Where are they now?: How Stacy Compton caught the attention of Gordon, Wallace and Waltrip

Posted on January 5, 2022January 5, 2022 by Jerry Bonkowski

Even though he started racing go-karts at 6 years old, Stacy Compton was a late bloomer by NASCAR standards, skipping over both national feeder series to make his NASCAR debut in the Cup Series at 29 years old.

While other rookies might be intimidated or awestruck by guys like Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Darrell Waltrip and others around him, that wasn’t the case with Compton. In fact, he looked like he’d been doing it for years in his first-ever start, at Martinsville Speedway, in April 1996.

“Back then you could still make it on talent,” Compton told NASCAR.com. “I felt like there was a chance if you got in front of the right people, that you could make it happen. To get to Martinsville, I mortgaged my home, my body shop, seven rental properties, all to generate enough money for that one shot, for that one race.

“And it paid off. If it wouldn’t have, I would have filed for bankruptcy, there’s no doubt. That was the first time I’d ever sat in anything with that kind of horsepower or radial tires, or ever even made a pit stop.”

RELATED: Career stats for Stacy Compton

But Compton definitely made his presence known immediately during practice and qualifying.

“Rusty Wallace walked up to me after qualifying, poked me in the chest and said, ‘You don’t know me and I don’t know you, but you don’t have a clue what you just did,’ ” Compton recalled after qualifying ninth.

Jon Ferrey | Allsport

He chuckled when he remembered his reply to Wallace: “I’m like, ‘Did I do something wrong?’ I didn’t have a clue how hard it was to make the show, I didn’t realize what we were doing.

“Then during practice, I went out and ran Darrell Waltrip down and passed him. He came over afterward and said, ‘Boy, what are you doing? We don’t race each other in practice.’ I said, ‘I’m sorry.’ ”

Waltrip was so struck by Compton’s racing naiveté that he paused for a few seconds before quipping, “Let me tell you what, you looked pretty darn good.”

“We got a lot of attention that day,” Compton chuckled.

He ran in the top 12 for much of the first half of the race until brake failure three-quarters of the way into the 500-lap event ended his day early. Still, he proved he could run with NASCAR’s big dogs.

Which leads to another story Compton related: “Then a couple weeks later, we were walking through the garage at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Jeff Gordon said, ‘What you did at Martinsville, it was pretty impressive. I really look forward to running against you one day. If you ever need anything, you come look me up.’ ”

*************************************

Compton grew up in Hurt, Virginia — just south of Lynchburg — and never left, commuting back and forth to Charlotte, North Carolina, during his NASCAR career. Even today, the now 54-year-old still calls the little hamlet of Hurt (population 1,300) home, and it’s also the base of what has become a very successful post-racing career selling residential and commercial real estate.

The married father of two began selling real estate in his 20s, essentially preparing for what he’d do once his racing days were over.

“When you step away from racing, there is no NFL pension, there’s nothing,” Compton said. “So when I was racing, I started fooling around with real estate with rental properties and some different things like housing developments and stuff like that.

“When both of my girls started school, they couldn’t go with me. It wasn’t fun anymore. At the time, I was working for ESPN and racing. And I think the last year I did that, I was home 302 days. At that point, I said, ‘I need to be a dad versus running around in circles.’

“It just felt like the right time. I wanted to spend more time with my girls. They had gotten to the age that I felt like they needed a dad worse than I needed to race.”

When he started racing go-karts at age 6, Compton took to it both naturally and quickly, winning a number of championships up and down the East Coast, from North and South Carolina to Georgia and all the way up to New York state. From there, he moved on to late-model racing in his teens and into his 20s at short tracks in and around Virginia, at one point winning 36 races in seven seasons.

He had grown up a NASCAR fan, but even back then, the cost was too prohibitive. He couldn’t get proper sponsorship and felt his NASCAR dream would remain that until he just decided to go for broke when he geared up for that first Cup race at Martinsville in 1996.

The gamble paid off, and he moved into the now-Camping World Truck Series full-time from 1997-99, capturing the only two wins of his NASCAR career in 1998.

“I’ll never forget the first win, at Portland, in (Greg) Biffle’s backyard,” Compton said. “We battled and battled, and Greg and I have become friends. To be able to go up there and win my first race was a dream. Then, later on in the same season, to go to Topeka and win on a road course, not being a road-course ringer per se, that was a big highlight for me, too.”

The next season, it looked like Compton finally had everything together to win the championship. And for the first half of the season, it looked like that would happen, as he either led or was second in the standings.

“But we ran out of money and that dropped us to fourth in the points and that was that,” Compton said.

But there was something that came out of that same 1999 season that helped cushion the blow of coming so close to the title. Upon capturing one of six poles that season, a stranger tapped Compton on the shoulder at Michigan International Speedway.

“I thought it was someone wanting an autograph,” Compton admitted. “Instead, it was a guy who handed me his business card. He said, ‘If you’re interested, call me.’ He then turned around and walks off. I just stuck it in my pocket, went to the media center to do an interview, and while I was waiting, I pulled the card out, looked at it and it’s Mark Melling (son of former Cup team owner Harry Melling). As soon as I got out of the media center, I called him up and asked him, ‘What do you mean, if I’m interested?’ He said, ‘Do you want to drive my Cup car next year?’ And I was like, ‘Heck, yeah.’ ”

During Compton’s second season of driving for Melling (2001), they hired a young crew chief by the name of Chad Knaus, who lasted just one season before becoming crew chief for a new upstart young driver by the name of Jimmie Johnson. The pair would go on to win 81 races and seven championships.

Jon Ferrey | Allsport

“Chad came to our team after being a fabricator for Ray Evernham,” Compton said. “I told Mark after about 30 minutes with Chad, I said, ‘I found our crew chief.’ Chad was probably one of the smartest people I’ve ever worked with in my entire life. Obviously, he’s proven that through the years. He was really sharp.”

RELATED: Chad Knaus through the years

Because Melling’s team was underfunded, Compton lasted just two seasons before racing for just over a half-season for A.J. Foyt’s Cup team before the duo parted ways. Compton would then move to what is now known as the Xfinity Series, where he raced full time from 2002-06, before returning to the Truck Series from 2007-10.

Compton gave Cup racing one more try in 2012, starting his own team, but qualifying for just one of the four races he attempted prompted him to finally call it a career in NASCAR.

“We were thinking, we can do a couple of start and parks and generate enough money to where we can go run two or three or four races and maybe get some sponsorship,” Compton said. “I hadn’t been in a Cup car in nearly 10 years and yet we went out and qualified and got the car in the show, knowing we were going to run 20 laps and park it.

“I had a fan walk up to me and said, ‘You know, you ended your NASCAR career on a good note. Do you want to be remembered for start-and-parks?’ I told him, ‘You’ve got a good point. I didn’t want to be remembered for that.’ The start-and-park thing just wasn’t for me, I’m way too competitive. If we couldn’t be competitive, honestly, I just didn’t want to be a part of it.”

He would subsequently go back to racing late models part-time in Virginia, but that didn’t last long.

“Then my younger daughter Izzy (short for Isabella) started barrel racing horses, and I said, ‘You know what, it’s time. It’s their time. I’ve had my time.’ She is probably one of the best riders I’ve ever witnessed. She’s incredibly competitive, and she can ride anything. So pretty much every weekend now for us, we’re at a barrel race somewhere with our daughters.”

Even so, Compton has the desire to still race again today.

“If Kyle Busch would call me like he called Greg (Biffle) to be in his truck, heck yeah, absolutely, I’d be there in a heartbeat,” Compton said with a big laugh.

*************************************

Compton welcomes talking with fans about his racing career, one that he said he has very few regrets.

Grant Halverson | Getty Images

“I was fortunate enough to get in on talent and got some people’s attention,” Compton said. “We never were truly funded like we needed to be. I wish we could have been because I think I could have stayed in the sport a little bit longer as far as the Cup side. But look, I was fortunate to do it as long as I did. I met some great people, made some tremendous friends that turned into family.

“We were probably closer than a lot of real families. You know, it was fun, I enjoyed it, I miss it. I still miss the competition and I miss going to the race track.”

But there’s one thing he didn’t miss that he’s very proud of: “What I didn’t miss, I didn’t miss a single first of anything my daughters did. So, mission accomplished for that.”

Compton tried to steer his daughters away from racing, but he adds with a laugh, sometimes he questions that move.

“I said I was going to keep them out of go-karts because as expensive as it is, I thought horses would be a better way to go. Man, I was so wrong. I should have put them in a go-kart or quarter-midgets a long time ago because there isn’t nothing more expensive than barrel horses.”

Growing serious once again, Compton then concluded, “I enjoyed the sport, I really did. I was fortunate enough to be one of the few that has been able to go to Cup and be there for several years. I’m just thankful I was able to do that.”

*************************************

The Stacy Compton File:

* Age: 54

* Hometown: Hurt, Virginia

* Personal: Stacy and his wife Vickie have two daughters, Olivia (17 years old) and Isabella (14 years old).

Career highlights:

* NASCAR Cup career: 89 races, 0 wins, 0 top-five and 1 top-10 finish. Also two poles. Best season finish: 33rd (2001).

* NASCAR Xfinity Series career: 173 races, 0 wins, 11 top-five and 33 top-10 finishes. Also 1 pole. Best season finish: 9th (2002).

* NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career: 158 races, 2 wins, 26 top-five, 65 top-10 finishes. Also 9 poles. Best season finish: 4th (1999).

Veteran motorsports writer Jerry Bonkowski is writing a number of Where Are They Now? stories this year for NASCAR.com. Check out stories he’s already done on Mike Bliss, Doug Richert, Brian Scott, Robby Gordon, Ricky Craven, Terry Labonte, Kenny Wallace, Trevor Bayne, Ken Schrader, Shawna Robinson, Sam Hornish Jr., Bobby Labonte, Greg Biffle, Ricky Rudd, Darrell Waltrip, Mark Martin, Marcos Ambrose and Juan Pablo Montoya. Follow Jerry on Twitter @JerryBonkowski.

Posted on January 4, 2022January 4, 2022 by Terrin Waack

Drew Blickensderfer will crew chief for Aric Almirola in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, as Mike Bugarewicz transitions into a performance director role at Stewart-Haas Racing after two years with Almirola and the No. 10 Ford team.

Stewart-Haas Racing announced the personnel switch Tuesday. All other Cup Series driver-crew chief pairings will remain the same – Kevin Harvick with Rodney Childers, Cole Custer with Mike Shiplett and Chase Briscoe with Johnny Klausmeier. Crew chief Richard Boswell will also return to the organization’s Xfinity Series program, continuing his work with driver Riley Herbst.

Blickensderfer was most recently crew chief for Michael McDowell from 2019-21, and that span included the 2021 Daytona 500 victory. Overall, Blickensderfer has four career wins at NASCAR’s top level from his time with McDowell, David Ragan and Matt Kenseth.

Blickensderfer has been working in the Cup Series since 2009. His departure from Front Row Motorsports became public on Dec. 17, 2021.

This pairing is more of a reunion. Blickensderfer and Almirola worked together for 35 races between 2016-17 at Richard Petty Motorsports. They produced three top-five and seven top-10 finishes between the two seasons.

“Drew has been in the sport a long time and knows how to get the best out of the people around him, and that’s really what the job of crew chief has become,” Stewart-Haas Racing vice president of competition Greg Zipadelli said in a news release. “We have the same parts and pieces, but what we do with those parts and pieces will make the difference. Drew has worked with a lot of drivers and managed a lot of people. He already has a rapport with Aric, and that will make the learning curve in a season full of learning a little less steep.”

Bugarewicz’s move comes after six years as a Stewart-Haas Racing crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series. He won a race with every full-time driver he worked with – Almirola, Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart – for four career victories. Bugarewicz and Almirola won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last season to qualify for the NASCAR Playoffs and ultimately finished 15th in the overall final standings.

Veteran hands-on experience as a crew chief and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Penn State University sparked Bugarewicz’s promotion.

“With the Next Gen car being brand new, there will be continuous development on it every time it turns a wheel. Going into it, we knew we needed to shore up our resources and really bolster our competitive approach. Buga is the right guy to tackle all the newness that’s coming at us pretty fast,” Zipadelli said. “He’s an engineer and he’s also a racer. He will be that glue between simulation, at-track reality, engineering and our race teams, and his laser-like focus in this new role of performance director will be a huge asset to our team.”

The Next Gen car makes its competitive debut Feb. 6 in Los Angeles with the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum exhibition event (6 p.m. ET). The official 2022 season will kick off two weeks later with the points-paying Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET). Both races will air live on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on January 4, 2022 by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Jan. 4, 2022) – 23XI Racing announced Leidos will join the team as a primary partner beginning with the 2022 season. Leidos, a Fortune 500 technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader, with a focus in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets, will partner with Bubba Wallace and the No. 23 Toyota Camry TRD.

RELATED: Changes to know for 2022

“We are thrilled with our decision to once again team up with Bubba Wallace and now with 23XI Racing,” said Leidos Chairman and CEO Roger Krone. “Bubba’s efforts have paved the way for real change, pushing for a culture of inclusion and diversity not only in NASCAR, but throughout the world. We see this as much more than a sponsorship – we see an opportunity to fight for our shared values. We are proud to have Bubba Wallace representing Leidos both on and off the track.”

The new partnership will reunite Wallace and Leidos, who previously had an affiliation from 2016-2017 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

“I’m pumped to partner with Leidos again,” said Bubba Wallace. “We had a great partnership when I was running Xfinity and to now have them on board our No. 23 Camry TRD and continue supporting my career and what we are doing both on and off the racetrack at 23XI is really a cool thing for me. I’m excited to have them on board for the ride.”

“Bringing Leidos back to NASCAR and building upon the relationship they previously had with Bubba is another step forward for us as we move 23XI into our second year,” said 23XI Racing President Steve Lauletta. “To add a technology brand like Leidos to our lineup gives us a new platform to reach a wider audience, allowing us to continue growing both the 23XI brand and the affiliation with Leidos.”

Leidos will appear on the No. 23 Toyota Camry TRD for its first race at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas on March 27, 2022.

Posted on January 3, 2022January 5, 2022 by Zack Albert

The first NASCAR test session of the new year is set for the newly reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway this week, with all three national series tackling the freshly paved 1.54-mile track.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series will share the circuit Tuesday in Goodyear tire testing. The tire-test sessions will continue Wednesday and Thursday with the Next Gen car for the 2022 Cup Series.

Tuesday morning, NASCAR competition officials confirmed the driver lineup for the three-day test, with each of the three manufacturers represented across the three series:

• Cup Series: Chris Buescher (RFK Racing Ford), Kurt Busch (23XI Racing Toyota), Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet).
• Xfinity Series: Justin Allgaier (JR Motorsports Chevrolet), Ty Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota), Riley Herbst (Stewart-Haas Racing Ford).
• Camping World Trucks: Grant Enfinger (GMS Racing Chevrolet), Tanner Gray (David Gilliland Racing Ford), John Hunter Nemechek (Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota).

Atlanta officials announced the reprofiling for the intermediate-sized layout on July 6, just five days before the last Cup Series race on the aging asphalt surface. Track representatives indicated Dec. 22 that the renovation project was complete.

“Certainly a lot of hard work’s gone into the reconfiguration of the track,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “We got a little bit behind with some of the paving issues, but luckily the weather’s been really, really good for us in terms of getting the track ready for this next test. So, all three series will be there. We’ll spend one day where you’ll have Xfinity and Trucks on the track, same day, and then Cup, we’ll look at multiple days of testing as well.

Atlanta Motor Speedway

“So really with any new configuration, it’s making sure that the tire matches the car in terms of the aero package we put together and the engine’s also obviously part of that. So, making sure all those three are dialed in for the package that we want for Atlanta and then we’ll go race.”

Atlanta officials increased the banking through the track’s sweeping turns from 24 to 28 degrees, all while narrowing the racing surface and improving the drainage systems. It’s the first major reconfiguration of the track since 1997, when the front and back straightaways were switched, with a double dogleg added to the frontstretch.

O’Donnell indicated that the track’s characteristics and the expected increase in speeds are likely to prompt competition officials to use the superspeedway rules package reserved for the series’ fastest ovals, a short list that includes Daytona (2.5 miles) and Talladega (2.66 miles).

The test is scheduled roughly one month before the Next Gen model makes an exhibition debut in the Feb. 6 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum (6 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Two more test sessions — both organizational tests — are scheduled before then: Jan. 11-12 at Daytona International Speedway and Jan. 25-26 at Phoenix Raceway.

Atlanta is scheduled to play host to two NASCAR weekends in 2022, with all three national series in action March 19-20. The Cup Series and Xfinity Series return July 9-10.

Posted on January 2, 2022 by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App | Watch on USA Network | Get the NBC Sports App

Monday, Jan. 3
7 p.m., NASCAR Presents Beyond the Wheel (re-air), FS1
8 p.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 2016 Toyota/Save Mart 350 (re-air), FS1
11 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Legends Show (re-air), FS1

Tuesday, Jan. 4
Midnight, NASCAR Race Hub: Hometown Show (re-air), FS1
3 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 1986 Miller High Life 400 (re-air), FS1
6 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 2016 Toyota/Save Mart 350 (re-air), FS2
9 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Legends Show (re-air), FS2
10 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Hometown Show (re-air), FS2

Wednesday, Jan. 5
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 1986 Miller High Life 400 (re-air), FS2
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub Race Hub Game Night: Part 1 (re-air), FS2
9:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub Race Hub Game Night: Part 2 (re-air), FS2

Friday, Jan. 7
6 p.m., The Golden Hour: Making of Days of Thunder (re-air), FS2
7 p.m., NASCAR Presents Beyond the Wheel (re-air), FS2
8 p.m., NASCAR Race Classic: 1988 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS2
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Classic: 1998 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS2
9 p.m., Renegades: The Bad Boys of NASCAR (re-air), FS2

Sunday, Jan. 9
2 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 1986 Miller High Life 400 (re-air), FS2
5 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 2021 Champion Season Rewind (re-air), FS2
7:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Classic: The 1987 Winston 500 (re-air), FS1
8 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 2001 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 (re-air), FS1

Posted on December 30, 2021 by Dustin Albino

Champion: Ben Rhodes
Champion crew chief: Rich Lushes
Wins leaders: John Hunter Nemechek (5)
Most top fives: John Hunter Nemechek (12)
Most top 10s: John Hunter Nemechek, Ben Rhodes, Todd Gilliland (16)
Laps-led leader: Sheldon Creed (708)

How 2021 ended:

Entering the championship race at Phoenix Raceway, John Hunter Nemechek was looking to fulfill his destiny of winning a championship. Nemechek returned to the Truck Series after spending the previous two years competing in Cup and Xfinity. But on the opening lap at Phoenix, the No. 4 Toyota made contact with Kris Wright, cutting down Nemechek’s left front tire. Despite going two laps down, Nemechek rebounded to finish seventh. It wasn’t good enough for the championship, though, as Ben Rhodes passed Zane Smith with less than 10 laps remaining to cruise to his first championship. Rhodes bookended the season with many career bests, including wins (two), top 10s (16) and average finish (9.3).

CHAMPIONSHIP CELEBRATION: Rhodes earns first national series title | Memorable post-race press conference

Best race(s):

At times during the 2021 season, the Truck Series drivers showed little respect for one another. That, however, was not the case in the series’ inaugural race at Circuit of The Americas, all the way back in mid-May. Todd Gilliland came out victorious, swapping the lead back and forth with Kaz Grala multiple times. This was the same race that started in wet conditions, where GMS Racing teammates Sheldon Creed and Tyler Ankrum made three passes for the lead on one another in the closing laps. Evidently, Gilliland squeaked by before running away with the race, winning by nearly eight seconds.

Additional season highlights:

Toyota dominated the season, winning 15 of the 22 races. Nemechek led the way with five checkered flags, while Rhodes, Kyle Busch, Chandler Smith and Austin Hill all contributed two wins each. Christian Eckes and Martin Truex Jr. won one race apiece. It’s the seventh time in the last nine years Toyota has won the manufacturer’s championship.

The series added five first-time winners, with the first coming via Truex dominating the Bristol dirt race. Cup Series driver Ryan Preece won in his first career truck start, passing Grant Enfinger for the lead late in the going. During a three-race stretch in the playoffs from Bristol Motor Speedway to Talladega Superspeedway, there were three consecutive first-time winners, beginning with Smith. Eckes won in a ThorSport Racing 1-2-3-4 sweep at Las Vegas, while Tate Fogleman upset the field at Talladega.

Throughout the season, four different drivers won consecutive races: Rhodes at Daytona International Speedway and the Daytona Road Course; Nemechek at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway; Hill at Knoxville Raceway and Watkins Glen International; and Creed at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and Darlington Raceway.

Stats to know:

• Though it seemed like Nemechek dominated the season — winning five of the opening 13 races — it was Creed who led the most laps on the year at 708. Of those 708 laps led, 547 came in the playoffs, which included three straight races of the No. 2 Chevrolet leading north of 100 laps (Gateway, Darlington and Bristol).

• By finishing seventh at Gateway in August, Hailie Deegan scored the best finish for a woman at a non-superspeedway in Truck Series history.

• At 2 hours, 44 minutes and 46 seconds, the Daytona International Speedway Road Course race in February was the longest race in series history.

Looking ahead:

Ben Rhodes will look to repeat as champion in 2022, as he will return to ThorSport Racing. Championship 4 competitors John Hunter Nemechek and Matt Crafton will also be back with their respective teams, though the No. 88 team will have a new crew chief. Spending the last three years in the Truck Series, Creed will jump to the Xfinity Series with Richard Childress Racing, where he will be joined by Austin Hill as a teammate.

ON THE MOVE: Changes to know for 2022 | Track all the Silly Season news | Full schedule for 2022

Competing for GMS, Enfinger will run a full season. The series will make new stops at Sonoma Raceway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, before returning to Lucas Oil Raceway for the first time in 11 years.

Posted on December 29, 2021 by Dustin Albino

Champion: Daniel Hemric
Champion crew chief: Dave Rogers
Wins leaders: Austin Cindric, AJ Allmendinger, Kyle Busch (5)
Most top fives: Austin Cindric (22)
Most top 10s: Austin Cindric (26)
Laps-led leader: Austin Cindric (1,150)

How 2021 ended:

The end of the 2021 season couldn’t have been much better, as it came down to the final set of corners to determine the series’ champion. Daniel Hemric, who entered the season finale at Phoenix Raceway having never won a race, executed an old school bump-and-run to move Austin Cindric out of the lead and catapult Hemric to the championship stage.

After a solid regular season, Hemric got hot in the playoffs, earning six top fives in the seven-race postseason. AJ Allmendinger and Noah Gragson both had wins in the playoffs, propelling them to the Championship 4, and they will return to their respective teams in 2022.

Best race(s):

It’s Bristol, baby. The Xfinity Series and short tracks go hand-in-hand, but the regular-season finale at Bristol Motor Speedway had it all. Entering the race, Allmendinger held a five-point lead over Cindric in the regular-season championship standings. And the fun was just beginning.

Earning the same amount of stage points in the first two stages, the duo were separated by five points heading into the final stage. And when Cindric looked to be in control of the race, a late caution came out when Justin Allgaier spun Sam Mayer. On the restart, Allmendinger and Cindric swapped paint and slid across the finish line before pounding the inside wall. The advantage went to the No. 16 team.

The Xfinity Series also always puts on a show at road courses. This, too, was the case at Watkins Glen International.

Road-course experts Cindric and Allmendinger swapped the lead back and forth before rookie Ty Gibbs took control of the race, leading 25 of the final 27 circuits. More impressive was Gibbs’ late-race tenacity after losing the lead to both Cindric and Allmendinger on separate restarts, only to get it back. That marked the then 18-year-old’s third victory of the season. And speaking of Gibbs.

Additional season highlights:

Running just 18 of 33 races, Gibbs was impressive almost every time he strapped into a JGR Toyota. By winning in his series debut at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in February, he became just the sixth driver in series history to win his first time out and the first to do it without ever making a Cup Series start.

In a part-time role with JR Motorsports, Josh Berry won at a familiar place back in April — Martinsville Speedway. That win led to more opportunities within the sport for Berry, including his first start for Jordan Anderson Racing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. He went on to win his second race of the season in the playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, replacing an injured Michael Annett, who retired at season’s end.

Kyle Busch went five-for-five in Xfinity Series competition, leading 57.4% of the laps. Included in that handful of victories was his 100th series victory, coming at Nashville Superspeedway. Busch, who may be done racing in the Xfinity Series, now has 102 wins, picking up additional triumphs at Road America and Atlanta Motor Speedway.

KYLE BUSCH: Comcast celebrates milestone 100th win

Stats to know:

• 1,150 laps led by Cindric is the most laps led by a Team Penske driver in a single season. Brad Keselowski previously held the record at 1,147, coming in his 2010 championship-winning season.

• Competing in just 18 races, Gibbs won the Rookie of the Year. It’s the fewest number of races a ROY has competed in since David Stremme (also 18) in 2003. That year, Ty’s father, Coy, was also one of the ROY competitors.

• Making the playoffs for the second time in his career, Jeremy Clements posted a career-high eight top-10 finishes during the 33-race schedule. The No. 51 team led the series with just one DNF (Las Vegas fall race).

Looking ahead:

Coming off the 2021 championship, Hemric will move over to Kaulig Racing to pilot the No. 11 Chevrolet. He replaces Justin Haley, who will transition full-time to the Cup Series, along with Cindric and Harrison Burton.

Allmendinger will return for a second full season with Kaulig, while Berry will drive the No. 8 car for JR Motorsports. Gragson, Allgaier and Mayer will round out the four-car team at JRM. Though it hasn’t been formally announced, Gibbs will run for the Xfinity Series title for JGR, joining Brandon Jones as full-time competitors for the reigning championship organization.

For the first time ever, the Xfinity Series will visit Portland International Raceway in early June, which replaces Mid-Ohio on the schedule. The playoff tracks will have a bit of a different look in 2022, with Texas Motor Speedway and Las Vegas switching dates, and Homestead-Miami Speedway being added to the Round of 8, replacing Kansas Speedway. The season will conclude at Phoenix on Nov. 5.

Posted on December 28, 2021December 28, 2021 by Holly Cain

Editor’s Note: This continues the series of season reviews for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs drivers.

Driver: Kyle Larson
Car: No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Crew chief: Cliff Daniels
Final 2021 ranking: 1st
Key stats: 10 wins, 20 top fives, 26 top 10s, 2,581 laps led

How 2021 ended:

Larson, 29, concluded his season in a place he visited more than any other driver: Victory Lane. That series-best 10th win (at the Phoenix season-ender) also delivered his first NASCAR Cup Series championship trophy. Larson won five of the 10 Playoff races – including four of the final five (at the Charlotte Roval, Texas, Kansas and Phoenix) in one of the most dominant title runs since a fellow Hendrick driver, seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson, also won 10 races in 2007. Larson’s five Playoff wins equal a historic best Playoff mark set by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart in 2011.

Best race:

Although it would seem like an obvious choice, Larson’s most memorable performance of his first title season will likely be the season-ending – championship victory. It was the ultimate display of teamwork. Larson led a race-best 107 laps, but the No. 5 pit crew contributed a clutch final pit stop that moved him back into the race lead and allowed him to work his magic out front in the closing 28 laps. He ended up beating former series champ Martin Truex Jr. to the finish line by .398-seconds and the first thing he did after taking the most important checkered flag of his career was to thank the pit crew for their work.

MORE: Kyle Larson through the years

Other season highlights:

It’s no exaggeration to say Larson’s 2021 season highlight reel spanned the drop of the first green flag to the flying of the final checkered flag. He finished with career bests in top fives (20) and tops 10s (26). His 10 wins more than doubled his previous best work (four wins in 2017) and his 2,581 laps led nearly doubled his previous top mark (1,352 in 2017) – which is also saying a lot. His average start (6.1) and average finish (9.1) were also career-best marks. His win, top-five and top-10 totals were best in the series and his laps led were more than 1,000 laps better than any other driver – Denny Hamlin was second-best with 1,502 laps out front. And if that wasn’t enough …. Larson picked up a midseason $1 million check for winning his first NASCAR All-Star Race.

Stat to know:

Larson led at least 100 laps in 11 races – five times he led at least 200 laps. Of those 11 races, he won seven and finished runner-up in three of them. His most dominant win came in the Memorial Day weekend Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, when he led 327 of 400 laps. His 2,581 laps led on the season is the most in NASCAR’s premier series since his “boss,” Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon, led 2,610 laps in his 1995 championship season.

Quotable:

“A big shout-out to my parents for getting me involved in racing, my dad for everything he did, building my go-karts when I was young to get me playing around, my mom for videotaping every lap I ever raced and giving me something I could look at and study and get better.’’ – Larson, after raising his first NASCAR Cup Series championship trophy.

RELATED: Shop Larson die casts, gear

Looking ahead:

Unquestionably, Larson was a lesson in the power of second chances – of making the absolute most of an opportunity with the sport’s premier Hendrick Motorsports team after serving a nearly season-long suspension in 2020. Larson answered with career-best marks statistically but, perhaps more importantly, he responded with an improved attitude, drive and mental toughness that matched his immense natural talent and unsurprisingly resulted in a championship. With the sport converting to a new car, whose first points-paying competition test will be the Feb. 20 season-opening Daytona 500, there are a lot of unknown factors heading into 2022. But Larson’s amazing talent – driving and winning – in just about every type of race car he sits in may prove to be the big difference next season in comparison to his competition. That successful diversity plus the confidence he and his team gained from a dominant 2021 make him absolutely the favorite next year, too.

Posted on December 28, 2021December 28, 2021 by Zack Albert

Editor’s note: This story initially ran on Nov. 23, 2021.

ELK GROVE, Calif. — A hometown welcome greeted NASCAR champion Kyle Larson on Monday at Elk Grove, and townsfolk showed up by the hundreds hoping to catch a moment with the local driving ace. Even the passing trains that rolled past the Old Town Plaza in the center of the historic district marked the occasion, sounding their horns as they rumbled by.

The cheers continued Monday, just more than two weeks after Larson claimed his first Cup Series crown with a clinching victory in the Phoenix Raceway season finale. The triumph resonated with the community in the Sacramento suburb as fans and residents lined Elk Grove Boulevard to toast his accomplishments.

“All the stuff that I’ve gotten to do has just really allowed it to sink in,” Larson said. “I think every day that comes by, you kind of enjoy it even more, so this is really neat. You get to see other people when their hometowns get to celebrate, and you never really know if you’ll get the opportunity someday. Thankful that I won the Cup championship and everybody was able to come together to put this event on.”

MORE: Larson, Elliott tackle Placerville dirt

The event was complete with remarks from plenty of city dignitaries, who read from a list of proclamations with no shortage of the terms “whereas” and “hereby.” Among those was the declaration of Nov. 22 as Kyle Larson Day in Elk Grove, an unexpected perk for the 29-year-old driver, who was also the town’s first recipient of the key to the city in 2014.

But Larson was also recognized not just for his driving expertise, but for his continuing contributions to the place he calls home.

“To have him come home and give back to our community, to the Elk Grove food bank, just shows his commitment to our city,” Elk Grove mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen said. “But seeing the tremendous amount of support that’s here today and seeing young fans and older fans all alike supporting one of their own, it gives them hope that any dream is possible. Dream big, and if Kyle Larson can do it, so can they.”

Jeff Long and his wife, Teresa, were among those visiting. The couple made a 2 1/2-hour trip north from home in Fresno up to Elk Grove, where Jeff had lived for 20 years. Even more remarkable, he was still recovering from the back surgery he’d undergone just 11 days earlier, an ailment that left his presence at the Old Town ceremony in doubt.

Zack Albert | NASCAR Digital Media

Long said his first NASCAR race was the inaugural Cup Series event at Texas Motor Speedway in 1997. Jeff Burton won the race, but Jeff Gordon won their hearts after Long had read in the newspaper that Gordon claimed Vallejo, California, as his hometown. After Gordon retired from full-time driving, Long said his fanhood transferred to another Golden State native in Larson.

His most recent race was the Phoenix finale, where Long fought through his back pain to enjoy a clear vantage point for the season-ending drama and the No. 5 team’s race-winning pit stop.

“It’s just mind-boggling that we get to experience this,” said Long, who carried a sign reading ‘We were there / PHX 2021.’ “We watched the celebration last year in Dawsonville for Chase Elliott, and we thought that was the coolest idea ever. So that we get to do this now? I had to be here.”

Officials from Sonoma Raceway — the nearest Cup Series track — also turned out, bringing a show car as part of the Old Town Plaza display. Jill Gregory, the road course’s executive vice president and general manager, originally hails from Modesto — about an hour south of Elk Grove — and was there to soak in the atmosphere.

“We’re just thrilled with the turnout — it’s Monday, 2 o’clock on the week of Thanksgiving, but to see all the race fans out here, I think it just shows you how many race fans there are in Northern California,” Gregory said. “Everyone had a Kyle Larson shirt on, it seemed like, whether it’s for dirt racing or Cup. It was just great to hear and see all the race fans here.”

RELATED: Scenes from the celebration

Larson had just completed a three-night stint of midget-car racing at Placerville Speedway, and his grassroots racing schedule will continue in his home state with next weekend’s Turkey Night Grand Prix down south at Ventura Raceway.

But Monday meant taking a brief break from racing to reconnect with family and old friends in a familiar place.

“Elk Grove will always be home,” Larson said. “I haven’t lived here for 10 years, but when they announce my name at every race I’ve ever run, Elk Grove, California, is how they introduce me. So yeah, Elk Grove is home. I love coming back here, visiting my parents, eating at a lot of my favorite restaurants and stuff. So yeah, just glad to be here today.”

Posted on December 27, 2021December 27, 2021 by Zach Sturniolo

Editor’s Note: This continues the series of season reviews for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs drivers.

Driver: Martin Truex Jr.
Car: No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry
Crew chief: James Small
Final 2021 ranking: 2nd
Key stats: 4 wins, 13 top fives, 20 top 10s, 865 laps led

How 2021 ended:
After advancing to the Championship 4 for the fourth time in the past five seasons, Martin Truex Jr. found himself leading the NASCAR Cup Series championship race with 30 laps left in the 2021 season. But a late caution brought with it another round of pit stops, and the No. 19 team was beaten out of the pits by Kyle Larson. Truex restarted alongside Larson on the front row and challenged him throughout the race’s final stretch, but Truex was forced to settle for second, 0.398 seconds short of a second Cup title.

Best race:
By the time NASCAR rolled in Darlington Raceway in May, Truex had already banked wins at Phoenix Raceway and Martinsville Speedway. That May afternoon at the track Too Tough to Tame, though, was the race that made everyone aware the No. 19 team was for real.

Truex led 248 of 293 laps at Darlington en route to his third victory of 2021, sweeping the stages and absolutely dominating the competition. The only visible moment of concern for the No. 19 team came at the end of Stage 1. While lapping the No. 00 Chevrolet of Quin Houff, Truex got loose and slid across Houff’s nose. That allowed Truex’s JGR teammate Denny Hamlin to close to his rear bumper for the stage win, but Truex managed to gather control of the car and barely hold off Hamlin.

Other season highlights:
Martin Truex Jr. is not known for his abilities on dirt, but the inaugural Bristol Motor Speedway dirt race resulted in a fantastic performance for the veteran driver. Hours after winning the Camping World Truck Series debut on Bristol’s dirt and his first Truck win, Truex went on to lead 126 of 253 laps in the Cup race. Truex’s demise that day, however, was a flat right-front tire that reared its head on an overtime restart, plummeting Truex from third all the way back to 19th place, the final spot on the lead lap.

Richmond Raceway also proved to be a strong track for the No. 19 yet again. During the spring race, Truex started on the pole and led 107 laps before notching a fifth-place finish, then followed that up in the Playoffs by leading 80 circuits en route to his fourth and final victory of 2021. That Richmond win propelled Truex into the Round of 12 and helped fuel an eventual Championship 4 run.

Stat to know:
The No. 19 team shined brightest at 750-horsepower paved ovals this season. With 12 races on such tracks in 2021, Truex earned each of his four wins at 750-HP ovals to go along with eight top fives and nine top 10s and an average finish of 6.6. Comparatively, the No. 19 team notched just three top fives on 550-HP ovals this season in 12 such events with an average finish of 10.9.

Truex also finished runner-up in the Cup Series standings for the third time in the past four seasons, with 2020’s seventh-place result as the lone anomaly.

Quotable:
“I have no idea how we finished fourth. I’m gonna buy a lottery ticket on the way home.” – Martin Truex Jr. after heavy contact with the wall late at Martinsville on Oct. 31 didn’t keep from advancing through to the Championship 4

Looking ahead:
Truex has an average finish of a staggering 2.8 in the final Cup Series standings over the past five years. Yet for all his success, the 2017 season marks his only triumph as a Cup Series champion. As the series shifts to the Next Gen car, Truex eyes what should be another strong pursuit toward becoming a two-time title winner.