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Heading into the 2019 season, Kyle Busch sits at an astounding 194 wins across all three NASCAR national series — 51 each in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Gander Outdoors Truck Series and 92 in the Xfinity Series. That places the 33-year-old driver just six victories behind a major round number — 200.

Whether Busch’s quest for a combined 200 wins should compare with Richard Petty’s 200 victories (all in NASCAR’s top division) has prompted spirited debates already, but is a discussion for a later time. For now, less than a month away from Daytona’s Speedweeks, the question is whether Busch can reach the 200 threshold this season, and when and where might the historic moment take place?

RELATED: All of Kyle Busch’s Monster Energy Series victories

NASCAR.com’s Jessica Ruffin and Zack Albert tackle the issue in the latest of our preseason conversations ahead of the 2019 campaign:

RUFFIN: If anyone can comfortably reach six victories across all three series in a single season, it’s Kyle Busch. The No. 18 driver has averaged 12 NASCAR victories a season for the past two years, nabbing eight wins alone in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2018. NASCAR’s participation guidelines put a limit on Busch’s number of races run in the Xfinity (seven races) and Truck Series (five races) and will do so this season, too. But looking at his 11 trips to Victory Lane in 2018, that doesn’t seem to affect “Rowdy” too much in the win category.

My prediction? Kyle Busch reaches his 200th win before the 2019 NASCAR Playoffs begin during the weekend of the Bristol Night Race (Aug. 15-17). It only seems fitting that the track where Busch has won 21 times in his career across all three series is the site where he taps an impressive milestone. And who knows? He could sweep the whole weekend on top of reaching No. 200.

ALBERT: Within reach? Absolutely. Last season, Busch amassed 11 national series wins (eight in the Monster Energy Series, one in Xfinity and two in Trucks). The only limits to Busch’s ability to cross this latest career milestone off the list are how quickly Joe Gibbs Racing adapts to the 2019 rules package and the participation guidelines for Busch’s chances at winning on the other tours.

In terms of when 200 might happen, here’s looking toward the end of the regular season at two storied venues — Darlington and Indianapolis — where history seems to unfold naturally.

RELATED: Where does Busch stack up on the all-time combined wins list?

Posted on by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C.  — Leavine Family Racing (LFR) is proud to welcome back Dumont JETS as a primary sponsor with the organization for the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. The Wilmington, Delaware-based company is a full-service aircraft charter, sales, maintenance, and parts organization who made the foray into NASCAR during the 2018 season.

Dumont JETS has three primary sponsorship events slated for the 2019 season after they experienced tremendous success from the partnership their rookie season.  The sponsorship, which came about initially because key members of the company were fans of Kasey Kahne and NASCAR, sparked from fandom into a successful overall marketing strategy for the company.

RELATED: Procore back as primary sponsor for DiBenedetto

The benefits from their sponsorship are less traditional than a simple consumer-facing angle since the typical NASCAR fan is not the company’s consumer base for jet cards and retail charter sales.  Connecting the Dumont JETS corporate aviation world with NASCAR was a leap of faith for the organization, but they were able to develop connections with Fortune 500 companies as well as additional race teams, they earned name recognition on the car throughout the season, and were able to realize first-hand the many benefits that a NASCAR sponsorship can provide.

“We are looking forward to Matt DiBenedetto piloting the Dumont JETS Camry this upcoming season,” said Amber Martin, Director of Corporate Relations for Dumont GROUP.  “We at Dumont JETS are very pleased of our partnership with Leavine Family Racing. One might rightly suggest that an aircraft charter company and a NASCAR race team make a strange pair. However, the principles at LFR worked to understand our business, and how the unique B2B environment in NASCAR could deliver value for our organization.”

The 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season brings numerous advances 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, showcase the team’s quest to continually improve upon their racing program.

MORE: LFR adds DiBenedetto, moves to Toyota for 2019 season

“Dumont JETS returning for the 2019 NASCAR season illustrates that businesses do in fact see value in NASCAR” said Jeremy Lange, Vice President and General Manager of LFR.  “We are excited about introducing their jet services to more people within the sport and increasing the return they see from their partnership with LFR. We have some fun activation concepts we are working on with them and are appreciative of the support they are committing to LFR and the sport as a whole.”

