2017 IWANNA NASCAR Season Preview

JOEY LOGANO

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JOEY LOGANO

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2 IWANNA® FEBRUARY 21, 2017

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jimmie johnson SEVEN TIME CHAMP TIES RECORD, EMBRACES LEADER ROLE

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[2016

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ChAmPiONS]

b y t hoM a s P oP E , FAY ET T EV I L L E OBSERV ER

Jimmie Johnson: eighth ChAmpioNShip A goAl, Not A buRdeNSome pRioRity

J

JIMMIE JOHNSON didn’t feel pressure to win a record-tying seven NASCAR championship last year, nor does he feel any heat to set himself apart from Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt this year.

“Truthfully, there hadn’t been a lot of pressure on me through (titles) six and seven because I never thought I’d have won one to start with,” Johnson said as he led off the NASCAR Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway on Tuesday.

“When I won five in a row (2006-10) and then lost that sixth, there was a weight taken off of me then, and I’ve been able to expand on that more and more each year.”

With that kind of ca reer sat isfac t ion a nd it s accompanying perk of being better able to dictate how he spends his time away from t he t rac k — compet i ng i n marat hons, for example — Johnson said his priorities have evolved. He’s become more of a team player, he said, and has taken a more active role in using his status as a multi-time champion to help affect where the sport is heading. “i feel a larger responsibility in being a real leader at hendrick motorsports and being there for my teammates and team members.”

“I feel a stronger calling for being involved in the drivers council and a part of NASCAR and trying to help this sport.

Absolutely I’m showing up to win races and championships, but I feel almost more pressure to handle that part correctly than I do to win an eighth.

“S ome of t h at c ou ld b e with (crew chief) Chad Knaus running the race team. Most of the t’s are crossed and I’s are dotted and you’re in good shape when you get to t he track, and I know that side of it. Starting my 16th season, I’m

trying really hard not to let that pressure be on me. I want to balance life from professional to personal life, and the pressure of a professional life can really affect your personal life. It’s there, it shows up whether you want it or not, and I’m trying to manage it and have a good time through it all.”

As a part of that concerted effort to maximize his downtime, Johnson bought an offseason home in Aspen, Colorado, a few years ago. He’s been there with his wife, Chandra, and t heir t wo young daughters since wrapping up his seventh championship with a win in the 2016 season finale at Homestead, Florida. He said they’ll be back in their Charlotte-area home after a swing that includes events near Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles that concludes in late April.

La st yea r, Joh n s on won twice early in the season, then hit a dry spell that saw him abs e nt f rom Vic tor y La ne until a Charlotte win Oct. 9.

Johnson was triumphant again at Martinsville two weeks later, then polished off the season with his 80th win, and the championship, at HomesteadMiami Speedway.

Johnson has won his seven titles despite multiple changes in how NASCAR determines its champion. More tweaks were announced Monday — though the kingpin will be decided by who finishes highest among the final four still in play at Homestead — and Johnson gave the plan his approval.

“The big takeaway I have is when you put all the smart people in the room and let everybody decide what it could look like and should look like — from TV, owners, NASCAR, driver representation — I think that’s a smart move,” he said.

After listening to the new for mat, where d r ivers ca n ac c u mu l at e p oi nt s at t wo predetermined, early stages in a race as well as the final r u ndow n, Joh n son said he liked the fact that “it’s all about

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▲ JiMMiE Johnson’s 2016 NSCS championship win brought him to a record-tying 7th NASCAR title. Getty Images for NASCAR

▲ JiMMiE Johnson celebrates with a burnout after winning the NSCS Ford EcoBoost 400 and the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016. Johnson wins a record-tying 7th NASCAR title. Chris Trotman/Getty Images

winning and finishing the best you can.”

He said, “It doesn’t matter whether it’s the (Daytona 500 qualifying races) or whatever, there’s incentive to go out there and perform. As a competitor, it’s tough to say that that’s going to change much of what I do, but I know there are opportunities

where that point (for winning a stage of a race) matters for someone. … I feel that there’s been a lot of time and effort and serious thought put into this. It touches a lot areas that needed to addressed in our sport right now and the way things are evolving.”

Jimmie Johnson has won his seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship (2016, ’13, ’10, ’09, ’08, ’07, ’06), joining NASCAR hall of Famers Richard Petty (1979, ’75, ’74, ’72, ’71, ’67, ’64) and dale Earnhardt (1994, ’93, ’91, ’90, ’87, ’86, ’80) as the series leaders in titles.

Johnson has become the third different driver to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in the elimination-style format in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup (Kevin harvick, 2014 and Kyle Busch, 2015). in 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series seasons, Johnson has posted 80 wins (most among current active drivers), 216 top fives and 330 top 10s.

Johnson also leads the series in wins during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with 29.

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N A S C A R Enhances OnTrack Product with New Stage-Based Race Format

Changes: Races within the Race, fewer Jalopies back on the Track NASCAR’s bold new Cup point system unveils a stage format forging a race within the race, by awarding points for leaders of several segments. here are several other changes this season.

The new series sponsor i s Mon st er E nerg y drinks of Monster Beverage Corp., which coincides with the sport’s on-track speed.

NASCAR is clamping down on damaged cars, by limiting repairs to pit row to try to prevent illegal alterations and to five minutes to keep dangerouslydamaged cars out of harm’s way. If a car fails a pre-race inspection, it has to redo earlier stages instead of returning directly to the inspection stage.

And a traveling medical staff of American Medical Response (AMR) doctor and paramedics treats crash victims.

The highest-profile change is the stage point format, of the revamped point system. Each Cup race gets split into three segments, with bonus points on the line that could tilt seasonal standings. The 26 pre-playoff races prov ide a whoppi ng 78 phases and potential for jumbling of point standings.

The winner of the first and second stages each gets one c h a mpio n s h ip p oi nt, t h at carries into playoffs. The top ten finishers in each of the three segments get varying points.

The winner of the entire race earns five points.

Distances of race legs vary, typically to stack more into the last phase. For instance, in the season-opening Daytona 500, the first two stages are each 60 laps and the last one 80 laps.

Race analysts note that since fuel lasts 45-48 laps on the superspeedway, it forces at least one fuel stop in each of the first two segments and perhaps two in the last one apart from any caution flags. A side note about emphasis of earlier laps is any rain-shortened 500 now counts after 120 laps, instead of 100 of 200 laps which was merely midway.

Final segments are proportionately longer in the

other two main circuits. In opening races, Xfinity has legs of 30, 30 then a doubly-long one of 60. Truck racers’ stages are 20, 20, then triply-long at 60 laps.

Segment lengths for later races are a work in progress, after testing them in openers.

Many drivers say they like how the stage format puts more on the line earlier in the race instead of only toward the end for the finish. They said that in result, there will be less racelong pacing and more charging as each segment nears an end and drivers compete for position and points.

Clearly, it cuts into conserving of fuel and tires and propels pit strategy. It lures drivers periodically into more intense, crowd-pleasing racing. Many drivers praise that. Yet for better and worse, this results in more jostling for position, bumping, spi n n i ng, c rashes, caut ion delays and packed-in restarts.

The specter of more crashes relates to the other major change — among rule changes NASCAR announced Feb. 8. They counter the incentive to race harder for points with punishing those who in the process crash beyond quick-enough repair.

Cars damaged while racing come u nder muc h g r eater scrutiny. Their bodies can be repaired only on pit road. An overriding result is laudable.

The aim is to greatly reduce cheating done in a garage away from prying eyes, which alters car specs such as for the spoiler to grab an unfair aerodynamic edge.

Before, the car could go to that team’s garage and return to the track. Its body could get a major overhaul over time, so the car returns to avoid finishing near the end of the pack. No longer.

O r ig i n a l p a r t s mu s t b e reattached with fasteners and tape; new or previously unused body panels are banned. Rods and supports may be used, to reinforce original panels. Before,

NASCAR drivers and executives sit on stage during a press conference outlining the 2017 changes. Chris Graythen/Getty Images

An enhanced competition format will be implemented in all three NASCAR national series – the Monster Energy NASC AR Cup Series, the NASCAR XFINITY Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Increasing the sense of urgency and emphasizing aggressive racing and strategy, the race format will deliver more dramatic moments over the course of an entire race and season, with playoff point incentives on the line throughout.

The enhanced format consists of the following:



Races will now consist of three stages, with championship implications in each stage. nascar Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development

Officer Steve O’Donnell speaks on stage about competition changes to the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte Convention Center on January 23, 2017 in Charlotte. Chris Graythen/Getty Images noses, hoods, spoilers, deck lids and other parts were replaced.

No longer. Crash damage even from a blown tire is restricted to pit row. In contrast, mechanical and electrical failures that from a crash can still get fixed in the garage.

Very problematic is the new, five-minute deadline for most repairs. It does not apply to damaged panels or broken parts. Otherwise, cars are ruled out of that race if taking longer than five minutes to get repaired or if needing body repair in the garage. They miss a chance to crawl onward in the race, waiting for others to crash out to move up in the field and gain more points. Yet NASCAR Senior V.P. Scott Miller said that still can occur, with a crew adept and quick enough to repair the car in phased pit stops triggered by cautions.

The r ules help safet y by knocking out badly-damaged cars that cannot get near racing condit ion. NASCAR stated this reduces the chance of a mishandling, patched-up car causi ng f urt her wreck s by veering out of control or its loose parts falling onto the track. As

Miller said, “they always tend to bring out more yellows, with stuff falling off.”

Miller points to safety risk in hurried repairs in a team garage.

The new rule tries to safeguard crew from running into jagged edges while rushing to patch up the body, or working beneath cars and near welding sparks as happens in garages. Now a full crew cannot work on the car on pit road, though a few can go beneath it.

Yet, a major drawback of the time limit is prompts a crew to rush the car back onto the track before it is adequately fixed and without the fuller equipment of t he garage to do repairs.

Inevitably, a crew will rush and deem its car just good enough to race, but it ends up mishandling and triggers another crash. Only one point goes for finishing 36th-40th in Cup or Xfinity races; teams want more than that.

To prevent speeding on pit road to get time beyond the five minutes, there is a 15-second penalty for speeding on pit road or for hitting the “commitment cone.”

—pete zamplas



The top-10 finishers of the first two stages will be awarded additional

c h a m p i ons h i p points.



The winner of the first two stages of each race will receive one playoff point, and the race winner will receive five playoff points.

Each playoff point will be added to his or her reset total following race No. 26, if that competitor makes the playoffs.

All p l a y off po i nts w i l l carry through to the



end of the third round of the playoffs (Round of 8), with the Championship 4 racing straight-up at HomesteadMiami Speedway for the title.

C h a m p i ons h i p

po i nts

following the first two stages will be awarded on a descending scale, with the stage winner receiving 10 points, second receiving 9 points, and so on.

The race winner following the final stage will now receive 40 points, second-place will receive 35, third-place 34, fourth-place 33, and so on.



—nascar media

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[ NASCAR COmmENTARy ] “i mean, life is s h o r t . yo u ’ v e got to do what y ou r g u t t el l s you. And i have a feeling i’ll find something.”

b y t hoM a s P oP E , FAY ET T EV I L L E OBSERV ER

Carl Edwards:

the time wAS Right to put hiS NASCAR CAReeR oN the bACK buRNeR

T

T H E T O P breaking-news story of the 2016 NASCAR Cup season came three days after the season-opening Daytona 500 with the announcement that Stewart-Haas Racing would switch from Chevrolet to Ford come ’17.

With this year’s Daytona 500 still more than a month out, there was already a story that will be virtually impossible to top. On Wednesday, a day after word got out and in the prime of his career, 37-year-old Carl Edwards made it official that he’s giving up racing on a fulltime basis.

Surprising? Stunned is more like it — and I should know better. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in covering racing for almost 40 years, it’s that I shouldn’t be surprised by anything.

R ic h a r d Pe t t y, t h e f a c e of Chrysler’s racing efforts, changing manufacturers in the ’70s? That could never happen — yet it did when Petty Enterprises switched to General Motors after the Chrysler products fell behind.

Bill Elliott turning his back on Ford? No way, not with him having driven Fords in every race of his first 25 years in NASCAR — but he did just that when he joined Ray Evernham as Chrysler factory support returned in 2001.

Edwa rds i s t he latest to prove that there’ll always be something going on in racing that’ll blow your mind. With 28 Cup wins in the bank and with years of championshipcaliber runs still on the horizon, Edwards’s desire to walk away now caught everybody who follows motorsports completely off guard. Until you heard him explain why.

The life-changing decision boiled down to three things, he said Wednesday at Joe Gibbs Racing in Huntersville.

1. Even lacking a c h a m p i o n s h i p, h e’s satisfied with what he’s accomplished.

2. Racing severely limits the time he can spend at home in Colu mbia , m issou r i, with his wife, who’s a doctor, and their two children.

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3. he is, as he put it, “100 percent healthy” in a sport whose work attire is a helmet and a fireproof suit. in today’s era where there’s great concern a bou t t he ef fec t s of concussions, he said, “i’m a sharp guy, and i want to be a sharp guy in 30 years.”

fRom humoR to teARS

True to form, he came out of the gate with a splash of humor to try to lighten up a serious moment.

