2015 NASCAR HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE WENDELL SCOTT TO BE HONORED AT MARTINSVILLE

NASCAR, Front Row Motorsports, Kyle Busch Motorsports and Martinsville Speedway Pay Tribute To Scott With Special Paint Scheme, Number Change

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. September 19, 2014 – NASCAR, Front Row Motorsports, Kyle Busch Motorsports and Martinsville Speedway announced today they will honor 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee Wendell Scott, the first African-American driver to win a NASCAR premier series event, with a series of tributes during the Martinsville race weekend from Oct. 24-26.

Wendell Scott

Front Row Motorsports will pay homage to Scott, also the first African-American driver to race full-time in NASCAR’s premier series, with a full throwback paint scheme on its No. 34 Ford driven by David Ragan, reminiscent of the blue No. 34 that he drove to Victory Lane for his first NASCAR premier series victory at Jacksonville Speedway on Dec. 1, 1963. Ragan is one of just three drivers to win in the No. 34, and the first since Scott.

“It’s going to be cool to honor Wendell Scott at his home track with his family,” said Ragan. “I got to drive a tribute scheme for Ned Jarrett a while back, and it’s a tribute to the history of our sport that I get to honor Mr. Scott as an inductee, the last driver to win in the No. 34 before I did. I’m a fan of our sport’s history and have a real appreciation for it, so it’s special to be able to bring that paint scheme back for a weekend.”

In addition, Kyle Busch Motorsports will change the number of Darrell Wallace Jr.’s truck from 54 to 34 in honor of Scott. A NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate, Wallace became the first African-American to win a NASCAR national series race since Scott’s historic 1963 triumph when he captured the checkered flag in last season’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kroger 200 at Martinsville.

“It’s an honor to run the No. 34 Toyota Tundra at Martinsville,” said Wallace. “I got my first win at Martinsville and the historical significance of that win and to be so close to Wendell Scott’s hometown was a really cool bonus to getting my first win. The Scott family has followed my career since I ran the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program for Rev Racing and I’ve kept a relationship with the family over the years. Thanks to Joe Gibbs Racing, Kyle Busch Motorsports, Toyota and NASCAR for allowing me to run the No. 34 at Martinsville. I’m pumped to get back there and hope to get another victory.”

Adding to the celebration, Martinsville Speedway and the NHOF will host members of the Scott family during the race weekend and offer special Q&A opportunities for fans on-site.

“Wendell Scott faced numerous adversities throughout his racing career. At the end of the day though, he persevered and overcame all odds,” said Clay Campbell, president of Martinsville Speedway. “That perseverance serves as an inspiration today and as a testament to that, he was inducted to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.”

A trailblazer whose legacy extends to the present day, Scott was the 1959 NASCAR Virginia Sportsman champion and won over 100 races at local tracks prior to starting his NASCAR premier series career. The Danville, Virginia native served three years in the U.S. Army during World War II where he honed his skills in the motor pool. In 13 years of NASCAR premier series competition, Scott made 495 starts (35th on the all-time list), accumulating 20 top-five and 147 top-10 finishes. He passed away in 1990, at the age of 69.

NASCAR currently awards scholarships in Scott’s name through the United Negro College Fund, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. The Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award is awarded to a diverse or female driver in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series who has demonstrated significant contributions on and off the track. Current NASCAR D4D driver and last year’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Nevada state champion Jay Beasley was the 2013 award recipient.

In addition, NASCAR has designated the first race weekend in March as a time to remember Wendell Scott’s legacy during a week that marks his first career start. Cars in all series run a decal in honor of his accomplishments within the sport.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goody’s ® Headache Relief Shot ® 500 will run Sunday, Oct. 26 at 1:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kroger 200 will run Saturday, Oct. 25 at 1:30 p.m. on FOX Sports 1. Both races will also air on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, with additional coverage on NASCAR.com.

