Posted on by Zack Albert

Stewart-Haas Racing production manager Tony Gibson announced Monday that he has returned to work after a six-week recovery from a stroke.

Gibson said from his personal Twitter account that he suffered a blood clot in his brain July 6. The ailment, he said, affected his vestibular system, which controls the sensory functions of balance and orientation through the eyes and ears.

https://twitter.com/TonyOldman41/status/1031608835574820865

Gibson, 53, has been with Stewart-Haas Racing since 2009, its first season in NASCAR’s top series. The longtime crew chief shifted to the role of production manager in the offseason, a move that that significantly reduced his travel duties while keeping him hands-on with his oversight of vehicle fabrication for SHR’s four-team operation.

RELATED: Tony Gibson making transition (Jan. 31)

Gibson filled in as a crew chief this April for Stewart-Haas’ No. 10 team and driver Aric Almirola at Bristol Motor Speedway. He subbed on qualifying day after the team’s regular crew chief, Johnny Klausmeier, was home for paternity leave.

Stewart-Haas Racing leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series this year with 10 wins in 24 races.

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U.S. Navy Lt. Jesse Iwuji receives 20-30 messages every day on social media and email from people who have been inspired by his journey from the military to racing.

He may receive even more this week; Lt. Iwuji will make his first NASCAR national series start in this weekend’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Reaume Brothers Racing announced Monday afternoon.

Currently running select races in the K&N Pro Series West & East and the ARCA Series, Lt. Iwuji, who is still an active member of the U.S. Navy Reserves and a graduate of the Naval Academy, will pilot the No. 34 Reaume Brothers Racing Truck in Sunday’s Truck Series event (2:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“I’m looking forward to it, it’s going to be definitely fun for sure,” Lt. Iwuji told NASCAR.com. “For me, still being in the Navy and serving and getting the opportunity to be the first Naval Academy graduate and serviceman who’s still currently serving to actually make that jump into a national series.

Jesse Paint Scheme
The paint scheme that Lt. Iwuji will drive | Mediafaze Designs, Glenn Richard Photography

“It’s going to be a really cool experience, but something I think a lot of people who are out there serving can see and hopefully it helps inspire them and motivate them to go after their goals and dreams because it’s something a lot of people think they can’t do or couldn’t do. Hopefully with me doing it now, just showing them, ‘Hey it’s possible, if you want to get into racing, you can do it. If you want to get into anything else in life that seems super out of reach, you can do it.’ ”

Lt. Iwuji’s racing journey began in 2015, when he started racing Late Models before moving into the K&N Pro Series and ARCA Series. He’s worked his way through racing by support from the industry and partners, as several of his sponsors have military focus or appreciation — including one of this weekend’s partners Zulu Audio, whose owner is also a Naval Academy alum.

MORE: Iwuji saves family from fire

This national series start is bigger than himself, Lt. Iwuji said — because he was once like the fans sending him messages.

“… I didn’t come from a racing background, I didn’t come from a lot of money, I didn’t come from any of that,” Lt. Iwuji said. “I was more just kind of this random guy that decided to go after something really big and making that happen. … Even though it’s a ton of messages, a ton of emails … I try to get back to every single one because you never know who’s going to be the next big person. You never know if my one message I responded back to was what led them there because for me. I got to this point because I was just like them. And I reached to a whole bunch of drivers and people and for every 100 people I reached out to, only two or three actually got back to me.

“But those two or three are what helped me learn what I needed to learn to move a little bit forward and get to this point.”

This weekend, Lt. Iwuji hopes to “run well, finish the race, finish clean and progress from there.” Above all, he wants to learn a lot from his competitors and from the experience, as that will help him in his long-term goal; to make it as a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver.

MORE: Full schedule for Road America, Canadian Tire

“In my mind, once I have a goal and … once the vision pops in my mind and I see where I’m going to be, I just go in full,” he said on his dream. “… As crazy as it might seem, as far-fetched as it might seem, I fully insanely believe that it’s going to happen. And then from there, it takes a lot of work, a lot of effort, a lot of grind.

