MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — If there’s an underlying tension among some of the four drivers competing for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship, an exchange between Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski on Thursday brought it to light.
“Sometimes you just don’t like a guy — fact of the matter,” Busch said, commenting on their long-running rivalry. “I never ran into Matt Kenseth; I don’t think Matt Kenseth ever ran into me, so there is a respect factor out there on the race track and you certainly do a better job sometimes when you’re around some of those guys that you may or may not necessarily like, but as once a wise man told me, I think it was Chase Elliott, I race those like they race me.”
The remarks came during Thursday’s Championship 4 Media Day at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel ahead of Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM) at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Busch and Keselowski have had their share of on-track run-ins through the years, and their comments about them often have been unapologetic. Sunday, they’ll both compete for their second championship with other title contenders Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr.
Keselowski, who answered first, was more muted in his response.
“I haven’t really thought about it,” he said. ” … From my perspective (it would be) a little bit foolish to get caught up with any one person. I do think that both of us are fortunate to have great cars, great teams and when you run up at the front a lot things are going to happen. I feel like where we’re at in the sport right now, we’re both going to be here for a long time to come.
“If you looked across the field, every one has had some run-ins with each other. Probably all four of us have probably run into each other through the course of our careers. That’s part of the fun of the sport as well.”
During later interviews, both drivers again were asked to discuss their relationship.
Busch said Keselowski is “too different” and he didn’t think they’d ever be close.
Keselowski added: “We probably get caught up in all these relationship things and forget about the reality of what this stuff’s supposed to be all about, and that’s going on the race track and racing.”
Rankings below are based on a mixture of expected output and DraftKings’ NASCAR salaries for that day. The ordering is not based on highest projected fantasy totals, but rather by the value of each driver.
(FPPK = average fantasy points per $1,000 of salary.)
1. Martin Truex, Jr. ($11,100) — He is the best intermediate track driver in NASCAR, but Homestead is a little different. The Furniture Row team is prepared for this moment, though, and was happy with its Homestead test in October. At intermediate tracks, Truex is averaging 94 points per race. That sounds fake. (6.5 FPPK)
2. Kyle Busch ($10,500) — Busch claimed the 2015 championship by winning at Homestead. It doesn’t matter if he wins the championship — fantasy NASCAR players want fast-lap points. After securing a playoff spot, Busch didn’t even try at Texas, and he still ran 20 fast laps. (5.6 FPPK)
3. Kyle Larson ($9,500) — There are two possible outcomes: Larson earns his fifth consecutive DNF, or he scores the most fantasy points. He scored the most points in each of the last two Homestead races, and the high-groove track is tailor-made for him. (4.9 FPPK)
4. Kevin Harvick ($9,700) — No one has been better at Homestead over the last three years — his average running position in each race is third. No one has been faster in the playoffs. In the last intermediate track race, Harvick passed the presumptive champion Martin Truex Jr. for the win. (4.5 FPPK)
5. Denny Hamlin ($8,900) — Everyone knew payback was coming at Phoenix. It’s too bad for Hamlin, but it’s less worrisome for fantasy NASCAR players. Hamlin has two wins at Homestead and eight top 10s in 12 races. (4.3 FPPK)
6. Brad Keselowski ($9,900) — He’s a long shot to win the championship, but Johnson pulled off a similar feat last season. Of course, that was aided by the liberal use of the caution flag at the end of the race. BK has a chance to win but not to lead laps. (4.4 FPPK)
7. Chase Elliott ($9,400) — Phoenix was Elliott’s fifth second-place finish this season. It also was his 11th top-five finish — the most by a driver without a win. The assumption is that the fast laps and laps led points will go to a championship contender, but that has not been the case in past Homestead races. (4.4 FPPK)
8. Matt Kenseth ($9,100) — Short tracks have been Kenseth’s strength this season, but he’s no slouch at intermediate tracks. He has a top-10 average running position in each of the last nine intermediate track races. He also has a top-10 average running position in each of the last six Homestead races. (3.9 FPPK)
