Roush Fenway Racing will honor two NASCAR Hall of Famers, including one of the company’s former drivers, with its throwback paint schemes at Darlington Raceway.
Announced Wednesday afternoon, Trevor Bayne will sport a former Mark Martin look while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will once again honor Darrell Waltrip.
Bayne’s No. 6 AdvoCare Ford will resemble the car Martin drove during Roush Fenway’s first two seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series. In 1988 and ’89, Martin drove the dark blue car, at the time sponsored by Stroh’s Light, to one win, 602 laps led and 28 top-10 finishes. The victory came on October 22, 1989 at Rockingham Speedway.
In 47 starts at Darlington, Mark earned two wins and led 801 laps.
The No. 17 Ford scheme is a personal favorite of Stenhouse’s. The Fifth Third Bank colors are different than what Waltrip drove during the 1997 season, but the design is the same. Waltrip used this scheme in the 31 races he ran that year, finishing 26th in points.
At Darlington, Waltrip earned five wins in 55 starts in addition to leading 1,723 laps.
Roush Fenway Racing has five victories at Darlington Raceway in 152 starts.
The Bojangles’ Southern 500 is slated for Sept. 3.
Chris Buescher’s No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 will pay homage to a driver who also once ran the same number.
With sponsorship from Cheerios, Buescher’s paint scheme for Darlington Raceway on Sept. 3 will mimic Patty Moise’s from 1988 when she competed in what is now the XFINITY Series. Anchored by a gold No. 37, the design features a primarily white body with a black stripe underneath the number and then distinct yellow trim wrapping around the bottom of the car.
“I’m really excited to have our No. 37 Cheerios Chevrolet pay tribute to another former No. 37 car,” said Buescher in a team release. “When we looked at some of the possibilities for our paint scheme, this one stood out because of the No. 37 number.”
Moise, who made her NASCAR debut in 1986, drove a similar looking car with sponsorship from Crisco in 11 races in 1988 — including at Darlington where she finished 27th.
Of her 11 starts, Moise’s season-best finish was a 15th-place effort at Richmond Raceway. In 133 series starts, Moise earned four top-10 finishes.
Between 1987 and 1989, Moise also made five starts in the Cup Series. She earned a career-best finish of 26th in the July 1988 Daytona race.
This will be the third consecutive year Darlington has hosted the popular throwback weekend. The suggested celebrated time period is 1984-89.
“The throwback weekend is one of the coolest weekends we have on the schedule and Darlington Raceway is one of my favorite tracks as it is,” continued Buescher. “I look forward to taking our No. 37 Cheerios Chevrolet and putting on a great show Labor Day Weekend.”
Buescher is the 2015 XFINITY Series champion. Last year, he finished 17th in his Cup Series Darlington debut.
It’s not every day fans get to see what goes down on pit road — especially during an adrenaline-pumping pit stop.
Jackman Adam Lewis, a member of Ryan Newman’s pit crew, decided to change that.
Not only did Lewis hook a GoPro to his jack at Bristol Motor Speedway, he left it recording during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series night race and was able to capture some mid-race magic.
NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Dylan Lupton will pay homage to Jeff Gordon in a big way during throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway.
Lupton’s No. 24 JGL Racing Toyota will sport the infamous “Rainbow Warriors” paint scheme four-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon drove from November 1992 through 2000. The paint scheme was revealed Wednesday on Lupton’s Twitter page.
Gordon collected three championships (1995, 1997, 1998) and 52 wins with this look on his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. The illustrious scheme first hit the track for the 1992 season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Gordon’s first Cup Series race, which also served as seven-time champion Richard Petty’s last.
The XFINITY Series will be in action on Saturday, Sept. 2 for the Sports Clips Haircuts VFW 200 (3:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). It will be Lupton’s first start at Darlington after he made his NASCAR debut in 2015.
NASCAR issued penalties Wednesday to one team in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and two organizations in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for lug-nut violations.
All penalties came after post-race inspections revealed one unsecured lug nut on each vehicle after last week’s events at Bristol Motor Speedway. That included one infraction after Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, involving the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota driven by Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Daniel Suarez.
Suarez’s crew chief, Scott Graves, was fined $10,000 for the violation. It’s the third time that Graves has been docked that amount since taking the reins of the No. 19 in late March; he was also fined for single-lug violations after races at Pocono Raceway in June and New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July. Suarez finished 15th in the 40-car field at Bristol.
NASCAR also handed out penalties to two Truck Series teams after last Wednesday’s UNOH 200:
The Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 51 Toyota driven by Harrison Burton, who finished 18th
The Copp Motorsports No. 83 Chevrolet driven by JJ Yeley, who finished 19th
Kevin “Bono” Manion, crew chief for Burton’s No. 51, and Richard Mason, who was crew chief for Yeley’s No. 83 at Bristol, were each fined $2,500.
Former NASCAR driver Shane Sieg, older brother of NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Ryan Sieg, passed away over the weekend at the age of 34.
Shane Sieg competed in 68 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races over the span of seven seasons from 2003 to 2011. He also made two NASCAR XFINITY Series starts in 2004. His last NASCAR national series event was the Camping World Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway in 2011, driving a family-owned No. 93 truck.