“Basically every single day, I’m doing different things to try to put myself in the position to get to this goal, whether it’s getting a lot of laps in the racing simulator, reaching out to different sponsors and contacts for hours and hours and hours each night, building sponsorship presentations, developing different marketing packages to promote the sponsors I do have. All that kind of stuff is the effort that you put in on a daily basis.

RELATED: Enter now for Camping World prizes, from coolers to an RV!

“And I still have a regular day job — racing is not my full-time job, even though I’m racing a lot of weekends a year … I’m in the Navy Reserves. Navy Reserves happens on the weekends, regular day job during the week, racing on all the other weekends I don’t have Navy Reserve stuff going on and then also running a business, too …

“Doing all that together is a lot of work, but it’s what I have to do and I do it all because I insanely believe that I’m going to make everything happen that I want to happen in NASCAR.”

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Richard Buck, managing director of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, and The Weather Channel’s Kait Parker explain how and why wind speeds factor into racing.

MORE: How does temperature affect a race | Why does cloud coverage matter in a race?

“Wind and air is definitely a big part of our sport,” Buck shared. “The drivers definitely use it. They understand it, and they can use that to their advantage. They can also use it to disadvantage the competitor they’re racing.”

Creating a strategy that factors in the weather conditions is vital, according to Parker. Teams will consult with meteorologists before races to make sure everything is lined up for the days ahead.

Posted on by Steve Luvender

Keegan Leahy outright dominated Pocono Raceway two weeks ago to claim his third victory of 2018, leading 85 of 100 laps, and moving to second in points behind Ray Alfalla. As a result, Leahy moved up three spots in our driver rankings as the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series gets ready to race at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Texas Motor Speedway.

1: Ray Alfalla (–)

Ray Alfalla is something of a Texas expert (Texpert?), boasting two wins and five podium finishes, although his 18th-place finish in 2017 was the first time in his eight career races there that he didn’t lead laps.

2: Keegan Leahy (+3)

Canada’s Keegan Leahy has had a breakout season, tying for the series lead with three victories in 2018. While Leahy won at Kansas — like Texas a 1.5-mile track — all of his non-top-10 finishes this season have come at 1.5-milers — 27th at Chicagoland, 30th at Charlotte and 36th at Las Vegas.

3: Ryan Luza (-1)

The 2017 champ heads home to Texas Tuesday, where he led 73 laps last year, though he finished deep in the field. Expect him to rebound and continue his impressive streak of top-10 finishes that dates back to March.

4: Bobby Zalenski (-1)

Pocono was a disaster for Bobby Zalenski, but he has a comfortable margin in points to remain in the top eight with two races before the playoffs. Slip Angle Motorsports is solid at 1.5-mile tracks, so expect a satisfactory run Tuesday.

5: Michael Conti (-1)

Last year’s Texas polesitter is coming off back-to-back ninth-place finishes. While a win has eluded him, he’s showed speed in previous races.

6: Zack Novak (–)

After a hot-and-cold start to the season, Zack Novak has finally landed in a rhythm, scoring three consecutive top-10 finishes. He’ll need a bit of luck in the next two races to make up ground in the points in the playoffs — and his lone start in Texas was a 22nd-place finish last year.

7: Nickolas Shelton (NR)

We dropped Nick Shelton from our Power Rankings last week after a spell of mediocre finishes made us wonder if his Charlotte victory was just a flash in the pan — but he showed promise at Pocono, starting in the top five and finishing sixth. Plus, we’re heading to a 1.5-mile track, where Shelton has claimed three podium finishes this year. Sorry we underestimated you, Nick.

8: Nick Ottinger (–)

Unlike his teammate Matt Bussa, Nick Ottinger has shown consistency lately, scoring three eighth-place finishes in the last four races (so it’s only appropriate we rank him eighth). The 2013 Texas winner will need a bit more speed to compete with the playoffs ahead.

