Tag: NASCAR

NASCAR world mourned the death of legendary racer Bobby Allison with tributes and stories

Bobby Allison died at the age of 86.

NASCAR legend Bobby Allison died Saturday at the age of 86, NASCAR announced in a statement. A cause of death was not mentioned, but his family in a statement noted he had been in declining health in recent years.

The former NASCAR driver was a hugely influential factor in the sport for decades as a three-time Daytona 500 winner, the fourth all-time winningest NASCAR driver with 85 checkered flags and an original member of the “Alabama Gang.”

Inducted into NASCAR’s Hall of Fame in 2011, Allison raced in the sport from 1961 until 1988 and was also the 1983 NASCAR champion.

“Bobby was the ultimate fan’s driver. He thoroughly enjoyed spending time with his fans and would stop to sign autographs and have conversations with them everywhere he went,” the Allison family said in a statement via NASCAR.

Ahead of the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship race Saturday at Phoenix Raceway, there was a moment of silence to honor Allison:

But there were many more tributes and stories shared online as news of the racing legend’s death spread.

How the NASCAR world reacted to the death of Bobby Allison

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Why Alex Bowman was disqualified from the NASCAR playoffs despite initially qualifying

Some bad news for the No. 48 car and driver for Hendrick Motorsports.

We’ve got some controversy in NASCAR with playoffs continuing.

Alex Bowman drives the No. 48 car for Hendrick Motorsports, and he finished 18th in Sunday’s Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and he was No. 8, all set to advance in the Round of 8 playoffs. He was all set to move forward … but then he was disqualified. What happened?

Here’s the answer: his car failed the post-race inspection given that it was too light.

“Unfortunately, the 48 had an issue (and) did not meet minimum weight,” NASCAR Cup Series managing director Brad Moran said, via NASCAR.com. “We put the car to the side. We continued on. We … gave them the opportunity to fuel the car as well as purge the water system and add water. So we gave them every opportunity to make minimum weight. We ran them back through. Unfortunately, they were light again. They are allowed a 0.5% weight break, which is for usage of fluids and so on. That’s about 17 pounds.”

All hope isn’t lost yet. If there’s an appeal — Hendrick Motorsports said they would submit one — then Bowman could come back if there’s a reversal.

But for now, Joey Logano advanced.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s wild return to NASCAR ends with top-10 finish and 2 a.m. beers on pit road

Dale Jr. couldn’t see his dash but finished seventh anyways at Bristol in his first NASCAR race in nearly a year.

For the first time in nearly a year, one of the most popular drivers in the history of motorsports was back in the driver’s seat for a NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Friday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. jumped behind the wheel of the No. 88 Hellman’s Mayonnaise Chevrolet Camaro as part of a deal with the sponsor. Essentially, Earnhardt runs this race in the Hellman’s car and then the company sponsors other drivers on Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports team throughout the season. Junior retired from racing full-time after the 2017 Cup Series season, but the 49-year-old still likes to jump behind the wheel in a Xfinity race or two each year in addition to some on-and-off racing in the late model CARS Tour.

But impressively, despite a chaotic and wild night, Earnhardt finished seventh in his return to one of the highest tiers of NASCAR.

And he did that battling a flurry of problems, errors, fumbles and issues at the Food City 300.

His radio went out. He replaced his helmet. He replaced his wiring harness. He lost his glasses. His radio fell on the floor. His water bottle fell on the floor. He couldn’t read the numbers on the dash. The radio volume turned up way too loud. He ran part of the race without a spotter.

On and on and on.

Just about everything that could go wrong for Dale Jr. did. And he still finished in the top-10 in his first Xfinity race since last October.

After losing his glasses early in the race, Earnhardt just did the rest of the race without them.

“I just can’t see the dash, can’t read like the little numbers. They were like, ‘how hot is it?’ And I’m like, ‘It’s 200-something.’ I can see out the windshield just fine.”

After the race, which marked Dale Jr.’s 356th top-10 finish of his career, he celebrated the way everyone expected him to, with beers on pit road with friends and fellow drivers long into the night.

