Leavine team owner: ‘We are working on expanding for 2020’

Posted on March 28, 2019March 28, 2019 by Staff Report

Leavine Family Racing could expand from a one-car team to a two-vehicle operation as soon as the 2020 season, team owner Bob Leavine told SportsMap.com in Houston on Wednesday.

“Yes, we are working on expanding for 2020 right now,” Leavine said during a Q-and-A session. “It’s just a matter of sponsorship because we can put the people on it, and we have the organization and Toyota Racing Development will support that. So yes, we are working to expand.”

This is Leavine Family Racing’s first year under the Toyota umbrella and with a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Matt DiBenedetto joined the No. 95 operation in the offseason, replacing veteran Kasey Kahne in the seat. DiBenedetto led 49 laps in the season-opening Daytona 500, and Leavine indicated he’s pleased with the driver’s progress.

MORE: 2019 season stats

“We were going to run two cars for this year with Daniel Suarez and a driver we selected, but that didn’t work out,” Leavine said. “But overall, I am happy with how everything turned out. I am glad we got Matt DiBenedetto because he wanted to come here.”

Leavine announced in October 2018 that DiBenedetto was joining the organization with a two-year deal.

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Team Release

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C (March 28, 2019) – Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced today that it has renewed its on-going partnership with Interstate Batteries in a multi-year agreement that will extend the relationship beyond 30 years. As one of the longest running sponsorships in professional sports, Interstate Batteries will continue to serve as the official battery of Joe Gibbs Racing and primary sponsor on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series No. 18 Toyota Camry driven by Kyle Busch for six races.

“I tell people all the time that one of the great things about professional sports is the relationships you have a chance to develop over the years and I don’t know if there is a better example than what we have with Norm Miller and everyone there at Interstate Batteries,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing.

Interstate Batteries was the founding sponsor for Joe Gibbs Racing, helping the organization launch the race team back in 1992. “We literally had nothing when we met with Norm and asked him to help us start this race team and now our new agreement will extend the partnership to more than 30 years. And what’s amazing is how it has continued through generations. Obviously, J.D. (Gibbs) played a big role in the relationship over the years and he developed a great friendship with Scott (Miller). And now, Coy (Gibbs) has become instrumental to our daily operations. When you reflect on all that has happened over the years and everyone that has been involved, I really think God had a role in bringing us together.”

Interstate Batteries has been a part of nearly every major moment in Joe Gibbs Racing history including the organization’s first win when driver Dale Jarrett won the Daytona 500 in 1993. Interstate Batteries was the primary sponsor on the No. 18 in 2000 when Bobby Labonte captured the organization’s first NASCAR Cup Series Championship and continued to play a key role when Kyle Busch won JGR’s most recent Championship in 2015. “I knew Kyle was something special when I first looked at his stats,” said Norm Miller, Chairman of Interstate Batteries. “And now after so many wins and a Championship, we are really proud to continue with Kyle in our car for the foreseeable future.”

Together, Interstate Batteries and Joe Gibbs Racing have visited Victory Lane 32 total times in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, including twice with Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett, 21 times with Bobby Labonte and nine times with current driver Kyle Busch, including his most recent win to reach a career milestone of 200 wins. In addition, Interstate Batteries and JGR have combined to win three NASCAR Xfinity Series races.

“Our relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing and Kyle Busch has been such a blessing for all of us and we are so proud to extend this partnership to keep us together for what will be more than 30 years,” said Norm. “It is a partnership that has been successful on so many levels. We’ve certainly had our successes on the race track with championships and many celebrations in Victory Lane, but it also helped us achieve our goals on the business front. It doesn’t work if it’s not good for business and obviously this is a partnership that has worked for what will be three decades. It also has been a success on a personal level as well with the relationships we’ve both been able to develop over the years. It has been very special.”

“Rarely does a marketing opportunity come along that can change the trajectory of a company,” said Scott Miller, CEO, Interstate Batteries. “Almost 30 year later, our brand has become a household name, our battery sales continue to increase and Joe Gibbs Racing absolutely had a hand in that. It is helping us ignite our future and become first choice in sustainable battery solutions.”

Posted on March 28, 2019March 28, 2019 by Zack Albert

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on August 23, 2018 when the 2019 Dash 4 Cash program was revealed.

