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™.

Posted on by Staff Report

The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series received an L1-level penalty for a rear suspension violation following last weekend’s race at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, NASCAR announced Wednesday evening.

Per the NASCAR penalty report, the No. 9 team was found to have violated Section 20.14.2 of the Rule Book, which deals with rear suspension and trailing arm angles/pinion angle shims. According to the penalty report: 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 sideforce and is a violation.

The team has been penalized 25 driver points and 25 owner points. Crew chief Alan Gustafson has been fined $50,000. Car chief Josh Kirk has been suspended for two races.

Chase Elliott drove the No. 9 Chevrolet to a third-place finish in the TicketGuardian 500, won by Kevin Harvick. The No. 9 team has the option of filling an appeal to The National Motorsports Appeals Panel.

RELATED: Full race results

In other penalty news, seven teams were cited for having one lug nut not secure in post-race inspection, including five teams in the Monster Energy Series.

The Monster Energy Series teams were the Nos. 11 (fourth place in Phoenix), 12 (16th), 17 (23rd), 22 (19th) and 78 (fifth place). The respective crew chiefs of those teams — Mike Wheeler, Jeremy Bullins, Brian Pattie, Todd Gordon and Cole Pearn — were each fined $10,000.

In the Xfinity Series, the Nos. 22 (first place) and 18 (third place) each had one lug nut not secure in post-race inspection. The respective crew chiefs — Brian Wilson and Eric Phillips — were each fined $5,000.

In addition, Brandon J. Lee and Wayne F. Kanter committed behavioral penalties and have been indefinitely suspended.

Posted on by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. (March 14, 2018) – The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champions No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team with driver Jimmie Johnson will have a new primary sponsor beginning next season. Lowe’s Companies Inc., which has been the No. 48 team’s only primary sponsor since 2001, will not return to Hendrick Motorsports in 2019.

“Working with Hendrick Motorsports, Jimmie, Chad (Knaus) and the entire No. 48 team has been an incredible journey,” said Michael P. McDermott, Lowe’s chief customer officer. “Rick Hendrick and his organization have been exceptional partners, and we could not have asked for more from Jimmie – a consummate champion and an incredible representative for our brand and his sport.

“The No. 48 team is a valuable property and has been an integral part of building the Lowe’s brand, which makes today’s decision difficult as we now look to invest in other strategic initiatives. Although we are evolving our strategy, there’s no question that being a part of seven championships and many history-making moments has been valuable for Lowe’s.”

Since the No. 48 team’s debut in 2001, Lowe’s has experienced an unrivaled level of success with Johnson behind the wheel, winning seven Cup championships, 83 points-paying races and 35 pole positions along with 222 top-five finishes, 341 top-10s and more than 18,000 laps led.

“We are so appreciative of everyone at Lowe’s. They have been amazing partners,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “With seven championships, this program has delivered far beyond what anyone could have imagined. It goes without saying that we will fully support Lowe’s and our program together in 2018 as we pursue another championship. The success of the relationship has been unbelievable.”

Johnson and the No. 48 team have cemented themselves as one of the greatest dynasties in sports history. Their record-tying seven championships – a feat equaled only by legends Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt – include five consecutive titles from 2006-2010. In 2009, Johnson became the first race car driver ever to be named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, joining the likes of Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and Michael Phelps.

“Jimmie is one of the greatest champions and ambassadors in all of sports and still at the top of his game,” Hendrick said. “This change opens up all kinds of possibilities, and we look forward to having conversations with potential new partners. It’s a special opportunity with an iconic athlete and team.”

Johnson, 42, last June signed a contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports through 2020. The 2017 NASCAR Cup season marked his 16th year in a row with at least two race wins and his 14th consecutive playoff appearance. The El Cajon, California, native is the only driver to compete in NASCAR’s post-season each year since the format’s inception in 2004.

