Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Dale Jr. out at New Hampshire


Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday evening that Dale Earnhardt Jr. would miss this weekend’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway due to concussion-like symptoms.


Drivers, crew chiefs and others were quick to offer their support via social media.


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RELATED: Drivers react to Junior news

 

Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not compete in this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after experiencing concussion-like symptoms.

The team indicated in a statement that physicians did not clear Earnhardt to race after an evaluation this week. Alex Bowman, who drives part-time for Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports team in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, was named as this weekend’s interim driver in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet for Sunday’s New Hampshire 301 (1:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM).

Earnhardt started and finished 13th last weekend at Kentucky Speedway. The 41-year-old driver ranks 13th in the drivers’ standings with eight races left in the regular season.

“I wasn’t feeling great the week going into Kentucky and thought it was possibly severe allergies,” Earnhardt said in a statement provided by the team. “I saw a family doctor and was given medication for allergies and a sinus infection. When that didn’t help, I decided to dig a little deeper. Because of my symptoms and my history with concussions, and after my recent wrecks at Michigan and Daytona, I reached out and met with a neurological specialist. After further evaluation, they felt it was best for me to sit out.

“I’m disappointed about missing New Hampshire this weekend. I’m looking forward to treatment with the goal of getting back in the race car when the doctors say I’m ready.”

 

The team indicated that there was no clear timetable for Earnhardt’s return and that it would provide an update next week regarding his status for Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 24.

Earnhardt missed two Sprint Cup Series races in the 2012 season after suffering two concussions in a six-week stretch. This spring, Earnhardt said he would donate his brain to science upon his death, helping contribute to the growing research field of sports brain trauma. He said in April that he had contacted the Concussion Legacy Foundation and the Boston University center for CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) studies.

“I’m proud of Dale for standing up,” said Rick Hendrick. “The number-one priority is his health, so we’re going to give him all the time he needs. We completely support the decision by the doctors and will be ready to go win races when he’s 100 percent. In the meantime, we have full confidence in (crew chief) Greg (Ives) and the team, and we know they’ll do a great job.”

The development throws Earnhardt’s postseason status into question. By missing a regular-season start for medical reasons, he would need a waiver from competition officials to be eligible for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs, provided he meets all other criteria — a regular-season win plus top-30 standings in points, or qualifying as part of the top points-earners among the top 16 drivers. Earnhardt is currently 14th on the provisional Chase grid.

The team said that Hendrick Motorsports general manager Doug Duchardt, Ives and Bowman would be available for interviews and updates Friday morning at the New Hampshire track.

Bowman competed full-time in the Sprint Cup Series for two seasons, driving for BK Racing in 2014 and Tommy Baldwin Racing the following year. He has top-10 finishes in each of his four XFINITY Series starts for JR Motorsports this season.


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RELATED: Buy Darlington tickets | ’16 throwback schemes 
SHOP: Edwards gear

Joe Gibbs Racing revealed the throwback paint scheme for Carl Edwards‘ No. 19 Toyota on Thursday, paying tribute to three-time champion Tony Stewart at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ annual nostalgic celebration at Darlington Raceway.

 

Edwards, the defending race winner of the Sept. 4 Bojangles’ Southern 500 at the South Carolina track, will pilot an ARRIS-sponsored Camry in the company’s familiar orange and white colors. The arrangement and typefaces, however, will resemble the paint scheme from Stewart’s rookie season in 1999, which Home Depot was a primary sponsor.

 

Joe Gibbs Racing, celebrating its 25th anniversary season in NASCAR, unveiled the paint scheme during a Facebook Live broadcast.

 

For Dave Rogers, Edwards’ crew chief, the look rekindled plenty of remembrances from his earliest years with the Gibbs organization.

 

“That’s bad to the bone,” Rogers said during the team’s broadcast reveal. “That brings back a lot of good memories. Tony Stewart‘s rookie year, starting with Greg Zipadelli as a crew chief, I was an engineer on the team. That goes back to my early days at Joe Gibbs Racing. I started in ’98; that’s 1999. That car looks beautiful. It’s gotta be fast if it looks that good.”

