NASCAR Statement from Brett Jewkes, NASCAR Chief Communications Officer

Posted on September 16, 2014 by

Regarding Announcement of Ontario (N.Y.) County District Attorney

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 16, 2014) — "We are aware of the completed investigation and the announced next steps. First, our thoughts continue to be with all who have been impacted by this tragedy. We will monitor this process and stay in close contact with Stewart-Haas Racing. It would be inappropriate for NASCAR to comment on this case so we will continue to respect the process and authorities involved."

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Posted on September 16, 2014 by

No. 99 nearly in a must-win situation; vote now for your favorite driver

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Posted on September 16, 2014 by

NASCAR, Front Row Motorsports, Kyle Busch Motorsports and Martinsville Speedway to pay tribute

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR, Front Row Motorsports, Kyle Busch Motorsports and Martinsville Speedway announced today they will honor 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee Wendell Scott, the first African-American driver to win a NASCAR premier series event, with a series of tributes during the Martinsville race weekend from Oct. 24-26.

Front Row Motorsports will pay homage to Scott, also the first African-American driver to race full-time in NASCAR’s premier series, with a full throwback paint scheme on its No. 34 Ford driven by David Ragan, reminiscent of the blue No. 34 that he drove to Victory Lane for his first NASCAR premier series victory at Jacksonville Speedway on Dec. 1, 1963. Ragan is one of just three drivers to win in the No. 34, and the first since Scott.

"It’s going to be cool to honor Wendell Scott at his home track with his family," said Ragan. "I got to drive a tribute scheme for Ned Jarrett a while back, and it’s a tribute to the history of our sport that I get to honor Mr. Scott as an inductee, the last driver to win in the No. 34 before I did. I’m a fan of our sport’s history and have a real appreciation for it, so it’s special to be able to bring that paint scheme back for a weekend."

In addition, Kyle Busch Motorsports will change the number of Darrell Wallace Jr.’s truck from 54 to 34 in honor of Scott. A NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate, Wallace became the first African-American to win a NASCAR national series race since Scott’s historic 1963 triumph when he captured the checkered flag in last season’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kroger 200 at Martinsville.

"It’s an honor to run the No. 34 Toyota Tundra at Martinsville," said Wallace. "I got my first win at Martinsville and the historical significance of that win and to be so close to Wendell Scott’s hometown was a really cool bonus to getting my first win. The Scott family has followed my career since I ran the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program for Rev Racing and I’ve kept a relationship with the family over the years. Thanks to Joe Gibbs Racing, Kyle Busch Motorsports, Toyota and NASCAR for allowing me to run the No. 34 at Martinsville. I’m pumped to get back there and hope to get another victory."

Adding to the celebration, Martinsville Speedway and the NHOF will host members of the Scott family during the race weekend and offer special Q&A opportunities for fans on-site.

"Wendell Scott faced numerous adversities throughout his racing career. At the end of the day though, he persevered and overcame all odds," said Clay Campbell, president of Martinsville Speedway. "That perseverance serves as an inspiration today and as a testament to that, he was inducted to the NASCAR Hall of Fame."

A trailblazer whose legacy extends to the present day, Scott was the 1959 NASCAR Virginia Sportsman champion and won over 100 races at local tracks prior to starting his NASCAR premier series career. The Danville, Virginia native served three years in the U.S. Army during World War II where he honed his skills in the motor pool. In 13 years of NASCAR premier series competition, Scott made 495 starts (35th on the all-time list), accumulating 20 top-five and 147 top-10 finishes. He passed away in 1990, at the age of 69.

NASCAR currently awards scholarships in Scott’s name through the United Negro College Fund, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. The Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award is awarded to a diverse or female driver in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series who has demonstrated significant contributions on and off the track. Current NASCAR D4D driver and last year’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Nevada state champion Jay Beasley was the 2013 award recipient.

In addition, NASCAR has designated the first race weekend in March as a time to remember Wendell Scott’s legacy during a week that marks his first career start. Cars in all series run a decal in honor of his accomplishments within the sport.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goody’s ® Headache Relief Shot ® 500 will run Sunday, Oct. 26 at 1:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kroger 200 will run Saturday, Oct. 25 at 1:30 p.m. on FOX Sports 1. Both races will also air on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, with additional coverage on NASCAR.com.

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Posted on September 16, 2014 by Staff Report

Furniture Row Racing driver honored for support of children’s hospital

Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, was selected by the National Motorsports Press Association as the organization’s Spirt Award recipient for the second quarter of 2014.

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Truex Jr. and longtime girlfriend Sherry Pollex held their fifth annual Catwalk for a Cause charity event held in May. The popular event supports the Martin Truex Jr. Special Needs Fund at Charlotte’s Levine Children’s Hospital, which assists patients and families of children being treated for cancer.

Also receiving votes for the second quarter were Sonoma Raceway and Furniture Row Racing.

Lynda Petty, the late wife of seven-time NASCAR premier series champion Richard Petty, was the first-quarter recipient.

The NMPA Spirit Award is designed to recognize character and achievement in the face of adversity, sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports. Each year, quarterly winners are chosen, and an overall winner is selected by a vote of the NMPA membership.

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Posted on September 16, 2014 by Staff Report

Ontario County D.A.: Evidence will be presented in near future

RELATED: Full coverage of the Tony Stewart incident | NASCAR’s statement

The Ontario County of New York District Attorney’s office is sending the evidence from its investigation into the Kevin Ward Jr.-Tony Stewart incident to a grand jury.

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The statement from Michael Tantillo, Ontario County District Atttorney, reads in full:

"Over the past several weeks I have reviewed with members of the Ontario County Sheriff’s Department their investigation, as it progressed, in the Tony Stewart matter. Recently that office concluded its work and forwarded the complete case file to me. Upon my review of all of the information contained in the entire investigation, I have made the determination that it would be appropriate to submit the evidence to a grand jury, for their determination as to what action should be taken in this matter. Accordingly, the evidence developed in the investigation will be presented to an Ontario County grand jury in the near future.  As grand jury proceedings in New York State are strictly confidential by law, I am unable to state when the matter will be scheduled, other than to state that I intend to present the matter in the near future. Similarly, because of the confidential nature of these proceedings, I cannot state who will be called as witnesses, or what any witness’s expected testimony will be. When the presentation has been completed and a determination has been made, I will advise the public and the media at that time of the results."

Stewart issued a statement, saying, "I respect the time and effort spent by both the Ontario County District Attorney and the Sheriff’s Office in investigating this tragic accident. I look forward to this process being completed, and I will continue to provide my full cooperation."

NASCAR Chief Communications Officer Brett Jewkes said in a statement, "We are aware of the completed investigation and the announced next steps. First, our thoughts continue to be with all who have been impacted by this tragedy. We will monitor this process and stay in close contact with Stewart-Haas Racing. It would be inappropriate for NASCAR to comment on this case so we will continue to respect the process and authorities involved."

Last week, the Ontario County Office of the Sheriff released a statement saying its investigation into the death of Kevin Ward Jr. had been completed.

After missing three races in the immediate aftermath of the incident at Canandaigua Motorsports Park that resulted in the death of Ward, Stewart returned to the track three weeks ago at Atlanta. He has since participated in Sprint Cup Series races at Richmond and Chicagoland. Stewart is on the entry list for this weekend’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and is expected to participate.

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Posted on September 16, 2014 by Zack Albert

Driver of the No. 34 Ford will have a retro look at Martinsville

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BUY: Purchase the No. 34 David Ragan Wendell Scott NASCAR Hall of Fame 2015 die-cast

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Taking the wraps off a new No. 34, revealing a car in the likeness of his famous father’s racers, was enough to get Wendell Scott Jr.’s adrenaline pumping.

The boldly styled number, the familiar pale and almost pewter blue against the backdrop of a modern Front Row Motorsports Ford had the next-generation Scott — who claims to be 68 years old ("I’ve lied about it so much, I can’t even remember") — ready to turn back the clock himself Tuesday afternoon at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

"I’m ready to do some hot laps in that bad boy," Scott said, forming a wry grin. "Yeah, it is cool. It’s our pet color. My brother Frankie used to do the bodywork on them, so it means a lot."

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When the car takes to the track Oct. 26 for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup’s seventh battle at Martinsville Speedway, the driving duties will fall instead to David Ragan, but the name of 2015 Hall of Fame inductee Wendell Scott will still adorn the top of the driver’s door. The car was part of a double-unveil Tuesday in the stock-car shrine’s Great Hall; Darrell Wallace Jr. will change his traditional No. 54 to 34 for the fall race weekend in Martinsville, where he is the defending winner in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Though there were some subtle differences from the paint scheme on Ragan’s 2014 Generation-6 model and the 1960s Chevrolet Impala tribute car carrying Scott’s colors, many of the retro styling cues carried over. Ragan was among the team’s biggest advocates for keeping the throwback look as authentic as possible, even down to the period-correct "380 horsepower" claim on the hood.

"Cars back then just looked a little different," Ragan said. "Maybe they didn’t have the opportunities for the graphics and designs, and a lot of this stuff was hand-lettered back in the day. Definitely, an honor to represent and really to drive a car similar to what a Hall of Famer did."

The No. 34 has just three victories in NASCAR’s premier series, but all have their place in the sport’s history.

— Kansas native Jim Roper campaigned the No. 34 on the Lincoln that won the inaugural event for the NASCAR Strictly Stock Division, now the Sprint Cup Series.

— In 1963, Scott notched the first victory by an African-American driver in the top rung of the NASCAR ladder with the No. 34. That breakthrough stood as the only win by an African-American in a NASCAR national series until Wallace’s triumph last fall at Martinsville, not far from Scott’s hometown of Danville, Virginia.

— Almost 50 years after Scott’s lone victory, Ragan posted a thrilling upset at Talladega Superspeedway in May 2013 for a 1-2 sweep by the Front Row team and a first trip to Victory Lane for team owner Bob Jenkins.

Next month at Martinsville, Ragan hopes to make more history, but will need more horsepower than the 380 advertised. Ragan’s team has faced challenges as a lesser-funded team competing against the sport’s powerhouses. That gap was underscored last weekend as Ragan competed at Chicagoland Speedway as a Chase outsider.

Ragan said that changes to the 2014 rules package left the Front Row team playing catch-up against its better-heeled rivals, issues that the organization aims to address as it presses on.

"We have struggled a lot and have a lot of unanswered questions," Ragan said. "We’re hoping that there’s not a big change in the package going forward and we’ll be able to continue to evolve."

If the going gets tougher, Ragan said he’s not afraid to get some dirt under his fingernails. Reminded that Scott once exited the cockpit to change his own tires during a pit stop in the sport’s formative years, Ragan said he wouldn’t hesitate to apply the same old-school type of elbow grease if the need arose.

"I do have a mechanic in me, and I am certified to work on these cars a little bit, but I don’t know that my crew chief will let me," Ragan cracked. "Hopefully our guys will be able to pick up the slack on the weekend and cover me, but if I had to — if push came to shove — I could get out and do a pit stop."

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Posted on September 16, 2014 by Nascar

KBM driver will change numbers at Martinsville in tribute to 2015 NASCAR Hall inductee

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In the year since his first victory in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Darrell Wallace Jr. says he has learned much about former driver Wendell Scott.

When Wallace won the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway last October, he became the first African-American to win a race in one of NASCAR’s three national series since Scott accomplished the feat nearly 50 years earlier.

"I didn’t know he lived only 30 minutes away (from the Martinsville track)," Wallace said of the Danville, Virginia, native. "I didn’t know his family was there (that day)."

Wallace will be one of two NASCAR drivers to honor the long-time racer when the Camping World Truck and Sprint Cup Series return to the 0.526-mile track Oct. 24-26. Wallace’s Kyle Busch Motorsports entry, pictured below, normally sporting the No. 54 on its sides and roof, will sport a blue No. 34 with red trim under which Scott competed.

Sprint Cup Series driver David Ragan‘s No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford will feature a similar blue paint scheme reminiscent of that used by Scott.

Both vehicles will carry NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee markings to promote Scott’s upcoming induction.

Wallace, who has since picked up NCWTS wins at Gateway and Eldora, said he had watched a documentary detailing Scott’s NASCAR career before his Martinsville victory.

"It was rough to watch, for sure," Wallace, 20, said during Tuesday’s unveiling, which was held in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

"It reminds me of watching "42" (The Jackie Robinson Story) a couple of weeks ago just to see what Jackie Robinson went through. It kind of makes you appreciate things more in life away from racing, just life itself.

"To be able to carry the torch that Wendell (lit), for me to put our Toyota in Victory Lane last year and now to come back a year later with the iconic No. 34 that myself and David will run, it’s going to be a good weekend."

Scott earned one win, 20 top-five and 147 top-10 finishes in 495 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series. Between 1964 and ’69, he never finished lower than 12th in the points standings, and posted a career-best sixth in 1966.

Scott will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Jan. 30, 2015, along with fellow inductees Bill Elliott, Fred Lorenzen, Joe Weatherly and Rex White.

Anne B. France will be honored with the inaugural Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

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Posted on September 16, 2014 by Nascar

Rookie finishes seventh but gains little on Chase Elliott, Regan Smith

JOLIET, Ill. – Ty Dillon closed the gap on the two drivers in front of him in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings, but the Richard Childress Racing driver knows the gain was a slim one.

With only seven races remaining, the opportunities are dwindling.

The series returns to action Saturday, Sept. 20 with the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 at Kentucky Speedway (7:30 p.m, ESPNEWS).

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"Technically, we did what we needed to do, (we) beat the guys that are ahead of us in points, but we’ve got to do a lot better to get up there in the championship," Dillon said after finishing seventh in Saturday’s Jimmy John’s Freaky Fast 300 at Chicagoland Speedway.

Points leader Chase Elliott (JR Motorsports) finished 10th and now leads teammate Regan Smith, who finished eighth, by 18 points. Dillon trails the leader by 40.

Elliott Sadler (Joe Gibbs Racing) and Brian Scott (RCR) both finished in the top-10 Saturday and remain fourth and fifth, respectively, in the standings.

"We had speed all day, especially on restarts," Dillon said. "We could really go on restarts. But at the start of the race, our splitter kind of detached from the fascia on our front end and had a really bad flutter. Any time it would flutter (the car) would get really tight, so we had to come in and fix that and restart at the back I guess about 70 laps into the race. From there on, it was kind of a battle."

Dillon worked his way back inside the top 10 and was running eighth following a restart on Lap 140. When Jeremy Clements brought out the caution at Lap 153, Dillon and his team, led by crew chief Danny Stockman Jr., opted for a fuel-only stop. As a result, he gained four positions to restart fourth.

"(We) tried to hold everybody off," Dillon said. "I don’t know if we finished sixth or seventh, we were side by side with (Sadler) at the line. … Not a bad day for the adversity we had to come through."

Trevor Bayne finished fifth, highest among the series’ regulars. Sprint Cup Series drivers and a part-time Nationwide Series driver in Ryan Blaney swept the top four spots, with Kevin Harvick scoring the victory.

It was the 19th top-10 of the season for Dillon, who earned his first career NNS win earlier this year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

But Elliott, like Dillon a Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender, has three wins and 20 top-10s, while Smith has one win and 22 top-10s. Neither of the JR Motorsports drivers has shown any indication of faltering down the stretch.

"We’ve been kind of battling from behind all year," Dillon admitted. "… Getting behind early in the race is nothing new to us; we’re used to fighting from behind.

"Hopefully things will start going our way and we run to our full potential."

Text goes here

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Posted on September 16, 2014 by Staff Report

See the entry list for the Nationwide Series’ final standalone of the season

Entry	No.	Driver	Owner	Crew chief	Vehicle	Sponsor
1	01	Landon Cassill	Johnny Davis	Dave Fuge	14 Chevrolet	TeamJDMotorsports.com
2	2	Brian Scott	Richard Childress	Phil Gould	14 Chevrolet	Shore Lodge
3	3	Ty Dillon	Richard Childress	Danny Stockman Jr	14 Chevrolet	Bass Pro Shops
4	4	Jeffrey Earnhardt	Gary Keller	Gary Cogswell	14 Chevrolet	Bandit
5	5	Austin Theriault	Rick Hendrick	Ernie Cope	14 Chevrolet	Maine Open for Business
6	6	Trevor Bayne	Jack Roush	Chad Norris	14 Ford	AdvoCare
7	7	Regan Smith	Kelley Earnhardt-Miller	Ryan Pemberton	14 Chevrolet	TaxSlayer.com
8	9	Chase Elliott	Dale Earnhardt Jr	Greg Ives	14 Chevrolet	NAPA AUTO PARTS
9	10	Jeff Green	Mark Smith	Todd Myers	14 Toyota	Supportmilitary.org
10	11	Elliott Sadler	J D Gibbs	Chris Gayle	14 Toyota	OneMain Financial
11	13	Carl Long	Derek White	Kevin Eagle	13 Dodge	OCR GAZ BAR
12	14	Eric McClure	Mark Smith	Wes Ward	14 Toyota	Hefty Ultimate / Reynolds Wrap
13	16	Ryan Reed	Jack Roush	Seth Barbour	14 Ford	ADA Drive to Stop Diabetes presented by Lilly Diabetes
14	17	Tanner Berryhill	Adrian Berryhill	Daniel Stillman	14 Dodge	NationalCashLenders.com
15	19	Mike Bliss	Mark Smith	Paul Clapprood	14 Toyota	TriStar Motorsports
16	20	Justin Boston(i)	Joe Gibbs	Kevin Kidd	14 Toyota	Zloop
17	22	Michael McDowell(i)	Roger Penske	Jeremy Bullins	14 Ford	Discount Tire
18	23	Carlos Contreras	Robert Richardson Sr	George Church	14 Chevrolet	28 Special/Vol
19	28	J J Yeley	James Whitener	Steve Plattenberger	13 Dodge	Texas 28 Spirits Stage
20	31	Chase Pistone(i)	Steve Turner	Shannon Rursch	14 Chevrolet	TDB
21	33	Cale Conley(i)	Richard Childress	Nick Harrison	14 Chevrolet	IAVA
22	39	Ryan Sieg	Rod Sieg	Kevin Starland	14 Chevrolet	RSS Racing
23	40	Matt Dibenedetto	Curtis Key Sr	Gary Showalter	14 Chevrolet	Curtis Key Plumbing
24	42	Dylan Kwasniewski	Harry Scott Jr	Scott Zipadelli	14 Chevrolet	Up & Up
25	43	Dakoda Armstrong	Richard Petty	Philippe Lopez	14 Ford	WinField
26	44	Blake Koch	Mark Smith	Greg Conner	14 Toyota	Centershot
27	46	Josh Wise(i)	Curtis Key Sr	Gary Showalter	14 Chevrolet	Curtis Key Plumbing
28	51	Jeremy Clements	Tony Clements	Ricky Pearson	14 Chevrolet	Allsouthelectric.com/Value Lighting
29	52	Joey Gase	Jimmy Means	Tim Brown	14 Chevrolet	TBA
30	54	Sam Hornish Jr	J D Gibbs	Adam Stevens	14 Toyota	Monster Energy
31	55	Jamie Dick	Jimmy Dick	Mark Setzer	14 Chevrolet	Viva Auto Group
32	60	Chris Buescher	Jack Roush	Scott Graves	14 Ford	Roush Performance Parts
33	62	Brendan Gaughan	Richard Childress	Shane Wilson	14 Chevrolet	South Point
34	70	Derrike Cope	Mary Louise Miller	Bobby Burrell	14 Chevrolet	YOUTHEORY
35	172	John Jackson	James Carter	Richard Garcia	14 Chevrolet	Crash Claims R US
36	74	TBA	Mike Harmon	Scott Stolzenberg	12 Dodge	TBA
37	180	Ross Chastain(i)	Shigeaki Hattori	Bruce Cook	14 Toyota	ADVICS/CMW
38	87	Joe Nemechek(i)	Andrea Nemechek	Steven Gray	14 Ford	TBD
39	89	Morgan Shepherd	Morgan Shepherd	Kevyn Rebolledo	14 Chevrolet	Courtney Construction
40	93	Mike Wallace	Gregg Mixon	David Goulet	13 Dodge	JGL Racing
41	99	James Buescher	Robby Benton	Matthew Lucas	14 Toyota	TBA

(i) equals ineligible for driver championship points

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Posted on September 16, 2014 by George Winkler

Quick diagnosis of problem key to keeping No. 2 on track to victory

JOLIET, Ill. — If you made a mistake at work, would you admit it and get it corrected, or just hope that the boss didn’t notice and everything eventually would be OK?

A member of Brad Keselowski’s pit crew was faced with such a decision in the heat of Sunday’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup opener at Chicagoland Speedway, and the outcome proved to be a pivotal moment in the No. 2’s run to Victory Lane.

After a pit stop under caution on Lap 182 of 267, Hunter Masling, a tire changer on the No. 2 team felt like he didn’t get the tire on tight enough. Instead of burying that information, he let it be known and crew chief Paul Wolfe was faced with his own decision: bring the No. 2 back in to get it corrected or risk running with a loose wheel.

So the No. 2 was brought back to pit road, giving up a prime second-place position in the process.

"We had an issue on pit road, got us a little bit behind," Wolfe said. "But it was good that the issue we had, we came down and fixed it before we went back green."

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"The changer felt like he didn’t get ’em tight. I think that was key, that he stood up and said, ‘I feel like we’re going to have a loose wheel here.’ To come in and fix that under yellow was much less of a penalty than if we got going green and had a vibration."

Keselowski restarted back in the pack, but it turned out to be worth it to avoid further problems. Keselowski, who was in 15th place on Lap 195, gradually made up ground and got in position for the win.

By Lap 240 he was in fourth place and ready to make a move. And the two restarts toward the end of the race gave him the perfect opportunity to establish his dominance.

"There were times in the race where I felt like we were the best car, then times where I felt like we were off a bit," Wolfe said. "Overall I knew if we got our adjustments right at the end, we still had a shot at it.

"The way the caution fell there at the end we were fortunate to get a good break there that gained us a few more spots … and lined us up with the leaders. (Brad) did a great job on that restart. I’d seen our strength there all day."

Rebounding from the loose-tire mishap proved to be the second comeback for Keselowski on a day when had to start 25 because the lineup was set by practice speeds when Friday’s qualifying session was rained out.

The only Chase driver with a worse starting position than Keselowski was his Team Penske teammate Joey Logano, who was 28th. It was an ironic twist for a team that had qualified so well throughout the season, but Keselowski had the car to move through the field.

"I knew once we got to fourth with 30 or 40 to go, it was going to be about executing restarts," Keselowski said. "The last one, once we had gotten the lead, we just put it all together, and that was very, very special."

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