Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Hall of Fame Class, Class of 2018

In the 1992 season finale, a young driver and crew chief pairing made their NASCAR premier series debut. Less than a decade later, Jeff Gordon and Ray Evernham were in the record books.

Born: August 26, 1957
Hometown: Hazlet, New Jersey

Championships (3)
Premier: 1995, ’97, ’98 (crew chief)

Premier Series Crew Chief Stats
Competed: 1992-99
Starts: 213
Wins: 49
Poles: 30

Evernham guided Gordon and the No. 24 team to three championships in four seasons (1995, ’97, ’98), and a series-leading 49 wins in the 1990’s. Among their triumphs were two Daytona 500s (1997, ’99) and two Brickyard 400s (1994, ’98).

Matching Evernham’s mechanical prowess was his innovation on pit road. Under his direction, the “Rainbow Warriors” revolutionized the art of the pit stop.

In 2001, Evernham tried his hand at ownership, leading the return of Dodge to NASCAR. His drivers won 13 times, including Bill Elliott’s triumph in the 2002 Brickyard 400.

After selling majority ownership of his team in 2007, Evernham worked for ESPN as a race analyst before joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2014 as a consultant for its competition department.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Hall of Fame Class, Class of 2018

With a smooth voice, and knack for weaving a simple note into an epic tale, Ken Squier carved a massive footprint during NASCAR’s formative broadcast years.

Born: April 10, 1935
Hometown: Waterbury, Vermont

One of NASCAR’s original broadcasters, Squier began his career with the Motor Racing Network (MRN) in 1970. It was his golden voice that took NASCAR to a national audience thirsting for live coverage, giving his insider’s view of what he famously described as “common men doing uncommon things.”

He is perhaps best-known for calling the 1979 Daytona 500, a milestone moment for the entire sport, as Squier’s voice on CBS welcomed millions to the first live flag-to-flag coverage of “The Great American Race” – a moniker he coined.

Following that signature moment, Squier proceeded to call races for CBS and TBS until 1997 before shifting to the studio as host for NASCAR broadcasts until 2000. Squier continues to enlighten NASCAR fans to this day, mostly through special appearances.

In 2012, NASCAR announced the creation of the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence, which would be housed in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Squier and Motor Racing Radio’s Barney Hall were in inaugural winners of the award.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Hall of Fame Class, Class of 2018

Robert Yates was the rare breed, exceling in any field he chose. But two in particular placed him among NASCAR’s greats – engine building (his first love) and team ownership.

Born: April 19, 1943
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Championships (2)
Premier: 1999
Engine Builder: 1983

Premier Series Owner Stats
Competed: 1989-2007
Wins: 57
Poles: 48

Yates, who began his career at Holman-Moody Racing in 1968, landed a job with NASCAR Hall of Famer Junior Johnson in 1971 — and the rest is history. He provided the power behind Hall of Famers Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough, later leading Allison to a series championship in 1983 with DiGard Racing.

In the late 1980s, Yates launched his own team, Robert Yates Racing. Success came quickly — driver Davey Allison won the 1992 Daytona 500, and finished third in that season’s championship standings.

In 1996, Yates expanded to a two-car team with NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett and Ernie Irvan — and immediately won that year’s Daytona 500 with Jarrett. Jarrett would go on to win another Daytona 500 in 2000, a year after winning the NASCAR premier series championship — all in Yates owned Fords.

His lineage continues today, as son Doug carries on his legacy as one of the top engine builders in the sport.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Hall of Fame Class, Class of 2018

Robert “Red” Byron was there at the outset, to say the least.

Born: March 12, 1915
Died: Nov. 11, 1960
Hometown: Anniston, Alabama

Championships (2)
Premier: 1949
Modified: 1948

Premier Series Stats
Competed: 1949-51
Starts: 15
Wins: 2
Poles: 2

Byron won the sanctioning body’s first race in 1948, on the Daytona beach road course. He went on in 1948 to win NASCAR’s first season championship — in the NASCAR Modified Division. The following year, he won NASCAR’s first Strictly Stock title — the precursor to today’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series — driving for car owner Raymond Parks. The Strictly Stock schedule had eight races; Byron won two of them.

Wounded in World War II, Byron drove with a special brace attached to the clutch pedal, to assist an injured leg — making his accomplishments even more impressive. That injury contributed to Byron’s relatively brief career, after which he continued to be involved in motorsports.

When he died in 1960 at the age of 45, Byron had branched out, striving to make more history, by developing an American car capable of winning the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car event.

In 1998, he was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers, recognition of a highly significant career, the relative brevity of it notwithstanding.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Statistics
Year Age Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led AvSt AvFn RAF Miles LLF
1949 34 6 of 8 2 4 4 1 633 103 1.5 7.7 5 602.2 2
1950 35 4 of 19 0 3 3 1 634 85 2.5 7.0 3 878.9 1
1951 36 5 of 41 0 1 2 0 609 0 19.0 15.2 3 743.7 0
3 years 15 2 8 9 2 1876 188 7.7 10.0 11 2224.8 3

 

 

 

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: NASCAR.com live stream announcement

CHARLOTTE — Voting members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame will gather at the Charlotte Convention Center on Wednesday to decide the next deserving class of honorees.

