2018 NASCAR Preview

2018

NASCAR

PREVIEW

YOUNG HUNGRY Impressive crop of drivers to debut at Daytona

2018

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2018

NASCAR ‘Some things are PREVIEW

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just meant to be’

Truex Jr. reminisces about irst Cup Series championship

By Zach Dean

positive and kept working. Cole had some pit strategy, got us the lead, and then I was like, ‘OK, now it’s all up artin Truex Jr. and crew chief to me. This is it. This is my opportuCole Pearn were in a precari- nity. They gave me the lead, and I’ve ous position for the majority got to find a way to get it done.’” of November’s season finale As he had done seven times at Homestead-Miami Speedway. For prior in 2017, Truex Jr. got it done, perhaps the first time all season on a holding off an epic charge by Kyle 1.5-mile track, the No. 78 Furniture Row Busch in the waning laps to grab his machine wasn’t the car to beat. eighth checkered flag of the seaAccording to the 37-year-old out son, and first career Monster Energy of Trenton, New Jersey, it didn’t NASCAR Cup Series championship. even have runner-up horsepower.

For that reason, Truex Jr. has “You know, all day long, we didn’t been named the Benny Kahn/ have it where we needed it,” Truex Jr. Daytona Beach News-Joursaid. “We were probably third-best nal Driver of the Year. Kahn was out of the four (championship-eligia pioneer in motorsports jourble cars) for a while. I felt like we just nalism in the 1950s and ‘60s.

Martin Truex Jr. at the Monster Energy NASCAR missed it a little bit, but we stayed More Content Now

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Cup Series awards in Las Vegas Nov. 30.

“You know, some things are just meant to be, I guess,” Truex Jr. said. “That’s all you can say. Last year (2016) wasn’t meant to be. We worked just as hard as we did this year, and this year it just all came together. It felt right.”

Truex Jr. experienced heartbreak in 2016, blowing an engine in the early stages of the elimination race at Talladega to end his title chances.

Unfortunately for the rest of the field, that was all the motivation the No. 78 team needed.

The Garden State native won a staggering eight races this past season — “Geez, that’s ridiculous,” he laughed — and added 19 top-5s, 26 top-10s and three poles. His 2,253 laps led were more than Jimmie Johnson ever had en route to a championship, and his eight wins were the most by a driver in a season since Denny Hamlin won the same number back in 2010.

The veteran, who broke into the Cup Series fulltime in 2006, really made his mark on 1.5-mile tracks, though, where he won seven of his eight races, including four in a row at one point.

“I mean, obviously those are moments you’re like, ‘Wow, we’ve got a good thing going,’” Pearn said after the team’s third win of the season at Kentucky, another 1.5mile track. “But it’s just fun.

I mean, we beat each other up. Everybody is equal, and everybody is equal to get beat on. We just keep each other honest and make sure we’re all pulling our weight. I think when you’ve got a whole team like that, it’s just really fun.”

As if the eight wins weren’t fun enough, the No. 78 team also dominated in the new points system, racking up a staggering 438 stage points, 19 stage wins and 48 stage top-5s.

Truex Jr. had such a strong regular season and accumulated so many stage points, he was a virtual lock to advance every round of the playoffs.

“I took the checkered flag and I was just junk. Like I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t think. I had no idea what to do,” Truex Jr. remembered of his championship win. “I was bawling like a little kid. It was insane, and I don’t even know why. All the things I’ve been through flashed through my head. All the people that have got me here flashed through my head.

“There’s so many things along the way that led me down this path, that got me here. So many people that sacrificed things to get me here, and all those things flashed through my head. It was just more than I could handle. But it felt pretty damned good. As bad as it hurt, it felt damned good. Crazy.”

Martin Truex Jr. and girlfriend Sherry Pollex in Homestead-Miami’s Victory Lane with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship trophy.

Danica’s storybook ending?

Ater an up-and-down NASCAR career, Danica Patrick is saying goodbye to big-time auto racing this season.

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he Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 are being called the “Danica Double” as peers and fans help send off one of the most groundbreaking female athletes in any sport.

The Daytona 500 will be the final NASCAR Cup race of Patrick’s career.

She will drive for Premier Motorsports in its No. 7 Chevrolet, completing a reunion with her first crew chief Tony Eury, Jr. History Maker Patrick drove for Stewart-Haas Racing all five of her full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series seasons from 2013 to 2017.

