As Dale Jr.’s successor, Bowman feels pressure from a different source

Posted on June 1, 2018June 1, 2018 by Reid Spencer

You might think Alex Bowman would chafe under the weight of the pressure that accompanies stepping into the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet vacated by Dale Earnhardt Jr. after last season.

You’d be wrong.

What motivates Bowman to a greater degree is the history of Hendrick Motorsports, where winning races and titles has become the expectation over the past three decades.

“I think, honestly, there’s not a lot of pressure in the fact that it’s Dale’s old car, it’s the No. 88 car,” Bowman said. “The pressure for me comes from the fact that it’s a Hendrick Motorsports car. Hendrick Motorsports is known for winning races and winning championships, and that’s what I’m expected to do.

“I think most of my pressure comes from myself and the fact that I just want to win races and prove that I can do it. For me, there are a lot of No. 88 fans, obviously, and my job is to give them something to cheer for. I don’t feel like we’ve done a very good job of that this year. We’ve had hints of brilliance and hints of being able to run up front, but we haven’t consistently given them something to really cheer for every weekend.

“We know we need to get better, and I think that will come with wins, but there’s not a lot of pressure from the Dale side of things. It’s just pressure because I want to win.”

Thirteen races into the season, Hendrick is still looking for its first win, but the speed of the Hendrick cars has improved recently. Bowman comes to Sunday’s Pocono 400 (at 2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) fresh from his fourth top 10 of the season (ninth in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte).

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Reid Spencer

LONG POND, Pa. — Martin Truex Jr. is just glad he’s not in the same boat — literally.

That’s not to say a trip to his New Jersey home — and a visit to Atlantic City and the clam boat he worked on during his youth — didn’t produce some pangs of nostalgia for the reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion.

But Truex has come light years since his early days harvesting clams for his family business.

“It was very nostalgic, and that particular boat is very special to my dad, because it was his actual first boat he ever built,” Truex said after Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Pocono Raceway on Friday. “It’s just a cool story, his first boat, I got to work on it. It’s still in service, still working each and every day.

“But just to go in there and to look at it and just feel the memories of what it was like, how much time I spent on there, how much I didn’t like it, and then just so many things haven’t changed in that business. That boat is the same. It looks identical. There’s so many things in it that are still the same, and it just reminded me of how fast time really goes by, because it felt like just yesterday I was out there working on that thing. It’s crazy.”

Truex left New Jersey with some new memories, too. In Trenton, the state capital, Gov. Phil Murphy declared May 31 Martin Truex Jr. day. And on Friday, Truex was recognized as national driver of the year by the Eastern Motorsports Press Association.

MORE: Martin Truex Jr. Day proclaimed in New Jersey

“(Thursday) was a big day,” Truex said. “It was fun to go home, to go to the state capital and meet the governor and get the proclamation that yesterday was MTJ Day in New Jersey. That’s just crazy to think about. It’s crazy to think about things like that, where we’ve come to in such a short amount of time.

“It feels like just yesterday I was living up there working, building race cars and racing for fun and thinking, yeah, ‘Maybe someday somebody will hire me to drive for them.’ And here we are not that much further down the road with a championship and all the things that have come along with it.”

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Staff Report

NASCAR and Rev Racing have announced two additional drivers set to join Rev Racing’s youth driver lineup as part of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program.

Kaylee Bryson, 17, and Hayden Swank, 16, will compete with previously announced drivers Isabella Robusto and Nick Sanchez at the Bojangles’ Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway, beginning June 11.

The youth program targets drivers ages 12 to 17 for INEX Legend Car competition and serves as an entry point to the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program. Selected youth drivers are year-long members of the Drive for Diversity team roster.

After several months of evaluation, youth drivers are selected based on overall driving performance, past success on the track and recommendations from members of the racing community.

“As it remains a goal of ours to focus on the growth and development of both our academy-style program and youth participants, we want to connect with these drivers as early as possible,” said Max Siegel, owner of Rev Racing. “The sooner we can start providing the proper guidance to these individuals, the more prepared they are to grow into different series.”

Swank, a North Carolina native who currently resides in Woodstock, Georgia, began his quarter-midget racing career at age 7. Swank promptly won his first 10 races and spent four years racing quarter midgets before graduating to Bandoleros, winning six of his first seven races.

In 2014, Swank won the Bandit class at the Bandolero National Championship. He finished second in Thursday Thunder Outlaw points standings in 2015, earning him the David Ragan Award for the 2015 season.

