Star-studded musical lineup to perform at Catwalk for a Cause

Posted on May 10, 2018May 10, 2018 by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Award-winning artists Cassadee Pope, Cole Swindell and Cold Creek County will perform during the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation’s 9th annual Catwalk for a Cause presented by Furniture Row, a fundraiser for childhood cancer awareness and initiatives.

The gala, which will carry the theme of Mid Summer Night’s Dream, will take place Wednesday evening May 16 at the Statesville Regional Airport, and will again feature Catwalk Heroes – children in treatment or remission from cancer walking the runway with NASCAR drivers and their spouses.

The program will include musical entertainment during the reception, silent auction, fashion show and after-party.

Cold Creek County, an Ontario, Canada country rock group signed by Sony Music Canada, will perform during the cocktail reception, 6-7:30 p.m. Cold Creek County was named Country Music Ontario Group of the Year in 2016 and 2017.

Cassadee Pope, the first female winner of NBC’s The Voice (Season 3, 2012), will perform during the fashion show, which starts at 7:30. The country pop vocalist, songwriter and musician released her debut solo country album, Frame by Frame, October 2013 to a top-10 Billboard 200 charting. The album debuted at No. 1 on Top Country Albums, with 43,000 copies sold in its first week.

Cole Swindell, a platinum-selling recording artist and record-breaking 10-time No. 1 singer/songwriter, will perform at the after-party. Swindell has racked up an impressive seven No. 1 singles along with recording two albums for Warner Bros. Records Nashville with a third soon to be released. He was awarded the 2015 Academy of Country Music New Artist of the Year. He is the only solo artist in the history of Country Aircheck/Mediabase to top the chart with his first SEVEN singles. Swindell will also perform at the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race Concert presented by Spectrum Brands Saturday May 19 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

In a joint statement Truex, the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion driver, and his partner Sherry Pollex said, “Having the three celebrity artists – Cold County Creek, Cassadee Pope and Cole Swindell — perform at Catwalk for a Cause will enrich the program with different blends of music that will make for another powerful, emotional and amazing evening in our continued fundraising efforts for childhood cancer. Last year’s Catwalk for a Cause raised more than $650,000 and we’re aiming to break that mark at this year’s event.”

“Furniture Row is proud to continue our affiliation with Catwalk for a Cause,” said Barney Visser, owner of Furniture Row and Furniture Row Racing. “The event is filled with a range of emotions, and has become one of the leading charities in the NASCAR industry, thanks to the passionate, selfless and philanthropic work of Martin and Sherry.”

Fox Sports personalities Shannon Spake and Larry McReynolds will emcee the event.

For more information on ticket prices and packages – go to click here.

Posted on May 10, 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.

PLAY NOW: Sign up for Fantasy Live today

Posted on May 9, 2018May 10, 2018 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 in advance to help give you an edge as you 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, and watch Fantasy Fastlane with Jessica Ruffin and NBC Sports’ Steve Letarte for even more advice.

Top five average running position (per loop data from 2005 to present):

Driver	Average running position
Kevin Harvick	9.415
Matt Kenseth	9.767
Jimmie Johnson	9.786
Ryan Blaney	10.959
Martin Truex Jr.	11.713

Top five in stage points earned at Kansas in 2017:

Driver	Stage points	Stage wins
Kyle Busch	32	2
Ryan Blaney	28	1
Denny Hamlin	26	1
Kevin Harvick	22	0
Martin Truex Jr.	20	0

Top five in points earned at Kansas in 2017:

Driver	Race points	Race wins
Martin Truex Jr.	100	2
Ryan Blaney	95	0
Kyle Busch	91	0
Kevin Harvick	85	0
Brad Keselowski	73	0

Most laps led in 2017 races at Kansas:

Driver	Laps led
Martin Truex Jr.	195
Kyle Busch	171
Ryan Blaney	86
Kevin Harvick	47
Brad Keselowski	18

