WELCOME, N.C. — Kannapolis, North Carolina, native and current playoff contender Daniel Hemric will return to Richard Childress Racing for the 2018 season to again compete for the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship, driving the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro.
“It is always a special time when you can re-sign with a team like Richard Childress Racing that has done so much in our sport,” Hemric said. “I’ve learned a lot from Richard both about racing and life in general, many lessons that I will never forget. While we still are contending for the XFINITY Series championship this year, and have unfinished business in the final five races, I’m fortunate that I will again be running for the Series championship in 2018 with RCR and Richard in my corner.”
In his rookie campaign in 2017, Hemric’s performance during the regular season earned him a position in the XFINITY Series Playoffs. Through the first 26 regular season races, Hemric earned five top-five and 12 top-10 finishes, one pole award and two stage wins. He led 70 laps and earned the XFINITY Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“Richard made a vow to me that he believes in me, and I believe in the entire RCR organization,” Hemric said. “It is such a humbling feeling to know I have an owner that believes in me and what we can accomplish together. I look forward to representing RCR and all of the organization’s great partners.”
“Daniel is a special driver that we’re thrilled to have back for the 2018 season,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of RCR. “He works hard at being the best race car driver he can possibly be. There aren’t too many other drivers that have a work ethic like he does, which we value here at RCR. Daniel is constantly in the race shop meeting with his crew chief, our engineers, the simulation team and his teammates to understand how to get better. On top of that, Daniel is an excellent ambassador for RCR’s partners. He carries himself well, treats everyone with respect and understands the importance of sponsorship.”
Prior to making his NASCAR debut, Hemric earned multiple championships across various Legend Car and Late Model series. He was crowned the track champion at Concord Speedway, recorded back-to-back Legend Car Pro championships (2008 and 2009), two Summer Shootout Series championships (2009 and 2012), Champion Racing Association JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour championship (2012) and the Southern Super Series championship (2013).
Along with Hemric’s impressive list of championships, he also claimed the victory in the inaugural Legends Million at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2010. Hemric won the largest one-of-a-kind grassroots event in racing history after taking the lead with 11 laps to go in the 100-lap A-Feature.
Posted on by
LOS ANGELES – The Monster Energy Bellator MMA Fight Series heads to the legendary Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama, for its third event on Friday, Oct. 13. For the first time, fighters will step into the cage after the sun has set on Friday evening, kicking off an exciting weekend for fans that culminates with the fifth race of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs on Sunday.
Ahead of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Alabama 500 on Sunday, Oct. 15, the Monster Energy Bellator MMA Fight Series will feature MMA action on Friday evening beginning at 8:30 p.m. CT at the Monster Energy Fan Zone in the Talladega Infield, immediately following the track’s “Big One on the Blvd” parade and party. Talladega Infield access is required for admission.
Additionally, on Friday, October 13 from 3-4 p.m. CT, fans will have the opportunity to meet former Bellator lightweight champion and Monster Energy athlete “Iron” Michael Chandler, as well as heavyweight fan-favorite Roy “Big Country” Nelson, at the Monster Energy Fan Zone in the Talladega Fan Zone, directly outside admission gates behind the north end of the grandstands.
“The Monster Energy Bellator MMA Fight Series has been a great way for us to share MMA, as well as the Bellator brand, with an entirely new fan base this year,” said Bellator President Scott Coker. “With the support of Monster Energy, we’ve already seen the crossover appeal these events offer. I’m excited to head to one of the most iconic tracks in motorsports with Hans Molenkamp, Aaron Quesada, Austin Hodges and the entire Monster Energy team to bring Bellator MMA action to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Talladega.”
Through Bellator MMA, alongside longstanding partner Monster Energy, mixed martial arts will be included as a pre-race activation exclusively for fans in attendance. The lineup on Friday will consist of four MMA bouts featuring some of the best regional up-and-coming talent, with the main event prospects in consideration to be signed to a multi-fight Bellator MMA contract.
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Alabama 500 at Talladega takes place Sunday, October 15 at 1 p.m. CT. Tickets to the race are available at NASCAR.com/tickets, TalladegaSuperspeedway.com/tickets or by calling Talladega Superspeedway at 1-855-518-RACE (7223).
Updated Monster Energy Bellator MMA Fight Series at Talladega Superspeedway Fight Card: Lightweight Main Event: Omar Johnson (8-1, Birmingham, Ala.) vs. Jonathan Pearce (5-3, Johnson City, Tenn.) Heavyweight Bout: Frank Tate (4-4, Birmingham, Ala.) vs. Kem Oti (2-1, Decatur, Ala.) Middleweight Bout: Marcel Stamps (1-0, Birmingham, Ala.) vs. Derek Wilson (Pro Debut, Atlanta, Ga.) Heavyweight Amateur Bout: Christian Echols (2-0, Cullman, Ala.) vs. Billy Swanson (7-1, Cleveland, Tenn.)
The National Motorsports Appeals Panel today heard and considered an appeal of an L1-level penalty issued on Sept. 26 to Kevin Manion (crew chief), Kyle Busch (owner) and Todd Gilliland (driver), relative to the No. 51 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The penalty concerns the following section in the 2017 NASCAR Rule Book: Section 20.15.2.2 Rear Brake Cooling Assembly.
The original penalty assessed: Manion was fined $5,000 and suspended from one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Points Event; Kyle Busch Motorsports was assessed with the loss of 10 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner points; Gilliland was assessed with the loss of 10 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver points; and the race finish was encumbered.
Upon hearing the testimony, the decisions of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel are:
1. The Appellants violated the Rules set forth in the Penalty Notice.
2. The Panel affirms and upholds the original Penalties assessed by NASCAR.
The panel consisted of the following three individuals:
– Mr. Dixon Johnston
– Mr. Bill Mullis
– Mr. Buddy Parrott
The Appellants have the right to appeal the decision of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel to the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer in accordance with Section 15 of the NASCAR Rule Book.
Fans can get up close with NASCAR drivers again this weekend during Trackside Live at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Saturday’s show at 8:15 p.m. ET includes music from Brad Paisley, which will be streamed on YouTube. You can watch it right here, so bookmark this page.
The stage show from the fan midway at Charlotte Motor Speedway is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET on Sunday — and you can catch all the action from the comfort of your own screen if you’re unable to join the fun live. Watch Sunday’s show on NASCAR.com via this link: Trackside Live at Charlotte.
Fans are the focus of the events, with question-and-answer sessions, chances to win great prizes and games with NASCAR drivers.
TICKETS:
Kids 13 and under can get into the Bank of America 500 for just $10. As a salute to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s final race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, adult tickets are available as a two-pack for $88. For tickets, camping and upgrades, fans can call the ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or shop online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.
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.
Notable: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has never scored a points-paying Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Sunday afternoon at the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval will be Earnhardt’s final opportunity to make it happen. In 34 races, NASCAR’s 14-time Most Popular Driver has earned six top fives and 13 top-10 finishes — which equates to an average finish of 18.8.
Memorable: Although Earnhardt has never won a points race at Charlotte, he is still familiar with Victory Lane at his home track. Earnhardt’s first Monster Energy Series victory came during his rookie season at Texas Motor Speedway in April 2000, which locked him into the All-Star Race at Charlotte. The Kannapolis, North Carolina, native went on to have a special night on May 20, 2000 by winning the event. After making a late-race pit stop, Earnhardt rocketed to the front of the field in his No. 8 Chevrolet, passing Dale Jarrett with two laps remaining to take the checkered flag. His father, seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt, was there to greet him in Victory Lane after the race.
Quotable: “The challenge at Charlotte is not landing too tight in Turns 1 and 2 and being too tight in the center there,” Earnhardt said in a team release. “Something that I think we all fight and we all have to work on there is trying to get your car to roll the middle of the corner, have that front grip and keep the car turning in the middle. You get into the corner so fast in Turn 1 and transitioning into that banking, the car really lands hard and gets tight, so trying to make that transition is a real challenge. Charlotte is our home track and I haven’t won a points race there yet, so that’s certainly something I would like to do. We have been seeing some improvements in our performance and our speed, so I’m looking forward to Charlotte.”
A young driver. A former champion. An innovative company. And a passion for racing. When you put them all together at the North Carolina Quarter Midget Association Speedway in Salisbury, North Carolina, it adds up to a very bright future for the youth movement in racing.
The young star is Nick Loden, a 12-year-old native of Stanley, North Carolina, and a product of Ingersoll Rand’s driver development program. The former champion is none other than track owner Bobby Labonte, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, who won the 2000 NASCAR premier series title with Joe Gibbs Racing. The company is Ingersoll Rand, whose tools are mainstays at community tracks like these all across the country as well as in the highest levels of racing like today’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
And the passion for racing? Well, if you know anything about this area of North Carolina, then you don’t even have to ask about that.
Jeff Zelevansky | Getty Images
But every story has to start somewhere, and for the former champion, his start came in a quarter-midget race car in Texas when he was just 5 years old. Back then the Labonte family’s hobby was racing, and weekends consisted of trips to places like San Antonio, Texas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, just to name a few.
Sometimes the family drove for multiple hours to find a track. Sometimes, there wasn’t a track to be found, so Labonte’s dad and some friends would build one themselves.
