NASCAR Hall of Fame enshrinement another box checked for Roger Penske

Posted on January 15, 2019 by Holly Cain

When it comes to a sure-bet NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, Roger Penske undoubtedly sits high on that highly-revered list.

The 81-year old owner and Team Penske namesake is perhaps the most legendary and renowned team principal in all of motorsports with two NASCAR premier series championships – including just last season with Joey Logano – and Daytona 500, Indy 500 victories and IndyCar titles, too.

His team has 114 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race victories – including the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 – spread out among nine drivers; four of them Cup champions at some point in their careers, and two of them Hall of Famers themselves poised to welcome him among NASCAR’s most celebrated elite.

Penske is part of an illustrious list of 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees that includes the late Cup drivers Alan Kulwicki and Davey Allison, fellow team owner Jack Roush and four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon, who will all officially enter the sport’s great Hall of Fame on Feb. 1.

For Penske’s recognition, it was always a matter of “when,” not “if.”

“He’s always growing, always learning, and no matter how successful he is, or how successful he is in his life, he’s always willing to take the time to learn technology, to learn about things in general,” said Team Penske driver Brad Keselowski, who earned Penske’s first NASCAR premier series championship in 2012.

“In motorsports and business, technology is always evolving and you’ve got to keep up with the times. His ability to do that and his self-motivation to do that is really unparalleled next to any other person I’ve ever seen in my life.

“He’s committed to always growing and always learning and that’s the number one thing I take from him.”

It certainly helps explain Penske’s staying power at the “top.”

While he is widely renowned for his work leading a race team, Penske actually began his racing career as a driver. After earning a degree from Pennsylvania’s Lehigh University, Penske immersed himself in the racing scene. He collected cars and raced cars, and in his mid-20s competed in events around the world, beating competitors – racing legends even – such as Bruce McLaren, Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt.

When it comes to his NASCAR Hall of Fame honors, however, Penske will be best celebrated for his work as a leader outside the race car – a team owner, a driver Svengali, a mechanical marvel, an intense competitor always ahead of his time.

The legendary Mark Donohue scored Penske’s first NASCAR premier series team victory – a win in the 1973 season-opener on the Riverside, Calif. road course. At the time Penske dabbled in stock cars while running full force in IndyCar. NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison won four races for Penske in the mid-1970s and competed full time – 30 races – in a singular season (1976).

RELATED: Penske reacts to milestone win

But Penske didn’t fully establish a lasting full-time presence in NASCAR until 1991 when he hired the 1989 Cup champion Rusty Wallace to drive his No. 2 Pontiac. It didn’t take long for the pairing to sync up. Wallace won the sixth race of the 1991 season – from the pole position – at Bristol then won again at Pocono that summer. It was the beginning of a strong relationship and mighty competitive offering that claimed 37 trophies (most among Penske’s Cup drivers) before Wallace retired following the 2005 season. The two hoisted winner’s trophies in 12 of Wallace’s 15 seasons with the operation.

“One thing I’m so fond of, is his ability to understand and tackle things,” said Wallace, a NASCAR Hall of Famer (Class of 2013) himself.

“Roger’s not just a smart CEO that runs a big company, he knows about engines, rear ends, brakes, tires and all the mechanical stuff about the car, and when you’re talking after practice he can talk all that smack with you. He knows it all instead of being an owner that doesn’t really know what’s going on.”

That’s become increasingly evident in NASCAR, where Penske is racking up statistics, accolades and big race trophies similar to what he does in open-wheel racing. Penske has three IndyCar championships and an unprecedented 17 wins in the Indianapolis 500 – the latest coming last May with driver Will Power.

In NASCAR, Penske has reached Cup Series Victory Lane with nine drivers – starting with Donohue, Allison, Wallace, add Jeremy Mayfield in 2000, the 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman, former Cup champion Kurt Busch and Penske’s own Cup championship twosome of Keselowski and Logano. The team’s newcomer – 25-year old Ryan Blaney – won for Penske in his first year with the operation, claiming the 2018 Charlotte road course race.

