Ahead of Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) — the first race in the Round of 8 — we take a look back at the previous four fall Martinsville races in the elimination-style playoffs format. All produced incredible wins and epic celebrations, with long-lingering impacts. We expect the same on Sunday.
Today, we look back at Jimmie Johnson’s 2016 win, which would be the final of his career.
Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. had been eliminated the previous round, which left Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano as the eight drivers remaining in the playoffs as the series rolled into Martinsville Speedway. Four of those drivers would earn a shot to be one of the Championship 4 participants at Homestead-Miami Speedway over the next three races.
Johnson tying the record mark of seven championships shared by Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty didn’t feel like a realistic possibility for much of the 2016 season. Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and the No. 48 team weren’t operating at their usual high level, while Hendrick Motorsports was experiencing an organization-wide slump.
Yet similar to previous championship-winning years, Johnson and Knaus seemingly flipped a switch to elevate their performance when the playoffs began. In the Round of 12, Johnson won at Charlotte Motor Speedway, automatically transferring himself to the Round of 8.
Even then, however, Johnson winning a seventh title was still considered unlikely as the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas continued to set the pace most weeks. JGR’s lineup of Kyle Busch, Edwards, Hamlin and Kenseth each earned a spot in the Round of 8, the first time a single team had that many drivers advance that deep in the postseason. It wasn’t farfetched to think at least one of them would make it to Homestead with a chance to win the championship, if not more.
Chris Trotman | Getty Images
The action
Although Martinsville is one of Johnson’s absolute best tracks, for much of the afternoon another victory didn’t appear in the cards. Truex and Kenseth each dominated at various points — Truex led 147 laps and Kenseth led a race-high 176 laps while Busch and Hamlin ran near the front throughout.
As for Johnson, he had a good car but seemingly not a car capable of winning. And his bid for victory took a big hit when he made contact with Hamlin and Aric Almirola in separate incidents before the halfway point of the race, necessitating he spend additional time on pit road for repairs, costing him valuable track position.
Gradually, however, Johnson moved his way forward, recouping the spots he had lost. And as his driver did his job, Knaus did his to improve the handling of the No. 48 Chevrolet and provide Johnson a car he could contend with.
Johnson passed Hamlin for the lead with 92 laps remaining, and it was a lead he wouldn’t relinquish. The win was Johnson’s 79th of his career and ninth at Martinsville, trailing only Petty (15) and Darrell Waltrip (nine) for the most all-time at the historic Virginia track.
The celebration
The impact
The victory locked Johnson into the championship, the first time he would go into the season finale with shot at the series crown since winning his sixth title in 2013. His win also had ramifications beyond his own team, as both Busch and Kenseth expressed frustration that Hamlin had held them up in the closing laps preventing either from charging after Johnson. Gone now was the prospect of JGR sweeping all four spots in the Championship 4.
The season is coming down to the wire for the eight remaining drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. For two drivers eliminated from the postseason picture, it’s also crunch time for preserving two important personal streaks.
Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin each hold impressive strings of consecutive seasons with at least one victory. Johnson’s streak stands at 16 straight seasons; Hamlin’s sits at 12 straight. But both drivers are staring at perilous zeros in their respective win columns with four races remaining in the 2018 campaign.
The good news for both veterans is that this weekend’s Monster Energy Series event is held at Martinsville Speedway, perennially a source of strength for both drivers. Johnson is a nine-time winner at the historic .526-mile track, while Hamlin has scored five career victories there.
But in Sunday’s First Data 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), only one driver can win, and the competition will be stiff with eight postseason drivers at peak preparation. With the Round of 8 about to start, NASCAR.com’s Zack Albert and George Winkler debate the merits of Hamlin and Johnson and their hopes for keeping their streaks intact.
ZA: Most every week on the circuit, speed holds the key to success. This week at Martinsville, add rhythm to the equation. Among current drivers, Jimmie Johnson is among the best at keeping time on the finicky, tight layout tucked into the Virginia hills.
