Fans got their first on-track look at the 2019 Ford Mustang in a video released by Ford Performance last week. Now, there’s a behind-the-scenes clip of the entire day to digest.
Ford Performance released that clip as well, showing the set up and execution of one of the more memorable “reveal” videos of the year.
It’s been a whirlwind holiday season so far for Corey LaJoie.
First, Go Fas Racing announced Thursday that LaJoie will drive the team’s No. 32 Ford full-time in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series next season. That professional news precedes a big event on the personal side: tying the knot with his fiancée, Kelly, in the coming week.
“This is the best holiday ever,” LaJoie said. “I’m really excited about it. Just, God’s got me in a really good point in my life right now.”
LaJoie, 27, will replace Matt DiBenedetto, the team’s driver for the last two seasons. LaJoie was introduced at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, where the Archie St. Hilaire-owned organization also unveiled a show car to highlight sponsorship from Keen Parts, Schluter Systems and ZAK Products.
LaJoie has 57 starts in NASCAR’s top series spread over three seasons. After a season at BK Racing, LaJoie shifted to TriStar Motorsports for the 2018 campaign, splitting time with Cole Whitt in the No. 72 Chevrolet.
Those roles with lesser-funded teams came after paying his dues with various odds-and-ends jobs to keep his hand in motorsports. In the last handful of years, LaJoie has served as a crew chief for driver David Mayhew in the K&N Pro Series, manufacturing racing seats for his father’s business, and was offered a position as a car chief by Chad Knaus within the Hendrick Motorsports pipeline. Ultimately, LaJoie still felt the itch to be behind the wheel.
“There were times where Sunday nights, I was just wondering what I was doing,” LaJoie said. “You know, if I should go back welding seats or go be a crew chief. Man, there was a lot of obstacles to get to being a full-time Cup driver. If I need to be careful, I might make a career out of this thing before long. I don’t think there’s been any other Cup guys that were flying out to K&N West Series, crew chiefing for any guys three years ago. To rewind now, it’s pretty crazy.”
St. Hilaire said that his contract with LaJoie called for a one-year deal, a length of time that he said has been customary with his organization. The team owner said he’ll also receive some technical assistance from Ford and that he’ll have pit-crew service next season from Team Penske, a switch from Hendrick Motorsports in order to maintain manufacturer unity.
St. Hilaire added that he was open to expanding to a second Monster Energy Series team on a part-time basis, but that for now, his focus was on adapting to a new rules package in 2019 and building a relationship with LaJoie.
“We’re a blue-collar race team and Corey’s a blue-collar driver,” St. Hilaire said. “He can build a car, he can fix a car, and he can drive a car. I think that’s exciting.”
LaJoie has three ARCA Racing Series wins and six victories in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, where he was the series’ runner-up in 2012. He was selected for the NASCAR Next class of rising stock-car talent in 2011 and 2012, the program’s first two seasons.
DiBenedetto ended up 29th in the final Monster Energy Series standings last season, notching a best finish of seventh in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona in July. He was announced in October as the full-time driver next year for Leavine Family Racing, replacing Kasey Kahne in the No. 95.
LaJoie and DiBenedetto both were chosen for the NASCAR Next roster in its first year, when the initiative was known as Next 9. Five of the nine drivers in that initial class are now Monster Energy Series regulars.
Richard Petty Motorsports announced Thursday that World Wide Technology will return as a sponsor for Bubba Wallace’s No. 43 Chevrolet next season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
The St. Louis-based tech solutions provider will provide primary backing for multiple races in 2019, with specific events to be named later. After signing with RPM last May, WWT backed the No. 43 for seven races during Wallace’s rookie season, providing not only sponsorship but technical support.
“I’m excited about that,” Wallace said. “Huge thanks to everybody in that corporation to first, take the big step in believing in our team last year and bringing in a new sponsor for us is a big thing for the sport, bringing in a new company like World Wide Technology that can do so many things just beside being a name on the side of your race car. They’ve helped us out in a lot of background ways, from software and data analytics that we can use behind the scenes to help our program.
