Hall of Fame preview: Class of 2016 Induction Night

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Staff Report

The NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2016 will be inducted Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Learn more about the class below, and how to tune in Saturday — and come back to NASCAR.com for full coverage of the event.

The Details

What: Class of 2016 induction

Where: NASCAR Hall of Fame, Charlotte, North Carolina

When: 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, televised on NBCSN

The Class

• Jerry Cook: Jerry Cook made his name in modifieds, winning six NASCAR Modified championships, including four consecutively from 1974-77. After retiring from racing in 1982, Cook stayed with the sport and helped shape the series known today as the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. | Read more about Jerry Cook

• Bobby Isaac: The 1970 premier series champion, Isaac’s 49 career poles rank 10th all-time. Maybe more impressive: Isaac captured 19 poles in 1969, which still stands as the record for poles in a single season. In his breakthrough season, 1970, Isaac won the championship posting 11 victories, 32 top-fives and 38 top-10s in 47 starts. | Read more about Bobby Isaac

• Terry Labonte: Winning two premier series championships, in 1984 and ’96, is impressive; the 12-year gap distinguishes Labonte further. No other driver has won his first two championships that far apart and Labonte is one of only six drivers to have won premier series championships in two decades. Labonte’s stellar career is tucked between perfect bookends — his two Southern 500 wins, in 1980 and 2003. | Read more about Terry Labonte

• Bruton Smith: The executive chairman of Speedway Motorsports, Inc., Smith bought his first race car at the age of 17 and a year later promoted his first stock car race in Midland, North Carolina. He would become the founder of Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which currently owns eight NASCAR tracks hosting 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and additional high-profile motorsports activities. | Read more about Bruton Smith

• Curtis Turner: Called by some the “Babe Ruth of stock car racing,” Curtis Turner was among the fastest and most colorful competitors in the early years of NASCAR premier series racing. He posted his first of 17 career victories in only his fourth start on Sept. 11, 1949. Although many of Turner’s victories came on short tracks and dirt ovals — much of his career pre-dated NASCAR’s superspeedway era — he won the 1956 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway and the first American 500 at Rockingham Speedway in 1965. | Read more on Curtis Turner

The History

The NASCAR Hall of Fame opened May 11, 2010, and is an interactive and entertainment attraction honoring the history and heritage of NASCAR. The 150,000-square-foot facility includes artifacts, exhibits and a 278-person theater. Learn more about the NASCAR Hall of Fame here.

• Class of 2010: Dale Earnhardt, Bill France Sr., Bill France Jr., Junior Johnson, Richard Petty

• Class of 2011: Bobby Allison, Ned Jarrett, Bud Moore, David Pearson, Lee Petty

• Class of 2012: Richie Evans, Dale Inman, Darrell Waltrip, Glen Wood, Cale Yarborough

• Class of 2013: Buck Baker, Cotton Owens, Herb Thomas, Rusty Wallace, Leonard Wood

• Class of 2014: Jack Ingram, Tim Flock, Dale Jarrett, Maurice Petty, Fireball Roberts

• Class of 2015: Bill Elliott, Fred Lorenzen, Wendell Scott, Joe Weatherly, Rex White

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Staff Report

About seven months after picking up Alex Bowman‘s 2016 contract option, Tommy Baldwin Racing has changed course and is parting ways with the driver of their No. 7 Chevrolet. The news was announced Thursday via a team press release

“As NASCAR transitions to different business and competition models, teams have to make decisions accordingly,” said team owner, Tommy Baldwin. “We appreciate what Alex contributed during 2015 and wish him the best in the future.”

Bowman qualified for 35 of 36 races last season and had a best finish of 16th place in the spring race at Talladega Superspeedway. In Bowman’s only other Sprint Cup season he drove for BK Racing for 36 races in 2014.

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Staff Report

Joe Gibbs Racing, once again, released another one of its 2016 paint schemes via Snapchat — this was previously done for Kyle Busch‘s No. 18 Toyota Camry.

