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LOS ANGELES — The Monster Energy Bellator MMA Fight Series closes its 2017 season with a fourth and final stop at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida, on Sunday, Nov. 19. Set to take place during Ford Championship Weekend, fighters will take to the cage Sunday morning ahead of the final race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs that will determine the next Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion.

Just hours prior to the start of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 on Sunday, Nov. 19, the Monster Energy Bellator MMA Fight Series will feature MMA action throughout the morning beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET at the Monster Energy Fan Zone at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the display area on the north side of the track. Admission to the event is free and open to fans.

Additionally, on Saturday, Nov. 18 from 1-2 p.m. ET, fans will have the opportunity to meet former world champ and Monster Energy athlete Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, as well as former PRIDE and STRIKEFORCE titleholder Dan “Hendo” Henderson, at the Monster Energy Fan Zone at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the display area on the north side of the track. Admission to the event is free and open to fans.

“The Monster Energy Bellator MMA Fight Series has been a huge success this year and I’m looking forward to heading to Homestead-Miami Speedway during NASCAR’s championship weekend for another great event to end 2017,” said Bellator President Scott Coker. “This is a monumental weekend for Monster Energy, including Hans Molenkamp, Tom Norwood, Cody Dresser, Mitch Covington and their entire team, as they close out their first season with NASCAR, and I’m excited to once again make Bellator MMA a part of the fan experience.”

Through Bellator MMA, alongside longstanding partner Monster Energy, mixed martial arts will be included as a pre-race activation exclusively for fans in attendance. The lineup on Sunday will consist of four MMA bouts featuring some of the best regional up-and-coming talent, with the main event prospects in consideration to be signed to a multi-fight Bellator MMA contract.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway takes place Sunday, November 19 at 2:30 p.m. ET. Tickets to the race are available at www.Homestead-MiamiSpeedway.com or by calling 305-230-5255.

Updated Monster Energy Bellator MMA Fight Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway Fight Card:

Featherweight Main Event: Matt Wagy (10-4, Delray Beach, Fla.) vs. Kester Mark (5-4, Hollywood, Fla.)

Middleweight Bout: Johnny Eblen (2-0, Boca Raton, Fla.) vs. Emmanuel Verdier (3-1, Miami, Fla.)

Women’s Strawweight Amateur Bout: Thais Souza (0-1, Deerfield Beach, Fla.) vs. Ashley Samples (0-2, Athens, Ga.)

Featherweight Bout: Landon Stewart (Pro Debut, Miami, Fla.) vs. Rudial Mora (Pro Debut, Miami, Fla.)

Visit Bellator.com for details.

*Event schedule subject to change.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

Jimmie Johnson, seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, knows a thing or two about awards.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver was on hand at the Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday night to get dressed up, soak in some honky tonk and present a major award.

Johnson and actress Michelle Monaghan (Gone Baby Gone, True Detective), presented the award for Female Vocalist of the Year to Miranda Lambert.

Johnson had a message for the fans before his duties, and he and wife Chandra also ran into singer Chase Rice … who just so happens to have been a part of two of Johnson’s championship-winning pit crews back in the day.

 

 


Posted on by Staff Report

Fast and flat. Photo finishes. The dogleg.

Phoenix Raceway has one of the most interesting, unique layouts on the NASCAR circuit. The 1-mile track in the desert is the site of this weekend’s Round of 8 finale, so stakes are especially high with a spot in the Championship 4 on the line.

Kevin Harvick, the all-time leader at the track with eight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins, and Ryan Newman, the most recent winner at the track, give us clues on how to pull off a Phoenix victory.

Harvick already has clinched a spot in the Championship 4, but five drivers are fighting for one final spot — so take note, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski.

MORE: Top moments at Phoenix

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CONCORD, N.C. – Making a name in racing isn’t always easy; 2018 NASCAR Drive for Diversity class member Ryan Vargas learned that lesson this year.

The 17-year-old experienced the “highest of highs and the lowest of lows,” as he won races in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, but also was forced to cut events off his schedule and even work out of his personal garage at times.

“It’s been a really tough journey,” Vargas said Tuesday at the Rev Racing shop in Concord, North Carolina. “Everyone says racing has its ups and downs and you’ll have more bad days than you will good. And we experienced a lot of bad days this year but we experienced a lot of good ones as well. We have a couple wins to our name … and that just comes from working hard — we’ve just got to keep digging.”

