MOORESVILE, N.C. – Front Row Motorsports today announced an expanded partnership with CITGO® Petroleum Corporation and its CITGARD® brand that began last season with David Ragan and the No. 38 team.
The CITGARD brand is the primary sponsor on the No. 38 Ford Mustang throughout this season. Ragan will carry the CITGARD colors at the events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, Michigan International Speedway in June and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in September. The brand will also be featured as an associate sponsor all season.
CITGARD began its partnership last season with FRM at Darlington Raceway, paying tribute to Dale Jarrett during the annual “Throwback Weekend” with a red and white scheme. The popular feedback from race fans and success of the program led to the increased commitment with FRM and Ragan this season.
“Everyone at the Front Row Motorsports organization and David Ragan worked hard to ensure that we had a wonderful experience and that our program was a success for us last year,” said Brian Paulson, CITGO General Manager Lubricants. “In return, our customers and fans were thrilled and now we’re proud to increase our partnership with David and the team this season.”
CITGARD heavy duty engine oils are next generation oils formulated with proprietary additive technology that protects engines from running at higher temperatures and fuel injection pressures, while meeting tighter wear limits and lower emission requirements. The Front Row Motorsports transporters rely on CITGARD throughout the season.
“It’s great to have CITGARD return to our program this season,” said Ragan. “As a team that travels thousands of miles from race to race, you need reliable, heavy-duty engine lubricants to ensure we get to the track and back home. I’m glad that we have the best. I want to thank everyone at CITGO for stepping up and helping us improve our race program.”
Fritz Sports & Event Enterprises will again oversee the partnership.
“I want to thank everyone at Front Row Motorsports and David Ragan for their support of CITGARD,” said CEO Doug Fritz. “This is a great partnership and we’re proud to have an increased presence of CITGARD on the track this season.”
Editor’s note: This week in advance of the Daytona 500, NASCAR.com will look back at some memorable race victories and detail the odds the winning driver had, and which driver in the 2019 field most correlates.
Trevor Bayne had one previous career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start entering the 2011 season. He had just turned 20 years old the day before the 2011 Daytona 500 went green.
Historic Wood Brothers Racing was stuck in a winless streak that stretched back to the 2001 season. The team had won four previous Daytona 500s, including the iconic 1976 version with driver David Pearson — and the long-standing No. 21 car had been retrofitted in 2011 to resemble Pearson’s ride.
Something special happened on Feb. 20, 2011, though.
With Tony Stewart on his outside, and veterans Mark Martin and Kurt Busch looming, Bayne — the race leader — hammered the final restart in NASCAR Overtime and held off the entire field on the green-white-checkered finish for what many consider to be the biggest upset in Daytona 500 history.
Bayne, so green in his own right that he got lost on the drive to Victory Lane, delivered an iconic moment that makes the “Great American Race” so special. And at 80-1 odds, he joined a list of athletes — in NASCAR and beyond — to beat incredibly long odds to triumph at the sport’s highest level.
The most comparable driver in this year’s field is …
Ty Dillon, No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
There isn’t an 80-1 long shot in the field this year, but there is a 100-1 bet in Ty Dillon — who also is looking for his first career Monster Energy Series win, much like Bayne in 2011.
Dillon’s best finish in three Daytona 500 starts is 28th, and he has one career top-10 finish in 90 Monster Energy Series starts.
He fits the model of a true long shot at the odds book, but he also fits the Bayne profile of someone not to overlook. Germain Racing uses ECR Engines and moved its headquarters to Welcome, North Carolina, to more closely align with Richard Childress Racing. RCR has an excellent superspeedway program, highlighted by Austin Dillon’s Daytona 500 win last year, and Ty Dillon was raised in the Richard Childress Racing style.
As it turns out, the NASCAR Heat 3 box art — and bear in mind, this is a game released last September — predicted the top four qualifiers of this year’s Daytona 500.
And, yes, even in the exact order, if you judge by running position in the artwork: William Byron, Alex Bowman, Jimmie Johnson, and Chase Elliott.
Are we gonna talk about how NASCAR Heat 3’s cover art predicted this years D500 qualifying IN EXACT ORDER??
