Allgaier is in his seventh season with the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-owned team, collecting 16 of his 19 career victories in the Xfinity Series during that span — a figure that tops the organization’s all-time win list.
JRM also announced that BRANDT Professional Agriculture will return as a primary sponsor for 20 races next year. BRANDT first teamed up with Allgaier 11 years ago, and that relationship continued when the driver joined JR Motorsports in 2016.
Allgaier, 36, ranks fourth among the eight title-eligible drivers remaining in this year’s Xfinity Series Playoffs. He added three wins (Darlington, Nashville, New Hampshire) to his career total earlier this year, and made his 400th Xfinity start earlier this month at Talladega Superspeedway.
When the face of NASCAR’s most significant safety revolution speaks, ears perk.
Mike Helton – NASCAR’s president from 2000 until a promotion to become vice chairman of the sport in 2015 – joined Corey LaJoie’s “Stacking Pennies” to discuss myriad key topics currently encapsulating the premier stock-car racing entity. Helton, who still commands respect in the garage and everywhere he goes, leaned into the conversation surrounding safety that has peaked in recent weeks — and also told a good Dale Earnhardt story or two.
“I’ve got a lot of faith in the current leadership of the sport, but particularly in the leadership around competition and the leadership around doing everything we can every day to make the sport safer,” Helton told LaJoie during their recording of the podcast episode. “And it is a lot safer today, but this still is a very dangerous sport.”
Safety has been at the forefront of most discussions throughout the NASCAR garage in recent weeks as Alex Bowman was sidelined with a concussion after a rear-impact crash on Sept. 25 at Texas Motor Speedway. Bowman became the second driver to miss races this season due to concussion-like symptoms, joining 2004 champion Kurt Busch.
On Oct. 9, NASCAR leadership met with all Cup Series drivers at Charlotte Motor Speedway for 75 minutes to discuss the ongoing work behind the scenes. The weeks leading up to the meeting were dotted by competitors voicing their concerns through media outlets. Helton, charged with overseeing the sport’s safety revolution after tragic accidents at the turn of the millennium, understands the current driver corps’ outspoken nature.
“We’ve always had personalities in the sport,” Helton said. “Sometimes, it’s different, but we have got some strong personalities. And we listen to everybody. Every stakeholder in this sport we have an open-door policy for. Most of that works. Every now and then, you get, for whatever reason, it doesn’t work. So they feel the best way to communicate their issues is not directly with us but through the media or through digital and social, which is kind of a modern version of the consumption of all of our sport, on and off the race track.”
Helton also noted that some of the criticism that seeps through the airwaves and digital screens lacks the full context necessary to produce fruitful discussions.
“I think it’s unfair to us knowing that we’re working on all these things, and we’ll be glad to communicate with the ones that want to do it their way,” Helton said. “And if [they are] sincere and they’re factual about what they say, that’s one thing. But when they say only part of it and not all the facts along with it, I just don’t feel that’s fair for the league, and it’s unfortunate.”
The NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina, opened in 2003 with a focus on establishing higher safety standards throughout the sport. That remains a key priority nearly 20 years later as cars and equipment continue to develop.
“A perfect storm is going to happen, or just an accident at a race track can still happen, and it’s still a very dangerous sport,” Helton said. “So that topic of safety is chased every day, eight, 10 hours a day at the R&D Center. … And sometimes the answers are easy. Sometimes, the answers aren’t easy to find. But you constantly chase that topic. And so when the topic of safe race car comes up in a NASCAR race, and people say these cars aren’t safe, I know that NASCAR is not going to put an unsafe car on the race track. Now it may have different characteristics. It may act differently. And if it does, then that is something that we need to correct, and we’re going to work with the garage area and figure out how to do that.”
