Posted on by NASCAR.com

Name: JJ
​Current City: Chesterfield, Virginia
Member since: 2011

Getting to KNOW JJ

​Q. How did you first become interested in NASCAR?
“My father introduced meet NASCAR back in 1992 when he had me sit down and watch a race with him. I have been hooked to the sport ever since. Now I have both of my kids interested in watching on a weekly basis as well. My entire family looks forward to go to both Cup and Xfinity races at Richmond Raceway every year as well as our local short tracks over the summer time!”

Q. What makes NASCAR special for you?
“I enjoy the speed, sounds and overall competition that each race brings. Having both of my sons watching it with me makes it even more enjoyable.”

Q. Do you have any favorite NASCAR memory?
“My favorite NASCAR memory would have to be going to my first race back in 1994. My father took me to a race at Richmond race way back then it was called Richmond International Raceway and it was the most exciting event I’ve ever been to. I remember early in the race there was a wreck in the turn one right in front of us and it peeled the side of Harry Gant’s car off. Also my favorite driver Rusty Wallace almost won the race. It was the first time my father and I spent the entire day together and it was a great bonding experience for both of us.”

Q: Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?
Drivers: “Kyle Busch and Erik Jones because I feel like these two would not only be the most entertaining to hang around because of their personalities but I feel like they would be very open to my kids and they would make them feel welcome and they could be themselves around them.”

Sponsor: “My favorite NASCAR sponsor would have to be M&M’s because Kyle Busch has been one of my favorite driver since he entered the Xfinity series. So my favorite snack on any race weekend would be any candy that Mars M&M’s makes.”

Favorite Place to Watch a Race: “My favorite section to watch a race when my family goes to Richmond Raceway will have to be the Commonwealth Tower. And this section you can see the entire race track and the view is amazing.”

​Q: Do you have any race day traditions?
“Our family’s race day traditions is to bet on who will win the race. We put the kids 1:64 scale diecast cars in a bag and for each car you pull out you bet a dollar. It brings even more excitement to the race when my kids and I are watching it. Not only do they cheer on their favorite drivers, but they also cheer on whoever they pull out of the bag that day.”

​FROM ALL OF US AT NASCAR, WE THANK JJ FOR HIS CONTINUED SUPPORT AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM HIM IN 2018!

Posted on by

Team owner Joe Gibbs said Wednesday on SiriusXM’s “The Morning Drive” that Christopher Bell is “scheduled” to race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series next year. But if it were up to Bell, who has won three consecutive Xfinity Series races in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, he’d move up to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series — if there was a spot.

MORE: Bell leads Xfinity standings | No. 20 goes for fourth straight win

“Going into next season, I am set for another year of Xfinity, and there are no holes in the Cup side, so that’s what makes it difficult,” he said on a NASCAR teleconference Wednesday. “But as far as what I need, honestly I don’t feel like I need another year of Xfinity.

“I think the best way for me to win at the Cup level is to get there and start trying at it.”

Gibbs stressed the importance of keeping Bell in the Toyota/Joe Gibbs Racing family, saying “he’s a future star.” With all four JGR Cup spots filled, though — the No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota (an associate team of Joe Gibbs Racing) not active right now, and Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 78 Toyota appearing unavailable — finding a spot for the 23-year-old driver is difficult.

Bell does “have every intention of staying with Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing” when he moves up to the next level, he said. His entire NASCAR career, which began with Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series in 2015 and has seen 12 Xfinity/Truck wins since then, has been with the manufacturer.

“Toyota was the one that really ‑‑ they’re the reason why I’m here,” he said. “I would love to stay with them, and hopefully it works out in the future.”

Bell also called driving for Gibbs a “dream come true” and was honored to hear Gibbs speak highly of his talent.

“The biggest thing is I’ve learned throughout my years, and especially in NASCAR, is you are only as good as the race car that you sit in,” he said. “Right now I’m at the best organization that I can be at, so I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else, honestly.

“Even if the Cup deal doesn’t work out for next year, which it looks like it’s not going to, I’m still going to be sitting in a really fast race car at a level in motorsports where I never really dreamed I’d be at. So I’m going to be thrilled either way.

“But I definitely ‑‑ like I said, I’m 23 years old. I feel like I’m at my prime, and I don’t want to waste another year if the opportunity comes to make the jump.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

Two days before Kyle Busch’s victory in last Sunday’s Gander Outdoors 400 at Pocono Raceway, Denny Hamlin provided a precise blueprint for his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate’s sixth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win of the season.

