Biffle, No. 16 team to go 'Nashville Hot' for Daytona 500

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 20, 2016) – Roush Fenway Racing has announced a multi-race partnership with KFC as a primary partner for Greg Biffle and his No. 16 Sprint Cup Series team during the 2016 season. The partnership will kick off at Daytona Speedweeks and include primary placement in the famed Daytona 500 and Sprint Unlimited All-Star events at Daytona International Speedway.

The partnership in Daytona will feature KFC’s recently launched line of smoky and crispy ‘Nashville Hot’ chicken, which comes just in time for the launch of the 2016 NASCAR season. Nashville Hot is available on KFC’s first ever tailgate platter; perfect for tailgating at events, watching sports and hosting group parties.

“It’s definitely exciting to have KFC on the car,” said two-time NASCAR Champion Biffle. “I don’t think there is a more iconic brand out there; who didn’t grow up loving KFC? Their new spicy, smoky and crispy Nashville Hot Chicken is now available nationwide – which I am very excited about – and I can’t wait to get to Daytona, enjoy a couple of tailgate platters with the team and hopefully put the Colonel in victory lane at our biggest race of the season.”

A perennial NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase contender, Biffle has scored 55 NASCAR wins and two championships during his celebrated career. He captured the pole for the 2004 Daytona 500 after winning the 2003 summer event at the 2.5-mile track known as the ‘World Center of Racing.’

“We are very happy to be teaming with Greg Biffle and Roush Fenway Racing and especially to partner with them for the Daytona 500,”said Kevin Hochman, KFC U.S. CMO. “Greg and Roush Fenway have a strong tradition of winning at Daytona, and we can’t think of a better way to launch our new Nashville Hot Chicken than at NASCAR’s biggest race of the season where we will be promoting the biggest thing in spicy chicken since Buffalo wings.”

In addition to looking for his second trip to victory lane at Daytona, Biffle will aim for Roush Fenway’s seventh win at Daytona in the Sprint Cup Series and its third Daytona 500 victory.

“We are proud to welcome KFC to the Roush Fenway Racing family with Greg and the No. 16 team,” said Roush Fenway president Steve Newmark. “We know they will be a great partner going forward in 2016 and look forward to a strong partnership launch as the season kicks off in Daytona.”

The Daytona 500 is set for Sunday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. ET and will be televised live on FOX. The Sprint Unlimited will kick off the 2016 season on Saturday, Feb. 13 with the Daytona 500 qualifying duel races scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 18.

Roush Fenway Racing is the winningest team in NASCAR history, fielding multiple teams in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series competition with drivers Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Trevor Bayne, Ryan Reed, Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace. Now in its 29th season, Roush Fenway is a leader in driver development, having launched the careers for many of the top drivers in the sport. Off-track, Roush Fenway is a leader in NASCAR marketing solutions, pioneering motorsport’s first team-focused TV show and producing multiple award-winning digital and experiential marketing campaigns. Roush Fenway is co-owned by Jack Roush, the winningest team owner in NASCAR history and Fenway Sports Group, parent company of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox and English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C. Visit RoushFenway.com, circle on Google+, become a fan on Facebook and Instagram and follow on Twitter at @roushfenway.

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Team Release

STATESVILLE, N.C. (Jan. 20, 2016) — Six-year NASCAR Sprint Cup Series veteran Landon Cassill will join the Front Row Motorsports line-up to drive the No. 38 Ford for the 2016 season.

The 26-year-old Cassill has 187 Sprint Cup starts under his belt, most recently competing for Hillman Racing in 2015. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native has raced in all three of NASCAR’s national series, earning XFINITY Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2008.

Cassill will join rookie teammate Chris Buescher at Front Row Motorsports, which will field two full-time Sprint Cup entries in 2016.

“I feel like Front Row Motorsports is a great fit for me,” Cassill said. “I’ve got several years of experience in the series now, and being a part of this team will help me take the next step in my career. I’m grateful to Bob Jenkins and Ford Motor Company for the opportunity and can’t wait to get in the car.”

Cassill’s Sprint Cup career-best finish is a fourth-place run at Talladega Superspeedway (2014), a track where Front Row Motorsports has also excelled.

“We’ve always been impressed with Landon and what he can do behind the wheel,” said team owner Bob Jenkins. “He’s got a lot of natural talent. You could see that at every level of racing he’s competed in throughout his career. We’re happy to have that talent in one of our race cars this year.”

Sponsorship programs for the No. 38 team will be announced soon. Get more information about Front Row Motorsports and follow updates about the team at teamfrm.com, on Twitter at @Team_FRM and on Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Team Release

Kernersville, N.C. (January 20, 2016) — Matt Kaulig is proud to announce the establishment of full-time NASCAR XFINITY Series team, Kaulig Racing™, for the 2016 season. With a familiar face behind the wheel, Blake Koch has been selected to pilot the No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection™ Chevrolet Camaro for the 2016 NXS season.

“I am extremely excited to finally announce the formation of Kaulig Racing™,” said Kaulig. “This is an exciting project and venture that we’ve been working on for months, and it’s great to finally introduce our team. I have a vision of how I want to build this team and the pieces are coming together quickly.”

Kaulig is the President and owner of LeafFilter Gutter Protection™, an Ohio based leader in the gutter protection industry, and has sponsored Blake Koch in both the Sprint Cup and NXS the last 2 years.

Entering into NASCAR initially in 2014 in a sponsorship role with Koch, Kaulig is ready to start a new endeavor and transition to team owner. Setting the team up for success early on, Kaulig Racing™ has joined forces with powerhouse team Richard Childress Racing (RCR), in a technical alliance. RCR collaboration with the technical partnership brings an extra boost of confidence to the Kaulig Racing™ team for the 2016 season.

“We are pleased to collaborate with Kaulig Racing™ as they establish themselves within the highly competitive NASCAR XFINITY Series,” said Mike Dillon, vice president of competition for Richard Childress Racing. “Blake has a tremendous amount of talent behind the wheel of a race car and we wish him, Matt, and everyone associated with Kaulig Racing™ success as they establish their identity and enter the 2016 season.”

Familiar with the RCR name, Koch was recruited as a developmental driver for the team in 2009 during his K&N Pro Series West rookie season. Moving up the ranks from there, Koch entered into NXS full-time in 2011. Since then, the 30-year-old driver has collected 147 starts in the NXS, and has his sights set on a successful 2016 season with newly formed Kaulig Racing™.

“I can’t even put into words how excited I am for this opportunity,” said Koch. “Watching it all come together is something very special. … Matt (Kaulig) and LeafFilter Gutter Protection™ have given us everything we need to be competitive. Because of Matt’s great leadership and employees, LeafFilter™ has grown to be an industry-leading company that has made this opportunity possible. I am beyond proud to be able to represent them on and off the track.”

Koch’s 2016 NXS season will be led by General Manager of Kaulig Racing™, and veteran crew chief Chris Rice. With experience in all three of NASCAR’s national series, Rice has amassed 220 NXS starts to his resume, including one NXS start with Koch during the 2013 Championship weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla. Starting on the outside of the front row, Rice led Koch to an 11th-place finish, a career-best start and finish for the West Palm Beach, Fla. native in the NXS. That race jumpstarted Koch and Rice’s relationship, and ultimately led to the creation of Kaulig Racing™.

The 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series season kicks off on Saturday, February 20 with the Powershares QQQ 300 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Team Release

The 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series season kicks off on Saturday, February 20 with the Powershares QQQ 300 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Posted on January 19, 2016 by

FS1 wraps its first evening of Daytona coverage with a special programming block on Friday, Feb. 12, opening day at Daytona Speedweeks, offering race fans a trio of NASCAR specials, capped one week later by the third installment of the groundbreaking, crowd-sourced documentary 100,000 CAMERAS: DAYTONA 500 (Saturday, Feb. 27 at 6:30 PM ET).

Following FS1’s live coverage of the first glimpse of cars on the track at Daytona International Speedway during NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES PRACTICE (beginning at 5:00 PM ET on Feb. 12), the network’s Daytona specials, produced by NASCAR Productions, include:

UNTOLD STORIES: DAYTONA
The one-hour UNTOLD STORIES: DAYTONA offers a fresh perspective and details on several pivotal stories in the history of NASCAR at Daytona International Speedway, including: the 1994 Daytona 500 and Sterling Marlin going to Victory Lane for the first time in 17 years; racing icon Mario Andretti and the obstacles he overcame to win the 1967 Daytona 500; the infamous “Aero Wars” that pitted Ford against Chrysler in 1969-1971; the legend of Smokey Yunick, the colorful mechanic, car owner and innovator from Daytona; and Tiny Lund’s story at the 1963 Daytona 500, when he went from outsider to hero, 500 champion and Medal of Valor recipient. UNTOLD STORIES: DAYTONA premieres Friday, Feb. 12 at 7:30 PM ET on FS1 following the network’s live coverage of SPRINT UNLIMITED final practice.

NASCAR RACE CLASSIC: 1993 DAYTONA 500
NASCAR RACE CLASSIC: 1993 DAYTONA 500, hosted by Dale Earnhardt Jr., airs on FS1 on Friday, Feb. 12 at 8:30 PM ET, featuring a 30-minute, cut-down version of the 1993 edition of the “Great American Race” and supplemented with interesting “pop-up trivia” facts regarding the race and pop culture at that time. The legendary 1993 race marked FOX NASCAR analyst Jeff Gordon‘s first DAYTONA 500. Dale Jarrett held off Dale Earnhardt Sr. for the win while his father, Ned Jarrett, called the victory from the television broadcast booth.

BEYOND THE WHEEL: SHORT FILM SERIES SPECIAL
BEYOND THE WHEEL, a 90-minute special comprised of four short documentaries, offers an inside look at some of the sport’s most interesting traditions and fascinating historical characters. Airing at 9:00 PM ET, the films focus on the stories of Robbie Allison, son of former NASCAR driver Davey Allison, short track legend Dick Trickle, the iconic trophy girls and their legacy, and the reunion of journalist Tom Wolfe and Junior Johnson on the 50th anniversary of Wolfe’s landmark Esquire article.

NASCAR RACE HUB SPECIAL
NASCAR RACE HUB SPECIAL: DAYTONA RISING highlights the new features and innovations of the revitalized Daytona International Speedway while also detailing the track’s rich history with NASCAR. Premiering on Thursday, Jan. 28 at 5:00 PM ET, the special gives fans an inside look at the Daytona Rising project through interviews with Lesa France Kennedy, track president Joie Chitwood III and the architect behind the mega-structure set to host its first race of the NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES season on Feb. 13.

100,000 CAMERAS: DAYTONA 500
100,000 CAMERAS: DAYTONA 500 premieres on FS1 on Saturday, Feb. 27 (6:30 PM ET) following the network’s live coverage of the NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES race from Atlanta Motor Speedway. This 30-minute special, the franchise’s third, weaves together fan and driver-generated video to tell the story of the 2016 DAYTONA 500, the first “Great American Race” held at Daytona Rising, from every conceivable angle, regardless of location. The crowd-sourced documentary captures the ‘life in a day of NASCAR’ and how the sport connects people and communities at the track and around the world.

Fans across the world are invited to share their DAYTONA 500 story by using cameras and mobile devices to capture the race, as well as the hours preceding and following it, whether from Daytona’s stadium, on a road trip to the track, while tailgating or watching from home or a neighborhood bar. Using the hashtags #100KCams and #NASCAR, fans simply upload videos to their social media accounts (Instagram, Twitter, Vine, Facebook or YouTube) during or immediately following the race. The high-energy special also features additional and specialty camera angles and content not seen in the live FOX broadcast of the DAYTONA 500 (Sunday, Feb. 21), as well as driver and team radio scanner sound. Fans shooting video using a cell phone are encouraged to shoot horizontally for best results. For more tips and information on how to take and submit video, please visit www.foxsports.com/100KCams.

FS1 and NASCAR Productions premiered the first two editions of the cutting-edge 100,000 CAMERAS to critical acclaim following the 2014 NASCAR SPRINT ALL-STAR RACE and the May 2015 race at Talladega Superspeedway.

FOX Sports kicks off the 2016 NASCAR season by offering nearly 100 hours of multi-network, multi-platform coverage from Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway, culminating with live coverage of the DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, Feb. 21 live on FOX with pre-race coverage on FOX NASCAR SUNDAY (12:00 PM ET).

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Nascar

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kyle Busch said he is still working through his NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule for 2016, but he knows restrictor-plate tracks are off the table.

Busch, the defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, is the XFINITY Series win leader with 76 career victories. He also has 44 wins in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

But in 2015, Busch suffered a broken right leg and shattered left foot in the season-opening XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway. The injuries kept him sidelined for months, and forced him to miss the first 11 races of the Sprint Cup Series season.

MORE: Timeline of Busch injury, recovery

Tuesday, on the opening day of the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour, Busch said he hopes to run between “15 to 18 races” in the XFINITY Series.

“No restrictor-plate races, I’m out of that stuff,” he said. “No more plate races because my wife won’t let me. And (team owner) Joe (Gibbs).

“Joe and Samantha have made that decision. I was thinking about it but they were like ‘no.’ “

Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway are the only two tracks on the NASCAR schedule where teams compete with restrictor plates, devices that limit the airflow into an engine and curb horsepower.

Although he missed a large portion of the season, Busch, 30, won five Sprint Cup races en route to the 2015 title. He also won six times in the XFINITY Series and twice in the Truck Series.

He competes for JGR in Sprint Cup and the XFINITY Series, but operates as an owner/driver in the Truck Series, where his Kyle Busch Motorsports organization won the ’15 title with driver Erik Jones.

