Posted on by Staff Report

Track partners with QuikTrip, Folds of Honor for season’s second race

Atlanta Motor Speedway announced Monday that the second race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season will be named the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.

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Folds of Honor is an Owasso, Oklahoma-based nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships and assistance to families of military members killed or disabled while serving our country. Since being founded in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded over 7,500 scholarships, including more than 2,000 in 2014.

"I have had a love for speed my entire life," Major Dan Rooney, founder of Folds of Honor, said. "To combine the speed of NASCAR with the powerful, life-changing force of Folds of Honor is simply beyond my wildest dreams.

"Thank you to QuikTrip for being a long-term partner to Folds of Honor and for fueling the future of our military families."

The race, scheduled for Sunday, March 1, will be the third of the weekend, which will include a rare Camping World Truck and XFINITY Series doubleheader on Saturday, February 28.

"Folds of Honor and QuikTrip provide a unique partnership for Atlanta Motor Speedway," Ed Clark, Atlanta Motor Speedway president and general manager, said. "We are humbled at the opportunity to honor and support military members and their families and the commitments they have made to our country in conjunction with their event, which brings fans to Georgia from all over the country."

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Posted on by Staff Report

Dave Allen, sports marketing industry veteran, has been with track for 15 years

International Speedway Corporation announced Monday that Dave Allen, a veteran in the field of sports marketing, has been named president of Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

Allen, who previously served as the 2-mile track’s vice president of sales and marketing, replaces Gillian Zucker, who was introduced in November as the president of business operations for the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers.
 
Allen, 41, spent one year at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca before joining the Fontana track’s management in April 1999.
 
"I’m so excited to lead this incredible group of professionals here at Auto Club Speedway," said Allen, who will also oversee operations at nearby Auto Club Dragway. "Southern California is known for its strong car culture and racing history and I look forward to building on those traditions with the help of our staff and amazing fans."
 
Auto Club Speedway will host the fifth race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season on March 22, 2015.

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Comparing Larson to some of the all-time greats

Editor’s note: Graphics by Jenna Wagner

Kyle Larson completed one of the best rookie season in premier series history in 2014. While Victory Lane was just out of grasp for the 22-year-old, his overall numbers were comparable to some of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history.

Take a look below to see how Larson compares to Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Richard Petty in their rookie years, and then use the second graphic to see how those three NASCAR legends performed in their second year — perhaps a comp that Larson can target in 2015.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Young driver finished in fourth place in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series standings

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dillon Bassett has proven to be a quick study.

Yes, racing runs deep in his bloodlines, but the 17-year-old from Winston-Salem, North Carolina has seen the start of his NASCAR racing career get off to a soaring start.

Bassett was among the drivers honored at Friday night’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series banquet in the Crown Ballroom of the Charlotte Convention Center. The evening recognized champions and rookies of the year on the state and provincial level as well as track champions, the top three finishers in the national title and a handful of other awards.

RELATED: Anders honored as 2014 national champion | Awards photo gallery

In his first full season, Bassett rolled off an impressive 13 wins, 31 top-five finishes and 35 top-10 finishes in 37 starts while finishing fourth in the final NASCAR Whelen All-American Series standings. He also finished second in the state championship standings to Lee Pulliam, the two-time national champion. Bassett received the inaugural UNOH Youth Achievement Award, which recognizes the top driver 17-and-under in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

"This is the first year I ran a full NASCAR series schedule and I think to win 13 races in your first year is pretty exciting," Bassett said. "I know after I clicked off like three in a row or something I was getting pumped up. And to finish the season with 13, I feel like it’s a pretty good accomplishment for us."

Among the tracks Bassett competed at this season included: Motor Mile Speedway, Anderson Motor Speedway, Southern National Motorsports Park, Hickory Motor Speedway, Caraway Speedway, East Carolina Motor Speedway and Langley Speedway. Hickory, where Bassett scored several victories this year, was one track that really stood out.

"It’s a local short track. A lot of good racing. We’ve been there quite a few times this year and it doesn’t matter where you were at on the race track, it seemed like there was always racing going on. It’s pretty fun. It had to be fun for the fans just to watch. You know, sometimes you go to tracks and you only have three or four cars racing; when we went to Hickory it just seemed like everybody was racing."

At a young age, Bassett found great success in Bandolero Bandits. He won a national championship in 2006 and three national championships in 2007. When he moved to Legends cars in 2009, he won more national championships. Upon moving to limited late models in 2010, he won a track championship the following year.

Dillon’s father, Ronnie Bassett Sr., was a past NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track champion with a 1997 title in Stadium Stocks at Bowman Gray Stadium. His older brother, Ronnie Bassett Jr., just completed his first full season in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and finished 11th in the final standings. Ronnie Jr. also was a Bandolero Bandit national champion in 2006 and won track and state championships. Of his family’s history in the sport, Dillon says, "It gives you something to shoot for.

"Right now I’m at an equal level of where my dad was running late models."

In 2015, the plan is for Dillon to move up the NASCAR ladder.

"Next year, me and my brother and going to run the (NASCAR) K&N Pro Series East. We’re trying to step up as much as we can," Dillon said. He added that the goal was to run the full schedule, plus a handful of NASCAR K&N Pro Series West races as well, if the schedule permits.

In addition to his strong 2014 season, Dillon turned some heads with his participation in the 2013 Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown. He scored the pole for the event before finishing seventh in a race that included NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regulars Kyle Busch, David Ragan, Kyle Larson, Matt Kenseth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Tony Stewart.

"It was fun to get out there and race with those guys. You are going to learn a ton considering they run in NASCAR’s top series. It was a blast. Look forward to hopefully doing it some more. I know they changed tracks to South Boston this year and we didn’t run it. The timing didn’t work out. But hopefully, we can run it some more in the future."

If Dillon Bassett continues to be a quick study as he moves up the ladder, he may find himself racing against some of those names a little more frequently.

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Parrott named Director of Competition for RCR’s XFINITY Series program

Former championship-winning crew chief Todd Parrott has been hired by Richard Childress Racing as its NASCAR XFINTIY Series Competition Director, effective immediately, the team announced Saturday.

RELATED: Drivers and crew chiefs on the move in 2015

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Parrott, who most recently led Tommy Baldwin Racing‘s No. 36 Sprint Cup Series team with driver Reed Sorenson, brings a wealth of experience to RCR with 20 years as a crew chief at Cup level. During that time, he won 31 races while earning 144 top-five and 230 top-10 finishes. Through a span of 606 starts, Parrott also led teams to 23 pole awards and finished in the top five driver points standings six times.

His best season was in 1999 when he led NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett to the Sprint Cup championship.

"This is an incredible opportunity for me and I am looking forward to working with RCR’s XFINITY Series drivers, crew chiefs, (RCR Director of Competition) Dr. (Eric) Warren and everyone involved with the team," Parrott said in a team release. "I have known Richard Childress and Mike Dillon for many years and our families go back a long time.

"They already have a solid program and it’s now up to me to take the ball and run with it for next year. I’m looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead, winning several races and adding another championship for the organization."

Parrott, 50, is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina and followed in the footsteps of his father, Buddy Parrott, who won 49 races in 511 Sprint Cup Series starts during a 22-year career. The second-generation crew chief will report to Dr. Eric Warren, Director of Competition for RCR.

"I worked with Todd Parrott for several years at a prior team and I have never met a more passionate person when it comes to working hard and winning races," Warren said. "Todd is organized and has great instincts about how to get performance out of both cars and teams. He is a proven winner with championship talent and has always overachieved with every team for whom he’s worked."

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Posted on by Nascar

Testing sessions sparse, but extended practices in the works

While NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will have numerous opportunities to take part in open team tests in 2015, organizations competing in the XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series will also get additional track time.

But unlike the Sprint Cup sessions, which will coincide with Goodyear tire and NASCAR tests, the two series will be provided extended practice sessions during race weekends.

The only off-site test currently scheduled for XFINITY and the NCWTS is a Goodyear tire test set for May 5 at Iowa Speedway.

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Representatives from Team Penske and Joe Gibbs Racing, which finished 1-2 in owner points in what was previously known as the Nationwide Series, are slated to take part in the Iowa test along with those from Kyle Busch Motorsports and ThorSport Racing (1-2 in the NCWTS).

The use of extended practice sessions "is a cost-effective way for giving XFINITY and Trucks testing without sending them off on a separate trip," NASCAR Senior Vice President of Innovation and Racing Development Gene Stefanyshyn said. "So we’re giving those two series where cost is a bigger concern extends practice sessions, which we will fit into the race-schedule weekends.

"We’re not going to add days (at the track) and all that; we’re going to figure out how to stuff it in there."

The extended sessions will be only for XFINITY and NCWTS teams, although sessions for Sprint Cup have been altered in the past when necessary (such as due to weather issues).

The length of the extended sessions will vary, depending on at-track activities for each event, with a maximum of three hours.

Stefanyshyn said the sanctioning body also has a "bucket" of testing called rookie development sessions that currently is for the NCWTS only but can be adapted to the XFINITY Series if necessary.

Additionally, there is a new organization testing piece that "is applicable to all three series," he said. "Although in reality most people come through truck and work their way up.

"We think we’ve got a good balance here of providing the Sprint Cup teams lower costs, higher value testing, but at the same time if you look at it very holistically, we’re providing XFINITY and Trucks a very cost-effective way to do what they need to do, take care of rookies and take care of the organizations."

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New officers include dynamic leaders from across several key departments

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR today announced it has promoted five leaders in its Daytona Beach, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina, offices to Vice President, in recognition of their various achievements and leadership roles in key business units.

The five promoted today include: David Higdon, Integrated Marketing Communications (Daytona Beach); Cory Posocco, NASCAR Events Group (Daytona Beach); Chad Seigler, Team Marketing Services (Charlotte); Colin Smith, NASCAR Digital Media (Charlotte); and Tshneka Tate, Legal (Charlotte).

"We have developed a very strong and deep leadership team that has provided expertise and strong results during a period of unique challenge and opportunity for our industry," said Brian France, NASCAR chairman and chief executive officer. "Each of these individuals has demonstrated success in driving key initiatives across NASCAR and now become part of an overall leadership group that has us well positioned for the future."

• David Higdon, Vice President, Integrated Marketing Communications — Since joining NASCAR in 2011, Higdon has overseen several divisions within IMC and led numerous marketing communications campaigns and public affairs initiatives for the company and industry. He has also played a lead role in crisis communications and provided senior communications counsel and leadership during the creation of IMSA, which unified sports car racing in America, and through its inaugural season in 2014.

• Cory Posocco, Vice President, NASCAR Events Group — After beginning his career as Stafford Speedway’s marketing / public relations director and special events coordinator, Posocco joined NASCAR in 2000. Since then he has steadily taken on greater roles in orchestrating special events, including NASCAR’s annual Sprint Cup Series Awards show, Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and countless other events at every level of NASCAR racing.

• Chad Seigler, Vice President, Team Marketing Services — As a senior leader who helped create the Industry Services function at NASCAR, Seigler currently oversees Team Marketing Services, which helps drive sponsorship sales for race teams at all three national series levels and ensures the deployment of broad NASCAR resources to support various team initiatives. He joined NASCAR in 2007 after two years at Nextel and five seasons with the Carolina Panthers.

• Colin Smith, Vice President, NASCAR Digital Media — Joining NASCAR in 2012 after 14 years in various roles focused on college sports at RAYCOM, Smith has overseen the dramatic growth of NASCAR’s digital platform, including NASCAR.com and a suite of touted mobile applications. He plays a key role in driving integration of the digital portfolio across various NASCAR departments and the broader industry, as well as digital distribution of NASCAR content through various products and channels.

• Tshneka Tate, Vice President, Senior Assistant General Counsel — A member of NASCAR’s legal team since 2000, Tate has risen to become senior in-house counsel with oversight of all legal issues for NASCAR Media Group, NASCAR Productions and NASCAR Digital Media. Recently, she played a key role in new rights agreements with FOX, NBC, IMG and was lead counsel on the transition of digital rights from Turner Sports back to NASCAR in 2012. Before joining NASCAR, Tate worked in the Maryland Attorney General’s office.

Posted on by Staff Report

Dylan Kwasniewski will also get behind wheel of No. 42

Team owners Chip Ganassi and Harry Scott Jr. announced a formal merger of their partnership in the NASCAR XFINITY Series on Thursday, forging a single-car team under the new name of HScott Motorsports with Chip Ganassi for 2015.

The team announced that Kyle Larson, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year, and NASCAR Next alumnus Dylan Kwasniewski will be among the drivers of the No. 42 Chevrolet. Mike Shiplett — who has worked as a crew chief and car chief for Richard Petty Motorsports, Turner Scott Motorsports and Gillett Evernham Motorsports — will be the team’s crew chief.

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Larson, 22, scored two wins for the team last season under its former Turner Scott Motorsports umbrella, breaking through at Auto Club Speedway in his home state of California for his first victory in the Nationwide Series, which will be backed by XFINITY in 2015. Larson prevailed again at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.

Kwasniewski competed in a full rookie season on the Nationwide Series circuit last year, driving 28 of 33 races in Turner Scott’s No. 31 Chevy and the rest in the No. 42. The 19-year-old Las Vegas native won the pole position for the season opener at Daytona International Speedway and wound up 11th in the final 2014 standings.

Ganassi, a former IndyCar driver who became a team owner in the premier NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2001, fielded teams in what is now the XFINITY Series from 2004-08, netting six wins among four drivers — Reed Sorenson, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears and Juan Pablo Montoya.

The team will operate out of the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates race shop in Concord, North Carolina.

Scott also announced a partnership with road racer Justin Marks for a four-car operation in the developmental NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks will field entries for returning driver Scott Heckert and three rookie contenders — William Byron, 17; J.J. Haley, 15; and Dalton Sargeant, 16.

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Driver to join TriStar Motorsports for full XFINITY Series slate

TriStar Motorsports announced Thursday morning that Cale Conley will make the jump to a full-time ride in the NASCAR XFINITY Series next season.

Conley, 22, competed in 11 races last season in the Nationwide Series — which is transferring title sponsorship to Comcast’s XFINITY brand in 2015. His best finish in Richard Childress Racing‘s No. 33 Chevrolet was sixth at Kentucky Speedway in September.

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"I am looking forward to working with people that are excited to work with me and help me mature as a driver and competitor in this series," Conley said. "I am grateful to Mark Smith and TriStar Motorsports for being willing to take a chance with me and let me race weekend after weekend after weekend, so I can get one step closer to my ultimate dream of being a NASCAR Sprint Cup champion."

TriStar, owned by Mark Smith, fielded 13 drivers in its four-car operation last season, with Mike Bliss, Eric McClure, Blake Koch and Jeff Green making the majority of the starts in the team’s Toyotas. Mooresville, North Carolina-based team’s best finish was a ninth-place from David Starr at Talladega Superspeedway in the spring.

A spokesperson for TriStar said that more announcements regarding the team’s driver lineup for 2015 were coming in the next two weeks.

Conley brought his rich sprint-car background to NASCAR competition in 2011, gaining experience in the K&N Pro Series before venturing into Nationwide races. The West Virginia native notched his first victory on the K&N circuit at Columbus Motor Speedway in 2012.

In addition to his growth on the track last season, Conley made waves off the track when he settled a bet with Emma Blaney by wearing a dress. The campaign to add to Conley’s Twitter following and the ensuing pictures prompted the social media hashtag #DriverInADress.

Conley is scheduled to appear as a guest on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Posted on by Staff Report

Driver expects to make full recovery by 2015 season opener

Kyle Busch underwent surgery on his left foot on Thursday morning and is expected to make a full recovery in time for the start of the 2015 NASCAR season in February. The scheduled procedure to relieve inflammation was performed by Dr. Robert Anderson of OrthoCarolina, according to a team release from Joe Gibbs Racing.

Busch is coming off a 2014 season when he finished 10th in the final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings. In 36 Cup starts, he posted one win (Fontana), nine top-five finishes, 15 top-10s and three Coors Light Pole Awards.

JGR shuffled its crew chief lineup for 2015, pairing Busch with Adam Stevens, who is making the move from the Nationwide Series. Dave Rogers, who was Busch’s previous crew chief, will work as Denny Hamlin‘s crew chief in 2015.

RELATED: JGR announces crew chief changes

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