Posted on by Nascar

RANDLEMAN, N.C. — Folks nodded and smiled and waved and stopped what they were doing and pretty soon nearly everyone was having a picture taken with Richard Petty.



“These folks here are what it’s all about,” Petty, NASCAR’s winningest driver and one of only two drivers to capture seven series championships, said Wednesday morning during an appearance at Victory Junction Gang Camp.



“It’s big because all these (boxes) go to the people that are from North Carolina and all the products in the boxes are produced in North Carolina.”



Seventy or so folks gathered at Victory Junction to take part in Operation North State’s annual “NCCARES Christmas Box project”. Members of the National Guard were on hand, alongside officials from the American Legion, people affiliated with several of the makers of the products going in the boxes, and other volunteers.



The Petty Family Foundation helps manage the annual program and provides space at the camp to complete the tasks. It’s one of several initiatives backed by the foundation, according to Rebecca Moffitt, executive director of the PFF, many of which are aimed at support for veterans as well as active military members.



Approximately 1,500 boxes containing magazines, food items and other assorted products — all made in North Carolina — were assembled and prepped for delivery.



“They go to deployed (North Carolina) troops,” said Terry Snyder, founder of Operation North State and the chief answer man here on Wednesday. “We don’t do gift boxes every month, maybe 50-60 a month, but we do 1,500 at Christmas and everything in that box is related to North Carolina — its’ people, places, products and pride.”



Snyder isn’t a military veteran, although family members and friends either have served or are currently serving.



“I felt we ought to be doing our part to support our veterans and veterans in need,” he said. “It’s 100 percent all volunteer, nobody makes a dime; it’s as grass roots as it gets.”



The Christmas Box project has been going on for six years and it’s opened doors for other opportunities. The non-profit organization also hosts as many as six fishing festivals each year for the state’s “wounded Warriors and disabled veterans,” according to Snyder.



Names of servicemen and women are submitted to the group’s website, www.operationnorthstate.com, by friends or family members to receive the care packages, ensuring that N.C. soldiers get a little taste of home while serving elsewhere.



Nuts, candy, pickles, Krispy Kreme pies and Bojangles’ seasoning go in the boxes. Letters from the Governor and other state officials, too, go in the boxes. A Carolina Panthers flag emblazoned with “Keep Pounding” and Texas Pete Hot Sauce (it’s actually made in North Carolina) are included as well.



And a T-shirt goes in the boxes as well. Printed on the back of the shirt is Military Pride, Richard Petty, No. 43.



“That,” Snyder says, “is the No. 1 item in the box.”



Petty thanked all those who were on hand, expressing his appreciation for their willingness to give their time to what he believes is such a worthy endeavor.



“It makes you feel good,” he said, “to help those guys and gals feel better because they’re not at home.”

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Learn which drivers, crew chiefs are on the move

AJ Allmendinger will have a new crew chief and JTG Daugherty Racing will have a new director of competition as Randall Burnett and Ernie Cope have joined the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series organization.
 
The team made the announcement Thursday via news release.
 
Burnett previously served as lead race engineer at Chip Ganassi Racing, working with drivers Jamie McMurray (2010-12), Juan Pablo Montoya (’13) and Kyle Larson (’14-15). It will be his first stint as crew chief. In total, Burnett spent 10 years at Chip Ganassi Racing, where he also served as a 7-post analysis engineer, a lead team engineer and a data acquisition engineer.
 
“I know the quality of work they do and the level they hold themselves to,” Burnett, a native of Fenton, Missouri said. “Also, working with AJ is going to be exciting for me. We kind of grew up with the same background. AJ obviously had a tremendous amount of talent and is very passionate and very vocal about his passion.”
 
Burnett, a former Late Model racer, received a mechanical engineering degree from UNC Charlotte.
 
“What I really like about Randall is that even though he hasn’t been a crew chief, he’s done every role you can ask for,” Allmendinger said, “whether it’s as a driver, car chief, engineer, test team or building race cars.
 
“I think we are going to speak the same language pretty quickly. I know his knowledge is going to help us.”
 
The 2016 season will be Allmendinger’s 10th, and his third (full-time with JTG) since taking over the No. 47 entry. He scored his first career victory in 2014, winning at Watkins Glen and earning a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. He subsequently finished 13th in points, his best points finish to date.
 
Burnett replaces the team’s former crew chief, Brian Burns.
 
For Cope, it will be a reunion of sorts. The Tacoma, Washington native served as a crew chief in 2006-07 for the team’s drivers, Stacy Compton and Marcos Ambrose, in what is now known as the NASCAR XFINITY Series. In 2015, he guided Chase Elliott to the runner-up honors in the XFINITY Series this past season while at JR Motorsports. He also has led Kevin Harvick to 12 wins in the series.
 
Cope, 46, will oversee development of the cars how they are built, and will likely work closely with Richard Childress Racing officials, with whom JTG Daugherty Racing has a technical alliance.
 
