Posted on by Staff Report

The 2017 Rolex 24 belonged to the Cadillac DPi V.R teams, and Jeff Gordon and the No. 10 team won as Ricky Taylor finished out front at Daytona International Speedway.

 

Taylor and teammates Jeff Gordon, Jordan Taylor and Max Angelelli benefited from a no-call as the No. 10 and No. 5 Cadillac made contact late in the race, which ended with the No. 10 passing for the lead. The No. 5 Mustang Express and No. 10 teams traded leads and held top-three spots throughout the IMSA event at Daytona.

 

"I haven’t been this emotional for a win and an experience like this for a very long time," Gordon told reporters. "The reason is because I know what this means to this team. Oh my gosh. This is amazing — Daytona has always been special, but this one sent me over the top. I’m just blown away right now."

 

Gordon is in historic company following Sunday’s win, joining Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt and Jamie McMurray as the only drivers to win both the Daytona 500 and the Rolex 24.

 

Meanwhile, the GTLM class gave Chip Ganassi yet another chance to show his Rolex 24 prowess, as the No. 66 Ford won its class and finished fifth overall with drivers Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller.

 

The No. 10 Wayne Taylor racing foursome of Gordon, Ricky and Jordan Taylor and Angelelli won the second and third segments of the race, entering the fourth and final 6-hour segment with a one-point lead over the No. 5 team of Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi and Filipe Albuquerque.

 

Ricky Taylor was in the seat at the end, making contact with the No. 5 driven by Albuquerque. Taylor drove down into the Turn 1 corner cleanly, but the two cars came together shortly thereafter, sending Albuquerque spinning into the grass. An official review followed, and no action (such as a time penalty for the No. 10 team) was deemed necessary for intentional contact.

 

"Well, it was a good fight, until I got hit, to be honest," Albuquerque said. "There is not much to say. I had some GTs ahead of me so I could not brake so late, and I closed the door, but then I got spun. There is not much to say, and yeah, the officials took the decision. That’s what it is. We finished second."

 

Ricky Taylor didn’t see it that way.

"The way I saw it, we came through GT traffic. I was closer than I had been, (and) he’d been struggling in Turn 1," Taylor said. "Their car didn’t look very good there, and we were really strong on the brakes. … I think he saw me coming, he saw me committing, and like he said, I guess, he closed the door. But the way ‑‑ from my perspective … there’s a lot of emotions going on.  I wanted to win terribly. We were either going to make a move and do something and win or sit there in second and wait for ‑‑ wait until next year, basically. I didn’t want to do that."
 

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Gordon, No. 10 team win Rolex 24 overall title

 

Sunday was a very good day for Jeff Gordon and Chip Ganassi, as “Four-Time” won another race with his No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac DPi team, and Ganassi won the GTLM class with his No. 66 Ford in the Rolex 24.

 

NASCAR drivers, fans and insiders sent congratulations to the winners of a dramatic race via Twitter.

 

 

 

Jamie McMurray has driven for his NASCAR team owner in the IMSA event before, and took pride in the 2017 team’s performance as well as Gordon’s victory.

 

 

 

Fellow Ganassi NASCAR driver Kyle Larson sent regards, too, after tweeting throughout the weekend race.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Gordon, No. 10 team win Rolex 24

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Before the Rolex 24 trophy hoisting, the hugs, handshakes and high-fives Sunday afternoon, Jeff Gordon and his Wayne Taylor Racing teammates paused to — at last — take a big breath. A HUGE breath of the freshest of air. Victory.

 

It was an unbelievably tense and emotional final hour of a 24-hour race with 27-year-old Ricky Taylor prevailing in a gritty bump-and-run for the lead with less than 10 minutes remaining. It was a winning move every bit reminiscent of his co-driver Gordon’s NASCAR world.

 

"At the end of the day you have to go for it, so I went for it," Taylor said.

 

The friends and crew members crowded into the Taylor team’s pit stall alongside the famed Daytona International Speedway were mostly silent for the final hour of the race — all but for the controlled variation of fist pumps and quiet cheers as they watched Taylor triumph in that must-take, dramatic final pass for the lead following more than 23-3/4 hours of perhaps the most all-around competitive and best-attended Rolex ever.

 

It was indicative of this event. An Alegra Motorsports Porsche won the GTD class by less than a second (0.293 seconds).  And NASCAR team owner Chip Ganassi Racing‘s Ford GT won a super competitive GT LeMans class by 2.9 seconds — remarkably eight class cars finishing nose-to-tail on the same lap.

 

As the white flag waved to signal the final lap of the race, people in the Taylor team pit box looked around smiling and quite obviously trying to contain the emotion. And then finally, as Ricky Taylor drove across the start/finish line, you could distinguish Gordon’s cheers among the emotional celebration.

 

He is the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion to take overall victory in this iconic event and only the fourth driver (joining A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti and Jamie McMurray) to win both the Daytona 500 and the Rolex 24.

 

RELATED: NASCAR drivers’ history in Rolex 24

 

Team owner Wayne Taylor — who last won here as a driver in 2005 — ran out to his son, who slowed the car on pit road. He opened the door and leaned in for an embrace, then Wayne climbed onto the side of the race car. Youngest son Jordan Taylor, 25, who also drove the car, took position on the other side of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi as Ricky triumphantly drove the family to Daytona’s Victory Lane.

 

Gordon, along with the team’s veteran driver Max Angelelli — who was making his final race start — walked down pit road to meet them, receiving all the accolades deserved after such an impressive victory.

 

"This is unbelievable, I haven’t been this emotional for a win and an experience like this for a very long time," a smiling and effusive Gordon said, amid the cheering and congratulations. "The reason is because I know what this means to this team, Wayne (Taylor), these kids (Ricky and Jordan), Max. Oh my gosh. This is amazing. Daytona has always been special, but this one sent me over the top. I’m just blown away right now.

 

"It’s unbelievable that it came down to that. What a battle, what a race. Cadillac, I’m so impressed with this race car. It’s not just beautiful, it’s strong."

 

WATCH: Junior talks about his Rolex 24 experience, Gordon, more

 

Twice in the previous three years, Taylor’s team has finished runner-up in this grueling Daytona Speedweeks opener. It has been heartbreaking and yet, also so extremely motivating to the Taylor family.

 

As the five men joined together late Sunday to speak about the race, they alternately sported wide smiles and conceded earlier tears.

 

This was the hugest of triumphs among years of determined efforts. And they were so grateful to share the special day with Gordon, who joked about racing in the rain Saturday night, but repeatedly spoke about the great respect he has gained for the young Taylors’ racing talent.

 

"I’ve built enough of a bond with this group, I’d love to see them get other opportunities out there," Gordon said. "They have the personality and the talent.

 

"All I’ve been thinking about is how can I get them to some ovals in a bigger, heavier car."

 

RELATED: NASCAR family cheers Gordon and Ganassi

 

Gordon even suggested that the winning experience may motivate him to do the race again next year.

 

"I felt more prepared and it was an even better experience than 2007 so who knows, maybe there’s a chance of another one," Gordon said. "I want to contribute and add and help this team win. These are the real winners. But I did my part and I’m proud of that."

 

Every time the Taylor brothers and their father spoke of the winning moments, they talked about how much more special it was because Gordon was with them.

 

As the team gathered on the starting grid in the minutes before the race, Gordon and the Taylors revealed temporary tattoos of a Rolex watch — extra motivation that had worn off by the checkered flag.

 

Only to be replaced by the real thing, capping off a race weekend that Gordon, his teammates and sports car fandom will remember for a very, very long time.

 

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Complete Rolex 24 schedule, TV channels

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Chip Ganassi is as calm, cool and collected as it gets. The winningest car owner in Rolex 24 history, he is royalty walking around Daytona International Speedway this weekend.

 

His race teams have claimed Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 trophies, gulped a lot of celebratory milk in Indianapolis 500 victory circle and have won enough Rolex watches in this great sports car race to fill a luxury store window.

 

Yet for all the success and stature he’s collected over the years, Ganassi is adamant that his primary focus remains quite simple.

 

"We approach every race as we just want to win the next race," Ganassi said. "And the next race is today for us. I’ve been fortunate to work with some great people over the years and some great teams and great companies. It’s something someday I guess I’ll look back on and talk about, but right now our focus is on today’s race and the team of people we have here. My hat’s off to them.

 

"So that’s something when I’m sitting back with my grandkids I’ll talk about or something. Right now I just want to worry about tomorrow, what’s happening in the 24th hour."

 

If all goes as planned and reasonably presumed, at least one of Ganassi’s four Ford GT cars should be challenging for a GT LeMans Class winner’s Rolex on Sunday afternoon.

 

It’s a familiar, if always satisfying, scenario.

 

Ganassi prototypes won the overall trophy in this legendary race a record six times — including a historic three consecutive times from 2006-2008.

 

Last year his prototype cars — driven by his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson — finished 13th overall.

 

He also brought the new Ford GTs only a few weeks after their delivery and essentially untested. They finished 30th and 39th overall in their Daytona debut but the team went on to win the great LeMans 24-hour event last summer.

 

Ganassi is now the only owner in racing history with victories in the Rolex 24, 24 Hours of LeMans, the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400,  and the Indianapolis 500.

 

"It’s pretty impressive, obviously, to see what Chip’s achieved across many different formulas," said Ganassi IndyCar driver (and champion) Scott Dixon, who is co-driving one of Ganassi’s Fords this weekend. "I think the most outstanding thing was being a part of LeMans … not just the winning car but seeing the emotions Chip and Ford achieved. It takes a very special group.

 

"I’m extremely happy for him and how he’s adding to his accolades. He’s a racer at heart and knows the ins and outs of it. He’s probably the most competitive person I know, and having that from the top is so important."

 

Dario Franchitti, a three-time Indy 500 winner and former NASCAR competitor, echoed the sentiment. The now-retired driver is trackside at Daytona this weekend serving as the Grand Marshal.

 

"I almost drove for him a couple times before [I joined the team] and I’d watch him and you just wondered what made the team tick? What made him tick?" Franchitti said. "When I became part of the team I knew why they were so difficult to beat as a group because Chip puts the right people in positions and lets them get on with it.

 

"He doesn’t micromanage. But, he has a passion for racing and a passion for winning and if he’s not winning he wants to know why. He gives you all the tools to do the job, but he expects a result."

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: NASCAR reveals format enhancements

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jeff Gordon‘s presence in this weekend’s Rolex 24 gave the international media a chance to get his perspective on NASCAR’s recent rule enhancements for its three national series.

 

Gordon revealed that the new format — which awards points to drivers after two early race stages in addition to the final finish — was a work in progress right up until the last minute. And, he said, having the historic season-opening Daytona 500 included in the new look was also a topic of debate initially.

 

"I was in those meetings, and the format started getting so much momentum and positive feedback from people in the room making the decisions," Gordon revealed. "Initially, we weren’t going to start the season at Daytona with that format and stages but as we went along, we were like, we really like what this is turning into, why not also have it at Daytona?

 

"It’s our biggest event. More eyes are on this than any race all year long. And it is the largest track so gives the sport a chance to have a practice session on how it plays out.

 

"I love they are doing it at Daytona and I love they are giving points in the Duels. I think it will make the Duels more interesting and exciting and will only add to the Daytona’s prestige."

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full Rolex 24 schedule, TV channels

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jeff Gordon has taken a very serious approach to his participation in the weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona. However, the four-time NASCAR champion was all smiles after climbing out of his Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac DPi following his first stint behind the wheel Saturday evening.

 

He had the ultimate E-ticket ride, taking over the wheel of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac during a caution period and getting a sports car schooling in restarts that only energized him to hope for another chance at it.

 

By the time Gordon turned the car over to veteran Max Angelelli, it was running second place to the No. 31 Cadillac overall in the 55-car field — a productive maiden outing for the stock car superstar.

 

"That right there was big for me," Gordon said, grinning. "The other night, the practice didn’t go well, had a lock up on cold tires, couldn’t get it in reverse, I was in traffic the whole time and couldn’t put a good lap down. I was frustrated.

 

"This, today built up my confidence. I was out there really hoping they were going to tell me to go on and do a third stint. I really wanted to do it and I’m glad I’m going to get back out there."

 

Thousands of fans at the track and watching on computers and televisions will be glad to see Gordon back out there, as well.

 

It certainly appeared to be one of the largest, most enthusiastic crowds in Rolex 24 history. The starting grid was absolutely packed with fans. They were 10-15 deep surrounding Gordon’s Wayne Taylor Racing car on the starting grid and even included racing celebrities such as IndyCar champion Simon Pagenaud.

 

Gordon readily conceded the whole experience was something he won’t soon forget.

