Innholdsfortegnelse for Racing 2020 i Athlon Sports Football Bundle

FEBRUARY 17 Just over a month after the passing of J.D. Gibbs, co-owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, Denny Hamlin paid the ultimate tribute to the man who helped bring him to JGR by winning an emotional Daytona 500. It was Hamlin's second win in the Great American Race. Kyle Busch launched his championship run with a win at the Ticket Guardian 500 at ISM Raceway in Avondale, Ariz., before celebrating in classic Kyle style. MARCH 10 MARCH 24 Brad Keselowski conquered the famed paperclip to win the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway. MARCH 31 Denny Hamlin and his FedEx Toyota delivered a hard-earned win for Joe Gibbs Racing at the O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Martin Truex Jr. won the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway —…

One year, I tagged along with Jimmie Johnson as he made the media rounds in Manhattan the week after he won the NASCAR Cup championship. We piled into an elevator that took us to the top of the Empire State Building, and then we climbed another level or two higher than “normal” tourists are allowed to go, which was a perfect metaphor for what happening in his career: He reached the top, and then he kept going. Johnson walked a few laps around that most famous of buildings, a 30-second stroll that he spent soaking in a 360-degree view of Manhattan that only a privileged few get to experience. I also rode with him to appointments and watched as he answered questions in front of a studio audience of fans.…

1 Will the Phoenix season finale be a success? For the first time since 2001, the final race of the NASCAR season will occur away from South Florida and Homestead-Miami Speedway. The new host site for the finale — and championship-deciding race — is ISM Raceway, the low-banked, one-mile track outside Phoenix. ISM Raceway has long played a significant role in NASCAR’s championship process as host of the second-to-last race of the season since the 2001 schedule shift. But now it’s in the spotlight as NASCAR seeks to make the best use of its now self-owned venue that underwent a $178 million renovation in recent years. The move follows back-to-back reported sellouts of the track’s grandstand seating for each of its last two fall Cup races. But the biggest risk…

NO. 12 FORD Primary Sponsors: Advance Auto Parts, BodyArmor, Menards, DEX Imaging, PPG, MoneyLion Owner: Roger Penske Crew Chief: Jeremy Bullins Years with Current Team: 2 Under Contract Through: 2020 Best Points Finish: 7th (2019) Hometown: High Point, N.C. Born: Dec. 31, 1993 CAREER TRACK STATS 2019 STATS Final Standing » 7th Regular Season » 9th Race Wins » 1 Stage Wins » 2 Top 5s » 11 Top 10s » 18 Poles » 1 Races Led » 16 Laps Led » 422 Avg. Start » 12.3 Avg. Position » 10.9 Avg. Finish » 13.7 In many ways, Ryan Blaney had a career year in 2019. He won a race (fall Talladega) for the third year in a row, and he posted career bests in top 5s (11), top 10s…

When Christopher Bell signed a development deal with Toyota six years ago, a chart was created of best possible scenarios that his career could follow. It served as a roadmap that, if followed, would propel Bell from heralded open-wheel dirt track racer to the Cup Series. He followed it step by step, moving from USAC Midgets to late models to Trucks to Xfinity, and the 25-year-old Oklahoma native has won at every level. But in the last few years, even while Bell dominated at the Xfinity level, his upward progression stalled. Though he appeared more than ready to make his debut at the Cup level, there was no car for him to drive. “Sometimes the hardest thing in this sport is to say, ‘No, we’re not ready, we don’t have…

26. Michael McDowell McDowell earned a third full season at Front Row Motorsports and becomes their senior driver with David Ragan’s retirement. He started off strong in 2019, finishing fifth in the season-opening Daytona 500, and he remains an above-average road course racer. The key for him is to cut down on five DNFs, all for crashes, which a smaller team like FRM can’t afford. 27. Bubba Wallace An ugly first half of 2019 had rumors flying that Wallace was out of this ride at Richard Petty Motorsports. It took a midsummer burst of funding from World Wide Technology to slowly turn a difficult situation around. Wallace occasionally shows you what he’s capable of, like a top-5 run in one of the sport’s biggest races (third in September’s Brickyard 400).…

