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Pennzoil and Speedway Motorsports Incorporated’s (SMI) Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) on Friday announced Pennzoilu00ae motor oil as title sponsor of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) race at LVMS starting in 2018. The Pennzoil 400 will anchor a NASCAR tripleheader weekend ending with the main event at the 1.5-mile tri-oval race in early March, 2018.


"This race entitlement is an extension of our successful relationship with SMI that began in earnest seven years ago," said Rusty Barron, Vice President of Marketing, Shell Lubricants Americas. "We look forward to continuing to expand our relationships within NASCAR while working with another top-tier SMI track to give fans an action-packed weekend capped off with an adrenaline-inducing race experience."


The Pennzoil 400 is an expanded relationship with SMI and its motorsports properties as well as an extended business-to-business relationship with Sonic Automotive. In addition to key B2B elements, the entitlement offers Pennzoil exclusive, one-of-a-kind experiences to extend to its customers.


"Pennzoil is one of the most respected brands in the automotive industry. Like our speedways, Pennzoil has served generations of satisfied customers for decades," said Speedway Motorsports Chief Executive Officer Marcus Smith. "We are proud to have Pennzoil among our stable of blue-chip marketing sponsors at Speedway Motorsports through entitlement relationships with the Pennzoil Autofairs at Charlotte Motor Speedway and now with NASCAR in Las Vegas. We look forward to expanding the Pennzoil reach further toward new customers with the international audience of fans attracted annually to Las Vegas Motor Speedway."


Las Vegas in particular is a valued market for Pennzoil with significant brand activations around NASCAR, NHRA, and SEMA in recent years. The race consistently has had one of the highest TV ratings on the circuit and has traditionally enjoyed sell-out crowds in attendance.


"We’re thrilled to have Pennzoil as our new sponsor in our March Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event," said LVMS President Chris Powell. "Pennzoil is a storied name in NASCAR with its many years of support for our sport, and we’re really looking forward to a long-term relationship with everyone associated with the brand. The commitment that Pennzoil has recently made to its NASCAR program is a testament to its faith in the future of our sport, and we couldn’t have a better title sponsor with which to head into the third decade of racing here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway."


Pennzoil is the No. 1 synthetic motor oil brand in fast lubes in the U.S. and Las Vegas Motor Speedway was the perfect venue for the premium brand.


"Las Vegas has been a valued market for the Pennzoil brand in recent years," said Rusty Barron, Vice President of Marketing, Shell Lubricants Americas. "During that time Shell featured numerous promotions around the annual Las Vegas race including several Pennzoil-exclusive paint outs on the No. 22 race car, customer events at the track, charitable efforts with Paralyzed Veterans of America and in-market promotions with key vendors."


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LAS VEGAS — Brad Keselowski blew the first and second corners on his money lap in Friday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.



Then he blew away the rest of the field.



Perhaps "blew away" is a bit of an exaggeration. Keselowski covered the 1.5-mile distance in 27.881 (193.680 mph) to edge Martin Truex Jr. (193.458 mph) for the top starting spot in Sunday’s Kobalt 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) by .003 seconds.



The Coors Light Pole Award was Keselowski’s first of the season, his first in nine attempts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the 13th of his career.



With most drivers in the final round stronger through the first two corners before tightening up in Turns 3 and 4, it is conceivable that missing 1 and 2 actually helped Keselowski’s lap.



"I don’t know what the answer is," said Keselowski, the defending winner at Las Vegas and last week’s winner at Atlanta. "I’ll have to look through a bunch of data, and the smart guys — the engineers and crew chiefs — will probably point some of that stuff out to me. But, yeah, every time I looked at the tracker, the cars that were fast in 1 and 2 weren’t in 3 and 4, and we were the opposite.



"We were really good in 3 and 4… but we’ll take it either way."



Ryan Blaney qualified third after setting the fastest lap of the day (194.147 mph) in the second of the three rounds. Matt Kenseth will start fourth, followed by Kyle Larson and Joey Logano.



Like Keselowski, Truex missed Turns 1 and 2 on the lap that counted but was strong through Turns 3 and 4 in securing his front-row starting spot.



"I felt like we had a pretty well-put-together lap, but it wasn’t perfect," Truex said. "Not quite as good through Turns 1 and 2 with the bumps as I’d like to be, and it felt like we hit 3 and 4 good. I felt like the bumps in 1 and 2 got us.



"All in all, I felt like we just missed the pace a little bit. We were really strong in practice and thought (the track) would pick up quite a bit of speed tonight, and it didn’t. That threw us a little bit of a curve and kind of hurt our setup. It was a good recovery. We made a lot of changes as qualifying went on and got better at the end. That’s all you can ask for."



After a strong start to the season in Daytona and Atlanta, the Stewart-Haas Racing cars were sluggish in Friday’s time trials, with none of the four advancing to the final round. Series leader Kevin Harvick will start 19th on Sunday, two spots behind Daytona 500 winner Kurt Busch.



Clint Bowyer was the fastest of the SHR drivers, earning the 13th starting position after missing the final round by .001 seconds.


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The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series are at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend.

 

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, 3:30 p.m. ET, FOX)

Stage 1: Ends on Lap 80
Stage 2: Ends on Lap 160
Final Stage: Scheduled to end on Lap 267

 

XFINITY Series (Race is Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, FS1)

Stage 1: Ends on Lap 45
Stage 2: Ends on Lap 90
Final Stage: Scheduled to end on Lap 200

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MORE: Meet the 2018 Hall of Fame nominees 

"It’s time."


