Posted on by Pat DeCola

Music megastar Justin Timberlake sent the city of Charlotte into a tizzy the past couple of days, taking a few swings at the Topgolf driving range, getting in some hoop work at the Charlotte Hornets’ practice facility and, perhaps most importantly, grabbing some BBQ at a popular Queen City establishment.

And this was all before electrifying an audience at the Spectrum Center on Tuesday night — a crowd that included a slew of NASCAR’s biggest stars.

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During the show, though, only one of these guys got a shoutout on stage from JT, himself — and it was JG.

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Timberlake is already holding a mic — as the retired Gordon does in his current profession as a broadcaster — so the cool throwback dance move pretending to hold a steering wheel was definitely the right choice.

Posted on by NASCAR.com

Amid a rush of personnel changes for the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, two drivers among last year’s final eight in the postseason hunt take over new rides: Kurt Busch moves to the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, and Martin Truex Jr. assumes driving duties for the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

But which star driver in a new spot will have the most immediate success? Our Kathy Sheldon and Zack Albert tackle the topic.

RELATED: Drivers, other moves for 2019 | Kurt Busch to CGR

SHELDON: Kurt Busch. He qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs all five seasons he was with Stewart-Haas Racing, with 2018 the most successful in terms of poles (5), average starting position (8.8) and top-10 finishes (22). Busch won a single race in 2018, but his teammates picked up another 11 trophies, and he very well may thrive as the veteran member of a two-man team with Kyle Larson rather than amid a four-car squad.

The 2004 champion should continue to contend for wins, and achieve more than one in 2019 as Chip Ganassi Racing enters its second year with the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Chip Ganassi said when Busch’s move to the No. 1 car was announced that he was excited to have a veteran driver who did a good job providing feedback on car set-ups in his previous stops. Busch’s experience, combined with Larson’s drive to run fast and up front — and bounce back from a disappointing 2018 — should fuel both drivers.

ALBERT: Martin Truex Jr. The 2017 Monster Energy Series champ is on the move for the season ahead, but the transition is likely to have fewer seams than other driver-team shifts. Truex’s efforts for Furniture Row Racing the last three seasons had been under the auspices of a technical alliance with his now-new team, Joe Gibbs Racing. Bringing that satellite operation in house should smooth the waters, and keeping masterful crew chief Cole Pearn connected with Truex should lift all boats.

Here’s an honorable mention for Matt DiBenedetto’s new partnership with Leavine Family Racing, which now assumes the mantle of the JGR alliance — a development likely to produce sweeping gains in performance. But for now, going with the chalk means MTJ, who is most likely to retain the championship-caliber form he’s had for the last four seasons.

Posted on by Staff Report

While we wait to see what the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 will look like for the upcoming season, Jimmie Johnson’s daughters offered up a couple ideas of their own.

Genevieve and Lydia put markers to paper, creating some colorful paint scheme concepts.

Johnson’s ride will be decked out with full-time primary sponsorship from Ally Financial for the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Series season. The seven-time champion will appear on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Jan. 11 to unveil the new paint scheme.

Posted on by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Hattori Racing Enterprises (HRE) team owner Shige Hattori announced today that the organization is pleased to welcome Austin Hill to drive the No. 16 Toyota Tundra in 2019. Hill, a native of Winston, Georgia, joins HRE’s team, led by crew chief Scott Zipadelli, to compete for the organization’s second consecutive NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (NGOTS) championship.

As a graduate of the 2014 and 2015 NASCAR Next classes, Hill has accumulated 51 NGOTS starts over five seasons and completed his first full-time year of competition in 2018. The 24-year-old brings a wealth of success in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, where he captured five victories in 39 career starts with his family-owned team. In 2018, Hill notched a career-best fifth place result at Texas Motor Speedway and earned six top-10 finishes.

MORE: Drivers on the move

Hill will pilot the No. 16 Chiba Toyopet Toyota Tundra for the season opener at Daytona International Speedway and will be joined in his championship quest with sponsorship from United Rentals for multiple races.

Hattori Truck Paint Scheme

“I’m thrilled to join HRE this season,” Hill said. “Shige has built a great team and what they accomplished last season has me extremely optimistic heading to Daytona. I’ve had the pleasure to work with great teams in the past, including my family’s team in the K&N Series, but this is an opportunity of a lifetime at HRE. Scott and the team proved what they’re capable of last season, and I can’t wait to get to work and see what we can accomplish this season.”