Johnson’s stats rank among the all-time best for any driver at one particular venue. And while the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team has struggled to find speed at times in a rocky 2018 road, Johnson has shown steady results on short tracks with four straight top 10s at circuits shorter than a mile.
That road leads back to Martinsville, traditionally a safe haven for Johnson, who boasts an impressive 7.9 career average finish in 33 starts. His remarkable Martinsville consistency, combined with his ability to close the deal when grandfather clocks are in the balance, make him a pre-race favorite to play postseason spoiler again come Sunday.
GW: Johnson has an edge, for sure, when it comes to history at Martinsville, but Hamlin is a close second in several statistical categories at the Paperclip, including driver rating, laps led and average finish. Perhaps more importantly Hamlin has been arguably the better overall driver recently, compiling more top-five finishes, top 10s, stage points and stage wins in 2018.
What Hamlin needs to do is just finish a race strong. He has been close to breaking through for a win on a couple of occasions, including in the spring Martinsville race when he led 111 laps only to have a run-in with Kevin Harvick doom him to a 12th-place finish.
Hamlin also came close at Indianapolis when he lost the lead to Brad Keselowski with two laps to go. These disappointments have left a bitter taste for the No. 11 team and they will be highly motivated to end the season on a high note. Plus, it would be sweet redemption for Hamlin to get a win on his home track where he was booed last year after pushing Chase Elliott out of the way late in the race.
Editor’s note: Fantasy Fastlane will look at each race from a fantasy perspective, examining the top plays as well as several under-the-radar options and a play to avoid for NASCAR Fantasy Live. See the full analysis here.
Jacob Riis was a Danish-American social reformer and journalist, credited as a father of modern photography who was one of the first to adopt the use of flash while capturing images. You’ve … probably never heard of him.
And that’s OK, as he died more than a century ago and doesn’t have much relevancy to NASCAR as a whole.
But this past Sunday’s winner at Kansas Speedway, Chase Elliott, can probably relate to his most-famous quote.
“When nothing seems to help,” wrote Riis, “I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that last blow that did it, but all that had gone before.”
So, when the Hendrick Motorsports driver told NASCAR.com on Thursday morning that, “Honestly, I really don’t know (what’s clicked over the past few months). Our approach really hasn’t been any different,” at first blush it sounds like he’s downplaying things a bit. His average finish, average start, top fives and top 10s are all on pace to pretty much match his 2017 figures, the only difference is in the win column. Surely, something had to have changed.
Maybe not.
With now three wins coming in quick order over the past 11 races after two and a half years of frustration, “Chase Elliott 2.0” appears to have emerged. This one wins races. This one finishes what he started. This one has an actual, honest-to-goodness shot at hoisting the trophy in a few weeks at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
But that’s not so, he says. Elliott claims to be the same person he was a year ago, just “another year older, I guess.”
Perhaps it just took the stonecutter’s 100 blows – or in his case, 98 fruitless starts before his first win – before the 101st helped “Chase Elliott: The Original Model” break through.
“I’ll be honest with you, we have not changed a single bit of our preparation since I’ve been here in 2016,” said Elliott, fourth in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points. “Our meeting schedule is the same, we still talk about similar things. Sure, I think we’ve evolved and gotten to know each other better as a team, which certainly is worth a lot, but the step-by-step process of what we do is not changed a bit.
“I think that’s good. Knowing what we do is a good process and you need to trust in that. I feel like I always have trusted in it, I’m just glad we’ve been able to have some results to back that up lately.”
It’s a simple formula, really. Put in the work, do the right things and focus on the process. The results will eventually follow.
Makes sense when you think about it. Hendrick Motorsports had pretty much laminated the recipe to success at NASCAR’s highest level over the past two-plus decades.
Just because the organization hit a downturn in the midst of the most drastic driver turnover in its existence doesn’t mean that all the ingredients and step-by-step directions weren’t there and being implemented. It was just going to take some time to simmer.
Elliott will be a primary focus throughout the weekend, as the series shifts to Martinsville Speedway for the Round of 8-opening First Data 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN). He’s the hottest driver in the series and this race marked the most-talked about incident of last season with his run-in with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin.
True to his earlier point, however, is that he’s still the same old Chase Elliott. Never too high, never too low, and never dwelling on the past.
What’s the thing that stands out most to him about Martinsville a year ago?
“The biggest thing I think about from last year’s race going into this year is just how fast we were and having the opportunity we had,” Elliott said. “I think that’s something you need to look back on, because there’s been more things that we can look at with the cars that try to produce the same speed, hopefully better. So, that’s the most important thing.
“Harping on (the Hamlin incident) isn’t going to get you anywhere and he and I have had no issues with each other since. I feel like, if anything, we’ve raced each other with a lot of respect and I have no problems there. I’m just looking back to the kind of speed we had there last fall and seeing if we can replicate that again this year.”
If he and his No. 9 Chevrolet team can replicate that – he led 123 laps, which is 103 more than in all of his other Martinsville starts combined – look out, world.
Ahead of Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) — the first race in the Round of 8 — we take a look back at the previous four fall Martinsville races in the elimination-style playoffs format. All produced incredible wins and epic celebrations, with long-lingering impacts. We expect the same on Sunday.
Today, we look back at Jeff Gordon’s 2015 win, which would be the final of his career.
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rolled into Martinsville Speedway for the first race in the Round of 8 with a star-studded field of drivers.
The postseason field dwindled down from 12 to eight after the elimination of Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. That left Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch on an even points playing field with three races to decide who would make it to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Racing in his final full-time season, Gordon in particular was hungry for one more championship run. Logano was the one on a hot streak, though, having swept all three races in the Round of 12 at Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega. The No. 22 Penske team appeared to be the championship favorite in the season’s final stretch.
But the postseason hadn’t been all drama-free for Logano. His victory at Kansas came after he got into the back of race leader Kenseth with five laps to go, sending Kenseth into the outside wall in Turn 1, allowing Logano to cruise to his second win in the playoffs.
Kyle Busch, meanwhile, was in the throes of a deep playoff run after missing the first 11 races of the season with a broken leg.
Logano continued the momentum from the previous round, winning the pole for the 500-mile race at the .526-mile Virginia short track. He dominated a large portion of the race, leading a total of 207 before a pair of late-race incidents set up a memorable run to the finish.
A wreck following a restart on Lap 436 of 500 saw three playoff drivers crash at the exit of Turn 1. Brad Keselowski got loose coming out of the corner, getting into Matt Kenseth and sending the No. 20 spinning down the backstretch.
Logano continued to the lead on the following restart, but that changed with 47 laps left when Kenseth and Logano wrecked, sending both cars to the garage.
The incident opened the door for the competition to take advantage, as Hamlin took the lead after the final round of pit stops. He had AJ Allmendinger on his outside for the ensuing restart, with Gordon and Kyle Busch running in third and fourth, respectively.
It was Gordon who worked his way up to take the lead from Allmendinger on Lap 479. A late-race caution on Lap 495 set up a sprint to the finish as darkness fell.
Gordon had to hold off Jamie McMurray and Earnhardt Jr. on the final restart to seal the victory. And he did. Taking McMurray’s best shot, Gordon finally pulled clear of the No. 1 just as the white flag dropped. He ran a clean final lap to earn his 93rd and final career race win, and his ninth triumph at Martinsville.
The emotional four-time champion climbed from his No. 24 car on the frontstretch to celebrate with his team in front of the crowd – a winning moment Gordon truly celebrated like it had the potential to be his last.
The celebration
The impact
The win sealed Gordon’s fate for the Championship 4, ensuring one more title run before he closed the book on his full-time Cup journey. But while Gordon left Martinsville with a spot in the Championship 4 at Homestead, Logano — the title favorite — came out of it 28 points below the cutline. He would not recover and was eliminated in the Round of 8.
Rex Reynolds got a fast start to being a NASCAR fan. Way back in 1976, he picked a prime time for indoctrination — the Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Eventual Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough got the victory. NASCAR got a lifelong follower.
