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Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate to replace Whitt in No. 26 Toyota

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jeb Burton had hoped to work his way up the NASCAR ladder and eventually land a ride in the Sprint Cup Series.
 
But even the 22-year-old didn’t expect the opportunity to arrive this soon.
 
BK Racing officially announced the hiring of Burton to a three-year contract on Monday to drive the organization’s No. 26 Toyota in the Sprint Cup Series.
 
"It’s mixed emotions," Burton said during Monday’s press conference at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. "Just making sure that I’m ready for it. I feel like I am.
 
"It’s a great opportunity for me to prove myself, to show people that I can do it, and to carry that role off the race track as well."

RELATED: See which drivers are on the move for 2015

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Burton, the son of former Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton, has completed two full seasons in the Camping World Truck Series, winning at Texas Motor Speedway in 2013 and finishing fifth in points that year with Turner Scott Motorsports. He finished eighth in points last season while running for ThorSport Racing.
 
He has two career XFINITY Series starts, with a best result of eighth at Kentucky.
 
It’s the second time that Burton has landed a ride shortly before the season has begun. After the loss of sponsorship at Turner Scott left him without plans for ’14, the ThorSport ride materialized. When that ride wasn’t continued for ’15, Burton was once again looking for employment.
 
"I didn’t have a ride," he said. "This is a great opportunity to get to where I want to be. That’s why we’re doing it. We’ve got a great plan in place with people and equipment to make things better at BK Racing. It’s been a bumpy (career) for them … just like mine."
 
The off-season defection of Cole Whitt and Alex Bowman opened the door for Burton, as well as fellow driver J.J. Yeley, who will pilot the team’s No. 23 Toyota. Yeley made nine starts for the organization last year.
 
Whitt, 31st in points last season with BKR, has moved on to Front Row Motorsports while Bowman (35th) has joined Tommy Baldwin Racing for ’15.
 
Johnny Sauter will join Burton and Yeley at BKR when the season gets underway later this month at Daytona International Speedway in the team’s No. 83 entry, although additional starts for the NCWTS regular haven’t been announced.
 
Selected starts for XFINITY Series driver Matt DiBenedetto are planned, according to team officials.
 
Patrick Donahue will serve as crew chief for Burton, while Joe Williams will be paired with Yeley. Competition director Doug Richert will be crew chief for Sauter at Daytona.
 
"It’s a lot (to bite off)," Donahue said of Burton’s quick ascension. "But you can either do this or you can’t and he’s proven he has talent. I certainly think he deserves an opportunity.
 
"But until you get out there Saturday afternoon at Daytona and they’re shoving you down into Turn 1 three-wide, then you’re going to find out what he’s made of. I think he’s aware of that. We’ll deal with it accordingly.
 
"Is he going to make mistakes? Yes. Is the team going to make mistakes? Yes. But the race team wants to build with him and build around him for the future. … Hopefully it’s someone we can have for a few years and get some continuity."
 
Sponsorship is expected to be provided by Dr. Pepper, Maxim Magazine, Dustless Blasting, Schluter Systems, Lumilor, and the alternative rock group 311.
 
The 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season officially kicks off Sunday, Feb. 22 with the running of the 57th annual Daytona 500 (FOX, 1 p.m. ET).
 
"It’s totally different," Burton, who will be competing for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors, said of the move. "The pressure, there’s more practice time, more media obligations, everything.
 
"I’m soaking it all in and I look forward to getting to Daytona and making the 500."

Posted on by Staff Report

Get full lineup of NASCAR programming for the week

RELATED: See the full Speedweeks schedule

All times ET

Monday, February 9
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Gridiron Challenge (re-air), NBC Sports Network
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2

Tuesday, February 10
11 a.m., Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge: Daytona International Speedway (re-air), FOX Sports 1
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
7 p.m., NASCAR Gridiron Challenge (re-air), NBC Sports Network
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2
8 p.m., The Day: Daytona Primetime (re-air), FOX Sports 2
8 p.m., NASCAR America: Celebrate the States 1 (re-air), NBC Sports Network
8:30 p.m., NASCAR America: Celebrate the States 2 (re-air), NBC Sports Network
9 p.m., 2014 Daytona 500 (re-air), FOX Sports 2
9 p.m., NASCAR America: Celebrate the States 3 (re-air), NBC Sports Network
9:30 p.m., NASCAR America: Celebrate the States 4 (re-air), NBC Sports Network
10 p.m., NASCAR Gridiron Challenge (re-air), NBC Sports Network
10:30 p.m., The 10: Daytona Moments (re-air), FOX Sports 2
11 p.m., 2014 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (re-air), FOX Sports 2
11 p.m., The List: Greatest Finishes (re-air), NBC Sports Network
11:30 p.m., The List: Memorable Moments (re-air), NBC Sports Network
Midnight, 100,000 Cameras: NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (re-air), FOX Sports 2
12:30 a.m., The 10: Wildest Throwdowns (re-air), FOX Sports 2
1 a.m., The Day: Remembering Dale Earnhardt (re-air), FOX Sports 2

Wednesday, February 11
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2

Thursday, February 12
9 a.m.-1 p.m., DAYTONA 500 Media Day, FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: DAYTONA 500 Media Day, FOX Sports 1
7 p.m., NASCAR 2015: A New Era (re-air), FOX Sports 1
8 p.m., The Day: Daytona Primetime (re-air), FOX Sports 1
11 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: DAYTONA 500 Media Day (re-air), FOX Sports 2
1 a.m., NASCAR 2015: A New Era (re-air), FOX Sports 2
3 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: DAYTONA 500 Media Day (re-air), FOX Sports 1
5 a.m., NASCAR 2015: A New Era (re-air), FOX Sports 1

Friday, February 13
10 a.m., The Day: Daytona Primetime (re-air), FOX Sports 1
11 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: DAYTONA 500 Media Day (re-air), FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice: Sprint Unlimited, FOX Sports 1
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition, FOX Sports 1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Final Practice: Sprint Unlimited, FOX Sports 1
7:30 p.m., A Perfect Storm: The 1979 DAYTONA 500, FOX Sports 1
8:30 p.m., 1979 DAYTONA 500, FOX Sports 1
3 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice: Sprint Unlimited (re-air), FOX Sports 1
4 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Final Practice: Sprint Unlimited (re-air), FOX Sports 1
5 a.m., The Day: Daytona Primetime (re-air), FOX Sports 1

Saturday, February 14
10 a.m., 1979 DAYTONA 500 (re-air), FOX Sports 1
10:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice: DAYTONA 500, FOX Sports 1
12:30 p.m., Empty Cup: Quest for the 1992 NASCAR Championship (re-air), FOX Sports 2
1 p.m., 1979 DAYTONA 500 (re-air), FOX Sports 2
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice: DAYTONA 500, FOX Sports 2
3 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice: DAYTONA 500 (Simulcast), FOX Sports 1
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition, FOX Sports 1
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Day, FOX Sports 1
8 p.m., Sprint Unlimited, FOX
11 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lane, FOX Sports 2
11:30 p.m., The 10: Daytona Moments (re-air), FOX Sports 2

Sunday, February 15
9:30 a.m., A Perfect Storm: The 1979 DAYTONA 500 (re-air), FOX Sports 1
11 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition, FOX Sports 1
1 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FOX
9 p.m., NASCAR DAYTONA 500 Pole Day, FOX Sports 1
10 p.m., A Perfect Storm: The 1979 DAYTONA 500 (re-air), FOX Sports 1
3 a.m., Sprint Unlimited (re-air), FOX Sports 1
4:30 a.m., NASCAR DAYTONA 500 Pole Day (re-air), FOX Sports 1
5:30 a.m., FOX Sports 1 on 1: Kevin Harvick (re-air), FOX Sports 1

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The No. 24 crew chief views Gordon’s final Cup season as ‘a great opportunity’

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MORE: Full coverage of Gordon’s final full-time season | Hints at return of famous scheme

There may be wins and there most certainly will be losses, and each will be magnified by the significance of the situation.

Jeff Gordon’s career as a full-time driver in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series has reached Turn 4 and will soon be headed for the checkered flag.

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Among those along for that final ride will be crew chief Alan Gustafson, Florida-bred and a product of the deeply talented Hendrick Motorsports organization.

