Posted on by Adam Fenwick

A NASCAR Cup Series champion and a Daytona 500 winner will be teammates this year — just not in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Bobby Labonte, who captured the Cup Series championship in 2000, will team with 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman for select events on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in 2023.

The pairing, which first worked together during the season finale last year at Martinsville Speedway, will drive for Sadler Stanley Racing thanks to sponsorship from Pace-O-Matic. The cars will be maintained by PSR Products, a chassis and parts business led by Phil Stefanelli.

Both drivers have their own reasons for racing modifieds at this stage in their careers. Labonte credited an invitation to go watch modified racing at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with getting him interested in racing the cars that are affectionately known as ground pounders.

RELATED: 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule

“Bowman Gray is close by, and I kind of got the invite to go up there and watch. I just kind of got the fever,” said Labonte, 58, who was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020. “It just kind of stuck with me as far as wanting to do it.”

Labonte has spent the last two seasons racing modifieds in the Southeast for team owner Mike Smith, whose small operation helped Labonte get his feet wet in the division. But the team had a limited budget and a crew that had full-time jobs away from the race shop.

That’s where Sadler Stanley Racing, owned by former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler and Virginia State Senator Bill Stanley, enters the picture.

“We had one car and one motor. It was hard. Everybody works full time, so it was hard to get any more out of it than that, and I think I wore everybody out, to be honest with you,” Labonte said about Smith’s team. “Obviously I’ve known Hermie for 20, 25 plus years, and I met Senator Stanley the year before last.

“Whenever the opportunity came about and they were wanting to expand a little bit to a two-car team, Pace-O-Matic wanted to run some Northern races, we threw one in at Martinsville last year at the last minute, but we’re going to have a more serious effort this year.”

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Pace-O-Matic/PSR Products Modified, talks to Bobby Labonte, driver of the No. 17 Pace-O-Matic Modified, during practice for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 27, 2022. (Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)

The 2023 season marks Newman’s second year working with Sadler Stanley Racing after partnering with the team for three events last season.

They worked together for the first time during the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Richmond Raceway last year, when Newman led laps early and finished 13th. He followed that with a victory in a non-NASCAR event at North Wilkesboro Speedway and a third-place finish in the Tour finale at Martinsville.

For Newman, who stepped away from the NASCAR Cup Series following the 2021 season, everything revolves around the racing schedule of his daughter, Brooklyn. That includes his own racing schedule.

“I don’t want to be racing and say that she can’t,” said Newman, whose car will carry additional backing from Aggressive Hydraulics and Montrose Molders. “My first priority is whenever she can go to the race track, we go. Then whatever there is left for fillers, for me there are opportunities to go race.

“Ultimately, I just want to go race what I think is a really cool race car. Very little downforce, a whole lot of tire, a lot of motor and pretty respectful drivers when it comes to talent.”

Unlike Labonte, Newman has extensive NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour experience. He made his first Tour start in 2008 and has competed in 32 events through the years, winning four times.

He believes he can add to that win total with Sadler Stanley Racing.

“We proved at North Wilkesboro and Martinsville that we’re a good combination,” said Newman, 45. “Hermie understands the business of racing; he understands being a driver. I can’t say he completely understands being a crew chief, because I don’t know that he ever has, but I think he understands enough about racing that it’s easy to have a conversation with him.

“Senator Stanley is a combination of a race fan and a car owner that lives and breathes it. He’s ultimately just engaged. He’s a behind-the-scenes guy that most race teams don’t have. It’s good to have him being part of it.”

Labonte has specifically identified the events at Richmond, North Wilkesboro and Martinsville as races he’s planning to enter in 2023. Newman hasn’t revealed his exact schedule, other than that he plans to stay close to home.

Bobby Labonte, driver of the No. 17 Pace-O-Matic Modified, during practice for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 27, 2022. (Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)

Much like Newman, Labonte believes the Sadler Stanley Racing team will be competitive wherever they go. A visit to Victory Lane for either driver isn’t out of the question.

“I want to go out there and definitely give it my best and learn as much as I can,” Labonte said. “I’m racing against guys who have done this all their lives or some type of short-track racing all their lives, and I haven’t.

“I really feel like the opportunity we have with Sadler and Stanley — we can be competitive everywhere we go. If we’re not, it’s probably going to lay on me as far as what I don’t know about a track or what this car is going to do or things like that.”

Labonte and Newman raced against each other for years at NASCAR’s top level, but this marks the first time they will have raced on the same team. Both are confident they’ll quickly get up to speed with one another.

