Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Fold of Honor QuikTrip 500
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
The Date: Sunday, March 5
The Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
TV: FOX, 2:30 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 500.5 miles (325 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 85),
Stage 2 (Ends on lap 170), Final Stage (Ends on lap 325)
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Next Race: Rinnai 250
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, March 4
The Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 1:30 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 251.02 miles (163 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 40),
Stage 2 (Ends on lap 80), Final Stage (Ends on lap 163)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Next Race: Active Pest Control 200
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, March 4
The Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 4:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 200.2 miles (130 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 40),
Stage 2 (Ends on lap 80), Final Stage (Ends on lap 130)
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Milestone Alert: 2,500th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race
Sunday’s Folds of
Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway marks the 2,500th Monster
Energy NASCAR Cup Series race. Below are some stats from the first 2,499
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races.
· The
first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race was held at Charlotte
Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina on June 19, 1949 – the race was
won by Jim Roper (Lincoln)
· 186 drivers have won a race
· The series has competed on 156 different tracks
· 234 different drivers have won a Coors Light Pole
· 2,536 drivers have made a start
Busch Wins DAYTONA 500
After finishing
runner-up in the DAYTONA 500 three times (2003, 2005, 2008), Kurt Busch
won his first Great American Race by leading only the final lap.
The 2004 Monster
Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion is the 15th title-winner to visit
Victory Lane in the DAYTONA 500. Busch’s triumph also marked the first
DAYTONA 500 win for owner Tony Stewart and crew chief Tony Gibson.
"There is
nothing predictable about this race anymore, and the more years that
have gone by that I didn’t win I kept trying to go back to patterns that
I had seen in the past," Busch said of the race, which featured three
lead changes on the final three laps. "My mirror fell off with 30 laps
to go, and I couldn’t even see out the back. It just got crazy and wild,
and I am so proud of all the drivers at the end. We put on a show for a
full fuel run, and nobody took each other out, and it was one of the
smartest chess games I have seen out there."
Busch’s win was
also the first for Ford with Stewart-Haas Racing. Coincidentally, his
primary sponsor is Monster Energy and he won the first-ever Monster
Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.
Busch will go
for his second consecutive win in Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500
at Atlanta Motor Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX) – a track where he's won
three times.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Youths Put On Show in DAYTONA 500
Many of the young drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series shined in Sunday’s 59th running of the DAYTONA 500.
Ryan Blaney, 23, finished second and scored points in all three stages (finishing third in Stage 1 and 10th in Stage 2).
Joey Logano, 26, came in sixth and posted a second-place finish in Stage 2.
Kyle Larson, 24,
finished 12th after running out of gas with the lead on the final lap.
He scored points in the first two stages (placing sixth in Stage 1 and
eighth in Stage 2).
Coors Light Pole
Award winner Chase Elliott, 21, paced the field five times for 39 laps
and led the field for the majority of Stage 3 (23 of the final 26 laps)
until he also ran out of fuel and was passed by Martin Truex Jr. with
three laps remaining. He finished 14th.
If Elliott wins
at Atlanta, he would top Kyle Busch as the youngest Monster Energy
NASCAR Cup Series victor at the 1.5-mile track. Busch was 22 years, 10
months, 7 days old when he visited Victory Lane at the 1.54-mile track
on March 9, 2008.
Parity Abundant At DAYTONA 500
The top 13
finishers in the DAYTONA 500 all came from different teams: 1. Kurt
Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing; 2, Ryan Blaney, Wood Brothers Racing; 3. AJ
Allmendinger, JTG Daugherty Racing; 4. Aric Almirola, Richard Petty
Motorsports; 5. Paul Menard, Richard Childress Racing; 6. Joey Logano,
Team Penske; 7. Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports; 8. Michael Waltrip,
Premium Motorsports; 9. Matt DiBenedetto, Go FAS Racing; 10. Trevor
Bayne, Roush Fenway Racing; 11. Brendan Gaughan, Beard Motorsports; 12.
Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing; 13. Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row
Racing.
