Posted on by Zack Albert

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on November 21, 2021. 

PLACERVILLE, Calif. — Chase Elliott cruised in to dusty Placerville Speedway at 10:15 p.m. local time Thursday night — a crisp 1:15 a.m. back home on the East Coast. “I was pushing it, made it,” Elliott said of his turnaround from the 5 p.m. conclusion of NASCAR Next Gen testing at Charlotte Motor Speedway earlier in the day to his 6:30 p.m. flight to Sacramento.

Fifteen minutes after walking through the Placerville pit gate, Elliott emerged from the Kyle Larson Racing hauler of his Cup Series teammate, having traded his fresh Atlanta Braves cap with a 2021 World Series logo for a fire suit and helmet. An ATV pushed his No. 9 USAC Midget racer to the track, with Larson trotting to a hillside vantage point at the track’s north turn to watch and take notes.

RELATED: Photos from Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott’s trip to California

The dirt-track education of Elliott continued with a full two additional nights of racing at the quarter-mile oval in picturesque Northern California, with the 2020 Cup Series champion gaining experience and broadening his racing portfolio. He had the benefit of two well-credentialed teachers — Larson, his successor as Cup champ and a master of multiple dirt disciplines, and Brad Sweet, the World of Outlaws sprint car champion for three years running — helping him to navigate a track he’d never seen before last weekend.

“I felt like I was making gains from being around people who know this, it’s such a departure from anything I’ve ever done, but I really have enjoyed it,” Elliott said before Saturday’s main event. “For me, it’s really nothing more than just trying to better myself and get outside in an area that I’ve never been in before and do something different. I have always really respected the discipline and I’ve been a fan of it for a number of years.

“I just felt like I got to a point where I’m like man, if I don’t … I’m interested in it, I think it’s really cool, I respect the discipline. I think you can learn some really good habits during this stuff. And I was just like, man, if I like it, it’s not gonna get any easier as you get older. As you get older, I feel like learning new things is just going to be harder and harder and harder. So I just felt like if I was going to get involved, I needed to get in there and make an effort to do that.”

Elliott finished 20th in Saturday’s Hangtown 100 A-Main, getting into the feature with a provisional berth after coming up two places short of a transfer spot in the C-Main. Missing Thursday’s events left him with an uphill climb to qualify outright, but he never stopped trying to learn.

After each on-track stint, Elliott debriefed with Larson, Sweet and the crew, reviewing video footage of his heats and gathering more information about the track’s characteristics. Larson and Elliott regularly collaborate as teammates in Hendrick Motorsports’ team meetings, but this was something new for all parties to absorb.

“It’s really neat to see how and kind of get a glimpse of how his brain works and how he processes how to drive a race car,” Larson said. “I’m not a good coach, so it’s been nice to have Brad Sweet here. He’s really been helping Chase a lot. I pitch in some advice when I can, but like I said, my only advice is I feel like to anybody when they ask me what to do is to say, ‘run it harder.’ Explaining how to run it harder, Brad’s really good at doing that and talking angles and explaining what to do with your hands and feet.

“But no, Chase has really impressed me. For him to fly in, suit up, sit in the car, strap in after never seeing this track, didn’t probably watch the races because he was flying here … to go out there and be as smooth and consistent as he was, I thought was extremely impressive. He just needs more seat time and it’ll come. This is as opposite as it gets from what he’s used to doing, especially these track conditions, so I’ve been extremely impressed. I thought he’s probably a little hard on himself, but for him to just go way out of his comfort zone is something we should all take notice of and be impressed with.”

RELATED: Why Kyle Larson has a ladybug for a good-luck charm

Sweet took notice, too, saying he drew some similarities between Elliott’s approach and his own. Sweet, who has asphalt experience on his own resume with 54 NASCAR national-series starts on a part-time basis from 2009-2013, says Elliott’s willingness to make that extra effort became evident as he gained pace through the weekend.

“I think what’s most impressive about Chase is how much he cares,” Sweet says. “He’s really out of his comfort zone, and that’s really respectable for a guy who basically has kind of a fan base and people expect him to be good, and sometimes it’s a little uncomfortable to come to a place where you know you’re not going to be as good as what you know you are. So it’s really cool that he came here, it helps put a lot of eyes on our sport, and he’s definitely trying really hard. He wants to know every piece of information, advice that anybody has for him and I think that’s pretty cool.

“I think that he thinks he’s worse than he is, but it’s just because he’s not as comfortable as he wants to be yet. So I think once he gets a little more comfortable, there’s no doubt he’s unbelievably talented. Once he gets some more laps, there’s just a lot of experience here — these guys do this night in and night out. So once he gains the experience I think it’ll be a lot more competitive and it’ll become even more fun for him.”

The Placerville crowd welcomed Elliott warmly, sticking around after the main event on Thursday’s opening night after word circulated that his tentative arrival was inching closer to reality. After suiting up and loading in, he slung his No. 9 racer into the turns, exploring Placerville’s grooves and prompting cheers from the hardy handfuls who stayed. “Nobody claps for hot laps,” one crew member said while watching from the Turn 3 embankment.

There might be more of a reception from the dirt-track crowd this offseason if Elliott has his way. He indicated Saturday that a return to the Chili Bowl Nationals is tentatively in the works, and a January appearance there would mark his second entry in the prestigious midget-car event.

UPDATE: Chase Elliott set to run at Chili Bowl 

“We’re working on it. If they don’t fire me, I’m supposed to do it,” Elliott said with a laugh. “They’ve offered it up and I told them I would love to do it. So, we’ll see. If they don’t fire me by next Saturday, I’m planning on going.”

Posted on by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Dec. 21, 2021) – Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) announced today that Corey Heim will return to the organization and be behind the wheel of the No. 51 Tundra TRD Pro for 15 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races in 2022. JBL, the authority in engineering superior sound, returns to KBM for an eighth season and will be the primary sponsor on Heim’s Toyota for 10 races. Crew chief Mardy Lindley will return for his second season atop the pit box for the No. 51 team.

Heim made three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts for KBM in 2021, with a best result of 11th coming at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in October. The Georgia driver had an impressive Truck Series debut at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in May, where he led two laps, finished Stage 2 in the runner-up position and was running second when he got turned from behind on a restart with just under 30 laps remaining.

RELATED: Corey Heim stats | Catch up on the latest news in the ARCA Menards Series

The 19-year-old driver finished second to Ty Gibbs in the 2021 ARCA Menards Series championship standings after producing six wins, three poles, 406 laps led, 16 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 3.1 across 20 starts. Heim has totaled seven wins, 503 laps led, 26 top-five and 35 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.2 across 36 career ARCA Menards Series starts. 

Heim will be in the No. 51 for the Truck Series 2022 season-opening event at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Feb. 18 and will also compete in the final eight races on the schedule. The remainder of his schedule will be announced at a later date.

“Coming up through the Toyota Racing Development program not only have I looked up to Kyle as a driver but I’ve also watched him build KBM into an organization that provides up-and-coming drivers with all the tools that they need to win races and compete for championships, so I’m super grateful for the opportunity to compete for an owner’s championship alongside him in the No. 51 Tundra TRD Pro in 2022,” Heim said. “I was able to get JBL to victory lane three times in the ARCA Menards Series this year and I know that with Mardy (Lindley, crew chief) atop the pit box and the team I have around me that I can get them to victory lane again this year in the Camping World Truck Series.”

“Corey proved that he is capable of running up front and winning races in the ARCA Menards Series last season and we feel that he is very deserving of the opportunity for an expanded schedule with KBM next year,” Busch said. “Without any practice or qualifying he was able to step right in and run well enough in his Truck Series races this year and we feel that once he is able to get behind the wheel on a more consistent basis that he is someone that will be able to compete for wins. He has a great relationship with Mardy (Lindley, crew chief) and they’ve already been putting in a lot of work in the offseason to make sure that they get our long-time sponsor JBL back to victory lane and put the No. 51 in the hunt for the owner’s championship again next year.”

Lindley’s drivers produced three wins in his first season at KBM, two with owner-driver Kyle Busch and one with Martin Truex Jr. Before arriving at KBM, Lindley guided his drivers to 32 wins and four ARCA Menards Series East championships since 2013, including back-to-back titles with Sam Mayer the last two seasons. Additionally, he earned the ARCA Menards Series Sioux Chief Showdown championship with Mayer in 2020. Behind the wheel, the second-generation driver won 11 races on the Pro Cup Series from 2000 to 2006 and was crowned the series champion in 2001.

Further sponsor announcements for the remaining races on Heim’s schedule are forthcoming.

Posted on by Staff Report

Drivers and teams alike took to social media to applaud the reveal of the 2022 baseline rules package for the Next Gen car. The package will see the cars use a 4-inch rear spoiler for downforce and will use engines with 670 target horsepower as a baseline. The base rules configuration will be used at road courses, short tracks and intermediate-sized circuits during the 2022 season. The rules package for superspeedway events will be determined at a later date.

RELATED: 2022 schedule | Next Gen timeline | 2022 baseline rules package set 

Even NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin chimed in.

Posted on by Zack Albert

NASCAR officials set the rules configuration for a majority of tracks on the 2022 Cup Series schedule Tuesday, announcing that the Next Gen car will use a 4-inch rear spoiler for downforce and will use engines with 670 target horsepower as a baseline.

The determination came after a meeting with competition officials, drivers and representatives for teams and manufacturers at the end of two days of testing last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Those sessions marked the final tests scheduled this year for the Next Gen car that will make its debut in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series. The rules package for superspeedway events will be determined later.

RELATED: Photos from Charlotte test | Drivers offer feedback after testing

Competition officials worked with teams to try four engine/aerodynamics configurations last week on Charlotte’s 1.5-mile oval layout. Officials said the fourth and final package — a higher 670-horsepower figure and a centered 4-inch rear spoiler for reduced rear downforce — received majority support from those attending Friday’s post-test meeting.

“It’s been a two-year process,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “So certainly, it came down to Friday, but that was really through all the work, the thousands of hours of on-track testing and the collaboration with the industry and continued tests to really narrow down what could be the final rules package for the Next Gen car. Friday, we were able to solidify that. We met with the industry, a number of drivers post-test on Friday with the packages we had narrowed down and really hit on what we all thought would be a great Next Gen car in terms of going out under one rules package with 670 horsepower and then a low-downforce 4-inch spoiler, which we we believe we can implement across all of our tracks outside of superspeedways.

“So the bottom line of all this, and you’ll hear this from the drivers is that this package with the Next Gen car puts it back in the drivers’ hands and we’re excited about what that will do in 2022, for sure.”

The base rules configuration will be used at road courses, short tracks and intermediate-sized circuits during the 2022 season. The package will be part of the Next Gen car when it debuts Sunday, Feb. 6 (6 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) in the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum exhibition in Los Angeles.

RELATED: Schedule for the Busch Light Clash | Format explained for exhibition event

Cars proved to be a handful at times during last week’s two-day organizational test at Charlotte, with several spins and incidents as drivers fought for control when cycling through the different configurations. Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick was top among those pushing the limits, his No. 8 Chevrolet involved in multiple scrapes and incidents. A three-car tangle in Friday’s final group run brought the test to a close after 12 of a scheduled 30 laps.

“It’s really a new beginning for everyone, right?” O’Donnell said. “So no one has a ton of data they can go back and look at for this car where we previously raced, and that’s a neat thing for the race fan. So they’re going to see the best drivers and the best engineers in the world go out there and attack this car and attack each race track, and it will be hard to drive. I think the drivers are enthusiastic about that. The tire that Goodyear has come with has really put strategy back into a race, so some of that old-school racing that a lot of fans have talked about, I think you’ll see. We’ll learn along the way as well, and there are different things we can take away from this season coming up in ’22 as we look to continually improve upon what we believe is going to be a great launch of the Next Gen car.”

A separate superspeedway rules package for the Cup Series’ largest and fastest ovals — Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway — will be determined next month. Atlanta Motor Speedway will potentially be added to that rules package list after the 1.54-mile oval was repaved and rebuilt with 28-degree banking new for 2022.

MORE: Next Gen timeline | 2022 Cup Series schedule

Cup Series tests are scheduled Jan. 5-6 at the new-look Atlanta and Jan. 11-12 at Daytona to zero in on the Next Gen rules configuration for superspeedways. Atlanta, Daytona and Talladega each play host to two events on the 2022 schedule, the first being the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 20 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“Yeah, we’re close,” O’Donnell said. “We’ve done a number of tests already but our next step in the process for superspeedways will be in Atlanta, early January to confirm what package we want to put on that race track. We expect that to be the superspeedway package. Then from there, we’ll go to Daytona on the 11th and 12th of January, and really what we’re looking at there is the speed of the car. So there’s potential we could shorten the spoiler a little bit. We’ve made some cooling adjustments to the car that affected a little bit of the drag of this car, so we want to make sure that the speeds are commensurate with where we’ve run in the past. So getting some extra laps on the car, both days getting the teams more familiar with the car at the Daytona and then we’ll finalize it coming out of that test.”

Posted on by Davey Segal

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

Driver: Kevin Harvick
Car: No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang
Crew chief: Rodney Childers
Final 2021 ranking: 5th
Key stats: 0 wins, 10 top fives, 24 top 10s, 217 laps led

How 2021 ended:
While Harvick ultimately finished fifth in the final standings, that’s one heck of a rebound after entering the postseason with zero playoff points and going the balance of said playoffs without earning one. He failed to advance past the Round of 12, as Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Roval drama involving Chase Elliott left him crashed into the Turn 1 wall.

After finishes of ninth and eighth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, respectively, Harvick was in position to advance with a solid run at the Roval. On Lap 56, Harvick sent Elliott into the wall, retaliation from their Bristol Motor Speedway run-in weeks prior, and was suddenly in a good spot to advance. But on Lap 100, Harvick careened into the Turn 1 wall as Elliott approached behind him while running inside the top 10, ending his afternoon and chances of advancing to the next round.

RELATED: Kevin Harvick through the years

Best race:
The Bristol playoff event marked Harvick’s second runner-up finish of the season, but the closest opportunity to a race victory he’d get all year.

Kevin Harvick Bristol
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

Just past the halfway point, Harvick took the lead for the first time (only his seventh race to that point up front in 2021). But in the final 100 laps, Elliott had the top spot, and Harvick wanted it. The No. 4 drove it in deep, slid up and brushed the No. 9, cutting Elliott’s tire from the lead, forcing him to pit road. Harvick then paced the field for the subsequent 32 laps.

Until Elliott, who was multiple laps down from pitting under green, planted his Chevrolet in front of Harvick on the high side for multiple laps, slowing his momentum as Harvick tried to drive away from Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson in second. With four laps remaining, Larson passed Harvick for the lead and went on to win his sixth race of the season.

Harvick confronted Elliott post-race on pit road and in the garage area. And despite the second-place result, the 2014 series champion called his emotions post-Bristol “probably the maddest (he’s) ever been” over the course of his 21-year career in NASCAR.

RELATED: Kevin Harvick keeps his edge against rivals

Other season highlights:
• Harvick didn’t finish worse than 15th at Talladega and Daytona International Speedway and scored three top-10 results, marking his best average finish on superspeedways (7.75) since the 2015 season (7.25).

• Despite an early playoff exit, Harvick nabbed top 10s in eight of the 10 postseason races.

Stat to know:
Harvick, who won nine times in 2020 and none in 2021, became the second driver in the modern era to win eight-plus races one season and go winless the next, joining Carl Edwards, who won nine times in 2008 and not once in 2009. Bill Elliott also had a nine-win drop off back in the mid 1980s, going from 11 victories in 1985 to only two in 1986.

By virtue of finishing fifth in the final standings, the Bakersfield, California, native also became the first driver in this playoff format of playoff points (since 2017) to start 15th or 16th, accumulate zero playoff points (via stage wins and race wins) over the course of all 36 races and finish top five in the standings.

Quotable:
“Just chickens***. I mean, what else do you say? Throw a temper tantrum like you’re 2 years old because you got passed for the lead and got a flat tire. We barely even rubbed. It’s all Chase’s way or it’s no way, and if he doesn’t get his way, then he throws a fit […] I told him I wanted to rip his freaking head off.” – Harvick said of Elliott after Bristol 

Looking ahead:
In a recent Dale Jr. Download podcast, Harvick revealed 2021 was originally scheduled to be his final season in the Cup Series. But with two years remaining on his contract with Stewart-Haas Racing, the future Hall of Famer has all intentions of remaining in the No. 4 seat through 2023.

New sponsors such as Subway and GearWrench have signed on with Harvick and SHR for next year and beyond, giving him an extra security blanket as he and crew chief Rodney Childers look to navigate the uncharted territory of the Next Gen car.

With back-to-back Sunoco Rookies of the Year Cole Custer and Chase Briscoe in the fold along with Aric Almirola, Harvick remains the savvy veteran at the organization and will for the duration of his Cup Series career. Sitting 10th on the all-time wins list with 58 Cup Series victories, Harvick seems poised to add to that number and perhaps even add another championship to his already impressive resume.

Posted on by Jerry Bonkowski

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

Driver: Brad Keselowski
Car: No. 2 Team Penske Ford Mustang
Crew chief: Jeremy Bullins
Final 2021 ranking: 6th
Key stats: 1 win, 10 top fives, 17 top 10s, 331 laps led

How 2021 ended:
Keselowski had his worst season statistically since 2015, earning just one win in his 12th and final season with Team Penske. One of the few bright spots: He made the playoffs for the eighth straight year and 10th time in the last 12 seasons (missing out in 2010, his first season with the organization, and again in 2013).

His overall wins and top fives were his fewest since 2015, and his top 10s were the least since 2013.

Best race:
Keselowski’s best race also proved to be his only win of the season — his spring triumph at Talladega Superspeedway. He didn’t dominate the event, but he wisely stayed near the front throughout the race, and that would prove to be key.

It wasn’t so much what he did to win the race, it was how he did it, capturing the victory by leading just one lap. That’s right, he led just the final lap to capture the GEICO 500, beating William Byron by a mere 0.102 seconds. The 2021 Daytona 500 winner, Michael McDowell, was third, followed by Kevin Harvick and Matt DiBenedetto.

Additional highlights:
The biggest news for Keselowski came off the track on July 20 when he announced he would be leaving Team Penske at season’s end to join Roush Fenway Racing (since renamed Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing) for the 2022 season.

The deal includes securing an equity ownership interest in the team that will eventually grow Keselowski’s share over time. To his credit, Keselowski didn’t coast after the announcement was made, something other drivers could have done. He remained competitive throughout the remainder of the season and left Team Penske on the best of terms.

Stat to know:
Without question, Keselowski did what he does best at his best track, namely, Talladega. He won the spring race there, leading just that one final lap to earn his sixth career win at NASCAR’s largest superspeedway, making him the winningest active driver on the biggest race track in the sport.

Then he almost doubled up and came super close to winning the fall playoff race, barely missing the win and settling for a second-place finish (under caution). Talladega is definitely a super special place for Keselowski — the next-winningest tracks for him are just three wins each at Bristol Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Kentucky Speedway.

Quotable:
“That passion that started this team is the DNA that will live on to me forever and that we aim to have. So, it’s with that DNA that we’re reinvigorating and trying to find that next step and making the commitment to the future because we believe – and I believe in the future of NASCAR – and so there’s a heavy emphasis on where we’re going. We’re excited to get racing and prove our worth on the race track.” – Keselowski on becoming part-owner of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (also known as just RFK Racing).

RELATED: 2021 Cup Series schedule | See Keselowski’s 35 premier series wins

Looking ahead:
Keselowski will replace fellow veteran driver Ryan Newman in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. As of this writing, Newman’s plans for 2022 remain uncertain. RFKR has admittedly struggled in the last few years. In fact, it has qualified just two drivers in the playoffs in the last seven years: Newman in 2019 (finished 15th) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in 2017 (finished 13th).

Keselowski can be very demanding of his car and team as a driver, and now as a part-owner, he’s likely going to be even more so. At the same time, however, not only will there be more pressure on him, he may be exactly the type of leader RFKR needs going forward. Longtime owner Jack Roush is pushing 80 years old with plenty of glory in the days behind him. Time will tell, of course, but if the organization is willing to spend money in the offseason to hire some significant pit-crew members and talented engineers back at the shop, Keselowski has the driver talent to at least qualify for the playoffs. Anything after that will be a bonus in his first year removed from the strong Team Penske camp.

Posted on by Staff Report

In the spirit of the holiday season, NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace was on-hand at zMAX Dragway for his Live to Be Different Foundation’s second annual toy drive.

As the inclement weather stayed at bay, Wallace gathered some family and friends, including his fiancee Amanda Carter and sister Brittany Wallace, to assist in handing out bikes and other toys to families who needed the assistance.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to give back, it’s all about giving back,” Wallace told NASCAR.com. “Hasn’t been the prettiest day, but it is the holiday season and everyone is in the holiday spirit. It just feels good to be giving back to the families who didn’t have enough time, the pandemic hit super hard and they might be going through some things. We’re here to help out and have that helping hand and shoulder to lean on for Christmas and give the kids the presents that they all deserve.”

RELATED: Scenes from Bubba Wallace’s toy drive

Carter noted the foundation’s toy drive has over 400 kids they are supporting this year.

“This year, we’ve had a great turnout of applicants and a great turnout of volunteers,” Carter said. “People have been very generous and have donated toys and money to support local families in the area. … Hopefully we have a lot of happy kids opening gifts this year from their families. It’s just been fun to mingle today with people and get in the holiday spirit.”

