Posted on by Seth Sharp

Throughout the 2024 NASCAR season, Ken Martin, director of historical content for the sanctioning body, will offer his suggestions on which historical races fans should watch from the NASCAR Classics library in preparation for each upcoming race weekend.

Martin has worked exclusively for NASCAR since 2008 but has been involved with the sport since 1982, overseeing various projects. He has worked in the broadcast booth for hundreds of races, assisting the broadcast team with different tasks. This includes calculating the “points as they run” for the historic 1992 finale, the Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Take a look back at some of the most iconic victories in Wood Brothers Racing history in the NASCAR Classics Library.

1963 Daytona 500:

The team planned on racing in the Daytona 500 with Marvin Panch, who had been with the team since the middle of the 1962 season, but things quickly changed in dramatic fashion.

Panch was practicing a sports car on the track when his car overturned and caught fire. Tiny Lund, who did not have a ride at the time, helped get Panch out of the burning vehicle.

Panch was transported and admitted to a local hospital with burns, knocking him out of the car for the upcoming Daytona 500. He suggested to the team that Lund be the one to replace him in the No. 21 car and the team took his advice.

The race itself turned out to be just as dramatic, as a handful of contenders had to pit for fuel late in the running of the event. Lund kept the No. 21 car out on the track, as just about everybody else came in for fuel.

He took the white flag but soon started sputtering, before running out of fuel in the fourth turn. Lund coasted to the checkered flag for the first time in his career.

Tiny Lund and Glen Wood pose in front of car
NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images

1968 Southern 500:

One of the most meaningful victories a driver can have during their career is capturing the checkered flag at their home track. Many drivers grow up attending races there and in turns become an impactful moment when they can be the one that everyone in the stands is watching triumph over the rest of the field.

Cale Yarborough arrived at the track in 1968 on a hot streak, while driving a limited schedule in the No. 21 car for Wood Brothers Racing.

He had made just 11 starts for the team but Darlington was the 39th race on the series schedule. Yarborough made waves by winning the Daytona 500 from the pole, while also notching wins at Atlanta, Martinsville and another at Daytona.

The No. 21 car qualified second for the race at Darlington and the story quickly turned to how big of a moment it would be for Yarbrough to win at the track in which he lived just 10 miles away from.

Reporter Chris Economaki asked Yarborough before the race if it made any difference how he drove a race in what was basically his own backyard.

“I think it does Chris,” Yarborough said. “Maybe I try a little too hard here. I’ve never done anything here. We’ve run pretty good but it always seems like something happens. Maybe it’s because I am trying too hard here at home for the home folks but we are going to try to do something about that today.”

Yarborough did just that.

He led 169 of the race’s 334 laps, holding off David Pearson in the process, to capture his first victory at his home track.

After the race, Yarborough was ecstatic over the moment.

“This is the happiest day of my life.” Yarborough proclaimed from the cockpit of his car, as he drove his battered car to Victory Lane. “To do it at home, that makes it better than anything in the world.”

Cale Yarborough in the 21 car
NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images

1976 Daytona 500:

The second race of the 1976 season was broadcasted live. Lead announcer Bill Fleming openly proclaimed at the start of the broadcast that it could be one of the most exciting races of the year.

Little did Fleming know is that the race would go down as one of, if not the most exciting finish of all-time.

Fast forward to the finish of the race, which saw Richard Petty take the white flag just mere inches in front of the No. 21 car of David Pearson. By the time the two cars hit the backstretch, Pearson dramatically dipped below Petty, with his Wood Brothers Racing car tucked against the apron.

It looked like Pearson was going to sail past Petty but a slow car forced Pearson to slide up the track, allowing Petty to make a move for the lead as the cars entered the third turn. Petty got loose and slid into Pearson, sending the No. 21 car head on into the wall.

Petty then lost control of his car and mirrored Pearson, slamming into the wall just a few hundred feet in front of Pearson, with the start/finish line in his sights.

Petty’s car came to a rest roughly 100 feet shy of the line, but he couldn’t refire his car. His crew started sprinting across the infield to try to help him get across the line. At the same time, Pearson limped his car through the grass and took the checkered flag.

Petty’s team pushed their car just enough to be able to get him across the line to finish in second.

Neither driver was upset with each other after the race, chalking it up to two drivers racing hard for glory in one of the biggest races in the world.

Richard Petty, David Pearson crash at Daytona
NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images

2011 Daytona 500:

It seemed like the Wood Brothers Racing team had a flair for the dramatic in the Daytona 500, as their victory in 2011 went down as one of the biggest Cinderella stories in NASCAR history.

Nothing on paper had the team having any sort of realistic shot at winning the race. They hadn’t captured a victory since Elliott Sadler took their No. 21 car to Victory Lane at Bristol in 2001. Trevor Bayne was piloting the car, which was set to be just the second start of his career. He celebrated his 20th birthday the day before the 500-mile event.

Fast forward through the chaotic event to the 197th lap, following the 15th caution flag of the day.

David Ragan was sitting first and Bayne survived all of the incidents to sit in second.

