With Aspen Dental on board, Danica 'optimistic' heading to Atlanta

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Pat DeCola

Danica Patrick scored a career-best sixth-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2014, and touts a career-best average finish of 18.0 at the 1.54-mile facility.

So, yes, this weekend’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) is a race she always has circled on her calendar each year.

“I am optimistic. I feel like (crew chief Billy Scott and I) are both ready for the challenge,” Patrick told NASCAR.com on Thursday. “I don’t know what it is about Atlanta. I think that I feel like I tend to actually do well at the more challenging, unique tracks than I do at a lot of other ones.

“When you come to your Atlantas or your Martinsvilles or something like that, I seem to do pretty well. I think one of the things that they both take is some discipline and taking the car to the limit but not going too far at times, but also being able to find that limit.”

While Atlanta Motor Speedway and its roughened-up, worn asphalt will still be familiar to Patrick, the specifics of the car she’ll be piloting are a bit foreign.

NASCAR is debuting the reduced-downforce rules package in full force this weekend after trial runs at Kentucky Speedway and Darlington Raceway in 2015. The package was not entirely friendly to the fourth-year Stewart-Haas Racing driver for their initial introductions, relegating Patrick to finishes of 34th and 42nd (crash), respectively.

“I haven’t driven the low downforce package since … last year. I hope it’s good,” said Patrick, who placed 16th at Atlanta in 2015. “I’m a little nervous because it’s been a long time. I know it’s going to be more challenging to drive and the balance is going to be different and I’m in a scenario where I have a new crew chief so we’re going to have to hopefully communicate quickly and efficiently right off the bat to make the car better if it’s not right.”

Patrick mentioned that she’s specifically looking forward to working more with first-year crew chief Scott, after deeming Daytona “a good start” following an incident with the No. 16 of Greg Biffle that forced her into a second consecutive finish of 35^th at the “World Center of Racing.”

“I feel like we communicated well. I feel like we kept our cool throughout everything and we communicated well. At this point in time, we’ve done one race and it’s a speedway, so handling is usually not such a challenge. (Atlanta) will be a first real good test of our ability to communicate efficiently, well, and to just understanding each other. I think that takes time,” Patrick said. “When I say the car is tight, my ‘the car is tight’ is different than someone else’s. When I say it’s really tight, it might be not tight at all for someone else. Those are the things that we just have to start communicating and really over-communicating initially so that we can fast forward that learning curve and get up to speed.”

When Patrick hits the track for opening Sprint Cup Series practice Friday at 11 a.m. ET (on FS1), not only will she be sporting the new-look package and still-fresh crew chief, but she’ll have a different sponsor on board than she sported at Daytona in Aspen Dental.

SHOP: Danica’s die-casts for the 2016 season

Aspen Dental returns to the No. 10 Chevrolet, and is kicking off the third annual “Healthy Mouth Movement” program in conjunction with “Got Your 6” and the “Smile 4 Vets” social media campaign.

The programs align perfectly with the race sponsor in providing aid to veterans.

“It’s three years of the Healthy Mouth Movement and of Aspen being a sponsor on the car with me,” Patrick said. “We’ve had a great run; just last year alone, Aspen donated $2.8 million worth of free care to veterans alone, so they’re just a great company. They give back and they care about people having healthy mouths.

“Starting this week, if you tweet a picture of a selfie of you smiling and use the hashtag ‘#SmileForVets’, Aspen donates $1 to a group called ‘Got Your 6’, which help veterans.”

Got Your 6 — meaning “I’ve got your back” — is a collective impact campaign that works to bridge the military-civilian divide.

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Pat DeCola

Stewart-Haas Racing sent shock waves through NASCAR on Wednesday, announcing an impending change in manufacturers from Chevrolet to Ford starting in 2017.

The move also came as a surprise to fourth-year SHR driver Danica Patrick, who was not privy to negotiations between management and manufacturer, nor was she asked for any input.

“No, that’s a team decision and they look out for the well-being of the team and to look out for the longevity as far as not just past this year, but into the future,” Patrick told NASCAR.com on Thursday. “Their ultimate goal is getting the cars to be as fast as possible and getting us to Victory Lane and in a position to then win championships.

“They’re doing whatever they feel will make that as real as possible. As a driver, I do everything I can to perform on the weekends. I communicate with my crew chief, and keep team morale up and other things, so our jobs are not the same.”

