NASCAR Pole Position 2018 Year in Review

SPECIAL EDITION

YEAR IN REVIEW

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CONTENT

56. REMEMBERING NASCAR LEGEND DAVID PEARSON

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NASCAR AWARDS 12.

GREEN FLAG

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POLE POSITION 2018

58.

NASCAR SERIES RECAPS

18. NASCAR CHAMPIONS

64. 2019 PREDICTIONS 10

20.

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GREEN FLAG New Faces in New Places Former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. and crew chief Cole Pearn will move to Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 Toyota next season.

Truex and Pearn first joined forces in 2015 at Furniture Row Racing and together they won 17 races and the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series championship.

The shift of teams by the former champion driver/crew chief combination was prompted by Furniture Row Racing closing its doors following the completion of the 2018 season due to a lack of necessary sponsorship to field a competitive team.

Truex has 19 career wins in MENCS, including a career-high eight victories in his championship season. He had four wins this season. Pearn was elevated to his current role as crew chief for the No. 78 Toyota following the 2014 season after serving as the lead race engineer.

M

artin Truex Jr. will slide into the seat previously occupied by Daniel Suarez in the No. 19 Toyota. Suarez, the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, was elevated to the Cup Series to fill Carl Edwards’ seat when he suddenly walked away from Joe Gibbs Racing.

At press time, Suarez had yet to reveal his plans for 2019.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

Kurt Busch, the 2004 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, is on his way out at Stewart-Haas Racing, and his No. 41 Ford could be the landing spot for Suarez. In a similar situation to last season, Stewart-Haas put Busch into free agency to give him the opportunity to talk to other teams. With reports that Jamie McMurray will not be in the No. 1 Chevrolet next season, that leaves Chip Ganassi Racing as a possible option for the older of the Busch brothers.

DAVID PEARSON, A THREE-TIME champion in NASCAR’s premier series and widely regarded as one of the sport’s best drivers, died Nov. 12. He was 83.

Pearson was welcomed into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011 as the top vote-getter in the shrine’s second induction class. Nicknamed “The Silver Fox” in a nod to both his late-race guile and prematurely gray hair, Pearson won 105 races in NASCAR’s top division, placing him second only to Richard Petty’s 200 victories on the all-time list. Perhaps more remarkably, Pearson never competed in a full season, and his win total came in 574 starts – less than half of Petty’s 1,184.

In a 1999 Sports Illustrated poll, a panel of 40 experts voted Pearson as the magazine’s NASCAR Driver of the Century.

12

POLE POSITION 2018

Comcast introduced Joey Logano as the winner of the fourth annual Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award. Comcast established the award in 2015 to honor NASCAR industry members for their philanthropic efforts, awarding $60,000 to the champion’s selected charity and $30,000 to the respective charities of the two remaining finalists. With this year’s contributions, Comcast has donated $480,000 to charitable organizations in the NASCAR community through the Community Champion Award.

IT APPEARS MATT KENSETH, JAMIE MCMURRAY AND KASEY KAHNE WILL NOT RETURN to NASCAR as full-time competitors in 2019. Kenseth, the 2003 Cup Series champion, has no plans to race again after filling a part-time role with Roush Fenway Racing in 2018. Kahne has followed through on his plan to end his full-time Cup Series career, while Chip Ganassi Racing has offered McMurray a contract for only the Daytona 500 and then a leadership position with the team. McMurray has yet to announce his plans.

Ryan Newman will join Roush Fenway Racing to drive the No. 6 Ford next season.

Newman is one of 30 drivers in NASCAR history to make at least 600 starts. He has 18 career wins and joins Roush from Richard Childress Racing, where he has driven the No. 31 Chevrolet since 2014.

HOPE FOR THE WARRIORS IS WORKING with the Waltrip Brothers’ Charity Championship to shed light on the military community and share hope with service members, veterans and military families as the result of the ninth annual charity event hosted by brothers Darrell and Michael Waltrip.

Gifting a service dog to a decorated military veteran, providing relief to the military-centric community of Jacksonville, N.C., following a devastating hurricane, and supporting a combat veteran’s growing business venture are just three of the ways the organizations worked together to restore self, family and hope through this year’s event.

Following the devastation of Hurricane Florence to the Jacksonville, N.C., community, Hope For The Warriors, in conjunction with Waltrip Brothers’ Charity Championship, Feed The Children and Motor Racing Outreach, sent two tractortrailers filled with pallets of non-perishable food items, cleaning supplies and hygiene products to victims in the area.

2019 NASCAR Schedules

T

he Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will kick off the 2019 schedule Feb. 10 with The Clash, a special non-points race, at Daytona International Speedway followed by the seasonopening Daytona 500 on Feb. 17. The Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race in Charlotte will take place May 18, with the 60th Coca-Cola 600 set for May 26. The NASCAR Playoffs will start on Sept. 15 in Las Vegas, and the season will conclude on Nov. 17 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series will also begin their respective seasons at Daytona International Speedway and conclude at Homestead-Miami Speedway, akin to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and mirroring recent years with a tripleheader at both sites.

2019 MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES SCHEDULE DATE TRACK Sun., Feb. 10 *Daytona International Speedway Sun., Feb. 17 Daytona International Speedway Sun., Feb. 24 Atlanta Motor Speedway Sun., March 3 Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sun., March 10 ISM Raceway Sun., March 17 Auto Club Speedway Sun., March 24 Martinsville Speedway Sun., March 31 Texas Motor Speedway Sun., April 7 Bristol Motor Speedway Sat., April 13 Richmond Raceway Sun., April 28 Talladega Superspeedway Sun., May 5 Dover International Speedway Sat., May 11 Kansas Speedway Sat., May 18 *Charlotte Motor Speedway Sun., May 26 Charlotte Motor Speedway Sun., June 2 Pocono Raceway Sun., June 9 Michigan International Speedway Sun., June 23 Sonoma Raceway Sun., June 30 Chicagoland Speedway Sat., July 6 Daytona International Speedway Sat., July 13 Kentucky Speedway Sun., July 21 New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sun., July 28 Pocono Raceway Sun., Aug. 4 Watkins Glen International Sun., Aug. 11 Michigan International Speedway Sat., Aug. 17 Bristol Motor Speedway Sun., Sept. 1 Darlington Raceway Sun., Sept. 8 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sun., Sept. 15 Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sat., Sept. 21 Richmond Raceway Sun., Sept. 29 Charlotte Motor Speedway – ROVAL Sun., Oct. 6 Dover International Speedway Sun., Oct. 13 Talladega Superspeedway Sun., Oct. 20 Kansas Speedway Sun., Oct. 27 Martinsville Speedway Sun., Nov. 3 Texas Motor Speedway Sun., Nov. 10 ISM Raceway Sun., Nov. 17 Homestead-Miami Speedway *Non-Points Special Event

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2019 NASCAR GANDER OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES SCHEDULE DATE TRACK Fri., Feb. 15 Daytona International Speedway Sat., Feb. 23 Atlanta Motor Speedway Fri., March 1 Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sat., March 23 Martinsville Speedway Fri., March 29 Texas Motor Speedway Fri, May 3 Dover International Speedway Fri., May 10 Kansas Speedway Fri., May 17 Charlotte Motor Speedway Fri., June 7 Texas Motor Speedway Sat., June 15 Iowa Speedway Sat., June 22 Gateway Motorsports Park Fri., June 28 Chicagoland Speedway Thurs., July 11 Kentucky Speedway Sat., July 27 Pocono Raceway Thurs., Aug. 1 Eldora Speedway Sat., Aug. 10 Michigan International Speedway Thurs., Aug. 15 Bristol Motor Speedway Sun., Aug. 25 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Fri., Sept. 13 Las Vegas Motor Speedy Sat., Oct. 12 Talladega Superspeedway Sat., Oct. 26 Martinsville Speedway Fri., Nov. 8 ISM Raceway Fri., Nov. 15 Homestead-Miami Speedway

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GREEN FLAG

NASCAR President Steve Phelps Sees Exciting Days Ahead for the Sport

W

ith a new rules package coming in 2019 for NASCAR’s foremost series, with significant schedule changes under consideration for the year after that, and with a groundswell of new corporate interest in the sport as a marketing vehicle, NASCAR President Steve Phelps was upbeat when he took questions from reporters before the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Despite an on-track product that has produced compelling racing this season—as well as perhaps the strongest Championship 4 contingent since the inception of the elimination-style format in 2014—NASCAR has introduced a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition package that will constitute a paradigm shift for next season.

Phelps expects the higher-downforce, lower-horsepower combination to enhance the on-track product.

“I think the rules package was put in place because we want to have the most competitive racing we can,” Phelps said.

“We believe the 2019 rules package is just exactly that. What effect it has on ratings or what effects it has on other things

14

POLE POSITION 2018

that are outside of our control, I can’t say.

“I can say that we do believe that this racing, which today arguably is the best we’ve ever had, is going to get better. We have a promise to our fans, and that promise is about close, competitive, side-byside racing, and we believe that this 2019 rules package will give us exactly that.”

Though the 2019 NASCAR schedules are set, Phelps indicated the sanctioning body is looking at a wide range of options

for 2020, even though the current fiveyear sanctioning agreements don’t expire until the end of the 2020 season.

“In short answer, I think everything is in play,” Phelps said. “So we’ve heard from our fan base that they would like to see more short-track racing. They want to see more road courses. They want to see less cookie-cutter tracks, whatever that means. I think that we are looking with our broadcast partners and with our tracks and with our teams and drivers to get input on what each of them believes would be an ideal schedule, and then we’re obviously doing fan research as part of it.

“So do I believe that everything is on the table? I do. Will we see a lot of the things that have been talked about, so more short tracks, more road courses, double headers, mid-week racing, pulling the season forward? All those things would be in play. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but we’re working diligently on what a 2020 schedule would be. As soon as we have something to talk about, we will get it to you.”

During Ford Championship week in Florida, Phelps attended a sponsorship/ marketing event hosted by Team Penske.

