- Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release -- DANIEL HEMRIC JOINS JOE GIBBS RACING XFINITY SERIES TEAM IN 2021 29-year-old driver to compete fulltime in No. 18 Toyota Supra HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Nov. 12, 2020) – Joe Gibbs Racing announced today that Daniel Hemric will drive the team’s No. 18 Toyota Supra fulltime in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2021. The Kannapolis, North Carolina native has become a mainstay in NASCAR in recent years with 175 career starts across the three national series. Hemric’s Xfinity Series resume includes an impressive 30 top-five finishes and 51 top-10s in 87 starts and a pair of Championship 4 appearances in 2017 and 2018. “It’s been quite a roller coaster ride for me over the last few years, but I can’t say how thankful I am for the opportunity to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing,” said Hemric. “Their reputation speaks for itself. I know they have high expectations for me, as I do as well, and I could not be more excited to chase the Xfinity Series championship with them next season.” Most recently, Hemric competed in the Xfinity Series on a part-time basis in 2020. In 21 starts this year, he earned seven top-five finishes and 12 top-10s and ended the season strong with four top-five finishes in his last five starts – all coming during the Xfinity Series Playoffs. The 2019 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year joins Harrison Burton and Brandon Jones in the team’s three fulltime entries competing for the Xfinity Series championship. In 2020, Burton and Jones combined to claim seven of the team’s eight victories. “We’re excited to have Daniel join our Xfinity Series team,” said Steve de Souza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series and Development for Joe Gibbs Racing. “He has proven the ability to run up front and we believe his experience and consistency will be a benefit to our overall program. We look forward to him competing with Brandon (Jones) and Harrison (Burton) for wins and contending for a championship.” Sponsorship and team personnel details will be announced at a later date.

Deep in the desert of Arizona, there was a championship feel in the air as NASCAR's three National touring series all crowned a new champion. This championship weekend started off with the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck series. This was really the only true "night" race of the weekend, which added a special intensity to the championship race. It proved to be Grant Enfinger vs. GMS in the championship hunt. Zane Smith, Brett Moffitt, and Sheldon Creed, all GMS drivers, joined Enfinger as contenders for the title. Who would prevail and become the 2020 Truck series champion? The race started out with Enfinger, with his championship competitors in toe, leading the field to green. By the end of the first lap, Enfinger was already at the bottom of the championship 4. Zane Smith got out to an early lead over his two GMS championship competitors. Smith held on to lead the majority of the laps in Stage 1 and win the stage. However, no points were awarded to any of the championship drivers during the stages. Creed, Moffitt, Enfinger, Crafton, Rhodes, Ankrum, Eckes, Friesen, and Kraus finished stage 1 behind Smith in the Top 10. Sheldon Creed got ahead of his GMS teammate and took an early lead in Stage 2, but it was Brett Moffitt who took the lead and did not let go. Ben Rhodes was the first driver to get up and break the Championship 4's stranglehold on the Top 4 spots. Rhodes made it past his teammate, Enfinger, and had almost made it past Sheldon Creed for 3rd when Stage 2 ended. Brett Moffitt went on to win Stage 2 with Z. Smith, Creed, Rhodes, Enfinger, Friesen, Ankrum, Lessard, Eckes, and Mayer all earning a Top 10 in the stage. Brett Moffitt was on the fast track to continue his dominance throughout the final stage. Carson Hocevar brought out the caution at lap 103 after spinning into the wall coming off Turn 2. This allowed Grant Enfinger, who had not been a threat all night, to get off pit cycle and take 4 fresh tires. Grant Enfinger slowly started to gain spots, but it wasn't nearly enough to catch Brett Moffitt. Moffitt pulled out to nearly a 5 second lead over the field. It appeared to be Moffitt's championship for the taking. Unfortunately, Moffitt's worst nightmare came true as the caution came out with 3 laps to go, forcing NASCAR overtime. Moffitt, in the lead, and Enfinger, having no sets of tires left, had no choice but to stay our. For Creed and Zane Smith, the opportunity arose for them to take tires. Zane Smith opted to take 4 tires while Sheldon Creed took 2. The final restart was about as chaotic as it could get without causing another caution. Moffitt and Enfinger's older tires just could not hold on to the lead. Sheldon Creed came charging to the front with Smith right behind him. Sheldon Creed pulled away from Smith and went on to grab the win and the championship. It was Creed's 5th win of the season, a series best. This is Sheldon Creed's first championship in only his second full-time season in the Truck Series. Z. Smith, C. Smith, Eckes, Lessard, Friesen, Rhodes, Ankrum, Gilliland, and Moffitt all finished the season with a Top 10 finish. Enfinger (13th) was the only Championship 4 driver to finish outside the Top 10. This race was a great start to championship weekend in the desert. Congratulations to Sheldon Creed for capturing his first NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series championship.

By Justin Segar - It's Chase Elliott's world, and we're all living in it. After a dominant performance Chase Elliott wins the race, and the 2020 Cup Series Championship. Phoenix Raceway hosted the championship race for the first time in the tracks history, and I do not think that it lived up to expectations, nor did it live up to the standard of a championship race. It was incredibly hard to pass, and it made the race come down to the race off of pit road, and restarts. Although the stages don't matter much at all for those in the Championship Four Chase Elliott destroyed the field after he started in the back for failing pre race inspection twice. The remaining three drivers in the Championship Four largely controlled the race especially Joey Logano who lead basically the entire stage. Brad Keselowski's biggest struggle during the race showed up early, his pit crew being a tad slow on pit road. Stage Two changed up the Championship Four contenders. It evolved into a two man race between Chase Elliott, and Brad Keselowksi. Brad Keselowksi had a wild last lap pass to beat Chase Elliott in stage two. Joey Logano started to fall behind the leaders, but still looked like a threat. However it also became more and more apparent Denny Hamlin would not have the speed to win, unless there was a crazy late race restart. Stage Three was the Chase Elliott show... once he grabbed the lead he set sail and never looked back. The race never really looked all that competitive, and up until stage three it was a very clean race, and that trend continues into stage three. Chase Elliott simply drove away and earned his championship. The biggest story line outside of the Championship Four was Jimmie Johnson finishing fifth in his final Cup Series race. Chase's championship and Jimmie's retirement from full time Cup racing it felt like a changing of the guard moment, and NASCAR is starting its next era with Chase Elliot as the sports biggest star.

-- Per NHRA Press Release -- NHRA officials have announced a 22-race 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series schedule. Details on Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying days as well as special exhibitions and specialty series that compete at national events will be announced in coming weeks. NHRA enters 2021 with a new sponsor on its premier professional series -– Camping World, the nation’s largest retailer of recreational vehicles (RVs), RV accessories, and RV-related services –- and an extended partnership with FOX Sports including amped-up coverage. All 22 events in this extreme sport series will be aired exclusively on FOX Sports with select events on the FOX broadcast network. In 2021 NHRA will celebrate its 70th anniversary. Fans will experience special treats and features along the tour to commemorate this important milestone and honor the NHRA’s vast history. “We are grateful to the loyal NHRA fans and other members of the racing community who have stuck with us during the trying times of the 2020 season,” said NHRA President Glen Cromwell. “We’re looking forward to an exciting season of championship drag racing with fans in 2021. Thank you to our fans, racers, track operators, and partners for your continued support and cooperation.” For the first time, the NHRA season will kick off on the east coast with the 52nd annual Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway on March 12-14. The traditional series opener, the 61st annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, will move to April 9-11 in 2021, starting a unique three-week spring stretch on the West Coast. The Winternationals will be followed by the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas, the first of two four-wide events during the 2021 campaign, and the NHRA Arizona Nationals in Phoenix, April 23-25. NHRA’s famed Western Swing, the popular three-race summer tradition, includes thrilling events at Bandimere Speedway in Denver, Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., and Pacific Raceways in Seattle over consecutive weeks. The sport’s biggest race, the historic NHRA U.S. Nationals, will stay in its traditional place over Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 1-5, at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship playoff system, with the top 10 racers in each professional category competing for a championship over the final six races, will lead into the 2021 season finale, the 56th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals slated for November 12-14 at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif. One facility, Route 66 Raceway in Chicago, is not holding any drag racing events at its facility in 2021, so it is not included on the schedule. 2021 NHRA CAMPING WORLD DRAG RACING SERIES SCHEDULE NHRA CAMPING WORLD SERIES REGULAR SEASON March 12-14Amalie Motor Oil NHRA GatornationalsGainesville, Fla.March 26-28NHRA Southern NationalsAtlantaApril 9-11Lucas Oil NHRA WinternationalsPomona, Calif.April 16-18Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide NationalsLas VegasApril 23-25NHRA Arizona NationalsPhoenixMay 14-16NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide NationalsCharlotte, N.C.May 21-23Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationalsHouston, TexasJune 4-6Virginia NHRA NationalsRichmond, Va.June 11-13NHRA New England NationalsEpping, N.H.June 24-27Summit Racing Equipment NHRA NationalsNorwalk, OhioJuly 16-18Dodge Mile-High NHRA NationalsDenverJuly 23-25NHRA Sonoma NationalsSonoma, Calif.July 30-Aug.1Flav-R-Pac Northwest NationalsSeattleAug. 13-15Menards NHRA Heartland NationalsTopeka, Kan.Aug. 19-22- Lucas Oil NHRA NationalsBrainerd, Minn.Sept. 1-5NHRA U.S. NationalsIndianapolis NHRA CAMPING WORLD COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP Sept. 10-12NHRA NationalsReading, Pa.Sept. 17-19NTK NHRA Carolina NationalsCharlotteSept. 24-26NHRA Midwest NationalsSt. LouisOct. 7-10NHRA FallNationalsDallasOct. 29-31Dodge NHRA NationalsLas VegasNov. 12-14Auto Club NHRA FinalsPomona, Calif.

- PRESS RELEASE : Meyer Shank Racing -- Helio Castroneves set for six INDYCAR races with MSR as Harvey aims to build on an encouraging 2020 season Pataskala, Ohio (10 November 2020) – Less than four years after making its Indianapolis 500 debut, Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) is pleased to announce that the team has grown its IndyCar program ahead of the 2021 season. Meyer Shank Racing driver Jack Harvey will return for his second full-season behind the wheel of the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM IndyCar for the full 17-race campaign. For the first time in his young IndyCar career, Harvey will have a teammate for six races in 2021, as Helio Castroneves has signed with the team to race the No. 06 MSR IndyCar entry. Castroneves will run six races – the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park, Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (August 14), The Grand Prix of Portland and the season-ending race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The expanded program comes just one month after MSR announced its partnership with Liberty Media Corporation which had made a minority investment in the team, which is attributed to the Formula One Group. MSR and Harvey first paired in the 2017 Indianapolis 500 and built a six-race program for the 2018 season, growing to a 10-event 2019 campaign before making a full-season run in 2020. That same approach is being utilized as the team continues to grow for 2021. “We’re really excited to have Helio come onboard with us next year,” said Mike Shank. “The idea to start off with six races for the second IndyCar was another strategic plan. As I’ve always said in the past, we will never bite off more than we can chew. It’s always been one of our goals to expand the IndyCar program, and this is the best way that we can start that. Of course the goal is to have two full-season cars.” The three-time Indianapolis 500 winner’s arrival marks the continued growth for the Ohio-based team. With two consecutive decades of IndyCar competition under his belt, Castroneves will bring a wealth of knowledge to MSR. The affable Brazilian has previous experience with the team, having raced for MSR’s sports car program in the 2007 Rolex 24 At Daytona. The move also sees Castroneves return to Honda power, having won 12 races onboard a Honda-powered IndyCar. “I’m super excited to be joining Meyer Shank Racing for six IndyCar races next year,” said Castroneves. Mike (Shank) and I know each other from a long time ago and I raced with the team at Daytona. Now, with Jim (Meyer), Mike and Jack (Harvey), all three of us I feel like we have great potential. I can’t thank enough Team Penske for all of these years with them, but now it’s a new chapter in my life and I’m excited to join MSR and an incredible group of friends.” Ready to contest his second full-season IndyCar campaign, Harvey is eager to build on the results and pace that he has shown over the last four IndyCar seasons. Having scored his first IndyCar podium in 2019 and two front row starts in 2020, Harvey plans to go for overall wins this coming season. “I’m really excited to build on the progress that we made this year and bring that into 2021,” said Harvey. “We’ve had so much potential, but had such bad luck in so many of the races this year that I’m just excited to start fresh. I’m confident that next year we can push for some podiums and race wins based off of the pace that we had this year. Having Helio, he will be a fantastic addition to the team. He’s a three-time Indy 500 winner and he’s a living legend really, so it’s pretty great that I will get to work with him and be teammates with someone who has that level of experience. I see this as a way to strengthen the team. I’m excited to get going again and 2021 cannot come soon enough.” The team recently broke ground on a new 45,000 square foot facility in Pataskala, Ohio, and will continue to develop its competition programs under the relentless leadership of team co-owners Shank and Jim Meyer. “Having a guy like Helio on the team will be a big asset for us,” said Shank. “He’s a proven race winner and brings a ton of knowledge to the team. He’s someone that we will be able to learn from. This past season was definitely a tough one for us, but Jack (Harvey) proved that he has the pace to be running up front, and going into 2021 we certainly aiming to get back up on the podium.” In addition to growing its IndyCar program, the 2021 race season will also see the Ohio-based team also continue its relationship with Acura and HPD to field the Acura ARX-05 DPi in IMSA WeatherTech series competition.

Phoenix, Arizona The NASCAR championship seasons have formally ended. After what felt like to many in the industry to be the longest season ever as in ran in conjunction with the Covid-19 epidemic, NASCAR managed to return to competition this summer before any major sport. Three winner-takes-all events were held last weekend at Phoenix and three historic champions were crowned. Sheldon Creed won the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Championship after rushing from 8th to 1st in NASCAR Overtime on Friday night. Our team covered the final laps of the event during our live Racing Refresh weekly production. This is his first championship in NASCAR, and second truck-based championship as he also is a past champion in Robby Gordon's truck circuit. In the Xfinity Series, the winningest driver on the circuit was not the winner, as would be the case in the Cup Series. Chase Briscoe was not able to pull off the feel-good story by winning at Phoenix, instead his rival and fellow Ford driver Austin Cindric won the title under the Team Penske banner. Cindric managed to pass Justin Allgaier with under 2 laps remaining to win. NASCAR's most popular driver won big on Sunday. Chase Elliott was not always the fastest car, but managed to lead many laps throughout the event. Despite failing pre-race inspection and starting from the rear, his crew is just as deserving for the win. They made no mistakes through the event during pit stops managed to come out first on nearly every pitting cycle. Brad Keselowski appeared to be the fastest car on the track for much of the second half of the event, but several mistakes on pit road resulted in the #2 Ford team not being in contention at the end of the event. This is the first national touring championship for Creed and Cindric, and the second title for Elliott. Elliott also won the NASCAR Xfinity title in 2014. NASCAR will resume to on-track competition after the new year rings. The first points-paying event is the 2021 Daytona 500 on February 14th.

(Photo Source : Twitter.com/NASCAR)

Championship weekend continued on Saturday in Phoenix with the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Justin Allgaier, and Justin Haley all went into the race with the shot at a championship. For Chase Briscoe, it was his final race before moving up to the Cup Series full time in 2021. The weekend had already started out with an outstanding Truck race the night before. Could the Xfinity Series top that in the late afternoon? Justin Allgaier led the field and his three other championship competitors to the green flag. However, Chase Briscoe was looking to chase down Allgaier quickly. The outside line proved to be the dominant lane, which was contradictory to the Truck race the night before. The caution came out early for Jeffery Earnhardt who got spun on the back stretch. Allgaier led the field back to green, but he didn't have the lead coming out of Turn 2 as Briscoe and Cindric took Allgaier 3 wide and grabbed the top 2 positions. Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric continued to battle amongst each other for the lead until the competition caution came out at Lap 20. Briscoe controlled the race for the remainder of the stage but Cindric and Allgaier were close behind. Briscoe went on to win Stage 1, but, as per Championship rules, the Championship 4 did not earn stage points during the race. Cindric, Allgaier, Gragson, Chastain, Annett, Haley, Burton, Herbst, and Jones all finished Top 10 in stage 1. In Stage 2, it became very apparent that Austin Cindric had the best car of the championship 4 drivers. Justin Allgaier seemed to be strong early on, but faded quickly on the long run. Cindric grabbed the lead from Allgaier on lap 83 and went on to win Stage 2. The stage didn't see much action besides a caution thrown for a smoking Tommy Joe Martins, a car that had started the stage on the front row. Chase Briscoe didn't seem to have the car that he had in Stage 1. Allgaier, Briscoe, Jones, Gragson, Annett, Haley, Burton, Clements, and Snider all netted a Top 10 in Stage 2. Going into the pits, the conversation for the championship competitors was all about how to beat Cindric. Haley hadn't been much of a factor all day, Briscoe had fallen off from where he was before, and Allgaier couldn't hang with Cindric on the long run. It all came down to the last 110 laps at Phoenix. The season was on the line for the championship 4. Brandon Jones led the field to green, but was quickly overtaken by Justin Allgaier. Allgaier looked to have a much stronger car in the opening laps of Stage 3. He pulled out to a solid lead over Austin Cindric for awhile. However, as time went on, Cindric got closer and got back to the lead. Quickly falling backwards, Allgaier decided on lap 160 to pit, hoping to short pit the leaders. Not long after, the rest of the championship contenders found their way down pit road. Ross Chastain decided to stay out for a few extra laps, a strategy which proved to be a good call as the caution came out for Joe Graf Jr. who got into the wall. Allgaier took this opportunity to pit again, using his last set of fresh tires. Allgaier was hoping that fresh tires might be able to catch Cindric, but Cindric still pulled away. Cindric appeared to be driving away with the win until Chase Briscoe spun in turn 4 with only a few laps to go. This forced NASCAR overtime. Allgaier, having no fresh tires, was forced to stay out. Ross Chastain also stayed out, but the remainder of the lead lap cars all pitted. Allgaier restarted in the lead, but he was no match for Cindric on fresh tires. Austin Cindric grabbed the lead and won his 6th race of the year and his first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. Gragson, Jones, Annett, Allgaier, Burton, Chastain, Haley, Briscoe, and Clements all finished the season with a Top 10. The regular season champion held on to win the Xfinity Series title. A disappointing race for three of the championship contenders, but all of the drivers have their plans for next season lined up. Chase Briscoe will drive the #14 Cup car for Stewart Haas Racing. Justin Haley will return to Kaulig Racing. Justin Allgaier will be back and JR Motorsports. Austin Cindric will look to defend his title next season. It was a crazy year for NASCAR, but these drivers proved that even through adversity, they can still put on a show.

(Photo Source : Twitter.com/NASCAR_Trucks)

What a cutoff race!! NASCAR scheduling Martinsville as the cutoff race for the Round of 8 was genius. The race had drama, comers and goers, an incredible points battle, and exactly why NASCAR created this playoff format. NASCAR truly had a once in a season type of race. Stage One was won by Denny Hamlin, but it was clear that early on the race seemed to be between Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., and Chase Elliott. Early on there was some strategy, and it was apparent a few guys were points racing based on late stage strategy. It would prove its value later on, but Denny Hamlin winning this stage would be all the difference between advancing to Phoenix, and not. Stage Two showed that Elliott, and Truex were a little bit ahead of Hamlin, but concern started to set in for championship favorite Kevin Harvick. He had been running outside the top 10 all day, and looked largely irrelevant. If Chase Elliott, or Martin Truex were to win the race it would be a battle to advance between Harvick, Hamlin, and Brad Keselowski. Stage Three was the Chase Elliott show. Chase seemingly dominated the stage, and even overcame multiple bad pit stops, and once it was established Chase was likely going to win our focus turned to the battle to advance between Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, and Kevin Harvick. It got as tight as one point between the three drivers. On the last lap of the race Harvick was one point out, and attempted to wreck Kyle Busch to get the point to advance, but he wrecked himself in the process. Chase Elliott's win advanced him to the Championship Four. The final four are Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, and Joey Logano, and they will be racing this Sunday for the Bill France Cup at Phoenix Raceway.

Logan - Chase Elliott Zach - Denny Hamlin: Eventually Denny Hamlin has got to win one right? Denny Hamlin is my pick because he has the best stats at Phoenix amongst this year's Championship Four. He has the best average finish, most Top 10s, and Top 5s, as well as 2 Wins tying with Joey Logano. I wouldn't be surprised if a non Championship Four driver (Harvick) wins this race, and if that's the case I will take Denny Hamlin and his stats at Phoenix in a one off championship race. Peyton - Denny Hamlin : It's no secret that Denny Hamlin has the best stats of the championship four at phoenix - BUT I want to talk about just pure luck. After an unfortunate end to last year's season, this man go his third Daytona 500 win this year and (along with Kevin Harvick) went on an absolute tear! All year long everyone said Kevin Harvick would win the championship because he's amazing at Phoenix, but luckily for Hamlin, Harvick didn't make the cut...leaving Hamlin to take the trophy home. Adam - Denny Hamlin : Of the four playoff drivers, Denny has had the best season - and has the best career record at Phoenix. He also has the second-best record at short tracks, behind only Kyle Busch. Last year when Phoenix was the cutoff race, Hamlin showed he performs well under pressure. Denny finishes 2nd , with HArv AJ - BRAD KESELOWSKI :Team Penske has shown all season that they have the most consistent averages through the season. All of their drivers won multiple races. While Harvick and Hamlin won MOST events this year, a Team Penske Ford was always in the picture. Keselowski's experience as a young champion in 2012 and consistent on-track success make him the best in my opinion. It helps that he will likely have the least amount of media following him this week. Look for #2 to get championship 2 this weekend in sunny Arizona.

(Photo Source : Twitter.com/NASCAR)