“I’m stepping away from fulltime driving in the Cup series and I’m not taking any questions — so thanks for coming,” he said, then grinned. “Just joking, just joking.”

Edwards’ emotions took a 180-degree turn when he was reminded of his Midwesternbred outlook on life: Do your job, do your work, be kind to people and your reputation will follow. He choked back tears as he attempted to address his standing as a sports role model.

He shot down the suggestion that his decision was a negotiating ploy to land an even richer contract when his pact with Gibbs expires at the end of the year. (Yeah, right. Like anyone would forfeit an eight-figure income in a contract year.) Nor, he added in so many words, is there an armored car full of Benjamins from another manufacturer if he’ll launch a start-up team.

▲ carL EdWards, driver of the #99 Scotts/Kellogg’s Ford, celebrates with a flip from his car after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 6, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

ANd Now ...?

What’s next, aside wanting to spend more time at home with his family? He said he isn’t sure, but he’s absolutely certain that the timing to move on is right.

“So I hope you’ll accept that I just ... I don’t really have that all figured out yet, and to me that’s OK,” he said. “I’m at peace with that. ... This is the right thing. I mean, life is short. You’ve got to do what your gut tells you.

And I have a feeling I’ll find something.”

No doubt, given his Type-A personality and all-in approach to every facet of his life.

If you’ve seen him interviewed on TV, caught him in cameo appearances on “24” and some soaps, or seen the music video with hometown recording star Sara Evans (search her name and ‘Slow Me Down’ on YouTube), you know that Edwards is a

natural in front of the camera.

As for his racing legacy to this point — he didn’t rule out a return on occasion depending on the circumstances and timing — he’ll be sorely missed in the Cup garage, where the majority of the wheelmen are mundane Stepford Drivers unwilling to speak their mind.

Edwards was different, and that’s something NASCAR has needed in massive quantities si nce t he deat h of Dale Earnhardt in 2000, even moreso with the recent retirements of Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, and the ongoing concussion issues of Dale Earnhardt Jr. It takes limitless bravery to race cars inches apart at 200 miles an hour. It takes only a smidgen less to work up the nerve to walk away in your prime. Kudos to “Cousin Carl” for knowing when to throw

445 races run over 13 years in the monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 245 races run over 10 years in NASCAR Xfinity Series dominated the final laps of the 2016 Food City 500 to win the race after starting on pole Became the first driver to make a last lap pass in Richmond Speedway’s history nearly won the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title, but lost by a tiebreaker to Tony Stewart Rumored to run for a u. S. Senate seat in 2018

in the towel and move on to something different. Whatever that will be, he’ll knock it out of the park.

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by PEtE ZaMPLas

holy Zamboni, can Brad K ‘ice’ another Cup title?

B

BRAD KESELOWSKI has raced various types of vehicles on different tracks over the years, but the 2012 Cup champion recently took control of a slow but unique machine on a very slick surface.

The Metro-Detroit native p i lo t e d t h e Z a m b o n i t h at cleans the ice between periods, as a celebrity stunt Feb. 7 at a Detroit Red Wings home game in the final season of historic Joe Louis Arena.

This was a night to “cherish,” ahead of the racing seson, he said. He got a personalized Wings jersey, with no. 2 to match t he Miller Lite Ford Fusion he races. Keselowski, 33, a fervent sports fan of his hometown teams, was a lad in the Nineties when the Wings won two Stanley Cups in a row.

Now the driver eyes another Cup’s trophy.

Driving the Zamboni looms as an omen he might veer into another side gig — IndyCar rac i ng. He te sted I ndyCa r points leader Simon Pagenaud’s car last summer. Keselowski tweeted it was “one of the best days of my life.” He has the perfect outlet. He drives for “The Captain” Roger Penske, a famed IndyCar owner before also fielding NASCAR cars.

But lo ok for Ke s elowsk i

mainly if not solely to stick to NASCAR. He said the sport did well to award extra points for race segments this season.

He realizes the aim is for “the best show possible.” He vowed “the action in the middle is going to be too compelling to want to miss.” The peppery, outspoken driver said fans will “gravitate” to the new format that suits “shorter attention spans, bigger bursts of action and less of endurance overall.”

Drawing on his Motor City roots, he remarked “the sport was built in the Forties and Fifties off the premise that running a car at its ragged edge for 500 miles is an incredible feat. It ’s not anymore. And so t he for mat ne ed s to b e reflective of what motorsports is now — which is 40-some drivers willing to put their life on the line, willing to make daring moves that test your agility, speed and et cetera, to the limits to win.” He has been among most daring racers.

Ke s elowsk i h ad a dow n NASCAR year in 2016 on the surface. He ended merely 12th.

Yet silver linings bode well for a bounce back. He was a strong contender for the first half.

He was third in points and second in Chase standings, as of mid-June.

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He won four of his 22 career victories last year — though a l l b y m i d - Ju l y. H e f i r s t wins were at Las Vegas and Talladega Superspeedway. The restrictor-plate ace started July by winning two in a row — at Daytona and Kent ucky. He placed in the top ten in seven consecutive races with four at the start of the Chase — finishing fourth three times and fifth once in a September stretch.

But two 38th finishes in a row in mid-October doomed his title hopes. He crashed at Kansas, then had a blown engine at Talladega. Other than a runner-up at Martinsville, he did no better than 14th in the final six races. He had finished 30th or worse only once before the late collapse. He missed the top 15 in nine races which is a fourth of the season. Avoiding pitfalls is pivotal this season.

Still, his 22 top-ten finishes

“we’ve been knocking o n t h e d o o r . we ’ r e ready, to see it come to fruition.”

tied for fourth most on the circuit. His 16 top fives tied Penske teammate Joey Logano for third most, and only one behind Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. Big Brad had one pole.

He averaged a start of 9.6, and finish of 11.5.

Keselowski finished in the final top five in Cup points f or t h r e e o f f o u r s e a s o n s concluding with ’14, when he was the highest-ranking driver outside of the Chase’s final four. He was seventh in 2015, before dropping out of the top 10 last year. This is his eighth full-time Cup seson.

“We’ve been knocking on the door” of his second title i n recent season s, he sa id.

“We’re ready, to see it come to fruition.” He still has Paul Wolfe as crew chief; the two combined for the magical ’12 season. Keselowski added that “Team Penske’s been pretty solid. We’ve got a foundation to really continue to enhance.”

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logano follows Final Four Season with urge to win First Cup Title

J

J O E Y L O G A N O , t he Cup runner-up in 2016, sizzled in closing races by winning two of four to make the Final Four for the finale at Homestead-Miami.

Logano, a young veteran at age 26, has raced in the Cup series for this entire decade and won the rookie award in 2009. He hopes to carry his 2016 momentum into his quest for his first-ever Cup championship.

Logano has come close, as a premier perennial contender.

He finished fourth in 2014 final standings. In 2015, he was sixth and Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski seventh. Last year was the first with a large gap between the two, as Logano was second and Keselowski ended ten spots back in 12th place.

Theirs is a friendly rivalry, Logano says on his website.

“Each one of us wants to win the race, and have the trophies. But we also realize if we don’t work together, none of us are going to raise the trophy up.”

The 2016 Cup t it le ca me down to Homestead in the Ford EcoBoost 400 Nov. 20. Jimmie Johnson and Logano stayed on the track, while Kyle Busch got fresh tires late in the race.

On the restart, Johnson was in front and won the race and his record-tying seventh Cup title.

With 10 laps to go, Carl Edwards tried to block Logano to remain in front of him and the other two Final Four drivers — Johnson and Busch. It backfired. They collided, and Edwards spun out of contention.

Logano managed to finish fourth in the race. That was nextbest among the four finalists, who essentially raced only each other with the best finisher winning the crown.

Logano was red-hot in the Chase, in he fiery-colored no.

22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion.

In the final six races he finished third, first, ninth, second, first then fourth. His wins were at Talladega, then three weeks later at Phoenix — just ahead of the finale. He also won two

“ i ’m wi red to w i n wh a t ev e r i’m doing.”

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His three official Cup victories in ’16 boost his career total to 17 in eight seasons.

Overall, Logano registered 26 top tens — second-most behind Kevin Harvick —with 16 of them top fives. Logano had three poles. His average start of 8.1 was third best, behind Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards, while his finish of 10.5 trailed

only Harvick’s 9.9 on the top circuit.

He admires NASCAR fans’ “passion,” even when booing him during driver introductions.

“I secretly love it. I would rather be loved than hated. But I would rather them say something than nothing. Martinsville is the race track that I think they dislike me the most. All I can think of is how cool it would be to win there, and do a big burnout.” He said of supporters, “I feel like they have gotten to know me, my personality and what I stand for. I am who I am, and I am not

going to change anything.”

That goes for racing full-tilt and aggressively. That style is spurred more by new bonus points for race segments. “I have one gear, and it is wideopen,” Logano proclaimed.

“It doesn’t really change the way I race as a driver. But as a team and how Todd (Gordon, his crew chief) will call these races is obviously going to be different. That is going to be interesting to see how that evolves ... The first person who figures it out is going to have a huge advantage.” He said some more tentative drivers may end up with “more intensity and taking more risks. That all makes a better race.”

He said of his competitive s pi r it, “I’m w i r e d to w i n w h a t e v e r I ’m d o i n g .”

Connecticut native Logano won a charitable Super Bowl bet he accepted with Georgian David Ragan, who races for Front Row Motorsports. The New England Patriots roared back to defeat the Atlanta Falcons Feb. 5 in the first overtime Super Bowl.

In result, Ragan donated $2,200 to The Joey Logano Foundatio.

Begun in 2013, its stated focus is helping people beset by “natural or human disaster” and aiding those suddenly “in need due to unforeseen circumstances.”

Joey Logano hopes to avoid unforeseen bad circumstances of his own on the track, to amass Monster Energy in his Fusion and ascend another rung to the pinnacle of NASCAR.

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[2016

STANdiNgS]

STATISCAL SERVICES courtesy of NASCAR MEDIA

[ 2016 Sprint Cup rank

+/-

CAR #

driver

team

1

+1

#48

JIMMIE JOHNSON

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS

5040

Leader

36

5

11

16

1

2

-1

#22

JOEY LOGANO

TEAM PENSKE

5037

-3

36

3

16

26

3

3

+1

#18

KYLE BUSCH

JOE GIBBS RACING

5035

-5

36

4

17

25

2

4

-1

#19

CARL EDWARDS

JOE GIBBS RACING

5007

-33

36

3

9

18

6

5

–

#20

MATT KENSETH

JOE GIBBS RACING

2330

-2710

36

2

8

19

1

6

–

#11

DENNY HAMLIN

JOE GIBBS RACING

2320

-2720

36

3

12

22

1

7

–

#41

KURT BUSCH

STEWART-HAAS RACING

2296

-2744

36

1

9

21

2

8

+3

#4

KEVIN HARVICK

STEWART-HAAS RACING

2289

-2751

36

4

17

27

2

9

+3

#42

KYLE LARSON

CHIP GANASSI RACING

2288

-2752

36

1

10

15

0

10

–

#24

CHASE ELLIOTT

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS

2285

-2755

36

0

10

17

2

11

-3

#78

MARTIN TRUEX JR.

