Posted on by Zack Albert

Darrell Waltrip, who brought his folksy, outsized personality from the driver’s seat to a prodigious second career as a broadcaster, announced Thursday that this season will be his last for FOX Sports.

Waltrip’s final NASCAR race from the broadcast booth is scheduled for June 23 at Sonoma Raceway. The news, later confirmed by the network, was first reported by The (Nashville) Tennessean.

“My family and I have been talking this over the past several months, and I’ve decided to call 2019 my last year in the FOX Sports booth,” Waltrip said in a FOX release. “I have been blessed to work with the best team in the sport for the past 19 years, but I’m 72 and have been racing in some form for more than 50 years. I’m still healthy, happy and now a granddad, so it’s time to spend more time at home with my family, although I will greatly miss my FOX family.”

Waltrip, 72, has been a fixture in the FOX Sports booth since 2001, when the network became an official broadcast partner of NASCAR. The transition to full-time broadcasting came after a successful driving career, where Waltrip won three championships and 84 races in NASCAR’s top division. He was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2012.

PHOTOS: Darrell Waltrip through the years

Waltrip’s first experience with broadcasting pre-dates his long tenure with FOX Sports. Even during the peak of his driving career, he was a regular guest and occasional substitute for Nashville disc jockey and television host Ralph Emery. Waltrip’s ease in front of a microphone — both in driver interviews or as a broadcaster — can be traced back to those earliest radio and TV appearances.

Waltrip was a more frequent guest as a color analyst on racing broadcasts in the 1990s, offering commentary for TNN, TBS and ABC/ESPN. Those calls were part of the coverage for what’s now called the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the former IROC Series as Waltrip’s driving days wound down.

“For nearly five decades, few people have been as synonymous with NASCAR as Darrell Waltrip,” NASCAR President Steve Phelps said in a statement. “A Hall of Famer on the track and in the booth, Waltrip brought quick wit, tireless passion and a wealth of stock car racing knowledge to millions of NASCAR fans on FOX for 19 seasons. We are grateful for Waltrip’s many contributions to the sport over the past 47 years, both as a champion driver and broadcaster. On behalf of everyone at NASCAR, we wish DW all the best in retirement.”

When FOX Sports came on board ahead of its 2001 debut, Waltrip was among the first on-air talent hired, and he would help grow NASCAR’s TV viewership to record numbers. Ed Goren — then FOX Sports president and executive producer — told The Tennessean’s Larry Woody that Waltrip’s inclusion was akin to legendary coach John Madden preparing for his NFL broadcasting debut.

“He gives us instant credibility with the sport’s strong, loyal fan base,” Goren said at the time. “DW has a natural enthusiasm, an in-depth driver’s perspective and a homespun sense of humor that will make him easy and fun to listen to.”

William Hauser
Photo courtesy of FOX Sports

Waltrip quickly built a rapport with play-by-play veteran Mike Joy and crew chief analysts Jeff Hammond — his own former crew chief — and Larry McReynolds. He also developed what would be his broadcast calling card, shouting out, “Boogity, boogity, boogity!” to provide a verbal jolt at the start of each race. All told, he will end his career having called more than 330 races and 1,500 practice and qualifying sessions for FOX.

“Darrell has been the heart and soul of the FOX NASCAR booth since day one, so it’s incredibly bittersweet to know this is his final season,” said Eric Shanks, FOX Sports CEO & Executive Producer. “DW’s unmatched charisma and passion helped FOX Sports build its fan base when we first arrived at Daytona in 2001, and he has been the cornerstone of our NASCAR coverage ever since. We look forward to celebrating DW at Sonoma.”

Waltrip’s broadcasting approach was nearly equal parts informative and entertaining. His commentary would often take a page from his Nashville-area roots, either integrating a country music lyric or splicing in quips in a nod to Emery’s down-home humor, all rolled into a straightforward delivery.

“Race fans are very intelligent. They know what happens,” Waltrip told The Charlotte Observer’s David Poole in 2000, in the days leading up to his retirement from driving. “How are you going to try to tell them something didn’t happen when they saw it? You can’t try to fool them. You’ve just got to tell it like it is.”

A spokesperson for FOX Sports said the 2020 lineup for its NASCAR coverage team would be determined at a later date.