9. Jamie McMurray ($7,700) — He has finished with top-10 fantasy points in each of the last three Homestead races. If he’s fast in practice, then he’ll be fast in the race. McMurray’s average running position has matched his long run practice speed 83 percent of the time at intermediate tracks (highest correlation in NASCAR). (3.3 FPPK)
10. Jimmie Johnson ($9,600) — The No. 48 Lowe’s car hasn’t been fast since the spring. Johnson ran 10 fast laps at Charlotte in October. Since the spring, in the other seven intermediate track races combined, he has run a total of 10 fast laps. (3.5 FPPK)
11. Ryan Newman ($7,600) — Last year at Homestead, Newman finished 25th. There was chaos at the end. Newman ran 96.6 percent of his laps inside the top 15. Going back to 2011, Newman always has an average running position inside the top 15 at Homestead. (4.2 FPPK)
12. Joey Logano ($9,200) — Team Penske does not have intermediate track speed. The April Texas race was the only time Logano has led laps, and he only led the fourth-most laps. Logano and his team likely will experiment, or part of his team will be assisting Keselowski’s team. (3.4 FPPK)
13. Daniel Suarez ($7,000) — A year ago at Homestead, Suarez started on the pole, led 133 laps and won the race and the XFINITY championship. He likely won’t win this weekend, but he has enough skill to earn his 13th top-10 finish. (3.9 FPPK)
14. Erik Jones ($8,100) — It doesn’t matter what happens at Homestead — Jones has the rookie of the year award locked up. It might seem like a meaningless race, but there might be some fire in his belly this weekend. Homestead is where Jones lost the XFINITY championship last season. (3.9 FPPK)
15. Ryan Blaney ($8,700) — Employ simple logic. Blaney nearly qualified for the championship race. The majority of tracks on the NASCAR circuit are intermediate tracks. He must be good at the intermediate tracks (eighth-best average finish). (3.1 FPPK)
16. Austin Dillon ($7,400) — This has been another forgettable season for Dillon. Other than winning his first career Monster Energy Series race at Charlotte, it was another season of 15th- to 20th-place finishes. At his price, 15th will work in daily fantasy NASCAR. (3.6 FPPK)
17. Clint Bowyer ($8,500) — Last year, Bowyer raced for a small, non-competitive team. The year before that, his Homestead race was the last before Michael Waltrip Racing shut down shop. In decent equipment, Bowyer has finished 12th or better in eight of nine Homestead races. (3.3 FPPK)
18. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ($7,800) — No one will mind if the NASCAR inspection team overlooks a jet engine under the No. 88 car’s hood. Junior fans want one more win, but Tony Stewart fans and Jeff Gordon fans wanted that, too. Junior’s last win at a 1.5-mile track came in 2005. (2.9 FPPK)
19. Kurt Busch ($8,300) — In the 2016 Homestead race, Busch drove from 16th to 13th. The year before that, he raced from 15th to eighth. Those races don’t look like great performances, but they both resulted in top-10 fantasy scores. (3.0 FPPK)
20. Aric Almirola ($6,200) — Everyone is ready for the offseason, but Almirola would like for the 2018 season to start the day after Homestead. Almirola has been competitive in average equipment (seven top-20 finishes in 11 intermediate track races), so just wait until he jumps into an Stewart-Haas Racing car. (4.7 FPPK)
Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of four stories examining why each driver could win the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Brad Keselowski will win the 2017 championship because …
No team is better when its collective back is against the wall. And make no mistake about it — the No. 2 Team Penske group is the definitive underdog heading into Miami.
No one has been better as an underdog in this elimination-style postseason format, though.
Keselowski produced clutch wins at Talladega in both 2014 and this year, when he desperately needed a victory. He rallied for fourth at Martinsville after being knocked out of the way by Chase Elliott with four laps to go.
And while Keselowski hasn’t produced super speed on 1.5-mile tracks this year, his Homestead history is impressive. He’s qualified in the top 10 for six consecutive years — with five of those coming in the top five — and logged finishes of sixth, third and third heading into last year, where he qualified second but wrecked out.
Homestead has the makings of a strategic race. Tires are crucial, and teams have fewer tire allotments this year than in years past. It’s also the first championship race under the stage-racing format, and while stage points don’t count for championship contenders, the guaranteed cautions are a new element.
Crew chief Paul Wolfe has a reputation as one of the garage’s top strategists, and will be prepared for any scenario but remain flexible enough to adjust on the fly if needed.
