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BUY TICKETS: See the races in Las Vegas

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCARu00ae drivers are packing a sense of adventure for their 2,000-mile journey west as NASCAR Goes West celebrates the sport’s annual stretch of races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Phoenix Raceway and Auto Club Speedway.

Following an exciting season launch at Daytona and Atlanta, drivers will take in the sights and sounds of the West Coast in conjunction with Whistle Sports and popular social influencers, including Frisbee trick shot artist Brodie Smith, the Harlem Globetrotters and acrobatic fitness couple Austin and Julian.

In preparation for race days, NASCAR fans can follow the drivers along their off-track adventures on Snapchat and Instagram, and across all social media platforms using #NASCARGoesWest.

"NASCAR fans love seeing their favorite drivers out of their element, having fun outside of the race car," said Jill Gregory, NASCAR senior vice president and chief marketing officer. "NASCAR Goes West is about capturing the adventurous spirit of our drivers as excitement builds for the incredible NASCAR racing at Las Vegas, Phoenix and Auto Club."

Toyota helped kick off NASCAR Goes West with the launch of a three-week road trip highlighting the uniqueness of the southwest as well as various activities involving several of the Toyota drivers. Fans can also follow along through the @ToyotaRacing social media platforms along with daily updates on ToyotaRacing.com.

NASCAR and Whistle Sports will share content leading up to each race weekend as Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Seriesu2122 and NASCAR XFINITY Seriesu2122 drivers put their trick-shot skills to the test with Brodie Smith, play hoops with the Harlem Globetrotters, and work out with fitness experts Austin and Julian.

Additionally, popular Hispanic influencers Jay Mendoza and David Lopez will create videos from the race tracks, providing their followers with a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to experience a NASCAR race weekend live and in person.

Throughout the campaign, unique and compelling NASCAR Goes West content from drivers, teams and tracks will be amplified across NASCAR social media platforms.

The Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 12 is the first of three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races that are part of NASCAR Goes West. The race will be followed by the Camping World 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on March 19, and the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 26.

All three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races begin at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, with additional coverage on NASCAR.com. The Las Vegas race will be broadcast on the Performance Racing Network (PRN), and the Phoenix and Auto Club races on the Motor Racing Network (MRN).

Tickets to NASCAR national series events are available at NASCAR.com/tickets.

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RELATED: Details on NASCAR’s new deterrence system

NASCAR gave the No. 47 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car of JTG Daugherty Racing an L1-level penalty for lug nuts not being properly installed following Sunday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The violation is detailed in section 10.9.10.4 of the NASCAR Rule Book, and driver AJ Allmendinger’s 26th-place finish at Atlanta is encumbered, per section 12.10 of the NASCAR Rule Book.

As a result of the violation, crew chief Randall Burnett was fined $65,000 and suspended from the next three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points races, and the team was assessed with the loss of 35 driver points and 35 owner points. Veteran pit boss Ernie Cope will be on the pit box for the No. 47 team at Las Vegas.

XFINITY SERIES

NASCAR levied an L1-level penalty against the No. 18 XFINITY Series team of Joe Gibbs Racing coming out of Atlanta. The race-winning car of Kyle Busch did not meet post-race front body inspection heights, detailed in section 20.17.3.2.1.2 of the NASCAR Rule Book.

The victory was encumbered, stripping the playoff-point perks from the win for the No. 18 team. Crew chief Scott Graves was fined $10,000 and suspended from the next NASCAR XFINITY Series points race, and the team was penalized with the loss of 10 owner points. Matt Lucas will serve as the No. 18 team’s crew chief at Las Vegas this weekend.

CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

NASCAR handed out two penalties in the Camping World Truck Series following Atlanta. The No. 23 team for GMS Racing did not meet ground clearance inspection measurements following post-race inspection. The race finish was encumbered — Chase Elliott finished fifth in the event.

Crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz was fined $5,000 and suspended from the next Camping World Truck Series points race, and the team lost 10 owner points.

The No. 23 was also given a safety penalty due to improperly installed lug nuts. Stankiewicz was fined an additional $2,500.

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Warning: This podcast contains strong language and mature content.