The organization got crafty on social media and let its followers take part in the unveiling of the No. 19 Toyota of Carl Edwards. The veteran will be racing with his longtime sponsor Subway for another year in the Sprint Cup Series — with a matching green firesuit, too.

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Zack Albert

Before the threat of wintry weather made its way to the Charlotte metro area, a special version of Jimmie Johnson‘s No. 48 Chevrolet savored the Thursday sunshine outside the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The Superman version of his Hendrick Motorsports ride sat alongside teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Batman-themed car. Both looks will race in March at Auto Club Speedway as part of a movie promotion.

Johnson has already made his mark as a stock-car racing superhero with six premier-series championships, second only to the seven titles each for legends Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty. But the last two seasons, stunted by a new Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff format, there’s been a snag in Superman’s cape.

The quest for a seventh Sprint Cup crown — his first in the new-look postseason system — begins anew for Johnson next month at Daytona International Speedway. On Thursday, the final day of the annual Charlotte Motor Speedway media tour, Johnson answered questions about why six championships came in rapid succession in the old format and why he’s faced only early exits since the new elimination-based system dawned in 2014.

Is it bad luck, star-crossed circumstance, or is the new Chase simply Jimmie-proof?

“I don’t have a good feel for this championship battle, period,” Johnson said when asked if the change in format left him with a sour taste. “We haven’t made it to the final four. I had such a feeling and almost like a road map with the previous Chase — what to think and where to be.

“It’s really tough. It’s so circumstantial. It really is circumstantial and that’s the hardest thing about it. … Not only do you have to worry about yourself, there’s so many other factors that play into it, so there is some element of rolling the dice, but at the same time, you better be on your game and take advantage of the opportunity when it comes up.”

Johnson opened last season with a victory in the season’s second race, adding three more wins in the spring before hitting a slight summertime lull. Crew chief Chad Knaus said that Johnson and Co. had turned its momentum around in prepping for the postseason until a broken rear axle seal ended the No. 48 team’s run in the first round of the Chase at Dover International Speedway.

Rather than attribute the misfortune to something vague like fate or luck, Knaus chalked it up to a mere $5 part failure, one that the team could learn from and move past.

“We addressed it. I’d love to say that whoops, it’s just one of those things, but the fact of the matter is everything can be avoided. Everything,” Knaus said. “We learned a little bit from that, and that’s what it is. That’s what racing is. You go and you push things to the limitations and when they fail, you address them and then you go to work on the next weak link.”

The quick elimination may have cast a minor pall on Johnson’s 2015 campaign, but it remained a year that most teams would covet. Though he led the fewest laps (558) in a season since 2005, Johnson prevailed in the final month of the season at Texas Motor Speedway to bring his win total to five, capping his ninth season with at least five victories.

“Five wins, hard to ignore. I mean, that’s a great year,” Johnson said. “The weirdness of being eliminated in that first bracket was tough for us, and then the following race in Charlotte, we had an oil pump failure that took us out. We had some trouble late that we didn’t anticipate having, but it was still a good year. Statistically, not our best year by any means. Laps led was way down. We still found a way to get to Victory Lane and I think that made us proud as a team that yeah, we weren’t the dominant car, but we’ll fight for it and find ways to get to Victory Lane.”

One more victory in 2016 would place Johnson among elite company in the sport’s history. The six-time champ sits at 75 career wins, just one behind Dale Earnhardt on the all-time list.

The chance to join Earnhardt and Petty with another historic championship at season’s end would give team owner Rick Hendrick an even dozen. But the veteran car owner acknowledges the treacherous nature of the postseason format, even as he contemplates the potential power of Johnson reaching title No. 7.

“Many times. I think about it all the time,” Hendrick said. “It would mean a lot. We’ve got 11 of them now and we’ve got more than anybody, but I’d like to see one of our drivers break that record, too, and Jimmie’s the guy that can do it. He’s right there. He’s got six and he’s got a lot more in him. The format’s a lot tougher than it used to be, so it’s harder to win that many, but we’ll see.”

A new reduced-downforce aerodynamic rules package may play into Johnson’s favor this season, allowing him to showcase his driving ability. Plus, his team returns largely intact with measures being taken inside the four-car Hendrick organization to collaborate more closely.

