Formosa Productions Inc. and Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) have today reached an agreement to explore bringing major NASCAR racing events back to Nashville. The joint effort intends to combine local racing and other major motorsports events that once made Fairgrounds Speedway one of the premier raceways in motorsports.
Formosa Productions has a multi-year contract with the Metro Nashville Board of Fair Commissioners to promote and manage the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and operate a limited number of local racing events. BMS and Formosa Productions, who will continue to lead local racing efforts, have signed a contract to work with Metro Nashville and the Board of Fair Commissioners, owner of the historic raceway at the Nashville Fairgrounds, on a long-range plan of significant track improvements and high-profile race events that could include NASCAR events upon the facility meeting standards.
“This is terrific news for fans of racing and drivers all across the country and will bring a brighter future for Nashville Fairgrounds,” said Tony Formosa, president of Formosa Productions. “I’m excited to work with Bruton and Marcus Smith and the Bristol team who I feel will bring this historic facility back to where it belongs. Today marks an exciting new beginning for the Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville.”
Claire Formosa, vice president of Formosa Productions added, “This is exactly what the Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville needed. This is one of the most historic short tracks in the country. To know that we now have the chance to bring back NASCAR and restore this facility to what it once was, without losing any of its history is remarkable. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this facility and everyone involved.”
Said Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, “Tony and our team both see the same bright future for Fairgrounds Speedway. Nashville has a special reputation as one of the most exciting tracks in the history of motorsports, and the region has a remarkably large and passionate fan base. The motorsports industry — the sanctioning bodies, drivers and race teams — is excited about Nashville’s potential to be a regular site for major events. With Metro supportive of that vision, we are eager to start working tomorrow with the city, Tony and other stakeholders at the Fairgrounds and beyond, to develop a first-class racing facility and program.”
STAMFORD, Conn. – NBC Sports Group today announced it has reached a multi-year agreement with former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver AJ Allmendinger, who will join the network’s motorsports coverage beginning in January 2019.
Allmendinger will work on various properties across NBC Sports’ unparalleled motorsports portfolio, including as a booth analyst for the network’s exclusive coverage of the IMSA SportsCar Championship. Additionally, he will contribute regularly to NBCSN’s daily motorsports show NASCAR America. Allmendinger will make his broadcast debut during NBC Sports’ coverage of the 57th running of the iconic Rolex 24 at Daytona on Saturday, Jan. 26, where he is also expected to race as part of Meyer Shank Racing (MSR).
“AJ loves to race and is passionate about IMSA,” said Sam Flood, Executive Producer and President of Production, NBC Sports. “His career as a driver across IMSA, NASCAR and Open Wheel will bring a unique mix of experience and insight to the NBC Sports team.”
“I couldn’t be more excited to begin this new chapter in my life alongside some of the most knowledgeable and influential voices in motorsports, and to be a part of NBC Sports’ second-to-none coverage,” said Allmendinger.
Allmendinger joins NBC Sports after competing in NASCAR for 13 seasons, most recently driving JTG Daugherty Racing’s No. 47 Chevrolet in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. He garnered his first career Cup Series win in 2014, and made his first playoff appearance that same year. Allmendinger also drove part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he earned two victories (both in 2013).
In 2012, Allmendinger was part of the overall-winning team in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. In 2006, he earned five wins and placed third overall in the Champ Car World Series.
California native Zane Smith, a member of the NASCAR Next Class of 2018, will drive eight NASCAR Xfinity Series races for JR Motorsports in 2019, the team announced Tuesday. Smith will take the wheel of the organization’s No. 9 Chevrolet in his series debut in March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The 19-year-old Smith is the first driver to be named to the lineup of JRM’s No. 9 team, which is coming off its second consecutive Xfinity Series title — William Byron won the 2017 championship in the car, with Tyler Reddick following in 2018.
JRM will run a full-time schedule with the No. 9 next season with a number of drivers at the helm, according to a press release. Additional drivers, crew chief and sponsorship news will be announced at a later date, according to the team.
“Zane is going to be an important part of the lineup for the No. 9 team next season,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr., owner of JRM. “It’s a great opportunity for him. The team is going to take on a different feel with a handful of drivers taking turns throughout the year, but the goal remains the same — to help these drivers gain experience and continue to advance their careers. We started the Xfinity program with that mindset and it’s something we’re proud to continue.”
Smith will join a JR Motorsports roster going through a bit of a makeover. Justin Allgaier (No. 7) and Michael Annett (No. 5) both return, but Reddick is off to Richard Childress Racing and Elliott Sadler has retired. Noah Gragson will start his first year in the No. 1 in 2019. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas will partner with JR Motorsports for Smith’s debut.
“I’m super pumped to be a part of JR motorsports with the No. 9 team for eight races,” Smith said. “I’m counting down the days until Las Vegas, which will be my debut in the Xfinity series. I can’t thank The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas enough for making this happen, along with all of my other partners who have gotten me this far. Having Dale and Kelley (Earnhardt Miller) as bosses and to lean on is going to be awesome. They are huge icons of the sport. It is unreal to be a part of their team, so I’m just going to try and take it all in.”
In addition to Las Vegas, Smith will race at the following tracks: Bristol Motor Speedway (April 6), Richmond Raceway (April 12 and Sept. 20), Dover International Speedway (May 4 and Oct. 5) and Iowa Speedway (June 16 and July 27).
Smith drove full time in the ARCA Racing Series in 2018, finishing in second place in the final standings. He won four times and had 12 top-five finishes in 20 races. Smith also finished fifth in his only NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series start at Gateway Motorsports Park.
“JR Motorsports has a strong history of helping groom young talent and we’re looking forward to giving Zane that platform for success,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, general manager of JRM. “We feel Zane has much to offer both on and off the track. We’re going to have him in the car for these eight races, but also have him gain additional experience by traveling with the team for the season.”
DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA — In 2019, year five of its award-winning Throwback Weekend, Darlington Raceway will celebrate the 1990-1994 era of the sport for its 2019 campaign. The 2019 event will also mark the 70th running of the Bojangles’ Southern 500.
The “Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR” will be celebrated during the track’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 and NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 weekend on Aug. 30-Sept. 1.
Darlington Raceway will honor specific moments and heroes of the 1990-94 era of the sport’s storied history, including the conclusion of 2010 NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty’s career and the beginning of 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Gordon’s career.
The track will also pay special tribute during its 2019 race weekend to Spartanburg, South Carolina, native David Pearson, who has the most all-time NASCAR Cup victories at the track Too Tough To Tame with 10 wins. Pearson had 105 total wins in NASCAR’s top series, which is second only to Petty (200 wins). Pearson passed away on Nov. 12, 2018 at the age of 83.
“We’re excited to celebrate the 1990-94 era of the sport during our 2019 Throwback Weekend,” Darlington Raceway President Kerry Tharp said. “Many legendary drivers made names for themselves and the sport realized tremendous growth during that time period under the leadership of Bill France Jr. We will also celebrate the storied career of David Pearson during our race weekend, who was the most successful driver in Darlington’s history, as well as recognize the 70th running of the historic Bojangles’ Southern 500.”
For the fifth straight year, Darlington Raceway is also excited to announce it will once again highlight its rich history with a commemorative ticket design honoring Pearson and his history at Darlington for the 2019 Bojangles’ Southern 500.
“Even though we are highlighting the 1990-94 era, we felt it was important to pay tribute to David Pearson on our tickets because he truly was an icon in South Carolina who left a tremendous impact on Darlington and on NASCAR,” Tharp said.
Just in time for the holidays, Darlington Raceway has started the ticket renewal process with fans receiving an e-mail communication to renew their tickets and campsites early with the ability to print a gift letter when they renew.
Renewal brochures will be mailed in early January, but fans may log in to their accounts now to receive their exclusive renewal benefits. Renewing tickets early guarantees seats at the track’s best value before the opening of all remaining seats to the general public on Friday, Feb. 22.
Kasey Kahne concedes now that he began suspecting something was up last week when he received strange text messages and conflicting answers to easy questions from his friends and longtime employees.
The 38-year-old did not expect, however, the full-on surprise reception those very friends and family organized last Thursday night to honor him for his 15 years in NASCAR and pay respect for his successful and celebrated racing history.
More than 200 people from all phases and places of Kahne’s racing career crowded into the BoatYard Eats facility in Cornelius, North Carolina, for a surprise “retirement” party. Former pre-NASCAR team owners like Steve Lewis, longtime sponsor representatives, current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers such as Chase Elliott, Clint Bowyer and Kyle Larson, and past drivers Michael Waltrip and Regan Smith joined a room full of Kahne’s family and friends to recognize a triumphant career for the soft-spoken, shy wonder-talent from faraway Enumclaw, Washington.
“People weren’t there (at work) that day and were saying things to me and texting me and everything just seemed off,” Kahne told NASCAR.com this week. “I usually keep my days pretty normal, so I could tell something was going on. Up until then, I had no clue there was any type of party. I didn’t even think there needed to be one. I never thought of having a NASCAR retirement type party. It wasn’t on my radar at all.
“If it wasn’t a surprise, I would have said no. So it was really good.”
And so fitting.
Kahne’s career, though, always has exceeded “good.” His ascension and success in the NASCAR ranks was a hard-earned and unlikely path from someone of his racing background and West Coast small-town locale.
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His was a family effort from the get-go. And continues to be today.
Kasey’s father, Kelly Kahne, built a dirt track on the family’s property in Enumclaw to first put Kahne in a race car as a child. His mother, Tammy, ran a fan shop out of the garage as Kahne’s popularity began to soar. His older sister, Shannon, moved with him to Indianapolis and then the East Coast to offer support in his earliest time on the national stage. Now she runs the hugely generous Kasey Kahne Foundation.
Kahne’s younger brother, Kale, worked on his USAC teams and even served as a spotter early in Kasey’s NASCAR career. He and cousins Kole and Willie ran the family’s beloved sprint car team while Kasey focused on his NASCAR career.
“I feel so young and feel like I still want to race and do so many things,’’ Kahne said. “But I had 15 great years in NASCAR and learned so much and enjoyed it so much and won races. I just kind of want to move on and do something different for numerous reasons.
“To see what other people in the sport have written on social media has meant a ton to me. Also just to see all the people at the surprise party. Twenty years ago I wouldn’t have known anyone in there but my family. But the other night we were all friends, good friends. … I sat there and watched some and think back – every single person is enjoying it as a group because really it is for all of us together.
“It really showed how much racing in NASCAR and sprint cars have brought such a large group together to be good friends.”
From his earliest green flags, Kahne proved to be a racing prodigy. He joined Jeff Gordon (1989-90) as the only drivers to ever win the prestigious Night Before the 500 USAC Midget race twice — and back-to-back (2000-01). He was highly regarded and his talent just-tapped driving in the USAC ranks for Lewis when offers began to come in. Kahne was presented with two huge professional opportunities — driving open-wheel cars and driving stock cars.
He decided to try the latter and quickly erased the notion of any learning curve. His natural talent and discipline were apparent immediately. Kahne won Rookie of the Year honors in 2004 driving Dodges for Ray Evernham. He scored 13 top-five finishes that first year (including five runner-up showings) — a high mark for his entire career. His first win was at Richmond Raceway in 2005 and he beat one of his own-kind, USAC legend and good friend Tony Stewart, for the trophy.
In all, Kahne won 18 times at the Cup level — and he won for every team he competed with (with the exception of Leavine Family Racing last year, when his season was cut short due to medical issues). He scored nine wins for Evernham, two for Richard Petty, another for Red Bull Racing and six for the Hendrick organization.
Hendrick Motorsports was so eager to make a deal with Kahne, the team took the unprecedented action of announcing Kahne’s hiring in April 2010, nearly two full seasons before Kahne would actually start racing for the organization.
The anticipation was deserved as Kahne would challenge for championships and hoist trophies. He finishes his full-time Cup career with wins on a wide variety of tracks, from half-mile Bristol, to the 1-mile New Hampshire track, to 1.5-milers at Charlotte and Texas to the Sonoma road course and the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Kahne is one of just 31 drivers in NASCAR history with victories in all three national series. In addition to his 18 Cup races, Kahne won eight Xfinity Series races and five NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series races in six starts.
Not only was Kahne productive on-track, but he became a legitimate, if reluctant, celebrity as well, starring in commercials for sponsors such as Great Clips, Allstate and Farmers Insurance. The Allstate commercials, in particular, gained Kahne plenty of attention with hugely popular spots featuring middle-age women swooning over his good looks and racing talent.
