Denny Hamlin confirmed rumors that he and NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan are indeed going to operate a single-car NASCAR Cup Entry beginning in the 2021 season. The announcement came late Monday night via Denny's Twitter feed. This comes after their mutual purchase of Germain Racing. Jordan will be listed as the principal owner. The two famed athletes have been friends for many years and Denny mentioned his relationship with the Jordan Brand as well in tonight's announcement. Their driver has been announced to be Darrell (Bubba) Wallace Jr. Further details regarding the purchase, sponsors, team name, and number were not mentioned. It will operate under the Toyota banner in conjunction with Denny and Joe Gibbs Racing's ongoing relationship with TRD. Denny states that he continues to be focused on his #11 FedEx Toyota in regards to his career as a driver. No comment from Michael Jordan at this time. Darrell Wallace on Twitter posted : "This is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I believe is a great fit for me at this point in my career. I’m grateful and humbled that they believe in me and I’m super pumped to begin this adventure with them" Refresh this post for updates as they become available.

First reported by Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, NASCAR's famed All-Star Event will be at its third location in three years. The event will move to Texas Motor Speedway in 2021. In exchange for the All-Star date, they will give up one of their regular season dates in the 2021 Cup Series schedule. The event was hosted by Charlotte for over 30 consecutive seasons before being hosted by Bristol Motor Speedway in 2020. All three tracks are owned by parent company Speedway Motorsports. The new opening in the schedule may allow for NASCAR's first event at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin. (Twitter.com/Jeff_Gluck)

After 19 seasons as title sponsor of the NHRA Drag Racing Series, parent company Coca-Cola shared with NHRA Drag Racing that they will ending their entitlement sponsorship agreement a year early, according to Sports Business Journal. "Recently, Coca-Cola had a change of heard, and told us they would walk away from their agreement to sponsor our professional series.." and NHRA spokesperson said. The agreement was said to last through 2023, but if halted will now end at the end of the 2022 season. At this time, Coca-Cola has not commented on the status of their relationship with the NHRA moving forward.

Kevin Harvick's #4 Busch Light Stewart-Haas Racing Ford held off Kyle Busch for the win at Bristol Motor Speedway's 0.533 mile oval Saturday night. Harvick led just under half of the 500 miles (226) while Busch led 159. Pole sitter Brad Keselowski led 82 laps and finished 34th after losing power steering and going several laps down. There were five cautions for 50 laps. 2 Cautions for stage breaks and 3 for on-track incident. This win is Kevin Harvick's 9th win of the 2020 season, second at Bristol Motor Speedway, and 58th total. Saturday night's event also happened to be the first elimination race of the playoffs, where they moved from 16 playoff drivers to 12 playoff drivers. The four drivers that did not make it were: Ryan Blaney, Cole Custer, Matt DiBenedetto, and William Byron. Top 5: 1. Kevin Harvick 2. Kyle Busch 3. Erik Jones 4. Tyler Reddick 5. Aric Almirola Notables 7. Chase Elliot 15. Kurt Busch 34. Brad Keselowski

(Photo Source : Twitter.com/RossChastain) NASCAR driver Ross Chastain has finally landed with the #42 Chevrolet, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. He will drive the #42 car in the cup series for the entire 2021 Cup Series schedule. The Alva, Florida watermelon farmer was believed to be one of Ganassi's long-term driver choices until their Xfinity sponsor DC Solar ran into legal trouble in 2018 and was no longer affiliated with the team. In three races with Chip Ganassi Racing at the Xfinity level, Chastain has a win, a third, and a fifth place finish. Since 2017, Chastain has 1 top 10 in 79 career cup series starts. He has driven for Roush-Fenway Racing and Spire Motorsports in 2020's Cup campaign and is known for heavy participation across all three of the national touring series. An announcement regarding the team's future will be made today that he will replace Matt Kenseth behind the wheel of the #42 for the 2021 season. The #42 became vacant this season after Kyle Larson's use of a racial slur resulted in his termination. Details on sponsorship and contract terms are not yet available.