“The extension couldn’t come at a better time as we’re getting ramped up for the 2019 season. We’re excited to see the direction we head, especially with all the new changes that are coming with the new (rules) package.”
The agreement means that World Wide — which brands itself as “Silicon Valley in St. Louis” — will remain RPM’s official Technology and Analytics Partner. Last season, WWT embedded data scientists to work alongside the team’s engineers to develop new performance systems.
Wallace opened last season with a runner-up finish in the Daytona 500. He added two more top-10 results and ended up second in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contest to William Byron.
“In a short time, we’ve seen the immediate impact World Wide Technology can make on our race program with their big data analytics,” RPM Chief Executive Officer Brian Moffitt said in a team release. “Their continued partnership will have a significant impact on the performance of our race team through data analytics, application enhancements and creation of proprietary performance focused applications. We are fortunate to have WWT as a partner and they are committed to making Bubba and the No. 43 team a winner.”
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Walking through the Richard Childress Racing shop, Daniel Hemric can feel the shift in the atmosphere.
A sense of rejuvenation that comes with change.
Richard Childress Racing has seen plenty of that; the Welcome, North Carolina, team announced Hemric as a new Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver to pilot the historic No. 8, made famous by Dale Earnhardt Jr. The team will also celebrate its 50th anniversary in NASCAR in 2019, which will be commemorated with a special exhibit titled “RCR 50: Only in America” at the NASCAR Hall of Fame beginning in May.
“It’s a complete rejuvenation for the entire organization from what I can tell,” Hemric said Wednesday, following the team’s 50th anniversary exhibit announcement at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “I’ve been in the shop a good bit, preparing for the obstacles that are going to be ahead that we’re all going to have to face. To see the morale, it’s unbelievable. Not that the 31 was ever anything to look down on at RCR, but … it’s change and people embrace change and I feel like I’m trying to do the same thing and I know the folks at RCR are doing that and when you have something like that, it’s all good.
“Everybody at the shop is pumped up, they’re going to get new number decals for their pit boxes. The little things that go into a big transition for the number switch … and driver change with myself coming in, it’s cool to see how everybody’s spirits are. There’s nothing you can do better than just build off of that.”
Team owner Richard Childress, who has overseen his namesake organization since its inception in 1969, called the team’s rejuvenation a “bounce in their step,” as it heads into its 50th year of racing.
“Fifty years is quite the milestone in anything, but for it to be with RCR and be in the sport, which is so demanding, so time consuming to be around for 50 years and I haven’t missed many of the races in those 50 years,” he told NASCAR.com. “So, it’s amazing and to see the sport ride the highs and lows and everything throughout the sport. I’m just honored to be here.”
In its 50-year existence, Richard Childress Racing has housed many premier drivers, including Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer and, perhaps the team’s most famous wheelman, Dale Earnhardt.
“The Intimidator” is one of the reasons a young Hemric became an RCR fan years ago. The young driver knows and appreciates its history as he looks to make his own history in the No. 8 Chevrolet – which he laid eyes on for the first time in Wednesday’s event.
“Today was the first time seeing it,” Hemric said of his gold car. “I actually went to RCR yesterday and just posted, ‘Hey, I get to go see the car for the first time.’ I get there and it was already gone.
“Walking out here on stage and getting to see the gold car and to be able to reflect and kind of praise RCR on their 50th anniversary and know that Austin (Dillon) and I get to be teammates in two identical cars — which the spotters are going to completely hate once we get to Daytona — but the cars look incredible and it’s cool to be able to have a partnership with the Hall of Fame to be able to do something like this.”
NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Tyler Reddick explained earlier this month that his move to Richard Childress Racing gave him “a clearer path” to his ultimate goal: a ride in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
Wednesday, at an event celebrating RCR’s upcoming 50th anniversary season, team owner Richard Childress indicated that the first steps on the path to a Cup Series debut may come as soon as 2019.
“Don’t be surprised to see him in a (Cup) car before the year ends,” Childress told NASCAR.com, lauding the 22-year-old newcomer to the team. “We’re just real impressed with him and what he’s been able to do so far in his career. He’s just a great young talent.”