NASCAR Set To Debut Lower Downforce Package At Atlanta
This season, the
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series continues last year’s efforts of
lessening aerodynamic forces from the cars. These efforts make the car
harder to driver, which emphasizes the drivers’ ability to get the most
out of the car. Below are the changes under the 2017 rules package,
which decreased downforce from 2,100 pounds last year to 1,600 pounds:
· Spoiler height decrease from 3.5 inches to 2.375 inches
· Outboard regions of the splitter are reduced by 3 inches
· Deck fin is tapered to match spoiler height
· Drivers must start the race on the tires used in qualifying
Johnson Goes For Sixth Atlanta Victory
Active Atlanta wins leader Jimmie Johnson will go for his sixth victory at the 1.54-mile track this weekend.
The seven-time
champion boasts five wins, 14 top fives and 16 top 10s in the Peach
State. He also owns the top average running position (8.7) and driver
rating (107.1), as well as the third-best average finish (9.6) at AMS.
Johnson has won
the most recent two Atlanta races. Both were held in February/March
after the race was moved from Labor Day weekend for the 2015 season. The
last driver prior to Johnson to win at Atlanta was his teammate Kasey
Kahne in 2014.
Hotlanta: Elliott Takes Home Track Looking For First Win
A native of
Dawsonville, Georgia, Chase Elliott will take the wheel in his home
state this weekend for Sunday’s Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500 at Atlanta
Motor Speedway.
Elliott finished eighth in his only start there as a rookie last season.
Elliott finished eighth in his only start there as a rookie last season.
The No. 24
Chevrolet driver is holding his Chase U program at AMS this weekend.
Fans currently enrolled in college can buy a $24 ticket for a seat in
the Lower Winners Grandstand, free parking at the race and admission
into the exclusive Chase U tailgate party taking place from 10 a.m. to
noon on the day of the race. The tailgate will include complimentary
food and beverage for each ticketholder, live music, tailgate games, a
Daytona USA racing simulator and a free-entry cornhole tournament with
prizes and awards. Elliott will make an appearance at the party for a
special Q&A session with tailgate attendees and will take time
afterwards to meet with fans.
Kahne Hopes He’s Able At One Of His Top Tracks
Kasey Kahne has
failed to win a race in his last 84 starts. On Sunday, he returns to the
site of his last victory – Atlanta Motor Speedway. Kahne came up clutch
at the Georgia track on Aug. 31, 2014, leading 24 laps and making the
playoffs in a "win-or-go-home" situation.
In 20 Atlanta starts, Kahne claims three wins, seven top fives and nine top 10s. He’s led 353 laps at the 1.54-mile track.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, etc.
Ty Cunningham To Serve As Grand Marshal For Folds Of Honor QuikTrip 500
Acclaimed
television personality and designer Ty Pennington will serve as grand
marshal for Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor
Speedway. An Atlanta native and alumnus of The Art Institute of Atlanta,
Pennington has starred in the shows "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,"
"American Dinner Revival," "Trading Spaces," and "On the Menu."
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Ryan Reed’s Daytona Win Has A Season Worth Of Perks
Winning the season
opener has its perks, and this season’s Daytona International Speedway
victor, Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Reed, is well aware of the prestige
and spoils that come with it.
For starters,
winning all but guarantees Reed a spot in the NASCAR XFINITY Series
playoffs. Now all he has to do is qualify for the remaining regular
season events and stay inside the top 30 in points.
In addition to the
win, Reed captured five playoff points which he can use to his advantage
come reseeding time during the playoffs.
"Having a race team
that believes in you is half the battle," said series points leader
Ryan Reed. "If you show up to the race track and you have your guys
already questioning you, you’re already beat. And I don’t have that."
Reed’s Daytona
prowess has been one of the series-best over the last few seasons. This
past Saturday, Reed posted an average running position of 7.8, a driver
rating of 108.2 and spent 83.1% of his laps completed inside the top 15.
Reed holds the
standings lead with a nine-point edge over second-place Brendan Gaughan.
By winning the race Reed scored 40 points, but he also finished fourth
in Stage 2; where he banked seven more points to bring his total to a
series-leading 47 points after Daytona.
Heading to Atlanta
this weekend, Reed will look to hold on to his points lead. The
Bakersfield, California, native has made three starts at Atlanta Motor
Speedway, posting a best finish of 15th last season. Reed
will be looking to become the first driver to win the first two races
of the NASCAR XFINITY Series season since Tony Stewart did it in 2008
(Daytona, Auto Club Speedway).
Veterans Gaughan, Sadler Start 2017 Strong
Seasoned drivers,
Brendan Gaughan and Elliott Sadler, have kicked off the 2017 season
right where they left off in 2016 - the top 12 in points.
