Polls are now open for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2018 Fan Vote. Fans are asked to cast votes for up to five nominees for inclusion into the Class of 2018, and can vote up to 50 times per day. The five nominees who receive the most votes will count as one of the 54 votes cast by the Voting Panel on NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Day on May 24. Continue reading
Former NASCAR driver Carl Edwards looks on during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 3, 2017 in Hampton, Georgia.
Photo – Daniel Shirey/Getty Images
Back in January, Carl Edwards stepped away from Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Racing, but apparently it wasn’t a giant step.
The former driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is still close enough to mentor his successor in the car. In fact, Edwards flew to Atlanta on Friday to offer some assistance and advice. Continue reading
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota, leads Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER BOATS Toyota, during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Can-Am Duel 1 at Daytona International Speedway on February 23, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo – Jared C Tilton/Getty Images
A new, sleek Camry race car isn’t likely to change the Toyota teams’ approach to the Daytona 500.
Neither is the success Fords had in breaking up the Toyota monopoly in last Saturday’s Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona.
Last year, Camry drivers dominated the Great American Race, with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin edging Furniture Row’s Martin Truex Jr. for the win by 0.010 seconds, roughly six inches. Toyotas swept all three podium positions and put four cars in the top-five. Continue reading
HUNTERSVILLE, NC – JANUARY 11: NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez talks about his future driving at NASCAR’s highest level during a press conference at Joe Gibbs Racing on January 11, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Photo by Bob Leverone/ Getty Images
The phone call interrupted Daniel Suarez’s lunch. He didn’t mind.
Team owner Joe Gibbs was calling with the surprising news that Suarez, winner of the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship last season, would be promoted to drive the team’s No. 19 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota in 2017 as a replacement for Carl Edwards.
Edwards had told Gibbs about his decision to leave racing during the Christmas holidays. Continue reading
HUNTERSVILLE, NC – JANUARY 11: NASCAR driver Carl Edwards talks about his career in a stock car during a press conference to announce his retirement at Joe Gibbs Racing on January 11, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Photo by Bob Leverone/Getty Images
Calling at least a temporary halt to a career he described as “living a dream,” Carl Edwards confirmed Wednesday his decision to step away from driving race cars to pursue what he described as other adventures.
In a decision that shocked the NASCAR world, Edwards, 37, said he was leaving the Joe Gibbs Racing team and one of the best rides in stock car racing “because I’ve always followed my gut. All the signs point to this being the right thing to do.”
Daniel Suarez will be elevated from the NASCAR XFINITY Series operation at JGR to replace Edwards in the No. 19 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota.
Edwards would not rule out returning to racing in the future, but, during a 37-minute news conference in which he was near tears, he emphasized that many other things – at this point not identified – have his attention.
He said he is satisfied with his driving career, which includes 28 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup victories and an XFINITY Series championship. He barely missed a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup title twice. Continue reading