Reddick won twice last season for JR Motorsports, book-ending his oh-so-slim victory in the Daytona opener with a title-clinching triumph in the Homestead-Miami finale. The championship wound up being a cherished send-off gift to JRM as he previously announced his shift to the Childress operation on Oct. 31.
At the banquet celebration of his 2018 crown, Reddick said he hoped that his full-time Xfinity Series ride with RCR would lead to a handful of starts on the Monster Energy Series side. That would closely mimic the course of Daniel Hemric, who made two premier series starts for RCR last season before jumping to the Monster Energy Series full time in the No. 8 Chevrolet.
“I think Tyler’s always kind of held true to himself about where he was at,” Hemric said of Reddick’s progress. “Obviously, the guy’s an Xfinity Series champion now and rose to the occasion throughout the playoffs, and because of that emotionally and the things he went through throughout his playoff run, I think that prepares him way more advanced than what he would’ve been maybe three or four months ago.
“I think he would sit here and tell you he’s not ready to go full-time Cup racing, and I don’t know if anybody really knows they are or not until they get kind of immersed in it. I know I’m happy to get that shot for myself, but I think if the call comes that Tyler could rise to the occasion and get the job done.”
Hemric knows Reddick’s trajectory well. The two raced against each other in the Xfinity Series for the past two seasons and both were part of the Championship 4 field this year at Homestead. But further back, the two drivers were also teammates for Brad Keselowski’s Truck Series operation in 2016, giving Hemric an even closer perspective about Reddick’s abilities.
“It is a reunion. I actually ran into Tyler yesterday at the shop and to have him back, he’s a huge asset,” Hemric said. “He’s a guy who gets every bit out of his race car, and I learned that being teammates with him at Keselowski’s. Sometimes it got him in trouble, and I was kind of the steady Eddie with consistent finishes, but the days when he was on, he could do just like he did at Homestead and put it to everybody.
“So he has the knack and the ability to reach out and get everything out of the race car. We’ll be able to use that on the Xfinity and hopefully somewhere along the line, he can help us on the Cup side of things. Tyler’s still so young and he’s still got so far to go, but what he’s done to this point is incredible, so I look forward to be able to work with him again and obviously, everybody at RCR getting to know Tyler a little better as time goes because he’s good kid, he’s a racer and he just wants to be the best he can be at it.”
Formosa Productions Inc. and Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) have today reached an agreement to explore bringing major NASCAR racing events back to Nashville. The joint effort intends to combine local racing and other major motorsports events that once made Fairgrounds Speedway one of the premier raceways in motorsports.
Formosa Productions has a multi-year contract with the Metro Nashville Board of Fair Commissioners to promote and manage the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and operate a limited number of local racing events. BMS and Formosa Productions, who will continue to lead local racing efforts, have signed a contract to work with Metro Nashville and the Board of Fair Commissioners, owner of the historic raceway at the Nashville Fairgrounds, on a long-range plan of significant track improvements and high-profile race events that could include NASCAR events upon the facility meeting standards.
“This is terrific news for fans of racing and drivers all across the country and will bring a brighter future for Nashville Fairgrounds,” said Tony Formosa, president of Formosa Productions. “I’m excited to work with Bruton and Marcus Smith and the Bristol team who I feel will bring this historic facility back to where it belongs. Today marks an exciting new beginning for the Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville.”
Claire Formosa, vice president of Formosa Productions added, “This is exactly what the Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville needed. This is one of the most historic short tracks in the country. To know that we now have the chance to bring back NASCAR and restore this facility to what it once was, without losing any of its history is remarkable. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this facility and everyone involved.”
Said Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, “Tony and our team both see the same bright future for Fairgrounds Speedway. Nashville has a special reputation as one of the most exciting tracks in the history of motorsports, and the region has a remarkably large and passionate fan base. The motorsports industry — the sanctioning bodies, drivers and race teams — is excited about Nashville’s potential to be a regular site for major events. With Metro supportive of that vision, we are eager to start working tomorrow with the city, Tony and other stakeholders at the Fairgrounds and beyond, to develop a first-class racing facility and program.”
