Posted on by Pat DeCola
Given his overall success and tendency to have his car out front in 2015, the 2014 Sprint Cup Series champion Harvick is in the best position to start 2016.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/kyle-busch/
KyleBusch
2
Joe Gibbs Racing
‘Rowdy’ is right up there with Harvick in terms of title favorites, as well. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver took momentous leaps forward in 2015 and should continue to win races at an elevated rate.

MORE: First title tip of the iceberg for Busch, Stevens

https://www.nascar.com/drivers/jimmie-johnson/
JimmieJohnson
2
Hendrick Motorsports
Despite five wins, 2015 was an uncharacteristic year for “Six-Time.” There’s no reason to think issues will plague the No. 48 team, the strongest over the past decade by far, two seasons in a row.
Like Busch, Logano took huge steps forward in his maturation and on-track finesse, resulting in six wins — a series-high in 2015. He’s a safe bet to be among those racing for a title at Homestead.

MORE: No. 22 crew chief gives insight to new Ford Fusion

https://www.nascar.com/drivers/brad-keselowski/
BradKeselowski
0
Team Penske
Keselowski is on a sort of alternating strong years plan (2012: five wins, series title; 2013: one win, missed Chase; 2014: series-high six wins; 2015: one win). By that standard, he’s in for a successful 2016 campaign.

MORE: With performance in hand, ‘16 time to execute for Kes

https://www.nascar.com/drivers/dale-earnhardt-jr/
DaleEarnhardt Jr.
-1
Hendrick Motorsports
Last season went about as well or better than expected in Earnhardt’s first season with new crew chief Greg Ives. With a full season under their belts and a sense of urgency at Hendrick Motorsports, look for Junior to pick up multiple wins in 2016.

MORE: Retirement? Not on Junior’s radar

As the driver with the most stability at Joe Gibbs Racing in terms of crew chief and crew, Kenseth should continue being among the strongest competitors on the track week in and week out.

MORE: Kenseth on Vegas tire test

https://www.nascar.com/drivers/denny-hamlin/
DennyHamlin
-1
Joe Gibbs Racing
Hamlin appears to be completely at ease and thrilled with his new crew chief Mike Wheeler, a familiar face for the No. 11 driver. We saw how a similar situation worked out for his JGR teammate, Kyle Busch, and first-year crew chief Adam Stevens in 2015.

MORE: Hamlin, Wheeler come full circle with pairing

Truex is an interesting case for 2016, coming off his best season ever, but his one-car organization will be taking on a manufacturer switch to Toyota. Furniture Row Racing has an alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, however, which should pay dividends.

MORE: Furniture Row move to Toyota eased by JGR

After a rough start to the season off the track, Busch turned things around to have his best season in years after clicking with crew chief Tony Gibson. Things should continue in 2016.

MORE: SHR zeroes in on digital dash

Edwards was certainly no slouch in his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing, but the team still chose to give his No. 19 team a new crew chief. It could certainly pay off, but we’ll have to take a wait-and-see approach.

MORE: JGR reveals fresh paint scheme for Edwards

This has to be Larson’s year, right? If the talented Chip Ganassi Racing prospect doesn’t make significant gains in 2016, it will be tough to keep labeling him as such with so many skilled, young drivers coming into the series.

MORE: Larson ready for bounce-back with new crew chief

Kahne had just his fourth winless season in 2015 and it has been a decade since his last season with more than two victories, but it still doesn’t feel like he’s done winning races yet. I think.

MORE: Hendrick Motorsports 2016 Team Preview

McMurray wasn’t exceptional in 2015, but did enough to warrant his first career Chase berth. If he can find Victory Lane for the first time since 2013, it will be a good season for the No. 1 team.

MORE: McMurray, McCall eye gains in Year 2

If Newman’s recent history is any indication, he’ll have around five top-five finishes, roughly 15 top-10s and will make the Chase with either one win or on points. Or he could win the title. Never can tell with Newman.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/chase-elliott/
ChaseElliott
Hendrick Motorsports
This seems like a good ranking to slot the kid in. Many expect Elliott, in a strong car, to be competitive from the start. He’ll be good, but there will certainly be speed bumps along the way.

MORE: Elliott gears up for rookie season

https://www.nascar.com/drivers/austin-dillon/
AustinDillon
0
Richard Childress Racing
Dillon is in a similar position to Larson, where results have yet to meet expectations. The Richard Childress Racing driver showed promise toward the end of last season and the former XFINITY Series champion could continue that in ’16.

