Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Front Row Motorsports reveals 2018 driver lineup

David Ragan and Michael McDowell are all set for 2018 with Front Row Motorsports, as the two-car organization announced its driver lineup Thursday. Both are looking to the future, but each will have a chance early in the season to reflect with a pair of career milestones.

McDowell is scheduled to make his 250th career start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 18. One week later, Ragan will mark his own big, round number with Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start No. 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Both drivers entered the sport’s top division around the same time: Ragan’s first full season came in 2007 after a two-race foray the previous year; McDowell made his debut in a 20-race campaign in 2008. And both share stories about how they scraped their way to becoming series regulars.

RELATED: Driver, crew chief changes for the 2018 season

“When I came into the sport, I was young and cocky and arrogant and yeah, I would’ve told you I was going to win races and win championships and do it for the next 20 years,” said McDowell, who opened his career with Michael Waltrip Racing. “But if you’d asked me six or seven races into that season, I would’ve told you my future in the sport was not very bright.”

McDowell said his initial leap was a large one, from sports cars and ARCA racing straight to NASCAR’s big leagues. His persistence in pursuing opportunities paid off, and on the heels of his first full Monster Energy Series season, he’ll toast his 250th appearance with his seventh start in The Great American Race.

“When stuff like that happens, it’s pretty neat,” McDowell said. “When I do look back at some of the guys that I came into the sport with, my rookie year was with Jacques Villeneuve and Sam Hornish and Regan Smith, Patrick Carpentier. You think about these guys that are Indy 500 champions, there’s just been so many great people coming through the sport. To think that I’d still be here is crazy. So it’s something I’m very thankful for.”

One week later, Front Row will celebrate another milestone with a home-state flavor. Ragan — an Unadilla, Georgia native — began his racing career at Atlanta in 1997, driving a Bandolero car on the short frontstretch oval. His father, Ken, remains active with the track’s entry-level racing series as the director of the U.S. Legends Car program at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Since those earliest days, Ragan made a gradual climb up NASCAR’s national ladder, making his first two premier series starts in a part-time effort in 2006. In the 11-year span that has followed, Ragan has made 396 consecutive starts.

RELATED: Active consecutive Monster Energy Series starts among drivers

“That’s something that I never would have dreamed that that would’ve been able to be possible 15 years ago when I was scratching around, trying to find my way in motorsports,” Ragan said. “I’m grateful to have had great team owners to drive for. I’m grateful that I’ve had good sponsors and good partners to help, and I want more. I’ve been able to win a couple of races, but I don’t want the story to end there.

“We are working through some of the ideas to plan something for some of my fans and some of the people who have supported my career through the years, but that’s humbling and I’m grateful. I don’t take anything for granted and you never know when the next race or the next good finish could be your last. We’ll enjoy all these races going down the road and hopefully get another win.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Drivers, crew chiefs on the move in offseason

Front Row Motorsports announced its driver lineup Thursday for the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, naming newcomer Michael McDowell and returning driver David Ragan to its two-car organization.

McDowell, 32, joins the Bob Jenkins-owned operation after spending the last four seasons with the single-car Leavine Family Racing group. Landon Cassill, who had a two-year stint with FRR, will not return to the team.

“For me, I’m thankful to have the opportunity and excited to work with Front Row in a new chapter, a new beginning for me,” McDowell told NASCAR.com. “It’s fun when you’ve got a new challenge in front of you and a new set of people. Looking forward to working with David and helping to build this program and getting results. Also you know, I haven’t had a teammate in years and so that’s definitely a part that I’m really looking forward to.”

The 31-year-old Ragan, who described his return to the team as a homecoming, is back for his second straight season and fifth overall. He holds the distinction of bringing Front Row its first victory, at Talladega Superspeedway in 2013.

“I feel like Front Row is one of those teams that, we’re a close-knit family and everybody in the shop, the mechanics on the road, we’re good friends,” Ragan said. “We get along, and it’s a small team so that we all have a pretty big impact on the program itself, so I feel like that’s been a neat experience for me. … It’s a good feeling to be back with Front Row again as we continue to grow and get better on the race track and off the track.”

According to a release provided by the organization, Front Row Motorsports stands to benefit from a strengthened alliance with Ford Performance and Roush Fenway Racing, one of the manufacturer’s flagship teams. Additional details — such as the crew chief lineup, car numbers and sponsors — are to be announced in the coming weeks, according to the team. Front Row also indicated it was “evaluating possible additions to the competition staff.”

MORE: 2018 schedule

The roster move unites two drivers who already have a friendly bond inside the garage and away from the race track. McDowell said the two see each other most days, dropping off their kids in the carpool lane at school, and that their families have grown closer in recent years. That existing relationship sets the table for a give-and-take understanding as teammates who still shoulder a strong competitive will.

“That’s going to be a very unique partnership, but we’re both so competitive that I think it’s great to have someone to lean on and push you to drive,” McDowell said. “With him, he’s very smart, very intelligent, very likeable and is a good leader. That really helps with the crew, the team and the structure there. There’s a good parity there where you can grow and build a program.”

Ragan offered similar praise for McDowell, who frequently squeezed the most performance from his equipment during his time at LFR. McDowell topped the series last season in completed laps. He also finished 34 of 36 points-paying races, another a series best.

“He didn’t have a lot of DNFs, and that’s important for a small team like Front Row Motorsports or LFR,” Ragan said. “We can’t be in the garage with torn-up race cars and DNFs to have the best possible finish that we can. Michael does get a lot out of his race cars and he’s hungry.”

Front Row in general is eager to improve on a 2017 season where its two-driver effort landed 30th and 31st in the points standings. But Ragan says he sees opportunities at venues where the playing field is more level — for himself at restrictor-plate tracks, his strong suit; and for McDowell on road courses, where he has an extensive road-racing background.

Ragan said he hopes for steady gains, especially on the intermediate-sized tracks. He cites Furniture Row Racing’s gradual rise — from a fledgling single-car group in its first six seasons to a championship team this year with Martin Truex Jr. — as a model worth emulating.

“We look at the stat sheets like a lot of people in our industry do, and the stats, they really don’t lie,” Ragan said. “I know there’s variables and different situations where luck is involved, but over the course of a year, I think your good luck and bad luck always even out. … I think for us, we just need to improve on the stat sheets. We need to have more top fives, more top 10s. We need to improve that average finishing position by five spots, I think is a realistic goal.

“We’re not a championship-caliber team overnight or over an offseason, but you’ve got to get to first base before you get to second and third. I think that we’re a couple of years away from being a (playoff) contender and a championship contender car, but we’ve got to be a little more consistent and be a little better on some of the high-speed downforce tracks where we’ve struggled at.”

RELATED: Milestone starts on the horizon for Ragan, McDowell

McDowell says a bolstered technical alliance should help. His former team enjoyed similar modest gains after entering such a relationship with Richard Childress Racing ahead of the 2016 season.

“I think the alliance and having manufacturer support is critical to your success in NASCAR, especially now,” McDowell said. “These teams are so, so maxed out on the competition side in development, engineering, just every person is digging hard to find just small, little gains. So having manufacturer support is huge and the alliance with Roush is just really critical to the development and staying on par with that.”

In some regards, McDowell isn’t entirely a newcomer. The Arizona native made a one-off start in Front Row’s No. 35 car in 2013 at Watkins Glen, an appearance that kindled his relationship with his future team owner.

“That whole entire weekend was fun,” McDowell said. “They put a lot of energy and a lot of emphasis into going there and being competitive, and it was a cool experience for me because at the time I was just start-and-parking and not running the full races in the Cup Series, so it gave me an opportunity to go run. We qualified well and were running well in the race until we broke a track bar, but it was that sort of spark where both of us realized that hey, we can do this and be competitive.

“Bob and I had stayed friends and remained close in the years after that, and I always sort of felt like there would be a time where I’d get to drive for him again. Just time flies and it never really worked out, and then this year it worked perfectly.”

Posted on by Team Release

RELATED: See all the 2017 paint schemes

DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA  – In year four of its award-winning throwback platform, Darlington Raceway will be celebrating “Seven Decades of NASCAR” for its 2018 campaign.

The Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR will be celebrated during the track’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500® and NASCAR XFINITY Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 weekend on Aug. 31-Sept. 2.