“It’ll be interesting no doubt, because we’re both competitive, we’re both passionate, we both have a resume that speaks for itself,” Newman said. “I think there are going to be a lot of guys in the garage that will be respectful to us, and I think there will be some guys who will want to outrun themselves and overachieve their talent abilities just to say they beat us.

“I look forward to being a teammate to Bobby and working together.”

Labonte echoed Newman’s thoughts. He believes the two drivers will only make Sadler Stanley Racing better.

“For me and Ryan, we pretty much know what it is to have teammates and how all that works,” Labonte said. “You’ve got to make it work. With him, it’s easy, because we’ve got a lot of the same similarities as far as likes on the track and off the track. Communication and relationship will be easy for me I think.

“I know his goal is the same as mine. Our goal is to help SS (Sadler Stanley) Racing get better week in and week out.”

Posted on by John Crane

CONCORD, N.C. — The sights and sounds surrounding Charlotte Motor Speedway Monday morning, afternoon and evening brought that all-too-familiar feeling. It’s the feel of a looming NASCAR season, and, in particular, the dawn of getting back into a routine. Such was the case for NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers on Jan. 30.

The driver practice sessions around the 1.5-mile track served another purpose, too. More specifically, a mechanical one – competition officials changed the rear-end housing on Xfinity cars to eliminate skew. A skew that creates “crabbing” can lead to cars running at an angle that gives the illusion the car is moving diagonally.

RELATED: 2023 Xfinity schedule | 2023 Truck schedule

Sammy Smith, who will drive full-time behind the wheel of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in 2023, discussed his initial thoughts following the test. Over a nine-race run in the circuit last season, Smith finished his Xfinity campaign with one top-five and three top-10 finishes.

“Honestly, right now, we are kind of running through some stuff with what they want to do package-wise,” Smith said. “So, you can’t feel it a ton, just because they’ve compensated so much for what they’ve taken away from skews, so you can definitely feel a little bit on entry, but obviously, the teams are good enough to work around that.”

As part-time driver of the No. 24 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota, Connor Mosack had the opportunity to not only get a feel for the changes but additionally, compare his car to others on a 1.5-mile oval. Mosack raced on two road courses during the 2022 Xfinity season (Portland International Raceway and Watkins Glen International).

One main objective was finding value in seeing how his car can handle all facets.

“We’ve got a competitive car,” Mosack said. “We’re right there with the JGR cars, and we’re on similar tire strategies, so I think the car is more than capable of helping me learn, and we can be competitive in it.”

After his first full-time season in the Xfinity Series last year, Austin Hill offered technical differences during the test run, including the difference in throttling and corner entry.

“As I get into the cross center of the corner, I feel like last year I could kind of like lean into the right rear tire a little bit more and kind of yaw it out and be able to pick up throttle and drive off the right rear,” Hill said. “So far in the test this year, as I pick up throttle, it kind of just gets the right rear out of the race track and kind of loses lateral grip. I just don’t feel like I have that stability to kind of lean on the right rear tires.

“I guess that’s my biggest takeaway right now, but like I said, we’re trying a lot of different things. There’s a lot of stuff that we have on our test plan that we just kind of work out.”

MORE: Full schedule for Speedweeks and Daytona 500

Despite Mother Nature being an initial hindrance to Monday’s session, drivers found importance in getting lengthy practice runs in before the season.

“It’s huge,” Mosack said. “I think there’s only a few races we get a full hour of practice, which still isn’t much, especially at a track I haven’t been to before, so taking advantage of something like this and getting as many laps as I can is a huge help.”

“You can try different things as a driver,” Hill said. “This race track, in particular, I kind of struggle at, so there’s things that I’ve been trying as I go out on the race track, and you got all the data to kind of go back and look at and see, ‘All right, with that lap I was driving in deeper, and that’s kind of probably why I was getting really tight across the middle,’ or, ‘Maybe that lap I shallowed up my entry, and that’s why I kind of got tight across the middle or got loose on entry because I tried to lift early,’ or whatever the case may be. So, there’s just a lot of data you can kind of go back and look at and just try to learn from, and I think that’s gonna help us better going into the season.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Brothers Max and Federico Gutiérrez were involved in an automobile accident Sunday in Mexico. Federico, the younger brother known as “Fico,” passed away. Max was airlifted to a Mexico City hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Max Gutiérrez, 20, is an up-and-coming driver who competed in four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races in 2022 for AM Racing. He also has several ARCA Menards Series starts on his resume, including a victory in 2021 in the ARCA Menards Series East at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway.

