Posted on by Brad Norman

Game. On.

Earlier this week, Kyle Busch and wife Samantha posted their version of a lip sync battle featuring songs from the Bee Gees, Smash Mouth and more. They went out all with themed costumes and choreography.

Little did we know Joe Gibbs Racing put together a massive compilation of drivers and crew members busting a move inside their Toyota Camry’s and released the internet gold for everyone to see. Talk about grinding during the offseason.

Denny Hamlin, Daniel Suarez, Christopher Bell, Ryan Preece and Erik Jones among those also featured in the video, and we must say … Bell can rock a blonde wig with the best of them. With songs from everyone’s favorite Disney movie ‘Frozen’ and the ultimate boy band ‘NYSNC’ it doesn’t get much better than this.

Which group locked down your vote for best performance?

Posted on by Staff Report

Kyle Petty is going to be a dad, again.

The 57-year-old NBC Sports analyst for NASCAR America and former driver announced on Twitter Wednesday night he and wife Morgan are expecting their first child together. The two wed in December of 2015, and Morgan is the executive director of the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America.

 

Petty is the son of seven-time premier series champion Richard Petty and the grandson of Lee Petty.

This will be the fourth child for Petty. He has three children from a previous marriage, daughter Montgomery and sons Austin and Adam. Adam, a fourth generation racer, passed away after a crash at New Hampshire in 2000.

Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Dodson’s career stats as a crew chief

Barry Dodson, a savvy crew chief who led NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace to his lone premier series championship in 1989, died Wednesday. He was 64.

Dodson worked with several of the sport’s top drivers and is credited with 19 victories in what is now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. In addition to Wallace, Dodson also served as crew chief for Tim Richmond and Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip.

John Dodson confirmed his brother’s death through a statement from the family: “Barry’s passing leaves us all with heavy hearts. He left his mark in the NASCAR history books and he served the sport with a passion that few will ever match. We love him and we miss him.”

Trent Owens, Barry Dodson’s stepson and crew chief for JTG Daugherty Racing’s No. 37, also offered his condolences through his Twitter account. Wallace also offered a remembrance of his own on Twitter.

 

NASCAR issued a statement Wednesday paying tribute to the legendary crew chief: “Barry Dodson’s talent as a crew chief was evident, winning a championship in 1989 and a number of races throughout a career that lasted parts of three decades at the top levels of the sport,” the NASCAR statement reads. “His extraordinary skills around a race car were rivaled only by his passion for the sport, and his perseverance in the face of adversity. NASCAR extends its condolences to the family and friends of Barry Dodson. He will be missed.”

After years serving as a crewmember, Barry Dodson was hired for his first stint as crew chief in NASCAR’s top division by car owner Raymond Beadle. After one season with Richmond at the wheel of Blue Max Racing’s No. 27 Pontiac, Dodson paired with Wallace for a successful five-season run that vaulted the driver, team and crew chief into the stock-car racing elite.

With Dodson providing double duty with crew chief calls and over-the-wall service, Wallace won multiple races in each of their years together. Their title-winning campaign was highlighted by six wins and four pole positions. The year before, Wallace and Dodson also netted a half-dozen victories but fell just shy of another championship; they won four of the final six races in a stirring late-season kick, but wound up a close second to Bill Elliott.

Dodson’s life was also marked by tragedy. His two teenaged children — son Trey, 17, and daughter Tia, 16 — were killed as passengers in a single-car auto accident in November 1994 in South Carolina.

The elder Dodson took himself out of the spotlight to mourn, but landed an emotional victory the following year with driver Kyle Petty at Dover International Speedway. Petty avoided a 19-car wreck on Lap 3 and dominated by leading 271 of 500 laps. It was Petty’s first victory in two years, the final Monster Energy Series win for both him and Dodson.

Dodson dedicated the triumph — which came a day after his 42nd birthday — to his children. “I felt like if we couldn’t win a race this year for my children, you know, maybe I’d do something else,” Dodson told reporters. “I knew we could, I felt like we could, and by golly, we did it.”

Dodson also achieved six wins with team owner Jim Smith and driver Mike Bliss in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series from 1995-98. He was later hired as general manager when Wallace started his own team in what is now the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Posted on by Staff Report

SCHEDULES: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | Xfinity Series | Camping World Truck Series

NASCAR has released pit road speeds and caution vehicle speeds for 2018, with no changes from last season at the existing tracks that its three national series visit.