SHR has been among the strongest teams on the track in recent years, with championships coming in 2011 (team co-owner Tony Stewart ) and 2014 (Kevin Harvick), along with a total of 30 Sprint Cup Series victories since 2009.

With things seemingly trending up for the organization, Wednesday’s news was a surprise to most, especially given the technical alliance SHR has with fellow Chevrolet-backed Hendrick Motorsports, which owns six of the past 10 Cup titles.

Patrick, whose stock car career — from ARCA and K&N to the Cup Series — has all been behind the wheel of a Chevrolet, is adopting a team-first attitude, ready to move on to Ford.

“(Driving a Chevy my whole career) is just a matter of what happened,” said Patrick. “It’s not because I said ‘I want to drive a Chevy’ or ‘I want to drive a Ford’ or ‘I want to drive a Toyota’. It has nothing to do with that. It’s about the team and the people involved and I think that Tony’s done a great job of getting people involved that are great and that create successful teams.

“I haven’t been involved in a manufacturer change in a team before, so I don’t have experience, but I’m sure the team will do everything they can to minimize any transition time and to only improve performance.”

Posted on February 24, 2016 by

At 8:59 a.m. our rundown was set and we were about to head down to the studio to tape the show.

By 9:01 a.m., the rundown was out the window and we DID IT LIVE. Well, live to tape.

Regan Smith, Jonathan Merryman, and Chuck Bush jumped in the NASCAR.com Radio Studio and had a little chat about some of the hot topics this week in NASCAR. Those topics included:

– Stewart-Haas Racing to move from Chevrolet to Ford in 2017 (which was announced at 9 a.m.),
– Denny Hamlin wins in the closest finish in Daytona 500 history, and
– The guys look ahead to the new rules package in Atlanta.

Listen to the full show below or click the links below and SUBSCRIBE:

Log on to the iTunes Store and subscribe

Or watch the full replay on YouTube

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Nascar

Longtime NASCAR team owner Jack Roush and four-time Camping World Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday highlight five new nominees to be considered for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017.

Roush and Hornaday join former premier series driver Ricky Rudd, winning engine builder Waddell Wilson and television broadcaster/journalist Ken Squier as first-time nominees.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominating Committee met last week in Daytona Beach, Florida, to determine this year’s list of nominees.

All 15 of those on the 2016 list that were not chosen for induction return on the 2017 ballot.

Roush, 73, has been a car owner in NASCAR’s premier series since 1988, and the Roush Fenway Racing organization has earned 135 Sprint Cup victories as well as two series championships.

Four RFR drivers have won five XFINITY Series titles while the organization also sports one CWTS crown.

Hornaday, 57, won Truck Series titles in 1996, ’98, 2007 and ’09. When he stepped aside at the end of the 2014 season, his 51 career victories were tops for the series, a mark that still stands.

Rudd earned 23 premier series wins in a career that spanned three decades. One of the top road racers of his generation, Rudd scored NASCAR wins for some of the sport’s top team owners, including Richard Childress, Bud Moore and Rick Hendrick. Winning the 1997 Brickyard 400 was notable as Rudd managed the feat as an owner/driver.

Wilson’s engines took drivers to more than 100 premier series victories, while as a crew chief, he won 19 times, including three times in the Daytona 500.

Squier began his broadcasting career at age 12 (his father owned and operated a television station) and was part of the first crew to call the Daytona 500 live (in 1979). The Squier-Hall Award, created in 2012, honors the contributions of media to the success of the sport and is named in honor of Squier and longtime Motor Racing Network broadcaster Barney Hall.

The Nominating Committee also determined the list of five candidates for the Landmark Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to NASCAR. New to the 2017 list is Janet Guthrie, the first woman to qualify for and compete in the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500. She joins Martinsville (Va.) Speedway track founder H. Clay Earles, former car owner Raymond Parks, Ralph Seagraves of former series sponsor RJ Reynolds and its Sports Marketing Enterprises marketing arm, and Squier.

The 15 returning nominees among those to be considered for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame for 2017:

Buddy Baker — Nineteen career premier series wins.

Red Byron — NASCAR’s first strictly stock champion.

Richard Childress — Currently boasts 105 premiers series wins and six championships as a car owner.