ABOUT BRISTOL BRISTOL, TENNESSEE 533-mile oval • Banking/Turns: Variable (24-28º) • Banking/Straightaways: 4-9º APRIL 5, 2020 SEPT. 19, 2020 2020 Race Length: 266.5 miles/500 laps Track Qualifying Record: 131.668 mph (Denny Hamlin, 2016) Race Record: 101.074 mph (Charlie Glotzbach, 1971) 2019 RESULTS APRIL 1. Kyle Busch 2. Kurt Busch 3. Joey Logano 4. Ryan Blaney 5. Denny Hamlin AUGUST 1. Denny Hamlin 2. Matt DiBenedetto 3. Brad Keselowski 4. Kyle Busch 5. Chase Elliott Classic Moments The most notorious finish in Bristol Motor Speedway history is among NASCAR’s most-played highlight reels. It’s Dale Earnhardt versus Terry Labonte in the 1999 Bristol Night Race. This finish was actually a rematch of the 1995 Night Race in which Earnhardt spun Labonte across the finish line but was impeded from completing the winning…

ABOUT CHICAGOLAND JOLIET, ILLINOIS 1.5-mile tri-oval • Banking/Turns: 18º Banking/Tri-oval: 11º Banking/Backstretch: 5º JUNE 21, 2020 2020 Race Length: 400.5 miles/267 laps Track Qualifying Record: 189.414 mph (Joey Logano, 2013) Race Record: 145.401 mph (Martin Truex Jr., 2017) 2019 RESULTS JUNE 1. Alex Bowman 2. Kyle Larson 3. Joey Logano 4. Jimmie Johnson 5. Brad Keselowski 6. Ryan Blaney 7. Erik Jones 8. William Byron 9. Martin Truex Jr. 10. Austin Dillon Classic Moments The finish to the 2018 Overton’s 400 was a fitting conclusion to what was undeniably the best race in the 20-year history of Chicagoland Speedway — and possibly the best of all time on an intermediate track. Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson slid around the abrasive Illinois racing surface on the final lap as if they…

ABOUT DOVER DOVER, DELAWARE 1-mile oval • Banking/Turns: 24º Banking/Straightaways: 9º MAY 3, 2020 AUGUST 23, 2020 2020 Race Length: 400 miles/400 laps Track Qualifying Record: 166.984 mph (Denny Hamlin, 2019) Race Record: 135.734 mph (Kyle Larson, 2019) 2019 RESULTS MAY 1. Martin Truex Jr. 2. Alex Bowman 3. Kyle Larson 4. Kevin Harvick 5. Chase Elliott OCTOBER 1. Kyle Larson 2. Martin Truex Jr. 3. Alex Bowman 4. Kevin Harvick 5. Denny Hamlin Classic Moments The spring 2016 race at Dover International Speedway wasn’t a traditional barnburner, but it entertained nevertheless. Veteran Matt Kenseth held off a hard-charging Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott in a race that none of the three expected to be contending for in the first place. That’s because leader Jimmie Johnson triggered an 18-car melee…

ABOUT ISM AVONDALE, ARIZONA 1-mile D-shaped oval • Banking/Turns: Variable (8-11º) • Banking/Frontstretch: 9º Banking/Backstretch: 3º MARCH 8, 2020 NOVEMBER 8, 2020 2020 Race Length: 312 miles/312 laps Track Qualifying Record: 143.158 mph (Jimmie Johnson, 2015) Race Record: 118.132 mph (Tony Stewart, 1999) 2019 RESULTS MARCH 1. Kyle Busch 2. Martin Truex Jr. 3. Ryan Blaney 4. Aric Almirola 5. Denny Hamlin NOVEMBER 1. Denny Hamlin 2. Kyle Busch 3. Ryan Blaney 4. Kyle Larson 5. Kevin Harvick Classic Moments NASCAR’s playoff promise of a Game 7 moment delivered in 2017 at Phoenix. A week after essentially being forced into an impending retirement by Joe Gibbs Racing, Matt Kenseth won for the final time in Cup Series competition. He did so by passing Chase Elliott, who needed nothing short of…

ABOUT LAS VEGAS LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 1.5-mile tri-oval • Banking/Turns: 20º Banking/Tri-oval: 9-12º Banking/Backstretch: 9-12º FEBRUARY 23, 2020 SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 2020 Race Length: 400.5 miles/267 laps Track Qualifying Record: 196.378 mph (Kurt Busch, 2016) Race Record: 154.849 mph (Joey Logano, 2019) 2019 RESULTS MARCH 1. Joey Logano 2. Brad Keselowski 3. Kyle Busch 4. Kevin Harvick 5. Kurt Busch SEPTEMBER 1. Martin Truex Jr. 2. Kevin Harvick 3. Brad Keselowski 4. Chase Elliott 5. Ryan Blaney Classic Moments Brad Keselowski’s victory in the 2016 race at Las Vegas had a little bit of everything. Kyle Busch took a commanding lead on a restart with 44 laps to go, powering from sixth to first in just half a lap. Busch had taken only right-side tires on his final pit stop…

