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Nationwide, Truck ranks in flux as tours return to test

RELATED: Complete Preseason Thunder schedule

It’s been just over a month since Jimmie Johnson stood on a stage in Las Vegas and was honored for winning his sixth championship in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but engines are set to fire again Thursday at Daytona International Speedway as Preseason Thunder begins its 2014 edition. As much a promotional event as it is an on-track test, these next several days in central Florida never fail to whet the appetite of race fans waiting out the short, cold days until the Daytona 500.

That will certainly be the case again this week, when just the sight of Jimmie, Jeff, Junior and the rest of NASCAR’s stars on the high banks of the sport’s most famous track will have motorheads from coast to coast pining for Feb. 23. And yet, the most interesting part of this year’s Preseason Thunder may very well be when the Sprint Cup haulers head back to North Carolina, and the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams arrive for their first tests at Daytona since 2008.

The following season, in the midst of a financial recession, NASCAR eliminated all testing at sanctioned tracks in an effort to save teams money. Testing has been gradually opened up in the years since, but Daytona had remained solely the province of Sprint Cup teams until this week into next, when the Nationwide and Camping World Truck circuits will each have two days of their own at the 2.5-mile facility. What’s going to make all this so interesting is, deals on those respective tours are often famously late in coming together, meaning that the Daytona test will offer the most extended glimpse yet of exactly which drivers are competing for which teams in 2014.

Not everything is a mystery. Nationwide lineups are set at Richard Childress Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, JR Motorsports and Richard Petty Motorsports, and a few other teams have their rosters partially in place. Over in the Truck Series, ThorSport Racing remains intact, and Brad Keselowski Racing has revamped its lineup, and a few pieces are in place at Turner Scott Motorsports. But many question marks remain, ranging from some drivers whose returns are expected but not yet formally announced, to others whose status for 2014 remains as murky as the waters of Lake Lloyd.

For instance, it seems fairly likely that Martinsville race winner Darrell Wallace Jr. will be back in a Kyle Busch Motorsports truck, but that deal has yet to be formally announced. Neither has the breakdown for KBM’s second truck, or Penske Racing’s No. 22 car, in which Ryan Blaney will run a limited slate. And then, what of Justin Allgaier? Nelson Piquet Jr.? German Quiroga? Reed Sorenson? Ron Hornaday Jr.? Miguel Paludo? There are a lot of familiar names still out there, many of them belonging to past or potential national series race winners, none of them yet attached to an official ride for the coming season.

Then there are the agreements that are coming together on the very eve of testing, with teams set to roll toward Daytona this week. Monday brought the double-barreled announcements of Chase Elliott signing on for a full Nationwide season with JRM, and Sam Hornish Jr. inking a seven-race deal on the same circuit with Joe Gibbs Racing, where he’ll share a ride with Kyle Busch. Elliott Sadler will also be back with JGR, which is putting the final touches on a Nationwide lineup that’s also likely to include Matt Kenseth in the same limited slate he ran last season.

In fairness, this kind of 11th-hour musical chairs at the Nationwide and Truck level isn’t exactly new, given that deals in those circuits traditionally come together much later than those in the Sprint Cup Series because of the smaller dollar amounts and shorter durations involved. As an example, Brad Keselowski Racing didn’t officially announce its 2013 lineup until the middle of last January, a degree of timing that’s far from unusual. Many of those drivers facing uncertainty at the moment may well have rides secured by Speedweeks. But having Daytona testing being back on the schedule for all three of NASCAR’s national tours almost forces a look at this before the picture is fully developed.

With good reason, of course — Nationwide haulers roll into Daytona on Saturday, and Truck Series transporters on Monday, and somebody has to test the vehicles carried within. In some cases, we may not know who those drivers are until they arrive in the garage area. Many deals on those levels are likely pending sponsorship, opening the possibility that drivers could test for their 2014 teams even though their rides haven’t yet been formally announced. And who knows, maybe there will be a surprise or two. Regardless, the Truck and Nationwide portions of Preseason Thunder should give everyone an early glimpse at how the driver rosters for those two circuits are shaping up.

This is all something the big boys in the Sprint Cup ranks went through months ago, in the flurry of pending transactions that took place toward the end of the 2013 campaign. And in fairness, we’ve already seen many of those guys in their new livery already, thanks to a December test session at Charlotte that had Kyle Larson in the No. 42, Kevin Harvick in the No. 4, Kurt Busch in the No. 41, Ryan Newman in the No. 31, and Austin Dillon in a vehicle that would become the No. 3. But there’s something about Daytona that makes those moves seem that much more tangible, that much more permanent, that much more like a preview of what’s to come when the series soon returns to the same facility for real.

But with a few exceptions — such as, who’ll be in the Phoenix Racing car beyond the Daytona 500, and will anyone be driving for BK Racing? — Sprint Cup rosters are essentially set. That’s not the case on the Nationwide and Truck tours, where the jockeying for rides and sponsorships will continue beyond testing, and in some cases right up to the brink of Speedweeks itself.

The big speedway is in the midst of a rebuilding project, with the track’s old infrastructure being dismantled and a new one being put up in its place. With the Nationwide and Truck circuits back in town for Preseason Thunder, the Daytona Rising project won’t be the only work in progress.

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Posted on by Holly Cain

With prodding, NASCAR Hall of Famer to get back in car at Preseason Thunder

RELATED: Complete Preseason Thunder schedule

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — What started as friendly ribbing and good-natured coaxing from team members on pit road late last season has resulted in NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace’s return to the driver’s seat of Penske Racing’s No. 2 Miller Lite Ford — for an afternoon.

The 1989 premier series champion will help celebrate longtime sponsor Miller Lite’s upcoming 40th birthday by wearing an appropriately retro-colored Miller Lite firesuit while driving the famed No. 2 car during Thursday afternoon’s Preseason Thunder test session at Daytona International Speedway — his first time in a Cup car since he retired in 2005.

Rendering of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion that will race at this year’s Sprint Unlimited and Daytona 500.

"It all started at Homestead. I was standing between the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) and 2 (Brad Keselowski) cars joking around and those guys were egging me on to get back in a car and when Brad got wind of it, he called me up two weeks later and was serious about it and Roger (Penske) was all for it," the 57-year-old Wallace told NASCAR.com. "Everyone in the world has been on me to test. ‘Why haven’t you been back in a car?’ This here kind of got me.

"It’s going to be hard not to have a big ol’ smile all day Thursday."

Not only did 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Keselowski, the current driver of the famous Blue Deuce, pursue the idea of Wallace driving his car, he told NASCAR.com that couldn’t be prouder to share his seat with Wallace, the driver Keselowski considers largely responsible for the team’s title-worthy presence in the Cup ranks today.

"I thought it was a great opportunity and obviously there’s a lot going on with the retro scheme to tie in," said Keselowski, who was 5 years old when Wallace hoisted his Cup trophy and in his first full season of NASCAR competition (NASCAR Camping World Truck Series) the year Wallace retired.

"I’ve got a lot of respect for Rusty and am thankful for what he’s done. He pretty much put Penske’s NASCAR program on the board. He’s kind of the father of the Miller Lite racing program and it’s a great way for us to reconnect to the roots of our program and pay respect to him as kind of the patriarch of it in a lot of ways.

"For me, it was a no-brainer for him to do it."

Now as popular a TV analyst on ESPN as he was 55-time winner in the Cup ranks during a storied 25-year career, Wallace said he expects the experience to be more than a sentimental adventure around NASCAR’s most famous track. He got permission and blessing from ESPN to make his first laps in NASCAR’s Generation-6 car and sees it as a tangible asset to his work in the broadcast booth too.

"I think it’ll help my TV stuff and I’ll have a more in-depth knowledge of what the car feels like," Wallace said. "I don’t know of any other analysts that are doing this right now. … I honestly pride myself in the information I give fans on the air.

"This will give me an opportunity to validate a lot of the stuff I say on air."

Wallace said in preparation for the test he had to undergo all the mandatory medical testing any driver would — from baseline concussion scans to drug testing — and even secure a new NASCAR license. And NASCAR confirmed Wallace has met all its requirements.

"Mike Helton’s pretty pumped up about this, too," Wallace said of the longtime NASCAR president.

According to Wallace, crew chief Paul Wolfe wasn’t planning on either Keselowski or Wallace doing any drafting practice in this week’s two-day test on the famous high banks, so Wallace will make a series of single-car runs.

How many, no one knows yet.

"I’m going to give the car all I’ve got and I’m going to learn," Wallace said. "They’re looking for some speed, some comfort. I’m not going there to say, ‘Let’s change this spring, let’s change this shock.’ I’m there to gain a lot of knowledge and have fun with the team. It’s not like I’m going there to aid the team. I’m going to have fun, learn and get back in the seat."

"Brad will shake it down a couple runs then I’ll get in the car and I just may stay in it the rest of the day," Wallace said with a laugh.

And that’s fine with Keselowski.

"There’s plenty of testing to do and I told him, I’m not too proud to let you in my car and do some laps, let’s do it," Keselowski said. "At the end of the day, this is about respect and this is my way of showing respect back to Rusty. He’s a Hall of Famer for a reason and I expect he’ll get up to speed right away.

"I might just go in the grandstands and have a beer and watch."

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Scoring will mirror system used for drivers for all three national series

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR announced today that it has restructured its manufacturer points system for 2014, simplifying it for fans, competition and the industry, while amplifying the already passionate rivalries between each auto maker.

The new points system — which applies to all three national series — mirrors the owner championship points structure. Points will be awarded to the single highest finisher for each car manufacturer in each championship event according to the finishing position awarded for each race. Specifically, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, points will be awarded as follows (43-1, plus bonus points). Points will be awarded in a similar manner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (43-4, plus bonus points) and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (43-8, plus bonus points).

Three additional bonus points will be awarded to the manufacturer that wins the race. The single highest finisher for each manufacturer will receive one additional bonus point for leading a lap, and one additional bonus point for leading the most laps.

Example: In a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, if a Toyota finishes in each of the top three positions and the winning Toyota leads the most laps, and a Chevrolet finishes in fourth position without leading a lap, Toyota will receive 48 points and Chevrolet will receive 40 points.

"We have always focused on intensifying the natural rivalries between our manufacturers — both on the race track and in the showroom" said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition and racing development. "We believe aligning the points system with the owner points will create better understanding for the entire industry, and bolster interest and excitement with our fan base, which has shown intense manufacturer loyalty throughout the sport’s history."

At the end of the season, if two or more manufacturers have the same number of points, the manufacturers’ championship will be awarded to the manufacturer with the greatest number of first-place finishes. If there is a tie in victories, the greatest number of second-place finishes, third-place finishes, etc. will break the tie. If a tie still remains, the manufacturer having the earliest win of the current season will prevail.

The 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season gets underway with The Sprint Unlimited on Saturday, Feb. 15 and the 56th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 23, both at Daytona International Speedway. The Sprint Unlimited will air live at 8 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The Daytona 500 will air live at 1 p.m. ET on FOX, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Log on to NASCAR.com for additional coverage all season long.

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Blaney’s best finish of third with Tommy Baldwin Racing came in 2011 at Talladega 

Dave Blaney will return to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2014, driving the No. 77 Ford for team owner Randy Humphrey, according to FOXSports.com.

Blaney told the website that he’ll work with crew chief Peter Sospenzo and that the team will use Roush Yates engines.

Blaney, a former champion in various forms of sprint car racing, has four top-five finishes and two poles in 466 career Sprint Cup starts. The 51-year-old veteran competed the last three seasons for Tommy Baldwin Racing with a best finish of third place at Talladega Superspeedway in October 2011. 

Sospenzo, a three-time winner as a crew chief in NASCAR’s top series, was atop the pit box for 15 Sprint Cup races last season, the majority for team owner Mark Smith’s No. 19 car. He was also crew chief for the last NASCAR race driven by Jason Leffler, who died after a sprint car racing crash last June. 

Humphrey fielded NASCAR Nationwide Series entries in 23 races in 2010, with David Gilliland and Chase Miller as drivers. This season’s efforts will mark Humphrey’s first foray into NASCAR’s premier division.

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Waltrip’s 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Aerocoupe among the many Glory Road additions

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It didn’t take much to get Darrell Waltrip going Wednesday morning at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. As he helped peel back the car cover on his 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Aerocoupe, his face lit up.

Then the stories started.

