Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

LOS ANGELES – There’s no artist on the planet like Wiz Khalifa, and there’s no NASCAR event like the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum. So it’s only fitting that they combine for a powerful performance unlike any other on Sunday, Feb. 5.

NASCAR announced today that the multi-platinum selling, Grammy and Golden Globe nominated recording artist will perform during the race break of the 2023 Busch Light Clash. The performance will air live on FOX as part of NASCAR’s season-opening celebration inside the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

MORE: Busch Light Clash tickets, more info | Analyzing the Clash action

“Wiz Khalifa is a gifted and talented performer with a worldwide following,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s senior vice president for racing development and strategy. “I know the fans will be on their feet during his performance at the Busch Light Clash as we celebrate the beginning of our 75th Anniversary season together.”

Wiz Khalifa burst onto the scene with the release of his first major label debut album, ‘Rolling Papers’‎ in 2011. Since then Wiz has been nominated for two GRAMMY Awards and a Golden Globe Award, won “Best New Artist” at the BET Awards and “Top New Artist” at the Billboard Music Awards, and landed a No. 1 album on Billboard’s Top 200 chart. He has collaborated with The Weeknd, Travis Scott, Charlie Puth, Bruno Mars, Imagine Dragons, Juicy J, TM88, Girl Talk, Big K.R.I.T., and more. Wiz’s business ventures include; Packed Bowls by Wiz Khalifa, a ghost kitchen delivery-only restaurant, gin line McQueen and The Violet Fog, and he’s also an investor and ambassador in the Professional Fighters League.

Last year, Wiz released his full-length solo album Multiverse to rave reviews, as well as Multiverse (Deluxe). He also toured North America on his The Vinyl Verse Tour co-headlining with LOGIC. This spring, fans will see Khalifa portray funk icon George Clinton in the major motion picture “Spinning Gold,” which is about the legendary Casablanca Records label, to be released in theaters on March 31, 2023.

But first comes the Busch Light Clash, where Khalifa will once again showcase the skills that made him an icon.

“The NASCAR cars will bring the noise, and I’ll bring the party,” Khalifa said. “We’re going to have a great time celebrating together at the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, and I can’t wait to see everybody there.”

NASCAR announced earlier that hip-hop legends Cypress Hill will provide a pre-race performance prior to the main event, and more entertainment announcements are planned in the coming days.

MORE:  Cypress Hill set for pre-race concert

The 2023 season-opening exhibition will once again feature the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series competing on a temporary, quarter-mile asphalt track nestled inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It’s one of the many anticipated events taking place this year as a part of the venue’s centennial anniversary celebration – “Coliseum Forever.” Joey Logano won the inaugural event en route to winning the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Tickets for the 2023 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum begin at $65, and kids 12-and-under are $10. Those are the same prices charged for this year’s inaugural showcase. Fans who want to take their race-day experience to the next level can upgrade to the Ally Pre-Race Party, which includes brunch, a drink ticket for Busch & Coca-Cola products, exclusive entertainment, a pre-race track walk and a special appearance from driver Alex Bowman.  Fans are encouraged to get their tickets now while supplies last by visiting www.nascarclash.com.

College students can experience the Busch Light Clash from The Coca-Cola Torch Party Porch for just $40. This standing-room-only general admission section, located on the Coliseum’s peristyle steps, provides college students with up-close access to all of the musical entertainment, driver introductions and racing action. College students can take advantage of this exclusive offer by visiting www.nascarclash.com/student.

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

TULSA, Okla. – Alex Bowman has no problem admitting he hasn’t had a great week performance-wise at the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals.

The driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series is competing in his seventh Chili Bowl inside the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. On his preliminary night Tuesday, he looked to be in a prime position to advance to the championship feature for the first time.

That’s when things started going wrong.

“We’ve had weeks that were super successful here and then weeks like this where everything is in shambles,” Bowman said.

Bowman had barely started his preliminary feature when he was collected in a crash. He was unable to continue, relegating him to a 23rd-place finish that will bury him deep in the Chili Bowl’s alphabet soup races Saturday.

How much worse could the week get for Bowman?

A lot worse, as it would turn out.

In addition to competing as a driver, Bowman is also fielding cars for veteran dirt racers Jake Swanson and C.J. Leary. Swanson’s qualifying night was Wednesday, and he finished ninth in his preliminary feature after being collected in a crash. Leary hit the track Thursday and was involved in not one, but two crashes in two different cars.

“I think our cars are really good. It’s all been things out of our control,” Bowman said. “Daison [Pursley] spun in front of me, and I didn’t have anywhere to go. Obviously that ended our night. Jake got caught in Ashton [Torgerson’s] deal and tore the car up and kind of limped it home.

“Then obviously C.J., in the heat race he made a mistake, and in the B [Main] he just got drove over. It’s been frustrating, but at least our cars are fast.”

