A race that truly took days to get through was surprisingly underrated in my opinion. After several misty days in Texas Kyle Busch finally won his first Cup race of the season, and it greatly impacted the playoff battle. Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick struggling plus a playoff driver not winning at Texas really makes Martinsville a must win situation for the bottom four playoff drivers. Stage One started on Sunday afternoon, and it created the story lines for Wednesday including Denny Hamlin getting out of the groove losing valuable track position, and Kevin Harvick getting loose hitting the wall creating a consistent issue with damage. It was clear early on drivers recognized the value of track position, and Clint Bowyer held on to win stage one. Stage Two lead to the rise of Martin Truex Jr., and after starting in the back from a penalty involving his spoiler he quickly made his way through the field, and looked to be the dominant car. Stage two featured a long green flag run where various fuel strategies were used and Kyle Busch won the stage. Chase Elliott's race became a mess after having to pit a second time for a possible tire going down. Stage Three became a three man race Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., and Christopher Bell. Kyle Busch was dominant at the end of the race and used incredible fuel saving strategy to barely make it to the end. Truex rallied from over seven seconds back at one point to finish by less than one second. For large parts of stage three Christopher Bell was the best car on the track lap in and lap out, and in final home race for Leavine Family Racing. In the end this is arguably the most excited the fan base has ever been to see Kyle Busch win.

Las Vegas, Nevada played home to the final elimination event in the 2020 Mello Yello NHRA Drag Racing Championship. The drivers pressed their luck for the final time and 4 champions were crowned. After an unusual, but eventful covid-themed season, the champions on the season were Steve Torrence in Top Fuel, Matt Hagan in Funny Car, Erika Enders in Pro-Stock, and Matt Smith in Pro-Stock Motorcycle. Final Season Standings : FINAL PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE STANDINGS Matt Smith, 703 Eddie Krawiec, 593 Scotty Pollacheck, 587 Andrew Hines, 576 Angie Smith, 514 Angelle Sampey, 495 Ryan Oehler, 448 Steve Johnson, 445 Hector Arana Jr, 434 Jerry Savoie, 323 FINAL PRO STOCK STANDINGS Erica Enders, 922 Jason Line, 755 Jeg Coughlin, 747 Greg Anderson, 693 Matt Hartford, 628 Alex Laughlin, 582 Aaron Stanfield, 563 Chris McGaha, 487 Bo Butner, 477 Deric Kramer, 458 FINAL FUNNY CAR STANDINGS Matt Hagan, 1,020 Tommy Johnson Jr., 915 Jack Beckman, 848 Ron Capps, 828 Bob Tasca III, 679 J.R. Todd, 663 Tim Wilkerson, 615 Alexis DeJoria, 605 Paul Lee, 464 Cruz Pedregon, 436 FINAL TOP FUEL STANDINGS Steve Torrence, 1,015 Doug Kalitta, 822 Billy Torrence, 793 Leah Pruett, 754 Antron Brown, 709 Shawn Langdon, 595 Justin Ashley, 594 Clay Millican, 493 Tony Schumacher, 464 Terry McMillen, 436

Several months ago Corey LaJoie announced his decision to leave Go FAS Racing at the end of this season, and on last weeks episode of the Racing Refresh podcast I announced I was all in on LaJoie's future, and here is my case. He is the son of two time Busch Series champion Randy LaJoie, and Randy supported Corey's ARCA Series racing. . Corey has a combined 126 Cup Series starts over five season. Two of these seasons are full time efforts in 2019 and 2020 with his current team Go Fas Racing. LaJoie has always ran for backmarker teams including Randy Humphrey Racing in 2014, BK Racing in 2017, and Tri Star Racing in 2018. LaJoie has never been competitive, but he has gotten consistently better. LaJoie's best season so far is this season, he is 29th in points, and only has 1 Top 10, but his average finish is 25.2. His 2019 season was fairly similar including a 29th place points finish, 2 Top 10s, and an average finish of 25.9. Although LaJoie's improvements from 2019 to 2020 his season has been plagued by mechanical failures including an astonishing nine fuel related issues. Although LaJoie has brought some funding to the team they are still vastly underfunded. LaJoie has had some bright spots including the Las Vegas spring race, Martinsville spring race, and the first race at Texas. LaJoie's biggest success is his influx of sponsors notably Built Bar, Drydene, and Schluter Systems. LaJoie is growing his brand through his MRN podcast Sunday Money, and his saying "Stacking Pennies," and has developed a loyal, loud fan base. In my opinion Corey is a good fit for a developing team like JTG Daughtery Racing, and possibly going part time in some top tier Xfinity Series rides possibly for JRM, or Kaulig. LaJoie is a driver we have never seen in a competitive ride, and its time he gets that chance. LaJoie constantly talks about the struggles with his equipment on his podcast, and if nothing else Corey should have the opportunity to prove he can do it.

After the race weekend that refused to end in Texas, a non-playoff driver victory meant that the playoff picture was still very much up in the air heading into Martinsville this Sunday. A minimum of 2 drivers will now make the Final 4 on points alone. Who has the advantage heading into this weekend? Let’s take a closer look: Martinsville Speedway is a 0.526 mile short-track oval – the shortest track currently on the NASCAR circuit. This weekend’s race will (confusingly) be called the Xfinity 500. Martinsville is the only current track that has been on the NASCAR schedule every year since its inception, having been built in 1947. Nicknamed “The Paperclip,” it is also unique in that it’s the only NASCAR track to have asphalt straightaways with concrete in the corners. The race will be 500 laps long (for a total of 263 miles), with stage breaks occurring at 130 – 260 – 500. The fuel window is approximately 145-155 laps, though tire wear will likely result in drivers pitting sooner than that. This year, the Cup Series has now raced a total of 12,938.83 miles. Top 5 Career Average Finishers at Martinsville: Jimmie Johnson 9.32 over 37 races Denny Hamlin 9.90 over 29 races Brad Keselowski 10.48 over 21 races Ryan Blaney 11.67 over 9 races Kyle Busch 12.30 over 30 races Bottom 5 Career Average Finishers at Martinsville: Joey Gase 35.33 over 3 races JJ Yeley 31.78 over 18 races Ross Chastain 30.25 over 4 races Michael McDowell 29.84 over 19 races Matt DiBenedetto 27.91 over 11 races Martinsville is classified as a short track. A short track is seen as anything under 1 mile in length. Top 5 Career Average Finishers at Short Tracks Kyle Busch 11.63 over 150 races Denny Hamlin 11.88 over 144 races Brad Keselowski 12.69 over 107 races Jimmie Johnson 13.02 over 186 races Kevin Harvick 13.23 over 196 races Richard Petty is the winningest driver at Martinsville, having won 15 times over the course of his career, with Darrell Waltrip alone in 2nd with 11 wins. As far as active drivers go, Jimmie Johnson has 9 wins, and Denny Hamlin has 5. Notable drivers who have not won at Martinsville: Matt Kenseth (has won at 18 other tracks) Chase Elliott (has won at 6 other tracks) No current drivers list Martinsville as either their worst track or their best track. Based on their point pace, let’s have a look at who’s having a better year than last year. Drivers Faring Better than in 2019 Matt DiBenedetto +210 pts Chase Elliott +164 pts Austin Dillon +138 pts Kevin Harvick +122 pts Bubba Wallace +115 pts Drivers Faring Worse than in 2019 Daniel Suarez -476 pts Kyle Busch -255 pts Joey Logano -98 pts Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -74 pts William Byron -68 pts While some drivers may be doing better this year than they did in 2019, how does this year stack up against their entire career? This statistic does not include rookies, as this is their first full year in the Cup Series. Drivers Having their BEST Career Year Kevin Harvick 7.06 Denny Hamlin 9.41 Matt DiBenedetto 15.09 Michael McDowell 20.65 Bubba Wallace 21.26 Corey LaJoie 25.24 Drivers Having their WORST Career Year Daniel Suarez 26.42 Ryan Preece 24.21 Matt Kenseth 21.50 For those that aren’t aware, the Manufacturer Standings are calculated by awarding points to the highest finisher for each manufacturer according to their finishing position. (40 for 1st, 35 for 2nd, 34 for 3rd, etc.) No stage points or playoff points count. Manufacturer Standings Ford 1258 Toyota 1197 Chevrolet 1152 Here is the same formula, but used on a team-vs-team basis: Chartered Team Standings Joe Gibbs 1198 Penske 1130 Stewart-Haas 1116 Hendrick 1081 Chip Ganassi 894 Richard Childress 871 Wood Brothers 745 Roush-Fenway 733 Front Row 682 JTG-Daugherty 637 Leavine Family 569 Richard Petty 543 Germain 506 Go Fas 404 Rick Ware 303 Spire 233 StarCom 149 The race begins Sunday, November 1st at 2:00pm EST (11:00am PST) – Enjoy the race everyone! Is there an error? Is there a stat missing that you’d like to see? Let us know!

Kyle Larson will become the driver of a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in 2021. This fills a vacancy left by 7 time Champion Jimmie Johnson. The successful dirt racer turned stock car driver is currently serving an indefinite suspension from NASCAR and a termination from Chip Ganassi Racing after the use of a racial slur during a broadcasted video game event earlier this year. The team announced today that they will transition the number 88 to number 5 moving forward. [It was announced in October that Alex Bowman will officially replace Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 for the last 19 seasons at Hendrick beginning in 2021. Jimmie was said to have a large influence in the successor to the famed #48. Longtime Hendrick Motorsports sponsor Ally Bank will stay with the #48 team.] Larson who was recently reinstated by NASCAR has completed the proper sensitivity training that is needed to return to his stock car career. He returned to his dirt racing past this summer and has won a historic amount of races this season. Since leaving NASCAR to serve his suspension, Larson has won 14 events in the Ollie's Bargain Outlet All-Star Circuit and he now owns 39 total dirt racing victories across all series in 2020. The 28 year-old driver from Elk Grove California has 6 career wins in 223 Cup Series Starts. Immediate news on sponsorship and contract length are not available at this time. Updates will be reflected on this page as they become available.

CONCORD, N.C. -- Hendrick Motorsports has named Rudy Fugle as the crew chief for William Byron and the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE team for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. He will join the organization in mid-November. The 36-year-old Fugle is one of the most successful crew chiefs at the NASCAR national series level. He has won two driver championships and five owner titles in the Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series. As a crew chief for Kyle Busch Motorsports since 2013, he has recorded 28 truck victories, which tie him for the second-most in series history. Fugle will replace current No. 24 crew chief Chad Knaus, who was recently named Hendrick Motorsports’ vice president of competition effective at the completion of the 2020 racing season. “We’re pleased to welcome Rudy,” said Jeff Andrews, general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “His teams have consistently performed at a championship level for many years. We believe he’s an excellent fit for our culture and will mesh extremely well with our other crew chiefs and competition personnel. In addition, Rudy and William have proven to be a successful combination with a high level of communication and trust in one another.” A native of Livonia, New York, Fugle holds a mechanical engineering degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In 2006, he began his NASCAR career with Robert Yates Racing before joining Germain Racing in 2008. With KBM, he has won truck races with six different drivers: Byron, Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, Erik Jones, Greg Biffle, and Noah Gragson. “The opportunity to join Hendrick Motorsports is incredible for me and my family,” Fugle said. “The No. 24 has always been one of the premier teams in racing. We have the owner, the driver, the people and the resources to continue that tradition. William is a great talent, and we have a very strong working relationship. I’m confident in what this team can accomplish and look forward to the challenge of competing at the Cup level. In 2016, Fugle and then-rookie Byron won seven truck races in 23 starts. That season, the pair led 21% of all possible laps and earned the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series owner championship. Byron, 22, is closing out a 2020 season in which he won his first career NASCAR Cup Series race (Daytona) and made his second consecutive playoff appearance. “I’m excited to work with Rudy again,” Byron said. “We have a great team in place, and I know he will be the right leader to keep moving us forward. I’ve seen first-hand what he’s capable of, his competitive nature and the high standards he has. With Rudy, I believe we’ll have a chance to win every single time we go to the racetrack, which is what both of us expect.” Syndicated Post From Hendrick Motorsports Press Release

Leading online auto retailer Carvana (NYSE: CVNA) announced today it will be the primary partner for 7-time NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Champion Jimmie Johnson and Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) for the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES racing season in the newly-formed Carvana Chip Ganassi Racing entry. Johnson co-holds the NCS record with Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty for most premier series championships and is the only driver to win five consecutive titles (2006-2010). Johnson’s 83 career wins is tied with Cale Yarborough for sixth all-time and is tops among active drivers. With an impressive record any athlete would envy, Johnson saw his next challenge in INDYCAR, and recently announced his plans to race with CGR in his continued pursuit of excellence. “Jimmie Johnson has already made his mark as one of the best NASCAR drivers in history, yet he’s continuing to push himself with a new challenge,” said Carvana Chief Brand Officer Ryan Keeton. “He’s not resting, but raising the bar, and that’s a mindset we can very much relate to. We’re looking forward to that shared challenger mindset, teamed up with Chip Ganassi Racing, for what is sure to be a fun, exciting racing season.” Ahead of the upcoming season, Johnson is scheduled to participate in tests with CGR in the No. 48 Carvana Honda at Barber Motorsports Park and Laguna Seca in November. Johnson’s new paint scheme will be unveiled prior to the start of the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season where he is scheduled to compete in the full road and street course calendar. “Carvana is a young, tech-forward, smart and aggressive company and is the perfect partner for this next challenge in my career,” said Johnson, who will be competing for 2021 INDYCAR Rookie of the Year. “I’ve dreamed of racing in INDYCAR since I was a little kid. Going from one championship organization to another with CGR, you know the resources, including great people, are going to be there. To have friends like Scott (Dixon), Dario (Franchitti) and Doug (Duchardt) there to lean on and learn from just makes this transition so much better. 2021 is going to be a lot of fun!” “I think this is a perfect fit for our organization - Carvana is a very exciting technology company that is always continuing to challenge themselves to be the best they can be,” said Team Owner Chip Ganassi. “Like us, they value innovation – and when you add it all up, we seem to have a lot in common, which is why I think this relationship can really grow and be successful. You all know Jimmie and his accomplishments. Jimmie is a champion and a winner and will bring tremendous value to our organization. I think we’re going to learn as much from him and his approach as he is going to learn about INDYCAR racing. It will only move the team in a positive direction.” As the pioneer of online car buying, Carvana created an easy, transparent way for consumers to purchase their next car - the ability to shop more than 20,000 vehicles, finance, purchase and schedule touchless delivery, all in as little as five minutes from the comfort and safety of home. (Syndicated Post From Chip Ganassi Racing Press Release)

The GoFas Racing Team operated by Archie St. Hilaire has announced that they will be transitioning into a part-time effort beginning with the 2021 season. They have competed full-time for from 2014 to 2020 in NASCAR's premiere series. Team Owner Hilaire provided this statement regarding the change. "It has been a lot of fun over the years but with the evolution of life, your priorities change. With my son [and GM of Go Fas] Mason moving on to start his own business in a different industry and myself getting ready to spend time with my daughter having my first grandchild, I feel its time to reevaluate the next chapter of my life. It definitely has been great working with Ford and all of our great marketing partners over the last 10 years and we look forward to continuing with them on a smaller scale going forward. I can’t say enough about how NASCAR has built and maintained their business model during the current pandemic and how exciting the schedule looks for 2021! We will keep 4-5 cars and anticipate running 5-6 races in 2021 at tracks we enjoy and make financial sense. Joe Falk of Circle Sport will continue to own half of the charter we currently run and we will be transferring our ownership in our half of the charter at the end of the season to Joe’s new partner, who will be announced in the coming days. We will continue our partnership with the Wood Brothers Racing team on our other charter moving forward into the future. We look forward to the 2021 season. Driver update will come forward after the remaining full time teams announce their 2021 driver line-ups!" Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Matt Tifft and BJ McLeod have purchased the charter that is associated with this team. Their purchase will take over for Hilaire's ownership interest in Circle Sport Racing. Joe Falk, part owner of Circle Sport will continue to serve an ownership role in this team overall. No details on driver, sponsor, or manufacturer information is available at this time.

Syndicated Post : PRESS RELEASE FROM SPEEDWAY MOTORSPORTS - If everything’s bigger in Texas, it’s only appropriate that the inaugural NASCAR weekend at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) just got bigger. Speedway Motorsports officials today announced that the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series have been added to the weekend lineup with the NASCAR Cup Series at COTA in Austin, Texas, May 21-23, 2021. "When NASCAR rolls into Austin for the first time, it’s going to be exactly what Speedway Motorsports always presents, and that’s the biggest, baddest events that we see throughout all of NASCAR," said Daniel Hemric, NASCAR Xfinity Series driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. "Bruton and the entire Speedway Motorsports family always do the utmost job of bringing the best experience for the fans, the best show for the fans, and we look forward to doing that as drivers as well." Three-day weekend packages are on sale now at NASCARatCOTA.com with general admission access starting at just $99 and reserved seating starting at just $125. Fans can save an additional 20 percent on adult weekend packages by purchasing during the NASCAR Playoffs. This offer will expire at midnight on Nov. 8. "Anytime we go road racing, it seems like there’s a lot of beatin’ and bangin’," said current Xfinity Series point leader Chase Briscoe, who will take over the cockpit of the No. 14 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2021. "I can’t wait to be a part of it." Fans will get their first glimpse of the weekend action as the Xfinity and Camping World Truck series take their first practice laps on the world-renowned road course on Friday, May 21. On Saturday, May 22, the on-track action will heat up with practice and qualifying sessions for each series as well as the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series races. The weekend will conclude with the NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, May 23. Fans who have already made deposits for weekend ticket packages will be contacted directly to finalize their seat selections, while new purchases can be made at www.NASCARatCOTA.com. Three-day weekend ticket packages are the most affordable way to catch all the action for the May 21-23 event. Single-day tickets will go on sale Feb. 1. Announcements regarding race length, course selection and the complete weekend schedule will be made at a later date. — Speedway Motorsports —

The new racing team that is being started by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan has been officially announced as 23XI Racing (Prounounced Twenty-Three Eleven Racing). The name pays homage to both the legendary NBA Hall of Famer's basketball number as well as co-owner Denny Hamlin's racing number 11. The team has not officially announced that they will be running Toyota in the 2021 season, but it is widely understood that this will be a TRD team, with assumptions that there will be some type of Joe Gibbs Racing alliance as well. No details on the contract terms are announced in regards to sponsorship or the length of announced driver Darrell Wallace Jr.'s contract.

(Photo Source : Twitter.com/NASCAR_Xfinity)