CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR worked through multiple changes to the Next Gen car Wednesday during the first run of its two-day organizational test at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The eight-hour session, which began at 8 a.m. ET and ended at 4 p.m. ET, broke up into three mini sessions, each with a different aero/engine configuration. The first featured a 550-horsepower engine with a seven-inch spoiler. The second was a 670-horsepower engine with a six-inch spoiler. The third and final remained the same, but the spoiler was offset to the passenger side.
Consistent across the packages, but new to Next Gen testing overall, were splitter stuffers, engine panel strakes and rear diffuser skirts. According to NASCAR, the purpose of these additions is to help with predictability in traffic. And unlike last time, there were actually on-track periods scheduled specifically for pack racing with each configuration.
Todd Gilliland made his top-dog introduction Wednesday, driving the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford. Gilliland had never tested a Next Gen car before, neither had he ever raced at the NASCAR Cup Series level. His move up from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was inked back in late November.
“There are so many differences – the shifting, the steering,” Gilliland said told NASCAR.com. “Just so many technical things that are different. But it’s been really relieving to me that no, it’s still a race car. After making my first laps, it’s not too different driving wise than what we’ve done before. So, I’m just really excited to continue on testing throughout the day and on Friday, build my notebook as much as possible and get a ton of laps under my belt.”
Another breakthrough appearance: Justin Haley’s No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. His new full-time number had not yet been revealed. Haley previously tested the No. 16 Chevy, which the team announced Tuesday will be shared by three part-time drivers in 2022 – Noah Gragson, Daniel Hemric and AJ Allmendinger.
Drivers were not made available to the media Wednesday.
Teams will return to the 1.5-mile oval Friday for their second day of testing, again from 8 a.m. ET to 4 p.m. ET. By that point, NASCAR will have taken feedback from Wednesday and decided on one configuration to run for the entirety of the eight-hour block.
“I don’t really know which package I like the best because the last one we shifted the spoiler over with the same horsepower,” Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said. “We’re going to go here and talk and figure out which package everybody kinda liked and see if we can keep working on it. I think that’s what we’ve all got to do is come up with the best possible solution to make sure that we hit the track in 2022 with everything that we need to run well.”
The Next Gen car will make its first public outing Feb. 6 (6 p.m. ET) with the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum exhibition in Los Angeles. Its points-paying debut will be two weeks later in Florida with the 2022 Daytona 500 on Feb. 20 (2:30 p.m. ET). Both events will be broadcast on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
The National Motorsports Appeals Panel today upheld an L2 level penalty assessed against Mike Harmon and Ryan Bell in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. NASCAR penalized them on Nov. 22 for violating Section 5.1.a.c.d: Vehicle Testing in the NASCAR Rule Book.
Initially, NASCAR fined crew chief Bell $50,000 and suspended him for the next six championship points events, beginning in 2022. Instead, that fine will now be levied against Harmon, who is the No. 74 Chevrolet team’s owner/driver and lost 75 owner points and 75 driver points for 2022 after turning laps at Rockingham Speedway.
The appellants have the right to appeal the decision of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel to the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer in accordance with the NASCAR Rule Book. The Appeals Panel members for today’s hearing were Tom DeLoach, Dickie Gore and Dale Pinilis.
CONCORD, N.C. — Tyler Reddick was unhurt after crashing into the pit-road wall during Wednesday’s opening day of Next Gen testing at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Reddick’s No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet slid exiting Turn 4 and clouted the impact-absorbing sand barrels at the pit wall’s start point. The car sustained significant left-side damage, but Reddick was able to drive it back to the garage. He was evaluated and released from the track’s infield medical center.
Two days of testing are scheduled at the 1.5-mile Charlotte oval this week as the newest-generation race car for the NASCAR Cup Series nears its 2022 debut. In addition to Wednesday’s session, another test day is set for Friday, with track time allotted for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET both days. Wednesday’s crash occurred shortly after noon ET, prompting a lengthy clean-up. Cars returned to the track at 12:50 p.m. ET.
Earlier Wednesday, Ricky Stenhouse drove away from a single-car spin in his No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet. The incident occurred just a few laps into a group run with one of the three aero/engine configurations NASCAR officials and teams are trying out during Wednesday’s on-track runs.
Austin Dillon, Reddick’s teammate at RCR, crashed during the most recent Next Gen test. The team was able to repair the No. 3 Chevrolet and return it to the track in the same day.
Editor’s Note: This continues the series of season reviews for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs drivers.
Driver: Kyle Busch
Car: No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry Crew chief: Ben Beshore Final 2021 ranking: 9th Key stats: 2 wins, 14 top fives, 22 top 10s, 334 laps led
How 2021 ended: Busch finished runner-up at Martinsville Speedway in the season’s penultimate race and missed qualifying for the Championship 4 by just three points. Busch earned three top fives in the final seven races of 2021, but a 28th-place finish at Kansas Speedway after suffering multiple tire failures set the No. 18 team behind in Busch’s chase for a third championship.
Best race: Nobody led more laps during the Pocono Raceway doubleheader this year than Busch, whose 60 total laps led over the two races bested Alex Bowman’s 34. But Busch’s Sunday drive was perhaps his drive of the year.
Midway through the race, Busch suffered a transmission issue that limited him to only fourth gear, making his pit exit remarkably slower than his competitors since he had to burn up his clutch trying not to stall the car. The 350-mile race then became a game of fuel mileage, another disadvantage for Busch who couldn’t use his clutch to save fuel.
That didn’t matter. Busch somehow still found a way to conserve just enough fuel on the final run of the race to claim the checkered flag at Pocono, one day after finishing second to Bowman.
• Busch also found himself in yet another battle for the win against older brother Kurt Busch at Atlanta Motor Speedway in July. Kyle led a season-high 91 laps that day, but Ross Chastain hindered him late with 25 laps remaining, allowing his teammate, Kurt, to rally past Kyle for the victory while “Rowdy” finished second.
•Kyle Busch’s season was dotted with several notable performances, a significant turnaround after a 2020 that found the No. 18 largely inconsistent despite similar statistics. Fast cars and elite talent resulted in strong top-five runs at the Coca-Cola 600, Watkins Glen International and the Martinsville playoff race.
Stat to know: Thanks to his Kansas triumph, Busch became just the second driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win more than once on his birthday. The only other driver to do so multiple times was Cale Yarborough. Additionally, Busch has now won at least once in each of the last 17 seasons, tying David Pearson for second-most consecutive years with a win all-time. No. 1 on that list is Richard Petty with 18, a record Busch can tie in 2022.
Quotable: “[Brad Keselowski] drills my [expletive] coming out of (Turn 4) for no reason. Where was he going? What was he doing? He was trying to do a (Kevin) Harvick is what he was gonna do. For what? For second place? To do what? He wasn’t going to transfer though with that. … So stupid. I don’t understand these guys. I should beat the [expletive] out of him right now is what I should do. But that doesn’t do me any good either.” — Busch on contact from Brad Keselowski coming to the checkered flag at Martinsville on Oct. 31
Looking ahead: Busch remains the Cup Series’ lone active multiple-time champion with titles in 2015 and 2019. In the five seasons from 2015-19, Busch won at least four races per season. The last two years have brought just three victories, though.
As he prepares for a new chapter in the Next Gen car, Busch will look to rekindle a Championship 4 run, a feat he very nearly achieved in 2021.
NASCAR officials released the team and driver lineup for two days of testing at Charlotte Motor Speedway as Cup Series organizations get more track time with the Next Gen cars that they will race in the 2022 season.
Testing is set for Wednesday and Friday at the 1.5-mile Charlotte oval, with on-track sessions running from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET each day. A list of the drivers and teams scheduled to participate*:
No.
Driver(s)
Organization
Car
2
Austin Cindric
Team Penske
Ford
6
Brad Keselowski
RFK Racing
Ford
7
Corey LaJoie
Spire Motorsports
Chevrolet
8
Tyler Reddick
Richard Childress Racing
Chevrolet
9
Chase Elliott
Hendrick Motorsports
Chevrolet
10
Aric Almirola
Stewart-Haas Racing
Ford
12
Ryan Blaney
Team Penske
Ford
14
Chase Briscoe
Stewart-Haas Racing
Ford
18
Kyle Busch
Joe Gibbs Racing
Toyota
19
Martin Truex Jr.
Joe Gibbs Racing
Toyota
21
Harrison Burton
Wood Brothers Racing
Ford
22
Joey Logano
Team Penske
Ford
24
William Byron
Hendrick Motorsports
Chevrolet
31
Justin Haley, Daniel Hemric
Kaulig Racing
Chevrolet
38
Todd Gilliland, Michael McDowell
Front Row Motorsports
Ford
42
Ty Dillon
GMS Petty Motorsports
Chevrolet
45
Kurt Busch
23XI Racing
Toyota
47
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
JTG Daugherty Racing
Chevrolet
99
Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez
Trackhouse Racing
Chevrolet
(* — note: entrants subject to change. Three- to four-car teams are permitted to test up to two cars each day; Team Penske’s No. 12 is scheduled for Wednesday only, and Penske’s No. 22 is scheduled to be a Friday participant.)
For Rajah Caruth, being named the 2021 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award recipient in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series is more than an honor.
The award doubles as a fresh source of motivation for the 19-year-old from Washington, D.C., as he continues his rapid ascent up the stock car racing ladder.
“It’s something I’ve hoped to earn, so to receive it is pretty awesome,” Caruth said of the award, given annually to an outstanding minority or female driver in the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series. “It really motivates me to try harder; to be more focused on doing what I’m supposed to do away from the race track, especially in the offseason. It helps me to remind myself what I need to be doing in order to prepare for next year.”
That preparation will be key for a driver who in 2022 will compete part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series just a few years after his first real-life experience in a race car.
Rajah Caruth poses for a portrait before the Jeep Beach 175 for the ARCA Menards Series East at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, on Feb. 8, 2021. (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
Named after Wendell Scott, who in 1963 became the first African-American driver to win a race in NASCAR’s top national series, the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award is based on a driver‘s final Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national standing as well as on-track performance, sportsmanship and community service. The recipient is selected by a committee as nominated by drivers, crew members and track operators.
Caruth’s third year behind the wheel of a race car provided plenty to warrant both his nomination and selection.
A product of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Development Program, Caruth found success as a rookie in the ARCA Menards Series East this year driving for Max Siegel’s Rev Racing operation; he finished third in points with a pair of top fives and five top 10s in eight races. Caruth attributes much of that success to what he learned wheeling late models in the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series.
“I had a couple cool moments; just moments when things clicked for me,” Caruth explained. “The things I’ve been coached on and talked to about from people at Rev and outside of Rev. To finally understand what some of them were saying. To be able to apply it was awesome.”
Caruth specifically referenced his experience competing in the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series at Hickory Motor Speedway in Newton, North Carolina. He said Hickory was where he was able to practice and eventually perfect the proper passing technique, a skill he was able to apply to his efforts on the ARCA Menards platform.
And it’s no coincidence that both of Caruth’s Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series victories in 2021 came at Hickory.
“I learned so much,” he said. “I had a couple cool moments at Hickory, personally. Not even the wins. Just learning the race car and learning some things about race craft.”
Including those two wins, Caruth in 2021 notched six top fives and eight top 10s in 12 Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series starts. Beyond Hickory, the NASCAR-sanctioned tracks at which he competed included South Boston Speedway, Florence Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway.
Rajah Caruth pictured ahead of the Jeep Beach 175 for the ARCA Menards Series East at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, on Feb. 8, 2021. (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
Caruth’s success at both the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series level and the ARCA Menards level exemplifies his driving talent. Still, his rise in the sport has been a surprise even to the driver himself.
Caruth was born in Atlanta and raised in D.C., where he lived when he attended his first NASCAR Cup Series race at nearby Richmond Raceway in 2014. It was then when the Caribbean-American decided he wanted to pursue a career as a driver. That journey began with video games and online sim racing, and in 2018, Caruth competed in his first professional iRacing Series. He finished 20th in eNASCAR Ignite Series points.
After he joined NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Development Program and Rev Racing, Caruth’s first real-life racing experience came in 2019. He finished 13th in Bojangles Summer Shootout (Legends Cars) at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In 2020, he won his first Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series race at Greenville Pickens Speedway in Easley, South Carolina. He also improved to sixth in the Summer Shootout standings.
This led to the ARCA Menards opportunity on which Caruth capitalized in 2021. And he has parlayed that success into a busier racing schedule. Both Caruth and Rev Racing teammate Nick Sanchez will run full time in the ARCA Menards Series (national) in 2022. Both will run part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series schedules, too.
Sanchez, of course, is the 2019 recipient of the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award. He finished third in ARCA Menards Series points in 2021 on the strength of a victory and nine top fives in 18 starts. Caruth can look to his friend within Rev Racing for an example of how his own career could continue to progress.
Rajah Caruth pictured ahead of the Bush’s Beans 200 for the ARCA Menards Series at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 16, 2021. (Jacob Kupferman/ARCA Racing)
A sophomore pursuing a major in motorsports management at Winston-Salem State University while living in nearby Concord, North Carolina, Caruth hopes to keep Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series events on his racing schedule for 2022. He would like to run some dirt and additional road-course races, as well.
At this point in his development, he wants to leave no lessons behind the wheel unlearned.
Yes, Caruth’s career has skyrocketed to the point where he is no longer far from his ultimate goal of competing in the NASCAR Cup Series, one level up from Xfinity. But he understands the value of patience.
“With how fast everything has gone, I’ve been able to slow down and not really be focused on rushing,” Caruth said. “Fortunately, I’m only 19, so if I do what I’m supposed to do, I can have a long career in this. Just not rushing it; making sure everything we do, we do it the right way.”
So far so good, as proven by the honor that is the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award.
With the 2021 racing season coming to a close, it’s time to offer special recognition for stock-car racing’s championship performances from all levels of the sport. Recap the stellar seasons for multiple NASCAR, ARCA and touring series, plus the title hardware handed out in eNASCAR.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
CUP SERIES
2021 champion: Kyle Larson
Season review: Larson wrapped up his first NASCAR Cup Series championship by capping a historic season, his first with Hendrick Motorsports, with a clutch victory in the final race at Phoenix Raceway. Larson won 10 times during the year, adding the non-points All-Star Race and the Regular Season Championship to his 2021 haul. The pit crew for his No. 5 Chevrolet provided a crucial boost in the Phoenix finale, with a rapid final stop that helped Larson outlast fellow title contenders Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. down the stretch. Along the way, he finished with 2,581 laps led for the season — a record since the Cup Series moved to a 36-race schedule. (Recap)
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
XFINITY SERIES
2021 champion: Daniel Hemric
Season review: Hemric shook off the nagging question about when his first NASCAR national-series win might come, adding some extra emphasis and flair by securing his first victory in the Phoenix season-ender and icing his first Xfinity Series crown. Hemric brushed past fellow title contender Austin Cindric in the final set of corners with a bold last-lap move, inching his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota ahead and reaching the checkered flag first. He punctuated his victory with a backflip, celebrating his first win in 120 Xfinity Series starts and his first in 208 national-series efforts. Hemric moves to Kaulig Racing next season as he bids for a repeat Xfinity title. (Recap)
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Chris Graythen | Getty Images
CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
2021 champion: Ben Rhodes
Season review: The 24-year-old Louisville native rolled to his first title in his sixth Camping World Truck Series season, edging out other championship hopefuls Zane Smith, John Hunter Nemechek and Matt Crafton with a third-place finish in the Phoenix finale. Rhodes won the first two races of the 2021 season, prevailing on the Daytona International Speedway oval then road course in back-to-back weeks in the No. 99 ThorSport Racing Toyota, then remained in the thick of the postseason picture to the end. Rhodes stayed among the top three in the series standings all season. He topped off his clinching performance at Phoenix with a champion’s press conference for the ages. (Recap)
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Jacob Kupferman | ARCA Racing
ARCA MENARDS SERIES
2021 champion: Ty Gibbs
Season review: The teenage driver rounded out an impressive ARCA Menards Series championship season, winning 10 of the 20 races and finishing among the top five in all but one event. Gibbs needed only to start the season finale at Kansas Speedway to seal the crown, which he took by 37 points over rival Corey Heim. Gibbs won 11 pole positions, led a record 1,689 laps — more than four times more than any other driver — and posted an average finish of 3.0. A crash-related 27th place at Talladega was the only major blemish on his 2021 campaign. When he wasn’t winning in ARCA, he also made waves in the Xfinity Series, taking the checkered flag in four of his 18 starts as a part-timer for his grandfather’s race team. (Recap)
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Jacob Kupferman | ARCA Racing
ARCA MENARDS SERIES EAST
2021 champion: Sammy Smith
Season review: Smith, a 17-year-old Iowa native, made the most of the ARCA Menards Series East season, winning three of the eight races and outdistancing Daniel Dye by 34 points in the final standings. What initially started as a part-time schedule for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver turned into a full-season title run after he triumphed in two of the first three races on the calendar. Smith went on to lead 396 laps, notched one pole position and placed among the top five in seven of his eight starts. His average finish of 4.3 was tops among series regulars. (Recap)
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Meg Oliphant | Getty Images
ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST
2021 champion: Jesse Love
Season review: Love secured a second consecutive ARCA Menards Series West championship in dramatic fashion, prevailing in a tiebreaker over Jake Drew. Love forced the deadlock atop the series standings on the last lap of the season finale at Phoenix, slipping by Drew teammate Trevor Huddleston for 14th place. That clinched the West Series’ first repeat title since Todd Gilliland went back-to-back in 2016-17 and also brought team owner Bill McAnally his 11th series crown. Love won two of the series’ nine races in 2021, sweeping the pair of events held at Irwindale Speedway during the summer months. (Recap)
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Ryan McBride | NASCAR
WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR
2021 champion: Justin Bonsignore
Season review: Bonsignore roared to his third Whelen Modified Tour championship in the last four years. The New York native won twice in 2021, surging to victory at Jennerstown in the spring then polishing off his title march by winning the season finale at Stafford Springs. That gave the 33-year-old veteran a 22-point cushion over closest challenger Patrick Emerling in the final season tally. Bonsignore brought the title back home to Ken Massa Motorsports, which has fielded Bonsignore’s No. 51 entry ever since he joined the Modified Tour full-time in 2010. (Recap)
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Matthew Manor | NASCAR
PINTY’S SERIES
2021 champion: L.P. Dumoulin
Season review: Dumoulin made it three Pinty’s Series crowns this season, assembling a remarkably consistent campaign to clinch the title in NASCAR’s Canada-based circuit. The Trois-Rivieres, Quebec native completed all 1,011 laps in the 10-race season, topping all series regulars with nine top-10 finishes. His lone victory came at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in the opening race of a doubleheader weekend. He outpaced Andrew Ranger by eight points and D.J. Kennington by 11 in the final standings, adding the 2021 title to the Pinty’s championships he scored in 2014 and 2018. (Recap)
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS WEEKLY SERIES
2021 champion: Peyton Sellers
Season review: Sellers corralled his second national Division I crown 16 years after his first title, capping a successful year of Late Model racing at weekly tracks in his home state of Virginia. The 38-year-old veteran won track championships at South Boston Speedway and Dominion Raceway, winning 21 times in 38 starts to top Jacob Goede — the 2019 national champ — by 34 points in the final standings. Sellers’ performance also clinched the Southeast Region title; Goede (Midwest), Craig Von Dohren (Northeast) and Eric Rhead (West) cinched up the other regional crowns for 2021. (Recap)
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Klemen Sofric | NASCAR Whelen Euro Series
WHELEN EURO SERIES
2021 champion: Loris Hezemans
Season review: The 24-year-old Dutch driver became the youngest two-time champion in series history, netting four wins and six pole positions in the 10-race EuroNASCAR Pro Championship season. He edged Junior Trophy winner Gianmarco Ercoli by just three points in the final standings. Hezemans, who finished third last season after claiming the series title in 2019, is scheduled to compete in a partial NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2022 for the newly formed Team Hezeberg, focusing on the tour’s road-course events. (Recap)
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Peak Mexico Series
PEAK MEXICO SERIES
2021 champion: Salvador de Alba Jr.
Season review: The Guadalajara, Mexico, native surged to four victories in the 2021 campaign to claim his first Peak Mexico Series championship for the Sidral Aga Racing Team. De Alba drove his No. 48 Ford to a fourth-place finish in the season finale at Amozoc, Mexico, to hold off Ruben Garcia Jr. in a tight points battle. He finished among the top five in 10 of the 12 races on the schedule, coming out on top in the final standings in his fifth season on the Peak Mexico Series circuit. (Recap)
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eNASCAR
eNASCAR COCA-COLA iRACING SERIES
2021 champion: Keegan Leahy
Season review: Leahy brought the 2021 title home to 23XI Racing with a clinching victory in the eNASCAR season finale at virtual Texas Motor Speedway. The Nova Scotia resident held off Logan Clampitt by .517 seconds in the year-ending event and by just five points in the season-long standings. Leahy won three times (Homestead-Miami, Bristol, Texas) in the 18-race season and topped the series in the laps-led category (582) in the 2021 campaign. He collected a cool $100,000 for the championship-sealing triumph. (Recap)
Editor’s Note: This continues the series of season reviews for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs drivers.
Driver: William Byron
Car: No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Crew chief: Rudy Fugle Final 2021 ranking: 10th Key stats: 1 win, 12 Top-5s, 20 Top-10s, 425 laps led
How 2021 ended:
After earning his second career victory and his second playoff opportunity, Bryon hit a streak of tough luck just as the postseason was starting. He had three DNFs in a four-race stretch spanning the last three regular-season races and the Round of 16 opener at Darlington Raceway. He still advanced to the second round but didn’t score a top 10 in any of those three races. He led a race best 30 laps at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in the second-round elimination race, but his 11th-place finish wasn’t enough to keep his title hopes alive. Ironically, after his title hopes ended, he finished top 10 in three of the final four races to close out the season.
Best race:
Byron scored his second career NASCAR Cup Series win with an impressive victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Before he could hoist the trophy, however, he had to hold off a hard-charging Tyler Reddick and two of this year’s Championship 4 contenders – Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. – for the win. Byron’s effort at Homestead started an 11-race streak of top-10 finishes.
Additional highlights:
Byron’s 12 top-five finishes – more than doubled his previous best in a season (five in 2019) and his 20 top 10 finishes were also significantly higher than any previous season (14 in 2020). His three runner-up efforts along with the win showed Byron was competing on a different level and elevating his championship expectations. In addition to his win at Homestead, Byron finished runner-up in the first race at Talladega Superspeedway, Michigan International Speedway and the fall trip to Texas Motor Speedway.
Stat to know:
In all, Byron posted career-best marks in top fives (12), top 10s (20), laps led (425), average Start (8.7), average finish (13.6) and final championship rank (10th).
Quotable:
“I think for our team, we at least expected to make it [into the playoffs] for a while now. We don’t feel like we’re just sneaking into the playoffs or anything. … I think the next step is just how do we perform in the playoffs and how do we get to the next level of our progression as a program.’’ — Byron on raising the level of expectations for the No. 24 team.
Looking ahead:
After a career-best year in so many important categories, it’s easy to expect Byron’s challenge next year will be to advance into the Round of 8 and quite possibly to the Championship 4. It will be his fourth career season with the reigning championship organization Hendrick Motorsports at the NASCAR Cup Series level and second season teaming with crew chief Rudy Fugle. And judging by their maiden Cup Series season, it’s obvious the pairing is in sync and primed to elevate its game next year.
Kaulig Racing will go NASCAR Cup Series racing with three-quarters of the most recent Xfinity Series Championship 4, announcing Tuesday that first-time champion Daniel Hemric will split time with AJ Allmendinger and Noah Gragson in the No. 16 Chevrolet next season.
The Matt Kaulig-owned organization rounded out its 2022 driver lineup as it prepares to jump to Cup Series competition with two full-time teams next year. Justin Haley will drive the full season in one entry, while Hemric and Allmendinger — full-time drivers for Kaulig in Xfinity — will split time with JR Motorsports’ Gragson in the No. 16.
Kaulig Racing had announced June 18 that it had secured two Cup Series charters, tapping Haley for one full-time ride and adding Allmendinger to the part-time mix in the other. On Tuesday, Kaulig officials indicated that Gragson would drive in 14 Cup Series races next year, with Allmendinger and Hemric dividing up the No. 16 team’s remaining 22 events in an unspecified split.
