Posted on by Holly Cain

A 2015 rewind and a 2016 preview for the top five finishers last season in the NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series. Today: Regan Smith, the fourth-place finisher in the XFINITY Series standings.
 
Team: JR Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet (in 2015), plans unknown for 2016
 
Wins: 2 (Mid-Ohio and Dover)
 
Strides: High expectations accompanied the 2015 season for the 2014 championship runner-up. Smith answered with a pair of wins and 13 consecutive top-10 efforts to close out the season in yet another legitimate run toward the XFINITY Series title. But a rough start put him in catch-up mode right off the bat. While he came up short, Smith again proved himself an elite-level competitor on the verge of hoisting a championship trophy.
 
Setbacks: Finishing just shy of the title despite an impressive season — only four times in 33 races did he finish worse than 13th place — would normally be considered a good year. Team changes at JRM, however, have left the proven veteran and former series runner-up still looking for a 2016 ride.
 
Quoteworthy: “You never know ’til it’s all said and done and everything’s pieced together. I would think it will be a sad day in the sport when guys running up front and consistently winning races, pretty sad if they don’t have a ride the next year — especially at my age. I’m just coming into my prime and feel like someone could capitalize on me learning what I’ve needed to learn over the years. Obviously nothing is a lock until it’s said and done, but we’re working hard to solidify that.”
 
What’s next: This is the million-dollar question for the talented 32-year-old. Smith has proven himself a winner in both the Cup and XFINITY ranks but is still looking for the right opportunity for 2016.

Posted on by Staff Report

Sherry Pollex tweeted on Monday that, after 17 months, she’s had her final bout of chemotherapy.

 

The longtime girlfriend of Martin Truex Jr. was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in August 2014. She rang the bell after her last session, saying she’s ready “to live my life!!!!”

Pollex continued her role as an advocate for those suffering with cancer even after her diagnosis, taking the fight to Washington, D.C. She and Truex also put on the “Catwalk for Cause” event to raise money for pediatric cancer.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Darlington’s 2015 throwback paint schemes 

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been inspired by Buddy Baker’s ‘Gray Ghost’ scheme for some time now. He said his 2016 Nationwide scheme is a nod to the car that won the 1980 Daytona 500, with gray side panels.

 

As early as that paint scheme reveal in October, he also has been hinting about using the ‘Gray Ghost’ as a tribute paint scheme in the 2016 Bojangles’ Southern 500 . Darlington again will be celebrating the race with a throwback theme — an event that caught the inudstry’s and fans’ imaginations and emotions in 2015.

 

RELATED: Dale Jr.’s 2016 Nationwide paint scheme revealed

 

Monday, Junior dropped more hints about working on a tribute to Buddy Baker’s legendary No. 28 at this year’s Southern 500. In 2015, he ran a Valvoline scheme with a nod to Cale Yarborough. 

 

 

In December, Earnhardt Jr. discussed this plan for the Southern 500 via Twitter with a fan, saying a nod to the Gray Ghost was “on the top of my wish list for the @TooToughToTame race this year.”

 

MORE: Dale Jr. discusses Gray Ghost, favorite Christmas presents

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: From college football mainstay to No. 88 rear tire carrier

 

As you may have heard, there’s a big football game happening Monday night.

 

Watch the above video to learn more about the Univeristy of Alabama and Clemson University’s ties to NASCAR and then vote in the poll below with who you think will win tonight’s national championship game.

 

One thing’s for sure: we know Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be watching.

 

Now that Junior’s NFL love, the Washington Redskins, has been knocked out of the playoffs, it’s time for the Hendrick Motorsports driver to pick himself up, get back on that horse and choose who he’s rooting for in Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship between the Crimson Tide and Tigers.

Junior chose to stand with JR Motorsports Brand and Communications Director Mike Davis — a notable Alabama fan — and for good reason.

 

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: More photos of the 2016 Ford Fusion

The Ford Fusion fielded by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams this season will have a slightly different look, with changes to the front end of the car incorporated to more accurately resemble similar changes to the 2017 production model.
 
Officials with Ford Motor Co. unveiled the automaker’s 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry Monday evening during the opening day of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The street version of the vehicle had been unveiled during a morning event.
 
“There’s no mistaking we’re here to win races and championships,” Dave Pericak, global director, Ford Performance, said in a release announcing the new Fusion entry. “And we believe the new NASCAR Fusion will be a powerful tool in the hands of our teams and drivers.
 