Bryson is an accomplished race car driver from Muskogee, Oklahoma. She started racing winged karts in 2010 when she was 8 years old. In her first two-and-a-half years in winged karts, she accumulated 50 total wins.

In June 2012, Bryson made the transition to Restrictor Micro-Sprint Cars and won 16 races between 2013 and 2015. The following year, she moved up to A-Class and Outlaw Micro-Sprint Cars and claimed multiple top-three, top-five, and top-10 finishes. She claimed the 2016 Port City Raceway A-Class Rookie of the Year and Points Championship honors.

Robusto, 13, will join Rev Racing for her second season. Robusto earned one podium finish, two top-fives and eight top-10s in the 2017 Bojangles’ Summer Shootout. She took first place in Young Lions U.S. Legend Cars/INEX division at the sixth-annual Battle at the Big Top (BATBT) at Texas Motor Speedway in April.

Sanchez, 16, is currently running full time in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series with Rev Racing. He participated in the Youth Driver Development Program in 2017, earning five podium finishes, six top-fives and one win, garnering a fifth-place finish in the 2017 championship point standings.

“This program cultivates growth and seizes the opportunity for development in drivers at the earliest age possible,” said Jusan M. Hamilton, NASCAR senior manager of racing operations and event management. “Drivers who are successful and show promise are considered to compete for a chance at the next level of the program in the Late Model Series.”

The first practice session for the 2018 Bojangles’ Summer Shootout is June 5.

Posted on June 1, 2018 by NASCAR.com

Name: Leigh Ann
Current City: Sparks, Nevada
Member since: 2012

Getting To Know Leigh Ann:

Why did you join the Official NASCAR Fan Council?
“I received an invitation and gladly accepted. I had heard of the council listening to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and one day in my email I got an invitation.”

How did you first become interested in NASCAR?
“My son’s teacher was a Jeff Gordon fan and his enthusiasm spilled over into our family, so began watching and fell in love with the sport in 1997.”

What makes NASCAR special for you?
“Family – It’s a great family sport. I also found that they honor the military each and every week along with supporting causes that mean so much. NASCAR always has something that keeps you tuned whether you’re at the track or at home watching.”

Do you have any favorite NASCAR memories or traditions?
“In 1999 my family and I went to our first race event in Sonoma. Wow, I can still smell the rubber for the first time. We had pit road passes and the second I set foot on it, I welled up in tears. It was a special feeling to be there. We attended every year from then on including a race in Texas. We all had different favorite drivers: Dale Sr, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jr, then Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch. My annual tradition is at the end of the race in Homestead, no matter who wins, I cry like a baby because it hits me like a ton of bricks that the season is over and I have to wait until February for Daytona. My husband pokes fun at me about it because it happens every year.”

If you could go to any NASCAR race/track, where would you go?
“Daytona or Talladega.”

Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?
Driver: “Jimmie Johnson”
Track: “Homestead Miami”
Memorabilia:“Scaled cars & driver shirts”

Where is your dream car?
“50th Anniversary Chevy Camaro”

From all of us at NASCAR, we thank Leigh Ann for her continued support and forward to hearing from her in 2018.

Posted on June 1, 2018June 1, 2018 by RJ Kraft

LONG POND, Pa. – As best friends, Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace have an undeniably strong bond. They have similar interests and they like to have fun away from the track. On track, they have raced each other for years across several NASCAR national and touring series as the pair worked their ways up the ladder.

Their bond is so strong that a singular date stands out as a seminal moment for each.

The date was June 11, 2017. The place was Pocono Raceway, a 2.5-mile track located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Bubba Wallace made his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start for the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team – the first of four races filling in for an injured Aric Almirola and the break that would set him up for his full-time 2018 ride with the team.

Bubba Wallace and Ryan Blaney took photos with Richard Petty before the June 11, 2017 race at Pocono. (Jerry Markland | Getty Images)

Ryan Blaney was in the midst of his second full-time season driving for Wood Brothers Racing and had 67 starts to his name in NASCAR’s top series. A month earlier at Kansas, he served notice that he was knocking on the door of his first Monster Energy Series wins, starting on the pole and finishing fourth.

In Pocono, that elusive win finally came. Blaney finished strong in the race, overtaking Kyle Busch (on older tires) for the lead with 10 laps to go. He then held off a hot-pursuing Kevin Harvick for the victory. The win was the 99th for Wood Brothers, which has a technical alliance with Team Penske.