According to NASCAR, Earnhardt currently holds the longest active streak of consecutive seasons with at least one national series start. The 1998 and 1999 Xfinity champion currently doesn’t have a deal in place to race at Bristol next year, but he hasn’t ruled out a return to the series for 2025 or 2026.

“I’m not planning on racing next year, (but) I’d be foolish to say I’m never going to run again because I don’t know well enough to stay away from it, and I’ll probably miss it next year and be absolutely willing to sign up for anything that might be beneficial to JR Motorsports,” Earnhardt said. “Right now, I don’t have any plans, but that’s the way I like it.”

In the meantime, fans will have to catch Dale Jr. in the broadcast booth, on his podcast or on the CARS Tour.

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Denny Hamlin had the perfect self-deprecating joke about it being ‘his year’ to win a NASCAR championship

Denny Hamlin’s got jokes.

Is this the year Denny Hamlin finally breaks through and wins his first NASCAR Cup Series champion? Probably best not to ask him that because he’s definitely tired of hearing it.

In fact, the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver even made a joke about it at NASCAR playoffs media day Wednesday.

Hamlin has been racing full-time at NASCAR’s highest level for 19 seasons and has an impressive three Daytona 500 checkered flags on his resume. His 54 career wins have him in a two-way tie for 12th-most in NASCAR history, and he has three wins so far this season at Bristol Motor Speedway, Richmond Raceway and Dover Motor Speedway.

He’s one of the best, most versatile and decorated NASCAR drivers of all time, but he’s never been a Cup Series champion. He’s also well aware of that, and in case he forgets, NASCAR reporters often like to ask if this is his year ahead of the playoffs.

In 2019, For The Win even wrote an in-depth feature about Hamlin’s standout season, headlined: “Denny Hamlin is the best active NASCAR driver without a title. Is this his year?” (It was not.)

Mocking himself and everyone else, Hamlin had the perfect joke about 2024 being his year. He had a sign taped to his back at playoff media day with a simple message:

“Please don’t ask him if it’s his year.

It’s always ‘his year’

Maybe this is finally the year for Hamlin. Maybe he still has to wait and keep racing to be a NASCAR champion. Maybe he ultimately ends his illustrious career as the most decorated driver to never win a title. Maybe he’s at peace with it all regardless.

But at least he’s making very good jokes about it.

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway with the Quaker State 400 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network). Hamlin enters ranked sixth in the standings and 10 points ahead of the cutoff when four of the 16 drivers will be eliminated after the first three playoff races.

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O’Ward setting sights on running NASCAR’s Mexico race

IndyCar’s loss could be NASCAR’s gain. Pato O’Ward, the series’ most popular driver, hails from Monterrey, Mexico, and has been pushing IndyCar’s owners at Penske Entertainment for years to organize a race in front of his adoring fans. Unfortunately …

IndyCar’s loss could be NASCAR’s gain.

Pato O’Ward, the series’ most popular driver, hails from Monterrey, Mexico, and has been pushing IndyCar’s owners at Penske Entertainment for years to organize a race in front of his adoring fans.

Unfortunately for O’Ward, IndyCar’s ongoing absence from the Mexican market, reinforced by short-sighted comments delivered by Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles, who positioned O’Ward as lacking the popularity to warrant a Mexican IndyCar event — which he attempted to walk back on Saturday — means the 25-year-old will need to look outside of the NTT IndyCar Series to make that dream happen.

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown told RACER from the Monza Formula 1 race that he would support O’Ward’s desire to compete in the NASCAR Cup event at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, and thanks to the team’s relationship with Team Chevy and NASCAR powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports, whose Indianapolis 500 entry for Cup champion Kyle Larson was run by Arrow McLaren, there are a number of starting points for a conversation on getting O’Ward into a car at the home of the Mexican Grand Prix.

A conflict between the June 15 date in Mexico and next year’s IndyCar race at World Wide Technology Raceway in Gateway would make it impossible for O’Ward to take part in the 2025 event, but he’s looking to 2026 as the time to make it happen.