Fico Gutiérrez, 17, was a rising star in the NASCAR Mexico Challenge Series after progressing from the Mexico Truck Series. Max Gutiérrez won the 2018 Mexico Truck Series championship.

Fico Gutiérrez was the 2022 NASCAR Mexico Challenge Series Rookie of the Year.

Below is NASCAR’s statement on Sunday’s tragic accident:

“We are devastated by the loss of our friend and driver Federico Gutiérrez Hoppe. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Gutiérrez family during this difficult time.”

Posted on by John Crane

Editor’s Note: Today’s Kaulig Racing preview continues NASCAR.com’s countdown of team previews for the 2023 Cup Series season, ranked in reverse order of best finish in last year’s owner standings.

KAULIG RACING

Manufacturer: Chevrolet
Engine: ECR Engines
Driver-crew chief pairings: AJ Allmendinger-Matt Swiderski (No. 16), Justin Haley-Trent Owens (No. 31), Chandler Smith-TBD (No. 13)

Team outlook: A team with a reputation of consistency at the NASCAR Xfinity Series level has officially trickled over into the NASCAR Cup Series as a big-time player. After briefly hitting the Cup scene during the 2020 campaign, the team has since expanded to a full-time operation, with its first full entry coming in 2022 via the No. 31 Chevrolet piloted by Justin Haley (more on him below). 2023, however, will see the team field not one but two cars on a full-time basis with AJ Allmendinger’s  re-entry to the series as driver of the No. 16. A part-time entry via the Chandler Smith-piloted No. 13 will additionally look to make significant noise for the expanding team. With both Haley and Allmendinger already doused with experience and lessons learned from the Next Gen car’s inaugural 2022 season, the pair should check off more boxes as they collectively look to help the team work its way up the standings.

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 CHEVROLET 

Experience: Eight full-time seasons in NASCAR Cup Series.
2022 stats: Fifth in final Xfinity Series standings; 5 wins, 17 top fives, 28 top 10s (Xfinity); 18 starts; 0 wins, 3 top fives, 8 top 10s (Cup)
2023 championship odds (BetMGM): 100-1

Outlook: After a pair of 33-race seasons at the Xfinity level with Kaulig (2021-22), Allmendinger returns to the full-time Cup fold. Of course, the 41-year-old in Allmendinger certainly isn’t new to the Cup scene, especially regarding the grind that comes from racing a full-time schedule. Before Allmendinger’s full-time return in 2023, the 15-year Cup veteran held full-time experience with LEGACY Motor Club (2009-2011, formerly Richard Petty Motorsports and Petty GMS) and JTG Daugherty Racing (2014-18). Heading into 2023, Allmendinger has amassed 394 Cup starts, two wins, 16 top fives, 68 top 10s and 558 total laps led. His most recent win – 2021 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course – was Kaulig Racing’s first at the Cup level. In other words, if you want a driver with plenty of logged time in a Cup car, look no further than Allmendinger. He’s punched in and out plenty.

Allmendinger’s experience as a road course ringer should help pay dividends in 2023 for both himself and the team – both of his career Cup wins came on road courses (his first win took place at Watkins Glen International in 2014). But solid Cup finishes near the season’s end on intermediates and short tracks – he finished seventh, ninth, third and 12th at Bristol Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Phoenix Raceway, respectively, in close to a two-month span – show his ability to race at an all-around level. Allmendinger’s combined expertise should make him a playoff contender and, should a few breaks go his way, could make him a dark horse for a deep postseason run.

RELATED: AJ Allmendinger returns to Cup Series full-time with Kaulig in 2023

JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 CHEVROLET

Experience: One full-time season in NASCAR Cup Series.
2022 stats: 22nd in final Cup Series standings; 0 wins, 3 top fives, 4 top 10s
2023 championship odds (BetMGM): 350-1

Outlook: A rookie in 2022, Haley certainly dealt with growing pains early on in learning the full-time trade of driving a Cup car — particularly one in its maiden season like the Next Gen. And while the 23-year-old closed out the year with three straight finishes outside the top 25 (28th at Homestead, 27th at Martinsville Speedway, 27th at Phoenix), there were still glimpses of optimism. A third and fifth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway (Sept. 25) and the Charlotte Roval (Oct. 9) in a three-week span, for instance, showed a touch of the same pedigree that Haley consistently flashed in 2020-21 while in the Xfinity Series, where he collected a combined four wins, 19 top-five finishes and 45 top-10 s.

