Posted on by Nascar

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. may not be competing in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series as the 2016 season begins to wind down, but the series’ most popular driver still has plenty to keep him busy.

“Going to the races, doing all my (sponsor) appearances, doing everything I was doing before, just not driving,” Earnhardt said Wednesday during a stop at the corporate headquarters of Wrangler.


“Take the driving part out of it and everything else I’m still doing.”


Earnhardt was joined by team owner Richard Childress to help kick off the second annual “Jeansboro Day” celebration and reminisce about the long relationship Wranger has enjoyed with Childress and Earnhardt.

Earnhardt has been sidelined since midseason after suffering concussion-like symptoms following a pair of crashes. In his absence, drivers Jeff Gordon and Alex Bowman have handled the driving duties in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet.


MORE: See: Bowman in the No. 88 car


After missing two races in 2012, this marks the second time in his premier series career that Earnhardt has missed races due to a concussion or concussion-like symptoms. 

Although he won’t be back behind the wheel this season, Earnhardt told the crowd that he plans to be back in the car when the 2017 season gets underway at Daytona International Speedway.

“It’s coming along pretty good,” Earnhardt said when asked about his recovery. “We got dinged up, had a lot of wrecks this year, got dinged up pretty good. …

“(I’m) starting to feel real good, starting to be able to get out and do things, enjoy myself.

“I miss being in the car but we have every expectation of being in the car come February for the Daytona 500.”

The Sprint Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend for Sunday’s Hellmann’s 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It is the final race of the Round of 12 in this year’s Chase, with only the top eight advancing to the next round.

Earnhardt, who has six career victories on the 2.66-mile track, said he plans to be at Talladega “all three days.”

But just watching. Not driving, yet.


Posted on by Nascar

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of interviews with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series spotters.

 

Eddie D’Hondt, Spotter for Chase Elliott, No. 24, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

 

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED SPOTTING?

“I was the GM at Evernham Motorsports when Bill Elliott was driving. I actually started spotting for Bill — I guess about 16 years ago. I had been managing teams up until that point. I just sort of fell into it. I used to drive Modifieds. It just worked. I’ve been doing it ever since.”

WHAT OTHER DUTIES DO YOU HAVE WITH THE TEAM?

“We have a team meeting on Tuesdays, the driver, the crew chief and all the engineers. I have two reports I’m responsible for putting together for that meeting. That takes up most of my Monday, it’s a lot of video work and some other technical work, but that’s the other part of my job.”

DO YOU SPOT IN OTHER SERIES?

“I spot in every series every weekend. I do 105 races a year; Rolex, Modifieds, Truck, XFINITY, Cup. In depends on the series as far as who I’m spotting for each weekend. I did all of Chase’s XFINITY races, Cole Custer‘s XFINITY races; I do Ryan Preece when I’m not doing the 88 XFINITY car. I do Cole’s Truck races. The Ferrari team in Rolex.”

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WITH CHASE?

“Just this year. For four or five years I was with Jeff (Gordon); three years with Kyle (Busch) before that.”

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST RACE AS A SPOTTER?

“It was with Bill. I guess the (2001) Daytona 500, the race that Dale (Earnhardt) passed away.”

WHAT’S THE MOST BIZARRE THING YOU’VE SEEN WHILE SPOTTING?

“Oh my gosh. I’ve lived up here all weekend for 16 years so I’ve seen a lot of stuff. There have been so many things. It’s a great vantage point. Every single weekend we get to see a lot of what no one else gets to see.”

WHAT’S BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE AS A SPOTTER?

“Homestead with Jeff last year and (the win at) Martinsville. I’d have to say those two. Jeff was just special. He is a special guy. He got in the trenches with you, he became your friend. You wanted to fight with him. I was working with Kyle Busch when Alan Gustafson (Gordon’s crew chief at the time) came and got me, sat down and struck a deal and five years later, here I am.”

WHAT’S THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF YOUR JOB?

“Probably the travel. I’ve been on this circuit since 1996, prior to that I raced on my own. Being away from your family is difficult. Both my boys are working in the garage, so if I want to see them I have to go find them in the garage somewhere. The rest of my family is always home, so that’s the hard part.”