Ray Evernham — Won three premier series titles as crew chief for Jeff Gordon; as an owner, worked with Dodge when the manufacturer re-entered NASCAR.

Ray Fox — Car owner, engine builder and crew chief; won 14 times as an owner.

Rick Hendrick — Team owner whose Hendrick Motorsports organization has won 11 premier series titles and 240 races.

Harry Hyde — For two decades (1960s though ’80s), Hyde was one of the most successful crew chiefs in the garage; helped guide Bobby Isaac to the 1970 premier series title.

Alan Kulwicki — Won premier series title in 1992 as an owner/driver.

Mark Martin — Took runner-up honors in championship battle five times; ended career with 40 premier series wins, 49 in XFINITY Series and seven in Trucks.

Herschel McGriff — A four-time winner based on the West Coast, McGriff enjoyed one of the longest NASCAR driving careers in NASCAR; former Winston West Series champion.

Raymond Parks — First team owner to win strictly stock championship (with driver Red Byron).

Benny Parsons — Former premier series champion who enjoyed a successful second career in the broadcast booth.

Larry Phillips — Legendary short track ace from the Midwest; won five NASCAR national Weekly Series titles and seven regional championships.

Mike Stefanik — Winner of seven NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and two K&N Pro Series East titles for a record-tying nine NASCAR championships.

Robert Yates — Engine builder and championship winning team owner (57 wins).

Voting Panel and Nominating Committee members will meet May 25 to determine the 2017 Hall of Fame class.

Posted on February 24, 2016 by

The Sprint Cup Series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend, where drivers will get their first taste of the reduced-downforce rules package in the 2016 season. The aero package debuted last season in July at Kentucky Speedway and made another run in September at Darlington Raceway.

Several drivers — primarily in the Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske camp — were fans of the package, their strong finishes reflecting their approval of the changes.

Carl Edwards was particularly notable, as his average finish of 2.5 at Kentucky and Darlington far surpasses his 14.0 average finish for the 2015 season. Three of the four JGR drivers (Edwards, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch) finished in the top 10 at Kentucky and Darlington, and the fourth — Matt Kenseth — recorded a fifth-place result at Kentucky. Both Team Penske drivers — Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano — ran inside the top six at both events. Half of Stewart-Haas Racing — Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch — also proved consistent with the low downforce package, finishing in the top 10 at the pair of races.

However, other powerhouses — such as Hendrick Motorsports — didn’t fare as well. While Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the Hendrick squad at Darlington with an eighth-place result, he fell short at Kentucky with a 21st-place finish. Likewise, Jimmie Johnson scored a ninth-place finish at Kentucky, but came up 19th at Darlington.

See the table below of the consistently best drivers under the low downforce rules package at Kentucky and Darlington in 2015, all of them finishing in the top 12 for both events.

Best drivers under new rules package in 2015

Driver	Team	Kentucky	Darlington	Avg. finish	2015 avg. finish
Carl Edwards	Joe Gibbs Racing	4th	1st	2.5	14.0
Denny Hamlin	Joe Gibbs Racing	3rd	3rd	3.0	13.6
Joey Logano	Team Penske	2nd	4th	3.0	9.2
Kyle Busch	Joe Gibbs Racing	1st	7th	4.0	10.8
Brad Keselowski	Team Penske	6th	2nd	4.0	11.1
Kevin Harvick	Stewart-Haas Racing	8th	5th	6.5	8.7
Kurt Busch	Stewart-Haas Racing	10th	6th	8.0	11.1
Aric Almirola	Richard Petty Motorsports	12th	11th	11.5	17.9

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Holly Cain

RELATED: Key moments in SHR history

Stewart-Haas Racing announced Wednesday that its four-car operation will switch from Chevrolet to Ford-powered cars in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series beginning in 2017 — the news catching most of the national media and racing insiders off-guard.

Co-team owner and driver Tony Stewart considers it a coup that they were even able to keep the past six months of negotiations with Ford under wraps before Wednesday’s big announcement — only two weeks into the 2016 season.

“I don’t think the timing was a big issue, we just wanted to make sure we were in control of it,” Stewart said. “It’s very hard to keep secrets in this sport.

“In figuring things were going to get out, we wanted to be proactive in announcing this.

“We’re going to get it out there, and then we’re going to get back to business.”