Parker Kligerman and William Byron, who will compete in Thursday’s Gander RV Duel qualifying races, prepared for their races by drafting on iRacing’s virtual Daytona International Speedway.
Kligerman, unlike Byron, is not locked into the Great American Race, meaning any preparation could make the difference for racing his Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota into Sunday’s Daytona 500.
You know it’s 2019 when you go to do a Fixed A class race in @iRacing to practice for the duels. And the pole sitter for the #DAYTONA500 is in the race too @WilliamByron
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers weren’t the only drivers preparing for the Daytona race weekend. Gander Outdoors Truck Series competitors Harrison Burton, Todd Gilliland, and Christian Eckes invited fans on iRacing to race trucks in the Daytona draft.
Myatt Snider streamed some iRacing truck racing, too.
Stream alert!
Tune in around 10:10 PM when @iRokStar4x4 @nickpain & I go live running @iRacing Trucks at @DISupdates! Make sure to watch because it definitely will not go to plan 😂https://t.co/6ISZVrR3sa
Taylor Hurst, who went unclaimed in the January 30 draft, dominated the non-points event, leading 45 of 50 laps. Two multi-car crashes took out several race favorites early.
The eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series officially begins its 2019 season Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET, streaming live on eNASCAR.com. Drivers will compete for more than $100,000 in prizes throughout the series’ 10th season.
Daytona’s season opener marks the first race where drivers represent their new teams.
From a very young age, I was a @DaleJr fan. This pic was taken before one of the Pocono races in 2003. Tomorrow night, I get to run my first @NASCAR@peakauto@iRacing series race for @JRMotorsports – a childhood dream come true. We're going to make it a race to remember! pic.twitter.com/JiFEEs95jB
The 100 eNASCAR Heat Pro League finalists have started competing in the Showcase Race series — the opportunity to prove their driving skills beyond raw numbers.
Host Jonathan Merryman will kick off coverage in the morning and NASCAR Digital will live stream interviews with all 42 drivers attempting to make the Daytona 500 field. Kim Coon joins Merryman as co-host as the event, and special guest NASCAR Next driver Hailie Deegan will be on air interviewing drivers as well.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 11, 2019) – Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt will become the first NFL player to give the command to start engines at the DAYTONA 500 when he serves as Grand Marshal for the 61st running of “The Great American Race” on Sunday at Daytona International Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as Grand Marshal for this year’s ‘Great American Race,’ ” Watt said. “The DAYTONA 500 is a truly iconic event with a rich history and I am very much looking forward to taking in the action up close and personal this year.”
A former player of the University of Wisconsin, the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year became the first player in NFL history to record two 20-plus sack seasons in 2014. Watt also holds the Texans’ franchise record for sacks and forced fumbles. In 2017, he was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year.
Watt is also well-known for his charity work as the president and founder of the Justin J. Watt Foundation, a charity organization that provides after-school opportunities for children in various communities, and has assisted those who are affected by deadly shootings. Following the events of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Watt set a goal to raise $200,000 for recovery efforts in the city of Houston, a goal he greatly surpassed by raising more than $41 million, for which he was awarded the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
“We’re ecstatic to have a person who has shown to be not only an incredible athlete, but also somebody who has done so much for communities in need,” said Daytona International Speedway President Chip Wile. “J.J. is one of the best players currently in the NFL and now he’s going to be our Grand Marshal for ‘The Great American Race.’ It’s a spectacular pairing.”
The DAYTONA 500, first held in 1959 at the famed 2.5-mile high-banked tri-oval, is the season-opening race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Tickets for the 61st annual DAYTONA 500 and other Daytona International Speedway events can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.
Editor’s note: This week in advance of the Daytona 500, NASCAR.com will look back at some memorable race victories and detail the odds the winning driver had, and which driver in the 2019 field most correlates.
Kurt Busch was on plenty of preseason lists entering the 2017 season, although likely not the ones he wanted.
Think in line of the “Best driver to never win the Daytona 500” discussion.
The veteran Busch was widely regarded — and still is — as one of the best racers in the garage when it comes to the unpredictable Daytona and Talladega tracks. The well-documented issue, though, was that Busch, then entering his 17th full-time season, had never won at those tracks.