WHAT CURRENT DRIVER WOULD MAKE A GOOD SPOTTER?

“That’s a good question. Maybe Carl Edwards. He likes to talk.”

WHICH TRACK IS YOUR FAVORITE?

“Bristol and Martinsville. Probably those two. I grew up on the short tracks. The thrill of the short track, anything can happen at any moment. The flow you get into in those races, I enjoy that.”

WHAT IS ONE THING ABOUT WHAT YOUR JOB ENTAILS THAT THE AVERAGE FAN MIGHT NOT KNOW?

“Today, it’s become way more intricate than what people realize. We’re providing information that we never did before. You have all engineers now on top of all these pit boxes, not guys that grew up short-track racing. These guys are all engineers now. So they talk to the drivers less and it’s fallen into our laps now to provide more and more information on things like rubber buildup, lanes that are working, braking, backing up corners. We’re talking more about driving than safety. Most of the guys up here, just go down the line, used to drive. They have some kind of wisdom about what it feels line so you’re able to talk about it. And the guys that didn’t drive have educated themselves. Those guys on the pit boxes, they’re looking at data.”

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials handed down a P2 penalty to the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team for not having lug nuts properly installed during Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

The infraction also brought a fine of $10,000 to Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 88 Chevrolet. 

The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team received a written warning and a loss of 15 minutes practice time for failing pre-race LIS three times.

The cars of Carl Edwards, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. failed pre-race LIS twice and received written warnings.

The cars of Austin Dillon and Regan Smith failed pre-race template inspection twice and received written warnings.

Cole Whitt‘s No. 55 Chevrolet failed pre-qualifying LIS twice and received a written warning.

The cars of Jamie McMurray and Martin Truex Jr. failed pre-qualifying template inspection twice and received written warnings.

Other warnings issued after last weekend’s events at Kansas Speedway:

The XFINITY Series cars of Cole Custer and Brandon Brown failed pre-race LIS twice and received written warnings. 

Also, the cars of Brennan Poole and Derrike Cope failed pre-race template inspection three times and received written warnings.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: PEAK becomes title sponsor of Mexico Series

NASCAR announced a multi-year agreement with Old World Industries (OWI) to make PEAK title sponsor of the NASCAR Mexico Series, which will run a full slate of races in 2017 and ensuing seasons.
 
The NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series will kick off with an exhibition race on Dec. 3-4 in Mexico City. Its 10th season will begin in 2017 with a full championship schedule that will be announced at a later date.
 
“The NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series is a place where young drivers are honing their skills and competing for a championship against the toughest competition in Latin America,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “The series drives interest in stock car racing in Mexico, while cultivating talented drivers and pit crew members who aspire to compete at the NASCAR national series level.”
 
NASCAR XFINITY Series star Daniel Suárez — the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series race, earn a national series Sunoco Rookie of the Year award and lead a national series in points — developed his talents in the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series. Suárez is currently competing for the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship in its inaugural Chase playoff. Another young talent the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series has fostered is Ruben Garcia Jr., an alumnus of the NASCAR Next initiative that highlights the sport’s top up-and-coming drivers. Both Suárez and Garcia are also alums of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program.
 
“Without (the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series), I wouldn’t be here right now,” Suárez said. “Really, road course racing in Mexico has been popular for many years, but in the last 10 years, with the NASCAR Mexico Series, a lot of drivers have had the opportunity to choose a different path, to choose stock car racing. I was one of those drivers and it felt like the right decision. Because of that, I was able to learn everything, how to race on ovals, how to race in a stock car. After that, I got my first opportunity in the U.S.”
 
As part of OWI’s deal, PEAK becomes an official NASCAR partner. The NASCAR bar mark will be featured on select PEAK products, including PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant (Official Antifreeze/Coolant of NASCAR) and PEAK Windshield Washer Fluid and Wipers (Official Washer Fluid and Wiper Blade of NASCAR), BlueDEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid and Equipment (Official Diesel Exhaust Fluid of NASCAR and Official Diesel Exhaust Fluid Equipment of NASCAR) and Herculiner Truck & Bed Liners (Official Roll-On and Spray-On Bed Liner of NASCAR).
 