Helton also highlighted several other topics during the nearly 50-minute discussion, including:
• How Dale Earnhardt would get his point across to NASCAR officials (“He would eat our lunch”);
• The difference in communication styles with Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon in the late 90s (“You felt better when you walked away with Jeff. When Dale left, you’re feeling like you got beat with a baseball bat”);
• The growth and development of — and the importance of bridging the gap with — Ben Kennedy;
• Why he keeps the really good “called to the hauler” stories to himself;
• And what it means to be honored with the 2023 Landmark Award for the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
After 32 races, the NASCAR Cup Series rolls into Las Vegas with just eight drivers left contending for the 2022 championship.
Sunday’s South Point 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway makes the opening race of the Round of 8 with all sights ahead on the title.
A busy round awaits. Prepare for the penultimate postseason round with all the info you need here:
Teams will be broken into Groups A and B for 20 minutes of practice (12:05 p.m. ET, NBC Sports App; USA Network at 12:30 p.m.) for each group, respectively. Following practice, the series will roll into two rounds of single-car, single-lap qualifying set to begin at 12:50 p.m. to set the starting lineup.
With the postseason underway, playoff drivers and teams will be ordered by their previous race metrics and assigned to Group A or B by the usual odd/even metric procedures. Playoff teams will be the final cars to qualify in their respective groups.
Each driver will post one lap during their time trial. The fastest five drivers from each group will advance to the final round of qualifying, where those 10 drivers will set one more circuit to fight for the Busch Light Pole Award. The driver who sets the quickest lap in the session will start first on Sunday.
— The 2022 Round of 8 field is the youngest in playoff history while also combining for the fewest wins of all postseason fields.
— Joey Logano (2018) and Chase Elliott (2020) are the only remaining past champions in the playoffs. They have the two worst average finishes in playoff races among the eight remaining drivers in the 2022 postseason at 15.8 and 17.0, respectively, but rank first and second in points after the reset due to playoff points.
— Nineteen different drivers have won this year, tied for the most all time.
— The last nine races have each been won by different drivers — Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon, Erik Jones, Bubba Wallace, Chris Buescher, Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell.
— Denny Hamlin (610) and Joey Logano (503) have more Cup starts than the four drivers making their first Round of 8 appearances combined (Christopher Bell, William Byron, Ross Chastain and Chase Briscoe with a combined 495).
— William Byron won the last race at two of the three tracks in the Round of 8 (Martinsville Speedway in April and Homestead-Miami Speedway in February 2021).
Source: Racing Insights
GOODYEAR TIRES
Cup teams return to Las Vegas with a different tire than what they utilized in March, but that doesn’t mean they are unfamiliar with this tire compound. Goodyear will provide the same tire setup that was used at recent mile-and-a-half facilities, Kansas Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.
Air pressure became a key topic of discussion after numerous issues in the Sept. 25 race at Texas, but Goodyear notes discussions with teams and manufacturers in the weeks since have produced fruitful feedback.
“This has been an exciting year of change for NASCAR as we all work with the Next Gen car,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “We understood very early on the balance of this car was directed much more to the rear than previous, and as setups have continued to evolve over the season, the benefits of maximizing the effectiveness of the rear diffuser have become apparent, particularly on the speedways.
“These setups, obviously, can have a significant impact on tires, so integrating the latest information from the teams and OEMs into our predictive simulations is critical. Those simulations enable us to provide the teams with the key tire information each week to make informed decisions and responsibly get maximum performance out of the tires at Las Vegas this week and moving forward.”
Scott Miller, NASCAR Senior VP of Competition, said in a Wednesday appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that no resin or traction compound would be applied to the asphalt surface. “We haven’t gone the track-treatment route at all at Las Vegas over the years, and it’s provided some great racing,” Miller said. “So no, that’s business as usual.”
LAS VEGAS HISTORY
— Construction of Las Vegas Motor Speedway was completed in June 1996 on a 1,600-acre site near Nellis Air Force Base that holds rich racing history, dating back to a drag strip built in 1958. The site currently houses the 1.5-mile speedway, an industrial park, a drag strip, a 1/2-mile dirt track, a 3/8-mile paved oval and two road courses.
