2016 IWANNA NASCAR Season Preview by IWANNA USA

race schedules

Predictions

driVer standings

toP Performances

CHASE FORMAT

EXTENDED TO NXS & NCWTS

2016 NASCAR

HALL OF FAME CLASS BIOS

DANIEL SUAREZ

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

FREE

Poste r inside

KYLE BUSCH

COMEBACK KING WINS 1ST CHAMPIONSHIP

JOEY LOGANO FORD’S BOY

WONDER

BUESCHER JONES RACE AHEAD

2 IWANNA® FEBRUARY 16, 2016

NASCAR 2016 season PREVIEW

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Production/it Manager

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CREATIVE & copy editor

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NASCAR 2016 season PREVIEW

IWANNA速 FEBRUARY 16, 2016 3

NASCAR 2016 SEASON PREVIEW

4 IWANNA® FEBRUARY 16, 2016

[2015

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ChAmPIONS]

b y R E I D SP E NC E R , NA S C A R W I R E SERV ICE

Kyle Busch Completes Comeback with Victory

amaZing finish with chamPionshiP at homestead FINISHING OFF one of the most remarkable comebacks in NASCAR history—indeed, in the annals of sport—Kyle Busch won Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway and, with it, his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. Absent from the first 11 races of the season because of a broken right leg and left foot sustained in the NASCAR XFINITY Series opener at Daytona in February, Busch pulled away from fellow Championship Round driver Kevin Harvick after a restart with seven laps left and crossed the finish line 1.553 seconds ahead of the defending series champion. “I don’t know if I understand life yet, but there’s something to be said about this year,” a jubilant Busch said after crossing the finish line. Indeed. The v ic tor y was Busch’s fifth of the season, his first at Homestead and the 34th of his career. The championship was the first by a Toyota driver at NASCAR’s highest level. It was the fourth for Joe Gibbs Racing with three different drivers, with Bobby Labonte (2000) and Tony Stewart (2002, 2005) preceding Busch in that achievement. Kyle and Kurt Busch, who won the first Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in 2004, make up the second pair of brothers to win Sprint Cup titles, joining Terry (1984, 1996) and Bobby Labonte. In his final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Jeff Gordon, who was seeking a fifth series crown, finished sixth behind Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson to secure third place in the series standings behind Kyle Busch and Harvick. Martin Truex Jr., the fourth driver eligible for the title in the Championship Round of the Chase, finished 12th on Sunday. “It’s pretty unbelievable!” Busch said. “A dream of a lifetime, a dream come true… I just can’t believe it, with

“this championship is all for these guys, my wife, my family, ever yone who has had to sacrifice so much to get me here to this place today, whether it was on my team right now, or on my teams in the past. It’s really AWeSOme, AWeSOme, AWeSOme!”

driver of no. 18 M&M’s crisPy toyota WINS

tOP FIVeS

tOP teNS

POLeS

5 12 16 1

Returned to competition just three months after breaking right leg and left foot in the season opening NASCAR XFINItY Series event at Daytona, missing 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Races Fourth Driver to win both a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR XFINItY Series title, joining Bobby Labonte, Brad Keselowski, and Kevin harvick

everything that happened this year and all the turmoil, all the things that I went through, that my wife (Samantha) went through and the people that are around me went through.” Busch was running third, behind Keselowski and Larson— and roughly 10 seconds ahead of Harvick in fourth—when NASCAR called the seventh caution of the race because of debris on the frontstretch on lap 257 of 267. After all contenders came to pit road for fresh t ires, Busch restarted second beside Keselowski, who chose the inside lane, with Harvick immediately behind Busch in fourth. Busch held his own through the first two corners, cleared Keselowski down the backstretch and began to pull away. Harvick also shot past Keselowski’s Ford on the restart lap, but the defending champ couldn’t match Busch’s pace over the last seven laps.

▲ KYLE BUSCH celebrates winning the series championship & the race

with a burnout after the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 22, 2015 in Homestead, FL. Chris Graythen/Getty Images “On the restart, I just knew, ‘Don’t spin your tires,’” Busch said. “If you spin them a little bit, at least get them reattached – don’t matter if you lose a little bit of ground to who’s in front of you, just make sure you have a good run getting into Turn 1 and keep Harvick behind me. “Did all of those things, got to Turn 1 side-by-side with (Brad) Keselowski and, man, I just put it on kill and held it wide open through there and was able to get by Keselowski there. And anybody that got out front, especially on new tires, they could drive away, and it felt so good to be out there at that moment.” The restart gave Harvick one last chance to defend his crown, but the driver of the No. 4 Chevrolet couldn’t capitalize. “I thought there at the end at the restart, we might do a little

better than that,” Harvick said. “But, obviously, either the splitter was on the ground or the car was just tighter than it probably needed to be, and I just couldn’t hustle it and got it tight and got it up the racetrack and got behind. “The 18 car (Busch), he just had the speed all night, for the most part. As the night went, I just couldn’t find anywhere that would make the car run better. The higher I would run, the looser it would get. I’d get on the seams, and then it would push the front and slide the back. Just never could find anything.” Harvick, who won the final two races of 2014 to secure his first title, finished second for the 13th time this season. With his three victories, he finished the year with 16 top-two results. “It’s been a great couple years, and I know we’re disappointed about finishing second tonight,

Busch and brother Kurt Busch (2004 NSCS Champion) join terry and Bobby Labonte as the only brothers to earn NASCAR Sprint Cup Series titles Fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown for Joe Gibbs Racing First NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Driver title for toyota

but it’s kind of the theme of the year—finishing second,” Harvick said. “Unfortunately, it’s just one short, but all in all, it’s been a great couple years, and I couldn’t be prouder of our bunch of guys.” Note: In the final race for Michael Waltrip Racing, Clint Bowyer wrecked on Lap 45 and finished 43rd. Bowyer will drive for owner Harry Scott next season before taking over the No. 14 car at Stewart-Haas Racing in 2017. David Ragan ran 27th in MWR’s swan song.

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NASCAR 2016 season PREVIEW

IWANNA速 FEBRUARY 16, 2016 5

6 IWANNA速 FEBRUARY 16, 2016

NASCAR 2016 season PREVIEW

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NASCAR 2016 season PREVIEW

IWANNA速 FEBRUARY 16, 2016 7

NASCAR 2016 SEASON PREVIEW

8 IWANNA® FEBRUARY 16, 2016

[2015

ChAmPIONS]

c our te s y of NA SC A R M E DI A

Adam Stevens: Leader of the Pack crew chief to the chamPs well deserVing of title

ADAM STEVENS, crew chief for the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team, was instrumental in driver Kyle Busch’s success in 2015. Stevens juggled chassis development with three interim drivers during Busch’s recovery from injury, and found the competitive edge after the driver’s return to lead the team and Toyota to its first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title. Remarkably, Stevens accomplished all of this in his inaugural NSCS season and became the first crew chief in more than 30 years to win a championship in his rookie NSCS season. Here’s a look at the fruits of his labor:

YeARS AS A NSCS CReW ChIeF

CAReeR WINS

CAReeR tOP FIVeS

CAReeR tOP teNS

CAReeR POLeS

1 5 13 17 1

Crew Chief for 4 drivers in the No. 18 in 2015: kyle busch daVid ragan

erik Jones matt crafton adaM stevens, creW chief of no. 18

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NASCAR 2016 SEASON PREVIEW

IWANNA速 FEBRUARY 16, 2016 9

NASCAR 2016 SEASON PREVIEW

10 IWANNA® FEBRUARY 16, 2016

MARTIN TRUEX WIELDS AX OF SUCCESS AFTER CAREER YEAR, GETS SPONSOR

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by PETE ZAMPLAS

MARTIN TRUEX JR. is NASCAR’s feel-good story, coming off a career season in which he flew onto the radar and made the Chase’s Final Four. Truex finished fourth, with 5032 points. Kyle Busch won the title with 5043, by doing the best among the final four in the finale at Homestead, Fla. Kevin Harvick was right behind him, followed by now-retired Jeff Gordon. Truex finished ahead of such other well-funded veterans as Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch. “We’re as good as anyone out there,” Truex proclaimed. “We went head-to-head with the big guys — the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) and the 4 (Kevin Harvick) — the guys to beat. We’ve been right there, toe-to-toe.” He thus struck a chord for the low-funded underdog, in Colorado-based Furniture Row Racing’s no. 78 Chevrolet. This reeled in Bass Pro Shops as a critical outside sponsor for nine big races including both at Daytona (with its $400 million, 101,500-seat Daytona Rising stadium). Before, FRR gutted it out alone financially. This reunites Bass with Truex, from a stint in his prior heyday of 2004-09 when he drove the no. 1 car for Dale Earnhardt Inc. and won back-to-back titles in 2004 and ’05 in the junior (Busch, now Xfinity) circuit. He won 12 Busch races for Dale Jr.’s Chance2 (now JR) Motorsports. “We are thrilled to continue our longstanding relationship with Martin Truex Jr. — a passionate driver and outdoor lover —while further aligning with our friends at Toyota (Truex’s new car),” Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris stated. Truex points to “my passion for fishing, hunting and the outdoors.” He calls Morris a “personal friend and a hunting buddy.” Truex now shoots for the very top. But the last time a single-car team won the Cup crown was 24

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. speaks onstage during the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Show at Wynn Las Vegas on December 4, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Sarah Crabill /NASCAR via Getty Images)

years ago, in 1992, with the late Alan Kulwicki. One-car operations have finished in the top 15 in points only three times in this millennium’s decade and a half. Helping Truex was technical support of Richard Childress in ’15, and now from Joe Gibbs Racing. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised by just how well Joe Gibbs Racing wants to work with us,” Truex told NASCAR This Week. “They are heavily involved with our program and getting us up to speed. It’s not typical of a team of that caliber to take in another team and say, ‘We are on board with you guys 100 percent. You are part of our team now. We’re going to treat you just like you were racing out of our building.’ They are all in.” JGR’s Kyle Busch won the Chase in a Toyota, which Truex now drives. He was so-so in a Toyota with Michael Waltrip Racing, years ago. MWR shut down after last season, and Toyota chose Furniture Row in its place. Team Pres. Joe Garone calls the manufacturer shift a lift “competitively, to be in the sport

for a long time.” Truex foresees a faster car, in a Toyota. Truex’s Pocono victory in ’15 was merely his third career Cup victory, in his 10th fulltime Cup season. Truex, 35, has been in Cup racing since 2004. “I’ve gotten used to disappointment,” he said, “where it didn’t go your way — even though you didn’t do anything wrong.” He struggled for Ganassi and Waltrip teams, making the Chase only in 2012. He succeeded Kurt Busch at Furniture Row in 2014. He relishes 2015 as a “great season. We have had everything it has taken to win races.” Truex made history as the first Cup driver since Richard Petty in 1969 to register top-ten finishes in 14 of the first 15 Cup races. His 22 top-tens overall matched Junior and Jimmie, tying for fourth-best behind co-leaders Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano (28 each) and also Brad Keselowski (25). The sharper contrast among top contenders was in top-fives. Truex had eight, in line with many others but a third as many as Harvick (23)

and Logano (22). This is where Truex seeks to make his next leap. He averaged both a start and finish of 12th. He led 31 total laps (compared to one in all of ’14). He led the most laps in four races in a row last year, breaking through to win at Pocono. The win vaulted him to second in the standings. To t r i u m p h a t Long Pond, Pa., he va r ie d t ac t ic s to outdo rivals in four restarts in the final 40 laps. “We picked the right gear ratio for restarts here,” he noted. “That is critical.” “Awesome, awesome, awesome!” was the goateed Jersey native’s reaction on team radio, upon crossing the Pocono finish line first. He hopes to again slay most of the Goliaths.

“I FEEL LIKE THE LUCKIEST GUY IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. NEVER GIVE UP!”

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NASCAR 2016 season PREVIEW

IWANNA速 FEBRUARY 16, 2016 11

NASCAR 2016 season PREVIEW

12 IWANNA® FEBRUARY 16, 2016

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NASCAR Charter Teams

NASCAR Implements Team Owner Charter Agreement for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

(Listed by historical inception of race team entity, then numerical)

2015 2016 Car # Car # Organization

New Collaborative Business Model for Owners and Tracks Now in Place for 2016 uring a historic event held in Charlotte, N.C., NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France joined with NASCAR Sprint Cup Ser ies tea m ow ners to announce a landmark long-term agreement that provides teams with increased business certainty and the ability to work more closely with NASCAR to produce best-in-class racing. In effect as the 2016 NASCAR season prepares to k ick off this weekend, the new Charter system addresses three key areas – participation, governance and economics – to promote a more predictable, sustainable and valuable team business model. The agreement grants NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Charters to 36 teams, establishes a Team Owner Council that will have formal input into decisions, and provides Charter teams with new revenue opportunities including a greater interest in digital operations. “Today represents a landmark change to the business model of team ownership in NASCAR,” Fra nc e s a id. “ Th e C h a r t e r agreements provide nine years

of stability for NASCAR and the teams to focus on growth initiatives together with our track partners, auto manufacturers, d r ive r s a nd s p on s or s. Th e Charters also are transferable, which will aid in the development of long-term enterprise value for Charter members.” The system affords Charter tea m s t hat rema i n i n good st a nd i ng mor e pr e d ic t a ble revenue over the nine years of the agreement. Along with improved financial certainty, the new framework is designed to increase the long-term market value of teams and provide the ability to plan farther ahead with existing, new and prospective partners. S i m i l a r t o t h e f i v e -ye a r sanctioning agreements that NASCAR begins with tracks in 2016, team owner Charter agreements allow for longer pla n n i ng c yc les a rou nd competition, innovation, digital market i ng, gover na nce a nd research and development. “The new Charter program strengthens each of our businesses individually and the team model

NASCAR Chairman/CEO Brian France announced a landmark long term Charter agreement between teams and tracks.

as a whole, which is good for NASCAR, our fans, drivers, sponsors and the thousands of people who we employ,” said Rob Kauffman, co-owner of Chip Ganassi Racing. “This will give us more stability and predictability, and it will allow us to take a more progressive, long-term approach to issues. “NASCAR and the teams share a desire to preserve, promote and grow the sport and ultimately produce great racing for our fans and partners. These common goals served as the foundation for discussions and helped bring us to this unprecedented agreement. This is a great step forward for the entire sport made possible by Brian France setting a new course for the NASCAR industry and the owners coming together on shared issues. Everyone involved then compromised a bit to be able to come up with something that worked for all.” Each Charter team owner has a guaranteed entry into the field of

every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points race. To maintain the historical openness of NASCAR racing, the balance of the field will be open for team owners who do not hold Charters. These Open team owners will compete for the remaining starting spots and positions in the race, as each event in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ starting lineup shifts in 2016 to a 40-car field. “The new team ow ner agreements will offer a more appealing environment for both current and prospective team owners at the NASCAR premier series level,” France said. “I’ve always stressed that if we can do things to improve the business of our stakeholders, we will pursue it. I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished today with this agreement.”the sponsors that support the sport,” Dewar said. —Nascar media

