Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Johnson wants Knaus by his side

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Hendrick Motorsports announced a three-year contract extension for seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson on Friday, keeping him with the No. 48 Chevrolet team through 2020.

The organization also announced an extension with primary sponsor Lowe’s, which will continue its longtime backing of the team through 2018.

Though the 41-year-old driver’s immediate future in the sport is settled for now, Johnson said it’s presumptuous to link the duration of his contract to the definitive endpoint of his career.

“I think in all fairness to the questions and to myself, any contract I sign right now with my age is probably going to raise questions,” Johnson said before the opening of on-track activity this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. “I get it, but I don’t have a vision of if it’s three (years), if it’s five, if it’s seven, I don’t know. I do know I’m having a great time and I don’t want to stop right now.”

Johnson has slowed little in his unfettered pursuit of stock-car racing history. This season, the 16-year veteran has a series-best three victories, which have raised his career total to 83 — tied for sixth place on the all-time list with NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough. Johnson won the most recent of his record-tying seven series championships in 2016, drawing even with Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty.

RELATED: Jimmie, Cale highlights through years | Side-by-side photos

Friday, he indicated there’s plenty of motivation to build upon his already impressive resume.

“I’ve said it before and continued to say that when the fire does go out, I will step down,” Johnson said. “I don’t have any framework now on a timeline. I just know that I’ve got three more years of trying to go out there and win championships and win races. I’m as hungry as I’ve ever been and as focused and dedicated on doing my job.

“We will see how these three years go and certainly from my standpoint I hope to collect another big trophy and then lots of other race trophies along the way and have some fun.”

The news adds some bedrock stability to Hendrick Motorsports, which is currently in a time of transition. Four-time champion Jeff Gordon, the sport’s third-winningest driver all-time, retired from full-time competition after the 2015 campaign. Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s most popular driver and a fixture at Hendrick since 2008, has indicated he’ll follow suit at the end of this season.

RELATED: NASCAR’s all-time winningest drivers

The drivers may be changing, but Johnson said the perpetual constants have been team owner Rick Hendrick and his commitment to winning.

“The sport is always changing and evolving and how we win and how we stay on top has changed so much since I started in 2002,” Johnson said. “I have full confidence and trust in him and where he takes the team. Sitting in closed-door meetings I know that there is a lot of options being explored, and I know in Rick’s heart that it’s all to put the best four cars on the race track for Hendrick Motorsports and win races and championships. It’s hard to tell where it’s going to go, but my faith is in Rick.”

That faith has been rewarded by seemingly no surprises in contract negotiations over the years between the two sides, though Johnson has stopped short of a longer-term commitment. Gordon famously signed a “lifetime” contract with Hendrick Motorsports in the fall of 1999, an agreement that stretched over another 16 years of racing.

Still, fans probably can’t imagine Johnson in anything other than the No. 48. Though he hasn’t chosen to pursue a lifetime deal, Johnson said he can’t imagine driving anywhere else, either.

“I’ve had some discussions and that was in play at one point in time, but we just elected to go a different route,” Johnson said. “Rick and I have always said to one another on our word that I always have a spot at Hendrick Motorsports, and I’ve always told him I’m never going anywhere. Instead of it being necessarily a statement and shown through a lifetime contract we have just had a handshake and agreement amongst friends that I’ve got a car and I’ve always told him I’m never going anywhere.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — As Denny Hamlin and his two special guests — U.S. military veterans — pulled up to the first tee at Walt Disney World’s Shades of Green resort Thursday morning, the 2016 Daytona 500 winner dropped some big news on the crowd of reporters watching.

“Mickey Mouse and I share the same birthday (November 18),’’ Hamlin, 36, said, smiling.

And as impressive as that statistic was, Hamlin’s golf swing was even better.

His two playing partners, U.S. Army veteran Joe Eason and U.S. Marines veteran Sean Rego were clearly having big moments, too, enjoying the time with one of their favorite NASCAR drivers. Hamlin presented the pair with tickets to the upcoming, July 1 Coke Zero 400 — the race he was in Florida to promote on Thursday.

“They are a prime example of why we celebrate Independence Day,’’ Hamlin said of the veterans.

Hamlin is eager for another opportunity to celebrate — earning his first race win of the year. He and the rest of the four-driver Joe Gibbs Racing team — also including past Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champions Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, along with Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Daniel Suarez — are amazingly winless 14 races into the season. 

