Posted on by Zack Albert

2014 Sprint Cup champion will be second reigning champ to cast a ballot

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RELATED: See the NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees class by class

Kevin Harvick received several perks after securing his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship last season — the trophy, the oversized check and the ability to etch his name in the stock-car racing history books. This spring, he’ll cash in on another bonus: Having his say in which drivers take their rightful place in the sport’s annals.

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Harvick will take part in NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Day this May, becoming the second reigning Sprint Cup champion to cast a ballot to help determine a class to be enshrined. Harvick is scheduled to participate in Friday night’s induction (7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network) of the 2015 class at the Charlotte Convention Center.

Harvick, entering his 15th season in NASCAR’s top series, demurred when asked about his own chances of one day being selected for enshrinement, but said he imagined his Voting Day duties would be educational.

"Well, I’m not going to rate my own credentials, but I can tell you that I’m excited to be a part of the process, having a vote and being able to experience that and learn more about our sport," Harvick said Tuesday during Stewart-Haas Racing‘s portion on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour presented by Technocom. "I think there’s obviously that you can constantly learn about, and to be able to take that in and experience that is going to be a lot of fun."

Alterations were made to the NASCAR Hall of Fame voting panel in December 2013 to add the reigning Sprint Cup champion to the list of vote-casters. That change meant that Jimmie Johnson, just weeks removed from winning his sixth title in NASCAR’s top division, was involved in the discussions and balloting process that determined the Class of 2015.

The responsibility wasn’t lost on Johnson, who reflected on his Voting Day experience to the NASCAR Wire Service last year.

"That was a huge honor and an amazing day to be a part of," Johnson said. "To sit in a room with so many people that care for our sport and know about our sport and then discuss what took place in eras of time when I certainly wasn’t around … it was a very awesome and unique experience and something I think that is a huge honor and in years to come.

"It’s only going to help drivers in the garage area understand the history of our sport and grow closer and more attached to the people that built this sport. And in a big way, I wish that the garage area could sit in on that discussion and see the respect that the peers and the people on the voting panel have for our industry and for the people involved."

Posted on by Zack Albert

No. 22 Team Penske pit crew undergoes minimal personnel changes

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RELATED: All Access of the fateful pit stop at Homestead

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A handful of professional athletes who enjoyed success over the course of a career have been — fairly or unfairly — remembered for their clutch-moment gaffes. Bill Buckner and Leon Lett come to mind.

Joey Logano made it clear he doesn’t want his pit crew lumped in on the list of other infamous goats from the world of sports.

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The Team Penske No. 22 pit crew remains largely intact for the 2015 season, even after an agonizingly mistake-laden, late-race stop in last year’s finale with the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship on the line. The crucial stop was a 49.3-second disaster that severely hampered Logano’s best chance thus far at wearing the NASCAR crown.

But the 24-year-old driver, entering his third season driving for team owner Roger Penske said judging his over-the-wall crew’s body of work on the basis of one wayward stop was unfair.

"The whole year combined, they were the fourth- or fifth-best pit crew, and I hate to see the rap that they got after one stop, you know?" Logano said Wednesday during Team Penske‘s stop on the annual Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour presented by Technocom. "And yes, it could have been the most important stop of the year. Did it prevent us from winning a championship? I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. It doesn’t take away from the year they had as a pit crew. It doesn’t take away from the year we had as the 22 car, winning races and leading laps and top-fives — all the great things we did. That doesn’t take away from that. I hate to see them get a bad rap over that."

RELATED: Complete Media Tour coverage

That bad rap included the No. 22 crew taking the brunt of the jokes from comedian Jay Mohr during last December’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards banquet. Crew chief Todd Gordon said though the long faces on the over-the-wall bunch were evident after the car fell off the jack late in last season’s finale, the criticism and ribbing weeks removed from the miscue were taken in stride.

"We’ve got a lot of maturity in that group. I won’t call them old because I want to separate age from maturity," Gordon said. "Hey, you know what — it’s performance sports. There’s receivers who drop balls, there’s quarterbacks that throw interceptions, and there’s guys that hit pop-flys in baseball. You’re going to have that happen. The great part is, everybody has looked at it, identified it; we said what could we all do differently.

"I was asking the jackman to do some things a little more aggressively all year because it would make our race cars faster, and as we picked up speed, I probably put him in a position where he was in a vulnerable position to fail. So I’ll take some ownership, he’ll take some ownership, and we’ve identified what we need to work on. We’ve worked on that, and I think we’ll be better for it this year."

The jackman, Ray Gallahan, returns to the fold for 2015, as does most of the over-the-wall crewmembers from last season. The only major personnel change was bringing in Eric Groen over from the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 team as a replacement at rear-tire carrier for Larry Robinett, who remains with the team in an in-house capacity in the shop.

For the 77-year-old team owner, known as "The Captain" for his leadership qualities and business acumen, the method of approaching the mishap was an easy choice. Penske could have just as easily berated the crew in general or Gallahan specifically, but that decision would have been uncharacteristic.

"From our perspective, the individual that was our jackman there has done such a great job for us. He’s a pro, he’s an elite jackman up and down the pit road — anybody would hire him today — and to me, it was just one of those days," Penske said. "It was the money stop. Unfortunately, the car slipped off the jack and to me, as far as I’m concerned, nothing we could do about it so let’s move on. I talked to him that night after the race and said, ‘Hey, man. You’re on the team. You’ve gotten us here, so let’s move on.’ To me, it was more of supporting him than saying what happened."

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Humble beginnings couldn’t slow eventual rise from ‘Awesome Bill’

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Editor’s note: The NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2015 will be inducted Friday night at 8 p.m. ET. on NBC Sports Network.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bill Elliott arrived on the scene after the careers of his fellow 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame classmates had already come to an end.

But the man who would become known as "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville" for his exploits on the track has much in common with Fred Lorenzen, Wendell Scott, Joe Weatherly and Rex White.

The five will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame tonight.

A familiar thread connects those who reside in the Hall, one that often includes humble beginnings, hardships and eventually success.

RELATED: Every class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame

Elliott, 59, and his family are an integral part of that thread. George, the patriarch, ran a small building supply business in Dawsonville, Georgia. "A hole-in-the-wall deal," Bill says today. The elder Elliott also built race cars, helped other local racers and fielded entries in NASCAR as early as the 1960s.

"Daddy carried cars to Daytona in the early ’60s, he would carry two cars down there and run a Sportsman or a Modified or some kind of race," Elliott said.

Box vans used in the family business served as transporters for the race cars. "He’d back the trailer down there to the loading dock and he’d load them up in the van trailers and carry them down there, then try to find a place to unload them,” Elliott said.

"It was like the Clampetts went to Daytona."

It wasn’t much but as Elliott noted, it was a common sight among those who chose the stock car racing path at that time.

"Back then, such a different way of doing things. Anybody could come show up at Daytona with some kind of race car," he said.

"I think those are the things that I look back on and were so much fun early on. You go to our little garage down there, you could just throw something together. I remember going to one of the shops of one of the guys Daddy was helping. They were putting a ’63 Ford together. They had taken a car out of the junkyard, were taking the interior out and welding the roll bar in it, getting it ready to go. But I mean it was just a stock ’63 Ford. Whatever it came with, that’s what it had. And those days are gone."

Elliott made his first start in what is now NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series in 1976, driving for his family-run team that included brothers Ernie and Dan Elliott. But it wasn’t until ’82, when the team was purchased by businessman Harry Melling, that Elliott became an "overnight success."

By the time his career had ended (he made his last official start in 2012), Elliott had won 44 races, one series championship and was voted the series’ most popular driver 16 times.

His wins came on stages big and small — few bigger than the Daytona 500, which he won twice, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Southern 500 at rugged, old Darlington Raceway.

RELATED: Read Bill Elliott’s Hall of Fame capsule

It was at Darlington that Elliott officially picked up another moniker, "Million Dollar Bill" when a Southern 500 win in 1985 earned him the Winston Million bonus.

Elliott’s move into stardom coincided with a rise in speed on the race track. Before the advent of restrictor plates at Daytona and Talladega, speed grabbed headlines. And no one went faster than Elliott, who ended his career with 55 pole positions.