Dumont JETS will make their 2019 debut aboard the No. 95 Toyota Camry for their first primary sponsorship of the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 3, 2019 in the Pennzoil 400.  The No. 95 will sport the Dumont JETS paint schemes at Dover International Speedway in October as well as ISM Raceway in November.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Winning the season-opening Daytona 500 is a prestigious honor. Winning multiple Daytona 500s puts you in select company with some of the best in the sport. Richard Petty (seven wins), Cale Yarborough (four wins), Bobby Allison (three wins), Dale Jarrett (three wins), Jeff Gordon (three wins), Bill Elliott (two wins), Sterling Marlin (two wins), Michael Waltrip (two wins), Matt Kenseth (two wins), Jimmie Johnson (two wins) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two wins) are the 11 drivers who have multiple Daytona 500 wins.

Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch and Austin Dillon are the active full-time drivers who have at least one “Great American Race” victory on their resume. Which driver is the best bet to add another Harley J. Earl Trophy to their trophy case? NASCAR.com’s RJ Kraft and Jonathan Merryman debate.

PHOTOS: Every winner of the Daytona 500 | Multi-time winners of the Daytona 500

KRAFT: This question is making me flash back to the most recent race on a superspeedway in October of 2018 at Talladega, a race in which Stewart-Haas Racing led a dominating 155 of 193 laps. Kevin Harvick led 46 laps that day and consistently was part of the lead pack. I realize Talladega and Daytona are separate and distinct animals, but some similar characteristics abound when it comes to plate racing — note that this will be the last plate race.

I am taking Harvick to be the next driver to add another “Great American Race” win to his ledger. He narrowly won here in a fabulous 2007 finish against Mark Martin. He led a race-high 50 laps in 2017 and finished second and first in the opening two stages. “Happy” also finished fourth in the 2016 race and second in the 2015 race. With the exception of Austin Dillon (who has 24 fewer Daytona starts than Harvick), he has the best average finish at Daytona over the entire category of his Cup career among previous Daytona 500 winners. Plus, I think the sting of losing the 2018 title at Miami in the manner he did — without his regular crew chief and car chief — is going to put an extra chip on Harvick’s shoulder out of the gate, and I expect him to come out blazing in the 2019 Ford Mustang.

RELATED: See the new 2019 Ford Mustang on track | Every angle of the 2019 Ford Mustang

MERRYMAN: Harvick was a solid pick from 2010 to 2016, but as of late, I think Joey Logano is your guy.

In the last four Daytona 500s, he has one win and four top 10s. His worst finish in that run is sixth. While their averages at Daytona are similar, this debate is more of a “what have you done for me lately,” and the front-runner has to be Logano.

The driver of the No. 22 Pennzoil Ford Mustang is one of the best plate racers in the Monster Energy Series and has one of the best spotters at superspeedways in TJ Majors. The duo paired up last season and nabbed the win at Talladega in the spring en route to their first Monster Energy Series championship.

That brings me to my last point: Momentum. The No. 22 team is riding that championship wave all the way to Daytona Beach so look out for Joey nabbing his second Harley J. Earl Trophy.

Posted on by Staff Report

Christopher Bell entered the record books Sunday morning by becoming just the second driver in Chili Bowl history to win the prestigious dirt Midget race three consecutive years.

His performance this week in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was one for the ages.

Bell, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, didn’t lead the 24-car A-Main championship race until the final turn of the final lap. The Oklahoma native took advantage of leader Kyle Larson getting stuck in traffic, then beat the full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver to the line in an epic last-lap finish after Larson oh-so-slightly mishandled the final lap.

For Larson, it was heartbreak for the second consecutive year. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver was leading late in last year’s race, too, when engine issues forced him to retire with 10 laps to go. That opened the door for Bell to win his second consecutive event in 2018.

“(Larson) is the most talented race car driver a lot of us have ever seen,” Bell told reporters after the 2019 win. “Yeah, it’s pretty surprising that he did slip.”

A dejected Larson approached Bell during the winner’s celebration and shook his hand, but the disappointment was evident as pics rolled in on social media.

“Coming to the white, I missed (Turns) 3 and 4 and lost some time,” Larson said. “I glanced at the monitor and hoped he wouldn’t be there. He was. I missed the corner and he got inside me.”

“Yeah, yeah, it was fair game,” Larson reiterated to reporter Jeff Gluck following last-lap contact between him and Bell. “I tried to squeeze him to the bottom. If anything, I was the dirty one.”

In addition to becoming the second driver to win three consecutive Chili Bowls, Bell is just the third to win three overall since the event began in 1987 — and he’s the only one without the last name of “Swindell.” Sammy Swindell is the all-time leader with five Chili Bowl wins. His son, Kevin, has four, including four in a row from 2010-2013.

Justin Grant finished third, followed by Brady Bacon and Zach Daum to complete the top five. C.J. Leary took eighth in an Alex Bowman-owned car, with 2018 NASCAR Next product Tanner Thorson finishing 10th.

PHOTOS: Scenes from the Chili Bowl

The Chili Bowl is an annual dirt Midget race that has been held since 1987 and always draws interest from some of auto racing’s most talent drivers. The week-long event boasts six days of practice and qualifying events to set the 24-car field for the main event, all of which culminated Saturday — and eventually, early Sunday morning — in a full day-plus of racing.

Saturday’s action is known as “Alphabet Soup” as drivers who had not previously qualified for the championship race had to drive their way in through a series of transfers, starting with two O-Feature races. The top-six finishers from each O-Feature event advanced to the corresponding two N-Feature races (in which there were already several drivers qualified). Then the top six finishers from each N-Feature race advanced into the M-Feature races, where other drivers were also waiting.

The format was used all the way up to the A-Main finale, although the number of drivers advancing upward dropped to five starting at the G-Feature, then jumped to seven for the B-Feature races.

Drivers also could qualify for the A-Main throughout the week, which Larson, Bell, Logan Seavey, Tanner Thorson and Rico Abreu, among others, did.

Brad Sweet, Larson’s brother-in-law, won the first B-Feature, a superbly contested 20-lap event that also saw Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. advance to the main event by finishing fourth. Sweet would finish seventh in the title race, with Stenhouse Jr. taking 22nd.

Additional noteworthy results include:

• Chase Briscoe, who will drive full time for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this year, missed making the A-Main by an agonizing one position. He finished eighth in the first B-Feature — the top seven advance.

• Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman, in the Chili Bowl as both a driver and as the owner of a car, started the day in the C-Feature based off his performance throughout the week. But Bowman slapped the wall with just a couple of laps to go, dropping him from third to seventh at the checkered — and the top five advanced into the B-Feature. His car made it to the championship, though, after driver C.J. Leary piloted it to victory in the second B-Feature.

• Obaika Racing’s Tanner Berryhill, in contention for Sunoco Rookie of the Year in 2019, and JR Motorsports veteran Justin Allgaier both were impressive in the second C-Feature race before being caught up in wrecks not of their own doing. Both failed to transfer.

• NASCAR driver J.J. Yeley, one of the top dirt drivers around, faced a long road to the title race and didn’t get there. He had been disqualified during heat races earlier in the race and was first to start his journey in the O-Feature and work his way up. He made it to the L-Feature before being eliminated after a flip.

• StarCom Racing Monster Energy Series driver Landon Cassill also flipped in the L-Feature and was eliminated.

• Karsyn Elledge — the 18-year-old daughter of Kelley Earnhardt Miller and niece of Dale Earnhardt Jr. — had impressed on track earlier this week. She won her first heat Saturday, the H-Feature, but flipped in the G-Feature following contact and was eliminated.

• Kasey Kahne, who retired from full-time NASCAR competition following 2018, started Saturday in the F-Feature and was eliminated in the E-Feature following a wreck.

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

Heading into Saturday night’s Chili Bowl Nationals championship race, Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson are heavy favorites, but they know there will be other stiff competition.