Things certainly have to break the right way for Keselowski and Co., but if so, the driver of the No. 2 will be a two-time series champion.
I first met Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Charlotte when the massive NASCAR national media corps showed up for preseason interviews in January 1998. In between formal sessions with the sport’s biggest-name drivers and owners, we were given the option to move into a nearby smaller room to speak to a young man who was about to make his full-time debut in what is now the NASCAR XFINITY Series.
The 22-year-old Earnhardt Jr. sat by himself at a table waiting to see who — if anyone — would essentially initiate him with this “process.” The chance to sit down one-on-one with the Earnhardt Jr. two decades later is a rarity, and I smile thinking how much everything has changed since.
I distinctly remember that first interview, however, and how he spoke quietly, looked down a lot and seemed a bit overwhelmed and unsure at the process. I concede, I did this mainly as a favor to his father’s public relations team. In retrospect, I’m glad I did.
In speaking with Junior, I discovered his seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion father made him work at his family’s car dealership — his first job was sweeping floors — that he attended military school for a bit and that he had played soccer and had some artistic ability.
At the time Junior only had a handful of starts in NASCAR’s former Busch Grand National series — those coming at strategic venues no-doubt well thought out by his dad — an assortment of short tracks, 1.5-milers, a road course and a couple big tracks.
His first XFINITY start came three weeks after a DNQ at Nashville, Tennessee, in a No. 31 Chevy owned by his dad, with his uncle, Tony Eury Sr., as the crew chief and sponsored by “Gargoyles.” He completed only 87 of the 320 laps and finished 39th, victim of his car’s oil pump failure. Another young driver, a future close friend of Junior’s, and an eventual Cup champion, Matt Kenseth, finished 11th in that race.
Up-and-coming young drivers may find some solace to know that the future two-time Daytona 500 winner Earnhardt finished 39th, 39th and 38th in his first three NASCAR national series races.
In many respects, I’m guessing his father didn’t mind the lessons in tough luck and pick-yourself-up attitude. And Junior was a good student.
Not only did he pick himself up, but he also raised several trophies beginning the very next year. He found himself. And he found Victory Lane, winning seven races in 1998 on the way to the series championship, and six the next year winning a second consecutive title and establishing himself ready to be a big-time player in the sport’s big stage.
At one of his father’s press conferences after the seven-time champion won an early race in Daytona Speedweeks, he stood in the Daytona International Speedway press box high above the track’s famous front straightaway and was constantly turning away from reporters so he could stare out the wall of windows overlooking the track, where XFINITY Series cars were turning practice laps.
I got a kick out of his timing. He was far more interested in his son’s — whom he called “June Bug” — lap times and drive lines than answering questions about his own latest, greatest win there. After a few questions, he got the timing down so that he could answer a question then turn around toward the track just in time to proudly watch his son zoom around the tri-oval. He had that full-on, mustache-extended Earnhardt grin looking down at the track.
Those were the platinum hair and rock n’ roll halcyon days for Junior — winning races, working with his dad, enjoying all the perks of success and stardom.
“Sometimes we’ll go places and it’s like I’m walking with Elvis,” this year’s Monster Energy Series championship favorite Martin Truex Jr. once said of his good friend Junior.
Everything changed for Junior, however, that gut-wrenching day, Feb. 18, 2001 at the Daytona 500.
Sitting across the track high above in the Daytona press box, I remember too vividly watching Junior park his car after finishing runner-up to Michael Waltrip in the 500; a 1-2 showing for his dad’s team. Immediately after climbing out, Junior started running down pit road toward the infield care center — wanting desperately to understand the situation. It was absolutely heartbreaking.
There was no transition time really for Junior or for the fans — those that had cheered for his dad, immediately shifted their adoration to the son — absolutely willing to change driver allegiance to support this young man in the midst of a tragedy.
For all the good intentions, it was a lot for a 26-year-old to have thrust upon his shoulders.
And as Junior prepares to step out of the driver’s seat now 16 years after that fate-twisting Daytona 500, the grace, strength and resilience he showed in handling that unimaginable grief has been as important to him as the talent he has shown behind the wheel as a NASCAR champion, multi-time Daytona 500 winner and 26-time Monster Energy Series race winner.
