NASCAR Pole Position 2018 Feb/March by A.E. Engine

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TO WATCH IN 2018

FRESH FACES, NEW PLACES WORK HARD, PLAY HARD LEGEND: STERLING MARLIN 1984: BOBBY LABONTE AND HARRY GANT SQUARE OFF

DAYTONA

NASCAR’S GREATEST RACES FOUR MEMORABLE DAYTONA 500S PRESENTED BY OLIVA CIGAR

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NASCAR DEFINED

PRESENTED BY

■■ Austin Dillon’s helmet ■■ Denny Hamlin’s racing gloves ■■ NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees Ron Hornaday Jr., Ken Squier and Ray Evernham pose for a portrait during the 2018 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

This edition of NASCAR Defined sets out to get fans ready for what is sure to be a thrilling 2018 season! GETTY IMAGES

POLE POSITION 2018

■■ Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch ■■ A.J. Allmendinger, Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson

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FRAM FRAM Ultra Ultra Synthetic速 Synthetic速 is is the the best best filter filter forfor consumers consumers looking looking toto get get the the most most out out ofof their their investment investment inin full full synthetic synthetic oil.oil. Engineered Engineered for for useuse with with fullfull synthetic synthetic motor motor oil.oil. 99%+ 99%+ Filtration Filtration Efficiency.* Efficiency.* Traps Traps andand holds holds more more than than double double thethe dirtdirt of typical of typical retail retail brand brand oil oil filters.* filters.* Start-up Start-up engine engine protection protection is delivered is delivered through through a silicone a silicone anti-drainback anti-drainback valve valve with with up up to 3X to 3X thethe hothot oil oil resistance.** resistance.** A rigid A rigid metal metal screen screen support support offers offers outstanding outstanding pressure pressure resistance resistance andand flow flow spacing. spacing. *Fram *Fram Group Group testing testing of average of average filterfilter efficiency efficiency of XG8A, of XG8A, 3387A, 3387A, and and 49674967 for particles for particles greater greater thanthan 20 microns 20 microns and and testing testing of average of average filterfilter capacity capacity of comparable of comparable competitive competitive retailretail products products based based on ISO4548-12 on ISO4548-12 **Compared **Compared to nitrile to nitrile anti-drainback anti-drainback valvevalve +Provides +Provides up to up20,000 to 20,000 miles miles of protection of protection when when usedused withwith an appropriate an appropriate synthetic synthetic oil oil

CONTENT

12. NASCAR’S GREATEST RACES

18 TO WATCH IN 2018

38. 10: NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

42. NASCAR LEGEND 43. RACE REWIND 62. NASCAR ROOTS

NASCAR POLE POSITION RACE FAN GUIDE AN OFFICIALLY LICENSED PUBLICATION OF NASCAR

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NASCAR POLE POSITION MAGAZINE PUBLISHER: CRAIG BARONCELLI

SALES VICE PRESIDENT, SALES: DAVID WATSON VICE PRESIDENT, EXECUTIVE ACCOUNTS: DAYNE MAASDORP VICE PRESIDENT, MOTORSPORTS: CHRIS VITA NATIONAL ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: PETER GILCHRIEST, JOHN ENGLE, CHRIS DIZE, JUSTIN HAND, DENNIS FASONE

PRODUCTION ART DIRECTOR: JASON TEDESCHI • GRAPHIC DESIGNER: STACEY FOSTER • WEB DEVELOPER: NICOLE COOPER • COPY EDITOR: KEITH WALTZ • EDITOR: DAN GUTTENPLAN • WRITERS: JARED TURNER, KEITH WALTZ, BEN WHITE, JOSEPH WOLKIN • OFFICE MANAGER: DENNIS FASONE • SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATORS: AUSTIN HERSH, VIKASH SINGH, HANNAH RENKE, SAGAR GUPTA, AIDAN ANDERSEN, ETHAN ANDERSEN • PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES, NASCAR/GETTY IMAGES • SPECIAL THANKS TO: MICHAEL FORDE (NASCAR), SARAH OBERGFELL (NASCAR), GREG CARTY (NASCAR), RACHEL SMITH A.E. ENGINE SPECIFIES THAT POST-PRESS CHANGES MAY OCCUR TO ANY INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PUBLICATION AND TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR GOODS OR SERVICES ADVERTISED. NASCAR® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR STOCK CAR AUTO RACING, INC. MAIL ORDER: TO RECEIVE A SUBSCRIPTION TO NASCAR POLE POSITION MAGAZINE, SEND A CHECK OR MONEY ORDER FOR $27.00 TO: NASCAR POLE POSITION, C/O A.E. ENGINE, 11880 28TH ST. N, SUITE 101, ST. PETERSBURG, FL 33716. PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR RETURN MAILING ADDRESS AND AN EMAIL ADDRESS. ONLINE ORDER: SUBSCRIPTIONS CAN BE ORDERED ONLINE AT POLEPOSITIONMAG.COM/BUY. DISTRIBUTION: IF YOU ARE A BUSINESS OR AN ORGANIZATION INTERESTED IN DISTRIBUTING COPIES OF NASCAR POLE POSITION MAGAZINE, PLEASE CONTACT CRAIG BARONCELLI AT (727) 209-1750 OR CB@AE-ENGINE.COM. SALES INQUIRIES: IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING IN NASCAR POLE POSITION MAGAZINE OR WOULD LIKE TO BECOME A FIELD REPRESENTATIVE, PLEASE CONTACT DAVID WATSON AT (727) 209-0789, OR DKW@AE-ENGINE.COM. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

POLE POSITION 2018

PIT PASS

26. ON THE ROAD

47 DRIVER PROFILES PRESENTED BY

10. GREEN FLAG

22. SEAL THE DEAL

40. SPOTLIGHT: MSG

14. FAVORITE FINDS

24. SPOTLIGHT: DUROMAX

44. TOOLS OF THE TRADE

18. MADE IN THE USA

28. CREW SPOTLIGHT

45. BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

20. TAILGATING

30. SPOTLIGHT: SYLVANIA

60. BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW!

F I L M - C O AT E D D I S S O LV E S FA S T, W O R K S FA S T. LOOK FOR IT IN THE WHITE BOX.

Use as directed.

GREEN FLAG NASCAR Hall of Fame Inducts Five

n January, the NASCAR Hall of Fame inducted its Class of 2018 with Robert Yates headlining the inductees. The five-person group also included Red Byron, Ray Evernham, Ron Hornaday Jr. and Ken Squier. Yates landed a job with NASCAR Hall of Famer Junior Johnson in 1971. As an engine builder, he provided the power behind Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough, later leading Allison to a series championship in 1983. In the late 1980s, Yates launched his own team, Robert Yates Racing, and won the Cup Series title in 1999 with driver Dale Jarrett. Squier co-founded the Motor Racing Network in 1970 and Hornaday boasts a record four Truck Series championships. Evernham guided Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 team to three championships (1995, ’97 and ’98), while Byron won NASCAR’s first race in 1948 on the beach/road course in Daytona Beach, Florida. He went on to win NASCAR’s first championship that season.

Coca-Cola, International Speedway Corp. and NASCAR announced an extension to each of their long-standing sponsorships through 2023. Coca-Cola will continue its deep-rooted history in the sport by engaging fans across NASCAR’s three national series and 12 ISC-operated race tracks. The agreement is designed to deliver value to Coca-Cola across both the sanctioning body and ISC properties. Building on a 50-year relationship in the sport, Coca-Cola utilizes an immersive marketing approach to engage fans, customers and employees.

SIX DRIVERS COMPRISE THE 2018 DRIVE for Diversity Development Team. Newcomer Ryan Vargas, 17, of La Mirada, Calif., and Drive for Diversity veterans Chase Cabre, 20, of Tampa, Fla., and Ruben Garcia, 21, of Mexico City, will compete full time in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. Ernie Francis Jr., 19, of Dania, Fla., will transition from road racing to ovals by running the K&N Pro Series road-course events as well as select Late Model races. Two successful Legend Car drivers complete the group: Nick Sanchez, 16, of Homestead, Fla., who will graduate to full-time Late Model racing this season; and 13-year-old Isabella Robusto, of Fort Mill, S.C., who was third overall in points in the Bojangles’ Summer Shootout Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2017. 10

POLE POSITION 2018

anica Patrick is going back to GoDaddy green for her farewell to racing. The company confirmed it will sponsor Patrick during the “Danica Double,” which will close out her driving career. Patrick will drive the No. 7 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet in the Daytona 500 with Tony Eury Jr. as her crew chief. She’s still working on a ride for the Indy 500.

Front Row Motorsports will step up its two-car Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series program this season with an elevated partnership with Ford Performance. The Bob Jenkins-owned team re-signed veteran David Ragan and added free agent Michael McDowell to the driver roster. The 2018 season marks Front Row Motorsports’ ninth with Ford Performance, the team’s manufacturing partner since expanding to a multi-car organization in 2010. The agreement includes an expanded technical alliance with Roush Fenway Racing.

$52,000 check to Rescue Ranch animal education center from Coca-Cola was a great 40th birthday present for veteran driver Ryan Newman. Newman celebrated his birthday Dec. 8, the same day as the 13th annual Ryan Newman Charity Dinner & Auction to Benefit Rescue Ranch. Coca-Cola contributed

Beginning this season, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year point system will mirror the points structure that awards the seasonlong championship, including stage points and playoff points, with the eventual Sunoco Rookie of the Year earning the most points throughout the season. The new guidelines apply to all three NASCAR national series.

the $52,000 as part of the Coca-Cola Chug for Charity Program in which the Coca-Cola Racing Family drivers compete by integrating Coca-Cola into their race-day activities and daily lives. “I drink Coca-Cola whether I’m at the track or at home with my friends or family,” Newman said. “Chug for Charity is an awesome program.”

chools and organizations in Michigan’s Irish Hills region were the winners in 2017 due to donations distributed by Michigan International Speedway, MIS Cares and Americrown. MIS and Americrown combined to donate $907,587 to service groups and organizations through cash donations, in-kind donations, work programs, grants and sponsorships, as well as tickets and merchandise raffled to raise money. “It is important to always find ways to

give back to the local community we are proud to live in,” said Rick Brenner, president of Michigan International Speedway. “We are proud of how much we’re able to give back and how many organizations we helped in 2017. We have big plans for 2018 and are excited to continue to make a difference.” MIS Cares, the speedway’s charity arm, awarded $75,007 in grants to 16 organizations that assist and inspire youth in counties near the track.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

Fresh Places, New Faces

on’t bother dusting off that 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver roster. It won’t help you much. Check out those with new homes for 2018: Erik Jones: After one season at Furniture Row Racing, Erik Jones moves to Joe Gibbs Racing to replace veteran Matt Kenseth in the No. 20 Toyota. The move did not come as a surprise since it was thought to be only a matter of time before team owner Joe Gibbs found a seat for Jones – who was already under contract with JGR and essentially on short-term loan to Furniture Row. Jones, the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, has made multiple starts for JGR in the NASCAR Xfinity Series every season since 2014 and competed full time for JGR in the Xfinity Series in 2016. William Byron & Alex Bowman: William Byron takes over Hendrick Motorsports’ iconic No. 24 Chevrolet as Chase Elliott moves from the No. 24 into the No. 9. Byron, a 20-year-old Liberty University student, captured the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship on the strength of four wins. This followed a seven-win rookie effort in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Joining Byron as a newcomer to the Hendrick driver stable is Alex Bowman, who takes over the No. 88 car driven the past decade by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Bowman, who substituted for Earnhardt Jr. in 2016 when Earnhardt Jr. was sidelined with a concussion, spent last season as a Hendrick test driver. Aric Almirola & Darrell Wallace Jr.: Aric Almirola replaces Danica Patrick in the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, bringing primary sponsorship from his former team at Richard Petty Motorsports along with him. That sponsor – Smithfield Foods – has been with Almirola since 2012. Replacing Almirola in the iconic No. 43 car co-owned by Richard Petty is Darrell Wallace Jr., who made four appearances in the car last season when Almirola was sidelined. Wallace, whose nickname is “Bubba,” becomes the first full-time AfricanAmerican driver in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series since the late Wendell Scott, a 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee who last competed in 1973. Ryan Blaney & Paul Menard: Ryan Blaney joins returning veterans Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano as Team Penske expands to three cars. Blaney has spent the past three seasons with Wood Brothers Racing, a Team Penske affiliate, and qualified for the 2017 playoffs by winning at Pocono Raceway. Blaney’s move to Team Penske opened up the

BY JARED TURNER | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING & RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS: Richard Childress Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports have formed a technical alliance as RPM switches from Ford and will field Chevrolets for its new driver, Darrell Wallace Jr. RCR now supplies chassis and engineering support to RPM, which is receiving horsepower from ECR Engines – the engine production, research and development subsidiary of RCR. As part of the transition, RPM has moved its team headquarters adjacent to the RCR campus in Welcome, North Carolina. The alliance unites two of the sport’s most legendary team owners – Richard Petty and Richard Childress – along with two of NASCAR’s most iconic car numbers – 43 and 3.

seat of the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 Ford, which is being filled by veteran Paul Menard – who has spent the past seven seasons with Richard Childress Racing. Accompanying Menard to the Wood Brothers is a 22-race primary sponsorship from the Menards home improvement chain, which is owned by Paul’s billionaire father, John. Kasey Kahne & Michael McDowell: Replaced by William Byron after an up-and-down five-year run at Hendrick Motorsports, Kasey Kahne needed a ride for 2018 and found one with the single-car Leavine Family Racing organization, where he replaces Michael McDowell. Kahne, who remains in the Chevrolet family, is paired with crew chief Travis Mack – no stranger since Mack was the former car chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Hendrick. Kahne’s move to LFR left McDowell in search of a ride, but McDowell landed at Front Row Motorsports where he replaces Landon Cassill and will compete as part of a two-car team alongside returning driver David Ragan.