More familiarity will be the name of the game for Haley heading into 2023. While his sophomore season might still hold a hiccup or two, Haley should be able to lean on Allmendinger for continued guidance on the track and Trent Owens atop the pit box – who returns as crew chief the second year in a row – for more learning opportunities.

CHANDLER SMITH, NO. 13 CHEVROLET 

Experience: Zero Cup Series starts before 2023.
2022 stats: Third in final Truck Series standings; 3 wins, 9 top fives, 16 top 10s (Truck); 3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10 (Xfinity)
2023 championship odds (BetMGM): N/A; running part-time schedule

Outlook: 2023 will be an opportunity for the 20-year-old Smith to dabble in the Cup Series for the first time in his career. In addition to attempting to qualify for the 65th running of the Daytona 500, Smith will race at Richmond Raceway (April 2), North Wilkesboro Speedway (May 21), Talladega Superspeedway (Oct. 1) and Phoenix for the season finale (Nov. 5). The stretch will be a fine-tuner for the young Smith, who will simultaneously race his first full-time season in the Xfinity Series with Kaulig starting this season, taking over the No. 16 vacancy left by Allmendinger.

2023 will be a season of learning for Smith, no matter the situation. A cup of coffee, if anything else, will provide Smith an avenue toward gaining more exposure as he continues to work his way up the national series chain.

RELATED: Opening championship odds | 2023 schedule

NASCAR.com 2023 team previews schedule

Jan. 23: Non-chartered and teams outside the top 30
Jan. 24: Spire Motorsports
Jan. 25: Wood Brothers Racing
Jan. 26: JTG Daugherty Racing
Jan. 27: Front Row Motorsports
Jan. 30: Kaulig Racing
Jan. 31: RFK Racing
Feb. 1: Legacy Motor Club
Feb. 2: Richard Childress Racing
Feb. 7: 23XI Racing
Feb. 8: Stewart-Haas Racing
Feb. 9: Joe Gibbs Racing
Feb. 10: Hendrick Motorsports
Feb. 13: Trackhouse Racing
Feb. 14: Team Penske

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 29, 2023) – Rob Lowe only has one line to deliver on Sunday, Feb. 5, but it will be one for the record books.

NASCAR announced today that the world-renowned actor, producer, author and podcaster will be the Grand Marshal for the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum. He’ll say, “DRIVER’S START YOUR ENGINES!” before the first race of NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season and set the stage for an evening to remember at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The main event begins shortly after 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, and all the action will be shown live on FOX, where Lowe currently stars in and produces the highly acclaimed 911: Lone Star. It has consistently been one of the top-rated shows in all of television, and Season 4 just premiered January 24.

MORE: Clash info, tickets | 2023 Cup schedule

“This is shaping up to be another incredible event in the heart of Los Angeles,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s senior vice president for racing development and strategy. “Rob Lowe’s body of work is nothing short of remarkable, and we can’t wait for him to begin the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season in style.”

Lowe’s presence adds to an already star-studded lineup that includes Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams as Honorary Starter, performances by Cypress Hill and Wiz Khalifa, and, of course, the stars and cars of the NASCAR Cup Series. His iconic career spans four decades in film and television making him one of the most recognizable faces on screen today.

Lowe is the star of the current #1 movie on Netflix, Dog Gone. Based on an incredible true story, after a young man and his beloved dog are separated on the Appalachian Trail, he and his father must begin a desperate search to find him before it’s too late.

Lowe is also the host of the highly acclaimed podcast Literally! With Rob Lowe. Unlike any other podcast, it focuses on irreverent yet thoughtful conversations with leaders in the world of business, sports, and entertainment like Oprah, Chris Pratt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Aniston, Magic Johnson, and others. Now in its fourth season, Literally! With Rob Lowe is available anywhere you get your podcasts.

To date, Lowe has been nominated for two Emmys, six Golden Globes, and four Screen Actors Guild awards in which he won two. He has starred in the ‘80s classics “St. Elmo’s Fire”, “About Last Night”, and “The Outsiders”, as well as television classics such as “The West Wing” and “Parks and Recreation.” His incredibly diverse career also includes scene-stealing work in “Behind the Candelabra,” “Austin Powers” and “Tommy Boy.” His two memoirs, Stories I Only Tell My Friends and Love Life are both New York Times Best Sellers. He took his first memoir and made it into a touring show called Stories I Only Tell My Friends: Live! which has received rave reviews throughout the country and sold out in London.

