Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: NASCAR-sanctioned drivers to compete in new iRacing series

Watch live Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET as the NASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series will kick off at iRacing’s version of Iowa Speedway. The live stream will run from 8-8:45 p.m. ET

 

Christopher Bell, Harrison Burton, Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland, Blake Koch, Ryan Truex, Parker Kligerman, Ben Kennedy, Ryan Preece, Ty Majeski and Chase Briscoe are part of the series’ star-studded regular lineup, as well as special guests from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and other premier racing leagues from around the world.

As announced Tuesday morning, drivers will compete for eight weeks with a four-race schedule for bragging rights.

Following the iRacing event at Iowa, the NASCAR Peak Antifreeze Series powered by iRacing.com will compete at iRacing’s version of Darlington Raceway. The Darlington race is the first of the playoffs for the Peak Antifreeze Series, which is considered the pinnacle of NASCAR’s sanctioned eSport series, and drivers compete for over $20,000 in cash and prizes.

Posted on by Team Release

RELATED: Menard to join Wood Brothers in 2018 | Iconic Wood Brothers Racing images

DEARBORN, Mich.– The iconic No. 21 Ford Fusion race car of Wood Brothers Racing will have a new face behind the wheel in 2018, but for 14 races it will have a very familiar look to race fans as Motorcraft and Quick Lane Tire and Auto Centers return as major sponsors of the team for the 18th season.

 

Ford Customer Service Division (FCSD), the parent organization for Motorcraft and Quick Lane Tire and Auto Centers, signed an extension to be the primary race sponsor for 14 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events next season. The partnership between FCSD and Wood Brothers Racing began in 2001.

 

It was announced last month that Paul Menard, a 14-year Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series veteran, will replace Ryan Blaney as driver of the No. 21 car. Blaney will transition to a third full-time team with Team Penske in 2018. Menard, the 2011 Brickyard 400 winner, also will have Menards sponsorship on the No. 21 car for 22 races. In more than 380 career Cup races Menard has posted 19 top-five and 58 top-10 finishes.

 

“We are very excited about the future of our association with Wood Brothers Racing with Paul Menard behind the wheel of the iconic No. 21,” said Brett Wheatley, executive director, North America, Ford Customer Service Division (FCSD). “The announcement today solidifies the full-time status of Wood Brothers Racing going forward, and we couldn’t be happier to be a part of that.

 

“We have certainly enjoyed having Ryan behind the wheel of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion these past couple of years and look forward to watching him the rest of the season and throughout the playoffs and hope to send him off to Team Penske with a NASCAR championship and help to score the Wood Brothers their historic 100th win.”

 

Blaney has blossomed in his second full-time season driving the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford, earning the team’s 99th career victory, and his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win, at Pocono in June. The win locked Blaney and the Wood Brothers into the upcoming Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

 

In 2017, FCSD has used three of its primary brands as part of the No. 21 sponsorship – Motorcraft, Quick Lane Tire and Auto Centers and Omnicraft Auto Parts. Details of which 2018 events the FCSD brands will be the primary sponsor on the car will be announced at a later date.

Posted on by Staff Report

Ryan Sieg will honor his late older brother Shane with a special paint scheme on his No. 39 RSS Racing Chevrolet for Saturday’s XFINITY Series race at Darlington Raceway, the team announced via release on Tuesday.


Shane, who competed in the Camping World Truck Series from 2003 – 2011, passed away last weekend at the age of 34. His brother’s scheme will mirror the late model Shane raced in 2003, the season when he reached Victory Lane at Huntsville Speedway in the NASCAR Southeast Series.

“This is the ultimate tribute for my family,” Ryan Sieg said via team release. “My brother had a love for racing and I’m honored to carry this scheme at Darlington. For my family and our friends this is a very special tribute. I just want everyone to smile when they see the car on track this weekend.”

This marks Ryan Sieg’s fourth fulltime season in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. He owns seven top 10s and three top-five finishes, including a runner-up at Iowa Speedway earlier this year. He has also made 106 starts in the Camping World Truck Series.

Saturday’s XFINITY Series Sports Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington begins at 3:30 p.m. ET with coverage on NBCSN.

Posted on by Brad Norman

Jeremy Clements found himself in Victory Lane for the first time after 256 NASCAR XFINITY Series starts on Saturday.

And the party hasn’t slowed down for the 32-year-old driver just yet.

Clements posted a photo to Instagram holding his Road America trophy tight while surrounded by family and friends — all throwing up the No. 1 finger to commemorate the ‘shocking’ win.

MORE: Did Clements pull off NASCAR’s greatest upset? | Drivers praise Clements victory

Clements also received a goodie basket from NASCAR Hall of Famer and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team owner Rick Hendrick.

 

Clements is a co-owner of his small, family-owned team and his win provided one of the season’s best underdog stories yet.

Posted on by Staff Report

Lead online racing simulation iRacing.com announced the creation of a new series that will showcase NASCAR’s rising stars currently competing in NASCAR-sanctioned series.

The NASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series will kick off Aug. 29 and includes Christopher Bell, Harrison Burton, Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland, Blake Koch, Ryan Truex, Parker Kligerman, Ben Kennedy, Ryan Preece, Ty Majeski and Chase Briscoe in its star-studded regular lineup, as well as special guests from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and other premier racing leagues from around the world. Drivers will compete for eight weeks with a four-race schedule for bragging rights.

“We couldn’t be more excited,” Tony Gardner, president of iRacing.com, said in an official release. “NASCAR is a tremendous partner and the various NASCAR official series on iRacing are extremely popular.  Adding this series to our eSports line-up with real world professionals is thrilling and highlights the continued growth of sim racing.”