Ryan Sieg drives the No. 39 RSS Racing Chevrolet, 0wned by his father Rod Sieg, in the XFINITY Series. He currently sits 15th in the points standings. Ryan Sieg qualified for the inaugural XFINITY Series playoffs last year.
A NASCAR statement reads: “Shane Sieg was a passionate racer who shared a deep love of the sport. NASCAR extends its deepest condolences to the Sieg family for a racer lost too soon.”
Members of the NASCAR community also sent out their thoughts and condolences to the Sieg family following the tragic news.
Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers. We lost a great driver and an incredible person. Forever in our hearts. RIP Shane. pic.twitter.com/KAz8XSGYOu
We are saddened to learn of the loss of Shane Sieg. Gone too soon. Thoughts & prayers to all who knew him. Godspeed, you will be missed. https://t.co/Kk0aemE2xh
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 23, 2017) –- On a day celebrating the sport’s iconic past, NASCAR® fans attending the Bojangles’ Southern 500 can share their race-day experiences from Darlington Raceway with millions of Snapchatters through a premium “Our Story” on Snapchat covering the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR, NASCAR announced today.
The “Our Story,” an expertly-curated stream of video and photo Snaps, will provide a unique, behind-the-scenes look at The Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR from the perspective of fans and drivers during race day in Darlington, South Carolina, on Sept. 3.
“The Snapchat ‘Our Story’ at Darlington gives NASCAR an opportunity to showcase the history of our sport in a new and compelling way,” said Scott Warfield, NASCAR managing director, social and digital content. “Throwback Weekend is one of the most vibrant and colorful events on the NASCAR calendar – now Snapchat users across the world will get a taste of what it’s like to experience it on race day.”
Fans, teams and drivers at and near the racetrack will be able to share photo and video Snaps to a special “Our Story” that shows off the best visual experiences that Throwback Weekend has to offer. The Snapchat team will then curate and package Snaps of the various perspectives and experiences into a Story, which will air in Snapchat’s Discover platform for 24 hours.
The announcement is the latest in the continued partnership between NASCAR and Snap Inc. Earlier this season, Snapchat covered the 2017 DAYTONA 500® at Daytona International Speedway and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™ races at Talladega Superspeedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway with “Our Stories.”
The Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway will begin at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 3, and will be broadcast live on NBCSN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90) and MRN, with additional coverage on NASCAR.com.
Tickets to NASCAR national series events are available at NASCAR.com/tickets.
BRISTOL, Tenn. — The continued impressive performance of Erik Jones has done more than help solidify Furniture Row Racing as a potential powerhouse in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. It also has elevated interest in the No. 77 Toyota for 2018.
“There have been some really good drivers that are looking around and that have inquired about the car because I think it is obvious the performance of the car is something any driver would like to be in right now,” Joe Garone, president of Furniture Row Racing, told NASCAR.com. “It hasn’t shocked me; it’s a compliment to the team some of the drivers that have talked to us.”
The potential for an open seat exists because Jones, 21, is headed to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2018 to take over the No. 20 Toyota currently driven by veteran Matt Kenseth.
Garone didn’t name names, but it’s likely both Kenseth and Kasey Kahne are among those who have expressed interest in the ride since neither will be back with their respective teams next season. While Kenseth is being replaced by Jones, Kahne is being released with one year remaining on his contract with Hendrick Motorsports as that organization puts William Byron in its No. 5 Chevrolet in ’18.
Jones, competing for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors, earned his first Coors Light Pole in the series this past weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway and led 260 of the 500 laps. He finished second to Kyle Busch for his ninth top 10 of the season.
Teammate Martin Truex Jr. has four wins, 15 stage wins and leads the points standings.
The Denver-based organization had one victory (Regan Smith’s 2011 victory at Darlington) and not much in the way of clout until 2013, when then-driver Kurt Busch carried the No. 78 into the playoffs and finished 10th in the overall standings.
Truex came aboard the following season as Busch departed, won his first race with the team in ’15 and finished fourth in points.
The 2016 season was pivotal — the organization switched from racing Chevrolet entries to Toyota, Truex won four more times and he again made the playoffs.
That rise in competitiveness led team owner Barney Visser and his group to expand for ’17, adding Jones and the No. 77 entry to the fold. With continued support from Toyota and a technical alliance with JGR, the move has provided its share of benefits.
Those benefits, however, are dependent on additional funding should they continue in 2018.
“It’s 100 percent relying on sponsorship,” Garone said on whether the organization will field the No. 77 next year. “We certainly never got into this to run just one year. A set of circumstances presented itself that we’re having to deal with. It’s late in the year and we’ve known for a little bit that we were possibly going to be facing having to find another sponsor.”
If the worst-case scenario comes to fruition, Garone said employees won’t lose their jobs.
“We’ll keep the second team intact and we’ll have one heck of a strong staff for a single car team if that’s what ends up happening,” he said. “But it certainly is not our intent to have that happen.
