Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full Rolex 24 schedule, TV channels

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jeff Gordon has taken a very serious approach to his participation in the weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona. However, the four-time NASCAR champion was all smiles after climbing out of his Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac DPi following his first stint behind the wheel Saturday evening.

 

He had the ultimate E-ticket ride, taking over the wheel of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac during a caution period and getting a sports car schooling in restarts that only energized him to hope for another chance at it.

 

By the time Gordon turned the car over to veteran Max Angelelli, it was running second place to the No. 31 Cadillac overall in the 55-car field — a productive maiden outing for the stock car superstar.

 

"That right there was big for me," Gordon said, grinning. "The other night, the practice didn’t go well, had a lock up on cold tires, couldn’t get it in reverse, I was in traffic the whole time and couldn’t put a good lap down. I was frustrated.

 

"This, today built up my confidence. I was out there really hoping they were going to tell me to go on and do a third stint. I really wanted to do it and I’m glad I’m going to get back out there."

 

Thousands of fans at the track and watching on computers and televisions will be glad to see Gordon back out there, as well.

 

It certainly appeared to be one of the largest, most enthusiastic crowds in Rolex 24 history. The starting grid was absolutely packed with fans. They were 10-15 deep surrounding Gordon’s Wayne Taylor Racing car on the starting grid and even included racing celebrities such as IndyCar champion Simon Pagenaud.

 

Gordon readily conceded the whole experience was something he won’t soon forget.

 

While standing alongside the race car, Gordon allowed his young son Leo and daughter Ella to sit briefly behind the steering wheel — a real treat judging by their smiles after being lifted back out onto the grid to stand alongside their legendary father.

 

"It was amazing, an incredible crowd down there," Gordon said of the pre-race atmosphere. "There were so many cool cars out there, and people wanted to see them.

 

"It really gives you that grasp of the history of this race, the flags of all the countries represented by the drivers. That’s why I’m here. To be a part of a very special event and drive a really cool car."

 

Gordon certainly impressed his co-drivers. Wayne Taylor’s oldest son Ricky started the race, doing a triple stint and moving into the lead — from a fourth-place staring position — by the time he pitted for the driver change with Gordon during a full-course caution.

 

"Definitely a quick pace," Ricky Taylor said afterward, adding with a smile. "In my head, everyone was telling me build a gap, build a gap. But I didn’t want to be the one to crash the car then Jeff Gordon doesn’t get to get in and that would be the worst.

 

"We know we have good pace, we just wanted to settle in and kinda pick people off when we could. We kinda wanted a long green run and our plan was to get Jeff the car with a little lead and take the pressure off his first time in the car."

 

"The car seems OK, and he’ll do what Jeff Gordon does once he gets going here."

 

Having to restart in front of the field was a bit of trial by fire for Gordon, who joked it "might be crazier than NASCAR racing for the frenetic pace and jockeying for position among four classes of cars."

 

He said he was also prepared — if not eager — for the possibility of rain, which is forecast for the overnight hours and began around 9 p.m. ET.

 

"It was a horrendous experience for me in ’07," Gordon recalled of his only other Rolex start — a third place effort for the team in 2007.

 

"I was out in nighttime in a downpour, a monsoon. They told me they don’t even race in conditions like that anymore, and I was like, ‘Thank goodness.’ I was on slicks and had to come in and not wreck. Then I went out on race tires and it didn’t feel a whole lot better," he said laughing.

 

"I was glad to have a chance to drive in the rain during the Roar [Rolex test session]. I at least got to see where it puddles. But we are so much more prepared and so am I."

 

Angelelli had moved the car into first place overall by the time night fell, and it looked like the class of the field. Gordon said he expected to do another double stint before midnight and acknowledged a victory in this historic event would just be so incredibly special.

 

"I’m trying to absorb this one right now," Gordon said of his time in the race. "I love this form of racing and I certainly love it here in Daytona. "

 

 

Dillon brothers visit Daytona

 

There were other NASCAR connections in the Rolex 24, from Cup drivers Austin and Ty Dillon walking around the garage to Casey Mears tweeting a photo of his 2006 Rolex 24 trophy — he was the first full-time NASCAR driver to win overall in the event.

 

The six-time Rolex-winning Chip Ganassi Racing team led the GT LeMans class from the drop of the green flag.

