Posted on by Holly Cain

2012 Camping World Truck Series champion moving to Nationwide Series full time

RAB Racing announced Friday that 2012 Camping World Truck Series champion James Buescher will drive the team’s No. 99 Toyota in the Nationwide Series in 2014.

After having to keep the news under wraps for weeks, Buescher was excited to finally be able to declare his plans for next season.

"It’s like getting a new toy for Christmas when you’re a kid and can’t play with it," Buescher told NASCAR.com. "It’s a major career move and not being able to talk about it has been really hard but something things are worth waiting for."

It’s also an emotional move for 23-year old Buescher who has spent the last four years competing for his father-in-law Steve Turner at Turner Scott Motorsports. But all parties agreed it was the best move for Buescher’s career.

Buescher joked, it was a lot harder asking Turner for permission to marry his daughter Kris two years ago than to discuss his leaving the family’s team for another professional opportunity.

"It definitely makes it that much harder to leave Turner Scott Motorsports," Buscher said. "We’ve had a special four years in NASCAR together. It’s tough to walk away from that especially having my father in law the co-owner of the team. I think we all agree though it’s the best opportunity for me to go to next step in my career. It’s definitely going to be a change but everyone agrees it’s the best thing for me to do right now and everyone’s fully on board with it.

"It’s hard, but we’ll still support each other. It’s not something that was going to last forever, we knew that. He’s not in the Sprint Cup Series. Once I’m to that point, I would have had to leave anyway. It’s just a little sooner than we thought it would happen."

Turner reiterated his support for Buescher both personally and professionally.

"I have always been supportive of James and I am very proud of everything that he has accomplished while driving for our team," Turner said.

"I am excited for James and his new opportunities, and everyone at TSM would like to wish him the best in his future endeavors.

"I will always continue to support him and cheer him on as a member of my family, but his departure from Turner Scott Motorsports does not change the passion I have for this team. I love racing and have no plans to diminish my role as a co-owner of our organization. I am looking forward to a successful season in 2014 with a very strong lineup of drivers."

Listening to RAB Racing owner Robby Benton and Buescher speak about the new partnership, it’s hard to tell who thinks they got the better end of the deal. All signs point to a win-win relationship.

RAB Racing had a pair of top-five finishes last year with a rookie driver.

And Buescher has long been considered one of NASCAR’s brightest young talents.

He bested a field filled with Sprint Cup drivers to win the prestigious season-opening Nationwide Series race at Daytona in 2012.

Last year, he notched another top-five finish (at Daytona, July) in just four NNS starts. In all, Buescher has won two pole positions (at Memphis and Texas), four top-five finishes (the win and three runner-up showings) and 14 top-10s in 58 starts spread out through six years

"The word excited doesn’t really cover how we feel," RAB Racing owner Robby Benton said. "James is a NASCAR Champion at the age of 23. He has multiple wins in the Camping World Truck Series and has already won arguably the most prestigious race on our calendar in the Nationwide Series. We’re honored to have him join not only our team, but the Toyota family."

For Buescher this is the perfect progression in a career already so successful, it’s easy to forget he’s only 23. He had opportunities to move up to Nationwide last season, but chose to try to defend his Camping World Truck Series championship and become the first driver to ever claim back-to-back series titles.

And he came close, finishing third in the series with a pair of wins (at Michigan and Iowa), a pair of poles (at Kansas and Bowmanville, Ontario) and 14 top-10s.

"We came up a little short in defending the (truck) title, but the goal is to go up to Nationwide Series and follow the natural evolution and then move up the Cup Series," Buescher said. "This is the best opportunity for me to further my career and surround myself with good people and a good organization and a strong team to go out and win some races."

"We’re setting our goals at going out there winning the championship and winning races and sitting on poles. Contending for a championship is the ultimate goal. I know it won’t be easy. It wasn’t easy in the truck series and stepping up to the Nationwide Series, the next level of competition is going to be that much harder, but I feel like we’ll have what it take to make a run."

Buescher said he felt strongly that finally having the chance to run full time in the Nationwide Series could be the deciding factor in his success. It makes sense, when you consider what he was able to accomplish in a limited and sporadic Nationwide schedule driving for multiple teams.

"I think James brings a great deal of confidence along with him," Benton said. "Our 99 program is the same group of guys from the 2013 season, led by Chris Rice. They showed a lot of speed this year with three different drivers and I think it’s a perfect scenario to be able to simply plug James into an already established and productive group like that.