A year later, Blaney is back, but in the Penske fold this time, driving the No. 12 Ford.

“It is always nice to come back to a place you have had success at and won at,” Blaney said. “It gives you confidence as a driver, and as a whole team everyone’s confidence is up. Obviously, you want to repeat that. You want to win every week but when you come back to a place where you have had success that definitely is nice. Especially after the last couple of weeks. We have struggled the last couple of races after having fast cars.”

The 24-year-old Blaney has had two-straight early exits in this season’s most recent points races, Kansas and Charlotte. Despite those setbacks, Blaney still ranks third among laps led this season, behind only Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. He is 11th in the standings.

There is a certain comfort at the Pennsylvania track for Blaney, the son of the “Buckeye Bullet,” Dave Blaney. In addition to his Monster Energy Series win here in 2017, he also earned a Camping World Truck Series win in 2013 — and essentially made his racing debut at the “Tricky Triangle.”

“I came up here and watched my dad run a lot throughout the years growing up. I made my first start in a race car at the dirt track out there outside of Turn 3. That is where I made my first quarter midget start. This place has always been special. We always have a lot of family at this race. I have enjoyed it for a long time and it suits the way we like to set up the race car and the way I drive.”

While Blaney basked in a win at Pocono last year, Bubba finished 26th in his debut – his worst finish in his four-race fill-in stint as he suffered through three pit road speeding penalties.

“It was my first time working with digital dashes and I got caught speeding,” Wallace said. “I believe two or three consecutive, back-to-back, that took us out of contention early and that was a bummer. I thought we had pretty good speed in our car. So that was the biggest thing.

“I was out doing a Mack truck appearance this morning at 8:30 and we were on pit road so I was already taking down notes and practicing pit road speed in a big Mack truck. I don’t know how that’s going to translate over,” he added with a laugh. “Any practice you get is good.”

MORE: Wallace finishes second in Daytona 500 | New sponsor on board for Bubba

Wallace’s debut came after his run with Roush Fenway Racing’s Xfinity Series program was coming to a close and an uncertain future lay ahead. The 24-year-old Alabama native started 2018 strong with a runner-up finish in the Daytona 500, but has had the expected rookie growing pains ever since and now sits 23rd in the standings.

“I remember just telling myself not to do anything stupid and mess us up,” Wallace said of his 2017 series debut. “Knowing that it was kind of a tryout session because I didn’t have anything else after that.

“Now, knowing that for sure I’m racing all year long, my name is on the car this time and it’s my guys and my team. So, I’m excited about that. I think that just helps out the confidence level so much. From the start of the season, I feel like I’ve gotten better and better in the car, trying to give better feedback and trying to be a better racer and a better driver and give guys respect and earn that respect, too.”

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Staff Report

NASCAR announced this offseason that it will standardize at-track team rosters across all three national series in 2018, providing a structure for the number of personnel working on each vehicle during the course of a race weekend.

Official team rosters for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono (2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) have been released. Click the print icon above, or the link below.

ROSTERS: Pocono race

Posted on June 1, 2018June 1, 2018 by Staff Report

Kyle Busch soared to the top of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series leaderboard Friday, setting the early pace at Pocono Raceway.

Busch clocked a lap of 176.939 mph with the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota on the 2.5-mile Pennsylvania track. Busch, a four-time Pocono pole winner, added to the momentum from winning last weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.

Alex Bowman hustled the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet to the second-fastest lap at 175.490 mph, a lap that was .420 seconds off Busch’s fast time. Clint Bowyer, Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick completed the top five.

Defending race winner Ryan Blaney managed the eighth-fastest lap in the Team Penske No. 12 Ford.

The start of opening practice was delayed by approximately 10 minutes because of moisture on the track. Race officials extended the practice five minutes past its scheduled end to provide teams with more track time.

RELATED: Best photos from Pocono

Officials also moved the start of Friday’s Busch Pole Qualifying back by five minutes to 4:20 p.m. ET (FS2).

Three teams were docked 15 minutes of practice for failing pre-race inspection twice. Those penalized were:

No. 15 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet of Ross Chastain
No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson
No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota of Martin Truex Jr.

Posted on June 1, 2018 by RJ Kraft

With three wins atop the pit box at Pocono Raceway, Steve Letarte knows quite a bit about finding success at the “Tricky Triangle.”