PEAK has been involved in NASCAR since the 1990s. This season, it served as a season-long associate sponsor of Clint Bowyer‘s No. 15 Chevrolet. PEAK is the title sponsor of NASCAR’s eSports partner iRacing.com, which aided in developing current NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series points leader William Byron.
 
“Old World Industries products have been a recognized part of the racing industry for decades, and we’re proud to help bring NASCAR to the passionate fans in Mexico and the U.S. for years to come,” said Bryan Emrich, chief marketing officer at Old World Industries. “Whether in the garage or on the track, we’ll continue to deliver quality products that auto enthusiasts can count on.”

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. and CHARLOTTE, N.C. — FS1 and NASCAR Productions will present the second season of the acclaimed documentary series Beyond the Wheel as part of FS1’s NASCAR RACE HUB. Created to depict the sport’s most pivotal moments and compelling narratives, the short films focus on influential characters — both past and present — and the unique stories that have shaped NASCAR as a sport since its inception. The first film premieres on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. ET during NASCAR RACE HUB on FS1.

The second season of the documentary short film series is comprised of the following:

· Bonneville 71 details how NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Bobby Isaac set 28 land speed records with a banned Dodge Charger Daytona on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1971, accompanied only by his crew members, a USAC official and a Chrysler engineer. Using the authentic No. 71 K&K Charger and featuring interviews with original crew members Buddy Parrott and Ken Troutt, the documentary pays homage to Isaac’s historical runs by revisiting the Salt Flats to shoot all-new footage down a 10-mile straightaway. A remarkable story of innovation, the short film depicts Isaac’s desire and dedication to always test the limits of speed, no matter the barriers.

· Sueños de NASCAR follows NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Daniel Suárez from his roots in Monterrey, Mexico, to his rise in one of the sport’s top series through the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program. As Suárez returns home to visit family and friends, the film explores his place in Mexican racing culture, how the country has embraced stock car racing, and the impact of Mexican drivers on the future of the sport. Illustrating the young driver as a source of inspiration, the documentary also examines Suárez’s success as the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series race and his current pursuit of the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship.

· Miracle at Daytona — The Tiny Lund Story recounts how DeWayne “Tiny” Lund risked his life to rescue fellow driver, Marvin Panch, from his burning Maserati at Daytona International Speedway before going on to win the 1963 Daytona 500 just days later. The true story of a journeyman driver who was one of the most likeable characters of his era, Lund was also awarded the Carnegie Hero’s Medal for his selfless bravery in what became one of the greatest Daytona 500 stories of all time.

The second film in the series featuring Daniel Suárez will premiere on Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. ET, while the original special on Tiny Lund will air in early 2017. Each documentary will also be available on FOX Sports GO and FOXSports.com following its premiere.

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RELATED: See the Chase grid | Chase Bubble Watch


The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup postseason is making the turn for home — five races down and five to go. This weekend’s stop on the 10-race ride is among the most pivotal of them all, Sunday’s Alabama 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM) at Talladega Superspeedway.

With the playoff field about to be cut from 12 drivers to a final eight, our Holly Cain and Zack Albert tackle pressing topics ahead of a true Chase wildcard:


***

Halfway through the Chase, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. have each won twice, leaving Jimmie Johnson as the only other race winner in the postseason’s first five races. Will the champion be one of these three or is there still room for a Chase dark horse?

Cain: It is highly likely that the champion will come from among these three drivers, who have not only won lately but set the bar this year. With half the Chase remaining, someone else may — and needs to — step up, figuring it would be Brad Keselowski or Joey Logano or one of the four remaining Toyota drivers who have led the way. No dark horse here.

Albert: There’s time left, but that clock — not to be confused with the Camping World Truck Series’ caution clock — is ticking more urgently. Harvick, Truex and Johnson may be the main Chase triumvirate so far, but I’m holding the door open for a Keselowski-led Penske effort or another Joe Gibbs Racing entry to stage a Round of 12 rally, starting at Talladega.

