The small, Georgia town tucked away from the hustle and bustle of big-city living is home to Bill Elliott (as well his son, Chase), and the community has rallied around the iconic racing family since the beginning.
From sirens blasting from the famous Dawsonville Pool Room after every Elliott win to the nickname given to the former champion driver, the Elliotts and Dawsonville are synonymous.
So it’s only right that the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office had a special guest in their lip sync video: Say hello to musical talent, Bill Elliott.
When Dale Jr. puts out the call to NASCAR drivers to help support The Dale Jr. Foundation and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, they show up … by the dozens.
During the Watkins Glen race weekend (Aug. 3-5), 32 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers and all four JR Motorsports NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers will participate in the 2018 Driven to Give Glove program. Drivers will wear skeleton driving gloves inspired by the ones Junior wore during races. Each pair of gloves will be autographed by both Dale Jr. and the driver wearing them and then auctioned off beginning Aug. 8, with proceeds benefiting the Dale and Amy Earnhardt Fund at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
The fund supports the hospital’s efforts in pediatric injury rehabilitation, research and prevention.
“We’ve done a lot with the Gloves program through the years at The Dale Jr. Foundation, but this year we wanted to open it up to more people,” said Earnhardt Jr. of the program. “To have 32 of my former competitors and all four of our JR Motorsports’ drivers sign on to this to help the Nationwide Children’s Hospital continue the life-saving work they do there is impressive, and I can’t thank them all enough. Nationwide Children’s Hospital is a huge part of the work we do at The Dale Jr. Foundation.”
In 2016, the Dale & Amy Earnhardt Activity Room on the hospital’s rehabilitation floor was dedicated to the driver and his wife in recognition of their wedding, and they created the Dale & Amy Earnhardt Fund in November of 2017 as a way to extend that relationship beyond Junior’s retirement from driving. They acknowledged their commitment to the Fund with an $88,888 initial donation made by The Dale Jr Foundation, commemorating Dale’s years driving the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports car with Nationwide as a sponsor.
Nationwide will be on the No 88 car again at Watkins Glen, with Alex Bowman driving a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet featuring a butterfly-themed special Nationwide Children’s Hospital paint scheme. Patient Champion Ashyzla Jackson was at Hendrick Motorsports for the unveiling of the paint scheme. Patient Champions help tell the story of the work the hospital does for children.
The Driven to Give Glove program started in 2014 and has raised more than $100,000 to support the work of Dale Jr. Foundation. During the previous two years, the glove program was focused on Nationwide Children’s Hospital and highlighting
Photo credit: Hendrick Motorsports
Patient Champions from the hospital with glove colors that matched the causes and illnesses of those patients.
Bowman has history with Nationwide Children’s Hospital as well. He was the first driver to pilot a car with a special paint scheme for the hospital, at the Xfinity Series’ 2013 race at Watkins Glen. When he’s back behind the wheel with the hospital on board, Nationwide Children’s Hospital Patient Championship Bricen Thall will be on hand at Watkins Glen with his family. Bricen’s name will also be featured above the passenger window of the car.
Bricen and his family are from Winfield, New York, and he was born with a condition named Hirschsprung’s Disease. He’s now five but had his first of many surgeries at just one week old.
After several surgeries over the first two years of his life, Bricen was referred to the Center for Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. His care there has set him on a path that for the first time didn’t involve a surgery for a whole year.
“Nationwide Children’s has a very special place in our hearts for everything they have done for Bricen,” said his mother, Colby Thall. “They have given him a better quality of life and the chance to experience all that a 5-year-old should.”
Drivers who are participating in the Driven go Give Glove program are: Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger , Aric Almirola, Michael Annett, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Clint Bowyer, Chris Buescher, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, William Byron, Landon Cassill, Matt DiBenedetto, Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Erik Jones, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard, Ryan Newman, David Ragan, Tyler Reddick, Elliott Sadler, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Daniel Suarez, Martin Truex Jr. and Bubba Wallace.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Perhaps it was the angst and palpable disappointment on Aric Almirola’s face and in his voice even following his best outing of the 2018 season last week – a third place at New Hampshire Motor Speedway – that so powerfully displayed his competitive spirit.