ABOUT NEW HAMPSHIRE LOUDON, NEW HAMPSHIRE 1.058-mile oval • Banking/Turns: Variable (2-7º) • Banking/Straightaways: 1º JULY 19, 2020 2020 Race Length: 318.5 miles/301 laps Track Qualifying Record: 140.598 mph (Brad Keselowski, 2014) Race Record: 117.134 mph (Jeff Burton, 1997) 2019 RESULTS JULY 1. Kevin Harvick 2. Denny Hamlin 3. Erik Jones 4. Ryan Blaney 5. Matt DiBenedetto 6. Martin Truex Jr. 7. Ryan Newman 8. Kyle Busch 9. Joey Logano 10. Brad Keselowski Classic Moments The 2019 Cup Series race at New Hampshire was arguably the best ever at the speedway. A record heat wave, combined with the usage of a traction compound against the outside retaining wall, had cars sliding all around the one-mile granite surface despite a high downforce rules package intended to promote stability. During the last…

ABOUT SONOMA SONOMA, CALIFORNIA 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course 160Õ change in elevation JUNE 14, 2020 2020 Race Length: 226.8 miles/90 laps Track Qualifying Record: 95.901 mph (Kyle Larson, 2019) Race Record: 83.922 mph (Martin Truex Jr., 2019) 2019 RESULTS JUNE 1. Martin Truex Jr. 2. Kyle Busch 3. Ryan Blaney 4. Matt DiBenedetto 5. Denny Hamlin 6. Kevin Harvick 7. Ryan Newman 8. Erik Jones 9. Aric Almirola 10. Kyle Larson Classic Moments Long before NASCAR reintroduced disqualifications to the stock car vernacular in 2019, the sanctioning body had actually taken a win away from Ricky Rudd at Sonoma during its third Winston Cup event in 1991. Davey Allison appeared poised to reach Victory Lane after inheriting the lead with three laps remaining. Allison maintained a car-length lead over Rudd…

ABOUT WATKINS GLEN WATKINS GLEN, NEW YORK 7-turn, 2.45-mile road course 115’ change in elevation • Variable Banking: 6-10º AUGUST 16, 2020 2020 Race Length: 220.5 miles/90 laps Track Qualifying Record: 129.491 mph (Marcos Ambrose, 2014) Race Record: 104.132 mph (Martin Truex Jr., 2017) 2019 RESULTS AUGUST 1. Chase Elliott 2. Martin Truex Jr. 3. Denny Hamlin 4. Erik Jones 5. Ryan Blaney 6. Matt DiBenedetto 7. Kevin Harvick 8. Kyle Larson 9. Brad Keselowski 10. Kurt Busch Classic Moments It felt like the dawn of a new era in August 2018 when Chase Elliott finally broke through to capture his first Cup Series victory at Watkins Glen International. The victory came in his 99th start and followed eight second-place finishes. But even more impressive was how he did it,…

If the 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series season taught us anything, it was never to count out the wily veterans. Despite a victory drought that dates back to July 2017, ThorSport Racing’s Matt Crafton took home his third series championship by perfectly playing the system to his benefit, finishing exactly where he needed to in each round of the playoffs to advance to the finale at Homestead. Crafton again did exactly what he needed to do in the finale, racing at the front of the field all night long on his way to a runner-up finish, beating out the other three Championship 4 contenders. His third title safely in the bag, Crafton is in rarified company, joining four-time champion Ron Hornaday and fellow three-time champion Jack Sprague as the…

The sport is abuzz with an impending 2021 schedule shakeup after current agreements with racetracks expire following the 2020 Cup Series season. NASCAR president Steve Phelps clarified his realignment priorities during his season-ending State of the Sport press conference at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “We’re looking at three things when we’re looking at that race schedule,” Phelps said. “We’re looking at where we’re going to have the most competitive racing that we can have, where we’re going to have full grandstands, and what does that market look like; is it a new market that we can service?” What racetracks out there fit those criteria? Here are a few you could see pop up when the calendar hits 2021. 1. IOWA SPEEDWAY This 7/8-mile oval is nicknamed “The Fastest Short Track on The Planet”…

