Glen Wood, a pioneering driver and co-founder of stock-car racing’s longest-running team, died Friday morning. He was 93.
Wood’s passing was announced by Wood Brothers Racing. Until his death, Wood was the oldest living member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, inducted into its third class in 2012.
From humble beginnings in southwest Virginia, Glen Wood and his brother, Leonard, built a legendary racing operation that still competes in what is now known as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The Wood Brothers Racing organization has 99 victories in more than 1,500 starts in NASCAR’s top division, fielding cars for an illustrious list of legendary drivers. Four of those wins belong to Wood, the team’s primary driver in its earliest years.
“We started racing in 1950 with a car we bought for $50,” Wood told the Associated Press as the team readied for its 1,000th start in 2000. “We put No. 50 on the side of the car because it just seemed like the right thing to do. Now here we are 50 years later.” Wood Brothers Racing eventually changed those numbers on the doors, later making the No. 21 one of the most iconic car numbers in the sport’s history.
In 1998, Wood was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers. Of the stars on that all-time list, 20 of the 50 — including Glen himself — once drove for Wood Brothers Racing, according to the team.
Wood scored all four of his triumphs in NASCAR’s top series at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. His success at the tricky quarter-mile track helped to earn him the title of “Master of the Madhouse,” a nickname that also acknowledged his dominance there in the featured Modified Division.
Glen Wood’s path to auto racing came after an early career as a sawmiller. That experience gave him another early nickname — “The Woodchopper” — to adorn his uniquely engineered entries at Bowman Gray. Those cars also had his first name listed as “Glenn.” According to lore, he dropped the second “N” to assist his speed in signing autographs.
Those early Modified cars came with an engine moved further back on the chassis by Leonard Wood to optimize weight distribution. The extreme modification, plus a long steering wheel shaft, placed driver Glen in the car’s back seat. “When I first got in it after Leonard fixed it up, I thought, ‘If I can drive that, I can fly an airplane,’ ” Glen Wood said.
The racing bug bit for Glen Wood early on as he made his first trip to Daytona Beach, Florida, to watch events on the old beach-road course in 1947. Wood’s pilgrimages to Daytona became an annual tradition that lasted for 71 years, a remarkable streak that ended in 2018.
Wood’s driving days ended in 1964 as the sport continued to grow away from his favored short tracks to larger speedways. But he remained, with his younger brother, a savvy team owner, employing several drivers — David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Curtis Turner and A.J. Foyt among them — who would become legends in their own right.
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The Wood Brothers team also became legends with their part in modernizing the art of the pit stop, introducing a well-choreographed process for servicing their cars. The speed of their family effort over the wall led to Ford Motor Company asking the Woods to staff the pit stops for the Lotus-Ford team and driver Jim Clark at the 1965 Indianapolis 500.
Their innovations reduced the time of the typical IndyCar pit stop of the day nearly in half, becoming a benchmark for how motorsports approached pit-road strategy. Clark won easily, leading 190 of the 200 laps, and the Wood Brothers joined the Lotus-Ford team in the Brickyard’s Victory Lane.
“We think that fast, thorough pit stops are as important as running swiftly on the track,” Glen Wood told legendary writer Benny Phillips in March 1966. “A few seconds saved in the pits is that much time gained in the race.”
Wood’s induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame came with a dose of uncertainty as voters considered the prospects of electing one brother without the other. Glen’s enshrinement came in 2012, one year before Leonard’s, with one of their former drivers stumping to consider the two pioneers on an individual basis.
“I made a case for separation, because I think they are two different people,” Kyle Petty told the Associated Press. “I think Leonard is the smartest man I ever met that works on a race car, bumper to bumper. There are some guys out there that are good strategists and good mechanics, but he is the total package and always has been.
“But Glen owned the thing. He owned the team. You have to make that separation. To put them in and judge them as a single entity against some other people was not right.”
Martin Truex Jr. has offered up a first look at his new No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry for the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
The 2017 champion will compete in his first season officially under the Joe Gibbs Racing banner, joining Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones at the organization.
Bedford, MA – In its 10th season, the eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series will see several exciting changes to the only officially sanctioned NASCAR eSports series. For the first time, official teams – both motorsport organizations and professional eSports teams – will join the series in its upcoming season.