Average starting position for last 10 winners: 7.3

Active drivers to win pole: Jimmie Johnson (3), Kasey Kahne (3), Kevin Harvick (3), Matt Kenseth (3), Martin Truex Jr. (2), Brad Keselowski (1), Joey Logano (1), AJ Allmendinger (1), Kurt Busch (1), Ryan Blaney (1)

Active drivers to win at Kansas: Jimmie Johnson (3), Matt Kenseth (2), Joey Logano (2), Martin Truex Jr. (2), Kevin Harvick (2), Ryan Newman (1), Kyle Busch (1), Brad Keselowski (1), Denny Hamlin (1)

Most recent pole winner: Martin Truex Jr., fall race of 2017

Last time pole-sitter won here: Martin Truex Jr., fall race of 2017

Where stage winners started from: 1st, 4th, 5th, 7th

Winning manufacturers of last 10 races: Toyota-4, Chevrolet-4, Ford-2

Posted on May 9, 2018May 9, 2018 by Holly Cain

Judging by the reaction and the general vibe, it’s hard to tell who is more excited about former champion Matt Kenseth’s return to Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition this week driving the No. 6 Wyndham Rewards Ford Fusion at Kansas Speedway for Roush Fenway Racing.

The team? Fans? Kenseth? Roush?

It’s been a delicate situation, but all concerned are hopeful that the new team dynamic results in better days ahead. Kenseth is going to share the driver’s seat with four-year Roush driver and 2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne for the remainder of the season.

Kenseth last competed in the 2017 Homestead-Miami Speedway season finale and acknowledged that he hasn’t turned a lap in a race car since. But the always low-key Kenseth hasn’t sounded too concerned about the challenge, either. People may expect him to be rusty, but this is a venue where Kenseth has had success – winning back-to-back Monster Energy Series races at the 1.5-mile Kansas track in 2012-2013 as well as the 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series race there.

It’s been six seasons since Kenseth was last in a Roush Fenway Racing Ford (2012). He won a Monster Energy Series championship (2003), two Daytona 500 trophies (2009, 2012) and 24 races for the organization. Prior to that, he drove Roush cars as he raced his good friend Dale Earnhardt Jr. hard in pursuit of a pair of NASCAR Xfinity Series titles (then the Busch Grand National Series) – winning seven of his 29 Xfinity trophies in his full-time 1998 and 1999 seasons. He finished runner-up to Earnhardt for that title in 1998 and third to Earnhardt in 1999.

Kenseth left the Roush organization following the 2012 season to drive a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. He was there five full Cup seasons (2013-2017), winning 15 races and 12 pole positions. He finished runner-up to Jimmie Johnson for the 2013 championship.

But Erik Jones was given the full-time job in Kenseth’s seat driving Gibbs’ No. 20 this year. And despite the disappointment and any internal frustration he may feel, the 46-year old Kenseth has been nothing but gracious publicly about the decision for the 21-year-old Jones to take the wheel.

For many, the Roush news feels as if Kenseth has returned home. That certainly was the feeling when NASCAR Hall of Famer and former Roush Fenway Racing driver Mark Martin introduced Kenseth in the new role last month.

Roush was adamant and direct in revealing his decision to hire Kenseth, even in this rather unorthodox manner and timing. And to have Martin on stage with Kenseth was a visual exclamation point and vote of confidence from the legendary owner.

“They were the two best guys at really finding the speed in their cars,” Roush said. “These are the best two guys that I’ve had of the 50 drivers who we’ve worked with in NASCAR at finding speed in the car – both in making recommendations to the team for hardware changes and for the things they face behind the steering wheel to make the right choices for the things they brought to the attention of the crew chief.”

Martin is equally convinced that this will be a good situation. Or at least a better situation. He is supremely confident in Kenseth’s ability to correct the team’s course.

WATCH: Kenseth not worried about rust

“I think there is zero rust, but slipping into something that’s completely new, like Matt’s said, the fit of everything and adjusting to where everything is in these cars, which is the last cars that he drove, those kind of things,’’ Martin said, adding, “and then the other part of it is he won’t have the opportunity to tailor anything about the race car going forward.