“I’ll always be grateful to Lowe’s for taking a chance on me and believing that I could win,” Johnson said. “I’m not sure where I’d be right now if they hadn’t committed to the No. 48 team. It’s hard to see them move on, but we’ve made history together and celebrated so much success on and off the track. There’s still a lot left to do in 2018.

“I have more to accomplish in this sport. I feel the best I’ve ever felt physically. I’m motivated. I’m focused on winning races and chasing more championships. Someone (a new sponsor) will be a big part of writing that story with us. I’m not going anywhere.”

Posted on by Jason Lofing

Keegan Leahy dominated the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series race at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, leading 140 of 156 laps after starting from the outside pole. A flurry of cautions near the end of the race led to a four-lap shootout with Leahy leading the field to the green. He easily held off Jimmy Mullis and captured his first win in the series.

Mullis was second while 2017 series champion Ryan Luza came from 38th to finish third. Darik Bourdeau finished fourth and Dylan Duval rounded out the top-five finishers.

RELATED: Full 2018 iRacing schedule

Even with the dominating car, pit strategy was pivotal in Leahy’s victory. A caution on Lap 142 brought most of the lead-lap cars down pit road with several, including Leahy, opting for two tires to gain or maintain track position. Leahy would restart third behind Brad Davies and Alex Bergeron, both of whom did not pit.

On the restart, both Davies and Bergeron spun their tires, stacking the pack up behind them. Then, Davies slid a bit wide in Turn 1, which allowed Leahy to stick his nose in and complete the pass with only slight contact. Davies’ slide up the track caused another stack-up and led to Bergeron getting turned off the bumper of Nick Ottinger. The wreck would collect several cars and hurt drivers like Michael Conti, who had taken four tires during the last stop.

Conti started on the pole and looked strong early, but his car faded a bit during the middle of the run, allowing Leahy to pass for the lead. As the run went on, Conti’s car came back to him and he found himself running second or third for much of the race. However, his four-tire pit call cost him track position, resulting in an eighth-place finish.

Eight cautions slowed the field for 32 laps, giving drivers plenty of chances to adjust their cars. Even with the cautions and subsequent restarts, passing proved difficult as drivers could run a higher, defensive line even in Turns 3 and 4.

Leahy’s win, combined with a top-five result at Daytona, makes him the early points leader with just two of 18 races complete. He holds a 10-point margin over Ottinger and Conti.

Ray Alfalla is another three points back, an impressive feat considering he had to make an extra pit stop under caution and restarted 33rd on Lap 116. Forty laps later, Alfalla found himself in sixth place at the checkers after slicing through most of the field and taking two tires on his final trip down pit road. Duval rounds out the top five in the standings.

Week 3 takes the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series to Auto Club Speedway, where drivers should find plenty of room to pass as opposed to the tight confines of Phoenix. Last season saw Ryan Luza grab the pole and win in what became a familiar sight in the 2017 season. Can anyone keep pace with Luza as the series visits the first downforce track of the season, or will Luza still be the one to beat? Find out in two weeks’ time on iRacing Live!

Posted on by Staff Report

National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer Bryan Moss upheld an L1-level penalty Wednesday that NASCAR issued to the No. 41 ThorSport Racing team after the season-opening Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

Moss’ ruling, which affirmed the original penalty, is final.

NASCAR had penalized the ThorSport entry for post-race height measurements being outside allowed tolerances after the Feb. 16 season opener.

Crew chief Eddie Troconis was fined $5,000 and suspended for one Camping World Truck Series championship points event. The team also was docked 10 points from driver Ben Rhodes’ tally in the drivers’ standings, and 10 points from team owners Duke and Rhonda Thorson in the owners’ standings.

On March 14, a three-member panel of Dixon Johnston, Bill Mullis (operator of Langley Speedway) and Cathy Rice (general manager of South Boston Speedway) denied ThorSport’s original appeal, saying in a statement that they found the Appellants violated the rules set forth in the penalty notice, and the original penalty was affirmed and upheld.

