Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Driver Tracker | On the move: Changes in store for 2017


The encore for an organization that placed both of its full-time drivers into the Championship 4 field in the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase last year has the chance to be even greater. JR Motorsports has that unique possibility, an opportunity granted by not sitting still.


Elliott Sadler and Justin Allgaier return to the fold after prosperous debut years with the team, but that’s where the offseason status quo ends. JRM plans a full-court press for the upcoming XFINITY season, expanding from two to four full-time drivers in an all-out push to bring home the championship it barely missed out on in 2017.


"To have that opportunity to go up against three teammates, to see the growth in our shop, to see the growth in our teams, it’s really, really fun to watch," Allgaier said. "I feel like if you came back here next year and said we’d have four cars from JR Motorsports in the final four, it wouldn’t surprise me at all."


A four-car sweep for the Homestead-Miami finale in November would mean stellar introductions by the two newest faces in the JRM stable: up-and-coming teenager William Byron, a NASCAR Next alum, and 30-year-old vet Michael Annett, back in XFINITY after a three-year stint in NASCAR’s top division.


The addition of Byron, a 19-year-old prospect in the Hendrick Motorsports system, actually counts as a reunion. The Liberty University student was a former driver for JRM’s Late Model program on the weekly and touring level.


His teammates have already seen what he can do in top-level equipment. Byron won seven times in his rookie NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, with only a crucial engine failure in 2016’s penultimate race keeping him from the championship fight. It’s the reason Sadler has touted him as "a star of the future" and why Allgaier echoed the thought, calling Byron "an absolute class act and an amazing talent."


Kelley Earnhardt Miller — who co-owns JRM with her brother, Dale Earnhardt Jr. — spoke with tones of regret in describing how Byron got away in late 2015, snapped up by Kyle Busch Motorsports and seemingly earmarked for an upward career arc in the Toyota pipeline. That changed last August when team owner Rick Hendrick brought him back into the Chevrolet camp, cognizant of the creeping advancement in age of his Monster Energy Cup Series roster.


"For that to all come back full circle, we’re real excited about it," Earnhardt Miller told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio last month. "He’s just a great kid and a good family, and his story is just so cool — doing the computer racing [on iRacing] and then telling his dad he wants to race and then not racing until he was 15. It’s just a good story. But Mr. Hendrick deserves the credit there, trying to look at his next moves because he’s going to have some drivers that are on the retirement horizon in the next several years, so smart move for him to make all that happen."


Said Byron: "I just remember their ultimate goal for me when I started racing Late Models was so I could race an XFINITY car there. In a weird way, I got back to that and it’s going to be really cool to return next year."


To accommodate the escalated XFINITY Series growth, which Earnhardt Miller said has maxed out the team’s resources, JR Motorsports has closed its truck series operation. Cole Custer, who drove the JRM No. 00 truck the last two seasons, has since moved on to Stewart-Haas Racing‘s XFINITY program.


As in past years, JR Motorsports plans to run an extra XFINITY entry in select races with Monster Energy NASCAR Cup drivers Earnhardt and Kasey Kahne behind the wheel for two races each. But at the heart of its growth are the core four XFINITY regulars, a direction chosen in light of new driver participation guidelines that go into effect in 2017. The continuity will keep JRM from scrambling to shuffle its roster once the Chase playoff begins and the limits on Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers moonlighting in the XFINITY ranks become more stringent.


But the organization will still need to make inroads against stout competition, especially Joe Gibbs Racing, which won 19 of the 33 XFINITY races last season and took the other two spots in the four-driver championship round. Reminded of the heady assignment a day after last season’s finale, Allgaier was unwavering.


"Even with the Gibbs guys," Allgaier said. "I don’t know, I just feel like with the packages that we’ve seen of what’s a possibility for the XFINITY Series next year, the work that we’re doing at the shop and the cars and just all the things that we’ve been working on, I really think next year’s an opportunity for us at JR Motorsports."

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: New looks for 2017

DENVER, Colo. (Jan. 16, 2017) — Furniture Row Racing announced that Auto-Owners Insurance has agreed to a multiyear primary sponsorship for Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 78 Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The Fortune 500 company, which joined Furniture Row Racing in 2016 as a primary sponsor for three races, will double that amount in both 2017 and 2018.

The six races the Auto-Owners Insurance paint scheme will adorn Truex’s No. 78 Camry in 2017 will be at Kansas Speedway (May 13), Michigan International Speedway (June 18), Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 23), Richmond International Raceway (Sept. 9), Charlotte Motor Speedway (Oct. 7) and Phoenix International Raceway (Nov. 12).

