BetMGM: Chase Elliott dominating Dixie Vodka 400 betting

Posted on October 20, 2022October 20, 2022 by Staff Report

Chase Elliott’s 18 NASCAR Cup Series wins have come at 14 different tracks. His 19th win will come at a 15th different track this weekend, according to a large share of bettors at BetMGM.

Elliott returns to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the seventh time in his Cup Series career, and he’s trying to win the Dixie Vodka 400 at the 1.5-mile oval for the first time and take a huge step toward joining Kyle Busch as the only active drivers with multiple NASCAR Cup Series championships.

The public loves his chances; as of Wednesday, Elliott isn’t atop NASCAR odds but is dominating ticket and handle shares.

At +1000, the 2020 Cup Series champion is tied with four other drivers for the third-shortest odds:

Denny Hamlin: +700
Tyler Reddick: +700
Chase Elliott: +1000
Joey Logano: +1000
Ross Chastain: +1000
Ryan Blaney: +1000

Nearly one in every seven tickets (13.8%) has been placed on Elliott, which accounts for 21.5% of the handle. No other driver has more than 7.4% of tickets (Hamlin and Reddick) or 11.2% of the handle (Erik Jones, +6600).

“Homestead’s been super hit-or-miss, honestly. We had a really good run there in 2020, had an opportunity to race Denny for the win,” Elliott said this week, referencing a second-place finish, the lone top-3 finish in six starts.

The lack of experience at the track relative to the field – he’s 17th among all active drivers in career starts – and despite a “horrendous” start in last year’s race, he’s in a position to command one of the largest race-winner handle shares of the season.

Elliott also headlines this week’s featured matchups at BetMGM:

Denny Hamlin (-130) vs. Chase Elliott (+100)

Danny Hamlin has often failed to capitalize on high starting positions – nine-straight starts in the top 10, including six pole positions in the last seven starts – in the Dixie Vodka 400, but he still leads all active drivers in race wins (three). Additionally, he has finished outside the top 15 only twice in 17 career starts at Homestead.

Hamlin is tied with Tyler Reddick for race-winner ticket share, but his 7.4% of tickets accounts for 9% of the handle (third-most) to Reddick’s 8.4% (fifth-most). And in order to snap a 19-race winless drought – his second-longest drought since 2018 – he must, at minimum, finish ahead of Elliott, as he’s done in this race each of the last three years.

Joey Logano (-120) vs. Ryan Blaney (-110)

From 2015-19, Joey Logano never finished worse than sixth in this race, a run that included his lone Cup Series win at the track in 2018. But he’s struggled the last two years, finishing 27th after a wreck in 2020 and 25th after early contention in 2021.

Logano sits alongside Ryan Blaney in race-winner odds (+1000), but – as the public hit Logano with decent-sized ticket (5.3%) and handle shares (5.6%) to Blaney’s 2.1% and 1.4%, respectively – the book made him a marginal favorite in this featured matchup.

Blaney has just one career top 10 in seven starts at the track (2020) and has (by far) the worst average start-to-finish number (-8.6) among active drivers. He’s finished ahead of Logano only once in those seven starts.

William Byron (-190) vs. Chase Briscoe (+145)

William Byron has the same number of wins (one) as Chase Briscoe has career starts at Homestead-Miami. That lone start for Briscoe, though, wasn’t a bad one; in just his third career Cup Series start, he finished 18th in the 2021 Dixie Vodka 2021 after starting 30th thanks to a strong final stage.

Briscoe isn’t commanding many race-winner tickets, but his small ticket share (1.1%, tied for 23rd-most) accounts for 3.4% of the handle (10th-most). If it holds, it’d be one of the best ticket-to-handle ratios (more than 3:1) of the season.

You can view updated Dixie Vodka 400 odds and more online sports betting opportunities at the BetMGM online sportsbook.

Posted on October 20, 2022 by Staff Report

Before Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoff race at Homestead-Miami Speedway (1 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), try your hand at some prop picks for a chance to win exclusive points and prizes. Saturday’s race will confirm the Truck Series Championship 4 for November’s race at Phoenix Raceway.

RELATED: Truck Series standings

Posted on October 20, 2022 by Brandon White

There has been no shortage of busy days for Whelen Modified Tour veteran Patrick Emerling during the 2022 season.

Along with maintaining an active presence in the series that developed him as a driver, Emerling elected to broaden his horizons in NASCAR this year by starting an Xfinity Series team with Joey Gase. They currently field a full-time and a part-time car.

Although balancing two responsibilities has come with plenty of challenges for Emerling, he said becoming a team owner in the Xfinity Series was the next logical step to ensure he could keep thriving in NASCAR, adding that methodical gains throughout the year have justified the decision.

“It’s been an OK season with the Modified stuff,” Emerling said. “As far as the Xfinity side of things, we’ve had quite a few different drivers throughout the season, but we’ve been progressively improving the program every week, and that was one of our goals.”

RACING REFERENCE: Career stats for Patrick Emerling

Emerling is no stranger to patience when it comes to achieving long-term success.

During his first decade of competing in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Emerling had to fight for every position while driving for his family-owned team. He did manage to get one victory at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2017, which he accomplished by earning the pole and leading 148 of 150 laps.

While Emerling did find more consistency as he logged more laps, it wasn’t until the 2021 season when the Orchard Park, New York native finally hit his stride on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

In the second race of the year at Stafford Motor Speedway, Emerling climbed through the field from the 23^rdstarting position before the race was plagued by several late cautions that took out most of the leaders. Emerling took advantage of the chaos and found himself in the lead when rain prematurely ended the race on Lap 130, giving him the win.

Emerling built on the momentum from Stafford by tallying two more victories at New York International Raceway Park and Riverhead Raceway to go along with nine top fives. The consistency Emerling displayed throughout 2021 enabled him to finish second in the point standings behind Justin Bonsignore.

In 135 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts, Patrick Emerling has four victories and 32 top fives. (Photo: Jim Rogash/NASCAR via Getty Images)

A season like 2021 was something Emerling had always wanted to achieve since he started competing in Modifieds, but getting there required him to carefully study his strengths and shortcomings while ensuring his cars could be competitive on a weekly basis.

“For a long time as a driver, I lacked confidence,” Emerling said. “There were a lot of little things I needed to work on like getting the equipment up to par, but I had to drive better, too. Every time I jump into a race car, I show up better the next time. I always like to learn.”

One person Emerling credits for making him a better driver is long-time crew chief and former NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver Jan Leaty.

Ever since the two began their partnership, Emerling has leaned on Leaty’s years of driving experience on how to get the most out of his car. Emerling values his tight friendship with Leaty and knows he can count on him regardless of what Modified series they compete in together.

RACING REFERENCE: Career stats for Jan Leaty

Leaty has been thrilled with the development Emerling has shown since his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour campaign back in 2011, and he knows Emerling’s determination is only going to result in many more successful years going forward.

“I could tell right away [Patrick] had good talent, but he needed some guidance,” Leaty said. “He was about 17 when I first started working with him, and every year, Patrick got a little bit better. Before long, he was sniffing the front of the pack more frequently.”

It came as no surprise to Leaty when Emerling told him he wanted to start his own Xfinity Series program.

Emerling dabbled in the Xfinity Series with Our Motorsports at the start of the decade and wanted to expand his involvement going into 2022. Although he had the equipment to do so, Emerling knew he needed more support to run a full-time Xfinity Series schedule.

Assistance came in the form of Gase, who like Emerling had cars ready to use for Xfinity Series competition. After deliberating with one another, on Dec. 30, 2021, the duo agreed to form Emerling-Gase Motorsports.

Along with splitting driving duties between their full-time No. 35 car, Emerling and Gase have also fielded a variety of drivers in their first year together. That list includes Parker Kligerman, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Shane Lee and Brad Perez, among others.

RACING REFERENCE: Emerling-Gase Motorsports’ 2022 results

With the Xfinity Series growing more competitive with each passing year, Gase did not expect anything to come easy for him and Emerling in 2022, but he said the organization has accomplished every single goal that was laid out ahead of the season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

“Our main goal was to make every race and survive,” Gase said. “We’ve qualified for every race we’ve attempted this year whether it was with one car or both. I’m really proud about that and not a lot of teams can say the same. This is not an easy thing to do financially and there were a lot of people that doubted us, but we proved them wrong.”

Having already announced plans to field a second full-time car in the Xfinity Series starting in 2023, Gase is confident the team will keep making more progress regardless of who ends up driving the No. 35 or No. 53.

Gase admitted Emerling has played a substantial role toward that growth in regards to his experience in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, as well as with business decisions that have kept Emerling-Gase Motorsports on the track each week.

