Posted on by Zack Albert

Roughly halfway through his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, Bubba Wallace still has plenty of time to make gains in his rookie campaign. But some of the focus is already shifting to next year with preliminary contract talks underway with Richard Petty Motorsports.

Tuesday morning, both driver and team owner indicated that the prospects of sticking together for 2019 are looking up.

RELATED: Bubba reveals Darlington paint scheme

“Bubba will be with us again next year from a standpoint that he’s still learning,” Richard Petty said at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, where the team’s throwback No. 43 Chevrolet for Darlington Raceway was unveiled. “He’s a rookie. A lot of these tracks, he’s never been to. We’ve got a new car, running a Chevrolet this year, first time with a Chevrolet, so we’re trying to learn the driver and the car, and all of us trying to learn together.

“It’s been a real learning process. Right now, we’re kind of too slow learning. We need to speed that up.”

Said Wallace: “We’re working on that right now. It’s a positive look for us. We’ve just started this deal, and we formed this relationship back as soon as I set foot on the grounds for Pocono last year, so we’re in a good spot, for sure. We’re still working on all the details, but I’m excited to be where I’m at right now.”

Wallace and Petty first joined forces with a four-race tryout last year when he filled in as Aric Almirola recovered from injury. That led to a full-time ride for this season, which has been a challenging one. Since dazzling the field with an emotional runner-up finish in the Daytona 500, Wallace now sits tied for 24th place in the Monster Energy Series standings.

Despite the sometimes rocky road in their first season together, Petty said he places some stock in having a measure of continuity behind the wheel.

“I feel like it’s just going to take a little while to make it jell,” Petty said. “It’s hardly ever that any team just comes in and does really good at the beginning of it. It takes two or three years for everybody to sort of settle in. Hopefully, we get settled in so we’re ready for next year.”

MORE: Darlington throwback schemes for 2018

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

Strong runs and consistent finishes throughout the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season have allowed Daniel Hemric to take over the regular-season points lead following Saturday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

In his second year driving the No. 21 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, it’s the first time Hemric has held a points lead. JR Motorsports has long had a stranglehold on the standings; a JRM driver held the points lead throughout the entire 2017 season, ending with a championship by William Byron. This season, JRM drivers Elliott Sadler and Tyler Reddick have claimed ownership of the top spot for all but one race, when Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer took over for one week after Chicagoland.

“Knowing that we’re the regular-season points leader is a big deal considering the stronghold JR Motorsports and Elliott Sadler for sure have had on the series the last two years or so through the regular season,” Hemric told NASCAR.com on Tuesday. “To be able to take the step we did this weekend and carry that momentum into Iowa is a big deal for all of us.”

RELATED: Xfinity Series standings | Full schedule for Iowa

Hemric only has three finishes outside the top 20 this year, with two of those coming at unpredictable Daytona and Talladega. Aside from that, the 27-year-old has a pair of 11th-place results, while the rest of his finishes have been eighth or better.

Consistency has been the name of the game.

“If you look at what Elliott Sadler and what those teams have done over the past couple years, it’s incredible that week in and week out they were able to get the finishes they were able to get and keep that kind of championship run going,” Hemric said. “And to know that we’ve been the team this year to be able to do that to this point, it’s a big undertaking. We’ve had some fortunate breaks, some holes open up through some crashes or being in the right lanes on restarts … all of the stuff that propels into making it a solid finish. There’s a lot of things that have to go your way, but on the other side of that, the speed we’ve had in our cars at Richard Childress Racing … it’s allowed those opportunities to show up more and more throughout the race.”

Earning the points lead is a triumph that Hemric credits to the hard work and dedication the No. 21 team has put forth back at the shop, as well as at the track each week.

“From a team aspect, it’s rewarding and gratifying knowing that the work they’re doing at the shop, at ECR (Engines) and RCR, they’re putting us in position to have good points days,” Hemric said. “Not spur-of-the-moment points days, but week in and week out. We’ve put ourselves in position by doing that.