“My dad and a few other guys, we traveled every weekend to go race,” Labonte said. “There was an old (airport) runway not being used, and I remember as a kid them putting fence posts up and making a circle track in the middle. They’d start putting hay bales up and they created an environment for youth to come race.
“What my dad provided for me and my brother and many other families was the opportunity to race.”
That sacrifice wasn’t lost on Labonte, so when he set out to build the track in Salisbury, he became a ground-breaker in more ways than one. The track was the first of its kind in North Carolina that was dedicated strictly to quarter-midget racing. Labonte tried to provide a proving ground for quarter-midget racers to enjoy, somewhere they could build memories and strike up relationships to help their racing careers.
One such racer is the young Loden, who has competed on Labonte’s track as he builds up experience. Loden has compiled 130 wins over the past two years on tracks all over the country and has raced in prestigious events such as the USAC Battle at the Brickyard, held each year at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Photo courtesy of Loden family
Whatever track he is on, Loden can be seen flying past other drivers, a red-white-and-black blur in the familiar colors of Ingersoll Rand. Like Labonte, Loden is following in the footsteps of his dad, who was a successful racer in his own right.
Nick’s father Andy Loden started competing at the age of 17 in Williamson, New York. After moving to North Carolina, he was crowned the track champion at Hickory Motor Speedway in 2006, ’07, and ’08. He was also the track champion at Tri-County Motor Speedway in 2008 along with capturing the NASCAR Whelen All American Series North Carolina State Championship.
Loden’s father credits his successes in motorsports to his mechanical background as a service technician. And he feels those skills are exactly what his son Nick needs to be successful in motorsports.
Andy’s way of encouraging those skills is allowing Nick to build and repair his own cars, and at the track, Nick’s primary tool of choice is Ingersoll Rand’s W1120 ¼” 12-volt impact wrench to remove lug nuts when changing tires during practice.
When at the shop, Nick helps mount his own bodies with the D1130 12-volt 3/8″ drill. And in those untimely situations when Nick gets caught up in an on-track incident, he relies on one of Ingersoll Rand’s latest products, the G1811 12-volt cordless belt sander, when the focus turns to fabrication.
Loden’s level of participation and success align with Ingersoll Rand’s objective to be the best in class. In addition to being Loden’s tools of choice, Ingersoll Rand is the official Power Tool of NASCAR and provides products to teams at the highest levels. Within the Monster Energy Series garage, you will find teams using everything from the W5132 20-volt 3/8″ Impact for changing gears under race cars to the W5330 20-volt 3/8″ Right Angle Impact for making chassis adjustments.
Labonte knows what it takes to succeed on that higher level, and luckily for kids like Loden, there are people like Labonte who enjoy giving back to the racing community by building tracks where dedicated young racers can perfect their craft. But the young racers aren’t the only ones getting a kick out of what’s going on at places like the North Carolina Quarter Midget Association Speedway.
Todd Warshaw | Getty Images
“I’m really proud of the guys and girls that come through (Salisbury),” Labonte said. “There’s nothing more fun than seeing a 5-, 7-, 8-, 9-, 12-year-old kid with a smile on their face after they get done racing, no matter what happened. It’s awesome!”
At the Salisbury track, kids like Loden get to hone their skills and compete against drivers who someday might go on to the next levels in the sport. You never know what future stars might appear at tracks like this, in a fertile racing hotbed like North Carolina.
“When the track was built in Salisbury, it was an opportunity for Ryan Blaney, Harrison Burton and others to race there,” Labonte said. “Not everybody is going to be where Ryan Blaney is at today. But racing creates structure, it helps them develop skills.
“It impacted me, whether it was the main catalyst, I had no idea at 5 years old. But at the same time, it provides a catalyst for many things, and it is a great sport.
“It’s so many other things than just driving a car. This is the feeding ground for a lot of kids who get to start in something like this, and they might not have had that opportunity if we didn’t build a track.”
CHICAGO — Leading up to the Chicagoland race and the start of the playoffs, Aspen Dental — the official dentist of NASCAR — got fans into the race spirit a little early. And at the same time, reminded them in a fun way that it’s never too late to get started in breaking down the barriers that keep them from going to the dentist.
Aspen Dental built a pop-up go kart track in the heart of downtown Chicago so fans could fill their need for speed while knocking down symbolic obstacles to dental care like Judgment, Fear and Discomfort.
Danica Patrick was on hand offering tips to racers, giving a play-by-play of the action and talking to attendees about why a healthy mouth matters.
