Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Champion’s Week schedule

Jimmie Johnson pulled back the curtain Thursday on a little-known recent tradition among drivers who have worn the NASCAR premier series crown — a champion’s journal.

In a Thursday morning post to his Instagram account, Johnson said he had asked NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton about producing a mantle to be passed from champion to champion each year. At Helton’s suggestion, Johnson wrote, he started a journal in 2011 and passed it on to Tony Stewart, who succeeded him as series champ that season.

Johnson posted a picture of the keepsake book Thursday, open to his first entry, signed and dated December 2011. It reads: “It’s hard to believe something like this journal wasn’t done before. I thought it would be a great tradition to start between champions, and I’m honored to be the first entry. My thought is the outbound champion writes a letter to the inbound champion. From there, the champ keeps the book until the NASCAR awards ceremony and then passes it along.”

Only Johnson has won multiple championships during the journal’s existence. Since that first entry in 2011, the journal has been held by Stewart, Brad Keselowski, Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Johnson again, up to current champion Martin Truex Jr.

Truex is to be honored Thursday night at the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards in Las Vegas. But before being feted as a first-time title winner, Truex took ownership of the memento, where he’ll pen his letter to the 2018 champ in one year’s time.

Johnson has made his own history in the sport with seven premier series championships. With the gesture to create a personal, living document for the sport’s most talented drivers, he revealed that he’s also done his part to preserve and share that history with an exclusive club in stock-car racing.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: ‘Much higher goals’ for Austin Dillon in 2018

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Dillon and fiancee Whitney Ward are set to be married December 9, according to Ward’s Twitter account.

 


Dillon proposed to the former NFL cheerleader in August 2016, and the pair will tie the knot in Lexington, North Carolina — perhaps at Childress Vineyards, owned by Dillon’s grandfather and team owner, Richard Childress.

MORE: Austin Dillon gets engaged to Whitney Ward

The wedding continues a positive offseason for the Dillon family thus far, as brother Ty and his wife, Haley, announced the birth of their first child last week.

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: All the news from Champion’s Week | Full schedule

LAS VEGAS – Driver appearances, victory lap burnouts, and fan autograph sessions this week all lead up to Thursday night’s highly anticipated Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards live from Las Vegas.

The banquet, held again in the elegant Wynn Las Vegas, will feature interviews from all 16 of NASCAR’s playoff drivers topped by speeches from the Championship 4, including Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and 2017 champion Martin Truex Jr.

Truex and his Furniture Row Racing team were recognized Wednesday at the traditional Myers Brothers ceremony for its eight-win title-hoisting work in 2017 and Truex promised afterward a champion’s speech that would be “short and sweet.” He said he is making several revisions to his original speech after practicing it on Tuesday.

“You’ve just got to get the job done, have fun and go celebrate with everyone,” Truex said. “I feel good about it [the speech], it’s short and sweet.”

RELATED: Truex Jr., Pollex named 2017 Myers Brothers recipient

Popular NASCAR on NBC broadcasters Krista Voda and Rutledge Wood will host the evening events, which in addition to recognizing the playoff competitors includes revealing the winner of the prestigious Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award winner and naming the 2017 NMPA Most Popular Driver.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who retired from full-time competition following the Homestead-Miami season-ender two weeks ago, has won the Most Popular Driver award for the previous 14 seasons and will be celebrated Thursday night for his impact on the sport.

The banquet will air on NBCSN at 9 p.m. ET and re-air at 11 p.m. ET on NBCSN. There will be a special version of “NASCAR America,” featuring a Red Carpet pre-show from the Wynn at 7 p.m. ET (NBCSN) leading into the banquet coverage.

Posted on by George Winkler

RELATED: Key players in NASCAR’s Silly Season

LAS VEGAS — Kurt Busch remains confident and optimistic that a new contract with Stewart-Haas Racing for the 2018 season will be forthcoming, the driver said during Champion’s Week.

“It’s all a work in progress,” Busch said. “Monster has stood by my side and Ford has been supportive. I like the way the two sides are coming together. My focus has been more about the people and personnel and how we’re going to make this work to be more successful next year. Winning Daytona was great, but we want more.”

RELATED: Recap Busch’s 2017 season | Top moments in Busch’s career

Busch provided one of the 2017 season’s highlights with his win in the Daytona 500, his first in “The Great American Race.” But in August, reports surfaced that Stewart-Haas Racing would not pick up the option on his contract for 2018. The team also tweeted that they expected Busch to return in 2018, and the driver has said the same.