Yes, the win column then read “0” — especially troubling because Busch had made 63 combined Monster Energy Series starts at those tracks entering the 2017 season.
But the Stewart-Haas Racing driver kept his battered No. 41 Ford on the track despite plenty of battle scars, put himself in position late and then pounced when leader Kyle Larson ran out of fuel on the final lap.
The win was the first race that featured stage racing and came with Monster Energy on the car in the brand’s first race as NASCAR’s entitlement sponsor.
Busch was slated at 35-1 odds for this race, making for a nice payday for bettors who trusted in the veteran.
The most comparable driver in this year’s field is …
Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
No driver is listed at exactly 35-1 odds, but the closest pick here is Kyle Larson at 28-1.
Yes, the driver Kurt Busch passed on the final lap for his lone Daytona 500 win two years ago most resembles Busch’s Las Vegas odds for this year’s running of the Great American Race (Feb. 17, 2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Like Busch, Larson doesn’t have a win at either Daytona or Talladega — although he’s made just 20 combined starts at those tracks, far fewer than Busch. But also like Busch, he’s considered one of the most purely talented drivers in the garage.
Larson is looking for his first win since 2017 after going winless last year.
The numbers are clear. Every year in the elimination-style postseason, which began in 2014, an average of four drivers make the postseason field after not making it the previous year.
Using the first year (2014) as the standard, here’s the breakdown by season:
2015: 4 drivers who didn’t make playoffs in 2014 (Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., Paul Menard, Jamie McMurray); 2016: 5 drivers who didn’t make playoffs in 2015 (Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon, Tony Stewart, Chris Buescher); 2017: 4 drivers who didn’t make playoffs in 2016 (Ryan Blaney, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne); 2018: 4 drivers who didn’t make playoffs in 2017 (Clint Bowyer, Aric Almirola, Erik Jones, Alex Bowman).
Let’s play the law of averages and assume this trend continues and four drivers who did not make the playoffs in 2018 qualify in 2019.
Here’s a best guess at this year’s group:
Sean Gardner | Getty Images
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet
The 2018 Sunoco Rookie of the Year was the youngest full-time driver in the Monster Energy Series last year. When one extrapolates that out for his whole career, the data shows that almost always has been the case — Byron has one full-time season of experience in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series. He climbed into his first race car, of any size, make or model, later in life than practically any other Cup driver. That he already is in his second Cup season at age 21 is a testament to his natural ability and wizardry behind the wheel.
There was bound to be a significant learning curve for Byron as a rookie, especially with a brand-new Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Expect the 21-year-old to make a natural improvement in his sophomore season, and having Chad Knaus atop the pit box further accelerates his learning curve.
The No. 24 team should be back in the playoffs this year.
Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
Daniel Suarez, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 41 Ford
Suarez never found Victory Lane at the Monster Energy Series level in two years with Joe Gibbs Racing, but the change of scenery will do him some good. The last half of 2018 in particular likely was difficult for Suarez, with rumors of Martin Truex Jr. joining Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019 and taking over the No. 19.
Stewart-Haas Racing was the most powerful team in NASCAR last year, so Suarez is leaving one strong team for another. His everyday-guy type of personality is a great fit at the Tony Stewart-owned team, and Suarez now gets to learn from the likes of Kevin Harvick after years of getting input from Kyle Busch.
He’ll be all the better for it and makes the playoffs for the first time in his Monster Energy Series career.
Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Roush Fenway Racing No. 17 Ford
Stenhouse Jr. slipped out of the postseason last year, and I think he’s due for a bounce back. The 2019 rules package will give the Roush Fenway Racing driver an opportunity to make up ground on the 1.5-mile tracks, and few in the sport are as daring and daunting on the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega.
It’s there we think Stenhouse will get to Victory Lane and clinch a spot in the NASCAR Playoffs. An interesting stat: Stenhouse in 2018 actually led more than double the laps he did in his two-win 2017 season. That bodes well for tracks outside of Daytona and Talladega — keep an eye on Bristol.
Chris Graythen | Getty Images
Matt DiBenedetto, Leavine Family Racing No. 95 Toyota
Sure, this is probably the long shot of the four picks here. But it feels like Leavine Family Racing has the right pieces in the right place.
