Junior aims to emulate teammate Johnson’s success in final shot at Coca-Cola 600

Posted on May 25, 2017May 25, 2017 by

CONCORD, N.C. — With the majority of teams based in North Carolina, drivers often consider the races at Charlotte Motor Speedway “home” races.

But Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the few drivers left in the sport who can truly call the 1.5-mile speedway his “home track.” Hailing from Kannapolis, North Carolina — which sits approximately 14 miles northeast of the track — Earnhardt recalls attending the Charlotte races early in his life.

“Some of the first memories of being at a 1.5-mile race track (are) here at Charlotte,” Earnhardt said Thursday in Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Media Center. “I used to go to the dirt tracks with Dad when I was very small, but the first memories of actually being at a Cup event were here. The Eurys and the Earnhardt family would park up on the hill of the road course, about the tallest peak of elevation there.”

The hill of the road course is where he used to race his plastic cars of Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough. The asphalt oval is where he used to watch his father Dale Earnhardt race — and where “The Intimidator” won five times in NASCAR’s premier series.

But Charlotte has eluded its hometown son for nearly 18 years, who has yet to earn a points-paying victory in 33 races.

Junior would love to change that during this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600, the race that he named as the one he’d most like to win before he hangs up his fire suit after the 2017 season.

“I thought, considering we’ve had some decent success in the sport, I would have guessed I’d have got a win here in a points race at some point, but it just hasn’t happened,” Earnhardt said. “We’ve had some close ones … but since the repave, for whatever reason it’s really been tough for me. We just really haven’t been able to hit on how to get around here. Either how to set the car up or what I’m looking for or what I need to be doing with the car driving it.”

His 18th-place result in last week’s exhibition Monster Energy Series All-Star Race at Charlotte didn’t bestow much confidence, and left Earnhardt disappointed. The No. 88 team needed to try something different if they didn’t want Sunday night’s 600-mile marathon race to feel even longer.

Enter Earnhardt’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson, who certainly has a grasp on Charlotte. The all-time track winner with eight victories, Johnson has led nearly 2,000 laps in 31 races and is the most recent winner at the speedway (2016 Bank of America 500).

The fact that Johnson’s No. 48 team shares a race shop with Earnhardt’s No. 88 camp has been especially helpful this week.

“We totally eighty-sixed all that stuff we ran last week and we put in Jimmie’s set-up, we’re just like him,” Earnhardt said. “I was just asking Greg (Ives, crew chief), ‘How are we just like him if he ran a flat and we ran a 30 in practice?’ Greg and Chad (Knaus, No. 48 crew chief) got real close this week and me and Jimmie have been in communication and Jimmie has come by the car a couple of times in practice already looking at notes and printing out our driver traces and trying to figure out whatever we can do to help me.

“ … He comes over with these print outs and says this is what I’m doing with the gas and this is what you are doing and this is where the time is getting lost and maybe try this and that and the other, he is a super teammate. I’m lucky to be able to work in the same shop with him. He has certainly been an influence on my success and my enjoyment in the sport.”

Earnhardt ran 22nd in opening practice, while Johnson ran second. But Earnhardt expected that, given his team’s struggles last week and the VHT resin laid on the track prior to this weekend.

“If we get it right, we can get in the top 15. That’s a start. That ain’t good enough, still,” Earnhardt said. “But that’s progress compared to last week. And I’m really looking forward to getting in race trim. We’ve got some practice time. We really ran short last week on practice time, so I’m anxious to get in there and practice and see what we can do.

“We’ve got a completely different set-up. So, hopefully it doesn’t go like it did last week.

“It shouldn’t. And let’s hope it doesn’t.”

Posted on May 25, 2017May 25, 2017 by Reid Spencer

CONCORD, N.C. – The addition of a VHT traction compound worked in the bottom lane on the concrete surface at Bristol Motor Speedway.

