Posted on by Staff Report

Want to know what it’s like to watch a race with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the NASCAR on NBC personalities?

Well, this Saturday you are in luck as Earnhardt and his NBC pals will take in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and the @Xfinity handle will be live streaming it for your enjoyment.

RELATED: Dale Jr. breaks down crazy final lap at Chicagoland

In his first year with NBC, Earnhardt has brought a unique energy to the booth with his excitement and passion for racing. We can only imagine how much fun will be had in this setting.

This is the second road-course race in a four-race stretch for the series, which will shape the playoff picture until the regular season ends at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Sept. 15 at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App).

MORE: Dale Jr. through the years | All of Dale Jr.’s Monster Energy Series wins

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Erik Jones became the latest driver Wednesday to unveil his throwback scheme for Labor Day weekend’s event at Darlington Raceway  — and this one hits close to the heart of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team.

Jones will pilot a Sport Clips scheme inspired by his spotter, Rick Carelli, who has spotted for Jones since last year.  The 22-year-old driver showed Carelli the scheme in a video unveiling the look.

“Sport Clips let us pick our scheme this year, so I was trying to figure out what I was going to do so we decided to find a good throwback to you,” Jones told Carelli in the video.

During his driving career, Carelli made 145 starts in all three of NASCAR’s major series from 1992 to 2003, earning four victories and 60 top-10 finishes in the Camping World Truck Series. He’s also won nine races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. The Arvada, Colorado, native was inducted in the Colorado Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2011.

“That scheme means a lot to me,” Carelli said in the video. “It’s going to be something that’s going to be pretty exciting to see for myself and all the fans in the past that used to watch that truck roll around there.”

Off the track, Carelli is known for his signature hair style — something Jones and his former mullet can relate to — and he and Jones have a special bond with one another.

MORE: See all the Darlington schemes

Earlier Wednesday, Jones’ JGR teammate Denny Hamlin also unveiled his throwback scheme inspired by J.D. Gibbs for the Xfinity Series race at Darlington.

This year’s event at Darlington celebrates “Seven Decades of NASCAR,” paying tribute to the best schemes over a 70-year period.

Posted on by Staff Report

Nearly four months after Ford Performance announced it would bring the company’s iconic Mustang to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2019, the official unveil is here.

On Thursday at noon ET, Ford will metaphorically pull the cover off its latest body style. The event will be live-streamed on both NASCAR.com and NASCAR’s Facebook page, so make sure to tune in at that time. The teaser video above should get you ready! | Watch the live stream here

RELATED: Enter the Ford Hall of Fans Sweepstakes now!

It will be Ford’s fourth different Monster Energy Series model since the modern era began in 1972 — the Mustang will follow the Thunderbird, Taurus and Fusion, the current model.

The move follows similar decisions from fellow manufacturers Toyota and Chevrolet, which changed their body styles significantly over the past two years. Chevrolet introduced the Camaro ZL1 into the Monster Energy Series this year.

Ford has used the Mustang in the NASCAR Xfinity Series since 2011.

Posted on by Holly Cain

In her diverse and thriving career, Katherine Legge has raced GT cars, IndyCars, and IMSA sports cars. She’s competed in the Indianapolis 500 and stood on the podium in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

And this weekend the popular and talented Brit will make her NASCAR debut in the Xfinity Series’ Rock n Roll Tequila 170 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Then she’ll return two weeks later to compete — alongside NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott — at the Xfinity road-course race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

If it were up to Legge, should she secure sponsorship she’ll gladly return to NASCAR in September to compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

First, however, there is Mid-Ohio — where she will steer the No. 15 JD Motorsports Chevrolet in her stock-car debut.

“What I’d really like to do, is do a couple of these races and hopefully learn and hopefully have done a good job and hopefully raise some money and do the ROVAL race at the end of the year,” Legge said. “I know that’s going to be a tall order, but I have my eyes on more that’s for sure.”

Legge’s background and current job competing in IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series have provided lots of opportunity to know other former and current NASCAR drivers — all of whom have encouraged her to take this next step in her career.

Andy Lally, the 2011 Monster Energy Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year, is a good friend and former teammate. NASCAR competitor Justin Marks is currently a teammate on the Meyer Shank Racing GTD class team Legge drives for full-time in IMSA.

She has a win (at Belle Isle-Detroit) and four podium finishes so far this season in IMSA and is ranked second in the GTD class driver’s standings. Last year, her first with the Acura NSX GT3 program, she and co-driver Lally had two wins, four podiums and a pole.