It is fitting that she wraps up her career with appearances in the Daytona 500 and Indy 500 — two of the world’s most renowned races. She is the only woman to have led laps both in the Daytona 500 (nine) and the Indy 500 (29).

Patrick won the pole for the 2013 Daytona 500 and finished eighth. She has six top-10s in seven Indy 500 starts with a best of third place in 2009.

Before moving to NASCAR, Patrick was the most successful woman to compete in American open-wheel racing and the only woman to ever win an IndyCar race. Her early-career performance earned her a 2005 Rookie of the Year award for both the Indianapolis 500 and the full IndyCar season.

Off the Track Patrick has plenty to keep her busy away from the race track.

She recently released a book, “Pretty

CAREER STATISTICS Intense,” launched a clothing line named “Warrior,” and has her own California vineyard, “Somnium.”

She also has been named one of TIME Magazine’s “Most Influential People.” A true pop culture icon, Patrick’s appearance in 13 GoDaddy Super Bowl commercials is the most of all time among celebrities.

Seasons: 6 Starts: 190 Wins: 0 First race: Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 26, 2012 Last race: Ford Ecoboost 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway on Nov. 19, 2017

Challenging the champ A Star on the Rise Truex’ path to success has been anything but smooth.

His career features a six-year span from 2007 to 2013 during which he did not win a single race.

And while he only finished in 11th place in the championship standings in the 2016 season, he did so after winning a career-high four races. This more than doubled his career win total and put him into strong position for much of the season. Issues in the playoffs took him out of contention, but it was the spark Truex needed to ruex, 37, has the veteran leadership to pull it off. build momentum heading into the 2017 season.

He had only finished in the top 10 once prior in his career entering the 2017 season. Now coming into Toyota Success his 13th campaign, he is looking to follow up on his Truex attributes much of his success to his team and breakout year that included: eight wins; three poles; 9.4 car. He drives the No. 78 car for Furniture Row Racing, average finish and 2,253 laps led. a Toyota-powered team. Toyota had the upper hand for

Martin Truex, Jr. put together a dominant performance in 2017 to win the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series championship. Can he do it again?

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much of the 2017 season, winning 14 of the last 19 races and 16 races overall.

Neither Chevrolet nor Ford had more than 10 victories.

NASCAR enthusiasts are expecting more of the same results this season, even as Ford fields a strong collection of drivers and Chevy unveils its Camaro to much fanfare.

A Class Act No matter what he does on the track in 2018, Truex has built a reputation as a generous man in his community.

He was named the National Motorsports Press Association’s Driver of the Year in 2017 for his performance both on and off the track.

The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation raises awareness and financial support for pediatric and ovarian cancer.

YOUNG & HUNGRY

By Godwin Kelly More Content Now

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our short years ago, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his second Daytona 500 with former NASCAR Cup Series champions Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth in hot pursuit. Gordon finished fourth and Kenseth wound up sixth that day.Fast-forward to 2018 and the Daytona 500 will have nearly a dozen new faces, all in their 20s, who have moved into the NASCAR garage to wheel high-profile rides.

Since the end of the 2015 racing season, NASCAR fans have seen an exodus of veteran drivers and a wave of millennials infiltrate the premier stock-car series.

Gordon was the first to go, after the 2015 season. He was soon followed by future Hall of Fame drivers Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Earnhardt and Kenseth.

And then there are Danica Patrick, who will take her last NASCAR ride in this year’s Daytona 500, and Brian Vickers, who didn’t race at all in 2017 because of a medical condition.

Taking up those positions are a new group of talented, confident, sometimes brash, young drivers who will likely take control of the lead pack in short order.

This youth movement includes William Byron and Alex Bowman — both Hendrick Motorsports rookies — Darrell Wallace Jr. — known as Bubba to fans — plus Erik Jones, who logged a year of Cup Series racing and now occupies the seat once held by Kenseth.

And there are several twenty-something drivers who have a few years of Cup Series racing on their resume as the 2018 season kicks and Alex Bowman — both Hendrick Motorsports rookies — Darrell Wallace Jr. — known as Bubba to fans — plus Erik Jones, who logged a year of Cup Series racing and now occupies the seat once held by Kenseth.

And there are several twenty-something drivers who have a few years of Cup Series racing on their resume as the 2018 season kicks off. That group includes Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Daniel Suarez, Kyle Larson and brothers Austin and Ty Dillon.

They all took different paths to get into the premier series but share several traits: They are in their 20s, they have had success on the way up, and they are hungry to win races.