Ryan Blaney joins Kim Coon and Chuck Bush for the second edition of the "Glass Case of Emotion" podcast on NASCAR.com. In this episode, the crew talks about the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, participation trophies, what sports the crew played growing up, who the crew would choose to spend a space trip with, the Denny Hamlin basketball league and so much more.

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BUY TICKETS: See this year’s races in Las Vegas

Officials from Las Vegas Motor Speedway and representatives from the city itself announced Wednesday that the Nevada-based track would host two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races annually beginning in 2018.

 

The news comes two days before on-track activity for this weekend’s Boyd Gaming 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series and Kobalt Tools 400 Monster Energy Series events.

 

The race addition has been met with positive feedback throughout the industry and is a move NASCAR supports, according to league officials.

 

Speedway president Chris Powell said during Wednesday’s announcement that the two questions he is most often asked are about job opportunities at the 1.5-mile venue and when the track would obtain a second major race date.

 

“And it turns out in March of 2017 … we can make this special announcement,” he said.

 

The city of Las Vegas, he said, “becomes the only city in the history of NASCAR to have two tripleheader weekends.”

 

Specific dates have not been made final.

 

Currently, Las Vegas hosts the Monster Energy Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series in March, and a stand-alone event for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in the fall.

RELATED: Learn more about Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Speedway Motorsports Inc., which owns LVMS, will move the fall Monster Energy and Camping World Truck Series races from New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which is also an SMI property, to Las Vegas in ’18. To round out the tripleheader, a September NASCAR XFINITY Series event at SMI’s Kentucky Speedway will also be moved to LVMS.

 

“Las Vegas and Las Vegas Motor Speedway have become great destinations for NASCAR fans,” NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell said. “The experience is unique to any other in our sport. We look forward to having NASCAR racing there for two race weekends in 2018.”

 

The 1.5-mile track opened in 1996, hosted a Camping World Truck Series race that year, then added an XFINITY Series date in 1997.

 

Mark Martin won the first Monster Energy Series race held at the track in 1998.

 

SMI owns eight tracks that annually host 12 of the 36 Monster Energy Series points events. In addition to LVMS, New Hampshire and Kentucky, other tracks under the SMI umbrella are Atlanta, Bristol, Charlotte, Sonoma and Texas.


RELATED: See the complete 2017 schedule

SMI purchased the Las Vegas facility in December of 1998 for $215 million.

 

Two years ago, track officials announced entitlement extensions for the March race with Lowe’s, through its Kobalt Tools brand, and the Stratosphere Casino and Hotel for pole day.

 

The schedule change is the first major shift for the series since 2015 when Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Labor Day weekend date was moved to follow the season-opening Daytona 500 while Darlington Raceway’s early spring date was returned to Labor Day weekend.

 

Marcus Smith, President and CEO of Speedway Motorsports, said the company remains devoted to the race fans of New Hampshire and Kentucky.

 

“Fans and tourism officials in New Hampshire and Kentucky should know that we are still very committed to creating motorsports entertainment in those regions,” he said.

 

“We will work hard to make sure the July NASCAR race weekends that we will continue to host in New Hampshire and Kentucky are bigger and better than ever before for our fans, sponsors and stakeholders.”

 

Las Vegas resident and racer Brendan Gaughan said the importance of racing in the community isn’t lost on his family, which operates the South Point Hotel and Casino. Gaughan currently competes in the XFINITY Series for Richard Childress Racing.

 

“Look at the drivers that have come from Las Vegas,” Gaughan said. “And the winner is the fan. If you have a choice to go to a race track … where would you go? Las Vegas is the place.”

 

Brothers Kurt and Kyle Busch, both Monster Energy Series champions, also hail from Las Vegas. Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 for Stewart-Haas Racing and series champion in 2004, recently won the 2017 Daytona 500.
RELATED: Kurt Busch building strong case for NASCAR Hall of Fame

Kyle Busch (Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota) is the 2015 series champ and has 171 wins across the three NASCAR national series.

 

Fellow competitor Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Ford for SHR, called Las Vegas “a huge venue for us.

 

“There’s always an awesome crowd, a good sell for us,” Bowyer said.

 

“We have to sell our product and it’s always been a healthy environment, fun for fans and a huge impact for Vegas. At the end of the day that’s what we’re in the business to do — put on a good show for a packed house and that track does that for us.

