200 and counting: Justin Bonsignore set for monumental NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start at Wall Stadium

Posted on July 6, 2023July 6, 2023 by Adam Fenwick

Many things had to go right for Justin Bonsignore to reach this point in his career.

The driver from Holtsville, New York, a three-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, will make his 200th series start Saturday night at New Jersey’s Wall Stadium Speedway.

The importance of the moment isn’t lost on Bonsignore, who also didn’t miss an opportunity to make a joke at his own expense.

“It shows how quick time flies and how old I’m getting,” the 35-year-old said with a light laugh. “It’s not anything I ever dreamed of, making it this long in the series, and having the success we’ve had is another thing you just couldn’t have ever imagined.

“It’s been a great ride, and I’m hoping to make it to 300.”

Bonsignore made his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut 16 years ago. At 19 years old, he drove his family-owned No. 23 to a fourth-place finish at his home track, New York’s Riverhead Raceway.

The field included some of the best the Tour had to offer, including winner Donny Lia, Matt Hirschman, Jamie Tomaino, Ryan Preece, Mike Stefanik, Jimmy Blewett, Ted Christopher, Todd Szegedy and Jerry Marquis.

In his first Tour start, he beat all of them but Lia.

Justin Bonsignore celebrates in victory lane after winning the 2018 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Championship on October 14, 2018 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in Thompson, Connecticut. (Photo: Ruby Wallau/NASCAR)

“We were having a pretty good year in 2007 with the weekly stuff at Riverhead Raceway, and it was always the dream to try and make some starts at the time at Riverhead and see how we stacked up against the Tour regulars,” Bonsignore said. “We really had an amazing night finishing fourth in our first ever start.

“We kind of hovered around the top 10 and then had a really good car at the end of the race and some of the most tire left on it and was able to charge through the field and run fourth. It was just an amazing accomplishment because we were on a really tight budget at the time. We had an older car and not a lot of help. We really made the most of it.”

Bonsignore made his next Tour start two years later, once again at Riverhead, on Aug. 1, 2009. He again finished fourth.

He couldn’t have known it at the time, but that day changed his life. His future car owner was watching from the grandstands.

“Ken Massa was in the grandstands that night with a friend of his,” Bonsignore said. “At the time, he was sponsoring a charger car at Riverhead and was looking into getting into it a little bit more and starting his own team.

“That friend of his came up to me at the end of the night after the race and said, ‘I have someone I need you to meet.’ You are kind of always a little skeptical when people say stuff like that. Sure enough, that week that gentleman called us and had me, my father and a good friend of ours, Danny Jones, who was a big sponsor of ours at the time, meet Ken at his office.”

A few weeks after the meeting, Massa purchased his first modified. He then called Bonsignore and offered the seat for the full NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season in 2010.

“That was late September of 2009. I think by the end of that month we had a car, and during the offseason we got a big trailer and a second car,” Bonsignore said. “We were ready to go for 2010. It’s been amazing that we’ve been together ever since.”

Justin Bonsignore at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on April 10, 2010 in Thompson, Connecticut. It was his first start driving for team owner Ken Massa. (Photo: Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

The pairing of Massa and Bonsignore has proven to be one of the most successful combinations in Modified Tour history. The pair has won 36 times in Modified Tour competition, with their first victory together coming in 2011 at Riverhead Raceway.

In their ninth season together with the Modified Tour, Bonsignore and Massa reached the mountaintop by capturing the 2018 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship. They’ve since added two more championships in 2020 and 2021, and they are in the hunt for their fourth title this season.

“I met Ken, and it’s been a dream ever since,” Bonsignore said. “He’s helped me open a business and just a lot of things he’s done for me personally that are equally as important, if not more important than the on-track stuff we have together. It’s a really tight-knit group that we have together between his family and mine.

“I’m so blessed they came into my life.”

A lot has changed for Bonsignore since he was a 19-year-old kid making his first Modified Tour start at Riverhead Raceway in 2007, but the one thing that hasn’t changed is his drive to win.

He’s hoping to make his 200th Modified Tour start a memorable one by claiming his first series victory at Wall Stadium Speedway, a track known as one of the Northeast’s most challenging venues for modified competitors.

He won in his 100th Tour start at Riverhead Raceway in 2016, and Bonsignore has no reason to believe he can’t win in his 200th Tour start this weekend.

“If we could go out again and win in our 200th start, that would be awesome,” Bonsignore said. “Wall Stadium is a really special place with a lot of history. I would love to win there just in general. The Turkey Derby is such a historic race, and Wall Stadium in general is such a historic facility, and I’ve never been able to win there.

“That would be special, and that would top off the 200th start in a big way.”

Posted on July 6, 2023 by Staff Report

Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday that Relay Payments has joined the organization as a sponsor for the No. 24 Chevrolet and driver William Byron this season in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Relay Payments — an Atlanta-based fintech company that strives to modernize and streamline payments for the transportation, logistics and supply chain industries — will be featured as the primary sponsor of the No. 24 for two races in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs: Sept. 16 at Bristol Motor Speedway and Oct. 15 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Bristol Night Race sponsorship coincides with Truck Driver Appreciation Week.

Associate sponsorship is set to begin with this Sunday’s race (7 p.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM) at Atlanta Motor Speedway, near Relay Payments headquarters.

“Truck drivers are the unsung heroes of our industry,” said Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman, in a news release from the team. “The race cars Hendrick Motorsports fields each weekend are driven hundreds or thousands of miles to the race track to compete in front of our amazing fans. But truck drivers are vital to many industries, and the efficiency of Relay helps deliver products and services to businesses and customers in a quicker manner that benefits a lot of people. Hendrick Motorsports is of the same mindset – be the first to the finish line.”

Byron ranks second in the Cup Series standings at the season’s midway point. The 25-year-old driver is tied for the series lead with three victories this season.

Posted on July 6, 2023 by Staff Report

A trip to the shores of New Jersey await the stars and cars of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour as the series invades Wall Stadium Speedway this Saturday for the running of the Jersey Shore 150.

The eighth race of the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season marks the sixth time the Modified Tour has visited the 0.333-mile asphalt oval located in Wall Township, New Jersey. The first visit to Wall Stadium took place in 2003, with local star John Blewett III claiming his first Modified Tour victory.

His brother, Jimmy Blewett, has won a pair of Modified Tour events at Wall Stadium, with his most recent victory coming last year driving for Tommy Baldwin Racing. Other Tour winners at Wall include Reggie Ruggiero and Woody Pitkat.

Tickets to Saturday’s Jersey Shore 150 are available here. Below is everything you need to know about the eighth race of the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.

Jersey Shore 150 at Wall Stadium Speedway

What to watch for:

Another trip to Wall Stadium Speedway for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour means another chance for Jimmy Blewett to shine at his home track.

Blewett at Wall Stadium on Saturday will make his second start of the Modified Tour season after finishing 28th in the season-opener at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway. He’ll wheel his own No. 76 Modified with Scott Anderson serving as crew chief.

Blewett, of course, won this race last year driving Tommy Baldwin Racing’s famed No. 7 Modified.

That victory came as no surprise even though it was one of just five Modified Tour starts for Blewett in 2022. Blewett is second on the all-time wins list at Wall Stadium. He has a pair of Modified Tour wins at the track including last season’s triumph, and his late brother John Blewett III won the Tour’s first visit to Wall back in 2003.

Last year, Blewett dedicated his victory to his grandfather.

MORE WALL: Watch on FloRacing | Get tickets

This year, Blewett once again will have to navigate a tough field of Whelen Modified Tour regulars. They include points leader Ron Silk, who’s coming off his second victory of the season in the Tour’s last event, at New York’s Riverhead Raceway a couple weeks ago.

Also competing Saturday is six-time Tour champion Doug Coby, who sits third in the series standings. Coby will drive the No. 7 Modified that Blewett wheeled to a victory in the same race last season.

Saturday’s race will be a notable one for three-time Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore. The driver who sits second in points will make his 200th Tour start at Wall Stadium.

The only driver not named Silk who has more than one win this season, Matt Hirschman (two wins) also is scheduled to race Saturday.

The complete entry list for the Jersey Shore 150 can be found here.

A view of the start/finish line during the Jersey Shore 150 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Wall Stadium Speedway on July 9, 2022 in Wall Township, New Jersey. (Photo: Kostas Lymperopoulos/NASCAR)

RACE FACTS

Race	Jersey Shore 150
Date	Saturday, July 8, 2023
Track	Wall Stadium Speedway
Layout	0.333-mile asphalt oval
Location	Wall Township, New Jersey
Start Time	8 p.m. ET
Laps	150
Posted awards	$81,600
Live stream	FloRacing (Live)

Schedule: Saturday, July 8 … Final practice from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. ET … Qualifying at 6 p.m. ET … Jersey Shore 150 at 8 p.m. ET.

Qualifying: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. NASCAR reserves the right to have more than one vehicle engage in qualifying runs at the same time. Starting field for the Jersey Shore 150 is limited to 28 starters including Provisional Positions.

Tire allotment: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is eight (8) tires per team. All tires used for qualifying and the race must be purchased at the track and scanned by Hoosier, unless otherwise approved in advance by the Series Director. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. All qualifying tires must remain in impound until released by NASCAR Officials. The remaining tire allotment may be used for practice and/or change tires during the event. The tire change rule is zero (0) tires, any position.

Posted on July 6, 2023July 6, 2023 by Official NASCAR Release

LOS ANGELES — Global esports organization Gen.G continues to rev up its motorsports presence and further strengthen the link of racing and gaming with its latest partner, NASCAR. To kick off this partnership, Gen.G will be working alongside NASCAR to host The Pit Stop, powered by Mobil 1 and NASCAR, at the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) Boston Major on July 8.

For those who want to step away from the arena, fans can join together at WBUR CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston) from noon to 5 p.m. ET for a watch party of all the matches with plenty of comfortable seating, large screens, food, drinks and branded activations. In addition, fans will be able to meet the Gen.G Mobil 1 Racing RLCS team and Gen.G Mobil 1 Racing creators Demar “Dazerin” Williams, MJ “Widow” Austyn, Nathan “Stanz” Stanz, and win limited giveaway items for attending. The Pit Stop is free for the public. Beginning at 8 p.m. ET, the Pit Stop will be transformed into an invite-only party.

The partnership will also feature Gen.G Mobil 1 Racing creators Dazerin and Stanz attending NASCAR races this season, where they will produce content highlighting their experiences. They will explore the activities surrounding a NASCAR race, show the true fan experience that fans at home don’t get to see, and showcase all that NASCAR has to offer when you attend the race in person. Dazerin and Stanz will highlight the crossover between the racing and gaming communities at NASCAR races with fans at the event and the innovative experiences that NASCAR offers surrounding their races.

“Ever since we joined Rocket League last year, we wanted to expand our presence with all things cars and motorsports, especially with the reception we had surrounding the success of both of our Rocket League teams and our partnership with Mobil 1,” said Martin Kim, head of partnerships at Gen.G. “Gaming is a connector and NASCAR shares in that belief. Together we can explore opportunities that resonate with all audiences and communities.”

Since the inception of the Gen.G Mobil 1 Racing and Gen.G Mobil 1 Racing Black Women’s team late last year, they’ve achieved several accomplishments including:

G Mobil 1 Racing
- RLCS 2022-2023 Fall Major Champions
- No. 1 Ranked team in RLCS NA Standings
- Qualified for RLCS World Championship in Dusseldorf, Germany in August
G Mobil 1 Racing Black
- Dreamhack Dallas Rocket Clash Champions, the first international women’s Rocket League LAN tournament
- No. 1 Ranked team in North America Women’s Carball
- Qualified for WCB World Championship in August

The partnership bolsters NASCAR’s commitment to the Rocket League community, where it has released the NASCAR Fan Pass each year since 2021. Last year, NASCAR hosted collegiate Rocket League tournaments at its tracks and sponsored the NASCAR Rocket League 351.

“At NASCAR, we believe gaming bridges the gap between the virtual and real world, fostering a deeper connection with our sport,” said Nick Rend, NASCAR managing director, gaming and esports. “Gen.G shares the belief that gaming is a connector. We are excited to continue our commitment to Rocket League with Gen.G by hosting The Pit Stop at RLCS Boston Major with them and Mobil 1. We also look forward to working with Gen.G to explore new opportunities for our fans to engage with NASCAR and showcase the sport to new audiences.”

The Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) Spring Major will take place at Agganis Arena in Boston on July 6-9. Tickets are on sale HERE.

About Gen.G

United under #TigerNation, Gen.G’s core mission is to help fans and athletes use the power of gaming and esports to get ahead in and beyond the competition. With an emphasis on education, DEI initiatives, and innovative partnerships, Gen.G is a commercial and thought leader, building a global, inclusive and cross-cultural future for gaming. Its unique portfolio of teams includes the Seoul Dynasty (Overwatch League), League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK), the Gen.G & Gen.G Black VALORANT teams, the PUBG Gen.G team, and the NBA2K’s Gen.G Tigers (the first non-NBA owned team in the NBA 2K League). Gen.G has also been a major proponent in seamlessly bringing in non-endemic brand partners to the world of gaming and esports, including 1Password, Burberry, Crocs, King’s Hawaiian, McDonald’s, Mobil1, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, and more. Gen.G also operates the Gen.G Global Academy, the world’s first fully-integrated academic esports program in Korea. Gen.G’s teams, content creators and corporate staff work out of their offices in Los Angeles, Seoul and Shanghai. For more information, visit GenG.gg or follow on Twitter @GenG.

Posted on July 5, 2023July 7, 2023 by Staff Report

Jersey Shore 150

Wall Stadium Speedway

Entry list

Car No.	Driver	Organization	Crew Chief	Chassis Mfg	Sponsor
01	Melissa Fifield	Pine Knoll Racing, LLC	Jake Marosz	Troyer	Pine Knoll Auto Sales
3	Jake Johnson	Boehler’s Racing Equipment	Gregory Fournier	Boehler Racing	Propane Plus; Lin’s Propane Trucks
7	Doug Coby	Tommy Baldwin Racing LLC	Tommy Baldwin	Troyer	Mayhew Tools
8	Thomas Martino Jr.	Thomas Martino Jr.	TBA	Troyer	Martino Racing Engines
14	Blake Barney	Richard Barney	Robert Barmey	FURY Race Cars	Atlantic Sprinkler Co.; County Line Auto Body
16	Ron Silk	Haydt Yannone Racing	Philip Moran	FURY Race Cars	Blue Mountain Machine; Future Homes
18	Ken Heagy	Robert Pollifrone	Greg Gorman	Chevrolet	Buoy One Seafood
19	Anthony Sesely	Wanick Construction	Stephen Kopcik	Troyer	Wanick Construction Inc.
20	Eddie McCarthy III	Ed McCarthy	Bill Cole	LFR	McCarthy’s Marine Sales
22	Kyle Bonsignore	Kyle Bonsignore	Cam McDermott	FURY Race Cars	Bonsignore Performance Tools; MTT; Munns Auto
24	Andrew Krause	Supreme Racing	Rob Hyer	Chevrolet	Supreme Manufacturing Co.
26	Max Zachem	Lakeland Avenue Landscape Supply	Cody Rose	Chevrolet	Lakeland Avenue Landscape Supply
32	Tyler Rypkema	Dean Rypkema	Zach Truesdail	LFR	Northeast Drilling, Musco Lighting
34	JB Fortin	JB Fortin Racing	Kenny Lechner	FURY Race Cars	A&R Materials, John’s Fuel Oil, Rapid Recovery, Queens Concrete, CYA Screen Printing; Murphy Cesspool & Drainage
36	Dave Sapienza	Judith Thilberg	Greg Kleila	LFR	Sapienza Enterprises/Eastport Feeds
46	Anthony Nocella	Goodie Racing	Doug Ogiejko	Troyer	Riverhead Building Supply
51	Justin Bonsignore	Kenneth Massa Motorsports LLC	Ryan Stone	FURY Race Cars	Phoenix Communications Inc.
58	Eric Goodale	Goodie Motorsports	Jason Shephard	FURY Race Cars	GAF Roofing / Riverhead Building Supply
60	Matt Hirschman	Pee Dee Motorsports LLC	Mike Stein	Troyer	Pee Dee Motorsports; Colyer Trucking
64	Austin Beers	KLM Motorsports	Ron Yuhas	Troyer	Dell Electric, Lumiere Electrical, Andrew James Interiors, AP Marquadt & Sons, Hughes Motors
76	Jimmy Blewett	Jimmy Blewett Racing LLC	Scott Anderson	PSR Products	Garden State Honda, John Blewett Inc., FX Caprara
82	Craig Lutz	DWR Racing Corp.	Ryan Barbieri	LFR	Horton Avenue Materials
109	Tommy Wanick	Wanick Construction	Mike Odwazny	Troyer	Wanick Construction Inc.

Posted on July 5, 2023July 5, 2023 by Staff Report

Kyle Busch and William Byron lead the NASCAR Cup Series this season with three wins apiece, and Racing Insights likes Byron to become the first driver to four wins in 2023 on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet nabbed the first victory on the reconfigured Hampton, Georgia track, dominating the event after leading 111 laps.

Before the action gets underway from the Peach State, check out Racing Insights’ projected results.

FANTASY LIVE: Set your roster | Weekend schedule

After Cup Series debutant Shane van Gisbergen took a rousing triumph on the streets of Chicago, Cup veterans will look to reclaim Victory Lane at a venue they are used to.

Trackhouse Racing has scored the last two Cup Series victories with Ross Chastain winning his third career Cup event at Nashville Superspeedway. Chastain has flashed his talents at superspeedways in the past but let’s see who else is in contention for a big win that could establish their postseason position.

OTHERS TO WATCH

CHASE ELLIOTT: The driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet led 96 of the 260 laps and swept both stages en route to the victory in the Atlanta summer race last season.

KYLE BUSCH: Busch finished top 10 in two of the three superspeedway races this season, including a victory at Talladega in the spring.

CHRIS BUESCHER: The RFK driver grabbed top-five finishes at both Daytona and Talladega earlier this season.

RYAN BLANEY: Dating back to the Talladega playoff race last season, the driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford owns four consecutive top-10 finishes on superspeedways.

Projections as of Wednesday, July 5

RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR THE QUAKER STATE 400 AVAILABLE AT WALMART

Racing Insights’ advanced statistical formula includes current track, current track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to arrive at a projected winner and full race results.

Finish	Car Number	Driver
1	24	William Byron
2	9	Chase Elliott
3	12	Ryan Blaney
4	19	Martin Truex Jr.
5	11	Denny Hamlin
6	1	Ross Chastain
7	8	Kyle Busch
8	6	Brad Keselowski
9	4	Kevin Harvick
10	22	Joey Logano
11	5	Kyle Larson
12	17	Chris Buescher
13	20	Christopher Bell
14	23	Bubba Wallace
15	54	Ty Gibbs
16	48	Alex Bowman
17	43	Erik Jones
18	99	Daniel Suárez
19	10	Aric Almirola
20	7	Corey LaJoie
21	14	Chase Briscoe
22	16	AJ Allmendinger
23	45	Tyler Reddick
24	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
25	2	Austin Cindric
26	31	Justin Haley
27	38	Todd Gilliland
28	41	Ryan Preece
29	3	Austin Dillon
30	34	Michael McDowell
31	21	Harrison Burton
32	77	Ty Dillon
33	42	Noah Gragson
34	51	Cole Custer
35	15	JJ Yeley
36	78	BJ McLeod
37	62	Austin Hill

Posted on July 5, 2023July 7, 2023 by Reid Spencer

You might think a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway would have been a successful home game for a number of Georgia-based drivers — you’d be wrong.

Drivers from all over the map have triumphed at the 1.54-mile speedway, on which NASCAR currently uses the superspeedway competition package — from Florida to Wisconsin to California.

Surprisingly, however, in 118 NASCAR Cup Series events contested at the track — from 1960 to the current 75th anniversary season — only two Georgia natives have ever claimed victory at Atlanta, and they’re both from the same family.

Bill Elliott, also known as “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville,” won five times at his “home” track. His last two victories came in 1992 when he beat Harry Gant to the checkered flag by a whopping 18.25 seconds in the spring race and took the measure of Alan Kulwicki in the season finale by an 8.06-second margin.

In what is widely considered one of the most important watershed races in NASCAR history, however, Kulwicki won the big prize — the championship — by collecting the bonus for leading the most laps, 103 to Elliott’s 102.

Kulwicki won the title by 10 points — under the Latford scoring system where each race carried a maximum available point total of 185.

The 1992 race also marked the departure of NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty from the Cup Series and the top-level debut of fellow Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon.

Neither Petty’s exit nor Gordon’s advent was auspicious. Petty was a lap down on Lap 95 when he was collected in a six-car wreck. With flames licking at the undercarriage of the famed No. 43 STP Pontiac and erupting through the hood, Petty drove toward the fire trucks parked in the infield.

“Those firemen all came running over for autographs,” Petty said, according to contemporaneous accounts. “Not one of them brought a fire extinguisher.”

The incident also gave rise to one of the sport’s most-quoted Petty-isms.

“I wanted to go out in a blaze of glory,” said Petty, who finished 35th. “Well, I went out in a blaze, but I forgot the glory part.”

Gordon suffered the first DNF (did not finish) of his career, dropping out after 164 laps following a crash. But that was the first of 797 consecutive starts for the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, embarking on a career that would produce 93 victories and four championships.

NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images

Fast forward 30 years to the 19th race of 2022, won by the other member of the Elliott family — Chase.

Elliott dominated the action, leading 96 of 260 laps, and won under caution over Ross Chastain after taking the white flag. The victory was Elliott’s most recent in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Elliott didn’t race at Atlanta on March 19 of this year. The event fell during a six-race stretch when he was sidelined with a broken leg suffered in a snowboarding accident. But the driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet is looking forward to the chance to claim another victory in Sunday’s Quaker State 400 (7 p.m. ET on USA, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Still outside the elimination line for the playoffs, Elliott just hopes he can duplicate his dominant performance from last year.

CUP SERIES: Look at the updated playoff outlook before Atlanta

“Yeah, that was a really nice weekend, obviously,” he said. “I guess it’s a little different than having like a dominant performance at not a speedway. It is a speedway race, but we were… we were really solid. And it’s not like you’re getting out to a four- or five-second lead. We just had a car that had the ability to be on offense all day.

“And when you’re on offense and you can be that guy to make lanes move forward and make a difference and pushing somebody to the front — it just puts you in a different league. It really puts you in a really, really nice position to have a good day.

“Certainly been on both sides of that fence. We’ve been on the other side of the fence since then with our speedway program. Obviously, I missed Atlanta the first time this year, but hopefully we can go back and have a good run again like we did last year.”

Posted on July 5, 2023July 5, 2023 by NASCAR Official Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – This week, NASCAR is launching a new national campaign called “Thank You, Fans” alongside its four Premier Partners – Busch Light, Coca-Cola, GEICO and Xfinity – celebrating the millions of dedicated followers fueling America’s No. 1 motorsport throughout its first 75 years and well into the future.

Led by a 30-second television spot that debuted during the first-ever NASCAR Chicago Street Race this past Sunday, “Thank You, Fans” marks the first time the four Premier Partners have joined forces with the sanctioning body on an integrated marketing campaign. It will come to life throughout the next five weeks across a multitude of traditional, social and experiential marketing touchpoints ranging from fan-centric content features to giveaways and surprise-and-delight moments at the track.

“Thank You, Fans” will include a national sweepstakes inviting fans to share their stories of becoming a NASCAR fan for a chance to win an all-expenses-paid, premium experience at NASCAR’s Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway.

“NASCAR fans are the most passionate and brand-loyal you’ll find in all of sports, and we simply would not be here without them,” said Michelle Byron, NASCAR senior vice president of partnership marketing. “Our incredible partners like Busch Light, Coca-Cola, GEICO and Xfinity have seen that passion firsthand throughout the years, and we’re ecstatic to come together to truly recognize our fans – new and old – for the energy and effort they put into NASCAR as we continue celebrating this milestone anniversary.”

Dubbed the “diamond experience” in honor of NASCAR’s 75th “diamond” anniversary, the sweepstakes grand prize package will treat one fan and a guest to the race weekend of a lifetime, including behind-the-scenes access and premium hospitality with unique elements from each Premier Partner. For more information and to enter the sweepstakes, fans can visit www.nascar.com/thankyoufans.

On the campaign’s opening weekend on July 8 and 9, NASCAR Fan Rewards – the sanctioning body’s free loyalty program launched earlier this year – will award double points all weekend long for fans who check in via the NASCAR.com leaderboard while watching NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, or Craftsman Truck Series races.

Throughout its run, “Thank You, Fans” will be anchored by original social and digital content produced by NASCAR Studios, including a weekly video feature series highlighting the many unique fans at the racetrack. The content plan also includes messages of gratitude to the fans straight from their favorite drivers.

Additional surprise-and-delight moments will take place for fans at individual tracks throughout the campaign window, with “Thank You, Fans” content and campaign elements coming to life in the NASCAR Experience midway activation at Richmond Raceway and Michigan International Speedway as well.

The NASCAR season rolls onto Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend. Fans can tune in to the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 available at Walmart this Sunday, July 9, at 7:00 p.m. ET on USA, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Tickets are available for purchase at www.nascar.com/tickets.

Posted on July 4, 2023July 5, 2023 by Zach Sturniolo

At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, some may describe Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks as NASCAR’s latest visionary. It sure is hard to deny it two-and-a-half years and now five wins into NASCAR Cup Series team ownership.

Long before the sport’s sanctioning body determined a street race was feasible anywhere — let alone the roads of downtown Chicago, of all places — Marks was adamant stock-car racing needed to be brought to the people. Long before Shane van Gisbergen sat behind the wheel of NASCAR’s Next Gen vehicle — after two starts in the same car by 2007 Formula One champion Kimi Räikkönen — Marks believed motorsports’ elite global talents from outside the stock-car ranks deserved a competitive opportunity to contend in a Cup race.

Not only have those things now occurred, earning their rightful passage in the history of NASCAR’s 75-year lore, but Marks and his astounding team at Trackhouse Racing find themselves at the forefront of their intersection after van Gisbergen drove the team’s Project 91 Chevrolet to a stunning triumph in his Cup debut Sunday in the series’ inaugural Chicago Street Race.

MORE: Relive historic Chicago Street Race | NASCAR dazzles the Windy City, sparks optimistic future

“It’s so amazing and important and meaningful for Trackhouse to be the company to win the inaugural street race,” Marks said, “because obviously it’s a huge moment for the sport, and it’s incredibly important for the company to be able to be the winners of the inaugural race. I think we’re all just incredibly humbled to be the ones standing in Victory Lane.”

Marks had visions for a Cup team that appeared so out of the box they didn’t seem realistic. A road-course ringer hadn’t won a Cup Series race since Mark Donahue was victorious in Riverside, California in 1973.

That, in part, is the beauty of Trackhouse’s Project 91, an open entrant into Cup competition designed to attract only the world’s best drivers into NASCAR headed by the team’s performance director, Darian Grubb, previously a longtime and title-winning crew chief.

“As far as Project 91 goes, this was a shower idea,” Marks explained. “It was me thinking, I’m a huge fan of all different kinds of motorsports, and I’ve raced in all different kinds of motorsports. I wanted to bring my love of global motorsport to NASCAR and put a brand around it and create sort of a landing spot for the elite talent globally that wanted to come and try NASCAR instead of just putting them in a car and crossing our fingers and watching them do that but actually building a program that’s catered to elite motorsport talent and have a training protocol and preparation protocol so we can be successful. A lot of work went into that.

“For us to be in Victory Lane with Project 91, it’s hard to find the words. It’s incredibly, incredibly humbling. Kimi Räikkönen and Chevrolet were a big part of getting this thing going, and for us to be able to grab a guy like Shane, who I’m a huge fan of and have been a fan of for a long time, to put him in this position and watch him do his thing was not just great for our company, but an incredibly compelling thing for the fans and for the industry and for everybody that was here this weekend.”

RELATED: Who is Shane van Gisbergen?

Van Gisbergen wasted no time getting up to speed. The three-time Australian Supercars champion was granted an orientation test on a variation of the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on June 26, practiced pit stops at the shop just up the road in Concord, North Carolina and was eager to continue readying for Chicago however best he could since arriving in the United States.

“His feedback in the car matched exactly what we were expecting with simulation programs and everything we do with Chevrolet, having their background over there and what we have here with Chevrolet,” Grubb, crew chief of the Project 91 car, said of the Charlotte test. “It was really awesome to see that feedback all match up.”

The buildup culminated in the single fastest lap of Cup practice Saturday afternoon ahead of a third-place qualifying run. And after strategy and the subtraction of 25 scheduled laps due to impending darkness altered the running order, van Gisbergen charged from 18th to the lead in the final 26 laps.

Chris Graythen | Getty Images

Disruptors indeed: Led by Mexico native Daniel Suárez and Florida’s Ross Chastain as its Cup regulars, Trackhouse has accumulated five victories since the start of 2022, which began the sport’s Next Gen era and a new world for Marks and Trackhouse after the purchase and acquisition of Chip Ganassi Racing. The organization has now won with drivers from three different countries at a variety of race tracks: Chastain’s triumphs at Circuit of The Americas, Talladega Superspeedway and most recently Nashville Superspeedway just one week before Chicago; Suárez’s breakthrough win at Sonoma Raceway in June 2022 and now van Gisbergen in the Cup Series’ inaugural street race.

“A lot of what we’re trying to do at Trackhouse is new and different and exciting for the sport,” Marks said. “We’re trying to inject something into the sport that it hasn’t seen before, that the fans haven’t seen before. So I think it’s really important because it comes out of that creativity that we all share and the passion that we have in trying to put something out on the racetrack that’s really unique and compelling.

“(Project 91 is) kind of a — it’s not a crazy idea. People have done this before. But to put a brand on it and to actually build a group around it that Darian leads and go to the company and say, this is an idea that we want to do, and it’s actually like a unit within the company, I mean, to put that into Victory Lane is — I mean, it’s hard to find the words for it because it’s so different.

“It doesn’t put anybody in the playoffs. It doesn’t really do any of that. But it’s an incredible moment for the fact that we are trying to be a special team that’s different and compelling and exciting for the fans. For an idea, a concept that I came to these guys with and said, would you take this on? Would you do the extra work and take this on? And for them to embrace it and to put it in Victory Lane is really — it’s sort of like anything’s possible. If you can dream it, you can do it.”

Posted on July 3, 2023 by Press Release

SOUTH BOSTON, Va. — Bobby McCarty has been declared the winner of the July 1 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort at South Boston Speedway as a result of the disqualification of apparent winner Carson Kvapil.

Speedway officials placed the race results in unofficial status following the event as items found in the post-race inspection process were deemed to be questionable. After a diligent review of the findings of the post-race technical inspection McCarty, the race runner-up, has been declared the race winner.

In addition, Landon Huffman, who finished third in Saturday night’s 200-lap race, has also been disqualified.

Bobby McCarty (Photo: Sanjay Suchak/NASCAR)

McCarty’s win in Saturday night’s event is his second in three years. McCarty previously won this event in 2021.

“We never want to have to alter race results after an event, but the integrity of our on-track competition is paramount in our operation, and sometimes decisions like these have to be made,” said Jeff Bomar, director of competition for South Boston Speedway.

Added Chase Brashears, general manager of South Boston Speedway: “Racing is an extremely competitive sport, and with that comes innovation and trying to get every ounce of advantage that teams can, and sometimes that innovation unintentionally steps outside the scope of the rule book. We’re extremely appreciative of the professionalism shown by all teams involved in the post-race inspection process, and we congratulate official race winner Bobby McCarty.”

During the inspection process, the No. 8 car driven by Kvapil was found to have a left rear shock that was out of compliance with the 2023 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series rule book. The shock’s internal piston was the piece deemed as non-compliant.

Huffman had a rear-end housing with camber on the left and right axle tubes, which is not permitted per the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series rule book. The car was also found with a left rear spring and shock assembly that was out of compliance.

With the disqualification of Kvapil and Huffman and McCarty being declared the official race winner, the official top-10 finishers consist of McCarty, Brenden Queen, Trevor Ward, Landon Pembelton, Jacob Borst, Mason Bailey, Logan Clark, Carter Langley, Brandon Pierce and Stacy Puryear.