Hendrick Motorsports, Hooters renew No. 9 sponsorship for three years

Posted on December 2, 2021December 2, 2021 by Staff Report

Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday that Hooters Restaurants has renewed its sponsorship agreement with Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Chevrolet team, re-upping for a three-year extension.

The deal was announced on the same day as the NASCAR Cup Series Awards in Nashville. Elliott will be recognized for his appearance in this year’s Championship 4 alongside teammate and first-time champ Kyle Larson.

“They’ve been a great partner, a lot of fun to work with and I feel like they do a really good job of making the most of their few races a year, which is huge and hard to do,” Elliott said during a Thursday morning media availability, held just moments after the announcement. “So, looking forward to three more years together and try to get to Victory Lane. That’s been kind of the one thing we haven’t been able to check the box with them yet, so hopefully we can do that and have a successful run.”

Hooters first partnered with Elliott in the 2017 season. The brand has been a primary sponsor of the No. 9 Chevy for three races in each of the last two seasons.

Elliott has been close to scratching the win column with Hooters on board, finishing second with the sponsor on two occasions (Homestead, Daytona) in his Cup Series title season of 2020.

Elliott will be returning for his seventh full-time Cup Series season — all with Hendrick Motorsports. The 26-year-old driver won twice last year, pushing his career Cup Series win tally to 13 victories.

Posted on December 1, 2021 by Reid Spencer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – If Nashville didn’t know NASCAR was in town, the city found out emphatically Wednesday night when the world’s best stock-car drivers lit up Broadway in the heart of the Music City’s nightclub district (Burnouts on Broadway airs Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN).

Some of them lit up Broadway, that is.

On a night when veteran 40-somethings ruled the Burnouts on Broadway, Kevin Harvick destroyed the rear tires of his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford and walked off, leaving his disabled Mustang in the center of the street.

“Everybody tries to overcomplicate everything,” Harvick said. “I drove right to the dry area (after an earlier rain had dampened the asphalt). My hope was that we could blow the tires off down to the wheels, shoot sparks and walk off.

“We did everything but the sparks… My whole purpose was to make up for a year without winning.”

VIDEO: Sneak peek at Burnouts on Broadway

Fellow veteran Kurt Busch, who, like Harvick, had a secret weapon under his hood — one that produced copious smoke as Busch put the No. 1 Chevrolet through its paces.

“Given that Ganassi’s (Chip Ganassi Racing) shutting down, that was our backup car from Phoenix with a bona fide race engine in it,” Busch said.

Most other drivers had tamer power plants, but that didn’t prevent them from breaking transmissions.

As soon as NASCAR Cup Series championship runner-up Martin Truex Jr. released the clutch to start his routine, the car stalled and wouldn’t refire. Alex Bowman, William Byron and Tyler Reddick had similar issues during their runs.

“Hendrick Motorsports really let me down,” Bowman said, clearly tongue-in-cheek. “I broke it way too early, as soon as I dumped the clutch.”

PHOTOS: See the scenes from Champion’s Week

The 16 Cup playoff drivers, along with NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Daniel Hemric, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes and ARCA Menards Series champion Ty Gibbs, found novel ways to provide entertainment.

The crowd that packed the restraining barriers five-deep along Broadway got a back flip from Hemric and a salute from Gibbs as he stood on his driver’s-side window ledge. Denny Hamlin bounced off a jersey barrier and kept going, turning in a creditable performance.

NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson closed the show with an extended run as his father — in the passenger seat — held the steering wheel aloft out the window as Larson deftly guided the car.

“That was a lot of fun,” Larson said. “I hope the fans enjoyed it. I know I did. I’m like shaking. That was more nerve-wracking trying not to embarrass ourselves right there than we do for a whole race.

“I enjoyed having my dad riding passenger with me, and we got to explode some tires, so that was cool.”

Posted on December 1, 2021December 14, 2021 by Staff Report

Richard Petty Motorsports and GMS Racing announced that Richard Petty Motorsports will sell a majority interest to GMS Racing owner Maury Gallagher.

