NASCAR penalizes Hamlin for intentional contact with Chastain at Phoenix

Posted on March 15, 2023March 17, 2023 by Staff Report

NASCAR fined Denny Hamlin $50,000 and docked him 25 driver points on Wednesday for his intentional contact with Ross Chastain late in Sunday’s Cup Series race at Phoenix.

On the next-to-last lap of the race, Hamlin pushed high into Turn 1 in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and took Chastain and his No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet toward the wall, making contact. Hamlin, who was in sixth place before the race’s final restart, finished 23rd, one spot ahead of Chastain. They were the final two cars on the lead lap.

The section of the NASCAR Rule Book specifically mentioned in the penalty was Sections 4.4: NASCAR Member Code of Conduct. Within that section, these items were detailed: B. Attempting to manipulate the outcome of the race or championship and wrecking or spinning another vehicle, whether or not that vehicle is removed from competition as a result. D. Actions NASCAR finds to be detrimental to stock racing or NASCAR.

Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition, said in a Wednesday afternoon video call with reporters that each instance of on-track retaliation and contact between rivals is handled on a case-by-case basis. But Sawyer added that Hamlin’s admission of intent — and its impact on the two drivers’ finishing positions — was the tipping point for competition officials in their post-race evaluations.

“They’re all individual, right? They’re unique to themselves,” Sawyer said. “When you look at this one this past weekend, we would have viewed that as a racing incident, but then it’s 24 hours later and you have a competitor that has gone on a podcast, which I will say, we’re delighted that Denny has a podcast. We think that’s great, interacts with the fans, but when you start admitting that you have intentionally done something that would compromise the results of the end of the race, then that rises to a level that we’re going to get involved. There’s no other way to look at that. We’re going to get involved in those situations. We’ve been consistent in the past with that, and we will be consistent going forward.”

After initially posting on social media that he would not appeal the penalty, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver tweeted Friday that he had changed his mind.

After much consideration I’ve decided that I will appeal the decision by NASCAR to penalize me.
What happened on Sunday was common hard racing that happens each and every weekend. There was also no manipulation of the race nor actions detrimental to the sport.

— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) March 17, 2023

After Phoenix, Hamlin was seventh in the points standings and had one top-10 finish in the first four races this season. Chastain was third in the standings and had one top-five finish and two top-10 finishes this season. After the penalty, Hamlin dropped to 12th while Chastain moved up to second.

On Monday, Hamlin spoke on his Actions Detrimental podcast, hosted by Dirty Mo Media, and said the move was intentional and also a measure of revenge for previous run-ins the two drivers have had on the track. The most recent incident was in the preseason Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, when a collision with Chastain’s car sent Hamlin’s No. 11 looping.

“When he knows it’s coming, he is the hardest guy to wreck on the planet,” Hamlin said on the podcast. “But I just, I wanted to get back to racing honestly with him, and I think that that’s a lot of the conversation that we had after. … He came up to me, and he says, ‘I guess I deserve it.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I think so.’ …. So we talked, and I think that we are in a better place where I think we’re willing to put the past behind us, and I think that we’re going to judge each other from this point forward, and I think that’s the fairest way to do it.”

• In other penalties announced Wednesday, NASCAR hit each of Hendrick Motorsports’ four Cup Series teams and the No. 31 team of Kaulig Racing with L2-level infractions for unapproved modifications to parts. The Nos. 5, 9, 24, 31 and 48 teams all lost 100 team and driver points (with the exception of the No. 9, which did not lose driver points) and 10 playoff points. The crew chiefs for each team were suspended for four races and fined $100,000. Hendrick Motorsports released a statement saying it would appeal the penalties but would not request to defer the suspensions. Kaulig Racing also released a Thursday statement noting it will appeal the penalty, but will request to defer crew chief Trent Owens’ suspension until the appeal hearing. | READ MORE

• Competition officials also issued a safety violation for the loss or separation of an improperly installed tire/wheel from the vehicle (Sections 8.8.10.4 A&C) to the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford driven by Aric Almirola. Crew members Ryan Mulder (front tire changer) and Sean Cotten (jack) were suspended for two races.

The Cup Series will be on track at 11:35 a.m. ET on Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway for Busch Light Pole Qualifying (FS1, PRN and SiriusXM Radio).

RELATED: Full Atlanta schedule

Posted on March 15, 2023March 17, 2023 by Staff Report

NASCAR penalized each of Hendrick Motorsports’ four Cup Series teams, along with the No. 31 team of Kaulig Racing, with L2-level penalties on Wednesday for unapproved parts modifications last weekend at Phoenix Raceway. Each crew chief was fined $100,000 and suspended for four races, and each team was further penalized with the loss of 100 team and driver points and 10 playoff points (with the exception of the No. 9, which did not lose driver points because it had a substitute driver who earns Xfinity Series points).