Today, December 14, marks NASCAR’s 70th birthday, as the first meeting at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Fla., took place on this day in 1947, a meeting that eventually led to the official formation of NASCAR.

Throwback weekend will honor specific moments in each decade of the sport’s storied history, many of which occurred at Darlington Raceway. Recognizing many special iconic memories in NASCAR over the past 70 years will give industry stakeholders and fans an opportunity to honor the sport in a variety of different ways.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for Darlington Raceway and the NASCAR industry to celebrate the sport over a seven decade period during our 2018 throwback weekend,” Darlington Raceway President Kerry Tharp said. “We have been era specific the past three years, so we felt it was important to recognize the 70th anniversary of NASCAR with our ‘Seven Decades of NASCAR’ celebration next season and give the teams, sanctioning body and others a wider brush to paint a picture capturing memorable moments we might not have celebrated in year’s past.”

MORE: Vintage photos from 2017 race weekend

In tribute to the 70-year history of NASCAR, Darlington Raceway will focus on iconic occasions that occurred in the sport, many of which took place at the track Too Tough To Tame, including Ned Jarrett’s record-setting 14-lap victory in 1965, Ricky Craven’s record-setting photo finish over Kurt Busch in 2003, and Jimmie Johnson’s 2012 Bojangles’ Southern 500 win, which gave team owner Rick Hendrick his 200th career victory, among others.

For the fourth straight year, Darlington Raceway is also excited to announce it will once again highlight its rich history with a commemorative ticket design for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 linking the past, present and future.

“We have produced commemorative tickets for our fans every year of the throwback program, which is an important part of our platform,” said Tharp. “We appreciate how much the fans have supported Darlington Raceway and want them to walk away from our weekend with a special keepsake that recognizes our rich history and honors the stars of our sport.”

Just in time for the holidays, Darlington Raceway has also started the ticket renewal process with fans receiving an e-mail communication to renew their tickets and campsites early with the ability to print a gift letter when they renew.

Paper ticket renewals will be mailed in early February, but fans may log in to their accounts now to receive exclusive renewal benefits. Renewing tickets early guarantees seats at the track’s best value prior to the opening of all remaining seats to the general public on March 28.

Renewing fans receive many great benefits for being a loyal customer for Labor Day weekend.

Renewal benefits include:

  • The track’s best value of the season for the Bojangles’ Southern 500® and Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200
  • Convenient four-part payment plan
  • One free admission to the Darlington Raceway Museum ($7.50 value)
  • One free Lionel RCCA (Racing Collectables Club of America) Membership ($19.95 value)
  • First 1,000 accounts renewed receive a 1/64th scale Darlington diecast ($8.99 value)
  • All renewal accounts are entered into a random drawing for a chance to attend the 4th annual Bojangles’ Legends Breakfast on Sunday, September 2, 2018
  • Special renewal pricing for Darlington Stripe Zone Hospitality ($30 savings)
  • Special renewal pricing for all-inclusive driver intros, pre-race concert and pre-race pit road access ($15 savings)
  • Special renewal pricing for an exclusive “Untamed Access” race day experience ($10 savings)
  • Special renewal pricing for FanVision rentals ($20 savings)
  • Special renewal pricing for Racing Electronics scanner rental ($10 savings)
  • Fans can create custom “Weekend Ticket Packages” (Practice, NXS & MENCS) that range from only $55-$124 per Adult and $20-$64 per Youth 12 & Under based on grandstand locations
  • Guests may renew their tickets and campsites by calling 866-459-RACE (7223) or visiting DarlingtonRaceway.com/renewals. The renewal deadline is Friday, March 9.

The Tradition Continues on Labor Day weekend as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500® is set for Sunday, Sept. 2, 2018. The NASCAR XFINITY Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 will race on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018.

 

Posted on by Staff Report

The die-cast car from Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s final race as a full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver was the best-selling paint scheme for Lionel Racing in 2017.

Lionel Racing released its top 10 list Thursday. Earnhardt paint schemes take up five of the 10 spots. The Axalta/Last Ride car at Homestead-Miami Speedway consisted of a design Earnhardt drove early in his career.

Not only was it this year’s top seller, Lionel Racing says the car is now the best-selling die-cast in the company’s history.