Several high-profile teams have already committed to the series including JR Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Wood Brothers Racing, Clint Bowyer Racing, Williams Esports, Richmond Raceway Esports, G2 Esports, FlipSid3 Tactics, and Team Renegades, with more expected to join in the coming days.
The teams will participate in a driver’s draft on January 30th, where they select drivers to represent them in the 2019 season. All of these organizations have shown a genuine interest and commitment to eSports and are excited about the upcoming season.
“The 2019 season is a watershed moment for the series with the addition of these new teams as well as the significant increase in the prize pool to $100,000,” said Tony Gardner, president, iRacing.com. “To have teams made up of both motorsport and eSports team competing in the eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series has been a longtime goal of ours. Sim racing has a unique place in the eSports world. It is the only eSport that has a direct correlation to the skills needed in the motor racing world, but without the traditional barriers, so it only makes sense to have teams involved.”
From a modest initial broadcast of the first race in 2009, which Dale Earnhardt Jr. won, to well over 12 million impressions in 2018, the series has come a long way since its inception. The addition of PEAK Antifreeze as the title sponsor in 2013 helped position the series as the premier NASCAR eSports series and the addition of the official teams can only help elevate the series. This upcoming season will also include multi-channel broadcasting on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and NASCAR.com, as well as cash prizes for each race along with the championship and the appointment of a NASCAR race director.
“I have been sim racing for more than 20 years now, so it goes without saying that I am excited to see NASCAR and iRacing working to further legitimize sim racing as a true eSport,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr, co-owner of JR Motorsports. “Expanding the eNASCAR Peak Antifreeze iRacing Series to include teams like ours is a huge step forward. JRM has worked behind the scenes with iRacing for years on the technical side of the product as well as having an unofficial entry in the series going back to its inception in 2009. We are looking forward to JR Motorsports’ continued collaboration with iRacing to help promote the eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series in 2019 and beyond.”
“To be invited to join eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series shows the progress we have made since launching our eSports program last season,” said Claire Williams, Williams Racing deputy team principal. “Our Formula One team has enjoyed great success in North America and we’re eager to replicate that success by now expanding our sim racing team to the United States. Williams, working together with NASCAR and iRacing, has huge potential in content and audience engagement for sim racers and motorsport fans alike, so we can’t wait to get started.”
Teams that join the series after the pre-season draft will be allowed to select previously un-drafted drivers. Interested teams should contact Steve Myers at [email protected].
“Renegades are excited to be participating with NASCAR in the eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series”, said Jonas Jerebko, NBA player for Golden State Warriors and owner of Team Renegades. “The top racing teams in the world use iRacing as a training tool, and it is the most competitive eSports title in motorsports. NASCAR’s involvement in the PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series continues to professionalize eSports and is just the beginning of what can happen in the future.”
The series kicks off on February 12 at Daytona International Speedway. Drivers will race on virtual replicas of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series cars and precise digital facsimiles of the most iconic NASCAR tracks raced in the real-world series. Races are Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. ET. All 18 rounds of the eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series will be broadcast live on the iRacing eSports Network (www.youtube.com/iracing-esports-network) as well as on www.iRacing.com and www.nascar.com.
Series Schedule:
Round 1: Daytona International Speedway February 12
Round 2: Las Vegas Motor Speedway February 26
Round 3: Auto Club Speedway March 12
Round 4: Texas Motor Speedway March 26
Round 5: Richmond Raceway April 9
Round 6: Talladega Superspeedway April 23
Round 7: Kansas Speedway May 7
Round 8: Charlotte Motor Speedway May 21
Round 9: Sonoma Raceway June 11
Round 10: Chicagoland Speedway June 25
Round 11: Kentucky Speedway July 9
Round 12: Pocono Raceway July 23
Round 13: Michigan International Speedway August 6
Round 14: Bristol Motor Speedway August 20
Playoffs:
Round 15: Darlington Raceway August 27
Round 16: Indianapolis Motor Speedway September 10
Round 17: Charlotte Motor Speedway – Roval September 24
As the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series heads into its 29th season, teams are putting the final pieces in place with Silly Season wrapping up as Daytona approaches.