The 34-year-old had led 42 laps – the third largest single-day tally out front in his seven-year career – and yet finished third behind the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ championship leaders, Almirola’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch.
After a few days to reflect on the outing, Almirola arrives at Pocono Raceway for Sunday’s Gander Outdoors 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) never having felt more motivated to win.
“We’re going to be a contender, we’re going to be tough to beat,’’ Almirola said of his No. 10 Smithfield Ford team. “That’s what I keep telling everybody. We’re so new and so young. We’re 20 races into working together.
“We’re good, we’re not great. We have potential to be great because I don’t feel like we’ve reached our max potential just because everything is so new and we’re still learning each other, learning what I like in the race cars and all of those things.”
Almirola, who spent the first six years of his Monster Energy Series career driving the No. 43 for Richard Petty Motorsports, understandably feels that this SHR team, in this season, in this stretch, presents the best-case scenario for him to hoist a Cup winner’s trophy again.
He scored his first career victory in the rain-shortened Coke Zero 400 at Daytona in July of 2014. It earned him a playoff shot, but he finished last among the 16 championship-eligible drivers. His only top-10 in that 10-race playoff run was a sixth place at New Hampshire.
Almirola has nine top-10s through the opening 20 races and his 113 laps led so far is a career best. Also very telling, his average finish is an impressive 12.6. And Almirola sits 11th in the points standings with a sizeable 53-point advantage over 12th-place Jimmie Johnson.
However, he clearly doesn’t want to “point” his way into the championship mix. He wants to win outright. And for him, that time has been long coming. Last weekend’s near miss only reinforced the feelings.
“Now I have this opportunity here at Stewart-Haas Racing and equipment is not an excuse,’’ Almirola said. “We have the best of everything. We have everything we need to go out and compete for wins. It’s up to me and my team.
“So, yeah, I do feel like there is justification running up front and racing with [defending Monster Energy Series champ] Martin Truex Jr., and Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch – all those guys who run up front on a regular basis.
“It makes me feel like I’m capable and I can do it. That does make me feel better. At least I’ll be able to sleep at night knowing that, given the right opportunity, I could perform at that level. Now we’ve just got to figure out how to win.”
Pocono’s 2.5-mile “Tricky Triangle,” has been a particular upside in Almirola’s season. In five of six starts at tracks two miles or longer, Almirola has only one finish (accident at Daytona in July) outside the top 12. His seventh-place finish at Pocono in June was his first top-15 there.
And it’s the grand possibilities that Almirola expects on the schedule’s “second visits” that excite and provide promise.
“I feel like going back to some of these tracks that we’ll now have notes,’’ Almirola said. “A lot of these tracks all year long we’ve shown up kind of blind. We had no real notebook.
“Now we’re going back to these races where we have a notebook. We changed these things in practice, we’ll start already with that in our car. We’ll be able to fine-tune on that and make that better. We’ve learned what not to do. … It’s as much learning what to do as what not to do. It’s just building a foundation and a notebook.’’
Almirola acknowledged that while the expectations are high, so is his learning curve. But the big picture has never looked brighter. His teammate Harvick leads the series with six wins, his teammate Clint Bowyer has two wins and his teammate Kurt Busch is the top-ranked driver without a win. All four SHR cars look poised to make the Playoffs – and for Almirola that will be a big, big deal.
“When you look at the teams that are very successful, the big three (Harvick, Busch and Truex) that everyone talks about, they’ve all been working together for three, four, five, six years now,’’ Almirola said. “They’ve got a foundation.
“That’s what has me excited about my relationship with [crew chief] Johnny Klausmeier, my engineers, this whole 10 team, is that we’re young. We’re all a young group of guys all in our early 30s. We’re learning each other, we’re new. And we’re already starting to compete with these guys, 20 races working together.
“I feel like we have so much potential to continue to get better.’’
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer have established themselves as championship contenders this season in the Monster Energy Series, both with multiple wins and their postseason berths long since sealed. Teammates Aric Almirola and Kurt Busch have shown strong indications that they’re on the verge of clinching their own playoff spots.