NASCAR officials revealed the schedule for the Xfinity Series’ Dash 4 Cash program Thursday, bringing back the four tracks that composed the bonus-money initiative last season.

The 2019 series will open April 6 at Bristol Motor Speedway, continue with stops April 12 at Richmond Raceway and April 27 at Talladega Superspeedway before ending May 4 at Dover International Speedway. Also like last year, drivers earning championship points in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will be excluded from the four-race series.

“We had worked with our tracks and our teams and drivers on this as well and we just found that it worked well for all of our partners and the fans,” said John Bobo, NASCAR vice president of racing operations. “Dash 4 Cash is just a great moment that kind of re-energizes the season as we turn the corner into summer, and I also love it because it highlights our emerging stars and gives some real attention to them as well.

“I’m a fan of Dash 4 Cash, and I think it’s always worked well, even from the racing format, I think it really showcases their abilities.”

The March 30 race at Texas Motor Speedway will again serve as a qualifier for the Dash 4 Cash opener. The top four title-eligible Xfinity Series drivers from the Fort Worth event will compete for the first Dash 4 Cash payday in the Bristol opener. Prize money and other details regarding the Dash 4 Cash format will be announced at a later date.

Bristol and Dover will mark their fifth straight year as participating tracks for Dash 4 Cash events. Richmond will also become a five-time host; previous Dash 4 Cash events at the Virginia short track have occurred nonconsecutively (2011, 2016-18). Talladega made its Dash 4 Cash debut this year.

Posted on March 27, 2019March 27, 2019 by Nascar

Name: Ayza
Current City: Ft Lauderdale, Florida
Member since: 2008

Getting to Know Ayza

Q. How did you first become interested in NASCAR?
“Friend of mine took me to the Daytona 500. My favorite part was the energy of the crowd and the roar of the engines!”

Q. What is your favorite NASCAR memory?
“First fan fest I went to Daytona… seeing Jimmie Johnson making the media wait to sign autographs for a bunch of kids (15-20) before going into the media center.”

Q. Who are your favorite drivers?
“Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman, because I would love to talk to Jimmie about his career and Alex to see where he expects to be in 5 years… also he’s a huge pet lover!”

Q: Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?
Memorabilia: “JR’s signed crystal car”

Sponsor: “Coca Cola because it is my favorite drink!”

Place to watch a race: “In Daytona out in the pits”

FROM ALL OF US AT NASCAR, WE THANK AYZA FOR HER CONTINUED SUPPORT AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM HER IN 2019!

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Marissa Fuller

The kind of show that the young and motivated driver Ross Chastain has put on in the first six weeks of the NASCAR national series season is not only impressive, but eye-opening.

Chastain, the watermelon farmer from Alva, Florida, notched his first career win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series last season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and a second trip to Victory Lane doesn’t seem too far off.

RELATED: Full Texas schedule

The 26-year-old has competed in every NASCAR race event this season. That means all six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races, all five Xfinity Series races and all four of the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series races. He has grabbed two top-five finishes, six top 10s and has completed 3,113 laps of 3,282 possible.

After finishing fourth and leading 53 laps during Saturday’s Gander Trucks race at Martinsville Speedway, Chastain’s excitement for the upcoming race at Texas Motor Speedway is even greater.

“Definitely a lot to build on, for sure, and we’ve got a brand-new truck we’re bringing to Texas next week and honestly all last month I’ve been looking forward to Texas. Today is a good sign of things to come,” Chastain told NASCAR.com.

Al Niece, Niece Motorsports team owner, is delighted with Chastain’s performance and is looking forward to more of the same from him in upcoming races. Their organization has been working hard on bringing strong trucks to the track.

“We’ve been doing great with him all year. We’re just trying to stay ahead of the game a little bit. Cody (Efaw, team manager) and Phil (Gould, crew chief) have been on top of everything and when we have to make little changes, they’re seeing it and doing it,” Niece said.

Chastain, who started 10th and won Stage 2, went back-and-forth with eventual race winner Kyle Busch for multiple laps and noted that being in winning contention with someone like the 2015 Cup Series champion is encouraging. Chastain wasn’t sure if he was making the right move at first, signing on with Niece Motorsports. It’s starting to become clear it’s a good thing he did.

“That was a big deal, getting a stage win and trying to keep our track position with Kyle (Busch). It’s a dream come true to be out here, let alone get the chance to win,” Chastain said. “I saw a lot of potential with Al Niece and Cody Efaw and the whole TruNorth team, and I’m glad I did (sign). I’m glad I stuck to my gut.”