Hamlin has a pair of top-five showings and six top-10 runs in this No. 11 FedEx Toyota, but a third place showing at his hometown Richmond, Virginia track is the closest he’s come to winning so far this season.

Encouragingly, he’s won at seven of the remaining 12 tracks leading into the playoffs, including this week’s venue, Michigan (in 2010 and 2011).

“There’s no way you’d imagine that,’’ Hamlin says of the O-fer the Gibbs crew has endured this season, adding with a smile, “You’d think it had to happen somewhere, even accidentally.

“But,’’ he added, “When you look at the list of winners and those that haven’t won, it’s like, ‘oh boy.’ It could actually be really tight getting into the playoffs this year. You either better be way up there in points, or you need a win. We’re not taking that for granted. We know we need to run well and get a win very soon.’’

Hamlin said he’s genuinely surprised that his championship JGR team is still looking for that first win of 2017.

“It is very bizarre,’’ he said. “Some of the races, we’ve been in position to win with the 18 (of Busch), mostly. But it’s a matter of time in my opinion and I wouldn’t be surprised that after we won the first, we’d win three in a row. It could happen in a hurry.

“I still think we have room to get better. It’s about executing and doing everything you need to do to win.”

Should Hamlin score a victory on the Daytona International Speedway high banks in three weeks, he would have won every type of NASCAR race at the sport’s most famous track. But with a trophy-less start to the season, a victory at Daytona isn’t just a historical achievement, it could also be a matter of championship necessity.

“To me, I feel like maybe our mile-and-a-half package or short track package isn’t where we need it to be but when we go to the superspeedways I always feel the field is level and there’s no reason why we can’t go out and win,’’ Hamlin said.

“Really with my success on the restrictor-plate racing tracks over the last five or six years, I always feel confident coming down here. I think right now, I’m not sure where the cut line is in the points, but it’s dangerously close to where I’m at. The only way I’d feel comfortable is getting a win. That’s the number one most important thing.

“We’ve had some surprise winners and any time you have three or four surprise winners in a season, that leaves very few spots for people to make it in on points. When it’s all said and done, hopefully at Richmond we’re resting easy at that point.”

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Buy tickets for Michigan

For the third consecutive year, Austin Dillon is set to pilot a very special Dow Chevrolet.

In addition to a fresh paint scheme, more than 1,100 names of veterans will be featured on the No. 3 car this weekend during the FireKeepers Casino 400 (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Michigan International Speedway. The names are those of Dow employees, contractors, family members and Richard Childress Racing employees.

The names of RCR employees include the president, Torrey Galida, who served in the Navy, as well as Dillon’s engine tuner, Frank Mathalia, who served in the Marines. The car was unveiled on Thursday night’s edition of Race Hub on FS1.

 

“In a show of appreciation for the contributions of veterans serving in the United States Armed Forces, and the knowledge and attributes they add to the workforce, it means a lot to be able to honor their service and sacrifice through the No. 3 Dow Salutes Veterans Chevrolet,” Dillon said.

“The No. 3 Dow Salutes Veterans Chevrolet honors the service and sacrifice of more than 1,100 members of the Dow and Richard Childress Racing family. I have immense respect for the U.S. military, and it’s really special to know that many of the people I have formed relationships with at Dow have served and will be on the car with me this weekend.”

RELATED: Austin Dillon swaps gloves with servicemember

Dillon earned his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory last month in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day weekend.

In keeping with the military theme, Sunday’s pre-race activities at Michigan will also feature special guests. A group of 10 military members from the “Troops to the Track” program will be on pit road with Dillon before he climbs into his veterans Chevrolet for the 200-lap event.

“It is an honor to be one of the many Dow employees represented on the No. 3 Dow Salutes Veterans Chevrolet,” said Andrew Fry, the facility manager at the Dow AgroSciences Pittsburg, CA, site. “This is a tremendous opportunity to preserve, promote and acknowledge the virtues of military service.”

Posted on by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 15, 2017) – Veteran stock car and open-wheel driver Sam Hornish Jr. will return to Team Penske this summer to compete in select NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) races for the team, driving the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang. Hornish is currently scheduled to compete in both upcoming series events at Iowa Speedway (June 24 and July 29) and the NXS road course event at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (August 12).