There’s just the matter of the newfangled Chase.

Posted on January 21, 2016 by

RELATED: ‘Smoke’ through the years

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tony Stewart might be in the best shape of his life, and just in time.

At 44, the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion has declared this to be his final Sprint Cup season as a driver, and he’s doing everything in his power to make it memorable.

“I’m eating better, drinking better, working out, doing stuff I swore I would never do — and I’m doing it in my last year,” said Stewart, facing Thursday’s a media during the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour presented by Technocom.

“I’ve changed my diet. I’ve changed everything for this year, so if anybody has any questions about how dedicated we are to having the best year we possibly could have, that’s the answer. I’m more excited about this year than I have been in a long time.”

Stewart would love to emulate the farewell season enjoyed by Jeff Gordon, who went into the final race of the 2015 season with a shot at his fifth Sprint Cup title.

“That was 99 percent of a perfect (final) season,” Stewart said. “I don’t have any grand illusions that I’m going to have that kind of year. It may or may not be in our cards. We’re going to give 100 percent, but the main focus will be to have fun this last year. If we can go out and win races and have an opportunity, trust me, I’ll be ready.”

In his dream scenario, Stewart said he would win the Daytona 500, the Southern 500 at Darlington, and a Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway to give him checkered flags at every track on the circuit.

Kurt Busch said he wouldn’t put anything past Stewart, who is both his teammate and boss.

“Jeff Gordon had a fantastic final season. I don’t see why Tony Stewart can’t do the same thing,” he said. “He’s a three-time champion in stock cars, he’s a champion from open-wheel … he’s won in everything. Having a teammate and a car owner going through a retirement tour, there will be times when I’ll be giving that extra five percent on a given day to help him out.”

Stewart knows that two more victories would get him to 50, but even one victory would be enough to get him to the Chase with a shot at one last title. No matter what, he insists this will be his Sprint Cup swan song.

“Even if we went out there and won 15 races and won the championship, we’re done,” he said. “When Homestead happens, no matter how the year went, we’re done. If it’s a terrible year, I’m not going to sit there and go, ‘Wow, that defined my career,’ because the stats will define how we did over 18 years.”

Stewart’s past two seasons have not been indicative of his 48 career wins and 300 top-10 finishes in 590 Sprint Cup starts. He has not won a race since June 2, 2013 at Dover and failed to notch a top-five finish last season.

There have been extenuating circumstances — a broken leg which halted his 2013 season and the tragic incident in August 2014, when Stewart struck and killed a fellow competitor while running a caution lap during a sprint car race in upstate New York.

Although it will be Stewart’s final season as a Cup driver, he’ll remain active as a co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing with Gene Haas, participating in the day-to-day operations of a high-profile team with championship expectations.

“I think we have two guys who definitely have a great opportunity to race for a championship (this year),” said Stewart, referring to 2014 Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick and Busch, a former champ who finished eighth in points last season.

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Team Release

MINNEAPOLIS (January 21, 2016) — Thrivent Financial is proud to announce its continuing sponsorship of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing and driver Michael McDowell in the 2016 race season.

Thrivent, a not-for-profit financial services organization that serves Christians, will be the primary sponsor for fifteen (15) races during the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with McDowell behind the wheel. The organization will also serve as a secondary sponsor on 15 additional races.

Thrivent started its relationship with Leavine Family Racing and McDowell in August of 2014. The mutually beneficial relationship expanded in 2015 for a 20-race sponsorship that included 10 primary races. This year, Leavine Family Racing has partnered with Circle Sport to field the No. 95 in the full 36-race schedule and entered into a new technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, making the manufacturer switch to Chevrolet.

“We’re thrilled to extend our sponsorship with Michael McDowell and Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing in 2016,” said Craig Stacey, Director of Marketing at Thrivent. “We had a tremendous response and reception from NASCAR fans in our first full season as a sponsor. In 2016, we’re planning to provide more unique opportunities and content for fans through our social media channels and website. We like to think of our fans as part of our team and it’s fun to give them a behind-the-scenes view of Thrivent Racing!”

