NASCAR Pole Position 2019 E-Sports Edition

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WOMEN OF NASCAR I FAVORITE FINDS I DRIVER PROFILES I SEAL THE DEAL I NASCAR BUILDS NASCAR PETS I TAILGATING I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW I NASCAR ROOTS I NASCAR NEWS I TOOLS OF THE TRADE

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CONTENT 13.

NASCAR PETS

12. BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW

WELCOME TO ESPORTS

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14. NASCAR HISTORY

46. DRIVER IN ACTION

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POLE POSITION 2019

SEAL THE DEAL

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NASCAR ROOTS

28. NASCAR DEFINED 68. WOMEN OF NASCAR

78 08. GREEN FLAG 10. HOT TOPICS 16. PINTY’S SERIES 20. NASCAR HEALTH 22. FAVORITE FINDS 32. TAILGATING

34. NASCAR BUILDS 36. TOOLS OF THE TRADE 37. CREW SPOTLIGHT 70. GANDER OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES 74. 36 UNDER 30 76. TOMMY VIGH 80. PIT PASS

30. FOR THE RECORD: DONNIE ALLISON

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GREEN FLAG NASCAR and Genius Sports Join Forces

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ASCAR and Genius Sports have a new agreement through which Genius Sports will develop an official NASCAR gaming offering that will be used within legal sportsbooks. The goal of the partnership is to take an initial step toward creating a live product that helps fans bet during races and, in turn, deepens engagement around NASCAR races.

As part of the deal, Genius Sports will utilize NASCAR’s official data feed and will have exclusive access to NASCAR’s official data, which will help the sports data solutions provider create a real-time gaming platform and provide up-to-the-minute odds.

With the advanced proprietary data, betting providers like Genius Sports can provide additional wager and prop bet offerings. NASCAR envisions that these enhanced offerings will keep fans more interested in the betting product and, in turn, more engaged in their races for longer periods of time. Genius Sports becomes the exclusive provider of NASCAR data to licensed sportsbooks.

NASCAR ALSO announced a new content partnership with The Action Network as part of the sport’s continued push to educate and engage fans around legalized sports betting.

Each week, NASCAR.com will feature editorial content and analysis from The Action Network, including expert P.J. Walsh’s picks for NASCAR’s new props game, the NASCAR Props Challenge.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

Gateway Motorsports Park and World Wide Technology, a market-leading technology solution provider, announced a long-term naming rights sponsorship that renames the motorsports facility World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

The multi-faceted racing venue in Madison, Illinois, serves as home to NASCAR racing in the St. Louis region, where WWT is headquartered. WWT also becomes the official technology partner of the track and will use the venue to advance development programs for the company and its community outreach initiatives.

FOLLOWING A NATIONAL TALENT SEARCH, four young drivers have been selected as participants in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Youth Driver Development Program.

The 2019 class includes Rajah Caruth, 16, an iRacing competitor from Washington, D.C.; Lacy Kuehl, 12, a Dirt Kart racer from Sarasota, Florida; Blake Lothian, 16, a World Formula Kart driver from Wellesley, Massachusetts; and Isabella Robusto, a 14-year-old Legend Car racer from Fort Mill, South Carolina.

NASCAR and Rev Racing hosted a combine for race car drivers ages 12 to 16 with practice sessions and heat races. NASCAR Drive for Diversity and Rev Racing seek the highest quality candidates from diverse backgrounds and develop them into successful NASCAR drivers. During the summer, the youth program provides selected drivers with equipment, mentoring and competition experience.

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POLE POSITION 2019

The Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race in May marked the debut of two proposed components of the Gen-7 model race car, which is slated to debut in 2021. The first was a single-piece carbon fiber splitter/pan that offers a dramatic improvement in ride-height sensitivity for the drivers. The second component consisted of the car being configured with a radiator duct that exits through the hood as opposed to the current design that exits into the engine compartment.

JOE GIBBS RACING HAS RENEWED ITS CONTRACT with long-time sponsor Interstate Batteries in a multi-year agreement that will extend the relationship beyond 30 years.

As one of the longest-running sponsorships in professional sports, Interstate Batteries will continue to serve as the official battery of Joe Gibbs Racing and will be the primary sponsor on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series No. 18 Toyota Camry driven by Kyle Busch for six races each season.

Interstate Batteries was the founding sponsor for Joe Gibbs Racing, which was launched in 1992 by Joe Gibbs, a threetime Super Bowl-winning head coach.

Toco Warranty Corp., a new generation of vehicle service contracts with pay-as-you-go monthly plans, has joined forces with Stewart-Haas Racing and will be the primary sponsor of Clint Bowyer’s No. 14 Ford in four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races. The company is also supporting the two Tony Stewart Racing sprint cars.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS HAS launched the team’s official gaming club that will chase the eNASCAR Heat Pro League title, drafting two players to compete in the inaugural NHPL season.

Hendrick Motorsports GC fields the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro driven by Sam Morris on the Xbox One platform and the No. 25 Chevrolet Camaro driven by Nick Jobes on PlayStation 4.

The two-car team competes in the 16race eNASCAR Heat Pro League schedule.

Using the NASCAR Heat gamertag Mordog5, Morris hails from North Vernon, Indiana. The 23-year-old construction manager and baseball tournament director is currently finishing a bachelor’s degree in economics and management at Indiana University Southeast.

Jobes, 27, graduated from Monmouth University in 2013 with a degree in accounting. He’s a native of Brick, New Jersey. His NASCAR Heat gamertag is NJobes25.

AdventHealth Grows Partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing

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dventHealth, one of the nation’s largest faith-based health systems, expanded its relationship with Chip Ganassi Racing and teamed up with Kyle Larson on the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the 2019 Monster Energy Open.

This was the first time AdventHealth was featured on the No. 42 car.

Later in the season, AdventHealth will return to the track with Kurt Busch, a former NASCAR Cup Series champion, on the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the Oct. 20 playoff race at Kansas Speedway.

A partner with Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) since 2016, AdventHealth served as a primary partner on the No.1 car with Jamie McMurray behind the wheel and sponsored his entry in this year’s Clash at Daytona and the Daytona 500.

Additionally, AdventHealth helped develop a robust Human Innovation and Development Lab (HIDL) at the Chip Ganassi Racing shop in Concord, N.C., earlier this year. The HIDL features tools and technology to improve the performance of CGR’s pit crews and drivers, focusing on unique activities to help prepare the drivers and crew both mentally and physically.

With nearly 50 hospitals in almost a dozen states, there is a racetrack within a few hours of almost every AdventHealth market, including AdventHealth Shawnee Mission, AdventHealth Lenexa, AdventHealth South Overland Park and AdventHealth Ottawa in Kansas; AdventHealth Daytona Beach in Florida; and AdventHealth Gordon in Georgia.

In addition to the race team sponsorship, AdventHealth has had a relationship with the Daytona International Speedway since 2014. As the Official Healthcare Partner of Daytona International Speedway, AdventHealth cares for more than 1,000 patients each year on site. In the event of an emergency, there are 11 AdventHealth ambulances, two care centers and nine first aid stations standing ready to care for drivers and fans alike.

The AdventHealth injector – or gate entrance – at the Daytona Beach, Florida track is a 20,000-plus-square-foot oasis within a concrete jungle. The hospital system’s injector features messages of health, well-being and wholeness, as well as interactive games that naturally tie the sport of racing to health and wellness, testing race fans’ hand-eye coordination – a vital skill on the racetrack.

5 HOT TOPICS

Hot Topics As the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season moves into its pivotal summer stretch and the racing heats up, there’s a lot to talk about, digest and anticipate. Here are five topics NASCAR fans are certain to be discussing.

1

Joe Gibbs Racing vs. Team Penske: The season has mostly been a tale of two organizations – Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske – that have collectively put a proverbial whipping on the rest of the competition.

As of the season’s one-fourth mark, JGR and Team Penske had combined to win all nine Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races, with JGR collecting six victories and Team Penske picking up the remaining three.

While it’s hard to imagine JGR and Team Penske not being seriously tested before season’s end by the likes of Stewart-Haas Racing and Hendrick Motorsports, this much is crystal clear: JGR and Team Penske showed up ready to race this year.

