Posted on by Staff Report

Darlington’s throwback paint scheme fun adds an extra layer of spice this year as the top eight vote-getters for best paint scheme go head-to-head in a bracket format. If March Madness is college basketball’s favorite time of year, the pageant of paint schemes might be called Darlington Delirium.

Voting is open in the first round of Southern 500 bracketology, so cast your ballot now. And of course discuss the seeding — our selection committee based it on the top eight in voting for Darlington’s Best in Show fan award through Aug. 15.

RELATED: Vote for your four favorite schemes

The first round pits these eight looks honoring NASCAR’s past against each other as the theme for 2018 is “Seven Decades of NASCAR.”

William Byron vs. Brad Keselowski: Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet will be wrapped by Sam Bass’s “Hot Summer Nights” design honoring Jeff Gordon’s rainbow car while Keselowski’s No. 2 Ford is a nod to Rusty Wallace’s 1990 ride.

Chase Elliott vs. Matt DiBenedetto: Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet’s paint scheme honors his cousin, Casey Elliott. DiBenedetto’s pink-and-blue lightning bolt look for the No. 32 Ford hearkens back to Jeff Burton’s No. 99 car with Exide branding from 1996-2000.

Derrike Cope vs. Jimmie Johnson: Cope’s No. 99 yellow-and-red Bojangles’ theme matches the current race sponsor and throws it back to the partnership’s start in 1993. Johnson’s No. 48 “Last Ride for Kobalt” paint scheme is a nod to the one he captured Hendrick Motorsports’ 200th win with in 2012 at Darlington.

Kyle Busch vs. Clint Bowyer: Two current season heavyweights square off with Busch’s Ernie Irvan “Rainbow of Flavor” scheme on the No. 18 Toyota battling the No. 14 Ford’s tip of the hat to Ned Jarrett’s 1965 Ford Galaxie.

RELATED: See all the throwback schemes | Buy tickets now!

First-round voting will be open through Aug. 20. Those four winners will create the semifinal matchups, open to voting Aug. 21-25. Championship round voting will be open Aug. 26-31, with the winner being announced before the start of the Bojangles’ Southern 500 (2 p.m. ET Sept. 2, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

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CHARLESTON, S.C. – Kyle Larson has Saturday night’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway highlighted.

In the quick flight home from Charleston, South Carolina, following a school visit at Meeting Street Academy, the 26-year-old driver spoke about the 0.533-mile oval with hope.

Hope for a strong run as the playoffs loom, but more than that: Hope for his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win of 2018.

“Bristol is definitely my favorite track,” he told NASCAR.com. “I just enjoy the style of driving it takes to be fast there. It’s really aggressive and now that they’ve kind of ironed out the VHT where it’s on the bottom, the racing’s even better than it used to be. I just like it – I’m really good there, too.

“I’ve never won but I’ve been close every time we’ve raced there. Hopefully this will be the year.”

MORE: Full Bristol schedule | All the Bristol night race winners

A recent frontrunner at the Eastern Tennessee track, Larson has finished in the top 10 for the last three races at Bristol, pacing the field for 472 laps in that span. He was notably close in the spring trip to Bristol, coming up second to race-winner Kyle Busch after leading 200 laps. He declared this week that there’s some “unfinished business” there.

“I think Bristol is the place for sure that I look at for the rest of the season,” he said on nabbing his first Cup victory of 2018. “Here and Homestead are probably my two best tracks. This place takes more, I feel like driver is a bigger factor than car.

“For sure I think your Big 3 will still be up there, but I think you’ll see some other guys – including myself – that have been a little inconsistent this year run up front and challenge for the win and hopefully beat those guys.”

Larson saw a fellow Chevrolet driver – and Big 3 outsider – Chase Elliott break through for his first career win in the Monster Energy Series two weeks ago at Watkins Glen. While he thought his own CGR Chevrolet team started the season ahead of the other bowties, the manufacturer’s other teams have begun to make “more gains” than his No. 42 team has. Now, he considers his team “kind of equal with them.”