The penalties occurred after NASCAR confiscated the hood louvers from all five cars before Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway. The Hendrick teams involved were the No. 5 Chevrolet driven by Kyle Larson, the No. 9 of Josh Berry (subbing for the injured Chase Elliott), the No. 24 of William Byron and the No. 48 of Alex Bowman; the No. 31 of Justin Haley was the Kaulig team involved. The respective crew chiefs fined and receiving suspensions were Cliff Daniels, Alan Gustafson, Rudy Fugle and Blake Harris for Hendrick and Trent Owens for Kaulig.

The NASCAR Rule Book section specifically referenced for the penalties was Sections 14.5.4.2.A, which deals with how the radiator duct is assembled. The teams were found with unapproved modification of a single-source vendor-supplied part.

Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition, said the severity of the penalties was in line with the deterrence structure put in place with the advent of the Next Gen car in the Cup Series last season. Sawyer referenced other L2-level penalties handed down last year to the No. 6 RFK Racing team and the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports team for unapproved modifications of a single-source supplied part.

“We, from time to time, will capture parts, we’ll bring them back,” Sawyer said in a Wednesday afternoon video conference with reporters. “And as we continue to investigate and look at parts and comparing parts, it was obvious to us that these parts had been modified in an area that wasn’t approved. This is a consistent penalty with what we went through last year with other competitors — the 6, the 34. So we felt like to keep the garage on a level playing field, the competition level where it needs to be, all the dialogue that went around this car last year working with the owners on what the deterrent model should be, we were put in a position that we did feel like there was no other way but to write a penalty.”

Hendrick Motorsports released a statement saying it would appeal the penalties but would not request to defer the suspensions. A Thursday update to the entry list provided the names of each of the four substitute crew chiefs for the upcoming race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Kevin Meendering will crew chief the No. 5 car piloted by Larson; Tom Gray will work with Berry on the No. 9 team; Brian Campe will crew chief the No. 24 car with Byron; and Greg Ives returns to the pit box to crew chief the No. 48 car with Alex Bowman.

Kaulig Racing announced in a Thursday statement it will appeal its L2 penalty and will request deferral of crew chief Owens’ suspension until after the appeal hearing.

NASCAR permitted the Hendrick teams to use the hood louvers for a 50-minute Cup Series practice session on Friday at Phoenix, but then took the louvers back to the R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, for further examination. Hendrick replaced the louvers, and all four cars passed technical inspection before Sunday’s race at Phoenix.

Chad Knaus, Hendrick Motorsports VP of competition, spoke to reporters Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, saying he was “really disappointed we’re in the position we’re in right now.” He said that the violation emerged from a voluntary inspection at Phoenix the previous weekend.

“You have a mandatory safety and a mandatory engine inspection. Everything else beyond that is up to the teams,” Knaus said. “We typically choose to go ahead and put the car in for the voluntary inspection, so NASCAR has the opportunity to say, ‘hey, we don’t like this or maybe you need to tweak that,’ or whatever may be, and that’s been pretty much the standard cadence. I don’t know that there’s too many teams that usually go through the voluntary inspections don’t get told, ‘hey, you need to kind of work on this a little bit before you show back up tomorrow.’ ”

Hendrick’s William Byron went on to win the race, his second victory in a row and the sixth Cup triumph in his career. All the other Hendrick cars also finished in the top 10, with Larson coming in fourth, Bowman in ninth and Berry in 10th.

Before the penalties, Bowman was atop the Cup Series standings with 154 points and had top-10 finishes in all four races this season. Byron was fourth in the standings, and Larson was fifth, while Berry continued to fill in for the injured Elliott, who underwent surgery on March 3 for a broken left leg and is expected to miss six weeks. After the penalty, Bowman dropped to 23rd in the standings, Byron 29th and Larson 32nd.

The hood louvers — which you can see on this Next Gen 3D model — are openings or vents in the hood that serve as a release point for ducts that transfer air out of the radiator. The system is intended to decouple engine performance from aero performance, offsetting the practice of teams taping off air intakes and placing undue pressure and heat strain on the car’s engine.

• In other penalties announced Wednesday, Denny Hamlin was fined $50,000 and lost 25 driver points for violating Sections 4.4 in the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct, which cover — attempting to manipulate the outcome of the race or championship; wrecking or spinning another vehicle, whether or not that vehicle is removed from competition as a result; and actions detrimental to stock car racing or NASCAR. He indicated Friday on social media that he intends to appeal the penalty. | READ MORE

The Cup Series will be on track at 11:35 a.m. ET on Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway for Busch Light Pole Qualifying (FS1, PRN and SiriusXM Radio).

