Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (September 20, 2018) – NASCAR today announced that Steve Phelps has been named NASCAR President, effective October 1, 2018. Brent Dewar has elected to step down and will remain with the company through the end of the 2018 racing season, transitioning to a senior consulting and advisory role in 2019.

Phelps will assume the duties held by Dewar and will report to Jim France, NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. As President, Phelps will have responsibility over all competition and business operations for the sanctioning body.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Steve Phelps as our leader,” France said. “His passion for NASCAR and proven ability to work with our partners has been unparalleled over the years. We thank Brent for his service and leadership to our sport. His energy and vision have been of tremendous benefit to our employees and our industry.”

Joining NASCAR in 2005, Phelps has played a key role in significant initiatives, such as negotiating key partnership agreements with Coca-Cola, Monster Energy, Comcast and Camping World, the acquisition of NASCAR’s digital and social rights and leading industry collaborative efforts such as the Industry Action Plan and industry-wide marketing platforms. Phelps brings more than three decades of experience to the role, including senior leadership roles at the National Football League and Wasserman.

“As a life-long fan of NASCAR, the opportunity to provide league-wide leadership is something I am looking forward to,” Phelps said. “I am confident that the strong team of leaders here at NASCAR and across the industry will accelerate the necessary changes to grow the sport and engage our passionate fans.”

Dewar joined NASCAR in 2013, serving as Chief Operating Officer and later as NASCAR President. “It has been a privilege to serve this sport these past five years,” said Dewar. “NASCAR is a close-knit family and I have been blessed to be part of a great team and industry, working collaboratively to deliver great racing for our fans. I look forward to continuing to work with the industry and the France family.”

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR penalized the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing team following Saturday’s Xfinity Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The vehicle failed pre-race inspection multiple times, violating Section 8.7.b of the NASCAR Rule Book. The No. 2 team has been deducted 10 driver points and 10 owner points.

No. 2 driver Matt Tifft finished 36th in Saturday’s Xfinity Series regular-season finale after being involved in an incident.

No Camping World Truck Series or Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams were penalized following their respective races at Las Vegas.

Posted on by Track Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – International Speedway Corporation (“ISC”) today announced the implementation of a comprehensive ticket and travel protection program with the ISC Weather Protection Program and TicketGuardian, both initiatives that will provide safeguards to guests when planning and attending NASCAR events.

The ISC Weather Protection Program applies to all paid grandstand tickets to NASCAR races at any ISC facility that are postponed and rescheduled to a different date due to inclement weather. Guests will now be able to exchange paid grandstand tickets that were not used on a rescheduled race date for a future NASCAR event at an ISC facility. The unused grandstand tickets may be exchanged for a same-series ticket of equal or lesser value based on event and seating location availability.

Guests with an unused grandstand ticket have 60 days to contact the ticket office at the ISC facility where the event was postponed. Eligible grandstand tickets may be exchanged for any future NASCAR race at an ISC facility within one year of the original event date or for the same race the following year, excluding the DAYTONA 500. Customers who have tickets to a postponed DAYTONA 500 event may exchange their tickets for a future DAYTONA 500 event; however, tickets from other Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events may not be exchanged for a DAYTONA 500 ticket.

MORE: Buy tickets

“Race fans make significant investments to attend NASCAR races at our facilities,” stated Lesa France Kennedy, ISC Chief Executive Officer. “When inclement weather impacts the schedule, it can be frustrating. The ISC Weather Protection Program addresses that concern and provides an assurance to our guests that if they can’t attend the rescheduled event, they will have the opportunity to see another race at another ISC facility.”

In situations that keep fans from attending the races, TicketGuardian’s FanShield insurance technology will continue to provide fans a feeling of security when buying tickets in advance. With low-cost coverage, fans are protected from the burden of having to resell their ticket or losing their money altogether if they’re unable to attend the event. Customers instead can receive a refund despite the traditional status quo of events, tickets, and registrations being non-refundable.

Fans that attend NASCAR events at ISC facilities will now enjoy comprehensive coverage when planning and attending events.