 

Stewart scored 33 of his 49 career victories in NASCAR’s premier series while with the Gibbs organization. Before leaving JGR in 2009 to form Stewart-Haas Racing, Stewart also notched two of his three championships, carrying the Gibbs banner for his titles in 2002 and 2005.

 

Edwards notched his first Darlington Raceway victory last season. Stewart will seek his first in his last trip to the historic 1.366-mile track.


Posted on by Matt Crossman



RELATED: Race Center for AutoLotto 200

 

There’s a cadence to a lap at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Gas, lift, brake, turn the wheel. Gas, lift, brake, turn the wheel. Gas, lift, brake, turn the wheel. The best drivers do each of those things in the same place at the same time on every lap, a mad-dash meets a metronome at more than 100 mph.

 

Because it has short straightaways, tight corners and little banking, New Hampshire demands mistake-free rhythm, and the drivers who succeed at Loudon coax all four of their limbs to work in concert from the green flag until the checkered. NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Darrell Wallace Jr. has found a unique way off the track to fine-tune his rhythm on the track: He plays the drums. “My mom says I was beating on pots and pans since I was 2 years old. So I guess I had something for it,” he says.

 

RELATED: Growing NASCAR one tweet at a time

 

He got his first drum set when he was 11 or 12, and he played the bass drum in the seventh and eighth grade band. He gave the instrument up for a while, and then last year, when he bought a house, he bought a new kit.

 

Since then, he says, he has practiced the drums daily, often for two hours at a time. “The drums help with hand-eye coordination,” he says, which next to patience is the most important attribute a driver needs. “You’re doing something different with each arm and each leg on your body. It’s something to keep a good rhythm with — which is what you need. You need a good rhythm with hitting your marks every time. I think that helps out a lot.”

 

New Hampshire, site of this weekend’s AutoLotto 200, requires more rhythm and timing than most tracks. (AutoLotto, a new mobile application that allows users to play the Powerball from their smartphones, is also the sponsor on Wallace’s No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang.) Intermediate tracks with wide surfaces and ample banking, like Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway, allow drivers to move up and down the race track searching for the fastest line. At the restrictor-plate tracks of Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, the draft means no two laps are ever exactly the same.

 

The difference between places like that and places like New Hampshire is the difference between a jam session and a recording session, the difference between going with the flow and being precise. At New Hampshire, if drivers miss the beat, even by a fraction of a second, it could mean the difference between getting booed off stage and being hailed for an encore.

 

“That place is pretty tough if you can’t get around there,” Wallace says “You’ve got to be able to learn how the car will handle under heavy braking. You’ve got to have a lot of patience through the center of the corner, letting the car rotate and turn. You’ve got to have good forward drive off the corner. You can’t spin the tires coming off the corner. So it’s all about rhythm — where your lifting points are, where your marks are.”

 

The way Wallace prepares to play a song is similar to the way he prepares to race at a track. He listens to the song, and if there is video available, he watches that. Before the New Hampshire race, he plans to watch last year’s TV coverage and whatever in-car cameras he can find, including his own, which he will examine to see where on the track he was fast and where he wasn’t. For other drivers, he will watch the steering wheel/attitude of the car and listen to the throttle for clues about when and where they hit their marks.

 

“It’s a quick process leading up to the point to play (a song), but then it’s going back and recording yourselves thousands of times going back and watching where you’re messing up,” he says. “It takes time, and it takes patience. There’s a lot of tough parts about a certain race track. There’s a lot of tough parts about learning a song.”

 

MORE: Blaney-Wallace the next death metal duo?


Posted on by Official NASCAR Release



DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. — Finalists for The NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award Presented by Nationwide were announced on Wednesday night on NASCAR America on NBC Sports Network. The award will be showcased on Sept. 27 at the Foundation’s inaugural Honors Gala at the Marriott Marquis in New York City.