That bad luck has left Bowman and company scrambling to have all three cars ready for Saturday night, but it hasn’t stopped them from trying to have a little fun at one of auto racing’s most unique events.

“I just enjoy going racing with my friends. That’s the biggest thing,” Bowman said. “I’m thankful that things haven’t been worse than they’ve been. They could always be worse. Just trying to enjoy it.”

Alex Bowman during the 2022 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals inside the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Okla.(Photo: Nick Oxford/NASCAR)
Alex Bowman during the 2022 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals inside the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo: Nick Oxford/NASCAR)

What makes the Chili Bowl so unique? According to Bowman, it’s all about the party.

“I think the party is really what draws the big crowd,” Bowman said. “The pit area has as many people in it as the grandstands do. It’s a weeklong party with some racing attached to it.”

Bowman compared the Chili Bowl to tailgating at a football game, but on steroids.

“It’s like if you could tailgate at a football game in the grandstands. Everybody’s pit area has their own party, and you’re literally at the race track,” Bowman said. “The party is unlike anything else. The people are great. The atmosphere is great. It’s just fun.”

Despite the bad week on the track up to this point, Bowman remains hopeful for a positive result when his cars hit the track Saturday for the final day of action inside the SageNet Center.

While his own odds of making the 55-lap finale are slim, Bowman still thinks one of his cars has a legitimate shot at making the Saturday A-Main.

“If Jake’s car gets to the A Main, that would be phenomenal,” Bowman said. “He’s in the C (Main), so if we can get him through the C (Main), through the B (Main) and to the A (Main), that would be a super successful deal.

“I’m in the E (Main). It’s going to be tough. There are a lot of really good cars in the E. I’m sure C.J. is further back than that. It’ll be tough, but that’s part of it.”

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

TULSA, Okla. — As if it weren’t obvious by the unique hats he likes to wear on the grid before each NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event, Carson Hocevar likes to have fun.

That makes the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals, taking place this week in inside the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the perfect place for Hocevar.

“You’ve just got to experience it,” Hocevar said of the Chili Bowl. “No way around it — you’ve at least got to come once. I guarantee after you come once, you’re here for the rest of your life.”

Hocevar, who is preparing for his third full season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Niece Motorsports, first competed at the Chili Bowl in 2022. He had so much fun, both as a competitor and as a spectator, that he made sure to include the 2023 edition of the event on his schedule.

“The first year I came here was last year, and I was just excited to run laps,” Hocevar said. “I didn’t really know a lot of people or anything really about this. I’d watched it, but I’d never experienced it. I’d never come here, just because I wanted to hold out and have my first experience driving rather than being a fan.

“This year has been extremely fun. I know a lot of people. I feel like I can walk three trailers and I’ll know somebody. I’m meeting new people now. It’s been a lot of fun. I’m not there yet on the race track on being quick. The social aspect and the fun meter is really the one that matters, and that one is pegged out.”

The Chili Bowl is unique in that it brings together drivers from all different backgrounds to compete under one roof, both literally and figuratively.

Each year, the Chili Bowl draws in excess of 300 competitors. That typically includes the best dirt racers in the world, such as defending Chili Bowl winner Tanner Thorson, as well as drivers from the NASCAR ranks, like Chase Briscoe and Alex Bowman.

Other forms of auto racing are also often represented. NHRA drag racers like Cruz Pedregon and Ron Capps have competed at the Chili Bowl, as have IndyCar drivers Conor Daly and Santino Ferrucci.

So not only is the Chili Bowl one of the biggest grassroots motorsports events in the United States, but it is also one of the biggest motorsports social gatherings in the world.

“It’s not often you have dirt late model guys, sprint car guys, IndyCar guys, NHRA guys, everybody from different levels,” Hocevar said. “I got to meet Santino Ferrucci this weekend, and we’ve talked nonstop. I never would have met him if it wasn’t for this race. I got to know (Chase) Briscoe and (Alex) Bowman. We’re all out of our element here, they’re in their element a little bit more than I am, but they’re not at that excel mark yet. They’re getting close. Their goal is to make it on Saturday where mine is to make it on our prelim night.

“We all have so many different goals. We all come in with a little less pressure because it’s mainly just about making the show as exciting for us depending upon what night you are. There’s not the pressure to win the show, because unless people have really, really bad nights, I have no shot in hell. I’m just excited to be here. The expectation is super low.

“Anything over [that] is great and super rewarding, but more than anything, it’s just about fun and no pressure. That’s really what it is.”

Hocevar competed in Wednesday’s preliminary event but was unable to race his way into the preliminary feature that was won by former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor Rico Abreu. He did manage to win his C Main before finishing 10th in a B Main.

He could have easily been upset with that performance, but that’s not Hocevar’s style. Instead, he took to stands and hung out with fans. He specifically went to hang out with the group that calls themselves the ‘Top Row Rowdies,” where he enjoyed some adult beverages and got pelted with marshmallows alongside Ferrucci and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s niece, Karsyn Elledge.

That’s just a typical Wednesday at the Chili Bowl.

“That was my first time really getting up in the rowdy section,” Hocevar said. “It’s a lot of fun now that I’m up there. It’s not just the rowdies, I’m up there with buddies of mine now and meeting new guys. Me and Karsyn Elledge were up there, and we’d just got done battling for eighth or 10th in a B Main. We were battling and then we were up with the rowdies laughing about it.

“That’s stuff you don’t really get to do any other place than here.”

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

TULSA, Okla. — There are a multitude of reasons why drivers compete in the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals.

For many, the ultimate goal is to leave the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with the Golden Driller trophy that goes to the winner of the Chili Bowl each January. Others travel to Oklahoma for the Chili Bowl hoping to do a little racing and have a lot of fun.

Then there are those who enter the Chili Bowl with something to prove. Kaden Honeycutt fits into that category.

“I’m trying to show people I can race anything no matter what the situation or circumstance,” said Honeycutt, a part-time competitor in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series last season with G2G Racing and On Point Motorsports. “This is what I want to do, and if I have to do different things to show that, then that’s what I’ll do. This is a perfect example.

“That’s kind of the point I’m trying to prove.”

Kaden Honeycutt
Kaden Honeycutt (Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

From Aledo, Texas, Honeycutt is one of a large crop of drivers who have been looking to make names for themselves racing late model stock cars in the Southeast the last few seasons. The 19-year-old has become a regular fixture on the CARS Tour, winning multiple races the last two years.

That helped him secure a few opportunities in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2022, which included a ninth-place finish with On Point Motorsports in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway in November.

Now he’s looking to take the next step in his career by competing full-time in the Truck Series, but so far that opportunity hasn’t developed. That leads us back to the reason he entered the Chili Bowl.

There were, however, a few obstacles for Honeycutt to overcome. Most importantly, he’d never raced a midget. Despite having extensive dirt experience racing dirt late models and modifieds, Honeycutt said nothing prepared him for racing a midget for the first time this week.

“This was a whole new thing,” Honeycutt said. “Other than racing on dirt, there is nothing that compares to these midgets. They are totally different in a great way.”

Then there is the complicated and difficult format of the Chili Bowl. In short, the format rewards passing. The more spots you gain in heat races and qualifiers during your preliminary night, the higher you’ll start in the preliminary A Main that locks just two drivers into Saturday’s finale.

Honeycutt hit the track for his qualifying night Wednesday and held his own. He started and finished third in his heat, which he followed by going from seventh to fifth in his qualifier. That wasn’t enough to qualify him for the preliminary feature, but he rebounded to finish second in the B Main to earn a starting spot at the back of the preliminary feature.

He closed out the night by going from 20th to 14th in Wednesday’s preliminary feature, an impressive performance for someone who’d never raced a midget before showing up at the Chili Bowl.

“My expectation for myself, I definitely set it high enough to make the prelim (feature),” Honeycutt said. “Even if it wasn’t realistic, I still set it there. We had a good heat race, we had a good qualifier, then we worked our way up through the B Main and finished second to a Keith Kunz car, which I didn’t think was bad at all. Then for the feature we gained six or seven spots after going to the back.

“I didn’t think that was bad at all.”

His experience racing in the Chili Bowl has, like so many before, made Honeycutt want to continue coming to Tulsa, Oklahoma each January. Not only is he having fun racing a midget, he’s also having fun hanging out and taking in the Chili Bowl experience.

“I didn’t put much thought into it because I’d never driven a midget before,” Honeycutt said. “I didn’t have an aspiration. But man, during this week, I have thoroughly enjoyed this. I’ve had so much fun. I’ve learned a lot. It’s only made me want to do this a lot more.”

Honeycutt now waits for Saturday to hit the track again. His strong Wednesday night performance was enough to earn him a spot in a C Main, which gives him a realistic path to making the 55-lap championship finale.

With more than 350 drivers entered this year in the Chili Bowl, that means Honeycutt will be among the top 100 competitors no matter where he ends up Saturday.

Not bad for someone with no midget racing experience.

“I’m here to prove a point, that I can do this,” Honeycutt said. “No matter what type of car or race track, it doesn’t matter.”

Posted on by Press Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR and Rev Racing announced today the next generation of drivers participating in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program. Following a national and international search, eight talented drivers were selected to the newest class after participating in the Advance Auto Parts Drive for Diversity Combine.

Lavar Scott, Andrés Pérez de Lara, Jaiden Reyna and Justin Campbell are returning to Rev Racing for the 2023 season. Paige Rogers, Eloy Sebastián López Falcón, Caleb Johnson and Nathan Lyons will make their debut in 2023.

Nick Sanchez, who participated in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program in 2022 and won the ARCA Menards Series championship with Rev Racing, is advancing to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Sanchez will pilot the No. 2 Gainbridge Chevrolet for Rev Racing with its technical alliance partner, Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM).

