NASCAR updates national series Sunoco Rookie of the Year points system for 2018

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Exactly one month from today, the green flag will wave over what is expected to be the youngest DAYTONA 500 field in NASCAR history. And today, NASCAR announced an update to the Sunoco Rookie of the Year points structure in all three national series, placing a brighter spotlight on some of those young stars.

Beginning this season, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year point system will mirror the points structure that awards the season-long championship, including stage points and playoff points, with the eventual Sunoco Rookie of the Year earning the most points throughout the season.

As is the case with the season-long points structure, a race win will earn a Sunoco Rookie 40 points and five playoff points. A second-place finish will earn a Sunoco Rookie 35 points; a third-place finish nets 34 points, and so on. A Sunoco Rookie who wins a stage will earn 10 points and one playoff point.

“The focus on our rising stars has never been stronger and simplifying the Sunoco Rookie of the Year system made perfect sense,” said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. “Our fans track closely the progress of our young drivers and matching the Sunoco Rookie of the Year points structure with the championship points will help them follow this prestigious program and award more closely than ever before.”

The new Sunoco Rookie of the Year guidelines will take effect in all three NASCAR national series – the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Posted on January 18, 2018January 18, 2018 by RJ Kraft

From the moment David Ragan first spent time at a Tampa-area Shriners Hospitals for Children in 2007, the work and sense of community have left an indelible mark and impact on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver.

That impact continues today as Shriners Hospitals for Children will be the primary sponsor for three of Ragan’s races in 2018. Shriners Hospitals for Children served as a primary sponsor for three races of Ragan’s in 2017, one in 2016 and one in 2012.

“When I visited the hospital, I saw the young kids and that their quality of life was being improved greatly by the hospitals,” Ragan told NASCAR.com. “I thought that I could use my platform as a race car driver to help raise some awareness and help educate people on what the hospitals are all about. That’s what I’ve been able to do and have some fun with it over the last 10 years.”

Ragan was even inducted into the Shriners International fraternity in 2012, serves as its NASCAR ambassador, rode on a Rose Bowl float for the organization in 2016 and was involved in negotiating this deal himself.

“David has been a tremendous ambassador for both Shriners Hospitals for Children and Shriners International,” Gary Bergenske, chairman of the Board of Directors for Shriners Hospitals for Children, said in a team release. “Our partnership with David and Front Row Motorsports has increased awareness for our health care system and the work we do for our patients.”

Courtesy of Front Row Motorsports

Shriners Hospitals for Children will adorn Ragan’s No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford for the spring race at Dover (May 6) and the summer races at Daytona (July 7) and Bristol (Aug. 18). The 32-year-old father of two said the reason for those particular races is simple.

“We try to put them (the primary sponsored races) in markets that there is a hospital nearby or there is a large presence of members of the Shriners fraternity nearby,” Ragan explained.

“The Dover race — they have a big hospital in Philadelphia. The Daytona race– there is a hospital in Tampa, but there is also the annual Imperial Session — an annual meeting with all the Shriners all around the world will be in Daytona the week after the Fourth of July. Bristol — they have a lot of patients and family for the Greenville, South Carolina, hospital. The tracks are close by to the hospital so we can invite some patients and their families out.”

The at-track visits Ragan hosts provided a sense of normalcy and fun that the Georgia native is more than happy to be a part of.

“Inviting some of the patients out to the race track shows them that they can still come out, have some fun and live a normal life like other young kids their age,” Ragan said.

Sporting the Shriners paint scheme last July at Daytona, Ragan came close to his third Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win. He finished sixth (his best finish of the season) and was on the front row for the final restart of the race on Lap 162.

“That would be really special to win in the Shriners paint scheme,” Ragan revealed. “I feel like when I’m driving that car not only am I representing my team and Ford Motor Company, but I feel like all the patients and the staff and the Shriners all around North America are pulling for me and are kind of riding shotgun.”

Shriners Hospitals for Children have provided life-changing care to more than 1.3 million children over the past 95 years. At 22 locations in North America, the doctors and staff work to transform lives through specialized care to children with orthopedic conditions, spinal cord injuries, burns and cleft lip and palate. All care and services are provided regardless of the families’ ability to pay.

For more information about Shriners Hospitals for Children or to find the nearest Shriners Hospital for Children in your area, visit https://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/shc.