Both Bell and Larson are locked into the 55-lap A-Main event at the indoor Tulsa Expo Raceway. Although they are expected to dominate, there are other fast drivers who are threats for victory on the team, including former Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver Rico Abreu and dirt-racing ace Logan Seavey, both of whom won their respective qualifying nights earlier in the week to make the big show, as well.

RELATED: Bell eyes three-peat after feature win | Larson hopes bad luck stays away

“Larson is one of the most talented race-car drivers of all time, so you know he’s going to be up there,” Bell told NASCAR.com. “But there’s a lot of other great race cars and in the Race of Champions (held earlier in the week), Larson didn’t win it. There’s just a lot of people here that could step up to the plate and become favorites or be hard to beat.”

Bell, winner of the past two Chili Bowl championships, is looking to become the third driver to win three or more and only the second driver to earn three consecutive triumphs in the prestigious race.

The 24-year-old Norman, Oklahoma native won Thursday night’s preliminary round. Despite making it look easy, Bell said the speed in his No. 71W Keith Kunz Motorsports midget was a bit of a cause for concern after seeing his teammates — including Larson — win a little more easily during their qualifying nights.

“We don’t really know who was good and who was bad because of all the yellow flags,” Bell said about Thursday’s preliminary race. “We never really got to race it out. Especially Thursday night kind of left us wondering a little bit, but we know from watching the other prelim nights, Larson is good.

“Rico looks like he’s back and hungry again,” he added. “It’s just tough and there’s a lot of great race-car drivers and fortunately, a lot of them are in my same camp.”

Bell says he will need to rely on his past experience to put up a fight against a fleet of talented drivers with extensive dirt-racing prowess.

“Just being in the event in the past, knowing how the track changes and stuff like that, it should help me,” Bell said. “We kind of have an idea of what’s going to happen. Normally they do a full track re-work, so the track starts really wet and it goes really slick by the end of the race.”

GALLERY: Best scenes from the Chili Bowl

For Larson, the Chili Bowl has been bittersweet for him in the past. Last year, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular was leading inside 10 laps to go when engine issues forced him to retire — paving the way for Bell to win again.

Larson said if he wants to earn his first Chili Bowl victory and take home the Golden Driller, he’ll need to beat out his own teammates.

“Logan (Seavey) was really impressive on Monday,” Larson told NASCAR.com. “He was really smooth and had a lot of speed. Honestly, I really don’t look to anybody else besides Christopher Bell, really. He’s the guy you’re going to have to beat if you’re going to win the Chili Bowl.”

Although it’s a unique dynamic for Bell and Larson to compete for the same 11-car Keith Kunz Motorsports camp, both feel the combination gives them the highest chances for success.

RELATED: Guide to the Chili Bowl

“I would say Keith has had a pretty good package the past few years,” Larson said. “I think the cars have been equally as good the past three years ago or so. I know I’m with the best team in the building, so that gives me a lot of confidence.”

Bell echoed Larson’s sentiments for the Keith Kunz-led organization that has been dominant year-in and year-out.

“It’s completely up to them and I have all the faith in the world that they’re going to make the right adjustments, but our cars are really good,” Bell said.

Along with Bell and Larson, there are NASCAR stars and affiliations looking to make the it to the main event through Saturday’s last-chance qualifiers.

NASCAR Next’s Tanner Thorson transferred into Saturday night’s A-Main after finishing second in Friday night’s preliminary feature, while Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won a heat race during Friday’s final qualifying night and finished fourth in the feature, and will roll off fifth in the first B-Main.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman, Obaika Racing’s Tanner Berryhill, StarCom Raciong’s Landon Cassill, former full-time driver Kasey Kahne, Xfinity drivers Justin Allgaier, J.J. Yeley and Chase Briscoe will also be on track throughout the day.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s niece, 18-year-old Karsyn Elledge, is also in the mix after winning her heat race on Thursday.

Below is the full schedule for Saturday’s last-chance qualifying races and main event:

Posted on by Team Release

NASCAR Xfinity Series winner Ross Chastain will pilot the No. 45 TrüNorth Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports during the 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway.

Chastain and Reid Wilson will share the No. 45 TrüNorth Chevrolet Silverado during the 2019 NGOTS season.

