Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Dale Jr. gets Chevrolet Lifetime Achievement Award

LAS VEGAS — Dale Earnhardt Jr., who retired from full-time competition in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at the conclusion of the 2017 season, has been named the National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver for the 15th consecutive time.

Earnhardt’s selection was announced Thursday during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards program at the Wynn Las Vegas.

Earnhardt, 43, was named on nearly 68 percent of the votes cast by fans.

“I know our fans take a ton of pride in voting for it,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “They take a ton of pride in us winning it. It’s a victory for the whole fan base. It’s something we’re very proud of and always have been.”

The driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt is one of eight drivers to receive the award on multiple occasions. Only one other driver, Bill Elliott, has won the award more often — Elliott was named the series’ most popular driver 16 times between 1984 and 2002.

“When I started winning this award it was all about the popularity of a driver,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “But now as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized this award represents the sport’s accessibility. We touted our accessibility to the fans as something that sets us apart from other sports; it makes us unique and it’s something we take a lot of pride in. The trophy itself is representative of that access. I’ve learned over the years it’s not really just a popularity award or about one individual. It’s really about the fan base that puts the effort in to not only vote for the award but to cheer for that driver and support him week in and week out.”

Completing the top 10 in this year’s voting were (listed alphabetically): Ryan Blaney (Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford), Kyle Busch (Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota), Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet); Jimmie Johnson (Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet), Kasey Kahne (Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet), Matt Kenseth (Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota), Kyle Larson (Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet), Danica Patrick (Stewart-Haas Racing No. 10 Ford) and Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota).

RELATED: Stars turn out to salute Junior | Photos from Appreci88ion

The Most Popular Driver Award is the only major NASCAR award determined solely by fan vote. It has been presented annually since 1953; the recipients were originally determined by a poll of competitors. It became a fan-driven program in 1984 under the guidance of the NMPA.

Thirty-three drivers received votes for this year’s award.

In addition to hosting the voting platform for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series MPD award, fan votes to determine the Most Popular Driver in the NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series were also hosted on NASCAR.com.

Elliott Sadler, who finished second in the XFINITY Series championship battle won the NASCAR XFINITY Series MPD award; Sunoco Rookie of the Year Chase Briscoe was voted Camping World Truck Series MPD by fans.

RELATED: Sadler, Briscoe take home most popular honors

Sadler and Briscoe will be honored Dec. 9 during NASCAR Champions Week in Charlotte.

NMPA MOST POPULAR DRIVER AWARD

The NMPA Most Popular Driver Award is one of the longest-running awards presented annually by the National Motorsports Press Association. Since 1984, it has been the only major NASCAR award to be determined solely by fan vote.

Sadler earns XFINITY Series’ Most Popular honors

Elliott Sadler was announced Tuesday as the NMPA Most Popular Driver in the NASCAR XFINITY Series for the second straight year.

Elliott Sadler
Jamie Squire | Getty Images

Sadler, who was also the top vote-getter in 2011 and 2016, becomes only the third XFINITY Series driver to win the award three times. Brad Keselowski (2008-10) and Kenny Wallace (1991, 1994, 2006) are the other three-time recipients.

The award for Sadler, 42, is the latest in a six-year run by drivers for JR Motorsports. Other JRM winners of the XFINITY Series’ Most Popular Driver Award: Chase Elliott (2014-15), Regan Smith (2013), Danica Patrick (2012) and Keselowski (2008-09).

“It’s unreal to be voted the NXS Most Popular Driver for a second year in a row,” Sadler said in a news story posted to JRM’s web site. “To win this award given by the fans is truly an honor. I’m so grateful for each and every fan who took time out of their day to vote — it’s humbling. I can’t thank NASCAR and my fans enough for honoring me with this award once again. This is incredible. I want to thank everyone who voted, my wife, Amanda, and our kids, and all of our sport’s loyal fan base.”

Sadler finished second in the XFINITY Series standings for the second consecutive year. The Virginia native took eighth place in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, five spots behind JRM teammate and series champ William Byron.

