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Ragginger Stuns Trans Am Regulars, Snares Pole for Road Atlanta

Points leader Francis suffers setback beginning season-finale weekend

BRASELTON, GA (20 November 2020) –Martin Ragginger prevailed in a seven-minute qualifying shootout to capture the pole position for Saturday’s Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Atlanta SpeedTour race, the first half of a season-ending doubleheader at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. (Stream Race Live)

Ragginger turned a fast lap of 1:19.557-seconds in the No. 17 Gin Amade Chevrolet Camaro fielded by Claudio Burtin. Chris Dyson briefly held the pole with a last-lap flyer of 1:19.969-seconds in the No. 20 Plaid Ford Mustang, but Ragginger regained the top spot moments later as the sun began to set at the circuit.

It was the second-career Trans Am pole for Ragginger, who was fastest in his most recent Trans Am start, in 2017 at Road America.

“The session went fast with the situation that happened in the beginning,” Ragginger said. “I hit traffic and only had one chance on the last lap to get a flyer in. The team did an amazing job on the car. Everything was working great, I just had to bring it. Tomorrow we have 40 laps, we have a good car for the distance. I am excited to go at it Trans Am style.”

Dyson was confident in his outside pole start. The 2019 Trans Am Vice Champion won from the same position in 2018 at Road Atlanta.

“I was really glad we got the session in,” Dyson said. “It was looking a bit iffy there as we were losing daylight and the track was oiled down. The track workers got the oil cleaned up as best as they could and it was good to get at least a bit of a shootout out there. My starting position is ok for tomorrow. We won from there before. It’s my first time racing against Martin. There’s a lot of depth in the front end of the field this weekend, it will be a good race.”

The session was black-flagged for 35 minutes due to oil in Turn 10 from championship leader Ernie Francis Jr., who suffered a mechanical failure on board the No. 98 ZF Custom Concepts Ford Mustang. Francis Jr. enters the weekend with a 43-point lead over Tomy Drissi. The 22-year-old South Floridian is seeking his fourth-consecutive TA class title – and seventh Trans Am championship in his seven-year career.

“I don’t really know what happened today,” Francis Jr. said. “Right on the out lap, the car just blew a hole through the side of the motor in Turn 10. I can’t really explain it. I guess that’s just on par with 2020. We have a new motor going in for tomorrow. We are starting from the back, we are going to just cruise around, work on points and focus on locking up the championship.”

Boris Said, seeking his third pole in as many 2020 starts, qualified third at 1:20.285-second in the Weaver Racing Techniques/SRI Performance Dodge Challenger. He will be joined on the second row by Drissi, 1:21.336-seconds in Burtin’s No. 8 Lucas Oil Camaro. Justin Marks and Amy Ruman will share the third row.

The Trans Am 100-mile feature will open the day before the TA2® powered by AEM race takes to the track at 4 pm ET. (Full Results)
Mike Skeen gained another three points in his bid for the TA2® championship, winning pole with a lap of 1:23.507-seconds in the No. 677 Liqui Moly/Turn 14 Distribution Chevrolet Camaro.

“The colder temperatures were great actually, it provided some great horsepower for us,” said Skeen, capturing his fifth pole of the season. “The lighting wasn’t too bad, I was just more concerned about the traffic. We had to get out there and get a pretty quick out lap and we started catching the back of the pack. That hurt a bit, fortunately, not enough to cause an extreme issue. I am happy to get through that session with no drama and kept the car clean. This puts us in the best position to keep the race clean tomorrow and sail off with the championship.”

Skeen now has a 48-point lead over Rafa Matos, who timed in second fastest, 1:24.327-seconds in the No. 7 Silver Hare Camaro.

Businessman/racer Franklin Futrelle made his Trans Am debut with a third-best lap of 1:24.424-seconds in the No. 58 B2 Motorsports Ford Mustang. The 2009 Formula Mazda National Champion, Futrelle is a veteran of open-wheel competition when his schedule permits.

Cameron Lawrence was fourth, with a quick time of 1:24.592-seconds in the No. 8 3-Dimensional Services Group Mustang, followed by Edward Sevadjian (1:25.011-seconds) in the No. 38 Big Machine Vodka/Duntov Motors Camaro.

Ray Evernham qualified 22nd for his Trans Am debut in the No. 26 Mike Cope Racing Cars Mustang, running 1:30.162-seconds. A former modified stock car racer, Evernham was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame for his work as crew chief for Jeff Gordon’s Rainbow Warriors, and car owner for drivers including Bill Elliott.

Ken Thwaits led the XGT class, running 1:25.898-seconds to claim his fourth pole of the year in the No. 5 Franklin Road Apparel Audi R8 GT3 Ultra. The bonus points were enough to clinch the class championship, provisionally.

Justin Oakes finished strong to beat out the SGT title contenders with a last-lap run of 1:27.032-seconds in the No. 11 Droneworks Corvette. Oakes finished third in the recent race at Circuit of The Americas in his Trans Am debut.

“The oil and visibility really didn’t affect our performance today, it was sitting and waiting on the grid the extra half hour,” Oakes said. “We had to go from being sedentary to performing immediately, but we pulled it together. The car feels great. The track conditions cooled off quite a bit after the sun went down over the hill. All together today was a success. Tomorrow I am looking forward to racing with all the SGT guys. We all qualified pretty close together. I want to mix it up with the SGT class and just getting in some good, close racing with some talented drivers.”

Of the SGT championship leaders, Lee Saunders ran 1:27.201-seconds in the No. 84 Landsearch LLC Dodge Viper, followed by Adrian Wlostowski, 1:27.235-seconds in the No. 97 F.A.S.T. Auto Ford Mustang. With the qualifying bonus points, Saunders enters the race with a six-point lead.

Billy Griffin scored his second-consecutive pole in GT, 1:35.017-seconds in the No, 14 Griffin Auto Care /Sheehan’s Towing Ford Mustang. With point-leader Tim Horrell missing the event, Griffin now trails by 15 points and can take the championship lead by completing half of Saturday’s race. However, he revealed that his Mustang has a broken part in its rear end which necessitated a long night for the crew for repairs.

“I was pretty confident that the track was going to be pretty good,” Griffin said. “We had a spotter watching the oil clean up, and he said the workers were doing a fantastic job. The oil didn’t hang me up as much as the cold weather. I am not used to racing in the cold. It took an extra lap for my tires to come in, so I couldn’t lay down the way I wanted to, one-two and done. We had to do one extra lap but it worked out the way we wanted. We have a broken part in the rear end so we are a little worried. We have the part coming in and we will be spending the night trying to fix it before the race tomorrow. We want to win, that’s what we came here to do. If we finish, we can win the points championship, but we want to win the race too.”

