Posted on by Staff Report

Chase Briscoe has been named the full-time driver of the No. 98 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing with Fred Biagi in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for 2019. Briscoe, who won his first career Xfinity Series race at the Charlotte road course in September in the No. 98, will have backing from Nutri Chomps for the first 13 races.

The news expands the SHR fleet to two full-time Fords, following two seasons of single-car efforts with Cole Custer in the No. 00. Custer advanced to the Championship 4 in 2018, a season in which Briscoe split time in the No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford and also had five starts in the No. 98.

RELATED: Catch up on Silly Season moves

“I got a taste of what Stewart-Haas Racing is capable of in the five races I ran with the team this year,” Briscoe said in a team release. “Winning at Charlotte was one of the greatest moments of my career, and I have to thank Nutri Chomps, Ford, Tony Stewart, Gene Haas and Fred Biagi for believing in me and providing this opportunity to race full time.”

A dirt racer by trade, Briscoe won in his only NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start of 2018 at Eldora Speedway, the high-banked, half-mile oval Stewart owns.

“I’ve been paying attention to Chase since he raced sprint cars and I saw how well he transitioned to stock cars,” Stewart said. ” … He’s learned a lot in a very short period of time and we’re really looking forward to seeing what he can do when he’s in the same car, working with the same crew, week in and week out.”

The 2016 ARCA Racing Series champion, Briscoe drove full time for Brad Keselowski’s Truck Series team in 2017, posting one win and 10 top-five finishes. He was the rookie of the year and also voted as the series’ most popular driver by the fans.

Posted on by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR drivers, team members, the sport’s national media and loyal fans are descending upon Las Vegas this week for the annual Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards and related end-of-year galas and activities.

MORE: Full Champion’s Week schedule

Team Penske’s Joey Logano will formally receive the 2018 Monster Energy Series trophy he earned and enjoy days of proper feting. And the sport will celebrate a dramatic season and recognize some of its most impactful participants.

William Byron will receive the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award and Logano’s fellow Championship 4 contenders Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch will be recognized, as well as the entire 2018 16-driver Playoff field.

There will be a changing of the guard among the Most Popular Driver Award voted on by NASCAR fans with retired racer-turned-NBC broadcaster Dale Earnhardt Jr. ceremonially handing over the recognition after a 15-year run of trophies.

RELATED: Best NASCAR Awards moments

And the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award — named after the generous and charitable late founder and chairwoman of The NASCAR Foundation, who was also the wife of former NASCAR Chairman Bill France Jr. — will be announced Thursday evening during the awards show. It is perhaps the most impactful recognition of the weekend, recognizing a NASCAR fan who has made a difference in his or her community.

This year’s honorees include: Carl Dakes, of Maryland, who is an 18-year volunteer representing the Believe in Tomorrow Children’s Foundation that helps provide housing for critically ill children and their families.

Ohio’s Sarah Kersey is not only a cancer survivor herself, but is a longtime volunteer at the Flying Horse Farms in Mt. Gilead, Ohio. The camp provides “transformative” experiences for seriously ill children at no cost for their family.

Cliff Preston, of Gainesville, Florida, is nominated for his 25-years serving as a “cuddler” to comfort hospitalized newborns in the University of Florida Shands Hospital during the absence of the babies’ parents.

The final nominee is Rex Reynolds, of Alabama, a longtime supporter of the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama. Reynolds grew up attending the Boys & Girls Club and has been a long-time volunteer there, including 13 years on the board of directors.

Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award: Meet the honorees

The awards show will be televised on NBCSN at 9 p.m. EST on Thursday, November 29, as well as on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio beginning at 8 p.m. EST.

Posted on by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C.  — Leavine Family Racing (LFR) is proud to announce that Mike Wheeler is joining the organization as the crew chief for the No. 95 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team for the 2019 season.

Next season will mark several exciting changes for LFR as the team transitions to a new manufacturing partnership with Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) and Toyota Racing Development (TRD), as well as the addition of driver Matt DiBenedetto behind the wheel of the No. 95 machine.

MORE: Leavine Family Racing adds DiBenedetto, moves to Toyota

Wheeler just finished his third season as a crew chief in the series and has notched a career total of five wins, 37 top-5 finishes, and 61 top-10 finishes with Denny Hamlin. Wheeler made a splash in the sport when he earned a Daytona 500 victory in his first points race of his crew chief career in the series. That rookie season in 2016 saw “Wheels” and his team earn two more wins, 12 top-5’s, and 22 top-10 finishes and they went on to finish sixth in the point standings.

“We’re thrilled to have Mike  joining our organization because he’s had a successful career so far in the crew chief role,” said LFR General Manager Jeremy Lange.  “With our transition over to Toyota this coming season, Mike brings with him a wealth of knowledge in regard to how to build competitive Toyota Camrys, and we’re looking forward to his leadership within LFR.”