"Yeah, I think if we let them get away, that’s going to be tough," Gustafson said of the final opportunity to compete for wins with the four-time champion. "That’s definitely going to be tough.

"There are a lot of races that I can think of in my career that you can sit there and say, ‘That was ours; we just gave it away.’ If we do that, it’s going to be tough to swallow."

But if the losses sting any worse because of the circumstances, then the victories will no doubt be that much more memorable.

"When we succeed it’s going to be sweet and I so want to do that, because … he deserves to go out on top," Gustafson said. "We want to win for us, for the 24 team, for each other. But there is that significance there that Jeff’s career needs to end on a real high note."

Gustafson, 39, has worked with some of the best drivers the sport of stock car racing has to offer.

When Kyle Busch won for the first time in the series, at Auto Club Speedway in 2005, it was Gustafson that was atop the pit box.

Four years later, when the seemingly ageless Mark Martin cranked out five wins and finished second in points at the age of 50, it was with Gustafson in his corner.

MORE: Gustafson among crew chiefs to weigh in on new lug nut rule

And for the past four seasons Gustafson has been in Gordon’s ear, picking his driver’s brain while witnessing firsthand the re-emergence of a legendary driving career.

Between 2008 and ’10, Gordon managed only a single victory.

Paired with Gustafson the following year, Gordon has since won 10 times, including four this past season while making a strong push for a fifth series title. Among his ’14 victories was a record fifth win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The opportunity to work with Gordon was something Gustafson said he never imagined would happen. But a crew chief shakeup following the 2010 season opened the door, and Gustafson has never looked back.

"I can remember watching him and Mark battle; I was a huge fan of both of them," Gustafson said. "To be able to win races and work with both of those guys is an amazing thing."

Gordon’s talent is undeniable, his success there for all to see — his career win total in the Sprint Cup Series stands at 92 heading into the ’15 season, third best in the history of the series. And only three other drivers — Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson, have won more championships.

MORE: Chad Knaus says he wanted to be Gordon’s crew chief

"Jeff, he’s the greatest of all time in my opinion," Gustafson said. "To be able to work beside him and learn from him and have all the experiences has been just unbelievable. I think he’s an amazing driver."

Beginning in 2016, the familiar No. 24 will have another driver behind the wheel as 2014 XFINITY Series champion Chase Elliott makes the move up to full-time competition in Sprint Cup. "He’s got it together," Gustafson said of the youngster. "I can’t wait to get going with him.

"I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of good drivers and I enjoy that relationship; I enjoy the personalities and learning from everybody integrating into the team, just making it go."

But until then, there’s one last go-round with Gordon.

"I can’t wait to get to Daytona; I’m ready to go, ready to race, ready to do it," he said.

"To me, it’s not like a ‘boo-hoo’ thing. It’s a great opportunity."

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Hendrick Motorsports driver looks ahead with new crew chief Keith Rodden

Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live | Vote: Ultimate Daytona Challenge

Kasey Kahne wasn’t happy with his 2014 performance on the track.

" … I wanted to be better," Kahne said of last year during Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour presented by Technocom. "I wanted to do better and when I didn’t at times, things crossed my mind like ‘Man, what’s my problem? Can I not figure this out?’"

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The driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet had glimmers of stardom sprinkled throughout the year. He won a thriller in August at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which qualified him to compete in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. He also nabbed top-10 finishes at 11 races, including the prestigious event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (sixth).

But when compared with his previous multi-win runs in the Sprint Cup Series, Kahne’s season was considered otherwise subpar.

In walks Keith Rodden, the new No. 5 team crew chief with arms full of knowledge, leadership and confidence in his driver.

"I feel like Kasey’s a great driver at every track," Rodden said. "We just need to put it all together, get everyone on the team pointed the same direction and get going."

And Rodden isn’t a stranger to the team. Despite Kahne’s longtime kinship with former crew chief Kenny Francis — who moved into a vehicle technical director position for Hendrick Motorsports at the end of 2014 — the Kahne-Rodden duo has been strong for years.

"It’s been a long time since I’ve changed crew chiefs," Kahne said of the staffing change. "This is only the third one I’ve had in the Sprint Cup Series. So that’s going to be a big change for us.

