Chase Elliott has announced that he will be making his debut in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January. Elliott will be driving for Action Express Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener. Elliott will be teamed with Felipe Nasr, Pipo Derani, and Mike Conway in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R for the 24-hour race Jan. 30-31.
“The Rolex 24 is such a major event, and it’s a race that anybody across any type of motorsports really respects,” Elliott said. “I think everyone wants to win a watch before their career is over. It’s something different and a completely different element of racing that I haven’t really tried before.”
Former teammate and 7-time NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson will be in a second Cadillac with Simon Pagenaud, Kamui Kobayashi, and Mike Rockenfeller.
Both NASCAR drivers have a lot of experience at Daytona and will be a very favorable bet at the casino elsewhere, but here is a good non ukgc list that is becoming increasingly popular. Both drivers could also face difficulties in the transition to a different car and format.
Earnhardt returns full-time with JDM
Jeffrey Earnhardt will run the full 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season for JD Motorsports (JDM) the team’s No. 0 Chevrolet. The 31-year-old grandson of the late Dale Earnhardt competed in 29 races in 2020 with one 11th place finish and four additional finishes inside the top-15.
“We got a late start (on 2020) and the plan was to run six to twelve races, but something good was happening, and by Bristol, you could sense the momentum we were having,” Earnhardt said. “I’m really excited to return to the No. 0 and look forward to working with (team owner) Johnny (Davis) to give the fans a ‘blue-collar’ team to cheer for.”
Clark Named 2020 Buddy Shuman Award Winner
Retired Atlanta Motor Speedway President Ed Clark has been named the 2020 recipient of the prestigious Buddy Shuman Award from NASCAR.
“I’m so humbled to receive this award,” said Clark. “Never in my wildest dreams growing up in southern Virginia did I think I’d be so honored to join such a prestigious group of racing legends as a winner of the Buddy Shuman Award.”
The award recognizes individuals and organizations whose efforts and contributions helped advance the sport of stock-car racing. It is named for pioneering driver Louis Grier “Buddy” Shuman, who perished in a hotel fire in 1955.
ARCA West
The schedule for the 2021 ARCA Menards Series West has been set and will feature nine races on tracks ranging from a quarter-mile at All-American Speedway to the one-mile Phoenix Raceway oval and a pair of road course races.
Date Track Location
Fri., 3-12 Phoenix Raceway* Avondale, AZ
Sat., 6-5 Sonoma Raceway Sonoma, CA
Sat., 7-3 Irwindale Speedway Irwindale, CA
Sat., 7-31 Colorado National Speedway Dacono, CO
Sat., 8-21 Irwindale Speedway Irwindale, CA
Sat., 9-11 # Portland International Raceway Portland, OR
Thurs., 9-23 The Bullring at LVMS Las Vegas, NV
Sat., 10-9 All-American Speedway Roseville, CA
Sat., 11-6 Phoenix Raceway Avondale, AZ
The schedule for the 2021 ARCA Menards Series East will feature eight races including three combination races with the ARCA Menards Series. Those races will pay championship points for both series.
Date Track Location
Mon., 2-8 New Smyrna Speedway New Smyrna Beach, FL
Sat., 2-27 Five Flags Speedway Pensacola, FL
Sat., 5-8 Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, TN
Fri., 5-14 Dover International Speedway Dover, DE
Sat., 6-12 Southern National Speedway Kenly, NC
Sat., 7-24 Iowa Speedway* Newton, IA
Sun., 8-29 The Milwaukee Mile* West Allis, WI
Thurs., 9-16 Bristol Motor Speedway* Bristol, TN
*Combination race with ARCA Menards Series
#Flex Schedule, final date to be announced
All dates are tentative and subject to change.
All of the races will be streamed live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold and televised on a delayed basis on NBCSN.
Iest to Run Six ARCA East Races for DGR-Crosley
17-year-old stock car driver Joey Iest of Madera, California will join DGR-Crosley’s driver development program competing in six ARCA Menards Series East races in 2021.
“To be able to drive for a team that has accomplished so much in the sport and offers me the chance to move up from ARCA to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series when I am ready for that next step is incredible,” Iest said.
Iest’s car number, crew chief, and race schedule will be announced at a later date. For more information about him, you can visit his website at www.joeyiestracing.com.