Social media users did not mince words with Wednesday’s announcement that the late and great Davey Allison has been nominated for the NASCAR Hall of Fame.


It was a similar enthusiasm and fondness bestowed upon Allison from fans every time he climbed into a stock car. The oldest son of NASCAR legend and Hall of Famer Bobby Allison was a bona fide celebrity in the sport’s earlier glory days — before Twitter, Snapchat and Facebook. Before billion-dollar television deals. Before personal chefs and luxury motorhomes were standard issue.


Allison, who died in a helicopter crash at Talladega Superspeedway in 1993 at the age of 32, is a highly-achieved descendent of the "Alabama Gang" — a group of drivers hailing from Hueytown, Ala., so talented that the very thought they were entered in a race stirred an intense rivalry among competitors.


It feels fitting that Allison’s addition to the 20-person list of NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees also includes his former team owner Robert Yates and a member of the original Alabama Gang, Red Farmer.


PHOTOS: More from NASCAR Hall’s five newest nominees


Newer NASCAR fans have certainly heard about Allison’s talent — his 1992 Daytona 500 victory, his run at that season’s championship — the "old school" group as they like to be referred to. It was a time of "simpler" days in the sport, though intensely competitive.


And Allison, in particular, bridged a gap between the older fans who grew up cheering on his father, Bobby, and a new group ready to root for Allison in a changing of the guard.


Allison represented everything competition was supposed to be about — eager to go door-to-door with greats representing multiple generations such as Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Harry Gant.


And of course, greats like his dad, Bobby, who he finished second to in the 1988 Daytona 500, one of the most memorable race outcomes in NASCAR history. At 50, Bobby Allison became the event’s oldest winner. At 26, his son firmly established himself as the next generation of raw talent and Allison can-do. 


Four years later, Davey Allison was celebrating in Daytona 500 Victory Lane himself. It was a big moment kicking off the best full season of his career, although the title run ultimately ended in a collision in the Atlanta season finale, giving the season trophy to Alan Kulwicki. Allison had led the standings most of the season and into the last race.


But he was such a fierce competitor: Losing out on the trophy in November only made the other drivers more fearful in February, certain of the extra motivation that would be steering Yates’ fast and famous No. 28 Texaco Ford.


Allison won multiple races every full year of competition, the 1987 Rookie of the Year title and 14 pole positions. One of the most amazing statistics is that he won one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race for every 10 starts he made — 19 total in 191 races.


The numbers are so jaw-dropping both Allison’s fans and those fans of his rivals wonder what kind of numbers he would have posted if he had had a full career.


No need to wonder, though. His work is being recognized as it should.


Allison is rightfully nominated for consideration into the NASCAR Hall of Fame and will be a serious candidate come decision time in May.


"OH. MY. WORD!" Allison’s widow, Liz, posted on Facebook.


"Beyond excited and so very grateful to those who voted for Davey. He would be so honored to have made this list and to be a nominee along with all of the nominees. No words to describe the emotions right now. So darn proud for him!!"


As are so many.

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NEW YORK and DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR and SiriusXM today announced a six-year renewal to extend their broadcasting and marketing agreement through 2022. SiriusXM will continue to deliver 24/7 racing content to millions of listeners across North America, including live broadcasts of every race, plus daily NASCAR talk and interviews with voices across the industry through its exclusive SiriusXM NASCAR Radio channel. NASCAR content is available to SiriusXM subscribers in their car, at home or on the go on satellite radios, on the SiriusXM app and online at SiriusXM.com.

 

SiriusXM and NASCAR’s agreement extension marks another important milestone in the history of collaboration between the two organizations, as 2017 is NASCAR’s 16th season on satellite radio and listeners will have uninterrupted access to the sport for more than two decades. SiriusXM will also retain exclusive category rights to utilize NASCAR branding and trademarks for advertising and promotion.

 

“We have more than a successful decade of partnership already under our belts with SiriusXM and look forward to continuing our relationship over the next six years,” said Steve Herbst, senior vice president, broadcasting and production at NASCAR. “SiriusXM provides robust coverage of both our live events and breaking news, acting as a trusted resource for our sport and helping NASCAR content to reach new, diverse audiences nationwide.”

 

“For the last 15 years we’ve proudly delivered the excitement of NASCAR to fans nationwide, providing them with a level of coverage unmatched by anyone in audio entertainment, and we are very pleased to continue our relationship for years to come,” said Steve Cohen, SiriusXM’s SVP of Sports Programming. “NASCAR has always had one of the most loyal fan bases in sports, and it continues to innovate to constantly improve the racing on the track. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will continue to give fans, no matter where they are in the country, a terrific platform to follow and discuss the new format put in place this season, and stay connected with their favorite drivers as they vie for the championship.”

 

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to the track this weekend with the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, live March 12 at 3:30 p.m. ET on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

 

SiriusXM NASCAR Radio airs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and delivers in-depth racing coverage and inside access to NASCAR news, including live broadcasts of every Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Seriesu2122, NASCAR XFINITY Seriesu2122 and NASCAR Camping World Truck Seriesu2122 event. Fans can call in to the channel to share their opinions and be a part of the daily discussion, and can also access SiriusXM NASCAR Radio programming when they want it on SiriusXM On Demand. The channel’s roster of expert hosts features current and former drivers, crew chiefs, crew members and a host of NASCAR insiders. For more info on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s programming and personalities go to www.SiriusXM.com/NASCAR.

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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.