Letarte won at the 2.5-mile track in June 2007 as the crew chief for recently named Class of 2019 NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon. In 2014, his final year atop the pit box before becoming part of the NASCAR on NBC broadcast booth, he guided Dale Earnhardt Jr. to a sweep of both races at the Pennsylvania track.

The track is the lone venue on the circuit with just three turns instead of the traditional four found at most oval tracks that make up the majority of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule. That uniqueness is a challenge for drivers and crew chiefs alike for Sunday’s Pocono 400 (2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“It takes a mindset,” Letarte told NASCAR.com. “If you don’t have track position, there’s not much you can do as far driving through the field. I think you just have to like going there — driver and crew chief.

“It just comes into a very honest compromise. What you have for a car. Which corner you are good in. Which corner are you are not good in. You have to have a very methodical approach because if you think you are going to be very good in all three (corners), you’re wrong.

“Then, it’s just a ton of hours studying all the options that can come your way. The track layout, specifically the length of the lap, just opens up so many opportunities for strategy — when to pit, how to pit. It’s just a challenging race track atop the pit box and in the driver’s seat.”

Jerry Markland | Getty Images

Pocono has seen 12 different winners in the past 13 races there with Earnhardt’s 2014 sweep standing as the only instance of a driver winning more than once in that stretch. Letarte is one of two crew chiefs to win multiple races at Pocono in that span – Jason Ratcliff is the other, although he did it with two drivers, Joey Logano (in 2012) and Matt Kenseth (in 2015).

Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick have combined for nine wins in the first 13 Monster Energy Series races of 2018 but have just one win combined at Pocono (Harvick has not won there). And while their early dominance has been a prominent storyline so far, the playoff picture is also coming more into focus with half the regular season complete. Letarte expects that to play into the strategic mindset, especially for teams currently on the wrong side of the 16-driver cutline.

“You look at the second half of the playoff standings,” Letarte said. “You look at teams like Paul Menard (Wood Brothers Racing, No. 21 Ford). Someone who won at Indy on fuel mileage. Ryan Newman (Richard Childress Racing, No. 31 Chevrolet). He’s been so consistent for so many years. How much are they willing to throw away points to get that win?”

With the stages of the Pocono 400 set to be 50 laps, 50 laps and 60 laps, teams will have to pit at least once in each stage since a fuel run at Pocono is around 33-35 laps. Last year’s July race saw stage-winning machine Martin Truex Jr. bypass a stage win to pit from the lead with four laps to go in Stage 2 in order to better position himself to go after the race win by only needing one more pit stop the rest of the way. Kyle Busch went on to win the race, while Truex finished third.

“Aggressive is the new norm,” Letarte said. “Splitting a fuel run up in the middle used to be, ‘Man, you are way outside the box.’ Now, if you don’t split it, you are way outside the box.

“I expect most guys to pit as soon as they get in their window. The aggressive strategy is to perhaps run really long and try to have the freshest tires at the end and put your driver on offense. If the cautions fall right — Dale Jr. and I did it (in their August 2014 win). We pitted and took fuel and tires just so we could come back a few laps later to take fuel again. …

“A win fixes everything, so I do think there will be some creative strategies.”

Posted on June 1, 2018January 21, 2022 by Staff Report

Lots To Look Forward To At The Tricky Triangle

The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has seen two big names take over in the first 13 races of the season. Kevin Harvick has swept through taking home five victories, followed by Kyle Busch collecting four of his own – the most recent at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which also marked his first one at the track at NASCAR’s highest level. That win made him the only driver in history to win a race at every single Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series active track on the circuit. All in all, these two are forces to be reckoned with.

MORE: Full Pocono weekend schedule | Check out this week’s paint schemes

But, Pocono Raceway is called the ‘Tricky Triangle’ for a reason. In the last seven races at Pocono, there have been seven different winners. Last June, Ryan Blaney won his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono, which gave him his spot in the Playoffs. Then, last August, Kyle Busch won at Pocono for the first time in his career.

Chase Elliott, Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez are hopeful that their first visit to Victory Lane in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will be some time in the near future. Is it possible that Pocono Raceway could capture another new winner?

Also, don’t forget about the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday because it is a must-watch. The reason — the aero package returns to the track and is highlighted by the enlarged splitter and spoiler, the aero ducts and restrictor plate which we saw for the first time last season at Indianapolis. That race posted records for lead changes and green flag passes for the lead. No one can predict what will happen in this weekend, so watching it will be the only way to find out.

