Kaulig Racing adds Gragson, Hemric to Allmendinger for No. 16 Cup ride in 2022

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Staff Report

Kaulig Racing will go NASCAR Cup Series racing with three-quarters of the most recent Xfinity Series Championship 4, announcing Tuesday that first-time champion Daniel Hemric will split time with AJ Allmendinger and Noah Gragson in the No. 16 Chevrolet next season.

The Matt Kaulig-owned organization rounded out its 2022 driver lineup as it prepares to jump to Cup Series competition with two full-time teams next year. Justin Haley will drive the full season in one entry, while Hemric and Allmendinger — full-time drivers for Kaulig in Xfinity — will split time with JR Motorsports’ Gragson in the No. 16.

Kaulig Racing had announced June 18 that it had secured two Cup Series charters, tapping Haley for one full-time ride and adding Allmendinger to the part-time mix in the other. On Tuesday, Kaulig officials indicated that Gragson would drive in 14 Cup Series races next year, with Allmendinger and Hemric dividing up the No. 16 team’s remaining 22 events in an unspecified split.

“We think our roster for the 2022 season features some great drivers,” team president Chris Rice said in a Kaulig release. “Having three out of the four Xfinity Series championship contenders helping to build our new Cup Series program is truly a tremendous opportunity for this Kaulig Racing team. While these guys have been fierce competitors for the last few years, having them bring that same tenacity as teammates will be extremely fun to watch and a great way for this team to grow in its first full season in the Cup Series.”

Tuesday’s announcement confirms that all of last season’s Championship 4 in the Xfinity Series will race at the Cup Series level next year. Austin Cindric, the circuit’s other title contender from November’s season finale, will move up as the full-time driver of Team Penske’s No. 2 Ford in 2022.

Each driver for Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 Chevy next has some degree of Cup Series experience. Allmendinger has the most — 376 starts — and that tenure includes a breakthrough victory for Kaulig’s Cup effort last season on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.

Hemric — who made 38 Cup starts for Richard Childress Racing in 2018-19 — was announced Sept. 25 for a full Xfinity Series ride in Kaulig’s No. 11 Chevrolet. Those duties will now include a partial Cup Series schedule. He enters the Kaulig fold fresh from his first Xfinity victory and the championship coronation that came with it.

“I have had the chance to race against some great drivers in the sport over the past few years,” Hemric said in a team release. “AJ Allmendinger is a great competitor, especially when it comes to road courses, and Noah is a threat no matter what style of race track we go to. I had the opportunity to be teammates with him when I raced for JRM in 2020 for a partial season and was able to see different parts of what makes him a strong racer.

“We are each so different but seeing how intense both AJ and Noah are as professionals and at driving race cars makes me really excited for this upcoming season. Now we have the opportunity to be able to lean on each other and try to build a program here at Kaulig Racing at the highest level of our sport. I’m very fortunate to be a part of this.”

Gragson’s stint in the Cup Series has been the briefest, with only a Daytona 500 qualifying race on his resume from last year’s attempt with Beard Motorsports. He has five Xfinity Series victories in his three years with JRM, including a dramatic win at Martinsville Speedway in the next-to-last race of the year that vaulted him into the 2021 championship field.

“This is a really unique opportunity I have with Kaulig Racing and to be able to share the No. 16 with two of my biggest competitors in the Xfinity Series,” Gragson said. “I’ve had the chance to work with Daniel before, but it will be a new experience working with AJ. We’ve raced against each other for a few years now, and I think working as teammates will only help us get better as drivers.”

Kaulig representatives indicated that more details about its Cup Series effort — including individual event duties, sponsors, and a car number for Haley’s entry — would be shared at a later date.

Kaulig Racing is set to field three full-time Xfinity Series entries for the second consecutive season in 2022. Landon Cassill joins the organization in the No. 10 Chevrolet as teammates to Hemric (No. 11) and Allmendinger (No. 16).

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

Todd Bodine will come out of retirement to run six NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races in a second Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota Tundra during the 2022 season, the organization announced Monday.

With sponsor support from Camping World and the company’s CEO, Marcus Lemonis, Bodine is set to compete at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 4), Darlington Raceway (May 6), Texas Motor Speedway (May 20), Sonoma Raceway (June 11), Nashville Superspeedway (June 24) and Pocono Raceway (July 23).

Bodine is set to become the 28th driver in NASCAR history to achieve 800 career national-series starts. The two-time Camping World Truck Series champion and 22-time race winner sits at 794 career NASCAR starts, including 220 Truck Series starts, 333 Xfinity Series starts and 241 Cup Series starts. He also owns 15 NXS wins.

“We started talking about the possibility of doing something like this with Marcus Lemonis around this time last year,” Bodine said in a team press release. “When Marcus tweeted back in October that he needed 800 reasons from the fans to make this happen, the fans responded back with thousands of reasons. We are excited for the opportunity to reach the 800-start mark with top equipment from the team at HFR. It’s also great to be back with Toyota.”

Bodine is a longtime in-studio analyst for FOX Sports’ Camping World Truck Series coverage. He’ll climb into a race truck for the first time since Pocono Raceway in 2013, when he led 16 laps and finished 11th.

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Jerry Bonkowski

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

Driver: Kurt Busch
Car: No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Crew chief: Matt McCall
Final 2021 ranking: 11th
Key stats: 1 win, 6 top fives, 14 top 10s, 208 laps led

How 2021 ended:
The elder Busch brother struggled with consistency in the first 20 races of the season. But after his win at Atlanta Motor Speedway (race No. 21), his performance improved, ending the 26-race regular season 10th in the standings and poised for another run in the playoffs.

Unfortunately, an early crash at Richmond Raceway in the second playoff race left Busch with a 37th-place finish, dropping him to 12th in the standings, and he couldn’t bounce back far enough in the next race (19th at Bristol Motor Speedway) to advance to the second round. Yet even after being eliminated, the 2004 Cup champ still ended the overall season — and his tenure with Chip Ganassi Racing — strong with two top-five and two other top-10 finishes in the final seven races.

Best race:
Busch dominated the Quaker State 400 on July 11 at Atlanta, leading 144 of the race’s 260 laps to capture the win and give himself an automatic berth in the playoffs. But younger brother Kyle didn’t make it easy on his sibling, leading 91 laps himself.

Kurt finally pulled away in the last 25 laps to finish 1.237 seconds ahead of Kyle, as they combined to lead 235 of the event’s 260 laps. It marked the fourth time in their careers that the Busch brothers finished 1-2 in a Cup race (each has won twice).

“Hell yeah, we beat Kyle,” Kurt said after the race. “What a battle on an old-school race track. It’s been one of those years where I knew we were going to have our back against the wall, just above the (playoffs) cut-off line and needed to race hard and race smart.”

Additional highlights:

• The biggest off-track news for Busch came on Aug. 27 when it was announced he would join 23XI Racing for the 2022 season. Busch will drive the No. 45 Toyota and join Bubba Wallace as the organization expands to a two-car team in its second season of operation. It will also be Busch’s 23rd season in NASCAR Cup.

• 2021 marked the first time NASCAR has run seven races on road courses in a single season and Busch earned four top-10 finishes. The upcoming March 27, 2022 race at Circuit of The Americas will be Busch’s 50th career start on a road course. To date, he has one win, 14 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes on road courses.

Stat to know:
The win at Atlanta was particularly notable for the 43-year-old Las Vegas native, as he extended his streak of earning at least one win per season to the last eight seasons and 18 of the last 20 seasons.

He also qualified for the playoffs for the ninth straight season. But at the same time, since the advent of the playoff elimination format in 2014, Busch has never advanced past the Round of 8 and into the Championship 4 finale. His best finish in the final standings since 2014 has been seventh (twice: 2016 and 2018).

Quotable:
“Racing to win is what I live for. Helping to continue developing a new team, alongside Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin, and Toyota is exactly what I want to be part of. Winning is important to 23XI, it’s important to Monster Energy, and it’s important to me. That is our goal.” — Busch on joining 23XI Racing in 2022

Looking ahead:
Busch shut down rumors that he might retire after 2021 when he announced his plans for next season. There is definitely room for improvement for his new organization as, outside of its first-ever Cup win at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 4, Busch’s new teammate, Wallace, finished outside the top 20 in 23XI’s first season of operation.

Busch brings veteran experience and longtime sponsor Monster Energy to 23XI Racing, being a past Cup champ (2004) who has 33 wins, 156 top-five and 331 top-10 finishes in 756 starts in NASCAR’s premier series. Perhaps the most realistic goal is for Busch to make the playoffs, which would make it 10 seasons in a row for him to achieve that mark. Anything after that would be a bonus.

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

23XI Racing announced on Friday that Kurt Busch will join the organization next season as part of an expansion to a two-car team in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series.

The 43-year-old Busch will pair with teammate Bubba Wallace as the organization enters its second Cup Series season. The team debuted this year after NBA legend Michael Jordan and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin partnered to create 23XI, fielding the No. 23 Toyota for Wallace.

Busch will drive the No. 45 Toyota — coincidentally the other number that Jordan is known for wearing during his Pro Basketball Hall of Fame career as well as his minor league baseball career. Monster Energy is on board as the primary sponsor as well.

https://twitter.com/23XIRacing/status/1431375978836680704

“I cannot begin to express my gratitude for this opportunity,” Busch said in a team release. “Racing to win is what I live for. Helping to continue developing a new team, alongside Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin, and Toyota is exactly what I want to be part of. Winning is important to 23XI, it’s important to Monster Energy, and it’s important to me. That is our goal.”

Hamlin had been bullish about the team’s growth to a two-car operation, saying in media availabilities before Friday’s announcement that the team did not have a firm timetable for expansion. When asked in May about what sort of driver 23XI was considering for a proposed second car, Hamlin quipped: “A good one.”

Jordan and Hamlin have one in Busch, who has won 33 races at NASCAR’s top level and claimed the Cup Series championship in 2004. The well-traveled Busch has spent the last three seasons with Chip Ganassi Racing, whose NASCAR assets were purchased by Trackhouse Racing in a deal announced June 30 that takes effect after the 2021 season.

“When we started this team, our vision was to grow to a multi-car organization. To be able to expand in just our second year is a huge step for us,” Hamlin said in a team release. “Kurt brings a wealth of knowledge and a championship mindset to our team, and will be able to help us grow stronger and more competitive each and every week.”

Busch is set to enter his 22nd season of Cup Series competition. He has won at least one race in 18 of those seasons, including the last eight in a row. His victory earlier this season at Atlanta Motor Speedway clinched his ninth consecutive berth in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

The move puts the veteran Busch in Toyota equipment for the first time in his long career. The automaker will field the Toyota TRD Camry in the 2022 Cup Series as NASCAR’s Next Gen car makes its debut. Additional partners and team personnel will be announced at later date, according to the team.

Wallace, 27, is in his fourth full season of Cup Series competition. He joined 23XI Racing this year after spending the last three seasons with Richard Petty Motorsports. He currently ranks 21st in the Cup Series standings with a best finish of fifth place at Pocono Raceway in June.

Posted on December 12, 2021December 12, 2021 by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: How to find NBCSN | Get the NBC Sports App | How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App

Monday, Dec. 13
6 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive: The 2021 Playoffs (re-air), FS2
7 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of Features: Part 3 (re-air), FS2

Tuesday, Dec. 14
6 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of 2021 Radioactive: Part 1 (re-air), FS2
7 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of 2021 Radioactive: Part 2 (re-air), FS2
7:30 p.m., E60: Fistful of Steel: The Rise of Bubba Wallace, ESPN
9 p.m., E60: Fistful of Steel: The Rise of Bubba Wallace (re-air), ESPN2

Wednesday, Dec. 15
6 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive: The 2021 Playoffs (re-air), FS2
7 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Women in Wheels (re-air), FS2
7:30 a.m., E60: Fistful of Steel: The Rise of Bubba Wallace (re-air), ESPN NEWS
8 p.m., E60: Fistful of Steel: The Rise of Bubba Wallace (re-air), ESPN NEWS

Thursday, Dec. 16
6 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Hometown Show (re-air), FS2
7 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Legends Show (re-air), FS2

Friday, Dec. 17
6 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 2021 Champion Season Rewind (re-air), FS2
7 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive: The 2021 Playoffs (re-air), FS2
7 p.m., E60: Fistful of Steel: The Rise of Bubba Wallace (re-air), ESPN NEWS

Saturday, Dec. 18
10 a.m., E60: Fistful of Steel: The Rise of Bubba Wallace (re-air), ESPN NEWS
6 p.m., E60: Fistful of Steel: The Rise of Bubba Wallace (re-air), ESPN NEWS

Posted on December 11, 2021 by RJ Kraft

A number of surprises were sprinkled across NASCAR throughout the 2021 season — Michael McDowell’s season-opening win in the Daytona 500, Christopher Bell scoring a win in the second race of the season, a run of 10 different winners in the first 11 races, Kaulig Racing scoring its first Cup win, Kevin Harvick going winless for the first time since 2009 and Bubba Wallace’s first win — just to name a few.

Which one of those was the biggest or was there another happening that shocked us all? NASCAR.com’s RJ Kraft and Sean Montgomery make their case for the biggest surprise of the season.

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

KRAFT: We had a lot of surprises in 2021, but to me, the biggest one was then-18-year-old Ty Gibbs winning in his first national series start on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course — the sixth driver to win in his first Xfinity Series start. The young phenom had turned some heads in the ARCA Menards Series platform and its ensuing companion series in recent years. For me, the shock isn’t that he won in 2021, but that he won right away and kept on winning in Xfinity races while serving notice he was a driver to be reckoned with when he was entered in that series. With a young driver, you look for steady growth over the season, but Gibbs dropped the hammer down from the get-go and never really let up.

Gibbs won four of his 18 starts in the Xfinity ranks in 2021 with three of those, as well as seven top-five finishes, coming in his first nine starts. He cooled off in the fall before notching his final season win at Kansas Speedway on the same weekend he locked down the ARCA Menards Series title. The talent certainly is there, but success in ARCA and what was known as the K&N Pro Series ranks doesn’t always translate to the national series level, but in this case, it did right away. He was the most consistent threat to win an Xfinity race in the Gibbs stable all year among drivers to make double-digit starts, won more races than full-time drivers (Daniel Hemric, Brandon Jones and Harrison Burton) and this was the organization that fielded a car for the eventual champion in Hemric.

Honorable mention for me goes to two young Cup organizations scoring wins in 2021. Kaulig Racing nabbed a victory in just its seventh Cup start as an organization and a part-time one at that. Yes, the team had AJ Allmendinger behind the wheel for the road courses, but to see an organization that ran just nine Cup events in 2021 score one of the wins was surprising. 23XI Racing won in its first race with Bubba Wallace scoring a landmark victory at Talladega Superspeedway. Wallace earning his first win on a superspeedway was not the surprising part given his past strong runs on that track type, but a win in Year 1 for the Michael Jordan-Denny Hamlin-owned organization was remarkable.

MONTGOMERY: In 2020, Kevin Harvick won a series-high nine races, was arguably the top driver in the sport and poised to make a push for his second NASCAR Cup Series championship. Who would have bet just one year later the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing veteran would make zero trips to Victory Lane in 36 chances? It has to be the biggest surprise of the season, considering Harvick’s last winless campaign came in 2009. The 2021 season saw his 11-year streak of at least one victory come to a screeching halt. Though he managed to make the playoffs on points — due to a relatively similar performance in top 10s with 24, just three below last season’s total — he only seemed like a true contender in a handful of races.

However, Stewart-Haas’ on-track struggles weren’t unique to Harvick. The organization managed to win just one race this season after Aric Almirola pulled off an incredible performance at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. But, as true champions do, Harvick began to round into form late in the playoffs and finished the final four races of the season as high as third and no worse than 12th. This consistency landed him fifth in the final season standings, the first among non-Championship 4 contenders. Expect the No. 4 camp to carry this momentum and enter the 2022 season ready to bounce back for another championship run.

Honorable mention for me goes to the vastly improved road-course performances by drivers throughout the Cup Series. The 2020 champion, Chase Elliott, entered this season with four consecutive wins at road courses and was easily the class of the field. A newly revamped schedule with seven trips to road circuits seemed positioned perfectly for the No. 9 driver to make a serious push for back-to-back championships, perhaps as the runaway favorite. But other drivers rose to the occasion. Elliott only won two of the seven left-and-right turn races this season, with 2021 champion Kyle Larson leading the charts with three. Christopher Bell and AJ Allmendinger also added their names to the list of winners at the track type. If Elliott is favored at every road course moving forward, that is still fair. But the gap to the field behind him is closer than ever.

Posted on December 10, 2021 by Staff Report

NASCAR mourns the passing of Carl Pasteryak, who was a pillar of the modified community in the Northeast. In addition to racing for 25 years in the Whelen Modified Tour, Carl was a proud brother (Charlie) and uncle (Chris) of racers. He will be missed at the track, and his family and friends are in our thoughts.

Posted on December 10, 2021 by Team Release

SPEEDWAY, Ind. – Mahindra Ag North America has joined Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) as an anchor sponsor for its No. 14 NASCAR Cup Series team and driver Chase Briscoe beginning with the 2022 season.

The multi-year partnership with the championship-winning NASCAR team co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart and industrialist Gene Haas will feature Mahindra Tractors, a brand of Mahindra Ag North America, on Briscoe’s No. 14 Ford Mustang for the majority of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. The red-and-black No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang will debut in the non-points Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum Feb. 5-6 in Los Angeles before returning to action for the traditional start of the season with the 64th running of the Daytona 500 Feb. 20 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

RELATED: 2022 Cup Series schedule

Houston-based Mahindra Ag North America is part of Mahindra Group’s Automotive and Farm Sector, the No. 1 selling farm tractor company in the world, based on volumes across all company brands. Mahindra offers a range of tractor models from 20-125 horsepower, implements and the ROXOR side-by-side. Mahindra farm equipment is engineered to be easy to operate by first-time tractor or side-by-side owners and heavy-duty enough to tackle the tough jobs of rural living, farming and ranching. Steel-framed Mahindra Tractors and side-by-sides are ideal for customers who demand performance, reliability and comfort at a great value. Mahindra dealers are independent, family-owned businesses located throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Rusty Jarrett — Courtesy of Stewart-Haas Racing

“NASCAR, Stewart-Haas Racing and Mahindra’s shared values form a strong platform for us to connect with existing and potential customers. Our partnership with SHR provides an opportunity to tell our story to the wide audience of NASCAR fans who enjoy the outdoors and working their land,” said Viren Popli, President and CEO, Mahindra Ag North America and Mahindra Automotive North America.

‘“Chase Briscoe and Tony Stewart are relatable men of great character who have worked hard to get where they are today. Like our dealers, they have a tough work ethic and the drive to be successful. We are proud to have them representing the brand. In fact, Tony is already a Mahindra owner and has been putting his 5145 tractor to good use on his ranch in Indiana,” Popli added.

Briscoe just completed his first year in the NASCAR Cup Series and the 26-year-old from Mitchell, Indiana, handily won the rookie-of-the-year title driving the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang for SHR.

“The NASCAR Cup Series is the toughest racing I’ve ever been a part of. It’s so competitive,” Briscoe said. “I learned so much this year and I really can’t wait to apply it all next season.

“I’m incredibly honored to represent Mahindra Tractors and all of its dealers. We both want to continue to grow and perform – me on the racetrack and Mahindra in the marketplace. It’s a true partnership that’s valuable to both of us.”

Prior to being promoted to the NASCAR Cup Series, Briscoe competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series where he won a series-high nine races in 2020.

“Chase has earned his spot in the Cup Series,” said Stewart, a fellow Hoosier from Columbus, Indiana, who lives on a 414-acre spread. “He was relentless. Anytime he was challenged, he never backed down, and that’s the way you have to be at this level.

“Chase is just a really hard worker. He’s earned everything that’s come his way and then made the most of each opportunity. That’s what has always impressed me about him, and I think that’s what impressed Mahindra Tractors. They’re a really good fit. This is a very rewarding partnership and I’m proud to be a Mahindra customer.”

Briscoe is a third-generation racer whose career began on dirt tracks in and around Indiana. Stewart raced with Briscoe’s dad, Kevin, in USAC sprint cars and in non-wing cars, and he watched Chase come up through the open-wheel ranks of sprint cars and midgets on his way to NASCAR, just as Stewart did in the mid-1990s on his way to INDYCAR and then NASCAR.

“When it comes to the 14 car, I obviously have a passion for having dirt drivers behind the wheel,” Stewart said. “It’s special, but also practical. With the lower horsepower package they have in the Cup Series, you have to run these cars a lot freer, and I think that suits a driver with a dirt background.”

RELATED: All of SHR’s wins by driver

Briscoe will return to his dirt-track roots Jan. 10-15 during the 36th annual Chili Bowl Nationals at the Tulsa (Okla.) Expo Raceway inside the SageNet Center. Mahindra Tractors will be the primary sponsor of Briscoe’s No. 5 midget.

Rendering Of Chase Briscoe Chili Bowl Midget — Courtesy of Stewart-Haas Racing

“Dirt-track racing makes me a better Cup Series driver,” said Briscoe, who will make his eighth Chili Bowl appearance in 2022. “It forces you to adapt. You have to run different lines to get the most out of your car and you have to do it quickly.

“When I won my first Xfinity Series race on the Roval at Charlotte, I drove it like a dirt track. I made sure to not spin the rear tires to where I was good at the end of a run. Running the Chili Bowl is fun, but it also keeps you sharp. It’ll be a great way to kick off our first season with Mahindra Tractors.”

Briscoe’s first time behind the wheel of a racecar came in 2001. Driving a quarter midget, he won his first heat race and then won the feature event later that evening. Briscoe moved on to mini sprints and when he was 13, stepped into a 410 sprint car where, in his first race, finished 10th in a 40-car field. In a rookie season that saw 37 starts, Briscoe racked up eight top-five and 17 top-10 finishes, including a win in the last race of the season where he broke NASCAR Hall of Famer and four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon’s record as the youngest person to win a 410 sprint car race.

Briscoe continued to race 410 sprint cars in the Midwest and people began to take notice. Soon, the switch from sprint cars to stock cars was on. Cunningham Motorsports hired Briscoe in 2016 to pilot its No. 77 Ford for a full-time drive in ARCA. Briscoe responded by winning six races and the championship by a whopping 535 points.

Briscoe has thrived in his transition to NASCAR, which was boosted by that ARCA title. He advanced to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2017, earning four poles and winning the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Ten top-five and 14 top-10s allowed Briscoe to make the playoffs, finish sixth in points and score the series’ rookie-of-the-year and most-popular-driver awards.

Briscoe parlayed a limited Xfinity Series schedule in 2018 where he drove for both SHR and Roush-Fenway Racing into a full-time drive in 2019 for SHR where he won the rookie-of-the-year title. His stout, nine-win season in 2020 earned Briscoe a well-deserved promotion to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2021.

Posted on December 10, 2021 by Zach Sturniolo

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

Driver: Christopher Bell
Car: No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry
Crew chief: Adam Stevens
Final 2021 ranking: 12th
Key stats: 1 win, 7 top fives, 16 top 10s, 100 laps led

How 2021 ended:
Bell’s playoff run came to an early end after a Round of 12 elimination, but the second-year driver earned three top fives and six top 10s over the season’s final 10 races, ending the season with a ninth-place effort at Phoenix Raceway.

Best race:
The Daytona International Speedway Road Course will forever hold a special place in Christopher Bell’s heart as he wheeled the No. 20 Toyota to the track’s storied Victory Lane in the second race of the 2021 season.

Bell passed Kurt Busch for second place with five laps to go and proceeded to erase Joey Logano’s 3.5-second lead before passing him for his first career Cup Series victory coming to the white flag.

Additional highlights:

• Bell’s year was scattered with impressive runs. A runner-up at the series’ inaugural race at Road America further proved Bell’s road-course prowess, as did a rally to seventh place at Watkins Glen International after a scuffle with Kyle Larson for second went awry.

• Bell was also reeling in Aric Almirola in the waning moments at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July but the threat of darkness erased the final eight laps of the contest, relegating Bell to second.

• Third-place results at Richmond Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway in the Playoffs helped cap a successful sophomore season.

Stat to know:
Transferring from the previously Toyota-aligned but now-defunct Leavine Family Racing team to in-house at Joe Gibbs Racing for 2021, Bell posted quite notable jumps in both top fives and top 10s from his rookie year. After notching two top fives and seven top 10s in 2020, Bell wheeled the No. 20 car to seven top fives and 16 top 10s in addition to earning his first career win. Those 16 top-10 results equate to finishing inside the top 10 44.4% of the season.

Quotable:
“On-track incident? Whatever. Him [Kyle Larson] crying to the media that I didn’t reply to his sorry text message, like come on.” — Bell after his summer feud with Larson after Watkins Glen

Looking ahead:
The 2021 season brought Bell his first career playoff appearance, but he was unable to get to past the Round of 12. Next season marks the start of a new era with the Next Gen car, but JGR’s reputation as a perennial title contender certainly means high expectations on the young driver. With six top 10s in the final 10 races of 2021, the mindset from Bell and his team must be pointed on making a run into the Round of 8 in 2022.

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Team Release

INDIANAPOLIS – Chevrolet is proud to announce a multi-year engineering and marketing partnership with Rev Racing, the competition arm of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program, which is responsible for developing female and ethnically diverse drivers along with pit crew members for future competition at NASCAR’s highest levels.

“We are proud to partner with Rev Racing to support the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program in the development of diverse drivers and team members,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance & Motorsports. “This agreement will enable Rev Racing to leverage Chevrolet’s competition engineering resources, including the new General Motors Charlotte Technical Center.”

Rev Racing is co-owned by Max Siegel and Jennifer Satterfield-Siegel. Max oversees management of the entire program, including being the exclusive manager of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program. As owners of Rev Racing, the Siegels took the program to new heights, advancing it from a fledgling operation to a juggernaut on the racetrack.

“Through the years we have continued to feel really proud of the driver alumni and pit crew graduates who have come through our program,” said Max Siegel. “These individuals are great examples of our mission in action and our goals being met. Chevrolet is a strategic partner and supporter of Rev Racing. They are in alignment with our mission of providing opportunities and developing these young drivers to the next level. I could not be more thrilled to see the heightened level of impact we can create together.”

Additionally, Chevrolet will partner in the development of drivers Rajah Caruth and Nick Sanchez. This is Caruth’s fourth season participating in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program. Sanchez scored his first win in the ARCA Menards Series in 2021 and finished third overall in the point standings. Both drivers will run a full ARCA Menards schedule and a limited number of NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2022.

Rev Racing partnered with NASCAR in 2009 to operate the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program, which was founded to develop and train female and ethnically diverse drivers and crew members. NASCAR Cup Series drivers Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suárez and Kyle Larson are graduates of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program, and currently there are more than 50 alums from the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Development Program now working in NASCAR.

“This new partnership aligns with NASCAR President Steve Phelps’ vision to create a more diverse and inclusive sport and our partners are committed to helping us enact positive change,” said Brandon Thompson, Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion, NASCAR. “For many years, Chevrolet and Rev Racing have been on the forefront of driving meaningful progress, and their partnership will only strengthen efforts to identify and develop diverse competitors through our developmental series via the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program.”