Richard Petty Motorsports

Richard Childress Racing

Team Penske

Hendrick Motorsports

Roush Fenway Racing

Chip Ganassi Racing

Joe Gibbs Racing

TBD

Michael Waltrip Racing

TBD

Michael Waltrip Racing

Stewart-Haas Racing

Furniture Row Racing

Front Row Motorsports

JTG Daugherty Racing

Tommy Baldwin Racing

Germain Racing

Go Fas Racing

BK Racing

Premium Motorsports

Circle Sport Motorsports

HScott Motorsports

NASCAR 2016 SEASON PREVIEW

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IWANNA® FEBRUARY 16, 2016 13

[2015

StANDINGS]

STATISCAL SERVICES courtesy of NASCAR MEDIA

[ 2015 Sprint Cup rank

+/-

driver

team

poles

earnings

#18 KYLE BUSCH

JOE GIBBS RACING

5043

Leader

$4,892,617

-1

STEWART-HAAS RACING

5042

-1

$9,012,821

-1

#24 JEFF GORDON

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS

5038

-5

$6,026,506

–

#78 MARTIN TRUEX, JR

FURNITURE ROW RACING

5032

-11

$5,391,296

–

#19 CARL EDWARDS

JOE GIBBS RACING

2368

-2675

$4,590,413

–

#22 JOEY LOGANO

TEAM PENSKE

2360

-2683

$8,400,213

KEVIN HARVICK

points

behind starts

Standings]

wins top 5 top 10

TEAM PENSKE

2347

-2696

$6,497,671

#41 KURT BUSCH

STEWART-HAAS RACING

2333

-2710

$4,675,011

#11 DENNY HAMLIN

JOE GIBBS RACING

2327

-2716

$6,537,373

#48 JIMMIE JOHNSON

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS

2315

-2728

$7,238,747

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING

BRAD KESELOWSKI

–

#31 RYAN NEWMAN

2314

-2729

$5,270,453

-5

#88 DALE EARNHARDT JR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS

2310

-2733

$6,095,610

–

CHIP GANASSI RACING WITH FELIX SABATES

2295

-2748

$5,135,891

–

#27 PAUL MENARD

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING

2262

-2781

$4,134,750

–

#20 MATT KENSETH

JOE GIBBS RACING

2234

-2809

$5,973,076

JAMIE MCMURRAY

[ 2015 Xfinity rank

+/-

driver

team

points

behind starts

Standings]

wins top 5 top 10

poles

earnings

–

#60 CHRIS BUESCHER

ROUSH FENWAY RACING

1190

Leader

$1,171,300

–

CHASE ELLIOTT

JR MOTORSPORTS

1175

-15

$1,142,529

–

TY DILLON

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING

1172

-18

$1,094,768

–

REGAN SMITH

TOMMY BALDWIN RACING

1168

-22

$1,137,310

#18 DANIEL SUAREZ

JOE GIBBS RACING

1078

-112

$1,063,316

-1

ELLIOTT SADLER

JR MOTORSPORTS

1075

-115

$1,009,855

–

DARRELL WALLACE JR ROUSH FENWAY RACING

1071

-119

$1,015,162

–

BRIAN SCOTT

RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS

1032

-158

$1,017,984

–

#62 BRENDAN GAUGHAN

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING

1012

-178

$973,635

–

#16 RYAN REED

ROUSH FENWAY RACING

902

-288

$962,312

–

#39 RYAN SIEG

RSS RACING

827

-363

$875,338

–

#28 JJ YELEY

BK RACING

803

-387

$880,967

[ 2015 Camping World rank

+/-

driver

team

poles

earnings

–

ERIK JONES

KYLE BUSCH MOTORSPORTS

889

Leader

$661,512

–

#19 TYLER REDDICK

BRAD KESELOWSKI RACING

884

-15

$582,989

–

#88 MATT CRAFTON

THORSPORT RACING

877

-22

$695,975

–

#98 JOHNNY SAUTER

GMS RACING

809

-90

$437,218

–

#17 TIMOTHY PETERS

RED HORSE RACING

804

--95

$504,697

–

#13 CAMERON HAYLEY

THORSPORT RACING

766

-133

$405,427

–

#14 DANIEL HEMRIC

BRAD KESELOWSKI RACING

733

-166

$394,878

–

#05 JOHN WES TOWNLEY

ATHENIAN MOTORSPORTS

730

-169

$433,016

–

#11 BEN KENNEDY

RED HORSE RACING

690

-209

$412,976

–

#23 SPENCER GALLAGHER GMS RACING

677

-222

$387,929

–

#07 RAY BLACK JR

SS GREEN LIGHT RACING

635

-264

$377,418

SWM-NEMCO MOTORSPORTS

630

-269

$389,657

JOHN H. NEMECHEK

points

behind starts

Standings]

wins top 5 top 10

14 IWANNA速 FEBRUARY 16, 2016

NASCAR 2016 season PREVIEW

iwanna.com

16 IWANNA速 FEBRUARY 16, 2016

NASCAR 2016 SEASON PREVIEW

THU, FEB 18

SUN, MAY 1

FOX Sports1/ 7:00PM

talladega suPersPeedway

daytona international sPeedway

SAT, MAY 7

FOX/ 1:00 PM

kansas sPeedway

daytona international sPeedway

FOX/ 1:00 PM

folds of honor QuicktriP 500

SUN, MAY 15

SUN, MAR 6

doVer international sPeedway

FRI, MAY 20

FOX/ 3:30 PM

charlotte motor sPeedway

las Vegas motor sPeedway

SAT, MAY 21

FOX/ 3:30 PM

charlotte motor sPeedway

PhoeniX international raceway

SUN, MAY 29

FOX/ 3:30 PM

charlotte motor sPeedway

auto club sPeedway

SUN, JUN 5 FOX SPORTS1/ 1:00PM

SUN, APR 3 FOX Sports1/ 1:00 PM

aXalta "We Paint Winners"400

stP 500

martinsVille sPeedway

Pocono raceway

SUN, JUN 12

FOX/ 7:30 PM

michigan international sPeedway

teXas motor sPeedway

SUN, JUN 26 FOX Sports1/ 3:00 PM

FOX/ 1:00 PM

toyota/saveMart 350

food city 500

sonoma raceway

bristol motorsPeedway

FOX/ 1:00 PM

toyota oWners 400

richmond international raceway

FOX SPORTS1/ 1:00 PM

firekeePers casino 400

duck coMMander 500

SUN, APR 24

FOX/ 6:00 PM

coca-cola 600

auto cluB 400

SAT, APR 9

FOX Sports1/ 7:00 PM

sPrint all-star race

good saM 500

SUN, MAR 20

FOX SPORTS1/ 7:00 PM

sPrint shoWdoWn

koBalt 400

SUN, MAR 13

FOX Sports1/ 1:00 PM

May dover race

atlanta motor sPeedway

SUN, APR 17

FOX SPORTS1/ 7:30 PM

goBoWling.coM 400

daytona 500 SUN, FEB 28

FOX/ 1:00 PM

geico 500

can-aM duel

SUN, FEB 21

IWANNA速 FEBRUARY 16, 2016 17

2016 schedule

SAT, JUL 2 NBC/ 7:45 PM

coke Zero 400

daytona international sPeedway

18 IWANNA® FEBRUARY 16, 2016

NASCAR 2016 SEASON PREVIEW

IWANNA® FEBRUARY 16, 2016 15

chris Buescher 2015 nXs chamPion

erik jones

2015 ncwts chamPion

2016 MID-SEASON UPDATE

2016 nascar Xfinity series schedule 2016 caMPing World truck series schedule

CONTACT YOUR SALES REP FOR MORE INFORMATION

Western North Carolina 828-274-8888 Upstate South Carolina 864-370-2340

SAT, FEB 20

POWERSHARES QQQ 300

Daytona International Speedway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 3:30PM

SAT, FEB 27

HEADS UP GEORGIA 250

Atlanta Motor Speedway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 1:30 PM

SAT, MAR 5

BOYD GAMING 300

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 4:00 PM

SAT, MAR 12

AXALTA FASTER. TOUGHER. BRIGHTER. 200

Phoenix International Raceway

FOX/ 2:30 PM

FRI, FEB 19

NEXTERA ENERGY RESOURCES 250

Daytona International Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 7:30 PM

SAT, FEB 27

GEORGIA 200

Atlanta Motor Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 4:30 PM

SAT, APR 2

ALPHA ENERGY SOLUTIONS 250

Martinsville Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 2:30 PM

SAT, MAR 19

MARCH RACE AT AUTO CLUB

Auto Club Speedway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 4:00 PM

FRI, MAY 6

TOYOTA TUNDRA 250

Kansas Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 8:30 PM

FRI, APR 8

O’REILLY AUTO PARTS 300

Texas Motor Speedway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 8:30 PM

FRI, MAY 13

MAY DOVER RACE

Dover International Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 5:30 PM

SAT, APR 16

APRIL RACE AT BRISTOL

Bristol Motor Speedway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 12:30 PM

FRI, MAY 20

NC EDUCATION LOTTERY 200

Charlotte Motor Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 8:30 PM

SAT, APR 23

TOYOTACARE 250

Richmond International Raceway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 12:30 PM

FRI, JUNE 10

RATTLESNAKE 400

Texas Motor Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 9:00 PM

SAT, APRIL 30

TALLADEGA 300

Talladega Superspeedway

FOX/ 3:00 PM

SAT, JUNE 18

JUNE IOWA RACE

Iowa Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 8:30 PM

SAT, MAY 14

MAY DOVER RACE

Dover International Speedway

FOX/ 2:00 PM

SAT, JUNE 25

DRIVIN FOR LINEMEN 200

Gateway Motorsports Park

FOX Sports 1 / 8:30 PM

SAT, MAY 28

HISENSE 300

Charlotte Motor Speedway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 2:30 PM

THU, JULY 7

KENTUCKY 225

Kentucky Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 8:30 PM

SAT, JUN 4

POCONO 250

Pocono Raceway

FOX/ 1:00 PM

WED, JULY 20 #ELDORA

Eldora Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 9:00 PM

SAT, JUN 11

JUNE RACE AT MICHIGAN

Michigan International Speedway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 1:30 PM

SAT, JULY 30

Pocono Raceway

FOX Sports 1 / 1:00 PM

SUN, JUN 19

JUNE RACE AT IOWA

Iowa Speedway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 1:30 PM

Bristol Motor Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 8:30 PM

FRI, JUL 1

SUBWAY FIRECRACKER 250

Daytona International Speedway

NBCSN/ 7:30 PM

POCONO MOUNTAINS 150

WED, AUG 17 UNOH 200

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NASCAR 2016 season PREVIEW

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NASCAR 2016 SEASON PREVIEW

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JOEY LOGANO: FORD’S BOY WONDER ON THRESHOLD OF CUP CROWN?

JOEY LOGANO won the most Cup races last year, and hopes to make the Final Four so he can win the biggest race yet — the finale — for his first Cup championship. He feels it. “Most wins (six), most poles (six), 22 top-fives” along with top tens in 78 percent (28 of 36) of starts in 2015, he noted. “Those are championship stats.” Indeed, if he can avoid a further feud with Matt Kenseth. Logano was eighth, fourth then sixth in final Cup standings in the last three seasons — his first ones with Team Penske, after four Cup seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing in a Toyota. Logano won six times in ‘15, sta r t i ng w it h t he Daytona 500 to open the season with a bang. “Superspeedways are my weakest race track,” he said after winning. “We worked so hard at them. I couldn’t be more proud.” He prevailed in the flaming yellow-red 22 Shell/ Pennzoil Fusion in five more races from August on — first at the Watkins Glen road course, then on Bristol’s famed short track. Loga no t ur ned it on i n c r u n c h t i m e. He wo n a l l three Contender Round races — at Charlotte, Kansas then Talladega as he further reversed his superspeedway fortune. (He won at Bristol and Kansas in ’14, as well.)

His chance for four wins in a row went out at Martinsville, where he dominated by leading for 207 laps. While leading, he was crashed into the first-turn wall by vengeful Kenseth, in a pile-driving stunt. Logano had bumped race leader Kenseth out of the way two weeks earlier with five laps left, to win at Kansas. That crashed the 20 car, KOing the 2003 Cup champ from the next Chase round. NASCAR Pres. Brian France called Kenseth’s retribution a “disgrace to racing” and banned h im for t wo races. Logano finished Martinsville. But the crash crippled his hopes to advance to the final, top-four round. To do so, he had to win at Phoenix. He was third, then fourth in the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Logano did not apologize for his aggressive bumping. He admits there are facets “I need to work on as a person.” But if fans “boo you or flip you off, it really doesn’t make a difference. It’s just how you handle those situations.” Many cheered after Kenseth wrecked him. “Fans are passionate,” Logano said on the media tour. “Sometimes you’re the one who’s the most liked. And sometimes, they don’t all like you. That’s how it goes.” He said “I’m sure this (feud) will go away.” Kenseth also was unapologetic.

by PETE ZAMPLAS

“MY GOAL AS A RACECAR DRIVER IS TO WIN EVERY RACE I’M IN. I’M A PRETTY DRIVEN INDIVIDUAL. I DON’T NEED MUCH TO GET GOING.”

Photo by Robert Laberge/NASCAR via Getty Images Won 2015 seasonopening DAYtONA 500 & maintained momentum to register career highs in wins, top 5s, top 10s and Pole Awards. 2014 was second full-season with team Penske and he qualiﬁed for the Chase and Championship 4 at homesteadmiami Speedway Captured ﬁrst championship at the age of seven in the 1997 eastern Grand National Championship in the Junior Stock Car Quarter midget division.