Posted on January 18, 2018January 18, 2018 by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Regarding it as “the ultimate fit,” Danica Patrick announced Thursday that GoDaddy would be sponsoring her cars in the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 this year – the “Danica Double” send-off to her historic career competing in big-time auto racing.

Fittingly, Patrick will take her final bow on NASCAR’s and IndyCar’s biggest stages and her most renowned sponsor, “GoDaddy,” will provide the primary funding for her farewell.

MORE: See Patrick’s journey through the years | Danica, GoDaddy ink deal

“First and foremost, GoDaddy is such an appropriate fit, a great fit,’’ Patrick told the NASCAR Wire Service shortly after her news was released.

“It’s so exciting as we have so much history together but also because I feel like people were starting to wonder what was going on. And there were some points in time where I was a little frustrated too, but it’s nice to be able to announce something.’’

Patrick still hasn’t revealed which teams she will be driving for in either of the races, but did confirm news will be coming shortly about her Daytona 500 plans. Patrick drove for Stewart-Haas Racing all five of her full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series seasons from 2013-1017.

“We are getting close on that stuff and we need to be, right?’’ Patrick said. “We’re on track in the next couple weeks.’’

“So that (announcement) will be coming up soon.’’

In the meantime, Patrick, 35, said she’s been overwhelmed by the positive response not only in anticipation of her final two races, but now with the news her car will carry GoDaddy livery.

“It’s absolutely (appropriate),’’ she said. “They have been the biggest brand along with my brands. They have been my biggest sponsor, they’ve done the Super Bowl commercials, the most everything.

“Of course on track, one of those big moments was being on pole for the Daytona 500. That was a really big deal and starting next to Jeff Gordon. That was pretty cool. Even just the announcement of moving from IndyCar to NASCAR was a big deal. They’ve been a huge part of my life, not just my career.’’

Patrick is the only woman to have led laps both in the Daytona 500 (nine) and the Indy 500 (29) – two of the world’s most renowned races. She won the pole for the 2013 Daytona 500 and finished eighth.

She has six top-10s in seven Indy 500 starts with a best of third place in 2009. Both those career highlight races were in GoDaddy livery.

“You could say, ‘we’re getting the band back together,’’’ GoDaddy Chief Marking officer Barb Rechterman said of the company’s alliance with Patrick.

“It makes sense in that our goals are so well-aligned. She’s passionate, tenacious and creative just like so many of our customers who are also looking to leverage the power of the internet and turn their ‘side hustle’ into a full-time business.

“Danica absolutely epitomizes the heart of our GoDaddy customers. We love it.’’

FROM THE VAULT: Patrick earns pole for 2013 Daytona 500

Patrick recently released a book, “Pretty Intense,” launched a clothing line named “Warrior,” and has her own California vineyard, “Somnium” — Latin for the word, “dream.” She has also been named one of TIME Magazine’s “Most Influential People” and her appearance in 13 GoDaddy Super Bowl commercials is most all-time among celebrities.

“It was the first thought in my mind of who would be the most perfect fit so I’m grateful it fits,’’ Patrick said of partnering again with GoDaddy. “It’s really amazing how perfectly aligned the brands are from where we’ve come from, to where we are now, and the whole process in between.

“We’ve always been on the same page brand-wise and evolution-wise.

“It’s a perfect fit, such a great story.’’

With real possibilities for a storybook ending.

Posted on January 18, 2018January 18, 2018 by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — By all regards it’s a new generation, crossover all-star pairing for the Ford teams in next Friday’s IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge four-hour BMW Endurance Challenge season-opener at Daytona International Speedway.

Young NASCAR drivers Cole Custer, 19, Austin Cindric, 19, Chase Briscoe, 23 and Ty Majeski, 23 will pair up to compete in ultra-fast Ford Mustang GT4s for Multimatic Motorsports on the afternoon before the Rolex 24 At Daytona green flag drops.

And while some of those NASCAR stars have a bit of road course experience, the opportunity to run in next weekend’s endurance race on the 3.56-mile Daytona road circuit will be both an eye-opener and an adrenaline rush.

Cindric, who finished third in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series last year, is the only one of the four to have notable time competing in road racing. He finished 14th in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona (GTD) class in the 2016 Rolex 24. And in addition to next Friday’s Continental Tire race, he will again race in the twice-around-the-clock Rolex season opener, this year driving in the Prototype class.