The panel will select five new members for the Hall of Fame as well as a recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

This year’s eligible class of 25 potential Hall of Fame nominees includes a varied list of deserving candidates from NASCAR’s first driving champion (1948) Red Byron to championship crew chiefs Harry Hyde and Ray Evernham to four-time Camping World Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday and short track dominators, Larry Phillips and Mike Stefanik.

Former XFINITY and Cup champion Bobby Labonte is among five first-time nominees, also including championship team owners Roger Penske and Joe Gibbs, 1992 Daytona 500 winner Davey Allison and Allison’s fellow “Alabama Gang”member Red Farmer.

MORE: See the entire list of nominees

The five-person nominee list for the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR includes Jim France, Janet Guthrie, Alvin Hawkins, Ralph Seagraves and Ken Squier, the legendary broadcaster who is also a Hall of Fame nominee.

The voting panel, which includes members of the media, track operators, NASCAR executives and current Hall of Famers, will begin deliberations at 1 p.m. Wednesday, and the Class of 2018 will formally be announced at 6 p.m. in the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Great Hall.

Posted on by Track Release

RELATED: Playoffs get a makeover in 2018 schedule | Official release

JOLIET, Ill. — Chicagoland Speedway announced today its 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race will take place Sunday, July 1, moving back to its longstanding, fan-favorite summer date and kicking off NBC’s live race coverage of the season.

“We’re incredibly excited about the return to July,” said Chicagoland Speedway President Scott Paddock. “We always listen to our fans, and this is something they’ve asked for — a time when the weather in Chicago is perfect, kids are on summer break, and families look to enjoy memorable experiences together, especially around the Fourth of July holiday weekend.”

Since its inception in July 2001, Chicagoland Speedway, hosted its NASCAR weekend during the month of July through 2010, before moving to September. The world’s greatest stock car drivers will converge on the Magnificent Mile and a Half to the backdrop of fireworks, camping, tailgating and music as fans will enjoy four action-packed races: ARCA Racing Series, NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Weekend: 

Friday, June 29: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Saturday, June 30: NASCAR XFINITY Series
Sunday, July 1: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
For more information about Chicagoland Speedway, follow us on Facebook along with Twitter and Instagram @chicagolndspdwy.

Chicagoland Speedway & Route 66 Raceway

Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5-mile, paved oval race track located in Joliet, Ill.  The track has hosted racing events of the major U.S. racing series, and currently conducts races in all three NASCAR national series, including the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the NASCAR XFINITY Series, and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.   Along with Route 66 Raceway, a multimillion-dollar complex that includes a ¼-mile stadium-style drag strip and a ½-mile dirt oval track, Chicagoland Speedway is wholly-owned by International Speedway Corporation (ISC), a major promoter of motorsports activities.  ISC owns and/or operates 13 of the nation’s major racing venues, including Daytona International Speedway. For more information on Chicagoland Speedway, visit ChicagolandSpeedway.com.

Posted on by Track Release

RELATED: Playoffs get a makeover in 2018 schedule | Official release

Richmond International Raceway is one of the top stories of the 2018 NASCAR schedule as America’s Premier Short Track will host Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series playoff races and bring back spring Saturday racing “under the lights” to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Richmond will host the Toyota spring race weekend on April 20-21, 2018, and return in the fall with its first Monster Energy Series and NXS playoff race weekend on September 21-22, 2018.

The road to the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series championships will now lead through Richmond as the track has been added to the select number of tracks (10) who host a Monster Energy Series playoff race. This is a unique opportunity for the Commonwealth to host a pair of major league professional sport’s playoff races at Richmond and Martinsville Speedway.

The lights will shine bright once again as the Toyota spring race weekend goes back to Saturday racing at Richmond. With both race weekends “under the lights,” Richmond returns to the tradition it started with its first night race in September 1991 when “Handsome” Harry Gant took home the victory. With brake rotors glowing, sparks flying, and the stars shining bright, it has become the perfect combination for an iconic Richmond race experience.

“We heard from many fans about returning the spring race to Saturday and getting back ‘under the lights’ for both our 2018 race weekends,” said Richmond President Dennis Bickmeier. “A big part of our identity for 18 years is racing ‘under the lights’ as there is a different energy in the air on Saturday nights at Richmond. We look forward to bringing back the iconic race weekend experience generations of Richmond fans remember.”

Today’s announcement builds on the momentum of the current 2017 NASCAR season in Richmond, which concludes with the crowning of the regular season champion at the track as part of the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.

“Richmond has always been a tremendously supportive market for NASCAR,” said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Racing Operations. “Adding it to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, along with the return to Saturday night racing, only will enhance the competition at the track as fans continue to enjoy the iconic Richmond racing experience.”

The Action Track will now play a vital role in determining the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series champions with playoff races hitting the ¾ mile D-shaped oval for the first time in the history of the track. The fall Monster Energy Series race will be the second race in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday, September 22, 2018, with the NASCAR XFINITY Series race being the first race of the NXS playoffs on Friday, September 21, 2018.

