Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Comparing NFL QBs to NASCAR drivers | Drivers attend Super Bowl

 

NASCAR drivers were quick to chime in on the result of Super Bowl 50 — Denver Broncos 24, Carolina Panthers 10 — Sunday night, with the results split between being disappointed for the hometown Panthers, who are based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and respect for Broncos QB Peyton Manning.

 

Here’s some of the reaction from NASCAR Nation. And to those die-hard Panthers fans (looking at you, Austin Dillon and Ty Dillon), here’s some news that will cheer you up — cars are on track in five days.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: See the new looks for 2016

The red vests will return to the No. 48 Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 24, 3:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN), Team’s Lowe Racing revealed on Twitter Sunday afternoon.

Johnson ran the look at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October of 2015, but engine issues sent him to a 39th-place finish. In 2014, Johnson won the November race at Texas Motor Speedway with the red look on his car.

See how the look came to life for the Texas race here.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: NASCAR teams show Panthers pride — and some Broncos love, too

(Photo courtesy of Ty Dillon‘s Instagram account)

With the Charlotte-based Carolina Panthers playing in Super Bowl 50 against the Denver Broncos, several from the NASCAR community were winging their way to the West Coast to support the team as it looks for its first championship.

Among those to make the trip to Bay Area were brothers Austin and Ty Dillon, who are major fans of the Panthers. 

 

RELATED: Who are drivers picking? | Top Daytona, Super Bowl moments

Also making their way to California, 21-time Sprint Cup winner and NASCAR on NBC commentator Jeff Burton, along with his son Harrison Burton and nephew Jeb Burton.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: NBC Sports Live Extra


All times ET

Monday, Feb. 8
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
2 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS2

Tuesday, Feb. 9
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
2 a.m. NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS2

Wednesday, Feb. 10
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
8 p.m., NASCAR Race Classic: 1993 Daytona 500, FS2
8:30 p.m., 1979 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS2
3 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS2

Thursday, Feb. 11
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., A Perfect Storm: The 1979 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Daytona Rising (re-air), FS1

Friday, Feb. 12
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
9 a.m., 1979 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
9:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Daytona Rising (re-air), FS1
10:30 a.m., A Perfect Storm: The 1979 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, FS1
7:30 p.m., Untold Stories: Daytona, FS1
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Classic: The 1993 Daytona 500 , FS1
9 p.m., Beyond the Wheel, FS1

Saturday, Feb. 13
4 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice (re-air), FS1
5 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice (re-air), FS1
8:30 a.m., Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge (taped), FS1
10:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FS1
12:30 p.m., Untold Stories: Daytona (re-air), FS1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FS1
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
8 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited, FOX

Sunday, Feb. 14
3:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited (re-air), FS1
5:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Classic: The 1993 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
8 a.m., Untold Stories: Daytona (re-air), FS2
9 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited (re-air), FS2
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FOX
8 p.m., Untold Stories: Daytona (re-air), FS2
9 p.m., NASCAR Race Classic: The 1993 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS2
10 p.m., A Perfect Storm: The 1979 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1


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Danica Patrick and the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet SS team will have a new look on its pit crew for the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

Nate House will take over for Tony Cardamone at jackman with Cardamone moving from jackman to gasman. House filled in for Cardamone for several races in 2015 while Cardamone recovered from a back injury.

Continuing on the team from last year are front changer Eric Maycroft, front carrier Jeff Shoaf, rear carrier Matt Holzbaur and rear changer Ryan Mulder, who was on the team for nearly half of last season.

The expectations are high for the No. 10 team, and this group can definitely help Patrick get to where she wants to be.

For more pit crew news, go to PitTalks.com.

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Stewart hospitalized after back injury

While much of what happened with NASCAR superstar Tony Stewart‘s all-terrain vehicle accident over the weekend remains unclear, at least one of the people he was driving with has shared details of the day.

NHRA legend Don Prudhomme was one of a handful of people — also including NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, Jeff Gordon and Ray Evernham, who were riding ATVs with Stewart on Sunday in western Arizona when the three-time Sprint Cup Series champion was seriously injured.

 

The Stewart-Haas Racing team revealed Thursday that the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Stewart has an L1 vertebrae fracture in his back, underwent surgery after being transported from the West Coast to Charlotte, North Carolina, and will be out of competition for much of the early season. No precise timetable was given for his return date, although team officials said he would compete in 2016 — already announced to be Stewart’s last full-time season in the Cup Series.

 

RELATED: Dr. Jerry Punch explains a ‘burst fracture’

 

Prudhomme told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that he was among the group that first noticed Stewart was missing and was present when another rider came up and informed them someone was hurt and needed immediate aid.

“We had made our stop and someone came riding up and said, ‘Hey, one of your buddies was hurt on the other side of the hill here,’ Prudhomme told host Dave Moody. “So we came to it … the car is sitting upright and Tony is laying next to it. So we went up to him and said ‘Hey man, you cool?’ He said ‘My back.’ We didn’t let him move or anything, but we found out he could move his legs and so on. We could see exactly what happened. He came off one of the dunes and landed really hard and hurt his back big time.”


Prudhomme said his group immediately went to Stewart and that Evernham, in particular, really took charge of lending aid. Prudhomme said, Gordon, Evernham and car collector Ron Pratte carefully transported Stewart back to Pratte’s property nearby and a helicopter came in to airlift Stewart to a hospital in Palm Springs, California.


“When (Stewart) was laid out next to us … Tony, you know he hadn’t shaved and he had shorts on and you’re like ‘Damn, man. You don’t look so good here,’ ” Prudhomme said. “And you just can’t walk out of the dunes. You have to ride out. It’d be like in Desert Storm or something, it’d be really tough. We got him in Ron Pratte’s buggy so we could kind of drive out of the dunes.


“Pretty much once we got to a spot where the helicopter came in, I was carrying Tony, he had his arm around me and Ray Evernham on the other side. You know, he’s a big guy. He was hurting big time, but he wasn’t complaining. The guy who really, really helped a ton was Ray. Because there was a helicopter pilot, someone had to go with Tony … and Ray jumped in and he was the guy that really kind of took over and made all the right decisions.”


Prudhomme also said that Stewart was awake throughout the rescue ordeal on Sunday and again when he visited him at the hospital later.


“I just want to make one thing clear: (Stewart) had his helmet on, he had his seat belt stuff on right, he wasn’t driving crazy,” Prudhomme said. “He just took an unfortunate hit in the back going over this jump. That’s pretty much what it amounted to. It wasn’t like a wild story about Tony Stewart getting crazy and (expletive) like that. He just took the wrong hit.”


Fellow Sprint Cup driver Greg Biffle was also among the group riding that day but wasn’t with Stewart at the time of the accident. Riding the dunes is a longtime hobby for Biffle, who offered his support of Stewart when speaking on SirisuXM NASCAR radio with host Claire B. Lang earlier this week.


MORE: Biffle: Stewart was in pain


“I wasn’t near what went on and didn’t really see what happened,” Biffle told Lang. “But the dunes are unpredictable, and you can land harder on some spots than others. I’ve knocked the wind out of myself, thought I broke my tailbone before. … Things can happen. I don’t know exactly the situation of what happened. But it can be done.”


Biffle added, “I’m guessing he probably landed hard because the car wasn’t really damaged. It’s all pure speculation that he just landed hard, I don’t know what might have gone (on).”


Biffle explained that Stewart’s accident was serious, but also an unusual outcome of drivers just enjoying their time off like anybody else.


“We’re passionate about motorsports and we know there’s an element of risk,” Biffle said. “We go snow skiing, ride motorcycles like everyone else. Ride jet skis or go on boats or do whatever, I wouldn’t say all the guys are extreme sports enthusiasts outside the track. We’re not doing anything Nitro Circus or doing anything crazy.


“Bobby Labonte broke his wrist riding a bike. A lot of these guys ride bikes like Jimmie (Johnson) and Matt (Kenseth). You just have to use your best judgment and caution when you’re going through this stuff. I do.


“When I’m at the sand dunes it’s pure heaven. I’m just going to be safe about it. And accidents can happen no matter what you’re doing.”

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Analysis of who might fill in for Stewart

 

Jeff Gordon isn’t ending his retirement before it really begins. The legendary No. 24 driver told FOXSports on Friday that he is not a candidate to fill in for the injured Tony Stewart .

 

Stewart sustained a serious back injury Sunday while driving a sand rail in the Glamis Dunes along the Arizona-California border. Gordon was in the group of drivers and told FOX that he felt especially bad about the accident because he invited Stewart to join the outing.

 

“I’ll be honest, the way I was feeling about it at the time, if I wasn’t in the FOX booth, I would fill in for him,” Gordon said in the exclusive interview.