“That summer, a lot of the people in my high school junior class went to Panama City Beach, but me and five other guys went the other direction — to the Firecracker 400,” Reynolds recalled. “From that moment I was hooked.”
Reynolds, from Hazel Green, Alabama, is representing the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama, as one of four finalists for The NASCAR Foundation’s Eighth Annual Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award. The award, named in honor of the foundation’s late founder and chairwoman, honors NASCAR fans who are accomplished volunteers working for children’s causes in their communities throughout the United States.
Reynolds’ resume is remarkable because of a longtime commitment to public service, including volunteering on the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama’s board of directors for 13 years. That stint was recognized in 2010 when Reynolds was inducted into the Boys & Girls Club Hall of Fame in 2010. Reynolds, a former Boys & Girls Club member as a youth, recruits sponsors for annual club events and also recruits other volunteers. Reynolds has also served his community as a police chief, public safety director, city administrator and member of the Alabama House of Representatives.
The winner of the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award will be determined via an online fan vote that is running until Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. (ET) at NASCARfoundation.org/Award. The winner will be announced on Nov. 29 during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards at Wynn Las Vegas.
The NASCAR Foundation will donate $25,000 to the charities represented by the award finalists, with the winner’s charity receiving a $100,000 donation. Since the award’s inception, The NASCAR Foundation has impacted the lives of more than 260,000 children by providing more than $1.2 million in contributions to charities represented by finalists for the award.
Reynolds’ NASCAR memories are numerous. He loves recalling how he slept — or tried to sleep — on a flatbed truck at Talladega Superspeedway. “And in the community where I live now, it’s quiet time at 10 p.m.,” he said, laughing at the contrast.
His best memory, though, involves meeting an elderly fan who traveled to races alone and striking up a lasting, valued, friendship.
Winning the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award, as far as memories go, would be a keeper. The resulting $100,000 donation would go toward providing daily programs and implementation of a STEM Lab in a potential new Boys & Girls Club in Huntsville, Alabama.
“If you ever invest in these children (at the clubs), you will be hooked forever, which is the reason I am still there,” Reynolds said. “They have definitely won my heart.
“I personally have witnessed the impact we have made at the clubs, making life so much better for our young people who desperately need us the most.”
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – As Mark Green took the group of 12 eager young drivers up the New Smyrna Speedway banking for a track walk Tuesday morning, the connection between the veteran NASCAR racer and those dreaming of their own NASCAR opportunity was obvious.
The members of this NASCAR Drive for Diversity Combine came to New Smyrna from places like Washington state and Mexico City. Some were fresh-faced high school students, and some were college-aged. They spoke a variety of languages, had diverse life backgrounds and brought impressive racing resumes.
They share another important trait. They all want to eventually make a living competing in NASCAR’s highest professional divisions. And this combine, in conjunction with REV Racing, was opportunity with a capital O.
Before the young drivers climbed into the late model cars for 15-lap morning and afternoon sessions under the keen eye of longtime NASCAR officials, Green walked the group around the half-mile, high-banked track. “Consistency” was the word of the day, the direct path to an evaluator’s nod.
“It’s not about a one quick lap, but also about how you leave pit road,’’ he cautioned. “Remember to relax, to breathe and not to be nervous.
“And,’’ he said stopping on track and smiling in emphasis, “Don’t do anything crazy and don’t wreck.’’
“Si,” they all responded in unison.
“Si,” he said smiling again, the Kentucky native with a thick Southern drawl conceding he didn’t speak much other Spanish.
“Si. That’s something we can all agree upon.”
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL – OCTOBER 23: Left to right, Ruben Garcia Jr., of Mexico, Ernie Francis Jr., Nick Sanchez, Ryan Vargas, Brooke Storer, Gracie Trotter, Brittney Zamora, Juan Manuel Gonzalez, of Mexico, Loris Hezemans, of the Netherlands, Ryu Taggart, Chase Cabre, and Perry Patino pose for a group shot, NASCAR Drive for Diversity Combine, at New Smyrna Speedway on October 23, 2018 in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. (Photo by Brian Cleary/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The group, which had been listening intently dropped their serious faces and shared a big laugh. The exchange assuaged the natural nervousness of such a potentially life-changing chance. The combine presents two fully-funded NASCAR K&N Series rides as well as two NASCAR Late Model Series season rides. And a productive showing on those stages will undoubtedly draw the attention of those who may ultimately hire one of these drivers in a national series one day.