DiBenedetto is lauded throughout the garage for his talent wheeling a stock car, and now he’s in the best ride of his career. The team’s newfound relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing should be fruitful quickly, and veteran crew chief Mike Wheeler left the No. 11 JGR team — and close friend Denny Hamlin — to attempt to build something new.
The thought here is that this No. 95 group performs ahead of schedule this year in making the postseason.
The Gander RV Duel is a pair of qualifying races that will determine the bulk of the field and starting lineup for the 2019 Daytona 500 (Feb. 17, 2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). NASCAR.com offers a look at how the twin qualifying races (Feb. 14, starting at 7 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) work and how they impact the Daytona 500.
Programming info for Gander RV Duel:
When: Feb. 14, starting at 7 p.m. ET Where: Daytona International Speedway TV: FS1 Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
What is the format? There are two 60-lap, 150-mile races. The drivers in each Duel are determined based on qualifying speeds from single-lap qualifying runs Sunday.
How do the Duels set the Daytona 500 lineup? While the Feb. 10 single-car qualifying speeds determined the top two starting spots in the Daytona 500, the Duels determine who will line up in the majority of spots on the starting grid for the “Great American Race.”
Drivers in the first Duel race will line up on the inside row for the Daytona 500 (odd-numbered starting position), based on the order in which they finish the first Duel race. Drivers in the second Duel race will line up on the outside row for the Daytona 500 (even-numbered starting positions), based on the order in which they finish the second Duel race. Remember, all Charter teams are guaranteed spots in the Daytona 500.
How can Open Teams make the Daytona 500?
Two Open Teams will make the field as a result of being the best finishing Open Team in each Duel. Open Teams that have not yet become eligible for a Daytona 500 starting grid position will become eligible for remaining starting grid positions, if any, based on final qualifying results, per the rule book.
How important is the Duel for drivers locked into the front row? While a Duel win doesn’t put you in the playoffs, the top 10 drivers in each Duel will earn points heading into the Daytona 500.
Drivers locked into the front row of the Daytona 500 need to avoid any sort of calamity in the Duels to keep their starting spot. With qualifying day so early in Speedweeks and a multitude of practices leading up to the Daytona 500, wrecks resulting in backup cars, engine changes and more are all likely to pop up at some point to affect the green-flag order once on the grid.
How are points awarded?
It’s similar to stages in the 36 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points races. The winner of each Duel will get 10 points, down to the 10th-place driver, who will get one point. Two drivers — each Duel winner — will head into the Daytona 500 with a share of the points lead.
Place in Duels
Points awarded
First
10 points
Second
Nine points
Third
Eight points
Fourth
Seven points
Fifth
Six points
Sixth
Five points
Seventh
Four points
Eighth
Three points
Ninth
Two points
10th
One point
What if the Duel is rained out? If both Duels are canceled due to weather, officials will use qualifying results to determine the four Open teams that would advance.
Should only the second Gander RV Duel be canceled due to weather, the highest finishing Open team from the first Duel would earn a starting berth, with the remaining three positions determined based on qualifying results.
In the event of a complete rainout of the Duels where the event is not rescheduled, the full field will be set according to the NASCAR Rule Book.
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Xtreme Concepts Inc., a worldwide leader in turnkey security solutions, has expanded its partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) to sponsor Jeffrey Earnhardt, Kyle Busch and Brandon Jones across 24 NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2019. iK9, a comprehensive canine solutions provider for detection and service dogs administered by Xtreme Concepts, will be the lead brand for each driver.
Last November, Xtreme Concepts announced a nine-race sponsorship of Earnhardt in JGR’s No. 18 Toyota Supra. His first Xfinity Series race will be the season-opener Feb. 16 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
“We are firm believers in the power of motorsports as a marketing platform, and it’s why we’ve expanded our partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing to promote the iK9 brand for the majority of the Xfinity Series schedule,” said Landon Ash, founder of Birmingham, Alabama-based Xtreme Concepts. “We’re investing in young talent in Jeffrey Earnhardt and Brandon Jones, and also proven talent in Kyle Busch. These three personalities can deliver for iK9 on the racetrack and interact with our customers off the track. They’re specialized athletes who align very well with iK9, as we provide the skills and support necessary for our clients to care for their highly specialized dogs.”