His determined attitude to run as many races as possible hasn’t gone unnoticed. Drivers among all three series have noticed the runs Chastain has made and think his hard work is putting him ahead.

“Ross Chastain, more laps in a race car this season than anybody else in all of NASCAR …” second-place finisher Ben Rhodes told NASCAR.com on Saturday. “It makes a difference, right?”

Chastain doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon, either, as he’s entered in all three events at Texas and both races on the upcoming Cup/Xfinity circuit at Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Kansas. He will also run the Gander Trucks race and attempt to make the Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte in May, followed by Cup and Xfinity races at Charlotte on Memorial Day weekend and then both races at Pocono.

Chastain is running full-time in the Monster Energy Series for Premium Motorsports in the No. 15 Chevrolet and had a tough race Sunday at Martinsville after losing an axle and then suffering an engine issue. Chastain is also running a full slate in the Xfinity Series with the bulk of his starts coming in the No. 4 JD Motorsports Chevrolet and three starts for Kaulig Racing’s No. 10 team.

Posted on March 27, 2019March 27, 2019 by Staff Report

NASCAR competition officials released a bulletin to Monster Energy Series teams Wednesday, announcing rules changes intended to reduce speeds at superspeedways.

The changes include a rear spoiler increased from 8 to 9 inches. Officials will also mandate a 1-inch bolt-on track bar mount to change the height from 11 to 12 inches, raising the rear of the car by one inch. Both changes will be in effect for the season’s remaining races at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

RELATED: Full schedule for Texas

NASCAR had eliminated rules for minimum ride heights at superspeedways ahead of the 2018 season, and teams responded by hunkering down the rear of their cars to reduce drag and increase speed. Wednesday’s track bar change is intended to offset those techniques by raising the rear of the car.

The season-opening Daytona 500 was the last superspeedway race with restrictor plates in place to reduce engine horsepower. The next superspeedway event, scheduled April 28 at Talladega, will slow speeds with the use of aerodynamic devices and a tapered engine spacer for a target horsepower figure of 550.

NASCAR officials conducted a two-day test session with the new package on Feb. 18-19, the Monday and Tuesday after the Daytona 500. A NASCAR spokesperson said the observed and predicted speeds from the test were higher than desired, and that Wednesday’s changes are intended to return speeds to a safe range. The spokesperson said that officials “do not anticipate any changes to the style of racing at Daytona and Talladega.”

Teams and drivers participating in that two-day test were:

• 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet for driver Daniel Hemric
• 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet for driver Kyle Larson
• 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for driver Alex Bowman

Posted on March 27, 2019March 27, 2019 by Track Release

FORT WORTH, Texas (March 27, 2019) – Versatile and critically acclaimed actor Brendan Fraser will serve as the Honorary Pace Car Driver for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 31.

The stage and screen actor, currently seen as former race car driver Cliff Steele/Robotman in the revival of DC Universe’s live-action series Doom Patrol, will pilot a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, the Official Pace Vehicle of Texas Motor Speedway, as he paces the field on the 1.5-mile tri-oval leading up to the start of the 334-lap, 501-mile race.

Fraser is most well-known for his 1999 role as Rick O’Connell in Universal’s smash hit action/horror adventure The Mummy. In 2001, Fraser reprised his role on the film’s sequel, The Mummy Returns. In 2008, Universal released Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. The Mummy franchise has grossed $1.415 billion worldwide to date.

A media availability and approved one-on-one interviews with Fraser is scheduled for Sunday, March 31 at 10:15 a.m. CT, in the infield media center.

A full weekend of NASCAR racing excitement kicks off Friday, March 29 with the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Vankor 350, continues Saturday, March 30 with the NASCAR Xfinity Series My Bariatric Solutions 300 and culminates Sunday, March 31, with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. In addition, the Stadium SUPER Trucks Outdoor Powersports Offroad Rumble takes center stage three times: Saturday afternoon immediately following the My Bariatric Solutions 300 and Sunday, one before and the other 30 minutes after the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500.

Single tickets, group tickets, and ticket packages are still available. Come join the fun and be the first to take in all the racing action at the new Turn 1 Terrace, Texas Motor Speedway’s latest facility upgrade specifically for the race fan. Tickets for children 12 & under are just $10 when accompanied by a paid adult.