“I’m really excited to return to Team Penske and get the opportunity to drive the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang in a few races this season,” said Hornish. “Team Penske continues to be one of the top teams in the XFINITY Series and I’m looking forward to once again working with them. Roger (Penske) and Team Penske have been a huge part of my racing career, so coming back here feels like home. I’m also really appreciative of everyone at Discount Tire for allowing me to take the reins of one of the most recognizable cars in the garage area.

“The new NASCAR eligibility rules also allow for drivers like me to compete in more races, so I hope to take full advantage of this opportunity.”

Hornish experienced immense success with Team Penske in both INDYCAR and NASCAR during his previous stint with the team. After capturing two Verizon IndyCar Series Championships, Hornish joined Team Penske in 2004, racing for its famed open wheel team.  Over the course of four INDYCAR seasons with Team Penske, Hornish earned eight wins – including a victory in the 2006 Indianapolis 500 – and a series championship in 2006. 

The Ohio-native also made 130 starts in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and 99 starts in the XFINITY Series for Team Penske between 2006 and 2013.  Hornish produced two NXS victories for the team and finished second in the series standings in 2013. Hornish has collected a total of four NXS victories over the course of his career, including at Iowa Speedway in both 2014 and 2016. 

The team may also add additional races to Hornish’s schedule over the balance of the NXS season.

Posted on by Holly Cain

Find “Cars 3” times in your area by clicking here.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rookie Daniel Suarez breaks into a wide smile when talking about his work with the Disney-Pixar movie “Cars 3,” which debuts nationwide this weekend.

“I saw the movie already and it was a very good experience to be a part of this new project in my life,’” said Suarez, whose character in the movie is named Danny Swervez. “I don’t feel like it was hard to do, it was just new. Saying the same words and same expressions was different doing it so many times.”

MORE: Exclusive look at ‘Cars 3’ characters

Suarez joins fellow 20-somethings Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. with voice-over parts in the newest installment of the popular animated film. And, like Suarez, all the drivers say they loved the new experience – for all, a real “learning” experience.

“I’m excited about it,” Wallace said of the upcoming release. “I’ve got a couple lines in and I hope I sound right.”

He grinned, reminiscing about being a part of the actual production — something he and pal Blaney, the newest Monster Energy Series winner, did together.

“We went into the studio and at first, it was really awkward,” Wallace Jr. said. “I’ve had bad dates go way better, but we figured it out. I’m excited to see it.’’

RELATED: Full Hollywood experience for drivers

NASCAR legend Richard Petty, NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2018 member Ray Evernham, four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon and three-time series champion Darrell Waltrip will also have key roles alongside Hollywood stars such as Owen Wilson, who plays “Lightning McQueen” and “Larry the Cable Guy,’’ who voices the character “Mater.”

Both actors have attended NASCAR races. Wilson was the Grand Marshal of this year’s Daytona 500.

While promoting the movie earlier this year, director Brian Fee, told “Oh My Disney” that Cars 3 “very much pays homage to stock car racing and its rich history. Our story leans into the drama, emotion and excitement NASCAR fans find at every race.”

Judging by the early personal reviews, it appears the NASCAR talent had as much fun making the movie as movie-goers will have watching.

“It was the first time I’d done something like this and I just felt like it was an amazing experience,” Suarez said.

Posted on by Staff Report

BUY TICKETS: See the Michigan races | See the Trucks in Gateway
RELATED: Full schedule for Michigan and Gateway weekend

All three NASCAR national series are in action this weekend, but at two sites. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series will travel to Michigan International Speedway, while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will tangle at Gateway Motorsports Park.

Below are the stage lengths for each race. Click here to bookmark stage lengths for every race this season.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (Race is Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, FS1)

Stage 1: Ends on Lap 60
Stage 2: Ends on Lap 120
Final Stage: Scheduled to end on Lap 200

NASCAR XFINITY Series (Race is Saturday, 1:30 p.m. ET, FS1)

Stage 1: Ends on Lap 30
Stage 2: Ends on Lap 60
Final Stage: Scheduled to end on Lap 125

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (Race is Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET, FS1)

Stage 1: Ends on Lap 35
Stage 2: Ends on Lap 70
Final Stage: Scheduled to end on Lap 160

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Photo credit: Jamie McMurray’s Twitter account, @jamiemcmurray. Also pictured are Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Brennan Poole and Tyler Reddick.

