Posted on by RJ Kraft

CONCORD, N.C. – When Kurt Busch looks at his new Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Kyle Larson, he is immediately reminded of a fellow driver.

That driver happens to be his brother – 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch.

“To see the talent that Kyle Larson is, it reminds me a lot of when my little brother was coming up and running Legends Cars against me but I had six years more experience,” Kurt Busch said during a preseason media availability at the team’s shop.

“In this case, I have quite a bit more experience than Larson but he’s on a new trend. He’s on the young-guy curve of running new lines on the track and running different setups that I have to adapt to. That’s where I can’t wait to have that banter back and forth, what he feels, what I feel and what Matt (McCall, Busch’s crew chief) is telling me and what Chad (Johnston, Larson’s crew chief) is telling him and just let it rip.”

RELATED: Busch joins Chip Ganassi Racing | Recap Busch’s 2018 season 

Busch is at Chip Ganassi Racing for the 2019 season on a one-year deal to drive the No. 1 Chevrolet. The veteran of 19 Monster Energy Series seasons, 648 Cup starts and 30 premier-series wins is embracing a bit of new role with his new organization — being a mentor.

“Ten years ago I wasn’t in a spot to feel that mentor or take different engineers or drivers, people under my wing to help them,” Busch said. “Something’s clicked, something’s changed.”

In fact, the 2004 champion believes that there is plenty he can learn from Larson as well as the season progresses. 

“He’s definitely got a fun factor about him and I know he knows how to put the serious cap on as well,” Busch said. “That’s what I want to learn more about. That last little level of seriousness. Yeah, you can run the high side all you want, but are we supposed to be doing that right now? Maybe, we’re supposed to be on the low lane. Or he’s going to teach me, ‘no, that high lane was quicker, Kurt. Get up here, old man.’ There’s going to be that back and forth of working together and having that fun.”

Busch spent the last five seasons at Stewart-Haas Racing where he reached the playoffs each year and won at least one race each season. He totaled six victories during his stint there, including a win in the 2017 Daytona 500. Chad Johnston, Larson’s crew chief on the No. 42 team, saw Busch in action for two seasons at SHR from 2014-15.

“I got to know him a bit when I was at Stewart-Haas with Tony (Stewart),” Johnston said. “He’s a past champion and he’s very competitive, and he’s going to put forth the work and effort to do that. He’s going to bring a sense of accountability to the organization and the teams. He’s not bashful. That brings a lot of good things with it. I would say that (Kyle and Kurt) are on opposite ends of the personality spectrum. Kyle is laid-back and kind of goes with it, and Kurt is not. They both have their benefits; I think it will be a good combination.”

Larson is coming off a season where qualified for the playoffs for the third straight year, posted 12 top fives, 19 top 10s and his best career average finish (12.6) but went winless and ranked ninth in the final standings. The 26-year-old is excited about what Busch’s wealth of experience can bring to the two-car organization.

MORE: Recap Larson’s 2018 season | See Larson’s Credit One look | Larson finishes second at Chili Bowl

“I think he understands the car a lot and he obviously raced for the quickest team last year, so I think he hopefully can bring some knowledge from that,” Larson said. “He’s pretty involved, so I think it’s good to have somebody like that at our shop. And he’ll push everybody in the shop and myself just to be better.”

Posted on by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) announced today the crew chief lineup for its three full-time NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (NGOTS) teams in 2019. Ryan “Rudy” Fugle will call the shots for Kyle Busch and other drivers yet to be announced in the No. 51 Tundra, Mike Hillman Jr. will guide Harrison Burton’s efforts in the No. 18 Tundra and Marcus Richmond will once again lead the No. 4 Tundra team with Todd Gilliland behind the wheel.

Fugle has guided his team to four Owner’s Championships (2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017) as a crew chief at KBM, including combined Owner’s/Driver’s Championships with Erik Jones in 2015 and Christopher Bell in 2017. The New York native’s drivers have combined for 22 wins, 20 poles, 57 top-five and 71 top-10 finishes across his 114 races calling the shots for the organization. Under his tutelage last season, Noah Gragson collected one win, a series-leading six poles, eight top-five and 17 top-10 finishes en route to a second-place finish in the NGOTS championship standings.