Following a wild
race in Daytona, Gaughan is now second in the NASCAR XFINITY Series
standings, nine points behind Ryan Reed in the standings lead. Richard
Childress Racing’s Brendan Gaughan led 16 laps last weekend at Daytona
en route to a fifth-place finish yielding 32 points. But Gaughan also
capitalized on the first two Stages; finishing ninth in Stage 1 (two
more points) and seventh in Stage 2 (four more points) bringing his
total to 38.
Gaughan rolls into Atlanta this weekend having made five starts on the 1.5-mile speedway posting an average finish of 17.2. He posted a series career-best finish (12th) at Atlanta in 2015.
Last season’s
championship runner-up, Elliott Sadler burst into 2017 looking a strong
as ever, as he currently sits third in the series standings, 14 points
back from the standings leader.
Touted as one of
the best restrictor-plate racers in the series, Sadler dominated most of
the season-opening race at Daytona by leading 40 laps and winning the
first two Stages before being caught in an accident relegating him to a
24th-place finish. Sadler’s finish in the Final Stage garnered him 13
points, but by winning the first two Stages he also gathered an
additional 20 points (10 points from each Stage win) to bring his total
to 33.
Plus, Sadler’s
Stage wins rewarded him with two playoff points (one for each Stage
win), which will be to his advantage come time for reseeding in the
playoffs.
Expect Sadler to
keep his early season momentum going at Atlanta, where he has made 11
series starts posting one top five and six top 10s.
Sunoco Rookie Recap: Byron Heads To Atlanta On Top
With such a high
level of talent within the five Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders in
the 2017 class, is shouldn’t be a surprise if they rocket to stardom.
Sunoco Rookie
Standings Following Daytona: William Byron (13), Matt Tifft (10), Daniel
Hemric (9), Spencer Gallagher (8) and Cole Custer (7).
JR Motorsports
William Byron won the Sunoco Rookie of the Race award at Daytona this
past weekend and opens the season with the lead in the 2017 Sunoco
Rookie of the Year standings. Byron started the race 17th and battled
his way up to a ninth-place finish.
Byron is also ranked 10th in the NASCAR XFINITY Series driver points, 19 points behind Ryan Reed in the standings lead.
This weekend will be Byron’s NASCAR XFINITY Series track debut at Atlanta.
JR Motorsports is
hoping Byron can bring the organization its second Sunoco Rookie of the
Year Award in the last four seasons (Chase Elliott, 2014).
Busch Is Back To Defend His Atlanta Win
Nobody wins more than Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.
He owns the series
record for wins with 86 victories in 328 starts (26.2%) – 10 of which
came last season. But it wasn’t until his 2016 win from the pole that he
had been to Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Victory Lane.
Busch has won at 24
different tracks in the NASCAR XFINITY Series (three are no longer
active in the series – Mexico City, Lucas Oil Raceway and Gateway
Motorsports Park). With his win at Atlanta this past season, he now only
has four active tracks on the schedule he has never won at: Mid-Ohio,
Road America, Watkins Glen and Pocono.
Having foregone the
season opener at Daytona this season, Kyle Busch returns to the series
this weekend looking to defend his lone Atlanta win in the Rinnai 250
(on FS1 at 1:30 p.m. ET).
Busch had made 12 starts at Atlanta, posting one win (2016), eight top fives, nine top 10s and an average finish of 11.0.
NASCAR XFINITY Series etc.
Georgia Natives Come Home
– Three drivers competing this weekend have their home state recorded
as Georgia – Richard Childress Racing’s Brandon Jones (Atlanta), JD
Motorsports’ Garrett Smithley (Peachtree City) and RSS Racing’s Ryan
Sieg (Tucker). …
Doubling The Duty
– Several Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers will be competing
this weekend in the Rinnai 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway – Austin
Dillon, Ty Dillon, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Corey
LaJoie, Kevin Harvick, Timmy Hill, Kyle Larson and Aric Almirola. … Only
two former NXS Atlanta winners are entered this weekend – Kevin Harvick
(series leader in wins with four) and Kyle Busch (last season’s
winner).