“We are thrilled to have Ross with us again this year, and to have Reid join the team,” said Niece Motorsports General Manager, Cody Efaw. “As a team we really feel like we made a lot of progress in the caliber of our trucks last season, and we are excited to continue that momentum with two drivers who can really showcase their abilities. We’re excited to see what we can accomplish together this season.”

The paint scheme that Chastain will run at Daytona was designed by Paul Teutul, Jr. of Paul Jr. Designs and star of “American Chopper,, in partnership with TrüNorth. Paul Jr. will be in attendance at the NGOTS event at Daytona International Speedway in February as the TrüNorth/Paul Jr. Designs No. 45 takes to the track.

TrüNorth, the leading provider of commercial asset related warranty programs and services for dealers, fleets, owner-operators, and commercial finance companies, partnered with Paul Jr. to build the first TrüNorth™ custom bike, which was unveiled in early November at the UTA Convention in Orlando. That bike build will appear in the second episode of the new season of “American Chopper” on Discovery Channel in February.

“I’ve worked with some great folks to build amazing bikes over the years, but the TrüNorth bike is one of my favorites,” said Paul Jr. “I love the ongoing relationship we’ve built with TrüNorth. Being a part of TrüNorth’s NASCAR racing program is a terrific way to engage with our common audiences and share the work we’re doing together.”

Additionally, Paul Jr. will build a second TrüNorth custom bike for the launch of a new brand from TrüNorth. This bike will be unveiled at Daytona in conjunction with the NGOTS race.

“Paul Jr. is not only great at what he does – his creativity goes way beyond expectation, he is also wonderful with people, not just fans, but everyone,” said TrüNorth CMO Barry Wilson. “We have a common audience, and these folks love NASCAR, so it’s a perfect match to have Paul as part of our racing program. We believe Cody and the Niece team will put our brand up front.”

Last season, Chastain made three starts with Niece Motorsports — at Bristol Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway — earning a best finish of 12th at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“I really enjoyed working with this Niece Motorsports team last season, and I’m excited to continue that this year,” said Chastain. “I know everyone at the shop has been working hard to prepare for this season, and I’m just fortunate to get to drive these trucks. I feel confident that we can have a successful year together.”

The 2018 season was a busy one for Chastain, who competed in all three of NASCAR’s major series. Chastain made 34 starts in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, 33 starts in the NXS, and seven starts in the NGOTS last season.

In September, Chastain broke into the Winner’s Circle in the NXS, after putting on a dominating performance at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, winning each stage of the race and leading 180 of 200 laps.

Wilson, who will split the No. 45 ride with Chastain, competed in three NGOTS events in 2018; at Martinsville Speedway, Iowa Speedway, and Homestead-Miami Speedway, with Wilson’s best finish of 16th coming at Martinsville Speedway.

“I can’t wait to get this season started,” said Wilson. “We really got our feet wet in the Truck Series last season, and I’m excited to continue that into this season. I can’t thank Al Niece and TrüNorth enough for this incredible opportunity.”

Before moving into the NGOTS, Wilson competed in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, where he had a 50 percent top-10 rate. In 2018, he was named No. 46 in MotorsportsAnalytics.com’s ranking of the top 75 NASCAR Cup Series prospects. “Reid hasn’t competed regularly in a NASCAR ladder division, but when he does appear, he’s proven formidable,” stated David Smith, president of Motorsports Analytics.

“I’m so proud of the effort of each and every employee at Niece Motorsports,” said Team Owner Al Niece. “To look at where we’ve come in such a short amount of time – it’s due to the hard work of everyone at our organization. I’m really looking forward to 2019, and having Ross, Reid and TrüNorth™ at our organization are huge pieces of the puzzle. I know that we can put together trucks that are capable of winning, and that’s certainly our goal this season.”

The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series season will kick off at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, Feb. 15.

Posted on by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. — Spire Motorsports, through a partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR), announced that 2010 Daytona 500 Champion Jamie McMurray will drive the No. 40 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the 2019 Daytona 500. McMurray will be making his 17th start in the “Great American Race,” when the Daytona 500 kicks off the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) regular season on Feb. 17.

