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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Four talented youth drivers have been selected to hone their racing skills as participants in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Youth Driver Development Program after a national talent search in March.

NASCAR and Rev Racing hosted a youth driver combine at GoPro Motorplex in Mooresville, N.C., where drivers ages 12 to 16 were evaluated during practice sessions and heat races.

Four drivers were selected to the 2019 class, including Rajah Caruth, 16, an iRacing competitor from Washington D.C., with aspirations of a traditional racing career. Among the new participants are Lacy Kuehl, 12, of Sarasota, Fla., who has experience racing dirt oval flat karts, and Blake Lothian, 16, a World Formula Kart driver from Wellesley, Mass.

Fourteen-year-old U.S. Legends car driver Isabella Robusto of Fort Mill, S.C., returns to Rev Racing having trained with the youth driver development program in 2017 and 2018.

“We were very impressed with what we saw from these drivers at the combine in March,” said Jusan Hamilton, NASCAR director, racing operations and event management. “Each driver demonstrated strong potential and we believe will be successful in racing. The four selected stood out based on their abilities both on and off the track, have great experience and left quite the positive impression on our evaluators.”

NASCAR Drive for Diversity and Rev Racing seek the highest quality candidates from diverse backgrounds and develop them into successful NASCAR drivers. During the summer, the youth program provides selected drivers with equipment, mentoring and competition experience.

Rev Racing, the competition arm of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Youth Driver Development Program, will put the four drivers in INEX Legend Cars in 2019. Each driver will compete in the Bojangles’ Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway in June and July, and several other events throughout the summer.

“We have really taken an in-depth look at how we develop and train our drivers at the youth level,” said Max Siegel, CEO of Rev Racing. “We’ve seen the program grow over the last 10 years and make a substantial impact in NASCAR. The level of talent and enthusiasm we are already seeing in these young individuals is both promising and exciting. Connecting with drivers as early as possible allows us to have a greater impact on driver development on and off the race track. Our goal is to see these drivers move through the pipeline and into the national series.”

The youth development program serves as a stepping stone for drivers to eventually move to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and NASCAR K&N Pro Series race cars with the goal of one day competing for a NASCAR national series team.

The NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program, a separate program that will host its combine later this year, introduces talent to Late Model Stock cars and offers opportunities for drivers to compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and Whelen All-American Series with the Rev Racing team.

Graduates of the youth development program include NASCAR K&N Pro Series West driver Hailie Deegan, 17, and Rev Racing Late Model driver Nicholas Sanchez, 17. In 2018, Deegan became the first female driver to win a K&N Pro Series race after taking the checkered flag at Meridian Speedway in Idaho. Deegan won her second K&N Pro Series race in 2019, finishing first at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track.

Sanchez raced in last year’s Bojangles’ Summer Shootout with Rev Racing’s Legends Car program and recently completed his rookie season in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

The 2019 class features the following drivers:

Rajah Caruth: In 2018, Caruth raced the Legends ’34 Coupe in the inaugural season of the eNASCAR Ignite Series, NASCAR and iRacing’s youth series created specifically to identify and attract young and diverse talent. He made 18 starts in the eight-week regular season, where he finished second seven times, made the playoffs and advanced to the championship round. Caruth has raced in more than 230 races on iRacing thus far in 2019 with 21 wins and more than1,600 laps led.

Lacy Kuehl: Kuehl has raced in a dirt oval flat kart 32 times with one first-place finish. Notable accomplishments include winning at the Inverness Grand Prix and racing for Diabetic Ketoacidosis survivors. Kuehl would eventually like to earn an invitation to the Maxxis Nationals.

Blake Lothian: Lothian raced nine of 10 races in a World Formula Kart in the 2018 New Hampshire Karting Association (NHKA) Outdoor Series in New Hampshire. His highest finish was third place and he finished the season seventh out of more than 20 drivers. In 2017, he was the NHKA Briggs and Stratton LO206 Senior Champion with seven first-place finishes and three second-place finishes.

Isabella Robusto:  A current youth development driver, Robusto competed in the 2018 Bojangles Summer Shootout 10-race series where she finished sixth in the overall points standings. She won Battle at the Big Top at Texas Motor Speedway, a U.S. Legends National Qualifier.

Posted on by Brad Norman

DAYTONA BEACH – The caution is out. Nominations for The NASCAR’s Foundation 2018 Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award will close on Friday, March 23, at midnight.

The award honors the philanthropic ideals and vision of the late Betty Jane France, who started the foundation in 2006. The award is annually presented to a NASCAR fan who embodies those ideals through service in their community to help improve the health and wellbeing of children. This is the eighth year for the award; the winner will be decided through an online fan vote this fall.