One of the top story lines involves 2018 champion Brett Moffitt, who moves to GMS Racing’s No. 24 entry after scoring his first title with Hattori Racing Enterprises. As Austin Hill moves to the No. 16 championship-winning truck, Moffitt is forced with the task of defending his crown with a whole new team. It’s also worth noting that only Matt Crafton has won consecutive championships after his triumphs in 2013-14.
So will Moffitt become only the second driver in Truck Series history to win back-to-back titles? NASCAR.com’s Zack Albert and Chase Wilhelm debate whether or not the 26-year-old driver can accomplish the feat in 2019.
WILHELM: Last season, Moffitt drove an under-funded Hattori Racing No. 16 Toyota Tundra to six wins, leading the way for his first career Truck Series championship. The remarkable feat showcased two things: Moffitt’s driving prowess and what can be accomplished when you have a great team surrounding you. Mix those key ingredients and it’s a recipe for ultimate success.
In 2018, Moffitt played the underdog role to the fullest, capturing a title with his back against the wall. This year, Moffitt is the favorite as he heads to GMS Racing to take over the No. 24 Chevrolet Silverado. Now with one of the top teams in the series, he has all the tools for success at his disposal. There’s no reason why Moffitt won’t be able to mirror what he was able to accomplish last season, and, who knows, maybe even surpass it.
Between Moffitt’s experience and skill, the strength of his new team and what he was able to achieve with a smaller organization, it would almost be a disappointment if he wasn’t hoisting the big trophy at Homestead once again.
ALBERT: Can Moffitt repeat? The opportunity certainly exists. But doing so will involve surmounting steep odds in a series that’s as unpredictable as any in NASCAR’s national ranks.
Moffitt’s title defense will need a dose of quick-acting chemistry with his new team, GMS Racing. Moffitt’s bid will also need sustained success through a fickle postseason format and amid a changing field of new faces and budding talent on the series roster.
The quest to repeat will also need to buck history’s trends. Crafton’s lightning-in-a-bottle repeat is the series’ only instance of back-to-back crowns. Even legendary Truck Series heavyweights Ron Hornaday Jr., Mike Skinner and Jack Sprague were unable to win championships in consecutive seasons.
Moffitt has pushed daunting obstacles aside over the course of his career. Finding back-to-back trophies in one of NASCAR’s most competitive tours may be the toughest yet.
We are now exactly a month away from the 2019 Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 17 on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Preparations are ramping up. Anticipation is building.
During Sunday’s NFC Championship Game between the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams, FOX will air an ad promoting the Daytona 500 focusing on some of the races biggest moments throughout its history and the legends that have triumphed.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – When it comes to past success and high expectations, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more heralded group of teammates than the Acura Team Penske lineup for the Jan. 26-27 Rolex 24 At Daytona.
As it has done seamlessly in the past, the team has brought together a diverse and accomplished group of drivers to contend for the season-opening trophy in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s annual twice-around-the-clock event.
Penske’s high-achieving lineup this year features three Indianapolis 500 winners, a pair of IndyCar champions and some of the finest sports car competitors in the world.
The No. 7 Team Penske Acura ARX-05 DPi will be driven by three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves and 2017 WeatherTech Championship Prototype champion Ricky Taylor on a full-time basis, with help next weekend from 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi, whose lone Rolex 24 appearance to date came in 2014 as part of the DeltaWing driver lineup.
The No. 6 Team Penske Acura will again be driven full time this season by two-time Indy 500 winner and former NASCAR and Formula 1 star Juan Pablo Montoya and 2016 WeatherTech Championship Prototype champion Dane Cameron. Joining them for the Rolex is Simon Pagenaud, who won the 2016 IndyCar title with Team Penske.
And judging by their time both in front of the cameras and in the garage during the recent Roar Before the Rolex 24 test weekend, the group has already begun to gel in an effort to land the big trophy in the season-opening event.
“There are so many things we developed in the offseason and now hopefully we’ll be able to deliver,” Castroneves said. “Alex [Rossi] has joined us and good news is he’s using the same seat as [last year’s Penske driver] Graham [Rahal] so he ‘fits right in.’ Hopefully we’ll get the results we deserve.”