For Custer, Briscoe and Majeski this will be their debut on the 12-turn, 3.56-mile Daytona road course that incorporates both the track’s famous high-banked speedway and its technical, infield course.

Not only will the young drivers benefit from road course experience, but the extra time competing together as they head into a season featuring unique and exciting seat plans in the Xfinity Series. While Custer returns to the series in the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, Cindric, Briscoe and Majeski will share Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 60 Ford under the guidance of two-time series champion crew chief Mike Kelley.

The four-hour sports car race will be a good – and competitive get-to-know-you – opportunity for the Roush teammates to learn about each other and for the brand of racing.

“Definitely something totally different from what I’m used to doing and growing up doing,’’ said Briscoe, last year’s Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year. “It’s cool; I’m glad Ford is letting us do it. It’s been nice to be able to come here and be with people I know like Cole, Austin and Ty.

“I’m excited to come back for the race. It’s cool how many fans come just to watch practice. I’m excited to see what this place is like come race weekend.

“I’ve only run two road course races my entire life so it’s going to be a big challenge. Just trying to figure out where to find some speed at. You feel like you’re getting everything you can out of it and you’re still two seconds off the pace.”

Actually, Briscoe wasn’t too far off the pace at all.

During the annual Roar Before the Rolex 24 test two weeks ago, drivers and teams turned three days of laps. Cindric and Briscoe were second fastest in the opening session and Custer and Majeski were third.

In four more sessions, the NASCAR pairings were primarily top 10 on the practice chart. Cindric and Briscoe were consistently top-six among the nearly 40 teams that participated.

“Chase and I were teammates (at Brad Keselowski Racing) in trucks, so we have a pretty good working relationship already,” Cindric said. “So for us to share a car is pretty easy. I do have a bit of a senior role if you will, because I have (road racing) experience, but I think we’ll all be fine. He’s gotten right up to speed and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of it. I honestly think we have a shot at a podium or win.

“It’s more of a program from Ford for Chase and Ty to get them some road race experience. Cole has a lot of road course experience. It’s a fun program to be a part of and super unique to what any other manufacturer is doing, cross-pollinating their development programs which is kind of a new concept.”

While Custer – last year’s Xfinity Series breakout star and winner of the season finale in Miami – may have some road course experience, his driving partner Majeski does not. At all.

“Turning right is (the biggest adjustment), something I’ve literally done none of my entire life,’’ Majeski said with a laugh. “Just a whole different set of instincts to get speed out of these cars and I’m learning all I can.

“Only my second time ever on road course and (the) multi-class thing is a lot different. Everything seems different, huge new experience. I’m leaning on Scott Maxwell, my teammate, a lot. It’s been a huge learning experience so far, but gone well so far. Looking forward to sinking my teeth in even more.

“It’s just different. ABS brakes, traction control, no spotters, big mirrors, just a whole different world, different experience in general but a lot of fun. You can drive these cars really hard because of all the gadgets on them.”

Not only will Majeski get some tutelage from his co-driver and sports car standout Maxwell, but Custer has also proven himself one of NASCAR’s better road course competitors despite his early experience level.

He has three top-10 finishes in three Camping World Truck Series road course races, including a pole position and runner-up finish in Canada in 2016. His best road course finish in three Xfinity Series races last year was an eighth place at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

“Always good to get out there and feel different characteristics of a road course and I’ve learned a lot from Scott Maxwell,’’ Custer said. “Ford had the idea to get us all more experience. It’s a really great thing them helping us.

“I think every driver wants to run these road course races, especially ones that are prestigious like this.’’

Posted on January 18, 2018January 18, 2018 by Holly Cain

RELATED: Hall of Fame induction Friday

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Even before answering the first question from a ready group of racing reporters about his induction Friday into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Ray Evernham, 60, insisted on making an important point.

“I want to make it clear to everybody on the (conference) call, I know you thank me for the time, but it’s an honor to be able to sit here and take questions for the Hall of Fame,” Evernham said.

“I can do this all day if you want,’’ he added, with a laugh.

He certainly would have plenty to discuss in his NASCAR Hall of Fame career that began at Bill Davis Racing guiding a young Jeff Gordon before serving as crew chief for three of Gordon’s four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championships at Hendrick Motorsports then owning a flagship team himself that led to some of the sport’s great crowning moments.

