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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."

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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.

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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."

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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)

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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.

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MORE: See Dale Jr.’s No. 88 Nationwide paint scheme | 2017 paint schemes

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is back behind the wheel of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports for the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, much to the delight of Junior Nation. 

As activity for the upcoming season ramps up with media tour appearances, sponsor shoots and much more, Nationwide has unveiled the slate of races for which the insurance company will serve as the primary sponsor for the No. 88 team.

RELATED: "Unfinished Business" goes behind the scenes of Dale’s recovery

Below is the list of the 21 races that Nationwide will be the primary sponsor on the No. 88 — including the exhibition event of the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona in which Alex Bowman will pilot the car (which is noted with an asterisk*).

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Driver Tracker for 2017

 

FOX Sports analyst Michael Waltrip will make one final run at the Daytona 500 next month and then call it a career in NASCAR.

 

Waltrip, 53, made the announcement in a release with sponsor Aaron’s on Thursday afternoon. He is a two-time winner of the "Great American Race," prevailing in the Daytona International Speedway opener in 2001 and 2003.

 

Premium Motorsports will prep the "Aaron’s #15 Thanks Mikey Toyota" for his 30th consecutive start in the Daytona 500. Waltrip has had more than a 17-year association with the Atlanta-based sponsor. Waltrip’s entry is from a chartered team, meaning he is guaranteed a spot in the 40-car field.

 

"I have experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows at the Great American Race," Waltrip said in the release. "But when you are a NASCAR racer who has the privilege of racing here, you love Daytona no matter what happens. In my 30th and final Daytona 500, I am just going to enjoy every moment and be happy that Aaron’s has given me one more opportunity to hoist the Harley J. Earl trophy."

 

Waltrip has four victories in 783 starts in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. All of those triumphs have come on restrictor-plate tracks — three at Daytona and one at Talladega Superspeedway.

 

Waltrip has been a part of FOX Sports’ coverage of NASCAR’s top division since 2012. The Kentucky native has entered no more than four races a year — primarily at Daytona and Talladega — for the last seven seasons.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. looked absolutely relaxed Wednesday morning, sitting in the single director’s chair on stage at the Charlotte Convention Center and meeting with the NASCAR national media for his first formal pre-season question and answer period. He seemed so comfortable, in fact, that when he was ushered off stage for the next phase of Media Day appointments he actually seemed a little surprised, maybe even … disappointed.


Not many NASCAR racers would admit missing the media obligations but Earnhardt said it was one of many aspects of his job the sport’s superstar realized he did indeed long for after being sidelined for the second half of the 2016 season recovering from concussion-like symptoms.


Earnhardt made the most of the brief time with reporters, explaining what he missed most about competition, talking about his high expectations for the upcoming season and even dropping a hint that he and his newlywed, Amy, may be planning to expand their new family soon.


RELATED: Dale discusses married life | Dale envious of teammate’s beard game

At a time in his 17-year full-time Cup career when the two-time Daytona 500 winner and perennial championship contender is focused on returning to competition next month, he seemed equally as mindful — and grateful — of his life away from the track.

"Mentally, you have to make the decision if you want to keep racing and if you want to keep racing, you have to make the decision to be in 100 percent," Earnhardt said. "This is the top, the elite series in motorsports in North America and if you’re going to be out there, you can’t do it without being in 100 percent. I had to answer a lot of personal questions of myself and really just buy in. All that was a big process and I’m really happy with what I’ve decided to do."


And he was candid about the developments that have only enhanced his life changed him for the better, he feels.


"Getting married has been incredible," Earnhardt said. "I wish I had figured all this out sooner. I’m frustrated with myself that I took so long to grow up. But I’ve got an amazing wife and she’s changed my life really. She’s helped me as a person become better on all fronts, personally and all my friendships and relationships how I treat people and obviously in my professional life helped me as a driver. It’s been great.


"I’m just hoping to enjoy what’s left of my career and hopefully I get to make the decisions on that myself as far as how much longer I race. Gonna start a family and all that good stuff too and have a lot of good things to look forward to and I’m really excited about my future."


Earnhardt was thoughtful and reflective answering questions. He will have his first official Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series test in Phoenix next week after being sidelined since last summer in recovery.


He said that being out of the car absolutely changed his perspective.


"You do take your job for granted when you’re doing it every week," Earnhardt said. "As a society, we get better and better at complaining. The drivers aren’t any different; we moan and complain about everything. But when you get a chance to step back and watch it … I got a chance to be at Dover and watch the drivers come in that morning for practice and it was an eye-opening experience.


