Posted on by Staff Report

Officials with FOX Sports issued a statement late Wednesday saying Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not currently scheduled to appear as a guest analyst during the network’s coverage of NASCAR XFINITY Series races next season.

“While FOX Sports has had informal conversations with Dale Earnhardt Jr. about joining the FOX Sports NASCAR XFINITY Series booth in the future, as several of his fellow racers did in 2015, nothing has been determined,” the statement read. “We apologize for the confusion.”

In a press release issued earlier Wednesday, FOX reported that the Hendrick Motorsports driver would become the latest in a line of Sprint Cup drivers to step into the broadcast booth, joining 2015 guest analysts Jeff Gordon , Kevin Harvick , Brad Keselowski , Clint Bowyer and Danica Patrick .

According to the initial release, “Earnhardt Jr. … made the announcement Saturday in an interview with FOX SPORTS LIVE co-hosts Dan O’Toole and Jay Onrait in a video posted in “The Jay and Dan Podcast.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: MWR begins to shut down | Waltrip responds to MWR news

 

This one hurts. When news came down midday Wednesday that the stiffest of the four NASCAR penalties for last weekend’s technical missteps was directed at Michael Waltrip Racing, it marked the latest in a series of hurts, like reopening a wound already full from an ocean’s worth of salt.

The P4-level infraction left Clint Bowyer, MWR’s lone hope in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs, back in the postseason’s starting blocks, stripping the No. 15 Toyota team of the 25 points it had to show for a 19th-place effort last Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway. The violation for an illegally mounted track bar also tacked fines, suspensions and probation onto an organization that’s already reeling from its planned exit from stock-car racing at the year’s end.

RELATED: Bowyer docked 25 points

 

Michael Waltrip Racing issued a statement on the heels of the penalty’s announcement, saying that it “respectfully disagrees” with NASCAR’s ruling. On Thursday, the team formally filed an appeal — MWR will make its case on Sept. 30. That may mean that the proceedings may have more instances of “please” and “thank you” in the immediate appeal, but the impact is far greater than any niceties that might arise. Either way, it’s a tough way to realize that the adjustable track bar that debuted this season is not as adjustable as previously thought.

Regardless of how the expedited hearing might play out, the statement made the rare step of acknowledging the organization’s past transgressions, saying, “MWR has made mistakes in the past, but we feel we are correct in this instance.” It’s much like the child who’s been a repeat offender when dipping his or her hand into the cookie jar attempting to plead an honest case, even as the crumbs from previous trespasses still pockmark their sleeves.

And those blunders have been monumental ones, in some instances career-altering indiscretions with further-reaching implications than mere mistakes. Barring an egregious infraction from another corner of the garage in the next nine weeks, the Waltrip-owned organization will end its run with the distinction of twice holding the record for the most severe penalty in NASCAR’s history.

RELATED: Photos of MWR through the years


The first infamous record-setter came shockingly in what was supposed to be Toyota’s first big splash in NASCAR’s major leagues, when Waltrip’s car failed inspection ahead of the 2007 Daytona 500 because of illegally altered fuel. The Japanese automaker managed to overcome that initial black eye, but it left what turned out to be a lasting smudge.

The second and more glaring encroachment on the rules came before the 2013 Chase, when the organization was found to have manipulated the results of the regular-season finale. The aftermath was a scaled-down MWR, with Martin Truex Jr. and longtime sponsor NAPA both bolting for greener grass elsewhere.

Contrast against those two violations, Wednesday’s P4 revelation might be considered small potatoes — not quite russets, but not fingerlings either.

It would be shortsighted to chalk MWR’s demise solely up to its most prominent scandal. Other factors — whether financial, technological or merely circumstantial — certainly played a role.

The verdict of the appeal will matter, potentially giving Bowyer renewed hope in one last Chase pursuit or glum closure to the MWR era. Only time — expedited or not — will tell.

Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: MWR begins to shut down | Waltrip responds to MWR news

 

This one hurts. When news came down midday Wednesday that the stiffest of the four NASCAR penalties for last weekend’s technical missteps was directed at Michael Waltrip Racing, it marked the latest in a series of hurts, like reopening a wound already full from an ocean’s worth of salt.

The P4-level infraction left Clint Bowyer, MWR’s lone hope in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs, back in the postseason’s starting blocks, stripping the No. 15 Toyota team of the 25 points it had to show for a 19th-place effort last Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway. The violation for an illegally mounted track bar also tacked fines, suspensions and probation onto an organization that’s already reeling from its planned exit from stock-car racing at the year’s end.