“Hosting a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff race is a testament to the importance and impact of Richmond to the sport,” said Bickmeier. “Richmond will now have the same feel as any playoff host city for a professional sport. With the fall’s Monster Energy Series race being the second in the playoffs and NASCAR XFINITY Series race being the first of the playoffs, our September weekend will play an even more important role in determining the champion in each series.”

Official start times for 2018 NASCAR races will be announced at a later date.

While the momentum is building for next year, there is still chaos to come this autumn as Richmond’s 2017 NASCAR season concludes with two nights of racing “under the lights” on September 8-9. The fall race weekend, presented by Who’s Your Driver, will see history on display as Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes his final career, two-race appearance at Richmond.

Fan Appreciation Weekend kicks into high gear early Saturday morning with a full schedule of interactive events for NASCAR’s best fans, including the return of Gridside Live, which moves to The Classic Amphitheater. Stay connected to Richmond’s primary social channels on Twitter and Facebook as more announcements are set for the coming weeks, outlining some new, unprecedented elements to the Richmond fan experience, giving our Richmond Nation season ticket holders unparalleled access.

Witness history in the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on Saturday, September 9 as the regular season champion will be crowned along with Earnhardt’s final regular season Cup race at Richmond. Saturday night is also the last chance for many drivers to make it to the playoffs. The NASCAR weekend gets started on Friday, September 8, when the rising stars of tomorrow compete along with Earnhardt in the Virginia529 College Savings 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race following practice and qualifying for both series.

Tickets are available now for both the Monster Energy Series and NXS races at Richmond. To purchase tickets, visit rir.com or call 866-455-7223.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

RELATED: Key changes | Official release | Schedule highlights

NASCAR unveiled a revamped 2018 schedule for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series on Tuesday.

The shuffle — which will see Charlotte Motor Speedway run its playoff race in part on its road course layout, among other highlights — injects added excitement into what was already a thrilling 36-race slate.

MORE: Charlotte road course news | Date changes for 2018

Here’s how NASCAR Nation is responding to the big news.


Posted on by Track Release

The 2018 NASCAR season will be an historic one for Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

LVMS’s spring NASCAR Weekend will run March 2-4, with a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race taking place on Friday, the NASCAR XFINITY Series’ Boyd Gaming 300 following on Saturday and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ Pennzoil 400 anchoring the tripleheader on Sunday. The speedway’s fall weekend will be Sept. 14-16 and consist of a Friday NCWTS race, an XFINITY Series race on Saturday and a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday.

LVMS will kick off the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in September and be the first track in NASCAR history to host two tripleheader weekends in the same year.  In addition, the speedway’s September XFINITY Series race will serve as the cutoff for qualification into the XFINITY playoffs, and the Truck Series race will be the second playoff event for that series.

“We’ve waited a long time to be able to host two major NASCAR event weekends at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and to see the official dates on the schedule is exciting for everyone here at the speedway and in our community,” LVMS President Chris Powell said. “Our spring NASCAR Weekend has been a thrilling experience in Las Vegas for more than two decades, and we’re eager to begin another chapter with our fall tripleheader. To kick off the Monster Energy Cup Series playoffs and be a key factor in the other series’ postseasons will be an incredible way to cap off what promises to be a monumental year for LVMS.”

LVMS was awarded a second NASCAR Weekend and signed Pennzoil as title sponsor of its spring Cup race in March of this year. The speedway first hosted a Truck race in 1996, then followed with an XFINITY event the following year and added a Cup race in 1998.

Next up for LVMS is its fall Truck race on Saturday, Sept. 30, which will be part of the NCWTS Playoffs for the second consecutive year. Fans can purchase annual passes for LVMS’s 2018 events at a deep discount off individual weekend tickets by calling 1-800-644-4444 or logging on to www.LVMS.com.

Posted on by Track Release

RELATED: Playoff makeover highlights 2018 schedule | Official release

The Brickyard 400 will enter a new era of excitement in 2018, as the annual Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will move to Sunday, Sept. 9.

The 400 will serve as the final race of the regular season, determine the regular season champion and set the field for the NASCAR Playoffs, which begin the following weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“The Brickyard 400 has been one of NASCAR’s premier events for 25 years, and we’re thrilled the race is moving to one of the most important dates on the NASCAR calendar,” said J. Douglas Boles, IMS president. “Our fans will love the excitement that comes with crowning a regular season champion at The Racing Capital of the World, and the cooler temperatures of early September will make the race more enjoyable for everyone.

“The IMS team is focused this week on delivering a successful 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500, but we’re eager to continue working with our partners to make the Brickyard 400 a great experience for our fans, competitors and community.”

More details about the 2018 Brickyard weekend schedule, including the Lilly Diabetes 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race, will be released soon.

The Brickyard 400 has taken place in late July or early August every year since the inaugural race in August 1994. The 2017 Brickyard 400, which includes the Lilly Diabetes NASCAR XFINITY Series race, is scheduled for July 21-23 at IMS. Tickets are available at IMS.com.

For more information about the Brickyard 400 and other IMS events, visit IMS.com.