Posted on by Brandon White

Before the green flag waves for Saturday’s South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway, Sam Yarbrough finds himself with an advantage over the rest of the field.

A win in the inaugural Locked In 150 at Florence in September secured the South Carolina 400 pole position for Yarbrough. This eliminated any concerns about Yarbrough potentially being relegated to a heat race and gave him a clear plan of attack in pursuit of a second victory in the event.

Despite this, Yarbrough said the pole will only benefit him for so long, adding that his No. 95 Aaron’s Sales & Lease late model needs to be perfect through all 250 laps if he wants to be up front at the end of a long, grueling night.

“You still have to go through the motions and be the best you can be,” Yarbrough said. “It’s certainly nice to know where I’m starting, but it doesn’t make the task any easier when it comes to making sure the car is good enough to win the race.”

RELATED: How to watch Saturday’s South Carolina 400 at Florence

Just putting together an efficient setup for the Locked In 150 was a trepidatious process for Yarbrough and his McCumbee Elliott Racing team.

The entire afternoon saw Yarbrough deal with frustration as he struggled to find speed against a talented field of competitors. A major swing prior to qualifying proved to be a turning point for Yarbrough, as he used the newfound speed to pull away with a Locked In 150 victory during the closing laps.

While Yarbrough was happy with what he and his team discovered in the Locked In 150, he does not expect the same game plan to be effective Saturday evening. A larger entry list and opportunities for diverging strategies will put more emphasis on Yarbrough finding perfect track position when it comes time to get aggressive.

“[The South Carolina 400] is probably going to be a little bit different,” Yarbrough said. “The final run is going to be 125 laps, so you’re going to see a lot of people jockey for position during those first two segments while others fall back. It’s going to be harder to finish this race off simply because more good cars are coming.”

Among Sam Yarbrough’s accomplishments as a driver include six titles at the now defunct Myrtle Beach Speedway. (Photo: Susan Wong/NASCAR)

Yarbrough has never known a South Carolina 400 to not be reliant on patience and strategy in his 13 previous attempts, which stem back to when the event was known as the Myrtle Beach 400 at Myrtle Beach Speedway.

Although Yarbrough earned six Myrtle Beach track championships before its closure in 2020, he only visited Victory Lane in the track’s crown jewel event once back in 2007. He accomplished that feat by maintaining solid track position and keeping his car out of trouble, which allowed him to pass the late Marty Ward for the win with 10 laps remaining.

The following years at Myrtle Beach would see Yarbrough put together several more solid performances but come up short of a second win each time. For Yarbrough, the challenge of claiming South Carolina’s Late Model Stock crown jewel comes down to consistently outsmarting other competitors lap after lap.

“Everybody brings their best,” Yarbrough said. “When it comes to these races, there’s a whole field of good cars. You really have to buckle down and stick to your game plan or you’ll do something you don’t need to do that’ll hurt you later in the run. This race asks a lot more out of the people and the car. It’s just a tough race to win.”

When the Myrtle Beach 400 was rebranded to the South Carolina 400 at Florence in 2020, Yarbrough was once again faced with many of the same obstacles that defined racing at Myrtle Beach for so many years.

The two South Carolina 400s Yarbrough has competed in so far were dominated by tire conservation just like the Myrtle Beach 400, but a slightly less abrasive surface at Florence provided more flexibility for Yarbrough to be slightly more aggressive earlier in the race.

In two starts at Florence Motor Speedway for the South Carolina 400, Sam Yarbrough has recorded finishes of 3rd and 20th. (Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)

Yarbrough believed he had executed his strategy perfectly in last year’s South Carolina 400. After starting on the pole, he spent most of the event pacing the field until two separate collisions with Mason Diaz took him out of contention, relegating him to 20th in the running order.

Just like in 2022, Yarbrough is set to lead a stacked group of competitors from the top spot Saturday evening. He is confident about parking his car in Florence’s frontstretch Victory Lane if he is responsible with his car and avoids trouble on the track.

“We’ll get the car as good as we can get it,” Yarbrough said. “We’ll try to dial it in on a long run and not be too concerned about the speed since we’re already starting on pole. It’s going to be about getting the car comfortable, but we’ll have to save tires. You can’t do too much, just take what the track gives you, otherwise you’ll get put in a bad hole.”

Should Yarbrough prevail in the South Carolina 400, he will become the first driver to win the prestigious event between two different tracks. The only other driver on the entry list who could pull this feat off is 2017 Myrtle Beach 400 winner Josh Berry.

Yarbrough will have a head start on making history Saturday as he looks to further cement himself as one of the best Late Model Stock competitors in South Carolina with two wins in the state’s most cherished short track event.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

Josh Williams will drive the No. 11 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2024 with primary sponsorship from Alloy Employer Services, the team announced Thursday.

Williams has ground through the Xfinity Series for years, running the majority of the tour’s events since 2018 in lesser-funded equipment. Then came a call over the summer from leadership at Kaulig Racing. Now, Williams prepares to step into a car with a team that made a deep run into the NASCAR Playoffs in 2023.

“I didn’t believe it at first,” Williams told NASCAR.com. “It’s one of those deals where, a lot of times, you don’t see a driver like me get the opportunity to run for a team like that. Super excited about it, though, man. I think we’re gonna have a lot of fun and run up front all year long.”

MORE: Silly Season updates ahead of 2024 | 2024 Xfinity Series schedule

The 30-year-old Floridian competed full-time in 2023 with DGM Racing, the team with which he’s made 167 of his 186 Xfinity Series starts. Williams also has two ARCA Menards Series wins to his name, both of which came in 2016, the year he made his Xfinity debut.

In those 186 starts, Williams has just 11 top-10 finishes – all with DGM. What’s particularly noteworthy is that those career-best results came at about any track type imaginable, including short tracks, superspeedways, intermediates and the in-between ovals along the way. His personal best so far is a sixth-place finish at Kansas Speedway in 2020.

Now comes the reward: After years of seeking better chances, an opportunity came to him this time.

“Josh Williams has fought tooth and nail for everything in his racing career, and we’re really excited to have him race for us,” Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing, said in a press release. “We love his energy and passion at the track, and we think his personality and drive will fit right in with the Kaulig Racing culture.”

Talks didn’t just spark recently either, according to Williams.

“We started working on this deal actually last year, just kind of having some conversations and kind of developing the friendship a little bit,” he said. “And then this year, it kind of got a little bit more serious. They felt like I was a good fit over there for those guys and what they’re trying to accomplish.

“This is a tough sport. You know, there’s only so many seats, and there’s way more drivers than seats. It’s a cool opportunity, man. And, you know, I know a lot of the guys that work over there at Kaulig. I’ve known them all the way back from the ARCA days. There’s quite a few of us in the shop that have had relationships over the past 10 or 15 years. I think it’s gonna be really good, man. They’ve got really fast race cars and really good people and a lot of resources.”

With better equipment comes higher expectations. Kaulig Racing placed both Chandler Smith and Daniel Hemric in the Xfinity Series postseason in 2023, with Smith winning at Richmond Raceway and its third full-time car victorious three times – twice with AJ Allmendinger and once with Kyle Larson.

“There’s always pressure, right?” Williams said. “In years past, it’s like, ‘Well, I mean, shoot, Josh finished 10th. That’s awesome. They’re not supposed to do that.’ But now it’s like, ‘Oh man. Josh finished 10th. They should have won the race.’ So yeah, there’s a little bit of pressure there. But you know, it’s gonna come to us for sure. And then once everybody kind of gets to see each other, and we all start jiving and everybody’s rowing in the same direction, I think we’re going to be up front every week.”

Josh Williams smiles on pit road
Sean Gardner | Getty Images

Such is the difference between racing mid-pack in less-funded equipment as opposed to the front of the field on a consistent basis.

“When you’re driving for a smaller team, and you know you’re limited on resources, you’re limited on cars,” Williams explained, “you’ve kind of got to take a different approach at the way you drive, the way you race, the way you handle the race. So I’ve kind of got to prepare myself to race a little bit different, kind of be more aggressive from start to finish and really push the equipment every lap because you know that it’s got the ability to win races.”

Alloy Employer Services, which the press release states focuses on proactive claims management for workplace injuries and risk management, began its relationship with Williams in 2020 and has sponsored him at both DGM Racing and BJ McLeod Motorsports.

“Josh Williams represents the spirit of racing as we know and love it,” said Alloy CMO Chris Estey. “We are excited and confident in his potential for the 2024 season. His blend of competitive edge, skill and sportsmanship promotes a super opportunity for him and all his sponsors. For all of us to be aligned with Kaulig Racing produces a powerful recipe.”

Kaulig Racing noted Alloy will be joined by “a host of long-term and new partners who have been with Williams throughout his (Xfinity) career.”

Of course, a retrospective on Williams’ past wouldn’t be complete without a stop at the spring Xfinity race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where Williams parked his No. 92 Chevrolet on the frontstretch for officials to retrieve after being told to park by NASCAR.

The walk-off incurred a one-race suspension for Williams for disobeying a NASCAR request, but it also brought the spotlight to Williams’ personality, allowing him to highlight the charitable work he does away from the track.

RELATED: Williams recognized as 2022 Comcast Community Champion of the Year finalist

Since 2015, Williams has visited more than 150 hospitals to meet with sick children and families around the country, forming a relationship with the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, which helps build closed circuit television and radio studios in children’s hospitals to better the experience for their patients. Additionally, Williams has continued to collect painted handprints from each child to run on the hood of his race car in the season finale, bringing them even closer to the action.

“It makes you appreciate life 100%,” Williams said of his visits. “You know, I tell all my guys here at JW Motorsports, I’m like, listen, you guys think you’re having a bad day? You’re not having a bad day. You know, you need to appreciate what you have and just keep pushing forward and, you know, make the best out of each opportunity because there’s somebody out there that’s, they are having a bad day, whether they know it or not.

“And working with the kids and being around the families and stuff like that, it means a lot to me. And if I can give back just a little bit of my time and try to make their day just a little bit easier and take their mind off of things for a little while, that’s what means most.”

Grassroots racing is near and dear to Williams’ heart. JW Motorsports, his aforementioned team, fields anything from go-karts at Millbridge Speedway to Bandoleros at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Summer Shootouts to limited late models and late model stocks at local short tracks, all in the name of giving younger drivers a chance to develop as racers.

“The grassroots racing has changed a ton in probably like the past 10 years,” Williams said. “You know, you don’t really see a lot of parents that take their kids to the race track and be competitive anymore. They’re either affiliated with a team or a person that does this full-time. And I try to bring that old-school racer back. I try to teach the kids how to work on their car, try to teach the parents the best, cost-effective way to run all year long instead of running minimal races just to try to keep the dollar going.

“And it’s really hard right now to be competitive in any form of racing, whether you’re racing the CARS Tour late model stock or you’re racing go-karts at Millbridge. It’s super tough, so just trying to teach people what I’ve been taught over the years, saving money and trying to do things the right way.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Ken Squier spent a career talking about other folks and rarely spoke about himself.

That’s our loss.

The world of sports — NASCAR, in particular — is so much richer for his unselfish approach.

Squier, who passed away Wednesday night at the age of 88, likely did as much for the growth of NASCAR as any car owner, crew chief or driver. Yet the Vermont native and lifelong resident of the Granite State never saw it that way.

“I don’t talk about myself; what the hell is there to say about me?” Squier said before his 2018 induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

“The whole game here is to talk about the people that do the job …”

At that, Squier excelled.

“In the old days, you know, (the) ‘60s and ‘70s, four people would get killed every year and that was the reality of the sport and it wasn’t nearly as safe as it is now,” Squier said.

“So that was a part of it that needed to be talked about, because it was the kind of people, and that went back to World War II, and they didn’t give a damn. If you said go, they went, gone. That was a whole different thing than any other sport in this country. … This was the one (sport) where the guys put it on the line, and if they failed, they got hurt, and sometimes very badly. But it was worth the gamble. They absolutely, positively wanted to do it.”

Squier’s fingerprints are all over the sport – from his timeless and unforgettable terminology used to describe the action and its participants to the formation of the Motor Racing Network, which he helped launch and sustain, to the use of in-car cameras, an idea he “borrowed” while on assignment in Australia.

He coined the phrase “The Great American Race” to aptly describe the Daytona 500 and painted a picture of racers as “ordinary people doing extraordinary things” and “common men doing uncommon deeds.”

“He was a big pusher for Cup racing,” seven-time series champion Richard Petty said of Squier. “He understood the racing people, he understood NASCAR and he was really good at it.

“If you’re an amateur or never heard a race or never knew anything about a race, he could explain it to you in layman’s terms. He was one of the first ones, if not the first one, they got to (tell) the general public how exciting Cup racing was.”

* * *

“And there’s a fight between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison!” Squier practically shouted to a national television audience. “The tempers overflowing …”

Not many words have had any greater impact on NASCAR than those, spoken after the completion of the 1979 Daytona 500.

Richard Petty had just won the race for the sixth time, inheriting the lead after the front-runners – Yarborough and Allison – crashed on the backstretch on the final lap of the race.

The event was the first live, flag-to-flag NASCAR race aired by CBS. It had come at the urging of Squier, among others.

RELATED: Squier on origins of ‘The Great American Race’

A large portion of the country was snowed in, providing the network with a ready-made audience. And Squier was just the man to help bring the sport to the masses.

NASCAR was growing and while its schedule included races out West, at Riverside and Ontario, California, as well as in Michigan, Texas, Pennsylvania and Delaware, it was still seen as primarily a Southern entity.

Squier knew the series was beginning to attract a wider audience. And he knew CBS could deliver the action to that audience.

“That caught on,” Squier said of the network’s growing interest. “They saw those crowds that (NASCAR founder and president Bill) France was putting together. And through the ’70s, that Daytona 500 year after year consistently grew more of the drama, more of the adventure.”

Squier was the lead announcer for the Daytona 500 on CBS for 19 consecutive seasons (1979-1997) and worked as the studio host until 2000. He served in a similar capacity for TNN during its coverage of NASCAR as well as with TBS.

“Though he never sat behind the wheel of a stock car, Ken Squier contributed to the growth of NASCAR as much as any competitor,” Jim France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO said in a statement. “Ken was a superb storyteller and his unmistakable voice is the soundtrack to many of NASCAR’s greatest moments. His calls on TV and radio brought fans closer to the sport, and for that he was a fan favorite. Ken knew no strangers, and he will be missed by all. On behalf of the France family and all of NASCAR, I offer my condolences to the family and friends of Ken Squier.”

* * *

In 2013, officials with NASCAR and the Hall of Fame announced the formation of the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence, in honor of Squier and longtime Motor Racing Network announcer Barney Hall. The award recognizes significant contributions made to the sport of NASCAR by members of the media.

Squier and Hall were the inaugural recipients of the prestigious award.

MORE: Squier recalls fondest memories before induction

Five years later, Squier was once again recognized by his peers in NASCAR with his selection into the Hall of Fame.

It was an honor he said he didn’t deserve.

“I really believe those awards in the Hall of Fame should be for those who sat in those cars,” he said.

Squier was inducted into the Hall of Fame by Vermont Governor Phil Scott.

“Ken’s first version of his remarks ran about 26 minutes over, and there was not one single mention of himself,” Scott noted. “It was all about everyone else. But I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. He’s been telling us the great American story his whole life, but we never hear his story.”

Squier wouldn’t have had it any other way.

In addition to his career in radio and television, Squier was also a track promoter and was one of the founding owners of Thunder Road Speedbowl in Barre, Vermont.

* * *

Kenley Dean Squier was born April 10, 1935 in Waterbury, Vermont. His father, Lloyd, owned and operated radio station WDEV in Waterbury and also announced harness racing at local county fairs as well as larger venues. It’s where the younger Squier got his first taste of motorsports – those larger fairs also often hosted open-wheel races.

“Daring drivers, dancing with death and danger in every corner,” he once recalled. “Why, they’d take your breath away. I was fully involved.”

Still just a teen, Squier got his first taste of calling races ­– from the back of a truck in the infield at Morrisville Speedway in Vermont.

“The first race I announced when I was 14; I did it off the back of a logging truck, using a bullhorn,” Squier told the Tampa Bay (Florida) Times in July of 1975. “It ended in a riot involving about 400 people, and the Vermont State Police had to be called out to stop it.”

He also eventually tried his hand at driving, but admitted, “I was a very mediocre driver, at best, and I knew if I was to stay in auto racing, it would have to be as a promoter/announcer.”

A mediocre driver perhaps. But a true Hall of Famer behind the microphone.

Posted on by Staff Report

The smack-dab middle of November usually has a chill in the air, and Thanksgiving’s approach signifies the wind-down of the racing calendar. That wrap-up time, however, has produced true classic moments and milestones during NASCAR’s 75 years, including one of its all-time greatest races.

November 15th stands out as one of the foremost dates in NASCAR history, with the 1992 season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway holding center stage for its significance. The event has entered stock-car racing lore for Alan Kulwicki’s triumph in the multi-layered championship battle and the changing of the guard with Richard Petty’s final Cup Series start coinciding with Jeff Gordon’s first.

The full replay of the 1992 Hooters 500 from our NASCAR Classics library is worth bundling up with again 31 years later.

More consequential November 15th moments stand out. Dale Earnhardt claimed his first Cup Series title on this date, edging out Cale Yarborough to top the standings in the 1980 finale at Ontario (California) Motor Speedway. Eighteen years to the day later, Dale Earnhardt Jr. became an Xfinity Series champion, sealing the first of two consecutive titles in the 1998 season-ending event at Homestead-Miami Speedway, won by Jeff Burton — now his colleague at NBC Sports.

Clint Bowyer edged out Carl Edwards for his lone national series championship in the Xfinity finale at Homestead on Nov. 15, 2008. One year later, Jimmie Johnson landed a knockout in the next-to-last race of the year, winning at Phoenix Raceway to pave the way for the fourth of his record-tying seven titles.

And eight years ago today, the last of Earnhardt Jr.’s 26 Cup Series victories came at Phoenix in – of all things – a rain-shortened event at in the arid Arizona desert. That Southwestern weather oddity and the final win of a Hall of Fame career also remain preserved for posterity, another fall moment to be thankful for.

Posted on by Brandon White

At just 16, Lanie Buice already possesses a strong desire for motorsports.

The Locust Grove, Georgia native has spent most of 2023 gaining valuable on-track experience in a Late Model Stock Car at the abrasive Florence Motor Speedway in South Carolina. Although she did not visit Victory Lane this year, Buice made a name for herself by besting many track veterans to finish second in the point standings at the NASCAR Home Track.

Buice’s determination is one of many reasons why she is the recipient of the 2023 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award.

Named after Hall of Famer Wendell Scott, who became the first African-American to win a NASCAR Cup Series event in 1963, the award is presented to a driver based on his or her on-track performance in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, as well as other qualities like sportsmanship and community service.

The news came as a pleasant surprise for Buice, who is thrilled to be part of the endearing legacy of Scott that permeates through NASCAR today.

“It’s an absolute honor to represent the Wendell Scott family,” Buice said. “He paved the way for so many drivers and continued to push through during his whole career. He worked hard to get his first win, but he never stopped, so I want to put that same passion into everything I do to get my win.

“Wendell Scott was dedicated, and that’s something I can relate to in so many different ways.”

(Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)

As is the case for many young women seeking to break into NASCAR’s top ranks, Buice’s career started on go-kart tracks. She began racing when she was 10.

Since she did not come from a racing background, Buice leaned on the people around her while progressing through the ranks. Roberts Kart Shop co-owner Steve Roberts was instrumental in convincing Buice to continue her career in Legends cars, where she continued to obtain valuable knowledge through her car owners Andy James and Doug Stevens.

It was through former NASCAR Cup Series driver Ken Ragan that Buice got connected with AK Performance, a Late Model Stock program operated by Kendall Sellers that also fielded Legends cars. After several conversations, Buice agreed to join AK Performance in 2023 for a full season in Late Model Stocks.

While Buice and AK Performance traveled to several different tracks around the southeast, they primarily centered their attention on Florence. Nothing came easy for Buice at the track, as she was tasked with adapting to the heavier cars against a group of seasoned veterans, all while figuring out important techniques such as tire conservation.

Ascertaining proper race craft around Florence was a long process for Buice, but she gradually made progress with every race.

“Florence is very complicated,” Buice said. “You have to be very focused and hit the same line every lap while not wearing your tires. There’s a lot to it, and Florence is definitely more technical than any other track I’ve ever been to.”

One area particularly on which Sellers advised Buice was how to exit Florence’s fourth turn. She said that corner requires drivers to be patient on exit; being overly aggressive will cause drivers to abuse the right rear too much, hindering them at the end of the race.

Sellers said Florence’s rigid layout requires drivers to walk a fine line between being conservative and aggressive. He said Buice’s fortitude behind the wheel is one of her strongest qualities, and he’s been impressed with how she has reigned in her aggression to be more methodical.

“[Lanie] is not scared to go get it,” Sellers said. “Sometimes she is not scared to go over the line, but she’s got a lot of drive to do better every time she’s on the track. Lanie is hard on herself, but she is hard-nosed and wants to win.”

Buice’s rookie season at Florence saw her finish inside the top five on nine different occasions. The closest Buice came to obtaining a victory was the second twin feature on June 17, when she finished second to Doug Barnes Jr. in a 20-car field.

Going up against so many talented Late Model Stock drivers every week was enlightening for Buice. By observing where her competition was making up time at different points in a race, Buice believes she is in a much better position to contend for victories moving forward.

“All the guys [at Florence] are such great drivers,” Buice said. “You have Matt Cox and Ryan Glenski. Doug Barnes Jr. was there quite a bit, as well, so I really learned a lot from racing against those guys. They’ve been around a while, so figuring out how to pass those guys has been very beneficial.”

Buice was ready to put her knowledge of Florence to good use when it came time for the driving portion of the 2023 Drive for Diversity Combine.

Compared to where Buice was in January, Florence proved to be the easiest part of the Combine. She felt comfortable making laps in one of Rev Racing’s Late Model Stocks after two eventful days of media training and learning more about race craft at the Trackhouse Motorplex.

Lanie Buice was one of several drivers invited to participate in the 2023 Drive for Diversity Combine, which wrapped up at Florence Motor Speedway. (Photo: Susan Wong/NASCAR)

Regardless of whether she is selected for a seat at Rev Racing next year, Buice plans to utilize the information obtained from the Combine to keep improving as a driver.

“I learned a lot at the Combine, especially when it came to the media stuff,” Buice said. “I’ve never really done a bunch of interviews like that before, but I enjoyed it. That week challenged me, and I learned a lot about myself along with what I can do and what I need to work on.”

Now that she has joined other names such as Nick Sanchez, Rajah Caruth and Katie Hettinger as a Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award winner, Buice intends to keep embodying those winning characteristics on and off the track.

Buice is still trying to figure out exactly how to use her platform to make a difference and inspire others seeking a career in NASCAR. One area on which Buice does plan to focus is assisting those with mental disabilities, a cause that has been close to her since childhood.

“I’m very passionate about giving back to the community,” Buice said. “I have [an aunt with mental disabilities], and I’ve spent a lot of time with that community as I’ve grown up by coaching basketball and helping out with a cheer team, so that’s something I’m interested in giving back to one day.”

With a bright future ahead of her, Lanie Brice is determined to embody the characteristics that helped her earn the 2023 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award. (Photo: Susan Wong/NASCAR)

Buice has plenty of time to assemble that outline as she closes out the remaining races on her schedule this year before embarking on a busy 2024.

Sellers is confident Buice’s first victory in a Late Model Stock will occur soon if she continues to make strides in qualifying and keeps the car in one piece. He added those traits are going to be imperative when she eventually faces tougher competition than the Florence weekly shows.

“We need to keep improving at every level,” Sellers said. “You have to check every box, especially against the best Late Model Stock drivers. Those guys don’t miss for 125 laps straight. They are on it in qualifying and during the race. If we execute everywhere, that’s all I can ask for.”

Reflecting on everything she has experienced in 2023, Buice is grateful not only to receive the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award, but for all the support she has received to keep fulfilling her passion of being in a stock car.

Buice is optimistic her dream of one day being in NASCAR’s top divisions is just beginning. Until that day arrives, she remains determined to make all the correct decisions that will allow to achieve her goal and inspire other female competitors along the way.

“I really want to represent the family of Wendell Scott by paving the way for others just like he did,” Buice said. “Opening those doors for people to see the talent female drivers have. We have the skill, the drive and passion for going into the NASCAR world and winning.”

Posted on by Alex Cadavid

This past season proved to be a career year for Ryan Blaney in more ways than one. In addition to becoming champion in the NASCAR Cup Series, Blaney closed out two major sweeps to show that even when the moments are tense, he is willing to take a challenge head-on and prevail in the end.

Starting with his first win of the season, it came at one of NASCAR’s most physically demanding races, the Coca-Cola 600. Blaney led 163 laps while holding off Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron, who was hounding him in the closing laps. Blaney took the checkered flag and converted Team Penske’s first sweep on Memorial Day Weekend after Josef Newgarden won the Indianapolis 500 the previous day.

“It was definitely good,” said Blaney when reflecting on the year in Phoenix. “Winning the 600 was huge for our organization for multiple reasons. It was big for me after getting out of that slump after not winning for a little bit.”

RELATED: Blaney ready to soar as new champ | 2023 champion portraits

In the press conference after the Coca-Cola 600, Blaney mentioned wanting to convert the sweep after seeing how Newgarden won the 19th Indy 500 for Roger Penske in epic fashion.

“Watching the Indy 500 yesterday, how that played out, and watching Josef win his first one and watching Mr. Penske win No. 19, that’s really cool to see,” Blaney said. “Especially when that happens, you’re like, well, the pressure is on for us to try to sweep the weekend, especially in two really big races.”

Blaney stepped up to the plate when needed, knocking out a win in one of the sport’s crown-jewel races. Before finding Victory Lane in Charlotte, Blaney went 59 consecutive races without a win but never doubted that he could win again.

“Sometimes you just get in these streaks of things just aren’t going right,” Blaney said. “You feel like you’re doing everything right, maybe your cars aren’t fast enough to win races or you’re making too many mistakes. It can definitely be frustrating.

“I just always try to look forward to the next week and just try to reassure yourself, like you’re here for a reason. If you try to work on these things and try to perfect what you do, that’s all you can do.”

Not only did Blaney gain some confidence back by winning the Coca-Cola 600, but it was also his first win with crew chief Jonathan Hassler, which locked the No. 12 team into the playoffs for the sixth straight year.

Fast forward to the postseason, Blaney found his back against the wall in the Round of 12, 11 points below the elimination line going into the Talladega fall race. Despite that, the No. 12 team escaped with a close margin of victory, finding success at the right time.

Tides continued to turn Blaney’s way in the playoffs as he finally broke through and captured a win at Martinsville Speedway to close out the Round of 8 and advance to his first Championship 4.

In Phoenix, only three Fords were eligible to win a championship in their respective series. Ben Rhodes for ThorSport Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Cole Custer for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series both found their way to crowning moments. That put all eyes on Blaney to complete the sweep once again.

After an uneasy qualifying, Blaney had the tall task of winning the championship starting from 15th. There was also the added pressure of winning back-to-back Cup Series titles for Team Penske. Once again, Blaney stepped up when he needed to and outdueled his championship competitors to finish second at Phoenix to claim his first career title.

“This is what you dream of as a kid,” Blaney said. “This is what you strive for. This is what you run 35 races a year for. To get to this moment, have a championship, you have to run a perfect race to get it.

“You have to keep working hard. That’s what I love about this group, is they don’t ever get down on themselves. They just do the work. They just figure it out. Everyone jumped on the opportunity to dig down deep. That’s what they did. Wound up here.”

For team owner Roger Penske, Blaney managed to deliver on two monumental occasions for the organization. Penske capped the year with two motorsport crown-jewel wins and back-to-back Cup Series titles, two things the organization had never done before.

Posted on by Staff Report

A three-member appeals panel upheld a safety penalty Tuesday against NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Newman for his failure to wear proper protective equipment during a race weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The National Motorsports Appeals Panel heard the appeal Tuesday and determined that Newman violated the rule as indicated in the Oct. 25 penalty notice. The panel also affirmed and upheld the original penalty — a $10,000 fine for violating Section 8.3.2.A (Driver Responsibilities) and Section 14.3.1.1.A&F (Driver Protective Clothing/Equipment) after he removed his head sock.

MORE: Ryan Newman penalized (Oct. 25)

After the ruling, the panel issued an explanation and a suggestion: “We reached this conclusion because it was demonstrated that he didn’t wear the proper safety equipment during practice and qualifying. In the absence of a specific fine for the infraction, we listened to NASCAR’s description for how they arrived at the $10,000 penalty. However, the panel suggests NASCAR establish a policy that all safety violations have a published range.”

Dixon Johnston, Hunter Nickell, Steve York served on the panel for Tuesday’s hearing.

Newman, 45, returned to the NASCAR Cup Series this season after missing the 2022 campaign. The veteran — an 18-time winner in NASCAR’s top division — competed in eight races this year with Rick Ware Racing.

Posted on by Staff Report

A storybook 2023 NASCAR campaign has come to a close, but that doesn’t mean fans can’t reminisce about a season chock-full of lasting memories.

In fact, with the 2023 Fan Choice Awards Supercharged by Worldwide Express, fans will have the chance to let their voices be heard when it comes to these action-packed moments. For the next week, you will have the opportunity to vote on 10 different categories from the sport’s 75th anniversary season.

RELATED: Vote for 2023 Fan Choice Awards here!

Voting opened Nov. 14 and closes on Nov. 20 at noon ET. Voting categories include:

• Best Race
• Best Rivalry
• Best Paint Scheme
• Person of the Year
• Best Driver on Social Media
• Best Celebration or Burnout
• Best Scanner Moment
• Most Improved
• Crew Chief of the Year
• Most Dominant Performance

Users may vote for one option within each category and submit one ballot per day per unique email address. Winners for each category will be announced soon thereafter, so stay tuned to see if your choice won in the polls!

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

Richard Childress Racing managed another multi-win season as a multi-time champion joined its Cup Series stable. But drivers Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon left 2023 wanting more.

Busch made the highly publicized transition from Joe Gibbs Racing to RCR’s campus in Welcome, North Carolina, and won nearly immediately, scoring a victory at Auto Club Speedway in Week 2 of the regular season after leading Lap 200 of the Daytona 500 seven days earlier. The 2015 and ’19 champion netted two other victories (Talladega Superspeedway in April; World Wide Technology Raceway in June), which locked him into the NASCAR Playoffs for the 11th consecutive year.

Dillon, winner of the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 and 2018 Daytona 500, had a less fruitful year with far more frustration than in years past.

In one sense, it was a tale of two opposite seasons for the new teammates. In another, those disappointments were shared across Dillon’s No. 3 team and Busch’s No. 8 program.

MORE: Final season standings | Silly Season moves ahead of 2024

Busch’s postseason push ended after the Round of 12, eliminated after the series’ visit to the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course. Despite his three wins — a personal best since winning five races in 2019 — all six of Busch’s DNFs came because of damage.

“I mean, I would say it’s OK,” Busch said of the No. 8 team’s year ahead of the Phoenix finale. “Did we meet expectations? Yes. I would say there were a lot of doubters that I wasn’t going to win at RCR and all that stuff. So for us to go out and win, I feel like that was really good. You know, we’re building on a notebook and building on our program this year here to be able to get ready to go back to some of these places for a second time next year. So I’d like to think next year can be even better.”

Ultimately, Busch finished the year ranked 14th in points, his worst final points position since a 20th-place showing in his 2005 rookie season. He was ahead of only Michael McDowell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who rounded out the 16-driver playoff field at season’s end. To say 2023 was a failure for Busch, crew chief Randall Burnett and the No. 8 team would be a harsh overstatement — three wins, 10 top fives and 17 top-10 finishes cannot be overlooked. But as a former title winner with a sure ticket to the NASCAR Hall of Fame after he hangs up his helmet, hopes were undoubtedly higher for Busch this season.

“We had a lot of highs and lows,” he said. “So the peaks and the valleys were very far and spread wide. So we got to clean that up and just, you know, obviously raise our bar, get more top 10s, more top fives. Even though we’re high on those amounts, we’re very high on DNFs as well, too. So that’s where, like you said, the inconsistency lies and being able to be better at that. So I think there was probably two at least, maybe three other races that we had potential we could have won. Wish I could have them back but, you know, it is what it is.”

Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon stand next to each other on pit road at Daytona
Sean Gardner | Getty Images

So came plenty of growing moments for Busch and his new teammates, led by Burnett who crew chiefed the No. 8 car to three wins in 2022 with then-driver Tyler Reddick. Per Busch, there was no shortage of accountability in diagnosing persistent issues, all in an effort to produce better and more steady results.

“It’s tough because you sit in a room and you talk about all the negative, right?” Busch said. “You’ve just gotta go, what didn’t work? What was wrong? What was missing? And all that stuff and just this, this, this, this, this we need to fix. And there was like, OK, well what did we do good? What did we have good? And it was like, not a whole lot, you know? But that’s the times in which you’ve got to be tough — Randall and them tough on me, and me tough on them. All of that.”

RELATED: Kyle Busch through the years | Austin Dillon through the years

The season was a further struggle for Dillon, who wound up 29th in points with career-worst numbers in average start (20.0), average finish (21.8), DNFs (10) and tied a career low with 20 lead-lap finishes.

A veteran who’s competed at the highest level of stock-car racing since 2014, Dillon saw modest improvement in the closing stages of 2023 with a 10th-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway, capitalizing on a sixth-place qualifying effort and cultivating a fifth-best average running position of 8.75.

“When you have a good run like Homestead,” Dillon said, “you go back and look at it and you prove to yourself that when given the right opportunity, you can take advantage of it and you can race with those guys. And sometimes you might put in more effort — like this year, I feel like I put in more effort than I ever have and getting less from it than I ever have. So, it’s still a sport and you have to take it seriously every day. But also sometimes, you’ve got to laugh and just enjoy the situation you’re in and come out the other side and know that there’s going to be a time where it’s going to be your turn.”

Crew chief Keith Rodden was new to the No. 3 team, who returned to the pit box for his first full season since 2016. Rodden most recently served as crew chief for Kasey Kahne at Hendrick Motorsports through 27 races of the 2017 season, winning that year’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Kahne and the No. 5 Chevrolet.

Dillon said his relationship with Rodden has “been tested for sure” through a grueling Cup season but remained optimistic for what’s ahead.

“It’s grown and we’re still growing our relationship,” Dillon said. “But what I’ve learned about him is he’s not going to give up on me. And you know, when times are like that, when you make it out the other side, your relationships are better.”

Dillon is the grandson of car owner Richard Childress and son of Mike Dillon, the team’s executive vice president. So the driver of the famed No. 3 Chevrolet has a vested interest in the overall performance of RCR with a potential future eye in team management.

MORE: How a bull-riding team preps Dillon for life after driving

There were plenty steps taken in the right direction this year, but work within the shop persists with eyes on a better 2024.

“I think we’re capable of winning races and being in the playoffs,” Dillon said. “And we’ve got to do a better job of when we get in the playoffs, capitalize a little better. Kyle just didn’t really have a great second round and we couldn’t help him as much as we needed to. So hopefully next year, we’re both in it, we’re both fighting together and we have more shots at it.”

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

Landon Huffman has a lot to look forward to in 2024, and that includes racing with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

Huffman announced Monday he will drive the No. 98 Modified for Shamrock Motorsports, a new team that will make its debut during the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway in February.

The team, which will be owned by Justin and Ernie Hanney and operate out of Huffman’s shop in Claremont, North Carolina, has its origins in the 1960s and ’70s. Hanney’s father, Ernie, owned a Modified team that fielded cars for drivers like Richie Evans and Eddie Flemke.

The Hanney family has decided now is the time to revive his family’s Modified team, and they asked Huffman to help him do it.

RELATED: 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule

“I got connected with a guy named Justin Hanney, who is a longtime family friend. Actually his father (Ernie Hanney) built engines and owned part of an engine shop that worked with my dad (Robert Huffman) in the ’90s during the Goody’s Dash Series days called Golden Shamrock,” Huffman explained. “They developed a really good friendship over the years. Once my dad got out of racing, Justin’s dad Ernie closed shop and Ernie moved out West with Justin, who lives in Washington State now.

“Over the last year or so, they’ve been putting together a plan to restart their Modified team that ran in the late ’60s and early ’70s called Shamrock Motorsports. They got the funding put together to do so. Justin’s going to own and operate it out of his headquarters in Washington State, and I’ll operate all racing operations here out of my shop.”

Racing a Modified was not something Huffman said he had on his bingo card as he looked ahead to the 2024 season. But when Hanney came to him and laid out his idea to revive Shamrock Motorsports, it all made perfect sense.

“Justin approached me and he had this idea,” Huffman said. “He said he was looking for someone that could help him work on the cars and kind of kickstart the racing operations side of it. We obviously had a race shop already, and he was looking for someone who could help him build to his goal of having a team that can operate in multiple divisions and hopefully operate on a full-time basis moving forward in the next couple years.

“I’ve always thought the Modifieds were cool. I think it’ll be a neat opportunity for me to do something different and learn a little bit.”

Landon Huffman, driver of the No. 75 High Rock Vodka Late Model, during the CARS Tour Tuff Shed 250 at Hickory Motor Speedway on April 22, 2023. (Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)

The team plans to make its debut during the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway in February, but Huffman said they will not compete in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour opener at the track on Feb. 10.

Instead, Huffman said the team will race in the Modified division during the World Series to better prepare for their Whelen Modified Tour debut, which will come at Richmond Raceway on March 29.

“The best opportunity for me to get experience and laps is to run those races,” Huffman said. “Basically they’re just Saturday night shows, one set of tires. That’s the easiest way to kind of break me in, I guess.”

In addition to the race at Richmond, Huffman said the team also plans to enter the events at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Oct. 5 and Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 26. Huffman said the long-term plan will be for the team to run the full NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule at some point in the coming years.

Huffman and Co. are already hard at work preparing for New Smyrna. They’ve acquired a complete Modified from Tommy Baldwin Jr., and Huffman is already reaching out to friends in the industry for advice on what to expect.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people who have started in Late Model Stocks or in the Late Model world and transitioned to Modifieds,” Huffman said. “(Bowman Gray Stadium champion) Brandon Ward is a very good friend of ours, so I’ve been talking to him and kind of using him as a mentor to sort of help me. He’s been kind of preparing me for what to expect in the car.

“Honestly, man, it’s got four tires and a motor; it can’t be all that much different. It’s got really wide, sticky tires, and they don’t weigh anything. Everybody says they’re a blast to drive, so I know going into it that it’s going to be a lot of fun.”