Posted on by Nascar

WATCH: Dillon talks about which day he would relive if given the chance



Austin Dillon finished 21st in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series points standings last season, and maybe there’s someone out there who thinks ‘Yeah, OK. Twenty-first isn’t so bad.’



That person would not be Austin Dillon.



The grandson of team owner Richard Childress is a former Camping World Truck Series champion. He is a former XFINITY Series champion. He knows the talent that carried him to the top of those series is the foundation that can help him advance in the Sprint Cup Series, where he drives the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet.



But patience can be a difficult thing to harness; it can wear thin like a set of tires left on too long.



“I know I’m developing as a driver,” Dillon said during last month’s Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour. “But I don’t want to be looked at as ‘hey, the experience is still there, it’s coming.’ I want to do it this year. I want it now.”



Twenty-first is as low as Dillon, 25, has ever finished in a NASCAR national series in which he has competed fulltime. But behind last year’s statistics, which mirrored his ’14 effort, were signs of improvement.



He led multiple laps at Pocono, Daytona, Michigan and Martinsville and his fourth-place finish at Michigan was a career best.



The majority of those results came after a mid-season crew chief change that saw Richard “Slugger” Labbe replace Gil Martin atop the pit box. It was a move that “gave new life to our team,” according to Dillon.



“Leading laps at Michigan, running up front in a lot of races toward the end of the year was big,” he said. “I think it was just a good change of momentum.



“The other thing … Slugger has the same mentality that I have toward sports in general, and that is to eliminate mistakes … figure out how to be the best we can be at every aspect of racing.”



“He’s brought out a new life in me,” Labbe said of the young driver. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years and having a kid that is so full of energy is really a breath of fresh air for me.



“We saw some success … on the mile and a half tracks. Unfortunately we don’t race on mile and a half tracks every week. We’ve tried to really preach to Austin what he’s done really good on the mile and a half tracks and we’ve pointed out the negatives on the shorter tracks, the tracks we need to work on. He’s been really open and receptive to the things we need to work on and we’ll keep working on that every week to get him to excel.”



The crew chief change wasn’t the sole reason for the step up in performance. Dillon admits that the RCR organization as a whole didn’t have the speed to contend early in the year. And his confidence waned as a result.



“When you can go out and lead laps, eventually that win is coming,” he said. “You have to first be able to lead laps and run up front to accomplish things. Before halfway through the season, I don’t think we had the speed to do that and that’s hard on your confidence. It’s hard to get up for every race and to be confident in what you have.



“We’ve put a lot of effort into it; I think the equipment is there, now it’s putting it all together as a group to get to the front and we’re working hard on that.”



Dillon is one of three full-time Sprint Cup drivers at RCR. Teammate Ryan Newman, second in the championship battle the previous year, bowed out after two rounds of last year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup. Paul Menard, making his first Chase appearance, fell by the wayside in the opening round of 16.



RCR hasn’t seen one of its Sprint Cup teams in the winner’s circle since the fall race at Phoenix in 2013.



As a result, Childress said he spent extra time at the team’s shops during the winter break, searching for ways to improve a product that has garnered 105 premier series wins and six championships.



“We’ve got a really good engineering staff; we needed to tweak on it some,” Childress, an owner since 1969, said. “Our engine program is as strong as anyone when it comes to horsepower; NASCAR takes those engines back and runs them. We get all the data. There are always little challenges, but trying to get speed in our cars is the biggest thing we’ve got to do.



“We’re there, we’re consistent. We’ve got to make more speed.”



The rookie stripe has long since been removed. The “sophomore slump,” if such a thing truly exists, has been weathered. It’s year number three for Dillon, who begins the season shouldering many of the same burdens that greeted the youngster when he arrived on the Sprint Cup scene two years ago.



“The pressure is always there,” Dillon said. “I want to compete.



“With the sponsors I have, the (car number) I have and the family background I have, I want to compete each and every race. There’s a fire within me that will never stop burning.



“Even if the pressure isn’t there, I feel like it’s going to be. I owe it to my grandfather, our company, Welcome, North Carolina, all the people that put effort into my program at RCR to do what I can to win races.



“I think we’ve assembled a group of guys that feel the same way. They have something to prove.”

Posted on by Staff Report

As Chase Elliott climbs into the legendary No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet this year, the rookie gains sponsor SunEnergy1 for four races each of the next three years.