MORE: Larson, No. 42 team, visit with kids

What’s noteworthy to Larson isn’t the lack of victories, though – it’s the races run en route to those solid results that have put Larson in position to challenge for a championship.

“I think we’d like to have a win or two by now, but we’ve challenged for a few wins already this year, so it’s not like we aren’t capable of winning,” he said. “We’ve run up front a lot of the time. There’s some tracks where we’re definitely off, but I think that’s more on my part than the team’s part. We’ve just got to keep working hard and keep trying to get better as an organization and as a team, really. Try to go for that championship. There’s a lot of teams that are doing a really good job and we’re just a small step behind them.”

The playoffs begin in a little over four weeks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, offering a chance for Larson & Co. to gear up for a title.

If they can put all the pieces together, Larson just might have a shot at what is coincidently his other best track — Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“I think we’ll get to have some bigger gains here shortly in the next couple months,” he said. “I’m excited about that and just hoping that we can have a good couple rounds of playoffs and maybe if things start falling into place at the right time, we can go for a championship.”

Posted on by Team Release
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) announced Wednesday that Christopher Bell will drive the No. 51 Hunt Brothers Pizza Tundra in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday.

Harrison Burton was scheduled to compete, but was forced to withdraw due to an illness.

Bell won the 2017 NCWTS championship with KBM. In his 53 starts in the Truck Series, he earned seven wins, 26 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes. This season he is competing full time in the XFINITY Series for Joe Gibbs Racing and has already accrued four wins in 2018 (and one in 2017).

“It will be great to get back in a Tundra with KBM at Bristol, but wish it was under better circumstances,” Bell said. “I hope Harrison feels better soon and I’m hoping I can get the Hunt Brothers Pizza Tundra into Victory Lane on his behalf Thursday night.”

“I have been driving since I was four years old and have never missed a race,” Burton said. “I hate to let down my guys, but my doctors just don’t believe I’m ready. Having to miss this race will give me even more motivation to come back even stronger in Canada next week.”

Burton is still scheduled to drive the No. 51 Tundra in five more races for KBM this season, including next weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Posted on by Staff Report

The final race before the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs kick off is special at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year, and it has a special pace car driver, too: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard kicks off at 2 p.m. ET, Sept. 10 — the last chance for drivers to make the field of 16 for the NASCAR Playoffs.

RELATED: Driver points standings and playoff standings

“I am honored that Chevrolet asked me to drive the Camaro ZL1 Pace Car in one of the biggest races of the year,” Earnhardt said in a release from Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “The fan in me was already looking forward to this event. It’s a big race. There is a lot at stake since it’s the final chance for the teams and drivers to make the Playoffs. So, I hope to do a good job leading the field to the green flag, but I can promise you I’ll soak in every minute and enjoy the Brickyard in a way I never have before.”

Now an analyst for NBC Sports, Dale Jr. made his final start at the Brickyard as a full-time driver July 23, 2017. He crashed out, finishing 36th. In 17 starts at Indianapolis, Junior had one top 5, five top 10s and an average finish of 19.8.

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Perennial NASCAR Xfinity Series contender Elliott Sadler announced Wednesday that he is ending his run as a full-time driver after the 2018 season. The veteran of more than 800 races in NASCAR’s national series and driver for JR Motorsports posted a statement on his website, ElliottSadler.com, announcing his decision.

“After much consideration and many conversations with my family, I’ve decided this will be my last season racing full time in NASCAR,” Sadler wrote. “It’s time for me, as Dad, to help my kids pursue their dreams.”

The full statement can be read in the Twitter post below.

Sadler, 43, began racing in what is now the Xfinity Series in 1995, and he has 383 Xfinity starts to his credit. He also has 438 starts in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and 20 starts in the Camping World Truck Series.

Sadler has three wins in the Monster Energy Series, 13 wins in Xfinity and one win in the Truck Series. He has finished second in the Xfinity Series standings in each of the past two seasons and is in second place entering Friday’s Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Sadler also finished second in Xfinity in 2011 and 2012. Sadler’s three Cup wins were at Texas and Auto Club Speedway (both in 2004 for Yates Racing) and Bristol (2001 for Wood Brothers Racing).