For Thrivent, the off-the-track integration with McDowell and the race team was just as important as the race weekend competition. In 2015, McDowell and the race team raced go-karts with Wounded Warriors, packed shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child and volunteered alongside Thrivent members to repair homes of those in need through the organization’s Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity program. Additionally, by creating a custom, fan-driven online game, Thrivent Financial donated $95,000 to Habitat for Humanity on behalf of NASCAR fans at the end of the 2015 season.

“I love working with Thrivent! Their mission to help Christians be wise with money and live generously is really a good fit with my personal values,” said McDowell, who became a member of Thrivent in 2014. “We were able to team up and do some great things last year with race fans and Thrivent volunteers — especially at the Habitat events and speaking with Thrivent members nationwide. This is a perfect partnership and I’m excited to have Thrivent back as a sponsor in 2016.”

This season, Thrivent will be featured as the primary sponsor at major NASCAR events and tracks including the Daytona 500, Talladega Superspeedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season kicks off on Sunday, February 21, 2016, with the Daytona 500. Fans can keep up with all the action on Twitter by following at @ThriventRacing, via the organization’s Thrivent Racing Facebook page, on Instagram at @ThriventRacing and via the web at www.ThriventRacing.com.

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Team Release

RELATED: See the changes for the 2016

CONCORD, N.C. (January 21, 2016) — Leavine Family Racing (LFR) will join forces with Circle Sport Racing to run the full 36-race schedule in the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS). In addition, the race team will enter into an alliance with Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and will make the switch to run Chevrolet SS race cars powered by ECR Engines this race season.

Veteran driver Michael McDowell, who is entering his third season driving for Leavine Family Racing, will be the primary driver and compete in at least 26 NSCS races in 2016. RCR driver Ty Dillon, who finished third in the 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series Championship, will pilot the team’s entry for the remaining NSCS races. Specific races for each driver are being determined but both drivers will enter the Daytona 500.

Leavine Family Racing team owner Bob Leavine has been preparing to take the team from a partial schedule to the full series schedule since the team’s inception. The 2016 season proved to be the perfect time to make the leap, thanks in part to the new alliance with Joe Falk’s Circle Sport Racing team and technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing.

“The manufacturer and alliance switch provides our team with the best opportunity to improve on-track performance and to create long-term sustainability,” said Leavine. “This was the right time for us to make this change. We have been turning over every stone looking for the right plan for our team and our people in 2016, and we’ve finally found a great fit that’s going to help us continue to grow both on the track and as an organization.”

Joe Falk, owner of Circle Sport Racing, had been an owner in NASCAR starting in the late 1990’s. Circle Sport competed in its first race in 2012 and has been associated with Richard Childress Racing during that time.

“I’m happy to be working with Bob (Leavine) and the team to combine our efforts for a successful 2016 and beyond,” said Falk. “We’ve put together a top notch program obtaining all cars and engines from RCR.”

McDowell is entering his ninth season as a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and is scheduled to make his 200th start in 2016.

“This is a big step for our competition program,” said McDowell. “The technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing is a huge asset to our growing team and we’ll have access to some of the top equipment in the Cup Series. This type of alliance has worked really well for single-car teams such as JTG Racing and Germain Racing in the past and I’m excited about what we’re going to be able to do in 2016.”

Primary sponsorship of the No. 95 Chevrolet SS will include Thrivent Financial, K-LOVE Radio and Cheerios Brand. Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing is seeking additional sponsorship to fill out the season.

Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing will kick off their first full season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Daytona Speedweeks in February 2016.

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Pat DeCola

RELATED: See the changes for the 2016

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ty Dillon is set to expand his Sprint Cup Series horizons, signing on to the newly-merged Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing team in 2016 for an undetermined number of races.

Richard Childress Racing, owned by Dillon’s grandfather and organizational namesake, and Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing have agreed to form a technical alliance in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition, beginning with the 2016 season with drivers Dillon and Michael McDowell.