MORE: Dillon heads into ‘16 with ‘something to prove’

The series’ oldest full-time driver (two years older than Jeff Gordon, even) is still chugging along for a Roush Fenway Racing team that took a huge step back in 2015. RFR will look to Biffle to lead them to better heights in ’16.
Almirola failed to make the Chase in 2015 after clinching his first appearance a season prior. The team appears to be re-invigorated now and the No. 43 squad could be a solid Chase sleeper this year.

MORE: Confident Almirola eyes return to Chase

https://www.nascar.com/drivers/clint-bowyer/
ClintBowyer
-3
Stewart-Haas Racing
Bowyer’s 2016 is the definition of a bridge year, as he makes a one-season stop at HScott Motorsports before inhabiting the No. 14 Chevrolet from the retiring Tony Stewart. A win would be nice, but he hasn’t had one since 2012 and spent the past three seasons in a better ride.
A first time Chase participant in 2015, Menard will have to put his best efforts forward to repeat the task in 2016, and even that might not be enough with a stacked field.
Buescher, the reigning XFINITY Series champion, has the talent to rise from here, but may not see his results reflect that until he’s in a stronger ride. Still, expect some flashy performances at times from the ’16 rookie.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/ricky-stenhouse-jr/
RickyStenhouse Jr.
0
Roush Fenway Racing
If you’re looking for a solid Chase sleeper, here he is. Stenhouse really picked things up at the tail end of 2015 and his fourth season in the Cup Series should show what he’s really made of.
Allmendinger missed the Chase last year, leading to a crew chief change. With Randall Burnett and a new director of competition, Ernie Cope, in tow, things could pick up for the No. 47 team.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/danica-patrick/
DanicaPatrick
0
Stewart-Haas Racing
Patrick needs to perform this year, plain and simple. Her fourth year of full-time Cup competition should be the one where she shows if she’s capable of winning.
Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Complete driver tracker for 2016 season

Had it not been for a phone call from James Finch, Chase Elliott might not be making his Sprint Cup debut as a fulltime driver in the No. 24 Chevrolet of four-time champion and recently retired-from-driving Jeff Gordon in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series this season because it was Finch, the former team owner, who brought Elliott, son of 1988 series champion and NASCAR Hall of Fame member Bill Elliott, to the attention of one Rick Hendrick.
 
Or, as Hendrick stated simply: “My talent scout alerted me.”
 
Hendrick and Finch are long-time pals, and Phoenix Racing, the one-time Finch-owned NASCAR organization, purchased its chassis and engines from Hendrick Motorsports. The business side of the relationship continued after Finch sold the team to Harry Scott; Phoenix Racing became HScott Motorsports and Finch became a “former owner.”
 
But back to Elliott …
 
“He (Finch) called me and said ‘Have you seen this Elliott kid drive?” Hendrick said. “I said, ‘He’s not old enough.’
 
“James said, ‘He’s racing; he’s 14 and racing these guys like Kyle (Busch).’
 
“Then when I met (Chase) and talked to him, I was just super impressed.”
 
That was six years ago and Hendrick, who has won premier series championships with three different drivers, was impressed enough to revive a dormant development program and support a youngster who had neither a driver’s license nor a shaving kit but apparently could drive the wheels off a Late Model car.
 
“I said I wasn’t ever going to do that again,” Hendrick said of the undertaking. “The last time I had a driver development program, I had like three (drivers) and we put on 51 clips in a season. I said ‘that’s enough for me.'”

WATCH: Hendrick team previews 2016 season
 
Officials within the Hendrick organization questioned the move. They reminded Hendrick of his prior decision and the rising tide of costs that resulted from the previous effort.
 
But the boss wouldn’t be swayed.
 
“I’m glad I made the investment,” Hendrick said. “When he got in that (XFINITY) car and started outrunning everybody, then they were taking the credit and I said, ‘wait, you are the same guys that said I was stupid for doing it.'”
 
The XFINITY entry was fielded by JR Motorsports, which is co-owned by Hendrick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt Miller.
 
What to know about HMS: Drivers for the organization have won 11 premier series championships and a staggering 240 races. Gordon’s departure from the driver’s seat opened the door for Elliott, who will join teammates Jimmie Johnson, Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne this season. It’s the first driver change at HMS since 2012 when Kahne joined the organization, replacing veteran Mark Martin in the No. 5 Chevrolet.