The event reaffirmed what Phelps already was feeling about the business climate with the sport.

The 2019 season will be Monster Energy’s last as the title sponsor for the Cup series, after which NASCAR will roll out a new sponsorship model for its premier series.

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“The sponsorship component of this, there are… and I’ve been accused of being Pollyannaish before… I believe the state of sponsorship in this sport continues to accelerate in a positive manner, not just because we have a new sponsorship model coming. If you look at the state of where the teams are—I went to a Penske summit that I was fortunate enough to speak at, and I was speaking to [Team Penske executives] Bud Denker, Tim [Cindric], and they were saying, ‘Hey, we have 15 new sponsors here.’ That’s fantastic. You talk to Joe Gibbs: ‘Hey, we’ve got a bunch of new sponsors here,’ sponsors that have been signed at the sanctioning body.

“We’re always seeking to have new sponsors in the sport. We have a competitive advantage over other sports, I believe, because of our great fan base. Our fans understand what it means to be a sponsor of NASCAR, and they understand that that product or service or whatever it is, if I support that, it helps my sport.

“That’s the competitive advantage we have. I think we’ll continue to make gains on the sponsorship front.”

The most valuable coins of the realm are the talents and personalities of the

drivers themselves. Relative to other major professional sports, the nucleus of star athletes in NASCAR racing is by nature more limited, although NASCAR stars conversely are more accessible to fans than they are in any other sport.

“Our drivers are the single most important ambassadors for our sport,” Phelps said. “There is no question about that. I was struck by something Ryan Blaney said earlier in the year. He’s like, ‘I’ll do anything you want me to do. I want to be an ambassador for this sport.’

“We are at a competitive disadvantage relative to other sports because we don’t have as many athletes that are participating at our highest level than say the NFL. They have 1,600 players. We don’t have that. And so, every driver is really important for us to help drive star power in our sport.

“It is about the driver. Listen, you have other players that are important, crew chiefs and teams, but it’s really about the driver. And so, we have worked for seven or eight years to try to get drivers when they’re young and try to train them about media training and try to get their personality out there, trying to build their brand.”

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Logano’s Run When Joey Logano signed a multi-year contract with Joe Gibbs Racing and joined NASCAR’s premier series in 2009, the young, energetic 18-year-old from Middletown, Connecticut, had no reason to expect anything but quick success.

He’d already won a NASCAR Xfinity Series race; he’d already won a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship; and he’d already earned a reputation as the sport’s next big thing, with former NASCAR champion Randy LaJoie going as far as to give him the nickname, “Sliced Bread.”

But if Logano was indeed, “Sliced Bread,” it sure didn’t take long for the bread to mold.

From 2009 to 2012, Logano won just two races – one of them the result of a fluky strategy call to stay out before the rains came and ended a race prematurely. After four seasons at JGR, Logano had finished no better than 16th in points and never qualified for the playoffs.

“I expected to go out there and win, and just got my butt handed to me on a platter,” Logano said. “It was hard. There were a lot of times that I felt really weak, and I’d break down, and it was just hard. You know, when you’re confused, you don’t know how to be better. You’re 18 years old or 19 or 20, and this is some pretty big stuff for a teenager to go through.”

16

POLE POSITION 2018

Persuaded that the driver dubbed “Sliced Bread” wasn’t quite ready for prime time, team owner Joe Gibbs did what no one would have believed possible just four years earlier – he let Logano go.

Now, six years after being released from his first Monster Energy Series ride and 10 seasons into his Monster Energy Series career, Logano is a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion.

It’s been a long, surprising and sometimes painful road to the top for Logano, but one he wouldn’t trade for anything.

“As the kid growing up, I was an aggressive racer, and I was able to win a lot of races,” Logano said as he reflected on his championship-clinching victory in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “I got humbled pretty quick. I guess ‘humbled’ is the word. I don’t know; I got beat up.

I got pushed around a lot. I wasn’t fast. I didn’t have any respect. I think that beats up on your confidence pretty quickly, and you have to kind of dig back inside. Every sport is a mental sport, so

BY JARED TURNER | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

you have to really figure out how to be strong again and dig out of holes.”

In addition to needing to mature as a driver and as a person, Logano also needed a change of scenery to reach his potential. He found that change of scenery with team owner Roger Penske’s organization, which he joined for the 2013 season and where he enjoyed almost immediate success.

“At the time that I was losing my job at Gibbs, that was a pretty low point for me,” Logano said after the championship race. “I don’t think I was thinking as clearly as I am now about all the lessons I learned. I was thinking about, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m not going to be a race car driver anymore, and what am I going to do with my life?’”

After winning a race and qualifying for the playoffs in his first year with Team Penske, Logano won five races and earned a place among the inaugural Championship 4 in Year Two. But his growing and maturing was hardly finished.

It took him four more years to finally reach the pinnacle of the sport. And during that time, he faced more setbacks. Like in 2015, when an ongoing feud with Matt Kenseth cost him a shot at the championship. Like in 2017, when he won just one race, had that lone victory deemed “encumbered” because of an issue in post-race inspection, and failed to make the playoffs.

OVERFLOWING WITH CONFIDENCE

Even this year wasn’t smooth-sailing for Logano.

Oh sure, it had a happy ending, but he was beaten – man-handled, actually – for most of the year by the trio of Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. Logano’s run through the playoffs also wasn’t without controversy. After all, to punch his ticket to the Championship 4, he had to boot Truex out of the way on the final lap at Martinsville – a move that angered Truex so much that he all but guaranteed retaliation.

But when the checkered flag waved at Homestead, it was Logano – with his familiar squinty eyes and mile-wide smile – celebrating in Victory Lane with his wife, Brittany, and infant son, Hudson. For the first time in a long time, perhaps ever, all the world seemed right for the driver who has been tested so often over a decade in NASCAR’s premier series.

“God teaches you many lessons, sometimes the hard way, but I wouldn’t take any of them back,” Logano said long after the sun had set over Homestead-Miami. “Even if we hadn’t won, I wouldn’t.”

WHILE MANY OBSERVers considered Joey Logano to be a longshot heading into the winner-take-all finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway where he raced straight up for the championship against the “Big 3” of Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr., Logano didn’t see it that way.

In fact, the Team Penske driver actually expected to leave South Florida with his first championship – despite having been outperformed by Harvick, Busch and Truex for most of the season.

“We didn’t have a reason to not feel confident. We really didn’t,” said Logano, who punched his ticket to the Championship 4 with a victory in the opening race of the Round of 8. “We’ve executed under high pressure situations before, and we’ve been here before and done a great job.

My pit crew was incredible.

So I had everyone around me.

I just had to go do my job.”

And do his job Logano did, leading 80 of 267 laps and taking the lead for good with a bold move to the outside of Truex with 12 laps remaining.

He went on to cross the finish line 1.725 seconds ahead of Truex, his closest championship pursuer, as fellow championship finalists Harvick and Busch finished third and fourth, respectively.

“All you guys thought we were the underdog,” Logano said to a room full of reporters after the race. “I didn’t think that, but most everyone did. Maybe someone won some money in Vegas.”

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

17

NASCAR CHAMPIONS

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIPS Richard Petty 7 Dale Earnhardt 7 Jimmie Johnson 7 Jeff Gordon 4 Lee Petty 3 David Pearson 3 Cale Yarborough 3 Darrell Waltrip 3 Tony Stewart 3 Herb Thomas 2 Tim Flock 2 Buck Baker 2 Joe Weatherly 2 Ned Jarrett 2 Terry Labonte 2 Red Byron 1 Bill Rexford 1 Rex White 1 Bobby Isaac 1 Benny Parsons 1 Bobby Allison 1 Bill Elliott 1 Rusty Wallace 1 Alan Kulwicki 1 Dale Jarrett 1 Bobby Labonte 1 Matt Kenseth 1 Kurt Busch 1 Brad Keselowski 1 Kevin Harvick 1 Kyle Busch 1 Martin Truex Jr. 1 Joey Logano 1

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THE 2018 PLAYOFF AND YEAR IN REVIEW MAGAZINES

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SEASONS 1964, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1979 1980, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2016 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001 1954, 1958, 1959 1966, 1968, 1969 1976, 1977, 1978 1981, 1982, 1985 2002, 2005, 2011 1951, 1953 1952, 1955 1956, 1957 1962, 1963 1961, 1965 1984, 1996 1949 1950 1960 1970 1973 1983 1988 1989 1992 1999 2000 2003 2004 2012 2014 2015 2017 2018

SEASON DRIVER WINS 1982 Jack Ingram 7 1983 Sam Ard 10 1984 Sam Ard 8 1985 Jack Ingram 5 1986 Larry Pearson 1 1987 Larry Pearson 6 1988 Tommy Ellis 3 1989 Rob Moroso 4 1990 Chuck Bown 6 1991 Bobby Labonte 2 1992 Joe Nemechek 2 1993 Steve Grissom 2 1994 David Green 1 1995 Johnny Benson Jr. 2 1996 Randy LaJoie 5 1997 Randy LaJoie 5 1998 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 7 1999 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 6 2000 Jeff Green 6 2001 Kevin Harvick 5 2002 Greg Biffle 4 2003 Brian Vickers 3 2004 Martin Truex Jr. 6 2005 Martin Truex Jr. 6 2006 Kevin Harvick 9 2007 Carl Edwards 4 2008 Clint Bowyer 1 2009 Kyle Busch 9 2010 Brad Keselowski 6 2011 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 2 2012 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 6 2013 Austin Dillon 0 2014 Chase Elliott 3 2015 Chris Buescher 2 2016 Daniel Suarez 3 2017 William Byron 4 2018 Tyler Reddick 2

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES SEASON DRIVER 1995 Mike Skinner 1996 Ron Hornaday Jr. 1997 Jack Sprague 1998 Ron Hornaday Jr. 1999 Jack Sprague 2000 Greg Biffle 2001 Jack Sprague 2002 Mike Bliss 2003 Travis Kvapil 2004 Bobby Hamilton 2005 Ted Musgrave 2006 Todd Bodine 2007 Ron Hornaday Jr. 2008 Johnny Benson 2009 Ron Hornaday Jr. 2010 Todd Bodine 2011 Austin Dillon 2012 James Buescher 2013 Matt Crafton 2014 Matt Crafton 2015 Erik Jones 2014 Chase Elliott 2015 Chris Buescher 2016 Johnny Sauter 2017 Christopher Bell 2018 Brett Moffitt

WINS 8 4 3 6 3 5 4 5 1 4 1 3 4 5 6 4 2 4 2 6 3 3 2 3 5 6

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NASCAR AWARDS

Carl Dakes is 2018 Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award Recipient

F

■■ Finalists for the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award: Cliff Preston, Carl Dakes, Sarah Kersey and Rex Reynolds

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rom a group of four distinguished finalists, Carl Dakes of the Maryland-based Believe in Tomorrow Foundation was honored as the recipient of the prestigious Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award.