— The track’s original layout featured 12-degree banking in the corners, 3 degrees of banking on the backstretch and 9 degrees on the frontstretch. But a reconfiguration in 2006 changed the racing significantly, the result of 20-degree banking in the corners and 9-degree banking on each of the straightaways.
— Sunday marks the 30th race at Las Vegas.
— Bruton Smith launched a multimillion-dollar renovation project at the beginning of 2006 to include the Neon Garage, track changes, relocated pit road and a state-of-the-art media center. The centerpiece of the project was the new garage area for the Cup teams and an interactive fan area. The two-level, four-building garage area encompasses 32,000 square feet. A 52,000-square-foot roof deck allows fans to look directly down into the individual garage stalls. Windows on the lower level allow fans to watch the teams work. In addition to the close proximity, the Neon Garage has concession stands and an entertainment area.
— Christopher Bell won the pole at Vegas in the spring race, his first of four poles so far in 2022. Bell advances to the Round of 8 with a walk-off win last week at the Charlotte Roval.
— Each of the last six Vegas races have been won by different drivers, but Chevrolet has won three of the last four.
— The average green-flag stretch was 16 laps in March, tied for the second-shortest at the 1.5-mile track.
Source: Racing Insights
GAMBLING IN SIN CITY
Denny Hamlin may not be on everyone’s radar, but he certainly should be. Oddsmakers have a keen eye on the No. 11 Toyota as Hamlin enters as the favorite this weekend with 11-2 odds, according to BetMGM.
Hamlin’s lone Vegas victory came in the playoffs one season ago and Toyotas proved fast in the Next Gen debut in March. But perhaps the bigger focal point should be what Hamlin is achieving in this postseason run. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has a 6.8 average finish over the past six races, best of the remaining Round of 8 contenders.
Kyle Busch, a Las Vegas native, is listed at 10-1 odds and has just one home win on his resume. But the two-time Cup champion was one late caution away from scoring the victory back in spring before a green-white-checkered restart saw Alex Bowman storm to the checkers.
A longer shot at 16-1 odds is Joey Logano, but he’s worth keeping an eye on. He won back-to-back spring races in 2020-21 and Team Penske is usually quick at the Las Vegas tri-oval.
Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which reset for the playoffs. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $10,000 prize for the playoff winner.
The 2022 Fantasy Live points leaders are Chase Elliott (1,094), Ryan Blaney (981) and Joey Logano (972).
In addition to Fantasy Live, NASCAR.com is offering the Playoffs Grid Challenge presented by Ruoff Mortgage during the playoffs.
Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week the full field of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.
NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement in the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.
Hendrick Motorsports announced Wednesday that Alex Bowman will miss the next three NASCAR Cup Series races as part of his ongoing recovery from a concussion.
Bowman will be sidelined again in Sunday’s South Point 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and plans to miss events the following weekends at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Oct. 23) and Martinsville Speedway (Oct. 30). He scored his lone Cup Series victory this season for the No. 48 Chevrolet team at the 1.5-mile Nevada track on March 6.
Xfinity Series regular Noah Gragson again will substitute for Bowman in the No. 48 Chevy. He filled in for Bowman the last two weekends, posting finishes of 19th (Talladega Superspeedway) and 23rd (Charlotte Roval).
Bowman has missed the last two Cup Series events with concussion symptoms after a crash in the Sept. 25 event at Texas Motor Speedway. He sat out events at Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course, knocking him from playoff contention after the Round of 12.
Hendrick Motorsports indicated that Bowman was evaluated Wednesday morning by Dr. Michael “Micky” Collins, the clinical director at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program.
“We have a tremendous amount of respect for the entire staff at UPMC,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “Our priority continues to be Alex’s recovery and long-term health, and we will follow the plan that Dr. Collins and his team recommend. We’re not looking past the next three races and will evaluate plans for the season finale (Nov. 6 at Phoenix Raceway) as the event approaches.”
Bowman released his own statement on social media, saying he is focused on his recovery with hopes of returning to competition “as soon as possible.”