FURNITURE ROW RACING

2271

-2769

36

4

8

17

5

12

-3

#2

BRAD KESELOWSKI

TEAM PENSKE

2267

-2773

36

4

16

22

1

13

–

#1

JAMIE MCMURRAY

CHIP GANASSI RACING

2231

-2809

36

0

2

12

0

14

–

#3

AUSTIN DILLON

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING

2223

-2817

36

0

4

13

2

–

#14

TONY STEWART

STEWART-HAAS RACING

2211

-2829

28

1

5

8

0

15

points behind starts

Standings]

wins top 5 top 10

[ 2016 Xfinity points behind starts

poles

Standings]

rank

+/-

CAR #

driver

team

wins top 5 top 10

poles

1

+1

#19

DANIEL SUAREZ

JOE GIBBS RACING

4040

Leader

33

3

19

27

3

2

-1

#1

ELLIOTT SADLER

JR MOTORSPORTS

4038

-2

33

3

14

29

0

3

–

#7

JUSTIN ALLGAIER

JR MOTORSPORTS

4035

-5

33

0

13

27

1

4

–

#20

ERIK JONES

JOE GIBBS RACING

4032

-8

33

4

15

20

9

5

3

#3

TY DILLON

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING

2214

-1826

33

0

9

17

1

6

-1

#16

RYAN REED

ROUSH FENWAY RACING

2205

-1835

33

0

1

7

0

7

-1

#11

BLAKE KOCH

KAULIG RACING

2200

-1840

33

0

0

5

0

8

-1

#48

BRENNAN POOLE

CHIP GANASSI RACING

2192

-1848

33

0

4

17

0

9

+1

#39

RYAN SIEG

RSS RACING

2171

-1869

33

0

1

3

0

BRANDON JONES

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING

10

-1

#33

2168

-1872

33

0

0

12

0

11

–

#6

DARRELL WALLACE JR

ROUSH FENWAY RACING

2163

-1877

33

0

3

9

0

12

–

#62

BRENDAN GAUGHAN

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING

2161

-1879

33

0

4

16

0

[ 2016 Camping world points behind starts

Standings]

rank

+/-

CAR #

driver

team

1

–

#21

JOHNNY SAUTER

GMS RACING

4030

Leader

23

wins top 5 top 10 3

12

19

poles 1

2

–

#88

MATT CRAFTON

THORSPORT RACING

4026

-4

23

2

8

16

1

3

–

#4

CHRISTOPHER BELL

KYLE BUSCH MOTORSPORTS

4025

-5

23

1

9

17

0

TIMOTHY PETERS

RED HORSE RACING

4

–

#17

4024

-6

23

0

8

16

1

5

–

#9

WILLIAM BYRON

KYLE BUSCH MOTORSPORTS

2199

-1831

23

7

11

16

3

6

1

#19

DANIEL HEMRIC

BRAD KESELOWSKI RACING

2163

-1867

23

0

11

17

0

7

-1

#33

BEN KENNEDY

GMS RACING

2162

-1868

23

1

4

10

0

8

–

#8

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK

SWM-NEMCO MOTORSPORTS

2133

-1897

23

2

5

11

1

9

–

#29

TYLER REDDICK

BRAD KESELOWSKI RACING

511

-3519

23

1

8

12

1

10

–

#00

COLE CUSTER

JR MOTORSPORTS

502

-3528

23

0

5

14

2

11

–

#13

CAMERON HAYLEY

THORSPORT RACING

476

-3554

23

0

6

11

0

12

–

#23

SPENCER GALLAGHER

GMS RACING

402

-3628

23

0

1

8

2

14 IWANNA® FEBRUARY 21, 2017

NASCAR 2017 season PREVIEW

iwanna.com

16 IWANNA® FEBRUARY 21, 2017

NASCAR 2017 SEASON PREVIEW

IWANNA® FEBRUARY 21, 2017 17

THU, FEB 23

CAN-AM DUEL

dAytoNA iNteRNAtioNAl SpeedwAy

SUN, APR 30

7:00PM

2017 SCHEDULE

SUN, FEB 26

DAYTONA 500

dAytoNA iNteRNAtioNAl SpeedwAy

2:00PM

2:00PM

2:00PM

2:30PM

7:30PM

3:30PM

6:00PM

SUN, MAR 19

CAMPING WORLD 500 phoeNiX iNteRNAtioNAl RACewAy

Auto Club SpeedwAy

6:00PM

3:30PM

mARtiNSville SpeedwAy

1:00PM

3:30PM

teXAS motoR SpeedwAy

3:00PM

2:00PM 3:30PM

1:30PM

SUN, APR 3 FOX Sports1/ 1:00 PM

STP 500

mARtiNSville SpeedwAy

bRiStol motoR SpeedwAy

ChARlotte motoR SpeedwAy

COCA-COLA 600

ChARlotte motoR SpeedwAy

AAA 400 DRIVE FOR AUTISM

doveR iNteRNAtioNAl SpeedwAy

JIMMY JOHNSON 2016 NASCAR SPRINT CUP CHAMPION

POCONO 400 poCoNo RACewAy

SUN, JUN 18

3:00PM

FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400

miChigAN iNteRNAtioNAl SpeedwAy

SUN, JUN 25

SUN, APR 23

FOOD CITY 500

NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE

SUN, JUN 11

SUN, APR 9

O'REILLY AUTO PARTS 500

KANSAS SpeedwAy

SUN, JUN 4

SUN, APR 2

STP 500

GO BOWLING 400

SUN, MAY 28

SUN, MAR 26

AUTO CLUB 400

tAllAdegA SupeRSpeedwAy

SAT, MAY 20

SUN, MAR 12

lAS vegAS motoR SpeedwAy

GEICO 500

SAT, MAY 13

AtlANtA motoR SpeedwAy

KOBALT 400

RiChmoNd iNteRNAtioNAl RACewAy

SUN, MAY 7

SUN, MAR 5

FOLDS OF HONOR QUICKTRIP 500

TOYOTA OWNERS 400

2:00PM

3:00PM

TOYOTA SAVE MART 350 SoNomA RACewAy

18 IWANNA® FEBRUARY 21, 2017

NASCAR 2017 SEASON PREVIEW

JOHNNY SAUTER

IWANNA® FEBRUARY 21, 2017 15

DANIEL SUAREZ

2016 NCwtS ChAmpioN

2016 NXS ChAmpioN

2017 MID-SEASON UPDATE

2017 NASCAR XFINITY SERIES SCHEDULE 2017 CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES SCHEDULE

BRAD KESELOWSKI

MARTIN TRUEX, JR.

RLOTTE

AXES GOLIATHS AT CHA

FREE

POSTER INSIDE

COPYRIGHT © IWANNA,

USA LLC 2016

KEVIN HARVICK

EAGER FOR REPEAT

UPDATE 2016 MID-SEASON TURNING IT UP

chase elliott

NASCAR’S RISING SON SE, HAS EYES ON THE CHA FIRST WIN

NASCAR HALL OF FAMSSE 2017 CLA

BUSCH BROTHERS

BACK-TO-BACK TITLES?

CONTACT YOUR SALES REP FOR MORE INFORMATION

WNC: 828-274-8888 Upstate SC: 864-370-2340 SPRINT CUP RACE

SAT, FEB 25

POWERSHARES QQQ 300

Daytona International Speedway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 3:30PM

SAT, MAR 4

RINNAI 250

Atlanta Motor Speedway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 1:30 PM

SAT, MAR 11

BOYD GAMING 300

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 4:00 PM

SAT, MAR 18

DC SOLAR 200

Phoenix International Raceway

FOX/ 4:00 PM

FRI, FEB 24

NEXTERA ENERGY RESOURCES 250

Daytona International Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 7:30 PM

SAT, MAR 4

ACTIVE PEST CONTROL 200

Atlanta Motor Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 4:30 PM

SAT, APR 1

ALPHA ENERGY SOLUTIONS 250

Martinsville Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 2:30 PM

SAT, MAR 25

NXS 300

Auto Club Speedway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 4:00 PM

FRI, MAY 12

TOYOTA TUNDRA 250

Kansas Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 8:30 PM

FRI, APR 8

COWBOY 300

Texas Motor Speedway

FOX/ 1:30 PM

FRI, MAY 19

NC EDUCATION LOTTERY 200

Charlotte Motor Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 8:30 PM

SAT, APR 22

FITZGERALD GLIDER KITS 300

Bristol Motor Speedway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 12:30 PM

FRI, JUNE 2

DOVER 200

Dover International Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 5:30 PM

SAT, APR 29

TOYOTACARE 250

Richmond International Raceway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 12:30 PM

FRI, JUNE 9

RATTLESNAKE 400

Texas Motor Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 8:00 PM

SAT, MAY 6

SPARKS ENERGY 300

Talladega Superspeedway

FOX/ 1:00 PM

SAT, JUNE 17

GATEWAY 200

Gateway Motorsports Park

FOX Sports 1 / 8:30 PM

SAT, MAY 27

HISENSE 4K TV 300

Charlotte Motor Speedway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 1:00 PM

FRI, JUNE 23

IOWA 200

Iowa Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 8:30 PM

SAT, JUN 3

DOVER SPRING RACE

Dover International Speedway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 1:00 PM

THU, JULY 6

BUCKLE UP IN YOUR TRUCK 225

Kentucky Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 7:30 PM

SAT, JUN 10

POCONO 250

Pocono Raceway

FOX/ 1:00 PM

WED, JULY 19 ELDORA 150

Eldora Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 9:00 PM

SAT, JUN 17

MICHIGAN 250

Michigan International Speedway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 1:30 PM

SAT, JULY 29

POCONO 150

Pocono Raceway

FOX Sports 1 / 1:00 PM

SUN, JUN 24

AMERICAN ETHANOL E15 250

Iowa Speedway

FOX SPORTS 1/ 8:30 PM

SAT, AUG 12

LTI PRINTING 200

Michigan International Speedway

FOX Sports 1 / 1:00 PM

FRI, JUN 30

SUBWAY FIRECRACKER 250

Daytona International Speedway

NBCSN/ 7:30 PM

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NASCAR 2017 season PREVIEW

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NASCAR 2017 SEASON PREVIEW

20 IWANNA® FEBRUARY 21, 2017

[ 2017

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PREViEwS ] “i don’t know when i’m going to stop racing, but i want to make that choice and not have it made for me.”

b y t hoM a s P oP E , FAY ET T EV I L L E OBSERV ER

Earnhardt Jr. Ponders his NASCAR future

w

“WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO R ET I R E? ” is a question Dale Earnhardt Jr. has heard a lot since his 40th birthday two years ago.

He came close to having that decision made for him last summer, when a concussion sidelined him for the back half of the NASCAR Cup season.

But after months of mental and physical rehab, Earnhardt Jr. has been given the OK by doctors to resume his career, and he’ll go testing in Phoenix later this week to knock off the rust.

“I’m happy to be able to come back here and continue to compete,” he said Wednesday morning on the NASCAR Media Tour sponsored by Charlotte Motor Speedway. “Got real close to not being able to compete. Got real close to being someone else’s decision whether I competed or not. … All I wanted was to be able to make that choice myself.

“I don’t know when I’m going

to stop racing, but I want to make that choice and not have it made for me.”

Earnhardt had dealt with conc ussions prior to t he Firekeepers Casino 400 last June 12, and his passenger-side first collision into the backstretch wall that day looked minor.

But Earnhardt was hurt more than he initially realized, and he competed in the next three races before acknowledging the crash’s lingering, debilitating effects.

He sought help at t he University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, a leading facility for concussion assessment and treatment. When a bespectacled Ea r n ha rdt appea red at Darli ng ton Raceway i n September to address the media, he appeared to struggle to answer questions, often pausing to find the correct word he had in mind but couldn’t speak.

T h a t w a s n ’t t h e c a s e Wednesday, when he addressed

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“The approve-to-race thing was a slow evolution and something you could see coming and get physically and mentally prepared for,” he said.

“To get approved to race is one thing, but to decide to race is another. mentally, You have to make the decision if you want to keep racing, and if you want to keep racing, you’ve got to go in 100 percent. This is the top, elite

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series of motorsports in North America, and if you’re going to be out there, you can’t do it without 100 percent.

“I had to answer a lot of personal questions of myself and buy in. All t hat was a process, and I’m really happy with what I’ve decided to do — but it wasn’t that emotional.”

That lack of emotion was more than offset by a major change in his personal life.

On New Year’s Eve, Earnhardt became a husband to longtime girlfriend Amy Reimann, and he was effusive about the positive effects she’s had on his life.

“I wish I had figured all this out sooner. I’m frustrated with myself that I took so long

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to grow up ‘cause I’ve got an amazing wife and she’s changed my life,” he said. “She’s really helped me as a person become better on all fronts, personally and all my friendships and relationships. How I react with people and treat people, and in my professional life, she’s helped me as a driver.

“I’m just hoping to enjoy what’s left of my career, and hopefully I get to make the decisions on that myself as far as how much further I race and going to start a family and all that good stuff, too. Got a lot of good things to look forward to. I’m really excited about my future.”

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NASCAR 2017 season PREVIEW

IWANNA® FEBRUARY 21, 2017 21

NASCAR 2017 SEASON PREVIEW

22 IWANNA® FEBRUARY 21, 2017

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Jeffrey Earnhardt to Make Daytona 500 Debut

gRANdSoN of NASCAR hAll of fAmeR dAle eARNhARdt & Nephew of dAle eARNhARdt JR., will mAKe hiS fiRSt dAytoNA 500 StARt

Getty Images for NASCAR

ircle Sport TMG is pleased to announce that 4th generation driver Jeffrey Earnhardt will be making his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 debut in their chartered number 33 Chevrolet.

This marks Earn hardts first t i me d r iv i ng i n The Gr eat American Race and the first time two Earnhardts compete in the Daytona 500 since 2001. “This is really a dream come true” said Earnhardt.

“We’ve been working everyday for the past 6 years to get to the Daytona 500 and thanks to Joe & Curtis from Circle Sport TMG,

that dream is becoming a reality in 2017.” Earlier this month it was announced that Joe Falk and Curtis Key Sr. were combining forces to create CSTMG. “We are looking forward to having Jeffrey as our primary driver for 2017” commented team owner Joe Falk. “We believe he brings a lot of potential to our team. I have had success working with young drivers in the past and we think this is a good fit for growth for Jeffrey and the team. I am very proud that Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon ,and now Jeffrey Earnhardt will all have had their first Daytona 500 start with Circle Sport.”

Joining Earnhardt atop the pit box will be veteran crew chief, Pat Tryson. “I’m just looking forward to getting started. I think we can take a leap in points this season and have a year of growth for the team and Jeffrey. This is a long term plan and I’m glad to be part of the team.”