“I think my best chance to win races, to win championships is to be with Stewart-Haas Racing,” Busch said. “Talked with other owners and the offers were about the same from other teams, but the offers weren’t the same as far as level of car. And to work with Doug Yates and Ford and all the individuals that I’ve grown around and felt comfortable with at SHR, that’s not available at other teams.

“We’ll see how it all plays out, I’m not too worried about it.”

Busch has 29 wins in the Monster Energy Series and was the 2004 series champion. The No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford qualified for the Playoffs in 2017 and finished 14th in the standings.

Posted on by Staff Report

MORE: Stars show Appreci88ion | Appreci88ion scenes | Daytona 500 grand marshals

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will have a prominent role in next year’s Daytona 500 after all.

Daytona International Speedway announced Wednesday that the two-time winner of “The Great American Race” is set to serve as Grand Marshal for the 60th running of the Daytona 500, scheduled Feb. 18, 2018.

The recently retired Earnhardt won the Daytona 500 in 2004 and 2014. Come February, his duties will include giving the command to start engines to the field.

“I was humbled when asked to be the Grand Marshal of next season’s Daytona 500,” Earnhardt said in a release provided by the track. “The race has so much history and being a two-time winner of the event is something I am extremely proud of. The list of names who have Grand Marshaled the race is one I’m honored to add my name to. Speedweeks is an exciting time for our sport, and this assures me an opportunity to witness the thrills of it all.”

Said track president Chip Wile: “Talk about a perfect fit — on the historic 60th running of the Daytona 500, we will have a man responsible for so much of our history serving as the Grand Marshal. He has meant so much to our facility, to NASCAR and all race fans through the years. It’s an honor to have him back in this capacity for the 2018 DAYTONA 500.”

Earnhardt completed his final full season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series earlier this month at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He ends his full-time career with 17 career victories at Daytona International Speedway, including his wins in Can-Am Duel qualifying races and XFINITY competition at the 2.5-mile circuit.

RELATED: See every Dale Jr. win | Dale Jr. at Daytona

Earnhardt joins a list of celebrities who have served as Grand Marshal for the season-opening event, including former President George W. Bush and last year’s honoree, Owen Wilson. Former Daytona 500 winners Junior Johnson and Richard Petty have also presided over the event as Grand Marshal.

Tickets for the 60th edition of the Daytona 500 are on sale now through the track’s website or 1-800-PITSHOP.

Posted on by George Winkler

MORE: Hamlin reacts to Elliott incident

LAS VEGAS — Champion’s Week is for celebrating the successes of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season and Denny Hamlin said he feels good about his team’s finish, but he’s already looking forward to next year and having a championship-or-bust attitude.

Part of what fans can expect to carry over is intense racing like what was witnessed in the playoffs, including between the No. 11 of Hamlin and the No. 24 of Chase Elliott.

“The way we race each other has been set and will be set for a while,” Hamlin said, when asked if it was time to turn the page on what sparked between the two drivers at Martinsville and continued at Phoenix.

It was Hamlin’s contact with Elliott at Martinsville with Elliott leading the race with three laps to go that led to the No. 24 spinning out and a heated discussion on pit road. Two weeks later at Phoenix, Elliott made contact with Hamlin with 45 laps to go, resulting in a tire rub and ultimately Hamlin’s demise.

MORE: Title hopes end for Hamlin at Phoenix

Neither driver made the Championship 4, and Hamlin finished the year sixth in the standings (Elliott was fifth). It was Hamlin’s sixth top-10 finish in the standings in the past seven years. Impressive numbers and a model of consistency, but Hamlin said he’s not ready to rest until a title is achieved.

“I feel real good about our finish, but any year we don’t win a championship, it’s not satisfactory enough,” Hamlin said. “At this point in my career it’s championship or nothing. You need to make the (Championship 4) to do that. We didn’t, but we performed good enough to make it there. Things just didn’t work out.

“We have to do everything we can to get as many playoff points through the regular season as possible next year. Start the year off quicker and solidify ourselves as a guy who wins stages and wins races early in the season.”

Posted on by Brad Norman

RELATED: Austin Dillon’s career stats

LAS VEGAS — One goal down, another (more loftier) one to go.

Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon checked off a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory in 2017 when he won the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and advanced to the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

Next up? A deep run in the postseason for the No. 3 team.