And still, for each race trophy, for each championship, Penske remains humble and proud of a job well done by a hand-picked organization of high achievers and big dreamers.

“For me, 33 championships (across all racing genres) that gives us as Team Penske, and certainly to get the Indianapolis race, the Southern 500, and now to think that we’re the champion of 2018 for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is something that I never imagined at the beginning,’’ Penske said last November after Logano won the series championship at Homestead.

He added, “There’s really three things that are really ‑‑ I think ‑‑ every time I think about how we succeed and how we can be better, one is what’s your brand.

“And this kind of winning, not only on the racetrack but in business, drives a great Penske brand, which has been terrific. I think technology is so important when you think about what technology has done to us in business and think about the technology up and down pit lane. You’re got to be on top of it.

“But underlying that and the foundation of everything else is your people. If I can manage those three pillars, I think we’ll continue to have success.”

That success – from race trophies to the first-class buttoned-up operation that Penske brings to each race series – has absolutely resulted in the kind of victory and acclaim that has earned “The Captain” – as he is nicknamed – the well-deserved honor of NASCAR Hall of Famer.

“I think for Roger, who’s done everything there is to do in IndyCar and other forms of motorsports, to get into the world of NASCAR and be able to go in to the Hall of Fame with the driver who helped bring him into NASCAR, back in the early 90s – to have him win a Cup championship, go into the Hall of Fame. … I think it’s pretty special for him,” Wallace said. “When I talk to him, he’s pretty darn excited about it.

“He’s checked all the boxes on everything and rightfully so. He deserves this and he’s in.”

Posted on January 15, 2019January 15, 2019 by Staff Report

Joe Gibbs Racing announced Tuesday the creation of the J.D. Gibbs Legacy Fund in honor of its team co-founder and former president, who died Friday after a long battle with a neurological illness.

RELATED: J.D. Gibbs, 1969-2019

The team also announced that public memorial services will be held Friday morning, Jan. 25 at Belk Arena at Davidson College. The organization asks that in lieu of flowers for the memorial service to please consider a donation to the legacy fund.

The J.D. Gibbs Legacy Fund will benefit Young Life Ministry, a program that Gibbs actively participated in at the local and national level. The fund plans to reach youngsters of all socioeconomic backgrounds and provide financial support for facilities at Young Life’s Windy Gap Camp in Weaverville, North Carolina.

Gibbs, the eldest son of Coach Joe Gibbs, passed away at age 49 after fighting a chronic, degenerative neurological condition. His death was met with an outpouring of support and tributes from the NASCAR community for his role as a crew member, driver, and determined team executive.

Posted on January 15, 2019April 7, 2020 by Staff Report

There’s a reason why Chase Elliott earned his first NMPA Most Popular Driver award for the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

As it turns out, Lionel Racing’s sales back up Elliott’s popularity as his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 tops the list of best-selling die-cast cars from last year. Coming in second was his race win die-cast from his first career Cup Series victory at Watkins Glen back in August.

SHOP: 2019 die-cast collection is here!

“Chase had an incredible season in 2018,” said Lionel Racing President Howard Hitchcock in a company release on their website. “His move to the No. 9 car – which is so important to the Elliott family legacy – and his multiple wins really energized his fan base and you can see that in the numbers.”

Lionel also unveiled the top-five best-selling race-winning cars and top-10 best-selling drivers.

Top-10 list of best-selling die-cast cars:

Chase Elliott – NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro
Chase Elliott – SunEnergy1 Blue Chevrolet Camaro (Watkins Glen win)
William Byron – Axalta Chevrolet Camaro
Chase Elliott – Hooters Chevrolet Camaro
Alex Bowman – Nationwide Chevrolet Camaro
Chase Elliott – NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro (Dover win)
Jimmie Johnson – Lowe’s Chevrolet Camaro
Chase Elliott – Mountain Dew Chevrolet Camaro (Kansas win)
Kyle Larson – Credit One Bank Chevrolet Camaro
Kevin Harvick – Busch Beer Ford Fusion

Top-five list of best-selling race-winning cars:

Chase Elliott – SunEnergy1 Blue Chevrolet Camaro (Watkins Glen win)
Chase Elliott – NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro (Dover win)
Chase Elliott – Mountain Dew Chevrolet Camaro (Kansas win)
Austin Dillon – Dow Chevrolet Camaro (Daytona 500 win)
Kyle Busch – M&Ms Toyota Camry (Coca-Cola 600 win)

Top-10 best-selling drivers:

Chase Elliott
Kyle Busch
Martin Truex Jr.
Kevin Harvick
William Byron
Brad Keselowski
Kyle Larson
Ryan Blaney
Bubba Wallace
Austin Dillon

Posted on January 15, 2019 by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. — Leavine Family Racing (LFR) today announced that Procore, a leading provider of cloud-based applications for construction, will return as a primary sponsor for 2019. Procore will be featured as the primary sponsor aboard the team’s No. 95 Toyota Camry for a total of 12 races this coming season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with driver Matt DiBenedetto behind the wheel.

The Carpinteria, California-based company took a chance on leveraging a NASCAR partnership in 2017 with two races aboard the No. 95 entry for the team. Seeing success from the 2018 season, Procore is increasing their program to include 12 races as the primary sponsor with LFR for 2019.

2019 brings with it several exciting changes for LFR as the organization transitions to new manufacturing partnerships with Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) and Toyota Racing Development (TRD). The addition of Matt DiBenedetto as the team’s new driver, as well as crew chief Mike Wheeler, add to the team’s quest to improve upon their racing program.

“Procore is excited to team up with Leavine Family Racing for another year of NASCAR in the 2019 season,” said Mark Lyons, the VP of Industry Marketing for Procore. “With a large percentage of the NASCAR fanbase coming from the construction industry this has been an excellent platform for brand exposure. We are really looking forward to all the changes with Toyota, the JGR alliance, and Matt DiBenedetto behind the wheel.”

Procore tried their hand at a NASCAR partnership because of the target-rich environment of the sport’s fans who work within the construction industry. NASCAR fans are shown to be 60% more likely than non-fans to have a building and ground maintenance or construction occupation, so the sponsorship was a chance for Procore to increase their brand awareness.

“It’s great to have Procore back with us in 2019 and for them to increase their investment level” Jeremy Lange, Vice President and General Manager of LFR commented. “They saw positive results from the 2018 season, and we look forward to continuing to help them grow their business while making stronger B2B connections in and around the sport. Partnerships like theirs allow us at LFR to continue to build towards the future and grow overall as a race team.”

Procore and LFR will hit the track together to kick off the season in the first points race of 2019 for the Daytona 500 on February 17, 2019 at historic Daytona International Speedway.

Posted on January 15, 2019 by Zack Albert

Erik Jones has less than a month before he suits up for the return of on-track activity in the typically sunny climes of Daytona Beach. Until then, he’s savoring some of the cooler temps in his home state.

Being close to home has its advantages, such as Jones’ appearance Tuesday as the special guest of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. Jones, 22, took in the team’s morning skate at Little Caesars Arena ahead of the Red Wings’ home game Tuesday night against the Anaheim Ducks.

RELATED: 2019 NASCAR schedule | Daytona schedule

Jones showed off a new Detroit jersey with No. 20, matching his car number with Joe Gibbs Racing. Red Wings players received replica racing helmets as part of the gift exchange.

“Every sport’s different and it’s neat to see how each one operates,” said Jones, who did his part to cross-promote NASCAR’s two stops this season at Michigan International Speedway. “I’ve had a chance to be around some football teams and I’ve had some chance to be around some baseball players, but never really hockey. Down in North Carolina, they don’t have a lot of hockey going on, so I get to come back to Michigan and see that. It’s cool to see their process and how they prepare.”