Posted on March 27, 2019March 27, 2019 by Pat DeCola

NASCAR announced Tuesday major changes to its Cup Series schedule for the 2020 season, seeing a shakeup in which tracks are in the playoffs and in what order.

While there were plenty of shifts in the schedule, the 11-race stretch from the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway to the new Championship race location at ISM Raceway at Phoenix may be the most impactful for winning a championship.

Which dynamic will have the greatest influence on shaping the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs: the four cutoff races (Daytona, Bristol, Charlotte’s road course, Martinsville) or the new championship battle in the desert?

MORE: NASCAR reveals 2020 schedule | Photos: Major changes

NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola and Jonathan Merryman debate.

Pat DeCola: First thing’s first: Homestead-Miami Speedway has put on some incredible championship races. ISM Raceway will have to raise its bar to a whole new level, and I think it will. Let’s recap just a few wild things that have happened out west in this decade alone.

Fall 2012: After an on-track dispute, Clint Bowyer sprints through the garage area to confront Jeff Gordon — sparking one of the biggest fracases the sport has seen in some time. The incident likely took Bowyer’s shot at the title away. He finished second to Brad Keselowski that year, 39 points down.

Fall 2014: Kevin Harvick walks off with a victory in a must-win situation, launching him to the Championship 4 where he won his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title. Ryan Newman punts Kyle Larson out of the way in a last-ditch effort to make the Championship 4.

Fall 2015: Dale Earnhardt Jr. inherits the lead late as a caution falls one lap after he pits … and then the skies opened up — again, in the desert! — to end the race and give Junior one final win in what wound up being his last trip to Victory Lane.

Spring 2016: In what was a preview to come in a battle of two of the season’s best contenders, Kevin Harvick held off Carl Edwards at the start/finish line for a 0.010 margin of victory. It was the seventh-closest finish in NASCAR history.

Spring 2019: Following a disagreement on the track during Busch Pole Award qualifying, a heated Daniel Suarez approached Michael McDowell and the two wound up coming to blows.

Now, I’m not saying I want to see the title decided by fisticuffs, but Phoenix has offered plenty of sparks in recent years; maybe more so than any other track. I only expect that intensity to heighten and the penchant for the memorable moments that happen when the pressure is dialed up to 11 to increase at ISM.

Jonathan Merryman: Au contraire — there has been no race track with more dramatic moments and more story lines over the past few years than Martinsville Speedway.

In 2015, Jeff Gordon got his 93rd and final win, screaming the instant Victory Lane catchphrase, “We’re going to Homestead!”

The following year, Jimmie Johnson won and locked himself into the Championship 4 on his way to a historic, record-tying seventh NASCAR Cup Series title.

And how can we forget about 2017? Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott may want you to, but in reality, we will never forget what was on the line and just how much it hurt Elliott to get dumped from the lead and miss out on racing for his first Cup Series title.

It doesn’t end there, either. Last year, coming to the start/finish line we had no idea who would win that race between Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr., and that is why I think moving this race to the cutoff for the Round of 8 is genius.

Now, instead of kicking off the Round of 8, it will be the final race. That means you know if you have to win … and you know if you have to move someone. You know exactly what you have to do to get out of Martinsville with an opportunity to go to ISM Raceway and race for a championship.

Add in the fact that we’ll likely see dramatic finishes at all three of the previous cutoff races, too, and you’d better buckle up.

The dramatic, winding path that runs through Martinsville is going to be hotly contested and fun as hell to witness.

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Reid Spencer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR Peak Mexico Series champion Ruben Garcia Jr. has always had a fondness for Spain.

Now he’ll get his first chance to race there as part of a driver exchange between the Peak Mexico Series and the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.

As one of the perks of his championship run, Garcia will compete in the ELITE 1 division of the Euro Series in the season opener at Valencia, Spain, on April 13-14.

After the Euro Series concludes on Oct. 6 in Zolder, Belgium, the 2019 champion will get a chance to race in the NPMS finale at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City on Nov. 30-Dec. 1.

The announcement of the driver exchange comes as NASCAR kicks off its 2019 international schedule. The Peak Mexico Series debuts on Sunday at Autodromo Monterrey, with the Whelen Euro Series following two weeks later. The NASCAR Pinty’s Series will open competition on May 19 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario.