RELATED: See some of the new looks for 2016
 
For Elliott, the comparisons to Gordon are inevitable.
 
Hendrick said he believes Elliott is as good now as Gordon was when he joined HMS in late 1992.
 
“I’ve never seen a young guy mature as quickly as he has and handle pressure the way he has,” Hendrick said. “The raw talent; he’s special, that’s all I can say. Jeff wrecked a lot of cars his first year. But Jeff was fast, unbelievably fast.”
 
What to know about Elliott: He’s 20, and not only has a driver’s license but a pilot’s license as well. At JRM, he won the 2014 XFINITY Series championship and finished second last season. His father won 44 premier series races in addition to the ’88 crown.

RELATED: Elliott soars to new heights — literally
 
While he is appreciative of his team owner’s confidence, the younger Elliott stiff-arms the notion that he’s as good now as Gordon was then.
 
“I think Jeff was light years ahead of most everybody at 20, 25,” he said. “I’m going to let the boss say that … but I disagree.”
 
He understands the challenges ahead – a longer season and longer races, incredibly talented competition on the track mixed with more obligations outside the car. Daunting? Yes. Overwhelming? No.
 
Elliott has enjoyed success in each series as his career progressed, the various stops helping to shape his driving style as he honed his talents. The journey also taught him perspective.
 
“No matter what’s happened in the past or how things have gone for you, that’s no guarantee that things are going to be good for you moving forward,” Elliott said. “I expect a lot of challenges.”
 
He got a taste of those challenges last season, making five starts for Hendrick Motorsports while continuing to compete full time in the XFINITY Series. The starts came at Martinsville (in March), Richmond (in April), Charlotte (in May), Indianapolis (in July) and Darlington (in September). Elliott finished 16th at Richmond, and inside the top 20 at Charlotte (18th) and Indy (18th) as well.
 
“They definitely didn’t go as well as I would have wanted them to,” he said. “We had our struggles and I’ll be the first one to take the blame for all of them. I made a lot of mistakes, they were just dumb and (ones) I shouldn’t have made, that I should know better as this point than to do.”

H2H: Who will take home Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in 2016?
 
Elliott will be paired with crew chief Alan Gustafson, who helped guide Gordon to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup last season. Gustafson’s been around the block a few times, having won with Kyle Busch, Martin and Gordon while at HMS.
 
Hendrick expects Elliott to be “one of the flag bearers for the sport” within the next decade.
 
“That Elliott name, his status with the fans – he’s already popular – his talent and the way he handles himself,” he said. “How do you get to be 18, go out and win a championship and not get cocky, not get smart or just get your head bigger than it ought to be? That showed me a lot.
 
“He came back after winning (the XFINITY title) as humble or more humble than he was, but confident. That’s pretty special.”
 
Humility seems to be a trait rather than an option. If Elliott is sometimes too quick to shoulder all the blame for miscues, mishaps and less-than-expected results, he’s been just as quick to praise those around him for his success and his continued progression.
 
“Growing up I’ve had such good people around me, whether it was go-kart days, short-track Late Model racing days, to the XFINITY side and being amongst this great organization and great team,” he said. “I couldn’t have asked for better people since day one.
 
“I think that’s the biggest thing. All those people deserve the credit, because without all of them I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. I think a lot of them have made me look a lot better than I am over the years. I’m just very fortunate to have this chance.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

Darrell Wallace Jr. looked perfectly comfortable sitting in his chair, awaiting reporters during NASCAR’s annual Charlotte Media Tour at the NASCAR Hall of Fame last month.

 

Much has been expected of the talented young driver, who has learned that early navigation through NASCAR’s big leagues is a science of its own. But after a rookie season that fell a little short by Wallace’s big standards, the 22-year old looked prime and readied for 2016, his best shot yet at winning a NASCAR national series championship.

 

“You have rookie stripes for a reason, but they’re gone so we need to show why they’re gone,” Wallace offered with a slight smile.

 

As an 18-year old in 2012, the Alabama native had three top-10 finishes in four then-Nationwide Series starts and won a pole position, gaining great notice in the NASCAR garage. He answered that with a win in the 2013 Camping World Truck Series season and four more in 2014, earning him his high-profile, high-expectation XFINITY Series ride with Roush Fenway Racing last season.

 

A fan favorite already, much has been made of Wallace’s potential success story and now he is eager — perhaps even a tad anxious — to start proving why so many consider him a bright star in the sport.

 

Last year’s XFINITY Series rookie campaign was tougher than even Wallace might have anticipated, however. He did have three top-five and 14 top-10 finishes in 33 races, but Wallace expected — and was accustomed to — more still. Too often the performances fell short of what Wallace knew he could do. He expected to win.

 

“I definitely learned a lot last season working with (crew chief) Seth (Barbour) and learning to make the right calls in practice,” Wallace said. “That, for example, was a confidence booster. But we have to be more in-depth with that. I need to be in the meetings more and find out why x-y-z works with a-b-c.”

 

Wallace is particularly hopeful the final 13 races he ran with Barbour calling the shots will turn into a head start for 2016. He earned half of his total top-10s and two of his three top-five finishes when Barbour came on board last August. And they are highly optimistic about this season.

 

In particular, Wallace wants — and needs — to up his game on the superspeedway tracks at Daytona Beach and Talladega. Two of Wallace’s three worst finishes (34th in the summer and 20th) came at Daytona and Talladega, respectively.

 

A good start on Daytona’s high banks in the Feb. 20 XFINITY season-opener is crucial for a number of reasons, including the potential for securing additional, much-welcomed sponsorship.

 

The team will boast a one-race Daytona sponsor deal with Selfeo, an app that invites users to “immerse” themselves and promises to “transform a single screen on a single device into a customized, multi-screen viewing environment” with one-click. And Wallace is hopeful a great outing — a win — would be all the allure this sponsor needs.

 

“Daytona is the Super Bowl for our sport and I’m going to try to go down early just to get the groove on,” Wallace said. “There’s so much pressure on our program to be competitive and win to get sponsorship. So to go to Daytona with sponsorship is super big.”

 

That sponsorship, Wallace added, “Could end up being a big potential race for us. Add confetti to it and they could potentially sign on for more.”

 

“It’s one race, but this one race could set up our whole season. The offseason has been pretty hefty with front office trying to land sponsorship so to see progress gets you optimistic heading into the season.” 

 

Wallace is also buoyed by what he and many see as a renewed commitment by the Roush team. The XFINITY cars are now housed with the Cup entries and across the board, the team’s drivers are optimistic that the entire team’s performance, in general, will be upped.

 

“For all of us across the board, there’s a lot going on, the whole organization,” Wallace said. “We’ve moved XFINITY into the Cup shop and the communication level will just get higher and higher. Some other behind-the-scenes people are coming in and that will revamp our program. We need to get on a consistent program to make our Ford Mustangs better. … not force the issue, but have fun, be competitive, be smart, manage races better and myself.

 

“We all want to be successful with whatever we do in life, to seize the opportunity we’re given.”

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Next driver Austin Hill is set for a part-time schedule this season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

 

The 21-year-old Georgia native will compete in the season-opening NextEra Energy Resources 250 (Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN/SiriusXM) at Daytona International Speedway, driving a Ford for Empire Racing Group. Hill will then shift to his family team of Austin Hill Racing for the rest of the season, according to a release provided Monday by his representatives.

 

Hill competed in six Camping World Truck Series events the last two seasons. He also has five victories in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, where he finished third in the driver standings last year.

 

“We’re just trying to step up the ranks,” Hill said. “I feel like this move will be a good stepping stone for us as a team, and I want to go out there and prove that we belong in this series.”

 

The release indicated that Atlanta, Dover, Kentucky, Bristol, Texas were among the tracks on Hill’s partial slate, which is scheduled to span more than half of the season’s 23 races. Doug Chouinard, who has worked with Hill in the K&N ranks, will serve as the team’s crew chief.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Watch the announcement here

 

NASCAR will make a major announcement concerning the 2016 season on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. ET, according to a media alert issued Monday. NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France as well as several key industry executives will be on hand for the announcement.

The announcement will be live streamed on NASCAR.com — you can watch here.


In a statement issued Monday, Vice President of Integrated Marketing Communications David Higdon said, “NASCAR and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owners are pleased to share information that will be in place for the 2016 season. We’re eager to discuss it in more detail, and will do so on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. ET.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

When Jamie McMurray was paired with new crew chief Matt McCall ahead of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, the extent of their familiarity with each other was fairly limited. Among the things they knew they had in common:
 
— They both raced: McMurray in NASCAR’s top division; McCall, still in occasional Super Late Model events.
— Both of their last names began with “Mc.”
— They were both exceedingly polite.
 
Entering the 2016 season, both have a year together to build on, with the goal of pushing the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 1 Chevrolet outfit back into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs.
 
