also drove the scheme to a second-place finish in the spring event at Darlington that same season, leading 123 laps. He also led 301 laps during the 1993 season at Darlington.

This will be the fifth season Darlington has hosted throwback weekend, with the event having grown into one of the most popular races on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit.

Oscar Mayer, who first appeared on the No. 6 back in 2003, was also featured on the No. 6 during last year’s race at Darlington.