Jimmie Johnson’s recent struggles seem to have dampened his popularity one year before his retirement. A look at social media shows that Johnson actually lost Twitter followers over the previous year, the only driver on this list to register a drop. Everyone else is in line with NASCAR’s small-but-steady growth in 2019. However, once Johnson retires, not having an active driver with a reach of over 1,000,000 on social media is concerning. Considering popular athletes such as LeBron James of the NBA (44.2 million), Aaron Rodgers of the NFL(4.43 million) and Justin Verlander of MLB (2.0 million), stock car racing will be without a signature “go-to” athlete still driving full-time with extensive social media reach. Honorable mention for 2019 goes to Matt DiBenedetto, the Cinderella darling who almost doubled his…

“What’s the worst thing that could happen?” is a question I both love and hate to hear when I’m sitting next to a NASCAR driver in a car. It suggests that the ride I’m about to have will be great. It also suggests that it could turn disastrous. That query came up as I strapped in next to Chase Elliott in his No. 9 Camaro before an event called Burnouts on Broadway as part of the NASCAR championship banquet festivities in Nashville in December. He was trying to decide what to do with his burnout. It was an important question, given that the banquet is the biggest event of the NASCAR off season. Granted, Elliott could drive five miles per hour in a straight line and fans would go bananas.…

At first glance, it would appear as if NASCAR was late to the eSports party with the launch of its own officially sanctioned console video game league in 2019, but the interest and infrastructure actually date back much further. During an era in which teenagers and young adults enjoy watching their peers play video games on platforms such as Twitch or YouTube just as much as participating themselves, leagues have begun to invest millions of dollars to figure out how to engage a new type of consumer. This is of particular interest to NASCAR, because only 22 percent of its audience falls in the coveted 18-to-44-year-old demographic, despite a driver roster that is skewing increasingly younger with the addition of several personable twentysomethings to the Cup Series grid over the…

In 15 years racing at the Cup level, Clint Bowyer has 10 wins, 505 starts and a well-earned reputation as the best interview subject in the sport. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver talked with Athlon Sports about hangovers, getting old, NASCAR fights and his offseason crew chief swap in which John Klausmeier replaced Mike Bugarewicz. You turned 40 this year. Did you throw a big party? Yeah. You feel it, too. Walking out [of a bar] old makes that way more impactful. You have to plan [hangovers] now. It used to just happen, and if it took two or three days [to recover], so be it. Now, there has to be a reason if I’m going to have a hangover. I don’t want to feel that without reason. It has to…

ABOUT ATLANTA HAMPTON, GEORGIA 1.54-mile quad-oval • Banking/Turns: 24° Banking/Straightaways: 5° MARCH 15, 2020 2020 Race Length: 500.5 miles/325 laps Track Qualifying Record: 197.478 mph (Geoffrey Bodine, 1997) Race Record: 163.633 mph (Dale Earnhardt, 1995) 2019 RESULTS FEBRUARY 1. Brad Keselowski 2. Martin Truex Jr. 3. Kurt Busch 4. Kevin Harvick 5. Clint Bowyer 6. Kyle Busch 7. Erik Jones 8. Aric Almirola 9. Chris Buescher 10. Daniel Suárez Classic Moments Allen Bestwick’s call on the final corner of the final lap of the 2011 AdvoCare 500 was the perfect summation of what had just transpired between Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. “Is it going to be another side-by-side run to the checkers? No! It’s going to be a slideways run to the checkers!” Gordon was rarely able to outduel…

ABOUT CHARLOTTE CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINAl 1.5-mile quad-oval • Banking/Turns: 24º Banking/Straightaways: 5º MAY 24, 2020 2020 Race Length: 600 miles/400 laps Track Qualifying Record: 198.771 mph (Kurt Busch, 2014) Race Record: 160.655 mph (Martin Truex Jr., 2016) 2019 RESULTS MAY 1. Martin Truex Jr. 2. Joey Logano 3. Kyle Busch 4. Chase Elliott 5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 6. Chris Buescher 7. Alex Bowman 8. Jimmie Johnson 9. William Byron 10. Kevin Harvick Classic Moments The evolution of time and technology had not been kind to Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Coca-Cola 600 in the years leading up to the 60th running of stock car racing’s longest marathon in 2019. The event had become a truly sluggish affair. Martin Truex Jr. led all but eight laps in 2016. The 2017 race…

