NASCAR announced before the season that it will standardize at-track team rosters across all three national series in 2018, providing a structure for the number of personnel working on each vehicle during the course of a race weekend.
Official team rosters for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (6 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) have been released. Click the print icon above, or the link below.
Ryan Newman topped the leaderboard in Saturday’s second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Darlington Raceway at 171.698 mph in the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
Right behind him was Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at 171.512 mph.
Rounding out the top five were Jimmie Johnson in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and Kurt Busch in the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fusion.
Defending winner Denny Hamlin, who topped the leaderboard in first practice, was 15th in second practice at 168.573 mph.
Aric Almirola tagged the wall in this session, taking significant damage to his No. 10 Ford Fusion. He placed 11th on the leaderboard at 169.187 mph.
The next on-track activity is Busch Pole Qualifying on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App.
HAMLIN TOPS OPENING PRACTICE
Defending Darlington winner Denny Hamlin topped the leaderboard in Friday’s first practice for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 after he recorded a lap at 172.287 mph.
Hamlin was fastest in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Toyota in the opening practice session that served as the initial preparation for Sunday’s iconic throwback race (6 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Kyle Larson was second-fastest in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, logging a lap at 172.034 mph.
Brad Keselowski in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford (171.998 mph), Alex Bowman in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (171.980 mph) and Ryan Newman in the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (171.926 mph) rounded out the top five. Bowman currently holds the final provisional playoff spot with two regular-season races left and Newman is among the drivers on the outside looking in.
The No. 1 Chevrolet of Jamie McMurray began smoking about eight minutes into the session with an apparent engine failure. McMurray will start at the rear of the field if he must change the engine on his car.
“Honestly, I didn’t even realize the engine was blowing up,” McMurray told NBCSN. “But then obviously as the oil started pouring out, I caught on.”
The practice session was extended five minutes to account for the lengthy track cleanup because of the oil.
Later, with about 11 minutes left in the practice session, Erik Jones spun his No. 20 JGR Toyota as he attempted to get on pit road. The car was not make contact with anything and was not damaged.
Among those serving practice holds of 15 minutes at the end of the first practice were: No. 38 of David Ragan, No. 66 of Timmy Hill and No. 99 of Derrike Cope for being late to pre-race inspection; and No. 18 of Kyle Busch for failing pre-race inspection at Bristol twice. The No. 3 of Austin Dillon served a 30-minute practice hold for failing pre-race inspection at Bristol three times.
It’s throwback season! That means it’s a NASCAR weekend full of retro paint schemes to remind us of the sport’s roots. Throwback weekend — a race where NASCAR teams show up at the storied Darlington Raceway bearing paint schemes reminiscent of the past — is a relatively-new tradition, but it’s quickly become a favorite.
Also, drivers grow mustaches and mullets for some reason.
Please no more hairdo changes. NASCAR Mullet = NASCAR Mul-lets-not
While there’s an official bracket on NASCAR.com to vote for the best-in-show throwback paint scheme, why not talk about what makes some of the very best designs the best — in one man’s humble opinion, at least?
Oh, and I asked for a little help from Twitter, too. (It’s how I form all my opinions these days.)
important: please send all your darlington throwback paint scheme hot takes. no takes are too spicy. working on something
Here they are — the 10 best Darlington throwback paint schemes of 2018.
#10: Paul Menard’s No. 21 Motorcraft Ford
The Wood Brothers sort of have an unfair advantage for throwback paint schemes. They started racing in 1950, after all. This year, Paul Menard is racing a paint scheme paying homage to a race Cale Yarborough won in 1968. Yeah, 50 years ago.
We see the Darlington throwback weekend a little differently. For us, we’ve got endless schemes to pick from. It’s more about honoring the driver and not a rainbow, so for that reason, we chose Cale Yarborough’s 50th anniversary win scheme for this year’s Southern 500! pic.twitter.com/DFhJX9d45U
— Wood Brothers Racing (@woodbrothers21) July 11, 2018
There’s only one way to get more into the spirit than a 50-year-old tribute of a legend from the same race team.
It’s not a throwback race unless we use throwback cars
Kevin Harvick’s throwback paint scheme is a little different from most others. Rather than paying tribute to a memorable driver or reviving an iconic paint scheme of years past, Harvick’s Busch Ford brings us back to a simpler time: 1995.
That’s right — in 1995, the No. 1 song was Coolio’s “Gangster’s Paradise.” The Busch can design from 1995 inspired Kevin Harvick’s Stewart Haas Racing throwback paint scheme this year.
Sure, the term “fauxback” gets thrown around because Harvick’s car isn’t necessarily a replica of the past, but this is a good paint scheme because it’s different. And that’s OK.
#8: Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Menards Ford
Ryan Blaney’s throwback is keeping it in the family with a Ford reminiscent of the one his father Dave drove in 2003 — and nearly to a win — in the memorable Ricky Craven-Kurt Busch photo finish at Darlington that year.
It’s a winner because the Jasper yellow of the elder Blaney’s car 15 years ago fits in with the Menards yellow color traditionally on the modern-day No. 12 car.
#7: Chase Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet
Speaking of a family affair, Chase Elliott’s Darlington paint scheme honors his late cousin, Casey Elliott, who raced a similar car in 1993. It’s a touching tribute — and the car looks awfully sharp, too.
We're throwing it back with @chaseelliott, who will drive this special #NAPA9@TooToughToTame, a tribute to his late cousin Casey Elliott.
FedEx, Denny Hamlin’s longtime sponsor, surprised their driver with a throwback paint scheme honoring Hamlin’s racing roots — his first-ever mini stock race car from 1997, coincidentally also numbered 11. The story alone makes this throwback one of the most special.
Here it is. This year our throwback is about my short track racing roots and my family’s sacrifices to get me to this point. Can’t thank @FedEx enough for doing this. pic.twitter.com/CXmS8CFTAD
#5: Brad Keselowski’s No. 2 Miller Genuine Draft Ford
Miller’s paint schemes — always simple and impressionable — have become a mainstay of NASCAR. Brad Keselowski will race a 1990 Rusty Wallace replica that looks just as good on Keselowski’s Team Penske Ford as it did on Wallace’s Blue Max Racing Pontiac.
Steve Park’s Sam Bass-designed Pennzoil paint scheme is perhaps the best paint scheme of all time. There, I said it. Team Penske revived the famous Pennzoil-yellow car with black stripes and a black hood for this year’s Bojangles’ Southern 500, and the result is beautiful. Plus, it’s awfully cool that Connecticut’s Joey Logano can pay tribute to nearby New York’s Steve Park.
Plus, it’s always fun when the original driver gets involved with the unveiling.
While a driver throwing back to themselves might be considered lame according to some critics, living legend Derrike Cope gets a pass for this Bojangles’-sponsored machine that’s modeled after his car from 25 years ago.
The folks at Roush Fenway Racing are the masters of the throwback. In 2016, the team unveiled an Alan Kulwicki throwback paint scheme that brought Kulwicki’s old sponsor, Hooters, back to the track. Two years later, they’ve revived another staple sponsor of the 1990s — John Deere, which will grace the hood and quarter panels of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Ford at Darlington, using the same paint scheme made famous at the time.
Stenhouse’s car would make fellow-former-mullet-wearer Chad Little proud.
#1: Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Skittles Toyota
Kyle Busch’s Ernie Irvan Skittles car is peak throwback.
The paint scheme does everything perfectly: it looks exactly like the old car, it looks just as good on the 2018 car as it did in the ‘90s, and the reveal video that involved Ernie Irvan was a lot of fun.
It’s true — the No. 18 team hasn’t been the most consistent when it comes to throwback paint schemes. Heading to Darlington without a throwback paint scheme is like showing up to a costume party without a costume, and Kyle Busch showed up without a costume in 2015 and 2017.
Plus, if you don’t participate, bad things can happen. Just look at Brian Scott.
In 2016 Brian Scott was wrecked for being the only car without a throwback scheme
This is actually true. Proven fact. Brian Scott only ended up wrecked at Darlington in 2016 because his team wasn’t participating in the throwback fun.
Anyway, the No. 18 team is forgiven for their past transgressions: the Ernie Irvan Skittles throwback is the best of 2018.