Posted on by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: How to find USA Network | How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App | Watch on USA Network | Get the NBC Sports App | Watch on Peacock | FloRacing | How to watch NASCAR International

Monday, Jan. 30
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR RaceHub Special: 75 Years of Racing (re-air), FS1
8 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series 2022 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum (re-air), FS1
10 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS1
11 p.m., Greatest Races: NASCAR Cup Series 2005 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1

Tuesday, Jan. 31
2 a.m., Greatest Races: NASCAR 2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
5 a.m., NASCAR Race Classic: The 1997 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 2022 Championship Show (re-air), FS2
8 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series 2022 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum (re-air), FS2
10 p.m., NASCAR Presents: Best of Features 2022 (re-air), FS2
11 p.m., NASCAR Presents Beyond the Wheel: The Ernie Irvan Story (re-air), FS2

Wednesday, Feb. 1
Midnight, NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive 2022 (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Thursday, Feb. 2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Friday, Feb. 3
1:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series 2022 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum (re-air), FS2
3:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Season Preview (re-air), FS2
4:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 75 Years of Racing (re-air), FS2
5:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: All-Star (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 2022 Championship Show (re-air), FS1
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Season Preview (re-air), FS1

Saturday, Feb. 4
6 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 2022 Championship Show (re-air), FS1
6:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series 2022 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum (re-air), FS1
8:30 a.m., Greatest Races: NASCAR Cup Series 2004 Subway 400 at Rockingham Speedway (re-air), FS1
9 a.m., IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at Daytona (re-air), CNBC
6 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum practice, FS1
8 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub Weekend Edition, FS1
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum qualifying, FS1

On MRN:
6 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Busch Light Clash practice and qualifying

Sunday, Feb. 5
7:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum practice (re-air), FS1
9:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum qualifying (re-air), FS1
4 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FOX
5 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum qualifying races, FOX
7 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FOX
8 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, FOX

On MRN:
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum

Posted on by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The debut of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s newest class not only lived up to expectations, but arguably outperformed them with one of the most dramatic runs to the Rolex 24 at Daytona overall victory in recent memory. It all unfolded in front of a rapt international television audience and a record crowd at Daytona International Speedway.

Meyer Shank Racing’s Tom Blomqvist drove the pole-winning No. 60 Acura ARX-06 to a 4.190-second victory, to win the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class win in the first race with hybrid-powered prototypes. It was the second consecutive and third overall Rolex 24 victory for the Meyer Shank team, which led a race-best 365 of the 783 laps, crossing the stripe 4.190 seconds ahead of Filipe Albuquerque in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 from Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport.

ROLEX 24: Full race results | Photos from Daytona

The Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-LMDh cars from Chip Ganassi Racing finished third (with driver Renger van der Zande in the No. 01) and fourth (Earl Bamber in the No. 02). The top four cars were separated by 11.176 seconds after 24 hours of racing on the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway road course. 

“I knew we had a fantastic car, unbelievable,’’ said an excited Blomqvist, who won the 2022 Rolex 24 in his first race with Meyer Shank and went on to collect the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class championship. “I just have to say, a massive ‘well done’ to everyone who’s been a part of this project.

“What a car we’ve built and I’m so grateful to be able to drive that and be trusted with the duty to take it to the finish. Amazing, I was a bit nervous because the (No.) 10 car was definitely the second fastest car when it came down to it. But yeah, we held it off and had to take it to another level to secure this victory.’’ 

Blomqvist shared the car in the race with Colin Braun, Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud, the latter duo also part of last year’s Rolex 24 triumph. Today’s victory, in fact, is Castroneves’ third straight in the iconic race, tying late sports car legend Peter Gregg for most consecutive overall victories in sports car racing’s renowned season opener. 

“This team is amazing. This is absolutely a dream come true,’’ Castroneves, the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner said after once again convincing his teammates and team owners Mike Shank and Jim Meyer to climb the track fence in celebration. “So happy to start the year like that and keep it going.’’

Pagenaud, Castroneves’ teammate on the Meyer Shank IndyCar team, was also all smiles, earning his second straight Rolex winner’s watch.

“I think I’m getting used to it,’’ he joked, adding, “I’ll tell you what, it was tough out there but it was fun. I’m going to savor this one.”

The MSR No. 60 Acura led the final 97 laps despite having to repair the gearbox midrace and worrying whether it would indeed make it to the end. It marks the third straight Rolex 24 overall victory for Acura, which also won with the WTRAndretti team in 2021.

Nine hybrid prototypes made the highly anticipated debut of the GTP class in the race. All but one were still running at the finish, including the top six overall finishers, an impressive outing for a car making its first competitive showing in one of the longest, most grueling events on the schedule. 

The celebratory feeling went from track to pits to company brass. The first win in a totally new car elicited both relief and confidence. The finish of the race, the reliability and competitiveness a good sign for all.

“It feels unbelievable,’’ said David Salters, president of Honda Performance Development (HPD), which developed the race winner. “The real privilege is to work with those people (Acura teams) and achieve days like today. We all know it doesn’t happen all the time. Was it worth it? It’s been two years and I think it’s the best thing I’ve been involved in in my whole life.

“If that isn’t a demonstration of precision-crafted performance, I don’t know what is,’’ Salters added. “It’s a landmark moment. It’s the pinnacle of sports car racing.”

READ MORE: Complete class recaps from Daytona

Scoring the LMP2 class victory was the No. 55 Proton Competition ORECA LMP2 07 by just 0.016 seconds as James Allen bested Ben Hanley with a phenomenal last-lap dash. Fred Poordad, Francesco Pizzi and Gianmaria Bruni aided the No. 55 to victory. Rick Ware Racing’s No. 51 car, featuring 2022 Daytona 500 champion Austin Cindric, finished sixth in the class along with drivers Pietro Fittipaldi, Devlin Defrancesco and Eric Lux.

WATCH: LMP2 battle comes down to photo finish

The No. 17 AWA Duquiene D08 entrant piloted by Wayne Boyd, Anthony Mantella, Nico Varrone and Thomas Merrill took the win in LMP3 by a healthy 12-lap margin.

In GTD Pro, Maro Engel, Cooper MacNeil, Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon wheeled the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 to the class win by 3.916 seconds over the No. 3 Corvette Racing entry. Marco Sorenson, Roman De Angelis, Ian James and Darren Turner drove the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team’s Aston Martin Vintage to the class victory in GTD by 5.363 seconds over the No. 44 Magnus Racing Aston Martin Vintage.

RELATED: MacNeil goes out a winner in GTD Pro

Contributing: Staff reports.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Officials with the Garage 56 project announced a driver roster Saturday for the entry in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, tapping veterans Jimmie Johnson, Jenson Button and Mike Rockenfeller to share the modified Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in this year’s 100th-anniversary edition of the sports-car classic.

The three drivers were introduced Saturday morning at Daytona International Speedway, just hours before the start of IMSA’s season-opening Rolex 24 endurance race. The Garage 56 entry — a collaboration among NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear that is based on the Cup Series’ Next Gen car — is set to race at Le Mans on Jun. 10-11 as a special-invitation entrant.

“Since the beginning of the Garage 56 project, it has been our goal to partner with the top racers in the world to represent us in Le Mans,” said Jim France, NASCAR chairman and CEO. “The lineup of Jimmie, ‘Rocky’ and Jenson is everything we could have dreamed of — three elite drivers who have won at the highest levels of motorsports worldwide. As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of NASCAR, we are honored to have these world-class champions help bring the sights and sounds of a NASCAR race car to fans in Le Mans, and across the world.”

RELATED: Greg Ives hands-on with Garage 56 project

The trio represents a well-tenured group known for success in a variety of motorsports disciplines — Johnson primarily in stock-car racing, Button from his winning background in Formula 1, and Rockenfeller as an ace from the world of sports and touring cars. Each of the three have expanded their portfolios in recent years, crossing over into other racing series, and all three are scheduled to participate in a two-day test Tuesday and Wednesday at Daytona.

Johnson’s name is the most familiar for stock-car fans as a seven-time champion of NASCAR’s top division. The 83-time Cup Series winner is returning to NASCAR this year, partly in a team ownership role with Legacy Motor Club and as a part-time driver. He turned his first laps in the Next Gen model during testing earlier this week at Phoenix Raceway, and he also assisted in shaking down the Garage 56 test car at Sebring International Raceway last month.

Johnson retired from full-time NASCAR driving duties after the 2020 season. Since then, the 47-year-old California native spent most of the last two seasons in IndyCar, but also branched into a limited schedule of sports-car competition. Overall, Johnson has made nine starts in the Rolex 24, including teaming with Rockenfeller the last two seasons.

“I’m super thrilled,” Johnson said in a news release. “It’s been at the top of my bucket list to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans someday. To have this opportunity come — and to partner with everybody and this driver lineup — is truly an incredible opportunity and one that I am thankful to be a part of.”