The green flag waved on Lap 202 for a green-white-checkered restart but Ragan was quickly black-flagged for changing lanes before the start-finish line.

Bayne inherited the lead and stayed out front thanks to a push from future Hall of Fame driver Bobby Labonte. The duo held off a late charge from Carl Edwards and David Gilliland, as NASCAR on FOX’s Darrell Waltrip iconically captured the moment from the broadcast booth.

“Trevor Bayne is going to win the Daytona 500! Happy Birthday, Trevor Bayne! 20-years-old!”

The broadcast quickly cut to radio chatter between a stunned Bayne and his team.

“Are you kidding me?”

Adding to the lore of Bayne’s popular victory was that he was driving a car reminiscent to the one that Pearson limped to victory in at the track in 1976.

Trevor Bayne and his crew celebrate Daytona 500 win
Jason Smith | Getty Images

2017 Pocono 400:

The most recent time that the Wood Brothers Racing team visited Victory Lane came at Pocono in 2017, with a future NASCAR Cup Series champion capturing the first win of his career.

Kyle Busch dominated the race, leading more than 100 laps but a decision late in the race not to pit for fresh tires backfired on a late restart.

Ryan Blaney slipped underneath Busch, as the two battled it out for the victory with under 15 laps remaining. The two made contact, as Blaney’s fresher tires prevailed as he took the top spot.

The young driver held off a late push from Kevin Harvick to capture the first victory of his career. It was also the 99th win in team history.

It was the first time the team was victorious at Pocono Raceway since Neil Bonnett won the 1980 Coca-Cola 500 at the track.

Blaney wins at Pocono
Jeff Zelevansky | Getty Images

You can watch these three races and hundreds more by visiting NASCAR Classics.

Posted on by John Crane

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — A No. 21 Ford rests inside the Wood Brothers Racing garage. More than half a dozen tool drawers — donned in the iconic red and white that usually adorns Wood Brothers machines — surround the building’s interior. Race banners hanging up high signify some of the more memorable chapters in the team’s near-75-year history. History worth remembering for NASCAR’s oldest team.

Jon Wood, Jordan Wood Hicks and Keven Wood converse inside the well-shaded confines. A keen sense of optimism is prevalent among the trio. And while the April temperature gives off summer-is-in-the-air vibes, the general mood between the three individuals shines as bright as the weather outside.

RELATED: Wood Brothers Racing through the years

This optimism doesn’t solely derive from the trio’s family pride in being a part of the Wood Brothers’ legacy dating back to childhood. It also comes from what lies ahead. Jon Wood is taking over Team President duties from his father Eddie Wood, who is stepping down from day-to-day duties. Jon, Jordan and Keven are team co-owners, a third generation that follows the second-generation group of Eddie, Len Wood and Kim Wood Hall.

“We’re really excited. We’re honored. I think it’s awesome,” Jordan said. “I know it’s such a big honor, and it’s something we’ve all wanted for a long time. Not that we’ve pushed anything, but it’s something that this is our legacy. This is our family legacy. We want to continue it, we want to create these relationships within the industry, and I think this is such a big part of that.”

Wood Brothers’ lineage can be traced back to 1950 when family patriarch Glen Wood — grandfather to Jon, Jordan, and Keven — founded the team. From that point onward, the team rocketed to momentous heights, with drivers spanning from Glen himself to Cale Yarborough and David Pearson, among other icons, piloting the Wood Brothers moniker.

From past to present, family has remained the team’s backbone. Glen and Leonard Wood — Glen’s younger brother — originally transitioned ownership to Eddie, Len and Kim, Glen’s children.

“The way our family business has been structured forever is nobody really had titles,” Jon said. “We all just kind of chipped in and did what we’re good at individually, and as a collective, everything got done. There wasn’t really a structure of titles tied to any single one of us.”

Although the trio might be “new” to the ownership position, they are anything but when it comes to working wherever the family business needs assistance. Jon and Jordan have experience in marketing, with Jordan working the social media accounts during race weekends. Keven has additionally assisted his dad in day-to-day operations.

Learning the tricks of the family trade — and the values that come from it — is one major lesson the trio wishes to continue as they take on control.

“Whenever you talk about the Wood Brothers, they did deals with a handshake, and that handshake was stronger than any contract, so that’s what I want to be able to continue, and when people come to us, and we start trying to do a business venture, our word’s our bond,” Keven said. “If we say we are going to do something, we do it, and that’s what I want to bring into this generation.”

“There’s obviously day-to-day stuff that we learn as we go on, but the biggest thing for me is their loyalty, the way that they treat people, the respect that they have in the industry, based off of who they are, their morals, their values of what they are about,” Jordan said. “I think that’s why our race team has continued as long as it has is because of the relationships that they’ve built, and you can’t do that. You can’t build relationships that last 50 years if you’re not respectful and loyal. That is the biggest thing they’ve always taught us is when you go into any type of decision, loyalty first and respect.”

Jon wishes to build on his father and grandfather’s accomplishments as president. Personal experience plays a part, too — like his grandfather, Jon has racing experience on his resume, with 208 combined races in the national series (2001-08) and two Truck Series wins.