“I’m really lucky that I have some really good friends in racing,” Legge said this week. “I’ve always wanted to do NASCAR, but (over the years) some friends said, ‘No not now,’ because it wasn’t the right team or right series.

“Andy Lally actually helped put this two-race deal together. … It’s going to start me off a little more low key and get the experience in driving a stock car. I’m really excited and nervous.

“I’m lucky I have Andy, and AJ Allmendinger is a friend of mine and Justin Marks, my teammate in IMSA. So I’ve got some really cool people to ask advice of, so I’m lucky for that.”

Looking at her racing resume, the top-shelf credentials are certainly there for 38-year-old Legge. Now, she concedes, she needs time behind the wheel in a stock car. Her first laps in practice this weekend will be her first laps ever in a stock car. As for knowing the track, she finished runner-up in the GTD class at Mid-Ohio in the IMSA race there earlier this season.

“Andy (Lally) and I are planning on watching some previous races and going over things this week,” Legge said. “But that’s the extent of it. I haven’t been able to test, I haven’t been able to get on the simulator. But the team is so professional and so good, hopefully they will help me through it.”

Legge left open the option of making more NASCAR starts in the future — perhaps beyond even road-course venues. In fact, for all her good work on road courses, she scored a ninth-place finish in the Verizon IndyCar Series oval race at Fontana, California (2012), which is also a NASCAR venue.

“I love oval racing, ever since I got the opportunity to drive an IndyCar on an oval,” Legge said. “It’s something I love doing. … If the opportunity came up, I’d love to, it would be a dream come true. My bread and butter has been sports cars for years. We’ll see. I just want to get through Mid-Ohio first.”

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

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 Michigan (per loop data from 2005 to the present):

Driver Average Running Position
Chase Elliott 7.384
William Byron 9.218
Brad Keselowski 11.697
Joey Logano 12.235
Ryan Blaney 12.298

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

Driver Stage points Stage wins
Kevin Harvick 39 1
Martin Truex Jr. 37 3
Kyle Larson 31 0
Kyle Busch 29 0
Brad Keselowski 29 1

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

Driver Race points Race wins
Martin Truex Jr. 122 0
Kevin Harvick 121 0
Kyle Larson 120 2
Kyle Busch 119 0
Chase Elliott 105 0

Most laps led in last three races at Michigan:

Driver Laps led
Martin Truex Jr. 119
Brad Keselowski 107
Kyle Larson 99

Average starting position for last 10 winners: 6.9; five drivers have won from the pole, only one driver has started outside the top 20 (Kurt Busch, 2015)

Active drivers to win pole: Joey Logano (3), Kurt Busch (3), Kasey Kahne (3), Kevin Harvick (1), Brad Keselowski (1), Kyle Larson (1), Ryan Newman (1)

Active drivers to win at Michigan: Kyle Larson (3), Kurt Busch (3), Denny Hamlin (2), Joey Logano (2), Ryan Newman (2), Clint Bowyer (1), Kyle Busch (1), Kevin Harvick (1), Jimmie Johnson (1), Kasey Kahne (1)

Most recent pole winner: Kurt Busch, June of 2018

Last time pole-sitter won here: Kyle Larson, June of 2017

Where stage winners started from: First, second (twice), fourth, ninth, 13th

Winning manufacturers of last 10 races: Chevrolet-6, Ford-3, Toyota-1

Posted on by Jason Lofing

Keegan Leahy won his third NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series race of 2018, completely dominating the competition at Pocono Raceway in one of the most impressive performances in series history. Leahy started fourth, was leading by Lap 3 and spent 85 of 100 laps on the point.

At the checkers, Leahy was a distant 10.5 seconds in front of Christian Challiner, who came home second after starting from pole position. Ray Alfalla scored his second straight third-place result followed by Jimmy Mullis, fresh off his win at New Hampshire. Chris Shearburn completed the top-five finishers.

RELATED: Full iRacing schedule/results for 2018

Though Challiner showed the most speed in qualifying, it did not take long before Leahy asserted himself as the car to beat by taking the lead on Lap 3. A caution on Lap 6 slowed the field when Brian Schoenburg made contact with Darik Bourdeau, collecting Logan Clampitt and Bobby Zalenski in the aftermath.

The yellow brought the field to pit road and Clampitt’s crew did their job, allowing him to hold the lead. With clean air and fresh tires, Clampitt looked to set sail on the restart.

The early caution would end up being the only one of the race, and with the final 90 laps going green, drivers with long-run speed made their way through the field. Challiner and Alfalla could keep pace for a while, but both had little hope in competing with Leahy’s speed after their tires wore. Ryan Luza may have been the biggest threat to the eventual winner, but he had a tough hill to climb after a penalty forced him to start from the pits.