The fruits of his labor have paid off; Vargas, along with five other drivers, was named as a member of the 2018 Drive for Diversity Class on Tuesday and has the opportunity to drive for Rev Racing full-time in the K&N Pro Series East, as well as Late Models.

It’s been “unbelievable,” the La Miranda, California, native said.

MORE: Meet the entire class

“I’m so blessed with the opportunity that Rev Racing and NASCAR (Drive for) Diversity has given me … I know what it’s like, I know how much work goes into it, so to be able to have this and hopefully use this to move up the ladder of racing is a really good opportunity and I’ve just got to thank everybody who’s been a part of my career,” he said with his characteristic broad smile.

Vargas is a bit of a throwback driver, as he seems to be just as interested on working on the cars as he is driving them. The young racer says he wants to learn as much as he can about the cars he’s running in order to be the best driver he can.

“(There’s been) a lot of time at the shop spending time underneath the car, working on the car, learning about the car so when I come off the track I can say what the car needs and so I can diagnose what needs to happen,” Vargas said. ” … I still have a ton to learn — there’s a lot that I don’t know and I want to learn as much as I can. And I know spending time here at the shop will be a really great opportunity for me to learn about these cars.”

A charismatic individual with drive and talent – he won two races in the Whelen All-American Series this year as a rookie and was awarded the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award in 2016 – Vargas just needed an open door. A door that the Drive for Diversity program has helped opened, just as it did for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez and Darrell Wallace Jr.

“I look at it as the opportunity … to progress through the sport at a lot of different levels,” said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president, racing operations. “I think when you look at the Monster Energy Series, next year it will have three of our graduates on the drivers’ side running for championships at that level. Also knowing that the complexion of pit road has changed dramatically over the last number of years and many of our graduates are now up and down pit road winning races on a regular basis. And that’s very, very fulfilling.”

After a string of interviews, Vargas’ mother draws him in for a long hug; it’s been quite the journey, and he’s ready for the next step in his career. Vargas looks around the room that has launched the careers of three of the sport’s rising young stars.

He hopes that he’s in that conversation one day.

“There’s a ton of banners hung around the shop of Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez and Bubba Wallace, as well as other drivers that have raced for them,” Vargas said, looking at the win banners of each of the drivers displayed on the walls. I hope by the end of the year, maybe I can have a banner or two up there.”

Posted on by Brad Norman

You can put “Honorary Starter” next to the long list of awards and accomplishments for Gabby Douglas.

The multi-gold winning Olympian will wave the green flag at the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series championship on Nov. 19 (2:30 p.m., NBC) in Homestead-Miami.

“I’m so excited to wave the green flag for the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway,” Douglas said in a press release. “I’ve seen plenty of championships, and the NASCAR championship is definitely going to be one epic event. I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”

During the London 2012 Summer Olympics, Douglas was a core member of the “Fierce Five” gymnastics squad that stood a top of the podium for gold. She also capture the individual all-around gold medal in 2012.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s complete history at Phoenix

For his final full-time season as a driver, NASCAR.com will offer an analytical preview on Dale Earnhardt Jr. ahead of every remaining Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.

Race: Can-Am 500

Date: Sunday, Nov. 12, 2:30 p.m. ET (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Previous five results at Phoenix: 14th, fifth, first, 43rd, eighth

RELATED: All of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s wins in the Monster Energy Series

Notable: Phoenix Raceway is one of Junior’s best tracks when it comes to total wins — three. His average finishing position of 16.0, though, ranks the 1-mile track among the lower third of his best venues. He has 14 top 10s and nine top fives in 29 races in the desert. Junior has had a resurgence at Phoenix lately; in his last eight races there, he has one win, five top fives and six top 10s. The only race among those eight when he finished outside the top 15 was when a blown right tire ended his day on Lap 180 of the March 2015 race.

Memorable: Earnhardt Jr.’s 2004 Checker Auto Parts 500 was significant not so much for how he won that day at Phoenix, but for what that victory meant. It was Junior’s sixth trip to Victory Lane that season, a mark that still stands as the most wins he’s logged in a single season. Earnhardt did start 14th and needed to pass Jeff Gordon with 12 laps remaining to claim the victory, too.

Quotable: “Phoenix is a good track for us. We have certainly had a great car there the last several times,” Earnhardt Jr. said in a team release. “Knowing we have won there helps you just go in there with a good attitude. I don’t think that we’ve lost hope on winning a race by any means. So, we’ll go in there with a solid attitude and see how it works out for us.”

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Almirola to run the No. 10 in 2018

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Team co-owner Tony Stewart has continued to race outside of NASCAR after stepping down from his role as a full-time driver in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series following the 2016 season.