The award honors volunteers – who are also NASCAR fans – who dedicate themselves to children’s causes in their communities throughout the United States. The award winner will be determined via an on-line vote now underway and running through Sept. 26 at 5 p.m. (ET) at www.NASCAR.com/Award.


This year’s award presentation will be part of the “10 Years of Giving” celebration for The NASCAR Foundation, which has donated $25 million to more than one million children since its inception in 2006. Betty Jane France, founder and chairwoman emeritus of The NASCAR Foundation, will present the award. The NASCAR Foundation will donate a total of $175,000 to the charities represented by the finalists – with the winner’s charity receiving a $100,000 donation.


This year’s finalists include Jim Giaccone of Bayville, New York, representing Tuesday’s Children; Andy Hoffman of Atkinson, Nebraska, founder of the Team Jack Foundation; Logan Houptley of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a founding member of Mikayla’s Voice; and Parker White of Greensboro, North Carolina, founder of BackPack Beginnings.


“The body of work by this year’s four finalists reflects an impressive level of commitment to improving the lives of children,” France said. “Their accomplishments likewise reflect The NASCAR Foundation’s fundamental ideals and what the Foundation strives to achieve on a daily basis. All four finalists are wonderful representatives of our award process and of the NASCAR community.”


Following is additional information about the 2016 finalists:

Jim Giaccone, Tuesday’s Children: Giaccone lost his older brother, Joseph, in the attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Giaccone determined quickly that the best way to honor his brother was by assisting others — especially children — who also were affected by the tragedy. That led to Giaccone’s involvement with Tuesday’s Children, an organization founded in 2001 and dedicated to providing long-term support to those directly impacted by the events of 9/11 and other communities impacted by terrorism and traumatic loss. Jim is involved with many aspects of Tuesday’s Children including raising funds, serving on the Mentoring Advisory Board, serving on the Family Advisory Board and his most significant contribution: serving as a mentor.

Andy Hoffman, Team Jack Foundation: In 2011, Hoffman’s world was turned upside down when his son, Jack, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Hoffman soon learned that procedures to treat pediatric brain cancer — surgery and chemotherapy — were more than 30 years old. He also learned that less than four percent of federal funding is dedicated to childhood cancer research each year. One year after the diagnosis, Hoffman made T-shirts as a fundraiser for children’s brain cancer research; through his efforts he was able to sell 20,000 shirts and raise more than $300,000. Inspired by that success, Hoffman and his wife formed Team Jack Foundation in January 2013. The foundation raises money to fund pediatric brain cancer research and works to create national awareness for the disease.

Logan Houptley, Mikayla’s Voice: Houptley met a young lady named Mikayla Resh in his third-grade classroom after moving to a new school district in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Mikayla had profound multiple disabilities that included brain damage, cerebral palsy, seizure disorder, along with facing the challenges of being blind and deaf. At only 10 years old, Houptley was incredibly understanding and accepting, treating Mikayla with love, kindness, and inclusion. Ten years after they met, Houptley has continued his friendship with Mikayla, in the process helping create Mikayla’s Voice. Founded in 2010, the organization is dedicated to inspiring children and young adults to embrace individuals of all abilities. The organization promotes cultural change by teaching communities about the importance of inclusion and acceptance.

Parker White, BackPack Beginnings: White founded BackPack Beginnings in 2010, driven by a compassion for families struggling to provide for their children on a daily basis. With two young children of her own, Parker understood a mother’s desire to see her child be happy and successful. But she also knew that not every family has the means to put enough food on the table or provide basic necessities for their children. That led White to establish BackPack Beginnings, which strives to provide children in the Greensboro and High Point, North Carolina areas with nutritious food, clothing, and other basic necessities. BackPack Beginnings works with local schools to open food and clothing pantries, donate backpacks filled with blankets and school supplies, and provide comfort and hygiene items to children in need.