MORE: Paint schemes for Watkins Glen | Fantasy: Knowing the numbers

A post-qualifying inspection failure knocked Busch’s No. 18 Toyota off the front row and back to a 28th-place starting position. In short order, however, Busch charged through the field, and a pit stop with four other Toyotas three laps before the end of Stage 2 allowed him to stay out under the caution at stage’s end and ultimately take the lead.

Busch survived two late restarts and held off teammate Daniel Suarez for his 49th career victory, a triumph that tied him with Tony Stewart for 13th on the all-time list.

In a sit-down with reporters on Friday afternoon at Pocono, Hamlin explained how his teammate has been able to separate himself from the rest of the JGR drivers.

“They out-execute what their car is capable of every single week,” Hamlin said of the No. 18 team, led by crew chief Adam Stevens. “He qualifies well. He doesn’t lose his track position throughout the course of a race. At the end, the pit crew picks up three or four spots. The next thing you know he’s restarting on the front row.”

 Hamlin acknowledged that his No. 11 team hasn’t been able to match the performance of the 2015 series champion.

“That’s something we have not done, to execute to the level that the 18 has,” Hamlin said. “He’s really good about being able to finish better with a car that’s not quite as good. In general, at JGR, we have our struggles, but they do a phenomenal job. You just look at execution, and that’s the biggest difference I see between him and us.” 

As an organization, JGR is also working through a transition from experience to youth. Gone are Carl Edwards to retirement and 2003 series champion Matt Kenseth to make room for Erik Jones in the No. 20 car. Both Jones and Suarez are in their sophomore seasons at NASCAR’s highest level, and both are still learning.

“Certainly, when we had myself, Carl, Matt and Kyle, you weren’t having to think about, ‘Well, this is Daniel’s or Erik’s first time at a track, and they’re leaning on you for information,” said the 37-year-old Hamlin, the senior member of the JGR driver corps. “So how much information do you really lean back on them, because they are inexperienced, and they have to go through that struggle period, where we would always talk about, ‘Hey, a few years ago we did this, and it really worked well.’

 “Things just clicked, and things were good. But sometimes those things take time. As an organization, we probably weren’t totally patient with Joey Logano, and look how it all worked out. He moved teams (to Team Penske), and all of a sudden—bam—it clicked for him. I think you have to be patient and go through the process to hopefully have the fruits and the benefits later.”

While Hamlin waits patiently, Busch keeps winning. But that doesn’t mean Hamlin has lost confidence, either in himself or in his team.

 “Anybody who thinks I can’t win any given week is crazy,” Hamlin asserted. 

Posted on by Staff Report

Two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams have been docked both driver points and owner points, according to the official penalty report NASCAR issued Wednesday following the race weekend at Pocono Raceway.

The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team and No. 95 Leavine Family Racing team each were assessed with the loss of 10 driver points and 10 owner points. Both penalties were the result of post-qualifying inspection failures.

The No. 4 of driver Kevin Harvick and No. 95 of driver Kasey Kahne both failed post-qualifying technical inspection three times, which resulted in the points penalty. Both teams also were sent to the rear of the field for Sunday’s race and saw their respective car chiefs ejected for race day.

For Harvick, his hope of claiming the Regular Season Championship takes a hit. The veteran driver had reduced Kyle’s Busch’s lead in the standings to 48 points with five races to go, a deficit which now jumps to 58 points — essentially the equivalent of a full race. The Regular Season Champion earns 15 playoff points to carry with him through the postseason.

Also on the penalty report:

• David M. Little Jr. and Douglas E. Chouinard have been indefinitely suspended due to behavioral penalties.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR fans again have the opportunity to pick the very best Darlington throwback paint scheme for the 2018 Bojangles’ Southern 500 on Sept. 2 at Darlington Raceway.

RELATED: See the schemes and vote now!

Polls are open for the 2018 contest from now until Aug. 31. The first stage of voting lasts until Aug. 15. Starting on Aug. 16, the field will be narrowed to the eight highest vote-getting schemes. Those schemes will be placed in a bracket, and fans will determine how the field gets cut to four, then two, then to an eventual champion.

Past winners of the contest include Kyle Larson, Danica Patrick and Tony Stewart. Don’t delay, pick your favorite Darlington paint scheme today and see if your favorite driver can win this contest, as well as the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at 6 p.m. ET on Sept. 2 on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and the NBC Sports App.