His qualifying mark of 212.809 mph at Talladega remains the fastest qualifying lap ever for a NASCAR event.

But that feat wasn’t the record that stands out in his mind, he said.

"If I was outside looking in at my career, the biggest thing that impresses me was running 210 (mph) at Daytona in 1987," Elliott said. "I sat there and I watched Cale (Yarborough) try to run just 200 (in 1983) and turn over off Turn 4. We came back, ran 205 in ’85 and we came back in ’87 and stepped it up five more mph average. That was with no technology. That was just the luck of the draw and the things we did at that point in time; that’s what really impressed me.

"When I first went there I think I ran 171 or something and I thought, ‘Man I’m out of control. How can you run any faster?’ "

Elliott’s induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame comes just as his son, 19-year-old Chase, prepares to begin his own Sprint Cup career. It was announced earlier this week that Chase would run five Sprint Cup races for Hendrick Motorsports this season, then take over the organization’s No. 24 Chevrolet when four-time champion Jeff Gordon steps down at year’s end.

RELATED: Gordon: Chase is the ‘total package’

The younger Elliott didn’t witness a lot of his father’s exploits as they took place. But he’s relived them through video replays.

"There were a lot of races where he took it to ’em, man," Chase Elliott said. "He wore them out. That’s cool to look back on and see.

"I have a lot of respect for what he has done and for what they did. To do it with what they had (at the time) was very, very impressive. I think a lot of people let that slip by.

"They were kind of on their own there in Georgia and a lot of people don’t realize that. They didn’t have a lot of help; they didn’t have a big team. It was just them. It’s very, very impressive to see what they were able to do."

Posted on by Fraser Nye

Sport’s first beat writer earns Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence

As NASCAR Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Brett Jewkes introduced Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence winner Tom Higgins, he said NASCAR’s first beat writer to cover every race in a season joined the sport’s Mount Rushmore of media, broadcasters Ken Squier, Barney Hall and Chris Economaki, the first three recipients of the honor.

When Higgins came to the podium, he humbly declared Hall and Squier were the Mount Everest of media in NASCAR and didn’t know how this son of the Blue Ridge Mountains could be mentioned in the same breath.

The 33-year veteran of the Charlotte Observer earned a standing ovation at the NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Dinner at the Charlotte Convention Center.

"That’s the first time that’s ever happened," Higgins cracked. "Usually when people are standing and facing me like that they have balled fists."

Affectionately known as "Pappy," Higgins began his career as a rookie reporter out of Brevard College at the Canton (North Carolina) Enterprise and covered racing for the first time at another Tarheel State publication, the Asheville Times, before joining the Observer in 1964.

Saturday would have marked the 51st anniversary of his start date at the newspaper. He credited sports editor Whitey Kelley with waiving the requirement of a four-year college degree.

"We’re not hiring a rocket scientist. We’re hiring a hunting, fishing and outdoors writer," Kelley told his colleagues. "His father’s a game warden, for God’s sake!"

Higgins’ NASCAR coverage earned him the International Motorsports Hall of Fame’s Henry T. McLemore Award for lifetime achievement in motorsports journalism in 1980, the year he began covering every NASCAR race in 1980. He stayed on the beat until his retirement in 1997, receiving NASCAR’s Bill France Award of Excellence the year before.

Friday night’s honor ranked among the top dozen moments in Higgins’ life. His hiring at the Observer was another such milestone. The births of his children and grandchildren and meeting the love of his life in 1990 accounted for the other moments.

Fittingly, Higgins was honored at the dinner alongside the five members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2015 — Bill Elliott, Fred Lorenzen, Wendell Scott, Joe Weatherly and Rex White, all of whom he covered.

Even more appropriate was the second standing ovation of Higgins’ life and the night. This time, his present-day peers broke the cardinal rule of no cheering in the media center by honoring a man who served as a mentor to many.

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2014 Sunoco Rookie of the Year honored by comparisons to Jeff Gordon

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Fresh off of his Rolex 24 at Daytona win, 2014 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Kyle Larson appeared on Thursday at the Charlotte Media Tour presented by Technocom to discuss his gains from his rookie season and what’s prepared him to make the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field.