Saturday begins with the TA/XGT/SGT/GT race at 10:45 a.m. Eastern followed by the TA2® powered by AEM feature at 3:55 p.m. Eastern. The combined five-class finale will take the green on Sunday at noon Eastern. The grid for the finale will be set by fastest race laps on Saturday.

The Atlanta SpeedTour is open to fans. Tickets are available at: SpeedTour.net.

All three races will be live streamed (starting Saturday) on the Trans Am by Pirelli Racing App.

7 Fall Car Care Tips that we need to Consider

Photo by Chinmay Jade on Unsplash

Understandably, 2020 hasn’t been an easy year for our vehicles. With our cars idling around in garages due to the extended lockdowns, it’s time to get them back on the roads for reinvigorating the vitals. However, things aren’t going to be as easy with winter expected to make an appearance, eventually subjecting our vehicles to wet roads, snowfalls, and some of the more inclement weather conditions.

Then again, prepping up for the chills and ice-clad driveways is a possibility, provided we have an airtight fall care plan in place for our cars. Although each of the mentioned strategies is easy to follow and implement, we can always connect with credible car maintenance service providers like Repair Smith, if time is of the essence.

Here are the most cost-effective and accommodative fall car care tips to consider:

3 ideas for keeping the vitals in perfect health

  1.  Fix the Wiper Blades

We need to accept that wiper blades aren’t as durable as we expect them to be. Besides, sudden changes in heat and temperature can lead to cracks. Therefore, it is advisable to replace the same before the advent of the wintry chills, to prepare better for the heavy snowfalls and unexpected showers while driving through the city or countryside. 

  1. Check the Heater

Although checking the heater is one of the few things to do as a part of the fall car care plan, we must also test the defroster and its existing efficacy before the winter arrives. In case the heater and existing defroster module are taking longer to generate adequate levels of heat, it is necessary to get them repaired, at the earliest.

  1. Replace Engine Oil

Mostly relevant for cars that have been sitting idle for a while, replacing the engine oil makes even more sense before the winter. Needless to say, the car ignition requires additional efforts during the wintry spells and, therefore, it is necessary to keep the engine oil quality and quantity, within the permissible standards.

Couple of Necessary Checks

  1. Attend to the Tires and Brakes

Needless to say, the set of car tires is our first point of contact with the skidding wintry roads. Therefore, we must attend the same by checking for noticeable abrasions. Besides, the braking system also requires our attention as it determines the overall safety quotient, whilst driving in wet conditions.

  1. Fix the Broken Lights

As a part of the fall car care plan, we must take time out to replace the erroneous brake, tail, and parking lights. Not just that, the emergency flashers also require adequate servicing to counter the unpredictability of winter.

 Two Under-the-Hood Car Maintenance Tips

  1. Charge or replace the battery 

Wintertime can be a bit harsh on the car batteries and it is necessary to get them checked for charge retention, loose connection, and even corrosions. Once the bases are covered, it becomes easier to get the car started, sans stutters.

  1. Replace the Depleting Fluids

Our fall car care plan must incorporate transmission and washer fluid replacement followed by special attention towards the ‘power steering’ fluid for adhering to safe maneuverability standards.

While each of the 7 tips is easy to follow, connecting with Repair Smith ensures faster coverage and offers a better approach towards car repairs and maintenance. Repair Smith makes fall car care more productive by offering the ease of online booking, transparency of upfront pricing, and excellent user satisfaction levels courtesy of extended services warranties and teleconsultations. 

Most importantly, procrastination isn’t an option as Repair Smith also sends expert mechanics to the house, in case we are hard-pressed for time.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Live Fast Motorsports To Run 2021 Cup Season with Ford

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes

NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)

Friday, November 20, 2020

Live Fast Motorsports announced today that it will be competing full-time in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season as part of a strategic alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing and operate the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Ford Mustang. Co-owners B.J. McLeod and Matt Tifft were part of a NASCAR Zoom call to discuss their new organization.

MATT TIFFT, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Ford Mustang – HOW DID THIS ALL COME TOGETHER? “Actually, B.J. and I have been good friends for a long time and we started talking about this a few months before the announcement was made and we never thought in our wildest dreams that something like this would come to fruition, but lo and behold this situation with Archie came about to where he was wanting to exit the sport and still stay involved part-time. I talked about in previous years many years down the road before my health problems came up that I’d love to be an owner in this sport. I love NASCAR and I saw the pattern of what was happening between the other new owners and the things going on in the sport and just always thought I’d love to be a part of that side post-driving. I didn’t think the post-driving was gonna come as quick as it did, but B.J. has been a great team owner in this sport from every level, so when he and I got together – we were at dinner one night—and started talking about, ‘Hey, maybe this is something we’d like to do in the future,’ we didn’t think it was gonna come as quick as it did. I’m just so excited to be a team owner in the NASCAR Cup Series and I wouldn’t be wanting to do it with anybody else. B.J. is a great guy, but also more than that a great businessman and knows how to run a team. I just can’t wait to get this venture started.”

B.J. MCLEOD, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Ford Mustang – HOW EXCITED ARE YOU TO GET THIS STARTED FOR 2021? “I’d actually say there probably aren’t words to explain that. It’s literally decades of dreaming, decades of work, decades of being focused, just a lot of relationships being built to get us to this point. You can’t sum it up in one or two or three words even. I guess the biggest thing to say is just really looking forward to continuing to work the way that I have the last couple of decades to get to where I’m at now and see what we can make with this deal together Matt is gonna make me stronger. He’s got some really good qualities about him that I’m excited about helping some of the weaknesses that I might have and just what we can do together. I just can’t wait to get going like he said. We just want to see and run into the goods and the bads and work together and just make this thing successful for several years to come.”

MATT TIFFT CONTINUED – WHY COME IN NOW WHEN THESE CARS WILL BE OBSOLETE AND HOW MUCH DOES THE SHR PARTNERSHIP CORRELATE WITH THAT? “When we first started talking about this, obviously the plan before the pandemic was that the Next Gen car was gonna come in 2021, but at the same time what kind of ended up happening there was that when we talked to Go FAS and what was happening over there it was really an opportunity where if we didn’t take at that point, we never knew if we would get a charter, if that opportunity would present itself again, so, yeah, we have one more year with the Gen 6 car and kind of an intermediate year where we’re transitioning from the current car to the Next Gen car, but at the same time buying a charter is so valuable in this sport – to be part of that ownership group and the new ownership groups coming into the sport – it was really something we couldn’t pass up doing. So even though we have a transition year, it’ll help us be able to build our systems, build the chemistry within our team and really get ready for 2022. Like you mentioned, the SHR piece with the strategic partnership with them, having those guys over there is such a huge help to us as a new team – to be able to learn the nuances in the sport – what we need to do from a parts standpoint, especially when we get to the Next Gen car. We’re all gonna be learning and starting from ground zero, so to have that partnership for this next year, to be able to transition into 2022 and for many years beyond that, having that SHR alliance and the start-up we have with them is gonna be a huge help. I think that’s gonna be something to learn from them. You always learn from people who have more experience than you do, and certainly these guys have been around for a long time in this sport and we’re so thankful to be able to be a part of that SHR strategic alliance.”

B.J. MCLEOD CONTINUED – IS HAVING A CHARTER THE ONLY WAY YOU COULD MAKE IT TO THE TRACK NEXT YEAR OR COULD YOU HAVE TRIED TO DO IT AS AN OPEN TEAM AGAIN? “The goal is to be secure in the sport and have a good platform to bring marketing partners. This year we ran 35th, 32nd, I think we have a couple of top 30’s with our open team, but you have to get the correct marketing partners to be able to ever dream of getting into that top 20 bracket. With that being said, the first way to speed that up is to own a charter, so that was a goal of Matt and I’s. Honestly, it’s been over a year we’ve been dreaming of making this happen and really working on it, and, like Matt said, the opportunity presented itself. We were gonna do it either way. As soon as the opportunity popped up, we were going for this, so it may have been two months ago like it was or it may have been four years from now, but that was our plan to work that direction.”

WAS THERE ANY QUESTION THAT YOU WERE GOING TO HANDLE THE DRIVING DUTIES? DID YOU EXPLORE HAVING SOMEONE ELSE IN THE CAR AT ALL? “That’s always an open-ended story there, in my opinion. Yes, I own part of the team. Matt would work with me and let me probably do what I want to do because we’re just really good partners together, but I want the team to be successful, number one. So even if I was the full-time driver for the next seven years, it’s not secure. You have to earn that spot, whether I own it or I don’t own it. We want the team to be successful, number one, and that is always my goal is to make sure. My new dream, something I’ve never had before, I’ve definitely thought about it a couple times, my new dream is to be an RCR, a Gibbs, a Hendrick or whoever. In 20-25 years I hope we’re here and we’re racing at that level, and hopefully sooner, but that’s my new dream and that’s the number one important part to this puzzle. I am always open to any situation that helps the team.”

MATT TIFFT CONTINUED – HOW IMPORTANT WAS IT FOR YOU TO STAY INVOLVED AFTER YOUR HEALTH ISSUES? “That’s my biggest worry to be honest with you after the dust settled from Martinsville and going from post-Christmas into the new season of 2020 was how in the world do I get back involved? I explored all kinds of avenues, whether that was being involved from a PR standpoint or sponsor standpoint. I looked at some driver coaching stuff. I couldn’t drive, so when you spend your entire life being a driver, it’s pretty hard. When you’re 23 years old, you’re not thinking in your head, ‘Okay, this is it. I’m gonna retire after this year.’ But the situation was thrown in there to where I’m not cleared to drive. I couldn’t drive, so I went through several months in there, one, I was dealing with the health problems, but, two, kind of a dark space of I’ve worked my entire life to get here and all of a sudden it’s gone. So, I really worried about it because I wanted to be a part of NASCAR. NASCAR is my work life and I love everything about racing, so my full investment in this sport is seeing the sport grow, seeing our team grow and to have that opportunity as a team owner is so rewarding. I mean, this is as big of a deal to me, if not bigger, than being a driver in the Cup Series, being with RCR, Gibbs, whoever. This is so big because, like B.J. said, this is not a one-year deal, it’s not a two-year deal. When you’re a driver, you worry about every single season. ‘What does that contract look like? What does my funding look like for the next year?’ With this, you get to plan for one, two, three, five years, 10 years, 20 years, and you have a business plan set in there. That’s what’s so cool about this and what makes it such a bigger deal. When I’m 50, 55, 60, I can’t drive at a high level even before the health stuff, so being a team owner that’s a possibility, so as long as NASCAR is around we’re trying to be around.”

B.J. MCLEOD CONTINUED – ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE TO BE MORE CORPORATE NOW AS YOU SELL WHAT YOU’VE GOT? “If any marketing partner comes along and asks me to look a little bit different or cut my hair maybe or not wear a skull here and there, I would be more than happy to. More importantly, like I said earlier, we just want to the team to be successful. That’s number one and I’ve just always done my own thing because it worked for where we were at, but this is definitely taking a step up and any opportunity that comes along I’m willing to shift however I have to shift to make this team successful. That’s the goal.”

MATT TIFFT CONTINUED – CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE STRENGTHS BOTH OF YOU BRING TO THIS TEAM? “What’s funny about that part is I’ve known B.J. longer than I’ve known my wife. B.J. is honestly like an older brother to me. I met him with I was 12 years old. I went down to the New Smyrna Speedway for a driving school they had down there and that was the first time I met B.J. and I’ll be honest, the first time I saw him – when you’re 12 years old, I mean, he’s intimidating. The funny thing about B.J. is he is so, and I love your question because when you talk to B.J. he is one of the most articulate, smartest guys in the industry. He’s one of the few guys that’s actually ran a successful Xfinity team – been there for years. You see a lot of people that come and go. That’s the thing about B.J. is so genuine and so smart and he’s one of the few guys that has made it in this sport and climbed every single ladder. I’ve been with him since the late model days. I was his first Truck Series owner being at Martinsville and getting a top 10 there with him, which really launched my career. He was a groomsman in my wedding, so we’ve been together for a long time. When we were racing he was my Friday night movie buddy. We’d always go out to the movies and go watch something, so when the other guys were in their motorhomes, I was at the hotel and he’d come pick me up and we’d go watch the Avengers or whatever was out. What’s so cool about it is we have a great relationship. Our families are very tied in together and that’s what’s so fun about it because we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and we can bounce that off each other. I’ve been with big teams. He’s ran his own team, so there are a lot of elements that really balance each other out, so it makes it so exciting and fun because we know how to work with each other and which buttons to press, which ones not to press and I think it’s something that’s gonna be going for a long time. It’s really a cool partnership and, like I said, he and I are family, so it feels like a family-run team because of how close the people involved are still.”

WHAT IS THE REALITY OF THIS FIRST YEAR? WHAT KIND OF TASK IS THIS? “I think the biggest thing is when you’re looking towards 2022, it is the Next Gen car. There is a lot of investment into that car in the future of this sport. It’s no small endeavor to start a brand new platform, chassis, all that kind of stuff going into that year, so what we’re trying to do is establish ourselves in this sport as a team that is showing up competitively each week with a good pit crew, buying tires, do the right things in there, but, really, the other part of it too is creating those relationships with the OEM and going to Ford and seeing what we can do with them. Go FAS Racing, I think, is a great example of a team that we’re trying to be and emulate over next year and going into future years, and hopefully growing from there. But we’re not gonna sit here and say that we’re running for a top 10 or I’m going to the playoffs. We’re not gonna be doing that, but what we do want to do is show up and do a great job for our marketing partners and our sponsors in this deal and try to grow it slowly in a place that’s going to be within our budget and a place that makes sense but also be able to do all the little right things and be able to be a competitive car on the track. And, hey, if we get lucky and there’s some attrition, we have great finishes out of it, but I think we have to be realistic and we’re not setting the expectations to be a playoff car or a winning car every week because we’re not gonna be that, but we will be showing up at the track being competitive, being there as a legit team in the Cup Series and that’s a great place to start. But, like I said, going into 2022 and beyond it’s a whole new deal. Nobody knows what’s coming in that, so we just want to be ready for when that time comes.”