Posted on by Staff Report

Trackside Live is back and this time it’s at Bristol Motor Speedway!

Trackside Live presented by SYMBICORT will host two shows this weekend, with the Sunday April 7th edition streaming live on NASCAR.com at 10:30 a.m. ET. The shows will take place in the Fan Zone outside Turn 2 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Driver Q&A’s, musical entertainment, and games will be part of the fun to get fans pumped up for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Alsco 300 on Saturday (1 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 on Sunday (2 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Jose Castillo and Amy Long will be the hosts for both weekend shows.

Defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano, Austin Dillon and William Byron will highlight Sunday’s lineup. Wrestling legend Bill Goldberg will also make an appearance before the start of the Food City 500. Ragged Sally and WyldeHeart will entertain the crowd with a performance as well.

Saturday’s show will be at 10 a.m. ET and available on demand from NASCAR.com later in the day. Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Daniel Hemric will make an appearance on Saturday along with NASCAR K&N drivers Hailie Deegan and Natalie Decker on Saturday. Hip Gypsy will take the stage during the show.

If you’re not able to be there in person, bookmark this page so you can catch the livestream on NASCAR.com.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR.com will live stream opening Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice for Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Bookmark https://www.nascar.com/live, the destination for all live practice streams this year. You can also catch the practice on NASCAR Mobile.

For Friday specifically, the live-streaming schedule is as follows for users in the United States. Full practices will be posted to NASCAR’s YouTube channel later in the day for fans who can’t watch live.

• 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. ET: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series first practice

RELATED: Full weekend schedule

FOX Sports will feature a multi-hour block of Fast Friday programming each race weekend, beginning at 3 p.m. ET; practices prior to 3 p.m. will be live streamed on NASCAR.com.

It’s a doubleheader weekend at the .533-mile Tennessee short track with Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Alsco 300 (1 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 (2 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Staff Report

The return to Dominion Raceway for Tyler Hughes this season will be about more than just running for a track championship.

Hughes last ran a full late model season at the Woodford, Virginia, track in 2017, when he won five races and finished second overall in the standings, narrowly missing his shot at the track title.

“It came down to the last race,” Hughes said. “We were ahead in the second-to-last race of the season, and we got caught up in some trouble. We wrecked our race car pretty bad. The last race of the season was I think a month later and we had just built a brand new race car that was just a chassis and a body sitting in our shop, and we had to throw that thing together to get to the last race.

“We were actually two or four points out of the lead, so we basically had to go in and win the race, and we had to have Doug Barnes have a little bit of bad luck. And it was just his night. He got caught on a good invert. He started up front, he kept his car up front, and I just couldn’t get to him. It ended up falling his way that year.”

Hughes spent the 2018 season traveling to other tracks around Virginia, including Langley Speedway and South Boston Speedways, to build up a notebook of other tracks, but he’ll return to Dominion this season, with one goal in mind.

“Just being that close and being able to almost taste it, it kind of makes me have a little bit of revenge in the back of my head,” he said. “Just working harder every day to try to go and win this thing this year.”

Tyler Hughes Racing Facebook | Twitter

Dominion Raceway is a 0.4-mile asphalt oval track located about midway between Richmond, Virginia and Washington D.C. Hughes lives about two hours north of the track on the Eastern Shore in Maryland. He began racing at Old Dominion Speedway, which was located in Manassas, Virginia until 2012 when it closed.

Tyler Hughes

Even though it’s a ways from his home, Hughes considers Dominion a home away from home for him and his family.

“I’ve had a lot of success there in the past, won quite a few races,” he said. “Back at Old Dominion, me and my parents, we had a motor home and we’d go up on Friday nights and camp out. It was just kind of like a good atmosphere for us as a family. You kind of get that same atmosphere, or at least I do, when you go back to Dominion. Go up on Friday nights and practice and kind of hangout with your friends and go racing on Saturday.”

Dominion Raceway | Facebook | Twitter

Hughes began racing go karts when he was five and his neighbors had a track in their backyard. He eventually moved into a quarter midget and legends car before hoping into his first late model when he was 15.

