“Lost Speedways” with Dale Earnhardt Jr. will return for a second season this summer on Peacock, the soon-to-be NASCAR Hall of Famer revealed on his “The Dale Jr. Download” podcast on Tuesday.
The second season, which will be available on Peacock — an OTT-streaming service owned by NBCUniversal, will consist of eight episodes. Season 1 debuted last summer with eight episodes.
In a release announcing the second season, Earnhardt said, “We’re excited to bring you a second season of that show. We were so happy with the response from season one. We’ve got a whole new batch of really unique race tracks. Going to these places produced some incredible experiences. I just can’t wait for you to see them.”
The show documents Dale Jr.’s passion, exploration and historical look at race tracks around the country that are now desolate and unused. Matthew Dillner serves as the co-host of the show.
Joey Logano has won the Busch Pole Award for Saturday night’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Martinsville Speedway.
Logano, the series’ most recent winner at Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt-track event, will start his No. 22 Team Penske Ford from the pole position. The starting lineup was made official Wednesday morning.
Harrison Burton won the pole for Friday’s Cook Out 250 (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. The 20-year-old driver is the most recent Xfinity winner at the .526-mile Martinsville track.
As NASCAR adapted to COVID-19 protocols last season, practice and qualifying were eliminated at a majority of national-series events to limit at-track time, exposure and to cut race weekend costs. To determine starting lineups, competition officials used grouped draws, added inversions for weekend doubleheaders, and eventually adopted a performance-metrics formula. That metrics format remains in place this season, drawing on performance from both individual races and season-long results.
NASCAR’s metrics formula for 2021 weighs:
25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
35 percent: Team owner points ranking
15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race
See the full lineup for Sunday’s Cup Series race below.
Start pos.
Driver
Car #
Team
1
Joey Logano
22
Team Penske
2
Denny Hamlin
11
Joe Gibbs Racing
3
William Byron
24
Hendrick Motorsports
4
Ryan Blaney
12
Team Penske
5
Chase Elliott
9
Hendrick Motorsports
6
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
47
JTG Daugherty Racing
7
Martin Truex Jr.
19
Joe Gibbs Racing
8
Ryan Newman
6
Roush Fenway Racing
9
Kevin Harvick
4
Stewart-Haas Racing
10
Brad Keselowski
2
Team Penske
11
Daniel Suarez
99
Trackhouse Racing Team
12
Kyle Busch
18
Joe Gibbs Racing
13
Tyler Reddick
8
Richard Childress Racing
14
Michael McDowell
34
Front Row Motorsports
15
Chris Buescher
17
Roush Fenway Racing
16
Erik Jones
43
Richard Petty Motorsports
17
Ryan Preece
37
JTG Daugherty Racing
18
Austin Dillon
3
Richard Childress Racing
19
Kyle Larson
5
Hendrick Motorsports
20
Alex Bowman
48
Hendrick Motorsports
21
Kurt Busch
1
Chip Ganassi Racing
22
Matt DiBenedetto
21
Wood Brothers Racing
23
Christopher Bell
20
Joe Gibbs Racing
24
Chase Briscoe
14
Stewart-Haas Racing
25
Bubba Wallace
23
23XI Racing
26
Cole Custer
41
Stewart-Haas Racing
27
Ross Chastain
42
Chip Ganassi Racing
28
JJ Yeley
53
Rick Ware Racing
29
Quin Houff
00
StarCom Racing
30
Justin Haley
77
Spire Motorsports
31
Aric Almirola
10
Stewart-Haas Racing
32
Cody Ware
51
Petty Ware Racing
33
Josh Bilicki
52
Rick Ware Racing
34
Corey LaJoie
7
Spire Motorsports
35
Anthony Alfredo
38
Front Row Motorsports
36
BJ McLeod
78
Live Fast Motorsports
37
James Davison
15
Rick Ware Racing
Practice and qualifying are tentatively scheduled for eight Cup Series races this year. Busch Pole Qualifying was held for the season-opening Daytona 500 but rain canceled the qualifying races for Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt-track race. The next Cup Series event with qualifying scheduled is the May 23 debut at the Circuit of the Americas road course in Austin, Texas.
After an unpredictable 2020 season, 2021 promises to bring the same excitement Modified fans have come to love.
It all starts in Virginia at Martinsville Speedway Thursday night for the Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200 (buy tickets | watch on TrackPass). And it will wrap up Saturday, Sept. 25, at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway with the 48th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Fall Final.
In between, plenty of action and emerging stars vying for race wins and the 37th championship in tour history.
A revamped schedule
The 2021 schedule is made up of 14 races, from Maine to Virginia, highlighted by three shared Cup weekends and three new tracks.
In just two days, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to Martinsville for 200 laps in the series’ first visit to the track since 2010.
After a year away due to the pandemic, both New York’s Riverhead Raceway and Oswego Speedway are back on the schedule, each with a pair of race dates. Jennerstown Speedway in Pennsylvania, which stepped in last year as the tour season-opener, has a date this year on Memorial Day weekend.
The tour heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July for 100 laps as part of the Cup Series weekend.
Stafford hosts three Tour races in 2021, including the 49th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler in April.
There are other tracks making a long-awaited return to the schedule, too, and another making its first foray onto the Whelen Modified Tour scene.
Richmond also brings the tour south for their September Cup weekend, and Maine’s Beech Ridge Motor Speedway will see ground-pounder action for the first time since 2005.
New York International Raceway in Lancaster will host its first race on July 31. Western New York is a traditional modified hotbed, and the track joins Oswego on the schedule.
Defending Tour champion Justin Bonsignore dealt with plenty of schedule curveballs in his 2020 title run. And 2021 isn’t a concern for him.
“I welcome the new tracks,” Bonsignore said. “Any time a new facility is willing to host the Modified Tour, that’s a huge thing and we really appreciate the racetracks that are on the schedule this year with all the uncertainties of COVID. For them to take on the task of hosting a Tour race, that’s really, really cool.”
Chasing down the champs
The biggest question mark coming into 2021 in terms of competition: Who is going to stop the juggernaut that is Bonsignore and the No. 51 Phoenix Communications Chevrolet team?
It’s one of the greatest runs of success in Modified history. They’ve finished in the top 10 in 20 straight races and inside the top five 15 consecutive times, streaks that date back to June and August of 2019. Last year, Bonsignore’s average finish of 2.7 set the all-time record for best average finish by any Whelen Modified Tour champion.
Ron Silk was one of the hottest drivers in the series in the back half of the 2020 season. After the No. 85 team withdrew from the August race at Jennerstown, the 2011 tour champion tore off five top-three finishes including two wins to wrap up the year.
While he didn’t win a race in 2020, Jon McKennedy rallied late in the season to finish second in the standings in his first full-time season. Working with Tommy Baldwin, McKennedy was the only driver besides Bonsignore to finish all nine races inside the top 10. McKennedy’s average finish of 5.6 was far and away the best of his tour career.
Of course, it would be silly to count out six-time Tour champion Doug Coby. In his first year as an owner-driver, Coby won a race at New Hampshire’s White Mountain Motorsports Park, making 2020 the 10th straight season he won a race; That tops all other active drivers. Coby also scored two poles en route to a third-place points finish.
A 22nd in the season-finale at Thompson was the only time Coby failed to score a top-10 all year.
Coby was the only driver to keep within striking distance of Bonsignore in points. With championship No. 7 at stake, Coby will almost certainly be in the title discussion down the stretch.
And don’t forget about Craig Lutz. Lutz won a pair of races in 2020. In doing so, Lutz became one of three drivers, along with Bonsignore and Silk, to win multiple races last season. More consistency from Lutz would vault him into serious championship contention. Considering the steps that the No. 46 team took in 2019 and 2020, Lutz appears ready to do just that.
For their part, the No. 51 Ken Massa-owned team finished building a new car this offseason that will make its debut at Martinsville. They plan to use it alongside their other chassis that have led the Tour in wins the last three seasons.
“We have a program in our team where we rotate cars based on the schedule,” Bonsignore said. “I’m sure we’ll continue to do that this year as well, but we’re just looking to see how this new car debuts. If it’s really successful, we’ll probably use it more than we expect to.”
Craig Lutz, driver of the #46 Riverhead Building Supplies Chevrolet, won a pair of races last year and is expected to be a championship contender in 2021. (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
Fans back in the stands
When the Modifieds take the green flag at Martinsville, the grandstands will be open at 30 percent capacity. That will give the tour its largest crowd since the 2019 season.