RELATED: Kyle Busch announces Truck slate for 2019

Hillman Jr., is also a two-time NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series champion crew chief. He helped Toyota capture its first-ever NASCAR national series championship when he guided Todd Bodine to the Truck Series title in 2006. Overall in his 11-plus seasons atop the pit box, the New York native’s NGOTS drivers have collected 22 wins and 19 poles. Burton has produced one pole, four top-five and seven top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 6.3 in nine starts with Hillman Jr. calling the shots.

Richmond has collected 10 wins, 17 poles, 61 top-five and 129 top-10 finishes across 265 races in his 13 seasons as a crew chief in the Truck Series. The North Carolina native’s 10 victories have come with six different drivers (Ty Dillon, Noah Gragson, Kevin Harvick, Timothy Peters, Johnny Sauter and Dennis Setzer) behind the wheel. Last year, Richmond’s team collected three poles, 305 laps led, five top-five and nine top-10 finishes with three different drivers. Gilliland competed in 19 events last year, posting one pole, 208 laps led, four top-five and nine top-10 finishes.

MORE: See Kyle Busch’s chocolate M&M’s car for ’19

Posted on by Pat DeCola

Thank goodness for moms, am I right?

Moms keep everything. That macaroni necklace you made her for Mother’s Day 2002. Your watercolor painting of a race car that held the on-the-fridge record of a remarkable 14 months straight …

… That one time you met Joey Logano at the precipice of teendom and it was just the doggone cutest thing.

https://twitter.com/kbell4409/status/1090019590808182784

Fresh off his third straight Chili Bowl Nationals victory, Christopher Bell had one of those classic “MOM, stop embarrassing me” moments on Twitter on Tuesday when Mama Bell posted a throwback photo of young Christopher meeting a fellow fresh-faced Joey Logano in 2008.

MORE: Bell captures Chili Bowl crown

Fast forward 10 years to now, and Logano is coming off his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship.

And 10 years from now?

There’s a good chance we’ll be looking at that picture, thinking of how young those two NASCAR Cup Series champs look.

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

If Ryan Blaney wants a better understanding of the brand-new Ford Mustang mixed with the 2019 rules package, he’ll have to rely on his Team Penske cohort.

Blaney won’t get his first taste of the changes altogether until he climbs into the No. 12 Ford Mustang at Atlanta Motor Speedway, while defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano participated in the Goodyear tire test session at Auto Club Speedway on Jan. 9.  Brad Keselowski will try his hand in an Organizational Open Test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Jan. 31-Feb. 1.

RELATED: NASCAR.com to host live show for Las Vegas test

But Blaney really isn’t sweating it, he said just anxious to get back in the car as Team Penske drivers and teams gathered for an organizational pit crew competition and media event at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Monday.

“Not really nervous,” Blaney said. “I would just like to test. You like to get behind the wheel of something. It stinks not being behind the wheel of a race car from Miami until, OK, we’re going to go out in a pack at Daytona. So, that stinks for me. I just like to go run.

Ryan Blaney hangs with some of the Wood Brothers Racing crew at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Chase Wilhelm | NASCAR Digital Media

“Just try to get in that mindset again,” he added. “Try to get your brain thinking fast like it should. As far as information on the cars and stuff, Brad and Joey I’ve always been able to talk to and you look at notes. It’ll be big this year of looking at the notes after Vegas and how’d they drive and talking to them about that.”

What sparks Blaney’s curiosity the most will be what Logano and Keselowski learn about the draft, the new drag ducts and how much grip teams will need to dial in their race cars with the reduced amount of horsepower.

“I’m interested in the drag ducts and how they’re going to be when we have them on and when they’re off,” Blaney said. “Joey touched on it a little bit of how much grip do you want to dial into your car. We go to Atlanta; I think there’s going to be a lot of that.

“Atlanta to Vegas to Fontana … even the short tracks. I’m curious to go to Phoenix and see how it is with that high power and high downforce stuff. We’ll just find out. It’s kind of hard to judge it right now just because you can’t until you get 40 of us out there.”