“Obviously, this time last year it was a couple months and four or five conversations,” McCall said last month during the Charlotte Motor Speedway preseason media tour. “So now we’ve gotten to yell at each other a bit and tell each other right and wrong, so I feel like the relationship’s been able to grow pretty good. I’m pretty excited to go into this year with that relationship already being built.”
 
McCall came to the Ganassi fold in November 2014 after a nearly two-year stint as an engineer for the Richard Childress Racing No. 31 team. The transition turned litigious, with Childress seeking to block the move in court before reaching a settlement less than two weeks before teams arrived at Daytona for season-opening Speedweeks.
 
With the path cleared for McCall’s first full season atop a Sprint Cup pit box, the two went to work. McMurray rose to a high point of sixth place in the Sprint Cup standings by the time the season shifted back to Daytona for the midway mark. It was enough headway to help sew up the first Chase berth of McMurray’s career as the top points-earner among drivers without a regular-season win.
 
With a complete 36-race schedule behind them, both driver and crew chief say they have a better grasp of each other’s operating and communication style.
 
“Getting to have a year together and go through the goods and the bads and kind of learn from that and see how each other reacts to that, I for sure feel better about Matt right now than I did a year ago,” McMurray said. “I didn’t have any opinion because I didn’t know him at the time, but he did a really exceptional job in his first year as a crew chief and does a really good job calling the races.
 
“He’s also a great people person, and I think that’s the most important characteristic you can have as a crew chief is to be able to manage your people. And Matt, I feel like, like most good crew chiefs has a really good following at our shop behind him now where people believe in him and want to support him.”
 
McMurray ticked one checkbox last season by qualifying for his first Chase, but the No. 1 team was an early elimination after the opening three-race Round of 16. A deeper postseason run and a shot at his first points-paying victory since October 2013 remain on the list of targets for this season.
 
To check more boxes, driver and crew chief alike emphasized the need to adapt quickly to a new lower-downforce rules package while improving the team’s aerodynamic savvy on the 1.5-mile tracks that make up a hefty portion of the Sprint Cup schedule. McMurray netted four top-five finishes on the intermediate-sized circuits in 2014, but none last season.
 
“I feel like that’s one of the strides we’ve tried to make gains on in the offseason,” McCall said, pointing toward the second race of the season as a litmus test. “Once we get to Atlanta, we’ll find out if that’s true or not.”

Posted on by Team Release

STATESVILLE, N.C. (Monday, Feb. 8) – Brad Keselowski Racing announced today that Austin Theriault will drive a third entry for the organization in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) season-opening race on February 19 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
 
“I’m really excited and can’t wait to get back to Daytona,” Theriault said. “I can’t thank Brad enough for this opportunity. I’m going there with the expectation to win and I’ll do whatever it takes to get the checkered flag.”
 
Theriault will drive the No. 2 Ford F-150 in the NextEra Energy Resources 250, joining full-time drivers Tyler Reddick and Daniel Hemric, with Buddy Sisco serving as the team’s crew chief.  The Fort Kent, Maine native is quick to point out the advantages of having an additional teammate at Daytona.
 
“I’m looking forward to working with both Tyler and Daniel,” Theriault said. “Hopefully we can help each other stay in the top five throughout the race and be in position to challenge for the win. It will be a big help to have another teammate at Daytona.”  
 
Theriault made his NCWTS debut in 2015 with Brad Keselowski Racing at Daytona. He scored an impressive fourth-place finish, leading the race once for nine laps after starting fourth and finishing with a driver rating of 110.2. He made nine NCWTS starts for BKR in 2015, claiming two top five and four top 10 finishes. Theriault spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons as part of BKR’s driver development program, running a partial schedule in the Southern Super Late Model Series while working full-time in the team’s shop.   
 
Buddy Sisco is a native of Nashville, Tenn., and began his racing career in 1981. He has served as crew chief for numerous organizations during his career, most recently at Michael Waltrip Racing. He joined BKR in 2013 and is currently a special projects coordinator and liaison between the 19 and 29 teams.    
 
“You always want to run well at Daytona and I think we have an excellent chance to do that with Austin,” Sisco said. “He’s a student of the game and there are so many things you don’t have to teach him. We’ve made changes here at BKR and feel like everything about our Ford F-150 trucks is even better than they were last year. Our teammates are running for the championship and won’t take as many risks but we can get outside the box a little bit and try some different things setup-wise to see if it pays any benefits.”

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.