Pocono Raceway To Honor The Military During The 400 Weekend

Pocono Raceway and their Department of Military Affairs will honor the United State Armed Forces with various events and recognition throughout the Pocono 400 race weekend. A new logo has also been released for the weekend’s events.

The United States Army Golden Knights will host a meet-and-greet and a skydiving demonstration during the National Anthem.

MORE: NASCAR Salutes returns refreshed by Coca-Cola

The Co-Grand Marshals will be members of the United States Marine Corps, United States Army Corp of Engineers, United States Air Force Material Command and the Pennsylvania National Guard. The National Anthem will be performed by the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps.

Two-hundred-plus new recruits enlisting in various branches of the military will receive their Oath of Enlistment prior to Sunday’s race. The ceremony is expected to be one of the largest ceremonies ever held at a sporting event. Pocono Raceway will dedicate a plaque to the Gold Star Families of the Fallen at the Flag Pole located near the main entrance of the fan fair.

The Commander of the Tobyhanna Army Depot will present an award to recognize the warrior who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in the local community. Military and Pocono Raceway representatives will gather the Chair of Honor prior to Sunday’s race and The Honor Guard will place the seat in the upright position in the grandstands to honor POW/MIA.

In addition, the United States Air Force Drill Team will do a demonstration and the Joint Service Honor Guard will present colors during the National Anthem. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers will take laps around the track in military Humvees after introductions and the Pennsylvania National Guard, 109th Artillery Division, will do a Cannon Salute during the National Anthem.

Fan-Driven Events You Won’t Want To Miss

Pocono Raceway is always jam-packed with fun things for fans to do other than racing.

Not only do fans have the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and ARCA Racing Series to look forward to, the track also provides lots of opportunities to have fun. Fan-friendly and exciting events will be held at the track all weekend long. So, be sure to check them out.

The NASCAR Hauler Parade for camping guests is a great way to start off the weekend. There will be a 50/50 raffle to benefit the Lehigh Valley Children’s Hospital as well as Pocono Raceway’s Lehigh Valley Children’s Hospital Kids Club. The #POCONOMTNS Inclusive Playground, the first inclusive playground located inside a NASCAR track, will be open to all guests starting Thursday, May 31. Along with that, there will be Sensory Kits and Rooms, courtesy of KultureCity, giving fans who have sensory issues access to all the race weekend fun, too.

An Xfinity Driver Autograph Session will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday and later that day, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will have an open garage to give fans the opportunity to check out the behind-the-scenes action.

The second-annual Monster Energy NASCAR Free Friday will take place on June 1, where fans can bring an empty can of Monster Energy to get recycled at one of the gates and will receive free admission to all of Friday’s events.

A “Selfie Session” with Alex Bowman will take place behind Victory Lane but be sure to pre-register at www.poconoraceway.com/selfiesesh to get your spot. Pocono Raceway’s Infield Block Party and Fireworks will be one for the books on Saturday night. A $10 donation is asked for each vehicle and then you can enjoy the live music, a Red Robin food truck, drinks for the adults and plenty of games for kids.

Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch and Matt DiBenedetto will all make an appearance, and some will do a Q&A with fans.

And, don’t forget about the pre-race concert with Steve Moakler, a rising county music star from Pittsburgh, Penn., who will kick off the race.

Drug Take Back Program

Attorney General Josh Shapiro partnered with Pocono Raceway to help the fight against the opioid epidemic, an issue that hits home for the locals surrounding Pocono Raceway, during the weekend.

Fans who drop unused prescription drugs at Attorney General’s Drug Take Back booths will get a free lap in their own cars around the Tricky Triangle.

See For Yourself

Make your plans to see all the action live at Pocono Raceway by called 1-800-RACEWAY or visit NASCAR.com/buy-tickets.

But, if you can’t make it to the Tricky Triangle this weekend, watch the Monster Energy Series race live on FS1 this Sunday at 2 p.m. ET and the Xfinity Series race on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on FS1 as well as on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on June 1, 2018 by RJ Kraft

Editor’s note: Fantasy Fastlane will look at each race from a fantasy perspective, examining the top plays as well as several under-the-radar options and a play to avoid for NASCAR Fantasy Live. See the full analysis here.

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