“I see it as them maximizing the product that they’re being given and taking it to the next level,” he added. “It’s my job to do the same on the race track. So far at this point, we’ve all been able to rise to that occasion and hopefully we can continue to do that.”

After making the Championship 4 in 2017, Hemric believes the run of consistency proves the team is an even greater threat for the title this year and can give JRM a run for its money.

“I think it just proves to everyone that we’re maximizing our weeks, week in and week out,” Hemric said. “In order to solidify yourself as a legitimate championship contender, you have to be able to do that. It’s not by fluke that all those JRM cars went to Homestead with multiple shots to win a championship, it’s because every year they’ve had the speed to do that and position themselves to get to Homestead.”

Despite a strong run up to this point, Hemric feels the best is yet to come — which might be scary for the rest of the competition to hear.

“I really believe it’s only going to get better,” Hemric said. “I know our race team is only going to get better. I know our race cars are only going to get better. With our supporters at South Point Hotel and Casino and everything Richard pours into the company, we’ve had finishes and solid weekends that have led us to where we are now. With us not winning a race, with us not leading as many laps as we want to lead, we still haven’t gotten even close to our full potential.

“We’re not that naïve and we know we still have some work to do and other guys are going to continue to get better,” he added. “I don’t think we’ve peaked by any means, I just think we’ve maximized our time on the race track to this point. There are still a lot of gains to be made and we look to continue to do that.”

Saturday’s race at Iowa Speedway (5 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will offer up another shot for Hemric to earn that elusive first-career Xfinity win; he finished third at the the track just five weeks ago.

“There’s a lot of opportunity for everybody and hopefully we’ve put in the work over the last four or five weeks to build that notebook and make ourselves a tick better,” Hemric said. “Hopefully go there and have a shot with our 21 team to do what we’ve all been working our tails off to do and that’s break into Victory Lane.

“They can’t keep us out forever, so hopefully we go get it.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

Bubba Wallace is bracing for what will be his first Monster Energy Series start at Darlington Raceway, just several weeks away on Labor Day weekend. Richard Petty, his team owner, will miss out on the driving part this year. The NASCAR icon says he’s been benched.

One of the best impromptu moments from last year’s throwback weekend at Darlington was Petty taking the wheel of the Plymouth Belvedere he drove to victory in the 1967 Southern 500. Guiding the car with an ear-to-ear grin, Petty apparently made one or two ceremonial pace laps too many, a gesture that resulted in a black flag at the start-finish line.

WATCH: ‘The King’ gets the black flag at Darlington

“No, they didn’t invite me back to drive this time,” Petty says with a laugh. “I think they’re going to tie me to a post out there to keep me from getting back in the car.”

Wallace will get to participate in the retro emotions instead this year, driving a No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet that harkens back to the earliest days of the team’s association with STP. The car, awash in Petty’s trademark shade of blue, made its debut Tuesday in an unveiling at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

RELATED: See the Darlington throwbacks revealed so far

Darlington Throwback 43 Scheme

Like many, Wallace savored Petty’s return to the wheel during last year’s Bojangles’ Southern 500, even if NASCAR’s King might have good-naturedly overstayed his welcome.

“That was one of the coolest things, seeing that and him just having the biggest smile on his face, enjoying it,” Wallace said. “Seeing him back behind the wheel of a race car, I think a lot of people wanted to see that. One or two extra laps, it didn’t hurt anybody.”

Wallace has made a pair of Xfinity Series starts at Darlington, but the Sept. 2 race will mark his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series appearance at the historic 1.366-mile track. Vintage paint schemes at Darlington have become a now-annual celebration of stock-car racing’s past. For Petty, who made his first big-league NASCAR start 60 years ago, there’s plenty of tradition to unearth.

This year’s rendition of the No. 43 dials the clock back to the 1972 season opener, where Petty won at the old Riverside International Raceway road course. The sponsorship talks with STP were ramping up, but the look of the car had become a sticking point — with the automotive company hoping to add a splash of bright red to the familiar blue.

Petty eventually relented to the two-tone concept, but not before one last Riverside victory in the predominantly blue machine, a look replicated on the 2018 Camaro ZL1 unveiled Tuesday. “It just brings memories back,” Petty said.

If there’s any mild, lingering disappointment for Wallace in knowing that Petty’s pace laps won’t be back for a do-over this year, it hasn’t shown. He’s ready to be a more active participant himself in the Labor Day festivities, gearing up for his first try in the legendary 500-miler.

“I think aside from the Daytona 500, maybe the Brickyard, the Southern 500 is right up there with it,” Wallace said. “Just being a part of that weekend and everything it has to offer — the challenges that come with running Darlington, Labor Day weekend — a lot of people are there in person to be able to check out all the schemes and the outfits and the whole just attitude from that weekend.

“So it’s a positive vibe from start to finish. For me to be able to experience it with such a great team — an iconic team — it all just kind of ties in with the fun.”

The Southern 500 at the Darlington Raceway is scheduled for Sunday, September 2. The race will be televised live on NBC Sports Network at 6:00 p.m. ET and broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR radio.

Posted on by Steve Luvender

iRacing hit a major milestone this week — the two billionth official lap completed on the service.

Brett Moffitt wheeled his iRacing-sponsored Toyota Tundra in the Eldora Dirt Derby Wednesday in the Camping World Truck Series. Even though Wednesday marked Moffitt’s first-ever dirt race in a truck, he brought his Hattori Racing Enterprises No. 16 home in fifth position.

Moffitt credited his time spent practicing Eldora Speedway on iRacing before the race. (You’re welcome, Brett.)

Oh, and nine of the 10 highest-finishing truckers have one thing in common — iRacing accounts. Coincidence? Maybe, but with an iRating approaching 9,000 (that’s really, really good), Logan Seavey likely turned an awful lot of virtual laps before making his Camping World Truck Series debut Wednesday.  

You never know who you might stumble across on iRacing — even when you’re logging practice laps. iRacer Alex Huffman spotted Justin Allgaier partaking in practice, and had a nice chat with the JR Motorsports Xfinity Series driver.

Speaking of drivers logging laps, keep an eye out for New Hampshire Motor Speedway Xfinity Series winner Christopher Bell this week as he prepares for the upcoming race at Iowa Speedway.

Just try not to tangle with 2017 NASCAR Next driver Chase Cabre.


NASCAR PEAK ANTIFREEZE iRACING SERIES UPDATE

The NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series tackles Round 11 of the season Tuesday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Ryan Luza won last year’s event at the Magic Mile, but he’s not at the top of our Power Rankings.

Richmond Raceway’s CHAOS CREW racing team talked about their efforts in pursuit of the series playoffs. Team drivers Michael Conti and Nick Ottinger are currently in position, while Logan Clampitt is just outside the top eight in ninth place.


iRACING PAINT SCHEMES OF THE WEEK

Brantley Roden created a pixel-perfect re-creation of Christopher Bell’s New Hampshire-winning Xfinity Series Toyota Camry for iRacing.

Christopher Bell's Xfinity iRacing scheme

Jordan E. produced an iRacing version of Justin Allgaier’s car from the very same race — the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro that started seventh and finished seventh.

Justin Allgaier's iRacing Xfinity scheme


DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME

Well, maybe you can try this week’s video at home, since it’s super cool and probably took an incredible level of effort and cooperation to create.

With iRacing’s built-in camera editor, YouTuber flyer2359x re-created some vintage 1990s-style TV camera shots, then topped it all off with era-correct paint schemes and commentator audio.

Posted on by Holly Cain

Eight times in the past 10 races – excluding only the superspeedway race at Daytona and Clint Bowyer’s Michigan win – Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. have settled each Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race among themselves. On Sunday, Harvick muscled his way around Busch with seven laps remaining and scored his sixth win of the season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

It’s a single-season victory record for the 42-year-old former Monster Energy Series champion Harvick and there’s every reason to think the Stewart-Haas Racing driver will only be adding to his historic mark.

