NASCAR Pole Position | June-July 2021 by A.E. Engine

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FOR THE RECORD

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MCREYNOLDS

My Favorites with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Country Music Superstar

LUKE BRYAN

John Rich America, NASCAR & Whiskey

MILESTONE MOMENTS

10 moments that helped shape NASCAR P. 34

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

10 drivers who deserve the attention P. 52

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CONTE JU NT JULNYE-

NASCAR: AN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE 24

Q&A with Country Music Legend Luke Bryan P.25

John Rich’s Venture into NASCAR P.26

08 The Next Gen Models

10 NASCAR News and Notes

20 What’s on NASCAR Drivers’ Feet?

22 The Products in One Team’s Shop

34 Events That Shaped NASCAR History

46 A Truck Series Team on the Rise

Spencer Boyd’s Patriotism Unveiled P.30

52 10 Drivers You Might Not Know About

32 NASCAR Stars and Their Pets

14 Legendary South Boston Speedway 16 Q&A with Larry McReynolds

The Best American-Made Products for Fans P.28

66 NASCAR Driver Posters 70 Cool Stuff for Race Fans

72 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Favorite Things

NASCAR POLE POSITION AN OFFICIALLY LICENSED PUBLICATION OF NASCAR // ADDRESS: 23110 STATE ROAD 54, SUITE 293, LUTZ, FL 33549 • PHONE: (727) 209-0792 • WEB: POLEPOSITIONMAG.COM, AE-ENGINE.COM // PUBLISHER: CRAIG BARONCELLI // SALES VICE PRESIDENT: DAVID WATSON • SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: JUSTIN HAND, MARK MORALES // PRODUCTION: SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER: JOE RABUCK • DIRECTOR, DIGITAL MEDIA: NICOLE COOPER • DIRECTOR, DIGITAL CONTENT: JOSH MULL • EDITOR: KEITH WALTZ • CONTRIBUTORS: JARED TURNER, AARON BURNS, KEITH WALTZ, BEN WHITE, JOSEPH WOLKIN, DAN GUTTENPLAN • SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATORS: AARON BURNS, AIDAN ANDERSEN, ETHAN ANDERSEN • SPECIAL THANKS TO: GREG CARTY (NASCAR) // 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 $29.95 TO: NASCAR POLE POSITION, C/O A.E. ENGINE, 23110 STATE ROAD 54, SUITE 293, LUTZ, FL 33549. 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 2021

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“This is a significant moment for our sport. This car is more relevant and includes more innovation than any car in NASCAR history. The styling of the car is clear. I mean, they look unbelievable. Just so incredible to finally be here.” NASCAR PRESIDENT STEVE PHELPS

POLE POSITION 2021

PHOTOGRAPHY : GETTY IMAGES

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

PRESENTED BY

GREEN FLAG

NASCAR Partners with Boys & Girls Clubs BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

NASCAR and Boys & Girls Clubs of America announced a multiyear partnership that will support the nonprofit’s mission of enabling and enriching the lives of young people. As the Official Youth Community Partner of NASCAR, Boys & Girls Clubs of America will work with NASCAR and industry stakeholders to engage more than

4.6 million youth and teens across the country with NASCAR content and experiences. The nationwide partnership will focus on three core areas – STEM education, career development and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives – and extend across all NASCAR platforms and race tracks. Programming will include both virtual and at-track experiences with an emphasis on local Boys & Girls Club locations within NASCAR race markets. Partnership efforts will build on the continuing work of The NASCAR Foundation to advance children’s well-being, including ongoing relationships with several Boys & Girls Clubs across the country.

DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY HAS unveiled the logo for the 2022 Daytona 500. It features the iconic 2.5-mile tri-oval layout with symbolic stars and stripes.

“If we’re fighting our teammates down to a run for the championship, that’s a good problem to have.” – C HAS E E LLIOTT

DEALS ON WHEELS

SPONSORSHIP NEWS

CARPARTS.COM INKS MCDOWELL

KING’S HAWAIIAN SIGNS

CARPARTS.COM INC. HAS LAUNCHED A

NASCAR AND KING’S HAWAIIAN

national ad campaign featuring Daytona 500

announced a multiyear track official

NETFLIX IS IN PRODUCTION ON A NEW

winner Michael McDowell.

partnership that secures the family-owned

documentary series with NASCAR driver

bakery naming rights to dining areas at

Bubba Wallace as he competes in his first

auto parts shopping experience and help

four NASCAR-owned facilities – Daytona

season for the new 23XI Racing team

drivers get back on the road, CarParts.

International Speedway, Kansas Speedway,

owned by Michael Jordan and fellow driver

com aims to connect with consumers

Richmond Raceway and Phoenix Raceway.

Denny Hamlin.

Continuing its mission to simplify the

through inspirational and entertaining

NETFLIX PRODUCING BUBBA WALLACE DOCUMENTARY

King’s Hawaiian will work with Levy,

The show will take viewers behind

content, leaning into McDowell’s story

NASCAR’s track hospitality partner, to offer

the scenes of this season and explore

of perseverance as well as his quirky

branded and regionally themed menu items

Wallace’s efforts to advocate for diversity,

personality. Campaign elements will run

at each venue. King’s Hawaiian celebrated the

equality and inclusion in NASCAR and

on national television and digital and social

start of its NASCAR partnership March 12-14

America. 300 Studios and Boardwalk

platforms throughout the year.

at Phoenix Raceway.

Pictures are producing the series.

POLE POSITION 2021

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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NASCAR Foundation Celebrates 15 Years Early this year, the NASCAR Foundation celebrated its 15th anniversary and did it on the birthday of its founder and chairwoman emeritus, Betty Jane France. The day featured a virtual Town Hall Meeting with Lesa France Kennedy, Ben Kennedy and Mike Helton. The esteemed leadership group shared admiration for the work The NASCAR Foundation is doing as it continues Mrs. France’s legacy of helping children. Since being founded in 2006, The NASCAR Foundation has raised nearly $40 million to impact the lives of more than 1.4 million children in NASCAR-served communities. Over the years, two of the pillars of The NASCAR Foundation have been the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award and the Speediatrics Children’s Fund. The NASCAR Foundation has contributed $1.77 million to children’s charities represented by award finalists over that time, and those charities have been able to serve the needs of 354,647 children.

•• The NASCAR Foundation annually awards the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award to a NASCAR fan who is a dedicated volunteer working on behalf of children’s causes. Pictured are the 2019 finalists (L-R)Todd Smith, Bob Behounek, Angela Hamby and Joe Vaughn.

NASCAR BUSINESS INITIATIVES

RICHMOND RACEWAY TEAMS WITH VSU TO CREATE ESPORTS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

NASCAR HELPS WITH VACCINE EDUCATION

MICHAEL WALTRIP BREWING CO. LAUNCHES

Richmond Raceway and Virginia State

As an extension of their COVID-19 Vac-

Michael Waltrip Brewing Co., founded by

cine Education Initiative, “It’s Up To You,” the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative launched a campaign in partnership with 13 leading sports leagues, including NASCAR. The videos encourage fans to visit GetVaccineAnswers.org for the latest information about the COVID-19 vaccines. Partners supporting the PSAs include Bank of America, which is donating more than $1.7 million in ad inventory to help the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative reach sports fans.

two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip, plans to open a brewery and taproom in Bristol, Virginia, with plans to produce Waltrip’s Two-Time lineup of lagers and ales for distribution throughout the Southeast. Anticipated opening is early to mid-summer. All three signature brews of Michael Waltrip’s Two-Time lineup will be produced in Bristol: a Blonde Ale; Checkered Past, a coconut India Pale Ale; and Vamanos, a Mexican-style Lager.

University have joined forces on a pilot program to evolve the race track’s current eSports team and offer new opportunities to historically black colleges and university students interested in careers in sports management. Through this strategic alliance, Richmond Raceway eSports fueled by Sunoco operations will be managed in partnership with Virginia State University’s Department of Sport Management.

POLE POSITION 2021

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

NASCAR’S NEXT GEN CARS COMBINE UNMISTAKABLE IDENTITY WITH ENHANCED PERFORMANCE

hree NASCAR Cup Series Next

Gen cars made a dramatic, roaring entrance during early May in Charlotte. When reigning Cup champion Chase Elliott drove the Chevrolet Camaro, Joey Logano the Ford Mustang and Denny Hamlin the Toyota Camry roughly 30 yards in the unveiling of the much-anticipated Next Gen car, the most striking aspect was how much the new race cars resembled their production counterparts—and how easy it was to differentiate the new vehicles from one another. “This is a significant moment for our sport,” NASCAR president Steve Phelps said. “This car is more relevant and includes more innovation than any car in NASCAR history. The styling of the car is clear. I mean, they look unbelievable. Just so incredible to finally be here. “We really wanted to get back to a promise that we had made to the fans, which is to put the ‘stock’ back in ‘stock car.’ That was something extremely important to us and our fans. But just as important to our fans is the racing on the race track. It’s hard to believe that the racing could be any stronger than it is last year and the first 11 races this year, but this car has features that will make it even better. “Simply put, this car will make our sport healthier and stronger. It’s an exciting day for our industry and our fans, and I’m proud of all the work that went into bringing us to today.” Based on data gleaned from simulations and from limited testing of small numbers of

Next Gen vehicles, NASCAR expects the new race car to be more challenging to drive and more exciting to race. As Elliott put it, it’s a clean slate for the best stock car drivers in the world. “I’m excited about the product that we came up with and a lot of collaboration with all of our key partners at Chevrolet within the NASCAR teams to have a product that looks as good as it does and is much like the car and the Camaro you can go buy at your Chevrolet dealership, too,” Elliott said. “Excited about that. “Selfishly, as a driver, I’m excited about the challenge. I think it’s going to be tough. There’s going to be things with this car I haven’t seen as a race car driver yet. Until you get on track and work through it, it’s going to be tough. I’m looking forward to all the things that come with that, trying to reinvent yourself as a driver to see what you have to do to be good.”

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NASCAR HOME TRACKS

South Boston Speedway

History and family are two topics often mentioned in any conversation about Virginia’s South Boston Speedway, a pillar among NASCAR short tracks since the late 1950s. “The track’s been here since 1957. It started out as a dirt track,” said Cathy Rice, the longtime general manager at the four-tenthsmile asphalt race track. “The people who come here, they’re family. I enjoy seeing the fans and knowing that when they come through these gates, they feel like they are at home. They know everybody, including the competitors, and they are so close with the staff.” All three of NASCAR’s national series have competed at the track. “Back in the day, we had what’s known now as the Xfinity and Cup Series race here,” said Rice. “People like Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough have actually raced on this track.” South Boston’s slate of Saturday night racing continues through Sept. 4.

SOUTH BOSTON’S SLATE OF SATURDAY NIGHT RACING CONTINUES THROUGH SEPT. 4.

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CATHY RICE, A PIONEER AMONG FEMALE

“WE RUN FOUR DIVISIONS, NO MORE THAN

DRIVERS SUCH AS JEFF AND WARD BURTON,

short-track promoters, is in her final season as

five,” Rice said about the track’s weekly NASCAR

Elliott and Hermie Sadler, Timothy Peters and

GM at South Boston Speedway.

racing program. “We start our show at 7 and we

Stacy Compton are among those who honed their

“I’ve actually been here 30-plus years,” Rice

are out of here by 10. We have the late model

racing skills at South Boston Speedway before

said. “Yes, I am stepping down. I’m not saying

stock division, we have the limited sportsman

becoming familiar names in the upper divisions of

I’m leaving or I’m quitting, but I am going to step

division, pure stocks and hornets. Then, we’ll

NASCAR racing.

down and we’ve got some new blood here. I’ve

throw in the legendary flat-heads, the old-timers

always said we need young people involved in

club or something that represents the history of

Morris, Lee Pulliam and Peyton Sellars also

the sport so we can get this younger generation

the track.”

earned national titles in the NASCAR Advance

coming back to the races.”

POLE POSITION 2021

Numerous special events also dot the schedule.

South Boston Speedway champions Philip

Auto Parts Weekly Series.

WORDS: KEITH WALTZ, PHOTOGRAPHY: SOUTH BOSTON SPEEDWAY

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Q&A

WITH LARRY MCREYNOLDS FROM FAN, TO CREW CHIEF, TO TELEVISION ANALYST

BY BEN WHITE

aturday, June 8, 1968, serves as a personal milestone in the

life of 62-year-old NASCAR icon Larry McReynolds. That day, McReynolds and his family ventured over to Alabama’s Birmingham International Raceway, their hometown track, to see such NASCAR stars as Bobby Allison and Richard Petty battle on the paved .625-mile oval. It was the beginning of McReynolds’ deep-felt passion for auto racing that remans as strong as ever today. McReynolds’ racing journey began as a fan and he became a racewinning NASCAR Cup Series crew chief before transitioning to his current role of television analyst. Here, McReynolds looks back his accomplishments, reflects on the relationships he cherishes and relives some of his greatest memories. DID YOU SET OUT TO BECOME A CUP SERIES CREW CHIEF OR DID IT JUST HAPPEN BY CIRCUMSTANCE? It just really happened by circumstance. I moved to the Carolinas in early September 1980. I went to work for a new fledgling team called Rogers Leasing Racing owned by Bob Rogers, but it folded midway through the 1982 season. I had only been in Cup less than two years and was very, very young. We had an auction in June of that year and Mark Martin and his mom, Jackie, came to the auction. I knew them and Jackie asked me if I wanted to become Mark’s Cup Series crew chief. As it turned out, Mark was going to make all the calls and needed someone to get the job done. That was my first job as a Cup Series crew chief. YOU HAD 23 WINS, INCLUDING DAYTONA 500 VICTORIES WITH DAVEY ALLISON AND DALE EARNHARDT. HOW REWARDING IS IT TO HAVE THOSE DAYTONA WINS ON YOUR RÉSUMÉ? For me to be a part of winning the Daytona 500, not just once but twice, is very, very rewarding. I guess what makes me the proudest as far as my career is winning Cup Series races with three different organizations – Kenny Bernstein’s King Racing, Robert Yates Racing and Richard Childress Racing – and winning races with a multitude of drivers, such as Ricky Rudd, Brett Bodine, Davey Allison, Ernie Irvan, Dale Jarrett, plus the Daytona 500 with Davey and Dale Earnhardt. And I have to also include winning at Motegi, Japan, with Mike Skinner, even though it wasn’t a Cup Series points event in 1998. To win with three different organizations and three different manufacturers, and with a number of different drivers. That makes me the proudest for sure.

POLE POSITION 2021

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FOR THE RECORD

YOU AND DAVEY ALLISON HAD SUCH TREMENDOUS CHEMISTRY ON AND OFF THE TRACK. CAN YOU PUT INTO WORDS WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO WORK WITH HIM AND DALE EARNHARDT? I feel fortunate that I played a small role in the success of both Davey and Dale. Davey would have had a tremendous amount of additional success had his career and his life not been cut short by the helicopter crash in July 1993. Davey and I were best friends. Robert and Davey both were very close friends of mine. We also lost Robert to cancer in 2017. I felt the three of us complemented each other. Going to that No. 28 car at Robert Yates Racing was a career changer for me. That move put Larry McReynolds on the NASCAR map. Even though I had won a few races at the 26 (King Racing) team, going to RYR make my career skyrocket. Davey made my job easy because he was so smart. Nine out of 10 times, if I went with what Davey wanted to do to the race car, it was the right way to go. HOW WOULD YOU CLASSIFY YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH DALE EARNHARDT? I was close to Dale, but I didn’t have the same type of relationship I had with Davey. To be honest, I don’t know that Dale had a relationship with any of his crew chiefs like that. That just wasn’t his personality. I look back and I can honestly say I don’t have regrets. I don’t live in a regretful world. I am somewhat disappointed that Dale and I didn’t have more success than we did. Yeah, we did win one

POLE POSITION 2021

PRESENTED BY

of the more important races together of his career and one that he desperately wanted to win for 20 years with the 1998 Daytona 500. But to know that was the only race we won together is a little disappointing. We were still good friends. There was so much said and so much written that we didn’t get along and that we were fussing and fighting, and that was absolutely not the case. We just couldn’t get synched together on what he needed in the race car to win races consistently and chase another championship. I value and treasure both relationships to this day and have incredible memories of them, but they were both very different. DID YOU EVER DREAM YOU WOULD BECOME A SUCCESSFUL NASCAR CREW CHIEF IN ADDITION TO BEING A RESPECTED TELEVISION ANALYST? Never! I mean, even after I had moved to North Carolina and had gotten my foot in the door of NASCAR. Remember, I’m a guy who barely got my high school diploma and was working in a junkyard. We could spruce that up a bit and call it a recycled parts supplier, but the truth is it was a plain ole junkyard. To know 40-plus years later that I won 23 Cup Series races, including two Daytona 500s, and now I’m in my 21st year with NASCAR on FOX, there is no way I could have even dreamed it could have happened. I could not have imagined it. The unknowns were endless when I made the decision to move to television in 2001, but my broadcast career has been extremely rewarding. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

BACKSTORY

PRESENTED BY

TOO HOT TO HANDLE

SHOES PLAY KEY ROLE IN PROTECTING DRIVERS’ FEET BY BEN WHITE

A •• Bobby Allison and most of his Cup Series counterparts wore standard leather loafers during the early years of NASCAR.

POLE POSITION 2021

mong the most important items in life are the shoes that

go on one’s feet. For drivers in NASCAR-sanctioned races, their job would be impossible without the protection proper footwear provides. At the time when NASCAR held its first Cup Series race at Charlotte Speedway on June 19, 1949, everyday street shoes worked perfectly, as nothing special was required to protect a driver’s feet throughout the 1950s. By the mid-1960s, however, speeds had increased through the development of high-performance engines. Engine headers stretched directly under the floorboards, causing intense heat to radiate throughout driver cockpits, making them extremely hot. A driver’s feet were resting on the floorboard where paint would burn steadily away. That’s when drivers began searching for a solution to keep from suffering major burns to their heels during 500-mile races. Dave Marcis, a NASCAR driver from 1968 through 2002, was famous for wearing black wing-tipped Sunday dress shoes each time he raced. “We would burn our feet on the floorboards because the heels of our shoes would burn right through,” Marcis said. “So, I went to my closet and found my leather wing tips and wore them the

rest of my career. They were comfortable, fit my feet well because they were brokein and kept the heat off my heels better than anything out there.” Some drivers didn’t fare as well. At times, burns and blisters developed so badly that medical attention was needed in Victory Lane. “For many years, there just wasn’t a good shoe to use during 500-mile races,” said 1983 NASCAR Cup Series champion Bobby Allison. “For most of my career, I used a standard leather loafer that most of us wore. Sometimes we had shoe repairmen add additional leather, but they weren’t comfortable. As a result, I would usually be hardheaded and wear a regular shoe and really burn my feet. “I burned my feet so bad after winning the 1981 World 600 at Charlotte that I couldn’t stand in Victory Lane. After going through two or three really serious burns to my feet, I went to a Hushpuppytype boot and that worked pretty well for me. I could push enough insulation in the side of them where my feet didn’t get burned. By the mid-1980s, we started wearing heat resistant racing shoes. We eventually had heat resistant mats in the cars and heat shields that they wear today, things we didn’t have in those days.”

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JORDAN ANDERSON RACING

Relies on Forney Products

NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie Jordan Anderson’s partnership with Forney Industries continues to pay dividends for the driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro. Jordan Anderson Racing’s fab shop is stocked with the following products.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

competitive on the race track.

orney Industries is proud to partner with Jordan Anderson Racing, providing

the team with several products to keep them successful and The team received Forney’s lightweight torch kit that is effortless to store, easily carried from track to track and ready to weld right out of the box. This kit features built-in check valves and flashback arrestor to keep the team as safe as possible while using the torch. They also received several products from Forney’s popular line of battery chargers, including two chargers, a jump starter with built-in air compressor and jumper cables. These products

FORNEY 220 AC/DC TIG WELDER PACKAGE

BATTERY CHARGER, 6V 2A/10A/20A, 12V 2A/10A/20A/100A START

TEAM MEMBER TERRY ELMORE USES THE

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batteries charged and ready to

track bar guide tube for the NASCAR Xfinity Series

transport vehicles ready to fire off between races,

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the Forney 6V/12V Battery Charger keeps Jordan

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Anderson Racing running strong.

are ETL certified, portable and feature various charging

The team was also sent Forney’s surface cleaner to keep their garage looking clean and professional, several multipurpose magnets, the Forney 220 Multi-Process welder and more. When asked about the various Forney products they received, owner/driver Jordan Anderson replied, “Our team relies on Forney every week to build the best possible parts to keep our cars and trucks running fast on the track and able to withstand whatever comes our way.” To purchase any of these

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developing, fixing or building, they always rely on

reliable charge or jump for the team hauler or sprinter

the Forney PRO Black Matte ADF Welding Helmet

in between races. The sleek and efficient styling fits

to keep their eyes and face safe from the elements

in well at the shop alongside each of the other Forney

while working in the fab shop.

products the team is proud to use.

POLE POSITION 2021

dealer or forneyind.com. And don’t forget to cheer on the

BY RACHEL BIGUM, MARKETING GENERALIST

PHOTOGRAPHY: JORDAN ANDERSON RACING

SECTION TITLE

NASCAR:

TRULY AMERICAN MADE RACE FANS OF ALL AGES BLEED RED, WHITE AND BLUE BY JARED TURNER

n the months following the tragic terrorist at-

tacks of Sept 11, 2001, well-known country music artist Toby Keith wrote, recorded and frequently performed a song called, “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” Although the song had nothing to do with NASCAR, its title is an appropriate description for America’s favorite genre of auto racing, both then and now. Whether it be NASCAR fans’ insistence on buying only Made-in-America products, or their love of tailgating, baseball and other outdoor events that scream Americana, or their devotion to working hard for every dollar while chasing the American Dream, NASCAR is – in many ways – “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” Stop and think about it: Is there anything more American than Chevrolets built in Detroit and Fords assembled just down the road in Dearborn, Michigan?

POLE POSITION 2021

Certainly not. What about all those American flags flying proudly in the breeze from what would appear to be hundreds if not thousands of motorhomes and RVs parked at the track during a race weekend? If you think these fans are displaying their flags just for fun, you’re sadly mistaken. These people – men, women and children of all ages – are patriotic to the core. They bleed Red, White and Blue. NASCAR’s close ties with the U.S. military – whose members customarily have received royal VIP-style treatment during race weekends throughout the year – only further solidify the bond between NASCAR and all things USA. In the following pages, check out some stories that clearly demonstrate the incredible degree to which NASCAR is truly American Made. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

AMERICA BABY!

Living the American Dream

Q&A with Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan

amed Entertainer of the Year in April by the Academy of Country Music, Luke Bryan has produced 26

chart-topping singles and four platinum albums since bursting onto the country music scene in 2007 with his first hit single, “All My Friends Say”. A native of Leesburg, Georgia, Bryan comes from humble beginnings as the son of a peanut farmer. His ascent to the top of the country music world was far from immediate, as he spent years writing songs, playing in local bars and clubs, eventually packing his bags and moving to the country music epicenter of Nashville, Tennessee, in 2001 to pursue his musical dreams. Since his first album was released, Bryan has sold nearly 13 million albums, played in packed venues in front of millions of fans, and won more than 50 awards while solidifying his status as one of country music’s biggest stars. Through it all, though, Bryan has remained humble while earning a reputation as an artist who carries a deep love for family and country – and this is evident from his music, including many of the songs he personally writes. NASCAR Pole Position recently sat down with Bryan to discuss his patriotism, his partnership with the Jockey clothing brand, his love for NASCAR and more.

YOU APPEAR TO HAVE A SPECIAL CONNECTION TO NASCAR FANS. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS? I believe NASCAR fans and country fans are very similar in a lot of ways. Their ideals of hard work and patriotism really line up with country music fan values. HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THE OVERLAP BETWEEN FANS OF NASCAR AND COUNTRY MUSIC? NASCAR fans have their favorite drivers that they support forever. And when many country music fans pick their artists to get behind and love, you know you have those fans forever. It’s loyalty. YOU APPEAR ON THE COVER OF NASCAR POLE POSITION MAGAZINE BEHIND THE AMERICAN FLAG. WHAT DOES THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE MEAN TO YOU? The American flag certainly means freedom and the sacrifices made by men

and women to keep us free. It’s a symbol of pride, freedom, hope, equality and promise. It’s living in the land of the free. No one can tell you how big to dream, and you can dream as big as you want when you stand under that American flag! TELL US ABOUT YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH JOCKEY. My partnership with Jockey is just the definition of working with a company that shares a lot of the same morals and values. It’s about the quality of their brand and aligning themselves with “Made in America” and being an American-made company of 144 years. To know that I could partner with them and create a great brand with them is something I’m very excited about. And the fact they want to get my family involved and be associated with what we are all about is very appealing. SHARE WITH US A FAVORITE NASCAR MEMORY? My favorite NASCAR memory was being at the infield at the Daytona 500. My boys were really, really small, and we were skateboarding through the infield, and we got to watch the race as a family.

NASCAR FAN QUESTIONS Which current NASCAR driver or personality do you think you’re the most like?

What is your favorite race track and why?

Would you ever consider owning a NASCAR team?

If you went fishing tomorrow morning with a NASCAR personality (past or present), who would you like it to be and why?

Historically, I’ve gotten to work with Brad Keselowski a lot. I feel like he speaks his mind and puts his emotions out there. I’ve always been a big fan.

I think I would always consider owning a team. Who doesn’t think having fast cars going around a track is amazing and fun? Building the team and

WORDS: JARED TURNER PHOTOGRAPHY: JOCKEY INTERNATIONAL, INC.

going after the win!

I think Talladega is my favorite race track. Just its sheer size and speed!

I have to take Ryan Newman fishing. He’s a huge bass fisherman. I especially wanted to take him after he had his terrible wreck (at the 2020 Daytona

500). First, I wanted him to make it through it OK, but then I told him we have to go fishing.

Has anyone or anything in NASCAR ever inspired a song you have written?

I wrote a song called, “We Rode in Trucks” — not about NASCAR, but, hey, it all aligns.

If you were going to perform just one song for all the NASCAR drivers, what would it be? “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day.”

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

AMERICA BABY!

The Rich Sound of John Rich One of the most recognizable voices in country music, John Rich, is now bringing the American public a smooth, affordable, American-made whiskey, Redneck Riviera. If you’ve been to a NASCAR tailgate, you’ve likely heard John Rich’s music blasting over a stereo system. The country music singer/ songwriter, along with Big Kenny, has forged one of the most prolific careers in country music in the 21st century. Big & Rich have made a career of being relatable and musically relevant since exploding into the public consciousness in 2003 as the rarest of breeds — true country music game changers. With 2004’s triple-platinum “Horse of a Different Color,” they were able to tap into the best strands of a wide spectrum of popular music, filter them through their pens and voices, and produce a sound that is instantly recognizable, if not classifiable. This year, Rich mixed two of his passions - Redneck Riviera Whiskey and NASCAR - when he partnered with Jeffrey Earnhardt as an associate sponsor for the No. 0 Chevrolet for the full 2021 Xfinity Series season. Rich recently joined NASCAR Pole Position to discuss his journey to becoming a whiskey brand owner and NASCAR partner.

WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO SUPPORT YOUR COUNTRY WITH AMERICANMADE PRODUCTS? I look at my life, how I grew up with a high school diploma, how I grew up in a double-wide trailer in Amarillo, Texas. It was nothing fancy, but I had the American dream in my back pocket. I dreamed big and tried hard in music and with Redneck Riviera. I’ve been conscious of the opportunities I’ve had, and I support America for many reasons, and chief among them is the right to pursue happiness. It’s not the right to be happy, but the right to pursue happiness. It’s because of the men and women in our military who have been willing to fight - and if necessary, die - for future generations.

WHO DO YOU SEE AS YOUR CUSTOMER-BASE FOR THE REDNECK RIVIERA WHISKEY? It’s the people who make our country really run and stay alive and vibrant. It’s working class people. It’s not the politicians or famous people. It’s the people you never know their names. They put their key in the truck and go to work and do a great job taking care of their families. They hit the weekend, and they take a little leftover money and have as much fun as they can. Then they get back to work. We have the slogan, “Work hard, play hard” right on the bottle. We celebrate a job well done and the people who go the extra mile.

WHY DID REDNECK RIVIERA DECIDE TO PARTNER WITH JEFFREY EARNHARDT? The first time I was around anything NASCAR was back early in my career maybe 1994 or 1995. I was a part of the band, Lone Star, and we sang the national anthem at the Bristol bowl. Dale Earnhardt was “The Man, The Myth, The Legend” at that race. We were invited to be a part of the pit crew - not the official pit crew. We put on the coveralls and listened to him speak to his pit crew. He actually won that race. It was so intense and exciting to be a part of it. That’s what got me into NASCAR and just understanding the level of focus it takes. It’s incredible. It turned out to be an iconic race. Earnhardt wrecked across the finish line, sliding right in front of Terry Labonte to win the race. Later on, I saw Jeffrey come up through the ranks. I thought, “This is cool,” when I saw interviews with his fans. He cares about the military. I saw him holding a picture of a fallen military soldier. He put his name right on his door panel. He invited the family to the track. He didn’t have to do that. He feels the same way about the military as I do. Plus, he’s an Earnhardt. And I have those great memories of watching Dale (Sr.) at the track. Jeffrey grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He loves the product and keeps posting pictures of himself enjoying it with his friends. He has similar priorities with Folds of Honor and American-Made.

POLE POSITION 2021

PHOTOGRAPHY: REDNECK RIVIERA

What’s In a Whiskey? BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

THE AMERICANMADE PARTS THE BOTTLE

Redneck Riviera Whiskey is produced and manufactured in the United States, despite the fact that John Rich’s profit margin is reduced due to his American-made commitment.

THE CORK THE LABEL THE WHISKEY

John Rich is the first to admit that he could make more money as the owner of Redneck Riviera Whiskey by having the bottles manufactured overseas. In fact, he could save $0.72 per bottle by having the glass manufactured in China. Consider that almost 40,000 cases of Redneck Riviera Whiskey are manufactured annually, and the savings would be significant. Why doesn’t he try to squeeze every penny he can out of his business? Not worth it, in his view. “I can do that, but my patriotism is not for sale,” Rich said. “I can’t say I support American workers and want to see our country get stronger, but make a deal with an overseas company in a back room. I wouldn’t have integrity. That’s called being a hypocrite. I make enough to be happy.” BLIND TASTE TEST Redneck Riviera Whiskey was awarded the gold medal at the 2018 Los Angeles World Spirits Competition in June 2018. Of the five whiskeys that won gold of silver medals at

BIG & RICH HIT SONGS

THE RICH REPORT

Highest Rating

Date

Lost In This Moment

7/21/07

Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)

8/7/04

Look At You

11/15/14

Holy Water

1/29/05

8th of November

9/2/06

Lovin’ Lately

10/15/16

Big Time

5/14/05

Comin’ To Your City

12/17/05

Wild West Show

4/17/04

California

11/18/17

Song

From 1992 to 1998, John Rich was a member of the band, Lonestar. He played bass guitar and alternated with Richie McDonald as lead vocalist. After departing from the band in 1998, he embarked on a solo career on BNA Records in the late 1990s, releasing two singles for the label and recording Underneath the Same Moon, which was not released until 2006. In 2001,

the competition, Redneck Riviera was the lone distributor with an MSRP per bottle of less than $40. Redneck Riviera retails for between $20 and $25 per bottle. “Pretty much anybody with a living wage can buy a bottle and afford it,” Rich said. “Those are my people. I’ve gone on and done big things, but in my spirit and heart, I’m a guy in Texas still swinging at it.” FOLDS OF HONOR Rich grew up in a family where he was taught that for every dollar earned a portion is to go to a charitable cause; this is known as ‘giving tithes’. He believes that it is the American way and a responsibility to provide for those who are less fortunate. Folds of Honor is an organization founded by Lt. Col. Dan Rooney that provides college scholarships for children and spouses of fallen soldiers. The charity gave out over $60 million in scholarships last year and 10% of the profits of sales of Redneck Riviera Whiskey go directly to the cause. “It subsidizes the education for kids who lost Mom or Dad,” Rich said. “I couldn’t think of a better way to honor service than pay for the education of those left behind. We’ve funded over 100 scholarships and we’re on our way -- I believe -- to funding thousands.” Learn more at www.foldsofhonor.org/ WHERE TO BUY REDNECK RIVIERA WHISKEY? Redneck Riviera Whiskey is in more than 10,000 stores across the county. To find it, go to www.redneckriviera.com. Find the store locator and enter your zip code. You can also order online have it shipped to your house.

he self-released Rescue Me, an album he was inspired to record by a cancer patient named Katie Darnell. By 2003, he joined Big Kenny to form the duo Big & Rich, who released three albums on Warner Bros.

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

AMERICA BABY!

American-Made Products for NASCAR Fans Buying American-Made products is not just about patriotism. It also contributes to a stronger future for Americans through the support of local businesses.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

Forney Industries 220 ST PRO WELDER

Solo Stove

BONFIRE BACKYARD FIRE PIT

SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS

FORT COLLINS, COLORADO FORNEY INDUSTRIES RECENTLY LAUNCHED

three welding machines and one plasma cutter. The Forney 220 ST PRO is among them, offering DC TIG and Stick capabilities, dual-input power of 120V/230V, and can weld half-inch thick

THE SOLO STOVE BONFIRE IS A SMOKELESS

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portable fire pit. The Signature 360-Degree

are completed in P.R.C., but technicians at Forney assemble the rest of the machine with sheet

Airflow Design™ does something you’ve never

metal, aluminum die-cast parts, aluminum extrusion handles and knobs – all of which are locally

seen in a fire pit. It creates a super-efficient burn

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that’s not only mesmerizing to watch, but a joy

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Airstream Yoder Smokers BARBECUE PITS

HUTCHINSON, KANSAS

AIRSTREAM BAMBI

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AIRSTREAM HAS GIVEN THE “BAMBI” NICKNAME TO ALL single-axle travel trailers to denote their light, nimble size and their highly durable quality. Now, the brand is officially giving the

YODER SMOKERS ARE NOT THE TYPICAL BARBECUE PIT YOU BUY DOWN AT

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the local department store. These pits are designed for use at the biggest BBQ

an approachable way for novices to start their adventures and

competitions, and in your own backyard where the competition can be just as stiff.

start living the Airstream life. The Bambi line represents some of

Yoder constructs its line of competition-grade smoker pits to last a lifetime. In fact,

Airstream’s smallest, easy-to-tow travel trailers and are available

that’s how long they guarantee them against burnout. Their pits have so much steel in

in floor plans of various sizes. Similar to the Basecamp and Nest,

them that even the smallest pit weighs in at 255 pounds… and the biggest pits weigh

each new model can be towed by a wide range of crossovers,

well over 1,200 pounds, before they even add a trailer to the weight. So, when your

trucks and SUVs, which make them more accessible to novice

neighbor’s shiny polished-steel grill has burnt through and is headed for the dump,

campers and younger buyers.

you’ll still be smoking away.

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YO D E R S M O K E R S . C O M

POLE POSITION 2021

Channellock

STRAIGHT JAW TONGUE & GROOVE PLIERS

M E A D V I L L E , P E N N S Y LV A N I A CHANNELLOCK 440 12-INCH STRAIGHT JAW TONGUE & GROOVE PLIERS ARE the tool every home and garage needs. They’re built to last with a PermaLock fastener to eliminate nut/bolt failure, reinforcing edge to minimize stress breakage and laser heat-treated teeth to provide a longer-lasting grip. These versatile pliers, made from high carbon U.S. steel, are durable enough to pass down to your kids. Channellock is proudly run by fifth-generation family members in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Available at Walmart, Lowe’s, Amazon and many more retailers. CHANNELLOCK.COM

Case Knives

TRU-SHARP KNIVES

B R A D F O R D , P E N N S Y LV A N I A THE PATRIOTIC KIRINITE TRAPPER features a highly durable Kirinite acrylic grip draped in America’s own red, white and blue colors with Case’s own Tru-Sharp

WeatherTech FLOORLINERS

BOILINGBROOK, ILLINOIS WEATHERTECH FLOORLINERS ARE LASER-

surgical steel Clip and Spey blades that can conquer almost any task. The knife is crafted at Case’s only factory in Bradford, Pennsylvania., and has a retail price of $74.99. CASEKNIVES.COM

measured to protect the front, back and even up the sides of your vehicle’s footwell. For ultimate strength

Redneck Riviera Whiskey

and dependability, FloorLiners feature high-density core materials and are engineered with advanced surfacing

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REDNECK RIVIERA WHISKEY WAS AWARDED THE GOLD

W E AT H E R T E C H . C O M

medal at the 2018 Los Angeles World Spirits Competition in June 2018. Of the five whiskeys that won gold or silver medals at the competition, Redneck Riviera was the lone distributor with an

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AMERICA BABY!

PRESENTED BY

Spencer Boyd’s Patriotism Runs Deep TRUCK SERIES DRIVER SUPPORTS THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE

BY JARED TURNER

ome people wear their patriotism on

their proverbial sleeve. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Spencer Boyd wears his on his socks – quite literally. But Boyd’s devotion to the United States of America runs a lot deeper than his red, white and blue undergarments. One of Boyd’s chief passions in life is promoting the country he loves – the same country that has afforded him the opportunity to be a professional race car driver and make money doing something he thoroughly enjoys. “I really try to bring light to the American flag and what it means to me,” said the 25-year-old Creve Coeur, Missouri, native. “Basically, a lot of my family members are former military, and I feel fortunate to be able to drive race cars and chase my dream, and I feel like here in the United States of America a lot of people pay that ultimate sacrifice for you to be able to chase your dreams, whether it’s starting a small business or working for a powerhouse company like Walmart that is able to do what they do. “Maybe it’s being a baseball player or a race car driver. When you’re born in the United States, there are so many opportunities that you’re blessed with.” Boyd is admittedly bothered when he sees others of similar age seemingly not taking as much pride in country. As the grandson of an Air Force veteran and cousin of two Marines, he can’t help but be inspired by those who are willing to sacrifice so much for their country. “They are often 18-year-old kids that decide to go serve,” he said. “That’s a hell of a decision to make, and I think that really opened my eyes to say, ‘Wow, whatever level they are in the military, whatever branch they choose, they really have bit off something really big here.’ So when someone says they’re in the military I’m like, ‘Wow. Instant respect.’” Boyd tries to carry his patriotism with him everywhere he goes and

POLE POSITION 2021

year-round – even if he never served in the military himself. “I’ve seen guys that are my age that are in the military who have a huge sense of pride and love their country,” Boyd said. “But guys that are more like me that just get the benefit from what those military guys and gals do, they maybe don’t have the same pride in their country or waving the flag, or they just do it one day a year – the Fourth of July.” Whether it be sporting his patriotic socks, choosing to fly an American flag in his yard or making a conscious decision to purchase American-made products whenever possible, Boyd is all about taking his Americana-centered message to as big of an audience as possible. “I know I’m not Dale (Earnhardt) Jr., but I do have some great fans and people that pay attention,” said Boyd, who has more than 37,000 followers on Instagram and in excess of 20,000 more on Twitter. “I’m signing autographs for 5- and 6-year-olds and if I’m leaving some kind of influence, I’d like it to be a positive one. I really just feel fortunate to be able to be a race car driver, so anything I can do to raise awareness for the military and raise awareness for what those guys and gals have sacrificed is me just simply being proud to be an American.” Last November, Boyd served as a “celebrity tour guide” for the third consecutive year at Bucks for the Brave – an annual event held at Trinity Oak’s Thumbtack Ranch in Batesville, Texas, where a select group of American heroes, including military veterans and law enforcement officials, can enjoy the hunting experience of a lifetime. Record Rack – one of the sponsors on the No. 20 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Boyd – hosts the five-day hunting experience, which last year also afforded the deserving guests of honor an opportunity go fishing and clay shooting in between hunting excursions. Each year that Boyd has participated in Bucks for the Brave, he’s considered himself even more honored and privileged to have spent time getting to know military heroes and hearing their stories. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

“It’s one of those things you look forward to every time,” he said. “You leave feeling refreshed and just knowing you had a good time. And chances are, you left someone better than how they came.” Prior to COVID-19 limiting the number of people NASCAR will allow in the infield at race tracks, Boyd would customarily host three or four Gold Star Families at the track over the course of a season. A Gold Star Family consists of the immediate family members of a fallen service member who died while serving in a time of military conflict. “It’s a very unique experience,” Boyd said. “The first family that we hosted, I still talk to them on probably a monthly basis. They come to a couple races a year, they’re race fans in general. They’re out in California. So some of them you become friends with and it kind of sticks out, and that first one always sticks out to me. You meet the family and you start off with immediate respect. You hear about their son, husband or father that passed away and you hear all these stories.” Each Gold Star Family – which Boyd is paired with but doesn’t personally choose – typically watches the race atop the driver’s pit box, stands with him on the starting grid during the national anthem and spends time with him in his team hauler during the race weekend. “Whether it’s a brother that is there or someone’s son is honored there, I just try to show them a good time and show them appreciation for the ultimate PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

sacrifice that their loved one paid,” Boyd said. When Boyd thinks about the sacrifices so many people have made for his country, he can’t help but be a bit perplexed by the current political climate in which it seems like people almost need to justify why they choose to display an American flag or stand at attention during the national anthem. “At the end of the day, I’m always going to stand for the flag, regardless, and I’m always going to have my hand on my heart, and I would expect the people I surround myself with to follow suit as a team and as a unit, for sure,” Boyd said. “At times like this, times that push you to stand up for yourself or stand up for your own beliefs, I think, ‘Hey, you need to stand up for what you believe in.’ I think that’s a positive of living in the United States, and if you’re one that believes you should stand for the flag, it’s probably more important now than ever.” Boyd feels the same about his unique sock-wearing habit, which he began at age 16 and plans to continue for as long as he’s alive and well. As far as he’s concerned, the bigger his wardrobe of patriotic socks, the better. “I’ve got a pair of them on right now, and I wear them every single day,” Boyd said. “I probably have 50 different styles and probably 300 pair. It’s a lot of socks, and they don’t always look the same, so laundry can get kind of confusing. It becomes a task.” A task that couldn’t be more worth it to Boyd.

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

NASCAR PETS

PRESENTED BY

Z LP3 ENZYME SYSTEM

Keep Your Pets Healthy and Safe in the Toughest Conditions

ith an impressive array of prod-

ucts aimed at helping animals find relief and comfort from problematic ear, skin and oral conditions, Pet King Brands’ ZYMOX® Ear and Skin and Oratene® Brushless Oral Care have been making a difference in the lives of pets and pet owners for more than 20 years. Just ask NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Natalie Decker. Her family has been using Pet King Brands for as long as she can remember — and today, she’s keeping the tradition alive with her own hound mix rescue dog named Cash. Aware of the family connection, representatives from Pet King Brands reached out to Decker a few years back when they saw an Instagram post from her saying she had adopted a pet. From that initial conversation has sprung forth a wonderful partnership that has included Pet King Brands becoming a sponsor of Decker’s Xfinity Series efforts. “It’s all come full-circle,” Decker said. “I grew up living on the lake and our Lab loved swimming and would dive for rocks. He would go under the water with his head and pick up rocks from the bottom of the lake. And he would get ear infections from swimming all the time, so my mom would always have to clean his ears, and we used Pet Kings’ ZYMOX brand. The ear cleaner really worked on him because he would always try to itch his ears, and it was really uncomfortable for him, and we could just tell it gave him relief.” Fast-forward to today and Decker’s beloved canine, Cash. “I use all their products on our dog here

at home,” Decker said of Pet King Brands. “I absolutely love using their shampoo and conditioner, especially their conditioner; it’s almost like a lotion for your dog, and that is probably one of my most favorite. But also our dog likes to bury bones or toys in the backyard, and he gets a little sore on his nose. They have a spray or a cream that you can put on their cuts or their wounds to help them heal faster, and that has just helped so much.” ZYMOX and Oratene, are both veterinarian-recommended, and feature a long established formula based on a shared patented enzyme system that is naturally derived. Each enzyme has benefits on its own, but when combined, they work together to target only harmful bacteria without the need for antibiotics. ZYMOX has gained a reputation for

A PERFECT MATCH Pet King Brands director of marketing Debra Decker (no relation to Natalie) couldn’t be any happier for her company to be involved in NASCAR and partner with Decker, the 23-year-old driver believed to have a bright future in the sport. “NASCAR fans are dedicated and devoted to their pets just

POLE POSITION 2021

helping pets with allergies who get itchy skin and ear infections. It’s estimated that 75 percent of pets that have allergies also deal with chronic infections of the ears and skin. The products can be used as a preventative and to help manage these common conditions. “Luckily, our dog Cash hasn’t gotten any infections in his ear yet, but we use the Pet King Brands’ cleaner to help prevent any infections from happening,” Decker said. “They have stuff that you can put right in their water bowl and the dog doesn’t even know they’re getting a clean mouth from that, because they’re just drinking their water like normal. They have a little gel you can put in with just your finger. Cash loves it. He knows as soon as I’m getting it out, and he gets all excited like it’s a treat or something.”

fans and drivers love their pets, but they’re intertwined with their family and everyday life at and off the track.” Natalie Decker also feels so blessed to have Pet King Brands not only in her personal life but also on her race cars. “We use the products on all the pets that my parents and I now have,” she said. “It already feels like we’re like family, and it already feels like a long-term relationship. We’ve been

like Pet King Brands is dedicated to pets and helping them

working together for a while now, and I hope we can just

lead healthy, happy lives,” she said. “Not only do NASCAR

work together for a lot longer.”

PHOTOGRAPHY: ZYMOX

Suarez Is All About Animals BY JARED TURNER

orn and raised in a family that made a habit of rescuing

stray animals – and that does so to this day – NASCAR Cup Series driver Daniel Suarez was practically destined to be a dog and cat lover. Then, he met his girlfriend, Julia, and if there was ever any doubt that Suarez would be all about animals, her affinity for pets sealed the deal. “I grew up with a family in Mexico that had animals and that took care of animals like they are people,” Suarez said. “Julia grew up with chickens, cats and dogs sleeping with her. It was crazy. She grew up in France with all kinds of animals. And every chicken had a different name – they were like having a pet.” Together, Daniel and Julia are raising two animals – a 3.8-pound, 7-year-old Chihuahua named Emma and a one-and-a-half-year-old rescue cat named Nicky that the couple gave a home at the beginning of the year While some dogs and cats have trouble coexisting under the same roof, this isn’t the case for the Suarez pet clan. “I think cats and dogs get along well, especially when they’re young,” Suarez said. “It took them probably a week or week-and-a-half to start playing together. It was a process and didn’t happen overnight.”

MILESTONE MOMENTS

MILESTONE MOMENTS EVENTS THAT SHAPED NASCAR HISTORY

ASCAR is currently celebrating

its 72nd year of competition after the sanctioning body was officially incorporated on Feb. 21, 1948, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Many significant milestones have been achieved over those seven decades that have positioned NASCAR racing among the premier major league sports around the world. Seeking to prove which make of car was the fastest and most reliable among America’s auto manufacturers, their “Win on Sunday/Sell

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on Monday” sale strategies were successful as auto executives hired the absolute best drivers to wheel their latest creations on a variety of race tracks around the country. Those who piloted the earliest creations were farmers, millworkers, mechanics and moonshiners. They were unafraid to push Chevrolets, Dodges, Fords, Hudsons and Mercurys to their absolute limits, while seeking to become woven as champions into NASCAR’s incredible history.

The sport’s legendary superstars are household names – Allison Baker, Earnhardt, Panch, Pearson, Petty, Roberts, Turner, Weatherly and Yarborough, to name only a very few. Many were fathers who raced to glory on NASCAR’s short tracks and superspeedways before passing their professions down to their sons. Here is a look back at several milestone events that helped shape American stock car racing into the sport we celebrate and enjoy today.

WORDS: BEN WHITE, PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

THE FIRST CUP SERIES RACE June 19, 1949

hen World War II officially ended

on Aug. 9, 1945, American servicemen returned home to rebuild their lives and they searched for work to support their families. Some had raced cars in vacant pastures before the war, which began with the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The rush of wartime remained, prompting a large number of men to either try their hand at stock car racing or return to the new and vastly popular pastime that was quickly being organized. When William Getty “Bill” France formed NASCAR on Feb. 21, 1948, there were five other groups attempting to organize sanctioning bodies to present stock car racing. Driver Robert Nolin “Red” Byron won 11 of 52 races during the 1948 season and was crowned NASCAR’s first Modified champion. The success of the Modified stockers made France thirst for more. He then promoted NASCAR’s first Strictly Stock race on the newly built Charlotte Speedway, a dirt track located near the North Carolina city’s Wilkinson Boulevard. From the very start, the Strictly Stocks were billed as NASCAR’s premier division,

A NEW ERA DAWNS September 4, 1950

n Dec. 13, 1949, land developer Harold Brasington

became somewhat of a laughingstock around Darlington County, South Carolina, after he began clearing 70 acres of brush from a former cotton field adjacent to Hartsville Highway. After attending the Indianapolis 500 in May 1949, it became Brasington’s dream to build a race track that resembled the famed 2.5-mile Indy layout. Everyone thought he had lost his mind but still, many around the small hamlet of Darlington, South Carolina, bought stock in his risky venture. The second biggest shareholder, Sherman Ramsey, gave Brasington the acreage needed to make the venture come to fruition. On a handshake, Ramsey agreed to Brasington’s terms as long as the minnow pond located outside the second turn remained untouched. The two business entrepreneurs created an egg-shaped oval that became one of the toughest tracks in motorsports. Brasington is known to have said to Sherman, “You go fishing and I’ll go to work.” Only nine months later, Brasington cut the thick red ribbon on his 1.25-mile superspeedway, the first paved oval of its kind in the South and a sight to behold by the townsfolk who had never seen such a spectacle. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

which today is known as the NASCAR Cup Series. For weeks leading up to the June 19, 1949, race, talk of the upcoming event spread rapidly. Predictions of a large crowd were correct as 13,000 filled the makeshift wooden bleachers. After 200 laps on the three-quarter-mile, dust-generating dirt surface, Kansan Jim Roper was declared the winner in the Lincoln he drove from his home state. Roper inherited the victory when the rear leaf springs on the 1947 Ford driven by apparent winner Glenn Dunaway were deemed illegal. Roper had seen a comic strip in the newspaper announcing the race and drove without stopping over several days to get to the track. “That strip always advertised the air shows and it was pretty popular at the time. I always read it,” Roper said in the April 1992 edition of American Racing Classics. “That fellow (cartoonist Zack Moseley) had the race mentioned in it and we decided to give it a try. “That ($2,000 to win) was pretty big money back then (nearly $21,600 in today’s money).” There were 12 Fords, four Hudsons, six Oldsmobiles, three Lincolns, two Buicks, two Chryslers, two Kaisers, one Cadillac and one Mercury in the 33-car field. Roper drove his winning No. 34 Lincoln, with his trophy in the passenger seat, back to Kansas after the race.

NASCAR scheduled the track’s first race – the Southern 500 – for Sept. 4, 1950. Brasington worried he wouldn’t fill all 9,000 seats he had constructed by way of concrete bleachers. Instead, 25,000 spectators showed up and camped all around the speedway with nowhere to house them. Many camped around the town square and on the courthouse steps in Darlington hoping to score a race day ticket. A field of 75 cars took the green flag for the 400-lap event led by pole winner Curtis Turner from Virginia. The 500-mile race spanned 6 hours and 38 minutes with drivers suffering so many blown tires that some were secretly taken off passenger cars in the field to finish the race. California native Johnny Mantz wheeled an underpowered six-cylinder Plymouth to victory using a set of hard Indianapolis-style tires for the entire race, averaging 75.250 mph. Team owner Red Vogt protested the win but nothing illegal was found. Mantz’s strategy of pacing himself while others raced hard was his advantage for winning.

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MILESTONE MOMENTS

THE INAUGURAL DAYTONA 500

THE TRAGEDIES OF 1964

February 22, 1959

Jan. 19, 1964 - Nov. 8, 1964

T W

hen Daytona International Speedway opened on Feb.

6, 1959, it was truly the largest race track NASCAR racers had ever seen at 2.5 miles in length. Drivers had experienced the treacherous Darlington Raceway at 1.25 miles in length for eight previous seasons, but the newly constructed superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, was expected to generate the fastest speeds ever experienced to that point in stock car racing. Bill France, the founder of NASCAR and builder of the speedway, recognized the value of newspaper headlines and stretched practice and qualifying sessions over a 10-day period. He also conceived the idea of holding single-car qualifying sessions as well as two traditional 125-mile qualifying events to set the starting field. When race day arrived, 59 cars lined up for the 200-lap race with Shorty Rollins and Bob Welborn leading the field. Seven drivers did not make the starting field and were forced to load their cars and return home. There were 33 lead changes in the race with driver Johnny Beauchamp flagged the winner over Lee Petty in a three-car photo-finish that included Joe Weatherly crossing the line one lap down. Petty felt he was the winner and posted a protest to have the finish checked. At the time, the only way to resolve the issue was through the use of a photo-finish camera posted at the start-finish line. The film had to be developed and enlarged enough to see which car was ahead at the finish. Both drivers commented they felt they had won, according to Greg Fielden’s “40 Years of Stock Car Racing” book series. “I had Beauchamp by a good two feet. In my own mind, I know I won,” Petty said during post-race interviews. Beauchamp replied, “I had him by two feet. I glanced over to Lee Petty’s car as I crossed the finish line and I could see his headlight slightly back of my car. It was so close I didn’t know how they would call it, but I thought I won.” Fireball Roberts, an early leader in the race, was standing near the finish line and said: “There’s no doubt about it, Petty won.” Photos and newsreel footage were studied over a three-day period before France declared Petty the winner the following Wednesday. Petty was given his trophy and check in his home. It was Lee Petty’s only Daytona 500 victory.

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he 1964 NASCAR Cup Se-

ries season began on Jan. 19 at California’s Riverside International Raceway. That day, driver Joe Weatherly had returned to the nine-turn road course after a transmission change when his Bud Moore Engineering Mercury slammed driver side first into the turn six wall, taking his life instantly. Only five months later, multiple tragedies occurred at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600 and at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Indianapolis 500. At Charlotte, NASCAR legend Glenn “Fireball” Roberts suffered severe burns in a three-car crash involving Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson during the seventh lap of the 400-lap race. The Tavares, Florida, native succumbed to his injuries 39 days later on July 2, 1964, after remaining in critical condition. The same day as of the 600, Eddie Sachs and Dave McDonald lost their lives in a horrendous multi-car crash and fire on the second lap of the Indianapolis 500. Another driver to lose his life during the 1964 season was Jimmy Pardue, who was killed during a tire test at Charlotte on Sept. 22. As a direct result of those crashes, fire-resistant uniforms were developed to keep flames away from drivers amid terrible crashes. Also developed that year were tire inner liners that kept tires from blowing out completely at high speeds. The inner shell of the tire remained intact to give drivers stability while bringing their cars under control. Also, roll cage construction was improved to protect the drivers. Possibly the most important innovation came with the introduction of the fuel cell, a rubber bladder designed to prevent fueltank explosions, as was the case in Roberts’ crash at Charlotte. Also, fire extinguisher systems were eventually developed and added to the front, rear and cockpit areas on the race car that can be activated by the push of a button. As the decades passed, car construction, five-point seat belt harnesses, full-face helmets and HANS devices have brought injury and death in NASCAR competition to an absolute minimum. “The 1964 NASCAR season as well as the tragedy of the deaths at Indianapolis that year paved the way for many safety innovations that were so desperately needed,” said H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler, formerly with Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. and also Charlotte Motor Speedway. “Because of those tragic deaths, other drivers were able to remain safe in the years to come. So many innovations have been improved upon that are still being used to some degree today.” PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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MILESTONE MOMENTS

PETTY’S PHENOMENAL 1967 Jan. 22, 1967 - Nov. 5, 1967

here are times in professional

sports when one season stands out above all the rest. Everything comes together perfectly, and no one can truly explain why or how it all came together. That happened in 1967 when seventime NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty drove a single 1966 Plymouth to more wins in a single season than anyone in NASCAR history. After 48 starts during that year’s NASCAR Cup Series season, Petty had won 27 races, including a NASCAR-record 10 consecutively. In all, the dominant signature Petty blue Mopar machine tallied 36 victories from 1966 to 1967. At that time, having a car that finished 27 races was quite a feat, let alone win them. Many times, cars were crashed so badly they had to be scrapped and replaced with new ones. Miraculously, this particular car never suffered major damage of any kind, other than the occasional sheet metal rubs and bumps while battling for position. No matter where the car was raced, it was considered the class of the field and the car every driver wanted to defeat. The famed Plymouth was the first to be loaned to the NASCAR Hall of Fame for its

WINSTON MONEY TRANSFORMS NASCAR January 10, 1971

rom its inception in June 1949 through

November 1970, NASCAR’s premier series grew in popularity, most notably as a regional southern sport. Then, circumstances far removed from stock car racing prompted a well-known corporation based in Winston Salem, North Carolina, to look for a new stage from which to promote its products. On April 1, 1970, President Richard Nixon signed legislation banning tobacco advertising from being broadcast on television and radio. For years prior to the decision, public health advocates had touted the risks of using tobacco. The timing was perfect as Detroit’s Big Three automakers – Ford, General Motors and Chrysler – had all but eliminated their factory support of race teams after years of entering and leaving the sport over rules disputes. When Junior Johnson, a former NASCAR driver turned team owner, approached R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. officials about sponsoring his Chevrolet for the 1971 season, he quickly realized their desire to be a part of the sport was far bigger than sponsoring a single car. Johnson introduced RJR executives to

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grand opening in Charlotte in 2010. “The Plymouth Belvedere was a special car,” Petty said the day it was presented. “Back then we usually found a car that was good on short tracks or speedways or dirt tracks, but not many that were good everywhere. That Plymouth was fast no matter where we ran it.” Dale Inman, crew chief for 193 of Petty’s 200 career victories, remembers the car as one of the absolute best that ever came out of the team’s Level Cross, North Carolina, shop. “Back then, it was such a feat to not fall out of 10 races in a row, let alone win them,” Inman said. “There were a lot of 100-mile races, but still, to win that many was remarkable with the way the motors, wheel bearings and rear-ends were in that era. All that stuff is so much better now. “ Since opening 72 years ago, Petty Enterprises fielded Oldsmobiles, Plymouths, Fords, Dodges, Chevrolets and Pontiacs. Through 2007 when the organization ceased its NASCAR Cup Series efforts, the team had collected 268 wins, 10 Cup Series championships and nine Daytona 500 victories with Lee and Richard Petty as well as Pete Hamilton. The Pettys’ phenomenal 1967 season helped bring NASCAR to the forefront in newspapers alongside professional stick-and-ball sports.

NASCAR founder Bill France with the idea of becoming the first series sponsor in the sanctioning body’s then 23-year history. The tobacco giant’s entrance into auto racing was a life preserver for NASCAR that resulted in several other Fortune 500 corporations being introduced to auto racing in the decades to come. RJR reduced the Winston Cup Series schedule from 48 races to 33, eliminating many dirt and asphalt short tracks from the circuit. A revamped points system was also put in place to accommodate the shorter, streamlined schedule. In 1971, RJR spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on track improvements, repairing and painting buildings with the company’s signature red-andwhite Winston colors and adding signage, structures and seating where needed. RJR also began sponsoring the Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. From 1971 through 2003, the Winston Cup Series was recognized as one of the best auto racing sponsorship programs around the world. RJR also delved into NHRA Drag racing, the IMSA Camel GT Series for sports cars and backed the Lotus Formula One team from 1987 until 1990. RJR’s most popular sponsorship package in NASCAR was the Winston Million, which was won by Bill Elliott in 1985 at Darlington Raceway as well as Jeff Gordon at the same track in 1997. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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MILESTONE MOMENTS

RICHARD PETTY VERSUS DAVID PEARSON

‘AND THERE’S A FIGHT!’ February 18, 1979

February 15, 1976

hroughout their careers,

NASCAR Cup Series champions Richard Petty and David Pearson finished first and second to one another a total of 63 times with Pearson coming out first 33 times to Petty’s 30. In February 1976, the ending to the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway came down to one of the most exciting finishes in the then 17-year history of The Great American Race. The two legendary drivers dogged each other throughout the 200-lap event with Pearson playing a waiting game in second as the laps clicked down to the finish. With one lap remaining, Pearson, driving the famed Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Mercury, dropped low going into turn three to make his move around Petty’s No. 43 STP Dodge. Pearson had Petty cleared but saw Petty drop low to come back as they two leaders worked through the fourth turn with the checkered flag in sight. In the chute between Turn Four and the start-finish line, it appeared Petty had Pearson beat, but when he pulled in front to complete the pass, the cars bumped. Petty worked to clear Pearson’s Mercury but came up short by a mere foot, sending both drivers hard into the outside retaining wall and spinning wildly into the tri-oval grass. Petty spun down the track while Pearson spun toward pit road and clipped a lapped car. Petty was a mere 25 yards from the startfinish line frantically trying to get his Dodge refired. Pearson had the presence of mind to push in the clutch to keep his engine running and drove under the checkered flag at only 20 mph. Petty’s power came from a few crew members who ran to push him across the line. “My engine never died,” Pearson said in Victory Lane. “Before I hit the wall I popped the clutch, put it in neutral and revved the engine as high as I could to keep it from stalling.” The significance is that national news outlets, such as ABC’s “Good Morning America,” interviewed both drivers the day after the race in New York City, further bringing NASCAR into the national spotlight. It was the first time NASCAR had been featured on a major news show the morning after a race.

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he 1979 Daytona 500 marked the first time the crown

jewel event of the NASCAR Cup Series was televised live, flag to flag to a national audience. After days of hard rain in Daytona Beach, Florida, the 200-lap event at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway started under threatening skies. The Feb. 18 race was viewed by a national television audience on CBS as well as 120,000 fans in attendance. Millions on the eastern seaboard were trapped in their homes by a massive snowstorm that stretched from north Florida to the state of Maine. There were only three national television networks at that time as broadcasting choices that day were NBA basketball, a western movie and the Daytona 500. Seventy-eight drivers attempted to qualify for 41 available positions in the 500 field, led by pole position winner Buddy Baker. By race’s end, there were a total of 36 lead changes in the 3-hour, 30-minute race. Drivers Donnie Allison, Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison crashed together to bring out the second caution flag on lap 31. All three drivers would be the center of attention at race’s end when Donnie Allison and Yarborough crashed on the final lap while battling for the victory, with their damaged cars coming to rest at the bottom of Turn Three and handing the victory to Richard Petty. When Bobby Allison stopped to give his brother a ride to the garage area, a fight broke out among the trio of drivers. The brief skirmish on national television caught the attention of those watching who had never seen a NASCAR race, prompting conversations among casual fans as well as those who had followed the sport for many years. Among those who were introduced to the sport that day were a number of people from corporate America, looking to possibly join the sport in a sponsorship capacity. While Yarborough and the Allison brothers were later fined for their actions, Petty enjoyed his sixth of seven Daytona 500 victories as the surprise winner. The native of Level Cross, North Carolina, had undergone major stomach surgery just a week before the race and was told by his doctors that he should not race due to the severity of the procedure. The Daytona 500 victory also helped the Petty team renew its sponsorship with STP. Petty went on to race an additional 13 years before hanging up his helmet in 1992. PHOTOGRAPHY: RACINGONE, GETTY IMAGES

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MILESTONE MOMENTS

ELLIOTT BANKS THE WINSTON MILLION September 1, 1985

t the NASCAR Cup Series Awards

Banquet in New York City during the winter of 1984, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. offered $1 million to any driver who could win three of NASCAR’s four biggest races. Ironically, the series sponsor felt the odds were a bit great to fulfill, as they did not initially set aside the funding to pay the Winston Million. Bill Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Melling Racing Ford Thunderbird fielded by his family team, was able to accomplish the impossible by winning the 1985 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, the Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway and the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, giving NASCAR one of the greatest Cinderella stories in all of professional sports. Having suffered brake issues during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Elliott family, of Dawsonville, Georgia, made the quest for stardom even more special because they were considered everyday folks, just like their fans. They pulled off the impossible simply by giving their absolute best effort in the

garage and behind the wheel. Each time the Elliott brothers – Bill, Dan and Ernie – would enter a track during the 1985 season, Bill Elliott set up the Ford’s chassis in addition to driving. Ernie Elliott would build and tune the car’s engines while Dan Elliott would manage the car’s springs and shocks. It was a magical union among brothers, often taking them away from the media to concentrate on making their Fords go so fast. “There was a good deal of pressure on the team all week, and there was pressure to keep the car together during the race,” Elliott told the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “Anything could have happened. I could have run the car into the wall. But everything worked out.” All told, the Elliotts collected 11 victories in 1985 but fell just short of winning the NASCAR Cup Series championship to driver Darrell Waltrip and team owner Junior Johnson. Still, having won the Winston Million made it a season to remember throughout NASCAR’s incredible storied history. Elliott’s total Darlington earnings were $1,053,725, more than five times his take for winning the Daytona 500 earlier that year. All told, Bill Elliott recorded 44 victories during his career and earned the 1988 Cup Series championship. He made his final series start at Daytona in July 2012.

EARNHARDT FINALLY WINS THE DAYTONA 500 February 15, 1998

ale Earnhardt’s love for Daytona International Speedway began as a

young child when his father, Ralph Earnhardt, brought him oranges from Florida when he ran Sportsman Division races there during the early 1960s. On Feb. 18, 1979, Dale Earnhardt, of Kannapolis, North Carolina, fired the engine in his Rod Osterlund-owned Chevrolet and began a 20-year quest to win the Daytona 500. But seemingly every year, there would be some type of mechanical issue, a crash not of his making or worst yet, he’d come up agonizingly short of victory. From 1979 through 1997, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion logged 34 wins at the Florida track in events such as 125-qualifying races, Busch Clashes and IROC (International Race of Champions) races. The one race that eluded him year after year for two decades was the Daytona 500. The close ones came in 1986 when he ran out of gas and lost it to Geoff Bodine. Then, in 1990, he blew a tire on the final lap and lost to Derrike Cope. In 1991, he was forced to watch Dale Jarrett beat him to the checkered flag. Then there was another second-place finish to Jarrett in 1996. On Feb. 15, 1998, the Daytona 500 victory finally came. While driving his black No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Earnhardt averaged 172.712 mph over the 500-mile distance and took home a then-record $1 million prize. Following his victory, crews from competing teams lined pit road to

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congratulate the 46-year-old racer before he drove his car onto the grass and did several celebratory doughnuts prior to visiting Victory Lane. Earnhardt’s 1998 win is arguably the most sentimental of all Daytona 500 triumphs considering no other driver had come so close so many times before rolling into Victory Lane. Those around him that memorable February afternoon had never see him more relaxed and upbeat than when he finally achieved his greatest personal accomplishment. “Twenty years! Can you believe it? We won it! The Daytona 500 is ours! Every which way I could lose it, I’ve lost it. Now I’ve won it and I don’t car how I’ve won it. We won it,” Earnhardt said in a post-race interview that day. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

MILESTONE MOMENTS

HISTORICAL NASCAR FAST FACTS BY BEN WHITE

NASCAR FOUNDER BILL FRANCE AND THE NAME GRAND NATIONAL After seeing the movie “National Velvet” starring Elizabeth Taylor in 1944, NASCAR founder Bill France adopted the Grand National label for his premier stock car series. The movie featured horse racing with Taylor competing for a victory in the Grand Nationals. The division is known today as the NASCAR Cup Series.

PETTY DID NOT WIN ALL 200 WITH NO. 43 Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty is known for driving the iconic No. 43 throughout his 32-year career. However, eight of Petty’s 200 victories came using different car numbers. The King won twice with No. 42 (1962 and 1966) and six times with No. 41, five in 1963 and once in 1964.

ROOKIE WINNERS IN THE CUP SERIES Since 1972, rookie winners in the NASCAR Cup Series are: Earl Ross, Dale Earnhardt, Ron Bouchard, Morgan Shepherd, Davey Allison, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Juan Pablo Montoya, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Trevor Bayne and Chris Buescher.

INDY CAR DREAMS Drivers Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Ricky Rudd set out to build

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Indy Car careers before they came to NASCAR. Among them, only Stewart and Johnson have fulfilled that mission. Stewart was crowned the 1996 Indy car champion while Johnson is currently pursuing an Indy car career.

RICHARD PETTY TOLD NOT TO RACE A

week

before

winning the 1979 Daytona 500, Richard Petty had major stomach surgery and was told by his doctors that he should not race. The Randleman, North Carolina, native won his sixth of seven Daytona 500s when Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison crashed on the final lap.

WING TIPS WERE BEST Throughout a 35-year career, driver Dave Marcis chose to wear a Sunday wingtip shoe when he drove race cars in NASCAR competition. The Wausau, Wisconsin, native selected the shoe over others because of its hard sole that protected his feet from blistering due to hot floorboards in Cup Series race cars.

CALE YARBOROUGH LED ALL 500 LAPS On March 25,1973, Cale Yarborough drove his Junior Johnson-prepared No. 11 Chevrolet to victory at Bristol Motor Speedway, leading the entire 500-lap race distance. The driver from Timmonsville, South Carolina, lapped the field by the 100th lap and was never contested for the win on the famed .533-mile Tennessee track.

DAYTONA’S FIRST BLACK FLAG During the first practice session prior to the inaugural Daytona 500 on Feb. 22, 1959, driver Herman Beam received the track’s first black flag for going out to practice without his helmet. The Johnson City, Tennessee, native entered 194 NASCAR events from 1957 through 1963, scoring 57 top-10 finishes.

A PHENOMENAL SEASON In 1973, three-time NASCAR champion David Pearson won 10 superspeedway races and one short-track event in only 18 Cup Series starts for Wood Brothers Racing that season. The Spartanburg, South Carolina, driver collected 43 of his 105-career victories, including the 1976 Daytona 500, with the Virginia-based team before his retirement in 1986.

JARRETT WINS BY A WIDE MARGIN Two-time NASCAR champion Ned Jarrett, driver of the No. 11 Bowani Racing Ford, won the 1965 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway by 14 laps, or 19.25 miles. The Conover, North Carolina, native saved his engine by turning it off in the turns and refiring it on the front and back straightaways.

MAY DROVE FIVE CARS IN ONE RACE NASCAR Cup Series driver Dick May drove five different race cars for five different owners, including himself, during the 1975 MasonDixon 500 at Dover International Speedway. With heat reaching nearly 100 degrees, May drove portions of the race in relief of four drivers as the race spanned nearly five hours. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

TIM FLOCK AND HIS PASSENGER April 5, 1953

wo-time NASCAR champion Tim Flock came from a

family of showmen who loved to perform in front of crowds at every possible chance. By the fifth race of the 1953 season, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion had a gimmick to help garner headlines everywhere he raced during the 37-race season. Team owner Ted Chester was visiting a pet store in Atlanta when he came across a rhesus monkey, one of the smallest and most personable of all simians. A sign on the cage indicated his name was Jocko. Chester knew it was the thing to do when he mouthed the name “Jocko Flocko,” and figured it would be a great addition to have the monkey ride along with Flock in NASCAR races, complete with a custom-made helmet and uniform. Chester owned the car and knew he would have little trouble convincing Flock to be part of the stunt. After all, his champion driver loved publicity. Flock honestly thought his team owner had been hitting the liquor bottle once too often, especially since it had never been done. The driver did not ask NASCAR and instead, had a special seat made for his passenger. Jocko broke into NASCAR racing at the Charlotte Fairgrounds Speedway on April 5, 1953, riding co-pilot in

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the No. 91 Hudson. They started from the pole position and led seven times for 87 laps but fell off the pace on lap 125 with engine problems. The two traveled to Richmond, Virginia, on April 19 but did not start, followed by Macon, Georgia, on May 3 where they finished fifth. They continued to Columbia, South Carolina, and finished second; followed by Hickory, North Carolina, on May 16 where they celebrated the victory. Then it was on to Martinsville, Virginia, where they finished 32nd, Columbus, Ohio, and finished 22nd and Raleigh, North Carolina, on May 30 and finished third. That is where Jocko’s racing career came to an end. “He thought it was time to check the right front tire so he unfastened his seat belt and went down to the trap door to take a look,” Flock said in his book, “Tim Flock – Race Driver,” published in May 1991. “Jocko pulled the chain, peered in the hole and got zinged by a small piece of debris right between the eyes.” Jocko went wild, forcing Flock to visit pit road and drop him off for the very last time.

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THE TRUCK SERIES TEAM THAT

Since going NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Racing in 2014 with only 20 employees and one full-time team, GMS Racing has expanded to now consist of four full-time teams and 95 employees. Along the way, the organization owned by Allegiant Air CEO Maury Gallagher has hired veteran NASCAR Cup Series crew chief Mike Beam as its president and moved its headquarters from Charlotte to Statesville, North Carolina. None of the four drivers who currently compete for GMS Racing – Sheldon Creed, Zane Smith, Tyler Ankrum, and Chase Purdy – were with the team back in its earliest days, nor had any of them even graduated high school. The one thing that really hasn’t changed for GMS Racing since the beginning? Its consistent success. With two driver championships and more than 35 wins in less than eight full years of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

POLE POSITION 2021

•• The GMS Racing Lineup (left to right): Chase Purdy, Zane Smith, Sheldon Creed, Tyler Ankrum competition, the organization has flourished in ways that no one could have imagined. Perhaps most remarkably, it’s happened not with one driver or two drivers or three drivers but rather with a lengthy driver roster that has included both veterans and youngsters alike. Bottom line? Almost everyone who has the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a GMS Racing truck lives to be thankful for the day they signed up. “The biggest thing I see here is just the organization as a whole and how it’s ran,” said veteran crew chief Jeff Hensley, who joined GMS in 2016 and as of press time had won five races while calling the shots for a GMS driver. “I mean, it’s like a Cup-style organization that happens to run trucks as far as preparation, the engineering that goes into it, the scheduling, how we try to stay on top of innovating new things, getting better. “We don’t rest on our laurels. We don’t always PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

MAKES THINGS HAPPEN go in the right direction, but at least we are going in a direction and just trying to get better. I think that’s the biggest thing is just the constant innovation and making improvements and not just sitting still, you know?” Hensley is hardly alone in his effusive praise for the organization, which captured its first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship in 2016 with veteran Johnny Sauter and returned to the Promised Land a season ago with Creed – a 23-year-old in just his second season of full-time Truck Series competition. “When I first came over, I had a lot to learn from ARCA,” said Creed, who earned five wins on the way to his 2020 title after going winless as a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie. “I was fast, but I just made a lot of mistakes and didn’t race very well. And so it kind of took a while to get that figured out. I feel like the truck drove really good the first year I was here, but I didn’t have the speed that most racers did. “The guys did a really good job last year on changing that. The trucks were a little harder to drive but faster. The guys did a great job on working in the shop and making my truck better, and that’s really hard to do.” One of the keys to Creed’s success – and the organization as a whole over the years – has been what basically amounts to an openbook policy among its teams. “Everyone knows what everyone’s running,” Creed said. “So, I have the option to go run exactly what they run or he has the option to run what I run in my truck. So, I think we all drive a little bit kind of alike but a little bit different.” Since being named president of GMS Racing in December 2014, Beam has made collaboration and teamwork a focal point among the drivers and teams competing under the GMS umbrella. For example, instead of having just one weekly competition meeting among the different teams as is typical of most organizations, GMS has no fewer than two. “There’s a lot of communication,” Beam said. “Everybody knows exactly what the other people’s setups are. Everybody knows exactly what the plan is from race stages to pitting, and it usually goes pretty well. Here at GMS, the crew chiefs and engineers are all in the same room so they really communicate well. That’s been a huge part of our success. Everybody communicates.” If anyone within the organization ever seems to be the least bit at odds with someone else, that fire is quickly put out. “I’m not going to put up with it,” said Beam, who worked as a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief for the better part of 22 years. “I’ve been in enough places where there’s been a lot of tension between PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

BY JARED TURNER

teams and stuff, and we’re just not going to do that because it’s just wasted energy. Everybody has the same amount of shocks, springs, trucks. Everybody has really good pit crews, everybody has everything they need. They don’t need to worry about what they don’t have; they just need to worry about how they execute, and that’s the way I pretty much just lay it out.” Hensley, the crew chief on the No. 23 truck of Purdy, appreciates the transparency and sharing that is so embedded within the company’s culture. “That wasn’t always the case at the places where I’ve worked before,” Hensley said. “Not mentioning any names but just stating facts. But it’s an open book here at GMS, and if one team gets it, all five teams get it. It’s not like there’s certain things available to a particular team; it’s across the board. And I think it may not work for every team, but at least it’s there for us to take advantage of, and we can learn what to do and sometimes we learn what not to do. “That’s the biggest thing: just the open communication here. We have production meetings and competition meetings and post-race meetings where there’s nothing left to the imagination. It’s all up front and shared amongst the teams.” The driving force behind the data sharing is that there’s strength in numbers – and with four full-time teams to glean from, GMS Racing has more resources than most truck organizations. “I mean, (four) heads are better than one,” Hensley said. “I’ve always said, ‘That’s what makes the difference of being successful and being average,’ and I think that’s why Mike Beam stresses that here and actually won’t take anything less. And that’s, to me, what makes the biggest single difference is the fact that we all work together really good from top to bottom.” As for the guy at the top, the steady leadership of Gallagher can’t be forgotten. “He’s there to encourage us when things are not going good, he’s there to pat you on the back when they are, but he’s never there to do your job,” Hensley said. “He’s a very hands-off owner, but you know that he’s there watching the whole time. He’s a pleasure to work for. He’ll call you up when you do good and call you up when things went bad and tell you to keep your head up and keep digging and everything’s going to be OK. “It’s huge to know that you have got someone supporting you like that in the background. And knowing that he understands how hard this is and how hard it is to win at this level and that he appreciates it when you do, that means a lot.” POLE POSITION MAG.COM

GMS RACING PROFILE

KEY GMS PERSONNEL The greatness of GMS Racing lies first and foremost in its people. Here’s more on three of them – plus a note on the organization’s biggest milestone to date.

–JARED TURNER

TEAM OWNER MAURY GALLAGHER “IT GOES BACK TO MR. GALLAGHER’S FINANCIAL commitment to build GMS,” company president Mike Beam said of his boss, who is the team’s founder. “We’ve made some good decisions on drivers and crew chiefs and stuff, but it boils down to people and GMS giving us all the tools to work with, and Mr. Gallagher giving us all the tools to work with. An owner like Maury Gallagher lets you do your job. He enjoys racing and he supports me and this whole company, so he is just a great owner and just lets us do our job. He’s there to help if we need anything.”

TEAM PRESIDENT MIKE BEAM AS PRESIDENT OF GMS RACING, BEAM IS

Racing drivers and teams share in each

responsible for the day-to-day oversight of

other’s successes and keep an open

said. “They’re all the same. I don’t care who

all four teams and making sure everyone is

notebook with each other so no one gets

wins; just one of those knuckleheads needs

communicating and on the same page. Beam

left behind and everyone has an equal

to win, but I don’t care which one. They

works diligently to ensure the different GMS

opportunity to succeed.

have a lot of respect for each other.”

“There is no ‘A Team’ or ‘B Team,’” Beam

JOSH WISE

“Basically, he just teaches them fundamentals

makes sure these young guys do not miss

A FORMER NASCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER,

about racing – psychologically and just how

out on the opportunity of driving really

Wise plays a key role in helping the young

to communicate with your crew chief and

good equipment and being associated with

drivers of GMS Racing reach their full

your engineer. Josh was a really good driver

Chevrolet and General Motors, and basically

potential.

when he drove. His best story is just that he

he’s just making them grow up and mature

didn’t capitalize on the opportunity, and he

pretty quick.”

“He works out with them,” Beam said.

Biggest Milestone WHILE WINNING MORE THAN 35 NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK Series races as an organization is no small feat, claiming two championships in only seven years as a full-time truck organization has arguably been an even more notable accomplishment for GMS Racing. Has Beam been surprised by how quickly the organization found success? “I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I don’t want to say it’s surprised me,” the team president said. “We’ve been really blessed and we’ve had things go our way. I look at the races that we lost that we should have won, and, of course, that’s what you do.”

POLE POSITION 2021

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

GMS RACING PROFILE

THE GMS DRIVERS With four drivers in its NASCAR Camping World Truck Series stable, GMS Racing has a full house. Get to know Sheldon Creed, Zane Smith, Tyler Ankrum and Chase Purdy.

–JARED TURNER

SHELDON CREED

ZANE SMITH

THE REIGNING NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

COMING OFF A SPECTACULAR ROOKIE SEASON IN 2020 WHEN HE

champion, Creed is seeking to become just the second driver in series

won two races and finished second in the standings behind teammate

history to earn back-to-back championships.

Sheldon Creed, Smith is widely considered an up-and-comer in not only

“Sheldon has always been fast,” GMS Racing president Mike Beam

the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series but the sport in general. For

said. “He reminds me of a Cale Yarborough. It’s like, ‘How do you crank

the second year at GMS, he is paired with former NASCAR Cup Series

this thing? I’ll take care of the rest of it.’ He’s just on the gas.”

crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion.

TYLER ANKRUM

POLE POSITION 2021

CHASE PURDY

THE 2018 CHAMPION

AFTER RUNNING A

of what is now the

limited NASCAR Camping

ARCA Menards Series

World Truck Series

East, Ankrum parlayed

schedule in 2018, taking

his ARCA success into

a break in 2019 and

a full-time NASCAR

returning in a part-time

Camping World Series

role in 2020, Purdy made

ride with team owner

the jump to full-time

David Gilliland’s team

status this year alongside

the following year and

veteran crew chief Jeff

moved to GMS Racing in

Hensley. Although the

2020. The 20-year-old

first several races of 2021

native of San Bernardino,

were a struggle, Purdy

California, finished ninth

– a 21-year-old native

in points despite going

of Meridian, Mississippi

winless in Year One as

– appears to have a very

part of the GMS stable.

bright future in the sport.

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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yle Busch. Brad Keselowski. Chase Elliott. Joey Logano. Kevin Harvick. Denny

Hamlin. Bubba Wallace. And the list goes on. If you’ve been a NASCAR fan for any length of time at all, you know the “heavyhitters” who dominate the sport’s headlines, and you’re probably at least somewhat familiar with all of their stories. In many cases, you even own their die-cast cars, their posters, their hats and their Tshirts – and that’s a good thing. But what about the drivers who aren’t household names – the ones who have not yet “arrived,” as it were, in the sport? There are quite a few of these drivers scattered across NASCAR’s three main divisions – and they’re pretty interesting people. In the following pages, get to know 10 drivers with whom you probably aren’t that familiar, but who have backgrounds and interests that are worth checking out. You might be incredibly surprised by what you discover.

POLE POSITION 2021

WORDS: JARED TURNER, PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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lthough a somewhat under-the-radar rookie in the

NASCAR Cup Series, Anthony Alfredo has already made quite the impression with his ability to drive race cars. Among those he’s impressed are NASCAR’s 15-time most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who in 2017 chose Alfredo to drive for JR Motorsports in the Late Model division of the CARS Tour. Upon being granted this wonderful opportunity, Alfredo – just 18 at the time – didn’t disappoint, finishing a close second in the championship standings to his more experienced teammate, Josh Berry. Alfredo’s success at that level proved to be the catalyst for his next opportunity – competing full time the next year in what is now the ARCA Menards Series East. Not surprisingly, Alfredo found success there, too, scoring a victory at South Boston Speedway on the way to a fifth-place points finish. Since 2019, he’s competed at NASCAR’s upper levels. After a part-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series campaign in 2019 followed by a part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule in 2020, Alfredo joined Front Row Motorsports as a full-time driver for the 2021 Cup Series season. “When you start out racing karts as a kid, you dream of making it to the sport’s top level,” Alfredo said. “I know the challenges ahead, but I’m here to work hard and prove myself.” Alfredo replaced John Hunter Nemechek, who left the Cup Series this year to return to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series ranks. “We wanted another young driver and someone that fit well into our team,” said Bob Jenkins, owner of Front Row Motorsports owner. “We feel that Anthony is a great match.”

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WHEN HE’S NOT hard at work, Anthony Alfredo has no shortage of hobbies and interests to keep him plenty preoccupied. Along with being a classic rock and heavy metal enthusiast (his favorite band is Black Sabbath), Alfredo is also big into iRacing and movies – his favorite movie being “Act of Valor,” a 2012 American action film. But ultimately, it’s racing that consumes Alfredo. “I’ve never been more determined to prove myself and make everyone who believes in me proud,” he said.

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e h t n o RYA a g i n d i e z i l M a l t i a Cap er of Soci Pow S A G R N VA

RNER ED TU BY JAR

With more than 215,000 followers on TikTok, NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Ryan Vargas has made quite the splash on the popular video-sharing social media app. How big of a splash? Well, TikTok – which has an estimated 689 million monthly active users worldwide – actually served as a primary sponsor on Vargas’ race car for six races during the 2020 Xfinity Series season. And the Chinese company plans to continue its sponsorship this season, according to Vargas. That’s pretty impressive for a 20-yearold who prior to going full-time Xfinity Series racing this year had never run anywhere close to a full season in one of NASCAR’s three major series. “It really came about because a buddy of mine, who is a very talented graphic designer, put out a tweet saying he knew I was a big fan of TikTok. He put out a tweet of what a TikTok car rendering would look like, and it got a lot of likes, got a lot of shares and ended up RYAN with the people at TikTok. They kind of looked at it like a ‘why not?’ situation,” Vargas explained. “Through word of mouth, they got my info and we were able to have a couple of conversations and the conversation went from doing one race to doing three races, to ending up doing six races. They were a big supporter of us last year and are still a big supporter today, and it was just really cool to bring a partner of that magnitude to the sport of NASCAR.” While Vargas has a presence on other social media platforms, including Twitter and Instagram, he derives by far his most enjoyment from TikTok because he believes the app helps him have more of a connection with his followers and shows his true personality

better than the other social media platforms. For example, in a recent video he shared on TikTok, Vargas addressed the age-old fan question of what NASCAR drivers do when they feel like they need to use the restroom in the middle of a race. He figured his followers on TikTok deserved to know. “I’m able to be more personable with them,” he said. “I’m able to have a lot of fun and interact with fans and new potential fans as well. I really enjoy it. I’m able to have fun with it. I’m able to jokingly talk about myself. You can’t take yourself too seriously on there.” TikTok isn’t the only major company that has found Vargas to be a worthwhile investment of sponsorship dollars. Earlier this year, when Vargas needed a primary sponsor on his car for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Daytona International Speedway road course, he found one from a source he would have never expected: four-time Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints and the NaVARGAS tional Football League. “It was really just a case of I was going to run that race without a sponsor, which is always unfortunate,” Vargas said. “So I kind of just thought, ‘I might as well just put it on Twitter and see what kind of response we get,’ and of all people, Alvin responds in the comments saying, ‘Hey, how do I do this?’ And, probably within two hours, I had him on the phone.” The sponsorship that Kamara made available to Vargas officially came via the NFL superstar’s New Orleans juice bar, The Big Squeezy. “It’s a super-unique opportunity, and, I mean, Alvin obviously is at the top of his game right now, obviously one of the best running

I’m able to have a lot of fun and interact with fans and new potential fans as well. I really enjoy it. I’m able to have fun with it.

POLE POSITION 2021

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

backs in the game,” Vargas said. “To have him see my name kind of out of nowhere and believe in me, believe in this team and support us, I was very excited going into that race. We had a lot of speed, and I think we were running 12th when we unfortunately had a mechanical issue. But I strongly believe if we hadn’t had that, we would have had a top 15 if not a top-10 run that weekend.” While Vargas certainly has driving talent, he has not yet reached his full potential on the race track. In fact, 20 races into his Xfinity Series career, Vargas had recorded only one top-10 finish and was still in search of his first top-five result. But the charismatic youngster from La Mirada, California, is keeping his nose to the proverbial grindstone in hopes that with support from the likes of TikTok and Kamara, his brightest days are ahead. “We’ve had a lot of tough luck recently, but we’ve also shown that we have a lot of speed,” Vargas said. “We have a lot of capabilities to go out there and perform. We had a lot of good runs last year and even at the beginning portion of this year, and I have no doubt in my mind that we are going to be able to go out there and perform on a consistent basis and have a lot of fun.” Unlike a lot of his peers, Vargas isn’t consumed with when he’ll possibly make the jump to the NASCAR Cup Series. Instead, he’s a big believer in gaining experience behind the wheel and trusting the process. “I just want to take it patiently,” he said. “I want to make sure that I’m ready for something like that before I make that kind of jump. I don’t want to go out there and struggle and not have the opportunity to put the best foot forward. “So I think I want to stay where I’m at right now, I want to continue racing, I want to continue learning. If I make it to the Cup Series, that’s a dream come true, but right now my focus is on just being better every single time I drive a race car.” The most promising news of all for Vargas is that he continues to rake in the sponsors – one of the more recent ones being Swann Security, which is serving as a primary sponsor of the young driver in four races this season on top of being an associate sponsor in all the other events. “I really found them via a friend of mine who is on YouTube, Eric Estepp,” Vargas said of the NASCAR YouTube sensation whose podcast known as “Out of the Groove” has more than 152,000 subscribers. “They are one of the leaders in video surveillance and consumer electronics for home security, and they’re releasing a bunch of new products coming out here soon, which is really exciting to see. We’ve got a lot of cool things in the works with them, so I’m very excited to continue working with them and growing that partnership and just learning to be better. I think that’s the big thing there.” Perhaps Vargas’ next big sponsorship deal will come from a company that specializes in chicken nuggets. A self-described “chicken nuggie lover” on his Instagram profile, Vargas has a hard time finding nuggets that don’t suit his taste buds. “I just love them,” he said. “They’re great. They’re a good snack. I actually just had some today. I like to say that I’m probably one of the most all-knowing people about chicken nuggets just because I know how I like them, and I would consider myself a connoisseur of them.”

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

DRIVER’S TALES

RYAN

E C E PRE

D TA D S OWNER A U G H E R TIYC KATNE R D CH B R A DJ O D I G E S D N A

TEAM JTG

HER DAUG

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RS ER, SPONSO B E A N S , KXRWO GE L L

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ears before Ryan Preece ever strapped in a NASCAR

Cup or Xfinity Series race car, he was already a NASCAR champion. On the strength of four wins, Preece captured the 2013 title for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour – a NASCAR-sanctioned open-wheel division that competes primarily on short tracks in the Northeast. This was a history-making achievement for the young driver from Berlin, Connecticut, as he became the youngest champion in series history at 22 years, 11 months and 25 days old. From 2008-2012, Preece earned five NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wins and finished as the championship runner-up twice (2009 and 2012). He earned the NASCAR track title at Stafford Motor Speedway in 2011 and at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in 2012. Both tracks are in his home state of Connecticut. Even now, Preece continues to dabble in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour ranks, doing so as recently as April when he drove a Whelen Modified car to a 12th-place finish at Martinsville Speedway. “I enjoy racing these Modified cars. I know quite a bit about them and they’re a lot of fun to race,” said Preece, who has 22 career wins on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. “I’m definitely pretty blessed to be able to have owners like Tad and Jodi (Geschickter) that allow me to do things like this and do these races, and it’s a lot of fun. The best thing for a race car driver is to be in the seat all the time.”

FAMILIAR WITH VICTORY LANE ALTHOUGH RYAN Preece is still searching for his first NASCAR Cup Series victory, he’s no stranger to success at the sport’s higher levels. Preece made four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017, earning his first series victory at Iowa Speedway after starting from the pole. In his three other starts for JGR that season, he finished second, fourth and fifth, respectively. Preece picked up another Xfinity Series triumph for JGR in 2018, this one coming at Bristol Motor Speedway in mid-April.

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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f it takes Joe Graf Jr. a few days to return your call or text

message, don’t hold it against him. He’s a busy guy – a lot busier than the typical NASCAR Xfinity Series driver in their early 20s. Unlike most of his fellow full-time Xfinity Series competitors, Graf is also a full-time college student – at New York University, which is broadly considered one of the most prestigious and rigorous institutions of higher learning in the country. Graf is pursuing a degree in business, media and sports management and is expected to graduate from NYU next year. But for now, he’s splitting time between New York City (home to NYU) and Mooresville, North Carolina (home to SS Green Light Racing). “Trying to do two things at a very high level is really difficult,” Graf said. “NYU is a fantastic school that is known for academic excellence, so I knew the workload was going to be tough. But to be honest, it’s a lot more work than I anticipated. I have to be so disciplined with my time because of my racing schedule.” As much as Graf loves pursuing his dreams in racing, getting a quality college education is an equal priority. “Since I was a young kid, my parents have always drilled into my head how important an education or a trade is,” he said. “They told me if I didn’t maintain an ‘A’ average, I wouldn’t race at all. I am really glad they did that. My love of racing motivated me to get good grades and that gave me an opportunity to go to NYU.”

AN ARCA WINNER IN 2018, JOE GRAF Jr. won his first major race at Berlin Raceway in Michigan as a 19-year-old competing in the ARCA Menards Series. He went on to finish eighth in the standings, despite missing a race. The next year, Graf drove the full ARCA schedule and finished fifth in points, although he was unable to return to Victory Lane. On top of the full ARCA slate in 2019, Graf made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut and two other NXS starts with Richard Childress Racing. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

JOE Y M M TO INS

MART

AN OLE MISS FAN TOMMY JOE MARTINS grew up in Como, Mississippi, which he still calls home. It’s no surprise, then, that he’s a huge fan of Ole Miss football and watches games whenever his busy schedule allows. When not cheering on his beloved college

OWNER

TINS

TEAM

SPO OTOR

R G MA CRAI TI MAR

NS M

football team, Martins enjoys iRacing. In fact,

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when NASCAR was on its lengthy hiatus last year at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Martins competed in a pair of iRacing events and recorded a best finish of fourth at the digital Talladega Superspeedway.

After attempting the full NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule in 2020 and managing to make the field for every race except the season opener at Daytona International Speedway, Tommy Joe Martins has embarked on a second full season with Martins Motorsports — the family-owned team he runs with his father, Craig. Eight races into the season, Martins ranked 15th in the Xfinity Series standings and was on pace to easily eclipse his 2020 points finish of 20th. Although a struggle at times, last season wasn’t without significant achievement for Martins. Along with being able to run his first full season as an owner/driver, he earned his first career top-10 Xfinity Series finish with a 10th-place result in the fall race at Texas Motor Speedway. Although never a full-time Xfinity Series driver until a year ago, Martins has made select starts in NASCAR’s No. 2 division off and on since 2014. Between 2009 and 2017, he recorded 28 starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, with the first four coming in 2009 for Martins Motorsports. In 2010 and 2011, he competed in back-to-back season openers for the ARCA Menards Series at Daytona International Speedway, finishing eighth in 2010 and 14th the following year. While there’s nothing easy about being an owner/driver these days, Martins is making it work with the support of some solid sponsors and his family. While reaching the Xfinity Series playoffs this year is perhaps a longshot, it’s certainly within the realm of possibility based on the 34-year-old’s progression and the direction things seem to be heading in.

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ow in his sixth season of NASCAR Camping World

Truck Series competition, Austin Wayne Self is in many ways the definition of a veteran racer despite his relative youth. Just 25 years old, the native of Austin, Texas, has competed in more than 115 truck races and made nearly 50 starts in the ARCA Menards Series. Unlike a lot of drivers, who bounce from series to series rarely running a full schedule in any division, Self has run a full truck season or nearly a full season in each of the past five years. Before this, he drove two full seasons in ARCA, capturing 13 top-10 finishes (including five top-five results) on the way to earning rookie-of-the-year honors in 2014. The next season, he finished runner-up in the standings and scored a victory at Winchester Speedway – a halfmile paved short track in Winchester, Indiana. It was the following season – 2016 – that Self made his Truck Series debut, competing in 22 of 23 races. Although still winless in trucks, Self felt optimistic about the direction of the family-run team owned by his father, Tim, after the first several races of 2021. “Honestly, I think we have proven a lot as a race team in 2021, but there is still more work to be done,” he said. “Our trucks have been fast, but the series is extremely competitive this season. We just need to stay focused and come to the track worried about the performance of our Chevrolet and hope everything else will work out for itself.”

A NEWLYWED AUSTIN WAYNE SELF began racing at the young age of 4 when his father purchased a go-kart for him so the two could spend more time together. He hasn’t stopped racing since. He also hasn’t stopped karting, which he still considers a hobby. Self is also a fan of music, longboarding and video games. He’s what most people would consider to be a newlywed, too, having tied the knot in December 2020 with longtime girlfriend Jennifer Anderson – who happens to be the sister of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series veteran Jordan Anderson.

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

JOSH

BERRY

PRIOR EXPERIENCE ALTHOUGH JOSH Berry is making more Xfinity Series starts this season than in any previous year, he is not a total newcomer to NASCAR’s No. 2 division. Prior to the current campaign, he’d made

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a total of seven Xfinity starts over four seasons. Five of those starts came with JR Motorsports, for whom he earned an impressive seventh-place finish at Richmond Raceway in September 2015. Berry’s last Xfinity Series start of the year is scheduled to take place in June at Nashville Superspeedway.

An accomplished Late Model racer who is the reigning champion of the grassroots NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, Josh Berry has been part of the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-owned JR Motorsports Late Model program since 2010. Since then, Berry – who is now 30 years old – has amassed more than 80 Late Model victories and even served as a mentor to other drivers in the JRM Late Model stable. “Dale brought me to North Carolina and gave me the opportunity to race a Late Model that I never thought I would have,” Berry said. Along with continuing to participate in Late Model events, Berry is running a 12-race NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule this season for JRM, which he parlayed into his first career Xfinity Series victory back in April at Martinsville Speedway. “Going in, I felt like I could do it,” Berry said. “I felt so ready, coming off the amazing season last year (in Late Models), but I was scared I wouldn’t win (in Xfinity). We won almost 30 races last year in the Late Model, and I’m 30 years old. I should be ready to win.” Berry has expressed hopes of possibly making a full-time Xfinity run with JRM in 2022. “The only chance I have is if I win,” Berry said. “I was worried about that. I wanted to win bad and prove myself.” Berry didn’t just win at Martinsville; he did so convincingly, by leading 95 of 250 laps after starting 29th on the grid. “I sure hope that this will open some opportunities,” he said.

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lthough not nearly as well-known as another Joey

(Logano) who competes in the NASCAR Cup Series, Joey Gase has made at least three starts in NASCAR’s premier division for each of the last eight years, including this season. Gase’s closest thing to a full season came a year ago when he started 33 of 36 races for the underfunded Rick Ware Racing organization. Unfortunately for Gase, he has yet to catch a break that would allow him to compete for one of NASCAR’s top organizations, as many people believe he has untapped potential. The 28-year-old from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has shown flashes of that potential in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he’s made more than 240 starts and been a lot more competitive – posting three top-10 finishes, including a career-best fifth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in 2015 after starting 39th out of 40 cars. Gase has also shown hints of his talent through iRacing, posting a best iRacing finish of ninth last year at a digital Bristol Motor Speedway during the pandemic. Although Gase has been criticized by at least one fellow driver for not being more competitive in real-life racing, Gase is quick to point out that he’s at a disadvantage compared to those who compete for the sport’s top teams – but he’s thankful for those who treat him respectfully. “I’m a big fan of guys like Brad Keselowski,” Gase said. “The reason for that is he’s been at the very bottom and he’s been at the very top, and he respects everybody. There’s guys who definitely don’t have that respect.”

SUPPORTS ORGAN DONATION IN APRIL 2011, WHEN Joey Gase was just 18, his mother, Mary Jo, died of a sudden brain aneurysm. To honor her memory, Gase has become a huge advocate for organ donation and has worked tirelessly to educate people on the need for organ, eye and tissue donations. Gase has been particularly passionate about this cause since learning that 66 people’s lives were helped in some way by his mother’s donated organs. Gase’s race car often features the face of his mother and others involved with organ donation.

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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lthough not as well-known as his older brother, 2017

NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Truex might be even more well-traveled. Since 2010, he’s dabbled in all three of NASCAR’s national divisions – the Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series – but he’s run only two full seasons, with one coming in trucks and the other coming in Xfinity. Truex is running the full truck campaign this year for Niece Motorsports and started out strong with a fourth-place finish in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. The Mayetta, New Jersey, native competed in nine races with Niece Motorsports in 2020, picking up a best finish of 12th. “Last season was really a learning year for me with this team,” Truex said. “I feel like we learned a ton every week. We adjusted to working with no track time prior to racing, and I feel like we made our equipment better throughout the course of the year. I am excited about the continuity we will be able to build, competing week in and week out.” Also thrilled about Ryan being in a full-time ride this year is his older brother. “When he’s in something full time, it seems to be not as stressful to watch,” Martin Truex Jr. said. “In years past, when he’s run a limited schedule with only a handful of races, you understand that he really needs to have good showings to make something of it. That’s been tough, but I’m excited for him having a full-time ride.”

FAMILY AFFAIR MARTIN TRUEX JR. has periodically served as younger brother Ryan’s car owner, and this was particularly the case during Ryan’s years in Late Models. Although Ryan hasn’t achieved anywhere near the success of his older sibling at NASCAR’s national levels, he does have at least one notable feather in his cap that Martin does not. Ryan owns five wins and a pair of championships in what is now the ARCA Menards Series East; Martin has the same number of wins but no championships in this regional NASCARsanctioned division. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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t’s not all that common for a driver to move from the NTT

IndyCar Series to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, but that’s exactly what Santino Ferrucci did for the 2021 season. Ferrucci is running a limited Xfinity Series schedule – consisting primarily of 1.5-mile tracks – for Sam Hunt Racing after spending the last two years as a full-time IndyCar racer. Although Ferrucci doesn’t have a podium finish in 35 NTT IndyCar Series starts, the now 23-year-old Woodbury, Connecticut, native finished an impressive fourth in the 2020 Indianapolis 500 after leading a lap for Dale Coyne and Vasser-Sullivan Racing. This followed a seventh-place finish in the NTT IndyCar Series’ biggest race in 2019, his first full season in the series. Ferrucci’s open-wheel experience isn’t limited to just IndyCar, however. He served as a test and reserve driver for the North Carolina-based Haas F1 Team from 2016-2018 and also participated in open-wheel races in Europe during that same. Ferrucci began his NASCAR Xfinity Series tenure – which he has called “an incredible opportunity” – in unspectacular fashion with a 30th-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway in late February. His next three starts in NASCAR’s No. 2 division turned out much better, however, as he finished 13th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 15th at Phoenix Raceway and 15th at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Although he is still adjusting to full-bodied stock cars, Ferrucci is clearly optimistic about his future in NASCAR and has no plans to return to the NTT IndyCar Series, aside from possibly making future cameo appearances in the Indianapolis 500.

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

LUCKY NO. 13 IN HIS SECOND year as a full-time IndyCar driver, Santino Ferrucci earned five top-10 finishes on his way to a 13th-place finish in the final standings. He likewise finished 13th in the standings in his first full season of IndyCar competition the previous year. Based on this, his average finish was not surprisingly also virtually identical (12.9 in 2020 versus 12.8 in 2019). If he can end up with a similar average finish in his debut Xfinity Series season, it’ll be a pretty significant

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MY FAVORITES

MY FAVORITE WITH

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Mississippi’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is quite the fun guy to hang out with. Away from the race track, he loves golfing. Oh, and he probably rocks a mullet better than most fans can. The JTG Daugherty Racing driver recently opened up about his life away from the track, which is pretty rare considering he also owns a World of Outlaws sprint car team. It’s time to get to know this second-generation racer. -BY JOSEPH WOLKIN

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BAND?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE VACATION DESTINATION?

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE ACTOR? DANG, I REALLY

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIECE OF RACING MEMORABILIA?

WELL, I DON’T

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OH MAN. TACOS

really watch a ton

with Garth Brooks as

are hard to beat.

PROBABLY THE

like Kevin Costner.

PROBABLY BRYAN

of movies. But

my all-time favorite

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Bahamas – Cabo or

He’s in “Yellowstone,”

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my favorite TV

on the country side.

definitely my favorite.

the Bahamas. It’s

but also Matthew

fire suit that he wore

show is probably

But I also like George

probably one of those

McConaughey.

when he was Busch

“Yellowstone.” I

Strait and Alan

two. It’s hard to pick.

normally don’t get

Jackson. I always

Chip Ganassi back in

into shows or

liked that era of ’90s

the day. It’s pretty

movies, but

country music.

special.

Series racing with

“Yellowstone” by far my favorite.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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NASCAR Pole Position | June-July 2021

Articles inside

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Favorite Things

The Products in One Team’s Shop

Events That Shaped NASCAR History

Cool Stuff for Race Fans

NASCAR News and Notes

What’s on NASCAR Drivers’ Feet?

A Truck Series Team on the Rise

Legendary South Boston Speedway

NASCAR Stars and Their Pets