RELATED: Bowyer docked 25 points

 

Michael Waltrip Racing issued a statement on the heels of the penalty’s announcement, saying that it “respectfully disagrees” with NASCAR’s ruling. On Thursday, the team formally filed an appeal — MWR will make its case on Sept. 30. That may mean that the proceedings may have more instances of “please” and “thank you” in the immediate appeal, but the impact is far greater than any niceties that might arise. Either way, it’s a tough way to realize that the adjustable track bar that debuted this season is not as adjustable as previously thought.

Regardless of how the expedited hearing might play out, the statement made the rare step of acknowledging the organization’s past transgressions, saying, “MWR has made mistakes in the past, but we feel we are correct in this instance.” It’s much like the child who’s been a repeat offender when dipping his or her hand into the cookie jar attempting to plead an honest case, even as the crumbs from previous trespasses still pockmark their sleeves.

And those blunders have been monumental ones, in some instances career-altering indiscretions with further-reaching implications than mere mistakes. Barring an egregious infraction from another corner of the garage in the next nine weeks, the Waltrip-owned organization will end its run with the distinction of twice holding the record for the most severe penalty in NASCAR’s history.

RELATED: Photos of MWR through the years


The first infamous record-setter came shockingly in what was supposed to be Toyota’s first big splash in NASCAR’s major leagues, when Waltrip’s car failed inspection ahead of the 2007 Daytona 500 because of illegally altered fuel. The Japanese automaker managed to overcome that initial black eye, but it left what turned out to be a lasting smudge.

The second and more glaring encroachment on the rules came before the 2013 Chase, when the organization was found to have manipulated the results of the regular-season finale. The aftermath was a scaled-down MWR, with Martin Truex Jr. and longtime sponsor NAPA both bolting for greener grass elsewhere.

Contrast against those two violations, Wednesday’s P4 revelation might be considered small potatoes — not quite russets, but not fingerlings either.

It would be shortsighted to chalk MWR’s demise solely up to its most prominent scandal. Other factors — whether financial, technological or merely circumstantial — certainly played a role.

The verdict of the appeal will matter, potentially giving Bowyer renewed hope in one last Chase pursuit or glum closure to the MWR era. Only time — expedited or not — will tell.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Cup drivers in the Truck Series | Timeline of the Truck Series

 

Born to modest beginnings in the American Southwest, NASCAR’s launching pad, otherwise known as the Camping World Truck Series, will celebrate a major milestone on Saturday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

There, shortly after 1 p.m. ET (on FS1), the green flag will signal the start of the 500th race in a series that has provided indispensable impetus to the careers of some of NASCAR’s top stars.

Carl Edwards, for one, recognizes the debt he owes to the series and to longtime owners such as Mike Mittler, who gave Edwards his start in trucks.

“The Truck Series means a lot to me, and it means a lot to my career, for the fact that Mike Mittler has owned a truck since the beginning of the Truck Series,” Edwards said. “If it weren’t for that opportunity from Mike Mittler, and Jack Roush hiring me to drive his trucks, I would not be here today.

“So I’m really grateful for the Truck Series, and I had a lot of fun driving those trucks.”

Edwards won the Sunoco Rookie of the Year title in the Truck Series in 2003 before graduating to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon and Ryan Blaney are other former Truck Series Rookie of the Year winners currently racing at NASCAR’s highest level.

The Truck Series has changed markedly since its debut on the national stage in 1995 at Phoenix International Raceway, where Mike Skinner, already 38 years old at the time, won the Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic by .09 seconds over Terry Labonte.

In its formative years, the Truck Series was a repository for veteran drivers. Skinner won the first series championship. Ron Hornaday Jr., perhaps the most identifiable name in series history, claimed the title in 1996, the first of his record four championships.

Veterans Hornaday and Jack Sprague were kings of the series from 1996 through 1999 before Biffle won the title in 2000 to advance another rung up the ladder that would take him to the Cup series in short order.

The periodic appearances of Kyle Busch notwithstanding, it’s fair to say that older, more experienced drivers dominated the Truck Series until 2011. Hornaday won his third championship in 2007 and his fourth in 2009, amassing a series-record 51 victories along the way.

Todd Bodine won the second of his two titles in 2010, at age 46, before Dillon and James Buescher notched back-to-back championships in 2011 and 2012 at ages 21 and 22, respectively.

Dillon and Buescher are emblematic of the changing face of the Truck Series, which now features more teenagers and 20-somethings than drivers in their 30s and 40s.

For one thing, team owners like Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr., have embraced the Truck Series as an affordable way to give back to the sport by launching the careers of young drivers.

Erik Jones, 19, who drives for Kyle Busch Motorsports, is the current series leader. Tyler Reddick, also 19 and a Brad Keselowski Racing protégé, is second.

“I think the Truck Series is a great division,” Busch said. “It’s certainly a lot of fun. I enjoy it. It’s a level at which I can be competitive owning a race team. …

“This level … I feel it gives us a great chance to bring up the (young) talent to the upper level of NASCAR racing.”

Owning his own team also gives Busch a chance to compete in the occasional race. With 44 victories in the series, he is second only to Hornaday, and he’ll have a chance to move one win closer this weekend at New Hampshire.

“Having its 500th race and being in that race is going to be special for me,” Busch said.

Keselowski is part of the Truck Series’ present and future, but his love for the trucks is rooted in the past. His father, Bob Keselowski, raced in the series debut at Phoenix. Bob Keselowski took his only checkered flag in the series in 1997, and he and Brad remain the only father/son combination to win races in the trucks.

“The Truck Series for me has been a huge part of my career and a huge part of my family from the get-go,” Keselowski said. “My dad ran in the first-ever truck race at Phoenix, and I still remember that day.

“I still remember watching that race, and I remember how big a deal the Truck Series was when it started and how big a deal it is now to young drivers and the future of our sport.”

Two-time defending Truck Series champion Matt Crafton once would have been typical of the series. Now, at 39, he’s a throwback to an earlier era. But Crafton is content to race for wins and titles in the Truck Series, as opposed to driving less competitive equipment at a higher level.

“If I stay here for the rest of my driving career, I’ll definitely be happy with that,” Crafton said. “I know each and every week I can go win races. I have no desire to go somewhere where I’m going to run 15th to 25th and be happy with that.”

A nine-time winner in the Truck Series, Crafton is seeking his first New Hampshire victory this weekend, as he tries to stave off the growing youth movement in the Camping World Truck Series for yet another season.

Posted on by

Editor’s note: During each week of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, The Joey Logano Foundation will provide grants to a non-profit in each of the race markets in a program called “Chasing Second Chances.” Each week, Logano will detail those plans for NASCAR.com.


Thanks for the support during the first week of the Chase! While we didn’t get the win at Chicagoland, we had a solid finish. I’m proud of my 22 team. Now on to New Hampshire!


This Week’s Cause: Pediatric Cancer


This week, Chasing Second Chances will continue supporting Pediatric Cancer-related organizations.


As I head to my home track, it really got me thinking about family. For this post, I want to focus on the effects having a child with cancer can have on the whole family.


Someone shared this quote with me that was found on www.cancer.gov and it made an interesting point.


” … treatment of childhood cancer inevitably occurs in the context of a family. Frequently, the impact of an adult’s cancer treatment focuses on one or two key adults in the cancer patient’s life. In childhood cancer, the effects are often felt by more individuals, including one or both parents, one or more siblings who are themselves children or adolescents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, teachers, friends, and other individuals who may be directly involved in the care or life experience of the child.”


And everyone reacts to the situation in different ways. Families can be brought closer or can be broken apart.


Financially, it can be really tough on these families, too. Many kids have to travel for treatments. A parent may have to quit his or her job in order to be with the child. Out-of-pocket expenses add up and people have to borrow money just to pay bills.


It’s a lot to think about when you look at everything that pediatric cancer can do, not just to a child, but an entire family.


This Week’s Joey Logano Foundation Chasing Second Chances Partner



This week’s charity partner is one that is really close to me because it’s a group that I’ve been working with for many years, even before I was a Sprint Cup Series driver.  This week, we are supporting David’s House. David’s House is an organization that helps families while they are receiving treatment.


David Cyr had acute lymphatic leukemia. The Cyr family lived 20 minutes from where David was receiving treatment, but so many other families lived further away. David’s father Dick would speak with parents who slept in cars, in chairs, anywhere they needed to so they didn’t have to leave their child alone. Financially, these families could not spend the extra money on local hotels. Already in a stressful situation, these families went without comfort so they could be close to their children.


David passed when he was 5. That is when Dick and his family and friends decided they were going to build a house for these families so they could stay close to their children. David’s House provides a home-away-from-home and support for families with children receiving treatment through the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. To date they have helped more than 13,117 families from around the world! 


I am proud to support this non-profit and the work they are doing to help families.

Posted on by Nascar

OFFICIAL NASCAR RELEASE: Chase team among four penalized

RELATED: Busch, Suarez issued penalties

 

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Clint Bowyer now finds himself right back where he started — 16th among a field of 16 drivers battling for this year’s NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

There is one difference. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver will be without the services of his crew chief, Billy Scott, for the next three races.

On Wednesday, NASCAR officials announced that Bowyer’s No. 15 Toyota team had been penalized for a P4 level infraction found during opening day inspection last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.

RELATED: See the updated Chase standings

As a result, Bowyer has lost 25 driver points, team co-owner Rob Kauffman has been docked 25 owner points, Scott has been fined $75,000 and suspended for three races. He has also been placed on probation for six months.

Based on rules cited in the penalty announcement, the team was penalized for suspension and track bar issues.

Those noted included:

20.14c — All suspension mounts and mounting hardware must not allow movement or realignment of any suspension and/or drivetrain component beyond normal rotation or suspension and/or drivetrain travel;

20.14.2.1.k — Beveled washers and/or other components that allow movement under load will not be permitted on the track bar heim joints or rod end and/or track bar mounting bolts;

12.5.3.4.1.d — Approved parts that are not properly installed or are made adjustable when not normally intended to be;

12.5.3.4.1.f  — Components, devices, systems, configurations, installations, etc. which serve to circumvent NASCAR templates, gauges, measuring devices whether intended or not …

Because Bowyer is competing in the Chase, and the result of any appeal would have an impact on the championship standings going forward, NASCAR’s penalty statement stated that a request had been submitted to the Appeals Administrator of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel seeking to expedite any appeal.

Michael Waltrip Racing officials issued a statement shortly after Wednesday’s penalty announcement.

“Michael Waltrip Racing respectfully disagrees with today’s penalties and plans to immediately appeal,” the statement read. “MWR has made mistakes in the past, but we feel we are correct in this instance. We look forward to the opportunity to present our case to the appeals committee and have no further comment until the process is completed.”

Bowyer, competing in the Chase for the sixth time in his career, was seeded 16th in the field heading into last weekend’s race in Chicago. He finished 19th and improved one position, to 15th, prior to the points deduction, earning 25 points.

Regardless of the appeals process, Bowyer must win one of the next two Sprint Cup races — scheduled for New Hampshire and Dover — or be one of the top 12 in points following the Dover race to advance to the Contender Round of the Chase.

MWR fields two teams in the Sprint Cup Series, the No. 15 of Bowyer as well as the No. 55 with driver David Ragan. Team owners announced earlier this year that Bowyer had been granted his release following the ’15 season and that the organization would not field full-time teams beyond this year.


RELATED: MWR begins process of shutting down


Earlier this year, the No. 31 team of Richard Childress Racing was hit with a Level P5 penalty for infractions involving the release of air pressure from the team’s tires.

In addition to the penalty for the No. 15 team, NASCAR officials also penalized the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing team with driver Danica Patrick for modifying the right-side quarterpanel during pre-qualifying inspection.

Crew chief Daniel Knost and car chief Pete White have been placed on probation through Dec. 31 for the Level P2 infraction.

Posted on by Nascar

Officials with Richard Petty Motorsports and transportation services company J.B. Hunt have announced a five-race associate sponsorship agreement that will consist of one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event this season and four for 2016.

The company will serve as an associate on the No. 9 RPM Ford, currently driven by Sam Hornish Jr., at this year’s AAA Texas 500 race weekend (Nov. 6-8) as well as events next season at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, one of two stops at Pocono Raceway and at Chicagoland Speedway.

“Nobody does it better than J.B. Hunt and their thousands of employees,” team owner Richard Petty said in a statement announcing the agreement. “We’re proud to partner with them and I’m excited to be a part of their driver recruitment program. Our country’s truck drivers are the backbone of our commerce system and I can’t wait to interact with them.”

J.B. Hunt is based in Lowell, Ark.

“There is no bigger brand in NASCAR than Petty,” Craig Harper, Executive Vice President of Operations for J.B. Hunt Transport said. “All of our drivers know that name and can relate to the race team, their goals and the work and dedication that is required to safely transport the team’s equipment from race to race each week.”

RPM fields two entries in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, featuring drivers Hornish and Aric Almirola. Petty is the sport’s all-time leader in wins with 200 career victories and is one of only two drivers to capture seven premier series titles. He was one of five inaugural members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame inducted in 2010.

Almirola is currently 17th in points, the highest ranked driver not among the 16 competing in this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup. Hornish is 27th in the standings.

The Sprint Cup Series travels to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., this weekend for Sunday’s Sylvania 300 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR).

Posted on by Nascar

As far as sports mottos go, it may not be the most inspiring. But coming off a career-best third place finish this past weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace isn’t so sure.
 
“Our motto is ‘suck less,’ ” the Roush Fenway Racing driver said. “Suck less each and every week.”
 
Wallace, 21, earned his third top-five finish in NASCAR’s XFINTY Series at Chicago, trailing Sprint Cup Series regulars Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, both of Joe Gibbs Racing, across the finish line.
 
Running just ahead of another Sprint Cup regular, Richard Childress Racing‘s Paul Menard, Wallace’s No. 6 Ford ran out of gas coming out of the final turn.
 
Wallace’s previous career best was a fifth-place finish at Charlotte earlier this year, a mark he equaled recently at Road America. He has 14 top-10 results in 32 career starts in the series.
 
Another mile-and-a-half track is on tap for this weekend when the XFINITY Series returns to Kentucky Speedway Saturday for the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN).
 
“To come out of (Chicago) with a top five, going into these mile-and-a-halves that we’ve got coming up, that definitely builds the confidence,” Wallace said. “It says a lot. Especially going into Kentucky where we were really strong (earlier) and finished seventh or so.
 
“We can definitely go back, we know where we need to improve and get us another top five.”
 
Wallace is sixth in points heading into this weekend’s event. Teammate Chris Buescher is the points leader, with Ty Dillon (RCR), Chase Elliott (JR Motorsports), Regan Smith (JRM) and Elliott Sadler (RFR) completing the top five.
 
Including the Kentucky stop, five of the final seven events for the series will be contested on 1.5-mile tracks. And that’s just fine with Wallace.
 
“I think our only struggle point will be Phoenix,” he said of the season’s next-to-last event. “As a whole we weren’t good there in the spring and personally I am not good there. I definitely need work on that track.
 
“The rest of the season I think we can take this momentum and finish off strong. We need to just keep our heads up and keep digging. We can use (Chicago) as momentum … good to come out of (there) with a third-place-finish.
 
“Chicago … is always a great venue for me. Kentucky, Dover is redemption for sure. We always run good there. I am looking for a strong season from here.”
 
With the Sprint Cup Series competing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend, the only full-time Cup regular scheduled to race at Kentucky is J.J. Yeley.
 
Sprint Cup drivers have won four of the last five XFINITY Series races and 18 of 26 this season.
 
Busch led 102 laps on his way to the win and Kenseth led 84 in the 200-lap event at Chicago.
 
“Every team goes through phases of their strong points and they are hitting on all notes right now,” Wallace said of the JGR program. “We are trying to get there. We are close. We are about a seventh-place car each and every weekend and we need to improve on that. We are hitting on the right notes to get that process better and get where they are.
 
“It is going to take a bit. Those guys have been really hitting on it lately. … That is OK. I am not going to worry about them.”
 
Two practice sessions are scheduled for XFINITY Series teams Friday at Kentucky from 3:30-4:25 p.m. ET and 6-7 p.m. ET.
 
Qualifying is slated for Saturday, beginning at 4:45 p.m.

Posted on by Nascar

His former crew chief made the move after the 2014 season and one of his teammates will move into the broadcast booth full-time next year.

Now comes word that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be stepping behind the microphone next season – albeit only as a guest commentator. NASCAR’s most popular driver and winner of 25 Sprint Cup races isn’t ready to hang up his helmet just yet.

“I don’t know if it’s a career path for me – it just depends,” Earnhardt Jr. told FOX Sports Live co-hosts Dan O’Toole and Jay Onrait.

“I had tweeted that I was interested in doing some XFINITY races, so I think I’d like to try it,” he said. “They extended the offer to me that we can give it a shot.”

Steve Letarte, Earnhardt’s crew chief from 2011-14, took a position as race analyst with NBC Sports beginning this season.

Teammate Jeff Gordon, retiring from full-time competition at year’s end, will move into the FOX Sports broadcast booth in ’16.

FOX has used Gordon, as well as defending Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer and Danica Patrick occasionally in the booth as guest analysts for XFINITY Series races this year.

“I want to go up there next year and watch a few races, or watch one race, and see what I’m getting myself into,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “It looks like a lot of fun. All the drivers (this year) … looked great, sounded great and the seemed to have a lot of fun doing it.”

FOX Sports NASCAR race coverage currently consists of the opening 16 Sprint Cup Series points events, the first 14 XFINITY Series races and the entire Camping World Truck Series schedule.

NBC’s coverage includes the final 20 Sprint Cup races, final 19 XFINITY Series races as well as NASCAR K&N Pro Series and Whelen Modified Tour events.