“I know that Noah will continue to do a great job representing the No. 48, and I’ll be cheering for him and the entire Ally Racing team on every lap,” Bowman said in his post. “Thank you again to everyone for the support I’ve received. It means so much to me.”
NASCAR officials indicated Wednesday that Stewart-Haas Racing has dropped its request for an appeal hearing to contest L2-grade penalties against the No. 4 Ford team.
The No. 4 crew was penalized Oct. 5 for unapproved modification of a single-source part, and the team had announced its intent to appeal the punishment two days later. The infraction was found in a technical inspection at the NASCAR Research & Development Center after the previous weekend’s Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Driver Kevin Harvick was issued a 100-point deduction in the Cup Series drivers standings, and the No. 4 team was handed an equal penalty in the car owner standings. Crew chief Rodney Childers was fined $100,000 and suspended for four races.
Even with an appeal pending, Childers sat out the first race of his suspension for last weekend’s event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course, with team engineer Stephen Doran filling in atop the No. 4 pit box. Childers, who marked his milestone 600th Cup Series start at Talladega, is on schedule to return for the Nov. 6 season finale at Phoenix Raceway.
Harvick qualified for this year’s Cup Series Playoffs with two regular-season wins, scoring back-to-back top finishes at Michigan and Richmond. With the 100-point penalty affirmed, he is ranked 16th among the drivers who qualified for the 10-race postseason.
On Wednesday’s “Stacking Pennies” podcast, Corey LaJoie provided his personal insights on NASCAR’s latest safety measures, including the recent crash test held in Ohio.
NASCAR is experimenting with new rear clip designs in order to reduce the impacts drivers take in crashes. To help with the 2023 changes for the car, a NASCAR spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that the sanctioning body will cover the costs of the changes to the rear clips, center sections and rear bumper struts.
“They run thousands of tests through algorithms and this software that runs every different combination of tube thickness, tube variation and location to find out and fit within the parameters they’re trying to achieve,” LaJoie explained on the episode. “The new rear clip they just tested takes about 50% of the g-load away on a rear impact.”
At the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course Saturday, NASCAR met with drivers to discuss the findings from the crash test and to have an open discussion on safety for the future with the Next Gen car. LaJoie added on the podcast that he left Saturday’s meeting “frustrated” with some of his fellow drivers for the direction of the meeting from the driver contingent.
Listen to the full podcast to hear the entire segment.
CONCORD, N.C. — William Waters was not going to miss a chance to meet his racing hero, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.
Last weekend, Waters, a 64-year-old California transplant, showed up at the Books-A-Million store — blocks from Charlotte Motor Speedway — taking his place in line more than an hour early and slowly rolling a race-used Goodyear tire toward the book store for Johnson’s autograph. The grin was unremovable as Waters anticipated meeting his all-time favorite racer and having Johnson personally sign his new book: “One More Lap: Jimmie Johnson and the #48.”
“He always just seemed to be a nice guy, always friendly, always took the time to sign autographs or high-five people,” Waters said of Johnson. “Other drivers are more standoff-ish, but Jimmie’s personable.”
Photo by Holly Cain
Like Johnson, Water’s sister-in-law, Carol Flick, hails from El Cajon, California.
“One of the biggest streets in town is now Jimmie Johnson Boulevard,” Flick said. “He’s absolutely a big sense of pride for us. I have a few things with his signature, but this book’s going to be great.”
With the crowd growing exponentially outside, Johnson started his afternoon in the store’s back office, carefully placing his famous signature on books as he waited for his time to go out and meet his fans. And sign tires.
The expressions on Johnson’s face as he thumbed through each edition were a testament to the sentimental and highly personal story the photos tell — the story of a middle-class kid from blue-collar El Cajon whose talent and drive ultimately made him one of auto racing’s most celebrated champions.
Watching Johnson examine the pages of the book, it was clear each photograph evoked a powerful memory. So much so, he concedes, that more than once during the editing process, he insisted on adding a couple more photos and pages.
“Passion project, labor of love,” Johnson said, leaning back in his chair. “That’s definitely what this is.”
The completed book — produced by Condé Nast Corporate Photography Director Ivan Shaw — is 272 pages and features 175 photographs from nine celebrated photographers. NASCAR team owner and NBA Legend Michael Jordan wrote the heartfelt forward.
“I’ve always just archived what was going on and, at some point, realized it might be worthwhile,” Johnson said of the impetus for the collection. “But at the same point in time, I just wanted it for myself.
“We have tons of art books at home, and I look through these art books, and I just love documentation. I love docuseries, from a videography standpoint to a still picture standpoint. I’m just truly a fan of it, and that’s what I consume. I have all of this stuff, and now I’m at a point in my career, in my life, that we can share it.”
One More Lap is officially in stores.
So many memories captured by the most talented photographers… this book is a behind-the-scenes look into my career and it's really exciting to finally see it on the shelves! pic.twitter.com/vix6zsx603
Johnson shares photos from his childhood, from his early racing days on dirt bikes and off-road trucks to his humble ascension to what will certainly be a place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
And, of course, amid the career highlights are heart-warming family photos — images of Johnson and his wife Chandra and their young daughters, Genevieve and Lydia — the real fundamental, he says, of maintaining his pace.
The photographs of Johnson’s motorsports beginning provide an intriguing perspective and include some very personal, previously unseen “snapshots.” An elementary-aged Johnson leaning against his bike with the “not another picture, mom” look on his face. There’s Johnson and one of his younger brothers — both barely waist-high — dressed in identical striped shirts and cowboy hats and a touching shot of a young Johnson stretching out atop his dirt bike, head resting between the handlebars and a huge grin on his face.
Beyond the pages of these early-day snapshots is a two-page photograph of the yellow van caravan that the Johnson family — his parents and two younger brothers — took into the California desert most weekends in the late 1970s and early ’80s. The van is pulling not just a travel trailer but also a trailer carrying the family’s dirt bikes and four-wheelers.
Johnson is convinced a triple haul would not be allowed down most California freeways these days.
“I have no clue how this is legal,” Johnson said, smiling and pointing toward the image. “That’s our van that we rode in. We rode in this down the road, and then this is the trailer with all our toys in it. I mean, that was our setup. Even in California now, there’s no way you can tow two trailers.
“But that’s San Diego in the ’70s. That’s it.”
Another of his favorite photos also spans two pages. It shows the yellow and orange No. 81 Chevy driven by Blaise Alexander with Johnson’s No. 92 red, white and blue Chevy alongside as they battled for position in NASCAR’s former Busch Series — now Xfinity Series — race at Richmond Raceway in 2000.
Alexander was one of Johnson’s closest friends. The two shared the joys, challenges and week-to-week survival as they made their way upward in the sport. Alexander, however, was tragically killed in an accident racing in the ARCA Menards Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 4, 2001. Johnson has ever since carried a decal on his No. 48 car honoring his friend Alexander.
“As they edited the book, they pointed to the photograph and were like, ‘We just felt like it was a good photo, it’s you in the old car, and the colors popped, and we loved the symmetry of it,’” Johnson said. “I was like, ‘Well, here’s why this photo is important to me.’ Obviously, with it being Blaise [Alexander] and Blaise is nowhere else in the book, the photo ended up staying as a result.”
Questions inevitably arise about where Johnson sees his immediate future in the sport. A month ago, he announced that he would not continue racing in the IndyCar Series full-time in 2023 and instead focus on a “bucket list” of races.
Johnson said returning to the NASCAR Cup Series for the first time since he left following the 2020 season is a priority if he can find the right situation. He smiled, acknowledging that would probably mean his first NASCAR Cup Series race — ever — not driving a car with the No. 48 on the side. Alex Bowman now drives the No. 48 for Hendrick Motorsports.
“I would like to do a couple [of] races [ideally] to get a feel for it and have a good showing, but then it just depends,” Johnson said. “Running a couple [races] changes the dynamic of teams that would potentially be interested in running me, and then it gets complicated really quick.”
In the meantime, Johnson said he is enjoying the opportunity to meet fans and share the book — the stories and the photos. As with most of everything Johnson is involved in, the project is already a top in its class. The book is currently a “#1 Best Seller” in Celebrity Photography on Amazon.com.
Most of all, however, Johnson smiles and talks about the chance to spend more time with his family. He calls himself a “barn dad,” helping his daughters as they compete in horseback riding. And he looks forward to supporting his wife Chani’s endeavors as an art gallery owner in Charlotte.
“That’s the balance I’m trying to strike, filling that bucket of being a competitor and having those experiences in race cars and also balancing life, supporting my wife and kids and what’s important to them,” Johnson said. “Being around and having deeper relationships with my parents and my siblings and my friends. I’ve been on this hamster wheel since I was 19, chasing the dream, and I have no regrets. But I do realize life could be deeper in some other ways. Life could be richer in other ways. And that’s the balance I’m trying to find.”
From hard work, determination and ultimately, the success of talent and drive, Johnson fully concedes it’s been a fortunate life lived
“It’s all part of the journey,” Johnson said. “I don’t think anyone would feel sympathetic for me if I said, ‘I wish I had done something a little different.’ I’ve had this incredible career. I’ve been able to experience so much and work with so many great people. And each mistake made, which would be the point you’d want to go back and change, they have only made me better.”
Mexico City native Max Gutiérrez caught the attention of many in the industry when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series visited Nashville Superspeedway on June 24.
In just his second appearance with AM Racing, Gutiérrez overcame having his qualifying time disallowed and charged through the field to bring home an eighth-place run. He finished better than John Hunter Nemechek, Chandler Smith and defending series champion Ben Rhodes.
Exceeding expectations has been a common theme for Gutiérrez throughout his career, but even he was surprised at how efficient his evening was at Nashville against Truck Series regulars.
“Everything happened so quick, and I couldn’t believe it,” Gutiérrez said. “That was one of the best races I’ve ever had, especially since it was my first time at Nashville. We had to come from the back twice, so I had a very good truck that night.”
Max Gutiérrez (Photo: Jacob Kupferman/ARCA Racing)
Before Gutiérrez began making a name for himself in the United States, he developed his skills as a driver across NASCAR-sanctioned events in his home country of Mexico.
NASCAR first established a presence in Mexico back in 2004 with the formation of Desafio Corona, which later became the NASCAR Mexico Series. The series has attracted many talented drivers from around Mexico like Daniel Suárez, Rogelio López, Rubén García Jr. and German Quiroga, all of whom have made at least one NASCAR start in the U.S.
The Mexico Series also follows its American counterpart by employing a ladder system designed to prepare drivers for the country’s top level of stock car racing. This consists of the Mexico Challenge Series, which shares the track with the main division, and the Mikel’s Truck Series.
Gutiérrez quickly got acclimated to the physical and mental demands of NASCAR by winning the Mikel’s Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2018. He followed that with a championship in the Challenge Series in 2020 after tallying five victories.
When he officially joined the Mexico Series for the 2021 season, Gutiérrez easily took home Rookie of the Year honors with eight top-five performances. His closest opportunity at a win came at Autodromo de Monterrey, where he scored a class finish of second to Ruben Rovelo, who holds the most victories in the history of the Mexico Series with 26.
Max Gutiérrez (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
The competitive depth of the Mexico Series and the diverse set of tracks he visits each year are factors Gutiérrez believes have made him composed behind the wheel. And that has been an essential quality in his transition to the U.S.
“Racing here in Mexico helps you gain a lot of experience, because you go to short tracks and superspeedways,” Gutiérrez said. “The cars are very competitive, and there’s only half a second separating the top 10. You have a shot at a great future in the U.S. by doing well here.”