BUY TICKETS: See the Michigan races

For Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams, the preparation has already started for the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 17 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The venue of Daytona International Speedway has already been a mixed bag for Jones early in his career. His previous two appearances in The Great American Race resulted in event-ending crashes, but the track’s most recent race made him a first-time winner with a dramatic triumph in the 2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400.

“For me, it’s such a wild-card every year,” Jones said. “Obviously, we were fortunate enough to win at Daytona in July last year, but it’s still pretty unknown. You have to be pretty lucky along the way to win one of those races, but it’s an opportunity to win for everybody. It’s the Daytona 500. Everybody wants to win it and start the year off on the right foot, and it sure would be nice to be locked into the playoffs after Week 1.

“So that’s our mindset, going in with a chance to win and hopefully going for it. We had a good plan at Daytona in July that worked out well, and we’re probably going to follow a hopefully similar one there.”

MORE: On the move: 2019 changes

Before settling into a groove closer to the stock-car racing hubs of Charlotte and Daytona, Jones says he’s rounding out the rest of his offseason break. As has become customary the last few years, Jones has spent the holidays and extra time off at his family home in Michigan.

While he says he’s anxious to get back to business further south, Jones says there’s a certain ring to the frigid air of home.

“I like the cold. I went snowmobiling last weekend, and I’m going to hit it one more time this weekend and get my fill of cold weather, then I’ll be back down and go to work,” Jones said. “I’m ready to get going now. At the end of the year, I was ready for a little break, but by the end of December and beginning of this month, I was pretty ready to go again. I don’t have any tests or anything this winter, so I haven’t been in a car since Homestead, so I’m ready to get to Daytona and get back going and just be on track.”

Posted on January 15, 2019 by Staff Report

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Chase Briscoe competed in Monday night’s first preliminary round for the Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In the first of five qualifying nights for the annual event, Briscoe won his heat race and started third in the A-Main in the Boss Factory Racing No. 21B.

Thanks to a cool on-board camera above Briscoe’s cockpit, you can watch him wheel his dirt midget around the 1/5-mile indoor track. Briscoe finessed his way through some pretty hairy moments en route to a fifth-place finish, three position below the transfer spot to become automatically locked into the A-Feature event. Briscoe will get another shot to make it through to the marquee show with the B-Main on Saturday evening.

Posted on January 15, 2019January 15, 2019 by RJ Kraft

Rookie stripes come with the turf in your first season in NASCAR’s top series and hard lessons get learned along the way. This year’s rookie class includes Daniel Hemric (No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet), Ryan Preece (No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet), Matt Tifft (No. 36 Front Row Motorsports Ford) and Tanner Berryhill (No. 97 Obaika Racing Toyota).

William Byron, Erik Jones, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman and Kevin Harvick are among the current full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers to earn the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award. Who will join this list following the 2019 season? NASCAR.com’s RJ Kraft and Chase Wilhelm break down which freshman will earn top honors.

MORE: Drivers on the move for 2019 | List of full-time drivers in 2019 | Hemric ready to build own legacy

KRAFT: Daniel Hemric has yet to win a Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in his NASCAR national series career and I expect that to change in 2019. While there will be growing pains for the rookie — as there are for nearly all rookies (see William Byron’s 2018 season), Hemric’s tendency to run a clean race and avoid trouble will serve him well in the points and, ultimately, the rookie battle. Remember, the rookie scoring system mirrors the point structure for the season-long championship.