For further details on the ISC Weather Protection Program, visit www.mispeedway.com/weather.

Posted on by Sponsored Content

NASCAR drivers, crew members and team employees are facing off at 5 p.m. ET Sept. 26 in the NASCAR Fitness Challenge Powered by Lilly Diabetes, and you can be part of the competition!

Teams will gather at the NASCAR Hall of Fame Plaza in a relay-style stationary bike race, competing for a $15,000 donation to the charity of their choice. CycleBar instructors will lead heats, and teams will rotate through four riders as they try to pedal farthest during the race.

Where do you come in? Support teams on social media. They get points when you like or comment on their posts tagged with the #NASCARFitChallenge hashtag. The team that wins the social media competition will win a $5,000 donation to its charity, so get your team started now! Then come to the NASCAR Hall of Fame to cheer on your favorite team.

Teams are training and posting on social media now:

Teams from Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, Richard Childress Racing and Germain Racing, as well as NASCAR NEXT and NASCAR D4D will compete for their favorite charities.

Ryan Reed, driver of the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes Ford, participated in the 2017 event, and is helping get fans involved via Twitter for the 2018 fitness campaign.

 

 

Posted on by Team Release

PHILADELPHIA (Sept. 18, 2018) – Comcast today announced that this year’s NASCAR Xfinity Series champion will celebrate at Universal Orlando Resort™ on Tuesday, Nov. 27 in a series of activities that include fan meet-and-greets, a parade appearance and experiencing some of Universal’s most thrilling attractions, like Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion will take part in a full day of activities that will bring the world of NASCAR front-and-center for park guests, including:

• A fan meet-and-greet and autograph signing at the iconic Universal Orlando globe

• Taking on some of the park’s most thrilling attractions

• Serving as grand marshal in Universal’s Superstar Parade

The NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion will be crowned on Saturday, Nov. 17 after the Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. An elimination-style Playoffs format over the course of seven races will leave four drivers vying for the championship title in Miami. Fans can tune in to the action on NBCSN beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs kick off with the GoBowling 250 at Richmond Raceway on Friday, Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on by Steve Luvender

Drivers competing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are formidable competitors. They face grueling conditions in the cars, demands from their teams, and expectations from their sponsors and fans.

No one’s ever asked — maybe for good reason — what if we combined two drivers from NASCAR’s championship playoffs into one super-driver?

Thanks to the power of the Internet, we’re giving you the ability to create your own driver face-swap mashup monstrosity to create the ultimate playoff driver.

Why? Because we could. Also, we wanted to give you nightmares.

Check out some of our favorites.

MORE GENERATORS: Code words | Dale Jr. selfie

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As the remaining races in 2018 dwindle, Hendrick Motorsports finds itself in unfamiliar territory.

Three of its four drivers — Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman — advanced to the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs. And those same three drivers are in precarious positions after falling victim to incidents in Sunday’s wild playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

MORE: Updated NASCAR Playoffs standings | Las Vegas results

“We could have closed with a top-five finish that would have really helped and given us a cushion,” Johnson said post-race after finishing 22nd. “Today was really a good day for the Lowe’s team. We had good speed in the car, good pit stops, everything was going well and unfortunately, cut a right-front tire.”

“That is the most speed we have had on a 1.5-mile (track) all year,” Bowman said, his No. 88 coming up 19th after a late incident.

For the organization that’s struggled all year to find speed — particularly at 1.5-mile tracks —  flashes of speed (in spite of subpar finishes) on an intermediate may ordinarily bring a touch of encouragement. Johnson was running as high as third, while Bowman and Elliott ran more than 70 percent of their laps in the top 15.

The NASCAR Playoffs change that. Mid-race speed doesn’t mean much if the finish puts a driver on the wrong side of the cutline. So, while the organization is making some strides, is it too late for 2018?

“Playoffs, man” Johnson said. “… It means so much to everybody to be in the playoffs and have a shot at a championship. Everybody is just trying really hard.”

