Dale Jr. 'would block' for Gordon to win title at Miami

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Staff Report

Despite giving a bit of an indecisive answer earlier in the week about who he would root for to win Sunday’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was clear on the “Dan Patrick Show” on Thursday — Jeff Gordon‘s his guy.

“I’m going to obviously pull for my teammate, Jeff Gordon, because I want the boss man (Rick Hendrick) to be happy with Jeff winning the championship, and that’s a hell of a way to go out,” Earnhardt said on his morning appearance on the NBCSN program. “He’s been racing for, what, 20-something years now and still has the ability to go out and win races and battle for championships all the way to the very end. What a storybook ending that would be.”

Junior had previously said in a Twitter Q&A after his win at Phoenix that he’s “a company man, but I’m also pulling for (friend, Martin Truex Jr.).”

But if it came down to it, Junior implied he’d block Truex’s No. 78 Chevrolet — or anyone else — on the final lap if it helped Gordon win his fifth and final premier series title.

“I would block. … I can’t pull over to give (Gordon) a spot, I can’t let him have a position to give him a point, but yeah, I would block,” said Earnhardt. “And I’ll race those other guys (Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick) very, very hard when I’m around them. Those other three competitors are going to get some hard competition from me and any of the other teammates that are out there.”

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Zack Albert

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Martin Truex Jr.’s path to the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship round at Homestead-Miami Speedway has been one of remarkable consistency. His team hauler’s path to Homestead on the other hand, has been filled with adventure, long before it ever set wheels in the Sunshine State.

The Furniture Row Racing transporter carrying Truex’s No. 78 Chevrolet to the season finale barely made it out of its blizzard-battered home base of Denver, Colorado. Winter Storm Ajax dropped a foot of snow on the Mile High City, with high winds and wintry weather bringing the city to a standstill over a 36-hour period from late Monday to early Wednesday.

For Barry Huston and Chuck Lemay, the team’s hauler drivers, the severe storm didn’t fit into their plans for a Tuesday afternoon departure.

“They left 12 hours later than they wanted to,” Truex said during media availabilities for the title-eligible drivers Thursday afternoon, just as the team transporter was setting a course to Alligator Alley. “They spent the night at Wal‑Mart Tuesday night. They started shutting down all the highways. They had to pull into Wal‑Mart, park the truck and spend the night.

“Chuck and Barry are here. They should be here by now. The last I heard they were about four or five hours out. So they should be at the track by now.”

The Barney Visser-owned team has long navigated different travel logistics as the only Sprint Cup team with headquarters west of the Mississippi River. Making the tight turn from a rain-delayed race last weekend in Phoenix to this weekend’s race in Homestead some 2,400 miles away is tricky enough, especially with a championship on the line. Throw in the threat of adverse weather conditions and the degree of difficulty goes skyward.

“It ended up not being an issue, honestly, but it was scary for a while, I can tell you,” said Joe Garone, Furniture Row Racing‘s general manager. “You get a blizzard coming in town, we all know how hard the weather is to predict anyway, so you’re just not sure what’s going to happen. It could end up the two main arteries going into Denver end up closed and you could be stuck at home or, worse yet, wrecked on the side of the road.

“It ended up playing out. Everything was fine. But it is something you have to take serious and look at, yeah.”

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Zack Albert

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — NASCAR’s annual gathering of championship contenders for media availabilities ahead of the season finale has often turned into another sort of red-carpet rollout — for gamesmanship.

Given the hard-edged nature of this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs, such tactics could almost be expected. But Thursday from sunny south Florida, the witty barbs, acid-tongued goading and mind games stayed inside the cabanas.