To learn more about The NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award presented by Nationwide and each of the national finalists, please visit: www.NASCAR.com/Award.


Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The 24th annual ESPY Awards got a little “rowdy” as reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch was named Best Driver at last night’s ceremony. He received the most votes among fellow nominees 2015 IndyCar Series Champion Scott Dixon, 2015 Formula One World Driver’s Champion Lewis Hamilton, 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi, and 2015 NHRA Pro Stock Champion Erica Enders-Stevens.


NASCAR drivers have been victorious in the Best Driver category eight of the last 10 years, with Busch joining fellow competitors Kevin Harvick , Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson on the elite list of winners.  


The world of sports witnessed an incredible comeback last season by Busch, who suffered a compound fracture in his right leg and a broken left foot at the season-opening NASCAR XFINITY Series race in Daytona. After missing 11 races due to his injuries, Busch returned to win four out of five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events over the course of the summer, effectively clinching his spot in the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.


His superior performance continued throughout the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, including three top-five finishes in the Eliminator Round that ultimately led him to the championship. Busch went on to capture the checkered flag in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, taking home his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title and solidifying his position as one of the greatest comeback stories in sports.


Busch is a formidable contender in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series again this season with the most top five finishes of any driver and three wins thus far.


Tune in to NBCSN on Sunday, July 17 at 1:30 p.m. ET for the New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, or listen live on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on by Nascar



SPEEDWAY, Ind. – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams wrapped up a second day of testing here at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday in preparation for next week’s Crown Royal Presents The Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard.

The 23rd running of the annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is scheduled for Sunday, July 24 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Wednesday’s session, originally scheduled to last until 5 p.m., was shortened by one hour due to the threat of inclement weather. Teams worked through the lunch hour to adjust and get through their individual checklists.

That the organizational test took place just one week before this year’s race was a bonus for the dozen teams participating.

“I wish more tests were like this where you come the week before,” said Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing. “A lot of times you test at a track three months before the race and the climate’s different, the track is not the same as when you test, and you forget a lot of stuff you learn technique-wise as a driver before you come back. To be this close to the race, I wish more were like that.”

“For sure the temps have to be similar,” six-time series champion Jimmie Johnson said. “It’s nice being this close, absolutely.”

Johnson’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was fastest, unofficially, during Tuesday morning’s session, and had the top overall speed at the close of Wednesday as well. Larson, fastest in Tuesday’s afternoon run, was second after Wednesday’s combined effort.

“We opened up both days really strong but in the heat of the day, this track changes so dang much,” Johnson said. “I feel that we learned more about the heat of the day on the second day. We’re still not where we want to be. But at the start of the day, we’re so stinking fast it’s a bit of a letdown once the track heats up. It slips away a little bit.

“I didn’t realize the race doesn’t start until 3 p.m. so maybe that will work in our wheelhouse, kind of bring some of the grip back. But this place is so tough to get right, especially in the heat of the day.”

Temperatures reached 87 degrees on Tuesday at the 2.5-mile track and 89 Wednesday.

“We’ve got to get home and digest everything,” Johnson said. “We made a lot of runs. We went through a ton of tires, ran a lot of laps.”

Larson said his team “made pretty big improvements” during the two days.

“Today we were good at times and then we’d get loose,” he said. “We kind of knew what adjustments to make to get the car back to being good. This place loses a lot of grip when it gets hot out, based off sun popping out or clouds covering up the sun. You’ll have more grip for a few laps, the sun comes you and you lose grip again.

“But I thought we were comparable to the 48, the 20 (Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing) and your normal fast guys.”

Series points leader Kevin Harvick had the third fastest unofficial lap in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet Wednesday, followed by Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota).

“We learned a little bit,” Rodney Childers, Harvick’s crew chief, said. “We’re going to bring a different car back next week.