 

“Certainly the town provides a lot of entertainment for our fans, too.”

 

The downside, he noted, is that another track has to lose a date to accommodate such moves.

 

“The sad thing is, where to you take (a race from)?” he said. “That’s the tough thing. I don’t think any of them that are capable of (losing a race) deserve getting one taken. That’s the sticky part.”

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MORE: Photos of every 2018 nominee

 

The late Davey Allison and NASCAR champion owners Roger Penske and Joe Gibbs highlight the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s newest additions to a phenomenally accomplished nomination list.

 

The NASCAR Hall of Fame announced the new slate of nominees Wednesday evening. It also will include Red Farmer and 2000 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte, along with Daytona 500 winner Allison and team owners Penske and Gibbs.

 

The NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Day is May 24, when five more names will be selected for enshrinement.

 

This year’s class of nominees is again diverse with championship drivers, owners and a living legend set to be considered.

 

Allison won the 1992 Daytona 500 and 19 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races before losing his life in a helicopter accident in July of 1993. The son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison, Davey was the 1987 Rookie of the Year and finished third to the late Alan Kulwicki for the 1992 championship in one of the most dramatic and highly contested season finales in NASCAR history.

 

Fittingly, Allison’s nomination coincides with fellow Hueytown, Alabama, racer, Red Farmer, who made NASCAR’s highly respected list of its 50 Greatest Drivers. Although no one knows exactly how many victories the talented Farmer has amassed in a seven-decades long career, he did capture three consecutive championships in NASCAR’s Late Model Sportsman division (1969-71) more than a decade after earning the NASCAR Modified title in 1956. Farmer ran 36 premier series races with a best finish of fourth (twice).

 

The three-time Super Bowl-winning NFL Coach Gibbs, 76, has shown his leadership prowess extends from field to track, guiding his NASCAR teams to four Monster Energy Cup Series championships with three different drivers — Labonte, twice with Tony Stewart (2002, 2005) and most recently Kyle Busch (2015). His teams have also won five owners titles in the XFINITY Series.

 

Gibbs’ 140 victories in the premier series already ranks third all-time in the owners’ category in the history of the sport and includes two Daytona 500 wins and five Brickyard 400 trophies. Gibbs, who was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1996, has guided the career of some of the most successful NASCAR competitors, including fellow Hall of Fame nominee Bobby Labonte, as well as current Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett and Monster Energy Series champion Busch.

 

PHOTOS: Allison, Gibbs, Penske through the years

 

Joining Allison, Farmer and Gibbs is Labonte, 52, whose older brother Terry was a 2016 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee. The Labonte brothers are one of only two sets of brothers who both won Cup titles — the Busch brothers are the other pair.

 

Bobby Labonte was the first of only four drivers to ever win both the Monster Energy Series and XFINITY Series championships. He won 21 races and earned 26 pole positions at the premier-series level despite starting his career in the elite ranks at the age of 28. In his 2000 championship run, he won the Southern 500 and the Brickyard 400 and finished an amazing 265 points ahead of the late Dale Earnhardt for the season trophy.

 

Labonte also won the IROC title in 2001.

 

Concluding this list of the sport’s potential Hall of Fame members is one of auto racing’s greatest contributors, Roger Penske, a Cup champion owner as well as a XFINITY Series championship owner.

 

"The Captain" as he is affectionately known, just celebrated his 50th season in racing in 2016. He has already left an indelible mark in the stock car world as a team owner and also a track owner (formerly at Michigan Speedway). And he built one of the circuit’s most successful venues, Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

 

Penske driver Brad Keselowski won the 2012 Monster Energy Series title and the organization has twice won the Daytona 500, including the 50th anniversary of the great race with driver Ryan Newman and then again in 2015 with Joey Logano. His teams have amassed 101 victories and earned 113 pole positions. And Team Penske’s three consecutive XFINITY Series owners titles from 2013-15 ties a modern record.

 

In 2016, Penske was awarded the prestigious Bill France Award of Excellence last year for his contributions to NASCAR.

 

Hall of Fame voters will select five people for enshrinement out of a talented and diverse list of 20 nominees.