Coming off the first championship in the organization’s history, Hattori is pleased to return in 2019 with the addition of Hill and United Rentals.

“We’re proud of what all of our team members did last season, and I’m looking forward to having Austin drive our trucks and work with United Rentals and all of our partners,” Hattori said. “Austin had a great career in the K&N Pro Series and did well in his first full-time truck series season last year. I’m looking forward to what we can do together this season.”

RELATED: Hill’s career stats

Zipadelli shares Hattori’s eagerness to start the season and continue the team’s success with Hill behind the wheel.

“I’m really looking forward to racing with Austin and continuing our team’s success,” Zipadelli said. “Austin is a great kid and has a lot of potential. He has a great track record in the K&N Series and put together a strong year last season with Young’s Motorsports. I think he’ll transition well into our program and fit right in with our group.”

Additional sponsorship information will be announced at a later date.

Posted on by Team Release

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Jan. 8, 2019) – Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced today that Auto-Owners Insurance has signed a multi-year agreement to serve as a primary sponsor of Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 19 Toyota Camry in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Auto-Owners Insurance, one of the nation’s largest insurers writing more than five million policies, joins JGR after a successful three-year partnership with Truex that has resulted in victories each season. Truex will pilot the No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry in eight races this season with the first coming at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 7.

RELATED: Bass Pro Shops continues partnership with Truex 

“Auto-Owners has been an incredible partner for a long time,” said Truex. “It means a lot to me for them to join us in the move to Joe Gibbs Racing this year. Auto-Owners has been very supportive as both a sponsor of our racing program and also the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation. We’ve had great success the past few years and we’re looking forward to continuing that this season as well.”

Auto-Owners is based in Lansing, Mich. and offers multiple lines of insurance, including life, home, auto and business to customers in 26 states. In addition to supporting Truex on the track, the company has also become a key partner supporting the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation through multiple initiatives such as “Ride With Martin,” a fundraising program started by Auto-Owners that allows company associates to have their names placed on the hood of Truex’s race car in exchange for a donation to the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation.

“To us, Martin is more than just an awesome driver and spokesperson for Auto-Owners, he has truly become a dear friend to our team,” said Mary Pierce, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Auto-Owners Insurance. “We are excited to have the opportunity to continue our partnership with Martin and look forward to working with Joe Gibbs Racing and the No. 19 team as we root Martin on to another championship.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

Brad Keselowski will have a new spotter in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series next season as Coleman Pressley will join the No. 2 Ford team.

The personnel move was first revealed Friday in a newsletter to Keselowski’s fans and confirmed by a Team Penske representative Monday. Pressley replaces Keselowski’s longtime spotter Joey Meier, who announced last November that his tenure atop the spotter’s stand had ended after the 2018 season.

RELATED: On the move in 2019

Pressley served as the spotter for the JTG Daugherty Racing No. 47 team and driver AJ Allmendinger last season. The 30-year-old North Carolina native is the son of former Monster Energy Series driver Robert Pressley.

The younger Pressley has 12 Xfinity Series starts as a driver to his credit and was the 2010 champion of the former UARA-Stars Late Model Series. His most recent NASCAR competition behind the wheel was nine races in the K&N Pro Series East from 2011-13.

Meier was instrumental as a guiding voice from the spotters’ stand for several of Keselowski’s biggest triumphs, especially at superspeedways. He first became Keselowski’s spotter in 2006.

Posted on by NASCAR.com

Name: Jennifer
Current City: Lake Worth, Florida
Member since: 2015

Getting to know Jennifer

​Q. How did you first become interested in NASCAR? 

“I grew up with NASCAR on the TV every Sunday.  My dad and me would go to races at Daytona together and I have great memories of that.”

What is your favorite part of NASCAR? 

“That’s tough to answer, I love lots of things about it! I love that’s it’s a family sport, something I grew up attending with my parents and now we can share it with our son.  I think my favorite thing would be seeing the good that the drivers do off the track.  So many have amazing foundations and charities and is a really cool thing!”

Who are your favorite drivers? 

“Ryan Reed, because he’s a Type 1 like my son and they’d get along great! Joey Logano, I admire everything he does with his foundation and letting kids be part of the crew.”

Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?

Place to watch a race: “I like to be close to pits, you can see and hear more of the action!”

Sponsor: “Lilly Diabetes; my son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 2012, just a day after we took him to his first Cup race.  I was thrilled to find out about Ryan’s Reed shortly after and then am excited Lilly is doing this as it helps with awareness!”