RELATED: Nominate someone today

The Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award has produced nearly $1.23 million in donations to charities represented by each year’s four finalists. This year’s finalists for the award will be guaranteed a minimum $25,000 donation toward their efforts, with the winner receiving a $100,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation to the children’s charity they represent.

“We have received some outstanding nominations, but we want to be sure our fans know there is still time to nominate,” said The NASCAR Foundation Executive Director Nichole Krieger. “Already, it looks like we are going to have a tough job deciding who our four finalists will be, but that’s a great ‘problem’ to have.

MORE: Catch up on Speediatrics Fun Day

“The quality of nominees and their accomplishments each and every year is inspiring. There is so much good work being by NASCAR fans on behalf of children. We are proud to have a chance to honor some of those people doing that work.”

To submit a nomination for the 2018 Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award, go to NASCAR.com/Award.

Posted on by Staff Report

Harry Gant was a man with many nicknames: “Handsome Harry” for his good looks, the “Bandit” due his long-time sponsor Skoal Bandit, “Mr. September” after his four consecutive Cup Series and two Xfinity Series wins in September of 1991 and “High Groove Harry” because of his proficiency in taking the high line through the corner.

A humble man, he could wheel a race car darn well, too. Gant won 18 Cup Series races, including the Southern 500 in 1984 and 1991. The North Carolinian also registered 21 wins in the Xfinity Series.

RELATED: Harry Gant’s career stats | Members of the Hall of Fame

In the five seasons from 1981 through 1985, Gant finished in the top five in points four times, including a runner-up championship finish to Terry Labonte in 1984.

Gant maintained his racing prowess into his 50s and holds the premier series records for oldest driver to win a race (52 years old) and pole (54).

He drove the first race car with a telemetry system installed in it at Talladega in 1985 and relayed the data to CBS during its coverage of the event.

Gant was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest drivers.

HARRY GANT BIO

Born: Jan, 10, 1940
Hometown: Taylorsville, North Carolina 

Cup Series Stats

Competed: 1973-94
Starts: 474
Wins: 18
Poles: 17
Years on Ballot: 7

Posted on by Staff Report

Nominee for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2019

Blessed with once-in-a-generation talent and charisma, Jeff Gordon helped take NASCAR from a regional sport to the mainstream.

Gordon took NASCAR by storm in the 1990s, becoming the youngest driver in the modern era to win a premier series title as a 24-year-old in 1995. He went on to win three more championships (1997, ’98, 2001).

Born: August 4, 1971
Hometown: Vallejo, Calif.

Championships
Premier: 1995, ’97-98, 2001

Premier Series Stats
Competed: 1992-2016
Starts: 805
Wins: 93
Poles: 81

Years on Ballot: 1

In 1998, Gordon led the Rainbow Warriors – named for his colorful No. 24 Chevrolet – to a modern era-record 13 wins. Overall, he won 93 races, which ranks third on the all-time wins list. Gordon is a three-time Daytona 500 champion and won the Brickyard 400 a record five times.

RELATED: Jeff Gordon’s career stats | Members of the Hall of Fame

Charismatic and gifted in front of the camera, he developed one of the sport’s fiercest rivalries with Dale Earnhardt. The confident, youthful Californian served as the foil to the wily, rugged Intimidator.

Gordon was the first NASCAR driver to host “Saturday Night Live.”

He retired from full-time racing as the premier series’ “Iron Man” with a record 797 consecutive starts, and now delivers the sport to its passionate fans as a race analyst for FOX.

Posted on by Staff Report

Nominee for NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2019

John Holman was considered the mastermind salesman and business manager of the famed Holman-Moody ownership duo.

His foresight for the business aspect of NASCAR paired with competition-minded Ralph Moody’s mechanical and racing insights formed the foundation of a formidable – and legendary – race team.

Born: Nov. 9 1918
Died: 1975
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Championships
Premier: 1968-69

Premier Series Owner Stats
Competed: 1957-1973
Starts: 525
Wins: 96
Poles: 83

Years on Ballot: 1

Holman-Moody won back-to-back championships from 1968-69 with the “Silver Fox,” David Pearson. In those two seasons, Pearson combined for an incredible 27 victories.

The duo also powered Mario Andretti to victory in the 1967 Daytona 500.

RELATED: John Holman’s owner stats | Members of the Hall of Fame

Some of the sport’s most legendary figures piloted cars owned by Holman-Moody Racing, including NASCAR Hall of Famers Joe Weatherly, Fred Lorenzen, Fireball Roberts, Bobby Allison and Pearson.

Overall, the Homan-Moody partnership earned 96 wins and 83 poles in 525 premier starts.

Posted on by Staff Report

 

Not many reach the pinnacle of their professions as quickly as Kirk Shelmerdine.