STAMFORD, Conn. – NBC Sports Group today announced it has reached a multi-year agreement with former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver AJ Allmendinger, who will join the network’s motorsports coverage beginning in January 2019.
Allmendinger will work on various properties across NBC Sports’ unparalleled motorsports portfolio, including as a booth analyst for the network’s exclusive coverage of the IMSA SportsCar Championship. Additionally, he will contribute regularly to NBCSN’s daily motorsports show NASCAR America. Allmendinger will make his broadcast debut during NBC Sports’ coverage of the 57th running of the iconic Rolex 24 at Daytona on Saturday, Jan. 26, where he is also expected to race as part of Meyer Shank Racing (MSR).
“AJ loves to race and is passionate about IMSA,” said Sam Flood, Executive Producer and President of Production, NBC Sports. “His career as a driver across IMSA, NASCAR and Open Wheel will bring a unique mix of experience and insight to the NBC Sports team.”
“I couldn’t be more excited to begin this new chapter in my life alongside some of the most knowledgeable and influential voices in motorsports, and to be a part of NBC Sports’ second-to-none coverage,” said Allmendinger.
Allmendinger joins NBC Sports after competing in NASCAR for 13 seasons, most recently driving JTG Daugherty Racing’s No. 47 Chevrolet in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. He garnered his first career Cup Series win in 2014, and made his first playoff appearance that same year. Allmendinger also drove part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he earned two victories (both in 2013).
In 2012, Allmendinger was part of the overall-winning team in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. In 2006, he earned five wins and placed third overall in the Champ Car World Series.
California native Zane Smith, a member of the NASCAR Next Class of 2018, will drive eight NASCAR Xfinity Series races for JR Motorsports in 2019, the team announced Tuesday. Smith will take the wheel of the organization’s No. 9 Chevrolet in his series debut in March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The 19-year-old Smith is the first driver to be named to the lineup of JRM’s No. 9 team, which is coming off its second consecutive Xfinity Series title — William Byron won the 2017 championship in the car, with Tyler Reddick following in 2018.
JRM will run a full-time schedule with the No. 9 next season with a number of drivers at the helm, according to a press release. Additional drivers, crew chief and sponsorship news will be announced at a later date, according to the team.
“Zane is going to be an important part of the lineup for the No. 9 team next season,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr., owner of JRM. “It’s a great opportunity for him. The team is going to take on a different feel with a handful of drivers taking turns throughout the year, but the goal remains the same — to help these drivers gain experience and continue to advance their careers. We started the Xfinity program with that mindset and it’s something we’re proud to continue.”
Smith will join a JR Motorsports roster going through a bit of a makeover. Justin Allgaier (No. 7) and Michael Annett (No. 5) both return, but Reddick is off to Richard Childress Racing and Elliott Sadler has retired. Noah Gragson will start his first year in the No. 1 in 2019. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas will partner with JR Motorsports for Smith’s debut.
“I’m super pumped to be a part of JR motorsports with the No. 9 team for eight races,” Smith said. “I’m counting down the days until Las Vegas, which will be my debut in the Xfinity series. I can’t thank The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas enough for making this happen, along with all of my other partners who have gotten me this far. Having Dale and Kelley (Earnhardt Miller) as bosses and to lean on is going to be awesome. They are huge icons of the sport. It is unreal to be a part of their team, so I’m just going to try and take it all in.”
In addition to Las Vegas, Smith will race at the following tracks: Bristol Motor Speedway (April 6), Richmond Raceway (April 12 and Sept. 20), Dover International Speedway (May 4 and Oct. 5) and Iowa Speedway (June 16 and July 27).
Smith drove full time in the ARCA Racing Series in 2018, finishing in second place in the final standings. He won four times and had 12 top-five finishes in 20 races. Smith also finished fifth in his only NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series start at Gateway Motorsports Park.
