Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch are together again.
The two NASCAR superstars — one in the Hall of Fame and one a surefire future inductee — have a well-documented history on the track. Their heated rivalry that blossomed in 2007 came to a head at Richmond Raceway in 2008 when Busch famously spun Earnhardt Jr. — leading to years of silence between the two.
Junior and “Rowdy” broke bread and buried the past on the “Dale Jr. Download” podcast in 2018, so it was fitting they both joined former Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen on his podcast “Youth Inc.” this week.
.@DaleJr shares his experience growing up an Earnhardt.
Olsen — who wore the No. 88, just like Junior, during his playing career — previously was a guest on Dale Jr.’s podcast earlier this year and the two swapped stories on Olsen’s upbringing and the ups and downs of his football life. His own podcast focuses on navigating the world of youth sports with help from legacy families, coaches, psychologists and more.
Olsen sat down with both Earnhardt Jr. and Busch to discuss family legacies, defining your own path and the burden and benefit of expectations. They delve into the rivalry between the two drivers, growing up a fan, growing up an Earnhardt and how Busch manages fatherhood with his son Brexton, an aspiring racer.
As one of the inaugural participants in the Busch Light Accelerate Her program, NASCAR Xfinity Series racer Natalie Decker is making daring strides in the motorsports industry.
At a very young age, Decker knew she wanted to be a NASCAR driver after watching races with her family. While she’s been faced with many challenges, her sheer drive and determination serves as an inspiration for fans and future drivers.
Decker is well on her way to conquering the track. She’s already taken home a class win and fifth-place finish overall in the GT Audi R8 at her home track, the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, in the Trans Am Series with Ave Motorsports this year.
“There are so many obstacles when it comes to trying to live out a dream, but those obstacles make you who you are,” Decker said. “Every time you come to a big obstacle and get through it, it makes getting to that goal so much better.”
Looking ahead, Decker is excited to participate in more races this year. She hopes to see more women pursue a career in motorsports and believes her participation in the Busch Light Accelerate Her program will inspire them to do so. Being from Wisconsin, where Busch Light reigns as one of the most popular beers in the state, Natalie knows her fans are thrilled that she’s supported by a hometown favorite.
About the Busch Light Accelerate Her program
The Busch Light Accelerate Her program is a three-year commitment that takes aim at the inequity of resources available to women drivers by investing directly in every 21+ woman driver in NASCAR, providing brand-building opportunities to increase fan visibility of drivers and the sport. The Busch Light Accelerate Her program is the next step in a proud, 40-year partnership between Busch Light and NASCAR that has propelled the sport forward, bringing fans closer to the action and expanding NASCAR throughout the U.S. Busch Light asks that fans show their support by heading to Busch.com/accelerateher where they can learn more about the inaugural drivers, including Natalie, who are receiving this opportunity.
From a young age, Shigeaki – better known as Shige – Hattori knew he wanted to be around motorsports. He just didn’t know what kind.
At roughly 8 or 9 years old, he was hanging out in Japan with his uncle, who had a motorcycle. There, he knew what one of his desires was.
“I tried to start the motorcycle, but two wheels is not enough,” Hattori recalled. “I needed four.”
Just a few years after that experience, Hattori began racing. Like many kids, he started in go-karts before moving to Japanese Formula Junior 1600 for two years. In 1992, he moved to Japanese Formula 2, followed by two years in Japanese Formula 3, including a championship win in 1994.
That same year, however, Hattori caught a glimpse of the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was hooked.
So much so that in 1995, he moved to the United States to continue the hopes of chasing his racing dream, beginning with the Indy Lights Series in 1996. By 1998, his third and final year in the series, he found Victory Lane twice, finishing a best of 13th in the championship standings.
During that time, Hattori formed a partnership with multiple Toyota car dealerships in Japan. To this day, some of those dealerships, including Chiba Toyopet, Gunma Toyopet and Ibaraki Toyopet, are embedded with his race team.