“There is still strong hope … it’s not a complete ‘No, we’re not going to run it.’ There is a lot of interest right now and performance helps with all of that. Erik sitting on the pole (at Bristol) doesn’t hurt and the 78 winning races. I think Erik has a win in him. … Those are the teams you want to be with.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes regardless of whether fans like a certain driver or not, a historic or amazing accomplishment deserves a tip of the cap.
This week that driver is Kyle Busch, whom Earnhardt spoke about on his most recent episode of the Dale Jr. Download. Released Tuesday, Earnhardt called Busch “an excellent racer” after his sweep of Bristol Motor Speedway. Such praise from Busch’s fellow competitors has been aplenty since Saturday night’s race with Earnhardt among the crowd.
But when Earnhardt was asked what he thought about Kyle Larson’s tweet saying Busch is the most all-around talented driver, he took the compliments even further.
“I think Kyle Busch would be considered by many people to be the greatest race car driver in the history of the sport if and when he wins a few more championships,” said Earnhardt. “I think that’s the only thing that’s not allowed him to creep into that conversation yet for a lot of people — just say the media. Maybe the media thinks that Jimmie (Johnson), my dad … there’s a lot of people that would say David Pearson might have been the greatest race car driver ever. Kyle’s definitely getting in this conversation. Particularly with weekend’s like this.
“If he goes on and wins a championship or two, or three more championship before he hangs it up, he’s going to be in that [conversation].”
Of the drivers mentioned, Dale Earnhardt Sr. won seven championships and 76 races before his death in 2001. David Pearson captured three championships and 105 race wins. Jimmie Johnson is at seven championships, 83 wins and counting.
Following Bristol, Busch, who turned 32 in May, now has 40 career wins in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The number puts Busch and his one championship — from 2015 — 17th on the all-time wins list. And just to note, of the 16 drivers on the list ahead of Busch, many of whom are named when talking about the sport’s great, only 12 have won two or more championships.
Busch will get the chance to contend for his second championship when the playoffs begin next month.
The biggest story of last weekend’s trip to Bristol, of course, was Kyle Busch’s dominance across each NASCAR series. But Rowdy’s mastery of “The Last Great Colosseum” wasn’t the only story of the weekend.
Thumbs Up: Rowdy’s weekend sweep
Well, it’s only reasonable and obvious we give a thumbs-up to Busch for sweeping the weekend — a victory Wednesday night in the Camping World Truck Series, a win Friday in the XFINITY Series, and a third checkered flag Saturday night in the Monster Energy Series.
Such a sweep has only been done once before — also by Rowdy — at Bristol in 2010.
Fellow drivers and legends were just as impressed with such a feat, which earns this week’s first thumbs up.
Love him or hate him I feel he is the most all around talented driver I will ever witness in my lifetime. Congratulations @KyleBusch 🐐
With the end of the regular season approaching, winless Chase Elliott needs to be careful. If he wants to race into the playoffs based on points — which seems like a tall order based on the number of different winners this season — he must be careful and have clean races.
Unfortunately for the driver of the No. 24, he tangled with Kevin Harvick in the final stage Saturday night.
Thumbs down for making us nervous — finishing 18th with no wins and the playoffs two races away.
Thumbs Up: Being a very good young man
That Erik Jones fellow seems like a very good young man. I wish you’d hang out with him more.
Not only did Jones earn his first career pole, he also led more than half the race at Bristol. That young whippersnapper nearly broke his mentor’s, Busch, perfect weekend sweep. What a nice young man.
Thumbs up to young Jones, who scored a career-best finish and made a name for himself as a serious contender. Give that spry fellow some hard candies.
Thumbs Down: Entering to the wrong introduction song
Imagine walking up to driver introductions for your first Bristol night race — only to have the wrong song play while you walked across the stage.
That was reality for Corey LaJoie when Matt DiBenedetto’s song was mistakenly played instead of his own. When LaJoie introduced himself, he set the record straight that the “X Gon’ Give it to Ya” playing in the background was not his choice of song.
The biggest question is which song will go down in history as LaJoie’s introduction song for this race — DiBenedetto’s choice, or LaJoie’s actual selection of “Lights Come On” by Jason Aldean?
Thumbs down for this minor goof-up that could have thrown off somebody’s mojo — but didn’t, apparently, at least for LaJoie, who brought his BK Racing Toyota home for a respectable 28th-place finish.
Hard fought p28 last night. After 1000 corners @BMSupdates, this morning I feel like I spent the my evening wrestling a dang grizzly bear.
Biggest Thumbs Up of the Week: A broom at the ready
Yeah, Busch swept the three races this weekend. That’s really impressive, considering it’s only ever been done by Kyle Busch.
But I’ve got some questions.
Busch celebrated his third of three victories by sweeping with an actual broom after taking the checkered flag. Where did the broom come from? Whose idea was it to equip a broom for this very specific use? A weekend sweep of three races has only happened once in NASCAR history previously, so it’s a pretty rare circumstance where a broom would prove necessary.
In any event, the broom was put to good use. Major thumbs up to the individual who thought, “Y’know what? We should probably pack a broom this weekend, just in case.”