Connecticut currently allows racetracks to operate at 50 percent capacity, meaning another robust crowd when the series heads north to Stafford for the Spring Sizzler.
The 2021 Whelen Modified Tour season will be decidedly more normal than a year ago. It’s something that Bonsignore looks forward to as things begin to open up over the course of the spring and summer.
“The fact that we can go to a big facility like Martinsville and have a 30 percent capacity, that’s great for our series,” Bonsignore said. That would be an awesome crowd.”
Bonsignore’s victory at the season-opener at Jennerstown last May underscored to him what fans mean to a raceday atmosphere, when he got out of his car to complete silence in front of an empty grandstand.
“You always realize how important fans are, but when they’re not there at all, it just really is eye-opening,” Bonsignore said.
“We definitely miss the fans being at the racetrack. Whether they’re cheering or booing for you, they’re just diehards about our series. To me, that’s what makes the Modified Tour so special.”
The 2021 Whelen Modified Tour season is just about here. It’s going to be one heck of a ride.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. —Daytona International Speedway today announced Frank Kelleher, an experienced industry veteran, has been appointed President of Daytona International Speedway. Concurrently, NASCAR announced that Chip Wile has been promoted to a new expansive role overseeing 13 NASCAR-owned tracks as Senior Vice President, Chief Track Properties Officer.
In his previous role as NASCAR Senior Vice President and Chief Sales Officer, Kelleher oversaw a team responsible for business strategy and revenue generation. His team played a critical role in driving both media and partnership sales for NASCAR and its tracks. Kelleher helped secure the founding sponsorships to Daytona International Speedway’s highly visible injectors. As only the ninth track president in DIS history, Kelleher is well-suited to step into this important position.
“For nearly two decades, Frank has demonstrated the ability to foster meaningful relationships and lead critical areas of our business,” said Lesa France Kennedy, Executive Vice Chairperson, NASCAR. “He is a dedicated member of the greater Daytona Beach community, a true team-builder, and most importantly, he has a deep-rooted passion for motorsports and promoting the fan experience. We are incredibly excited to have Frank leading Daytona International Speedway.”
“I am incredibly honored to take on this historic role and represent the most iconic motorsports venue in the world,” said Kelleher. “Our race fans are what makes working in motorsports so special and I’m excited to work with the tremendous team at Daytona International Speedway to continue to deliver a best-in-class racing experience for our fans locally, nationally and around the globe.”
As President of DIS, Wile successfully oversaw promotion and operation of the most famous and iconic venue in motorsports. From his first major event, the Country 500 over Memorial Day weekend in 2016, to leading the industry through a revised Speedweeks in 2021, Wile has pushed innovation and fan engagement at every turn. Prior to Daytona, Wile was the President of Darlington Raceway, spearheading a five-year strategy to reinvent the track experience, including the successful introduction of the now widely celebrated Throwback race weekend.
“Chip has played a tremendous role in guiding the success of two of our flagship racetracks in Daytona International Speedway and Darlington Raceway,” said NASCAR President, Steve Phelps. “Always looking to deliver for our incredible fans, Chip’s constant desire to improve and drive innovation will serve our sport well in this new and important leadership role.”
“Serving the community of race fans, our industry and the France family as President of Daytona International Speedway has been the greatest honor of my career,” said Wile. “I look forward to working with our team of talented track presidents as we continue to elevate the fan experience and deliver lifetime memories every time someone sets foot on our track properties.”
Both Kelleher and Wile will assume their new roles effective immediately.
Daytona International Speedway’s next scheduled major motorsports weekend is a NASCAR doubleheader Aug. 27-28, featuring the Coke Zero Sugar 400 and the Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola. The Coke Zero Sugar 400, Aug. 28, returns as the Regular Season Finale for the NASCAR Cup Series, and will be held under the lights on the famed high banks. With only 16 Playoff spots up for grabs, anything could happen as the stage is set for NASCAR to crown a Champion.
Tickets for the Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola, the Coke Zero Sugar 400 and other speedway events can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway and see the latest speedway news on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Buffalo Bills running back Antonio Williams has always been fascinated with fast cars. But over the past year, he’s become involved in stock-car racing and his investment is growing at a rapid pace.
While honing his skills on the gridiron as a rookie in the NFL, Williams watched the progression NASCAR made in 2020, fighting against social injustices in the United States. He believes that will open the doors for new owners – some of color – to enter the sport, diversifying the product even more.
“[If] you look at basketball and football, the biggest separation between those sports is that there is not just one demographic that watches it; everyone watches those sports,” Williams recently told NASCAR.com. “What NASCAR is doing is opening the door for that type of demographic and for everyone to be a fan of it now.”
Williams has been a fan of NASCAR since he was an infant, watching races with his grandfather, James Williams, whose favorite driver was Bill Elliott. Though he can’t remember his exact age, the North Carolina native attended his first race at Charlotte Motor Speedway approximately 15 years ago, cheering on Tony Stewart.
But when Williams’ grandfather died last summer, the 23-year-old wanted to honor his legacy. That prompted him to send out a tweet on Sept. 10, 2020, asking if anyone had any “NASCAR connections,” and that “I’d love to get involved with it in the future.”
Anybody have any NASCAR connections? I’d love to get involved with it in the future.
With 323 replies, one in particular stuck out: Nate Blasdell, the business manager for Joe Graf Jr., who spends a chunk of his time in Rochester, N.Y., a stone’s throw away from Buffalo. Two days later, the two had lunch at a Texas Roadhouse in Rochester, sharing a conversation that sparked Williams’ interest in working with Graf and his current team, SS Green Light Racing.
At the same time, there was common ground between Williams and Graf through sports psychologist Desaree Festa. Before taking a job with the Bills, Festa was based out of Charlotte, working with several race teams and even Graf.
“I still kept in touch and worked with [Festa] through last year,” Graf said. “She spoke extraordinarily high of [Williams] and he was looking to get into NASCAR. She put us together and we’ve hit it off really well.”
Williams believes he and Graf were destined to meet, ultimately working together in NASCAR.
“I definitely believe me going to Buffalo and meeting [Festa], meeting up with Joe and all of this is happening for a reason,” he said. “I think it’s led for early success in NASCAR for sure.”
Shortly after the Bills’ loss in the AFC Championship game to the Kansas City Chiefs in January, Williams and Graf met in person for the first time at the team’s race shop in Mooresville, N.C. It was a fit from the start.
“When we met in person, it was the same,” Williams added. “There was a great connection, and we both have the same mindset of wanting to be great in our respective sport. I definitely want to help him out in his.”
Since then, Graf said he and Williams speak daily, forming a bond away from the business. The two have spent time at Graf’s house, while Williams is trying to attend as many race weekends as he can before training camp begins this summer.
Just before the 2021 Xfinity Series went green at Daytona International Speedway, Williams announced that he had become an investor in Graf’s racing career to help form relationships. That meant he would focus on helping recruit sponsorship to the No. 07 team to help Graf be more competitive on the race track.
On the racing front, Graf has gotten off to a much better start than his rookie season in 2020. Through six races, Graf sits 18th in the championship standings, five positions higher than at this point last year.
Graf, a business, media and sports management major at New York University, is open to having all the help he can to find additional sponsors. Thus far, Z Grills and Hazheart.com have joined the team, along with Bucked Up Energy returning for the bulk of the 2021 season. The duo is in discussion with multiple other partners that could potentially join the No. 07 team.
Christian Petersen | Getty Images
“[Williams] has helped so much on the business side of it,” Graf noted. “I don’t think people realize how involved he really is. He’s helped close on a lot of sponsorship deals. He’s helped start a lot of conversations with sponsors we’re talking to now.”
Williams said he believes being part of another sport can also help sell sponsorship.
“The NFL logo, for me, can get us into a lot more doors and that’s beneficial,” Williams said. “It’s whatever I need to do on the sponsorship side. I’m mostly on the business side helping Joe with whatever needs to be done as far as sponsorships, promotional deals and all that type of stuff.”
Unlike Graf, Williams was a psychology major at the University of North Carolina with no previous marketing background. However, he believes his ability to connect with people and motivate them – especially useful in football – is what can help sell sponsors.
Williams said, “I know the way you can sell is by allowing people to see your vision and your dream and understand their vision and their dream and meeting at that halfway point. When you have two sides working for one common goal, it typically works. That’s what has been helping us out and I think that’s what is going to continue progressing us in the future.”
But over the years, many investors in racing have come and gone. New teams have opened, spent a boatload of money and shut down a handful of years later.
Graf believes it’s different with Williams.
“I feel like Antonio is here for the long haul,” Graf added. “He’s got a lot of ambitions within the sport, and the big thing is, Antonio isn’t putting a massive amount of money in up front like a lot of these investors do. We’re building a sponsorship portfolio that creates value.”
Currently, Williams is enjoying the role of being an investor. But his ultimate goal in NASCAR is to become a team owner.
He believes that would fulfill his destiny of honoring his grandfather’s legacy.
“At first, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with NASCAR,” Williams said. “I’m so competitive, I want to be the best in anything that I do, and potentially owning a team would give me the opportunity to do things the way that I would want to do it, exactly that way and potentially be very competitive.
“I think it would be fun and great to have owners of diversity within the sport, other owners of diversity. I think putting myself in that position would be good for my grandfather’s legacy and the sport in general.”
Being a realist, Graf wants to keep his expectations limited, but believes his SS Green Light Racing team can be the best of the teams running within similar budgets.
“My goal is to be in the top 15 in points,” Graf stated. “It’s kind of an outside shot of us making the playoffs unless maybe a win at a superspeedway race or something like that. I definitely want to be the best of that second tier of cars.”
But what’s next for this duo?
“If we just keep stacking days,” Williams said. “Stacking days and getting better each day. I don’t want to say what the next step is because I don’t know, I just know that we’ll try to get better every day. I think the sky is the limit at this point.”
Seven races, seven faces. The NASCAR Cup Series’ cast of winners this season is so far a list of one-timers, with a unique face gracing Victory Lane each weekend.
Michael McDowell and Christopher Bell started the trend with their first career Cup Series triumphs in back-to-back weeks at Daytona. Since then we’ve had no repeaters, and the list of “win and in” playoff hopefuls has gotten more and more crowded.
So, who might be able to keep the streak going this weekend? Martinsville Speedway, one of NASCAR’s original tracks, is next up on the schedule with the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 (set to resume Sunday at 4 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM), and several former winners at the Virginia paperclip are poised to return to form.
With favorites and underdogs hoping to be in the mix, which driver stands the best chance of making it 8-for-8 for new faces on this season’s win list? NASCAR.com’s Zack Albert and Chase Wilhelm make their picks among the so-far winless.
ALBERT: Still plenty of surprises among the heavy hitters with zeros beside their names in the win column, but here’s going with last year’s hardware hoister at season’s end — Chase Elliott. The defending Cup Series champ is the most recent Martinsville Speedway winner, converting in a November romp as a springboard to his first series title a week later.
Elliott might still hold a claim for the crown when the sport’s road-course ruling class is discussed, but his record on NASCAR’s shortest paved oval is pretty stout, too. The Georgia native has notched top-five finishes in three of his last four starts at Martinsville, where his Hendrick Motorsports organization has won a stunning 25 times.
With honorable-mention nods to points leader Denny Hamlin and top 2020 winner Kevin Harvick — both of whom have Martinsville grandfather clocks in their trophy collection — the pick this week is Elliott to keep the revolving door of winners spinning.
WILHELM: Team Penske drivers have earned victories in the past two races with Ryan Blaney at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Joey Logano at the Bristol Dirt Race. It feels like it’s Brad Keselowski’s turn now.
Keselowski has been hit-or-miss in the first seven races with three top fives, while the other four have been outside the top 11. But he’s still been able to find the front on occasion with 93 laps led and four races of 31 points or better.
Although the season has been a tad too rocky for Keselowski’s liking so far, it’s his recent Martinsville performances that you can’t ignore. Keselowski has finished fifth or better in nine of the last 10 events at the Virginia short track, including two triumphs in 2017 and ’19.
So Zack, I’ll raise you Elliott’s one grandfather clock with Keselowski’s pair. The No. 2 Team Penske driver will be a favorite to add a third coveted clock to his collection to keep this different winners streak going.
The first Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash race is set for Martinsville Speedway with the Cook Out 250 (postponed after 91 laps Friday, set to resume Sunday at noon ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Four full-time NXS drivers will battle it out among the rest of the field for not only the overall race win but an additional $100,000 if they finish the highest among the Dash 4 Cash-eligible contingent. Those competing in the race within a race are Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, Harrison Burton and Noah Gragson.
There are four Dash 4 Cash events over the next several weeks, bringing the prize money to $400,000 total, courtesy of Comcast.
Drivers eligible for the Dash 4 Cash are determined by the results of the previous race. Allgaier, Allmendinger, Burton and Gragson were the top-four full-time finishers (among drivers that have declared to be running for the Xfinity Series championship) in the last series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. Whoever has the best finish of those four at Martinsville will win the $100,000 bonus and qualify for the next Dash 4 Cash event. The next three highest full-time finishers will join the winner in competing for the bonus at Talladega Superspeedway. Darlington Raceway and Dover International Speedway will make up the back half of the program, with the final race coming at the “Monster Mile.”
In conjunction with the Dash 4 Cash program, the telecommunications company is continuing its commitment to closing the digital divide by unveiling plans for a brand-new WiFi-Connected Lift Zone in the Martinsville community. Lift Zones, created in partnership with local community organizations throughout Comcast’s service areas, provide safe spaces for students to access the Internet for free so they can participate in distance learning and do their schoolwork. Comcast is accelerating its timeline to connect 1,000-plus Lift Zones in community centers across the country by the end of 2021, more than a year ahead of its original plan.
“At Comcast, we’re committed to closing the homework gap and digital divide for families across the nation and we’re looking at all of our company’s channels to help raise awareness and break down barriers to access,” said Matt Lederer, Comcast’s Vice President, Brand Partnerships and Activation in a release. “We’re proud to commit to building 1,000-plus Lift Zones by the end of the year, including one a few miles from Martinsville Speedway, to help low-income students and families get online to access the resources and education they need to reach their goals.”
Since 2018, Comcast has donated more than $200,000 during NASCAR’s Dash 4 Cash to help close the digital divide. The efforts have enabled local non-profits in each Dash 4 Cash market, from Veteran’s Service Organizations to Boys & Girls Clubs, to make Internet connectivity more accessible for low-income families and individuals.
“We are working to ensure all of our young people can access and enjoy change-making digital opportunities and experiences at our Clubs and beyond,” said Joanie Petty, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Blue Ridge. “We’re excited for our Teen Center to be outfitted with high-speed WiFi as a Comcast Lift Zone, for we’ve seen the benefits of critical digital literacy skill-building in closing the digital divide and preparing our young people for the labor market they will enter.”
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Kyle Petty Charity Ride, Inc., has announced the launch of its “Walk, Run, Ride for 45” virtual fundraiser challenge honoring Kyle Petty’s late son, Adam. Registration for the fundraiser begins on Monday, April 5, 2021. Participants will have five weeks to fundraise before conquering the physical challenge of walking or running 4,500 steps or riding 45 miles on their bicycle or motorcycle over the course of five days — May 10-14, 2021. Every penny raised, every step taken, and every mile ridden helps the Ride keep Adam’s dream alive by raising awareness and funds to send children with chronic and serious medical illnesses to camp at Victory Junction.
“Walk, Run, Ride for 45” was created in lieu of postponing the 26th Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America for the second time due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“After receiving so many requests to hold a virtual event in place of the Ride, we are excited to deliver and open up the event to allow not only our riders, but also allow our fans to participate,” said Kyle Petty, former NASCAR driver, current NBC Sports racing analyst and founder of the Ride. “Our sole mission is to raise funds each year to provide magical camping experiences for deserving kids at Victory Junction. While we might not be having our Ride this year, our hope for the ‘Walk, Run, Ride for 45’ virtual fundraiser is to keep the Ride’s spirit alive while coming together to raise money to continue to support our cause.”
A $10 registration fee enters participants into the virtual fundraiser challenge, where they can then choose to fundraise individually or as part of a team. The top three fundraisers and top fundraising team will win the following prizes:
1st Place Fundraiser:Four tickets to a 2021 NASCAR Cup race (conditions apply); a Zoom call with Kyle Petty; three Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America hats autographed by Kyle Petty; assorted Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America swag items
2nd Place Fundraiser:Two tickets to a 2021 NASCAR Cup race (conditions apply); two Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America hats autographed by Kyle Petty; assorted Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America swag items
3rd Place Fundraiser:A branded Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America OGIO jacket; a Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America hat autographed by Kyle Petty; assorted Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America swag items
Top Fundraising Team:Six tickets to a 2021 NASCAR Cup race (conditions apply); a Zoom team call with Kyle Petty; assorted Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America swag items
Registration for the event will take place Monday, April 5 through Sunday, May 9. Then, to honor Adam, former driver of the No. 45 car who passed away in a racing accident on May 12, 2000, participants are encouraged to complete 4,500 steps or 45-mile challenge from May 10 – 14, 2021. Participants can choose to walk, run or ride all at once on one specific day or they can spread it out over the course of the five-day period. Once they have completed their challenge, participants are also encouraged to share it on social media with a photo or video using #WalkRunRideFor45.
For more information about the “Walk, Run, Ride for 45” virtual fundraiser challenge and to register, visit bit.ly/WalkRunRideFor45.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour kicks off its 2021 season Thursday at Martinsville after a wait of nearly six months.
After a nine-race season in 2020, the Tour returns to a full schedule in 2021 that begins at the historic half-mile oval with the Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200 (8 p.m. ET, TrackPass).
With fans in the stands at Martinsville Speedway (buy tickets) and a full field of cars ready to roll, the NASCAR’s oldest division will add another chapter to the historic venue.
After nearly 11 years without racing at the flat Virginia half-mile, the playing field for this year’s event is rather wide-open. Only nine drivers who competed in the 2010 race are on the entry list for this year.
The driver to keep an eye out for, however, is obvious: Justin Bonsignore.
He finished second to Bobby Santos III in the last race the Tour ran at Martinsville. Dating back to 2019, Bonsignore has finished inside the top five in 15 straight races and 20 straight times inside the top 10.
Bonsignore also looks to defend his title from 2020 in which he set the Tour record for best average finish in a season.
And of course, two wild-cards in Thursday’s 200-lapper will be Ryan Newman and Ryan Preece. Both drivers have had success at Martinsville. Newman has gone to Victory Lane at Martinsville in the Cup Series (2012), while Preece will be the only past Modified winner in the field, having done so back in 2008.
Doug Coby is only a year removed from his sixth tour title, while Craig Lutz, Jon McKennedy and Ron Silk showed the ability to break up the Coby-Bonsignore domination of the championship trophy. Two-time NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion Andy Seuss is also entered in Thursday’s race. Seuss was sixth at New Hampshire in his only tour start last year.
CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200 is limited to limited to 32 starters including provisionals. The field will be set by qualifying (1-26) and provisional process per the entry blank (27-32) for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200. 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. (EIRI) 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.
RACE PIT STOP: Live pit stop procedure – Teams may not take tires and fuel in the same stop. Maximum five crew members over the wall.
The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is twelve (12) 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.
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 rollover to the next event and will continue to rollover 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.
NASCAR’s Next Gen car gets on track for a second consecutive week as Tyler Reddick takes the wheel for Goodyear tire testing Tuesday and Wednesday at Darlington Raceway.
This week’s test marks the first appearance at the historic South Carolina track for the Next Gen model, which is scheduled for its official competition debut in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series. Manufacturer-specific Next Gen cars also tested last week at Martinsville Speedway, gathering data with wheel-force transducers. The workhorse P3 prototype will be used at Darlington.
The two-day session also marks the 25-year-old Reddick’s first drive of the Next Gen model. Austin Dillon, his Richard Childress Racing teammate, was the test driver in the first on-track shakedown for the Next Gen car in October 2019 at Richmond Raceway.
NASCAR officials indicated in a February competition briefing that the Next Gen car’s development stage is complete and that tire tests are also scheduled for Texas Motor Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway later this year. Officials also said that organizational tests will be held after the Charlotte Roval race Oct. 10, with two other sessions scheduled after the season concludes.
Darlington is set to host all three NASCAR national series May 7-9 for its annual throwback weekend, which shifts to a springtime date for the first time this year. The 1.366-mile track held three Cup Series events last year as the schedule shifted in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. Darlington is set to host two regularly scheduled Cup Series events this season for the first time since 2004.