The North Carolina native got his feet wet in the sport’s top series last year with two starts and reached the Xfinity Series Championship 4 for the second straight season. While he did not win in the Xfinity ranks (or in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series, for that matter), he was a top-five and top-10 machine the past two seasons. (Side note and a fun fact: Jimmie Johnson had just one Xfinity win in his career as a regular in that series before he went on to become a seven-time champion — so a lack of Xfinity wins is not a complete predictor of future success.) With Luke Lambert’s steady hand atop the box, I expect Hemric to maintain the top spot among the rookie contenders for the bulk of the season and hang around in contention for one of the final playoff spots.

PHOTOS: Every Sunoco Rookie of the Year winner

WILHELM: Hemric’s a great choice, but I’m getting behind Ryan Preece on this one. After taking an unconventional path from the Whelen Modified Tour ranks, the 28-year-old Connecticut native made the most of his opportunity with Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series the past two seasons. In his first race driving the No. 20 Toyota at Chicagoland Speedway on July 2017, Preece finished a career-best second behind Kyle Busch. His first victory came shortly afterward, edging out Kyle Benjamin at Iowa Speedway. Another partial schedule in 2018 saw Preece take victory again, winning the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash bonus at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Long story short, the guy is good. Really good. Sometimes it’s hard to gain much momentum when you’re running a partial schedule, but that didn’t pose a problem for Preece, earning seven top five and 10 top-10 finishes in 15 races last season. Preece has earned his ride at JTG Daugherty Racing. A talented driver like him is just what the organization needs to see their No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 up front more often – enough to earn Sunoco Rookie of the Year.

Posted on January 15, 2019June 23, 2021 by Staff Report

Whether you’re following a race, planning a trip to the track or spending a few minutes catching up on your favorite sport, NASCAR.com’s redesigned homepage will make it easier to find what you’re looking for.

The Live Event Module (highlighted in red) will quickly take you to your favorite race-day products such as RaceView, Scanner, NASCAR Drive, NASCAR Fantasy Live and more.

The enhanced Race Center section offers live results at a glance and a link to dive deeper into the stats. Time and TV information for the race are featured here, and readers can navigate for information across NASCAR’s top three series.

Quick Links will feature more of the essentials you love with links to results, standings, the schedule, the latest news and videos.

For those who’d rather be at the track, Upcoming Events makes it easy to purchase tickets to a race in your area – or in a different part of the country if you’re going out for a road trip.

A new top headlines area will make it easy to find the latest news and features that readers like you are gravitating toward. And you will be able to stream the race day broadcast on MRN straight from the homepage.

The new NASCAR.com homepage is live, so send us your feedback at [email protected].

Posted on January 14, 2019April 1, 2021 by Staff Report

OREGON, Wis. — It was another very competitive and exciting racing season featuring the best drivers in the Midwest in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series at Madison International Speedway. The NASCAR Late Models, Sportsman, and Bandits headlined the 2018 slate.

Zack Riddle (NASCAR Late Models), Robert Hansberry Jr. (Dave‘s White Rock Sportsman), and Nick Schmidt (Pellitteri Waste Systems Bandits) picked up 2018 track championships.

Hometown favorite Zack Riddle of Oregon, Wisconsin, won his second track championship in the Late Models after taking home the crown in 2015. Riddle won three features, two heats, and three dashes and set fast time on four nights, including turning the fastest lap of the season with an 18.545 second time on Wisconsin‘s Fastest Half-Mile.

Consistency paid off for Riddle, as he finished in the top five in twelve of fourteen races and only finished outside the top ten once. Riddle finished with 1318 points with multi-time champion Jeremy Miller finishing in second with 1169 points. Riddle’s race to the championship started slowly then quickly picked up steam.

MADISON: Point Standings | Latest News | Track History

“This team always comes on towards the end of the season. We were able to stay in the hunt early and finish the year strong,” said Riddle.

Riddle now has fifteen feature wins in his career at Madison which puts him tied for fourth on the all-time list for the Late Models. Riddle‘s grandfather, Johnny Ziegler, is a four-time Super Late Model champion at Madison plus his uncle, Jared Ziegler, is also a past champion in the Late Models.