The partnership includes technology sharing, engineering, research and development provided to Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing as they switch its No. 95 Sprint Cup Series cars to Chevrolet beginning with the 2016 season. Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing will also benefit from utilizing ECR Engines.

Dillon will run select races, including the Daytona 500, for Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing in 2016, while McDowell will be the primary driver for the team.

“This is a big step for our competition program,” said McDowell in a team release. “The technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing is a huge asset to our growing team and we’ll have access to some of the top equipment in the Cup Series. This type of alliance has worked really well for single-car teams such as JTG-Daugherty Racing and Germain Racing in the past and I’m excited about what we’re going to be able to do in 2016.”

For Dillon, a favorite to win his first XFINITY Series championship behind the wheel of RCR’s No. 3 entry, it’s a chance to expand on a brief Cup slate in 2015 in which he picked up a better finish than his starting position in each of his five appearances.

At the very least, it’s a chance to expand his overall racing knowledge as he looks to lock up a title he nearly had last year with an eye on a full-time Cup ride in 2017.

“Every time I get an opportunity to run the Cup Series, I use it to add notes to my notebook for hopefully a full season to come,” Dillon said Wednesday at the NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour. “I can’t thank the Leavine family and Joe Falk and Circle Sport enough for giving me the opportunity to run some races in the Cup Series this year. I want to do the best I can with them. I want to go out there and take this team and show people what we’re made of … run with it and get some really good finishes. I know I can do it at this level and I’m ready to show people.”

All of Dillon’s seven Cup starts (he made two in 2014) have come with Circle Sport, behind the wheel of the No. 33, so familiarity certainly won’t be an issue. Sharing a ride with a fellow driver, however, may be a different story.

Luckily the 23-year-old knows the value in the extra feedback that McDowell can give and thinks it can be beneficial to his overall driving ability.

“Michael is a great, accomplished racer and he’s been running in the Cup Series for a while now,” Dillon said. “He’s a really, extremely good road racer so hopefully I can lean on him for that a little bit and just grow a relationship that I have with him.”

According to the team, McDowell is expected to run at least 26 of the season’s 36 races, with Dillon’s slate expected to be anywhere from six to 16. Both drivers will be in certain races, starting with the season-opening Daytona 500 (Feb. 21, 1 p.m. ET, FOX).

Posted on January 21, 2016 by George Winkler

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two guys in need of a fresh start are getting one as Kyle Larson and new crew chief Chad Johnston embark on their first season together for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Both were on hand on Thursday for the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour, and it didn’t take long before questions surfaced about what went wrong last year and how those issues would be corrected.

“My biggest issue was the rules changes didn’t really work out for our team,” Larson said. “In 2014, I thought the rules package really suited our team well. We were always really fast on the mile-and-a-halves. When NASCAR cut the horsepower, it definitely didn’t suit my driving style.

“This year with the lower downforce it will be back to kind of suiting my driving style. I wish we had a little more horsepower, but we don’t, so we got to get the hang of it.”

Larson won Sunoco Rookie of the Year in 2014, but 2015 was considered a sophomore slump for the driver. He didn’t break through in the win column, and his number of top-five and top-10 finishes each decreased in his second year.

CGR and crew chief Chris Heroy parted ways a day after the season ended, and Heroy later took a crew chief spot with Richard Petty Motorsports‘ Brian Scott.

Enter Johnston, who was crew chief for Tony Stewart for the past two seasons, which saw “Smoke” finish 25th and 28th in the standings, respectively.

With Larson’s dirt track racing, preparation for the Rolex 24 and a trip to Japan for sponsor ENEOS, there hasn’t been a lot of face time between Larson and Johnston. However, Johnston said the two have been bouncing ideas off each other over phone calls and via text, and already Johnston believes a bond is forming.

“Kyle’s pretty soft spoken and laid back, and I think that’s kind of my approach, try to keep an even temperament whether things are going good or going bad,” Johnston said. “So I think that will help. Calmer heads will prevail. When you stay calm in tough situations, you think more rationally. On that aspect we’re a lot alike.”

For Larson this is the first time he’s gone through a major change such as crew chief as a Sprint Cup driver, but he said he’s eager to have a new crew chief who has some similarities to himself.