Race-day tradition: “We love to see how many drivers we can meet and get autographs from.  My son has had some great success and it puts a huge smile on his face every time!”

​FROM ALL OF US AT NASCAR, WE THANK JENNIFER FOR HER CONTINUED SUPPORT AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM HER IN 2019!

Look for Jennifer on the Official NASCAR Fan Council page on NASCAR.COM.

Posted on by @KESELOWSKI

The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs field was comprised of a variety of drivers; from former recent champions like Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch to rising stars like Chase Elliott and Erik Jones. It even had some resurgent names such as Clint Bowyer and Aric Almirola.

There were also a few notable names that didn’t make the cut in 2018 — but those drivers could be primed to break through for a championship run in 2019. NASCAR.com’s Jessica Ruffin and Pat DeCola break down which driver who missed the playoffs last year is most likely to advance in 2019.

RELATED: Final 2018 NASCAR Playoffs standings

RUFFIN: After his first Busch Pole Award and runner-up finish at Pocono Raceway on July 29 that left him hovering around the top 16, Daniel Suarez looked poised to sneak into the NASCAR Playoffs with a breakthrough first win. While that didn’t pan out last year, the 2019 season could be monumental for the 27-year-old driver. He’s moving to pilot the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford this season, which means he’ll have a new team/organization — which was one of the most dominant in 2018 — and manufacturer come Daytona.

MORE: Suarez lands with SHR | See the new No. 41 driver through the years

Most importantly, he’ll inherit three new teammates — Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer and Aric Almirola — all of whom won and made the playoffs in 2018. Change is good for a driver like Suarez because he enjoys pressure and always desires to learn from his peers — remember the running joke about him calling Kyle Busch every week when he first arrived at Joe Gibbs Racing? I believe he’ll use the momentum from a fresh start, advice from his teammates and power from dominant SHR equipment to break into the NASCAR Playoffs in 2019.

DECOLA: You know, this might not wind up being much of a debate, because I totally agree with you — Daniel Suarez will make the playoffs, for many of the reasons you mentioned. But there’s no rule that only one driver who missed last year’s postseason will make it in 2019. That’s right; I’m saying that two drivers who fell out of contention at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after Race 26 last year will make the playoffs field in 2019.

The other is William Byron.

Looking at the Sunoco Rookie of the Year’s 2018 stats, a 23rd-place standings finish and just four top 10s don’t exactly scream “breakout,” but dig a little deeper. It was his first Monster Energy Series season — at the ripe age of 20 — and it happened to coincide with the biggest dip in performance that Hendrick Motorsports as a whole has seen since at least the turn of the century (if not ever). Chevrolet also introduced a new car last year in the Camaro ZL1 that appeared to have a significant learning curve as teams with Chevy backing all needed some time to find the speed necessary to win. This is all to say that Byron, HMS and Chevy will likely have some of these issues ironed out for ’19, which will only help to clear a path to sustained performance for the talented sophomore.

Oh, and then there’s that other thing — his crew chief is now seven-time championship winner Chad Knaus, who never missed the playoffs with Jimmie Johnson. We don’t know yet just how Knaus’ veteran presence will impact Byron positively, we just know it will. At least one race win — and the playoff bid that comes along with it — appears to be in the cards for Byron in 2019, and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see him battling with Suarez come playoff time.

MORE: Knaus to serve as crew chief for Byron, No. 24 in 2019

Posted on by IMSA Wire Service

Sunday at Daytona International Speedway, there was another – albeit unofficial – track record. In the 15-minute IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Daytona Prototype international (DPi) qualifying session for Rolex 24 At Daytona garage and pit selections, Oliver Jarvis drove the No. 77 Mazda Team Joest Mazda RT24-P to a lap of one minute, 33.398 seconds (137.212 mph).

 

Jarvis’ lap was more than half a second quicker than the 26-year-old track record of 1:33.875 (136.521 mph) set by PJ Jones in the No. 98 Toyota Eagle MKIII. If he – or anybody else – does it again or goes even quicker in Rolex 24 qualifying on Thursday, Jan. 24, they’ll go into the record books officially. Get your tickets now.

 

“The car was an absolute joy to drive,” Jarvis said. “We ran it full qualy spec. I don’t think many of our competitors can say the same, but in that low-fuel configuration, it felt incredible. You could really push the car to the limits and it’s what us drivers live for, that feeling of getting everything out of the car.”

