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.
NASCAR officials penalized driver Cole Custer and his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford team Tuesday for their actions in Sunday’s Cup Series Playoffs race at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s road course.
The team was penalized under Section 5.5 of the NASCAR Rule Book, which requires competitors to race at 100% of their ability and takes action against competitors who intend to “artificially alter” the race’s finishing positions. Other rule book sections cited in Tuesday’s penalty report fall under the headings of member conduct.
Custer and No. 41 crew chief Michael Shiplett were each fined $100,000, and Shiplett was suspended indefinitely. Competition officials also issued 50-point deductions to Custer and the team in their respective driver and owner standings.
A spokesperson for Stewart-Haas Racing indicated that the team will appeal. On Wednesday, Greg Zipadelli — SHR’s chief competition officer — released a statement through the team’s social media platforms, saying: “Stewart-Haas Racing denies any wrongdoing and will vigorously defend its personnel against these allegations in its appeal with NASCAR.”
Custer’s No. 41 Mustang appeared to slow in the final lap of Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400, impeding the path of Austin Dillon and Erik Jones while allowing SHR teammate Chase Briscoe’s No. 14 Ford to slip through at the entrance to the backstretch chicane. Briscoe advanced to the next round of the playoffs by a two-point margin.
NASCAR officials indicated post-race that they would conduct a review of the final-lap data, video and radio transmissions after Sunday’s race. Competition officials also said that the findings and potential penalties would not alter the postseason field, which was whittled from 12 to eight title-eligible drivers after Sunday’s event.
Scott Miller, NASCAR Senior VP of Competition, said Briscoe had qualified for the playoffs’ Round of 8 without the benefit of Custer’s block. But he also said that analysis of the car’s data combined the egregious nature of Shiplett’s directives from the No. 41 pit box forced NASCAR officials to step in.
“When we got to the audio, and had the crew chief telling the driver that, ‘I think you got a flat (tire). Check up, check up, check up,’ when he couldn’t even see the car or have any idea whatsoever that the car might have a flat, obviously pretty telling as to what went on there,” Miller said. “That coupled with the data and the video and all the rest of the things that we looked into, well, that was the bulk of the things … nothing contradicted the fact that was done deliberately by those individuals, so we were certainly forced to react, and you saw their reaction today.
“We can’t have teams manipulating the finishing order. Certainly on super high alert for the playoffs, and had this been the determining factor in the 14 making it into the Round of 8 or not, our reaction certainly would have been bigger.”
Miller said a suspension for Custer was among the punishments that competition officials discussed, but he added that his actions didn’t rise to the level of a “super-flagrant” offense. “We did consider that,” Miller said, “and we opted not to, just kind of because of the past precedent that we’ve set for sitting drivers down and didn’t feel like this completely fit into the bucket.”
In a Wednesday morning appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Miller added that decisions made on previous incidents held some sway in the Roval review, but that calls or non-calls in past situations — whether it be aggressive blocking, retaliation or instances of coordinated teamwork — were not the determining factor.
“The way that we have ruled on a past situation is always something that we consider, but we can’t lose sight of the fact that however we ruled on any other situation in years past, whether that be last year, five years ago or 10 years ago, doesn’t make what happened at the Roval OK,” Miller told SiriusXM. “And if we did not react to what happened at the Roval, it would be a serious dereliction of our responsibility to the rest of the competitors, the OEMs, the fans, and everything else. So there are probably some situations in the past that we might wish we had back, but in no way, shape or form does any past ruling change the fact that what happened at the Roval was wrong, and we had to react to it.”
Miller also said Tuesday that officials reviewed data and radio transmissions from the No. 14 team of Briscoe, saying that no damning evidence was found.
“The only chatter they had on the radio was about kind of where they were points-wise with the current running order,” Miller said, “but nothing that we could even remotely point to as being any kind of scandalous conversation on the radio.”
NASCAR also issued a $5,000 fine to Kaulig Racing crew chief Alex Yontz after the team’s No. 10 Chevrolet was found with one unsecured lug nut after Saturday’s Xfinity Series race. Landon Cassill drove the No. 10 Camaro to a 10th-place finish at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.
Officials also assessed an indefinite suspension to Eric Woods for a violation of the sanctioning body’s Substance Abuse Policy (Section 4.1). Woods was most recently listed on team rosters as the hauler driver for Big Machine Racing in the Xfinity Series.
Kevin Canter has won Mod-4 class championships at Kingsport Speedway every year since 2016. He’s found success at several tracks across Virginia and Tennessee, but there’s one track that has eluded him throughout his career.
Ten years ago, Canter’s dad won a track championship at Motor Mile Speedway, a NASCAR-sanctioned paved oval track in Radford, Virginia. It’s been Canter’s goal since he began racing to win one there, too.
“I bought my car off of my dad and he won one up there in 2012,” Canter said of Motor Mile. “And he always said it’s hard to win your first race up there, and it’s even harder to win the second one. But it’s even harder to win the championship up there.”
Unlike Kingsport – a NASCAR-sanctioned paved oval in Kingsport, Tennessee – where Canter has been racing for a long time and feels comfortable, it’s taken him time to find that same comfort at Motor Mile. After starting there in 2019, before this season he had only won one race at the Virginia track.
This year was different. Despite starting the season slow, Canter and his team caught fire in the final month, winning the final three races in Motor Mile’s Mod-4 class.
Kevin Canter after a victory during the 2022 season. (Photo: Courtesy of Dakota Canter)
He went into the final night 15 points out of the lead, and finished with two wins and a 15-point lead in the track championship.
“My dad won the points up there and never finished off the podium all year long, and I think we kind of had that same similar season up there except for one or two races we finished off the podium,” he said. “To do it 10 years apart from when he did it is pretty wild because he always said this is one you always want to win, and we finally got it.”
Not only did Canter win at Motor Mile, he continued his streak at Kingsport, too, winning a track title by 44 points.
“It all kind of played out the way it was supposed to,” he said. “I was happy either way. With the group of guys we race against, they’re all good guys… I couldn’t ask for a better group to race against every weekend, and I’m just glad it played out the way it was supposed to.”
The competition at Motor Mile was always something that made winning at the track difficult for Canter, but it also made the chase much more fun.
“I just like the competition up there,” he said. “It is wild. You’ve got five or six different people that can win at any time. Make sure you really do your homework. You have to pay attention to these people in practice. Where you’re beating them at, where they’re beating you at, and try to make adjustments to key on that in practice to help you better in the race when it comes to race time.”
Canter first started racing in 2016 when he was 24 years old. He’d been going to the race track since he was a toddler with his grandfather, Hershel Robinette, who, at 78 years old, still races at Kingsport.
After Robinette was injured during a race at Kingsport this summer and couldn’t finish the season, Canter switched his grandfather’s motor with his own, which helped ignite his quest for his track titles.
Canter’s dad and grandfather both still help him on the car, getting it ready to race in Tennessee on Fridays, and then changing everything out that night to travel to Motor Mile and race on Saturdays.
The entire family is part of the race team, including Canter’s mom, sister, nieces and wife.
Kevin Canter celebrates a victory this season at Kingsport Speedway. (Photo: Courtesy of Dakota Canter)
“My dad, any time I need any set-up information or stuff like that I can call him,” Canter said. “He’s the one that’s really the mastermind behind any of the setup stuff on it. I just hold the steering wheel.
“A lot of people can say they go out there and race as a father and son together, but there’s not a whole lot of people that get to go out there and do it with their grandpa every weekend.”
Winning another title at Kingsport, and his first championship at Motor Mile, is a big accomplishment for Canter and his small, family-run race team, “and all the people that make it go around in circles,” he said.
He had a special thank you for the many sponsors who helped make this season possible.
“I know they’re getting exposure every weekend with us just on the track every lap, but putting them in Victory Lane and putting all their businesses on social media and Facebook and getting talked about every weekend in the winner’s circle, if we didn’t have them we probably wouldn’t be able to do it, and I’m just glad to have a great group of people to back us,” Canter said.
The work and effort that goes into racing at two different tracks, often times two nights a week, isn’t easy, but it’s the friendships Canter has made at both Kingsport and Motor Mile that make it worth it.
“I’ve gained more friendships than I have enemies. That’s the good thing,” he said. “It’s just like we’re one big family. You get to where you hang out with these people at the race track and you put your heads together.