RELATED: Full Atlanta schedule

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Press Release

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — Brian Bryant and grandson Joseph will be racing in honor of the elder Bryant’s longtime rival-turned-crew chief in Saturday evening’s Ronnie Hetu Memorial at New River All-American Speedway.

Joseph Bryant, 18, from Winnabow, North Carolina, plans to compete in back-to-back races on Saturday, racing in a Mini Cup prior to competing in the 50-lap, $1,000-to-win Mini-Stock feature. Brian Bryant, 58, will guide his grandson along at a track he enjoyed plenty of success at when he raced regularly in a Mini-Stock.

“It’s going to be a busy weekend for me,” the younger Bryant said. “I’m feeling really confident. New River has grown on me a lot in the Mini Cup and Mini Stock. I love that track. It’s my favorite track to run at. I’m not as confident in the Mini-Stock, but the more seat time I get, hopefully, the better I can get in that thing.”

Joseph Bryant began racing in a Mini Cup at Dillon Motor Speedway in 2015. A couple years later, he began competing at Carteret County Speedway, where he won a championship. When New River All-American Speedway reopened in 2021, it quickly became his home track. Along with multiple Mini Cup wins at the track, he also has a handful of Mini Stock starts.

This weekend, however, has a special meaning for the 18-year-old.

“[Ronnie Hetu] meant a lot to me,” he explained. “Growing up, knowing him my entire life, him being my grandpa’s crew chief, I’ve grown kind of close to him over those 18 years of time. Me and Aiden [Hetu] got really close. We’ve been really good friends ever since the first time we met. It means a lot to me for New River to have a memorial race for him.”

Brian Bryant is a multi-time championship-winning driver, having titles at Fayetteville Motor Speedway and the now-defunct Myrtle Beach Speedway. While he does not plan to race this weekend, he plans to get plenty of seat time this season. Much of his success came with the help of Ronnie Hetu, who passed away in March 2021.

“Ronnie was, we kind of started out as rivals [at New River] when we first met,” the elder Bryant recalled. “He had the 01 car and I had the 38 car and we were rivals on the track for years. One day, he came to my shop and said, ‘I need a driver and you need a crew chief.’ So we went together and won a ton of races after that. Joseph knew him all his life. He started going to the races with me when he was six months old. Every time we went to the race, he went with me and Ronnie.”

Racing is one of many ways, though the primary way, the grandfather-grandson duo bond.

“It’s definitely a big way that we bond,” Joseph said. “It’s a huge part of both of our lives and he’s the only reason I’m in racing and I’m glad for it because I love racing and wouldn’t give it up for anything. It’s not the only thing we bond, we bond at work when we’re not butting heads over little stuff. Racing is a huge part of our lives.”

“When he started going to the racetrack, he had a little pedal car that we took in a trailer so he’d have it at the track,” Brian explained. “We had a playpen in the trailer. It’s been a long journey and I’ve watched him grow. When he started racing, we bought a lot of fiberglass repair kits. When he got his first new car, Frankie [Corbett] built it, he won a championship in that and won in just about everything I put him in since then. It brings tears to my eyes every time he wins.”

Later this season, Brian expects to have a Mini Stock he is currently building finished and ready to race at a track he has spent much of his career competing at. He also expressed his excitement about the track being consistently open since 2021 after sitting dormant for the better past of the late-2010s.

“I love it. We ran there from the time they opened to the time they shut down and I loved it. I’m so glad Tonya and Anthony [Goodyear] opened it up again. They’ve done great work with the track and the way it looks and the way they’re running it. I’m excited about running there more each year.”

The Ronnie Hetu Memorial is headlined by a 50-lap, $1,000-to-win Mini Stock race. Bombers, Champ Karts, Chargers, Jr. Mini Cups, and Sr. Mini Cups will also be in action. Tickets for the Ronnie Hetu Memorial are available online through My Race Pass and at the gate for $15 for adults while kids five (5) and under are admitted free.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to the family of 4-year-old Rylee Wysinger a relative of Dillon Motor Speedway racers Andy and Elizabeth Welch who is fighting Rhabdomyosarcoma and is undergoing treatment at a San Diego facility.

The second annual Ronnie Hetu Memorial will commence at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 18.

Posted on March 14, 2023June 6, 2023 by Tadd Haislop

The only thing better than a crown jewel race at Michigan’s Berlin Raceway is a trio of crown jewel races at Michigan’s Berlin Raceway.