And, even if you don’t agree, we can all agree on one thing on throwback weekend, at least.
Not enough mustaches
— Sebastian “The Wookie” LaForge (@WookieAutomoTV) August 29, 2018
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR and Pit Boss Grills announced a multi-year agreement that introduces one of the fastest growing grill brands as the “Official Grill of NASCAR®.” This new deal marks Pit Boss Grills’ first partnership with a professional sports property and will strengthen the company’s campaign to grow brand awareness on a national scale.
Dansons, Inc., which manufactures Pit Boss and Louisiana Grills, was founded in 1999 and provides its customers with world class, competitive and innovative products across its lineup; including wood pellet grills, charcoal grills, spices and accessories, as well as gas grills and vertical smokers. The partnership will provide both brands under Dansons, Inc. (Pit Boss & Louisiana Grills) with exclusive status and promotional rights in the grill category. The partnership will be activated at retail and key races throughout each season for strategic hospitality events.
“Each weekend NASCAR races serve as the backdrop for family and friends to gather to watch great racing, root for their favorite drivers, and likely eat some great food,” said Daryl Wolfe, NASCAR Chief Sales and Partnership Officer. “Often times a grill is a huge part of this social experience, whether at the track or at home, making this partnership with Pit Boss a natural fit for both brands.”
To celebrate their entrance into NASCAR, Pit Boss Grills will be grilling Darlington Raceway’s signature “Darlington Dog” for fans at tonight’s Pit Boss Pit Party, showing off its line of Pit Boss Pellet Grills.
“We are blessed to become part of the NASCAR family. We are particularly excited about connecting with the most passionate fans in sports,” said Jeff Thiessen, President of Pit Boss Grills. “NASCAR and Dansons, Inc. are both family run businesses, and we bring that atmosphere of family and friendship with us wherever we go. Our grills do that as well, bringing people together around good food and good times.”
Pit Boss and Louisiana Grills join the NASCAR Fuel for Business Council®, which brings together an exclusive group of more than 50 Official NASCAR Partners to buy and sell products and services from one another.
During the conceptualization, few thought the finished product would have such a lasting impact. Nor did anyone envision that the design would revolutionize how a team decides what its car looks like on a given NASCAR race weekend.
Yet 23 years later, this is the legacy created by the Silver Select No. 3 paint scheme that Dale Earnhardt drove in the 1995 All-Star Race.
Earnhardt didn’t always drive a jet black Chevrolet with a stylized white No. 3, though that color combination would become his trademark. Besides being one of NASCAR’s all-time best drivers, though, Earnhardt also was a savvy businessman who recognized a great opportunity.
Seeing the potential to inject new merchandise for his legion of fans combined with a desire to do something special for the All-Star Race, Earnhardt and team owner Richard Childress elected to switch up the customary paint scheme on the unmistakable No. 3 car.
“Dale understood merchandising, product and fan engagement, and with diecasts kind of the NASCAR equivalent to jerseys in other sports, he wanted to find a way to motivate fans and drive sales,” Howard Hitchcock, president of Lionel NASCAR Collectables, told NASCAR.com. “So at RCR they hatched this plan to develop a car that was radically different than what he drove on a daily basis.”
Born from this idea was a sleek-looking car with a silver base and orange lettering that under Charlotte Motor Speedway’s lights made it all the more distinct. The real impact, however, came not that evening on the track but afterward, something Hitchcock observed up-close over the years on his SiriusXM NASCAR Radio show, where he went by “Dr. Diecast” and discussed collectibles.
The silver No. 3 diecast would go on to become one of the all-time best-sellers, according to Hitchcock, who doesn’t know the exact number sold but believes it to be “north of a quarter-million units” since its initial release.
Not coincidentally, seeing the buzz that Earnhardt’s redesigned No. 3 stirred — and the dollars brought in via merchandise sales — other teams were compelled to rethink how their own cars appeared. Previously, teams largely incorporated one paint scheme for entire season. Switching designs on a car as a one-off was just not something that happened with any regularity.
That notion soon went by the wayside. The diecast business boomed as a result.