“In other words, every single race that you do, you come back and go through all that, is an opportunity for the whole organization to address specific issues and think through logically how can we make this particular part of the car better. … I think that having Matt in the race car will send them directly to areas that will bear fruit pretty quickly as they address those and not spend a lot of time trying to address some of the ones that might not ever bear fruit.

“After all, that’s what puts teams ahead of other teams.’’

There are many fond memories for Kenseth at Roush – and especially in the early days of this renewed partnership, that will be important. For him and the team.

His Roush teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s two restrictor plate wins last season were the championship operation’s only trips to Victory Lane since 2014. Stenhouse has a pair of top fives in his No. 17 Roush Ford and a best finish of fourth this season at Bristol. Bayne’s best finishes were 12th at Texas Motor Speedway last month and 13th at the Daytona 500. He has eight finishes of 20th or worse and is currently ranked 29th in the Monster Energy Series standings.

It may seem like a bold move to bring Kenseth in to the fold already 11 races into the season, but that’s what Roush thinks the team needs. And Kenseth says he’s ready.

“I don’t necessarily know about missing the first 11 races as the biggest challenge,’’ Kenseth said when introduced in his new role three weeks ago.

“I think even if it was the start of the season, the biggest challenges for me are gonna be that there is no testing, so you’re gonna hit Kansas with an hour-and-a-half of practice or whatever, and get ready to qualify in a car that I’ve never been in with a crew chief (Matt Puccia) that I’ve worked with a little bit, but not a lot.

“I really think the few extra months off, I really don’t feel like it’s gonna be a big deal. Of course, I could be wrong, but I think you’ll get on the track for 10 or 15 minutes and get out there and get acclimated, so I’m not really worried about that part.’’

Kenseth revealed this week that he has spoken with Bayne and thinks the two can move forward – and work together – in a positive manner.

“I think that he’s fine with me,’’ Kenseth told NBC Sports this week. “We had a really good conversation, actually. I’m looking forward to working with both of them. If you’re another driver filling in, it’s obviously not the driver’s decision, it’s an ownership thing. So certainly I don’t think Trevor and I have any problems at all.”

Kenseth definitely brings a lot of perspective to his new job. He was part of the Roush Fenway team when it fielded up to four cars, was winning races left and right and happily hoisting championship hardware. And he thinks the leaner, two-car version may present a better opportunity to right the ship and return the former championship organization to the top again.

“It’s an interesting challenge for me and not just being a driver, I hope I can be much more to the organization and I’m hoping that there are a lot of different ways I can help,’’ Kenseth said.

“I feel like they’re on the right trajectory. I feel like there are a lot of advantages to where they are at right now and I’m looking forward to getting in there and being a part of it and getting back immersed in the organization and kind of hopefully evaluate some things, hopefully continue projecting upwards.’’

Posted on May 9, 2018May 9, 2018 by Staff Report

The penalty report NASCAR issued Wednesday has season-long implications for multiple teams in NASCAR’s top two national series.

Five L1-level penalties were handed out, each carrying fines, suspensions and points deductions.

In the Monster Energy Series, it was the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 team, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 team and Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 team penalized. The No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team also was issued an L1-level penalty in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, along with the race-winning JR Motorsports No. 7 team.

Here’s how we see the penalties affecting those teams – and the teams’ drivers – moving forward.

Note: Teams have the ability to appeal their respective penalties to the National Motorsports Appeals Panel. Filing an appeal would halt any suspensions until the appeal is heard.