Certainly, this race is an important part of Penske’s illustrious racing contribution. He’s won the Rolex three times, including overall in 1969 with the late Mark Donohue and Chuck Parsons.
Last year, the two-car Acura Team Penske program returned to sports car competition full time and placed ninth and 10th overall at Daytona. In qualifying, Castroneves put the No. 7 car on the outside pole position, and both cars ran competitively before mid-race issues ended their hopes of winning.
Castroneves and Taylor scored the only victory for the team in its sports car return at the Mid-Ohio SportsCar Course in May. They led a 1-2 sweep for the team, with Montoya and Cameron’s No. 6 entry crossing the finish line close behind.
A victory at Daytona this year would go a long way to setting the tone for a championship-contending season. Taylor was third and Montoya was seventh in the qualifying session that concluded the Roar and set the order for garage and pit selections.
“We learned a ton in our first season, so I think we’re really ready to hit the ground running and make a push for the championship,” said Cameron.
For Rossi, who competes full time for the Andretti Autosport team in IndyCar, this race is essentially opportunity with expectation.
“Our expectation is to win,” Rossi said smiling. “I think we have the platform to do that. If you look at the success the team had last year as a new team coming in, they had a learning curve to catch up to the other teams and I think they did an amazing job with that.
“Already going into this year there’s a lot of talk about how much progress they’ve made, so I think that warrants good expectations. These teammates are some of the best on the grid, I think, and I feel fortunate to have them coach me up as quickly as possible.”
Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? Where can you watch the Rolex 24? We answer that and give you the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.
Ten days from now, on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 2:30 p.m. ET, the green flag will fly over a 47-car field in the 57th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. It marks both the start of the IMSA 50th Anniversary Celebration and the beginning of an exciting new era for the sanctioning body and its flagship IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The field will include 47 cars spread across four classes of competition: Daytona Prototype international (DPi) – for factory-supported prototype sports cars, teams and drivers; Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) – a prototype class for Pro-Am driver lineups; GT Le Mans (GTLM) – the most competitive form of GT racing in the world with factory teams, drivers and race cars; and GT Daytona (GTD) – ultra-fast GT cars built to international GT3 technical specifications fielded by professional teams with Pro-Am driver lineups.
In those cars will be many of the world’s best sports car racers whose names have been etched on everything from the Bishop-France Trophy to the back of Rolex 24 At Daytona winners’ watches, and in record books from Le Mans to Sebring. Joining them will be Formula 1 World Champions, NASCAR race winners, Indy 500 winners, champions from various other forms of motorsport, and uber-successful business people.
It will be the first WeatherTech Championship race with the entire field riding on new Michelin tires as part of a new multi-year partnership between IMSA and the global tire brand, which also includes exclusive-supplier status for what now is known as the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and the IMSA Prototype Challenge. It also kicks off the four-race IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, encompassing the four endurance races on the WeatherTech Championship schedule.
Live race coverage will be provided for the first time by NBC Sports, which kicks off its multi-year partnership with 18 hours of coverage on NBCSN starting at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 26 and seven more live hours on the NBC Sports App. IMSA Radio continues its longtime coverage throughout race week on IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and SiriusXM Radio.
Here’s a closer look at the 47-car field on the entry list.
· There are a total of 11 DPi cars, four LMP2 entries, nine GTLM entries and 23 entered in GTD. The field includes cars from 13 different manufacturers led by Cadillac (6 DPi) and Porsche (2 GTLM and 4 GTD) with six entries each. Lamborghini has five GTD entries, Acura (2 DPi, 2 GTD) and Ferrari (1 GTLM, 3 GTD) and Audi (4 GTD) have four entries each, with three BMWs (2 GTLM, 1 GTD) and two each from Mazda (2 DPi), Chevrolet (2 GTLM), Ford (2 GTLM), Lexus (2 GTD) and Mercedes-AMG (2 GTD). Nissan has one DPi entry.
·No. 44 Magnus Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 driver Andy Lally has the most Rolex 24 At Daytona wins of any driver in the field with five (all class wins – SRPII 2001; GT – 2009, 2011, 2012; GTD – 2016). He is tied for second on the all-time Daytona winners list with three other drivers: Peter Gregg, Hurley Haywood and Bob Wollek. Scott Pruett, the 2019 Rolex 24 At Daytona grand marshal, is the winningest driver in the Rolex 24 with 10 class victories.