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

NASCAR’S GREATEST RACES

FEBRUARY 15, 1998

FEBRUARY 22, 1959

FEBRUARY 14, 1988

PRESENTED BY

Four Memorable Daytona 500s

FEBRUARY 18, 1979

POLE POSITION 2018

he Daytona 500 has been considered NASCAR’s most prestigious event since the Daytona International Speedway opened in 1959. Here’s a look back at a few of the very best 500 finishes. February 22, 1959: Three-time NASCAR champion Lee Petty won the inaugural Daytona 500 in a photo finish over Johnny Beauchamp. The Victory Lane celebration went to Beauchamp, but after nearly a week of studying film and photos Petty was declared the official winner and accepted the trophy and check in his living room in Level Cross, North Carolina. February 18, 1979: With a heavy blanket of snow covering the East Coast, millions of Americans trapped by the inclement weather tuned into NASCAR’s first live superspeedway telecast. They saw Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison engage in a fight after Donnie Allison and Yarborough crashed while battling for the lead. Richard Petty led the final lap to win his sixth of seven Daytona 500s. February 14, 1988: Bobby Allison dominated Speedweeks with wins in the Busch Clash, a qualifying race and the 300-mile companion event before collecting his third Daytona 500 victory. Allison led 70 of 200 laps and held off his son, Davey Allison, in the closing laps to claim his 84th Cup Series victory. The Allisons are the only father and son to finish first and second in the Daytona 500. February 15, 1998: After 20 years of falling just short of winning the Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt finally wheeled the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to victory in dominant fashion. Bad luck in the form of cut tires, low fuel and drivers drafting by him for the win on the final lap plagued many of his previous efforts. Earnhardt called his lone Daytona 500 victory the greatest win of his storied career.

BY BEN WHITE | PHOTOGRAPHY: DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

The Daytona stays true to it’s Cain roots by being a “Straight Ligero” cigar, but Daytona’s ligero is entirely from the Jalapa Valley. The Jalapa ligero is more refined than other ligeros. Jalapa ligero, plus Cain’s triple fermentation, makes Cain Daytona a medium to full-bodied, smooth, rich, and flavorful smoke.

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CAIN DAYTONA No. 4 5 X 43 CAIN DAYTONA ROBUSTO 5 X 50 CAIN DAYTONA CORONA 6 X 46 CAIN DAYTONA TORPEDO 6 X 54 CAIN DAYTONA DBL TORO 6 X 60

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FAVORITE FINDS

COOL STUFF FOR SERIOUS RACE FANS

GLACIER COOLERS

SURECAN The award-winning SureCan was designed with all of your gas-powered machines in mind. With patented technology, the SureCan offers its user the best experience they have ever had with a fuel can. The flexible spout rotates down more than 180 degrees and fits perfectly into any machine’s fill location, while the thumb-release trigger on top controls the flow. By pulling straight back on the safety trigger and then down on the thumb button, fuel is released immediately while you stay in complete control. When you notice your tank is almost full, slowly release the thumb button and allow the excess fuel to drain from the top of the spout before rotating it back up. No more bending over, tipping your fuel can forward and holding it in an awkward position. The SureCan is a high-quality fuel dispensing machine. Learn more at surecanusa.com.

POLE POSITION 2018

The evolution of GLACIER Coolers has set the new standard for cooler design, construction and insulation. We started GLACIER with big ambitions. Our goal was to design and construct a cooler that would exceed our customer’s expectations. Our coolers are, quite simply, the world’s finest. We created a product that will give you a generation of use. Our commitment to innovation and craftsmanship is built into every cooler. Whether you are camping, fishing or just love the outdoors, GLACIER builds coolers to withstand many years of rugged outdoor exposure. Learn more at glaciercoolers.com.

DAYTONA TURKEY RUN Join us for three days of classic-car, family-friendly FUN at the iconic Daytona International Speedway. From Friday, March 23, through Sunday, March 25, enjoy thousands of classic and custom cars for show and sale, a massive swap meet, arts and crafts in Artisan Alley, musical entertainment, great food and drink and the fan-favorite classic car parade lap around the track. Also, meet Rachel De Barros from “All Girls Garage,” celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Chevy truck, check out the Soundcrafters Spring Break Nationals sound-quality competition and so much more. Tickets are $10 per person on Friday and Saturday and $5 on Sunday. Children 11 and under are free. For more information, visit turkeyrun.com or call 386-255-7355.

SPEED CRATE Your driver, your gear, every month, right to your door! With Speed Crate, you just sign up for your favorite driver, pick your apparel size and awesome boxes of gear come straight to you. Each month we feature all new items such as T-shirts, hats, flags, accessories and so much more. Speed Crate is the first monthly subscription service created by race fans, for race fans. It has never been this easy to keep your racing wardrobe fresh, collect great products and support your favorite driver. The Speed Crate platform allows you full control of your subscription. You can cancel at any time, switch drivers or skip a month if needed. Head over to speedcrate.co for all the information and join Speed Crate Nation today! Use coupon code POLE for 15% OFF your first Speed Crate.

TIGER BALM

BLAKEWAY PANORAMAS Showcase your love for NASCAR and make your man cave the envy of your friends with a Blakeway Panoramas print of your favorite race track. This wide, panoramic format will create a stunning focal point and take your man cave decor from ordinary to extraordinary. Each 40-inch panoramic photo is printed with UV resistant ink on art stock to ensure you’ll have a long-lasting memento of the big race. Our ready-to-hang framed panoramas are professionally mounted to eliminate waviness and warping and then framed with durable frame, pH neutral mats and tempered glass for safety. Each panorama features original, officially licensed photography, and they are Made in the USA. To upgrade your man cave, shop now at panoramas.com.

GEICO Great news! There’s a quick way you can save money: Switch to GEICO. All it takes is 15 minutes to find out if you could save 15 percent or more on car insurance. And GEICO offers coverage for more than just car insurance. Got a motorcycle? GEICO’s got you covered. Got an RV? Covered. Got a boat? Covered. How about homeowners or renters insurance? You bet GEICO’s got you covered. And there’s so much more GEICO could help with, plus don’t forget the discounts. Go to geico.com today and see how much you could save. That’s geico.com!

Whether you’re a world-class athlete or a weekend warrior, you can trust Tiger Balm for proven, pill-free pain relief. It’s the world’s No. 1 selling pain-relieving ointment, made from a blend of herbal ingredients, based upon annual sales of ointment sold worldwide. Visit us at facebook.com/TigerBalmUS or tigerbalm.com for your nearest retailer.

ELMIRA STOVE WORKS Get the coolest fridge you’ll ever own! Rev up your rec room, man cave or kitchen with Northstar’s vintage-inspired fridge. Each fridge features a 1950s theme on the outside and is fully modern on the inside. Choose from nine standard colors or an infinite choice of custom colors to match your car, bike or favorite race or sports team. There are six models from which to choose and each is available with an optional draft beer kit. Nothing’s cooler than cold beer from a cool fridge produced by Elmira Stove Works. Learn more at ElmiraStoveWorks.com.

BIG BED SR. When you are looking to haul long lumber, canoes, kayaks or just wanting to tailgate, the Big Bed Sr. is your answer! With small-box pickup trucks gaining popularity, this unique product will add feet to the length of your truck. It is covered with black powder coat to prevent rust, has multiple anchor points and is 4 feet across when open. The best feature of the Big Bed Sr. is its ability to fold up for easy storage. With the built-in carrying handle, the Big Bed Sr. easily fits in the back of your truck or a small area of your garage. For more information and where to purchase the Big Bed Sr., call Erickson customer service at 1-888-546-4668 or visit ericksonmfg.com/big-bed.

BUBBA BURGER BUBBA burger® is sold in grocery stores throughout the United States as well as worldwide through the U.S. Military Commissary system. BUBBA burger® is a natural choice for quality and convenience, using only the highest quality meat to produce our uniquely shaped, gluten-free BUBBA burgers®. You can take them right from your freezer to your grill or skillet and BUBBA burgers® come in many varieties to fit any taste. Race to your favorite local grocer’s freezer today and grab a box of BUBBA burgers® so that you are sure to have a winning race weekend! bubbafoods.com

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

FAVORITE FINDS HOWES MULTI-PURPOSE

P.O.R. PRODUCTS

Howes MultiPurpose Lubricator and Penetrating Oil is the ultimate solution to all of your penetrating oil needs. Made from a secret formula of highly refined petroleum ingredients, Howes Multi-Purpose contains no alcohols or harmful solvents, making it safe to use on virtually any surface including electrical wires. With Howes Multi-Purpose, you can dissolve rust, sludge and gunk while displacing water and repelling dust. It permeates, penetrates and does not evaporate so each job lasts. From stopping squeaky door hinges to preventing locks from freezing or getting sticky, the uses are almost never ending! Spray on nuts, bolts, tools and more to remove and prevent rust and corrosion. Lubricate and drive water out of cable housings or spray on wires, leads and distributor caps to start damp engines. Join the likes of national fleets as well as thousands of automotive repair shops and marinas nationwide by grabbing a can of Howes Multi-Purpose today! Learn more at howeslube.com.

POLE POSITION 2018

High-performance coatings made in the USA. These state-of-the-art products form an impenetrable barrier that protects a variety of surfaces from water, chemicals, salt, UV rays, corrosive contaminants, and are designed for application directly on rusted or seasoned metal. POR-15® is the favorite product line of many top talents in the car restoration business and has been applied to vehicles and structures all around the world since the ’70s. Learn more about the original permanent solution to rust at PORproducts.com.

RANERI’S GOURMET HOT HONEY BBQ SAUCE Are you ready for Race Day? Get ready with the awardwinning Raneri’s Gourmet Hot Honey BBQ Sauce! Only the freshest ingredients make this winner a very versatile sauce. Tasting this sauce you get subtle sweetness from Fresh Florida honey followed by Ghost pepper heat on your palate, elevating your dining experience. From slaw dogs, salads and ribs, this sauce is the boss. Want to kick up your veggie tray? Drizzle some Raneri’s Gourmet Hot Honey BBQ sauce in the Ranch dressing and watch what happens. Veggies are gone! Raneri’s Gourmet fans pour the sauce right on crackers, hence our slogan: “So Delicious, Meat is Optional.” Race fans, we have a special coupon code for ordering on our website: ranerisgourmet.com. Apply Raceday2018 to your online order for an additional 20% savings. Free shipping is available on orders $25 and above. Florida residents can find Raneri’s Gourmet sauces at Publix.

HONDA GENERATORS

FOLEX

Honda’s Super Quiet Series generators – the EU1000i, EU2000i, EU3000is, EU3000i Handi and EU7000is – are inverter-equipped, lightweight models that feature extremely quiet performance. Designed for the ultimate in quality, portability and convenience, these models are ideal for tailgating, camping or any trip to the great outdoors. Honda is proud to support several teams such as Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Stewart-Haas Racing, Kyle Busch Motorsports and Rev Racing with EU series generator products that provide smooth, reliable power for their racing needs.

FOLEX® is perfect for removing stains from upholstery, vinyl, clothing and practically any other material that is “colorfast” and “color-stable.” Even hard surfaces, painted surfaces, walls and woodwork that can be safely dampened with water will be quickly and easily cleaned with FOLEX®! Please visit folex.net for a list of retailers in your area and other useful information!

CAIN DAYTONA Cain Daytona is the latest release from Studio Tobac. The Jalapa Ligero is more refined than other Ligeros. Jalapa Ligero, plus Cain’s triple fermentation, makes Cain Daytona a medium to full-bodied, smooth, rich and flavorful smoke. Making a Straight Ligero cigar requires a unique understanding of the leaf. Ligero comes from the top of the tobacco plant. Its direct exposure to the sun darkens and thickens the leaf. Smaller than leaves lower on the plant, it also enjoys a concentration of nutrients. Habano Seed Ligero is recognized as the most full flavored leaf. Additionally, the region in which this Habano Seed is grown plays a significant role in its flavor and strength. Jalape Ligero is the smoothest of these powerhouses. Jalapa is the northern most tobacco region of Nicaragua. Jalapa Ligero is grown in a valley and enjoys less direct sun, the result is a full body leaf with a more noticeable range of flavor. Cain Daytona is exclusively manufactured and distributed by Tabacalcera Oliva Cigar Co. Learn more at CainCigars.com.

BFGOODRICH RUGGED TERRAIN T/A

Are you driver enough? Just because a tire looks good on your truck doesn’t mean you have to hear it on the highway. Introducing the BFGoodrich® Rugged Terrain T/A® tire – it sounds nothing like it looks. Learn more at Walmart.com.

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POLE POSITION MAG.COM

MADE IN THE USA

‘PEOPLE ARE NOTICING’

PRESENTED BY

SureCan: A New Way to Dispense Fuel

ho likes spilling gasoline when you’re simply trying to fuel up your lawnmower? Thanks to a revolutionary, highly sophisticated but easy-to-use product appropriately dubbed the “SureCan,” pouring gas doesn’t have to be so frustrating anymore. In fact, the SureCan makes pouring a downright enjoyable experience. “The most important benefit that people see right off is it’s just easier to use,” said Brad Ouderkirk, the founder and CEO of SureCan, Inc. “It takes all the pain out of it. When you are filling anything up, you can hold the can in a comfortable position, you can see what you are filling up and you’re not standing on your head.”

POLE POSITION 2018

Ouderkirk owned a cabinet shop where he built custom cabinets when he first conceived the SureCan concept about 10 years ago. “There was an awful lot of wood in that first prototype since that was what I had,” Ouderkirk recalled. “I put it all together and started showing my new gas can prototype to everyone who would listen, and then asked them if this was something they would buy if it was on the market. I just got a resounding, ‘Yes, if that thing was available, I would take one in a second.’” After some eight years of dreaming, planning, development and testing, the SureCan was ready to hit the stores in the spring of 2015. Now, it’s being sold by all the major outdoors retailers – Lowe’s, Menards, Tractor Supply and Ace Hardware. Meanwhile, SureCan, Inc. – headquartered in Utah but with its factory in Lebanon, Tennessee – has more than tripled in size. “People have really taken to our gas can since it’s a lot safer and since the gas only goes where it’s supposed to go,” Ouderkirk said. “It’s also greener so you’re not spilling all over the ground and getting all the emissions into the environment. And, it’s the easiest gas can to use. “The can is 100-percent made in the USA and it will always be that. We’re going to always keep it here. That’s important to us. I think we’re on our way to changing how people dispense fuel into their machines.”

n addition to being picked up by major retailers, the SureCan has received global recognition. In 2014, Ouderkirk took his new product to the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas where the SureCan won the Most Innovative New Product Award and a Retailers Choice Award. Later, the SureCan was featured on the DIY Network’s hit show, “I Want That,” and as a Top 100 Product for This Old House Magazine. The SureCan has since been selected a Silver Winner at the Edison Awards in New York City where 300 judges around the world voted on new innovative products. “People are noticing that we’re different and that we’ve actually changed the way people do things from here on out,” Ouderkirk said. “Basically, our growth is attributed to our innovation. All we have to do is get in front of people and people immediately see the benefit and they’re purchasing our cans.” One of the most innovative features of the SureCan – which is available in both 2.2- and 5-gallon sizes – is its thickness. Ouderkirk recalls conducting an informal test last summer when he intentionally left two 5-gallon cans in the back of his truck. After a week, he couldn’t smell the gasoline. “Our can is six layers thick,” Ouderkirk said. “One layer in the middle is a barrier layer that locks all the vapors in the can. One thing you’ll notice right away is that if the can is in your shed or garage, you’ll never smell gasoline, because the vapors are locked in so tight. It does its job. It locks the vapors in and keeps the emissions from escaping into the atmosphere.”

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TAILGATING

PRESENTED BY BOB VICK’S “PORK TRIFECTA”

Bob Vick: Tailgater Extraordinaire

here are tailgaters. And then there are world-class tailgaters. Bob Vick is the latter. When it comes to tailgating the right way, the 56-year-old Tennessee resident knows how to throw down. Regulars at the Vick family’s NASCAR tailgates include Bob’s wife, Bonnie; teenage daughter Maggie; and numerous friends. “We have a pretty good sized group,” Bob said. And it’s a diverse group when it comes to driver loyalties. “My wife is a Martin Truex Jr. fan,” Vick said. “Maggie is an Erik Jones fan. She got to meet him at a Bristol Motor Speedway event in Knoxville, and thinks he is cute. In our group, we have Dutch – a pharmacist and a die-hard Kevin Harvick fan. Brandon is a Jimmie Johnson fan. Joe is a Kyle Busch fan. Trey is a Brad Keselowski fan. Kelly is a Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fan. Dave and Sherri are/were Dale Jr. fans. Suzann

is a Clint Bowyer fan. Steve is a Clint Bowyer fan, also.” Vick’s affinity for tailgating starts with “great fellowship with friends and amazing food.” Vick family tailgates often include “Pork Trifecta,” prime rib, steamed clams and – and, of course, dessert. “In Tennessee, you can’t forget the apple pie,” Vick said. “I make a mean apple pie moonshine – even a sugar-free version for our diabetic friends.” Additional tailgating preparation is also required. “You have to have canopies, coolers that hold ice for long periods, the proper grill or cooking implement for the food, the proper chairs and tables and always the Chinet plates,” said Vick. “In one of the basement compartments, we have a large refrigerator full of various beers and an ice machine right beside it.”

MUST-HAVE GEAR

t’s a new NASCAR season, and in the case of Chase Elliott, that means a new car number. Actually, Elliott’s No. 9 isn’t all that new at all; it’s the number with which he won the 2014 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, and his father, Bill, enjoyed some of his greatest moments as a driver. Regardless, Chase Elliott die-hards will no doubt prefer to have the No. 9 – rather than his former number, 24 – displayed on their flags at tailgate outings. Priced at $39.99, a new 3-by-5 inch, 100 percent polyester flag bearing the likeness of Elliott’s new No. 9 Monster Energy Series Camaro is available for purchase at the NASCAR.com Superstore.

POLE POSITION 2018

INGREDIENTS: One moderate-sized pork loin, one pound of Swaggerty’s all-natural pork sausage, two packs of non-cured bacon, Jane’s Krazy Chunky Mixed-Up Garlic Seasoning DIRECTIONS: Cut the pork loin in half long-way. Take the sausage and put it on one side on the loin. Use the Jane’s Chunky Garlic on the other side of the loin. Place the two halves of the loin back together. Let the bacon warm up for a while. Place pieces of bacon side by side until you exceed the length of the loin. Take every other piece of bacon and fold upward in half. Take a piece of bacon and stretch it, and lay it across the bacon. Place the bacon as folded with up down and the down up. Repeat until you get to the bottom of the bacon strips. Do the same thing from the top of center, and repeat the process. This leaves you a sheet of weaved bacon. Place the loin in the middle of the bacon sheet. Wrap from top and bottom overlapping bacon. Take the extra at each end and form to the ends. Use toothpicks to secure the bacon to the loin. FINISHING TOUCHES: We use a CharBroil Big Easy, the small version. Pre-heat the Easy for 30 minutes or so with the lid on. Place the loin in the basket and place in the Big Easy with the lid off. When the bacon is well-done, all is done. Let the “Pork Trifecta” rest for an hour. Slice and enjoy!

Q&A WITH BOB VICK RESIDENCE: Morristown, Tennessee HOMETOWN: Fort Mill, South Carolina FAVORITE DRIVER: I was a Dale Jr. fan. I started following him when he raced late models in Myrtle Beach. I am currently a free agent. I am leaning toward Chase Elliott or “Bubba” Wallace. HOW DID YOU BECOME A NASCAR FAN?:I became a fan almost immediately. My dad is from Lancaster, South Carolina. His brother-in-law drove the water truck at the Lancaster Speedway. My dad really learned to drive a car on that track. As a kid, my dad took me to Bristol; it was 1971. We had chicken and Cokes in the back of a pickup truck. Charlie Glotzbach won. From then I had memories of Bobby Allison, Richard Petty and David Pearson taking victories. WHERE HAVE YOU TAILGATED?:My first tailgate as an adult was also at Bristol in 1992. My wife and I had a little gas grill. We cooked hot dogs and hamburgers. We had a pre-race and post-race tailgate to allow for traffic. We had a ball! I have tailgated or camped at Bristol for the last 20 years in a row.

BY JARED TURNER

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SEAL THE DEAL DALE EARNHARDT. JR. TIME TO RETIRE After nearly 20 years as a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr. sealed the deal and drove his final series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. The third-generation racer from Kannapolis, North Carolina, recorded 26 wins – including two Daytona 500s – 149 top-five results, 260 top-10 finishes and 15 pole positions during his 19-year NASCAR premier series career. His best points finish was third in 2003 behind champion Matt Kenseth. One of the most beloved drivers in NASCAR history, Earnhardt enjoyed a huge following. He had been plagued by concussions during the last few years and missed half of the 2016 season. After careful consideration, he announced his retirement last April. The winner of 15 consecutive Most Popular Driver Awards has moved from the driver’s seat to the broadcast booth with NBC Sports. “After driving, you’ve got to find something to be passionate about, and I think I might have found that with broadcasting and, obviously, still owning JR Motorsports,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “It’s time for somebody else to get in this [Hendrick Motorsports] car. It’s a great opportunity for Alex [Bowman] and I’m excited to see what he can do. But we definitely want to be a part of the sport no matter what.” Rest assured – Earnhardt Jr. will remain a PRESENTED BY colorful fixture in the sport for decades to come.

POLE POSITION 2018

KURT BUSCH NEVER GIVE UP The 2017 Daytona 500 was typical in nature with close door-to-door racing and tight packs of cars battling for position. In the end, Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, emerged unscathed and collected his first victory in NASCAR’s most prestigious event and 29th of his career. The Las Vegas native sealed the deal by being out front for only the final lap, logging the 37th lead change of the 200-lap race. He avoided trouble that brought out six caution flags for 40 laps and was out front when the checkered flag was waved. Experience taught him to expect anything as he had his share of problems to overcome in the closing laps. “My mirror fell off with 30 laps to go and I couldn’t even see out the back,” Busch said. “I thought that was an omen. Throw caution to the wind. Then I almost forgot to drive the line I was supposed to drive because I was shutting off all my switches, going to reserve fuel and saying a Hail Mary. “There is nothing predictable about this race anymore. The more years that had gone by that I didn’t win; I kept trying to go back to patterns that I had seen in the past. It all turned out. Here we are in Victory Lane. I can’t believe it.”

BY BEN WHITE | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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SPOTLIGHT

PRESENTED BY

Work Hard, Play Hard DRIVERS FOCUS ON STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING

o have power on the race track, it’s a good idea for NASCAR drivers to engage in some powerful strengthand-conditioning efforts. Success on the track and dedication to physical fitness seem to go hand in hand. Here’s what seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and five other drivers do to stay in shape:

JIMMIE JOHNSON: Good luck finding a driver more committed to physical fitness and power activities than Johnson. An avid cyclist, runner and swimmer, Johnson has competed in numerous half marathons and triathlons, including a Half Iron Man where he placed 15th overall. Johnson is also an avid snow skier. “I’ve always had a focus on endurancebased workouts, but maybe been a little more strength focused the last few years,” he said. “Staying active is key and very, very important. It takes time and commitment to get it all done, but it’s been great for me. I think it’s very important for my profession, and certainly to add longevity and stay healthy long term.”

POLE POSITION 2018

TY DILLON: Last season, Dillon entered a combined 66 races among NASCAR’s three major series. On 27 weekends, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rookie pulled double duty by also running the Xfinity Series race. That’s a busy schedule, to be certain, and one not survived without some powerful conditioning. “I work out pretty hard in the offseason and do a lot of mountain biking to try and keep up my conditioning,” Dillon said. “The biggest thing [with doing double duty at a place like Bristol] is to come in properly hydrated and prepare to be in the car for almost three days, all day long.” DENNY HAMLIN: Hamlin dropped close to 40 pounds between his rookie Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season of 2006 and 2010. He’s since managed to keep the weight off. Hamlin’s secret? Pilates. “I spend a lot of time doing Pilates – twice a week at least. I’ll go to the Pilates studio and do an hour or so there – and then strength training in between,” Hamlin

said. “Usually, if I’m at home during the week, I’ll go the gym. I never really miss a day. Never take any rest days off other than when I’m on the race track on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday.” AUSTIN DILLON: When Dillon joined the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2014, the young driver stepped up his fitness regimen since Monster Energy Series races are considerably longer than the races he’d entered at NASCAR’s lower levels. The decision proved wise. “If I did anything better, it was just eating right leading up to the race and getting stronger all around,” Dillon noted. “I have done cardio stuff, but I think strength is one of the biggest things. And I lift weights now quite a bit, but it’s just a combination of the two of them that allows your body to withstand a long race.” KASEY KAHNE: “Early in the season I seem to work out a good bit more than the last half of the season or the middle part of the year when it’s the hottest outside,” Kahne explained. “After a long Sunday race on a 95-degree day, I’m pretty dehydrated, so I would say I back it down a little bit in the mid-part of the summer. Other than that, I’ll work out five or six times a week. I maybe run one mile, do 50 push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, squats or something like that. And then run another mile and do three to four sets of that.”

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BY JARED TURNER | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

ON THE ROAD PRESENTED BY

TALES FROM THE ROAD

On the Road with Mark Ellis

rior to becoming the hauler driver for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team last summer, Mark Ellis was the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing team’s hauler driver — a position he had held since the end of 2015. Ellis is actually a relative newcomer to the hauler driving profession, however. Beginning in 2008, he spent five years as an engine tuner for a company specializing in NASCAR race engines. From there, Ellis joined the John Force Racing NHRA team and later worked at Don Schumacher Racing – another NHRA team – as a tire specialist and engine builder. But when the opportunity to return to NASCAR as team hauler driver came about, Ellis couldn’t resist. “I had never really seen a lot of the country other than from up above, which tends to be like Groundhog Day – you get on a plane and you see clouds and then you see a runway with a little bit different scenery,” Ellis said. “Being a truck driver

is really nice because I get to be on the ground and see everything from the north to the south and from the east coast to the west. The change of scenery definitely makes it worth the drive.” As the hauler driver for a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team, Ellis is away from home some 225-250 days each year. His responsibilities include toting roughly 79,000 pounds from the Hendrick Motorsports campus in Concord, North Carolina, to race tracks, and back again, 38 weekends each year. In addition to being able to see the country, Ellis enjoys a special sense of community among himself and other hauler drivers. “Everybody leaves generally around the same time to go to the race track,” he said. “Sometimes you’ll catch us in a big convoy. We have a really big family in this sport, and that’s especially true for truck drivers; we stick together.”

TALE NO. 1: “We went to Watkins Glen last year, and it was my first race with the No. 48 team. It had rained a bunch. I remember getting there at 3 or 4 in the morning and as we started to proceed down this hill to park, the hauler started to settle in the grass and then we started to realize that around us there were probably six or seven other trucks that were buried up to the trailer. We luckily avoided what could have been a really big mess. We later watched a couple local farmers with tractors come and kind of help the other guys ease on out of the mud. We definitely spent a few more hours cleaning everything that weekend.” TALE NO. 2: “We were headed out west last year and we stopped at a truck stop. A guy asked me about my job, and I told him I was really blessed to be doing what I was doing, and he asked me if Jimmie was personally in the trailer. Just so many thoughts run through your mind on how to answer that. You just kindly say, ‘No, he’s not here.’ And that’s about it. You find a lot of comedy in a lot of the things, and sometimes that breaks up the monotony of your trip and gives you something to talk about.”

GET TO KNOW

MARK ELLIS HOMETOWN: Utica, N.Y. BIRTHDAY: October 15, 1987 FOOD HE CAN’T DO WITHOUT ON THE ROAD: Fresh fruit!

POLE POSITION 2018

DAYTIME OR NIGHTTIME: I don’t have a preference. They both have pros and cons. But we’ll go with night, because there’s little to no traffic and it makes it easy on us getting down road without a lot of stop and go.

BEST ROAD BUDDIES: The driver of the No. 31 RCR hauler and a couple of the Joe Gibbs Racing hauler drivers. LONGEST ROAD TRIP: From Sonoma to Charlotte can be anywhere from 40 to 50 hours. We

tend to see the sun go down and come up almost three times. You’re in the truck for part of three days. It’s probably 2,300 or 2,400 miles. FAVORITE TRIP: Sonoma. It’s just beautiful out there.

BY JARED TURNER

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CREW SPOTLIGHT BRYAN KINCHELOE KEEPS TY DILLON’S TIRES ROLLING

Bryan Kincheloe, tire specialist for Germain Racing and driver Ty Dillon, saw his first NASCAR race 22 years ago during a leisurely weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He traveled a long way from home to watch the NASCAR Cup Series guys fight for the win on the high banks of the 1.5-mile superspeedway. Kincheloe set out to pursue a career in law enforcement, earning his degree in criminal justice from Kansas State University in 1998. That was his career path until he realized his heart was in racing. Like so many others before him, the native of Glen Elder, Kansas, eventually packed his car and headed east to become a crew member in NASCAR’s premier series. “My first year in NASCAR was in 2002 and that was with Roush Fenway Racing,” Kincheloe said. “I’ve also worked at RCR and Michael Waltrip Racing as well as a couple of smaller Xfinity Series teams when it was the Busch Series.” His role with the team is to keep the tires in tip-top shape under the No. 13 Chevrolet during practice, qualifying and races. “When we get here to the track, we measure them for stagger,” Kincheloe said. “We put them in sets of four and do tire pressures, tire temperatures and tire wears. During any given weekend, there is a lot of repetition. You do a lot of the same things. But the air pressures and things like that are always changing.”

POLE POSITION 2018

USUALLY, IF THE CAR IS A FEW PIT STALLS AWAY DURING PIT STOPS AND THE CREW CHIEF YELLS TO TAKE A POUND OF AIR OUT OF THE RIGHT REAR, YOU’VE GOT TO GO FAST. SO THAT’S A PRETTY GOOD EXAMPLE OF A PRESSURE SITUATION.”

PLAYING FAVORITES WITH BRYAN KINCHELOE VACATION SPOT: ■■ The Bahamas SEASON: ■■ Fall HOLIDAY: ■■ Thanksgiving TV SHOW: ■■ Deadliest Catch MOVIE: ■■ Slap Shot MUSIC: ■■ Country

JIMMY HOLDER ADDS VERSATILITY TO RFR

Jimmy Holder, secondary transporter driver for Roush Fenway Racing and driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr., was introduced to NASCAR through his uncle, a longtime crew member for seven-time champion Richard Petty. “My uncle, Donald Holder, was in NASCAR in the late 1960s and early 1970s and worked for Richard Petty,” Holder explained. “Everyone called him, ‘Duck’. He worked with the Pettys for years and years, and they remained friends until my uncle passed away.” Through building everything from lawn mower engines to engines raced on the drag strip, Holder gained a reputation for providing strong, reliable power plants. “Engine building is what got me into NASCAR in 2008,” he said. “I drove a truck for a living, so building them was something I did as a hobby and a passion and something I could go to the track with. So when I got a chance to go to work for Roush Fenway Racing when they were in Liberty, North Carolina, I built all the show car engines.” Before joining Stenhouse’s No. 17 team in June 2015, the Randleman, North Carolina, native served as a transporter driver for Roush’s No. 6 NASCAR Xfinity Series team with driver Darrell Wallace Jr. “Unfortunately, with all the cuts and downsizing, I’ve driven a truck to be able to keep working with the team,” Holder said. “I appreciate how they have let me fall back on something else I can do.”

WHAT I ENJOY MOST ABOUT DRIVING IS THAT IT’S BLACK AND WHITE. YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO AND IT’S THE SAME JOB ALL THE WAY THROUGH. THERE ARE NO GIMMICKS OR CATCHES.”

PLAYING FAVORITES WITH JIMMY HOLDER VACATION SPOT: ■■ The Mountains SEASON: ■■ Spring HOLIDAY: ■■ Christmas TV SHOW: ■■ NFL football MOVIE: ■■ Forrest Gump MUSIC: ■■ Blue Grass

BY BEN WHITE

SPOTLIGHT PRESENTED BY

CHECKS TWO BOXES

An Affordable Solution for Improving Down-Road Visibility

ho would like to see farther down the road when driving at night? Virtually everyone, of course. OSRAM SYLVANIA, the world’s leader in automotive lighting, can make that widely held desire a reality. And the best part of all is that owning an expensive vehicle is not a prerequisite. That’s because the SilverStar ULTRA – SYLVANIA’s farthest down road halogen headlight – fits more than 90 percent of all vehicles on the road. Are your lights starting to grow dim? Need a better, clearer view of the road? The SilverStar ULTRA is the quickest, easiest and most affordable remedy. “It’s a simple change,” said Brian Noble, marketing manager for OSRAM SYLVANIA. “What we’re trying to say is this is for the masses. This isn’t for niche vehicles. This is for the vast majority of vehicles on the road. There’s an easy way to upgrade, an easy way to add value to your car so you can see better when driving. These lights are basically better lighting for improved safety when driving at night.” How surprised are drivers to learn that they don’t have to be in the nicest car to have the most premium headlight? “When we go to activation programs, NASCAR events and festivals, the general population has no idea,” Noble said. “Auto enthusiasts – roughly 15 percent of the population – they would know about better halogen headlights. But the other 85 percent

POLE POSITION 2018

have never thought about it. They think their headlights are what their headlights are and that’s their only choice.” Research conducted by SYLVANIA indicates that 40 percent of drivers feel unsafe, uncomfortable or nervous when driving at night. A new pair of SilverStar ULTRA headlights suddenly makes driving at night a lot less stressful. “The driving population consists of 200 million registered drivers,” Noble said. “So, 80 million people are saying, ‘I’m feeling uncomfortable or unsafe when driving at night.’ And some percentage of that is not driving at night – they’re just not going out, they’re coming home early and giving up part of the full day because they’re just nervous about going out, and they don’t feel safe. So, they’re just not going to do it.”

hen choosing a particular automotive headlight, multiple considerations generally come into play. One is the headlight’s lifespan. Another is the color that the headlight projects. And yet another is how far the headlight allows a driver to see down the road. And, of course, there’s always the price tag. Cost-conscious consumers are forced to sacrifice in one area or another, but the SilverStar ULTRA checks at least two boxes: It’s affordable and it offers terrific down-road visibility. “If I am seeing farther down road and I don’t have an option to change color and it’s just normal natural color, the headlight’s lifespan is going to be shorter,” Noble explained. “If I’m seeing farther down road and I’m making it a whiter color, life is going to be even shorter. So, it’s a tradeoff: Would you rather see better and see farther, or would you rather have a long-life light bulb. You can’t have both. If you want to have both, you have to buy either LED or HID headlights new with a vehicle. Instead of $50 headlight bulbs, that could be a $2,000 headlight package on your vehicle. “When you think about farther down the road, $50 is a good price point to help you and your family see more, see better. You may have to change your headlights every year or two, but is it worth it? I would say yes.” Indeed, it is. “There’s no good reason to not want to see better when driving at night,” Noble concluded.

BY JARED TURNER

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to watch in 2018

A new NASCAR season has arrived. With it comes a fresh batch of storylines and developments destined to garner attention at various points in between the first green flag at Daytona International Speedway and the final checkered flag at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Here are the 18 biggest stories to watch in 2018. JARED TURNER

Another Stellar Season for JR Motorsports. Reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion William Byron is no longer with JR Motorsports, having moved up to the Monster Energy Series with Hendrick Motorsports. Even without Byron, JRM can repeat as Xfinity Series champs, however. Back at JRM are Justin Allgaier and Elliott Sadler, both of whom joined Byron in last year’s Championship 4.

POLE POSITION 2018

Old vs. New in Truck Series. With Christopher Bell now a full-time competitor in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and thus ineligible to repeat as NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, the door is wide open for a member of the Truck Series’ crop of promising young drivers to emerge as a first-time series champ. But there’s a potential roadblock in two veterans and former champions – Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter. They both return with their respective teams after reaching the Championship 4 but falling short of a title in last season’s winner-take-all season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway where Bell edged Sauter by one position and one point.

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Also returning is Michael Annett, who reached the playoffs last season in his first year with JRM. Replacing Byron is Tyler Reddick, a former Camping World Truck Series championship runner-up who won an Xfinity Series race last season while running a limited schedule for Chip Ganassi Racing. A New Restrictor Plate Ace?.Looking back over recent Monster Energy NASCAR

Cup Series seasons, two drivers – Brad Keselowski and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – have ruled the roost at NASCAR’s two restrictor-plate tracks. Stenhouse captured Talladega’s spring race and Daytona’s summer race in 2017, while Keselowski won the fall playoff race at Talladega and went to Victory Lane for the fifth time at the 2.66-mile Alabama track. Will Keselowski and Stenhouse continue to be NASCAR’s resident plate greats in 2018? Neither has won the Daytona 500, so put them at the top of the list of favorites to prevail in this year’s 60th running of The Great American Race.

an uptick in performance from the previous season when he toiled for the underfunded HScott Motorsports organization, the affable Kansas native was shut out of Victory Lane and denied a berth in the playoffs. If Bowyer can’t at least win a race or two and punch a ticket to the playoffs this season, pundits will begin to question if his move to SHR was indeed the great fit that most anticipated.

might not just reach the Championship 4; he might be the driver to beat. First-Time Winners and New Playoff Drivers. The 2017 Monster Energy Series season featured three first-time race winners: Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. As a result of their wins, all three qualified for the playoffs. Expect more new first-time winners this year, thanks to a healthy crop of young up-and-comers. Those with a strong shot of making it to Victory Lane for the first time include third-year driver Chase Elliott, secondyear driver Erik Jones and rookie William Byron. Alex Bowman, who replaces Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, could also enjoy a solid campaign – as could rookie and Richard Petty Motorsports newcomer Darrell Wallace Jr. The Rookie Battle. This year’s Monster Energy Series rookie-ofthe-year battle figures to be intriguing. William Byron, 20, will campaign the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet made famous by Jeff Gordon and driven the past two seasons by Chase Elliott. The reigning

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Contract Renewals for Truex and Knaus. On the heels of three stellar seasons in a row capped by the 2017 Monster Energy Series championship, Martin Truex Jr. seems happy at Furniture Row Racing. His contract with the Denver, Colorado-based organization only runs through the end of 2018, however. So, could another team actually lure Truex away? Meanwhile, at Hendrick Motorsports, Jimmie Johnson’s seven-time champion crew chief, Chad Knaus, will also be up for contract renewal at season’s end. As the season enters its summer months, stay tuned for announcements on the future of the reigning series champion and the man almost universally regarded as the sport’s top crew chief. Clint Bowyer’s Second Season with SHR. When Clint Bowyer joined Stewart-Haas Racing for the 2017 season, many observers expected the proverbial marriage to produce immediate and impressive fruit. It didn’t. While Bowyer certainly enjoyed

The Continued Progression of Kyle Larson. Kyle Larson enjoyed a breakout season in 2017, scoring a career-best four victories – including his first short-track win – and cementing his place as one of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ top drivers and purest talents.

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver looked to be well on his way to a berth in the Championship 4 before failing to advance when an ill-fated engine failure at Kansas Speedway in the Round of 12 doomed his championship hopes. If Larson can avoid a similar bad-luck scenario this year, he

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18 TO WATCH NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, Byron is enrolled at Liberty University – one of his primary sponsors. Darrell Wallace Jr., 24, will race the iconic No. 43 synonymous with his legendary team owner, Richard Petty. A six-time winner in the Camping World Truck Series, Wallace is the Monster Energy Series’ first full-time African-American driver since the late Wendell Scott, a 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee. Aric Almirola’s Big Opportunity. Since making his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2007, Aric Almirola has never been granted the opportunity to compete on a full-time basis for one of the sport’s premier organizations. That all changes this season as the 33-yearold Tampa, Florida, native takes over the No. 10 Ford fielded by Stewart-Haas Racing. In nine years of existence, SHR has won three premier series championships and established itself as one of NASCAR’s powerhouse organizations year-in and year-out. For Almirola, whose lone Monster Energy Series victory to date came at Daytona in July 2014, this is his time to shine.

The Impact of a Road Course in the Playoffs. Fans have lobbied NASCAR to put a road course in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Wish granted. Instead of NASCAR’s top series competing on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s traditional 1.5-mile quad-oval for its fall playoff race, the series will officially debut on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s new ROVAL, a 17-turn, 2.28-mile road circuit that is bound to add a new layer of drama to the playoffs – especially as the

POLE POSITION 2018

site of the elimination race in which the playoff field is reduced from 16 drivers to 12. Depending on how things go this fall, the ROVAL could become a staple of the playoffs. The New-Look Playoff Schedule. One of the biggest shakeups for 2018 is the slate of race tracks that make up the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Gone from the playoffs are Chicagoland and New Hampshire, which will each now host a lone race in the regular season. Now in the playoffs – and hosting the first and second playoff races, respectively – are Las Vegas and Richmond, the former having landed a second Monster Energy Series date, and the latter having moved into the playoffs after previously hosting the regular season finale. Indianapolis will now have

the regular season finale, after previously hosting NASCAR’s top series in late July. Martin Truex Jr.’s Quest for Back-to-Back Titles. Still on top of the world just a few months removed from his remarkable run to the 2017 Monster Energy Series championship, Martin Truex Jr. will try to accomplish the rare feat of becoming a back-to-back champion at the sport’s highest level.

The distinction certainly won’t be easily earned, given the heightened level of competition Truex will face this season, plus the fact that Furniture Row Racing is downsizing from two teams to one. However, Truex and his No. 78 team, led by crew chief Cole Pearn, appear to have the tools in place to put up a spirited fight.

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The Denny Hamlin/Chase Elliott Rivalry. Remember when Denny Hamlin knocked Chase Elliott out of the way, ruining Elliott’s shot at victory in October’s playoff race at Martinsville? As of two weeks later, Elliott clearly hadn’t forgotten, getting his revenge on Hamlin while the two battled at Phoenix with a Championship 4 berth on the line for both. “I’m going to race guys how they race me and keep a smile on my face, regardless,” Elliott said after his retaliatory move. “I’m happy to race guys how they choose to race me, and that’s the way I see it.” How will Elliott and Hamlin race each other this season? Stay tuned. Dale Jr.’s New Role with NASCAR on NBC. Although Dale Earnhardt Jr. won’t be behind the wheel of his familiar No. 88 Chevrolet this year, fans won’t have to look very far to find him – at least in the second half of the season. Beginning with the race at Chicagoland Speedway on July 1, Earnhardt Jr. will be utilized in a number of capacities with NBC’s NASCAR coverage.

Specifics regarding the exact nature of Earnhardt Jr.’s role are forthcoming, but just the presence of Earnhardt Jr. – who has previously made cameo appearances in the booth for both NBC and FOX – will no doubt be a major drawing card for TV viewers. The Proverbial Monkey on Chase Elliott’s Back. In two seasons as a full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver, Chase Elliott has amassed a strong fan following and displayed an impressive proclivity for taking care of his equipment. Unfortunately for the secondgeneration driver, popularity and consistency haven’t translated into race victories. Despite making the playoffs in each of his first two seasons with team owner Rick Hendrick’s powerful fleet, Elliott has yet to make it to Victory Lane – a fact illuminated by his seven second-place finishes. It would seem to be only a matter of time, however, before Elliott gets the proverbial victory monkey off his back. Life without Dale Jr. on the Track. Notably absent from the Monster

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Energy NASCAR Cup Series field each weekend this season will be Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s 15-time most popular driver who called it quits from full-time racing with the conclusion of the 2017 season. Although Earnhardt Jr.’s presence will no doubt be missed by his throngs of supporters, NASCAR as a sport is well-positioned for the future. In addition to retaining the vast majority of its veteran drivers for 2018, a considerable buzz surrounds a recent infusion of young talent consisting of drivers such as Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Erik Jones, William Byron and “Bubba” Wallace. Jimmie Johnson’s Pursuit of No. 8. Jimmie Johnson’s first season in pursuit of a record-breaking eighth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship started out strong as the Hendrick Motorsports driver won three of the first 13 races. Johnson never won again, however, as his No. 48 Chevrolet consistently lacked the speed to contend for victories over the

season’s second half. Johnson is optimistic that Chevrolet’s switch from the SS to the Camaro for 2018 will provide the boost he needs to return to his familiar championship form. For the second year in a row, Johnson’s mission to become the sport’s first eight-time champion will be a focus. The Growth of Hendrick’s Young Guns. Hendrick Motorsports newcomers William Byron and Alex Bowman boast a combined age of 44 years – just two years older than veteran teammate Jimmie Johnson. Therefore, it goes without saying that Byron and Bowman face a potentially steep learning curve as they transition into fulltime driving roles with arguably the most successful organization in NASCAR history. Exactly how steep will the curve be? Bowman has more than two full seasons of Monster Energy Series experience, which Byron lacks, but Byron spent last season as a full-time driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series while Bowman made nary a start in NASCAR’s premier division.

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NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

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Toyota is chasing a record 11th manufacturers’ championship – and sixth in a row. After a superb 2017 season that included 12 Toyota victories in 23 Truck Series races, a single Toyota needed only to start the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway to guarantee the automaker the manufacturers’ championship. Toyota is also now seeking a second consecutive drivers’ championship and fifth drivers’ championship in six seasons, following Toyota driver Christopher Bell’s title-winning performance in 2017. If a Toyota driver wins the championship in 2018, however, it will be because of someone other than Bell, who has moved on to the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

This year – for the first time since the NASCAR Hall of Fame opened its doors in May 2010 – the Charlotte, North Carolina, facility welcomed a Truck Series legend as part of its newest five-member class. That legend is Palmdale, California, native Ron Hornaday Jr., the Truck Series’ all-time wins leader and only four-time champion. Hornaday, who last raced a truck in 2014, was enshrined in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in late January as a member of the Class of 2018.

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NASCAR Camping World Truck Series As the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series enters its 24th season, here are 10 things every fan needs to know about Truck Series racing this year.

This will mark the third Truck Series season in which a champion is crowned based on a season-ending playoff culminating in a winnertake-all season finale where four drivers race straight up for the title. Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton and Christopher Bell have each qualified for the Championship 4 in both seasons since the Truck Series adopted a playoff format. Timothy Peters was the other Championship 4 driver in 2016, while that distinction belonged to Austin Cindric one season ago.

NASCAR’s new rules restricting full-time Monster Energy Series’ drivers participation in Truck Series races this year mean Kyle Busch will have no more than five opportunities to go to Victory Lane in a Truck Series race. Should Busch maximize those opportunities by entering and winning five races, he would tie all-time Truck Series wins leader Ron Hornaday Jr. with 51 victories. With 46 Truck Series wins prior to the start of the season, Busch held a comfortable grip on secondplace among all-time Truck Series win leaders.

Of the eight drivers who qualified for last season’s Truck Series playoff, at least two have moved on to the Xfinity Series. Those drivers are 2017 series champion Christopher Bell and eighth-place points finisher John Hunter Nemechek. The former has a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series ride with Joe Gibbs Racing, while the latter is competing on a part-time basis in the Xfinity Series for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Speaking of Kyle Busch, the Kyle Busch Motorsports organization that the 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion co-owns with his wife, Samantha, is seeking its third Truck Series drivers’ championship in four years. KBM is meanwhile seeking a sixth consecutive owners’ championship and seventh overall owners’ title. Both of KBM’s former driver champions – Christopher Bell (2017) and Erik Jones (2015) – have graduated up the ranks and are now competing full time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, respectively.

Starting this season, drivers with more than five years of full-time experience in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series are limited to a maximum of five Truck Series races. Drivers who have elected to accumulate Monster Energy Series championship points, regardless of series tenure, are ineligible to compete in the regular season finale as well as all playoff races. Guidelines implemented for the 2017 season limited drivers with five years of full-time experience in the Monster Energy Series to seven Truck Series races.

This year’s roster of full-time Truck Series drivers includes only two former series champions – Johnny Sauter (2016) and Matt Crafton (2013 and 2014). Sauter and Crafton enter the season as the prohibitive championship favorites, having both reached the Championship 4 in the two seasons since the Truck Series adopted a playoff format through which it would crown its champion. However, while Sauter and Crafton might be the title favorites, the series features plenty of young, talented drivers capable of stealing the veterans’ thunder.

As part of a 2018 schedule realignment announced in May for all three of NASCAR’s top three series, this fall’s Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway will finalize the eight-driver championship field for the Truck Series playoffs, with Round of 8 races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Las Vegas and Talladega. Round of 6 races will once again be at Martinsville, Texas and Phoenix, followed by the season-ending Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Notably missing from the 2018 Truck Series grid is Brad Keselowski Racing, which suspended operations with the conclusion of the 2017 season. BKR, owned by 2012 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski, has been one of the Truck Series’ most formidable organizations in recent years despite being unable to win a championship. One of BKR’s drivers, Austin Cindric, qualified for last year’s Truck Series Championship 4 race, ultimately finishing third among the four championship finalists.

BY JARED TURNER | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

SPOTLIGHT MSG: Making Racing Safer Motorsports Safety Group is a collaboration of innovators in the sport who are determined to improve the safety of racing. MSG shares tips for race car drivers to help avoid injuries during races and practice sessions.

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Cormier has found that his racing background gives him more credibility when talking with race teams. “I am able speak to and understand the lingo – whether it’s regarding G forces, drafting, tire grading, steering pull, Acknowledged as one of the tire/shocks ratios, etc.,” Cormier country’s leading neurosurexplained, “and on the other side, geons, Dr. Jason Cormier has implications and educating from a helped MSG provide a compremedical prevention and intervention hensive, grassroots marketing standpoint. campaign focused on preventa“I’m not just a doctor who comes in tive health care education and saying, ‘We’re trying to get you out of wellness training. this car,’” Cormier said. “My approach With an emphasis to educate is to try to prepare them appropriately and engage race fans in their so they can enjoy the sport longer and growing role as health care walk away from the sport with their consumers, the objective is to faculties, to better enjoy retirement influence behavioral changes and most importantly, to remember it!.” and to provide racing’s brandThrough Cormier’s work with race loyal audience with the medical car drivers, he has found that very few knowledge to make informed, have the desire to alter their racing preventative decisions that styles, so preventative measures are directly affect the wellness of best taken before the racing begins. “WHAT I LOVE ABOUT RACING their families. “It would be difficult to say to Dr. Cormier is particusomeone, ‘You’re pushing the limits IS BEING ABLE TO PUSH THE larly qualified to speak to the a bit too much,’” Cormier said. “The LIMITS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE relationship between racing and racer-athletes will continue to defy the TO THE EDGE, AND NUDGE IT.” safety since he races shifter odds and challenge the physics of what – DR. JASON CORMIER, karts professionally. He’s been they believe should happen. To stymie MOTORSPORTS SAFETY GROUP interested in the sport for as that progression and excitement they long as he can remember. bring to themselves and the public, it “With any racer, it probably would render them unrecognizable to starts outside the car,” Cormier both the public and to themselves. said. “I can recall doing things as silly as racing to see who gets to the “My role is to educate them as to how they can be door first. I was racing on lawn mowers with my brothers at the age of 6.” safer and MSG is excited about the technology that Cormier now races go-karts at top speeds of up to 130 mph. He has we hope will help prevent or reduce concussions, established relationships with multiple racing organizations, such as and so far there are very promising results that will ARCA, NASCAR, Formula One, USAC and NHRA. help mitigate those causational vectors of force.” “What I love about racing is being able to push the limits of the imposFor the specifics on that new technology, race sible to the edge, and nudge it,” Cormier said. “There’s an adrenaline rush fans will have to stay tuned. that comes with it that is indescribable. Racers will say it’s the body and “Our team has put real thought into who we’ve soul’s way of breathing, but being able to push that machine and your skill engaged and the racing organizations that we’ve set to the limit engages an unbridled adrenalin rush more than anything.” engaged,” Cormier said. “We hope to introduce new As an internationally recognized brain surgeon, Cormier has been able to technology in 2018 with a plan to build 300 to 400 engage companies to establish new technologies to diagnose and rehabilipercent of what we did in 2017. There are many tate head injuries. He is now augmenting his current efforts on prevention. more exciting things to come. We thank all of you “Motorsports Safety Group is excited that we’ve come this far in such for embracing our insight and we encourage you to a short time,” Cormier said. “We owe a great deal to both the drivers and follow us on social media and speak to us when you the racing organizations for embracing our insight.” see us on the track.”

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NASCAR HISTORY NASCAR LEGEND

Sterling Marlin Sterling Marlin thought of nothing but following in his father’s tire tracks as a NASCAR driver. The Tennessee native started 748 Cup Series races, winning 10 with 83 top-five finishes and 216 top-10 results from 1976 to 2009.

BIRTHDATE ■■ June 30, 1957 BIRTHPLACE ■■ Columbia, Tenn. NOTABLE SPONSORS ■■ Kodak Film ■■ Coors Light

Born June 30, 1957, in the farming community of Columbia, Tennessee, Sterling Marlin grew up working on the Chevrolets driven by his father, Clifton “Coo Coo” Marlin, in NASCAR’s premier series from 1966 to 1980. Sterling’s first start as a driver came on May 8, 1976, at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, Tennessee, where he finished 30th. Marlin entered 11 additional NASCAR Cup Series races through 1982 in his father’s cars before joining Roger Hamby’s team for the full schedule in 1983 and won rookie-of-the-year honors. There were limited Cup Series starts from 1984 to 1986 before he joined championship-winning team owner Billy Hagan in 1987. Through 1993, Marlin logged 145 top-10 finishes. Marlin finally found Victory Lane by winning the 1994 Daytona 500 while driving for Morgan-McClure Motorsports. The next season, he repeated the incredible feat, as well as logging victories at Darlington Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway. He also posted his best championship finish of third behind Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. Victories came at Talladega and Michigan with MMM in 1996 before Marlin joined team owner Felix Sabates at SABCO Racing in 1998. Marlin logged two wins in 2001 and finished third in points for a second time while driving for Chip Ganassi. Victories at Las Vegas and Darlington opened his 2002 season on a high note, but an injury eventually ended his championship hopes. Marlin competed in 261 additional Cup Series events from 2003 to 2009 and in recent years has returned to his roots, racing a late model at Fairgrounds Speedway.

IF YOU CAN WIN THE DAYTONA 500, IT MAKES A GOOD START FOR THE SEASON. I’VE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO WIN IT A COUPLE OF TIMES. IT’S PRETTY NEAT TO BE INTRODUCED AS A TWO-TIME DAYTONA 500 CHAMPION. BEST SEASON IN 1995, STERLING Marlin finished third in NASCAR’s Cup Series point standings, never dropping lower than his finishing position at any point during the season. That year, he recorded the most wins of any of his 33 Cup Series seasons, visiting Victory Lane at Daytona, Darlington and Talladega.

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RECORD-SETTER MARLIN WON THE pole position at ISM Raceway on Oct. 29, 1994. His lap of 129.833 mph broke the qualifying mark of 129.203 mph set in 1993 by Bill Elliott. Marlin also became the 16th Cup Series pole winner that year, breaking the NASCAR modern-era record of 15 set in 1982.

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SMART APPRECIATIVE KNOWN FOR THROUGHOUT HIS NASCAR career, Marlin’s genuine easy-going personality and quiet demeanor served him well as personal trademarks. His lifelong love of American Civil War history has kept him busy for many years as he travels to numerous states looking for lost relics pertaining to that time period.

BY BEN WHITE | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

RACE REWIND

1984: Labonte Nets Title The 1984 NASCAR Cup Series season featured two very popular drivers battling for their first series championship, as two relatively small teams bested the larger powerhouse organizations throughout the 30-race schedule. The season began at Daytona International Speedway and ended on the road course in Riverside, California. The quiet, yet popular Terry Labonte, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, relied on the expertise of Dale Inman, NASCAR’s only eight-time Cup Series championship-winning crew chief. Chevrolet drivers led the win column at 13 with Labonte, Harry Gant, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison and Benny Parsons going to Victory Lane. Among them, Waltrip won the most races with seven but finished sixth in points after suffering various problems throughput the season. Cale Yarborough took Ford Motor Co. to Victory Lane three times with Tim Richmond giving Pontiac its lone win on the season. Even though Labonte only collected victories at Riverside International Raceway on June 3 and Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 25, consistency in the form of 24 top-10 finishes placed him at the top of the point standings by season’s end. The championship came down to Labonte and Gant, driver of Mach One Racing Chevrolet owned by actor Burt Reynolds and stuntman Hal Needham. Aside from finishing 29th at Riverside in June and 26th in the next to last race at Atlanta, Gant put together a string of 17 top-10 finishes that included wins at Pocono, Darlington and Dover to climb within striking distance of Labonte. Gant’s eighth-place finish in the season finale was well back of Labonte’s third-place effort, however, sending the title in the Texan’s direction.

1984

SEASON RECAP DATE CIRCUIT February 19 Daytona International Speedway February 26 Richmond International Raceway March 4 Rockingham Speedway March 18 Atlanta Motor Speedway April 1 Bristol Motor Speedway April 8 North Wilkesboro Speedway April 15 Darlington Raceway April 29 Martinsville Speedway May 6 Talladega Superspeedway May 12 Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville May 20 Dover International Speedway May 27 Charlotte Motor Speedway June 3 Riverside International Raceway June 10 Pocono Raceway June 17 Michigan International Speedway July 4 Daytona International Speedway July 14 Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville July 22 Pocono Raceway July 29 Talladega Superspeedway August 12 Michigan International Speedway August 25 Bristol Motor Speedway September 2 Darlington Raceway September 9 Richmond International Raceway September 16 Dover International Speedway September 23 Martinsville Speedway October 7 Charlotte Motor Speedway October 14 North Wilkesboro Speedway October 21 Rockingham Speedway November 11 Atlanta Motor Speedway November 18 Riverside International Raceway

WINNER Cale Yarborough Ricky Rudd Bobby Allison Benny Parsons Darrell Waltrip Tim Richmond Darrell Waltrip Geoff Bodine Cale Yarborough Darrell Waltrip Richard Petty Bobby Allison Terry Labonte Cale Yarborough Bill Elliott Richard Petty Geoff Bodine Harry Gant Dale Earnhardt Darrell Waltrip Terry Labonte Harry Gant Darrell Waltrip Harry Gant Darrell Waltrip Bill Elliott Darrell Waltrip Bill Elliott Dale Earnhardt Geoff Bodine

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BEST DRIVER DARRELL WALTRIP, DRIVER OF THE Junior Johnson and Associates No. 11 Chevrolet, collected seven of his 84-career victories during the 30-race schedule. Victories at Bristol, Darlington, Nashville, Michigan, Richmond, Martinsville and North Wilkesboro offered promise toward claiming a third Cup Series title. However, Waltrip suffered through several poor finishes due to blown engines and mechanical issues that erased hopes of unseating Labonte’s title run. Waltrip returned to win his third-career NASCAR Cup Series championship in 1985.

BEST RACE ON JULY 29, 1984, DALE Earnhardt, driver of the Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, led a pack of cars 10 strong in a close finish at Talladega Superspeedway. In a race that featured 68 lead changes among 17 drivers, Earnhardt mastered the 2.66-mile track and held the lead on the final lap when Terry Labonte and Buddy Baker engaged in a fierce battle for second. It was Earnhardt’s first win of 1984 and the 10th of his career.

TOP CARS TERRY LABONTE, driver of the No. 44 Chevrolet owned by Billy Hagan, was crowned champion with two wins and 24 top-10 finishes. HARRY GANT, driver of the No. 33 Mach One Racing Chevrolet, finished second in points on the strength of three victories.

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TOOLS OF THE TRADE Race Jacks Brian Haaland, pit crew coach for Team Penske, has seen many changes in pit equipment over the past decade. The most important element of any stop has always been the jack, the one tool that sets a pit stop in motion. “Obviously, the jack is used to raise the race car off the ground,” Haaland said. “To be able to change tires in one pump is why we use highperformance jacks. All the equipment we have in racing has evolved through different technologies. You’re always looking for ways to be as efficient as you can, especially on pit road.” Interestingly, while jacks used on pit road are state-of-the-art pieces of racing equipment, a standard four-wheel jack is used to change tires and to work on the suspension when the crews toil in the garage area. Having the right jack and someone trained to be fast and focused is the key to every great pit stop. “You can use a 225-pound guy that‘s maybe a little more athletic,” Haaland said. “With a nine-inch lift, you can take some of the hardness out of the pump and make it a little easier to use. For places like Martinsville where there are smaller pit boxes, we will bring a handle for the jack that isn’t as long so it doesn’t hit the pit road wall.”

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NASCAR National Series

Driver Profiles With the dawn of a new NASCAR season, the time has come for a sneak peek into what’s around the proverbial corner. Here’s a look at eight NASCAR drivers and a snapshot of their 2018 outlook, mixed with some fun facts.

BY JARED TURNER | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

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DRIVER PROFILES

PRE S E N T E D BY

Jimmie Johnson

CHASING A RECORD EIGHTH TITLE

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By most drivers’ standards, Jimmie Johnson’s 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season would have been deemed a smashing success.

After capturing his seventh title, Johnson scored only three victories and finished 10th in the standings, just one position better than his-career worst points finish of 11th. It was another 10thplace finishing season – 2015 – that most reminds Johnson of his disappointing 2017, however. “That was a tough one on us, as well, with that rules package and trying to get speed out of our cars,” he said of 2015. “So, I’d say between ’15 and ’17, those have probably been the two most challenging years in my career at the Cup level.” Perhaps most indicative of Johnson’s struggles in 2017 compared to most seasons, the Hendrick Motorsports driver went the final 23 races without a trip to Victory Lane. That’s an eternity in Johnson’s world – and a drought that sent him into the offseason with a bad taste in his mouth and a burning desire to return to his front-running ways. Johnson believes this year’s debut of the Chevrolet Camaro, which replaces the five-year-old Chevrolet SS, will go a long way toward helping his No. 48 Chevrolets regain their winning form. “At the end of the day, chasing speed is really the culprit,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot of change coming for the Chevrolets. The Camaro is going to be a huge help.”

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Johnson boasts a Twitter following surpassing 2.64 million – most among active Monster Energy Series drivers. Johnson says he considers Twitter an outlet for showing his personality.

INFO

OWNER RICK HENDRICK TEAM HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS SPONSORS LOWE’S, KOBALT MANUFACTURER CHEVROLET CREW CHIEF CHAD KNAUS

PREPARATIONS BEGIN

nhappy with how his 2017 season unfolded, Jimmie Johnson vowed to make his offseason “much more about work than about celebrating.” It was much different than the previous winter when he’d just won his seventh Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship and was in a buoyant mood.“This year is a lot different,” Johnson said in December. “There is kind of licking my wounds in a sense, trying to think through what we could have done better.”

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DRIVER PROFILES

PRE S E N T E D BY

Kyle Busch ONCE AGAIN AMONG THE FAVORITES

Throughout most of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, only two drivers were remotely in the same category as Martin Truex Jr.

One of them, Kyle Larson, failed to advance beyond the Round of 12 after suffering a blown engine at an inopportune time. The other driver, Kyle Busch, made it to the Championship 4 and was looming large in Truex’s rearview mirror when the No. 78 Toyota took the championship and the victory in the winner-take-all season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. How appropriate it was that Truex had to fend off Busch – a fellow Toyota driver – in the closing laps at Homestead. After all, no one posed a more formidable threat to Truex’s championship hopes than the 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, whose five victories in 2017 were second only to Truex’s eight. Now, after a record three successive Championship 4 appearances – but only one that produced a title – Busch is a favorite to again make it to South Florida with a shot at the crown. “I don’t need validation, but a second championship certainly would be worthwhile for my career and where we’ve been and what we’ve been able to accomplish in winning 40-something races and having the opportunity to race for championships now three years in a row,” Busch said. “I feel like when you come out of Homestead empty-handed, the winds are out of your sails and it feels pretty bad, and you pretty much forget about it.”

TEAM OWNERSHIP Busch has a passion for grooming young talent. Multiple drivers who’ve come through the Kyle Busch Motorsports stable have gone on to achieve even bigger things.

POLE POSITION 2018

INFO

OWNER JOE GIBBS

TEAM JOE GIBBS RACING

SPONSORS M&M’S, SKITTLES, SNICKERS, INTERSTATE BATTERIES MANUFACTURER TOYOTA CREW CHIEF ADAM STEVENS

THE SNOWBALL DERBY

t’s a well-known fact that Kyle Busch has a proclivity to race even when he’s supposed to be on break. This winter was no different, as Busch triumphed for the second time in the prestigious Snowball Derby late model race at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. Busch, who also won the Derby in 2009, was the only Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver entered in the event, which celebrated its 50th anniversary.

PARENTHOOD

GOING HOME

Busch and his wife, Samantha, are the proud parents of a 2-year-old son, Brexton, who is often with the couple in Victory Lane after Kyle wins.

They say there’s no place like home. For Busch, that’s Las Vegas. To say Kyle has a special love for “Sin City” would be an understatement.

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On the Martin Truex Jr. Road Since 1920 CAN HE MAKE IT TWO IN A ROW?

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Following a dream season by any definition in 2017, Martin Truex Jr. has a clear goal for 2018.

He wants to accomplish the rare feat of becoming a back-to-back champion at NASCAR’s premier level. While there’s certainly no guarantee of this happening, there’s also no good reason to believe it can’t happen. On the heels of three consecutive seasons as a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series frontrunner, Truex returns this year with fourthyear crew chief Cole Pearn and a veteran, battled-tested team in tow. If there’s one concern about Truex’s prospects this season, it’s how he and his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team will fare without a teammate as the organization downsizes from two full-time teams to one. Without the additional resources that come from a second team, Truex and his No. 78 group could suffer. Then again, they won and made the playoffs without a teammate in 2015 and 2016, so it’s possible that the shuttering of Furniture’s Row’s No. 77 team will have little to no effect. “I feel really confident in our group whether we’re one car or two,” Pearn said. “I think the thing I’m most proud of is coming into 2017, everyone was like, ‘Oh, two teams is going to slow them down and they’re going to lose that dynamic.’ We never lost a beat. And I think going back to one team we’re not going to lose a beat, either. We never let the product suffer.”

CHASING WILDLIFE When Truex can’t be found inside a race car, go look in a tree stand. Truex loves hunting and even owns hunting property with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

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TEAM FURNITURE ROW RACING SPONSORS BASS PRO SHOPS, 5-HOUR ENERGY, AUTO-OWNERS INSURANCE MANUFACTURER TOYOTA CREW CHIEF COLE PEARN

PRESTIGIOUS OFF-TRACK AWARD

ess than two weeks after capturing the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship, Martin Truex Jr. – and girlfriend Sherry Pollex – were named co-recipients of the 2017 Myers Brothers Award recognizing outstanding contributions to stock car racing. Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2014, Pollex battled a recurrence in 2017. The couple’s charitable efforts have spotlighted the cancer, with their annual Catwalk for a Cause fashion show and “Drive for Teal and Gold” both raising funds for a cure.

Chase Elliott EVERYTHING BUT A CUP SERIES VICTORY Chase Elliott’s first two seasons as a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competitor were just about everything a young driver could want — with one notable exception. Despite posting two playoff appearances, three pole awards, 22 top-five finishes, 38 top 10s and 918 laps led, Elliott had a glaring — and more frustrating — stat: Zero wins in 77 starts (including five in 2015). “I’m learning the hard way, I guess, in some ways, but it’s hopefully making me a better person and making us better down the road,” Elliott said. Compounding the 22-year-old’s frustration with not winning is that he’s finished runner-up seven times. “I have some work to do,” Elliott said. “I’m excited about [2018]. We have some great things to build on.” Elliott certainly has reason for optimism, given that his 2017 results marked a significant improvement from 2016 when he had fewer laps led (358 versus 560), fewer top 10s (17 versus 21), fewer top-fives (10 versus 12) and a lower points finish (10th versus fifth). The most notable similarity between his rookie and sophomore seasons? His absence from Victory Lane in the iconic No. 24 car made famous at Hendrick Motorsports by four-time champion Jeff Gordon. “I would’ve loved to have gotten a win in that car, in that number,” said Elliott, who this season is moving to the No. 9 that his NASCAR Hall of Fame father, Bill, raced to great success. “It would’ve been special to me to do it.”

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IT’S JUST A NUMBER

hile Chase Elliott looks forward to making a sentimental return this year to the No. 9 with which he won the 2014 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and his father, Bill, drove to the 1988 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship, the youngster isn’t getting caught up in the hype. “I’m very lucky and honored to carry the number … but I don’t think it’s going to make me go any faster or slower,” he said.

MADE IN

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BIG TRIPS Elliott spent the short NASCAR offseason vacationing in Colorado and Costa Rica. His description for his time away? “It’s been kind of wide-open,” he said.

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DRIVER PROFILES

PRE S E N T E D BY

Kurt Busch

THE LONG ROAD BACK

A 2017 season that began on the mountaintop of all mountaintops — with a Daytona 500 victory — took a disappointing turn for Kurt Busch as the 2004 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion never won again and recorded his worst points finish in five seasons. After opening the season with an impressive drive in the sport’s biggest race, Busch recorded only five top-five finishes over the remaining 35 races and finished the season with only 16 laps led — the fewest laps he’s led in a season since joining NASCAR’s premier series full time in 2001. Busch reached the playoffs on the basis of his Daytona 500 victory but was eliminated in the Round of 16, and ranked 14th in the final standings. After facing uncertainty about whether he would remain with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018, Busch re-signed with the organization in December. “Having my hard work pay off by winning the 2017 Daytona 500 has given me the drive to continue conquering the NASCAR world,” Busch said in a statement issued to multiple news outlets. “I am excited to enter the 2018 racing season as a Monster Energy athlete where I will continue to drive my favorite manufacturer, the Ford Motor Co. Knowing that SHR is committed to optimum performance, I believe that I have everything I need to win races this season and take home the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup. I look forward to taking on next year with my team, sponsors and determination.”

MARRIED LIFE Busch is married to polo player and model Ashley Van Metre, whom he wed in January 2017.

POLE POSITION 2018

INFO

OWNER GENE HAAS

TEAM STEWART-HAAS RACING SPONSORS HAAS AUTOMATION, MONSTER ENERGY MANUFACTURER FORD CREW CHIEF BILLY SCOTT

SCOTT CALLS THE SHOTS

n the heels of a challenging 2017 season by his standards, Busch has a new face atop his No. 41 team’s pit box. Stewart-Haas Racing announced in mid-December that Busch’s new crew chief is Billy Scott, who joined SHR in 2016 as crew chief for now-former SHR driver Danica Patrick. Tony Gibson, who had been the crew chief for the No. 41 team since November 2014, has been moved to a new role within the company.

THE CUBS

MONSTER ENERGY

Good luck finding a more ardent Chicago Cubs fan than Busch, a lifelong fan of the Major League Baseball team and occasional guest at Wrigley field.

Even before Monster Energy became the entitlement sponsor of NASCAR’s premier series, the beverage company was a primary sponsor of Busch, who proudly carries the brand’s colors.

The Kurt Busch, name, likeness and signature, are used under license from Kurt Busch, Inc. The Stewart-Haas Racing® logo and the #41 State Water Heaters race car are trademarks of Stewart-Haas Racing and are used under license. © State Industries, LLC.

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State Water Heaters is a proud sponsor of NASCAR® Champions Kurt Busch and the Stewart-Haas Racing team. S TAT E WAT E R H E AT E R S . C O M

DRIVER PROFILES

PRE S E N T E D BY

Ty Dillon READY FOR SOPHOMORE SEASON As a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rookie in 2017, Ty Dillon achieved much of what he set out to accomplish: He finished in the top 15 on eight occasions, led laps and proved to be more than ready for NASCAR’s premier division after three full seasons in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Now, as Dillon and the No. 13 GEICOsponsored team turn their attention to 2018, there is even more reason for optimism. Joining the team as crew chief is Matt Borland, a 13-time Monster Energy Cup Series race winner as crew chief for Ryan Newman. Borland has also worked with Dale Jarrett, Max Papis, Scott Riggs, Boris Said and, most recently, Paul Menard. Borland and Dillon worked together during the 2016 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, so the two men are no strangers. Dillon, for his part, just hopes he and the GEICO team can use their 2017 success as a springboard for greater things. Despite being a single-car team in NASCAR’s most competitive series, Dillon more than held his own. “What a rookie year,” said Dillon, the grandson of NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress and younger brother of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Dillon. “I’ve learned so much about myself as a driver. I appreciate the hard work of this team all season long. We had a lot of bright spots and some not so bright ones, but that’s our season and it’s one that we will build on.”

POLE POSITION 2018

13 INFO

OWNER BOB GERMAIN JR.