MONSTER ENERGY SERIES
No. 3 team
Driver: Austin Dillon
Penalty: Splitter did not meet rule specifications
Ramifications: $25,000 fine to crew chief Justin Alexander; car chief Greg Ebert suspended for one race.
Analysis: Dillon is locked into the postseason by virtue of his season-opening win in the Daytona 500, but his team has slipped in recent weeks. With two consecutive finishes outside the top 25, and four such finishes in the past six races, the suspension hurts this team more than the fine as the car chief is instrumental in getting cars faster at the track. Crew chief Justin Alexander avoided suspension, which is critical. It was his pit strategy that led to last year’s Coca-Cola 600 win, and that marquee event looms in two weeks – with Alexander still on the pit box.

No. 14 team
Driver: Clint Bowyer
Penalty: Failed rear window support structure
Ramifications: $50,000 fine to crew chief Mike Bugarewicz; two-race suspension for car chief Jerry Cook; loss of 20 driver and 20 owner points
Analysis: The points penalty hurts. Bowyer, with a win in hand, entered the week fourth in the standings; he will drop to fifth. Remember, drivers get playoff points for finishing in the top 10 of the regular-season standings — including 15 for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Champion. Bowyer’s path to those points now is more difficult.

No. 19 team
Driver: Daniel Suarez
Penalty: Rear window not flush to decklid
Ramifications: $50,000 fine to crew chief Scott Graves; two-race suspension for car chief Todd Brewer; loss of 20 driver and 20 owner points
Analysis: This is a blow to one of the hottest teams in the garage. Suarez finished third at Dover, matching his career-best result at NASCAR’s top level. The second-year driver has three consecutive top-10 finishes heading into Kansas, one of his better tracks. Is his momentum halted? We’ll find out Saturday night. Additionally, the points penalty is a bigger setback for Suarez than perhaps any other driver. He drops from just seven points behind Chase Elliott for the final playoff spot to 27 points behind.

XFINITY SERIES
No. 3 team
Driver: Jeb Burton
Penalty: Splitter did not meet rule specifications
Ramifications: $10,000 fine to crew chief Nick Harrison; one-race suspension for car chief Michael Scearce
Analysis: A tough blow for Burton, who has two starts this year. The biggest issue here, though, is that Richard Childress Racing was given an L1-level penalty in both the Monster Energy Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the same violation.

No. 7 team
Driver: Justin Allgaier
Penalty: Rear suspension and trailing arm angles/pinion angle shims violation
Ramifications: $25,000 fine and two-race suspension to crew chief Jason Burdett; loss of 25 driver and 25 owner points
Analysis: This is a huge impact. Wins can be difficult to come by in the Xfinity Series (five full-time drivers won last year, for example), and the five playoff points that come with a win are simply crucial to getting to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Those points no longer count for Allgaier. The pressure for another win is on.

Posted on May 9, 2018May 9, 2018 by Staff Report

The Nos. 3 and 7 teams in the NASCAR Xfinity Series received L1-level penalties after violations were discovered in teardowns at the R&D Center following Saturday’s race at Dover International Speedway.

The No. 7 race-winning team was found to have violated section 20.14.2.h of the NASCAR Rule Book (rear suspension and trailing arm angles/pinion angle shims). Truck trailing arm spacer/pinion angle shim surfaces must be in complete contact at all points, at all times. Failure to adhere to that can create additional side force and is a violation.

As a result of the penalty, driver Justin Allgaier and the No. 7 JR Motorsports team will not get to keep the playoff benefits for the win, including the five playoff points. However, the team will retain the competition benefits, including the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus.

The No. 7 team also was penalized 25 driver points and 25 owners points. Crew chief Jason Burdett was fined $25,000 and suspended from the next two Xfinity Series points events.

The No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team was found to have violated section 20.4.3.a&.b (splitter did not meet specifications). Crew chief Nick Harrison was fined $10,000. Car chief Michael Scearce was suspended for the next Xfinity points event. Driver Jeb Burton finished 12th in the No. 3 at Dover.

MORE: Analyzing impact to penalized teams

Both teams have the right to appeal the penalties to the National Motorsports Appeals Panel.