“We at SunEnergy1 are more than thrilled to be joining Hendrick Motorsports for several years,” said Kenny Habul, founder and CEO of SunEnergy1. “It is a privilege to be on the No. 24 Chevrolet and support a driver like Chase Elliott, one of NASCAR’s rising stars. The Hendrick Motorsports family is a symbol of excellence and integrity. There is no better fit for SunEnergy1 in the sport.”


In 2016, SunEnergy1 will be featured as a primary sponsor July 2 at Daytona International Speedway, Aug. 7 at Watkins Glen International, Oct. 16 at Kansas Speedway and Nov. 13 at Phoenix International Raceway. The partnership also includes associate-level sponsorship.


“SunEnergy1 is on the cutting edge of the renewable energy industry,” said the 20-year-old Elliott, who was voted by fans as the NASCAR XFINITY Series’ most popular driver in 2014 and 2015. “In the XFINITY Series, I raced against Kenny on the road courses. He’s a great competitor, and it will be fun to build this relationship with him and SunEnergy1. I’m looking forward to having them as a partner, and our whole team is focused on making the program a success.”


SunEnergy1 joins primary partners NAPA auto parts (24 races), 3M (five races), Kelley Blue Book (two races) and Mountain Dew (two races) to complete Elliott’s 37-race 2016 Sprint Cup schedule.

Posted on by Staff Report

Cameron Hayley announced Wednesday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that he would be returning to ThorSport Racing and piloting the No. 13 Toyota Tundra in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. 


“I’ve never actually been with a team for more than one year so I’m really looking forward to getting back with the same team,” Hayley said on the air. 

The Canadian native raced with the ThorSport during the 2015 NCWTS season and with four top fives and 13 top 10s, Hayley ended his freshman season, sixth in the standings. Eddie Troconis will serve as the team’s crew chief after spending three seasons as a race engineer at Kyle Busch Motorsports.

 

“I think we have all the tools to go out there and win a championship next year,” Hayley said, now with definite plans in place.

 

The 19-year-old will be part of the four-truck powerhouse team for the 2016 season alongside teammates Matt Crafton in the No. 88, Rico Abreu in the No. 98 and Ben Rhodes in the No. 41. Crafton won back-to-back championships with the organization in 2013 and 2014. Abreu joins the team for his first full-time season in a national series after transitioning from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. Rhodes made 10 starts in the NASCAR XFINITY Series for JR Motorsports in 2015.

 

Hayley candidly stated that the racing community can expect “domination from ThorSport this year” and a 1-2-3-4 finish works for him “but as long as I end up first then (my teammates) can finish second, third and fourth.”

Posted on by Team Release

STATESVILLE, N.C. (February 3, 2016) – GMS Racing announced today that the team would field a single-car entry in select NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) races throughout the 2016 season. Spencer Gallagher is slated to pilot the team’s No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro beginning at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday, March 12.
 


The Statesville, North Carolina-based organization currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) with Johnny Sauter, Spencer Gallagher and Grant Enfinger. Gallagher completed his first full-time NCWTS campaign in 2015, finishing 10th in the driver championship standings with one top-five and six top-10 finishes.

“This is big for GMS Racing,” stated Mike Beam, GMS Racing Director of Competition. “We’ve worked hard to make sure we have the right resources in place to take the next step and we feel like now is the right time. This will be a great opportunity for us to put our equipment to the test, make improvements and get Spencer some additional experience.”

Leading Gallagher through the next phase of his career will be crew chief Joey Cohen, who joins GMS Racing after serving as Lead Engineer for Roush Fenway Racing.

“I’m excited to take on a new role with GMS Racing and to add to the team’s development,” said Cohen. “I truly feel like we have put together a strong team to pave the way for GMS Racing to break out in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. There will be a lot to take away from the track after each race, but I don’t see why we can’t put together some solid finishes along the way. I’m excited to take on a new role with GMS Racing and to contribute to the team’s development.”

Additional details on GMS Racing’s NXS plans will be released at a later date.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

With a strong close to his 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series campaign, Richard Petty Motorsports driver Aric Almirola carries an infectious confidence heading into the 2016 season. 

The goal for the year is simple: Make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup after narrowly missing the elimination-style postseason in 2015.



”Every single guy on my race team’s got a fire in their belly to go get started in 2016,” Almirola said during last month’s Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour. “And that’s our only goal again, no matter how we do it, whether it’s win a race, do it on points, whatever it is, we want to make the Chase and we feel like we’re going to.”

Almirola made the Chase in 2014 thanks to his July win at Daytona International Speedway, and that postseason appearance “made us extremely hungry,” the driver of the No. 43 Ford said. “It’s like a kid. You give them one piece of candy, they always ask for a second.”



The 31-year-old Florida native achieved the best average finish (17.9) of his career in 2015 and opined that “2015 was even more successful” for the team based on the consistency of performance.



”We set top-15 finishes as the goal and we had a board in my office that had an orange line on it and asked Aric to try to stay above it each week and he did a good job with that,” Sammy Johns, the director of operations at RPM said.



After a season in which Almirola scored top 15s in half of the 36 races, Johns wants to step that target up slightly. 



“We are going to move that up to top 12s, but we definitely want to see more top 10s, more top fives. … I think Aric is ready to get to Victory Lane more often as a driver,” Johns said.



Giving the team even more confidence is the strong finish that Almirola and crew chief Trent Owens put together to close out 2015, with two top fives and five of his six top 10s in the season’s final 11 races. An expanded partnership with Smithfield Foods, who will serve as a primary sponsor for 31 races in 2016, also adds a little spring to the team’s step.



“We were caught disappointed with not making the Chase, so we got the group of guys together and said, ‘Let’s try to be that best car that’s not in the Chase,’ ” Owens said. “So it was real good to see the team gather around and put their heads down and we had some of our better runs toward the end of the season. We’ve got to maintain that.”

The Almirola-Owens pairing is entering its third season, and the familiarity between the two brings a level of comfort that only seems to be getting stronger.



“It’s nice to hear the same voice on the radio,” Almirola said. “I’ve got a really unique relationship with Trent. We’re friends away from the race track but at the race track, we’re fierce competitors and we want to compete. He’s so talented at what he does that he’s probably one of the first crew chiefs that I honestly, I don’t even talk shop with and setup or stuff like that with him on a regular basis. 



“I show up to the race track and I have full confidence in him and trust what he comes up with for setups, trying to make the cars faster that it honestly takes that worry away from me. I just worry about the race track we’re going to and my driving style at that race track and what we need to do from the previous time we were there.”

For Owens, it’s the subtle understanding of how things are communicated that helps the duo navigate their way during the season.



“Going into a third season, all the little … the tone of voices and all that stuff, you start to understand how big an adjustment or how little adjustment you need to make. I feel like I know him very well as a driver,” Owens said. 



“On paper, we should have our best season in ’16. As we all know in racing, you got to have luck before you have anything. So if we can just have a little bit of luck, I do think the relationship he and I got right now is as good as any in the garage.”

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: See which drivers are on the move for 2016

Sprint Cup driver Cole Whitt will pilot the No. 98 Premium Motorsports car for 2016, the team announced Tuesday.

This marks Whitt’s third full-time season in the Cup Series, his first with Premium Motorsports. The 24-year-old driver wheeled cars for Swan Racing, BK Racing and, most recently, Front Row Motorsports.

“We believe Cole is an accomplished young driver who drives aggressively, yet smart,” team owner Jay Robinson said in a release.  “He’s a great fit for our team as we look to improve our competitiveness in the Sprint Cup Series.”

Whitt wasn’t the only change made at Premium Motorsports this year; During the offseason, the team hired Mike Hillman as competition director and Mark Hillman as crew chief. Several of Whitt’s previous partners are also expected to re-sign with the new team, according to a team release.

“Jay and the crew at Premium Motorsports impressed me with their vision for the future and commitment to making the No. 98 car competitive week in and week out,” Whitt said.  “I look forward to being a big part of the family atmosphere at Premium and having a successful start at the Daytona 500 in a few weeks.”

Whitt recorded a career-best 13th place result at Talladega Superspeedway last spring in the No. 35 ride, ultimately finishing 31st in the driver standings at season’s end.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Stewart hospitalized with back injury

Posted on by Staff Report

UPDATE: Stewart has back surgery, will miss start of 2016 season

RELATED: NASCAR community reacts to news of accident

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Tony Stewart has been hospitalized with a back injury after an all-terrain vehicle accident, according to a spokesperson from his Stewart-Haas Racing team.

According to the SHR statement, Stewart was hurt in an accident Sunday afternoon while driving an all-terrain vehicle on the West Coast. He was transported to a hospital in an undisclosed location and is able to move all his extremities, according to a team spokesperson.

Stewart-Haas spokesperson Mike Arning indicated that further updates on the three-time champion’s condition “will be provided Thursday afternoon when more information is known.”

Stewart, 44, is entering his final full season in NASCAR’s premier series. Teams are scheduled to arrive next week at Daytona International Speedway for season-opening Speedweeks and the Feb. 13 Sprint Unlimited exhibition (8 p.m. ET, FOX). The first Sprint Cup Series points-paying race of the season, the Daytona 500, is set for Feb. 21 (1 p.m. ET, FOX).