Under Evernham’s leadership with the famed “Rainbow Warriors” No. 24 Chevrolet team, Gordon rolled to 47 premier series wins in just seven full seasons before Evernham transitioned to a completely new role and fresh challenge: premier series ownership.

Evernham operated and succeeded in similar style, spearheading Dodge Motorsports’ triumphant return to Monster Energy Series racing in 2001. Fellow Hall of Famer Bill Elliott earned Evernham Motorsports its inaugural victory in that 2001 season finale at Miami — the first of 15 total wins for Evernham’s team.

And the veteran Elliott added a dramatic Brickyard 400 trophy for the team the very next year — in one of the most celebrated races in NASCAR.

Young Washington-state bred Kasey Kahne joined the operation to earn Rookie of the Year in 2004 then immediately challenged for the series championship with six wins the following season. Kahne also hoisted all five of the Evernham team’s Xfinity Series race trophies.

It is the definitive modern day NASCAR success story of a two-fold career that produced trophies, championships and, ultimately, Hall of Fame recognition alongside the most important people in the sport’s history.

No question, Evernham’s work with a young Gordon is what put his name in the NASCAR vocabulary.

He is only the third designated “crew chief” to be voted into the Hall of Fame, and the first in five years. And considering he worked with Gordon for a relatively short term — seven years — the huge success they enjoyed is even more remarkable.

Obviously, Gordon’s immense talent had a lot to do with the results, but Evernham proved to be an expert at making it all possible.

“You know, there’s a big difference in what I call ‘coaching’ and ‘managing,'” Evernham said. “I don’t like to be a manager. I don’t like to be a business-type manager where you’re just directing people. But I really enjoyed the coaching, working with people together, solving problems, being part of a team, that kind of environment.

“Whether I should try to think I deserve to be even mentioned in a Lombardi style or not, that’s kind of who I patterned after. Tough on people, drive them hard, but cared about them. You’ve got to be able to have that compassion along with determination.

“That part I enjoyed. I loved working down on the floor with the guys. I loved being at the race track.’’

MORE: Evernham made mark on pit stops

Evernham still insists that it was a difficult decision to step off the pit box with a certain future Hall of Fame driver in order to develop his own team with Dodge.

But the New Jersey native also conceded it was just in his makeup to pursue and continually challenge himself. The opportunity with Dodge was intriguing and proved Evernham’s abilities on a grander scale. And he certainly delivered on the big stage – again.

“It wasn’t a no-brainer,’’ Evernham explained of his decision to leave the championship Hendrick organization to start his own.

“It was a really, really, really interesting opportunity. It was something that I struggled with because Hendrick was my home. Rick Hendrick has been good to me. I had a lot of my success and things there. It was a tough decision to look at where I really wanted to go, what I thought I could do.

“The emotional connection to Hendrick and to Jeff was very, very tough for me,’’ Evernham said. “But the excitement of being able to take that challenge, just to see if you could do it. … I don’t know, it’s that Evel Knievel in all of us knowing that if I don’t make that jump, I’m going to bust my butt, but I still really want to do it.”

And Evernham landed the jump.

The opportunity to field cars for a former champion in Elliott along with the promise and results of a handful of young drivers — such as Kahne, Casey Atwood, Jeremy Mayfield and Elliott Sadler — made Evernham’s gamble worth it.

And when he decided to walk away from the daily demands of either working as a crew chief or a team owner, Evernham had to feel absolutely proud of his effort — an effort long applauded and now officially recognized as Hall of Fame worthy.

Married to racer Erin Crocker and father to two-year old Cate as well as 26-year old Ray J from his first marriage, Evernham now works as a consultant for Hendrick Motorsports and hosts the popular Velocity network show, “AmeriCarna.”

“When I look at the guys that I’m in there with, it blows me away,’’ Evernham said, anticipating the heralded ceremony Friday night in Charlotte. “I have been for months, struggling to find the right words to describe it, which I still haven’t, and that will be a problem, I guess, Friday night if I don’t get those words completely.

“I can tell you that it really truly just amazes me because I have never held myself in the same light as I hold a lot of those people. When you’re growing up, you’re thinking, ‘Man, if I could only be as smart as that guy, or if I could only ever be as good as that guy.’

“Now going into the Hall of Fame with some of them, ahead of some of the others, it just totally blows me away.’’