It never was the attention Kahne sought, however. It was always the checkered flag and the feeling of accomplishment that drove him, as did the opportunity to succeed with his family at his side and fans eager to embrace his amazing journey from a small Northwest logging town to the stock-car big time.
“I had a lot of great accomplishments and everything was a dream really,” Kahne said. “As a kid, I just wanted to race and make a living. Making it to NASCAR and the teams I was able to race for, even the people before that that helped me get to NASCAR starting with my parents and then Steve Lewis and Phil Durst, so many people there. It’s crazy that many people came from all over the place. … It was really a fun time.’’
As Kahne will someday reflect on the many trophies he’s earned in his NASCAR career, it feels fitting that his last victory came at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – the very place that so accurately represents his early career crossroads and a venue that Kahne had revered above all others.
It is the perfect bow on an incredible career.
“I don’t think always about everything that went on (in my career), but when people remind me, I think, ‘Well that worked out,’ ” he said.
StarCom Racing announced Monday that Landon Cassill will return as the driver of its No. 00 Chevrolet for the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, with a new charter, new engine supplier and a new shop as part of the team’s offseason enhancements.
StarCom purchased a charter from Richard Childress Racing, setting a course for a full season and guaranteeing the team a starting spot in each race next year. Last season, StarCom leased the charter previously used by RCR’s former No. 27 team.
RCR owner Richard Childress indicated last Friday that his team would share in a technical alliance with StarCom, and that the ECR engine program would supply the horsepower. StarCom also announced a move to a new, 20,000-square-foot race shop in Salisbury, North Carolina.
Cassill made 29 Monster Energy Series starts for StarCom last year — 25 in the No. 00 Chevrolet, and four for the organization’s No. 99 entry. The 29-year-old driver’s best finish was 18th in the NASCAR Playoffs opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Cassill has been a Monster Energy Series regular since the second half of the 2010 season.
Three other drivers shared the seat of the Starcom No. 00 last season. Jeffrey Earnhardt and Joey Gase made five starts each in the No. 00 ride, and road-racing specialist Tomy Drissi had a single entry in June at Sonoma Raceway.
BEDFORD, Mass. — NASCAR and iRacing will celebrate the 10th season of the eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series in 2019. The series, NASCAR’s only officially sanctioned esports series, is increasing its prize pool to $100,000, the highest in series history.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be able to increase the prize pool to $100,000,” said Anthony Gardner, President, iRacing.com. “Working closely with NASCAR, as well as a great partner like PEAK Antifreeze, we have been able to elevate the series to a whole new level.”
The eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series is the longest-running official esports racing series. The updated prize pool represents more than a 500% increase from the previous year, making it one of the richest payouts in esports racing competition.
The 2019 season kicks off on February 12 at Daytona International Speedway and runs through October with the series champion receiving his or her championship trophy and check on stage during pre-race ceremonies at the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to celebrate the 10th season of the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series with our partners at NASCAR and iRacing,” said Bryan Emrich, Chief Marketing Officer for Old World Industries. “We have a storied history in motorsports and over the past five years as title sponsor we have authentically engaged and connected with racing enthusiasts competing at the highest level of sim-racing. This is a great way to build upon our official global Antifreeze partnership with NASCAR and our entitlement of the PEAK Mexico NASCAR Series.”
NASCAR’s commitment to the series is stronger than ever with Jusan Hamilton recently being named Series Director for the eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series and the eNASCAR Ignite Series. Hamilton brings years of racing operations experience and is well placed to integrate the series even more within the NASCAR framework.
“NASCAR is putting a strong emphasis on esports and the increased prize money demonstrates how committed we are to the series,” added Hamilton. “The competition has continued to improve each of the past nine seasons and we expect the incentive to win a championship will be at an all-time high. I believe this will be the most competitive season in series history.”
Feb. 12 – Daytona International Speedway
Feb. 26 – Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 12 – Auto Club Speedway
March 26 – Texas Motor Speedway
April 9 – Richmond Raceway
April 23 – Talladega Superspeedway
May 7 – Kansas Speedway
May 21 – Charlotte Motor Speedway
June 11 – Sonoma Raceway
June 25 – Chicagoland Speedway
July 9 – Kentucky Speedway
July 23 – Pocono Raceway
Aug. 6 – Michigan International Speedway
Aug. 20 – Bristol Motor Speedway
Playoffs
Aug. 27 – Darlington Raceway
Sept. 10 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Sept. 24 –Charlotte Motor Speedway road course
Oct. 8 – Homestead-Miami Speedway
Thursday, December 20 On MRN 1 p.m.: Throwback Thursday: 1986 Winston Western at Riverside Raceway
Tuesday, December 25
12 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Features, Part 1, FS1
1 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub: Fans’ Choice Awards, FS1
2 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Features, Part 2, FS1
3 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive, FS1
4 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub: Season Recap, FS1
5 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2018 Daytona 500, FS1
8 p.m.: Beyond the Wheel 2018, FS1
9 p.m.: Beyond the Wheel, FS1
On MRN 7 p.m.: NASCAR Live
Wednesday, December 26
9 p.m.: Beyond the Wheel, FS2
Thursday, December 27 On MRN 1 p.m.: Throwback Thursday: 1998 Kroger 300 at Lucas Oil Raceway
Friday, December 28
2:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race from Las Vegas Motor Speedway (re-air), FS2
Karsyn Elledge is about to do something that even her uncle Dale Earnhardt Jr. has yet to undertake — a bid at the Chili Bowl Nationals.
The 18-year-old daughter of JR Motorsports co-owner Kelley Earnhardt Miller, Junior’s sister, announced Saturday she will enter her first Chili Bowl this January.
Elledge made the announcement in a video on Twitter, filmed at the dirt track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. She’ll be running for Tucker-Boat Motorsports.
She’ll be competing against JRM driver Justin Allgaier, Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman, former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne and more than 200 others in the premier dirt racing event.
Earlier this year, Elledge won a race at Millbridge Speedway in Salisbury, North Carolina. She later played hooky.
The Chili Bowl gets underway Jan. 14 at Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
WELCOME, N.C. — Richard Childress Racing’s unveiling of glitzy gold cars Friday at the team’s headquarters celebrated the company’s 50 years in NASCAR, but it also signaled a new era, with a new driver (Daniel Hemric) and a new car number (No. 8) to round out a day flush with announcements.
But amid all the stories about Richard Childress’ humble upbringing and the sport’s “good ol’ days” was another history lesson, this one about the team owner’s recent association with the organization’s newest car number.
“When we originally got the 8, we got it for Ty Dillon,” Childress said, mentioning his grandson, a two-year veteran of the Monster Energy Series. “He was going to come here and run, and then he ended up driving for Germain Racing and GEICO, and we held it another couple of years after that. And so the opportunity came along. I wanted to come up with something brand-new for Daniel and tie the 3 and 8 together here at RCR.”
Dillon drove in both the Xfinity Series and Gander Outdoors Truck Series for Richard Childress Racing. But instead of following his brother Austin’s path to the Monster Energy Series with his grandfather’s team, Ty Dillon’s ascension to NASCAR’s top division came with an RCR affiliate in the Germain No. 13 Chevrolet.
Chalk the No. 8’s alignment with Hemric up to both timing and a hometown connection. RCR had a full three-car stable locked in with Austin Dillon, Ryan Newman and Paul Menard when Ty Dillon was ready to move up the ladder to the Cup Series for the 2017 season. That left the rights to the No. 8 in Childress’ hands for two more years. Bringing it back then made more sense with Hemric, who shares a Kannapolis, North Carolina hometown with the Earnhardt family, which has its own rich history with both RCR and the car number.
Ty Dillon will continue with the Germain No. 13 team in 2019. Though timing and other circumstances kept him from naturally progressing to RCR’s top tier, could Childress envision a home for the 26-year-old Dillon on the Cup Series roster?
“Who knows what the future will allow, but not today,” Childress said. “He’s got a great opportunity with Germain Racing. We’re going to work closer with them this coming year and see if we can add some more to their alliance. I think that Ty’s really, really happy working with Bob Germain and sometimes you look at the Pettys when Kyle didn’t race there and different family members race at other places — Davey, Bobby (Allison), all down the line.
“But I think, sure, I would’ve liked to have seen Ty start his career here, but he’s got his own path. He’s following his own path and he’s really, really happy with Germain, and I’m happy because he’s happy.”