PRESENTED BY

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The Familiar Albeit Delayed Rise of Kevin Harvick: Notably absent from Victory Lane in the first fourth of the season was Kevin Harvick, who won five of the first 12 races a year ago and quickly established himself as a driver to beat for the championship. With Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske stealing most of the headlines this season, Harvick and his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team have been nowhere near as potent as many expected.

That could certainly change, however, once the playoffs commence, considering Harvick has a history of deep playoff runs. In the five seasons since NASCAR’s premier series moved to a one-race winner-take-all championship finale, Harvick has been part of the Championship 4 on four occasions, walking away as champion in 2014, runner-up in 2015, and third in 2017 and 2018.

A Chase Elliott Renaissance Reminiscent of 2018: After a breakout season in 2018, Chase Elliott entered the new campaign widely considered a favorite to win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship. The second-generation driver and his No. 9 team did little in the season’s first fourth to indicate they are championship-ready, however.

But, in 2018, it wasn’t until the summer that Elliott really hit his stride. After going winless in the first 21 races, he ripped off three victories over an amazing 11-race stretch and ultimately made it all the way to the Round of 8 in the playoffs.

Dale Jr.’s Much-Anticipated Return to the Broadcast Booth: When NBC Sports picks up its portion of the schedule beginning at Chicagoland Speedway on June 30, TV ratings for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races are virtually guaranteed an uptick from the FOX portion of the season that began at Daytona International Speedway in mid-February and ends at Sonoma Raceway on June 23.

To find the reason for this bounce in viewership, look no further than the return of longtime fan-favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the broadcast booth.

Earnhardt, who made his debut as a full-time announcer for NASCAR on NBC last season, was widely embraced and applauded for what most considered a job well-done.

The New-Look, Highly Anticipated 2020 Schedule: Beginning next season, ISM Raceway replaces Homestead as the site of the Championship 4 race, Pocono hosts its two Monster Energy Series races on the same weekend, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway assumes Daytona’s traditional July date as Daytona’s summer race weekend moves to late August.

Other changes coming in 2020 include a night race at Martinsville Speedway, Darlington Raceway becoming the site of the first playoff race, and Bristol Motor Speedway hosting a playoff race for the first time.

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POLE POSITION 2019

BY JARED TURNER

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BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW

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TRUCKS ON DIRT

Hamlin Tours Navy Cruiser As part of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Mission 600, NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin made a pit stop at Naval Station Norfolk for an interactive tour of the USS San Jacinto. During his visit, Hamlin met with sailors and toured the 567-foot guided-missile cruiser, which fired the opening shots of Operation Desert Storm and, more recently, provided support to the Hurricane Irma relief effort. ■ “This is the ultimate display of teamwork if there ever is one,” Hamlin said. “You see everyone working in sync and they’re trained in all sorts of things in case chaos breaks loose.

It’s great to see the teamwork they put in and it’s something the race teams look at and say, ‘How can we make ourselves better?’ based on what they do here.”

BOWYER’S DIRT TEAM t’s been more than a decade since Clint Bowyer left the dirt tracks of his home state for the paved superspeedways of NASCAR, but the native of Emporia, Kansas, still has dirt in his blood. In addition to driving the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, Bowyer owns Clint Bowyer Racing, which fields a pair of Dirt Late Models driven by veteran racers Don O’Neal and Josh Richards.

“I have a lot of fun owning those cars. It means a lot to me to have cars going up and down the road, chasing the very dream that I had as a kid,” Bowyer said. “My plan is to always have a dirt car – or two – and someday I’ll be able to watch them more than I do now.”

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ELDORA SPEEDWAY, A HALF-MILE DIRT TRACK IN Rossburg, Ohio, has hosted a NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series event each summer since 2013.

The inaugural NASCAR race at the track, which is owned by three-time Monster Energy Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, marked the first time one of the sanctioning body’s national series had competed on a dirt track since Richard Petty drove to victory in the Home State 200 at State Fairgrounds Speedway in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Sept. 30, 1970.

Austin Dillon, who raced Late Models and Modifieds on dirt tracks during the formative years of his career, held off Kyle Larson to win NASCAR’s return to dirt on July 24, 2013.

The seventh annual Eldora Dirt Derby is Thursday, Aug. 1.

GASE PROMOTES ORGAN DONATION NASCAR XFINITY SEries driver Joey Gase spends a considerable amount of time working with the Donate Life America organization in an effort to raise awareness of organ donation.

Gase lost his mother, Mary Jo, to a brain aneurysm when he was only 18 years old and was faced with the decision of donating her organs.

Eventually, he learned that his decision helped save and

improve the lives of 66 people.

The now 26-year-old native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has used his platform as a NASCAR driver to meet with individuals to promote and encourage organ donation.

In recognition of his efforts, Gase received the inaugural Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award in 2015.

Visit donatelife.net to learn more about organ donation.

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ Riverside International Raceway, a nine-turn, 2.62-mile serpentine road course in Riverside, California, hosted 48 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races between June 1, 1958, and June 12, 1988.

Eddie Gray, a West Coast champion, drove a 1957 Ford to victory in the track’s inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race, while Rusty Wallace topped the finale with his second consecutive Riverside triumph.

Known as the West Coast home for NASCAR racing, Riverside International Raceway opened the Cup Series season each year between 1970 and 1981. It was also home to the season finale between 1982 and 1986.

The track was eventually claimed by urban sprawl as housing developments and a shopping mall replaced what many considered to be America’s premier road-course layout.

BY KEITH WALTZ | PHOTOGRAPHY: CMS/JONATHAN COLEMAN

NASCAR PETS Natalie Decker’s Beagle Buddies

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ASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series newcomer Natalie Decker is thankful for the opportunity this year to compete at a lot of race tracks for the first time. But when she’s at the track, she’s equally happy to have some familiar companions by her side.

Those companions are an aging cat, appropriately named NASCAR, and two dogs – a black-and-brown beagle named Hoosier (after the tire), and a white beagle named Camber (after the tilt of a race car wheel).

Although the pets’ permanent residence isn’t Decker’s Charlotte, North Carolina, apartment but rather her parents’ larger and more pet-friendly estate in Eagle River, Wisconsin, Decker adores these animals as if they were her own.

“They’re so special, and my mom is such a dog person,” Decker said. “I think one of her dreams is to have a beagle farm and have just a bunch of beagles

everywhere. My mom loves traveling with them, and it’s great because she and my dad will bring them to all the races and I get to see them every weekend. I swear they know how I do – if it’s a bad weekend or a good weekend – from the way they greet me when I come back into the motorhome after the race.”

Decker’s parents also have a 14-yearold black lab named Bear and a 12-yearold Italian greyhound named Merlin.

They don’t travel to the track, but Decker likewise delights in seeing them whenever she gets a chance.

“I always had a beagle growing up, and when I was really young, we had a Doberman Pinscher,” Decker noted. “So, there was always more than one dog in the house.”

Now, as a 21-year-old NASCAR driver, Decker is as passionate about animals as ever. And, she holds an extra special place in her heart for the two beagles she can

PRESENTED BY

always count on to make race weekends just a little more care-free.

“They’re kind of stress-relievers, and they’re so fun to play with, and they always make me happy,” she said. “They’re so cute.

I mean, they’re beagles, so they bark a lot and they’re hairy, and I hate dog hair, so I have to have that little (hair) roller with me everywhere … but I love them so much.”

BY JARED TURNER

NASCAR HISTORY NASCAR LEGEND

88

Buddy Baker

Buddy Baker entered his first NASCAR Cup Series race, a 200-lap short-track event, on April 24, 1959, at South Carolina’s Columbia Speedway and observers immediately recognized his ability to challenge the veterans.

BIRTHDATE ■■ January 25, 1941 BIRTHPLACE ■■ Florence, South Carolina NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS ■■ 1980 Daytona 500 Winner ■■ 4-Time Winner at Talladega ■■ Holds Daytona 500 Speed Record

Born in Florence, South Carolina, on Jan. 25, 1941, Wylie “Buddy” Baker knew from an early age he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, NASCAR champion Buck Baker. His 6-foot-5 frame and good nature caused many in the sport to refer to the second-generation racer as the “Gentle Giant” of NASCAR Cup Series racing.