 

While standing alongside the race car, Gordon allowed his young son Leo and daughter Ella to sit briefly behind the steering wheel — a real treat judging by their smiles after being lifted back out onto the grid to stand alongside their legendary father.

 

"It was amazing, an incredible crowd down there," Gordon said of the pre-race atmosphere. "There were so many cool cars out there, and people wanted to see them.

 

"It really gives you that grasp of the history of this race, the flags of all the countries represented by the drivers. That’s why I’m here. To be a part of a very special event and drive a really cool car."

 

Gordon certainly impressed his co-drivers. Wayne Taylor’s oldest son Ricky started the race, doing a triple stint and moving into the lead — from a fourth-place staring position — by the time he pitted for the driver change with Gordon during a full-course caution.

 

"Definitely a quick pace," Ricky Taylor said afterward, adding with a smile. "In my head, everyone was telling me build a gap, build a gap. But I didn’t want to be the one to crash the car then Jeff Gordon doesn’t get to get in and that would be the worst.

 

"We know we have good pace, we just wanted to settle in and kinda pick people off when we could. We kinda wanted a long green run and our plan was to get Jeff the car with a little lead and take the pressure off his first time in the car."

 

"The car seems OK, and he’ll do what Jeff Gordon does once he gets going here."

 

Having to restart in front of the field was a bit of trial by fire for Gordon, who joked it "might be crazier than NASCAR racing for the frenetic pace and jockeying for position among four classes of cars."

 

He said he was also prepared — if not eager — for the possibility of rain, which is forecast for the overnight hours and began around 9 p.m. ET.

 

"It was a horrendous experience for me in ’07," Gordon recalled of his only other Rolex start — a third place effort for the team in 2007.

 

"I was out in nighttime in a downpour, a monsoon. They told me they don’t even race in conditions like that anymore, and I was like, ‘Thank goodness.’ I was on slicks and had to come in and not wreck. Then I went out on race tires and it didn’t feel a whole lot better," he said laughing.

 

"I was glad to have a chance to drive in the rain during the Roar [Rolex test session]. I at least got to see where it puddles. But we are so much more prepared and so am I."

 

Angelelli had moved the car into first place overall by the time night fell, and it looked like the class of the field. Gordon said he expected to do another double stint before midnight and acknowledged a victory in this historic event would just be so incredibly special.

 

"I’m trying to absorb this one right now," Gordon said of his time in the race. "I love this form of racing and I certainly love it here in Daytona. "

 

 

Dillon brothers visit Daytona

 

There were other NASCAR connections in the Rolex 24, from Cup drivers Austin and Ty Dillon walking around the garage to Casey Mears tweeting a photo of his 2006 Rolex 24 trophy — he was the first full-time NASCAR driver to win overall in the event.

 

The six-time Rolex-winning Chip Ganassi Racing team led the GT LeMans class from the drop of the green flag.

 

And another full-time NASCAR driver, Austin Cindric, made his Rolex debut.

 

The 18-year-old Cindric, who will drive full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Brad Keselowski this season, was turning heads in the GTD class. He opened the event with a triple driving stint and drove the No. 15 Lexus GT3 car from a 21st starting position to seventh place when he got of the car. He is planning to run all the endurance races with the Lexus RCF GT3.

 

"My career has always been about I’ll drive anything and hopefully get some success," said Cindric, who will be running all the endurance races with the Lexus RCF GT3 team this season.

 

"You have to have the right opportunity and be in the right equipment," he said. "And I feel like I am both here in this paddock and in the NASCAR truck paddock."

 

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Complete list of full-time rides for 2017

Ricky vs. Trevor may be a thing of the past.

 

The Roush Fenway Racing duo of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne have a competitive history, having created the Ricky vs. Trevor campaign in 2011, their first year together at Roush in the now-XFINITY Series. The drivers partook in a slew of fun, off-track competitions (including which driver could do a better Carl Edwards-esque backflip), as well as race battles.

 

But it’s different now; with Greg Biffle‘s departure from his longtime seat in the No. 16 Ford, RFR has downsized its Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series fleet from three to two full-time rides, with Bayne and Stenhouse.