Rajah Caruth also graduated from the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program and will be competing full time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driving the No. 24 for GMS Racing. Caruth is a prominent iRacer who made his transition to the racetrack in 2019.

“We’re excited to welcome our newest class of drivers and be a part of their growth and development,” said Jordan Leatherman, NASCAR’s Director, Diversity and Inclusion. “We’re proud to see Nick Sanchez and Rajah Caruth graduate from the program and start a new chapter in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Their success reflects their talent and hard work.”

Drivers were selected after participating in the Advance Auto Parts Drive for Diversity Combine held in November of 2022 in Charlotte and South Boston, Virginia. Participants from the United States and Mexico were evaluated by judges from across the NASCAR industry. Each driver was assessed in different areas from physical fitness and on-track performance to media and marketing skills.

“We are extremely energized by the talent we saw this past November at the Combine,” said Max Siegel, Rev Racing owner. “We look forward to the season ahead and developing this amazing class of incoming drivers. This year’s class represents a talented pipeline of NASCAR’s future stars.

“Our entire Rev Racing organization is committed to being a championship-contending team and one of the premier development programs in NASCAR. We couldn’t be more proud of our accomplishments last season and of Nick and Rajah’s growth. We remain especially thankful to Chevrolet and Gainbridge for investing in Rev’s growth into the truck series with Nick Sanchez. This will be a pivotal year for our organization and this next class of drivers.”

The NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program was created in 2004 to develop and train ethnically diverse and female drivers both on and off the track. NASCAR Cup Series drivers Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suárez and Kyle Larson are alumni of this program, which is operated by Rev Racing in Concord, N.C.

Suárez made history in 2022 becoming the first Mexican-born driver to win a race in the NASCAR Cup Series. A trailblazer in NASCAR, Suárez also made his mark in the sport when he won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2016. In 2023, Suárez enters his third season driving for Trackhouse Racing, a team owned by Justin Marks and Pitbull.

Wallace is the first Black driver to win multiple Cup Series races. In 2021, he became the first Black driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race in almost 60 years. In 2023, Wallace enters his third season with the 23XI Racing team owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin.

Larson is the first graduate of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program to win a NASCAR Cup Series championship. The Northern California native of Japanese descent won the 2012 K&N Pro Series East (now ARCA Menards Series East) championship with Rev Racing. Currently, he’s the only Asian-American driver competing regularly in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The 2023 class features the following drivers:

Andrés Pérez de Lara – ARCA Menards Series: The Mexico City, Mexico, native, 17, returns to Rev Racing after competing in the NASCAR México Series and NASCAR México Challenge categories. He is 2022’s NASCAR México Challenge champion.

Lavar Scott – ARCA Menards Series East: The 19-year-old from Carney’s Point, New Jersey has raced a late model stock car for Rev Racing the last two seasons in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, earning his first late model win at Hickory Motor Speedway in 2021.

Justin Campbell – NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model: The 17-year-old Griffin, Ga., native returns to Rev Racing for his third season after earning two top fives and two top 10s in the 2022 Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the semi-pro division.

Jaiden Reyna – NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model: The Cornelius, North Carolina, native, 16, returns to Rev Racing after securing two first-place finishes at Lincoln Speedway in the young lion division. Reyna also finished a career-high second at Florence Motor Speedway in the late model division.

Paige Rogers – NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model: The 19-year-old from Fort Wayne, Indiana will make her debut with Rev Racing in 2023. Rogers is the 2021 runner-up in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Late Model Sportsman division at Corrigan Oil Speedway.

Caleb Johnson – INEX Legend Car Series: The Denver, Colorado, native finished fifth in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series point standings. The 14-year-old also has an iRacing background.

Nathan Lyons – INEX Legend Car Series: The 13–year-old, originally from Texas, moved to Concord, North Carolina, to pursue his dream to race in NASCAR. Lyons had five top 10 finishes in the 2022 Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Eloy Sebastián López Falcón – INEX Legend Car Series: The Oaxaca, Mexico, native will make his debut with Rev Racing in 2023. The 17-year-old is 2022’s NASCAR Truck México Series champion.

Posted on by Cara Cooper

By the time the final week of the 2022 race season rolled around, late model driver Clay Jones knew he had all but locked up the Division I track championship at North Carolina’s Wake County Speedway. However, he thought the North Carolina state championship was out of reach.

He thought wrong.

Jones received a call from an official with the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series telling him if he could finish third or better in Wake County’s final race he would clinch his first state title in his two-decade racing career.

Jones qualified for the final race fifth out of 18 cars, adding nerves given his team had qualified at or near the front in just about every other race that summer. ​He quickly got up to third and settled in there, knowing if he could stay in that spot he’d have the championship.

With about 20 laps to go, the driver in second place had issues with his car, bringing out a caution and a restart.