·Three drivers come into this year’s Rolex 24 with three career overall victories in the race: No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R co-drivers Joao Barbosa (2010, 2014, 2018) and Christian Fittipaldi (2004, 2014, 2018) and No. 6 Acura Team Penske Acura DPi driver Juan Pablo Montoya (2007, 2008, 2013). As participants in the DPi class, all three have an opportunity to pick up their fourth and move to within one of the record of five overall wins shared by Pruett and Haywood.
·There are a total of 51 previous Rolex 24 winners on the entry list. Twenty-seven of the 47 cars have at least one former winner in its driver lineup, including 10 of the 11 DPi entries. Only the No. 50 Juncos Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R does not have a previous winner among co-drivers Will Owen, Rene Binder, Agustin Canapino and Kyle Kaiser. Owen is the team’s only driver with a previous Rolex 24 start, which came in 2018.
·Ford Chip Ganassi Racing has the most Rolex 24 wins in the field with eight, including each of the past two years in the GTLM class. The team’s other six – all overall victories – came in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013 and 2015. There are a total of 14 teams in the field with at least one Rolex 24 victory.
·Porsche is far and away the winningest manufacturer in Rolex 24 history, with a total of 69 victories (22 overall, 47 class) since the race’s inception in 1962. Mazda is second on the list with 22 victories, all of them class victories. A Mazda overall victory in 2019 would be the manufacturer’s first overall win in the race.
·The 2019 Rolex 24 field includes 40 drivers with one or more top-level IMSA championships, 33 drivers with at least one victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, five IndyCar/Champ Car Champions, four Indianapolis 500 winners, three drivers with Formula 1 Grand Prix race victories, two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race winners and one Formula 1 World Champion.
Christian Fittipaldi, Joao Barbosa and Felipe Albuquerque celebrate with Rolex watches in Victory Lane after winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona IMSA WeatherTech Series race at Daytona International Speedway in 2018. (Brian Cleary | Getty Images)
Previous Rolex 24 At Daytona Winners in 2019 Rolex 24 Field (51) Andy Lally (5) – SRPII – 2001; GT – 2009, 2011, 2012; GTD – 2016 Joao Barbosa (4) – P/Overall – 2018, 2014; DP/Overall – 2010; GTS – 2003 Christian Fittipaldi (3) – P/Overall – 2018, 2014; DP/Overall – 2004 Scott Dixon (3) – DP/Overall – 2006; P/Overall – 2015; GTLM – 2018 Juan Pablo Montoya (3) – DP/Overall – 2007, 2008, 2013 Bill Auberlen (2) – GTS-3 – 1997; GT3 – 1998 Dirk Mueller (2) – GT1 – 1998; GTLM – 2017 Timo Bernhard (2) – GT/Overall – 2003; GT – 2002 Dominik Farnbacher (2) – GT – 2005; GTD – 2015 Spencer Pumpelly (2) – GT – 2006, 2011 Antonio Garcia (2) – DP/Overall – 2009; GTLM – 2015 Joey Hand (2) – DP/Overall – 2011; GTLM – 2017 Filipe Albuquerque (2) – P/Overall – 2018; GT – 2013 Rene Rast (2) – GT – 2012; GTD – 2016 John Potter (2) – GT – 2012; GTD – 2016 Sebastien Bourdais (2) – P/Overall – 2014; GTLM – 2017 Ryan Briscoe (2) – GTLM – 2015, 2018 Fabio Babini (1) – GTU – 2000 Patrick Long (1) – GT – 2009 Justin Marks (1) – GT – 2009 Mike Rockenfeller (1) – DP/Overall – 2010 Ryan Dalziel (1) – DP/Overall – 2010 Jonathan Bomarito (1) – GT – 2010 AJ Allmendinger (1) – DP/Overall – 2012 Oliver Jarvis (1) – GT – 2013 Jon Bennett (1) – PC – 2014 Colin Braun (1) – PC – 2014 Patrick Pilet (1) – GTLM – 2014 Nick Tandy (1) – GTLM – 2014 Alessandro Pier Guidi (1) – GTD – 2014 Townsend Bell (1) – GTD – 2014 Jeff Segal (1) – GTD – 2014 Jan Magnussen (1) – GTLM – 2015 Ben Keating (1) – GTD – 2015 Pipo Derani (1) – P/Overall – 2016 Stephen Simpson (1) – PC – 2016 Chris Miller (1) – PC – 2016 Misha Goikhberg (1) – PC – 2016 Oliver Gavin (1) – GTLM – 2016 Tommy Milner (1) – GTLM – 2016 Marcel Fassler (1) – GTLM – 2016 Marco Seefried (1) – GTD – 2016 Ricky Taylor (1) – P/Overall – 2017 Jordan Taylor (1) – P/Overall – 2017 Kyle Masson (1) – PC – 2017 Nicholas Boulle (1) – PC – 2017 Daniel Morad (1) – GTD – 2017 Richard Westbrook (1) – GTLM – 2018 Rolf Ineichen (1) – GTD – 2018 Mirko Bortolotti (1) – GTD – 2018 Rik Breukers (1) – GTD – 2018