Jusan Hamilton talks with Loris Hezemans, of the Netherlands.
Longtime Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series crew chief Tony Glover – who directed Sterling Marlin to a pair of Daytona 500 victories (1994-95) at the “big track” a few minutes up State Road 44 – was on the headset with the young drivers as they ran laps. Brett Bodine, a star Cup driver in his own right and now the Cup series’ pace car driver, was among those evaluating the drivers.
The selection process alone to earn a spot in the combine was a major hurdle – with team representatives, NASCAR executives and even former Drive for Diversity drivers- turned Cup superstars Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suarez having input in the selection process.
In the three-day combine, the 12 drivers worked diligently both on-track and off-track. Their media interviews and fitness tests along with video of their hot laps at New Smyrna will be evaluated by the D4D committee, which will then announce this offseason who has been selected for the 2019 rides.
“With this combine being the advanced level of the Drive for Diversity program, we have a really strong class, really experienced with a lot of racing background already,’’ said Jusan Hamilton, of NASCAR’s Racing Operations and Event Management team and the administrator of the combine.
“This year having that input from a variety of backgrounds – general managers and team owners from the national level as well as alumni drivers, that has led us to a really strong class – one I think that once it’s narrowed down, can be really successful. The program’s goal is to give these drivers a platform to climb.’’
The enthusiasm for the process and the respect of the outcome was immediately obvious as the drivers went from one task to another – some more familiar with the exercises than others. The highlight, of course, was time behind the wheel.
The drivers placed their helmets – ranging from solid black to bright purple, some with logos and some plain – on a pit-side table. Those that weren’t driving or on-deck to drive, found a spot atop one of REV Racing’s team haulers to watch the others.
Ryan Vargas
Ryan Vargas, a high school senior from California who turned 18 a month ago, was first up on track. This is the second consecutive D4D Combine Vargas has been invited to participate in. He is a two-time NASCAR Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award winner (2016-17) who began competing primarily in his home state at some of the same famed small tracks in Irwindale and Kern County where Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship contender Kevin Harvick began his career.
This week marked the first time Vargas had driven a late model stock car on Goodyear bias ply tires and there was no practice in the combine’s cars before Tuesday’s lap sessions. How he – and the others – adapt is exactly part of the evaluation process.
“I don’t know how they decided, there might have been a drawing, but I saw that I was first out and thought, ‘OK, that’s great,’” said Vargas with a grin. “It got me out first and I feel with the lap times I laid and the consistency I showed hopefully it stacks well.
“[Being back this year] there’s a sense of confidence, I feel more relaxed, I’ve done it before. You know the people here and who you’re competing against. You go in and you just say, “I’ve done this before and I can do better.’”
It’s a familiar refrain for several of the 12 drivers participating.
As with Vargas, Brittney Zamora, 19, of Kennewick, Wa., is returning for another chance to impress the committee. She’s been recognized by legendary racer Lyn St. James and the Women’s Sports Foundation, and she is also a returning participant in the Diversity Driver Development Combine. Zamora competes in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series and is the 2017 Northwest Super Late Model Series champion after earning Rookie of the Year in the series last year. She also has been tabbed by Toyota Racing Development and done some late model races in California with them.
“I’m here for the same goal, trying to get the K&N ride with REV Racing,’’ she said smiling. “But it’s nice coming back to the combine knowing a little more what to expect. It’s nice to have a heads-up on what we’re doing and be a little more prepared.
“It’s cool to be a girl and get more girls involved. But I’m here to be the best driver and do the best I can on the track. I leave gender off the table.’’