In high school, Baker participated in various sports but racing was his passion. He made his driving debut in 1958 at the age of 17. Baker eventually used tire testing as a way to hone his craft, and he knew the only way to win was to be out front, no matter how early he made his move.

It was no surprise that Baker’s first NASCAR Cup Series victory came in the National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 15, 1967, as only two of his 19 victories were posted on short tracks.

During his time behind the wheel, Baker was the king of speed, winning at the fastest tracks on the schedule, most notably Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. He was a four-time winner at Talladega and visited Victory Lane at Daytona twice. Baker is still the all-time lap leader at Talladega with 1,099.

In 35 years of racing, Baker started 688 NASCAR Cup Series races, winning 19. He recorded 198 top-five finishes, 299 top-10 results and 40 poles.

His biggest victory came in the 1980 Daytona 500 when he established a race speed record that still stands.

I NEVER LOST MY JOB WHILE I WAS LEADING A RACE. MY PURPOSE IN LIFE WAS TO RUN 100 PERCENT. MAYBE IT COST ME SOME RACES, BUT NO ONE HIRED ME TO RIDE.

FAST

AGGRESSIVE

COMMITTED RESPECTED

D E D I C AT E D DETERMINED GENTLE

BEST SEASON WHILE DRIVING FOR team owner Bud Moore in 1975, Baker entered 23 of 30 NASCAR Cup Series races and went to Victory Lane on four occasions. He won at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Ontario Motor Speedway and twice at Talladega Superspeedway. He logged 12 top-five finishes, but fell out of 10 events.

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POLE POSITION 2019

RECORD SETTER BAKER’S AVERAGE start of 11.5 and average finish of 15.6 did not accurately describe his aggressive style. From 1958 through three starts in 1992, he completed close to 152,000 laps and led 9,744. He holds the record for the fastest Daytona 500, averaging 177.602 mph in his 1980 victory.

THE NO. 88 CAR

KNOWN FOR OF ALL OF NASCAR’S Cup Series stars, Baker was best known for standing on the gas in every race he entered.

Many times his engines could not stand the strain, but his dominance on the superspeedways made him a fan favorite. His victories came in Dodges, Fords and Oldsmobiles.

BY BEN WHITE | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

RACE REWIND

Newcomer Dale Earnhardt Surprises During 1980, Dale Earnhardt showed tremendous talent by becoming NASCAR’s Cup Series champion in only his second full season. The native of Kannapolis, North Carolina, won five races on short tracks and superspeedways.

SEASON RECAP After earning NASCAR’s rookie-of-the-year award in 1979, second-generation driver Dale Earnhardt enjoyed one of his best seasons the following year. His No. 2 Rod Osterlund-owned entries were being tuned by veteran crew chief Jake Elder and running strong. Earnhardt and Elder were contenders at every event that season and they went to Victory Lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Cale Yarborough, driving for legendary car owner Junior Johnson, had won consecutive championships in 1976, ’77 and ’78 and he wanted a fourth title on his résumé. It was Earnhardt, however, who prevailed, leading the point standings throughout the 29-race season other than being second following the season-opening Daytona 500.

Yarborough logged six victories with 22 top-10 results, but crashes and engine issues in four of the 31 events kept him behind Earnhardt throughout the year with no real opportunities to close the gap. From the beginning of the season, Earnhardt faced criticism from other drivers for racing too aggressively.

Many of the top stars of the era had discussions with him about toning down his often rough style of driving. Still, he won races and held his own, especially when the win was in sight.

Earnhardt capped his first of seven NASCAR Cup Series titles by finishing fifth in the season finale at California’s Ontario Motor Speedway. His consistent 19 top-five finishes and 24 top-10 results were enough to keep Yarborough’s effort’s solidly at bay.

1980 BEST DRIVER CALE YARBOROUGH, SWITCHING between an Oldsmobile and a Chevrolet owned by Junior Johnson, put together a strong season under the direction of crew chief Tim Brewer. The No. 11 team was either running up front or dealing with mechanical issues. Yarborough won six times and was in the title hunt for most of the season, but too many DNFs, including a cylinder-head issue at Richmond Raceway in the fall, ended his hopes of a fourth championship.

PRESIDENT: JIMMY CARTER

DATE LOCATION January 13 Riverside International Raceway February 17 Daytona International Speedway February 24 Richmond Raceway March 9 Rockingham Speedway March 16 Atlanta Motor Speedway March 30 Bristol Motor Speedway April 13 Darlington Raceway April 20 North Wilkesboro Speedway April 27 Martinsville Speedway May 4 Talladega Superspeedway May 10 Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway May 18 Dover International Speedway May 25 Charlotte Motor Speedway June 1 Texas World Speedway June 8 Riverside International Raceway June 15 Michigan International Speedway July 4 Daytona International Speedway July 12 Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway July 27 Pocono Raceway August 3 Talladega Superspeedway August 17 Michigan International Speedway August 23 Bristol Motor Speedway September 1 Darlington Raceway September 7 Richmond Raceway September 14 Dover International Speedway September 21 North Wilkesboro Speedway September 28 Martinsville Speedway October 5 Charlotte Motor Speedway October 19 Rockingham Speedway November 2 Atlanta Motor Speedway November 15 Ontario Motor Speedway

WINNER Darrell Waltrip Buddy Baker Darrell Waltrip Cale Yarborough Dale Earnhardt Dale Earnhardt David Pearson Richard Petty Darrell Waltrip Buddy Baker Richard Petty Bobby Allison Benny Parsons Cale Yarbrough Darrell Waltrip Benny Parsons Bobby Allison Dale Earnhardt Neil Bonnett Neil Bonnett Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough Terry Labonte Bobby Allison Darrell Waltrip Bobby Allison Dale Earnhardt Dale Earnhardt Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough Benny Parsons

NO. 1 BOX OFFICE: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

NO. 1 SONG: “CALL ME,” BY BLONDIE

GALLON OF GAS: $1.19

POP CULTURE: CABLE NEWS NETWORK BEGINS BROADCASTING ON JUNE 1

BEST RACE ON APRIL 13, DAVID PEARSON joined forces with team owner Hoss Ellington and won the Rebel 500 at Darlington Raceway, a track where he enjoyed so much success while driving for Wood Brothers Racing. The native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, led 99 of 367 laps on the tricky 1.366-mile oval as he held off Benny Parsons in the M.C. Anderson Racing Chevrolet by 3.3 seconds to seal his 10th-career victory at the track.

TOP CARS SWITCHING BETWEEN an Oldsmobile and a Chevrolet, Cale Yarborough won six races for team owner and former driver Junior Johnson.

DALE EARNHARDT wheeled the No. 2 entries owned by Rod Osterlund to five victories, 19 top-five finishes and 24 top-10 results.

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

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PINTY’S SERIES PRESENTED BY

ROXOR’S CUSTOMER SERVICE

Q&A with Driver/Owner Jocelyn Fecteau

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ocelyn Fecteau graduated to the NASCAR Pinty’s Series in 2014 after competing in the Canadian Touring Car Championship. He is the driver and owner of the No. 77 Dodge Challenger fielded by JF77 Racing, and two of Fecteau’s topthree finishes have come in the popular event at Circuit de Trois-Rivieres.

NASCAR Pole Position recently connected with Fecteau for a Q&A about his career and sponsorship opportunities.

When did you get a sense that this was something you’d want to do professionally?

There are two answers to that question. When you’re very young in Canada, you typically dream of becoming a hockey player. I wanted to be a race car driver. My old man told me that very few people make a living out of it, but he pushed me to make it happen. I ended up going to school and working for a car manufacturer. Once I was out of school, I joined the pro series, but I was a late-comer.

I guess I made the right choice going to school and getting a safe career. Right now, I can enjoy both of them. Would I want to do more racing? Yes, but it’s a challenge getting more seat time and sponsor money. Money is always the key. By having Mahindra ROXOR supporting me, it draws a line to help me fulfill my dream.

What do you do for your other job?

My dad worked at a car dealership all his life; and I studied at the Canadian Automotive Marketing Business School. I went to a program in Ontario

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POLE POSITION 2019

and studied business management and automotive marketing. I spent 16 years with Toyota Canada. I’m no longer with them, but I’m with a company – OEM – that manufactures parts. We’re dealing with John Deere, Caterpillar – those types of businesses. This time of year, it’s difficult to juggle a professional career and professional racing.