In 2023, the 7/16-mile paved oval race track in Marne, Michigan once again will deliver three headlining events — the Icebreaker on April 15, the Money in the Bank on June 7 and the Battle at Berlin on Aug. 9 — to compliment its season-long slate of NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series racing.

All three of Berlin’s marquee races will be available to watch live on FloRacing, the official streaming home of all NASCAR Roots properties.

The 2023 Icebreaker marks the beginning of Berlin’s 73rd race season. All four of the track’s divisions (Super Late Model, Limited Late Model, Sportsman, 4 Cylinder) will be in action on opening night. The main event is a 75-lap, $5,000-to-win Super Late Model race.

Racing from the 2023 Icebreaker is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET on April 15 with a live stream available on FloRacing.

As for the Money in the Bank, despite being relatively new to Berlin’s calendar with the first running taking place in 2017, the event has attracted many of the best short-track competitors in the country while bringing in stars from NASCAR’s top divisions like Kyle Busch, Stewart Friesen, Erik Jones and 2022 winner William Byron.

Berlin has not yet announced the 2023 Money in the Bank purse or event schedule, but for reference, Byron took home $10,000 when he won the Super Late Model feature last year. This year, the Sportsman division will be in action alongside the Super Late Models.

FloRacing will have live coverage of the 2023 Money in the Bank on Wednesday, June 7.

Berlin’s third marquee event in 2023 — and the most lucrative — is the annual Battle at Berlin. Last year in the 12th Battle at Berlin, Evan Shotko took home a whopping $30,000 with his victory.

The Battle at Berlin traditionally features a Last Chance Race within its qualifying format. The complete race-day schedule and more information will be released at a later date.

FloRacing will deliver live coverage of the 2023 Battle at Berlin on Wednesday, Aug. 9. In addition to the Super Late Model division, Berlin’s Limited Late Model class also will be in action that night.

Berlin Raceway (Photo: Nic Antaya/NASCAR)

Of course, great racing at Berlin can be witnessed all season, beyond the track’s trio of crown jewels. At first glance, Berlin appears to be your typical short track, a paved oval slightly less than a half-mile in length. In reality, for drivers, it’s one of the toughest short tracks in the nation.

Berlin is classified as an oval even though its rounded straightaways give drivers the feel of a circle. There is no time for rest on the nine-degree banked straights before diving into the 13-degree corners.

Oh, and the backstretch wall? It does not exist. Which can be convenient as it relates to the damage cars could sustain hitting a wall, but the lack of a barrier often leads to drivers losing position as they slide into the grass.

The action can be seen on Saturday nights starting with the Icebreaker on April 15 all the way through the track’s Championship Night on Sept. 9. That’s 24 opportunities in 2023 to witness some of the best short-track racing the country has to offer.

Below is Berlin Raceway’s complete race schedule for 2023. (Schedule subject to change.)

Berlin Raceway 2023 schedule

Date	Event	Divisions
April 15	Icebreaker	SLM, LLM, SP, 4C
April 22	College Night	LLM, SP, 4C
April 29	Superhero Night	SLM, SP, 4C, VROA
May 6	Cinco De Mayo	LLM, MOD, MW
May 13	Mothers Day Celebration	SLM, LLM, 4C, VROA
May 20	Cars and Coney’s	Winged Sprints, SP, NA-Compacts
May 27	Memorial Day Celebration	SLM, LLM, SP, 4C
June 3	Faith and Family Night	LLM, OH Wheelman, 4C, MW
June 7	Money in the Bank	SLM, SP
June 10	School’s Out Kids Night	Non-Winged Sprints, LLM, Midgets, 4C
June 17	Fathers Day Celebration	ARCA, LLM, SP
June 24	Margaritaville/Beach Night	SLM, NA-Compacts, VROA, MW
July 1	4th of July Celebration	SLM, LLM, SP, 4C, MW
July 14	Supermodified Weekend	Supermodifieds, LLM, SP
July 15	Supermodified Weekend	Supermodifieds, SLM, 4C
July 22	Christmas in July	Winged Sprints, Non-Winged Sprints, Midgets, SP
July 29	Hall of Fame Night	SLM, SP, 4C, VROA, MW
Aug. 3	Thursday Night Thunder	SRX, LLM
Aug. 9	Battle at Berlin	SLM, LLM
Aug. 12	Fan Appreciation Night	Winged Sprints, SP, 4C, VROA
Aug. 19	Back to School Kids Night	LLM, 4C, MW
Aug. 26	Battle of the Bands	SLM, SP, VROA, MW
Sept. 2	Labor Day Celebration	LLM, SP, 4C
Sept. 9	Chet Championship Night	SLM, LLM, SP, 4C, VROA

Posted on March 14, 2023March 14, 2023 by Staff Report

Legacy Motor Club announced Tuesday that seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will drive the No. 84 Chevrolet at Circuit of The Americas and in the Memorial Day Weekend Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, adding to his part-time schedule for 2023. Club Wyndham will be Johnson’s primary sponsor for the two races.