But Wednesday at the Stewart-Haas Racing headquarters, the three-time Monster Energy Series champion said there could be a return to NASCAR competition in his future, possibly in the XFINITY Series.

“There are actually some road course races that I might be interested in running; we’ve discussed it in-house but we don’t have anything near worth announcing,” Stewart said during a press conference to introduce Aric Almirola as driver of the organization’s No. 10 Ford for 2018.

Almirola was asked about running XFINITY Series in ’18 because SHR recently announced a relationship with Biagi-DenBeste Racing for next year. Almirola has driven for the team in the past, winning the summer race in 2016 and ’17 at Daytona International Speedway.

MORE: Pictures of Stewart through the years

But before giving Almirola his blessing to continue competing in the XFINITY Series, Stewart said some of the tracks have attracted his interest in a potential return.

“There are some really cool races,” Stewart said, “especially Charlotte having the road course race next year. I mean there might be some opportunities that might be a little fun for me to come out and dust things off a little bit.”

Later, Stewart said such a possibility is “somewhere down the road.

“It will not happen this coming year but … I would like to maybe dabble in a couple of races here or there,” he said.

The XFINITY Series competes at two road courses separate from the Monster Energy Series — Mid-Ohio in Lexington, Ohio, and Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

Stewart said Mid-Ohio would be off the table because of a scheduling conflict with the Knoxville Nationals sprint car program.

“I’ve never raced at (some of) those tracks before so there might be some opportunities to do that down the road and help our program,” he said.

Stewart was a successful open-wheel racer before he began making the transition to NASCAR in 1996. Since his retirement from racing in NASCAR at the end of 2016, he has resumed his racing career in sprint cars.

He is the owner of a national racing series as well as Eldora Speedway, one of dirt racing’s legendary venues.

Stewart, who co-owns Stewart-Haas Racing with businessman Gene Haas, won in his last XFINITY Series start, in 2013 at Daytona. He is an 11-time winner in the series.

In Monster Energy Cup competition, Stewart won championships in 2002 and ’05 while with Joe Gibbs Racing, then in ’11 with SHR. He has 49 career wins.

MORE: Key moments in SHR history

Posted on by Nascar

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Acknowledging that it was perhaps the worst-kept secret in NASCAR, Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Tony Stewart officially introduced Aric Almirola as the driver of the organization’s No. 10 Ford for 2018 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on Wednesday.

Almirola will replace Danica Patrick, who has driven for SHR full time since 2013. Smithfield Foods will provide sponsorship for the No. 10 team.

PHOTOS: Danica Patrick through the years

“This is an unbelievable day for me to have this opportunity,” Almirola said. “I’ve worked my whole life, my whole career for an opportunity like this — to come and be a part of a championship organization. I think you (Stewart-Haas Racing has) won two of the last six championships and going for a third this year at Homestead, so I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity and to continue my relationship with Tony.”

Stewart, who retired from competing in the series at the end of 2016, captured the championship in 2011. In ’14, driver Kevin Harvick won the title, and he is one of four drivers who will compete for the crown once again this year at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

MORE: Key players in ‘Silly Season’

Almirola said the opportunity was particularly exciting since he and Stewart have a friendship that goes back a bit further than most might realize.

As a development driver for Joe Gibbs Racing early in his career, Almirola said Stewart “befriended me and took me under his wing.”

“Plus he hated to go testing, so he would send me with (crew chief Greg Zipadelli) to go testing,” Almirola said. “I spent a lot of time down in Florida at New Smyrna Speedway and Lakeland testing Tony’s race car and running a lot of laps, so he’s really been a great friend and somebody I’ve really looked up to in the racing world, and to have this opportunity to drive for him is very special.”

The 33-year-old Almirola will depart Richard Petty Motorsports, where he has one career win in 212 starts driving the iconic No. 43 entry. That win, the Coke Zero 400, came at Daytona International Speedway in July of 2014.

“I’m real excited to have him on board,” Stewart said. “I’ve known Aric for a long time. We were teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing for a brief period and we’re really good friends, too. We go to dirt races together and hang out and I think this is an opportunity we’ve both been looking forward to for a very long time.

“We’re excited to have him on board and extremely proud to have Smithfield on board with us, as well.”

Prior to joining RPM, Almirola ran 30 races in the series between 2007-10, primarily with Dale Earnhardt Inc. He has three career NASCAR XFINITY Series wins and a pair of victories in the Camping World Truck Series.

