Official Release

With the approach of a new racing season, the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller team is working toward finalizing its driver lineup for the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule. Ross Chastain, one of the top young drivers in the sport, will return to JD Motorsports for a third straight season.

Peachtree City, Georgia-based Rinnai America Corporation has signed on as a multi-year sponsor of the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, beginning with the 2017 race scheduled for Saturday, March 4. The race will officially be named the Rinnai 250 and will serve as the front-end of an XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series same-day doubleheader unique to Atlanta.

Harry Scott, Jr. announced in a team meeting that HScott Motorsports would not field a NASCAR entry during the 2017 season. Below is Mr. Scott's statement: "Over the past several months I considered a number of options for moving forward with the team. Regrettably there are no viable sponsor/driver options immediately available to allow the team to participate in 2017."

Multi-platinum recording artist, actress and DAV Ambassador Jordin Sparks, whose faith-based film God Bless The Broken Road will be in theaters early 2017, will perform the National Anthem for the 59th annual DAYTONA 500 NASCAR premier series race at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 26 (TV – FOX, FOX Deportes; Radio – MRN Radio, SiriusXM).

GMS Racing announces today that Massachusetts-native Kaz Grala will pilot the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado full time in 2017, across all 23 races of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS). The soon-to-be 18-year-old rookie, a part-time driver at GMS Racing in 2016, accomplished three top-10 results in only nine races and has now earned a larger opportunity to step up to full-time competition in one of NASCAR’s premier racing series.

GMS Racing announced today that Joey Cohen will return as crew chief for the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) program in 2017. Gallagher competed in seven races this past season with Cohen atop the pit box.

On October 15, 2015, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) veteran Johnny Sauter announced he would be joining GMS Racing (GMS) for the 2016 season in an effort to claim his first NCWTS championship. The move was unexpected and some questioned if a young team, like GMS, could outperform the more established teams of NASCAR’s roughest series.

In recognition of her leadership and accomplishments as founder and chairwoman emeritus of the NASCAR Foundation, the late Betty Jane France was named the recipient of the 2016 Myers Brothers Award.

Alan Gustafson, crew chief for Chase Elliott and Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, today became the first two-time winner of the prestigious MOOG® “Problem Solver of the Year” Award, which recognizes the best overall performance by a crew chief in the NASCAR® Sprint Cup Series. Gustafson, who first won the award in 2011, received a handcrafted MOOG ball joint trophy and a check for $100,000 during today’s NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas. MOOG, the Official Steering and Suspension of NASCAR, is a brand of Federal-Mogul Motorparts, a division of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:FDML).

NASCAR and Monster Energy announced today a multi-year agreement for the premier series entitlement as well as the prestigious annual NASCAR All-Star Race.