NASCAR Cup Series

Today Earnhardt Jr. made his debut as host of Dale Jr. Download, a weekly podcast on his Dirty Mo Radio network. While the new episode was Earnhardt Jr.’s first as host, it began the fifth season for Dirty Mo Radio, home to eight racing or lifestyle programs.

Courtney Force, the winningest female Funny Car drag racer in National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) history, will serve as the Honorary Pace Car Driver for the Advance Auto Parts Clash on Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway.

The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup season gets started this weekend with The Clash at Daytona. This non-points event features pole-winners from the 2016 season, along with former Clash winners, former Daytona 500 pole-winners who competed full-time last year, and playoff qualifiers from a season ago. This event has been run in one form or another since 1979.

Acclaimed television personality and designer Ty Pennington has been named grand marshal for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway Sunday, March 5, 2017.

The exhibition event known as the Advance Auto Parts Clash (Feb. 18, 8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) is the kickoff to the 2017 NASCAR season. The non-points paying event at Daytona International Speedway features a select field of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers at the 2.5-mile track.

A new season dawns upon us this weekend, with the Clash at Daytona this Saturday, to be followed by Sunday qualifying for the Daytona 500. After a couple of months sitting around watching world events and gleefully upsetting some with my witty political commentary, it is back to things involving gears and grease.

After taking the holidays to recharge and fight this never ending cold, it's time to park myself in the recliner and share my view of what is going on in the world of NASCAR.

Mario Andretti, who along with A.J. Foyt, Jamie McMurray and most recently Jeff Gordon, are the only drivers to win both the DAYTONA 500 and the Rolex 24 At Daytona, will serve as a Honorary Race Official for the 59th annual DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, Feb. 26 (FOX, FOX Deportes, MRN Radio and SiriusXM Radio), the opening race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

As the 2017 NASCAR season approaches, fans can expect to see significant changes both on and off the track. With Monster Energy leading the way as the new entitlement sponsor coupled with the recent exit of high-profile drivers such as Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards, this year could prove to be a defining moment in the future of NASCAR.

The E.J. Wade Foundation, founded by Jeff and Janet Wade, is a public 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focusing on rheumatoid arthritis patient assistance, aid for the people of Niger, Africa, as well as disaster preparedness relief across the United States. Each pillar of philanthropy represents a deep personal meaning for the Wade family. The E.J. Wade Foundation will continue to encompass all three tenants of the elder foundations, adding a fourth focus: community partnerships.