"While we’re just announcing things today, we’ve already spent a great deal of time with each other and will test together next week. I feel we’re getting the biggest jump start on the upcoming season that we’ve ever been able to take advantage of and that brings a very high level of enthusiasm to our team."

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Posted on by Holly Cain

After a roller coaster 2013 season, Newman is focused and ready for stability in 2014

This is the third in a series of 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver recaps that will be featured on NASCAR.com.

Perhaps more so than any other driver in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, Ryan Newman’s 2013 season was a lesson in managing emotions and perseverance.

In a short two-month timespan this summer, the 2008 Daytona 500 winner went from finding out his contract with Stewart-Haas Racing would not be renewed, to winning one of NASCAR’s crown jewels, the Brickyard 400 from the pole position. A month later, he endured the great disappointment and frustration of losing the final spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship field in a tiebreaker only to be reinstated in the Chase field by NASCAR days later after a penalty to Michael Waltrip Racing for actions in the regular season finale.

If anyone needs a breather this winter, it’s Newman, who after all that drama not only finished 11th in the final Sprint Cup standings, but is looking forward to a great ride with Richard Childress Racing in 2014.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

SEASON IN REVIEW

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, no doubt,’’ Newman said, reflecting on the extraordinary chain of events that defined his season.

“It’s been an up and down year on several fronts to say the least, career-wise, race-wise, Chase-wise, all those things.’’

The up part couldn’t have been much higher. After dramatically winning his 50th career Sprint Cup pole position for the Brickyard 400 as the final qualifier of the day, Newman answered the effort with one of the most popular victories of the season.

The Hoosier native and young family commenced the traditional kissing of the bricks at his beloved Indianapolis Motor Speedway to a huge and raucous ovation from his home state crowd — thousands who stayed long after the checkered flag to cheer on one of their own.

It marked the fourth consecutive season Newman has scored at least one win and sent out a strong message to future employers that this Chevy driver had the will to match the talent. He joins only six-time Cup champ Jimmie Johnson, four-time champion Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Jamie McMurray with wins in both of NASCAR’s biggest races, the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400.

“We were waiting for a special time to make all this stuff happen, like the perfect storm,’’ Newman joked at Indianapolis after his win. “I got fired a couple weeks ago, come back here, win the pole, win the race.  It’s all because of hard effort.  It’s all because they (his team) haven’t given up.  They want to win just as bad as I do.’’

That continued to be evident as Newman challenged for a Chase position. His third place finish in the No. 39 in the Richmond, Va. regular season finale appeared to be good enough to earn a berth. But MWR driver Martin Truex Jr. bested Newman on a technicality. They tied in points, but Truex had one more top-five at the time.

After it was revealed that Truex’ MWR team had “manipulated” the race results, NASCAR pulled Truex out of the Chase field and placed Newman in — an unprecedented move that also included adding Jeff Gordon as a 13th driver to the normally 12-driver field.

Newman won a pole position and reeled off six top-10 finishes in the final 10 Chase races. But top-10s on track weren’t enough to earn a top-10 position in the final standings. The highest Newman rose in the rankings was seventh after Dover, Del. — three races into the postseason push.

On the year, Newman’s 18 top-10s was the most for him since his eight-win 2003 season and tellingly, his five DNFs tied Gordon for most among Chase drivers and most among the top-20 drivers.

The best part of Newman’s Chase experience came early on when Richard Childress formally introduced him as the driver of the No. 31 Caterpillar/Quicken Loans Chevrolet beginning in 2014.

Newman revealed that he and Childress had initially spoken about pairing up five years ago, even before the driver signed on with the new Stewart-Haas organization. And Newman explained that one of the most promising things about his upcoming role with RCR is that it will be the first team he’s driven for that is already established.

When he started his Cup career at Penske Racing in 2002, he was added as a new second car to the organization. It was a similar situation at the new SHR operation.

“I said before I wanted to be at a place where I was wanted, but also where I wanted to be,’’ Newman said. “In the history of what I’ve done, it was kind of a no-brainer to go talk to Richard. We just made some things happen and I’m really grateful to my relationship with Richard.

“They control their destiny at Richard Childress Racing. To me, I look forward to experiencing all that. Really the first time in my career I’ll have the opportunity to work with an already put–together crew.