“Patrick and I are both racers, and we both have a lot of benefits to bring to the team,” Gase said. “On the business side, Patrick brings a lot, and he’s been in racing for a long time. There are so many little things that are different in the NASCAR world, but that’s something I can bring insight on. We complement each other in a lot of ways and we’ve become really good friends.”

Patrick Emerling plans to stay involved in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour despite his commitments to the NASCAR Xfinity Series.(Bryan Bennett/NASCAR)

Even though his Xfinity Series schedule is about to get busier, Emerling does not plan to stray too far away from the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

The number of races Emerling ends up running in the Xfinity Series will dictate how frequently he can climb into a Modified, but he intends to maintain his partnership with Leaty so he can keep showcasing his talents against drivers like Bonsignore, Doug Coby and Ron Silk, all of whom have at least one NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour title.

Years of competing in the northeast have taught Emerling many lessons about patience and finesse behind the wheel, which are qualities he is carrying over to the Xfinity Series despite the aero differences between those cars and Modifieds.

Emerling can never see himself moving away from Modifieds completely and intends to keep racing in the discipline as frequently as he can.

“I always enjoy running Modifieds,” Emerling said. “Anytime I have that opportunity, I’ll take it, because it’s my passion, and I’ve always had a lot of fun there. Everyone has the same equipment, and a lot of the races come down to the driver, which I really enjoy.”

Emerling is proud to represent the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on the national level and is confident the persistence he showed during the 2010s will gradually turn Emerling-Gase Motorsports into one of the top Xfinity Series programs.

Posted on October 20, 2022October 20, 2022 by Staff Report

Editor’s note: Tune in live or set your DVRs for Episode 8 tonight at 10 ET on USA Network. The previous seven episodes are currently available for streaming on Peacock.

The eighth episode of USA Network’s unscripted series “Race for the Championship” airs tonight at 10 ET, and it provides an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch agonizing over the process of signing with a new team for the 2023 season.

Busch announced in September that he would leave Joe Gibbs Racing this offseason after an indomitable 15-year stretch, taking his talents to Welcome, North Carolina, and Richard Childress Racing.

Busch’s announcement capped one of the most significant free-agent periods in the history of NASCAR, but rarely — if ever — have NASCAR fans seen the side of Busch that “Race for the Championship” spotlights tonight.

From sitting at his kitchen table at home agonizing over the next step to prioritizing what he was looking for in a new team, the toll of leaving JGR is evident for “Rowdy.”

Meanwhile, there’s still the ongoing NASCAR Playoffs that Busch (and 15 others) have in front of them. In addition to Busch’s search, tonight’s episode spotlights the opening Round of 16, from Darlington to Bristol. Upstart Trackhouse Racing, with drivers Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez, have their journey documented along the way.

NBC Universal previously announced that the entire season so far of Race for the Championship will be available on Peacock starting Oct. 7. Episodes 7-10 of Race for the Championship will still debut on USA Network before being available on Peacock the next day.

So after watching tonight’s Episode 8, be sure to stream previous episodes or any you may have missed on Peacock.

—

How to find USA Network | USA Network streaming on the go

Posted on October 20, 2022October 20, 2022 by Zach Sturniolo

For years, Homestead-Miami Speedway played a critical role in determining the NASCAR Cup Series championship.

The South Florida mile-and-a-half track is back in the playoffs and ready to help decide who races for the title in 2022. Cup stars charge into Homestead for the first time since February 2021 for the Dixie Vodka 400 on Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Get set for the middle race of the Round of 8 here:

RELATED: Weekend schedule | Cup Series standings

SET THE GRID

Teams will be broken into Groups A and B for 20 minutes of practice (10:05 a.m. ET, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for each group, respectively. Following practice, the series will roll into two rounds of single-car, single-lap qualifying set to begin at 10:50 a.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.

MORE: Paint Scheme Preview | Qualifying order

HOMESTEAD HISTORY

— After Hurricane Andrew ravished Homestead in August 1992, long-time street-race promotor Ralph Sanchez approached the city of Miami with a proposal to build a track. Within two weeks, he negotiated an agreement whereby the city would own the track on county land and lease the facility to Sanchez.

— Ground was broken Aug. 23, 1994. The first points race was an Xfinity Series race held on Nov. 5, 1995, won by Dale Jarrett before a sellout crowd. The first competition held at the facility was an exhibition race for the Truck Series won by Geoff Bodine.

— The first Cup race was Nov. 14, 1999, won by Tony Stewart driving the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac. It was Stewart’s third win of his rookie season. Stewart also won the following year.

— ISC (now merged with NASCAR) became the sole owner of the speedway in 2001 pursuant to an agreement that was made in 1997 when ISC acquired 40% ownership.

— In 2003, the track underwent a major reconfiguration from what was nearly a flat 1.5-mile track to computer-designed progressive banking of 18-20 degrees in the turns. The project required over 4 million cubic feet of fill that was hauled in with 10,000 truckloads. The pole speed jumped nearly 25 mph in 2003 to 181.111 mph (the all-time record) from the previous record of 156.440 mph.

— Miami was the Cup Series’ season-ending race from 2002-2019.

— Miami was the third race of the season in 2021 and is the third-to-last race in 2022.

Source: Racing Insights

GOODYEAR TIRES

Teams will use a new left-side tire compound at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend, a code confirmed by teams during NASCAR’s organizational test at the facility in September.

Combined with reliable test data, there should be little surprise as teams dial in setups. The right-side tire used this weekend is the same as was used at Pocono in addition to the second races at Kansas, Texas and Las Vegas.

The abrasive surface at Homestead provides conditions that will likely result in tire conservation and management.

“Homestead is a high-wear track, and that wear, along with the resultant tire fall-off, creates a lot of ‘comers’ and ‘goers’ throughout the field over the course of a run,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “Another thing to watch for, like at Las Vegas last weekend, is teams’ air, camber and suspension settings. With this Next Gen car, teams have found that getting the rear end of the car down and sealed off helps the diffuser create more rear downforce. We continue to provide teams with test data to help them understand the true risk vs. reward in running lower than recommended air at various setups.”

VICE CITY STORYLINES

— Joey Logano is locked into the Championship 4 for the fifth time in the past nine years, continuing his streak of advancing to the title race in every even year since the elimination format was introduced in 2014.

— Logano (2018) and Chase Elliott (2020) are the only remaining past champions in the playoffs.

— Nineteen different drivers have won this year, tied for the most all time.

— The last 10 races have each been won by different drivers — Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon, Erik Jones, Bubba Wallace, Chris Buescher, Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell and Joey Logano.

— William Byron won the last race at each of the next two tracks in the Round of 8 (Martinsville Speedway in April and Homestead-Miami Speedway in February 2021).

— Ross Chastain has scored 79 more points than any other driver this season in the eight races at 1.5-mile tracks.

— Joe Gibbs Racing’s next win is its 200th and would make it the third organization with at least 200 wins.

— Kyle Larson, 2021, is the only driver to win the second race in the Round of 8 and go on to win the championship

Source: Racing Insights

MIAMI MONEY

Only three drivers have won at least three races in 2022: Chase Elliott (five), Joey Logano (three) and Tyler Reddick (three).

Atop the odds board this week is none other than Reddick at 7-1 odds, according to DraftKings on Tuesday. Reddick is known for ripping the high line around the abrasive mile-and-a-half to near perfection, scoring each of his two Xfinity Series championships by doing so. He hasn’t won there yet in the Cup Series, but two starts have produced two top fives — fourth in 2020 and runner-up in 2021. He also won at Texas, another 1.5-mile track, last month.

Ryan Blaney (9-1) could use a good run after crashing at Las Vegas and rolling to a 28th-place finish, but his Homestead numbers are lacking. In seven starts, Blaney has just one top-10 finish in Miami, although that was a third-place effort in 2020.

A sleeper, though, could be Chase Briscoe, who, at 25-1 odds, continues to score impressive points and finishes through the 2022 playoffs. Nine points beneath the elimination line, a fourth-place finish at Vegas bodes well for the sophomore driver who has wins in both the Xfinity Series (2020) and Truck Series (2017) at Homestead.

MORE: Complete list of odds for Sunday

FANTASY LIVE

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 (1,110), Joey Logano (1,030) and Ryan Blaney (1,006).

In addition to Fantasy Live, NASCAR.com is offering the Playoffs Grid Challenge presented by Ruoff Mortgage during the playoffs.

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

ALSO ON NASCAR.COM

Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week, 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 to the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.

Posted on October 19, 2022October 19, 2022 by Zack Albert

Chase Elliott is one of just two former NASCAR Cup Series champions whose title hopes are still intact in this most unpredictable of seasons. The other is Joey Logano, who clinched his bid for a second Cup crown with a victory last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The time and opportunities for Elliott to join Logano in the Championship 4 field are beginning to narrow, with two races left before elimination arrives for four of the eight drivers left. The season-long goal remains in clear focus for the 2020 champ, whose aspirations of becoming a two-time title winner are within reach.

