The NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International was nearly a month ago, but the fallout from it may have yet to fully materialize.
As you may recall, dirt-racing rivals and opposing championship contenders for Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports, respectively, Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson tangled in the final stage when the No. 5 Chevrolet driver attempted to make a pass for second place on Bell’s No. 20 Toyota going into Turn 1. The two cars made contact, sending Bell spinning off the racing surface, while Larson went on to win his fifth race of the 2021 season.
Bell recovered for a seventh-place result, but the sting of missing out on his second win of the season was evident — he dodged a text from Larson in the days after the incident.
According to the pair on Tuesday, they still haven’t hashed things out and it doesn’t appear there’s any plan to do so before the 10-race 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin this weekend at Darlington Raceway (Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM).
“I mean, we haven’t communicated,” Bell told reporters during NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Media Day. “I guess that’s that.”
Larson, the series’ Regular Season Champion and ’21 title favorite, seems to have almost put the incident out of mind completely.
“It’s been a long time since that, I don’t even know why we’re still talking about it,” the points leader said. “But yeah, I’m looking forward to the playoffs and I know he is, too. He’s got a great car; I’ve got a great car. It’s both of ours’ best opportunities to go chase a championship.”
Things have quieted down between Larson and Bell the past three races, with no obvious chances for fireworks to play out on the track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course, Michigan International Speedway or Daytona International Speedway. With a grueling Southern 500 and a pair of short tracks to open the Round of 16 — along with Larson’s near-guarantee of advancing to the Round of 12 — could now be an fortuitous time for Bell to race Larson a little more aggressively and show his displeasure the old-fashioned way?
“I mean, I don’t know. The opportunity hasn’t presented itself yet,” Bell said. “We haven’t raced around each other yet. So, I don’t know.”
MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Noah Gragson, a two-time winner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports, will contest the 2022 NXS season with JRM, the team announced Tuesday. It marks the fourth straight season for the driver with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s organization. Bass Pro Shops, TrueTimber® Camo and Black Rifle Coffee will return to back the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro for the third straight season.
Gragson, 23, a native of Las Vegas, has made 89 starts with JRM since the 2019 season, his first full-time foray in the series. Bass Pro Shops, TrueTimber® Camo and Black Rifle Coffee have supported Gragson in 44 of those starts since 2020. The first start with the driver-sponsor combination, at Daytona International Speedway in 2020’s season opener, resulted in Gragson’s first career series victory.
“Johnny Morris believed in me enough to put Bass Pro Shops on my car to start the 2020 season, and it paid off with victory the first time out,” Gragson said. “It was special to stand in Victory Lane at Daytona with Johnny right beside me. Bass Pro Shops, Rusty Sellers at TrueTimber and Evan and Mat at Black Rifle Coffee Company have been fantastic to work with. We still have a lot to accomplish this season but I’m looking forward to battling for a series championship again in 2022.”
During his career at JRM, Gragson won at Daytona in 2020 and again that same season at Bristol Motor Speedway. The young driver has amassed 34 top-five and 61 top-10 finishes in that span and has made the playoffs in each of his three seasons with the team.
Gragson currently sits eighth in NXS points with three races remaining in the regular season, firmly inside the playoff field. So far this season, Gragson has earned eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes, with his best result a second-place finish at Martinsville Speedway in April. Gragson also won three of the four Xfinity Dash 4 Cash payouts this season, pushing his career total to four after taking the $100,000 bonus at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2020. JRM has won 17 of the bonus prizes over its history.
Additional details surrounding Gragson’s paint scheme will be announced at a later date.
NASCAR Fantasy Live will reset for the 2021 playoffs with a new driver usage limit and a big prize for the 10-race battle to a championship in the NASCAR Cup Series. The reset is designed to help players start fresh for the postseason if they missed out on playing earlier in the season or had trouble keeping up with a revised regular-season slate.
Accessing the game to set your roster can be done by logging into your account and going to the Fantasy page (NASCAR.com/Fantasy). You can also access the game by opening the NASCAR Mobile App, clicking on the Fantasy icon in the bottom navigation and logging into your account. Mobile users can also opt in to receive fantasy alerts to help stay on top of rosters each week
What is new for the playoffs?
For the playoffs, driver uses will reset and you can only use a particular driver up to five times over the 10 races of the playoffs. Playoff rosters will consist of five starters and one garage driver. There will be no restrictions on how many playoff or non-playoff drivers you can or can’t use, but you will only be able to use drivers five times during the scheduled playoff portion of the season (from Darlington on Sept. 5 to Phoenix on Nov. 7).
What races make up the playoffs?
The playoffs consist of 10 races — Darlington (Sept. 5), Richmond (Sept. 11), Bristol (Sept. 18), Las Vegas (Sept. 26), Talladega (Oct. 3), Charlotte Roval (Oct. 10), Texas (Oct. 17), Kansas (Oct. 24), Martinsville (Oct. 31) and Phoenix (Nov. 7).
What is the prize for the playoffs?
The highest scoring player for the entire 10-race NASCAR Playoffs will win $10,000.
Are the rest of the rules the same as the regular season?
Yes, they are and a refresher on those is included below.
What is the roster composition?
The roster will consist of five starting drivers as well as a garage driver in reserve (more below on that). Driver and garage selections lock five minutes before the race start time.
How does the garage driver work? Players can substitute their one garage driver for any starting driver up until the start of the Final Stage. Once the Final Stage starts, there are no more switches allowed.
So which drivers end up scoring points?
The drivers ending the race in your main roster will comprise the drivers who make up your total score. These are also the drivers who will be counted as being used for that particular race. A driver who ends the race in the garage would not count as being used nor would his or her results count toward your score.
What is the scoring system?
The scoring will reflect the NASCAR’s scoring system. For example, if Kyle Larson wins Stage 1 and Stage 2 and wins the race, he will earn players 60 fantasy points for that particular race just as he would earn 60 points for himself in the season standings.
Drivers running in the top 10 at the end of Stage 1 and Stage 2 receive points, starting with 10 points for first, nine for second, etc. The race winner receives 40 points, while second place receives 35 points, third receives 34 points and all the way down to 1 point for drivers who finish 36th through 40th.
Will the at-track post-race inspection model have an impact on scoring? The results won’t be official until the at-track post-race inspection is complete — that should be about 90-120 minutes after the race. Since scoring mirrors that of the drivers in real life, if a driver in your lineup fails post-race inspection, your lineup would be subject to the same impact as the driver is — last-place points. On the positive side, if you didn’t have a penalized driver in your lineup, the rest of the finishing order moves up, meaning you could potentially pick up points.
Are there any bonus picks?
Yes, players can make bonus picks for the race winner, top finishing Chevrolet driver, top finishing Ford driver, top finishing Toyota driver, winning manufacturer and winning team. All bonus picks lock roughly five minutes before the race start time. Bonus picks DO NOT count against driver usage.
What is the value of each bonus pick?
Race winner (15 points for correct pick)
Top finishing Chevrolet pick (5 points for correct pick)
Top finishing Ford pick (5 points for correct pick)
Top finishing Toyota pick (5 points for correct pick)
Winning manufacturer (10 points for correct pick)
Winning team (10 points for correct pick)
Can I copy my roster for multiple leagues? Yes, you can copy your picks from one entry to another by using the copy icon located next to your entry name.
Eight NASCAR Cup Series teams will take part in next week’s Next Gen Goodyear tire test on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway in preparation for the 2022 season.
Beginning next Tuesday, the highly anticipated 2022 Cup cars are scheduled to hit the track for the first time in an individual team-prepared fashion. The two-day test allows for Goodyear to continue making progress on the compound for next season, moving to an 18-inch wheel from the current 15-inch model currently used in the series.
Richard Childress Racing (Austin Dillon), Joe Gibbs Racing (Denny Hamlin), Roush Fenway Racing (Chris Buescher), Team Penske (Joey Logano), Hendrick Motorsports (William Byron), Stewart-Haas Racing (Cole Custer), Chip Ganassi Racing (Ross Chastain) and JTG Daugherty Racing (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) are all scheduled to take part in the test.