 

And another full-time NASCAR driver, Austin Cindric, made his Rolex debut.

 

The 18-year-old Cindric, who will drive full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Brad Keselowski this season, was turning heads in the GTD class. He opened the event with a triple driving stint and drove the No. 15 Lexus GT3 car from a 21st starting position to seventh place when he got of the car. He is planning to run all the endurance races with the Lexus RCF GT3.

 

"My career has always been about I’ll drive anything and hopefully get some success," said Cindric, who will be running all the endurance races with the Lexus RCF GT3 team this season.

 

"You have to have the right opportunity and be in the right equipment," he said. "And I feel like I am both here in this paddock and in the NASCAR truck paddock."

 

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Complete list of full-time rides for 2017

Ricky vs. Trevor may be a thing of the past.

 

The Roush Fenway Racing duo of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne have a competitive history, having created the Ricky vs. Trevor campaign in 2011, their first year together at Roush in the now-XFINITY Series. The drivers partook in a slew of fun, off-track competitions (including which driver could do a better Carl Edwards-esque backflip), as well as race battles.

 

But it’s different now; with Greg Biffle‘s departure from his longtime seat in the No. 16 Ford, RFR has downsized its Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series fleet from three to two full-time rides, with Bayne and Stenhouse.

 

"I think Ricky and I have kind of realized in the last couple of years of being teammates at the Cup level that it’s not Ricky versus Trevor anymore, it’s Roush Fenway Racing versus everybody else," Bayne, 25, said Jan. 24 at the NASCAR Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway. "We’ve come alongside each other as teammates and are really gonna push each other this season. I mean, I feel like we started doing that last season and we saw some result from it, but we’re gonna learn from each other, we’re gonna be humble through it and we’re gonna understand that you can learn from each other and we’re gonna push our team."

 

Last season was one of early hope, but eventual disappointment for the Roush Fenway group. Stenhouse surprised many in the season’s second race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he qualified fifth and finished 10th. He went on to post nine top-16 finishes the next 12 races. Bayne showcased some speed particularly in qualifying, where he started third at Atlanta and followed with six top-15 qualifying spots from Auto Club Speedway in March to May’s Coca-Cola 600.

 

It was that middle stretch that the team began to slightly unravel, Bayne said.

 

"I think we can learn a lot from last season," Bayne said. "In sports, we’re quick to look at our last performances as our evaluation of a whole season and last year I think we kind of shocked ourselves and everyone else when we came to Atlanta and got our car to qualify third, ran well. There were a lot of times early in the season when we were making it to the final round of qualifying … that performance early in the year was something that shocked us a little bit. 

 

"As the season went on, I feel like we did not keep up the way that we wanted to, so what we have to learn is … ‘How do you stay motivated and make the gains from Michigan to Homestead that you make in the off-season, that you show up to Atlanta and Daytona with?’ That’s what we have to do as a team. … It’s those summer months that we get to when you really find out what you’re made out of and what you can accomplish throughout the rest of the season."

RELATED: See Bayne’s fresh paint scheme for 2017 | Stenhouse’s Sunny D look

One path to consistency could be through restructure, as Roush Fenway implemented several personnel changes during the offseason: Team manager Kevin Kidd will transition to competition director, while former production director Tommy Wheeler will serve as operations director in overseeing production. Stenhouse will have a new face atop his No. 17 pit box, as former No. 16 crew chief Brian Pattie will call the shots and former crew chief Nick Sandler becomes the director of engineering.

 

Recognizing the struggles Roush Fenway has experienced over the past few seasons, Stenhouse believes these changes will benefit the organization this year. Having been at the race shop plenty during the sport’s brief offseason, the 29-year-old driver sees it during the daily 7:30 a.m. meetings that scrutinize to-do lists and with the large effort put forth by his No. 17 team. That drives him.

 

"I’m excited that I’ve seen progress being made in communication at our shop and everybody seems really motivated to get Jack (Roush) and our partners back to running better, running up front," Stenhouse said. "We don’t show up to the race track not to do that. They’ve put a lot of hard work into it and we’re trying to make up a lot of ground that we’ve lost over the last couple years."

 

"…I think I’ve been encouraged with what I’ve seen at the race shop this offseason."

 

But will the new race enhancements, which implement race stages and emphasize consistency, prove to be yet another hurdle for inconsistent Roush?