The restrictor-plate decision was made “when I hit the wall at 90 g’s,” he said.

“That was sort of an (indication) that ‘all right, we don’t need to be doing this anymore,'” Busch said. “That was more of a Joe and Samantha request rather than something for me. I’ll race anything; I don’t care. But we’re not … invincible of course, things do happen. That was just a part of the plan.

“They are probably the scariest, most dangerous races that we have on the calendar. There still could be some crazy things that happen at other race tracks but it’s more in the drivers’ hands. …

“We were in the hospital and Samantha was like ‘you’re not doing these restrictor plate races anymore.’ Then she had a conversation with Joe.”

Busch underwent surgery last month to remove the metal rod and screws in his right leg as well as two plates in his left foot. He should require no further surgeries related to those injuries he said, noting that “everything went as expected.

“I feel like I’m probably about 85, maybe even better than 85 percent right now so I’m pretty close,” he said. “I definitely feel like a few more therapy sessions that I have lined up before getting to Daytona, I’m going to be fine. I feel like I’ll actually be 100 percent by Daytona.

“There’s still some swelling and some inflammation in there right now and scar tissue stuff that we’ve got to break down. As soon as we do that, that’s sort of when I feel like you’re 100 percent. But I’ve got full range of motion out of everything right now, full weight bearing and everything. About the only thing I’m not quite doing yet is going for a run.”

The NASCAR season officially gets underway next month at Daytona International Speedway with season-opening events in the Sprint Cup, XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series.

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Nascar

MORE: Timeline of Busch injury, recovery

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Nascar

RELATED: Learn more about the changes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A seven-race Chase format and revamped Dash 4 Cash program will greet XFINITY Series teams for 2016 as NASCAR rolled out major changes for two of its three national series Tuesday during the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

“When you get down there to Homestead, you don’t … go down there and run 14th. You’re going to have to run your tail off,” XFINITY Series director Wayne Auton said of the adoption of a Chase format for the series.

“I think we’ll see a different style racing, everyone focused on getting that first win as we saw with the Sprint Cup Series. We feel like it’s going to highlight the XFINITY Series drivers, which is what we need to do and (boost) the “Where Drivers are Made.” It’s just another way that we know we will get these young drivers out in front of everyone.

“When we get to Homestead, I don’t know who will be more nervous, them or myself. Because you want to … make sure everything is right. But the fans are the ones that are going to win.”

Similar to the format currently used in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the XFINITY Series Chase will consist of the season’s final seven races. It will feature a 12-driver field, two three-race elimination rounds, and conclude with four finalists competing for the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“For me, I’m 100 percent in favor of that,” Daniel Suarez, driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota said on Tuesday during JGR’s portion of the media tour. “I think it’s going to be more fun, and more exciting for us, for the fans, for NASCAR. We are going to add some pressure on ourselves, which I think is going to be good. When we get ready to make the step to the Cup level, we are going to know what to expect from all this pressure in this system, so it’s going to be fun.”

To qualify, a driver must have either finished among the top 12 drivers or won one or more of the season’s first 26 races — provided he or she is in the top 30 in points and has attempted to qualify for each race. Any driver winning two Dash 4 Cash bonuses will also earn a Chase berth.

The first round will consist of races at Kentucky, Dover and Charlotte, with the top eight advancing. As with the Sprint Cup format, winning an XFINITY Series Chase race automatically advances an eligible team. Points will determine the remainder of the eight that advance out of the Round of 12.

Similarly, the Round of 8 will consist of three races, at Kansas, Texas and Phoenix, with winning eligible drivers and/or points determining the final four that will compete in the Championship 4 at Homestead.

The highest finishing driver among the final four will be crowned XFINITY Series champion.

There will be points resets after each round and any Sprint Cup Series driver who qualified for the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is ineligible to compete in the XFINITY Series Championship 4 at Homestead.

“I wouldn’t say it changes anything for the start of the year or even really for the mid-part of the year,” Erik Jones, driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on Tuesday. “We’re still going to try to win races, but the time it really changes is when you get to the elimination races and especially when you get to Homestead.”

This year’s Dash 4 Cash program will feature stops at Bristol (April 16), Richmond (April 23), Dover (May 14) and Indianapolis (July 23). Prior to each event, two heat races (with lineups determined by odd/even qualifying positions) will determine the 40-car lineup for the main.

The two highest finishing XFINITY Series regulars in each heat race will qualify for that event’s Dash 4 Cash award, a $100,000 bonus. Any driver winning two of the four Dash 4 Cash bonuses will earn a Chase berth, as long as he or she meets the previously established criteria.