What a week for Sam Mayer! The seventeen-year-old rookie won his first ever truck race at Bristol a few days after announcing he would race for the Xfinity Series powerhouse JRM in the second half of 2021 and 2022. In a race dominated by the GMS trucks, and the young stars of the Truck Series, some of NASCAR's best shined bright under the lights of Bristol. Even though track position seemed to matter more than other factors, it created interesting strategy calls when drivers were trying to position themselves for the final stage. Stage 1 was dominated by Brett Moffitt; he took the lead early on in the race and never looked back. GMS went first through fourth at the end of stage 1. Early in stage 1 there was an incident between Stewart Freissen and Austin Hill; Hill ended up with a 25th place finish 5 laps down. Stage 2 was dominated by another GMS driver, Tyler Ankrum. At the stage break, half of the field pitted, including Brett Moffitt. He only recovered to a 5th place finish in stage 2. The end of Stage 2 showed the value of track position, not because it was hard to pass, but it was difficult to navigate lapped traffic. Stage 3 was setup with Moffitt in the lead, and he initially drove away, but the young Sam Mayer lurked behind ready to pounce. Mayer made his move towards the lead with 29 to go. After earning the lead, he cruised to victory, and Moffitt held on to second. The finishing order had a few surprising finishes including Tanner Gray in third, and Parker Kligerman in fourth. With Sam Mayer winning and not being a playoff contended, the playoffs standings received an interesting shake up. Brett Moffitt moved to the point lead 36 points to the good, but the major note is Austin Hill falling to only 2 points above the elimination line. Ankrum's big points night helped him rise from 10th to 5th in the standings. The truck series returns next week with an event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Two time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch was expected to be a front runner this weekend at Bristol's annual night race. He, along with his two teammates Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones will have their work cut out tonight. The three Joe Gibbs Racing teammates failed inspection prior to the race and are going to start from the rear of the field. Denny Hamlin has 6 wins in 28 starts heading into Bristol, while Busch and Jones are winless. This is the third consecutive race Busch's #18 Toyota has failed inspection, also doing so at Richmond and Darlington.

NASCAR Truck Series Rookie Sam Mayer won the UNOH 200 Presented by Ohio Logistics. The race is his first win in 7 career starts. Full race results below.

After two decades of coverage on ESPN, the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) announced that they would move to competitor FOX for their nationally televised events in 2015. At the time, the president of NHRA referred to the move as a 'Game Changer'.Today they announced a several year extension for broadcasting rights said per Sports Business Journal's Adam Stern to last through the middle of the decade. The next event on the NHRA Fox Schedule will be in Gainesville for the Gatornationals. (September 25th through 27th)

NASCAR has given us fans a massive gift. The Bristol night race has been moved from a late summer classic to an early playoff must watch. I will preview each of the 16 playoff drivers and rank them into one of four categories. The categories are a favorite, a good bet, a long shot, and save your money. Kevin Harvick - The regular season champion enters Bristol having already advanced to the Round of 12 via his win at Darlington. Harvick has been one of the two dominant drivers this season. Bristol however is good but not great track for him. He has three wins, and an average finish of 13.8. Between the SHR short track program being less competitive than others, and Harvick already advancing via the Darlington win, but it's 2020 Harvick is a favorite. Brad Keselowki - Keselowski has already advanced via his win at Richmond last Saturday night. Brad won the spring race through one of the craziest finishes in Bristol history. He's been the best driver with the 750 horsepower package this season with wins at New Hampshire, Richmond, and Bristol earlier in the year. Throughout his career Brad has three wins, and an average finish of 16.5 at Bristol. Penske has had the best short track package in the Cup Series this season, and when you combine that with his win earlier this season that makes Brad one the favorites. Denny Hamlin - Hamlin is the other half of the two most dominant drivers this season. He has had a disappointing start to his playoffs so far, though. A first round built with Hamlin in mind has finished 13th at Darlington, and 12th at Richmond; however Hamlin has advanced on points. Hamlin's career at Bristol is stellar with two wins, and an average finish of 14.5. Coming into Bristol as the reigning night race winner, and the best car in the spring Hamlin is absolutely a favorite. Joey Logano - Logano enters Bristol with back to back top 3 finishes. He was one of the best cars in the spring Bristol race until a end of race incident with Chase Elliott. Logano has been solid at Bristol throughout his career with 2 wins, and an average finish of 15.3. Between being one of the best cars in the spring, and the Penske short track program Logano is a favorite. Martin Truex Jr.- Truex is one of the playoff drivers who truly struggles at Bristol. It feels like Truex is regularly caught up in the big one at Bristol, and that has given him an average finish of 20.6. Truex is riding some momentum after the second place finish at Richmond, but even with that momentum I would say save your money here. Austin Dillon - The biggest surprise of these playoffs so far. Austin Dillon is riding back to back top 5 finishes, and arguably could have won Richmond or Darlington. Coming into Bristol Austin Dillon has all the momentum in the world, however he has historically been rather average at Bristol. Between his average finish of 17.4, and having a solid points advantage makes him a long shot for the win. Chase Elliott - Elliott has been dominant at Bristol this year. He won both stages in the spring race as well as the All Star race. Elliott who could have won the spring race, until the previously mentioned incident with Logano. He has an average finish of 12.7, the best of any playoff driver makes him a favorite if not the favorite. Alex Bowman - Bowman has had a relatively quiet yet solid start to the playoffs. He is in a solid points position, but Bristol is a track he struggles at. Due to his average finish of 22.7, and his solid points position I would expect Bowman to play it conservatively and I would save my money here. Kyle Busch - Without a win in 2020, Kyle Busch is the first driver where I mention strictly points standings. Currently Busch is 18 points above the cutoff. Busch's best track is Bristol. An impressive eight wins, and average finish of 13.1 makes him a virtual lock to advance. No matter the car, no matter the season its a Busch brother at Bristol, and he is a favorite. Aric Almirola - One of the least discussed playoff drivers, Almirola has been incredibly consistent all season. His consistency tends to run out at Bristol with a career average finish of 25.0. He is seven points above the cutoff line and I expect him to have an average night to advance, but he is a driver I would save my money on. Kurt Busch - The elder Busch has been a solid top-ten threat all season, but we are heading to Bristol. Historically, this is his best track. Kurt Busch is also seven points above the cutoff. He has an astounding six wins at Bristol with an average finish of 14.0. As I said with Kyle Busch "it's a Busch brother at Bristol, he is a favorite.." this still holds true here. Clint Bowyer - Bowyer has had an up and down season, but one of his ups was the Bristol spring race, he finished second. A traditionally great short track racer I expect Bowyer to run really well Saturday night, and he needs it. A mere three points above the cutoff line, his 13.7 average finish should help power him into the round of 12. I would say Bowyer is a good bet. William Byron - After having a great Darlington race, Byron struggled at Richmond and enters Bristol three points below the cutoff. Byron has not been particularly great at Bristol. His best finish came in the spring race, where he finished 8th. He has an average finish of 17.2, but I don't think he runs particularly well this time. Byron's inconsistencies lead me to believe he will struggle a bit and I would save my money here. Cole Custer - Outside of his shocking win at Kentucky Cole Custer's rookie season has been rather rough, and Bristol is no different. After being involved in an accident, he finished 35th in the spring race. Due to Custer being a rookie, facing an 8 point mountain, and the pressure being on at Bristol I expect him to struggle, and I would save my money here. Matt DiBenedetto - We all want DiBenedetto to find a win after the heart warming yet equally saddening Bristol night race last season. Looking at his 25 point hill DiBenedetto needs to have a performance like that to advance, but his performance this season has lead me to believe it will not happen. His 19.1 average finish does not help my feelings. However it is Bristol, and he's done it before. I'd say he is a long shot. Ryan Blaney- A mess of a playoffs has Blaney 27 points out, and seemingly in a must win situation. Ryan Blaney has all the speed at Bristol with almost none of the finishes to match that speed. His 20.7 average finish is deceptively bad. He always seems to have a fluke or a wreck when he's in the lead. I'm banking on the same this time around and I would deem Blaney a long shot.

Last week Darrell Wallace Jr announced his decision to leave Richard Petty Motorsports at the conclusion of the 2020 season. It was a decision that many weren't surprised by but to an RPM fan like myself, it left a bitter feeling and made us question Bubba’s loyalty. I know many of you will say It’s a business and there isn’t much room for loyalty and typically I’d agree. in this case, I feel it runs deeper. The 2020 season has been the most unique in NASCAR’s history. Along with the rest of the world, they have dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ve also dealt with trying to address racial inequality. While that has been a challenge for all sports, you could easily argue that NASCAR has had the toughest time balancing being more inclusive without alienating old school fans. At the center of that movement in NASCAR has been Wallace. He is the sport's only full-time African American driver. He called for NASCAR to ban the confederate flag and NASCAR enhanced their enforcement of flag policies. The decision has been met with a lot of pushback from longtime fans and that was made very clear when Wallace was booed at this year’s All-Star Race. Richard Petty is the owner/face of Richard Petty Motorsports. His resume doesn’t need to be listed here. He’s considered by many to be the greatest driver in the history of the sport. He is 83 years old and is fairly outspoken when it comes to political issues in our country. He’s very publicly supported Donald Trump. Petty publicly criticized NFL star Colin Kaepernick for taking a knee during the national anthem. I don’t bring any of this up to take sides on these issues. I mention this because one could assume that Bubba Wallace and Richard Petty probably don’t see eye to eye on a lot of these issues. Despite this, Petty allowed Wallace to run a Black Lives Matter scheme during this year’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500. The scheme only became possible after Blue-Emu dropped Wallace and RPM when Wallace quit during a Pro Invitational Series event during the height of the pandemic. Sponsorship losses hurt every team but those losses are magnified for a smaller team like RPM. Many people have forgotten Wallace has been under fire for behavior in the past. The most noteworthy being his now-infamous encounter with Alex Bowman after last year’s Bank of America ROVAL 400. Despite plenty of public outcries, RPM stayed quiet and supported their driver. There are several other incidents I could list to show that Wallace hasn’t always been the easiest to support, I’m not here to put Wallace down, though. Richard Petty, and company and have always done their best to publicly support Wallace. That became abundantly clear when Petty flew to Talladega this summer to support Wallace after a noose was found in his garage stall the week prior. Luckily it was a garage pull down that had been there for at least a year prior. The NASCAR community was thankful for the false alarm in terms of meaning any harm towards Wallace. Richard Petty’s track prescience though was significant. He hadn’t been to a racetrack since before the pandemic and to my knowledge hasn’t been back since. While the social climate in NASCAR must be incredibly difficult for Wallace to navigate through, it also likely hasn’t been easy for Petty, who no doubt has lost some fans because of his support of Wallace this season. Combine all of this with the fact that the momentum felt like it was finally starting to turn for Wallace and RPM this season, at the time of this article, the team is 23rd in standings and they spent most of the 2020 summer right around the “playoff bubble”. This was a great improvement for a team that finished 28th in the standings in 2019. Darrell has added plenty of personal sponsorship in recent months; companies like DoorDash, Cash App, Columbia, have all signed on to sponsor RPM via Wallace. I can’t help but feel that Wallace is doing the wrong thing by leaving RPM at this time. I understand he has to do what is best for his career as we all do...but to leave after all that has taken place this season just leaves a bitter taste in a lot of fan’s mouths. To leave during this time feels like he lacks loyalty towards Petty and the team. They went out of the way for him during a time when it wasn’t easy to do so. Couldn’t he have stayed one more season with all the funding and see what happens? I’ve heard people say that Wallace couldn’t take that chance and that he has to snag a top ride while he can. Well, money talks in this sport, and with the kind of money Wallace is rumored to be able to bring on with his sponsors, there will always be teams willing to make room for him. How much longer does Kurt Busch drive? A year, maybe two? The Wood Brothers are seemingly in need of a new driver every few years. Options are always out there. Would a bigger team have allowed him to be such an outspoken advocate? That’s debatable. What isn’t debatable is that RPM got the short end of the stick on this. Bubba could be replacing Jimmie Johnson in the #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Other options could include Denny Hamlin’s reported investing in a Toyota team and putting Wallace in that ride. No matter what happens, Wallace’s future looks bright and it looks as though he’ll be driving for a top team next season. What about RPM, though? What’s next for the team getting left behind in all this? Allow me to speculate on a few names who could be driving for “The King” next season. Daniel Suarez: Suarez recently announced he and Gaunt Brothers Racing will part ways at the end of the season. RPM co-owner Andrew Murstein has long been committed to bringing more diversity to the sport and Suarez would certainly fit the bill. He’s struggled to be consistent at the sport’s top-level since his 2016 Xfinity Championship. He, like Wallace and Petty, is sponsored by Coca-Cola so it’s a seamless transition on that front. He’s also personally sponsored by CommScope (Formerly Arris) so Suarez could be the perfect fit at RPM. Corey Lajoie: The son of two-time Xfinity series champion Randy Lajoie, Corey announced he will be leaving Go Fas Racing at the end of the season after spending two seasons with the team. He has gotten respectable results out of the 32, including 6 top 20s this season, which featured an 8th place finish at this year’s Daytona 500. He was formerly a development driver at RPM. With their familiar history, Lajoie in the 43 could be a safe landing for both parties. Ty Dillon: With German Racing looking to sell, Dillion is looking for a ride. The former ARCA champ is talented but has never been in great equipment in the Cup series. While RPM doesn’t classify as “great” It would almost certainly be a step up for Dillion. Assuming RPM and RCR’s alliance continues next season Dillon being Richard Childress’s grandson makes the potential move a natural transition. Landon Cassill: Cassill has kind of been forgotten about this season. He ran a very limited schedule for Morgan Shepard this season in the Xfinity Series. He finished 15th in Shepard’s 89 car in the Xfinity season finale in 2019. That should tell you all you need to know regarding his talent. The issue could be sponsorship depending on what RPM is left with once Wallace officially departs. Kyle Larson: Larson is looking for a second chance from NASCAR and while there are rumors swirling that Larson could return next season in a top ride, you have to wonder if he can get major companies to sign off on him this soon. Say what you will regarding him personally but he would bring a level of raw talent not seen in the 43 since Bobby Labonte. The downside is you’d be replacing a controversial driver with a new controversial driver and no matter where you stand on Wallace or Larson it doesn’t take a genius to understand that RPM is likely looking to keep a lower profile when it comes to non-racing related topics for a while. Erik Jones: Jones has been a Toyota staple since the beginning of his career and feels like any transition to Toyota for RPM is much less likely now that Wallace will no longer be with the team. Jones also has something that is seemingly hard to come by this silly season and that is experience winning in a cup car. His two career wins, and playoff experience is a valuable addition for a team like RPM who’s looking to be more consistently competitive. The problem could be the price tag, Jones is arguably the crown jewel of this silly season and RPM may not be in a position to agree to the cost it would likely take to land Jones. Ross Chastain: The Watermelon Man and “The King” could no doubt make some cool ads together. He once was thought to be a shoo-in for a full-time cup ride in the not too distant future, but his status at Chip Ganassi Racing has been in limbo since Matt Kenseth took over the #42 Chevrolet. There are other drivers that could be considered as well. Clint Bowyer comes to mind; he’s at an odd spot at Stewart-Haas Racing, in part due to Chase Briscoe’s recent Xfinity Series success... Bowyer’s may be too costly as well. He would also likely be a stop-gap driver. He’ll turn 42 in 2021 and it’s unlikely that he’ll want to spend much of his future trying to help a team build their program and sacrifice results. He wants to win a championship. There are always Xfinity drivers looking to make the jump even when it’s not well advised, could a Brandon Jones or Justin Allgaier make the leap? Allgaier does have 77 career Cup starts, but has never been given much help at the top level. When it comes to Bubba Wallace's decision I will always feel like RPM deserved better as far as timing goes. My only hope is whoever takes over the iconic 43 next season is someone that is willing to be with the organization for the foreseeable future. There’s no doubt it’ll be a challenge and uphill battle for whomever it is, and I hope they’re willing to climb. It’s not insanity.....It’s Loganity Works Cited: Jacobs, Caleb. “Richard Petty Says He Will Fire Anyone Who Protests the National Anthem.” The Drive, 25 Sept. 2017, https://www.thedrive.com/article/14593/richard-petty-says-he-will-fire-anyone-who- protests-the-national-anthem

NASCAR expanded their sponsorship and marketing platform tenfold at the end of the 1990's due to a multi-billion dollar contract for national race syndication with Fox, NBC, and TNT. This interested nearly every fortune 500 company to be a part of sports marketing on a major level. In year 2000, historic Cup Series owner Robert Yates announced that Dale Jarrett was going to begin driving the #88 UPS Ford Taurus. It was the first time that UPS, or anybody from the logistics industry had entered the sport at this level. In addition to having a near monopoly in the relationship that freight companies had with NASCAR fans, UPS went above and beyond in pushing their 'Dale Drive The [UPS] Truck' campaign. The commercials were well received, and UPS became one of NASCAR's most recognized brands. In 2005, Dale Jarrett won his final career race at Talladega SuperSpeedway. He was driving the UPS sponsored Ford. This ended up being one of Dale's most popular victories. That same year, Joe Gibbs Racing unveiled their new #11 FedEx Team to be driven by the late Jason Leffler. After a dreadful start to the season, J.J. Yeley took over the ride temporarily, followed by rookie Denny Hamlin. It was only six weeks after Dale Jarrett's prior mentioned win at Talladega, that Hamlin would end up stealing the spotlight. Hamlin claimed the pole at the penultimate race of the season that year at Phoenix. Overnight, Denny took over as the leading driver in his sponsor's category. Dale Jarrett was no longer the number one shipping ambassador. As the season headed to an end, it was announced that 2006 would be Jarrett's final with Robert Yates and that he was moving to Michael Waltrip Racing in 2007. UPS changed the direction that they were headed and finally allowed for Jarrett to 'Drive Their Truck' in commercials moving forward. It was too late. While the great marketing heads at UPS worked diligently to have their brand noticed by race fans, FedEx and Hamlin were now leading the way. Jarrett's lack of performance on track made his car less visible in broadcasts. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin became the first rookie to win the Budweiser Shootout to start the 2006 campaign. Over the next few years, UPS would settle for a part time sponsorship at Roush Fenway Racing's #6 Ford Team, and a marketing strategy that left NASCAR almost entirely on the back burner. They did become the official shipping service of NASCAR, in the late 2000's, but their product just wasn't emphasized on track or TV like in the past. The FedEx Toyota on the other hand earned 22 Cup wins and a second place finish in the standings by 2010. They also aired creative shipping ads including the 'Dear Denny' letters commercials at that time. In 2013, Denny injured himself in an aggressive late race incident with rival Joey Logano. He crashed front-end first into the inside retaining wall. He crushed his L1 vertebra, and was sidelined for several cup events. This put FedEx and Joe Gibbs Racing in an interesting spot. How were they to handle the vacancy? Drivers Mark Martin and Brian Vickers were selected to fill in for a total of four events. They finished in the top 10 one time each. Vickers also had 2 finishes outside of the top 30. Hamlin recovered faster than they expected and has only missed one race since that accident due to an unusual eye injury. His success on track has improved and he has won 3 of the last 5 Daytona 500's, a feat only previously accomplished by Richard Petty in such a short span of time. His FedEx Camry is recognizable to any fan, and he is a threat to win as often as anyone. In regards to the Shipping War, We give this one to FedEx. Despite their late entrance into the sport, their consistent support and long-tenure with a high caliber driver such as Hamlin will continue this legacy far into the future.