Posted on January 18, 2018January 19, 2018 by Staff Report

The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season could be the year Chase Elliott turns consistently strong finishes into long-awaited victories.

Especially if horseshoes, lucky pennies, four-leaf clovers and rabbit’s feet have anything to do with it.

Atlanta Motor Speedway — Elliott’s home track — will gather up all the luck for Elliott this year, collecting various good luck charms from race fans across the country to aid Elliott in nabbing his first Cup win. Track personnel will present the items to Elliott on Feb. 13, ahead of the Folds of Honor QuickTrip (Feb. 25, 2 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the Hampton, Georgia, speedway.

Perhaps another good luck charm is the No. 9; this marks the first season that Elliott will pilot the No. 9 ride in the Monster Energy Series, which his Hall of Fame father Bill Elliott drove in 38 of his career 44 wins and his 1988 championship during his storied career.

“We had a lot of ups and downs and a couple missed opportunities (in 2017),” Elliott said in a track press release. “But I think we have to take them for what they are and learn from them. I am looking forward to 2018. We have some great things to build on, and I am excited to get back behind the wheel of the No. 9. It’s a good fit for me – kind of feels like home.”

The track also ran the same good-luck promotion in 1983 for the elder Elliott, who didn’t secure his first win until his 116th start in the series. Current Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark, who was serving as the public relations director at Charlotte Motor Speeedway at the time, organized the campaign at Charlotte toward the end of the ’83 season. It seemed to work; in the series’ season finale at Riverside International Raceway, “Awesome Bill” finally broke through for his first win.

“The promotion we came up with for Bill in ’83 created an amazing amount of interest and support from fans all over the country,” Clark said in a track press release. “We received package after package full of good-luck charms, and it seemed like everybody was pulling for him to get that first win.”

Like father, like son? Time will tell if the good luck charms bring the same fortune to Elliott this year, as he preps for his third full-time season in the Monster Energy Series.

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 18, 2018) – Kelley Blue Book, the most trusted brand for car pricing, research, valuation and selling your car, has extended its relationship with 12-time NASCAR Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports with a three-year contract renewal through the 2020 racing season.

In 2018, 2019 and 2020, Kelley Blue Book will be featured as a two-race primary sponsor and full-season associate sponsor of driver Chase Elliott and his No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team. The company’s partnership with Hendrick Motorsports began in 2014 with a one-race primary sponsorship of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and grew to two races in 2016 when it transitioned to Elliott for his rookie year.

Elliott, 22, will pilot the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 on Aug. 18 at Bristol Motor Speedway and in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race Nov. 4 at Texas Motor Speedway.

“Kelley Blue Book is proud to call the Hendrick organization a partner both on and off the track, and we’re excited to go racing with Chase for another three years,” said Greta Crowley, vice president of marketing for Kelley Blue Book. “We’re constantly enhancing the KBB.com site with features and functionality to help customers buy and sell cars with confidence, and Hendrick Motorsports has provided us an effective platform to further educate car shoppers on all that Kelley Blue Book has to offer.”

DEBATE: How many wins for Elliott in 2018?

Elliott earned 2016 Cup Series rookie of the year honors and is coming off his second playoff appearance in as many full seasons at NASCAR’s top level. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native won the 2014 Xfinity Series championship and already has posted 107 top-10 finishes in NASCAR national series competition.

“My experience working with Kelley Blue Book over the last two years has been awesome, and it means a lot to have them on board for three more,” Elliott said. “There’s a lot for the ‘9’ team to do over the next few seasons, and we look forward to sharing that with them. All of us appreciate their support and are committed to continuing the success of the partnership.”

In addition to individual consumers, Kelley Blue Book’s variety of products and services are available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies, and governmental agencies. Partners include Hendrick Automotive Group, which utilizes Kelley Blue Book in each of its 138 automotive retail franchises across the United States.

MORE: Elliott among top breakout candidates

“Kelley Blue Book has been an important partner across our entire organization,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group. “Chase has been a terrific spokesperson for their products and services, and the overall success of the racing program since 2014 has opened up new opportunities for us to work together and grow their business. We’re excited to do even more with Kelley Blue Book over the next three years.”

