Cole Custer to pay tribute to A.J. Foyt at Darlington

Posted on July 25, 2018July 25, 2018 by Zack Albert

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Cole Custer’s throwback No. 00 Ford for Darlington Raceway weekend made its debut Wednesday afternoon at the Stewart-Haas Racing shop, with team co-owner Tony Stewart helping to pull the covers off a gleaming new Mustang. Whatever shape the car is in after Darlington, Stewart joked, it can’t be much worse than what happened to the original, a No. 00 Ford Galaxie driven by Stewart’s racing hero, A.J. Foyt.

Late in the 1965 NASCAR season opener at Riverside, Foyt’s car lost its brakes and careened into a trackside ditch, flipping violently in a cloud of dust and leaving medical crews fearing the worst. Foyt’s trademark toughness carried him through, an attribute that may come in handy for Custer when the NASCAR Xfinity Series hits the track “Too Tough to Tame” on Sept. 1.

RELATED: Key moments in SHR history

“It’s cool to run a really unique car and to run something with a connection to Tony and everything,” said Custer, who sits fourth in the series standings. “Obviously, A.J.’s a huge icon in our sport, so it’s just cool to do things like that where you have good connections, I would say.”

Those bonds especially ring true for Stewart, who campaigned the No. 14 — a car number long associated with Foyt — for the final eight seasons of his NASCAR career.

“I think it’s just really cool to honor guys that have been in the sport in the past,” Stewart said. “That throwback weekend, the paint schemes are cool, but when you have — like Cole says — when you’ve got a personal connection to the people that are attached to the paint schemes, it makes it that much more fun. …

“With Darlington, I told Cole, obviously the Darlington stripe’s what everybody gets. I don’t care what he does to this car, it’s not going to be near as bad as what happened to this car in real life.”

Courtesy of Stewart-Haas Racing

Foyt was all but declared dead by medics on the scene at the California road course some 53-plus years ago. After the crash, Foyt said that he’d never drive another car with numbers that read the same upside-down as right side up.

Custer, meanwhile, has embraced the symmetry of the double-zero, which he’s donned in the majority of his NASCAR national series starts. The special version of the car number that he’ll fly at Darlington borrow the looming eyeball design from Foyt’s original. Tuesday afternoon at SHR, Stewart paid particular attention to the smaller No. 00 rendering on the rear bumper.

“Whoever is behind you is going to feel like somebody’s looking at them the entire time, which I hope is the whole field,” Stewart said. “It’s weird because the eyes are toward the bottom so it’s kind of like they’re looking down. We were joking around earlier that if the car gets upside down, they’re going looking up like, ‘what happened?’ But it is kind of cool. It brings out that history.”

MORE: See all throwback schemes

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Staff Report

Jimmy Mullis survived a chaotic final stint of the NASCAR Peak Antifreeze iRacing Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to claim his first win in the series. Mullis made his final pit stop of the race on Lap 103 under green flag conditions and a few laps later a caution came out — just after Mullis un-lapped himself to get back on the lead lap. Mullis stayed out and took the lead under the caution and never looked back — surviving multiple late restarts to claim his first victory in the series.

Zak Novak, (Chicagoland winner from two weeks ago), finished runner-up after starting 17th. Ray Alfalla, Corey Vincent and Taylor Hurst rounded out the top five. With Novak and Hurst finishing in the top five, that placed three cars from LockDown Racing in the top five in the championship standings.

Before Mullis took the lead with 42 laps to go, the first half of the race was dominated by the No. 5 of Michael Conti, who led 72 laps. Conti had a difficult pit stop under green flag and lost all his track position – he was able to rebound and finish ninth however.

Before green flag pit stops began around Lap 100, Matt Bussa passed Conti and led 18 laps. The No. 34 machine was poised to make a charge at his first career win. Those hopes were diminished when he was a victim in one of several late-race incidents.

The cautions came fast and furious in the closing laps of the race. It began when the No. 3 of Jarl Teien had some issues on Lap 109, and from there the race seemingly turned into everyone frantically racing to the next caution. Those who had made their green flag pit stops early and had un-lapped themselves reaped the benefits of being ahead of most of the incidents.

With race 11 now in the books, there are now only two races until the playoffs begin. Ray Alfalla leads teammate Bobby Zalenski (who finished 12th), by five points in the regular season standings.

