Official Release

Hooters has expanded its association with 12-time NASCAR Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports with a new contract that extends its primary sponsorship of driver Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team for three years.

NASCAR today announced that Steve Phelps has been named NASCAR President, effective October 1, 2018. Brent Dewar has elected to step down and will remain with the company through the end of the 2018 racing season, transitioning to a senior consulting and advisory role in 2019.

Brad Keselowski earned his third consecutive win Sunday in Las Vegas and, also for the third consecutive time, hoisted the trophy without leading the most laps. His No. 2 Team Penske Ford team has obviously figured out how to be out front when it matters most. In the last five races, he’s had three victories and a runner-up at Michigan.

Majeski at Richmond “I’ve never raced at Richmond, but I tested there. Richmond is one track that I have a lot of laps on iRacing, so I felt like I’d been there before when I showed up for the test. I feel like I know the track well, it’s a short track and right in my wheel house. Ryan (Reed) had a good run there in the spring, so I feel like we have a good base line setup and we learned a lot at the test, which will be beneficial. We know what we need to do and I’m looking forward to getting on track Friday.”

Richard Childress Racing's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history at Richmond International Raceway ... Richard Childress has nine Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victories as a car owner at Richmond International Raceway - five with Dale Earnhardt, three with Kevin Harvick and one with Clint Bowyer. Additionally, in 169 starts at the Richmond, Va.-based track, RCR drivers have claimed 37 top-five and 69 top-10 finishes. Childress, a former driver on NASCAR's senior circuit, contributed three of those top-10 finishes from 1976-1978.

Petty's Garage and Richard Petty Motorsports announced today it will auction off a Warrior Edition Ford F-150 truck to benefit longtime Petty partner, Paralyzed Veterans of America. World renowned car auction house, Barrett-Jackson, will auction the truck on Thursday, September 27 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Elliott Sadler will take the green flag at his hometrack of Richmond Raceway as the third seed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff standings, the first event of the Round of 12.

News and notes: After a strong showing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Spencer Boyd will look to bring his momentum to one of his favorite race tracks, Richmond Raceway. The Xfinity Series will visit Richmond Raceway Friday night for the first race of the 2018 Playoffs. “We've had this one circled on the calendar for a while,” says Boyd. "I've had the opportunity to visit many different race tracks this season, and Richmond is still one of my very favorites. Growing up short track racing, this track just brings me back to my roots. We're bringing my favorite race car this weekend as well, so we're expecting a strong showing."

The drama of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is building to a crescendo with the Sept. 30 Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL™. With slightly more than a week until the cutoff race for the first round of the playoffs – contested on Charlotte’s innovative, 17-turn, 2.28-mile ROVAL™ – drivers are preparing for a challenge like no other on the NASCAR schedule.

Kenseth will make his 37th career MENCS start at Richmond on Saturday. In 36 previous races at the 0.75-mile track, Kenseth has two wins, six top-fives, 16 top-10 finishes, three poles and an average finish of 16.8.