“JR Motorsports has a strong history of helping groom young talent and we’re looking forward to giving Zane that platform for success,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, general manager of JRM. “We feel Zane has much to offer both on and off the track. We’re going to have him in the car for these eight races, but also have him gain additional experience by traveling with the team for the season.”
DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA — In 2019, year five of its award-winning Throwback Weekend, Darlington Raceway will celebrate the 1990-1994 era of the sport for its 2019 campaign. The 2019 event will also mark the 70th running of the Bojangles’ Southern 500.
The “Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR” will be celebrated during the track’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 and NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 weekend on Aug. 30-Sept. 1.
Darlington Raceway will honor specific moments and heroes of the 1990-94 era of the sport’s storied history, including the conclusion of 2010 NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty’s career and the beginning of 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Gordon’s career.
The track will also pay special tribute during its 2019 race weekend to Spartanburg, South Carolina, native David Pearson, who has the most all-time NASCAR Cup victories at the track Too Tough To Tame with 10 wins. Pearson had 105 total wins in NASCAR’s top series, which is second only to Petty (200 wins). Pearson passed away on Nov. 12, 2018 at the age of 83.
“We’re excited to celebrate the 1990-94 era of the sport during our 2019 Throwback Weekend,” Darlington Raceway President Kerry Tharp said. “Many legendary drivers made names for themselves and the sport realized tremendous growth during that time period under the leadership of Bill France Jr. We will also celebrate the storied career of David Pearson during our race weekend, who was the most successful driver in Darlington’s history, as well as recognize the 70th running of the historic Bojangles’ Southern 500.”
For the fifth straight year, Darlington Raceway is also excited to announce it will once again highlight its rich history with a commemorative ticket design honoring Pearson and his history at Darlington for the 2019 Bojangles’ Southern 500.
“Even though we are highlighting the 1990-94 era, we felt it was important to pay tribute to David Pearson on our tickets because he truly was an icon in South Carolina who left a tremendous impact on Darlington and on NASCAR,” Tharp said.
Just in time for the holidays, Darlington Raceway has started the ticket renewal process with fans receiving an e-mail communication to renew their tickets and campsites early with the ability to print a gift letter when they renew.
Renewal brochures will be mailed in early January, but fans may log in to their accounts now to receive their exclusive renewal benefits. Renewing tickets early guarantees seats at the track’s best value before the opening of all remaining seats to the general public on Friday, Feb. 22.
Kasey Kahne concedes now that he began suspecting something was up last week when he received strange text messages and conflicting answers to easy questions from his friends and longtime employees.
The 38-year-old did not expect, however, the full-on surprise reception those very friends and family organized last Thursday night to honor him for his 15 years in NASCAR and pay respect for his successful and celebrated racing history.
More than 200 people from all phases and places of Kahne’s racing career crowded into the BoatYard Eats facility in Cornelius, North Carolina, for a surprise “retirement” party. Former pre-NASCAR team owners like Steve Lewis, longtime sponsor representatives, current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers such as Chase Elliott, Clint Bowyer and Kyle Larson, and past drivers Michael Waltrip and Regan Smith joined a room full of Kahne’s family and friends to recognize a triumphant career for the soft-spoken, shy wonder-talent from faraway Enumclaw, Washington.
“People weren’t there (at work) that day and were saying things to me and texting me and everything just seemed off,” Kahne told NASCAR.com this week. “I usually keep my days pretty normal, so I could tell something was going on. Up until then, I had no clue there was any type of party. I didn’t even think there needed to be one. I never thought of having a NASCAR retirement type party. It wasn’t on my radar at all.
“If it wasn’t a surprise, I would have said no. So it was really good.”
And so fitting.
Kahne’s career, though, always has exceeded “good.” His ascension and success in the NASCAR ranks was a hard-earned and unlikely path from someone of his racing background and West Coast small-town locale.
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His was a family effort from the get-go. And continues to be today.
Kasey’s father, Kelly Kahne, built a dirt track on the family’s property in Enumclaw to first put Kahne in a race car as a child. His mother, Tammy, ran a fan shop out of the garage as Kahne’s popularity began to soar. His older sister, Shannon, moved with him to Indianapolis and then the East Coast to offer support in his earliest time on the national stage. Now she runs the hugely generous Kasey Kahne Foundation.
Kahne’s younger brother, Kale, worked on his USAC teams and even served as a spotter early in Kasey’s NASCAR career. He and cousins Kole and Willie ran the family’s beloved sprint car team while Kasey focused on his NASCAR career.
“I feel so young and feel like I still want to race and do so many things,’’ Kahne said. “But I had 15 great years in NASCAR and learned so much and enjoyed it so much and won races. I just kind of want to move on and do something different for numerous reasons.
“To see what other people in the sport have written on social media has meant a ton to me. Also just to see all the people at the surprise party. Twenty years ago I wouldn’t have known anyone in there but my family. But the other night we were all friends, good friends. … I sat there and watched some and think back – every single person is enjoying it as a group because really it is for all of us together.
“It really showed how much racing in NASCAR and sprint cars have brought such a large group together to be good friends.”
From his earliest green flags, Kahne proved to be a racing prodigy. He joined Jeff Gordon (1989-90) as the only drivers to ever win the prestigious Night Before the 500 USAC Midget race twice — and back-to-back (2000-01). He was highly regarded and his talent just-tapped driving in the USAC ranks for Lewis when offers began to come in. Kahne was presented with two huge professional opportunities — driving open-wheel cars and driving stock cars.
He decided to try the latter and quickly erased the notion of any learning curve. His natural talent and discipline were apparent immediately. Kahne won Rookie of the Year honors in 2004 driving Dodges for Ray Evernham. He scored 13 top-five finishes that first year (including five runner-up showings) — a high mark for his entire career. His first win was at Richmond Raceway in 2005 and he beat one of his own-kind, USAC legend and good friend Tony Stewart, for the trophy.
In all, Kahne won 18 times at the Cup level — and he won for every team he competed with (with the exception of Leavine Family Racing last year, when his season was cut short due to medical issues). He scored nine wins for Evernham, two for Richard Petty, another for Red Bull Racing and six for the Hendrick organization.
Hendrick Motorsports was so eager to make a deal with Kahne, the team took the unprecedented action of announcing Kahne’s hiring in April 2010, nearly two full seasons before Kahne would actually start racing for the organization.
The anticipation was deserved as Kahne would challenge for championships and hoist trophies. He finishes his full-time Cup career with wins on a wide variety of tracks, from half-mile Bristol, to the 1-mile New Hampshire track, to 1.5-milers at Charlotte and Texas to the Sonoma road course and the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Kahne is one of just 31 drivers in NASCAR history with victories in all three national series. In addition to his 18 Cup races, Kahne won eight Xfinity Series races and five NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series races in six starts.
Not only was Kahne productive on-track, but he became a legitimate, if reluctant, celebrity as well, starring in commercials for sponsors such as Great Clips, Allstate and Farmers Insurance. The Allstate commercials, in particular, gained Kahne plenty of attention with hugely popular spots featuring middle-age women swooning over his good looks and racing talent.
It never was the attention Kahne sought, however. It was always the checkered flag and the feeling of accomplishment that drove him, as did the opportunity to succeed with his family at his side and fans eager to embrace his amazing journey from a small Northwest logging town to the stock-car big time.
“I had a lot of great accomplishments and everything was a dream really,” Kahne said. “As a kid, I just wanted to race and make a living. Making it to NASCAR and the teams I was able to race for, even the people before that that helped me get to NASCAR starting with my parents and then Steve Lewis and Phil Durst, so many people there. It’s crazy that many people came from all over the place. … It was really a fun time.’’
As Kahne will someday reflect on the many trophies he’s earned in his NASCAR career, it feels fitting that his last victory came at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – the very place that so accurately represents his early career crossroads and a venue that Kahne had revered above all others.
It is the perfect bow on an incredible career.
“I don’t think always about everything that went on (in my career), but when people remind me, I think, ‘Well that worked out,’ ” he said.