Click the link above or visit https://www.nascar.com/throwback.

MORE: Buy tickets to Darlington

Posted on by RJ Kraft

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 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 (per loop data from 2005 to the present):

Driver Average Running Position
Daniel Suarez 5.967
Erik Jones 10.578
Kyle Busch 11.226
Brad Keselowski 11.487
Martin Truex Jr. 11.565

Top five in stage points earned at Watkins Glen in 2017:

Driver Stage points Stage wins
Martin Truex Jr. 18 0
Kyle Busch 12 1
Daniel Suarez 10 1
Brad Keselowski 10 0
Chase Elliott/
Matt Kenseth		 8 0

Top five in points earned in last two races at Watkins Glen:

Driver Race points Race wins
Martin Truex Jr. 93 1
Denny Hamlin 82 1
Kyle Busch 78 0
Matt Kenseth 74 0
Brad Keselowski 72 0

Most laps led in last two races at Watkins Glen:

Driver Laps led
Brad Keselowski 48
Kyle Busch 25
Martin Truex Jr. 25

Average starting position for last 10 winners: 6.1, only two of the last 10 winners have started outside the top six

Active drivers to win pole: Kyle Busch (3), Jimmie Johnson (2), AJ Allmendinger (1), and Kurt Busch

Active drivers to win at Watkins Glen: Kyle Busch (2), AJ Allmendinger (1), Joey Logano (1), Kevin Harvick (1), Martin Truex Jr. (1) and Denny Hamlin (1)

Most recent pole winner: Kyle Busch, 2017

Last time pole-sitter won here: Kyle Busch, 2008

Where stage winners started from: First, fifth

Winning manufacturers of last 10 races: Toyota-4, Chevrolet-3, Ford-3

Posted on by @nascarcasm

Post-race fireworks went off again at Pocono Raceway, as the brash, ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, in-your-face, trash-talking Aric Almirola once again found himself on the receiving end of another driver’s ire — Matt DiBenedetto. Aric’s arms must be sore from stirring the pot all the time.

MORE: Watch the confrontation

DiBenedetto confronted Almirola after the race. Almirola kept his helmet on, I’m presuming because DiBenedetto strikes me as the kind of guy who coats himself in Old Spice body spray, but regardless, the two are clearly still at odds with each other.

On behalf of the motorsports media corps, of which I am a fringe member in that I’m allowed in the media center but only to charge my phone and stuff my jacket full of free bottled water, which I then go out to the grandstands and sell at a markup, I make a humble request — please broker a peace accord and end this.

Granted, it’s not that we don’t want you two to come to fisticuffs in the garage after the race — the virtual tsunami of clicks would do WONDERS for us. I mean I can picture the headline now: “YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHO GOT IN A FIGHT AFTER THE RACE — IT MAY SHOCK YOU.”

No, we want this feud to end because we don’t want to have to spell “DiBenedeterotto/Almirolanon” over and over again. The risks are too great. It’s too hard to spell. And if you say it out loud, it sounds like a Harry Potter spell or something.

Have you ever been driving down the road and then suddenly you hit traffic (NOTE: Charlotte residents who drive on I-77, no need to answer) or hit a giant speed bump? That’s what it’s like when you’re typing a story or a tweet and then reach the part where you’d have to type “DiBenedegettio/Halmirola.” You suddenly have to slam the brakes and double and triple check it to make sure it’s spelled right. It completely screws up the rhythm. Actually, that’s just for the stories. Spelling doesn’t matter anymore with tweets.

Plus we think the fight might be one-sided. You may not know this by following Matt DiBenderito’s Instagram account, and I may be doing him a disservice by letting this little-known morsel of information loose onto the internet, but the dude works out occasionally. The fight would have three times as many syllables as punches.

Instead of feuding, you should be bonding over your last names. Hang out. Get to know each other. The collective smell of bacon and Dude Wipes is the aroma of peace and harmony.

Editor’s Note: To the author of this post’s point … we agree.

Posted on by Steve Luvender

With competition in NASCAR at a high, particularly surrounding this year’s “Big 3,” race teams have employed new and sophisticated ways to conceal secrets and strategies from rival organizations. In the same way fans at home can listen to Kyle Busch’s team radio during the race on TV or the NASCAR Mobile App, competitors can eavesdrop just the same, perhaps gleaning some insight into race strategy or car adjustments that might help more than just the team discussing the race.

Enter team code words.