“Shige has been great and a longtime friend, and a friend of Toyota,” said David Wilson, president of Toyota Racing. “He is one of the best and most amazing networkers across the Toyota organization. It amazes me of his ability to bring sponsorship from Japan that he’s used to identify the consumer touchpoints on some of these companies. To his credit and his persistence, he’s made a business out of this sport.”
In a four-year span between 2000 and 2003, Hattori competed in 26 NTT IndyCar Series races, earning a best finish of sixth at Texas Motor Speedway. Wanting to move away from open-wheel competition, he jumped to the Camping World Truck Series in 2004, the same year that Toyota first entered one of NASCAR’s three national touring series. In what was to be his series debut at Homestead, he failed to qualify.
The following year – in what turned out to be his final behind the wheel – Hattori qualified for 10 of 12 attempts in the Truck Series. It was over before he knew it.
Daylon Barr Photography | Hattori Racing
“I decided, ‘OK, no more,’ and I stopped driving,” Hattori said. “Two or three years after, I didn’t do anything. I took some classes at UCLA, traveling and doing nothing with my life. I was thinking, I should do something. I really liked NASCAR racing, and so I decided I should start my race team and put young drivers (in it). So, I started in 2008.”
That was the year Hattori Racing Enterprises entered the NASCAR mold, starting off in the ARCA Menards Series. Current Trackhouse Racing co-owner Justin Marks was the first driver to strap into HRE equipment at Rockingham Speedway, finishing 31st out of 50 cars with an overheating issue. Between 2008 and 2011, Hattori would make 13 starts as a team owner.
At that time, Brett Moffitt was an up-and-coming hot shoe. With previous stints at Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing, the Iowa native found himself at HRE for the 2012 and 2013 K&N Pro Series East (now ARCA East) schedule. Moffitt won two of his first eight starts with the team, coming up just shy in the championship hunt each year, finishing second and third, respectively.
Hattori knew his next move was to continue up the NASCAR ladder and field an entry in the Truck Series.
“In 2012 and 2013, we were really close to the K&N championship, so I thought it was a good time to move up to the Truck Series,” Hattori said. “I don’t care if it’s Truck, Xfinity or Cup, I really wanted to make the program competitive.”
Hattori didn’t field a truck full time until the 2017 season with Ryan Truex behind the wheel. Scott Zipadelli was a key hire for HRE, having had recent success with Moffitt at Red Horse Racing, which included a win at Michigan in 2016. Ahead of the 2018 season, Hattori got the band back together, bringing Moffitt back to the team after running four part-time seasons in all three national series, including winning the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in the Cup Series in 2015.
It took just two races for Moffitt to find Victory Lane in the No. 16 Toyota, scoring HRE’s first-ever win at Atlanta Motor Speedway. That day is one Hattori won’t soon forget.
“It was a green-white-checkered (finish),” Hattori recalled. “It was such a good memory.”
Despite the early success, HRE sought sponsorship for a good chunk of the season. Hattori flew back and forth to Japan approximately 12 times that year, hustling to find new sponsors and negotiating with current partners.
With all of the team’s effort, it kept feeling like the ball was getting kicked down the court. And on some weekends, it came down to the final hours before the truck was wrapped for the race.
“The struggle was always budget-wise,” Hattori said. “But we were leading the points, so we couldn’t stop. We have to keep going, right?”
The team powered on and Moffitt went on to win six times, including the final two races and the championship. It was an underdog story of sorts, though Hattori always believed in Moffitt and Zipadelli.
The team owner was shocked to be spraying champagne and hoisting the Truck Series championship in just his second full season as a truck owner.
“I was surprised that we won six races. It was a good surprise,” Hattori stated.
After 2018, the team moved on to Austin Hill, picking up eight wins in three seasons and winning the regular season championship in 2020.
“It was three years of a pretty good time,” Hattori said of his stint with Hill.
Daylon Barr Photography | Hattori Racing
Away from the track, Hattori has been crucial in building partnerships to help his race team and Toyota dealerships in Japan, as well as introducing the people of Japan to NASCAR. Such is the case with the Japanese Toyota Dealership Mechanic Training Program. As part of the initiative, HRE provides a NASCAR training program for partnering Japanese Toyota dealers’ mechanics. Those mechanics would fly to the U.S. and spend one or two weeks in the race shop before experiencing a race weekend. Over 300 mechanics have participated in HRE’s training program.
Hattori is also involved in the Japanese Toyota Technical College Training Program, which was last hosted in 2019, where students from Japan’s three Toyota Technical colleges visit the U.S. to work in HRE’s shop. The program culminates by joining the HRE team for an ARCA Menards Series race to work as mechanics and perform a pit stop. Another 100-plus students have participated in the program since 2012.
Then, there’s the Tokyo Auto Salon, which is similar to the United States’ SEMA event and hosts nearly 330,000 people over the course of three days. Hattori’s Vertex Sports marketing firm and Goodyear Japan are able to highlight show cars and Goodyear Racing products before demonstrating what a live pit stop looks like from the HRE team. That opens NASCAR up to a whole new demographic, as the sport is not heavily featured in Japan.
Moving forward, Hattori wants to remain a competitive team owner. For the first time this season, he’s running two teams in the Truck Series, rather than running a partial Xfinity Series schedule. Through nine races, his drivers Tyler Ankrum and Chase Purdy sit 14th and 19th, respectively, in the championship standings.
The immediate goal is to get Ankrum and Purdy more experience, as he sees them improving every week. The long-term goal, though, is to remain a competitive force, no matter which series the team competes in.
“My goal is I really want to move up to Cup,” Hattori said. “The keys to this sport are people and sponsorship. If everything is right, I really want to move up to Cup.
“I don’t like just running, I really want to win the race. So hopefully, people, sponsors that I can put together in the future, I can move up to Cup.”
NASCAR officials issued fines Tuesday to one team each in the Xfinity Series and in the Camping World Truck Series for lug-nut violations during last weekend’s events at Texas Motor Speedway.
In the Xfinity Series, the Kaulig Racing No. 16 Chevrolet team of AJ Allmendinger was found with one unsecured lug nut after Saturday’s SRS Distribution 250. As a result of the infraction from Section 8.8.10.4a in the NASCAR Rule Book, No. 16 crew chief Bruce Schlicker was fined $5,000.
Another single-lug violation was found on the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota driven by Chandler Smith in the Camping World Trucks’ Speedycash.com 200. Danny Stockman Jr., the team’s crew chief, was fined $2,500.
Allmendinger has finished among the top 10 in all 12 Xfinity Series races this year, and he currently leads the tour’s standings. He was ninth at Texas, extending his streak. Smith placed eighth last weekend, which pushed him up one spot to third in the Truck Series points.
CONCORD, N.C. — Spire Motorsports and Corey LaJoie will partner with the USO and The Coca-Cola Company for the 63rd running of the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway as NASCAR, its drivers and teams, pay tribute to the men and women who sacrificed their lives while serving in the United States Military.
The USO strengthens America’s military service members by keeping them connected to family, home, and country, throughout their service to the nation.
“This Memorial Day weekend, we’re proud to partner with The Coca-Cola Company, as well as Corey LaJoie and Spire Motorsports, to honor our military service members and pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives protecting our freedoms,” said Brian Cowart, Chief Development and Marketing Officer of the USO, the nation’s leading military nonprofit organization. “Together, we’re driving support and building connections between the public and the military community to keep our heroes in uniform strong and resilient.”
“Coca-Cola is incredibly proud of our 81-year partnership with the USO and our shared values of honoring our military service men and women,” said Alba Baylin, Vice President of Community and Stakeholder Relations for Coca-Cola North America. “The Coca-Cola 600, which is held on Memorial Day weekend, is a special time to bring racing fans together to recognize and honor our nation’s Armed Forces while bringing awareness to the USO’s mission of supporting those who have sacrificed and served our country.”
Meanwhile, LaJoie will pay tribute to Lance Corporal Rylee McCollum, a United States Marine, who was killed in action on Aug. 26, 2021 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Lance Cpl. McCollum was manning a checkpoint at the Kabul airport when a bomb went off, killing him, 12 other American troops, and more than 100 Afghans.
McCollum’s name will be displayed on the windshield of LaJoie’s USO Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 throughout the weekend as part of NASCAR’s 600 Miles of Remembrance program.
“Representing the USO on Memorial Day weekend is a dream come true,” said LaJoie. “The Coca-Cola 600 is one of my favorite races on the schedule, as well as my home race. The opportunity to partner with the USO and Coca-Cola allows us to really show the service members and their families a great time at the track while remembering the brave men and women who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.”
LaJoie has logged eight previous NCS starts at the legendary 1.5-mile Concord, North Carolina, oval and earned a venue/race-best 12th-place finish in the 2019 running of NASCAR’s longest race.
“Spire Motorsports is proud to partner with the USO and Coca-Cola for this initiative to honor and support the servicemen and servicewomen of the United States,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner T.J. Puchyr. “At the same time, we’re humbled to have Corey LaJoie carry Lance Corporal McCollum’s name on the windshield of the No. 7. We can’t ever let the bravery of those who make the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of the United States to be forgotten. NASCAR does a tremendous job every Memorial Day weekend of making sure we recognize those who deserve the highest of honors. Spire is privileged to play a small part.”
The Coca-Cola 600 from Charlotte Motor Speedway will be televised live on FOX, Sunday, May 29 beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The 14th of 36 races on the 2022 NCS schedule will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
CONCORD, N.C. — Trackhouse Entertainment Group today announced the creation of PROJECT91, a program designed to expand its international reach by fielding a NASCAR Cup Series entry for renowned international racing drivers.
Trackhouse’s PROJECT91 will enter the No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at least once during the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season with plans to expand the program in the future.
Trackhouse Racing — a division of Trackhouse Entertainment Group — fields the Nos. 99 and 1 Chevrolets with drivers Daniel Suárez and Ross Chastain in the NASCAR Cup Series.
With PROJECT91, Trackhouse will become the destination for global superstars from other racing disciplines eager to compete in America’s most popular form of motorsports.
“PROJECT91’s mission is to activate the intersection point of NASCAR racing and global motorsport culture,” said Justin Marks, whose Trackhouse Racing team has won twice during the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series campaign.
“I truly believe the Next Gen car represents an opportunity for NASCAR to enter the global professional motorsport conversation. We now have a race vehicle with international technological relevance where world-class drivers from other disciplines can compete at NASCAR’s highest level without the steep learning curve that the previous generation cars required.
“Vehicle advancements used in other forms of motorsports, such as diffusers, independent rear suspension, the sequential gearbox, and other more common components, have resulted in a platform much less reliant on intimate proprietary stock car knowledge, which has historically made any transition to NASCAR difficult.
“With the formation of PROJECT91, Trackhouse has opened the door for global champions while beginning the process of scaling into an internationally recognized racing brand.”
PROJECT91 will announce its first driver and race in the coming days.
It’s Charlotte race week, which makes it a home race for most teams in the NASCAR garage.
Several will celebrate the local races at Charlotte Motor Speedway by hosting events for fans at their shops. Read below for a full rundown of local activities for the upcoming week.
Note: This story will be updated as more teams announce their plans for this week.
Kaulig Racing, Wednesday, May 25: Open House from 12-4 p.m. Fans in town all week for the race are welcome to make the short drive to Lexington for Kaulig Racing’s Open House. Those in attendance can check out the team shops, see the Cup Series and Xfinity Series cars on displays, enjoy refreshments, participate in giveaways and more. | More on Kaulig
Brandonbilt Motorsports, Thursday, May 26: Open House from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Brandon Brown merchandise will be available for purchase inside of the shop in Mooresville, and shop tours will take place every 30 minutes. Brandon will be present for the duration of the event, signing autographs and taking photos with fans. | More on Brandonbilt Motorsports
JR Motorsports, Thursday, May 26: Fan Day from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. This will feature autograph sessions with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelley Earnhardt Miller and Wyatt Miller at 10 a.m., followed by signing sessions with JRM team drivers Justin Allgaier, Noah Gragson, Josh Berry, Sam Mayer and Carson Kvapil at 1 p.m. Fans must have a wristband to participate in the autograph sessions. Wristbands will be distributed the morning of the event on a first-come, first-served basis. Additionally, there will be giveaways, sales, displays, shop tours and a special unveiling of a Unilever-sponsored Chevrolet Camaro. | Learn more
Front Row Motorsports, Thursday May 26-Friday, May 27: Fan Day from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. This two-day fan event at Front Row’s shop will feature shirts, hats, die-cast cars, crew shirts and partner giveaways. Each visitor will also receive a free Boot Barn shirt, while supplies last. | More on Front Row Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports, Friday, May 27-Saturday, May 28: Fan Fest from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers will make an appearance over the weekend, with Chase Elliott (11 a.m.) and Alex Bowman (4:30 p.m.) at the shop Friday. Kyle Larson (11:30 a.m.) and William Byron (12:30 p.m.) will make appearances on Saturday, May 28. Additional activations include kids’ activities, pit stop demonstrations and an engine building demonstration. | Learn more
Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing, Friday, May 27: Fan Day from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The event officially kicks off at 10 a.m., is open to the public and will feature live music, food trucks, partner displays, pit stop demonstrations and racing simulators. In addition, fan day will feature an autograph session with NASCAR Hall of Fame owner Jack Roush and team co-owner Brad Keselowski and driver Chris Buescher. For the first time ever, RFK Fan Day will feature a dunking tank, where fans can attempt to ‘dunk’ No. 17 driver Chris Buescher, as well as other pit crew members and team executives, with all proceeds benefiting charity. | Learn more
Stewart-Haas Racing: The shop will be open to fans; however, SHR will not have its Fan Day until the fall, since the shop is just reopening post-pandemic. | Learn more
As the country prepares to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice this Memorial Day weekend, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour travels to Jennerstown Speedway for the Jennerstown Salutes 150 this Saturday night.
Saturday’s race at the 0.522-mile asphalt oval will be the 18th NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race in the history of the track, which will honor fallen service men and women who gave their lives in defense of the United States.
Each driver competing in the Jennerstown Salutes 150 will carry the name of a fallen service member on his or her car as a way to honor and remember them during Memorial Day weekend.
The Jennerstown Salutes 150 is also the second race of four on the Tour schedule this season that will be promoted by JDV Productions.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has competed at Jennerstown Speedway 17 times, with the first visit to the track coming in 1987. That event was won by Jan Leaty, with additional races in the years that followed being won by drivers like Reggie Ruggiero, Tony Hirschman, Mike Stefanik, Steve Park and Ted Christopher.
Christopher’s victory in 2006 was followed by a long hiatus for the Tour at Jennerstown. The track was closed for several seasons and went through a few ownership changes before the Tour returned in 2020, with Justin Bonsignore earning a trip to Victory Lane.
In the three races at Jennerstown since the Tour returned in 2020, Bonsignore has earned a pair of victories. Craig Lutz scored one of his three Tour victories at the track, as well.
Bonsignore and Lutz are among the those expected to compete Saturday night along with a strong contingent of Modified drivers who will be looking to take home the winner’s check.
Jennerstown Salutes 150 at Jennerstown Speedway
What to watch for:
Bonsignore is in need of a strong run, and there is no better place for him to get it than Jennerstown Speedway.
Bonsignore has won two of the last three races held at the Pennsylvania oval, including the inaugural running of the Jennerstown Salutes 150 last season. He dominated that race, leading all but 14 of the 150 laps contested as he marched toward his third NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship.
In his three races at Jennerstown in the last two years, Bonsignore has led 379 laps. No other driver has led more than 39.
If Bonsignore is to find his way back to Victory Lane, he’ll have to go through a number of strong competitors. They include Tour points leader Ron Silk, who is one of only two drivers to earn top-10 finishes in each of the first four races held so far this year.
The other driver to accomplish that is Eric Goodale, who sits second in the standings. Silk and Goodale are both looking for their first Tour victories of the season.
After making his return to the Tour following a multi-year hiatus at Richmond Raceway in April, Donny Lia is set for his second race of the season in the Ole Blue No. 3 fielded by Boehler Racing Enterprises.
Mike Christopher Jr. is scheduled to take the wheel of Tommy Baldwin Jr.’s No. 7NY Modified, the same car Doug Coby used to win the last two races on the schedule at New York’s Riverhead Raceway and New Hampshire’s Lee USA Speedway.
Max McLaughlin is also back for his second start of the season after earning a 12th-place finish at Richmond. Other returnees include Spencer Davis, Tyler Rypkema and Kyle Ebersole. Patrick Emerling, who sat out the race at Lee USA Speedway to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, is also back in action.
Craig Lutz, who holds a victory at Jennerstown in 2020, is among the Tour regulars who will be competing Saturday night. Additional Tour regulars expected to participate include Lee USA Speedway runner-up Jon McKennedy, Kyle Bonsignore, Tommy Catalano and J.B. Fortin, among others.
The complete entry list for the Jennerstown Salutes 150 is available here.
Justin Bonsignore, driver of the No. 51 Phoenix Communications Inc. Chevrolet, helps put a Memorial Day decal on his car prior to the Jennerstown Salutes 150 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in Jennerstown, Pennsylvania on May 29, 2021. (Photo: Nate Smallwood/NASCAR)
Schedule: Garage opens at 12 p.m. ET … Final practice from 2:30-3:30 p.m. ET … Single-car qualifying (two laps) at 4:45 p.m. ET … Race at 8 p.m. ET
Qualifying: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. NASCAR reserves the right to have more than one vehicle engage in qualifying runs at the same time. Starting field for the Jennerstown Salutes 150 is limited to 24 starters including Provisional Positions. Vehicles will be impounded after qualifying. Vehicle must qualify on race setup.
Tire allotment: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is 11 tires per team. All tires used for qualifying and the race must be purchased at the track and scanned by Hoosier, unless otherwise approved in advance by the Series Director. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. All qualifying tires must remain in impound until released by NASCAR Officials. The remaining tire allotment may be used for practice and/or change tires during the event. The tire change rule is four (4) tires, any position.
NEWARK, NJ (May 24, 2022) — Today, M&M’S® ‘The Official Chocolate of NASCAR,’ announced the iconic brand will be the title sponsor at this year’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, July 24. The brand will continue the season-long celebration of its more than three decades in the sport by using the race to pay special tribute to NASCAR fans and Mars Associates who have made the journey so memorable.
To kick off the celebrations, Mars will embark on a nationwide search on social media to identify some of the most active and passionate M&M’S Racing fans, who will be invited as VIP guests to the M&M’S Pocono race weekend. The fans selected will not only serve as M&M’S ambassadors throughout race weekend but will also have the chance to meet NASCAR legends and receive signed merchandise. One lucky M&M’S Mars fan will have the ultimate honor of serving as the Grand Marshal for the race.
“For more than 30 years, Mars has inspired moments of happiness through the colorful fun of the M&M’S brand for NASCAR fans all over the country,” said Anton Vincent, President of Mars Wrigley North America. “During our final year and, in our backyard race, Mars wants to celebrate one of the best fan bases in the world with a Mars-sized ‘thank you.’ The M&M’S brand has celebrated many NASCAR successes and we are grateful for the NASCAR fans.”
“Mars is committed to using our 2022 season, our final year in the sport, to celebrate those that have made our last 32 years so memorable,” said William Clements, VP of Sponsorships and Sports Marketing at Mars. “That is why we have partnered with Pocono Raceway to be the title sponsor of the NASCAR Cup Series race on July 24, which has been named the ‘M&M’S Fan Appreciation 400.’ The race weekend will be designed to thank the incredible Mars Associates and NASCAR fan base for making our journey in NASCAR so special. Fans can expect tons of activities in the lead up to and throughout the race weekend, featuring M&M’S Racing legends, past and present. We’re so excited and can’t wait to celebrate with you all.”
For fans attending the M&M’S Fan Appreciation 400, M&M’S will conduct a special discussion moderated by NASCAR pit reporter, Jamie Little, in the Pocono Raceway Fan Zone on the morning of the race. Current and former M&M’S drivers including Kyle Busch, David Gilliland and Ken Schrader will cruise down memory lane, sharing stories of their time driving for the Mars’ brands. Fans at home will have the opportunity to tune into this special conversation on social media, where they can submit questions in advance and win signed merchandise from the panel of legends.
“The entire Mars organization is incredibly special to me, and we want to commemorate all of our history together with the fan celebrations during the M&M’S Fan Appreciation 400,” said Kyle Busch. “From the M&M’S Pocono Raceway festivities to the fans and Mars Associates we’ll be bringing to the track, we couldn’t be more excited to honor those that have made this partnership so fun. I can’t wait to see everyone there!”
“We are honored to celebrate alongside M&M’S after 32 years of supporting NASCAR, by partnering together to show our appreciation for the greatest fan base in sport” said Ben May, President Pocono Raceway. “Creating lifelong memories and exciting experiences for Pocono Raceway and NASCAR fans is a passion for our team and to do it alongside one of the worlds iconic brands is a tremendous joy.”
To keep up-to-date with the M&M’S Fan Appreciation 400, be sure to check out M&M’S social media channels in the lead up to and throughout the race weekend.
In recognition for his longtime impact in motorsports and specifically for his work in securing a historic convergence agreement between the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), NASCAR and IMSA Chairman Jim France will receive the prestigious Spirit of Le Mans Award for 2022. France will be presented with the trophy on the eve of this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans during the official President’s Dinner on Friday, June 10.
“The Spirit of Le Mans trophy salutes the men and women who uphold the values of enduring racing by their commitment, team spirit and competitive drive,” the ACO said in announcing the news.
The agreement France helped develop and sustain allows competitors to run the same prototype sports cars in both the top championship sanctioned classes of IMSA and the ACO. Last year, the two leadership groups renewed that strategic alliance first formed in 2013 and also includes a unique and important naming “swap.”
The first chicane at Le Mans’ Mulsanne Straight is now called the “Daytona Chicane” and the chicane at Daytona International Speedway – once referred to as “The Bus Stop” – is now called the “Le Mans Chicane.”
“I take tremendous pride in the relationship we have built with the ACO over the past decade,” France said. “IMSA and the ACO are the caretakers of endurance sports car racing all over the world and together we have developed a platform for an incredibly bright future.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to be selected by close friend (ACO President) Pierre Fillon and the ACO Board of Directors to receive the prestigious ‘Spirit of Le Mans’ Trophy this year. Joining the list of so many respected previous recipients is something that I and my family will forever cherish.”
France will be honored alongside two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans race winner Gerard Larrousse, who will serve as Grand Marshal of the June race, and Patrick Pouyanne, CEO of the TotalEnergies, the company that is supplying the 100 percent renewable fuel to the 62-car Le Mans field. Pouyanne will serve as the race’s official starter and wave the French flag to start the 24-hour race on Saturday, June 11. France previously served as the official starter at Le Mans in 2013.
“The three men embody the sense of innovation, of history, the winning attitude and team spirit that characterize the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” said Fillon, President of the ACO.
Earlier this year, NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports announced a cooperative venture that would bring a modified Next Gen stock car to the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the race’s centennial celebration in 2023.
The project — which also includes collaborative efforts from IMSA, Chevrolet and Goodyear — would bring a specially prepared Camaro ZL1 from the NASCAR Cup Series into the international motorsports scene’s biggest endurance race. Once approved by race organizer l’Automobile Club de l’Ouest, the proposed entry would fill the Garage 56 slot — an extra starting berth that showcases innovative vehicles outside of the race’s traditional classes.