RELATED: Fit Row Presented by Lilly Diabetes launches

Editor’s note: This story is part of our Fit Row series that focuses on the health and fitness aspects of racing and its superstar drivers. Presented by Lilly Diabetes, the exclusive diabetes health partner of NASCAR, the series will feature 10 themed stories.

CONCORD, N.C. — Drivers are riding around in the garage a lot these days. They just aren’t necessarily riding what you might expect.

Cycling has become the activity of choice for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers looking for a workout. Jamie McMurray, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth are part of a brigade of drivers — which also includes Trevor Bayne, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and others — partaking in cycling as a way to improve their physical fitness.

“It’s unbelievable the amount of people that are buying bikes and that are cycling,” McMurray told NASCAR.com at Charlotte Motor Speedway last month. “Dale Jr. started a Group Meet — and you can add basically anyone you want to it. It’s every team member, crew chief, driver. Everyone that is in NASCAR is a part of this. You get on there and you say I am going to go ride and this is where we are meeting at and people will show up.”

McMurray frequently rides with Kenseth and Johnson in between practice and qualifying sessions on a race weekend, which takes a high amount of dedication. The three participated in last month’s Assault on Mt. Mitchell bike ride, where McMurray got the best of both his Monster Energy Series competitors.

In the 102.7-mile ride from Spartanburg, South Carolina, along the Blue Ridge Parkway to the summit of Mt. Mitchell State Park in North Carolina, McMurray edged Johnson by three minutes. McMurray said his participation in the Assault on Mt. Mitchell came at Johnson’s urging.

RELATED: Inside Jimmie Johnson’s passion for fitness | Dale Jr. takes up cycling

“I was actually on a ride one day with Jimmie with six to eight people – it was maybe like my 10th ride ever on a road bike and Jimmie was like ‘Hey man, you should do the Assault on Mt. Mitchell.’ And I was like, ‘yeah, I should. That would be fun. I’ll do it.’

“I slowed down to let a couple bikes go to get back to get to where Josh (Wise) was and I was like ‘what’s Mitchell? What does that mean?’ ”

Wise, who has competed in Ironman competitions and has 10 years of experience as a driver in NASCAR’s national series, is working with Chip Ganassi Racing “to help with all the drivers’ fitness programs,” McMurray said.  Wise helped put together a plan for McMurray that included six– and four-hour bike rides to train for Mt. Mitchell. McMurray estimated he rode a bike, ran or did something for 90 days – with Sundays being the exception – to get ready for the event.

The 41-year-old Missouri native also likes that he doesn’t lose his family time to participate in cycling. Away from the track, McMurray can get his workout and training in while his two kids are at school. On top of that, he feels riding has a mental benefit when in the car on Sundays.

“As you get fatigued and you got hot, if will make you think clearly and make better decisions and I don’t know that you can measure that,” McMurray said.

McMurray has come a long way after admitting he never felt comfortable on a mountain bike. However, a chat with Kenseth led to McMurray purchasing a Peloton Indoor Bike and riding it for 30 to 45 minutes a day. The end result was that he lost “a bunch of weight” and eventually with the help of Wise started riding a road bike that McMurray “became a little bit obsessed with.”

And while the fitness aspect is very important, McMurray added the social aspect of riding is key too.

“The social aspect of cycling — you can go out for an hour to two-hour ride and it goes by really fast,” McMurray said. “You do a little talking but you are also getting just a really good workout. The amount of calories you can burn and your fitness level goes through the roof and you have a really good time doing it.”

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RELATED: Full breakdown of Dale Jr.’s Michigan stats

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: FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway

Date: June 18, 3 p.m. ET (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Previous five results at Michigan: 39th, 10th, 2nd, 5th, 7th

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

Notable: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has two wins at Michigan, the latest victory on June 17, 2012. In that race, Earnhardt started 17th and led for 95 laps. He has the fifth-highest driver rating (96.0) at the 2-mile track with an average finish of 13.2 since 2005.

Memorable: Earnhardt said, according to a 2014 tweet, he had one of his favorite races in the Irish Hills. It was a 1999 IROC (International Race of Champions) race, where he battled neck-and-neck against a high-profile driver: his father. Earnhardt Jr., though, came in second by inches to his dad. The race wasn’t a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event, but father and son displayed a fierce, albeit friendly, competition and an enduring familial tie to the sport.