Almirola missed seven races this season due to a back injury suffered in May at Kansas Speedway. He enters this weekend’s Can-Am 500 at Phoenix Raceway (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR) 29th in the points standings.

In addition to his lone win, Almirola has 11 career top-five finishes, 31 top 10s and one pole in the Monster Energy Cup Series.

SHR officials announced in early September that Smithfield would join the company’s list of sponsors for ’18. At approximately the same time, RPM officials announced Smithfield and Almirola would not return next season.

Darrell “Bubba” Wallace has been signed to drive the No. 43 for RPM in place of Almirola. Wallace competed in four races for the team in ’17 while Almirola was recovering from his injury.

MORE: Behind the visor with Wallace

“We’ve been in this sport for six years. I’d be lying to you if I said we were happy with the results we’ve achieved,” said John Pauley, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Smithfield Foods. “Especially this time of year; I’m really geeked to see what happens at Homestead but I’m disappointed we’re not there.

“For us, after meeting Tony … it was clear they’ve got all the back-end support that they need I think to be more competitive. So we went down this path of the mindset of ‘Let’s win.’ We’ve been in it enough to get our brand out there, we’ve built some equity; … we want to win.

“We know (Aric) so well, we’re comfortable with him off the track, obviously. On the track, he’s proven he can compete.”

Pauley said he spoke with Stewart prior to signing Almirola and asked the three-time champion “Tony, is Aric capable?”

“He said, ‘Absolutely,’ and that was enough for me.”

Patrick has yet to announce her competition plans for ’18. During her tenure at SHR, the 35-year-old has earned seven top-10 finishes in 178 starts. A former IndyCar winner, Patrick became the first female driver to capture the pole for the Daytona 500 when she did so in 2013.

In addition to Patrick, SHR also currently fields the No. 4 of Kevin Harvick, the No. 14 of Clint Bowyer and the No. 41 of Kurt Busch.

Posted on by Staff Report

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Already Clinched: Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr.

Clinching for Championship 4
Brad Keselowski: If Keselowski wins, he will clinch. If Kyle Busch/Truex/Harvick or a non-playoff driver wins, he would guarantee a clinch on points with 37 points.
Denny Hamlin: If Hamlin wins, he will clinch. Could clinch on points with a Kyle Busch/Truex/Harvick or a non-playoff driver win and help.
Ryan Blaney: If Blaney wins, he will clinch. Could clinch on points with a Kyle Busch/Truex/Harvick or a non-playoff driver win and help.
Chase Elliott: If Elliott wins, he will clinch. Could clinch on points with a Kyle Busch/Truex/Harvick or a non-playoff driver win and help.
Jimmie Johnson: If Johnson wins, he will clinch. Could clinch on points with a Kyle Busch/Truex/Harvick or a non-playoff driver win and help.

MORE: Full series standings

Manufacturer Championship: Toyota currently holds a 23-point lead over Ford in the manufacturer standings. To clinch an early title, Toyota needs to leave Phoenix with a 40-point lead over second place.

NASCAR XFINITY Series
Clinched: William Byron, Justin Allgaier, Elliott Sadler and Daniel Hemric

MORE: Full series standings

Manufacturer Championship (Bill France Performance Award): Chevrolet currently holds a 58-point lead over Toyota in the manufacturer standings. To clinch an early title, Chevrolet needs to leave Phoenix with a 41-point lead over second place. (UPDATE: Chevrolet leaves with a 64-point edge and has locked up the title.)

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Clinched: Johnny Sauter, Christopher Bell, Matt Crafton and Austin Cindric

MORE: Full series standings

Manufacturer Championship: Toyota currently holds a 42-point lead over Chevrolet in the manufacturer standings. To clinch an early title, Toyota needs to leave Phoenix with a 40-point lead over second place. (UPDATE: Toyota left with a 36-point edge.)

Posted on by Staff Report

Kyle Larson and Katelyn Sweet are joining the ranks of expectant parents in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, with son Owen helping to announce the news.

 

The driver of the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet posted the announcement on Instagram, and Owen’s little sister or brother is scheduled to arrive in May 2018. Owen will be 3 on Dec. 22.

Paul Menard and his wife, Jennifer, welcomed their second child last week. Among the other drivers whose families are growing:

• Ty Dillon’s baby girl is due this month.
• Matt Kenseth’s baby is due in December.
• Joey Logano’s baby boy is due in January.
• Kevin Harvick’s baby girl is due in January.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s baby girl is due in May.