NASCAR Cup Series

In honor of local hero Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s considerable contributions to the NASCAR community throughout his iconic career, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Speedway Children’s Charities have established the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Concussion Research Fund at Carolinas Healthcare System’s Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina.

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Charlotte Motor Speedway and discussed what he and his team need to do in order to progress to the Round of 8, thoughts on this weekend’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the threat of rain and many other topics.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS – Hit the outside retaining wall coming off of Turn 4. The resulting damage led to the team pulling out a back-up car. WHAT HAPPENED? “I don’t know. I got into this black stuff and it just took off into the fence. I think the car was pretty good, but had to pull a back-up out. It should be fine though. It’s a good thing that it happened early and we will get to practice tomorrow and get to work on it.”

Ryan Blaney (No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire and Auto Center Ford Fusion) met with the media today prior to first practice for this weekend’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Veteran NASCAR driver and Las Vegas-native Brendan Gaughan will carry a special paint scheme this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway honoring the victims of the recent tragedy at the Route 91 Harvest Festival on the Las Vegas Strip. The hood of the No. 62 South Point Chevrolet Camaro will feature the iconic "Las Vegas" script and #VegasStrong in gold and black block lettering.

NASCAR and The Weather Company, an IBM Business (NYSE: IBM), announced today a multi-year agreement that will optimize the weather-related decision process for NASCAR as itincorporates hyper-local weather data and forecasts into their races to improve race-day operations and fan engagement. As part of the agreement, The Weather Company, via The Weather Channel brand, becomes the Official Weather Partner of NASCAR.

Charlotte, NC is the home of many teams in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, including Go Fas Racing. Based out of Mooresville, NC, just thirty minutes from Charlotte Motor Speedway, Go Fas and Matt DiBenedetto are looking forward to working from home this weekend. The E.J. Wade Foundation will be the primary sponsor of the No.32 Ford using their purple and pink scheme that was last ran at Talladega Superspeedway, and earlier this year in the Daytona 500 - both races earning top-20 finishes. They'll look to continue their great runs with this scheme as they pull into their home track this weeken

“It was horrific what happened in our hometown and we all send our thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by the tragedy in Las Vegas. It really hit home to all of us and as Nevada natives we hope everyone supports our efforts. Please visit DriversForVegas.com to purchase a shirt or sticker, or simply make a donation to support those who need our help.” – Kurt Busch

The past, present and future stars of NASCAR will be out in full force for Talladega Superspeedway’s Pre-Race Fan Question & Answer Session, set for Sunday, Oct. 15, prior to the start of the Alabama 500. Joining already announced drivers Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott will be this year’s Daytona 500 Champ Kurt Busch, along with original Alabama Gang member Donnie Allison, Rookie of the Year candidate Ty Dillon and Len & Eddie Wood of the iconic Wood Brothers Racing team.

NASCAR star Chase Elliott is in the midst of a run at the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship as the series stops at Charlotte Motor Speedway this Sunday. However, Elliott was able to step away from his race preparation and provide a lesson to Texas Christian University sports marketing students helping him promote NASCAR and Chase U, his student-only tailgate party held during the upcoming AAA Texas 500.