Posted on March 5, 2022March 5, 2022 by Zack Albert

2022 Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
(⏰ 3:30 p.m. ET | 📺 FOX | 📻 PRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s visit to Las Vegas, the third regular-season NASCAR Cup Series race of the 2022 campaign.

Race-day info

Where: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile D-shaped oval
Green flag: 3:49 p.m. ET
Grand Marshal: Pro football legend Marcus Allen
Flyover: Heritage Flight: (1) F-16, (1) F-35, (1) F-22, (1) F-15
TV/Radio: FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Forecast: Sunny, with a high near 62 degrees, according to the National Weather Service
Race purse: $8,483,997
Race distance: 267 laps | 400.5 miles
Stages: 80 | 165 | 267
Pit-road speed: 45 mph
Caution car speed: 55 mph
Las Vegas 101: Get the full lowdown
Entry list: See every driver and team
Lineup: Starting lineup for Sunday
Practice happenings: Practice results | Heavy hit for Kyle Busch
Prepping for pit road: Pit-stall assignments | Which box is best at Las Vegas?

Five things to watch

1. The first two races of the NASCAR Cup Series season have produced a variety pack of top-10 finishers, with 19 different drivers occupying those spots after the year-opening Daytona 500 and last weekend’s event at Auto Club Speedway. The question that’s begged for this weekend’s 400-miler at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is if the trend can keep going. Only Aric Almirola — fifth at Daytona, sixth at Auto Club — is a repeat visitor to the top 10, a stroke of consistency that has him seventh in the Cup Series standings early on. Among those who have yet to scratch the top-10 column are some familiar names: Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., William Byron, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman — all of whom qualified for the Cup Series playoffs last year. | Parity party, for openers | Weekend schedule

2. Kyle Larson heads to the third race of 2022 with his first win of the season already in pocket. The defending Cup Series champion is also the defending race winner at Las Vegas, and his victory here in 2021 touched off what would become a 10-win campaign that resulted in his first series title. The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver ruffled some in-house feathers on the way to his Auto Club victory last week, brushing by teammate Chase Elliott in the closing laps. Larson still has the hot hand, with five wins in the last seven Cup Series races stretching back to last season. Unsurprisingly, he’s the 5-1 favorite in the latest Vegas odds, and he’ll start from the second position Sunday. | Preview show: All bets off | Debate: Larson vs. Elliott? | Latest odds

3. The new method for Cup Series practice and qualifying underwent a tweak for this weekend, with NASCAR competition officials switching from two separately grouped 15-minute sessions to a single 35-minute stint for all cars. The move was made to allow teams more track time with the new Next Gen car model, which makes its first stop of the season at a 1.5-mile track. Last weekend’s practice at Auto Club was interrupted by multiple crashes. Saturday in Vegas, Kyle Busch absorbed the only major incident with a heavily damaged No. 18 Toyota after his spin into the Turn 3 wall. He did not participate in qualifying and will start from the rear of the field in Sunday’s 400. | Bell snags Busch Light Pole; practice recap | Analysis: Teams make most of practice

4. One team searching for a rebound in the early going is the No. 12 Team Penske bunch of Ryan Blaney. After contending for the victory in the season-opening Daytona 500, Blaney endured an eventful race at Auto Club, with an apparent setup issue that made pit stops difficult and resulted in a daylong net loss of positions on pit road. He drove his way back into the hunt multiple times, but a near-spin on the final lap left him 18th. Blaney finished fifth in each of the Cup Series’ visits to Las Vegas last year, and the Vegas sportsbooks are optimistic about his prospects, slotting him at 10-1 odds near the top of the board.

5. The Cup Series heads to its first 1.5-mile track on the schedule, but the rules configuration will remain the same as last weekend’s package for the 2-mile Auto Club layout. The baseline of 670 target horsepower with a 4-inch tall rear spoiler will be in effect at Las Vegas, as it will at the majority of tracks on the 2022 slate. The event is also the middle event in the schedule’s three-race western sweep — a span that includes Auto Club, Vegas and next weekend’s trip to Phoenix Raceway. | Base rules configurations set | Configurations by track for 2022

Cup Series haulers with the Las Vegas Motor Speedway main grandstand as a backdrop | Jennifer Fisher | NASCAR Digital Media

Race-day staples

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• Power Rankings: RCR’s Austin Dillon making some headway in early going | Latest rankings
• Paint Scheme Preview: New Next Gen looks making their Las Vegas debut | See the schemes
• Preview Show: Similar action set for Sin City? | Watch the show
• Fantasy Fastlane: Putting Penske’s pace to the test at Vegas | Top plays, sleepers

Catch the pack

Abbie Parr | Getty Images

Read up on the top headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.

• Spreading the wealth: Fresh faces landing top-10 finishes | Full analysis
• Testy teammates?: Kyle Larson says team conference ‘a good meeting to have’ | Read more
• Tech corner: Next Gen offers strong data on repairs, adjustments | Read more
• Penalties: No. 38 crew docked for lost-wheel violation; team appeals | Penalty report
• Under review: NASCAR officials working to alleviate beached cars | Hear more
• One fan’s journey: Chip Swanson doesn’t let Parkinson’s slow his Daytona experience | Read more
• Fantasy picks: Erik Jones’ hopes riding high for Vegas | See more
• Early insights: Cole Custer: ‘It’s anybody’s game right now’ | Watch more

Get in on the action

NASCAR Creative Design

Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.

• Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2022 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ
• Early surprises: Teams with surpassed expectations so far | Watch more
• What are the odds?: Betting odds for Las Vegas | See the favorites
• Late fantasy feedback: Rowdy’s wreck throws a curve | Get updates
• BetMGM: Reason for Tyler Reddick optimism in Vegas | Expert tips
• The Action Network: Why William Byron is a bet to make right now for Vegas | Find out why
• Backseat Bettors: Inside the head-to-head battles for Vegas | Which bets are best?
• Prop picks: Try your hand at matchups for Las Vegas | Featured picks
• Going all the way: Updated 2022 Cup Series championship odds | See them here

Arriving at Las Vegas

The Las Vegas track has had its share of memorable moments — take a look back at the venue’s history and features.

• Sin City conquerors: All-time wins at Las Vegas | All the winners
• Pace out front: Top 10 lap leaders at Las Vegas | See the list
• Cherish the times: Memorable moments from Las Vegas | Remember when
• How wide?: Strategies abound for Las Vegas pit road | Watch breakdown
• Take me back: Recap of Kyle Larson’s 2021 victory | Read more
• Press rewind: All of the best 2021 race highlights | Watch them here

Fast facts

Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• Just one driver has prevailed at Las Vegas after winning the pole position — Kyle Busch, in 2009.
• Stewart-Haas Racing has the most top-10 finishes this year with four.
• Kyle Larson earned the most points (440) on 1.5-mile tracks last season.
• Cup Series champions have won 13 of the last 14 races at Las Vegas.
• Brad Keselowski has placed seventh or better in 12 of the last 13 events at Vegas.

Say what?

Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.

Meg Oliphant | Getty Images

• “I think no one has an advantage anymore. Nobody knows to a lot of these points we were just talking about and having a lack of practice. Nobody really knows if they’re gonna be good or not. I think it’s funny when I get that question: How are you gonna run this weekend? No clue. I used to have an idea, to your point, as we go to Vegas. ‘Yeah, that’s one of my best tracks. I should be really good.’ I’ve got no clue how we’re gonna run. The good thing is though that it’s still a race car. It’s still got four tires. It still goes fast. It’s still Vegas and a lot of the things I’ve done in the past are probably gonna work with this car as a driver, but with setup and all that’s gonna be completely different.” — Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, on adjustment to the Next Gen car early in the 2022 season

• “I think what NASCAR did with this Next Gen car is something that, on my opinion, we’re already seeing the results. We are going to look back in a few years from now, five years from now and we are going to be very, very thankful we did this thing called the Next Gen car. It just brought opportunity for new players in the game. I don’t think that if it wasn’t for the Next Gen car, I don’t think that Trackhouse would be here, I don’t think 23XI (Racing) would be here. I’m sure that there’s more team owners that are maybe thinking about it now that there is a Next Gen car. So yeah, answering that question, I definitely think that the competition and the way that we are competing with this Next Gen car is way more level than before.” — Daniel Suarez, driver of the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, on the benefits of the Next Gen car

Posted on March 5, 2022March 5, 2022 by Holly Cain

LAS VEGAS — Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell won his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole position on Saturday and will lead the field in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube (3 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The driver of the No. 20 JGR Toyota bested the 10 cars that advanced to second-round qualifying at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a lap of 182.673 mph.

Defending race winner Kyle Larson put his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on the outside of the front row after topping the speed chart in practice earlier Saturday morning. He was only .289 seconds off Bell’s pace – and the only other driver to top the 182-mph mark in the session.

RELATED: Starting lineup | Weekend schedule

“That’s pretty cool,’’ said Bell, who is the second driver (joining Austin Cindric at Auto Club Speedway) to score his first career pole position in 2022. “I feel really good about our DeWalt Camry. I knew our first run out (in practice) we were going to be pretty competitive.’’

Asked if the pole-win surprised him, Bell said, “Not really. All season our Camrys have had speed.’’

Now the talented 27-year-old Oklahoman is hoping that speed translates into a better finish. He’s had tough luck in the season’s opening two races. He crashed out in the Daytona 500 to finish 24th, and last weekend at California’s Auto Club Speedway, he had engine problems and finished 36th.

“You never know and nothing’s guaranteed,’’ Bell said. “But we’ve had a lot of speed and we’ve had promise and hopefully we start putting it together.”

Daytona 500 winner Cindric, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe and Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott rounded out the top five in qualifying. Cindric’s Team Penske teammate Joey Logano, Chevy driver Tyler Reddick, Bell’s teammate Denny Hamlin, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon completed the Top 10 on Sunday’s grid.

It was another early go-round for the 2022 qualifying format, with the 37-car field initially split into two groups for single-car runs. The five fastest from each early session formed a 10-car final group that battled it out for the pole position.

Bell was the top qualifier (181.482 mph) in Group A, and Larson led the speed charts with a 182.352-mph lap in Group B.

Larson stays fast, tops practice; Kyle Busch crashes

Defending race winner Kyle Larson led the way in Cup Series practice, setting the pace with a 181.184-mph lap in the 35-minute session. Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was also fastest in the consecutive 10-lap average category.

Christopher Bell took the second spot on the practice chart, with Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Joey Logano completing the top five in order.

MORE: Practice results | Video: Busch wrecks early | Practice analysis

A crash by Kyle Busch forced the only caution period, six minutes into the session. The Las Vegas native lost control when a tire deflated on his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, forcing the car into the outside retaining wall in Turn 3. His JGR crew indicated the team would prepare a reserve car for Sunday’s 400-miler.

NASCAR officials tweaked the practice structure for Saturday’s session. Competition officials switched from dividing the field into two groups for separate 15-minute sessions, opting for a single 35-minute practice for all entries.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on March 5, 2022March 5, 2022 by Terrin Waack

Kyle Larson is well aware of the anger he sparked in Chase Elliott last weekend at Auto Club Speedway after his No. 5 Chevrolet fenced his teammate’s No. 9 car. Larson has seen FOX’s “Radioactive” video from the race coverage and heard the series of cuss words Elliott released in response. Larson confirmed as much Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as he called it “another good episode.”

Larson, who ultimately won at Auto Club while Elliott finished 26th, addressed the fallout in the days after the incident, including Hendrick Motorsports weekly competition meeting, which was virtual this week due to West Coast swing travel.

“Well, from my spot, it’s always going to be awkward,” Larson said. “But no, it was a good meeting to have. Rick (Hendrick, owner) called a meeting with all four teams and just kind of reiterated his expectations with us drivers. So, it’s good to get those reminders every now and then and continue to race good in the future with each other. I’ll catch up more with Chase here in a little bit, and we’ll be good.”

LAS VEGAS: Weekend schedule | Paint schemes | Betting odds

Elliott was not made available to the media prior to any Cup Series on-track action at Las Vegas’ 1.5-mile track. Practice is slated for 1:30 p.m. ET (FS2) with qualifying to follow at 2:15 p.m. ET (FS1).

Both Larson and Elliott are champions within their shared organization. Larson won his title last year, Elliott claimed his the year before. They’re entering only their second season as teammates, though. Larson moved to Hendrick Motorsports in 2021. Elliott has been there since his full-time gig began in 2016.

“As far as I can remember that’s the only meeting since I’ve been there that Rick’s been a part of in that sense,” Larson said. “He’s been to competition meetings and stuff like that. And we’ve had multiple meetings about different things. But as far as the racing and stuff, that’s the first one I can remember him getting involved in. I think we all know his expectations and after the incident last week, it was good for him to get involved again and tell us what the expectations are.”

Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube is set for 3:30 p.m. ET (FOX, MRN and SiriusXM). In 11 career starts at Las Vegas, Larson has one win (this race last year), four top fives and eight top 10s. Elliott owns three top-five and four top-10 finishes in 10 career desert starts.

DEBATE: Should Elliott be frustrated with Larson?

Posted on March 5, 2022March 5, 2022 by Staff Report

The No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford of Zane Smith has been disqualified following post-race inspection in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series garage at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Zane Smith’s No. 38 truck was found to not conform to NASCAR rule book specifications per the following rules: 14.16.1 – 1-4 Lug Nuts. He had unofficially finished the race in second place prior to inspection.

Post-race inspection did confirm Chandler Smith as the race winner. Zane Smith’s DQ drops him to a last-place finish and as a result he will be scored in 36th for the second race of the season. Kyle Busch is now scored as the runner-up finisher, followed by Stewart Friesen in third, Ryan Preece in fourth and Tanner Gray in fifth.

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Staff Report

Spencer Boyd was transported to an area medical facility for further evaluation following a last-lap wreck at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, according to a NASCAR spokesperson.

Boyd was involved in a last-lap wreck that also ensnared Jordan Anderson, John Hunter Nemechek and Grant Enfinger in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200.

The driver of the No. 12 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet told FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass that he dislocated his shoulder from the wreck but that he should be OK to run at Atlanta Motor Speedway in two weeks.

Spencer Boyd says he dislocated his shoulder and will go get x-rays following his last-lap wreck at Las Vegas. Says he should be good for Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/6yxTHM0RSC

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 5, 2022

Boyd finished the Las Vegas race in 28th place. He scored an 11th-place result to open the season last month at Daytona International Speedway.

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Staff Report

The teams of Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick were among five teams that had a crew member ejected and lost pit selection for failing pre-qualifying inspection multiple times ahead of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford of Harvick, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Elliott, the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford of Harrison Burton, the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford of Todd Gilliland and the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet of Josh Bilicki were the five teams with inspection infractions.

Car chiefs Robert Smith (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford), Matt Barndt (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet), Cody Sauls (No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford), Tony Manzer (No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford) and engineer Nicholas Sowa (No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet) were the crew members ejected.

Cup cars will be on track for practice at 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at the 1.5-mile track ahead of group qualifying at 2:15 p.m. ET.

Posted on March 4, 2022March 1, 2023 by Holly Cain

LAS VEGAS – Nineteen-year-old Chandler Smith took the lead with two laps remaining and held off 2021 championship contender Zane Smith and the winningest driver in NASCAR national series history, his team owner Kyle Busch, to win the Victoria’s Voice 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

It was a deservedly dramatic ending for a hugely competitive race at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas track — marking the ninth consecutive Truck Series race won by a driver 23 years of age or younger. Smith’s 0.289-second win over Zane Smith was his first of the season and third of his career and good enough to propel him to the championship points lead.

Zane Smith, however, was later disqualified for violating section 14.16.1-1-4 in the NASCAR rule book by using lug nuts that did not conform to NASCAR’s specifications. Despite crossing the line second, the No. 38 truck was relegated to a 36th-place finish and collected one point from the event.

After snatching second on the final restart with three laps to go, Chandler Smith powered past Zane Smith with a fierce crossover on the final trip down the backstretch to win on Friday night.

The move for the win came after a restart with three laps remaining. Chandler Smith, of Talking Rock, Georgia, got around his team owner Busch, then pulled alongside Zane Smith at the finish line with one lap to go and finally drove out front for the final of the 134 laps to take the win.

“When you guys tune into me halfway through the race, ‘how did he get up there?”’ Chandler Smith said motioning toward the sky. “It’s the good Lord man, he performs miracles all day. He’s given me this talent, this opportunity to drive this truck for Kyle Busch Motorsports and for (sponsor) Safelite.

“I’m just beyond thankful for this whole opportunity. All the glory goes to Him, my guys, my wife, all the guys part of this deal. I’m just super thankful right now.”

There were five different leaders in the final furious 11 laps that included a caution for Christian Eckes, who was tagged from behind by Busch while leading the race with eight laps remaining. The final restart produced a wild — sometimes three-wide — contest to the checkered.

Behind Smith, who led a race-best 32 laps, Busch, Stewart Friesen, Ryan Preece and Tanner Gray officially rounded out the top five. Preece, making only his third Truck Series start, was leading when the final caution flag came out but was penalized five positions for not maintaining speed behind the pace car.

Matt DiBenedetto, Matt Crafton, Bret Holmes, Austin Wayne Self and Ty Majeski rounded out the top 10.

The final restart wasn’t without late dramatics. With two laps to go, Derek Kraus made contact with John Hunter Nemechek and Grant Enfinger, sending Kraus’ No. 19 truck sliding toward the inside wall. Kraus steered out of it with a save, but the chaos didn’t end there.

Behind the leaders on the final lap, Enfinger cut a right-front tire and went into the outside wall before his truck briefly caught fire. Not far behind was Nemechek, who spun entering Turn 3 because of a flat left-rear tire and was hit hard in the front end by Jordan Anderson, who had nowhere to go. Also involved was Spencer Boyd, whose truck was unable to cross the start/finish line. Boyd was transported to a local hospital after reportedly dislocating his shoulder.

Defending series champion Ben Rhodes won Stage 1 and Stage 2 and led nine laps on the night, but a collision with his ThorSport Racing teammate Majeski with 30 laps remaining badly damaged his No. 99 ThorSport Toyota, eliminating him from competition. Instead of contending for the win, the race favorite took his first DNF since the 2020 Daytona season-opener.

“I can’t speak to what happened with my teammate there, I’m just going to try to stay positive,’’ said Rhodes, who was credited with a 31st-place finish. “Can’t imagine my teammate trying to wreck me.”

“Just a bummer,’’ he added.

Sentimental favorite, Todd Bodine, a two-time series champion who last raced in 2013, finished 21st in the first of his six scheduled starts for 2022 in an effort to reach 800 NASCAR national series starts.

Bodine had an eventful night in the No. 62 Toyota, including two pit-road speeding penalties, a penalty to his crew for being over the wall too soon and even surviving a pair of on-track incidents to finish on the lead lap.

Making his 500th career start Friday was Crafton, who was involved in a multi-truck crash near the end of Stage 1. Following the first restart of the night, Colby Howard was clipped in the left rear by Zane Smith, sending Howard’s No. 91 truck into Crafton’s door. Despite the damage, Crafton was able to rebound for an seventh-place finish.

The Camping World Truck Series returns to action March 19 in the Fr8Auctions 200 (2:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Note: Post-race inspection confirmed Chandler Smith’s No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota as the winner. Zane Smith’s No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford was disqualified after it was found to have lug nuts that did not conform to NASCAR rule specifications.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Terrin Waack

Chip Swanson smiled.

As he embraced his son’s surprise arrival Sunday at Daytona International Speedway on the start-finish line. As he danced with his daughter in the VIP section of Luke Combs’ pre-race infield concert. As he met Hendrick Motorsports champion driver Kyle Larson and team owner Rick Hendrick with his wife on the starting grid. As he watched Cup Series rookie Austin Cindric win the 2022 season opener from inside the Daytona 500 Club.

The 67-year-old did what most people take for granted.

“With Parkinson’s, I don’t smile a lot typically,” Swanson told NASCAR.com. “And everybody kept saying how much I was constantly smiling. That was very rewarding for my family to see. See me happy and not crying happy. I was smiling and taking it in. I’m still not quite sure why I deserved all the fuss, but I’ll take it. I can’t thank everybody enough for what a wonderful experience it was for me.”

On Jan. 16, Swanson’s 32-year-old daughter, Mikaela Kostaras, posted a TikTok video asking for help. She wanted to get her father, a lifelong fan of the sport, to the Daytona 500, and the only tickets remaining were general admission. Grandstand access and stairs would be too difficult, and she explained why in the short video.

Swanson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease a little more than a year ago. Before that, he had already undergone two brain surgeries that affected his eyesight and equilibrium. He has not had the ability to taste or smell in a decade.

NASCAR responded and provided the family with the ultimate Daytona 500 experience on Feb. 20.

“Honestly, it’s been a few days after and it still doesn’t really feel real, but like all that happened,” Kostaras said. “My dad’s never been the person that like wants attention. He always does things for me, for my mom, for my brother. And he’s so selfless. So, to be able to give this gift to him was incredibly special as a daughter.”

Swanson felt like a rock star. Kostaras called him one.

The father-daughter duo was joined by Swanson’s wife and Kostaras’ mother, Karen. They all live in Phoenix, but were in Daytona Beach, Florida, for all of Speedweeks, arriving Monday and leaving the next Tuesday. Swanson’s son, Jeff, and his wife, Kelly, came into the picture Sunday, race-day morning. Everyone but Swanson knew about their long-awaited visit ahead of time.

Swanson and Jeff, who works customs and border protection in Puerto Rico, used to attend NASCAR events at Phoenix Raceway together for at least 15 years. They’ve also been to Auto Club Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, just not nearly as often. They were actually at the 2006 Daytona 500, too — about a month after Swanson’s first surgery. Those tickets were a Christmas present.

“You could probably hear it when he talks that he never complains, which is really admirable,” Kostaras said. “Because I would have been a horrible person if that would have happened to me. I would have probably complained a lot.”

Said Swanson: “Well, I just accept it for is it is and do what I need to do to try and be better the next day than I was today.”

In order to ensure that, Swanson maintains his strength and health through regular exercise classes, where his competitive instincts kick in to be the best and push his peers. He admitted to taking off the Wednesday after travel — “They kept me moving, I got my exercise.” — but returned Thursday, wearing his brand-new Daytona 500 hat.

That prompted a soft smile. Of course he had to show off the swag. It was visible proof of the full week of activity he just had.

“Parkinson’s doesn’t end your life,” Swanson said. “You get to keep going. You just got to deal with it. And I hope people understand that it’s not a death sentence. Sometimes people look at me like I’m weird, you know? And it’s like I’m the same old guy. Yeah, there’s some things I can’t do as good as I used to be able to, but I’m still out there doing it and I’m doing it as best I can, so I hope people get out of it that Parkinson’s isn’t the end-all situation. You do can wonderful things like go to Daytona and enjoy it. Have fun.”

Posted on March 4, 2022March 4, 2022 by Tadd Haislop

One does not need to look hard to understand why Joey Coulter finds himself infatuated with Modified stock car racing.

Maybe it’s because he won his first race driving one of the machines known as ground pounders, an accomplishment the 31-year-old added to his resume in 2020 at South Carolina’s Florence Motor Speedway.

Or maybe it’s the simple-yet-intoxicating joy of wheeling one of these beasts.

“It’s like racing a fighter jet,” Coulter explained to NASCAR.com. “They respond so quickly because they have all of that raw and mechanical grip. You’re sitting right on top of the earth. No bump stops, and 15 inches of tire. It’s just raw grip. And then the power.”

Joey Coulter (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

Regardless of his reasoning, on the heels of his participation in last month’s World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway, Coulter is hooked. This tends to happen to anybody — drivers and spectators alike — who is new to Modified racing.

And Coulter is indeed still new to this. The 2022 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season-opener at New Smyrna marked the Miami Springs, Florida, native’s third race in a Modified and only his fourth time driving one.

A kill switch issue doomed Coulter in the Tour race and led to a 25th-place finish to open the World Series. He then finished 30th in the Modified feature the following Monday.

The rest of Coulter’s World Series time at New Smyrna, though, featured nothing but top-10 finishes. He took ninth in the Tuesday Modified feature, fourth in the John Blewett Memorial on Wednesday, sixth in Thursday’s Modified feature and fifth in the Richie Evans Memorial on Friday.

“We crammed the experience of a season into five days,” Coulter said with a laugh. “There were a ton of ups and downs, which is to be expected with any kind of new venture. Started off on the wrong foot, but once we got racing, things started getting together. Our race pace was excellent.

“That allowed us the rest of the week to just find that raw speed.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Joey Coulter (@joeycoulter_2)

Raw speed, of course, is synonymous with Modified racing. It’s why Coulter didn’t hesitate to oblige when Randy Renfrow in 2020 called and asked whether Coulter would race his newly configured Modified in a Southern Modified Auto Racing Tour (SMART) race.

“I’ve always wanted to drive one of those cars,” Coulter recalled thinking.

He noted how his entrance to the world of Modified racing was “basically an accident,” but the success made it feel like fate. In his first race, Coulter set the track record in qualifying at Florence before winning the main event that evening. He raced Renfrow’s Modified again in 2021 at North Carolina’s Caraway Speedway and finished third despite a chance to win.

Without that success — and the amusement that came with it — Coulter and longtime crew chief Harold Holly might not have gotten back into pavement racing with a Modified.

Holly was Coulter’s crew chief when they competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2011-14. The pair also worked together when Coulter raced in the ARCA Menards Series from 2009-12. But a detour to dirt racing with Coulter’s Rum Runner Racing operation had kept them away from asphalt. Modifieds brought them back.

Cars in action during the New Smyrna Visitors Bureau 200 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on Night 2 of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway on Feb. 12, 2022. (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

Coulter said he didn’t set expectations for his week at New Smyrna, where, as a Florida native he had raced in the World Series twice before — in a Pro Truck in 2006 and in a Super Late Model in 2013 — but not recently.

“Let’s go knock out a solid week; run as many laps as we can run,” Coulter said of his mindset. “That should always be priority No. 1.”

So ending the week with a four-night streak of top-10 finishes was a welcome outcome that creates momentum for Coulter Motorsports’ young Modified program.

Coulter plans to compete in five to seven more Whelen Modified Tour races in 2022. He said he has both the New Hampshire race (July 16) and the event at Thompson Speedway (Aug. 17) circled. He also will run some SMART races, but his schedule beyond those events is up in the air. This is a result of a move from Texas back to Florida and life with two young daughters.

The only certainty when it comes to Coulter’s racing world in the near future is he will continue to run Modifieds. He will take what he learned at New Smyrna — specifically, the Mod’s sudden tire drop-off after the car has been pushed to the limit for a couple dozen laps — and apply those lessons to his future entries.

He’ll look for more wins. And he’ll keep experiencing this simple-yet-intoxicating joy.

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Dustin Albino

It all started with a tweet from Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis. Soon, there was a rallying cry to get longtime veteran and fan favorite Todd Bodine to 800 starts across NASCAR’s three national series.

One night at dinner during the spring of 2019, Bodine, 58, recalled a friend reminding him that he was closing in on 800 NASCAR starts. At that time, it had been nearly two years since he strapped behind the wheel of a race car, making his last start in the Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2017.

Despite missing the competitive side of racing, Bodine was enjoying his analyst role at FOX Sports — but there was something missing.

