Rick Ware Racing announced Friday that Riley Herbst will drive the team’s No. 15 Ford in the season-opening Daytona 500, marking the first race in a partial NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2024.
Herbst, a NASCAR Xfinity Series regular, made four Cup Series starts last year, including a finish of 10th for the Rick Ware-owned operation in his debut in the 2023 Daytona 500. His No. 15 Mustang Dark Horse will carry primary sponsorship from Monster Energy in the “Great American Race” on Feb. 18 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Herbst returns for his fifth full season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and his fourth with Stewart-Haas Racing. He did not make the Xfinity Series Playoffs cut last year, but posted five consecutive top-five finishes in a strong finish to the season, which included his first Xfinity win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 14.
“I’ve grown a lot as a race car driver, especially this past year,” Herbst said in a news release from the team. “I put in the work and try to maximize every opportunity, and I feel like last year that hard work and determination paid off. We were really strong at the end of the year. We never finished lower than fourth in our last five Xfinity Series races. I didn’t want the season to end. I’ve kind of been chomping at the bit to get this year started, so to be able to get back to Daytona and run the 500 is something I’m definitely looking forward to.”
Additional races for Herbst in the No. 15 Ford were not announced. The Ware organization named Kaz Grala as the primary driver of the No. 15 on Jan. 17, tapping him for 25 Cup Series races and this Sunday’s Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum exhibition (8 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Herbst will team with Justin Haley — full-time driver of RWR’s No. 51 Ford — in the 500-mile classic.
New Smyrna Speedway is set to kick off its 2024 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series racing season on Saturday, Feb. 3 with the running of the Red Eye 50/50.
Established in 1984 to celebrate New Smyrna’s tradition of racing on every weekend of the year, the Red Eye 50/50 started as a 100-lap Super Late Model event that featured several accompanying support divisions. The first event was held on New Year’s Day, with Jack Cook taking home his first of five checkered flags in the race.
The Red Eye 50/50 has become a centerpiece of New Smyrna’s racing culture that has gradually evolved over the ensuing decades. The most significant change took place in 2019, when the 100-lap Super Late Model race was replaced by two 50-lap events, one for Supers and the other for Pro Late Models.
Many notable names have started their respective seasons by claiming a victory in the Red Eye 50/50 at New Smyrna. Part-time NASCAR Cup Series driver B.J. McLeod was victorious in 2004, while other short-track mainstays like Bubba Pollard, Stephen Nasse and Jeff Choquette have amassed multiple Red Eye 50/50 wins in their careers.
A competitive group of Super and Pro Late Models are set to make the trip to New Smyrna Beach, Florida, for an opportunity to build some early momentum for 2024 and add their names to the long list of Red Eye 50/50 winners.
Below is everything to know ahead of the Red Eye 50/50 on Feb. 3.
Super and Pro Late Models headline the Red Eye 50/50 at New Smyrna Speedway. (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
Red Eye 50/50 race-day schedule
On-track action for the Red Eye 50/50 at New Smyrna Speedway will comprise of five different divisions, with the Sportsman, 602 Mods and Bomber A classes supporting the Super and Pro Late Models.
Practice for each class will rotate in race order, meaning the Pro Late Models will go out first with Super Late Models being third in line.
Super Late Models, Pro Late Models and the Bomber A class will each have a qualifying session to determine the starting lineup before the first green flag waves at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Below is the full Saturday schedule for the Red Eye 50/50.
Saturday, Feb. 3
(All times ET)
Time
Event
2 p.m.
Pit Gate/Tech/Fuel/Tires/Registration Opens
3:30-5 p.m.
Rotating Practice in Race Order (see below)
5:15 p.m.
SLM Pre-Qualifying Tech (Outside wall)
5:45 p.m.
PLM Pre-Qualifying Tech (Inside wall)
6:15 p.m.
Qualifying (SLM, PLM, Bomber A)
7 p.m.
Driver’s Meeting
7:15 p.m.
Pre-Race/National Anthem
7:30 p.m.
Racing Begins (Pro Late Model, 50 laps … Sportsman, 25 laps … Super Late Model, 50 laps … Bomber A, 30 laps … 602 Mods, 20 laps)
Entry list
A handful of competitors have already filed their entry lists for the Red Eye 50/50. Among them are multi-time track champion Brad May, Bobby Good and Brandon Turbush in the Super Late Model class.
Brandon Lopez, E.J. Tamayo and Jimmy Renfrew are among the names who have filed entries in the Pro Late Model class.
The complete entry lists for both divisions can be found here.
Shane van Gisbergen and Kaulig Racing revealed the seven Cup Series races he’ll compete in while driving the No. 16 Chevrolet during the 2024 season on Thursday. The select Cup events coincide with the Trackhouse Racing driver running full-time in the Xfinity Series in Kaulig’s No. 97 Chevy.
The three-time Supercars champion kicks off his slate with a trip to Circuit of The Americas on March 24. Then, it’s off to unfamiliar territory for the New Zealand native as he makes his Cup superspeedway debut on April 21 at Talladega. He will also compete in the playoff race at the 2.66-mile oval on Oct. 6.
Van Gisbergen will then compete in NASCAR’s longest race, the Coca-Cola 600, on May 26.
After winning his Cup Series debut in thrilling fashion at the Chicago Street Course last season, van Gisbergen will look to defend his crown in the Windy City on July 7. He’ll compete on his third and final road course at the Cup level on Sept. 15 as the series heads to Watkins Glen International at the midpoint of the Round of 16 in the playoffs.
Van Gisbergen’s final scheduled Cup race will take place at the start of the Round of 8 when the series returns out west to Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 20.
No, that’s not a reference to the 1981 film steeped in ancient Greek mythology. It concerns the third iteration of the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum, a short-track NASCAR Cup Series exhibition race that features the titans of stock car racing, whose talent is no myth at all.
On Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, a field of 23 qualifying Cup drivers will compete for bragging rights on a quarter-mile, purpose-built race track inside the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. As an addition to the program this year, the rising stars and veterans of the NASCAR Mexico Series will run a 150-lap race at 10:30 p.m. ET.
The Clash will be broadcast on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
“This is a tremendous win for our fans and our sport,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president, racing development and strategy, and the principal architect of NASCAR’s expansion into stadium-based racing.
“Not only will the fans see the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series in action, they will also bear witness to the talent and skill that is found within the NASCAR Mexico Series. I can’t think of a better way to begin our 2024 season.”
Though this is the third running of The Clash in Los Angeles, the event as the kickoff to Speedweeks in Daytona dates back to 1979. Among active drivers, Denny Hamlin is the only three-time winner of The Clash, starting with his rookie season in 2006 and adding victories in 2014 and 2016.
The bullring in the LA Coliseum, however, is a far cry from the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway, where Hamlin scored his three Clash wins.
“It’s a unique atmosphere and a fun race to kick the season off,” said Hamlin, who finished ninth after leading 26 laps of 150 last year. “It doesn’t really translate to anything else we do because the track is so small, but it’ll be fun to knock some of the rust off from not being in the car since November.
“I’m looking forward to it. Our team is looking forward to it. So, we’ll just see what we unload with on Saturday and hopefully get ourselves locked into the main event with a good starting spot. From there, you have to stay up front and stay out of trouble to have a shot at the end.”
That’s exactly what Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Martin Truex Jr., did last year. The driver of the No. 19 Toyota started second, took the lead from Ryan Preece on Lap 126 and won the Clash by .786 seconds over runner-up Austin Dillon.
The triumph put Truex in a two-driver club with Joey Logano, winner of the inaugural Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum in 2022.
If the size of the track is unique to Cup racing, so is the race format. The starting field will be set from practice on Saturday (5:35 p.m. ET) with the top 22 fastest times locking into the main event. The 23rd spot will go to the driver highest in owner points from last season that didn’t transfer to the main event through practice speed.
Short-track ace and Sunoco rookie Josh Berry, who succeeds Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, is looking forward to his first appearance in the Clash.
“I’m definitely excited to go to the Coliseum,” Berry said. “I think it’s a really cool event—having watched the races there, it’s really fun to get the chance to compete there. I think, for the race, it’s a good opportunity for us to run well.
“Obviously, with my background being in short-track racing, I think it should help, but I definitely think it will be a unique experience.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. —NASCAR and Crocs™ are joining forces for their first-ever licensing partnership, bringing consumers a new fusion of speed and style to start off the 2024 season.
The collection includes adult NASCAR Crocs Classic Clogs in black, kids NASCAR Crocs Classic Clogs in blue, both styles include exclusive 3D Jibbitz™ charms, and Jibbitz™ charms 5-packs, sold separately.
“Crocs is one of the most innovative and recognizable footwear brands in the world,” said Megan Malayter, NASCAR managing director of licensing and consumer products. “This collaboration gives NASCAR fans a fun, functional way to put their passion on display like never before and provides NASCAR another important opportunity to meet new consumers and potential fans where they are.”
With checkered flag graphics and NASCAR’s bold colors on the pivoting heel strap, the designs reflect the dynamic aesthetics inspired by the fast-paced world of racing. The adult and kids NASCAR Crocs Classic Clogs are a one-of-a-kind offering fitted with a limited-edition set of Jibbitz charms and LED elements. The collection is the first offering from a new licensing deal with NASCAR Team Properties, a collectivized licensing Trust for beneficiary members including NASCAR, tracks and race teams.
Fans can download the Crocs app for early purchasing access beginning Friday, Feb. 2. The collection will be widely available at local retailers and wholesalers as well as crocs.com beginning Monday, Feb. 5.
The 2024 NASCAR season opens this weekend with the third running of the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum exhibition event Sunday, Feb. 4 at 8 p.m. ET (FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Two weeks later, NASCAR’s regular season gets underway with The Great American Race, The DAYTONA 500 Sunday, Feb.18 at 2:30 p.m. ET (FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Tickets are available for purchase at www.nascar.com/tickets.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Tricon Garage announced today that Toni Breidinger will return as driver of the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season opener at historic Daytona International Speedway. The 24-year-old will carry primary sponsorship from premium lifestyle energy drink Celsius.
Celsius is a better-for-you, premium alternative to sugary energy drinks. Made with seven essential vitamins, Celsius has the perfect balance of flavor and energy that serves as an awesome pick-me-up for active lifestyles.
Breidinger, who is set to chase the ARCA Menards Series championship in 2024, broke records with Tricon last season as the highest-placing female debut driver in series history, finishing 15th at Kansas Speedway. In three Truck Series starts, the Bay Area native scored two top-20 finishes.
Outside of racing, Breidinger is a successful model featured in campaigns for Victoria’s Secret, Aritzia, Gap, and FP Movement, along with being one of the most followed drivers on social media in NASCAR, with more than five million followers.
Breidinger will be running double duty, competing in both the Fresh from Florida 250 in the Truck Series on Feb. 16 before running the Daytona 200 on Feb. 17. Coverage for both events will air on FS1 and MRN Radio.
For more information about Toni Breidinger, visit her website at tonibreidinger.com and follow her on social media @tonibreidinger. To learn more about Celsius, visit celsius.com and @celsiusofficial on social media.
Legacy Motor Club and Carvana revealed on Thursday the paint scheme for Jimmie Johnson’s No. 84 Toyota as he attempts his 21st Daytona 500 on Feb. 18 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).
The Toyota Camry XSE is a tribute to the famed Petty Blue No. 43 Plymouth that Richard Petty drove to his first Daytona 500 victory in 1964, the same year he claimed the first of his seven Cup Series championships.
The design showcases chrome accents and classic white lettering with the horsepower stamped on the hood, reminiscent of the early years of the sport. Additionally, the car features the “Petty 75” logo in honor of the family’s 75th year in NASCAR.
“Seeing my family honored in such a significant way by another NASCAR legend, Jimmie Johnson, is a humbling experience,” said Richard Petty, NASCAR’s King and an ambassador for Legacy Motor Club. “It’s a testament to the enduring impact of the Petty family on racing and we couldn’t be prouder to tie our storied history to Jimmie’s success and the future of this great sport.”
Johnson — like Petty, a seven-time Cup Series champion and a recent inductee to the NASCAR Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2024 — also kicked off his first Cup title march with a Daytona 500 triumph.
“The honor of my recent NASCAR Hall of Fame induction has given me time to reflect on my racing career that spans more than 21 years, and on the people that have been pivotal to my journey both on and off the track,” Johnson said. “My relationship with Richard, Kyle and the whole Petty family is so meaningful to me, and my goal was to celebrate their enduring legacy with this design.
“It is very special and humbling to me. That (1964) was the year Petty won his first Daytona 500 and he went on to win the championship. In 2006, I had the same series of events, so it makes it very personal to me.”
Johnson is a two-time Daytona 500 winner, prevailing in the “Great American Race” in 2006 and 2013. The 48-year-old driver qualified for the Daytona 500 field last season as a non-chartered entry, marking his first Cup Series start since his retirement from full-time competition at the end of the 2020 season.
Three platforms. Endless opportunities. One ladder to the big leagues of stock-car racing.
Previously known as NASCAR Roots, the NASCAR Regional landscape is a proving ground for budding stars. Yet it’s also the home of veteran racers who are addicted to the adrenaline that comes with pushing a race car to its limits.
Young drivers. Seasoned drivers. Stock cars. Modifieds. Short tracks. Dirt tracks. Superspeedways. Road courses. NASCAR Regional has it all.
A midwest-based sanctioning body for stock-car racing, the ARCA Menards Series is among the pillars of the NASCAR Regional platform. It’s known as the primary feeder for NASCAR’s national series.
With good reason, the ARCA Menards Series has a refrain: “We Build Champions.”
Each of the last eight NASCAR Cup Series title winners has competed on the circuits that now make up the ARCA Menards Series. In addition to the national ARCA Menards Series that features 20 races at 19 tracks across the United States, the platform includes the ARCA Menards Series East and the ARCA Menards Series West.
NASCAR stars like Benny Parsons, Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs, Chris Buescher, Sheldon Creed, Justin Allgaier, Ty Dillon, Grant Enfinger, Christian Eckes and Nick Sanchez, to name a few, have won ARCA Menards Series (national) championships. Countless others have won races on the platform.
Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, William Byron, Harrison Burton, Justin Haley, Ben Rhodes, Tyler Ankrum, Sam Mayer and Sammy Smith are East Series champions. Hershel McGriff, Kevin Harvick, Brendan Gaughan, Todd Gilliland and Jesse Love are among the notable NASCAR names who have secured West Series titles.
The ARCA Menards Series features remarkable diversity in both its roster of drivers and its offering of race tracks. The series competes at short tracks, intermediate tracks, superspeedways, dirt ovals and road courses all within the frame of a single season.
Hence the series’ ability to showcase the all-around skills of competitors.
Another of the NASCAR Regional pillars is the Whelen Modified Tour. And it’s crucial, as the Modified class is NASCAR’s oldest division.
Won by Red Byron, NASCAR’s first points-paying race in 1948 was a Modified division event held on the beach course in Daytona Beach, Florida. To this day, Modifieds are an intoxicating part of the sport.
The current Modified Tour ran its first season in 1985. Affectionately known as “Ground Pounders,” modern Modifieds continue to wow crowds and provide exhilarating experiences for drivers. As former NASCAR national series driver Joey Coulter said in 2022, “it’s like racing a fighter jet.”
Most of the Modified Tour schedule takes place in the northeast corner of the United States, though the series does also visit Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. In New England, though, Modified racing is king. And the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is the pinnacle of the discipline.
The best in Modified racing have claimed NASCAR championships: Richie Evans, Mike Stefanik, Jerry Cook, Tony Hirschman, Bugs Stevens, Doug Coby and Justin Bonsignore, to name a few. Other Modified Tour champions like Jimmy Spencer and Ryan Preece have successfully transitioned to NASCAR’s national series.
The Local Racing Series, previously known as the Weekly Series, serves as NASCAR’s national championship program for short-track racing.
Each year, nearly 10,000 drivers compete at NASCAR-sanctioned short tracks throughout the United States and Canada. The Local Racing Series crowns champions at track, state/provincial, regional and national levels.
The Local Racing Series includes almost 50 unique tracks that provide the stage for local drivers to gain popularity among the community. These tracks are spread across 25 states and four provinces, with drivers able to gain competition points at any of them. The inclusion of both asphalt and dirt tracks allows for a variety of cars to be raced weekly.
Many competitors use the Local Racing Series as starting points for their careers. The various divisions and levels provide a ladder-climbing system that allows drivers to move higher within the series and compete at a national level.
Jon McKennedy, the 2022 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, is returning to the series for a part-time schedule in 2024.
Competing for his own team, McKennedy is tentatively scheduled to compete in at least five NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events this season.
“We’re excited to get the ball rolling in our FURY race cars and go chase some trophies,” McKennedy said. “I feel this is a great opportunity for me to go out there and continue to show we can win races. We did have some other opportunities for rides, but felt this was the best route for this season. We have picked some of the higher profile events at my favorite tracks for the 2024 season and feel the competition is going to be stout at all of them.”
McKennedy’s 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule will begin at New Hampshire’s Monadnock Speedway on May 4, followed by events at Massachusetts’ Seekonk Speedway (June 1), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (June 22), Monadnock (July 20) and Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (Aug. 14).
McKennedy, a two-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race winner, will make his 100th series start when the Tour returns to Seekonk on June 1.
Fans and drivers alike binged the five-episode series showcasing the intensity of the sport’s 10-race 2023 playoff stretch, and the reviews are in — ‘Full Speed’ delivers.
Some of the stars of the show and Netflix itself were among the first to chime in, sharing some of their favorite clips from the show and directing fans to watch.
Earnhardt Jr., the NASCAR Hall of Famer and one of the series’ executive producers, solicited feedback from fans checking out the show on Day 1. Needless to say, the response was overwhelmingly positive.
@DaleJr just finished ep1. Chills man. This is capturing all the feels. Absolutely incredible job. Thank you #NASCARFullSpeed