“I would love to,” O’Ward told RACER. “I’m really bummed. I wish we could have done it as soon as the first time, which is next year, but it’s when we go to Gateway, and obviously my priorities lie in IndyCar, but I would love to do the next one. That’s the race I would do absolutely. I don’t really have interest doing another race. I want to do that one, and I think it’d be cool.”

Fellow Mexican Daniel Suarez from the Trackhouse Cup team will be a big draw, and with O’Ward added in, NASCAR would have an easy time marketing the race.

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“Me and Daniel racing together would be the best situation,” O’Ward added. “I got to meet Rick Hendrick, got to work with Kyle Larson, and I think he’d be really excited about the idea.”

Rather than asking his Arrow McLaren team to do the planning, O’Ward likes the idea of organizing a NASCAR Cup drive on his own.

“I don’t want to lay this on Zak’s shoulders,” he said. “I have enough authority where I can make it happen myself; I don’t want him to do all the work. It’d be a really good thing for Hendrick and for Chevy to hear from me, because that’s obviously where the very big interest comes from, going to the event, being part of it, driving the car. As soon as it was announced, my first thought was, ‘I need to as Zak if I can have Rick Hendrick’s number.’

“I love to race at home and it’s some of the best fans in the world. They’re so passionate. You see how successful the Formula 1 Grand Prix is there and it’s definitely a dream of mine to race in front of Mexican fans there.”

O’Ward’s many fans expended plenty of derisive words for Miles throughout Saturday, to the point where it risked overshadowing the first of two Milwaukee IndyCar races and the championship fight that’s taking place. Turning the page and finding a solution to get IndyCar to Mexico is where he’d like to see the conversation turn.

“I’m just one voice, right?” he said. “Seems like I’m the strongest voice today, because of where I’m from and what we’re talking about. But the reality is that I’m not the only one that shares this opinion. I want the series to become better, and rather than taking it as an attack, [IndyCar] should really look into ‘why?’ Why are people saying this, and why has, ‘Why aren’t we racing in Mexico?’ been a theme of conversation for the last three years? Maybe we should look into what [we] can do to make it better. Let’s find a way to make this happen. I like to make [things] happen. I don’t like to talk about it and never do anything.”

Bubba Wallace shared Michael Jordan’s advice ahead of his last chance to make NASCAR playoffs

Bubba Wallace shared what team owner MJ told him and how it’s helped his approach to Darlington.

The NASCAR Cup Series regular season all comes down to Sunday at Darlington Raceway, where drivers not already qualified for the playoffs will have one last opportunity to contend for a title this season.

The top-16 drivers in the standings make the playoffs, and they’re automatically guaranteed a berth with a win during the regular season. If they don’t win a regular-season race and there are fewer than 16 different winners, the remaining playoff spots are filled based on who’s where in the standings.

With one more race to go before the 10-race playoffs, Bubba Wallace and his No. 23 23XI Racing team are sitting in 13th. But with a few drivers with wins this season, the playoff picture projects him as 17th and the first driver excluded from the postseason if it started today. His sixth-place finish Saturday at Daytona International Speedway helped, but he’s not there yet.

While a guest on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast, Wallace shared his approach to his last playoff-qualifying opportunity, along with the advice he received from 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan.

Wallace told Earnhardt:

“There’s two sides of it coming out of Daytona: You’re bummed. You’re pissed off. You did what you’re supposed to do. We out-raced [Ross Chastain in] the 1 car, and we have a six-point, seven-point cushion to him. But we had a new winner [with Harrison Burton], so it’s like the goalpost moved again. …

“I had MJ text me, and he says, ‘The things you want more cost more.’ All day yesterday and all day, in the middle of the night, I’m telling myself, ‘Just try to go out and have the best race you’ve ever had of your life.’ It’s just showing up, me doing all that I can. Take out the outside factors. That’s how I’m approaching it. I woke up in a much better mood this morning.”

Wallace added why he needs to emphasize de-stressing before races, saying:

“Last year, I went into Daytona really stressed out. … I think for Daytona, you can get by with that. But I think if it was Darlington, I would have crashed Lap 2. Taking a deep breath, understanding where we’re at — we’re not out of it by any means. If you out-run the guys you’re racing, then you should beat them. But we have to do a little bit extra work, and I’m excited to roll the sleeves up and do that.”