 

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Numbers mean plenty when it comes to building out your Fantasy Live teams each week. NASCAR.com will examine the stats outlook for each track to help give you an edge as you go to set your lineups and bonus picks ahead of the race weekend.

Don’t forget to check back on NASCAR.com for additional insight from fantasy expert RJ Kraft as well as to watch Fantasy Fastlane with Jessica Ruffin and NBC Sports’ Steve Letarte.

RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live roster now | How the new Fantasy Live works | Driver stats

Top five average running position at Bristol (per loop data from 2005 to the present):

Driver Average Running Position
Erik Jones 9.364
Kevin Harvick 11.843
Kyle Larson 12.096
Jimmie Johnson 12.825
Bubba Wallace 12.830

Top five in stage points earned at Bristol in 2017-18:

Driver Stage points Stage wins
Kyle Larson 39 1
Jimmie Johnson 35 0
Erik Jones 33 0
Kyle Busch 23 1
Denny Hamlin 22 0

Top five in points earned in last three races at Bristol:

Driver Race points Race wins
Jimmie Johnson 136 1
Kyle Larson 133 0
Kevin Harvick 111 0
Denny Hamlin 106 0
Kyle Busch 105 2

Most laps led in last three races at Bristol:

Driver Laps led
Kyle Larson 472
Kyle Busch 273
Erik Jones 260

Average starting position for last 10 winners: 8.3; three of the last four winners at Bristol have started outside the top 10.

Active drivers to win pole: Ryan Newman (3), Denny Hamlin (3), Kyle Busch (2), Joey Logano (1), Jimmie Johnson (1), Kasey Kahne (1), Kurt Busch (1), Kevin Harvick (1) and Erik Jones (1)

Active drivers to win at Bristol: Kyle Busch (7), Kurt Busch (5), Joey Logano (2), Brad Keselowski (2), Kevin Harvick (2), Jimmie Johnson (2), Kasey Kahne (1) and Denny Hamlin (1)

Most recent pole winner: Kyle Busch, April of 2018

Last time pole-sitter won here: Kyle Busch, April of 2018

Where stage winners started from: First, third (three times), fifth, 18th

Winning manufacturers of last 10 races: Toyota-5, Ford-3, Chevrolet-2

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR unveiled on Tuesday the three trophies it will hand out to the Regular Season Championship winners across its three national series.

STANDINGS: MENCS | NXS | CWTS

Each trophy stands 2 feet tall and weighs approximately 35 pounds, and all three trophies feature a spire for every regular-season race with the name of the track engraved on it (26 for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series, 16 for Camping World Truck Series). The trophies are composed of steel and aluminum and are made by Jostens in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

PHOTOS: First look at all three trophies

The regular season ends at Indianapolis Motor Speedway next month for the Monster Energy Series while the Xfinity Series regular season ends at Las Vegas Motor Speedway the following week. The Camping World Truck Series wraps up its regular-season campaign Thursday at Bristol Motor Speedway with the UNOH 200 (8:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

The three reigning regular-season champions are Martin Truex Jr. (MENCS), Elliott Sadler (NXS) and Christopher Bell (CWTS). Kyle Busch, Bell and Johnny Sauter are the current points leaders for those series, respectively.

Posted on by Zack Albert

The conversation that eventually brought 62-year-old Hall of Famer Bill Elliott back to a NASCAR national series seems to have started as a lark. The initial suggestion by his son, Chase, was as simple as, “why not have Dad drive it?”

By early July, with nary a contract or even a handshake to make it official, a shade-tree agreement was in place to turn Elliott’s comeback into a very real development. The light-hearted conversation quickly gained more serious momentum, a snowballing that even caught Elliott by surprise.

“Hey, you’re going to do it. You’re in the car,” Elliott recalled being told.

“I can’t talk you out of it?”

“Nope, we done announced it.”

“O-kay!”

Spencer Gallagher has Bobby Allison by his side for the unveiling of his No. 23 Chevrolet for Darlington Raceway.
Zack Albert | NASCAR Digital Media

The improbable news became more tangible Tuesday with GMS Racing unveiling the No. 23 Chevrolet that Elliott will drive in the Xfinity Series at Road America on Aug. 25. The car will sport a throwback paint scheme that dials the calendar back to Elliott’s 1994 Southern 500 victory with Junior Johnson.

