Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the midwest this weekend with a visit to Kansas Speedway.

The sport hasn’t raced at a traditional 1.5-mile track since Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, though the races in between included a trip to Atlanta which utilized the superspeedway rules package.

Kansas will be back on the Cup Series Playoffs schedule this fall, so teams will put plenty of focus on what they can learn on Sunday afternoon (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RACE YOU TO THE POLE

Cup teams will be broken into Groups A and B for practice and qualifying at Kansas. Their Saturday begins with practice at 4 p.m. ET (FS1), where each group will be allotted 15 minutes of practice. Once practice is complete, the groups will head out for single-car qualifying in which each driver will be allowed a single, timed lap. The five fastest drivers from each group will advance to the second round of qualifying, where the 10 competitors will fire off for single-car laps once again. The fastest of those 10 drivers will earn the Busch Light Pole award.

RELATED: Cup qualifying order | Kansas schedule | Cup Series standings 

KANSAS HISTORY

– In 1997, Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, were selected as the site for a new Midwestern speedway at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 435. That December, International Speedway Corp. (ISC) announced plans to build a 1.5-mile speedway to seat approximately 75,000. 

– Architecture firm HNTB designed the facility and Turner Construction provided construction management. Construction began on the 1,200-acre, 1.5-mile speedway in May 1999.

– In July 1999, 13,750 preferred tickets went on sale and were quickly purchased. The demand prompted ISC to expand the planned 32 suites by an additional 36, increasing capacity from 75,000 to 82,000.

– Completion was targeted for 2000 but was delayed by weather and lawsuits from nearby landowners. Paving began in September 2000 and the speedway was completed in early 2001. Estimated project cost was $250 million.

– The track’s first Cup race was held in September 2001 and won by Jeff Gordon.

– Sunday’s race marks the 33rd Cup Series event at Kansas.

Source: Racing Insights

GOODYEAR TIRES

As teams progress with the Next Gen car, one observation made has been an increased load on the left-rear corner of the car, partially due to the independent rear suspension and partially thanks to the aerodynamic shift to the vehicle’s rear. To accommodate for that, Goodyear has recommended teams set their left-rear tire pressures 2 PSI higher than the left-front tire.

“The amount of air pressure in the tire should directly correlate to the amount of load on that corner of the car,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “If the amount of load increases — like it has on the left-rear of this Next Gen car — you need to increase the load-carrying capability in that tire, which is done via air pressure. If you run below our recommended pressures, the tire can over-deflect, sustain damage and result in an air loss.”

This week’s left-side tires were also used two weeks ago at Dover while the right-side compound was used at Darlington Raceway, Auto Club Speedway and Las Vegas. This tire combination will be used at Texas Motor Speedway for All-Star Race weekend as well as at Nashville Superspeedway.

KANSAS STORY LINES 

– Hendrick Motorsports has seen all four of its drivers visit Victory Lane (William Byron, Atlanta and Martinsville; Kyle Larson, Auto Club; Alex Bowman, Las Vegas; Chase Elliott, Dover). This marks the first time an organization has won with four drivers within the first 11 races of the year.

– Hendrick Motorsports won 22 times since the start of 2021, twice as many as any other organization in that time.

– Hendrick Motorsports drivers won the last four races on 1.5-mile speedways, including the most recent race at Kansas. No team has ever won five straight races on 1.5-mile tracks.

Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Sean Gardner | Getty Images

– Tyler Reddick notched his fifth runner-up finish in the Cup Series last week at Darlington but is still looking for his first career win. Only one driver has more runner-up finishes all-time without a win.

– Richard Childress Racing’s 208 laps led this year between Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick are the team’s most circuits led in a season since 2013, which was Kevin Harvick’s last season before departing for Stewart-Haas Racing.

– Nine races in 2022 were won with a pass for the lead in the final 10 laps, the most ever through 12 races in Cup.

– Ten different drivers have won through 12 races in 2022, only the seventh time there were at least 10 winners through 12 races in Cup.

Source: Racing Insights

BET YOUR DRIVER WILL WIN?

As the most recent winner at Kansas, Kyle Larson heads into the weekend as the favorite at 6-1 odds, according to BetMGM. Nobody led more laps at Kansas in 2021 than Larson, who led 262 of a total 534 laps.

Behind Larson in odds so far are Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch, who both enter as 8-1 favorites. Busch is the defending winner of this event, and Elliott has finished inside the top six in six of the past seven Kansas races.

If you’re looking for a long shot this weekend, perhaps this is a week to consider Brad Keselowski, who enters at 66-1 odds. Yes, his season hasn’t gone how most of his previous years have. Driving the No. 6 for RFK Racing, Keselowski has just one top-10 finish and has finished 20th or worse in each of the past three races. But Keselowski has three top fives in his last four Kansas starts. Maybe the 2012 champion can turn that into a major positive Sunday.

RELATED: Odds for Kansas

FANTASY LIVE

Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. 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 $25,000 prize for the winner.

The 2022 Fantasy Live points leaders are Chase Elliott (447), William Byron (388) and Ryan Blaney (380).

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 a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.

NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement in the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

The champ is back.

Doug Coby, a six-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, is making his return to the Tour this weekend at Riverhead Raceway in the Miller Lite 200 (6 p.m. ET on FloRacing).

The native of Milford, Connecticut, will make his first Tour start of the season aboard Tommy Baldwin Jr.’s No. 7. He’ll be the third different driver to pilot Baldwin’s car this year, following Mike Christopher Jr. at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway and Jimmy Blewett at Richmond Raceway.

Earlier this year, Coby announced he would be scaling back his racing efforts on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour after being a regular with the Tour as far back as 2003.

Initially his schedule was set to include four Tour races, including events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park and Martinsville Speedway.

Saturday’s Miller Lite 200 at Riverhead Raceway was not initially part of that schedule, but it’s as good a place as any for Coby to make his first start this season.

Of his 31 Tour victories, Coby has won twice at Riverhead. Those victories also happen to be his two most recent Tour triumphs, both of which came last year.

Based on his recent success at Riverhead, it would be hard to bet against Coby when the green flag waves Saturday night at the quarter-mile Long Island bullring.

Jake Johnson ready for Tour debut in Ole Blue

Donny Lia, driver of the #3 Propane Plus – SYP, during the Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 150 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia on April 1, 2022. (Sanjay Suchak/NASCAR)
Jake Johnson will take the wheel of the Boehler Racing Enterprises Ole Blue No. 3 this weekend at Riverhead Raceway. (Photo: Sanjay Suchak/NASCAR)

Boehler Racing Enterprises is going from a veteran to a rookie for the third race of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season Saturday night at Riverhead.

After having the returning Donny Lia pilot the Ole Blue No. 3 at the most recent Tour race at Richmond in April, the team will welcome rookie Jake Johnson to the seat for Saturday’s Miller Lite 200.

Johnson, a 19-year-old native of Massachusetts, is best known for his efforts in a Late Model mainly in the Northeast. He’s enjoyed a bit of fendered success, including winning the 2020 edition of the Snowflake 100 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida.

However, he’s fairly new to Modified racing.

“We never really had any plans of going Modified Tour racing,” Johnson told NASCAR.com. “We bought a Modified last year to run some open races because to travel with the Pro Late Model stuff is getting a little challenging. We figured the Modifieds were closer and we’d give it a go.”

He made his debut in a Modified last October at Massachusetts’ Seekonk Speedway, finishing third in a 100-lap race that featured a stacked field of drivers, including Ron Silk, Justin Bonsignore and Matt Hirschman, among others.

RELATED: Everything you need to know about Riverhead Raceway

It was that result that caught the attention of Boehler Racing Enterprises owner Michael Boehler.

“As far as the experience standpoint and his age and what he’s done to this point have really impressed me,” said Boehler. “At Seekonk last October, starting in the back and working his way up, being smooth and staying out of trouble and finishing third was kind the deciding factor for me.”

Not only will Saturday’s race be Johnson’s Tour debut, but it will also be his first time competing at Riverhead.

He said he’s been studying video in preparation for Saturday’s race and believes a top-10 finish is a reasonable result for his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start.

“I’d say there are a lot of unknowns going into the first race,” Johnson said. “I don’t know exactly what to expect in my first NASCAR race in general. I think I’m surrounded by the best people I could be doing it with.

“I feel like I’ve got a pretty good understanding of how the places races and how I need to be going into it. My expectations … a top-10 would be a real good day.”

The Miller Lite 200 at Riverhead is the first of eight scheduled races for Johnson in the Ole Blue No. 3 this season.

Kyle Soper, driver of the #15 Eastport Feeds Ford, during qualifying for the Miller Lite 200 for the Whelen Modified Tour at Riverhead Raceway on September 18, 2021 in Riverhead, New York. (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
Kyle Soper, driver of the #15 Eastport Feeds Ford, during qualifying for the Miller Lite 200 for the Whelen Modified Tour at Riverhead Raceway on September 18, 2021 in Riverhead, New York. (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

Locals ready to give Tour drivers a run for their money

Riverhead Raceway is well known for its local contingent of Modified drivers.

That local contingent will be well represented during the Miller Lite 200, with defending and three-time Riverhead Raceway Modified champion Kyle Soper leading the charge.

Soper has made 13 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts dating back to 2016, with more than half of them coming at Riverhead. He’s scored three top-five finishes with the Tour, all at Riverhead. His best finish with the Tour was a third-place finish in 2017.

Another local competitor on the entry list is Roger Turbush, who finished third in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competition last season at Riverhead. It was his best Tour finish in eight starts, seven of which have come at Riverhead.

Other local competitors entered in the Miller Lite 200 are Dylan Slepian, Tom Rogers Jr., John Beatty Jr., Matthew Brode and Dave Brigati.

Notes:

  • Eric Goodale and Tommy Catalano enter the Miller Lite 200 tied at the top of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings after two of 16 scheduled races. Tyler Rypkema, Jon McKennedy and Ron Silk are third through fifth, respectively.
  • Timmy Solomito, a nine-time Tour race winner, makes his first start of the season in his family-owned No. 66 at Riverhead. Of his nine previous series victories, three of them have come at Riverhead.
  • After making his Tour debut at New Smyrna Speedway, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race winner Joey Coulter will make his second Tour start at Riverhead.
  • Justin Bonsignore, the most recent Tour winner at Richmond Raceway and the defending Tour champion, is ninth in the Tour standings ahead of Saturday’s race at Riverhead. Eight of his 32 Tour wins have come at Riverhead, second only to his success at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, where he has 12 wins.
Posted on by Staff Report

Ross Chastain does not have a great record at Kansas Speedway, but bettors appear to be ignoring those trends for this week’s NASCAR Cup Series AdventHealth 400.

Despite NASCAR odds of +1000, tied for sixth-best among all drivers as of Wednesday, Chastain is generating the most action at the BetMGM online sportsbook.

The 29-year-old is drawing 13.8% of the tickets and a massive 35.1% of the handle.

Chastain has only raced six times at Kansas Speedway. His best finish is 14th, and his average finish is 25th. Additionally, in his last four races at the track, he has an average rating of 61.9.

Normally, this wouldn’t give much reason to back a driver, but that isn’t the case this week.

RELATED: Kansas weekend schedule | Full betting odds for Sunday

Chastain has been boom-or-bust in his last few races. In his previous five starts, he has three top-five finishes, but in the other two, he’s finished in 30th place or worse. 

Meanwhile, it’s not hard to find the best drivers at Kansas.

In their last six races at the track, Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski each have four top-five finishes. In terms of NASCAR odds, Elliott is +800, Harvick is +1600 and Keselowski is +6600. 

Elliott is the only driver of the bunch drawing much action, pulling in 8.7% of the handle, good for third-most.

There are also four Featured Matchups to bet on for this week’s AdventHeath 400.

Kyle Larson (-130) vs. Denny Hamlin (+100)

Despite winning at Kansas Speedway in each of the last two years, Hamlin is an underdog to Larson in this matchup.

In his last six races at the track, Hamlin has three top-five finishes. Meanwhile, in his last four races at the track, Larson has a win and two top 10s. 

Larson does have the best odds to win the race at +600 with Hamlin fourth at +900. Larson comes in with a better record of late. He has three top-six finishes in his last four races overall, while despite leading many laps of late, Hamlin has only one top-20 finish in the last month to show for it.

William Byron (-130) vs. Joey Logano (+100)

The two are fairly close in terms of odds to win the race, with Byron coming in at +900 and Logano at +1200, but Byron has a much better record at Kansas Speedway.

In his last six races, Byron has an impressive five top 10s. Logano hasn’t been as consistent. Over his last six races at the track, he has an average finish of 15.7 and just two top-10 finishes, including a win.

Logano is coming in with good vibes after winning last week at Darlington Raceway. 

Tyler Reddick (-120) vs. Kevin Harvick (-110)

This is the closest matchup, and it’s easy to see why. 

Both drivers come into the race with +1600 odds to win, but looking at track history, it’s interesting to see Reddick favored.

Harvick has five top-10 finishes in his last six races at Kansas Speedway, while Reddick has an average finish of 15.2 in his last five races.

Erik Jones (-150) vs. Aric Almirola (+115)

Jones is the biggest favorite when it comes to the Featured Matchups, and it shows in both race odds and track history.

Jones is +3300 to win the race, while Almirola is +6600. And then in his last six races at the track, Jones has an average finish of 14.8 and two top fives. In the same timeframe, Almirola has an average finish of 18.2 and just one top 10.

You can view updated AdventHealth 400 odds and more online sports betting opportunities at BetMGM.

Posted on by Staff Report

Team Penske and the affiliated Wood Brothers Racing team have shifted their pit-crew lineup ahead of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.

RELATED: Kansas weekend schedule | Cup Series standings

The slight realignment of over-the-wall personnel is reflected in team rosters for this Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM).

• The Nos. 2 and 12 Team Penske crews have swapped front-tire changers, moving Curtis Thompson to the No. 2 Ford and Ryan Flores to the No. 12 Ford.
• The No. 12 and 21 teams switched tire carriers, with Trevor Apsey joining the No. 12 crew and Wade Moore shifting to the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 for Kansas.

Flores, a co-host of the Stacking Pennies podcast with longtime friend Corey LaJoie, touched on the move in the latest edition of the show, released Wednesday. Flores said the new crew members would have to generate chemistry quickly with just one week between races; he added that the new-look No. 12 crew practiced for the first time Tuesday.

MORE: Listen to latest episode

“You also have to have your mentality right, too. You’re not trying to go in there and be the savior of the 12 car. You’re just trying to put darts on the board, trying to be solid, keep him in the race, give him a shot to win,” Flores said. “You’re not chasing time; you’re just trying to do a good job. So yeah, you take time, you work through a lot of stuff, but you also have to be ready come Sunday.”

Posted on by Dustin Albino

Last season, all eyes were on Riley Herbst as he replaced Chase Briscoe in Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 98 Xfinity Series car. The year before, Briscoe won a series-high nine races in that ride.

Out of necessity, Herbst’s expectations skyrocketed, despite entering just his second year at the Xfinity level. And there’s no sugarcoating it, 2021 was a struggle.

“[Everyone] had a bar set for me, obviously, and I knew I wasn’t going to hit that bar because I’m not Chase Briscoe,” Herbst recently told NASCAR.com. “He’s in the Cup Series right now and I’m in the Xfinity Series.”

RELATED: Xfinity Series standings | 2022 schedule

Throughout Herbst’s tenure at Stewart-Haas, he hasn’t gotten caught up in the comparisons to previous Xfinity drivers in the team’s young history. But it took the No. 98 team until the fifth race of 2021 to get its first top-10 finish of the season, with three of the first four races being results of 26th or worse with three DNFs.

The silver lining for the duration of the 2021 season was that Herbst showed flashes of speed. It was something to build on for 2022, his third full-time season in the Xfinity Series.

“Sometimes, it beats you down,” Herbst said of not getting consistent finishes. “But then, you have to step back and think we were at ‘X’ track and had good speed, we just didn’t finish. I either made a mistake or wrecked. It’s hard to go off the finishing order because that doesn’t show the whole story most of the time.

“Momentum is everything. It was tough last year, and we knew that if we did what we were supposed to do, we would finish OK.”

Consistency is key, and something Herbst honed in on over the offseason. He entered the 2022 season with a new mentality of solidifying the No. 98 Ford as a weekly top-10 competitor. From there, it’s slowly been about getting into the top five. It also marked the first time in his racing career that he’d have the same crew chief, full time, for the duration of a season in Richard Boswell II.

That familiarity and chemistry with Boswell is an understated part of Herbst’s turnaround through the opening 11 races of the 2022 season.

Dylan Buell | Getty Images
Dylan Buell | Getty Images

“The biggest thing is we’ve taken the day for what the car is going to give us and what the team is going to give us,” Boswell said. “If that’s a solid seventh place, then it’s a solid seventh place and we’ve got a race car that’s in one piece and something to work on.”

Finishing races was a point of emphasis that Kevin Harvick and his Kevin Harvick Inc. management company helped instill in Herbst, who joined KHI as a client ahead of the 2022 season.

So far, so good.

“The main thing with him is just making sure that we finish the races and get the things out of the day that they’re given you,” Harvick added. “He’s done a good job and [the team has] done exactly that. You have to finish ninth to finish fifth, you have to finish fifth to finish fourth and so on and so forth.”

How good has it been? Through 11 races, Herbst already has four top-five finishes, one shy of his 2021 total. With eight top-10 finishes, he’s tied with Noah Gragson for the second-most top-10 finishes thus far, only behind AJ Allmendinger who has yet to finish outside the top 10.

Not bad for Herbst, who’s in his first Xfinity season with practice and qualifying for each race.

“I don’t really know what that is, maybe experience,” Herbst said. “We’re way more consistent and being able to finish has been huge for us as a team and allows us to keep moving forward and progressing and ultimately move towards those goals of winning races.”

Boswell, a perfectionist, knows the No. 98 team is much improved from 2021. But with just 34 stage points on the season, he says the team can still boost its performance.

“Still a ways to go,” he said. “All of our goals are the same in wanting to win races; we want that for Riley and the guys on our team. But by all means, a big improvement that’s attributed to finishing races.”

MORE: NASCAR on TV this week

Boswell credits Herbst’s improvement to having matured a significant amount over the past year and a half. In communicating with his team, Herbst understands what he needs out of his car more and understands when the No. 98 team is discussing different setups to run.

But don’t think Herbst didn’t try hard even when the success wasn’t on paper.

“He’s always worked hard and put his heart and soul into it,” Boswell said. “I think a lot of times he catches a bad rap because, quite frankly, his family has been successful. It drives me nuts because if people understood how hard he works and how badly he wants to run well then maybe they’d lay off him a little bit.”

After a season-best third-place finish at Darlington last weekend, Herbst sits eighth in the championship standings (ninth in the playoff standings), 54 points above the cutline.

While 54 points is a solid margin in a stacked Xfinity field this season, Herbst plans to keep a steady approach as the year progresses, despite having two Kaulig Racing cars, including reigning series champ Daniel Hemric, and a Richard Childress Racing entry behind him in points. Should he get a win before Bristol Motor Speedway in September, he’ll be all but locked into the postseason.

“We’re worried about ourselves and progressing as a team, getting closer to our goals of winning races,” he said. “I think each week we’re taking a step forward.

“It doesn’t surprise me. I knew I could have done this last year if we could have achieved what we were supposed to achieve and do the things we were supposed to achieve. But we haven’t won, so I’m not near satisfied. It’s cool to finish well each week, and I think we need to keep doing that and not lose sight of the goal and have to keep laying the foundation. But I really want to win a race, and I have to win a race. This is my third full-time year and you’ve got to start winning some time.”

Posted on by Press Release

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Comcast is proud to announce nominations for the 2022 Comcast Community Champion of the Year are now open through Aug. 1, 2022, at ComcastCommunityChampion.com. In its eighth year, this prestigious annual award serves to recognize the philanthropic efforts of individuals within the NASCAR industry. New for this year, Comcast has opened the eligibility for anyone in the NASCAR community with a 2022 annual credential or NASCAR full season license.

To nominate and learn additional details about the award, visit ComcastCommunityChampion.com today through Aug. 1, 2022.

Created in 2015, the Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award honors the incredible efforts of NASCAR industry members who are giving selflessly to improve their communities. Comcast will select and honor three finalists, sharing their stories publicly. A committee of NASCAR & Comcast executives will then determine the Comcast Community Champion of the Year, awarding $60,000 to the champion’s affiliated charity and $30,000 to each of the two finalists’ selected charities later this year.

“Inspiring communities is at the forefront of what Comcast strives to accomplish, and we’re honored to recognize the philanthropic efforts by individuals from the NASCAR family that go above and beyond to support their local communities,” said Matt Lederer, Comcast’s Vice President, Brand Partnerships and Amplification. “Now more than ever, with us expanding the eligibility to the greater NASCAR community, we are encouraging our racing communities and industry family members to nominate these inspirational individuals so we can continue to illuminate the amazing work and causes they are supporting.”

Any individual with a 2022 annual credential or NASCAR full season license from NASCAR’s top-three national series is now eligible to be nominated as a 2022 finalist, including:

• Team owners, drivers and all NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™ and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™ employees

• Full-time employees of tracks that are currently on the schedule for NASCAR’s three series

• NASCAR Media members who have a Print, Broadcast or Photography Hard Card

• NASCAR Officials

• NASCAR Partners/Sponsors

• Family members of drivers and crew members

• Driver and team employees (motorhome drivers, agents, and managers etc.)

• Support industry personnel (engine builders, parts and service providers etc.)

Since the inception of the program, Comcast has donated $840,000 to 21 different nonprofit organizations, furthering the impact of the philanthropic efforts of all finalists and champions. Past champions include:

• World Wide Technology Raceway Owner, Curtis Francois, representing Raceway Gives Foundation | READ MORE

• NASCAR driver, Bubba Wallace, representing the Live To Be Different Foundation | READ MORE

• Dover Motor Speedway President, Mike Tatoian, representing USO Delaware | READ MORE

• NASCAR champion, Joey Logano, representing the Joey Logano Foundation | READ MORE

• Chip Ganassi Racing’s pit crew department representing Ronald McDonald House | READ MORE

• JR Motorsports fabricator, Wade Jackson, representing Camp LUCK | READ MORE

• NASCAR driver, Joey Gase, representing the Iowa Donor Network | READ MORE

“It was a tremendous honor to be named Comcast Community Champion last season,” said World Wide Technology Raceway Owner, Curtis Francois. “Comcast’s generosity has helped the Raceway Gives Foundation to continue to provide career opportunities, community engagement and educational experiences for area youth and military families.”

Comcast has a storied history of strengthening communities each and every day of the year providing education opportunities and digital skills training to help create more pathways to economic mobility for young people and adults alike, most recently through its Project UP initiative. Backed by a $1 billion commitment to reach millions of people, Project UP encompasses the programs and community partnerships across Comcast, NBCUniversal and Sky that connect people to the internet, advance economic mobility and open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers and creators. For more information on Project UP and the latest news on efforts to address digital inequities, visit https://corporate.comcast.com/impact/project-up.

Posted on by Brandon White

The story of Modified racing in the Northeast cannot be told without a significant mention of Riverhead Raceway.

Since the 1950s, the quarter-mile bullring located in Riverhead, New York, has challenged drivers who have ventured out to it. The tight corners and fast pace of Riverhead puts a heavy emphasis on patience and respect, but many have embraced these qualities to enjoy successful careers at the complex.

One such name is three-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore, who added his name to the prestigious list of drivers who won a title at Riverhead back in 2011. Despite currently sitting ninth in the Modified Tour standings after nine races, Saturday’s race at Riverhead presents an ideal rebound opportunity for Bonsignore, who has eight victories in the series at the track.

FLORACING: Catch all the on-track action for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour

Bonsignore and the rest of the Modified Tour regulars in Eric Goodale, Tommy Catalano, Ron Silk and others are all set to face a strong contingent of local Riverhead heroes who are looking to add another chapter to the facility’s storied legacy when the green flag drops this weekend.

Below is everything you need to know about Riverhead Raceway

Riverhead Raceway

Track Profile

Drivers get doubled up for the start of the 2021 Miller Lite 200 at Riverhead Raceway (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

 

Track Riverhead Raceway
Location Riverhead, New York
Opened 1951
Length 0.200 miles
Surface Asphalt

The list of race winners and track champions at Riverhead serves as a glossary of all-time greats in Modified competition.

Charlie Jarzombek dominated Riverhead race weekends prior to the inception of the Modified Tour. Along with winning numerous races from the mid-1970s up until the 1980s, Jarzombek also tallied five track championships, a record he held exclusively before Don Howe, Wayne Anderson and Tom Rogers Jr. matched him.

While NASCAR Hall of Famers like Richie Evans and Mike Stefanik have visited Riverhead’s Victory Lane while competing in the Modified Tour, the driver who has enjoyed the most success with the series at the track is Mike Ewanitsko, who tallied 11  victories inside the quarter-mile bullring from 1987-2000.

FOLLOW RIVERHEAD: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Over the past decade, Bonsignore has gradually chipped away at Ewanitsko’s Riverhead win record in the Modified Tour. One of the few drivers who has been able to challenge Bonsignore at Riverhead is fellow Modified Tour champion Ryan Preece, whose accomplishments at the track include four series victories and two wins in the track’s prestigious Islip 300.

With Saturday being the first of three trips planned for the Modified Tour at Riverhead, Bonsignore will try to inch closer to Ewanitsko’s win total, all while the track regulars search for a victory to kick off a busy season on a perfect note.

Below is the complete list of Whelen Modified Tour winners at Riverhead Raceway along with the track champions.

Riverhead Raceway (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races at Riverhead Raceway

Year-Race No.  Date Winner
7/10/85
8/7/85
8/28/85
7/9/86
8/6/86
8/27/86
7/8/87
8/6/87
8/26/87
7/6/88
8/3/88
6/29/89
8/2/89
6/27/90
8/1/90
6/26/91
7/31/91
6/24/92
8/22/92
6/26/93
8/21/93
6/26/94
8/13/94
6/24/95
8/12/95
6/22/96
8/10/96
6/21/97
8/9/97
6/20/98
8/8/98
6/12/99
8/7/99
6/10/00
8/5/00
6/9/01
8/4/01
6/8/02
8/3/02
8/2/03
6/5/04
8/7/04
6/4/05
8/6/05
8/5/06
8/4/07
8/2/08
8/1/09
7/31/10
7/30/11
9/15/12
6/29/13
9/14/13
6/28/14
6/28/15
8/29/15
6/25/16
8/27/16
6/24/17
9/16/17
7/7/18
9/8/18
7/6/19
9/7/19
5/15/21
6/20/21
9/18/21

Riverhead Raceway track champions

Year Track Champion
1952 Bud Anderson
1953 Ronnie Matson
1954 Tommy Washburn
1955 Tommy Washburn
1956 Axel Anderson
1957 Ronnie Hara
1958 Johnny Rocco
1959 Buzzy Hedges
1960 Norm Gimmler
1961 Joe Collins
1962 Gary Winters
1963 Gary Winters
1964 John Berkoski
1965 Tommy Washburn
1966 John Berkoski
1967 Charlie Jarzombek
1968 George Brunnhoelzl Sr.
1969 Joe Krukowski
1970 Jim Malone Sr.
1971 Jim Malone Sr.
1972 Joe Krukowski
1973 Don Howe
1974 Charlie Jarzombek
1975 Joe Krukowski
1976 Charlie Jarzombek
1977 Charlie Jarzombek
1978 Charlie Jarzombek
1979 No Modifieds
1980 No Modifieds
1981 No Modifieds
1982 Wayne Anderson
1983 George Brunnhoelzl Jr.
1984 Don Howe
1985 Fred Harbach
1986 John Blewett Jr.
1987 Wayne Anderson
1988 Wayne Anderson
1989 Dan Jivanelli
1990 Wayne Anderson
1991 Wayne Anderson
1992 Fred Harbach
1993 Don Howe
1994 Don Howe
1995 Don Howe
1996 Chuck Steuer
1997 Bill Park
1998 Howie Brode
1999 Frank Vigliarolo Jr.
2000 Frank Vigliarolo Jr.
2001 John Fortin
2002 J.R. Bertuccio
2003 John Fortin
2004 Tom Rogers Jr.
2005 Bill Park
2006 Chuck Steuer
2007 Bill Park
2008 Bill Park
2009 John Fortin
2010 Tom Rogers Jr.
2011 Justin Bonsignore
2012 Shawn Solomito
2013 Howie Brode
2014 Howie Brode
2015 Tom Rogers Jr.
2016 Shawn Solomito
2017 Tom Rogers Jr.
2018 Kyle Soper
2019 Kyle Soper
2020 Tom Rogers Jr.
2021 Kyle Soper
Posted on by Staff Report

Kyle and Samantha Busch announced the birth of the couple’s second child Tuesday — a girl named Lennix Key Busch.

The happy mother and father revealed the news on social media late Tuesday evening, complete with four baby photos.

Joe Gibbs Racing had arranged for Trevor Bayne to be at Darlington Raceway for last weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race as a potential fill-in, in the event that the surrogate carrying their child had gone into labor. Busch coached Bayne during Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions, and Bayne was also set to be on standby for the No. 18 Toyota team during this weekend’s event at Kansas Speedway.

Busch talked about the family’s anticipation for the baby’s arrival last weekend, including the prospect of potentially sitting out. “I think it’s always a hard decision,” Busch said, “but I think you can live down missing a race, but you’ll never live down not being there for the birth of your kid.”

Kyle and Samantha have been open about their years-long experience with infertility. “You can’t have a rainbow without a storm,” Samantha wrote in a social media post in November. “We are so incredibly happy to announce that our baby girl will be joining our family via a gestational carrier in May of 2022!”

The couple’s first child, Brexton, is set to turn 7 years old next week.

Posted on by Brandon White

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is set to get even more familiar with Riverhead Raceway in Saturday night’s Miller Lite 200.

The 200-lap race will be the first of three visits the Modified Tour will make to Riverhead during the 2022 season, a tradition that was restarted last year after the series regularly made three trips up to Riverhead, New York, during its first three seasons in the mid-1980s.

RELATED: Watch the Mods at Riverhead on FloRacing

Riverhead has always been a staple of the Modified Tour. Mike Ewanitsko holds the all-time series record for victories at the track with 11, while other notable names that have visited Victory Lane at Riverhead include Jimmy Spencer, Steve Park, Ryan Preece and NASCAR Hall-of-Famers in Mike Stefanik and Richie Evans.

A stacked entry list featuring an even mix of Modified Tour regulars and local Riverhead heroes are set to descend onto the historic quarter-mile bullring on Saturday evening with the goal of building momentum heading into the summer.

Miller Lite 200 at Riverhead Raceway

What to watch for:

Miller Lite 200

Defending Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore, who leads all active drivers with eight wins at Riverhead, enters Saturday evening determined to build upon his victory in the series’ most recent outing at Richmond Raceway.

Bonsignore currently sits ninth in the Modified Tour standings after overheating issues relegated him to a 31st place finish in the season-opening race at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway in February. Despite this, Bonsginore was not phased by the disappointing outing and quickly reminded the rest of his fellow competitors at Richmond that he would once again be a favorite for the championship.

Doug Coby, who won two of the three Riverhead Modified Tour events last year, is expected to return to the series on Saturday night, but he will not be the only tough competition standing in the way of Bonsignore’s quest for a ninth victory at the track.

Leading the Riverhead representation for the race is Tom Rogers Jr., who started on pole in the most recent Modified Tour race at the facility and led 59 laps before settling for an eighth-place finish. The most recent Riverhead track champion in Kyle Soper is also on the entry list and scored both of his top-10 finishes in the series at the track last year; the latter of which was a season-best fourth for Soper.

For the series regulars, Tommy Catalano is riding a wave of momentum after leading a race-high 69 laps at Richmond before finishing second to Bonsignore. Catalano is currently tied with Eric Goodale for the series points lead, but the two of them will have to survive the tight corners of Riverhead to keep distance between Bonsignore and the rest of the Modified Tour competitors.

The complete entry list for the Miller Lite 200 can be found here.

Riverhead Raceway (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

RACE FACTS

Race Miller Lite 200
Date Saturday, May 14, 2022
Track Riverhead Raceway
Layout Quarter-mile paved oval
Location Riverhead, New York
Start time 6 p.m. ET
Laps 200
Posted awards $83,450
TV channel USA (Delayed: Friday, May 20, 1 p.m. ET)
Live stream FloRacing (Live)

Schedule: Garage opens at 12:45 p.m. ET … Final practice from 3-4 p.m. ET … Single-car qualifying (two laps) at 6 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 Miller Lite 200 is limited to 28 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 eight (8) 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 zero (0) tires, any position.

Posted on by Staff Report

The 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race on May 22 at Texas Motor Speedway is less than two weeks away, but there’s still plenty of time for fans to vote their favorite drivers into the big show through the All-Star Fan Vote.

So far, the top 10 vote-getters in alphabetical order are: Chris Buescher, Harrison Burton, Cole Custer, Austin Dillon, Justin Haley, Erik Jones, Corey LaJoie, Tyler Reddick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Daniel Suárez.

RELATED: Vote your favorite driver into the All-Star Race

Fans can vote here by casting one ballot per day per each unique email address. Votes can only be made for one eligible NASCAR driver per submission. Sharing your vote on Twitter and Facebook adds a bonus entry for each, for a total of four submissions for your favorite driver per day.

Drivers are eligible for the Fan Vote by having attempted to qualify for the 2022 Daytona 500. If a Fan Vote candidate wins a NASCAR Cup Series race before the All-Star Race — Kansas Speedway is their last opportunity — that driver is automatically in the All-Star field.

If a driver wins a stage in the NASCAR Open qualifying race before the All-Star Race, that driver will be locked into the field and is not eligible to be the Fan Vote winner. A driver must finish the NASCAR Open with his respective vehicle in a raceable condition at the time called as determined by the NASCAR Cup Series Managing Director in order to win the Fan Vote.

Currently locked into the All-Star Race are: Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, Denny Hamlin, AJ Allmendinger, Kevin Harvick, Ross Chastain, William Byron, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, Kurt Busch, Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Aric Almirola and Michael McDowell.

MORE: Buy tickets for NASCAR All-Star Race