The only addition for next year’s schedule is the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course, which will have slightly slower speeds in both categories than the 1.5-mile oval layout. The Charlotte road course pit road speed will be 40 mph and the caution vehicle speed is set for 45 mph. The oval will have a pit road speed of 45 mph with caution vehicle speed of 55 mph.

The NASCAR Rule Book provides race teams with a 5-mph buffer over the announced speed limit at each track.

The only other slight change reflects the new name for Phoenix Raceway, which will be called ISM Raceway starting in 2018.

The pit road and caution car speeds for the 2018 NASCAR season:

Track Pit road speed Caution vehicle speed
Atlanta Motor Speedway 45 55
Auto Club Speedway 55 65
Bristol Motor Speedway 30 35
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park 40 45
Charlotte Motor Speedway oval 45 55
Charlotte Motor Speedway road course 40 45
Chicagoland Speedway 45 55
Darlington Raceway 45 50
Daytona International Speedway 55 70
Dover International Speedway 35 45
Eldora Speedway 30 30
Elkhart Lake’s Road America 40 45
Gateway Motorsports Park 45 50
Homestead-Miami Speedway 45 55
Indianapolis Motor Speedway 55 70
Iowa Speedway 40 45
ISM Raceway (Phoenix) 45 50
Kansas Speedway 45 55
Kentucky Motor Speedway 45 55
Las Vegas Motor Speedway 45 55
Martinsville Speedway 30 35
Michigan International Speedway 55 65
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 35 45
New Hampshire Motor Speedway 45 50
Pocono Raceway 55 70
Richmond Raceway 40 45
Sonoma Raceway 40 45
Talladega Superspeedway 55 70
Texas Motor Speedway 45 55
Watkins Glen International 40 45

 

Posted on by Kathy Sheldon

A $52,000 check to Rescue Ranch animal education center from Coca-Cola was a great 40th birthday present for Ryan Newman.

Newman celebrated his birthday Dec. 8, the same day as the 13th Annual Ryan Newman Charity Dinner & Auction to Benefit Rescue Ranch. Coca-Cola contributed the $52,000 as part of the Coca-Cola Chug for Charity Program, in which the Coca-Cola Racing Family drivers compete by integrating Coca-Cola into their race-day activities and daily lives.

“I drink Coca-Cola whether I’m at the track or at home with my friends/family,” Newman said. “Chug for Charity is an awesome program. I’m always drinking Coke, so I appreciate every chug helps support Rescue Ranch.”

RELATED: Ryan Newman through the years

Since 2002, The Coca-Cola Company has donated to drivers’ charities through the Chug for Charity program.

“Ryan has been an outstanding brand ambassador and through the years, has been the recipient of more than $400,000 through the program,” said Ben Reiling, Director, Motorsports, Coca-Cola North America. “Since its inception in 2002, The Coca-Cola Company through the Chug for Charity program has donated more than $3 million to various charities on behalf of Coca-Cola Racing Family members. We’re thrilled to award Ryan his second ‘Chug for Charity’ crown.”

Austin Dillon, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Newman, Danica Patrick, Daniel Suarez and Darrell Wallace Jr. made up the Coca-Cola Racing Family of drivers for 2017. Logano has been the Coca-Cola Chug for Charity Champion four times (2012-14, 2016); Dillon and Clint Bowyer have each one once (2015, 2011 respectively); and Newman won previously in 2010.

As for celebrating Newman’s birthday, friends and family contributed to the fun atmosphere of the ’70s-themed event.

An animal painting by Jordie the parrot was part of the auction benefitting Rescue Ranch.

Ryan and Krissie Newman formed Rescue Ranch in 2012 with a grand opening in 2013, and it continues

to grow. In May, the Earnhardt Family Playground opened at the Statesville, North Carolina, facility. The playground is accessible to all children, including those with special needs.

Some of the Rescue Ranch residents got in on the event, with pieces of art created by Copper the English Cavy Guinea Pig; Salt & Pepper, the ranch’s Kenyan Sand Boas; Jordie, an African Grey Parrot; and Holstein Friesian Steer Otis. The artwork was part of an online and live auction also raising funds for Rescue Ranch.

Posted on by George Winkler

Stewart-Haas Racing displayed dominance in another successful run as a premier team in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2017, and one of the constants was Mobil 1’s support in keeping the cars in tip-top performance shape.

Since partnering in 2011, engineers from ExxonMobil and Stewart-Haas Racing have formed a close working relationship to boost the lubrication technologies of all of SHR’s vehicles. Mobil 1 motor oil reduces frictional loss in the engines to maximize fuel mileage, increase horsepower and turn more RPMs.

Kurt Busch got the team off to a sensational start by winning the season-opening Daytona 500. A last-lap pass gave Busch his first victory in the “Great American Race” and led to an emotional — and memorable — reaction by crew chief Tony Gibson, a Daytona Beach, Florida, native.

Busch’s No. 41 Ford surged to the front when more than half the cars in an 11-car lead draft ran short on fuel. But thanks to Gibson’s deft calculations and Busch’s and spotter Tony Raines’ ability to work together and navigate around the rear view mirror falling off the banged-up car, Busch captured the checkered flag in NASCAR’s signature event. In addition to maximizing fuel mileage that was key to Busch’s win, Mobil 1 motor oil reduces rolling resistance, which contributes to increased acceleration on restarts and allows the car to reach top speed.

“There is nothing predictable about this race anymore, and the more years that have gone by that I didn’t win I kept trying to go back to patterns that I had seen in the past,” Busch said. “My mirror fell off with 30 laps to go and I couldn’t even see out the back. And I thought that was an omen. Throw caution to the wind.

“It just got crazy and wild, and I am so proud of all the drivers at the end. We put on a show for a full fuel run, and nobody took each other out and it was one of the smartest chess games I have seen out there.”

Busch’s victory jump-started SHR’s season, one in which it was making the switch from Chevrolet to Ford as the team’s manufacturer. The win proved that all the hard work back at the shop during an extra busy offseason paid off, and Mobil 1 motor oil had a hand in squeezing every bit of fuel mileage out of the No. 41.

In the season’s second race, SHR nearly made it back-to-back wins as Kevin Harvick’s No. 4 Ford led 292 of 325 laps at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Harvick eventually finished ninth, but the message was clear that SHR was hitting on all cylinders during the manufacturer transition and would be a force for the rest of the season.

Harvick proved this by winning in June at Sonoma for his 36th victory in the Monster Energy Series. The No. 4 Ford had to endure a long green-flag run from the end of Stage 2 and got the job done with the help of Mobil 1 reducing engine temperatures to increasing engine efficiency.

Harvick’s teammate Clint Bowyer finished second to hammer home a big weekend for SHR in California’s wine country.

From there, the season took several exciting turns but ultimately wound up with Harvick and Busch in the NASCAR Playoffs. Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers had one of the most feared cars at the end of the season with the No. 4 winning at Texas and advancing to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Meanwhile, Busch set a speed record in winning the pole at Texas, marking another big weekend for SHR.

Ultimately, Harvick and Busch fell short of their goals of winning a second championship, but turning ahead to 2018, there is a lot to look forward to for SHR, including new energy from driver Aric Almirola, who recently joined the team.

Here’s a snapshot view of the 2017 season for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Kevin Harvick No. 4 Ford
Wins: 2 (Sonoma, Texas)
Top fives: 14
Top 10s: 23
Poles: 4
Notable: Harvick won poles early in the season at Atlanta and Texas and then again at Charlotte before breaking through for a win at Sonoma. Harvick won the pole at Darlington, which set up a strong playoff run that included a win in the Round of 8 at Texas. Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers had the No. 4 humming in the playoffs and were a strong championship contender, but the team finished fourth at Homestead-Miami Speedway with eventual champion Martin Truex heading to Victory Lane. Harvick finished third in the final driver standings.

Kurt Busch No. 41 Ford
Wins: 1 (Daytona 500)
Top fives: 6
Top 10s: 15
Poles: 1
Notable: Busch began the season with the aforementioned Daytona 500 victory that came when several teams didn’t calculate their fuel mileage as well as the No. 41 team did and ran out of gas as Busch drove off with the win. The victory put Busch in the playoffs for the fifth straight season. Busch also had top-five finishes at Pocono, Bristol, Darlington and Richmond as he entered the playoffs on a hot streak. However, he could not get past the Round of 16 and finished 14th in the final standings. Busch ended the season on a high note by winning the pole at Texas in record speed (200.915 mph).

Clint Bowyer No. 14 Ford
Wins: 0
Top fives: 6
Top 10s: 13
Poles: 0
Notable: In Bowyer’s first season with SHR he had his most top-10 finishes in three years and his most top-five finishes in four seasons. Bowyer’s top fives came at Auto Club (third place), Bristol (second place), Sonoma (second place), Daytona (second place), Watkins Glen (fifth place) and Martinsville (third place). With such strong finishes and near-misses, Bowyer appears destined to drive to Victory Lane in 2018 in his second full season with SHR.

Danica Patrick No. 10 Ford
Wins: 0
Top fives: 0
Top 10s: 1
Poles: 0
Notable: Patrick’s final full-time season with SHR featured an average starting position of 22.1, a career-best mark. The highlight in finishing a race was a top-10 showing early on at Dover. Patrick also led laps in the Coca-Cola 600, one of NASCAR’s crown jewel races. Patrick said farewell to fans in an emotional sendoff at Homestead-Miami Speedway but will return to race in the Daytona 500 and the Indy 500 in 2018 for another team.

Aric Almirola No. 10 Ford in 2018 (stats for No. 43 car in 2017)
Wins: 0
Top fives: 3
Top 10s: 6
Poles: 0
Notable: Almirola comes over to SHR for the 2018 season after six full seasons with Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola missed seven races last season with an injured back suffered in the early Kansas race. Before his injury, Almirola had top-10 finishes in the Daytona 500 and at Richmond and Talladega. After returning from injury, he finished his season strong with top-10 showings at Talladega, Kansas and Phoenix. That combination of success on a variety of tracks and teaming up with SHR should lead to momentum carrying over into 2018.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Cast your contest vote today

Bass Pro Shops founder and CEO Johnny Morris has had quite the racing season, celebrating a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship with Martin Truex Jr. with his company’s support along for the ride.

As the calendar year winds down, Morris is hungry for another big win in an entirely different field. Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium is among the nominees for Best New Attraction in USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

Votes can be cast here through New Year’s Day at noon ET, and winners are scheduled to be announced Jan. 5. Wonders of Wildlife currently tops the leaderboard among the 20 nominated attractions.

“Wonders of Wildlife is an inspirational journey around the world that celebrates the role of hunters and anglers as America’s true conservation heroes,” Morris said. “We proudly invite families and sportsmen to come share the wonder with an unforgettable experience meant to inspire generations of future conservationists.”

Martin Truex Jr. won the 2017 championship in Bass Pro Shops livery. (Photo: Chris Graythen | Getty Images)

The consideration is another accolade in a brief time for the 350,000-square-foot venue, which celebrated its grand opening Sept. 21 in Springfield, Missouri. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter attended the premier, with celebrities Kevin Costner and Mark Wahlberg on hand and country music stars Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley also on the guest list for the debut.

LEARN MORE: Wonders of Wildlife

The facility stays true to its environmental mission with an expansive array of wildlife galleries and an aquarium habitat with more than 35,000 live fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds in a vivid 1.5 million-gallon display. But Morris’ crown-jewel attraction also reserves nearby space for his other pursuit — motorsports.

As part of the Bass Pro Shops national headquarters is the Bass Pro Shops Motorsports Museum, which is a treasured collection of race-used vehicles, fire suits and helmets. Included is the No. 3 Chevrolet driven by Dale Earnhardt to his lone victory in the Daytona 500 in 1998, one year after Bass Pro Shops first signed on as a NASCAR sponsor.

The collection also includes cars and memorabilia from other drivers who have carried the Bass Pro Shops flag to championships across all three NASCAR national tours, including Truex, Tony Stewart and Austin Dillon.

RELATED: Cast your contest vote today

The Wonders of Wildlife project and Bass Pro Shops’ reach has come a long way since Morris first started his company in 1972 in the back of his father’s liquor store. It’s now the leading national retailer of outdoor gear and marine equipment with more than 100 expansive locations in North America.

That level of achievement has helped Morris forge strong partnerships with some of stock-car racing’s most prominent figures and most successful drivers. But tasting championship success with Bass Pro Shops featured on Truex’s title-winning No. 78 Toyota is what keeps him coming back, season after season. The company will continue its sponsorship of Truex’s Furniture Row Racing team and the efforts of Richard Childress Racing in 2018.

“Martin is a true champion on and off the race track and we are proud to continue supporting him and the No. 78 race team in 2018,” Morris said in October, when Bass Pro Shops extended its partnership with the soon-to-be champion. “NASCAR is an excellent platform for Bass Pro Shops and we share in our customers’ enthusiasm and passion for racing. We’re very excited to continue our longstanding relationship with Martin Truex Jr., Barney Visser and our friends at Toyota.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Larson’s 2017 season recap | Larson’s rise through the NASCAR ranks

Being perpetually optimistic is a trait that has served Kyle Larson well.

The fourth-year Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver is coming off the most successful season of his career – and although an engine issue stunningly cost his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing team a shot at the 2017 title, Larson remained all smiles and high hopes circulating at the annual year-ending banquet in Las Vegas early this month.