But the use of the TrackBite in the top lane on the asphalt at Charlotte Motor Speedway remains an unknown, as the track tries to widen the groove to give drivers racing options for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 (on FOX at 6 p.m. ET).

“We’ll find out,” said Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford Fusion. “It’s kind of uncharted waters, to be honest with you. Bristol is a lot different, a lot shorter race track, we’re not going as fast… a concrete race track. You don’t know how that substance they use is going to combine with asphalt. I’m curious to see how that does, and it’s very heat-activated.

“At Bristol, we’re going to be running the bottom regardless. That’s why it worked so well on the bottom there, and here I’m wondering what it’s going to be like when we’re running 200 miles an hour into the top lane (at Charlotte) and hoping it’s hot enough to stick. So that’s going to be a little sketchy at first, but, like I said before, I thought NASCAR had to make a move on that side of it to get us off the bottom of the race track or at least give us options.”

In Thursday’s opening practice, where teams were concentrating on preparation for qualifying later in the day, no one ventured into the top lane—at least not on purpose. Trying to run the bottom, Kyle Larson inexplicably pushed up into the outside wall when his car tightened up.

Larson’s No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet SS bounced off the SAFER barrier, damaging the right side of the car but not enough to require a backup Chevy.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. also got into the VHT sealer, but not by design.

“I got into it by accident,” said Earnhardt, whose No. 88 Chevrolet SS slid up the track. Earnhardt, however, made a nice save and kept the car off the wall.

Drivers should learn a lot more during Saturday’s two practice sessions, when they start running the outside groove on purpose.

Posted on May 25, 2017May 25, 2017 by DraftKings

Rankings below are based on a mixture of expected output and DraftKings’ NASCAR salaries for that day. The ordering is not based on highest projected fantasy totals, but rather by the value of each driver.

(fppk = average fantasy points per $1,000 of salary. The typical median fppk for a 2016 race was in the 3s. Plate tracks tend to be lower and short tracks tend to run higher due to the amount of laps.)

1. Martin Truex, Jr. ($10,700) – The King of the Intermediate Tracks lived up to the name at Kansas by scoring the most fantasy points. This week he returns the track where he ascended to the throne. In the last Memorial Day race at Charlotte, Truex almost scored 200 fantasy points. (6.2 fppk)

2. Kevin Harvick ($10,300) – Not many drivers have dared threaten Truex’s reign, but Harvick is one of them. The Atlanta race was all Harvick. In the other intermediate track races, Harvick was nipping at the leader’s heels. (4.3 fppk)

3. Jimmie Johnson ($10,200) – With eight wins at Charlotte, it’s comical that Johnson is not ranked No. 1, but that’s a testament to how great Truex is at the 1.5-mile tracks. Johnson cannot qualify to save his life, but this is a long race, and there will be plenty of time for Johnson to move up front. (5.0 fppk)

4. Kyle Larson ($10,100) – Average running position is the best indication of driver performance. Finishing position is misleading because drivers can nail a late race restart or wreck on the last lap. At intermediate tracks this season, Larson has the best average running position. (6.1 fppk)

5. Brad Keselowski ($10,400) – At Kansas, Keselowski finished second, but his average running position was 16th. After a poor qualifying effort, BK worked his way to the front but suffered a vibration, then a penalty. He said his car was good enough to win. (6.0 fppk)

6. Chase Elliott ($9,300) – Here is Elliott’s recipe for a top-five DFS score: Finish around fifth, earn around five place differential points and run 15 fast laps. That’s not very hard to imagine. (4.3 fppk)

7. Joey Logano ($9,600) – Wrecking is one thing, but wrecking after starting on the front row is a catastrophe. Before the Kansas race, Logano had finished sixth or better in the three previous intermediate track races. (4.3 fppk)

8. Kyle Busch ($9,800) – After struggling at the intermediate tracks to start the season, Kyle Busch righted the ship at Kansas (67 fantasy points). His teammate Denny Hamlin ran inside the top-10 for most of the race, so it seems that JGR is back on track. (4.8 fppk)

9. Ryan Blaney ($9,000) – It’s not too late to jump on the bandwagon, but now it’s going to cost you. In the last two intermediate track races, Blaney has started on the front row and has scored over 75 fantasy points in both races. (3.7 fppk)

10. Jamie McMurray ($8,400) – Chip Ganassi Racing is on the same level as Hendrick, JGR and Penske. McMurray has been fast and consistent. Among the $8,000 drivers, McMurray is the favorite to sneak away with a win first. (3.9 fppk)

11. Denny Hamlin ($9,200) – His struggles at 1.5-mile tracks have been well noted here in the weekly DraftKings rankings. Last week, Hamlin didn’t get the finish he wanted (late race restart wreck), but his average running position was seventh. (3.0 fppk)

12. Kurt Busch ($8,200) – This season, races have gone one of three ways for Kurt Busch. He doesn’t finish (wreck or mechanical error), he finishes worse than where he runs or he quietly has a very good race. (2.8 fppk)

13. Trevor Bayne ($7,100) – At this price, daily fantasy NASCAR players flinch a little, but they shouldn’t. Bayne has been the model of consistency this season with top-15 finishes in all four intermediate track races. (4.6 fppk)

14. Clint Bowyer ($8,500) – Even with a 32nd-place finish in the Daytona 500, Clint Bowyer has the fourth-best average finish this season. He’s not leading laps or churning out the fast laps, but you have to pick six drivers. Several of your drivers just need to finish inside the top-10. (4.4 fppk)

15. Ryan Newman ($7,300) – There is always a driver that stirs the debate between current form statistics and track history statistics. Newman is riding an eight-race top-15 streak at Charlotte. His average finish over that span is ninth. (3.0 fppk)

16. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. ($7,500) – The late race wreck boosted Stenhouse at Kansas. Otherwise, he had a very disappointing race. It’s the same Ricky Stenhouse, but his car and crew chief are better this year. He’s a top-10 or a DNF and is not someone I’d recommend for cash games. (4.9 fppk)

17. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ($7,900) – You know it’s your final season when your DraftKings salary dips below $8,000 for the first time. Junior hasn’t won an intermediate track race in over 10 years. He almost won the Coca-Cola 600 in 2011, but he ran out of gas. (1.9 fppk)

18. Kasey Kahne ($8,000) – The only thing left is to win a race. Kahne’s long funk is over, but he may have hit his ceiling. He’s a top-15 driver, but the days of multiple win seasons may be over. Still, Charlotte has been kind to Kasey (four wins). (4.3 fppk)

19. Matt Kenseth ($8,700) – Most fantasy NASCAR players will likely write off Kenseth this week. His price tag does not match his performance. This creates an opportunity. Kenseth is capable, has a good enough ride and will likely be low-owned this week. (2.7 fppk)

20. Ty Dillon ($6,900) – From a point per dollar perspective, the $5,000 drivers are likely a better investment this week. However, results matter. Being the unofficial fourth RCR car matters. At the intermediate tracks, Ty has finished 15th, 21st, 17th and 14th. (4.6 fppk)

Posted on May 25, 2017May 26, 2017 by @nascarcasm

Dear Overlords of the Almighty Playoff Roval:

This week’s 2018 schedule reveal came with a few twists and turns. And yes, that’s a Pulitzer-worthy setup for the next paragraph.

Next year’s playoffs will feature a race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course (see previous paragraph for spectacular pun), and, quite frankly, we’re as excited as Dale Earnhardt Jr. festering in a kiddie pool full of mayonnaise and brisket. Drivers will be turning left and right at Charlotte Motor Speedway. And we’re not referring to Trevor Bayne making a save so incredible on the front stretch that he almost says “Damn!”

We mean the road course.

Road courses have a certain international je ne sais quoi to them, because instead of an oval with corners 1-4 (we know, Pocono Raceway has only three, but they never read our stuff because they’re probably too busy spreading groundhog repellent), they have several corners, kinks, and straightaways that can be given a cool name.

Daytona has the “International Horseshoe.” Watkins Glen has “The Boot.” Road America has “Canada Corner.”

Here’s where our plea comes in.

We (this is the “royal ‘we,'” of course) would like to be responsible for naming/labeling each of the areas of the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course. You can totally trust us with this. We have until Fall of 2018 to get this done.

Each corner will have its own unique cachet. Do you want announcers saying “There goes Jimmie Johnson through Turn Five and into Turn Six and through Turn Seven.” That’s boring. What you want is our creativity spicing up that broadcast. “There goes Jimmie Johnson through Kannapolis Kink and OH! He almost loses it through Corner McCornerface.” Help us help you.

Ideally, we’d name the whole course, but we’re willing to compromise. Perhaps we’ll ask for input from the fans. Maybe we’ll look up an arcane term on UrbanDictionary.com. All to be determined. If you’re down, we can get to work and even come up with one of those fancy hashtags for this campaign.

If you are not enthusiastic about this idea, we’ll do the professional thing — and continue to pester you and eventually wear you down until you have no choice.

Let’s make magic.

Regards,

@NASCARCASM

Posted on May 25, 2017May 25, 2017 by Staff Report

RELATED: Practice results

Erik Jones led an 85-minute opening practice session Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, turning a lap at 192.713 mph in his No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota.

Jimmie Johnson was right behind him in his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at 192.472 mph.

Kyle Larson was third-fastest in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing at 192.465 mph. That speedy lap came before he smacked into the outside wall, causing damage to the right side of his car with less than 10 minutes left in the session.

Rounding out the top five were Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at 192.465 mph and Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford at 192.150 mph.

Two cars suffered damage to the right side as they scraped the outside wall during practice: The No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford of Clint Bowyer and the No. 42 Chevrolet of Larson. Bowyer’s crew worked to repair the car so he could return to it, but Larson told FS1 he was unsure if he would have to go to a back-up car.

Monster Energy Series drivers will have two more practice opportunities before Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, both sessions coming on Saturday.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to the track this evening for Coors Light Qualifying at 7:15 p.m. ET on FS1.

Posted on May 25, 2017May 25, 2017 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A select group of former college football, basketball, softball, and track and field athletes from across the country will put their pit crew skills to the test in the second annual NASCAR Drive for Diversity National Pit Crew Combine presented by Goodyear on Friday, May 26.

The 17 athletes earned invitations to compete as part of a nationwide talent search. They will be evaluated based on a series of fitness, agility and pit crew drills and competitions at the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina.

Top-performing participants will be invited to join NASCAR Drive for Diversity’s crew member development program, operated by Rev Racing, and will receive expert training as tire changers, carriers and jackmen as they pursue full-time employment with NASCAR national series race teams.

“As we saw with last year’s inaugural national combine, the caliber of athletes now competing for opportunities to train with NASCAR Drive for Diversity is stronger than ever,” said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. “As the program grows, it’s attracting top-quality talent and competitors who we believe have the potential to excel at the highest levels of NASCAR.”

Current program participants like Lamar Neal, who attended the 2016 national pit crew combine, are already making their mark in the sport. A former linebacker at Norfolk State University, Neal has joined Richard Childress Racing and is now pitting for the team in the NASCAR XFINITY Series™.

In total, there are 35 NASCAR Drive for Diversity pit crew graduates now working in NASCAR, including 25 alums pitting across the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™. In May, three graduates — Raphael Diaz, Kevin Richardson and Mike Russell — helped Roush Fenway Racing driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to his first career Monster Energy Series win at Talladega Superspeedway.

Earlier this year as part of the program’s scouting process, NASCAR and Rev Racing hosted tryouts at six universities: Alcorn State University, Arizona State University, Bethune-Cookman University, Norfolk State, San Diego State University and Virginia State University.

Thirteen men and four women from these schools and others will take part in Friday’s four-hour skills competition led by Phil Horton, Rev Racing director of athletic performance.

“We couldn’t be more proud as an organization to not only see our vision for the program come to life, but to also attract top talent from some of the nation’s best universities,” said Max Siegel, Rev Racing owner and CEO. “Coach Phil Horton is the best in the business. The performance and success of our graduates each week is a true testament to both the mission of our organization and Phil’s lifelong contribution to diversifying and pushing this sport to its limits.”

Ezell Ruffin was a standout wide receiver and his team’s offensive most valuable player at San Diego State before attending training camp with the Indianapolis Colts in 2015. This week, Ruffin will join former Aztec teammate Kevin Walcott as the football players attempt to “go pro” in NASCAR.

Kendra Cooper was a Historically Black Colleges & Universities first-team all-American basketball player at Bethune-Cookman in 2017, and finished her career as the school’s all-time leader in three-point shooting. Cooper will look to follow in the footsteps of Brehanna Daniels, a former Norfolk State point guard and current NASCAR Drive for Diversity tire changer who recently pitted her first race in the ARCA Series.

Tramel Topps worked out for scouts from 28 NFL teams at Arizona State’s Pro Day in March, but will now trade his football cleats for a set of Goodyear tires as he seeks to become a tire carrier with NASCAR Drive for Diversity.

NASCAR Drive for Diversity National Pit Crew Combine presented by Goodyear participants include:

First	Last	Hometown	University	Primary Sport
Charles	Beatty	Phoenix, Ariz.	Arizona State University	Football
Marcell	Blair	Charlotte, N.C.	N/A	Football
Bryce	Bradley	Richmond, Va.	Virginia State University	Football
Devin	Byrd	Fayette County, Tenn.	N/A	Baseball
Trevon	Byron	Newport News, Va.	Virginia State University	Football
Sandy	Chapman	Raleigh, N.C.	Norfolk State University	Football
Kendra	Cooper	Spring, Texas	Bethune-Cookman University	Basketball
Torian	Henderson	Silver Spring, Md.	Norfolk State University	Football
Gerard	Johnson	Richmond, Va.	Norfolk State University	Football
Jalen	Jones	Indianapolis, Ind.	Vincennes University	Football/Track & Field
Sherry	Lewis	Dinwiddie, Va.	Virginia State University	Bowling/Lacrosse
Ryan	Nantuna	Elk Grove, Calif.	Arizona State University	Wrestling
Sophia	Ortega	Highland, Calif.	Bethune-Cookman University	Softball
Ezell	Ruffin	Los Angeles, Calif.	San Diego State University	Football
Tramel	Topps	Milwaukee, Wis.	Arizona State University	Football
Kevin	Walcott	Los Angeles, Calif.	San Diego State University	Softball
Alisha	Williams	Mississauga, Ont.	Virginia State University	Track & Field

Following Friday’s event, pit crew combine participants will attend the Hisense 4K TV 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 27 (1 p.m. ET, FS1).

NASCAR Drive for Diversity also offers a driver development program, operated by Rev Racing, and each year fields six drivers in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. Successful graduates now competing in a national series include Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers Kyle Larson and Daniel Suárez and NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Darrell Wallace Jr.

For the first time, Goodyear becomes presenting sponsor of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity National Pit Crew Combine. The “Official Tire of NASCAR^®” has been a longtime supporter of Rev Racing and NASCAR Drive for Diversity, and supplies the team with race tires for competition.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ Coca-Cola 600 will be broadcast live from Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 28 at 6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, with additional coverage on NASCAR.com.

Posted on May 25, 2017May 25, 2017 by Staff Report

NASCAR handed an L1-level penalty to the No. 24 Camping World Truck Series team of GMS Racing on Thursday for failing the post-race height requirements for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 on May 19 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

As a result of the infraction, the team loses 10 points in the driver and owner standings and crew chief Kevin Bellicourt is suspended for one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race and fined $5,000.

Justin Haley drove the No. 24 Chevrolet to a 17th-place finish at Charlotte, and Haley was in 18th place in the driver standings before the penalty. After the penalty, he dropped to 22nd place.

Posted on May 25, 2017May 25, 2017 by Staff Report

BUY TICKETS: See the races at Charlotte
RELATED: Full weekend schedule for Charlotte

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

Below are the stage lengths for each race — remember, the Coca-Cola 600 has four stages. Click here to bookmark stage lengths for every race this season.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (Race is Sunday, 6 p.m. ET, FOX)

Stage 1: Ends on Lap 100
Stage 2: Ends on Lap 200
Stage 3: Ends on Lap 300
Final Stage: Scheduled to end on Lap 400

XFINITY Series (Race is Saturday, 1 p.m. ET, FS1)

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

Posted on May 24, 2017May 25, 2017 by Zack Albert

The suspense ended early for Robert Yates on Wednesday. Surrounded by his family and well-wishers, the 74-year-old master engine builder and team owner’s name was the first called for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s 2018 class.

And for a moment as the adulation poured in, the hardships in Yates’ ongoing fight against liver cancer — currently in its third round of immunotherapy — subsided. For that moment and the ones that followed, he was floating.

“Right now? I feel like I could take a jack and jump over the wall and clear the whole … I’d be on the right side, like I used to,” Yates said, his voice breaking at times during his media rounds in the stock-car racing shrine’s Great Hall. “They’d look back at the film that says your feet were not on the ground, but you were on the other side of the car.”

Yates led the NASCAR Hall of Fame voting for the five new inductees, named on 94 percent of the ballots cast Wednesday. His vote total was the highest for a nominee since 2011, when David Pearson received an equal percentage in voting for the Hall’s second class.

Yates’ ingenuity as an engine builder powered the cars driven by several NASCAR Hall of Famers that came before him. As a mechanic and a team owner, he was privileged to play major roles in winning multiple championships and Daytona 500s. His influence on the sport continues, with many Ford teams enjoying the mighty horsepower that comes from the Roush Yates Engines shops.

But Yates’ competitive spirit is now focused not as much on racing as it is on his health. The long road of treatment began last October, and his son, Doug, admitted that the last couple of weeks had been particularly challenging. The ravages of the disease have made him less of the barrel-chested figure that once carried an imposing prominence in the garage, but he stood tall Wednesday, smiling and signing autographs for fans attending the ceremony.

“I asked him early on when he found out he was diagnosed with liver cancer, well, what do you want to do? How do you want to handle this thing?” Doug Yates recalled. “He said, ‘well, I can’t hide from it. I can’t run from it. We don’t need to publicize this, but if people ask, let’s just tell them where I’m at. If I can use it as a platform for people to get checked and to do something better to extend their lives and have a better quality of life, then I want to make sure that I’m that.’

“It’s been tough and he never complains. I can’t imagine a tougher group of people than a racer, and going to battle with what he’s fighting now is like trying to win the Daytona 500, but probably tougher.”

For a day at least, Yates’ battle was overshadowed by his many stories about coming of age in the sport, his love of all things mechanical, his abbreviated driving career, his work ethic and the Mars Hill college professor who said he’d never amount to anything because he was turning wrenches on a tractor instead of studying.

On NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Day, Yates amounted to everything.

“I don’t even know if I’ll sleep tonight,” Yates said. “I’m so honored and I love this sport, and I want this sport to do the same thing it did for me, again and again and again.”

Posted on May 24, 2017May 24, 2017 by Nascar

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A nod to the past and to the not-so-distant past.

Red Byron. Ray Evernham. Ron Hornaday Jr. Ken Squier. Robert Yates.

NASCAR’s Hall of Fame class for 2018.

Announced Wednesday in the Great Hall of the Hall of Fame, next year’s group of five inductees spans the history of NASCAR.