Next year, a schedule shake-up for the Chase’s Round of 12 will have Kansas trading places with Talladega to be the three-race series’ elimination event. Do you favor the move or was the Charlotte-Kansas-Talladega progression a suitable schedule?

Cain: Depending on whom you talk to, Talladega settling the third-round Chase grid was either a huge opportunity or a crazy wild card. Everyone goes into the unpredictable Talladega race feeling like either he/she has a big opportunity or scant chance to emerge. That makes for a heightened excitement level, but the question is whether this type of race should solidify the next round of elimination. Cases can be made either way, but I think the switch-up is a good idea.

Albert: Talladega races are heart-clenching enough as it is — whether it’s in the regular season in May, in the playoffs in October or a 20-lap offseason trophy dash for funsies (just a suggestion). Making the schedule shift may slightly reduce spectator palpitations, but the track loses little in stature as the middle event in a three-race series. A more conventional venue such as Kansas makes more sense as the host of an elimination race.

The Chase’s current bottom four: Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott. Of those four, who is best positioned to take out the math and guesswork and emerge with a season-saving Talladega win?

Cain: I truly see any and all four of these with the possibility of point-climbing their way up to Chase advancement. Among them, it’s hardest to argue with Keselowski’s Talladega resume. He already has two restrictor-plate wins at Daytona in July and at Talladega in the spring. He has lots of good Alabama juju — scoring his first-ever Cup win at Talladega in 2009 and amassing four total wins there. He’s finished in the top five in three of his last trips to the track.

Albert: With such a stacked quartet in the Chase basement, this is a tough one. All four drivers have the backing of teams with standout superspeedway programs, and Keselowski has evolved into one of the sport’s best at the large, fast ovals where horsepower is restricted. While still imagining some No. 3 magic for Dillon or a No. 24 breakthrough for Elliott, Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin gets the slight nod from these parts in a plate-track pick ’em.

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RELATED: Keselowski’s Chase chances take hit after Hamlin contact

Despite the specializing of today’s pit crew members to be bigger, stronger and faster, they still need the ability and skill to help during a wreck situation.

The points are tight this year and every position counts. Teams that can get their driver back on the track after a wreck have a chance to gain a few more points during a race weekend, and that could be the difference between advancing or going home.

And it’s not always a major crash that crews have to be ready for. This past weekend in Kansas, both Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin had issues that could be fixed on the track, and their pit crews were called on to help. Simple stuff like a flat tire or nose damage can cause all kind of trouble, and it’s up to the pit crew to fix it and keep the laps lost to a minimum.  

So you might be asking, isn’t that the job of the mechanics? Yes, yes it is. In most cases the best people to be working on a car are the mechanics. No pit crew member will argue that. The mechanics in NASCAR are some of the best in the world, and working under pressure is what they do best.

So if the issue is bad enough to bring the car behind the wall, then mechanics usually handle the job. When it comes to doing repairs on pit road and trying not to lose a lap, having a pit crew that can pit and then fix saves time. And pit crews practice these situations just like they would a four-tire change.

Heading to Talladega there are many teams on the bubble. You never know when advancing or not comes down to just a few points, and those are the points that can be saved by savvy pit crew members and great mechanics.

For more pit crew news, visit PitTalks.com.

Posted on by Holly Cain

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Kyle Larson is hopeful his fast performance in Tuesday’s rain-interrupted NASCAR Sprint Cup Series test at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be a harbinger of good things to come when the series returns to the track for the Nov. 20 season finale.


The 24-year-old, who was eliminated after the opening round of this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs, would have preferred that his test session work contribute to deciding the Sprint Cup championship later at Homestead. But he will gladly go for the track trophy instead this year.


“Homestead is probably my favorite track for racing the trucks and XFINITY series and for Cup, it’s my second favorite to Bristol,” said Larson, who has a win here in the XFINITY Series.


“I always enjoy coming here and running really close to the wall. It’s a real race track where I feel like driver can make up a lot. You always have to have a good car but I feel like the driver can have an impact here.”


Larson’s No. 42 Target Chevrolet paced the field in the morning session at the 1.5-mile track, just ahead of fellow Chevy driver Chase Elliott, who sits 25 points back from the cutoff as the series heads to the Talladega eliminator this weekend. Ryan Blaney was third fastest in the opening session.