 

Fifteen additional names remain on the Hall of Fame ballot and include 19-time winner Buddy Baker, NASCAR’s first premier series champion Red Byron, three-time Monster Energy Series champion crew chief Ray Evernham, legendary crew chief and car owner Ray Fox and four-time truck series champion Ron Hornaday Jr.

 

Harry Hyde, the 1970 championship crew chief joins 1992 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Alan Kulwicki, former NASCAR West Series champ Hershel McGriff, five-time weekly series national champion Larry Phillips and eight-time national series championship owner Jack Roush on the list as does 23-time race winner Ricky Rudd.

 

Rounding out the talented and award-winning group of nominees is legendary radio and television broadcaster Ken Squier, nine-time NASCAR champion Mike Stefanik, three-time championship engine builder Waddell Wilson and Robert Yates, who won Monster Energy Series titles as both an engine builder and an owner.

 

The Landmark Award for achievement in the sport also added two names to its nominee list, including NASCAR’s Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Vice President Jim France, who is also the Chairman of International Speedway Corporation, and Alvin Hawkins, NASCAR’s first flagman, who was present with NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. at the Streamline Hotel during the earliest formation of the sport. He and France brought NASCAR to the famed Bowman Gray Stadium, one of the country’s most popular race facilities even today.

 

They join Janet Guthrie, the first woman to compete in a NASCAR premier series superspeedway race, Ralph Seagraves, who formed the groundbreaking partnership with R.J. Reynolds and NASCAR to create the Winston entitlement sponsorship and Squier, who is also the inaugural winner and namesake for the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence.

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NORTHBROOK, Ill. — Old World Industries (OWI) and Joe Gibbs Racing today announced a multi-year deal for the automotive aftermarket company and Official Partner of NASCAR to sponsor drivers Matt Kenseth and Daniel Suárez in various NASCAR national series races.

Old World Industries’ key brands, including PEAKu00ae and BlueDEFu00ae, will serve as primary sponsor of Kenseth’s No. 20 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Camry at the March 12th race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, followed by the March 26th race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. It will also be featured as a season-long associate sponsor of his No. 20 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Camry. In addition, the company will serve as primary sponsor on Suárez’s No. 18 NASCAR XFINITY Series Toyota Camry in Talladega and as an associate in the remainder of his XFINITY Series races.

"We’re excited to announce PEAK’s partnership with us and both Matt (Kenseth) and Daniel (Suárez)," said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. "They have been a tremendous supporter of our sport for a long time and I think their entitlement sponsorship of the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Seriesu2122 is another great example of that. It’s a real thrill to have them with us and on the 20 car with Matt starting this weekend in Vegas. Hopefully we can get them a trip or two to Victory Lane."

"As a company, we’re thrilled to welcome Matt, Daniel and the Joe Gibbs Racing team to the Old World Industries motorsports family," said Bryan Emrich, Chief Marketing Officer at Old World Industries. "These are guys that aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, and have both a great record on the track and a personal passion for all things automotive. We look forward to being a part of their continued success in 2017 and beyond."

This partnership comes on the heels of Old World Industries’ multi-year agreement to become an Official Partner of NASCAR, along with PEAKu00ae becoming the new entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series. The NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series has helped develop some of NASCAR’s best young drivers, including Suárez, who is the first Mexican-born driver to capture Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors; win a NASCAR national series race; lead a national series in points; and the first foreign-born driver to win a NASCAR national title when he captured the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series title last season.

Old World Industries and its PEAKu00ae and BlueDEFu00ae brands have a storied history in motorsports, with over three decades of involvement spanning NASCAR, NHRA, Late Dirt Model Racing and Lemons. PEAK is also the entitlement sponsor of NASCAR’s sanctioned online series, NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series presented by iRacing.com.

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BUY TICKETS: See the races in Las Vegas

Jimmie Johnson got Dale Earnhardt Jr. to join Twitter after Junior won the 2014 Daytona 500, and the driver of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet is one of the most engaging athletes on the social media platform. 

Now, Johnson has helped Junior get into cycling — one of Johnson’s passions. Johnson and Matt Kenseth are known for taking rides in groups over race weekends as a form of fitness. As a company, Junior said Hendrick Motorsports is keeping the drivers accountable for accomplishing a minimum workout schedule with a certain amount of cardio and strength training. 

On this week’s edition of "The Dale Jr. Download" on Dirty Mo Radio, Junior detailed how the cycling excursion came about. 

"Jimmie, he does a lot of different things, but cycling is one of the things he enjoys. That has really picked up in the garage. If you were in Daytona in the bus lot, every morning, my neighbor Matt Kenseth would wake up at 7 o’clock. He would meet outside his bus with Jamie McMurray. They would make a lot of noise and wake up Amy (Dale’s wife) and that would wake me up. They were getting ready to go on their bike ride every morning. This happened quite a bit. 

 

"I noticed that a lot of guys in the garage are starting to do this — Trevor Bayne — they are going in big groups, riding around town. Kasey Kahne, a number of drivers are picking up on this cycling deal. So I’m thinking, you know what, I am going to give it a try. Jimmie gave me a bike about a year ago. It’s sitting in my garage. Tires went flat, dry rotted. Had to get new tubes, tires. Finally, loaded the bike onto the plane to Atlanta. …

 

"I told Jimmie I said look, I’m going to meet you outside the track. Ain’t no way in hell I’m going to let anybody see me ride through the infield wearing this bike gear, spandex stuff."

Junior’s initial bike ride took place with Johnson, Kahne and Chase Elliott’s crew chief Alan Gustafson. The group rode 16.7 miles together. The ride was fun for Earnhardt, although he did get flipped off in the first five minutes by a passing car.

"They are like six inches from the shoulder," Earnhardt said. "I can’t ride that close to the shoulder. I’m all over the place and I’m wobbling all over the damn road and this guy goes by and flips me off. I guess I kind of ticked him off. Anyways, I was surprised at how rude drivers are on the road."

But for the overall cycling deal, Earnhardt is in, despite being self-conscious about wearing spandex.

"I’m in. Talking to Jimmie about getting some more bikes. I’m buying more gear, getting geared up and ready to go. That’s going to be part of my workout regimen."

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Nominee for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2019

The ultimate grinder, Bobby Labonte raced any car he could get behind the wheel of before he got his first break as a full-time premier series driver at 28 years old in 1993.

Born: May 8, 1964
Hometown: Corpus Christi, TX

Championships
Premier: 2000
Xfinity: 1991

Premier Series Stats
Competed: 1991, 1993-2016
Starts: 729  Wins: 21  Poles: 26

Years on Ballot: 1

His persistence paid off with a career highlighted by 21 trips to Victory Lane and the 2000 premier series title.

A success in all three of NASCAR’s national series, Labonte was the first of four drivers to win both an XFINITY and premier series championship. He is also one of 27 drivers to win a race in all three national series.

RELATED: Bobby Labonte’s career stats | Members of the Hall of Fame

The Texan showed up on the biggest stages throughout his 2000 premier championship season, earning two of his four wins in the Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. He beat out second-place Dale Earnhardt by 255 points for the series crown.

Bobby and his brother, Terry Labonte, are one of two pairs of brothers (Kurt and Kyle Busch), who each boast a premier series championship.

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Nominee for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2019

Roger Penske is known, simply, as “The Captain.”

Born: Feb. 20, 1937
Hometown: Shaker Heights, Ohio

Championships
Premier: 2012
Xfinity: 2013, ’14, ’15

Premier Series Owner Stats
Competed: 1972-present (Stats as of 2017)
Starts: 1,762 Wins: 137 Poles: 118

Years on Ballot: 1

A true captain of industry, Penske has steered one of the most successful motorsports ships in the sport’s history.

Penske, who celebrated his 50th anniversary in racing in 2016, reached a major milestone and collected a prestigious award during the golden anniversary season. That year, he reached 100 wins in NASCAR’s premier series and capped of the season by receiving the Bill France Award of Excellence.

Penske won the premier series championship in 2012 with driver Brad Keselowski, and owns two Daytona 500 wins with Ryan Newman in 2008 and Joey Logano in 2015. And from 2013-15, Penske tied a record with three consecutive owner championship in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

RELATED: Roger Penske’s owner stats | Members of the Hall of Fame

Off the track, Penske likewise left an indelible mark. He built the two-mile Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California in 1996, and previously owned Michigan International Speedway.