“Stepping into a seat that already has a successful, experienced team feels good to me.

We are all really looking forward to a great season.’’

 

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Posted on by Staff Report

24-year-old driver steps into Mike Wallace’s Nationwide Series ride

Landon Cassill has been named to drive the primary car of JD Motorsports with Gary Keller in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for 2014.

The No. 4 Chevrolet, which will carry sponsorship from G&K Services, was run as the No. 1 in 2013 with veteran Mike Wallace handling the driving duties.

Cassill made 23 starts for the team this past season in a separate entry, finishing 24th in the series’ points standings.

Dave Fuge, who also joined the organization this past year, will return to serve as crew chief, according to a team release.

Team owner Johnny Davis said he was pleased with Cassill’s progress in ’13 with the team and is looking forward to having the combination together for the full season.

“He’s a good driver,” Davis said, “a smart guy and easy to work with. We think we can do some good things together as we increase our involvement for 2014.”

Cassill will also likely compete fulltime in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He made 33 starts this past year with Circle Sport Racing.

“It’s big shoes to fill,” Cassill said of the JD Motorsports effort. “I feel like Mike Wallace had a big part of making that team what it is and putting it on the map.

“The more races, the better for me. It’s going to be fun on the Nationwide side. Dave knows a lot about race cars and Nationwide racing in general, and it’s been fun working with him. I think we have a lot of faith in each other.”

Officials say they expect to run a partial schedule with a second car — based on sponsorship opportunities –- with Canadian driver Daryl Harr.

Cassill had a best finish of 17th last year in the organization’s second entry.

Wallace, a four-time winner in the series, had driven for Davis since 2009. He finished 17th in this year’s points standings, with one top-10.

“Mike and I go a long way back, and his input with this team has been important,” Davis said. “The Nationwide Series is a lot tougher and more competitive than it’s ever been, and we had some good races and good seasons together.”

 

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Posted on by Zack Albert

25-year-old is now one of three to win NASCAR’s national championship multiple times

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For two years running, Lee Pulliam has taken the stage to deliver the national champion’s address at the awards banquet for NASCAR Whelen All-American Series awards banquet. This go-around, though, the battle to the top had its own rough-and-tumble brand of adversity, true to the nature of weekly short-track racing.
 
At the end, Pulliam etched his name among the elite in short-track racing history, joining NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee Larry Phillips and Philip Morris as multiple winners of NASCAR’s national championship.
 
"Just seeing the banners on the wall and knowing that mine is only the third one that’s got multiple years on it, that’s pretty special," said the 25-year-old Pulliam, who notched 27 victories in 47 starts at four different tracks to collect the maximum number of points in the national race. "Just going down the list of them, it’s mind-boggling for me."

Track, state and provincial champions at NASCAR’s grassroots, dirt-under-the-fingernails level of racing dressed up for a night of celebration Friday at the Crown Ballroom of the Charlotte Convention Center. But even as the weekend warriors that make up the heart of stock-car racing wined and dined, there was still a visual reminder of how the All-American Series can stoke rivalries and spirited competition.
 
On Pulliam’s No. 1 car on display in the back of the ballroom was a quarter-sized decal on the car’s right-front corner — a bull’s-eye with the No. 08 of rival and national runner-up Deac McCaskill.
 
Pulliam and McCaskill went head-to-head numerous times at Whelen All-American Series tracks in North Carolina and Virginia, and as the season wound down and the pressure ratcheted up, the hard-nosed racing between the two escalated. It boiled over in a 300-lap Late Model Stock race at Martinsville Speedway, with McCaskill spinning Pulliam in a clash for the lead and the latter taking a swipe at the former’s window net under caution.
 
In Friday night’s more formal settling, both were able to chuckle — a little — about their budding rivalry, but each acknowledged the talent of the other in accepting their accolades.
 
"It was a lot of hard feelings and hard battles there at the end of the year," said Pulliam, who claimed he wasn’t sure who placed the bull’s-eye decal on his display car. "Things got pretty interesting between me and him, and we’ve always battled clean and we both started getting rough at the end of the year and getting pretty physical. I was just able to come out on top more than he was."
 
Pulliam said that his rival’s success motivated him throughout the season and that in most other years, McCaskill’s points total would be enough to claim the national crown. The 35-year-old Raleigh, N.C., product posted 18 victories and 38 top-10 finishes in 42 races, pushing Pulliam — sometimes literally — for race wins across two states.
 
"It’s hard," McCaskill said with a grin. "It’s hard to keep a friendship and be competitors. We learned something this year about that. Should be interesting for next year. I enjoy racing with him, he’s a tough racer. Some of my most memorable wins this season are ones (where) he ran second. Outrunning him means a lot to me, so looking forward to it."
 
Harold Pulliam, Lee’s father and car owner, and crew chief Winston Brooks were recognized with special awards as part of the championship team.
 
Former national champion Keith Rocco edged NASCAR Next member Ryan Preece for the last spot among the national top three, marking the fifth consecutive year the Connecticut driver has made it to the national podium for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series awards.
 
Jay Beasley, the Nevada state champion, was honored with the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award. The 21-year-old Las Vegas native, who was given the award by NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Darrell Wallace Jr., posted an eight-win season to become the first African-American champion at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
 
Todd Stone, who became a first-year Division I license holder this season at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vt., was named national Rookie of the Year at age 45 after amassing 10 wins in 17 races.

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Posted on by Staff Report

Flowmaster becomes exclusive performance exhaust of NASCAR

NASCAR announced today a new multi-year agreement with Flowmaster designating it as the exclusive NASCAR Performance partner for performance exhaust system components, which include performance mufflers, catalytic converters, headers and installation accessories. Flowmaster will complement their category rights with participation in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Contingency Program. Flowmaster will leverage its new designation for exhaust system components and the power of NASCAR’s intellectual property to activate at various retail and wholesale channels nationwide and at-track through aggressive customer hosting.

NASCAR fans are more likely to be do-it-yourselfers when it comes to automotive maintenance and repairs, including mufflers. According to independent research conducted by Scarborough (USA+ 2013 Release 1) among consumers who have a vehicle, NASCAR fans are approximately 50 percent more likely than non-fans to have had a muffler repair or service in the past year and are approximately 55 percent more likely to have either done the muffler repair or service themselves or have someone else do it for free.

“We’re proud to welcome Flowmaster to the NASCAR family because they exemplify the type of reliability our fans have come to expect from NASCAR Performance partners,” said Norris Scott, NASCAR vice president of partnership marketing. “NASCAR teams and contingency sponsors display a level of synergy and teamwork that is unparalleled and continues to be one of the major reasons companies choose to partner with NASCAR.”

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Contingency Program strives to build strong relationships with high­-quality, performance-driven brands that are leaders in their respective categories and awards money to NASCAR teams after each race and at the end of each season. Flowmaster becomes the third new company this year to join the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Contingency Program, where companies have their sponsor decals on the front fender of competitor race cars.

"I can’t wait until next February when the Flowmaster brand hits the high banks of Daytona International Speedway in NASCAR’s premier series,” said Flowmaster Chief Marketing Officer Nate Shelton. “We have been developing exhaust systems for 30 years and will continue to manufacture best-in-class exhausts and mufflers for NASCAR fans who demand performance from their car or truck.” 

Flowmaster is constantly developing the highest quality exhaust products at its state-of-the-art Research and Development Center in Santa Rosa, Calif., through innovation and decades of manufacturing experience. All Flowmaster mufflers and exhaust systems are developed and manufactured in the USA.

The 2014 NASCAR season officially gets underway with the 56th annual Daytona 500® on Sunday, Feb. 23 at Daytona International Speedway. The Great American Race® will air live on FOX, Motor Racing Network Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio™, with additional coverage on NASCAR.com.

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NASCAR formally introduces itself as Iowa Speedway’s new owner

DES MOINES, Iowa — It’s been the kind of week that makes even hardened Iowans shiver, with high temperatures struggling to creep out of the single digits. Outside the capital city, the farms that define this state remain covered by a blanket of white. Even in town, clumps of slushy snow are piled high on street corners, and sidewalks are coated in salt. It all serves as a reminder that winter in the heartland has never been for the meek.

Inside the Iowa Events Center, though, it seemed downright balmy, and not just because the thermostat was set on high. The place positively radiated with warmth on a day when NASCAR formally introduced itself to the Hawkeye State as the new owner of Iowa Speedway, and dignitaries from local to state level voiced their appreciation for a purchase that ensures the future of Iowa’s largest professional sports venue.

"As we see it, the acquisition of Iowa Speedway for NASCAR is a long‑term strategic play for our sport," Eric Nyquist, NASCAR’s vice president for strategic development, told an enthusiastic crowd. "It has everything to do with the fan base that lives here and is in and around the upper Midwest. … It’s beautiful, it has great racing, our fans love it. It has a great and passionate staff that has worked tirelessly to bring it to this stage."

NASCAR announced last month it had purchased the seven-eighths mile facility from the previous ownership group, which included designer and 1989 series champion Rusty Wallace. Located 37 miles east of the state capital in the town of Newton, the facility has hosted Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series events since 2009. Despite often attracting sellout crowds, the track struggled financially.

Enter NASCAR, which sees the purchase as a means of bringing stability to a facility that anchors its presence in the upper Midwest, as well as an opportunity to experiment with amenities or tactics it may want to apply to other tracks. Jimmy Small, a 28-year-old who most recently served as marketing liaison with teams and drivers across all three of NASCAR’s national series, was named Thursday as the track’s new president.

"We determined several years back that we needed to put all of our efforts and focus them around engaging our fan base, and doing everything we can to improve the racing product," Nyquist said. "Part of that is reaching an evolution of our fan experience, and that’s in part why we say this is a very strategic play for us — to step in and take a facility that’s performed well to date, and with with the city, the state, our partners, the fan base and our collective industry, take Iowa Speedway to another level."

That level, for the foreseeable future, won’t include a Sprint Cup Series race. Next season, the facility will hold a Nationwide race in May in conjunction with a K&N Pro Series event; a Camping World Truck Series race in July in conjunction with an IndyCar event; and a second Nationwide and Pro Series weekend in August. The facility has 30,000 permanent seats, and can accommodate almost double that with temporary grandstands. Nyquist added there are also no immediate plans to expand the track’s capacity.

But the track does now have a secure future, something many area race fans and civic leaders fretted over when they initially learned the facility was being put up for sale by its former majority owner, Featherlite founder Conrad Clement and his family. Iowa Speedway has an estimated annual impact of roughly $60 million in the region.

"I can tell you there always comes a doubt, where is this going from here," said Mike Hansen, mayor of Newton. "We obviously knew it was a great asset in our community. The fan base was great. We knew that the potential for somebody to make the investment there, to have a great asset, was there. We didn’t in our wildest dreams know it would be NASCAR, but we’re extremely pleased it was them. I know there were other names tossed around who might be interested in the facility. … It happened to be at the right time, and we certainly are pleased to be partnering with NASCAR as we move ahead."

That kind of local enthusiasm and support is what endeared the facility to NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Cfficer Brian France, who spearheaded the purchase.

"Brian France was very bullish on this decision," David Higdon, NASCAR’s managing director, integrated marketing communications, said. "He believes it’s the right thing to do for the city, the right thing to do for the state, and certainly the right thing to do for NASCAR."

The level of fervor for the facility in central Iowa "really blew a lot of people in our industry away," said Nyquist, who is from nearby southern Minnesota.

"It was the warmth, the sense of energy, the way the entire community embraced it, left an indelible mark on our operation … When we sat down with municipal leaders … we got nothing but a warm embrace."

The feeling was mutual. "This is really, really a big deal," said Jay Byers, chairman of the region’s economic development group, the Greater Des Moines Partnership. "It’s a big deal for central Iowa, it’s a big deal for the state."

Nyquist said the facility is in very good shape, and won’t require much if anything in the way of physical improvements. Where NASCAR plans to experiment is in the area of the fan experience, tinkering with elements varying from the routine — such as public address music, concession food, entertainment and traffic patterns — to ways of bringing the spectator closer to the action. In NASCAR’s eyes, Iowa makes for the perfect laboratory given its strong built-in support.

"We have a wonderful facility, you have great racing. So it allows for an opportunity to try some things at the margins and see the true impact of what that has on the fan base," Nyquist said. "Whereas in other markets where they’re still working on the racing a little bit, or there may be capital improvements needed to be had, this gives us a pretty clear view. And given our intimate knowledge of NASCAR and the market and the track, we think it’s a perfect place."

The details of that experimentation are still being worked out. "It’s still too early to determine what specifically that means," Small said. "But in the short term, the quick answer is … I know how many resources NASCAR can provide to race tracks, race teams, etc. We’re going to take full advantage of those resources. Also those resources continue to evolve and develop, so we’ll continue to be as smartly aligned with NASCAR."

Whatever it is, it won’t be speedway business as usual. "We took this acquisition as more than just buying a speedway and continuing to run races in standard course," Nyquist said. "… What I can say is, we’re putting our creative hat on. We’re willing to go in, be aggressive, be innovative, and bring real energy to it."

All that, though, is still to come. Thursday was about smiles and handshakes and congratulatory messages from the governor, all over ensuring the future of a little speedway that makes a big impression throughout its home state. Why, the mayor’s beaming smile could have melted the snow outside all by itself.

"Isn’t this exciting?" Hansen said. "When I first found out who was the purchaser of the Iowa Speedway, the potential purchaser, do you know how difficult that was to keep that to myself?  We don’t have to do that anymore."

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Posted on by NASCAR Official Release

Small has spent six years with NASCAR in various capacities

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As the first step toward a bright future under new ownership, Iowa Speedway today welcomed Jimmy Small, a rising talent within the industry, as its new track president. Small’s appointment at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines comes on the heels of NASCAR’s announcement two weeks ago that it purchased the Speedway. 

Several of the sport’s top executives along with state and local dignitaries were present for the announcement. 

"Jimmy’s tireless dedication, energy and experience make him the ideal candidate for leading Iowa Speedway into this new era," said Eric Nyquist, NASCAR vice president, strategic development. "He has a strong background in identifying and creating fan experience improvements and defining best practices designed to help strengthen sponsor relations and ticket sales. In addition, he will have a great support structure at the Speedway and NASCAR." 

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

SEASON IN REVIEW

Small, 28, joins the Speedway after six years with NASCAR in various business-building capacities. Most recently, he served as senior manager for team marketing services within the NASCAR Industry Services department out of the Charlotte, N.C., office. In that role, he was the business and marketing liaison with teams and drivers in all three national series.

Additionally, he helped manage the implementation of the NASCAR Industry Action Plan (IAP), including several key initiatives targeting Event Management and Entertainment, Youth & Gen-Y Marketing and Driver Star Power.

When Small started in the sport in 2008, he worked out of NASCAR’s Daytona Beach, Fla., headquarters coordinating event weekends with tracks, television partners and teams.

"I’m honored to be presented with this opportunity to help guide Iowa Speedway in the next chapter of its life," Small said. "We will continue fanning the intense passion for motorsports that is prevalent here, and do our best to showcase Iowa Speedway’s fast, exciting short-track racing in creative, fan-friendly ways."

Small is a Detroit native and graduate of the University of Notre Dame. He was named as a member of Sports Pro Magazine’s The 10 NEXT Class of 2012, an honor recognizing 10 sports executives under the age of 30.

The track currently is gearing up for its slate of three NASCAR race weekends during the 2014 season. The Speedway’s season opens May 17-18, with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East versus West Challenge on Saturday night followed by a 250-lap NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Sunday. The weekend of July 11-12, Iowa Speedway will host a Friday night NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event and an IndyCar Series race on Saturday. A second NASCAR K&N Pro Series East versus West Challenge race is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 1 followed by another 250-lap NASCAR Nationwide Series event Saturday night.   

Season ticket holders may renew their tickets for the 2014 season, and will have an exclusive right to secure their current seats until Sunday, Jan. 5.  All season tickets, with prices starting at $95, will include a guaranteed seat location, complimentary Casey’s Fan Walk pass and an opportunity to participate in pre-race ceremonies. Season tickets, parking passes and onsite camping options are available online at www.iowaspeedway.com, or by calling the toll-free ticketing hotline, 866-RUSTY-GO (787-8946). Single-event tickets and weekend packages will become available on Monday, Jan. 6. 

Iowa Speedway’s ticketing office, located at 3333 Rusty Wallace Drive in Newton, also will be open to assist customers from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, holidays excepted.

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Posted on by Holly Cain

Newly named president of Iowa Speedway calls post "a dream come true"

A new generation in NASCAR leadership formally took shape Thursday when 28-year old Jimmy Small was introduced as president of NASCAR’s newly acquired facility, Iowa Speedway.


Small, who holds an economics degree from Notre Dame, has charged up through the corporate ranks at NASCAR and calls his new post "a dream come true" while assuring he’s up for the task after spending the last six years working in wide-ranging capacities for the sanctioning body.


"I definitely feel I’m capable and ready to take on such a great responsibility," Small said, pointing to his experience working in NASCAR’s Industry Services sector.


"I was dedicated to learning every bit of the business from a team perspective while also focusing on the Industry Action Plan and how it would affect our sport for years to come. A lot of what I’ve focused on the Industry Action Plan was how to better the fan experience and I believe that I’m well-rounded in terms of my experience and knowledge of the sport and how it works."

Small counts NASCAR’s Executive Vice President for Racing Operations Steve O’Donnell and Vice President, Industry Services Jill Gregory among his mentors throughout his tenure.

O’Donnell said Thursday of Small, "Iowa is getting a great person and true innovator."

Gregory spoke of Small’s "passion" to lead the track into the future.
Small was introduced to Iowans on Thursday in Des Moines and then headed to Newton for a special gathering for suite holders at the track.


"It feels good to be able to tell people what I’ve been working on," he said.


No doubt NASCAR is hoping to capitalize not only on Small’s education pedigree and diverse experience within the sport, but on his ability to capture the next generation of fan and bring fresh innovative ideas to the promotion of this NASCAR facility.


"This is part of the next era of NASCAR as far as focusing on the next generation of fan and certainly with my passion, my vision at my young age I’m able to speak to the younger fan," Small said. "I’m able to really relate to them not just from a marketing perspective, but from all different aspects of the sport of NASCAR. And I certainly hope to do that."


In an interview this week, Small also named former Charlotte Motor Speedway promoter Humpy Wheeler and Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage as trailblazers in the sport and people that he respected in terms of track promotion.

But, Small said, he’s eager to develop his own style.


"It’s a little early for me to project what our ethos will be here at the speedway, but I will say that what led to my appointment of this position was hard work and second of all, creativity," Small said.


"I pride myself in being creative and finding new ways to promote this sport and some of that will be seen in the future. I’d like to say we’ll push the envelope here," Small said.

"One of the goals here with the acquisition of Iowa Speedway is to treat this as a proving ground not only from a fan engagement standpoint but from the promotional side as well. All that will ultimately be reliant on the market and what it dictates."


Small reiterated the immediate goals of the track are to make its three major 2014 race weekends  — featuring NASCAR Camping World Truck, Nationwide, and K&N Pro Series along with an IndyCar event — successful. He didn’t rule out a Sprint Cup Series race at some point down the line at the 7/8-mile speedway, but told The Des Moines Register this week, that it would not happen in 2015.

"You can never say never, but not for 2015," Small told the newspaper. "Our focus is going to be on the popular series we already have."


In the long term, Small said, "the goals would be to be on cutting edge of promotion and creativity and everything involved there.


"Hopefully we’ll drive this sport to new boundaries and generate fan growth.


"It’s the biggest show in town and the fans have supported it since its inception which has been incredible."

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Posted on by Staff Report

Veteran will serve as the crew chief for the team’s No. 5 entry

Ernie Cope has joined JR Motorsports to serve as the crew chief for the team’s No. 5 Nationwide Series entry.

The No. 5 will feature a strong cast of Sprint Cup Series regulars in the driver’s seat: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne.

Cope, 44, served as the crew chief in the Nationwide Series for 29 races with Richard Childress Racing last season. He guided both Harvick (Atlanta) and Tony Stewart (Daytona) to wins in 2013 Nationwide events.

For his career, Cope has been the winning crew chief for nine Nationwide Series races in eight years.

Cope has a long history with Harvick as eight of those wins have come with Harvick as the driver. He also worked for Harvick at Kevin Harvick Inc. as crew chief from 2008 to 2011. He has spent two seasons with RCR.

Harvick is scheduled to run in at least 12 Nationwide races with JR Motorsports, beginning with the March 1 event at Phoenix. Earnhardt Jr., the owner of the team, will be in the car for the Nationwide events at Daytona (Feb. 22) and Las Vegas (March 8).

Last season, Mike Bumgarner served as the crew chief for the team, which saw seven drivers take turns as the pilot of the No. 5 car. Bumgarner will remain with the team, according to a release from JR Motorsports.