Earnhardt Jr. has always reminded that his deep drive to win and succeed was not because his father had, it was because he wanted to — although obviously their presence in NASCAR has understandably been linked.
And for some, Junior’s decision to step away from full-time competition now affords many the “goodbye” fans never got to give his father — the thank you.
This is one of the most significant and emotional transitions the sport has ever experienced.
For Earnhardt, this life-changing shift should make him feel proud and will one day make his children — the first, a daughter, due in early May — feel proud, too.
He has handled the immense attention and fame with class and remained competitive and championship worthy through it all.
Something Junior told me for a story 15 years ago still resonates every bit today.
“(Being an Earnhardt) has opened a lot of doors for me,” he said. “I’ve never wished I was anybody else. Sometimes it gets a little bit over the top, but I just kind of ride it out. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Somewhere high above, his dad is smiling. And so will people everywhere Junior looks Sunday afternoon at Homestead-Miami Speedway as he makes his last full-time start.
He has lived the spectrum of emotion with millions of eyes upon him and here’s hoping he gets out of the car Sunday feeling deservedly tremendous and accomplished for a career he should be proud of.
And it will be difficult to tell who is more grateful, Junior for the love and support, or NASCAR fans for the lessons in grace and strength.
Editor’s note: “nascarman” is a NASCAR historian whose features regularly appear on racing-reference.info. Follow him on Twitter @nascarman_rr.
Fifty-five years after “D-Day,” Budweiser was preparing America for “E-Day,” the name applied to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s debut in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. When Junior made the first of his now 630 Cup starts back in 1999, it was one of the most anticipated debuts of any driver in racing.
“I don’t remember anyone coming in who’s gotten this much attention,” broadcaster Ned Jarrett said at the time of Junior’s debut. “It’s unusual to say the least. We might not ever see it again.”
“The Countdown to E-Day” spanned the first half of 1999 and was a level of promotion never before seen in NASCAR. With all eyes on Junior, he entered the Cup Series to incredible fanfare and enormous pressure.
As a 23-year-old in 1998, Dale Earnhardt Jr. first entered full-time competition in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, then the Busch Series. After winning seven times that year, Earnhardt claimed the championship by 48 points over Matt Kenseth. His talent was obvious and observers were crazy about the idea that NASCAR’s most famous driver had a winning son.
In November 1998, NASCAR ran its final exhibition race in Japan, and Junior was entered. It was the first time he competed with his father, and Dale Sr. was just as thrilled as his son.
Dale Earnhardt was part of the NASCAR contingent that races in Japan in 1996. So was Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Getty Images
“The one time I raced against my dad was at a dirt track,” Earnhardt Sr. reminisced. “I was racing this guy, and my dad, who was leading the race, came up behind me, and I couldn’t figure out what he was doing. Finally, he started bumping me, so I figured I better hold the car straight. He pushed me by this guy, and I beat him, then dad drove on past me. It was pretty neat.
“It’ll be a great experience racing Dale Jr. in Japan. However, it wouldn’t look very good for him to beat his good old dad, now would it?”
As it turned out, Dale Jr. did beat his dad and finished sixth, two spots ahead of his namesake. While that race was an exhibition, it helped set the stage for his first real Cup race.
The details of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s debut came on Jan. 12, 1999. In an extravagant press conference at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, the Earnhardts, Senior and Junior, entered the building on a wagon pulled by the Budweiser Clydesdales.
Driving the No. 8 Budweiser-sponsored Chevrolet, Junior would make his first start in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 30th. As NASCAR rules put a limit on the number of races a driver could run before their rookie season, Earnhardt’s schedule that year consisted of only five events run on different style tracks.
The Coca-Cola 600 was an interesting choice for Dale Jr. to make his debut. It almost seemed odd to make his first start in the longest race of the year, but it all had to do with family history. Twenty-four years earlier, Dale Earnhardt Sr. made his debut in the same race, also driving a car with the No. 8 on the side. With the pieces in place, Junior was ready.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better situation to make my Winston Cup debut,” Earnhardt Jr. said at the time. “I’ll be racing at the track near my hometown, in a car owned by my dad, competing against the best drivers in the world on the same track where he began his Winston Cup career. Best of all, I’ll have my granddad’s No. 8. It’ll be a special day for the entire Earnhardt family.”
The 138 days between the official announcement and Earnhardt’s debut were packed with a tremendous level of promotion. Budweiser devoted a section of their website to Earnhardt and sent him to countless appearances. There were “Countdown to E-Day” shirts printed, diecast cars made, commercials filmed and special 16-ounce cans of beer that featured Earnhardt’s picture.
All that promotion nearly drove the young man insane. As a full-time XFINITY Series racer and with commitments from two major sponsors, the demands placed on Junior’s time came as a terrible shock to the 24 year-old.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. always wanted to be like his dad, even when it came to his helmet selection. | Getty Images
“The only thing I’m uncomfortable with is that there was never a break period,” Earnhardt Jr. told reporter Dustin Long for the Roanoke Times. “One year, I couldn’t scrounge up $20,000 to run my late model car, the next year I’ve got people knocking down the door to sign me. Having to do an appearance two to three times a week, we’re booked up solid.
“I’m somewhere every single day of my life. That’s taking some getting used to. A year ago, I was sitting back at home hanging out with my friends doing what I want to. Now, I’m out of touch with just about everything I was in touch with last year. At times it’s a little frustrating. My father tells me that’s the way it is and that’s the way it’s going to be.”
Amid the added pressure, Earnhardt went winless in XFINITY Series races prior to his Cup debut. In a revealing Sports Illustrated interview, Junior said he expected the week prior to the Coca-Cola 600 to be a sort of “Hell Week.” Filled with attention and sponsor commitments, racing seemed like an afterthought.
Earnhardt’s Jr.’s team arrived at Charlotte in a plain white hauler and burdened with a great deal of pressure to perform. With no points or provisionals to rely on, it was possible that Earnhardt could miss the race. After all the promotion, it would have been a devastating embarrassment for Junior to spend E-Day at home on the couch.
But to his complete relief, the car was fast. In first practice, Junior was 10th fastest as his teammate, Steve Park, led the session. And in his first qualifying session as a Cup driver, Earnhardt Jr. raced to an impressive eighth-place starting position. In that Wednesday night session, Junior qualified seven positions higher than his father and better than all former Cup champions in the field.
“I have never been that nervous in my life,” he said after his run. “It’s a big, big relief. You just don’t understand. It’s a big, big relief.”
The attention on “Little E” was not ignored by competitors. After winning the pole, Bobby Labonte joked to reporters, “Do you guys have any questions you want me to ask Dale Jr.?”
Earnhardt Jr. would share the spotlight with Tony Stewart on race day, as Stewart also raced in the Indy 500 that day. While Stewart arrived at Charlotte just prior to the green flag, a mob of attention surrounded Junior. Breaking through the crowd of reporters was Ken Schrader with an unusual request. He wanted an autograph. Earnhardt signed the back of Schrader’s suit and climbed into his own car to start the race.
Father and son celebrated two Dale Earnhardt Jr. XFINITY Series championships together. | RacingOne
Once the green flag dropped, it was clear the new team missed the setup. After two laps, Junior had fallen to 15th and struggled through the early part of the race with an ill-handling car.
On the first green flag pit stop, Junior lost time on pit road when he couldn’t find his pit stall, his spotter directing him to Steve Park’s box by mistake. Junior fell a lap down on Lap 78. The rest of the night was calm and after 600 miles, Junior finished 16th, three laps down. The event was a learning experience.
Once the attention, pressure and excitement was over, perhaps the most important part of Junior’s night was getting feedback from his father, who finished sixth. Long after the sun had set that night, Dale Jr. walked through the dimly lit garage to see if his father was happy with the way the night went.
“He said, ‘You did good and stayed out of trouble,’ ” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I wanted to know he was happy as a car owner and a father.” Dale Sr. was certainly happy at the track less than one year later, when he was celebrating Junior’s win in the All-Star Race.
Finally now, after more than 600 Monster Energy Series races, Earnhardt Jr. will end his career in a similar manner. He’ll drive his car back to the garage following a race ending after sunset, and hopefully upon reflection, he’ll be happy with the way a career went.
Editor’s note: This article was edited for brevity. To read the entire historical piece, visit racing-reference.info.
NASCAR penalized two teams in the XFINITY Series on Wednesday following the Ticket Galaxy 200 on Saturday at Phoenix Raceway.