“I have much higher goals I want to set,” Dillon told NASCAR.com during Champion’s Week in Las Vegas. “We got our win, and that was huge. That was one goal I had last year. Going into next year, (Championship 4) is my goal.

“I love how we finished the year as far as a consistent team. We were a consistent threat at the end of the year and had consistent finishes. Our goal is the Championship 4.”

Dillon finished 11th in the final standings in 2017. After being eliminated from the Monster Energy Series Playoffs prior to the Round of 12, he ended the year with the following finishes in the final five races: 14th, 13th, 13th, 14th and 11th.

With Chevrolet bringing out the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for 2018 and Richard Childress hiring former crew chief Andy Petree back into the organization, Dillon says it’s time for his team to make a big jump.

RELATED: Petree on RCR’s potential

“I’m confident in the team that we have and our core group of guys,” Dillon said. “We’re not losing anyone next year, and that’s a positive, too.

“It’s fun working with Andy. He’s brought a little bit of a new vibe into the shop. I think he’s uplifting. He sees there’s a lot of potential with what we’ve got.”

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Truex Jr. wins championship | Hospital visit hits home for Truex Jr.

LAS VEGAS – Martin Truex Jr., the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, and his longtime girlfriend Sherry Pollex have been named recipients of the National Motorsports Press Association’s Myers Brothers Award for 2017. 

The award, named in honor of former NASCAR competitors Billy and Bobby Myers, was presented Nov. 29 during the annual Myers Brothers Awards program held at the Encore Theater of the Wynn Las Vegas.

Truex, driver of the No. 78 Toyota for Furniture Row Racing, and Pollex were honored not only for their continued charitable work revolving around childhood and ovarian cancer through the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation, but for their many accomplishments in the face of adversity. The couple have displayed tremendous strength and concern for others while Pollex has fought her own personal battle with ovarian cancer.

Truex said winning the award took him by surprise. He said he had lingered backstage after he and crew chief Cole Pearn collected a series of awards for winning the championship. Then came his moment of realization during the Myers Brothers Award introductory remarks.

“I was like, ‘Wait a minute, I think he’s talking about us. And then it was, ‘Oh, no,’ ” Truex said. “Good thing I had a few minutes to take some deep breaths because I was about to get emotional. I saw (Sherry) and I knew she was going to be emotional.

“It was very difficult but what an unbelievable honor for us. It’s not (easy), but it’s part of us. It’s who we are. It’s emotional for sure, especially when you start talking about what she’s been through. It pulls at your heart strings.”

This past year, Truex and Pollex hosted the eighth annual Catwalk for a Cause, a charitable fashion show/benefit that raises funds and awareness while celebrating children and teenagers who have beaten or continue to fight cancer. The ’17 program raised more than $500,000.

In addition to their Catwalk program, the past two years have seen the couple launch the “Drive for Teal & Gold” campaign through the month of September to also raise funds and create awareness for ovarian and childhood cancers.

RELATED: Pollex on Truex Jr.’s title | Truex Jr. on what win means for him, Pollex

Pollex is the daughter of former NASCAR team owner Greg Pollex; Truex has competed full time in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for 12 seasons. His eight victories in 2017 was a career best for the 37-year-old and the series title was his first.

Truex was named on 82 percent of the ballots cast for this year’s award. Others receiving votes were Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team owner Jack Roush and seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson.

The Myers Brothers Award is determined by a vote of the NMPA membership. It recognizes individuals and/or groups who have provided outstanding contributions to the sport of stock car racing and has been presented annually since 1958.

RELATED: Martin Truex Jr., Sherry Pollex through the years

Here is the complete list of Thursday’s award winners from the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon:

  • NMPA Myers Brothers Award: Martin Truex Jr. and Sherry Pollex
  • Buddy Shuman Award: Bruton Smith
  • NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award: FOX Sports and NBC Sports
  • Chevrolet Lifetime Achievement Award: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
  • American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award: Martin Truex Jr.
  • Coors Light Pole Award: Kyle Busch
  • Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company Award: Martin Truex Jr.
  • Ingersoll Rand Power Move Award: Ryan Newman
  • MAHLE Clevite Engine Builder of the Year Award: Toyota Racing Development
  • Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award: Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 team
  • Mobil 1 Driver of the Year Award: Kyle Larson
  • MOOG Go the Extra Mile Crew Chief of the Year Award: Tony Gibson, crew chief No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing team
  • Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap Award: Kyle Busch
  • Sunoco Diamond Performance Award: Martin Truex Jr.
  • Comcast Community Champion of the Year: Chip Ganassi Racing Pit Crew Department
  • Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award: Erik Jones
  • Champion Crew Chief Award: Cole Pearn

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 29, 2017) – FOX Sports and NBC Sports will jointly be honored with the 2017 NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award at the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards on Wednesday.