Instead of sniping, a genuine sense of respect permeated the interactions of title contenders Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr., with shared appreciation for their talents, their backstories and their road to Sunday’s NASCAR Championship Round race. Though playing nice worked well for Thursday’s preliminaries, all four indicated there might be limits to the diplomacy come crunch time in Sunday’s season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM) at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“I think there’s a lot of respect for where everybody is at,” said Harvick, the defending series champ, “and I think when you look at Martin and everything that those guys have done with what they’ve gotten in Colorado and here they are, and you look at Kyle breaking his leg and fighting back, and Jeff who’s going to retire and run the last race, there’s really no reason to create a story. There’s no reason to create a moment.”

The varied backgrounds make for a compelling title fight, even though the gloves were nowhere near to coming off Thursday at The Diplomat Resort and Spa. Instead, all four greeted media questions as relaxed but confident contenders with season-long laurels on the line.

Harvick’s reign and role as a pre-race favorite, Gordon’s swan song as one of the sport’s most important figures, Busch’s stunning return from severe leg injuries for his best title bid ever, and Truex’s underdog run with a single-car team from the Rockies — Thursday, they all blended together. The four share some common threads as stock-car racing veterans, but the experience levels with regards to competing for a crown in NASCAR’s top division are like darts on a map.

But former champs Gordon and Harvick didn’t take the needle to championship newcomers Busch and Truex, much like Tony Stewart did to Carl Edwards in the days before the 2011 finale or in the way that champion-in-waiting Harvick did to Joey Logano ahead of last year’s title march.

Chalk it up to a certain reverence.

“There is in here. I don’t know if there will be on Sunday. Things certainly change when you put that helmet on,” Truex said. “Honestly, I really think there is. All the stuff that we’ve done together so far for the Chase and going to do the late show with Jimmy Fallon, I think we do have a lot of mutual admiration. Certainly, how couldn’t you? … I think we all have a lot of respect for each other’s stories, how we got here, what we have on the line, and really, for the most part on the race track we respect each other as well. It’s still going to be a hell of a battle.”

The respect level among the championship quartet may run high, but the risks and rewards in the high-stakes season finale also peg the gauges. A handful of incidents in the nine previous races in this year’s Chase have raised scrutiny about on-track ethics and the unwritten rules of the code of honor — or lack thereof — among drivers.

Stewart, in his 2011 media day salvo with Edwards, famously said he’d wreck his own mother to win a championship. No one ventured that far into the thicket of driver conduct Thursday, but each expressed hopes for how the scenario might play out in their favor.

“I think you have to be in a competitive environment like we are. I think it also depends on your interaction with those drivers,” Gordon said. “I mean, I don’t think that any of us currently have any beefs among one another, and we have a lot of respect for one another, and you want to go out there — the ultimate is that you’re running second and you have to pass one of these guys on the final lap, and it’s some bold and exciting move but a clean move, maybe just a little fender rub or something like that, that gets you the win. To me that’s the ultimate. That’s how everybody wishes and hopes that they could do it.”

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Zack Albert

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Just two days after Joe Gibbs Racing filled its candy dish with M&Ms for the foreseeable future, the Coach and owner of the four-car organization announced that Kyle Busch has signed a multiyear contract extension as the driver of one of the sport’s most colorful and successful cars.

Coach Gibbs and Busch himself confirmed the agreement for the future of the No. 18 Toyota during Thursday’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship 4 Media Day, just three days before the 30-year-old driver competes for his first premier-series title. Gibbs first mentioned the news during a NASCAR.com live chat with Miss Sprint Cup Madison Martin.

“Well, we got an extension from M&Ms, which is awesome and great. Then we did an extension with Kyle,” Gibbs said. “It’s great going forward in the future to have a great company behind Kyle and behind us.”

Busch confirmed that the deal was a multiyear agreement, extending one of the longest-running driver/team/sponsor combinations in the sport. Busch, who has driven the No. 18 for JGR full time since 2008, left open the possibility that he could finish out his career with the Gibbs-owned organization.

“You know, I definitely feel like that. But a lot of things have happened in this sport where you never really know,” Busch said. “But I’m pleased with where I’m at. I feel like Joe Gibbs and Joe Gibbs Racing has really been a true home for me, and being with Toyota and them and having the respect and rapport that I do with them has been really awesome, as well, too.

“You know, it’s so exciting to have the opportunity to continue on down the road for multiple years with M&M’s and to continue on in the relationship with them, for as much fun as we’ve had over the years, it’s certainly cool that we can continue to have that, and to keep that colorful brand out there on the racetrack as hopefully with much more success following.”

Busch has scored 29 of his 33 wins in NASCAR’s top division driving for Gibbs. The driver also known as “Rowdy” missed the first 11 races this after suffering severe leg injuries in the XFINITY Series opener, but recovered to punch his ticket to the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship (Sunday, 3 p.m., NBC, MRN, Sirius XM) at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The timing of the ink drying on the contracts in the week leading up to Busch’s possible coronation wasn’t lost on Gibbs, who has thrice tasted championships in NASCAR’s top series — in 2000 with Bobby Labonte and in 2002 and ’05 with Tony Stewart .

“For us to get an extension on our contract with them, and then to get Kyle wrapped up in that, I mean, it’s a huge deal for us,” Gibbs said. “It made me reflect on really what this weekend means for us. You’ve got Toyota’s chance for the first time ever. You’ve got M&M’s, first time ever. You’ve got Norm Miller at Interstate Batteries. This would be his second if we could do that, and that means a lot. And then you’ve got Kyle.

“So our deal, I think everybody is nervous. Everybody has realized what’s at stake.”

Posted on November 18, 2015 by

Chris Buescher isn’t fond of points racing or being cautious. But when it comes to Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series Ford EcoBoost 300 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway (2:45 p.m. ET on NBC), he might have to do a little of both.

Buescher leads Chase Elliott by 18 points, Ty Dillon by 22 and Regan Smith by 24 going into the race. With such narrow margins, Buescher will try to balance caution with aggression.

“You’ve got to be a little bit more careful, but at the same time, I’ve been pretty adamant about how much I hate points racing,” Buescher said. “So I want to go have a good day, and I feel like this has been a good racetrack for us. I’ve only run one race there but had a lot of fun last year, first and foremost, and was able to get a top five out of it. So I feel like this should be a good weekend for us. We just have to continue doing what we’ve done all year.”

While he’ll try to race as usual while aware of his competitors, they’ll be able to race with abandon.

“You always push yourself to want more no matter what, and you’re never satisfied unless you’re winning in this sport,” Dillon said. “I think it’s one of the only sports where there’s 43 people playing or participating each week and there’s only one winner, so that makes 42 losers a week. You’re always wanting to be that guy winning, and I want to be a champion for my team and myself, so it’s something that I’m going to continue to push for.”

Elliott, who will replace retiring Jeff Gordon with Hendrick Motorsports next season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, said Buescher doesn’t need any advice.

“He doesn’t need my help,” Elliott said. “He’s done a good job, and those guys are deserving of the position they’re in, and for the rest of us trying to catch up, I know at least I can speak for myself, that we need to do a better job and try to catch up. We have an opportunity to do that this weekend.”

Buescher, a 23-year-old from Prosper, Texas, is one of four Roush Fenway Racing drivers in the top 10 in the XFINITY Series standings – Elliott Sadler, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Ryan Reed being the others.

“I’ve been under the radar all my life,” Buescher said. “(I’m) not opposed to it, so I’ve been able to have good success coming up through various series and been able to accomplish a lot to get to this point. It’s a little bit more of a quiet way to get there, but we’re here. We’ve made it this far. It’s going to be a good weekend. We’ve just got to go race. That’s what we’ve been trying to do all my life. This is the scenario I’ve been working toward for many years.”

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Nascar

He guided Kyle Busch to a fifth-place finish in NASCAR’s championship battle in 2007, and Mark Martin to a runner-up result just two years later.

But nothing can compare to this season, this Chase and, especially, this race.

The No. 24 team’s crew chief, Alan Gustafson, will be in the spotlight this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, every bit as much as Jeff Gordon, his successful driver.