Hendrick Motorsports When Gordon retired, Elliott, 22, took his place after showing his stock-car capabilities in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He won the Xfinity Joe Gibbs championship in 2014.

Rick Hendrick was the first car owner to put a young driver in a top-notch Cup Series ride. He put the then-little-known, 21-year-old Gordon in his No. 24 Chevrolet in 1993. Gordon won his first Cup race in 1994 and captured the first of four championships in 1995.

“Chase brings the kind of intangibles that make him the total package as a driver,” Hendrick said. “Not only is he a special talent inside the race car, but there’s a natural combination of competitiveness, work ethic and smarts that you rarely see.”

Elliott, the son of racing legend Bill Elliott, is one of those drivers of few words, but he was ecstatic to get the ride.

“Just excited to be part of the race team,” Elliott said.

“Want to make sure I try my best to do the job that they deserve.”

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Byron has won 11 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Xfinity Series races over the last two seasons. He has shown so much potential that Hendrick showed veteran Kasey Kahne the door at the end of 2017 and hired “Billy the Kid” to take his place.

Joe Gibbs Racing Kenseth, too, was a victim of the youth movement. The 45-year-old driver’s

contract was not renewed as Joe Gibbs Racing decided to put Jones, 21, behind the wheel of the No. 20 Toyota this season.

Jones was Rookie of the Year in NASCAR’s top three national series in successive seasons: trucks in 2015, Xfinity in 2016 and Cup in the NASCAR stepladder and captured the 2016 Xfinity championship for Gibbs.

Suarez was planning to defend that crown in 2017 until Edwards stunned the racing community by saying he was leaving the sport about a month before the start of Daytona Speedweeks.

Gibbs did not hesitate. He named Suarez as Edwards’ replacement. Suarez got better and better throughout the 2017 season and ended the year with a dozen top-10 finishes.

“I really think there is a lot of young new talent that is coming to the sport,” Suarez said. “Definitely NASCAR is doing a really, really good job bringing new young talent.

“For me, it’s a true honor to be part of this program and be part

RYAN BLANEY

ERIK JONES

Impressive crop of drivers to debut at Daytona

DANIEL SUAREZ

“This is a huge step for NASCAR, the whole sport in general, for bringing diversity to its topDarrell Wallace Jr. tier level of NASCAR,” Wallace said. “I’m glad to be leading the forefront of that right now.

“It just shows that we’re trying to bring in a new demographic. We’re trying to bring in a new face, of this group of young drivers that are coming into the get a younger generation, no matter what sport, into the national series, to try to be successful right color, what age. We’re trying to get now and in the future as well.” everybody involved to bring NASCAR back.”

Richard Petty Motorsports Wallace will become the first full-time African-Amer- Ganassi Racing, ican Cup Series driver in 47 years, driving the iconic No. Team Penske 43 Chevrolet for Richard Petty Motorsports.

Larson, 25, was hired The last black driver to run a majority of Cup races b y c a r o w n e r C h i p was Wendell Scott in 1971. Scott won a Cup race in 1963.

Ganassi to bring new life into his race team. Larson replaced veteran Juan Pablo Montoya, who has a pair of Indianapolis 500 victories on his performance chart but never found success in stock cars.

Larson has scored five wins over the last two seasons for Ganassi.

Blaney, 24, will pilot a third Team Penske car this year after a three-year stint at Wood Brothers Racing.

Blaney was very competitive, nabbing 25 top-10 finishes in 90 starts. He took the famed No. 21 Ford to victory at Pocono last year, the team’s first win since 2011.

Not so fast.

Collectively, this group may have to wait a few years to take complete control of the Cup Series. They will still have to battle several highly decorated veterans, including former champions Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson, who is hunting an all-timerecord eighth Cup crown.

Not only that, but there is a core group of drivers with plenty of success who have not won the championship, including Joey Logano, 27, who has nine full seasons of Cup experience and 18 victories; Jamie McMurray; Denny Hamlin; Clint Bowyer; Ryan Newman and Kahne, who found another ride for 2018.

CHASE ELLIOT

NASCAR needs a new star

Rule changes have been ine, but only a breakout driver will spike sport’s popularity

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onsider the offseason NASCAR news that got the most traction.

Was it the news that Junior Earnhardt added football and the Winter Olympics to his NBC chores? Was it the update on Danica Patrick’s dating life?

Whatever — when it comes to compelling story lines for the longtime and casual fans alike, there wasn’t a whole lot of buzz about the current crop of racers and the season to come. This goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway: That needs to change.

Unfortunately, NASCAR can’t make it change. To have the biggest impact and longest staying power, it has to happen naturally. Tiger Woods at the ’97 Masters. Fernando Mania with the ’81 Dodgers. The 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team. In the racing world, Jeff Gordon’s mid-’90s arrival was what the smart people call “transformative,” as was Bill Elliott’s million-dollar explosion of speed the previous decade.

You can’t arrange such things. Lord knows, they’ve tried. In recent times, they’ve brought us a playoff system, then tweaked it, rubbed it, and finally went the whole nine yards by introducing an elimination system that concludes with their own version of the “final four.”

They’ve gone to group qualifying to add excitement to an otherwise bland afternoon.

Just last year, while under a little pressure to consider heat races, they introduced stage racing to add some intrigue (and occasional excitement) to the mid-stages of each race.

All or at least some of this has added some promotional fuel to the mix, but there has been no magic potion to return NASCAR to the levels it enjoyed, as an industry, in the earlier years of this century.

To be fair, NASCAR is hardly alone. Many large-scale sports-entertainment industries are digging every day to recover their past momentum. Even the NFL, once as unstoppable as high tide and still the biggest sporting behemoth, has seen troubling trends with its numbers the past couple of years.

All of the world’s great marketing minds can row in unison, but sometimes nothing works better than staying out of the way and hoping that Lady Luck hooks up with perfect timing.

Entering the transitional 2018 season, you’ll read and hear a lot about all the new, young talent entering NASCAR’s highest level. Racers like William Byron, Bubba Wallace and Alex Bowman will join some existing young stars — most notably Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott.

There are plenty of possibilities for a breakout star. Or, better yet, a breakout rivalry to match some of the best from the past: Petty-Pearson, DW-Cale, Earnhardt-Everybody Else.

By Ken Willis Motorsports columnist

Kyle Busch leads the field at Bristol in 2011. Empty seats and bleachers can be seen in the background.

To see the commercials and highlight shows, you’d think the product would sell itself. Lots of high-speed and sometimes dangerous activity there. But lots of routine laps, too.

Yes, practically all sports-entertainment activities have their lulls. But NASCAR, unlike the traditional sports organizations (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL), doesn’t have the type of generational and geographical pull to keep the pipeline of fans flowing. NASCAR has to try holding on to its older fans while luring new ones.

Nothing does that like stumbling upon a superstar who transcends the boundaries of his or her sport.

Richard Petty was recognizable worldwide. Dale Earnhardt, too. And Jeff Gordon. Junior Earnhardt certainly has a following, but he didn’t have the championships and eventually left the cockpit sooner than he would’ve

otherwise planned.

It could’ve been Danica Patrick. And while she certainly enhanced her national profile by leaving IndyCar for NASCAR, she and NASCAR fell short of the heights that would’ve been reached if she’d produced better results.

NASCAR has to hope one, or hopefully two, from this new wave will bring the trophies and personality that captures the collective imagination of America’s sporting public.

They should be ready to pounce on the opportunity if it arises, but they should know better than to try forcing the issue.

Ken Willis has covered NASCAR for the Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal for more than 30 years. Reach him at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com. Twitter: @HeyWillieNJ.

Every new racing season starts with the sport giving a nod to the most distinguished drivers of its past. The 2018 NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony was no diferent.

The sport’s elite gathered to celebrate true legends and their impact on NASCAR. The 2018 class features a broad range of talent — from its first champion to its most recognizable voice.

Red Byron Byron was a man of many “firsts.” He won NASCAR’s first sanctioned race on the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1948 and claimed the first season-long championship in the NASCAR Modified Division that same year.

Other “firsts” by Byron included the inaugural championship in NASCAR’s Strictly Stock Division. Byron competed for the last time in NASCAR racing in 1951 and died in 1960.

Ken Squier The 1970 co-founder of the Motor Racing Network, Squier called the memorable 1979 Daytona 500 that many argue put NASCAR on the map. He also coined the nickname “Great American Race” for NASCAR’s most prestigious event.

Ron Hornaday Jr. Hornaday competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series since its inception in 1995, winning a series-best 51 races and an unparalleled four series championships.

Ray Evernham A three-time champion crew chief, Evernham is credited with revolutionizing the sport’s approach to pit crew performance. Evernham teamed with legendary Jeff Gordon to win 47 Cup races.

Robert Yates In the most emotional moment of the hall of fame induction ceremony, the posthumous induction of team owner and engine builder Robert Yates was one to remember. Yates died of cancer on Oct. 2 but wrote a message for the special occasion prior to his passing.

“When I started in racing, this was not the goal,” he stated. “All I wanted to do throughout my career was win races. I would always say, ‘I don’t race for the money. I race to win.’ For me, that’s what it’s always been about, but to be part of this year’s induction class is a true honor. There are a lot of other people I want to thank because this isn’t really about me; it’s about those who gave me the opportunity to do something I love.”

2018 HALL OF FACE CLASS

XFINITY & TRUCK SERIES

DANIEL HEMRIC

The story of the NASCAR Xinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is young blood.

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inity lost its champion with William Byron graduating to the Monster Energy NASCAR C u p S e r i e s . S i m i l a r l y, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Christopher Bell moves on to the Xinity Series this year.

The departures of Byron and Bell have opened doors for new drivers looking to make an impact at the professional level.

Here are three breakout candidates from both Xinity and Camping World Truck Series to keep your eye on this season:

BEN RHODES

XFINITY

TRUCK SERIES

Tyler Reddick Reddick won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title three times and moves to full-time Xfinity Series driver with JR Motorsports. He made 18 starts as a Chip Ganassi Racing entry, finishing with a 16.7-place average finish. And although he eventually scored a win at Kentucky, fans – and ownership – are looking for much more from Reddick this season.

Ben Rhodes Rhodes ended his 2017 campaign with a positive pass differential and performed best on 1-mile tracks and 1.5-mile intermediates. This is good news for Rhodes, as these two track types are featured in over half of the 2018 schedule, according to NASCAR.com.

Daniel Hemric After a strong finish to his Xfinity Series rookie campaign in 2017, Hemric looks to carry his momentum into a solid sophomore season. According to NASCAR.com statistics, Hemric’s 8.73-place average finish was more than seven positions better than his first-half average (15.88). He was also one of two rookies to qualify into the Championship 4 round in 2017.

Christopher Bell The 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion earned a full-time promotion to Xfinity and Joe Gibbs Racing in 2018. Bell started eight races in the series last season and left everyone excited for a bright future.

Ryan Truex The younger brother of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, Truex finished inside the top five in 33 percent of his starts in 2017. He drives the No. 11 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing. Truex won the 2009 NASCAR Camping World East Series Championship as a 17-year-old high school student at Southern Regional High School, setting him up for professional success at a young age.

Justin Haley Haley performed best in 2017 with continuous racing. His 10.45-place average finish in races with fewer than six restarts was over three positions better than his average in races with eight or more (13.6), according to NASCAR.com.

2018 NASCAR SCHEDULE

Fans in the Western part of the United States will see a bit more NASCAR this season as the new schedule brings drivers to Las Vegas and Phoenix in March.

Out east, fans in Richmond and Charlotte are excited to have their raceways featured as new tracks for the playoffs.

See the full Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule below and check out NASCAR.com for the full Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series schedules.

Daytona 500: Feb. 18, FOX Atlanta: Feb. 25, FOX Las Vegas: Mar. 4, FOX Phoenix: Mar. 11, FOX Auto Club: Mar. 18, FOX Martinsville: Mar. 25, FS1 Texas: Apr. 8, FS1 Bristol: Apr. 15, FOX Richmond: Apr. 21, FOX Talladega: Apr. 29, FOX Dover: May 6, FS1 Kansas: May 12, FS1 All–Star Race: May 19, FS1 Charlotte: May 27, FOX Pocono: Jun 3, FS1 Michigan: Jun 10, FOX Sonoma: Jun 24, FS1 Chicagoland: Jul. 1, NBCSN Daytona: Jul. 7, NBC Kentucky: Jul. 14, NBCSN New Hampshire: Jul. 22, NBCSN Pocono: Jul. 29, NBCSN Watkins Glen: Aug. 5, NBC Michigan: Aug. 12, NBCSN Bristol: Aug. 18, NBCSN Darlington: Sep. 2, NBCSN Indianapolis: Sep. 9, NBCSN Las Vegas: Sep. 16, NBCSN Richmond: Sep. 22, NBCSN Charlotte: Sept. 30, NBC Dover: Oct. 7, NBCSN Talladega: Oct. 14, NBC Kansas: Oct. 21, NBC Martinsville: Oct. 28, NBCSN Texas: Nov. 4, NBCSN Phoenix: Nov. 11, NBC Homestead–Miami: Nov. 18, NBC

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