“Normally when we test here it’s cool and the track is a lot faster than it is when we come back. This is about as hot as it’s ever been when I’ve been here. So the track is really slick and slowing down when the tires get hot. I definitely think we learned a lot though.”


Posted on by Nascar

WELCOME, N.C. — While NASCAR driver Michael McDowell was at the Richard Childress Racing shop recently, making preparations for an upcoming XFINITY Series start with the organization, McDowell’s wife was thousands of miles away.

In China.

When Jami McDowell returns next week, she will arrive with the newest member of the McDowell household, 3-year-old son Lucas.

“I wish I could be there,” Michael McDowell said. “I have obligations here and need to make sure I can provide for my family, too.”

The McDowells already have three children — Trace (pictured above in 2009), Emma and Rylie — but were first-time parents when they initially decided to go the adoption route.

“That was our plan,” McDowell said. “We were going to have one and then we were going to adopt one. We felt like with our lifestyle and travel and everything, two is manageable. But God had other plans, and while we were waiting we had two more, so now we’ll be at four. And four is not manageable on the road and all those things. But at the same time, I’m very thankful to be in this sport and have the opportunities that I have.

“My wife does a great job of caring for our children when I’m out racing around, and I work really hard to be there and be available during the week when I’m not at the shop and not taking care of my (racing) obligations.

“It’s not going to be easy; it’s going to be a challenge. We knew that and were aware of that, but at the same time, it’s going to be worth it.”

McDowell currently splits driving duties in the No. 95 Chevrolet fielded by Circle Sport Leavine Family Racing (CSLFR). The single-team organization has an alliance with RCR, and Ty Dillon is the driver when McDowell isn’t in the car.

Dillon, who also competes full time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series for RCR, has five Sprint Cup starts this season with a top finish of 15th in the No. 95 entry. McDowell has 13 starts, including a season-best 10th earlier this month at Daytona International Speedway. The CSLFR organization fielded two entries for the season-opening Daytona 500 in February.

The family’s faith started the McDowells down the road to adoption. And while it has taken longer than expected — six years — that faith never wavered. Even as their family continued to grow.

“It was just something that we felt like that God really led us to this opportunity,” the 31-year-old McDowell said. “There are over 200 million orphans in the world. You can’t save them all, you can’t fix everything. But we have a great home that we can save one.

“Our son Lucas, he’s 3 now, but he was left in the street at five days old because he has cleft hand and feet. Something here that would be very small, something that … you can operate and help them be able to walk and grab and do all the things that your other kids can do. But over there, it’s ‘Well, he’s not perfect. There’s something wrong with him.’

“We’re really thankful that we have the opportunity to do it and be a part of his life and him be a part of our lives. It’s going to be great for our kids. A crazy, cool opportunity.”

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Joe Gibbs Racing changed its pit crew coach Wednesday, transitioning longtime coach Mike Lepp to the role of senior athletic adviser and placing Matt Osborn in charge of pit crew operations. 

Lepp joined JGR at the beginning of 2007, and over the past few years, the JGR pit crews have been the ones to beat. Lepp has amassed more than 113 wins in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series, combined, as well as other awards. He was part of a Sprint Cup championship with the No. 18 team of Kyle Busch last year and was involved in winning multiple XFINITY Series titles.

Lepp has played a major role in bringing the JGR teams to the forefront of the pitting world and has two pit crew championships to his credit, with back-to-back wins in 2010 and 2011 with the No. 11 crew of Denny Hamlin . Over the last nine years, the Nos. 11 and 18 crews have been dominant.  

One of Lepp’s most recent accomplishments was assembling the No. 19 crew of Carl Edwards . That pit crew has been a top-three unit since it started with JGR.

With his new job, Lepp will assume an increased role in marketing and public relations duties, including public speaking events and actively searching for sponsorship opportunities.

“This is the right time for me to make a change and I’m excited about my new role in the organization,” Lepp said in a team release. “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished on pit road and I know Matt will continue to do a great job going forward.”

For more pit crew news, visit PitTalks.com.