The NASCAR Cup Series’ regular-season finale is the Southern 500 on Sunday at Darlington Raceway (6 p.m. ET, USA Network).

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Tyler Reddick’s Upper Deck paint scheme this week features three greats

Tyler Reddick’s Upper Deck paint scheme features Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and Tiger Woods this week.

When you think of collecting sports cards, the Upper Deck brand is one of the more iconic in the industry. And now, with the NASCAR season wrapping up, the company is sponsoring a car featuring Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, and Tiger Woods.

On Monday, Upper Deck and 23XI Racing unveiled the paint scheme for Tyler Reddick’s car this week in Darlington for the season-finale race. And the car features the three legends. Jordan is part owner of 23XI Racing, which employs Reddick so it makes sense for the collab to happen on his car.

Check out the sweet paint scheme that will run this weekend:

The partnership with NASCAR and 23XI Racing also features authenticated memorabilia and trading cards of NASCAR stars Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace. That gives fans a new way to collect NASCAR drivers from the team.

“This collection is monumental for Upper Deck as it reintroduces racing into our diverse lineup of premium authenticated memorabilia,” said Upper Deck President Jason Masherah. “Just as 23XI burst onto the NASCAR scene with speed and determination, we’re bringing racing to our portfolio with the same energy. We’re thrilled to celebrate iconic moments from this fan-centric sport.”

Reddick enters this weekend’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway as the points leader in NASCAR this year. He has also qualified for NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

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Jeff Burton’s overjoyed reaction to his son Harrison Burton winning his first NASCAR Cup Series race will have you tearing up

What a moment for father and son!

How about that?

Harrison Burton, racing for the Wood Brothers, and just 24 years old, won the 2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona on Saturday night, giving him his first career Cup Series victory.

Here’s the coolest part: his dad, NASCAR legend Jeff Burton, was in the booth to watch his son cross the finish line first, and his reaction was a huge fist pump up there. And then, as you’ll see, he ran up to give Harrison a huge hug after the win.

Check it all out and tell me you don’t tear up at all of this. That was how I felt!

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NASCAR driver Daniel Suárez’s Daytona race car was scarily charred after bursting into flames

Daniel Suárez is OK, but that was scary!

Daniel Suárez’s night at Daytona International Speedway ended a lot earlier than he hoped after his race car burst into flames. But thankfully, the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet driver is OK.

Not even a quarter of the way into the 160-lap Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, Suárez’s caught fire on pit road, and at one point, the whole rear of the car was engulfed in flames. The fire was the result of exhaust from Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota coming out of the pits from directly behind the 99, according to NASCAR.

The fire obviously forced Suárez to return to pit road, and after just 37 laps, the Trackhouse Racing driver’s race was over. There’s no real way to carry on racing when your car is this charred and damaged — even though Suárez definitely wanted to.

Here’s a look at what happened during both of Suárez’s pit stops. Definitely a scary moment.

Again, Suárez is thankfully OK, and he explained what happened from his perspective.

He said he could see the smoke and feel the heat, but he couldn’t see the fire. He didn’t know how big it was and initially hoped he could stay in the car during repairs.

He told reporters afterward:

“Every single time that we do pit stops, we drop a little fuel; that’s completely normal. Unfortunately, when [Hamlin] was leaving, he stopped right behind me because he was waiting for me to leave. And his exhaust fired up the little fuel I dropped and as I was still parked there, that [got] into the back of my car where the fuel cell is. …

“Really unfortunate situation, to be honest. Honestly I don’t know what we could have done different, but just a little bit sad that we’re out of the race this way so early. But I’m glad I’m fine and the entire team was fine.”

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – AUGUST 24: Daniel Suarez, driver of the #99 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Chevrolet, pits with flames during the NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on August 24, 2024 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)

Suárez added: “I was fine. I wanted to keep running.” Then, he realized the magnitude of the damage after seeing the top of the car on fire.

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