“We have received word from Stewart-Haas Racing of Tony Stewart‘s accident and injury,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “On behalf of everyone at NASCAR, I wish Tony a full recovery and look forward to seeing him back in our sport when he’s ready to return.”
 
Stewart missed parts of the 2013 and 2014 seasons after racing accidents in sprint-car events. He suffered a severely broken lower right leg in August 2013 after a heavy crash in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and missed the final 15 races of the Sprint Cup season. Stewart also missed three races in 2014 after his involvement in a crash at a New York dirt track that claimed the life of 20-year-old racer Kevin Ward Jr.
 
Stewart, who co-owns the four-car SHR operation with Gene Haas, announced last September 30 that the 2016 season would be his last in NASCAR’s top division. Clint Bowyer, who will drive for HScott Motorsports this season, was named as his successor in the team’s No. 14 Chevrolet starting in 2017.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Tony Gibson’s New Year’s resolution came several months early, courtesy of a tap on the shoulder during the drivers’ and crew chiefs’ meeting at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Gibson turned to find Jimmie Johnson, who told his former colleague to call him after the pre-race meeting.

The point of the phone conversation with the six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion had zero to do with any technical, on-track concerns that might be shared among their Chevrolet-affiliated teams. Instead, the call set in motion a personal change for Gibson, pushing the 51-year-old crew chief toward a healthier lifestyle.

“He’s like, ‘Look, I’ve been thinking about you for the last three weeks,’ and he said I want to get you healthy,” Gibson recalled. “He said, ‘We’ve known each other since I got into this and you’ve been a great friend to me.’ He said, ‘I’m worried about you. I’m worried about your health and I want to see you get healthy.’ So I’m like, ‘OK.’ The next step was we got together and he’s like, ‘I’ll take care of everything, I’ll handle everything. We’ll use my trainer. You just have to do it.’

“So I said, ‘You know, if he’s willing to go to the length of that and put that much effort into it, then I’m a fool if I don’t.’ So I took him up on it and I’ve been losing weight ever since.”

The two have a friendship that dates back to Gibson’s days with Hendrick Motorsports, where he was car chief for Jeff Gordon‘s No. 24 Chevrolet when Johnson joined the organization. Their bond continued as Gibson transitioned to Dale Earnhardt Inc. and later to his current post at Stewart-Haas Racing.

It’s what prompted Johnson to connect Gibson with his personal trainer, Jamey Yon, who helped him build a tailor-made program of diet and exercise.

“Obviously, we’ve known him a long time and he was so welcoming to me when I came into the 24/48 shop back in the day, and he was just on my mind for whatever reason,” Johnson recalled during last month’s Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour. “I knew that he’d had a couple of little medical issues going along. I just wanted to help and I don’t know if he was in a place to receive help or want help or desire to have help, but I just threw a softball out there to him and said, ‘Man, I’ll do anything I can. I’ll get you hooked up with my trainer. Although it sounds daunting and you’re going to get your butt kicked, we’ll find the way. We’ll get you on the right path.’

“He was in the right space and ready to go and has really made some big changes in his life. Looks great and clearly feels great.”


MORE: Tony Gibson’s emergency surgery in 2015


Johnson’s role extends beyond fitness matchmaker. He’s also helped keep Gibson accountable with frequent check-ins and text messages. Gibson has complied by sending pictures and updates on his progress, which he’s maintained through the ever-tricky holidays and NASCAR offseason.

“During the wintertime, it’s really, really tough, but I’ve done good,” Gibson said. “I’ve maintained my weight through the winter. I got off a little bit, but I was able to get myself back on and stay focused. Now that the season starts, I’ll be in pretty good shape.”

The 2016 campaign will mark Gibson’s second full season as crew chief for the No. 41 Chevy driven by Kurt Busch. The two clicked last year, pairing for two victories and a deep run into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs.

Busch has sung the praises of Gibson’s efforts as the two developed chemistry through their first season together. Now Busch is acknowledging Gibson’s dedication to making positive personal changes as he sees a slimmed-down version of his crew chief atop the No. 41 pit box.

“Health is a big issue across America, but health is an issue with our sport because of how much we’re on the road and really how our season is shaped,” Busch said. “We have a regular season of 26 races but then you have to be your best at the end (the Chase’s 10 races), and if you’re worn out mentally, physically, you’re fatigued, health can come into play on giving you an edge.”