PHOTOS: See every angle of the Ford Mustang that will be on track

As far as the Mustang is concerned, Blaney feels Ford Performance and Team Penske have collaborated to make the necessary preparations to come out of the gates swinging.

“Honestly, it might not be a bad thing that Ford is kind of the last manufacturer to switch models because maybe you learn what to do and what not to do,” Blaney said. “But I think they put so much work into it and so much time and effort. …Those are two big changes for the Ford company, but I think we’ll do fine. I have so much confidence in the Ford Performance guys over there. They’re doing so much work and you just try to fire off good and if not, you work on it. That’s all you can do.”

Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and crew chief Todd Gordon gather at the Team Penske pit crew competition at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Chase Wilhelm | NASCAR Digital Media

Logano echoed Blaney’s comments and added by saying that between the Mustang and the new rules package, he feels it’s a good clean slate for Penske and Ford to build on as the season progresses.

“I think it’s going to be a great thing,” Logano said. “I think Ford has done a good job of learning from the other two manufacturers that have recently made changes. Like I said, learn from those and everything on paper shows that it should be better. We’ll see. I think there will be a learning curve with it because you kind of have to start all over.”

Keselowski, in search of his first Daytona 500 victory after winning two crown-jewel events in 2018 – the Southern 500 and Brickyard 400 – feels it won’t take the Penske squad long at all to put the Mustang out front.

“It’s a beautiful car,” Keselowski told NASCAR.com. “I suspect that it’s going to go on the race track and immediately haul some butt.”

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Class of 2019 announced | Inductees through the years | Every Hall member

Five more legends of stock-car racing were inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Friday as part of the 10th class. Jeff Gordon, Jack Roush, Roger Penske, Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki had their diverse NASCAR legacies secured in a gala enshrinement.

Learn more about the Hall’s newest members.

The Class of 2019

Davey Allison

Davey Allison Hall of Fame graphicDavey Allison was born with speed. The son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison grew up more interested in football, but could not escape the racing bug, following his father into the family profession. The younger Allison honed his skills at local Alabama tracks, getting his big break in 1987, taking over for legendary driver Cale Yarborough in Ranier-Lundy’s Ford Thunderbird. Allison got right to work on continuing the family’s legacy, compiling two wins, five poles and nine top fives in his full-season debut to capture 1987 Sunoco Rookie of the Year. Allison won 19 races and 14 poles, including the 1992 Daytona 500, before his tragic death in a helicopter accident in 1993. Months earlier Allison concluded his best premier series season, running first in the championship standings until his car was collected in an accident during the final race at Atlanta. Despite winning his own Daytona 500, Allison’s favorite racing moment was finishing second to his father in the 1988 “Great American Race” as the pair became the first and only father-son combo to finish 1-2 in NASCAR’s biggest event.| Full biography

MORE: Liz Allison: ‘We can stop pinching ourselves’ | Robbie Allison: Dad was determined, dedicated

Jeff Gordon Jeff Gordon Hall of Fame graphic

Blessed with once-in-a-generation talent and charisma, Jeff Gordon helped take NASCAR from a regional sport to the mainstream. Gordon took NASCAR by storm in the 1990s, becoming the youngest driver in the modern era to win a premier series title as a 24-year-old in 1995. He went on to win three more championships (1997, ’98, 2001). In 1998, Gordon led the Rainbow Warriors – named for his colorful No. 24 Chevrolet – to a modern era-record 13 wins. Overall, he won 93 races, which ranks third on the all-time wins list. Gordon is a three-time Daytona 500 champion and won the Brickyard 400 a record five times. Charismatic and gifted in front of the camera, he developed one of the sport’s fiercest rivalries with Dale Earnhardt. The confident, youthful Californian served as the foil to the wily, rugged Intimidator. Gordon was the first NASCAR driver to host “Saturday Night Live.” He retired from full-time racing as the premier series’“Iron Man” with a record 797 consecutive starts, and now delivers the sport to its passionate fans as a race analyst for FOX.  | Full biography

MORE: Leo Gordon goes bananas | Gordon: It ‘just gets to my heart’ | Evernham: Like a son | Hendrick welcomes Gordon