At Pocono Raceway on Sunday, Kyle Busch made a pit stop and asked for an adjustment to his car, but in a slightly atypical manner. Instead of requesting the usual changes — a looser car, a tighter car, more drive off the corner, an ice pack — he asked for “strawberries.” Yes, strawberries. No, that’s not a typical term for a change to a NASCAR race car.

We never found out for what “strawberries” stood, exactly, but they must have worked, considering Busch won the race.

In the spirit of the No. 18 team’s “strawberries”, we’ve created a new generator to help teams come up with their own code words for discussing race strategy. Who knows — maybe the next time you’re listening, you’ll hear a team ask for “sweet potato” and know it means “take two tires”, or you’ll hear a crew chief shout “pumpernickel” over the radio and know it means “pit next lap.”

We hope you’re hungry.

Posted on by Zack Albert

William Byron has had plenty of expertise to lean on for advice in his rookie Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. Prime among them: his seasoned teammates at Hendrick Motorsports, a four-driver roster that includes a wealth of knowledge from seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson.

But Byron has also had some guidance from a source outside the Hendrick fold, a helping hand who’s willing to offer his wisdom to the next wave of talent but who’s also standing his ground for the veteran guard on the track. That driver, one of this year’s “Big 3,” is Kevin Harvick.

“He has been open to helping and I feel like that’s been critical for my career,” says Byron, who recalled he was still racing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series when they first crossed paths. “Kevin and I were actually hanging out at Watkins Glen a couple years ago, and he just basically told me the trajectory that I need to have on my career and the things I should look for. You just don’t get that from people a lot of times, so even this year, he’s sat down with me, we’ve had breakfast and had a chance to talk.

“I think Kevin is someone that’s open to helping the younger drivers. He wants to see us succeed, but he’s still really competitive and hard to beat.”

Byron and the rest of the field will take on Harvick & Co. in Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM), the final road-course race in the regular season. The 20-year-old Byron will be making his first big-league start at the 2.45-mile track, where his only experience thus far is in Xfinity and K&N competition.

RELATED: Full schedule for Watkins Glen

Byron said he’s placed more emphasis on simulation work to get a better feel for the circuit, but that he’s also leaned on veteran road racers Max Papis and Ron Fellows for their feedback. An X-factor that may also provide a boost, the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet is fresh from a career-best sixth-place finish last weekend at Pocono Raceway.

That sort of result, Byron says, should help the team press a little less going forward.

“I think you start to not go outside your box of information,” Byron says. “I think when you’re struggling or have a bad run, you start to kind of throw stuff at the car or you take bigger risks that don’t need to happen. That’s when you get in trouble, so I feel like when you’re running better, you show up more relaxed and it’s more of a controlled weekend.”

Byron sits firmly in the adjustment period in his first full season at Hendrick Motorsports, with a handful of tracks still on the schedule that he’ll be visiting for the first time. One of the biggest shifts, he says, has been getting familiar with the increased race length, jumping up from the Xfinity Series’ maximum of 300-mile distances to a steady diet of 400- and 500-milers — something “I still feel like my mental clock is not completely used to,” he says.

Though there’s been more travel at the premier-series level with a longer season, Byron says he’s enjoyed the new flow to the weekend.

“You have a lot of time to think about the race,” Byron says. “There’s a lot of stuff that leads up to the race and then you have a chance to really get your mind right. I feel like in Xfinity, you qualify the same day, there’s a bunch of stuff happening, the Cup cars are practicing and then all of a sudden, you race. There’s such a jumbled mess of things going on, so I think the Cup schedule is a little bit more focused around the race, and that’s pretty cool.”

Byron currently holds a 71-point lead over Bubba Wallace in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contest with 15 races left in the season. Though that title has been worn by some of the sport’s greats, Byron said his attention has been more focused on the overall standings and a late five-race push for the playoffs.

“I did probably earlier in the year, but I feel like it got to a point where you just need to improve the performance first and then that’s going to take care of itself,” Byron said of the rookie standings. “I think what’s positive right now is the runs we’re having. I’ll be honest, I don’t really look at the points as far as the gap or whatever because at this point, it’s probably going to take a win. I go out there hoping to win and I feel like we’re actually getting to that point where we’re going to contend for them. I’d rather do that this year than focus on points.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Beyond their shared 49 victories in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart are on similar sure-footed paths toward their inevitable ultimate days in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Busch’s victory Sunday at Pocono tied him with Stewart on the sport’s all-time wins list — a feat immediately recognized by the retired three-time champ.

“Congrats on win #49 today @kylebusch. There’s many more to come. Proud of you,” Stewart posted on his Twitter account, adding two emojis of “thumbs up.”

RELATED: Stewart congratulates Kyle Busch on No. 49

Busch, who was teammates with Stewart at Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2008 season, was genuinely moved by Stewart’s message — and by the feat.

“That’s awesome,” Busch said about tying Stewart. “And you keep reaching higher up the ladder and you keep reaching milestone drivers, and Tony Stewart is one of the all-time best — and one of the drivers that I was a fan of as well growing up so it’s awesome to be able to tie him.”

Even with a decade generation gap, these two hard-nosed, natural talents share many competitive traits in terms of racing talent and professional demeanor. And as their paths to NASCAR history cross, it’s interesting and revealing to explore the similarities and differences that separated them from others.

They are intense competitors, both willing to share their disappointment as well as their accomplishment — apt to take shots at themselves, the media, their team, their cars, even the sanctioning body — when results don’t match expectations.

They have been brutally candid in a time when others are prone to demure and gloss over. Political correctness has never been their style. They are genuine and honest — in good times and bad — a lost art for many star athletes no matter the sport these days.

Does losing hurt? You bet it does. Does winning feel incredibly good? You bet it does. Look at their faces, listen to the tone of voice, watch the emotion. Fortunately, in the case of both Busch and Stewart — winning has more often been the way of life and ultimately what will define both these supremely talented champions.

Here’s a look at how they tallied their historic numbers:

It took Stewart — who retired in 2016 — 598 starts to reach 49 wins. He didn’t start competing in the Monster Energy Series full-time until 1999 when he was 28 years old — arriving in the stock-car ranks already the first driver in history to win the USAC Triple Crown (Sprint Cars, Midgets and Silver Crown) in 1995 and then earning the Indy Racing League championship in 1997.

Busch, on the other hand, was only 20 years old before landing a full-time Cup job with Hendrick Motorsports in 2005. He finished runner-up in the 2004 Xfinity Series championship and had only a handful of Camping World Truck Series starts by the time he made his full-time Cup debut.

RELATED: The times Busch, Stewart finished 1-2

Both drivers won immediately at the Cup level, however.

Stewart won three races in his 1999 rookie season — at Richmond, Phoenix and Homestead-Miami — and finished fourth in the championship run that year. Busch won two races his 2005 rookie season — at Fontana and Phoenix. He was only 20th in the championship standings, however, while Stewart hoisted his first of three season trophies.

Stewart won races at 21 different tracks on the schedule — with a personal high, and still series record of five victories at Watkins Glen where the series races this week. His wins covered the gamut of superspeedways to short tracks to 1.5-milers to road courses. He won multiple times on 15 tracks.

Busch has won races at 23 tracks — and claims multiple wins at 14 tracks. His seven victories at Bristol Motor Speedway are a personal best. As with Stewart, he has won on every type of venue on the schedule.

While Stewart and Busch have championships to their credit, neither has won the Daytona 500 in a combined 30 starts.

The numbers and statistics represent the elite, championship-caliber talent Busch and Stewart share — and with Busch rapidly adding to his win total, there seems to be limitless opportunity to expand his historical imprint. Next up on the historical Cup victory chart is win No. 50, which would tie Busch with NASCAR Hall of Famers Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett.

With his win Sunday, Busch tied Kevin Harvick with six wins each this season. The 2015 champion is not only in a title chase but is also within eight victories of another historic milestone — 200 NASCAR wins — a tally associated with the great Richard Petty, who earned them all in the Cup Series.

Busch’s total would represent all three major NASCAR divisions — he has 49 wins in Cup, 92 in the Xfinity Series and 51 in the Camping World Truck Series for a total of 192 victories.

Just for perspective, NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson has 106 wins (all but one in the Cup Series). Dale Earnhardt had 97 national series wins (76 in Cup and 21 in Xfinity), Jeff Gordon has 98 total (93 in Cup, five in Xfinity) and Stewart has 62 national series victories (49 in Cup, 11 in Xfinity and two in the trucks).

“Any time you’re able to continue to win races in this series, it’s obviously just that extra step, and you keep continuing to climb the ladder,” Busch said following Sunday’s Pocono win. “There’s a lot of great names that I’ve passed already and that I’ve tied today with Tony and that I very much look up to that are higher and look to one day be able to accomplish all of them.”