The race for the eighth and final spot in the playoffs currently belongs to Nick Ottinger, who leads Logan Clampitt by six points. Christian Challiner and Zack Novak are right on the heels of Ottinger, sitting 15 and 19 points behind, respectively. Tuesday’s winner Mullis is 13th in points, 36 points behind the cutoff.

The series heads to the Pocono Raceway in two weeks. In the past, Pocono has had plenty of late-race yellows turning the races completely upside down. With exciting restarts and pit strategy, it likely will have those battling for the final spot in the playoffs nervous throughout the entire race.

Ottinger historically runs very well at Pocono and will look to maximize his distance on the drivers directly behind him for the playoffs.

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Staff Report

Sports-car standout Andy Lally will return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series for three races this season, joining forces with DGM Racing.

RELATED: Full schedule for Pocono, Iowa

Lally, 43, will drive the Mario Gosselin-owned No. 90 Chevrolet at three road-course events, starting with the series’ Aug. 11 event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. He’s also scheduled to participate in Xfinity events at Road America (Aug. 25) and the new Charlotte Motor Speedway road course (Sept. 29). Sponsorship for the Road America round will be provided by Henry Repeating Arms.

Lally — who competes full-time in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Magnus Racing — scored the best finish of his Xfinity Series career at Mid-Ohio last season, placing fifth in his only start of 2017. He was named Sunoco Rookie of the Year for what’s now called the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2011.

DGM Racing also fields a full-time Xfinity Series entry for Alex Labbe in the No. 36 Chevrolet. Driving duties for DGM’s No. 90 Chevy have been split by three drivers: Josh Williams (15 starts), Brandon Brown (two starts) and Donald Theetge (one start, his series debut last weekend at New Hampshire).

Posted on July 25, 2018July 25, 2018 by Staff Report

Kyle Busch unveiled Wednesday the paint scheme he’ll run during the Bojangles’ Southern 500 Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway later this season (Sept. 2, 6 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App).

The 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion will honor Ernie Irvan’s 1998 Skittles paint scheme as he looks to notch his second Southern 500 victory since his only win at the track a decade ago.

“It is a really, really awesome opportunity to finally get to Darlington with a throwback scheme with M&Ms, especially Skittles, this year and we got the Ernie Irvin 1998 season throwback,” Busch told NASCAR.com. “I am really excited about that and having Ernie and being a part of that and having him come in and do some stuff with us behind the scenes. It’s been awesome. Really looking forward to getting to the race track.”

Irvan placed 36th in the 1998 Southern 500, but notched a pair of runner-ups in 1990 and ’91.

Getty Images

Though the paint scheme might not have held much luck for Irvan at the track “Too Tough to Tame,” it did have a little mojo going for it that could rub off on the No. 18 Toyota.

“You know, Ernie sat on the pole with this paint scheme in the Brickyard race that year and of course some other successful races,” said Busch, who was 13 years old in 1998. “So we are looking forward to making Darlington a success for us and to get myself and our team and Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota another Southern 500 victory.”

The throwback announcement Wednesday came with a funny skit that saw Kyle Busch munching on Skittles. After every bite, an item in his shop turned into something old school.

A shop worker then grabbed a handful of the candies, tossed them in his mouth and watched as Busch himself turned into Irvan.

The throwback weekend at Darlington will be the track’s fourth race under the award-winning platform. This year’s theme, “Seven Decades of NASCAR,” embodies the sport’s storied history over 70 years.

MORE: Behind-the-scenes photos of Irvan with Busch

Posted on July 24, 2018July 24, 2018 by Team Release

Spartanburg, S.C. — Jeremy Clements Racing is excited to announce that they will run the 1960 Cup Champion Rex White’s “Gold Thunder” paint scheme in the VFW200 at Darlington Raceway “Celebrating 7 Decades of NASCAR” Labor Day Weekend. RepairableVehicles.com will fuel the #51 Camaro SS to honor not only White but moreover, Jeremy’s Great Uncle Louis Clements.

Louie Clements was a renowned engine builder and crew chief in the late 50’s and 60’s and in 1959 partnered with Rex White to form White and Clements Racing. From 1959 to 1962 White and Clements Racing accumulated 26 Cups wins. Topped off by winning the 1960 Grand National Championship with 2015 Hall of Famer inductee Rex White behind the wheel. During that time Louie won multiple Mechanic of the Year awards, won the first Pit Crew Challenge in 1962 and they also hired James Hylton who went on to win the NASCAR 1966 Rookie of the year. With this being the VFW 200 this also holds special remembrance as both Louie and Crawford were veterans of World War II.

“It’s so awesome to honor my Great Uncle Louie (Clements) this year as he had a great impact not only on our family racing history but also NASCAR,” stated Clements. “Darlington is one of my favorite tracks and what better way to pay tribute on throwback weekend by sticking with Family Tradition.” Clements went onto say.

This is the fourth year that Darlington will hold NASCAR throwback weekend. Jeremy will make his eighth career start at the famed raceway. Fans are welcome to join JCR again this year with our #RideWithJeremy Fan car. Please see Jeremy Clements Racing on Facebook or www.jeremyclements51.com for more details

Posted on July 24, 2018July 26, 2018 by Staff Report

Kevin Harvick explained his mindset during the dramatic New Hampshire race finish on his “Happy Hours” show on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday.

Harvick put the bump-and-run on Kyle Busch for the victory Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

“That’s a 10-point swing from a playoff standpoint,” Harvick said. “I just had it in my mind to be aggressive.”

After his New Hampshire win, Harvick took a two-point lead in playoff points over Busch. Martin Truex Jr., the last member of the group of drivers who have become known as the “Big 3,” is just six playoff points behind Harvick.

It was Harvick’s sixth win of the season; Busch has five and Truex Jr. has four. In the regular-season driver standings, Harvick trails Busch, the series leader, by 53. Truex is 104 points behind the leader.

Harvick also said the threat of rain was important in the decision to move Busch. With seven laps to go, sprinkles started to fall on the 1.058-mile track, and Harvick believed he had to make his move for the win quickly. Rain had already played a role Sunday, delaying the start of the race by more than three hours.

“You sit on the other side of this fence and you’re the guy who get moved out of the way — you think about this differently,” Harvick said. “For me, I was thinking about winning the race. It’s one of those situations where you choose to make a decision. At Michigan I felt like I needed to be more aggressive quickly and didn’t do that and lost the race.

“Kyle Busch is good at making his car wide. As you look at the situation at Loudon and where the groove was and all the things going on, it was going to be a tough situation to pass. I got up underneath him in Turn 4 and didn’t complete the pass and felt like it was time to go.”

Harvick said he’s moving on from the incident but understands the perspective is different for the winning driver and the runner-up. He compared Sunday’s events to his battle with Busch in the 2017 Pocono July race, which Busch won by 6 seconds over Harvick.

“I enjoy racing Kyle and race him hard. And I expect him to race me hard,” Harvick said. “Last year we were in the same role and different position when we went to Pocono. … I didn’t complain about it then, and I’m not going to complain about it now. But I can tell you that it’s different when you’re sitting here and one the race than it is when you’re sitting on the other side of the fence.”

Posted on July 24, 2018 by Staff Report

Two NASCAR Xfinity Series teams were assessed L1-level penalties after failing post-race inspection at New Hampshire, and another Xfinity team and the No. 24 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team were given safety violations for having lug nuts not properly installed following last weekend’s New Hampshire races.

The No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, driven by William Byron and finishing 14th, received the safety violation following the Monster Energy Series’ Foxwoods Resorts Casino 301. Crew chief Darian Grubb was fined $10,000.

Meanwhile, the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet both failed post-race front body inspection heights after the Xfinity Series’ Lakes Region 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The penalties were identical for both teams: Each crew chief (Mike Shiplett of the No. 42 Chevrolet and Eric Phillips of the No. 18 Toyota) was fined $10,000 and suspended from the next Xfinity Series race. Each team also was assessed with the loss of 10 driver points and 10 owner points.

The No. 18 Toyota, driven by Ryan Preece, finished third.

The No. 42 Chevrolet, driven by John Hunter Nemechek, finished fourth.

Additionally, the No. 52 Jimmy Means Racing Chevrolet did not have lug nuts properly installed following the Xfinity Series race; crew chief Timothy Brown was fined $5,000.

The No. 52 Chevrolet, driven by David Starr, finished 28th.

Posted on July 24, 2018 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.

“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 July 24, 2018July 24, 2018 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.”

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 July 24, 2018July 24, 2018 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.

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.