Left to right, Chase Cabre, Perry Patino, Brittney Zamora, Brooke Storer, and Gracie Trotter
The benefits of the combine invite? “The exposure and getting to be evaluated against the other drivers, it’s cool to see how I stack up,” Zamora said.
Joining Vargas and Zamora are Chase Cabre, Ernie Francis Jr., Rubén Garcia Jr., Juan Manuel González, Loris Hezemans, Perry Patino, Nick Sanchez, Brooke Storer, Ryu Taggart, and Gracie Trotter. About half are making their debut at the combine.
“I’m proud to be accepted into this. It’s a great opportunity for me. … I’m very fortunate,” said Storer, 20, a third-generation Florida racer who is also taking college classes at Rasmussen College while pursuing her driving career.
The Land O’ Lakes native won a race at New Smyrna just a few weeks ago in the American Auto Sportsman Series.
“It was definitely a good confidence boost coming into this,’’ she said.
Garcia, 22, is hoping this combine translates into a quick next step. The Mexico City native has been to four combines and has shown his capability racing fulltime this season in both the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and NASCAR Peak Mexico. He competed for REV Racing in the K&N Series winning twice and finished third in the title chase, a point behind second place.
“It’s tough to get the funding you need, but that’s what we’re trying to do,’’ Garcia said. “We’re trying to use all the momentum we’ve built up this season and if we can accomplish one more win and get a championship [in the Mexico Series].
“I’m happy with the way the year is going and how things are coming together, but I feel it’s time to move up and take the next step.
“In my career, this [combine] has made the biggest progress for me. Without this program I never would have considered moving to the U.S. and racing. That’s what you have to do if you want to race fulltime in NASCAR. You need to be here and have the exposure in front of the people you need to, show your skills to people looking for drivers and that’s what this program gave me – the tools and opportunity to be a better driver inside and outside the race car.’’
It rained some early Tuesday, inadvertently giving the NASCAR hopefuls a lesson in rain delays too. But their enthusiasm and talent were on full display when it mattered most. They showed up with impressive resumes and high hopes and left the combine ensuring that the sport was on the right track.
“Being a part of REV Racing and all that Max [Siegel] and NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program have given me is incredible,” added Garcia. “I’ve been put under a spotlight and to be honest, it starts out as a dream and goal but then when you get to this level, it’s like, ‘holy cow, this is real, it could be a difference maker.
“It’s definitely an incredible experience. ‘’
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Alon Day wants more opportunities to race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – and he hopes his newly earned title will help.
The 26-year-old driver is back in Tel Aviv, Israel — his native country — after winning his second straight NASCAR Whelen Euro Series championship on Oct. 22. Day’s title-clinching win at Circuit Zolder was his seventh win of the 2018 Euro Series season.
The title didn’t come without a fight, though.
“It was a pretty intense year. It was definitely harder than the first year,” Day told NASCAR.com in a phone conversation. “The first four races of the season, I won all of them and then I got disqualified in one of those post-race inspections … And I did another driving mistake which almost cost me the championship. So many small mistakes, so many kinds of punches that I got throughout the year that made everything much more difficult. To be very honest, until the very last moment, until I crossed the line, I didn’t think I would win that championship.
“… I’ve been in such a difficult situation … which actually makes winning much sweeter. I’m super happy, so happy for me, for my team, for my country, for everybody. I’m extremely happy.”
Day also made his second Monster Energy Series start this season and his first at an oval track (at Richmond Raceway in September). He made history running his first Cup race in 2017 at Sonoma Raceway, as he became the first Israeli driver to start in NASCAR’s premier series. Day has also made two pairs of Xfinity and Camping World Truck starts (2016).
“What I learned is that ovals are hard; road courses are easier,” he said, laughing. “That’s the main thing. I’m a road course specialist, I came from road courses. For me, driving an oval was very challenging. But that was a good experience. I learned a lot when I raced in Richmond. I can’t even describe it in words because I had so many things going on that weekend. I wasn’t prepared for that. I didn’t think it was going to be that hard on me.