 

DARRELL WALLACE ADDS ANOTHER WIN TO RESUME

Darrell Wallace Jr.

June 19, 2014 – NASCAR Next and NASCAR Drive For Diversity graduate Darrell Wallace Jr. added a chapter to the record books last October when he became the first African-American driver to win a NASCAR national series event since NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Wendell Scott won in 1963 in Jacksonville, Fla. Just 10 starts later, Wallace secured his second win, this time in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ thrilling return to Gateway Motorsports Park last Saturday night.

The entire Kyle Busch Motorsports team celebrated the win as the two trucks in the series have combined for five of the seven wins this season. KBM truck chief Chris Showalter earned his 30th-career NCWTS win and extended his streak of never missing a NCWTS race, dating back to the series’ inaugural race on Feb. 5, 1995 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Showalter is the only crew member to never miss a race in the 468-race history of the series.

Source: NASCAR

 

ERIK JONES TO MAKE INTERMEDIATE TRACK DEBUT FOR KBM

Erik Jones

June 05, 2014 – Erik Jones will miss his high school graduation on Friday, but with a pretty good excuse – a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. The NASCAR Next member is ready to make his intermediate track debut this weekend; it’ll be his second start of the season.

Jones, who set the record as the youngest race winner in series history last November at Phoenix driving the No. 51 Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports, will attempt to score his second win and keep the No. 51 team atop the owner points standings.

The Michigan native has also been part of incredible Kyle Busch Motorsports run: The No. 51 & No. 54 trucks have combined to win seven of the last nine races in the series dating back to Darrell Wallace Jr.’s historic win at Martinsville.

Credit: NASCAR

 

THORSPORT AND RED HORSE DRIVERS RESIDE IN TOP 5

Matt Crafton

May 29, 2014 – Though Kyle Busch Motorsports might have the most wins so far this season, a pair of teams are off to good starts with each team having two drivers in the top five in driver’s standings.

Defending series champion Matt Crafton has used a win at Martinsville and a consistent start to lead the points, while teammate Johnny Sauter is fifth.

Timothy Peters is second in the standings highlighted by his runner-up finish at Daytona and his Red Horse Racing teammate German Quiroga is third overall. Quiroga is also the only driver to finish in the top-10 in every race so far this season.

Finishing in the top of the standings is nothing new to ThorSport Racing, as the duo of Crafton and Sauter have ended the season in the top-10 in driver’s standings for four consecutive season.

While veteran team owners Duke and Rhonda Thorson scored their first NCWTS championship last season, could this be the year another veteran owner, Red Horse Racing’s Tom DeLoach picks up his first title? Judging by the way two of his trucks have started the season – this might be the year.

 

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Etc.

Former NASCAR Next driver Jeb Burton announced this week he will drive the No. 13 Toyota Tundra from Thorsport Racing for the remainder of the season after signing Estes Trucking as sponsor for the remaining 18 races on the 2014 schedule. … Kyle Busch Motorsports will feature a special logo on the hood of the No. 51 Toyota Tundra promoting the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award presented by The NASCAR Foundation. The award honors the unwavering commitment that The NASCAR Foundation Chairwoman Betty Jane France has demonstrated with her philanthropic and community efforts.

Credit: NASCAR

 

TOYOTA MATCHES WIN RECORD

May 21, 2014 – With Kyle Busch’s third victory of the season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Toyota has now won six consecutive races dating back to last November when Erik Jones won at Phoenix.
This matches the longest win streak for the manufacturer, originally set in 2010. Kyle Busch Motorsports has won five of the six races during the most recent Toyota win streak.
During that streak, another kind of history was made. Eric Phillips, who has won four races with two drivers during the Toyota streak, set the record for wins by a crew chief in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Phillips set the record of 29 wins at Kansas and added another last weekend in Charlotte. He has won with eight different drivers at 20 different tracks during his record-setting effort. He has won three races this season, all with Busch behind the wheel.