Johnson, who joined the team late last year in the role of part-owner/part-time driver, will compete in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on Sunday, March 26 at the 3.41-mile road course in Austin, Texas. Then, he will return for action for the May 28 Coca-Cola 600, a crown jewel race he has won four times.

Legacy Motor Club

“COTA has been on my racing ‘bucket list’ for a very long time,” Johnson said in a team release. “But my timing was off by a year or so. I was hoping it was going to be on the IndyCar schedule — and it wasn’t — and then they added it to the NASCAR schedule after I left. I’m excited to finally be able to check this one off the list and thankful to Club Wyndham for making it happen. From everything I’ve heard, NASCAR drivers have had a lot of fun racing at COTA, so to say I’m looking forward to it is an understatement.”

RELATED: Full Cup schedule | Buy tickets

Johnson made headlines with his NASCAR comeback in this year’s Daytona 500, where he led opening practice but ultimately finished 31st in the race after getting caught in an overtime wreck. Johnson also announced earlier that he will compete in the inaugural Chicago Street Race on July 2, the Grant Park 220.

Johnson’s busy year will also include a trip overseas for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he will compete as one of three drivers in NASCAR’s Garage 56 collaboration with Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear. Jenson Button and Mike Rockenfeller are the other drivers, with Jordan Taylor available as a reserve driver and driver coach.

The race at COTA will have an international flair with England’s Button driving for Rick Ware Racing (with support from Stewart-Haas Racing and Mobil 1) and Finland’s Kimi Räikkönen competing for Trackhouse Racing as part of Project 91.

Johnson has 83 Cup wins in 687 starts with 232 top fives and 374 top 10s over the course of 21 years in NASCAR’s top series. He retired from full-time duty after the 2020 season after 20 highly decorated seasons driving the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

Johnson is expected to announce the remainder of his limited schedule at a later date.

PHOTOS: Jimmie Johnson through the years

Posted on March 13, 2023March 14, 2023 by Zack Albert

Denny Hamlin said Monday that he made intentional late-race contact with rival Ross Chastain during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event, saying that he felt the timing was right for a measure of revenge at Phoenix Raceway.

“It wasn’t a mistake,” Hamlin said. “I let the wheel go, and I said, ‘He’s coming with me.’ ”

Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was lined up in sixth place for a final restart as Sunday’s United Rentals Work United 500 went into overtime, but the car pushed high heading into Turn 1 on the next-to-last lap. Struggling to get his car to turn and faced with a mediocre finish, Hamlin said he opted to take Chastain’s No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet — fifth at the restart point — up into the retaining wall with him.

“I got to the end of the race. I saw that he was on the outside of me. I went into Turn 1 with the mindset that I’m going to try to get the best finish that I can get,” Hamlin said on his Actions Detrimental podcast hosted by Dirty Mo Media, explaining that he didn’t want to collect any of his other competitors. ” I’m on two tires and I go into Turn 1, and while I even went in shallow on speed, my car plowed. What it means is that I turned the wheel and the front tires were going straight and they were calling the 1 car (of Chastain) on the outside. At that point, I knew that I was screwed. I was about to go backward. I had all the four-tire cars on my ass. They were going to pass me more than likely in the next corner. I know I had two fresh-tire cars underneath of me anyways. I was four-wide. I’m like ‘I’m going straight to the back.’ My crew chief told me there were 18 cars on the lead lap, and at that point, I’m probably running sixth or seventh and I’m about to get passed by everybody behind me whose on fresh tires. I’m about to finish in the mid-teens and I said ‘you’re coming with me buddy.’ ”

Hamlin finished 23rd, one position ahead of Chastain in the 36-car field. The two have had a history of run-ins that escalated last season, with Hamlin being on the receiving end for much of the conflict.

Hamlin said that tally of incidents factored into his decision.

“I’ve said it, and I think that Ross doesn’t like it when I speak his name in the media and when I have this microphone,” Hamlin said, “but I told him, ‘Well, I have a microphone, and I’m going to call it like I see it and until you get a microphone, you can then say whatever you want about me.’ But the fact is, while I’m sitting here talking, I’m going to call things the way I see it, and sometimes I’ve got to call myself out, which I’m the dumbass who lost just as many spots as he did. But at the time, I said, well, I’m going to finish [expletive] anyway, and I’m just going to make sure that he finishes [expletive] right here with me.”