 

Stenhouse takes comfort in a philosophy from his favorite collegiate football coach.

 

"I’ve been in a few of (Ole Miss) Coach (Hugh) Freeze’s pre-game locker room speeches (and) I feel like he always says, ‘The orders remain the same,’ " Stenhouse said. "For us, I feel like the orders are the same for me and my race team and Roush Fenway. We’ve got to continue to strive to build faster race cars. We’ve got to strive to make fewer mistakes on the race track and have faster pit stops."

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Buy tickets for Phoenix races in March and November

Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick has won six of the last nine races at Phoenix Raceway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.


Which is why, teammate Clint Bowyer said, it makes sense for the 2014 champion to represent SHR during next week’s organizational test at the 1-mile track located in Avondale, Arizona.


The two-day test is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 31-Feb. 1.


Only one team per organization is allowed to participate in NASCAR organizational tests and Bowyer, being the new kid on the SHR block, no doubt could use the seat time as he begins the next chapter in his racing career.


"I probably could have really pushed and pouted and tried to get that test, but ultimately here’s a guy that’s won out there eight times," said Bowyer, one of four drivers for SHR. "I would be a fool not to let him go out there and establish that baseline for all of us across the board, and then go out and try to beat him and everybody else with it.


"That’s the kind of teamwork that you have to have and that you can have when you’re at an organization like this — as big as it is and the depth that it has with the drivers."


Bowyer joined SHR after a one-year stint with the now-defunct HScott Motorsports. He replaces team co-owner/driver Tony Stewart in the organization’s No. 14 entry. Kurt Busch and Danica Patrick round out the SHR driver lineup for 2017.


BOWYER: ‘New chance, new crack of the bat’


Thirteen Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams are scheduled to participate in the two-day test. Among them are Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, and Daniel Suarez, driver of the No. 19 Toyota, for Joe Gibbs Racing.


Earnhardt Jr., the series’ most popular driver and for many the face of the sport, missed the final 18 races of the 2016 season due to concussion-like symptoms. His last official start came July 9 at Kentucky Speedway.


"Being out of the car, you hope you can jump back in … and not miss a beat," Earnhardt said. "But … this is the top series and any time you’re away you’re getting behind.


"I’m really anxious and curious where we shake up early in the season, how competitive we can be (and) what, if any, learning curve there is for me."


RELATED: Dale Jr. ready for new season to get here

Suarez, the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion, was scheduled to defend his title this year. The surprising departure of Carl Edwards, however, expedited Suarez’s advancement into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.


The test will be the first for many teams with NASCAR’s newest rules package. Four teams took part in a two-day Goodyear tire test earlier this month at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the ’17 setup.


This year’s race package features reductions in the size of the splitter and spoiler height, a tapered rear deck fin and zero net rear steer.


RELATED: Breaking down the 2017 rules package

On the safety front, enhancements include anti-intrusion plating and toe board foam in the footbox area of the car, the addition of a roof hatch and changes in steering column mounting. The structural changes resulted in NASCAR increasing the minimum vehicle weight by 20 pounds for all events.


The safety moves are mandatory for competition on superspeedways (Daytona and Talladega) and optional for all other venues. They will become mandatory for all tracks in 2018.


Other drivers scheduled to attend the test are Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing), Ty Dillon (Germain Racing), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Roush Fenway Racing), Ryan Blaney (Wood Brothers Racing), Joey Logano (Team Penske), Kyle Larson (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates), Aric Almirola (Richard Petty Motorsports), AJ Allmendinger (JTG Daugherty Racing), Erik Jones (Furniture Row Racing) and Michael McDowell (Leavine Family Racing).


Additional organizational tests for 2017 are slated for New Hampshire Motor Speedway (May 30-31), Chicagoland Speedway (Aug. 15-16), Martinsville Speedway (Oct. 10-11) and Homestead Miami Speedway (Oct. 24-25).


A single-day open test for NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series teams is set for May 2 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Posted on by Staff Report

In a sport fueled by its rich past, NASCAR’s foundation is in its history and seasoned wheelmen. But in back-to-back seasons, the sport has seen three of its veteran drivers — Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards — unbuckle their seatbelts and cruise into retirement, creating a new focus on the youth.


This shift has helped put a spotlight on many fresh-faced drivers as they learn to hone their craft in hopes of becoming a Gordon, "Smoke" or Edwards.


Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney all spoke on the final day of last month’s annual NASCAR Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway. Together with phenom Chase Elliott, they help form the core of this up-and-coming generation. Each having the on-track talent and off-track personality to build a career with longevity, the trio reflected on their 2016 seasons and what to expect for 2017.


MORE: Elliott’s 2017 season preview

Kyle Larson

The Chip Ganassi Racing wheelman’s Michigan win in August not only secured him a playoff spot, it finally silenced the "when will Kyle Larson win?" chatter, having not reached Victory Lane in his first 98 races in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.


"I just continue to want to win," the 24-year-old said last week. "Wanting to win the second win is just as important as wanting to win the first win, to me."


The Irish Hills victory earned Larson the accomplishment of winning in all three of NASCAR’s premier series, a feat few have achieved. He has five wins in the XFINITY Series along with a pair of Ws in the Camping World Truck Series.


And as the California native heads into the 2017 season with three full-time seasons on the odometer of his No. 42 Chevy, he aims for an even better year with the knowledge and passion akin to the veterans.


"I think everything needs to be better," Larson said "… To be a championship team, you need to just be better than everybody at everything. I could do a better job at executing.


"Our pit calls could be better. I’m not saying that anything is bad, but I’m saying that everything could be a little bit better to gain lap time and improve on finishes."


And with improvement across the board in 2016, 2017 already appears to be promising for Larson as he hungers for more success.  

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full Rolex 24 schedule


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — For a four-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup champion, Jeff Gordon sure seemed like a kid in a candy store Friday afternoon in the Daytona International Speedway garage area preparing for his second career start in Saturday’s iconic Rolex 24 sports car race.


Gordon will team with brothers Ricky and Jordan Taylor and sports car veteran Max Angelelli in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi owned by the Taylors’ legendary racing father, Wayne Taylor.


Competing in this renowned IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race with a team favored to win was an opportunity Gordon was not going to miss. Nor take lightly.


"It was a slam dunk for me," Gordon said of the decision to participate. "What prevented me in other years (from racing in the Rolex) was the commitment. You really want to be in the car in December and in January and get as much track time as you can, especially with this car, which is so different from a NASCAR stock car.


"I knew I could do it since I was no longer competing full time and it was icing on the cake when Wayne told me about the car."


Gordon’s approach to this race has been full commitment — not only participating in all the December and January preseason tests but to making a special trip to the team’s Indianapolis-based race shop just to practice driver changes.


"Physically I’m good, but I’m beat up from doing all the driver changes," Gordon said smiling Friday after final practice. "I’ve got bumps and bruises all over from those.


"Every time I get in and out of the car I’ll probably feel those. I’ve really been working on my fitness to prepare for this race because these cars are so physically demanding."


The team was second-fastest in the opening two practices and topped the field in the final two practice sessions. Ricky Taylor will start the race — rolling off the grid from fourth place Saturday. Gordon is expected to follow next in the four-driver rotation with everyone doing at least double stints — about an hour and a half behind the wheel at a time.


Another Cadillac DPi, fielded by Mustang Sampling Racing, will lead the 55-car field to the green flag.


Weather may be a challenge. Temperatures began dropping Friday evening and are expected to hover around 60 during the daytime hours with rain showers beginning Saturday overnight. While the rain isn’t expected to be heavy, the wet weather is predicted to linger through early Sunday.


Gordon did get some wet-weather practice during the test earlier this month, but smiled thinking about the prospects of racing in the rain.


"There was a monsoon in 2007 when I drove and it was one of the most frightening things I’ve ever experienced," he said, laughing.


Gordon’s teammates said they have been impressed with Gordon’s preparation. The Taylor boys were only in their teens when they watched Gordon compete for their father in 2007 and finish third overall.


"I didn’t want to get in the way," Ricky Taylor recalled Friday. "Me and Jordan back then, we were always around but didn’t spend a lot of time with him.


"But between then and now, every time we (IMSA) shared a weekend with NASCAR, he’d always come by and say ‘Hi.’ I thought that was cool considering how busy they are. It’s been really an incredible experience driving with someone we watched growing up and a legend in the sport. Even if he’s from a different discipline I have so much respect for what he does.


"For him to come here, the biggest thing we were shocked to learn was his approach to it all and how much intensity he brings. Everyone talks about him being retired and stepping out of NASCAR, but he’s as hungry as ever."