Gordon, winner of more races than any active driver — 93 total wins — and No. 3 on NASCAR’s career wins list, will wrap up a 23-year career when he hits the track for Sunday’s season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 at Miami. A four-time winner of the series’ title, Gordon, 44, seeks to go out on top, champion of a sport that he helped transform.

And Gustafson, overseer of Gordon’s No. 24 Chevrolet since 2005, will be there by his side.

Standing between the pair and possibly one of the biggest moments the sport has ever seen? Defending series champion Kevin Harvick, Busch and Martin Truex Jr., an underdog who has continued to keep his title hopes alive with as much grit and determination as speed on the race track.

The group makes up this year’s Championship 4, and the highest finishing driver of the quartet on Sunday will earn the coveted 2015 Sprint Cup title.

Gustafson has yet to be distracted by the spotlight as Gordon’s racing career nears the end, and he expects that will be the case this weekend, although he knows it won’t be easy.

“I’ve tried not to focus on that all season even though it’s difficult to do at times,” Gustafson said last weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. “You just look at the race and you execute it and you do what you have to do to put ourselves in the best position to win.

“Obviously, it’s a huge deal. It’s an amazing opportunity, but to me it’s about the opportunity to win Homestead and the championship. How big that is or isn’t in anybody else’s eyes really doesn’t influence me. It’s different, but it really isn’t different in my eyes from something I’ve worked for my whole life. You prepare your whole life for this and you have to embrace that and do the best you can.”

Gordon is the fourth driver Gustafson has worked for since moving into the crew chief role at Hendrick Motorsports in 2005. The Ormond Beach, Florida, native worked his way up from the chassis shop to shock specialist to lead engineer to crew chief in a span of seven years.

Paired with Busch from ’05-07, the team won four times; in ’08 he called the shots for Casey Mears, and in ’09 the veteran Mark Martin came on board and won five times. Gustafson also served briefly as an interim crew chief for driver Terry Labonte.

Working with each driver brought new opportunities and a wealth of information. It would have been impossible not to learn as he worked with such a diverse group of talented drivers.

“Absolutely. I’m fortunate to have those opportunities,” Gustafson said. “You learn a lot from those guys. The vast experience that Terry had and what he’s been through. And Kyle, you go right to the polar opposite — has all the talent in the world, (at the time had) very little experience and he has to kind of navigate this sport.

“He had to start tough for whatever reason. To work through those things with him and work with him as he matured and see the mistakes he made and go through the mistakes with him and make a lot of mistakes myself, that was very interesting and very fun and great experience. Had Casey Mears for a year, which was tough and humbling. Didn’t seem to be able to do much right. That was a very trying time. I learned a lot about myself and how to work through difficult times.

“And the success we had with Mark and the way he approached racing. That’s it. He is so racing, racing, racing, racing, racing. Maybe lift weights in there somewhere. But Mark was a huge supporter of mine, which I’ve always appreciated. He wanted to see me be the best I could be. He was good about pointing out things and saying, ‘Hey, look at this, look at that.’ Even after he no longer drove, he’s that kind of person. He likes to help other people. That was fun. He knows a ton and how he handles himself, absolutely learned a ton from that.”

Gustafson, who will continue as the No. 24 crew chief next year when Chase Elliott takes the ride, honed his talents and grew as a crew chief long before he and Gordon were united; Gordon’s status as a sure-fire future Hall of Fame member, already in place, won three of his four championships with Ray Evernham as crew chief while the fourth came with Robbie Loomis atop the pit box.

Some crew chiefs are great motivators while the strength of others might be more engineering based. Gustafson has worked hard to mesh the two. His car knowledge and understanding of aerodynamics allows him to converse easily with team engineers as well as fabricators and others who have their hands on the cars that roll off the line and wind up carrying the familiar No. 24 paint scheme.