So with six regular-season races remaining, is it reasonable to envision all four Stewart-Haas Racing drivers entering the 10-race playoffs with wins in hand?
“I definitely believe that,” team co-owner Tony Stewart said Wednesday. “I think for sure Kurt, obviously, his track record speaks for itself. He’s the guy that can win races under the right circumstances. If everything’s right, he’s the guy that can definitely get the job done.
“Aric, it’s kind of fun. I feel like I’ve gotta be the guy that pulls the reins on him back a little bit because he is so hungry to win and he wants it so bad that you’ve just kinda got to remind him, ‘Hey, look where you were a year ago, two years ago, three years ago, and look what you’re doing already this year.’
“I think the closer you get to getting that first win with a new team, the harder it is to get it, so to speak. The more that you try almost too hard to make it happen. I just keep reminding him, ‘Listen, just keep doing what you’re doing. You’re running up front, you’re leading laps, you’re consistent. It’s going to happen.’ You just have to let it happen. Don’t try to make it happen because that’s when you start forcing mistakes.”
Regardless of the current win count, Stewart-Haas enters the closing stretch of the regular season as heavy favorites to punch playoff tickets for all four entries. Harvick leads the series with six wins, firmly placing him among the “Big 3” of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch (five wins) and Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. (four wins).
Harvick’s impressive show of strength — leading the series in most laps led (1,052) and top-five finishes (15) — has been captivating, matching Busch and Truex swing-for-swing in their bids to pen their own chapters in NASCAR history. Is it possible to appreciate such dominance as it’s happening or would the benefit of reflection help to measure the greatness of Harvick and his No. 4 Ford team? For Stewart, his perspective as a hands-on team owner is unique.
“I get to see it closer than anybody, I guess,” Stewart said. “So for me, I’m seeing it right now, where everybody else might look back a couple of years from now that he is — not only as a driver, but what he is as a person inside and outside the car — how he’s really, I feel like, the total package. He just knows how to lead, and when he gets on the race track, he knows exactly when to push, when not to push, how to put himself in the right positions at the right time.
“There’s not a lot of guys on the race track that have that composure to do that. I mean, there’s some out there, but you can count them on one hand. He’s one of those guys for sure that you can put in that group.”
Almirola and Busch have their minds set on making their own contributions to SHR’s win tote board. The two took turns leading a chunk of laps last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, contending until late-race issues knocked them down a peg on the leaderboard.
Their performances, however, combined with Harvick’s clutch victory to add to the general cheeriness of Stewart-Haas’ milestone season. Stewart says it has turned Monday mornings into a cause for celebration on the shop floor, with the organization’s traveling crew receiving a warm welcome from the staff based on SHR’s campus.
“They’re high-fiving each other and smiling and upbeat right off the bat, so that starts the next work week off on a high note and that’s how you keep the momentum going and the morale in the shop,” Stewart said. “Having good results and winning races and running up front, even for somebody like Aric that was in position to win the race and then a caution kind of got it out of his grasp, even for those guys when they come back in here, everybody’s patting those guys on the back.
“It’s not just win-related. It’s the performance of all the teams, so that’s what’s fun about coming to the shop after a great weekend is just seeing how the whole demeanor of the shop is on a high. Everybody’s heads are up high, their shoulders are back and they’re digging away.”
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.
During an event held by Michigan International Speedway on Wednesday where the city of Grand Rapids declared July 25 “Alex Bowman Day,” Bowman declared he’s not feeling the heat to get into the postseason with six races remaining before Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff contenders are set.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a whole lot of pressure,” Bowman told NASCAR.com. “Obviously, that’s a big goal of ours. But, I just want to run well every week.”
Heading into Sunday’s Gander Outdoors 400 at Pocono Raceway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), Bowman holds a 28-point advantage over Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on the cutoff line in the playoff standings.
Prior to New Hampshire, the gap was only nine points. But Bowman’s 11th-place finish paired with Stenhouse’s 30th extended the gap by 19 points.
“Glad we’re on our side of it and not his,” Bowman said. “So, hopefully we’ll be able to keep putting some points on him, get a bigger buffer and go from there.”