The NMPA Most Popular Driver Award for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is scheduled to be announced Thursday at the NASCAR Champion’s Week Awards. — Zack Albert

Briscoe honored as Truck Series’ Most Popular

Chase Briscoe
Matt Sullivan | Getty Images

Rookie Chase Briscoe was named Monday as the 2017 National Motorsports Press Association’s Most Popular Driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

The recognition comes 10 days after Briscoe, 22, scored his first career victory in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Indiana native finished sixth in the series standings and claimed four pole positions on the way to Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors.

Briscoe was featured alongside Brad Keselowski Racing teammate Austin Cindric in an irreverent social media campaign to drum up balloting support. He becomes the third BKR driver to win the award in the last four years, following Tyler Reddick (2016) and Ryan Blaney (2014). — Zack Albert

 

 

Posted on by Staff Report

SHOP: 2018 LVMS Races
RELATED: Full Champion’s Week schedule

The racing season has ended but the celebration continues as NASCAR’s 2017 Champion’s Week celebration has finally arrived.

Driver autograph sessions, an intimate evening with Dale Earnhardt Jr., the much anticipated Victory Lap and the annual Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards program are among the activities slated to take place once again in Las Vegas this week, beginning Tuesday and wrapping up Thursday evening as driver Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team are officially honored as 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champions.

Kicking things off on will be a NASCAR driver autograph session at NASCAR Fan HQ at The Park (3782 S. Las Vegas Blvd), which is located between New York New York and the Monte Carlo hotel and casino.

Ryan Blaney (Wood Brothers Racing), Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing) and Kyle Larson (Chip Ganassi Racing) are scheduled to sign autographs at The Park beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

The trio will be followed by Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports), Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing), Kasey Kahne (Hendrick), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Roush Fenway Racing) and Truex at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT | Complete list of driver availabilities

The NASCAR Fan Lounge at Beerhaus, presented by Coors Light, also located at The Park, will be open 4-11 p.m. ET/1-8 p.m. PT Tuesday through Thursday with various activities. On Tuesday, series champions Truex (Monster Energy Series), William Byron (XFINITY) and Christopher Bell (Camping World Truck) headline the Champion’s Week kickoff at the Fan Lounge, beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Closing out the opening day’s activities will be the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Appreci88ion event presented by Nationwide at Rose. Rabbit. Lie., located inside the Cosmopolitan. Doors open at 8 p.m. PT. Family, friends and others who have been a part of the career of NASCAR’s most popular driver will be on hand to celebrate his driving career. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

The National Motorsports Press Association’s annual Myers Brothers Awards program kicks off events on Wednesday. The event, which begins at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, will be held at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas. Various NASCAR industry awards will be presented during the two-hour program, capped off with the namesake Myers Brothers Award presented to an individual or individuals who have provided outstanding contributions to the sport of stock car racing. This event will be live streamed on NASCAR.com here.

NASCAR’s Victory Lap Fueled by Sunoco gets underway at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT. All 16 Playoff drivers, and 2017 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Erik Jones, will participate in a “burnout” contest as they make their way between the Miracle Mile Shops and NASCAR Fan HQ at the Park. Upon arriving at their destination, drivers will take part in a fan Q&A.

This event will be live streamed as well and can be viewed here.

NASCAR’s After the Lap celebration, which will include a Lee Brice concert and live taping of the popular Glass Case of Emotion podcast featuring driver Ryan Blaney, brings Wednesday’s activities to an end.

The program (11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT) will be held at The Chelsea located in The Cosmopolitan hotel and casino. Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota VIP areas will feature appearances by NASCAR drivers as well. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Vegas Strong Fund.

Also scheduled for streaming, the GCOE podcast can be viewed live by visiting www.nascar.com/gcoe.

Highlighting the week’s activities will be Thursday’s black-tie affair, the annual Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards program held at the Wynn Las Vegas.

Red carpet arrivals begin at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

The awards program is scheduled to get underway at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Live coverage will be provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR while NBCSN coverage will begin at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

For more information on these and other Champions Week activities in Las Vegas, visit https://championsweek.nascar.com/

 

Posted on by Staff Report

It’s time to celebrate the season at the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion’s Week from Las Vegas.

Here is a full schedule of events, including links for live-streaming events.

All times are ET

Tuesday, Nov. 28
Champion’s Week
6-7:30 p.m.: NASCAR driver autograph session at NASCAR Fan HQ
8-9 p.m.: Champion’s Week Kickoff with series champs at NASCAR Fan Lounge
12-1:30 a.m.: Appreci88ion Event with Dale Jr.

Wednesday, Nov. 29
Champion’s Week
1-3 p.m.: NMPA Myers Brothers Awards
5:30-8 p.m.: NASCAR Victory Lap Fueled by Sunoco
11 p.m.-2 a.m.: NASCAR After the Lap

Thursday, Nov. 30
Champion’s Week
2:30-4 p.m.: NASCAR driver autograph session at NASCAR Fan HQ
8 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards (NBCSN will provide full, tape-delayed coverage beginning at 9 p.m.)

Wednesday’s Champion’s Week events will also be live-streamed for Las Vegas. Check out the links for each event below.

Wednesday, Nov. 29
Live-Stream Links
1-2:30 p.m.: Myers Brothers Awards (Watch)
5:30-8 p.m.: Victory Lap Fueled by Sunoco (Watch)
11:45 p.m.-12:45 a.m.: Glass Case of Emotion LIVE from NATL (Watch)

Posted on by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Germain Racing fields the No. 13 GEICO, GEICO Military and Twisted Tea Chevrolet for driver Ty Dillon in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The team has hired veteran crew chief Matt Borland to call the shots for Ty Dillon in the No. 13 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

Borland is signed to a multiyear agreement as the crew chief for Dillon, and he is scheduled to begin in his role immediately.

“Matt Borland brings a varied skill set to our No. 13 program. With his engineering skills and veteran leadership, we are looking forward to continued improvements in our team results as we move into the new season and beyond,” said team owner Bob Germain Jr.

RELATED: Dillon, wife welcome daughter

Posted on by Staff Report

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

Note: All times are ET.

RELATED: Watch on the NBC Sports App |  How to find FS1, FS2 | How to find NBCSN

Monday, Nov. 27
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of NASCAR RaceHub, Part 2, FS1

Tuesday, Nov. 28
2:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of NASCAR RaceHub, Part 1, FS1
3:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of NASCAR RaceHub, Part 2, FS1
4:30 a.m., Beyond the Wheel 2017, FS1
5:30 a.m., NASCAR Classic: 1993 Daytona 500, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN

Wednesday, Nov. 29
2 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of NASCAR RaceHub, Part 1, FS2
3 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of NASCAR RaceHub, Part 2, FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN

Thursday, Nov. 30
7 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
9 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards, NBCSN
11 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards (re-air), NBCSN

Friday, Dec. 1
1 a.m., Racing Roots: Daniel Suarez, NBCSN
1:30 a.m., Racing Roots: Kyle Larson, NBCSN
2 a.m., NASCAR Scan All 43, NBCSN
2:30 a.m., NASCAR Scan All 43, NBCSN
7 a.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN

Posted on by Staff Report

Classic cars owned by four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and more are scheduled to be on display Saturday as part of the fifth annual AmeriCarna LIVE car show in Davidson, North Carolina.

Gordon’s 1952 Oldsmobile Super 88 Convertible and Earnhardt’s 1976 Chevrolet Laguna highlight the annual charity event hosted by NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2018 member and former championship-winning crew chief Ray Evernham.

The show will be held at Ingersoll Rand North American headquarters and Corporate Center located at 800 Beaty Street in Davidson.

Funds raised through the event support IGNITE, the Autism Society of North Carolina’s community center for young adults with high-functioning autism or Asperger’s Syndrome.

PHOTOS: Iconic rides from 2016 show

Evernham is the founder of IGNITE while MSC Industrial Supply Co. and Ingersoll Rand are supporting sponsors.

A special display of off-road vehicles and vintage race cars will also be on hand. In addition to the vehicles of Gordon and Earnhardt, also on display will be Joey Logano’s 1972 Chevelle Duramax twin turbo diesel; a 2018 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 owned by Rusty Wallace and a display of vehicles from Evernham’s own collection.

Admission is $5; children under 10 will be admitted free.

Interested car owners can pre-register online at AmeriCarnaLIVE.com or register at the gate on day of show for $30.