“Aerodynamics are more important than ever at the speeds these cars run, so we used some of the best wind tunnel and computational fluid dynamics technology available to create this new Fusion. Fortunately, the Ford design team gave us a great car with which to start.”
 
From an appearance standpoint, the lower portion of the grille of the new Fusion is more rounded than previous models, while the inset area beneath the grille and above the splitter has undergone alterations as well.
 
It is the third body change for the Fusion, which has been Ford’s NASCAR premier series entry of choice since 2006. Since then, Ford drivers have won 71 times.
 
Seven organizations fielded Ford entries in 2015, with Team Penske drivers earning seven victories.
 
Brad Keselowski (Penske) will be the first to put the new Fusion on the track as he is scheduled to take part in a two-day Goodyear tire test Tuesday and Wednesday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
 
The move to allow automakers Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota to incorporate changes to their race cars that more closely resembled their production vehicles began prior to 2013 and resulted in the debut of the Gen-6 car.

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

MORE: Buy tickets for the Sprint Unlimited

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 11, 2016) — NASCAR announced today the 25 eligible drivers and the format for the season-opening 75-lap Sprint Unlimited at the new Daytona International Speedway motorsports stadium on Saturday, Feb. 13.

The event, which will be broadcast live on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM, marks the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race following the completion of DAYTONA Rising, the $400 million frontstretch redevelopment project that has transformed Daytona International Speedway into the first motorsports stadium in the world.

“We’re ready to go,” said NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell. “The anticipation for this season, this event and this venue is unprecedented. We are excited how the new stadium will provide a state-of-the-art showcase for the brightest stars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.”

Once again, the non-points event will be split into two segments with a competition caution at lap 25 separating the segments. A popular element introduced before the 2015 event returns this year: select fans will be paired with each crew chief for a random drawing to determine starting and pit road positions. The drawings will take place on Friday, Feb. 12 at the Alert Today Florida Stage inside the Sprint FANZONE beginning at 3:30 p.m.

The 25 eligible NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers include the 2015 Coors Light Pole Award winners, former Sprint Unlimited race winners and former Daytona 500 pole winners who competed full time in 2015. All 16 drivers from the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup are also eligible for the race, and any remaining open positions are filled based on 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship driver points.

Eligible drivers are:

2015 Coors Light Pole Awards winners

· AJ Allmendinger, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano.

Former Sprint Unlimited Race Winners

· Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart.

Former DAYTONA 500 Coors Light Pole Award winners

· Greg Biffle, Austin Dillon, David Gilliland, Danica Patrick, Martin Truex Jr.

2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers:

· Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard, Ryan Newman.

2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship driver points:

· Aric Almirola, Kyle Larson.

If an eligible driver does not enter the race, the open position will be filled based on 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship driver points. The first five provisional drivers are Casey Mears, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Sam Hornish Jr., David Ragan and Trevor Bayne.

Tickets for the Sprint Unlimited are available online at DaytonaInternationalSpeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can follow @NASCAR and @MissSprintCup on Twitter to engage in the #SprintUnlimited conversation.

Posted on by Team Release

DENVER, NC — JGL Racing officials announced today that Dakoda Armstrong has joined the growing organization and will headline their 2016 drivers lineup. Armstrong will pilot the team’s No. 28 Toyota in the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series season and will be joined by longtime sponsor WinField. 

“I am really excited to work with everyone at JGL Racing,” stated Armstrong. “This team kept surprising people as they improved with each race last year. James Whitener is an owner in this sport who is willing to do what it takes in order to get better each and every week. I really look forward to racing a full season with this team along with my sponsor WinField and think we can have a good amount of success.”

The 24-year old Armstrong has 73 NASCAR XFINITY Series starts to his credit to go along with 44 starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Dakoda competed in all 33 XFINITY Series events last year while earning a 12th-place finish in the series overall drivers’ standings.

“All of us at JGL Racing are excited to welcome Dakoda and WinField to our organization,” said James Whitener, owner of JGL Racing. “We think he is a great addition to our team and we look forward to the success on the track in 2016. We are also honored to welcome WinField to JGL Racing and look forward to working with them and helping them maximize their results on and off the track.”

JGL Racing fielded two full-time NASCAR XFINITY Series last season highlighted by driver J.J. Yeley tying Armstrong for 12th-place in the overall drivers’ standings. The team will continue to field two full-time entries in 2016 with a driver announcement coming soon on the No. 24 Toyota. 

The No. 28 WinField Toyota will once again be led by Steven Lane. The NASCAR veteran crew chief returns for his second full season with JGL Racing.

“Adding Dakoda and WinField to our organization is just another step in our growth process,” added Gregg Mixon, General Manager of JGL Racing. “We made significant improvements last year with the addition of Joe Gibbs Racing engines and pit crew. These improvements helped us grow and we look forward to continuing that growth and going to the next level with Dakoda and WinField.”

The JGL Racing team is busy preparing their stable of Toyota’s for the upcoming 2016 season which kicks off on February 20th with the running of the PowerShares QQQ 300 at Daytona International Speedway.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: NBC Sports Live Extra


All times ET

Monday, Jan. 11
4:30 p.m., NASCAR America: Top Moments (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR America: Season Awards (re-air), NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of the Year (re-air), FS1

Tuesday, Jan. 12
7 a.m., NASCAR The List: Greatest Finishes (re-air), NBCSN
7:30 a.m., NASCAR The List: Memorable Moments (re-air), NBCSN

Wednesday, Jan. 13
7 a.m., NASCAR The List: Rookie Seasons, NBCSN
7:30 a.m., NASCAR The List: Iconic Cars (re-air), NBCSN

Thursday, Jan. 14
7 a.m., NASCAR The List: Dale Earnhardt Sr. Moments (re-air), NBCSN
7:30 a.m., NASCAR The List: Texas Motor Speedway (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All Moments, Part 1 (re-air), NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of the Year (re-air), FS1

Friday, Jan. 15
5 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All Moments, Part 2 (re-air), NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of the Year (re-air), FS1

 

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Review and preview: Suarez | Exclusive: Testing dates set for 2016


Chris Osborne says he hopes to be well enough to make the trek to Daytona International Speedway next month when the NASCAR racing season officially gets underway, but to do so his body must first win a race with the clock.


Osborne, spotter for Joe Gibbs Racing driver Matt Kenseth in the Sprint Cup Series — as well as fellow JGR driver Daniel Suarez in the Truck and XFINITY Series — sustained severe injuries to his right leg and foot when he and his family were hit head-on by another driver on Dec. 17.

Son Austin Osborne suffered a concussion, partially collapsed lung, cracked sternum, broken nose and the loss of “some teeth,” according to Osborne, who spoke with NASCAR.com on Jan. 8.

“And he’s bruised around his side and waist like somebody had beat him about half to death with a baseball bat,” Osborne said.

Osborne’s wife, Melissa, sustained “the brunt of the impact,” he said, and underwent more than eight hours of surgery to repair major injuries to her pelvis, right hip, right shoulder, right arm and elbow. If all goes well, she is scheduled for release from the hospital Jan. 14, 28 days after the accident.

Therapy sessions began this past week for his wife, and Osborne said she is “working so hard.”

“If the people in rehab want her to do three sets of something, she says how about four?” he said. “She’s making huge gains from what the doctor first told her when she first had her surgery … the timeframe that it was going to be. I think they’ve cut probably four to six weeks off of the time that she may possibly be mobile again, by no means healed, but at least be mobile. …

“Anything that we all took for granted, and obviously our family did before December 17, she’s having to learn to do just with one side and one arm. She’s just made tremendous gains in everything she’s done. People up there are just tickled to death with the progress she’s made. … She’s an incredible woman.”

Osborne, who returned home following his own surgery, has been undergoing physical therapy sessions as well. How quickly he progresses, he said, will determine if he makes the trip to Daytona next month. It’s a decision he’s willing to leave up to his doctor.

“Family and our health come first, that goes without question,” he said. “But I think and talk about work every day with different people. And I’ll be honest with you — it’s going to be a tight timeframe.

“When I can bear weight on my leg. If I can only do 25 percent of it at a time, 25 percent for a week or so and then 50 percent for a week, if that’s the case then looking at the calendar … I don’t know if I’ll make Daytona. But I’m working so hard and … that’s my goal. Until the plane leaves and I’m either on it or not, that’s my goal.”

