William Byron, driver of the #9 Liberty University Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR XFINITY Series Lilly Diabetes 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 22, 2017, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images
There aren’t many constants in NASCAR. A driver can visit Victory Lane one week and go winless for another two years. A competitor can lead 99 percent of the laps in a race and still lose.
There has been one constant the last couple years on the NASCAR national series circuit – William Byron piling up wins. Continue reading →
Consistency has been key for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Noah Gragson.
After placing 28th at Kansas on May 12, the 19-year-old Las Vegas native has racked up seven straight top-ten finishes. He’s jumped from 13th in the points standings to ninth, where he sits eight points behind Ben Rhodes for the final playoff spot. Continue reading →
Alex Bowman, the driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, stands on the grid before the weather delayed Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2017, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo – Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is retiring from full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing next season, and a young driver he’s long championed has earned his ride.
Alex Bowman will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet next season, Hendrick Motorsports announced today. Bowman, 24, impressed the 12-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion team last year, piloting the No. 88 in ten of the last 18 races for the injured Earnhardt. He notched three top-ten finishes, including a sixth-place showing at Phoenix where he won the Coors Light Pole and led a race-high 194 laps. Continue reading →
NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell responded to Brad Keselowski’s Saturday comments following a wreck at Kentucky Speedway, saying he was “a little disappointed” in the remarks from the 2012 series champion.
Keselowski, after a wreck that ended his night early, told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio he was “frustrated” after his early exit.
“I am probably as much frustrated with myself as I am frustrated with the situation and frustrated with the sport that we can’t design a better car than this that you can race without having to do everything on the restart,” he said at the time. “That is all part of it I guess. It is where we are right now.”
“I was a little disappointed in the comment for sure,” O’Donnell told hosts Mike Bagley and Pete Pistone. “Brad’s a leader in our sport. I understand it was heat of the moment, but definitely disappointing to see that.”
The Generation-6 stock car was introduced for the 2013 season, with key improvements from its predecessor in the way of brand identity, safety enhancements and total weight.
NASCAR has experimented with different rules packages since the introduction in an effort to produce the best side-by-side racing. Currently, the 2017 rules package focuses on a further reduction of downforce (namely a smaller spoiler) and additional safety enhancements.
“My immediate (feedback) is Brad Keselowski had input on this rules package,” O’Donnell said. “I think he was frustrated, he had a tough night. The cars are supposed to be hard to drive. These are the best drivers in the world.
“I chalk that up with frustration, heat of the moment. But, yeah, we always work on improve the racing. We are working, as we always do, with the industry to put together what could be that future car, but that’s down the road. That’s years in the making.”
Later, Keselowski backed off his initial statements, sending a message on social media following Saturday’s race.
I lost “Truth and Grace” after wrecking out today so I wrote a Follow up on my post wreck comments- pic.twitter.com/LmORJArdjp