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“I wish he would have figured out a way to pass me (at Kansas) without running into me.” He felt retaliatory wrecking “unfortunately had to

be done. If I knew I was going to be suspended, I would have figured out how to be a little sneakier about it.” He said “‘You wreck me, you get wrecked back’ is the way it’s always been. Race fans like to see that action.” Yet he feels Logano historically “raced me clean. Maybe it’s best to put it down” and race safer again. Logano already has 14 career Cup victories. His first, at Loudon, N.H. in 2009, made him the series’ youngest race winner ever a month after he turned 19. He was Sonoco Rookie of the Year in ’09, and since then has averaged a finish in the top 20. He improved three spots from 2012 to ’13 and to ’14 (11.3). He improved two more to 9.2 in 2015, to average in the top 10. Logano would have been 2014 series champ under the prior Chase rules. He ranked third midway last year. He led a total of 1,431 laps, and notched a series-best six poles. He is best on intermediate (i.e. Charlotte, Kansas, Texas, Homestead) and short tracks such as Bristol, Martinsville and Richmond. His 2,360 points were merely eight behind fifth-place Carl Edwards. Logano was 13 points ahead of Penske teammate Brad Keselowski, who had one win in the 2 Miller Lite Fusion. Penske’s Dynamic Duo has 18 Cup victories and 53 top-ten finishes in the last two years. In 2014 it was Brad who led the circuit with six wins. Logano won five, to tie Chase champ Kevin Harvick for second best. Logano tied Kevin Harvick for the most (28) top-tens. Keselowski was third, with 25. Logano had the second-most (22) top fives — six ahead of the next driver (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.). He more than doubled Keselowski’s nine top fives. In 2014, Brad was first with 17 top fives and Logano next with 16. Logano had 22 top tens — one behind leader Jeff Gordon — while Brad had 20. But the main difference between the two Penske stars is that Keselowski won a Sprint Cup title, in 2012 for Penske. Is it Logano’s turn? In a pivotal improvement, Logano cut his DNFs from four in ’14 to none last year. The jovial, lanky Middletown, Conn. native turns 26 on May 24. He married childhood sweetheart Brittany Baca over a year ago, on Dec. 13, 2014. He is grateful that as his JGR deal was expiring, Keselowski referred him to Penske. “I’m very fortunate to drive for Roger. It’s pretty cool. I was this close to being out” of Cup racing. “Three years later, we win the Daytona 500. We win 12 races with him at the Sprint Cup level. Holy cow! That’s making the most of your second shot. Saying, ‘You better grow up and make this work.’ I’m thankful to Brad and Roger, for taking the risk and letting me show what I’m made of.” He eyes the big prize. “There’s a trophy there; I want to win it. I want to rack up those stats. My goal as a race car driver is to win every race I’m in,” rather than to “chill out” after already qualifying for the next round. He and crew chief Todd Gordon are “refining it a little bit. We keep improving. We’re pretty close to being where we want to be. To make the numbers (even) better is very tough. But it’s something I look forward to trying to do. We know how to win it. It’s not going to be a fluke when it happens. We just have to go out and do it.”

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The Tradition Continues!

commemoratiVe ticket design returns to darlington raceway’s labor day weekend eVents hen fans received their Darlington Raceway t ickets i n t he ma il last season, t he t h rowback look commemorating its 1974 ticket wa s e noug h to br i ng bac k nostalgic memories even before they got to the track. Now in the second year of its throwback campaign, Darlington Raceway is excited to announce it will once again commemorate the sport’s rich history with a retrostyle ticket that will be issued for its events on September 2-4, 2016. The retro design will mimic the look of the ticket from the 1978 Southern 500. It features South Carolina native and Darlington Raceway legend David Pearson, who is the track’s all-time leader i n NASCA R’s Prem ier Cup Series with 10 wins. Similar to last season, the ticket will also link eras by honoring last year’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 winner, Ca rl Edwa rds, i n a si m i la r fashion. “The retro-style ticket was one of many touchpoints fans enjoyed during last season’s throwback festivities,” track President Chip Wile said. “We felt that it was important to continue to honor our rich history with a

tremendous champion like David Pearson, while also celebrating last year’s winner Carl Edwards, on the ticket.” These special tickets will be used for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 and NASCAR XFINITY Series VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 races. Tickets are expected to be mailed to customers starting in mid-June. Ticket renewals have been mailed reminding fans to renew their seats for the 2016 Labor Day race weekend. Renew i ng t ic ket s ea rly guarantees seats at the track’s best prices prior to the opening of all remaining seats to the general public on February 17. “We want our fans to take advantage of all the great pricing and benefits we offer during the renewal period,” Wile said. “This is the best way to guarantee your seats or campsites for Labor Day weekend, which will feature a not her excit i ng t h rowback celebration in 2016.” Renewing customers receive many great benefits for being a loyal customer, including the raceway’s best pricing for Labor Day weekend.

TICKET RENEWALS provide loyal fans the track’s best prices for the 2016 Bojangles’ Southern 500 throwback

race weekend at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.

RENEWAL BENEFITS INCLUDE:

• • • • •

• • •

The track’s best prices for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 Convenient five-part payment plan Special renewal pricing for Darlington Stripe Zone Hospitality ($30 savings) Special renewal pricing for prerace pit passes ($5 savings) Special renewal pricing for allinclusive driver intros, pre-race concert and pre-race pit road access ($10 savings) Special renewal pricing for FanVision rentals ($15 savings) Special renewal pricing for Racing Electronics scanner rental ($10 savings) Special renewal opportunity to purchase NASCAR XFINITY

Series VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 tickets for just $25 each when you renew your Bojangles’ Southern 500 ticket package. Guests may renew their tickets and campsites by calling 866-459R ACE (7223) or v isit i ng w w w. DarlingtonRaceway.com/renewals. The renewal deadline is Friday, Feb. 5. The Tradition Continues on Labor Day weekend as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500® is set for Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016. The NASCAR XFINITY Series VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 will race on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016. You can keep up with all of the latest news from Darlington Raceway at DarlingtonRaceway.

com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/ DarlingtonRaceway and on Twitter at Twitter.com/TooToughToTame. Darlington Raceway is the proud recipient of the 2015 NMPA Myers Brothers Award. The award recognizes individuals and/or groups who have provided outstanding contributions to the sport of stock car racing. You can keep up with all of the latest news from Darlington Raceway at DarlingtonRaceway. com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/ DarlingtonRaceway and on Twitter at Twitter.com/TooToughToTame. —nascar media

? most of the NASCAR teams have their garages in Charlotte, N.C. NASCAR sponsors 1500 races at over 100 tracks in 39 U.S. states and Canada. Racecars don’t have fuel gauges. NASCAR teams calculate fuel mileage, consumption and how much gas is in the tank based on the weight of the fuel poured. the headlights, taillights and front grilles on a race car aren’t real – they’re decals. the total weight of a Sprint Cup Series car is 3,450 pounds. that weight includes a 200-pound driver and helmet. If a driver weighs less than 200 pounds, weights are added in 10-pound increments to make sure all drivers weigh 200 pounds. A race team will go through more than 15 sets of tires this week - and they have to pay the same $5 federal tire disposal fee that you do at the tire shop. A race car generally uses three times as much motor oil — or about 13 quarts — as your passenger car. All the money collected in ﬁnes during the year is donated to charity.

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NASCAR 2016 SEASON PREVIEW

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c our te s y of NA SC A R M E DI A

Every weekend NASCAR’s contingency partners burn turn laps celebrate in Victory Every weekend NASCAR’s contingency partners burn rubber, turn laps and rubber, celebrate Victory Lane alongside the alongside Every weekend NASCAR’s contingency partners burn rubber, turn laps and incelebrate in and Victory Lane the Lane alongside the sport’s top teams. Discover which competitors earned one of the year-end awards by dominating in each respective sport’stoptop teams. Discover which competitors one of awards the year-end awards by respective dominating in each respective sport’s teams. Discover which competitors earned oneearned of the year-end by dominating in each performance category throughout the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. performance category throughout the 2015the NASCAR Cup Series season. performance category throughout 2015Sprint NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

Click here for more information on the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Year-End Contingency Awards

3m laP leader award

american ethanol green flag restart award

Click here for more information on the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Year-End Contingency Awards

2015 winner: keVin harVick

NASCAR Official Partner 3M presents the 3M Lap Leader Award to the eligible driver who leads the most laps in an event. The year-end award goes to the driver who collects the most weekly awards throughout the season.

2015 winner: keVin harVick NASCAR Official Partner Growth Energy presents the American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award to the eligible driver who records the fastest average speed on restarts and finishes the race on the lead lap. The year-end award goes to the driver with the most weekly awards at the end of the season.

coors light Pole award Click here for more information on the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Year-End Contingency Awards 2015 winner: Joey logano duralast brakes “brake in the Coors Light, the Official Beer of NASCAR, presents the Coors Light race” award Pole Award to the fastest eligible qualifier in each NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. The driver with the most pole awards during the season will receive the year-end award.

freescale “wide oPen” award 2015 winner: keVin harVick NASCAR Official Partner Freescale presents the Freescale “wide Open” Award to the eligible driver finishing in the top-five that us most aggressive during the final 20% of the race, measured by having the throttle “wide open” the greatest amount of time. Points are awarded on a 5-to-1 scale, with the winner receiving five. The driver with the most points at the end of the season receives the year-end award.

ingersoll rand Power moVe award 2015 winner: kurt busch Ingersoll Rand, The Official Power Tools of NASCAR, awards the team of the eligible driver that advances the most positions in the last 10% of each race, The year-end award goes to the team that gains the most cumulative positions during the last 10% of each race throughout the season among race award winners.

2015 winner: keVin harVick Duralast, The Official Brakes of NASCAR, recognizes the eligible driver highest in the running order at the time of the first race caution with the Duralast Brakes “Brakes in the The Race Award. The driver who collects the most weekly awards throughout the season receives the year-end award.

goodyear award 2015 winner: kyle busch Goodyear, The Official Tire of NASCAR awards the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion with a year-end bonus.

mahle oleVite engine builder of the year award 2015 winner: hendrick engines, no. 4 stewart-haas racing NASCAR Performance Partner MAHLE awards the engine builder who accumulates the most “MAHLE Points” in each event. The year-end MAHLE Engine Builder Award goes to the top engine builder who has accumulated the greatest number of “MAHLE Points” throughout the season.

NASCAR 2016 SEASON PREVIEW

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IWANNAÂŽ FEBRUARY 16, 2016 25

mechaniX wear most Valuable Pit crew award

mobil 1 driVer of the year award

2015 winner: no. 41 stewart-haas racing

Mobil 1, The Official Motor Oil of NASCAR, awards the winner of each race or the next highest finishing eligible competitor with the Mobil 1 Driver of the Race Award. The year-end recipient is the driver with the most awards at the end of the season.

At the end of each quarter of the race season, NASCAR Performance Partner Mechanix Wear presents the Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award to a pit crew voted on by each teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crew chief. The year-end award is given to the quarterly winner that receives the most votes at the final race.

moog Problem solVer award 2015 winner: greg iVes, no. 88 hendrick motorsPorts crew chief NASCAR Official Partner Federal Mogul awards the crew chief that improves the most from the first half of the race to the second half, utilizing the 40 best lap times. The crew chief with the most awards will receive the year-end MOOG Steering & Suspension Problem Solver Award.

2015 winner: keVin harVick

sherwin-williams fastest laP award 2015 winner: matt kenseth The Official Paint of NASCAR, Sherwin-Williams, award the eligible driver who turns the fastest lap of the race with the Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap Award. The driver who collects the most weekly awards throughout the season receives the year-end award.

sunoco rookie of the year award

3m laP leader award

2015 winner: brett moffitt

2015 winner: kyle busch

In each of the 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, The Official Fuel of NASCAR, Sunoco, recognizes the highest finishing rookie driver. The rookie who scores the most points at the end of the season receives The Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award.

The Official Fuel of NASCAR, Sunoco, presents the Sunoco Diamond Performance Award to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Sprint Cup Series champion.

NASCAR 2016 SEASON PREVIEW

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DANICA AND RICKY GROW AT HOME, CLOSER IN STANDINGS NASCAR POWER COUPLE Da n ic a Pat r ic k a nd R ic k y Stenhouse, Jr. are so intertwined, they finished next to each other in the Sprint Cup standings last year. And she outdid him. Patrick was 24th with 716 points — four points ahead of Sten house. They each averaged a finish of 22.8, for 23rd best on the circuit. Stenhouse beat her and others for the top Spring Cup rookie honor, in 2013. Both are in their fourth Cup seasons. Stenhouse races for Roush Fenway Racing. He succeeded Matt Kenseth in the 17 Fusion, now sponsored by toolmaker Fastenol. Patrick is with Stewart-Haas Racing. She rates a 10, in that she drives the no. 10 Chevrolet. Nature’s Bakery is her prime sponsor. Sten house also has raced for Tony Stewart — in sprint cars. This offseason, he won a USAC dirt race. “Running sprint cars, dirt cars builds a little confidence back into me, and keeps me sharp” for Sprint Cup, he said. They have lived together for three years, in motor homes at tracks. She is five and a half years elder. The Illinois native turns 34 on March 25. He is 28, from Mississippi and wears cowboy hats and boots. Neither is tall. She is 5-foot-2. He is 5-9. “We’ve got a ca reer t hat we (each) want to be the best at,” Stenhouse told reporters. “Th at ’s r e a l ly wh at we ’r e focused on. Our relationship is great. Everything is good.” They golf, and cross- train together. Patrick said, “Does it worry me at all being together so much? No, because we’re worse apart. We’re much better together.” Sparks fly — on the track, once in a while. Patrick crashed into Sten house in a race in September, 2014. This was a half-year after Stewart stated he felt she went easier on her beau than her teammates. She said, “as we keep getting better over the years — we’re going to have to race each other harder. As long as we’ve known each other, we’ve been racing

against each other. There are times on the track that you don’t even see each other. But every time we have been, it’s about respect. Neither of us puts up a big fight.” Stenhouse flashed a glimmer of Intimidator in saying “people always say you will wreck your mom, to win a race. I race everybody with the same respect. You’re not going to go crash them on purpose. But I’m definitely going to race hard.” He said they joke about their on-track rivalry. She added, “We talk a lot more about the cars, our teams, what happened that day. He’s cheered me up after I was so disappointed after qualifying or after a race.” Danica blends brains, beauty and personality as a sports c elebr it y. She i s t he mo st successf ul female Indy car driver ever, and first to win a premier IndyCar race (in Motegi, Japan). She ignited her NASCAR Cup career in 2013, by seizing the Daytona 500 pole. But that was her only pole in four years. She finished eighth in the race, had no other top-ten finishes in ’13 and only two last season. She was 27th in points in ‘13, ahead of only three other full-time drivers. She was eight spots behind Stenhouse, who cracked the top 20. She logged one fewer top-ten than he did, in ’15. Pat r ic k ’s ave rag e f i n i s h improved from 28.3 to 26.1 to 23.7 in 2014. But progress stagnated, with 23.5 last year. She has been publicly pressured to improve more than that. In Cup racing, she said, “you can’t be (even) a little off. The difference bet ween a good and a bad weekend is so much bigger. The competition, the level of effort is so high. You have to always be on your game.” Stenhouse said “I feel bad for her, when you hear people criticize her. Look at the things she’s done, and she’s doing to get better.” Stenhouse also gets ripped for not taking it to another level. His statistics have declined and his star waned, since he won

by PETE ZAMPLAS

NASCAR DRIVERS DANICA PATRICK (L) & RICKY STENHOUSE JR.

attend The ESPYS at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. (NASCAR via Getty Images)

Xfinity Series crowns in 2011 and ’12. He is yet to win, in 112 Cup starts. He has led merely 38 laps, and only three in the prior two years. In Cup standings, he slipped from 19th in 2013 to 27th in 2014 and 25th in ’15. Last year he had one top-five. His top-tens dipped from five in ’14 to three, though two were in the Chase. His average starting spot and finish worsened year to year. Yet he improved in ’15 from a finish of 28.4 for the first 25 races to 24.3 for the season, by averaging 13th with seven top20s in a row. Then two more crashes did him in. “I made mistakes and crashed trying to do too much,” he sa id. “I got f r u st rated, instead of staying even keel like I normally do” and obeying crew chief Nick Sandler’s calls. Sandler is his first crew chief to ret urn, adding stabilit y. Solving front-end handling woe is a key challenge, to unleash Ford horsepower. RFR added two aerodynamicists, to head simulation. Thus “there’s a high degree of confidence that we’ll show significant improvement this year,” Roush Fenway Pres. Steve Newmark said. “If not, we’ll have to sit down and figure it out. We’re not going to accept the level we were at

last year.” RFR missed the Chase for the first time, and was winless. Three of the four top-fives were by veteran Greg Biffle, who was 20th. Trevor Bayne was 29th, in the flagship no. 6. The young prospect turns 25 on Feb. 19. All three seats are likely simmering. RFR has a contractual option on Stenhouse, after this year. “Our intent is for Ricky to be an anchor, and with us for the long haul,” Newmark said. “We’re pretty committed to working together, to make this a successful partnership.” Beyond Danica, since 2008 fiery father figure Jack Roush h a s a l s o b e e n p i vo t a l t o Stenhouse. “I’m committed to Jack, and Jack is committed to me,” he said. He pressures himself, but will not “freak out” from Cup burdens. “Jack gave me my start, run ning me unsponsored” in Xfinity and ARCA. “He spent a lot of money and time and effort into letting me figure out stock cars, and ultimately win races and championships. That means a ton.” Thus, he said, “I owe it to Jack to stick around, and make sure we get this place back where it needs to be. Jack’s a huge pusher of mine, and believer of what I can do.”

