Veteran pit boss to serve as crew chief for David Gilliland and the No. 38 team

MORE: Find out who else is on the move in 2015

Donnie Wingo has joined Front Row Motorsports for the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season as crew chief for the No. 38 Ford and driver David Gilliland.

Several news organizations reported the news Monday afternoon, and a spokesperson for the Statesville, North Carolina-based team confirmed the reports independently to NASCAR.com.

Wingo, 54, has worked with the venerable Wood Brothers Racing team for the past four seasons, a span that produced his biggest win — the 2011 Daytona 500 with Trevor Bayne at the wheel. Wingo has seven victories during his 25-year tenure as a crew chief in NASCAR’s premier series.

Gilliland tweeted his excitement over the news on Monday afternoon.

Gilliland, 38, worked with crew chief Frank Kerr for the first 30 races last year, then closed out 2014 with Jay Guy atop the pit box. Gilliland, a teammate to David Ragan on the Bob Jenkins-owned Front Row team, wound up 30th in the final Sprint Cup standings with a best finish of 17th place at Pocono Raceway in August.

Gilliland, who joined the Sprint Cup circuit in 2006, spent the holidays driving cross-country to his home state of California. On social media, he has documented visits to at least 20 Love’s Travel Stops — one of his primary sponsors — along the way.

As previously announced, Wingo will be replaced by Jeremy Bullins as crew chief for the Wood Brothers’ famed No. 21 Ford and the team’s new driver, Ryan Blaney. Last season, Bullins helped guide the Team Penske No. 22 to six victories and the team owner championship in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, now the XFINITY Series.

Veteran driver will pilot No. 24 car for JGL Racing

NASCAR veteran Eric McClure will compete full-time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series in 2015 as driver of the No. 24 JGL Toyota, according to a team release.

McClure, 36, has 254 career starts in the series with a best finish of eighth at Daytona International Speedway in 2013. From 2011 through 2014, the Chilhowie, Virginia native competed for team owner Mark Smith and TriStar Motorsports.

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Jay Guy, previously a crew chief at Front Row Motorsports, will serve as crew chief for McClure and the No. 24 team.

JGL, a two-car operation fielded by James Whitener and Gregg Mixon, debuted in 2014 and featured numerous drivers behind the wheel of its Nos. 28 and 93 entries during the year.

The organization fielded Dodge entries in 2014.

"It’s a privilege to compete at this level of motorsports, and to have the opportunity to return to full-time competition is truly a blessing," said McClure, who hasn’t run a full schedule since 2011. "I’m excited about the new partnership with JGL Racing. They are an organization comprised of experienced individuals sharing a deep-rooted competitive spirit. I could not be more excited about the upcoming season."

Reynolds Consumer Products, through its Hefty and Reynolds Wrap brands, will serve as primary sponsor of the team for a minimum of 25 events, according to the team.

"Eric’s a talented driver who’s had success on and off the race track over the course of his career," Whitener said, "and it’s exciting to add another veteran driver and national brands to our organization.

"We look forward to continuing to build on things accomplished in 2014 and growing our team together."

See the full schedule of NASCAR.com previews for all three series

With the 2015 NASCAR season fast approaching, NASCAR.com will preview the top returning drivers in each series as we get closer to cars hitting the track at Daytona International Speedway.

Below is the full schedule for the season previews by series. Check back on each date to see the latest preview. (The previews will be linked as the date.)

SPRINT CUP SERIES
Jan. 5: Aric Almirola | 2015 preview | 2014 season in review
Jan. 6: Kasey Kahne | 2015 preview | 2014 season in review
Jan. 7: Greg Biffle | 2015 preview | 2014 season in review
Jan. 8: AJ Allmendinger | 2015 preview | 2014 season in review
Jan. 9: Kurt Busch | 2015 preview | 2014 season in review
Jan. 12: Jimmie Johnson | 2015 preview | 2014 season in review
Jan. 13: Kyle Busch | 2015 preview | 2014 season in review
Jan. 14: Carl Edwards | 2015 preview | 2014 season in review
Jan. 15: Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 2015 preview | 2014 season in review
Jan. 16: Matt Kenseth | 2015 preview | 2014 season in review
Jan. 19: Jeff Gordon | 2015 preview | 2014 season in review
Jan. 20: Brad Keselowski | 2015 preview | 2014 season in review
Jan. 21: Joey Logano | 2015 preview | 2014 season in review
Jan. 22: Denny Hamlin | 2015 preview | 2014 season in review
Jan. 23: Ryan Newman | 2015 preview | 2014 season in review
Jan. 26: Kevin Harvick | 2015 preview | 2014 season in review

XFINITY SERIES
Jan. 2: Ty Dillon | 2015 preview
Jan. 6: Brian Scott | 2015 preview
Jan. 13: Elliott Sadler | 2015 preview
Jan. 20: Regan Smith | 2015 preview
Jan. 27: Chase Elliott | 2015 preview | Relive Elliott’s title run

CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
Jan. 8: Timothy Peters | 2015 preview
Jan. 15: Johnny Sauter | 2015 preview
Jan. 23: Matt Crafton | 2015 preview | Relive Crafton’s title run

Interim tag dropped from Knost; pair together for final three races of ’14

MORE: Danica dons Mardi Gras mask | See who else in on the move in 2015

Daniel Knost will serve as crew chief for Danica Patrick in the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

A spokesperson for her Stewart-Haas Racing team confirmed to NASCAR.com on Monday afternoon that the interim tag had been removed from Knost’s title.

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Patrick, 32, completed her second full Sprint Cup season last year with three top-10 finishes and a final rank of 28th in the driver standings. She was paired with Tony Gibson for the bulk of her two seasons in the Stewart-Haas No. 10 Chevrolet until a late-season switch teamed her with Knost for the last three races of 2014.

As part of her offseason travel, Patrick served as grand marshal of the parade ahead of Sunday’s GoDaddy Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. During a break in the college football festivities, Patrick told the website AL.com that the potential for success with Knost has her anxious for what the new season may hold.

"I think something new is both scary but also exciting. Until you go there you don’t know how great it could be," Patrick told AL.com. "We worked together a little bit at the end of last season. I think that was a really good thing to do in preparation for 2015. Everybody at Stewart-Haas has been working very hard to make sure that every team is as good from top to bottom as possible, and we’ll probably have some changes for next year within the team, but it’s like I said, you never know what you can have until you dare to try something different. Daniel is a very smart guy and I’m excited to see what we can do."

Knost, 36, began his first year as a crew chief in NASCAR’s premier series working with Kurt Busch on the team’s No. 41 Chevrolet. The pairing paid dividends early on with a regular-season victory at Martinsville Speedway that clinched a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff berth for Busch, but the two struggled to find consistency in Busch’s first year with the team. Busch netted six top-five finishes in 2014, but was among the first four drivers eliminated in the new Chase format.

Patrick showed signs of progress during Gibson’s tenure with the No. 10 team as she twice bettered her career-bests during last season — first with a seventh place at Kansas in May, then with a sixth-place run at Atlanta on Labor Day weekend. But consistency was again a precious commodity: Patrick finished on the lead lap in just 19 of the year’s 36 races.

Hoping to jump-start both teams, Greg Zipadelli — Stewart-Haas Racing‘s vice president of competition — announced in October at Martinsville that for the year’s final three races, Knost would pair with Patrick on an interim basis and that Gibson would work with Busch. Patrick closed out the season with finishes of 36th, 22nd and 18th; Busch posted results of eighth, seventh and 11th over the same span.

With Monday’s confirmation by the team, Patrick will enter her third full season at stock-car racing’s highest level paired with Knost’s deep background in engineering. Gibson, her former crew chief, will continue to bring his old-school sensibilities to Busch’s efforts.

"I think long-term it’s the right thing," Zipadelli said last fall, after news of the switch was announced. "There might be a step back while they learn each other and they grow, but long-term — a full year, two years from now — I think their personalities between Daniel and Danica will work together much better, and I think at the same time, the same thing will happen on the 41 car."

Richard Petty Motorsports driver aims to build on season of firsts in 2015

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Team: Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Ford

Rank in final 2014 standings: 16th

Wins: 1 (Daytona International Speedway in July)

Year in photos: Aric Almirola 2014 highlights

Strides: Perhaps bolstered by the three-year contract extension he signed last January, Almirola broke new ground in his 2014 campaign. After notching his first Sprint Cup victory in the rain-shortened Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, Almirola not only ended a 543-race dry spell for his team owner, King Richard Petty, but he also turned the midsummer windfall into the first Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup postseason berth in his career.

Almirola put the famed No. 43 into Daytona’s Victory Lane on the 30th anniversary weekend of Petty’s landmark 200th win at the 2.5-mile track, but also brightened the outlook for 2015.

"It was a great day and a lot of great memories stem from that," Almirola said. "… It’s given our race team a lot of confidence going into next year, and it’s made us hungry. That’s the beauty of what we accomplished this year is that we’ve tasted what we’re capable of, and we don’t feel we’ve even reached our maximum potential. I think everybody on our race team’s really hungry to get going again next year and to be able to make sure we make the Chase again."

Setbacks: In his three years with RPM, Almirola has exited early because of an engine failure only once. That DNF couldn’t have been more poorly timed. A broken exhaust valve in the 2014 Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway saddled Almirola with a 41st-place finish and an insurmountable deficit for the first three-race phase of eliminations.

While the team took a step forward by scratching the win column, the No. 43 bunch had just one other top-five finish (third place at Bristol in the spring) and led multiple laps in just two other races.

Quoteworthy: "We’ve got to get more consistency in the build of our cars. We’ve got to really hone in on a package that we’re happy with. We’ve had success at different race tracks with different setups and packages and aero balances, and when we try to take them to other race tracks, they don’t work. That kind of leads to our inconsistency. We’ve got to get a better understanding of what it takes for our race cars to be fast week in and week out."

What’s next: Changes are forthcoming to the RPM operations dynamic, the biggest of which is a new teammate for Almirola in the form of Sam Hornish Jr., who replaces the outgoing Marcos Ambrose in his return to full-time competition in NASCAR’s top series. The team will also call a familiar shop its new home, moving its North Carolina base in the offseason from Concord to the Mooresville space that housed Petty’s cars from 2007-08.

While some things will shift before the green flag drops on 2015, many key components remain the same. Both Almirola and primary sponsor Smithfield are locked into concurrent contracts through 2016. Barring an unexpected late change with Trent Owens at crew chief, the No. 43 team’s core will return intact for the coming Sprint Cup season.

"It gives me a ton of confidence to know that we can only continue to get better and better, and I think we’ve shown that over the last three years," Almirola said. "As things have gotten better and Smithfield has stepped up their commitment, not only long-term but financially, our performance has coincided with that."

Meet Nate Official NASCAR Fan Council member of the month

Name: Nate

Current City: Pinch, West Virginia

Member since: 2014

Getting to know Nate

Q. Why did you join the Official NASCAR Fan Council?

"I joined the NASCAR Fan Council because I have been a devoted fan for 15 years (basically my entire life that I can remember). I always wanted a way for my voice to be heard by some of the people who truly have an impact on the sport. It is great to be able to voice my opinion and know I can possibly have a difference on a sport I truly love, that I plan my weekends around, and honestly spend a lot of money every year going to various races."

Q. What comes to mind when you think of NASCAR? What’s your favorite NASCAR memory?

"I think of intensity, competitiveness, and fan interaction like no other sport…..it is absolutely unmatched in all three of those areas on a week to week basis. Being a Carl Edwards fan since he came into the sport, my favorite memory involves him. I was able to celebrate with Carl after he won the 2011 Nationwide race at Nashville when he ran up into the stands. I was close enough to get a high 5 and touch the checkered flag! I had people blowing up my phone saying I was all over ESPN next to Carl Edwards, jumping around and going crazy with him and the rest of the fans. This also was the day after I met him for the first time, definitely a weekend I’ll never forget!"

Q: Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?

Driver: "Carl Edwards"
Track: "Talladega & Martinsville"
Memorabilia: "My ‘wall of fame’ in our NASCAR themed television room with at least 50 driver autographed hero cards from the Cup, Nationwide, and Truck ranks, including the late Jason Leffler & a clear shadow box with a signed shirt and pictures of me shaking Carl Edwards hand, talking to him, and him signing the shirt from the Nashville race in 2011."

Q: If you could go to any NASCAR race/track, where would you go?

"Sonoma! Love road course racing (we need one in the Chase), it’s in a beautiful area, and I love to travel, but haven’t been to San Francisco and northern California"

Q: Tell us about your family. Do you have children and/or pets?

"Two dogs and three cats, but no kids!"

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

"Love to workout, ride my jet ski, travel, and attend West Virginia football and basketball games."

Q: What’s your dream car?

"Ford Mustang Shelby GT-500"

From all of us at NASCAR, we thank Nate for his continued support and look forward to hearing from him in 2015!

Thoughts, respects go out on social media after broadcaster’s death

Stuart Scott, a TV broadcaster for ESPN since 1993, died Sunday at age 49 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Scott, who was known for catchphrases such as "boo-yah" and "cooler than the other side of the pillow," was remembered by the NASCAR community via social media.

Here are some of the immediate responses to Sunday’s sad news:

 

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Get full lineup of NASCAR programming for the week

All times ET

FULL CHASE COVERAGE

• Chase hub page
• Chase Grid games
• #MyChaseNation

Monday, January 5
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of the Year (re-air), FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR America: 2014 Chase Spectacular (re-air), NBC Sports Network
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of the Year (re-air), FOX Sports 2
7 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 (re-air), NBC Sports Network
7:30 p.m., The 10: Biggest Bonehead Moves (re-air), FOX Sports 2
7:30 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 (re-air), NBC Sports Network
8 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 (re-air), NBC Sports Network
8:30 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 (re-air), NBC Sports Network
9 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 (re-air), NBC Sports Network
9:30 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 (re-air), NBC Sports Network
10 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 (re-air), NBC Sports Network
10:30 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 (re-air), NBC Sports Network
11 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 (re-air), NBC Sports Network
11:30 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 (re-air), NBC Sports Network
Midnight, NASCAR America: Championship Edition (re-air), NBC Sports Network
12:30 a.m., NASCAR America: Expect the Unexpected (re-air), NBC Sports Network
1 a.m., NASCAR America: Celebrate the States (re-air), NBC Sports Network
1:30 a.m., NASCAR America: Celebrate the States (re-air), NBC Sports Network
2 a.m., NASCAR America: Celebrate the States (re-air), NBC Sports Network
2:30 a.m., NASCAR America: Celebrate the States (re-air), NBC Sports Network

Tuesday, January 6
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of the Year (re-air), FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR America: NASCAR "In the News" 2014 (re-air), NBC Sports Network
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of the Year (re-air), FOX Sports 2

Wednesday, January 7
5 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of the Year (re-air), FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of the Year (re-air), FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR America: Countdown 2014 (re-air), NBC Sports Network
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of the Year (re-air), FOX Sports 2
7:30 p.m., 100,000 Cameras: NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (re-air), FOX Sports 2
8 p.m., 2014 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (re-air), FOX Sports 2

Thursday, January 8
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of the Year (re-air), FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR America: Countdown 2014 (re-air), NBC Sports Network
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of the Year (re-air), FOX Sports 2
7:30 p.m., The 10: Earnhardt Moments (re-air), FOX Sports 2
8 p.m., The Day: Remembering Dale Earnhardt (re-air), FOX Sports 2

Friday, January 9
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of the Year (re-air), FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR America: 2014 Top Moments (re-air), NBC Sports Network

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NASCAR Chairman and CEO, wife cap off year of support

There’s no doubt the upcoming opportunity to join rock ‘n roll legend Bruce Springsteen for lasagna dinner and a motorcycle ride through the "Boss’s" New Jersey hometown is something NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France and his wife, Amy, are looking forward to enjoying.

But the most rewarding part of the experience already happened for the couple. It was writing the $300,000 check for their time with Springsteen — a silent auction winning bid at the recent Stand Up For Heroes gala in New York City.

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Knowing the donation would benefit military veterans and their families through the Bob Woodruff Foundation is exactly the kind of reward that has driven the couple to be one of the sports world’s most generous philanthropists.

"NASCAR has a long history of honoring members of our nation’s military. It always has been — and always will be — part of the fabric of our sport," Amy France told ESPN. "For Brian and I, it’s been about quietly and passionately supporting active service men and women; as well as veterans. The innovative programs offered by the Bob Woodruff Foundation aggressively address the critical needs of injured veterans returning from combat.

"With the Stand Up For Heroes event, we saw an opportunity to play a role in helping to heal the silent wounds of war."

The real joy comes in the giving, and that’s something Brian and Amy have done in abundance over the years.

Contributing money to and raising awareness for charities is nothing new for the Frances, who are prolific and committed to helping worthy and wide-reaching causes.

Their level of concern is all-encompassing as the past few years would indicate.

Not only are the Frances’ long-standing supporters of vital causes — such as the Bob Woodruff Foundation — that benefit military servicemen and their families, but as parents, Amy and Brian feel particularly strong about issues affecting children.

In 2013, they served as hosts for the annual Autism Speaks fundraising gala at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art — fittingly naming the benefit "Speeding for a Cure."

"The sport is big enough with enough reach to be in step with the other major sports leagues in the country to chair a big night and raise the kind of money you need to, to make this school and the cure more possible," Brian France said at the time.

And he and Amy didn’t just write a big check and encourage friends to join them in support of this cause. While in New York, the couple spent significant time with the autistic students and their families who attended The Gillen Brewer School, which benefited from the Autism Speaks event they chaired.

"We have to dedicate resources, time and energy to finding out the underlying reason for autism and how to effectively work with autistic children," Amy France explained after visit to the school. "We don’t have autistic children, but I am a parent, so I feel impacted by it. We are all impacted on some level."

Medical issues have definitely been a focus of the Frances’ efforts.

Just weeks after the Stand Up For Heroes gala, the couple made a large donation to the Michael J. Fox Foundation and attended the organization’s annual "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Cure" Parkinson’s Gala at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Fox, who has Parkinson’s, has raised approximately $5 million a year through this single event.

"We’re happy to be a part of something so important and Brian and I always say that we may not immediately be impacted but this, but we’re all impacted by this on many levels, whether it be family members, friends," Amy France said at the event. "And until we find a cure, until we make progress with research then we all have to get involved. There’s a long way to go still."

This October the Frances attended the nationally acclaimed Angel Ball also in New York and donated $50,000 to Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research, a major contributor to research in the areas of leukemia and lymphoma.

The Angel Ball was also significant to NASCAR’s Chairman as this year, it honored a NASCAR athlete, four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon, and his longtime efforts in the pediatric cancer field.

For NASCAR, it all starts at the top. The Frances commitment to charity and making a difference is a reflection of them and of the NASCAR community.

And there is no offseason when it comes to helping out.

"To be able to help in some small way is a big deal to us and a big deal to the sport," Brian France said. "That’s what we’ve got to be about."

Previewing the RCR driver’s sophomore season in the XFINITY Series

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

Team: Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet

Rank in final 2014 standings: Fifth

Wins: 1 (Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

Strides: In his first full season in the series, Dillon scored his first victory, first pole (he ended the year with three) and earned 24 top-10s. Never lower than fifth in the points standings, he was only 12 points out of the top spot after 20 races and as high as third with just four races remaining.

The 22-year-old, second in the Camping World Truck Series points in 2013, proved a quick study in his initial Nationwide campaign, meshing well with veteran crew chief Danny Stockman and the No. 3 RCR team. All seven of his top-five finishes came during the second half of the season, and came on a variety of track layouts, from the 2.5-mile IMS oval to the tight, short 0.533-mile Bristol.

Setbacks: Dillon and his team were rarely dominant, leading double digit laps on only two occasions – at Indy (24) and Kentucky (155).

Although he had just one DNF (Did Not Finish), it occurred late in the year as he was attempting to remain in the thick of the title battle. A 30th-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway dropped him to fifth in the standings with just three races remaining.

Quoteworthy: "It’s not very fun being the first one called up at the banquet; I wanted to be the last one up there that gives the speech and have all my guys here. That’s kind of my attitude. I’m going to let this be a little bit of fuel to the fire as far as (2015) and I’m going to work hard to be better … and make sure I can get up on that stage."

What’s next: No changes in key personnel for the No. 3 team as it looks to improve upon last year’s fifth-place points finish, although RCR strengthened its XFINITY Series program during the off-season with the addition of former championship-winning crew chief Todd Parrott. Now the organization’s competition director, Parrott helped guide Dale Jarrett to the 1999 premier series title and has 31 wins atop the pit box.

No longer one of the new kids on the block, Dillon says he expects improvement both from himself as well as his team.

"I’ve got to cut out a lot of mistakes, just have to be sharper all around as far as a driver, and also as a team we have to be better, hold ourselves to a little bit higher standard now that we’re not rookies," he said. "We’re very capable of winning this championship; we showed it at lot of points in the year, that we could win races and beat the best guys in the series. It’s time for us to do that consistently and win the championship."

Dillon, who made his first two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts this past season with Circle Sport Racing, is scheduled to attempt to qualify the team’s No. 33 entry in the 2015 Daytona 500.

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