However, by the first round of green-flag stops between Laps 37-42, Luza had crept into the picture with Leahy still dominating. Even with a healthy lead, Leahy pitted a few laps before many of the other front-runners, extending his lead even further as it became clear nobody was going to touch Leahy without a mistake or a caution.

His margin fell slightly as the second run went on due to the earlier pit stop, but it still rested at more than seven seconds when Leahy made his last stop for service on Lap 69. Challiner and Luza decided to pit later, on Lap 74, hoping fresher tires at the end of the race would help them advance. The strategy worked well for Challiner as he ran down Alfalla for the runner-up spot. Luza, though, had problems getting into his pit box and lost several seconds. He fell to 10th after it looked as if he’d challenge for second.

Alfalla holds the championship lead, but Leahy is only 10 points behind in second. Zalenski slipped to third after his incident, with Luza fourth and Nickolas Shelton in fifth. With only two races to go before the playoffs, the battle for the top eight is incredibly tight. Matt Bussa holds the final transfer spot but only has a six-point gap back to Challiner in ninth. Nick Ottinger, Michael Conti, Shelton, and Luza are all in the top eight after Pocono within nine points of Bussa.

The NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series heads to the final 1.5-mile track of the regular season as the series visits Texas Motor Speedway with the playoff bubble drivers all looking to break out. Which one can make a statement and get that much closer to qualifying for the round of eight? Find out in two weeks when the PANiS takes on TMS!

Posted on by Steve Luvender

When NASCAR races at a road course — something typically foreign to young drivers who grew up racing local oval tracks — it’s iRacing’s time to shine. Christopher Bell, Parker Kligerman, and Garrett Smithley were among those pro NASCAR drivers who prepared for their respective races at Watkins Glen this past weekend by turning virtual laps on the iRacing sim.

All three drivers finished their races cleanly — including, for Xfinity Series drivers, a portion of the race run in wet track conditions.

Even though Chase Briscoe didn’t race at The Glen this weekend, that didn’t stop him from hitting the track.

After The Glen, Alex Bowman spent his time on iRacing a little differently.

iRacing, always working to improve the realism in its software, released a video explaining the process behind the development of the sim’s new damage model.

NASCAR PEAK ANTIFREEZE iRACING SERIES UPDATE

The stars of iRacing stock cars head to Pocono Raceway on Tuesday for Race 12.

Jimmy Mullis, coming off his first career victory two weeks ago at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, looks to follow up with another win — but there’s been a change atop our Power Rankings.

Some drivers are just looking for a solid finish.

iRACING PAINT SCHEMES OF THE WEEK

Brantley Roden re-created Kyle Busch’s new M&M’s Crunchy Mint Toyota Camry for iRacing. There’s no guarantee it’ll make you drive through the field for a third-place finish at Watkins Glen like Busch did, but it looks good on the track.

iRacing Kyle Busch mint paint scheme

LeafFilter sponsored Ryan Truex’s No. 11 Kaulig Racing car in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen Saturday, and painter Justin M. Williams brought it to life on iRacing.

Ryan Truex LeafFilter No. 11

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Take a look at this side-by-side, bumping-and-banging photo finish in iRacing’s Camping World Truck Series-style trucks at Michigan, which featured a 0.003-second margin of victory.

Posted on by David Smith

The Victory Lane celebration at Watkins Glen International was a pivot point for Chase Elliott and crew chief Alan Gustafson. Finally, after 99 races and eight runner-up finishes together, the duo is victorious.

 

Now they turn their attention to a stretch run, which includes the playoffs, in which they might be even more competitive.

 

Elliott’s average finish of 9.8 in races with less than the average number of restarts ranks fourth among Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regulars, trailing Kyle Busch (3.9), Kevin Harvick (5.3) and Martin Truex Jr. (6.7), three early and obvious favorites for the championship. A faster car would help close that three-position gap to Truex in races heavy on long runs – Elliott’s No. 9 ranks just 10th this season in Central Speed — and while midseason upticks in speed are rare, Elliott’s team managed to accomplish the feat in both 2016 and 2017. The No. 9 Chevrolet ranked sixth in regular-season speed last year; it ranked fourth in the playoffs.

MORE: Elliott wins at Watkins Glen

Elliott utilized that speed last year to lead a combined 295 laps, nearly 53 percent of his yearlong total, at Dover, Martinsville and ISM Raceway in Phoenix during last year’s playoffs, three tracks he’ll visit again this fall. Two of those facilities  — Martinsville and ISM along with Bristol, which will host a regular-season race on Aug. 18 — comprised three of Elliott’s best single-race adjusted pass differentials during this season’s first half.