9: Christian Challiner (NR)

Great Britain’s Christian Challiner showed he belongs in the playoff conversation after scoring the pole at Pocono, leading laps, and finishing second behind Keegan Leahy. Challiner’s only other start at Texas ended in disaster, however — a 38th-place finish last year.

10: Matt Bussa (-3)

Matt Bussa finished outside the top 20 in consecutive races following Pocono, and has never scored a top-10 finish at Texas in five starts. He’ll need a miracle — and quickly — to salvage his season.

Posted on by Staff Report

Richard Buck, managing director of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, and The Weather Channel’s Kait Parker break down how and why temperature affects the science of racing.

MORE: How does cloud coverage affect racing? | Why does wind speed matter?

“In NASCAR, track temperature is everything,” Parker explains. “If the track is too hot, the oil seeps out of the asphalt and it makes it greasy and it’s tough for the tires to grip. If it’s too cold, the tires can be too hard and then you also have a problem driving. You want a happy medium.”

On-track activity isn’t the only way temperature can factor into racing. With temperatures that can range upward to 130 degrees inside the vehicles, Buck says the athletes behind the wheel must deal with the fluctuating weather, too.

Posted on by Brad Norman

Richard Buck, managing director of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, and The Weather Channel’s Kait Parker break down how and why cloud coverage affects racing.

MORE: How does temperature affect a race? | Why does cloud coverage matter?

“When you’re dealing with hundreds of thousands of seconds separating a few positions every little bit counts,” Buck explained. ” … You’ll hear the crew chief and spotters and drivers sit on the end of pit road during the qualifying session to catch a glimpse of the cloud coverage to put down their best lap.”

Clouds can change the temperature by nearly 20 degrees, and according to Parker, a car will perform much better with under cloudy conditions rather than direct sunlight.

Posted on by Staff Report

Denny Hamlin’s paint scheme for Darlington Raceway will be a familiar sight to family and friends who watched him start working his way up the ranks more than 20 years ago.

The Chesterfield, Virginia, native revealed a special throwback scheme for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 on Sept. 2 (NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) from the NASCAR studios in Charlotte — a ride that is a spitting image of his first mini stock car he drove in 1997 at Langley Speedway and Southside Speedway.

Denny Hamlin Darlington paint scheme

RELATED: Darlington throwback schemes | See Hamlin’s first ride

“Oddly enough, I’ve always driven a purple-and-white No. 11, whether it was go-karts or race cars,” Hamlin told NASCAR.com during the live stream event. “… For me, this is our family car. This is the very first race car I ever owned and it’s special to me that FedEx is able to give us this canvas to throw back to my very first race car.”

The scheme is a match made in stock car heaven. Ironically enough, the purple paint and orange trim he ran on his mini stock back in the day is similar to the purple-and-orange trim on his Joe Gibbs Racing Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car, long before the FedEx sponsorship.

“We made the paint schemes back then very simple because we planned on crashing a lot,” said Hamlin. “So you wanted to have it pretty basic back then with your paint scheme.

“We just gravitated toward the purple,” he added. “One of my dad’s best friends was a painter back then and he’s like, ‘hey man, I got this beautiful color that you should try.’ For no particular reason we thought, yeah, the purple looks good. We did that and it had the orange stripe on it. It’s so crazy how it all worked out and I get to race this car again.”

The simplicity of the paint scheme is a symbol of Hamlin’s grassroots, along with the mismatched fire suit and helmet he will sport during the Labor Day weekend. Both hearken back to his humble beginnings in racing where the family business, Chesterfield Trailer and Hitch, ran by his father Dennis, funded the race team. The business logo will be prominently featured on the throwback scheme in honor of the journey.

“We did the best with what we could, for sure,” said Hamlin. “It’s very exciting to see this car, the real thing and the replica of everything I have sitting in my garage at home. It’s identical. The font and everything is perfect. Man, this car is very special.”

The original car made its rounds long after Hamlin made it to NASCAR’s highest level. But one day someone contacted his mother, Mary Lou, asking if he had any interest purchasing the car back.

“At the time, I didn’t appreciate the history or anything of it, so I was like I don’t even know where I’m going to put it,” Hamlin said. “I had a very moderate house at the time and no garage space, so I didn’t know what I was going to do with the thing. So I said no, I really don’t want it so tell them to go ahead and sell it.”

The car Hamlin raced to track championships at Langley and Southside now has a special spot at house, one with much more room for display. But that wouldn’t be the case if it wasn’t for team owner Joe Gibbs.

“Everyone knows I have the best boss in the world,” Hamlin said. “They sold it (the car), but they sold it to Joe Gibbs. He bought the car, restored it for me and gave it back to me as a gift.”

Hamlin will have the opportunity to add to the legacy of the paint scheme if he can defend his 2017 Darlington triumph and break into Victory Lane once again.

Hamlin currently is 10th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings with two regular-season races to go. He can clinch a playoff spot at Darlington with a win or if there is a repeat winner.

This story will be updated.

Denny Hamlin mini stock

Posted on by Staff Report

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin will unveil his 2018 Darlington throwback at 11 a.m. ET on Monday from NASCAR’s own studios.

Bookmark this link to watch Hamlin and host Alex Weaver pull the cover off his Darlington ride.

Hamlin, a throwback racer in his own right, is one of the series’ best drivers at the “Track Too Tough to Tame.” With two wins and 10 top-10 finishes in 12 career races, Hamlin will attempt to go back-to-back in this year’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 (Sept. 2, 6 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

LIVE LINK: www.nascar.com/11at11

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Preparing for your first NASCAR race is quite the journey, as Conor Daly can attest — and he will have visual proof. Through a video series launching Aug. 15 on NASCAR’s YouTube channel, you too can see what the driver goes through to get ready for his NASCAR national series debut at Road America on Aug. 25 (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

For the race at Road America, Daly will have sponsorship from Lilly Diabetes on his No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Like one of his Roush teammates for the race, Ryan Reed, Daly also competes while managing his Type 1 diabetes. Reed is sponsored by Lilly Diabetes as well in his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford as he competes for an Xfinity Series championship.

“I’m very excited for this opportunity to be partnered again with Lilly Diabetes and to be able to drive a Jack Roush Ford,” Daly said when news of his start was announced on May 10. “I’ve raced at Road America almost every year since I was 16 and have won there. I have driven almost every form of car, but this will be my first stock car experience.”

Daly, a 26-year-old Indiana native, has 42 career starts in the Verizon IndyCar Series — a series that has seen Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya and Sam Hornish Jr. among those to make the shift from open-wheel racing to the stock car world of NASCAR. Daly finished 18th each of the past two IndyCar campaigns, driving last year for team owner A.J. Foyt.

The video series will be five episodes and lead up to Daly’s start at Road America.

EPISODE 2

It takes a lot more than just driving fast to race in NASCAR. Watch as Conor Daly puts in work at the gym and gets some advice from AJ Allmendinger before he makes his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Road America.

EPISODE 1

IndyCar driver Conor Daly is preparing for his first NASCAR race at Road America. The transition from open wheel to stock car can be tough, but Conor is no stranger to overcoming challenges. He lives and races with Type 1 diabetes. Follow along as he battles down the Road to Road America.

Posted on by Zack Albert

BRISTOL, Tenn. — There was anguish in Kyle Busch’s voice over the team radio, regret over a miscalculation that ended the night of quasi-teammate Martin Truex Jr. just 69 laps from the finish Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The contact in a charged battle for second place was the highest-profile hurdle in a night full of them for Busch, the pre-race favorite bidding for his third-straight win at the .533-mile track. He left with a crumpled No. 18 Toyota that figured prominently in three of the six incidents in the Bristol Night Race.

RELATED: Full race results | Playoff standings

“That was just a misjudgment on my behalf. I crashed the 78 (of Truex),” said Busch, who survived for a 20th-place finish, three laps down. “That was my bad, totally. Totally misjudged that one just coming off the corner. Knowing there were still plenty of laps left, I wasn’t even in a hurry. I just misjudged it by four or six inches, whatever it was, clipped him and sent him for a ride. He knows that wasn’t intentional at all, and we’ve worked really, really, really, really good together these last two, three years, so that shouldn’t ruin anything between us.”

Busch was forced to chip away at a race-long disadvantage in the annual nighttime showdown after a Lap 2 spin and stack-up left him with heavy damage and a two-lap deficit. A later crash racing among the top five ended any hopes for a mammoth rally.

Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing crew managed the damage each time. With Truex and his Furniture Row Racing crew chief Cole Pearn, Busch said more damage control probably won’t be necessary to mend any fences. Truex kicked his car in frustration after emerging from the crash but was gracious after cooling off for post-race interviews. Their two teams share a technical alliance through Toyota.

WATCH: Truex shows frustration after wreck

“Cole’s really cool, Martin’s really cool. I think they’re fine,” Busch said. “Maybe I’ll send them a sorry cake to the Denver shop for the guys having to work extra. They’ll probably throw that one away anyway. It ruined their day of being able to get a win or even a second.”

Truex, for his part, split the blame.

“Probably didn’t obviously do it on purpose, but it’s hard Bristol racing,” Truex said. “Probably could’ve shown a little bit more patience. He was a lot faster than me at that point in time. He just caught me and probably another lap or so he would’ve went right by. Half his fault, half my fault for following the 14 (of Clint Bowyer) so long. I should’ve knocked his butt out of the way because he held me up for 15-20 laps and burnt my front tires off screwing with him.

“Played too nice and got the crappy end of the stick.”

RELATED: Truex reflects on cause of wreck

Adam Stevens, Busch’s crew chief, said he assumed the No. 78 team was frustrated by the contact, inadvertent or not. “They got wrecked out of a race. I’d be upset. That’s all there is to it. …

“When you’re fast and you’re competitive, you’re going to race with people. We’re fast, competitive and race with people,” Stevens added. “Kyle made a mistake. I don’t know what he said. I haven’t heard his quote, but on our radio, he said he made a mistake. That’s all you can do: Move on.”

The flagman had barely put the green flag away when Busch’s first mistake bit him. His No. 18 Toyota sustained sizable damage after the car skated loose, struggling to find grip in the low lane inside Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Ford. Rain earlier Saturday made the PJ1 traction additive much more of a variable, and Busch’s car didn’t stick through Turns 3 and 4.

WATCH: Busch wrecks on Lap 2

With his car crossways on the frontstretch, several others piled in. Truex’s No. 78 clipped the nose of Busch’s car, but the vehicles of Michael McDowell and Jesse Little did further damage with broadside hits.

With the air seemingly out of the three-peat bid’s bubble, Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing crew went to work on the left-side and rear damage. The work wrapped up before the crash clock expired and Busch was soon back up to competitive speed, but two laps in arrears in 35th place.

Busch returned to contention with the help of a wave-around to regain one lap in the race’s fourth caution period, then earned the free pass to return to the lead lap on the fifth yellow. But Busch faced an obstacle on each pit stop with a fueling issue. Crash damage impaired the fuel hose bracing, forcing the team to take extra time and effort with each stop for service.

“I don’t even know what to think. I’m proud of the effort. I’m proud of the car we put on the race track,” Stevens said. “Had we been able to put fuel in it in a timely manner, it would’ve been a whole different race. … Every time we came down pit road, we’d pretty much lose the tail end of the lead lap at that point. Hard to win a race when you’ve got to pass every car on the lead lap every run. Frustrating, but it shows what the team’s capable of, I guess.”

Busch agreed.

“We certainly were going to way overachieve tonight,” he said, “but we just didn’t get to.”