“It was definitely a terrific year for us,” the 25-year old California said with a grin. “I look back and four wins in the Cup series. … It was a really good year and it was a breakout season for us and our race team.

“We went from being kind of an underdog team to favorites early in the year and that was cool to be a part of.”

RELATED: See Larson’s career stats

Larson had career highs in pole positions (three), top-10s (20), top-fives (15) and most importantly, victories with four. And he firmly established himself a championship contender advancing to the penultimate round before a blown engine in Kansas stunningly eliminated him from a hard-fought, well-deserved championship run down the stretch.

“It was a little tough to deal with at first but now that we’re through Homestead, I’m already on to the next year,” Larson said. “I’ve already put that behind us and honestly, I’m not even thinking about that anymore.

“It was just an engine failure, nothing that I or our team did wrong, or even [engine supplier] Hendrick did wrong. It was just a part failure. I don’t think about. I move on and look forward to next year.”

Larson’s positive demeanor is genuine, and no-doubt a trait passed to him from his doting parents Janet and Michael who – along with sister Andrea — spent much of the last decade driving around the country supporting Larson’s great desire and massive talent to race.

It was that natural talent combined with his easy-going yet highly-focused attitude that made Larson attractive to his team owner Chip Ganassi – and has also made him one of the sport’s most popular young drivers.

RELATED: Larson, Credit One Bank expand sponsorship for 2018

Ganassi smiles proudly at how well the pairing has worked out since hiring Larson. He considers Larson a rare gem among some of the sport’s young drivers, because he hired him solely on his ability to race, not because he brought any big sponsorship dollars. It’s an important distinction and one that has created much loyalty between Ganassi and Larson.

“I love racing for Chip and I’m extremely grateful and thankful,” Larson said, making sure to make eye contact. “I’ll always be loyal to that and I’m glad we’re running good and maybe can bring a championship to our organization.

“I feel like we’re good enough to go out there and expect to contend for wins and contend for championships. It changes year by year. Next year we could be the 78 team [2017 champion Martin Truex Jr.] or we could be a mid-pack team again. You just have to put in the hard work to stay ahead of the game and I feel like we’ve done a good job of that.”

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Drivers, crew chiefs on the move | New look for No. 95

Leavine Family Racing has a new driver in Kasey Kahne for the 2018 season. On Tuesday at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the team revealed a new look as well.

Procore, a widely used construction project management software, and Leavine have extended their partnership to a multi-race, multi-year deal that includes the 2018 Daytona 500.

“I was just telling Bob (Leavine) … things are going better than expected at this point for me,” Kasey Kahne said after the unveiling. “The group of people that I’m working with, the way they have worked with me. What I see out of them and the process of getting the new Camaro ready, working with RCR … I just feel like it’s better than I expected when I signed up, and I thought it was going to be pretty darn good when I signed up.”

Part of that deal includes a new paint scheme, unveiled Tuesday, and a new stylized number to reinforce the fresh start for the team with the veteran Kahne at the helm.

PHOTOS: Kahne’s victories | Kahne through the years

“Procore is excited to continue our partnership with Leavine Family Racing and support the 95 car throughout the 2018 season,” said Mark Lyons, vice president of segment marketing, Procore. “We value the connection that Leavine Family Racing has to the construction industry, and know that this connection also extends to many of the passionate fans that come out to the track and tune in to each NASCAR race.”

Procore associates were unable to attend the event due to their California offices impacted by area wildfires.

Leavine Family Racing announced in September that the 18-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series winner Kahne would join the team following a five-year stint with Hendrick Motorsports.

“I think a fresh start is nice,” Kahne said. “… It’s a fresh start all the way around. It’s not just a different owner, or different manufacturer. I think it’ll be really good for me. It’s probably the first time maybe ever that it’s … fresh. Completely new.”

 

Posted on by Brad Norman

The only way to spread holiday cheer … is singing loud for all to hear.

Kyle and Samantha Busch are doing their part, but instead of a sleigh they’re putting on a show in their Toyota Camry.

Decked out in elaborate costumes from nearly every decade, the veteran driver and his wife took a cue from James Corden’s popular ‘Carpool Karaoke’ series and gave the internet a video for the ages.

Personal favorite? The Busch’s nail the Bee Gees ‘Stayin’ Alive’ with classic disco moves and attire including a mustache for Kyle and a sparkly dress for Samantha. Wonder if Brexton will get in on the action … or if he’ll be embarrassed by his parents when he gets older.