ANALYSIS: Potential XFINITY drivers for SHR

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Stewart-Haas Racing’s rapid rate of expansion received another significant add-on Monday with the announcement that it will field a single-car entry in the NASCAR XFINITY Series next season.

To hear Tony Gibson — the team’s most veteran crew chief — tell it, the move serves only to strengthen an already flourishing organization.

“I think there’s a lot of plusses to it,” Gibson, Kurt Busch’s crew chief, said during a break in Day 1 of a two-day organizational test at Watkins Glen International. “Obviously, it’s a lot more work and it’s just something else you’ve got to keep track of as a company, but I think in all, when you weigh out the pros and cons, there’s a lot more pros.”

The main positive to potentially emerge is the creation of a farm system for developmental drivers and crew personnel. On Monday, SHR said that the driver and sponsor lineup for the XFINITY Series campaign would be announced at a later date.

But for Gibson, the benefits extend beyond having a feeder system to cultivate the next star with his or her name on the windshield. It’s about developing all the parts and pieces that boost performance as well.

“You look at all these guys that are real successful on the (Sprint) Cup side like Penske and Gibbs, they learn a lot from their XFINITY programs,” Gibson said. “I know their drivers talk really highly about it, especially not so much on the car side of it. When we go to these race tracks where something’s changed or we’ve got a new tire, it helps those guys learn more about the tire and what it does throughout a run. That part’s a huge gain, but also it lets you experiment and bring up younger crew chiefs and crewmembers and the pit-stop side of it is huge.

“I’ve said the whole time that my guys on the 41 (team), they do way better on Sunday when they do the XFINITY car or trucks on Saturday. It seems to warm them up and they’re in that right frame of mind come Sunday.”

RELATED: Big moments in Stewart-Haas history

Stewart-Haas co-owner Gene Haas indicated in Monday’s news release that expanding into the XFINITY ranks had long been in the works. It’s the latest stage in the evolution of the group that he formed with owner-driver Tony Stewart ahead of the 2009 season. In the years following its debut as a modest two-car Sprint Cup outfit, SHR grew to a three-car operation for 2013 and reached the NASCAR-mandated four-car maximum the following year.

But the winds of change have turned gustier of late. Early this year, as Haas was preparing to expand his racing reach a first season in Formula One, SHR announced that it would switch its manufacturer affiliation from Chevrolet to Ford in 2017. Add the birth of an XFINITY Series entry to the mix and it makes for a busy stretch ahead at the team’s Kannapolis, North Carolina, headquarters.

Gibson said it’s a tricky balance to strike, forging ahead with progress while doing the best to buoy this season’s efforts with three of the organization’s four drivers virtually locked into Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff berths.

“It’s difficult whenever you do that because you want to be the best at both,” Gibson said. “But right now as far as me and the rest of our guys, the four teams we have right now, we’re just focusing strictly on this year. We have a lot of resources there that are working on projects going forward. You have to do that. You have to structure it or you’ll burn everybody out and then you lose them. Keeping the guys focused on what we’ve got to get done this year is more important.”

RELATED: Shop for NASCAR gear

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — This race weekend at Pocono Raceway marks the first anniversary of the Fanatics Trackside Superstore — the reimagined and improved at-track shopping experience. The Trackside Superstore offers fans a one-stop-shop every race weekend with the largest selection of in-store NASCAR merchandise in the world — bar none.

Halfway through 2016, photo finishes, side-by-side racing and record passing as the Chase spots are clinched has not only driven interest in the telecast and engagement on digital and social, but also in driver merchandise sales. NASCAR fans take pride in flying the colors of their favorite drivers and the first-half merchandise sales results are officially tallied. The top three drivers are no surprise with Dale Earnhardt Jr. leading the rankings, followed by six-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and defending champion Kyle Busch.

With rising stars like Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney, there are currently five drivers in the top-20 list that are 26 years of age or younger.

With six top-five finishes and two poles this season, Elliott continues to be one of the top three drivers in sales increases each race weekend and ranks fourth overall in full-time driver sales. Elliott’s sales have nearly quadrupled in his rookie year, making him the youngest driver in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history to rank among the top-five in trackside merchandise sales. Also up from last season is Blaney, who is now a top-20 selling full-time driver and has more demand than ever racing in the iconic No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford Fusion.

“I see more fans wearing No. 21 gear than ever before and it’s cool to see them cheering on our team,” said Blaney, driver of the No. 21 Ford Fusion. “There is nothing like seeing someone wearing your shirt or your hat and knowing they bought that because they are a fan.  And the Trackside Superstore makes it an easy, one-stop shop for everyone to find your gear. It’s been a great addition to our sport.”

With its flexible footprint, Fanatics has capitalized on defining moments from Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Tony Stewart — all with positive sales trends in 2016. Kyle Busch also experienced substantial gains of nearly 80 percent in sales since his comeback last summer and subsequent championship run.

The most popular products available at the Trackside Superstore include apparel, headwear and novelty items. Lionel’s 1:64 scale die-casts are up 77 percent year-over-year, one of the largest growth trends across all categories at the Trackside Superstore.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will hit the track this weekend at Pocono Raceway for the Pennsylvania 400 on Sunday, July 31 at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and MRN.

Top 20 driver merchandise sales rankings

Concord, N.C. (July 26, 2016) – John Wes Townley received medical clearance earlier today to resume racing in NASCAR and ARCA. He will compete in this weekend’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ARCA events at Pocono Raceway.

Townley had been sidelined for the past four weeks while being treated for mild concussion-like symptoms.

“I’d like to thank Parker Kligerman, Cole Custer and Brady Boswell for filling in for me,” Townley said. “I feel great and I’m looking forward to racing at Pocono this week.”