“I’ll make sure … Randall has exactly what he needs to be competitive,” Cope said. “It’s going to be his first shot at being crew chief and he’s the right guy for the position.
 
“I feel 100 percent in my heart that he is going to succeed and I’m going to help him succeed.”
 
Allmendinger failed to make this year’s 16-team Chase field, and finished 22nd in points. An accomplished road racer, he scored poles at both NASCAR road-course stops this past season, starting out front at Sonoma and Watkins Glen.

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RELATED: Bouchard’s standout Modified career

Ron Bouchard, winner of the 1981 Talladega 500 and the premier series’ rookie of the year that same season, passed away Thursday. He was 67.

 

NASCAR made a statement on Thursday regarding the news, “Ron Bouchard’s passion for racing was evident from his very early years in NASCAR. Competition fueled Ron, whether racing modifieds at short tracks across the Northeast or winning rookie of the year honors in NASCAR’s premier series. He loved this sport, and made an indelible mark on it, one that won’t soon be forgotten.


“NASCAR extends its condolences to the friends and family of Ron Bouchard, a true racer.”

A native of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Bouchard pulled off one of NASCAR’s most stunning victories when he shot from third to first on the final lap at Talladega (then known as Alabama International Motor Speedway), passing Darrell Waltrip and Terry Labonte to score his lone premier series victory. The win came in his 11th career start.

He was driving the Jack Beebe-owned Race Hill Farm No. 47 Buick, with crew chief Bob Johnson. Bouchard had taken over the ride earlier in the season following the departure of driver Harry Gant.

Bouchard became the 13th different winner in the 13-year history of the summer race at the 2.66-mile track.

“Coming off the fourth turn … I was behind Waltrip and Terry when Terry decided to pass Darrell on the outside,” Bouchard told reporters following his Talladega victory. “When he moved up, Darrell moved up to get in front of him. When I saw that, I just shot down to the inside … and moved up fast.”

A standout Modified driver, Bouchard won track championships at Stafford Springs, Thompson and Seekonk speedways before moving up to what was then known as NASCAR’s Grand National division.

He made 160 starts at NASCAR’s top level, finishing a career-best eighth in points in ’82. In addition to his one win, Bouchard scored 19 top-five and 60 top-10 finishes.

He won the series’ rookie title in a class that included Morgan Shepherd, Tim Richmond and Joe Ruttman. Seven years later, his brother Ken Bouchard captured the series rookie of the year award as well.

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It’s an exciting time for Trevor Bayne and his family this holiday season as the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing driver and his wife Ashton welcome their first child, daughter Elizabeth Kate Bayne. The new mom shared a photo of the newborn on Instagram on Thursday.


Congrats, Elizabeth, you’re the newest baby in the Sprint Cup Series garage, but no worries, you’ve got a lot of cool kids to grow up with.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Learn which drivers and crew chiefs are on the move

Reigning NASCAR XFINITY Series champ Chris Buescher will move up to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to drive for Front Row Motorsports in 2016, Roush Fenway Racing announced Thursday, as part of an enhanced technical alliance between the two teams.

 

Buescher, who locked up his first NASCAR national series title at Homestead-Miami Speedway last month, will drive the No. 34 Ford Fusion, with the team receiving full engineering and pit support from Roush Fenway.

 

“We are thrilled to announce this alliance,” Roush Fenway President Steve Newmark said. “Not only will it foster increased communication within the Ford camp, it will allow our newest champion Chris Buescher to continue to hone his skills with substantial seat time behind the wheel in the Sprint Cup Series in top-grade equipment.

 

“We look forward to working more closely with Front Row on many levels and we believe it is a relationship that will be mutually beneficial for both parties.”

Buescher explained to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s “The Morning Drive” what a relief it was to have his 2016 plans set.

“It’s definitely exciting for it to come together here right now,” Buescher said. “I think before I had a lot of things circulating, a lot of rumors. Stuff that I didn’t really know yet. Really no one knew, but it’s finally played out. … Even though it has been a quick turnaround time, it’s very stressful not knowing what you are doing the next year when you are sitting here just trying to figure out where you are going to be racing at and how often. So this is very relieving news and very exciting news.”

The 23-year-old is also looking forward to the challenges of moving up the national series ladder.

“There’s always challenges when you move and that will remain the same,” Buescher told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “You see it with anybody moving up to Cup, and I don’t care what ride it’s in. There’s going to be a learning curve that’s going to have to take place. It won’t be easy, but it will be fun, it will interesting and I’m excited to learn with a new group.”

 

Texas native Buescher made six Sprint Cup starts in 2015 in the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford, with a best finish of 20th at Auto Club Speedway. He never ranked lower than third in the driver championship standings.

“We’ve grown a lot and accomplished a lot as an organization in our six years of full-time Sprint Cup racing, and I’m proud of our progress,” Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins said. “We’re ready for the next step, and this partnership with Roush Fenway Racing is going to take us there. Chris Buescher is a champion, and he’s a driver that we’ve worked with already and have great respect for, so he’s the perfect guy to bring into our line-up.”

For his part, Buescher is eager to come in and help the team continue to build.

“It is a new team,” Buescher told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “It is a smaller team but it is a team that is still building. It’s just like anybody that has come into this sport, I don’t think you have ever seen somebody come in, especially in the last 10-20 years and just been dominate off the truck. It’s going to be a building process, along with myself going over to Front Row and driving, we are going to have the alliance between Roush and them as well. … I think it’s a way to build it up.”

And the reigning XFINITY Series champion told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio he is hopeful for additional seat time in the XFINITY Series.

“I’d love to run more XFINITY races. I think its as important as ever to get as much seat time as possible right now especially with no testing. If everything comes together, I’ve expressed an interest in it.”


Plans for Front Row Motorsports‘ second Sprint Cup Series entry will be announced at a later date.

Posted on by Staff Report


Dale Earnhardt Jr. spent Wednesday fishing with fiancee Amy Reimann on his property while filming some shots for sponsor Nationwide. 


The shoot included the Sprint Cup Series driver’s 2016 No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, featuring a new paint scheme, and his accompanying helmet.


On Thursday, Junior’s sponsor, Nationwide, released the first-ever look at the No. 88 driver’s firesuit for 2016. 

Pretty snazzy, right?

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Stewart-Haas Racing hired former Michael Waltrip Racing pit coach Walt Smith for the 2016 season. According to SHR, he will join coordinator Joe Piette and coach Kevin Sharpe in their pit department.

Smith is an experienced coach who has spent time at Hendrick Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing and MWR. He’s joining a pit crew team at SHR that has won championships with Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick and back-to-back Mechanix Wear MVP awards with the Nos. 4 and 41 teams.

For more pit crew news, visit PitTalks.com.

Posted on by Nascar

Joe Gibbs knows it’s important to enjoy the moment. Appreciate the accomplishment, savor it and soak it all in.

Because the end of one season means the beginning of another is much closer.

That’s how it was when he was head coach for the Washington Redskins, with whom he won three Super Bowls. And that’s how it’s been each time his Joe Gibbs Racing organization has won NASCAR Sprint Cup Series titles, something its drivers have now done four times.

Kyle Busch and the No. 18 team gave JGR title No. 4 this season, wrapping up the title with a victory last month at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Busch joins former JGR drivers Tony Stewart (’02, ’05) and Bobby Labonte (’00) as series champion.

“My favorite story on that,” Gibbs, 75, said, “is we’d just won the Super Bowl, just walked off the field. I’d done the press stuff. My wife Pat and I were going to a party and had gotten in a limo.

“And all of a sudden a fan throws open the door, looked back at us and said ‘We’ve got to get ’em next year!’

“And I (said), ‘It’s been 10 minutes!'”

JGR drivers have won 128 races since the organization was formed in 1992. Labonte and Stewart won when the group fielded Pontiac entries; Stewart’s ’05 title came with Chevrolet. Busch’s title was the first for automaker Toyota, which joined JGR in ’08.

The organization added a fourth team for ’15, with driver Carl Edwards and all four drivers — Busch, Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin — qualified for this season’s Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Busch won the title in spite of injuries that kept the 30-year-old sidelined for the season’s first 11 points races.

Winning the championship is a huge accomplishment, and it goes much further than just within the walls of the shop as Gibbs explained.

“I think one of the biggest (positives) is the people that go with you, and by that I mean (sponsors) Mars, Stanley Black & Decker, Monster, Interstate Batteries, all those companies,” he said. “They invest a lot with us. It takes a lot to race these cars. Then to see them get the benefit of that is just … you can’t even put it into words.

“Then Toyota getting its first (Sprint Cup championship) is a huge deal. All that they’ve invested and the time and work they’ve put into it.

“So I think it’s all the people that get to go with you (on the journey), but particularly in this sport because we’re so dependent (on sponsorship). This sport is totally different. We’ve got to have great partners, great sponsors, people that are willing to work with you and put resources into this. To get a championship is a big deal.”

Interstate has been a partner with JGR since the beginning. Mars joined in ’08 when Busch came on board.

Fielding a championship team not only generates interest among others outside the organization who may be looking to improve their own situations, it also can make it more difficult to hold on to talented personnel already in-house.

It’s a situation Gibbs discovered early on as a team owner. Talented folks want to work for a winner. Other folks want to hire your talented folks.

“We’ve got kind of a tough situation with key employees and people that mean a lot to you because we’re all right in Charlotte,” he said. “And nobody has to move. They just have to roll next door. So you’re constantly faced with that.”

To combat it, he said, “You have to try and make the job as good as you can make it. You try to give them as many benefits as you can.

“But you have to realize too, that when you have really good people, sometimes you lose them.”

For now though, it’s time to enjoy the recognition. Fleeting as it may be.

“We’ll enjoy this as much as we can,” Gibbs said. “The problem is, we don’t have much of an offseason. (The next one) comes quick.”