Both Stewart and co-owner Gene Haas opened their remarks on a national conference call Wednesday morning by thanking Chevrolet and committing to the 2016 season driving the GM brand before sharing their optimism about the Ford future.

Stewart said he spoke with Hendrick Motorsports founder Rick Hendrick last month about the possibility of SHR switching engine makes — SHR has a technical alliance with Hendrick — and informed him of the team’s final decision before Wednesday’s announcement.

Both Stewart and Haas were thankful to Chevy, Haas calling it a “long, awesome run” with the company. Stewart stressing, “we weren’t disappointed with Chevy” and said he felt this announcement and impending move would not seriously harm the current Chevy alliance with Hendrick Motorsports.

“I don’t think Rick looks at this as a betrayal,” Haas said of Hendrick. “I think he (Hendrick) respects the decision we have made. It’s a bottom line, business decision that enhances Stewart-Haas Racing in the future and an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”

As the SHR announcement was ongoing Wednesday morning, Chevrolet released a statement from its Vice President Performance Vehicles and Motorsports, Jim Campbell saying, “We are disappointed with Stewart-Haas Racing‘s decision, but our focus for 2016 has not changed.”

Stewart was in complete agreement about the focus. He reiterated the group’s plans to win a 2016 Cup championship with Chevy this year and spoke about the move as a difficult, much-contemplated process.

“None of this was done on a coin toss,” Stewart said. “We’ve put six months of thought into it.”

SHR fields cars for 2014 Cup champion Kevin Harvick, 2004 series champion Kurt Busch, Danica Patrick and next year Clint Bowyer will take over for the retiring Stewart behind the wheel of the No. 14.

NASCAR released the following statement after the news broke:

“Stewart-Haas Racing has been a top-tier team in our sport for many years, and we wish them well in their future endeavor with Ford Performance. Our sport is rooted in healthy competition, and NASCAR is fortunate to have three strong auto manufacturer partners all committed to the common goals of winning and growing the sport. We know that SHR and Chevrolet will work together as hard as ever this season to win races and pursue their third Sprint Cup Championship together.”

Ford executives were clearly optimistic and eager about increasing their Cup tally, which also currently includes spotlight partners such as Penske Racing and Roush-Fenway Racing, Wood Brothers Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports and Front Row Motorsports.

“We believe the addition of Stewart-Haas Racing in 2017 will give our program a major boost in terms of being in contention for both drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships every year,” said Ford’s global Director of Performance Dave Pericak, who also noted, “This is just another addition; we’re not eliminating or reducing support to other teams.”

Stewart, who is currently sidelined in his final year of Cup competition while recovering from an L1 vertebrae fracture, admitted he had been monitoring social media such as Twitter after the initial announcement was made Wednesday morning. He was curious to reaction.

“I understand some people are upset and I’ve also read comments from people who are ecstatic about it,” he said, adding, “You can’t overlook great opportunities.”

He also said after a nearly 20-year personal tenure under the Chevy banner, “It was a big decision; it’s what’s best for our company going forward.”

In the hours after the decision was made, Ford drivers also reached out via Twitter to congratulate the SHR contingent.

“Welcome to the @FordPerformance family @StewartHaasRcng. Excited to have another team join the blue ovals,” tweeted Penske Racing driver Joey Logano.

MORE: Smith analyzes SHR move

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Staff Report

Allen Boes opened the 2016 NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series powered by iRacing.com season with a thrilling victory at Daytona International Speedway, beating Brandon Schmidt and PJ Stergios in an abbreviated green-white-checker run to the finish.

Boes (Deadzone) found himself out front when the caution flew on Lap 94 of 100 for a crash further back in the field. The yellow allowed the leaders, who were all borderline on fuel, to conserve enough to go the distance and when the green flew on Lap 99 the battle for the win was on.

Stergios started on the outside of the front row on the restart and began to make his move down the back straightaway, using a timely push from Schmidt (Last Row Motorsports). As Boes headed to turn three Stergios inched to his outside, but worn tires combined with a hot, slick race track were about to make turn three very interesting.

Almost every single car overestimated the grip level and slid up the track. Stergios grazed the wall as he fought to stay alongside Boes then made contact with the race leader. The impact killed Stergios’ momentum, along with his chance at victory.