Both the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, driven by Christopher Bell, and the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, piloted by Ryan Blaney, were cited for safety violations for lug nuts not properly installed.
Each crew chief — Eric Phillips (No. 18) and Greg Erwin (No. 22) — was fined $5,000.
Blaney finished second to William Byron at Phoenix, while Bell came in fourth place.
The XFINITY Series returns to action this weekend with Saturday’s Championship 4 finale, the Ford EcoBoost 300, at Homestead-Miami Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced today Chris Gayle will assume the role of crew chief for the No. 20 Toyota Camry team in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with driver Erik Jones starting with the 2018 season.
“I’m very excited to work with Erik again in 2018 and continue to build on our rookie season of 2017,” said Gayle. “I think the lessons we learned together this year will be invaluable to us next season. I’m also very excited to be coming back to JGR and work with all the great people and familiar faces in that organization.”
Chris Gayle returns to JGR following a one-year tenure at Furniture Row Racing where he led Jones in his rookie season campaign. Heading in to this weekend’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the pair have accumulated five top-five finishes, 14 top-10 finishes and earned one pole. The duos best run this season came at the August race at Bristol Motor Speedway where Jones won the pole and led 260 laps before finishing second behind Kyle Busch. With a strong run this season, Jones enters the weekend leading the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by 14 points over Toyota teammate, Daniel Suarez.
“While we still have one more shot this weekend to close out the year with a win for Furniture Row Racing in the No. 77 Camry, I’m really excited about what’s to come next year moving back to JGR full time in the Cup Series and to have Chris Gayle with me as my crew chief,” said Jones. “Chris and I have come a long way in my rookie season and his rookie season as a crew chief in the Cup Series. We’ve learned a lot together and built a good relationship that I think will only continue to grow as we both move back to JGR and continue fighting for wins and championships.”
Prior to joining Furniture Row Racing for the 2017 season, Gayle served as a crew chief for JGR in the NASCAR XFINITY Series for four years working with Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Elliott Sadler, Jones and others following a successful career as a race engineer for JGR. During his four years as a crew chief in the NXS, Gayle earned 20 wins, including one with Jones at Chicagoland Speedway in 2015, 52 top-five finishes, 91 top-10 finishes and 17 pole starting positions.
Furniture Row Racing crew chief Cole Pearn is accustomed to being a bit of an anomaly – in good ways, not bad.
He is a Canadian leading a championship charge in America’s premier auto sport. He is the only crew chief among the four championship-eligible – Rodney Childers, Adam Stevens and Paul Wolfe are the others – who has not been suspended this year for a technical violation.
Pearn also is the only one in the group who doesn’t already own a championship trophy.
He’d like to hoist his first high this weekend in the Ford EcoBoost 400 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway (3 p.m. ET on NBC)
“I consider that an accomplishment, for sure,” Pearn said, joking about this competition’s technical penalties. “I mean, we’ve done a good job of managing all that and just working ‑‑ doing our best within the rules and working with NASCAR when they ask you to change something, we’re quick to change it and make sure we’re in compliance.
“I think definitely something to be proud of, for sure,” he said adding with a smile, “I think this is my first year as a crew chief not even getting on probation, so that’s an accomplishment, I think.”
What Pearn has done goes well beyond the technical guidance that has helped his driver Martin Truex Jr. to a career year and elevated the team to a championship favorite thanks to its series-best seven wins and 25 top-10 finishes through the first 35 races of the season.
Furniture Row Racing is the only Cup team based outside the Southeast, operating in a nondescript, concrete building located outside Denver, Colorado. And while Pearn is one to consider the “different” locale a blessing, the team has weathered plenty of other challenges.
Just days after learning his best friend back home in Canada had died unexpectedly, Pearn led Truex and team to a victory at Watkins Glen, N.Y. In the months afterward, Pearn suffered through the loss of his family dog, a night before the team won at Kansas, one of the Furniture Row Racing on-the-road team members suffered a heart attack and died, and just last week, team owner and founder Barney Visser suffered a heart attack and underwent bypass surgery forcing him off the road for what could be his beloved team’s first title hoist.
And this all is in addition to the understanding and support the organization has given Truex’s longtime girlfriend, Sherry Pollex, who is so bravely battling ovarian cancer and getting chemotherapy even as the team makes its championship push.
For some, all the unimaginable adversity would be excuse to be off your game. For this group, under Pearn’s leadership, it is extra motivation to stay on top of your game and eye the big prize for doing so.
Achieving focus and staying positive is something this group has learned to live. The emotional hurdles, alone, have only strengthened their resolve and determination.
“You know, I wish a lot of times we haven’t had to go through the things we’ve had to go through, obviously, but I think they just made us all a lot closer and pulled our team together even that much tighter,” Pearn said. “I think for us, when you’re grieving and having to go through some of the things we’ve gone through, it just leads you to kind of pounding into your work a little bit harder and kind of using that to take your mind off the other things.
“I think that creates a little bit of resolve and a little bit more focus for us, and just really want us to push to continue to close this thing out. I think when it’s all said and done, we’ll be able to look back and reflect on this kind of crazy year that it’s been, and hopefully we’re doing it with a lot of bright spots, as well.”
After amassing a series best 60-point bonus cushion for the playoff run, the No. 78 Furniture Row Toyota arrives in Homestead this week now on even playoff ground with the other three challengers. Best finish earns the championship.
“We kind of knew the format, we knew the deal, and we knew when we ‑‑ if we were fortunate enough to make it — that we’d be up against three guys, straight up,’’ Pearn said. “I think this race is definitely different than any race to this point this year, but from that standpoint, it’s just a matter of going out and doing the best we can.
“I think having the confidence to know that we can come back from issues early in the race like we’ve had in this playoff and rebounded and been able to close out wins I think gives you a lot of confidence, for sure.
“I think we’re ready to just go and make the most of it and hopefully just go out and just take it.”
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announces today its driver and crew chief lineup for 2018 in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. The lineup will feature Christopher Bell, Brandon Jones, Ryan Preece and an all-star lineup of current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers.
JGR announced last month that Christopher Bell would compete full time in the XFINITY Series next season. Since that time, he earned his first victory in the Series at Kansas Speedway on October 21. He will pilot the No. 20 Toyota Camry with Jason Ratcliff serving as the team’s crew chief. Ratcliff is currently the crew chief for JGR’s No. 20 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team.
Joining Bell fulltime next season will be Brandon Jones behind the wheel of the No. 19 Toyota Camry for JGR. Chris Gabehart will handle the crew chief duties for the team in 2018.
In addition, JGR announces that Ryan Preece will return to drive a partial schedule behind the wheel of the No. 18 Toyota Camry, with Eric Phillips serving as crew chief. Preece competed in three races for JGR this season and earned a top-five finish in each, including his first-career win at Iowa Speedway. He will also be behind the wheel of the No. 18 this weekend in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“Our NASCAR XFINITY Series program is so important to us at Joe Gibbs Racing,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “We are focused on the opportunities we have this weekend in Miami of course, but excited about the talented lineup of drivers we will have competing for us in 2018. The addition of Brandon Jones to our lineup will provide tremendous competition to the Series and give us two opportunities to run for the XFINITY Driver’s Championship, as well as the Owner’s Championship next season. For as young as he is, Brandon has gained a lot of experience across several different series and we are excited to see what he can do in our equipment and with Chris (Gabehart) leading that team.
“We’re proud of our crew chiefs in that series as well,” added Gibbs. “Jason (Ratcliff) is someone we obviously have a lot of confidence in having had great success for us in both the XFINITY and Cup Series. Having Chris (Gabehart) and Eric (Phillips) back gives us proven winners atop each pit box. We believe their experience and ability to work together will really help the development of our young drivers and help our veterans compete for wins each weekend.”
Jones has spent the past two seasons driving in the XFINITY Series. He has also competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS), K&N Pro Series East, and ARCA this season. Over the course of his young career he has built an impressive resume of accomplishments which includes making the playoffs in his NASCAR XFINITY Series rookie season (2016), compiling four second-place finishes in NCWTS and picking up a win in the K&N Pro Series (Iowa). He also has four ARCA Series wins, including two consecutive wins at Michigan, and was the first driver in ARCA history to win their first two races.