“I would love to add to it, right,” Elliott said in a Wednesday morning Zoom call. “I mean, look, that’s the goal every year for all of us, is to go out there and achieve that ultimate prize. And we set out to do that every season. That’s what we start our year in hopes of earning. So it’s a grind, it’s a fight, it certainly doesn’t get any easier.”

The next phase in that grind opens this weekend with Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM) at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It’s the middle event in the three-race Round of 8, followed by an Oct. 30 date at Martinsville Speedway to set the final four for the Nov. 6 finale in Phoenix.

Elliott has some cred as a favorite to reach the Championship 4 for a third straight year, riding a series-best crest of five victories and carrying an advantage in his playoff-points tally as the regular-season champion. The Hendrick Motorsports ace is itching to rebound from a 21st-place finish in Vegas, re-establishing his footing in what’s been a fickle season for the whole field with the Next Gen car’s debut.

“A lot of new challenges this year, and I don’t think anyone’s been immune to inconsistency with this car throughout the season,” Elliott said. “This thing doesn’t care who you are or what you’ve got going on. You can get humbled really fast. And then, on the flip side, we’ve been fortunate enough to have had some good weeks, too. So we’d love to see that inconsistency improve some, just personally speaking from our team side, we want to be better each and every week, not be as hit-or-miss as we’ve been, and I think that’s where our head’s at right now is just trying to make that a little better.

“I think we’re super-capable, I feel like we’ve just gotta get it going at the right times at some of these tracks. And look, we’ve got three really big weeks ahead and some major opportunity out there hanging for the taking.”

Vegas chipped into his playoff-point stockpile, but Elliott still carries a 17-point edge above the provisional elimination line heading to Homestead. That’s one point behind Ross Chastain, the Las Vegas runner-up, and 11 up on veteran Denny Hamlin – the last driver above the cut.

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

The next two races – 767 laps in total – provide plenty of time for the playoff standings to fluctuate. Elliott says he’s content to let crew chief Alan Gustafson keep the primary tabs on those mid-race ebbs and flows, apprising him of his position when needed.

“I just want to go do my part and be running well and try to put ourselves in position to have a shot to win,” Elliott said. “I mean, if you’re doing that, the points thing is going to take care of itself. That is going to give you the best opportunity to be successful. I definitely let those guys kind of watch it, I guess, if necessary. You hope you don’t need to watch it. You hope you’re just running solid enough all day that you can get some stage points, and if you’re up front getting stage points in the mix to have a shot to win, then that’s the least of your concerns.

“You’re just trying to execute a good day. So that’s really where my head’s always been, and no different now just because we’re plus-whatever, 17. It’d be the same if we were minus-17, or plus-55 or 60. So yeah, just want to try to go run good, and if you’re doing that, the rest will take care of itself.”

Elliott’s history with the 1.5-mile Homestead track has its plusses, with top-15 finishes in all six of his starts there, but his record is also dotted with a measure of deviation in those results. Elliott ran a close second to Hamlin at the South Florida oval two years ago, but a return trip last season netted the No. 9 team a 14th-place outcome.

Eighteen teams took part in a two-day organizational test at Homestead last month, and all eight drivers still eligible in the postseason were among the participants. Elliott said the track time was crucial as the team tries to shape its setup choices for this weekend’s 400-miler and smooth any rough patches.

“Homestead’s been super hit-or-miss, honestly,” Elliott said. “We had a really good run there in 2020, had an opportunity to race Denny for the win, which was great. Never really been in position to have a shot to win there, so that was kind of cool, and went back last year and just was horrendous. So hopefully, we can get back going in the right direction and identify why we struggled last year versus being really solid there the year before, really with no changes year to year. So not great when you have that inconsistency at a track, but hopefully, this weekend is good, and we can put together a good day.”

MORE: Latest odds for Homestead | Power Rankings

Teammate William Byron also remains in the playoff hunt, sitting six points below the cut line and representing Hendrick Motorsports’ only other hope for a Championship 4 slot. Byron has won at both Homestead and Martinsville within the last two years, and he’s also found a bit of stride after an uneven run through the summer months.

The Rick Hendrick-owned group secured two of the four Championship 4 berths for last year’s finale, with Kyle Larson edging out Elliott and Joe Gibbs Racing mates Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. for his first title.

The opportunity to double-dip at Phoenix is present again this year. In terms of how both Hendrick drivers get there, Elliott says the parameters of teamwork are no different now than when the season started back in February.

“From a team perspective, everything is always an open book — from set-ups to driver comments to data and all the above,” Elliott said. “Those things are available when we get to Daytona, and they’re available if all four of us made it to Phoenix. I mean, it wouldn’t be any different. That dynamic, I feel like, is probably as strong if not stronger than it’s ever been in my time of being at HMS, which is a good thing.

“And then as far as the on-track stuff goes, look, I think if you have respect for a peer whether he’s a teammate or not and that that particular peer has respect for you, then I think that racing on track will follow suit of that said respect. And I think that covers all the bases from being teammates to not being teammates, whether you’re friends with a guy or not friends with a guy. I think as long as that respect level is there, you’re going to show it, and I think the other person will, too.”

Posted on October 19, 2022October 19, 2022 by Staff Report

It’s more than a race. It’s an experience.

The inaugural Chicago Street Course event in July 2023 will host NASCAR’s first Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series race weekend on a street course, one that twists and turns through downtown Chicago. NASCAR’s top two series will run on city streets for the first time in proximity to many Windy City landmarks, including Grant Park, Buckingham Fountain and the edge of Soldier Field. Iconic street names — Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive — will be a part of the 2.2-mile layout.

As part of the partnership, NASCAR Four Leaf Productions have announced a partnership for the event. The two entities will work closely together with the City of Chicago, Chicago Park District and other entities in building and producing a successful sports and entertainment event weekend.

MORE: NASCAR announces Chicago street race in 2023 | 2023 Cup schedule

“We look forward to partnering with Charlie Jones and the Four Leaf Productions team to make the Chicago Street Race Weekend one of the most fan-friendly sports and entertainment events of 2023,” said Julie Giese, Chicago Street Race President. “As the first-ever NASCAR street race weekend, we’re looking forward to reinventing the guest experience as a two-day festival with a first-class racing and entertainment experience right in the heart of downtown Chicago. FLP’s creativity, coupled with their success and expertise producing major events in the city, is the perfect combination to help us deliver a positive and memorable race weekend.”

FLP will oversee all non-racing elements of the event weekend, including building out premium hospitality areas, creating interactive experiences for fans throughout the park and producing two live concerts on the music stage each evening. FLP has extensive experience working on large-scale entertainment events with city agencies and organizations to ensure safe events that respect the community and its residents.

“We are honored to work with NASCAR to bring this first-of-its-kind racing experience to downtown Chicago,” said Charlie Jones, Founder of Four Leaf Productions. “Our team has a long history of building live events and festivals of all sizes, many of those in the great city of Chicago. This is an exciting moment for the sport, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it.”

NASCAR has an array of long-running connections to the Chicago area. A Cup Series event in 1956 joined the regular rotation of auto racing at Soldier Field, now home to the Chicago Bears. More recently, the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet hosted the Cup Series from 2001-2019.

NASCAR’s experience with street-circuit racing is more limited. The former NASCAR Southwest Tour competed on a temporary layout near the LA Coliseum from 1998-2000, and the former NASCAR Winston West circuit ran four street races in the Pacific Northwest from 1986-88 — two each in the Washington cities of Spokane and Tacoma.

The versatility of the Next Gen car that debuted this year in the NASCAR Cup Series, plus the proof of concept that emerged from the Los Angeles Clash, have prompted the sanctioning body’s schedule makers to take the show on the road — or in this case, the downtown streets.

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Track Release

CHICAGO — Today, NASCAR announced a partnership with Four Leaf Productions (FLP) for the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series race weekend on the Chicago Street Course on July 1-2, 2023.

As part of the partnership, NASCAR and FLP will work closely together with the City of Chicago, Chicago Park District and other entities in building and producing a successful sports and entertainment event weekend.

MORE: NASCAR announces Chicago street race in 2023 | 2023 Cup schedule

FLP is a team of industry veterans who each possess more than 30 years of experience producing large-scale entertainment events. FLP was founded in 2020 by Charlie Jones, who is the co-founder of C3 Presents and co-founder of Lollapalooza Chicago, one of the biggest premier music events in the country. While at C3 Presents, Jones helped create a huge array of national and international events, including the Austin Food + Wine Festival, Music City Food + Wine Festival and international editions of Lollapalooza. In 2015 and 2016, Jones and the team produced the NFL Draft in Chicago’s Grant Park.

Tickets for the 2023 NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend will go on sale in November at NASCARChicago.com. Additional details and elements of the weekend will be announced soon, and fans can follow @NASCARChicago on social media for the latest real-time updates on all aspects of the event.

Posted on October 19, 2022April 14, 2023 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — From the varying angles of track banking to the impact of drag on a race car’s speed, NASCAR is helping Boys & Girls Clubs of America youth across the country explore STEM applications through the lens of stock car racing on MyFuture, the organization’s digital learning platform.

Over the course of the 2022 season, NASCAR has launched a series of racing-themed, digital experiences as part of its educational programming on MyFuture, which is available to more than 4.6 million Boys & Girls Clubs youth and teens nationwide. The interactive content features lessons and activities on race track design, live race broadcasts, the “3 D’s of Speed” (Drafting, Downforce & Drag), as well as a multi-part video series on NASCAR pit crew training exercises.

Boys & Girls Clubs members earn “badges” on MyFuture by engaging with the content and completing related challenges or activities, which range from designing their own race tracks to demonstrating the aerodynamic principle of downforce with a simple sheet of paper.

Click to view a video playlist of NASCAR’s MyFuture content.

“In NASCAR, there are elements of STEM at work constantly across many facets of our sport and that’s especially true on race day,” said Eric Nyquist, Chief Communications and Social Responsibility Officer, NASCAR. “We’re proud to engage Club kids with NASCAR content that is both fun and educational, and that drives a key area of focus for our important partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America.”

“To help youth meet the workforce challenges of tomorrow, we believe in offering kids and teens first-hand exposure to real-life, work experiences and trainings that allow them to explore their interests and passions,” explained Jim Clark, President and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “But we also know that an important part of career exploration is having fun! Through these virtual and in-person engagements, our partnership with NASCAR is opening up a world of possibilities to kids and teens around the country.”

Each of the core NASCAR activities on MyFuture includes video content, developed by NASCAR Studios, that demonstrates the subject or topic. The educational videos are hosted by NASCAR driver and on-air talent Mamba Smith and feature other drivers, crew members and members of the NASCAR industry.

Driver Rajah Caruth, who earlier this season made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Richmond Raceway, joins Smith to help explain the “3 D’s of Speed” and their impact on cars during a race, while industry pit crew coach Rocko Williams and crew members from Trackhouse Racing Team provide Boys & Girls Club kids with a video tutorial on what it takes to train like a professional pit crew member.

In another video, Smith goes behind the scenes with FOX Sports’ NASCAR team at Atlanta Motor Speedway to explore all that goes into producing a live race and delivering on-track excitement to millions of fans around the world. After viewing the content on MyFuture, kids are challenged with filming their own foot races with smartphones and incorporating similar broadcast elements such as post-race analysis and interviews.

In addition to the NASCAR content, MyFuture features more than 500 self-directed activities for youth across the country. The digital platform was created to encourage young people to learn new skills, earn career certifications, explore different interests, share creative projects and participate in events and contests without constraints. Kids and teens can earn recognition for their work while keeping track of their progress and journey on a learning pathway toward mastering new skills.

NASCAR’s digital integration with MyFuture represents an integral part of its work with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Official Youth Community Partner of NASCAR, by allowing youth across the nation to learn and engage with the racing-themed, STEM learning modules without geographical or economic barriers. The nationwide partnership launched in 2021 and focuses on three core areas — STEM education, career development and DE&I initiatives — and features both virtual and at-track experiences in NASCAR race markets.

On Sunday, NASCAR will host 20 teenagers from the Hank Kline Boys & Girls Club in Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway as part of a year-round, at-track engagement program. The NASCAR Cup Series race-day experiences, which will continue throughout the 2023 race season, are designed to showcase the breadth and scope of career opportunities available in the NASCAR industry to Club teens who will soon be entering the workforce.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America provides high-quality programming that helps level the playing field and provide opportunities to young people that will support them in building the skills needed to become the leaders, innovators and problem-solvers who will shape the world tomorrow.

To learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of America, this partnership and support its mission, visit BGCA.org.