 

"I think Ricky and I have kind of realized in the last couple of years of being teammates at the Cup level that it’s not Ricky versus Trevor anymore, it’s Roush Fenway Racing versus everybody else," Bayne, 25, said Jan. 24 at the NASCAR Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway. "We’ve come alongside each other as teammates and are really gonna push each other this season. I mean, I feel like we started doing that last season and we saw some result from it, but we’re gonna learn from each other, we’re gonna be humble through it and we’re gonna understand that you can learn from each other and we’re gonna push our team."

 

Last season was one of early hope, but eventual disappointment for the Roush Fenway group. Stenhouse surprised many in the season’s second race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he qualified fifth and finished 10th. He went on to post nine top-16 finishes the next 12 races. Bayne showcased some speed particularly in qualifying, where he started third at Atlanta and followed with six top-15 qualifying spots from Auto Club Speedway in March to May’s Coca-Cola 600.

 

It was that middle stretch that the team began to slightly unravel, Bayne said.

 

"I think we can learn a lot from last season," Bayne said. "In sports, we’re quick to look at our last performances as our evaluation of a whole season and last year I think we kind of shocked ourselves and everyone else when we came to Atlanta and got our car to qualify third, ran well. There were a lot of times early in the season when we were making it to the final round of qualifying … that performance early in the year was something that shocked us a little bit. 

 

"As the season went on, I feel like we did not keep up the way that we wanted to, so what we have to learn is … ‘How do you stay motivated and make the gains from Michigan to Homestead that you make in the off-season, that you show up to Atlanta and Daytona with?’ That’s what we have to do as a team. … It’s those summer months that we get to when you really find out what you’re made out of and what you can accomplish throughout the rest of the season."

RELATED: See Bayne’s fresh paint scheme for 2017 | Stenhouse’s Sunny D look

One path to consistency could be through restructure, as Roush Fenway implemented several personnel changes during the offseason: Team manager Kevin Kidd will transition to competition director, while former production director Tommy Wheeler will serve as operations director in overseeing production. Stenhouse will have a new face atop his No. 17 pit box, as former No. 16 crew chief Brian Pattie will call the shots and former crew chief Nick Sandler becomes the director of engineering.

 

Recognizing the struggles Roush Fenway has experienced over the past few seasons, Stenhouse believes these changes will benefit the organization this year. Having been at the race shop plenty during the sport’s brief offseason, the 29-year-old driver sees it during the daily 7:30 a.m. meetings that scrutinize to-do lists and with the large effort put forth by his No. 17 team. That drives him.

 

"I’m excited that I’ve seen progress being made in communication at our shop and everybody seems really motivated to get Jack (Roush) and our partners back to running better, running up front," Stenhouse said. "We don’t show up to the race track not to do that. They’ve put a lot of hard work into it and we’re trying to make up a lot of ground that we’ve lost over the last couple years."

 

"…I think I’ve been encouraged with what I’ve seen at the race shop this offseason."

 

But will the new race enhancements, which implement race stages and emphasize consistency, prove to be yet another hurdle for inconsistent Roush?

 

Stenhouse takes comfort in a philosophy from his favorite collegiate football coach.

 

"I’ve been in a few of (Ole Miss) Coach (Hugh) Freeze’s pre-game locker room speeches (and) I feel like he always says, ‘The orders remain the same,’ " Stenhouse said. "For us, I feel like the orders are the same for me and my race team and Roush Fenway. We’ve got to continue to strive to build faster race cars. We’ve got to strive to make fewer mistakes on the race track and have faster pit stops."

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Buy tickets for Phoenix races in March and November

Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick has won six of the last nine races at Phoenix Raceway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.


Which is why, teammate Clint Bowyer said, it makes sense for the 2014 champion to represent SHR during next week’s organizational test at the 1-mile track located in Avondale, Arizona.


The two-day test is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 31-Feb. 1.


Only one team per organization is allowed to participate in NASCAR organizational tests and Bowyer, being the new kid on the SHR block, no doubt could use the seat time as he begins the next chapter in his racing career.


"I probably could have really pushed and pouted and tried to get that test, but ultimately here’s a guy that’s won out there eight times," said Bowyer, one of four drivers for SHR. "I would be a fool not to let him go out there and establish that baseline for all of us across the board, and then go out and try to beat him and everybody else with it.


"That’s the kind of teamwork that you have to have and that you can have when you’re at an organization like this — as big as it is and the depth that it has with the drivers."


Bowyer joined SHR after a one-year stint with the now-defunct HScott Motorsports. He replaces team co-owner/driver Tony Stewart in the organization’s No. 14 entry. Kurt Busch and Danica Patrick round out the SHR driver lineup for 2017.


BOWYER: ‘New chance, new crack of the bat’


Thirteen Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams are scheduled to participate in the two-day test. Among them are Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, and Daniel Suarez, driver of the No. 19 Toyota, for Joe Gibbs Racing.


Earnhardt Jr., the series’ most popular driver and for many the face of the sport, missed the final 18 races of the 2016 season due to concussion-like symptoms. His last official start came July 9 at Kentucky Speedway.


"Being out of the car, you hope you can jump back in … and not miss a beat," Earnhardt said. "But … this is the top series and any time you’re away you’re getting behind.


"I’m really anxious and curious where we shake up early in the season, how competitive we can be (and) what, if any, learning curve there is for me."


RELATED: Dale Jr. ready for new season to get here

Suarez, the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion, was scheduled to defend his title this year. The surprising departure of Carl Edwards, however, expedited Suarez’s advancement into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.


The test will be the first for many teams with NASCAR’s newest rules package. Four teams took part in a two-day Goodyear tire test earlier this month at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the ’17 setup.


This year’s race package features reductions in the size of the splitter and spoiler height, a tapered rear deck fin and zero net rear steer.


RELATED: Breaking down the 2017 rules package

On the safety front, enhancements include anti-intrusion plating and toe board foam in the footbox area of the car, the addition of a roof hatch and changes in steering column mounting. The structural changes resulted in NASCAR increasing the minimum vehicle weight by 20 pounds for all events.


The safety moves are mandatory for competition on superspeedways (Daytona and Talladega) and optional for all other venues. They will become mandatory for all tracks in 2018.


Other drivers scheduled to attend the test are Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing), Ty Dillon (Germain Racing), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Roush Fenway Racing), Ryan Blaney (Wood Brothers Racing), Joey Logano (Team Penske), Kyle Larson (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates), Aric Almirola (Richard Petty Motorsports), AJ Allmendinger (JTG Daugherty Racing), Erik Jones (Furniture Row Racing) and Michael McDowell (Leavine Family Racing).


Additional organizational tests for 2017 are slated for New Hampshire Motor Speedway (May 30-31), Chicagoland Speedway (Aug. 15-16), Martinsville Speedway (Oct. 10-11) and Homestead Miami Speedway (Oct. 24-25).


A single-day open test for NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series teams is set for May 2 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Posted on by Staff Report

In a sport fueled by its rich past, NASCAR’s foundation is in its history and seasoned wheelmen. But in back-to-back seasons, the sport has seen three of its veteran drivers — Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards — unbuckle their seatbelts and cruise into retirement, creating a new focus on the youth.


This shift has helped put a spotlight on many fresh-faced drivers as they learn to hone their craft in hopes of becoming a Gordon, "Smoke" or Edwards.


Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney all spoke on the final day of last month’s annual NASCAR Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway. Together with phenom Chase Elliott, they help form the core of this up-and-coming generation. Each having the on-track talent and off-track personality to build a career with longevity, the trio reflected on their 2016 seasons and what to expect for 2017.


MORE: Elliott’s 2017 season preview

Kyle Larson

The Chip Ganassi Racing wheelman’s Michigan win in August not only secured him a playoff spot, it finally silenced the "when will Kyle Larson win?" chatter, having not reached Victory Lane in his first 98 races in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.


"I just continue to want to win," the 24-year-old said last week. "Wanting to win the second win is just as important as wanting to win the first win, to me."


The Irish Hills victory earned Larson the accomplishment of winning in all three of NASCAR’s premier series, a feat few have achieved. He has five wins in the XFINITY Series along with a pair of Ws in the Camping World Truck Series.


And as the California native heads into the 2017 season with three full-time seasons on the odometer of his No. 42 Chevy, he aims for an even better year with the knowledge and passion akin to the veterans.


"I think everything needs to be better," Larson said "… To be a championship team, you need to just be better than everybody at everything. I could do a better job at executing.


"Our pit calls could be better. I’m not saying that anything is bad, but I’m saying that everything could be a little bit better to gain lap time and improve on finishes."


And with improvement across the board in 2016, 2017 already appears to be promising for Larson as he hungers for more success.