Johnson and Earnhardt to sport Superman VS Batman paint schemes

By @GucciardoJoey

From the looks of it, Auto Club Speedway will have a superhero in the midst o March 20th for a Sprint Cup Series race. 

Or, at least Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be sporting superhero paint schemes.

Johnson and Earnhardt will be sporting Superman VS Batman paint schemes to sponsor the movie which comes out in theaters on March 25th, 2015.

Johnson will have a superman paint scheme and Earnhardt will be sporting a Batman paunt scheme.

Exclusive: @DaleJr and @JimmieJohnson pick sides in @BatmanvSuperman duel: https://t.co/uIRTOCaLEJ #HEROFACEOFF pic.twitter.com/vGqpyTdDLs

— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) January 19, 2016

NASCAR adds CHASE format to XFINITY and Truck Series

By @GucciardoJoey

NASCAR has announced that they will be implementing a CHASE format in the XFINITY and Truck Series.

Here are the formats:

NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase
The seven-race Chase will begin Sept. 24 at Kentucky Speedway with 12 drivers and two elimination rounds. A win in the first 26 races all but guarantees a driver entry into the Chase provided the driver is in the top 30 in points and has attempted to qualify for each race. Drivers who win two Dash 4 Cash bonuses are also all but guaranteed a Chase berth.

The first round, called the Round of 12, consists of races at Kentucky, Dover and Charlotte. All drivers will start with their points adjusted to 2,000 with three additional bonus points added to their total for each win in the first 26 races. If a driver wins a race in the Round of 12, the driver automatically advances to the next round. The remaining available positions (1-8) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points.

Each driver who advances to the Round of 8 (Kansas, Texas, Phoenix) then will have their points reset to 3,000. Drivers who win a race in the Round of 8 automatically advance to The Championship 4. The remaining available positions (1-4) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points.

The four drivers who advance to The Championship 4 at Homestead will have their points reset to 4,000. The highest-finishing driver will be crowned NASCAR XFINITY Series champion.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase
The seven-race Chase will begin Sept. 24 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It will feature eight drivers and two elimination rounds, with four drivers competing in The Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. A win in the first 16 races all but guarantees a driver entry into the post-season provided that the driver is in the top 30 in points and has attempted to qualify for each race.

The first round, called the Round of 8, consists of races at New Hampshire, Las Vegas and Talladega Superspeedway. All drivers will have their points adjusted to 2,000 with three additional bonus points added to their total for each win in the first 16 races. If a driver wins a race in the Round of 8, the driver automatically advances to the next round. The remaining available positions (1-6) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points.

Each driver who advances to the Round of 6 (Martinsville, Texas, Phoenix) then will have their points reset to 3,000. Drivers who win a race in the Round of 6 automatically advance to The Championship 4. The remaining available positions (1-4) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points.

The four drivers who advance to The Championship 4 at Homestead will have their points reset to 4,000. The highest-finishing driver there will win the championship.


All rules outlined above also apply to both series’ owner championship structures.

- - - - -

Drivers still must declare a series in which they will earn points and will only be eligible to compete for a championship in that series. The 16 Sprint Cup Series drivers who qualified for the 2015 Chase will be ineligible to compete in the 2016 XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series Championship 4 races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Chili Bowl chaos

Pretty much everyone has seen the video from last Friday night at the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma between Corporal Kyle Hess of the Tulsa County Sheriff's office and Tony Stewart. The video shows Stewart walking into the stands to confront Hess who was drunk and had been yelling obscenities at Stewart (mainly calling him a murderer) and giving Stewart the finger for awhile. Hess is under investigation by the Tulsa Sheriffs office for his conduct (grabbing Stewart's wrist in an angry manner and taunting him). Stewart, as you all know, was at the Chili Bowl simply to help out with track preparation. From what's been said on Social Media, Hess kept taunting Stewart each time he'd go by Hess in the grandstands. As some of you already know, I'm a Tony Stewart fan but I also have to be fair about this, too. So, I'll ask a question in regards to the event.

Q: Was Stewart wrong in confronting Hess and was Hess in the wrong for yelling obscenities at Stewart?
A: No and yes. Stewart wasn't wrong at all in confronting Hess. Stewart had been called a murderer ever since the accident in New York that killed Kevin Ward Jr. I believe Stewart felt enough was enough and got tired of the heckling and name calling. Yes Hess was in the wrong for yelling obscenities at Stewart. Even though Hess is a Corporal he was also a fan that night and didn't have a right to be calling out Stewart the way he did.

So, that's my view on it. What do you think should happen to Kyle Hess or Tony Stewart?

Rico Abreau lands full-time NCTWS ride

By @GucciardoJoey

Rico Abreau

Rico Abreau announced on Friday at the Chili Bowl Nationals that he has landed a full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series ride for 2016 at ThorSport Racing.

Abreu is expected to pilot the No. 98 Toyota Tundra with Doug George as his crew chief.

After completing his first full season in the K&N Pro Series East Tour, Abreu made his Camping World Truck Series debut on November 13 at Phoenix International Raceway. He finished 28th on the one-mile track because of being caught up in a wreck.

Abreu also raced in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in order to gain eligibility for the 2016 Truck Series tour, where he finished 13th. 

Abreu won the 2014 USAC Midget Series title and the 2015 Chili Bowl prior to making his NASCAR debut last February at New Smyrna.