For Garcia, the trip to Valencia will be a pleasant addition to an already busy schedule. The two-time NPMS champion and Drive for Diversity and former NASCAR Next driver also is running full-time in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, where he already has two victories to his credit.

“It was great news for me, because for the last couple of years, I’ve been trying to put something together to run in Euro NASCAR,” Garcia said. “That’s a series that has been growing a lot and really caught my interest. They go to some really good race tracks, and I’ve seen some races, and they look really, really fun.”

Garcia has visited Spain and has a nucleus of friends there. He’s excited that they will get a chance to see him race on the road course at Valencia.

“That will be great,” Garcia said. “I actually spent New Year’s and Christmas in Spain. One of my best friends from childhood moved to Spain at the same time I moved to the United States. It will be really cool to have some friends that I almost call family to me go to my first race in Valencia.

“I haven’t been to Valencia. I’ve been to Barcelona and Madrid and other of the big cities. So, naturally, I’ll fly into Madrid and then go to Valencia. It’s great, because even though I’m far away from home—or where I’m living in the United States—it’ll still feel like home because I speak the native language there. It’s a country I enjoy traveling to, and I’ll have friends there.”

Garcia also knows he’ll have to rein in his aggressive driving style to acclimate to the European approach to racing.

“They have more the European style of racing, the FIA style of racing,” Garcia said. “It’s different what we do in Mexico and here in the United States. They really don’t have contact there. They’re strong, but they’re very, very respectful.

“That’s something I might need to get used to.”

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Staff Report

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend for racing on the 1.5-mile track.

Before the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 gets underway (3 p.m. ET, Sunday on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), let’s give you the lowdown on some things to watch.

TRACK DETAILS

Texas Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile oval with a minimum width of 58 feet. The banking is 20 degrees in Turns 1 and 2 and 24 degrees in Turns 3 and 4, with five degrees of banking in the straightaways. The asphalt surface was repaved before the spring race in 2017. The inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the track was April 5, 1997, won by Mark Martin. Jeff Burton won the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on April 6, 1997.

RULES PACKAGE

Texas will feature the baseline 2019 rules package with a tapered-spacer engine that will generate about 550 horsepower. Unlike last week at Martinsville Speedway, cars will have aero ducts.

This weekend’s configuration was first used this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and will be used 16 times this season.

Cup teams are allowed three sets of Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials for practice, one set for qualifying and nine sets for the race. This is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that Cup teams ran last November at Texas.

“The smooth track surface at Texas dictates that we bring a tire setup that runs as cool as possible because tire wear will be at a minimum,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “While it’s important for us to bring the right tire, it also becomes quite a team effort between Goodyear, NASCAR and the track to make sure that the asphalt is prepared even before teams arrive for race weekend. We provide the speedway with tires for them to run on their “tire monster” and rubber-in the surface. Doing that goes a long way to creating a second groove, and that has a positive impact on the racing.”

STATS

Kevin Harvick has been the king of stage wins on 1.5-mile tracks with 16, and he has also been dominant at Texas, winning four of the eight stages there. Ryan Blaney has two stage wins at Texas, and Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson both have one.

Harvick also has the longest active top-10 streak at Texas with nine in a row, a mark that ranks second all-time to Greg Biffle’s 10 in a row. Joey Logano, with six, and Kurt Busch, with four, also are working on significant top-10 streaks at Texas.

LIVE COVERAGE

This week’s race will be televised on FOX, with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Log onto NASCAR.com for coverage, including in-car cameras on Drive and in-car audio on RaceView. Be sure to follow your Fantasy Live team and make your garage decision by the end of Stage 2 when rosters are final.

2018 RACE WINNER

Kyle Busch edged Kevin Harvick by .300 seconds last spring for his third victory at Texas. It was the first win by Joe Gibbs Racing last season. Busch and JGR are red hot again this year as they come to No Limits, Texas. According to Racing Insights, the team’s combined average finish of 9.1 this season is one position better than any other organization. And Busch’s average finish of 2.67 through the first six races is the third-best all-time behind Cale Yarborough’s fast starts in 1974 and ’77.

ACTIVE TEXAS WINNERS

Jimmie Johnson (seven), Kyle Busch (three), Kevin Harvick (two), Denny Hamlin (two), Kurt Busch (one), Joey Logano (one) and Ryan Newman (one).