Waltrip marveled as the former Junior Johnson-owned No. 11, a gleaming representative of the third generation of cars in NASCAR’s premier series, claimed its rightful place in the Hall’s trademark exhibit, Glory Road. Waltrip was among a select few to take an exclusive sneak peek Wednesday at the display’s first major overhaul, which will make its public debut with a new rotation of 18 historic cars when the Hall re-opens Saturday morning.

Breathing new life into the striking display of NASCAR’s evolving history hinted at the potential for new stories to be told. As Waltrip gave his former car an inspection — inside, outside and under the hood — he spun yarns along the way before giving it his stamp of authenticity. 

 

"When I look at this car and I see little details that we did to the cars at Junior’s that nobody else did — all legal, by the way," Waltrip said, "I see things that let me know that this is one of our cars." 

 

Waltrip pointed along the still-growing collection of Glory Road 2.0 cars to a 1969 Holman-Moody Ford Torino once driven by David Pearson, saying that the car was the inspiring reason many of his own rides carried No. 17. He popped the hood of his No. 11 and noted certain tricks of the trade employed by his car owner, Johnson, one of the sport’s greatest technical minds. 

The impromptu storytelling session from one of the sport’s legends was enough to prompt Winston Kelley, the Hall’s executive director, to make Waltrip — enshrined in the Class of 2012 — a standing job offer as a tour guide.

"That’s good to know," Waltrip quipped. "One of these days, I’m going to need another job." 

 

Wednesday’s preview came in the midst of a five-day closure for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, primarily to allow room for the cranes and rigging equipment needed to complete the dramatic, logistically demanding changeover. Shortly after Waltrip’s unveil, workers began the slow hoisting process to remove a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series vehicle from the steeper portions of the banked display.

Kevin Schlesier, exhibits manager at the Hall of Fame, said that the overhaul was on schedule, with all but two cars in the building and ready to take their places. The other two — the 1961 Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford Starliner and the 1990 Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet Lumina, a championship-winning car for Dale Earnhardt — were scheduled to arrive later Wednesday.

 

While the new batch of cars offers a fresh look to one of the facility’s trademark displays, it also means having to say goodbye to the original 18 cars from the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s opening in 2010. It’s bittersweet, since those historic vehicles were in place from the beginning and will likely never be assembled in the same location again.

"Each one of them was so iconic and had great stories," said Buz McKim, the NASCAR Hall of Fame historian who helped select the next group of Glory Road cars from a "wish list" binder of about 50. "People would come in and it would kind of take their breath away to see all these actual cars. That’s what we were shooting for in version two, to have that same sort of effect on people, to get that iconic status and the drivers and to still tell the story of the six generations of NASCAR." 

Guests will also notice other changes at the grand re-opening:

• A display of stock-car racing dashboards through the years, allowing fans hands-on access to the wheel.

• A move toward new Gen-6 bodies for the NASCAR racing simulators.

• A new layout to the Race Week exhibit

• A Memorable Moments exhibit, which will serve to capture NASCAR’s historic events as they happen through the race season.

But on Wednesday, the cars — with three-time champion Waltrip acting as primary narrator — were the stars.

"It’s so fun to come here and to look at these cars to bring back so many memories, and I hope they do for you fans as well," Waltrip said. "If you don’t know the history of some of these cars, I’m sure somewhere here you’ll be able to find out about them because they’re all pretty special cars."

Glory Road 2.0 cars
1 Generation 1 Marshall Teague’s 1952 Hudson Hornet
2 Generation 1 Buck Baker’s 1957 Chevrolet 150 "Black Widow"
3 Generation 1 Wood Brothers’ 1961 Ford Starliner
4 Generation 1 Fred Lorenzen’s 1966 Ford Galaxie "Banana Car"
5 Generation 2 Ned Jarrett’s 1966 Ford Fairlane
6 Generation 2 David Pearson’s 1969 Ford Torino Cobra Talladega
7 Generation 2 Bobby Allison’s 1973 Chevrolet Chevelle
8 Generation 2 Cale Yarborough’s 1976 Chevrolet Laguna S-3
9 Generation 2 Richard Petty’s 1979 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
10 Generation 3 Darrell Waltrip’s 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Aerocoupe
11 Generation 3 Dale Earnhardt’s 1990 Chevrolet Lumina
12 Generation 4 Jeff Gordon’s 1994 Chevrolet Lumina
13 Generation 4 Rusty Wallace’s 2000 Ford Taurus
14 Generation 4 Bill Elliot’s 2001 Dodge Intrepid R/T
15 Generation 4 Jimmie Johnson’s 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
16 Generation 5 Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 2008 Chevrolet Impala SS
17 Generation 5 Tony Stewart’s 2011 Chevrolet Impala
18 Generation 6 Matt Kenseth’s 2013 Toyota Camry

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Posted on by Nascar

Annual testing at Daytona begins

RELATED: Complete Preseason Thunder schedule | Rain delays Thursday testing

While a new rules package awaits NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams for all non-restricted events in 2014, officials with the sanctioning body have said they expect very little change in the package used at the two tracks where restrictor plates are required — Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

Sprint Cup teams are scheduled to test Thursday and Friday this week at Daytona, kicking off this year’s Preseason Thunder program. NASCAR Nationwide Series teams will be on the track Saturday and Sunday while NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams will close the six-day effort with testing set for Monday and Tuesday. 

Modifications to side skirts, rear-fascia areas and splitters are among the moves made during the offseason for competition on non-restricted tracks, where Cup teams will also be working for the first time without front-end ride height rules.

Those changes won’t be in effect for competition on restrictor-plate tracks, where speed remains king.

"The package essentially for Talladega and Daytona will … be for the most part unchanged from ’13," Gene Stefanyshyn, NASCAR vice president for innovation and racing development, said last month.

"There may be some slight things but they won’t be major in magnitude."

Officials have since announced one adjustment — raising the spoiler height from 4 inches to 4.5 inches for this week’s test as well as next month’s Cup events at Daytona.

It is hoped that the additional downforce will provide a bit more stability for the cars at speed.

Past rule changes for Daytona and Talladega, such as tweaking the pressure relief valve settings and a reduction in the maximum grille opening measurement, helped curtail the two-car drafting that had become prevalent by limiting the amount to time two cars could run nose-to-tail on the big, fast tracks.

There was some concern, however, following last year’s Daytona 500 when single-file racing dominated the day as the upper groove became the preferred line around the 2.5-mile track.

"The game’s changed a little bit," race winner Jimmie Johnson said afterward. "It used to be defend the bottom (groove), now it’s defend the top."

Notable drivers not taking part in the test include Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers. Stewart continues his recovery from a broken right leg suffered in a sprint car accident last August while Vickers was sidelined late last year with a blood clot in his calf.

Veteran Mark Martin is scheduled to shake down the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet in Stewart’s absence while Michael Waltrip will fill in for Vickers in the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 55 Toyota.

Both Stewart and Vickers are expected to return to their driving duties next month when the season officially gets underway.

Also, Ryan Truex will be in the No. 93 Toyota of BK Racing for the test in place of Travis Kvapil. Alex Bowman will test the team’s No. 83 car at Daytona. He tested for the team at Charlotte in December.

The garage was set to open Thursday and Friday at 7:30 a.m. ET for this week’s test, with cars on the track from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. ET each day. But rain delayed the Thursday session.

On Thursday, more than 30 drivers are scheduled to participate in Fan Fest in the Fan Zone from 5:30-9:30 p.m ET.

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Posted on by Staff Report

Time-Lapse Camera To Allow Fans To Check Out Construction Progress Of “Big Hoss TV” 24 Hours A Day, Seven Days A Week

FORT WORTH, Texas (January 8, 2014) – The massive steel beams that will compose the skeletal structure of the world’s largest HD sports venue video board being created by Panasonic will be raised over the next three weeks of construction at Texas Motor Speedway.

The steel-beam skeleton will serve as the foundation and framework of the video board known as “Big Hoss TV” that will weigh 108 tons and rise 12 stories above the center of the backstretch at the world-class, Fort Worth-based motorsports venue. With dimensions of 218 feet wide and 94.6 feet tall, the video board display area will feature 20,633.64 square feet of HD imagery to earn it the official title of world’s largest.

The lower section of steel uprights currently is moving into place and that phase is expected to be completed by Jan. 21. The upper uprights immediately will follow and are scheduled to be completed by Jan. 31. The electrical infrastructure of “Big Hoss TV” also is underway and is expected to be completed by the middle of next week. Power to the base of the video board is scheduled for completion by mid-January.

Once the skeletal structure is in place, the framework modules will be put in place through the first three weeks of February. The 83 giant module cabinets currently are being built at Jones Sign in De Pere, Wis., near Green Bay, and will be transported to Texas Motor Speedway upon completion. These cabinets serve as the frame for the LED modules containing 14 million LED lamps that will follow in the next phase of construction.

Fans and media interested in tracking the progress of “Big Hoss TV” can visithttps://www.texasmotorspeedway.com/at-track/big-hoss-tv, where a time-lapse camera is positioned on the construction site 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Big Hoss TV” is scheduled to be completed by March 1 and officially will be unveiled during the Texas 500 NASCAR doubleheader race week scheduled for April 3-6. During race weekends, the video board will feature live race coverage, leaderboard information, driver and race statistics, instant replays, interactive entertainment and more. 

Posted on by Staff Report

The Nationwide Series season will open at Daytona International Speedway on ESPN

For the third consecutive season, the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule will consist of 33 races on intermediate venues, road courses, superspeedways and short tracks, and all will air on the ESPN family of networks. All races are broadcast by either Motor Racing Network, Performance Racing Network or Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, and also air on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio channel 90.

Three road course races will again be showcased, including Road America (June 21, 2:45 p.m. ET, ABC ), Watkins Glen International (Aug. 9, 2:15 p.m. ET, ESPN) and Mid-Ohio (Aug. 16, 2:45 p.m. ET, ESPN), which is located less than 60 miles from Nationwide Insurance’s Columbus, Ohio headquarters.

Changes to the schedule include three date shifts from the 2013 edition: Darlington Raceway will hold its race a month earlier (April 11, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2), while the first Iowa Speedway event is now slated for May 18 at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN (it had previously been held in June). Texas Motor Speedway’s date moved one week earlier in the calendar to April 4 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2; the Texas and Darlington date changes coincide with the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. Chicagoland Speedway’s standalone event will return to a night race (July 19, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2) for the first time since hometown driver Justin Allgaier won there in 2011.

Daytona International Speedway hosts the season opener on Feb. 22 at 1:15 p.m. ET on ESPN while the series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway is set for Nov. 15 at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

The full telecast schedule for the NASCAR Nationwide Series is below, and subject to change:

All times listed are Eastern

*Will air on ESPN family of networks

Date Race/Facility Network TV Start Race Start Radio
22-Feb DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY ESPN 12:00PM 1:15PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
1-Mar PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY ABC 3:30PM 3:45PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
8-Mar LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ESPN2 4:00PM 4:15PM PRN/SIRIUSXM
15-Mar BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY ESPN2 1:30PM 2:00PM PRN/SIRIUSXM
22-Mar AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY ESPN 4:30PM 5:00PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
4-Apr TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ESPN2 8:00PM 8:30PM PRN/SIRIUSXM
11-Apr DARLINGTON RACEWAY ESPN2 7:30PM 8:00PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
25-Apr RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY *TBD 6:30PM 7:00PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
3-May TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY ESPN 2:30PM 3:00PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
18-May IOWA SPEEDWAY ESPN 1:30PM 2:00PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
24-May CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ABC 2:30PM 2:45PM PRN/SIRIUSXM
31-May DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY ESPN 2:00PM 2:30PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
14-Jun MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY ESPN 1:30PM 2:00PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
21-Jun ROAD AMERICA ABC 2:30PM 2:45PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
27-Jun KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY ESPN 7:00PM 7:30PM PRN/SIRIUSXM
4-Jul DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY ESPN2 7:00PM 7:30PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
12-Jul NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ESPN2 3:00PM 3:30PM PRN/SIRIUSXM
19-Jul CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY ESPN2 8:00PM 8:30PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
26-Jul INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ESPN 4:00PM 4:30PM IMS/SIRIUSXM
2-Aug IOWA SPEEDWAY ESPN 7:30PM 8:00PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
9-Aug WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL ABC 2:00PM 2:15PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
16-Aug MID-OHIO ESPN 2:30PM 2:45PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
22-Aug BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY ESPN 7:00PM 7:30PM PRN/SIRIUSXM
30-Aug ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY ESPN2 7:00PM 7:30PM PRN/SIRIUSXM
5-Sep RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY ESPN2 7:00PM 7:30PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
13-Sep CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY ESPN2 3:30PM 3:30PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
20-Sep KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY *TBD TBD 7:30PM PRN/SIRIUSXM
27-Sep DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY ESPN2 3:30PM 3:30PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
4-Oct KANSAS SPEEDWAY ESPN2 3:30PM 3:30PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
10-Oct CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ESPN2 7:00PM 7:30PM PRN/SIRIUSXM
1-Nov TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ESPN2 3:30PM 3:30PM PRN/SIRIUSXM
8-Nov PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY ESPN2 3:30PM 4:00PM MRN/SIRIUSXM
15-Nov HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY ESPN2 4:00PM 4:30PM MRN/SIRIUSXM

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Pair of talented drivers turn JR Motorsports into Nationwide powerhouse

The return of a veteran driver who contended for the season title last season, the addition of a part-time competitor with a winning track record in the Sprint Cup Series, the debut of a rookie who shapes up as one of the most promising in the sport. The arrival of a crew chief with nine race victories to his credit, and a sponsor that’s backing all 33 events on one car.

No wonder Kelley Earnhardt Miller feels JR Motorsports is as strong as it’s ever been.

That’s certainly saying a lot, given that last season saw Regan Smith lead JRM to the top of the Nationwide Series points standings for the first time ever, this after snapping the organization’s two-year winless skid in the final race of the 2012 campaign. Smith won two races and finished third in points last season, and this coming year will be part of an effort that will feature a second full-time entry driven by Chase Elliott and backed by NAPA, as well as a part-time schedule for Kevin Harvick and crew chief Ernie Cope, both most recently at Richard Childress Racing.

 

To Miller, who as vice president oversees the team’s day to day operations, the additions combined with the growth from last season make JRM as good as it’s been since it moved into full-time competition in 2006.

"You’ve got Kevin Harvick, who is unprecedented in the Nationwide Series as a driver, and to compete for wins, he is going to be a great mentor for Chase in the series and be a great person that Chase can look up to to get a quick lesson and move that learning curve even faster. We’ve got a veteran in Regan Smith who’s been with us for a year and has a lot of knowledge under his belt about the way our company works, and is looking to go out and improve his third‑place position in the points to contend for the championship," she said.

"We’ve got the addition of Ernie Cope, and that’s kind of self‑explanatory with the wins and the success that he’s had with Kevin Harvick Incorporated and RCR, and … we’re just continuing to perfect people’s roles and the relationships that we have with Hendrick Motorsports and our chassis and engines and the engineering support that we receive from them. We’ve had 15 months under our belt to continue to perfect that, and I feel like this year will be a real strong year for us because we’ve been able to kind of work out, kind of iron out some of the different pieces of that."

Last year JRM fielded the full-time effort of Smith, another car split by Kasey Kahne and Brad Sweet, and a third Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove in a few events. This season brings two full-time championship efforts built around Smith and Elliott, with Harvick driving at least 12 events in a third car. Earnhardt Jr. will also make his usual handful of starts, beginning with the Nationwide Series opener at Daytona International Speedway.

Great Clips, the company that backed the combined Kahne/Sweet effort, has moved up to the Sprint Cup Series, so JRM is still working to fill out the remainder of the season in the car driven by Harvick and Earnhardt Jr. Miller said the team would be open to Kahne returning, but right now nothing is set. On the sponsorship front, though, the team received a major boost with the arrival of NAPA, which had most recently been a Sprint Cup car sponsor at Michael Waltrip Racing. Miller said the auto parts company inked a multi-year deal to cover the full season, something it also made a practice of doing at the sport’s premier level.

NAPA split with MWR after last season over the race manipulation scandal at Richmond, which ultimately forced the Waltrip organization to scale back from three to two full-time teams for 2014. Miller and Earnhardt Jr. had preexisting relationships at NAPA from its days as a sponsor at Dale Earnhardt Inc., so they sent in a proposal soon after the company announced its intention to split from Waltrip at the end of the 2013 campaign.

"I’m sure that we were one of probably 30 teams that sent a note to them after what they experienced in September, and as they were looking at what they were going to do in the sport. We would be ignorant if we didn’t put something together," said Miller, whose team is affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports and co-owned by Rick Hendrick.

"Our role was to try to find sponsorship, and we knew at that point that we had the opportunity to put Chase in a car if we could come up with the right sponsorship scenario in working with Hendrick Motorsports. Of course we sent them a note, a proposal, and as many of you know, Dale and I worked with NAPA at Dale Earnhardt Inc. for many years, and had many of those same relationships that are at NAPA. It was an easy note to send from the standpoint of Hendrick Motorsports and JR Motorsports."

The deal came together, Miller said, only in the past 30 days. "To really get serious about it, we had to stand up to a lot of different things for NAPA, as they have very high standards," she said. "We had to prove to them that we are going to go out and do what we said we could do and be a great representative for them. That’s kind of how it took place."

From there, many of the other pieces fell into place. With Cope in house to oversee Harvick’s effort, JRM moved crew chief Greg Ives from Smith’s team to Elliott’s for 2014. Ryan Pemberton, a veteran crew chief who was most recently the team’s general manager, will now oversee Smith’s car. Since Elliott was a Hendrick developmental driver and Ives a former engineer on Jimmie Johnson‘s team at Hendrick, JRM officials felt the pairing was natural.

"Greg came to us from Jimmie Johnson, being an engineer there for eight years. He has the desire and goals to move up within the various series, and so it’s kind of a natural scenario for Greg and Chase to be paired together as they can progress through the Nationwide Series and hopefully for both of them into the Cup Series if that’s what’s in their future," Miller said.

"And Ryan is a veteran crew chief, has done a great job for us in his role as general manager, and is excited to partner with Regan. They’ve both worked together. I feel like Ryan’s experience and knowledge, and Regan’s year in the series and what he has under his belt, will definitely produce a team to be reckoned with for the championship. We’re excited about all of that, and moving the various folks around in the organization to accomplish what we want to accomplish."

MORE:

READ: Year in Review
driver profiles

READ: A season defined
by a night in Richmond

READ: Top 10 on-track
moves of 2013

WATCH: Handing out the
2013 Loopie Awards
Posted on by Holly Cain

Son of former Indy 500 pole-sitter to compete in minimum of 15 races in 2014

Chad Boat is set to join a distinguished list of previous open-wheel young talent such as Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Larson, in officially turning his career path to NASCAR.

Billy Boat Motorsports announced Tuesday that the 21-year old Boat will campaign for 2014 Nationwide Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors driving the No. 84 Chevrolet owned by his father, 1998 Indianapolis 500 pole-sitter Billy Boat.

Veteran crew chief Dan Deeringhoff — who won the 2008 Nationwide championship with driver Clint Bowyer — will lead the effort, which will include a minimum of 15 races, perhaps more.

"I’m excited for the opportunity to compete at the next level in my career," said Boat, who will participate in Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona International Speedway this weekend, but who will make his first Nationwide start April 4 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Boat, a Phoenix native, began his racing career competing and winning in the USAC ranks before periodically venturing into stock cars the past couple years.

He has seven starts in the NASCAR K&N Series West from 2010-12, posting a pair of top-fives and five top-10s including a best of fourth place at Iowa Speedway in 2010. He has 19 starts in the NASCAR K&N East Series during that same time including a top-10 finish.

Boat had six top-10 finishes and four top-five efforts in 10 ARCA Series races in the past two years leading 64 laps and posting a career-best third place at Iowa Speedway in both 2012 and last season.

"I have been around racing my entire life and it is an honor to have the opportunity to form a NASCAR program like this," said team owner Billy Boat.  "Chad has shown so much promise in stock car racing, especially with our limited ARCA program last year, we felt it was an appropriate time to take this next step. 

"We are lucky to add Dan Deeringhoff to our team and we are confident his knowledge and experience will lead us in the right direction as we get ready for this season."

Boat’s announcement marks the second high-profile "next generation" driver to join the Nationwide Series ranks in 2014. Chase Elliott, the son of 1988 Sprint Cup champion Bill Elliott, was introduced as a rookie contender Monday and will drive the No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet for JR Motorsports.

MORE:

READ: Year in Review
driver profiles

READ: A season defined
by a night in Richmond

READ: Top 10 on-track
moves of 2013

WATCH: Handing out the
2013 Loopie Awards