From Byron, NASCAR’s first Modified (1948) and Strictly Stock (now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup) Series champion (1949) to Evernham and Hornaday, whose exploits in their respective areas remain fresh in the mind. Wasn’t it just yesterday Evernham was atop the pit box with a young kid named Jeff Gordon and Hornaday was soon dominating the Camping World Truck Series?

Squier, who seems as if he’s been there from the beginning, his delivery behind the microphone setting the perfect stage while documenting so much history.

And Yates? Good grief, did anyone in the garage put more time and effort, more sweat and tears into NASCAR than Yates? He enjoyed the highest of highs and suffered some of the lowest of lows. A 40-year career. “The best 40 years,” the noted engine builder and team owner said.

This year’s class was again determined by 58 voters made up of the nominating committee, the voting committee and a single overall vote determined by fans.

A three-hour or so discussion was lively and educational and perhaps more spirited than in years past. Each of the 20 nominees were discussed, but it soon became apparent that most in the room had zeroed in on a handful of names.

Weighing their accomplishments, their careers, and then deciding how those records stack up against so many others? It’s an honor but it’s also extremely difficult.

As in previous years, you leave the room feeling you’ve got a pretty good idea of how the votes will turn out, but you’re never quite sure.

And then the names are announced and you see the surprise in their eyes and you talk with them and you come to understand how much it really means.

Squier never lobbied for induction, feeling the Squier-Hall Award, named in his honor and shared with the late MRN announcer Barney Hall, was enough of an honor for a lifetime of outstanding work.

His feelings hadn’t changed, he said, once his name was called Wednesday evening.

“I never thought they belonged, the media, with the drivers that put their asses in those cars and drove them so very, very well when they were pretty rough handling pieces of machinery,” Squier said. “They were heroes. They were American heroes.”

Hornaday? He said he wasn’t even aware voting day had arrived and for a guy who still races on dirt, attending was more a matter of supporting those whose names were called.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “My wife should be standing here. She’s the trooper; she’s the one that did all this. I was done racing because somebody stole our tool box and she saved the $1,700 to buy the tool box and new helmet and stuff to go racing.”

Smart woman. Hornaday fared well enough to grab the attention of team owner Dale Earnhardt, for whom he eventually won two Camping World Truck Series titles, and later team owner Kevin Harvick, for whom he won two more.

“I came from the day when you didn’t have a cell phone and had to get a dime or a quarter to call your mom or dad at home and tell them you won,” Hornaday said. “It’s changed a lot. I was racing and now I’m in the Hall of Fame. I hope they have a big enough picture for my wife because she deserves to be in it.”

Evernham, reached by phone in Indianapolis, called it “an overwhelming feeling.”

“I keep thinking back to that kid in New Jersey that all he wanted was to race and now you’re telling me I’m going to be in the Hall of Fame with guys that have been my heroes for so many years,” he said. “I’m honestly just blown away.”

A three-time champion as crew chief for Gordon, Evernham went on to become a team owner where his drivers won 13 times.

“I don’t know whether to cheer, to smile, or to cry,” Evernham said. “I have never felt an overrun of emotions like this. It’s been a 40-year career and let’s face it, the Hall of Fame is the biggest thing that can happen to you in your career when people really recognize you for making a difference in the sport or for something you have done.”

Yates has been on the list of nominees for four years. He’s been on the cusp of selection enough times to make him wonder if he would ever hear his name called.

Batting liver cancer, the 74-year-old tried to keep his emotions in check as he spoke with the media afterward.

“Sitting here today, I said, ‘Look, I’m struggling with some stuff. But if I don’t get in, that’s a reason to work real hard to be here next year to get in,’ ” Yates admitted. “That’s the way I tried to look at it.”

And when NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton announced his name, Yates was overwhelmed.

“I’ve been sixth every year or so,” he said, choking back tears. “Wow. I don’t know. My family means so much to me because they allowed me to work night and day and never told me to come home at three in the morning.

“I always said I never outsmarted them, I just outworked them.”