B.J. MCLEOD CONTINUED — IS THERE ANY SIGNIFICANCE TO THE 78? “I’ve basically had that number since I was three years old. We were just very fortunate, and I’m actually friends with Barney Visser and Joe Garone and when we did the open team and I was gonna use the 78, I talked to Joe because I try not to bother Barney because he’s extremely busy, but I talked to Joe and Joe said, ‘Yeah, he’d be happy with it.’ I asked NASCAR first. I was like, “Make sure Barney and Joe are good with us using this number and let them know that if they ever need it, that we’ll work it out where they can have it or whatever we need to do because they did win a championship with it.’ I’m extremely proud of what those guys were able to do and it’s one thing that allows Matt and I to dream and think we can one day pull that off, so that’s where we’re at with that. Literally, the number, like I said, my first race two-and-a-half years old I’m number 78, so it’s just very, very fortunate to be able to have my Cup number be 78, and I also had it in Xfinity too, but it’s just cool to run it at the highest level.”

HOW DOES THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AFFECT YOUR XFINITY TEAM? “What we’ve done is Matt and I have formed Live Fast Motorsports to be completely separate from the Xfinity team or teams. It’s its own separate entity completely, so as far as work or schedule or people or any of the logistics, there’s no hinderance. I’d say there is help actually. There’s definitely no hinderance to either team, but there is some advantages to having both and we’re looking forward to that, but it’s definitely 100 percent its own deal and I’d say the biggest thing as far as the Xfinity teams I think it’ll just help having the Cup team presence and marketing partners on that side and having both platforms to kind of connect together if we want to, and they’re completely separate when they need to be. So, that’s where I think right now that I would say it’s definitely not a negative in any way, shape or form and looking forward to hopefully a couple of positives.”

ARE YOU STILL GOING TO DO THREE FULL-TIME NXS CARS? “Absolutely, we’re gonna run three full-time cars next year and my goal with that team is I think we got seven top 15s this year, led a couple laps at Road America with Josh Bilicki, really competitive at the speedways. I think we got mostly top 15s and some 10th-place finishes, but that team I want to keep growing it. We’re rolling into our sixth full-time year and I think I’ll be really upset if we don’t run in the top 20 probably 15-20 percent more than we did this year and keep moving that up the ladder and hopefully inside of five years competing for wins over there. That’s the plan and it’ll always at least be a two-car structure, I can tell you that. I enjoy the multiple numbers. I don’t see a scenario where I drop down from there, even in the future, but I like the multi-car scenario because we’ve seen a lot of advantages from it. It’s actually helped. Some people think you might be spreading the budget too thin trying to run three, but it’s actually helped dollar figures come in to help all three teams and elevate them having that big a platform, and now having the Cup team as a separate entity, but having that kind of in the same realm where we can work stuff together I believe is gonna elevate the Xfinity side too.”

MATT TIFFT CONTINUED – HOW IS YOUR HEALTH? “It’s about as good as it can be for having what happened there, so it’s a battle. I just kind of go day-to-day on things, trying to get through the mental health side of things and understand the changes that I have to make in my everyday life to deal with having seizures in the past. It’s an ever-evolving thing. It’s not something that is off the table completely of what happened, so that’s just the thing with time that we’ll figure out, but as far as the racing part of it for myself I would love to get back in a race car, but the facts of it is right now I’m not ready to mentally and because my focus right now is on this race team and making it as good as it can be. Right now, my entire focus is on the race team and hopefully there is some day where I step back in the seat of a race car and make that happen, but right now this is in its infancy very much so and I don’t want to sit here and say, ‘Oh yeah, I’m gonna get back in a race car.’ Right now, honestly, I don’t care about that side. My complete goal is to get this team to the Daytona 500, see what we can do through 2021, get this thing to ’22 with the Next Gen car and we’ll see down the road what happens. If I hop in a late model in a few years or something like that, or sooner, be that what it is, but I’m so excited and focused on this deal that, really, that has taken a back seat to this because this has so much more growth and opportunity within it that I don’t really need to worry about being kind of selfish with the driver part because I have a driver in B.J. right now that I get to see pretty much every day and I can always hop in iRacing and get the same thrill out of it right now, so we’ll see what happens, but the team is such a big deal to me.”

B.J. MCLEOD CONTINUED — HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE A GUY LIKE JOE FALK AROUND YOUR ENTITY? “The reason we are where we are right now is being willing to accept any kind of help we can get along the way, and this goes back for as long as I can remember as the way I’ve treated my life and tried to get around people, whether it was racing or construction work or building a house or anything that we’ve done in the past we’ve always leaned on people to learn and get stronger and get better because you never even know half of all of it, like not even close to all, and having somebody like Joe that literally he’s been around for a long time. He’s been around as long as Matt and I hope to be around, so to have him to lean on and to call and work with, now I will say through this whole thing he’s been nothing but really positive and definitely put the pressure on Matt and I. He’ll give you his opinion, but then he says, ‘You know what? It’s yours and Matt’s problem. You guys have to make it work.’ So we respect that and look forward to him giving us input and teaching us from mistakes he’s made in the past or experience he has in life in general and trying to get further with what we’re doing, so it definitely is a big help having him there and I have to say it’s been fun trying to just work through these first bits these last couple months. It’s been a cool relationship.”

MATT TIFFT CONTINUED – WHAT CAN YOU BRING TO NASCAR AS AN OWNER AND BEING ONLY 24 YEARS OLD? “We advertise and try to market to my age group. I’ve been a NASCAR driver, but to take on the ownership role I know in a lot of ways I’m older than 24 as far as just things I’ve been through, things I’ve learned in my life that are above what a normal 24-year-old goes through, so I’m still very young as far as the ownership side, of course. You look at our sport and we’ve had so many fantastic owners, but you look at them too and a lot of those guys started when they were younger, it was just in a different capacity and they eventually got to the Cup Series. I think the difference here is that I’ve been with some of the larger organizations. I’ve been with Front Row Motorsports and seen how they do things. I have a great relationship with a lot of team owners, so being able to have that relationship and have the time to be able to build upon this program, like B.J. said, we’re all for listening to people who have experience, who have the know-how in this sport and the good thing is we have time on our side to build and develop a great program over decades. We keep on saying it, but we want to be here for decades and the long-term of NASCAR, so I think the biggest thing is I have a little bit younger demo of a following that can help bring new fans into this sport. Beyond that, I have time to learn the tricks to the trade, so what B.J. has done with his teams and I think when we first met I believe B.J. was 29 years old when he was doing the late model deal and him being a team owner in the years he has to where he is now, you don’t see too many people nowadays grow from a late model team owner to being a NASCAR Cup Series team owner, so to be with someone like that who has learned all those things I kind of have a jump-start of what a lot of people have as far as ownership in there, so I’m just excited to learn as much as I can. And as cool as that is to be one of the youngest owners in NASCAR, I still respect so much what the other owners do and I’m just here to listen and learn and see what we can do with this team.”

WILL FRANK KERR BE YOUR CREW CHIEF? “We haven’t announced the crew chief yet, but we’ll have some more things coming out over this next week to confirm everything else on the team side. Between that and partners we’ll have a lot more that will be rolling out soon.”

IF YOU GO THAT DIRECTION WITH FRANK, HOW BENEFICIAL WOULD IT BE TOWARD HELPING YOUR DIRT PROGRAM? “I don’t know as far as a dirt program. It’s an interesting way to put it. I know if you would have asked any of the truck guys back in 2013 if they had a dirt program going into Eldora, so that’s an interesting one. I think we’d probably rely on our SHR partnership there to see what they’re gonna do for what springs and shocks and what setups we put on those things because we just don’t know. I’ve watched that World of Outlaws race at Bristol a bunch of times to kind of learn what that deal is, but you hit on guys like Joe Falk that’s involved in our deal and, again, he’s just been around in so many different situations. I wish we had Joe on this thing because he might have been around when it was all dirt back then. Joe is such a great guy to learn from experiences, but because of him we can go to other teams and other people in NASCAR and learn what we need to do. We’re going to a lot of road course races, so shifting to those types of deals, going to a dirt track. We’re doing so many different things in NASCAR right now you have to be able to adapt and pivot quickly. Again, we rely on our relationships and partnerships and have those because we are a young team that needs to rely on those things because we don’t have all the data for five, 10 years in the past to lean off of, so we’re gonna see what we do, but we’ll talk to some of the truck guys as well to see what they did on the dirt stuff and see what we’ll be able to do when it comes time for Bristol.

WHAT KIND OF DIFFICULTY DID YOU HAVE GETTING A CHARTER? “The biggest thing was when we were going through it, it became at first it was an interest of ours and then it became an interest of everybody’s. We got in at a very good time of going through the process before you had Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin and having Justin Marks in there and all these people bidding for teams. This is what’s so cool about the charter system what we’re doing is because NASCAR has invested so much time into that system to where you’re seeing now those 36 teams have such a value for the future. I think NASCAR had that idea in mind when they put the charter system there, so really the biggest thing was we were in a bidding interest war with these charters. That’s where our relationship with Joe really came into play because we had such a great time working with him and he wanted to work with us, but there is so much going on because everybody wanted a piece of the pie and there’s not very many slices in the pie that were available there, so that was the hardest part – just competing. To be honest with you, being Matt Tifft and B.J. McLeod and we’re two drivers. I know B.J. has the Xfinity teams, but you’re going up against people with a ton of money and clout and power and we were just blown away that we were able to be a part of this deal and so thankful. I always say everything happens for a reason and me being out of the car, maybe this is what I was supposed to do. Sometimes you have to take a step back and look at those things and go, ‘Wow. This is really something.’ I mean, we’re sitting here today on November 20th with a NASCAR charter. That’s pretty unbelievable for us to be able to say that we have that accomplishment.”

DID YOU LOSE OUT OR WERE YOU OUTBID ON OTHER CHARTERS? “This was actually the only one that we really had a full deal into, so there was other ones that we were looking at, but a lot of those came a bit later, so we were further in our talks with this one before we even knew some of the other ones were on the table.”

B.J. MCLEOD CONTINUED — CAN YOU OUTLINE WHAT THE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH SHR ENTAILS? “The biggest thing is there’s no particular one thing. We definitely have a relationship there that we see how our team plays out and the things we need and we reach out and see what we can get help with. We have an open door there and we’ve obviously already got their cars, their parts, their spindles, their hubs, their trailing arms, truck arms. I mean, we’ve got a good platform already to start with, so it’s basically like it reads, I guess. We’re gonna need help. Stewart-Haas is successful. They were up there to win a championship with two races to go, so it’s like nine or 10 wins this year in Cup alone. That’s just crazy the success that they show and we’re just thankful that they’re willing to give us the chance that we want to do good for the sport and work hard and show progression. That’s the biggest thing. So let’s say we do run 28th on average this next year, which is a hard feat. It’s nothing easy to do, but we would like to see progression to 27th or 26th the year after or if our budget stays the same, then honestly you have to prep to run the same until you up your budget and work on your stuff and make it better. We just want to prove that we’re here to be better and in the long run we do have goals of being, it’s fun with Cup you say, ‘Well, I want to win a race.’ Well, with Cup if you’re running top 15 you have a chance to win a race, so it’s really realistic that you shoot to get the top 15 over the next 10 years with this team and then sooner or later you win a race and you’re running 15th to 10th every week. It’s crazy how competitive the Cup Series is and I know it from a driver and from an owner both. It’s unreal how hard it is and that relationship is gonna speed up a lot for Matt and I and give us resources that we could really only dream of having, so just looking forward to getting rolling and seeing where it goes to.”

DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY CARS YOU’LL HAVE TO START 2021? “We actually bought 12 cars total.”

MATT TIFFT CONTINUED – ARE YOU FULLY RECOVERED PHYSICALLY? “I’ve got a Cup team. I’m doing great (laughing). On the serious side, it’s been a work in progress. What I mean by that is this summer we did a big study up in Cleveland at University Hospitals to learn more about what was happening inside my brain. They had a general idea, but to be honest, we don’t completely know what was happening or why things are happening, so, like I said earlier, I have to err on the side of caution. To say I’m fully healed, typically you have to go through a period of being a year or two years of being seizure-free before they say, ‘Hey, this is a really low chance this would happen again.’ So it’s an interesting thing in there because, really, a seizure is basically a surge protector. When it trips that, you think of a computer, when it trips the surge protector it’s doing it so your house doesn’t burn down and doesn’t blow the electrical fuses in there, and that’s something that I didn’t know before. So, it’s actually a protective mechanism, but in that it’s electrical activity that wasn’t going right, so we don’t know exactly what caused it or why it happened, but I’m feeling good. I’m able to wake up every day knowing that I have a fantastic life and a great partner here with B.J. and an awesome wife and lots of dogs and cats that I have to keep on muting because they like to bark here, but I’m very thankful for where I am and, yeah, I might not be Matt the race car driver right now, but to be in a place where health-wise I can be running a NASCAR team alongside B.J. here, I’d say everything is all right.”

