Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Recap Johnson’s 2017 season | Jimmie through the years

Last year as a newly crowned seven-time champion, Jimmie Johnson spent much of the offseason at his new home in Colorado – skiing, getting his young daughters up on snowboards and generally enjoying the good times and just rewards of having cemented his legendary status in the sport.

This offseason, following a 10th-place finish in the points standings, will feel and look much different Johnson said last week during NASCAR’s Champion’s Week in Las Vegas.

“Last year we knew was pretty unique in being able to spend five full months out there [in Colorado] in a row,’’ Johnson said. “This year we won’t do that, we’ll just go out for holiday seasons and maybe West Coast swings, things like that.

“I’m sad I won’t be there as much but it was a lot easier last year after a championship. With the poor finish we just had, we need to buckle down and get to work.’’

A tough second half of the season relegated the 2016 champion to an early exit from the ’17 playoffs. His last top-10 finish of the year came at Charlotte (seventh) with six races remaining in the schedule and he closed out the season with a highly uncharacteristic stretch of 27th, 39th and 27th–place finishes – ultimately placing the No. 48 team at the bottom of the top 10 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings.

Although he started the season strong, leading the series with three wins by spring, 2017 marked the first time in Johnson’s 16-year full-time career he did not win a race after the start of summer. His 217 laps led marked a career low.

“I feel like the way the last quarter of the season went for us was below our expectations and certainly our fans and probably even the people reporting on the sport,’’ Johnson reflected. “It is unfair to always expect us to win a championship but I think being competitive and leading laps and challenging for wins … that’s a fair expectation and we just didn’t do that at the end of the year.

“That wasn’t easy to deal with. I had a good couple weeks, kinda relaxing after Homestead but then next week will be a work week, time to get back in the shop. I’m ready to get back to work.”

As Johnson spoke with reporters, the disappointment was palpable, but so was the passion to return to the winning ways modern NASCAR has become accustomed to seeing out of this No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet team. It’s hard to consider it an “off year” with three wins in that column, but the expectations here are different. So re-grouping, re-energizing and re-evaluating it is.

“Every offseason has different effects,’’ Johnson said. “This one is much more about letting go of stress and tension and relaxing. Last year after winning the championship it was being on top of the world and celebrating and trying to get to Colorado as fast as I could to ski as often as I could. This year is a lot different

“This year I’m kind of licking my wounds in a sense. Trying to think through what we could have done better in ’17. As the month moves on start thinking of ways we could communicate better, put a better product on the track.”

Johnson is convinced that his Hendrick Motorsports team will be putting a better product on track next year.

“I’m optimistic about 2018 and the new Camaro,’’ Johnson said, his face lighting up in enthusiasm. “From an aerodynamic standpoint the Chevrolets have not had an update since we went to this generation of car. For us to finally have an update the car will produce more downforce, be more efficient, definitely more competitive on the downforce tracks.”

When you have won 83 races and seven Cup championships, it’s easy to feel optimistic and confident. Johnson has not only won a race in all 16 full Cup seasons, he has won multiple races every year and has top-five finishes (222) in an amazing 38 percent of all Cup races (579) he’s competed in. 

It’s safe to say Johnson knows how to maintain both good perspective and high motivation.

 “Change is good,’’ Johnson said smiling. “No one is ever really in the same place individually, collectively or as a group. You’re either growing together or growing a part.  Some change is always happening, so I think the change taking place for us is change in the right direction, will bring the company closer together and produce a better product, more competitive cars.”

“Our goal is to be in that (Championship 4) and compete for a championship.”

Posted on by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. — Trevor Bayne’s AdvoCare Ford Fusion will sport a different look when it hits the track to begin the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) season as the famed Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 will be sporting the primary color of black.

“This new paint scheme is pretty awesome,” said Bayne. “If you look through history a lot of the great drivers have driven black race cars as their primary scheme and I am pretty excited to have one as well going into 2018. I think that this new look by AdvoCare is really great and shows that we mean business every time we head out onto the racetrack. This scheme just makes me even more excited about getting back behind the wheel in 2018.”

This new scheme marks the first time that the Roush Fenway No. 6 will be primarily black in the MENCS since the 2005 season with NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin.

“It is really cool to have the No. 6 Ford black again for Roush Fenway,” added Bayne. “I know that Mark (Martin) ran really well in these colors and hopefully we can replicate that same success next season.”

Bayne, who is coming off of a 2017 campaign that saw a career-high in top-10 finishes, enters his fifth season with AdvoCare as his primary partner and his fourth with the Plano, Texas company in the MENCS.