“It’s all I’ve ever done since I was 16 years old, was go to the race track on the weekend in some capacity,” Bodine told NASCAR.com on Thursday. “It was really tough not going to the races.”

Bodine thought more and more about reaching 800 starts, something just 26 previous drivers in the history of NASCAR had accomplished. Hitting that mark would be an achievement in itself, completing his NASCAR journey after starting his career 36 years ago.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Bodine didn’t actively pursue a ride to reach 800.

Until out of the blue, Lemonis tweeted to Bodine’s fans to give him 800 reasons why he should rekindle his sponsorship of the two-time Truck Series champion.

Bodine’s fans came through, responding to Lemonis’ call with “thousands” of reasons.

MORE: Todd Bodine set for six CWTS starts in 2022 | Truck Series news

“It makes us all realize how much he pays attention to the series and the guys that have helped build it,” Bodine said of Lemonis. “For him to step up and do this for us was pretty special.”

Fellow series driver Stewart Friesen was the first person to reach out to Bodine to ask if Lemonis’ tweet was accurate. Given Lemonis tweeted it out, Bodine thought so but wasn’t certain.

Friesen was interested because Chris Larsen, CEO of Halmar International and Friesen’s partner in Halmar Friesen Racing, wanted to run a partial schedule with a second truck during the 2022 season. The criteria for the second truck was to find someone with experience.

Bodine fit the mold perfectly.

“We texted back and forth and Chris was all in on it,” Bodine said, “so here we are.”

Bodine will make his first of six starts in the No. 62 Toyota on Friday evening at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He will compete next at Darlington Raceway on Mother’s Day weekend before getting in the truck at Texas Motor Speedway in late May. His final three races will come at Sonoma Raceway – he’s one of the few drivers in the field with experience at Sonoma, which the Truck Series returns to this year for the first time since 1998 – Nashville Superspeedway and Pocono Raceway.

MORE: Full Las Vegas schedule

The series competes 23 times throughout the 2022 season, and Bodine’s boss at FOX Sports gave him nine potential races that he could compete in. From there, the 2006 and 2010 champ narrowed it down to the six he most wanted where his friends, family and fans could celebrate.

“The first criteria for picking the races was: which ones can we have the most fun after the race,” Bodine states. “I want to go out and I want to win and do well, but we’re going to have fun. This is the last hurrah, this is the retirement tour. We’re going to have fun.”

Bodine said when he flew into Las Vegas on Thursday, he had 40 friends from around the country showing up with him for moral support, looking to have a good time.

Once Bodine straps in for practice and qualifying on Friday, it will be time to get serious. He hasn’t competed in a truck race since 2013; his last start at Las Vegas came in 2012. But he does enter the weekend riding a streak of four consecutive top-five efforts in Sin City, with an additional top 10 coming in 2008. He also won there in 2005.

His goal for the race: methodically make his way through the field and hope to be in contention come the end of the 200-mile event.

“The start of the first stage, just feel it out and get used to racing with these kids,” Bodine said. “The second stage, hopefully get up in the top 10 and put ourselves in a position for the end. We’re here to win, don’t get us wrong, we’re not riding around in the back. Realistically, a top five would be a win. I’m not crazy; I understand the position I’m put in.”

Though Pocono is four months away, Bodine can’t fathom the emotional roller coaster his next six starts will be. After his final NASCAR start, he’s hoping to run Trans-Am and vintage car races.

And while he never won a Cup Series race in 241 starts – which to this day he calls his biggest disappointment in NASCAR – Bodine is a 22-time winner in the Truck Series, with another 15 checkered flags coming in the Xfinity Series.

Whether or not there are more trophies added to the collection, he’s just going to live in the moment.

“I think there’s going to be a certain amount of happiness, celebration about it,” Bodine said of his retirement tour. “At the same time, it’s going to be sad that it’s definitely over.

“That’s going to be the end of professional racing.”

2022 Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (⏰ 3:30 p.m. ET | 📺 FOX | 📻 PRN, SiriusXM)