Rhodes currently ranks fourth in the Camping World Truck Series standings. The circuit’s next race is scheduled May 4 at Dover International Speedway.

Posted on by David Smith

This time last season Kevin Harvick didn’t have a top-five finish to his name. Was this just an unfortunate spell? Was he too old? Had he lost his touch?

Early returns in 2018 suggest Harvick’s sluggish start last season — his first race win came in late June at Sonoma — was a mere aberration. He now is the winner of the last three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races, and four of the previous seven dating back to last season.

What changed? If performance equals behavior plus capability, his race cars are fulfilling their half of the equation.

When Stewart-Haas Racing switched from Chevrolet to Ford prior to last season, the four-car organization forfeited valuable proprietary intel that helped produce the fastest car in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series each year from 2014 through 2016, according to timing and scoring data supplied to NASCAR.com.

RELATED: Drivers with four consecutive wins

The timing of the transition was a risk; Harvick, entering his age-41 season, didn’t have many viable years of elite driving production left, so says history. Wasting what potentially could’ve been the final title-worthy season in a Hall-of-Fame career was a gamble Stewart-Haas thought necessary for the long term.

The organization spent the better part of 2017 experimenting and collecting notes on how to conjure transcendent speed out of Fords, finally hitting on the winning combination in the October race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, wherein the No. 4 led 149 laps and finished third while recording the fastest average green-flag speed in the event. It ranked the fastest in ensuing races at Talladega and Kansas before ranking second in speed at Texas, the site of Harvick’s first oval-track win of the season. In all, Harvick’s No. 4 ranked as the fastest car during the 2017 playoffs, a notion overshadowed by Martin Truex Jr.’s dominant title run.

Without the need for assimilation, Stewart-Haas entered 2018 with all the pertinent notes on how to go fast. Harvick’s Ford ranked as the fastest in Atlanta and Las Vegas and was second fastest at ISM Raceway near Phoenix, per MotorsportsAnalytics.com. Omitting Daytona, his machine is the fastest overall between the green and checkered flags and the fastest by a wide margin in the fourth, deciding quarter of races.

And Stewart-Haas’ speed isn’t exclusive to Harvick.

Kurt Busch’s No. 41 Ford ranks as the fastest in the series with Daytona included. Combined, Harvick and Busch have collected five of eight possible Stage 1 and Stage 2 wins this season, plus Harvick’s three wins. Minus Daytona, Stewart-Haas boasts three of the seven fastest cars in the series, including Busch (fifth) and Clint Bowyer (seventh), currently the only organization with multiple entries in that elite rank. Aric Almirola’s No. 10 Ford ranks 11th in overall speed, up from 25th last year.

This kind of speed is a boon to Harvick. His frequency of converting a race’s best speed to victory, 14 wins in 41 tries for a rate of 34.1 percent, falls below the 40.5 percent series average over the last 13 years; however, more chances with the fastest car signify more opportunities to win. Thus far in 2018, Harvick, with two wins in two races having the weekend’s speediest entry at his disposal, is punching above his weight class.

This output comes despite some poorer-than-usual restarting numbers across his seven-race run. Harvick, who ranked as a top-two restarter from the non-preferred groove in 2015 and 2016, was more than 10 percent worse than the series-wide average of retaining a position from the non-preferred groove dating back to the Texas race last November. Speed has a way of negating deficiencies. Even while slipping in a statistical category that has in the past rewarded him, Harvick appears impervious.

MORE: Stewart says SHR never been better

Stewart-Haas heads to Auto Club Speedway this weekend now with enviable speed on a track type that suited the organization well last season during the manufacturer transition. Bowyer’s No. 14 Ford ranked third in average green-flag speed at Auto Club and Michigan (2 miles), Pocono and Indianapolis (2.5 miles); Harvick’s ranked sixth. The kind of competitive speed the organization lacked last year is something it now has in spades, suggesting all four drivers should be circled as fantasy picks this Sunday in California. In the case of Harvick specifically, his roll is poised to continue for at least another week.

Harvick’s dominance might be the marquee story in NASCAR right now, but it’s simply a product of Stewart-Haas’ gambit made good. The organization on the whole is producing the fastest race cars, and having the fastest car is a zero-sum game.

David Smith is the Founder of MotorsportsAnalytics.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DavidSmithMA.

Posted on by Staff Report

Charles “Charlie” Strang, a former NASCAR national commissioner, died Sunday. He was 96.

Strang succeeded Semon E. “Bunky” Knudsen as NASCAR commissioner in 1998 and served in that position for 10 years. Before his time in stock-car racing, he served as the top engineer for Mercury Marine owner Carl Kiekhaefer, who promoted his outboard motor company through a successful racing team.

Strang, who later served as director of Outboard Marine Engineering, was credited with inventing the sterndrive engine. The boating technology stemmed from sketches he made as a student at MIT in 1948.

“Charles Strang joined NASCAR following a long tenure as an executive at Outboard Marine Corp., where he built a well-deserved reputation as a respected leader with a reasoned and measured voice,” NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France said in a statement. “He used those skills expertly in our sport for many years, holding the post of NASCAR National Commissioner for more than a decade.

“Charlie was a valued friend and resource to both my father and I, and to many throughout NASCAR. On behalf of the France family and all of NASCAR, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to Charlie’s wife Barbara, his entire family and his many friends.”

Strang was also an influential leader in the world of boat racing. He was president of the UIM, an international governing body for powerboat racing, and also headed the American Power Boat Association.

Posted on by Steve Luvender

Do you think Kevin Harvick ever gets tired of winning so often? It’s only March and he’s hoisted three trophies this season — and he’s now tied with Mark Martin for 18th place on the all-time wins list. Here’s what earned our thumbs-up and thumbs-down in Phoenix.

Thumbs Up: A strategy gamble

Ryan Newman snapped a winless streak at ISM Raceway in 2017 after a gutsy strategy call near the end of the race helped him earn the checkered flag (and a trip to the playoffs, of course).

It almost happened again Sunday, one year later. Almost.

As the laps counted down, most lead-lap cars ducked to pit road for fresh tires to finish out the rest of the race. Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne, and a few others (including underdog Ross Chastain) stayed out on track for as long as possible, hoping to luck out on a caution and bank some track position.

While the caution never happened, Newman and the No. 31 team deserve a thumbs-up for giving it another shot. If you can’t win on raw speed alone, why not try something off-the-wall?

RELATED: Race results | Anheuser-Busch returns as sponsor of Busch Pole Award

Thumbs Up: Battling for the lead

In the final stage, the ever-speedy Kevin Harvick battled hard against teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin — for nearly 30 laps. The three swapped positions and put on an impressive show of clean racing. Harvick prevailed, as he tends to do as of late, and claimed his third victory of the season in four races.

Even armchair-driver fans at home enjoyed the battle.

But imagine your job success is measured on winning races — while also racing your teammates cleanly? Joe Gibbs Racing’s Busch and Hamlin were forced to face that balance in the closing laps. Must be tough to know any mistake that results in damage to your teammate’s car could cause trouble in the team’s post-race competition meeting Monday.

https://www.nascar.com/video/franchise/press-pass/kyle-busch-teammates-lot-harder-race/#1

Thumbs up for a thrilling battle for the lead. It’s always nice to see three cars on the TV screen racing for one spot.

Thumbs Down: Jimmie Johnson, ruiner of fantasy teams

Yes, last week, Hendrick Motorsports earned the dreaded thumbs-down following a struggle at Las Vegas.

Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson, you’ve made the list again.

We like to joke about people counting out Jimmie Johnson when he gets into a tiny slump, because we know he’ll win in a few weeks anyway. But now it’s starting to get personal.

Since we know Johnson tends to suddenly end his winless streaks in spectacular fashion, I’ve started him in my Fantasy Live lineups, hoping competitors in the league would avoid picking him because of his lack of success. However, starting the No. 48 the past two races has netted precisely zero top-10 finishes.

For the record, Jimmie Johnson won’t be part of my Fantasy Live lineup at Auto Club Speedway (which, of course, probably means he’ll win the race).

Thumbs down for Jimmie Johnson’s shut-out so far in 2018.

Biggest Thumbs Up of the Week: Kevin Harvick, duh

Of course Kevin Harvick will claim racing’s highest honor: the biggest thumbs-up of the week.

“The Happy Cactus Closer” (yes, I’m combining his nicknames) only led 38 laps en route to his ninth win at ISM Raceway, the first time this year he’s won a race without leading the most laps.

But, here’s a trend even more interesting:

Brad Keselowski’s No. 2 won the Advance Auto Parts Clash in Daytona.

Austin Dillon’s No. 3 won the Daytona 500.

Kevin Harvick’s No. 4 won at Atlanta.

Kevin Harvick’s No. 4 won at Las Vegas.

Kevin Harvick’s No. 4 won at ISM Raceway.

Given the trend, you’d think car No. 5 would have won a race by now — but, for the first time in NASCAR history, there isn’t a No. 5 car expected to start a race since Hendrick Motorsports shuffled some numbers around.

Does this mean we’re stuck on the No. 4 car winning the rest of the races in 2018?

A Sonoran Desert-sized thumbs up for Kevin Harvick’s trend of butt-whooping.

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR and Anheuser-Busch announced today a multi-year agreement that welcomes the global brand back as an Official Partner and designates Busch Beer as the “Official Beer of NASCAR®.” The new partnership builds upon Busch’s industry-wide presence and includes sponsorship of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™ Busch Pole Award, rewarding the driver with the fastest qualifying time each week.

“We are continuing to evolve our presence in NASCAR because we believe in the power and loyalty of NASCAR fans,” said Chelsea Phillips, Vice President, Value and Beyond Beer brands, Anheuser-Busch. “Returning as the Official Beer of NASCAR strengthens our deep-rooted history in the sport and will provide fans with even more opportunities to enjoy a crisp, cold Busch beer on race day.”

RELATED: Classic Busch paint schemes

Anheuser-Busch’s history in NASCAR dates back decades to 1978, when it sponsored the Busch Pole Award. Additionally, Busch was the “Official Beer of NASCAR” from 1988 through 1997. Beginning in 1998, Anheuser-Busch sponsored the Bud Pole Award through its Budweiser brand, which also became the “Official Beer of NASCAR” through 2007.

“The Busch Pole Award is one of the most recognized programs in NASCAR and partnering with a global marketer like Anheuser-Busch will further elevate the value of the program and our sport,” said Lou Garate, Vice President, Partnership, NASCAR. “Anheuser-Busch has a storied history in NASCAR dating back to the 1970s and we know our fans will celebrate and support Busch’s return as the ‘Official Beer of NASCAR.’ ”

MORE: All-time pole winners

The Anheuser-Busch sponsored Pole Awards were awarded to many of NASCAR’s most iconic drivers. Geoff Bodine won the last Busch Pole Award at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1997. In 2007, Jimmie Johnson won the last Anheuser-Busch sponsored Pole Award (Bud Pole Award) at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the same race he won his second championship.

Competitors can become eligible for the Busch Pole Award beginning this weekend at Auto Club Speedway. At the end of the season, drivers who accumulate the most Busch Pole Awards in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series are awarded the season-ending Busch Pole Award.

As part of the partnership, Anheuser-Busch joins the NASCAR Fuel for Business Council®, bringing together an exclusive group of more than 50 NASCAR Official Partners to buy and sell products and services from one another.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Auto Club Speedway with the Auto Club 400 on Sunday, March 18 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Busch Pole Award qualifying for the Auto Club 400 takes place Friday, March 16 at 7 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

MORE: Busch back as Official Sponsor