"But as far as myself and Keith … first time we worked together was in 2004 and that’s before myself and Kenny worked together. And we’ve had a long relationship together — Communication has been really solid between us over the years and we’re friends."

Rodden served as a team engineer for Kahne from 2004 until 2013, when he left to pursue a crew chief position with Jamie McMurray at Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.

"It’s been a lot of fun being back in the 5/24 shop, back with all the guys I used to work with," Rodden said. "Everyone’s welcomed me back with open arms and we’ve really hit the ground running getting ready for the season."

With Rodden back on his side, Kahne believes his team will be steered in the right direction.

"Keith, he’s a motivator, he’s a team guy, he pushes you," Kahne said. "He asks for everything you’ve got and if you make a mistake, you’re going to know it. … We’re going to figure out why and what it was, make it better and go from there.

"He’s also going to go after what he wants and what he needs and that’s something that a crew chief needs to have at HMS to be competitive."

Rodden’s appointment was not the only change made in the offseason. During the few months of downtime on the NASCAR schedule, Kahne has worked on bettering another area of his No. 5 crew — the ever-forgotten aspect of camaraderie.

"The thing that I feel that I can help with — and I can be a part of — is just being part of the team and being part of the group," Kahne said. "We have a strong group of guys, and I don’t think we’ve been a strong enough team to compete like some of the other ones.

"That’s something that we worked on during the offseason and we’ll carry on through the regular season as well. Being together, knowing each other better, working hard for each other. … We hold each other responsible, work hard and when we make mistakes, we make gains at the same time."

During the offseason, the squad has convened several times off the track to build a brotherhood needed for cohesiveness on the asphalt. It’s a door that hasn’t been touched much — and one that the soft-spoken driver felt he and his team needed to crack open.

Because for Kahne, trust and accountability with his pit crew becomes even more important during the swift 12 seconds of a NASCAR pit stop.

"There’s so much that goes on in the pit stops and everything happens so quickly that the smallest mistake you lose two or three spots," Kahne said. "That cost you 30 minutes on the racetrack to get back to where you need to be … (the pit crew’s) role is a big role and (Rodden) knows that."

With that understanding, Kahne believes his old pal Rodden will be just the guy to lead his team to Victory Lane in 2015.

"Oh man, I’m ready to get started," Kahne said with a smile. "I want to get started and see where we stack up. I feel like Keith’s going to do a really nice job with the cars and the team and the guys."

And what he added later alludes to his confidence in his No. 5 team — and himself.

"It’s racing — I love it and know I can do it," Kahne said. "If we put the right situation together, we’re going to win a lot of races still."

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NBC Sports analysts give thoughts on 2014 Chase, what we’ll see in 2015

Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live | Related: Burton, Letarte explain Jeff Gordon’s major decision

By now, it’s safe to say that last season’s revamped Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and the drama surrounding its race action immediately left us speechless, but eventually kept us talking.

With NBC Sports’ NASCAR tenure set to resume this season after nine years away from the sport, its all-star crew of Jeff Burton, Dale Jarrett, Steve Letarte and Kyle Petty gave their thoughts last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour presented by Technocom on the new format — what they enjoyed and what we’re bound to see in 2015.

According to these NASCAR heavyweights, it sounds like we’re going to see even more intense action than last year, as hard as that is to imagine.

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Jeff Burton, 21-time Sprint Cup Series winner

"I’ve always believed that I was giving 100 percent. That no matter where I was in points, no matter what was going on, that I brought everything that I could bring. This points structure made you bring more. And it made the teams find a way to be better. And I think in our sport, that’s what this is all about. It’s about being better. You’re good in April? Hey, that’s great. But if you’re not good enough in August and September, it ain’t good enough.

"The idea that you have to improve throughout the whole year — that if you win a race, you’re in — but points still matter. I think all of that is really cool. I would hate it if points didn’t matter. I know that everybody wanted the guy that won the most races and the right races to be the champion, but points should still matter. It’s always been a big part of this sport and it still currently is today. So the fact that points matter, the fact that winning covers up all other mistakes and the fact that you have to be right at the right time; that’s what a crunch moment is all about.