Hamlin referenced his most recent incident with Chastain during the preseason Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, a collision that sent Hamlin’s No. 11 entry looping in the exhibition event. He also said he spoke with Chastain after Sunday’s race at Phoenix, saying he hoped to be able to put their hostilities aside.

“When he knows it’s coming, he is the hardest guy to wreck on the planet,” Hamlin said. “But I just, I wanted to to get back to racing honestly with him, and I think that that’s a lot of the conversation that we had after. … He came up to me, and he says, ‘I guess I deserve it.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I think so.’ I’m not gonna sit here on this podcast and ever lie to you guys and say, ‘Well, this is an accident,’ when it’s not. It wasn’t an accident. I meant to put them in the fence, but I didn’t mean to screw my team in the process. ….But at the time when you’re seeing red, that’s all that really matters. I just saw an opportunity to not involve anyone else, I was about to go to the back and I wanted to take him with me. So we talked, and I think that we are in a better place where I think we’re willing to put the past behind us, and I think that we’re going to judge each other from this point forward, and I think that’s the fairest way to do it.”

Posted on March 13, 2023March 15, 2023 by Cameron Richardson

AVONDALE, Ariz. — William Byron has rocketed ahead of the field to begin his sixth NASCAR Cup Series campaign.

With two wins and 13 playoff points already in the bank, the 25-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver appears bound for a deep postseason run and has slotted his name into the hat of championship contenders in 2023.

RELATED: Phoenix race results | Driver standings

A win at Phoenix Raceway certainly adds to Byron’s hopes of grasping his first Cup championship in November, a career milestone that has already been accomplished by his teammates Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson at the 1-mile Arizona track.

Given the status Elliott and Larson have earned as not only the class of the Hendrick camp but also the entire Cup field, Byron has fallen under the radar and has tended to not be the center of the conversation around the sport’s elite talents every Sunday. Part of the lack of Byron adulation so far in his career may be partly due to the No. 24 signage that shines right under his window, a number formerly driven to 93 wins and four championships by Hall of Famer and current Hendrick Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon.

Like Byron, Gordon entered the Cup Series at the ripe age of 21 and can correlate his early years to Byron’s.

“The perspective I have now, it’s just really great to see a team mature, a team grow and evolve, and you see all the things that they are doing behind the scenes to get there,” Gordon said. “You can’t just show up to the track and all of a sudden, ‘Bam!’ you clicked on it. These guys have had to work really hard to get there, and I just see a progression of William ever since he came to Hendrick.”

Byron has unique roots in his racing career. Beginning with iRacing, the North Carolinian rose through the ranks fast, trading in the virtual seat for a cockpit and finding himself in NASCAR’s national series just a handful of years after first stepping onto a race track.

MORE: Byron through the years | All of Byron’s national series wins

Not too much later, Byron became an ARCA Menards Series East champion (2015) and Xfinity Series champion (2017) before his promotion to the premier series.

Part of Byron’s success so far in the Cup Series is due to his pairing with crew chief Rudy Fugle.

In 23 races during Byron’s 2016 rookie season in the Craftsman Truck Series, the two won seven races, finishing fifth in the final standings.

During Byron’s first three Cup seasons without Fugle atop the No. 24 pit box, he only secured one victory at Daytona International Speedway in 108 races. Just three races into the reunion of Byron and Fugle, they were in Victory Lane at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“With William, I guess he’s the guy that’s gotten here mostly by being one of the best at preparing during the week,” Fugle said. “Then, you have the experience that he’s starting to get over and over now, and you’re seeing the fruits of all his hard work paying off, so that’s what I’m super proud of.”

“You gotta remember how young he [Byron] was coming into the Cup Series,” Gordon said. “So much to learn and even young in racing in so many ways, and when Rudy came to Hendrick, the instant chemistry and connection between these two was so obvious, and it just took the whole team up to another notch, and I think now they are just building on that. It’s just a lot of fun to watch.”

Being in his mid-20s, maturity is a virtue that’s still growing for Byron. With all of the winning he’s accomplished, Byron admits that he’s wanted instant gratification during his Cup career.

“The people around me have always kinda helped me understand that, you know, my dad especially, he’s a big stats guy, so he’s always looking at it like, ‘Man, you’re young. Just give it some time,’ and I’m very impatient, so I like things to happen quick, so that’s how it happened for me,” Byron said.