Wheeler is a native of Southold, New York and a graduate of Kettering (Mich.) University where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering. He began his racing career as a crew chief in the northeast NASCAR Modified Tour before he joined Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) as an engineer in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the organization. Wheeler was then promoted to an engineering position in the Cup series when JGR formed the No. 11 team in 2005. In 2014, Wheeler served as the interim crew chief of the No. 11 MENCS entry for six races before being promoted to crew chief on the No. 20 Xfinity Series entry in 2015.

Wheeler will look to lead the team through a season filled with a new driver and new cars for the organization, but as his record shows, he’s found success in every chapter so far. Wheeler and DiBenedetto will make their debut together in the first points race of the 2019 season for the Daytona 500 on February 17, 2019 at historic Daytona International Speedway.

Daytona 500: Buy tickets

Posted on by Staff Report

Front Row Motorsports will expand to a third entry for the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season with Matt Tifft at the helm of the new No. 36 Ford Mustang, the organization announced on Tuesday in a live event at NASCAR.com’s Studio 3.

Tifft, 22, will make the jump from the NASCAR Xfinity Series to compete in his rookie Monster Energy Series season as Michael McDowell and David Ragan are set to return to the Nos. 34 and 38 Ford Mustangs, respectively. McDowell will compete in his second season with the organization, while it will be Ragan’s sixth go-around.

“Today is a huge moment in my career, announcing my move to the Cup Series,” said Tifft in a team release. “This has been a dream of mine since I was a kid, and I can’t believe it’s finally coming true.

“I’m so thankful to Front Row Motorsports for giving me the opportunity to drive the No. 36 next season. I’m looking forward to guidance from veterans Michael McDowell and David Ragan and am ready to take on the challenge of driving with 39 of the best drivers in the world.”

Tifft recorded six top-five and 19 top-10 finishes with Richard Childress Racing during the 2018 Xfinity Series season, finishing sixth in the final playoffs standings after advancing to the Round of 8.

In Tifft’s first full-time Xfinity Series season with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017, he earned two top-five and 13 top-10 finishes and made the playoffs with a seventh-place final ranking.

The expansion is all part of the plan for Front Row Motorsports team owner Bob Jenkins as his intent has always been to deepen the organization’s investment in NASCAR.

“Not only are we here to stay, we’re here to grow,” Jenkins said. “We already have two proven veterans in our lineup, and now we’ll get to add an impressive young talent and championship contender who will inject some new energy into the group. With the introduction of the Ford Mustang into the Cup Series, 2019 is shaping up to be an exciting season for us.”

RELATED: Catch up on Silly Season moves

Posted on by Staff Report

Danny Stockman will be atop the pit box for Austin Dillon and the No. 3 team beginning in 2019, Richard Childress Racing confirmed on Monday.

RELATED: Latest updates in Silly Season

After two seasons with Daniel Hemric and the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Stockman will replace Justin Alexander, who served as Dillon’s crew chief for 58 races in 2017-18. Hemric will move up to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series next season, replacing Ryan Newman in the No. 31 Chevrolet with crew chief Luke Lambert at the helm.

Dillon and Stockman have a successful history together, winning the Camping World Truck Series championship in 2011 and the Xfinity Series title in 2013.

Stockman also served as Dillon’s crew chief for the 2018 Monster Energy Series Playoffs opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after Alexander chose to sit out the race due to personal reasons.

Posted on by Team Release

November 26, 2018 (Mooresville, NC) — Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) will return to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2019. TBR will field a single-car team for select races throughout the year, starting with the season opener, the Daytona 500 in February at Daytona International Speedway.

RELATED: Latest Silly Season updates

Tommy Baldwin Racing announced the team’s formation in January 2009, running a full-time season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Over the course of seven years, the team grew to two full-time teams. In 2019, TBR will be looking to start fresh and build from a part-time schedule to full-time in the future.

“We are looking forward to get back going again with TBR in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series,” team owner Tommy Baldwin said. “Our goal is to work methodically and build it one piece at a time. I’m excited about these five to seven races for the 2019 season, and where it takes us in the future.”

Driver and sponsorship will be announced at a later date.

Posted on by Staff Report

After seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso swapped rides at Bahrain International Circuit on Monday, Kasey Kahne offered an idea of his own while responding to a question posted by SiriusXM NASCAR Radio host Pete Pistone.

Kahne owns a World of Outlaws sprint car team and said he wants to give Johnson and fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott a chance to climb into the seat.

Elliott caught wind of Kahne’s proposal and seems to be intrigued.

Even one of Kahne’s drivers, Brad Sweet, chimed in to bring up a valid point that could help make it a reality.

