Curtis Francois named 2021 Comcast Community Champion of the Year

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Team Release

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Further sponsor announcements for the 2022 season are forthcoming.

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

Front Row Motorsports set its 2022 driver lineup on Tuesday for its two NASCAR Cup Series teams and one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team.

On the Cup side, Michael McDowell will return to pilot the No. 34 Ford, while Todd Gilliland will move up to run the No. 38 Ford in 2022. With Gilliland moving up, Zane Smith will join the fold to run the No. 38 Ford in the Truck ranks.

The 2022 season will mark McDowell’s fifth straight full-time season with the team. He is coming off a 2021 season that saw him score his first Cup victory in the Daytona 500, make the NASCAR Playoffs for the first time, finish a career-best 16th in the standings and post a career high in top-10 finishes. The upcoming season will be McDowell’s 15th in the Cup Series. The veteran driver drove the organization’s Next Gen car earlier this month at the Charlotte oval test.

“I’m really looking forward to 2022 and the fresh start it brings across the sport,” McDowell said in a team release. “It’s an exciting time for the NASCAR Cup Series and for us at FRM. We have proven that we can win and now we want to find that consistency throughout the season to be even better.”

Gilliland moves up to the Cup ranks after two seasons driving trucks for the Bob Jenkins-owned organization and reaching the Truck Playoffs in both of those seasons. He had previously driven nearly two full-time seasons for Kyle Busch Motorsports. All told, he has two wins in the Truck Series. He will jump to the Cup ranks having made no starts in the Xfinity Series, and the 2022 Daytona 500 will mark his Cup debut.

The 21-year-old will compete for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in a class that also includes fellow Ford drivers Austin Cindric (No. 2 Team Penske) and Harrison Burton (No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing). Gilliland marks the fourth straight rookie teammate for McDowell — Matt Tifft in 2019, John Hunter Nemechek in 2020 and Anthony Alfredo in 2021. David Ragan was part of a three-car lineup in ’19 as well. Alfredo and the team parted ways earlier this month following the season finale at Phoenix.

“I feel like I’ve found a home at FRM,” Gilliland said. “I’ve been around the team when I was growing up and watching my dad race. I joined the truck team here and it has been a good place for my career. I can’t wait to step up into the NASCAR Cup Series. I know the challenges ahead, but I’m planning to be here and help grow with this team for a long time.”

In Smith, Front Row adds a driver that has made two straight Championship 4 appearances (the only driver to do that over that span) and one that has been the runner-up finisher in the standings in each of the last two seasons. In two seasons with GMS Racing, the 22-year-old nabbed three wins in the series.

“I competed against Front Row for wins this past season and I know how competitive the team is,” Smith said. “Bob Jenkins has given me a wonderful opportunity to race for the Truck Series championship again. More importantly, there is an opportunity to grow with them in the future.”

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Press Release

ATTLEBORO, Mass. — NASCAR, JDV Productions and Lee USA Speedway announced Tuesday that the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will visit Lee on May 21, 2022, for a 175-lap race. Set to be showcased as part of a full Saturday afternoon of racing, the Whelen Modified Tour will return to the New Hampshire oval for the first time in more than two decades.

The Lee event is yet another piece of a stout schedule planned for the Whelen Modified Tour during the 2022 season. Headlined by historic events, staple venues and some twists and turns along the way, teams will trek across multiple states and tracks in search of the championship trophy during the 37th season of competition.

The Lee event marks the fourth and final for 2022 that will be promoted by JDV Productions, led by Josh Vanada and his group of motorsports professionals. The JDV schedule will begin at Lee and will continue with events at Jennerstown Speedway on May 28, Monadnock Speedway on June 18 and Claremont Motorsports Park on July 29.

“The Wrenn family has made a significant contribution to short track racing — first as competitors, and now as facility owners. We are grateful for the opportunity to bring the prestige and excitement of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour to another one of their venues,” said Josh Vanada, owner of JDV Productions. “For the first time in over 20 years, Lee USA Speedway will be the playground for NASCAR’s oldest division.

“The 175-lap event will provide a challenge to crew chiefs and teams as they try to manage their tires on the abrasive track surface. Race fans are sure to be the beneficiaries on May 21, 2022.”

The Whelen Modified Tour previously visited Lee USA Speedway five times, between 1993 and 1998. In five races, there were five different winners, led by some of the top names in Modified history. Reggie Ruggerio, Jamie Tomaino, Tim Connolly, Rick Fuller and Ed Flemke Jr. all visited Victory Lane in that span.

The 175-lap special in 2022 will be the longest race in Whelen Modified Tour history at the track, as the previous distances were all 150 or 100 laps.

Lee USA Speedway holds NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series events through the summer. The track is headlined by its Division I Rodfather Late Model Sportsman class. Additional information surrounding the event, including support divisions, ticket pricing and more, will be released when available.

“Any new track on the schedule is definitely a cool thing to see,” said Craig Lutz, who will drive full-time for Danny Watts Racing on the Whelen Modified Tour in 2022. “A lot of strategy is going to play out during the race. I’m sure you’re going to see a lot of guys who have experience there start off practice well, but the rest of the field will catch up.

“I’ve never seen the place, but after 10 or 15 laps, you kind of get the hang of what you’re doing out there.”

Posted on November 29, 2021December 6, 2021 by Chase Wilhelm

NASCAR will storm into the streets of downtown Nashville as the 2021 NASCAR Champion’s Week festivities kick off on Tuesday and run through Thursday’s NASCAR Awards ceremony (airing on Sat., Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN).

RECAP THE CHAMPIONS: Kyle Larson | Daniel Hemric | Ben Rhodes

The three-day event will celebrate the 2021 champions from the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series, which include Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team (Cup), Daniel Hemric and the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team (Xfinity) and Ben Rhodes and the No. 99 ThorSport Racing team (Truck).

In addition, the champions of the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, ARCA Menards Series West and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, as well as the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national champion will be in attendance, making appearances during the “NASCAR Street Party at the Ryman presented by PNC Bank” at the Ryman Auditorium, which runs Nov. 30-Dec. 2.

Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images

Whether you plan on attending the events in Nashville or watching from home, the party will be on full display with a few marquee highlights:

“Burnouts on Broadway presented by DoorDash” will take place on Wednesday as all 16 Cup Series drivers, the Xfinity Series champion, Camping World Truck Series champion and ARCA Menards Series champion hit the street in their race cars under the neon lights of Broadway, Dec. 1 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. CT. The event will air on Sat., Dec. 4 at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
The celebration is bookended with the formal postseason NASCAR Awards ceremony at the Music City Center on Thursday, which will air on Sat., Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

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

The 2021 NASCAR season was one like no other, seeing Kyle Larson turn in one of the most dominant season-long performances in history in the run-up to his first career Cup Series championship. Did the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver have the best single-race showing of the year, though?

With 10 wins on the season and 2,581 laps led out in front of the field, chances are the sport’s best driver takes home the honors, but we’ll see. NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola and Terrin Waack debate.

DeCOLA: Alright, I’m going to break the rules a little bit here. Larson was, obviously, unstoppable in 2021 so it’d be hard to pick any other driver, though I did take a long look at Martin Truex Jr. flexing on the field with 248 laps led and a 2.571 margin of victory at Darlington in the spring.

So while I am, indeed, going with a race that Larson won — and won handily, at that — the 2021 Coca-Cola 600 was a flat-out butt-whooping by Hendrick Motorsports as a whole, placing all four drivers in the top five. No. 5 picked up the trophy after 327 of 400 laps led, but all four drivers led at least five laps as the quartet combined for 373 circuits out in front of the field.

This was an important one to win, if you’ll recall, as the race victory was the record-breaking 269th for Hendrick Motorsports. With the team’s shop just a stone’s throw from Charlotte Motor Speedway, Mr. H made sure he brought four cars capable of winning to the track so the opportunity to claim the record in his backyard would not pass by unused.

“It feels great to be that guy who helped Mr. H break that record finally,” Larson said of the victory that broke a tie with Petty Enterprises for most wins in the series.

The win came in the middle of the organization’s first big streak of dominance of the year — the last one came in the season’s final five races, with Larson winning four and Bowman picking up Martinsville — with Bowman kicking things off with a win at Dover followed by five more in a row from the championship organization.

That win, to me, stands as the best example of what that team was capable of across the board in 2021, in a stretch that truly showed Hendrick was on another playing field than the other teams this year. It was nothing short of impressive.

WAACK: The first domino was the most important: Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 7. Kyle Larson led a race-high 103 laps in the 267-lap event, including the last 30 circuits to take the checkered flag. The victory marked the seventh in Larson’s career and his first with Hendrick Motorsports.

It’s the latter tally that weighs heavier. Hendrick Motorsports brought Larson back into the sport after he was suspended by NASCAR and fired by Chip Ganassi Racing for using a racial slur during an iRacing live stream last year. Larson was officially reinstated by the sanctioning body effective Jan. 1.

In the opening three races of this past season, Larson finished 10th, 30th and fourth. Then Las Vegas came around: first.

Technically, the Las Vegas win also punched Larson’s ticket into the NASCAR Playoffs. Without it, there would have been no shot at the championship, which he obviously won. Yeah, yeah: Another win surely would have come along considering nine more did, but who knows. Technically, Las Vegas did the trick.

Also, think about what the win meant confidence-wise for Larson. It was his first trip back to Victory Lane since 2019. It was just his fourth race back in 2021 since only running only four in 2020.

“Thank you so much, Mr. H, Jeff Gordon (and) everybody at Hendrick Motorsports for the amazing opportunity I’ve been gifted,” Larson said immediately after exiting the car. “… This is definitely, definitely special.”