Earnhardt has made a total of 151 starts across the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Gander Outdoors Truck Series, but none have been with an organization with the depth and resources of JGR, the powerhouse NASCAR team with more than 150 Xfinity Series wins. Earnhardt is taking a path most recently traveled by Ryan Preece, a driver who joined JGR in 2017 and promptly won two Xfinity Series races after finally getting into equipment befitting his talent.
Busch is one of the top drivers in all of NASCAR. The Las Vegas native has 194 career victories across the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Gander Outdoors Truck Series. He is the 2015 NASCAR Cup Series champion and the 2009 Xfinity Series champion.
Jones is part of NASCAR’s youth movement. He will turn 22 on Feb. 18. The 2019 season marks his 10th year of racing and his fourth in the Xfinity Series.
The fourth-generation Earnhardt will return to the No. 18 iK9 Toyota Supra at the following races:
Feb. 23 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
April 27 at TalladegaSuperspeedway
May 25 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
June 1 at Pocono Raceway
Aug. 10 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Aug. 24 at Road America
Nov. 9 at ISM Raceway
Nov. 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Busch, the winningest driver in Xfinity Series history with 92 victories, takes over the No. 18 iK9 Toyota Supra in five races:
March 2 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 9 at ISM Raceway
March 16 at Auto Club Speedway
March 30 at Texas Motor Speedway
Aug. 3 at Watkins Glen International
Jones, who is coming off a career year in the 2018 Xfinity Series with 17 top-10 finishes and a playoff berth, will carry the colors of iK9 on the No. 19 Toyota Supra in 10 races:
It’s true: people on the Internet like to make up baseless drama, twisting quotes and stirring false tension in search of clicks. As such, we’ve fabricated some potential rivalries of our own ahead of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season — based entirely on drivers’ Twitter interactions with each other.
First, we mapped out a list of every possible driver-to-driver Twitter mention combination and arranged them all into a massive 31-by-31 table — the lone exclusion Twitter-less Paul Menard, since he’s probably brooding in a dark forest thinking about the end of Sunday’s Advance Auto Parts Clash instead of tweeting selfies.
Using Twitter’s advanced search, we manually scoured each of the 961 combinations, marking whether each driver made even a single tweet at any point mentioning each of their fellow drivers.
A time-consuming process? You bet. But, it helped us — the pot-stirrers on the Internet — do what we do best: artificially concoct conflict. For that reason, it was all totally worth it and absolutely necessary.
Will any of this result in the next Brad Keselowski vs. Kyle Busch relationship? Nobody knows. Let’s first take a look at who’s popping up on everybody’s radars.
Most popular drivers (by their peers’ Twitter mentions):
Typically, the most popular driver is one determined by fan votes. However, thank to our data-gathering exercise, we’ve determined which drivers are favored among their peers, at least when measured by Twitter mentions.
Kyle Busch (mentioned by 30 of 30 drivers)
Kyle Larson (30 of 30)
Austin Dillon (30 of 30)
Ryan Blaney (29 of 30) — except Chris Buescher
Kevin Harvick (28 of 30) — except Daniel Suarez and Chris Buescher
Brad Keselowski (28 of 30) — except Ryan Newman and Chris Buescher
Denny Hamlin (28 of 30) — except Ryan Newman and Ty Dillon
Clint Bowyer (28 of 30) — except Alex Bowman and Ryan Newman
Jimmie Johnson (28 of 30) — except Ryan Newman and Ty Dillon
Joey Logano (27 of 30) — except William Byron, Chris Buescher, and Ty Dillon
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (27 of 30) — except Chase Elliott, Ryan Newman, and Matt Tifft
Bubba Wallace (27 of 30) — except Martin Truex Jr., Aric Almirola, and Ryan Newman
Least popular drivers (by their peers’ Twitter mentions):
And, yeah, that goes both ways. The results of analyzing this particular set of data seems pretty accurate, considering the infamously difficult-to-pass Ryan Newman was mentioned by less than half of his fellow drivers on Twitter.