Alan Kulwicki 

Noted Wisconsin short-track racer Alan Kulwicki moved to Charlotte in 1984 with nothing but a pickup truck, a self-built race car and the hopes of competing in NASCAR’s highest series. He had no sponsor and a limited budget. Kulwicki burst onto the scene as the 1986 NASCAR Rookie of the Year with his self-owned AK Racing team. Throughout his career, Kulwicki received lucrative offers from powerhouse race teams, but insisted on racing for himself. That determination eventually led to his first of five career victories at Phoenix in 1988, and the unveiling of his trademark “Polish Victory Lap,” a celebratory clockwise cool down lap with the driver’s window facing the fans. His signature season was his championship-winning 1992 campaign, where Kulwicki overcame a 278-point deficit with six races remaining to capture the NASCAR premier series title. He had two wins, 11 top fives and 17 top 10s to defeat NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott by 10 points – at the time, the tightest championship margin in series history. Kulwicki never got the chance to defend his title, dying in a plane crash in 1993. Five years after his death, he was named one of NASCAR’s 50 greatest drivers. | Full biography

Roger Penske Roger Penske Hall of Fame graphic

Roger Penske is known, simply, as ‘The Captain.’ A true captain of industry, Penske has steered one of the most successful motorsports ships in the sport’s history. Penske, who celebrated his 50th anniversary in racing in 2016, reached a major milestone and collected a prestigious award during the golden anniversary season. That year, he reached 100 wins in NASCAR’s premier series and capped of the season by receiving the Bill France Award of Excellence. Penske won the premier series championship in 2012 with driver Brad Keselowski, and owns two Daytona 500 wins with Ryan Newman in 2008 and Joey Logano in 2015. And from 2013-15, Penske tied a record with three consecutive owner championships in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Off the track, Penske likewise left an indelible mark. He built the two-mile Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California in 1996, and previously owned Michigan International Speedway. | Full biography

Jack Roush Jack Roush Hall of Fame graphic

Once a Michigan-based drag racing owner and enthusiast, Jack Roush made his best motorsports decision when he turned south in 1988 to start a NASCAR team. Since beginning Roush Racing (now known as Roush Fenway Racing), the graduate-level mathematician turned engineering entrepreneur has won a record 322 races across NASCAR’s three national series. Overall, Roush boasts five NASCAR national series owner championships, while his drivers have won an additional three driver championships. Roush initially built his powerhouse organization by pairing with fellow NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee Mark Martin, who won 83 NASCAR national series races for RFR from 1988-2005. Known for his trademark Panama hat, Roush has displayed a prowess for discovering and developing talent. He helped Matt Kenseth (2003) and Kurt Busch (2004) grow into premier series champions and also jump-started the careers of Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle. Roush was the 2001 recipient of the Bill France Award of Excellence.  | Full biography

The history

The NASCAR Hall of Fame opened May 11, 2010, and is an interactive entertainment attraction honoring the history and heritage of NASCAR. The 150,000-square-foot facility includes artifacts, exhibits and a 278-person theater. Learn more here about the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

• Class of 2010: Dale Earnhardt, Bill France Sr., Bill France Jr., Junior Johnson, Richard Petty
• Class of 2011: Bobby Allison, Ned Jarrett, Bud Moore, David Pearson, Lee Petty
• Class of 2012: Richie Evans, Dale Inman, Darrell Waltrip, Glen Wood, Cale Yarborough
• Class of 2013: Buck Baker, Cotton Owens, Herb Thomas, Rusty Wallace, Leonard Wood
• Class of 2014: Jack Ingram, Tim Flock, Dale Jarrett, Maurice Petty, Fireball Roberts
• Class of 2015: Bill Elliott, Fred Lorenzen, Wendell Scott, Joe Weatherly, Rex White
• Class of 2016: Jerry Cook, Bobby Isaac, Terry Labonte, Bruton O. Smith, Curtis Turner
• Class of 2017: Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Mark Martin, Raymond Parks, Benny Parsons
• Class of 2018: Red Byron, Ray Evernham, Ron Hornaday Jr., Ken Squier, Robert Yates

Posted on by Steve Luvender

Pack Racing Practice with the Pros

You never know when your favorite NASCAR up-and-comers might fire up iRacing and turn some laps ahead of Daytona.