"As a fan of all kinds of sports, the reason I like the Super Bowl is because if you don’t win, you lose. You go home. … And that’s the mentality that has been brought to in racing today. You have to win. Or you have to compete at an exceptionally high level or you’re not going to win a championship; you’re not going to get done what you need to get done. I like the fact that it’s made it harder for the teams, it’s made it more intense for the teams. The more intense and the more stressful it is for the competitors, the more fun it is to watch. And this points structure has been without a doubt all those things."

Dale Jarrett, NASCAR Hall of Famer

"Jeff put it better than I think I’ve ever heard it put it before. Everything that he’s saying there, he was spot-on with that. I think if you look back over the years, no matter how long we’ve been around this, whenever you have made things more difficult for the drivers, it’s more entertaining for the fans and I think that’s exactly what this did.

"Last year at (Media Tour), we heard a lot of drivers … say ‘Look, I race as hard as I can every week, I can’t do anymore to try to win than what I do.’ I understand that. I know the mentality. We’ve been there. We’ve done that. But, I think it proved out that if there is something different, just as Jeff was pointing out, you have to dig down and find another way to make yourself a part of that.

"Kyle Busch said something (last week) about his issue at Talladega and what happened to him. That was very unfortunate, because he had done everything right to get himself moved on. He said, ‘You know, if I’d got the job done a week before, and won that race, Talladega wouldn’t have mattered.’ So they’ve got a different mentality.

"There’s no perfect system out there, because everybody is not going to agree with it, but my gosh, we came pretty close. That was as exciting a 10-race schedule as I’ve ever seen in this sport."


Steve Letarte, 15-time Sprint Cup Series-winning crew chief

"I think that’s going to be one of the biggest stories, is how are teams going to adapt? I was only able to take part in one (season) of this new Chase format and I know we learned a lot. It was a great season with a little bit of a letdown in the second round, but there were a lot of teams that have that same feeling. It’s going to be an interesting take on ‘How can I approach these 10 races differently? Is there a different way that maybe my team should’ve moved through? What crew chiefs are going to have a different approach? What drivers are going to put different weights on different race tracks?’

"You have to be at Homestead. I think that’s what’s unique about this playoff style. No matter how good of a year you’ve had, if you slip up, you can overcome with a win, but that’s the only way you’re going to overcome. And these short, three-race segments you really have to win or have a great three races to move forward. I think we saw some big hitters, some championship favorites last year get knocked out as the playoffs went on and I think that’s a big difference from in the years past where you maybe always had a chance. This year, your chances, your book can be closed. Your year can be over. And then we go to Homestead and I don’t think we could’ve asked for a better race at Homestead last year. I don’t think that’s going to be a rarity.

"I think when it’s all on the line, the four teams that have a chance are probably always going to find that next level to step up and put on a great race."

Kyle Petty, eight-time Sprint Cup Series winner

"Being at the race track and being down there with it. … Dale’s been in a championship chase, I was with my father (Richard Petty) in the late 70s and you get down and it’s two guys working for a championship and the intensity in those two teams was always overwhelming. When The King and Darrell (Waltrip) went at it, man, it was crazy that year. I didn’t know what was going to happen that year and I was just a kid. But the intensity went to a different place and Darrell and The King went to a different place, as far as what they did on the race track and how they performed on the race track. Great drivers and great teams always find a way to step up.

"What we saw in the Chase was a lot of teams find that ability to step up. Step up in that first round; step up in that second round. The intensity just got greater and greater and greater. To be a part of that and to be able to try to convey to the race fans at home exactly what Dale Jr. was feeling or Steve Letarte felt sitting on that pit box last year or what Dale Jarrett felt in the car when he was racing for the championship going into that last race and the butterflies and how he felt. I think that’s what this Chase brings and that’s what we can bring."

Posted on by Staff Report

Camping World Truck Series regular will drive BK Racing’s No. 83 Toyota

Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live | Vote: Ultimate Daytona Challenge

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular Johnny Sauter will attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 in the No. 83 Dustless Blasting Toyota Camry for BK Racing.

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The veteran driver ran the No. 93 last August for BK Racing, his last Sprint Cup start. He has a top-five and three top-10 finishes in 84 starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

In five starts at Daytona International Speedway, his best finish is 16th in the 2007 Great American Race. If he qualifies for this year’s 500 (Feb. 22, 1 p.m. ET, FOX), it will be his third start in the season-opening race.