Quotable: “Michigan is a great track,” Earnhardt said in a team release. “I look forward to it aging and widening out. As that happens, the track loses grip. Before they paved it, we were running down next to the apron and against the wall. That is all you can ask for when you’re talking racetracks and what drivers like about them.”

 

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full schedule for Michigan, Gateway

Hendrick Motorsports unveiled a special throwback paint scheme for its No. 5 Chevrolet on Wednesday afternoon, paying tribute to the team’s earliest days in NASCAR.

Kasey Kahne will drive the retro look in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 on Sept. 3 at Darlington Raceway, site of the sport’s annual celebration of all things vintage.

ISC Archives via Getty Images

The yellow-and-white design borrows its style from the Levi Garrett-backed No. 5 that Geoff Bodine drove for team owner Rick Hendrick from 1985-89.

Bodine won four times in the yellow livery, including a victory in the 1986 Daytona 500.

Great Clips steps in as the primary sponsor for the remake, but all other cues — including the early typeface for the No. 5 — remain in place. A Hendrick Motorsports spokesperson indicated that Kahne and crew chief Keith Rodden had a hand in determining the car’s look and feel.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

RELATED: Full schedule for Michigan and Gateway | Playoff picture

BOSTON – Danica Patrick arrived at Charlestown’s Warren Prescott K-8 School on Wednesday morning to a sea of students chanting her name in unison, a DJ blaring top 40 hits and New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s Milo the Moose leading the charge in the dance circle.

The scene was electric for 10 a.m. on hump day in the middle of June, considering most kids would be counting down the days and minutes until summer vacation hits.

That’s what “DAN-I-CA! DAN-I-CA!” means to NASCAR’s younger demographic of fans.

“I don’t think I’ve ever actually had a welcoming like that, ever,” Patrick told the crowd, shortly after being serenaded by the school’s chorus with a pretty spot-on rendition of American Authors’ “Best Day of My Life.” That song choice surely wasn’t a coincidence.

Patrick responded by announcing to the school that all of its students would be gifted tickets to the upcoming Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton’s 301 at NHMS (July 16, 3 p.m. ET, NBCSN), for which she was in the Bay State promoting.

NHMS photo

They went wild yet again.

“I’ll tell you what, those kids were really loud,” said Patrick, fresh off her two best results of the season at Dover and Pocono.  “I think it’s one of those moments that’s surreal and looking back, those are going to be the kinds of moments where it’s like ‘Wow, that really happened and kids cheered that loud.’

“And they know my name, first of all. They even know my name! And they’re cheering for (me). It was really nice to have that. It made me feel important for a second.”

It wouldn’t be the last stop of the day where everybody “knows (her) name,” – the afternoon ended at the Boston bar Cheers Beacon Hill, inspiration for the long-running sitcom, “Cheers.” There, she filmed a spoof of the show for the track’s social media team with a cameo from NHMS vice president and general manager, David McGrath.

As fun as the Cheers segment was, her appearance was all about the students. Or, in this case, “teachers.”

Patrick, eight girls from the school, and an NHMS social media winner (a 5-year-old girl from Topsfield, Massachusetts) took a trolley decked out with New Hampshire Motor Speedway logos and graphics around one of America’s most historical cities, stopping at important locales from the American Revolution. These tours are typically guided by a jovial, knowledgeable driver, but this one had a catch – the eight girls had prepared notes, took the microphone from “Buck,” Wednesday’s driver, and gave history lessons to Patrick at a few stops along the Boston Freedom Trail.

“The kids are impressive,” said the Cup veteran. “They all prepared information for the different sites that we’ve been seeing around the city of historical importance. The school did such a great job of not only getting all the kids together and getting them excited, but also incorporating something educational along with it, and then adding public speaking on top of that. I mean, what a challenge.

“They did an incredible job.”

The trolley made stops at the Bunker Hill Monument, the statue of Samuel Adams behind Faneuil Hall and the Boston Public Garden, home of the famous swan boats.

After a quick trip around the pond located in the Garden, Patrick got down on a knee to be eye-to-eye with the girls and had a message: “Work hard and dream big.”

The girls were clearly moved.

“Days like today, when you hear that you’re an inspiration, that’s the good stuff,” Patrick said.

“That’s what makes me think that my work, while sometimes frustrating, is worth it.”