“The demand for this car has been simply astounding,” said Lionel Racing president Howard Hitchcock. “The fan response to this die-cast is a true measure of how much Earnhardt has meant to both casual NASCAR fans and serious die-cast collectors.”

MORE: Dale Jr. die-cast deals

The 2017 top 10 best-selling cars:

1.Dale Earnhardt Jr. Axalta/Last Ride Chevrolet SS

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Darlington Chevrolet SS

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet SS

4. Chase Elliott NAPA Chevrolet SS | SHOP: Elliott’s new number

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Axalta/Ducks Unlimited Chevrolet SS

6. Ryan Blaney Motorcraft/Pocono win Ford Fusion | SHOP: New look for Blaney

7. Kyle Busch M&M’s Caramel/Bristol Win Toyota Camry

8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Axalta Chevrolet SS

9. Chase Elliott Hooters Chevrolet SS

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Mountain Dew/Talladega raced version Chevrolet SS

Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Daytona International Speedway through the years

A landmark meeting that set the foundation for major-league stock car racing is getting a well-deserved toast on the occasion of its 70th anniversary.

Streamline Hotel outside group photo
Bill France Sr. gathers a group (pictured outside the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida) to discuss forming NASCAR.

The sport’s officials and dignitaries will meet again Thursday in Daytona Beach to celebrate the Dec. 14, 1947 gathering, the first in a series of meetings that formed the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing.

The festivities will take place at the Streamline Hotel, site of those initial meetings 70 years ago. The art-deco building, which opened just steps from Daytona’s shores in 1940, has been newly renovated with a focus on maintaining its historic importance as NASCAR’s birthplace.

The northern Florida beachfront had long been a site for automotive derring-do and land-speed records before stock car racing’s early growth. Sensing a need to organize and develop a rules structure and standards for promotion, Bill France Sr. and other prominent figures in the sport kicked off a three-day meeting with the intent of creating a sanctioning body.

Those talks ended Feb. 21, 1948 with the founding of NASCAR.

Streamline Hotel
The site and location where NASCAR began, the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by ISC Archives via Getty Images)

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on by @nascarcasm

First off I must apologize for the delay between blogs. As my owner’s retirement neared, it became my self-assigned duty to steal all of the retirement gifts he was bringing home and bury them in the backyard and that became quite the time suck. Amy buries most of the crap he hoards from eBay just east of the treehouse, so I had to stick most of the items in the car graveyard. The tricorn hat from Loudon? I dropped that over on Blaney’s porch. With his hair and facial hair he’s halfway to looking like Jack Sparrow anyways.

 

The only thing I didn’t bury is the musket he received from the “Magic Mile.” I talked with some of the deer that roam the property and we all agreed it would be hilarious if Dale actually tried to hunt with that thing. The way we see it, if Dale were to miss with the first shot, the deer would have time to point and laugh at his terrible aim then saunter out of range while he got all frustrated during the five-minute re-loading process.

I saw he received a few animals as gifts and got all nervous, but turns out they were all service animals, which is a nice gesture. I mean look at this one. Weirdest-looking dog I have ever seen. 

 

But it was a very emotional time for all of us. I sobbed many dog tears. It was such a long, sad goodbye. Why couldn’t Dale have saved us the emotional breakdowns and just not shown up to work like that Carl Edwards guy did?

 

So, a lot has happened since I last blogged. First and foremost, my owner is now officially retired from full-time racing in the Monster Energy Series. It’s kinda good and kinda bad. I have gotten significantly more head scratches than usual, which I place in the “good” column. Plus, whenever I’m hanging with him and Amy and I let a scented scream out of the ol’ leather cheerio, I can blame it on him. Two can play that game, humans.

 

But there’s a lot of downside I never realized. For instance, whenever we’re binge-watching “Say Yes To The Dress,” we engage in this passive-aggressive battle where we try to claim more couch space. Dude is encroaching on the couch ass groove that I have spent YEARS developing. It’s my own little divot. I’m like NUH-UH, GINGER INTERLOPER – KNOW YOUR LIMITS. I swear he walks around here like he practically owns the place.