“So, I would love in the future to do more races. I don’t care which team. I just want to drive in the Cup level. It was amazing. I hope also this championship will open some more doors.”
Day is accustomed to breaking down barriers; he began his career wheeling go-karts in Europe with his father’s support. When he started in 2002, his native country of Israel had “no motorsports.”
“We had nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was desert, literally,” he said with a chuckle. “We had only go-karts … I’m so fortunate and happy that my dad realized my abilities or my potential and invested the money …
“Without my dad sending me out of Israel, sending me to Europe to race there, I don’t think we would be having this conversation right now.”
Day’s presence in NASCAR now is important; for himself, the sport and Israel.
“We are not really big in motorsports but we are getting there … slowly,” he said of his country. “You can see before I started racing in NASCAR, nobody probably knew what NASCAR was here in Israel. And now they actually are broadcasting the races. I won the Athlete of the Year back in 2016 … So that showed how big NASCAR became here in Israel.
“It’s nice to see that there’s so much support behind me and when I won the race, I got so many messages, people all over Israel, even from the government and ministers, people like that congratulating me. It’s a big thing.
“Every time I carry the Israel flag, I’m carrying the whole country behind me.”
Day also hopes to change others’ perspectives about Israel with his success in motorsports, explaining that sports “change everything.”
“I think by having me there, while I was racing (in NASCAR), I tried to change minds about Israel,” he said. “A lot of people really realized that and appreciated that …
“When you think about sports, you don’t think about war. The only war I have is on the race track … I show different sides about Israel and show that we are not only a weapon country or whatever you want to call it or whatever you think about it. We are also good in sports and other things.”
One day, he would love to carry the Israeli flag fulltime in the Monster Energy Series – but he knows what it will take to make that dream happen.
“That’s obviously the goal, but I have to be very realistic and know about what’s coming out with sponsors and things like that,” he said. “So, I would say that’s the ultimate goal, but I know it’s very challenging and it’s not going to be easy and it’s still a long process.
Cliff Preston never misses work on Christmas morning.
And he never complains about the schedule, either, calling his annual shift at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville, Florida “the best three hours of his year.”
Preston spends that time with newborns. He has volunteered for 26 years at UF Health Shands as a “cuddler” for hospitalized newborns, in the absence of a parent. Since 1992, Preston has logged more than 3,300 hours volunteering in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at UF Health Shands, comforting thousands of infants.
Preston is representing UF Health Shands, as one of four finalists for The NASCAR Foundation’s Eighth Annual Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award. The award, named in honor of the foundation’s late founder and chairwoman, honors NASCAR fans who are also accomplished volunteers working for children’s causes in their communities throughout the United States.
The award winner will be determined via an online fan vote that is running until Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. (ET) at NASCARfoundation.org/Award. The winner will be announced on Nov. 29 during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards at Wynn Las Vegas.
The NASCAR Foundation will donate $25,000 to the charities represented by the award finalists, with the winner’s charity receiving a $100,000 donation. Since the award’s inception, The NASCAR Foundation has impacted the lives of more than 260,000 children by providing more than $1.2 million in contributions to charities represented by finalists for the award.
UF Health Shands’ NICU opened in 1967 and treats approximately 800 critically ill infants each year; some days, more than 50 infants may be receiving care in the unit. If Preston wins the award, the $100,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation will help provide a state-of-the-art web-cam system at UF Health Shands, designed to keep families connected when children are hospitalized and parents are elsewhere.
Preston’s extensive volunteer commitment includes Christmas mornings and other holidays — when volunteer slots are especially difficult to fill.
“I’m humbled and honored to represent UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital,” Preston said. “This is far outside any experience I’ve had in my life. To be involved with the NASCAR Family … it’s pretty awesome.”
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That’s especially true, considering Preston’s longtime love of NASCAR, which evolved from his affinity for muscle cars and stock cars as a young man. His favorite NASCAR memory is attending the Daytona 500 with family members, with a great view of pit-road exit and the start-finish line.
Preston’s all-time favorite driver is NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Bill Elliott. As far as current drivers go, his favorite is former Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne. He got to meet both this past Sunday at Kansas Speedway, where the award finalists were announced.