“We are fortunate to have two world class television partners dedicated to presenting our sport in new and innovative ways each weekend,” said Steve Phelps, EVP, Chief Global Sales and Marketing Officer. “Both FOX Sports and NBC Sports are deserving honorees, each delivering dynamic marketing campaigns that introduced our sport to new audiences and brought fans closer to our athletes than ever before.”

FOX Sports and NBC Sports integrated NASCAR into its broader suite of media company assets, putting the sport in front of non-traditional audiences to help grow appeal across key demographics. The networks collaborated to implement a wide-ranging strategy to cross-promote races on both networks during the season.

FOX Sports executed a multi-faceted marketing campaign (Daytona Day) that drove anticipation and excitement for the DAYTONA 500. The campaign featured custom television creative, including a 60-second spot titled “Anthem” which debuted during FOX Sports’ broadcast of Super Bowl LI. FOX also featured NASCAR content or athletes across popular shows like The Simpsons, Lethal Weapon and an integration with FOX Celebrity Chef, Gordon Ramsey.

At the track, FOX Sports delivered best-in-class production and innovation at every turn, providing viewers with unique experiences and digital offerings. This season was highlighted by a “Drivers Only” broadcast of the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Pocono Raceway, a Visor Cam at Sonoma Raceway, FOX Sports GO Driver Channels, and the first-ever 4K broadcast of a NASCAR event at Martinsville Speedway.

“It is an honor to accept this award on behalf of the dedicated men and women who bring this sport into the homes of millions of viewers each weekend,” said Robert Gottlieb, EVP, Head of Marketing, FOX Sports.

NBC Sports delivered a multi-platform, season-long marketing campaign that included custom creative featuring drivers in their own voices, experiential marketing with weekly in-market NASCAR on NBC food trucks, as well as an on-air #NASCARThrowback social media program honoring Dale Earnhardt Jr. In addition, NASCAR content and drivers were featured on NBCUniversal’s most popular shows including: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the TODAY Show, Sunday Night Football, Watch What Happens Live, and American Ninja Warrior.

Pushing the envelope with unique production, NBC Sports introduced new technology and several additional elements to its 2017 Monster Energy Cup Series and XFINITY Series coverage. Highlights included the debut of BatCam, a camera designed to reach speeds exceeding 100 mph down the backstretch; “On The Box” coverage, featuring Daytona 500 winning crew chief and NASCAR on NBC analyst Steve Letarte contributing real-time race analysis from a position atop a pit box on pit road; and the inaugural “Pit Crew All-Star Team,” a season-long initiative to honor NASCAR crew members who made a significant difference in their driver’s and team’s success.

NBC also added four-time Olympic medalist and features reporter Ato Boldon to its NASCAR broadcast team, to help bring fans closer to the action and provide a behind-the-scenes look at the many intricacies of the sport. In addition, NBC Sports partnered with MRN to cover the NASCAR XFINITY Series and Cup Series races at Watkins Glen International from multiple vantage points, offering viewers comprehensive coverage from strategically positioned broadcast members around the historic road course.

“NBC Sports is incredibly proud of our long-standing partnership with NASCAR, and we are thrilled to accept this award,” said Jenny Storms, Chief Marketing Officer, NBC Sports Group. “This prestigious honor is the direct result of an insights led strategy, combined with the passion and creativity of our team, to continue to connect and engage with fans in new and exciting ways.”

This marks the second time both FOX Sports and NBC Sports have been presented with the Marketing Achievement Award, both jointly won the award in 2002. Other previous winners of the NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award include Comcast; Sunoco; Coca-Cola; Mars, Incorporated; and Toyota.

NASCAR Champion’s Week will culminate with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards. NBCSN presents this year’s awards on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 9 p.m. ET, while Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the award show live beginning at 8 p.m. ET. For more information on NASCAR Champion’s Week in Las Vegas, please visit ChampionsWeek.NASCAR.com.

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CHARLOTTE, NC – As NASCAR prepares to honor its Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion this weekend in Las Vegas and teams finalize their 2018 lineups, FOX Sports has begun stacking its broadcaster deck for 2018.