 

Plus, in my opinion, he’s enjoying the fruits of retirement a little TOO much. He used to be presentable. Now he walks around here looking like he just woke up on some stranger’s front lawn. Even Blaney’s like “Dude, groom your damn self.” And to our neighbors, I am terribly sorry ­– rest assured that Amy and I are doing everything in our power to get him to actually wear something under his bathrobe when he goes out to get the mail at 3 p.m. Please do not call the police until we can get this resolved.

 

And before I forget, I want to congratulate the fellow whose bus I took a dump in a couple years ago on winning that giant trophy. I think his name is Martin. His dog’s name is Boden and tell you what, that dog has an ego now. Whatever. As Kyle Busch said, sometimes you just don’t like a dog.

 

The other huge news is that apparently we are gaining a “new addition to the family” as Dale and Amy call it. This is vague. I dunno if this means they’re gonna be tossing another wrecked car chassis on our property that I then have to whiz upon because territory is territory – BACK OFF, JUNEBUG. Or maybe this means that Steve guy finally accepted Dale’s friend request. I don’t know.

 

OHHHHHHHHHHH hold on – wait, I just figured it out. We’re getting a new small human! As in they’re having a baby – AJ Allmendinger isn’t moving in or anything. Oh MAN, that’ll be crazy. Imagine when she’s born. Everyone’s gonna gather outside the hospital and Dale’s gonna have to go on the roof and hold her up like Simba.

 

OK … wow, I got so much to process right now. Gonna save it for another blog. OH man, imagine what great parents they’ll be. There’ll be a lot of us here ­– house will be packed pretty tight. Not Dale-in-bike-shorts tight. But tight.

 

They sure are gonna be awesome parents. They’ll make sure she’s well-raised, gets good grades, and knows that popularity isn’t the most important thing. At which point she might gesture at Dale’s 643 Most Popular Driver awards on the mantel and Dale’s gonna have to be like “Never mind them.”

 

SO MUCH TO PROCESS. Feliz Navidad, y’all.

 

– Gus

Posted on by Steve Luvender

Looking for holiday gift inspiration for the NASCAR fan in your life? Well, we’ve got you covered if the traditional route is simply not enough. Generate a totally random and made-up NASCAR-themed gift that you probably won’t find this holiday season (unless they really carry the Corey Lajoie Roomba or William Byron Hatchimals in stores, but we have our doubts).

Posted on by Brad Norman

RELATED: Austin Dillon Season Recap | Austin Dillon through the years

Austin Dillon called next year’s pit road over-the-wall strategy a game-changer, and he wants be a catalyst for that change at Richard Childress Racing.

NASCAR announced in November a series of roster standardizations, including decreasing the number of over-the-wall pit crew members from six to five. Additionally, the gas man will only be allowed to refuel, meaning teams must get creative to service the vehicle.

For routine four-tire stops starting next season, teams could forgo one tire carrier and devise a new framework for servicing their vehicles.

MORE: Austin Dillon, Whitney Ward wed

Dillon, who drives the No. 3 Chevrolet, swung by the shop in the offseason and got a glimpse of his team’s strategy for next year.

“It’s definitely changing the game,” Dillon said. “You’re really going to see four key guys in the crew working together as one, and they’re going to have to be athletic. It is a different game. There’ll be different styles you have to master early on, but it’ll be fun to watch. I think the teams that make the least amount of mistakes are going to thrive on this.

“I am super excited about this. I think it’s going to build teams that fans are excited to watch.”

RELATED: Dillon’s goal is Championship 4

Dillon is excited, too — about 2018 as a whole. He’s on record as saying a spot in the Championship 4 is his goal for the No. 3 team, and part of that journey is continuing to strengthen the bond with his pit crew.

“They’re going to have to be in great shape, and I want to keep them in the best shape as I can and create that team bond with them and make sure we’re all on the same playing ground,” Dillon said.

 

 

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: VIP ticket packages

NASCAR released 2018 race start times and network coverage for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, including the season-opener at Daytona and the Camping World Truck Series Championship at Miami, both on FS1.

The biggest change from the 2017 schedule is the shift to night racing under the bright lights of Las Vegas Motor Speedway two times next season. The Truck Series will travel west for the third race of the year, joining the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The March 2 Friday night race has a 9 p.m. ET green flag.