Built on the trust of its more than 90-year history and expertise, Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com exists to help consumers make the best possible decisions during the car-shopping journey and throughout the vehicle ownership lifecycle. Shopper and owner expansion remains a focus for Kelley Blue Book, and helpful tools such as Price Advisor and Instant Cash Offer have evolved to meet the needs of today’s car buyers and sellers. Other resources include 5-Year Cost to Own data, buyer’s guides, payment calculators, vehicle history reports, and expert reviews and ratings.

Posted on January 18, 2018February 5, 2018 by Zack Albert

Danica Patrick will carry familiar sponsorship for her two-race farewell in 2018, with longtime backer GoDaddy reuniting for her efforts in the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500.

The news was released Thursday morning by GoDaddy. It was first reported earlier Thursday by the Associated Press.

BUY: Danica Double gear

Patrick, 35, was primarily sponsored by the Scottsdale, Arizona-based internet domain registrar for her first six seasons in NASCAR national series competition and her last two in the IndyCar ranks. During that span, Patrick was front and center for GoDaddy in its advertising, including a starring role in a record 13 commercials during the Super Bowl.

How perfect is this?!?!!!!!! I’m so excited! @GoDaddy https://t.co/EeaxuEneRP

— Danica Patrick (@DanicaPatrick) January 18, 2018

PHOTOS: Danica Patrick through the years

“This is definitely the way I want to finish my racing career – at these two iconic races, backed by my iconic, long-time sponsor,” Patrick said in a release provided by GoDaddy. “GoDaddy was there for me when my career was just really starting so it’s exciting to be getting back in the GoDaddy ‘green’ for my final two races. Our brands have always been powerful together, and I think it’s awesome to have them at my side when I go ‘all in’ with my businesses after racing.”

Patrick announced in November that the 2017 season would mark her last full-time campaign in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. In that same emotional news conference, Patrick also announced her intent to compete in both the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 this season.

No details were released Thursday regarding potential team pairings for Patrick in those two crown-jewel events, but her regained sponsorship should help attract interest from ownership groups. She has competed six times in the Daytona 500 with a best finish of eighth (twice); she also won the pole position for the 2013 running. Patrick last competed in an IndyCar in 2011.

Patrick competed in NASCAR’s premier series for the last five seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing. Last September, Patrick announced she would part ways with SHR “due to a new sponsorship arrangement in 2018.”

She has since branched into several other careers and projects for her life after racing, including her own line of athletic apparel, a self-penned fitness book and ownership of a California vineyard.

Posted on January 17, 2018January 17, 2018 by Team Release

BUY TICKETS: Daytona 500

CERRO GORDO, N.C. — Ricky Benton Racing (RBR) Enterprises announced today that the team will be jumping to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) for the season-opening Daytona 500 in February. David Gilliland has rejoined the team to pilot the No. 92 Black’s Tire and Auto Service/Carquest Auto Parts/Ford Fusion.

RBR has spent the past eight seasons competing in 79 races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) on a part-time basis. Gilliland drove for the team for seven races in 2015. Plans for the RBR’s 2018 NCWTS schedule have not been finalized.

Mike Hester will serve as crew chief in both series. The team will continue its long-running relationship with Roush Yates Engines to provide power plants for their Fords.

“After talking with our partners, we felt the time was right to make a move into the Cup Series,” said team owner Ricky Benton. “Getting David (Gilliland) back on board was also key. Having a veteran driver with his experience and success on restrictor-plate tracks — with whom Hester has familiarity — gives us a leg up as we try to make the race.

“I am thankful for Roush Yates, Carquest, Highland Construction and the entire Black’s Tire family (Benton owns Black’s Tire, which operates four BTS Tire & Wheel Distributors Wholesale Centers, servicing more than 200 BTS partner program dealers, Carolina Retreads and 46 retail/commercial locations in the Carolinas) for going racing with us.”

Based in Cerro Gordo, N.C. (pop. 199), RBR is bringing with it a history of success in stock car racing to the Daytona 500. At the 2.5-mile “World Center of Racing,” RBR has two third-place and two sixth-place finishes in six starts in the NCWTS. Prior to joining the truck series, RBR competed extensively in late models and other series, winning the 1998 NASCAR Winston Racing Series Atlantic Seaboard championship as well as the 2002 USAR Hooters ProCup title.