SpeedWeeks in Daytona is a 10-day marathon with its constant buzz of practice sessions, qualifying and races — all three series open the season at the 2.5-mile track next month. Easing back into his role atop the spotters stand won’t be an option.


RELATED: Reactions to Daytona renovations 

“That’s an awful lot of time on my feet.” Osborne said, adding that it’s been a subject of discussion each time he’s met with his surgeon.

“He’s very pleased with everything; we haven’t had any setbacks … knock on wood,” he said. “I know from the timeframe he gave me (initially) to the timeframe that he gave me this past week that we’ve already probably knocked off four weeks. But the doctor is only going to let me go as fast as my body will let me go with the healing process that it’s going through.

“If I miss one race, I’m going to absolutely hate it but if I miss one race and I heal right instead of rushing it and messing something up … and have to miss three or four races again because of something they have to re-do, then I’m not only hurting myself, I’m also hurting the race team and Matt Kenseth and Daniel Suarez and everyone else around me. So I’m trying to make that transition as minimal as I possibly can … but I don’t want to toss myself on the back end of it either.”


MORE: Which team faces the biggest transition in ’16?

Friends have established an assistance fund to help offset medical and other expenses for the family. Others have brought food, supplies and helped Osborne — who wears a compression sock, brace and boot to help with the healing process of his right leg — tend to his injury. Even the calls, visits and texts of support, he said, have meant so much to his family.

“I’m a very independent person, I absolutely hate asking anyone for help … but the outpouring of support has just absolutely blown us off of our feet at the people who continue to try to help our family in any way, shape or form,” he said. “It’s very humbling, I can tell you that.

“There’s now way, if I lived another 200 years, that our family will be able to thank the people that have helped us through this because … if it wasn’t for the strength in the family and friends that have been behind us since the moment this accident happened, this would be an awful lonely and tough journey to make.”

Posted on by Nascar

The official start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series may be more than one month away, however four teams will be back on the track next week to take part in a two-day Goodyear tire test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
 
Jimmie Johnson (Hendrick Motorsports), Kurt Busch (Stewart-Haas Racing), Brad Keselowski (Team Penske) and Matt Kenseth (Joe Gibbs Racing) are currently scheduled to participate in the test, set for Jan. 12-13 at the 1.5-mile track.
 
All four drivers are former series champions. It will be the first on-track activity for teams since an end-of-year test held last month at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
 
NASCAR re-tooled its testing platform before the start of the 2015 season, doing away with private team testing and debuting the NASCAR Series Master Unified Testing Schedule.
 
The schedule included a mix of two-day Goodyear tire tests often followed by a single-day open team test. When necessary, NASCAR officials also scheduled additional practice time as teams worked through the ’15 rules package.
 
The changes to the testing policy were made in part to help teams control costs.
 
While financially beneficial and lauded by teams, the move does have some drawbacks, most notably as preparations for a new season get underway.
 
“It makes it a little more difficult as you try to validate or think of new ideas and get them implemented because you don’t get the track time,” Hendrick Motorsports General Manager Doug Duchardt said earlier this week on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “But I think more than the parts and pieces, it’s the people part of it that maybe is a little more different.
 
“About every team has small change to big changes to them; you can change a mechanic or two or a race engineer or a car chief and … then you have a different group of people working together at the race track under pressure. When you get into a practice time, and anyone that’s been in the garage area during a practice and watched the crews make changes and many times in very tight quarters, you see how well orchestrated and how strong those guys are as a team to work together.
 
“So getting a new group of people together, working together in that environment is maybe the biggest thing that you can’t duplicate before you get down to Daytona and maybe one of the bigger changes to work through.”
 
MORE: Reduced-downforce in ’16 rules package | Learn about the digital dash

A new base rules package, similar to that used at Kentucky Speedway and Darlington Raceway in 2015, will be in place this season for events except those held at Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway.
 
The base package includes a 3.5-inch spoiler (decreased from 6 inches), a .25-inch leading edge (previously 2 inches) on the front splitter and a 33-inch wide splitter extension panel (radiator pan) replacing the current 38-inch pan.
 
Rear gear ratios will be adjusted to maintain 9,000 rpm maximum engine speed and a 1:38 third gear ratio will be in place for tracks under 1.25 miles.
 
The digital dash display will also be mandatory in the series this season.
 
Because next week’s test is a Goodyear tire test only, the grandstands will not be open to the public.