Born: March 8, 1958
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Championships (4)
Premier – 1986-87, ’90-91 (crew chief)

Premier Series Crew Chief Stats
Competed: 1977-92
Starts: 460
Wins: 46
Poles: 15

At age 25 in 1983, Shelmerdine guided Ricky Rudd to victory at Riverside, the first of two wins during that season. And a scant three years later, he directed Dale Earnhardt to the 1986 premier series championship.

More than a flash in the pan, Shelmerdine won four total premier series championships with Earnhardt (1986, ’87, ’90, ’91). Over his 16-year crew chief career with Earnhardt, Rudd, James Hylton and Richard Childress, he won 46 races and posted top-10 finishes in more than half his starts.

RELATED: Kirk Shelmerdine’s career stats | Members of the Hall of Fame

In 1987, Shelmerdine won 11 races with Earnhardt, including four in a row and six of seven.

Shelmerdine retired from life as a crew chief in 1992 to pursue a career as a driver. In the cockpit, he made 41 starts across all three NASCAR national series.

Posted on by Staff Report

For Massachusetts native Ralph Moody, it all started with a Model T Ford he built in 1935 and raced on nights and weekends.

After driving a tank under the command of General George S. Patton in World War II, he moved to Florida in 1949 so he could race year-round. Moody won five NASCAR premier series races from 1956-57.

The mechanically skilled Moody paired with business-minded John Holman to form Homan-Moody Racing in 1957, forming the foundation of a powerhouse NASCAR team

RELATED: Ralph Moody’s owner stats | Members of the Hall of Fame

Holman-Moody competed from 1957-73 winning consecutive championships with David Pearson (1968-69) and taking the checkered flag with Mario Andretti at the 1967 Daytona 500.

Some of the sport’s most legendary figures piloted cars owned by Holman-Moody Racing, including NASCAR Hall of Famers Joe Weatherly, Fred Lorenzen, Fireball Roberts, Bobby Allison and Pearson.

Overall, the Homan-Moody partnership earned 96 wins and 83 poles in 525 premier starts.

RALPH MOODY BIO

Born: Sept. 10, 1917
Died: June 9, 2004
Hometown: Taunton, Massachusetts

Championships
Cup Series: 1968, 1969

Cup Series Stats
Competed: 1957-1973
Starts: 525
Wins: 96
Poles: 83
Years on Ballot: 6

Posted on by Staff Report

Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kurt Busch played a starring role in one of the most memorable finishes in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history — and certainly the closest.

This season marks 15 years since Busch and Ricky Craven battled door-to-door, to and through the start/finish line in a frenetic set of final laps at Darlington Raceway.

Jamie Squire | Getty Images

When Busch heads back to Darlington in 2018, it will be with a car that honors that piece of NASCAR history.

Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing and NASCAR Digital revealed the driver’s No. 41 Ford paint scheme for the annual Labor Day weekend. It’s the first unveil of the throwback season, a sharp black, red and gray Haas Automation CNC scheme that closely resembles Busch’s No. 97 Rubbermaid car.

RELATED: Craven, Busch face to face

Stewart-Haas has a history of producing well-loved paint schemes at Darlington, which for the fourth year running will host a throwback-themed weekend for the Southern 500.

Last year, in a vote made up of fans and members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Danica Patrick’s No. 10 Ford was named the best throwback paint scheme in her blue-and-white look that honored Robert Yates.

In 2016, Tony Stewart won the vote for best in show while driving a classic Coca-Cola, Bobby-Allison inspired look.

Busch’s Darlington reveal comes as NASCAR Digital looks back at the historic 2003 Darlington race with articles, videos and photos from that slice of NASCAR history.

MORE: Busch’s 2018 Darlington scheme from every angle

Posted on by Zack Albert

As with any historic moment, plenty of artifacts exist from Ricky Craven’s final big-league NASCAR win. Where they all wound up 15 years later is a story in itself.

Foremost among the memorable pieces: the bright, Tide-sponsored PPI Motorsports No. 32 that Craven drove to victory March 16, 2003 at Darlington Raceway. The car — fittingly stamped as chassis No. 32 from team owner Cal Wells’ operation — remains notable as the last Pontiac to win in what’s now known as the NASCAR Cup Series. It’s also noteworthy for how it wound up in Craven’s hands and where it currently resides.

RELATED: Oral history of 2003 race

“Cal Wells called me and said look, why don’t you come out for lunch,” Craven says. “This was after I had retired, and they basically had this car rebuilt for me as a retirement gift. And it is beautiful, just beautiful.”

Said Wells: “We really handled our separation like gentlemen. It was really important to me that he enjoy the fruits of that labor beyond any financial remuneration, but just that memento.”

The only problem with the pristine race car was that it sat behind closed doors for years. “I had it covered up at my building. Nobody was seeing it.”

Enter Winston Kelley, the executive director at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The two had a chance meeting at a Duke Energy shareholders meeting, just as the joint venture between NASCAR and the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority was taking shape.

“We sat down, and I said, ‘how are things coming with your project, the Hall of Fame?’ ” Craven recalled. “He said, ‘oh, it’s going great. It’s a lot of heavy lifting. It’s very complex.’ I said, ‘You know, I might have something you’d be interested in. I have the Darlington car that I won in, the closest finish.’ And his eyes lit up and he said, ‘really? Would you be willing to part with it?’ I said yeah, it’s a shame no one sees it. … It’s appropriate. It belongs there.”

RELATED: More on NASCAR Hall of Fame

And that is how the NASCAR Hall of Fame received the first artifact officially donated to the stock-car shrine.

Craven, 51, wasn’t alone in deeming the No. 32 a fitting addition to the Heritage Speedway section on the Hall’s top floor. Craven was attending a morning function at the building’s grand opening in May 2010 when someone grabbed him from behind and said, “Boy, doesn’t that Tide car look good here?” That person was Jim France, NASCAR CEO and chairman.

“Very pragmatic, a very sincere person,” Craven said. “That stuck with me that he went out of his way to acknowledge that car being there.”

As for the other keepsakes from that special day, the winner’s trophy from the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 has had its own journey.

“We carried the trophy back to the bus, and it’s a beautiful trophy. It’s like a glass crystal and it’s set up on five pillars, and I don’t know what happened, but it just collapsed, it fell apart,” Craven said. “I called down — I can’t remember who was managing Darlington at the time — but I called down the next morning and told them the story and somebody drove it down and they repaired it and it’s lived happily ever after.”

PHOTOS: Relive the 2003 race

The trophy’s home now is in the North East Motor Sports Museum, run by broadcasting legend Dick Berggren in Craven’s native New England.

As for the items Craven kept for himself, he still has his fire suit from that day, and Darlington presented him with a portion of the start-finish line asphalt. But Craven says he doesn’t require physical reminders for such a memorable finish; those souvenirs, he’s happy to share.

“It’s appropriate that the trophy’s there for the New England fans to enjoy,” Craven said. “The car is here for all NASCAR and motorsports fans to enjoy, so there’s a little bit of Darlington spread out everywhere, I guess.”

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR® announced today it will live-stream one in-car camera on Twitter for 15 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™ races during the second half of the 2018 racing season, including all 10 NASCAR® Playoffs races.

Beginning with five regular season races this summer, the experience will once again provide fans a unique look from inside the race car with a live camera stream that can be accessed via NASCAR’s official Twitter handle, @NASCAR.

Fans can watch full broadcasts of these regular season and NASCAR Playoffs races on NBC or NBCSN, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app (full schedule here).

NASCAR debuted the in-car camera live stream on Twitter during last year’s NASCAR Playoffs, when four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™ Championship contenders drove the live audience on Twitter from the green flag all the way to Victory Lane.

“We’ve created an experience that brings Twitter users inside the cars at speeds of more than 200 miles per hour,” said Jill Gregory, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, NASCAR. “The live stream is yet another window into our sport that captures all the drama and intensity of NASCAR racing – now available to fans for even more races in 2018.”

Fans on Twitter will experience an in-car camera live stream from the iconic Daytona International Speedway for the first time during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on July 7.

NASCAR will also stream an in-car camera on Twitter during regular season races at the road course at Watkins Glen International (Aug. 5), the night race at Bristol Motor Speedway (Aug. 18), the sport’s annual throwback event at Darlington Raceway (Sept. 2) and the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Sept. 9).

This live stream will be accessible for free for logged-in and logged-out users in the United States via NASCAR’s official Twitter handle and connected devices. Real-time race highlights will also be available on @NASCAR, offering fans additional ways to follow the playoffs at home or on the go.

On the same screen of this live stream, fans will find a real-time curated timeline of Tweets that capture the best of the NASCAR race live conversation.

“We are thrilled that NASCAR will make its in-car cameras available on Twitter in 2018,” said Laura Froelich, Global Head of Sports Partnerships at Twitter. “NASCAR fans will once again be able to access these unique in-car cameras at the same speed as the real-time conversation – all in one place on Twitter.”

Last fall, 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion™ Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski each scored race wins as the featured driver in the NASCAR® Playoffs live stream, crossing the finish line and taking the checkered flag with viewers on Twitter in tow.

NASCAR.com will continue to offer its full portfolio of complementary viewing products throughout the 2018 season. In-car camera angles will also be available on NASCAR Drive™ and NASCAR Mobile™.