 

In LMP2 qualifying, Gabriel Aubry posted the fastest time in the No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA at 1:35.930 (133.591 mph). The Roar was Aubry’s first exposure to the high banks of Daytona International Speedway and this weekend was just the Frenchman’s second visit to the United States.

 

Magnussen, Corvette take advantage of perfect tow to qualify first in GTLM at the Roar

For the second consecutive WeatherTech Championship GT Le Mans (GTLM) class qualifying session, Jan Magnussen led the way. The now two-time and defending GTLM co-champion led the 15-minute session with a best lap of 1:42.651 (124.844 mph) in the No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R.

 

The Danish racer remarked, after Sunday’s session to set garage and pit selections for Rolex 24 race week, that the Corvette team employed the same strategy it used to put Magnussen and the No. 3 Corvette on the pole for the 2018 Rolex 24 At Daytona. Today’s lap was one tenth of a second quicker than Magnussen’s pole-winning time of 1:42.779.

 

“We did exactly the same as we did last year where we agreed who was going to tow who,” Magnussen explained. “It was me again like in race qualifying last year. That gave us a good top-speed advantage in that session. Olly (Gavin) did a fantastic job placing himself at the right distance out of Turn 6 [in the No. 4 Corvette] so I could take full advantage of the tow down to the Bus Stop and then go by him at start/finish to get the fastest lap.

 

“We did the exact same thing at the Roar and the race last year, so I don’t really know why everyone else isn’t doing the exact same thing. But it seems we’re the only one doing it at the moment, and it’s working out really well for us.”

 

Billy Johnson enjoying return IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge paddock

IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge 2016 Grand Sport (GS) class champion Billy Johnson was back to the series paddock this weekend with Multimatic Motorsports’ No. 22 Ford Mustang GT4. After a two-year hiatus, his return was prompted by the change in his FIA driver rating from Platinum to Gold, as Platinum-rated drivers are not eligible to compete in the support series.

 

“It’s great to be back,” said Johnson. “I’ve always followed the racing here in the now Michelin Pilot Challenge. The racing has always been great, a lot of fun, a lot of great drivers and teams. I’ve kind of built my career in this series, so it’s meant a lot to me going from the ST class up to the GS class and then winning the championship in 2016. This platform has given me many opportunities in NASCAR and prototypes and to race the Ford GT at Le Mans. I feel like I’m coming home back here at Daytona in the GS GT4 class cars.”

 

While he assisted in developing the Ford Mustang GT4, Johnson has yet to compete in the car, which he’ll race full-time in the 2019 British GT Championship. However, in the four-hour BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona on Friday, Jan. 25, he’ll share the steering wheel with two drivers from Ford’s Driver Development Program, Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe. Ty Majeski and Cole Custer, also part of the program, will race in the No. 15 Ford Mustang GT4 with Scott Maxwell.

 

“I’ve worked with all four of those guys in many different capacities to help them on road courses,” said Johnson. “In NASCAR, I’ve spotted for them and coached them, so it’s great to be in a car with them competing. They’re all very talented, great drivers and it’s just a lot of fun to be here.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Young’s Motorsports announced Monday that Spencer Boyd will drive the team’s No. 20 Chevrolet full-time in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series this season.

The organization released the news in conjunction with Boyd’s announcement on social media, showing him touring the organization’s Mooresville, North Carolina, shop.

MORE: On the move for 2019

Boyd, 23, competed full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series last year in team owner Bobby Dotter’s No. 76 Chevrolet. The Missouri native has six career Truck Series starts, most recently entering three races on the 2017 slate.

“This is an amazing opportunity for me with a team that is committed to running up front,” Boyd said in a release provided by the organization. “I learned a ton in my first full-time season in the Xfinity Series last year and the Youngs have given me the opportunity to build on that this year. For me and my career, it’s about continuing to gain experience and performing better, so that’s what we’re going to do in 2019.”

The organization indicated that Andrew Abbott would return as crew chief of the No. 20 Chevrolet. Young’s Motorsports expanded to two full-time NGOTS teams last season with Austin Hill as full-time driver of the No. 02 and a total of 10 drivers sharing the No. 20 seat.

NASCAR Next prospect Tanner Thorson drove the No. 20 in 10 races, with Tate Fogleman (three races), Max Tullman (two races) and Austin Dillon, Michel Disdier, Daniel Hemric, Scott Lagasse Jr., Bubba Wallace, Reid Wilson and Tyler Young (one race each) rounding out the 2018 roster.

Young’s indicated that more announcements for the organization’s 2019 partnerships were still to come.