VOTING OPENS FOR 2014 MOST POPULAR DRIVER AWARDS IN NASCAR NATIONWIDE, NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK AND NASCAR TOURING SERIES

Fans Can Also Vote for the NASCAR Nationwide Series Top Moment

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Oct. 15, 2014 – It’s another showdown between the rising stars and seasoned veterans of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR’s seven touring series, as voting for the Most Popular Driver Awards began, October 9.

Additionally, fans can also vote on their top NASCAR Nationwide Series moment.

Regan Smith looks to defend his NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver title, while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is guaranteed to have a new winner. Fans can vote once per day online for the Most Popular Driver Awards at www.NASCAR.com/mostpopulardriver, and for the NASCAR Nationwide Series top moment at www.NASCAR.com/nnstopmoment.

Voting is open and runs through Friday, Nov. 14 for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Saturday, Nov. 15 for the NASCAR Nationwide Series, prior to the respective season finale races at Homestead-Miami Speedway during Ford Championship Weekend. Voting for the NASCAR touring series will also conclude Saturday, Nov. 15.

The winners will be announced at the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Awards. The combined postseason gala will take place at the Trump National Doral Miami on Monday, Nov. 17.

The Most Popular Award winners for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series will be honored at the NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Series Awards at the NASCAR Hall of Fame / Charlotte Convention Center on Saturday, Dec. 13.

To be eligible to receive Most Popular Driver votes, drivers must have selected either the NASCAR Nationwide Series or NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to receive 2014 championship driver points. Additionally, for all voting, drivers must have attempted at least half of their respective series races this season.

Selected by a panel of NASCAR industry representatives, here are the top NASCAR Nationwide Series moments from the past seven seasons that fans can vote on starting today:

Aug. 1, 2009 – Brad Keselowski wins the inaugural NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Iowa Speedway, taking home the Dash 4 Cash bonus in front of 60,000 fans.

July 3, 2010 – The new NASCAR Nationwide car makes its race debut at Daytona. Driving a blue-and-yellow No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet reminiscent of his father’s car, Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins the Subway Jalapeno 250 Powered by Coca-Cola.

March 5, 2011 – Danica Patrick finishes fourth at Las Vegas, marking the best finish by a female driver in NASCAR national series history.

Aug. 6, 2011 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Carl Edwards wreck coming across the finish line at Iowa Speedway battling for the win. Stenhouse would emerge as the winner, earning his first victory of the season.

Aug. 26, 2011 – Kyle Busch’s victory at Bristol Motor Speedway moves him past Mark Martin as the series’ all-time wins leader (50). Busch has since upped his win total to 69.

Nov. 5, 2011 – At Texas Motor Speedway, Kenny Wallace supplants Jason Keller as the series’ all-time starts leader (520).

Nov. 16, 2013 – Austin Dillon wins the series championship by a scant three points over Sam Hornish Jr. It was Dillon’s second national series championship in three years.

April, 2014 – Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Chase Elliott wins consecutive races at Texas Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway, becoming the youngest driver to win back-to-back races in series history.

Aug. 16, 2014 – Chris Buescher claims his first career win in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 at Mid-Ohio, while honoring six year-old patient champion Luke Benner.

Source: NASCAR

 

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

 

K&N EAST RETURNS TO HISTORIC BOWMAN GRAY STADIUM

Greg Pursley

May 30, 2014 – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East heads to historic Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Saturday, May 31 for the NASCAR Hall of Fame 150. It will be the fourth NASCAR K&N Pro Series East event at “The Stadium,” which hosted 29 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races from 1958-71. NASCAR Next drivers and alumni won the first three series’ events at the .25-mile asphalt oval, a trend that is likely to continue with six members of the current class and three alumni entered in the event.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will make its second attempt at the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway when it heads to the half-mile asphalt oval on Friday, May 30. Rain washed out the tour’s first attempt last Friday, but not before Bobby Santos captured the Coors Light Pole Award in qualifying, his fourth in the last six qualifying attempts at Stafford. The veteran driver won this race during his 2010 championship season. Friday night’s event will be the second of four at Stafford this season, and the first of two under the lights.

In NASCAR Touring Series action last weekend, Greg Pursley captured his 19th career NASCAR K&N Pro Series West checkered flag and Rubén Pardo earned his first NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series victory since 2012 and fifth of his career. Pursley outdueled David Mayhew in the closing laps of the Armed Forces 150 at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, Calif., while Pardo overcame an early spin to claim victory over series veteran Patrick Goeters and NASCAR Next alum Daniel Suárez.

Credit: NASCAR

 

 

NASCAR ANNOUNCES FAN APPRECIATION DAY AT THE NASCAR HALL OF FAME

Free Admission To NASCAR Hall of Fame For All Fans On Feb. 1

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Jan. 15, 2014 – For the first time since its 2010 opening, the NASCAR Hall of Fame will offer fans unlimited access to the attraction … FREE OF CHARGE.

On Saturday, Feb. 1, fans will be admitted into the Hall for free as part of NASCAR Fan Appreciation Day – a full day of special activities that includes autograph and Q&A sessions with current drivers and NASCAR Hall of Famers.

“Our sport is unique in many ways, starting with our fans – the most loyal fans in all of sports,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “Any successes we have start with our fans, which is why we always look for opportunities to ‘give back.’

“NASCAR Fan Appreciation Day is one of those opportunities, with the added benefit of building excitement for the upcoming Daytona 500 thanks to the combination of current and past NASCAR stars coming together.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin and Greg Biffle headline a group of more than 20 NASCAR national series drivers scheduled to interact with fans during this first-of-its-kind event in Uptown Charlotte, N.C. Several NASCAR Hall of Famers, including Class of 2014 inductees Jack Ingram, Dale Jarrett and Maurice Petty, will also be on hand.

Fans will have free access to the Hall on a first-come, first-served basis in lieu of needing a ticket. However, fans need to secure free tickets for the driver autograph sessions in advance at nascarhall.com, where they can also find schedules and details about NASCAR Fan Appreciation Day.

Several new exhibits will be on display, including a revamped Glory Road; newly rewrapped Gen-6 racing simulators; a Champions exhibit honoring Jimmie Johnson, Austin Dillon and Matt Crafton; and a Memorable Moments exhibit highlighting recent significant NASCAR milestones. In addition, fans will be among the first to see the new Hall of Honor exhibit featuring artifacts from the Class of 2014, which will open Thursday, Jan. 30.

Immediately following NASCAR Fan Appreciation Day, the NASCAR Hall of Fame will close for a special Junior Johnson Midnight Moon Sign & Shine. The event will feature a private Q&A and autograph session with Junior Johnson and other NASCAR Hall of Famers, and a free tasting at the Midnight Moon moonshine bar. Fans purchasing NASCAR Hall of Fame memberships at NASCAR Fan Appreciation Day will have access to the event.