That’s only encouraging news for this team, which started this race from pole position in 2010 but hasn’t won overall. Wayne Taylor has a pair of Rolex watches from wins in 1997 and 2005 and his talented sons are eager to win one in their father’s car.


"For us, as sports car drivers, this is one of the biggest races in the world and to win … that on its own, would be fantastic," Ricky Taylor said. "But the fact somebody like Jeff wants to add this to his resume and we have the opportunity to support him in that and to contribute to his amazing career. … that would be cool and to have our names next to his, that would be historic.


"Although this race is very important to us, I didn’t expect him to take it as seriously as he is. He’s putting everything into it, asking questions, and just the fact, a driver as accomplished as he is and has won in so many different things, he comes here and is still so open to learning and cares enough to want to be humble and contribute to the team.


"He doesn’t want to drive just to win a (Rolex) watch, he wants to contribute and be a part of a winning effort. For us as young drivers to look at that, that is why he was so successful."

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full Rolex 24 schedule

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway has traditionally marked the start of Speedweeks and ushered in the beginning of the American motorsports season. This year it will also coronate IMSA’s new prototype race cars billed as "the fastest, most technologically advanced machines ever in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship."

It’s a big week, to say the least.

The 55-car field will set the starting grid today (Thursday) during pole qualifying on the 3.56-mile Daytona road course.

The twice around-the-clock race starts at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday (coverage begins on FOX) and will feature NASCAR superstar and four-time champion Jeff Gordon among a long list of highly-decorated sports car stars like his Wayne Taylor Racing co-drivers Max Angelelli and brothers Ricky and Jordan Taylor. It’s Gordon’s second Rolex start after finishing third overall with the team in 2007.

New full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitor Austin Cindric will compete in the Daytona GT class. Longtime NASCAR road course racing standout Boris Said and IndyCar stars like Sebastien Bourdais, Indy 500 champions such as Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Reay to Indy 500 polewinner and Dancing With the Stars talent, James Hinchcliffe are on the entry list.

They will all compete with sports car’s best like five-time Rolex winner Scott Pruett whose driving in the GT Daytona (GTD) class — at 27 entries the largest of the four classes – and longtime prototype driver Scott Sharp.

Six-time winner Chip Ganassi Racing — the winningest team in Rolex history — will field four cars with an all-star lineup in the GT LeMans class. Former Rolex winner Joey Hand will co-drive with sports car star Dirk Mueller and three-time IndyCar champ Bourdais. Open-wheel star-turned-sports car driver Ryan Briscoe will co-drive with Dixon in another car and former Indy 500 champ Kanaan will be among four drivers splitting the time in two Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK cars.

Posted on by Staff Report

Let there be lights … at Martinsville.


The oldest track on the NASCAR circuit displayed its newest measure of modernization Wednesday evening by flicking on the LED lighting system installed over the offseason.



Yes, Martinsville social media manager, she most definitely looks swell.


The 2017 season marks the 0.526-mile track’s 70th anniversary. At the initial announcement in October, the track indicated the project will use an estimated 750 lights mounted from both inside and outside the track.


The lights provide a measure of insurance on those rainy days in Virginia. And while no formal night races for NASCAR’s three national series have been announced, drivers were asked about the prospect of such an event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour this week.


"Martinsville night races? Sweet," Joey Logano said when asked about that prospect. "Short track night races are tough to beat."

Posted on by Staff Report

The Rolex 24 is back at Daytona International Speedway for the 24-hour race. Check out the full schedule below. All times are ET.

THURSDAY, January 26

ON TRACK
— 9-10 a.m.: Practice 1-Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge
— 10:20-11:20 a.m.: Practice 1-WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
— 11:40 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Practice 2-Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge
— 1:30-2 p.m.: Practice 2-WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
— 2:20-2:50 p.m.: Practice 3-Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge
— 3:10-3:25 p.m.: Qualifying-WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (GTD)
— 3:35-3:50 p.m.: Qualifying-WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (GTLM)
— 4-4:15 p.m.: Qualifying-WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (PC)
— 4:25-4:40 p.m.: Qualifying-WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (P)
— 5-5:20 p.m.: Practice 4-Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge
— 5:30-5:45 p.m.: Qualifying-Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge (ST)
— 5:45-6 p.m.: Qualifying-Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge (GS)
— 7-8:30 p.m.: Practice 3-WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