Wallace’s foundation has been active since 2017. Its mission is to encourage the next generation to be better and more inclusive than every generation before it, so that they can achieve anything they put their mind to, just as Bubba has done in his journey as a Black race-car driver.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

In a season that saw five new tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, three first-time Cup Series winners, two organizations scoring their first Cup victory, five first-time NASCAR Xfinity Series winners, five first-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winners, notable names notching their first multi-win season at the sport’s top level and three first-time NASCAR national series champions, there were plenty of breakthrough performances to dig through in 2021. But which ones stood out the most?

NASCAR.com’s RJ Kraft and Sean Montgomery debate who had the biggest breakthrough across all of NASCAR in 2021.

2021 WINNERS: NASCAR Cup Series | Xfinity Series | Camping World Truck Series

KRAFT: For me, it’s Bubba Wallace as the driver who had the biggest breakthrough in 2021. After three full-time seasons driving for Richard Petty Motorsports, he made the move to 23XI Racing — a new team started up by Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, who may well be a NASCAR Hall of Famer when all is said and done. The new team has its bumps in the road throughout the season, makes a crew chief change late in the season but hits pay dirt in October at Talladega Superspeedway for Wallace’s first career Cup Series win and his first win in a national series event since 2017. The win also saw him become the second Black driver to win in NASCAR’s top series and the first to do so since Wendell Scott since 1963. Wallace has shown during his Cup career that he is a factor at superspeedways and he was able to cash in at the 2.66-mile track.

The win was a monumental moment for the sport both on and off the track. The victory comes in the midst of drivers that Wallace came up the ranks with — Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson — winning Cup Series championships as part of a new wave of drivers making their mark. It also came at the site of where Wallace was thrust into the social-justice spotlight nearly 16 months earlier where the Cup garage rallied behind Wallace during pre-race ceremonies as a sign of support following the finding of a noose in Wallace’s garage stall that an FBI investigation concluded had been there for months. He has become a public voice for NASCAR as the sport looks to reach a broader and more diverse audience.

On the track, the Talladega win sets a baseline for what the expectations are in 2022: To build off that victory with another and a playoff berth in 2022 for 23XI Racing with new teammate Kurt Busch in the fold.

RELATED: Bubba Wallace through the years | Inspiring Talladega win goes out to kids with racing dreams

In the honorable mention category for me: My answer for the biggest surprise of 2021, Ty Gibbs, was a consideration with his four-win Xfinity Series season in a part-time capacity. Along the same lines, Josh Berry’s two-win partial campaign with JR Motorsports that helped land him a full-time ride at the Xfinity organization can be considered. As can Ryan Blaney’s first multi-win Cup season in six full-time years.

MONTGOMERY: The biggest, and perhaps most underrated, breakthrough of the season is Kurt Busch’s summertime win at Atlanta Motor Speedway. If you look back at the end of the 2020 season, rumors swirled around a bit, suggesting the veteran may be headed towards retirement. The 2021 win once again proved that he not only has retained the talent and grit to still win at NASCAR’s highest level, it extended his consecutive seasons with a win streak to eight — only trailing his brother Kyle Busch (17), Brad Keselowski (11) and Joey Logano (10) among active drivers. The sale of Chip Ganassi Racing to Trackhouse Racing in June heightened the urgency for the elder Busch to make another playoff push as he searched for a new ride for the 2022 season, and he answered the challenge just a month later by picking up his fourth win at the Georgia track.

Fast forward to next season and the 2004 Cup Series champion has a new ride for a second-year team in 23XI Racing alongside Wallace. The combination of a winning resume and over two decades of top-flight success brings invaluable experience to an organization seeking its first postseason appearance. While a lot of chips had to fall in place for the Las Vegas native to land where he did, 2021 certainly breathed a breath of fresh air into his career. Now, the retirement rumors have faded. The highly-anticipated Next Gen car and a talented, eager team allow Busch to look more towards the future rather than reflect on the past. At 42 years old, the 33-time winner is beginning a brand new journey.

RELATED: Kurt Busch’s 2021 season in review

While the Atlanta win will go down as the last for iconic racing owner Chip Ganassi in the Cup Series (for now, at least), it also serves as a giant page-turner into another chapter for Busch’s impressive story.

The honorable mention goes to Alex Bowman. Bowman reeled off four wins in 2021 — second most at Hendrick Motorsports — after having only two in the previous six seasons combined. Look for the driver of the No. 48 to be a solid dark horse in 2022.

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

CONCORD, N.C. — After nearly 16 hours of Next Gen testing on Wednesday and Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, NASCAR Cup Series drivers and teams have a clearer understanding of the product they’ll be putting on track in 2022.

Twenty-two drivers took to the 1.5-mile track, punctuated by three pack runs on Friday. The morning session saw a six-inch offset spoiler, while a pair of afternoon mock races focused on a six-inch centered spoiler and four-inch centered spoiler. The 670-horsepower option was used throughout the day. Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, indicated that will be the likely move for the power units next year, but finalization of the 2022 rules package is still ongoing.

RELATED: NASCAR, teams focusing on 670-horsepower target

William Byron and Tyler Reddick had incidents in Friday’s morning portion of the session but were able to avoid any significant damage, while Corey LaJoie looped the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet around at the end of the second pack run coming out of Turn 4. Reddick also scraped the wall in the second pack run as he tried to find just how far the new car can be pushed.

 

“The cars are on edge, which is a good thing,” Reddick said on Friday. “There’s more mechanical grip in the car, less aerodynamic grip so, you know, you gotta keep it straight and you gotta keep the tires happy. You can’t get completely sideways or as sideways as we used to in years past with the other cars because the side force just doesn’t hold (the cars) down to the track.”

Ty Dillon, driving the No. 42 for newly formed Petty GMS Racing, feels the edge is a lot sharper because drivers are still trying to figure out how hard they are able to push their machines, but overall, the car is less forgiving of drivers’ mistakes.

“Your margin of error is a lot smaller,” Dillon said. “I know every lap I’ve ran I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable and I was able to drive it a little bit harder and that edge is getting a little softer for me. What makes Tyler (Reddick) so good is that he lives on that edge, the fine line of hitting the wall or spinning out but he’s super fast.”

Despite a spin in Turns 3 and 4 that left slight rear damage, Byron finished first in the second and third sessions Friday afternoon and second in the first pack run. While Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team have put emphasis on finding a balance with the car that makes him comfortable, he noted it was a confidence boost to be out front.

RELATED: Scenes from Next Gen testing at Charlotte

“I would rather be there than being the guy that says we’re going to be fine when the season starts and all that,” Byron said. “It’s nice, but so much is going to change. I just try to stay just as open-minded as a driver as I can because I’ve learned. I’ve been in this deal for four years now and things change so fast. It really is just about me staying open-minded, trying be as objective as I can be with my team. I think it’s gonna change a lot but it’s nice for us to show some speed.”

While Byron believes the Next Gen car will evolve even more before hitting the track for the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, his read on the 670-horsepower engine and aerodynamic packages being considered is that they’ve put the tools back into the drivers’ hands.

“I think it’s fun,” Byron said. “It’s definitely fun for the drivers. A lot more going on, you’re sweating a little bit more or at least I was working harder. You’ve got more brake usage, more throttle usage, more of a difference I feel like I’m making.”

Daniel Suarez, preparing for his second season with Trackhouse Racing as the team moves to a two-car operation with Ross Chastain, said he enjoyed experimenting with different packages on the race track. Suarez did agree with others regarding the finer line that drivers will have to toe in order to keep all four wheels pointed in the right direction.

“The car has more downforce but has no side force at all, which the side force is what all drivers were extremely used to,” Suarez said. “We have that feeling that the rear is right there and you can race sideways and it can be OK. But this, we don’t have as much of a warning. You have a little bit and you step out a little bit more and you spin out or wreck. The warning is way different.”

“But, listen, I’m excited for the challenge,” Suarez added. “I’m very, very excited with this new car and I think everyone is enjoying the journey. I think we’re going to end up with a very, very good product. We just have to continue to work together to get there.”

Posted on by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Front Row Motorsports (FRM) today announced No. 34 Ford Mustang crew chief Drew Blickensderfer has informed the team he will be leaving the organization to pursue other options.

“Drew helped lead the No. 34 team to new heights since coming to Front Row Motorsports, highlighted by winning the Daytona 500,” said team owner Bob Jenkins in an official statement. We are now in the process of securing the next leader in our organization to continue the solid foundation that has been built. That process has begun, and we will move quickly. We wish Drew the best in his next endeavors.”

FRM will announce the new hire in the future.