ABOUT DARLINGTON DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA 1.366-mile oval • Banking/Turns: 25º and 23º • Banking/Frontstretch: 3º Banking/Backstretch: 2º SEPTEMBER 6, 2020 2020 Race Length: 501.3 miles/367 laps Track Qualifying Record: 184.145 mph (Aric Almirola, 2014) Race Record: 141.383 mph (Matt Kenseth, 2013) 2019 RESULTS SEPTEMBER 1. Erik Jones 2. Kyle Larson 3. Kyle Busch 4. Kevin Harvick 5. Brad Keselowski 6. Clint Bowyer 7. Kurt Busch 8. Matt DiBenedetto 9. Paul Menard 10. Austin Dillon Classic Moments “It’s the Southern 500, we’re not supposed to win this thing,” Regan Smith said in Victory Lane following his upset victory in the 2011 race at Darlington Raceway. He wasn’t wrong. Smith’s triumph came in the Furniture Row No. 78 before it became a perennial championship contender with Martin Truex Jr. While always considered…

ABOUT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA 1.5-mile oval • Banking/Turns: variable (18-20º) • Banking/Straightaways: 3º MARCH 22, 2020 2020 Race Length: 400.5 miles/267 laps Track Qualifying Record: 181.238 mph (Brad Keselowski, 2014) Race Record: 142.654 mph (Kyle Busch, 2019) 2019 RESULTS NOVEMBER 1. Kyle Busch 2. Martin Truex Jr. 3. Erik Jones 4. Kevin Harvick 5. Joey Logano 6. Clint Bowyer 7. Ryan Newman 8. Austin Dillon 9. Alex Bowman 10. Denny Hamlin Classic Moments In 2016, Carl Edwards appeared to be cruising toward his first career championship before a dubious caution with 15 laps to go resulted in total chaos. The ensuing restart with 10 to go saw championship rival Joey Logano surge under Edwards heading into Turn 1. So, Edwards threw a block and forced them both down against the…

ABOUT KANSAS KANSAS CITY, KANSAS 1.5-mile tri-oval • Banking/Turns: Progressive (17-20º) • Banking/Frontstretch: 10º • Banking/Backstretch: 5.5º MAY 31, 2020 OCTOBER 18, 2020 2020 Race Length: 400.5 miles/267 laps Track Qualifying Record: 197.773 mph (Kevin Harvick, 2014) Race Record: 144.122 mph (Denny Hamlin, 2012) 2019 RESULTS MAY 1. Brad Keselowski 2. Alex Bowman 3. Erik Jones 4. Chase Elliott 5. Clint Bowyer OCTOBER 1. Denny Hamlin 2. Chase Elliott 3. Kyle Busch 4. Kurt Busch 5. William Byron Classic Moments The STP 400 in the spring of 2012 was a true showcase for race winner Denny Hamlin. Hamlin had resigned himself to finishing second to a dominant Martin Truex Jr. until the sun came out on an otherwise cloudy day with 30 laps to go. The changing track conditions loosened…

ABOUT MARTINSVILLE MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA .526-mile oval • Banking/Turns: 11º MAY 9, 2020 NOVEMBER 1, 2020 2020 Race Length: 263 miles/500 laps Track Qualifying Record: 100.201 mph (Joey Logano, 2014) Race Record: 82.223 mph (Jeff Gordon, 1996) 2019 RESULTS MARCH 1. Brad Keselowski 2. Chase Elliott 3. Kyle Busch 4. Ryan Blaney 5. Denny Hamlin OCTOBER 1. Martin Truex Jr. 2. William Byron 3. Brad Keselowski 4. Denny Hamlin 5. Ryan Blaney Classic Moments It was the equivalent of LeBron James going one-on-one against Michael Jordan in their primes. Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon are statistically the best-ever modern performers at Martinsville Speedway and proved it during the 2007 spring race at NASCAR’s oldest venue. The two Hendrick Motorsports drivers combined to lead 205 of the 500 laps. Gordon closed on…

ABOUT POCONO LONG POND, PENNSYLVANIA 2.5-mile Tri-oval • Banking/Turn 1: 14º Banking/Turn 2: 8º • Banking/Turn 3: 6º JUNE 27, 2020 JUNE 28, 2020 2020 Race Length: 350 miles/140 laps Track Qualifying Record: 183.438 (Kyle Larson, 2014) Race Record: 145.384 mph (Jeff Gordon, 2011) 2019 RESULTS JUNE 1. Kyle Busch 2. Brad Keselowski 3. Erik Jones 4. Chase Elliott 5. Clint Bowyer JULY 1. Denny Hamlin 2. Erik Jones 3. Martin Truex Jr. 4. William Byron 5. Kyle Larson Classic Moments The best races at Pocono have traditionally ended under fuel conservation. An entire race spent trying to go as fast as possible ends with everyone going as slow as possible without losing their track position in the hopes of making it to the finish. The most thrilling example came…

ABOUT TALLADEGA TALLADEGA, ALABAMA 2.66-mile tri-oval • Banking/Turns 1, 2: 33º • Banking/Turn 3: 32.4 • Banking/Turn 4: 32.5º • Banking/Tri-oval: 16º • Banking/Backstretch: 3º APRIL 26, 2020 OCTOBER 4, 2020 2020 Race Length: 500.1 miles/188 laps Track Qualifying Record: 212.809 mph (Bill Elliott, 1987) Race Record: 188.354 mph (Mark Martin, 1997) 2019 RESULTS APRIL 1. Chase Elliott 2. Alex Bowman 3. Ryan Preece 4. Joey Logano 5. Daniel Hemric OCTOBER 1. Ryan Blaney 2. Ryan Newman 3. Denny Hamlin 4. Aric Almirola 5. Michael McDowell Classic Moments Tandem racing was alive and well in the spring of 2011 with four pairs racing to claim victory in the Aaron’s 499. Three of those pairs crossed the finish line at the same time, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. pushing Hendrick Motorsports teammate…

BEST: CHARLOTTE ROVAL Is it possible for a racetrack to get three dates in the 2021 schedule realignment? Charlotte’s iconic Coca-Cola 600 isn’t going anywhere, but its Roval course has gone 2-for-2 in hold-your-breath, late-race theatrics. This time, winner Chase Elliott was wrecked, causing a caution with 43 laps remaining. Elliott fought his way back through the field and reassumed the lead with six laps to go. He held on after that final restart while the battle for second raged behind him, with Alex Bowman completing an incredible comeback from his own wreck to advance into the Round of 12. WORST: MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY (BOTH TIMES) The sport’s oldest short track never took to the sport’s 2019 handling package for short tracks and road courses. Two drivers, Brad Keselowski and Martin…

Late in the afternoon on the day of the banquet, Kyle, Samantha and Brexton Busch posed for pictures with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup. Team owner Joe Gibbs sat in the back of the room wearing a crisp black tuxedo and black sneakers, which he later explained were part of a bet with crew members. This all took place inside a media workroom, where writers, photographers and editors were busily producing coverage of the event. Meanwhile, Brexton posed for pictures while standing inside the Cup. “Be gentle, I’ve got a lot of makeup on,” his mom said as Brexton kissed her. Around that time, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr., Busch’s teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing, pulled a prank on Busch. For a promotion in the lead-up to the Championship…

The 2019 season marked Richard Childress’s 50th in NASCAR. He debuted as a driver in 1969 and raced for parts of 12 seasons before stepping out of the car after the 1981 season to focus on team ownership. As difficult as that was to do, it has worked out well. He teamed up full-time with Dale Earnhardt before the 1984 season, and life hasn’t been the same since, for Childress or for NASCAR. All told, Richard Childress Racing has fielded cars that have run 2,994 Cup races, with 108 wins, 489 top 5s and 1,076 top 10s. Through 2015, his teams had won $247 million in prize money. (NASCAR stopped releasing such numbers after that season.) Childress has soared to the highest of highs, as his teams have won six…

NO. 95 TOYOTA Primary Sponsors: Procore, Rheem, Dumont Jets, WRL General Contractors Owners: Sharon & Bob Leavine Crew Chief: Jason Ratcliff Years with Current Team: 0 Under Contract Through: 2021 Best Points Finish: 3rd Xfinity (2019) Hometown: Norman, Okla. Born: Dec. 16, 1994 CAREER TRACK STATS* 2019 STATS* Final Standing » 3rd Regular Season » 2nd Race Wins » 8 Stage Wins » 22 Top 5s » 20 Top 10s » 21 Poles » 6 Races Led » 28 Laps Led » 2005 Avg. Start » 4.2 Avg. Position » 6.1 Avg. Finish » 9.1 *Stats are for the Xfinity Series Do dreams come true? Christopher Bell, with the opportunity in front of him this season, says yes. Bell, 25, makes his NASCAR Cup Series debut as the newest driver…