Posted on by Staff Report

Tony Stewart, Ol’ ‘Smoke’ himself, is engaged to be married. The longtime Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver and current co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing posted a picture of fiancee Pennelope Jimenez’s ring-studded finger on Thanksgiving Day, with the caption: “She said YES!”

Stewart, 46, and Jiminez have been together since 2016. The bachelor had long joked he would never get married, but he’s clearly met the right woman.

“No!” Stewart said with a chuckle on “The Dan Patrick Show” in September when host Dan Patrick asked if Stewart was getting married. “Who told you that? I’ve made it 46 years!”

Congratulations to the happy couple.

We’ll let Dale Earnhardt Jr. play us off:

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Black’s career stats | Key players in Silly Season

Ray Black Jr. tweeted out some Silly Season news of his own on Wednesday afternoon. The 26-year-old Florida native will drive full time for Rick Ware Racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2018.

Black made his Monster Energy Series debut at Chicagoland Speedway in September and has three totals starts in the series. He made 54 starts in the NASCAR XFINITY Series over the past two seasons.

Rick Ware Racing used a combination of drivers — Timmy Hill, Cody Ware, Josh Bilicki, B.J. McLeod, Kyle Weatherman and Black — in the No. 51 car in 2017

Posted on by Staff Report

The reverberations from Miami are finally starting to settle, the leaves are falling, the weather is cooling.

It’s Thanksgiving season, and we have plenty to be thankful for. Here’s our list for the editorial team members of NASCAR.com following a tremendous 2017 season.

We are thankful for …

• The championship Furniture Row Racing team and the lesson it showed brilliantly about hard work, overcoming obstacles, belief in your people and the power of tenacity. — Holly Cain 

• Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s thoughtful answers, patience and willingness to let us behind the curtain, so to speak, in his final full-time season. — George Winkler

• The sounds and smells from the garage; the interactions with fans and discovering all the points on the map where they come from; the wide-eyed young drivers aiming to turn themselves into household names; and that last-day-of-school feeling from saying all our goodbyes at Homestead, knowing that 2018 and Daytona will be here before we know it. — Zack Albert 

• Twitter. Seriously, what did we do without it? — Jessica Ruffin

• Jeremy Clements winning at Road America as a highlight for the small teams that work hard and show their dedication week in and week out. — George Winkler

• Danica Patrick’s impact on young fans of the sport, particularly female fans, witnessed with my daughter. — George Winkler

• Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski’s ability to develop and mentor talent in NASCAR. The sport’s surging youth movement is in large part due to their efforts to give talented drivers an opportunity. — RJ Kraft

• Graceful farewells. From champion Matt Kenseth to sport-changer Danica Patrick to the Most Popular of all, Dale Earnhardt Jr. They all are examples in talent, fortitude and grace.  — Holly Cain

• Chase Elliott standing up for himself when things got heated with veteran Denny Hamlin. The new boys are coming. — Allie Davison 

• The dedicated fans. Without you, none of this would be possible. Thank you for loving the greatest sport in the world. — Chase Wilhelm

• Maybe this is cliché, but I’m thankful for the fans. Without them, drivers would get really warm inside their cars. — Steve Luvender

• Automakers. The debut of the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is coming in 2018. That comes on the heels of the rollout of the newly designed Toyota Camry in ’17 and the updated Ford Fusion in ’16. While navigating the changing automotive waters of the consumer, these auto giants continue to see the benefits of their involvement in NASCAR. — Kenny Bruce

• Martin Truex Jr. and Sherry Pollex, for sharing their strength amid adversity, their willingness to help others and their enduring love story. — Kathy Sheldon 

• Witnessing such an exciting time for the sport. Sure, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth and Danica Patrick are stepping away. But fans watched Richard Petty retire in 1992, and with that came the silver lining of the start of Jeff Gordon’s career. The next “Wonder Boy” is out there right now. — Pat DeCola 

• Short-track racing. The close quarters bumping and banging leads to some of the best action you’ll see all season long … and also provides some heated exchanges and unexpected rivalries to blossom. — RJ Kraft

• The love of competition. Everyone in the garage is a competitor. Sometimes competition is friendly, but most of the time it’s fierce. And that’s what’s great about sports — especially NASCAR. — Jessica Ruffin  

• I’m thankful for Cole Pearn, for no matter what the circumstance, he maintains that one facial expression he has where it looks like he just saw someone holding a jar of mustard with a straw in it. — @nascarcasm

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Danica steps away | Patrick, Ganassi discuss possible ’18 partnership

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The good, the sad, the ugly and the anticipatory; Danica Patrick’s final full-time NASCAR start had it all, the full range of emotions.