The event was the latest activity in Aspen Dental’s Get Started program, launched at the start of the 2017 season to encourage fans in unexpected ways to get started or restarted on their own personal road to better care, better smile sand better lives.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – There was “rubbin’ ” that wasn’t intentional and “racin’” that was when officials with Charlotte Motor Speedway kicked off Bank of America 500 race week Tuesday with a parade through the city streets featuring 2012 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski.
“It is great to see people come out; I always like seeing the faces and seeing everybody getting excited and pumped up,” said the driver of Team Penske’s No. 2 Ford. “It’s a great way to promote the good things our sport does and build the excitement that makes motorsports so much fun for communities.”
Keselowski didn’t seem to mind the slower pace, putting a bumper to the pace car in front of him a half dozen times or more during the trek around the city.
Some folks were caught off-guard, many likely headed back from lunch when police on motorcycles, sirens blazing, led Keselowski and company through the city streets. Others were prepared, some even hanging out their car windows to snap photos and take videos with their smartphones.
“That. Just. Happened,” noted a surprised Keselowski.
CMS plays host to the opening race of the Round of 12 in this year’s NASCAR Playoffs, with the Bank of America 500 scheduled to get underway Sunday (2 p.m., NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR). It’s a race Keselowski has won once before, in 2013. A victory in the opening race of the second round would be most welcome.
He has less than 20 laps on the tri-oval under race conditions this season — a crash in the Coca-Cola 600 this past May put him out of commission after only 19 laps around the 1.5-mile track. He finished 39th and that’s been the only real blemish on his CMS record in recent years.
Charlotte, Talladega and Kansas make up the three stops for the Round of 12; eight drivers will advance while four others will see their title hopes end.
“I see those two mile-and-a-halves (tracks) which is mostly about the aerodynamics … and that’s important to get all that right,” Keselowski said of the Charlotte and Kansas stops. “And then Talladega which is just … I felt like before the stages it was a little easier to control your destiny there. You could run up front and kind of stay away from it all.
“Then with the stages, you could run up front, somebody would short pit and cycle you to the back. … That just mixes up the field; it means there’s no safe place to be.”
Keselowski is fourth in points after the round-ending reset. Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing) and Kyle Busch (Joe Gibbs Racing) are 1-2 in the standings.
Busch won the final two races of the previous round and Charlotte is the only active track where he has yet to earn a points victory. Meanwhile, Toyota teammate Truex has scored four of his five wins this season on 1.5-mile tracks.
They’re two of the favorites to advance to Homestead-Miami Speedway for a shot at this year’s championship. Along with Keselowski, the remainder of the NASCAR Playoff field consists of Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing), seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin (JGR), Ryan Blaney (Wood Brothers Racing) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Roush Fenway Racing).
Stage points, awarded to the top 10 drivers at the conclusion of each stage during a race, have been essential. That will continue to be the case, Keselowski said, as the playoffs continue.
“You can run fifth and not score any stage points and you’re not going to score the fifth-most points on the day, you’re going to score about the 10th-most points,” he said.
Keselowski won the opening stage at Dover and was eighth in the second stage. As a result, he finished with more total points than four drivers who finished ahead of him in the race.
“Those stages are (crucial), as they were meant to be,” he said. “They were meant to put an emphasis on running up front early in a race and not just riding around and cruising.”
Qualifying to set the 40-car field for Sunday’s Bank of America 500 is scheduled for Friday at 7:20 p.m. ET.
NASCAR announced penalties on Tuesday following last weekend’s events at Dover International Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Among them were citations against two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams for unsecured lug nuts and suspensions for a NASCAR XFINITY Series team for loss of added ballast.
The Monster Energy Series teams hit for lug nuts were the No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota driven by Erik Jones and the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford piloted by Clint Bowyer. Each team had one lug nut unsecured following the race at Dover, so respective crew chiefs Chris Gayle and Mike Bugarewicz were each fined $10,000.
In the XFINITY Series, NASCAR penalized the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing team for loss of added ballast. Crew chief Danny Stockman Jr., car chief Clint Almquist and engineer Luke Mason were suspended through Nov. 14, a total of four points-paying races. Daniel Hemric, driver of the No. 21, is currently fifth in the playoff standings.
“No matter what gets handed down to us over the next couple days, we’re a strong group,” Hemric told NASCAR.com on Saturday after his fourth-place finish at Dover. “There’s so much depth at RCR. We’ll take whatever they give us in the next few days and take it in stride.”
NASCAR also penalized the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (Erik Jones) and the No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet (Brennan Poole) in the XFINITY Series for an unsecured lug nut. Respective crew chiefs Chris Gabehart and Chad Norris were each fined $5,000.
And in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, crew chief Carl Joiner was fined $2,500 as the No. 88 Toyota driven by Matt Crafton was found to have an unsecured lug nut post-race in Las Vegas.