The 2017 Daytona 500 will be the first for new series sponsor Monster Energy and the launch of NASCAR’s new set of stage style racing. The excitement begins with the Duels on February 23rd followed by the Daytona 500 on February 26th at 2pm televised on FOX. —NASCAR mediA

Racing Icon Mario Andretti Named Honorary Race Official for DAYTONA 500

diS CelebRAteS 50th ANNiveRSARy of ANdRetti’S 1967 dAytoNA 500 viCtoRy ario Andretti, who along with A.J. Foyt, Jam ie McMurray and most recently Jeff Gordon, are the only drivers to win both the DAYTONA 500 and the Rolex 24 At Daytona, will serve as a Honorary Race Official for the 59th annual DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, Feb. 26 (FOX, FOX Deportes, MRN Radio and SiriusXM Radio), the opening race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

Andret t i a nd Daytona International Speedway will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of his epic 1967 DAYTONA 500 triumph throughout Speedweeks 2017. As part of his Honorary Race Official duties for “The Great American Race,” Andretti will be introduced at the drivers’ meeting, participate in pre-race ceremonies, ride in one of the

parade cars and take part in question-and-answer sessions in fan hospitality areas and the UNOH Fanzone.

I n add it ion , a r e pl ic a of A nd r e t t i’s 1967 DAY TONA 500-winning No. 11 HolmanMoody Ford will be on display on DAYTONA 500 Weekend in the UNOH Fanzone.

“It’s an honor to host Mario Andretti for the DAYTONA 500,” Daytona International Speedway President Chip Wile said. “Mario is part of an exclusive club of champions at the ‘World Center of Racing’ and arguably has the most recognizable name in the entire history of auto racing. His victory here in 1967 has grown to legendary status and is truly one of the most significant moments in the history of the speedway and our community.”

Andrett i is considered by

many to be the greatest driver in the history of motorsports, having been named Co-Driver of Century by the Associated Press in 1999. He won the 1978 Formula One World Championship, four IndyCar Series championships and t he Indianapolis 500 in 1969. Andretti and Foyt are the only drivers to have won both t he DAYTONA 500 a nd t he Indianapolis 500.

Tic k ets f o r th e 59th annu al DAYTONA 500 and other Speedweeks events can be purchased online at www. daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can stay connected with Daytona International S p e e dw a y o n Tw it t e r, Fa c e b o o k , Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Snapchat, and by downloading Daytona International Speedway’s mobile app, for the latest Speedway news throughout the season.

—NASCAR mediA

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IWANNA® FEBRUARY 21, 2017 23

NASCAR 2017 SEASON PREVIEW

24 IWANNA® FEBRUARY 21, 2017

[ 2017

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PREViEwS ]

“we need to improve something, but we’ve made so many changes over the past few years.”

by PEtE ZaMPLas

Kyle Busch wants Further Consistency, 2015 Results

K

KYLE BUSCH nearly repeated as Cup champion, making the Final Four last year.

The Joe Gibbs Racing star finished third in standings, coinciding with doing third best among the Final Four drivers in the finale at Homestead-Miami.

His elder brother Kurt Busch was seventh in points.

Kyle Busch won four Cup races — starting with back-toback in April. He was dominant in his first Cup win ever at Ma r t i n sv ille — leadi ng 70 percent (352 of 500) laps. He won again, at Texas; won at Kansas a month after that, then later at Indy in two overtimes. He set a Cup track record at Indy, by leading 149 of 170 laps — which is 88 percent of the race.

He similarly was red hot in

2015, taking the checkered flag in four of five races in late June and in July — at Sonoma, Calif., Kentucky, New Hampshire and Indy.

In both seasons, Busch ran best when it counted most — in the Chase playoffs. He made the top five in six of eight races leading to Homestead, where he was sixth in the race but third-best among the Final Four. Jimmie Johnson did best, winning the title.

Most uniquely, Busch and newly-retired Carl Edwards were the only Cup drivers in the top ten in points in all of 2016.

Busch tied Kevin Harvick for the 2016 series lead with 17 top-five finishes, and had the third most (25) top tens. Busch outdid his ’15 title year, in both regards. He

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KYLE Busch winner at Texas Motor Speedway in 2016. (NASCAR via Getty Images) finished in the top four in nine of the first 11 races in ’16. Busch averaged a start of 9.6 and finish of 11.5. He had two poles. He led 1,379 laps which was third most.

The difference between 2015 and last year was consistency and avoiding crashes and bad, point-depriving finishes in the no. 18 M&M’s RWB Toyota Camry. In ’15, Busch was 30th or worse only three times all year and only once from late June onward. But in ’16, he was 30th or worse four times in a row. He admittedly was “really, really bad” then. He was last at Michigan. His engine lit on fire, after overheating due to trash debris blocking grill air flow.

Kyle has more career Cup victories than his brother — 38 to Kurt’s 29 (one in ’16). Both rank in the top 25 all-time.

They teamed up in the Race of Champions Nations Cup Jan. 22 in Miami. This was the first

time it was held in the U.S. F1, IndyCar, Le Mans and other types of drivers also competed.

Drivers raced i ndividually Jan. 21. Four-time F1 champ Sebastian Vettel of Germany.

Vettel beat Kyle in a rally car, and Kurt in a buggy in the final.

Then on Jan. 22, the global team beat the Americans 8-5.

Kyle did his part, sweeping F1 driver Jensen Button for a twopoint lead entering the final duel.

The month was not a total loss for the Busch brothers. Kurt Busch married polo player and model Ashley Van Metre in midJanuary, days ahead of the ROC races. Aerosmith rock singer Steven Tyler performed at the reception.

Kyle Busch frowned on the change to award points for race segments. “We need to improve something” to turn around race attendance and TV ratings,

he agreed. But “we’ve made so many changes over the past few years. It’s not made a difference. So why keep going?”

Busch, who t urns 32 on March 2, still drives in all three NASCAR national series.

He has won more (86) races than anyone ever in what is the Xfinity Series, and won the title in 2009. Last year he became the first to ever sweep Martinsville’s Cup, Xfinity and truck races in the same weekend. But he’s cutting back his Xfinity schedule this year, to focus more on Cup races. He drives for his own truck team, Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Busy a s he i s on ma ny fronts, Kyle Busch’s prime focus is regaining the Cup championship he clutched two years ago and nearly won again last season.

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NASCAR 2017 season PREVIEW

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26 IWANNA® FEBRUARY 21, 2017

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ChAmPiONS] “i have a lot to learn, but i couldn’t ask for a better situation.”

by PEtE ZaMPLas

Suarez in Spotlight: SuCCeediNg edwARdS, A top RooKie & fiRSt meXiCAN iN SeRieS

d

DANIEL SUAREZ steps into a bright spotlight in three main ways — by succeeding Carl Taylor for Joe Gibbs Racing, as the Sunoco Rookie of the Year favorite and as the first Mexicanborn, full-time Cup driver.

Suarez, who turned 25 on Jan. 7, won the Xfinity Series last year. That makes him the first champion of a NASCAR national series both who is foreign-born and Latin American. He is a native of Monterey, Mexico. By winning at Michigan in June, he became the eighth foreign-born race winner in Xfinity.

He catapulted into a choice seat, as Edwards last month suddenly retired leaving a huge void. “Once we learned that Carl would not return next season, Daniel was really the obvious choice,” owner Joe Gibbs said.

“He is a great fit for our team, and our partners. This may be a little bit earlier than we anticipated. But he has earned the opportunity. And we are excited for his future.”

Reac h i ng t he Cup ser ies sooner than he hoped, Suarez says he is fulfilling “my dream.

I can’t wait to get started.” He realizes “I have a lot to learn, but I couldn’t ask for a better situation. I have the support of a great team around me.”

He sure does, piloting the 19 Arris Toyota Camry that made the Final Four that included teammate and ’15 Cup series champ Kyle Busch. Former series champ Matt Kenseth and perennial contender Denny Hamlin are his other esteemed teammates.

Suarez hopes to replicate Chase Elliott’s feat of winning the Xfinity title then later the Cup rookie award succeeding a star in a high-profile ride. Elliott followed legend Jeff Gordon, for Hendrick Motorsports.

Edwards, coaching Suarez at testing in a transition, saw his successor acting “super calm” about learning and pressures.

Crew chief Dave Rogers said

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4040 3 19 27 3 initially, “We’re not going to have expectations to win. But we know if we do everything right and the right situations come up, we can put ourselves in Victory Lane.” Rogers first worked with Suarez in two days of testing at Phoenix earlier this month to get the new driver literally up to speed. Suarez was seventh-fastest. “I learned a lot” and improved drastically from first laps to his final one, Suarez said. “I got more comfortable with the car,” and Rogers’ radio directives. Rogers led crews for Busch, Hamlin then Edwards.

He “knows when we have to go fast,” in pacing a car, Suarez

said. His main adjustment in Cup racing is handling 150 more horsepower than in Xfinity, but with much less downforce control.

NASCAR let him into the Clash at Daytona exhibition so Gibbs could fulfill its sponsor deal, though he has never run a Cup race which normally would exclude him.

The ascent of Suarez is a major landmark for NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program. He was in it in 2013 and ’14, while racing in the NASCAR Mexico Series in 2011-14. In ‘11-13, he was in NASCAR Next Class that grooms young prospects for rigors. Kyle Larson came from both programs, and last year was the first alumnus to win a Cup race. “We’re very proud that it validates our diversity plan in a significant way,” NASCAR C h a i r ma n a nd CEO Br ia n

France said of Suarez winning the ’16 Xfinity crown. It “takes time to find the kind of talent, that can actually compete at a high level on the biggest stages.

And he’s done that.”

Suarez won 10 races in the Mexico Series, then in ’14 raced in the U.S. as he won three times in K&N Pro Series East.

JGR inked him to run full-time in Xfinity and a few truck races starting in 2015.

Suarez contends for rookie honors along with Ty Dillon of Germain Racing, and Erik Jones of Furniture Row Racing. Dillon has 18 Cup starts. Jones, 20, like Suarez raced for JGR in Xfinity.

“We know each other very well.

We get along well,” Suarez said.

He said it is “cool” how steadily “we’ve been making our way up now to the Cup level. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

NASCAR 2017 season PREVIEW

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Program shows long-term commitment

by Ford Performance to win at highest level of NASCAR

Ford Performance Announces NASCAR Driver Development Program BRAD KESELOWSKI RACING, CHASE BRISCOE FIRST TO JOIN NEW PROGRAM n a n ef for t to develop t a le nt for it s NA SCA R program long-term, Ford Performance announced today it is formally initiating a multi-tiered NASCAR driver development program.

The first stage of that program will be a formal relationship with Brad Keselowski Racing (BKR) and its NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) effort, where Ford has signed Chase Briscoe as one of the drivers for BKR for the 2017 season as part of his development.

“We’re making a commitment to win long-term in NASCAR,” said Dave Pericak, global director, Ford Performance. “We have been increasing our engineering support and our technological development at the team level, and now we’re looking to work

with our teams to find the best available drivers coming up in the sport.”

The BKR effort, as well as other to-be-announced driver development efforts at different levels, will develop talent for all Ford teams in NASCAR. Current teams will be consulted as part of the selection process, but drivers in the program will have contractual obligations to Ford.

In addition to their role within the NCWTS race program and related marketing efforts, drivers in the new Ford program will also assist the company as test drivers within the Ford product development program.

“Starting this program with BKR makes sense since it has made a significant investment in its NASCAR Camping World Truck Series operation and it is

Drivers, starting with Chase Briscoe, will be involved in both racing and Ford Product Development testing efforts. Getty Images for NASCAR reflected in its success on the track,” said Pericak. “As we at Ford look to develop new winning drivers for, ultimately, our Cup Series teams, the BKR model is a proven step in that ladder. We are enthusiastic about the role BKR will play in our efforts and we look forward to working very closely with the team in driver selection, engineering, and other mission critical areas.”

Led by NASCAR Monster Energy Cup and Xfinity Series champion and Team Penske driver Brad Keselowski, BKR currently fields two (2) full-time entries in the NCWTS with the No. 19 and No. 29 Ford F-150s.

BKR also fields the No. 2 Ford F-150 in select NCWTS races.

The team maintains commercial relationships with long-standing primary part ners Cooper Standard, Draw-Tite, and Reese Brands, as well as other industryleading brands such as Snap-on.

“This is a big day in the history of BKR,” said Keselowski. “To be recognized as a true partner to Ford and Ford Performance and what they are trying to do speaks directly to the hard work our team has put in over the last several years. It is an honor, frankly, and it is really what BKR is all about – providing young, talented drivers with championship-caliber equipment

to continue to hone their craft and showcase their talents. We have been fortunate to have had a lot of success together with Ford across the three major NASCAR touring series and to now elevate that relationship in an official capacity is a testament to what we set out to do.”

Briscoe, 22, is an Indiana native who is coming off a 2016 championship in the ARCA stock car racing series, where he captured six wins. He has been racing since 2001 in a variety of series, including quarter midgets, sprint cars, Peak Stock Car Dream Challenge and K&N Pro Series West.

—Nascar media

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NASCAR Becomes First Sports League to Launch DeskSite Video App New hd video plAtfoRm deliveRS NASCAR.Com CoNteNt oN-demANd to deSKtopS, lAptopS ANd tAbletS ust in time for the 2017 DAYTONA 500®, NASCAR a nd Desk Site joi ntly announced today the official launch of the NASCAR DeskSite, an interactive and personalized video app that delivers premium, high-definition video content on-demand to NASCAR fans – for free.

NASCAR is t he f i rst professional sports league to launc h Desk Site, wh ic h has partnerships with individual

N F L , N H L a nd M L S t e a m franchises.

Described as a “DVR for the Internet,” the NASCAR DeskSite serves as a digital fan hub for NASCAR.com video content i nc lud i n g i nt e r v i e w s w it h drivers, post-race recaps, indepth coverage, driver spotlights and breaking news. The content is available to fans at any time, even offline.

“NASCAR.com represents a massive portal through which

millions of fans engage with our sport,” said Colin Smith, vice president, NASCAR Digital Media. “Now, thanks to NASCAR DeskSite’s automatic updates and offline viewing features, our fans can continue to access the latest NASCAR news and content no matter where they are.”

The NASCAR DeskSite enables automatic downloads and stores videos directly to devices based on user preferences, allowing fans the ability to view NASCAR.com video content offline without an Internet connection. Alerts reduce the delay between a video’s initial release and fan access.

The platform is currently loaded with content previewing t h e f i r s t Mo n s t e r E n e r g y NASCAR Cup Series™ points race of the 2017 season, the DAYTONA 500 at Daytona Internat ional Speedway on February 26 (2 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“NASCAR is an incredible brand, and a perfect fit for our technology,” said Megan Ben net t, VP of Market i ng, DeskSite. “We’re thrilled to announce NASCAR has become our first league partner. And we look forward to making our platform available to NASCAR’s millions of fans.”

The NASCAR DeskSite is available on both Windows and Mac computers, as well as Windows tablets. Fans can download the app for free at NASCAR.com/DeskSite.

—NASCAR mediA

NASCAR 2017 SEASON PREVIEW

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IWANNA® FEBRUARY 21, 2017 29

ChAmPiONS]

by PEtE ZaMPLas

Johnny Sauter Keeps on Truckin’

J

JOHNNY SAUTER, the reigning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, looks to repeat as he remains in NASCAR’s series with the biggest vehicles.

The Wisconsin native, 38, won the title in his first season with GMS Racing after three straight series finishes of fourth with Thorsport Racing. He raced his first seven truck seasons for Thorsport, and was rookie of the year in 2009 — preceding Austin Dillion for that honor.

Sauter d r ives t he no. 21 Alleg iant Travel Chevrolet Silverado. It may not have t he st rongest eng i ne, he ack nowledged, but it came through when needed most — in the Chase playoffs. He poured it on with successive wins at Martinsville and Texas. He

placed second at Phoenix, then third in the finale at HomesteadMiami finale — just ahead of Cup driver Kyle Larson.

Wi n n i n g t h e t it l e f e e l s “awesome,” Sauter said. He won the title by outdoing the other three finalists — Matt Crafton, Christopher Bell and Timothy Peter — in that last race.

Sauter said that with 50 laps to go, “I started picking people off.” He finished third overall.

He started his GMS tenure with a bang — winning at Daytona.

Race winner William Byron of Kyle Busch Motorsports could have won the overall title. He won a series-best seven times in ’16. He was en route to the final four, before his engine blew out in closing laps of Phoenix. That sunk him out of title contention.

POiNTS

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4030 3 12 19 Sauter was steady with a dozen top-five finishes in 2016, in his career-best season. He is knocking on the door of the truck series’ top ten in driver career wins. He ranks 11th, with 13 victories. His Cup racing includes starts at Daytona three times last decade (starting in ’04 with Richard Childress Racing) and in 2015. He has run 85 Cup races and 205 in Xfinity in 11 years, and 198 races in 13 truck-racing seasons starting.

He debuted in 2001.

Crew chief Joe Shear, Jr. said he joined Sauter at GMS last year, since “they had all the pieces in the puzzle” including a time-contending driver with nearly 200 truck starts under his belt.

Sauter grew up in a racing family, of four sibling drivers.

Their father Jim Sauter was also a NASCAR driver. Jim made 76 Cup starts and 82 races in 1980-2004. His final Nationwide

POlES

1

(now Xfinity) race included sons Jay, Johnny and Tim Sauter. Jim had 12 children. He died at age 71, in 2014.

Last year, Johnny honored friend Tom Hunsberger who died f rom brai n ca ncer by having his name on his racing truck. John ny and Cort ney Owen Sauter, a former Miss Wisconsin, have t heir 10t h wedding anniversary on Dec. 15. By then, Johnny Sauter hopes to repeat as king of trucks.

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by the

numbers 2.75 6

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The AdvAnce AuTo PArTs clAsh AT dAyTonA

Average finish by Dale Earnhardt, best by any driver with multiple starts

Number of the Clash at Daytona wins by Dale Earnhardt, the series leader (1980, 86, 88, 91, 93, 95)

earnhardt .08

Margin of victory in seconds by Dale Earnhardt over Sterling Marlin in 1995, the third closest margin of victory in the Clash at Daytona history

197.802 mph The fastest average speed of the race for the Clash at Daytona was in 1987 won by Bill Elliot

gordon

22

Most consecutive starts in the Clash at Daytona by Jeff Gordon (1994-2015)

47

Laps led by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2008, the most in a single Clash at Daytona.

7

Number of fewest starters in the field for the Clash at Daytona (1981)

11

Number of starts before winning, most since race began in 1979 (Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin)

27 14 20 28

Kevin Harvick’s starting position in 2009, the lowest by a race winner in the event’s history

Number of different leaders in the 2009 event, most since race began in 1979

Number of wins by Chevrolet in the Clash at Daytona, leads all manufacturers

Number of lead changes in the 2011 event, highest number since race began in 1979

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2017 NASCAR

2017 season PreVieW

HALL OF FAME

FOX Sports & NASCAR Productions Commemorate Jeff Gordon’s First Daytona 500 Victory in Original Documentary OX Sports and NASCAR Product ions have teamed up to deliver a rare behind-the-scenes look at four-t ime champion Jeff Gordon’s first win in the “Great American Race” with an original film entitled “Refuse to Lose.” On the 20th anniversary of Gordon’s milestone triumph, the documentary takes viewers inside his journey to victory lane

using never-before-seen footage of the No. 24 team captured in the 10 days leading up to the event.

Featuring interviews with Gordon and crew chief Ray Eve r n h a m , b o t h e xe c ut ive producers on the project, the film premieres on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 10 p.m. ET immediately following FS1’s coverage of the Can-Am Duel at Daytona International Speedway.

“I forgot that Ray had secured a camera crew to document the No. 24 team heading into the 1997 Daytona 500,” Gordon said. “There is footage included in ‘Refuse to Lose’ that even I hadn’t seen before we started this project, and I think it helps paint the picture of why this team led by Ray was so successful – especially from 1995 to 1999.”

“After winning 10 races in 1996 but missing out on winning the championship, I felt like I needed to do something to boost morale in the No. 24 shop. That’s why we brought in the camera crew,” Evernham said. “‘Refuse to Lose’ will give viewers an extremely unique, behind-the-scenes look at the championship Rainbow Warrior team.”

-nasCar Media

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PReVieWs ]

by PeTe ZaMPlas

elliott Ready for encore to superb Rookie year 2016 sUnoCo rookie of the year finished 10th in Points, shoots for first CUP ViCtory and to aGain Make the Chase

c

C H A SE E LL IO T T, the 2016 Sunoco Rookie of the Year who finished 10th in points, shoots for his first Cup victory and to again make the Chase.

E l l i o t t , 21, l i v e d u p t o expectations as Bill Elliott’s son and in succeeding legendary Jef f Gordon i n Hend r ic k Motorsports’ famed no. 24 Chevrolet. He had the car, team, crew and the genes. He made it all click.

The NAPA-sponsored rookie had 17 Cup top-ten finishes, with 10 of them top fives to tie for seventh-best. He had top fives in six of his first nine races.

Elliott was race runner-up three times, and ended third three more times. He averaged a start of 11.3 and finish of 14.6.

He had two poles starting with the opener, as the youngest Daytona 500 pole-sitter ever.

He led a total of 379 laps -- 103 at the Bank of America 500 in

Charlotte in the Chase Oct. 9, 75 at Chicagoland Sept. 18, and a race-most 51 laps at Pocono.

The week after Pocono, he nearly won at Michigan (MIS) June 12. He led for 32 straight laps, after overtaking eventual winner Joey Logano following a lap 117 restart. But Elliott misshifted on a late restart, and lost the lead. “I definitely messed up,” the 2015 Xfinity series champ confessed.

“ you ca n’ t do dumb stuff, and expect to win... i had a not her f a n t a s t i c oppor tu n ity. i messed that one up for my guys.”

Points

Wins

toP FiVes

toP tens

2285 0 10 17 Then in a mid-summer slump he finished worse than 30th in half (four of eight) of races in the middle third of the regular season, finishing no better than an unlucky 13th. Avoiding such prolonged struggles is a way he can improve on his 10thplace finish, in this season.

Another objective is to reduce the times he gets caught up in

crashes. That plagued in playoff races last year, while Hendrick teammate avoided the fray and won the title.

Still by season’s end, Elliott was merely 11 points out of sevent h place. Kyle Larson edged him by three points, for ninth. The other eight in the top 10 in standings were veterans.

Adventurous Elliott braved a different form of high-speed travel a year ago, as a passenger in an F-16 fighter jet for an hour.

The Air Force Thunderbirds flight took off from Daytona’s airport, zooming over 500 mph on the runway then soared 11,500 feet i n less t ha n 10

Poles

2

seconds.

Th e i m m e n s e, r e s i s t a nt force “pushes you hard, right down into your seat,” Elliott explained. “It’s hard to breathe.

Your calf muscles are ripping.

Your chest and abdomen are getting pushed on. You’re just trying to keep the blood getting to your head, and sustain it for a long time.” Some might have figured he’d feel that way as a highly-touted rookie. But he warded off those pressures, to sparkle.

Now in his second year of Cup racing, he is determined to soar to greater heights.

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Stewart-Haas Switches to Ford, Lands New Sponsor for Danica shr ChanGes Cars, Co-oWner tony steWart retires, strUGGles to find neW sPonsor for daniCa PatriCk T E WA R T- H A A S RACING has switched to Ford, is minus coowner Tony Stewart and landed NASCAR darling Danica Patrick a new sponsor on Valentines Day after suing the prior one earlier this month.

SHR ran in Chevrolets since forming in 2009, and won the title in two of its first eight Cup seasons along with 36 Cup races. This premier team has a quartet in its prime in gritty 2014 champion Kevin Harvick, ‘04 Cup champ and newlywed Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer succeeding newly-retired Stewart, and one of the most popular drivers on the circuit in sharp and perky Patrick.

Stewart won the team’s first Cup title in 2011, break ing a series points tie with Carl Edwards by win n ing more races. Carrying on without the team’s co-founder and face behind the wheel is daunting enough.

Getting used to a different bra nd of ca r ’s ha ndl i ng is another challenge. Engineers and facilities are among Ford assets coming SHR’s way, Ford Performance Global Director Dave Pericak said. He vowed dedicating full “energy and r e s ou rc e s” to smo ot h t h e transition, so the team is very “competitive right out of the gate.”

Landing SHR is a coup for Ford, which has not won the Cup since 13 years ago in 2004 when Busch did so with Roush.

Lately, only Penske Racing has contended for the title with both Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski. Getting SHR will “level t he (manufact uring) playing field a bit — by having more bullets in the gun,” Pericak said in a media conference call.

“We want to go out there and use everything we’ve learned from aerodynamics, our engine technology ... our simulator and everything else and bring it all

TOnY sTeWaRT and clinT BOWYeR with 2017 SHR Ford. SHR has driven Chevrolet cars since the team’s inception in 2002 at Kansas Speedway. The switch to Ford in 2017, marks the first manufacture change for the NASCAR Team. Photo via stewarthaasracing.com

danica PaTRick picks up previous partner Aspen Dental as her sponsor for her fifth full Cup season. Getty Images for NASCAR

together so that you can see more Fords running up front.”

Ford’s Pericak called Harvick the “leader,” a versatile title contender very adept on various

types of tracks. Harvick left Richard Childress Racing to join SHR in ’14, to join his buddy Stewart. Pericak said Harvick was pivotal in SHR going to Ford.

“When we decided to partner up with Stewart-Haas, he was one that was brought in early in the discussion to make sure that we understood his perspective on things,” Pericak said. “I think it’s invaluable to have someone like Kevin, a championship-level driver, to add to our efforts. To get him into our simulator, to get him to help as we work on avoiding those bumps in the road that you’re asking about. Kevin is just an absolute, unbelievable resource — a great guy to work with. So we’re really excited to have him. He’s going to help raise the chinning bar for everybody.”

Mea nwh i le, Stewa r t-Haas c lea r e d a m aj or hu rd le on Valentine’s Day as it noted its expanding Aspen Dental’s role from sponsoring four Cup races of the no. 10 Ford to a “doubledigit slate” as lead sponsor. A dental firm is a fitting sponsor, as SHR was pulling teeth to get a main sponsor after a sudden void.

The Aspen Dental Ford’s color is a rich medium blue.

Aspen Dental has sponsored SHR cars since 2012, and Patrick since ’14. Patrick stated she is “struck by their commitment to helping people, and changing l ive s ” by “ br e a k i n g dow n barriers and helping patients get the dental care they need.”

Its CEO, Bob Fontana, praised Patrick as “ambassador” for the firm’s Healthy Mouth Movement.

Th e pr og ra m don at e d $7. 5 million in donated dentistry to veterans. Names of 2,200 vets were on Patrick’s Aspen Dentalsponsored car, in a 2015 race at Chicagoland.

This is Patrick’s fifth full Cup season. The former IndyCar star has six top-10s in 154 Cup starts; her first was on the Daytona 500 pole as a rookie in 2013. TaxAct and Code 3 Associates each sponsor three of her Cup races this year. Mobile 1 may be in the mix, and again sponsors Harvick along with Busch Beer and Jimmy John’s.

Nature’s Bakery sponsored 27 of her Cup races in ’16 as GoDaddy.com’s successor, and was slated to be there for 20-25 races this year. SHR lodged a $31.6 million breach of contract suit against Nature’s Bakery in early February. The suit is in N.C. superior court.

SHR claimed Nature’s Bakery refused to pay over $15 million each for this season and next — the finale of a three-year deal. The suit reveals the Nevada brownies maker on Jan. 19 decided it’d terminate the deal. SHR disputes t he ba k er y ’s c l a i m Pat r ic k first breached the contract by promoting competing products via Instagram posts, and not promot i ng Nat u re’s Ba ker y enough on social media.

Monster Energy still sponsors much of Busch’s 41 Cup slate, while now also sponsoring the entire Cup series. Bowyer lacks sponsorship for several races.

Tea m co - ow ner G ene Haa s already sponsors many of Busch’s races, via Haas Automation. The millionaire is an option to fill out sponsorships, but funds costly F1’s sole American team. Also, SHR plans to add an Infinity car this year.

—Pete ZaMPlas

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Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Lynyrd Skynyrd Crank up the Excitement With Patriotic Coca-Cola 600 Concert leGendary roCk Band lynyrd skynyrd Will PerforM at Charlotte Motor sPeedWay on May 28 in the free CoCa-Cola 600 Pre-raCe ConCert Presented By sPeed Perks ans will roar and the red, wh ite a nd blue will wave before the green flag on May 28 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Iconic rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd will salute America with the ultimate Memorial Day Weekend mix of rock and racing in front of a captivated audience in the CocaCola 600 Concert presented by Speed Perks.

The 2006 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees will perform hits including world-renowned, Southern rock anthems “Free Bi rd” a nd “Swe e t Home Alabama” for Coca-Cola 600 ticket holders on the Pit Party stage on pit road.

“We can’t wait to get to rocking with all the race fans,” lead singer Johnny Van Zant said. “This is going to be one of the coolest concerts we’ll play all year. It’s not often that you get the chance to perform before something as true-blue American as the CocaCola 600. Everybody had better be ready because it’s going to get wild.”

The Lynyrd Skynyrd CocaCola 600 Concert presented by Speed Perks will come to life on the Pit Party stage located on pit road near the frontstretch scoring pylon. The concert is part of a series of exciting prerace festivities for the Coca-Cola

600, NASCAR’s ultimate test of man and machine. The Pit Party also includes attractions like games and driver appearances.

Additionally, the Lynyrd Skynyrd concert will be shown on the giant Speedway TV. Pit pass and driver intro pass buyers will have stage-area infield access.

With a catalog of more than 60 albums, sales beyond 30 million worldwide and their beloved classic American rock anthem “Sweet Home Alabama” having sold more than 2 million ringtones, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Lynyrd Skynyrd remai n a c ult ural icon t hat appeals to multiple generations.

Click here for a full bio.

tiCkets:

To purchase tickets, camping and race-day upgrades including Driver Intro passes and Pit Party admission, fans can call the speedway ticket office at 1-800455-FANS (3267) or shop online at charlottemotorspeedway.com.

keeP traCk:

Fans can connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway by following on Twitter and Instagram or become a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.

—nasCar Media

“Everybody had better be ready because it’s going to get wild.”

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“For every person that ever worked on any of our teams, I salute you,” Martin said.

“This is your moment, our moment. The road was long, and sometimes the mountains seemed insurmountable. But in the end, here we stand in the grandest victory lane of all.

We made it to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.”

NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees Richard Childress (left) and Rick Hendrick shake hands after receiving their Hall of Fame jackets prior to the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2017 Induction Ceremony at NASCAR Hall of Fame on January 20, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Recognizes 5 NASCAR Icons Childress, Hendrick, Martin, Parks, Parsons Officially Enshrined ive of NASCAR’s legendary competitors – three owners and two drivers – were enshrined into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, tonight during the Induction Ceremony held in the Crown Ball Room at the Charlotte Convention Center.

Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Mark Martin, Raymond Parks and Benny Parsons make up the eighth Class of The NASCAR Hall of Fame – a shrine of the sport’s history that now houses 40 inductees.

A man from humble beginnings, Richard Childress bought his first race car for $20 at the age of 17.

He turned that purchase into a NASCAR dynasty, winning six premier series championships with NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt from 19842000. Overall, Childress ranks second all-time with 11 titles across NASCAR’s three national series. His Richard Childress Racing team has

won 105 NASCAR premier series races.

“Only in America could a kid selling peanuts and popcorn at Bowman Gray Stadium have a dream of becoming a race driver someday,” Childress said. “And then he goes out and buys himself an old ‘47 Plymouth, pays $20 for it – that was the best investment I ever made – and have a dream of being a NASCAR driver someday, be standing up here tonight to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Only in America.”

After winning three championships as the owner of a drag-racing boat team, Rick Hendrick founded “All-Star Racing” in 1984 – the team that would later become Hendrick Motorsports. The organization has won a record 12 premier series championships with drivers Jimmie Johnson (seven), Jeff Gordon (four) and Terry Labonte (1). Hendrick Motorsports has a total of 15 NASCAR national series titles, the most in NASCAR history.

Overall, it boasts 245 premier series wins.

“I’m the luckiest guy in the world because of my family, because of the friends I’ve met in this sport,” Hendrick said.

“I thank you, God bless you, and thank everyone who voted for me and all the fans because this is an honor that I will never, ever forget.”

Considered “the greatest driver to never win a championship,” Mark Martin finished runner-up in the premier series standings five times. During his 31-year Cup career, Martin totaled 40 wins (17th all-time), 61 runner-ups (sixth), 271 top fives (seventh) and 453 top 10s (third) in 882 starts (fifth).

Successful at every NASCAR level, the Batesville, Arkansas, native visited Victory Lane 49 times in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and held its wins record for 14 years. He retired with 96 wins across NASCAR’s three national series – seventh on the all-time list.

One of stock car racing’s earliest – and most successful – owners, Raymond Parks dominated the sport with his team in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He paired with mechanic Red Vogt to help Red Byron win the first NASCAR title (modified, 1948) and first premier series championship (1949). Known for always donning a suit and keeping his cars in pristine condition, Parks is credited for helping to transform NASCAR into a nationally recognized sport.

“But what really hit me, I think, was the first time I went to the Daytona International Speedway, I was sitting in the stands, and it hit me, because everything I had heard growing up, I could see all of them in the Streamline Motel (where Parks helped Bill France Sr. create NASCAR),” said Parks’ granddaughter Patricia DePottey, who accepted on his behalf. “I could see the cars racing around in the sand. I could just envision everything that he accomplished, and it was like all of the stories became real.”

Benny Parsons drove a taxi for a living in Detroit before embarking on his storied racing career. He won the 1973 NASCAR premier series title and finished fifth or better in the premier series standings in nine consecutive seasons (1972-80). Parsons won 21 races in 526 career

starts, and tallied 283 top-10 finishes – a 53 percent ratio.

He took the checkered flag in the 1975 Daytona 500 and was the first driver to qualify a stock car at more than 200 mph (200.176 in 1982 at Talladega Superspeedway).

Following his driving career, he made a seamless transition to the broadcast booth as a commentator for NBC and TNT until his passing in 2007, at the age of 65.

“The most important thing about tonight for him would be the people and especially the fans, understand how much they meant to him and how much he loved each and every one of you,” said Parsons’ wife Terri, who accepted on his behalf. “You all have such great stories, and tonight is really a celebration of his life.”

In addition to the five inductees enshrined, H. Clay Earles was honored as the third recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. Earles built and opened Martinsville Speedway in 1947.

It remains the only short track to host a NASCAR premier series race every year since the series’ inception in 1949. Built as a dirt track, Earles grew the primitive venue into a multimillion-dollar facility covering over 340 acres. Shaped like a paperclip, the .526-mile asphalt track is a crown jewel of NASCAR and known as the sport’s “Wrigley Field.”

Prior to tonight’s Induction Ceremony, multi-faceted journalist Benny Phillips was posthumously granted the sixth Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence.

A versatile storyteller, Phillips spent 48 years with the High Point (N.C.) Enterprise as a reporter and sports editor.

He also wrote for Stock Car Racing Magazine for 27 years and commentated for 12 years on TBS. Known for his ability to transform drivers into heroes with his words, Phillips penned four books, including Dale Earnhardt’s autobiography “Determined,” which he co-authored with fellow NASCAR reporter Ben Blake. Phillips died in 2012 at the age of 74 from polio, which he battled his entire life.

—Nascar media

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42 IWANNA® FEBRUARY 21, 2017

Richard Childress: A $20 Car, a Couple of Great Breaks & Prolonged Excellence

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JoUrneyMan stoCk Car raCer CaUGht liGhtninG in a Bottle, not onCe BUt tWiCe NASCAR’S only driver strike, on the eve of the 1969 inaugural race at Talladega Superspeedway, gave Childress the opportunity to earn enough money to build his first race shop and lay the foundation for Richard Childress Racing, t h e p owe rhou s e C h e v r ole t organization which to date has claimed 11 owner titles across NASCAR’s three national series.

Nearly a decade later, the Winston-Salem, N.C. native met Dale Earnhardt. Together, the pair won six NA S C A R p r e m i e r s e r i e s championships along with 67 races between 1984 and 2000.

Ea r n ha rdt entered t he NASCAR Hall of Fame as a member of its 2010 inaugural class. Childress was enshrined in the hall on Jan. 20 in Charlotte, along with Rick Hendrick, Mark Martin, Raymond Parks and Benny Parsons.

Childress, 71, grew up selling peanuts and popcorn at WinstonSalem’s legendary Bowman Gray Stadium.

Soon after, he bought a 1947 Plymouth for $20.

“That’s where it started,” he said in a Grainger.com interview.

“It’s the best investment I ever made.”

Top d r ivers – t hos e w it h factory contracts – made a decent living while independents like Childress barely scraped by. He went to Talladega in the fall of 1969 to compete in a preliminary event but was asked by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. to enter the Talladega 500 when Professional Driver Association members withdrew, citing high speeds and tire failures.

“I had made three or four thousand dollars on Saturday,” Childress told The Birmingham News in 2009. “The money that (France) paid us to run – we called it deal money in those days – plus my winnings, I came back with seven, eight, 10 thousand dollars.

In those days it was big money.

“It was my big break. Life’s all about the breaks and when you take advantage of them. That was the difference between making it and not making it.”

Childress never won a race as a driver but was able to secure

▲ RichaRd childRess made 41 starts in the NASCAR Grand Touring/Grand American division between 1969 and 1971 before moving on to Cup racing. He finished 22 of those races in the top ten. (ISC Archives via Getty Images)

enough sponsorship to keep going. His equipment generally was immaculate and pleased suppor ters, who u lt i mately would provide much greater – and crucial – financial backing.

Earnhardt, who’d won his first championship in 1980, chose not to accompany Rod Osterlund’s team upon its sale to J.D. Stacy.

He joined Childress for 11 races, replac i ng t he ow ner i n t he driver’s seat.

“I didn’t want to get out of the car but I knew the opportunity was there – and I didn’t want to pass it up,” Childress told foxnews.com last year. “I knew Dale was a championship driver.

That was one of the biggest breaks in the history of RCR and Richard Childress.

“I was ma x xed out. I did everything I could do on my

home. I sold everything I thought I had that I could sell just to run Dale in those (11) races.”

Earnhardt left to race for Bud Moore, and Childress – thanks to a bail-out from primary sponsor Wrangler jeans – was able to continue. With Ricky Rudd, RCR scored its first victory in June 1983 at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. Earnhardt returned to RCR the following season, capturing the team’s first premier series title in 1986. Additional championships followed in 1987, 1990-91 and 1993-94.

Longtime racing executive and Charlotte Motor Speedway promoter H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler credited Childress for molding Earnhardt into one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers. “In his own, quiet Southern way, Richard instilled in Dale all he knew,” Wheeler wrote in “Growing Up NASCAR.” “Richard knew what to say and when to say it and he knew how to get the best out of his driver. Richard was a brilliant, brilliant coach, something most drivers never get.”

Ea r n h a rdt a nd C h i ld r e s s finally won the long-elusive Daytona 500 in 1998, three years before the driver’s death on the final lap of the “Great American Race.”

