Tag Archives: Drive for Diversity

Brian France Gives High Marks to Racing Product

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Photo - Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

Photo – Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

In a Sunday interview with FOX Sports, NASCAR Chairman & CEO Brian France described the current racing product as “markedly better.”

“I never give it a ‘10’ because we’re always a work in progress, but I think the racing (is) markedly better,” France said. “It’s our biggest challenge to balance the rules packages that offer the best style of racing for us, but we’re on our way.

“(There’s) a lot of cooperation with the teams like never before, putting a lot of emphasis on it, and we’re getting better results. We’re really happy with things.”

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NASCAR XFINITY Series News and Notes – Friday, June 24, 2016

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NASCAR XFINITY Series teams are taking a well-deserved break this weekend and will return to action next Friday, July 1st for 100 laps covering 250 miles in the Subway Firecracker 250 powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway. This marks the season debut for NBC Sports Network as they begin coverage at 7 pm ET with a green flag around 7:30 pm ET. Radio coverage is available on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Chase Outlook: The Skinny on Where the Winners Shake Out

A little down time due to the off-weekend provides the perfect setting to take a look ahead at the three drivers who have raced their way into the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase with wins – Erik Jones, Daniel Suárez and Elliott Sadler.

If the XFINITY Series Chase were to start today, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Erik Jones would be seeded in the No. 1 position. Jones is now seventh in the standings but has two wins at Bristol and Dover this season, giving him six bonus points once the Chase begins. JGR’s Sunoco Rookie candidate, Jones, has been quite impressive this season, posting five poles and a series leading eight top-fives. NASCAR Season-To-Date Loop Data also paints a more detailed picture of Jones’ success this season. He ranks second in driver rating (106.7), fourth in average running position (9.477) and third in fastest laps run (204 laps, 9.1%). Continue reading →

Daniel Suarez Talks about Getting the Monkey Off his Back at Michigan

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Photo - Getty Images

Photo – Getty Images

There was no doubt that Daniel Suarez would eventually get his first NASCAR National series victory at some point – the only real question was when?

The answer to that question came this weekend at Michigan International Speedway when the NASCAR Next and Drive for Diversity alum won the Menards 250 on Saturday afternoon, making history as the first Mexican born driver to earn a victory in a NASCAR national series event.

Suarez has been a serious contender to win in the both the XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series races over the last two years. The monkey on his back has been a burden for Suarez with high expectations and added pressure for victory every week – finally the monkey is gone.  Continue reading →

Daniel Suarez Scores Breakthrough Victory at Michigan

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Daniel Suarez was speechless—and justifiably so.

The Mexican driver had just passed Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch for the lead on the next-to-last lap and held on to win Saturday’s Menards 250 presented by Valvoline NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Michigan International Speedway by 0.280 seconds over the man who sets the standard in the series.

The first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series race, Suarez overcame a pit road speeding penalty assessed on lap 29 of 125 under the first of three cautions. He restarted eighth after the third caution on lap 91, caught and passed Elliott Sadler for second place with ten laps left and ran down Busch for the lead on lap 124. Continue reading →

Future Stars Unveiled During NASCAR Next Announcement

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Future Stars Unveiled During NASCAR Next Announcement

Three Different Countries Represented in 2016-17 Class

Two are following in the footsteps of their former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driving fathers. One is a long-time racer who competed on the reality television show “Survivor,” and later added a degree from Stanford University. Another is one of the fastest rising stock car drivers in the Midwest. There is even a pair of international phenoms.

From Charlotte to New York City, and from Quebec to Israel, the 11 drivers who were announced as the 2016-17 NASCAR Next class today are primed for a successful and impactful future in NASCAR. This is the sixth edition of NASCAR Next, an industry-wide initiative designed to spotlight to best and brightest rising young stars in racing. Continue reading →