“I’m really fortunate to have gotten as much experience as I have to this point of my career and very thankful to have worked with so many great people and teams over the past several years,” said Jones. “When you look at what JGR has done with Toyota in the XFINITY Series over the past decade the results speak for themselves and I’m excited to go out next season knowing I have an opportunity to be successful each and every week.”
Preece made three starts in the XFINITY Series for JGR this season and has earned one win, a second and a fourth-place finish. He will be driving JGR’s No. 18 entry Saturday, looking to earn the organization’s fifth Series Owner’s Championship. The 26-year-old Berlin, Connecticut, native is a very accomplished short-track racer with 20 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) career victories, 70 top-five and 96 top-10 finishes. He was crowned the 2013 season champion.
“Obviously I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunities that I have already had with JGR this season and now to be able to increase the number of races next season is a great step in my career,” said Preece. “I’m looking forward to going out there and make the most out of the opportunity.”
Preece will share JGR’s third XFINITY Series entry with the organization’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers. Kyle Busch, the all-time leader in XFINITY Series wins with 91, is expected to run seven races in 2018, while Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones, Daniel Suárez and others will fill out the remaining races.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. – The partnership between Team Penske and Fitzgerald Glider Kits will continue to grow in 2018, as the team announced Wednesday that Fitzgerald will become the primary sponsor on the championship-winning No. 22 Ford Mustang for the majority of next season’s NASCAR XFINITY Series races.
Fitzgerald Glider Kits, North America’s leading truck glider kit assembler, will be the primary sponsor of Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford for 16 races beginning next season, including the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway, the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway and both series races at Bristol Motor Speedway, the home track for the Tennessee-based company. Fitzgerald will also be an associate sponsor on the car for the balance of the 2018 NXS season.
As part of the enhanced agreement with Fitzgerald Glider Kits, a Team Penske partner since 2016, Fitzgerald will also serve as the primary sponsor for the team’s No. 12 Ford Fusion driven by Ryan Blaney in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol in August of 2018. Fitzgerald will also continue as an associate sponsor in the Verizon IndyCar Series with a presence on the No. 1 Chevrolet driven by defending series champion Josef Newgarden throughout next season.
“Team Penske continues to grow its relationship with Fitzgerald Glider Kits and we welcome the company’s increased role as a sponsor with the No. 22 Ford Mustang team in 2018,” Roger Penske said. “We work closely with Fitzgerald in our trucking business and the company has certainly made the most of its partnership with our race teams across different platforms since it joined Team Penske in 2016. We look to continue to build the Fitzgerald Glider Kits brand as we move to the next level next season.”
Team Penske and Fitzgerald first teamed up when the company became a sponsor of the No. 22 NXS Ford Mustang in 2016. This season, the Tennessee-based company not only was a partner on the No. 22 team, but it also enhanced its relationship with Team Penske as it became a primary sponsor of the No. 2 Ford Fusion driven by Brad Keselowski for two Cup Series races and sponsored both Josef Newgarden and Juan Pablo Montoya in the Verizon IndyCar Series. In addition, Fitzgerald was a sponsor with Keselowski’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team at Brad Keselowski Racing this season.
Keselowski, Newgarden, and Blaney all won races driving Fitzgerald colored cars during 2017.
“Working with Roger and Team Penske has been a real privilege over the past few years,” said Fitzgerald founder Tommy Fitzgerald Sr. “I truly appreciate the all the new friendships we’ve built and the time that the team took to get to know our company and to understand the goals of our brand. Becoming a primary sponsor with Team Penske was a natural fit for the Fitzgerald Companies. The opportunity to display our colors on the hauler and the race car will give us a great tie into the transportation side of racing, which means maximum exposure in our industry. Seeing our company logo in the winner’s circle provides a feeling of pride unlike anything we have done as a family and as a company. We look forward to strengthening our relationship with Team Penske by growing our commitment to the No. 22 NASCAR XFINITY Series program.”
Team Penske’s No. 22 NXS team has been one of the most successful in racing over the last several years. The No. 22 won the series Driver’s Championship with Keselowski in 2010 before capturing three-consecutive Owner’s titles from 2013-2015. The team is one of the final Championship 4 teams eligible for the Owners’ Championship this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The No. 22 Fitzgerald Glider Kits Ford Mustang will make its 2018 debut in the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 17.