NASCAR officials issued a total of five L1-level penalties Wednesday, including three in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

In addition, the No. 4 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team was found to have one lug nut not secure in post-race inspection. Crew chief Wes Ward was fined $2,500. Todd Gilliland drove the No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota to a 10th-place finish.

Posted on May 9, 2018May 9, 2018 by Staff Report

The Nos. 3, 14 and 19 teams in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series received L1-level penalties for violations found during teardowns at the NASCAR R&D Center following Sunday’s race at Dover International Speedway.

The Nos. 14 and 19 teams both had rear window violations. The No. 14 team was found to have violated Section 20.4.8.1 (dealing with rear window support). A brace that supports the rear window failed and did not meet specifications for keeping the rear window glass rigid in all directions at all times. The No. 19 team violated Section 20.4.8.1.c as its rear window decklid was not sealed properly.

Crew chiefs Mike Bugarewicz (No. 14) and Scott Graves (No. 19) each were fined $50,000. Car chiefs Jerry Cook (No. 14) and Todd Brewer (No. 19) each were suspended for the next two Monster Energy Series points races. The teams also were docked 20 driver points and 20 owner points apiece.

Clint Bowyer drove the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford to a runner-up finish while Daniel Suarez drove the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to a third-place finish at Dover.

The No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team was found to have violated Section 20.4.3.a&.d (splitter did not meet rule specifications). Crew chief Justin Alexander was fined $25,000 and car chief Greg Ebert was suspended for the next Monster Energy Series points race. Austin Dillon drove the No. 3 Chevrolet to a 26th-place finish at Dover.

All of these teams have the right to appeal their penalties to the National Motorsports Appeals Panel.

NASCAR officials issued a total of five L1-level penalties Wednesday, including two in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

In addition, the No. 41 Monster Energy Series team was found to have one lug nut not secure in post-race inspection. Crew chief Billy Scott was fined $10,000. Kurt Busch drove the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford to a fifth-place finish at Dover.

Posted on May 9, 2018May 9, 2018 by Steve Luvender

With success stories like Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rookie William Byron and Xfinity Series up-and-comer Ty Majeski, the racing community might consider iRacing a worthy tool for developing talented, young drivers, complementing the traditional and time-tested progression of developing prospects through local and regional short-track ranks.

Here are some of our favorite components of iRacing:

Start-up cost
If you’re launching your racing career on iRacing, you don’t initially need to buy a car, an engine, tires, a trailer, race fuel, safety equipment and a fire suit (unless you’re a real fanatic who wears one in an office chair). That means there’s not much of a monetary barrier to race if you’ve got a desire to go fast — or, at the very least, see if you’ve got some semblance of natural talent before starting a race team in your backyard, or moving on to the real deal.

You have a reset button
When you crash out of a race on a real track, you can’t undo it. It’s not cheap to repair a race car, and it doesn’t seem fun to tow some bent metal back to the garage. On iRacing, however, you’ve got the luxury of what every racer of the past century wish they’d had: The reset button. Put your car in the fence during practice? No problem — reset the car and get a new one. Nothing lost. Crash out of a race? Bummer, but there’s always the next one, where you’ll have a brand-spanking-new virtual car.

It takes little time to travel to new tracks
If you want to check out New Hampshire Motor Speedway and then Sonoma Raceway, you’ll only spend a few minutes switching between the two, rather than days or weeks of transporting across the country. Plus, you can learn every track layout and nuance before racing in an actual race car.

There are more people racing
There are tens of thousands of active iRacers. If that many cars showed up at a local short track, it would be too crowded and the bathrooms would have a long line. It’s more enjoyable to race in the comfort of your home where you can race with no pants if you really wanted.

You never know who will show up to race
Maybe you’ll race against Byron, Kyle Larson, Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Tony Stewart, AJ Allmendinger, Ryan Preece, Matt DiBenedetto, Timmy Hill (who’s probably the fastest on iRacing out of these drivers), or another real NASCAR star. You never know.