"It was an out-of-body experience almost to watch all that happen. Looking at them and knowing that was me. I got to see the drivers from a different point of view and got to see the sport from a different point of view. Being out of the car made me anxious to get back in.


"To be honest, I’m happy to come back here and continue to compete. I got real close to not being able to compete and it being someone else’s decision whether I competed or not."


Listening to Earnhardt speak and watching his expressions, it was clear his career and his lifestyle aren’t to be taken for granted. His time on stage was actually a gentle reminder to others and affirmation for him.


His desire to win hasn’t changed — if anything it has intensified. But his view of racing life and life, in general, has a new and improved perspective.


"People have asked me since I turned 40 when I would retire and all I wanted to do was make that choice myself," Earnhardt said. "I don’t know when I’m going to stop racing, but I want to able to make that choice and not have it made for me. All that stuff really showed me how much I have going for me and how fun this really is. You can make it really difficult or you can enjoy it. This is an incredible position to be in and it’s an awesome sport, and driving the cars is fun. Doing the photo shoots, doing the commercials and talking to the media, all those things are fun. But you can make it not any fun if you want to.


"As human beings, we have a tendency to do that. The grind, man, is so long. You’re doing it year after year after year, and it doesn’t seem like we had much of an off-season. You actually work harder in the off-season.


"I can see how you get wound up and burned out a little bit. I’m certainly not feeling that way right now, and I’ll be much more self-aware down the road trying to remember what this is and what position I’m in and not take it for granted."


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WARRENDALE, Pa. (Jan. 25, 2016) – SAE International will honor two NASCAR safety experts with the Ralph H. Isbrandt Automotive Safety Engineering Award.

 

John Patalak, Senior Director of Safety Engineering, NASCAR Research and Development; and Tom Gideon, recently retired Senior Director of Safety Engineering, NASCAR Research Development and Safety, will be honored for their SAE International technical paper, "Development and Implementation of a Quasi-Static Test for Seat Integrated Seat Belt Restraint System Anchorages" (2015-01-0739). The two will receive their awards during the SAE 2017 Government/Industry Meeting, Jan. 25-27, in Washington, D.C.

 

Patalak’s work at NASCAR includes researching, developing and approving driver and vehicle safety systems and investigating vehicle crashworthiness and occupant protection issues. Prior to NASCAR, he worked for an engineering consulting firm specializing in vehicle crashworthiness and occupant protection.

 

A licensed Professional Engineer, Patalak graduated from The Pennsylvania State University in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and is currently a graduate student concentrating in biomechanics at the Virginia Tech – Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences.

 

Gideon retired as Senior Director of Safety from NASCAR in 2016. Gideon joined NASCAR in 2009 as Director-Safety R&D; before that, he served as Safety Manager for GM Racing with General Motors.

 

Gideon is a Professional Engineer with a BSME from The Ohio State University. He is the author/co-author of several SAE International papers on driver’s safety, and is also a Board Member of the International Council of Motorsports Sciences (ICMS).

 

The SAE 2017 Government/Industry Meeting provides attendees with the opportunity to connect directly with the key players driving advanced automotive, fuels technology and pending legislation.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Read more Inside Groove


Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. won’t compete against each other on track until next month at Daytona International Speedway, but that doesn’t mean the Hendrick Motorsports teammates aren’t already trying to best one another.


MORE: Junior: ‘Season can’t get here soon enough’


Johnson, the seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, may have another trophy to add to his collection after stomping on the field in the beard category when he showed up at the annual Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour on Tuesday, sporting a hefty mountain man look.


Junior, who typically sports a thick man mane of his own, would like to compete with Johnson in the face game, but conceded the W to Johnson on Wednesday during his media session.




Image courtesy of @Riceman61


"Jimmie, I told him. He sent me a picture of him skiing and he said ‘Man, I’m getting ready to know this beard off.’  I said, ‘You better have that in Daytona, because you’ll get more drafting help. That’s a bad ass beard and I’d keep it if I were you,’ " said Earnhardt. "He’s hung onto it. I don’t know if he’s taking my advice or what. I’m certainly pro-beard. If I’d have known he was going to come so strong, I would’ve worked on mine a little more.


"Amy’s got me keeping it pretty short these days. I certainly envy what Jimmie’s got going on, it’s awesome."


With 32 days left before the Daytona 500, there’s still plenty of time for Earnhardt to up the ante.


What do you think — does Johnson have the silver (gray?) standard for facial hair right now, or is Junior just being nice?