How did the partnership with Mahindra ROXOR come about?

For me to be a representative for the company, I need to believe in it. It’s good to get money, but if I don’t believe in the product, I’ll say no to sponsors. It’s a hard thing to do, but if it’s not reaching your personal conviction, you should not be representing those people. ROXOR is the type of product I like – a multi-functional vehicle that can go off-road.

JOCELYN FECTEAU IS quick to note ROXOR provides the highest level of customer service of any of his former sponsors.

“Everywhere I go across North America, I see ROXOR there,” Fecteau said.

“It could be an agriculture show, and I’ll go to their booth and see what people are saying. That gives me an ability to better represent the product in the market.”

Fecteau rarely hears a complaint about the product.

“I haven’t really heard anything negative,” he said.

Fecteau has been impressed by ROXOR’s open line of communication with him since the company became his sponsor.

“It’s a big company, but they’re very efficient,” Fecteau said. “They give good service. I call them, and they call right back.”

AN ORIGINAL OFF-ROAD VEHICLE WITH MODERN INNOVATIONS

Mahindra has been building vehicles for over 70 years. In fact, 600,000 vehicles every year.

We know tractors, automobiles, airplanes, motorcycles and more. A more than $20 billion company supports the ROXOR brand.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN | PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPH : SCOOB PHOTOGRAPHIE

MY GREATEST DAY Two Memorable Daytona Victories Every NASCAR driver has one special victory that stands out when they think back on their careers. Here’s a look at two of those memorable events.

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n Feb. 18, 1990, Derrike Cope, driving the No. 10 Whitcomb Racing Chevrolet, pulled off a surprise Daytona 500 victory when he beat Dale Earnhardt.

“Certainly, it was my biggest victory, for sure,” Cope said. “It was a day that changed my life. That day was truly special for me as well as my father because winning the 500 was the goal we set 10 years prior to that. To see it come to fruition in the manner in which it did was very special.”

A native of Spanaway, Washington, Cope led only five of the race’s 200 laps but was in position to inherit the lead when it counted most.

“We knew we had a great car so we tried to take care of it throughout the race,” Cope recalled. “We had old tires but I

managed to be up front in position to win. Dale Earnhardt was leading and we both ran over a piece of bell housing in Turn 3.

His tire went flat, but mine didn’t and we went on to victory.

“Terry Labonte and Bill Elliott tried me collectively down the backstretch four of five laps earlier, but they didn’t have anything for me. I knew it was going to be between me and Dale.

I made a run on Dale and I was a little loose in the corner. When I was on the back straightaway in the final lap, I knew I was going to go to the bottom. Luckily, I could hold it and he got the flat and turned to the right. When I drove by him, I said, ‘Don’t lift and we have this thing.’ It was total elation.”

On Feb. 17, 2008, Ryan Newman, wheeling a Dodge for Team Penske, led only eight of 200 laps but was in position to hold off teammate Kurt Busch over the final 2.5 miles to win NASCAR’s most prestigious event.

“Winning the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis is at the top, but I still think winning the Daytona 500 is the most special for me,” Newman said. “When I look back at my career someday, Daytona would be it. It was the 50th running of the Daytona 500 and Team Penske enjoyed a one-two finish, so that was really special for the organization. It had been 80 races since I won in 2005, so that was another reason why it meant so much to me.

I hope winning that Daytona 500 will be what helps to defend my career.”

Newman knew he had the race won if the tires on his medium blue Dodge would hold.

With so many cars battling for position at the end, all Newman could do was stay on the gas and hold his track position until he crossed under the checkered flag.

“I actually knew going into Turn 3 I had the race won if I didn’t have a flat tire,” Newman said. “I knew because of the run we were having, the way the draft was and how my teammate Kurt Busch pushed me down the back straightway.

I knew no one would be able to catch me. You don’t think about it when you cross the finish line because it’s so intense, but days, weeks and months later you realize how special it really was.”

POLE POSITION 2019

BY BEN WHITE | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

NASCAR HEALTH MSG: Making Racing Safer

PRESENTED BY

Motorsports Safety Group is a collaboration of innovators in the sport who are determined to improve the safety of racing. MSG shares tips for race car drivers to help avoid injuries during races and practice sessions.

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cknowledged as one of the country’s leading neurosurgeons, Dr. Jason Cormier has helped MSG provide a comprehensive, grassroots marketing campaign focused on preventative health care education and wellness training.

For Cormier’s most recent side project, he co-authored an autobiography – with the help of acclaimed author Clifton Lambreth.

The book, “Challenges: The Inspiring Story of Dr. Jason Cormier,” shares the brain surgeon’s journey of overcoming significant obstacles to achieve extraordinary things.

“I had no intention of doing a book,” Cormier said. “I’m a private person, and the last thing I wanted to do was wallow in the embarrassment of some of the challenges I’ve faced in my life.

People were pushing me to share my life experiences because there are many others currently suffering through some of the same things. My hope is that people might draw from this reservoir of experiences so as to foster more positive solutions in confronting the difficult challenges in their lives.”

Cormier, along with three siblings, was raised by a single mother who also served as a high school and college educator. His father was absent throughout his childhood, and money was tight for the Cormier family in Lafayette, Louisiana.

“My dad was absent and not the best role model,” Cormier said. “He battled with alcoholism, and that was something we had to deal with in a single-parent home. Not having the monetary means of what other kids in the neighborhood had, we’d eat certain meals and have to make it last for two or three days.”

Cormier eventually graduated from high school, played college basketball at LSU and then played pro basketball before returning to school and receiving a medical degree. He has since worked his way to the top of the profession in neurosurgery.

“All through life’s trials and tribulations, my close friends and family have always been my biggest

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TM

THE MAN BEHIND THE BOOK

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supporters,” Cormier said. “I was an average guy who was able to do some extraordinary things because of that support.”

Cormier avoided people who brought negative influences to his life and leaned on the values his mother instilled to stay on the straight and narrow path.

“It’s a tribute to what my mother did and what she solidified in her kids’ minds,” Cormier said.

“With my mother being an educator, the kids in my family studied for longer periods of time. When I got to college, science came easy to me.”

Cormier said the experience of writing about his past unearthed some feelings that he’d compartmentalized for years.

“You don’t really know how your parents’ divorce resonates deep inside you,” Cormier said. “In self-reflection, I don’t think I ever dealt with that correctly. I recall a lot of yelling and screaming in front of us, in addition to physical abuse. That became somewhat of the norm. I kept it hidden and tucked away. I have come to realize that this really wasn’t my fault. Hopefully this helps with issues that others currently deal with – like relationships and friendships. This is what I’ve come through.

Things could always be so much worse.”

r. Jason Cormier teaches both medical students and residents many innovative neurosurgical techniques, including endoscopic pituitary and image-guided surgery, and minimally invasive complex spinal surgery.

Cormier was named one of “America’s Top Surgeons” in the field of neurosurgery by the Consumers Research Council of America, Guide to America’s top surgeons, and he is currently listed as one of the leading physicians in the world for neurosurgery.

Cormier is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery.

His busy practice involves performing complex brain and spinal operations on patients from around the country that seek out his surgical acumen.

Cormier crafted his strategic partnership with the ARCA Menard Series’ safety initiative program to form a “Motorsports Healthcare Education Plan” medical car.

Utilizing the strength and demographic reach of NASCAR and ARCA, their mission is to provide a comprehensive, grassroots marketing campaign focused on preventative health care education and wellness training.

Sign up for more news and updates on “Challenges: The Inspiring Story of Dr. Jason Cormier” at thechallengesbook.com.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

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POLE POSITION 2019

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Because of her passion, our family creates deodorants, crystal deodorants, soaps, hair care, baby care and lip balms which do not contain toxins or gluten, are cruelty-free and non-GMO. We also believe in giving back, so for every purchase, one-percent goes to help support breast cancer prevention.

To find a retailer near you, or to purchase online, go to lafes.com. Enjoy 20-percent off your first order using code “NASCAR20” at checkout.

BUBBA burger® is sold in grocery stores throughout the United States as well as worldwide through the U.S. Military Commissary system. BUBBA burger® is a natural choice for quality and convenience, using only the highest quality meat to produce our uniquely shaped, gluten-free BUBBA burgers®. You can take them right from your freezer to your grill or skillet and BUBBA burgers® come in many varieties to fit any taste. Race to your favorite local grocer’s freezer today and grab a box of BUBBA burgers® so that you are sure to have a winning race weekend! bubbafoods.com

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You can use Original Anti Monkey Butt to protect yourself from a multitude of skin irritations like blistering feet or between skin folds for almost any activity from cycling to truck driving or attending an event on a hot and sticky day! Original Anti Monkey Butt (for men) is a rare breed because it contains calamine. We’re not monkeying around when we say it works to reduce sweat, chafing, and aids in healing. You can also find talc-free Lady Anti Monkey Butt to reduce skin friction and Baby Anti Monkey Butt to prevent and treat diaper rash. You can buy the entire lineup online at Amazon or visit your local Walmart store and other fine retailers.

ROXOR OFF-ROAD Want to know how the Motor City Madman enjoys the outdoors? Build your ROXOR just like his. The Ted Nugent ROXOR edition starts with a camo body wrap, HD Bumper with a Warn Winch and D-ring mounts, a hardtop, windshield, four Kolpin Rhino grips, a 40-inch KC Light Bar, spare tire kit and grab handles. As always, the core is the same, exactly like Uncle Ted: steel body, steel boxed frame, legendary simplicity. Respect the environment and get off-road. Nine-hundred numbered Ted Nugent ROXORs are available while supplies last at all authorized ROXOR dealers across North America. You can find more information at roxoroffroad.com.

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Whether you’re a world-class athlete or a weekend warrior, you can trust Tiger Balm for proven, pill-free pain relief. It’s the world’s No. 1 selling pain-relieving ointment, made from a blend of herbal ingredients, based upon annual sales of ointment sold worldwide. Visit tigerbalm.com or facebook.com/TigerBalmUS for your nearest retailer.

FOLEX® is perfect for removing stains from upholstery, vinyl, clothing and practically any other material that is “colorfast” and “color-stable.” Even hard surfaces, painted surfaces, walls and woodwork that can be safely dampened with water will be quickly and easily cleaned with FOLEX®!

Please visit folex.net for a list of retailers in your area and other useful information!

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World’s fastest clean up for spills! Coir-Dry is 100-percent coconut fiber and absorbs on contact, nine times more efficiently than conventional products.

Coir-Dry is quick and easy to use: Identify and isolate the spill to restrict further spreading. Apply absorbent to the perimeter of the spill to form a bond and stop spill migration. Continue to apply absorbent, working to the center until the spill is completely covered and no liquid is visible. Sweep with a stiff broom, working dry material over spill area to remove all surface liquid.

Coir-Dry All-Purpose Spill Absorbent can be used on all types of spills: fuels (petrol, diesel, AV gas), mineral and vegetable lubricants, cutting fluids, cooking oils, solvents, water-based chemicals, pesticides and herbicides, mild corrosives (acids and caustics), liquid organic waste, petroleum-based products, and oil and water-based paint. coirproducts.com

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Live Silver Strong with Armor Gel Wound Care! A multi-tasker that gives you and your family a layer of protection the natural way with our patented nano silver technology. And because it contains only natural ingredients, it’s safe for the whole family and won’t sting or stain.

Find Armor Gel at Rite Aid and other grocery or drug stores across the United States. Visit silverbiotics.com to find a retailer near you or to purchase online. Order online and enter code “NASCAR19” at checkout for free shipping and $1 OFF any Armor Gel product.

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

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SEAL THE DEAL TONY STEWART ON A MISSION

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n Nov. 7, 2011, Tony Stewart, driving the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet, scored a victory at Texas Motor Speedway en route to claiming his third Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship.

The Columbus, Indiana, resident sealed the deal in the AAA Texas 500 by leading 173 of the race’s 334 laps. He held off championship challenger Carl Edwards, driving the No. 99 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, after taking the lead for the final time when Jeff Burton’s Chevrolet ran out of gas with five laps remaining.

It was Stewart’s second victory in as many weeks as he also won at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway Edwards entered the race eight points ahead of Stewart in the championship standings but left only two points to the good. As Stewart crossed under the checkered flag 1.092 seconds ahead of Edwards, he recorded the fastest Cup Series race speed ever at the Fort Worth track.

“We’re set on it, man. This is just the way it’s going to be,” Stewart said in Victory Lane, according to an Associated Press article covering the event.

“I don’t think we have to say anything (else). I think our performance today speaks for itself.”

Stewart won the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway and tied Edwards in points. Stewart’s five wins to Edwards’ single victory served as the championship tiebreaker.

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POLE POSITION 2019

PRESENTED BY

CARL EDWARDS A SIMPLE BUMP AND RUN On April 24, 2016, Carl Edwards, driving the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, led seven times for 151 of 400 laps and won the Toyota Owners 400 at Virginia’s Richmond Raceway. It was Edwards’ 27th of 28 career victories in NASCAR’s premier series.

Edwards, who survived eight caution periods for 49 laps, found himself trailing teammate Kyle Busch with 35 laps remaining. With each pass of the start-finish line, Edwards inched closer to Busch’s rear bumper until making his move for the lead on the final lap.

As the two drivers reached the fourth turn, Edwards bumped Busch’s Toyota and made the winning move with the checkered flag in sight.

“Really, to be honest, the last, what, 30 laps or something, I was just head-down driving as hard as I possibly could,” Edwards said. “The first opportunity to get that close to him was the last lap and really the last corner.”

When asked if he had any reservations about being aggressive against his teammate, Edwards said, “We’re here to win the race. You can either finish first or second. It’s a tough decision. Really, it’s about just going out for trophies and having fun. We still finished first and second. Nobody got wrecked.

If the roles were reversed, I’d expect him to bump me the same way. That’s hard racing.”

BY BEN WHITE | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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WHO I AM The Historical Roots of David Lee Ragan’s Name Born in 1985 on the day before Christmas, David Lee Ragan gained his name from a pair of prominent sources. His first name is from a story of perseverance that offers a great deal of hope in troubled times, but David wasn’t his mother’s first choice.

“David is a prominent figure in the Bible with the story of David and Goliath. So that’s where it came from,” Ragan said. “Originally, it wasn’t supposed to be that way. My mom (Beverly) wanted to name me Robert. But a friend of the family that was born a week or two before me was named Robert, so she decided to go to the second option, which was David.”

A native of Unadilla, Georgia, Ragan’s middle name has a strong family tie to a hero from World War II who gave his life in service to his country.

“My middle name, which is Lee, is actually after my mom’s uncle who died in World War II. His name was Walter Lee Bryant. She wanted to keep the name Lee from her side of the family in our family,” Ragan said. “He was my grandmother’s brother and my mom’s uncle. He was engaged to a nice lady who is still living. His fiancée’s name is Mary Dibeler and she is from Middletown, Pennsylvania. They were engaged when he went to war, and he never came home.”

Bryant flew in a Consolidated B-24 Liberator, an American heavy bomber that entered service in 1941. It was considered a highly modern aircraft for its day and first saw combat operations with the Royal Air Force. With the American entry into World War II on Dec. 7, 1941, there was an increase in production of the B-24. By the end of the conflict in 1945, over 18,500 B-24s had been built, making it the most-produced heavy bomber in history.

It was used in all theaters by the U.S. military and the Liberator routinely served alongside the more rugged Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.

In 1944, while flying a difficult combat mission over Germany, Bryant and his squadmates found themselves bravely fighting off a barrage of enemy gunfire.

Sadly, their B-24 was shot down, killing everyone on board.

“He was missing in action and there is a headstone for him in Germany. He was a gunner in the front of the airplane,” Ragan said. “My mom has stayed in touch with his fiancée and she is a huge race fan. My mom always had a personal connection to that story. Walter Lee was born right here in Unadilla, Georgia.”

The memory of Walter Lee Bryant lives on in Unadilla among family and friends as one of the town’s most respected citizens.

DAVID RAGAN, DRIVER OF THE NO. 38 FORD MUSTANG FOR FRONT ROW Motorsports, has been a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver since 2006. He has two Cup Series victories, winning at Daytona International Speedway in 2011 for Roush Fenway Racing and at Talladega Superspeedway in 2013 for FRM. Ragan’s father, Ken, raced in the NASCAR Cup Series from 1983 to 1993.

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POLE POSITION 2019

BY BEN WHITE | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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NASCAR DEFINED

PRESENTED BY

Behind the Scenes in 2019

FROM TOP-TO-BOTTOM:

■■ Natalie Decker during qualifying for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Digital Ally 250.

■■ Bubba Wallace and Daniel Hemric share a laugh during practice for the Gander RV 400.

■■ A patriotic race fan during the Digital Ally 400 at Kansas Speedway.

■■ Chase Elliott getting ready to practice for the Digital Ally 400.

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POLE POSITION 2019

■■ Alex Bowman and the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet team pit during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Digital Ally 400 at Kansas Speedway.

■■ Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Aric Almirola and Kevin Harvick (right) walk down pit road during qualifying for the Digital Ally 400, while Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski chat in the background (left).

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

“Victory Never Tasted So Good!”

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FOR THE RECORD

Q&A with NASCAR Legend Donnie Allison

D

uring a NASCAR career that spanned from 1965 through 1988, Donnie Allison amassed 10 victories in 242 starts with 78 top-five finishes, 115 top-10 results and 18 pole positions. The native of Miami, Florida, also qualified for the Indianapolis 500 in 1970 and 1971, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively. He is known within NASCAR circles as one of the toughest, most determined drivers of the 1970s, and he’s also one of the most beloved and respected drivers in the sport’s history.

At what age did you know you wanted to drive race cars? I was probably 18. I wasn’t interested in racing. I did other things. My older brother, Eddie, worked on cars. He worked on a car in South Florida that won a lot of races. Racing really wasn’t my thing. I was into roller skating and did that a lot with my friends when I was young. Eddie and other brother, Bobby, got me involved. Once I drove one, I said, “This is what I’m going to do.”

Where and when did you see your very first race? That was at Hialeah Speedway in Hialeah, Florida, in 1958. I was in the pits at first but saw the races that night from the grandstand.

What did it feel like to cross under a checkered flag in the early days of your racing career? Before I won my first Modified race, I went a year without winning one. I was second and third and second and third week after week. I led right up to the end but couldn’t win one. I was very dejected. I just thought I couldn’t win a race. We had engine trouble and my team owner had the engine out working on it. He couldn’t finish it, so I rebuilt it. That was at Hollywood (Florida) Speedway and we put the engine in and I won my first feature that night. That was in 1960.

Why were you so good in open-wheel Indy cars? I raced Super Modifieds early in my career and really enjoyed them. They were a lot like Indy cars so that gave me a great feel for the open-wheel cars. I honestly enjoyed racing in the Indianapolis 500. I just had a good feel for Indianapolis Motor Speedway and those types of cars.

All children want to be something special when they grow up. What was it for you when you were young? I really wanted to be a horse jockey.

When I was small, I rode horses a lot and that’s what I had my mind set on doing.

Away from racing, what was your first job and how much money did you make? I guess that would be cutting grass for people in my neighborhood in Miami. My younger brother, Tommy, and I split the money because he helped me. We had one of those push mowers that didn’t have a motor. Maybe it was a

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POLE POSITION 2019

$1.50 per yard we cut. But we felt like we were rich.

We were so small; he got on one side and I was on the other. That thing was hard to push.

If you were in a position where you had to cook, which dish would you chose? I’m good with bacon and eggs, and I’m really good with grilled cheese sandwiches. I honestly can cook about anything. But if it’s just for me, I wouldn’t cook a big meal.

Do you have a hobby that interests you outside of racing? I got into golf about 1969 or 1970.

I got into it full bore like I do everything. I was very aggravated with it at first because I couldn’t play like I wanted to, but I worked really hard at it. I finally got to where I was a pretty accomplished golfer.

You enjoy a great deal of fame from your success in NASCAR. Who would you say is the most famous person you’ve met? I have met six presidents of the United States. They are Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. I’ve also been to the White House several times.

Who is your favorite actor? I’d say Clint Eastwood. He was an original, and a good actor.

Are you a casual dresser or do you like to wear suits and ties? Oh, no! I am definitely a blue jeans and golf shirt kind of guy. I’m not into suits and ties unless I have to wear them for special events.

Why do you like to fish? How did that start?

That came about when I was very young. I lived in South Florida so it was ideal. My uncle, Jake Allison, my dad’s only brother, was left handed and small like me. so he was my favorite and I think I was his favorite. He taught me to fish early on. I got a fly rod when I was probably in the fourth grade and it was one of those metal telescopic ones. I got a garage can lid, put water in it in the backyard and practiced. I still like to fish. The biggest bass I’ve ever caught was nine pounds. I caught it on a fly rod.

What was one of your favorite trips? My wife, Pat, and I went to New Zealand with (NASCAR driver) Neil Bonnet and his wife, Susan, for two weeks to race in 1983 and had a great time.

Can you sing? Sing? (Laughter) Are you serious?

I’ll say I can carry a tune in a bucket, but I can’t sing.

If you found $100 on the beach, what would you do with it? I would probably fold it up and put it in a drawer with some other money I have stashed back there. I’m pretty good at doing that.

BY BEN WHITE | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

TAILGATING

PRESENTED BY

Mayor of the Infield

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NASCAR fan for two decades, Chicago-area resident Steve Catey is a fixture of the tailgating scene at Chicagoland Speedway – host to one annual Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series weekend each summer.

Catey, 52, isn’t just another tailgater in a sea of pickup trucks and campsites, however. Among the tailgating tenants of Chicagoland, he’s dubbed “the mayor of the infield.”

“The name came from Dawn Martin, who works for Chicagoland Speedway,” Catey explained. “Every time she drove around the infield, she would end up at our site, and I would know what was going on around the infield or someone at our party would say something about our site being a fun place to go. I’m sure it helped that our site is right in the middle of the infield.”

While Catey and his group are known for great hospitality, they also hold their

tailgating traditions near and dear.

Attempt to change how they do things, and it might not turn out so well.

Just ask the cast and crew of “The Real World,” a former MTV reality series, about the time they made an unannounced visit to the tailgating party of Catey and cohorts during Chicagoland’s 2014 NASCAR weekend.

“It was crazy with all the cameras and crew, but we managed to have a great time,” Catey said. “They were around for about an hour, until one of the girls from the cast decided she could play the music she wanted. She learned very quickly that you don’t touch the stereo, especially when my friend Trudi is in charge. Needless to say, the girls in the cast wanted to leave after their interaction with Trudi, so once they wanted to leave, the guys had to go with them, and MTV’s party was over. We said goodbye and kept the party going all night.”

MUST-HAVE GEAR

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n Labor Day weekend at Darlington Raceway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will return to the track for a cameo NASCAR Xfinity Series start. His car will carry his familiar No. 8 (from his earliest NASCAR premier series seasons) and will feature a special throwback Hellman’s Mayonnaise paint scheme resembling the iconic yellow-and-blue Wrangler cars his legendary father, the late Dale Earnhardt, made famous. Tailgaters purchasing the Dale Earnhardt Jr. WinCraft Hellman’s flag at the NASCAR.com “NASCARSHOP” will have a great throwback item to proudly display not just at Darlington, but at the races before and after. The one-sided, 3-foot-by-5-foot flag is priced at $44.99.

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POLE POSITION 2019

Q&A WITH STEVE WHO’S YOUR FAVORITE DRIVER? Tony Stewart. He was a rookie when I started watching NASCAR regularly, and I knew him from Indy cars.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A FAN? Since 1999 WHERE WAS YOUR FIRST TAILGATE? Chicagoland Speedway in 2006 AT WHAT TRACKS HAVE YOU TAILGATED? Chicagoland Speedway (12 times) and Las Vegas Motor Speedway (once, in 2010) WHO DO YOU TAILGATE WITH? Mark (cousin), Scott (friend), Bill (friend), Sam (cousin), Steve B. (friend), Trudi (friend), Kari (girlfriend), Jen (cousin) and Katie (friend) WHAT MAKES A GOOD TAILGATE? Good food, fun people and music WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE TAILGATING FOODS AND BEVERAGES? Wings, brats and beer WHAT ARE YOUR ESSENTIALS? Canopies, coolers, a grill, a stereo and flags of all kinds WHAT’S YOUR FUNNIEST STORY? My friend, Scott, went surfing behind a pickup truck on the roads around the infield, because it rained so much that the roads were flooded.