The 2018 MENCS season kicks off with the 60th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR editors recap the 2017 season for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff drivers and the top five drivers in both the NASCAR XFINITY Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

RELATED: Top stories of the year | Season superlatives for 2017

— Dec. 4: No. 16 Ryan Newman: Outlook | Season recap | Career highlights
— Dec. 5: XFINITY Series: Fifth-place recap (Cole Custer) Season recap
— Dec. 5: Truck Series: Fifth-place recap (Ben Rhodes) Season recap
— Dec. 6: No. 15 Kasey Kahne: Outlook | Season recap | Career highlights
— Dec. 7: No. 14 Kurt Busch: Outlook | Season recap | Career highlights 
— Dec. 8: No. 13 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Outlook | Season recap | Career highlights
— Dec. 11: No. 12 Jamie McMurray: Outlook | Season recap | Career highlights
— Dec. 12: XFINITY Series: Fourth-place recap (Daniel Hemric) Season recap
— Dec. 12: Truck Series: Fourth-place recap (Matt Crafton) Season recap
— Dec. 12: Monster Energy Series non-playoff drivers recap Season recap
— Dec. 13: No. 11 Austin Dillon: Outlook | Season recap | Career highlights
— Dec. 14: No. 10 Jimmie Johnson: Outlook | Season recap | Career highlights
— Dec. 15: No. 9 Ryan Blaney: Outlook | Season recap | Career highlights
— Dec. 18: No. 8 Kyle Larson: Outlook | Season recap | Career highlights
— Dec. 19: XFINITY Series: Third-place recap (Justin Allgaier) Season recap
— Dec. 19: Truck Series: Third -place recap (Austin Cindric) Season recap
— Dec. 20: No. 7 Matt Kenseth: Video | Season recap | Career highlights 
— Dec. 21: No. 6 Denny Hamlin: Video | Season recap | Career highlights
— Dec. 22: No. 5 Chase Elliott: Outlook | Season recap | Career highlights 
— Dec. 26: No. 4 Brad Keselowski: Video | Season recap | Career highlights
— Dec. 26: XFINITY Series: Second-place recap (Elliott Sadler) Season recap 
— Dec. 26: Truck Series: Second-place recap (Johnny Sauter) Season recap
— Dec. 27: No. 3 Kevin Harvick: Video | Outlook | Season recap | Career highlights
— Dec. 28: No. 2 Kyle Busch: Outlook | Season recap | Career highlights
— Dec. 29: XFINITY Series: First-place recap (William Byron) Video | Season recap
— Dec. 29: Truck Series: First-place recap (Christopher Bell) Video | Season recap
— Dec. 29: No. 1 Martin Truex Jr. Video | Season recap | Career highlights

Posted on by Zack Albert

NASCAR Hall of Famer Jack Ingram was seriously injured in a car accident in his hometown on Dec. 3.

Ingram’s family indicated Monday morning that the former driver, a multiple-time champion in what is now the NASCAR XFINITY Series, was receiving treatment in the intensive care unit at Mission Hospital near his Asheville, North Carolina home.

“We are currently by his side, managing his care with his clinicians and will decide next steps,” a family statement read. “We remain hopeful and positive, and appreciate all thoughts and prayers. We will provide updates as information becomes available.”

According to an accident report filed by the Asheville Police Department, the 2002 Chevrolet driven by Ingram collided with a 1999 Ford pick-up driven by a 36-year-old man from nearby Henderson, North Carolina. Ingram’s vehicle was struck in the driver’s side door, according to the report.

The report stated that Ingram was transported to Mission Hospital with unknown injuries. One of two passengers in Ingram’s car was also transported to the hospital with complaints of pain in his right arm, the report said. No injuries were listed for the driver of the other vehicle, according to police.

According to the report, the accident occurred within a tenth of a mile from the former site of Asheville Motor Speedway, where Ingram was a local legend. The 1/3-mile paved oval, which ended weekly racing after the 1999 season, has been preserved as a recreation area known as Carrier Park.

Ingram won the championship in what is now known as the NASCAR XFINITY Series in 1982 and 1985. He also won three titles and scores of races in the Late Model Sportsman division, the precursor to the XFINITY Series.

Ingram was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s 2014 class. He earned the nickname “Iron Man” both for his career’s longevity and his ability to successfully compete in several events a week. By his count, Ingram scored 317 points-paying victories in NASCAR competition.

Posted on by Team Release

RELATED: Newman ready for Victory Lane in ’18 | Newman’s 2017 season recap

WELCOME, N.C. — Richard Childress Racing (RCR) has named Andy Petree as its new Vice President of Competition, and Dr. Eric Warren as Chief Technology Officer, effective immediately. The organizational moves bolster RCR’s competition department with more than 50 years of combined racing experience.

Petree joins RCR on a full-time basis after he was brought on in an advisory role in October to conduct a comprehensive review of the team’s competition area. Warren, who has served in a competition leadership position at RCR since 2012, will oversee RCR’s engineering department and new technology strategy. The Chief Technology Officer will report to the Vice President of Competition.

“These organizational moves will strengthen our competition department tremendously,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of RCR. “We felt that Andy did an exceptional job in the past month during his review of our competition area. Bringing him on as a Vice President of Competition is a valuable addition to our leadership team.”

“I’ve known Andy for a long time and we’re thrilled to have him work alongside our team, including Eric in his new role as Chief Technology Officer. This move will allow Eric to use his years of experience and many technical talents to focus on engineering and the application of emerging technologies,” Childress said.

Petree’s experience in NASCAR runs deep. For decades, he has served in numerous roles, including driver, team owner and championship-winning crew chief. He most recently served as a television analyst for Fox Sports.

Warren holds a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from North Carolina State University and has held numerous roles in stock car racing dating back to 1997 including competition director, chief aerodynamicist and technical director. He joined RCR in October 2012 and since then has been a part of 24 victories and one championship in NASCAR’s top-three touring series.

Posted on by Brad Norman

RELATED: Shop for Ryan Newman gear | Season recap | Career highlights

Ryan Newman has advanced to the Championship 4 during his tenure with Richard Childress Racing, but he had never won a race with the organization entering 2017.

That changed early in the year, with Newman and crew chief Luke Lambert gambling on old tires at Phoenix Raceway and holding on for a victory that snapped a 127-race winless skid. It was Lambert’s first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win as a crew chief, and the 18th for Newman at NASCAR’s top level.

Good vibes from the win stayed throughout the season — that much was evident at Champion’s Week in Las Vegas last week when Newman pleasantly recalled, in great detail, how it felt to get back to Victory Lane.

But the No. 31 RCR team finished 16th in the standings out of 16 postseason drivers, enough to end the season wanting more.

“It’s successful for us to get in Victory Lane,” Newman said. “We fought so long and got so close, especially in 2014 being in the championship race. So yeah, it was a successful year, just not to my standards of what I wanted, but it had some bright lights.

“Sometimes you have to have those years of small gains in order to have those years of big gains in the future.”

Newman identifies 2018 as a year where RCR can make big gains, a feeling echoed by teammate Austin Dillon — Dillon’s goal is a Championship 4 appearance.

Perhaps the biggest opportunity for more wins comes with the brand-new 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which had Chevrolet drivers from every team raving during Champion’s Week.

MORE: See photos of the new car

“I think it’s awesome, and good timing to have the Camaro ZL1 to be the car for competition in 2018,” Newman said. “All the development that went into it was with this (current) body style and aero package in mind.

“The 2013 car, which is the one we’ve been competing with, debuted with an entirely different aero package. That makes a big difference in having a good, balanced race car. If we hit our targets, hopefully it’ll get Chevrolet in Victory Lane a whole lot more next year.”

RELATED: Shop for Ryan Newman gear

Posted on by Staff Report

MORE: Full race results

Kyle Busch won the 2017 Snowball Derby, the 50th anniversary of the event, Sunday at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida.

Busch was the only Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver entered in the golden anniversary race, but he was joined by NASCAR Next and development drivers Harrison Burton, Noah Gragson, Corey LaJoie, Brandon McReynolds, Ty Majeski and Mason Mingus.

In 2009, Busch also won the Snowball Derby, one of the most prestigious late model races in the country. Other Derby winners currently driving in NASCAR’s national series are Chase Elliott (2011, 2016), Erik Jones (2012, 2013) and John Hunter Nemechek (2014).

Busch led the final 17 of 300 laps to take first. Veterans Jeff Choquette and Bubba Pollard finished second and third, respectively. Burton, the 2017 K&N Pro Series East champion, took fourth. Chase Purdy, a member of the NASCAR Next class, was eighth. McReynolds took 10th.

Posted on by Staff Report

How’s this for an early Christmas present, racing world? A Gordon was on track Sunday. Leo Gordon, son of four-time champion Jeff Gordon, got behind the wheel.

 

We checked in on Leo two years ago when he first got his hot rod, and we’ll stick with hoping he might be a champion in maybe 2036.

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: ‘Bud’ Moore through the years | Moore passes away at 92

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — His eyes were red, his voice cracked slightly with emotion and he probably spoke for most folks here when he hung his head and said “These are sad days. All my heroes are dying.”

He was a former NASCAR official and one of many who turned out here Saturday as they buried Walter M. Moore Jr., the man known as “Bud” to family and friends alike. 