It was three in a row for Dave‘s White Rock Sportsman champion Robert Hansberry Jr. of Beloit, Wisconsin. This season, Hansberry Jr. won six features, three heats, and seven dashes on his way to the championship. He was fast qualifier on seven nights and turned the fastest lap of the season with a 19.834 on the half-mile. He finished the season with 1279 points fueled by eleven top five finishes and only one race finishing outside the top ten. At the beginning of the season, Hansberry Jr. really was not sure what his racing plans would look like in 2018.

DEEPER LOOK: Madison’s Divisions

“We keep telling ourselves we‘ll stay home and not run for a championship, but I love this place so much that we had to be here,” said Hansberry Jr.

He now has five track championships (2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018) and is the all-time leader in Sportsman feature wins at Madison with twenty-four checkered flags.

Nick Schmidt of Watertown, Wisconsin, won his first track championship in the Pellitteri Waste Systems Bandits. Schmidt won seven features, three dashes, and one heat in addition to setting fast time on seven nights including a new track record on the quarter-mile “Ring of Fire” of 14.695 seconds. He finished in the top five twelve out of thirteen races and totaled 1373 points.

“I want to thank Gregg and Angie for giving us a place to race on Friday nights. I race four different tracks so it‘s been a busy summer,” he said.

Schmidt now owns twelve career feature wins in the Bandits division at Madison which places him third on the all-time list.

Track owners Gregg and Angie McKarns would like to thank everyone who supported their family owned track in 2018 and are looking forward to the start of the 2019 season in May.

Posted on January 14, 2019January 14, 2019 by Chase Wilhelm

When seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson takes the green flag for the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 10, it’ll be his first race with new crew chief Kevin Meendering.

After 17 seasons with Chad Knaus on the headset, Johnson will hear Meendering call the shots for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team. While Meendering isn’t a household name like that of Knaus, the road to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead Johnson to a potential record-breaking eighth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship was well-earned.

Meendering worked his way up the ranks at Hendrick Motorsports, fabricating and building suspension parts shortly after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, transitioning to a research and development position before joining the No. 24 team of Jeff Gordon in 2008 as an assistant engineer.

In 2016, he moved to JR Motorsports to work with Elliott Sadler atop the box. In three seasons with Sadler in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Meendering led the No. 1 team to three wins, three playoff berths and two Championship 4 appearances (2016-17).

Between long hours in the shop during his first stint at Hendrick to his success in the Xfinity Series with a veteran driver, Meendering has proven himself worthy of this shot in the Cup Series. When asked what he wants loyal fans of Johnson and the 48 team to know about him, the first words he uttered were “hard working and very driven.”

“I want to win races, just like Jimmie does,” Meendering said when the change was announced in October. “We’re all in this … we didn’t reach this level just being complacent. I feel like I’ve earned this position. I’ve worked hard.”

MORE: See the brand-new No. 48 paint scheme for ’19

“It’s my goal to take this team and take Jimmie and win that eighth championship for him,” he added. “That’s the biggest thing. It’s a little surreal to be put in this position and I’m excited. There’s a lot of history with Jimmie and this 48 team. Just to be a part of it is exciting.”

The 37-year-old admitted he has some nerves going into his first season with arguably the best driver to ever compete at NASCAR’s highest level. But behind every great driver and crew chief pairing are hundreds of people at the shop who make it all happen behind the scenes. Meendering knows the depth of the organization because he’s been there before.

“We have such a strong organization here, so many smart, important people backing you,” Meendering said. “The resources are just phenomenal. That definitely helps.”

Meendering is also confident of the relationship he and Johnson have been able to develop in such a short period of time, which is another reason why fans of “Seven-time” should have no cause of concern with this fresh start.

“He’s so easy to work with and he really is just one of the guys when you’re talking to him,” he said. “…He’s just so down to Earth and so level-headed, it’s just really easy to communicate with him.”