New to the FOX NASCAR arsenal next year, the network’s 18th consecutive season broadcasting NASCAR races, is veteran driver Regan Smith, who will serve as a pit reporter for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series, in addition to continuing his role as a NASCAR Race Hub analyst. He took a broadcasting test drive with his race analyst debut last June at Iowa Speedway for FS1’s presentation of the NASCAR XFINITY Series race.

“When I had the opportunity to be in the FOX Sports booth at Iowa earlier in the year, the driver in me was really intrigued by the TV side of the sport,” Smith said. “So, my biggest goal in joining pit road is to be able to give viewers something they didn’t know before or to better help them understand something going on with the driver or the car. Since I am still competing, I can put into perspective what a driver is feeling at a particular moment.”

Smith, winner of the prestigious Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in 2011 and 2008 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year, has regularly appeared as a driver analyst on FS1’s NASCAR Race Hub since 2015.

“We’ve enjoyed and appreciated Regan’s insight in the NASCAR Race Hub studio but really had our eyes opened to his broadcasting potential at Iowa last summer,” said Steve Craddock, FOX Sports SVP of NASCAR Production. “A fan and peer favorite, he has proven himself seamless in translating his years of driving experience to the viewers at home.”

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
For its broadcast of the first half of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, FOX NASCAR is armed with seven championships’ worth of analysis and insight. For the third year, Hall of Famer and three-time champ Darrell Waltrip pairs with four-time champion Jeff Gordon in the booth for analysis, with veteran play-by-play announcer Mike Joy, covering his 43rd Daytona 500 in February, and former Daytona 500-winning crew chief Larry McReynolds with race analysis on the strength of his 43 years in the sport.

Delivering stories and updates from pit road are pit reporters Jamie Little, Vince Welch, Matt Yocum and Smith. Chris Myers hosts FOX NASCAR Sunday and the network’s race coverage from the famed Hollywood Hotel alongside Michael Waltrip, Darrell Waltrip and Gordon. FOX broadcasts 10 of FOX Sports’ 16 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races, while FS1 telecasts the remaining six.

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
For the 16th consecutive year, FS1 offers exclusive coverage of the entire NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. Welch calls play-by-play with veteran analysts Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip. Hermie Sadler, Kaitlyn Vincie and Alan Cavanna deliver pit reports.

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES & “Drivers Only” Broadcast
The NASCAR XFINITY Series returns to FOX Sports for the fourth consecutive season in 2018, with Adam Alexander once again handling full-time play-by-play duties alongside analyst Michael Waltrip and a rotation of prominent Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers to be announced in the near future. Little, Yocum and Smith cover pit road.

Additionally, FOX Sports brings back its “Drivers Only” NASCAR XFINITY Series broadcast in 2018, at a track to be announced in the near future, after a wildly successful and critically acclaimed debut in June 2017 at Pocono Raceway. Throughout the 2017 NXS season, FOX Sports featured five Cup Series drivers in the booth, offering fans a variety of knowledgeable and current viewpoints.

NASCAR RACEDAY
NASCAR RaceDay, FS1’s popular pre-race show, continues to deliver the excitement behind-the-scenes and up-to-the-minute reports from the garage prior to the start of each Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race. John Roberts and Myers share hosting duties, while the entire FOX NASCAR on-air team joins analysts Kenny Wallace, Jeff Hammond, Andy Petree and reporters Cavanna and Vincie.

In addition, FOX Sports offers a dedicated 30-minute pre-race show immediately prior to each NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Shannon Spake returns to host NASCAR RaceDay-XFINITY with McReynolds and Wallace providing analysis. Roberts has the honors for NCWTS Setup leading into all Truck Series races with insight from two-time series champion Todd Bodine.

NASCAR RACE HUB
NASCAR Race Hub, FS1’s daily news and update program, continues live at 6:00 p.m. ET every Monday through Thursday. Alexander and Spake co-host the hour-long program with analysts McReynolds, Hammond and Andy Petree, who are joined by a rotating team of active drivers and crew chiefs. The duo of Cavanna and Vincie are back with daily reports from NASCAR race shops, while Roberts hosts most Thursdays.

NASCAR Race Hub Weekend Edition, hosted by Roberts, is a Friday and Saturday fixture on FS1, delivering at-track updates and news as it breaks throughout the course of the race weekend.