Author Archives: NASCAR Wire Staff Report

Allgaier Goes for Second Straight Win after Ending Drought

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Justin Allgaier, driver of the #7 BRANDT Chevrolet, poses with the winners sticker in victory lane after winning the NASCAR XFINITY Series DC Solar 200 at Phoenix International Raceway on March 18, 2017 in Avondale, Arizona.
Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Justin Allgaier ended an 80-race winless drought by visiting Victory Lane in last Saturday’s DC Solar 200 at Phoenix.

It was his first checkered flag in the NASCAR XFINITY Series since Aug. 18, 2012 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. Continue reading →

Kyle Larson on Verge of Win

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Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, walks on the grid during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 10, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo – Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

It’s early in the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, but it looks like the ultra-talented Kyle Larson is poised for a breakout year.

He led on the final lap of the DAYTONA 500 before running out of gas and has finished runner-up in the last two races. Dating back to last season’s penultimate race at Phoenix Raceway, Larson boasts three runner-ups and a third-place finish in his last five starts. Continue reading →

Ryan Reed Poised for Strong Phoenix Finish

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Ryan Reed, driver of the #16 Lilly Diabetes Ford, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Boyd Gaming 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 11, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Ryan Reed has been the surprise of the NASCAR XFINITY Series season so far.

The 23-year-old Roush Fenway Racing driver won the season-opener at Daytona and sits second in the points standings – four points behind Elliott Sadler – following his ninth-place finish at Las Vegas.

Reed will continue his run at the top spot in Saturday’s DC Solar 200 at Phoenix Raceway at 4 pm ET on FOX. He finished sixth in the fall race there last year.

“Phoenix is obviously a really cool race track and I think a lot of drivers like it, being one of the few short tracks,” Reed said. “For me, being on the west coast is that much more special. I have a ton of family every time I go out there. I watched my Dad race there growing up and last year at the second Phoenix race we had one of our best races of the year, qualifying third and finishing sixth. I have a lot of confidence going to Phoenix and I’m looking for another good run.”

NASCAR Implements Stage-Based Race Format, Playoff-Point Incentives

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Photo – Getty Images

NASCAR, in collaboration with its industry stakeholders, announced today competition format enhancements that will be implemented in all three of its national series – the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

The new race format is designed to emphasize aggressive racing and strategy, with the goal of delivering more dramatic moments over the course of a race and season.

“Simply put, this will make our great racing even better,” said Brian France, NASCAR chairman and CEO. “I’m proud of the unprecedented collaboration from our industry stakeholders, each of whom had a common goal – strengthening the sport for our fans. This is an enhancement fully rooted in teamwork, and the result will be an even better product every single week.”

Under the new format, races will consist of three stages, with championship implications in each stage. The top-ten finishers in each stage will be awarded additional championship points. The winner of the first two stages of each race will receive one playoff point, and the race winner will receive five playoff points. Each playoff point will be added to a driver’s reset total following the 26th race, if that competitor makes the playoffs.

All playoff points will carry through to the end of the third round of the postseason (Round of 8), with the Championship 4 racing straight-up at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the title.

Championship points following the first two stages of each race will be awarded on a descending scale, with the stage winner receiving ten points, second earning nine points, and so on. The race winner following the final stage will receive 40 points, second-place will earn 35, third-place 34, fourth-place 33, and so on.

NASCAR also unveiled a playoff bonus structure that honors the regular season points leader as the regular season champion and awards 15 playoff points to the driver’s playoff reset of 2,000.

In addition, the top-ten drivers in regular-season points also will receive playoff points with second place earning ten points, third place getting eight points, fourth place obtaining seven points, and so on.

“These are enhancements that the NASCAR fan has long sought, and the entire industry has worked hard to develop a better racing format for our fans,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “This format puts a premium on every victory and every in-race position over the course of the season. Each point can eventually result in winning or losing a championship.”

From Small Beginnings, Rick Hendrick Reached Pinnacle of Success in Business and NASCAR

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HOMESTEAD, FL – NOVEMBER 17: Jimmie Johnson (C), driver of the #48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet, poses with team owner Rick Hendrick (L) and crew chief Chad Knaus (R) in Champions Victory Lane with their six trophies after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 17, 2013 in Homestead, Florida. Photo – Robert Laberge/Getty Images

It’s said reaching the top is the easy part; staying there is more difficult.

For Rick Hendrick, the climb up the mountain required a decade of hard work culminating in Hendrick Motorsports capturing its first NASCAR premier series championship in 1995.

Two decades later, Hendrick’s Chevrolet team remains stock car racing’s platinum standard: a record 12 NASCAR premier series titles – including Jimmie Johnson’s record-matching seventh crown in 2016 – and 245 victories with 16 different drivers.

“It just seems like yesterday we didn’t think we’d even make it through our first year (1984) and now we’ve won 12 of these things, and it’s hard to do,” said Hendrick following Johnson’s title-winning victory last November at Homestead-Miami Speedway in south Florida.

The 67-year-old Hendrick will reach yet another career milestone on Friday when he’s inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame (8 p.m. ET on NBCSN). The Class of 2017 includes fellow team owner Richard Childress, former Hendrick Motorsports drivers Mark Martin and Benny Parsons and pioneer car owner Raymond Parks. Continue reading →