Rockenfeller has been the primary driver during Garage 56 testing, bringing a rich sports-car pedigree to the project. The 39-year-old German veteran has two Le Mans wins — an overall title in 2010 and a class victory in 2005 — and is a multi-time champion in Europe’s touring car and GT circuits. He also drove on the winning Rolex 24 team in 2010.

This year’s effort will mark Rockenfeller’s 11th appearance in the 24 Hours of Le Mans field. He expanded to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut last year, joining Spire Motorsports for appearances at Watkins Glen International and Charlotte Motor Speedway’s road course.

“It has been a great journey so far with the whole team and project,” Rockenfeller said. “To be involved as a driver from Day 1 until now was already a great honor, and to now have Jimmie and Jenson alongside me as teammates in Le Mans is unbelievable.”

MORE: Scenes from Garage 56 testing at VIR

Button, 43, is a 15-time Grand Prix winner and the 2009 Formula One champion. The British star also has one start in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, sharing driving duties in an SMP Racing entry that retired early with engine failure.

Since the end of his F1 career, Button has competed in the Japan-based Super GT Series, winning the championship as a rookie in 2018. He has also expanded his involvement into vintage racing and rallycross.

“As a lifelong racing fan, I have always dreamed of racing certain cars, with and against certain drivers and competing in certain events,” Button said. “In June, a number of those dreams will come true in one event when I get to bring NASCAR to the world stage alongside my pals Jimmie and ‘Rocky’ at the 100th running of the most prestigious race in the world. I’m really looking forward to sharing this journey with NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, and current and future NASCAR fans from around the world.”

The announcement also came with news that three-time IMSA champion Jordan Taylor will join the Garage 56 effort as a reserve driver and a driver coach. Taylor has made four appearances on the podium at Le Mans, including a GT class win in the 2015 edition.

Posted on by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It’s not necessarily the warm beach air or laidback Jimmy Buffett-vibe of Daytona Beach that captures Austin Cindric’s heart when he arrives in Florida each January. It’s a far faster beat that moves him and there’s nowhere else he’d rather be this week.

The 24-year-old NASCAR star fully concedes that from the moment he drove through the tunnel at Daytona International Speedway for this weekend’s 61st Rolex 24 at Daytona IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opener, he felt that familiar special relationship he’s developed with the famed track.

MORE: 2023 Rolex 24 race coverage, info | History of NASCAR drivers in Rolex 24

His dramatic victory in the Team Penske No. 2 Ford in the 2022 Daytona 500 – as a NASCAR Cup Series rookie, no less – immediately placed him among the all-time laurels at the historic facility. This week he’d like to elevate his standing even more by winning in the Rolex 24’s LMP2 prototype class, which would mark the first time in history a driver has won the Daytona 500 and taken a Rolex 24 class victory in the same 12-month span of time.

For Cindric, this week’s sportscar opportunity is a result of his love-love relationship between the two major auto racing events, the Rolex 24 (Saturday, 1:40 p.m. ET, NBC) and the Daytona 500 – so much so, that fondness and his success have created a bit of an identity crisis.

“It’s funny, here I guess I’m known as the NASCAR guy now, or at least I’m waving the flag as the only one here (in the Rolex 24),’’ Cindric said. “But in NASCAR, I’m still known as the road-racing guy. So either way, it’s really cool and special to have that response. I guess that’s what it’s all about, why this place was built.

“This kind of feels like home in some ways. I’ve been coming to Daytona a lot longer for this race (Rolex 24) than I have for the 500 or NASCAR Speedweeks. So when I get on the speedway for the first time for qualifying in the Cup car, I blow by the bus stop (the road course chicane) and feel like I’ve missed the corner – so much so that my heart sinks a little bit and then I realize I am on the correct line. That’s how used to this (Rolex) weekend I am.”

Cindric will co-drive the LMP2 Class No. 51 Rick Ware Racing ORECA LMP2 07 with defending Rolex class winners Devlin Defrancesco and Eric Lux and highly-touted young driver Pietro Fittipaldo, grandson of Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi. It marks the first race of a full-time 2023 IMSA entry for Ware, who also owns a NASCAR Cup Series team and fields cars in the NHRA and IndyCar series as well,

Often as Cindric spoke to the media in Daytona Beach during last week’s Rolex 24 test session, the Daytona 500 winner commented and gazed at his teammate Lux’s Rolex watch – a trophy for Lux’s 2022 LMP2 class win in the Rolex. It’s something Cindric wants badly. And has for years.