 

WATCH: Dr. Jerry Punch explains Stewart’s injury

 

Stewart-Haas Racing‘s press release Thursday indicated the team expected Stewart, who had surgery on a lumbar vertebra fracture on Wednesday, to make a full recovery and compete later in 2016. There is not timetable for his return.

 

No interim driver for Stewart-Haas racing has been announced, though Mark Martin also eliminated himself as a possible substitute No. 14 driver.

 

RELATED: Martin’s one word answer about driving the No. 14

Posted on by Team Release

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (February 5, 2016) – “Names are Made Here” in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and young Ohio-native Matt Tifft will be doing just that in 2016 with a 13-race schedule behind the wheel of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota Camry.
 
The 19-year old driver has 16-career starts in NASCAR’s top-three racing series over the last two seasons, while running a limited schedule in both the XFINITY Series and in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In these early stages of his career Tifft has successfully earned six top-10 finishes in the Camping World Tuck Series and a top-10 result from 2015 in the XFINITY Series. Additionally Tifft has raced competitively in NASCAR’s K&N Pro West, K&N Pro East and ARCA Series, as well as the X-1R Pro Cup Series.
 
In 2015 Tifft made his first career XFNITY Series start and first entry with Joe Gibbs Racing at Kentucky Speedway in September. In what he described as a big learning experience, Tifft started from a 16th-place qualifying effort and made steady gains through the race, to bring home his first series finish in 10th place.
 
Tifft’s 2016 XFINITY Series schedule will kick off at Richmond International Raceway on April 23 and continues for a total of 13 scheduled races including: Dover International Speedway (May 14), Iowa Speedway (June 19), Daytona International Speedway (July 1), New Hampshire International Speedway (July 16), Iowa Speedway (July 30), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (August 13), Bristol Motor Speedway (August 19), Road America (August 27), Kentucky Speedway (September 24), Charlotte Motor Speedway (October 7), Texas Motor Speedway (November 5) and Homestead-Miami Speedway (November 19).
 
“I am honored to have the opportunity to work with Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2016 season. I feel after our run last year at Kentucky that this is a great fit for me with an outstanding and well-respected organization, and I look forward to a very exciting and successful year driving the No. 18 Toyota Camry,” remarked an eager Tifft.
 
Over the years Joe Gibbs Racing has encouraged young drivers to gain experience with the now 25-year organization, by developing in the learning series of the NASCAR Camping World Truck and NASCAR XFINITY Series. In recent years names such as Daniel Suarez and Erik Jones have proven the JGR program successful. In 2015, Suarez earned NASCAR’s Rookie of the Year honor while finishing fifth in the XFINITY Series’ driver ranking. Jones captured the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship in 2015 and earned two victories while driving a part-time XFINITY Series schedule. Both Suarez and Jones will compete full-time in the XFINITY Series in 2016, affording Tifft the opportunity to continue to learn alongside them.
 
Executive Vice President of XFINITY Series Operations at Joe Gibbs Racing, Steve DeSouza confirmed further, “We take a lot of pride in using our XFINITY Series program to develop talent. That not only includes our drivers, but crew chiefs and our team personnel as well. It’s great to have Matt expand his program with us in 2016 and have the opportunity to run alongside Erik and Daniel for a good portion of the season. When you add Cody Coughlin to our roster, who will drive part-time in the Truck Series with KBM, we feel fortunate to have so much young talent in our system.”
 
Tifft further exclaimed, “I am very excited to work again with Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones and Kyle Busch. Last year they helped me a ton with development, and I will continue to try and advance my career by drawing on the experience and talent of those around me. Hopefully I can also help them in some ways as well. I look forward to a very exciting and successful year driving the No. 18 Camry, and can’t wait to get this year started!”
 
Tifft is also a second-year student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, as a business management major.
 
Primary sponsorship across the 13 designated races with Tifft in the No. 18 continue to be developed and will be announced at a later date.

Posted on by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 5, 2016) – JR Motorsports (JRM) and Cessna Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, announced today a new relationship making Cessna the official business jet choice of Dale Earnhardt Jr. As part of the agreement, JRM’s No. 88 Chevrolet will carry the Cessna brand as primary sponsor in six races during NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) competition in 2016 with drivers Alex Bowman and Cole Custer.

“We are looking forward to representing Cessna on both the business and competition front,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, general manager of JR Motorsports. “Cessna is a strong and leading brand and our business strategies complement one another. Together we have a unique partnership with tremendous potential for growth.”