But according to Kyle Larson, there might be one person opposed to the idea — team owner Rick Hendrick.

What do you say, guys?

Posted on by Staff Report

Chip Ganassi Racing No. 1 team crew chief Matt McCall traded in the pit box for a late model on Sunday night, winning the Late Model Stock Cars Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park.

After getting caught up in a multi-car incident toward the midway point of the 200-lap event, McCall worked his way up from the rear of the field, passing Deac McCaskill with three laps to go to take the victory in the 18th annual event at the Lucama, North Carolina, track.

RELATED: Report: McMurray out of the No. 1 car | Busch’s 2019 contract still in limbo

“Win, win, win, win, that’s the mentality,” McCall said after the race, according to a Short Track Scene report. “It doesn’t matter if I only race once a year, I’m still coming to win. That was the whole objective. It’s fun, especially when you don’t get to race much and I’m trying to keep a streak of winning a race a year for a long time so that’s really when I show back up one time, try to keep that streak going because it’s my only opportunity to do that.”

The win was McCall’s second consecutive Thanksgiving Classic triumph. McCall is a veteran in the Late Model Stock Car ranks, working his way up to compete in a handful of NASCAR Xfinity Series, Camping World Truck Series and ARCA Racing Series events from 2003 through 2013. McCall became a full-time crew chief in 2015.

MORE: Silly Season updates

McCall has served as Jamie McMurray’s crew chief for the past four seasons, but the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway was reportedly the pairing’s final race together as the Associated Press reported in September that McMurray would not return to the seat in 2019. As the future for McMurray and the vacant No. 1 car seat remains unknown, Ganassi did tell the AP in September that McMurray has been offered an administrative role at CGR, as well as a contract to drive in the 2019 Daytona 500.

Posted on by Staff Report

Jimmie Johnson and Fernando Alonso participated in a motorsports cultural exchange Monday, swapping rides at Bahrain International Circuit.

Johnson, a seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, got behind the wheel of Alonso’s McLaren for his first drive of a Formula 1 car. Alonso, a two-time champ on the grand prix circuit, piloted Johnson’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on the 3.363-mile course.

PHOTOS: Behind the scenes from swap

Johnson turned 28 laps in Alonso’s McLaren, reporting through social media his amazement with the responsiveness and G-forces produced by Formula 1 cars. Both drivers’ names were represented on each car.

Johnson and his family attended the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend as guests of Alonso and the McLaren team. He watched Alonso finish 11th in his final Formula 1 event as he retired from full-time driving after 17 years in the sport. Reigning F1 champ Lewis Hamilton won the race.

Johnson drove a 2013 F1 model from McLaren, which attached a makeshift windscreen to help the airflow around Johnson’s helmet after a test run.

“I got my helmet more under control, and then it was really my eyes trying to find their way far enough ahead and far enough around the turns,” Johnson told ESPN. “At the end, I really quit focusing on the braking markers themselves and was able to look at the apex and had an idea of when to hit the brakes and was putting together some good laps. It was fun.”

“It was impressive,” Alonso told ESPN of Johnson’s effort. “I think he was really gaining time every run he was doing, and sometimes you put new tyres on these cars for the very first time and you are not able to extract the grip because you miss a little bit the braking point here and there, or maybe you don’t maximize the grip available. But he was able to guess this extra grip that the new tires is giving to you and extract that grip into lap time, so I was very impressed with that.”

Johnson said earlier this month that the idea for an international ride swap emerged after the two champions met at NASCAR Media Day in the offseason. Alonso was in Charlotte, North Carolina, for media opportunities on his way to IMSA’s Rolex 24 endurance race at Daytona. Their conversation there set the wheels in motion for Monday’s exchange.

Alan Gustafson — normally the crew chief for Chase Elliott, Johnson’s teammate — oversaw preparation of the No. 48 Chevy for Monday’s event.

Posted on by Staff Report

What channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give you the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET. 

MORE: Get the NBC Sports App | How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports Go | How to find NBCSN

Monday, November 26
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Fans’ Choice Awards, FS1

Tuesday, November 27
4 p.m., Glory Road: David Pearson and the 1968 Rebel 400, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (re-air)
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

On MRN
7 p.m.: NASCAR Live (with host Mike Bagley)

Wednesday, November 28
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

Thursday, November 29
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Features — Part 2, FS1
8 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
9 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Award Show, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
11 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Award Show, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (re-air)

On MRN
1 p.m.: Throwback Thursday — 1974 Old Dominion 500
7 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Award Show coverage

Friday, November 30
1 a.m., NASCAR The Decades: The 1990s, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (re-air)
1:30 a.m., NASCAR The Decades: The 1990s, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (re-air)
2 a.m., NASCAR The Decades: The 1980s, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (re-air)