Earnhardt again had a special design in the All-Star Race the next year, this time an Olympic branded Chevrolet. Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports got into the act the year after when they rolled out the infamous “T-Rex” No. 24 car featuring a livery showcasing Jurassic Park: The Ride, a then-new attraction at Universal Studios theme park.
It wasn’t long before alternative paint schemes became commonplace beyond just the All-Star Race, something that remains prevalent as evident by the assorted schemes teams now utilize over the course of a season — and as on full display at Darlington this weekend.
“At the time I don’t think people probably recognized the impact it had long term on the business in terms of special schemes,” Hitchcock said. ” … Now it’s almost unusual to see a ‘regular car’ as there are all sorts of different variety of (paint schemes) that are running constantly.”
DARLINGTON, S.C. — Richard Childress Racing even went old school for the big reveal of its Darlington throwback. No social media. No Facebook Live unveil. Not so much as an e-mail attachment. Just roll that big Chevrolet with a No. 3 on it off the truck and come and get it.
The official opening to the Darlington Raceway garage had quite the prelude Friday morning, with the RCR No. 3 to be driven by Austin Dillon in Sunday’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 (6 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) making its debut. The car with American Ethanol livery rolled off in a flash of silver with a paint scheme hearkening back to the 1995 NASCAR All-Star Race.
That design, driven by stock-car racing icon Dale Earnhardt, paid tribute to the 25th anniversary of R.J. Reynolds’ involvement in the sport. Like this year’s version, that car was kept largely under wraps as a surprise for one of NASCAR’s biggest events.
“This is kind of the one that started all the wild paint schemes,” Dillon said Friday at the unveiling. “Talking to different guys about it, how special it was, and it was a secret. That’s why we kind of unveiled it the way we did is they didn’t unveil this car until it rolled off the back of the trailer.”
That long-ago “Quicksilver” paint scheme was also a major departure from Earnhardt’s “The Man in Black” persona. But it begat a collectible market frenzy for diecast versions of the car, prompting other teams and drivers to get into the act with commemorative looks on the track.
Dillon said he consulted with a handful of people — including Dale Earnhardt Jr. — about this year’s throwback design. The original silver No. 3 currently resides in RCR’s Museum in Welcome, North Carolina, where it remains one of the archive’s big draws.
Dillon drove a Wrangler-themed blue and yellow throwback No. 3 to a fourth-place finish in last year’s 500-miler. The result was his best finish in four Monster Energy Series appearances at the 1.366-mile track.
That result, plus a recent upturn in performance for Richard Childress Racing, has Dillon riding a small dose of momentum into the historic race. His fourth-place finish earlier this month at Michigan International Speedway was the team’s first top-five finish since Dillon won the season-opening Daytona 500.
“I feel really good,” he said. “Going into two big races like this at Darlington, Indy — crown-jewel races. We ran fourth here last year. I’m really excited for this weekend. I’m almost over-excited. I’ve got to calm down a little bit because we’ve got such a beautiful car and a good track for our team. I’m pumped, just ready to get in the race car and get after it.”
Two-time Southern 500 winner Denny Hamlin is hoping Darlington Raceway will be the spark he needs to launch the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team into the NASCAR Playoffs.
Along with his first victory at the track dubbed “Too Tough To Tame” in 2010, Hamlin heads into Sunday’s Bojangles Southern 500 (6 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) as the defending winner. With two races to go in the regular season, Hamlin sits 13th in the playoff standings with a 214-point cushion above the cutline.
If there’s a repeat season winner at Darlington, then Hamlin would lock into the playoffs based on points. But breaking into Victory Lane for his first victory of 2018 would do the same and bank bonus points for the postseason. Plus, a victory would extend Hamlin’s streak of notching at least one win in each of his full-time seasons to 13 years.
“We feel very confident,” Hamlin told NASCAR.com. “We’re going to make the playoffs. We know that. But we want to get a win. We haven’t gone this deep into the season without winning in a long time. We have some work to do. We have to perform better on race day.”
Hamlin and the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team have shown the speed is there to be a threat each week, but he admits it’s the execution that has suffered.
“We’ve been practicing well, qualifying well, just have to put it all together in the race,” Hamlin said. “Not have first-lap crashes like we had (at Bristol). I really am looking forward to getting there (Darlington) and getting in a rhythm and hopefully have a nice, smooth weekend with no issues.”