WATCH: NASCAR Classics: Wood Brothers’ iconic wins

This experience, in addition to driving sponsors and guests around the track 15-20 years ago, helped give Jon an avenue to illustrate what it means to be in a driver’s shoes.

“So I always thought, if you only knew how hard this was when you multiply by 100 from what you just felt,” Jon said. “Until you’ve been a driver and felt that and experienced it, you can’t really relate. You can’t really put it into words, and so that experience helps me appreciate it from their perspective and understand it.”

One particular race banner — that of Ryan Blaney’s 2017 Pocono Raceway victory — adorns those same garage walls. And the significance of the victory remains felt — the June 11 win that season remains the most recent Cup victory for the race team to date.

Looking back at past victories and memories continues to evoke competitive drive in the fight toward win No. 100. Harrison Burton is currently in his third year of racing full-time in the No. 21.

Harrison Burton stands on the grid

“Honestly, my fondest memories at the track was when we won the Daytona 500 with Trevor Bayne, and seeing my grandfather in Victory Lane, and also my parents, my dad and my aunt and my uncle because that was one of their biggest victories because they had gone so long without winning,” Jordan said. “ … they had gone that long and it was almost like, for them, it was like, OK, this is us showing that we can do this. We’re back.

“Same thing with that 100th win. I think that it just shows that we aren’t going anywhere. We’re here to stay. I think, more than anything, that’s also what this change in the roles and the titles and kind of handing a little bit over to our generation shows that we’re not going anywhere.”

MORE: 2024 Cup Series schedule

Every new position comes with a learning curve. This remains true for Jon, Jordan and Keven, who will continue to work together as they adjust to life as co-owners.

“My grandpa instilled a lot of values in my dad and my uncle that I know have contributed to the longevity of the team, and it’s not a competitive nature,” Jon said. “It’s not go out, spend the most money, hire the most expensive driver, win every weekend. It’s treat people right, be respectful, stay humble and that sort of mindset I feel like is the very reason we’re the oldest team in NASCAR.”

As such, the trio is eager to continue a legacy built heavily on respect, communication and above all else, family.

“I think it’s pretty admirable that we’ve been able to exist this long, and not just exist but to thrive, and it be a sole family business,” Jon said. “A lot of family businesses fail for that very reason. There’s jealousy, there’s a lot of hurt feelings, there’s distrust and none of that exists with this group. My grandpa started this mindset, and now, I see it. The second generation went out of their way to treat each other equally and to make sure the three of us treat each other equally, and we’re all on the same platform. Somebody’s got to be the boss, I guess, and in that sense, it is what it is.

“We all consider ourselves the same, and I’m not going to say you leave your feelings at the door because we never really fight to begin with. We just get along, and we know the key to making this business continue and last is being able to trust each other and consider ourselves equals.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

Jimmie Johnson is scheduled to make the third of nine starts in his partial NASCAR Cup Series schedule this weekend at Dover Motor Speedway. He’ll do so in a third Legacy Motor Club entry, the No. 84 Toyota, in Sunday’s Würth 400 (2 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Seeing his contemporary and LMC colleague run in select races hasn’t prompted the same itch from Matt Kenseth, who joined the organization last October as a competition advisor. The 52-year-old Hall of Famer last competed in 2020, finishing out the pandemic-plagued year as a replacement for Kyle Larson on Chip Ganassi’s team. That campaign — and his part-time return to team owner Jack Roush’s operation in 2018 — showed glimmers of Kenseth’s heyday, but cemented his thoughts about his racing career beyond his prime years.

RELATED: Weekend schedule: Dover

“No, I think my days of racing professionally are over,” Kenseth says. “I think everybody has that — most people do, some people maybe don’t — but I certainly had the realization that I can’t do it at the level that I wanted to do it at, or that I used to be able to do it, anymore. I really came to that realization. It was painfully obviously in 2020 when I came back and drove Chip’s car for that year. There’s a lot of circumstances that made it difficult to be competitive, but with all that being said, there’s some races we were fairly competitive, but most of the time I was just way over my head.”

Kenseth won 39 times in a Cup Series career that spanned 697 starts — just six more than Johnson. His last win came in his final full season in 2017 when he drove Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota to victory at Phoenix Raceway. He drove a No. 20 with a throwback livery in the following week’s season finale, signaling what seemed to be an end to his driving career.

Kenseth was 45 years old at the time of his last win, cognizant that prime performance and extra longevity rarely overlapped at the sport’s top level. Two rare exceptions come to mind: Mark Martin’s five-win 2009 season at age 50, and Harry Gant’s captivating four-race win streak at age 51 that made him “Mr. September” in 1991.

“I think there comes a time in most people’s career where if they’re going to be really honest with themselves, maybe they don’t want to tell everyone else, but they can look in the mirror and be like, ‘You know, my days of doing this at the level I used to be able to do it at, or the level the rest of these kids are doing it now, and to be able to keep up and win, those days are over,'” Kenseth said. “And I’ve never really had any desire to go out there and run mid-pack or run in the back. I’ve never had a desire to do that. So like I said, I know the days of winning races are over, so with that being said, I would say so are my days of professional driving.”

Johnson, nearly four years his junior at age 48, joined Kenseth in the Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024, one year after his friend. Johnson retired from full-time Cup Series competition in 2020, then dabbled in IndyCar racing for two seasons before his NASCAR return as a co-owner and driver last year.

His five starts so far in the No. 84 entry have yet to produce a top-10 finish, but there’s optimism for this weekend at Dover, where Johnson has recorded 11 of his 83 career wins.

“Historically, that’s probably his best race track,” Kenseth says. “So it’ll be interesting to see how he can do and how the team does.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

When Matt Kenseth arrived to pick up John Hunter Nemechek for a Saturday carpool up to Martinsville Speedway earlier this month, birthday festivities for 3-year-old Aspen Nemechek were in progress. Party attendee and fellow Cup Series driver Kyle Busch asked Nemechek, “Who’s that?” as he pulled up.

Any calling card could have worked to answer the “Who’s that?” question. A former NASCAR Cup Series champion, a two-time Daytona 500 winner, or – pulling from more recent history – a NASCAR Hall of Famer. But that chilly springtime weekend, Kenseth’s driving duties as Nemechek’s ride-share were significantly less glamorous.

“I was like, that’s what I’m relegated to is being an Uber driver up to Martinsville,” Kenseth said, days after the trip. “So I was going to actually offer Kyle to jump in, but I was going to make him pay, and I knew he would have never done that.”

Kenseth hasn’t lost any zip off his dry-humor fastball. The deadpan delivery that was part of his fabric during his driving days is still a trademark in his recent return to the sport with Legacy Motor Club, where the 52-year-old signed on last fall as a competition advisor for the team, co-owned by his good friend and seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.

Part of Kenseth’s charge is to assist the organization in its transition this season to Toyota, but the other component is to provide guidance and serve as a mentor for Nemechek and teammate Erik Jones, who will be sidelined from this weekend’s activity at Dover Motor Speedway after suffering a back injury Sunday in a crash at Talladega Superspeedway. Corey Heim, a 21-year-old Craftsman Truck Series regular, will substitute in the No. 43 Toyota.

RELATED: NASCAR Legends behind the scenes | Cup Series standings

Kenseth’s influence has helped build camaraderie with Jones and the team’s newcomer in Nemechek, who returned to the Cup Series this season after a seven-win campaign last year in the Xfinity Series. On his nearly two-hour trip to Martinsville, Nemechek said the conversation flowed and helped the two become even better acquainted. And as Nemechek said before the season started, “There’s never a dull moment.”

“I always kind of knew him, but didn’t know him on a personal level. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been able to spend way more time with him and kind of pick his brain in some different ways,” Nemechek says. “… But having a guy like that around that’s won so many times, and has been in the ups, has been in the downs, has helped build programs. Just a great guy to have around.”

Kenseth last drove in the Cup Series in 2020, ending his career with 697 starts and 39 wins. In the years since his retirement, his days have been spent training for and competing in marathons, vacationing with family, travel sports with his daughters and being honored with his induction into the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023.

“Once you’re not doing something all the time, that’s the sort of thing people always ask you, ‘What’ve you been doing with all your time?'” Kenseth says. “It’s funny, because I remember when my mother-in-law retired, and that was the thing that aggravated her the most is when people would ask her what she did all day, and I never really understood that until I was a little bit in that situation – not that this has aggravated me, by the way — but honestly, my days are just busy.”

Kenseth said this year has slowed slightly with the youngest of his four daughters reaching full-day kindergarten, and that the initial conversations with Johnson opened the door to his new role back in the sport. Those early discussions led to lunch meetings with Cal Wells, the team’s CEO, where he learned more about Legacy M.C.’s vision.

“He was just looking for a little bit of help and some consulting and to bump some ideas off somebody, to come in there and try to help just a little bit,” Kenseth says. “For me, it just seemed like the timing was right. Obviously, like I said, Jimmie is not only a good friend, but the most aggravating thing about Jimmie is I’ve never found anything he’s bad at, so I really think that his intentions are to make this the top race team, and I think if anybody can do it, it’s going to be him. The timing worked good for me as an opportunity to get back into the sport. I’ve been away for a few years, so it’s just something I was interested in trying.”

Matt Kenseth chats with Legacy Motor Club driver Erik Jones at Martinsville Speedway
James Thomas | NASCAR.com

Kenseth’s arrival last October also filled a need for the organization, which has undergone a series of massive transformations in recent years. The team name has shifted along with its ownership structure — from its Richard Petty Motorsports origins to the merger with Maury Gallagher’s group into Petty GMS, and lastly under the LMC banner with Johnson’s acquisition of a minority stake. The move to Toyota from Chevrolet has been its own major undertaking.

What was missing amid the seismic, nearly annual changes was a system of checks and balances for the team’s drivers. That’s where Kenseth has stepped in as both an advocate and a liaison.

“Matt is not necessarily … he is in competition, right, but he’s not on the car performance. He’s kind of on our side. ‘OK, what do you guys need to be better? How can we help you?'” Jones said before the season began. “You know, the last few years, we haven’t had any kind of driver focus, right? We’ve been just trying to get our competition stuff better, and we’ve kind of got that where it’s heading the right direction, and now we wanted to get the drivers to where they can get everything we want.”

What Kenseth has found are two talented drivers who spent significant stints with longtime Toyota team Joe Gibbs Racing, which was Kenseth’s last full-time stop in the Cup Series. Both are roughly the same age – Jones 27, and Nemechek 26 – but Jones brings more experience, now in his eighth year at the Cup level, with Nemechek in just his second Cup season – returning to the top level after a single season there with Front Row Motorsports in 2020.

MORE: LMC’s ‘Petty blue’ look for No. 43 this week | Weekend schedule: Dover

Kenseth has noted Jones’ even keel and veteran poise. He described Nemechek as a “gym rat” with an intense approach to fitness. “It’s been fun for me, they’re both very different personalities, very different drivers,” Kenseth says, “and I think that’ll be a big advantage because they’ll be able to learn a lot from each other.”

What’s next for the group is moving forward and establishing a foundation around its new building blocks. Jones sits 20th in the Cup Series standings with a medical waiver for playoff eligibility to account for his injury absence; he’ll likely need to win to clinch a postseason berth. Nemechek ranks 22nd with two top-10 finishes in his first season driving the Next Gen Cup Series car, though crashes in the last three races have caused him to slip back in the field.

Making progress, Kenseth says, isn’t something that’s achieved quickly, but the personnel and manufacturer alignment are in place to help Legacy M.C. gain ground.

“I think it’s a process. I don’t think anything ever really, really happens overnight,” Kenseth says. “I feel like the success of any business — not just racing, but in any sports and any businesses — obviously involves people. So it’s getting not only the right people, but getting the right people in the right places. I think going to Toyota was a great step. I think when it comes to motorsports, nobody does it better than they do. Nobody puts more effort, money, dedication, whatever, into winning. So I think that was a great move. I think they’ve been doing all the right things. I think it just, it takes some time to go from where maybe we were a couple of years ago to winning races on a consistent basis. That’s just gonna take a little bit of time.”

Posted on by Cameron Richardson

Editor’s Note: Racing Insights’ playoff projections use a combination of current standings and historical performance at upcoming tracks to determine the probability of each driver winning or making the playoffs on points.

With the Cup Series Playoffs on the mind throughout the season, what if there was a way to project how the 16-driver field could look before each race weekend?

It now exists via Racing Insights. From now until the start of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, ‘The Field of 16’ will give fans a weekly look at where their favorite drivers could potentially land in the postseason field – and the likelihood of having a shot at the Bill France Cup.

Dover projections
Provided by Racing Insights

Here’s this week’s update on the projections heading into Dover Motor Speedway.

DRIVERS LOCKED IN

With multiple wins in 2024 already, William Byron and Denny Hamlin are safely into the Cup playoffs with 100% probability. Both drivers now have their eyes set on the regular-season title and the 15 bonus playoff points that come with it. After crashing out at Talladega, Hamlin fell three spots in the Cup standings and is now 51 points behind points leader Kyle Larson. Byron moved up to fourth and is 24 points behind his Hendrick teammate.

DRIVERS LIKELY IN

Tyler Reddick’s rousing Talladega victory last Sunday made it seven different winners through 10 races, tightening the playoff picture further for those on the outside looking in. Larson, Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell and Daniel Suárez also fall into this category with a win each. All will be seeking more to fully lock in their spot in the event of more than 16 winners before the playoffs begin at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but if you’re a fan of these drivers, you can relax for the time being.

With the NASCAR circuit shifting to the Dover concrete this weekend, Martin Truex Jr. stands out as the next in line to grab a victory in 2024 as he’s collected four wins at his home track.

If Truex is the next new victor of the season Sunday, the pressure’s really going to be applied to a group of Ford drivers in Chris Buescher, Brad Keselowski and defending champion Ryan Blaney as they still seek to put the automaker in Victory Lane for the first time in 2024.

Ross Chastain could also grab the checkered flag Sunday as he’s scored top-three finishes in both Dover races in the Next Gen era.

LAST 4 IN

Experience and championship pedigree may not matter in a few weeks’ time as multi-time champs Joey Logano and Kyle Busch sit at the bottom of those projected in the 16-driver field. It’s been a season of few positives for either driver as both share the same stats of a single top-five result and three top 10s. Based on how the two have performed so far this season, their best hopes may await at World Wide Technology Raceway in June as they split the first two checkered flags at the Illinois oval.

On the other hand, the majority of Toyota’s field has been pretty fast everywhere. May could be a huge month for both Ty Gibbs and Bubba Wallace as Kansas Speedway, Darlington Raceway and the Coca-Cola 600 are on the horizon.

FIRST 4 OUT

Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Erik Jones and Michael McDowell return as the frontrunners to stir up drama in the playoff field. Bowman is a recent winner at the Monster Mile, nabbing the victory in 2021.

Erik Jones will sit out Sunday’s race due to an injury following a wreck at Talladega last weekend. Corey Heim will sub for the veteran in his first Cup Series race.

Briscoe and McDowell haven’t fared well at Dover in the Next Gen era, but a good sign for Briscoe is that Stewart-Haas Racing has scored at least one top-1o result at all but one track a mile or smaller this season.

WHO CAN SHAKE UP PLAYOFF PICTURE AT DOVER?

Bowman sticks out the most as the guy who can really make those near the bubble sweat as the heat of summer rapidly approaches. The driver of the No. 48 didn’t compete at Dover last year due to injury but finished fifth in 2022.

MORE: Racing Insights predicts Dover | 2024 Cup Series schedule

Give Ricky Stenhouse Jr. a long-shot look this Sunday. The No. 47 JTG Daugherty team gathered some much-needed momentum with a season-best top-five result at Talladega and Stenhouse was the runner-up at Dover in 2022.

Before each race weekend, check back into The Field of 16 to see the latest projections of the 2024 Cup Series playoff field.

Posted on by Press Release

AUSTIN, Texas — FloSports, a leading global sports media company, has added the crown jewel of super late model racing to its portfolio acquiring the exclusive live event rights to the 57th Snowball Derby. The annual event will be streamed live on FloRacing and extensively featured across FloRacing social channels in the lead up to the race. In support of the agreement, Five Flags Speedway has announced that it will increase the winner’s purse to a record $50,000. The 57th Snowball Derby will stream live from the Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, on Dec. 4-8 only on FloRacing.

The addition of the 57th Snowball Derby to the FloRacing calendar reinforces FloRacing’s place as an essential destination for motorsport fans across the globe. Beyond streaming the main event live, FloRacing will provide comprehensive coverage of qualifying events and practice sessions, ensuring an immersive experience across all digital channels. Racing America will retain rights for Five Flags Speedway’s regular season events and will continue to promote, cover and support the track throughout the year.

Since its creation in 1968, the Snowball Derby has commanded national attention becoming a required stop for late model drivers. It has long attracted the best drivers of NASCAR with past winners including current NASCAR Cup Series drivers Noah Gragson, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, and Chase Elliott along with legendary drivers Donnie Allison and Darrell Waltrip.

“We’re proud of what the Snowball Derby has become and are very grateful to the many who have supported the race throughout the years like speed51.com and Racing America, which continues to showcase our regular season events,” commented Tim Bryant, General Manager of the Five Flags Speedway. “What FloSports has done on the dirt side of short track racing is phenomenal, and to include the Snowball Derby into their asphalt programming is fantastic. We’re looking forward to starting a new chapter with FloRacing and creating an exceptional experience for both the competitors and fans.”

Mark Floreani, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FloSports, added, “The Snowball Derby is one of the most popular races in the country and a must-see event on the racing calendar. By adding it to the FloRacing portfolio we are delivering more value to our fans who will get a premium viewing experience and robust storytelling across our digital channels in and around the race window.”

Posted on by Seth Sharp

Throughout the 2024 NASCAR season, Ken Martin, director of historical content for the sanctioning body, will offer his suggestions on which historical races fans should watch from the NASCAR Classics library in preparation for each upcoming race weekend.

Martin has worked exclusively for NASCAR since 2008 but has been involved with the sport since 1982, overseeing various projects. He has worked in the broadcast booth for hundreds of races, assisting the broadcast team with different tasks. This includes calculating the “points as they run” for the historic 1992 finale, the Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The following suggestions are Ken‘s picks to watch before this weekend‘s Würth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway.

1983 Mason Dixon 500:

The 10th race of the 1983 NASCAR Cup Series campaign turned out to be a back-and-forth battle between the two hottest drivers on the circuit.

Darrell Waltrip entered the race as the two-time defending series champion, racking up 24 wins over those two seasons and sat at 54 for his career. He was coming off three wins over his previous four races.

Series points leader Bobby Allison was the runner-up to Waltrip in both 1981 and 1982, compiling 13 wins over that stretch. He also grabbed 53 top-10 finishes over his previous 71 starts.

When the series arrived at Dover, it was Joe Ruttman who put his No. 98 car on the pole. His qualifying effort came in the middle of a strong start to the season for Ruttman, who entered the race third in the point standings.

The Monster Mile chewed up and spit out 19 different cars on the day, five due to accidents and the other 14 due to mechanical failures.

It wasn’t a surprise that the race for the win came down to Allison and Waltrip. The two drivers swapped the lead 12 times over the final 150 laps of the 500-mile endurance test. No other driver paced the field over that span.

Allison led the final 18 laps en route to his first victory of the season. He went on to capture the 1983 NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Bobby Allison takes the checkered flag
NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images

1984 Budweiser 500:

It was only fitting that Richard Petty was on the cusp of an important milestone as the NASCAR Cup Series arrived at Dover in early 1984.

Petty won his 198th career race at the end of the 1983 season and was looking to close in on his 200th victory at Dover.