Bowman and the rest of the Hendrick Motorsports organization has made slow, but steady progress. Bowman has finished 11th or better in four of the last five races — the best among his teammates in that same stretch — and he, Chase Elliott, Jimmie Johnson and William Byron all finished in the top 14 at Loudon.
Byron is mired back in 21st in the playoff standings, while Elliott and Johnson are ahead of Bowman in 13th and 15th, respectively.
With hints of increasing speed for the organization, Bowman knows progress needs to happen faster if he wants to break the No. 88 Chevrolet into Victory Lane for the first time in his career.
“Hopefully anywhere we go we can have a shot at it,” Bowman said. “We’ve got some work to do, I feel like, before we get to that point.”
Bowman said it’s crucial for him to earn as many points as possible to help his postseason campaign – a task the 25-year-old knows he and the team can accomplish. He has collected 27 stage points this year, tied for 18th with Byron and Ryan Newman. Elliott has collected 94 points, good for 11th among other competitors, while Johnson has earned 84 points, the 13th-most in the series.
“Any day we can have good stage points and get good points throughout the day,” Bowman said. “Wins will come with time, but hopefully we make the Playoffs.”
TALLADEGA, Ala. – NASCAR’s most competitive track — Talladega Superspeedway — along with its parent company, International Speedway Corporation (ISC), announced at a press conference today details of Transformation – The Talladega Superspeedway Infield Project. The approximate $50 million redevelopment endeavor is part of ISC’s long-term capital allocation plan and reinvestment into its major motorsports complexes. The project, highlighted by a one-of-a-kind Garage Fan Zone Experience, will feature “up-close” access, interactive attractions and enhanced amenities for fans, sponsors, teams and stakeholders in the iconic Talladega infield.
Full completion of the modernized project is scheduled for October of 2019, just in time for the track’s fall NASCAR weekend. Talladega Superspeedway will also celebrate its 50th Anniversary next year. Construction will commence at the 2.66-mile venue after the upcoming NASCAR Playoff doubleheader weekend, Oct. 12-14, featuring the 1000Bulbs.com 500 and Talladega 250.
Transformation – The Talladega Superspeedway Infield Project will give the hundreds of thousands of fans who annually make the journey to central Alabama the chance to get closer than ever to NASCAR’s top drivers and teams via a fan walkway under the same roof as the race car bays in the new Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series garage. Add to it a unique 35,000 square foot covered Open Air Club, complete with ample seating, a bar and a 41-foot diagonal video screen, entertainment enthusiasts will be able to immerse themselves in the sport and witness the teams and drivers as the cars are prepped in the garage stalls for 3- and 4-wide racing.
An artist’s rendering of the Talladega project.
“Since 1969, no other track in NASCAR has lived its brand better than Talladega Superspeedway. Big, bold and one-of-a-kind best describe this legendary facility and the larger-than-life visionary who created it, my grandfather Bill France Sr.,” said ISC Chief Executive Officer Lesa France Kennedy. “Today’s announcement, Transformation – The Talladega Superspeedway Infield Project, is a world-class extension of his vision offering many new amenities and conveniences. It’s a great day for the track, ISC and the state of Alabama. This is a special place to our family and so many race fans all over the world, and its future is incredibly bright.”
“We have had nearly 50 years of incredible history in motorsports and have been a tourist destination for so many,” said Grant Lynch, Chairman of Talladega Superspeedway. “The investment that we are making shows a commitment today, tomorrow and beyond. Fans, both current and future, have a lot to look forward to in the next 50 years. There’s only one Talladega.”
The new garage viewing walkway is just one of a variety of new attractions for the fans as part of the Garage Fan Zone Experience, which will have over 140,000 square feet of social and engagement areas, complete with Wi-Fi, along with two new concession stands, restrooms complexes, a Guest Services Center and a fan First Aid facility.
The new Gatorade Victory Lane will offer fans from the grandstands, as well as those in the Garage Fan Zone Experience, a closer view of the winners who rewrite Talladega’s history. A two-level President’s Club, with seating for more than 600 guests, will be located near the end of pit road. Other amenities in the Garage Fan Zone Experience include four 25-person garage suites and four garage offices. The current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series garage will be used for the NASCAR Xfinity Series teams during the spring event weekend and the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (as it will be known in 2019) in the fall.
“Talladega Superspeedway is where my career began as a driver so it holds a special place in my heart,” said NASCAR and International Motorsports Hall of Famer Richard Childress, who competed in Talladega’s first NASCAR race in 1969 and will also celebrate his 50th Anniversary in NASCAR in 2019. “Over the years we have met so many fans that love our sport here, and with this new endeavor, Talladega and ISC are taking this place to next level. Fans have loved it for nearly 50 years, but this is going to take it to new heights,” added Childress, who, along with Hendrick Motorsports, has a Talladega record 12 wins as a team owner.
Approximately 300 new RV spaces – all with power and water hookups – will now be a part of the track’s infield via two main areas, one that will offer a view of the Alabama Gang Superstretch and the other located near the start-finish line. The new locations will offer premium opportunities to experience the world-famous Talladega infield, in which RV spaces have been filled to capacity months in advance for the past seven straight event weekends. Current infield RV areas, including those on the legendary Talladega Blvd, will remain the same.
Additional new enhancements are comprised of: a 2-lane, oversized vehicle tunnel at the end of the Alabama Gang Superstretch that will allow 24-hour entry/exit access for vehicular traffic, including RVs; a tram route that will deliver fans to the entrance of the new Garage Fan Zone Experience; infield premium parking opportunities; new infield shower options in Turns 1 & 2; expanded drivers meeting location; renovated media center; and a Race Operations building erected high atop the Tri-Oval that will house Race Control, LIVE TV booths for FOX & NBC, Motor Racing Network and Public Address.
RV spaces inside the Alabama Gang Superstretch, along with Race Operations, are scheduled for completion by the track’s spring event weekend of 2019 while all other aspects of the project are set to be finalized for the fall 2019 event weekend.
“Almost 50 years ago, Alabama became home to Talladega Superspeedway, a staple for the sport and a driver of tourism in our state,” Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said. “Today, I was thrilled to help kick off the development of the ‘Talladega Transformation Infield Project.’ This project will take this track into its next 50 years and give its loyal fans an even better experience.”
Bill France Sr. helped with the track’s groundbreaking in 1968. | Photo courtesy of Talladega Superspeedway
Hoar Construction, based in nearby Birmingham, AL, who has spearheaded some of the most recognizable landmarks in the Yellowhammer state, is the Preconstruction Contractor while the DLR Group is the Architect for Transformation – The Talladega Superspeedway Infield Project. DLR Group is also part of renovation projects at ISM Raceway (Phoenix) and Richmond Raceway (VA).
“We are excited to be involved in the redevelopment of the Talladega Superspeedway,” said Hoar Construction Vice President Turner Burton. “It is an honor to work with International Speedway Corporation on one of the most famous race tracks in the world. We are building a strong team of local partners that will make sure the project is a success and has a significant economic impact for our home state. We are looking forward to breaking ground this fall.”
“Talladega Superspeedway is an icon in the sports world,” said DLR Group Designer and Principal Bob Carlson. “It is an ultra-competitive festival atmosphere that offers a unique and authentic experience for fans. DLR Group collaborated with the leadership of Talladega Superspeedway and International Speedway Corporation to design a new way for fans to enjoy all of the elements that make race day memorable. Our design gives fans a front row view into the activity in the garages, as well as driver and pit crew interactions.”
For more information on all of the new opportunities as part of Transformation – The Talladega Superspeedway Infield Project, call 855-518-RACE (7223).
Fans can also learn more about the project by visiting www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/transformation. News, images, video and up-to-date information will be available throughout the project.
Before the construction begins, Talladega will host its 2018 NASCAR Playoff doubleheader weekend this fall featuring the Talladega 250 for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Saturday, Oct. 13, at Noon CDT, and the 1000Bulbs.com 500 for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday, Oct. 14, at 1 p.m. CDT. Saturday’s slate also includes Foodland/Food Giant Qualifying to determine the starting lineup for Sunday’s event in which Brad Keselowski is the defending champion.
Kurt Busch was in royal company Thursday, as he watched wife Ashley compete and win the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club with the Sentebale St. Regis team in England.