ABOUT AUTO CLUB FONTANA, CALIFORNIA 2-mile D-shaped oval • Banking/Turns: 14º Banking/Tri-oval: 11º • Banking/Back Straightaway: 3º MARCH 1, 2020 2020 Race Length: 400 miles/200 laps Track Qualifying Record: 188.744 mph (Kevin Harvick, 2018) Race Record: 160.166 mph (Tony Stewart, 2012) 2019 RESULTS MARCH 1. Kyle Busch 2. Joey Logano 3. Brad Keselowski 4. Kevin Harvick 5. Ryan Blaney 6. Kurt Busch 7. Denny Hamlin 8. Martin Truex Jr. 9. Aric Almirola 10. Austin Dillon Classic Moments Before earning the moniker “Two-Mile Kyle,” Kyle Larson needed to learn a valuable lesson in late restart race craft from Kyle Busch. Larson was outdueled by Busch in the fourth-closest margin of victory (0.214) in track history during an overtime finish in 2014. The race was dominated by Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jimmie Johnson…

ABOUT THE ROVAL CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA 2.28-mile Roval 17 Turns, 35’ change in elevation throughout course OCTOBER 11, 2020 2020 Race Length: 248.5 miles/109 laps Track Qualifying Record: 106.868 mph (Kurt Busch, 2018) Race Record: 82.125 mph (Ryan Blaney, 2018) 2019 RESULTS SEPTEMBER 1. Chase Elliott 2. Alex Bowman 3. Kevin Harvick 4. Clint Bowyer 5. Brad Keselowski 6. William Byron 7. Martin Truex Jr. 8. Ryan Blaney 9. Jimmie Johnson 10. Joey Logano Classic Moments No one seemed quite sure what to expect for the first-ever Cup race on an infield road course layout, but history will remember the 2018 debut of the Bank of America ROVAL 400 as a success. On a restart with six laps to go, the leaders drove straight into Turn 1 and promptly failed…

ABOUT DAYTONA DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA 2.5-mile tri-oval • Banking/Turns: 31º Banking/Tri-oval: 18º Banking/Backstretch: 2º FEBRUARY 16, 2020 AUGUST 29, 2020 2020 Race Length: 500 miles/200 laps; 400 miles/160 laps Track Qualifying Record: 210.364 mph (Bill Elliott, 1987) Race Record: 177.602 mph (Buddy Baker, 1980) 2019 RESULTS FEBRUARY 1. Denny Hamlin 2. Kyle Busch 3. Erik Jones 4. Joey Logano 5. Michael McDowell JULY 1. Justin Haley 2. William Byron 3. Jimmie Johnson 4. Ty Dillon 5. Ryan Newman Classic Moments In real time, the closest finish in the history of the Daytona 500 looked like a tie. Denny Hamlin thought as much upon crossing the finish line just 0.10 seconds ahead of Martin Truex Jr. in 2016. “I didn’t know,” Hamlin said afterwards. “I thought it was a tie.” The…

ABOUT INDIANAPOLIS SPEEDWAY, INDIANA 2.5-mile oval • Banking/Turns: 9º JULY 5, 2020 2020 Race Length: 400 miles/160 laps Track Qualifying Record: 188.470 mph (Kevin Harvick, 2014) Race Record: 155.912 mph (Bobby Labonte, 2000) 2019 RESULTS SEPTEMBER 1. Kevin Harvick 2. Joey Logano 3. Bubba Wallace 4. William Byron 5. Clint Bowyer 6. Denny Hamlin 7. Ryan Blaney 8. Ryan Newman 9. Chase Elliott 10. Paul Menard Classic Moments Nearly everyone appeared fixated on jinxing Jeff Gordon on the morning of the 21st Brickyard 400 in 2014. He had qualified on the outside front row 20 years after winning the inaugural NASCAR race at the venerable Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The city declared the day Jeff Gordon Day, and team owner Rick Hendrick stated his conviction that his four-time champion would win…