Sauter, who won in his ThorSport Tundra in 2013 at Daytona, will join teammate JJ Yeley in the No. 23 Dr. Pepper ride. A third BK Racing driver and primary sponsor will be announced Monday at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

"I am excited to be joining the BK Racing team for the start of the 2015 NASCAR season," Sauter said. "I am thankful for the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the No. 83 Dustless Blasting Toyota, and compete with the top athletes in the motorsports industry. We are going to get out there and give it our all and hopefully come home with a good finish for this team and sponsor."

Doug Richert, who won the 1980 championship with Dale Earnhardt, will serve as Sauter’s crew chief.

The No. 83 was 41st in owner points in 2014 and is not locked into the Daytona 500. He’ll need to qualify on the front row, be one of the four fastest cars in Coors Light Pole Qualifying (Feb. 15, 1 p.m. ET, FOX) or race his way in via the Duels (Feb. 19, 7 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1.)

Posted on by Staff Report

Veteran driver rejoined team in 2014 as driver development coach

Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live

Mark Martin, a 35-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner with Roush Fenway Racing (then Roush Racing), said Friday via Twitter that he is no longer with RFR.

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Martin had rejoined the organization this past July, signing on as a driver development coach to work with young drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne, who will begin his first full-time Cup season this year.

At the time, Martin said, "I’m excited to return to Roush Fenway Racing, as it feels like I’m going home to where I belong. I was fortunate to help build this team from the beginning and it’s very humbling to be a part of Jack’s team again."

Martin, 56, had previously been in a consulting role with Stewart-Haas Racing, the last team he drove for in the Sprint Cup Series.

On Saturday, Martin responded to a question on Twitter with the following reason for not wanting to work with Roush anymore.

Posted on by Staff Report

KFC will be on the No. 34 Ford in the Daytona 500

Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live

Front Row Motorsports announced Friday that David Ragan will return to its No. 34 Ford team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with sponsorship from KFC for the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 22 (1 p.m. ET, FOX).

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Ragan — entering his fourth year with team owner Bob Jenkins and his ninth full season at NASCAR’s top level — is a two-time Sprint Cup winner, including a victory in July 2011 at Daytona International Speedway. Nearly two years later, he gave Front Row its only premier series win at Talladega Superspeedway.
 
That success prompted a one-race deal with KFC last May at Talladega, a pairing that will be renewed Feb. 22 in the Daytona 500.
 
"It’s great to have KFC back on our No. 34 for another superspeedway race," Ragan said in a release provided by the team. "We had fun with the partnership last year, we got them lots of attention running up front, and we look forward to doing that again in Daytona."
 
Ragan struggled last season, logging just one top-10 finish as the No. 34 team limped to a tie for 32nd place in the final Sprint Cup standings. But the Statesville, North Carolina-based team has solidified its driver roster in the offseason by re-signing veteran David Gilliland and adding 23-year-old Cole Whitt to a full-time third team.

Posted on by Staff Report

No. 46 team for HScott Motorsports has new look

Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live

HScott Motorsports announced on Friday that Jay Guy is the new crew chief for Michael Annett, driver of the No. 46 Chevrolet SS in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

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"I’m looking forward to working with Michael," Guy said in a release provided by the team. "I see a lot of potential in him as a young Sprint Cup driver and I think our personalities will jell really well. With the resources Harry has provided for us here at HScott Motorsports, I expect our team to have solid finishes this season."

Most recently Guy was a crew chief for Front Row Motorsports in 2014, where he was on the box for 30 races for David Ragan and six races for David Gilliland. He was with Ragan in 2013 when he brought the organization its first and only Sprint Cup Series win in the 2013 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Guy has been a crew chief for 252 Sprint Cup races over a nine-year span and has compiled one win, three top-fives, seven top-10s and two Coors Light Pole Awards. Besides Ragan and Gilliland, Guy has been a crew chief for 10 other drivers, most notably for Brad Keselowski during his first full-time Cup season in 2010.

During six seasons (spanning 1998-2006) in what is now known as the NASCAR XFINITY Series, Guy compiled eight top-fives and 24 top-10s in 123 races as a crew chief. Among his eight drivers were Hermie Sadler (four races in 1998) and Jon Wood (2005-06, 56 races).

