Posted on by Staff Report

Reserved tickets for the 64th annual Daytona 500, the tradition-rich, prestigious season-opening event for the NASCAR Cup Series, are sold out, Daytona International Speedway announced Wednesday. The race had five consecutive sellouts before last year’s reduced-capacity crowd due to the pandemic and will continue its strong attendance run next month.

This year’s running of The Great American Race marks the points-race debut of the new, hotly anticipated Next Gen car.

RELATED: Next Gen timeline | Photos from Daytona test

“The fans have definitely spoken,” Daytona track president Frank Kelleher said. “We’re going to have a packed house for the 64th annual Daytona 500, but we are happy to showcase a multitude of other opportunities for fans to be a part of The Great American Race, in addition to all of the other racing action that makes up Speedweeks presented by AdventHealth.”

While reserved frontstretch seating and RV camping have sold out, there are still plenty of ways to experience the pageantry of NASCAR’s annual season opener in addition to all other events throughout Speedweeks.

A new Daytona 500 ticket package is being offered for $145 per person that gives fans admission to the UNOH Fanzone plus pre-race access to the Luke Combs concert and driver introductions. In the UNOH Fanzone, families can peer into the garage of their favorite driver plus witness special driver and VIP appearances.

Fans can also take their Daytona experience to the next level with many fan hospitality options. There are still a variety of hospitality packages left in the Rolex 24 Lounge Suites and the all-new Harley J’s Experience (High Banks Suite with a view atop the frontstretch seating).

For more info, visit Daytona500.com.

MORE: Tentative schedule for 2022 Daytona 500

Posted on by Staff Report

Unofficial test speeds from organizational Next Gen testing for the NASCAR Cup Series on Jan. 11-12 at Daytona International Speedway. Note that times are unofficial, with no technical inspection conducted before each session.

RELATED: Experience the Next Gen cars in 3D and augmented reality

Day 1 – Practice 

Pos. No. Driver(s) Best time
 Diff. Best speed Make Team
1 21 Harrison Burton 48.843 184.264 Ford Wood Brothers Racing
2 2 Austin Cindric 48.844 0.001 184.260 Ford Team Penske
3 22 Joey Logano 48.849 0.006 184.241 Ford Team Penske
4 7 Corey LaJoie 49.944 1.101 180.202 Chevrolet Spire Motorsports
5 24 William Byron 49.954 1.111 180.166 Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
6 11 Denny Hamlin 49.969 1.126 180.112 Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
7 45 Kurt Busch 50.055 1.212 179.802 Toyota 23XI Racing
8 15 Cody Ware 50.274 1.431 179.019 Ford Rick Ware Racing
9 43 Erik Jones 50.473 1.630 178.313 Chevrolet Petty GMS Motorsports
10 1 Daniel Suarez 50.529 1.686 178.116 Chevrolet Trackhouse Racing
11 6 Brad Keselowski 50.568 1.725 177.978 Ford RFK Racing
12 5 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 50.839 1.996 177.029 Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
13 38 Michael McDowell 50.914 2.071 176.769 Ford Front Row Motorsports
14 27 Jacques Villeneuve 50.930 2.087 176.713 Ford Team Hezeberg
15 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 50.949 2.106 176.647 Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
16 3 Austin Dillon 50.960 2.117 176.609 Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
17 31 Justin Haley 51.033 2.190 176.356 Chevrolet Kaulig Racing
18 66 Timmy Hill 51.144 2.640 174.815 Ford MBM Motorsports

Day 1 – Practice 2

Pos. No. Driver(s) Best time
 Diff. Best speed Make Team
1 2 Austin Cindric 47.214 — 190.621 Ford Team Penske
2 22 Joey Logano 47.215 0.001 190.617 Ford Team Penske
3 5 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 48.004 0.790 187.484 Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
4 31 Justin Haley 48.042 0.828 187.336 Chevrolet Kaulig Racing
5 45 Kurt Busch 48.210 0.996 186.683 Toyota 23XI Racing
6 24 William Byron 48.334 1.120 186.204 Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
7 1 Daniel Suarez 48.380 1.166 186.027 Chevrolet Trackhouse Racing
8 6 Brad Keselowski 48.392 1.178 185.981 Ford RFK Racing
9 38 Michael McDowell 48.401 1.187 185.947 Ford Front Row Motorsports
10 21 Harrison Burton 48.441 1.227 185.793 Ford Wood Brothers Racing
11 11 Denny Hamlin 48.454 1.240 185.743 Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
12 27 Jacques Villeneuve 48.638 1.424 185.041 Ford Team Hezeberg
13 15 Cody Ware 49.138 1.924 183.158 Ford Rick Ware Racing
14 7 Corey LaJoie 49.891 2.677 180.393 Chevrolet Spire Motorsports
15 3 Austin Dillon 50.447 3.233 178.405 Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
16 43 Erik Jones 50.481 3.267 178.285 Chevrolet Petty GMS Motorsports
17 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 50.673 3.459 177.609 Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
18 66 Timmy Hill 51.144 3.930 175.974 Ford MBM Motorsports

Day 2 – Practice 

Pos. No. Driver(s) Best time
 Diff. Best speed Make Team
1 21 Harrison Burton 46.082 — 195.304 Ford Wood Brothers Racing
2 2 Austin Cindric 46.118 0.036 195.152 Ford Team Penske
3 12 Ryan Blaney 46.900 0.818 191.898 Ford Team Penske
4 43 Ty Dillon 47.360 1.278 190.034 Chevrolet Petty GMS Motorsports
5 5 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 47.365 1.283 190.014 Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
6 24 William Byron 47.379 1.297 189.958 Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
7 1 Daniel Suarez 47.390 1.308 189.913 Chevrolet Trackhouse Racing
8 31 Daniel Hemric 47.411 1.329 189.829 Chevrolet Kaulig Racing
9 7 Landon Cassill 47.482 1.400 189.546 Chevrolet Spire Motorsports
10 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47.547 1.465 189.286 Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
11 38 Todd Gilliland 47.952 1.870 187.688 Ford Front Row Motorsports
12 66 Timmy Hill 47.965 1.883 187.637 Ford MBM Motorsports
13 6 Chris Buescher 48.037 1.955 187.356 Ford RFK Racing
14 15 Cody Ware/David Ragan 48.130 2.048 186.994 Ford Rick Ware Racing
15 45 Kurt Busch 49.692 3.610 181.116 Toyota 23XI Racing
16 3 Tyler Reddick 50.218 4.136 179.219 Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
17 27 Jacques Villeneuve 50.669 4.587 177.623 Ford Team Hezeberg
Posted on by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. – Spire Motorsports announced Tuesday that Built will return to the team’s family of partners in 2022 and serve as the primary sponsor aboard Corey LaJoie’s No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the NASCAR Cup Series’ season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

In addition to The Great American Race, Built will also be showcased as LaJoie’s primary partner in nine other races throughout the 2022 season, including:

March 13: Phoenix Raceway
April 9: Martinsville Speedway
May 22: Texas Motor Speedway (NASCAR All-Star Race)
June 5: World Wide Technology Raceway
July 3: Road America
Aug. 14: Richmond Raceway
Aug. 27: Daytona International Speedway
Sept. 4: Darlington Raceway
Oct. 23: Homestead-Miami Speedway

RELATED: Complete 2022 NASCAR Cup Series schedule

Built was named the Official Protein Bar of NASCAR when the two organizations announced a multi-year partnership in October 2021.

“Built is more excited than ever to continue our partnership and friendship with Corey LaJoie and Spire Motorsports,” Built CEO Nick Greer said. “There is something incredibly special about Corey and his ability to ‘stack pennies’ like no one else on or off the track. We are thrilled to stack those pennies together with Corey and we will find ourselves in Victory Lane soon. Built.com and its entire Built family feel so fortunate to be part of this great NASCAR community. It’s go time. What a great year this will be.”

The phrase “stacking pennies” has become a life and career philosophy for LaJoie. Despite being the son of two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Randy LaJoie, the third-generation racer has charted his own trajectory in the sport and champions small accomplishments that add up to the sum of a larger victory.

RELATED: ‘Stacking Pennies’ podcast

“I’m honored to welcome back my friends with Built.com for their third year in the sport,” LaJoie said. “It’s been a blast being a part of their creative marketing strategies to grow the program. The Built leadership team brings a ton of energy to Spire Motorsports as well as to NASCAR. 2022 is going to be an amazing season with them on and off the track.”

LaJoie finished ninth in last year’s Great American Race and earned a career-best sixth-place finish at The World Center of Racing in the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400. The Concord, North Carolina, native has logged 12 total starts at Daytona on NASCAR’s senior circuit, including 10 on the traditional 2.5-mile superspeedway and two on the daunting 3.61-mile road course. Over those 10 superspeedway starts, LaJoie has led two laps, notching three top-10 and six top-20 finishes.

“Everyone at Spire Motorsports is eager to get the season underway,” Spire Motorsports co-owner T.J. Puchyr said. “Corey and the entire No. 7 team did an outstanding job last season. We’re exceptionally proud that Built recognized that success by adding more races to its 2022 plans. Corey is a smart, patient racer on superspeedways and knows how to follow a plan. That’s why he runs up front when it’s time to race for the win. He knows the craft well, so we know when we go to the Daytona 500, Corey gives us a chance to win on NASCAR’s biggest stage.”

The 64th running of the Daytona 500 will be televised live on FOX, Feb. 20 beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET. The first of 36 races on the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series schedule will be broadcast live on the MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on by Zack Albert

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The first-day-of-school feel to preseason NASCAR Cup Series testing at Daytona International Speedway had some element of a class reunion. There was plenty of new – new car, new superspeedway rules package, new faces in new places — intertwined with a handful of throwbacks.

There was Dale Earnhardt Jr. back in a fire suit, sharing an extended chat with NASCAR President Steve Phelps before clambering into the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Just a few stalls over in the garage was 50-year-old Jacques Villeneuve, the former Formula One world champion whose last Cup Series start came in 2013.

RELATED: Dale Jr. logs laps | At-track photos: Daytona test | Daytona 500 odds

The spectator gates were open on a sunny but brisk Tuesday for fans to take it all in, watching as Next Gen cars for 2022 made another tune-up before returning for the official season opener, the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM). NASCAR competition officials established the superspeedway package for the new model, satisfied with the speeds shown early on during the first of two days of testing at the 2.5-mile track.

Cup Series officials organized a 10-lap group run two hours into the opening-day session to get a better feel for the aerodynamic draft, this one 16 cars strong – twice the number of teams that formed a Daytona pack here last September, and Next Gen’s largest representation yet in superspeedway-style racing.

“It was great. It was intense, that’s probably the right word for it,” said Team Penske’s Joey Logano, who noted close-quarters competition with Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., among others. “The cars, we don’t have them quite handling the way we want yet. They’re pretty new still to us, if you didn’t know. The bumping and shoving gets the cars moving around a lot. Kurt, myself and Denny and Ricky, we were out there shoving each other pretty hard.

“We were racing like we were coming to the end of the Daytona 500. I don’t know why we do that, but it’s a race. It’s race cars and it’s on a race track, it turns into a race and we race each other.”

RELATED: Next Gen timeline, development | Joey Logano talks about ‘intense’ drafting 

The speeds and the car’s performance in the multi-car group led NASCAR officials to confirm the superspeedway configuration for 2022 – an engine-output target of 510 horsepower combined with a 7-inch rear spoiler to keep speeds in check.

That rules setup will be used at Daytona and sister track Talladega Superspeedway (2.66 miles) as has been the tradition for NASCAR’s largest and fastest ovals. But competition officials also formalized the newly redesigned Atlanta Motor Speedway will be on that short list this season when it returns to the schedule with fresh pavement and steeper 28-degree banking, up from the previous 24-degree tilt. Three teams used the same 510-horsepower, 7-inch spoiler configuration during a Goodyear tire test at Atlanta last week, and the setup will get its first points-paying test in the annual Great American Race.

“Now granted, there’s no trophy. There’s no points. There’s no money on the line. So I think the level of intensity when they come back will be ratcheted up significantly,” said John Probst, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Racing Innovation, “but I think that if you look at what the cars were able to do as far as spreading out, grouping back up, moving around, definitely three-wide a couple times, I feel like we’re in a really good spot, put on a pretty good show February here in the 500.”

RELATED: Experience the Next Gen cars in 3D and augmented reality

Probst said that officials set a target lap time of between 48 seconds flat (187.5 mph) and 48.50 seconds (185.567 mph), with the anticipation that speeds would pick up for race week. He said that once the rules configuration was confirmed with a group run in the first half of Tuesday’s test, NASCAR officials took more of a hands-off approach, leaving teams to dictate the rest of the organizational test. Another significant pack formed at 6 p.m. ET, with 11 drivers gaining more experience in the Next Gen draft.

Tuesday marked the first major January test for Cup Series teams at Daytona since the days of NASCAR Preseason Thunder ended back in 2014. Harrison Burton was 13 years old at the time, but the rookie was among the first to mix it up in the draft during Tuesday’s Thunder reboot, putting his Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford in formation with its Team Penske affiliates, driven by fellow first-year driver Austin Cindric and former 500 winner Logano.

Logano was scheduled to participate only in Tuesday’s test, with Penske teammate Ryan Blaney tagging in for Wednesday’s driving duties.

RELATED: NASCAR on NBC’s Steve Letarte discusses test, drafting practice

Old hands Hamlin and Busch, now teamed in Toyotas for the first time, gave the two-car tandem a full-fledged trial later in the afternoon. Busch starts his first season driving for Hamlin’s 23XI Racing team this year, and the two veterans took turns delivering aero pushes and side-drafts around the Florida high banks.

“We were just trying to go through checklist items,” Busch said. “Denny was up front, and our car wouldn’t quite break that threshold and then it was just a matter of drivers connecting their cars and you do that through rhythm, balance and time together. So yeah, we were pushing each other around there tandem, just seeing how it would play out. Lap time picked up a ton. It’s just real sketchy when you’re doing it. It’s not as stable as the old car just yet, but these cars, they go through a lot more attitude changes, whether you’re up front, in the back, side-drafting. The car just moves around, and that’s what it’s supposed to do. It makes it tougher on the drivers to try to digest everything that’s going on.”

MORE: Kurt Busch on drafting with his boss

Hamlin was in the thick of the dinnertime draft along with Busch when his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota showed signs of smoke before dropping off the pace. Crew chief Chris Gabehart indicated in a statement from JGR that the engine failure will end Hamlin’s test early.

“We blew up. It started getting a little weak toward the end, but overall I was pretty happy how we drafted today and how the handling of the car was, so overall, pretty good test,” Hamlin said. The three-time Daytona 500 winner enters the season opener as the favorite, and he gave the car a spirited shakedown before his engine’s expiration.

“I stayed pretty aggressive,” Hamlin said. “This is pretty much going to be my only practice for the 500, one where it’s kind of freebie. It was 50-50 whether we thought we were going to bring this car back in one piece or not, so we just can’t get that aggressive on race week with our practices.”

Tuesday’s test was scheduled from noon to 8 p.m. ET. Wednesday’s on-track schedule is set to run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, with live streaming to continue on NASCAR’s YouTube channel. Tune-in details for watching live-stream feeds from both days can be found here.

The last preseason test for the Next Gen car is scheduled Jan. 25-26 at Phoenix Raceway.

Posted on by Tadd Haislop

Over the span of six days and nights at Tulsa’s Expo Square in Oklahoma, the 36th Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire will crown a new champion of what’s known as the Super Bowl of midget car racing.

The question is whether that champion will be a NASCAR national series regular, as has been the case over the last five years.

RELATED: Join FloRacing to watch 2022 Chili Bowl

NASCAR Cup Series drivers Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell have combined to win the last five Chili Bowl A-Main features, with the 2021 Cup champion taking the last two and Bell winning three in a row from 2017-19.

Both are entered in the Chili Bowl again in 2022, as are several more drivers from NASCAR’s national series.

Below are the NASCAR drivers competing in the 2022 Chili Bowl and their scheduled qualifying nights.

  • Alex Bowman (Monday, Jan. 10)
  • Chase Briscoe (Monday, Jan. 10)
  • Chase Elliott (Monday, Jan. 10)
  • Kyle Larson (Tuesday, Jan. 11)
  • Jesse Little (Tuesday, Jan. 11)
  • Tanner Berryhill (Wednesday, Jan. 12)
  • Carson Hocevar (Wednesday, Jan. 12)
  • Christopher Bell (Thursday, Jan. 13)
  • Ryan Newman (Friday, Jan. 14)
  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Friday, Jan. 14)
  • Ryan Ellis (Friday, Jan. 14)

Below are the night-by-night results for all of the NASCAR drivers competing in the 2022 Chili Bowl. Qualifying nights are scheduled for Jan. 10-14, with the championship events scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 15.

Monday, Jan. 10

RELATED: Complete Monday Chili Bowl results

  • Alex Bowman

Bowman began Monday night with a fourth-place finish in his eight-lap heat race, finishing behind Trey Marcham, Alex Sewell and Cole Bodine. He then won his 10-lap qualifying race, Qualifier 4, a triumph that placed him in the evening’s A-Feature.

Bowman finished ninth in the A-Feature to close the night. On Saturday, he will race in a C-Main in an attempt to reach the main event.

  • Chase Briscoe

Briscoe’s night got off to a good start, as he finished second to Tyler Courtney in his eight-lap heat race before winning Qualifier 1. He found some trouble in the night’s A-Feature, though, and slipped to an 11th-place finish.

That result places Briscoe in a C-Main on Saturday night. From there, he will try to place his way into the B-Main and A-Main.

  • Chase Elliott

Elliott began the evening with a bang, as he won his eight-lap heat race from the pole. He then placed fifth in Qualifier 3, and he came home eighth in the first of two B-Features. He also finished ninth in the Vacuworx Invitational Race of Champions, an impressive run for a driver with such little experience on dirt.

Elliott will race again Saturday in an F Main.

  • Kyle Larson

Larson did not compete in a qualifying race Monday night, but he did run in the Vacuworx Invitational Race of Champions. Larson qualified second for the race but started seventh after the top eight qualifiers were inverted. He roared all the way back to second, but Justin Grant held him off for the win. Larson’s Chili Bowl qualifying night is scheduled for Tuesday.

WATCH: Larson, Grant battle in VIROC thriller

  • Christopher Bell

Bell also competed in Monday night’s Vacuworx Invitational Race of Champions. He finished third behind Larson after starting 11th. Bell’s qualifying race for the Chili Bowl is scheduled for Thursday.

Tuesday, Jan. 11

RELATED: Complete Tuesday Chili Bowl results

  • Kyle Larson

As expected, the defending Chili Bowl champ was strong on his qualifying night Tuesday. Larson finished second to Chris Windom in his eight-lap heat race after starting sixth. He then won Qualifier 4, again after starting sixth.

Larson started on the pole for the evening’s preliminary A Feature, and he led much of the race until Michael Kofoid stole the victory. Larson will race again in Saturday’s A-Main.

  • Jesse Little

Making his Chili Bowl debut, Little finished eighth in his heat race. He then finished 10th in the evening’s C Feature.

Wednesday, Jan. 12

RELATED: Complete Wednesday Chili Bowl results

  • Tanner Berryhill

Berryhill finished sixth in his eight-lap heat race Wednesday night. He then finished fourth behind Jason McDougal, Colby Copeland and Villy VanInwegen in Qualifier 1, enough to get him in the evening’s A-Feature.

Berryhill finished 19th in the A-Feature on Wednesday.

  • Carson Hocevar

Hocevar’s Chili Bowl debut came with a strong start, as he finished second to RJ Johnson in his eight-lap heat race. Hocevar then finished eighth in Qualifier 4, enough to get him into the night’s B-Feature.

Hocevar did not start the B-Feature and was credited with a 16th-place finish.

Thursday, Jan. 13

RELATED: Complete Thursday Chili Bowl results

  • Christopher Bell

Bell’s qualifying night began with a relatively easy victory in his eight-lap heat race. He started sixth in his qualifier, which would not have been a problem had he not been held up by slower cars on his way to the front. Bell was frustrated to finish second in that qualifier, but it allowed him to start fourth in the Preliminary A feature.

To nobody’s surprise, Bell won the evening’s feature, though he had to fight for it. The victory marked his eighth preliminary night feature win at the Chili Bowl, tied for the most in the event’s history. He will race again in Saturday’s main event, looking for his fourth victory in six years.

Friday, Jan. 14

RELATED: Complete Friday Chili Bowl results

  • Ryan Newman

Newman’s third Chili Bowl got off to a strong start in his heat race. He finished third after starting ninth and picked up some key passing points in the process. That set him up to finish fifth in his qualifier.

Newman both started and finished 13th in the night’s A Feature, an improvement from his previous high in a preliminary feature (21st in 2020). He is slotted in the C-Main on Saturday.

  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

No stranger to the Chili Bowl, Stenhouse was among the drivers to beat Friday night. He won his heat race in a photo finish over former NASCAR Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne, and he finished fourth in his qualifier.

That put Stenhouse on the pole for the evening’s A Feature, and he battled for the lead with Justin Grant and Sam Johnson for the majority of the race before Grant ultimately took the checkered flag. Still, Stenhouse’s second-place run locked him in to Saturday’s A-Main.

  • Ryan Ellis

Ellis finished sixth in his eight-lap heat race. That placed him in one of the evening’s C Features, and he finished ninth again to end the night.

Saturday, Jan. 15

  • Christopher Bell

He came so close to his fourth Golden Driller trophy. Bell started on the pole for the main event Saturday night and led most of the race before Tanner Thorson got around him with a slide job on Lap 36.

That would prove to be the winning pass, as Thorson held off Bell through a handful of late restarts to win his first Chili Bowl. Bell finished second for the second time in three years.

  • Kyle Larson

Larson struggled all week to find the speed he carried to his pair of Chili Bowl wins, and Saturday was no different. He started seventh in the main event, but he was only able to gain one position throughout the 55-lap feature. He finished sixth.

  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Stenhouse for the second straight year finished the Chili Bowl with a top-10 run in the main event. He started 10th in the A-Main and finished ninth, just shy of his career high (seventh last year).

  • Chase Elliott

Elliott’s eighth-place run in his preliminary feature race slotted him into the F-Feature in Saturday’s championship day, where he would climb from his car after a frightening flip uninjured, but with a 19th-place finish.

  • Alex Bowman

Bowman fell a few spots short of qualifying for the A-Main on Saturday. He finished second in his C-Feature race Saturday, which put his No. 55X car into the B-Features with a shot at making the championship race in sight. Bowman would finish 11th in his B-Feature after starting 17th, a strong run-up but not enough to earn one of the seven transfer spots.

  • Ryan Newman

Newman’s third Chili Bowl produced a strong run in his Friday heat race and some additional clarity about his future. Boasting a smile this weekend in the pits, Newman told NASCAR.com his main goal in racing more grassroots series this year is to have fun — with winning a close second. And although he didn’t advance out of the C-Feature on Saturday night, he surely ended the night with another smile.

  • Chase Briscoe

Briscoe has had his share of heartache at the Chili Bowl, and Saturday he fell one spot short of advancing to the B-Feature. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver started seventh and had worked his way up to fifth — the final transfer position — before losing the spot to Spencer Bayston with two laps to go. Briscoe would go on to finish sixth, with the top five drivers advancing up to the B-Feature races. All that after being involved in a first-lap wreck, which the driver says damaged the front axle and right front shock of his No. 5 machine.

  • Dillon Welch

A NASCAR reporter for MRN and NBC and lifetime racer who excels every time he gets in the seat, Welch qualified for the A-Feature for the second time in his racing career. Welch hadn’t raced a Midget event since last year’s Chili Bowl, but he still advanced out of the B-Feature — driving from 11th to sixth late to claim a spot in the A-Main, where he finished 22nd.

  • Jesse Love

The two-time ARCA Menards West Series champion capped his week by finishing 19th in his Saturday D-Feature race.

  • J.J. Yeley

The veteran Yeley, who has had a number of memorable Chili Bowl moments over the years, finished 11th in the first of two E-Feature races to end his Chili Bowl run. Yeley had finished second in the F-Feature to advance up to the E.

  • Carson Hocevar

Hocevar, 18, finished second place in his J-Feature race Saturday, advancing upward. In the I-Feature he would finish 12th out of 15 drivers and failed to advance. The Niece Motorsports driver is coming off a 10th-place finish in the Camping World Truck Series in 2021. This was his Chili Bowl debut.

  • Ryan Ellis

Ellis finished 11th the first L-Feature race Saturday. Earlier in the week, Ellis finished sixth in his eight-lap heat race on Friday. That placed him in one of the evening’s C Features, and he finished ninth again to end the night.

  • Jesse Little

Little started his day in the M-Feature, where he finished ninth and did not advance. Making his Chili Bowl debut, Little finished eighth in his heat race during Tuesday’s racing. He then finished 10th later that evening in the C-Feature.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Editor’s note: This article was initially published Jan. 14, 2020.

Members of the stock-car racing community converge this week at one of sprint-car racing’s crown jewels — the Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Nearly 66 years ago, NASCAR brought its top series to Oklahoma for a two-night road trip. The pair of races were so luckless that Hall of Famer Lee Petty flagged the second one to a stop himself. The sanctioning body never came back.

Those two star-crossed events from the 1956 season remain the premier series’ lone visit to the Sooner State, a relic from a long-ago time when stock-car racing was just starting to venture west of the Mississippi.

NASCAR had tried its hand in Oklahoma earlier that year with the former Convertible Division, which ran from 1956-59. Frank Mundy won the first stop on June 2, 1956 at the Tulsa Fairgrounds, which sits adjacent to the Tulsa Expo Center that hosts the Chili Bowl Nationals today. Six days after the ragtop series’ debut in the state, Allen Adkins prevailed at Taft Stadium’s quarter-mile layout in Oklahoma City.

Both convertible events were moderate successes, with 20-car fields for the fledgling series. The Grand National tour (now called the NASCAR Cup Series) was due to arrive two months later with a pair of 200-lap, 100-mile races scheduled in the same cities.

RELATED: 1956 Grand National schedule, results

Ray Lavely, who promoted racing at the Taft track, did the same for the Friday, Aug. 3 Grand National event at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds half-mile in Oklahoma City. Jack Zink, best known as an owner of winning cars in the Indianapolis 500, promoted the Tulsa Fairgrounds race set for the next day. Zink also entered both races.

Promotions and previews had forecast entry lists teeming with nearly 30 cars for both events, which each ended up drawing healthy crowds near 6,000 spectators. But travel for the competitors to the Great Plains proved difficult. The Oklahoma City opener started just 12 entries with seven cars running at the finish. Jim Paschal scored his only win of the season in the Friday night event, taking the lead for keeps when Petty’s rear differential failed just seven laps from the finish.

MORE: 1956 Oklahoma City race results

Petty played a prominent role in the outcome of the series’ visit to Tulsa the next day. Speedy Thompson started from the pole for the second straight race, but conditions deteriorated shortly after the start. An overly dusty track combined with dim lighting made for hazardous racing, and five of the 13 starters retired in the first 30 laps.

Moments later, according an Associated Press account of the race, Petty screeched to a halt near the start-finish line and quit on the spot. He exited his No. 42 Dodge and grabbed a flag to wave the other drivers off the track, ending the race with just 34 of a scheduled 200 laps complete. The event was suspended, never restarted and did not count toward the series’ statistics. Although record-keeping from the era is spotty, it’s believed to be the only instance of a race starting and ending before becoming official in series history.

MORE: 1956 Tulsa race report

According to the AP, the protest nearly touched off a riot by the spectators, who milled about until refunds were issued. Zink’s luck on the track that weekend was as unfortunate as his promotion’s fate. He finished last in Oklahoma City, retiring with overheating issues after 10 laps, then crashed out of the Tulsa race after just 17 laps to take 11th place in the 13-car field.

Some of NASCAR’s best hope to leave a more positive memory in Tulsa this week, grabbing only the checkered flag and not the red.

Posted on by Terrin Waack

Aric Almirola will retire from full-time NASCAR competition after the 2022 Cup Series season.

RELATED: Changes for 2022 season | Cup Series schedule

The driver of the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford announced his decision Monday morning with the release of a YouTube video titled, “The Next Chapter of My Life … ” Stewart-Haas Racing then confirmed the news with a release of its own.

“I truly enjoy driving race cars and I’m excited to race my heart out in 2022 for Smithfield and Stewart-Haas Racing,” Almirola said. “But to be the best in this business, you’ve got to be selfish, and for the last 37 years, my life has always revolved around me and what I needed to do.

“I want to be present. I want to be the best husband and father, and that to me means more than being a race-car driver. So, it’s one more year where I’m all-in on racing, where we’ll do whatever it takes to compete at the highest level. But when the season is over, I’ll be ready to wave goodbye. I’ve loved every minute of it, but it’s time for the next chapter of my life.”

Almirola, now 37 years old, has two children – 10-year-old son Alex and 9-year-old daughter Abby – with wife Janice. He is originally from Tampa, Florida.

Almirola joined the NASCAR Cup Series in 2007, making his debut March 11 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and served as a part-time driver through 2010 with multiple teams. He began competing full-time in 2012 with Richard Petty Motorsports in the historic No. 43. In 2018, Almirola moved over to Stewart-Haas Racing to claim the No. 10 Ford.

“I’ve watched Aric develop into a really good race-car driver and it was a proud moment when we were able to bring him to Stewart-Haas Racing,” team co-owner Tony Stewart said. “He’s really delivered for our race team and for Smithfield, always putting in maximum effort. I know he wants to go out on a high note and we’re going to give him all the resources to succeed.

“That being said, we also want him to enjoy this season. Aric is a great husband and father, and this year will bring a lot of cool moments that he’ll be able to share with his family. He’s earned this opportunity to go out on his terms.”

Almirola has three career wins at NASCAR’s top level, the first of which came in 2014 at Daytona International Speedway with RPM. He then won at Talladega Superspeedway in 2018 in his first SHR campaign and added another at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2021. His best-ever points finish came in 2018 with a fifth-place standing come season’s end. He had a career-high six top fives and 19 top 10s in 2020.

RELATED: Aric Almirola through the years

On the car for two of those wins was Almirola’s primary sponsor, Smithfield Foods. The two have been partners since 2012. Smithfield Foods will be back as Almirola’s anchor partner on the No. 10 Ford for the 2022 season.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure to have Aric as part of our Smithfield Family for more than a decade now,” Smithfield Foods president and CEO Shane Smith said. “In addition to being an incredibly talented racer and devoted family man, Aric embodies Smithfield’s values and has embraced our commitment to do good for our customers, employees and communities. He will always be family. We wish him all the best in his next chapter and look forward to another great year with him and Stewart-Haas Racing.”

The 2022 season officially kicks off Feb. 20 with the Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and concludes Nov. 6 with the championship race at Phoenix Raceway (3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“It’s been a great ride,” Almirola said. “I have been blessed beyond my wildest imagination and I honestly have no regrets.

“Do I wish I would’ve won more races? Sure, and there’s still an opportunity this year. Do I wish I would’ve won a championship? Sure, and I’ve got a lot of drive to make that happen this year. I’m a competitive person. I want to win and I want to be a champion, but at the end of the day, I know that those things mean way less than being there for my family.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be back behind the wheel at Daytona International Speedway this week, driving the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in a two-day NASCAR Cup Series test.

Hendrick Motorsports teased Earnhardt’s appearance in a social media post Monday morning, showing his signature skeleton driving gloves with a No. 5 Chevy test car in the background. Testing is set to run Tuesday and Wednesday at the 2.5-mile track. A full entry list from NASCAR officials has yet to be released. Hendrick Motorsports confirmed Earnhardt will drive the No. 5 car and William Byron will drive the No. 24.

RELATED: Two-day Daytona test on tap | Next Gen timeline

Earnhardt later explained on Twitter why he is taking part in the test.

The Daytona test will mark Earnhardt’s second stint in the Next Gen car that makes its debut this year. Earnhardt shared driving duties with Clint Bowyer in making hot laps at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, last Oct. 26.

Earnhardt, who is slated for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Jan. 21, last competed in the Cup Series in 2017. He has entered one NASCAR Xfinity Series event in each year since his retirement from full-time competition.

Earnhardt has four Cup Series victories at Daytona, including two wins in the season-opening Daytona 500. This year’s Great American Race is scheduled Feb. 20 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM).

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

Life has always centered around racing for Tyler Haydt.

That comes further into focus in 2022 as Haydt joins the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour as a car owner with his new team, Haydt Yannone Racing, which will field an entry with 2011 tour champion Ron Silk behind the wheel and crew chief Phil Moran atop the pit box.

RELATED: Complete Modified Tour schedule for 2022

Haydt, 36, grew up around modifieds in Kunkletown, Pennsylvania, near Mahoning Speedway and raced weekly for years. Now a commercial land developer, Haydt saw the timing was right for him and co-owner Joe Yannone to get into the tour with a team of their own.

“I had built him a house, and we got to be buddies,” Haydt said of Yannone. “And he knew that I was into racing, so I think he came along a couple times to some of the stuff and then one day he said, ‘You know, we should get a race car.’ I was like, ‘Alright,’ so I think the next week we bought one and we started racing it at Mahoning and Evergreen (Raceway) and Wall (Stadium).”

Haydt has been a racer since hopping into his first quarter midget when he was 6. That passion carried him into 15 starts on the tour in 2005 before continuing his weekly racing around Pennsylvania.

Haydt fielded cars for other modified drivers on weekly circuits in recent years and often received help from Ryan Stone. Through Stone, Haydt was connected with Silk — not long before Haydt parted ways with a former driver. Haydt knew right away that Silk’s input would be invaluable if the former tour titleist was willing to get behind the wheel.

“He was the first guy I asked because I knew he was good,” Haydt recalled. “We agreed the first year we were just gonna run stuff. He had a tour ride and he had a tri-track ride, so we just ran open stuff the first year to see how it would go. So we ran Evergreen and we ran Stafford and stuff like that.

“And then, the next year, he knew that we were gearing up with better equipment and stuff. So the next year, we decided to run the tri-track and we ran New Smyrna and we ran Thompson. We just kind of kept chipping away at it, and now this year we’re gonna go and try and run the tour.”

Ron Silk
Ron Silk celebrates winning the Toyota Mod Classic 150 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at New York’s Oswego Speedway on Sept. 4, 2021. (Bryan Bennett/NASCAR)

Along with Silk’s experience behind the wheel comes Moran, who spent the last two seasons working with six-time tour champion Doug Coby as his crew chief. Haydt and Moran connected while Haydt was a driver himself, but conversations for 2022 swirled as Moran’s 2021 campaign was coming to a close.

One phone call and plenty of discussion later, the duo reached an agreement for Moran to lead the 2022 program.

“We certainly hope to run well; there’s no doubt about that,” Haydt said. “We needed a strong personality that could be a team leader for us. We had the guys; we just didn’t have all the chassis knowledge and the time to put in to run the tour. So (Moran) is the perfect fit for that. I think he’s gonna command respect among our team.”

With that experience comes high expectations from Haydt, even if specific goals have not been set. Silk was a two-time winner on the tour in 2021, as was Moran with Coby, and Haydt is confident his equipment will be of winning caliber starting Feb. 12 at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway.

“We’re expecting to run good,” Haydt said. “We didn’t really sit down, per se, and talk about what our expectations are yet, but, I mean we all know that we have the right components and the right people to run well.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

NASCAR Cup Series teams and drivers are taking part in an organizational test Tuesday and Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway, giving the Next Gen car another preseason tune-up before its 2022 season debut.

NASCAR.com is delivering live-streaming video coverage of the two-day test, which runs from noon-8 p.m. ET Tuesday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET Wednesday. Fans were allowed to attend Tuesday’s session free of charge from the grandstands and the infield fan zone, with registration available online or at the gate.

RELATED: Next Gen timeline | Photos from Atlanta test

Click below to watch the streams live:

The two-day test comes in advance of the season-opening Daytona 500, scheduled Feb. 20 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM). Two tests of the new Next Gen model have already taken place at Daytona – a single-car session Dec. 15-16, 2020 and a multi-car test with eight teams in attendance last Sept. 7-8.

This week’s sessions will allow drivers to get more familiar with the Next Gen car’s characteristics in a multi-car pack, but will also allow NASCAR competition officials to gather feedback to dial in the superspeedway package for the circuit’s fastest ovals in 2022. Teams are scheduled to start this week’s test with the superspeedway configuration used last week in testing at Atlanta Motor Speedway — a target engine output of 510 horsepower combined with a 7-inch rear spoiler.

MORE: 2022 Cup Series schedule | Buy tickets, schedule for Clash

The superspeedway configuration will be used at the 2.5-mile Daytona track and the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway. It is expected to also be in effect at 1.54-mile Atlanta, which will feature steeper banking and fresh pavement for its 2022 race weekends. All other tracks will use a baseline target of 670 horsepower with a smaller 4-inch rear spoiler.

UPDATE: NASCAR confirms superspeedway rules

The following drivers were taking part in the test:

Team No. Drivers Days
Trackhouse Racing 1 Ross Chastain, Daniel Saurez
Front Row Motorsports 38 Todd Gilliland, Michael McDowell
Richard Childress Racing 3 Austin Dillon
Motorsports Business Management 66 Timmy Hill
Spire Motorsports 7 Corey Lajoie, Josh Bilicki, Landon Cassill
Joe Gibbs Racing 11 Denny Hamlin
Rick Ware Racing 15 Cody Ware
Team Penske 2 Austin Cindric
Wood Brothers Racing 21 Harrison Burton
Team Penske 22 Joey Logano Tuesday
Hendrick Motorsports 24 William Byron
Kaulig Racing 31 Justin Haley, Daniel Hemric
JTG Daugherty Racing 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Roush Fenway Racing 6 Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher
Hendrick Motorsports 9 William Byron
GMS Racing 94 Erik Jones
Team Penske 12 Ryan Blaney Wednesday
23XI Racing 45 Kurt Busch
Team Hezeberg 27 Jaques Villeneuve

One more preseason test is scheduled Jan. 25-26 at Phoenix Raceway. The Cup Series will kick off its season with the Busch Light Clash exhibition at the LA Coliseum on Feb. 6 (6 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) before the Next Gen car’s points-paying debut in the Daytona 500.