The season’s first race on Tuesday will be held at iRacing’s version of Iowa Speedway and will be broadcast live on www.iRacing.com/live at 8 p.m. ET. To continue with the iRacing theme, NASCAR Peak Antifreeze Series powered by iRacing.com will compete at iRacing’s version of Darlington Raceway immediately following the invitational event. This marks the first race of the playoffs for the Peak Antifreeze Series, which is considered the pinnacle of NASCAR’s sanctioned eSport series, and drivers compete for over $20,000 in cash and prizes.

“Through our long-term partnership with iRacing.com, NASCAR has been at the forefront of competitive gaming for years,” said Blake Davidson, NASCAR vice president of licensing and consumer products. “The NASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational will further connect our drivers to the growing fan base of e-Sports in an engaging and authentic way.”

Posted on by Brad Norman

RELATED: Blast to the past: 1985 gallery | Pick biggest NASCAR upset

Drivers and teams won’t be the only ones celebrating the throwback theme on Sunday in Darlington.

The Monster Energy Girls will channel ’80s rockers in new outfits — think Poison as the inspiration.

The @MonsterEnergy Girls are ready for a wild #NASCARThrowback weekend in Darlington… Bring on the 80’s!!! pic.twitter.com/abgQch8jwV

— Monster Energy (@MonsterEnergy) August 28, 2017

Donned in black leather, teased hair, and cut off shirts the Monster Energy Girls are taking the throwback party up a notch.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full Darlington schedule |  See the throwback looks

Jamie McMurray will pilot a red No. 1 Chevrolet that pays tribute to NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson in Sunday’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (6 p.m. ET, NBCSN), Chip Ganassi Racing announced via Twitter on Monday evening.

A 10-time winner at Darlington, Pearson piloted a No. 1 Hawaiian Tropic paint scheme to his final career victory at “The Track Too Tough to Tame” in 1980. It marked his lone win of the season, a year in which he ran nine of 31 races.

RacingOne

Pearson remains the all-time winner at Darlington, with Dale Earnhardt in second place with nine victories and Jeff Gordon with seven trips to Victory Lane at the South Carolina track. He is also the second-winningest driver in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with 105 career victories.

This marks the third season that Darlington will host a throwback-themed weekend. Click here to see the rest of the throwback looks and vote for your favorite paint scheme.

Posted on by Brad Norman

RELATED: XFINITY Series playoff standings

Jeremy Clements’ win Sunday at Road America had it all — it had late contact, was a massive upset (one of the biggest in NASCAR history, in fact) and also had major playoff implications.

For Clements, he’s got a stranglehold on one of 12 playoff berths for the NASCAR XFINITY Series playoffs. A win does that for a driver.

Other drivers on the bubble, though, saw their somewhat comfortable road become much rockier now that Clements, who is 17th in the regular-season standings, has grabbed an unexpected playoff berth.

MORE: Vote: Biggest upset ever?

Here’s what to know:

THE FIELD

Here is what the XFINITY Series playoff field would look like if the playoffs started today. We’ve handed out all bonus points for victories and stage wins, and the appropriate bonuses for final regular-season rankings as the standings sit post-Road America.

Rank Driver Projected points
1. William Byron 2,027
2. Elliott Sadler 2,020
3. Justin Allgaier 2,016
4. Daniel Hemric 2,008
5. Brennan Poole 2,007
6. Ryan Reed  2,006
7. Jeremy Clements  2,005
8. Cole Custer  2,005
9. Blake Koch  2,005
10. Matt Tifft  2,004
11. Michael Annett  2,002
12. Brendan Gaughan  2,001

BUBBLE WATCH

The battle for the final spot, currently occupied by Brendan Gaughan, is one to watch over the final three regular-season races. Here’s who to monitor:

• Blake Koch. He’s two spots above the cutoff line, but only holds a 26-point edge.

• Michael Annett. The second-to-last driver leads the first driver out by 11 points.

• Brendan Gaughan. The Las Vegas native is a scant four points above Dakoda Armstrong for the final playoff position.

• Dakoda Armstrong: From comfortably in to first driver out, his fortunes changed drastically with Clements winning. He trails Gaughan by just four points, though.

Posted on by Staff Report

*Warning: Some strong language is used in a series of tweets from Dale Earnhardt Jr’s verified Twitter account.*

UPDATE: And just like that — Uber comes back with a TKO. This fight is far from over.

______________________________

Forget Mayweather vs. McGregor.

Dale Jr. vs. Uber is the real fight of the year.

Over the weekend, Dale Jr. noticed his rating on the ride-share app was lower than expected — 4 out of 5 stars. Some might say that’s a strong score, but he wasn’t a fan of the news. He demanded answers.

However, throughout the day, his score on the app started to rebound, but Dale Jr. knew the fight wasn’t over just yet. It was his battle to lose and he wasn’t going down that easy.

After taking another ride with Uber, Dale Jr. was enraged after his driver dropped his score under four! Rightfully so since the driver did make a promise that he would rate the driver with a perfect score. He even mentioned he was “over the top nice.”

On Monday, Dale Jr. confirmed he ended his vacation with a solid 4.4 score on Uber — an impressive jump from his dip earlier in the weekend.

For Round 1, Dale Jr. gets the slight edge. He rallied and never gave up. That’s a victory for everyone.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

MORE: Clements ‘shocked’ after winning first race

Jeremy Clements shocked the NASCAR world — as well as himself — by winning Sunday at Road America for the first time across his 256 XFINITY Series starts.

An upset, for sure, but was it the biggest one the sport has seen?

Check out our list of biggest NASCAR upsets to see the top 15 of all time.

To learn more about each of the 15 listed, click the links below, then vote for your choice in our poll.