Auto-Owners Insurance, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016, provides auto, home, life and business coverage for NASCAR fans and customers through local, independent agents in 26 states. The company is based in Lansing, Michigan.

"Teaming up with Furniture Row Racing has been an outstanding fit for Auto-Owners, and we are excited to continue our partnership for the 2017 and 2018 seasons," said Mary Pierce, senior vice president of marketing and sales at Auto-Owners. "Martin and the No. 78 team have pioneered their way to excellence at the highest level of NASCAR. We truly admire their hard work and consistency, and look forward to being a part of their continued success."

The Auto-Owners Insurance blue hue shared a competitive experience with Furniture Row Racing in 2016. In the three races that Auto-Owners Insurance was the primary sponsor, Truex won the prestigious Southern 500 in Darlington, South Carolina, finished seventh at the fall race in Martinsville, Virginia, and was eighth at the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis.

"There was indeed something special about the success of the blue Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry last year and we are more than thrilled that the company is expanding its partnership with Furniture Row Racing for the next two seasons," said Furniture Row Racing team president Joe Garone. "Auto-Owners Insurance has been a winning company for a century and we are humbled that they have placed their confidence in our race team."

Truex was equally excited to hear about the new sponsorship agreement.

"Winning the Southern 500 — a triple crown race — with the blue Auto-Owners Insurance paint scheme was without a doubt one of the main highlights of my racing career," said Truex. "We want to give Auto-Owners Insurance more success as we look forward to the 2017 season. I was able to visit the Auto-Owners Insurance headquarters in Lansing and came away feeling proud to be associated with a company that has had 100 years of success."

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: First look at new Toyota race car


The expeditious elevation of Daniel Suarez into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series last week reinforced the importance of a feeder system for teams hoping to groom young, talented drivers for future endeavors at the top level.


“Look around. What would we have done?” Joe Gibbs, founder and owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, said Jan. 10 following two whirlwind announcements at the organization’s headquarters in Huntersville, North Carolina.


Suarez, the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion and the first Mexican-born driver to win a national series title in NASCAR, was scheduled to return to the XFINITY Series this year to defend his title.


But the surprising departure of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Carl Edwards created an unexpected opening within the JGR camp and the organization’s No. 19 entry.


RELATED: Edwards steps away, Suarez to replace | Full timeline


Fortunately for JGR, the 24-year-old Suarez was waiting in the wings.


Instead of competing full-time in the XFINITY Series, Suarez will now take over the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series entry vacated by Edwards for 2017. He will also compete in a select number of NXS races.


“I think the hard work, working on developing young guys is a big part of this,” Gibbs said of organization’s XFINITY Series effort. “Thank goodness (Suarez) was there and we had done that.”


Suarez is one of several drivers in a Toyota pipeline that has become filled with young talent. The automaker, which made its NASCAR debut in 2004 in the Camping World Truck Series, continually seeks to identify gifted drivers from a variety of racing’s lower levels, then assist them and their teams as they move through the ranks.


Erik Jones will compete full-time in 2017 for Furniture Row Racing as a teammate to Martin Truex Jr. in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series after racing for JGR’s XFINITY Series program a year ago.


RELATED: FRR adds Jones to its growing team


Christopher Bell will once again drive for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series after finishing third in points last year.


Although he was sidelined for part of the ’16 season following surgery for a brain tumor, Matt Tifft, 20, made 10 XFINITY Series starts for JGR last year as well as 10 NCWTS starts for Red Horse Racing.


Ben Rhodes (19) and Cameron Hayley (20) competed last season for ThorSport Racing in the Camping World Truck Series.


“Our farm system is going to continue to be something that we invest in,” David Wilson, President & General Manager, Toyota Racing Development, USA, told NASCAR.com.


“It’s validation and it just furthers our resolve that in spite of the inherent risk … the return on that investment is still going to be good and it’s going to validate our commitment.”


Wilson was scheduled to attend this past weekend’s Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals. The prestigious event, which concluded Saturday night, was won by Bell.


MORE: Bell triumphs at Chili Bowl


“I want to show them how important it is for them to be representing our brand,” Wilson said.


With more than two dozen of the 300-plus participants at the Chili Bowl affiliated with Toyota, Wilson said there is “no doubt” that someone from the group “is going to be in an announcement like this that happened (at JGR) five years from now.”