Patrick was able to announce her upcoming retirement on her own terms, and surprised herself with the tears the decision induced when she revealed it publicly last Friday. Two days later, she ended her final full-season race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the wall, and despite the frustration and disappointment, there remains great anticipation for her two-race “Danica Double” – the 2018 Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 – to wrap up a historical and important career.

She will finish on her own terms in two of motorsports’ most celebrated races, events that the 35-year-old Patrick loves and that have provided a career highlight reel.

It’s all righteously characteristic of her time in major league auto racing.

“It’s a perfect way (to go out),” Patrick said. “It definitely feels like it should be over. But look, it’s my decision. Before I heard if we had a sponsor or a team wanted to move forward I felt a lot of pressure on myself to answer whether I wanted to before.

“I wanted to make the decision myself. I didn’t want to be at the mercy of everybody else’s decision before mine.”

Patrick with the 2013 Daytona 500 pole award | Tom Pennington, Getty Images

There has always been great expectation of having a talented, respected woman compete under the sport’s brightest lights.

As a woman in a male-dominated profession of sports writing, I understand the need to perform and excel without it being considered “pretty good for a girl.”

Patrick’s work driving Indy cars in the 2000s – and especially her dramatic success in the Indy 500 — was noteworthy and gender-less. And she brought the same promise to NASCAR where she historically won the 2013 Daytona 500 pole position. It wasn’t just good work for a woman. It was good work, period.

And it was even more impressive considering Patrick’s entire racing background had been open-wheel race cars and that was only her second time at that track in a Cup car.

While I remember it “stunning” some people, it was not particularly surprising to me. That is exactly how Patrick has worked — the bigger the stage, the better her game — the opposite results of some athletes that crumble under the pressure and spotlight.

MORE: Patrick through the years

It was evident from the beginning of her career — the press conference at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before she made her first Indy 500 grid. It was an informal event, Patrick and then-team owner Bobby Rahal sitting on barstool-type seats in the fourth-floor media center as opposed to a formal setting in the first-floor press-conference room.

Most of the reporters were milling around holding conversations with public relations representatives, perhaps in their seats transcribing interviews from their tape recorders or deciding whether to hit the lunch room for food.

But I remember vividly how one after another, while listening to Patrick speak, the reporters made their way up to the front of the room closer to her, quite curious to hear about the “big plans” and possibility she would indeed make a start in the following year’s Indianapolis 500.

Boy, did she.

Patrick after winning at Japan in 2008 | Jonathan Ferrey, Getty Images

Patrick finished fourth and led 19 laps in her Indy 500 debut in 2005 and bettered it still with a third-place finish in 2009. She has top-10 showings in six of her seven Indy 500 starts — five of those eighth place or better. Her average finish is 8.7.

When the news began leaking that she would move to NASCAR the buzz was palpable. Some wondered “why?” as Patrick — who became the first woman to win an IndyCar race at Japan in 2008 — was really firming herself as a legitimate contender week after week.

But Patrick has never been afraid of a challenge — taking on challenges is a considerable portion of what has made her so successful.

And much as her Indy 500 record made her an IndyCar superstar, Patrick’s Daytona 500 resume helped solidify her in NASCAR.

She’s the first to concede the results haven’t been what she expected in stock cars, but there are shining moments — and thus her final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Daytona makes perfect sense.

Tom Pennington | Getty Images

Although Patrick has not finalized her last ride with a NASCAR or IndyCar Series team yet, she and her personal team were absolutely confident in getting it done and hoped to announce at least the Daytona 500 portion in a matter of weeks.

“I got excited about it and anyone seeing me talk about it was like, you’re really lighting up,” Patrick said. “I am nervous but really excited about it.

“It’s a perfect way [to end].”