NXS Atlanta Quick Facts:
Number of XFINITY races - 25
Most Starts – Jason Keller (17)
Most Poles – Kyle Busch (5)
Most Wins – Kevin Harvick (4)
Most Top Fives – Kevin Harvick (9)
Most Top 10s - Kevin Harvick (11)
Most Laps Completed – Jason Keller (2,985)
Most Laps Led – Kevin Harvick (768)
Most Cautions – 10 (1993)
Average Number of Cautions (since 1992) – 5.48
Most Caution Laps – 52 Laps (1993)
Average Number of Caution Laps (since 1992) – 28.56 Laps
Most Number of Leaders – 11 (2008)
Average Number of Leaders (since 1992) – 6.92
Most Number of Lead Changes – 21 (twice: 2008 and 2011)
Average Number of Lead Changes (since 1992) – 12.84
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Rookie Kaz Grala Puts His Stamp On Daytona And The Record Books
Sunoco Rookie of the Year
candidate and GMS Racing driver Kaz Grala, has taken the NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series 2017 season by storm. Not only did he win the pole
and then the race at Daytona International Speedway but he also snatched
the series standings lead on his way out of town.
Grala clutches the standings lead over second-place and defending series champion Johnny Sauter by 14 points.
Not only did Grala burst on the
scene as a winner he also holds a few records now. Grala has become the
33rd quickest driver (fewest races) in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
history to get his first career win – having won in just his 10th
series start. He also has become the youngest pole winner and race
winner in series history at Daytona International Speedway at 18 years, 1
month and 26 days. And if that wasn’t enough, he is just the fourth
driver in series history to win at Daytona from the pole; joining Jack
Sprague (2007), Mark Martin (2006) and Joe Ruttman (2001).
Grala, a Westborough, Massachusetts native will be making his series track-debut this weekend in Atlanta.
Sauter Again Looks Like A Championship-Contending Force To Reckon With
Considered one of the best
restrictor-plate active drivers in the NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series, Johnny Sauter showcased his skills this past weekend at Daytona
International Speedway by dominating the first two Stages of the race
and bringing home a 15th-place finish. The performance secured him
second place in the standings, just 14 points back from standings leader
Kaz Grala.
Though Sauter’s finish wasn’t a
win, he was still able to capitalize on pivotal parts of the race. By
winning both Stages, he tallied totaling 42 points (10 per Stage win, 22
via his finish at the checkered flag) and also captured two playoff
points, which will be to his advantage come playoff reseeding time.
Sauter led a race-high 52 laps at Daytona and looked to be one of the trucks to beat this season.
GMS Racing’s Sauter will be
looking to rebound from his performance last season at Atlanta where he
finished 28th (second-worst finish of 2016). Sauter has made six starts
at Atlanta, posting two top 10s and an average finish of 16.8.
John Hunter Nemechek Returns To Atlanta To Defend His Victory
Whenever NEMCO Motorsport’s
driver John Hunter Nemechek wins in the NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series it seems like a victory for the ‘underdogs.’
John Hunter and his father Joe
Nemechek have built NEMCO Motorsports from the ground up and they will
be quick to explain how they might not have all the funding some of the
other teams have nor the numbers in staff, but they make up for it in
heart and hard work.
Nemechek returns to Atlanta this
season as the defending race winner. John Hunter started 18th last
season and raced his way to victory; the first of two wins for the
Mooresville, North Carolina native. He
sits eighth in the current series standings, 22 points back from Kaz
Grala in the standings lead, following his fourth-place finish at
Daytona last weekend.
This season NEMCO Motorsports has grown to a two-truck operation that both John Hunter and Joe will now be driving for.
Seven Different Winners Last Seven Atlanta Races: Will We See Eight?
Over the last seven
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Atlanta Motor Speedway we
have seen seven different winners - John Hunter Nemechek (2016), Matt
Crafton (2015), Ty Dillon (2012), Ron Hornaday Jr. (2011), Kevin Harvick
(2010), Kyle Busch (2009) and Ryan Newman (2008) – boding the question,
will we see an eighth?
An eighth different
winner is possible, but it might be tough for them to break through
with a win because Nemechek, Crafton and Busch are all entered this
weekend to snap the streak.
Nemechek won in his
only start at Atlanta and Busch holds the series record for average
finishing positions at Atlanta with a 2.375. Plus, Crafton has led the
series in wins on 1.5-mile speedway over the last two season with six
victories.
On the other hand, the last four Atlanta winners have all been NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship contenders.
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