He raced late models with his dad for two years, but struggled against bigger teams with more money. In 2015, his current team owner Paul Green gave him the offer to drive his late model at Langley. The first year they won one race and ran upfront throughout the season. Hughes and Green have been together ever since, with sponsors Row6 and Simpson Racing.

“I wouldn’t really be racing or where I’m at without him,” Hughes said of Green. “I’m thankful for all my guys that come to help each and every week.”

Hughes was racing for Green in 2017 when he had the heartbreaking defeat in the final race.

There’s another reason beyond his own revenge that Hughes is fighting for a second shot at the Dominion title this season. Hughes’s father passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer just a few weeks after the final race that season.

“So that’s also part of the revenge too is being able to go get that for him,” Hughes said. “Because I wanted to do it that year and it just didn’t happen.”

Last year, Hughes’s team partnered with Sellers Racing, home of former Whelen All-American Series national champion Peyton Sellers. Hughes said he and his team learned a lot in their year away from home, a lot of which can be carried over to their home track this year. That was proven at the end of 2018, when he ran the two races at Dominion and came away with two wins in two different cars.

While he said not much from a driving perspective can be carried from track to track, Hughes said he feels really good about where his team stands heading into the start of the season.

“I think this year we’re in a lot better spot than we were two years ago when we ran for a championship,” he said. “And we’re a lot smarter and I just hope that we can have even better success this year.”

Dominion Raceway will start the season on Saturday night with late models, modifieds and legends cars.

Dominion Raceway schedule

OTHER OPENINGS THIS WEEK

– Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, a 0.625-mile asphalt oval in Thompson, Connecticut, will open the season on Saturday and Sunday with modifieds, late models, limited sportsman, and mini stocks.

Thompson Speedway | Schedule

Grandview Speedway, a third-mile clay oval in Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania, will open the season on Saturday with the second annual Bruce Rogers Memorial Money Maker, featuring big and small block modifieds beginning at 7 p.m.

Grandview Speedway | Schedule

Posted on by Staff Report

Investing in a return to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was something Chris Pasteryak felt he was ready for.

After years of running in New England’s tour-type modified ranks, Pasteryak decided to return to Whelen Modified Tour action for the first time in eight years last season, running 14 of the 16 races driving for his family-owned operation, and scoring six top-10 finishes along the way.

He had been successful running in New England with two championships in the Valenti Modified Racing Series, and running up front in the Tri Track Open Modified Series before his return to NASCAR’s ranks.

“I had gone and helped out Gary Putnam a few times in 2017, and I really liked the way (NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour director) Jimmy Wilson ran the show,” Pasteryak said. “I really liked everything NASCAR was doing and it seemed like something I really wanted to be a part of. We decided to get a spec motor and give it a shot, but we didn’t think it was going to be easy.”

He was right.

Just like anything else in racing, there was a bit of a learning curve during his return. Prior to 2018, Pasteryak ran 30 races spanning across six years, with a best finish of third. But, returning almost a decade later required the team to take a little bit of a different approach compared to some of the shows he was used to running. Instead of changing no tires, or just one tire, the team had to prepare for changing multiple tires during Whelen Modified Tour races on most occasions.

But why was it the right time?

“It was a little bit of everything, I’m getting older so I figured if I was going to give it a shot with my own guys and my own team, it was time,” Pasteryak said. “The schedule worked its way into something that we could do almost all of the races and now this year we can do all of them. The guys were really ready for it. It’s not like running Tri Track races are easy, they are really hard. The Tour races are really hard to be competitive, but we were ready for live pit stops, ready to take the next step.”

That next step saw him grab a best finish of eighth in the NAPA Fall Final at Stafford Motor Speedway, and even though their certainly was that adjustment period, Pasteryak went through the process with the same core group of crew members, friends and family, that he had been working with for years.

“I took all of the same guys that had been helping me through the years, a few other guys came on, but it was the same group of guys that had been going to the races. It’s been cool because we have all grown together and the Whelen Modified Tour races are a lot more of a team deal than some of the others,” he said. “The schedule is usually compact. You really have to have guys that know what they are doing with the race car.”

