Texas 101: Lone Star State stats, trends, odds, Goodyear info and more

Posted on October 15, 2021 by Zach Sturniolo

Only eight drivers head into Texas Motor Speedway with their 2021 NASCAR Cup Series championship hopes still alive.

Everything’s bigger in Texas, and that includes the stakes entering the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 to kick off the Round of 8 on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App/Peacock, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

EYES FORWARD

Thanks to his series-high seventh win one week ago at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, Kyle Larson will start on the pole Sunday alongside championship rival Denny Hamlin. Behind them will be Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. For the full starting lineup, click here.

SOMETHING OF SUBSTANCE

In a shift from recent races at Texas Motor Speedway, Speedway Motorsports will prepare the track with resin in each set of corners opposed to the previously-used PJ1 traction compound. NASCAR officials believe the resin cooperates better with both the racing surface and the cars to provide an additional groove on track without needing to heat the compound as necessary with PJ1.

TEXAS HISTORY

— Texas Motor Speedway hosted its first NASCAR Cup Series race in April 1997, the product of a project that began in August 1995 on a 1,500-acre property.

— In the track’s initial configuration, the turns had variable banking of 8º on the bottom and 24º on the top. That created difficulty for the drivers and vehicles on corner exit, necessitating a change to a constant 24º banking following the track’s first two NASCAR weekends.

— Water drainage plagued Texas Motor Speedway early on as the track suffered notable “weeping” issues in 1998. New, large systems were introduced that year, but the track was quickly repaved in 2001 with a granite-based asphalt which was designed to dry quickly.

— TMS’ backstretch boasts “Big Hoss,” the largest video screen in the state of Texas and second-biggest in the United States and features a staggering 20,633.64 square feet of HD display – nearly a half-acre – with dimensions of 218 feet wide and 94.6 feet tall.

— The track was reconfigured and completely repaved once again in 2017, the product of continued weeper and track-drying issues that plagued Texas’ NASCAR and IndyCar events in 2016. While Speedway Motorsports added an extensive French drainage system to assist in water removal, the company also altered Turns 1 and 2, decreasing banking to 20º and widening the track from 60 feet to 80 feet.

Source: Racing Insights

GOODYEAR TIRES

While Texas Motor Speedway’s repave took place four years ago, its surface still doesn’t wear tires aggressively. That means Goodyear brings a tire to Texas meant for similar, low-wear tracks like Michigan International Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where teams used this tire compound just three weeks ago.

“Texas has begun to age a little bit, but it is still grouped in with some of the more ‘low-wear’ tracks that NASCAR goes to,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “We were able to make a compound change to the right-side tire here last fall to give the cars more grip. We have seen some good results from this tire set-up since then, having run it at Texas, Michigan and Las Vegas already this season. We want tires to wear at Texas because of the speeds these cars are running. Speed generates heat, and as this tire wears, it runs a little cooler and performs well over a long run.”

Teams will also use this same right-side tire next weekend at Kansas Speedway.

RULES PACKAGE

NASCAR Cup Series cars will be outfitted with the 550-horsepower, high-downforce package this weekend, which features taller spoilers and longer front splitters in an effort to create closer side-by-side racing at ovals larger than 1.4 miles in length.

STORYLINES IN THE LONE STAR STATE

— The eight drivers still fighting for the 2021 Cup Series championship are Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski.

— Denny Hamlin has won each of the two opening-round races so far in this year’s Playoffs (Round of 16 – Darlington; Round of 12 – Las Vegas) and is the only driver with top 10s in each of the six Playoff races so far this season.

— Ford is winless in the last nine Playoff races.

— All eight drivers in the Round of 8 have a win on at least one of the three tracks in the round (Texas, Kansas, Martinsville).

— Kevin Harvick won at least one Playoff race each of the last nine seasons (2012-2020), the longest active streak. The longest streak all-time is 13 seasons by Jimmie Johnson.

— This is the first time in the elimination format that Kevin Harvick has not made the Round of 8.

— Kyle Larson won the NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this year, the only Cup event held at Texas prior to this weekend’s race.

— Kyle Larson’s seven victories this season are more than his career total entering 2021.

— Two of Kyle Busch’s three most recent wins came on tracks in this round (Texas 2020, Kansas 2021).