Childress considered leaving the sport – “Probably all the

way up until Tuesday. Sunday night, definitely,” he said – but recalled a hunting incident after which he and Earnhardt agreed each would go on if something happened to the other.

RCR promoted its NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Kevin Harvick to drive its Chevrolets – retiring the iconic No. 3 in deference to the late Intimidator.

Childress returned the number to its cars several years ago when his grandson, Austin Dillon, moved to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Ser ies a f ter winning NASCAR Camping World Truck and XFINITY titles.

To date, RCR has won 105 NASCAR premier series races.

The organization counts four XFINITY owner titles and the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Tr uc k Ser ies ow ner championship in 1995 with Mike Skinner. RCR also captured t he XFINITY Ser ies dr iver championship in 2013 and the Camping World Truck Series driver title in 2011, both with Austin Dillon.

Childress, recipient of the 1986 Bill France Award of Excellence, is a member of the Motorsports Ha l l of Fa me of A mer ic a, International Motorsports Hall of Fame and North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

—nasCar Media

▲ Team owners Richard Childress and Richard Petty hug on the grid

prior to the start of the NSCS Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway on May 16, 2010 (Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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From Small Beginnings, Rick Hendrick Reached Pinnacle Of Success in Business & NASCAR

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it’s said reaChinG the toP is the easy Part; stayinG there is More diffiCUlt FOR RICK HENDRICK, the climb up the mountain required a decade of hard work culminating i n Hendr ick Motorsports capt uring its first NASCAR premier series championship in 1995.

Two decades later, Hendrick’s Chevrolet team remains stock car racing’s platinum standard: a record 12 NASCAR premier series titles – including Jimmie Joh n s on’s r e c ord-m atc h i ng seventh crown in 2016 – and 245 victories with 16 different drivers.

“It just seems like yesterday we didn’t think we’d even make it through our first year (1984) and now we’ve won 12 of these things, and it’s hard to do,” said Hendrick following Johnson’s t it l e -w i n n i n g v i c t o r y l a s t November at Homestead-Miami Speedway in south Florida.

The 67-yea r- old Hendr ick reac hed yet a not her ca re er milestone in January when he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The Class of 2017 includes fellow team owner R ic h a rd C h i ld r e s s, f or me r Hendrick Motorsports drivers Mark Martin and Benny Parsons and pioneer car owner Raymond Parks.

B or n i n Pa l me r Spr i n g s, Vi rg i n ia, Joseph R idd ic k “Rick” Hendrick III envisioned a professional baseball career during high school but instead enrolled in a co-op work study program administered by North Carolina State University and Westinghouse Electric Co. in Raleigh, North Carolina. At age 23, he became general manager of a small used car lot.

He tells of his boss needing a clutch for an Opel so the car could be sold for $300. Hendrick bought the car for $325, fixed the clutch and sold the Opel for $700.

“That’s when I learned that you could make more money selling cars than working on them,” Hendrick said in a June 14, 1987 Los Angeles Times story.

Today, the Charlotte-based Hendrick Automotive Group is the nation’s largest privately-held dealer organization with nearly 100 outlets.

Hendrick became involved in drag boat racing – “I liked racing boats; there are no speed limits on water,” he told The Times’ Shav Glick. Leaving that sport and looking for somewhere to store his boats, he came across an old warehouse in Harrisburg, North Carolina. By chance, the property was owned by Harry Hyde, an out-of-work NASCAR crew chief who had won the 1970 championship with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Isaac.

Hyde proposed start ing a racing team, which Hendrick agreed to do. Hendrick thought big from the outset, attempting t o h i r e NA S C A R H a l l o f Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt but was rebuffed by both champions. All-Star Racing debuted with then-lesser known Geoff Bodine, who won in the team’s eighth start at Martinsville Speedway on April 29, 1984.

Hendrick expanded to two cars in 1986, adding the late Tim Richmond, who won seven times – the organization’s best until Jeff Gordon matched the number en route to his first championship in 1995. The team currently is a four-car operation with Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chase Elliott and Kasey Kahne.

Hendrick’s willing ness to spend top dollar for the best technology while working closely with General Motors helped separate the organization from its competitors. But Hendrick Motorsports has always been about people – finding and keeping the very best, from driver’s seat, to pit box and engine room.

Hendrick pulled Gordon, a 20-year-old California openwheel sensation, out of obscurity.

He worked a similar magic with off-road and motorcycle racer Johnson. He backed them up with talented organizers like c rew c h ief s R ay Ever n ha m and Chad Knaus – all of them future NASCAR Hall of Famers.

Johnson won seven titles, Gordon four and NASCAR Hall of Famer Terry Labonte added another. The team also counts three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

▲ JeFF GORdOn celebrates with team owner Rick hendRick and daughter

Ella Sophia on the yard of bricks after winning the NSCS Crown Royal Presents The John Wayne Walding 400 at the Brickyard Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27, 2014. (Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

owner championships.

But Hendrick’s leadership role also is unquestioned. He has led from the front since the beginning, as exemplified by a 20-hour wind tunnel stint last August.

“If you ask guys to work 20 hours in a wind tunnel, being there to support, looking at the data with them, it shows I’m willing to do what it takes,” Hendrick told NBCSports.com.

“Being a servant leader … that means you’re there to support the rest of them. I’m accountable and they’re accountable.”

There have been downsides along with the success. In 1996 Hendrick was diagnosed with

chronic myelogenous leukemia but has been in full remission since December 1999. The Rick and Linda Hendrick earlier began the Hendrick Marrow Program, raising funds to help find bone matches for patients.

On Oct. 24, 2004, one of the team’s aircraft crashed en route to t he race at Ma r t i n sv i l le Speedway. Among the 10 who perished were Hendrick’s son, Ricky, and his brother, John. The team grieved but moved forward in the victims’ memory.

“If we didn’t have the character and the chemistry we have here it would have all fallen apart,” Hendrick told ESPN.com on the 10th anniversary of the accident.

“It was a point in time that this place built more character than any group I’ve ever seen.”

Hendrick Motorsports is the fourth-longest tenured current organization in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, behind the Wood Brothers, Richard Childress Racing and Team Penske.

“I told somebody the neatest thing in almost 30 years are the friends I’ve got, the guys I’ve got to race against every week,” Hendrick said in the 2012 Autoweek article. “This is special. I don’t care what anybody says, this is family and the NASCAR family is special.”

—nasCar Media

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46 IWANNA® FEBRUARY 21, 2017

Mark Martin’s Fitness Regimen Redefined the NASCAR Athlete & Prolonged Winning Career

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TO THE SURPRISE of no one, Mark Martin continued to win races at the highest level well past an age when most competitors have hung up their helmets.

With five victories past the age of 50, Martin also came within one standings position of winning the 2009 premier series championship.

The ph ra s e ‘age i s ju st a number’ may be cliché – but it c er t a i n ly appl ie d to t he d i m i nut ive M a r t i n , who s e fitness regimen of heavy weight lifting and healthy eating became legend and ultimately sent his fellow competitors flocking to gyms and nutritionists.

In short, Martin lived his life like a man half his age – and drove like it as well.

“I told the guys I don’t have any problem keeping up with a 25 -yea r- old,” he told The Associated Press in April 2009 after becoming the third-oldest winner in NASCAR premier ser ies h istor y at Phoen i x International Raceway. “I feel really good.”

Only one driver – Harry Gant – won more races after his 50th birthday. Martin polished off

a 40-victory resume during a magical year driving for Hendrick Motorsports in 2009, adding to his 35 wins at Roush Fenway Raceway. That’s the most wins by a competitor without a series championship.

And although Martin never won the ultimate prize, the now 58-year-old Martin finished as runner up a record-matching five times.

Martin’s illustrious career spanned four decades – 1981 t h rough 2013 – a nd will be celebrated w it h h i s Ja n. 20 induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina (8 p.m. ET on NBCSN).

His fellow i nductees i n t he Hall’s Class of 2017 are Richard C h i ld r e s s, R ic k He nd r ic k , Ray mond Pa rk s a nd Ben ny Parsons.

Martin’s racing career began as a teenager, competing on dirt tracks in Arkansas then moving to asphalt. Larry Shaw, a top competitor, car builder and fellow Batesville resident, predicted Martin would be a success – and not just on area tracks.

“He did not want to settle for second and he was really

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▲ MaRk MaRTin, driver of the #5 CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet, talks with TOnY sTeWaRT, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet, during practice for the NSCS Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 14, 2009 in Avondale, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

dedicated to winning races,” said Shaw.

Martin joined the American Speed Association, a top Midwest late model circuit where he raced against NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison, Dick Trickle, Jim Sauter and Joe Shear. He won 22 races and four championships, the last in 1986 that followed an abortive attempt to crack NASCAR’s premier series.

He fielded his own car in 1981, finishing third at Martinsville and winning poles at Nashville and Richmond, and was runner up to rookie of the year Geoff Bod i ne t he fol low i ng yea r.

Between 1981 and 1987, Martin drove for eight different owners with little success.

That changed dramatically when Martin signed to drive Jack Roush’s Fords. Martin won his first race in October 1989 at Rockingham, North Carolina, and finished third in series points – marking t he f i r st of 12 con s e c ut ive seasons of eighth or better in the championship.

Martin battled NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt down to the final race of the 1990 season, ultimately losing the title by 26 points. Martin’s other runnerup finishes came in 1994 (to Earnhardt), 1998 (to (Jeff Gordon), 2002 (to Tony Stewart) and 2009 (to Jimmie Johnson).

Leaving Roush Fenway Racing after the 2006 season, Martin

spent the following two years competing part-time prior to joining Rick Hendrick’s team in 2009. His Phoenix victory broke a 97-race winless drought but a Chase victory to begin the Chase proved to be Martin’s last trip to Victory Lane.

Ultimately, Martin himself knew when his time was up. “ T h e yo u n g g u y s we r e getting better, I was heading the other way and so it wasn’t fun anymore because I didn’t meet my personal expectations,” he said after stepping away after the 2013 season. “So if it’s not fun, stop. And that’s why it was actually easy for me to quit.

“On a bluesy day, finishing second those times can aggravate you. But normally, I just think, ‘Yeah but look at all the great things I got to do and the great people I got to work with.’”

Ma r t i n won rac e s i n 15 seasons on 20 different tracks along with 56 poles. Absent from the list is Daytona International Speedway and its Daytona 500, a race he lost to Kevin Harvick by 0.020 second in 2007. Martin also won the All-Star Race twice.

Martin won 49 times in the NA S C A R X F I N I T Y S e r i e s holding the record for most victories for 14 seasons. He also won seven NASCAR Camping World Tr uck Ser ies events giving Martin 96 victories across NASCAR’s three national series, ranking seventh all time.

Mart in owns a family of automobi le dea lersh ips i n Arkansas. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2015.

—nasCar Media

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48 IWANNA® FEBRUARY 21, 2017

Benny Parsons: Stock Car Racing’s ‘Nice Guy Champion’

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A SINGLE WORD defined the late Benny Parsons: Beloved.

It mattered not whether you were fellow competitor, race fan or television viewer. Parsons was more than just a top premier series driver or broadcaster.

To race with him – or just to meet him – Parsons had the aura of being the best friend you wished you had.

Parsons became the NASCAR premier series champion in 1973.

He won 21 times, a resume that included the 1975 Daytona 500.

“Benny didn’t win a lot of races – some thought he wasn’t ruthless enough – but few drivers won more friends and fans,” wrote Larry Woody in a 2014 Racin’ Today story.

“Ten minutes and you bonded with him,” said Rick Hendrick, whose Chevrolets Parsons drove in 1987.

Benjamin Stewart “Benny” Parsons was born July 12, 1941 in rural Wilkes County, N.C. He grew up with his grandmother in a log cabin without plumbing or running water and remained in Parsonsville through high school, to play football at Millers Creek High School. Parsons t hen followed his family to

Detroit, where his father ran the Metropolitan Cab Co. Parsons drove taxis – and thus would be known throughout his racing career as the “Detroit cab driver.”

Unlike today’s competitors who start young, Parsons didn’t climb into a race car until age 21.

He bought a friend’s car – which was in pieces – for $50, put on new sheet metal and entered a figure-8 race, spinning out in that first attempt.

Parsons won the Automobile C lu b of A me r ic a n (A RC A) championships in 1968-69 and made his Daytona 500 debut in 1969, finishing seventh. In 1970, the Ellerbe, North Carolina, resident ran 45 of 48 races – most of them for trucking company ow ner a nd Nor t h Ca rol i n a Speedway promoter L.G. DeWitt, ending the season eighth in points. He scored his first victory May 9, 1971 at South Boston (Virginia) Speedway.

The Pa rson s-DeWit t relationship produced 12 victories and the 1973 championship.

Parsons took the title with a single victory and consistent finishes, even though NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson was the year’s dominant force with

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▲ BennY PaRsOns poses for a portrait with his car before the Winston Cup Daytona 500 on February 19, 1978 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. (ISC Archives via Getty Images)

11 wins in 18 starts – 10 fewer appearances than Parsons.

Parsons led the point standings from May’s event at Talladega Superspeedway on and wouldn’t be derailed by a crash 13 laps into October’s American 500 at Rockingham. His 23-year-old crew chief, Travis Carter, figured the car, body torn from the right side and roll cage twisted, was finished. Parsons climbed out and walked away.

But what actually transpired is one of t hose examples of selflessness and unity that define racing. From every direction, mechanics from other teams – some still in the race – swarmed over the stricken Chevy.

One hour and 14 minutes after t he wrecker deposited the car in the garage, Parsons returned his No. 72 to the track – in one observer’s description – “now resembling a plumber’s nightmare.”

“It was fantastic,” Parsons said later. “All the crews cheered when I went down pit road and as I went around the track I could see people waving me on. That’s the first time it ever happened and I’ll never forget it.”

Parsons went on the win for M.C. Anderson, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bud Moore and Johnny Hayes. His last victory came at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1984.

Along the way, Parsons became the first driver to qualify a stock car at more than 200 mph in 1982 at Talladega. He retired following the 1988 season.

Interestingly, much of Parsons’ racing career – and success – came before NASCAR truly became a national phenomenon. Television interest in the sport helped push it to the next level and Parsons soon became the face of the sport.

He was a commentator for The Nashville Network (TNN) and NBC, winning an Emmy for his work in 1996.

NA S C A R H a l l o f Fa m e r and fellow broadcaster Darrell Waltrip said Parsons’ delivery transcended nuts and bolts.

“He talked through that,” said Waltrip, in a Jan. 17, 2012 Newsday article. “He was able to deliver

to the people. He just tried to be passionate about what he believed and he did a great job of explaining what people were seeing.”

Fel low broadcaster Mat t Yocum said Parsons helped change television.

“When Benny came in, he had (a) little bit of a southern drawl and he had his personality,” s a i d Yo c u m , q u o t e d b y Michiganradio.org last June.

“Whet her it was sht ic k of ‘Buffet Benny’ talking about the different restaurants in the area ... his personality really warmed up the TV audience.”

“He was exactly the way he was in real life as he was on TV,” Mark McCarter wrote this month in the Anniston (Alabama) Star. “He was a magnetic personality.”

Parsons was voted one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998 and was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2005.

—nasCar Media

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Stock Car Racing Pioneer Raymond Parks Set Standard During NASCAR’s Early Era

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AS ONE OF early stock car racing’s most successful car owners, it is appropriate that Raymond Parks captured the first two championships offered by the fledgling National Association for Stoc k Ca r Auto Rac i ng , a n organization Parks helped form in 1947.

Parks and his driver, Red Byron, won NASCAR’s modified title in 1948. The pair, along with mechanic Red Vogt, became the sanctioning body’s 1949 Strictly Stock champions – the initial season of what is now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

The Dawson County, Georgia, native and his racing team were gone from NASCAR after 1955, winning just twice. But Parks, who died in 2010 at the age of 96, was seen as one of the sport’s seminal figures and a visionary.

“He set the standard. Mr. Parks brought the sport class,” said NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty in a speedwaymedia.com interview shortly after Parks’ death. “It took people like Mr. Parks to lay the foundation we’re living off of.

“And without him, we wouldn’t have the history we have and we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

Parks was born in the north Georgia mountains in 1914, the eldest of his father’s 16 children. By age 14, Parks had run away from home, landing in Atlanta where he worked at a still and later went into business for himself, bringing liquor from Dawsonville to Atlanta restaurants. He later branched out into legitimate enterprises supplying businesses with vending machines and jukeboxes.

“He always kept his dignity and his kindness, always behaved more like one of Atlanta’s most sophisticated businessmen, always was dapper in his finest hats and tailored suits,” wrote Ed Hinton for ESPN.com in June 2010, shortly after Parks’ passing.

In the 1930s, Parks added stock car racing to his resume, fielding some of the region’s fastest cars with a driver’s roster that included Byron, Lloyd Seay, Roy Hall, Bob and Fonty Flock and NASCAR Hall of Famer Curtis Turner. He was instantly visible at the track, always dressed in wool suit, tie and fedora hat.

A famous photograph shows Park changing tires on one of his cars during the inaugural Southern 500 at Darlington, S.C., still wearing his white shirt and tie.

Parks served with the U.S. Army’s 99th Infantry Division during World War II, fighting in the 1944-45 Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. Returning home, Parks resumed racing, frequently fielding two and three cars. His team won all five Daytona Beach beach-road course races in 1945 and 1946.

“He came back with a vengeance, more determined to do and accomplish things he felt like he already should have done,” said Ray Fox, a master mechanic, engine builder and NASCAR official.

Parks was among some three dozen racing figures who gathered in December 1947 at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach to create NASCAR, under direction of fellow driver and race promoter William “Big Bill” France.

Like France, Parks believed that a rough and tumble, frequently disorga n ized act ivit y could become a nationally recognized sport like baseball or football.

Parks financially supported the organization during its early years and boosted NASCAR’s image apart from jalopy racing.

“He kept his cars clean and neat like they do today,” said NASCAR Hall of Famer Glen Wood in 2010.

“The rest of us just kind of beat them out if they got banged up. He would have still been around today if he had kept on until the factories got into it.

“He opened a lot of doors and windows to how to do things and taught a lot of racers how to do it better.”

Fellow NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Junior Johnson concurred.

“Anywhere he showed up, he had the best cars,” said Johnson in the ESPN.com obituary. “He’s been an asset [to the sport] all his life to it.”

Parks left NASCAR to become a successful developer and owner of service stations and convenience stores.

Parks was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2009. He also was part of the inaugural class inducted into the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame.

—nasCar Media

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▲ 1946: Car owner RaYMOnd PaRks (L) and his driver BOB FlOck (R) before the start of a Modified Stock Car race at Greenville-Pickens Speedway. (ISC Archives via Getty Images)

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NASCAR Drive for Diversity Announces

2017 DRIVeR CLASS siX driVers seleCted to Join reV raCinG in sPort’s toP deVeloPMent ProGraM fter a season of milestones for NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduates competing across NASCAR national series, the industry’s flagship development program for multicultural and female drivers has announced that six drivers will join its 2017 class. The drivers were selected after a competitive combine

held last October at New Smyrna Speedway and will compete for Rev Racing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and NASCAR Whelen AllAmerican Series.

The 2017 class features a for me r NA SC A R PEA K Mexico Series champion, the granddaughter of one of the sport’s female pioneers, and NASCAR Drive for Diversity’s

first sibling teammates. The drivers will attempt to follow in the footsteps of program graduates and current national series drivers Kyle Larson, Darrell Wallace Jr., and 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Ser ies champion Daniel Suárez.

“Now more than ever, we’re seeing the impact of NASCAR’s developme nt prog ra m i n producing drivers who excel at the highest echelons of our sport,” said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. “There’s a great deal of talent and potential in this year’s class.

With the strong foundation that NASCAR Drive for Diversity provides, these drivers will h ave t h e op p or t u n it y to develop the skills needed to elevate their racing careers.”

The 2017 class is led by four returning drivers, Collin Cabre, Jay Beasley, Madeline Crane and Rubén García Jr., who first competed in stock car racing in his native Mexico.

Collin’s younger brother, Chase Cabre, joins 16-year-old Macy Causey as this year’s NASCAR Drive for Diversity newcomers.

Causey’s grandmother, Diane

Teel, was the first woman to compete in a NASCAR XFINITY Series race in 1982.

Rev Racing, the operational arm of NASCAR Drive for Diversity, will field four teams in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and two in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

NASCAR Drive for Diversity aligns drivers with a team of executives, athletic directors, c r ew c h ief s a nd me ntor s tasked wit h helping t hem achieve career successes, and thus improving their goal of reaching one of the three NASCAR national series.

Si nc e it b ega n f ield i ng NASCAR Drive for Diversity cars in 2010, Rev Racing has been one of the most consistent teams in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, registering 17 wins, 65 top-five and 124 top-10 finishes with drivers finishing in the top-10 in points each season.

“Each year the applicant pool and talent level rises and our program continues to evolve and create more opportunities for advancement,” said Max Siegel, CEO and owner of Rev Racing. “NASCAR Drive for

Diversity and Rev Racing are proud of the impact that we have had in the sport and we look forward to graduating the next generation of athletes to the national series.”

The 2016 NASCAR season was a h istor ic yea r for NASCAR Drive for Diversity alumni. Larson, who is AsianAmerican, became the first program graduate to win a race and reach the playoffs in the sport’s premier series, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

With his NASCAR XFINITY Series victory at Michigan I nt e r n at i o n a l S p e e dway, Suárez was the first Mexicanborn driver to win a national series race, and last November he became the first foreignborn driver to win a national series championship. Suárez will make his debut in the Monster Energ y NASCAR Cup Series racing for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017.

—nasCar Media

the 2017 nasCar driVe for diVersity roster featUres:

RUBÉN GARCIA JR. AT AGE 20, the Mexico City native became the youngest NASCAR PEAK Mexico driver to win the series championship in 2015. García was also part of the NASCAR Next program in both 2015 and 2016. He returns to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East after finishing 10th in the series last season.

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CoLLIN CABRe

AN IMPRESSIVE SECOND year in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program was highlighted by four top-five and six top-10 finishes and a sixth-place finish in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship standings.

After winning the 2015 season finale at Dover International Speedway, Cabre was named to the 2016-2017 NASCAR Next class. The 23-year-old from Tampa, Florida, will compete in his third season in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East with Rev Racing.

JAY BeASLeY BEASLEY, 24, made history in 2013 by becoming the first African-American driver to win a Super Late Model race at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In his first season with the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program in 2014, he earned two top-five and five top-10 finishes in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. He returns to the series for his third season with Rev Racing.

CHASe CABRe CABRE, 20, registered 12 race wins in 21 starts in a 600 Mini Sprint Car and is a two-time Fall Brawl Champion at Florida’s Ocala Bullring. In 2016, he averaged a fourth-place finish in races at Hickory Motor Speedway and set two poles during the season. Chase will compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in his rookie season with Rev Racing.

MADeLINe CRANe THE GEORGIA NATIVE began her career racing Bandoleros at Atlanta Motor Speedway at age 10. Crane, 19, moved into Legend cars, and by the time she was 14 had garnered 59 top-five finishes in 82 starts. Returning for a second season with NASCAR Drive for Diversity, she will compete in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series following two top-five and 12 top-10 finishes in 2016.

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MACY CAUSeY

Causey was honored with the NASCAR Young Racer Award in 2016. The year prior, she won the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Virginia Rookie of the Year Award and earned top rookie honors at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia, where in 1978 her grandmother became the first woman to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race at the track. Causey will compete for Rev Racing in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series.

for More inforMation on nasCar driVe for diVersity, Visit nasCardiVersity.CoM

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NASCAR Unveils Enhanced Format Stage Lengths for All Three National Series fUel MileaGe, tire Wear aMonG deterMininG faCtors for laP CoUnts A SC A R h a s announced the 2017 stage lengths for each race in all three of its national series. A number of factors went into determining the lap count for Stage 1, Stage 2 and the Final Stage of each race, with a singular goal in mind – the best racing for NASCAR fans.

“Every track is unique for its characteristics in length, surface a nd overall rac i ng conditions,” said Scott Miller, NASCAR senior vice president of competition. “We worked

closely wit h race teams on expected fuel and tire runs over the entirety of an event when considering stage lengths. And in the end, stage lengths were decided based upon what would provide the best race for fans.”

Catch the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series seasonopening DAYTONA 500 (Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). For the Great American Race, the stages are scheduled to end on lap 60, lap 120 and lap 200.

TRACK

STAGe 1

STAGe 2

FINAL LAP

Daytona International Speedway

60

120

200

Atlanta Motor Speedway

85

170

325

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

80

160

267

Phoenix International Raceway

75

150

312

Auto Club Speedway

60

120

200

Martinsville Speedway

130

260

500

Texas Motor Speedway

85

170

334

Bristol Motor Speedway

125

250

500

Richmond International Raceway

100

200

400

Talladega Superspeedway

55

110

188

Kansas Speedway

80

160

267

Charlotte Motor Speedway

115

230

400

Dover International Speedway

120

240

400

Pocono Raceway

50

100

160

Michigan International Raceway

60

120

200

Sonoma Raceway

25

50

110

Daytona International Speedway

40

80

160

Kentucky Speedway

80

160

267

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

75

150

301

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

50

100

160

Pocono Raceway

50

100

160

Watkins Glen International

20

40

90

Michigan International Raceway

60

120

200

Bristol Motor Speedway

125

250

500

Darlington Raceway

100

200

367

Richmond International Raceway

100

200

400

Chicagoland Speedway

80

160

267

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

75

150

300

Dover International Speedway

120

240

400

Charlotte Motor Speedway

90

180

334

Talladega Superspeedway

55

110

188

Kansas Speedway

80

160

267

Martinsville Speedway

130

260

500

Texas Motor Speedway

85

170

334

Phoenix International Raceway

75

150

312

Homestead-Miami Speedway

80

160

267

(ends on lap)

(ends on lap)

(ends on lap)

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NASCAR 2017 season PREVIEW

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NASCAR 2017 season PREVIEW

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NASCAR 2017 season PREVIEW

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