IMSA Champions in 2019 Rolex 24 Field (40) Oliver Gavin (7) – American Le Mans Series GT1 – 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009; American Le Mans Series GT – 2012; WeatherTech Championship GTLM – 2016; IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTLM – 2016 Joao Barbosa (6) – WeatherTech Championship Prototype – 2014, 2015; IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Prototype – 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 Christian Fittipaldi (6) – WeatherTech Championship Prototype – 2014, 2015; IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Prototype – 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 Jan Magnussen (5) – American Le Mans Series GT1 – 2008; American Le Mans Series GT – 2013; IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTLM – 2015; WeatherTech Championship GTLM – 2017, 2018 Andy Lally (4) – GRAND-AM SRPII – 2001; GRAND-AM SGS – 2004; GRAND-AM GT – 2006; GRAND-AM North American Endurance Cup GT – 2012 Patrick Long (4) – American Le Mans Series GT2 – 2005, 2009; American Le Mans Series GT – 2010; IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTLM – 2014 Jeroen Bleekemolen (4) – American Le Mans Series GTC – 2010, 2013; IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTD – 2017, 2018 Antonio Garcia (4) – American Le Mans Series GT – 2013; IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTLM – 2015; WeatherTech Championship GTLM – 2017, 2018 Bill Auberlen (3) – IMSA GTS-3 – 1997; GRAND-AM GT – 2002, 2004 Dirk Mueller (3) – American Le Mans Series GT – 2000, 2011; IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTLM – 2018 Timo Bernhard (3) – American Le Mans Series GT – 2004; American Le Mans Series P2 – 2007, 2008 Dirk Werner (3) – GRAND-AM GT – 2007, 2009; IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTLM – 2017 Tommy Milner (3) – American Le Mans Series GT – 2012; WeatherTech Championship GTLM – 2016; IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTLM – 2016 Jon Bennett (3) – WeatherTech Championship PC – 2014, 2015; IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup PC – 2014 Colin Braun (3) – WeatherTech Championship PC – 2014, 2015; IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup PC – 2014 Eric Curran (3) – WeatherTech Championship Prototype – 2016, 2018; IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Prototype – 2018 Christina Nielsen (3) – WeatherTech Championship GTD – 2016, 2017; IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTD – 2016 Romain Dumas (2) – American Le Mans Series P2 – 2007, 2008 Jeff Segal (2) – GRAND-AM GT – 2010, 2012 Timothy Pappas (2) – American Le Mans Series GTC – 2010, 2011 Joey Hand (2) – American Le Mans Series GT – 2011; IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTLM – 2018 Cooper MacNeil (2) – American Le Mans Series GTC – 2012, 2013 Jordan Taylor (2) – GRAND-AM DP – 2013; WeatherTech Championship Prototype – 2017 Dane Cameron (2) – WeatherTech Championship GTD – 2014; WeatherTech Championship Prototype – 2016 Townsend Bell (2) – IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTD – 2014; WeatherTech Championship GTD – 2015 Patrick Pilet (2) – WeatherTech Championship GTLM – 2015; IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTLM – 2017 Ben Keating (2) – IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTD – 2017, 2018 Felipe Nasr (2) – WeatherTech Championship Prototype – 2018; IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Prototype – 2018 Ian James (1) – American Le Mans Series P2 Andrew Davis (1) – GRAND-AM GT – 2011 John Edwards (1) – GRAND-AM North American Endurance Cup GT – 2013 Simon Pagenaud (1) – American Le Mans Series LMP – 2010 John Potter (1) – GRAND-AM North American Endurance Cup GT – 2012 Renger van der Zande (1) – WeatherTech Championship PC – 2016 Ricky Taylor (1) – WeatherTech Championship Prototype – 2017 Filipe Albuquerque (1) – IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Prototype – 2017 Kyle Masson (1) – IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup PC – 2017 Mario Farnbacher (1) – IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTD – 2017 Bryan Sellers (1) – WeatherTech Championship GTD – 2018 Luca Stolz (1) – IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTD – 2018
Previous 24 Hours of Le Mans Winners in 2019 Rolex 24 Field (33) Oliver Gavin (5) – GTE Pro – 2015; GT1 – 2006, 2005; GTS – 2004, 2002 Timo Bernhard (3) – LMP1/Overall – 2017, 2010; GT – 2002 Jan Magnussen (3) – GT1 – 2009, 2005; GTS – 2004 Marcel Fassler (3) – LMP1/Overall – 2014, 2012, 2011 Nicolas Lapierre (3) LMP2 – 2018, 2016, 2015 Dirk Mueller (2) – GTE Pro – 2016; GT – 2000 Patrick Long (2) – GT2 – 2007, GT1 – 2004 Mike Rockenfeller (2) – LMP1/Overall – 2010; GT2 – 2005 Romain Dumas (2) – LMP1/Overall – 2010, 2016 Tommy Milner (2) – GTE Pro – 2015, 2011 Toni Vilander (2) – GTE Pro – 2014, 2012 Earl Bamber (2) – LMP1/Overall – 2017, 2015 Fabio Babini (1) – GT – 2001 Jeroen Bleekemolen (1) – LMP2 – 2008 Antonio Garcia (1) – GTE Pro – 2011 Ryan Dalziel (1) – LMP2 – 2012 Pedro Lamy (1) – GTE Am – 2012 Loic Duval (1) – LMP1/Overall – 2013 Olivier Pla (1) – LMP2 – 2013 Harry Tincknell (1) – LMP2 – 2014 Nick Tandy (1) – LMP1/Overall – 2015 Jordan Taylor (1) – GTE Pro – 2015 Andrea Bertolini (1) – GTE Am – 2015 Joey Hand (1) – GTE Pro – 2016 Sebastien Bourdais (1) – GTE Pro – 2016 Townsend Bell (1) – GTE Am – 2016 Jeff Segal (1) – GTE Am – 2016 Oliver Jarvis (1) – LMP2 – 2017 Daniel Serra (1) – GTE Pro – 2017 Dries Vanthoor (1) – GTE Am – 2017 Fernando Alonso (1) – LMP1/Overall – 2018 Laurens Vanthoor (1) – GTE Pro – 2018 Matt Campbell (1) – GTE Am – 2018
IndyCar/Champ Car Champions in 2019 Rolex 24 Field (5) Scott Dixon (5) – 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 Sebastien Bourdais (4) – 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Alex Zanardi (2) – 1997, 1998 Juan Pablo Montoya (1) – 1999 Simon Pagenaud (1) 2016
Indianapolis 500 Winners in Rolex 24 Field (4) Helio Castroneves (3) – 2001, 2002, 2009 Juan Pablo Montoya (2) – 2000, 2015 Scott Dixon (1) – 2008 Alexander Rossi (1) – 2016
Formula 1 Grand Prix Winners in 2019 Rolex 24 Field (3)
Fernando Alonso at the 2018 Rolex 24. (Brian Cleary | Getty Images)
Fernando Alonso – 32 Rubens Barrichello – 11 Juan Pablo Montoya – 7
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race Winners in Rolex 24 Field (2) Juan Pablo Montoya – 2 AJ Allmendinger – 1
Formula 1 World Champions in 2019 Rolex 24 Field (1) Fernando Alonso (2) – 2005, 2006
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson moved one step closer to earning his first career Chili Bowl Midget Nationals title after winning Tuesday night’s preliminary qualifying night feature in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
After starting second in the A-Main, Larson took over the lead on Lap 6 and never looked back, cruising to victory in the No. 01 McDonald’s Keith Kunz Motorsports dirt midget. Larson is now locked into Saturday night’s finale where a Golden Driller trophy and a chance to etch his name in history are on the line.