“Everyone is trying really hard” — that’s important, as obvious as it seems. A friend in the industry pointed out the following recently; if a driver makes the next round of the playoffs, that means someone else doesn’t. For all three Hendrick drivers to advance to the next round, they’ll have to outrun four other playoff competitors over the next two weeks to remain in contention. That sounds simple, but who would they eliminate? The majority of the playoff field has been strong throughout 2018 and with the way it’s been running, Hendrick isn’t beating the Kyle Busches or Kevin Harvicks of the field yet.

Perhaps Hendrick’s saving grace in this round of the playoffs is the next track on the circuit: Richmond Raceway. Because it’s a short track, there’s less emphasis on aero, where the team has struggled this season. Elliott finished second to Kyle Busch in the spring event at the Virginia track, while Johnson recorded a sixth-place result. In the series’ most recent trip to a short track with Bristol Motor Speedway, Elliott (third place), Bowman (eighth place) and Johnson (ninth place) all placed in the top 10.

The key for these three drivers — and the majority of the field, really — is to run well at Richmond before the Charlotte road course, which is being treated like the Talladega of road courses. The tests proved its unpredictability and no one wants to go into that weekend with a precarious position in the playoff standings.

My prediction for the HMS camp is that with a strong Richmond showing (and a whole lot of care and prayers at the Roval), Johnson and Elliott will advance on points and Bowman will be eliminated after the opening round. ‘Seven-Time’ has the experience of prevailing under pressure and is well-versed in how to protect his position or slightly advance it when needed, even if the No. 48 team can’t find a way back to Victory Lane right now. Elliott seems more likely, too, as the only Hendrick driver who has won this season and, at times, the team that has shown the most speed among the four-car stable. For a newcomer like Bowman, his chances seem less likely given that he doesn’t have the precious experience of running in the playoffs.

Regardless, for all three of these teams — and the No. 24 of William Byron that did not make the playoffs — this is a rebuilding year. Half of its drivers are new, the Camaro ZL1 is new and they’re still playing catch-up to the rest of the field. Any elimination from the playoffs gives Hendrick teams more opportunities to focus on preparing for 2019 and beyond. It may be too late for 2018 for some, but there’s plenty of racing left for these four wheelmen’s careers.

And let’s be honest; it’s Hendrick Motorsports and they can’t stay down for too long.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

If Justin Allgaier was starting to feel complacent about his regular-season championship in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, watching Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was all it took to inject a dose of reality.

Kevin Harvick, an odds-on choice to qualify for the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, fell out on Lap 73, after a hard crash into the Turn 1 wall, taking pole winner Erik Jones with him.

All told, 11 of 16 playoff drivers had issues of varying severity at Vegas, and that was more than enough to make Allgaier take notice, with the Xfinity Playoffs set to begin with Friday’s Go Bowling 250 at Richmond Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Xfinity Series Playoffs page

Allgaier left the Las Vegas cutoff race with a seven-point lead over second-place Christopher Bell. Elliott Sadler and Cole Custer, who are tied for third, are 28 points back. But the Las Vegas Cup event was an object lesson in just how fleeting a points lead can be.

“Obviously, for us, you have to feel good about where we’re at,” Allgaier said on Tuesday at NASCAR Xfinity Series media day at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “We’ve had a lot of momentum on our side, we’ve had great finishes, great race cars. But on the flip side, it’s the playoffs. We know how this goes. If you watched the Cup race on Sunday, you saw guys that you’d say, ‘Man, they’re a lock to make it to the next round, and they have plenty of points to bank’ — and they don’t have that anymore.

“I think, from my standpoint, we don’t have nearly the margins some of those guys had on the Cup side. So I’m excited about the playoffs. We’ve done our job. We’ve executed well. But on the flip side of it, until we get a win, or until we get enough points that nobody can pass me, I’m not going to be super pumped about it until we get to that point.”

Regardless of what happens in the playoffs, Allgaier has had a banner year. In seven previous full seasons in the Xfinity Series, he won five times. This year alone, his third with JR Motorsports, he has more than doubled that total.