Cessna will also receive associate placement on the No. 88 during the two NXS events Earnhardt Jr. will compete in at Texas Motor Speedway (April 8) and Richmond International Raceway (April 23).

“Cessna Citation business jets are designed for speed and efficiency, two trademarks valued by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his team at JR Motorsports. We’re looking forward to the relationship with JRM that will demonstrate those qualities as Dale travels in the Citation this season to races and events across the country,” said Scott Ernest, president and CEO of Textron Aviation.

Bowman and Custer will drive the No. 88 Cessna Chevrolet Camaro in six races, with 22-year-old Bowman first up at Michigan International Speedway (June 11) and Iowa Speedway (June 19). The Tucson, Ariz., native will also drive the Cessna entry at Richmond International Raceway (Sept. 9), Dover International Speedway (Oct. 1) and Phoenix International Raceway (Nov. 12).

Custer, who competes full time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for JRM, will race the Cessna machine in one of his five NXS starts with the organization this season. He takes his turn at the wheel at Kentucky Speedway (July 8).

Cessna brings the latest technologies and innovations to its Citation series of business jets, offering customers industry-leading aircraft solutions to meet the most demanding and unique mission requirements. Through its extensive global service network, Textron Aviation is renowned in the industry for its unrivaled, complete aircraft support across its Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker platforms.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

RELATED: Drivers make their picks for the big game

Super Bowl 50 is this Sunday with the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos squaring off for the Vince Lombardi Trophy and the National Football League championship. The game is the culmination of the entire NFL season and is the sport’s biggest event.



Similarily, the Daytona 500 is the biggest event in NASCAR and the “Great American Race” serves as the start to the entire Sprint Cup Series season. 

Interestingly enough, the Daytona 500 is eight years older than the Super Bowl, with the event’s first run coming in 1959, whereas the first Super Bowl was played in 1967.



Last year’s Daytona 500 saw Joey Logano take the victory over Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Weeks earlier, the New England Patriots knocked off the Seattle Seahawks to take home Super Bowl XLIX, thanks to a game-clinching interception on the goal line with 20 seconds left that was a top moment in its own right.

RELATED: @nascarcasm’s Madden ratings for drivers


Winning a Daytona 500 carries with it plenty of prestige and a likely spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field. Winning a Super Bowl carries with it plenty of prestige as well. Not to mention the fun that is had away from the game with a memorable melange of television advertisements and a big halftime musical performance.



So with that in mind and both events coming up, we examine the top moments from each.



Top Super Bowl moments



4. Joe Montana leads the San Francisco 49ers to a game-winning drive in Super Bowl XXIII against the Cincinnati Bengals. He finds John Taylor open in the end zone for the game-winning score with 34 seconds left and a 20-16 win.

 See Montana’s final drive here.

3. Trailing the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV, Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly engineers a drive to get into field-goal range for the win. However, Scott Norwood misses the 47-yard field goal as Buffalo loses 20-19 and suffers the first of four straight Super Bowl defeats.

 See the ending here.

2. New York Jets quarterback “Broadway” Joe Namath guarantees victory over the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Namath leads the Jets to the only Super Bowl win in franchise history thus far, a 16-7 win. See highlights of the game here.


1. The undefeated New England Patriots have their eyes on a perfect 19-0 season, but Eli Manning and the New York Giants stand in their way in Super Bowl XLII. Manning leads the Giants on a game-winning drive that includes a miraculous catch by David Tyree en route to a 17-14 win.

 See the highlights of the game here.

Top Daytona 500 moments


4. In the 1976 Daytona 500, Richard Petty and David Pearson battle for the win on the final lap. Contact occurs as the two come off of Turn 4, and both cars spin into the infield. Pearson is able to get his car across the finish line for the win, while Petty can’t get his engine to restart and finishes in second. 



3. The first Daytona 500 in 1959 produces a photo finish between Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp. The on-the-spot unofficial decision goes to Beauchamp, but after three days spent examining the photos, NASCAR reverses its decision and gives the victory to Petty by a margin of less than a yard.



2. The 1979 Daytona 500 is the first NASCAR event to be broadcast live flag-to-flag. On a battle for the lead on the final lap, Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison crash side-by-side into the Turn 3 wall. A fight breaks out between the two drivers, while Richard Petty goes on to win the race.




1. For years, this was the race that was Dale Earnhardt’s kryptonite. “The Intimidator” captures the 1998 Daytona 500 (his 20th try at it) and is congratulated by every crew on the edge of pit lane as he makes his way to Victory Lane.