Posted on by NASCAR Official Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. and CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Beginning Thursday on NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports and NASCAR Productions bring fans the latest edition of the three-time Sports Emmy Award-winning short-form documentary series, “Beyond the Wheel.”

The three-part short film series takes viewers inside the sport’s most compelling stories and pivotal moments through the eyes of influential NASCAR legends and characters – both past and present.

The first film, titled “Vintage to Vogue,” dives into the evolution of NASCAR fashion from mere appeal to an iconic statement. It premieres Thursday during NASCAR Race Hub on FS1 at 6 p.m. ET.

RELATED: NASCAR on TV this week

The following documentaries comprise the sixth season of “Beyond the Wheel:”

“Vintage to Vogue” – Host Quincy takes viewers on a journey through NASCAR style, showing how NASCAR fashion has moved beyond mere appeal to become an iconic statement, from gearheads to fashionistas. The film illustrates how NASCAR touches all areas of the style industry from shoe customizations to branded apparel.

“Evolution – Stock Car to Racecar” – The film tells the 75-year history of NASCAR, told through the evolution of its most important asset. It highlights the numerous changes and groundbreaking advancements the NASCAR Cup Series vehicle has undergone over the last 75 years, shining the spotlight on all seven generations of the NASCAR race car. The NASCAR race cars in the 1950s and ’60s were truly stock cars. “Evolution – Stock Car to Racecar” journeys viewers through the years to show how the earliest forms of race cars evolved into the sophisticated, ultra-safe Next Gen car.

“Beating the Odds – The Ernie Irvan Story” – Ernie Irvan overcame adversity in his career to find success in NASCAR. From starting his career as a California outsider in a traditionally southern sport to almost losing his life in a crash at Michigan, Irvan’s perseverance is truly inspirational. “Beating the Odds” displays how a never-give-up attitude and a naturally talented race-car driver can tackle all obstacles and win at the sport’s highest level.

“Evolution – Stock Car to Racecar” premieres June 30, followed by “Beating the Odds – The Ernie Irvan Story” July 7. Both will air at 6 p.m. ET on FS1’s NASCAR Race Hub simultaneously live streaming on the FOX Sports App.

Emmy-nominated NASCAR Race Hub is averaging 131,000 viewers, up  more than 32% over 2021 (99,000). It continues on FS1 through the remainder of the 2022 NASCAR season.

Posted on by Cameron Richardson

Austin Dillon is no stranger to living in the fast lane. The adage takes on a new meaning for the driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, however, as Dillon will add “reality TV star” to his resume.

Premiering Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, “Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane,” will follow the 2018 Daytona 500 champion, alongside his wife, Whitney, and their two-year-old son, Ace.

“You should expect a lot of laughs,” Whitney said. “We are a really funny crew.”

RELATED: Austin Dillon’s career through the years

This isn’t the first trek for Whitney on reality TV as she starred on CMT’s “Racing Wives.”

However, this is Austin’s debut, and while the 32-year-old is excited for the show to air, he said nerves will play a role.

“I’m definitely nervous,” Austin said. “I don’t like watching myself do anything. I barely re-watch my races. But I think it’ll be good. Everyone else will be pumped.”

Co-starring with the Dillons will be their best friends, Paul and Mariel Swan.

Paul serves as a tire carrier for the No. 3 team and was a former middle linebacker at Bowling Green University. Before joining RCR, Dillon said Paul knew nothing about NASCAR prior to them meeting.

“He came to a combine and worked his way up to being on the No. 3 team,” Austin said. “It all worked out and now we’re married with kids.”

Whitney and Mariel were both cheerleaders in Tennessee and became best friends from there. Both Whitney and Austin agreed that the way they all came to know each other, even though they were from different places, was special.

The biggest point of contention between the Dillons was about who the star of the show will be.

For Whitney, she said the answer was simple.

“Ace is going to be the star,” Whitney said. “He’s just so cute and this little thing running around. He just makes people smile. It’s what our world needs.”

Austin said he’s deferring the star power over to his counterparts but gave the nod to Paul.

“It’s going to be between Paul, Mariel and Whitney,” Austin said. “Ace will be the cuddliest for sure. But Paul will be fighting for that title because he’s going to give you the most laughs and energy.”

Regardless of how the show plays out, Austin said he understands the reach the show could have and hopes to grow the sport through this venture.

“There’s a lot of people that don’t know about NASCAR and what we go through just getting to the track,” Austin said. “I just hope we bring new eyeballs to our sport.”

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

This Saturday, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour rolls back into New York’s Riverhead Raceway for the running of the Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200.

Saturday night’s race marks the second time this season the Tour has visited the quarter-mile oval, and the event doubles as the eighth race on the schedule for Tour competitors.

This will be the 69th Riverhead race in Tour history, with Doug Coby winning three of the last four events at the popular Long Island facility. Coby is also the most recent winner at Riverhead after capturing the Miller Lite 200 on May 14, 2022.

Coby is one of seven competitors entered in Saturday’s race who have won in Tour competition at Riverhead, but he is not the winningest active driver at the track with the series. That honor belongs to Justin Bonsignore, who has eight victories at Riverhead. The winningest driver in Tour history at the track is Mike Ewanitsko, who won 11 races in 35 Tour starts at Riverhead.

Other drivers on the entry list with Tour triumphs at Riverhead include Patrick Emerling, Donny Lia, Timmy Solomito, Eric Goodale and Jimmy Blewett.

Emerling is the most recent driver not named Coby to win at Riverhead. He picked up a win, his most recent in Tour competition, last September.

Below is everything you need to know about Saturday’s Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200 at Riverhead Raceway.

Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200 at Riverhead Raceway

What to watch for:

2018 Main Header FinalWhat started as a one-off deal to drive Tommy Baldwin Jr.’s No. 7NY at Riverhead Raceway earlier this year has turned into a regular arrangement for Coby, who returns to Riverhead aboard Baldwin’s Modified.

He will attempt to win his third race of the season and his fourth in five starts on Saturday night, but he will have plenty of competition looking to stop him.

One of those looking to upend Coby will be Ron Silk, the current NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship leader. Silk has yet to win this season, but his consistent approach has kept him at the top of the Tour standings through seven races. He has never won at Riverhead, but now could be as good a time as any for Silk to kick down the door to Victory Lane at the Long Island race track.

Coby will have a teammate again this week at Riverhead, as Jimmy Blewett is slated to make his Tour return in the No. 1NY for Baldwin. He was initially scheduled to return last week at New Hampshire’s Monadnock Speedway, but when the race was pushed to Sunday by bad weather, Blewett was unavailable for the Sunday rain date.

Bonsignore will attempt to win his second straight race with the Tour after a controversial victory last weekend at New Hampshire’s Monadnock Speedway. He finished 25th at Riverhead in May.

As is typically the case at Riverhead, several local drivers are also entered and should be considered serious threats to win. They include Dylan Slepian, John Baker, Kyle Soper and John Beatty Jr., all of whom finished in the top 10 when the Tour last visited Riverhead in May.

Solomito, who was the only driver not named Coby to lead laps in May at Riverhead, will attempt to earn his first Tour win since 2017 Saturday evening. Of his nine Tour wins, three have come at Riverhead.

RELATED: Watch the Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200 on FloRacing

Two-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Donny Lia is slated to make his second start of the season in the Boehler Racing Enterprises No. 3. Lia has four Tour wins at Riverhead, including three of his first four Tour victories from 2003-05.

Eddie Brunnhoelzl, the cousin of four-time NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion George Brunnhoelzl III, is scheduled to make his first Tour start since the 2015. His only two previous Tour starts both came at Riverhead.

Tyler Rypkema, who led the most laps in his last Tour start earlier this year at Pennsylvania’s Jennerstown Speedway, has also filed an entry for the Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200. He hasn’t finished worse than fifth in his three Tour starts this year.

Other Tour regulars expected to compete include rookie contender Austin Beers, Richmond Raceway runner-up Tommy Catalano, Jon McKennedy, 2014 Riverhead winner Eric Goodale and Craig Lutz, to name a few.

The complete entry list for the Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200 is available here

Cars race during the Miller Lite 200 for the Whelen Modified Tour at Riverhead Raceway on September 18, 2021 in Riverhead, New York. (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
Cars race during the Miller Lite 200 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at New York’s Riverhead Raceway on September 18, 2021. (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

RACE FACTS

Race Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200
Date Saturday, June 25, 2022
Track Riverhead Raceway
Layout Quarter-mile paved oval
Location Riverhead, New York
Start time 8 p.m. ET
Laps 200
Posted awards $83,763
TV channel USA (Delayed: Sunday, July 3, 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 Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200 is limited to 28 starters including Provisional Positions.

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 Dustin Albino

Late last fall, Stefan Parsons was announced as the full-time driver of the No. 99 car for BJ McLeod Motorsports in the Xfinity Series for the 2022 season. Just over a half year later, he found himself in a familiar position: Not running the entire schedule.

With a stout Xfinity field, Parsons failed to qualify for the 2022 season opener at Daytona International Speedway. After that, he showed flashes of speed, but the results were hard to come by. It was a frustrating start to the campaign despite seeing internal improvements within the team.

“BJ [McLeod, team owner] has put a lot into the Xfinity Series and a lot into his team to try to be better,” Parsons said recently. “This stuff is hard, and we’ve certainly been trying our best to get there. Everybody else has stepped up their game, too.”

In Parsons’ first race of the season at Auto Club Speedway, he was involved in a late-race incident with Sheldon Creed, who ironically is married to Parsons’ sister, Cami. While running in the back half of the top 20 the next week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he got caught up in another multi-car incident.

The results started to turn for Parsons at Phoenix Raceway, earning a 21st-place finish. He backed that up at Circuit of The Americas with another 21st. And at Martinsville Speedway in early April, the No. 99 team made a strategy call to get Parsons the lead for the first time in his career.

“For the majority of races, we’ve had speed, Parsons said, “and the stuff that’s happened to us hasn’t been self-inflicted.”

While Parsons was beginning to see positive finishes, BJMM’s Nos. 5 and 78 teams struggled. Josh Williams, a popular underdog, failed to qualify for three of the opening eight races. Matt Mills, the primary driver of the No. 5 car, has an average finish of 28.2 in 10 starts this season. With the struggles, McLeod knew something needed to be done. So he opted to scale back to just two full-time teams, running the No. 99 sparingly for the remainder of the season.

“It just felt like with the competitiveness of the series and some of the things we’ve had happen – I hate to say luck, but we’ve had some bad luck – I felt like it was better to go back to two full-time and run a third when we need to and see if it didn’t help the product on track for the rest of the year,” McLeod said.

Though it appeared Parsons would be the odd-man out, he had kept his name circling the garage and spoke with Tommy Joe Martins around Martinsville in early April. Knowing the No. 99 team was scaling back, another opportunity arose for Parsons when he announced he was joining Alpha Prime Racing for approximately 12 races total in 2022.

RELATED: 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule

“The opportunity with Tommy Joe came up and it was an opportunity that was hard to pass up,” Parsons said of joining Alpha Prime. “I just felt like it was the right thing to do at the right time. “Thankfully, I still have some races with the 99 crew because this team is really like family to me, and we have some work to do.”

Parsons added the McLeods have treated him like family, which made the decision to move teams that much harder. BJMM gave him his first shot in the Xfinity Series in 2019. Back then, Parsons worked at the race shop and traveled as a mechanic to the races. If an opportunity to race came up, perfect.

Since then, Parsons has been embedded with BJMM. McLeod believes shipping him off to Alpha Prime could be a big career swing for the 24-year-old.

Meg Oliphant | Getty Images

“I don’t look at it as a loss to Alpha Prime, but I feel like we’re helping Stefan and letting him explore other opportunities,” McLeod stated. “I’m still going to be there to help Stefan anytime he needs it and believe in his ability to be successful in this sport. The raw speed the kid has is what you need to be able to make it and work your way up the ladder.”

Now three starts into the pairing, Parsons has earned his best finish of the season at Texas Motor Speedway, placing 17th. And at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the No. 45 team had a solid run going but was in the middle of a five-car pileup during the Final Stage.

Alpha Prime team owners Martins and Caesar Bacarella, both formerly competing for BJMM, are thrilled to have Parsons on board.

“The kid has a lot of talent, you’ve seen what he’s done in BJ’s equipment,” Caesar Bacarella, co-owner of Alpha Prime Racing, said. “He’s good, just has to keep his head on his shoulders a little bit. I think he’s going to shine now.”

MORE: Alpha Prime Racing focused on future

For Parsons, it’s a full-circle moment to drive for Martins, as he “basically begged” Martins to run one of his trucks in 2017 at Martinsville. At that time, he had zero NASCAR national series experience.

Parsons will return to BJMM to run three races this season: Pocono Raceway, the Charlotte ROVAL and Martinsville. But his goal has shifted to being a top-15 threat on a weekly basis with Alpha Prime.

“I like the vision that Tommy Joe and Caesar have for their program and where they want to take it,” Parsons said. “I would certainly like to be a part of that. I certainly have high expectations for Alpha Prime and feel like we can go have some good runs.”

Parsons will make his fourth start with Alpha Prime at Nashville Superspeedway this weekend in the Tennesee Lottery 250 (Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

Tommy Baldwin Jr. remembers exactly when he fell in love with Modified racing.

A teenager at the time, the younger Baldwin was traveling with his father Tom Baldwin Sr. to a race at North Carolina’s Hickory Motor Speedway.

Age restrictions sometimes prevented young teenagers from entering the pit area. That wasn’t the case this time at Hickory, which meant the younger Baldwin was able to get a first-hand look at what Modified racing was all about.

“Back then you weren’t allowed in the pits until you were 16 or 18 in certain states,” Baldwin said. “We went down to, believe it or not, Hickory, North Carolina, to run a NASCAR race. It wasn’t a Tour race; back then it was 100 races a year for points. I was allowed in the pits, and that’s really when I got the bug.

“I still remember it to this day. That was kind of the turning point on me getting hooked.”

Fast-forward to 2022, and Baldwin remains infatuated with Modified racing.

His No. 7NY Modified has quickly become a fixture in Victory Lane with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour this year, with Doug Coby and Mike Christopher Jr. both earning victories in Baldwin’s equipment.

It’s just a continuation of the success Baldwin enjoyed on the Tour before he eventually moved on to the NASCAR Cup Series.

“People forget that the year I left (the Tour), Steve Park and I won seven out the last 13 races and just missed the championship by three points over Tony Hirschman Sr.,” Baldwin recalled, referencing the 1995 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season. “I keep telling everybody I’ve got over 20 Tour wins in my career, but I was gone for 20-something years, so it’s kind of hard for everybody to remember.

“It’s a great, great series. It’s so competitive. It’s no different than the Cup level as far as the competition goes.”

Doug Coby, driver of the #7 John Blewitt Inc during the Miller Lite 200 for the Whelen Modified Tour at Riverhead Raceway on May 14, 2022 in Riverhead, New York. (Mike Lawrence/NASCAR)
Doug Coby, driver of the No. 7 Tommy Baldwin Racing Modified, during the Miller Lite 200 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Riverhead Raceway on May 14, 2022. (Photo: Mike Lawrence/NASCAR)

After making a name for himself on the Tour as a crew chief, Baldwin eventually made it to the NASCAR Cup Series. He spent more than 20 years at NASCAR’s top level, where he won five races as a crew chief with drivers Ward Burton and Kasey Kahne.

Included in those victories were triumphs in the 2001 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway and the 2002 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, both with Burton.

He eventually entered the ownership ranks in the NASCAR Cup Series, fielding his own entries for a variety of drivers including Michael McDowell, Geoffrey Bodine, Dave Blaney, Danica Patrick, David Reutimann, Michael Annett and J.J. Yeley, among others.

Success in the NASCAR Cup Series was limited for Baldwin, whose operation managed a best finish of third on two occasions.

Once Baldwin decided to walk away from the NASCAR Cup Series, he felt it was natural that he return to his family roots in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

“I wanted to keep racing. I didn’t want to stop racing altogether,” Baldwin said. “I just wanted to go have some fun. I didn’t really pay attention much (to the Tour). It was a 22-, 23-year span of racing Modifieds. So I really I didn’t really pay attention that much except for when my dad was racing.

“I got the bug again with these things, and now I’m full bore.”

As is the case for so many others, Modified racing is a family tradition for the Baldwins.

The late Tom Baldwin Sr., known by many as “Tiger Tom,” was a fixture in the Modified division. Before the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was created in 1985, Baldwin raced Modifieds up and down the East Coast in pursuit of championship points in what was then known as the NASCAR Modified Division.

He would go on to win six NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events, with his last victory coming in 1996 at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway. He continued to race with the Tour until his death in 2004 following a crash at another Connecticut track, Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.

Tom Baldwin Sr. competes in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Pennsylvania's Nazareth Speedway on May 23, 2004. (Photo: NASCAR)
Tom Baldwin Sr. competes in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Nazareth Speedway.

To this day, the Modifieds fielded by the younger Baldwin carry the No. 7NY, the same number carried by his father for so many years.

“My dad built the base for all of this,” Baldwin said. “He instilled the work ethic in me. It’s my responsibility to, eventually, instill that in my kids to keep this going.”

Baldwin looks at the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour as NASCAR’s working-class series, where drivers and team owners who work nine-to-five jobs can go racing against the best Modified competitors in the country.

He thinks that is why there are so many familiar names and race cars competing with the Tour each season, including his own.

“You’ve got to consider the NASCAR Modifieds as the working-class folk,” Baldwin said. “There are probably only two or three teams that have one guy full-time on it. All the car owners and crew members, they have real jobs, and they sacrifice a lot of time to come to these races and race.

“You grow up working on the car in your family’s garage or family shop, and that shop and that business and that garage stay with you your whole life. As your kids get older, they take over, and as their kids get older, they take over from them. It turns out into a long history of cars and car numbers and people.”

So what does the future hold for the Baldwin family and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour? That’s a great question.

For now, Baldwin will continue to field his own No. 7NY Modified for a variety of drivers. However, two of Baldwin’s children are currently dipping their toes in the racing world competing in Legend Cars during Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“We’re having fun with that, getting them acclimated and doing some racing,” Baldwin said of his two youngest sons, Jack, 18, and Luke, 15. “They’re learning how to drive those cars. They’re really hard to drive. The next step would be getting them into a Crate Modified or an SK Modified.

“I don’t know about going any further, but we’re having fun with that. We’ll see where they progress.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200

Riverhead Raceway

2018 Main Header Final

  • Entry list
Car No. Driver Car owner Crew Chief Chassis Mfg Sponsor
01 Melissa Fifield Kenneth Fifield Jake Marosz FURY Race Cars Pine Knoll Auto Sales
3 Donny Lia Jan Boehler Greg Fournier Boehler Racing Propane Plus – Huntington Honda
5 John Beatty Jr. Mark Mina Gregory Smith Troyer Elite Sound Studios
7 Doug Coby Tommy Baldwin Tommy Baldwin Troyer TBA
15 Kyle Soper Wayne Anderson Tom Soper Troyer Eastport Foods
16 Ron Silk Tyler Haydt Philip Moran FURY Race Cars Blue Mountain Machine and Future Homes
18 Ken Heagy Robert Pollifrone Greg Gorman FURY Race Cars Buoy One Seafood Market and Restaurant
22 Kyle Bonsignore Kyle Bonsignore Cam McDermott FURY Race Cars Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto
26 Eddie Brunnhoelzl Sean McDonald Chad McDonald Troyer Lakeland Landscape Supply
32 Tyler Rypkema Dean Rypkema Zach Truesdail FURY Race Cars Northeast Drilling / MUSCO Lighting
34 J.B. Fortin Nicole Fortin Kenneth Lechner FURY Race Cars Red Camel Racing, Johns Fuel, John Tree Removal, Golden Jalapenos
36 David Sapienza Judy Thilberg Tommy Grasso LFR Sapienza Enterprises
49 Chris Young Chris Young TBA LFR J&H Homestead
51 Justin Bonsignore Kenneth Massa Ryan Stone FURY Race Cars Phoenix Communications, Inc.
54 Tommy Catalano David Catalano David Catalano FURY Race Cars FX Caprara
58 Eric Goodale Edgar Goodale Jason Shepphard FURY Race Cars GAF Roofing
64 Austin Beers Mike Murphy Ron Yuhas Jr LFR Dell Electric, Lumiere Electrical, Andrew James Interiors, AP Marquadt & Sons
66 Timmy Solomito Jerry Solomito TBA LFR Natural Designs, Highmark
71 James Pritchard Jr. James Pritchard Joseph Pritchard FURY Race Cars Freeway Automotive & Tire Pros / Wicklow & Lauroma Landscaping
78 Walter Sutcliffe Jr. Steven Sutcliffe Kevin Anderson Troyer Last Minute Racing
79 Jon McKennedy Tim Lepine Dale Hedquist LFR Middlesex Interiors
81 Chris Turbush Patrick Kennedy TBA Troyer Mike Smith
82 Craig Lutz Danny Watts, Jr. Scott Tocci LFR Danny’s Cesspool Pool Service
96 Matthew Brode Howie Brode TBA Troyer Peter Clark Motorsports
170 Dylan Slepian Rob Pelis Brian Magee Chevrolet Eastport Feeds
188 Roger Turbush Patrick Kennedy Jarrod Hayes FURY Race Cars Rheem
Posted on by Staff Report

Derrell Edwards, jackman for the No. 11 Toyota driven by Denny Hamlin, signed an extension with Joe Gibbs Racing, the team announced Tuesday.

Edwards’ extension keeps him with the organization through 2027. The sixth-year pit crew member joined JGR at the start of the 2021 season as a member of Christopher Bell’s No. 20 team before joining Hamlin’s crew for 2022.

RELATED: Nashville schedule | Point standings

Edwards, a graduate of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, became the program’s first member to win the Daytona 500 when Austin Dillon’s Richard Childress Racing team won the event in February 2018.

Edwards joined the Cup Series as a member of Paul Menard’s pit crew at RCR in 2017 before transitioning to the No. 3 team in 2018.

A Baltimore native, Edwards played NCAA Division I basketball at High Point University (NC) where he won a Big South Conference championship in his senior year.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

If he has his way, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson could be back behind the wheel of a Hendrick Motorsports-built vehicle next summer.

Johnson, now racing full-time in the IndyCar Series, is working to determine whether he will be able to participate in the 2023 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans as NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports, his longtime employer, plan to compete as part of Le Mans’ Garage 56 next year.

MORE: Garage 56 info

“I’m still eagerly awaiting the (IndyCar) schedule,” Johnson said in a Tuesday teleconference. “I’m pushing behind the scenes to (IndyCar President) Jay Fry and others to try to understand what the schedule might be. I want to go to Le Mans. It would be an amazing experience to go with Hendrick and Action Express and the way this whole partnership works.

“But I think so much hinges on the schedule being released to understand if I can, and from the team standpoint what drivers would be at the top of their list.”

Johnson earned each of his 83 victories and seven titles in Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 48 Chevrolet. Since 2020, the California native has competed in 20 IndyCar races along with additional starts for Action Express in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

“I’m thankful to have had a few conversations with them (Hendrick and Action Express) and I know that there’s interest,” Johnson said. “I certainly have a ton of interest to do it. We’re just waiting for that first domino to fall.

“I feel like the interest is really high on both sides. We haven’t been able to talk anything more formal because the schedule is not out.”

Hendrick and NASCAR announced their intent to compete as part of Le Man’s Garage 56 initiative in March, marking the first stock car endeavor in the world-famous event since 1976. Garage 56 was introduced in 2012 as a special single-entry class reserved for innovative cars. It allows for the testing of new technologies and fostering of creativity and innovation without taking away the spot of a car from the traditional starting grid.

Posted on by Staff Report

Hendrick Motorsports has extended its partnership with Valvoline through 2027, the team announced on Tuesday.

The new agreement is for five years and keeps Valvoline as a primary sponsor of 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson (three races) and teammate William Byron (two races), and as major associate sponsor of the team’s full stable of Chevrolet race cars.

In addition, Valvoline will remain the presenting sponsor of the annual Randy Dorton Hendrick Engine Builder Showdown, a competition that brings together Hendrick Motorsports engine builders and Hendrick Automotive Group master technicians.

Last year, Valvoline expanded its Hendrick Motorsports program to add primary sponsorship of Larson’s No. 5 and Byron’s No. 24. The five annual primary races represented an increase of three over the three previous seasons (2018-2020).

For 2022, the company has also added a sixth primary race and will be featured on the No. 24 Chevrolet for this weekend’s Cup Series event at Nashville Superspeedway (5 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“We are tremendously proud of our partnership with Valvoline,” team owner Rick Hendrick said in a release. “Because of Valvoline’s commitment to quality and innovation, we’ve enjoyed great success together both at the track and in our dealerships. Extending the relationship will allow us to continue putting the very best products in our race cars and in the vehicles of our customers across the country.”

Since 2014, Hendrick Motorsports has earned a NASCAR-best three Cup Series championships (2016, 2020 and 2021) with Valvoline products in its Chevrolet racing engines.

“The Valvoline team is thrilled to continue our partnership with Hendrick Motorsports and Hendrick Automotive Group,” said Heidi Matheys, senior vice president and chief marketing and transformation officer at Valvoline Inc. “Our decade-long relationship has driven success both on and off the track.  We look forward to driving more wins with the amazing Hendrick organization in the future.”

 

Posted on by Staff Report

There are 10 races remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season. The NASCAR Digital Media editorial team has 10 questions its staff answered. Now you can, too.

2022 NASCAR Cup Series: Full schedule | Point standings | Playoff outlook

1. Who inside the playoffs bubble most likely to drop out?

ALBERT: Aric Almirola. The SHR pilot started solidly with three top 10s in the first three Cup Series races of the year, but his spot on the bubble remains precarious. That perch will likely get the squeeze as the 2022 winner list continues to grow.

DeCOLA: Aric Almirola. We’re trending toward 16 winners and I’m not sure he’ll be one of them (though he did shock at New Hampshire just last year).

LUVENDER: Martin Truex Jr. Yes, really. While he’s got a 65-point cushion and ranks sixth in the regular-season standings, it seems the No. 19 team has lost some of its magic in 2022 and isn’t showing signs of a return. Truex has just two top-five finishes this season; by Race 16 last year, he had six top fives and three wins. The uncertainty of the 2017 champ’s future can’t help things, either.

MONTGOMERY: Unfortunately, Tyler Reddick will miss the playoffs in his third season at Richard Childress Racing. Reddick has flashed elite speed at times but struggled with consistency the entire year. Though the No. 8 team has been close at times, including two runner-up finishes, it is hard to see them regrouping down a tough stretch where other teams have already gotten a jump start on elevating their performance.

RICHARDSON: Aric Almirola will drop out of the bubble. He’s one of those drivers who is always there toward the last four of the 16 playoff drivers, but when I see names like Kevin Harvick, Tyler Reddick and Erik Jones still outside the bubble, it’s hard to see Almirola staying in front of them given the times they’ve been in contention to win races this season.

STURNIOLO: Aric Almirola. Almirola started the year so well, but his top-10 streak over the first three races feels like it was a lifetime ago. Others beneath him in points have shown more consistent speed, which makes me leery about the No. 10 team’s playoff hopes.

WINKLER: Aric Almirola has some work to do if he’s going to make the playoffs in his final season before he retires from full-time duty. Not only is he currently the closest driver to the cutline (plus seven points to the good), but he also has only two top-10 finishes since reeling off three in a row to start the season. Luckily for him, New Hampshire is coming up, and that’s where he pulled off a surprise win last season.

2. Who outside the playoff bubble is most likely to jump in?

ALBERT: Tyler Reddick. A recent rough patch – four finishes of 30th or worse in a seven-race span – has hurt the RCR driver’s place in the standings. But his tendency to run up front has kept Reddick in ticket-punching contention.

DeCOLA: Kevin Harvick. A 16-driver playoff field that doesn’t include the nine-time 2020 winner feels inconceivable. Then again, so did a playoff field without Jimmie Johnson.

LUVENDER: Kevin Harvick. It seems he’s on the verge of a breakthrough after his fall from grace in the 2020 playoffs. While he hasn’t yet won a race — or even a stage — this season, the No. 4 is getting closer as of late. Harvick’s quietly logged five top-10 finishes in the past seven races. That level of consistency is enough to claw back into playoff contention.

STURNIOLO: Tyler Reddick. Reddick’s inconsistency is concerning, particularly since he has finished 30th or worse in four of the last seven races. But the No. 8 Chevrolet still has speed that shouldn’t be overlooked. Reddick appears likely to find his way to Victory Lane sometime in the next 10 races, which would alleviate any regular-season concerns over consistency.

@NASCARCASM: Kevin Harvick will absolutely squeak his way into the playoff field. Despite the very un-Happy Harvick after the race this past weekend, he has still had three top-five finishes in the last five races, and this off weekend will give the No. 4 team the opportunity to shake off the pit-road woes from Sonoma. Having earned a playoff berth 15 times, it’s almost unfathomable to envision a postseason without Harvick. Look for the team to hit its stride as the regular season comes to an end. They call him “The Closer” for a reason … among like 38 other nicknames, but that’s like the most prominent one.

3. Will there be more than 16 winners?

DeCOLA: Think we land on exactly 16. We’ll likely see four drivers win from this group: Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, Tyler Reddick, Erik Jones, with several other notable names (Aric Almirola, Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Bubba Wallace) making for interesting wild-card possibilities. There really is a significant chance a one-time winner gets left out of the playoffs.

LUVENDER: No. By now, we’ve seen which drivers are the weekly contenders. Among the 12 winners so far this year, there have already been four repeat winners. Sure, unlikely winners like Chase Briscoe at Phoenix, Kurt Busch at Kansas and Daniel Suárez at Sonoma have already happened this year (and you could even argue Denny Hamlin in his two wins in the midst of an otherwise disastrous season), but the likelihood of the trend continuing throughout the summer seems slim.

WAACK: Why not? Bring on the chaos. It would be the first time since the elimination playoff format was implemented in 2014 that all 16 spots are filled with winners. There have been more repeat winners (four) through 16 races than last season (three), but the difference is, there have been four drivers this year to win their first career race — the most since 2011. That’s the trend I don’t see stopping anytime soon.

WINKLER: I don’t think there will be more than 16 drivers who get a win this season, but getting to 16 has a realistic chance. Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, Tyler Reddick and Martin Truex Jr. are looming with goose eggs in their respective win columns, and they will be tough outs the rest of the way. Plus, with three road courses and Daytona still left on the regular-season schedule, a surprise winner could jump into the mix.

4. Who are your Championship 4 drivers?

DeCOLA: Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Ross Chastain.

LUVENDER: That’s a tough one! I’ll go for consistency given the unpredictable nature of this season: Kyle Busch (most top 10s), Ross Chastain (most top fives), Chase Elliott (current points leader) and Joey Logano (22 in ’22, of course).

MONTGOMERY: Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin.

RICHARDSON: The Next Gen car has certainly made predicting the playoffs difficult, so I’m going to go a bit bold here with the Championship 4. As long as he limits conflict with other drivers, Ross Chastain’s consistency and speed make him a good fit to compete for a title in Phoenix. “Mr. Opportunistic” Joey Logano will pick up a win in the Round of 8 to secure a spot after doing enough to point his way through the postseason. Kyle Busch’s rollercoaster may drive people away, but when he’s mistake-free, he usually finishes inside the top five. He has been on the cusp of the Championship 4 multiple times now, but I think Alex Bowman could be competing for a title in his home state. It helps that Las Vegas is added to the Round of 8 along with Martinsville, so if Bowman is in the Round of 8, I think he’ll be racing for a title in November.

WAACK: Ross Chastain, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Alex Bowman.

5. Who is your Rookie of the Year pick?

ALBERT: Austin Cindric. The Team Penske driver was the award’s early front-runner before the season hardly got started, thanks to his opening victory in the Daytona 500. Since then, he has backed that up as the top-finishing rookie in nine of the 16 races, besting Harrison Burton’s six.

DeCOLA: Austin Cindric. Locked it up in February.

LUVENDER: Austin Cindric. The other Rookie of the Year contenders have struggled — neither Harrison Burton nor Todd Gilliland has scored a top-10 finish — while Cindric won the Daytona 500 and even grabbed a stage win in St. Louis.

STURNIOLO: Austin Cindric. It’s hard to bet against the only rookie with a win this year, especially when that win came courtesy of the Daytona 500. Todd Gilliland and Harrison Burton have shown their flashes of speed, but Cindric is the only member of the rookie class to score a top-10 finish, which he has done three times in 16 races.

@NASCARCASM: The 2022 Rookie of the Year maybe, possibly, perhaps will be Austin Cindric. Generally winning the Daytona 500 helps that whole campaign along. Not to mention he’s 121 points ahead of the next closest eligible rookie, Harrison Burton. So yes, I think it’s very likely Austin Cindric will be the 2022 Rookie of the Year. That snapping sound you hear right now is this limb upon which I’m going really far out.

6. What regular-season race will shake up the playoff picture most?

DeCOLA: Daytona. There’s a real possibility we’ll have 16 winners already by then, which ramps up the desperation for all the single-win drivers and should make the overall event pretty tense throughout.

LUVENDER: Atlanta. The March trip to the newly-upgraded Atlanta track was a wild one, featuring 11 cautions and 12 cars knocked out from crash damage — not to mention 45 lead changes and even a surprise top-five finish for Corey LaJoie. The warmer Georgia weather will likely create a hotter, slicker track, which is bound to create another challenge and a new layer of unpredictability.

MONTGOMERY: It will not be one single race but the type of race: road courses. We have seen so many varying strategies this season and not one driver has been exceptionally dominant at putting a complete race together. Ross Chastain started his hot streak at COTA. Chris Buescher and Kevin Harvick were true contenders for basically the first time this season at Sonoma and proved the usual ringers may not have as strong of a grip as they used to. And of course, Daniel Suárez dominated there late. Sure, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott have still looked at the top of their class. But quick lap times won’t always mean a win. With a slew of road circuits on the horizon, I wouldn’t be surprised if two or three first-time winners added to the season’s quickly growing total.

STURNIOLO: This is a great question because so many unknowns lie ahead. There’s something about Michigan that feels wholly unpredictable, but with Daytona slated as the regular-season finale, the threat of the “Big One” looms too large to overlook. The points impact that overhangs that event coupled with a plethora of different winners implies there may be some carnage on hand come Aug. 27.

WINKLER: It’s got to be the regular-season finale at Daytona, right? And that’s why NASCAR making it the regular-season finale is such a devious delight. We all know how superspeedway races can be unpredictable and full of drama, but toss in a final playoff spot or two on the line, and things will get real — and really crazy and exciting, too.

7. Will there be a brand-new champion this year?

ALBERT: Yes. The prevailing wisdom might say no, that experience will carry the day for those who have claimed the Cup Series crown before. But in this season of unpredictability and first-time victors, all those shifts in team strength and momentum have opened up the field of contenders.

DeCOLA: Yes. James Dennis Alan Hamlin will finally be crowned a Cup Series champion, because it’s the only fitting end to how bizarre and captivating his season has been.

LUVENDER: No. There are too many former champions running well to prevent a new champion this year. The only driver close to contending for a championship, Ross Chastain, has never made the playoffs before and can’t rely on years of experience, unlike veterans like Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott and Joey Logano.

MONTGOMERY: Kyle Busch is going to win the 2022 Cup Series championship. It will give him three overall and will perhaps be his most emphatic in a season with so many question marks surrounding the future of the No. 18 team. The combination of his stellar performance this year, realizing he could realistically have four wins already, and the chip on his shoulder, will spur him to greatness once again.

WAACK: Yes. As I mentioned earlier, there have been four drivers who captured their first career win this year — the most the sport has seen in a single season since 2011 (five). And only five of the 12 different winners overall this season — aka those with provisional playoff berths — have a championship on their record. New is in this season.

8. Which former champion will not make the playoff field?

DeCOLA: Brad Keselowski. Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing has looked better than expected at times this year, but Keselowski’s first season as driver/owner really sunk after a costly penalty and lack of consistency. Could see a huge bounce-back in 2023.

LUVENDER: Martin Truex Jr. The combination of a struggling No. 19 and a seemingly unprecedented number of different winners will leave the 2017 champ out of this year’s playoff field. The Next Gen car just doesn’t seem to create the “Martin Magic” we’re accustomed to seeing.

@NASCARCASM: Unfortunately it’s going to be Brad Keselowski, and it has a little something to do with a 100-point penalty levied upon the team after the first race at Atlanta. While it hasn’t been the debut year for RFK Racing that Keselowski was likely hoping for, Trackhouse Racing has shown you can have a relatively quiet freshman year and an absolute gangbusters sophomore year. Here’s hoping RFK Racing follows suit. But there’s just no coming back from a 100-point deficit. Ask any Jacksonville Jaguars fan.

WAACK: Martin Truex Jr. Only two top-five finishes, yet five outside the top 20? Doesn’t scream playoff worthy, despite ranking sixth in the standings. As more first-time winners join the fold, which I’ve already said is bound to happen, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Truex get the cut rather than make it.

9. Who hasn’t won but you expect to still in the regular season?

DeCOLA: Former “Big Three” members Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. are the biggest surprises to not win yet, but Ryan Blaney will be the next first-time 2022 winner.

LUVENDER: Ryan Blaney. With four stage wins, an All-Star Race win, his three poles and his ability to contend just about anywhere, it’s a wonder YRB hasn’t already won a points-paying race.

MONTGOMERY: Ryan Blaney has to win at some point, right? The regular-season races are dwindling, but the No. 12 team’s speed has been among the best to this point. As the odd one out of the win column at Team Penske, expect the off week to bring a new intensity in the push for a playoff berth.

RICHARDSON: Tyler Reddick has been on the cusp of wins so many times this season that another winless year would just be unfair. With how well he ran at Auto Club, I’d give him a good chance at Michigan.

WAACK: Tyler Reddick. Only one driver has more runner-up finishes without a win all-time than Reddick, who has five in his career (two this season). The difference is, Reddick is going to win. He has the speed, leading more than double the laps this year (249) than his two prior (73 combined between 2020-21). Once he does, I think he’s going to tick multiple off.

10. Who is most likely to win his way into the playoffs with a last-shot move in the regular-season finale?

ALBERT: Bubba Wallace. The 23XI Racing driver’s early exit at Sonoma cost him three spots in the standings, further reinforcing that a win, not points, would be the basis for a potential playoff berth. There’s hardly a more likely place for that to happen than at Daytona, where Wallace has been a close-call runner-up his last two times out.

DeCOLA: Despite what I said earlier, Brad Keselowski. There’s a good chance he reminds everyone why he’s one of the best superspeedway drivers in the sport and blows up the playoff grid by punching his ticket in the regular-season finale at Daytona.

LUVENDER: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. He has shown flashes of speed in 2022 — like his second-place finish at Dover that kicked off a run of four-straight top-eight finishes — and he’s quite good at draft-heavy tracks like Daytona, where he has won before. If there’s anybody who’s not afraid to go for it, it’s Stenhouse.

MONTGOMERY: After all the turmoil RFK Racing has been through in its inaugural year, Brad Keselowski will win the regular-season finale at Daytona, launching him into the playoffs from miles below the cutline.

WAACK: Brad Keselowski, and this is the main reason I didn’t list him as the former champion who won’t make the playoffs. Kes finished ninth in the Daytona 500, proving his No. 6 Ford capable. The 2012 champ also holds the most superspeedway wins among active drivers with seven.