“I was right there on the leader’s tail and didn’t really want to get in an altercation or anything to stay in second,” Jones said in a recent phone interview. “He slipped up, and we ended up getting by him on the last lap and ended up winning the race.”

The win was Jones’s eighth of the season. He added six second-place finishes and one third on the way to an 18-point win in Wake County’s late model class. He also tallied 400 total NASCAR points, giving him a four-point victory over Bowman Gray’s Tim Brown for the North Carolina state championship.

“It was just one of those dream-come-true races. You end up winning two championships and winning the last race. It was just a hell of a night,” Jones said. “It was a wild weekend, but it was a very successful year. We all had fun so I can’t complain.”

Jones is the third generation of his family to be a part of racing. His grandfather ran the now-closed Wilson County Speedway, in North Carolina, in the 1970s, and raced on the side, too. Jones’s father, John, as well as his uncles all spent time behind the wheel.

John not only passed down all his racing knowledge to his son, but he’s still a huge part of the team today. Jones called his dad the “brains behind everything.”

“My dad has been in it for so long, and he was very, very successful when he was driving,” Jones said. “Just the knowledge that he’s had over the years and put forth to me racing, he kind of hung up the helmet and put it all on me. With any type of sports team, but especially racing, if you get two or three people that click together, you’ve got something special. Especially when it’s a father-son combo, that makes it even more special.”

Getting to win a state title with his dad made the championship even sweeter, Jones said.

“It was a lot of emotions. Anytime in any kind of sports you’re going to have ups and downs. To finally see all the hard work and late nights kind of pay off, not only for me but my dad. He’s pretty much 100 percent what keeps this thing going,” he said. “All of his hard work and all the time he puts in, to see it all pay off and be so successful this year, and get all those wins and championships and everything, it was a big relief, but it was a lot of excitement too. It was a great time.”

The Joneses are joined in the pits by Wayne Goss, who has been around for many years, Dee Edgerton, and newcomer Josh Laneville, a longtime friend who started helping out this year.

“I told him the other night, ‘You picked a good time to start helping us,'” Jones said of Laneville. “He’s been really excited, the first year into it and being so successful.

“It’s like an army. It really takes a lot of people and a lot of connections to be successful with this stuff. There’s so many people that I’m sure I’m forgetting that I can’t even think of right now that lended a hand or did something for us. It’s been a special year.”

The state championship win was made more special because Jones and his team were able to attend the NASCAR awards banquet, which was presented alongside the annual Performance Racing Industry trade show in Indianapolis.

Jones said he and his dad had talked for years about wanting to go to the PRI show, and he said “It was very special to be able to do that with them and go check all that out, and also be able to receive all the awards.”

“I know a lot of it is on me… but I’ve got to put a lot of it on my dad. It was very special for all the guys and my dad,” he added. “It was more relieving for me to see all the excitement and stuff on their faces than it was mine.”

This track title at Wake County, a NASCAR-sanctioned quarter-mile paved track just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina, was Jones’ fourth at the track that sits about 45 minutes from his home. With previous titles in 2014, 2017, 2019, he’s tended to make a habit of racing there for a season and then taking a year or two to travel around and race.

He plans to return to Wake County for another full season this summer, though, along with his car the team nicknamed “The Blue Goose.” “Blue” is nearly 20 years old and has more than 50 wins on it, “but it’s been especially successful at Wake County,” Jones said.

There’s no doubt in his mind Jones wants to try to add another Wake County title to his collection in 2023.

To him, there’s no place like home.

“Honestly, Wake County, the environment and the energy of that place is like no other,” he said. “I tell people all the time it’s like a mini Bowman Gray… Every single Friday night the stands are packed top-to-bottom, end-to-end, people standing on the fence. When you go there the energy of the place is just overwhelming. It’s just so fun.

“I just hope everybody comes back out this year. It’s a very, very exciting, family-fun event. If you’ve never been, it’s definitely one for the bucket list. It’s not even five minutes from downtown Raleigh. It’s on a little old path, and all of a sudden it opens up to a little old racetrack, a little quarter-mile bullring. I’m telling you, it’s the most fun you’ll have in a while.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson plans to make his first bid at racing in the Indianapolis 500 in 2024.

The deal was announced Thursday, outlining a plan for the 30-year-old driver to make his first attempt to qualify for the Memorial Day classic with the Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team. The effort comes with the backing and apparent blessing of NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick, who will co-own and sponsor the entry through his HendrickCars.com automotive group.

RELATED: Preseason Power Rankings | On the move: Changes for 2023

“I’m super excited,” Larson told HendrickMotorsports.com. “Competing at the Indianapolis 500 is a dream of mine and something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time – since I was a child before I ever began competing in sprint cars. To do it with McLaren and Mr. Hendrick especially is a dream come true. I’m grateful for the opportunity and am really looking forward to it even though it’s still about a year-and-a-half away. I’m really looking forward to competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Charlotte 600 and maybe even get a win or two that day.”

Larson has not competed in the NTT IndyCar Series, but has proven his versatility in a variety of vehicles on both asphalt and dirt. He also follows the path of former Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson, a seven-time Cup Series champion who made his first Indy 500 start as part of a full-time IndyCar schedule last year.

Larson is a 19-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series and enters his third season driving the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He won the series championship in 2021 and placed seventh in the circuit’s final standings last year.

The last NASCAR Cup Series regular to compete in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day was Kurt Busch, who had double duty in 2014. Busch was the rookie of the year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a sixth-place finish, but engine failure shorted his effort in the 600-miler at Charlotte Motor Speedway and relegated him to 40th place.

Arrow McLaren will field entries for returning drivers Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist this season, while also adding 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi to its roster for 2023. O’Ward finished second, and Rosenqvist was fourth behind winner Marcus Ericsson in last year’s Indianapolis 500.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Kevin Harvick announced Thursday that he will retire after the 2023 NASCAR season, bringing an end to a Hall of Fame-caliber career after two-plus decades at the sport’s top level.

Harvick enters what’s scheduled to be his final full-time season as a 60-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series. The 47-year-old driver’s accomplishments include the 2014 Cup championship, achieved in his first season with Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 4 team.

“There is absolutely nothing else in the world that I enjoy doing more than going to the race track, and I’m genuinely looking forward to this season,” Harvick said in a team release. “But as I’ve gone through the years, I knew there would come a day where I had to make a decision. When would it be time to step away from the car? I’ve sought out people and picked their brains. When I asked them when they knew it was the right time, they said it’ll just happen, and you’ll realize that’s the right moment. You’ll make a plan and decide when it’s your last year.

“It’s definitely been hard to understand when that right moment is because we’ve been so fortunate to run well. But sometimes there are just other things going on that become more important and, for me, that time has come.”

RELATED: Kevin Harvick through the years | Catch up on offseason moves

Harvick’s run of success has come with two organizations — 23 Cup Series victories with Richard Childress Racing and 37 more with team co-owners Tony Stewart and Gene Haas. The Bakersfield, California, native also scored championships in the Xfinity Series in 2001 and 2006.

“With championships across several NASCAR series and a NASCAR Cup Series win total that ranks in the top 10, Kevin Harvick’s legacy as one of the all-time great drivers is secure,” NASCAR President Steve Phelps said in a statement. “Beyond his success inside a race car, Kevin is a leader who truly cares about the health and the future of our sport – a passion that will continue long after his driving days are complete. On behalf of the France Family and all of NASCAR, I congratulate Kevin on a remarkable career and wish him the best of luck in his final season.”

Harvick was thrust into the Cup Series under tragic circumstances in 2001, called up from the Xfinity ranks by Childress after the death of Dale Earnhardt in that season’s Daytona 500. The ride he took over was changed from Earnhardt’s iconic black No. 3 to a primarily white Chevrolet carrying No. 29.

“Looking back on it now, you realize the importance of getting in the Cup car, and then we wound up winning my first race at Atlanta in the 29 car after Dale’s death,” Harvick said. “The significance and the importance of keeping that car on the race track and winning that race early at Atlanta – knowing now what it meant to the sport, and just that moment in general of being able to carry on, was so important.”

Harvick made that car a winner in his third race out, edging Jeff Gordon by 0.006 seconds at the checkered flag in an emotional victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He went on to claim Rookie of the Year honors and notch more crown-jewel triumphs for Childress, including the Daytona 500 (2007), Coca-Cola 600 (2013) and Brickyard 400 (2003).

When Stewart-Haas Racing expanded to a four-car operation in 2014, Harvick was a key part of the organization’s growth. He joined forces on the No. 4 team with crew chief Rodney Childers, establishing what has become one of the Cup Series’ most enduring partnerships.

Kevin Harvick and Rodney Childers make the No. 1 sign while standing next to Michigan winner trophy
Sean Gardner | Getty Images

Harvick became the first champion of the NASCAR elimination-style playoff format, notching five wins and eight poles in his first campaign for SHR. He has qualified for the postseason field each year with Stewart-Haas, winning multiple races in all but one of their nine seasons together.

“I want Kevin to savor every lap this season, to compete like hell and to take it all in,” Stewart said. “He’s made all of us at Stewart-Haas Racing incredibly proud and we want to make his last season his best season.”

RELATED: Every Cup Series victory

Harvick’s mark on stock-car racing is not confined to his driving talent. From 2001 to 2011, he excelled as a team owner, with his Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) organization posting 53 wins across the Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series. Those winning efforts included three championships — two for NASCAR Hall of Famer and fellow California native Ron Hornaday Jr. in the Truck Series (2007, 2009), and for himself as an owner-driver in his last full season of Xfinity competition in 2006.

Harvick’s impact in the broadcasting and sports marketing worlds is expected to continue as he enters this next chapter. His on-air poise and veteran expertise have made Harvick a reliable guest analyst for FOX Sports, and he has anchored recent “drivers only” broadcasts as a play-by-play quarterback. Harvick and his wife, DeLana, have also kept the KHI name alive through KHI Management, a marketing agency that represents fellow drivers and other athletes from mixed-martial arts, bull-riding and professional golf. Harvick also joined Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Justin Marks as part of an ownership group announced earlier this week for the CARS Tour late model series.

Harvick has also made his influence felt as a senior leader in the Cup Series garage. He has been outspoken as an advocate for safety improvements as the current-model car enters its second year of competition.

The departure of Stewart-Haas Racing’s winningest driver creates a high-profile vacancy with the No. 4 Ford team for 2024. SHR enters this season with Harvick joining returning drivers Aric Almirola and Chase Briscoe alongside newcomer Ryan Preece, a KHI client.

Harvick won two times last year, stringing together back-to-back victories at Michigan and Richmond near the end of the regular season. He failed to advance past the first round of playoff eliminations for the first time in his career.

Posted on by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. — RFK Racing has announced that Esperion Therapeutics, a Michigan-based pharmaceutical company, has partnered with the team for a multi-year agreement pursuant to which Esperion will promote two cholesterol-lowering treatments — NEXLIZET (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) and NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid). NEXLIZET will be featured on Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford at this year’s Daytona Speedweeks, including the Daytona 500 on Feb. 19. NEXLETOL will be featured throughout the season on Chris Buescher’s No. 17 Ford.

Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Esperion discovers, develops and commercializes innovative medicines and combinations to lower cholesterol, especially for patients whose needs aren’t being met by current treatment options.

“We’re thrilled to have Esperion, a company that is making waves in the pharmaceutical industry, on board with us,” said Steve Newmark, president of RFK Racing. “We look forward to working with Esperion to create engaging content around their two products in NEXLIZET and NEXLETOL and showcasing their debut on the No. 6 for the famed Daytona 500. We’re thankful to the team at Esperion and can’t wait to introduce them to the sport in a big way in 2023.”

RELATED: Other changes to know for 2023

In addition to the Daytona 500 (Feb. 19, 2:30 p.m. ET, FOX), Esperion will serve as a primary on the No. 6 Ford at the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway (May 21, 8 p.m. ET, FS1) and RFK’s home track at Michigan International Speedway (Aug. 6, 2:30 p.m. ET, USA).

The brand will serve as a primary on the No. 17 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 5, 3:30 p.m. ET, FOX) and Martinsville Speedway in the spring (April 16, 3 p.m. ET, FS1) and in the fall (Oct. 29, 2 p.m. ET, NBC).

“We’re excited to partner with RFK Racing to increase brand awareness, and this sponsorship provides ample opportunities for community engagement and education to their large and diverse consumer base to advance awareness about the benefits of lowering LDL cholesterol and improving cardiovascular health,” said Sheldon Koenig, Esperion’s President and CEO.

Keselowski enters his second season at RFK and 14th full season in the NASCAR Cup Series. With 35 Cup wins to his credit, he is set to make his 500th Cup start in 2023. Buescher, now in his fourth season back with RFK, embarks on his eighth full-time season of Cup competition.

At Daytona and Michigan, Keselowski has 19 combined top-10 efforts, including a win in the 2022 Duels where RFK swept the season-opening exhibition qualifying races. At the two-mile Michigan facility, he has top 10s in half of his all-time starts in his home state.

Coming off a victory in the historic Bristol Night Race, Buescher will carry the NEXLETOL banner at another short track in Martinsville, in addition to the race at Las Vegas.

MORE: Full season schedule | Clash schedule | Daytona schedule

The 2023 NASCAR season unofficially kicks off with the Clash at the Coliseum (8 p.m. ET, FOX) on Sunday, Feb. 5, in Los Angeles. Coverage of Daytona 500 week begins on Wednesday, Feb. 15, with full-field qualifying, followed by the Duels on Thursday, and a pair of practice sessions set to take place Friday and Saturday.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

A new legacy takes center stage in NASCAR with plenty of history guiding it.

LEGACY Motor Club was officially introduced to the NASCAR world Tuesday morning, a rebrand of the former Petty GMS organization as seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson joins fellow seven-timer Richard Petty and Maury Gallagher as co-owners.

Johnson, who stepped away from full-time NASCAR racing following the 2020 season and full-time racing in general in September 2022, also returns to the driver’s seat of a stock car for a part-time schedule in 2023. He’ll pilot the No. 84 Chevrolet starting with the 65th annual Daytona 500 on Feb. 19 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, Sirius XM).

WHAT’S IN A NAME 

It’s another fresh start for a still-fledging team. Despite the association with Petty, whose family history in NASCAR dates back to 1949, LEGACY M.C. itself stands at just 13 months old.

RELATED: With Johnson aboard, Petty GMS fast-tracks growth

Trying to work the Johnson name into the Petty GMS brand was “clunky and clumsy,” Johnson told NASCAR.com on Tuesday. Finding an alternative that would honor both the history of the team’s owners while driving it forward was imperative to the group.

“We’re looking at the legacy deal,” Petty told NASCAR.com. “You know, we (the Pettys) have been doing this 75 years, OK? And you’re getting a bunch of new fans and a bunch of new situations with a new car, new venues that we’re going to. And you’re saying, ‘OK, you know, what’s our next step?’ And I feel like after 75 years, then we’re looking at (when) people see the 43 car, they think of Petty. We’ve got new fans that, you know, what are they gonna think about a number? So we’re trying to put a team together with legacy.”

A team name absent of Petty won’t deter the family’s tremendous legacy in NASCAR – especially as the Nos. 43 and 42 remain on track, with Erik Jones and Noah Gragson, respectively, piloting their Chevrolets forward.

“Knowing that we’re going to have the Petty font and numbers on our cars forever,” Johnson said, “really gave us a chance to take the team name and try to honor all of us kind of in a founding way and the legacies that we have all built. And then certainly, looking forward [at] the legacy that we hope to create as an organization, our drivers hope to create within their careers, crew chiefs, crew members, personnel in general, we just felt like legacy fit us very well.”

RELATED: Noah Gragson to drive No. 42 Chevrolet in 2023

There’s also a quirk to the new name: LEGACY Motor Club.

“The motor club concept was wildly popular in the ‘50s, ’60s, ‘70s, and we felt like it’s a great nod to the past,” Johnson said. “But then also, our plan and vision moving forward in a way to incorporate fans and to bring people into our organization in support of LEGACY Motor Club. We feel that there’s a great story to tell there and a great opportunity to engage with fans and to grow our fan base.”

ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL

Trackhouse Racing ruffled traditional feathers around American motorsports with its sudden rise to prominence in 2022.

A culture built by co-owners Justin Marks and Pitbull centers around the team rather than any particular drivers. With that came strong marketing and on-track success with multiple wins via drivers Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez, emphatically highlighted by Chastain’s Martinsville wall ride that propelled him into the Championship 4.

Leadership at LEGACY M.C. quickly took notice – but still eyes a future all its own.

“That was kind of a situation that we looked at and said, ‘Hey, these guys are looking at racing different than what the regular racing people are looking at,’ and they came in away from racing and brought in new ideas,” Petty said. “And we said, ‘OK, we think this is a good concept and so let’s pick up on that concept.’ We know what they’ve done and how they’ve done it.

“Now, they’ve kind of made a path, so it’s up to us to make a bigger path.”

Johnson echoed those sentiments, acknowledging a rapid evolution in fan culture and motorsports.

“I think as you see younger owners come in, you’re just seeing a different vision, a generational vision […],” Johnson said. “The landscape’s changing. And even the role of a team owner, a franchise owner, if you will, it’s an ever-changing environment that we’re trying to adjust to.

“Hats off to Justin and all the recent work that he’s done on and off the track. And we certainly hope to leave our own mark but in a similar fashion, do it in different ways.”

NEW CHAPTER, NEW NUMBER

With the next step of Johnson’s storied career come fresh digits on his Chevrolet’s vinyl.

The No. 84 serves as a simultaneous nod to his own past and present: an inverse of the No. 48 he made famous at Hendrick Motorsports to pair with the goal of claiming his 84th career Cup win. Johnson currently sits at 83, tied with Cale Yarborough for the sixth-most victories in Cup history.

RELATED: All-time NASCAR Cup Series winners

“At this stage with our third car, when you try to find a number, there are only so many numbers available,” Johnson laughed. “But for me, four and eight have been marquee numbers for me throughout my entire life. I go all the way back to my dirt bike racing days. Clearly, 19 years in the 48 car and the seven championships came with it.

“So, as I perused the list and saw the numbers that were available, I couldn’t help myself. And you know I still am chasing that 84th win, so if that moment does come around for me and we are able to ring the bell and get 84 in the 84 car, part of a team that I own, that would be just off the charts.”

LOOKING AHEAD

Johnson’s races past the Daytona 500 remain unannounced, but the team plans to evaluate how the third car benefits the program. Could another driver compete in the No. 84 this season – or additional races for Johnson?

“I wouldn’t say it’s off the table,” he said. “It just depends on the year. If the third car can help our program and drive us forward, I personally am not against running more. So it just depends on how the year develops.”

His leap to Cup ownership seemed sudden, but don’t mistake this as some quick publicity stunt: Johnson is back in NASCAR to stay.

“Without a doubt, yeah, this isn’t a short-term play for me,” he said. “This is certainly long-term play, long-term vision and trying to build my legacy outside of the car.”