“WE TALK A LOT MORE ABOUT THE CARS, OUR TEAMS, WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY.”

“PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY YOU WILL WRECK YOUR MOM TO WIN A RACE. I RACE EVERYBODY WITH THE SAME RESPECT. YOU’RE NOT GOING TO GO CRASH THEM ON PURPOSE, BUT I’M DEFINITELY GOING TO RACE HARD.”

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ten Records & milestones for in 2015

the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship race on NBC and NBCSN was the most-watched ﬁnale since 2005 - peaking with nearly 12.4 million average viewers.

NASCAR set new records with 4.1 billion social Media impressions and 1.1 billion page views - an increase of more than 20 percent from 2014.

throWBack Weekend at darlington raceway celebrated

NASCAR history with industry support, 14 Hall of Famers in attendance & 32 retro paint schemes.

In jeff gordon’s ﬁnal season, he broke Ricky Rudd’s Iron Man record with his 789th consecutiVe nscs start and was introduced by Tom Cruise for his ﬁnal speech as a driver.

The launch of the fanatics trackside suPerstore

Once again, nascar neXt alumni swept the sunoco rookie awards across the 3 national series.

resulted in a +20 percent increase of NASCAR driver merchandise sales at tracks.

Nearly

Above: NASCAR Drive for Diversity alumni Daniel Suarez.

1 in 2 fortune 100

NASCAR announced multi-year sanctioning agreements with tracks. The 5 year agreements will transform planning, sponsorships & the fan experience.

coMPanies relied on NASCAR

to build their brands.

There was an unprecedented inﬂux of technological advancements, including Pit road officiating, the mobile inspection app, live streaming R&D inspections and the digital dashboard.

Nearly 230 million Viewers watching NASCAR drivers

appear in 77 PriMetiMe shoWs including American Idol on FOX and Chicago Fire on NBC.

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chris buescher

LOCKS UP XFINITY SERIES TITLE

2016 nAsCAr

2016 season preview

RISING STARS

nasCaR announces innovations for XFinitY series

xfinitY dash 4 cash races to include two heats & main a s C a R E xe c ut ive Vice President a nd C h i e f R ac i n g development officer steve o’don nell an nounced today several racing-related innovations to the nasCaR XFinitY series and nasCaR Camping World truck series, beginning with the 2016 season,

designed to ignite and energize the growth of each series. in t he nasCaR XFinitY series, where “names are Made,” each event in the popular dash 4 Cash program now will be comprised of two Heats and a M a i n . d r i ve r s w h o w i n two of the four dash 4 Cash bonuses available also are all

but guaranteed a spot in the 2016 nasCaR XFinitY series Chase. “these innovations contain the elements of racing that our fans want the most,” said o’donnell. “ t h e e n h a n c e m e n t s p ut a premium on in-race strategy, and will create an unprecedented

(continues on page 43)

▲ CHris buEsCHEr, driver of #60 Roush Performance Products Ford, takes the checkered flag in the nasCaR XFinity series 3M 250 at iowa speedway on May 17, 2015 in newton, iowa. ( Jonathan Moore/Getty Images)

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CHAMPIONS]

b y r E i d sP E nC E r , NA S C A R W I R E SERV ICE

Chris Buescher Locks Up XFINITY Series Title will compete for front row motorsports in 2016

as it tuRnEd out, the final step in Chris Buescher‘s march to the nasCaR XFinitY series championship was almost pedestrian. none of his closest pursuers could mount a serious challenge for the victory in the Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-M ia m i speedway. i n fact, Buescher, title runner-up Chase Elliott and fellow contenders ty dillon and Regan smith all went a lap down to race winner Kyle larson during a long green-flag run in the middle of the race. ultimately, Buescher got a free pass back to the lead lap and finished 11th, leaving him with a 15-point edge in the standings over Elliott, the defending series champion, and 18 over third-place dillon, who finished seventh on saturday. With no real pressure from his competition, and with 18 points in hand entering the race, Buescher’s primary task was to keep his no. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford out of trouble, and the 23-year-old texan did exactly that. if t he pressure of an impending first nasCaR national series championship was weighing on him, Buescher didn’t show it. “i did a good job masking it did n’t i?” Buesc her sa id after the race. “i was a little nervous. all things considered, that was exactly what we n e e de d t o do, a nd we knew that and knew we were capable of doing it. “i’m g lad we cou ld pu l l it off for all the people that were on board all year, advoCare, Roush Performance, Cheez-it and all the fans. i know the weather wasn’t ideal today (rain caused the fourth caut ion), but t hey hu ng i n there with us and we made it through this thing and get to celebrate.” More than seven years earlier, Buesc her lef t home to

pursue a racing career, despite the reservations of his parents. “i’m glad (my mother) let me,” Buescher said. “i think she’s oK with it now. i have to thank my parents so much for the opportunity to be here and leave home and do this. that was such an amazing race, just being careful. “our Fastenal Mustang had good speed in it. We just had to be careful out there… it’s pretty amazing to be in this position.” Keeping his desire to race for victories in check, however, has been a difficult proposition for the young champion.

NXS DRIVER OF THE NO. 60 CHEEZ-IT FORD wins

top fives

top tens

2 11 20

“I am not a points racer,” Buescher said. “I don’t like it. It’s not the most fu n way to run the last 10 races of the season, but it is important.

“this is what we have been fighting for since February at daytona, and these guys (the team) have done such a great job and stuck in there with us all year and had no mechanical failures or dnFs. it’s a huge accomplishment for our team.” austin dillon, who finished second to larson on saturday, wasn’t surprised Buescher and his team exhibited that sort of race management. “Chris is a smart race car driver,” dillon said. i think that’s what won him a championship. i noticed it earlier on in the year. i’ve noticed it from when he was driving a RC a aga i n st ty (d i l lon , austin’s brother). Him and ty had good battles then, and Chris is always smart with his equipment. “i think he knows the ability of the equipment, uses it to its ability every time, and finishes races well. so i think Chris is going to be good. He’s

▲ CHris buEsCHEr, driver of #60 Roush Performance Products Ford, celebrates in Victory lane after winning the nXs Buckle up 200 presented by Click it or ticket at dover international speedway on May 30, 2015 in dover, delaware. Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

smart. He doesn’t tear up stuff. He’s raced with less before, and it teaches you what you have in the car, so i think he’s very good at managing his equipment and gett ing t he best out of it.” interestingly, even with a championship to his credit, Buescher hasn’t settled his plans for next season. “i’m optimistic about it,” Buescher said. “i feel like we’ll have something ... i just don’t have anything right now. We don’t have everything planned out at the moment. it will be a couple weeks, i’m sure, before we get everything lined up and get a little bit closer – not that i’m worried about it. “i feel pretty confident that the guys back at the shop are doing everything they can to

get sponsors on board and to try to put together a 2016 season, wherever that may be.” tea m ow ner Jac k Rou sh indicated Buescher would run some nasCaR sprint Cup series races next season. What’s unknown is how many. “We’re still not sure what his arrangement is going to be next year,” Roush said. “He will be involved in a Cup car to some extent, but whether it ’s a part-time program or a full program, we’re still in t he midst of finalizing t he conditions. “We’ve got a number of possibilities, but we’re not ready to announce that today.”

Buescher will race with Front Row Motorsports in NSCS in 2016 as part of a technical alliance with home team Roush Fenway Racing Raced part-time in Nationwide Series for RFR in 2013 & full-time in 2014 Kicked off 2015 Xfinity Series season with a runner-up finish to teammate Ryan Reed at Daytona Won twice and picked up 20 total top-10 finishes on his way to the 2015 championship, the fifth Xfinity Series title for RFR and third in the last five seasons. Made his Sprint Cup Series debut in 2015 in the No. 34 for Front Row Motorsports, racing six times with a top finish of 20th at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA

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Austin Dillon builds on faster runs with ‘Slugger’ for third year in famed 3

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austin dillon has felt pressure and disappointment in piloting the famed no. 3 Chevrolet that Dale Earnhardt Jr. made famous, but he foresees in his third Cup season further progress that began in mid-2015 with a crew chief switch. Racing for his grandfather’s Richard Childress Racing, Dillon was 21st in points last year. That was one slot worse than as a rookie in 2014. And he again missed the 16-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. In 2015, his sole top-five finish was fourth at Michigan, for his best ever in Cup racing. He led 39 total laps, and finished an average of 21st to match his place in standings. This is a “sophomore slump” drop from his finish of 17.5, which was 14th best on the top circuit. Good news is four of Dillon’s five top-tens were after veteran Richard “Slugger” Labbe became his crew chief after 15 races. Dillon said it infused “new life.” He hopes to hit a home run with Slugger, former chief for Dale Jarrett among others. “I’m really excited about what we’ve built on last year,” Dillon said at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte. He ran much faster, chipping into the knack that RCR cars lack speed to compete beyond as middling Chase long-shots. “Leading laps at Michigan and running up front in a lot of races toward the end of the year was big,” he said. “We made some headway last year on our speed at RCR. When you can go out and lead laps and run up front, eventually that win is coming. You have to be able to lead laps and run up front. Before halfway through the season, I don’t think we had the speed to do that. That’s hard on your confidence. It’s hard to get up for every race. We’ve put a lot of effort into it. I think the equipment’s there at RCR.”

Further, he won four times in the Xfinity junior circuit with 16 top-tens in 20 starts. “I’m beating guys that run well in the Cup series on Saturday,” he said. “I want that same result on Sunday. Getting to Victory Lane is by far our main goal, Our first goal is to win at least one of the first (26) races, to get in the Chase. Then to win again, to move on to the next round.” Childress cars won no Cup races in the last two years. Owner Richard Childress vowed to snap the drought. “We’ve got to win this year in Cup. We’ve been consistent, and that’s what it takes. But we want to win in the Cup series — and we will this year.” Dillon said “it’s a matter of putting it all together.” That includes to “eliminate mistakes, talk about ‘em (with Labbe) and trying to be the best we can be at every aspect of racing.” He wants to avoid a bad wreck as struck him on the final lap of the Coke Zero 400, at high-speed Daytona in July. He walked away unharmed, getting out of his demolished car which had its engine fly out. The 3 was spun airborne over two rows of cars from the bottom groove, slingshotting off of the catch fence back onto the track. The 3 landed upside down, then was spun by the 2 car. “It got my tailbone pretty good, and my arm,” Dillon said. Kevin Harvick sparked the multi-car crash, turning Denny Hamlin’s car. The 3 bounced off of Jeff Gordon’s 24. Then, Dillon said, suddenly “I was looking at my roof for a long time.” Veteran Ryan Newman finished 11th in the standings. But he missed the Chase championship round that he made in ’14. Paul Menard made the Chase for the first time, and finished a career-best 14th. The last RCR race win was by Kevin Harvick in 2013. In the

“We’re looking at little things in every area, to improve.”

NASCAR & Twitter six must follow nascar related twitter accounts witter has truly revolutionized the way fans interact with their favorite celebrities, and NASCAR fans and drivers are all over the Twitterverse. Add a healthy portion of insiders including commentators, pit road crew, and former drivers and Twitter becomes a viable source for the latest goings-on in NASCAR. The following must-follow accounts are always entertaining whether providing insider insight, sharing old photos or cracking jokes. Dale Earnhardt Jr. @DaleJr Crowd favorite Junior tweets a lot, sharing everything from his outlook on upcoming races to snapshots from his personal life off the track. Every now and then he shares stories about his famous father.

Sullivan/NASCAR via Getty Images)

“i’m beating guys that run well in the cup series on saturday.”

very next year, he won a Cup title with Stewart-Haas Racing. Dillon replaced Harvick with RCR, marking the return of the 3 car. Dillon turns 26 on April 27. Dillon won the 2012 Truck title, then Nationwide (now Xfinity) crown in ’13. In ’14, the Welcome, N.C. native got quite the media welcome. He was tagged as topped Cup newcomer. He had titles, NASCAR family lineage, and pizazz wearing a cowboy hat a la Richard Petty. Instead, rookie honors went to Kyle Larson. Childress’ last Cup title was 22 years ago, with Earnhardt Sr. in 1994. That was before nowretired baseball hero Chipper Jones’ first full season with the Braves. The TV comedy “Friends” debuted. Hit films included “Forrest Gump,” “Pulp Fiction” and “The Lion King.” Billboard’s biggest hit for the year was Ace of Bass’ monoto-

nous “The Sign.” Teen idol Justin Bieber was born. Grunge rocker Kurt Cobain departed. Football star O.J. Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole was murdered, sparking a long legal saga over him. Sony unveiled PlayStation electronic gaming. We all were so much younger. Dow Chemical remains Dillon’s main sponsor, with Bass Pro Shops another sponsor. His younger brother Ty Dillon, who turns 24 on Feb. 27, and Michael McDowell both drive the 95 Cheerios Chevy for Circle Sport/Leavine Family Racing. The team moves up to full-time in Cup racing, buoyed by RCR technical help. Circle fills the void of Front Row Racing, which left RCR alliance when switching from Chevy to Toyota. Ty Dillon raced for RCR in the junior (now Xfinity) circuit. Austin Dillon said he is determined to return RCR and the 3 car to “where it deserves to be.”

austin dillon at Texas Motor Speedway in November 2015. (Matt

nascarcasm @nascarcasm This account is fronted by a member of NASCAR.com who loves to put his own funny twist on actual NASCAR storylines. His work is often retweeted and shared otherwise by drivers & fans. Tom Jensen @tomjensen100 Fox Sports digital content manager Tom Jensen has a vast knowledge of autosports and often shares new points of view with readers. Fans also love his detailed in-race updates. Rodney Childers @RodneyChilders4 Crew chief for Kevin Harvick and the rest of the No. 4 team, Childers offers fans some general insight on what goes through the mind of a crew chief before and throughout a race... also, jokes. Michael Waltrip @mw55 Part-time driver and broadcaster Waltrip offers insight from multiple segments of the NASCAR universe. He is brutally honest with his thoughts on the sport, but often lightens things up with humor. NASCAR Memories @NASCARMemories This account shares great photos and old race footage from the NASCAR of yesteryear. Fans love reminiscing favorite former drivers and races and many current drivers retweet his posts too.