TAILGATING

RECIPES

A

ny successful NASCAR tailgate requires preparation. One of the ways for tailgaters to be prepared is to have a few good, reliable recipes on which they can lean. Of course, it’s always best to plan at least a few days in advance so the recipes – and the food – are ready go and no one gets hungry.

Steve Catey’s favorite tailgating treat is cheddar brats cooked in mustard sauce, with bacon. Here are the recipe and instructions for creating this delicious dish, in Catey’s own written words: CHEDDAR BRATS (Base quantity on the size of your group) ■■ Mustard sauce: yellow, brown and honey. Mix one bottle of each type of mustard together in a Ziploc bag. I usually get 10-12 ounce-size bottles of each type.

■■ Cook the brats on the grill until they start to crack and split open. Remove them and let them cool. Cook bacon to the crispness you enjoy.

■■ Put brats in a Ziploc mustard bag and let it sit overnight to let the mustard get inside the brats.

■■ The next day, when ready to make, dump the entire bag with brats and mustard into an aluminum pan and warm them on the grill. In another pan, warm the bacon. Once they are both warm, serve on a bun and enjoy with a cold beer.

I usually put two packages – for a total of 10 brats – in one bag of mustard, mixed in a Ziploc bag. I will pre-make however many brats will be needed for tailgating, ahead of time, so I just have to warm them on the grill and serve.

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NASCAR BUILDS

Rear-End Gears a Driving Force

S

ince the early 1960s, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series machines have been built with a standard chassis design that’s driven by the rear wheels. Even though many of today’s passenger cars utilize front-wheel-drive technology, NASCAR race cars continue to be based on the traditional rear-wheel-drive format. As part of the design, teams in each of NASCAR’s top three series use rear-end housings and rear-end gears that are relatively basic in design.

Jerry Kelley, car chief for Team Penske and driver Brad Keselowski, referred to NASCAR history to explain what drives the rear wheels of today’s Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota cars.

“The rear housing that we use in these cars is based off of the Ford nine-inch rear end, which was used in Ford vehicles, such as Mustangs and pickup trucks, for years” Kelley said.

“The reason everyone used it then and now is because the housing is light but still robust.

“Then you take off the 18 nuts that hold the rear-end gear cover and you pull out the center section, or what we call the pumpkin, because of the general shape and ribs on the outside of it. We take one out and put one in very quickly. There weren’t any other rearend housings from Chevrolet, Dodge or other cars that they were running. They ran the Ford nine-inch rear end and kept working on it and perfecting it, and that’s what we have now.”

The rear-end gears have a unique shape for a precision fit, as well as durability during 500mile races. They must work flawlessly through millions of revelations under stressful conditions.

“The nine-inch consists of a ring gear, which is shaped by a ring, and a pinion gear that’s shaped like a wedge,” Kelley explained. “The ring gear was originally nine inches.

The driveshaft comes back from the engine and hooks to the front of the pinion gear that’s shaped like a wedge. It spins and rotates the ring gear, which drives the wheels.

“The gear ratios are based on the number of teeth on the ring gear versus the number of teeth on the pinion gear. A lot of which gears to use came from trial and error over the years, starting in the 1960s and 1970s, and through testing, of course.”

Rear-end gears do go bad and bind, causing teeth to break off. When that happens, the problem is felt immediately by the driver as the car begins to lose power. Repairs can be made if the damage isn’t too extensive.

“If one of those gears goes bad, the driver knows it right away,” Kelley said. “You start to lose power and you have a really bad smell from the hot rear-end oil. If you specifically have a gear go bad, you can change one in the garage during the race … in about 12 minutes.”

NASCAR teams are constantly working to ensure parts fit perfectly on their cars, and rear-end gears are some of the most important.

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POLE POSITION 2019

PRESENTED BY

FORD’S STOCK CAR FACTORY FROM 1957 UNTIL 1973, AN EARLY powerhouse organization operated in NASCAR that closely resembled the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams of today.

Ford Motor Co. relied on the expertise of business magnate John Holman and former winning driver Ralph Moody to oversee the manufacturer’s NASCAR program. Their business, known to racers as Holman Moody, was based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

By the early 1960s, $5,000 could buy a turn-key Ford Galaxy or Ford Fairlane that was ready for competition in NASCAR’s premier series.

As part of that car-building process, the nine-inch Ford rear end was introduced to stock car racing.

The original concept is still used today, but the design and durability have been greatly enhanced through the years.

Holman Moody was the first to build a full chassis designed specifically for racing that included enhanced safety features. The organization entered its cars in NASCAR Cup Series competition, winning 96 series races with several superstar drivers and claiming series championships with David Pearson in 1968 and 1969.

BY BEN WHITE

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POLE POSITION 2019

Honda’s Super Quiet Series generators – the EU1000i, EU2000i, EU3000is, EU3000i Handi and EU7000is – are inverter-equipped, lightweight models that feature extremely quiet performance.

Designed for the ultimate in quality, portability and convenience, these models are ideal for tailgating, camping or any trip to the great outdoors. Honda is proud to support several teams such as Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, StewartHaas Racing, Kyle Busch Motorsports and Rev Racing with EU series generator products that provide smooth, reliable power for their racing needs.

When every inch of space in your rig matters, the Original Tailgater Tire Table is a must have for when you need an extra surface for your cold drinks or hot pans off the grill. It attaches to any of your vehicle’s tires, including the spare, and comes fully assembled with all pieces secured. Weighing 12 lbs., it is easily maneuvered and can be tucked away and stored flat for your next adventure without wasting valuable space.

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CREW SPOTLIGHT TONY RAINES WORKING IN PLAIN SIGHT

CLINT LEATHERWOOD MANAGES TIRES FOR KESELOWSKI

IT’S GOOD WHEN YOU KEEP YOUR DRIVER OUT OF TROUBLE. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT, YOU FEEL BAD BECAUSE YOU WISH YOU COULD PREVENT IT WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS. ALL THE GREAT DRIVERS ARE AWARE OF WHAT’S GOING ON AROUND THEM. WE ARE JUST A SECOND OPINION.”

Tony Raines, spotter for StewartHaas Racing and driver Daniel Suarez, saw his first NASCAR race on Feb. 18, 1979, a day many longtime race fans will never forget.

“Actually, I was living up near Chicago,” Raines said. “We got snowed in like everyone else during the big blizzard that year. That was the weekend PLAYING of the 1979 Daytona 500 when Cale Yarborough and Bobby and Donnie FAVORITES Allison got into the big fight.”

WITH TONY Raines points to a Midget race at VACATION Indiana’s Anderson Speedway when ■■ Marco Island, he was 10 for sparking his interest in Florida a motorsports career. Seeing drivers HOLIDAY Parnelli Jones and A.J. Foyt race that ■■ The last race of day got him hooked. the season After working through the ranks, the SEASON native of La Porte, Indiana, made his way into NASCAR’s three top-tier series ■■ Fall during the late 1990s and has 518 TV SHOW starts to his credit.

■■ The Goldbergs This year, his role is to serve as an MOVIE extra set of eyes for Suarez as well as ■■ Jeramiah Johnson any of the other SHR drivers if needed.

MUSIC “Spotting works well for me,” Raines ■■ Alternative said. “A lot of guys spotted for me and country when I drove. I’m in the core of racing but not in the high pressure and drama of driving. I’m involved but without the amount of workload you have when you drive. I enjoy being involved and enjoy helping other drivers. You try to help with information concerning things they can’t see.”

BY BEN WHITE

WE HAVE GUYS WHO HAVE BEEN AT TEAM PENSKE FOR 20 OR 25 YEARS AND ARE STILL GOING AT IT. IT’S SUCH AS GREAT ORGANIZATION TO WORK FOR. ONCE YOU’RE THERE, YOU STAY IF YOU DO YOUR JOB. THEY TAKE CARE OF YOU.”

