Tag Archives: Richard Petty

You’ll Hear Familiar Voices in ‘Cars 3’ this Year

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(L-R) Brian Fee, Daniel Suarez, Darrell Wallace Jr., Chase Elliott, Darrell Waltrip and Zane Stoddard attend the ‘Cars 3’ NASCAR Collaboration Announcement on February 23, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Photo – Scott Hunter/Getty Images

NASCAR and Disney-Pixar’s “Cars 3” announced a season-long partnership on Thursday at Daytona International Speedway. Scheduled for release on June 16, Cars 3 “very much pays homage to stock car racing and its rich history,” said director Brian Fee.

“Our drama leans into the drama, emotion and excitement NASCAR fans find at every race.”

Owen Wilson, who will serve as the grand marshal for Sunday’s 59th running of the Daytona 500, will reprise his role as the voice of Lightning McQueen, but his isn’t the only voice NASCAR fans will find familiar. Continue reading →

New Format Can Help Ease Pressure in Jimmie Johnson’s Quest for Eighth Title

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Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Can-Am Duel 2 at Daytona International Speedway on February 23, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo – Chris Graythen/Getty Images

The new format in place for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship this year will help Jimmie Johnson keep his mind off what could be a monumental accomplishment.

Johnson notched his seventh title last year, tying icons Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt for the series record. An eighth champion would put Johnson at the top of the pyramid. Continue reading →

Déjà vu Would be Just Fine with Denny Hamlin

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 17: A detail of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, driven by Denny Hamlin during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash on February 17, 2017 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Photo – Getty Images

Denny Hamlin wouldn’t mind at all if history repeated itself during Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway.

Hamlin won the Advance Auto Parts Clash, and eight days later, the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota followed up with his first Daytona 500 victory, a breathtaking affair that saw Hamlin beat fellow Camry driver Martin Truex Jr. to the finish line by 0.010 seconds, a margin of roughly six inches.

Hamlin is well aware that winning The Great American Race back-to-back is one of the toughest feats in motorsports, so tough that only three drivers have accomplished the feat: Richard Petty (1973-1974), Cale Yarborough (1983-1984) and Sterling Marlin (1994-1995). Continue reading →

NASCAR Hall of Fame Enshrines Distinguished Class of 2017

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CHARLOTTE, NC – JANUARY 20: The living members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame gather as a group at the conclusion of the 2017 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at NASCAR Hall of Fame on January 20, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images

The enshrinement of three car owners of paramount importance to stock car racing, a driver who proved a prolific winner in NASCAR’s top-two series and a former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion who would become one of the most beloved storytellers in the history of the sport highlighted Friday night’s induction of the Class of 2017 into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Not only did the emotional proceedings usher one of NASCAR’s first car owners, Raymond Parks, into the Hall. Also recognized were the ongoing accomplishments of two owners – Richard Childress and Rick Hendrick – whose efforts have helped to produce a pair of seven-time champions.

Friday night also brought the induction of driver Mark Martin, who won 40 races in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, another 49 in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and who finished second in the championship standings at NASCAR’s highest level no less than five times. Continue reading →

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 →