“We think our roster for the 2022 season features some great drivers,” team president Chris Rice said in a Kaulig release. “Having three out of the four Xfinity Series championship contenders helping to build our new Cup Series program is truly a tremendous opportunity for this Kaulig Racing team. While these guys have been fierce competitors for the last few years, having them bring that same tenacity as teammates will be extremely fun to watch and a great way for this team to grow in its first full season in the Cup Series.”
Tuesday’s announcement confirms that all of last season’s Championship 4 in the Xfinity Series will race at the Cup Series level next year. Austin Cindric, the circuit’s other title contender from November’s season finale, will move up as the full-time driver of Team Penske’s No. 2 Ford in 2022.
Each driver for Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 Chevy next has some degree of Cup Series experience. Allmendinger has the most — 376 starts — and that tenure includes a breakthrough victory for Kaulig’s Cup effort last season on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.
Hemric — who made 38 Cup starts for Richard Childress Racing in 2018-19 — was announced Sept. 25 for a full Xfinity Series ride in Kaulig’s No. 11 Chevrolet. Those duties will now include a partial Cup Series schedule. He enters the Kaulig fold fresh from his first Xfinity victory and the championship coronation that came with it.
“I have had the chance to race against some great drivers in the sport over the past few years,” Hemric said in a team release. “AJ Allmendinger is a great competitor, especially when it comes to road courses, and Noah is a threat no matter what style of race track we go to. I had the opportunity to be teammates with him when I raced for JRM in 2020 for a partial season and was able to see different parts of what makes him a strong racer.
“We are each so different but seeing how intense both AJ and Noah are as professionals and at driving race cars makes me really excited for this upcoming season. Now we have the opportunity to be able to lean on each other and try to build a program here at Kaulig Racing at the highest level of our sport. I’m very fortunate to be a part of this.”
Gragson’s stint in the Cup Series has been the briefest, with only a Daytona 500 qualifying race on his resume from last year’s attempt with Beard Motorsports. He has five Xfinity Series victories in his three years with JRM, including a dramatic win at Martinsville Speedway in the next-to-last race of the year that vaulted him into the 2021 championship field.
“This is a really unique opportunity I have with Kaulig Racing and to be able to share the No. 16 with two of my biggest competitors in the Xfinity Series,” Gragson said. “I’ve had the chance to work with Daniel before, but it will be a new experience working with AJ. We’ve raced against each other for a few years now, and I think working as teammates will only help us get better as drivers.”
Kaulig representatives indicated that more details about its Cup Series effort — including individual event duties, sponsors, and a car number for Haley’s entry — would be shared at a later date.
Kaulig Racing is set to field three full-time Xfinity Series entries for the second consecutive season in 2022. Landon Cassill joins the organization in the No. 10 Chevrolet as teammates to Hemric (No. 11) and Allmendinger (No. 16).
Todd Bodine will come out of retirement to run six NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races in a second Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota Tundra during the 2022 season, the organization announced Monday.
With sponsor support from Camping World and the company’s CEO, Marcus Lemonis, Bodine is set to compete at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 4), Darlington Raceway (May 6), Texas Motor Speedway (May 20), Sonoma Raceway (June 11), Nashville Superspeedway (June 24) and Pocono Raceway (July 23).
Bodine is set to become the 28th driver in NASCAR history to achieve 800 career national-series starts. The two-time Camping World Truck Series champion and 22-time race winner sits at 794 career NASCAR starts, including 220 Truck Series starts, 333 Xfinity Series starts and 241 Cup Series starts. He also owns 15 NXS wins.
“We started talking about the possibility of doing something like this with Marcus Lemonis around this time last year,” Bodine said in a team press release. “When Marcus tweeted back in October that he needed 800 reasons from the fans to make this happen, the fans responded back with thousands of reasons. We are excited for the opportunity to reach the 800-start mark with top equipment from the team at HFR. It’s also great to be back with Toyota.”
Bodine is a longtime in-studio analyst for FOX Sports’ Camping World Truck Series coverage. He’ll climb into a race truck for the first time since Pocono Raceway in 2013, when he led 16 laps and finished 11th.