 

Larson and Bell talk iRacing and Chili Bowl

Clearly, this interview took place before the contentious finish between the two for the Chili Bowl race win.

 

Bell’s Helmet

Chili Bowl winner and Xfinity Series driver Christopher Bell sent his race-winning helmet to iRacing boss Steve Myers, which Myers half-jokingly suggested Bell donated if he won the race with iRacing sponsorship. Sure enough, Bell came through.

 

eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series Update

NASCAR and pro eSports teams including JR Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Wood Brothers Racing, Clint Bowyer Racing, Williams Esports, Richmond Raceway Esports, G2 Esports, FlipSid3 Tactics, and Team Renegades will participate in a driver’s draft January 30 for eligible eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series drivers.

With over $100,000 in winnings on the line in celebration of the series’ 10th season, some iRacing drivers rose to the occasion as the Pro Series qualification period came to a close.

While attending the Rolex 24 at Daytona, eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series competitor Logan Clampitt put his iRacing skills to the test, earning himself a test in a real race car in April.

 

eNASCAR Heat Pro League Update

704 Games released the list of top-50 drivers per platform based on performance — but, like in today’s age of racing, being a driver means more than just speed on-track. Draftees must now record and submit a video introduction, proving they can handle the spotlight as marketable eSports racers and that they’re the full package.

https://twitter.com/FluffyRacing/status/1089400753691787264

Soon, actual NASCAR teams will draft participants based on both performance data and off-track intangibles.

 

iRacing Paint Schemes of the Week

Even though Denny Hamlin’s 2019 paint scheme was just unveiled Monday, Brantley Roden re-created it for iRacing for those who want to drive the world’s fastest delivery vehicle in the virtual world.

Iracing Hamlin 2019 Paint

Painter Julian Madore put a spin on the famous 2001 Rolex 24 at Daytona ride for Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr — creatively porting their Corvette to a modern-day Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

 

NASCAR Heat 3 Video of the Week

We must admit, this is a fine last-lap photo-finish pass at Dover against one of the game’s greats.

 

iRacing Video of the Week

Yeah, the Charlotte road course is a little tricky, even on iRacing.

 

Posted on by Jessica Ruffin

Chase Elliott’s three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins in 2018 marked a breakthrough in his young career.

The 98 winless races leading up to his first victory at Watkins Glen were trying for the No. 9 driver. The racing industry knew that; his weekly interviews conveyed his frustration.

But perhaps fewer knew just how heavily the burden weighed on his shoulders.

“I underestimated how it was wearing on him and how personal he was taking not winning races,” No. 9 crew chief Alan Gustafson said at the Hendrick Motorsports campus on Jan. 22. “And once he won, I realized ‘wow, it was something he was taking very personal and something that was weighing on him.’”

RELATED: Hooter’s unveils Chase Elliott’s 2019 paint scheme

Elliott enters into his fourth full-time season in the Monster Energy Series this year, a feat he noted is “hard to believe.” The pressure of a first win has evaporated in the confetti of three Victory Lane celebrations, but that doesn’t mean much for the 23-year-old driver.

Because he can’t really ride the coattails of last year’s wins, he said.

“It’s kind of a fresh start in a lot of ways,” Elliott said on this season during a teleconference on Monday. “I mean, I think definitely there was nothing negative about the wins and things. I obviously wish we could have finished a little stronger those last handful, but it’s hard to piggy‑back off of a win and the month of, what was it, September‑October and then continue that in the end of February. But we’ll try our best and try to get rolling.”

PHOTOS: Chase Elliott’s rise in NASCAR

The 2019 season also marks Elliott’s fourth season with Gustafson, who guided Jeff Gordon atop the No. 24 pit box before Gordon’s retirement from full-time driving at the end of 2015. The 43-year-old crew chief’s confidence in his young driver is high – it has been from the beginning, when Elliott was still finding his footing in the series.

