Posted on by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Before Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams arrive in Daytona Beach for Speedweeks and the official start to the 2018 season, some drivers will be participating in a much-anticipated open test session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Sixteen drivers including Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, and rookies Darrell Wallace Jr. and William Byron, will turn laps on the 1.5-mile Las Vegas track this Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 31-Feb. 1, as part of the test, which includes one car per organization.

RELATED: Speedweeks schedule | 2018 schedule | Driver tracker for coming season

This will be the last NASCAR organizational test until July, when teams will turn test laps on the Charlotte Road Course; however there will be several Goodyear Tire tests between now and then.

The full list of those expected to participate in the Las Vegas test next week includes: Ty Dillon (Germain Racing), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Roush Fenway Racing), Erik Jones (Joe Gibbs Racing), Paul Menard (Wood Brothers Racing), Ryan Newman (Richard Childress Racing), Cole Custer (Go Fas Racing), Chris Buescher (JTG Daugherty Racing), Kurt Busch (Stewart-Haas Racing), Kasey Kahne (Leavine Family Racing), Larson (Cup Ganassi Racing), Keselowski (Team Penske), Wallace (Richard Petty Motorsports), Byron (Hendrick Motorsports) in addition to Justin Allgaier, David Ragan and Drew Herring.

Pole qualifying for the Daytona 500 and the Advance Auto Parts Clash race are set for Feb. 11 at Daytona International Speedway with the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 18.

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 30, 2018) – NASCAR today announced key leadership appointments across its growing international business landscape and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Jim Cassidy has been named to the new leadership position of Chief International Officer, reporting into Steve O’Donnell, Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer. Charged with growing the NASCAR brand of racing internationally, Cassidy will oversee all international competition and commercial operations, building on the success of NASCAR’s three international series with the NASCAR Pinty’s Series in Canada, NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.

“Jim brings nearly two decades of racing operations and industry leadership experience. He has worked tirelessly to grow our existing motorsports properties outside of the U.S and will lead our efforts to identify important growth opportunities internationally for our sport and its growing fanbase,” said O’Donnell.

“NASCAR racing is broadcast in over 185 countries and territories, with race fans engaging stock car racing in person at events in Canada, Mexico and across Europe. The demand for NASCAR racing internationally has never been stronger and we look forward to bringing our sport closer to race fans everywhere,” said Cassidy.

Joining Cassidy in these efforts will be Chad Seigler in the new position of Vice President, International Business Development. Seigler will draw upon a decade of successful industry sales experience to oversee all international sales and partnership marketing. Celeste Griffin-Churchill in the new position of Senior Director, International, Joe Balash in his current role as Director, International Competition, and Bob Duvall in his position as Senior Director, International & Weekly/Touring Business Development will play key roles in this area.

NASCAR additionally announced that Ben Kennedy has been named to the leadership position of General Manager, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Kennedy will oversee all aspects of NASCAR’s popular truck series, working closely with Brad Moran, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Managing Director, and Jeff Wohlschlaeger, Managing Director, Series Marketing to continue to deliver great racing, fan experience and marketing across this series. Kennedy will report into Elton Sawyer, Vice President, Competition and will work closely with O’Donnell and Steve Phelps, Executive Vice President and Chief Global Sales and Marketing Officer.

“Ben will draw upon his years of experience across NASCAR’s grassroots and national series to bring valuable commercial and competition insights to our NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. With promising young drivers and experienced veterans battling it out in close, side-by-side racing, Ben truly understands from experience that every lap matters and we are excited about his future leadership in this important national series,” said Brent Dewar, President, NASCAR.

Posted on by Team Release

Mooresville, NC – StarCom Racing, who recently acquired a Charter for the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, signs Jeffrey Earnhardt to compete in this year’s historic 60th running of the DAYTONA 500, and the rest of the season. This will ensure keeping the Earnhardt name alive at the event for the 40th straight year. SCR’s recent Charter acquisition guarantees the team a position in the Great American Race, where it will showcase its partnership with VRX Simulators in the 00 Chevy Camaro, which will be piloted by 4th generation cup series driver Jeffrey Earnhardt.

StarCom | VRX Simulators

“I am so appreciative of everyone at StarCom Racing and VRX for having confidence in me and making this a reality,” said Earnhardt. “There’s been an Earnhardt driving in the 500 for 39 years so to be able to keep that streak going for a 40th year means a lot to me and I’m sure a lot of Earnhardt fans are going to be happy to hear this news.”

MORE: Driver tracker for ’18 | Drivers, crew chiefs on the move

SCR Team Manager and former DAYTONA 500 winner, Derrike Cope, has worked relentlessly with Crew Chief, Tony Furr, and team to put SCR in the best equipment possible heading into the 2018 season. Cope’s experience and Earnhardt’s tenacity will be a dynamic duo both on and off the track as they combine forces this year.

“It was imperative for our young team to have a sponsored driver for our start-up year, and we did have several options. We felt that Jeffrey was the best fit for our team and VRX has already shown the type of enthusiasm and commitment that SCR has both for Jeffrey and for the sport. It will be a very exciting year for us,” comments Cope.

“I knew Derrike casually before but I didn’t realize how much he knows about race cars. He’s got a tremendous amount of technical expertise and speaking with him gave me confidence that StarCom has big plans and I want to be part of that progression,” said Earnhardt.

VRX Simulators, based in British Columbia, Canada is new to the NASCAR circuit. VRX integrates software and hardware to create the world’s most advanced racing and flight simulators for home and business. Daytona will mark its first race as a primary sponsor for VRX in the MENCS as part of its brand new VRX Motorsports program.

“I’m very proud to partner with Jeffrey Earnhardt and StarCom Racing. We’re here to change NASCAR forever. We’re bringing the most powerful technology companies on the planet to do this,” said Robert Stanners, Founder of VRX Simulators. “We have been working on this for seven years, and it’s finally go time! We are proud to continue Earnhardt Nation and its legacy for the 40th year in the 60th running of the DAYTONA 500, with VRX Simulators on board the No. 00 Chevrolet!”

“We are thrilled to welcome Jeffrey and VRX to the StarCom Racing team” says Matt Kohler, President of StarCom Racing. “The duo of Cope and Earnhardt bring experience and excitement for the 00 in 2018!”

Posted on by Kathy Sheldon

Tap your toes to the beat from … Darrell Wallace Jr.?

That’s right. Bubba isn’t just a race car driver, he’s a drummer, too. And a good one at that.

The 24-year-old Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pilot posted a video to Twitter highlighting some sick drum beats and elite-level head banging.

Wallace, who will wheel the iconic No. 43 for Richard Petty Motorsports in 2018, covered Of Mice & Men’s ‘Forever YDG’N’ for all of social media to see.

We wonder if Bubba can form a NASCAR band. Maybe get Jimmie Johnson on vocals … Kyle Busch on lead guitar? His best friend Ryan Blaney bringing down the house on bass?

RELATED: Blaney, Bubba next death metal duo?

Oh, the possibilities, and we are completely here for all of them.

Posted on by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 30, 2018) – Valvoline Inc. (NYSE: VVV) — a leading worldwide supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services — has extended its partnership with 12-time NASCAR Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports through 2022.

 

In 2018, Valvoline will become a primary sponsor of the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 of 24-year-old driver Alex Bowman for two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races annually over the next five seasons. Valvoline also will continue as the Official Lubricants Partner of Hendrick Motorsports and as a major associate sponsor of the team’s full stable of Chevrolet race cars and drivers, which include Chase Elliott, William Byron and seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson.

 

As part of the new agreement, Valvoline also will be the presenting sponsor of the Randy Dorton Hendrick Engine Builder Showdown, a yearly competition that brings together Hendrick Motorsports engine builders and Hendrick Automotive Group master technicians. The 16th annual event took place in November on the Hendrick Motorsports campus in Concord.

 

“Hendrick Motorsports has been an exceptional partner and shares our passion of continuously improving all we touch through our hands-on expertise,” said Heidi Matheys, Valvoline’s chief marketing officer. “Alex’s enthusiasm for being hands-on with his own cars makes him a wonderful fit for Valvoline, and we’re excited to support him and the entire No. 88 team as a new primary sponsor. We look forward to more success on the track in the years to come.”

 

Since 2014, Hendrick Motorsports has used Valvoline products in its racing engines, which have earned two Cup Series championships (2014 and 2016), two NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) titles (2014 and 2017) and more than 100 points-paying event wins across various series. Off the track, Valvoline is the preferred lubricant of Hendrick Automotive Group, which operates 97 car dealerships across the United States and poured nearly 1 million gallons of Valvoline product in 2016.

 

“I’ve always liked the quote, ‘You are what your record says you are,’” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “Valvoline has such a tremendous track record in both racing and on the road in passenger vehicles because they never stop innovating. Across our organization, they’re partners in developing racing technology and in providing unparalleled products to our dealership customers. It’s a relationship we take great pride in and look forward to continuing for many more years.”

 

A lifelong auto enthusiast who works on his own cars, Bowman will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the Cup Series beginning in 2018. In 2017, he was an integral part of the simulation and on-track testing programs for Hendrick Motorsports and manufacturer partner Chevrolet. The Tucson, Arizona, native won Oct. 7 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in his first NXS start of the year.

 

“I’ve always been hands-on with my race cars and personal cars,” Bowman said. “I grew up working in my dad’s body shop, so doing things myself is something that started early. For me, it’s very cool to be a part of Team Valvoline because they offer quality products and share my passion for cars and racing. They also do a great job focusing on their DIY customers, which is something I’m really drawn to. I love what the Valvoline brand stands for and can’t wait to work with them.”

Posted on by Staff Report

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Joey Logano wore his trademark grin last week while making the rounds at NASCAR Media Tour Presented by Charlotte Motor Speedway.

He can smile now. A fresh season looms ahead, and with it, an opportunity for the Team Penske No. 22 Ford camp to erase a frustrating 2017 campaign that saw a drop from Championship 4 in 2016 to out of the playoffs.

“I didn’t see that coming at all,” Logano said. “After you almost win the championship and win a bunch of races the last four years before that, you think making the playoffs is kind of a given. That is kind of the way I thought. I would say it blindsided every one of us.”

PHOTOS: Logano through the years

Logano and the No. 22 team had gotten into a groove since 2014, logging 14 wins during the three-year period prior to the 2017 season. That stretch included a staggering 22 top-five finishes in 2015, and two trips to the Championship 4 in Homestead-Miami.

So, what happened?

Well, the team won at Richmond in April but had the finish ruled encumbered. That meant it could not be used to automatically advance into the playoffs.

As first-time winners Austin Dillon, Ryan Blaney and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. reached Victory Lane, Logano was pushed further down the standings, ultimately finding himself out of the playoff picture.

“Yeah, we never want to have that feeling again,” he said. “That sucks. Not being in the playoffs is no fun. I think after going through that and living that horror film, you don’t want to do that again. There is plenty of motivation to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

RELATED: Logano, wife welcome son

The key in 2018? Being open to change, Logano said.

“Last year was a trying year. We learned a lot,” Logano said. “The biggest thing we learned was to be able to be a little more open-minded about things. We started to be open-minded at the end of the season. We probably waited a little too long. When you find something that works for you and you are able to keep evolving off of that foundation that you built that works and you keep building off of something and then the rules change and things change and then all of a sudden that doesn’t work anymore, it is really hard to just knock over what you built and start all over.

“It is very challenging to get yourself to think that openly. As a driver, I have had to change. (Crew chief) Todd (Gordon) has had to change. The way we set up our cars has had to change. The sport changes. It evolves and you have to evolve with it and we are a little late to the game.”

As for the on-track performance to come, Logano thinks it will mirror that memorable 2014-16 stretch in which he emerged as one of the most prolific drivers in the garage.

“I think we will go out there and redeem ourselves,” he said. “There is a little extra motivation there. We know we are a championship team. Nothing has changed from two years ago when we almost won the championship. It is the same group. Nothing has changed. We know we can still do that. Let’s go. Is Daytona here yet?”

RELATED: Drivers that will bounce back in 2018

Posted on by Brad Norman

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

And there isn’t an old-school, vintage piece of car metal Dale Jr. doesn’t want to add to his infamous ‘graveyard.’

MORE: Take a video tour of Dale Jr.’s car graveyard

In 2014, Earnhardt described how he began collecting the wrecked cars citing he ‘couldn’t bring myself to throw (them) away’ because his family had spent so much time and money on the vehicles. A valid reason.

Fast forward to 2018, and Junior is still out there adding to his iconic collection. However, this time a fellow driver is offering up one of his own cars … and of course it’s rising Camping World Truck Series star Noah Gragson.

Don’t tempt him with a good item, Noah. You’ll get a visitor soon enough.

But Dale, you know the rules. Pics or it didn’t happen.

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Congrats pour in for Ganassi’s 200th win | Action Express wins Rolex 24

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver AJ Allmendinger took last year off from competing in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, but he resumed racing in the sports car season-opener this year in a different class with new teammates  — and showed himself in the same fine form that always makes him a favorite.

Allmendinger teamed with Katherine Legge, Alvaro Parente and Trent Hindman to finish second in the GTD class of the Rolex on Sunday — a very respectable 22nd  place overall. And the 21.511-second difference between them and third place in the class was one of the best battles of the endurance race on the 2.56-mile Daytona International Speedway road course. The No. 11 GRT Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini won the division.

It’s the fourth podium finish in 12 Rolex starts for Allmendinger, who won the race overall in 2012 driving a prototype.

His entry this weekend in the No. 86 Acura NSX GT3 was for his friend Michael Shank — the longtime IMSA team owner who fielded prototypes previously and the only owner Allmendinger has raced for in the Rolex 24.

Going into the race, Allmendinger conceded it would be “different” for him driving a sedan competing against the Lamborghini, Ferrari, Audi, Porsche, Mercedes entries. But he acknowledged his team was stacked with talent and he was optimistic.

“Not the win and Rolex we wanted but my teammates were awesome,’’ Allmendinger said on Twitter following the race. “So cool to be on the podium with the @MichaelShankRace team.

“Amazing weekend.’’

The team’s performance was good enough to win the opening round of the North American Endurance Cup. And Allmendinger will return to Daytona Beach for the NASCAR portions of Speedweeks already feeling accomplished and warmed-up.

“This might be the most tired I’ve ever been,’’ Allmendinger said. “It probably was not a wise call on my part not to run an air hose to my helmet. But this Acura NSX GT3 has been fun to drive. I love Michael Shank and I love this race team.

“That last stint, I was starting to get the chills inside the car. But this is what the Rolex 24 is all about: the last four hours you give everything you’ve got.”

PHOTOS: Scenes from the Rolex 24 at Daytona

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

RELATED: Action Express takes overall Rolex 24 victory | Full Rolex 24 results

Team owner Chip Ganassi is known for including the hashtag #ILikeWinners in various tweets and there’s a reason behind it.

He’s taken a liking to now winning 200 times, to be exact.

Ganassi scored his 200th victory as a car owner in Sunday’s Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway, the season-opening endurance race for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series.

The No. 67 Ford GT co-driven by Ryan Briscoe (Australia), Richard Westbrook (England) and Scott Dixon (New Zealand) took victory in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class. The milestone was made even more special as the No. 66 Ford GT shared by Dirk Mueller, Joey Hand and Sebastien Bourdais finished second, making it a 1-2 finish for the Ganassi-owned group.

The 200 victories are spread across four different disciplines of motorsports — NASCAR, IMSA, IndyCar and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

Ganassi gave the starting command for the weekend’s Rolex 24, then watched his cars lead all but nine of the 783 laps completed in their class.

It was the team’s record eighth win in the Rolex 24 — the second straight in class, plus six more victories overall.

“No team orders, just 24 hours of intense racing,’’ Ganassi driver Westbrook told FOX Sports television with a huge grin as the pits emptied in celebration.

Before the race, Ganassi admitted that winning 200 races was the furthest thing from his mind (sort of).

“I want to win the race, I’m not worried about number 200 or number 300,’’ Ganassi said. “But,” he conceded with a smile, “certainly to get the 200th at a historical event would be a feather in our cap.’’

After Ganassi added feather No. 200 to his storied racing cap, his fleet of NASCAR drivers — Kyle Larson, Jamie McMurray and John Hunter Nemechek — hopped on Twitter to congratulate their boss.

Posted on by Staff Report

What channel is NASCAR programming on this week? We answer that and provide all the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: Get the NBC Sports App |  How to find FS1, FS2 | Get FOX Sports GO | How to find NBCSN

Monday, January 29
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Tuesday, January 30
3 a.m., Rolex 24 at Daytona, FS1 (re-air)
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Wednesday, January 31
2:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS1
3:30 a.m., IMSA Racing, Weathertech Sportscar Championship: Daytona, FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Thursday, February 1
2:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Friday, February 2
3:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS1