Posted on by Adam Fenwick

Winning a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race isn’t easy. In fact, since the modern NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was created in 1985, only 77 drivers have visited Victory Lane.

That’s what makes the start of the 2023 season particularly interesting. Through the first five races, five different drivers have secured victories ahead of the sixth race of the season this Saturday night at Seekonk Speedway.

It’s only the sixth time in the modern history of the series that the first five races have been won by five different drivers. The first such occurrence took place in 1990, when Reggie Ruggiero, Tony Hirschman, Rick Fuller, Mike Stefanik and Jeff Fuller triumphed in consecutive races to open the season.

RELATED: What to know about Saturday’s Seekonk 150

It didn’t happen again until nine years later in 1999, when Mike Ewanitsko, Ed Flemke Jr., Rick Fuller, Ted Christopher, Tim Connolly, John Blewett III and Tony Hirschman opened the season with wins. In the process, they set the record for the most different drivers to win consecutive races to open a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season at seven.

Two years later in 2001, Jerry Marquis, Rick Fuller, Blewett, Ruggiero and Ewanitsko opened the season with wins. It happened once more in 2004, with Christopher, Marquis, Flemke, Todd Szegedy and Tony Hirschman securing victories to open the season.

It took 17 years for this to happen again, but in 2021, Eric Goodale, Patrick Emerling, Doug Coby, Justin Bonsignore and Matt Hirschman collected victories in consecutive races to open the season.

That brings us to 2023, when for the sixth time in series history five different drivers have won the first five races of the season.

It started with Ron Silk, who captured his first victory since the 2021 season with a win at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway in February. The win marked his 18th series victory and his first with Haydt Yannone Racing.

Next was Austin Beers, who joined his father Eric as a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour winner with a dominant performance at Richmond Raceway in late March. He was followed by Coby, who collected his first victory of the year and the 35th of his career at Monadnock Speedway.

Bonsignore was next to visit Victory Lane following a back-and-forth battle with Silk at Riverhead Raceway on May 21. Matt Hirschman then powered to victory in the fifth race of the season at Lee USA Speedway two weeks ago to make it five different winners in as many races to open the 2023 season.

Drivers line up before the Granite State Derby for the Whelen Modified Tour at Lee USA Speedway on May 27, 2023 in Lee, New Hampshire. (Photo: Jaiden Tripi/NASCAR)

To make things even more interesting, through the first five races of the season, four different drivers have earned runner-up finishes. They include Bonsignore (New Smyrna), J.B. Fortin (Richmond), Jon McKennedy (Monadnock), Silk (Riverhead) and McKennedy (Lee USA).

All of this begs the question: Will the streak of different winners to open the 2023 season continue Saturday night at Seekonk?

It’s certainly possible, as three drivers who visited Victory Lane with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in 2022 and have yet to win this year are entered in Saturday’s race.

They include McKennedy, the defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, as well as New Hampshire Motor Speedway winner Anthony Nocella and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park victor Craig Lutz.

One also can’t count out drivers like Fortin, Jake Johnson, Tyler Rypkema and Anthony Sesely, all of whom would love to add their names to the list of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race winners.

Anything is possible when the green flag waves Saturday night for the Seekonk 150. If you can’t be there in person, you can watch the race live exclusively on FloRacing.

Posted on by Staff Report

CONCORD, N.C. — Alongside the right-side door bars and extending towards the rear clip, teams will now be mandated to run a steel plate in addition to the chassis adjustments made for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The right-side door bar gussets and the removal of the front clip V-brace are changes that remain, in addition to the removal of other front-clip components to create a softer and larger crush zone for frontal impacts.

Also included in the updates are front bumper strut softening (modifications to existing parts), the requirement of an empty front ballast box and a modified cross brace. NASCAR will incur the cost of all these updates.

“We’ve taken a lot of the steel structural members and removed material from key elements to make this structure less stiff,” said Dr. John Patalak, vice president of safety engineering at NASCAR. “We have slots on both sides, we have deleted some cross members between the upright mounts and we’ve treated some of the areas down low that are some of the first to contact the wall on the front clip. We’ve also added slots to this ballast container as well as some holes, and it’s all an effort to increase the amount of displacement we’re getting out of the car and to reduce the accelerations that the driver is experiencing.”

A close look at the new front-clip structure with significant changes.
A close look at the updated front-clip structure.

While frontal crash improvement work was already underway, the crash between Kyle Larson and Ryan Preece in April at Talladega Superspeedway set a baseline for testing — testing that has produced beneficial results. Larson and Preece also made visits to the NASCAR R&D Center to assist with the investigation. 

“The right-side door bars of the center section is getting a steel plate welded to it and really what it does it’s strengthening the right-side door bars against intrusion for crashes like we saw at Talladega with the 5 and 41,” Patalak said. “We reconstructed that crash at a test facility and we’re pleased with the performance where we’re hanging on to everything. We still do have bent door bars but minimal intrusion and much better performance.”

Both cars in the crash test were constructed with the new safety updates.

In its second year of competition, the Next Gen race car has already made significant strides in safety due to the amount of information being gathered every weekend at the track. Incidents and experiences allow engineers at the NASCAR R&D Center to take real-world data and apply it to the car’s continued development.

“If you remember back to when we started, we did a lot of work in simulation,” said Patalak. “So, you have one clip and it’s got to live at Bristol and Dover and curb jumping at road courses and the wheel-to-wheel contact that happens every weekend. NASCAR and Dallara needed to make sure that the structure of the car was strong enough to not bend during all of those things. … That presents a challenge to crash defamation that we want to occur for the safety of the drivers.

“There’s always a balance in all of that. So, after we got a year of data under our belt, NASCAR and Dallara could really go back with wheel-force data, tire-test data and our teams are a huge resource giving us data that they get to really understand what are the true loads going through the front clip. And after we got that data, after a year of racing, we were able to go back and make our simulations better.”

These Cup Series changes are set to go into effect during Atlanta’s upcoming night-race weekend, with the race set for Sunday, July 9 at 7 ET on USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on by John Crane

After starting its journey at World Wide Technology Raceway last weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series concludes its westward trek with a date in wine country at Sonoma Raceway.

Last year, the Cup Series saw another driver reach a milestone as Daniel Suárez dominated the 1.99-mile road course en route to his first career Cup Series win. The winning mark additionally netted Trackhouse Racing its third and final win of the 2022 campaign.

Will the California luster from last year carry over this time around, or will it shine for others? Before we find out how Sunday’s race (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will play out, here are some important trends to watch ahead of the action, along with Goodyear tire information and interactive ways to follow along.

RELATED: See paint schemes for Sonoma | Betting favorites for Sunday’s Cup race

🃏 WILL AN ACE OR WILD CARD PREVAIL? 🃏

Road-course racing can simultaneously bring expectancy and uncertainty to the mix. On the one hand, you have the usual suspects who have already left their mark on the road-course scene. On the other, you have drivers who could force their way into the conversation and find Victory Lane for the first time in their career, similar to Suárez last year.

After his win at Circuit of The Americas in March, Tyler Reddick has been on quite the streak when it comes to this type of track. The No. 45 23XI driver has won three of the last five road-course races and has led 28% of all laps in that span. Meanwhile, Chase Elliott — who returns from a one-race suspension this weekend — will look to find a dose of rhythm at a type of track he is all too familiar with. After all, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports driver leads all active drivers in wins on road courses (seven).

Perhaps another mainstay cements his place, such as Kyle Busch, who has finished in the top seven in six of the last seven Sonoma races and is a two-time winner there (2008, 2015). Maybe the Trackhouse duo in Chastain and Suárez put on a good showing worthy of finding the checkered flag once again. Who knows, maybe a different driver altogether, such as Chris Buescher — who finished runner-up at Sonoma last year — finds victory at a road course for the first time in his career.

In other words, options are aplenty for how the field could shake out come Sunday.

RELATED: Elliott aims to build rhythm in Sonoma return

📉 TRENDS TO WATCH 📈

— Drivers 30 years old or younger have won 17 of the last 18 road-course races.

— The last time Ford won a road-course race was Ryan Blaney at the Charlotte Roval in 2018, 20 races ago.

— Toyota has won the last two road-course races, while Chevrolet has won 15 of the last 18 road-course races.

(Via Racing Insights)

NOTABLE MOMENTS 🎥

2022: Daniel Suárez wins first Cup race of career with thrilling victory | WATCH

2021: Kyle Larson tames Sonoma’s twists and turns en route to dominant win | WATCH

ON-TRACK SCHEDULE 🗓️

Saturday, June 10

— 5:05 p.m. ET: Practice (FS2, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

— 6 p.m. ET: Qualifying (FS2, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Sunday, June 11

— 3:30 p.m. ET: Toyota/Save Mart 350 (FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

MORE: Full weekend schedule at Sonoma

RULE CHANGES/GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES 🛞

Similar to Circuit of The Americas earlier this season, the choose rule will be in effect. The lack of stage breaks will further bring a different strategy for drivers to navigate in addition to a surplus of tire wear (more on that below).

Goodyear runs one tire on Cup cars at road courses with two different tire codes, which will allow the tires to tread directionally as a way to handle the stress expected to be put on them. Sonoma is now aligned with other NASCAR road courses, with the Sonoma setup being the same as the one run earlier in the year at Circuit of The Americas. The setup will be run again at the Chicago Street Course, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, Watkins Glen International and the Charlotte Roval.

Teams will be allotted one set of tires for practice, one set for qualifying and six sets for the race (five race sets plus one set transferred from qualifying).

Goodyear will bring its 18-inch wet weather radials to Sonoma for use by Cup teams should NASCAR decide the conditions warrant them. The last time NASCAR ran a wet weather tire on a road course was at Watkins Glen in August 2022.

In the event of a lost wheel that is contained to pit road, the offending team will be subject to a pass-through penalty under green-flag conditions. If the infraction occurs during a caution period, the offending team will restart at the tail end of the field.

If the wheel breaks free outside of pit road, the new rules guidelines mandate a two-lap penalty, plus a to-race suspension for two crew members. Each penalty is series-specific: Violations in one series will not impact those crew members’ eligibility to participate in other series.

RELATED: See rules changes for 2023

FAN REWARDS 🫵

Fans can get in on the action all season long with NASCAR Fan Rewards, a free program that rewards fans for participating in the action when they watch races and play NASCAR Fantasy.

There’s no cost to join. Fans must be 18 years or older to participate in the program.

Earn points by checking into a race from home or at the track, setting your Fantasy Live lineup, making purchases on the NASCAR.com shop and more. Points can be redeemed for race tickets, merchandise and VIP experiences at the track, including pace car rides and waving the green flag at qualifying.

JOIN TODAY

FOLLOW THE RACE 📲

NASCAR Mobile has now added support for fans to “Follow the Race” and access live leaderboard and race information from Live Activities in the current app release (v13.2.0), available now. Android users, we didn’t forget you — the same functionality has been custom-built for Android devices, as well.

How to access Live Activities on iPhones:

  1. Make sure your iOS device has been updated to 16.1 or higher.
  2. Available on the leaderboard of all NASCAR Series races.
  3. Click on the three-dot menu near the top right of screen.
  4. Select “Follow the Race.”
  5. Swipe up to access the home screen and you will see the Live Activities at the top.
  6. Lock the device and you will see Live Activities on the Lock Screen.
  7. To turn off, simply visit the leaderboard, click the three-dot menu and “Unfollow the Race.”

FANTASY LIVE 🏆

Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $25,000 prize for the winner.

How to play: Fantasy Live | Set up a team today!

ALSO ON NASCAR.COM 💻

Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week, in-car cameras will be available.

NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement to the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.

Posted on by Zack Albert

LE MANS, France — NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick said that last weekend’s one-race suspension of Chase Elliott for rough driving was a punishment that was accepted, but that his drivers should have an outlet for voicing their displeasure for on-track incidents with their rivals.

Hendrick was soaking in a different style of motoring press overseas during Thursday afternoon’s “Meet the Team” availability at Le Mans’ Circuit de la Sarthe, supporting his Hendrick Motorsports’ Garage 56 entry alongside partners NASCAR, Chevrolet and Goodyear. But the Hall of Famer’s racing operations back across the Atlantic still had his attention, including the recent penalty to Elliott that forced him to the sidelines for the Cup Series’ most recent race outside of St. Louis.

RELATED: Elliott moves on from penalty | Garage 56 coverage

The disciplinary actions stemmed from Elliott’s retaliation in crashing Denny Hamlin during last month’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. But Hendrick also spoke Thursday to the overall culture of on-track aggression, suggesting that NASCAR competition officials might intercede.

“I think you have to accept it if you did it. But when you get roughed up and you get roughed up by the same person all the time or multiple times in a race, the frustration sets in and you just … you’ve ruined my day, I’m gonna ruin your day,” Hendrick told NASCAR.com. “And I think NASCAR is gonna calm that down, but until something was done, they were going to keep on doing it. So I don’t like it, but I feel like our guys have the right to retaliate, but we’ve got to now not wreck the guy.”

Elliott returns to Hendrick’s No. 9 Chevrolet this weekend for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Tuesday, the 27-year-old driver told NASCAR.com that the incident was an “unfortunate circumstance on many accounts, and I hate that we’re in the position that we’re in,” but that he understood and respected competition officials’ decision to suspend him.

MORE: Weekend schedule for Sonoma

Two days later and an ocean away, Hendrick said he’d prefer to see disputes settled outside of the car than on the track.

“I’d rather after the race confront them and ask them what the deal is,” Hendrick said. “But our sport’s been about pushing and shoving. It’s a fine line when you get over that. If somebody pushes and shoves you and puts you out of the race, then what are you going to do?”

Posted on by Brandon White

MARNE, Mich. — Throughout his career at Berlin Raceway, NASCAR Cup Series driver Erik Jones had never won the track’s prestigious Money in the Bank 150.

The 27-year-old on Wednesday night checked that event off his storied resume. Jones conserved his tires and pulled away with the win in the closing laps, joining Brian Campbell as the only Super Late Model drivers to claim both the Money in the Bank 150 and Battle at Berlin.

The victory for Jones was emotional in numerous ways. He celebrated in Berlin’s Victory Lane with his own car while simultaneously reflecting on the memories he shared with his late father Dave.

“It’s been a long time since I won a race here, and the last one was an emotional one,” Jones said. “I lost my dad that week, and this was the day in 2016 when he actually passed away. It’s a tough day like always, but it felt good to be at the track racing.

“I bet he’s got to be smiling right now.”

Jones also felt a sense of catharsis Wednesday evening after enduring several shortcomings in last year’s Money in the Bank 150.

Having not run the event in five years up until that point, Jones admitted he was too conservative with his tires throughout the 150-lap feature. He still managed to finish 10th but knew he would have to be more aggressive if he wanted to win the race this year.

After lining up on the outside pole following an invert, Jones quickly shot out to the lead in front of Lee VanDyk before going into tire-conservation mode. Kyle Crump took control of the Money in the Bank 150 while Jones maintained track position in the top five.

Erik Jones
Erik Jones in action during the Money in the Bank 150 at Michigan’s Berlin Raceway on June 7, 2023. (Emily Elconin/NASCAR)

Jones worked his way back to second right as the final competition caution of the evening was displayed with 30 laps remaining. All Jones needed to dispatch Crump was an efficient restart on the outside line that effectively sealed him the victory.

While Crump was disappointed a solid evening did not ultimately result in a win, he took pride in having an opportunity to race one of the best stock-car drivers in the country for the win at his home track.

“I kept waiting for [Jones] to make a mistake, but he doesn’t make mistakes,” Crump said. “I guess that’s why he races on Sundays. But damn that was cool to race with Erik Jones for the win. That doesn’t happen often, and if you’re going to lose to a guy, he’s not a bad guy to lose to.”

RELATED: Keep up with Berlin Raceway on FloRacing

With fresh tires at his disposal, Jones felt he would be able to fend off any charge from Crump if a caution did not come out in the closing laps.

The Money in the Bank 150 victory served as a refreshing change of pace for Jones in the middle of an inconsistent season in the Cup Series. He credits the speed in his Super Late Model to the dedication of his crew members and is looking forward to more races with them, which will include a chance at this third Battle of Berlin triumph later this year.

“It feels good,” Jones said. “I’m a confident guy and always feel good about my ability, but it’s tough when you’re running not how you want to run. We’re trying to get things better on [the NASCAR Cup Series] side, but it feels good to come wrench with some good friends. This is a good crew, and it’s a super cool day.”

Bubba Pollard finished in third behind Jones and Crump, with Andrew Scheid and Gio Ruggiero completing the top five. Blake Rowe, Sean Hingorani, Scott Thomas, Trevor Sanborn and Austin Hull were the rest of the top-10 finishers.

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

NEW YORK — Today, Prime Video green-lit a new documentary from NASCAR Studios that will chronicle NASCAR’s special “Garage 56” entry at the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The documentary will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. The “Garage 56” documentary is the latest addition to the Prime membership. Prime members in the U.S. enjoy savings, convenience and entertainment, all in a single membership.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the ultimate test of driver and machine. With high-speed stretches and iconic turns, Le Mans has earned a reputation as the most demanding race in the world. Now, nearly half a century after NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. first took stock cars to the prestigious event in 1976, his son, and current NASCAR chairman and CEO, Jim France returns to Le Mans — in partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear — to showcase their revolutionary Next Gen race car to an international audience. Behind the driving of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller and 2009 Formula One world champion Jenson Button, the special “Garage 56” entry will compete with some of the fastest and most durable cars in the world. The documentary will take viewers inside the preparation and behind the wheel on race day of the historic endeavor.

“We’re proud to partner with our friends at NASCAR Studios to bring this incredible story of innovation and determination to our Prime Video customers,” said Matt Newman, head of Prime Video Original sports content. “The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the most exciting and grueling competitions in sports, and the work that goes into preparing for a moment like this is something we think audiences will find equal parts entertaining and inspiring.”

“The Next Gen car has been a game changer in NASCAR, and bringing it to an iconic international stage like Le Mans during NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season is a monumental moment for our sport,” said Matt Summers, NASCAR managing director, entertainment marketing and content development. “We’ve had cameras rolling behind the scenes throughout the entire journey, and we can’t wait for fans around the world to come along for the ride thanks to this amazing partnership with Prime Video.”

The documentary is being produced by NASCAR Studios with NASCAR’s Tim Clark, Matt Summers, Amy Anderson and Tally Hair serving as executive producers.

Posted on by Holly Cain

LE MANS, France — Of all the motorsports legends roaming around Le Mans’ Circuit de la Sarthe this week – and there are many – one in particular received an exceedingly warm welcome by the NASCAR Garage 56 team. NASCAR Hall of Famer Hershel McGriff returned to the circuit on Wednesday afternoon – a race-week guest of NASCAR – and the reception he received walking into the team’s pit area couldn’t have been more endearing.

“Welcome back to Le Mans,” NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France told him.

The entire team – NASCAR’s “Innovative Class” entry in the June 10-11 24 Hours of Le Mans – was equally as excited to have the 95-year-old McGriff trackside. The NASCAR legend competed at Le Mans twice himself – in 1976 and 1982.

RELATED: At-track photos: Le Mans | Race-week schedule

“Come on, let’s get you in a driver’s suit. Do you have your helmet?’’ Hendrick Motorsports Vice President and Garage 56 manager Chad Knaus said in greeting McGriff.

The look on the legendary driver’s face said it all. He joked about forgetting his helmet but promised he would have loved to compete in this race again or even help out in the pits.

“I’m just kind of a guest this week, but I told Jim France, ‘I don’t really want to be a spectator, I just want to fill in somewhere,’ ” McGriff said, grinning. “I think Chad must have gotten the word.”

McGriff was genuinely moved to be a part of NASCAR’s return to the race for the first time in 47 years. He flew to France with NASCAR executives and said he’d been smiling from the time his feet hit the French pavement.

As soon as he arrived trackside, the Garage 56 drivers surrounded him – former Formula One champ Jenson Button and renowned sports-car champion Mike Rockenfeller smiling as they listened to McGriff’s stories of stock cars past at the legendary sports-car venue.

MORE: Garage 56 full coverage

A member of McGriff’s original 1976 Le Mans crew – Dick Pierson – even made the trip across the Atlantic, eager to share in his former team owner’s connection with the track, which is celebrating the race’s 100th year of existence.

“When I heard about this and that Hershel was coming, I just was like, ‘Oh man, this is so good,’ ” Pierson said. “I certainly decided then I needed to come here. And here I am.”

It was a reunion 47 years in the making and duly appreciated.

“Thank goodness for NASCAR, Jim France and [IMSA President] John Doonan, they invited me,” McGriff said. “Of course, I threw a lot of hints that I would like to come (smiling). And I’ve been treated as royalty.

“This is unbelievable to me. I recognize nothing, but I’m anxious to see everything,” McGriff said. “I’ve been watching and seeing pictures, and I can certainly see the fans love their NASCAR.”
NASCAR Hall of Famer Hershel McGriff laughs as he speaks with IMSA president John Doonan in the Garage 56 pit area at Le Mans, France.
Zack Albert | NASCAR Studios
Posted on by Staff Report

Chase Elliott sits 98 points below the playoff elimination line, due in large part to six missed races because of a leg injury and one more because of a suspension. However, he can wipe away the slow start by having one outstanding afternoon in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

History is firmly on his side because Elliott is third on the all-time list with seven road-course wins, trailing only NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon (nine) and Tony Stewart (eight). Elliott also has had a hot hand on road courses lately, with four top-10 finishes (in six starts) since the beginning of 2022 with the Next Gen car.

FANTASY LIVE: Set your roster | See weekend schedule

Elliott also comes back focused on making things right after his one-week suspension for wrecking Denny Hamlin. He told NASCAR.com on Tuesday he hopes to establish some momentum for his team, admitting that he hasn’t found the right groove yet this season.

With 11 regular-season races left for Elliott to get that playoff-securing victory, the pressure will certainly ramp up as we get closer to the August race at Daytona International Speedway. But we’ve seen when Elliott gets things going, he can be unstoppable — as he was in 2020 on the road to winning a championship.

The driver of the No. 9 qualified 10th for Sunday’s race, and he remains the projected winner.

OTHERS TO WATCH

TYLER REDDICK: He has won three of the last five road-course races and finished in the top 10 in seven of the last eight road-course races.

KYLE BUSCH: He has finished in the top seven in six of the last seven races at Sonoma and is a two-time Sonoma winner.

AJ ALLMENDINGER: He has finished in the top 10 in four of his last five road-course starts, but has only two top-10 finishes in 11 Sonoma starts. Following Saturday’s on-track action, his projection improved by three positions.

CHRIS BUESCHER: He has finished in the top 10 in the last six road-course races (longest active streak) and was runner-up last year at Sonoma.

Projections as of Sunday, June 11.

Note: Noah Gragson will be replaced by Grant Enfinger in the No. 42 this weekend.

RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR TOYOTA/SAVE MART 350

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.

FinishCar numberDriver
19Chase Elliott
25Kyle Larson
345Tyler Reddick
424William Byron
519Martin Truex Jr.
68Kyle Busch
716AJ Allmendinger
817Chris Buescher
912Ryan Blaney
104Kevin Harvick
1148Alex Bowman
1211Denny Hamlin
131Ross Chastain
1434Michael McDowell
1599Daniel Suarez
162Austin Cindric
1722Joey Logano
1820Christopher Bell
1914Chase Briscoe
206Brad Keselowski
2154Ty Gibbs
223Austin Dillon
2331Justin Haley
2443Erik Jones
2547Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2623Bubba Wallace
2751Todd Gilliland
2810Aric Almirola
2941Ryan Preece
307Corey LaJoie
3121Harrison Burton
3277Ty Dillon
3378Josh Bilicki
3438Zane Smith
3542Grant Enfinger
3615Andy Lally
Posted on by Zack Albert

LE MANS, France — Toyota and 23XI Racing announced Wednesday that sports-car ace Kamui Kobayashi will make his NASCAR debut in the Cup Series event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on Aug. 13.

The announcement was made at the NASCAR display at the Circuit de la Sarthe’s manufacturer village in Le Mans, with NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France among the dignitaries in attendance. Kobayashi is competing in this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans for Toyota Gazoo Racing in the Hypercar class. He has two wins already this season in FIA World Endurance Championship competition, where he is a two-time champ, but said he was eager to explore a new motorsports discipline in NASCAR.

“I think NASCAR is kind of like baseball. It’s something different in the culture of motorsports compared to Japan and Europe, and it’s NASCAR, and as a driver, it’s an American dream,” Kobayashi said. “I was lucky as I was able to race in IMSA the last couple of years. It’s a different way of racing, but I think as racing technology, it’s really at a high level. I really appreciate this opportunity from TRD, U.S.A., and of course, Toyota Motor North America and Toyota Gazoo Racing.

“For us, especially the Japanese people, Toyota has been in NASCAR for a while, and I don’t think any other Japanese driver has been in a Toyota racing in the Cup Series. I’m very proud of this opportunity.”

RELATED: Cup Series schedule | Le Mans race week schedule

Kobayashi is set to drive the No. 67 Toyota Camry TRD, a third entry that will compete alongside 23XI Racing teammates Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace on the 2.439-mile IMS circuit. The last time 23XI fielded a third car, action-sports star Travis Pastrana drove it to an 11th-place finish in this year’s Daytona 500.

Kobayashi becomes just the second driver from Japan to enter a Cup Series race, but the first to do so in a Toyota; Hideo Fukuyama made four Cup starts between 2002-03, and three other drivers from Japan — Akinori Ogata, Kenko Miura and Shigeaki Hattori — have competed in Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series events. It’s another effort for the automaker to broaden its reach within the NASCAR world.

“To have Kamui carrying a global flag with him to our sport, we’ll put some eyeballs on it that we haven’t had before,” said David Wilson, Toyota Racing Development (TRD) USA president. “And then, focusing narrower to Japanese drivers, I would say we have even broader goals for global drivers and aspirations. So European kids who maybe have a frame of reference that goes through Formula 1, maybe this opens another for ‘Well, why not NASCAR?’ ”

The 36-year-old Kobayashi has had a varied racing career after a start in karting, which eventually led to a prime scholarship spot with Toyota’s Young Drivers initiative. He progressed to a stint in Formula 1 with the automaker and now races in the Supra Formula Series along with his sports-car duties. That wide list of experience, Kobayashi says, doesn’t include driving a stock car, and he marveled at his first sight of one once his No. 67 entry was unveiled Wednesday at Le Mans.

Kobayashi joins a growing number of newcomers from other series to recently give NASCAR a try. One of the most recent examples came in late March at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, where former F1 champs Jenson Button and Kimi Räikkönen joined sports-car standout and Garage 56 reserve driver Jordan Taylor in providing some new faces on the entry list. Kobayashi said he watched the full race with interest.

“Actually, I like this type of racing because you bump each other all the time, and you have to be very sharp on the start, otherwise, you lose all the momentum, and you’re going backwards, and you have no chance,” Kobayashi said. “I think the way they race is different, but I like it because I think this is something the driver brings instead of the car bringing something.”

Räikkönen’s participation was part of the Trackhouse Racing Project 91 initiative to provide opportunities for global motorsports stars. Wilson said that “Project 67” had served as a sort of internal codename for the part-time 23XI effort with a similar intent of broadening stock-car racing’s audience.

“We are absolutely open to using this as a platform to bring in other drivers on occasion,” Wilson said. “Now, the challenging part, of course, is you want to do it well, right. And you want to make sure that we give Kamui the best experience. We take this very personally because it is some heavy lifting with the regular lot, and so if future opportunities present themselves, we certainly have the seats, we certainly have the willingness of our friends from 23XI — Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin, Steve Lauletta. They had Travis Pastrana in a car at Daytona, so certainly, we’re open to further opportunities down the road.”

Kobayashi said the opportunity emerged for the Indianapolis race primarily because of scheduling, given his busy racing workload. He also said he was focused on debuting on a road course but that the Chicago Street Race on July 2 was “too close, so we decided to look at Indianapolis to be safe.”

Kobayashi said his preparation time still may be short, and he indicated he plans for two days of racing simulator prep, plus a potential test of a Next Gen stock car on a test track. Leaning on Toyota teammates for information will also be a resource. “With on-track opportunities, we are limited,” he said, “but with experience and knowledge, we have some of the best for this form of racing.”

Kobayashi also said that he hopes his Cup Series debut might open the door for other Japanese drivers to explore stock-car racing and that a solid showing could pave that path.

“I will try my best, but I’m very thankful for this opportunity and happy to be in this position,” Kobayashi said. “For Toyota and for the entire family, I think this will create something new for us. Now we have to finalize all the small details, but at the end of the day, I think a strong performance would help with future possibilities.”

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

Chase Elliott’s one-race suspension from the NASCAR Cup Series is in the rearview mirror, right where he’d like to keep it.

The driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet said Tuesday he understands the sanctioning body’s decision to sit him out for last weekend’s event at World Wide Technology Raceway after officials ruled he intentionally crashed Denny Hamlin. The 2020 Cup champion looks forward to returning at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: Details on Elliott-Hamlin incident | Cup Series standings

“I think certainly it was an unfortunate circumstance on many accounts,” Elliott told NASCAR.com via teleconference. “And I hate that we’re in the position that we’re in. Obviously, it’s been a pretty wild year, even prior to last week or two weeks ago. But yeah, look, I mean, I hate that I put our team and our partners and our fans and all the folks that make this go in a tough spot. Certainly glad Denny’s OK, and I understand NASCAR’s call and what they felt like they needed to do. So I respect all that.”

Elliott has missed seven races in 2023, six due to an injury suffered while snowboarding ahead of his most recent absence. He’s hopeful his Sonoma arrival triggers a more long-term stay on the schedule.

“For me personally, just looking forward to getting back to work and just trying to get in a groove because I don’t really feel like I’ve been in one throughout the year,” Elliott said. “It’s been kind of stop-and-go all season, unfortunately. But the way I see it is there’s 11 races left (in the regular season), and we pretty much need to go win one of those to get in the show. So that’s where my head’s at right now.”

Sonoma signals an excellent opportunity for Elliott to relocate the rhythm he’s sorely missed, as seven of Elliott’s 18 career wins have come on road courses. Yet Sonoma is the only road course at which Elliott has made at least three starts and not scored a victory — so far.

“I think we can go out there and win for sure,” said Elliott, a 2021 runner-up in Napa Valley. “We had a pretty solid run there last year. We weren’t the best I didn’t think, but we were fast enough to contend. And I think that being said, I also know the areas we could be better in leaving there last year, so I have a lot of confidence in the direction that I think we need to go in and what we need our car to do to be more successful there this year.”

As Elliott noted, just 11 races remain in the regular season. With seven races missed this year — six due to injury, one due to suspension — Elliott sits 28th in points, 98 points beneath the cutoff line for the NASCAR Playoffs. A win is almost necessary to lock into the postseason, but the No. 9 team has also balanced chasing stage points this season in Elliott’s return.

However, stages have a different look at road courses this season. The caution flag no longer flies at the end of each stage, but the top 10 drivers at the stage breaks will still receive a points payout. That may alter what strategies each team may utilize Sunday in Sonoma.

“For the most part there toward the end of last year and throughout the season, as this car kind of continued to evolve, you really had to had to short those stages to give yourself a shot to win,” Elliott said. “So I think just taking that out of the equation makes makes things a little more straightforward and doesn’t penalize the guys who are running well, right? You know, that’s the big thing with that is it ended up hurting the people who are running good and were deserving of stage points and forced them to not take any. So I think it’s a good move.”

Sonoma will mark Elliott’s first road race since returning from injury, a broken left leg suffered in a March snowboarding accident. The good news is Elliott has zero concerns about his leg’s comfort heading into the twists and hills of Sonoma, California.

“It’s been fine in the car really,” Elliott said. “I mean, Martinsville was a little challenging, but since then, I’ve felt pretty good with it in the car and getting stronger outside of the car too. You know, that particular injury is a long recovery. If you were playing a stick-and-ball sport, it would be quite some time before you could go play again.

“So I’m very fortunate that just the way our seats are and where my leg is positioned in the car and how secure it is in the car, those are all things that are working to my advantage and being able to get back to work as quick as I did.”

Elliott’s results have been decent this season. Aside from DNFs in the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600, Elliott has landed safely between second and 12th in his other six starts. A seventh-place run at Kansas was “probably our best race” since returning from injury, Elliott said, but he noted he’s largely had eighth-to-10th-place cars.

As Elliott strives to make NASCAR’s postseason for the eighth consecutive season, he has the speed of Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron, Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman to lean on. Byron’s three victories this season are tied for the series best, while Larson has an additional two. Bowman has yet to find Victory Lane but boasts the second-best average finish (11.8) despite missing three races due to a back injury.

“Those guys are having having a lot of success, and when you have that, it definitely can help lead you in directions setup-wise or car-build wise or whatever it may be,” Elliott said. “So the program in general have been solid all year and there’s been a lot of pace. Obviously a lot of victories. So yeah, we’d like to tap into that and add to it.”

Elliott is entering a stretch of races that saw him rattle off five straight top-two finishes in 2022 — wins at Nashville, Atlanta and Pocono with runner-up results at Road America and New Hampshire. The Chicago Street Race replaces Road America this year, but his confidence is still high the No. 9 team can rekindle some of last year’s summer magic.

“I think we’re certainly capable of doing it; it’s just getting in a little bit of a rhythm,” Elliott said. “Running two races, skipping six, and then jumping in there for a few weeks and missing another one, it’s just kind of hard to find a rhythm. So yeah, hopefully no more skips over the next 11 weeks and we can just start chipping away at it. And obviously, that starts at Sonoma.”