 

The track type on which Elliott is at his best as a passer, 2-mile tracks, is represented twice prior to the playoffs; he’ll return to Michigan this weekend, a track on which he’s thrice finished second, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sept. 9. He scored an adjusted pass differential 15 spots better than his average running position’s expectation in June’s race at Michigan.

MORE: Post-Watkins Glen playoff watch | Elliott’s win was in the numbers

Gustafson’s pit strategy calls should assist Elliott in the event any speed gains don’t quite shore up the difference between the car and those of the vaunted “Big 3.” The crew chief is retaining his driver’s running position on 80 percent of green-flag pit cycles — the series average is 67 percent — with a 22-position net gain on oval tracks to show for his effort.

 

Ninety percent of Gustafson’s stops under green this season were conservatively timed, or around the time when most teams elected to pit. He pitted outside the norm twice at Texas to mixed results; the team retained a top-three spot during the race’s second green-flag pit cycle after short-pitting, but lost five positions when long-pitting later in the race. It’s unclear whether he’s tabled unorthodox strategy for later use, but Texas does make an appearance in the playoffs.

 

Perhaps the biggest hurdles for Elliott and crew are the 1.5-mile tracks, of which there are four between now and the end of the season. One of them is Homestead-Miami Speedway, the track tasked with crowning the series champion in a winner-take-all scenario.

 

Elliott’s Chevrolet ranks 13th in Central Speed on intermediate tracks specifically, and the driver hasn’t found much success navigating through traffic at 1.5-milers. Through seven races on the track type in 2018, his adjusted pass differential sits at minus-18 spots, 35 positions worse than the expectation of his average running whereabouts.

 

There’s reason for optimism, though, considering his effort on the same tracks in 2017.

 

Based on his running position on intermediates last season, he was expected to secure an adjusted pass differential of plus-31; he earned a plus-156, a wild overachievement befitting a driver who ranked second in overall passing. A repeat of such a development could transform him into a serious championship threat, a notion that seemed unlikely to most fans after he averaged an 18.1-place finish through the season’s first eight races.

 

Last Sunday’s win at Watkins Glen was a big day for Elliott and the Elliott faithful, but there may soon be more to celebrate.

 

David Smith is the Founder of MotorsportsAnalytics.com. Follow him on Twitter at@DavidSmithMA.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR issued the following statement on Monday: “Brian France has taken an indefinite leave of absence from NASCAR as chairman and chief executive officer. Effective immediately, NASCAR Vice Chairman and Executive Vice President Jim France has assumed the role of interim chairman and chief executive officer.”

Jim France grew up in the early years of stock car racing, living and learning every detail of the sport from his own experiences, and from his father Bill France Sr., the founder and first president of NASCAR, and brother Bill Jr., NASCAR’s former president, chairman and CEO.

Jim France

Joining International Speedway Corporation in 1959, France worked in all phases of operations in his early years with the company.

He was elected to the ISC board in 1970 and has served as the company’s secretary, assistant treasurer, vice president, chief operating officer, executive vice president and president.

France has been involved in motorsports most of his life. In addition to stock cars, he has also been a strong supporter of both sports car and motorcycle racing in the United States, evident by his professional involvement in those sports. In 1999, he founded GRAND-AM Road Racing; in 2012, he was the driving force behind the merger of GRAND-AM and the American Le Mans Series, which began operation as one entity under the IMSA banner in 2014. He also was one of the crucial forces behind NASCAR’s acquisition of ARCA earlier this year.

France has served as a board member for ACCUS (Automobile Competition Committee of the United States). France was on active duty in the U.S. Army from 1969-1970, serving in Vietnam.

France was born and raised in Daytona Beach, Florida, and graduated from Seabreeze High School. He attended Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida, and earned a business degree in 1968.

Posted on by Staff Report

The Dawsonville Pool Room’s siren was ringing after Chase Elliott’s inaugural Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at Watkins Glen International on Sunday. And the locals seemed to respond, as a crowd awaited the new race winner when he landed at Elliott Field in Dawsonville, Georgia.

Accompanying Elliott were fellow Monster Energy Series driver and friend Ryan Blaney — who climbed out of the plane first, saying “Boy’s a winner!” — and his father, Hall of Fame driver Bill Elliott.

MORE: Elliott wins at Watkins Glen | Elliott, father Bill share special moment | Celebration photos

The driver of the No. 9 was grateful for the support, tweeting after the warm welcome.