Her teammate? None other than Harry, Duke of Sussex.
New wife and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, was on site to present the team with the award.
Polo player Nacho Figueras captained the team and Miguel Mendoza served as the fourth teammate for the Sentebale St. Regis team. The event raised funds and awareness for the Duke’s charity, Sentebale (which means “forget me not”), which supports the wellbeing of children with HIV in Lesotho and Botswana.
Today The Duke of Sussex played in the @Sentebale Polo Cup, held each year to raise awareness and support for its vital work with young people affected by HIV in southern Africa.
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) July 26, 2018
Afterward, Kurt Busch called it a “top five moment in life.”
Watching my wife play polo with the Duke of Sussex, Nacho Figueras, and Miguel Mendoza at The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club in England, and to come away victorious, was a top 5 moment in life. So proud of you sweetheart @MrsAshleyBusch #ISPShanda#SentebaleISPSPolopic.twitter.com/mscKW1NAIA
The Busch family also went sightseeing in England in the days leading up to the match and the driver teased his wife’s participation in Thursday’s event. Kurt will head back to the States to compete in Sunday’s race at Pocono Raceway (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Sightseeing today in London with more fun to share later! Very important date on Thursday pic.twitter.com/Fa4Vs33NmE
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced today CRAFTSMAN will join the team as a primary sponsor for Erik Jones in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Ryan Preece in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for multiple races in 2018.
Stanley Black & Decker added the iconic CRAFTSMAN brand to their portfolio in 2017. In their fourth season with Joe Gibbs Racing, Stanley Black & Decker uses their NASCAR partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing to showcase the DEWALT brand on the No. 20 Toyota Camry with Jones and the STANLEY brand on the No. 19 Toyota Camry with Daniel Suarez, both in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
“It’s really cool to represent an iconic brand with CRAFTSMAN,” said Jones. “CRAFTSMAN is a brand that I’ve used throughout my entire racing career from when I first started with go-karts, through late models and still have in my shop today. We’ve had a great relationship with Stanley Black & Decker this year through the DEWALT brand and I’m looking forward to continuing to grow our partnership with the CRAFTSMAN brand. The car looks great and I can’t wait to get on track with it in the coming months.”
Preece added, “I’m very excited to be racing and representing the CRAFTSMAN brand. I grew up watching what was then the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and as I grew older, I started using CRAFTSMAN tools. To represent an iconic tool company like CRAFTSMAN is very special to me and I know we will have the same reliability in our Camrys that they have in their tools.”
To kick off the new partnership, CRAFTSMAN will launch the “What’s Your Craftsman Story?” campaign to share real, human moments of pride. “Your CRAFTSMAN story” could be a memory or a project well done. The goal is not to focus on the tool, but what can be done with the tools and the pride and memories it evokes in each person. Fans can share their story at www.CRAFTSMANstory.com beginning August 1 through September 7, 2018. Three deserving fans will win a garage full of CRAFTSMAN tools and one lucky fan will win a once-in-a-lifetime experience with Coach Joe Gibbs and Joe Gibbs Racing, including a shop tour and a VIP experience at the NASCAR races at Kansas Speedway on October 20 and 21, 2018.
Team owner and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Coach Joe Gibbs, will help launch the “What’s Your Craftsman Story?” campaign and the new partnership with CRAFTSMAN by participating in a Satellite Media Tour on August 1, 2018.
“It’s a thrill for us to be a part of bringing the CRAFTSMAN brand back into the sport,” said Gibbs. “When you mention CRAFTSMAN to somebody it always seems they have a story to tell about how they used CRAFTSMAN tools growing up or around their own home or shop. That’s why the “What’s Your Craftsman Story?” campaign will be so much fun when we get a chance to hear everyone’s personal experiences with the brand.”
2018 Race Schedule Watkins Glen International – Xfinity Series – August 4 Richmond Raceway – Xfinity Series – September 21 Richmond Raceway – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – September 22 Dover International Speedway – Xfinity Series – October 6 Dover International Speedway – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – October 7 Talladega Superspeedway – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – October 14 Kansas Speedway – Xfinity Series – October 20 Kansas Speedway – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – October 21
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Tony Stewart says it’s been so long since he’s driven a NASCAR Xfinity Series car that he’s not sure how much help he’d be able to offer to Cole Custer, the full-time driver for Stewart-Haas Racing’s flagship Xfinity team.