Yeah, you could actually race against Tony Stewart on iRacing. | Rainier Ehrhardt

You can race at your convenience
iRacing offers a 24/7 rolling racing schedule. If you work or go to school, you can race around your schedule. If you’ve got a spare hour, you can hop in a quick race. That’s considerably more difficult in real life. If you can’t sleep at night because you’re thinking about becoming the next big racing star, you can hop on iRacing at 3 a.m. and you won’t violate local noise ordinances, hopefully.

You can talk to the other drivers while you race
Even if you’re not the next Byron or Majeski, maybe the real victory is the friends you make along the way. Unlike real racing, you can use iRacing’s in-sim text- or voice-chat system to communicate with other drivers. You’d have to shout awfully loud to talk to the other drivers in a race at your local short track.

It’s easier to try different types of racing
Want to try dirt racing? Short tracks? Road racing? It’s easier to fine-tune your multidisciplinary skills on iRacing than it is to try a bunch of different real-life race cars, or convince somebody to give you a shot.

It’s technically an electric series
Are you into green racing? Well, unless you have some really weird sort of gasoline-powered computer, you’re running your iRacing car with electricity. NASCAR Green, baby.

There are no unexpected mechanical failures
One of the most frustrating parts about racing is when you blow an engine or break something in your car. On iRacing, your car doesn’t break down randomly like in real life; rather, something needs to go wrong on your end — like the power going out, breaking your steering wheel controller or spilling water on your keyboard. (Don’t ask why I mentioned that one specifically.)

Drivers are ranked objectively
In iRacing, you carry around two numbers: Your Safety Rating, and your iRating. Your Safety Rating indicates to other drivers how many corners you have per incident — the higher your Safety Rating, the safer you probably race. Your iRating tells people how fast you should be, based on your performance in your previous races. In the developmental ranks of real stock car racing, there’s no such thing. You can’t evaluate your competitors and see if they’re safe or fast. Sure, iRacing’s system isn’t perfect — your ratings take a hit when something happens outside your control — but having these ratings in place is helpful when you don’t know everybody else in the field.

It’s super accessible
On a more serious note, there’s one really cool distinct feature of iRacing. Drivers with physical challenges can more comfortably compete in iRacing. An iRacer-founded company called SimAbility offers adaptive hand control solutions for iRacing members — and iRacing’s developers work with SimAbility and others to actively work to make sim racing more accessible.

So, is iRacing a tool to better develop skills if you’re a young driver? That depends — if you like competing at your convenience, trying diverse disciplines of racing and racing in your pajamas in your living room, maybe. You can simulate a racing career on iRacing — but, please, promise you won’t simulate how real racers use the bathroom when you’re sitting in your office chair.

Posted on May 9, 2018May 9, 2018 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR announced today the formation of a youth esports racing series, the first esports competition created to attract and identify young talent. The series will be hosted on iRacing, the world’s premier racing simulation platform. NASCAR’s youth esports series establishes an easily accessible entry point to real-world racing and provides young competitors with an unparalleled simulation experience on iRacing’s ultra-realistic software.

The youth series will be open to participants ages 13-16 worldwide. The inaugural 12-week season is slated to kick off in June on virtual renderings of iconic short tracks like Langley Speedway, The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.

RELATED: More on how to register

The regular season, comprised of the first eight events, will be open to all participants. The 50 racers accumulating the most points over the regular season will qualify to compete in the four-week playoffs. The top 30 in points after the playoffs will advance to a final championship event at the iconic Martinsville Speedway. The season will include a mix of single and heat race formats. Participants can register today on NASCAR.com/iRacing.

NASCAR currently sanctions the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series, an esports series now in its ninth season and features the most elite oval sim-racers competing on virtual versions of NASCAR-sanctioned race tracks. The addition of a youth series on iRacing will provide driver’s seat experience for competitors looking to hone their talent, including those with professional racing aspirations.