“It’s always good when you get locked in,” Larson told NASCAR.com Wednesday. “I like racing early in the week so you can see how your mood is going to be for the rest the time here in Tulsa.
“Car was really good, and I feel like I ran a nice, smooth race and did what we needed to do to get locked in for Saturday.”
Locked in!! Got the win. Car was great! Thanks @McDonalds@iRacing and all other supporters! Let’s try and get a Driller Saturday
Last year, Larson won his respective qualifying night, but an expired engine while leading the A-Main finale with 10 laps remaining allowed NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Christopher Bell to earn his second straight Chili Bowl triumph.
With a win under his belt and confidence always running high when he’s on the 1/5-mile indoor clay oval, Larson is reluctant to get too anxious or excited based on previous experiences.
Credit: @KyleLarsonRacin
“I literally had bad luck for the past six years or seven years,” Larson said. “If it doesn’t happen on a prelim night, it seems to happen to me on a Saturday. I don’t know. Every year I come in hoping and praying this is the year I don’t have bad luck.
“Hopefully this year is a little different and we can get up front, lead the race and not have anything crazy happen to us,” he added. “We’ll just wait and see. I don’t get too worked up about it anymore or get too stressed out just because of all the bad luck I’ve had. It’s kind of humbled me where I’m just thankful to be out there racing.”
But in the meantime, Larson has plenty of time to prepare, relax and enjoy time with his fellow dirt-racing peers before it’s time to hop back into the car for Saturday night’s marquee event, cluing us into what he’ll be doing to pass the down time.
“It’s a fun week of racing and hanging out with your friends because you don’t get to see them much,” Larson said. “Just try to relax and get prepared at the same time for Saturday. I brought my golf clubs out here. Maybe do some golfing one day. It’s supposed to warm up even more throughout the week. We’ll just lay back and enjoy it.”
MBM Motorsports announced Wednesday that Joey Gase will be its driver for the full NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2019. The team added an extra dash of newness with its car reveal.
Gase, 25, joined team owner Carl Long at the NASCAR Hall of Fame to take the wraps off a No. 35 Toyota Supra, the automaker’s long-anticipated model of choice for the Xfinity Series. The car, sporting sponsorship from Eternal Fan, was believed to be the first Supra shown in NASCAR race trim since the manufacturer’s official unveiling last summer at Daytona International Speedway.
“First time I saw it in person was this past weekend. I think it looks really cool and really different, not quite like a traditional stock car, for sure,” Gase said. “But I think it’s going to be really fast and I think we have a really awesome looking Eternal Fan car.”
Besides the Xfinity Series duties, Gase is scheduled for multiple races — as much as 90 percent of the schedule, Long said — in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with the No. 66 MBM team. That partial schedule will start with MBM’s attempt to qualify for the season-opening Daytona 500 (Feb. 17, 2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
“For the most part, I’m just happy to be on this side of it,” Long said, “and to have an experienced driver like Joey to get into this thing and start off the year running with performance, something that we feel like we’ve already achieved and we’re only going to get better.”
The organization also plans to field a No. 66 entry on the Xfinity side. Long indicated the crew chief hiring process was underway, with Gase’s involvement to help find the right fit.
Gase has made 30 Monster Energy Series starts over the past five seasons, running eight races last year for four different teams. He has been a full-time Xfinity Series competitor since 2014, driving last season for Go Green Racing and team owner Archie St. Hilaire.
Despite the switch, Gase will continue to fly the No. 35 he piloted last year — a car number that dates back to his days racing Late Models.
“The 35 number means a lot to Joey,” Long said. “The only thing I did was gave him a little design on the number, I thought. We’re all good.”