Elliott led Larson in the afternoon session, which was extended two hours because of the rainy weather, lasting till 7 p.m. Larson, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Austin Dillon rounded out the top five on the speed charts in the afternoon session.


Many of the teams here were specifically non-specific in their goals for the two-day test, guarding their objectives and the pursuit of them.


Ford driver Brad Keselowski was less circumspect and certainly less technical in explaining his team’s intent this week.


“It’s always a little complicated to explain,” he said smiling. “We’re always working on them, always making them better and we’ve come up with a couple things and we try to validate them on track.


“We put them through all these engineering tests with all these fancy computer simulations telling us if it’s going to work or not work. And we get pretty confident it’s going to work, but like to backstop check it. We’re going through a lot of things we’ve been doing with the proper implementation of all these gizmos to check things you’re allowed to use in testing. Just validating the parts and pieces.”


Veteran Carl Edwards said he just likes to get laps here in advance of the series crowning its champion and that his Joe Gibbs Racing Team welcomed the opportunity to try new things.


“We’re just working on a bunch of different things,” Edwards said. “This sport is evolving so quickly and all of the teams are pushing. I talked to (crew chief) Dave (Rogers) this morning and all the Chase contenders are up there and fast. We’re working on a bunch of different things.”


Some teams, most notably, Martin Truex Jr.’s Furniture Row Racing team opted not to use the Homestead test — something Edwards said he understood as well.


RELATED: Truex, No. 78 team to pass on Homestead test


“One of the things that can happen is you can come test and be too confident in what you find out,” Edwards said. “We’re just kind of going through some things and really having fun.. …Even if we don’t gain anything huge for the car, we’re having a good time.”


The series is set to conduct another full-day test at Homestead on Wednesday.


Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: See the Chase grid | Chase Bubble Watch


HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Brad Keselowski downplayed any sense of panic or urgency in his Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup hopes during a Tuesday test session at Homestead-Miami Speedway.


Judging by the easygoing body language and quiet assurance he brought to a lunchtime question-and-answer period, Keselowski seemed calm and ready for the big race at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend.


The Hellmann’s 500 (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will decide which eight of the current 12 Chase-eligible drivers will advance to the next round of the championship. And Keselowski is ranked 11th heading into the race. He trails his Penske Racing teammate Joey Logano by seven points. Logano sits in the eighth place cut-off position now, tied in points with Austin Dillon.


Keselowski had a string of seven top-10 finishes end Sunday at Kansas. His No. 2 Miller Lite Ford was hit by Denny Hamlin and Keselowski ended up finishing a season-low 38th-place.


MORE: Frame-by-frame of the Keselowski, Hamlin wreck


“I haven’t honestly thought very much about it,” Keselowski told reporters Tuesday. “I took Monday off and cleared my head. We came here this morning and all I thought about was how I could be the fastest here in Homestead.


“I want to do the best I can at Talladega, but I like to live day-to-day.”


Later, however, the 2012 Sprint Cup Series champion and restrictor-plate guru smiled and conceded about his chances at Talladega, “There are worse places.”


MORE: Keselowski: ‘We will win Talladega’


“I feel kinda quiet and confident and when you have those moments, if you have to talk about it, it’s like you have to sell yourself,” Keselowski said. “I don’t feel like I have to sell myself.”


That’s in part because Keselowski has a reassuring track record on the Talladega high banks.


Many would place the 32-year-old among the tops on the list of restrictor-plate talents. He certainly tops the series this year — with victories this spring at Talladega and this summer at Daytona Beach.


He has four career victories at Talladega — including his first career Sprint Cup win in 2009. And he won this October race to stave off Chase elimination back in 2014.


“Tactics change, cars change and I’m a few years older so I’ve probably changed, too,” Keselowski said. “I think any success at the Cup level no matter what track, the keys are doing everything right. You have to have a great team, you have to make the right moves, and the strategies have to change and you have to have a little bit of good fortune. I don’t think there is one key.


“That track, I’ve been very fortunate to win at a handful of times and each time there was probably one moment that was more important than another moment and they aren’t shared between the races.”