Posted on by Adam Fenwick

Racing has been in Mike Leaty’s blood since the moment he was brought into this world.

His father Jan started racing in the late 1970s, the beginning of a career that included track championships at Spencer Speedway in Williamson, New York, and the now-defunct Tioga Motorsports Park in Owego, New York.

Jan Leaty’s success racing locally led him to become a regular with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, where he captured nine victories in a career that spanned from 1985 to 2008.

Mike Leaty followed in his father’s footsteps as a racer and has enjoyed a successful career himself, capturing two track championships at Spencer Speedway as well as a pair of regional touring modified championships with the Race of Champions.

This Saturday, Mike will do something he rarely gets to do. He’ll compete with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in the Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 (8 p.m. ET on FloRacing) at Lancaster Motorplex with his father as his crew chief.

Mike Leaty, driver of the No. 25 Northeast Industrials Technology, qualifies for the Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Lancaster Motorplex in Lancaster, New York on July 31, 2021. (Photo: Bryan Bennett/NASCAR)

“It’s what we want to do. In a perfect world, we would do it every race,” Mike Leaty said about working with his father. “When we get to come close to home, that makes it more financially feasible to run my car, and we get to work together.

“It’s kind of like when I was growing up racing. We would race at Spencer Speedway, and my dad was always my crew chief. His experience brings my team to another level. It’s what we want to do, just not always what we’re able to do.”

RELATED: Entry list for Saturday’s Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 at Lancaster

The chance to join the field at Lancaster came in large part thanks to veteran Modified Tour driver Patrick Emerling, though not in the way one might think.

Through their business, L2 Autosport, Mike and Jan Leaty prepare and crew Emerling’s Modified Tour entry when Emerling is available to race. Mike usually works as part of the crew at the track while Jan serves as Emerling’s crew chief.

Emerling, who won the only previous NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Lancaster in 2021, is unable to race this weekend because of a schedule conflict with the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Michigan International Speedway.

That opened the door for Mike to dust off his own race car and head to Lancaster, where he’ll make his sixth career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start and first of the season.

Mike Leaty, driver of the No. 25 Northeast Industrials Technology, sits in his car prior to the start of the Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Lancaster Motorplex in Lancaster, New York on July 31, 2021. (Photo: Bryan Bennett/NASCAR)

“The opportunity to work with my father as a crew chief, just a whole bunch of things kind of worked out in my favor that allowed me to be available for this race,” Mike Leaty said. “It’s something I wanted to do; just time doesn’t usually permit it. We put the deal together kind of last minute. I wasn’t planning on it.

“Patrick wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to race or not. His Xfinity schedule, it depended on if he was in the seat at Michigan. We had the car ready for Pat that was going to go to Lancaster just in case he was available, and then when he decided he couldn’t make Lancaster, that kind of freed up our schedule to run my No. 25 car.”

Lancaster is an ideal place for Mike to join the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour field. He’s scored several victories at the facility through the years and believes experience — combined with mastering Turns 1-2 — are the keys to being fast at 0.625-mile asphalt oval.

“Lancaster is a unique track. It’s different on both ends. (Turns) three and four is kind of a more traditional corner like you’d see at most of the race tracks around the United States,” Mike said. “(Turns) one and two is unique. There is a drag strip there that they have to incorporate into the frontstretch, and for whatever reason one and two is a wide, sweeping corner. It kind of necks down as you get into it.

“I can’t even explain it. It’s just different. Getting through turns one and two is the key to going fast around Lancaster.”

While Mike hopes he can earn a top-10 finish Saturday night at Lancaster, he said the broader goal is to have fun working with his father while racing in the series where Jan enjoyed so much success through the years.

“Racing is my family’s life,” Mike said. “It’s what we do. We love racing. Any spare minute we have, we work on race cars. I work a normal job and then pretty much probably 50 percent of nights after work I work on race cars. I think this event is more about going and having fun as a family then it is to go and be like, ‘We have to win this race.’ This one is more about having fun together.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

Years ago during the peak of his NASCAR career, one of the knocks on Jimmie Johnson from fans was that he won too much. It was natural. Repeated greatness has a way of alienating some folks who are tired of seeing him in Victory Lane again and again.

Now the uproar, upon his crowning election Wednesday to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, is that he didn’t win by enough.

Johnson was a sure-fire choice for induction into the stock-car shrine with the Class of 2024, and he was announced Wednesday alongside his longtime crew chief Chad Knaus from the Modern Era Ballot. Donnie Allison was the pick on the Pioneer Ballot, and Janet Guthrie was honored as the recipient of the Landmark Award.

RELATED: Johnson, Knaus, Allison elected | Photos: Class of 2024 Voting Day

In Johnson’s case, the honor should not come as a great surprise for one of only three seven-time Cup Series champions. What was a shock to some was seeing the tabulated totals of the 57 ballots cast and noting that the percentage fell short of 100. Johnson was named on 93 percent of the ballots, meaning that four voters omitted him.

The only other drivers to reach seven Cup titles are Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty, who were inducted to the inaugural class in 2010 when vote tallies were not released. The numbers for subsequent classes have been made public, and Jeff Gordon — a four-time champ and one of NASCAR’s all-time greats — reached the highest known total of 96 percent with his election for the Class of 2019.

When asked Wednesday afternoon, Johnson handled the sticky wicket with his usual grace, saying “it doesn’t matter” that the vote that sealed his enshrinement was not unanimous. Knaus, however, pounced on the suggestion that the balloting totals produced a baffling result.

“Extremely. I remember there was somebody when Gordon went in, and I don’t know, it was a big story where they said that somebody voted against or didn’t pick Gordon because they didn’t want it to be unanimous,” Knaus said, before pointing to Johnson, seated to his right in a director’s chair. “If this man right here isn’t a unanimous vote, I don’t know if anybody ever will be. I mean, he’s the nicest guy, the best race car driver ever to sit a NASCAR race car, a huge contributor or sport, contributes to society in so many different ways with the Jimmie Johnson Foundation. He is the ideal picture of a Hall of Fame inductee.”

Apparently, not to all, and not enough to set the precedent of unanimity. Reckon it shouldn’t be astonishing. Try to get 60-odd people to all agree on one thing. That also seems unprecedented — in NASCAR and in society in general. Personal biases are bound to creep in, and Knaus said as much. When told he was left off 11 ballots, leaving him with an 81-percent take of the vote, the other seven-time champ in the room said: “Those are people that I made upset along the way, I’m sure.”

The other matter concerns Johnson’s eligibility. It’s been two full seasons since he last competed full-time in the Cup Series, but his return with a limited schedule this year may have muddled his nomination for some voters. Still, part-time comebacks on a bigger scale didn’t stop Gordon or Matt Kenseth from reaching eligibility on a similar timetable. Johnson’s appearance on the ballot comes through no fault of his own. Holding that against him seems foolhardy, but may have factored in.

MORE: Ballot choices by NASCAR.com’s Zack Albert

The other theory lies with voting strategy, the reasoning that if Johnson is a lock, better to throw support toward another Hall of Fame hopeful who may need it more. With respect to the class’s other vote-earners — all worthy candidates who will likely clear the bar for enshrinement one day — a handful of ballots cast with this rationale weren’t going to propel them past the finish line, not this year.

NASCAR hasn’t had a repeat Cup Series champion since Johnson’s unmatched run of five straight from 2006-10. Only two drivers — Kyle Busch and reigning champ Joey Logano have multiple titles since then, and Johnson’s benchmark seems every bit as unbreakable a record as Richard Petty’s 200 wins.

It seems unlikely that another candidate with Johnson’s credentials will come along — not soon, and maybe not ever. Part of that belief stems from the current era, with such seeming parity and a playoff system that makes the path to sustained championship runs more difficult. The other plank is Johnson’s singular talent that established him as a legend for all time.

Worth repeating are Knaus’ words: “If this man right here isn’t a unanimous vote, I don’t know if anybody ever will be.”

Seems accurate, 100 percent.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Editor’s note: NASCAR.com’s Zack Albert is among the 57 voting members — including the fan vote — casting ballots to elect the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024. This year marks his fifth time participating in Voting Day. Here, he shares an explanation of his three choices on his ballot, a handful of honorable mentions and his pick for the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

Class of 2024 selections

Jimmie Johnson — The choices don’t come much easier than this one when a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion appears on the list of nominees. Johnson’s accomplishments are myriad, and his run of five consecutive premier-series titles stands as a record that seems safe to classify as unbreakable. Wearing the Hall of Fame’s blue jacket is an inevitability, and the first-ballot nod is more than deserving.

Chad Knaus — Speaking of seven-time champions, Knaus’ nearly mirror-image accolades as a championship-winning crew chief seven times over deserve the other Modern Era Ballot vote. It feels fitting that the Hall of Fame would usher in Johnson and Knaus as inductees together, but this vote isn’t made to satisfy storybook smarm. Knaus’ merits easily stand on their own.

Sam Ard — This feels overdue, even with Ard in just his third year on the ballot. Maybe it’s because Jack Ingram, who ranked alongside him as one of the most hard-nosed stars of his era in what’s now known as the Xfinity Series, was a Class of 2014 honoree. Ard’s two championships that came after the tour reached national-series status were just part of his sweeping success in the Late Model Sportsman days.

Honorable mentions: Harry Hyde’s brilliance as a crew chief spanning from the 1960s into the heart of NASCAR’s modern era will likely get its due in future ballots. … Banjo Matthews’ influence as a pioneering racer who became an omnipresent and masterful car builder remains a Hall of Fame standout worthy of consideration. … The Alabama Gang can now claim four Hall of Famers in Bobby, Donnie and Davey Allison, plus Red Farmer. Someday, Neil Bonnett will become the fifth.

Landmark Award

Janet Guthrie — In an extremely worthy field of nominees, Guthrie has this vote for a second consecutive year as a true stock-car racing pioneer. Sure, women competed at NASCAR’s highest level in the sport’s barnstorming early years, but none in the modern era did so with as much professionalism and impact as Guthrie.

RELATED: See who was elected to 2024 class

Posted on by Zack Albert

Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus, the indomitable driver and crew chief who paired up to win seven Cup Series championships, were elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Wednesday on their first appearance on the Modern Era ballot. They will be inducted as part of the Class of 2024 along with Donnie Allison, who was the top vote-getter on the Pioneer Ballot.

For the first time, all three Hall of Fame inductees are first-ballot choices. Johnson was selected on 93% of the ballots, and Knaus earned 81%. Allison drew 53% of the 57 ballots cast by the voting members after a Wednesday meeting at the Charlotte Convention Center. One ballot was also cast from fan voting that ran through Sunday on NASCAR.com; the fan ballot chose Johnson, Knaus and Allison.

Janet Guthrie was selected as the recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. Guthrie will be recognized along with the Class of 2024 electees at the NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Jan. 19 in Charlotte.

RELATED: Scenes from Voting Day | Zack Albert’s ballot

Johnson, 47, is one of just three seven-time champions of NASCAR’s premier series. The other two — Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty — were part of the inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2010.

Five of those championships came consecutively during a brilliant run of success from 2006-10. Along the way, he tallied multiple wins in each of the series’ crown-jewel events — the Daytona 500 (2006, 2013), the Coca-Cola 600 (2003-05, 2014), the Southern 500 (2004, 2012) and the Brickyard 400 (2006, 2008-09, 2012). Johnson retired from full-time NASCAR competition after the 2020 season but has returned in two roles — one as a part-time driver and the other as a minority owner of the Legacy Motor Club organization.

“I wouldn’t say there was doubt, but it was great to hear my name called,” said Johnson, who watched the announcement and a video of his career highlights from a room upstairs from the Great Hall. “… They had so many key moments to this 19-year career I had which have led to this opportunity in the Hall, and those emotions just started running through my brain, through my mind. And then right in front of me was Brooke and Chad (Knaus), and to see so many images with Chad and I together, I’m like, ‘Oh, gosh, I hope he gets in, right?’ That’s the other component to this that I was really hopeful for. A lot of very deserving names on the ballot. I am a bit biased and very thankful that Chad and I are going in together.”

Johnson didn’t have to wait long as Knaus’ name was the final one called during Wednesday’s announcement. Virtually all of Johnson’s driving success came with Knaus atop the pit box. His seven Cup Series championships as a crew chief rank second only to the eight won by Dale Inman, who was inducted into the NASCAR Hall in 2012.

Knaus, 51, transitioned from his post as crew chief to Hendrick Motorsports’ vice president of competition at the end of the 2020 season. At the time of his shift to an executive role, Knaus had collected 82 Cup Series victories — 81 with Johnson and a first for William Byron.

That same montage of highlights also made an impression on Knaus.

“I can tell you, there’s a flush of emotions,” he said. “As I was watching the video that played once Jimmie was nominated and saw the way we grew up together, and as I sat back and I was watching him, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, how much I’ve learned throughout my career just because of Jimmie,’ I was really proud of that, and probably more proud of the fact that he’s in there than actually I am. But for me personally, it’s a huge, huge day. Very, very proud. Very proud of everybody that’s helped me, and it’s an honor to be here with Jimmie. Obviously, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Jimmie Johnson in a lot of different ways. So it’s pretty awesome. Fantastic.”

Team owner Rick Hendrick, who was inducted into the NASCAR Hall as part of the Class of 2017, employed Johnson and Knaus at the launch of the No. 48 Chevrolet team. In a statement released shortly after the announcement, he cheered the dual honors for the venerable pair.

“I cannot imagine a more fitting moment than Jimmie and Chad being inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in the same class,” Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, said in a statement. “As individuals, they’re truly unique, with different personalities, strengths and approaches to their craft. Each is a champion and generational talent in their own right. But together, they were pure magic. All of us at Hendrick Motorsports were fortunate to see greatness up close as they re-wrote the record book. On behalf of our entire organization, congratulations to two of the fiercest competitors – and best people – our sport has ever seen. We look forward to celebrating their unprecedented achievements.”

Allison was a 10-time winner at NASCAR’s highest level and a member of the revered “Alabama Gang,” which now has four of its members in the Hall of Fame — his brother Bobby (2011), nephew Davey (2019), and longtime family friend Red Farmer (2021). The 83-year-old driver was the Cup Series Rookie of the Year in 1967 and counts the 1970 Coca-Cola 600 among his prized victories.

“I felt like maybe one day down the road, I might get inducted. It’s probably the culmination of a lot of hard work, a lot of luck, and a lot of patience by that lady sitting right back there …” Allison said, motioning to his wife, Pat, in the crowd.

Guthrie, 85, broke barriers in the sport and was the first woman to find success in NASCAR’s modern era. She was the first woman to compete in the Daytona 500 in 1977, the same year that she drove in her first Indianapolis 500. Guthrie was also the first woman to lead a lap in the Cup Series, and she finished among the top 10 five times in her 33 starts.

Harry Gant finished third in voting for the Modern Era Ballot, followed by Ricky Rudd and Carl Edwards. Banjo Matthews was second to Allison on the Pioneer Ballot.

Posted on by Press Release

ATTLEBORO, Mass. — JDV Productions and NASCAR announced today that the finale of the second annual Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup has been moved to Monadnock Speedway with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on Saturday, September 9. After rain forced the Clash at Claremont to not take place on July 29, officials are also announcing today the event at Claremont Motorsports Park will not be rescheduled.

Advance tickets purchased for the Clash at Claremont will be transferred to the Monadnock event in September, unless otherwise requested. Race fans have until August 10 to request a refund if they wish by emailing [email protected].

“We are disappointed we will not be heading to Claremont with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour this year,” Josh Vanada, owner of JDV Productions, said. “It’s always a pleasure to head there and we were excited to see the cars race around that technical track. However, due to these unforeseen circumstances, we are excited to move the finale of the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup to Monadnock. We had a fantastic event there in May and we know our September Winchester Fair is going to be even more exciting with this addition. We can’t wait to see the fans at the high-banks again soon.”

JDV also announced that the Winchester Fair will be the next JDV event on September 9 at Monadnock. The JDV Open Modified 100 at Claremont Motorsports Park is postponed until a later date to be announced in the coming weeks. Entry fees for this event will be refunded to the teams.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to Monadnock Speedway for the JDV Winchester Fair on Saturday, September 9. The event will include the finale of the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup — a three-race series with over $15,000 on the line. The battle at the top of the standings for the Cup is tight with Tommy Baldwin Racing showing the way with their driver Doug Coby. Back at Monadnock in May, when JDV Productions produced a Whelen Modified Tour event with 30 cars taking the green flag, Coby went to Victory Lane.

The Winchester Fair will also include the NHSTRA Modifieds, Evolve Bank & Trust Mortgage Pro Truck Challenge, New England Pro 4 Modifieds, NHSTRA Late Models, Mini Stocks and Pure Stocks. A full day of racing is planned in New Hampshire as the fall season will be about to begin. A full schedule for race day will be available closer to the race, however, tickets are available online now at JDVProductions.com.

For more information on JDV and to stay updated with the latest news, visit JDVProductions.com and follow on social media.

Posted on by Staff Report

Due to scheduling difficulties and conflicts during the remainder of the 2023 season, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and JDV Productions have canceled the Clash at Claremont 150 that was postponed due to weather on Saturday, July 29, at Claremont Motorsports Park.

The Whelen Modified Tour schedule resumes this Saturday, Aug. 5, at Lancaster Motorplex with the Nu-Way Auto Parts 150.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

Corey LaJoie signed a multiyear extension to remain with Spire Motorsports for “several” years in the NASCAR Cup Series, he confirmed Wednesday on his podcast, “Stacking Pennies.”

LaJoie, 31, has driven the team’s No. 7 Chevrolet since 2021 and is in the midst of a career year. His 21.2 average finish is three positions better than his previous high of 24.3, set in 2022, as is his average starting position of 25.0. LaJoie is also the only driver to finish every Cup race in 2023.

MORE: Listen to full “Stacking Pennies” podcast | Career stats for LaJoie

Through the team’s growth and the recent addition of sponsor Gainbridge, a Group 1001 company, LaJoie sees plenty of upside for the future of Spire Motorsports.

“The last couple of weeks have been big for our team in terms of future with (Group 1001 CEO and President) Dan Towriss and Gainbridge coming on board in a large capacity — whether it be on the car, behind the scenes — so that was obviously an element to make the decision to go back and keep doing what we’re doing easier,” LaJoie told NASCAR.com.

LaJoie and crew chief Ryan Sparks have worked together in tandem since the 2020 season when the duo competed for Go Fas Racing. Their leap to Spire with co-owners Jeff Dickerson and T.J. Puchyr in 2021 has seen a continuous evolution of performance over the past two and a half years, and LaJoie is optimistic better results remain ahead.

“I still feel like I’ve got a lot of work to do there and a lot a lot of stuff personally to learn and grow and just continue to evolve,” LaJoie said. “Because, you know, when we built this thing, when we started, there was literally zero employees. Like none. There was a vision that Jeff and T.J. had, and they had some connections with (Hendrick Motorsports owner) Rick (Hendrick) and they had some connections with (Chip) Ganassi (Racing) at the time to get cars, and we didn’t really know what would materialize — where we would get pit crews from and this and that.

“But I trusted Dickerson and T.J. enough (with) the direction they wanted to go and try to get it to, and also how much faith they had in me made it really enticing to be one of the ones that you know, kind of put it on your back and to make it grow. And I take a lot of pride in that. Take a lot of pride in our continued trajectory.”

Corey LaJoie drives the No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports at Atlanta
Alex Slitz | Getty Images

That trajectory placed LaJoie in the midst of several conversations in NASCAR’s “Silly Season” of free agency, and he got an opportunity to drive the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at Worldwide Technology Raceway in June at Gateway for the suspended Chase Elliott.

“It was weird to me for the last three months to be the hot girl to dance for once,” LaJoie said on the podcast. “People actually interested, asking what your deal is, being talked about as like a commodity of sorts, that you kind of bring value to the team. It was cool to see just the progression of I guess my career skills and just a brand inside and outside the car.”

The race at Gateway didn’t go to plan for LaJoie, who qualified 30th and finished 21st in his lone start for Hendrick. But that’s not to say the opportunity was all for naught.

“The wheels were already in motion (to return to Spire) before that, but it did show me how important continuity is and also having a group that really is all in,” LaJoie said. “Like, there’s no doubt when I go to Spire Motorsports that the owners have my back — spotter, crew chief, engineer, car chief, pit crew — like we are one team and there’s no pointing fingers. There is a collective understanding and mindset there that we’re trying to build on.”

LaJoie ranked 21st in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings at the end of June, following the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. Four finishes of 27th or worse in the past five races have seen that ranking drop to 27th in points, but the ebbs and flows are all part of the process of finding the consistency LaJoie and Spire are looking to build.

MORE: Cup standings | Cup schedule

Front Row Motorsports’ journey toward becoming a potential playoff-caliber team based on points alone sets a base that Spire can aim toward.

“It’s not like we’re going to instantly be a playoff contender over the next 16 months,” LaJoie said. “But I think by the by the length of the deal, we’re going to continue to build it to where you see Michael McDowell, where he’s built Front Row. They’ve had a 10-year head start or more on what we’ve been trying to do at Spire.

“So I think with the Gainbridge partnership behind the scenes, I think that’s going to expedite that process a little bit. But, you know, when I started getting some interest from other people in the garage, it didn’t really take my eye off the ball of what we were building what we’re gonna continue to build.”

Posted on by Staff Report

A 15th-place finish for Ty Gibbs last weekend at Richmond Raceway — his ninth finish inside the top 15 this season — illustrated the upside the 20-year-old has as he vies for a playoff berth in his first full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series.

RELATED: Playoff Watch | 2023 Cup Series standings

However, the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing driver — who currently sits 18 points below the elimination line — didn’t net another top-15 finish on young talent alone. His pit crew of front tire changer Blake Houston, rear tire changer Mike Hicks, tire carrier Jake Holmes, jackman Derrell Edwards and gasman Peyton Moore helped with some fast stops. The No. 54 team delivered two of the fastest pit stops of the year, so Gibbs’ average four-tire pit time improved compared to last week’s mark. Additionally, the No. 54 team’s average four-tire pit stop of 9.764 seconds was one of only two four-tire stops to average less than 10 seconds during a race this season (No. 48 of Alex Bowman in June at St. Louis).

Should Gibbs continue to excel on the track while his crew capitalizes on stops on pit road, the continuous grind could continue to vault the No. 54 Toyota deeper into the postseason conversation.

See below to analyze additional pit-road statistics through Richmond and before Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

TEN FASTEST FOUR-TIRE PIT STOPS IN 2023

RankTrackDriverTime
1SonomaKyle Busch9.185 seconds
2Richmond-2Daniel Suárez9.260 seconds
3Richmond-2Ty Gibbs9.276 seconds
4NashvilleKyle Larson9.281 seconds
5SonomaAustin Cindric9.301 seconds
6Richmond-1Corey LaJoie 9.309 seconds
7NashvilleDaniel Suárez9.333 seconds
8Richmond-2Ty Gibbs9.343 seconds
9CharlotteWilliam Byron 9.383 seconds
10Richmond-2Denny Hamlin9.408 seconds

BEST AVERAGE FOUR-TIRE PIT STOP TIMES IN 2023

Posted on by Staff Report

Voting Day for the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 is scheduled Wednesday afternoon, and NASCAR.com will provide a live stream for the announcement of this year’s honorees.

MORE: Watch here on NASCAR.com | Learn about Class of 2024 nominees

The three inductees for the Class of 2024 will be revealed at 4 p.m. ET from the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Great Hall. The recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR will also be announced.

Fans can watch the proceedings multiple ways — on NASCAR.com, through Facebook, via Twitter, and through the YouTube link below.

Voters are scheduled to meet Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the Charlotte Convention Center. Two inductees will be elected from the 10 names listed on the Modern Era Ballot, and one will be chosen from the five legends on the Pioneer Ballot. The Landmark Award winner will also be selected from a list of five names.

Posted on by Zack Albert

RICHMOND, Va. — Testing at Richmond Raceway began Monday with optimism about what a new splitter might offer when crafting a 2024 short track and road course rules package for the NASCAR Cup Series. After altering some of the configurations Tuesday, NASCAR competition officials and teams gained insight into what other aerodynamic changes and a new direction with Goodyear tire compounds might offer.

Testing continued Tuesday at the 0.75-mile track, with the six participating teams cycling through softer Goodyear tire options. In earlier aerodynamic modeling, the new “lift splitter” or “up/down splitter,” so labeled because of its contours, had shown gains in downforce for trailing cars that would, in theory, reduce the negative effects of turbulent, “dirty” air in traffic — with computer modeling and wind-tunnel sessions supporting that notion.

RELATED: Photos: Cup Series test at Richmond

After trying out the configuration in a series of group runs Monday, drivers reported back that the feel was not drastically different from the difficult conditions in Sunday’s 400-lap race here. “A lot of the feedback from drivers was it wasn’t quite enough,” Dr. Eric Jacuzzi, NASCAR vice president of vehicle performance, noted after Monday’s sessions, but those observations from on-track testing at one of the circuit’s tougher circuits prompted competition officials to change up for Day 2.

The original plan was to concentrate on tires Tuesday, exploring softer compounds and different tire construction that could provide more grip and fall-off. Officials followed through with that but also added another group run to the Tuesday schedule and switched to remove the rear diffuser and add a 4-inch rear spoiler (up from the current 2-inch blade) to adjust the balance. Jacuzzi said an extension was also added Tuesday to the downturned section of the front splitter to increase its effect.

Those aero changes, Jacuzzi said, were tested separately on a control group of tires before trying other Goodyear compounds.

“We were pretty happy with how that looked,”  Jacuzzi said. “Went to the second set of tires, which had a little thicker tread on them, so a lot more grip in those. Drivers were really positive about that, said it laid down a lot of rubber, they could move around a lot behind each other. So yeah, it was pretty good, pretty positive outcome. Got some positive comments that the diffuser not being there made the car a little more forgiving. On corner entry, they felt like they could slide around a little bit more and move around. So we were pretty happy with that, for sure.”

Both days were divided by sessions of single-car runs, then group sessions where cars lined up in three rows of two. After simulating race conditions for roughly 30 laps, officials inverted or shuffled the order, then ran approximately 30 laps more. Monday, teams ran through varying ride-height settings and made one run with a filler panel placed behind the splitter.

In working with varying Goodyear tire compounds and construction, Stewart-Haas Racing driver Ryan Preece previewed Tuesday as “a new day, for sure. I know we’re going to be doing some tire testing, and after what we were all talking in there (in the debrief), and kind of expressing what we want as drivers to be able to do so we can put on a better show is to be able to lean on that tire. So I feel optimistic with some of the options they brought. If we can lean on it and then, as drivers, beat them up, hopefully, that’ll bring on the fall-off as well.”

Noah Gragson, driver of the Legacy Motor Club No. 42 Chevrolet, seconded that notion after Tuesday’s afternoon runs.

“That thicker-treaded tire, I’ve been calling it, was a lot better,” Gragson said. “I thought our balance shift from beginning to end of the run was a lot better. It didn’t change five or six out of 10 numbers from the beginning to end like the prior tire was, so I thought that was a big gain. Really the tire was the biggest thing that we hit on this weekend.”

The test was originally scheduled for July 17-18 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but inclement weather forced a postponement and a move to Richmond. Christopher Bell, driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, said that the grip level of the flatter 1.058-mile oval in Loudon, New Hampshire, may have produced a different outcome.

“The track is so slick that you are naturally going to get spread out because you’re sliding around like crazy,” Bell said after Monday’s session. “I mean, all six of us are just complaining about being sideways loose, and you know the tracks that we complain about the aero package are places that are high grip like Phoenix, Martinsville. Loudon would have been better than here, for sure. … We’re struggling because we’re tight in traffic, and here today, you’re just sliding around, so you’re never really tight.”

Jacuzzi said Monday that after a review of the Richmond test, the next at-track steps in development of a new short track/road course package for 2024 would likely take place after the Cup Series Playoffs in the offseason. Tuesday, however, Jacuzzi said that competition officials plan to run the same trial configuration (splitter, splitter extension, 4-inch spoiler, no diffuser) at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, piggybacking onto a Goodyear tire test scheduled Aug. 14-15 on the 2.5-mile oval on the heels of the NASCAR race weekend on the 2.439-mile road course layout. Drivers scheduled to participate are Chase Briscoe (No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford), Alex Bowman (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) and Ty Gibbs (No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota).

“We actually plan to run that package we just did for two reasons,” Jacuzzi said. “One, Indy is obviously a track with a narrow racing groove, but the main thing is, coming out of here, the drivers said, ‘Hey, really feeling the tire a lot. The aero’s a small part of the cornering power of the car.’ So going to a place like Indy, where the speed is much higher, it should give us a really good read on whether that’s an improvement. So it’s another opportunity for us to evaluate it in that environment. It’s just gonna be a better aero test environment.”

Jacuzzi said more discussion would need to take place before trying the configuration at other track types. William Byron, driver of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 Chevrolet, said that he felt the conversation after Monday’s test was productive and that the lines of communication remain open.

“Everyone’s real cordial and trying to work through the different options,” Byron said. “I feel like they’re really open to suggestions, NASCAR is really open to it. So you know, I think it’s really good dialogue between everyone, and they believe us. They believe what we’re talking about on the race track, and I feel, yeah, it’s good. There’s a good connectivity there to make changes, and I feel like there’s some more ideas yet to still work on.”