The contact set up Schmidt to make a charge up the inside as the leaders came off turn four to take the white flag. Schmidt drew alongside Boes at the exit of the corner and the two cars came together. The contact sent Schmidt into a slide, just as Casey Tucker spun in front of the back half of the field.

The caution flew before the leaders could take the white flag, with Boes just in front of a sliding Schmidt when the caution lights illuminated. Schmidt regained control and held onto second followed by Corey Vincent (Premiere Motorsports Group) and Timmy Hill (Aftermath Motorsports and current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver). Stergios faded to fifth after his brush with Boes and the turn three wall.

Initially, the race looked as if it would come down to fuel mileage after a caution on Lap 51 which put many drivers into a window to go the distance without stopping again if they could save a couple laps of fuel. A handful of drivers including reigning NPAS champion Kenny Humpe (The TEAM) decided against saving fuel and pitted in hopes the rest of the field would run out before the finish.

As the laps clicked down the strategy to pit appeared to have a chance at paying off as the pack of drivers who stayed out were running so slowly in an attempt to save fuel they were in danger of being run down by the cars with plenty of gas in the tank.

Unfortunately, the late-race caution did not allow the differing strategies to play out. The drivers that pitted under green and were not involved in the crash had little hope of securing a good finish with just two laps of racing remaining.

For the first time in the history of NPAS handling was an issue at Daytona. The drivers fought with ill-handling cars all race and passing proved difficult after the tires heated up. While the racing may not have been as close in years past, the race was more in the hands of the drivers instead of luck. Handling and a looser pack also contributed to less crashes as thirty-six cars finished the race, thirty-four of which were on the lead lap when the checkers flew.

The NPAS will go without an off week between the first and second races of the season as Atlanta Motor Speedway is due up next Tuesday. Atlanta is the first 1.5-mile track of six such circuits on the schedule and the race should be a great litmus test for which teams have done their homework over the offseason. Boes will look to continue his recent hot streak on the intermediate tracks, which dates back to the NASCAR iRacing Pro Series, but Humpe and the rest of the NPAS veterans will likely be hard to beat.

Who will come out of Atlanta in good position early in the season and who will have already dug themselves a hole? Tune into iRacingLive next Tuesday at 9 pm ET to catch the action!

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Staff Report

NASCAR penalized Cole Pearn, crew chief of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota, on Wednesday for infractions during Daytona Speedweeks.

The penalty was a P2 and fell under section 12.1 in the NASCAR rulebook — actions detrimental to stock car racing — and section 20.4.7.6 — which details the proper installation of roof flaps.

Pearn was put on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31.

Truex was second to Denny Hamlin in the closest-ever finish in Daytona 500 history.

Truex didn’t take the track in time during qualifying for the Daytona 500 because the team was unable to repair a roof flap problem. So he missed his chance to make qualifying laps and started from the rear of the field.

In Pearn’s first season as Truex’s crew chief in 2015, the team advanced to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

No. 41 team assessed P2 in Truck Series

Among the other penalties released on Wednesday, the No. 41 Camping World Truck Series team for Ben Rhodes received a P2 for violating sections 12.1 and 20.14.3.2.4.2.d.

Rhodes’ crew chief Kevin Bellicourt was fined $2,500 and placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31, and the team was assessed with the loss of 10 championship owner points and 10 championship driver points.

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Official NASCAR Release

Editor’s Note: This was originally published on October 14, 2016

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 24, 2016) — Legendary engine builders, crew chiefs, owners, drivers and the most recognizable voice in motorsports. The talents, eras and levels may differ, but all share a common thread. They shaped NASCAR, and on Wednesday, they were recognized as nominees for the highest honor the sport bestows — enshrinement into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

NASCAR today announced the 20 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017, as well as the five nominees for the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. Included among the list are five first-time nominees, all legends who made excellence a habit through their various contributions to the sport.

Among them are record-holding four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr.; the man with the most car owner wins in NASCAR national series history with 322, Jack Roush; former all-time consecutive starts leader Ricky Rudd; legendary motorsports broadcasting pioneer Ken Squier; and three-time premier series champion engine builder and three-time Daytona 500-winning crew chief Waddell Wilson. For a full list of nominees, please see below.

The nominees were selected by a nominating committee consisting of representatives from NASCAR and the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners from both major facilities and historic short tracks, and the media. The committee’s votes were tabulated by accounting firm Ernst & Young.

