Posted on by Staff Report

By the time the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup season is done, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will have missed 18 races because of concussion symptoms and recovery.

 

It has been a trying season, to say the least, for the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team. Some might even say it felt 108 years long.

 

It has been so trying that crew chief Greg Ives thinks his team can learn a little bit about overcoming obstacles from baseball.

 

Specifically, from those loveable-losers-no-more Chicago Cubs.

 

 

But was the “clutch” part the Cubs overcoming a 3-1 deficit to the Cleveland Indians in the best-of-7 World Series to clinch the trophy?

 

Or is it simply “clutch” to finally, long at last, win the World Series after a famously lenghty World Series title drought that lasted 108 years?

 

Perhaps both? Whatever the case, it sounds like the No. 88 team is gearing up for Earnhardt Jr.’s expected return to the car next season, already.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Chase Grid


NASCAR issued written warnings to three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams on Wednesday, including the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 of Chase contender Denny Hamlin.

The JGR No. 11 Toyota failed template inspection twice before last Friday’s qualifying at Martinsville Speedway. That brings the team’s current tally of warnings to three.

The NASCAR competition department also handed out warnings to the Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford team of driver Trevor Bayne and the BK Racing No. 93 Toyota of Matt DiBenedetto after the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 weekend.

The Roush Fenway No. 6 failed the Laser Inspection Station (LIS) twice in pre-race inspection, raising its current warning count to three. The BK Racing No. 93 absorbed its first warning by failing LIS three times before Friday’s Coors Light Pole Qualifying.

Posted on by Staff Report

Richard Childress Racing announced Wednesday that Matt Borland will return to the pit box next year as crew chief for its No. 27 Chevrolet. The car is currently driven by Paul Menard in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Borland will take over at season’s end from interim crew chief Danny Stockman, who began his current stint with the No. 27 team in late July. Team owner Richard Childress indicated that Stockman would return to his role as a crew chief in RCR’s XFINITY Series operation.

RELATED: RCR makes in-season change to No. 27 team

Borland, a 45-year-old native of Big Rapids, Michigan, transitions to Richard Childress Racing from his role as vice president of technology for Stewart-Haas Racing. That role expanded in 2014 as an engineering resource and liaison for the Haas F1 team’s rollout in Formula 1.

“Matt’s experience as an engineer in both NASCAR and Formula 1 will be critically important to the growth of RCR’s Sprint Cup Series program,” Childress said in a release provided by his team. “He has an impressive background and will be a great resource to our racing operations.”

The veteran Borland has six full seasons of experience as a crew chief in NASCAR’s top division, scoring 13 victories — all with current RCR driver Ryan Newman. Of those premier-series wins, all but one came with Team Penske; the other was Newman’s most recent victory in the series, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2013, the driver’s final season with Stewart-Haas.

“Richard Childress Racing is one of NASCAR’s most prestigious race teams with a storied history and I’m thrilled to be a part of this organization,” Borland said in the RCR release. “I’m looking forward to working closely with Dr. Eric Warren and the staff of talented engineers and employees. I’m confident my experience in various forms of motorsports will contribute to RCR’s continued success on track.”

Posted on by Staff Report

John Wes Townley will miss Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway because of an injured left ankle, according to a team release. Cody Coughlin will replace Townley in the No. 05 Zaxby’s Chevrolet for the Striping Technology 350 at 8:30 p.m ET (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The team classified the injury as non-racing related.

“I want to wish John Wes a speedy recovery and hope he’s back at the track soon,” Coughlin said in a team release. “I’m honored that Athenian Motorsports thought of me to drive their truck this weekend.”

Coughlin has nine starts this year in the Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports, including a season-best 12th-place finish in June at Texas.

Posted on by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. — Roush Fenway Racing has signed a multiyear renewal that will see AdvoCare continue to serve as the anchor partner on Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne‘s No. 6 Sprint Cup Ford Fusion for the next three seasons. AdvoCare has partnered with Roush Fenway and Bayne since 2014, when the relationship began in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

“AdvoCare has been an outstanding partner to work with, and I am really excited to continue this relationship and represent AdvoCare for three more seasons,” said Bayne. “It’s a top-notch organization with a great group of employees and Independent Distributors who share our core principles of hard work and determination.

“For me it’s more than a sponsorship,” added Bayne. “I regularly use their products to stay in top form on and off the track. My wife, Ashton, and I are also Independent Distributors for AdvoCare, as are several other Roush Fenway employees.”

Bayne and the No. 6 AdvoCare team will be in action this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, the site of Bayne’s first Sprint Cup Series start in 2010, as well as his first XFINITY Series victory in 2011.

“AdvoCare is extremely proud to call Roush Fenway Racing and Trevor Bayne partners, and we look forward to continuing our great relationship on and off the track. We are also excited about Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway,” says Allison Levy, AdvoCare’s Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. “The No. 6 AdvoCare Ford Fusion will feature a paint scheme honoring the SEAL Legacy Foundation, a worthwhile organization helping the families of wounded and fallen U.S. Navy Seals — a cause we are honored to support as a team.”

The SEAL Legacy Foundation is dedicated to providing support, including financial assistance and educational assistance to families of wounded and fallen United States Navy SEALs, and other charitable causes benefiting the SEAL community.

Additionally, in honor of Veteran’s Day on Nov. 11, Bayne, Roush Fenway Racing and AdvoCare will donate the fire suit and helmet Trevor wears in Sunday’s race to the SEAL Legacy Sixth Annual Benefit & Gala in Dallas.