— In seven events at 1.5-mile tracks this year, Kyle Larson is the only multi-race winner (Las Vegas 1, Charlotte Oval). The other winners are William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin.

— Kyle Busch holds the best average finish at mile-and-a-half tracks this season at 3.86. Teammate Denny Hamlin holds the second-bet at 7.43.

— Hendrick Motorsports has dominated the laps-led categories on mile-and-a-half facilities in 2021 with 1,153 laps out front. Joe Gibbs Racing is second with 384 laps led.

Source: Racing Insights

BIG BETS IN FRONT OF BIG HOSS

Kyle Larson is the odds-on favorite to win at Texas Motor Speedway, with BetMGM listing the No. 1 Playoff seed at 11-4 (+275) odds. The Hendrick Motorsports driver has yet to win a points race at Texas but was victorious in the spring All-Star Race.

Behind him sit Denny Hamlin at 6-1, Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch at 7-1 and Martin Truex Jr. at 15-2 (+750).

Kyle Busch appears to be the safest bet as his worst finish on the last six 1.5-mile tracks this season is fifth in addition to winning this race a year ago. Busch, the lone multi-time champion of the current field, also has four straight top 10s at Texas.

Hamlin, meanwhile, has finished 20th or worse in four of the last six Texas races and netted points in just two of the last 10 Texas stages.

An interesting sleeper pick might be the No. 3 of Austin Dillon at 50-1 odds. A winner at Texas in July 2020, Dillon has finished 13th or better in each of his last nine mile-and-a-half starts. He’s also finished 14th or better in each of his last five Texas races.

FANTASY LIVE

Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out the playoff version of NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now and offers a fresh start for those of you who played the regular-season contest. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts, and there is a $10,000 prize for the winner.

The 2021 Fantasy Live points leaders are Denny Hamlin (1,288) Kyle Larson (1,254), and Chase Elliott (1,065).

This year, NASCAR.com also has the Playoffs Grid Challenge game, presented by Ruoff Mortgage, where you can pick the winners for each round of the playoffs right up through the Championship 4. First prize is $10,000.

How to play: Playoffs Grid Challenge | Playoff Fantasy Live

ALSO ON NASCAR.COM

Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.

New for this season, NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement in the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.

And finally, head over to the NASCAR Mobile App for AR Racing presented by Mobil 1, where you can design your own car and race the playoff drivers at the playoff tracks in augmented reality.

Posted on October 15, 2021 by Team Release

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – As one of the longest-running sponsorships in professional sports, Interstate Batteries will continue its ongoing partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing in a multiyear renewal agreement.

Under the new agreement, Interstate Batteries will continue to serve as the official battery of Joe Gibbs Racing and as the primary sponsor on the NASCAR Cup Series No. 18 Toyota Camry driven by Kyle Busch for six races while adding support for a third generation of the Gibbs’ family, sponsoring three races with Ty Gibbs in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

The extension highlights the successful partnership between Interstate Batteries and JGR as the companies continue to celebrate their 30th anniversary together.

“Norm and Tommy (Miller) really took a chance on us because we literally had nothing when we first went to see them. No race shop. No driver. No crew chief. It was just a dream on a sheet of paper,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “To have a successful partnership for more than three decades it first has to work for business, and I love that part of it. You have to prove value for your partners. But it is the relationships built over time that makes this so special. From Norm and Tommy to the leadership now of Scott (Miller), as well as Lain (Hancock) running operations. Of course, on our end, it’s been J.D. (Gibbs), and now it’s Coy (Gibbs), and of course we have the grandkids coming. When you reflect on all that has happened over the years and everyone that has been involved, I really think God had a role in bringing us together.”

Interstate Batteries has been a part of nearly every major moment in JGR history, including the organization’s first win when driver Dale Jarrett won the Daytona 500 in 1993. Interstate Batteries was the primary sponsor on the No. 18 in 2000 when Bobby Labonte captured the organization’s first NASCAR Cup Series championship and continued to play a key role when Busch won JGR’s most recent championships in 2015 and 2019.

Together, Interstate Batteries and Joe Gibbs Racing have visited Victory Lane 32 total times in the NASCAR Cup Series, including twice with Jarrett (a Hall of Fame driver), 21 times with Bobby Labonte and nine times with Busch (current driver). In addition, Interstate Batteries and JGR have combined to win three NASCAR Xfinity Series races.

“We could not be more excited to continue our 30-plus year relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing,” said Norm Miller, chairman and owner of Interstate Batteries. “They have consistently been great partners in the battery business and ministry, so it just makes sense for us to all continue together. We are also hoping Kyle Busch and the No.18 Interstate Batteries/M&M’s team can win another NASCAR Cup championship in a few weeks!”

Said Interstate Batteries chief operating officer Lain Hancock: “The 30 years we’ve spent with JGR as a sponsor on the No.18 in the NASCAR Cup Series has helped establish trust, awareness and credibility for the Interstate Batteries brand with the pros who install our batteries. As we approach our 70th year in business, we are excited to partner with Coach Gibbs and Joe Gibbs Racing to write more history together in NASCAR and the automotive aftermarket.”

Posted on October 14, 2021October 14, 2021 by NASCAR Official Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 14, 2021) – The NASCAR Foundation announced today its four finalists for the 11^th annual Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award. Each volunteer represents a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids in different racing communities across our nation. The announcement was made on Fox Sports NASCAR Race Hub ahead of the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (Sunday, Oct. 17 on NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award, named in honor of the foundation’s late founder and chairwoman Betty Jane France, recognizes NASCAR fans who volunteer for children’s causes in their racing communities. Each finalist receives a minimum $25,000 donation for their organization with the overall winner receiving a $100,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation to further their efforts.

The 11^th annual Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award finalists include:

Erin Collins of Dallas, Texas, a volunteer with the Dallas Hearing Foundation, a non-profit organization that offers medical and surgical treatment, hearing technologies, speech and hearing rehabilitation and education support to those in financial need. For the past 12 years, Erin has dedicated her time to serve kids living with hearing loss, initially volunteering in a fundraising capacity for the organization and eventually creating a youth program to provide a safe space where the kids can be surrounded by peers also living with hearing loss.
Jaeleen Davis of Midland, Michigan, a volunteer with Maggie’s Wigs 4 Kids of Michigan, a non-profit organization that provides wigs and support services to children ages 3 to 18 throughout the state of Michigan. Jaeleen has volunteered for 13 years with the organization, raising awareness and funds through her Miss America platform, which has also allowed her to introduce bills in Michigan and Ohio to get insurance companies to cover the cost of children’s wigs.
Jeff Harmon of Louisville, Kentucky, a volunteer with Down Syndrome of Louisville, an organization that supports, educates, and advocates for individuals with down syndrome, enabling them to reach their full potential. Having served in both coaching and fundraising roles over the last 18 years, Jeff’s passion and dedication for volunteering has touched hundreds of kids, families and the communities that they’re a part of.
Beverly Hodsdon of Exeter, New Hampshire, a volunteer with Richie McFarland Children’s Center, an early childhood program that helps young children reach their full developmental potential while supporting their families throughout the process. Beverly has been a pillar of the organization for 17 years, devoting her time to help in different capacities as a board member, creating fundraising events, bringing the largest donor of the organization, and providing graphic design and marketing services.

“This year’s finalists exemplify the values of Betty Jane France and honor her legacy. Each one of them is working to improve the lives of children while incorporating the excitement for our sport,” said Mike Helton, The NASCAR Foundation Chairman. “The fans will have a tough decision choosing one winner. All four of them are unselfish and compassionate people who represent the essence of the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award.”

The overall winner of the $100,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation will be determined by an online vote, which is open now. Fans can vote once a day, every day through November 12^th at noon ET on NASCARfoundation.org/Award. The overall winner will be announced virtually on November 17^th.

To learn more about The NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award and the 2021 finalists, visit NASCARfoundation.org/Award.

Posted on October 14, 2021October 15, 2021 by Terrin Waack

There are two ways to advance through the NASCAR Playoffs, and Martin Truex Jr. is the only driver to do so via both.

The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota won a race in the Round of 16 to move on to the Round of 12. Once there, he qualified for the Round of 8 by virtue of points.

Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin won their way into each round. Every other remaining playoff driver’s points carried them to the present.

TEXAS: Weekend schedule | Betting odds | Paint schemes

“As you whittle the field down and there’s less cars, obviously you feel like the cream rises to the top,” Truex told NASCAR.com Wednesday. “The challenge becomes more, as there’s less cars. You feel like they’re the best teams and it’s more difficult to outrun them on average, so that’s just what it’s all about.

“You can have two bad races if you win one. But if you don’t win one, you have to be really consistent.”

The entire Round of 8 group falls within the top nine when it comes to average finish — with Truex checking in sixth at a 12.3 mark. The only outlier is Kevin Harvick (third), who was eliminated from title contention last week after the Round of 12 finale.

There are only three organizations still in the running. Joe Gibbs Racing has Truex (ranked sixth), Hamlin (second) and Kyle Busch (fifth). Team Penske also has three with Ryan Blaney (fourth), Joey Logano (seventh) and Brad Keselowski (eighth). Hendrick Motorsports finishes it off with Larson (first) and Chase Elliott (sixth). Altogether, they account for 22 of the 32 race wins so far.

There are no longer any winless drivers remaining in the postseason.

Truex’s four victories are second most overall (Larson has seven) and the highest total among his Joe Gibbs Racing companions (Busch and Hamlin each have two).

“You want teammates that are running good, you want them to be pushing you, you want to be able to push them,” Truex said. “All three of us — really, all four teams — I feel like have had a great season. It’s nice to have that competition. I feel like we compete really well together until it comes down to the final four. Then, if we make it there, it’s kind of like OK, all bets are off, we’re on our own.”

The fourth JGR pilot is Christopher Bell. He made the playoffs thanks to his first career win in the regular season, but his run ended last week.

Half of the playoff field has been eliminated, and it’ll be cut in half again after the Round of 8, which begins Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway with the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 (2 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The final three-race round then continues at Kansas Speedway (Oct. 24) and concludes at Martinsville Speedway (Oct. 31). The Championship 4 will then be set for the Nov. 7 championship at Phoenix Raceway.

“The Round of 8 is always really hard to get through,” Truex said. “It’s the best of the best, three tough race tracks. We just have to execute to the best of our abilities. We know what we’re capable of: We’re capable of winning races.”

Posted on October 14, 2021October 15, 2021 by Marcus DiNitto

Savvy bettors are pleased when the odds move in the direction of their wager. If the odds move in your favor, the thinking goes, you made a good bet, regardless of whether you end up a winner or loser.

A concept called “closing-line value” is a big part of this notion.

Let’s say you bet Denny Hamlin at +130 odds in a matchup prop over Kyle Larson this week at Texas Motor Speedway. By the time the green flag drops, Hamlin is +110. The betting market, which is pretty efficient, moved the number “20 cents” in Hamlin’s direction, and you were on the correct side of the move.

But as the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 ends, the No. 5 finishes ahead of the No. 11, and your bet is a loser.

Did you make a bad bet?

Not according to most sharp bettors, who would say since you got closing-line value (+130 vs. +110), you made the right bet. If you consistently get closing-line value, you will win money over the long term.

Let’s apply this thinking to NASCAR futures bets you may have made either before the season or before the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. While it’s not exactly “closing-line value,” since betting hasn’t closed, if a driver’s odds have shortened since you made your bet, it was a good play.

RELATED: NASCAR BetCenter | Cup Series title odds

Admittedly, some of this is no-brainer-ish. If a driver you bet before the season to win the championship is still in the Round of 8, you probably like your situation.

Of the eight drivers still alive, six have shorter prices now than they did before the season. The reason is obvious: A driver has a better chance to beat seven others than he does to beat 40.

Only four drivers, though, have shorter odds now than they did before the playoffs began, three are equally priced, and only one – Brad Keselowski – has seen his number lengthen.

Here’s how NASCAR Cup Series championship odds have moved at SuperBook USA from before the season to the start of the playoffs to the eve of the Round of 8.

	Preseason	Pre-playoffs	Pre-Round of 8
Kyle Larson	+1000	+300	+225
Denny Hamlin	+800	+800	+500
Chase Elliott	+800	+700	+700
Kyle Busch	+800	+700	+700
Martin Truex Jr.	+800	+800	+700
Ryan Blaney	+1400	+1200	+800
Joey Logano	+800	+1200	+1200
Brad Keselowski	+800	+1600	+2500

Larson, of course, and Hamlin show particularly good value at this point, both priced with better chances to win the title now than they were even before the playoffs.

Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch are a tick shorter than they were before the season but equal to before the playoffs.

Martin Truex Jr., while assigned the same implied probability as Elliott and Busch, has seen his title chances improve over the last eight races, at least in the eyes of the betting market.

Team Penske is an interesting case: While Ryan Blaney’s odds have improved steadily over the course of the season, his teammates have gone the other way. This is largely a function of their places in the standings – Blaney is above the elimination line in fourth, while Joey Logano and Keselowski are seventh and eighth, respectively.

While Keselowski is now priced as a 25-1 outsider, we won’t revoke your “smart NASCAR bettor” card if you played him at 8-1 odds before the season. It would have been hard to predict before the season that Kes was going to announce in July his departure from Penske.

Is there any value left?

Before the Round of 8, the championship odds are pretty sharp by now. If you shop around, though, there may be value to be found.

Jim Sannes, a quantitative NASCAR analyst at numberFire, told NASCAR.com in a direct message, “Only guy who is interesting to me at their current numbers is Kyle Busch. I think he has great odds of advancing given two of the three races in this round are at 1.5-mile tracks (and I’ve got him at 13.0% to win this weekend).”

While the SuperBook, BetMGM and Barstool are all dealing +700 on Busch, not even the +750 at FanDuel presents the value Sannes seeks. The +800 at Wynn just might, however.

RELATED: BetMGM Texas odds | Lone Star schemes

“It’s close,” Sannes said. “Just worried about the Phoenix speed. But I’d be very close to pulling the trigger there.”

Marcus DiNitto is a writer and editor living in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has been covering sports for nearly two-and-a-half decades and sports betting for more than 10 years. His first NASCAR betting experience was in 1995 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, where he went 0-for-3 on his matchup picks. Read his articles and follow him on Twitter; do not bet his picks.

Posted on October 14, 2021October 15, 2021 by Staff Report

NASCAR confirmed it had a call with members of both race teams after Kevin Harvick and Chase Elliott’s latest run-in during Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course.

Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford sent Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet into a slide on Lap 55 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 12 elimination race, resulting in heavy damage to the back end of Elliott’s vehicle. Elliott expressed frustration over his team radio but rallied for a 12th-place finish and advanced into the Round of 8 instead.

Meanwhile, Harvick later exited the race 11 laps short of the finish when he crashed into the wall in Turn 1, thus ending any chances of playoff advancement. When asked if his nudging of the No. 9 was in retaliation for an earlier incident between the drivers at Bristol Motor Speedway, Harvick told NBC, “Sometimes real life teaches you good lessons.”

Alan Gustafson, crew chief for Elliott, shared some detail with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s Danielle Trotta and Cup Series driver Corey LaJoie regarding the nature of the call.

“They try to allow the competitors to compete and the competitors to be the ones to determine the outcome of the races and let the competitors take care of it on their own,” Gustafson said. “I think that’s the way it should be, right? The story shouldn’t be NASCAR, it should be about the competitors, racing and being the best they can be.

“The message that NASCAR has delivered is they tried to do the best job they could do in allowing it to happen and they’re over it. Whatever way you want to look at it from there, but I think … I commend them for allowing us to race, but I think they’ve had enough. They made that pretty clear.”

In his post-race interview with NBC, Elliott said of Harvick: “As far as Kevin goes, just want to wish them a merry offseason and a happy Christmas.”

NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Scott Miller told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Monday the sanctioning body was keeping an eye on things and planned to talk to both of the teams.

“Now we’ve had Bristol, which one felt slighted on, and obviously (Sunday), which the other feels slighted on, so hopefully we can put a truce in place there,” Miller told SiriusXM. “But we will just continue to monitor the situation and try not to let it get out of control. We don’t want to park anybody. We want all the fans to see the drivers that they came out to see, so that’ll try to be a last resort. If we keep seeing things, then we will absolutely have to take some sort of action there.”