Dakes was announced as the recipient of the $100,000 award, which goes to his charity, during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards at Wynn Las Vegas on Nov. 29.

Established in 2011, the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award honors the philanthropic ideals and vision of The NASCAR Foundation’s late chairperson and is presented annually to a NASCAR fan who has positively impacted the lives of children through volunteerism.

Ben Kennedy, grandson of Betty Jane France and current general manager of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, announced Dakes as the recipient.

“They’re all incredibly deserving, and my grandmother would have been proud of them all,” Kennedy said of the four finalists.

Dakes, of Harwood, Maryland, will receive a $100,000 donation for Believe In Tomorrow, which provides exceptional hospital and respite housing services to critically ill children and their families.

Headquartered in Catonsville, Believe In Tomorrow has served children from all 50 states, with

nearly 2,500 children directly benefiting from the organization’s efforts each year.

The NASCAR Foundation also will donate $25,000 to each of the charities represented by three award finalists: Sarah Kersey of Dublin, Ohio, who represents Flying Horse Farms in Mt. Gilead, Ohio; Cliff Preston of Gainesville, Florida, representing UF Health Shands; and Rex Reynolds of Hazel Green, Alabama, representing the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama.

Dakes was chosen as the 2018 Betty Jane France Award recipient through online voting.

“This year’s finalists once again showed the passion of NASCAR fans to help others by their actions,” said The NASCAR Foundation Chairman Mike Helton. “Their commitment to their individual causes represents well the spirit and essence of the Betty Jane France Award Humanitarian Award, and we thank each of them.

“All four finalists resonated with our fans, as represented in the close online voting but when it ended, Carl Dakes emerged as the winner.”

Since the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award’s inception in 2011, The NASCAR Foundation has benefited the lives of more than 300,000 children by providing $1.4 million in contributions to charities represented by award finalists.

e n e i th l

E H T M O R YS F N

A O S W A A E E S K 8 1 TA 0 2

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BY JARED TURNER | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

1

Joey Logano Saved His Best for Last. Make no mistake about it: Joey Logano and his No. 22 Team Penske team were solid throughout the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

However, it wasn’t until Logano knocked Martin Truex Jr. out of the way to win the fall playoff race at Martinsville and lock up an automatic berth in the Championship 4 that Logano was considered a serious championship contender. From that moment on, Logano believed – even if most others still weren’t quite convinced – that this championship was actually his to lose.

Turns out he couldn’t have been more right.

Driving nearly the perfect race in the season finale at Homestead, Logano capped his run with a bold move to the outside of race leader Truex with 12 laps to go.

Logano completed the pass and cruised from there, speeding away to claim his third win of the season and his first championship at NASCAR’s highest level.

As performances go, they don’t get any more clutch than Logano’s performance on arguably NASCAR’s biggest stage – that of the Championship 4.

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THE LINE

2

Apart from Homestead, the “Big 3” Ruled. While the appropriately labeled “Big 3” of Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. ultimately came up short in their respective championship quests as they were defeated by Joey Logano in the season finale where four drivers – not three – race straight up for the title, the final outcome at Homestead does nothing to negate the fact that Harvick, Busch and Truex were in a league of their own when it came to the season as a whole.

Collectively, the “Big 3” won 20 of 36 points races and led the series in virtually every statistical category, including laps led, top-five finishes and stage wins. So dominant were Harvick, Busch and Truex that each man was virtually guaranteed a berth in the Championship 4 before the playoffs even started – thanks to the massive amount of playoff points they accumulated for race wins and stage wins over the course of the regular season.

It’s been a long time since three drivers were collectively as dominant as Harvick, Busch and Truex were in 2018.

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3

Chase Elliott Is a Bonafide Superstar – at Last. It took Chase Elliott 99 races and eight second-place finishes to finally score a breakthrough Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory. But when he did win – at Watkins Glen International in early August – the proverbial floodgates opened for the second-generation driver. Two months later, he won at Dover. Then, two weeks after that, he won at Kansas.

After more than two-and-a-half seasons of running well but being shut out of Victory Lane, the son of 1988 NASCAR premier series champion Bill Elliott emerged as the bonafide superstar so many people thought he would be even before he signed with Hendrick Motorsports and entered the NASCAR Cup Series full time in 2016. With more success, the young fan-favorite from Dawsonville, Georgia, appears to be gaining confidence.

“I definitely think there’s been some mental confidence that grew from Watkins Glen.

It certainly didn’t hurt,” Elliott said. “But I think just on-track performance, making our cars better and things has probably been the biggest thing to help us run better and put ourselves in these positions.”

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4

NASCAR Is Shaking Things Up with the 2019 Aero Package. Reversing course from its trend in recent years toward downforce reduction, NASCAR announced in early October that the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will move to a higher downforce aerodynamic package next season. The 2019 baseline aero package – a form of which debuted in May’s Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway – features an eight-inch by 61-inch rear spoiler, a 37-inch-wide radiator pan that tapers to 31 inches, and a front splitter with a two-inch overhang.

The primary goal of the new package is stabilizing a race car’s handling, which NASCAR believes will enhance its on-track product, particularly at the 1.5- and 2-mile tracks where the field tends to get strung out.

“The biggest difference is you’re accelerating into a corner, which is a different feel for most of us,” driver William Byron said of the 2019 package versus the lower-downforce 2018 package.

“Other than that, I feel like guys can figure it out pretty soon. [The 2019 package] is more about precision with how you’re around guys and how you make moves.”

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THE LINE

5

Cheating Will Not be Tolerated. NASCAR won’t put up with blatant rule-bending. Just ask Kevin Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers.

After Harvick scored a dominant victory in early November at Texas, NASCAR threw the proverbial book at Harvick, Childers and the entire No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team when officials discovered the spoiler on the No. 4 SHR Ford had been manipulated to give Harvick what NASCAR deemed to be a significant aerodynamic advantage.

NASCAR subsequently levied a huge penalty against the offending parties – stripping Harvick of 40 points, expelling Childers and the team’s car chief for the season’s final two races, and ruling that Harvick’s victory at Texas would no longer automatically qualify him for the Championship 4.

While Childers claimed the issue with Harvick’s spoiler wasn’t what made the No. 4 car so fast at Texas, the team didn’t even file an appeal, suggesting they must have been convinced NASCAR wouldn’t ultimately lessen the severity of the punishment.

The bottom line is NASCAR has zero tolerance these days for cheating.

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6

The Young Guns Fell Short of the Hype.

In the weeks leading up to the 2018 season, considerable buzz centered around the Monster Energy Series’ promising crop of “young guns,” whom many observers predicted would steal some thunder from the veterans who have more or less ruled the sport for the past decade.

During the preseason media tour in January, news outlets even went as far as to virtually pit the old guard and young guard against each other in an effort to create a fresh, compelling storyline. Well, suffice it to say the old guys still rule the track, but several young drivers did get some licks in.

Of the dozen drivers who went to Victory Lane, only three came into the year with fewer than three full seasons under their belt. And, those three drivers – Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and Erik Jones – combined to win five of 36 points races.

While there’s no doubt several of NASCAR’s young guns have an incredibly bright future, this season belonged to the guys who’ve been around the block.

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THE LINE

7

It Was a Season of Growing Pains for the Rookies. Rookies William Byron and Bubba Wallace arrived in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with hopes of avoiding the pitfalls and growing pains that plague many newcomers to NASCAR’s premier division.

Unfortunately for Byron and Wallace, it didn’t happen.

While both youngsters showed flashes of tremendous potential and even brilliance (remember Wallace’s amazing second-place finish in his first Daytona 500?), the season as a whole was a disappointment for the two rookies. The good news is that both will be back in their respective rides next season and should be more prepared for the challenges of competing at the sport’s highest level.

Byron especially has reason for optimism, as he will be paired next season with crew chief Chad Knaus – winner of a record-tying seven Monster Energy Series championships and more than 80 races with Jimmie Johnson.

“You can’t quantify how much Chad’s leadership and championship experience will benefit William, who is a special talent,” team owner Rick Hendrick said. “The two of them are a great match, and I’m excited to see what they can do together.”

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THE LINE

8

Stewart-Haas Racing Is NASCAR’s Most Tony Stewart and well-known businessman Gene Balanced Organization. Hands-down the Haas did a stellar job of giving each of its drivers most balanced organization from top to bottom this top-notch equipment week in and week out. season was Stewart-Haas Racing. In addition to Particularly notable was the fact that Aric Almibeing the only organization in the Monster Energy rola, in his first season with SHR, went to Victory Series to reach Victory Lane with four different drivLane for the first time since 2014 and for only the ers, SHR placed all four of its drivers in the Round second time in his career. Equally notable was the of 8 – a truly remarkable feat by any measure. success of teammate Clint Bowyer, who snapped a While SHR’s Kevin Harvick was by far the cream five-and-a-half year winless streak with his victory of the Stewart-Haas crop, the company co-owned at Martinsville Speedway in late March and then by three-time Monster Energy Series champion picked up a second victory at Michigan in June.

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THE LINE

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9

Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus Lost Their Magic. After 17 seasons, driver Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus have gone their separate ways. Johnson, who earned seven championships and 81 victories with Knaus atop the No. 48 pit box (Johnson has also won twice with an interim crew chief), was shut out of Victory Lane in 2018, making it the first season of his career that he failed to win a single race (Johnson actually won at least twice in each of his previous seasons).

Recognizing the close but sometimes contentious relationship between Johnson and Knaus had seen better days, team owner Rick Hendrick announced in October that the two men wouldn’t work together in 2019, but would remain with Hendrick Motorsports, where Johnson will be paired with new crew chief Kevin Meendering and Knaus will be the crew chief for second-year Hendrick driver William Byron.

Johnson and Knaus contend there are no hard feelings between them. “We’ve lasted longer than the average length of a marriage in the United States,” Knaus quipped.

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10

Matt Kenseth Lends a Hand. One of the most pleasant surprises of the season occurred when Matt Kenseth came out of retirement and rejoined Roush Fenway Racing in a part-time driving role, sharing the No. 6 Ford with Trevor Bayne.

Kenseth, of course, began his career in NASCAR’s top series with RFR and competed full time for RFR from 2000-2012, delivering the organization’s first premier series championship in 2003.

He left RFR for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2013 and spent five seasons with JGR before calling it quits from full-time driving.

While Kenseth doesn’t intend to compete next season, it was neat to see him back behind the wheel of a race car – especially one co-owned by his longtime boss, Jack Roush. Although Kenseth didn’t exactly set the woods on fire in his return to RFR, the veteran driver did what he was rehired to do – help the company assess the areas where its cars need more speed, and help RFR prepare for the future.

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THE LINE

11

Kasey Kahne Used the Safest – and Wisest – Exit Strategy. After already announcing his intention to retire at season’s end, Kasey Kahne competed in his final race much sooner than originally planned.

After Kahne was treated for severe dehydration following the Labor Day weekend race at Darlington Raceway, further testing revealed the Leavine Family Racing driver suffers from a condition that causes him to sweat excessively inside a race car, increasing his chances of becoming dehydrated regardless of how much fluid he takes in over the course of a race.

Initial plans for Kahne to return for select races were scrapped when his doctors deemed this a risk he shouldn’t take. So instead of finishing his career in the season finale at HomesteadMiami Speedway as originally planned, Kahne never returned to the seat after his medical scare at Darlington.

While Kahne certainly would have loved to have finished his driving career on his terms, the veteran driver and winner of 18 Monster Energy Series races clearly made the wisest decision for his health and family.

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12

The NASCAR Schedule Is Too Long for Some Drivers. When Elliott Sadler made the somewhat surprising announcement in August that 2018 would be his last season as a full-time NASCAR competitor, the veteran driver and fourtime Xfinity Series championship runner-up offered a thorough explanation of his decision to hang it up. In a nutshell, the 43-year-old married father of two was simply burnt out and tired of the grind that comes with a NASCAR schedule that begins in mid-February and ends mid-to-late November.

“It’s time for me, as a dad, to help my kids pursue their dreams,” Sadler said. “Both of them are very active in school and in extracurricular activities. I want to be with them for all their special moments. … It’s time for me to be the full-time dad that I want to be.” Monster Energy Series driver Kasey Kahne – also a father – expressed a similar sentiment in announcing his plan to call it quits at season’s end.

“The grueling schedule takes a toll on your quality of life,” Kahne said. “I need to spend time doing the things I enjoy.”

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THE LINE

13

Winning Was Harder Than Ever. In the 2017 season, 15 different drivers won at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.

This year, the number of different winners was reduced to 12, or, in other terms, by 20 percent.

Of course, when three drivers combine for at least 20 wins as Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. did in 2018, there’s not a whole lot of winning left to go around. The fact that Hendrick Motorsports – the organization with the most wins in NASCAR premier series history – went to Victory Lane only three times this season and did so with only one of its four drivers is perhaps the most glaring example of how difficult wins were to come by this year.

“We haven’t seen this in a long time where three cars have been that dominant and been able to win races,” said Team Penske driver Joey Logano, who joined the “Big 3” of Harvick, Busch and Truex as part of the Championship 4 who raced straight up for the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

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14

Time Hasn’t Made Joey Logano Less Aggressive.

Remember back in 2015 when Joey Logano drew the intense ire of Matt Kenseth for wrecking the veteran driver in a playoff race at Kansas Speedway? So angry was Kenseth that he retaliated two weeks later at Martinsville Speedway by intentionally wrecking Logano, the race leader, despite being multiple laps down.

Since the whole Kenseth fiasco, Logano had managed to keep his nose mostly clean and make few, if any, enemies aside from Kyle Busch, with whom he memorably came to blows after a last-lap collision at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March 2017.

Logano’s run of steering clear of controversy ended abruptly at Martinsville this October, however, when the driver of the No. 22 Ford body-slammed the car of reigning series champion Martin Truex Jr. as the two battled for the win and an automatic berth in the Championship 4. While Truex angrily hinted at future retaliation, Logano made no apologies for his aggressive last-lap move, making it clear that time has made him no less bold when there’s a big prize on the line.

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15

Sometimes It’s How You Start — AND How You Finish. The old adage holds that it’s not how you start but how you finish. For Tyler Reddick in 2018, it was both.

Reddick punched his ticket into the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs by winning the season opener at Daytona in thrilling fashion, nipping JR Motorsports teammate Elliott Sadler at the finish line by the narrowest margin of victory in NASCAR history.

But after the thrill of Daytona, reality quickly set in for Reddick as the series rookie endured the kind of ups and downs typical of a newcomer in one of NASCAR’s top three series. However, by the time the playoffs commenced, Reddick was well past a midseason slump that saw him finish outside the top 20 six times over a nine-race stretch.

Having clinched a berth in the Championship 4 after a solid performance in the Round of 8, Reddick finished the year as he started it – with a trip to Victory Lane. Only in the latter instance, winning the race also meant becoming the new series champion when few people considered him the championship favorite.

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16

The Little Team That Could. Hands-down the biggest championship upset among NASCAR’s top three divisions came in the Camping World Truck Series where driver Brett Moffitt beat long odds to capture an unlikely championship for underfunded, little-known Hattori Racing Enterprises.

Moffitt, who as recent as this summer didn’t even know if he would be able to run the full season due to lack of sponsorship, delivered six race victories and a championship for a group that has only 10 full-time employees and that prior to 2018 had never won a NASCAR national series race.

As Cinderella stories go, you won’t find one better than that of Hattori Racing Enterprises and Moffitt – a 26-year-old Iowa native who made his Monster Energy Series debut in 2014 in a seven-race substitute role but who had never run a full season in one of NASCAR’s top three divisions until this year.

Japanese team owner Shigeaki Hattori is a former IndyCar racer whose Truck Series team just finished its second year of full-time competition.

“We’re a small team, but everybody did a great job,” Hattori said.

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2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards

RECOGNIZING THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST

Joey Logano Honored in Las Vegas as Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion

J

oey Logano said the reality of his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship sank in as soon as he took the checkered flag on Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and his words during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series awards ceremony at Wynn Las Vegas seemed to belie that assertion.

“Who’d have thought… 23 years ago, Santa Claus brought me a go-kart,” Logano said during the champion’s speech. “Who’d have thought I’d be a NASCAR champion?”

Logano claimed the title in NASCAR’s premier series by winning the Championship 4 race at Homestead, capping a season in which he peaked during the Playoffs. Logano secured his spot in the Championship 4 by winning the first event of the Round of 8 at Martinsville, where he executed a bump-and run on defending series champion Martin Truex Jr. in the final corner.

“To the NASCAR fans,” Logano said, “love me or hate me, I just love your passion.”

The night before the season finale in Miami, Logano spent the evening providing dinners to the less fortunate, emblematic of the charitable work of the Joey Logano Foundation. The Cup championship will provide him an even larger platform for his philanthropic activities.

“I know I’ve made a lot of mistakes on and off the race track,” said Logano, who got his ride in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford in 2013 after being released from Joe Gibbs Racing. “But God’s given me an amazing opportunity to learn from each one and teaching me what it’s like to have a second chance in life.

“That’s why we started the Joey Logano Foundation, to give second chances to children and young adults in times of crisis. The other part of our mission is maybe more important, to inspire others to live a life of generosity.

“I talk about how our sport gives us such a large stage to make a difference. Here I am standing on the largest stage in NASCAR, so I need to use this moment to challenge all of us and inspire all of us to be the change… Let’s just remember that life is so much more than what we see here tonight.”

Team owner Roger Penske reflected on a year that brought him not only Logano’s championship

BY REID SPENCER | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

but also his 17th Indianapolis 500 victory with Will Power, his first Brickyard 400 win with Brad Keselowski and an Australian V8 Supercars title with Scott McLaughlin.

“To see this whole championship unfold over 38 weekends and to culminate here in Las Vegas—sitting up on the stage there with Joey, all the sponsors and Ford Motor Company and my wife Kathy, that she hangs out with me for over 45 years is amazing,” Penske said.

“It’s just hard to believe. We’re going to be back after it next year. Each year, we set the bar a little bit higher, and I think that’s what makes us so good.”

To no one’s surprise, Chase Elliott received the NMPA Most Popular Driver Award for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Dale Earnhardt Jr., winner of the previous 15 Most Popular Driver awards, made the presentation. Elliott follows in the footsteps of his father, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, who earned the distinction a record 16 times.

“I figured it was maybe going to be a tossup between me, Joey and maybe Kyle [Busch],” Elliott joked. “It’s definitely a big passing [of the torch].

It’s so cool to know it stayed between Elliott and Earnhardt for so long.”

Then Elliott turned his attention to Earnhardt, who moved from the driver’s seat to the NBC Sports TV booth this season.

“I am glad, though, that you quit a year before you tied Dad’s record,” Elliott said. “I’m pretty happy about that.”

NBC Sports’ Kelli Stavast and Rutledge Wood hosted the event, along with co-host Marty Snider.

All 16 drivers who made the 2018 Playoffs were recognized and interviewed during the program.

Two of the drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin, failed to win at least one race for the first time in their careers.

Johnson will race in 2019 without crew chief Chad Knaus, ending a partnership that started in 2002.

“I just look back at 17 amazing years,” said Johnson, who is paired with crew chief Kevin Meendering for next season, “and really excited about what’s ahead of us.”

Hamlin seemed ready to embrace the new higher-downforce, lower-horsepower 2019 competition package announced for the Monster Energy Series next year.

“It can only go up,” Hamlin said of his prospects.

“Everything’s going to be different. Everybody’s going to be starting from scratch.”

Logano, however, will be starting the 2019 season as the reigning champion, a role he is certain to enjoy, no matter what’s in the rulebook.

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NASCAR AWARDS

■■ 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano and his wife, Brittnay, share a moment of celebration.

■■ Joey Logano addresses the audience at the Wynn Las Vegas.

■■ NASCAR President Steve Phelps speaks to attendees.

■■ Team owner Roger Penske accepts the Champion Owner Award.

■■ Dale Earnhardt Jr. presents Chase Elliott with the Most Popular Driver Award.

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■■ The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards celebration.

■■ Chase Elliott poses with the Most Popular Driver Award trophy.

■■ Martin Truex Jr. and his girlfriend, Sherry Pollex.

■■ Todd Gordon and his wife, Amy. ■■ Kyle Larson and his wife, Katelyn.

■■ Erik Jones.

■■ Kyle Busch and his wife, Samantha.

■■ William Byron.

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NASCAR AWARDS ■■ Denny Hamlin and his wife, Jordan Fish.

■■ Kurt Busch and his wife, Ashley.

■■ Roger Penske and his wife, Kathy.

■■ Richard Childress and his wife, Judy.

■■ Aric Almirola and his wife, Janice.

■■ Kevin Harvick and his wife, DeLana.

■■ Austin Dillon and his wife, Whitney.

■■ Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his wife, Amy. ■■ Clint Bowyer and his wife, Lorra.

■■ Alex Bowman and his girlfriend, Emily Boat.

■■ Brad Keselowski and his wife, Paige, got photo-bombed by Jimmie Johnson.

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■■ Adam Stevens, crew chief of Kyle Busch’s No. 18 team, accepts the MOOG Go the Extra Mile Crew Chief of the Year Award.

■■ Doug Yates accepts the MAHLE Engine Builder of the Year Award.

■■ Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Ford, accepts the American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award.

■■ Todd Gordon, crew chief of Joey Logano’s No. 22 team, accepts the award for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion Crew Chief.

■■ NASCAR driver Kurt Busch accepts the Busch Pole Award.

■■ Grant Lynch, Talladega Superspeedway chairman, accepts the Buddy Shuman Award.

■■ NASCAR driver William Byron accepts the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award.

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NASCAR AWARDS

NASCAR CHAIRMAN JIM FRANCE HONORED WITH NMPA MYERS BROTHERS AWARD

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“Holy smokes! It’s a shock, so if you’ll bear with me for a second…” France said after National Motorsports Press Association President Ben White introduced the NASCAR chairman and CEO as the recipient of the 2018 Myers Brothers Award.

France, 74, enjoys a close connection with the award, named for NASCAR pioneers Billy and Bobby Myers.

“In the summers between 1950 and 1951, I grew up in the pits at Bowman-Gray Stadium [in Winston-Salem, North Carolina],” France said during the NMPA Myers Brothers Awards at the Encore Theater, part of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ Champion’s Week celebration. “As an 11-year-old, Billy Myers was my favorite driver. It so happened that the No. 4 on the side of his race car became my favorite number.

“So to receive this honor is very special. I had the opportunity the last part of this season to spend a lot of time again in the garage area and the pits with our racing series. I’d like to pass on one quick observation: from the 1950s at Bowman-Gray Stadium to the 2018 pits in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, that NASCAR spirit – the competitive spirit of the drivers and teams – is alive and well.”

With more than 40 years as a board member of International Speedway Corporation, for which he also served as president and CEO, France was honored for his outstanding contributions to stock car racing.

The Myers Brothers Awards also recognized newly crowned Cup champion Joey Logano, who received the Sunoco Diamond Performance Award and the Goodyear gold car – a replica of his championship-winning No. 22 Ford – for his efforts in securing his first title.

BY REID SPENCER | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

Logano couldn’t take his eyes of the gold trophy, which gleamed from the stage in the theater.

“That is the coolest trophy in all of sports,” said Logano, who preceded his crew chief, Todd Gordon, to the dais.

“What a great year to be a part of Team Penske,” Gordon said. “[Team owner] Roger [Penske] was voted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Will Power won our 17th Indianapolis 500, Brad Keselowski won our first Brickyard 400, Ryan Blaney won the inaugural Charlotte Roval race, Scott McLaughlin won the Australia Supercars championship, and we checked off the last current Cup track that Penkse hadn’t won at with a win and championship at HomesteadMiami Speedway.”

Talladega Superspeedway president Grant Lynch was the recipient of the 2018 Buddy Shuman Award, which recognizes individuals who have played vital roles in in ensuring the continued growth and popularity of NASCAR racing.

“Man, y’all can keep a secret,” said Lynch in an emotional speech. “I never thought I would get where I did, and you don’t get there without people who put their faith behind you.”

First-year Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron took Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, but he was eager to put his status as a neophyte behind him.

“No more rookie meetings, and that’s a freedom I haven’t had in my short NASCAR career so far,” Byron said. “With that being said, I’m ready to have a little fun tomorrow when I turn 21 and take those rookie stripes off.”

Other awards handed out included: the Busch Pole Award to Kurt Busch for his five pole positions in 2018; the NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award to Exxon Mobil for its Mobil 1 ads featuring a miniature Kevin Harvick; the Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award to the No. 18 crew of driver Kyle Busch; the Moog Go the Extra Mile Crew Chief Award to Adam Stevens; the Mahle Engine Builder of the Year Award to Doug Yates of Roush Yates Engines; the Mobil 1 Performance Award to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for 3,090 passes during the 2018 season; and the American Ethanol Green-Flag Restart Award to Kevin Harvick.

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NASCAR AWARDS

■■ 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano poses with the championship trophy in Las Vegas.

■■ 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Tyler Reddick poses with the Grinch in Universal Studios during a visit to Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida.

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NASCAR HISTORY

Remembering NASCAR Legend David Pearson

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avid Pearson, winner of three NASCAR premier series championships, died on Nov. 12 at the age of 83. Winner of 105 races in just 574 starts – second most to fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty – the Whitney, South Carolinaborn Pearson won titles in 1966 and 1968-69.

“David Pearson’s 105 NASCAR premier series victories and his classic rivalry in the 1960s and ’70s with Richard Petty helped set the stage for NASCAR’s transformation into a mainstream sport with national appeal,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France.

“When he retired, he had three championships – and millions of fans. Petty called him the greatest driver he ever raced against. We were lucky to be able to call him one of our champions.

“On behalf of the France Family and everyone at NASCAR, I want to offer sincere condolences to the family and friends of David Pearson, a true giant of our sport.”

Pearson was most identified with the legendary Wood Brothers despite never winning a championship in their Ford and Mercury cars. Between 1972 and 1979, Pearson and the Virginia-based Woods – led by NASCAR Hall of Famers Glen and Leonard – won 43 times including the 1976 Daytona 500.

Nicknamed “The Silver Fox,” Pearson was a ferocious qualifier, once earning 11 consecutive pole positions at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a NASCAR premier series record that still stands.

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Perhaps the greatest measure of Pearson’s talents was his mastery of Darlington Raceway in South Carolina, not far from where the driver grew up in Spartanburg – once the hub of NASCAR stock car racing.

Pearson won 10 times at the track dubbed “Too Tough to Tame,” a 1.366-mile, egg-shaped track that ushered in NASCAR’s paved, superspeedway era in 1950. He won three Southern 500s, run during the heat and humidity of Labor Day week that ranked as the sport’s greatest test of endurance for both driver and car.

“Darlington Raceway expresses its deepest condolences and sympathies to the family and friends of David Pearson,” said Kerry Tharp, Darlington president. “His record 10 wins at Darlington Raceway put him in a league of his own. His fierce competitiveness and passion for the sport endeared him to the NASCAR faithful. His Hall of Fame career will go down as one of the most prolific in the history of the sport. A native South Carolinian, he was a wonderful ambassador for our sport and for the Palmetto State. He will be missed and will always be remembered.”

Pearson reached NASCAR’s pinnacle in 2011, becoming a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

“A member of the second class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011, David was indisputably one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history—and one of the greatest in all forms of motorsports of all time,” said NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley. “His driving style epitomized his nickname.

He had an incredible feel for any race car he drove and knew when to save his equipment and when and how hard to push his equipment at just the right time.

“The epic battles between David and his rival, good friend and fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, were key factors in the growth of NASCAR. Their rivalry grew our sport’s following through the 1960s and 1970s and to this day they are the two winningest drivers in NASCAR premier series history. Richard has always acknowledged that David was his toughest competitor on the track. They maintained immense respect for one another during their driving days and beyond.

“David made an indelible mark on NASCAR history, and it is because of competitors like him that NASCAR is what it is today. We are forever indebted to David and are proud to help ensure his incredible legacy will forever be remembered.”

The Silver Fox DAVID PEARSON PREVAILED 105 TIMES David Pearson ran his first race in NASCAR’s premier series in February 1960. He eventually claimed three Cup Series titles and amassed 105 victories in 574 series starts, second only to Richard Petty (200) in the win column.

I ENJOYED BEING WITH THE WOOD BROTHERS. WHEN WE WERE AT THE RACE TRACK, WE WERE ALWAYS JOKING AND KIDDING EACH OTHER. IT WAS THE JOY AND HIGHLIGHT OF MY LIFE.

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QUIET UNASSUMING

SAVVY CAPABLE

INGENIOUS MOTIVATED SMOOTH

orn in Whitney, South Carolina, in 1934, Pearson’s first race came in a 1952 Hobby Stock event at a track in nearby Woodruff. He earned $13.

In February 1960, Pearson built a Ford for Late Model competition and hauled it to Daytona International Speedway. The next year, he collected major Cup Series victories at Daytona International Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway en route to rookie-of-the-year honors.

By 1966, Pearson had joined team owner and fellow South Carolinian Cotton Owens and logged 15 victories and his first Cup Series championship. Two more titles came with Ford’s powerhouse Holman-Moody organization in 1968 and 1969.

In 1970 and 1971, Pearson began racing a limited schedule of Cup Series races for Holman-Moody and car owner Ray Nichels.

BEST SEASON PEARSON WON HIS second of three NASCAR premier series championships in 1968 with 16 victories, 36 top-five finishes, 38 top-10 results and 12 pole positions for team owners John Holman and Ralph Moody. Pearson led 3,950 of 13,907 laps that season with an average finish of 5.8 over the 48-race schedule.

BY BEN WHITE | PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY NASCAR

RECORD-SETTER ONE OF PEARSON’S greatest victories came in the 1976 Daytona 500 at just 20 mph after a last-lap crash with Richard Petty. Pearson was chosen Driver of the (20th) Century by a select group of NASCAR media members who covered the sport in that era.

THE NO. 17 CAR

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He enjoyed his best years with Wood Brothers Racing from 1972 to 1979 as he won 43 races with the Virginia-based team, including 11 of 18 starts in 1973.

Pearson and team owner Glen Wood parted ways in April 1979 after a pit road miscue at Darlington Raceway. Pearson returned to the track that September to win as a substitute driver for the injured Dale Earnhardt. Pearson’s final Cup Series victory came at Darlington in April 1980 in Hoss Ellington’s Chevrolet, while his final start was six years later at Michigan International Speedway.

Throughout his career, Pearson’s reputation for laying back and striking late unnerved his rivals. Of those, he and Richard Petty finished first and second 63 times with Pearson winning 33 and Petty coming out on top 30 times.

KNOWN FOR DURING A 26-YEAR career, Pearson was considered to be one of the smartest, yet elusive drivers in NASCAR’s long and storied history. Even his own crew members and team owners didn’t know his strategies for the closing laps of races.

He was known for saving his cars until the final 50 laps.

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SERIES RECAPS NASCAR XFINITY SERIES RECAP

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ELLIOTT SADLER SAYS GOODBYE

AS ELLIOTT SADLER PREPARED FOR RETIREMENT, HE wanted to go out as a NASCAR Xfinity Series champion. But things didn’t go as planned for the veteran JR Motorsports driver. Sadler failed to win in 2018, but his 24 top-10 finishes tied him for second in the Xfinity Series. While his career might have come to an end without that elusive title, Sadler will go down as one of the best drivers in series history. The Virginia native ended his career with three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victories, 13 Xfinity Series triumphs and a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win. He finished among the top five in the Xfinity Series standings eight times. Top cap off his season, Sadler was voted the series’ Most Popular Driver.

NOT ENOUGH FOR BELL

REDDICK BOOKENDS THE SEASON Tyler Reddick didn’t enter the Championship 4 finale at HomesteadMiami Speedway as the NASCAR Xfinity Series title favorite, especially since he had already announced his move to Richard Childress Racing for 2019.

But Reddick took command at Homestead, leading 44 laps en route to claiming JR Motorsports’ third title in five years. The No. 9 JRM Chevrolet Camaro won the first and last races of the season, and that’s all Reddick needed to steal the crown from runner-up Cole Custer, who won late in the year at Texas.

Daniel Hemric went winless on the season, but finished third in the championship before moving up to the Cup Series next year with RCR. Then, there was Christopher Bell, who was the most dominant driver on the year, winning seven races as a rookie for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Justin Allgaier earned five triumphs for JRM, but failed to make the Championship 4. It was still Allgaier’s best season as he becomes the elder statesman of the series following teammate Elliott Sadler’s retirement. Ryan Preece, John Hunter Nemechek, Chase Briscoe and Ross Chastain each won a race this year.

In addition, seven NASCAR Cup Series regulars went to Victory Lane.

AWARD SHOW CHAMPION: Tyler Reddick TOP NEWCOMER: Christopher Bell BEST RACE: Lilly Diabetes 250 at Indianapolis TOP MOMENT: John Hunter Nemechek wins at Kansas

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A ROOKIE SEASON WITH seven wins is astonishing for anyone. But without a championship trophy, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell left Homestead-Miami Speedway wondering what else he could have done? The answer: Not much.

Bell had two finishes worse than 30th in the Round of 8, putting him in a must-win situation during the penultimate

race at ISM Raceway, and that’s exactly what he did.

But when the No. 20 Toyota arrived for the championship finale, it wasn’t meant to be.

Bell led nine laps late in the race, but issues just after that put him in 11th place on the scoring pylon, earning him fourth place in the standings.

Prognosticators expect even more victories from Bell during his sophomore season.

CHASTAIN EARNS RIDE WITH CHIP GANASSI RACING “Never Give Up” has long been a way of life for Ross Chastain, a former watermelon farmer.

After four seasons with JD Motorsports, an underfunded NASCAR Xfinity Series operation that does the best with what it has, Chastain will be wheeling one of the series’ top rides in 2019 as he takes over the No. 42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Chastain earned the ride following his impressive performances during a three-race stint with the Ganassi team late in the year. He was in prime playoff position prior to his time with CGR and then sealed the deal with a victory at Las Vegas in the No. 42 car. The win wasn’t surprising given the equipment, but it stands for much more. It gives drivers with small, underfunded teams hope that they, too, can one day race for the larger, winning teams.

BY JOSEPH WOLKIN | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES RECAP

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JOHNNY SAUTER FALLS SHORT

VETERAN JOHNNY SAUTER THOUGHT THE NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title was a lock. It would have been the second of his career, but Sauter will have to wait until February to resume his quest for another championship trophy.

After winning a career-high six races in 2018, Sauter ended the year in disappointing fashion. His GMS Racing Chevrolet ran outside of the top 10 for a chunk of the night during the Championship 4 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and he finished 11th, the worst of the four title contenders.

While Sauter led 585 laps on the year, he failed to lead when it counted the most. However, in a series loaded with young talent, the 40-year-old Sauter is still on top of his game.

FRIESEN EMERGES

THE LITTLE TEAM THAT COULD Believe it or not, an underdog racer driving for an underfunded team won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship. Brett Moffitt and Hattori Racing Enterprises did the unthinkable. Running several races with blank quarter-panels on their No. 16 Toyota Tundra, Moffitt shocked the world by capturing a NASCAR title for this small team.

The Iowa native won six times, including the season finale at HomesteadMiami Speedway to earn the championship. He held off Noah Gragson, who scored a victory at Kansas, along with three-time winner Justin Haley and six-time winner Johnny Sauter to secure the crown.

Sauter entered the championship race as the favorite, but Moffitt’s success with crew chief Scott Zipadelli gave the small team a huge reason to celebrate.

Also earning victories this season were Grant Enfinger, Timothy Peters, Kyle Busch, John Hunter Nemechek, Chase Briscoe and Ben Rhodes.

AWARD SHOW CHAMPION: Brett Moffitt TOP NEWCOMER: Todd Gilliland BEST RACE: World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway TOP MOMENT: Timothy Peters returns to Truck Series and wins at Talladega

CANADIAN DIRT-TRACK racer Stewart Friesen arrived in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series seemingly out of nowhere in 2016. He had very little experience racing on asphalt but was eager and willing to learn.

Fast-forward to 2018, his first full season in the Truck Series, and Friesen’s No. 52 Chevrolet was a consistent front-runner and he worked his way into playoffs. During

the offseason, Halmar Friesen Racing formed an alliance with GMS Racing and the results were impressive.

Friesen ended the year without a victory, but he earned nine top-five finishes – including three runnerup efforts – and 16 top-10 results. With an average finish of 9.1, he closed the campaign seventh in points, a respectable run for his first full season.

KYLE BUSCH RACING’S YOUTH MOVEMENT Call it the Kyle Busch Motorsports show. OK, you’re probably used to that by now, but the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season was a new episode with an impressive group of young drivers in KBM equipment. Noah Gragson led the team as the 20-year-old “veteran” won a race and came up just short of claiming the championship by finishing second to Brett Moffitt. Gragson earned 17 top-10 finishes. Though rookie Todd Gilliland couldn’t compete for a championship since he wasn’t eligible to run the bigger tracks until his 18th birthday in May, he finished 10th in points with four top-five results.

In addition to these two, youngsters Harrison Burton, Christian Eckes, Spencer Davis and Riley Herbst each had impressive performances in KBM trucks.

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SERIES RECAPS NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES EAST RECAP ANKRUM STUNS EAST SERIES FOES Tyler Ankrum’s rookie season in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East was a dream-come-true for the California native. Driving for David Gilliland’s new DGR Crosley team, Ankrum stunned the competition, by winning four races on his way to claiming the championship trophy at Dover International Speedway in October. Ankrum scored wins at South Boston, Thompson, New Hampshire and Iowa with top-10 finishes in all but two races. His No. 17 Toyota dominated the schedule as he defeated teammate Tyler Dippel, who won at Langley Speedway, by 84 points in the title fight.

Ruben Garcia Jr., who finished third in the standings, earned triumphs at Memphis and Dover. Todd Gilliland picked up a pair of wins to start the season at New Smyrna and Bristol, while eventual Truck Series champion Brett Moffitt won at Watkins Glen.

Also earning victories were Brandon McReynolds (Loudon), Will Rodgers (New Jersey Motorsports Park), Anthony Alfredo (South Boston) and Derek Kraus (Gateway).

AWARD SHOW CHAMPION: Tyler Ankrum TOP NEWCOMER: Tyler Ankrum BEST RACE: Great Outdoors RV Superstore 100 at Watkins Glen BEST MOMENT: Brandon McReynolds wins at Loudon

TOYOTA DOMINATES: It was the year of the Toyotas in the K&N Pro Series East. From DGR Crosley to Rev Racing and several other teams, the manufacturer dominated the series by winning 12 of the 14 races. The only blemishes came when Will Rodgers, driving a Ford, won on the road course at New Jersey Motorsports Park and Brandon McReynolds, wheeling a Chevrolet, stole a victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway from Derek Kraus, who was in a Toyota. While the DGR Crosley team dominated, Rev Racing picked up a couple wins of its own with Ruben Garcia Jr. to highlight NASCAR’s diversity program. It will be interesting to see if the other manufacturers can catch up to the Toyota camp next season.

NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES WEST RECAP DEREK THORN BACK ON TOP Consistency carried Derek Thorn to his second NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship as the 2013 series titlist returned to full-time racing in grand style.

Driving for Bob Bruncati’s Sunrise Ford team, Thorn won at Colorado National Speedway and Evergreen Speedway as he recorded 13 top-five finishes during the 14-race schedule with an average finish of 3.1. He beat teammate Ryan Partridge, who won at Orange Show Speedway, by 27 points in the championship battle.

Cole Rouse and Derek Kraus each won for team owner Bill McAnally, with Rouse visiting Victory Lane at Roseville and Kraus picking up two wins at Bakersfield, plus triumphs at Douglas County and Gateway.

Will Rodgers won at Sonoma, while Kody Vanderwal earned two victories at Tucson. Sheldon Creed also scored a victory at the LVMS Dirt Track and the year was highlighted by Hailie Deegan’s historic win at Meridian Speedway.

DEEGAN BECOMES A NASCAR STAR: Hailie Deegan might be the next Danica Patrick – if not even better. The daughter of motocross star Brian Deegan is a NASCAR Next member and is one of stock car racing’s top prospects. Her determination was seen on-track this year in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West as the 17-year-old racer joined forces with Bill McAnally Racing. Deegan was one of the most consistent drivers in the field, putting her No. 19 car in the top 10 for all but two races. Her victory at Meridian Speedway was the highlight of her year, but it was no surprise given the raw speed she showed in the 11 races prior to the victory. The pressure of possibly being NASCAR’s next female star is nothing she can’t handle and with a great team behind her, she finished fifth in the standings.

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AWARD SHOW CHAMPION: Derek Thorn TOP NEWCOMER: Hailie Deegan BEST RACE: NAPA Auto Parts 175 at Colorado National Speedway BEST MOMENT: Hailie Deegan wins at Meridian

NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR RECAP BONSIGNORE ROMPS IN MODS This was Justin Bonsignore’s year to shine in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The driver of Kenneth Massa’s No. 51 machine finished runner-up in the 2016 championship chase and was never able to claim a title until this season. In dominating fashion, Bonsignore won eight of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s 16 races and claimed the championship by an astonishing 97 points over Chase Dowling. Not only did Bonsignore win all three races at Thompson Speedway, but he was also victorious at Seekonk and Bristol and in both Riverhead races, ending the year with a 3.4 average finish. Dowling won at New Hampshire in September but didn’t come close to Bonsignore in the title fight. Doug Coby earned a victory at Stafford and finished third in the standings. Soon-to-be NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece was triumphant at Stafford and Langley, running a part-time schedule. Jon McKennedy, Kyle Bonsignore, Bobby Santos III and Matt Hirschman each won a single race in 2018.

AWARD SHOW CHAMPION: Justin Bonsignore TOP NEWCOMER: Ronnie Williams BEST RACE: Musket 250 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway BEST MOMENT: Jon McKennedy wins for Tommy Baldwin at Myrtle Beach

COBY FINALLY GETS BEAT: It took more than four years, but the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour finally had someone who could beat Doug Coby. The five-time champion’s title streak ended this year at four in a row thanks to Justin Bonsignore’s amazing season. Coby, driving his familiar No. 2 modified, won only one race and, unlike 2017, one win wasn’t enough to earn the championship. He had eight top-five finishes, but finishing on average over five positions behind his championship rival meant there was no title shot this time around. Three finishes of 21st or worse put him behind early in the year, and he never recovered. Looking forward to next year, Coby is ready to reclaim the series crown.

NASCAR PEAK MEXICO SERIES RECAP GARCIA JR. FENDS OFF VENCES There’s another two-time champion in NASCAR this year, and that honor belongs to 23-year-old Rubén García Jr. Garcia, who returned to his championship team from 2015, dominated the NASCAR Peak Mexico Series season, claiming three victories and finishing inside the top 10 in each of the 12 races. In doing so, he held off Irwin Vences, who had a career-best year.

Vences also earned three wins but failed to keep up with Garcia and the No. 88 team’s consistency. Garcia’s triumphs came in dominating fashion as he won three straight contests at Puebla, Aguascalientes and Queretaro.

Ruben Rovelo won a pair of races, while Salvador de Alba Jr., 2017 champion Abraham Calderon and Homero Richards won one race each.

VENCES RISES TO THE OCCASION: It’s been a decade since Irwin Vences began racing in the NASCAR Peak Mexico Series, but he had never come close to claiming a title until 2018. Prior to this season, Vences had seven series victories, each coming between 2013 and 2017. However, he never finished higher than fifth in points. That all changed in 2018. Vences’ No. 46 machine often appeared to be on cruise-control as he visited Victory lane at San Luis Potosi, Guadalajara and Chiapas. His consistency was on point as well, earning 10 top-10 finishes. While the effort was not enough to beat Rubén García Jr. for the championship, it certainly put Vences in the conversation. He emerged as a title contender for the first time and many expect him to be in the championship mix again in 2019.

AWARD SHOW CHAMPION: Rubén García Jr. TOP NEWCOMER: Fabian Welter BEST RACE: Gran Premio Arris at Autodromo de Chiapas BEST MOMENT: Salvador de Alba Jr. wins at Guadalajara

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SERIES RECAPS NASCAR WHELEN EURO SERIES RECAP BACK-TO-BACK TITLES FOR DAY Alon Day made history once again in 2018, capturing his second straight NASCAR Whelen Euro Series championship.

The Israeli racer became just the second driver in series history to win consecutive titles, defeating Frederic Gabillon by only 28 points as Day tied a series-record seven wins in a season. Gabillon earned two wins on the year, with top-10 finishes in all but one of the 12 races.

Lucas Lasserre visited Victory Lane in Italy, and Loris Hezemans earned a triumph in Germany. When the series arrived at England’s Brands Hatch, Gianmarco Ercoli stole a win on his way to an eighthplace finish in the standings. Anthony Kumpen, the 2016 series champion, didn’t run the whole season but managed to earn five top-five finishes in the first five races of the year.

AWARD SHOW CHAMPION: Alon Day TOP NEWCOMER: Loris Hezemans BEST RACE: Valencia Round 2 at Circuit Ricardo Tormo BEST MOMENT: Alon Day edged Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte at Tours Speedway

GABILLON COMES UP JUST SHORT: It seemed like 2018 was Frederic Gabillon’s time to shine. The RDV Competition driver had come up short before in his quest for a NASCAR Whelen Euro Series title, but this one stung a bit more. He also finished second in the 2016 title chase, a year that saw him visit Victory Lane four times. This time around, Gabillon earned triumphs at Tours and Brands Hatch. On top of that, he recorded top-10 finishes in all but one of the 12 races. But that wasn’t enough to beat a dominant Alon Day. Gabillon’s No. 3 car was consistently in the top-five, finishing near the front of the pack in nine contests. But with an average finish below fifth this year, it just wasn’t enough to beat a seven-time race winner.

NASCAR PINTY’S SERIES RECAP DUMOULIN DOES IT IN CANADA L.P. Dumoulin started the NASCAR Pinty’s Series season with a bang, winning the opener at the famed Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

From there, Dumoulin seldom looked back, earning two more victories en route to his second series championship. But the title didn’t come easily for Dumoulin as he edged Alex Tagliani by a mere seven markers. And D.J. Kennington, who also entered several NASCAR Cup Series races in 2018, finished just behind Tagliani, trailing Dumoulin by 12 points.

Tagliani won two races, but Dumoulin had two more top-10 finishes to earn the title.

Kennington topped the season finale at Hamilton, while Andrew Ranger and Kevin Lacroix also won two races each. Donald Theetge, Marc-Antoine Camirand and Cole Powell each picked up wins on the season, giving the series eight different winners in 13 contests.

TAGLIANI CONTENDS FOR TITLE: It took a few years for open-wheel veteran Alex Tagliani to get adjusted to stock car racing, but he was finally a NASCAR Pinty’s Series title contender in 2018. The former IndyCar Series driver made it a goal to be more consistent this season, on top of competing for victories. He did just that. His triumphs at Trois-Rivieres and Bowmanville set him up to win the title. Tagliani entered the championship race only four points behind L.P. Dumoulin, but both drivers struggled and it left the former open-wheeler in the runner-up position. Tagliani earned eight top-five finishes on the year. If it weren’t for two “off” races, he might have been crowned champion.

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AWARD SHOW CHAMPION: L.P. Dumoulin TOP NEWCOMER: Brett Taylor BEST RACE: Total Quartz 200 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park BEST MOMENT: D.J. Kennington ends winless drought at Jukasa Motor Speedway

FINAL STANDINGS K&N PRO EAST NO. DRIVER 1 Tyler Ankrum 2 Tyler Dippel 3 Ruben Garcia, Jr. 4 Ronnie Bassett, Jr. 5 Anthony Alfredo 6 Ryan Vargas 7 Chase Cabre 8 Dillon Bassett 9 Spencer Davis 10 Colin Garrett

POINTS 574 490 489 487 480 462 452 448 426 377

K&N PRO WEST NO. DRIVER 1 Derek Thorn 2 Ryan Partridge 3 Cole Rouse 4 Derek Kraus 5 Hailie Deegan 6 Trevor Huddleston 7 Kody Vanderwal 8 Matt Levin 9 Takuma Koga 10 Todd Souza

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

NO. DRIVER 1 Joey Logano 2 Martin Truex Jr. 3 Kevin Harvick 4 Kyle Busch 5 Aric Almirola 6 Chase Elliott 7 Kurt Busch 8 Brad Keselowski 9 Kyle Larson 10 Ryan Blaney 11 Denny Hamlin 12 Clint Bowyer 13 Austin Dillon 14 Jimmie Johnson 15 Erik Jones 16 Alex Bowman 17 Ryan Newman 18 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 19 Paul Menard 20 Jamie McMurray 21 Daniel Suarez 22 AJ Allmendinger 23 William Byron 24 Chris Buescher 25 David Ragan 26 Michael McDowell 27 Ty Dillon 28 Bubba Wallace 29 Matt DiBenedetto 30 Kasey Kahne 31 Trevor Bayne 32 Matt Kenseth 33 Regan Smith 34 Corey LaJoie 35 Cole Whitt 36 Gray Gaulding 37 Jeffrey Earnhardt 38 Kyle Weatherman 39 Harrison Rhodes 40 Blake Jones 41 Mark Thompson 42 Cody Ware 43 Derrike Cope 44 Chris Cook 45 Tomy Drissi 46 Danica Patrick 47 Alon Day 48 Stanton Barrett

Hermie Sadler

NO. DRIVER 1 Tyler Reddick 2 Cole Custer 3 Daniel Hemric 4 Christopher Bell 5 Elliott Sadler 6 Matt Tifft 7 Justin Allgaier 8 Austin Cindric 9 Brandon Jones 10 Ross Chastain 11 Ryan Reed 12 Ryan Truex 13 John Hunter Nemechek 14 Michael Annett 15 Jeremy Clements 16 Ryan Sieg 17 Alex Labbe 18 Spencer Gallagher 19 Garrett Smithley 20 Joey Gase 21 Ryan Preece 22 Kaz Grala 23 David Starr 24 Chase Briscoe 25 Shane Lee 26 Spencer Boyd 27 Vinnie Miller 28 J.J. Yeley 29 B.J. McLeod 30 Chad Finchum 31 Tommy Joe Martins 32 Josh Williams 33 Josh Bilicki 34 Ty Majeski 35 Ray Black Jr. 36 Timmy Hill 37 Jeff Green 38 Mike Harmon 39 Dylan Lupton 40 Kyle Benjamin 41 Justin Marks 42 Brandon Brown 43 Stephen Leicht 44 Brendan Gaughan 45 Brandon Hightower 46 Andy Lally 47 Jeb Burton 48 Landon Cassill 49 Quin Houff 50 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

PTS. 5040 5035 5034 5033 2354 2350 2350 2343 2299 2298 2285 2272 2245 2242 2220 2204 769 701 692 683 674 603 587 585 524 493 482 471 368 358 287 268 157 144 132 119 110 33 24 21 15 11 8 6 5 2 1 1 1

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES PTS. 4040 4035 4033 4026 2255 2254 2251 2231 2186 2184 2170 2160 643 632 619 589 540 524 496 495 483 439 352 334 315 302 279 276 276 253 216 208 202 155 131 119 108 105 103 102 99 94 81 71 64 60 60 59 56 51

NO. DRIVER 1 Brett Moffitt 2 Noah Gragson 3 Justin Haley 4 Johnny Sauter 5 Grant Enfinger 6 Matt Crafton 7 Stewart Friesen 8 Ben Rhodes 9 Myatt Snider 10 Todd Gilliland 11 Austin Hill 12 Austin Self 13 Cody Coughlin 14 Dalton Sargeant 15 Jordan Anderson 16 Justin Fontaine 17 Wendell Chavous 18 Harrison Burton 19 Jesse Little 20 Jennifer Cobb 21 Joe Nemechek 22 Norm Benning 23 Korbin Forrister 24 Parker Kligerman 25 Tanner Thorson 26 Josh Reaume 27 Bo Le Mastus 28 Timothy Peters 29 David Gilliland 30 Spencer Davis 31 Bayley Currey 32 Robby Lyons 33 Sheldon Creed 34 Tyler Dippel 35 Christian Eckes 36 Chris Eggleston 37 Cory Roper 38 Clay Greenfield 39 Riley Herbst 40 D.J. Kennington 41 Kyle Donahue 42 Tyler Ankrum 43 Dawson Cram 44 Reed Sorenson 45 Chris Windom 46 Bryan Dauzat 47 Logan Seavey 48 Tyler Young 49 Chad Finley 50 Brennan Poole

PTS. 4040 4034 4029 4025 2284 2280 2265 2254 611 590 520 480 433 404 389 386 336 277 275 271 234 193 188 172 172 171 168 161 152 141 141 140 123 122 110 100 96 86 81 65 55 54 54 50 49 48 46 45 43 43

POINTS 586 559 557 543 514 504 479 426 399 272

WHELEN MODIFIED NO. DRIVER 1 Justin Bonsignore 2 Chase Dowling 3 Doug Coby 4 Timmy Solomito 5 Craig Lutz 6 Rob Summers 7 Eric Goodale 8 Dave Sapienza 9 Ronnie Williams 10 Chris Pasteryak

POINTS 693 596 575 545 541 515 495 477 461 431

PEAK MEXICO NO. DRIVER 1 Ruben Garcia Jr. 2 Irwin Vences 3 Ruben Rovelo 4 Hugo Oliveras 5 Abraham Calderon 6 Santiago Tovar 7 Salvador de Alba Jr. 8 Manolin Gutierrez 9 Hector Aguirre 10 Ruben Pardo

POINTS 452 429 427 411 387 381 377 363 354 354

PINTY’S NO. DRIVER POINTS 1 L.P. Dumoulin 523 2 Alex Tagliani 516 3 D.J. Kennington 511 4 Cole Powell 508 5 Kevin Lacroix 490 6 Marc-Antoine Camirand 488 7 Donald Theetge 483 8 Andrew Ranger 474 9 Adam Martin 411 10 Brett Taylor 386

WHELEN EURO NO. DRIVER 1 Alon Day 2 Ferderic Gabillon 3 Lucas Lasserre 4 Loris Hezemans 5 Stienes Longin 6 Wilfried Boucenna 7 Thomas Ferrando 8 Gianmarco Ercoli 9 Alexander Graff 10 Romain Iannetta

POINTS 512 484 446 442 419 416 412 407 388 347

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PREDICTIONS 5 Fearless Predictions for 2019 The 2018 season only recently ended, but the green flag will be ready to wave on the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series campaign before you know it. Here are five fearless predictions for 2019.

Wheeler will move elsewhere. If Hamlin’s new crew chief – whoever that may be – doesn’t get Hamlin back to Victory Lane in 2019, expect JGR to replace Hamlin in 2020 with rising talent Christopher Bell.

Martin Truex Jr. Won’t Miss a Beat with His New Team. After five seasons at Furniture Row Racing, including four that were downright stellar, Martin Truex Jr. has landed at Joe Gibbs Racing for 2019 due to Furniture Row ceasing operations at the end of the 2018 season.

Unlike most drivers with new teams, however, Truex – the 2017 champion – won’t have to deal with a transition period. That’s because, in addition to being part of one of the sport’s three most powerful organizations, Truex will have a familiar face atop his pit box in the form of Cole Pearn, who likewise is making the move over to JGR from Furniture Row. The Wealth Will Be More Evenly Distributed. The 2018 season was one in which the few did a lot of winning. Expect the wealth to be more evenly spread around in 2019 when it’s highly doubtful that we’ll see a year like 2018 when six drivers – Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott and Joey Logano – combined to win 29 of 36 races, and only 12 drivers went to Victory Lane.

Based on nothing more than the simple law of averages, back-to-back seasons of such concentrated dominance are not likely. Instead, look for no driver to win more than five races, and for 15 or more drivers to win at least once.

Chase Elliott Will Win the Championship.

By virtually all accounts, Chase Elliott enjoyed a breakout season in 2018. Next year, the secondgeneration driver will keep building on his momentum and ride it all the way to his first Monster Energy Series championship.

Elliott, who needed 99 starts and more than twoand-a-half seasons to collect his first premier series victory, finished 2018 with three victories and looking like a driver who promises to factor heavily into the championship discussion for many years to come. Elliott’s enormous popularity, combined with the fact that he now knows how to win and finished last season in superb fashion, make him the title favorite in 2019.

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Jimmie Johnson Will Return to Top Form.

Weeks before Jimmie Johnson’s disappointing and ultimately winless 2018 season came to an end, team owner Rick Hendrick made the blockbuster announcement that Johnson and longtime crew chief Chad Knaus would go their separate ways in 2019. Johnson, who has won all seven of his premier series championships with Knaus atop the pit box, will now be paired with Kevin Meendering – a former Hendrick Motorsports lead engineer who has spent the past three seasons as Xfinity Series crew chief for Elliott Sadler.

For all the success Johnson and Knaus enjoyed together, change is likely all Johnson needs to return to his familiar front-running ways.

Denny Hamlin Will Leave Joe Gibbs Racing. From his rookie season of 2006 through 2017, Denny Hamlin won at least one race every year at Joe Gibbs Racing. The streak ended in 2018 as Hamlin endured his first winless season as a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver.

Not surprisingly, it was announced heading into the final race weekend of the season that Hamlin will have a new crew chief in 2019, as Mike

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POLE POSITION 2018

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BY JARED TURNER | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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