Preston got another special treat earlier this year, courtesy of The NASCAR Foundation. Chase Elliott, son of Bill Elliott and a current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship contender, was tabbed to inform Preston over the phone that he had become an award finalist.
Christmas — which can never come too early for Preston — had indeed arrived prematurely.
“I was floored and nearly speechless,” Preston said. “It was awesome … the son of ‘Awesome Bill from Dawsonville’ calling me … it was just perfect.”
“I’ve been really inspired about NASCAR by this whole experience. [To win the award] would be an honor beyond anything I could imagine.”
Ray Alfalla won an unprecedented fourth NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series championship, playing a perfect pit strategy to beat last year’s champion Ryan Luza. Alfalla wins the top prize of $10,000, a NASCAR Championship ring and trophy, plus a trip to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series finale to be presented his prizes on stage before the driver introductions.
Alfalla started ninth but only took 16 laps to crack the top five. It was Luza, however, who looked to have the car to beat early on, and while Alfalla could keep pace, it looked as if he was designed to finish runner-up.
With laps winding down, Alfalla made his move, pitting two laps earlier than Luza and taking advantage of his fresh tires to overtake Luza when he returned to the track. Luza emerged nearly half a straightaway behind but started to close the gap with his fresh tires and long-run speed.
By the time there were 10 laps to go, Luza had closed within a second of Alfalla and began to set him up. Alfalla committed to the lower groove and looked unwilling to move around, but Luza kept searching different lines for grip. Luza found speed in the high groove, but with laps winding down, he was not gaining enough on Alfalla.
On the final lap Luza gave it one last go, taking the high groove through Turns 1 and 2 as Alfalla stuck to the middle. Alfalla rolled the middle of the corner much better and maintained the gap, leaving Luza with one more opportunity in Turns 3 and 4. Luza chose the bottom this time, driving hard into Turn 3 and nearly reaching Alfalla’s rear bumper. His attempt fell short, and to make matters worse, Luza’s car appeared to run out of gas exiting Turn 4, leaving him one place short of two championships in a row.
Nick Ottinger started on the pole and looked to play spoiler but only led eight laps before Luza sailed past. Ottinger wound up 24th after being caught up in a crash involving Taylor Hurst and Michael Guest.
The two other Championship 4 contenders, Michael Conti and Matt Bussa, never showed the speed to compete for the title. Conti started near the back after making a mistake in qualifying but gained track position on pit road by taking two tires during the early yellow. Unfortunately, a long run immediately followed and Conti slipped through the field. Once he was on equal tires his car simply could not keep up on a short run. Conti finished third, 4.6 seconds adrift.
Bussa started eighth and, like Conti, lacked short-run speed. Bussa tried a different strategy on the last run, pitting several laps before the rest of the leaders. While Bussa did emerge in front of Alfalla and Luza, his tires were too worn and both easily moved by. Bussa continued to slide and wound up eighth at the checkers.
Alfalla’s fourth championship may be his most improbable. While he won two races he only led 52 laps all season and usually was not the car to beat. His consistency was vintage Alfalla and once the playoffs came around he found just enough speed to take home the top prize.
Luza, on the other hand, was the class of the field for the first half of the year but slid a bit late as Conti came on strong. Late in the season he appeared to find some of the speed he lost and probably had the best car at Homestead, but a small slip on strategy was all that separated him from a second title.
With the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series on break until February 2019, focus shifts to the NASCAR iRacing Pro Series. The bottom 20 drivers from the 2018 NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing series will take part along with transfers from iRacing’s Road to Pro Series. The top 20 will transfer to the 2019 NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series to challenge Alfalla, Luza, and the rest for the title.
After one of the most competitive NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series seasons ever, the bar is set high for 2019. Can Luza rebound after coming up just short? Will Alfalla make it five titles in nine years? Or can a newcomer burst onto the scene much like Luza did in 2017? The iRacing eSports Network will cover all the action starting in Daytona next February.
