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ThorSport Racing filled the last vacancy in its driver lineup Tuesday afternoon with the announcement that Grant Enfinger plans to compete full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2017.


Enfinger, 32, will drive the No. 98 Toyota in a Sunoco Rookie of the Year campaign. The full-time ride comes after last season’s successful eight-race stint, which netted the Alabama native’s first victory in the series and a Keystone Light Pole Award.

 

“This is a dream come true, and I’m blessed to be able to share this season with some great people,” Enfinger said in a release provided by the team. “I’m proud to be continuing the partnership with (primary sponsor) Champion Power Equipment, along with starting new ones with Jive Communications, Ride TV and Curb Records. I’m very impressed with the people, equipment, and facility that (team owners) Duke and Rhonda Thorson have assembled, and I can’t wait to get to Daytona in a few weeks.”


Enfinger has just 14 career starts in the Camping World Truck Series. Last season, he opened the year with GMS Racing by landing the pole position at Daytona International Speedway. His last race with the Maury Gallagher-owned team resulted in a trip to Victory Lane after he led 45 of 94 laps to prevail at Talladega Superspeedway.


Enfinger boasts solid stock-car credentials from his time in the ARCA Series, where he was crowned champion in 2015. Among his 15 career ARCA wins are two triumphs in the prestigious season opener at Daytona.


Veteran Jeff Hensley will serve as crew chief, returning to ThorSport after working with Spencer Gallagher and the GMS Racing team last year. Hensley was atop the pit box for Johnny Sauter and Cameron Hayley at ThorSport in 2014 (second half of the season) and 2015, respectively. He has 13 career wins in the Truck Series and 11 in the XFINITY Series, where he helped guide Chuck Bown to a championship in 1990.


Enfinger will compete alongside teammates Matt Crafton, Cody Coughlin and Ben Rhodes in the ThorSport driver lineup.

 

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MORE: Part 1
RELATED: Visit the Nationwide 88 Facebook page


The second episode of "Unfinished Business," a six-part series that documents Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s return to competition in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, was released Tuesday on the Nationwide 88 Facebook page.
 
Nationwide is the primary sponsor of Earnhardt’s No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and came up with the idea for the series.
 
In Chapter 2: The Art of the Helmet, Earnhardt goes deep on the reasoning behind his colorful race helmets, and the man who designs the skull.


The episodes will air on Tuesdays between now and the Feb. 26 Daytona 500 (two episodes will air the final week).


RELATED: Timeline of Junior’s injury and recovery

 


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RELATED: Full schedule for Daytona Speedweeks

 

ThorSport Racing’s 2016 campaign will be remembered as a season of recovery, overcoming the trials of a mid-June fire at its Sandusky, Ohio, headquarters. The blaze sparked a gutsy fight through the balance of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule, with the four-team operation scrapping and improvising to fulfill its full-season mandate.

 

Little more than seven months have passed since the hardship, but ThorSport is on the verge of seeing the rebuilding effort through to completion. Credit the organization’s pluck and perseverance, but also a serendipitous sponsor relationship.

 

Menards, a Midwestern home improvement chain, was instrumental in helping ThorSport’s reconstruction project, providing the materials and blueprints for rebuilding a significant portion of the team’s 100,000-square-foot home. The Eau Claire, Wisconsin-based business returns for the 13th season of its long-running association with ThorSport’s No. 88 Toyota and driver Matt Crafton, a two-time series champion.

 

That sponsor and team coalesce in such a mutually beneficial way has helped the Duke and Rhonda Thorson-owned team operate at virtually full strength with the season just weeks away from kicking off at Daytona.

 

“Menards has always been more than just a decal on the side of my Toyota Tundra,” Crafton said in a release provided by the team. “They have been a true marketing partner, and I’m honored to continue this partnership with them for the 13th consecutive season. For them to provide a hands-on approach, and be so involved in the rebuild of our shop, was truly remarkable.

 

“From planning, to execution, to building materials, they have been an asset to the entire project. It speaks volumes on their commitment not only to me, and this No. 88 team, but the entire organization.”

 

Crafton had won two races and one pole position in the first seven events of last season, before the fire forced ThorSport to find alternate locations to prep its trucks. The ensuing scramble took its toll, with Crafton admitting, “I knew it was going to hurt us, but I had no idea it was going to hurt us as bad as it did.”

 

RELATED: ThorSport drew strength during recovery

 

The organization used a supermarket parking lot as a makeshift workplace for several days and spent time at a trailer manufacturing facility before receiving a helping hand from Ohio sprint car racer Chris Andrews in the form of shop space.

 

All the while, ThorSport and Menards specialists collaborated to restore the most heavily damaged sections of the shop — a rear portion that housed the fabrication and machine shop departments. George Sharp — the operations manager for the racing team’s parent company, ThorWorks Industries — said an engineer from Menards was sent to work directly with the team’s building contractor. Furthermore, the materials and plans for the rebuilt section of the shop came from a packaged kit available at Menards.

 

“With this happening in the middle of the season, the goal was to get the team back in the shop as soon as possible,” Sharp said. “Day by day, the team started moving back into portions of the shop. We expect the rebuild to be completed around the end of January. There is absolutely no way we could have made that happen without the help of Menards.”

 

The restoration has included upgrades — a more efficient layout and additional windows for improved lighting. Crafton indicated that only final touches remain before ThorSport opens its 22nd season in the Camping World Truck Series, intent on moving forward and ending a winless streak that stretches back to last spring.

 

“It’s going to be a huge motivator,” Crafton said.

 

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RELATED: Marquee wins of Gordon’s career | NASCAR family cheers on Gordon

Jeff Gordon may have had a little extra luck in his pocket during Sunday’s Rolex 24 victory with Wayne Taylor Racing.

No, not a rabbit’s foot. Not a four-leaf clover. Not a heads-up penny.

Something a little … toothier from his daughter Ella.


One thing’s for sure: Gordon (and Ella) certainly gave a toothy grin after that mega win.

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

Monday, Jan. 30
6 a.m., WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: Daytona International Speedway (re-air), FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Tuesday, Jan. 31
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Wednesday, Feb. 1
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Thursday, Feb. 2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1


 

 

 

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MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Hattori Racing Enterprises (HRE) is pleased to announce that Ryan Truex, the 2009 and 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Champion, will run a full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) schedule in 2017, driving the No. 16 Toyota Tundra. Truex competed in 15 events with HRE in 2016 bringing home a career-best finish of second at Daytona International Speedway in February.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity to race my first full National Series Season with HRE and Toyota Racing in 2017,” Truex said. “We started 2016 on a strong note and were able to contend inside the playoffs prior to stepping out of the truck after Charlotte. I know we can have similar, if not better results in 2017 and I’m looking forward to contending for race wins and hopefully making the playoffs this season.”

Scott Zipadelli will take over the crew chief duties for Truex in 2017, his first season with HRE. In 2016, Zipadelli picked up his first-career NCWTS victory in August at Michigan International Speedway. The veteran crew chief also has three NASCAR XFINITY Series victories on his resume.

Truex made his HRE debut at Daytona last year and competed in select events throughout the 2016 season. In 15 starts the 24-year-old compiled one top-five and four top-10 finishes. Truex has three career NCWTS starts at Daytona, bringing home two top-fives.

“Ryan has the pedigree of a great driver and is even a better person,” said team owner Shige Hattori. “It was an honor to have him drive our trucks last season and I’m looking forward to competing for the championship with him and the team this season. We recently moved into a new state-of-the-art shop facility and have recruited fantastic team personnel for this season. We feel like we’ve done everything to improve our organization which should result in competitive results. I know the No. 16 Toyota Tundra will compete for race wins this season.”

The HRE No. 16 Toyota Tundra gets on track Friday, February 24th at 7:30 p.m. ET for the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

There are opportunities to sponsor the HRE Toyota Tundra this season. There will be several sponsor announcements coming at a later date.

 

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Phoenix Raceway, along with parent company International Speedway Corporation, announced on Monday a massive, $178 million modernization project designed to make the fan and race experience even better.


The project is set to debut in the fall of 2018, but drivers, teams and other tracks were already talking about it.


Here’s what was said on social media. 

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ThorSport Racing announced Monday the addition of Cody Coughlin to its 2017 driver lineup in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

 

Coughlin, 21, will drive ThorSport’s No. 13 Toyota in his first full season in the series. Michael Shelton will serve as crew chief, and primary sponsorship will come from JEGS and Ride TV.

 

Coughlin, who rose through the Late Model and ARCA ranks, has 12 career starts in the Camping World Truck Series over the last two years. He’ll compete for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in 2017 after claiming two Late Model titles under the Champion Racing Associations (CRA) banner last season.

 

“ThorSport Racing is a great team, one I’ve always admired at the race track,” Coughlin said in a news release provided by the team. “Their professionalism, the speed they display, and their record, speaks for itself. Considering the team and I are both based in Ohio, it makes for a great fit, and I’m proud to be part of this championship-caliber organization.”

 

Coughlin said he became close friends with ThorSport driver and new teammate Matt Crafton on the circuit last season. Crafton will return to the ThorSport No. 88 this season in search of his third series title.

 

Veteran crew chief Shelton teamed with driver James Buescher to claim the series championship in 2012. He most recently worked with John Wes Townley last season, helping him to one victory and one pole position during their time together.

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RELATED: Full Rolex 24 schedule, TV channels


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.  — A challenging combination of darkness and rain has proven to be the great equalizer throughout the overnight portion of the 55th Rolex 24 At Daytona, with class battles tightening as the race hits the halfway mark.


While a steady rain has proved treacherous for several IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competitors, the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R of Max Angelelli has risen to the top of the leaderboard claiming the maximum five points in the second Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup segment.


Angelelli – joined by co-drivers Jeff Gordon, Ricky Taylor and Jordan Taylor – leads the No. 90 Visit Florida Gibson/Riley of Rene Rast by one minute, 31.646 seconds. The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R co-driven by Christian Fittipaldi, Joao Barbosa and Felipe Albuquerque sits third in Prototype after leading the opening Patrón Endurance Cup segment. The No. 10 and No. 5 Cadillacs sit tied in the Patrón Endurance Cup with eight points apiece after two segments.


Using the rain to its advantage, Porsche holds the top two spots in GT Le Mans (GTLM) at the halfway mark with Kevin Estre in the No. 912 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR leading teammate Patrick Pilet in the No. 911 Porsche GT Team by 10.4 seconds. Despite running second, the No. 911 Porsche entry co-driven by Pilet, Dirk Werner and Frederic Makowiecki leads the Patrón Endurance Cup with nine points, after leading the opening segment.


Four GTLM entries remain on the lead lap with the No. 66 Ford GT of Joey Hand, Dirk Mueller and Sebastian Bourdais rounding out the top three, 21.125 seconds back.


Jeff Segal leads GT Daytona (GTD) in the No. 86 Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura NSX GT3 he co-drives with Ozz Negri, Tom Dyer and Ryan Hunter-Reay. Four different OEMs make up the top four spots in the class, with the No. 29 Audi R8 LMS GT3 of Connor De Phillippi, the No. 33 Mercedes AMG GT3 of Adam Christodoulou within striking distance on the lead lap.


The No. 63 Ferrari 488 GT3 of Alessandro Balzan leads five cars one lap down.


Nicholas Boulle holds a comfortable lead in Prototype Challenge in the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports ORECA FLM09. Boulle – joined by co-drivers by James French, Patricio O’Ward and Kyle Masson – holds the spot by five laps over Buddy Rice in the No. 8 ORECA FLM09 for Starworks Motorsport. Trent Hindman sits third, eight laps down, in BAR1 Motorsports’ No. 26 ORECA FLM09.


Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full Rolex 24 schedule, TV channels


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DPi-V.R, which has run inside the top three throughout the 55th Rolex 24 At Daytona, held the lead after three Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup segments.


The No. 10 Cadillac – which is being co-driven by Jordan and Ricky Taylor, Max Angelelli and retired NASCAR star Jeff Gordon – had a total of 13 Patrón Endurance Cup points at the 18-hour mark to take a one-point lead over the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R, the team that has won all three previous Patrón Endurance Cups in the Prototype class.


Patrón Endurance Cup points in the Rolex 24 are awarded at six-hour intervals with five points for the leader at the end of the segment, four points for second place, three points for third and two points for every car running from fourth place on. Angelelli led Marc Goossens in the No. 90 Visit Florida Racing Multimatic/Riley LM P2 after 18 hours, with Filipe Albuquerque in third aboard the No. 5 Cadillac.


The No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR shared by Patrick Pilet, Dirk Werner and Frederic Makowiecki led the GT Le Mans (GTLM) Patrón Endurance Cup points at 18 hours. The No. 911 team had a total of 14 points, including the maximum five for leading at the 18-hour mark with Makowiecki at the wheel. The No. 66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT of Dirk Mueller, Joey Hand and Sebastien Bourdais was second in both the Patrón Endurance Cup standings (with 11 points) and the GTLM running order in the race.


The No. 86 Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura NSX GT3 shared by Jeff Segal, Ozz Negri, Tom Dyer and Ryan Hunter-Reay parlayed the 12- and 18-hour GT Daytona (GTD) race lead into the Patrón Endurance Cup lead as well. The No. 86 team leads with 12 points, with the No. 50 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 team second with nine points. Segal was leading the race after 18 hours in the new Acura.


In Prototype Challenge, the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports ORECA FLM09 team of James French, Patricio O’Ward, Kyle Masson and Nick Boulle had a perfect score of 15 points toward the Patrón Endurance Cup as the class leader in all three segments. O’Ward, a 17-year-old from Mexico, was at the wheel at 18 hours.


View full results via Al Kamel Systems at Results.IMSA.com.


NOTEBOOK

  • Cold and rainy conditions led to a lengthy full-course caution period during the third quarter of the race. The race was run behind the safety car from the 14:48 mark until restarting at 16:25.


  • The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R co-driven by Eric Curran, Dane Cameron, Seb Morris and Mike Conway was among the Prototype class front runners through 12 hours, but endured a lengthy stay in the garage shortly thereafter. The car has battled transmission, bearing and electrical issues at different points in the race.


  • The No. 68 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT team of Stefan Mucke, Olivier Pla and Billy Johnson was a top-three runner until 16-and-a-half hours, when it plummeted down the GTLM running order. The team battled visibility issues and also encountered multiple penalties which dropped the No. 68 off the lead lap.


  • The No. 50 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 shared by Cooper MacNeil, Gunnar Jeannette, Thomas Jaeger and Shane van Gisbergen was a strong performer in a stacked GTD class through halfway. Just shy of the 14-hour mark, however, MacNeil was involved in an incident in Turn 3 that sent the car to the garage.


  • The Rolex 24 At Daytona is currently airing live on FS2. Television coverage will switch to FS1 at 1 p.m. through the race finish.