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RELATED: See the paint scheme here

Stewart-Haas Racing‘s NASCAR XFINITY Series effort has yet to make it to the race track, yet the organization has already announced plans to bolster the effort with the addition of a second, part-time team to go along with the No. 00 Ford Mustang to be driven by rookie of the year contender Cole Custer.


The organization announced Thursday that 2014 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick will compete in four XFINITY races for SHR in a second entry, the No. 41 Ford, to be sponsored by Hunt Brothers Pizza.


Harvick is a two-time XFINITY Series champion (2001, ’06) and has 46 career victories in the series.


"I’ve always enjoyed competing in the XFINITY Series," Harvick said in a release announcing the move. "With Stewart-Haas Racing starting a new program, I’m excited to be a part of the building process because it will make us stronger going forward as a company. I’m proud to continue working with Hunt Brothers Pizza and seeing their colors on my Ford Mustang."


The four-race ’17 schedule for the Harvick/Hunt Brothers entry will consist of events at Texas Motor Speedway (April 8), Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 27), Kentucky Speedway (July 7) and Darlington Raceway (Sept. 2).

Officials says there are no additional races planned for the team at this time.


MORE: Harvick set to be part of FOX Sports booth for select races

Hunt Brothers has been aligned with Harvick and SHR since 2014 as an associate sponsor of the No. 4 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series entry. The company also sponsored Harvick for select XFINITY Series races during his tenure at Richard Childress Racing, beginning in 2011, and more recently at JR Motorsports. Its first foray into NASCAR came in 2008 with Haas CNC Racing prior to it becoming SHR.


Hunt Brothers will also serve as an associate sponsor on Custer’s No. 00 entry this season.


"NASCAR has been a strong platform for Hunt Brothers Pizza thanks to the roles Kevin Harvick and Stewart-Haas Racing have played in representing our brand," Keith Solsvig, vice president of marketing, Hunt Brothers Pizza, said. "NASCAR fans love to travel and visit convenience stores. We want to continue to show our appreciation to our store partners and their consumers. Having our own Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang on the racetrack with a partner like Kevin is a great way to showcase how we constantly strive for excellence."


SHR, co-owned by team founder Gene Haas and three-time series champion Tony Stewart, fields four entries in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with a driver lineup featuring Harvick, Kurt Busch, Danica Patrick and Clint Bowyer.


RELATED: SHR raises the flag on new era

Bowyer joined the team this year, taking over for Stewart in the No. 14 Ford Fusion.


SHR officials announced plans to field an XFINITY Series team in July of ’16. Custer, who competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series last year with JR Motorsports, was named the team’s driver in September.


Jeff Meendering will serve as Custer’s crew chief. The crew chief for the No. 41 entry has yet to be announced.


The XFINITY Series program and addition of Bowyer aren’t the only changes for SHR heading into the 2017 season. The organization is also making the switch to Ford entries after a 13-year relationship with Chevrolet.


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RELATED: Driver tracker | Key story lines for 2017


MOORESVILLE, N.C. — The offseason — typically designated as a time of rest for most involved in the NASCAR industry — has been atypically busy for Kyle Larson.


Between flying halfway around the world for a holiday spent racing sprint cars in Australia to an annual pilgrimage coming next week to the prestigious Chili Bowl Nationals in Oklahoma, there’s been little down time.


At least he won’t have to spend the weeks leading into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series opener having to answer that pesky question from offseasons past: How close are you to that first win?


"I didn’t even think about that," Larson said Thursday at a team photo shoot, smiling at the revelation. "Yeah, this is the first offseason where I haven’t been asked about a first win. Just hope we can get the second one early on in the year and not necessarily relax, but can venture out and try things where we haven’t gotten the opportunity to do that in my previous three years of racing. If we can get a win early, I think it’ll really benefit us when it comes to the Chase."


The 24-year-old driver is prepping for his fourth season at Chip Ganassi Racing with at least one career goal crossed off, visiting Victory Lane for the first time in NASCAR’s top division at Michigan International Speedway last August. The triumph marked the high point of his first season working with new crew chief Chad Johnston on the No. 42 Chevrolet team.


That milestone helped push Larson to his first appearance in the Chase playoffs, a postseason run that ended after the first round of eliminations. This season, Larson hopes a quick start out of the gate might be a sign of bigger things in 2017.


"Last year was his first year with our team and we started off a little slow," Larson said. "I think with a new crew chief coming in, it’s hard for them to get things where they want it and bringing things from the team he was with before into our organization. Once he got those things in motion, we picked up some speed and got really good throughout the summer. Tapered off a little bit before the Chase and then picked it right back up at the end of the Chase.


"I hope we can start next year off good. That’s been a place where we’ve struggled in the past in our organization — we’ll end the year really good, have high expectations to start the year and underperform for a couple of months, then work really hard to gain points back to make the Chase. I hope we can start the mile-and-a-halfs off where we ended the season and we should have a good year."


The new year is already off to a roaring start for Larson, who spent much of the holiday break Down Under with sightseeing and racing at Sydney Speedway, not far from the Aussie metropolis. A side trip to New Zealand for more sprint-car extracurriculars ended up in a washout, but Larson said the whole experience — including a surprisingly smooth 14-hour flight for his 2-year-old son, Owen — was unforgettable.


"It’s always fun to get to go to new places," Larson said. "I’ve been to Australia once before but a different part. It was cool to race close to Sydney, get to go into the city one day, go to the zoo and then also get to race a sprint car, which I don’t get to do a whole lot."


That slate promises to pick up next week when Larson and other dirt-savvy NASCAR regulars visit Tulsa for the Chili Bowl, a sprint-car prize that’s eluded him in his career thus far. Though the indoor race is a spectator’s bonanza, Larson’s quick to scuttle any notion of watching from the sidelines.


"Oh, I’m racing," Larson said. "I think this is like my ninth or 10th year running, so we practice on Monday and then my prelim night’s on Tuesday and then each night, Tuesday through Friday, is a preliminary night and you gain an idea where you’ll start on Saturday. Haven’t won the Chili Bowl yet. My good buddy, Rico (Abreu), has won the last two of them, so hopefully I can go get a win there, too."

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I’m so excited for the 2017 NASCAR season! The off-season makes me so . I’ve had to spend every single day while I . Bring back the and !

has joined the Cup Series, which makes me feel . Things sure are changing, especially since you never see anymore. I haven’t seen for as long as I can remember.

I’m definitely planning to go to next season. Maybe I’ll pick up , and for my . It seems like everybody at the track these days is such a ! You’re not unless you .

Most of all, I can’t wait for the . I hope this year’s champion is — especially after last year, when . I suppose I have no choice but to spend the rest of the off-season the same way I spend it every year, .

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MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Jan. 4, 2017) – Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) announced today the addition of Marcus Richmond to the team’s crew chief lineup for the team’s three-truck effort in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for 2017. Richmond will call the shots for the No. 18 Tundra that will be driven by Noah Gragson. Additionally, the team announced that three-time champion crew chief Rudy Fugle will be atop the pit box of the No. 4 Tundra team with Christopher Bell this season while Kevin “Bono” Manion will guide the No. 51 Tundra team with drivers Harrison Burton, Kyle Busch, Todd Gilliland and Myatt Snider.


Fugle has guided his team to an Owner’s championship in all three of his seasons (2013, 2015 & 2016) as a crew chief at KBM, including a combined Owner’s/Driver’s Championship with Erik Jones in 2015. The New York native’s drivers have combined for 16 wins, nine poles, 33 top-five and 52 top-10 finishes across his 68 races calling the shots for the organization. Under his tutelage last season, William Byron collected a Truck Series’ record seven wins, three poles, 11 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes while leading the No. 9 Tundra team to KBM’s fourth consecutive and fifth overall Owner’s championship.  


Manion guided KBM’s No. 51 team to one win, one pole, four top-five and seven-top 10 finishes with four different drivers behind the wheel last year in his first season as a Truck Series crew chief. Prior to joining KBM, the Massachusetts native collected five victories in 10 seasons atop the pit box in NASCAR’s premier series, including two marquee wins with Jamie McMurray in 2010; the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400. Before graduating into NASCAR’s top division, he guided Martin Truex Jr., to back-to-back NASCAR XFINITY Series titles in 2004 and 2005.  In addition to his five Monster Energy Cup Series victories, Manion boasts 15 XFINITY Series wins; 13 with Truex Jr., and two with Dale Earnhardt Jr.


Richmond has collected nine wins, 11 poles, 52 top-five and 107 top-10 finishes across 222 races in his 11 seasons as a crew chief in the Truck Series. The veteran crew chief has been to victory lane with five different drivers (Ty Dillon, Kevin Harvick, Timothy Peters, Johnny Sauter and Dennis Setzer) and has recorded at least one win every year since 2012. The North Carolina native’s drivers have finished inside the top five in the Truck Series championship standings four times in the last five seasons, including a runner-up finish in the standings with Ty Dillon in 2012. His most recent stop was at JR Motorsports last season, where he guided Cole Custer to two poles, four top-five and 12 top-10 finishes over the last 16 races of 2016.

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NASCAR driver Danica Patrick has opened her 2017 with a New Year’s fitness and fashion kick.


Patrick introduced her new line of athletic clothing — Warrior by Danica Patrick — on Wednesday with a pair of scheduled appearances on the Home Shopping Network (HSN). The collection of leggings, hoodies, tees and other fitness apparel debuted Monday on the HSN website.


The 34-year-old driver — long a backer of healthy living, cooking and fitness regimens — was scheduled to host two hourlong segments on HSN — at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET — to promote the new brand. HSN plans to feature the collection — marketed as "athleisure" — on-air again in April, June, July and September.


"I’ve been interested in fashion and clothes since I was a little girl," Patrick said in a news release. "And for the last 10 years I’ve dreamed about having my own clothing line, but I was waiting for the perfect situation with the perfect partner. When HSN and (apparel maker) G-III came along, I knew it was the right time. It’s been exciting seeing the Warrior line come together. We’ve created what I believe is really the perfect athleisure collection that transitions through your day, no matter what you’re doing."


The clothing line is billed as "a collection with attention to detail and shape that will help showcase your sense of style without compromising fashion or comfort."


The rollout is part of a busy offseason for Patrick, who returns for her fifth season driving the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 10 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Patrick is also promoting a health and wellness book called "Pretty Intense," scheduled for release in early 2018. She is also launching her own winery — called Somnium — in the Napa Valley region of California, with bottles on sale next month.

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Four-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon will headline the list of drivers participating in this weekend’s Roar Before the 24 on Daytona International Speedway‘s road course. And the traditional three-day test for IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Series’ season-opening Rolex 24 once again features a talented and diverse driver lineup.

 

For only the second time in his renowned career, Gordon will be among those testing at Daytona in preparation for the Jan. 28-29 race, widely seen as the traditional start to America’s big league motorsports season.

 

Gordon will co-drive the No. 10 Konica Minolta Business Solutions USA Cadillac DPi-V.R prototype for Wayne Taylor Racing — the same team he finished third overall with in his only other Rolex start in 2007.

 

The laps this weekend will be crucial for the team — which also includes drivers Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor and Max Angelelli — since it got limited time on track in a less formal test session at Daytona in December.

 

"I had so much fun the first time I did this," Gordon said. "And at this point of my life and career (winning the Rolex 24) would be huge. When I came here in 2007 I was just kind of along for the ride. When you really realize how important this race is, is on race day when you see the hype and buildup and then the challenges you face over 24 hours. That’s what makes this race so thrilling. I’d be very proud (if we won)."

 

This year’s Rolex 24 will mark the debut of new racing classifications for IMSA. Gordon’s car will be among 12 vying in the headline Prototype class. In all, 50 cars representing four classifications are expected at Daytona this weekend and later this month competing in the twice-around-the-clock race.

 

Some of NASCAR’s other big name drivers who previously competed in the Rolex — Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson, for example — are not participating. However their NASCAR team owner Chip Ganassi still has three cars entered in the GT LeMans (GTLM) class. This team won in class at LeMans last year, and Chip Ganassi Racing is already the most decorated team in Rolex history with six overall victories.

 

Former NASCAR Cup Rookie of the Year Andy Lally as well as popular drivers Boris Said and Scott Pruett will be competing alongside IndyCar greats such as Scott Dixon and Sebastien Bourdais. Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay and IndyCar championship contender Graham Rahal will team up as well.

 

Five-time Rolex champion Pruett will be steering the new Lexus in the 25-car GT Daytona class. A sixth Rolex watch would make him the winningest driver in the great race’s history, breaking a tie with the legendary Hurley Haywood.

 

The traditional Roar Before the 24 gets underway Friday. Teams return to the World Center of Racing on Thursday, Jan. 26 for practice and pole qualifying in preparation for the green flag at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28.

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MORE HARVICK: First look at No. 4 Ford

 

Kevin Harvick is scheduled to join FOX Sports’ broadcasting team as an analyst for eight races this season, lending his expertise as a former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion to the TV booth and perhaps preparing him for the next step once his driving days are finished.

 

Harvick, 41, is also scheduled to join the network’s “NASCAR Race Hub” news program, joining other drivers and crew chiefs as regular contributors this year. His race coverage stint is set to begin with the NASCAR XFINITY Series opener at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 25.

 

“I really enjoy calling races,” Harvick said in a release provided by FOX Sports. “I enjoy the perspective of sitting up there and trying to figure out what’s going on. I also want to be a part of watching these young guys come up through the NASCAR Camping World Truck and XFINITY Series and have the experience of having been in the booth when they raced because, ultimately, it’s something I want to do down the road when I’m done driving.”

 

Harvick joined a host of current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers in the FOX Sports booth for XFINITY events the last two years, adding commentary for the 2015 and 2016 openers at Daytona. He received largely positive reviews in both traditional and social media for his candor and fresh perspectives, and the experiences drove Harvick to seek more opportunities this season.

 

“One wasn’t enough, and I think we’ll do several NASCAR Race Hub shows this year,” Harvick added, “so it will be fun to express my opinion from the booth and from the studio.”

 

Harvick will work alongside lead broadcaster Adam Alexander and fellow analyst Michael Waltrip for the third straight season at Daytona. The other XFINITY Series events on Harvick’s slate are scheduled at Phoenix, Bristol, Talladega and Pocono. He’ll also contribute to live race coverage for Camping World Truck Series events at Kansas, Eldora and Talladega.

 

FOX Sports indicated that more announcements regarding its guest analyst lineup are forthcoming. The network began the program in 2015, with Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Danica Patrick and Clint Bowyer in the booth rotation. Gordon, a four-time series champion, graduated to a full-time analyst with FOX in 2016.

 

The roster of FOX Sports guest analysts from the premier series grew last year to include Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano alongside the original five.

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Around this time of year, people who decide to go back to the gym in January to get a jump start on their New Year’s resolutions tend to irk those who remember that their fitness centers exist the other 11 months of the year.


You’ve likely seen a Facebook status or two bemoaning these "resolutioners."


Well, WWE legend and 67-year-old Ric Flair is here to tell you that actions speak louder than words.


That’s 405 POUNDS.


Flair, who showed up last season on the helmet of John Hunter Nemechek at Daytona — well before Nemechek decided to go full Flair at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park — then tweeted out one of his signature catch phrases.

He may owe some royalties to certain former driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet for stealing his catch phrase in that first tweet, however. WOOOOO!

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RELATED: Driver Tracker for 2017 | New season, new looks

Breakthrough victories in NASCAR’s top division are often career-altering, a boost that helps aspiring drivers shed the "contender" label by advancing to the "winner" echelon. Last season, two drivers — Chris Buescher and Kyle Larson — filled their void in the win column in a fanciful August stretch that saw both visit Victory Lane.

With the 2016 calendar out the window, the prospects for a new driver reaching the ranks of the first-timers are promising. As New Year’s resolutions still fresh on their minds, NASCAR.com’s George Winkler and Zack Albert size up their top candidates for new winners in 2017.

Winkler: Chase Elliott was close to winning on a number of occasions last season, as evidenced by 10 top-five finishes, including two second-place showings at Michigan. In the second of those Michigan races, he fell behind Larson on a late restart that led to the aforementioned breakthrough win for the Chip Ganassi Racing driver.

But Elliott is a hard worker and will learn from his close calls and eventually will get a breakthrough win of his own. The Hendrick Motorsports driver had top-10 finishes in 17 of 36 races last year, and out of those top 10s, five came on tracks two miles or longer like Michigan, five came on short tracks and seven were on intermediate tracks. That says he can get it done almost anywhere, and to have that kind of talent at 21 years old is impressive.

Plus, Elliott proved to be a worthy replacement in the No. 24 Chevrolet for legend Jeff Gordon, so although expectations will remain high, at least he he has that first year under his belt. And with the combination of Elliott’s talent and Hendrick’s top-notch personnel and equipment, it’s just a matter of time before he’s in Victory Lane.

Albert: Won’t disagree with a Chase Elliott pick at all. In many regards, it’s surprising he didn’t reach Victory Lane in his rookie year last season. Ditto Ryan Blaney and the Wood Brothers. But there’s one other driver new to the rookie ranks who bears watching.

Erik Jones may just have three Cup Series starts (and one long relief stint — see: Denny Hamlin, Bristol, April 2015) to his credit, but he’s stepping into a prime position for his Sunoco Rookie of the Year campaign this year. Jones will join Furniture Row Racing‘s just-born No. 77 Toyota team in 2017, drawing on the Joe Gibbs Racing resources that have aided his accelerated climb up the NASCAR ladder.

The 20-year-old driver already has plenty of prep at the XFINITY Series level, with six victories in his two full seasons. While growing pains for Jones and his newly expanding team are to be expected, a first-time triumph wouldn’t register as a total shock, either. Expect Elliott to break through, but leave room for Jones on the list, too.

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More new looks for the New Year are coming out of Stewart-Haas Racing in Kannapolis, North Carolina, where they rolled out a 360-degree video simulation of Kevin Harvick‘s No. 4 Busch Beer Ford.

That’s right we said Ford, not Chevrolet, which will take some getting used to as the team switches manufacturers for the 2017 season. Take a peek below at the new No. 4, and it sounds like we’ll get to see some more of the team’s fleet in the near future.