So far, Byron’s averaged one win per season at the Cup level. He’s been unsuccessful in a quest for a Championship 4 bid but was closest to seeking his first title bid last season when he secured his first multi-win campaign. Each year since 2020, Byron has improved his position in the final standings going from 14th in 2020, 10th in 2021 and sixth in 2022.

There are still 32 races remaining on the 2023 circuit, but Byron’s strong start has put him atop the Hendrick camp thus far, which could culminate in a crowning achievement when he looks to defend his Phoenix win in November.

“This level’s so different, and it took a lot of homework, a lot of details,” Byron said. “Really, the fact that I started later than most driving, it took some time to bridge that gap at this level. Now that gap is bridged, obviously, but I just feel like it’s a constant evolution and just trying to continue to get better.”

Posted on March 13, 2023March 13, 2023 by Press Release

Peyton Sellers will be looking to pick up where he left off at the end of last season when South Boston Speedway kicks off its 2023 racing season on Saturday, March 18 with the Danville Toyota ’23 Opener, launching the 40^th year of Late Model Stock Car Division racing at the historic track.

The two-time NASCAR national champion won three of his last four starts at South Boston Speedway last season and finished second in the one race in that span he did not win.

“[The focus heading into 2023] is about having built a new car this winter and picking up where we left off last season,” Sellers said. “We had an amazing end of the season last year with a good run after the big July Fourth weekend race. We’re just trying to keep that momentum going this year.”

The new car is part of the Sellers Racing effort to improve performance and continue the momentum the team had at the end of the 2022 season.

“You can’t win today’s game with yesterday’s home run,” Sellers pointed out.

“We’ve got to keep our nose down, focus on getting our cars better and try to build off of what we learned last year.”

The team’s new Toyota Camry is similar to the one he raced at South Boston Speedway last season.

“We went with the same chassis builder,” Sellers explained, “and we kind of replicated everything we had on our old cars with this car. We’re looking at some different things on [chassis] setups this year and are taking a different approach to it. As we move forward, [the car] will have some different characteristics, but H.C. and our guys will figure out where we need to be.”

A big factor in Sellers’ effort is all that of his sponsor partners from last year are returning for the 2023 season.

“We’ve been very fortunate,” Sellers remarked. “We’ve been able to have a good year last year to roll into this year. All of our partners are back this year. I feel like we have been able to take things and grow stronger. It’s not like we’re having to grow from the ground up. We’re just growing stronger right now.”

(Photo: Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway)

Sellers plans to make a run at the South Boston Speedway Sentara Healthcare Late Model Stock Car Division title and attempt to win a record-tying seventh career South Boston Speedway championship.

“South Boston Speedway is in our back yard,” Sellers pointed out.

“It’s hard to pass by this place and not race here with the quality of the facility and the level of the competition here. The national champion has come from here the past two years. That tells you the car count is here, and the competition is here.

Sellers added he just simply enjoys racing at home.

“The home crowd, people from home, come out here every Saturday night and watch it,” Sellers said. “I tell everybody South Boston Speedway has built an environment to where I think if they just open the gates on Saturday night and sold bologna burgers they would have a party whether there was a race or not. That’s the environment this track has created the last 50 years.”

Twin 75-lap races for the Sentara Healthcare Late Model Stock Car Division competitors will headline the Saturday, March 18 Danville Toyota ’23 Opener at South Boston Speedway. Sellers is looking to get his season started on a high note with a strong showing in the season-opening twinbill.

“You like to be the first to strike,” Sellers pointed out.

“We’re going to try to be there and have a good run, get the first one under our belt. When the track starts laying rubber down it will throw a different curve at us. We’ve just got to be able to adapt quickly to that.”

Along with the pair of 75-lap races for the Sentara Healthcare Late Model Stock Car Division competitors the six-race program will include twin 30-lap races for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division.

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Adam Fenwick

A group of past and present NASCAR Cup Series stars are expected to join the field for the upcoming NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Richmond Raceway on March 31.

Headlining that list are Ryan Newman and Bobby Labonte. The two are racing as teammates this year for Sadler Stanley Racing, a team owned by two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series race winner Hermie Sadler and Virginia State Senator Bill Stanley. Both drivers previously announced their 2023 schedules, which included the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150 at Richmond.

BUY TICKETS: Claim your seats for the Modified Tour race at Richmond

When it comes to racing a Modified, Newman is the more experienced of the two. He’s made 32 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts dating back to 2008 and has scored four victories. He competed in the Modified Tour race at Richmond last year for the team, leading two laps and finishing 13th.

The driver from South Bend, Indiana earned 18 NASCAR Cup Series victories during a career that spanned 22 years. One of those victories came at Richmond in 2003.