B.J. MCLEOD CONTINUED — HOW MUCH INVESTMENT ARE YOU PUTTING IN AND DO YOU FEEL YOU’LL BE ABLE TO BREAK EVEN NEXT YEAR? WE’VE SEEN OWNERS PUT IN AS MUCH AS $5 MILLION A YEAR TO BE SUCCESSFUL. DO YOU FEEL THE NASCAR ECONOMIC MODEL WILL HELP YOU GET TO AN OPERATIONAL BREAKEVEN POINT RELATIVELY SOON? “NASCAR has done an incredible job of getting, every year they work to get the teams better and better spots – everything. They work to get everything better. It’s a never-ending changing story that they’re writing and I can tell you from what we’ve looked at business plan wise with what we’re able to do marketing and what we’re able to do with winnings and the structure of the new car, which there’s still some questions, but we have the majority of it pretty well understood, that we have no problem feeling like we can sustain his team for, like we said, several years. Let’s leave it at that. You have to work every single year to make it happen and this is the highest level of stock car racing in the world. It’s not meant to be easy in my mind. It’s up to us to make it happen and NASCAR has definitely put a platform out there that if you’re willing to work and willing to try to make stuff happen and be really, really careful with how quick you make changes to how early you want to run better, you have to be careful and do that at the right time because you can spend too much money and be a little bit on the aggressive side and then if things don’t play right, you may leave the sport. But if we can take a very systematic approach to it with what we’ve written down on paper and what NASCAR has worked really hard to put out there for people like Matt and I that want to come in this sport and be here for several years, I truly believe that they’ve got a really good position to have teams sustaining themselves and moving further in the future.”

David Starr launches podcast

NASCAR veteran David Starr is launching motorsports’ newest racing podcast, set to debut next month.

Starting Dec. 1, “Let’s Go Racing with David Starr” will be available every Tuesday on Apple, Spotify, Google Play, and more.

Starr will be joined by co-hosts Tyler Jones, Radio Host for KLWN Kansas City/Lawrence; and Dominic Aragon, editor-in-chief of The Racing Experts.

Starr is a six-time winner in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and has competed in all three national NASCAR touring series.

“We’ll be talking about all things racing, life, friendship, and more,” Starr said. “Fans will enjoy the inside scoop and the stories that we will share.”

Jones is the host of the KLWN Morning Show and is a 13-time Native American Journalist Association Award Winner. Jones has also hosted The Jones Report podcast since 2011.

“David represents everything that is right about NASCAR and I’m honored that we get to have a platform to share his stories, connecting with his passionate fan base,” Jones said. “Dominic and I are excited to work together with David, one of the most genuine people the sport has ever seen.”

A member of the National Motorsports Press Association, Aragon brings his experience from working in television and radio in New Mexico, along with managing The Racing Experts since 2010, to the podcast table.

“I’m so excited to get the opportunity to work with David and Tyler,” Aragon said. “I’ve known both of them for almost 10 years, so when we started talking about collaborating, launching a podcast made so much sense. I think everyone will enjoy the platform and stories we will be sharing.”

Like “Let’s Go Racing with David Starr” on Facebook for more updates.

Read more at https://theracingexperts.com/david-starr-launches-podcast.

FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/davidstarrpodcast/

Hailie Deegan Delivers Thanksgiving Turkeys in Detroit to Help Those In Need

NASCAR STAR HAILIE DEEGAN DELIVERS 3,325 POUNDS OF THANKSGIVING TURKEYS TO HELP THOSE IN NEED IN DETROIT, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE NEW 2021 FORD F-150

DETROIT, Mich., Nov. 19, 2020 – With the Thanksgiving holiday just around the corner, people are often looking for unique ways to help those in need.

Ford Performance NASCAR star Hailie Deegan got the chance to help out at least 258 needy families in Detroit today, as she delivered that many Thanksgiving turkeys to both the Ford Resource and Engagement Center and Gleaner’s Community Food Bank with the assistance of the new 2021 Ford F-150.

“Hailie’s Holiday Haul” was made possible by the new 2021 F-150 that she drove from Ford Performance headquarters in Dearborn to Detroit this morning.

“We put this new 2021 F-150 to the test today, I can tell you that,” Deegan said. “It is so cool to drive through Detroit and get to see the community with this huge haul of turkeys in the back, knowing that we are helping so many people today. I have never been prouder to be a part of the Ford family.”

Deegan, who will pilot a Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series next season, was touched by the response to her visit to the motor city.

“It is really cool to see how what we are doing today is impacting the community here in Detroit,” Deegan said. “Seeing how happy these families are to receive these gifts is awesome. It is cool to see everything that Ford is doing to give back to the community and I am just honored to be able to help with that. Seeing how grateful these families are to receive a turkey this time of year, that for many of us might seem so small, makes me feel good about being able to help out.”

The Ford Resource and Engagement Center in Detroit is part of a Ford Fund program that brings nonprofit partners together in a collaborative environment to support surrounding communities. Over the last five years, Ford Fund has developed a global network of these facilities to strengthen communities and help make people’s lives better around the world.

Gleaner’s Community Food Bank in Detroit has been serving southeastern Michigan since 1977, and seeks to achieve a healthy, hunger-free community through programs featuring education, advocacy, access and community engagement. It partners with 500 partner soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and other agencies throughout southeast Michigan and delivers 45 million pounds of food every year.

About Ford Performance
Ford’s racing program is part of the Ford Performance organization based in Dearborn, Mich. It is responsible for major racing operations globally, including NASCAR (Cup Series, Xfinity Series, Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series), IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, FIA World Rally Championship, Virgin Australia Supercars, Formula Drift, and NHRA Funny Car and sportsman drag racing. In addition, the organization also oversees the development of Ford’s racing engines, as well as the outreach programs with all Ford Clubs and Ford enthusiasts. For more information regarding Ford racing’s activities, please visit www.fordperformance.com, www.facebook/FordPerformance, Ford Performance on Instagram and @FordPerformance on Twitter.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 202,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

Kryptonite Kustomz Returns as Official Custom Car and Truck Wrap Shop of the ADRL

LAKE ST. LOUIS, Mo. – American Drag Racing League Officials announced today that Kryptonite Kustomz has returned as the Official Custom Car and Truck Wrap Shop of the ADRL.

Kryptonite Kustomz has taken custom car and truck wraps to a whole new level. Specializing in high impact, eye catching wraps for everything from race cars and team support vehicles, personal vehicles looking for that added touch of personalization, and business vehicles looking to get the most out of their advertising budget by turning any vehicle into a rolling billboard.