Brad Sweet drove the No. 5 for 17 races, Kahne for 11 races, Jimmie Johnson, Ron Fellows, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Jamie McMurray and Johnny O’Connell each drove the car for one race. The No. 5 car has three top-fives (all by Kahne) and 12 top-10 finishes in 2013.

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Posted on by Zack Albert

Rookie won at Texas Motor Speedway in June, finished fifth in final standings

This is the second in a series of 2013 Camping World Truck Series driver recaps that will be featured on NASCAR.com.

Rookies don’t typically expect to contend for championships, but for much of Jeb Burton‘s first season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, he was right in the mix.
 
A fifth-place effort in the season standings, highlighted by a series-high seven pole positions and a breakthrough victory at Texas Motor Speedway in June, would be enough to satisfy most drivers in their first go-round at the national-series level. But being so close at so many tracks over the 22-race schedule has only made Burton more motivated to contend in 2014.
 
"Definitely pleased and happy — just hungry and wanting more," Burton said Nov. 18, as the truck and NASCAR Nationwide Series held their annual awards banquet."… This was our building year, just building a notebook. Just next year, we need to win those races when we have the opportunities."
 
The 21-year-old member of the NASCAR Next class had already gotten his feet wet in the Truck Series with a five-race schedule in 2012 to prep for his first full season with Turner Scott Motorsports. When he won his first Keystone Light Pole Award in just the second race of the year at Martinsville Speedway, not far from his hometown of Halifax, Va., it unleashed a swell of emotions.
 
That pole position foreshadowed strong showings in qualifying yet to come. Burton topped the pole qualifying leaderboard three times in the first five races and was the fastest qualifier at intermediate tracks, a short track and a superspeedway once 2013 was in the books.

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"Qualifying, I feel like, has been a strength for me in my career," Burton said. "All the guys at the shop provided me with fast trucks, right off the truck. It just was easier to be fast when you unload and have good equipment. All the guys back at Turner Scott did a good job for us."
 
On June 7 in Fort Worth, Burton cashed in on the stout qualifying efforts with the first triumph of his career, sharing a stirring Victory Lane with his father, former Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton. Not only did the Texas win validate the younger Burton’s racing pedigree, it also came in the heart of a lengthy 11-race span where he ranked second in the series standings.
 
"It means a lot. I’m just a little frustrated that that’s the only one we got," Burton said. "I felt like Martinsville, we let that one go, and then there were three or four others we could’ve won. We’ve got to capitalize on that if we want to be champions next year and just got to keep getting better every week."
 
Burton was second in the points as late as mid-August, but a six-race stretch with just two top-10 finishes allowed eventual series champion Matt Crafton to build an insurmountable lead. Burton’s rough patch was marked by a last-lap crash at Bristol Motor Speedway that dropped him to third place in the truck standings. Just 11 days later, a transmission issue at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park knocked the rookie to fourth.
 
Though he was removed from championship contention by the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Burton may have saved his best drive for last. While reeling in eventual race winner Kyle Busch, Burton scraped the wall in the closing laps and seemed destined for a finish in the back of the pack. But the rookie stormed from 25th position to a third-place result, masterfully picking his way through traffic to cap his season with a brilliant top-five. The result also rounded out his first experience with all the tracks on the schedule, something that bodes well for next season.
 
"I think just going to these tracks where I know what I need and I know what to expect before I get there," Burton said. "I feel like that’s going to make us better all around the board. Going to Homestead the other day was the first time I’ve seen the place, so next year we’ve already got a good notebook and we know what we can run and what we can’t run."
 
Burton also made a solid debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, taking a Turner Scott Chevrolet to an eighth-place finish at Kentucky Speedway in September. Even as he prepares to return for another full schedule on the truck tour with Turner Scott, Burton made it clear that he has a longer-reach plan for more Nationwide starts with an ultimate goal of competing in the top-level NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in the near future.
 
"I’m definitely thinking that far ahead," Burton said. "We’ve got a plan set and trying to find Nationwide sponsors to run for next year. I’m going to run full truck and as many Nationwide races as I can next year and the following year to try to go full-time Nationwide. Run that about two years and I want to be in a (Sprint) Cup car.
 
"We’ve just got to keep winning. I feel like if I don’t succeed and do well and run good, I won’t make it in this sport and I’ve just got to keep getting better."

MORE:

WATCH: Drivers and fans
play the odds in Vegas

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Myers Brothers Award

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key issues in season wrap