At least now, Stewart says, the lines of communication for any potential advice are far more open that they used to be.
“That’s the great thing about Cole is that he’s coming out of his shell finally,” Stewart says. “I mean, for the first two years that I’d met this kid, he never said one word to me. I didn’t even know that he could speak. As time’s gone on now, he’s coming into his own, but it’s kind of that way with his racing, too. … We really don’t talk a lot about it. I mean, he does a really good job on his own. I almost feel like if I get in the middle of it, I’m only going to confuse him more than anything because the progress he’s making is good the way that he’s doing it.”
The 20-year-old driver’s shy streak may still be part of his personality, but Custer has shown signs of opening up — both with his interactions and his performance on the track. The California native sits fourth in the Xfinity Series standings ahead of Saturday’s U.S. Cellular 250 (5:20 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Iowa Speedway.
Custer leads the Xfinity tour this season with four pole positions, and he ranks as second-best in top-five finishes with seven and top-10 finishes with 14 in the 18 races thus far. But he’s missing a tally in the win column, a void he’s aiming to fill with eight events remaining in the regular season.
“I think right now we’re fairly happy with where we’re at. I mean, we want to win races obviously and we need to catch up with the 20 and 22 guys,” Custer said, making mention of Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske entries that have accounted for seven Xfinity wins this year. “They’re fast and they’re leading laps every weekend. I think we can get there, we’re just going to have to dig a little bit deeper.
“Obviously I think we’re living in the top five right now, we just have to have everything kind of fall into place and have it be our weekend. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season, and I think we can make it happen.”
At the mild risk of looking too far ahead, Custer says the No. 00 Ford team is already making preparations to fine-tune its program ahead of the Xfinity Series’ seven-race playoffs, which open Sept. 21 at Richmond Raceway. They’ll have a year of postseason experience to draw upon, having come tantalizingly close to the final round in 2017.
Had Custer & Co. kept their championship eligibility until the end — a berth he missed by just four points in the penultimate race — an Xfinity crown was well within their grasp. Custer played spoiler in the Homestead-Miami finale, capping his rookie season by leading 182 of 200 laps for his first Xfinity win.
Even with the title near-miss, the accomplishments placed Custer in elite territory in just the first season of Stewart-Haas Racing’s Xfinity operation. That growth has continued this year, strengthened by a partnership with Biagi-DenBeste Racing.
“I mean, to bring a rookie crew chief and a rookie driver into the series and do what they did last year and then see how it keeps progressing this year, I think everything’s moving along great,” Stewart says. “Obviously, we’ve had a partnership come on board in the last year and I think we’re really happy with the direction that the program’s going. In such a short amount of time to build it to what it is, it kind of follows suit with what we’ve done with the Cup program, so I think the sky’s the limit with it.”
As timelines go, SHR’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series program is celebrating its 10th anniversary in style. Kevin Harvick is fresh from his series-best sixth win of 2018, and teammate Clint Bowyer has visited Victory Lane twice this season. Kurt Busch and Aric Almirola have yet to break through for a checkered flag this year, but their consistency has placed both drivers among the front-running contenders most weeks.
That sort of performance has trickled down to the Xfinity level at SHR, with a more vocal Custer front and center.
“Obviously, the morale gets up because we’re all one team,” Custer says. “Everybody’s winning, but we obviously want to do our part and start winning also. So it brings our level up, I feel like. We want to match their level, so I think it definitely helps the whole organization and obviously we share a little bit back and forth, so I think it’s a good thing for everybody.”
“We’ve done a lot with the Gloves program through the years at The Dale Jr. Foundation, but this year we wanted to open it up to more people,” said Earnhardt Jr. of the program. “To have 32 of my former competitors and all four of our JR Motorsports’ drivers sign on to this to help the Nationwide Children’s Hospital continue the life-saving work they do there is impressive, and I can’t thank them all enough. Nationwide Children’s Hospital is a huge part of the work we do at The Dale Jr. Foundation.”
