Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Learn more about the changes


CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A new Chase format for the XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series in the upcoming 2016 season headlined NASCAR Chairman & CEO Brian France’s opening address to the gathered national media at the annual Charlotte Media Tour.

 

More than 200 reporters came together in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in chilly uptown Charlotte on Tuesday hearing first from NASCAR’s leader France, who was buoyed with great expectations for the new season because, he stressed, 2015 was “one of the most exciting seasons ever and the statistics back that up.”

 

France, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell and International Speedway Corporation Chief Executive Officer Lesa France Kennedy were the lead speakers sharing updates about NASCAR competition. And in the case of Kennedy, she shared news about the newly completed $400 million Daytona Rising project and suggested that the company’s Richmond and Phoenix tracks may be next up for major renovations along those lines.

 

RELATED: More from Lesa France Kennedy

 

In addition to praising the 2015 season for its productive innovations (Air Titan track dryers and second version of the Chase format) France noted that he expected NASCAR and its owners to iron out a “new charter system” in the near future.

 

“I’m very optimistic we will get a new ownership structure completed,” France said, adding the timeline for completing the project “is sooner rather than later.”

 

“This is a very complicated plan and structure and will require time to phase in many structures of it,” France added. “But I’m optimistic.”

 

France praised both networks televising the Sprint Cup races — FOX and NBC — noting that year one of the two 10-year deals was a success and he gave recently retired champion driver Jeff Gordon a “shout out” as Gordon transitions to the FOX television booth.

 

“While we will miss Jeff on the track, having him explain about racing on the track is the next best thing,” France said, smiling.

 

In addition to taking questions from the gathered reporters, France posed for photos with the newest members of NASCAR’s “Drive for Diversity” class.

 

The biggest buzz of the morning, however, centered around major changes to the XFINITY and Truck Series formats, specifically adding a “Chase” system to them.

 

O’Donnell shared that the XFINITY championship would include 12 drivers and seven Chase races while the Truck Series title will be decided among eight drivers in seven races.

 

“We have a ton of excitement and are carrying huge momentum for the conclusion of the season,” O’Donnell said. “We expect similar results in the XFINITY Series and Camping World where the focus will be on multiple teams, and as Brian mentioned earlier, they’ve got to go out and win, and that’s what we’re all about as a sport.”

 

Before leaving the stage O’Donnell confirmed that he received “terrific feedback” from drivers participating in the Sprint Cup Series test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and expects the low downforce package  — first used in the second race of the season at Atlanta — to be a positive addition to the sport’s product this year.


RELATED: Drivers discuss Las Vegas test


Kennedy, recently named “The Most Powerful Woman in Sports” by Forbes Magazine, took the Hall of Fame stage to share the positive news about the completed Daytona speedway. It will debut officially with the Jan. 30-31 Rolex 24 at Daytona and make its NASCAR introduction for Speedweeks at the Feb. 13 Sprint Unlimited.

 

It’s not just the world’s most famous NASCAR track that will be attracting fans but the amenities of the facility, now likened more to a true state-of-the-art stadium.

 

“I feel like one of the biggest ‘wow’ factors will be technology and how it’ll be so much more interactive with the fans,” Kennedy said. “I think that you’re going to see, we talked about our new mobile app, for instance, and it’ll give fans the opportunity to go to reward stations and get prizes, all types of interactive events like that. I think they’re going to enjoy it.

 

“We’re also going to have new larger high‑def video screens, so they’re going to feel more up close and personal with the competition, the drivers, and what’s going on at the track. And the one thing I love at Daytona but across all the facilities is that the Wi‑Fi capabilities, and we’ve all been to a stadium where you can’t get out and you can’t communicate out, and we have so many cool things that are going on, I want our fans to be able to be telling everybody what’s happening there during the event, and I think that’s going to be really good for all of us.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Furniture Row Racing announced a sponsorship agreement with Bass Pro Shops for the No. 78 Toyota driven by Martin Truex Jr. during their segment of the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour.

The sponsorship is for nine races this season including the season-opening Daytona 500. This is a reunion of sorts for the company and Truex, whose relationship with Bass Pro Shops dates back to his time running in the NASCAR XFINITY Series as well as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing (2004-09).

“It’s nice to have Bass Pro Shops back on my race car,” Truex said Tuesday afternoon. “In addition to my passion for fishing, hunting and the outdoors, Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris is a personal friend and a hunting buddy. With our manufacturer changing to Toyota, our Furniture Row Racing team is positioned to take both companies to Victory Lane and contend for the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.”

 

“We are thrilled to continue our longstanding relationship with Martin Truex Jr. — a passionate driver and outdoor lover — while further aligning with our friends at Toyota,” said Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops. “NASCAR is an excellent platform for Bass Pro Shops and we are pleased to continue our strong alignments with Tony Stewart, Ty Dillon and Jamie McMurray.”

The added sponsor is not the only change for the single-car team based out of Denver, Colorado, in 2016. Last September, Furniture Row Racing announced it was moving to Toyota as its manufacturer and would have a technical alliance with fellow Toyota organization Joe Gibbs Racing.

Truex made the Championship 4 on the heels of his strongest Sprint Cup season to date in 2015. The 35-year-old driver won the June race at Pocono Raceway and recorded a career-best eight top fives and 22 top 10s en route to a fourth-place finish in the standings. The 2016 campaign marks his third season with the team.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials on Tuesday announced several changes coming to the sport in 2016. Here’s a quick-hitting look at what they are:
 
• A seven-race elimination-style playoff system is coming to the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2016. | Read more about the big announcement
 
• Twelve drivers qualify for the XFINITY Series playoffs; eight drivers qualify for the Camping World Truck Series playoffs.
 
• Two three-race elimination rounds in the XFINITY Series whittle the postseason field from 12 drivers to eight to four for the finale at Homestead. | Full details on new postseason format
 
• Two three-race elimination rounds in the Truck Series whittle the postseason field from eight drivers to six to four for the finale at Homestead. | How the new-look NCWTS Chase works
 
• A Caution Clock is coming to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. It’s a 20-minute timer that begins when the green flag drops. When time runs out, a caution is called. If a caution occurs before the clock reaches zero, the clock is reset. | Full details of the Caution Clock
 
• The Dash 4 Cash program returns to the XFINITY Series, with tweaks. For D4C events at Bristol, Richmond, Dover and Indianapolis, there will be two heat races to determine who qualifies for the Dash 4 Cash in the main race. | How Dash 4 Cash impacts NXS Chase

Posted on by Staff Report

The Dash 4 Cash returns to the NASCAR XFINITY Series for the 2016 season with changes that coincide with Tuesday’s announcement of the new Chase-style playoff format for the series.

The Dash 4 Cash, which includes cash prizes for winning drivers, will take place at Bristol Motor Speedway (April 16), Richmond International Raceway (April 23), Dover International Speedway (May 14) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 23).

At each of these events there will be two heat races and the winners will compete for the Dash 4 Cash prize in the feature race. Odd-numbered qualifiers will be pitted against each other in one heat race, and even-numbered qualifiers will compete in the other heat race. The top two finishers in each heat race would be the Dash 4 Cash eligible drivers.

Only drivers who are eligible for XFINITY Series points will be eligible to win in the Dash 4 Cash with the grand prize being awarded in the finale at Indianapolis. As an extra incentive, a driver who wins two Dash 4 Cash events will be awarded a spot in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase.

The Dash 4 Cash program has been a highlight of the XFINITY Series season since 2009. Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Daniel Suarez won the 2015 Dash 4 Cash. Suarez took home a check for $100,000 on Sept. 5 at Darlington Raceway.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR made some major announcements on Tuesday morning. The big news being that the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be adopting the Chase-elimination style format that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has used the past two seasons.

RELATED: Learn all about the Chase format | Fast facts about the changes

On top of that, the Dash 4 Cash program will have a new-look to it in the XFINITY Series and a Caution Clock is being unveiled in the Camping World Truck Series.

MORE: Dash 4 Cash gets new look for ’16 | Caution Clock comes to Truck Series

After the announcement, drivers took to social media to react to the news. 

Posted on by Staff Report

SHOP: Get ‘Batman v. Superman’ NASCAR gear

Superman vs. Batman? Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have picked their respective sides.

Two months before the much-anticipated Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie is released, Hendrick Motorsports unveiled a pair of special paint schemes that Six-Time and Junior will run at Auto Club Speedway on March 20.

Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet will maintain its blue color, but with a bright red Superman logo on the hood. Earnhardt’s No. 88 Nationwide Chevy gets a gray look with the bat symbol on the hood.

Here’s a trailer via Hendrick Motorsports:

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full Charlotte Media Tour schedule | Fast facts: All changes coming in 2016

The 2016 NASCAR season is upon us. 

Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour is here, kicking off with Toyota Tuesday. Be sure to follow along by tuning into today’s press conferences.


NASCAR.com will also be keeping a live blog covering all the Media Tour news. So, check back right here for periodic updates throughout the day.


5 p.m. ET

FOX Sports NASCAR announcers on stage. We see you, “Four-time”.



4:15 p.m. ET

Next up at Charlotte Media Day is FOX Sports at 5 p.m. ET. | Watch here


3:35 p.m. ET

Take a look at Martin Truex Jr.’s 2016 ride.



3:22 p.m. ET

Furniture Row Racing announces its deal with Bass Pro Shops for 2016 | READ: Furniture Row lands Bass Pro sponsorship



3:16 p.m. ET

Furniture Row Racing takes the stage.

1:59 p.m. ET

Check out a Periscope stream of Joe Gibbs Racing‘s break-out sessions here. Next up is Furniture Row Racing at 3:15 p.m. ET. | Watch here


1:50 p.m. ET

Joe Gibbs Racing shares a cool photo of its drivers from 25 years ago, when the racing team orginiated.



1:31 p.m. ET



12:28 p.m. ET

Stay tuned — Joe Gibbs Racing coming up at 1:30 p.m. ET. | Watch here


12:01 p.m. ET

Renovations coming for two of NASCAR’s most unique tracks.



11:55 a.m ET

Full details on the new Caution Clock here.


11:52 a.m. ET

Now, this … this is exciting.

11:40 a.m. ET

Cut to The Chase. Hey, that’s pretty good.


11:25 a.m. ET

Safety first.


11:22 a.m. ET

Major news. XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series shifting to Chase elimination format for 2016. Full details here | Watch: NXS, NCWTC get Chase format


11:15 a.m. ET

Can’t. Wait.


11:10 a.m. ET

And all signs point to 2016 being even more exciting.


11:05 a.m. ET

First look at your 2016 XFINITY Series championship winning team?


11:02 a.m. ET

Green flag on Charlotte Media Tour.


10:58 a.m. ET

Gotta stay fresh.


10:50 a.m. ET

Who’s ready? We’re ready.


10:41 a.m. ET

Gotta be one of the coolest paint scheme promotions we’ve seen in the past few years. #HeroFaceOff



10:30 a.m. ET

It’s not even lunchtime yet. Get it together, ‘casm.


10:23 a.m. ET

Ah, picture day. Hope Mom remembered to pack a comb in everybody’s backpacks.


10:17 a.m. ET

Hendrick Motorsports announced some pretty cool paint schemes for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson before the festivities even got underway. Check ’em out.


10:15 a.m. ET

Kicking us off with a few links courtesy of @NASCAR to get you in the Charlotte Media Tour mood. Stay tuned for more.


Posted on by Zack Albert

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Denny Hamlin said Tuesday that he’s roughly 50 percent recovered from offseason knee surgery, but that the relatively lengthy healing process should not hinder his readiness for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
 
Hamlin, 35, underwent successful surgery Nov. 30 after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while playing basketball in early September. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who competed in the final 11 races of the season without an absence, said his recovery was still a “day by day” process.
 
“I’m not where I want or should be right now, but I’m getting there, like every day,” Hamlin said during the Joe Gibbs Racing portion of the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour. “I went on vacation and that kind of set me back a little bit and then now I’m starting to get back in the groove of things.”
 
Hamlin said the method of surgery differed from an ACL operation he underwent on his left knee during the 2010 season. He added that while the style of surgery may make him stronger in the long run, the short-term recovery process might be more drawn out.
 
With little more than three weeks before cars hit the track at Daytona International Speedway ahead of the Feb. 21 Daytona 500 (1 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), Hamlin said he wasn’t worried about any sort of delay for the start of his season.
 
“There’s no concern about Daytona,” Hamlin said. “I definitely could get in a car and do what I need to do right now. I think the challenge for me would probably be getting in the car, (that) would probably be the toughest part, but I was able to get in one at JGR last week, so I think everything will be fine. It’s just once I get my range of motion back, it’ll be fine. I’d say 50 percent’s probably fair.”

 

Coach Joe Gibbs, Hamlin’s car owner since his Sprint Cup debut in 2005, also struck a positive note. “I think it’s been a lot slower coming back, but I think he feels good about it,” Gibbs said. “We don’t see any issues, so he should be ready to go at Daytona.” 

 

The recuperation process did have an unintended side effect, halting an opportunity for Hamlin to compete in his first Rolex 24 at Daytona, the star-studded opening race for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Hamlin was in line to join part-time NASCAR competitors Boris Said and Kenny Habul in the Stevenson Motorsports Audi R8 LMS entry for the 24-hour sports car race Jan. 30-31. 

 

“I was closer than what Joe was willing to think I was,” Hamlin said with a grin. “I think I was going to run it, I’d verbally told someone I was going to run it, but then Joe reminded me and he talked to my doctor and said that I just wasn’t ready to do it. I agree with them. I needed some more time to get ready for the season, and when you have the Rolex 24 and driver changes and you’ve got to get in and out real fast, I just wasn’t ready for that.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: NXS, Trucks Series get Chase elimination | Smith talks Caution Clock

 

The shot-clock era is coming to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

NASCAR announced plenty of changes Tuesday during its annual kickoff to the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour, but the superlative for “Most Innovative” or “Most Unique” may go to the advent of a Caution Clock for the truck series this year. It’s the latest wrinkle in an already intriguing 2016 season, which will feature a Chase playoff format for the first time.

Starting with the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 19, Camping World Truck Series races will use a 20-minute timer that begins counting down at the start of each green-flag run. If no caution period occurs before the 20-minute limit elapses, the yellow flag will fly, giving teams the opportunity to make pit stops and adjustments under caution.

The rules change will have variations at a handful of tracks. At most tracks, the Caution Clock will be turned off with 20 laps to go. The exceptions are events held at the longer layouts of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Pocono Raceway, where the Caution Clock will be discontinued with 10 laps remaining. The Caution Clock will also not be used at Eldora Speedway, where the series’ annual race on dirt has traditionally been broken into three segments.


RELATED: Drivers excited about Trucks format changes 


It’s another big format change that promises to break up longer runs in a series that’s become a proving ground for young talent.

“Why is it important for us? We think it’s going to add to the strategy during the race,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer. “If you look at the Camping World Truck Series, that is an area where some of our younger drivers, our newer teams really can use the competition caution to be able to adjust on the truck.

“We’ve seen that in the (Sprint) Cup Series when we’ve had a competition caution early in the race. It’s allowed teams to make some last-minute adjustments in the race. We think that’s going to be huge for the teams in the trucks throughout the race.”


RELATED: Five young drivers to watch in NCWTS


The rules change takes come cues from basketball, with its shot clocks and regularly scheduled TV timeouts. But it also makes a slight nod toward the trucks series’ infancy, when shorter races used a halftime break.

While contrarians could argue that the natural flow of races might be disrupted by competition cautions at 20-minute intervals, Elton Sawyer — the truck series’ managing director — said the rules change has a groundswell of industry support.

“Actually, all the stakeholders, the teams, the broadcast partners were very receptive,” Sawyer said. “A lot of input went into it, a lot of energy behind the scenes. … Again, I just think it’s another level of excitement, another level of strategy and something our fans at the race track and the ones that are home are going to be tuned into.”

The truck series also will institute a seven-race Chase postseason format, culling a field of eight title-eligible drivers with two stages of eliminations before the championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 18.

The field, filled by race winners or the highest point-earners in the 16-race regular season, will cut from eight drivers to six after the first three-race stage, then six to four after the final three-race series ahead of the season-ending event. Additionally, drivers who made the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs in 2015 will not be permitted to compete in the truck series’ championship race at Homestead.


MORE: Fast facts on the changes in NASCAR’s three top series for 2016


While the postseason format mimics the system now used across all three national series, the truck tour now has its own unique facet in the Caution Clock. NASCAR officials said the change wasn’t implemented solely as a trial balloon for use in other series, but didn’t rule out expanding its reach if it achieves a positive reception in 2016.

“All these changes are really fundamentally with an eye on providing a more exciting product,” said Scott Miller, NASCAR’s new Senior Vice President of Competition. “We’ll always look at concepts, and if it looks like it works well and it’s something that we think would carry over into another series, we’ll always keep that in the back of our minds.”

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

RELATED: New-look Dash 4 Cash unveiled | Caution clock comes to trucks

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 19, 2016) – NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell announced today several racing-related innovations to the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, beginning with the 2016 season, designed to ignite and energize the growth of each series.

 

In the NASCAR XFINITY Series, where “Names Are Made,” each event in the popular Dash 4 Cash program now will be comprised of Two Heats and a Main. Drivers who win two of the four Dash 4 Cash bonuses available also are all but guaranteed a spot in the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase.

 

In addition, the rugged NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races now will feature a Caution Clock, which will be triggered at the start of each green-flag run. When the green flag is displayed, 20 minutes will be placed on the clock. If/when the clock expires, a caution will be thrown.

 

“These innovations contain the elements of racing that our fans want the most,” said O’Donnell. “The enhancements put a premium on in-race strategy, and will create an unprecedented level of excitement as teams make tactical decisions that could impact their spot in the Chase.”

 

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES DASH 4 CASH

The NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash will be comprised of Two Heats and a Main at four tracks: Bristol Motor Speedway (April 16), Richmond International Raceway (April 23), Dover International Speedway (May 14) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 23).

 

Qualifying for each Dash 4 Cash event will set the 40-car field and the starting positions for the Two Heats with the fastest qualifier awarded the Coors Light Pole Award. Odd-numbered qualifiers (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.) will start in the first Heat in respective order, while even-numbered qualifiers (2nd, 4th, 6th, etc.) will start the second Heat in respective order.

 

The Two Heats will set the starting positions for the Main with the top two NASCAR XFINITY Series regulars in each Heat becoming eligible for the Dash 4 Cash bonus. The highest finishing driver among the four Dash 4 Cash eligible drivers will be awarded a $100,000 bonus. If any driver wins two of the four Dash 4 Cash bonuses available, he/she is all but guaranteed a spot in the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase. In short, two Dash 4 Cash bonuses are equivalent to one race win in the new NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase format.

 

Drivers must have declared to earn NASCAR XFINITY Series points in order to be eligible for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash bonus.

 

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES CAUTION CLOCK

A Caution Clock will be utilized in each NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event (except for Eldora Speedway). The clock will be set to 20 minutes and triggered at the start of each green-flag run during race events. When the clock counts down to zero, a caution flag then will be displayed. A caution occurring before time expires resets the clock when the subsequent green flag is displayed.

 

The caution clock will be turned off with 20 laps to go at all events in the series, with the exception of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Pocono Raceway, where the clock will be turned off with 10 laps remaining.

 

The 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular season will kick off with the 58th running of the Daytona 500® on Sunday, Feb. 21 at Daytona International Speedway®. The Great American Race® will be broadcast live on FOX, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, with additional coverage on NASCAR.com.