“At Bristol, we will have 50-lap heat races, then a 200-lap main,” Auton said of the series’ first visit of the year to the Tennessee short track. “At Richmond, we’ll have 35-lap heat races and a 140-lap main; when we go to Dover, we will have two 40-lap heat races and a 120-lap main and when we get to Indy we’ll have two 20-lap heats and a then a 60-lap main.”

There will be a 15-minute break between heats and a 20-minute break between the final heat race and the main.

There will be no purse money or points paid for the heat races.

Contributing: Zack Albert

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Holly Cain

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Looking very proper, dressed in a navy suit and tie, Matt Kenseth was also very revealing and honest during his availability during the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour Tuesday morning.

When asked about his well publicized dust-up with young driver Joey Logano late last season — which resulted in a two-race suspension for Kenseth for intentionally wrecking Logano in the Martinsville race — the 2003 Cup champion remained steadfast in his views that the young driver wronged him.

But he was equally as adamant that the two star drivers should be ready to put the bad blood behind them, move on and race respectfully. He did not, however, express any regrets.

RELATED: Watch the on-track incident

Kenseth said he and Logano spoke at NASCAR’s request during the 2015 Homestead-Miami season finale — Kenseth’s first race back after the suspension — and again later in Las Vegas just in natural, casual interaction.

“NASCAR got us together at Homestead and we talked a little bit, but really didn’t speak about any of this kind of stuff,” Kenseth said. “We spoke briefly in Vegas a couple times.

“Honestly, I’d never had a problem with Joey before that. We’ve always raced well together and I’ve always had a lot of respect for him and felt like he raced me clean before all this stuff went down. Maybe it’s best to put it down and go back to racing each other the way we used to race each other.”

Kenseth, normally considered one of NASCAR’s most mild-mannered, laidback drivers, was not so amicable late last year and his purposeful handling of the situation with Logano both shocked and pleased many.

Feeling Logano intentionally wrecked him at Kansas, Kenseth returned the favor at Martinsville, seriously damaging Logano’s once sure-thing championship fate.

However, Kenseth explained Tuesday, “I’ve got to be honest. I’ve had more fan support in the last three months than I’ve ever had in my life. It’s been unbelievable. And the support is in the garage, fans, even my sponsors, the shop. I’ve had more support than I’ve ever had.

“But this isn’t a popularity contest, it’s about winning. I feel like I have a lot of respect from my organization and my teammates and I feel like I have a lot of respect within the garage. So I’m not going to change who I am, just go out and do my business and some people are going to like it and some people aren’t.”

“I think the way all the circumstances fell, it was something that unfortunately had to be done. If I knew I was going to be suspended I would have figured out how do it differently and be a little sneakier about it to where you didn’t get yourself suspended.”

Kenseth was eager to put the whole situation behind him, but reiterated it was a lesson for both he and Logano. He hoped the young driver understood his stance.

“It depends who you ask (if I did the right thing),” Kenseth said. “Some people will say I did and some will say I didn’t. You know, it’s been an interesting offseason to be honest with you. I’ve gotten more feedback, had more fans approach me this offseason than I have ever in my entire life at just random places you go.

“I haven’t had any guy want to hit me yet.”

Kenseth did concede he’d prefer not to have been in the situation.

“I wish with 10 to go at Kansas he would have figured out a way to pass me without running into me, just like Jimmie (Johnson) did to Brad (Keselowski) the next week at Texas and just like I did to him earlier in the race.

“(At Texas) I wish he’d won and I finished second and he had figured out a way to get around me the right way and we never would have been in that spot. But obviously you can’t go back, so you just put it behind you and move forward.”

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Holly Cain

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In addressing the promising outlook for the recently completed $400 million Daytona RISING project, International Speedway Corporation Chief Executive Officer Lesa France Kennedy suggested Tuesday at the annual NASCAR Media Tour that the sport’s flagship track may be only the beginning for such massive renovations and modernization.

She mentioned that ISC tracks Richmond International Raceway and Phoenix International Raceway may be on the horizon for some innovative upgrade projects, too.

“It’s so important to continue to modernize these tracks and to be able to bring the modern‑day amenities and comforts into these tracks, and I can tell you that we’re taking a look at Richmond and also in Phoenix, those will probably be some of the next tracks that we look at,” Kennedy said. “We’re always improving tracks across our portfolio, but those are great markets that we need to look at, and also great racing experiences.

“I think we can make some great improvements there.”

NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series started competing on the 1-mile Phoenix International Raceway in 1988 while NASCAR competition at Richmond International Raceway dates back to Lee Petty’s win there in 1953.