Folks gathered at First Baptist North Spartanburg to say their goodbyes on a surprisingly warm and sunny December day.

Moore was a decorated military veteran and a successful team owner in NASCAR and he touched the lives of so many folks during his 92 years here on this earth.

His military exploits and NASCAR accomplishments have been well-documented. The recipient of five Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars. A championship as a crew chief and twice more as an owner. Sixty-three victories.

Respect from both sides was paid in the flesh Saturday — Moore was laid to rest with military funeral honors, and a wide-ranging mix of fellow racing associates were on hand to bid him farewell.

NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Bobby Allison, who won 14 times in Moore’s familiar No. 15 Ford, was among those in attendance. Ricky Rudd, a five-time winner with Moore, was there as well. Rudd once raced for Moore with his eyes taped open after surviving a horrendous crash at Daytona.

Humpy Wheeler, the promoter’s promoter and former president of Charlotte Motor Speedway was there to pay his respects as was Jim France, son of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. and currently Chairman of the Board for International Speedways Corp.

Past crew chiefs who worked with Bud Moore Engineering turned out and stood shoulder-to-shoulder alongside those who had known Moore simply as a friend and neighbor.

 

Winston Kelley, the executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, spoke of Moore’s drive and determination, traits that led to Moore’s induction into the Hall in 2011. “He was one of the first 10 people inducted” out of the 60-plus years’ worth of candidates, Kelley, a longtime friend of the car owner, noted.

But he was just as much a family man, Kelley said. Moore was married to wife Betty for 64 years before her passing in 2009.

Mike Helton, the first NASCAR president outside the France family, also paid tribute to Moore during Saturday’s service.

Helton recalled first meeting the legendary team owner through Bill France Jr., the former head of NASCAR. France would often seek out Moore for feedback, because he knew it would be honest, if sometimes brutally so.

Helton said Moore wanted to be remembered as a man “who loved his family, his country and the sport of auto racing. “

“Check, check and check,” he said.

Earlier this year it was former NASCAR XFINITY Series champion Sam Ard and Daytona 500 winner Pete Hamilton. And is seems like just yesterday that we said our goodbyes to engine builder and team owner Robert Yates.

There have been others as well.

It’s been an honor and a privilege to cover such competitors and Bud Moore wasn’t the least of them by any means.

But it’s been a bigger honor just to have known them.

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Truex Jr. crowned | Red carpet photos

LAS VEGAS — In so many ways Thursday’s 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards seemed like the perfect sentimental send off — a fond farewell for retiring superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr. and a fitting championship celebration for one of his best friends, Martin Truex Jr.

Celebrating the two drivers and longtime friends on stage on the same night felt almost destined. It was certainly one of the most genuinely heart-touching times in the history of the sport’s celebratory evenings.

Their connection is substantial and long-standing.

As with his good friend Junior, Truex won back-to-back (2004 and 2005) XFINITY Series (then called the Busch Grand National Series) championships driving for the late seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s former team. Then, as with Junior six years earlier, Truex ran his first full-time Cup season for the Dale Earnhardt Inc. team as well.

RELATED: Top headlines from Champion’s Week

The fondness between the men is genuine, abounding and as the banquet showed, enduring.

So much so, that it was Earnhardt who delivered a heartfelt speech in introducing Truex for the championship trophy presentation.

“To me and many who know him, he’s a champion in so many ways,” Earnhardt said, as Truex smiled and began wiping away tears.

“Like when his professional career turned challenging, his options limited, he blamed no one. He kept his head high, he persevered because he’s a champion person.

“While the love of his life [Truex’s girlfriend Sherry Pollex] battles the most evil of diseases, and he stands with her to make her fight his fight, he’s a champion partner. When he’s away from the track, perhaps enjoying his true passion for hunting or fishing, you realize this: He’s a champion friend. He’s the man. He is the champion in so many ways and no one more deserving this night.”

And while the two-time Daytona 500 winner Earnhardt has never hoisted a Cup championship trophy, the newly-crowned 15-time Most Popular Driver, has impacted the sport in bountiful ways and will continue to as he transitions from the cockpit to NBC’s broadcast booth in 2018.

First, he will serve as Grand Marshal for the 2018 Daytona 500 and undoubtedly he will continue charitable efforts that included an $888,000 donation from longtime sponsor Nationwide in Las Vegas — his time devoted and money raised for charities is a legacy that, for many, may outshine all his great achievements on the race track.

That interest in giving back is something he and Truex share in addition to their on-track legacies — another way the two men are connected and another reason why their time together out front wrapped up this season most appropriately.