Daily Archives: October 21, 2016

Dale Earnhardt Jr Joins Sprint Cup NBC Sports Broadcast Booth for Talladega and Martinsville

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Photo - NBC Sports Group

Photo – NBC Sports Group

 NBC Sports announced Wednesday on NASCAR America that Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevrolet, will join the NBC Sports broadcast booth for portions of two upcoming Sprint Cup broadcasts. Earnhardt, who has not raced since July as he recovers from a concussion, will lend his expertise as an analyst during NBCSN’s coverage this Sunday from Talladega Superspeedway, as well as the following Sunday from Martinsville Speedway.

Inside the NBCSN broadcast booth, Earnhardt will reunite with his former crew chief Steve Letarte, and work alongside race announcer Rick Allen and fellow analyst Jeff Burton. Sunday marks Earnhardt’s first ever NASCAR Sprint Cup broadcasting assignment. Continue reading →

Ryan Reed Readies for NASCAR Sprint Cup Debut

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Ryan Reed, driver of the #16 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association Ford, waits as his car is inspected by NASCAR officials prior to qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway on October 15, 2016 in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo - Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Ryan Reed, driver of the #16 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association Ford, waits as his car is inspected by NASCAR officials prior to qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway on October 15, 2016 in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Young driver beats odds to race at NASCAR’s Highest Level

This weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway marks a milestone for Roush Fenway Racing driver Ryan Reed, who will attempt to make his Sprint Cup debut in the Hellmann’s 500.  Reed, who in 2011 was diagnosed with diabetes and told he would never race again, will pilot the No. 99 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association Ford Fusion. Continue reading →

Blaney Honoring the Late Neil Bonnett at Talladega

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Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are planning an encore presentation of their throwback theme first used at the Darlington Raceway earlier this season.

Blaney, at his own request, will wear the same uniform he wore during the Southern 500 to honor David Pearson.

At Talladega, he’ll wear the uniform in honor of both Pearson and the late Neil Bonnett, who was from Bessemer, Ala., and considered Talladega his home track.

Bonnett succeeded Pearson as driver of the iconic No. 21 midway through the 1979 season and used a uniform just like the one Pearson wore. Once aboard the No. 21, Bonnett won in his third start, at Dover International Speedway. He won twice more that season, at Daytona and Atlanta. Continue reading →

Hemric, Nemechek on Verge of Chase Elimination

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Photo - Getty Images

Photo – Getty Images

Daniel Hemric and John Hunter Nemechek have plenty of work to do to advance in the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase.

The two drivers are each 15 points below the cutoff line heading into the final race of the Chase’s Round of 8 – Saturday’s Fred’s 250 at Talladega Superspeedway at 1 pm ET on FOX. If they cannot make up the ground at Talladega, they will be dropped from the championship hunt.

Hemric boasts five top-three finishes in his last six starts, including two runner-up showings, but lost ground in the Chase with his 28th-place performance at New Hampshire in that stretch. In his lone start at Talladega last season, he placed 28th. Continue reading →

Rookie Sensation Elliott Needs Win at Talladega

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Photo - Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Photo – Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Positioned last on the Chase Grid, a hefty 25 points below the cutoff line in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Chase Elliott needs a win in the worst way.

The problem: He’s never visited Victory Lane in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

To advance in his quest for the championship, Elliott virtually must earn his first win in Sunday’s Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway at 2 pm  ET on NBCSN. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year frontrunner finished fifth from the pole at the 2.66-mile behemoth in his lone start there in May. Although Elliott hasn’t won a race, he’s shown he’s a contender every week and had near misses in both Michigan races and at Pocono in June. Continue reading →