Posted on October 14, 2021October 21, 2021 by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Kyle Busch Motorsports announced Thursday that John Hunter Nemechek will return to drive the No. 4 Toyota Tundra in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series full time in 2022. The organization also announced Eric Phillips, the winningest crew chief in Truck Series history, will once again call the shots atop the pit box for Nemechek and the No. 4 team next season.

With two races remaining in the 2021 season, Nemechek leads the Truck Series in wins (five), top fives (12), driver rating (114.5), average finish (8.5) and average running position (6.961). The 24-year-old driver is also tied for the most top 10s (15) and ranks second in laps led (570). He captured the regular-season championship and, with one race remaining in the Round of 8 of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs, sits 36 points above the elimination line for advancing to the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway.

“I came to Kyle Busch Motorsports because it was an opportunity to get back to Victory Lane — I accomplished my goal of being here for wins and I’m excited to be coming back for more next year,” Nemechek said. “With the support of Kyle and Samantha (Busch), everyone at KBM and everyone at Toyota and TRD, I’ve been able to experience the thrill of victory alongside my long-term partners, ROMCO, Fire Alarm Services, Pye-Barker Fire & Safety and Safeway, and we were also able to get Mobil 1 back to Victory Lane for KBM. We have some unfinished business left trying to bring the championship trophy home to KBM this year and then we’ll go to work on the brand new 2022 Tundra so that we can compete for more wins and another championship next year.”

Said Kyle Busch: “It’s been refreshing to see John Hunter get the No. 4 Tundra back out front leading laps, winning races and competing for a championship this year like it had in the past and it’s important for us that we are able to keep him in that seat for another season. In addition to the accomplishments of the No. 4 team this season, the efforts that John Hunter and Eric have put in behind the scenes have helped keep that winning edge of performance in our whole program. I’m pumped to have the both of them back leading the charge at KBM as we roll out the new 2022 Tundra TRD Pro’s next season to continue our winning ways!”

Nemechek, in his first season driving for KBM, collected his first victory of the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. He also produced wins at Richmond Raceway in April, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May and at Texas Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway both in June.

The second generation driver is an 11-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015-18 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports, in addition to his triumphs this season. Across 121 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, he has compiled two poles, 1,169 laps led, 40 top-five and 65 top-10 finishes, resulting in an average finish of 12.4.

Phillips returned to KBM in 2021 to lead the No. 4 team efforts after six seasons working at Joe Gibbs Racing in various roles. In 2010 under Phillips’ direction, KBM’s No. 18 team recorded eight victories in its inaugural campaign and became the first team in Truck Series history to capture an owner’s championship in its first season of competition. In 2014, the Illinois native led the No. 51 team to an owner’s championship, and his team’s 10 wins spearheaded KBM to a single-season Truck Series record of 14 wins. His 42 career Truck Series victories make him the winningest crew chief in Truck Series history, with 32 of those coming while at KBM.

Sponsor announcements for the 2022 season are forthcoming.

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Zack Albert

Denny Hamlin’s trip through the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs this season has been remarkably free of intensity. The veteran driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has spent the majority of his time already locked into the ensuing round, cashing in on automatic berths in each round-opening race thus far.

The formula worked with wins at Darlington Raceway to kick off the Round of 16 and then Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the Round of 12. The prospects for Hamlin doing it all again and winning this Sunday (2 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Texas Motor Speedway are intriguing, and the stakes are higher.

“It’s been interesting. We’ve had after today six playoff races and only two of them have mattered to me,” Hamlin said before last Sunday’s race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. “So it’s just different that we were able to, not take off, but really mentally take off for four weeks in the middle of our playoffs. But that’s the way the format is, and we’ve been very fortunate to win the early races and that’s given us the liberty that we’ve got to go out there and enjoy today and really our focus has been shifted to the Round of 8 and how we can win at those tracks.”

A win Sunday at Texas, Oct. 24 at Kansas Speedway or Oct. 31 at Martinsville Speedway would clinch an automatic spot in the Championship 4 field that will vie for the Cup Series title Nov. 7 at Phoenix Raceway. Hamlin has been among that final quartet for the last three seasons.

Hamlin’s path has done its part to take the pressure off the elimination points of the 10-race postseason, but hasn’t come with the cost of any complacency creeping in.

MORE: Cup Series odds for Texas

“All it does is fuel me to win the first week next week as well because I know how good it’s been,” Hamlin said. “You could be counterintuitive to say, well, then you don’t lose your focus or whatever, but Vegas showed we locked right back in. Our performance has still been very, very good in the playoffs.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s a meaningful race in the playoffs or not, so we’ve acquired more points than anybody else this season. Doesn’t matter if it’s full regular season or through the playoffs, we’re still on top. Hopefully we can continue that for four or five more weeks.”

As has been the case in each of the last three seasons — and really, for much of his successful 16-year career in NASCAR’s top series — the question that has dogged Hamlin is the if/when mystery to unlocking a first Cup Series championship. Hamlin said he hasn’t been getting stomach knots over that, either, and a victory at Texas — a track where he’s won three times — would release another pressure valve for his 2021 campaign.

“I certainly feel like there’s less pressure, even though we’ve been at the top all year long,” Hamlin said. “For whatever reason, it’s been a pretty easy year when it’s come to the pressures of are you going to win the first (championship), or whatever it might be. Each and every week, I give it my best effort and I never go home any week after a race saying I didn’t do my best. I just feel like I’m just going to have to deal with the result because I can’t change it, and as long as I do my job to the best of my ability, that’s going to give us my best shot. I’m fine either way.

Posted on October 13, 2021October 13, 2021 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Keegan Leahy outlasted the Championship 4 field at virtual Texas Motor Speedway on Tuesday night, clinching his first eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series championship in a thrilling close to the 2021 season. With a total purse of more than $300,000 in play for the season, Leahy took home the champion’s share of $100,000 by taking the checkered flag.

“It’ll take me about a month to process this, I’m sure,” an elated Leahy said after taking his third win of the season. “My whole family is watching this. This is so huge to me, I’m sure it’s huge to 23XI, I don’t know where to start. My plan, which I think worked, was just to save tires until (Logan Clampitt) got to me, and hope we had even cars when he got to me. Thank you everybody, thank you to Denny Hamlin for believing in me, I can’t name everybody, but thank you all so much!”

Alongside his 23XI Racing teammate Mitchell deJong, William Byron eSports’ Logan Clampitt, and Letarte Esports’ Bobby Zalenski, Leahy was one of four drivers looking to win his first series championship in a season that saw 14 different race winners this season. The premier sim racing series, the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series concluded its 12th season and continues to be one of the longest running esports series.

“We’ve seen incredible growth in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series over the past couple of years and this year was no different,” said Nick Rend, Managing Director of Gaming and eSports, NASCAR. “With new teams and more intense racing from the top sim racers in the world, the 2021 season continued to build fan interest globally and is a testament to iRacing’s commitment and leadership in the eSports realm.”

In its first season as the championship event, Texas Motor Speedway turned up the competition among the Championship 4 competitors. With $100,000 on the line, deJong and Leahy qualified on the front row and held the top two spots through the first set of green flag pit stops. After waiting in second through the early stages, Leahy got a run on deJong down the backstretch and took over the lead for the first time on Lap 92.

Following a second set of green flag pit stops, Leahy returned to the top spot on Lap 127, cycling back into the lead as Clampitt climbed his way from the 16th row on the grid to second place in the closing stages. Clampitt tried to line up the field behind him to get a push to the lead, but Leahy’s advantage proved to be too much to overcome in the caution-free race.

“iRacing is proud to congratulate Keegan Leahy on winning this year’s eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series title,” said Anthony Gardner, President iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations. “In our biggest and most exciting eNASCAR season yet, and a year where 14 different drivers won races, this year’s championship was the hardest-fought yet. We’re grateful to NASCAR, Coca-Cola, and all of our partners for their support through a thrilling season and can’t wait to do it all again next year!”

Leahy’s championship was the first title for 23XI Racing, which concluded its first season in the series, and took its first real-world NASCAR Cup Series win with Bubba Wallace at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this month. Leahy tallied three wins, five top-five and nine top-10 finishes. Between Leahy and deJong, who finished fifth, 23XI Racing also clinched the team championship.

For more information on the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series and to watch past series races, visit www.eNASCAR.com. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

Posted on October 13, 2021October 13, 2021 by Staff Report

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