In 2014, while fans and media were buzzing about the return of the No. 3 to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and how then-rookie Austin Dillon would pilot the legendary car, the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing driver might have been overlooked as a top contender.

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Week after week, Larson proved his capability of racing against NASCAR’s elite, finishing second to veteran drivers like Kyle Busch and Joey Logano.

During the team press conference, CGR co-owner Felix Sabates made a bold statement about Larson and teammate Jamie McMurray‘s Chase chances in 2015.

"I’ve never guaranteed anybody anything in racing," Sabates said. "But I’m going to guarantee both of these drivers will be in the Chase."

While Sabates’ statement puts great expectations on the young driver, Larson is looking forward to competing for a shot at the title, especially in a historical season for influential driver Jeff Gordon, who Larson is often compared to.

"It’s going to be really cool to be on the track this year knowing it’s (Gordon’s) last full season," Larson said. "And come Homestead once the checkered flag falls if I’m not the champion I hope he is."

Larson made it clear that he appreciates the opportunity to hopefully carry similarities of the four-time champ into his two-car team.

"I was a newborn when Jeff got in the 24," Larson said jokingly. "But a lot of people have told me that the 24 then, was the 42 now. They weren’t the biggest team in NASCAR and Jeff kind of took that and made it into what it is.

"The 24 is just legendary. It’s kind of like the 3 with Dale Earnhardt. Everyone knows the Rainbow 24 Dupont Chevrolet. It’s just a very recognizable car and driver. It’s a legendary team."

Though he never saw Victory Lane in 2014, in 36 races Larson notched eight top-five and 17 top-10 finishes. The 22-year-old California native surpassed Gordon’s and Richard Petty’s top-10s as a rookie and tied Dale Earnhardt’s total.

RELATED: See how Larson’s rookie year stacked up

"I got a lot of experience last year, running up front at the end of the year," Larson said. "Our team is a lot better. I’m smarter as a driver.

"I need to figure out how to get to the lead. It seems like I find the line that goes really fast and get to the leader and the leader moves up in front of me and then I can’t pass him. I just need to get to the lead."

Larson and CGR teammate McMurray had no issues holding the lead in the Rolex 24 at Daytona a week ago when after 24 hours, 740 laps and 2,634.4 miles, the tiring race came down to a seven-minute, 30-second sprint to the checkered flag that saw the No. 02 CGR Ford EcoBoost-powered Riley DP squeeze out a 1.333-second victory over the defending Rolex 24 champion No. 5 Action Express Chevrolet Corvette DP.

"It helped my confidence because I thought I was the worst driver (at the Rolex 24) in 2014 and I was really, really happy with how I did this year," Larson said. "I ran the fastest lap of our car during the race, where last year I was at least a second off the pace. I was happy with how it went and proud of myself."

Not only did Larson’s success boost morale within himself, but McMurray explained how it also generated motivation within the entire team.

"That experience, the 10 days that you’re together, there’s memories that last forever in there and friendships that are built in a short amount of time," McMurray said. "But to win it, that is something that we’re never going to forget, and it’s really cool that Kyle and I get to come back here a week later today and talk about it. It’s really special."

And although Larson will not be the driver to fill Gordon’s shoes, as it was announced Thursday that NASCAR XFINITY Series champion Chase Elliott will drive the No. 24 in 2016, the No. 42 driver looks forward to being friendly rivals with the up-and-comer as both drivers are often identified as the "next big thing."

MORE: Elliott to drive No. 24 car full-time in Sprint Cup Series starting in 2016

"Me and Chase are friends and he’s really, really good," Larson said. "I hope we have a rivalry in a competitive way because that means we’re both up front competing for wins.

"NASCAR is in a great spot right now with a lot of young drivers coming up and I think more rides will open up for guys to get into the Cup Series so it’s pretty neat and I feel like I made it at the perfect time. I’m happy for myself and all the other young drivers getting an opportunity these days."

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Hendrick Motorsports drivers discuss newest teammate

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RELATED: Full coverage of Gordon’s final full-time season | Elliott to drive No. 24 car in 2016

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jeff Gordon had been watching Chase Elliott for years.