Posted on October 19, 2022October 19, 2022 by Zack Albert

CONCORD, N.C. — Corey LaJoie has molded his career, his team and even a podcast after the mantra of “stacking pennies” – a nod to the grind of making more with less. So it was without irony when Spire Motorsports introduced Ty Dillon as his new teammate, and LaJoie promptly said he was looking forward to Dillon adding his two cents.

The next phase in Spire’s development took shape Tuesday with the unveiling of its NASCAR Cup Series lineup for 2023. LaJoie returns for his third season in Spire’s No. 7 Chevrolet, and Dillon charts a new course in his journeyman career as the newest driver of the No. 77 Camaro.

The organization’s next chapter drafts off LaJoie’s slogan with a goal of incremental growth, but it also stresses continuity — with LaJoie and crew chiefs Ryan Sparks and Kevin Bellicourt returning to their roles, but also with the No. 77 team’s shift from a rotating roster to a full-time driver in Dillon for next year. The course is also big on buy-in, from all parties involved in making the underdog team go.

“Look, I think it’s cliche, but I hope you guys hear it, but I mean, it’s the people,” said team co-owner Jeff Dickerson, who partnered with T.J. Puchyr to launch Spire Motorsports in 2018. “I think if you look at everybody here that works here and that’s up here on this panel, I think we’ve all been discarded by somebody, right? And I think that, kind of that bond, that desperation, feels like just everybody here has got something to prove. Sometimes I question who we’re trying to prove it to, right, but I think that that desire to be successful or to prove something or somebody wrong binds everybody here.”

That attitude applies in nearly equal parts to both the team and to Dillon, who was not renewed after one season at Petty GMS Motorsports. News of his pending dismissal was the latest in a recent line of cast-off moves, from the end of the road at Germain Racing in 2020 to a mishmash of part-time roles in all three national series last year.

Dillon credited his family and support system for helping him weather the uncertainty. Even as his career swayed in limbo, Dillon spoke with candid and often unflinching honesty about the struggles.

Through it all, the 30-year-old driver says he never lost confidence in his abilities. Dillon’s determination has already been requited by the team he’ll join next season.

“I’ve already felt that in the few meetings that I’ve had here at Spire,” Dillon said. “… There’s a belief in me, there’s a different way of communicating to me that they know I can be a part and they know that we can win. And that’s all I need. I know I can get it done, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this relationship and everything blossoms and the confidence builds.”

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Dickerson recalled the days when Dillon was what he called “a No. 1 prospect,” a champion in the ARCA Menards Series with multiple victories in his portfolio. Wins in Camping World Trucks and the Xfinity Series followed, but achieving the same level of success in the Cup Series has been elusive in 199 starts to date.

That recent track record was no damper on the team’s enthusiastic welcome of Dillon to the team’s Charlotte-area shop.

“Honestly, the second I found out that the deal was done and he was signed, I mean, I couldn’t think of a better person to get in this race car, and it’s for multiple reasons,” says Bellicourt, who was atop the No. 77 pit box for Spire’s best finish this season — fourth place by Landon Cassill in August at Daytona. “I think that what he brings to this race team, and the 77 car for us in particular, is a lot of experience, a lot of talent, and I have a group of guys that are hungry to go compete at the Cup Series. …

“These guys, we’ve all kind of been on a journey together, and they came here with me, and we’ve been building this place. And now to plug somebody in like Ty, I think it’s very important that Ty knows how lucky we are to have him in this race car, and he feels that. And I believe that 110%.”

Spire has markers up in its race shop commemorating the team’s thus-far modest accomplishments in its brief history. As a bit of a goof, Dickerson says, the largest of those is for LaJoie’s winning side in the celebrity kickball tournament he hosts each year for charity. It’s even bigger than the marker for Spire’s breakthrough Cup Series win — a 2019 stunner by Justin Haley at Daytona.

Adding more banner moments will mean rising from the two teams’ current perch in the Cup Series team owner standings — 32nd for the No. 7 and 33rd for the No. 77. Dickerson says that’s achievable in gradual measures in the team’s quest to contend against NASCAR’s established guard.

“So for us, we’re in year two of competing against teams that have been together for 30, 40, 50 years, right?” Dickerson says. “Sundays are so hard. It takes time to develop the notebook you have, and get the right personnel in place and just have them jell. So it takes a little bit of everything, but longevity, for sure. And we just, we’ve got to keep building, like I say, brick by brick, and it’s whether we add a few engineers or a few people in the back of the shop or whatever, so it’s just … it’s a slow progress, but I think we’ve definitely made our mark pretty quickly.”