Matt Tifft (mentioned by 8 of 30 drivers)
Ryan Newman (13 of 30)
Ryan Preece (13 of 30)
Alex Bowman (15 of 30)
Chris Buescher (16 of 30)
Landon Cassill (16 of 30)
Michael McDowell (17 of 30)
Daniel Hemric (18 of 30)
William Byron (19 of 30)
Corey LaJoie (19 of 30)
It appears like the 2019 rookies — Matt Tifft, Ryan Preece, and Daniel Hemric — have their work cut out for themselves this season to attract the attention of their fellow drivers.
Most likely to mention peers:
Sometimes, it’s nice to try to be friends with as many competitors as possible. Based solely on Twitter mention data, these are the drivers most likely to cast a wide net reaching out to competitors on Twitter. Nothing wrong with that.
Landon Cassill (mentioned 29 of 30 drivers) — except Ryan Newman
Brad Keselowski (28 of 30) — except Alex Bowman and Matt Tifft
Erik Jones (28 of 30) — except Chris Buescher and Michael McDowell
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (27 of 30) — except Ryan Newman, Matt DiBenedetto, and Matt Tifft
Michael McDowell (27 of 30) — except Erik Jones, Alex Bowman, and Daniel Hemric
Least likely to mention peers:
Some drivers keep to themselves. Twitter mention data showed us a handful of drivers who prefer to lie low — still, maybe not as much as Paul Menard, though. Maybe he’ll join Twitter someday and become a total chatterbox.
Ryan Newman (mentioned 8 of 30 drivers)
Chris Buescher (13 of 30)
Ty Dillon (16 of 30)
Martin Truex Jr. (17 of 30)
Aric Almirola (18 of 30)
Kevin Harvick (18 of 30)
William Byron (20 of 30)
Alex Bowman (20 of 30)
Ryan Blaney (21 of 30)
Kurt Busch (21 of 30)
Mutual rivalries:
Call us Taylor Swift, because baby, now we’ve got bad blood. Here’s where there’s high potential for a rivalry to break out in 2019. These drivers have never mentioned each other on Twitter — not even once.
Kevin Harvick vs. Daniel Suarez
Interesting, considering they’re teammates in 2019. Look out for fireworks.
Kurt Busch vs. Ryan Newman
Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman not talking or smiling. Coincidence? Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
Former teammates, Daytona 500 winners, and veterans of the sport haven’t yet interacted on Twitter? The rivalry’s going to erupt this year.
Jimmie Johnson vs. Ty Dillon
Maybe they just haven’t encountered each other on the track yet. When they do, tempers will flare.
Joey Logano vs. William Byron
An unspoken rivalry of the much-hyped rookie phenoms in two different decades. Soon, they’ll clash, and heads will roll.
Erik Jones vs. Michael McDowell
Somebody’s cramping the other’s bright-yellow-car style. What will spark this inevitable fight in 2019?
Erik Jones vs. Chris Buescher
Sure, these 2015 champions look happy here, but they’re probably quietly seething. Chris Trotman | Getty Images
These former lower-level national series champions with one Cup win on large tracks have more in common than they might think. But, still, they’ve never acknowledged each other on Twitter, meaning this lack of relationship is ripe for rivalry.
Landon Cassill vs. Ryan Newman
It’s hard to think of two drivers with less in common.
Martin Truex Jr. vs. Ty Dillon
Maybe they’re secretly best friends off the track and don’t address it on Twitter. Or, there’s unavoidable strife.
Martin Truex Jr. vs. Ryan Preece
Somebody’s in for a long rookie season.
Paul Menard vs. Jimmie Johnson
Interestingly, Paul Menard and Jimmie Johnson have never mentioned each other on Twitter. Not even once. Sure, a reasonable person could justify such hostility by saying Paul Menard isn’t on Twitter, but it’s more entertaining to fabricate something from nothing. Following the path of bearded vitriol, it’s worth nothing neither Menard nor Johnson has tweeted each other since Sunday’s last-lap contact in the Advance Auto Parts Clash that sent Menard’s Ford to the junkyard and Johnson’s Chevrolet to Victory Lane. A rivalry is born?
See if you can find a pair of rivals we missed based on our complete data table.