Some say the young driver from Dawsonville, Georgia, reminded them of a young Gordon. Equipped with raw talent at a young age and a drive to succeed – not to mention an incredible pedigree – Elliott seemed like the next big star.

And for Gordon, he checked all the boxes.

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"When I’m looking for talented drivers – the ones that I’m thinking are championship-caliber," Gordon said at Charlotte Media Tour presented by Technocom on Thursday. "You’re looking for ones that improve throughout the race, handle a certain situation calmly or improve throughout the season. And he has all those qualities and then he gets out and says all the right things."

Team owner Rick Hendrick’s announcement of young Elliott’s move to the No. 24 car in 2016 was met with awe from the racing world and excited reactions from his newest teammates: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne.

Like Gordon, Earnhardt — Elliott’s XFINITY car owner at JR Motorsports — had been watching the budding star for years and anticipated the No. 9 driver’s move to Hendrick Motorsports for awhile.

"I think Chase is going to have a long career and to have a little part in that is something I can hang my hat on years down the road," said Earnhardt, who watched Elliott seize the XFINITY championship during his rookie season in the series. "I know Rick picked him out of a crowd and said ‘That guy is the guy’ at a very young age."

RELATED: Can Elliott defend XFINITY title? | Elliott’s championship timeline

The announcement also came as no surprise to Johnson.

"It just felt right," Johnson said. "It seemed right. I had a feeling it was coming, knew it was coming and it makes perfect sense.

"You can’t put anyone in the 24 for a lot of reasons and to have somebody with a father that accomplished so much, somebody that really understands and respects the sport.”

The six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion reflected on watching Gordon in his younger days and admiring him as a driver. Later on, he would come to respect him as a close friend and teammate. But while he recognizes that his longtime colleague is irreplaceable, Johnson looks to a new era with Elliott.

“Chase is a great fit to go in the car and the best thing is he knows he’s not trying to fill Jeff’s shoes," Johnson said. "He’s going to go out there and be Chase Elliott and just continue on in the history of the 24."

WATCH: Gordon says No. 24 car in good hands | Elliott not looking to ‘fill somebody’s shoes’

For Elliott’s soon-to-be shop-mate Kahne, Elliott is exactly what Hendrick has been searching for with his next driver.

"He’s everything that Mr. H likes," Kahne said. "So I feel like he’s a perfect fit to get in that 24 and do what Chase Elliott does. It’s going to be pretty neat to see him in the car."

Elliott’s task in 2016 is both daunting and thrilling for the young star. And Gordon can’t wait to watch his familiar vehicle piloting around NASCAR’s tracks from the unfamiliar sidelines.

"He’s the total package," Gordon said. "And it’s very exciting to see him be the driver that’s going to be driving the 24 car in the future."

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Driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet on second season: ‘We need to be in the Chase’

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Around this time last year, Austin Dillon‘s blood pressure was rising.

The then-defending NASCAR XFINITY Series champion was a few short weeks away from beginning his rookie season in the Sprint Cup Series — the big leagues — but even more cold-sweat-inducing was the car number that would be adorned on the side of his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet: NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt’s legendary No. 3.

With his second season upon him and his rookie stripe removed, Dillon exuded an aura of confidence, put-togetherness and relaxation on Thursday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour presented by Technocom — at least for now.

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"There’s a lot of pressure any time you move to a new series," said Dillon, who immediately backed off the naysayers by winning the Coors Light Pole Award ahead of the 2014 Daytona 500. "Having the 3, there’s so many fans behind it and it was a great year to go through. Nothing crazy happened. This year, I think we’ve got to start getting crazy. We’ve got to start making things happen.

"When I say that, we need to be in the Chase; we need to be part of the chaos at the end of the year. I want to put more pressure on (myself) and you can more focus on the competition side of things. … People know how we approached that first year; I think we did it right. Now it’s time to make fire and go fast."

A big part of how Dillon and returning crew chief Gil Martin are trying to improve is in preparation, not only physically — which he’s determined to stay on top of — but also mentally.

"Mentally, it’s having more days at the shop. … Knowing what we’re going to do when we go through practices so we can be more organized with practices," Dillon said. "We were able to really scramble at certain points through the year and make our cars good when we struggled in practice. I think preparation this year, we want to be ready for those changes. We don’t want to be behind where we have to make a long shot or a Hail Mary at something. … I think that’s one thing that I’ve really told Gil and my guys. I want them to stay on me to stay focused and push me."

Dillon mentioned that a number of sponsorship appearances and NASCAR events having to do with the famous car number pulled him away from the health-conscious steps he took last offseason to get ready for his rookie year. He and his team have taken this into consideration, working diligently to keep Dillon and the No. 3 team on a more even-keeled schedule throughout November.

It should allow Dillon to maintain his consistency — his average finish of 17.5 ranked 15th in the series among full-time drivers, ahead of Chase drivers Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, AJ Allmendinger and Aric Almirola — the same consistency that projected Ryan Newman to the Championship 4, 50 yards shy of a title. That consistency also came in the form of completing 10,488 of 10,541 laps (99.5 percent), the second-most in the series.

The 24-year-old is also scheduled to run 20 XFINITY Series races in 2015, which he believes will help him figure out the ins-and-outs of his Cup ride. The new technical packages for Sprint Cup cars in 2015 is much more closely aligned with NASCAR’s second series than in years past.

There’s a lot for Dillon to build on for 2015 and a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup berth is not out of the question. With the initial attention around the No. 3 car’s return now mostly a thing of the past, it should allow the RCR driver to stay steady throughout the year and keep his head down.

"The good thing is, we had a decent year last year, but when you can find places to improve, and you know where those are, you should be able to take those and make them better," Dillon said. "I think that’s what I’ve been able to do the last couple of years when we go from say, rookie year in Trucks or (XFINITY), then second year and you win a championship."

"I’m not saying we’re going to go out there and win a championship, but that’s our goal. I think we can, and what Ryan and Luke (Lambert, No. 31 crew chief) were able to do, I think me and Gil want to accomplish that — have a shot at the end of the year."

MORE: Newman eager to build on last season’s gains

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WIX to serve as primary sponsor in two national series; Grainger teams with Newman

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Richard Childress Racing announced on Thursday that WIX Filters will continue its partnership and be a primary sponsor for the No. 31 Chevrolet of Ryan Newman in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and for the No. 62 Chevrolet of Brendan Gaughan in the XFINITY Series.

RCR also announced a multi-year partnership with Grainger, which will serve as a primary sponsor for Newman in select races, beginning June 7 at Pocono Raceway. The company will also be featured as an associate sponsor for races in which it’s not the primary.

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Newman will run the WIX paint scheme starting on April 19 at Bristol Motor Speedway. As part of the deal, WIX will continue to provide technical support for RCR and ECR engines.

"WIX Filters has been a valued partner of mine during the last five seasons," Newman said in a team release. "I appreciate everything WIX stands for, including reliability and innovation."

Grainger joined RCR with sponsorship of Austin Dillon‘s No. 33 XFINITY Series car at Texas Motor Speedway last November and associate sponsorship on the No. 31 Sprint Cup car for the last three races of 2014.

"Grainger’s slogan, ‘For the ones who get it done,’ holds true for what this partnership and RCR stand for," Richard Childress, CEO and Chairman of Richard Childress Racing, said in a team release. "We’re proud to have this association with Grainger and look forward to interacting with their customers and employees. We plan to use our Sprint Cup program and RCR campus to showcase the innovative solutions that Grainger provides to its customers."

Posted on by Staff Report

Advanced manufacturing solutions provider to be associate on No. 78

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Visser Precision, LLC, owned by Furniture Row Racing team owner Barney Visser, will join the No. 78 NASCAR Chevrolet, driven by Martin Truex Jr., as an associate sponsor for the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

The team announced the news during its stop on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour presented by Technocom.

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The advanced manufacturing solutions provider, utilizing special alloys and proprietary manufacturing methods, is headquartered in a state-of-the-art facility in Denver, Colorado, which also serves as the team’s home base. The business grew out of the race team, and its president, Ryan Coniam, is a former race engineer and crew chief in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

"This is an exciting move for not only our teammates at Visser Precision but also for our growing list of domestic and international clients," Coniam said in a team release. "Visser Precision with its advanced technologies shares many of the same attributes that you will find in the high-tech, competitive world of NASCAR. There is definitely some DNA between the two businesses, and we are thrilled to be included with Furniture Row Racing."

Joe Garone, general manager of Furniture Row Racing, said the Visser Precision name will be positioned on the roof of the No. 78 Chevrolet.

"We welcome Visser Precision as our new associate sponsor," Garone said. "Visser Precision has a success story that is quite remarkable for such a young company. We are proud to be a partner on the car and in the race shop to help tackle the challenges of NASCAR’s competitive sport."

Truex said he was impressed by the facility on a recent visit, saying there were "pieces and parts that we really can’t talk about" for military use. He explained how his new associate sponsor personally helped him.

"I build remote-controlled boats," Truex said. "That’s one of my hobbies. They actually built me a part. It’s probably worth like $14,000, but it’s really only worth $100 to anybody else."

Posted on by Zack Albert

NASCAR XFINITY Series champ will run five Sprint Cup races in 2015

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RELATED: Elliott’s 2015 preview | Gordon says final full-time season to be in 2015

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Before Thursday afternoon’s presentation from Hendrick Motorsports, five director’s chairs stood empty on the stage, one earmarked for team owner Rick Hendrick and the rest for his four drivers. One chair rested to the side, awaiting its moment to join the group.

In the same way, Chase Elliott has waited for his seat in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. And now his time is just around the corner.

Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday that Elliott, the defending NASCAR XFINITY Series champion, will join the sport’s premier circuit full-time in 2016 after running a partial schedule of five races this season in the No. 25 Chevrolet. In making the step forward, Elliott, 19, will take over the Hendrick-owned No. 24 Chevrolet made famous by four-time champion Jeff Gordon, who announced last week that this will be his last full-time season in NASCAR’s top division.

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Elliott said he was informed of his impending promotion to Sprint Cup by a phone call from Hendrick, shortly after Gordon made his intentions known to his team. As big a shock as news of Gordon’s decision was, Elliott said the piece of the story involving him was an even bigger stunner.

"That’s a phone call I was not expecting that day. That is for sure," Elliott said during the final leg of the annual Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour presented by Technocom. "I didn’t know anything about Jeff’s announcement until that morning and to have Mr. Hendrick tell me that he wanted me to be that person to go in and drive that car whenever Jeff got done was just an unbelievable phone call — one that I was not expecting and something that I couldn’t have dreamt happening."

News of Elliott’s plans comes one day before the induction of his father, Bill Elliott, into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The elder Elliott, the 1988 champion and a 44-time winner in NASCAR’s premier series, and his wife, Cindy, have offered support for his son’s racing efforts through the Late Model ranks, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and eventually the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series — a crucial, thoughtful upbringing that weighed heavily into Hendrick’s decision to sign the youngster to his team’s developmental driver program in 2011.

All the while, the younger Elliott’s quick ascent to stock-car fame rejuvenated their small hometown community of Dawsonville, Georgia, which signaled each accomplishment with a shrill blare from siren mounted atop the Dawsonville Pool Room, an area institution and haven of Elliott racing memorabilia. Now the community — including the father best known as "Awesome Bill" — has two reasons to be proud on consecutive days.

RELATED: Gordon says No. 24 team in good hands | See how the No. 24 torch was passed

"No way," Bill Elliott told NASCAR.com when asked if he thought this moment would come this soon in his son’s career. "I mean, you hoped it, you wished it, but for it to actually happen, it’s like, ‘Wake me up. Am I dreaming or what?’ Chase has done a great job, and Mr. Hendrick has just … the man’s done everything he said he would do, and I have never met anybody with the integrity that man has."

While the younger Elliott has an appreciation for this father’s accomplishments, he’s been able to create a new chapter to the family’s racing tradition. Now Elliott inherits another legacy, following a legend who has helped forge stock-car racing’s identity and direction over the course of a decorated 22-year career in the sport’s top series.

Despite both of those rich connections to the racing history, Elliott insists he’ll be his own man as he makes his way to the sport’s top levels. It’s a heady, fresh approach that has commanded Gordon’s respect as he prepares to hand over the wheel of the No. 24.

"He’s light-years ahead of where I was at 19," Gordon said. "I think Bill, being as experienced as he has been in winning races and the championship, and then Cindy and Bill together, I just think they did an amazing job with this young man, the way he handles himself, the things that he thinks about and the things that he says as well as what he does on the track. He’s the total package, and I didn’t have that at 19, I didn’t. I definitely had a lot of growing up to do, and the Cup Series will help you grow up in a hurry. That’s why I’m so excited to watch what he does."

RELATED: Gordon calls Elliott the ‘total package’ | Elliott’s championship timeline

To help Elliott get acclimated to his first taste of NASCAR’s big leagues, the team announced a five-race schedule for 2014. The second-generation driver is slated to make his Sprint Cup debut March 29 at Martinsville Speedway, then compete April 25 at Richmond International Raceway, May 24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, July 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Sept. 6 at Darlington Raceway.

Kenny Francis, who moved to the role of vehicle technical director for Hendrick in the offseason, will serve as crew chief for Elliott’s five-race slate this season. In 2016, Elliott will work with longtime Hendrick crew chief Alan Gustafson, a 19-time winner in NASCAR’s premier series who has been atop the pit box for Gordon for the last four seasons.

While Gustafson has prepared himself for Gordon’s last full-fledged shot at NASCAR’s top prize, he’s also embracing what the future holds with Elliott in 2016.

"With his age and the maturity, you just see a tremendous amount of potential," Gustafson said. "That’s the thing that I just think about is the opportunity to really do some amazing things."

MORE: See the paint scheme for Elliott’s 2015 Cup car

For Ray Evernham, now a consultant for Hendrick Motorsports‘ competition department, Elliott’s move carries extra meaning on several levels. Gordon’s growth into a championship-winning driver came with Evernham calling the shots as his first crew chief on the No. 24 team in NASCAR’s top series. Evernham later left Hendrick to form his own team, leading the effort to bring Dodge back to NASCAR with Elliott — driving his familiar No. 9 — as his lead driver.

To see all those bonds overlap, ultimately leading to Thursday’s announcement, brought his involvement full circle.

"For me, it’s really a special thing because the two cars that have been special in my life are the 24 and the 9," Evernham told NASCAR.com, "and now rolling those together — the Elliott family, the Gordon family and the Hendrick family — it’s just amazing when you think of the racing heritage there. … He’s surrounded by a lot of people who believe in him that have years of racing experience."

For 2015, Elliott’s Sprint Cup entries will carry No. 25, with NAPA — his XFINITY Series sponsor — as the primary backer. The team said sponsorship for 2016 would be announced at a later date.

When Gordon announced last Thursday that his days as a full-time driver were coming to an end, speculation on a replacement immediately centered on Elliott, who became the youngest champion in the NASCAR XFINITY Series during his rookie year in 2014. Elliott is entering his second season with JR Motorsports, a team co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with Hendrick affiliations.

RELATED: Junior on Elliott’s 2014 success

Both Hendrick and Earnhardt said last season that the timing seemed right for Elliott to advance to the top rung in the NASCAR development ladder with a limited Sprint Cup campaign in 2015 before making the full-time jump. The arrangement announced Thursday allows Elliott to make that move while benefiting from another year of seasoning in the XFINITY Series for JRM.

Despite Elliott’s age, Hendrick said watching his poise and ability to lead his team gave him no hesitation about making that fateful phone call, just one week ago.

"I am amazed at the maturity he has," Hendrick said. "I just can’t believe some of the things that come out of his mouth. When you think he’s going to answer it one way, and he just comes up with something totally personal that’s from inside. He is so comfortable in his skin. He doesn’t feel the pressure of being an Elliott, and he doesn’t feel the pressure of being behind Gordon. He wants to be Chase Elliott, not Bill Elliott, not Jeff Gordon. You don’t have to talk to him very long to figure that out."