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(continued from page 33) level of excitement as teams make tactical decisions that could impact their spot in the Chase.” nasCar XFinity sEriEs dasH 4 CasH the nasCaR XFinitY series dash 4 Cash will be comprised of two Heats and a Main at fou r t rac k s: Br i stol Motor speedway (april 16), Richmond

international Raceway (april 23), dover international speedway (May 14) and indianapolis Motor speedway (July 23). Qualifying for each dash 4 Cash event will set the 40-car field and the starting positions for the two Heats with the fastest qualifier awarded the Coors light Pole award. oddnumbered qualifiers (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.) will start in the first Heat in respective order, while

eve n-nu m b er e d q ua l i f ier s (2nd, 4th, 6th, etc.) will start the second Heat in respective order. the two Heats will set the starting positions for the Main wit h t he top t wo nasCaR XFinitY series regulars in each Heat becoming eligible for the dash 4 Cash bonus. the highest finishing driver among the four dash 4 Cash eligible drivers will be awarded a $100,000 bonus. if any driver wins two of the four

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dash 4 Cash bonuses available, he/she is all but guaranteed a spot in the 2016 nasCaR XFinitY series Chase. in short, two dash 4 Cash bonuses are equivalent to one race win in the new nasCaR XFinitY series Chase format. drivers must have declared to earn nasCaR XFinitY series points in order to be eligible for the nasCaR XFinitY series dash 4 Cash bonus.

The 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular season will kick off with the 58th running of the Daytona 500® on Sunday, Feb. 21 at Daytona International Speedway®. The Great American Race® will be broadcast live on FOX, MRN Radio & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, with additional coverage on NASCAR. com —nascar media

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brad Keselowski Helps Carry Torch in Penske’s 50th Racing Year

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brad keselowski hopes to help Team Penske reach 100 career Cup victories in its 50th year in racing, and to win its seccondever Cup championship. Penske has emerged as NASCAR’s premier team in Dodge, and now Ford — succeeding Yates then Roush. Owner Roger Penske, 79 as of Feb. 20, was a noted driver in the early Sixties (1958-65) mostly in Formula One. Sports Illustrated chose him in 1960 as Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) driver of the year. For a half-century, he has been an auto (mostly Chevrolet) dealer and multi-circuit race team owner now based in Mooresville, N.C. Penske Racing debuted in ‘66 in the 24 Hours (now Rolex 24) of Daytona. The Ohio native is an owner of 15 companies. Penske vows “I’ll be at the races as long as I can stand up.” He still has competitive zest. “We’re there for one reason. We’re there to win.” He likes prospects of his young stars Keselowski, who turned 32 on Feb. 12, and Joey Logano, 25. “You can see the quality and what they’ve given to our team. Obviously, we’re looking for

2016 to be a great year with the continuity across all aspects of our team.” Michigan native Keselowski was seventh in final Cup standings in 2015, a spot behind Logano. But he finished in the top five in final Cup standings for three of the prior four seasons. In ’14, he was the highest-ranking driver outside of the Chase’s final four. Logano placed fourth then sixth, in the last two years. Brad led all Cup drivers with six wins in 2014, and Logano scored five as Penske won 11 times. Then last year, Logano won six and Brad merely once — the road race at Fontana, Calif. They combined for 53 top-tens. Brad fizzled in top-fives, dipping from 17 to nine while Logano had 16 then 22 in the last two seasons. Keselowski wants to again finish among the very top, race to race. Penske will reach the 100 mark in Cup wins with four more — very doable by the Dynamic Duo this season — and has 145 in the top two divisions. But it has only one Cup title — by Keselowski, in 2012 in a Dodge. Penske switched to Ford starting the next year.

Brad also won the junior (now Xfinity) title in 2010, for Penske. Nearly half (13) of Penske’s 27 racing titles are in IndyCar and USAC. Penske has won the most (16) Indy 500s with four by Rick Mears, but never NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 on the same track. Yet Penske has won the Daytona 500, first in 2008 with a 1-2 finish by Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch and most recently last year with Joey Logano. Busch and Newman were formidable. But now Penske has its most potent 1-2 punch in Logano in the 22 Ford Fusion and Keselowski in the famed 2 car that Rusty Wallace made famous. Brad recruited Joey. He counsels him on dealing with heckling. After Logano crashed Matt Kenseth at Kansas, in the next race “after we won Talladega, there are beers being thrown at me,” Logano said with a grin. Harder to take was hearing cheers in the ensuing race, in Martinsville, after Kenseth crashed him in retaliation. Keselowski, also an aggressive and cocky driver, said “in this sport being booed is a badge of honor. All the great drivers have

“We’re looking at little things in every area, to improve.”

brad keselowski & girlfriend Paige White attend the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards in Las Vegas (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

been booed.” He said it helps to vent after the race, rather than let a feud simmer. “You just want to grab somebody (on-track offender) and talk to them for a minute, and hash it out.” In NASCAR, Penske has come a long ways since owning an AMC Matador driven by Indy great Mark Donohue, who won Penske’s first NASCAR race in 1973. Donnie and Bobby Allison also drove for Penske South (now Team Penske). Rusty Wallace was by far Penske’s most famous driver, winning 37 Cup races in 15 years in the no. 2 car in 1991-2005. His first trial with Penske fizzled, in 1980 at age 23 as he often crashed. They parted ways, for Wallace to settle down. He won the 1989 Cup, and asked back in with Penske touting Miller Brewing as the sponsor. Wallace won one-third (10 of 30) races in 1993, and was Cup runner-up to Dale Earnhardt. Talkative Wallace, a popular race analyst, said, “I feel good about being one of the guys that helped get the team back in NASCAR, and how it’s still strong.” Penske is much like the

major sports franchise owner who ponies up, to get over the top. “Roger not only transformed my career, he helped grow my career by carrying all the financial responsibility,” Wallace said. “When there were gaps that had to be filled, he always filled them. We all got a piece of the action.” He describes Penske as an adept strategist, who will “throttle back and say, ‘Let’s not go for everything. This is the right amount of pressure we need to put on this.’ Or, ‘This is the right thing we need to be in.’ He’s able to see through things.” Wallace also learned from Penske business tips, setting up a lucrative auto dealership chain in the Southeast. “He’s taught me so much on and off the track. I might listen to four or five people who have an opinion, and I listen to his one opinion, I trust him a hell of a lot more than I trust those other guys. He’s mentored me. I can always pick up the phone and ask him a question. When I hang up, I hang up with a lot of confidence.” Just as Keselowski and Logano are brimming with championship confidence.

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Daniel Suárez:

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR TOP FIVES

TOP TENS

COORS LIGHT POLE AWARDS

AVERAGE FINISH

LAPS LED

8 18 3* 11.7 83

* tied for third-most Coors light Pole awards by a sunoco Rookie in the nasCaR XFinitY series

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Woods Full-time in Cup, with Rookie Ryan Blaney in 21 Ford

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the wood brothers are back full-time in Sprint Cup racing for the first time in a decade, with promising rookie Ryan Blaney behind the wheel of the famed no. 21 Ford. NASCAR’s longest active team, The Woods, are in their 66th season — since 1950 when the Korean War began — but

their first full-time in Cup racing since 2007 when Jon Wood was among their drivers. They started Cup racing May 17, 1953 and have exclusively been in Fords. Founders and brothers Glen (their first driver, now 90) and Leonard (age 81) Wood are Hall of Famers. Glen was a Cup racer in 1953-64. Leonard

invented the modern pit stop. Now the team is run by Glen’s sons Eddie (Jon’s father) and Len, and Glen’s daughter Kim Wood Hall. The Woods won 98 Cup races in each of seven decades with such drivers as David Pearson, C a le Ya r b or oug h , Do n n ie Alliosn and even Indy greats

ryan blaney in NASCAR XFINITY series (NASCAR via Getty Images)

A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney. They won t he 2011 Daytona 500, with then-rookie Trevor Bayne driving the 21 car. Bayne is Roush’s rising star. The Wood Brothers hope to strike gold with another rookie in Blaney, in the red and white Quick Lube Fusion. For him it is a “dream come true,” he said on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour. “It’s just cool to have such a historic team to be driving for. They’re very accepting people. They’re laidback. They’ve been amazing to me and my family.” Blaney has 18 Cup starts with a few for the Woods in 2015, when also racing in Xfinity and Truck series. His best in Cup was fourth in spring Talladega af ter r u n n i ng second, a nd seventh at Kansas. Cup races are longest, but he has endurance. “I shouldn’t fall out of the seat.” This year, he also drives Team Penske’s 22 Mustang in the Xfinity Series, in which he has four wins and 34 top tens in four years. Blaney earned his Cup chance by finishing second in Truck standings in 2014, with a win and 17 top tens. He was Truck’s most popular driver that year, and its top rookie in 2013. In 2012, he was the youngest truck race winner ever at 18 and a half. Blaney raced trucks for Brad Keselowski Racing. Blaney turned 22 on New Year’s Eve. Fellow Cup rookies C h a s e E l l io t t a nd Je f f r e y Ear n hardt get more not ice with their family names, and Elliott succeeds newly-retired Jeff Gordon for elite Hendrick Motorsports. But Blaney also has NASCAR driver lineage, from his father

and “hero” Dave Blaney who is 53. Father and son matched Cup history in 2014, by racing versus each other at Kansas in Ryan’s Cup debut. Bobby Hamilton Sr. and Jr. did so in 2005. Lou Blaney, Ryan’s grandfather, was a dirt track racer. Ryan is 5-foot-7 and weighs 140. His racing devotion is huge. “All I knew was the race track — nothing else,” Ryan said. “I didn’t care about any other sport or school as much. Racing is what I wanted to do at a young age.” The Ohio native moved to N.C. at age three. He won his first race at age nine, in quarter midgets. He won the Lowe’s Motor Speedway Young Lion’s Winter Heat point title at 12. He notched a late model win in nearby Greenville-Pickens Speedway, in 2010. He relates to t he Woods’ multi-generational legacy and dedication. “ They grew up racing. It’s all they cared about. We’re just racers. That’s what bonds us so well. We’re lucky to go full-time racing with a great organization and great equipment.” A bonus is tech nological assistance from the top Ford team these days in Penske. The revamped Fusions better resemble production cou nter pa r t s on t he roads thanks to a smaller windshield, new fender flares and a revised deck area. Team president and co-owner Eddie Wood said that in 2015, “We had speed everywhere. I hope we can run consistently in the top 15, and get in the position to win a race or two. I’m looking forward to being back.”

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Wallace & selfeo look to Fully immerse Fans into nasCaR Experience with daytona Partnership cuttinG-edGe app to serve as primarY partner on wallace’s no. 6 nxs ford mustanG elfeo, a cutting-edge app that provides users the ability to transform a single screen on a single device into a customized, multiscreen viewing environment, will also transform Bubba Wallace’s daytona racing machine into one of the most socially discussed on the track at the 2016 daytona speedweek s. Roush Fenway Racing has announced that selfeo will serve as the primary partner on Wallace’s no. 6 Ford Mustang for t h e na sC a R X F i n i t Y series season opener at daytona international speedway on Feb. 19. “it’s really cool,” said Wallace of the app that can broadcast simultaneous viewing of video content, text, audio chat, email, and interaction through social media. “selfeo is a completely immersive experience for the fan and actually allows them to become the main focus of their own social media experience. i think we’ll have a lot of fun with it down in daytona and i look forward to providing the fans with an interactive social experience like they have never seen before.” selfeo transforms a single s c r e e n o n a de v ic e i nt o a customized, multi-screen viewing environment with a simple, oneclick option that will allow users to immerse themselves into any other live or stored internet video content accessible through the app. it allows the user to review websites, Youtube Videos, Facebook, twitter and instagram feeds simultaneously. “nasCaR is one of the top spectator sports in the world, a nd we b el ieve t h i s i s t he perfect match for selfeo to team up wit h Bubba Wallace and Roush Fenway Racing,” said Jarret streiner, CEo of Giga Entertainment Media. “With the loyalty of Bubba’s robust fan base and selfeo’s customized, multiscreen viewing environment where the user can immerse themselves into the story, the

integration is limitless.” “in addition to daytona race highlights, pit crew exchanges and post-race interviews, the fans of Bubba and Roush Fenway will have an immense amount of content to produce and discuss v ia t he s el feo app,” added streiner. the app is available on the apple app store and Google Play. About Roush Fenway Racing

Roush Fenway Rac i ng is t he winningest team in nasCaR history, fielding multiple teams in nasCaR sprint Cup series and nasCaR XFinitY series competition with drivers Greg Biffle, Ricky stenhouse Jr., trevor Bayne, Ryan Reed, Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace. now in its 29th season, RFR is a leader in driver development, having launched the careers for many of the top drivers in the sport. off-track, RFR is a leader in nasCaR marketing solutions, pioneering motorsport’s first team-focused tV show and producing multiple award-winning digital and experiential marketing campaigns. RFR is co-owned by Jack Roush, the winningest team owner in nasCaR history and Fenway sports Group, parent company of Major league Baseball’s Boston Red sox and English Premier league’s liverpool F.C. Visit RoushFenway.com, circle on Google+, become a fan on Facebook and instagram and follow on twitter at @roushfenway.

About Giga Entertainment Media

Giga Entertainment Media (GEM) is a multi-media technology company that provides unique interactive v i e w i n g a nd c o m mu n ic at io n s en ha ncement feat u res, suc h as existing live programming, Vod and movie lineups, to consumers on the internet as well as private labeling to brands, content providers and content aggregators and their subscribers. GEM’s most recent technological breakthrough on its dynamic gamechanging platform allows real-time access to the entire web and associated v ide o l i bra r y, wh ic h i nc lude s substant ial cable programming through voice recognition and userfriendly swiping viewed in an optimal personalized digital experience. GEM’s advanced technology allows multitasking, simultasking and the entire range of interactive social network applications all at the same

time on one device.