“That’s special,” Allgaier acknowledged. “That doesn’t happen because I changed who I was. I didn’t learn how to drive at the beginning of 2018 and say, ‘Hey, let’s go win a bunch of races.’ That’s not at all what happened. Our team has clicked — our No. 7 team especially, but JR Motorsports as a whole.

“The camaraderie, the excitement, the fire, the passion … I tell people all the time: you can pay people to do a job, whatever it is, whether we come in here and we vacuum these floors or go out and race on the race track. But you can’t hire someone to have passion for what they’re doing. And right now, we have a bunch of guys who have passion.”

BRIEF STINT IN NASCAR’S FASTEST LANE HAS HELPED COLE CUSTER

NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff driver Cole Custer got his first taste of competition in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series this year, driving a car fielded by owner Rick Ware in March at Las Vegas and in June at Pocono.

Custer finished 25th and 26th, respectively, in the two races, but he believes that experience will help him immensely as he seeks his first Xfinity title.

The most valuable lesson he learned?

“Driving cars that are harder to drive than the Xfinity cars,” Custer said. “Once you drive something that’s harder to drive, it makes you feel like Superman when you go back into the slower cars. I’d say that’s the biggest thing.

“Also, the Cup cars are so touchy to drive. They’re very, very hard. So I think you learn more when you drive those cars.”

Custer also has gained confidence exponentially in his second season as an Xfinity driver, and his second year with Ford.

“Last year we were just thrashing to get to the race track with the new Xfinity team and then also switching over to Ford,” Custer said. “It was definitely a little bit tough the first year but now that we’re in a rhythm.

“We have all the tools that they provide, (and that has) helped us a lot — especially the simulator. Having the second year has helped us a ton.”

XFINITY PLAYOFF SCHEDULE COULDN’T BE BETTER FOR CHRISTOPHER BELL

Christopher Bell couldn’t ask for a better array of races as the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs approach.

Though he has no more than two career starts at any of the six tracks that will determine who races for the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Bell has scored at least one top five at each of them — with the exception of the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course, at which no one has yet raced.

The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has one victory in two starts at Richmond, site of the playoff opener. He also has a win in his only race at Kansas, the venue for the first race in the second round.

“I’m excited for the playoffs,” Bell said. “The schedule actually works out really well for me. We’ve got Richmond, Dover, the Roval (Charlotte road course), nobody really knows what to expect. I feel like we’re going to be really fast at Richmond. I’ve already won there earlier this year. So I feel good.

“And then the second round is Kansas, Texas, Phoenix, which are all race tracks that I’ve run extremely well at and Joe Gibbs Racing runs extremely well at. I’m really happy right now with where we’re at.”

MORE: Xfinity Series schedule

Posted on by Staff Report

Dale Earnhardt Jr. left the door cracked open for racing beyond Friday night’s GoBowling 250 at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In a spontaneous Q&A with fans on Twitter, Earnhardt responded to a question about whether Friday (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) would be his final race.

RELATED: Schedule for Richmond | Xfinity entry list | Dale Jr.: Richmond may be last race

Earnhardt said he’d only run races for JR Motorsports that involve sponsorship packages that help fund races for the other four teams. He went on to say when the team runs five cars in a given week, it stretches the company thin.

Earnhardt is running in this weekend’s NASCAR Playoffs opener in Xfinity because, as he said, it was part of an agreement with Unilever and Hellmanns that he do so; an agreement that was in place before he decided to walk away from full-time racing after the 2017 season.

RELATED: Breaking down the Xfinity Playoffs field | Dale Jr. through the years

Sweetening the scene for Junior fans is that he’ll have his old spotter back this weekend, TJ Majors, who currently spots for the No. 22 Team Penske Ford driven by Joey Logano in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Junior told a fan he got permission from Roger Penske, himself, for Majors to spot this week. But as for Steve Letarte stepping in as Junior’s crew chief? That won’t be happening, Junior says, because of Letarte’s commitments to broadcasting for NBC Sports.

However, although the band won’t be totally back together, we wouldn’t bet against Letarte dialing up Junior for an in-car interview or two.