With help from his Mexico Series car owner Jimmy Morales, Carlos Slim and Felix Sabates’ son Jose, Gutiérrez started competing in short track events around North and South Carolina. During the 2020 season, Gutiérrez made his ARCA Menards Series debut with Troy Williams Racing, which led to a full-time ride in the ARCA Menards Series East with Rette Jones Racing the following year.
The pairing’s first race together at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway proved to be a memorable one, as Gutiérrez ended up winning on a last-lap pass off Turn 4 following contact between Sammy Smith and Taylor Gray for the lead.
To this day, Gutiérrez is still in disbelief over how the final lap played out at New Smyrna. Although he only tallied one more top five in 2021 following the victory, Gutiérrez remains motivated to show everyone he can be competitive on a consistent basis.
While Gutiérrez is excited about his future, he is currently focused on finishing his sophomore Mexico Series season on a positive note. With a handful of races remaining, Gutiérrez sits sixth in the point standings with two top fives.
A handful of bad finishes have prevented Gutiérrez from being a factor in the Mexico Series title. Despite this, Gutiérrez is determined to shake off his misfortune and tally a win in the series that shaped him into the driver he is today.
“Hopefully we can finish top three in the championship in Mexico,” Gutiérrez said. “My luck hasn’t been the best, but hopefully that starts to turn around as we approach the last race. The experience is only going to make me feel more secure about what I’m doing.”
Max Gutierrez celebrates after winning at New Smyrna Speedway in 2021. (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
There is a plan for Gutiérrez to one day emigrate from Mexico to the U.S., but he admitted that continuing to grow behind the wheel and building connections within NASCAR are more pressing issues for him now.
Gutiérrez’s top 10 at Nashville provided him a major confidence boost in his ability to one day compete in the Cup Series. He intends to race full-time in the Truck Series next year, but he admitted the number of races he runs will come down to funding and sponsorship.
With a great support system, Gutiérrez is confident he can find the necessary sponsorship to build upon his success in Mexico and rack up many more accomplishments in NASCAR’s top divisions.
“The journey has been difficult, but I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of people that have helped me out along the way,” Gutiérrez said. “Because of them, I’m right where I’m supposed to be, and I know I’m going to have many more great moments in my career.”
The name Rajah Caruth is one that NASCAR fans will likely hear more of in the coming years, but he wanted to get a headstart by running select Xfinity Series races for Alpha Prime Racing in 2022.
“I want to perform well, but my goal was to make a name for myself, get out here and make it to the end of races and learn,” Caruth told Jayski.com. “It’s helped me so far and it’s going to continue to help me. I’ve just got to keep trying.”
Caruth is a graduate of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program. Growing up an avid race fan, at one point calling himself a “NASCAR nerd” who collected encyclopedias, the Washington, D.C. native didn’t find his calling until later in life. Oh yeah, he turned 20 in June.
His family doesn’t come from money. So he got his start in motorsports on iRacing. That’s where he was discovered by the Drive for Diversity program and earned his shot to race legends cars.
This year, Caruth’s primary focus was chasing an ARCA Menards Series championship for Rev Racing. And though he led the standings up until the 13th race of the season at Watkins Glen International, he dropped to third in the championship battle, behind teammate – and champion – Nick Sanchez.
“I think I’ve had everything happen to me this year but win,” Caruth said. “It’s been pretty testing.”
Rounding out the top five in the series’ finale at Toledo Speedway last weekend, Caruth finished the year with eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. But he also suffered a DNF in three of the final five events.
Though he didn’t win a race, the feeling of potentially getting the glory in Victory Lane is motivating.
“It’s what drives me every day,” Caruth stated. “It’s hard to stay confident in myself throughout it all. But the Chevy guys have taught me to omit what you want the outcome to be and potential results because, at the end of the day, it’s out of your control.”
Being among the Chevrolet drivers has guided Caruth with some additional opportunities. In April, he made his Xfinity Series debut at Richmond Raceway for Alpha Prime. Two months later at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, the prospect made his Camping World Truck Series debut with Spire Motorsports, finishing 11th.