FRIDAY, January 27

ON TRACK
— 9:20-9:40 a.m.: Practice 5-Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge
— 10-11 a.m.: Practice 4-WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
— 12:15 p.m.: BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona (4 hours)

SATURDAY, January 28

ON TRACK
— 2:30-11:59 p.m.: 55th Rolex 24 at Daytona (Coverage: 2-5 p.m. on FOX;  5-10 p.m. on FS2; 10-11 p.m. on FOX Sports GO; 11 p.m.-Midnight on FS2)

SUNDAY, January 29

ON TRACK
— 12 a.m.-2:40 p.m.: 55th Rolex 24 at Daytona (Coverage: Midnight-1 p.m. on FS2; 1-3 p.m. on FS1)

Posted on by Staff Report

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced today that NOS Energy Drink would return as primary sponsor of the team’s No. 18 Toyota Camry and driver Kyle Busch in 10 NASCAR XFINITY Series races in 2017. Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Busch still holds the all-time race winning driver’s title, in the history of the XFINITY Series, with 86 wins, 10 of them accomplished with the energy drink partner in 17 races run together in 2016.

Busch will drive his first 2017 NOS Energy Drink program race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 4 and in subsequent races depicting the original NOS Energy Drink flavor at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana on March 25, Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn on June 17, New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon on July 15 and Bristol Motor Speedway on August 18.

NASCAR fans will also see a new NOS Rowdy paint scheme represented with Busch in five additional XFINITY Series races this year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 11, Kentucky Speedway in Sparta on July 7, Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 22, Watkins Glen International on August 5 and Richmond International Raceway on September 8.

"We continue to align with fearless and committed athletes, those who represent our company and who ‘live like a champion’ with support for brands like NOS Energy Drink," said Monster Energy Vice President of Sports Marketing, Mitch Covington. He further stated, "Kyle (Busch) wins for NOS Energy Drink and we have every reason to believe that growing brand will continue to win in the NASCAR XFINITY Series again this year."

Busch and the NOS Energy Drink brand have a longstanding partnership that afforded them much success together. Between 2011 and 2008 (Busch’s first season with Joe Gibbs Racing) the original orange and blue NOS Energy Drink colors were represented across 25 races in the XFINITY Series when Busch earned seven victories and three pole-position wins to further their brand exposure. In 2008 Busch represented the NOS Energy Drink colors with one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series entry, in which he earned a second-place result. 2016 was the most successful single-season run for NOS Energy Drink, reunited with Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing, when the 31-year-old achieved 10 wins, 14 top-five results, nine pole-qualifying positions and 2,052 laps led, the most of any other series driver.

"NOS Energy Drink is a brand that supported me early in my career and we’ve had a lot of success together. We’re ready to continue our winning performances and to show NASCAR fans how to ‘Live NOS’ with this high performance energy drink and the great flavors they offer," Busch commented, ready for XFINITY season start.

In 328 starts over 14 seasons, Busch has proven himself to be the winningest competitor in the history of NASCAR’s XFINITY Series. In addition to 86 career wins, the Las Vegas native has recorded 200 top-five finishes, 57 pole-qualifying wins and 17,818 laps led. In 2010 Busch made series history with a record 13-win race season. Past XFINITY Series Championships for Kyle include a Driver’s Championship in 2009 and Owner’s Championships in 2010 and 2008 — all with Busch’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series team owner Joe Gibbs Racing.

After achieving three wins and the XFINITY Series Driver’s Championship in 2016 with Daniel Suarez, crew chief Scott Graves will move to the No. 18 NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry with Kyle Busch in 2017. Joe Gibbs Racing‘s goal will be to again capture an Owner’s Championship in the XFINITY Series and other drivers will be announced to join Busch in the No. 18 team’s effort.

Graves remarks, "Owners points continue to be important to our XFINITY Series programs so it’s key for us to keep striving for that team goal. I’m looking forward to having NOS Energy Drink return with Joe Gibbs Racing this year and I’m looking forward to my first Victory Lane with them and with Kyle (Busch)."

Joe Gibbs Racing and NOS Energy Drink are two brands at the top of the field in their respective industries. With this partnership, the two continue to position themselves for great success together in 2017.