“I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t have any friends there. That’s what makes the race track fun. Winning races is fun, but at the end of the day you can call these guys your brothers and sisters. It’s just unbelievable what friends you can bring from the race track.”
CONCORD, N.C. — On Oct. 10, 1901, Henry Ford I wheeled his state-of-the-art Ford Sweepstakes to a rousing, upset victory against Alexander Winton.
That win launched Ford Motor Company from hope to reality. And 121 years later, Leonard Wood provided the gift of all gifts to Edsel Ford, Ford’s great-grandson.
Wood, a member of the legendary Wood Brothers, handcrafted a complete, working half-scale model of the prestigious vehicle, carefully piecing together an identical car at 50% the size with the same materials as the original, presenting it to Edsel Ford himself on Sunday morning at the Ford Performance Technical Center.
Wood and his late brother Glen, founders of Wood Brothers Racing’s NASCAR Cup Series team in 1950, each received replicas of the vehicle for the car’s 100th anniversary back in 2001. Shortly after the 120th anniversary — and some three months after his 87th birthday — Wood got to work on a replica of his own.
“I looked at this thing and said, ‘What more rewarding would it be to make a half size one of these?’ ” Wood told NASCAR.com.
The details were immaculate. Wood took some 120 photos of the original to understand how each part of the car was designed before setting his plan of attack. As Wood began to work, he requested the help of Benny Belcher, a machinist who’s worked with the Woods since 1986. Belcher meticulously molded the brass handles and latches that don the car, including the automatic oiler that sits within the driver’s compartment.
Mike “Andretti” Smith, who’s worked with WBR since 1990 in numerous roles, was charged with paint-matching the original piece and sent no less than 20 paint chips to Michigan to find the perfect hues.
Edsel Ford was aware Wood was pursuing this project. But the resulting work of art still left Ford flabbergasted as Wood drove the model through the garage doors and to his feet.
“Well, I was told it was 50% the size of the original car. Of course, it’s hard to comprehend what that means until Leonard drove it in,” Ford said. “And then you see it for the first time and I was overwhelmed. Then you get a closer look at it, and you see the detail that went into making it. It’s just, it’s remarkable.”
Zach Sturniolo | NASCAR Studios
Wood is no stranger to half-scale projects, recently recreating a model of a 1967 Ford 427 engine in 2021 that powered the 1967 Ford GT40 Mk. IV to a win at the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans. But working on a muted scale means measuring, halving and working in more confined ways. The process included work with ash wood, brass, rubber, metal. No automation machining was done; this was all created by hand.
The pride Wood takes in his final product is evident in his voice.
“The fun part about it was looking at it and seeing how he made it and why he made it this way,” Wood said. “And all of it shows how intelligent the man was, the way he did it. Now, we’re talking about 1901 and he made the brake bands to where they pull from both sides together, rather than just one band tied and then pulling a half of it. It pulls the band, which makes it brake way more effective. And then he had adjustments to adjust the rear-end housing in back to tighten the chain. He’s got turnbuckles to align the rear wheels you know, towed in or out and to bring them forward or back and it drives awesome. It drives better than a go-kart.”
Ford relished the moments spent inspecting the model-scale Sweepstakes. Without the original, Ford, as it exists today, may never have come to fruition.
“I was with a group of people that we put together to look at the legacy of Clara and Henry Ford,” Ford said. “And we were looking at dates (Saturday), and Henry Ford started three times to make an automobile company. And it really was the last time that he was successful in 1903. And, of course, this was October 1901 [when the Sweepstakes became victorious].
“And many of us — and I can’t speak for my family — but many of us believe that if Henry Ford hadn’t won the race, that he wouldn’t have had enough money to start the Ford Motor Company. And so for me, this means a great deal.”
The Wood Brothers have always been closely tied to Ford. Throughout the company’s history dating back to its inaugural Cup start in 1953, the only manufacturers WBR competed with were Ford, Lincoln or Mercury — all under the Ford banner.
“My uncle bought a brand new ’40 Ford in 1940 and I was like 7 years old,” Wood said. “[The car was] maroon, same color the frame of this, and I’ve been a fan of Ford products for more than 80 years. We’ve run nothing but Fords for 72 years, and to make a half-scale replica of the most famous race car in the world, and then to come in and show it off, it’s just, it’s the most gratifying thing I ever made.”