McMurray’s Daytona 500 race car will carry sponsorship from several companies that have been integral to his NASCAR career. The No. 40 Chevrolet will feature branding from Bass Pro Shops, McDonald’s and Cessna to recognize the long-standing partnerships that the companies have had with McMurray over the years. Bass Pro Shops and McDonald’s have been on McMurray’s cars since 2010, while Cessna has been with him since 2013. Bass Pro Shops was the primary sponsor on McMurray’s car for all three races that he won in 2010 (Daytona, Indianapolis and Charlotte)

RELATED: Driver moves this offseason

“The Daytona 500 is the one race that every NASCAR driver would want to win,” McMurray said in a team press release. “For the rest of your life you get to be introduced or recognized as a Daytona 500 champion. I’m excited to have the opportunity to potentially be a two-time winner of the race and it would mean so much to celebrate one more win with all of the great partners that have been with me for so many years.”

Posted on by RJ Kraft

A list of full-time drivers and their rides in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for the 2019 season (This will be updated as drivers are announced for 2019):

*-indicates a change from the 2018 season

RELATED: Keep track of all the movement for 2019 | 2019 series schedule 

Car No. Driver Team Notable
00 Landon Cassill StarCom Racing Social media darling returns for second season at StarCom.
1 Kurt Busch* Chip Ganassi Racing Veteran carries six straight playoff trips into Ganassi move.
2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske His 26 wins in last eight years are fourth-most in series.
3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing With new crew chief, AD eyes fourth straight playoff trip.
4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing “Happy” reached Champ 4 for fourth time in five years.
6 Ryan Newman* Roush Fenway Racing Veteran takes over for Bayne/Kenseth combo at Roush.
8* Daniel Hemric* Richard Childress Racing Renumbered car, Sunoco rookie battle on tap for Hemric.
9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Breakout three wins in 2018; much more to come in 2019?
10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Upstart driver reached Round of 8 in first year at SHR.
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Can new crew chief snap Hamlin’s 47-race win drought?
12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Led seventh-most laps; knocking on door of multi-win year.
13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Third-year man looks to rebound from 27th in standings.
14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing With two wins, Bowyer looks to build off best year since ’12.
17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Avg. start (14.8) was career-best in ’18, but missed playoffs.
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Four straight Champ 4 appearances, coming off best season.
19 Martin Truex Jr.* Joe Gibbs Racing ’17 champ moves to JGR with Cole Pearn in tow as well.
20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Scored first Cup win at Daytona, primed for a breakout year.
21 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Tallied most top 10s (7) since ’14 in first year with Woods.
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Reigning champ aims to be first since Johnson to repeat.
24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Paired with Chad Knaus, much is expected of this youngster.
32 Corey LaJoie* Go Fas Racing Looks to carry momentum of DiBenedetto’s two-year stint.
34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Matched career-best standings finish — 26th — in ’18.
36* Matt Tifft* Front Row Motorsports* Rookie joins up with expanded three-car team.
37 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Texas native becomes experienced hand of JTG stable.
38 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ragan’s avg. finish of 22.9 marks his best since 2011.
41 Daniel Suarez* Stewart-Haas Racing After two years at JGR, he slides into Kurt Busch’s old seat.
42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing A repeat of last year’s winless season would be stunning.
43 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports Sophomore season in iconic car should see gains for Bubba.
47 Ryan Preece* JTG Daugherty Racing Part-time bet on self pays off with a Cup ride, rookie battle.
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Seven-time champ starts anew with CC Kevin Meendering.
88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports More top 10s, top fives on his agenda after playoff berth.
95 Matt DiBenedetto* Leavine Family Racing Alliance with JGR brings Matty D back to beginnings.

 

Posted on by Steve Luvender

eNASCAR Heat Pro League Qualifications End

Thousands of eSports racers competed for 100 spots after a grueling 36-day qualification period, hopeful to catch the eye of a NASCAR race team. The top 100 players from the eNASCAR Heat Pro League qualifications will move on to the Showcase races — special races designated for drivers to impress real NASCAR teams looking to select their drivers — ultimately leading up to a live draft in March.