Bobby Labonte (top) and Ryan Newman (bottom) pictured during NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour practice at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 27, 2022. (Photo: Adam Fenwick)

Labonte is a more recent convert to Modified racing after falling in love with the discipline a few years ago. He made his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut in at Martinsville Speedway.

Alongside Newman, Labonte, the 2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion who has 21 Cup Series victories, is also expected to compete in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events at North Wilkesboro Speedway and Martinsville Speedway later this year.

One current NASCAR Cup Series driver is also believed to be considering an entry for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Richmond. That driver is Corey LaJoie, who claimed his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour triumph in October at Martinsville.

LaJoie, who is in his eighth year of competition in the NASCAR Cup Series, began racing Modifieds during his teenage years and earned a NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour victory on Atlanta Motor Speedway’s quarter-mile in 2010.

In addition to Newman, Labonte and LaJoie, the current stars of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour are all expected to race at Richmond on March 31. They include six-time series champion Doug Coby, three-time series champion Justin Bonsignore, this year’s New Smyrna Speedway winner Ron Silk, defending series champion Jon McKennedy and Matt Hirschman, among others.

Tickets for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Richmond are available. Click here to order tickets today.

Posted on March 12, 2023March 12, 2023 by Cameron Richardson

AVONDALE, Ariz — Sometimes all you need to turn a slow start to the season around is a high-quality finish. That’s what both Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe were rewarded with following 317 miles under the desert sun on Sunday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway.

Reddick nabbed his first top-five finish of the season with a third-place run in his new Toyota ride, while Briscoe brought home his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford in seventh.

Entering the fourth Cup Series event of 2023, Reddick and Briscoe sat outside the top 30 in points after the trio of races to start the year were riddled with bad luck for both drivers. With the West Coast swing now in the books, the pair can look ahead to the upcoming weeks with positive momentum.

Reddick’s crew chief Billy Scott emphasized how important big points payouts are moving week-to-week.

“It’s two-fold and we talk about always when something goes wrong it’s kind of a snowball effect nowadays with the way metrics are used for the next week,” Scott told NASCAR.com. “Here at practice, we were one of the last ones to roll out of the garage and the track’s full when you get out there. Getting points, having good metrics, you know we go to Atlanta next week and it might rain out qualifying again and where you start and where you pick pits is solely based on basically how we did today.”

In the event a qualifying session is canceled, NASCAR sets the starting lineup per the rule book.

While Reddick’s podium result was a much-needed run for him, he said he was still frustrated in not grabbing the checkered flag.

“I’m honestly not even thinking about it yet. I’m still pissed off about that last restart and just not doing a better job,” Reddick said. “We were in position to do it. I’ve just got to get a little better at these [restart] launches. They’ve cost me a few times, even here so we’ll just keep working on it. It was great to have the speed that we did all day long. We’re gonna keep getting better. We’re gonna keep learning together as a team and yeah, wish I could have that one back for sure.”

At Auto Club Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Briscoe’s Ford showcased futile speed that landed him 20th and 28th, respectively.

However, Phoenix has meshed with Briscoe’s driving style seamlessly as the Hoosier has scored three consecutive top-10 finishes at the 1-mile Arizona track.

RACE REWIND: Best moments, highlights from Sunday

Starting in the latter half of the field Sunday, Briscoe said he had a car that could’ve run up front if given the opportunity.

“I think we, overall, had a pretty strong and solid day. Starting that far back in the pack, it just takes forever to get up there,” Briscoe said. “I thought my car was good enough. If you would’ve put it in the lead, I would’ve been fine staying there — but it was just a matter of getting up there.”

Briscoe’s crew chief Johnny Klausmeier knows that his driver can rally in difficult circumstances. The pair flashed their abilities during the 2022 postseason, reaching the Round of 8 despite only scoring the win in that year’s spring race at Phoenix and like last year’s spring edition, the desert served as an oasis for the No. 14 team.

“It’s a big relief and I think the biggest thing is it just makes you lose a little bit of confidence each week every time you don’t get that result you want,” Klausmeier told NASCAR.com. “It makes you question things that you know you maybe doing right but you’re questioning them just because you’re not getting the results that you need to get.

“This is a good baseline for us as a benchmark kind of for our team. We know that we can do this and we know we have to work on the aero tracks some and when you take the aero out of the equation, we have a couple of weeks coming up where I feel like the road courses we can get the momentum turned back around. To be in the hunt, that’s all you can ask for.”

The NASCAR circuit heads back out east for a trip to Atlanta next Sunday (3 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) before a stretch of the schedule that sees Circuit of The Americas and three short tracks in Richmond Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway (Dirt) and Martinsville Speedway — all places where Reddick and Briscoe can thrive.