“He actually raced dirt open-wheel cars in Indiana,” Larson said. “And I think with him working together with “Smoke” for the past couple of seasons, I think me and Tony have similar driving styles. The way we communicate will probably be similar, and I hope the transition goes well for both of us.”

In order for the union to be a success, Larson will most likely need to win a race and make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. A fast start would be a great way to build confidence as the duo searches for a bounce-back season.

“To win championships, you got to win races, and just getting his first win under his belt and him having the confidence that he can do it is going to be a big thing,” Johnston said of Larson. “I think once you get your first one with him you’re going to see a lot more behind him.”

Posted on January 21, 2016 by RJ Kraft

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season is one of change for Danica Patrick. Yes, she is back with Stewart-Haas Racing, but gone is the familiar GoDaddy green that adorned her No. 10 Chevrolet. Instead, the car will feature new primary sponsor Nature’s Bakery for a majority of the season.  

Another notable change for Patrick is a new crew chief in Billy Scott, her third pit boss in as many seasons. So far the fourth-year driver is getting to know her new crew chief and knows that there will be a bit of an adjustment period for the new pairing once cars hit the track.

  ”The biggest thing we are going to have to do is just start the dialogue,” Patrick said during the SHR portion of the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour on Thursday. “It’s not going to happen until I get in the car, but what I’m feeling in the car and how that translates to a change.”

Every driver has certain changes they like more than others. That familiarity will take time to build.

  ”I think every driver tends to lean towards changes they feel more,” Patrick said. Later adding that a key would be “identifying from his perspective (Scott’s) what changes are really effective for me, what are game changers, what moves the needle.”

  Scott spent the last two seasons as a crew chief at Michael Waltrip Racing. He closed out last season on Clint Bowyer‘s No. 15 Toyota that made the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. So far for him, the early returns have been promising.   

“Right now, it’s just feeling good about our communication and she is very technically based,” Scott said. “She wants to know what’s going on. She likes looking through data, so I think having an engineering background and being able to communicate on setup-related stuff on an in-depth level, I think that would be good.”

  During his time at MWR, Scott worked quite a bit with Rodney Childers, the championship-winning crew chief for the No. 4 team of Kevin Harvick. Childers thinks that the new addition is a perfect fit for Danica.   

“I think the two of them, their personalities are perfect together,” Childers said. “I said that awhile back and I guess you could say, I kind of pushed it along a little bit. You got to have that magic. Somebody you can talk to every minute of everyday about anything. It doesn’t matter if it’s about race cars, about life, about your family or whatever.   

“It’s all about having that relationship and being able to communicate and having people that want to be around you and pulling on the same rope all the time. I feel like they will have that. You can tell already when you are around them and the way they talk to each other.”

  Patrick enters the 2016 campaign coming off her best finish in the final standings, 24th, but she knows there is plenty to be done to take the next step in her career and to make the 16-driver Chase.

  ”In 2014, I feel like we finished off the season with (crew chief) Tony Gibson solidly being top 15, top 10 and being relatively pretty fast every weekend,” Patrick said.   ”I feel like with Daniel (Knost) being a new crew chief in a new situation last year, I feel like we didn’t quite achieve that all the time. Sometimes we were there. Sometimes we were worse than that. That was a step back from ’14.

  ”I’d like to get back to that top-15 running of where you have a good day and you are in the top 10. Once you start doing that regularly, then you have a chance to win. Obviously, top 15, lead lap every weekend and running competitively is where we need to be to start making things happen and making a run at the Chase.”

The Sprint Cup Series season is a 26-race marathon to the end of the regular season with a 10-race elimination sprint to the finish. Scott believes maintaining that perspective and not reacting too high or too low is key to their success.  

“It’s a long year,” Scott said. “You got to be able to keep that in perspective. I don’t think you want to be too quick to judge a season going in a good or bad direction really. We are just going to focus long term. Plan to be together hopefully several years, sponsors signed for several years. Just want to take each race as a learning experience and keep building on that from week to week and race to race at each track.”