RELATED: Harvick, Busch highlight all-time combined wins in all national series

As will his two other chief competitors to theirs.

Taking the above mentioned Daytona night race and Michigan out of the mix – the “Big 3” as Harvick, Busch and Truex are now referred to – have not only hoisted the overwhelming majority of the season’s trophies, but they have consistently finished among the top-five even when they don’t win.

Harvick won at New Hampshire, Busch finished second and Truex finished fourth. The previous week at Kentucky, Truex won, Busch finished fourth and Harvick was fifth. At Chicago, Busch won, Harvick was third and Truex was fourth. At Sonoma, Truex won, Harvick was runner-up and Busch was fifth.

And at Pocono in June – the venue for this weekend’s Gander Outdoors 400 (Sunday, July 29 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) – Truex won, Busch was third and Harvick was fourth.

MORE: Full Pocono schedule | How the playoff picture looks entering Pocono

In all, the trio has earned 15 wins in the 20 races to date this season. And for those who wonder what the dominance will mean for the postseason – well only one driver will be hoisting the championship trophy and spraying champagne, so imagine the Playoff drama still to come.

It’s an amazing time for modern day fans to witness this form of high-level performance and it’s a fond throwback image for NASCAR’s most loyal longtime fans who recall the dominant days of earlier eras.

Interestingly, the win totals of Harvick (six), Busch (five) and Truex (four) in 2018 match the same totals of NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison (six), Richard Petty (five) and David Pearson (four) through 20 races in the 1972 season.

There was another amazing trio dominating the opening 20 races of the 1977 season with Cale Yarborough (seven), Richard Petty (five) and Darrell Waltrip (four) – again all NASCAR Hall of Famers.

A year later in 1978, Yarborough (five), Waltrip (five) and Pearson (four) held court through the first 20 races. And in 1999, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton, and Jeff Gordon all had four wins apiece by this point on the schedule – that’s the last time three drivers have made such a thorough early season victory statement.

MORE: See all 2018 Monster Energy Series race winners

Jarrett, a NASCAR Hall of Famer driver himself and now commentator on the NBC Sports NASCAR race broadcasts, acknowledged the rarity of the current runs from Harvick, Busch and Truex. And unlike the pre-Playoff era he primarily competed in, Jarrett spoke for many in wondering aloud how the 2018 Monster Energy Series championship will eventually be settled.

“Their motivation at this point in the season comes from Playoff points, because you can’t ever have too many,” Jarrett said Sunday from New Hampshire. “You never know what’s going to happen.

“The other form of motivation now is from each other. The motivation to be the one that everyone is talking about. They all have multiple wins, so they are being talked about as a group, but what you want to do is separate yourself if at all possible. I don’t see that happening, because they are all so talented and their teams are performing at such a high level right now. But at some point, it will have to happen.”

For their part, the three drivers seem to be genuinely taken with the competition – racing hard but clean and keeping each other “honest”.

RELATED: Recap the New Hampshire race | Harvick on victory | Busch’s take

Harvick used his bumper to make the pass on Busch this week. It was clean but assertive. And may be a harbinger of things to come as the Playoff intensity gradually increases.

“I mean, these races are hard to win,” Harvick acknowledged Sunday afternoon. “When you’re in position, it’s one of those things that you have to do what you have to do for your team. You want to do everything that you can to not spin him out, not wreck him, just make it as clean as possible, try to accomplish the bump and run.

“Today we were able to accomplish it well and win the race.”

Even Busch, known for his candid and emotional post-race reactions could only nod to Harvick for getting it done and to recognize he’ll be ready to do it all over again next week at Pocono.

“My pit crew put us in position to have control of the last restart,” Busch reflected in the media center post-race. “To be able to lead that many laps… It was just a matter of those SHR cars, they were really fast. Just a matter every time they get by me and get by me. A little bumping and banging, a little rubbing. We go racing next week.”