For good measure, GMS also unveiled the No. 23 Camaro for Spencer Gallagher, who will compete at Darlington Raceway with a design honoring 2019 NASCAR Hall inductee Davey Allison.

RELATED: Darlington throwback paint schemes

Elliott’s car will see the track first, tackling the mammoth 4.048-mile Wisconsin road course. The news of his first national series start since 2012 shook the garage 10 days ago at Watkins Glen, one day before his son made headlines with his first Monster Energy Series triumph.

The elder Elliott’s return has since been the subject of conjecture. His legend in stock-car racing circles has been cemented long before his enshrinement in NASCAR’s Hall in 2015. But there’s still a passion to drive that’s kept Elliott racing recreationally in vintage car circuits and an attempt just last week at Trans Am competition at Mid-Ohio (engine trouble before the start thwarted a full-fledged effort).

“Why do it or why not do it. How do you know if you don’t try?” Elliott says. “It’s the flip side. Whether you win, lose or draw, you always try to do things extra at the end of the day. I think from this standpoint, let’s just go out and have a good time. There’s a lot of people who want to come up and watch me race. They said, ‘whatever you do, you do. That’s not the point. We just want to see you out there.’ I think there’s a lot to be said about that.”

In the end, there’s likely to be more than merely making an appearance. Elliott will be jumping into a No. 23 ride that AJ Allmendinger guided to a runner-up Xfinity finish at Watkins Glen and that Gallagher piloted to eighth place last weekend at Mid-Ohio.

GMS president Mike Beam says that even with the road-course momentum, the expectations still remain unknown for Elliott’s return. One certainty: Fun will likely be the overriding principle.

“That’s the whole thing. You go to the race track now and people are so uptight,” Beam says. “You need to take it seriously, of course, but like Junior Johnson used to tell me, we’re one dancing bear away from being in a circus, really. So I know we’ve got some good stuff, and AJ and Spencer have run well the last two weekends. So Bill, he’s going to be fine. We’re excited. He’s a good road racer, and that’s what people lose sight of.

“I know some people said yeah, he needs to stay retired. Well, he’s not really retired. He’s been racing quite a bit still.”

Staying sharp with sports-car extracurriculars has helped Elliott shake that “retired” tag. But even as he hurtles toward senior citizenship, Elliott says he’s still bracing for the possibility of re-orientation as a rookie, complete with yellow stripes on his rear bumper.

As an air-quotes rookie or not, Elliott says he has no preconceived notion of how Road America will unfold. Asked if those expectations might include a third straight road-course top 10 — or better — Elliott demurs, giving a nod to the current generation of Xfinity drivers.

“I don’t know about that. Those kids are good,” Elliott says. “I’ve watched them. I see the other side of the world, you know.”

Posted on by Steve Luvender

Denny Hamlin stopped by Richmond Raceway’s iRacing simulator to turn some laps and share some tips with the next generation of racers. Perhaps Hamlin’s training inspired Kevin Harvick to celebrate his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory at Michigan with son Keelan in the passenger seat.

Speaking of #KidsDriveNASCAR …

With the NASCAR Xfinity Series racing at Mid-Ohio this past weekend, it meant drivers preparing for the road course on iRacing, much like last week as drivers prepped for Watkins Glen. Rookie Alex Labbé challenged iRacers to beat his fast time around the course.

Labbé ended up placing ninth at Mid-Ohio — his best career finish.

Fellow Xfinity Series driver Daniel Hemric showed how he gets around Mid-Ohio, too. Hemric finished third in Saturday’s race.

It appears former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Miguel Paludo started feeling the itch to up his game in iRacing and shared some shots of his sweet new setup, complete with an MPI wheel not unlike those used in actual NASCAR race cars.

I feel you, Robby.