MORE: Let us count the ways we love iRacing

“As we expand our presence in esports, NASCAR is uniquely positioned as the only sport that can develop skills transferable to real world competition,” said Blake Davidson, NASCAR vice president of consumer innovation. “We’re excited to see the young, diverse and global talent pool this series attracts, especially as we cultivate our next generation of drivers.”

William Byron, a rookie driving the iconic No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, started his racing career on iRacing in 2011 at 14 years old. In just two years on iRacing, Byron accumulated more than 100 wins and finished in the top five in an additional 203 races.

Now, only seven years later Byron is leading the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings in NASCAR’s top series, complementing a NASCAR Xfinity Series championship (2017), NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship (2015), and Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (2016) and Xfinity Series (2017).

“NASCAR has been at the forefront of competitive online racing for years and its enhanced involvement in esports will be even more evident through the launch of its youth esports series on iRacing,” said Tony Gardner, iRacing president. “NASCAR drivers have used iRacing to accelerate their development beginning at a young age, as well as to hone their skills throughout their careers. We look forward to cheering on the alumni from the youth series when they compete at the highest levels of NASCAR in the years to come.”

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season continues with the KC Masterpiece 400 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, May 12 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

MORE: Peak Antifreeze iRacing Series schedule, results

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Staff Report

Heading into race weekends, NASCAR.com will feature unique aspects of the upcoming race track and race weekend.

This week: The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series are at Kansas Speedway. For race tickets, visit NASCAR.com/tickets.

• Watch dreams come true … or not

Kansas Speedway has become a track where fans can witness dreams coming true … or being dashed.

The latter happened in the fall of 2013, when Kyle Busch seemed to be heading for his first championship following strong finishes in the opening three races of the Playoffs. But Kansas wasn’t kind to the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who had to go to a back-up car for the race and then crashed – finishing 34th and dashing his title hopes.

But Busch found redemption in 2016 and finally was victorious in America’s heartland after leading the final 37 laps of the spring race to defeat second-place Kevin Harvick. It was a milestone win for Busch, as at the time Kansas was one of just three tracks where he hadn’t visited Victory Lane in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points race. (The other two were Charlotte and Pocono, and he has since won at Pocono.)

And the fall race in 2015 saw an incident everyone remembers that was a dream come true for one driver and a nightmare for another. Joey Logano collected his second Monster Energy Series win at Kansas to guarantee advancement in the Playoffs, but it came at the expense of Matt Kenseth – who desperately needed a good showing to move on in the postseason. In the waning laps, the duo came together in Turn 1 and Kenseth spun – a move that eliminated Kenseth from the race and ultimately crushed his championship hopes.

Of note, Kenseth will be back behind the wheel at Kansas for his first race of 2018. He’ll be driving the No. 6 Ford as he reunites with Roush Fenway Racing.

• Make it a family affair

What better way to celebrate Mother’s Day weekend than by treating the matriarch of your family to some Saturday night racing? Kansas hosted its first Monster Energy Series night race on the evening before Mother’s Day in 2014, and has held that spot in the schedule ever since.

Families can take advantage of the “Family Pack” ticket deal starting at $399 for families of four – which offers a 41 percent discount. The package includes grandstand seats, pre-race passes to get up close and personal to the drivers and cars on pit road, and a parking pass.

Additionally, youth tickets for Saturday’s KC Masterpiece 400 are available for just $29 in select sections located near all the action in Turns 1 and 4.

• Sing along before the race

Multi-platinum recording artists Gin Blossoms will perform the pre-race concert on Saturday night at Kansas Speedway.

You can be the envy of your friends as you sing along to “Hey Jealousy” and other hits on the frontstretch before the field takes the green flag. All you need is a ticket to the race, and a pre-race pass will get you down close to the stage.

Kansas Speedway is offering a free pre-race pass with select ticket purchases – available only at this link. This will allow you access to the pre-race concert with the Gin Blossoms, the ability to take a group shot at the start/finish line or to see your favorites at driver introductions.

Fans at home can catch the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series KC Masterpiece 400 on Saturday, May 12 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.