In 12 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Darlington, Hamlin holds an average finish of 5.8 with seven top fives, 10 top 10s and no finishes outside the top 20. Aside from teammate Erik Jones’ fifth-place average finish (in his lone start), Hamlin’s average finish is the best in the field, with Kyle Larson next at 8.8.
Last year, a late-race battle with Martin Truex Jr. for the win played right into Hamlin’s hands. With Truex on older tires, Hamlin chased him down inside the final 20 laps. With three circuits remaining, Hamlin passed Truex into Turn 3 as the No. 78 car slammed the wall with a cut tire, allowing Hamlin to cruise to victory.
Bottom line is the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has a knack for putting himself in position to win, no matter how the season is going up to that point. Hamlin believes it’s his driving style on the 1.366-mile oval that gives him a leg up on the competition.
“Every time we go there, we have a lot of success,” Hamlin said. “There’s no reason why this should be any different. We go there with a mindset of winning every single week, but Darlington is a race track that I know particularly that I have a driver’s advantage there because I have had the success and I feel like I do things there that give me an advantage.”
Carpooling with Daniel Suarez (alas, no karaoke) is story time with teammate Kyle Busch in the first episode of Suarez’s new YouTube series #DanielsAmigos.
Teaching Brexton Busch Spanish, helping young drivers advance, and working on restoring cars with their fathers are just a few of the topics the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates talk about while cruising around in North Carolina.
Suarez also piqued fans’ interest with a tweet Thursday saying he would be dropping some big news soon on his YouTube channel.
Editor’s note: Fantasy Fastlane will look at each race from a fantasy perspective, examining the top plays as well as several under-the-radar options and a play to avoid for NASCAR Fantasy Live. See the full analysis here.
Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Noah Gragson said his 2019 plans “are not really my focus” during an interview on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, hours after a report indicated he’s in line to jump to the NASCAR Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports next season.
“Well, I think the key word to that whole phrase was ‘rumor mill,’ ” the 20-year-old Gragson said when host Dave Moody asked about the Wednesday report from the Sports Business Journal. “Right now that’s not really my focus. I know my (management) guys have been working really hard on finding me an opportunity next year, but my main focus is to win a championship at Kyle Busch Motorsports and compete for wins on a weekly basis.
“That’s my main focus, to try to get that championship for all the employees over there, for myself and my sponsors. Hopefully we can win a few more races and the rest will take care of itself.”
Gragson is in his second full season driving the No. 18 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. News about the potential shift was first reported by the Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern.
A Kyle Busch Motorsports spokesperson said the organization had no announcements about its 2019 driver lineup. A JRM spokesperson said the team had nothing to announce at this time.
Gragson would replace Elliott Sadler in JRM’s No. 1 Chevrolet, according to the report. Sadler, 43, announced Aug. 15 that he would end his full-time racing career at the end of the season. He currently sits third in the Xfinity Series standings.
Gragson has made three Xfinity Series starts this season for Joe Gibbs Racing, recording top-10 finishes in all three appearances. The former NASCAR Next driver has two Camping World Truck Series wins, including one this season at Kansas Speedway.
“I’m not really sure on what I’m going to do next year,” Gragson said on SiriusXM. “I think it would be a great opportunity if I was in a position to race in the Xfinity Series. Going back to my career debut in the Xfinity Series this year … I had a really good showing and I felt like I was able to compete with those guys.
“Time will tell. We’ll see how everything gets laid out and where it goes, but definitely have a lot of options on the table and feel very fortunate to be in this position right now at Kyle Busch Motorsports and have people looking at me from the outside.”
Gragson was at the center of a controversial finish last weekend, crashing with teammate Todd Gilliland in a last-lap contest for the lead at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Gragson accepted blame for the mishap, which cost Kyle Busch Motorsports a potential 1-2 finish and allowed Justin Haley to sneak through for his second win of the season.
Gragson said he and Gilliland are “back on good terms.”
“We talked,” Gragson said. “I wanted to get his opinion on that last lap, he wanted to get my opinion. At the end of the day, we were racing for the win. I hate the result for everyone at Kyle Busch Motorsports.”