Having a highly-touted young driver such as Caruth has helped draw attention to Alpha Prime. At Dover Motor Speedway, the team had its first onboard camera.
“Rajah was the priority for us when we started this venture with Alpha Prime Racing,” Tommy Joe Martins, co-owner of Alpha Prime, said. “There were three drivers at the press conference, and two of them were old, washed-up guys in me and Caesar [Bacarella] that are doing this now. We had one guy up there that we knew was going to be a star for a long time, and that’s Rajah.
“Every time he’s in one of our racecars, we’re excited. We want him to be in the racecar more for us. He’s probably going to grow beyond us, but it’s been a ton of fun having him and we’re looking forward to these last three races.”
Logan Riely | Getty Images
The first four Xfinity races for Caruth have been a vast learning experience. The transition has been “1,000% in every way possible” and was highlighted by qualifying 15th at Dover. Thus far, he has an average finish of 31.3 with two DNFs.
In his third start at Pocono Raceway, Caruth lasted just one lap after an incident with Alex Labbe. That was tough to grasp. He leaned on some of his mentors – Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick – for advice.
That didn’t make getting over the wreck any easier and drained his confidence.
“Naturally, I’m really hard on myself,” Caruth said, “So that was a difficult situation.”
As a team owner, Martins was frustrated, too. But he has first-hand experience of the way Caruth felt on that afternoon. There’s nothing he could do to fix the situation, though he knows the driver won’t make the same mistake twice.
“It cost us money, it cost us points, it was a bummer,” Martins said. “But in the end, Rajah is better for it because he made that mistake. I told him you’ve got to own it. It’s embarrassing, and that’s why you won’t do it again.”
Prior to jumping back into the car at Kansas Speedway, seven weeks after the Pocono incident, Caruth still felt trepidation. He wasn’t sure how he’d feel until he strapped into the car. He finished in 25th.
Beginning this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Caruth will compete in three of the final four races of the Xfinity season. For the first time, he will run in consecutive Xfinity races to close out the year at Martinsville Speedway and Phoenix Raceway.
“I just hope to run all the laps and minimize the mistakes and achieve the full potential of the racecar and myself,” Caruth said. “Whether that’s running 25th, 12th or even better. My goal is just to make it to the end of the races.”
Of the three tracks, Caruth is most excited about Martinsville. He’s completed the most laps around there, including running the Valley Star 300 last month. He also has two ARCA West starts at Phoenix.
First up, though, is Las Vegas, which is a small concern.
“For Vegas, that’s going to be, eh, because I haven’t been on the race track before,” Caruth stated. “Everywhere else I’ve been to, so I won’t be getting reacclimated with the race track. I’ll know where all my marks were previously.”
For 2023, Caruth hopes to be in the Truck Series full time. But he’s been letting his father, Roger, handle those discussions.
In collaboration with iRacing, the eNASCAR iRacing Coca-Cola Series Championship trophy will be renamed in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s honor beginning this race season.
From winning the first race in the history of the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series to helping bring vintage content to life in iRacing — including 1987 NASCAR Cup Series cars and North Wilkesboro Speedway — Earnhardt Jr. has been instrumental in many of the company’s stock car achievements.
“For decades, there has been no more important ambassador for NASCAR than you,” NASCAR President Steve Phelps said of Earnhardt Jr. “Your love and enthusiasm for NASCAR racing extends all areas of the sport — and that includes racing simulation and the influential role that iRacing has played in today’s NASCAR. Your commitment to iRacing has helped the technology grow over the years to become a widely popular platform that is helping NASCAR reach and engage new fans around the world.”
JR Motorsports, Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR Xfinity Series team, has held an eNASCAR franchise since 2019.
The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series playoffs continue at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday from virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway. Be sure to come back to watch the championship race at 9 p.m. ET on Oct. 25 from virtual Phoenix Raceway to see who takes home the inaugural Dale Earnhardt Jr. championship trophy.