“Ricky is a great guy and a real racer,” said Gilliland. “I really appreciate the faith he has put in me to drive his first MENCS attempt. Having worked with (crew chief) Mike (Hester) before, I know he has done everything needed to give us a competitive car to go out and qualify and race well at Daytona.

“I think we have a chance to go out and surprise some people.”

Posted on January 17, 2018January 17, 2018 by Holly Cain

The genuine excitement and gratitude for earning a place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame was evident last week as Ron Hornaday Jr. spoke to reporters about the upcoming milestone in his life.

The always colorful, ever humble four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion was upbeat recalling important moments in his career and telling classic stories about those who helped him make the big time.

And while the 59-year old Californian may not have ever predicted he would be a NASCAR Hall of Famer one day, he definitely knew the sport’s Truck Series was destined for greatness. And both of their paths have led to similarly significant achievements.

“They [NASCAR] had a five-year plan for the trucks and I think the first year, we exceeded that five-year plan of what we thought it was going to do,” said Hornaday, who also exceeded his own expectations, winning 51 races in a four-championship 17-year career competing in the truck series. Three of his four titles came after the age of 40. He won the 2009 championship at the age of 51.

Hornaday also won four times in the XFINITY Series and finished a career-best third place in the 2004 championship. He finished top-five in the championship in three of the four full-time seasons he ran in that series.

Hornaday won two NASCAR Southwest Series titles in what was the preamble to his Hall of Fame tenure in NASCAR’s trucks.

“I was pretty humbled,” Hornaday said of getting the news last May that he was NASCAR Hall of Fame bound. “I thought it was pretty cool to be the first one [truck champion] in there.

“I hope I can represent the truck series since they put my career on the map, what they’ve done for my whole family. Definitely I owe everything to NASCAR and the France family for starting the truck series and the phone call from [the late Dale] Earnhardt of giving me an opportunity to make it big time.’’

MORE: 2018 Hall of Fame inductees through the years

In a certain sense, Hornaday was able to pay it forward as well. Often, NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series drivers have referred to “Hornaday’s Couch” – the furniture they slept on while temporarily staying with the veteran and his wife at their home as the young racers found their path in the sport too.

“When I met Jimmie Johnson at a Chevrolet function, he was coming from off-road [racing] and he told me he was moving down, doing this and that,’’ Hornaday recalled of his fellow Californian. “I told him, ‘don’t go rent a place, that’s a waste of money. Save some money, buy your own house then.’

“He might have stayed three to six months, maybe a year. It’s something where when you have a big enough place, they’re all hanging out on the couch.’’

“And,” he added, “We still have that couch by the way.”

The couch, part of “Camp Hornaday,” certainly boasts a pedigree, having hosted a couple young, budding champions. Not only did the seven-time champion Johnson spend time bunking with Hornaday and his wife, Lindy, but so did fellow Californian, 2014 Monster Energy Series champ Kevin Harvick.

It all speaks to Hornaday’s laidback, welcoming nature. He is friendly and fun, but behind the wheel of a race car, he made magic – often beating drivers half his age.

In preparing for the upcoming Hall of Fame induction, Hornaday conceded it’s still pretty incredible to realize how far his career went, and how successful NASCAR’s trucks — the youngest of the three major series — would be. Hornaday said he never imagined having such a historic role in the series.

“I was just glad to be a part of it, get an opportunity to do it,” Hornaday said of the mid-1990s when the series originated and began to flourish.

“I was racing for Wayne [Spears] at the time and asked him if he was going to run the whole Truck Series. I told him what I had the opportunity to do and he told me, I should take it. It was probably the best choice I ever made in my career.

“When you have two successful businesses out of California — my wife and I did — to get up and move [to North Carolina], it was kind of a gamble. It worked out for us though. Very fortunate for that.

“We had to do it, we had to go win, we had to put food on the table.”

And he did more than that. Now he will bring home a Hall of Fame ring and abounding, well-deserved recognition for his contributions to the sport. Already highly regarded, Hornaday is one of the most popular selections to the Hall.

As he closed out his telephone press conference with the national media last week, Hornaday quickly offered a personal and wonderful summation.

“Just a heads up,’’ he said, with a slight laugh. “I can drive a race car. I’m not good at standing in front of my peers with a monkey suit, telling them how good I am.

“It’s all about everybody that ever helped me out. Hopefully I can do well and not get tongue-tied.

“Thank you guys, for everything, all the years.”