RELATED: Austin Cindric 2022 season in review

This weekend marks Cindric’s fifth start in the Rolex 24; the team’s car will roll off sixth in LMP2 and 14th overall on the 61-car grid. Cindric’s previous best Rolex finish is fifth in the GT3 class – in 2019 and 2022.

“I think the first step (to winning) is having a really good (driver) lineup, especially in a category where the car is essentially ‘spec,’ “Cindric explained. “I think we have a really strong lineup. There are a few lineups right now that are strong and I think we are one of them. So just going through the progression. Happy to be part of it.

“Eric and I have wanted to put something together for a few years now and it’s kinda cool to pull that off and I’m excited for the race.”

His teammates are equally confident and committed.

“When this whole deal came together, I was really excited and confident with the team we have, Rick Ware Racing and my teammates, Austin and Pietro and Eric,’’ Defrancesco said. “Pietro has been very strong over in Europe so he’s got a ton of experience in the car. Austin has the talent and has driven many different race cars and been fast in many different race cars. And Eric did a very, very good job last year with me here, so I think we have a very good shot.”

That’s exactly what Cindric wants to hear as he attempts to join a legendary list of Daytona 500 winners who have also won in class in the Rolex 24 – Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Jamie McMurray and Jeff Gordon.

“I want to win this race,’’ Cindric said. “That’s why I put so much work in. That’s why with the schedule we have (in NASCAR) I don’t care about sacrificing my last two weeks of offseason because this is something I’m really passionate about. I’m not passionate about just doing the event, I want to go win it.

“I’m not going to do something or be part of something I don’t think has the legs to be able to do it and between the lineup and the experience a lot of the team guys have, I think this has that potential. And it’s fun because I feel this lineup itself represents what makes this event fun for everybody.

“You’ve got one guy from NASCAR, one guy from Formula One, one guy whose IMSA, one guy from IndyCar and that’s what this event is all about, it’s a coming together of the people and individuals of motorsports and I see so many familiar faces here, people I only get to see once a year anymore that I’ve worked with and raced against. … I’m pretty hungry for the win and most importantly to get a cool watch like Eric has on.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. –NASCAR driver Harrison Burton held off hard-charging sports car veteran Spencer Pumpelly by a slight 0.688 seconds to earn the overall victory in Friday’s BMW M Endurance Challenge, the season-opening IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race on the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway road course.

Pumpelly, who co-drove with Jeroen Bleekemolen and Tom Collingwood, moved the No. 83 BGB Motorsports Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport from fifth place to second in the final 30 minutes of the four-hour race, applying pressure on Burton as he cut into the lead with each lap.

But the 22-year-old Burton – who drives the famed No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series – steered mistake-free, high-pressure circuits of his own in the No. 42 PF Racing Ford Mustang GT4 to ensure he and teammate Zane Smith – the 2022 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion making his IMSA debut – became the first NASCAR regulars to take the victory in this race.

2021 Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes and fellow NASCAR Truck Series driver Hailie Deegan finished third in the No. 41 PF Racing Mustang to complete the podium for the 32-car Grand Sport (GS) class.

Smith, 23, qualified an impressive third and moved forward immediately on the start, holding a sizable lead with just under three hours remaining. Late pit strategy by the competition, however, shifted the lineup as the No. 41 Mustang pitted to change drivers – Smith out and Burton in – just past the midpoint.

Burton ran third with just under 50 minutes to go, steadily making his way forward. He took the lead for good when leader Elliott Skeer in the No. 47 Nolasport Porsche had to retire with 22 minutes remaining.

“I felt like I was a little bummed out early because we got shuffled back a little after the first pit stop,’’ said Burton, making his second start in the race. “It was taking me a little bit to get back to the lead, and I was like, ‘I don’t want to be the guy that lets the team down and not finish the race off like we should.

“But a few restarts came our way, and I kinda shuffled my way through there. A lot of hard racing,’’ he added with a grin. “Pretty similar to NASCAR racing, to be honest with you, the amount of bumping and aggressive dive bombs and stuff. I felt kinda home in that. That was fun.”

Smith, who will attempt to make his first Daytona 500 start in February, gave a thumbs-up to his friend Burton’s work.

“Watching Harrison at the end with Spencer coming had me shaking in my boots, but he didn’t make a mistake,’’ Smith said, delighting in the win at the famous track. “If you can win anything at Daytona, whether it’s a dirt bike or a go-kart or a stock car and now a GT4 Mustang is just so dang cool.

“Daytona just brings such a different vibe than really any other race track. Not only to win at Daytona but in our first start is just so cool.’’