And as he said on pit road after getting out of the car, “How you race is how you get raced.”

Busch returns to Pocono Raceway this week as the defending winner of this late summer race. And guess who rounded out the podium in 2017? Yes, Harvick finished second and Truex finished third.

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 23, 2018) — Back-to-school can officially wait. For the next three weeks, the NASCAR® industry is bringing summertime racing fun to kids and families with the return of Kids Drive NASCAR, the sport announced today.

Beginning this weekend at Iowa Speedway and Pocono Raceway and culminating Aug. 12 at Michigan International Speedway, children attending NASCAR national series races will take over certain race event responsibilities usually reserved for adults.

NASCAR and participating tracks — which also include Watkins Glen International and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course — will host children as honorary pit crew members, green-flag wavers, media reporters and national anthem singers, among other roles.

Kids walk through the garage at Iowa Speedway
Daniel Shirey | Getty Images

Families looking to get their kids in on the racing action can take advantage of free tickets for children 12 and under for all NASCAR Xfinity Series™ and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™ race events, as well as discounted youth tickets to Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™ events. Youth ticket information is available at NASCAR.com/kidstix.

“NASCAR is a sport for the entire family and there’s no better way to celebrate the summer together than at a NASCAR race track,” said Pete Jung, NASCAR vice president, brand marketing. “Kids Drive NASCAR is all about the next generation of fans and creating a NASCAR experience for kids and their families that they’ll never forget.”

NASCAR’s social media channels will share Kids Drive NASCAR content throughout the three weeks, including Kids vs. Driver Challenges where young fans go head-to-head with some of the sport’s top drivers. The videos will also be available to view on AccelerationNation.com.

Fans are encouraged to share pictures and videos of their families and children enjoying NASCAR races using #KidsDriveNASCAR.

Kids Drive NASCAR is part of the sport’s broader efforts to engage kids at the track, online and in the classroom. The NASCAR Acceleration Nation app is the first digital experience created just for kids featuring racing-themed games, activities and fun ways to learn more about NASCAR.

The app can be downloaded for free at the App Store and Google Play. In partnership with Scholastic, NASCAR also developed the industry’s first Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) in-school education program.

Last month, NASCAR announced the eNASCAR Ignite Series, the first youth esports racing series created to attract and identify young talent. The 12-week season, now underway, is hosted on iRacing and participants ages 13 to 16 can register on NASCAR.com/iRacing.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to Pocono Raceway for the Gander Outdoors 400 on Sunday, July 29 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90) and MRN, with additional coverage on NASCAR.com.

A double-header on Saturday, July 28 begins with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway (1 p.m. ET; FS1, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and MRN) followed by the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Iowa Speedway (5 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and MRN).

Tickets to NASCAR national series events are available at NASCAR.com/tickets.

Posted on by Steve Luvender

Two weeks ago, Zack Novak claimed his first checkered flag of 2018 in Round 10 of the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series season at Chicagoland Speedway after a late caution prevented a charge from perennial-contender Ryan Luza. The world’s best oval iRacers head to New Hampshire Motor Speedway Tuesday, where Luza looks to defend his 2017 victory.

RELATED: Full iRacing schedule | Watch iRacing

1: Bobby Zalenski (+1)

After his second-consecutive podium finish, there’s a new driver atop the standings — and, naturally, our Power Rankings. Bobby Zalenski finished third in last year’s outing at New Hampshire, and he’s got momentum on his side.

2: Ryan Luza (+4)

Ryan Luza nearly added to his win count in Chicagoland, running out of time after a late caution ended the race before the Phenom Racing Team driver could get to the top spot. Luza won at New Hampshire last year. He’ll be a serious contender at the Magic Mile.

3: Ray Alfalla (-2)

A late crash at Chicagoland ended Three-Time’s race early, but perhaps there’s some solace in remembering he’s earned five top-five finishes throughout his career in New Hampshire.