“His talent has always been really good,” Gustafson said. “He has been really skilled from the start. I feel like from the first race we had him we felt like we could win. In all actuality, ifs and buts, we probably should have won some races before last season.

“ …I am 100 percent confident if we give Chase a car that he wants he will win the race with it,” he added. “He can adapt really well and there hasn’t been anything that he has not been able to overcome. He is still young enough to where he doesn’t have too many habits, so change isn’t going to be as difficult for him as it is maybe some of the other guys. You know you look at his level of talent he is in a pretty elite level, but most of the guys that he is around have been doing this for a while, so change might be a little bit more difficult for them.”

Gustafson noted the biggest transformation is the way he races others.

“He doesn’t take anything that really isn’t his real estate or force people in bad positions,” he said. “I think he has been taken advantage of a few times because of that and I think that has frustrated him. I’ve seen that change in him. He certainly races some people that kind of consistently have not given him the same respect, he has adjusted how he races them. I think that is a good thing and a good idea. Certainly, helps his performance. You can’t consistently come out on the bad end of deals or altercations or whatever.

“… That process has given him a little bit of an edge,” Gustafson added. “… He has raced the guys that run up front pretty much every week enough where they know what he is and what he’s about. I certainly think they know he is going to be there week in and week out, they better think twice if they are going to do something that might be a little bit questionable.”

Just as a crew chief needs to believe in his driver, a driver also needs to believe in his leader’s guidance. The confidence is certainly mutual from Elliott to Gustafson.

RELATED: Recap Elliott’s 2018 season

“I have a lot of confidence in him, and nice to feel from his end it’s mutual,” Elliott said. “I think that goes a long way. …

“Our relationship really has been pretty simple. … I kind of let his do his thing and he lets me do mine, and we really just go about our business that way. Our friendship has grown, I think, over the past couple years.  We’re by no means best friends.  I think he would tell you the same thing.

“But we work well together, and I think that we enjoy the competition aspect at a similar pace, and he and I, I feel like, view a lot of things the same way from that aspect, and when you’re working with somebody and you’re in the roles that he and I are both in, I’m not real sure that there’s a much better fit or a better way to go about it.”

Posted on by Staff Report

The 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series baseline rules package takes to the track this week over a two-day open test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where drivers from 14 different premier series teams — along with one wheel force car from each of the three manufacturers — take part in an Organizational Open Test.

The best part? NASCAR Digital will host a live show Jan. 31, beginning at 11 a.m. ET, broadcasting the action in Las Vegas, providing instant analysis and talking with drivers in the Neon Garage at the 1.5-mile track.

RELATED: Bookmark for live show

Visit NASCAR.com on Thursday — https://www.nascar.com/lasvegastest — to watch the action unfold in real time, with reporter Jonathan Merryman and crew chief Chris Rice hosting a four-hour event that will include live updates from Las Vegas with NASCAR.com’s Jessica Ruffin and a live stream of the cars on track.

Among the Monster Energy Series drivers scheduled to be in Las Vegas are seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson, 2015 champion Kyle Busch, 2012 champ Brad Keselowski, 2004 champion Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer. A full list is available below.

The two-day test begins at 11 a.m. ET Thursday, running through 10 p.m. ET. The first day includes general open track time, plus three 25-lap drafting sessions.

The live show on NASCAR.com also begins at 11 a.m. ET, wrapping up at 3 p.m. ET.

RELATED: More on 2019 rules package

NASCAR officials announced in October two baseline rules packages for the 2019 Monster Energy Series season, making a move to bolster competition with enhanced aerodynamic and engine configurations.

Graphic for 2019 rules packages

The different packages will be tailored to the specific tracks on the circuit, with a combination of a smaller tapered spacer to reduce engine horsepower to a target goal of 550 (from 750) and aero ducts to foster tighter racing on a majority of speedways measuring longer than 1 mile. Both features will be in place for 17 of the 36 races next season, excepting the 2019 Daytona 500, which will run with traditional restrictor-plate rules. Five other races will be run with the smaller spacer, but without ducts.

The baseline aero elements of the 2019 rules package are a taller 8-inch by 61-inch rear spoiler, a larger front splitter with a 2-inch overhang, and a wider radiator pan that measures 37 inches wide in the front tapering to 31 inches at the rear. Those base changes will be in place at every race next season with the intent of adding downforce to stabilize handling, a break from a trend of downforce reduction from 2015-18.

Teams tested earlier this year at Auto Club Speedway, but that Goodyear Tire Test was closed to the public and had three teams participating.

The full lineup for Las Vegas, including four NASCAR Xfinity Series rookies:

Driver Team Car No. Series
Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing 14 Monster Energy
Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing 1 Monster Energy
Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 18 Monster Energy
Landon Cassill StarCom Racing 00 Monster Energy
Ross Chastain Chevrolet Chevrolet Wheel Force Monster Energy
Matt DiBenedetto Leavine Family Racing 95 Monster Energy
Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing 3 Monster Energy
Ty Dillon Germain Racing 13 Monster Energy
Drew Herring Toyota Toyota Wheel Force Monster Energy
Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports 48 Monster Energy
Brad Keselowski Team Penske 2 Monster Energy
Paul Menard Wood Brothers 21 Monster Energy
Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing 6 Monster Energy
Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing 47 Monster Energy
David Ragan Ford Ford Wheel Force Monster Energy
Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports 43 Monster Energy
Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing 51 Monster Energy
Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing 98 Xfinity
Noah Gragson JR Motorsports 1 Xfinity
Riley Herbst Joe Gibbs Racing 18 Xfinity
Zane Smith JR Motorsports 9 Xfinity

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Ricky Craven has joined FOX Sports as a NASCAR analyst ahead of the 2019 season.

Craven’s move was confirmed by FOX Sports representatives Tuesday morning. The news was first reported by Racer.com.

Craven, 52, had worked as an analyst for ESPN since 2008, providing insights from both the broadcast booth and the studio. With FOX, he’ll be a featured voice on the network’s weekend programming, including NASCAR Race Hub and practice and qualifying broadcasts in FOX Sports’ new virtual studio set.

RELATED: Craven’s career stats | Craven, Busch look back at memorable finish

Craven’s transition to broadcasting came after his career in NASCAR’s top division concluded in 2004. He won two races in what’s now the Monster Energy Series, including a thrilling final victory at Darlington Raceway in 2003, edging Kurt Busch by .002 seconds.

 “I’m honored to join FOX Sports and have always had great admiration and appreciation for the company’s dedication and commitment to our sport,” Craven said in a release provided by the network. “FOX has an amazing team I have felt a connection to since 2003, when they enthusiastically delivered the broadcast of our finish at Darlington. I eagerly await the start of our new season.”

FOX Sports indicated that a full lineup for its 2019 broadcast team was forthcoming. FOX has already announced the offseason additions of former Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray and veteran journalist Bob Pockrass to its NASCAR coverage roster.

RELATED: McMurray joins FOX team for 2019

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Editor’s note: NASCAR.com continues its countdown of team previews for the Monster Energy Series season, ranked in order of best finish in last year’s owner standings. Today’s feature: JTG Daugherty Racing and drivers Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece.

JTG Daugherty Racing

Manufacturer: Chevrolet

Engine: Hendrick Engines

Drivers: Chris Buescher, No. 37; Ryan Preece, No. 47

Crew chiefs: Trent Owens (Buescher), Tristan Smith (Preece)

2018 standings: Buescher finished 24th in the final standings; Preece did not run at the Cup level at ’18, but Allmendinger finished 22nd in the final standings.

What’s new: Ryan Preece enters the fold to drive the No. 47 Chevrolet for JTG Daugherty Racing after the team parted ways with AJ Allmendinger following five-and-a-half seasons together. Preece, who was the 2013 Whelen Modified champion, scored two victories over the past two seasons running a part-time slate for Joe Gibbs Racing and wouldn’t have changed a thing about his path to the sport’s premier series. “I think the way I came up was the way … I mean, it prepares you,” Preece said. “I’ve been working and learning race cars and then winning. Learning to be a winner. I wouldn’t want to come up any other way.”

The team also flipped its crew chiefs back to the cars they started with in 2018 after a late-season change so Owens is back on the No. 37 and Smith is back on the No. 47.

The organization has a strong relationship with fellow Chevrolet team Hendrick Motorsports and will be utilizing engines and pit crew support from them. “We used their pit crew after the (Coca-Cola) 600, so that part of it we’ve been doing. It’s just a continuation,” Ernie Cope, JTG’s competition director told NASCAR.com. “The engines part is going to be new to us. We built all brand new cars. This year, we are using JTG cars, which we’ve never built our own cars. We used to buy cars from RCR. For the speedway stuff, so Daytona 500, it’s going to be Hendrick car, Hendrick engine. Atlanta will be a JTG car with a Hendrick engine.”

Outlook: Preece will be in a battle for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors with fellow freshmen Daniel Hemric (RCR), Matt Tifft (Front Row Motorsports) and Tanner Berryhill (Obaika Racing). Buescher will be looking to push for a playoff spot – his first since qualifying for the postseason in his rookie season of 2016. With Hendrick horsepower under the hood, the two-car fully funded team is primed for a solid surge this year.

Team co-owner Tad Geschickter has his eye on one goal in particular. “We need to make the playoffs,” Geschickter told NASCAR.com. “We’ve progressed — we’ve gone from 30th to 25th to 21st. It’s a big jump and we know it’s tough, but we are not going to be satisfied unless we are knocking on the door of the playoffs at the end of the regular season.”

DRIVERS
Chris Buescher, No. 37 Kleenex Wet Wipes Chevrolet: Buescher enters his fourth season at the sport’s top level – and third with JTG – as the team’s elderstatesman. His top performances in 2018 both came at Daytona – a pair of fifth-place showings – meaning confidence is high entering the season’s opening race. Buescher, the 2015 Xfinity Series champion with Roush Fenway Racing, has one career Monster Energy Series win – at Pocono – from his rookie season spent with Front Row Motorsports in 2016. From there, he moved to JGR and being in one place for the past few years is a welcome feeling for the Texas native.

“It is really nice to have that relationship and be able to be in the same place and the same car without a bunch of moving pieces for now the third year,” Buescher said. “For me, that’s something I haven’t had in a long time and can really appreciate. I feel like that can only help going forward. To be able to build a relationship. Not starting fresh every season. You know your team. You know what’s going on in the shop and what’s changed from the previous year to now. I can visually see the improvements going on and just makes me feel more confident heading into it than coming in cold turkey.”

Ryan Preece, No. 47 Kroger Chevrolet: Preece makes the move to the sport’s top series after driving for Joe Gibbs Racing over the past two seasons in a part-time role. During those 19 starts at JGR, Preece scored victories at Iowa (in 2017) and Bristol (in 2018). The 28-year-old Connecticut native has made five career Monster Energy Series starts – all in 2015. His ride at JTG represents a big opportunity for the driver whose bet on himself at JGR paid off in a big way with a full-time ride at the sport’s top level. He will be competing for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors as well.

Team co-owner and five-time NBA All-Star Brad Daugherty is bullish on what Preece brings to the program. “Ryan, he’s a little bit of a different animal,” Daugherty told NASCAR.com. “He’s a racer through and through. His expectations are extremely high so we want get him through the dog days of being a rookie and learning. Hopefully, he can gain enough insight and keep his confidence when we get into the dog days of racing — June, July — that we start to see a tick up in performance and he can start getting comfortable. I’m really optimistic that he’s going to be really, really great for our program and we’re hoping he can push us because he is a racer.”

TEAM PREVIEWS
• Jan. 22: Assorted teams
• Jan. 23: Richard Petty Motorsports
• Jan. 24: Germain Racing
• Jan. 25: Leavine Family Racing
• Jan 28: Front Row Motorsports
• Jan. 29: JTG Daugherty Racing
• Jan. 30: Wood Brothers Racing
• Jan. 31: Roush Fenway Racing
• Feb. 1: Richard Childress Racing
• Feb. 4: Chip Ganasssi Racing
• Feb. 5: Hendrick Motorsports
• Feb. 6: Joe Gibbs Racing
• Feb. 7: Stewart-Haas Racing
• Feb. 8: Team Penske