ABOUT KENTUCKY SPARTA, KENTUCKY 1.5-mile tri-oval • Banking/Turns 1, 2: 17º Banking/Turns 3, 4: 14º • Banking/Trioval: 10º • Banking/Backstretch: 4º JULY 11, 2020 2020 Race Length: 400.5 miles/267 laps Track Qualifying Record: 190.282 mph (Kyle Busch, 2017) Race Record: 150.454 mph (Martin Truex Jr., 2018) 2019 RESULTS JULY 1. Kurt Busch 2. Kyle Busch 3. Erik Jones 4. Kyle Larson 5. Denny Hamlin 6. Clint Bowyer 7. Joey Logano 8. Daniel Suárez 9. Ryan Newman 10. Chris Buescher Classic Moments Adapting to a new decreased downforce package, Kyle Busch outdueled Joey Logano at Kentucky in one of the most thrilling races of the 2015 season. Drivers struggled to handle their cars with very limited practice time using the new package during a rainy weekend. Busch caught Logano during the…

ABOUT MICHIGAN BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN 2-mile D-shaped oval • Banking/Turns: 18º • Banking/Frontstretch: 12º Banking/Backstretch: 5º JUNE 7, 2020 AUGUST 9, 2020 2020 Race Length: 400 miles/200 laps Track Qualifying Record: 206.558 mph (Jeff Gordon, 2014) Race Record: 173.997 mph (Dale Jarrett, 1999) 2019 RESULTS JUNE 1. Joey Logano 2. Kurt Busch 3. Martin Truex Jr. 4. Daniel Suárez 5. Kyle Busch AUGUST 1. Kevin Harvick 2. Denny Hamlin 3. Kyle Larson 4. Martin Truex Jr. 5. Daniel Suárez Classic Moments After a four-year and 143-race winless streak, Dale Earnhardt Jr. quieted the critics, including himself, with a victory at Michigan International Speedway in June 2012. “That was the worst feeling, riding around there with 15 laps to go, wondering what was going to happen — how you were going to…

ABOUT RICHMOND RICHMOND, VIRGINIA .75 mile D-shaped oval • Banking/Turns: 14º • Banking/Frontstretch: 8º • Banking/Backstretch: 2º APRIL 19, 2020 SEPTEMBER 12, 2020 2020 Race Length: 300 miles/400 laps Track Qualifying Record: 130.599 mph (Jeff Gordon, 2013) Race Record: 109.047 mph (Dale Jarrett, 1997) 2019 RESULTS APRIL 1. Martin Truex Jr. 2. Joey Logano 3. Clint Bowyer 4. Kevin Harvick 5. Denny Hamlin SEPTEMBER 1. Martin Truex Jr. 2. Kyle Busch 3. Denny Hamlin 4. Brad Keselowski 5. Ryan Newman Classic Moments Jeff Burton calls his victory in the fall race at Richmond Raceway in 1998 one of the best races of all time that no one talks about — mostly because he won. Jeff Gordon had emerged as the face of the sport and was in the midst of…

ABOUT TEXAS FORT WORTH, TEXAS 1.5-mile quad-oval • Banking/Turns 1, 2: 20º • Banking/Turns 3, 4: 24º • Banking/Straightaways: 5º MARCH 29, 2020 OCTOBER 25, 2020 2020 Race Length: 500.5 miles/334 laps Track Qualifying Record: 200.915 mph (Kurt Busch, 2017) Race Record: 160.577 mph (Greg Biffle, 2012) 2019 RESULTS MARCH 1. Denny Hamlin 2. Clint Bowyer 3. Daniel Suárez 4. Erik Jones 5. Jimmie Johnson NOVEMBER 1. Kevin Harvick 2. Aric Almirola 3. Daniel Suárez 4. Joey Logano 5. Alex Bowman Classic Moments Jimmie Johnson emerged victorious in the fall event at Texas Motor Speedway for the third year in a row in November 2014, and that wasn’t even close to the biggest story afterward. The first-year elimination playoff format, combined with hard racing between Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski…

The developmental series of NASCAR were, for years, the playground of Cup Series drivers looking to start their weekends with a win or drivers who were looking to score a lower series championship. Drivers such as Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards all won championships in the Xfinity Series while also chasing the Cup Series championship. In 2011, NASCAR forced drivers to choose the series in which they’d score points, effectively eliminating Cup drivers from winning the Xfinity Series title. Since then, seven drivers have earned the championship, all of whom have had the opportunity to make the move into the Cup Series. The latest, Tyler Reddick, has won the last two Xfinity championships. He joins Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher,…