“He is just on their level and connects with them,” Gordon said. “I think it earns a lot of respect, certainly, from my standpoint it is why I wanted to work with him so bad and why I’ve enjoyed working with him so much. It’s because he is just so good with the cars.

“He has definitely had to work and hone his skills on how to be that confident, powerful leader. He has become extremely good at it, but I do think that’s probably something that was not as natural to him as the engineering.

“He has got a tremendous work ethics and drive. That to me is what makes a great crew chief. When I think back to me and Ray (Evernham) or I look at other crew chiefs at Hendrick and in the garage, the ones that are just willing to sacrifice everything and put that kind of effort into it are the ones that are successful. That is what Alan does.”

When Gordon won at Martinsville to secure a spot in this weekend’s final, the focus turned to the 1.5-mile Miami track. Efforts at Texas and Phoenix, where he finished ninth and sixth, respectively, may have suffered slightly, Gustafson admitted.

“You are in a little bit of this, awkward is not the right word, you’re kind of in this limbo kind of space,” Gustafson said. “You don’t want to run bad, you don’t want to struggle, you don’t want any bad momentum, you want to keep positive momentum and you’re focused on Homestead. Other guys aren’t, they’re focused on Texas and (Phoenix).

“It’s a little different, first time I’ve been in this position. … It’s a little bit of an unknown. I’m very curious to have gone through this, then go to Homestead and look back and say ‘Eh, this (worked), maybe that (didn’t), maybe this, you know, critique how we handle things because it is unprecedented now.”

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Nascar

A look at Jeff Gordon‘s four NASCAR premier series championship seasons:

1995

In just his third full season in the series, back-to-back victories at Daytona and New Hampshire in July enabled Gordon to catch and pass Sterling Marlin and take the points lead, which he held for the remainder of the season … Led by as much as 309 points during season’s second half, under the old points system … Finished 32nd in season-ending race at Atlanta Motor Speedway to clinch the title, edging Dale Earnhardt by 34 points … A year after scoring his first two NASCAR premier series wins, Gordon led the series with seven victories … also had 17 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes, as well as career-best eight poles.

1997

Opened the season with consecutive victories, winning his first Daytona 500 title and taking the checkered flag a week later at North Carolina Motor Speedway (whose name was later changed to Rockingham Speedway) to set the stage for an incredible 10-win season … A 35th-place finish in the annual night race at Bristol dropped Gordon to second in points and pushed Mark Martin into the top spot, but the No. 24 team rallied the following week as Gordon won at Darlington to re-take the points lead for the final time … A 17th-place finish at Atlanta sealed title No. 2 as he finished with a 14-point lead over Dale Jarrett … In addition to his 10 wins, Gordon finished the year with 22 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes.

1998

If winning 10 races in each of the previous two seasons was impressive, Gordon raised the bar higher in 1998, winding up in Victory Lane with 13 wins … It was the most victories since Richard Petty won 13 times in 1975 … Became just the seventh driver to win three or more championships … led the points standings for the final 18 weeks and clinched when he won at Rockingham, North Carolina, in the year’s penultimate race … For good measure, he closed the season with a victory at Atlanta … Final points margin was a whopping 364 over Martin … A career-best 26 top-five finishes, including a modern-day record 17 straight.

2001

Victories came at Las Vegas, Dover, Michigan, Indianapolis, Watkins Glen and Kansas … The Michigan victory put him in the points lead, and as was often the case, no one could knock Gordon off the top spot … Led the points for the final 23 weeks of the season … Once again clinched the title before the season’s final race, thanks to a sixth-place result at Atlanta … Fifteenth the following week at Loudon for an event rescheduled due to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, Gordon closed the year with a 344-point lead on second-place Tony Stewart … It was Gordon’s first, and only, title with crew chief Robbie Loomis.

Posted on November 18, 2015 by

Who has the best pit crew heading into the final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway?

Pit stops are going to be huge this weekend at Homestead and we’re here to evaluate the four remaining crews. Below is a list of all the guys on the teams as well as an overview of how their seasons have gone so far.