—nascar media

bubba wallaCE’s no. 6 Ford MustanG with the purple selfeo paint scheme for the nasCaR XFinitY series season opener at daytona on February 19.

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Chase Format Extended to NASCAR XFINITY Series, NASCAR Camping World Series

Seven-Race Chase Formats to be Implemented in 2016 sing the overwhelming success of the Chase f o r t h e NAS C A R Spri nt Cup format introduced in 2014 as a guidepost, NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France announced today the implementation of a playoff system in both the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. On the heels of a 2015 Chase that saw the highest season-finale viewership in nearly a decade, record-breaking page views on

NASCAR.com and unparalleled volume on social media, the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will each feature a sevenrace Chase to decide its respective championships starting in 2016. The announcement was the first of a number of racing innovations p r e s e nt e d by NAS C A R o n Tuesday. “ Fa n s , p a r t n e r s a n d t h e industry have embraced the new Chase format like nothing we’ve seen in the sport’s history,” said

in 2016, all three national nascar series will use the Chase format first implemented in 2014.

France. “Winning never has been this important, and the excitement generated the past two seasons in the Sprint Cup Series has led to this implementation of the Chase format in all three national series. Competition in both the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will undoubtedly elevate to new heights and shine a spotlight on the rising stars of our sport.” The NASCAR XFINITY Series, where “Names Are Made,” and the rugged NASCAR Camping Wo r l d Tr u c k S e r i e s w i l l implement seven-race, threeround Chase formats with unique characteristics but very much in the same spirit of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. All three series will conclude the Chase with a Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miam i Speedway to crown a champion. However, all three will begin at different tracks: Chicago (Sprint Cup Series), Kentucky (XFINITY Series) and New Hampshire (Camping World Truck Series) Drivers still must declare a series in which they will earn points, and will only be eligible to compete for a championship in that series. The 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who qualified for the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup will be ineligible to compete in the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship 4 races at Homestead-Miami Speedway. NASCAR XFINITY SERIES CHASE Th e s e ve n -rac e NASC A R XFINITY Series Chase will begin at Kentucky Speedway on Sept. 24, and feature 12 drivers and

two elimination rounds, with four drivers competing in the Championship 4 at HomesteadMiami Speedway. A win in the first 26 races all but guarantees a driver entry into the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase, provided the driver is in the top 30 in points and has attempted to qualify for each race. Drivers who win two Dash 4 Cash bonuses are also all but guaranteed a Chase berth. The first round, called the Round of 12, consists of the races at Kentucky, Dover and Charlotte. All drivers will start with their points adjusted to 2,000, with three additional bonus points added to their total for each win in the first 26 races. If a driver wins a race in the Round of 12, the driver automatically advances to the next round. The remaining available positions (1-8) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points. Each driver who advances to the Round of 8 (Kansas, Texas, Phoenix) then will have their points reset to 3,000. Drivers who win a race in the Round of 8 automatically advance to the Championship 4. The remaining available positions (1-4) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points. The four drivers who advance to the Championship 4 at Homestead will have their points reset to 4,000. The highest finishing Championship 4 driver will be crowned the NASCAR XFINITY Series champion. NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES CHASE Th e s e ve n -rac e NASC A R Camping World Truck Series Chase w i l l beg i n at New

Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 24. It will feature eight drivers and two elimination rou nds, w it h fou r d r ivers competing in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. A win in the first 16 races all but guarantees a driver entry into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase, provided that the driver is in the Top 30 in points and has attempted to qualify for each race. The first round, called the Round of 8, consists of the races at New Hampshire, Las Vegas, and Talladega. All drivers will have their points adjusted to 2,000, with three additional bonus points added to their total for each win in the first 16 races. If a driver wins a race in the Round of 8, the driver automatically advances to the next round. The remaining available positions (1-6) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points. Each driver who advances to the Round of 6 (Martinsville, Texas, Phoenix) then will have their points reset to 3,000. Drivers who win a race in the Round of 6 automatically advance to the Championship 4. The remaining available positions (1-4) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points. The four drivers who advance to the Championship 4 at Homestead will have their points reset to 4,000. The highest finishing Championship 4 driver will win the championship. All rules outlined above also apply to both series’ owner championship structure. —Nascar media

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ERIK JONES

CONTINUES RAPID CLIMB TO NCWTS TOP

MEET THE STARS

OF THE 2016 NASCAR HALL OF FAME CLASS

2016 SEASON PREVIEW

NASCAR Announces More Innovations for Camping World Truck Series

CAUTION CLOCK INTRODUCED FOR NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES A S C A R E xe c ut ive Vice President a nd C h i e f R ac i n g Development Officer Steve O’Don nell an nounced today several racing-related innovations to the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, beginning with the 2016 season, designed to ignite and energize the growth of each series. In addition to changes in the Dash 4 Cash NASCAR INFINITY Series, the rugged NASCAR

Camping World Truck Series races now will feature a Caution Clock, which will be triggered at the start of each green-flag run. When the green flag is displayed, 20 minutes will be placed on the clock. If/when the clock expires, a caution will be thrown. “These innovations contain the elements of racing that our fans want the most,” said O’Donnell. “ T h e e n h a n c e m e n t s p ut a premium on in-race strategy, and will create an unprecedented

(continues on page 62)

▲ ERIK JONES, driver of the #4 Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR CWTS Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in August. ( Jeff Zelevansky/NASCAR via Getty Images)

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[2015

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CHAMPIONS]

b y R E I D SP E NC E R , NA S C A R W I R E SERV ICE

Jones Continues Rapid Climb With NCWTS Championship 19-YO ALSO CLINCHES 2015 NCWTS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR TITLE

WITH THE 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title now in Erik Jones’ rearview mirror, the immediate question becomes “What’s next for the 19-year-old prodigy?” With a relatively nondescript, problem-free sixthplace finish in Friday night’s Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Jones secured the series driver’s championship, as well as the owner’s title for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Discovered by Busch when he beat his future car owner as a 16-year-old in the Snowball Derby for Super Late Models, Jones delivered the championship after running two part-time seasons for KBM. “I can’t think of a better way to repay these guys,” Jones said in Victory Lane, after securing the title by 15 points over runner-up Tyler Reddick. “I can’t think of a better way to thank Kyle for all these years (than by) getting the driver’s championship for him. He’s wanted one since the company started, and to bring it home for myself and for KBM, you couldn’t really ask for a better ending than that.”

The youngest champion in series history at 19 years, 5 months, 21 days, Jones has been earmarked for a meteoric ascent to the top level of NASCAR racing. “It means so much more to have the opportunity to help these younger drivers and to help these kids that are com-

DRIVER OF THE NO. 4 TOYOTA TUNDRA Nineteen-year-old Erik Jones is the first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver to win NCWTS Champion and NCWTS Rookie of the Year titles in the same year. Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway

WINS ing up through the ranks to be successful,” Busch said. “And to do that with Kyle Busch Motorsports and Toyota, there’s nothing greater than to have that feeling and to build that company from the ground up, from nothing, and take it to where it is today.” But first things first. Team owner Joe Gibbs reiterated on Friday the plan to run Jones in a full season of NASCAR XFINITY Series racing next year, with a few selected Sprint Cup events added to the mix. Jones has already gotten his baptism in Sprint Cup. Earlier this season, he subbed for Kyle Busch at Kansas, the last of 11 races Busch missed after breaking his right leg and left foot in the season-opening XFINITY Series event at Daytona. Jones filled a relief role for Denny Hamlin at Bristol in April, after Hamlin’s neck locked up during a rain delay. And when Matt Kenseth earned a two-race suspension for wrecking Joey Logano on Nov. 1 at Martinsville, Jones was tabbed to replace him. His first laps in a Sprint Cup car were hardly tentative. Behind the wheel of Busch’s No. 18 Toyota, he ran consistently in the top 10 before crashing on lap 196 of 267 at Kansas. Subbing for Kenseth at Texas and Phoenix, Jones qualified sixth and seventh, respectively, and finished

TOP FIVES

TOP TENS

POLES

3 11 20 5

▲ ERIK JONES, driver of the #4 Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 350 at Texas Motor Speedway in November. (Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

12th and 19th against the top stock car drivers in the world. Despite the speed he has shown in the Sprint Cup series, Jones is content to let his career take its course. “Absolutely, I think the XFINITY Series is completely necessary,” Jones said. “I have no problem running a year there… as long as need be there. I don’t know what the exact career path is for me down the road. “At some point, yeah, I want to race in the Cup series every weekend. I feel like there’s a plan in place for that opportunity to arise. And I’ll just keep taking what’s given to me every week and go out and try to win races.”

Youngest NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion at 19 years, 5 months, 21 days First Sunoco Rookie of the Year to win NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Title First NASCAR Next alumnus to win NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship First NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Driver Championship and record fourth owner’s title for Kyle Busch Motorsports

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CAMPING WORLD INNOVATIONS (continued from page 57) level of excitement as teams make tactical decisions that could impact their spot in the Chase.” NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES CAUTION CLOCK A Caut ion Clock will be ut i l i z ed i n eac h NASCA R Camping World Truck Series e v e n t (e x c e p t f o r E l d o r a Speedway). The cloc k w i l l b e s e t to 20 m i nut e s a nd triggered at the start of each green-f lag run during race events. When the clock counts down to zero, a caution flag then will be displayed and no beneficiary will be awarded. A caution occurring before time expires resets the clock when

the subsequent green flag is displayed and the first truck a lap down will be the beneficiary. The caution clock will be turned off with 20 laps to go at all events in the series, with the exception of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Pocono Raceway, where the clock will be t urned off wit h 10 laps remaining. The 2016 NASCA R Sprint Cup Series regular season will kick off with the 58th running of the Daytona 500® on Sunday, Feb. 21 at Daytona International Speedway®. The Great American Race® will be broadcast live on FOX, MRN Radio & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, with additional coverage on NASCAR.com

NASCAR 2016 Class DRIVE FOR DIVERSITY

Six up-and-comers from across the Americas have been selected for the industry’s leading developmental program for multicultural and female drivers and pit crew members.

Won NKNPSE race at Dover in rookie season with Rev Racing in 2015

2015 NASCAR Mexico Series Champion

2013 ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS Rookie of the Year

Súper Copa Telcel; holds nine career starts in NWAAS, earning six Top 10 finishes and one Top Five

Won 2015 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award for impressive NWAAS season, sportsmanship and community service

Posted four Top 10s in five NASCAR K&N Pro Series West starts in 2014

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“Before, I’d be introduced as a two-time champion,” Labonte said. “Now I’ll be introduced as a NASCAR Hall of Famer. And I think that’s a whole lot cooler.”

MARCUS SMITH and his father, BRUTON SMITH, watch as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, BRAD KESELOWSKI, speaks during the NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on January 23, 2016 in Charlotte, NC. (Streeter Lecka/NASCAR via Getty Images)

2016 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Honors 5 of Sport’s Greatest

COOK, ISAAC, LABONTE, SMITH, TURNER OFFICIALLY ENSHRINED ive of NASCAR’s iconic figures – four drivers and one motorsports entrepreneur – were enshrined into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina this afternoon during the Induction Ceremony held in the Crown Ball Room at the Charlotte Convention Center. Those who added their names to the list of now 35 NASCAR H a l l o f Fa m e i n d u c t e e s , included: Jerry Cook, Bobby Isaac, Terry Labonte, O. Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner. The group makes up the Hall’s seventh class in its history.

JERRY COOK made his name in the modified division, winning six NASCAR Modified championships, including four consecutively from 1974-77. He joins his rival from his hometown of Rome, New York, Richie Evans, as only the second Hall of Fame driver whose career wasn’t connected to NASCAR’s premier series. Cook won 342 NASCAR Modified races in 1,474 starts. Upon his retirement,

Cook stayed with the sport and helped shape the series known today as the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. He served as the series’ director and also served as NASCAR’s competition administrator. “For me, it ’s always been NASCAR,” Cook said. “I’ve spent my entire life in the greatest sport in the world and to be honored in this way – tonight – to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame along with the greatest names in the sport – is the pinnacle of my career.”

One of NASCAR’s original speedsters, BOBBY ISAAC captured 19 poles in 1969 – a mark that still stands as the record for poles in a single season. His 49 career poles are the 10th-most all time. More than just a strong qualifier, Isaac won the 1970 premier series championship by posting 11 victories, 32 top fives and 38 top 10s in 47 starts. His 37 career wins rank 19th on NASCAR’s all-time list. “He died at the age of 45 doing what he loved to do,” said Isaac’s

former spouse, Patsy Isaac. “But he died way too soon. Bobby would’ve loved this honor.”

TERRY LABONTE raced h i s way t o t wo NA S C A R premier series championships, the first in 1984, and the second in 1996. The Texan’s 12-year g ap b e t we e n t it le s i s t h e longest in NASCAR history. A consummate professional, Labonte earned the moniker “Iron Man” thanks to his 655 consecutive starts in NASCAR’s premier series, a record which stood until 2002. Labonte won 22 races, bookended by Southern 500 victories in 1980 and 2003. His 361 top-10 finishes ranks 10th all time.

GET THE FULL STORY JERRY COOK

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BOBBY ISAAC

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TERRY LABONTE

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O. BRUTON SMITH

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CURTIS TURNER

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O. B R U TO N S M I TH winished building Charlotte Mo t or Sp e e dway i n 196 0, the facility that became the foundation of his Speedway Motorsports Inc. empire, which currently owns eight NASCAR tracks hosting 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and additional high-profile motorspor t s ac t iv it ies. He made SMI the first motorsports company to be traded at the New York Stoc k Exc ha nge when he took it public in 1995. Smith is the founder of Sonic Automotive group and is active in child-related causes with his philanthropic foundation, Speedway Children’s Charities. “I appreciate you all coming. I hope you have a great season, a great racing season,” Smith said. “I’m delighted and I’m glad to be a part of the (Hall of Fame) here, this is great.”