“The ADRL has long been known for having some of the wildest looking hot rods in drag racing,” said Kryptonite Kustomz Owner Chris Davis. “Most of those race cars were designed and wrapped right here at Kryptonite Kustomz. We look forward to playing a major role in the future of the ADRL”

To learn more about Kryptonite Kustomz, follow them on social media or visit their website at www.kkwraps.com.

The schedule for the 2021 ADRL Tour was announced at Dragstock XII, this year’s season finale. The season kicks off March 26-27, 2021 with the ADRL Gateway Drags and finishes up Oct. 22-23, 2021 with Dragstock XIII in St. Louis. The Texas Motorplex is hosting Dragpalooza April 30-May 1, 2021 and the ADRL US Drags Sept. 10-11, 2021. The ADRL Summer Drags (June 4-5) and ADRL Fall Drags (Oct. 1-2) will be run at facilities to be announced.

2021 ADRL Tour Schedule:

March 26-27: ADRL Gateway Drags (WWT Raceway)
April 30-May 1: ADRL Dragpalooza (Texas Motorplex)
June 4-5: ADRL Summer Drags (TBD)
Sept. 10-11: ADRL US Drags (Texas Motorplex)
Oct. 1-2: ADRL Fall Drags (TBD)
Oct. 22-23: ADRL Dragstock XIII (WWT Raceway)

Get the Gear! Missed out on any of the exciting 2020 ADRL Tour events? Need your ADRL merch? Get everything you need by clicking HERE!

For more information on the American Drag Racing League and to stay up-to-date on breaking news, follow them on their official page on Facebook at Facebook.com/ADRLDrags and on Instagram and Twitter at @ADRLDrags. Fans can also visit the official ADRL website at ADRLDrags.com.

2021 Schedule Set for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 19, 2020) – NASCAR today announced the 2021 schedule for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™. The schedule is highlighted by trips to traditional and new tracks alike, including a new battle in the dirt at an iconic NASCAR track, and a second dirt contest at another storied – yet brand-new – venue.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ first dirt affair will take place at Bristol Motor Speedway (March 27), joining the NASCAR Cup Series for an action-packed weekend on the short track’s return to dirt.

Then, on July 9, trucks will roll into Knoxville Raceway for what will be a highly anticipated contest on one of the most storied tracks in the country.  Located in Knoxville, Iowa, Knoxville Raceway hosted its first race in 1901, but is best known for a long, rich history of Sprint Car racing. When the Camping World Truck Series hits the dirt surface in the Hawkeye State, it will mark the first time a NASCAR national series has competed at Knoxville.

“The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series provides some of the most intense and entertaining competition in all of racing,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR vice president of racing development. “The 2021 iteration of the schedule will build upon that intensity through a wide variety of long-tenured race tracks and new venues like Knoxville Raceway. The variety of disciplines will increase the demand on drivers and culminate with a truly battle-tested champion at Phoenix.”

The Camping World Truck Series will kick off 16 national series tripleheader weekends in 2021, including at Circuit of the Americas (May 22) and Nashville Superspeedway (June 18). In addition, the Camping World Truck Series will return to fan-favorite Watkins Glen International for the first time since 2000 on Aug. 7.

The series will also share the stage with the NASCAR Cup Series on Saturday, June 26 in Pocono as all three national series take part in the NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader weekend at the Tricky Triangle.

As was originally scheduled in 2020 prior to the pandemic, World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway will return to host the start of the Playoffs (August 20). Two historic short tracks will determine which drivers continue their Playoffs run, as Bristol Motor Speedway (Sept. 16) trims the field to eight and Martinsville Speedway (Oct. 30) decides which four drivers will race for a championship at Phoenix Raceway (Nov. 5).

Broadcast times and networks for all three national series will be announced at a later date.

Below is the full 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule (Playoff races in bold font):

2021 NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES SCHEDULE

DateRace / Track
Friday, February 12Daytona
Friday, February 19Homestead-Miami
Friday, March 5Las Vegas
Saturday, March 20Atlanta
Saturday, March 27Bristol Dirt
Saturday, April 17Richmond
Saturday, May 1Kansas
Friday, May 7Darlington
Saturday, May 22COTA
Friday, May 28Charlotte
Saturday, June 12Texas
Friday, June 18Nashville Superspeedway
Saturday, June 26Pocono
Friday, July 9Knoxville
Saturday, August 7Watkins Glen
Friday, August 20Gateway
Sunday, September 5Canadian Tire
Thursday, September 16Bristol
Friday, September 24Las Vegas
Saturday, October 2Talladega
Saturday, October 30Martinsville
Friday, November 5Phoenix

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour), one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, Americrown Service and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

Daytona International Speedway set to Host First Race of 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

NASCAR Announces Full 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Schedule

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 19, 2020) – Since 2000, the season opener for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has been hosted by storied Daytona International Speedway. Next February will be no different for the NextEra Energy 250 that has produced some of the most memorable finishes in the sport as NASCAR announced the 2021 slate for the Series today.

The NextEra Energy 250 for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will go off on Friday, Feb. 12, as part of DAYTONA Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth. The race will be just two days before the 63rd Annual DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, Feb. 14, President’s Day Weekend. It will mark the 40th straight time (dating back to 1982) The Great American Race has started off NASCAR’s Cup Series season. Denny Hamlin can rewrite history and become the first driver to capture three consecutive checkered flags in the DAYTONA 500.

This year, for the first time in history, two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races actually took place at the World Center of Racing. Grant Enfinger held off Jordan Anderson by just 10 one thousandths of a second to capture the NextEra Energy 250 on the 2.5-mile 33-degree banking in February while Sheldon Creed, the 2020 Camping World Trucks Champion, laid claim to victory for the monumental first-ever DAYTONA Road Course race for the series in mid-August.

Families attending the NextEra Energy 250, as well as the NASCAR Racing Experience 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, Feb. 13, can take advantage of free grandstand admissions to all kids 12 years of age or younger. Tickets to the DAYTONA 500 and all events part of Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth, can be purchased by calling 1-800-PITSHOP or visiting www.DAYTONA500.com.

The full ’21 schedule for the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule can be found at www.nascar.com. While the season-opener for the ARCA Menards Series – the Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire – will take place at Daytona on Saturday, Feb. 13 as part of a double header with the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ NASCAR Racing Experience 300, the full ARCA 2021 schedule will be announced in the near future. Start times and television networks for the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series races will be also announced at a later date.

Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for the latest Speedway news throughout the season.

About Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a state-of-the-art motorsports facility and was awarded the SportsBusiness Journal’s prestigious Sports Business Award for Sports Facility of the Year in 2016. Daytona International Speedway is the home of “The Great American Race” – the DAYTONA 500. Though the season-opening NASCAR Cup Series event garners most of the attention – as well as the largest audience in motorsports – the approximately 500-acre motorsports complex, also known as the “World Center of Racing,” boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe. In addition to at least nine major event weekends, the Speedway grounds are also used extensively for events that include concerts, civic and social gatherings, car shows, photo shoots, production vehicle testing and police motorcycle training.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour), one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, Americrown Service and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to race at Watkins Glen International, August 7

Series to compete at New York’s Home for NASCAR for first time since 2000

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (Nov. 19, 2020) – For the first time in more than 20 years, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will race at Watkins Glen International. The sanctioning body announced the 2021 Truck Series schedule today, and it will include New York’s Home for NASCAR on Saturday, August 7.

The race will be part of a doubleheader with the previously announced NASCAR Xfinity Series event. The weekend will be capped off by the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen race, Sunday, August 8. This is the first time that all three NASCAR national series will compete on a single weekend at The Glen.

“We are thrilled to have the Camping World Truck Series return to WGI,” Watkins Glen International President Michael Printup said. “Some of the most exciting and iconic finishes in the Truck Series have been on the road courses. To have all the stars of NASCAR race at our historic road course will be an amazing treat for our fans and a great way to showcase the diverse racing of the sport.”

The Glen will also welcome two local drivers of the Camping World Truck Series to the circuit for their home race. Christian Eckes, 2019 ARCA Menards Series champion is from Middletown, N.Y. and Stewart Friesen hails from Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario. As a rookie in the Truck Series in 2020, Eckes earned a spot in the 10-driver Playoff field.

From 1996–2000, Watkins Glen International hosted the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series each year. The inaugural race in 1996 was won by four-time series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer, Ron Hornaday Jr. Canadian-native Ron Fellows’ two Truck Series wins both came at The Glen (1997, 1999). He is the only driver to win more than one Truck Series race in the five events at WGI. The last winner of a Truck Series race at The Glen was Greg Biffle, June 24, 2000.

The schedule for the ARCA Menards Series 2021 season will be announced in the near future. In addition, start times and television network information for all NASCAR sanctioned series races will also be announced at a later date.

The full 2021 NASCAR Cup, Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series schedules can be found at NASCAR.com. Additionally, for more information on Go Bowling at The Glen event weekend, please visit TheGlen.com.

About Watkins Glen International
Located within five (5) hours (~300 miles) of 25% of the US population, Watkins Glen International is the premier road racing facility in North America, four-times voted “Best NASCAR Track” by readers of USA Today. Keep up with The Glen on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For tickets, camping, and additional information, call 1-866-461-RACE or visit www.TheGlen.com.

Pocono Announces 2021 NASCAR and ARCA Races and Multi-Day Ticket Bundles with Free Friday Event Ticket

FIVE RACES IN THREE DAYS AT POCONO IN 2021
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series Races Added to 2021 NASCAR Doubleheader Week; Multi-Day Ticket Bundles Available

LONG POND, Pa. (November 19, 2020) – Pocono Raceway’s 2021 NASCAR Doubleheader Week schedule will feature five races in three days from Friday, June 25 – Sunday, June 27. Tickets and camping options are on sale now, including Multi-Day Ticket Bundles available for Saturday and Sunday.

Below are major highlights from today’s announcement:

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Date Announced: Pocono Raceway will host a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday, June 26. It will also be the 12th annual Camping World Truck Series race held at ‘The Tricky Triangle.’
  • ARCA Menards Series Date Announced: The General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible200 ARCA Menards Series race is scheduled to take place at Pocono Raceway on Friday, June 25, 2021. This will be the 68th ARCA Menards Series race held at ‘The Tricky Triangle.’
  • Five Raceway Races In Three Days: Pocono Raceway is scheduled to host a the General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 ARCA Menards Series race on Friday, June 25, a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race and the first of two NASCAR Cup Series races on Saturday, June 26, as well as the Pocono Green 225 Recycled by J.P. Mascaro & Sons NASCAR Xfinity Series race and a second NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, June 27. Additional event details will be announced later.
  • Only Happening at Pocono: The NASCAR Doubleheader Week will showcase the only time the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Cup Series are scheduled to compete on the same day in 2021, the only NASCAR Xfinity Series race held on a Sunday next year and the only time two NASCAR Cup Series race will take place on back-to-back days at the same track. Additional details regarding the NASCAR Doubleheader Week will be announced later.
  • Multi-Day Ticket Bundles Available: Multi-day Ticket Bundles are available for purchase in the 100, 200 and shaded 300-Levels of the Grandstand, as well as the Terrace Club, Club Pocono and Victory Circle Club sections. Multi-Day Ticket Bundles offer the convenience of a one-stop shop where a fan can select their tickets quickly and without having to navigate multiple ticket page options. To purchase a Multi-Day Ticket Bundle, visit www.poconoraceway.com/ticket or call our Ticket Office at 1-800-722-3929.
  • Kids Attend Free: Kids, ages 12 and under, will receive free admission to the NASCAR races at Pocono Raceway in 2021. This includes free access to the 100 and 200 levels of the Grandstand, Fan Fair and camping areas. Kids may attend Friday’s events without a ticket, but they must be accompanied by an adult ticket holders at all times. All attendees, regardless of age and including kids, must have a ticket for Grandstand access on Saturday and Sunday. Kids tickets, for Saturday and Sunday, are offered free of charge during the ticket purchase process.
  • Additional Tickets on Sale Now: Additional select ticket and camping options for all NASCAR events at Pocono Raceway are available online at www.poconoraceway.com or by calling 1-800-722-3929.
  • Complimentary Perks for Ticket Holders: Parking is free of charge for all NASCAR events at Pocono Raceway in 2021. All Saturday and Sunday tickets, purchased directly through the track, include the complimentary Worry-Free Weather Guarantee. There are also flexible payment options available for ticket purchasers. To learn more, visit www.poconoraceway.com.
  • Note: All events, dates and times are subject to change without notice. Children must be accompanied by an adult ticket holder for gate admission and at all times while on Pocono Raceway property. Certain terms, conditions and fees may apply for ticket purchases. Pocono Raceway reserves the right to determine changes in seat/camping locations or to make changes to seating/camping assignments.

About Pocono Raceway

Pocono Raceway, also known as ‘The Tricky Triangle,’ is family-owned and situated in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. In business for over 50 years, the Raceway hosts multiple, national motorsports events including two NASCAR Cup Series, one NASCAR Xfinity Series, one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and one ARCA Menards Series events each year. The facility’s calendar also consists of over 200 events including a wide-range of car clubs and racing schools. Pocono Raceway is recognized as the world’s first, privately-owned solar-powered sports facility. Their 25-acre, three-megawatt solar farm provides the energy needs of the Raceway, as well as, adds electricity to the local power grid. Each member of our raceway staff is committed to creating exciting experiences and lifelong memories. For more information, please visit www.poconoraceway.com.