NASCAR PEAK ANTIFREEZE iRACING SERIES UPDATE

Keegan Leahy, racing in his first full-time season, outright dominated at Pocono Raceway on Tuesday, leading 85 of 100 laps. Despite racing at the “Tricky Triangle,” the race went green for the final 90 laps.

With his victory, Leahy jumped to second in points behind Ray Alfalla after Bobby Zalenski finished a disappointing 32nd. Two races — including next Tuesday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway — remain before the series playoffs begin.

iRACING PAINT SCHEMES OF THE WEEK

Brantley Roden painted Brett Moffitt’s race-winning truck from Michigan Saturday.

An iRacing paint scheme of Brett Moffitt's winning Michigan look

If you’re a Team Penske fan, take a look at Tyler King’s re-creation of the team’s Xfinity Series Snap-On Tools Ford Mustang.

An iRacing paint scheme interpretation of Xfinity Series Snap-On Tools Ford Mustang

 

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

We’ve all been here at the end of a work day, right?

 

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR heads to the “Entertainment Capital of the World” to kick off the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in grand fashion. Las Vegas will be the scene for an action-packed three days as NASCAR’s 16 best drivers and teams of 2018 begin their championship aspirations quest.

Kyle Busch does burnout on Vegas Strip
David Becker | Getty Images

To celebrate the start of the sport’s postseason and engage fans, the festivities center around three major events: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Media Day; NASCAR Burnout Blvd Fueled by Sunoco (formerly known as Victory Lap); and a two-day Playoffs Party at Fremont Street Experience culminating in a free concert by platinum-selling recording artist Cole Swindell on 3rd Street Stage. All the proceedings take place before the green flag drops at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 16, when it hosts its inaugural postseason race — the South Point 400 — and NASCAR’s playoff opener at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT (NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Race fans will have the unique opportunity to see their favorite cars up close, interact with the sport’s top drivers and take part in a variety of other activities that build momentum and enthusiasm for the historic race weekend. A brief overview of events is below, with more information available online by going to NASCAR.com/playoffs.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Media Day

Playoffs media day will be held Thursday, Sept. 13 at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa, and will serve as the first event of the Playoffs celebration. For the first time, a portion of media day will be open to select fans.

NASCAR Burnout Blvd Fueled by Sunoco

Join all 16 of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs drivers on Thursday, Sept. 13, as they drive their race cars down the magnificent Las Vegas Strip. NASCAR Burnout Blvd Fueled by Sunoco driver introductions and pre-event pageantry will take place on Las Vegas Boulevard outside Miracle Mile Shops. The procession of race cars will then travel north to Spring Mountain Road where all 16 drivers will take their turn emulating the victory burnouts they hope to replicate during the Playoffs.

Fans are welcome to view the procession along Las Vegas Boulevard, including the pre-event festivities outside the Miracle Mile Shops and the burnout location at Spring Mountain, between Fashion Show and Wynn Las Vegas. NBCSN will have coverage of the event as part of a special two-hour playoff edition of NASCAR America, beginning at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT.

NASCAR Playoffs Party

Celebrate the eve of the Playoffs on Saturday, Sept. 15 with stars Ryan Blaney, Erik Jones and other NASCAR drivers and personalities at the inaugural Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Party with musical artist and Platinum-selling 10-time No. 1 rising superstar Cole Swindell. Free to all fans and held at the Fremont Street Experience, the event will feature conversations with drivers and NASCAR personalities. Sponsored by Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota, the Playoffs Party will culminate with a concert by Cole Swindell — the 2015 American Country Music New Artist of the Year award winner who will release his third album, All of It, on Aug. 17.

In addition to Saturday evening’s driver appearances and concert, fans can visit the Fremont Street Experience anytime on Friday and Saturday to enjoy NASCAR partner activations and see all 16 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs cars.

On-track activity kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 13 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where NASCAR’s next generation of rising stars will be on display at The Dirt Track in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West’s much anticipated return to dirt — the Star Nursey 100. Before the race, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stars Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer will be the featured guests at an autograph session at the track.

The event weekend also features two other national series races, including the NASCAR Xfinity Series DC Solar 300 regular-season finale Sept. 15 and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series World of Westgate 200 Playoffs race Sept. 14.