Nicknamed the “Babe Ruth of stock car racing” for his bigtime personality and talent, NASCAR pioneer C U RTI S TURNER remains the only premier series driver to win two consecutive races from the pole leading every lap. Turner notched 17 wins, 54 top fives and 73 top 10s in 184 starts. He is the only driver to win a NASCAR premier series race in a Nash and tallied 38 victories in 79 NASCAR Convertible Division events. In 1972, NASCAR Founder Bill France said, “Curtis Turner was the greatest race car driver I have ever seen.” “At day ’s end a nd c hat s catc h i ng up, Daddy would a l w a y s s a y, a n y t h i n g i s p o s s i b l e , ” s a i d Tu r n e r ’s

daughter, Margaret Sue Turner Wright, who accepted on behalf of her father. “And it was, and for us, so it is.” Each of the five inductees had an inductor who officially welcomed them into the hall. The i nduc tors for t he f ive inductees: Robin Pemberton for Jerry Cook; Randy Isaac (son) for Bobby Isaac; Kristy Labonte Garrett (daughter) for Terry Labonte; Darrell Waltrip for Bruton Smith; and Leonard Wood for Curtis Turner. Active drivers introduced each inductee during tonight’s program: Tony Stewart for Jerry Cook; Ryan Newman for Bobby Isaac; Kyle Busch for Terry Labonte; Brad Keselowski for Bruton Smith; and Kevin Harvick for Curtis Turner. I n a dd it i o n t o t h e f i ve inductees enshrined on Saturday afternoon, Harold Brasington was honored as the second rec ipient of t he La ndmark Aw a r d f o r O u t s t a n d i n g Contributions to NASCAR. Brasington, who believed in the potential of Bill France’s fledgling NASCAR business, architected Darlington Raceway in his hometown of Darlington, South Carolina. After completing the project, he expected 10,000 fans to show up at the track, but instead 25,000 spectators showed up for the inaugural Southern 500 – NASCAR’s first 500-mile race. The race turned out to be a megaevent that is still run to this day. After building Darlington, Br a s i n g t o n h e lp e d c r e at e Charlotte Motor Speedway and North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham. Prior to today’s Induction Ceremony, long-time NASCAR broadcaster Steve Byrnes was bestowed the fifth Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence. B y r n e s ’s m o t o r s p o r t s broadcasting career spanned mor e t h a n t h r e e de c ade s. He most recently served as the play-by-play announcer for t he NASCAR Ca mpi ng World Tr uck Series on FS1 and was the network’s co-host of NASCAR Race Hub. Last April, Byrnes passed away after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Throughout his career, Byrnes provided mentorship for countless young broadcasters and provided race fans with quality insight and entertainment as a pit reporter for CBS, TNN, TBS and FOX. —NASCAR MEDIA

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ARIC ALMIROLA LOOKS TO REV UP RPM SPEED WITH GREATER DOWNFORCE

by PETE ZAMPLAS

“C U BA N M I S S I L E ” A R IC ALMIROLA looks to propel his career from diversity darling to Chase for the Cup contender, banking on greater downforce from a sleeker chassis. Alm irola just m issed t he 16-driver Chase, finishing 17th in final 2015 standings. He was 15th midway. In ’14, he qualified for the Case by winning a race, and finished 16th. He improved in standings by twos — from 20th as a rookie in 2012 to 18th then to 16th before finishing 17th last year. Almirola drives the Richard Petty Motorsports (RMP) famed 43 that The King made famous. It is fitting Almirola drove NASCAR’s most famous numbered car to victory on its most fabled track, taking the checkered flag in Daytona’s Coke Zero 400 in July, 2014. “We’ve tasted what we’re capable of,” he ssaid of that triumph. “It’s made us hungry ... to reach our maximum potential, and make the Chase again.” The win was the no. 43 car’s first Cup triumph of the new millennium, on the 30th anni-

versary of the Petty team’s last win at Daytona which was King Richard’s 200th Cup victory. Almirola registered three top-five finishes and six toptens in 2015. He led 25 total laps. His averaged a finish of 17.9, and start of 22.4. In 2013, Almirola notched a career-best six top-tens. That was the most in a year in the 43 since Bobby Hamilton drove it in 1996. Cuban-American Almirola, a Tampa, Fla. native, turns 32 on March 14. The six-footer was an early prospect in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program in 2004 to advance minorities. Smithfield Farms is again his primary sponsor of the 43 Ford Fusion. Trent Owen returns as crew chief. New teammate Brian Scott, 28, drives Petty’s no. 44 as it returns to the series. He replaces Sam Hornish Jr. He brings sponsors Albertson’s and Shore Lodge with him. Scott’s crew chief Chris Heroy helped Kyle Larson be the top Cup rookie in 2014. RPM Competition Director Sammy Johns has a week ly goal of his drivers finishing in

“WE’RE LOOKING AT LITTLE THINGS IN EVERY AREA, TO IMPROVE.”

ARIC ALMIROLA, Richard Petty Motorsports, and sponsor Eckrich surprised a military family with a package of several gifts at Chicagoland Speedway in September. (Todd Warshaw/NASCAR via Getty Images)

the top 15, so they can make the Chase. Almirola has accelerated best on intermediate, 1.5-mile tracks.

Three of his first five career top-five finishes were on short tracks. He wants to adjust better to varying types of tracks, to run more evenly throughout the season. “It’s still about consistency,” Almirola said. “It’s still about showing up at the track with fast cars, and getting the most out of your day. If we have a top-15 car, we need to try to finish top 15 with it. If we have a top-five car, we need to finish top five. And if we have a car capable of winning, we need to try to win with it.” Almirola studied mechanical engineering. That helps him understand technical details. RPM has a technical alliance with Ford and Roush Fenway Racing, yet is getting more distinctive. RPM resumed hanging its own bodies last year, and now builds its chassis. Johns sees with chassis detailing RPM “building the lightest, strongest cars we can build.” This provides a missing link, he said. “We felt like Aric and Trent were able to get their cars handling and driving the way Aric wanted, week in, week

out. But our raw speed was not there. So, we have to provide a better tool to work with. That’s a faster race car, that is going to be lighter with more downforce.” Almirola likes the greater downforce, and team self-reliance. “We relied on everybody else to make our race cars fast. If they weren’t, there was nothing we could do about it. We could complain. But we didn’t have the manpower or the resources to change it. Now we have the ability to change it. It’s the way Petty Enterprises used to be.” He equates it to cooking, versus dining out. “If you make your food at home, you have a little more control. It’s going to taste how you want it. You k now what season i ngs you like. When you have control (of ingredients), you have a better chance of controlling the outcome. I feel like that’s where we’ve gotten to.” Almirola thus hopes to get more out of his car, to rev up RPM’s RPM and fan excitement.

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Modified great Jerry Cook to go in NASCAR Hall of Fame COOK INSTRUMENTAL IN THE FORMATION OF CURRENT NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR AND NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES EAST

JERRY COOK never intended to support his family driving a modified stock car. It kind of snuck up on the young resident of Rome, New York. Cook, who bu i lt h is f i rst modified at the age of 13, took the wheel by happenstance, when his hired driver wrecked two of the race cars he owned. That was in 1963, well before Cook won his first of six NASCAR modified championships. But Cook soon discovered he had a knack for winning races – and finishing well enough to cash a decent check when he didn’t. “Every time I reached into my pocket, it had money in it,” Cook would say later. “So I kept racing.” And indeed Cook did – all the way into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, into which he was

inducted on Jan. 22 as part of the Class of 2016 that also includes Bobby Isaac, Terry Labonte, O. Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner. Cook won modified c h a mp i o n s h i p s i n 19 7 1-7 2 and 1974-77. Before ret iring at the conclusion of the 1982 season, Cook also posted six championship points finishes of second and two of third. He won 342 NASCAR modified races in 1,474 career starts – and countless other non-sanctioned events. Cook finished among the top 10 an amazing 85% of the time. Cook joins fellow Roman and career-long modified racing rival Richie Evans in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The late Evans, a nine-time NASCAR modified c ha mpion, was i nduc ted i n 2012 as the first Hall member whose career wasn’t connected to

▲ 1975 NASCAR Modified champion Jerry Cook of Rome, New York. (ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images)

“Every time I reached into my pocket, it had money in it... So I kept racing.” NASCAR’s premier series. Cook is the second. “We’ve now finished off the battle of Rome,” said Cook. “For me and Ritchie to both be in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, it kind of tops it off.” Cook and Evans made upstate New York t he epic e nter of NASCAR modified racing in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s. Each driver had his legion of fans – vociferous on behalf of the merits of their favorite charioteer. Cook and Evans were respectful of each other and friends off the track, yet as different as night and day. Evans was the flamboyant one, famous for living life to its fullest with rock and roll music as the race shop’s background noise. A writer calling Cook’s home, however, would f i nd the telephone answered by the driver’s wife, Sue, who would

refer him to the backyard garage where preparing or repairing Cook’s red cars was quietly taking place. Ray Ever n ha m, a for mer modified driver, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship crew chief and television analyst had this to say about Cook: “Jerry was not a guy who raced on the edge. Jerry won his share no doubt. But if he didn’t win, he was still going to be in the top five.” In some years, Cook’s team would run nearly 100 races, at up to 19 tracks of all sizes, shapes and surfaces from New England to Virginia. Some of Cook’s signature wins took place outside New York and New England. Cook’s first major victory was the 1969 Dogwood 500 at Martinsville Speedway. He won a trio of 200-lap races at the tough, Bowman-Gray Stadium (in North Carolina) quarter mile

between 1977 and 1980. The closest Cook came to the NASCAR premier series was a Daytona 500 qualifying race in 1973. His car’s engine blew seven laps from the end. Cook, with a wife and two children, took a look at what non-factory-supported drivers were winning and decided to stay in the modifieds. “So that’s why I stuck with what I did best,” he said. Cook retired after winning t he Spencer Speedway c hampionsh ip i n 1982. For more than 30 years he was a key member of NASCAR’s competition department and was instrumental in the formation of the current NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. Cook, 72, was named one of NASCAR’s 50 greatest drivers in 1998. He is a member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame and New York Stock Car Hall of Fame.

—NASCAR MEDIA

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AGGRESSIVE KYLE LARSON KNOCKS ON CHASE DOOR

KYLE LARSON is eager to make NASCAR’s Sprint Chase for the Cup, after a top 20 season and with a new crew chief. The 2014 rookie of the year was eighth in points midway in his first Cup season, and finished in 17th place in the final standings. He sparkled with eight top-five finishes among 17 top 10s, and a pole. His average finish of 14.2 was a spot better than his average start. He led 53 laps. Then last year, he finished two spots worse in 19th. He had two top fives, and ten top tens. On the bright side, he led for

115 total Cup laps which is over twice as many as in ‘14. He made four Cup starts in 2013. He has already earned $11.3 million in Cup racing. Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Jamie McMurray finished 13th in the Chase. No Ganassi driver has won since 2013. Larson drives for Ganassi and Felix Sabates in the Target Plaid 42 Chevrolet Camaro SS, succeeding road course specialist Juan Pablo Montoya. Larson had a busy, diverse schedule. A year ago he won the Rolex 24 prototype division

endurance team race at Daytona’s 3.5-mile, high-banked road course. His teammates were McMurray and IndyCar drivers Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan. This time on Jan. 30, Larson had brake malfunction for most of the race. He eventually smacked into a barrier. He also competed in Midget’s premier Chili Bowl in Tulsa, Okla. He had a sharp Cup average start of 13.3, last year. But his average finish was six spots worse at 19.3. One reason is he started but did not finish five times, out of 35 starts. That tied him with three others (Tony Stewart, Justin Allgaier and Ryan Blaney) for fourth worst. Six DNFs each marred seasons of David Ragan, Alex Bowman and Landon Cassill. Six drivers had four DNFs, including Matt Kenseth and Danica Patrick. Larson often shines best on intermediate-length (one to two miles) tracks, due to their highbnked line close to the wall in turns. Kyle Miyata Larson, 23, who is half Japanese-American, is a huge success story out of NASCAR’s diversity program. The native Californian is merely 5-6 and 120. But he’s big and bold on the track, known for weaving his way through traffic to get among the leaders or work back up after a pit stop, crash or lap penalty such as for speeding on pit road. Once, he “smoked” Tony Stewart with a burst and outside pass. Larson relates to Tony Stewart’s aggressive driving. “I feel like aside from attitude, we have a pretty similar feel as far as driv-

by PETE ZAMPLAS

“WE’RE LOOKING AT LITTLE THINGS IN EVERY AREA, TO IMPROVE.”

KYLE LARSON at Charlotte Motor Speedway last October. (Streeter Lecka//Getty Images)

ing race cars and how we communicate about race cars,” Larson told the NASCAR Wire Service. Now Larson gets Stewart’s crew chief for the past two years, Chad Johnston, to replace Chris Heroy in the pit box. “The communication was nice,” Larson said of Johnston. “He’s a really good guy, really quiet, calm and focused. So I think we’ll be really good.” Stewart, who plans to retire after this season, sought Larson as his successor in Stewart-Haas Racing’s 14. But they reportedly

could not come to terms in time. So Larson stays with CGR, for now at least. Larson is a family man, on top of all else in his fast-evolving young life. He and his girlfriend Katelyn Sweet have a son, Owen Miyata Larson. Larson tweeted a photo of the three of them when Owen was newly born. Owen turned one on Dec. 23 — two days before Christmas. Owen scoots around on a toy car, with racing decals and the same number 42 his daddy drives in a quest to make the Chase.

KYLE LARSON, driver of the #42 Target Plaid Chevrolet, practices for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford

EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 21, 2015 in Homestead, Florida. (Jonathan Ferrey/NASCAR via Getty Images)

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Bobby Isaac Takes Different Path to NASCAR Hall

1970 PREMIER SERIES CHAMPION HAD EARLY DEPARTURE FROM RACING OF THE FIVE newest members inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the career of the late Bobby Isaac was perhaps the most unusual. Isaac was inducted Saturday, along with fellow drivers Terry Labonte, Jerry Cook, Curtis Turner and track owner Bruton Smith. Isaac, who died in 1977 after suffering a heart attack, won the NASCAR premier series

championship in 1970, driving for team owner Nord Krauskopf and with the help of noted crew chief Harry Hyde. It was a perfect combination of talent and ingenuity -- the team won 31 races during a three-year span from 1968-70. Isaac wou nd up w it h 37 victories in a career that spanned just 15 years at the top level. He won 49 poles, a mark that today (continues on page 77)

▲ BOBBY ISAAC of Catawba, NC, took over the K&K Insurance Dodge during the NASCAR Cup season for

car owner Nord Krauskopf. At Daytona International Speedway, Isaac finished 19th in the Daytona 500 after the car developed an oil leak on lap 166. The team would go on to compete in a total of 12 Cup events their first year, with Isaac taking five top 10 finishes. (ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images)

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Consistency, Humility Carry Terry Labonte into Hall of Fame

“ICEMAN” LABONTE GOT THE JOB DONE SOME LABEL Terry Labonte the NASCAR premier series’ least flamboyant champion. Perhaps it just seemed that way, when measuring Labonte alongside such colorful contemporaries as NASCAR Hall of Famers Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip. His calm, quiet demeanor at least partially explains why Labonte became known as “The Iceman.” The Corpus Christi, Texas driver may not have personified flash, but Labonte got the job done.

Labonte won his first of two c ha mpion sh ips i n 1984 a nd figuratively fell off the radar for a dozen years before resurfacing to claim a second title driving for Hendrick Motorsports. His 22 premier series victories don’t accurately measure the breadt h of Labonte’s career. Consistency is a much better measure: 17 different seasons a m o n g t h e t o p 10 i n t h e championship standings along with 361 top-10 finishes, the latter rank ing 10th all-time. Labonte also won in the NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World

▲ TERRY LABONTE poses with the Billy Hagan-owned Stratagraph-sponsored Oldsmobile at Daytona International Speedway. Labonte ran a steady race and finished sixth. (ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images)

“He’ll always do what’s best for the team, even if it puts him in an awkward spot.” Truck Series, as well as t he International Race of Champions (IROC) and shared the GTO class-winning entry in the 1984 24 Hours of Daytona. R ick Hendr ick bel ieved Labonte’s attitude -- which often put others first -- may have kept him from winning more frequently. “Terry could’ve accomplished even more in his career had he been a little more selfish,” Hendrick told The Associated Press in 2006. “But there’s not a selfish bone in his body. He’s a great talent, but he’s just a great human being. “He’ll always do what’s best for the team, even if it puts him in an awkward spot.” Born Nov. 16, 1956 and raised in south Texas, Terrance Lee Labonte was introduced to racing by his father, who worked on race cars for friends. He was a quarter-midget champion by age nine and won stock car titles in Corpus Christi, Houston and San Antonio from 1975 to 1977. Labonte met Louisiana oilman and sports car racer Billy Hagan, w h o f i e ld e d t h e NA S C A R premier series team that carried Skip Manning to the rookie of the year title in 1976. Labonte joined the Stratagraph Racing team for the final five races of 1978 and became Hagan’s permanent driver the following season in which he finished 10th but lost rookie of the year honors to Earnhardt. Labonte notc hed h is f i rst premier series victory in the

1980 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. With sponsorship from Piedmont Airlines, Labonte, Hagan and NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief Dale Inman captured the 1984 championship with victories at Bristol Motor Speedway and the Riverside (C a l i f o r n i a) I n t e r n a t i o n a l Raceway road course. Success, however, was fleeting. “We weren’t supposed to win it and we didn’t know what to do with it,” said Inman, who left the team to rejoin Richard Petty. Labonte agreed, reminiscing after his second title, “I thought it was a pretty neat deal and we’d win it the next year. Next year took a long time coming.” Labonte departed the Hagan out f it for Ju n ior Joh n s on’s Budweiser team, then went to Precision Performance followed by a second stint with Stratagraph. He joined Hendrick Motorsports in 1994. “I looked at his statistics early in his career and I couldn’t believe how well he’d run wit h t he equipment he was in,” Hendrick later told The Associated Press. Labonte responded by winning the 1996 championship, edging Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon by 37 points. His younger brother, Bobby, won the season-ending NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the two celebrated together. Bobby Labonte became a NASCAR premier series champion himself in 2000, making the pair the first brothers to win a title in the top division.

Terr y Labonte cont i nued fulltime with the Hendrick team through the 2004 season, winning for the final time at Darlington in 2003. He continued to race on a part-time basis, calling it an 890-race career at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 19, 2014. Labonte has said his two favorite victories were those in his home state -- at Texas Motor Speedway. But he may be betterremembered for a pair of slambang races at Bristol battling the late Earnhardt. In 1995, Labonte won a final-lap duel despite a shove by Earnhardt that sent his car into the wall. Fast-forward to 1999, when Earnhardt spun and wrecked Labonte on the final lap and famously said in Victory Lane, he was “just trying to rattle his cage.” The driver -- and his fans -were livid, but Labonte admitted 15 years later in a Popular Speed Magazine interview that he was at least partially to blame for the ruckus. “If I had got ten into t he corner at a better angle then he wouldn’t have got the chance to hit me. But I was passing him low and couldn’t carry the speed into the corner and he took advantage of it,” Labonte said. “I don’t think he really intended to wreck me. He wanted to move me out of the way. That was his only shot. I had four new tires and he didn’t. “It was just one of t hose deals.” Labonte is a member of the National Quarter Midget Hall of Fame and in 1998 was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.

—NASCAR MEDIA

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Bruton Smith Builds Hall of Fame Career Brick by Brick

PROMOTER HAS GIVEN FANS AN EXPERIENCE THAT TRANSFORMED THE SPORT THERE’S A POSSIBILITY, albeit remote, that O. Bruton Smith could be entering the NASCAR Hall of Fame as a race car driver i n stead of a race promoter extraordinaire. Smith, at age 17, bought a race car and decided to be a professional driver. “One time, I actually beat (NASCAR Hall of Famers) Buck Baker and Joe Weatherly,” Smith said in a May 7, 2005, interview with Motorsport.com. “So I knew when I beat them I could be a contender, right?”

Sm it h’s mot her, however, believed otherwise and appealed to a Higher Authority. She prayed her son would change his mind. “She started fighting dirty,” Smith said in the same interview. “You can’t fight your mom and God, so I stopped driving.” NASCAR stock car racing became the beneficiary of the i nter vent ion. Sm it h t u r ned to race promotion, ultimately creat i ng some of Amer ica’s greatest facilities. His eighttrack Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI), anchored by Charlotte

▲ BRUTON SMITH, owner of Charlotte Motor Speedway. (ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images)

“You can’t fight your mom & God, so I stopped driving.” Motor Speedway, helped boost the sport to new heights in the 1950s and was the first American motorsports company to go public in 1995. B or n on a fa r m i n r u ra l Oakboro, North Carolina, Smith never considered an agricultural life. He hated the thought of being poor, which a childhood during the throes of the Great Depression appeared to suggest. “You have food, clothing and shelter but you never have any money and I never did like that. I did not like that,” Smith said in a July 2003 Car & Driver story authored by Bob Zeller. “You worked from sunup to sundown, but you never did see the rewards.” By 1949, Smith had his own stock car racing association, the National Stock Car Racing Association, which was a direct competitor to William H.G. “Big Bill” France’s fledgling NASCAR. Both groups fought for the same drivers and neither was making much money. France and Smith discussed a possible merger in 1950 but the Korean War and U.S. Army scuttled the negotiations. Smith was drafted, served two years stateside as a paratrooper and by the time he mustered out the NSCRA was defunct. Smith began to be noticed i n 1954 when he took over promotion of the half-mile track at the Charlotte Fairgrounds.

Motorsports writer Russ Catlin wrote of “the genius of a 27-yearold fanatic named Bruton Smith … who took a poorly lighted, run-down half-mile track that wends around a muddy lake and built it into a spectacular speed emporium.” In partnership with Turner and others, Smith built Charlotte Motor Speedway, completed in 1960 at a cost of $1.5 million. The first Coca-Cola 600 – then the World 600 – was the facility’s opening event. Eventually, Smith decided just owning the 1.5-mile track wasn’t enough. Boosting its profile meant adding seats, building suites and condos for VIP customers – and changing demographics of ticket buyers and sponsors. “He took a cue from the oil industry in World War II when they were trying to get women who were suddenly driving the family car to stop in and pump gas at their service stations,” said CMS’ then-general manager Humpy Wheeler. “What they did was clean up the stations and make sure they had a decent women’s rest room.” By 2000, the track’s customer base was 40 percent female. “I to ok t he po sit ion t hat Charlotte Motor Speedway was constantly under construction,” said Smith, a statement that describes how the now 88-yearold entrepreneur views his racing empire. Fueled in part by public

stock offerings, Smith acquired Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1990 and Bristol Motor Speedway in 1996 – expanding the latter from 71,000 to 160,000 seats. SMI bought Sonoma Raceway in 1996, Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 1997, New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2007 and Kentucky Speedway in 2008. Sm it h bu i lt a nd op e ned Texas Motor Speedway – SMI’s signature project – in 1997, which rose from the prairie outside Fort Worth. The track later added Big Hoss TV, the world’s la rgest HD sc reen measuring 20l,633.64 square feet. SMI presents 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races annually, including three in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. “He (is) such an innovator. He would think of something and do it,” said NASCAR Hall of Fame voter Eddie Wood, co-owner of the Wood Brothers Racing team, in a May 20, 2015 interview with ESPN’s Bob Pockrass. NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France agrees. “He deserves to be in (the NASCAR Hall of Fame); he’s made a huge impact (on the sport) obviously,” France said. “He has g iven t he fans an experience that has transformed the sport.”

—NASCAR MEDIA

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HALL OF FAME: BOBBY ISAAC (continued from page 73) remains 10th best for the series. According to reports, he also abruptly quit racing for a time when, in the middle of an event, he heard a voice tell him to get out of the car. It ’s a n of t e n -t old s t or y, particularly when NASCAR’s top series prepares to head to Talladega Superspeedway, site of Isaac’s early departure. “Well, obviously I wasn’t there with him in the car when that happened,” Patsy Isaac, who was married to the driver at t he t i me, sa id Sat u rday following his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “But I will tell you that as soon as he got out of the car and was able to get to a telephone, because we didn’t have cell phones then, he called me and he repeated to me exactly what happened to him in the car. “And he said, a voice told him that he needed to get out of the car, and so he radioed to (owner) Bud Moore. He said, ‘find somebody to fill in the car. I’ve got to get out.’” The race was the Talladega 500, the 20th stop of the ‘73 season and the second of two annual races at the 2.66-mile superspe edway. Isaac wa s three years removed from his championship, and had been

hired to drive owner Moore’s No. 15 Ford. He had finished second to Richard Petty in that year’s Daytona 500, and placed in the top 10 in five other races. The race seemed cursed from the outset -- fellow Catawba County native Larry Smith was killed when his Mercury struck the wall barely 15 laps into the event. With the race nearly halfway complete, Isaac pulled into the pits during a caution period and unexpectedly climbed out of the car. Coo Coo Marlin, father of two-time Daytona 500 winner Sterling Marlin, relieved Isaac and eventually finished 13th. Dick Brooks won the race. It was the only premier series victory of Brooks’ career. “I don’t k now what t hat experience was,” Patsy Isaac said of her husband’s incident. “I don’t know if he felt it, it was an intuition or if it was actually a verbal voice. I don’t know that, but I know that it impacted him enough that he was not going to stay in the race car.” What she does know, though, is what she told Isaac when he called. “I said, ‘come home.’ That was fine with me,” she said. “He had always said that it was not because someone

▲ BOBBY ISAAC in victory lane after winning the Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway. (ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images)

had gotten killed earlier in the race, and that person was from Catawba County, and he knew them. That’s all I can tell you is what he told me.” Isaac attempted to resume his racing career the following year although he made just 19

premier series starts during the next three seasons. Eventually, he turned his attention to the local short tracks where he had begun his racing career. On August 13, 1977, he was competing in a Late Model Sportsman event at Hickory

Speedway when he pulled into the pits, climbed from his car and collapsed. Tr a n s p o r t e d t o a l o c a l hospital, Isaac, 45, died the following morning.

—NASCAR MEDIA

78 IWANNA® FEBRUARY 16, 2016

Curtis Turner: Innovator, Playboy, Competitor

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NASCAR’S 1ST BAD BOY LIVED FULL THROTTLE CURTIS TURNER lived life and stock car racing in the same manner – at full throttle. A bootlegger at age n i ne, the Virginia native was a selfproclaimed millionaire at 20 a nd made a nd lo st s evera l fortunes while becoming one of the greatest drivers – and most colorful characters – of NASCAR’s pioneer era. He won a lot but also wrecked just as often. His parties were legendary and lengthy, as were Turner’s on- and off-track antics in rental cars and airplanes – which frequently involved his friend and NASCAR Hall of Famer Joe Weatherly. Called NASCAR’s first bad boy in the same-titled biography authored by Alan Hill and Dennis Treece, Turner was described as partier, playboy, innovator and entrepreneur with an edgy spirit that “drove him through one of the most cantankerous lives ever lived.” Sports Illustrated, pointing to his 350 career victories – 17 in NASCAR’s premier division – anointed Turner the Babe Ruth of Stock Car Racing. NASCAR Founder William H.G. “Big Bill” France, who banned Turner for attempting to unionize drivers and later reinstated him, said in 1972,

“Curtis Turner was the greatest race car driver I have ever seen.” NASCAR Hall of Famer Glen Wood, in whose Ford Turner won his final premier series race at North Carolina Motor Speedway in 1965, said Turner “was the best at controlling a car and putting it where he wanted it (as) anybody I’ve ever seen.” Recalling the days in which the two battled on dirt tracks, Wood added, “If he got a fender inside of you, you were passed.” Turner, killed at age 46 when the airplane he was piloting crashed in Pennsylvania in 1970, was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame Jan. 22 in Charlotte. Turner was born in the Virginia mountain community of Floyd in 1924. The Great Depression soon followed and it was no surprise he had to grow up quickly. “Those were hard times back in the hills and you did things you shouldn’t to get by,” Turner said of his brief liquor-running days. “I’m not proud of my past, but I’m proud of the future I made for myself.” By the time he was 14, Turner was cutting timber for 15 cents an hour and at age 20 owned three sawmills and related equipment. He competed in his first stock car race at Mt. Airy, NC in 1946. Turner finished 18th in a field of

▲ CURTIS TURNER was the rough and tumble super tar of NASCAR whose movie star looks and partying antics brought him scores of notoriety.. (ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images)

18 but won his next start. He was known as the “Blond Blizzard of Virginia” early in his career, a nickname that was soon shed in favor of “Pops,” reflecting Turner’s frequent use of his car’s bumper to pop his rivals’ rear quarter panel to set up a pass. Turner was in the field for NASCAR’s first race at Charlotte (NC) Speedway on June 19, 1949. He finished ninth in his own 1946 Buick on the .750-mile dirt track. Switching to a 1949 Oldsmobile fielded by Hubert Westmoreland, Turner captured his first victory

in the season’s fourth race at the one-mile Langhorne (PA) dirt oval and defended the win in 1950. The 1949-50 seasons were the only ones in which Turner ran anything resembling a full schedule in NASCAR’s premier series, finishing sixth and fifth in the points standings. His four wins in 1950 – at Langhorne, Rochester (NY), Martinsville (VA) Speedway and Charlotte Speedway – were a season high. Turner led every lap from the pole in consecutive starts at Rochester and Charlotte, the first and only driver to accomplish the feat in the premier series. “If you feel like you’re in control (of your car), you ain’t going fast enough,” said Turner, partially explaining his hit and miss results on the dirt-surfaced tracks of NASCAR’s early years. Turner won twice on paved superspeedways – at Rockingham a nd Da rl i ng ton where he

captured the 1956 Southern 500. It’s fair to say Turner was at his best in NASCAR’s convertible division driving factory-backed Fords and winning 38 times. Twenty-two of those victories came in 1956 when he finished third in points. Turner’s 23 poles also marked a record for the short-lived division. Turner’s strangest victory may have come Sept. 30, 1956 a t A s h e v i l l e -We a v e r v i l l e Sp e e dway wh er e a 14 - c a r pileup on a dust-sh rouded track resulted in the race being declared complete. Turner’s Ford was the only car still running at the red flag – a first and last in a major NASCAR event. A member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America and International Motorsports Hall of Fame, Turner was selected as one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

—NASCAR MEDIA

▲ Good friends & fierce rivals on the track Curtis Turner & Joe Weatherly looking rather dapper in Daytona Beach. (ISC Archives via Getty Images)

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