HScott Motorsports added Michael Annett’s Sprint Cup Series team after fielding its first full-time Cup entry with Justin Allgaier last season.

"Jay did a great job helping build a foundation at his previous team," Annett said in a team release. "We’re building a new team here at HScott Motorsports and his experience in the process should be a huge help. I look forward to getting on the track at Daytona and forging a relationship with him."

Posted on by Zack Albert

‘Six-time’ reflects on last season’s No. 48 performance, looks to 2015

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For purely selfish reasons, Jimmie Johnson didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye with the new system for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The self-interest is understandable, after he advanced through just one round of eliminations last season, the debut year for the new-look Chase.

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"I would be foolish to like any other format than the one in which I’ve won six championships, to be honest," Johnson said with a laugh. "Call a spade a spade."

The bitter taste from an 11th-place finish in the final Sprint Cup Series standings — the worst result of Johnson’s 13-year career — has galvanized the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 team as it aims for its second chance at propelling Johnson to a record-tying seventh crown in NASCAR’s premier division. Though the new Chase format didn’t directly benefit him right out of the gate, Johnson said he was able to see and the count the blessings in a big-picture view.

"I entered this new phase of the playoff system thinking, I want full grandstands, I want sponsorship revenue where it was in the ’90s, I want our sport to thrive and be strong," Johnson said. "You know, the world is changing. … I’ve seen stats recently that show this format boosted ratings, boosted attendance — a lot of hype, a lot of excitement. I’m putting on my ‘what’s best for the sport’ hat, and if this is better for the sport, I’m in. I want this sport to succeed."

Success for Johnson seemed to come with ease during his run of five straight championships from 2006-2010, a stretch during which NASCAR made only minor alterations to its postseason format. The larger Chase overhaul came after the 2013 season, shortly after Johnson hoisted the Sprint Cup trophy for a sixth time.

Johnson said the timing of those two events was purely coincidental, with the former not a direct result of the latter in an effort to "Jimmie-proof" the Chase. Although the format wound up crowning Kevin Harvick’s No. 4 team — a Hendrick Motorsports affiliate with Stewart-Haas Racing — at season’s end, Johnson said his initial analysis of the new system before its rollout was favorable.

"At first blush when I was told about this in fall of ’13, going into the ’14 season, I thought, ‘man, this is going to fit the 48 great,’ " Johnson said. "I don’t think we did our job as a team last year, and I think that’s where we got beat is not by equipment — the 4 car won the championship with all the same equipment — it was what we did as a team. We weren’t the team we needed to be. I don’t think it’s an attempt to ‘Jimmie-proof’ it. I think it is harder — when you look at Kevin, he needed the last two races to be the champion. I think that speaks to it."

It’s tricky to characterize a season with a quartet of Victory Lane celebrations as a down year, but the charmed life and trademark bulletproof performance normally associated with Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus were somehow missing from the 2014 portfolio.

"Even though he won four races and we kind of got in stride, it was not a Jimmie Johnson/Chad Knaus kind of year," team owner Rick Hendrick said. "Once you start having that bad luck and you wreck and you break, sometimes it just snowballs. You know what I thought about as we were going through all the years that we had no bad breaks and we won five back-to-back, hey, be thankful that you didn’t have crashes and somebody running into you. But it was just one of those years, and I think it makes us hungrier this year."

Even with the perception of an increased desire for winning, the business of the sport still lingers with talk of potential contract extensions for Johnson and Knaus, something Hendrick says will have a resolution soon.

"We’re already into that," Hendrick said, "and there’ll be some announcements here pretty quick."

In the meantime, the No. 48 bunch sits in another unfamiliar offseason place — soul-searching. Johnson said the new Chase format makes reaching stock-car racing’s pinnacle a more rigorous accomplishment, but conceded that his team needed more consistency to be in that mix last season.

Finding that commodity has been the focus of offseason assignments for Knaus and Co.

"We took a lot of time and reflected on where we had some breakdowns throughout the year — some being internal, some being external," Knaus said. "There were a lot things that maybe influenced and impacted how we were running, so we think we’ve got a lot of that stuff cleared up. We’ve got some new engineers and have the guys refocused, so I think we’re in a good spot."