Petty won the first two races at the track in 1969 and 1970, adding a third win over the first four races there. He won again in 1974, 1975 and 1979, entering the race weekend with six wins at the track.

He sat seventh in the season standings, with eight top-12 finishes but had yet to finish better than fourth. Petty put his iconic No. 43 car in fifth on the grid following qualifying, which saw Ricky Rudd and Bill Elliott out front.

The race saw 26 lead changes and Petty continued to get stronger as the laps passed by. He led 126 of the final 221 laps, as he put himself on the cusp of history with his 199th career victory.

Tim Richmond finished second behind Petty, while Terry Labonte, Elliott and Dale Earnhardt rounded out the top five.

Harry Gant, who led a race-high 218 laps, retired after 392 laps due to mechanical issues.

Richard Petty takes the checkered flag at Dover
NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images

1990 Budweiser 500:

The 1990 NASCAR Cup Series season kicked off with a shocking surprise as Derrike Cope captured the first victory of his career in dramatic fashion — passing Dale Earnhardt on the final lap of the Daytona 500.

Two weeks later, Kyle Petty picked up the third victory of his career in a dominating effort at Rockingham. Petty led 433 of the race’s 492 laps after starting the race on the pole.

The following month saw Brett Bodine pick up a controversial victory at North Wilkesboro, which was the first win of his career.

It wasn’t a surprise when a handful of surprises occurred at Dover at the start of June.

1989 Rookie of the Year Dick Trickle put his Cale Yarborough-owned No. 66 car on the pole for the first time in his career. He promptly went out and led a career-high 63 laps and finished third. It was the fourth time he finished third in his career, the highest finish of his career.

Cope, who had struggled following his upset victory at Daytona, arrived at Dover 23rd in points. His 15th-place qualifying effort seemed like it would be just another week for the team but that was not the case.

He led 93 laps, including the final 55, on his way to the second victory of his career.

Morgan Shepherd, who quietly was battling a stomach bug, toughed out the 500-mile battle for a sixth-place finish. This, combined with engine issues from Dale Earnhardt, moved Shepherd into first in the season standings.

A general view of Dover in 1989
NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images

You can watch these three races and hundreds more by visiting NASCAR Classics.

Posted on by Staff Report

Hendrick Motorsports and Kyle Larson revealed on the Wednesday edition of NASCAR Race Hub the paint scheme that Larson will run for the throwback race at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 12 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

SHOP: Larson throwback gear

The No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet will pay homage to two-time Southern 500 winner and former Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte and his iconic No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet. Labonte was a 12-time Cup Series winner in his 12 years with Hendrick Motorsports, with his first trip to Victory Lane coming in 1980 at Darlington Raceway — just two years after making his Cup Series debut at the “Track Too Tough to Tame.”

GET TICKETS: Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

Here’s what’s happening in the world of NASCAR with Talladega in the rearview and Dover (Sun., 2 p.m. ET, FS1) right around the corner.

THE LINEUP ️

1️⃣ Reddick’s ‘Dega momentum more than meets the eye

2️⃣ Can Truex regain footing with hometown trip to Dover?

3️⃣ Up on his lid: Corey LaJoie breaks down Talladega tumble

4️⃣ The Next Generation of Dover dominators?

5️⃣ Catch the pack — news and notes from around the garage

Tyler Reddick sprays Monster Energy in Victory Lane after winning at Talladega.
James Gilbert | Getty Images

1. Tyler Reddick’s Talladega roundup adds to momentum ahead of Dover 

Superspeedway wins aren’t always indicative of success elsewhere, but Reddick’s victory may say otherwise.

Neither Tyler Reddick nor Toyota have to worry any longer about being winless on the superspeedways. Not after Reddick’s masterful wreck avoidance on the final lap — and exceptional late-race positioning — scored him a critical win last Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.

Don’t mistake this victory as some fluke triumph, though. Reddick and the No. 45 team out of 23XI Racing have been putting themselves in position all year long to contend for a trip to Victory Lane.

Reddick has netted 60 stage points this season, enough to rank sixth-best in the Cup Series after 10 races, with his 14.24 average running position ninth-best, according to NASCAR’s loop data. Add in four top fives and seven top 10s in the first 10 events of the season and it’s no surprise that the 28-year-old California native is sitting fifth in points ahead of this weekend’s trip to Dover Motor Speedway (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: Kyle Petty: ‘Jordan-esque’ performance nets Reddick the win

Reddick has proved he can compete at any track type on the NASCAR schedule, with victories at road courses (Circuit of The Americas, Road America, Indianapolis), intermediates (Texas, Kansas) and now superspeedways (Talladega).

Perhaps the only question remaining is how well he and his team can carry their new-found momentum forward. On the heels of five straight top-10 finishes, Reddick shifts to Dover, where he has just two top-10s in five starts, but both coming in his past three Dover starts. Reddick’s name could — and maybe should — be among the favorites in the weeks to come after Dover. He won the Cup Series’ most recent race at Kansas Speedway last fall to propel forward in the playoffs and led 90 laps en route to a runner-up finish in last year’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, which served then as the postseason opener.

One thing is for certain: Talladega is far from representative of any future success on the Cup circuit for the next three months. But a hint of momentum for Reddick, crew chief Billy Scott and the rest of their No. 45 team could spell trouble for the rest of the field chasing Toyota’s Joe Gibbs Racing and Chevrolet’s Hendrick Motorsports.

Martin Truex Jr. looks on from pit road.
James Gilbert | Getty Images

2. All eyes on the hometown hero heading to Dover?

Martin Truex Jr. has nothing to worry about as he sits second in points. But recent results leave more to be desired.

It feels like the last thing anyone should be concerned about is the performance level of Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 19 team over at Joe Gibbs Racing. The 2017 Cup Series champion is second in points, just 15 behind Kyle Larson for the standings lead, and has five top-10 finishes through the season’s opening 10 races.

And yet … the final leaderboards have not quite favored Truex. Since finishing fourth at Richmond Raceway in late March, Truex has finished 18th (Martinsville), 14th (Texas) and 11th (Talladega).

Context, of course, is key: Truex was pushing Tyler Reddick into the tri-oval on the final lap at Talladega and happened to be a victim of the Big One instead. He still salvaged his day with a reasonable finish after leading 16 laps despite collecting zero stage points. His average running position across the season has also been nearly flawless — a second-best 10.97, only behind teammate Denny Hamlin (10.17).

RELATED: Truex’s career through the years

Momentum has come in waves for the No. 19 team over the past two years. Truex and crew chief James Small went winless in 2022 and missed the playoffs thanks to that year’s numerous victors, even though Truex ended the regular season sitting fourth in the standings. Last year, Truex scored the Regular Season Championship with three trips to Victory Lane, but the No. 19 team fell apart in the postseason with just two top 10s across the final 10 races, ousted from title contention after the Round of 8.

A trip back to Dover Motor Speedway — the 1-mile concrete oval that sits approximately a 150-mile drive southwest of Truex’s native Mayetta, New Jersey — may be exactly what the 43-year-old needs. The four-time Dover winner scored his most recent Monster Mile triumph last year, breaking a 54-race winless spell.

There are no doubts Truex has every bit the speed to crack into Victory Lane — and was cruising to do so at Richmond after leading 228 laps before a late-race caution sent the race to overtime. But can he and the team right the ship before momentum dips too low?

3. Up on his lid: Corey LaJoie breaks down Talladega tumble

Corey LaJoie and Skip Flores go inside the No. 7 Chevrolet and relive LaJoie’s last-lap crash at Talladega that sent LaJoie upside down.

 

4. Who are the Next Generation of drivers at Dover?

Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. are the two racers who have won at the Monster Mile since the debut of the Next Gen car. But who else has found themselves among the mix in Delaware? A look at those contenders, with stats provided by Racing Insights:

Most laps inside the top five at Dover in the Next Gen car

DriverLaps inside the top five
Ross Chastain613
Martin Truex Jr.480
Ryan Blaney442
Denny Hamlin410
William Byron308
Chase Elliott304
Christopher Bell245
Kyle Busch207
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.157
Alex Bowman133

5. Catch the pack — news and notes from around the garage

Power Rankings: Can Alex Bowman complete sweep of 2024 Hendrick winners?

Paint Scheme Preview: See the schemes for Dover

Michael Jordan on Reddick, 23XI victory at ‘Dega: ‘This, to me, is like an NBA playoff game’

Erik Jones out at Dover after Talladega crash; Corey Heim to debut as substitute

NASCAR All-Star Race format, tire options unveils for North Wilkesboro

Biffle, Dorton, Sprague added to NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2025 nominees

Analysis: Toyota’s strategy cuts through Talladega turmoil with Tyler Reddick

NASCAR Inside The Race: Going deeper on Toyota’s pit strategy

Legacy Motor Club unveils ‘Petty Blue’ No. 43 for Dover Cup race

@nascarcasm: Fake texts to Talladega winner Tyler Reddick

Which driver is favored to win 2024 title after Talladega?

Martin Truex Jr. takes the checkered flag to win at Dover.
Tim Nwachukwu | Getty Images
Posted on by Staff Report

On Wednesday, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel heard an appeal for the safety penalty issued to Xfinity Series driver Joey Gase following his actions at Richmond Raceway on April 3.

After an incident took him out of the race, Gase took the bumper cover off his damaged No. 35 Ford and threw it at a competitor under caution. He was then penalized and issued a $5,000 fine for violating Sections 8.8.8K of the NASCAR Rule Book, which states: “A safety violation may be imposed for any action or omission by a Competitor or vehicle that creates an unsafe environment or poses a threat to the safety of the Competitors, as determined by NASCAR.”

RELATED: Xfinity schedule | Look ahead to Dover weekend

The Appeals Panel consisting of Hunter Nickell, Shawna Robinson and Kevin Whitaker upheld the penalty to Gase, concluding that “NASCAR was correct in ruling that driver Joey Gase put himself in a dangerous position on the racetrack.”

Gase can appeal the decision of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel to the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer in accordance with the NASCAR Rule Book.