Posted on by Staff Report

Driver will run 15 races in No. 42 car for HScott Motorsports with Chip Ganassi

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Image courtesy of HScott Motorsports with Chip Ganassi.

HScott Motorsports with Chip Ganassi has added Brennan Poole to run a partial NASCAR XFINITY Series slate in 2015, the team announced on Tuesday.

Poole shared his reaction to the news on Twitter.

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Poole will make his first NASCAR national series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 7. Overall, Poole is slated to make 15 starts in the series with primary sponsorship on the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro from DC Solar Solutions.

In addition to Las Vegas, Poole will race at Phoenix (March 14), Texas (April 10), Bristol (April 18), Richmond (April 24 and September 11), Talladega (May 2), Dover (May 30), Chicagoland (June 20), Daytona (July 4), Kentucky (July 10 and September 26), Loudon (July 18), Charlotte (October 9) and Kansas (October 17).

The company will serve as an associate partner on the car for the rest of the schedule.

The 23-year-old native of Texas has spent the past four seasons competing in the ARCA Racing Series, collecting six wins in 35 career starts.

"Im thrilled to welcome Brennan Poole and DC Solar Solutions to our family at HScott Motorsports with Chip Ganassi," team owner Harry Scott Jr. said in a release provided by the team. "The addition of another quality partner shows the strength of our team and gives a talented young driver like Brennan the opportunity to showcase his ability on the track."

Posted on by Staff Report

XFINITY Series regular will drive No. 62 entry for Premium Motorsports

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Brian Scott will drive the No. 62 Premium Motorsports entry in the Daytona 500 (Feb. 22, 1 p.m. ET, FOX), Richard Childress Racing announced via Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.

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Scott will pull double-duty in the opening weekend of the season. He will field his full-time No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro in the NASCAR XFINITY Series season opener, the Alert Today Florida 300 (Feb. 21, 3:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1), before competing in the Daytona 500.

Scott has one career start in the Daytona 500, which came last year. After starting the race 12th, Scott finished in 25th-place driving the No. 33 Chevrolet.

In his career, Scott has seven Sprint Cup Series starts and scored his first Coors Light Pole Award in the premier series last spring at Talladega Superspeedway.

Scott will drive full time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series for the sixth straight season, and it is his third campaign with RCR. He finished fourth in the XFINITY Series standings in 2014.

Posted on by Staff Report

Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup on board as primary sponsor for two races

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Regan Smith will have a new primary sponsor on board for two races, JR Motorsports announced on Tuesday.

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Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup will be the primary sponsor for Smith’s No. 7 Chevrolet in two NASCAR XFINITY Series races at Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 23) and New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July 18).

"Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup is, like JR Motorsports, a family company," JRM co-owner and general manager Kelley Earnhardt Miller said in a team release. "We share a lot of the same values and that makes for an ideal partnership in the XFINITY Series. We are proud to carry Anderson’s colors in 2015 as Regan and the No. 7 team compete for the series title."

In addition, Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup wil serve as an associate sponsor for five XFINITY Series races this season. Those races at Auto Club Speedway (March 21), Richmond International Raceway (April 24), Talladega Superspeedway (May 2), Road America (August 29) and Chicagoland Speedway (September 19).

Smith finished second last season in the XFINITY Series standings to JR Motorsports teammmate Chase Elliott. Here’s a look at Smith’s paint scheme with Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup.

Posted on by Staff Report

American Born Moonshine to back all three entries

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Justin Marks is taking aim at competing in all three NASCAR national series events at Daytona International Speedway next weekend, and he will do so with backing from American Born Moonshine.

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Marks will attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 (Feb, 22, 1 p.m. ET, FOX) in the No. 29 Toyota fielded by RAB Racing. He will also drive the No. 29 Toyota Camry for RAB Racing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series event, the Alert Today Florida 300 (Feb. 21, 3:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1) as well as the No. 35 Toyota Tundra for Win-Tron Racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event, the NextEra Energy Resources 250 (Feb. 20, 7:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1). GoPro Motorplex will serve as a co-primary sponsor for the Truck Series entry with American Born Moonshine.

"This is the biggest week of the year for NASCAR and our team is ready to take on Daytona," Marks said in a release. "We are thrilled to partner up with American Born Moonshine and are hopeful that this will be the first of many great runs with them."

Marks has one career start in the Sprint Cup Series, a 30th-place finish at Sonoma in 2013 driving for Tommy Baldwin Racing. He has also made 10 career starts in the XFINITY Series and 35 starts in the Camping World Truck Series.

RAB Racing owner Robby Benton tweeted out what the paint scheme for the Sprint Cup ride will look like.

"We built RAB Racing around Justin in 2007 in the ARCA Racing Series," Benton said in a release. "He’s remained a good friend as he progressed through his racing career and I’m proud to have him back in our cars for Daytona."

American Born Moonshine was founded in 2012 by former Notre Dame quarterback Patrick Dillingham and U.S. Marine Corps Captain and Iraq War veteran Sean Koffel. This is the company’s first foray into NASCAR.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Next alumnus picks up first NASCAR national series full-time ride

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ThorSport Racing announced Tuesday that NASCAR Next alumnus Cameron Hayley will pilot the No. 13 Cabinets by Hayley Toyota Tundra full time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2015.

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Hayley, who made his series debut in 2014 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada, and has three series starts to his resume with a best finish of sixth (Loudon), will compete for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors this season.  

"It’s always been a dream of mine to run in one of NASCAR’s top three series," Hayley said in a team release. "I was able to get my feet wet last year running a few races, but to be able to say I’m running full time this year is really a chance to live out my dream."

Hayley fills in the seat of the No. 13, recently vacated by Jeb Burton, who announced Monday that he would pilot the No. 26 BK Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Official Partner transitions to new role following seven-year entitlement sponsorship

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As the 2015 season quickly approaches, NASCAR Official Partner, Nationwide will begin the season in a new role. 

Nationwide, a household name to NASCAR fans during its seven-year entitlement sponsorship of what is now the NASCAR XFINITY Series, announced in September of 2013 that it would pivot from its series entitlement sponsorship and focus its NASCAR marketing programs on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning in 2015.

As a major component of that transition, Nationwide will become the presenting sponsor of The NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award. The Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award embodies the spirit and culture of giving that Nationwide values. As Nationwide prepares to begin its first year as the presenting sponsor of the prestigious award, it unveiled the new joint logo of the award on Tuesday.

"The addition of Nationwide as the presenting sponsor takes our award to another level of prestige and visibility," The NASCAR Foundation Chairwoman Betty Jane France said. "And it’s important to emphasize that this is a great fit, as Nationwide already has a long history of involvement in serving communities through charitable efforts. This is the sort of partnership we envisioned for the award, from the outset. This is a proud day for The NASCAR Foundation."

The NASCAR Foundation presents the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award to a NASCAR fan who embodies the ideals of charity and community that Mrs. France has championed throughout her life. Nominees for the award honor the spirit of NASCAR, demonstrating goodwill and generosity in the interest of helping children in need.

One winner receives a $100,000 donation to direct to the children’s charity of their choice along with a NASCAR experience of a lifetime. The top three remaining finalists receive $25,000 to direct to their children’s charity of choice.

Nationwide is rooted in being a good corporate citizen, from associates volunteering at local food banks to donating money through the United Way; Nationwide embeds philanthropy, workplace giving and volunteerism into its culture.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Young driver hopes to continue success with crew chief Jeremy Bullins

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At the venerable age of 21, Ryan Blaney already has a keen sense of history as he makes the next step of his career. Perhaps some of it comes from the rich racing pedigree of his family, with his father, Dave, and uncle Dale qualifying as highly decorated sprint-car drivers. But some influence surely seeped in after the young driver set foot in the Wood Brothers’ racing museum in Stuart, Virginia.
 
Blaney is bracing for his first major foray into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this season, contesting an 18-race schedule for a team celebrating its 65th year in the business. After touring the shop that’s made the Woods part of the fabric of the stock-car racing, Blaney had an even better sense of what it means to field the team’s famed No. 21.

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"I’ve admired them ever since I was a little kid. How could you not admire them?" Blaney said during last month’s Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour presented by Technocom. "Just looking back at their history and their family tradition of racing, with me coming from some family, too, it’s really cool that everyone has really gotten along so far and we can talk about racing. That’s all we want to do is race and win.
 
"Just being part of a great organization that’s been around for 65 years — for one, that speaks a lot to them that they’ve stuck around for 65 years. Just to be a part of that history is amazing."
 
The team’s next chapter involves a new driver who already has five victories in NASCAR’s other two national series, but also a reunion of sorts for Jeremy Bullins, who will work with Blaney from atop the pit box. Bullins spent four years (1999-2002) in various roles with the Wood Brothers, including race engineer. But he’ll also be reunited as a crew chief for Blaney, continuing a partnership that produced two victories in the last two seasons in what is now the NASCAR XFINITY Series.
 
Blaney’s accomplishments are part of Bullins’ impressive record with Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford the last three seasons. Juggling a widely varied roster of part-time drivers, Bullins helped guide the team to 21 wins in that stretch and championships the last two seasons in the owners’ standings.
 
"The cool thing about what we did the last few years is, when you have the opportunity to work with multiple drivers like that, you learn a lot about the communications side of things, listening to guys explain things," Bullins said. "I hope that’s made me better as a crew chief so that the time that Ryan and I spend together, I’ll know what to expect. I don’t see it as anything but a positive."
 
Blaney said the natural bond between the two comes from their development in the Team Penske mold. That bond becomes richer this season with the advent of a technical alliance between the Wood Brothers and the Penske operation, an agreement that will include pit-crew support on race days. With Blaney and Bullins sticking together, both sides stand to benefit.
 
"Those two guys — Ryan and Jeremy — already having time together, that saves you a year," said Eddie Wood, the No. 21 team’s co-owner. "It doesn’t seem like it could be that much, but they’re already ready to race and up to speed. It’s just a really good situation for us because they move in and you’re beyond the testing and all that stuff, or hoping it’s going to work, or hoping they mesh. They already mesh.
 
"I’ve been around a long time and I used to be not a great believer in the chemistry that people talk about all the time — I didn’t pay much attention to it. It’s real."
 
During one of Blaney’s visits to the Virginia shop, the names Pearson and Yarborough among countless others rang out, the collection of trophies, the backseat race car that Glen Wood drove — all part of the organization’s lore. If Blaney were to help the team add to its collection of keepsakes, it would help the team inch toward another historic milestone.
 
The Wood Brothers sit at 98 victories at NASCAR’s top level, the most recent coming in the 2011 Daytona 500 with Trevor Bayne at the wheel. For now, Blaney is focused on converting victory No. 1 before the team can think about its 100th.
 
"It’s really motivation for everybody," Blaney said. "Everyone wants to excel and have success, and that can work out for both of us. No pressure, really. All I see is opportunity and extra motivation to get it done."

Posted on by Nascar

Addington: ‘One day we want to have two championship-caliber teams’

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The addition of a second team at HScott Motorsports should benefit the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series organization in the long run.

But it has to survive the short term first.

"The Daytona deal is not hurting us a bit," said Steve Addington, competition director for the Spartanburg, South Carolina-based team. "That West Coast swing will be our biggest hurdle just as far as parts and pieces.”

Addington, who also serves as crew chief for Sprint Cup sophomore Justin Allgaier, said the group planned to field two entries for this month’s Daytona 500, before expansion resulted in the addition of a second full-time team with driver Michael Annett.

But after the season-opening race, and a quick trip to Atlanta, the Sprint Cup Series swings west for three consecutive stops — at Las Vegas, Phoenix and Auto Club Speedway.

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"We’re getting there; the cars are going together pretty quickly. Everybody in the shop has pulled together and we’re just making it happen," Addington said.

Allgaier, 28, finished 29th in the group’s first full-time foray into Sprint Cup competition, with three top-20s, including two top-15s, in the final five races of the 2014 season.

Annett, meanwhile, finished 33rd in the final standings while competing for Tommy Baldwin Racing with a best result of 16th at Talladega. At HSM, he will field the No. 46 Chevrolet and be paired with veteran crew chief Jay Guy.

Addington has been around the block, having won races with Kyle Busch (12), Kurt Busch (4) and Tony Stewart (4) before landing at HScott.

A technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, and for 2015 Stewart-Haas Racing as well, provides the team with parts and pieces, the chassis and bodywork. Even information from simulation programs will be available.

What was missing, Addington said, was the race-weekend feedback necessary when teams are in scramble mode to make changes to their cars in an attempt to dial in speed and fine-tune the handling.

"We didn’t have the open database with them, so going through practice and things like that, post-practice was kind of tough being a single-car team not having any additional information coming in — just from a tuning standpoint, what the drivers are feeling to be able to have that quick information coming to you," he said. "We would get it eventually … but it was ‘OK second practice starts in an hour,’ we just didn’t have anybody to lean on.

"I think with having two cars, to have a post-practice debrief at one of the trucks to go over … Justin to have somebody to lean on or talk to about what he’s feeling in the car really quick is going to be huge for us."

Scott, who began his ownership tenure in the sport in 2011, said while the timing for expansion wasn’t ideal, "you don’t really get to pick when an opportunity walks through the door.

"Just having two teams isn’t where we want to be," he said. "We want to have two competitive teams. One day we want to have two championship-caliber teams. It’s kind of a step in the road."

Addington admits the team struggled last season, but believes there was progress as the series began making trips back to tracks for the second time. Part of it was Allgaier’s comfort level; part of it was simply catching up after starting from scratch.

Few teams catch lightning in a bottle. SHR’s Kevin Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers did, making the move during the offseason of 2013 and winding up with their first Sprint Cup championship.

"But they have a lot of years in the business," Addington said. "With Justin being a rookie, it was a learning process for him.

"The second half of the season I felt we made huge improvements. That comes from better preparation; that comes from having better parts and pieces than what we started the season with; the cars got a lot better. A lot of stuff evolved from the first of the year. We didn’t have a single car in the shop when I took the job; we wiped the plate clean and started from the ground up.

"We made huge improvements for such a small group and I’m really proud of everyone."

Posted on by Staff Report

A stats-based look ahead to the preseason, non-points race

Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida going into the Sprint Unlimited on Feb. 14. A total of 25 drivers are eligible to participate in the annual preseason, non-points race.

 

Sprint Unlimited at Daytona

2015 Eligible Participants Include:

  

Kyle Busch (2014 pole winner)

 

Austin Dillon (2014 pole winner)

 

Jeff Gordon (2014 pole winner)

  

Denny Hamlin (2014 pole winner)

  

Kevin Harvick (2014 pole winner)

  

Jimmie Johnson (2014 pole winner)

  

Matt Kenseth (2014 pole winner)

  

Brad Keselowski (2014 pole winner)

  

Kyle Larson (2014 pole winner)

 

Joey Logano (2014 pole winner)

  

Jamie McMurray (2014 pole winner)

  

Tony Stewart (2014 pole winner)

  

Kurt Busch (former Unlimited winner)

  

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (former Unlimited winner)

  

Carl Edwards (former D500 pole winner)

  

Danica Patrick (former D500 pole winner)

  

Greg Biffle (former D500 pole winner)

  

Martin Truex Jr. (former D500 pole winner)

 

Ryan Newman (2014 Chase driver)

  

Aric Almirola (2014 Chase driver)

 

Kasey Kahne (2014 Chase driver)

  

Clint Bowyer (2014 Driver Points)

  

Paul Menard (2014 Driver Points)

  

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2014 Driver Points)

  

Casey Mears (2014 Driver Points)

  

** The following drivers below are eligible for the 2015 Sprint Unlimited but have opted not to start.

 
 

David Gilliland (2014 pole winner)

  

AJ Allmendinger (2014 Chase driver)

  

Brian Scott (2014 pole winner)

  

Brian Vickers* (2014 pole winner)

  

 

Eligible Driver’s Performances

Aric Almirola – No. 43 Smithfield Ford – (Richard Petty Motorsports)

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2013     6          8          43         75                                 Running

Greg Biffle – No. 16 Ortho Ford – (Roush Fenway Racing)

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2005     5          2          16         70         1          44         Running

2007     13         5          16         70                                 Running

2008     20         17         16         48                                Accident

2009     17         26         16         72                                 Accident

2010     15         5          16         74         2          5          Accident

2011     5          11         16         75                                 Running

2012     6          7          16         82         3          17         Running

2013     2          4          16         75         1          2          Running

Clint Bowyer – No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota – (Michael Waltrip Racing)                                              

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2008     14         21         07         70                                 Running

2011     9          7          33         75         2          4          Running

2012     8          17         15         82                                 Running

Kurt Busch – No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet – (Stewart-Haas Racing)                                            

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2002     14         1          97         70         1          3          Running

2003     11         3          97         70         1          11         Running

2005     6          6          97         70                                 Running

2007     3          19         2          70         2          6          Running

2008     18         1          2          70                                Running

2009     9          12         2          78                                 Running

2010     23         22         2          32                                 Accident

2011     1          17         22         75         3          3          Running

2012     17         6          51         82                                 Accident

2013     13         18         78         15                                 Accident

2014     14         10         41         35                                 Accident

Kyle Busch – No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota – (Joe Gibbs Racing)                                                                     

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2006     15         14         5          72         2          4          Running

2007     7          6          5          70         3          39         Running

2009     10         10         18         78         2          6          Running

2010     4          17         18         76                                 Running

2011     16         21         18         41         2          2          Accident

2012     1          2          18         82         2          3          Running

2013     16         13         18         14                                 Accident

2014     3          4          18         75         1          6          Running

Austin Dillon – No. 3 DOW Chevrolet – (Richard Childress Racing)

2015 will be Austin Dillon’s first appearance in the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet – (Hendrick Motorsports)                                                    

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2001     6          10         8          70                                 Running

2002     2          16         8          70         1          20         Running

2003     1          19         8          70         4          13         Running

2004     2          19         8          70                                 Running

2005     7          12         8          70                                 Running

2006     2          19         8          72         1          1          Running

2007     14         17         8          70                                 Running

2008     1          7          88         70         7          47         Running

2009     18         9          88         64         4          23         Accident

2010     11         11         88         76                                 Running

2011     19         1          88         27         3          4          Accident

2012     20         8          88         54         2          12         Accident

2013     8          16         88         75                                 Running

2014     9          14         88         65         1          7          Accident

Carl Edwards – No. 19 Toyota – (Joe Gibbs Racing)                                                                

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2006     16         11         99         71                                 Running

2008     12         20         99         70         1          1          Running

2009     7          11         99         78         2          11         Running

2010     17         1          99         74         2          42         Accident

2011     21         3          99         33                                 Accident

2012     9          11         99         82                                 Running

2013     12         1          99         75                                 Running

2014     13         7          99         35                                 Accident

Jeff Gordon – No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet – (Hendrick Motorsports)                                   

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status             

1994     1          6          24         20         1          2          Running

1995     4          5          24         20                                 Running

1996     9          7          24         20                                 Running

1997     1          3          24         20                                 Running

1998     14         5          24         25                                 Engine

1999     15         8          24         25                                 Running

2000     2          6          24         25                                 Running

2001     11         6          24         70                                 Running

2002     3          22         24         70                                 Running

2003     2          18         24         70         2          31         Running

2004     5          2          24         70         2          16         Running

2005     3          11         24         70                                 Running

2006     19         10         24         23                                 Accident

2007     21         11         24         31                                 Electrical

2008     4          22         24         70         1          1          Running

2009     4          28         24         78         2          2          Running

2010     6          23         24         76                                 Running

2011     6          12         24         75         1          1          Running

2012     15         14         24         73         3          16         Accident

2013     17         7          24         14                                 Accident

2014     12         13         24         35                                 Accident

Denny Hamlin – No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota – (Joe Gibbs Racing)                                                   

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2006     1          15         11         72         3          16         Running

2007     17         21         11         70                                 Running

2008     9          12         11         70                                Running

2009     13         5          11         78         2          4          Running

2010     5          24         11         76                                 Running

2011     12         4          11         75                                 Running

2012     5          16         11         82                                 Running

2013     15         5          11         14                                 Accident

2014     1          1          11         75         6          27         Running

Kevin Harvick – No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet – (Stewart Haas Racing)                                                          

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2003     9          16         29         70                                 Running

2004     3          5          29         70         2          10         Running

2006     20         18         29         15                                 Engine

2007     5          20         29         70         2          11         Running

2009     1          27         29         78         1          1          Running

2010     1          2          29         76         5          21         Running

2011     7          18         29         75                                 Running

2012     22         22         29         54         3          4          Accident

2013     1          17         29         75         3          37         Running

2014     5          6          29         75         2          6          Running

Jimmie Johnson – No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet – (Hendrick Motorsports)

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2003     7          2          48         70         1          4          Running

2004     9          17         48         70                                 Running

2005     1          17         48         70         1          16         Running

2006     5          2          48         72         3          12         Running

2007     4          8          48         70                                 Running

2008     3          18         48         70                                Running

2009     14         21         48         77         1          2          Accident

2010     13         16         48         76                                 Running

2011     4          23         48         75         2          7          Running

2012     14         18         48         74         1          1          Accident

2013     14         11         48         14                                 Accident

2014     17         18         48         28                                 Accident

Kasey Kahne – No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet – (Hendrick Motorsports)

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2005     9          13         9          70                                 Running

2006     18         5          9          35                                 Accident

2007     15         15         9          70                                 Running

2008     10         8          9          70                                 Running

2009     6          14         9          78         1          2          Running

2010     2          19         9          76                                 Running

2011     24         5          9          7                                  Engine

2012     13         19         4          79                                 Running

2013     7          3          5          75                                 Running

Matt Kenseth – No. 20 Dollar General Toyota – (Joe Gibbs Racing)                                                      

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2003     3          5          17         70         3          6          Running

2006     6          16         17         72                                 Running

2009     8          25         17         78         1          1          Running

2010     16         8          17         74                                 Accident

2011     13         19         17         74                                 Running

2012     21         23         17         54                                 Accident

2013     5          12         20         75         2          25         Running

2014     10         16         20         35                                 Accident

Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Miller Lite Ford – (Team Penske)                                                                  

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2012     4          3          2          82                                 Running

2014     2          5          2          75         3          8          Running

Kyle Larson – No. 42 Target Chevrolet –  (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates)                                         

2015 will be Kyle Larson’s first appearance in the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona

Joey Logano – No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford – (Team Penske)                                                               

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2009     28         19         20         3                                  Accident

2010     7          21         20         76                                 Running

2011     18         22         20         27                                 Accident

2012     18         10         20         54         1          1          Accident

2013     3          9          22         75                                 Running

2014     4          11         22         75         2          11         Running

Casey Mears – No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet – (Germain Racing)                                                                    

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2005     13         18         41         70         1          2          Running

2008     6          24         5          70                                 Running

2009     15         24         07         77                                 Accident

Paul Menard – No. 27 PEAK / Menards Chevrolet – (Richard Childress Racing)                                                                   

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2009     12         1          98         78         1          2          Running

2012     23         24         27         8                                  Accident

Jamie McMurray – No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet – (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates)                           

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2004     17         3          42         69         2          8          Accident

2006     8          17         26         72         1          1          Running

2008     22         4          26         24                                 Accident

2009     2          15         26         78         4          16         Running

2010     3          9          1          76         2          2          Running

2011     2          14         1          75                                 Running

2012     16         4          1          73         5          11         Accident

2014     6          2          1          75         2          10         Running

Ryan Newman – No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet – (Richard Childress Racing)                                          

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2002     15         8          12         70                                 Running

2003     4          15         12         70                                 Running

2004     16         16         12         69         1          4          Accident

2005     2          7          12         70         1          4          Running

2006     17         7          12         68                                 Accident

2007     20         9          12         46                                 Engine

2008     23         17         12         70                                 Running

2010     19         4          39         74                                 Accident

2011     3          8          39         75         3          18         Running

2012     7          13         39         82                                 Running

2014     8          17         31         75                                 Running

Danica Patrick – No. 10 GoDaddy/TaxACT Chevrolet – (Stewart Haas Racing)                                           

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2014     16         12         10         35                                 Accident

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – No. 17 Fastenal Ford – (Roush Fenway Racing)                                                

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2014     15         3          17         35                                 Accident

Tony Stewart – No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet – (Stewart Haas Racing)                              

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2000     4          3          20         25                                 Running

2001     1          7          20         70                                 Running

2002     1          3          20         70         2          31         Running

2003     15         12         20         70                                 Running

2004     7          18         20         70                                 Running

2005     4          8          20         70                                 Running

2006     3          3          20         72         3          7          Running

2007     1          14         20         70         2          11         Running

2008     2          10         20         70         2          9          Running

2009     3          6          14         78         1          4          Running

2010     9          13         14         76         2          6          Running

2011     11         2          14         75         3          4          Running

2012     2          15         14         82         1          7          Running

2013     4          15         14         75         2          5          Running

2014     11         9          14         35                                 Accident

Martin Truex Jr. – No. 87 Furniture Row Chevrolet – (Furniture Row Racing)                                       

                                                            Times   Laps    

Year     Fin       St         Car       Laps     Led      Led      Status

2008     21         9          1          47                                 Accident

2012     19         1          56         54         2          7          Accident

2013     9          6          56         75         1          2          Running

The Sprint Unlimited Tidbits

·     The number of participants has ranged from a low of seven in 1981 to a high of 28 in 2009 (25 are eligible for this year’s event).

·         The drivers with the most Sprint Unlimited appearances:

o    Mark Martin (24)

o    Bill Elliott (23)

o    Jeff Gordon (21)

o    Ken Schrader (19)

o    Rusty Wallace (19)

·         Jeff Gordon has appeared in the most consecutive Sprint Unlimited races, competing in 21 consecutive events from 1994-2014.

·         There have been nine multiple winners in the Sprint Unlimited:

o    Dale Earnhardt won six events, most all-time (1980, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995).

o    Dale Jarrett won in 1996, 2000 and 2004.

o   Kevin Harvick won in 2009, 2010 and 2013.

o    Tony Stewart won in 2001, 2002 and 2007.

o    Other multiple winners: Neil Bonnett (1983-1984), Ken Schrader, (1989-1990), Jeff Gordon (1994 and 1997), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003 and 2008) and Denny Hamlin (2006 and 2014).

o    Bonnett, Schrader, Stewart and Harvick are the only drivers to win back-to-back Sprint Unlimited races. No driver has won three consecutive Sprint Unlimited events.

·         Buddy Baker (1979), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Jeff Gordon (1994), Dale Jarrett (1996) and Denny Hamlin (2006) all won the first Sprint Unlimited in which they competed.

·         Only five times in the 32-year history of the race has the winner gone on to win the Daytona 500:

                    Bobby Allison (1982)
                    Bill Elliott (1987)
                    Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000)
                    Jeff Gordon (1997)

·         There have been four winners from the pole: Darrell Waltrip (1981), Bill Elliott (1987), Ken Schrader (1989) and Denny Hamlin (2014).

·         Two drivers have swept the Sprint Unlimited, Daytona 500 pole and Daytona 500 from 1979-2014: Dale Jarrett (2000) and Bill Elliott (1987)

·         One driver has swept the Sprint Unlimited, Daytona 500 and the Coke Zero 400 from 1979-2014: Bobby Allison (1982).

·         Seven drivers have won the Sprint Unlimited (1979-2014) and the championship in the same season. Dale Earnhardt is the only one to have accomplished it multiple times (four times).

Tony Stewart (2002)
Jeff Gordon (1997)
Dale Earnhardt (1993)
Dale Earnhardt (1991)
Dale Earnhardt (1986)
Darrell Waltrip (1981)
Dale Earnhardt (1980)

·         Four drivers have won consecutive Sprint Unlimited races (1979-2014). None went on to win that year’s Daytona 500.

Kevin Harvick (2009-10)
Tony Stewart (2000-01)
Ken Schrader (1990-91)
Neil Bonnett (1983-84)

·         The format for The Sprint Unlimited has changed 13 times since its inception into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 1979.                                       |

·       Danica Patrick is the only female driver to have competed in the Sprint Unlimited (1979 – 2014) – she started 12th and finished 16th last season.

The Sprint Unlimited Manufacturer Recap

 

Manufacturer          Victories          Last Victory – Driver

Chevrolet                20                     2013 – Kevin Harvick

Ford                       7                      2004 – Dale Jarrett

Toyota                    2                      2014 – Denny Hamlin                

Buick                      2                      1982 – Bobby Allison

Oldsmobile             2                      1980 – Dale Earnhardt

Pontiac                   2                      2002 – Tony Stewart

Dodge                    1                      2011 – Kurt Busch

 

·         This season 14 Chevrolets, six Toyotas and five Fords are entered into the Sprint Unlimited

 

By the Numbers: The Sprint Unlimited

.013 – Margin of victory in seconds by Kyle Busch over Tony Stewart in 2012, the closest margin in Sprint Unlimited history

.058 – Margin of victory in seconds by Kurt Busch over Jamie McMurray in 2011, the second closest margin in Sprint Unlimited history

.08 – Margin of victory in seconds by Dale Earnhardt over Sterling Marlin in 1995, the third closest margin in Sprint Unlimited history

1 – Laps led by Rusty Wallace (1998), Neil Bonnett (1983-84), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Dale Jarrett (2000 and 2004) and Kevin Harvick (2009) in the Sprint Unlimited races they won

2.75 – Average finish by Dale Earnhardt, best by any driver with multiple starts

5 – Drivers who have won the event in their first appearance (Buddy Baker, 1979; Dale Earnhardt, 1980; Jeff Gordon, 1994; Dale Jarrett, 1996; Denny Hamlin, 2006)

6 – Number of Sprint Unlimited wins by Dale Earnhardt, the series leader

7 – Number of fewest starters in the field for the Sprint Unlimited (1981)

10 – Number of races led, the most since race began in 1979 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.)

11 – Number of starts before winning, most since race began in 1979 (Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin)

14 – Number of different leaders in the 2009 event, most since race began in 1979

20 – Number of wins by Chevrolet in the Sprint Unlimited, leads all manufacturers

21 – Most consecutive starts in the Sprint Unlimited by Jeff Gordon (1994-2014).

27 – Kevin Harvick’s starting position in 2009, the lowest by a race winner in the event’s history

28 – Number of lead changes in the 2011 event, highest number since race began in 1979

44 – Laps led by Greg Biffle in 2005, the most by a driver who did not win the event

47 – Laps led by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2008, the most in a single Sprint Unlimited was the 2013 event won by Kyle Busch.

197.802 mph – The fastest average speed of the race for the Sprint Unlimited was in 1987 won by Bill Elliott.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR founder’s first official biography begins with enshrinement among legends

Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live

"Big Bill: The Life and Times of NASCAR Founder Bill France Sr." is the first official biography of the man who organized the sport. In the first of four excerpts that will appear over the next four weeks leading up to March 3, the publication date of the book, author H.A. Branham tells the story behind the induction of Bill France Sr. into the first class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

When plans for a NASCAR Hall of Fame were announced in February 2005, speculation immediately began about the induction process, specifically regarding how large the first class of inductees would be — and who would be chosen.

When it was announced in January 2009 that each class would consist of five people, the speculation evolved into prediction.

Everyone had an opinion.

There were shoo-ins, no doubt, for the inaugural induction on May 23, 2010, set for downtown Charlotte, North Carolina. Four of them, according to just about anyone who knew anything about NASCAR and was willing to discuss the potentially controversial subject matter.

Those four:
Richard Petty.
Dale Earnhardt.
Junior Johnson.
And …  Bill France Sr.

After that, well …  

There was the expected considerable momentum among fans and media for David Pearson, the popular three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion whose 105 wins ranked second all-time behind Petty’s 200.

Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip, also three-time champs, seemed reasonable possibilities, as did two-time titlist Ned Jarrett, legendary owner/driver and World War II hero Bud Moore, Bobby Allison, too.

And …  Bill France Jr.

A wide gulf of public opinion separated the two Bills going into the voting process, which transpired on October 14, 2009, in Charlotte. After hours of deliberation by a voting panel representing constituencies from throughout the NASCAR industry — including the media — ballots were tabulated by the renowned accounting firm of Ernst & Young. That firm was on hand not because of the numbers involved but rather to demonstrate the legitimacy of the voting process.

Debate was intense during the voting panel sessions. Support for Bill Jr. grew as the debate continued. When votes were cast, he was in.

The rest of the "first five": Petty, Earnhardt, Johnson — and Bill Sr. …

Bill Sr. would’ve loved the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Just as he would have loved the decision to make him the very first inductee at the induction ceremony.

"It wasn’t an accident that he was the first one," said NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley. "It was very intentional — as it should’ve been."

For the first several years of the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, the inductee acceptance speeches were preceded by inductors’ speeches, designed to both honor and introduce the inductees. Some were fellow NASCAR notables. Some were family or friends. In the case of posthumous inductions, the inductors’ role was enhanced greatly. In the case of Bill France Sr.’s posthumous induction, a very special inductor was required, to say the least.

It was originally thought that Jim France would induct his father. As NASCAR’s vice chairman and the chairman of the International Speedway Corporation (ISC), he has had his own remarkable career in motorsports while somehow flying under the general public’s radar. Jim is an intensely private individual and also, those close to him say, an emotional man, which led to him reconsidering the task of standing up before a television audience and talking about his father for an extended period of time. He opted to deliver a briefer acceptance speech, which, upon further review, made more sense anyway.

John Cassidy inducts Bill France Sr. into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010.

Jim France turned to an old friend, John Cassidy, for help with the longer remarks. "Jimmy called me and said he wanted me to make the speech," Cassidy said. "I told him I would be honored. Jimmy dearly loved his father … "

Cassidy immediately went to work, as he has been doing for more than 50 years when it comes to the France family. Cassidy, then a robust 80 years old, is one of the last living direct links to Bill France Sr. and stands as one of the most interesting characters in the man’s colorful life.

Cassidy has long had NASCAR and its sister company, International Speedway Corporation (also founded by Bill Sr.) as clients, serving as a main adviser to Bill Sr. — and later, Bill Jr. — on legal matters such as antitrust, securities, competition rules, membership rights in voluntary organizations, and contracts. Cassidy was a founding partner in the Washington, D.C., law firm of Miller, Cassidy, Larroca & Lewin, LLP, which was merged into Baker Botts, LLP in January 2001. Cassidy founded his firm in 1965 after serving as a trial attorney in the criminal and tax divisions of the United States Department of Justice and as special assistant to the Attorney General of the United States, Robert F. Kennedy.

Bill Sr. had sought Cassidy’s help for the first time in 1961, when Kennedy was aggressively battling organized crime, working on prosecuting members of the Teamsters and, particularly, Jimmy Hoffa. The Teamsters had targeted NASCAR, and Bill France Sr. was on alert, absolutely convinced that unionization would cause the downfall of his sport.

"Senior had come up to D.C. to see Bobby about his Hoffa problem,” Cassidy recounted. "I was sitting in my office and the phone rang. It was Bobby. He said, ‘I’ve got a fella in my office who says his name is Bill France. He has something to do with something called NASCAR and all I know is that NASCAR has something to do with motorsports. Jimmy Hoffa is trying to move in and take it over and we can’t let that happen because this France guy …  he’s one of us. So I’m sending him down to your office and I want you to help him and NASCAR.’ "

Cassidy, still practicing law these days with Baker Botts (Baker, as in former U.S. Secretary of State and former White House Chief of Staff James Baker), took the job of inducting Bill France Sr. very seriously.

He worked on the speech for more than a month, going so far as enlisting his partner Baker as an editor. Once his initial speech draft was turned into NASCAR, the work continued, with Cassidy primarily collaborating with the late Jim Hunter, then NASCAR’s vice president of communications. Soon, however, a dilemma developed for organizers of the induction ceremony, scheduled to be broadcast on television. With each new draft, Cassidy’s speech got longer, considerably exceeding the time allotment established in the show’s script. A debate within NASCAR was squelched quickly by Hunter, with the induction only several days away.

"Goddamn it …  the speech is fine the way it is!" Hunter told staff members. "Leave it the f— alone. After all, this is Bill France Sr. we’re talking about! I don’t want to hear any more about this. Understand?"

It was understood.

As it turned out, all was fine. Cassidy self-edited on the fly, replacing a sizable portion of the prepared text with off-the-cuff storytelling. Cassidy mixed historical tidbits with personal tales and reminiscences of Bill Sr.’s life — and added his own perspective throughout, such as:

"People frequently say Bill Sr. was a ‘visionary.’ I don’t dispute that, but I prefer to call him a ‘dreamer who was also a man of action’ …  someone who turned dreams into reality. Not only did Bill follow his dreams …  he expected the rest of us to do likewise.

"Bill’s dreams of growth for NASCAR were only exceeded by his desire that stock car racing become a recognized and respected professional sport in America. If he were here today he would be the first to acknowledge NASCAR has exceeded his dreams."

NASCAR Vice Chairman and Executive Vice President Jim France accepts his father’s induction into the first class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010.

Jim France then accepted the honor of induction, along with the first-ever commemorative NASCAR Hall of Fame ring, for his late father — but came on to the stage with a special surprise in store.

"On behalf of everyone in our family, thank you, John, for that introduction and great tribute to my father," he began. "Let me begin by saying that our family is very proud to be involved in this memorable afternoon for the induction of my father and my brother Bill. We would like to thank the Hall of Fame voting panel for including them in this inaugural class with Junior, Richard, and Dale, truly the iconic heroes of NASCAR."

Jim France talked for only perhaps a minute more before sharing his surprise.

"In closing, I would like to offer the donation of this ring back to the NASCAR Hall of Fame for display wherever they would choose. Thank you."

And with that, the coronation was complete.