Having an abundance of talent is a good problem, but it is still a problem, in part because of the limited number of seats/rides available in the various series, according to Ed Laukes, Vice President of Integrated Marketing Operations for Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), USA.


“We are always concerned about being overloaded with the young guys as they’re coming through the ranks,” he said, “because we don’t want to have that talent get developed around TRD (Toyota Racing Development) and our guys, and then they end up with another company, with another manufacturer, with another race team.”


Toyota officials are eager to help identify and work with drivers and teams as they grow, according to Laukes. But ultimately, it’s up to owners to continue to invest in their own programs or, as Furniture Row Racing did last year, make the switch to Toyota to further enhance their efforts.


Furniture Row made the switch from Chevrolet to Toyota for 2016. The Denver, Colorado-based organization has since added the second team, opening up an opportunity for Jones to move up to the premier series.


“That’s always going to be the secret sauce in the whole thing,” Laukes said. “Because we can’t do it as a manufacturer. We’re not a team owner, we never have been and we have no plan of being a team owner. …

“But it always is a concern. We do a lot of stuff in Late Model, a lot of stuff in Midgets. We’ve been around a lot of those series for a long time.”


JGR develops and draws talent from more than just the organization’s XFINITY Series program. Kyle Busch Motorsports plays a key role in the process as well.


Gibbs said Busch, the 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion and driver of the team’s No. 18 Toyota, “has been very good at analyzing and discovering young talent.


“He still races in Late Models and all that kind of stuff,” Gibbs said. “I talk to him a lot and say, ‘Hey, who do you see?’ Or ask him an opinion. I’ve asked him for his opinion on Daniel, on Erik. And he’s normally pretty much spot-on. He’s really good, I think, at evaluating drivers.”


While Busch has been criticized by some for competing in, and often dominating, races in other series, running those events has allowed him to evaluate his KBM equipment as well as the younger drivers.


“For us, when we put somebody in his trucks, we pretty much know they’re going to be in the best stuff,” Gibbs said. “Now, it’s up to them. And if they can’t get it done with Kyle, then odds are there’s something wrong. …


 

“Hopefully that’s the way it is with our XFINITY program. We know (we have) the best crew chiefs, best motor, best car. If they can’t get to the front with that, then odds are … that’s what you’re evaluating. We’re all looking for that special driver.”


Posted on by Staff Report

Ever wanted to take a tour around one of the race shops of one of NASCAR’s most storied teams? 


Well, now you can — thanks to Wood Brothers Racing, formed in 1950.


While the team is old, the shop is new. The organization recently moved headquarters to Mooresville, North Carolina to be closer to their Ford-affiliated counterpart, Team Penske.


Now separated by just seven miles, expect the technical alliance between the pair to grow considerably in 2017 as the Wood Bros. attempt to put a driver in the Chase for the first time in its history with talented Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series sophomore Ryan Blaney.


Watch the video below to see the Wood Brothers’ new digs.




Posted on by Staff Report

Register for the NASCAR Official Fan Council

About the Official NASCAR Fan Council

NASCAR Fan Council logoNASCAR created the Official NASCAR Fan Council in 2008 to allow fans a way to communicate directly with the NASCAR organization, providing feedback on things that matter to them with the sport. Our fans are the heart of the sport and we appreciate your passion and continued support.

The fans that participate in the Official NASCAR Fan Council provide an important service to the sport. Members share their opinions with NASCAR each week throughout the season and, in doing so, have a direct impact on the sport.

So let’s hear from you! Register to join the Official NASCAR Fan Council and make a lasting impact on the sport you love.

Meet the December NASCAR Fan Council Member of the Month here.

FAQ

Q. How much does it cost to join the Official NASCAR Fan Council?

A. Nothing, it is free to join, we just ask that you actively participate in the Council by providing your feedback when requested.

Q. What do members receive for participating?


A. Official NASCAR Fan Council members have the unique opportunity to speak directly to NASCAR.

Q. How long can you be a member of the Official NASCAR Fan Council?


A. Members can remain on the Council as long as they like, as long as they actively participate by providing feedback when requested.

Q. Who is eligible to join the Official NASCAR Fan Council?

A. For consideration, any new members should be at least 18 years of age, a U.S. resident and be passionate about NASCAR.

Q. My friend/family member should be a member, how do I recommend them for the Official NASCAR Fan Council?

A. Anyone that is interested in becoming a member can submit a request here (www.nascarfancouncil.com) by clicking the “Interested in joining?” button. If you are submitting for a friend/family member, you will need to know their email address to recommend them. Please note that all new registrants will go onto a wait list from which NASCAR will select new members for participation. NASCAR reviews new candidates and adds people to the Official NASCAR Fan Council periodically. Please be patient as we work through all invitations to new members.

Q. How often can I expect to provide feedback?


A. While not every member receives every survey, members can expect to participate in roughly two surveys per month.

Q. Why “Official” NASCAR Fan Council?

A. The Official NASCAR Fan Council is the only place that NASCAR fans can speak directly to the sport and have their opinions count.

Q. Why don’t I ever see results from the Official NASCAR Fan Council published?

A. Official NASCAR Fan Council results are shared both internally at NASCAR and with members. We do not regularly publish information from the Official NASCAR Fan Council, but will share with the general public as appropriate.

Q. Is the Official NASCAR Fan Council really run by NASCAR?


A. NASCAR handles all aspects of the Official NASCAR Fan Council.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Fan Appreciation Day will return to the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018.

Fan Appreciation Day is scheduled the day after the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2018 Induction Ceremony on Jan. 19.

MORE: Ninth annual Hall of Fame weekend

Scheduled events include autograph sessions with drivers from all three NASCAR national series, plus Hall of Fame inductees and drivers in the NASCAR Next youth initiative. Photo opportunities and Q&A sessions with NASCAR legends are also scheduled.

Free admission to the NASCAR Hall of Fame will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Driver autograph sessions will also be free of charge, but selected availabilities will require a ticket for admission. Registration for those sessions begins Saturday, Jan. 13 at 10 a.m. ET, via NASCARHall.com.

DRIVER Q&A SESSIONS

Location: High Octane Theater, access from Level 1 & 2 of Hall

9 a.m. – 9:20 a.m. – Session 1: Paul Menard, Cole Custer, Justin Haley

10 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. – Session 2: Kyle Larson, Matt Tifft, Noah Gragson

11 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. – Session 3: William Byron, Elliott Sadler, Michael Annett, Vinnie Miller

12 p.m. – 12:20 p.m. – Session 4: Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott, Spencer Gallagher, Cody Coughlin

1:30 – 1:50 p.m. – Session 5: Ryan Blaney, Ryan Reed, John Hunter Nemechek

2:30 – 2:50 p.m. – Session 6: Alex Bowman, Ryan Truex, Dalton Sargeant

3:30 – 3:50 p.m. – Session 7: Corey LaJoie, Tyler Reddick, Joey Gase

Q&A sessions will last approximately 20 minutes.
*Tickets (wristbands) are not required for these sessions.

DRIVER AUTOGRAPH SESSIONS

Location: Crown Ballroom Pre-function Space, access from Level 3 of Hall

9:30 – 10:30 a.m. – Session 1: Paul Menard, Cole Custer, Justin Haley

10:30 – 11:30 a.m. – Session 2: Kyle Larson, Matt Tifft, Noah Gragson

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Session 3: William Byron, Elliott Sadler, Michael Annett, Vinnie Miller

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. – Session 4: Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott, Spencer Gallagher, Cody Coughlin

2 – 3 p.m. – Session 5: Ryan Blaney, Ryan Reed, John Hunter Nemechek

3 – 4 p.m. –Session 6: Alex Bowman, Ryan Truex, Dalton Sargeant

4 – 5 p.m. – Session 7: Corey LaJoie, Tyler Reddick, Joey Gase

*Tickets (wristbands) are required for these sessions. See FAQ section below for more details.
NOTE: Information and times are subject to change, please check the site frequently for up-to date-details!

NASCAR NEXT DRIVERS Q&A SESSIONS

Location: High Octane Theater, access from Level 1 & 2 of Hall

10:20 a.m. – Harrison Burton, Hailie Deegan, Chase Purdy, Zane Smith

11:20 a.m. – Chase Cabre, Todd Gilliland, Riley Herbst, Cayden Lapcevich, Ty Majeski

Q&A sessions will last approximately 20 minutes.
*Tickets (wristbands) are not required for these sessions.

NASCAR NEXT DRIVERS AUTOGRAPH SESSIONS

Location: Great Hall, access from main entrance of Hall

11 – 11:40 a.m. – Harrison Burton, Hailie Deegan, Chase Purdy, Zane Smith

11:50 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Chase Cabre, Todd Gilliland, Riley Herbst, Cayden Lapcevich, Ty Majeski

*Tickets (wristbands) are not required for these sessions.
NOTE: Information and times are subject to change, please check the site frequently for up-to date-details!

NASCAR HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2018 Q&A SESSION

Location: High Octane Theater, access from Level 1 & 2 of Hall

10:40 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Ron Hornaday Jr., Ray Evernham, Ken Squier

Q&A sessions will last approximately 20 minutes

*Tickets (wristbands) are not required for these sessions.

NASCAR HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2018 AUTOGRAPH SESSION

Location: Crown Ballroom Pre-function Space, access from Level 3 of Hall

9 – 10 a.m. – Ron Hornaday Jr., Ray Evernham, Ken Squier

The NASCAR Hall of Fame will host the Class of 2018 for a members-only autograph session in the Crown Ballroom pre-function space.

*Must be a NASCAR Hall of Fame member to participate. Tickets (wristbands) are not required for this session. Learn more about becoming a NASCAR Hall of Fame member here.

Posted on by Staff Report

Photo: Toyota Racing

 

Christopher Bell rang in the start of his 2017 season with perhaps the biggest win of his burgeoning racing career — the 31st annual Chili Bowl.

 

Bell, a full-time driver for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, won what many consider to be the world’s most prestigious sprint car race after midnight ET on Sunday morning. Over the course of a week, he outlasted 364 other drivers who entered — a Chili Bowl record — and ended Rico Abreu’s two-year reign as champion.

 

Bell is regarded as one of the finer dirt racers in the country, and he was equally adept on pavement as well. The 22-year-old advanced to the Championship Round in the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase as a full-time rookie in 2016. In 2015, he won at Eldora Speedway in his third career series start.

 

Making the victory even sweeter is that Bell is an Oklahoma native — he was born in Norman, about 125 miles southwest of the event site in Tulsa.

 

“Oh my God, I just won the Chili Bowl,” Bell said after climbing out of his machine. “This was a long time coming and a dream come true.”

 

 

Daryn Pittman, a fellow Oklahoma native, finished second to Bell with Justin Grant, Tanner Thompson and Jake Swanson rounding out the top five.

 

In all, four drivers with recent NASCAR experience qualified for the championship race.

 

Abreu finished 11th after starting 25th in the 25-driver championship field, needing a champion’s provisional to make the final field.

 

Roush Fenway Racing‘s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished 16th and Chase Briscoe, the newest full-time driver for Brad Keselowski Racing, was 22nd in the A-Main.

 

The Chili Bowl is a week-long event with five days of practice and qualifying events to set the 25-car field for the main event.

 

Saturday started with two O-Feature races — the top four finishers from each O-Feature event advanced to the corresponding N-Feature races. Then the top four finishers from each N-Feature race advance into the M-Feature races. The format was used all the way up to the A-Main finale, although drivers also could qualify for the A-Main throughout the week.

 

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson, who has stayed behind the wheel all offseason, including a racing trip to Australia — failed to advance to the championship race after making the A-Main for five consecutive years.

 

Abreu did not make it out of the F-Feature due to a tire issue, but he received a past champion’s provisional. Stenhouse, another Chili Bowl veteran, won his B-Feature to advance into the championship race.

 

Justin Allgaier, who will drive in the NASCAR XFINITY Series for JR Motorsports in 2017, was ousted after the C-Feature. His most eventful moment of the week, though, came Friday when his car flipped on the last lap of his race.

Posted on by Staff Report

What channel is NASCAR programming on this week? We answer that and provide all the weekly NASCAR television listings here.

 

RELATED: Find NBCSN in your area


All times ET

Tuesday, Jan. 17
8:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Year (re-air), FS1

Friday, Jan. 20
8 p.m., NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, NBCSN
10 p.m., NASCAR The Season (re-air), NBCSN
11 p.m., NASCAR Southern Speed: The Legend of Darlington (re-air), NBCSN

Sunday, Jan. 22
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Year (re-air), FS1


 

 

 

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Driver Tracker | Photo gallery: Who’s on the move for 2017

 

NASCAR competition officials issued memos detailing rule book changes for the 2017 season in its three national series, including limits on tire allocation, restrictor-plate and spoiler size, and an allowance for drivers to use biometric devices.

 

The 80 total pages of revisions released Friday afternoon pertain to Sections 20 (Vehicle and Driver Safety specifications) and 21 (Pit Equipment and Crew Safety specifications) across the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

 

Among the highlights in the rules updates:

 

• NASCAR set its regulations on tire allocation for all three series in 2017. In the Monster Energy Cup Series, the number of tire sets available to teams per event dropped for 28 of the 36 points-paying races.

 

Tracks with two or three fewer set of tires allowed next season: Homestead (three fewer sets), Daytona (500 only, two fewer sets), Phoenix (two fewer sets for both races), Martinsville (two fewer sets for both races), Bristol (two fewer sets for both races), Kansas (two fewer sets for both races), Auto Club (two fewer sets), Kentucky (two fewer sets) and Chicagoland (two fewer sets). Tracks with one fewer set of tires allowed next season: Michigan (both races), Atlanta, Las Vegas, Texas (both races), Dover (both races), Charlotte (both races), Indianapolis, Pocono (both races) and Richmond (both races).

 

• In 2017, Monster Energy Cup teams will be required to start the race on the tires they used in Coors Light Pole Qualifying. This change does not apply to the XFINITY or Camping World Truck Series.

 

• Drivers in all three series may use biometrics devices in their vehicles in 2017. The wrist-worn health tracking devices may not transmit data, may not connect to the vehicle in any way and must operate on an internal battery. Devices eligible for use are certain models made by Garmin, Misfit, Polar, Samsung, Tom Tom and Jawbone.

 

• The 2017 aerodynamic package for non-restrictor plate tracks in the Monster Energy Cup Series will feature a shortened rear spoiler, measuring 2.35 inches tall. The standard rear-spoiler height for premier series teams last season was 3.5 inches, with a 2.5-inch tall spoiler used at Kentucky and both Michigan races as auditions for this season.

 

• For superspeedway events at Daytona and Talladega, the restrictor plate opening will be smaller by 1/64 of an inch — reduced from 57/64 to 7/8. The change affects only the Monster Energy Cup and XFINITY series for those two tracks.

 

• Additional safety guidelines were issued for restrictor-plate events for Monster Energy Cup and XFINITY teams. Among them, the previously optional roof hatch is now mandatory as an alternate escape route. Competition officials have also required the use of energy-absorbing materials to strengthen the area occupied by the drivers’ feet in the cockpit.

 

• Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams will be required to carry a roof-mounted camera assembly at all times, whether in use by broadcast partner networks or not.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Vintage tweets from drivers, Vol. 1


VINTAGE TWEETS, VOLUME TWO!

So many NASCAR drivers have mastered the fine art of social media. But it didn’t happen overnight, as is evidenced by some of their very early, and often awesome, initial tweets. What follows are actual posts from actual drivers, as they first immersed themselves into the Twitters. 

Kyle Busch

It’s pretty easy, Kyle. You post something, and then we inform you if you used the proper instance of “your” or “you’re.”

Trust Ryan — all tweets are from Kyle. Unless they’re from Ryan. But this one is from Kyle. Or Ryan. — Ryan

Assuming the PR person didn’t sign the tweet. If not, Kyle’s in trouble and you know he’s in trouble — like, third-person trouble.

I think she digs you, man.

Kyle sounds like even Kyle’s getting bored with winning.

Denny Hamlin

WHY did everyone want to sync Twitter with Facebook early on? It’s like mailing someone a letter, then calling them on the phone and telling them the exact same s–t that was in the letter.

We didn’t. It must have been very cold out.

If only there was some giant pylon-esque structure on the premises that provided such information. But you may have been unable to see it due to metal in your eye so we’ll give you a pass on this one.

Had we known then what we know now, we would have been able to warn you that it was likely Tony Stewart in drag.

I specifically wrote "FOR DEN-DEN’S EYES ONLY" on the outside of the envelope, bro. If mom saw it, that’s your fault for leaving it out.

Will do. Wait — why are they showing college football?

Matt Kenseth

Matt Kenseth showed great willpower by waiting until his second tweet ever to throw shade at the Chicago Bears.

Um, hi. Wait — so your order of priority is 1.) Trash talk the Chicago Bears. 2.) Greet people. OK.

It’s true. Greg has the body of a 69-year-old.

You are a sorcerer of dry wit, Matt Kenseth. A SORCERER.

We sense a theme.

Martin Truex Jr.

He’s friends with the dude from U2 AND people on the No. 1 team. Is there any boundary to this guy’s popularity?

The technological capabilities of smartphones would continue to grow and make asking a live saltwater fish for directions an obsolete practice. 

Heading to MWR for a David Reutimann victory celebration. This is an old tweet, by the way.

You can basically use this tweet as a template for every post-race tweet Martin posted until the 2016 Coca Cola 600.

Proof: