Larson ready for bounce-back with new crew chief

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.”

Posted on January 20, 2016June 29, 2020 by Kathy Sheldon

Joey Logano has essentially the same thoughts about last year’s drama with Matt Kenseth as the driver of the No. 20 car does: No regrets and let’s move on.

“I can’t speak for anyone else. I feel like there’s only one person who can judge me, and it’s no one standing across from me right now,” Logano said, indicating the throng of reporters surrounding him during the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour on Wednesday. I know there are some things I need to work on as a person, and I try to work on that every day.

Patience is not one of Logano’s virtues, he admits, saying he’s really eager to get back into the race car at Daytona. But he’s not apologizing for his Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup win at Kansas, where he spun leader Kenseth in the closing laps, or how he handled himself the rest of the 2015 season.

RELATED: Recap Logano’s 2015 season

Logano said he and teammate Brad Keselowski are both passionate, competitive drivers, and nothing about that is going to change. He wants to win another Sprint Cup title for Roger Penske, and Team Penske‘s 50th anniversary year would be a great time for that. And just maybe duking it out with Kenseth during the 2015 Chase can help Logano as a competitor.

“People are drawn to the negative side, but there are a lot of positives,” Logano said. “Maybe as a positive thinker, that’s how I get through life, but I want to look at the positives like ‘where did I grow from this whole thing, internally as a person or externally as what we do as a race team and how we gained a lot of fans through this whole thing?'”

“I’m proud of how we handled everything, and the way my fans supported me is greatly appreciated.”

Kenseth, too, said his fans had weighed in heavily during the offseason.

“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,” Kenseth said Tuesday during JGR’s media tour availability. “But this isn’t a popularity contest, it’s about winning.”

Logano said one aspect of the feud — and fans’ reactions to it — was amusing. When he went to Talladega Superspeedway the week after Kansas and received a rousing chorus of boos from the crowd, he said it reminded him of Jeff Gordon‘s usual reception at the Alabama track. “Hey, at least I have one thing in common with Jeff Gordon!”

Posted on January 20, 2016June 29, 2020 by Kathy Sheldon

Joey Logano has essentially the same thoughts about last year’s drama with Matt Kenseth as the driver of the No. 20 car does: No regrets and let’s move on.

Posted on January 20, 2016 by

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 20, 2016) — The world will be coming to Daytona International Speedway for the grand opening of its motorsports stadium, with a solid international field set for the debut race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: the 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 30-31.

A 54-car field with drivers representing 24 countries serves as the opening race for Daytona Rising, the $400 million reimagining of the historic venue. In addition to kicking off the WeatherTech Championship, the race also will open the four-race Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup.

“As the International Motor Sports Association, we take great pride in having strong international representation in the Rolex 24 At Daytona,” said IMSA CEO Ed Bennett. “We are fortunate to have an outstanding field of drivers, teams and manufacturers representing every corner of the world join us for this year’s race. The eyes of the racing world truly will be on Daytona International Speedway during the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Between the debut of many awe-inspiring race cars and being the first race in the Daytona International Speedway motorsports stadium, the view will be spectacular.”

Daytona International Speedway founder Bill France Sr. envisioned sports car racing as bringing international recognition to his venue with the running of the inaugural Daytona Continental in 1962, an event expanded to 24 hours in 1966.

Now, 50 years later, that event has grown into the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The field will include 12 world-class automotive manufacturers across the four classes, reigniting decades-long rivalries in addition to building new ones.

In the Prototype category, the battle for the overall victory will include the classic Ford vs. Chevrolet rivalry, but will be expanded to include Honda, Mazda, Nissan and BMW-powered prototypes, in addition to the one-of-a-kind DeltaWing. Ford and Chevy have split the overall victories the past two years, but if speeds at the recent Roar Before The Rolex 24 At Daytona were any indication, any one of the 13 entries in the Prototype class could feasibly pull into Victory Lane on the afternoon of Sunday, Jan. 31.

The GT Le Mans (GTLM) class features the pair of Corvette C7.Rs that won the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida and 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015, as well as the defending WeatherTech Championship GTLM championship-winning Porsche North America team.

However, many sports car racing headlines over the past year have gone to the new Ford GT program, which makes its competition debut in the Rolex 24 At Daytona with a two-car effort fielded by Ford Chip Ganassi Racing. The return of the Ford GT begins a new chapter in the Ford-Chevrolet battle, while also reigniting a 50-year-old Ford vs. Ferrari fight. The field also will include a pair of brand-new BMW M6 GTLM race cars from BMW Team RLL.

The GT Daytona (GTD) class, which has adopted full FIA GT3 technical regulations in 2016, features a 22-car field and seven different manufacturers. Familiar GTD brands Audi, Porsche and BMW all will debut brand-new race cars in the Rolex 24, alongside updated machinery from Ferrari, Dodge and Aston Martin. Joining the GTD fray this year for the first time will be Lamborghini, with five Huracáns in a field stacked with manufacturer, team and driver talent.

In Prototype Challenge (PC), eight teams and a host of strong driver lineups will battle it out for class honors.

In total, all but three of the 54 entries feature driver lineups with mixed nationalities. The United States has the most drivers entered with 87, while Germany leads the list of visiting countries with 23 drivers represented in the preliminary Rolex 24 entry. Great Britain is next with 19 drivers, followed by Italy, 16; France, nine; and Canada, seven. Austria, Brazil and Mexico are each represented by six drivers.

Four female drivers are set to compete in this year’s race. British driver Katherine Legge returns to the No. 0 Panoz DeltaWing Racing coupe in the Prototype class. Competing in GT Daytona (GTD) are German Sabine Schmitz in the No. 30 Frikadelli Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R; Christina Nielsen of Denmark in the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 GT3; and American Ashley Freiberg in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3.

Practice for the Rolex 24 At Daytona begins the morning of Thursday, Jan. 28, with qualifying taking place later than afternoon. The weekend also includes the BMW Performance 200; the opening round of the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, on Friday at 1:45 p.m. Television coverage of the Rolex 24 gets underway on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on FS1.

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Nascar

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Team Penske kicked off its 50th season Wednesday night with a private function in the Crown Ballroom of the Charlotte Convention Center.

Forty-two drivers, all Penske people at one time or another, from the open-wheel, stock car and road racing ranks were among the 1,000 or so expected to be on hand to help team owner Roger Penske celebrate the milestone.

The white-haired, soon-to-be 79-year-old Penske has no plans to go gently into the night, however.

“I don’t know when I’m going to leave the sport. It will probably be pretty abrupt when I do,” Penske said during the second day of the annual Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour. “I’m counting on this legacy will continue on.

“My sons and our family love the sport, it’s a … common thread through the company so there’s no reason not to be involved. If we can sustain the sponsorship and the key people stay with us and will continue to help us we can go on forever and I don’t see any reason we can’t do that.”

In NASCAR, Penske teams have won 147 times, including 93 in the premier series. Brad Keselowski, who along with Joey Logano makes up the organization’s Sprint Cup lineup, scored Penske’s first NASCAR premier series title in 2012.

His organization has won 181 times in IndyCar, a total that includes 16 victories in the Indianapolis 500.

“His work ethic is what you would expect from a 25-year-old man and then some,” Keselowski said. “There have been countless times where I wake up in the morning, slept longer than (normal) and the first thing that enters my mind is ‘Gosh, Roger beat me to work by a long way.’

“He motivates me to work harder. He pushes me in direction that I didn’t think of before. He has such a deep understanding on so many levels of what it takes to be successful that I find myself constantly trying to emulate him. …

“He really just amazes me more than anything else with some of the things he does.”

In addition to Keselowski and Logano, among those finding NASCAR success with Penske have been Mark Donohue (the organization’s first stock-car winner), NASCAR Hall of Fame members Bobby Allison and Rusty Wallace, as well as Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch.

His lieutenants ensure that his racing entities run like clockwork and although racing is just one of his many successful business endeavors it has proven to be a crucial part.

“Racing has given me the opportunity to compete on a world-wide stage,” he said. “It shows execution, it shows we can handle adversity … there’s no question that the partnerships that I’ve been able to generate with the OEMS from my business have been amazing. Without racing I would have never had the connection in the automobile business and that’s really the heart of my company.”

The focus on the 50th year celebration has generated much interest among those inside the organization and helped fill in a picture for those who have been part of the amazing run.

“It seems like I learn a little more every day as we’ve gone through talking about the … anniversary,” Paul Wolfe, crew chief for Keselowski, said. “And being able to be a part of things with Rusty and Rick (Mears) and just all the amazing people that have been able to work and be a part of the history with Penske, I’m just a small part of that. I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to.”

Success in the stock car ranks came slowly and Penske left the series briefly, from 1978-79, before returning for two races with Wallace in 1980. The return was short-lived; he left again and didn’t return for a decade.

With IROC, Can-Am, IndyCar, “and some sports car stuff,” Penske said, “our plate was full. And costs were escalating.”

“Everybody in the world wanted to drive for Roger,” Wallace said. “For me to be able to drive the car in 1980, I thought that was my big break and that I had made it.”

Wallace returned nearly 10 years later, in ’91, with much more experience and a championship under his belt. And Penske was ready. The organization hasn’t missed a step since.

A celebration of five decades covers a lot of ground. But Penske insists the end isn’t in sight.

“I will be at the races as long as I can stand up,” he said. “We’re there for one reason and that’s to win.”

Posted on January 20, 2016 by

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sitting amongst racing royalty — and his new boss — and talking about his transition from Richard Childress Racing to Richard Petty Motorsports, Brian Scott displayed confidence and appeared ready for his first full-time season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

“I’m optimistic, I really am … there’s a lot of really exciting things happening,” Scott said during the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour on Wednesday morning.

The 28-year-old not only locked in a deal with RPM, but he will also wheel the iconic No. 44 Ford after the organization recently announced plans to bring back the number.

“The King” spoke during the media tour about the importance of the No. 44 returning to the RPM family. “We’re really bringing the number home, I guess is what we’re looking at,” he said.

Scott echoed the family-oriented theme by saying, “This sport, and Richard Petty Motorsports especially, was built on family … something I am very proud (to be a part) of.”

The addition of Scott, a native of Boise, Idaho, comes with news that Idaho-based companies Albertsons Companies and Shore Lodge are partnering up with the No. 44 as primary sponsors for 16 races and associate sponsors for 20 races.

RELATED: See the new look of Scott’s ride

Scott will pair with crew chief Chris Heroy, formerly with the No. 42 team of Kyle Larson and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.

“Chris (Heroy) has worked with some of our boys before and everybody knew him. He’s well respected from our end of the deal,” Petty said. “We felt like that being a new driver and a new crew, then they could learn together.”

Heroy and Scott have already had conversations on how to have a consistent and competitive season, all while racing for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year honor — something Heroy helped Larson achieve in 2014.

Some realistic goals the pair have lined up for 2016 are, “Top-15 (results), finishing races on the lead lap and stealing finishes when we can and being aggressive,” Heroy said in a laid-back demeanor.

Scott said racing amongst the Cup veterans will not be a “cakewalk” but revealed, with a smirk on his face, “I like a good challenge and I think that we’re up to it.”

And with Heroy’s calm voice in his ear, Scott is ready to embark on his rookie year.

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Staff Report

FAST FACTS: Changes coming for 2016 | READ: Drivers react to 2016 changes

In 2016, an elimination-style playoff format was introduced into the Camping World Truck Series. We are here to help with a quick rundown on how the system works.

THE SEEDING

A win in the first 16 races all but guarantees a driver entry into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase, provided the driver is in the top 20 in points (note: previously, this was top 30) and has attempted to qualify for each race.

Each of the eight drivers who qualifies for the playoffs starts with 2,000 points, plus bonus playoff points earned during the regular season. After the bonus points for wins are added, drivers are ranked in order of the reset points.

THE ROUNDS

Round of 8: The eight drivers will take the track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway for the six spots available in the next round. A win at any of the three tracks equals advancement into the next round. The remaining available positions (1-6) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points.