From the list of 20 NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees, five inductees will be elected by the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel, which includes a nationwide fan vote on NASCAR.com. Voting Day for the 2017 class will be Wednesday, May 25.

Added to this year’s list of Landmark Award nominees is Janet Guthrie — the first female driver to compete in a NASCAR premier series superspeedway race. The four returning nominees for the Landmark Award are H. Clay Earles, Raymond Parks, Ralph Seagraves and Squier (more on each below). Potential Landmark Award recipients include competitors or those working in the sport as a member of a racing organization, track facility, race team, sponsor, media partner or being a general ambassador for the sport through a professional or non-professional role. Award winners remain eligible for NHOF enshrinement.

Following are the 20 nominees for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, listed alphabetically:

Buddy Baker, won 19 times in NASCAR’s premier (now Sprint Cup) series, including the Daytona 500 and Southern 500.

Red Byron, first NASCAR premier series champion, in 1949.

Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series.

Ray Evernham, three-time NASCAR premier series championship crew chief.

Ray Fox, legendary engine builder, crew chief and car owner.

Rick Hendrick, 14-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series.

Ron Hornaday, four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion.

Harry Hyde, 1970 NASCAR premier series championship crew chief.

Alan Kulwicki, 1992 NASCAR premier series champion.

Mark Martin, 96-time race winner in NASCAR national series competition.

Hershel McGriff, 1986 NASCAR west series champion.

Raymond Parks, NASCAR’s first champion car owner.

Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR premier series champion.

Larry Phillips, only five-time NASCAR weekly series national champion.

Jack Roush, five-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series.

Ricky Rudd, won 23 times in NASCAR’s premier series, including the 1997 Brickyard 400.

Ken Squier, legendary radio and television broadcaster; inaugural winner/namesake of Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence.

Mike Stefanik, winner of record-tying nine NASCAR championships.

Waddell Wilson, won three NASCAR premier series championships as an engine builder.

Robert Yates, won NASCAR premier series championship as both an engine builder and owner.

The five nominees for the Landmark Award, listed alphabetically, are:

H. Clay Earles, founder of Martinsville Speedway.

Janet Guthrie, the first female to compete in a NASCAR premier series superspeedway race.

Raymond Parks, NASCAR’s first champion car owner.

Ralph Seagraves, formed groundbreaking Winston-NASCAR partnership as executive with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.

Ken Squier, legendary radio and television broadcaster; inaugural winner/namesake of Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence.

NASCAR Hall of Fame Nomination Eligibility

— Drivers who have competed in NASCAR for at least 10 years and been retired for two years are eligible for nomination to the NHOF. Previously, eligible drivers must have been retired for three years.

— In addition, drivers who have competed for a minimum of 10 years and reached their 55th birthday on or before Dec. 31 of the year prior to the nominating year are immediately eligible for the NHOF.

— Any driver who has competed for 30 or more years in NASCAR competition by Dec. 31 of the year prior to the nominating year is automatically eligible, regardless of age.

— Drivers may continue to compete after reaching any of the aforementioned milestones without compromising eligibility for nomination or induction.

— For non-drivers, individuals must have worked at least 10 years in the NASCAR industry.

— Individuals may also be considered who made significant achievements in the sport, but left the sport early due to a variety of circumstances.

The 22-person Nominating Committee:

NOMINATION COMMITTEE

NASCAR Hall of Fame: Executive Director Winston Kelley; Historian Buz McKim.

NASCAR Officials: Chairman / CEO Brian France; Vice Chairman Jim France; Vice Chairman of NASCAR Mike Helton; Chief Operating Officer Brent Dewar; Executive Vice President / Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell; Executive Vice President / Chief Marketing Officer Steve Phelps; Senior Vice President, Competition Scott Miller; Senior Vice President, Marketing & Driver Services Jill Gregory.

Track Owners/Operators: International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa France Kennedy; Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell; Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage; Atlanta Motor Speedway President Ed Clark; former Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Tony George; Dover Motorsports CEO Denis McGlynn; Pocono Raceway board of directors member Looie McNally; Bowman Gray Stadium operator Dale Pinilis; Holland Motorsports Complex operator Ron Bennett; Rockford Speedway operator Jody Deery; West Coast representative Ken Clapp.

Media: Mike Joy, FOX.