4: Michael Conti (+1)

In addition to finishing runner-up at New Hampshire last year, Michael Conti also boasts two victories there (2012 and 2013). Keep an eye on the No. 5 Tuesday — well, it’ll be hard not to with his colorful paint scheme.

5: Matt Bussa (-1)

Matt Bussa’s riding a streak of four consecutive top-10 finishes in 2018 — plus, he’s three-for-four in top-10s in his career at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

6: Keegan Leahy (-3)

Keegan Leahy looked fast at Chicagoland, but got caught up in a crash while racing deeper in the field after a pit stop. We’re not sure what to expect out of Leahy in Loudon — though, this weather enthusiast doesn’t have to worry about rain in the forecast at the virtual New Hampshire, unlike in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday.

7: Zack Novak (NR)

Zack Novak scored his second career victory at Chicagoland Speedway, jumping six places in the championship standings up to 11th place. Heading into his home track, Novak’s finished in the top 10 and led laps in five of the past eight races.

8: Logan Clampitt (-1)

California Clampitt’s seen both extremes in his short time racing at New Hampshire: a win in his first start (2016), and a 35th-place disappointment last year. After a 14th-place finish in Chicagoland, Clampitt’s now finished outside the top 10 three races in a row.

9: Nick Ottinger (NR)

Nick Ottinger maintains a spot in the top 10 in points despite a 20th-place effort at Chicagoland. Ottinger’s scored sixth or better twice in five races in Loudon.

10: Nickolas Shelton (-2)

Since Nick Shelton’s breakthrough win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, he’s yet to finish better than 14th. He must be partying pretty hard.

Posted on by Staff Report

Kevin Harvick’s son, Keelan, was on pins and needles while watching his dad eventually bring home the victory in Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

As Harvick took the white flag on the way to earning his sixth victory of the season, Keelan watched his dad get the job done from afar. Although he wasn’t in Victory Lane, Keelan had a celebration of his own in the living room.

From nearly bursting out in tears to jumping for joy, Harvick’s wife, DeLana, captured all of Keelan’s emotions during the final lap of the race.

Posted on by Staff Report

One of the big story lines heading into New Hampshire centered around Stewart-Haas Racing’s decision to shake up its pit-crew lineups before the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301. Despite the changes, Kevin Harvick had to overcome slower pit stops than what Kyle Busch had in order to win the race, his series-leading sixth victory in 2018.

According to our data, Harvick’s team was slower on four of the five pit stops the teams took on Sunday, all of which were four-tire stops for the No. 4 SHR Ford and the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. See below for Kyle Busch’s pit-stop times, then use the drop-down menu to compare to Kevin Harvick or explore other drivers’ pit stops for the New Hampshire race.

New Hampshire pit road stats

      Posted on by Reid Spencer

      LOUDON, N.H. — At the end of the second stage of Sunday’s Foxwoods 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Chase Elliott tracked down reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. and passed him for the lead.

      Eighteen laps later, Elliott took the green/checkered flag for his first stage victory and first Playoff point of the season. Ultimately, Elliott came home fifth, his only top-10 finish in five starts at the Magic Mile. What’s more, to a Hendrick Motorsports organization that hasn’t posted a victory this season, the speed Elliott showed was a promising sign.

      RELATED: See how Elliott passed Truex for the Stage 2 lead

      “I was shocked, to be honest with you, that we ran even that good,” said Elliott, who also finished second in Stage 1 and led 23 laps. “Our whole NAPA group did a great job overnight. I really have no idea where that came from. I hope it wasn’t dumb luck. Hopefully we can keep it rolling because it’s really nice to be able to go up there and lead some laps.

      “I know it wasn’t the right part of the race, but still, leading laps for us is big compared to what we’ve been doing. I’m proud of the effort. I appreciate everybody’s effort back at Hendrick and the chassis shop and engine shop and Chevrolet and all the folks that are working hard to try to get better. We took a step in the right direction.”