TEAM GERMAIN RACING SPONSORS GEICO MANUFACTURER CHEVROLET CREW CHIEF MATT BORLAND

MEET THE ‘NEW’ GUY

arage area veteran Matt Borland has replaced fellow veteran Robert “Bootie” Barker as crew chief on the No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet. Borland, an engineer by trade, has worked at Team Penske, Stewart-Haas Racing and Richard Childress Racing. “Matt Borland brings a varied skill set to our No. 13 program,” team owner Bob Germain Jr. said. “With his engineering skills and veteran leadership, we are looking forward to continued improvements in our team results.”

PANTHERS FOOTBALL

HUNTING ADVENTURES

Dillon attends the home football games of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers as often as possible, and regularly tweets his support for the Charlotte-based team.

Like his grandfather and brother, Dillon loves being in the woods. A hunter since age 8, Dillon has gone on hunting trips to many exotic places.

GOOD MUSIC An unabashed fan of cool tunes, Dillon recently said this on his Instagram account: “I love music. It has a way putting me in such great moods.”

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SEE AND BE SEEN. Christopher Bell DRIVER PROFILES

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TRUCK SERIES CHAMP MOVES UP

After a five-win season culminating in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title, Christopher Bell takes his talents up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He will compete as the full-time driver of Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota. Bell’s team will be guided by veteran crew chief Jason Ratcliff, a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series crew chief the past five years with Matt Kenseth at JGR. Understandably, both Bell and his new boss – three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion team owner Joe Gibbs – are excited about their new arrangement and potential for success. “Christopher has proven himself at every level of racing, and we are excited to have him run full time in our Xfinity Series program starting in 2018,” said Gibbs, who last season fielded a car for Bell in eight Xfinity Series races, including a victory at Kansas Speedway. “He has shown great maturity both on and off the track, and we think he is ready for this opportunity. We look forward to watching his continued progress in the sport.” Bell has spent his two full seasons in trucks competing for Kyle Busch Motorsports, the organization owned by JGR Monster Energy Series driver Kyle Busch. Like Gibbs, Busch has been impressed by the recently turned 23-year-old. “Being teammates with him at Joe Gibbs Racing is going to be a lot of fun,” Busch said. “I’m looking forward to seeing him continue to grow and evolve in this sport.”

BIG BURNOUTS Did you see Bell’s massive burnout after winning the Truck Series championship? That was one impressive smoke show!

INFO

OWNER JOE GIBBS

TEAM JOE GIBBS RACING SPONSORS RHEEM MANUFACTURER TOYOTA CREW CHIEF JASON RATCLIFF

NOT YET ARRIVED

espite winning the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship, Christopher Bell believes he still faces a learning curve on tracks not made of dirt. “I think that’s just a product of me running on dirt for 16, 17 years now and only being on pavement for four years and having maybe 100 races total under my belt,” Bell said. “I’m definitely gaining confidence as I go, but that’s going to take a lot of time.”

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Truex Joins Elite Fraternity By claiming the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship, Martin Truex Jr. became part of an exclusive club of elite stock car drivers who have earned titles in each of NASCAR’s top two national series. ¶ The native of Mayetta, New Jersey, joined Bobby Labonte, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski as the only drivers to win titles in both the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. ¶ Truex claimed backto-back NASCAR Xfinity Series championships in 2004 and 2005 while driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. ¶ Truex, a second-generation NASCAR racer, began driving go-karts in 1991 and graduated to asphalt modifieds in 1998. He made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2001 and earned the initial title during his first full-time season. HOW DO YOU USE MAPLE SYRUP? DON MOSLEY HUNTER SLEPPY @DONALDMOSLEY88 @DIETDEWHUNTER88 Each Sunday we make I use maple syrup to dip pancakes or French toast my hash browns most of and have Sunday breakfast the time. I also like using before each race. It has it with pancakes, waffles, been a family tradition sausage and a bread roll. since I was a child. (The roll is for a snack.)

POLE POSITION 2018

avid Ragan, driver of the No. 38 Ford for Front Row Motorsports, is the son of former NASCAR racer Ken Ragan. The elder Ragan made 50 starts in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series between 1983 and 1990, driving primarily for the team owned by his brother, Marvin. His best career finish was 11th at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway on July 29, 1984. During the formative years of David Ragan’s driving career, his father worked as the general manager of U.S. Legend Cars International, the Harrisburg, North Carolina, company that builds Bandoleros and Legend Cars and sanctions races for them at tracks around the world. The younger Ragan excelled in the Bandolero and Legend Car ranks, winning numerous races and multiple championships.

CHANGE OF DIRECTION

oming up through the USAC ranks, Kasey Kahne’s career was headed toward Indy cars and the Indianapolis 500. “I won the USAC midget championship in 2000 and a lot of things went really smoothly that year,” Kahne recalled. “And at the time for winning the championship you got do an Indy car test, so I went and tested for Panther Racing at Texas Motor Speedway.

“Driving for car owner Steve Lewis also opened the door with Ford, so Ford was working with me and they actually really liked open-wheel and I liked openwheel, and that was initially the direction we thought was right. But open-wheel stuff was kind of winding down and there were opportunities in NASCAR.” This is Kahne’s 15th season in NASCAR’s premier series.

NUMEROUS HATS With just over 70 starts across the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, 26-year-old Jordan Anderson is a man of many hats. “I went to Belmont Abbey College and I got a fouryear degree in business management and a minor in marketing,” Anderson said. “I always try to be very business-minded in how I run my program. I know what things cost, how things work on the sponsorship side of things, the business side of things. I’ve been my own sponsor guy, my own PR guy, I’ve been my own accountant, I do all of the graphics, design sponsor decks, drop emails and make cold calls. When it comes to the racing side, you list a job description and at some point I’ve probably done it.”

BY KEITH WALTZ | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

Breakfast of Champions

reakfast – it has often been said – is the most important meal of the day. Following are the foods that several NASCAR stars strategically consume on a typical morning:

RYAN BLANEY, MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER: I usually have a NutriGrain bar – I really like those, they’re kind of oatmeal and grains and all that stuff. So, I’ll have that or cereal – Special K or whatever – just trying to stay not too surgary with cereal.

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER: Eggs and livermush. Growing up in Mississippi, livermush is a southern staple. My mom used to make it for us growing up, so it reminds me of home.

A.J. ALLMENDINGER, MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER: I’ll usually start my day out with some oatmeal or some toast with peanut butter on it, and a cup of coffee. That’s pretty much every morning for me. I love pancakes, if I allowed myself to eat them.

CHRIS BUESCHER, MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER: One of my favorite new breakfast foods that I was just introduced to using Kroger ClickList is Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios. Now they’re one of my go-to breakfast items.

JOHNNY SAUTER, NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES DRIVER: A lot of times I eat what my kids are eating. This morning it was cheesy eggs. One of my favorite things to eat in the morning is just peanut butter toast. I drink orange juice with breakfast.

MATT CRAFTON, NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES DRIVER: I typically eat oatmeal and drink coffee for breakfast. On race weekends, it’s one of my favorite meals that I get to share with my daughter – before the day gets busy.

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POLE POSITION MAG.COM

NASCAR ROOTS

■■ NASCAR Camping World Truck Series star Ben Rhodes grew up racing go-karts.

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Go-Kart Racing Builds a Foundation

ast year, in his second full season of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series racing, Ben Rhodes scored his first Truck Series victory and finished fifth in points. Now, back for a third season with ThorSport Racing, the youngster from Louisville, Kentucky, continues to rise. Interestingly, Rhodes gives much of the credit for his success to go-kart racing. Rhodes started racing go-karts near his hometown when he was 7 years old. From there, it was on to racing at fairgrounds and eventually all over the United States – from New York to Florida to Kansas. “We ran the Junior Kahuna races, the WKA events, the asphalt events – basically, the biggest and best go-kart races we could go to are the ones that we raced,” said Rhodes, who turns 21 in late February. “We wanted to beat the best people and race where the money was, and that’s what attracted the competition. We went there, and we wanted to win.” And win Rhodes did, piling up race victories and championships on both dirt and asphalt, before moving up to Bandoleros in 2008. By then, he knew he wanted to pursue a career in racing.

POLE POSITION 2018

“I worked on my own karts, and I was taught how to do that at a young age, so that was really all I knew how to do,” Rhodes said. “I enjoyed it so much that it was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life, something I wanted to pursue. That’s hard to know that young, but that’s the way I felt and that’s how I still feel about it. It’s something I’m glad I pursued, because all my life, it has made me happy.” Rhodes’ go-karting memories are too numerous for him to count, but there are two in particular that stand out. The first was racing at the Indoor Kart Nationals in the Mississippi cities of Tupelo and Batesville. “We did that for seven years in a row with my family,” Rhodes said. “We would try to be the first ones at the track, and we’d have a huge tent set up. I would run seven to eight different classes in four different karts. I’d hop out of one and hop in the other one and go race. I would never leave the track, and it was the time of my life. I absolutely loved it.” Rhodes’ other enduring memory from his go-karting days isn’t quite as pleasant – although it could have turned out considerably worse.

“I was in a race, and we ended up blowing the motor and had to sit in the infield,” Rhodes recalled. “This was a track that had a concrete infield, with the dirt laid around me, and there were really no barriers. While I’m sitting in the infield, a couple karts got together on the frontstretch and pointed straight at me doing maybe 50 mph. So, I jump out of the way, and I’m jumping five feet in the air running away. Thank goodness they didn’t clobber my kart, but they came within inches of it, and they took out some barriers on the other side.” Today, Rhodes can look back on his time in go-karts and see how it prepared him for bigger things. “The fundamentals from karting are very much still with me,” he said. “It’s really all about the momentum, the weight transition, being a smooth driver, knowing your competition – all those fundamentals are still there. I would say coming through that, it prepared me for the next step. … The things I learned in go-karts may not necessarily be what I’m racing with, but it’s my foundation and all those fundamentals still apply every single race.”

BY JARED TURNER | DRIVER PORTRAIT: GETTY IMAGES

PIT PASS

Track Food Las Vegas Motor Speedway: LVMS officials are rolling out a series of three “Walk-Abouts.” First up is the Walking Fish Taco, which consists of Alaskan beer- battered fish, topped on a bed of lettuce within a bag of Mrs. Vickie’s sea salt and vinegar kettle chips, plus tartar sauce. There is also the Walking Gyro, featuring beef and lamb on a bed of lettuce in a bag of Stacy’s pita chips, topped with diced tomatoes, onions and tzatziki sauce. Finally, the Walking Taco includes beef on a bed of lettuce inside a Doritos bag (nacho or cool ranch), topped with sour crème, salsa and nacho cheese.

Terminology Stickers vs. Scuffs: Sticker tires get their name from having the Goodyear manufacturer stickers on them. Sticker tires indicate the likelihood of more speed from a new set of rubber. In addition to the stickers, the tires also have a clean look with the side-wall lettering easily readable. Scuffed Goodyear tires are sets teams send out during practice to put heat in the tires and rough up the surface. With a heat cycle on the tires, they will last longer on race day. At tracks with new pavement, this method is used frequently because the fresh surface could cause tires to blister more easily.

POLE POSITION 2018

WITH NASCAR DRIVER KAZ GRALA

s Kaz Grala moves from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to the NASCAR Xfinity Series with JGL Racing, the new driver of the No. 24 Ford Mustang is ready for the challenge. For one of NASCAR’s most upbeat drivers, it’s a move he never saw coming.

How did your NASCAR Xfinity Series deal come about? It started off – even though I didn’t know it at the time – after I won Daytona. The team owner at JGL, James Whitener, he is really into plate races. I guess I got his attention when I won at Daytona. He kept his eye on me throughout the season. Halfway through 2017, we started having some conversations and got together for a meeting. He called us about the new manufacturer switch and alliance, and it sounded like a really good deal. It seemed like an opportunity I couldn’t possibly turn down.

What are your expectations for your rookie year? Early on, we’re going to spend a lot of time with housekeeping logistics at the shop and sorting all of our cars out. We’ll probably have some growing pains through the first third of the season. I’m going to spend my time with my own growing pains, just learning the different cars and racing style. I really feel like JGL has been really strong. Even if it takes a couple of races to get in our groove, I think we have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs.

Who have you leaned on the most for advice? Johnny Sauter has been really helpful to me. Of course, he’s my teammate, but he’s been extremely open with me about anything I can think of to ask. Matt Crafton wasn’t a teammate of mine and he wasn’t even with the same manufacturer, but he is a veteran and he is extremely kind and willing to help anytime he could. The two of them really made my Truck Series learning curve move along more quickly. I’ll have to find some new guys to lean on, and hopefully, I can find that through our Roush Fenway Racing alliance.

BY JOSEPH WOLKIN | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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