The Las Vegas race later in the fall on Sept. 14 also has a 9 p.m. ET green flag. The fall race will take place as part of the opening weekend of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, revamped for 2018.

Times for 2018 races were selected collaboratively to meet the needs of fans, teams, tracks and broadcast partners. Fans should look to see more information from several tracks about additional enhancements to their race weekend schedules in the coming weeks.

MORE: See the full 2018 schedule

The 2018 Camping World Truck Series season officially returns Feb. 16 at Daytona. Tune in at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Channel 90, or visit NASCAR.com/buy-tickets to catch all the action in-person.

Date Location Network Start time
Fri, Feb 16, 2018 Daytona FS1 7:30 PM
Sat, Feb 24, 2018 Atlanta FS1 4:30 PM
Fri, Mar 02, 2018 Las Vegas FS1 9:00 PM
Sat, Mar 24, 2018 Martinsville FS1 2:00 PM
Fri, May 04, 2018 Dover FS1 5:00 PM
Fri, May 11, 2018 Kansas FS1 8:30 PM
Fri, May 18, 2018 Charlotte FS1 8:30 PM
Fri, Jun 08, 2018 Texas FS1 9:00 PM
Sat, Jun 16, 2018 Iowa FS1 7:00 PM
Sat, Jun 23, 2018 Gateway FS1 8:30 PM
Fri, Jun 29, 2018 Chicagoland FS1 9:00 PM
Thu, Jul 12, 2018 Kentucky FS1 7:30 PM
Wed, Jul 18, 2018 Eldora FS1 9:00 PM
Sat, Jul 28, 2018 Pocono FS1 1:00 PM
Sat, Aug 11, 2018 Michigan FS1 1:00 PM
Wed, Aug 15, 2018 Bristol FS1 8:30 PM
Sun, Aug 26, 2018 CTMP FS1 2:30 PM
Fri, Sep 14, 2018 Las Vegas FS1 9:00 PM
Sat, Oct 13, 2018 Talladega FOX 1:00 PM
Sat, Oct 27, 2018 Martinsville FS1 1:00 PM
Fri, Nov 02, 2018 Texas FS1 8:30 PM
Fri, Nov 09, 2018 Phoenix FS1 8:30 PM
Fri, Nov 16, 2018 Homestead-Miami FS1 8:00 PM
Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Kurt Busch’s career stats | All his wins | Recap Busch’s 2017 season

Daytona 500 winner Kurt Busch will return to the Stewart-Haas Racing stable in 2018, filling one of the final few remaining pieces of NASCAR’s “Silly Season.”

Busch, in a statement provided to motorsport.com and kickinthetires.net, said:

“Having my hard work pay off by winning the … 2017 Daytona 500 has given me the drive to continue conquering the NASCAR world. I am excited to enter the 2018 racing season as a Monster Energy athlete where I will continue to drive my favorite manufacturer, the Ford Motor Company.

“Knowing that SHR is committed to optimum performance, I believe that I have everything I need to win races this season and take home the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup. I look forward to taking on next year with my team, sponsors and determination.”

Busch, 39, the 2004 premier series champion and a 29-time winner in the series, has driven for SHR since 2014 and this year carried Monster Energy as a primary sponsor on the team’s No. 41 Ford. His tenure at the team includes five wins, highlighted by February’s victory in NASCAR’s crown jewel at Daytona.

PHOTOS: Top moments of Busch’s career

Reports of Busch’s uncertain future first broke Aug. 1 with various outlets citing unnamed sources that the team did not pick up Busch’s 2018 contract option. SHR and the veteran driver, though, both insisted over the past four months that fans should expect the driver-team pairing to continue in 2018.

“I think my best chance to win races, to win championships is to be with Stewart-Haas Racing,” Busch told NASCAR.com during Champion’s Week in Las Vegas. “I’m not too worried about it.”

Busch’s return finalizes Stewart-Haas Racing’s four-car lineup in 2018. Clint Bowyer (No. 14) and Kevin Harvick (No. 4) both return, and Aric Almirola will drive the No. 10 Ford in 2018.

RELATED: Key players in ‘Silly Season’