Racers put it all on the line.

With qualifications in the rearview mirror, the statistical top drivers — 50 from each console — will be vetted and interviewed in the coming weeks leading up to the Showcase races. Much like real racing, teams will judge drivers based on concepts beyond numbers alone, like social media presence and “intangibles.”

Beyond the Showcase races, NASCAR teams participating in the eNASCAR Heat Pro League will use driver performance data, results and observations from Showcase races, and their own independent research to identify which gamers to draft to represent their teams.

The latest episode of eNASCAR Heat Pro League’s web video series showcased some of the top competitors and expectations for their paths to a ride in the series.

704 Games staff recently met with NASCAR teams to explain the draft process and what to look for in their drivers.

Starting Them Young

At four years old, it’s a little tough for Cash Bowyer to reach the pedals on a race car (or a virtual car) — but that’s OK. Clint Bowyer’s classic ingenuity to the rescue!

It probably won’t be long until Cash is turning laps with Dad’s teammates Chase Briscoe and Cole Custer.

 

New Teams Join eNASCAR PEAK iRacing Series

On the PC gaming side, iRacing announced new plans ahead of the eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series — official NASCAR teams and high-profile eSports teams will join the series in 2019.

Among the new teams are JR Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Wood Brothers Racing, and Clint Bowyer Racing, along with eSports outfits Williams Esports, Richmond Raceway Esports, G2 Esports, FlipSid3 Tactics, and Team Renegades.

New to the series, a live draft of eligible drivers will take place on January 30. The 2019 season — the 10th of the series — also features an expanded prize pool of $100,000 and the appointment of NASCAR’s Jusan Hamilton as Series Director.

 

iRacing Paint Schemes of the Week

With Jimmie Johnson’s new paint scheme unveiled this week, iRacing painter Dustin Winegardner wasted no time creating the virtual version of the No. 48’s new colors.

Jordan Ashelin created a throwback design of Joe Nemechek’s car from the late ‘90s, which looks sharp on a modern-day Camaro ZL1.

 

NASCAR Heat 3 Clip of the Week

It doesn’t get much closer than this. While there was certainly some luck involved in threading the needle, we’ve got to give some credit to the driver to make it through unscathed.

 

iRacing Video of the Week

Marcos Ambrose — yes, that Marcos Ambrose — has started offering iRacing driving advice in a new video series.

It’s impressive to listen to the two-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race winner explain in great technical depth how the car behaves at an oval, and just how much that information translates to iRacing.

 

Posted on by Team Release

STATESVILLE, N.C. – GMS Racing announced today that Fire Alarm Services, Inc., (FAS), a provider in a superior fire, life safety, and security services, will serve as primary sponsor for John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 23 GMS Racing team in 13 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) races in 2019. Since 2016, FAS has been a supporter of Nemechek. The Colorado-based company served as a primary sponsor in multiple NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (NGOTS) races for Nemechek, as well as 11 NXS races in 2018. FAS has been apart of many of Nemechek’s career-first accomplishments, including his first NGOTS pole award at Iowa Speedway in 2016, his first NXS win at Kansas Speedway and his first NXS pole award at ISM Raceway, both took place in 2018.

RELATED: Nemechek lands full ride at GMS | Drivers on the move for 2019

“Fire Alarm Services has been a supporter of my career since 2016 in the Truck Series starting at my family-owned team,” said Nemechek. “I couldn’t be more excited to continue this relationship with them in 2019. I am super thankful and blessed that Shannon and Connie Smith, owners of Fire Alarm Services, Inc., believe in me and my career. They have been a staple in various first accomplishments for me, and I hope we can add an Xfinity Series Championship on to that list of firsts.”

FAS will sponsor the following races for Nemechek in 2019, Daytona International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, ISM Raceway (spring and fall), Auto Club Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway (spring and fall), Darlington Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway and the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The No. 23 Fire Alarm Services Inc., Chevrolet Camaro will sport a new red and black paint scheme beginning at the 2019 season-opening race, the Daytona 300 at Daytona International Speedway on February 16 at 2:30 p.m. ET.

RELATED: Full Xfinity Series schedule