AFTER DAYTONA WIN, ERIC PHILLIPS LOOKS TO BREAK RECORD AT MARTINSVILLE

Eric Phillips stands on the verge of history

March 05, 2014 – Eric Phillips stands on the verge of history. One more victory, and he’ll be the all-time winningest crew chief in the 20-year history of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Phillips called the shots for Kyle Busch’s season-opening win at Daytona International Speedway to give him 28 for his career, tying Rick Ren for the most wins in series history.

Eighteen of Phillips’ 28 wins have come while working at Kyle Busch Motorsports, and his list of drivers who have won with him is quite impressive. Dennis Setzer picked up four of his 18 career wins with Phillips and former series champions Mike Skinner (3) and Travis Kvapil (2) have also scored wins with Phillips.

Current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne and Brian Scott have each scored a NCWTS win with Phillips. Phillips’ most prolific driver? Not surprisingly, it’s Kyle Busch (15).

As for the record, Phillips was even keeled when asked about it.

“I think [records] are a cool thing to achieve, but I have a lot of years left to do this so hopefully we break the record by a lot,” Phillips said. “It just says a lot that I have been fortunate to work with a lot of great drivers and organizations through the years.”

Phillips will try and have the record all by himself when he leads Erik Jones in the No. 51 Toyota at Martinsville on March 29. If Jones can pick up his second win in as many starts, he would become the ninth different driver to win a race with Phillips on the pit box.

 

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES AND NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES CHAMPIONS CELEBRATE IN SOUTH BEACH

Dillon, Crafton, Penske Racing, Kyle Busch Motorsports, Larson & Blaney Honored

Matt Crafton

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Nov. 20, 2013 – Two champions, two organizations and two heralded rookies shared the South Beach spotlight, at the NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Awards, held at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel’s Americana Ballroom.

Austin Dillon and Matt Crafton headlined the evening as both were presented with championships rings and trophies for their respective NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championships.

Dillon is only the third driver in NASCAR history to win the NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Camping World Truck championships, joining Greg Biffle and Johnny Benson. Dillon’s championship campaign comes one year after winning the NNS’ Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors, duplicating his success in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

In his 13th fulltime season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Crafton was a model of consistency, posting 19 top-10 finishes in 22 races, including 16 consecutive to start the season. The veteran won the spring Kansas race and finished on the lead lap in every event.

Austin Dillon

Penske Racing’s No. 22 Ford Mustang narrowly edged out the No. 54 entry of Joe Gibbs Racing by one point in the NASCAR Nationwide Series owners’ championship battle. The No. 22 visited Victory Lane under the control of four different drivers: Brad Keselowski (six times), Joey Logano (three), AJ Allmendinger (two) and Ryan Blaney (one).

The owners’ championship race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series came down to the last laps of the season with the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota claiming the title based on wins over the No. 88 ThorSport Racing Toyota. Both cars finished the season tied in points, but the Kyle Busch Motorsports entry had six wins to the No. 88’s one.

Loews Miami Beach Hotel

On Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kyle Larson, 21, became the first NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate and Asian-American driver to capture Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in any of NASCAR’s three national series. The previous night, 19-year-old Ryan Blaney won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award on the strength of one win and 13 top 10s during the 2013 campaign.

Sam Hornish Jr., Regan Smith, Elliott Sadler and Justin Allgaier were second through fifth in the championship standings and will be honored along with Dillon in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Ty Dillon, James Buescher, Johnny Sauter and Jeb Burton were second through fifth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final points and joined Crafton on stage.

In addition to the aforementioned honors, each series’ Most Popular Driver was announced after a fan vote on NASCAR.com. Regan Smith and Ty Dillon received the distinction in the NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, respectively.

FOX Sports’ Rick Allen and Krista Voda will host the event, which will air at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2013, on FOX Sports 1. Rock band Parachute will provide entertainment during the show.

NASCAR