Kyle Busch to Race at SpeedFest 2016

By @GucciardoJoey

Kyle Busch's 2016 SpeedFest paint scheme

Kyle Busch Motorsports announced on Wednesday that NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kyle Busch will be racing in the 200-lap ARCA/CRA Super Series Late Model event scheduled as part of SpeedFest 2016 on Sunday, Jan. 31 at Crisp Motorsports Park in Cordele, Ga.

Busch, a three-time SpeedFest winner, will pilot KBM's No. 51 Camry with primary sponsorship from Rheem Heating and Cooling and major associate sponsorship from JEGS.com.

Kyle Busch celebrates his 2010
SpeedFest win at Lanier National
Speedway. 

(PHOTO: Finish Line
Photography)

Busch was victorious at SpeedFest in 2009 and 2010 when the event was held at Lanier Speedway in Braselton, Ga., and most recently won the event in 2012, the first year it was held at its current location. William Byron, the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion, will join his owner at this year's event in a second KBM entry. Byron, who will compete full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for KBM in 2016, will carry sponsorship from Liberty University on his No. 9 Camry.

"I've always enjoyed racing at SpeedFest and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to go back this year thanks to the support from Rheem Heating and Cooling and JEGS.com," Busch said. "Everything went well with my latest surgery and I feel really good. Without an opportunity to get in a Sprint Cup Series car before we get to Daytona, running this race will be a good tune-up prior to Speedweeks."

Teams react to Las Vegas testing

By @GucciardoJoey

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who participated in a testing session at Las Vegas this week had some comments about session.

Teams that tested used a similar package last season at Kentucky Speedway and Darlington Raceway.

"I think all of the work that's been done, and the two races that we raced last year … was in a positive direction," Busch, driver of the No. 41 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing, said. "I believe the direction of lower downforce is better, but I'd like to see us take another chunk of downforce away come July. Because with the technology that the teams have, we'll be right back to where we are now with the downforce decrease because we're able to increase it with wind tunnel time and simulation models."

Jimmie Johnson said that the speeds he ran in his session were faster than he anticipated.

"With these cool conditions and the surface here being so good still, it's been tough to create the falloff that we're looking for," Johnson said. "Bottom line is we're just fast. We're really fast.

"When we took downforce off the car, they've lowered the gear ratio, a lot of things to kind of slow the cars down and we're every bit as fast if not faster than (with) the combination they had last year. … Obviously when we come back for the race, the sun will be out, hopefully we'll get the falloff we’re looking for, the track will lose some grip and be slick but right now it's fast."

"There was so much testing last year, it's funny because they banned (private) testing everywhere but then with the few different aero packages they had last year they just scheduled so many tests I felt like in a way we tested more last year than in years past," Matt Kenseth said.

Complete Schedule For 2016 Daytona Speedweeks

By @GucciardoJoey

Mark your calendars!

The 2016 NASCAR season is slowly approaching, and it all begins with the 2016 Daytona Speedweeks. The ARCA Racing Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, XFINITY Series, and Sprint Cup Series all open up their 2016 seasons at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

NOTE: All times listed are ET and tentative.

- - - - -

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12:
ON TRACK
-- 5-5:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited practice
-- 6:30-7:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited final practice

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13:
ON TRACK
-- 10:30 a.m-12:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice
-- 1:30-3:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice
-- 8:15 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited, (75 laps, 187.5 miles) 

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14:
ON TRACK
-- 1:15 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 Coors Light Pole Qualifying

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17:
ON TRACK
-- 5-5:45 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice
-- 6:10-6:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18:
ON TRACK
-- Noon-12:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice
-- 1:30-2:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice
-- 4-4:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice
-- 7 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Can-Am Duel #1, (60 laps, 150 miles) 
-- 9 p.m. (approx.): NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Can-Am Duel #2, (60 laps, 150 miles)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19:
ON TRACK
-- 10:30-11:55 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice
-- 12:00-12:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice
-- 1-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice 
-- 2-2:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice
-- 3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice
-- 4:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying
-- 7:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series NextEra Energy Resources 250 (100 laps, 250 miles)

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20:
ON TRACK
-- 10 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying
-- 12:15-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice
-- 3:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series PowerShares QQQ 300 (120 laps, 300 miles)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21:
ON TRACK
-- 1 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 (200 laps, 500 miles)

Tony Stewart back on the dirt

Yesterday Tony Stewart had a Press Conference with fellow NASCAR driver Kyle Larson, Rico Abreu among others. Smoke talked about his love of dirt track racing & how racing in the Chili Bowl Nationals is bigger than racing the Indianapolis 500. This year, Tony will be working with track preparation for the Chili Bowl making sure the dirt is in tip-top shape for the racers. Smoke also talked about how he'll be racing dirt cars after he retires at the end of the year. As a fan of Tony Stewart, I was beyond ecstatic when he announced that. Most thought he'd never race sprint cars again after his broken leg & after the Ward accident. Tony himself told everyone numerous times in the last few years that he would never race a sprint car again. But he's entitled to whatever he wants to do with his life. So what do you think? Is it a good idea for Smoke to go back racing dirt cars or no?

Four Sprint Cup teams set to test in Vegas

By @GucciardoJoey

NASCAR season is (not officially) back.

Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth are currently scheduled to participate in the test, set for Jan. 12-13 at the 1.5-mile track.

The schedule included a mix of two-day Goodyear tire tests often followed by a single-day open team test. When necessary, NASCAR officials also scheduled additional practice time as teams worked through the '15 rules package.

Because next week's test is a Goodyear tire test only, the grandstands will not be open to the public.