Posted on by Nascar

Name: Eddie
Current City: ​Leesburg, Georgia
Member since: 2014


Getting to know Eddie


Q. Why did you join the Official NASCAR Fan Council?


“I have been a devoted NASCAR fan for 20+ years. I want to do everything I can to support the sport. When I heard I could be part of an exclusive fan council with NASCAR and have a voice in the sport I care so much for, it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. For NASCAR to be such a huge company and still want feedback from us fans about what we like and don’t like with the sport, it just goes to show how much NASCAR really cares for their drivers, the state of the sport and their fans.”

Q. How did you first become interested in NASCAR?


“When I was 8 years old I got to meet Richard Petty at a grand opening of a local store. Even at that early age I already knew who he was. He was such a nice and thoughtful person to me that evening. Even with all his fans there to see him, he took time to talk to me one on one and made me feel like we were friends. He signed and gave me one of his STP hats, a hero card and he made sure I got my picture taken with him. From that point on, I was hooked.”

Q. What makes NASCAR special for you? 

“On most weekends, I plan my weekend around the race. It has also brought me closer with my family. Whether it’s my fiancée and I going to a race or my stepdad and I, NASCAR brings that common bond that I can share with my family. Also, it is the only sport that regular fans can gain access directly with crew members, drivers and owners. If you have the right passes, you can watch a race from pit road with the crew members. Try to get that kind of access at an NFL or MLB game and see what happens. The comradery of the drivers. You have teammates racing door to door to win a race. If you’re going to win the race, you will have to earn it.”


Q: Do you have any favorite NASCAR memories or traditions?


“I attended my first Daytona 500 in 2011. We got to celebrate in Victory Lane with Trevor Bayne. I still have the confetti. Also, my first race at Talladega. We sat in the Allison Grandstands on the backstretch. To hear the thunder they talked about and feel the stands and seats rumble as the cars got closer was incredible. Also, my first Atlanta race. I really got to see how fast they get around that track and we sat so close we were covered in rubber from the cars. Also, meeting the King, Richard Petty. Also, in recent years, Darlington. Glad to see the track and teams remember the pioneers of the sport.” 


Q: Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?


Driver: “Dale Earnhardt Jr, Chase Elliott.”

Tracks: “Atlanta, Talladega, Richmond.

Memorabilia: “Signed STP hat from “The King.” Dale Jr. signed diecast from driver intros before the Atlanta race and a signed program that he inscribed an 88 with his signature. Chase Elliott and Rick Hendrick signed NAPA 24 car. Picture with Tony Stewart and I in Atlanta at his first race a couple years ago.”


Q: If you could go to any NASCAR race/track, where would you go?


“Toss-up between Darlington for Throwback Weekend and Bristol Night Race.”


Q: What do you like to do in your free time?


“We like to travel and spend our free time during the summer at the beach and NASCAR races. Also like to play golf. During late summer, it’s time to watch UGA Football games. GO DAWGS!”

Q: Tell us about your family. Do you have children and/or pets?

“My racing buddies will be my stepdad and my fiancée. My aunt and uncle made it down from Ohio for the October races in Charlotte a couple years back.”

Q: What’s your dream car?


“Chevrolet Corvette”


From all of us at NASCAR, we thank Eddie for his continued support and look forward to hearing from him in 2016.  

Posted on by Holly Cain

In what seems a natural fit for both GearWrench and Chip Ganassi Racing, the NASCAR team announced Tuesday that the innovative tool brand will serve as primary sponsor on the No. 1 Chevrolet driven by Jamie McMurray for multiple races in the 2017 season.

 

GearWrench executives joined Ganassi team officials and McMurray on Tuesday at the prestigious Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas to announce the news. The tool brand ran the announcement live on Facebook on Tuesday, and fans can also sign up for a sweepstakes on the GearWrench Facebook page for a chance to win one of 10 new tool sets to be given away as part of the big news.

 



McMurray agrees the partnership couldn’t be more authentic for his team.

 

“It was interesting,” the 2010 Daytona 500 winner told NASCAR.com. “The day I was in the shop and I knew they were coming by (to see the shop), my car chief asked who was coming by. I told him the name of the company and he said, ‘Those are awesome tools.’

 

“Then he took me over to his toolbox and opened one of the drawers up and he had a whole drawer already of the GearWrench tools. That’s really special when you get to be a part of a brand you’re already using. Guys that work on our cars every day believe in them and they’re using the tools every day. We’re super pumped to have them on board.”

 

It’s the company’s biggest foray into NASCAR and judging by the excitement from its executives, Tuesday’s announcement about this partnership is welcome and positive news.

 

“This is the biggest announcement in the history of the GearWrench brand and a significant marketing investment that will deliver significant growth in sales and market share,” said John Constantine, president of GearWrench’s North American Hand Tools, Apex Tool Group. “We are thrilled to be taking GearWrench to the next level by partnering with Chip Ganassi Racing and their top mechanics in 2017.”

 

Chip Ganassi Racing President Steve Lauletta echoed McMurray’s enthusiasm for this partnership, and the team’s fond familiarity of the brand. The tools also are used in industrial and aerospace work as well as in technical education.

 

“GearWrench is a brand that understands how our team strives to deliver value to our partners and find ways to grow the business together,” Lauletta said. “They have been associated with the sport for several years from local tracks to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and we are excited that we will be able to put their products to work in the hands of our mechanics in the shop and at the race track.”

 

And the No. 1 GearWrench Chevrolet that McMurray will pilot in races next year will be designed to look like the GearWrench distribution fleet vehicles that so many have already seen on the nation’s roads.

 

“It’s wonderful that a new brand recognizes the value of NASCAR,” McMurray said. “And when you’re talking about a tool, there’s really no better fit than a race team and NASCAR being the most popular form of racing in America makes that a really easy tie-in.”