RACING-REFERENCE: Chris Pasteryak’s Career Statistics

At the end of last season, Pasteryak had watched Justin Bonsignore dominate the series — winning eight races and the championship — and doing it all driving a chassis from the LFR camp. The chassis department actually won 11 of the 16 Whelen Modified Tour races, and that was enough for Pasteryak to decide to make the move and purchase one.

“We were watching and saw what the LFR guys had going on, and the track support they give really seemed to help out. Over the winter, we went and got a car from Rob Fuller and LFR,” Pasteryak said. “For the World Series at the end of last year, we rented a car from Rob just trying to get a head start for this year. We figured we should just start the notebook. We finished ninth, but we had a learning curve and some limited practice. But after the first two races this year, we’ve been a fifth- to a 10th-place car.”

His success with an LFR car in his own garage seems to be trending him in the right direction. He qualified seventh in the opener at Myrtle Beach Speedway and finished seventh, then started 11th at South Boston Speedway, and brought the No. 75 Dawley’s Collision Chevrolet home in the sixth spot. Although it’s early, through the first two races, he sits fifth in the championship standings.

“I really don’t think we are doing a whole lot different than last year, other than that we have a whole year under our belt as a team running the races and making the calls,” Pasteryak said. “But Myrtle Beach is its own animal and South Boston was really its own deal because it’s hard to compare it to anything else we run. We are off to a better start. We’ve been a little bit better off the truck, and having a little bit of speed in practice puts you in a little bit better qualifying group. We’re qualifying a little bit better.”

But, now, Pasteryak feels like the regular season begins at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park this weekend, with the 45th annual Icebreaker weekend. The Whelen Modified Tour will run four events at Thompson this year, so having a successful setup and putting together races at a difficult, .625-mile oval is going to be important.

“It’s a lot higher than it was last year coming out of Myrtle Beach with an 18th,” Pasteryak said of the anticipation heading into the weekend. “We’ve done tour races this year, but we aren’t even at the first chapter of the book, we are only through the prologue. I’m definitely way more confident than last year, but if I can get to the end of Thompson and we are on the same straightaway as the No. 51 (Justin Bonsignore), I’ll call that a success.”

PIT BOX: Jimmy Blewett Looks To Continue Hot Start at Icebreaker

Bonsignore was the dominant force at Thompson last year, sweeping the four races en route to his crown. But Pasteryak is going to be one of many in the same situation as Bonsignore, with an LFR car, heading into the weekend. The Icebreaker is one of the most prestigious races in short-track racing, as the Connecticut oval officially kicks-off the New England racing season in style with 11 different divisions over the course of two days of competitive action.

“I enjoy the two days shows to get the year going. Where else would you rather be after being inside all winter,” Pasteryak said. “It’s nice to watch all of the other races and see some of the new cars.”

Overall, running on the Whelen Modified Tour has opened eyes for Pasteryak, who moved to the series hoping to be competitive and run up front. He’s inching closer on accomplishing his ultimate goal of running consistently at the front and putting himself in position to win.

“If you want to go win, it’s a lot of work. Effort equals results,” he said. “You just try to do the best job with what you can and what you have to work with. You love doing it, that’s why we do it. It’s nice to get in a routine where we are going racing. If it wasn’t fun, we wouldn’t take the time, effort and money to go do it. We really enjoy it and it gives us a reason to work.”

PIT BOX: Jimmy Blewett Looks To Continue Hot Start at Thompson

But, is the Lisbon, Connecticut, driver ready to carry the checkered flag? Or is there still a bit more of adjustment left to go?

“Not quite yet. Maybe by the end of this year,” Pasteryak said. “You can’t just go from running 10th or 12th to winning, it happens in steps. I think we are now about a seventh or eighth place car, maybe fifth on a good day. If we can consistently be in the final group of qualifying and qualify consistently in the top 10 each time, I’d say we’re ready. We’ve got a little bit of work left to go. I think with the help we are getting, we can get there. The mountain is bound to a hill, but it’s still there.”

Whelen Modified Tour News & Notes:

  • As Pasteryak mentions, Justin Bonsignore seems to have become a master of Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, but he has his work cut out for him entering the weekend. Bonsignore, the defending series champion, has two finishes outside the top 10 to open the new year and is mired deep in the championship standings as he begins his repeat effort. Thompson could be the right place for him to turn it around, though, as the Holtsville, New York, driver has nine wins in 33 starts at the track.
  • Jon McKennedy came up just a few short laps dry on fuel in last year’s Icebreaker. He was leading in the final stages when the tank ran dry, but the speed under the hood of the Tommy Baldwin prepared No. 7NY Ultra Wheel Chevrolet has been in the car each time they have hit the track. He qualified inside the top six in all four races there last year.
  • Fresh off his first win in nearly three years, Ron Silk will look to go back-to-back at a place where he is no stranger to success. Silk has four wins in 49 starts at Thompson, and has finished third in two of the last four races he’s run there.
  • Thompson’s five NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions will also open their season as part of the annual Icebreaker, along with five other touring series divisions in New England. All of Thompson’s 10-race Whelen All-American Series schedule this year will air live on FansChoice.TV.

Thompsoncandid

Posted on by Staff Report

Racing at Bristol Motor Speedway lately seems to come down to the Kyles.

Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson.

Busch has two wins in his last three races at the 0.533-mile track … and Larson has been nipping at his heels, finishing second in the last two.

In all, the two drivers have finished 1-2 eight times in their careers in both the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series according to Racing Insights — with four of those 1-2 finishes coming at Bristol.

A look at every Kyle 1-2 finish:

Series Date Track Winner Second
Xfinity 3/16/13 Bristol Kyle Busch Kyle Larson
Xfinity 3/15/14 Bristol Kyle Busch Kyle Larson
Cup 3/23/14 Auto Club Kyle Busch Kyle Larson
Xfinity 8/21/15 Bristol Kyle Busch Kyle Larson
Xfinity 2/27/16 Atlanta Kyle Busch Kyle Larson
Cup 9/24/17 New Hampshire Kyle Busch Kyle Larson
Cup 4/15/18 Bristol Kyle Busch Kyle Larson
Cup 7/1/18 Chicago Kyle Busch  Kyle Larson

You might notice a bit of a pattern — Busch has won every race where he and Larson have finished 1-2.

But Larson’s recent track record at Bristol shows that he might be on the verge of overturning his second-run status.

According to Racing Insights, Larson has led 489 laps in the last four races — more than any other driver. He is also the only driver to finish in the top 10 in every stage in each of the last four races.

Date Start Finish Stage 1 finish Stage 2 finish Laps led
4/24/17 1 6 1 7 202
8/19/17 2 9 3 6 70
4/15/18 6 2 5 5 200
8/18/18 1 2 6 3 17

 

Posted on by Steve Luvender

NASCAR.com’s own @nascarcasm made his maiden voyage onto Reddit’s r/NASCAR community Tuesday evening, answering dozens of fan questions in an AMA (ask me anything) session.

While we’ve curated a few of our favorite responses here, it’s worth your time to check out the entire AMA thread on Reddit yourself, because nobody does it quite like ever-hilarious, ever-humble @nascarcasm.

 

On becoming a NASCAR fan:

Comment from discussion NASCARCASM Ask Me Anything tonight at 6:30 p.m..

 


On Paul Menard having no Twitter account:

Comment from discussion NASCARCASM Ask Me Anything tonight at 6:30 p.m..

 


On his beef with Jamie McMurray:

Comment from discussion NASCARCASM Ask Me Anything tonight at 6:30 p.m..

 


On his Darrell Waltrip tattoo (context):

 

Comment from discussion NASCARCASM Ask Me Anything tonight at 6:30 p.m..

 


On memes:

Comment from discussion NASCARCASM Ask Me Anything tonight at 6:30 p.m..

Comment from discussion NASCARCASM Ask Me Anything tonight at 6:30 p.m..

 


On his true identity:

 

Comment from discussion NASCARCASM Ask Me Anything tonight at 6:30 p.m..

 

Well, after all these years, we’ve finally determined @nascarcasm’s true identity. He’s been Morgan Shepherd this whole time, disguising himself behind a blurred-out face and a pair of rollerskates.

Check out the Reddit AMA post for yourself to learn more about the man behind some the Internet’s finest content — who, again, is actually Morgan Shepherd.

Posted on by Brad Norman

NASCAR released its 2020 schedule for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series on Wednesday, unveiling an innovative slate that mirrors the work done for next year’s Cup Series schedule and one that brings both series back to iconic Virginia short tracks for the first time in more than a decade.

The announcement also provides a clearer picture of the schedule for a historic Pocono Raceway doubleheader next summer, and a look at the tricky road to the Championship 4 — at a new venue — for both series.

Confirmed last week with the reveal of the Cup Series schedule, ISM Raceway at Phoenix will host a tripleheader championship weekend, beginning with the Gander Trucks title race Nov. 6. The Xfinity Series championship is decided the next night at the 1-mile track.

ISM Raceway at Phoenix recently completed a $178 million renovation project designed to improve the fan experience, and one which included a reconfiguration for the track’s start/finish line. The track has hosted the Round of 8 finale for all three NASCAR national series since the introduction of the NASCAR Playoffs elimination format.

RELATED: Xfinity Series schedule page

Perhaps the biggest change confirmed Wednesday is the return of the NASCAR Xfinity Series to historic Martinsville Speedway, with incredibly high stakes in the penultimate race of the season before the title field is set.

The Xfinity Series has raced at Martinsville just once in the past 25 years — in July 2006, a race won by Kevin Harvick. Martinsville will host the Gander Trucks that weekend as well, setting up the first-ever tripleheader weekend at the track.

Richmond Raceway also plays a prominent role in both schedules. The Gander Trucks will return to Richmond for the first time since 2005, while the newly renovated raceway will play host to the regular-season finale in the Xfinity Series to set the field for the 12-driver Playoff field.

“The NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series were both built on short-track racing, and it is important that short tracks remain a prominent part of our series schedules,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR managing director of racing operations and international development. “We returned to our roots in many ways with today’s announcement. Martinsville and Richmond were part of the original Xfinity and Gander Trucks schedules, and we’re excited for their return as part of a strong overall slate.”

The Xfinity Series schedule has three new tracks in its seven-race Playoffs, and two new elimination races that mirror the Cup Series at a road course and a short track.

The postseason opens Sept. 18 at Bristol Motor Speedway, with a Friday night race under the lights. After a trip to Las Vegas Motor Speedway — both Bristol and Las Vegas are new to the postseason — the series concludes the Round of 12 at the Charlotte Roval.

The Round of 8 sees a Kansas-Texas-Martinsville stretch before ending at ISM Raceway.

The Gander Trucks, meanwhile, open the Playoffs at Gateway Motorsports Park. The 1.25-mile track serves as host for the first Round of 8 race on Aug. 21. A trip to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, site of the 2019 Playoffs opener, and then Bristol Motor Speedway completes the Round of 8.

RELATED: Gander Trucks schedule page

The Round of 6 starts at Las Vegas, and includes Talladega Superspeedway and Martinsville Speedway before crowning a champion at ISM Raceway.

Announced last week with the 2020 Cup Series schedule reveal, Pocono Raceway will hold the first Cup Series doubleheader in NASCAR history. The Cup Series will race at the 2.5-mile “Tricky Triangle” on Saturday and then again on Sunday, two points-paying races in two days.

It’s officially a tripleheader weekend in Pennsylvania. The Gander Trucks joins the NASCAR Cup Series on a full Saturday of racing, and the Xfinity Series races on Sunday — also with the Cup Series. Yes, that’s four NASCAR national series races in two days.

“I definitely think it’ll be a bucket-list item for fans,” Kennedy said. “It’s going to be a unique piece of our schedule for all three series.”

The full schedules below:

2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule

Date Track
Saturday, Feb. 15 Daytona International Speedway
Saturday, Feb. 22 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Saturday, Feb. 29 Auto Club Speedway
Saturday, March 7 ISM Raceway
Saturday, March 14 Atlanta Motor Speedway
Saturday, March 21 Homestead-Miami Speedway
Saturday, March 28 Texas Motor Speedway
Saturday, April 4 Bristol Motor Speedway
Saturday, April 25 Talladega Superspeedway
Saturday, May 2 Dover International Speedway
Saturday, May 23 Charlotte Motor Speedway
Saturday, May 30 Mid-Ohio
Saturday, June 6 Michigan International Speedway
Saturday, June 13 Iowa Speedway
Saturday, June 20 Chicagoland Speedway
Sunday, June 28 Pocono Raceway
Saturday, July 4 Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Friday, July 10 Kentucky Speedway
Saturday, July 18 New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Saturday, Aug. 1 Iowa Speedway
Saturday, Aug. 8 Road America
Saturday, Aug. 15 Watkins Glen International
Saturday, Aug. 22 Dover International Speedway
Friday, Aug. 28 Daytona International Speedway
Saturday, Sept. 5 Darlington Raceway
Friday, Sept. 11 Richmond Raceway
Friday, Sept. 18 Bristol Motor Speedway
Saturday, Sept. 26 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Saturday, Oct. 10 Charlotte Roval
Saturday, Oct. 17 Kansas Speedway
Saturday, Oct. 24 Texas Motor Speedway
Saturday, Oct. 31 Martinsville Speedway
Saturday, Nov. 7 ISM Raceway

2020 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series schedule

Date Track
Friday, Feb. 14 Daytona International Speedway
Friday, Feb. 21 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Saturday, March 14 Atlanta Motor Speedway
Friday, March 20 Homestead-Miami Speedway
Friday, March 27 Texas Motor Speedway
Saturday, April 18 Richmond Raceway
Friday, May 1 Dover International Speedway
Friday, May 15 Charlotte Motor Speedway
Saturday, May 30 Kansas Speedway
Friday, June 5 Texas Motor Speedway
Friday, June 12 Iowa Speedway
Friday, June 19 Chicagoland Speedway
Saturday, June 27 Pocono Raceway
Thursday, July 9 Kentucky Speedway
Thursday, July 30 Eldora Speedway
Saturday, Aug. 8 Michigan International Speedway
Friday, Aug. 21 Gateway Motorsports Park
Sunday, Sept. 6 Canadian Tire Motorsports Park
Thursday, Sept. 17 Bristol Motor Speedway
Friday, Sept. 25 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Saturday, Oct. 3 Talladega Superspeedway
Friday, Oct. 30 Martinsville Speedway
Friday, Nov. 6 ISM Raceway
Posted on by Staff Report

It’s the second short-track race in three weekends as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for some bumping and banging.

Before Sunday’s Food City 500 (2 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), let’s give you the low down on some things to watch.

RELATED: Full schedule for Bristol | Who’s favored to win this weekend?

TRACK DETAILS
Bristol Motor Speedway is known as the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” as a 0.533-mile track. The concrete racing surface is 40 feet wide and the straightaways are 650 feet long. There is 24 to 28 degree banking in the corners. On the frontstreetch, there is 5 to 9 degree banking, while on the backstretch there is 4 to 8 degree banking. In recent years, the track has used PJ1 TrackBite – a custom formulated resin – to bring in multiple grooves on the racing surface. Jack Smith won the first Cup race here on July 30, 1961. In the spring, the track hosts the Cup and Xfinity Series. In the summer, the track hosts all three national series.

RULES PACKAGE
The Monster Energy Series will run the 2019 rules package tailored for short tracks (less than 1.33 miles in length) and road courses. A 1.17-inch tapered spacer will be used, with engines expected to generate about 750 horsepower. Unlike last week’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, no aero ducts will be used. This weekend’s configuration of the 2019 rules package will be used at 14 events in total this season. The 1.17-inch tapered spacer was first used this season at 1-mile ISM Raceway on March 10.

Teams will have nine sets of Goodyear Eagle Speedway Redials for the race as well as three sets for practice and one for qualifying. This is a new tire setup that both the Cup and Xfinity teams will run this weekend and this is the only track where this tire will be run. Compared to last year’s Bristol tire, this setup features a compound change on the left side and construction updates on both sides of the car.

“While Bristol is only a half-mile in length, it races very much like a speedway,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “The steep banking generates a lot of speed and a high amount of loading, even more so with the 2019, high downforce rules package. The tire set-up that we bring takes that into account while enhancing the stability and handling of the cars through the corners.

“The other factor at Bristol is the concrete track surface. It is important to lay rubber down on the surface and create the opportunity for teams to use all three lanes. There will be a four-foot-wide line of the PJ1 grip compound laid down in the bottom lane in the corners, so that application and subsequent wearing off of the compound will change racing throughout the weekend and keep it exciting for the fans as drivers potentially move around the track to find maximum grip.”

STATS
Much has been made of Jimmie Johnson’s winless streak – a stretch that is now at 66 races as his last win came at Dover in June of 2017. The seven-time champion is fresh off a top-five result at Texas Motor Speedway. He has two wins at Bristol – one of which came in 2017 – and has a stretch seven top 10s in his last nine races. This track, in particular, has knack for snapping Victory Lane droughts especially in recent years.

Driver Streak# Date snapped
Benny Parsons 67 7-8-1973
Kurt Busch 58 8-18-2018
Matt Kenseth 56 8-27-2005
Kevin Harvick 55 4-3-2005
Matt Kenseth 51 4-19-2015

LIVE COVERAGE
This Sunday’s race will be televised on FS1, with radio coverage on PRN 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. Of note: Opening Cup practice will be streamed on NASCAR.com starting at 1:35 p.m. ET on Friday afternoon.

2018 RACE WINNER
Kyle Busch beat Kyle Larson by .628 seconds for the race win last spring. It was Busch’s second straight win at Bristol and his second in a row in 2018. For Larson, it was the first of two runner-up finishes at the track in 2018. Busch comes into Bristol on the heels of a strong start to the 2019 season as he is the points leader and also has two wins. He also has the longest active top-10s streak dating back to ISM Raceway in 2018 – a stretch of nine races. The 2015 champion’s 3.7 average finish is the sixth-best all time through seven races of a season.

ACTIVE BRISTOL WINNERS
Kyle Busch (seven), Kurt Busch (six), Brad Keselowski (two), Jimmie Johnson (two), Kevin Harvick (two), Joey Logano (two) and Denny Hamlin (one).

Posted on by Staff Report

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (April 2, 2019) — With the popular four-race Dash 4 Cash program returning to the NASCAR Xfinity Series this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway (April 6, 1 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90), Comcast today announced that $120,000 in grants will be distributed to one Veteran Services Organization (VSO) in each of the four race markets to build an Internet Essentials Digital Rally Point for local veterans.

The contribution triples the amount donated during the 2018 Dash 4 Cash, when Comcast introduced the charitable component of the program by providing grants to local organizations on behalf of Internet Essentials, the largest and most comprehensive broadband adoption program for low-income households in the U.S.

“We had an overwhelmingly positive response to the charitable component of Dash 4 Cash last year, and this year we hope to make an even bigger difference by tripling the contribution and focusing on our local military heroes who have given so much to our country,” said Matt Lederer, Comcast’s Vice President for Brand Partnerships. “Like all of us, the veteran community depends on the internet to succeed and stay connected. These Internet Essentials Digital Rally Points will be technology hubs where veterans can get online to take digital skills classes, apply for health benefits or jobs, file claims, access medical information, or find support networks.”

This year’s grantees are focused on helping the veteran community obtain the skills they need to be successful in today’s digital world. Each one is located in a Dash 4 Cash market, near Bristol Motor Speedway, Richmond Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway and Dover International Speedway. The grants will support the creation of a computer lab, expand the availability of online training programs created in partnership with PsychArmor, and fund the ongoing management of the Digital Rally Points over a three-year period. The PsychArmor curriculum includes 10 veteran-specific digital training videos covering a range of topics, including basic digital literacy and VA benefit access.

Full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers Michael Annett, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe and Tyler Reddick are competing for a bonus $100,000 in prize money this Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway after qualifying in last Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. The highest-finishing Dash 4 Cash eligible driver at Bristol receives the bonus and will move on to have a shot at the prize at Richmond Raceway, along with the top three finishing series regulars from Bristol. This format continues for the races at Talladega Superspeedway (April 27) and Dover International Speedway (May 4).

Comcast Internet Essentials has an integrated, research-based, wrap-around design meant to address each of the three major barriers to broadband adoption. These include a lack of digital literacy skills, a lack of a computer, and the absence of a low-cost Internet service. The program is structured as a partnership between Comcast and tens of thousands of school districts, libraries, elected officials and nonprofit community partners. For more information on Internet Essentials, visit www.internetessentials.com