In a statement from Gallagher and Richard Petty Motorsports, it reads: “Richard Petty Motorsports has agreed to sell a majority interest to Maury Gallagher, owner of GMS Racing. Two charters are included in the agreement and will be operated during the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. This is a special moment for both organizations as the Next Gen car allows a new chapter to be written.”

GMS Racing shared back in June it will expand its NASCAR operation into the Cup Series level in 2022. Ty Dillon was revealed as the driver in October. He’ll pilot the brand-new No. 94 Chevrolet.

Richard Petty Motorsports, owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, has Erik Jones as its sole driver. His return to the No. 43 Chevy was confirmed in August. Jones is a two-time NASCAR Cup Series winner.

Since its formation in 2014, GMS Racing has won the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship, the 2015 ARCA Menards Series championship as well as the ARCA East championship in 2019 and 2020. The organization has won 41 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races and one NASCAR Xfinity Series race through the end of the 2021 season.

Richard Petty Motorsports began racing in 2000 under a different name, Evernham Motorsports, and took on its current branding in honor of “The King” in 2009 following a merger between Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Enterprises.

Since 2009, AJ Allmendinger, Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler, Reed Sorenson, Aric Almirola, Paul Menard, Marcos Ambrose, Sam Hornish Jr., Brian Scott, Bubba Wallace and Jones have been full-time Cup drivers for the organization. During that time, RPM has won five Cup races and two Xfinity Series races.

Petty won seven Cup championships and 198 of his 200 Cup wins driving for his family team Petty Enterprises.

Posted on December 1, 2021December 1, 2021 by Team Release

Hattori Racing Enterprises announced Wednesday that the team will field two full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series entries for the first time in the organization’s history. Tyler Ankrum, a Camping World Trucks winner and former playoff contender, will take the reins of the team’s No. 16 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro in 2022 and return to the Toyota family. LiUNA! will serve as Ankrum’s primary sponsor for 20 of the 23 events as the 20-year-old will be paired with championship-winning crew chief Scott Zipadelli.

A native of San Bernadino, California, Ankrum brings three seasons’ worth of experience to HRE along with playoff berths in 2019 and 2020. He won his first Camping World Trucks race at Kentucky Speedway in a Toyota Tundra at age 19 in his 12th-career start to qualify for his first playoff berth. Ankrum posted a career-high 10 top-10 finishes in 2020 and earned his first-career Camping World Trucks pole award at Circuit of the Americas along with a pair of podium finishes in 2021.

MORE: On the Move 2022 | Silly Season tracker

“This is a great opportunity to join a tight-knit team with a really strong foundation,” Ankrum said. “I couldn’t be more excited to join HRE and return to the Toyota family. To be able to work with Scott Zipadelli and his team on the LiUNA! Toyota Tundra TRD Pro is a big opportunity for me. I want to get back to Victory Lane, be a threat in the playoffs, and continue this team’s winning ways. I think we can do that together and I’m looking forward to putting in the work to make that happen.”

“Tyler has been through the playoffs and has a lot of Camping World Trucks experience,” team owner Shige Hattori said. “Scott (Zipadelli) and our entire team have been successful the last several years and we’re looking forward to seeing Tyler rejoin the Toyota family. We want to get him back to Victory Lane and be a strong playoff contender.”

RELATED: Purdy joins HRE for 2022

Sponsorship details for the balance of Ankrum’s 2022 schedule will be announced at a later date.

Posted on November 30, 2021November 30, 2021 by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Hattori Racing Enterprises announced Tuesday the team will introduce a new number in 2022, with Chase Purdy taking the wheel of the No. 61 Tundra TRD Pro beginning with the season opener on Feb. 18 at Daytona International Speedway.

The 22-year-old Tuscaloosa, Alabama, native will compete in the full 23-race NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season in search for his first career playoff berth.

Longtime partner BAMA Buggies will join Purdy at HRE throughout the 2022 season, continuing a relationship that began in 2016.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join the HRE team,” Purdy said. “They have consistently won races and been a weekly contender for the last several years. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to race with this group in 2022.”

Purdy, a graduate of the NASCAR Next program and a former winner of the Snowflake 100, completed his first full-time Camping World Trucks season in 2021 and has 30 career Truck Series starts.

He rejoins the Toyota family for the first time since 2018 in hopes to help propel the new Tundra TRD Pro to Toyota’s eighth manufacturer title in the last 10 seasons.

“This is a humbling, yet a big chance for me to elevate my performance with such a family-oriented team,” Purdy said. “It is also great to have the continued support of BAMA Buggies and rejoin the Toyota Racing family. Hopefully, we can contribute towards another manufacturer title in the new Tundra TRD Pro and make a strong run at the playoffs.”

Team owner Shige Hattori looks forward to Purdy joining the organization full-time in 2022.

“Chase has shown a lot of potential and we’re happy to have him join HRE,” Hattori said. “He has won some big races in his career and has the ability to be successful with our team. We’re looking forward to putting the right people around him and have Chase up front on a weekly basis.”

Additional details, including a crew chief on Purdy’s No. 61 entry, will be announced at a later date.

Posted on November 30, 2021December 2, 2021 by Staff Report

FOX Sports announced Tuesday its full coverage schedule for the Busch Light Clash on Feb. 5-6 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The plan will feature two days of televised on-track action culminating in Sunday’s main event at 6 p.m. ET on FOX.

This year the annual exhibition race will move to the West Coast for the first time and take place on a 0.25-mile track inside the historic venue. FOX will kick off its coverage at noon ET on Saturday, Feb. 5, with a two-hour practice session televised on FS2.

Single-car qualifying will then take place at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday on FS1, and that will determine the fields and set the lineups for Sunday’s qualifying heat races. The four fastest cars from Saturday’s single-car runs will be on the pole for each of Sunday’s four heat races.

All of Sunday’s coverage will take place on FOX, and it will start at 2 p.m. ET with NASCAR RaceDay. That show will lead up to the four heat races and the two last-chance qualifying races beginning at 3 p.m. ET.

NASCAR RaceDay will return at 5 p.m. ET, leading up to the 6 p.m. ET coverage of the 150-lap main event on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Mark your calendars for this unique event that will unofficially kick off the 2022 NASCAR season and feature the debut of the Next Gen car.

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Team Penske and Menards announced today that the industry-leading home improvement store chain will continue to build on its partnership with the Championship-winning racing organization in 2022. Menards will sponsor both the No. 2 Ford Mustang that will be driven by NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year contender Austin Cindric, as well as the No. 12 Ford Mustang raced by Ryan Blaney. In addition, Menards will also continue to support the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford, driven by Cup Series rookie Harrison Burton in 2022.

“We’ve been really blessed through the years to have outstanding drivers who were also great ambassadors for our company,” stated Menards President, John Menard. “This longstanding tradition continues with Austin and Ryan, two tremendous young talents who are not only capable of winning on any given weekend, but also great role models for America’s youth. Our continuing partnership with Team Penske and all of our great racing partners will make 2022 an exceptional and thrilling year with much success.”

The partnership between Team Penske and Menards began in 2016, with the company serving as a primary sponsor on Team Penske’s No. 22 INDYCAR for five races. Menards expanded its Penske partnership in 2017, joining the team’s NASCAR program as it sponsored both the No. 12 Team Penske Ford, along with the No. 21 Ford Wood Brothers Racing Ford. Menards continues to provide support across multiple levels of motorsports, including as title sponsor of the ARCA Menards Series.

“Team Penske has enjoyed a great relationship with the entire Menards organization for many years and we are excited to continue the partnership across both our No. 2 and No. 12 Ford Mustang teams in the NASCAR Cup Series,” said Roger Penske. “John Menard has been a tremendous supporter of motorsports for more than 30 years and the commitment to Team Penske, to Austin and to Ryan will help keep the Menards brand at the forefront of our sport. We are excited to see what Austin can do as a rookie in the Cup Series and we know Ryan will continue to provide veteran leadership for the team in 2022. Both drivers have a great opportunity as they will represent an industry-leading brand in Menards for the upcoming season.”

Cindric enters his first full season of Cup Series competition after four successful seasons in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In addition to his 2020 Championship, Cindric helped secure the sixth NXS Owners’ Championship for Roger Penske this season as he fell just short of capturing his second-consecutive driver’s title. Collectively, Cindric has produced 13 wins, 62 top-five and 89 top-10 finishes in 133 Xfinity Series starts.

“I’m very proud of the success I’ve shared with Menards over the past few years in the NASCAR Xfinity Series,” said Cindric, the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion. “As I transition to the NASCAR Cup Series, there will certainly be challenges as a rookie at the top level, but I really look forward to accomplishing more together, and most importantly adding to the great pedigree that Menards has established in this sport. They are a key partner to our race team, and I think the No. 2 is going to look great in neon.”

A family-owned company started in 1958, Menards is headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and has 306 home improvement stores located in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Today, Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader; it’s famous slogan Save BIG Money!® is widely known and easy to remember.

“It’s an honor to strap in the iconic neon yellow Menards Ford Mustang on Sunday afternoons knowing that you’re representing over 45,000 employees nationwide.” said Blaney, who has taken Menards to Victory Lane in the Cup Series at the Charlotte ROVAL, Talladega and Michigan. “In addition to those hard-working thousands of employees, Menards has some fantastic vendor partners that not only keep America moving, but are a huge supporter of Team Penske and motorsports in general. I’m looking forward to another successful season and the run for a championship in the No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang.”

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It wouldn’t be a proper Nashville party without a country music megastar gracing the stage.

Multiplatinum-selling entertainer Jake Owen will perform during the NASCAR Awards and Champion Celebration event this Thursday, Dec. 2 in downtown Nashville.

Before all the accolades honoring the 2021 NASCAR season, Owen will open the show at the Music City Center with a live performance of his latest hit single, “Best Thing Since Backroads.”

The Florida native is no stranger to NASCAR, having performed the pre-race concert for the 2019 DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

Fans can tune in to watch the 2021 NASCAR Awards, including Owen’s performance, when it airs Saturday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN. In addition to the Cup Series champion, NASCAR will honor the Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series champions in the largest awards show to date.

For more information on Champion’s Week, please visit www.nascar.com/championsweek.

Posted on November 30, 2021November 30, 2021 by Press Release

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Today, Comcast announced World Wide Technology Raceway owner, Curtis Francois, as the seventh annual Comcast Community Champion of the Year. Francois received the award for his work with the Raceway Gives Foundation, which lifts up individuals and military families in the St. Louis area who are seeking to fulfill their potential, no matter their situation. Comcast will award $60,000 to the Raceway Gives Foundation in recognition of Curtis’ outstanding contributions to the community.

“This is a tremendous honor for The Raceway Gives Foundation,” said Francois. “The foundation has lofty goals and high hopes for what we can accomplish within our community by providing career opportunities, community engagement and educational experiences for area youth and military families. With this prestigious award and Comcast’s generosity, our foundation will foster transformational change for many people.”

The Raceway Gives Foundation was created by World Wide Technology Raceway to serve as a community asset that focuses on STEM education and diversity. It seeks to create a larger STEM footprint by bringing an expanded and unique curriculum to area youth. Of note is the foundation’s relationship with the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center via the “Racing in the Classroom” program that introduces motorsports education and career opportunities to an underserved community for local youth ages 8-18.

Recently, Comcast partnered with Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee and local youth to surprise Curtis with the award. Video from the surprise event can be viewed here.

Francois was chosen by a panel comprised of Comcast NBCUniversal and NASCAR executives, as well as the 2020 Comcast Community Champion, Bubba Wallace, who received the award for his work with the Live To Be Different Foundation.

“Comcast is proud to recognize Curtis as the 2021 Comcast Community Champion of the Year. Each day The Raceway Gives Foundation has demonstrated the importance of making a positive impact in one’s own community,” said Matt Lederer, Comcast’s vice president of brand partnerships and amplification. “Curtis embodies everything the award stands for and what it looks like to be a champion in their community. I look forward to seeing how both Curtis and his foundation continue to make a positive impact in the lives of their community and in the sport of NASCAR.

Greg Walter, executive vice president/GM at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and Jamie Little, NASCAR pit reporter for FOX Sports, were selected as finalists, and each will receive $30,000 toward charity organizations in their hometowns of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Indianapolis, Indiana, respectively. In conjunction with the Speedway Children’s Charities (SCC), Walter worked to provide funding for hundreds of non-profit organizations throughout the nation and played a pivotal role in distributing more than $300,000 SCC funds at Christmas to deserving area nonprofits serving children in need. Little started working with the Animal Help Alliance, a foster based rescue that specializes in rescuing animals in her community. Little has been active in animal rescue work, donating to over 25 animal shelters throughout the country. Videos highlighting each finalist’s story can be viewed at ComcastCommunityChampion.com.

Comcast’s Xfinity brand entered NASCAR as entitlement partner of the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2015 and is now Premier Partner of the NASCAR Cup Series. Since then, the company has donated $840,000 to more than 20 different NASCAR-affiliated organizations to honor their efforts and to help further the impact of their worthy causes. Fans can visit ComcastCommunityChampion.com to learn more about past and present finalists and their acts of selflessness.

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) announced today that Chandler Smith will return to drive the organization’s No. 18 Tundra in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series full time in 2022. Safelite AutoGlass, the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair, replacement and recalibration services, returns to KBM for a fifth season and will be the primary sponsor on Smith’s Tundra for 15 races. Veteran crew chief Danny Stockman will once again be atop the pit box for the No. 18 team in 2022.

Smith earned NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie of the year honors in 2021 and finished eighth in the championship standings after producing two victories, one pole, 213 laps led, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes in his first full-time season. He earned his first career Truck Series victory at Bristol Motor Speedway in September and in the series finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway earned his first career pole and swept all three stages en route to his second victory.

Across 38 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts, the 19-year-old driver had collected two wins, 14 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes. Additionally, Smith has produced nine ARCA Menards Series victories, 10 poles, 22 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes across 34 career starts.

“I’m really excited to be back partnered with Safelite and KBM for a second full-time season and ready for another run at a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship,” Smith said. “Danny (Stockman, crew chief) and I built something over the course of the year and really hit our stride late in the season. We’re looking forward to carrying that momentum over to starting 2022 strong. I feel that having some form or practice and qualifying at all the races next season will be big for our No. 18 Safelite team.”

“Chandler finished the 2021 season strong by winning twice over the last five races and we’re confident that he and Danny (Stockman, crew chief) will be able to pick up right where they left off next year,” Busch said. “It was awesome for us to be able to get Safelite into Victory Lane and celebrate with them multiple times in 2021 as they really support their racing program. I know that everyone on the No. 18 Safelite team is working hard to ensure we continue winning and push to be one of the four teams competing for a championship at Phoenix.”

“Safelite is excited to have Chandler Smith back in the No. 18 Toyota Tundra for the 2022 Season,” said Safelite AutoGlass Senior Vice President Garth Beck. “We are proud of his accomplishments in 2021, with his two-win season and earning the Rookie of the Year award, and we are looking forward to 2022 and all that he will accomplish.”

Stockman’s drivers have produced six victories at KBM across his first two seasons, including two with Smith behind the wheel this year. The veteran crew chief captured a Truck Series championship with Austin Dillon in 2011 and also won an Xfinity Series championship with Dillon in 2013. Stockman has totaled 10 career Truck Series victories to go along with seven in the Xfinity Series.

Further sponsor announcements for the 2022 season are forthcoming.