Tiebreaker: If any position comes down to a tiebreaker, only the three races in the Round of 8 matter. Wins and finishes in the regular season won’t, so the drivers will need to run up front to challenge for the win. If they can’t win, they’ll need to have more second-place finishes, third-place finishes, etc. than their competitors in order to break the tie and advance. If two drivers have the exact same finishes, the tiebreaker then goes to the driver who scored the best finish first.

Round of 6: The six remaining drivers will have their points reset to 3,000, then have their bonus points added to the total, and take the track at Martinsville Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway. Again, a win at any of the three tracks automatically advances the driver to the next round (Round of 4). The remaining available positions (1-4) will be filled on points.

Tiebreaker: If any position comes down to a tiebreaker, only the three races in the Round of 6 matter. Wins and finishes in the regular season won’t, so the drivers will need to run up front to challenge for the win. If they can’t win, they’ll need to have more second-place finishes, third-place finishes, etc. than their competitors in order to break the tie and advance. If two drivers have the exact same finishes, the tiebreaker then goes to the driver who scored the best finish first.

Round of 4: The four drivers who advance to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway will have their points reset to 4,000. The highest finishing Championship 4 driver will win be crowned the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion.

THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP 

The final race is all about order of finish. No bonus points for laps led, etc. The four finalists will start the race tied, and the highest finisher among them at Homestead-Miami Speedway will win the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship.

THE POINTS
Drivers who don’t advance to the next round will have their point totals reset to the Chase-start base of 2,000 (with any regular-season wins bonus points), plus the additional points they’ve earned during the Chase. The idea, which was actually a driver-led suggestion, is that those eliminated from the postseason still have something to race for — fifth place. A driver eliminated in the opening Round of 8, for example, can still finish ranked higher than someone who just misses the Championship Round cut.

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Staff Report

FAST FACTS: Changes coming for 2016 | READ: Drivers react to 2016 changes

Elimination-style playoffs have arrived for the NASCAR XFINITY Series. We’re here to help with a quick refresher on how the playoff system works and how it’s unique for the XFINITY Series.

THE SEEDING

A win in the first 26 races all but guarantees a driver entry into the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase, provided the driver is in the top 20 in points (note: previous, this was top 30) and has attempted to qualify for each race. Drivers who win two Dash 4 Cash bonuses are also all but guaranteed a Chase berth.

Each of the 12 drivers who qualifies for the Chase Grid starts with 2,000 points, plus in addition playoff bonus points accrued during the regular season.

THE ROUNDS

Round of 12: The first round consists of the races at Kentucky, Dover, and Charlotte. If a driver wins a race in the Round of 12, the driver automatically advances to the next round. The remaining available positions (1-8) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points. New for 2017 is that bonus points earned during the regular season carry over each round of the postseason.

Tiebreaker: If any position comes down to a tiebreaker, only the three races in the Round of 12 matter. Wins and finishes in the regular season won’t, so the drivers will need to run up front to challenge for the win. If they can’t win, they’ll need to have more second-place finishes, third-place finishes, etc. than their competitors in order to break the tie and advance. If two drivers have the exact same finishes, the tiebreaker then goes to the driver who scored the best finish first.

Round of 8: Each driver who advances to the next round (Kansas, Texas, Phoenix) then will have their points reset to 3,000. Drivers who win a race in the Round of 8 automatically advance to the Championship 4. The remaining available positions (1-4) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points.

Championship 4: The four drivers who advance to the Championship 4 at Homestead will have their points reset to 4,000. The highest finishing Championship 4 driver will be crowned the NASCAR XFINITY Series champion.

THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP 

THE POINTS
Drivers who don’t advance to the next round will have their point totals reset to the Chase-start base of 2,000 (with any regular-season wins bonus points), plus the additional points they’ve earned during the Chase. The idea, which was actually a driver-led suggestion, is that those eliminated from the postseason still have something to race for — fifth place. A driver eliminated in the opening Round of 12, for example, can still finish ranked higher than someone who just misses the Championship Round cut.