Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Busch undergoes successful surgery | ‘Rowdy’ set for tuneup race


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 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 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 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.

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: