ROAR! - Weekly Racing Magazine - November 5, 2020

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TIME TO LOCK IT DOWN OOTG: IS THIS FINALLY DENNY’S YEAR?

WHO WILL BE THE CHAMPION OF NASCAR’S WEIRD, WILD 2020 SEASON?

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IS THIS FINALLY DENNY’S YEAR? In this week’s episode of Out of the Groove, host and creator Eric Estepp takes us through the complete Championship 4 ahead of this weekend’s race at Phoenix. The four contenders racing for a title this weekend - Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, and Brad Keselowski - each have a special challenge ahead of them.

Eric takes us through each driver’s statistics and history with the track at Phoenix. Logano in particular, Eric notes, has a bit of a dark horse 0 0 4

chance in the race this weekend. Eric also gives us the context behind why people are cheering for Chase Elliott to take the W at Phoenix.

But when it comes to hype for 2020 and especially 2021, Denny Hamlin takes the majority of the attention. Will this year be his year, finally, for a Championship, sending him to 23XI with a Cup of his own? Or might this be more typical Denny, and he’ll find a way to lose his chance? Find out Eric’s theory on today’s episode of Out of the Groove!

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

Jordan Anderson Riding With His First Mate, Brecks

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5 THINGS TO WATCH

5

THINGS TO WATCH AT PHOENIX O

ne of the most unusual and unpredictable seasons in NASCAR Cup Series history will culminate in dramatic fashion on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway when four drivers compete straight up for the 2020 championship. Entering the race with equal points and therefore an equal shot at the championship are Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin. With no playoff points or stage points to be gained at Phoenix, the highest finisher among the Championship 4 will leave Arizona with the title. Following are five things to watch in the Season Finale 500.

BY JA RED TURNER

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

5 THINGS TO WATCH

5

A SPOILER ON THE PROWL

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ince 2014, the year that NASCAR instituted a Championship 4 for its premier series, one of the title contenders has won the season-ending race. The streak could end on Sunday, however, as Phoenix Raceway replaces Homestead-Miami Speedway as host of the season’s final event for the first time. Recent Phoenix winners not among the Championship 4 include heavy-hitters such as Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick and longshots such as veterans Matt Kenseth and Ryan Newman.

It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise for Busch or Harvick to become the Championship 4 spoiler this weekend since Busch has won two of the past four races here and Harvick is the NASCAR Cup Series’ all-time wins leader at Phoenix with nine victories. Harvick, who was shockingly locked out of the Championship 4 in last weekend’s Round of 8 elimination race at Martinsville, will undoubtedly show up this weekend with added incentive to finish the year on a high after last Sunday’s major disappointment.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

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5 THINGS TO WATCH

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EMOTIONAL GOODBYES

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rivers set to make their final start in their respective rides this weekend include Jimmie Johnson, Alex Bowman, Matt Kenseth, Ty Dillon, Bubba Wallace, Erik Jones, Clint Bowyer, Christopher Bell and Corey LaJoie. While Johnson and Bowyer are retiring from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition, all the other drivers on this list will move to a different car or have yet to firm up their 2021 plans. Regardless of the circumstances, competitors typically find it somewhat bittersweet when the time comes for their last start in a car they’ve become accustomed to driving. Sunday afternoon should be no exception.

“It’s come full circle, and it’s been an amazing run with everything in between,” said Bowyer, who is hanging up his helmet to join FOX Sports’ NASCAR on-air team in 2021. “Things always change, and there’s a new bunch of kids who will come in and take up our places. We’ve had a great run, and now it’s time to turn it over to someone else.”

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

5 THINGS TO WATCH

3

THE RACE TO BE BEST AMONG THE REST

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hile no driver outside of the Championship 4 can break into the top four in the final standings, the race is on to be the best among the rest. Currently holding fifth-place in the standings is nine-time 2020 winner Kevin Harvick, who was narrowly locked out of the Championship 4 last weekend at Martinsville. Harvick holds a reasonably healthy 34-point lead over sixth-place Alex Bowman, but Bowman has at least a decent shot to unseat Harvick for fifth.

Meanwhile, seventh-place Martin Truex Jr. is so far behind Harvick that the best he can hope for is a sixth-place points finish, which he could accomplish by leapfrogging Bowman. Going back a few spots, the battle for 10th is a close one, as 10th-place Austin Dillon holds just a two-point edge on 11th-place Kurt Busch. While 16 drivers make the playoffs, only the top 10 are traditionally honored in any formal capacity at season’s end, so finishing 10th or better tends to be a priority.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

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JIMMIE’S LAST RIDE IN THE NO. 48

he final race of the 2020 NASCAR season will mark the end of an era as Jimmie Johnson makes his last start as driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Johnson, one of only three drivers in NASCAR history to capture seven championships at the sport’s highest level, announced prior to the start of 2020 that this would be his last full season but revealed more recently that he does hope to perhaps make cameo starts next season in a different car with another team. Dipping his proverbial toe in brand new waters, Johnson is set to run a part-time INDYCAR schedule in 2021 — doing so for team owner Chip Ganassi. On Sunday, Johnson will be honored by fans and Phoenix Raceway for his lasting contributions to the sport, both on and away from the track.

Along with his championships and 83 career Cup wins, Johnson is also a noted philanthropist whose foundation continues to make a tremendous impact on many lives.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

5 THINGS TO WATCH

1

THE BATTLE FOR NASCAR’S BIGGEST PRIZE

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ith Kevin Harvick now out of the picture, good luck finding four drivers who seem any more evenly matched than those who make up the quartet that will square off on Sunday for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series title. Among the four, Denny Hamlin (seven victories) has the most wins this season but struggled in the Round of 8 and only barely advanced to the championship round. The first driver to punch a ticket to the championship round was Joey Logano, who did so with a victory at Kansas Speedway. Logano, it should be noted, is also the most recent winner at Phoenix, having prevailed here in March of this year. But of the four title contenders, Logano, with three victories, has the fewest wins in 2020, as Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott own four victories apiece. If momentum means anything, that should bode well for Elliott, who earned his place in the Championship 4 by triumphing last weekend at Martinsville. He’ll start from the pole at Phoenix.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

RECAPPING JIMMIE JOHNSON’S NASCAR CAREER

■■ Jimmie Johnson celebrates in victory lane after winning the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 15, 2009.

CRUISIN’ IN THE DESERT

IN NOVEMBER 2009, JIMMIE JOHNSON CONTINUED A RUN OF DOMINANCE AT PHOENIX RACEWAY.

BY JA RED TURNER

I

t has been a long time — 11 years, in fact — since Jimmie Johnson won a NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway.

But the last time Johnson prevailed in the Valley of the Sun, he didn’t just win; he won big — and continued a darn impressive run in the process.

The date was November 15, 2009, and Johnson triumphed for the fourth time in his five most recent starts at the flat 1-mile track where he won three races in a row from fall 2007 through fall 2008.

Leading a whopping 238 of 312 laps, the Hendrick Motorsports driver cruised to victory by more than a second over runner-up Jeff Burton while Johnson’s chief championship nemesis — teammate Mark Martin — finished fourth.

Perhaps even better news for Johnson than the fact that he triumphed for the seventh time in 2009 was that the victory enabled him to leave Phoenix with a robust 108-point lead over Martin in the standings. As a result, Johnson needed to finish only 25th or better the following weekend at HomesteadMiami Speedway to clinch his fourth consecutive Cup Series championship (this was before the days of the Championship 4).

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

“Great performance,” Johnson said. “I just can’t thank the team enough for staying focused. We showed up, were good in qualifying trim, qualified well. Then once we had that second set of tires on the car today, the car took off. We just made some small adjustments from there, just kept making the car better and better.

“Very proud of the team, how we can bounce back, stay focused on the right things and get the job done. I’m very excited and looking forward to Homestead.”

Perhaps this Sunday, when Johnson makes his 35th and final start at Phoenix Raceway as a full-time driver in NASCAR’s premier series, he will look back on that glorious Sunday in the Arizona desert in the fall of 2009 when he added another notch in his proverbial belt as one of NASCAR’s greatest of all-time.

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MEMORY LANE

MEMORY LANE

ALAN KULWICKI WINS EMOTIONAL 1992 NASCAR CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

BY ROB TIONGSON

N

o matter if you watched the 1992 Hooters 500 live on ESPN on November 15th, 1992, watched it on YouTube years later, or read about it in books, simply put, the 1992 NASCAR Cup Series season finale remains one of the most memorable title deciding races in motorsports history.

Indeed, this race pitted one of the closest championship battles in NASCAR history. In fact, the battle pitted Davey Allison, who led Alan Kulwicki by 30 points and Bill Elliott by 40 points, entered the 328-lap season finale with confidence and fast cars.

Mathematically, Harry Gant, Kyle Petty, and Mark Martin had a shot at the Cup but the realistic chances of Cup glory presided with Allison, Kulwicki, and Elliott.

Furthermore, the Hooters 500 was the last start of seven-time Cup 0 2 0

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

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champion Richard Petty, the man best known as “The King.” With Petty’s best, competitive days behind him, it was truly the curtain call for the beloved NASCAR icon.

While most recognized a certain Californian turned Indianian’s talents in sprint cars and XFINITY Series cars, little did anyone understand that Jeff Gordon, who made his maiden NASCAR Cup Series start, would usher in a new era for stock car racing, motorsports, and for that matter, the sports world.

With all the pageantry and hype of a World Series and Super Bowl wrapped into one race in Hampton, Ga., when the green flag was unfurled to start this race, it was a somewhat smooth start. However, trouble ensued on Lap 3 when Rick Mast, the pole sitter, crashed along with Wally Dallenbach, Jr., Brett Bodine, Hut Stricklin, Rich Bickle, and Bob Schacht in Turn 1.

Although he wasn’t listed in the cars involved in the Turn 1 incident, Davey Allison’s No. 28 Texaco-Havoline Ford Thunderbird was damaged, particularly in the left rear quarter panel. Immediately, Larry McReynolds and his team worked feverishly to repair Allison’s car.

On Lap 12, the race resumed green flag action with Dale Earnhardt, a then five-time Cup champion, leading the way before Ernie Irvan

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

enjoyed a 15-lap stint ahead of the pack. By Lap 32, Earnhardt returned to the lead before Geoffrey Bodine and Bill Elliott took the lead respectively on Laps 61 and 62. Then, on Lap 65, Michael Waltrip spun his distinct No. 30 Pennzoil Pontiac Grand Prix on the backstretch to bring out the race’s second caution flag.

For the most part, it was a relatively calm 24 lap stint before the race’s biggest crash on Lap 96 that took out Dick Trickle, Wally Dallenbach, Jr., Darrell Waltrip, Ken Schrader, Rich Bickle, and Richard Petty on the frontstretch.

Needless to say, TV audiences got an earful of Petty dropping some f-bombs. Evidently, he needed the soap from A Christmas Story when he essentially radioed to his crew for the safety crew to get the fire extinguisher.

Famously, Petty recalled the crash, saying, “Everybody always wants to go out in a blaze of glory. I just went out in a blaze.”

Despite a heavily damaged No. 43 STP Pontiac, disheartened but not broken in spirit, Petty’s team, led by crew chief Robbie Loomis, worked quickly to ensure that the race didn’t end without the people’s champion returning for final laps on the track.

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MEMORY LANE While the official record and car wasn’t pretty, Petty went on to finish his final Cup start with a 35th place finish, completing 95 laps.

After Mark Martin led for a 44-lap stint from Lap 91 to 134, the race essentially became the Bill Elliott and Alan Kulwicki show. A Lap 204 caution for Dale Earnhardt’s Turn 2 crash resulted in a 35lap, green flag run from Lap 208 to 242 before Bobby Hillin, Jr.’s engine failure resulted in the race’s penultimate caution period on Lap 243.

Adding to the race’s drama was Allison’s roller coaster afternoon. Overcoming the Lap 3 damage in Turn 1, Allison would run over a roll of duct tape dropped by Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet Lumina midway through the race, which damaged the front valance of Allison’s car.

Much like on Lap 3, Allison’s crew, while getting plentiful work on repairing their driver’s car, got their man back into the top-10 with a car that could soldier home with a solid finish.

Unfortunately, the deck of cards dealt to Allison were 0 2 4

quite cruel in the Hooters 500, as Allison found himself with nowhere to go on Lap 254 on the frontstretch. After Ernie Irvan made contact with the Turn 4 wall, his car rolled off the banking and into the path of Allison’s car.

Determined but defeated, Allison’s tie rod was broken on his Thunderbird. His incredible but taxing five-win season was all for naught, relegating him to a 27th-place finish in the race and a third-place points finish.

With a clean and green 70-lap stint to the finish, not only did the season finale turn into a fuel mileage contest, but it was a battle of who’d lead the most laps. Kulwicki, who wasn’t as flashy as Elliott and Allison in 1992, parlayed consistency throughout the season, along with two wins at Bristol and Pocono.

To say the least, it was a stroke of genius by Kulwicki and his crew chief Paul Andrews to lead the most laps in this tightly contested championship fight against Elliott. Clearly, Elliott might’ve had the winning Thunderbird in terms of pace, but Kulwicki had the presence of mind to extend his stint at the

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

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MEMORY LANE

front of the pack from Lap 210 to 310.

During the last round of pit stops, Kulwicki’s crew performed a rather quick splash and go that left them wondering if they put enough fuel in the No. 7 Hooters Ford Thunderbird.

Methodical and poised, Kulwicki went into fuel conservation mode while Elliott retook the lead on Lap 311. Pitting on Lap 314 for his last stop of the day, Terry Labonte led on Lap 315 before Elliott returned to the lead on Lap 316.

Unbeknownst to Elliott and crew chief Tim Brewer, Labonte’s one lap foray at the front of the pack, along with Kulwicki’s extended stint at the front of the pack, made all the difference with deciding the championship.

Elliott, who won his fifth race of the 1992 season, might’ve bested Kulwicki by 8.06 seconds to the stripe, but ESPN’s Bob Jenkins 0 2 6

summed up the moment with a memorable call.

“Bill Elliott comes off the fourth corner.

He wins the Hooters 500. But Alan Kulwicki is coming off of corner number four knowing that he’s winning the championship. There’s the checkered flag for Alan. He’s the champion for 1992! The crew is celebrating their championship in 1992!”

Always unique but charismatic, Kulwicki, echoing a moment from his first Cup win at Phoenix Raceway in 1988, performed a “Polish Victory Lap” in which he drove clockwise around Atlanta Motor Speedway to salute his fans as the newly crowned champion.

“I’ll tell you, this is a dream of a lifetime,” Kulwicki said. “I’ve been the underdog a lot of my career and that’s the way I want people to remember me. Maybe it’ll help some of the

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

MEMORY LANE people who are dreaming about doing this to believe in themself, and if I can do it, maybe they can too.”

Sadly, two of the star factors of the 1992 NASCAR Cup Series championship lost their lives in a three month span in 1993. While returning from an appearance at a Hooters in Knoxville, Kulwicki, along with the pilot and two other passengers, perished on the night of April 1st, 1993 in a plane crash.

Just 3 months and 12 days later, the sports world endured another tragedy when 32-yearold Davey Allison crashed his helicopter at Talladega, Ala. Allison, who was flying to watch Neil and David Bonnett test an XFINITY Series car, crashed in an infield portion of Talladega Superspeedway.

While passenger and NASCAR Hall of Fame racer Red Farmer survived the crash, Allison succumbed to his injuries. The loss of Allison and Kulwicki in 1993 resulted in one of the most emotional seasons in NASCAR and a reminder of the fragility of life not only for competitors and crew members, but fans of the sport and the family members and friends of these beloved racing icons.

Ultimately, as NASCAR prepares for a championship weekend at Phoenix Raceway in 2020, it’s always important to make stops into “Memory Lane” to realize those defining 0 2 8

moments for the series and how it’s grown into the nationally embraced sports spectacle that the old guard and new wave can enjoy to this day.

One would like to think that Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki are smiling from above knowing that their contributions in the world of NASCAR live on with stories like these, their families, fans, and most of all, the competitors on the track today who may be a future “Memory Lane” story.

Until February 2021, stop by again for another edition of “Memory Lane,” here on ROAR! Weekly Racing Magazine, as I’ll share stories and photos from the past to bring smiles to you, the race fans, old and new, and reminders as to why NASCAR is the greatest auto racing series in the world.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

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CHIP GANASSI IS READY TO MAKE ROSS CHASTAIN A WINNER

BY JOSEPH WOLK IN NASCAR TEAM OWNER CHIP GANASSI LIKES WINNERS.

Everyone knows that. And he believes his new driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet will win. Ganassi truly believes in Ross Chastain’s driving ability, and likewise for veteran Kurt Busch. Now, the motorsports legend is set to have a historical season in 2021, with Busch as the team leader at Chip Ganassi Racing. Busch has seven top fives entering the season finale, the most he’s earned since 2016. And Chastain will compete for a fully funded Cup Series team for the first time after spending two seasons with Premium Motorsports. ▶ WHAT’S IT GOING TO BE LIKE HAVING ROSS CHASTAIN LEAD THE NO. 42 TEAM NEXT YEAR? “What’s good about Ross is he’s what I’d characterize as the people’s champion. He’s a young man with a lot of runway in front of him.

I never met somebody with so much heart and desire. That heart and desire drives his attitude.

When I met Ross Chastain, he was driving the motorhome for someone else to the racetrack just so he could be at the track. That tells you how bad this guy wants to be there.”

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▶ WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SEE KURT BUSCH MAKE IT SO DEEP IN THE PLAYOFFS THIS SEASON? “Kurt’s a great guy. He’s lifted our team up right from the bootstraps. He’s lifted the [No.] 1 team up. There’s a lot of guys on that [No.] 1 team that never won a race before until they met Kurt Busch. He’s got a long future in this sport, and I hope it’s with my team after he decides to stop driving.

He knows a lot about it and knows how to make things happen.”

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

CHASE BRISCOE JUSTIN ALLGAIER JUSTIN HALEY AUSTIN CINDRIC NOAH GRAGSON ROSS CHASTAIN BRANDON JONES HARRISON BURTON RYAN SIEG MICHAEL ANNETT BRANDON BROWN RILEY HERBST JEREMY CLEMENTS ALEX LABBE JOSH WILLIAMS DANIEL HEMRIC ANTHONY ALFREDO MYATT SNIDER JESSE LITTLE TOMMY JOE MARTINS JEFFREY EARNHARDT JOE GRAF JR. B.J. MCLEOD AJ ALLMENDINGER MATT MILLS CHAD FINCHUM VINNIE MILLER JEB BURTON COLBY HOWARD KODY VANDERWAL KYLE WEATHERMAN KAZ GRALA DAVID STARR JOSH BILICKI STEPHEN LEICHT STEFAN PARSONS

PTS.

4000 4000 4000 4000 2258 2234 2231 2211 2181 2159 2145 2124 637 593 585 543 543 541 519 478 412 412 410 366 344 322 298 275 250 248 216 147 141 140 138 119

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

WINS

POLES

TOP 5

TOP 10

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020 5/15/2020 8:30:21 AM

ESPORTS

NICK OTTINGER WINS 2020 ENASCAR COCA-COLA IRACING CHAMPIONSHIP

BY ROB TIONGSON

F

or all the talk about the new age of NASCAR, in any level, being all about wins, consistency is still the name of the game with winning the war.

In the case of 26-year-old Nick Ottinger of Orlando, Fla., a strong, consistent effort, highlighted by wins at Dover and Kansas, along with nine top-fives and 13 top-10 finishes, rewarded the ninth-year competitor with a Championship 4 seed for Monday night’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

While the cool and collected racer found himself starting in the ninth spot, his title rivals, Bobby Zalenski (third), Michael Conti (fourth), and Ryan Luza (fifth) were more than up to the task.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

Much like the third round of this competitive season, Luza made himself quite comfortable at the front for a majority of the race. Although there was a bit of a strategy smorgasbord towards the end of this race, particularly with timing when to take on the last set of fresh tires.

Seemingly making the right decision in one of the ensuing

ESPORTS restarts, Luza charged his way to the front of the field.

Settling in front of the train that included Zalenski, Jimmy Mullis, and Keegan Leahy, Luza attempted to block Zalenski’s challenges within the final laps.

However, as the lead pack made their way into Turn 3, Luza and Zalenski, both seemingly going for the same inch of real estate, tangled.

Crashing his unmistakable No. 53 Williams eSports Ford Mustang into the wall, Luza’s bid for a second championship ended in heartbreaking fashion.

Meanwhile, Zalenski was clearly disappointed and in shock when he accidentally made contact with Luza.

Still, the Californian had to gather himself back together and focus on bringing the championship home for his Virtual Racing School team.

As the remaining title contenders resorted themselves in the running order, Conti and Ottinger were able to opt for their last set of fresh tires in the final, season deciding restarts. Although Conti was unable to make any 0 4 0

progress, Ottinger, like the crafty, smart veteran, carved his way carefully back up the running order.

For all of the talk about youth and enthusiasm reigning triumphantly over older age and experience in stock car racing, real or virtual, Homestead belonged to 39-year-old Chris Shearburn, as the Letarte Esports racer scored his first career win, besting Chris Overland, Eric J. Smith, and Ottinger, whose strong fourth place finish netted him with this year’s coveted eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series.

Upon reflection of his greatest achievement in his career, Ottinger said, “Surreal. A great opportunity at the time and everyone on our team helped us seize it.”

Not only was it Ottinger’s first title, but it was the first for William Byron eSports. Needless to say, the driver of the No. 25 Logitech Chevrolet Camaro expressed gratitude and excitement about this wonderful feat.

“Incredible,” Ottinger said. “William pushed me a lot to better my driving preparations in many ways. To be able to be the one to get William his first win in the series was special, but

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

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to get him his first championship in the series was purely incredible.”

Racking in the $100,000.00 championship prize, Ottinger, who now resides in Charlotte, N.C., will go the smart, calculated route akin to the polished driving style that netted him this year’s title.

“Gonna go the smart route and invest it,” he observed. “Hopefully, I’ll build it up for years to come and make the right decisions.”

Ottinger bested Zalenski by three points with Michael Conti and Luza placing third and fourth. Rounding out this year’s top-20 points 0 4 2

standings are Jimmy Mullis, Keegan Leahy, Garrett Lowe, Ray Alfalla, Corey Vincent, Logan Clampitt, Graham A. Bowlin, Chris Shearburn, Blake Reynolds, Caine Cook, Bob Bryant, Jake Nichols, Christian Challiner, Casey Kirwan, and John Gorlinsky.

This year’s top-20 are automatically locked into next year’s eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series. However, Zack Novak, last year’s champion, along with Nathan Lyon, Matt Bussa, Dylan Duval, Michael Guest, Eric J. Smith, Chris Overland, Kollin Keister, Brandon Hayse Kettelle, Michael Guariglia,

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

Justin Bolton, Malik Ray, Phillip Diaz, Alex McCollum, Jarl Teien, Steve Sheehan, Santiago Torres, Brian Schoenburg, Ashton Crowder, and Jeremy R. Allen will need to fight their way back into the series in the sixrace, iRacing Pro Series this winter.

As featured in For now, Ottinger can enjoy the fruits Cape Cod, MA VERTISEMENT 2020 of his labor from this memorable 20-race season in which new audiences, particularly when the COVID-19 pandemic paused ontrack action, witnessed the world’s best virtual stock car drivers competing in many of today’s beloved, competitive tracks. Until then, drivers will await for the team draft prior to next season’s opener at Daytona.

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IN THE HOT SEAT

IN THE HOT SEAT Jimmie Johnson

BY ROB TIONGSON

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THROUGHOUT THE SEASON, ROB TIONGSON

interviews various drivers and personalities in the world of NASCAR. Today, he catches up with Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion. ▶▶ You’ve been working with Ally since last year, but this year I really would say that their emphasis has been on connecting with fans during this pandemic.

For example, next weekend you’ve got the signature car at Martinsville. And then in Texas, you ran Noah Sweet’s designed car for the race. So with what’s going on now in your final full-time season, how special is it to have these initiatives going on?

Yeah, it’s very special, and meaningful. And it’s just the Ally way. I mean, their hashtag #DoItRight is how they live day to day, the way they’ve brought me into the family and are honoring me in my final full-time year, and honestly the way they take care of their customers day in and day out. So it’s been a real privilege to work for them over the last two years. I certainly hope to maintain a relationship with them in the future. A great bank, great people, great business, great leadership.

Very thoughtful, and do an amazing job. ▶▶ Now I know that you’ve been asked a lot of, “What will you miss?” and what you’re really going to miss, but I have to ask that question, of course. What are you going to miss about competing full-time in the Cup Series, especially with the fact that you’ve been kind of a leader in voice for positive changes such as inclusion in NASCAR and diversity as well?

Yeah. As my career has gone on, there’s just been a lot of things that I’ve learned to … how do I say this? I guess it’s been 19 seasons of racing and great success, great opportunities that come with success. As I’ve grown and

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

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IN THE HOT SEAT matured more as a husband, a father, a citizen of the world, my voice has grown along with that as well.

So there are things that have shown up for me in 2020 to support and be behind that, frankly, I wish they didn’t. I wish that inclusion was a topic of the past and something we’re reflecting on and we’re well through it. But it’s not, so I’m happy to play my part, and hopefully I’ve been able to have a voice that’s been positive and constructive for those out there.

But at the same time, looking at just the competition side, knowing you’re … when I wake up on Sundays, even in the offseason, it’s race day, and there’s a feeling that comes with knowing it’s race day that you can never replicate. So I feel like that is probably what I’ll miss the most, and that shot of adrenaline, and knowing it’s race day.

And then also the experience of working in a team that … the environment that happens in team sports and the environment in a locker room is just like any other brotherhood that you can imagine. So I think those two elements are the ones I’ll miss the most.

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▶▶ Now of course, looking ahead to next year, of course you’ve got your deal with NTT IndyCar Series with Chip Ganassi with Carvana. But I have to ask, from the nonracing side, what do you look forward to the most in terms of bucket list goals that you couldn’t do while you’re racing in NASCAR? Yes, travel is a big part of our family kind of wiring. It’s what Chani and I started off doing when we were dating and through our early years of marriage without children. We tried to travel a bit with young ones and realized it was very tough to do. We’re at a good age now, at a good point where we could start traveling.

Of course, now the world is shut down with COVID. But that’s something that we thoroughly enjoy, and enjoy from the cultural experience, and obviously going to cool places and seeing that as well. Trying to learn a second language, which my wife and I are still struggling with. But the culture and language and being a citizen of the world is just something we enjoy and we want our kids to enjoy and experience so that they get a bigger view of the world and how they can be better citizens of the world.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

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IN THE HOT SEAT

▶▶ I’m sure that’s going to be awesome, for sure. And I can say, as someone who’s lived outside of the US before, you will realize how small the United States is when you get to visit other countries, which you have, of course. But it’ll be pretty refreshing to do once everything gets back to normal, so that’ll be cool.

Yeah. We really want to spend a year away, if not more. Longer, I should say. So out there in a few years, when I really do stop driving full-time, that’s something that’s really high on our priority list is to live abroad for a year with our kids, if not longer.

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▶▶ Now I know, obviously following you throughout your career, you’ve had some fun moments when you were a young man, before you got married to Chani, including the moment with the toilet paper incident, I think, after Casey Mears’ win in 2007. But is there a particular moment in your Cup career, at least, that you can have a good laugh about years later?

For me, it’s the broken wrist. I mean, I mishandled that situation so bad, slightly because I had to have my wrist reset and wasn’t thinking clearly with pain meds and all that was going on.

But I was just having a big time with my buddies on

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

IN THE HOT SEAT the golf course and ended up with a broken wrist, and tried to be a little creative with the words and what I told my publicist exactly happened.

And lo and behold, one little word of “in” versus “on” gets brought up by a media member that was at the golf course that saw … or heard, actually heard what had happened. And then he calls into the AP desk in New York and decides to make sure that they had that word right of “on” versus “in.” So the way I look back on that, that was just me. It was just a young guy’s moment of having fun with his buddies. I can laugh about it now today, but there was a good four to six months where I was pretty upset over that whole thing. ▶▶ You know, you’re young, and you have to learn, and at least you can have a good smile and laugh about it. How have you remained humble and grounded with what you’ve gone through in your career?

I honestly think, though, my failures have shaped me more than anything, and that’s absolutely the thing that helped me be humble in those highest of highs. And if you look at the statistics, 83 wins in 640-something starts, whatever it is, you do a lot more losing than you do winning, and being humbled in those moments and dealing with the emotions, trying to find a way to be a leader of your team during those humbling moments, all of that just has wired me a certain way.

And when I look back to my younger years and climbing up through the ranks, very similar experiences through all of that as well. So I really do think those hard times have shaped me more than anything in my life.

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▶▶ I’m not sure if this has happened to you, but throughout your 19-year career in Cup, has there been a moment when you have fanboyed over a celebrity guest who was at the track?

I would say being around presidents was always one that really got my attention. Yeah, I’ve been very fortunate to meet four presidents. I met Jimmy Carter on a Habitat for Humanity build, like my rookie or sophomore year. I’ve been able to do some things with former president Bill Clinton and his foundation and some of the great work that he’s done with children.

And then I went to the White House and met George W. Bush. And then obviously Barack Obama. So those four moments, especially when you’re on White House property, just have a different weight to them than any other person I’ve ever met.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

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IN THE HOT SEAT ▶▶ You ran the Boston Marathon, which is one of my bucket list goals. One of the things that I was so impressed with is not only you finishing the race, but you overcoming Heartbreak Hill in less than ideal conditions. Considering how well you did in your first time in that marathon, would you be up to doing it again in the future?

Yeah, I would. I definitely would. That experience … race day was more than anybody could have ever talked up.

That was the most incredible experience. The hard part was the journey getting there, and it was much more mental anguish than it was physical.

The physical side, your body kind of somehow finds its way, especially the way I approached it. I was trying to get a pretty aggressive finishing time. But the mental side and trying to live life on top of this daily checkin, at least once, if not twice a day, where you had to go do that again. And before long, a short run was 8 to 10 miles as I was getting into that marathon shape.

And that’s just a daunting mental challenge, day after day, 0 5 4

doing two a day, trying to run 100 miles a week. Just the mental side of it was far more difficult than I ever, ever imagined. So I would love to do another. I definitely needed a little break from that. And certainly looking at my schedule being lighter in the years to come, I think I will have that mental bandwidth to reengage and to do it.