RALEIGH, N.C. (August 30, 2021) – Advance Auto Parts (NYSE: AAP), a leading automotive aftermarket parts retailer and entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series (NAAPWS), will award $1,200 to Limaland Motorsports Park in Elida, Ohio, and Bethel Motor Speedway in White Lake, N.Y., after Ryan Blaney’s third NASCAR Cup Series win of his season at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 28.
Advance is using its associate sponsorship of Blaney and Team Penske’s No. 12 Ford Mustang to showcase NASCAR-sanctioned local tracks across the U.S. and Canada that are part of the NAAPWS. Limaland and Bethel were featured on Blaney’s car at Daytona.
For every Blaney victory in 2021, local NASCAR tracks featured on his car each receive $1,200 to be used for track operations, local driver winnings or supporting a charity of the track’s choosing. In addition to Limaland and Bethel, other tracks receiving winnings following Blaney victories this year include Berlin Raceway (Marne, Mich.), Elko Speedway (Elko New Market, Minn.), Greenville-Pickens Speedway (Easley, S.C.) and Florence Motor Speedway (Timmonsville, S.C.).
This season, Advance has also brought awareness to NASCAR’s local tracks through its “Advance My Track Challenge.” The program encouraged race fans to vote for their favorite NASCAR home track, with the track receiving the most votes claiming a $50,000 grand prize. Berlin Raceway was announced as the program’s inaugural winner in May 2021.
Less than two years ago, Rajah Caruth was just another senior in high school. He took the train every day for class and did what he considered “normal high school stuff.” He had his eyes set on graduation and college.
Professional racing, at the time, stood as a dream.
On Monday, Caruth, now 19 years old, signed with the newly formed Alpha Prime Racing to run a part-time schedule in the NASCAR Xfinity Series next season.
“That’s pretty crazy,” Caruth told NASCAR.com. “It it surreal. I have to, I guess, pinch myself every time I get in an ARCA car or a late model, let alone getting this deal done. I can only imagine this is going to feel even more crazy next year.”
Caruth is set to pilot the No. 44 Chevrolet in the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Martinsville Speedway, Dover International and Richmond Raceway. There’s a possibility he competes in more events, with Pocono Raceway and Kansas Speedway mentioned as options, pending additional sponsorship. Regardless, he will maintain his rookie status.
In addition to his work in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Caruth will continue racing in the ARCA Menards Series in 2022 with Rev Racing as part of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program, which he joined in 2018.
“I would not have gotten noticed off iRacing if not for the program,” Caruth said. “We would not be talking right now. I would not be able to race. So, both my family and NASCAR Drive for Diversity have made this possible, even getting to this point. I’m extremely appreciative of everybody.”
Caruth made his ARCA Menards East Series debut on Feb. 8, 2021 at New Smyrna Speedway, where he finished 11th. In his seven starts, he has two top-five and four top-10 finishes. He’s ranked sixth in the standings with one race left — Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 16.
Caruth also participates part time in the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series.
“Overall, I think I feel ready to make the next jump,” Caruth said. “The people around me are going to work as hard as I am to ensure that I do what I’m supposed to do on the race track.”
Alpha Prime Racing co-owners Caesar Bacarella and Tommy Joe Martins will split the remaining seat time with Caruth. Both have history in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, combing for 132 starts, and Caruth anticipates picking up tips and tricks from them as the season progress.
An area of competition Caruth is most curious about is race length. NASCAR races are much longer than ARCA. For example, when both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and ARCA Menards East Series were at Dover back in May, the NASCAR race was 200 laps compared to ARCA’s 125. Caruth did crash out of his event that weekend, but it remains to be the only race he did not finish running. The point is, he’s eager to learn about how to handle longer distances physically and mentally, and he knows he’ll be surrounded by those with firsthand experience and advice.
“It don’t cost a dime to listen,” Caruth said.
Meanwhile, off the track, Caruth remains in school. He is a sophomore at Winston-Salem State University and plans to graduate in 2024. Normal stuff.
“My mom, dad, sister, girlfriend, extended family — they’ve been extremely supportive,” Caruth said. “Even from when I was like 10 or 12 — leaving church early to watch the Cup race on Sunday to skipping school to go to a Trucks race at Dover to leaving the school early during the week to go down to Charlotte for the All-Star Race — it’s really a thanks to … just everybody making time for me to do what I love.”
For the first time in over 30 years, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return to Oswego Speedway for a second time this season.
Having hosted four races in both 1988 and 1989, the 0.675-mile oval was not on the NWMT schedule for over three decades until it returned to the slate in 2016. In the last five races, the track has provided fans with some compelling open-wheel competition, only not running a race during 2020 due to COVID restrictions.
This weekend, the tour rumbles back to Oswego for the 11th race of the season, marking the first of four consecutive race weekends to close out the 2021 season and crown the champion.
With Justin Bonsignore’s advantage over Patrick Emerling sitting at eight points, the battle remains hot for the championship trophy. Ron Silk sits third in the standings, over 60 markers back of the leader, further emphasizing the two-horse race heading to the final four events.
But, it may very well be a part-timer who challenges the top two for the win on Saturday. With both Bobby Santos III and Matt Hirschman looming large, in addition to Doug Coby, who did not participate in the initial Oswego race earlier this season, those two will have their hands full. The boiler plates located on the inside wall create for one of the weirdest, yet most exciting, set of corners on the schedule.
Fans can watch the Toyota Mod Classic 150 live Saturday at 7:30 pm ET on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold and tape delayed on Thursday, September 9 at 7 pm ET on NBCSN.
Toyota Mod Classic 150
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
All eyes will be on Matt Hirschman when the cars hit the track this weekend. Not only does he enter the 150-lap event as the defending winner from June, but he’s won twice in his career at Oswego, and has yet to finish outside the top-five in Whelen Modified Tour action.
In fact, his worst finish is second, twice. He’s also led the most laps in three of his four events at Oswego (326 total) and has finished first and second in his two races this season. Coming off a dominant, but runner-up performance at Beech Ridge, the Northampton, Pennsylvania, driver is looking to end his NWMT season on a high note.
Bobby Santos III doesn’t have quite the track record at Oswego like Hirschman, but two starts with a top-five finish and pole isn’t too shabby. Since his win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last season, Santos has only run once on the Whelen Modified Tour — finishing eighth at New Hampshire earlier this summer. He is sure to be a force to be reckoned with when the green flag drops Saturday.
Patrick Emerling and Justin Bonsignore both finished inside the top-five at Oswego in June, but did so behind two part-timers in Hirschman and Ryan Preece. Following that event, Emerling held a three-point advantage over the No. 51, before the three-time and defending champion slowly and methodically worked his way past the No. 07 in the standings.
Bonsignore’s lone win at Oswego came in 2019, but he hasn’t finished worse than sixth across his five trips to the New York track. Emerling, though, has been a bit more inconsistent. Despite two top fives, including most recently in June, he’s also finished outside the top 10 twice and has only led six laps across five races.
There’s also Doug Coby, who didn’t participate in the June event while going to Victory Lane with the SRX Series at Stafford, but was sure to have been a contender. As he preps for his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway in a matter of weeks, he’s ready to run it back at one of his best tracks. Finishes of fourth, third and sixth followed his win in 2016 — his inaugural trip to the venue — but he’s yet to lead a circuit since that triumph five years ago.
Along with Coby is Beech Ridge winner Ron Silk, who has one top five in three starts at Oswego, and Jon McKennedy, who hasn’t finished better than 15th in his experience at the track, but is looking to buck that trend in his third career start. The Toyota Mod Classic 150 highlights the annual Budweiser Classic weekend at Oswego, which also includes a 200-lap special for the Supermodifieds on Sunday. The Whelen Modified Tour is the headlining division of a full Saturday night.
RACEDAY SCHEDULE: Saturday, Sept. 4 — Garage opens: 10:45 a.m. ET; Practice: 1:35-2:35 p.m.; Qualifying: 4:15 p.m.; Race: 7:30 p.m. CREW CHIEF HANDOUT:The starting field for the Toyota Mod Classic 150is limited to 28 starters, including provisionals. The field will be set by qualifying (1-22) and provisional process per the entry blank (23-28) for the Toyota Mod Classic 150. In the event that qualifying as stated on the entry blank does not take place for any unforeseen circumstance, the field will be set in accordance with the 2021 NASCAR Touring Series Rule Book.
QUALIFYING: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start-finish line. NASCAR reserves the right to have more than one vehicle engage in qualifying runs at the same time.
The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is eleven (11) tires per team. All tires used for qualifying and the race must be purchased at the track and scanned by Hoosier, unless otherwise approved in advance by the Series Director. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. All qualifying tires must remain in impound until released by NASCAR Officials. The remaining tire allotment may be used for practice and/or change tires during the event.
The tire change rule is four (4) tires, any position. To utilize the fourth (4th) change tire, the team will have to take a practice tire purchased at Oswego Speedway and turn in by the conclusion of practice.
QUALIFYING AND SPECIAL AWARDS
$400 Phil Kurze Halfway Leader Award presented by Josten’s per event award to the race leader at the halfway point of the event, regardless if the race is running under green or yellow.
$600 Hoosier Tire “Lap Leader” per event award to the eligible car owner whose driver leads the most laps in each event. In the event of a tie, the award will go to the highest finishing car in the event.
$500 Hoosier Tire “Hard Charger” per event award to the highest finishing eligible driver who advances the most positions during the course of the race. In the case of a tie, the highest finishing driver will receive the award.
$500 Hoosier Tire “Most Improved” per event award to the eligible new team/organization whose driver improves the most positions during the course of the race. In the event of a tie, the award will go to the highest finishing car in the event. If money is not awarded during this event, funds will roll over to the next event and will continue to roll over until an eligible new team/organization claims the money.
$1,000 Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole per event award to the driver with the fastest qualifying time eligible to participate under the Manufacturers’ Prize Money Conditions.
$550 Sunoco Spec Fuel award divided: 1st-$300 5th-$150 10th-$100.
$3,500 Whelen Engineering “Winner of the Race” award to the winning driver.
Whelen Non-Starter award will be paid to the first 15 competitors throughout the season who pass inspection, practice, attempt to qualify but fail to make the feature event.
Last Friday’s news drop that Kurt Busch would be aligned with 23XI Racing next season came with all the compulsory trimmings — a glitzy video reveal, prime sponsor placement and — it turns out — new car number placement. It also turns out that the implications are far greater than a simple driver-team arrangement.
The ripple effects of that Silly Season announcement are still being felt. Busch will have all-new surroundings for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, with a support staff still to be assembled around him. A car number that had quietly been out of circulation since 2008 will return, and a mending of fences between long-ago rivals made it happen. And the Joe Gibbs Racing competition meetings with 23XI will have twice the Busches involved next year, a development that both brothers were able to joke about last weekend.
“I don’t know if all the people in the room are going to be ready for two Busches,” Kurt said. “It’ll be fun.”
What we know for now is that the elder Busch will drive the No. 45 Toyota in 2022, marking the fourth manufacturer he’s represented in his well-traveled Cup Series career. His long-running association with Monster Energy will continue with 23XI Racing, which will expand to a two-car outfit next year with Bubba Wallace returning in the No. 23 entry. Other details have yet to be announced, including his crew chief and spotter for next season.
Busch has been paired with Matt McCall atop the pit box since he joined Chip Ganassi Racing in 2019. The Ganassi team’s sale to Trackhouse has McCall without an announced deal for next year, but Busch indicated that keeping their driver-crew chief chemistry intact would be his top choice. Busch also said that spotter Tyler Green will be changing places next season, moving to Wood Brothers Racing to pair with rookie Harrison Burton in 2022.
Busch has had his share of well-wishers since Friday’s announcement, but he’s also heard from plenty of people who want in on what 23XI is building.
“The biggest thing, my phone’s blowing up with congratulatory texts and e-mails and such, but there’s so many in there that are looking for a job,” Busch said before Saturday’s regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway. “So many people are wanting to be part of this now, and that’s the next step for me that I have to embrace and digest it the right way. I’m not in ownership within the team, but I asked for a role to have a good influence with the program and so it’s filtering through a lot of quality people right now.”
The team’s new number is also set, and 23XI will field Cup Series cars with Nos. 23 and 45 — both jersey numbers that team co-owner Michael Jordan wore in his NBA career. The No. 45 had special sentiment for Jordan, who also used it during his brief stint in minor-league baseball, but it still held a heartfelt connection to Kyle Petty, whose son Adam used that car number before his death in a crash during the 2000 season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Kyle Petty adopted that car number as his own shortly thereafter, and has frequently worn a cap with a black band through the No. 45 in remembrance. The number remained in the Petty Enterprises team’s possession until Petty’s driving career ended after the 2008 season. When Hamlin first expressed interest in the car number for 23XI’s expansion, he said NASCAR officials told him it would be a good idea to consult Petty before formally applying for it.
Brian Cleary | Getty Images
Hamlin said he wasn’t sure how that conversation would go. The two sparred in 2007 after a crash at Dover International Speedway, with Petty capping a verbal confrontation by smacking Hamlin’s helmet visor in disgust. More recently, Hamlin has sometimes bristled at Petty’s remarks in his role as an NBC Sports analyst. Last weekend, Hamlin expressed gratitude toward Petty for offering his blessing in bringing the No. 45 back, both in their private conversation and in a public statement that Petty released after Friday’s announcement.
“I need to publicly thank Kyle more about his cooperation with us and, really, excitement for us to bring it back,” Hamlin said. “I was worried because I knew he was sentimentally tied to that number and for him to allow us to come back, because he was ultimately the guy who could say no and shut it all down, a big kudos to him for allowing us.”
As for Petty’s scrutiny from his TV role, Hamlin was able to broach it and smile about it in his retelling later. “We had a conversation afterward and it was like, ‘I think you think I’m tough on you.’ I’m like, ‘no, I just want a fair shake now and then,’ but I appreciate him when we talked. He’s like, ‘listen, I just hold you to a higher regard than I hold everyone else,’ so I can appreciate that as well.”
The new dynamic for Joe Gibbs Racing’s Monday morning team meetings is a whole other component. The Busch brothers haven’t worked this closely together since their 2012 venture into the Xfinity Series together, and 23XI Racing’s affiliation with JGR and the Toyota camp should rekindle that working relationship.
But will those collective weekly meetings go from Rowdy to rowdier? Kurt Busch suggested the organization wasn’t ready for double the Busches, and Kyle agreed.
“No, they’re not,” he said to laughter at Daytona. “I already told Joe (Gibbs) that. I said, ‘Do not give him a key.’ Hopefully he just has to call in and we can put him on mute when we need to.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR announced Friday that John Ferguson has been hired to lead human resources strategy for the sanctioning body as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. In this role, Ferguson will oversee NASCAR Human Resources and provide strategic leadership around talent acquisition, employee engagement and culture development.
For nearly a decade, Ferguson served in HR roles at Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) in Washington, D.C. and most recently as Vice President of People & Culture. While at MSE, he led the HR function for six sports team properties, including the Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals and Washington Mystics, four facilities, including Capital One Arena, and more than 2,500 employees.
Based in the Daytona Beach office in Florida, Ferguson will develop HR strategies designed to support and engage employees across more than 20 office and race-track locations in the U.S., and he’ll build a company culture that is empowering, innovative, diverse, inclusive and collaborative.
“John’s passion for people and his enthusiasm for building a strong working culture aligns well with our direction as a sport,” NASCAR president Steve Phelps said. “John brings a wealth of experience and tremendous energy to our sport, and we look forward to the impact of his leadership as NASCAR continues on its path to growth.”
Said Ferguson: “NASCAR’s commitment to its people and to developing a talented, diverse team of employees is unwavering and inspiring. When you consider all that NASCAR has done in recent years to elevate the sport and build momentum for the future, it all begins with people and culture and I’m excited to build upon the great work already in place.”
Ferguson’s hire comes less than two years since NASCAR completed its historic merger with International Speedway Corporation and the successful integration of business operations to position the sport for long-term success.
Caesar Bacarella is partnering with Tommy Joe Martins to form a new NASCAR Xfinity Series team beginning in 2022. Starting with the 2021 season, Martins Motorsports will become Alpha Prime Racing (APR).
The team’s first driver signing: ARCA standout Rajah Caruth.
The news comes just weeks after Martins Motorsports owner/driver Tommy Joe Martins announced he wouldn’t compete full time in the No. 44 car next season, opening up the seat to other potential drivers. For APR Racing CEO and NASCAR Xfinity Series part-timer Caesar Bacarella, it was an opportunity too good to pass up.
“I want to build something,” Bacarella said. “I love this sport. That’s why I do it. I’ve known Tommy and his dad since 2018, and when I saw the news about them going part time, I started asking questions. It led to a discussion about ownership, which is something I’d already been thinking about.”
Martins shares the excitement with his new co-owner.
“Caesar is such a great dude. “He actually called me asking about what would it take to start a team. I told him a whole lot,” Martins laughed.
“I mentioned my dad and Rodney [Riessen, co-owner of MMS] wanting to take a step back and proposed the idea of a partnership,” Martins continued. “It’s a perfect situation for both of us. He brings so much business knowledge and marketing savvy to the table for us, and obviously I’ve been through the school of hard knocks racing wise. I think we complement each other really well.”
The first order of business for APR? Filling out the driver roster for the 2022 schedule. Bacarella will run a limited NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule while competing for a Lamborghini Blancpain World Challenge America GT3 championship with TR3 Racing. Martins expects to run between 10-15 races for the team. But both owners seem to be most excited about their new prospect, Rajah Caruth.
“Rajah is the future for us,” Martins said. “I’ve had the privilege of getting to know him and his dad, Roger, over the last few months and they are exactly the type of people we want to be a part of Alpha Prime Racing. Rajah has his whole career in front of him. I’m just honored they trust us to be one of his first steps.”
Bacarella was more matter of fact about the young driver.
“He’s going to be a star,” Caesar said. “No question about it.”
Rajah’s confirmed schedule in the No. 44 car includes Martinsville Speedway, Dover International Speedway and Richmond Raceway. Martins left the door open to additional races for the young driver at Pocono Raceway and Kansas Speedway pending additional sponsorship.
A focus of the schedule is maintaining Rajah’s rookie status in the NASCAR Xfinity Series heading into the 2023 season, as he will continue competing in the ARCA Menards Series in 2022 for Rev Racing as part of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program.
“I’m extremely honored to have the opportunity to continue my progression as both a racer and a young man in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2022 with Tommy, Caesar and Alpha Prime Racing,” Caruth said. “I’ve had the great fortune of having such great people surrounding me thus far in my career, and I’m ecstatic to add some more to that circle with APR.”
Caruth, 19, has been a member of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program since 2018. He currently competes full time in the ARCA Menards Series East for Rev Racing where he has scored four top 10s and two top fives in six starts. He has also competed part time in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, scoring wins at Hickory Motor Speedway and Tri-County Motor Speedway this year.
“2021 has been a great season for us at Rev Racing in both the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series and the ARCA Menards East,” Caruth said. “I’m excited to finish out our year stoutly.”
Martins currently sits 18th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver standings with four top-15 and 13 top-20 finishes in 22 starts. Bacarella said the strong performance of the small family team is what drew him in.
“They’ve been running so good,’ Caesar said. “I mean, they’re fast every week. They’ve got great people. They’re doing it the right way. That’s what I want Alpha Prime Racing to be. I want to help take it to the next level.”