Stewart-Haas Racing (Kevin Harvick)
Pit Coach: Joe Piette

Front Changer: Ira Joe Hussey
Front Carrier: Todd Drakulich
Jack Man: Mike Casto
Rear Changer: Daniel Smith
Rear Carrier: Mike Morneau
Gas Man: Justin White

Summary: This crew is the best pit crew in the finals. It has been good all year and has tons of veteran talent. As a group, they understand pressure, and this time last year they were preparing for their eventual first championship. They have all the tools to be successful again this year if given the opportunity to pit for a win.

Joe Gibbs Racing (Kyle Busch)
Pit Coach: Mike Lepp

Front Changer: Josh Leslie
Front Carrier: Brad Donaghy
Jack Man: Jeff Fender
Rear Changer: Jake Seminara
Rear Carrier: Kenny Barber
Gas Man: Tom Lampe

Summary: This crew is good and has been getting better each week. It has the ability to gain spots every caution if it is given the right opportunities. Near the beginning of the Chase the crew lost longtime front changer Nick Odell to the No. 24 team. Replacement Josh Leslie was thrown into action and has done a good job. Don’t forget, this group has been with Kyle since he came to JGR, so winning would mean a lot to this group. This is probably one of the best high-pressure pit crews of the last five years. This weekend will be the time to prove it.

Hendrick Motorsports (Jeff Gordon)
Pit Coach: Chris Burkey

Front Changer: Nick Odell
Front Carrier: Dion Williams
Jack Man: John Giannotto
Rear Changer: Chad Avritt
Rear Carrier: Jared Erspamer
Gas Man: Travis Gordon

Summary: This team has been up-and-down all year. There has been lots of change since the beginning of the year and it’s not clear it has helped. When the season started, the crew replaced longtime rear carrier Gene Cornwell with Erspamer. After that, more changes came at the jack man position as well as the front changer position. They also tooled around with a new front tire carrier before settling with veteran Williams. All in all, this team has talent but hasn’t shown it can pit with the top teams. This weekend it could put all that to rest and help send a champion out in a storybook ending.

Furniture Row Racing (Martin Truex Jr.)
Pit Coach: Walt Smith

Front Changer: Dave Collins
Front Carrier: Craig Curione
Jack Man: Carey Wimbish
Rear Changer: Kyle Turner
Rear Carrier: Adam Mosher
Gas Man: Brian Dheel

Summary: This team had one of the fastest averages of the race two weeks ago in Texas. It has the ability to go fast, but just like in Texas, when a wheel was coming loose on the last run, it always seems to find a way to hurt itself. Truex is going to need help this weekend at Homestead. If this group pits like it did in Texas — minus the wheel coming loose — they have a chance to help win a championship. This is a great group of guys who have many years on pit road. Finding the right chemistry and rhythm is key to a good crew, and this team might have found theirs.

For more pit crew news, visit PitTalks.com

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Staff Report

When it comes to big NASCAR fun, it’s hard to beat Talladega Superspeedway, the 2.66-mile-long track that is the longest oval on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit.

Making it even larger than life for a select few NASCAR fans was being on hand as a DraftKings VIP for the October CampingWorld.com 500 during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

“Thanks to DraftKings for an unforgettable weekend at Talladega,” wrote DraftKings VIP Crystalbil. “The VIP experience was just that, VIP. My father and I had infield parking, all access to the pits and garages, we even sat on the pit wall during Sprint Cup qualifiers. We got to talk with pit crews about tires and pit box setup. … The people were great at DraftKings putting together a weekend my father and I will never forget. They made it easy to feel like the king of the track.”

Besides behind-the-scenes access to pit road, DraftKings VIPs also got a chance to experience Talladega like never before.

“From doing laps at 130 mph-plus on the banks of Talladega, in a pace car, to sitting up front in the drivers’ meeting, DraftKings has you covered,” wrote VIP lgbowling2. “They will show you how cars go through inspection, a tour of the garage and up close for driver introductions. Keep your eyes out, as you never know who will be in attendance that day.”

Terry Morris and his wife Cricket were especially impressed by the attention paid to them by DraftKings hosts.

“I have been a NASCAR fan for many years and we were treated like VIPs,” Morris said. “We were picked up at the parking lot by your team and escorted from each event. We had a hoot. We loved the pace car ride at Talladega. I have a greater respect for all NASCAR drivers. … Then, we were there for driver introductions with a special opportunity to take pictures with Martin Truex Jr.”

You too could share a similar experience at an upcoming NASCAR race by playing DraftKings. Not familiar with DraftKings? It’s a daily fantasy sports game that allows players to experience a one-of-kind event experience as DraftKings has access to a direct data feed from NASCAR Digital Media that contains real-time stats.

In each game, participants are assigned a fixed salary cap they can use to draft their entire roster, comprised of five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers. Scoring categories in DraftKings NASCAR daily fantasy sports games include finishing position, fastest laps, laps led and place differential.

NASCAR games on DraftKings provides fans the opportunity to win one-of-a-kind NASCAR prizes and VIP experiences.

More information on DraftKings NASCAR daily fantasy sports games is available at www.draftkings.com.

Editor’s note: The views expressed in this story pertaining to the DrafttKings VIP experience are solely those of previous winners.

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Staff Report

With just one race remaining until the season’s end, FOX Sports has announced its broadcaster lineup for 2016, which is highlighted by the previous addition of Jeff Gordon as an analyst for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Gordon, who is competing for his fifth Sprint Cup Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend before ending his career as a full-time driver, will join play-by-play announcer Mike Joy and analyst Darrell Waltrip.

Joy and Waltrip have been in the booth together for 15 years. Former crew chief Larry McReynolds will remain part of the network’s coverage providing in-race analysis. Reporters Jamie Little, Chris Neville, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum will handle pit road duty for the FOX Sports’ 16 Sprint Cup telecasts. FOX will televise 10 races, while FS1 will televise six.

Welch will also serve as the new full-time play-by-play announcer for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series after being a part of a rotation for this role in 2015. Welch has been a FOX pit reporter for the Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series races in 2015, and has served in a similar capacity for ABC Sports and ESPN. Analysts Michael Waltrip and Phil Parsons will flank Welch in the booth. Hermie Sadler, Kaitlyn Vincie and Yocum will handle pit road reporting in that series. FS1 is broadcasting 22 of the 23 Truck races and FOX has the October race at Talladega.

The network also announced Adam Alexander and Michael Waltrip will continue to team together for the FOX Sports’ portion of the XFINITY Series schedule, along with a rotation of drivers from the Sprint Cup Series. Neville, Sadler, Little, Welch and Yocum will alternate to cover pit road for this series.

NASCAR RaceDay, FS1’s prerace show for Sprint Cup races, will return with Chris Myers, Danielle Trotta and John Roberts sharing the hosting duties. Analysts Kenny Wallace, Jeff Hammond and Wally Dallenbach as well as reporters Alan Cavanna, Andrew Doud and Vincie. Trotta will host NASCAR RaceDay-XFINITY with McReynolds and Wallace as analysts while Roberts will host NCWTS SetUp with two-time series champion Todd Bodine providing insight and features reports from Ray Dunlap.

NASCAR Race Hub will air live at 6 p.m. ET every Monday through Thursday on FS1 with Alexander, Trotta and Roberts co-hosting the hour-long program. McReynolds, Hammond and Dallenbach will serve as analysts as will a rotation of active drivers and crew chiefs. Cavanna, Doud and Vincie will have daily reports from around the circuit, while Dunlap will have Truck Series feature reports and analysis. There will be a weekend edition of the program on Friday and Saturday with at-track updates as well as NASCAR Victory Lane to recap each Sprint Cup Series race.