I met my wife in New York City. We’ve maintained an apartment in New York for 15, 16 years, at least. Actually probably 18 years, to be honest with you. So for 18 years. So I feel like the next one on my list would be the New York City Marathon. That’s one … before I ever ran Boston, that’s the one that I was like, “If I’m going to run one one day, this would be the one.” And I need to do that in the years to come.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

IN THE HOT SEAT

▶▶ I’d say it’s served you well. I was just thinking, it’s a shame that COTA got added the year after you’re calling your full-time career complete, because I was like, man, that’s a track that I think you would have really loved. But who knows?

And now IndyCar’s not going there, so maybe I can get there in a Cup car still. Wouldn’t be on a full-time basis, but it’s certainly on my radar to look at. ▶▶ Well, hopefully that will happen. Who was the best prankster that you knew in your career?

Pranks don’t seem to happen much anymore.

I think the last driver prank pulled on me was Adam Petty back in ’99 or 2000. It’s been a long time. Now, there are plenty of funny people.

Stewart is one that I always enjoyed being around. There’s just humor and story-telling that’s just on a very unique and fun level. Clint 0 5 6

Bowyer, clearly in that category.

But from straight-up pranks … I had a birthday prank pulled on me from Adam. We went into a restaurant in St. Louis for dinner, and I came back out. It was my birthday, and my car had balloons all tied to it. So really it wasn’t like some dramatic prank. But that’s one of the last pranks I can recall being done on me. ▶▶ That’s gotta change up, for sure. I never knew that Adam had a really funny side to him. That’s really cool to know that, for the short time that we got to know him, that he had a really fun, playful side that at least you guys could experience.

That is how I remember him. That was so much him. I’m happy to share that and help people realize more, that was Adam. I mean, he always had a smile on his face, always telling jokes, always lightening the mood. That’s how I remember him.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

IN THE HOT SEAT ▶▶ How do you hope fans and competitors will remember you, not just after the checkered flag at Phoenix, but when you say, “All right, NASCAR and motorsports. I’m going to live my life now?”

That’s a tough one. I mean, I wish I had a good answer. Maybe you can help with the summary of it, but my thing was, I just want to race, and that’s where I find myself once again as this is all coming to an end and I’m looking at what to do in the future. I just want to race and have fun.

And I’m in a position where I can kind of call my shot and create some very unique opportunities, so I’m going to do that. But I’m a racer. I’m sure I have these incredible statistics, and more has happened than I ever thought was possible. But that’s not me. I’ve always just wanted to race.

So I hope I’m viewed as a racer, and I hope I’m viewed as one of the good guys. But again, it’s kind of uncomfortable and something that’s just not natural to think about and answer on.

But I guess I would hope those two things are near the top of people’s list.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

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WIN A NASCAR CRASH CIRCUIT ROAD COURSE + WINNER’S CIRCLE

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he Official NASCAR Members Club hasn’t been able to offer as many ontrack experiences this season, so the club is filling the void with an exciting giveaway just in time for the holiday season.

NASCAR fans who submit their name and contact info via this contest page before midnight on Friday are eligible to win a NASCAR Crash Circuit Road Course + Winner’s Circle from Far Out Toys.

The NASCAR Crash Circuit Course + Winner’s Circle Track Set includes 55 pieces and measures over 6 feet when assembled. The set also comes with two extra crash circuit vehicles and chargers, along with hero cards for Kyle Busch, Noah Gragson, Natalie Decker and Josh Williams.

This is the first year of the partnership between Far Out Toys and the Official NASCAR Members Club.

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“We thought it would be a great alignment,” said Far Out Toys Marketing Manager Mike Montalto. We took the initiative to connect with their team earlier this year, and they were more than willing to work with us. We’re hoping to continue the partnership.”

Official NASCAR Members Club Marketing Manager Nick David is thrilled to be able to offer this giveaway just before the start of the holiday season.

“We’re always looking for unique opportunities to reach fans,” David said. “If we can find a unique value proposition to offer our members, it’s a special thing. We’ve done some small campaigns with Far Out Toys, and it’s interesting to be able to do this giveaway in time for the holiday season.”

The timing of the giveaway also falls in line as NASCAR interest is peaking heading into championship weekend at Phoenix Raceway.

“Nothing gets fans excited quite like a giveaway,” Montalto said.

“With the COVID situation, people haven’t been able to attend as many races. We wanted to get this giveaway to the core NASCAR fans who appreciate it. The timing is great. It brings NASCAR excitement into homes, and gives kids something to do when they’re stuck in the house.”

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: NOVEMBER 2, 2020

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