Clint Leatherwood, tire specialist for Team Penske and driver Brad Keselowski, enjoyed a family ritual each Sunday while growing up in Rockmart, Georgia.

“We watched NASCAR on TV with my mom and dad from the time I was very small,” Leatherwood said. “I saw PLAYING my first race at Atlanta Motor SpeedFAVORITES way, which is about two hours from WITH CLINT where I grew up. That was in 1996 at age 6 or 7.”

VACATION Leatherwood got the bug to race at ■■ Charleston, age 9, wheeling go-karts until he was South Carolina 18. From there, he moved to North HOLIDAY Carolina and worked on Late Models.

■■ Christmas He aspired to drive on a local level, SEASON but instead applied for positions with ■■ Spring several NASCAR teams before joining TV SHOW Team Penske in 2015.

■■ The Punisher After being hired as a tire technician for Penske’s NASCAR Xfinity Series MOVIE operation, a crew member from their ■■ John Wick No. 22 NASCAR Cup Series team was MUSIC injured, Leatherwood spent a half ■■ Christian season working for both teams under contemporary the Penske umbrella.

His current job is to keep the tires on Keselowski’s No. 2 Ford performing flawlessly. He also helps with car maintenance.

“We get our tires and then we go through and set the tech pressures for the weekend,” Leatherwood said. “We start measuring and check the wear on the tires and make marks on the tires before they are worn. Then we put them in sets and set air pressures and monitor them.”

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

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WELCOME TO

ESPORTS eNASCAR is one of the most unique competitive-gaming series, even within the cutting-edge space of esports. Unlike traditional esports, there is a very real possibility that a player can transition from game to real life.

By Josh Mull PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

BY MELISSA ST. CLAIR

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POLE POSITION 2019

The Wild Journey of NASCAR Gamer Joey Stone

A

“Madden” champion will never throw a ball on an NFL field, a “Counter-Strike” champion will not graduate into the special forces, and an “Overwatch” champion will certainly never be a magical space wizard. But could eNASCAR drivers transition from simulator to a real car? Now we’re in the realm of possibility.

However, the fundamental DNA of an esport still flows through the veins of this racing series – gamers. With the tremendous support and fanfare behind eNASCAR from 704 Games, not to mention the NASCAR race teams, the story of the gamers – the heart of the scene – can be easy to forget.

Enter Joey Stone. Known as Sloppy Joe to his fans, he’s on a mission to be the NASCAR Gamer for the booming online community.

HISTORY LESSON Who’s going to win today?

“Jeff Gordon,” a young Stone shouted at the top of his lungs.

It was 2001, the spring race in Atlanta Motor Speedway.

“Dad started me as a Gordon fan. This was the first race I ever attended. I still have old camcorder tapes of our family at the track. The racing was incredible that day,” Stone noted.

While Gordon finished second, it turned out to be one of the most profound and important second-place finishes in NASCAR history. A young rookie, Kevin Harvick, took first place in one of the closest margins on record, just 0.006 seconds ahead of Gordon.

Harvick was driving the No. 29 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, formerly Dale Earnhardt’s No. 3, only a month after the loss of the legendary driver. The sight of tens of thousands of fans holding up three fingers remains one of the most enduring images in the sport’s history.

“It’s my earliest NASCAR memory,” Stone said.

The impact of that moment on Stone, the sight of all those fans waving their fingers, lifted up by their passion, left a lasting impression.

PERSONAL PHOTOS: STONE FAMILY

PRESS START “I knew I wanted a NASCAR channel,” Stone said.

A decade later, Stone was busy combining his latest love, “NASCAR 2011” on PS3, with a powerful new tool for gamers, YouTube.

“It’s a big platform for creativity,” explained Stone, who was only 15 at the time. “I was just floating ideas. I would customize paint schemes; I got a few hundred views, I won some contests.

People started seeing my stuff.”

If you’ve ever wondered why your favorite athletes are making a lot of gifs and #Content on social media lately, this is the playbook: They learned it from gamers.

In the highly competitive world of online gaming communities, it’s not enough to be good at the game – you must participate, you must contribute. Out of this fertile creativity blooms the fascinating ecosystem of online gaming media that exists today on YouTube, Twitch and social media. Some make guides, others make costumes, and still others create art, homebrew modifications and more.

And it’s within this primordial soup of gameplay, memes and streaming video that Stone the competitive gamer transforms into “Sloppy Joe,” the gaming content creator.

If gamers want something, they make it themselves. First, a YouTube channel, then…

LEVELING UP “I wanted my own racing league,” Stone said.

When you think about esports, you probably picture what you see every day in contemporary media: sold-out stadiums, flashing laser-light shows and fans waving signs with jokes so inside they’re practically a foreign language. But that’s not where it starts.

“I just went on the lobbies, and started recruiting people,” Stone said. “We got about 12 or 14 guys.”

No, really, that’s it. That’s the story and if you dive deep enough into any successful esport’s history, chances are you’ll find exactly the same thing. A group of friends who love to play competitively decide to take things to the next level – to raise the stakes, to improve and to organize.

“We were pretty good for a league back then,” Stone noted. “We ran all 36 Cup races every weekend. They made me better.”

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

39

NASCAR ESPORTS The league started getting attention.

“We put our league videos on YouTube, the viewers started to catch on,” he said.

“We’ve all been racing together since 2012.”

But even that level of competition wasn’t enough for him.

“I wanted to challenge myself among the other leagues. I got invites from some other competitive groups and leagues in the scene,” Stone added.

The scene had grown from Joey’s league to a constellation of leagues and competitors, and it was starting to show signs of real growing pains, from both players and the video game itself.

“Esports was just getting going in 2014, 2015,” Stone said. “It just wasn’t there yet. The developers were mostly focused on making the game. When 704 Games picked up the license, the scene started getting better and better.

“Maybe 704 will make it into something even greater.”

They did.

LEGENDARY STRATEGY In the fall of 2018, “NASCAR Heat 3” was released to fan acclaim. Featuring an expanded single-player campaign and the addition of an entirely new dirt-track series, this installment marked a major milestone for the franchise. For competitive players, though, the milestone was even greater.

Shortly after the release, 704 Games introduced the eNASCAR Heat Pro League.

In partnership with NASCAR and the Race Team Alliance, the league would

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POLE POSITION 2019

feature 16 race teams and 32 drivers. The teams would be owned and operated by real-world NASCAR race teams, like Joe Gibbs Racing, JR Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing.

“When I was in those other leagues,” Stone said, “I won a few races and I won the championship in one of them. But it really helped me branch out. It gave me the personal feeling that I can really race with the best of the best.”

When the draft was announced for the new pro league, Stone was all in.

“A light bulb went on in my head,” he said. “I’m already a YouTube creator, so I already understand the importance of building an audience. This is where I can show people who I am as a driver, and who I am as a person. I want to be the total package for a team.

“I had my channel going and I had my fan base supporting me in whatever I did.

I wanted to go for my dream.”

What does a gamer do when they want to get attention? They make content.

“I was training days and nights with no sleep, tweaking setups,” Stone recalled.

“I told myself I have to get out there and prove what I can do. I started posting about my races.”

And the attention came quickly.

“I was racing Xfinity cars at Richmond and I was in the No. 60 Sunny D car. I posted a video of me racing, qualifying I think,” Stone

said. “Well, the sponsor Sunny D saw it, and retweeted it with Sunny D Racing.”

The tweet blew up.

“Roush Fenway liked it, Sunny D sent a care package, I got a hat signed by Ricky Stenhouse,” Stone said, still in amazement.

He kept pushing forward. “This is where I have to capitalize. I have to be that guy.

I started posting more videos, bought Sunny D and put it all over my house.”

The attention grew.

“I was posting videos, trailers and skits.

NASCAR drivers liked it, teams reached out to me,” Stone said. “They said we like what you’re doing, keep it up, this is what the pro league needs.

“They also said what you’re doing is great, but don’t stop. Keep finding ways to revolutionize, to innovate.

“I made a final thank you video before the draft, put some clips in of me racing and talking about the journey,” he continued.

But Stone’s journey was far from over and the night before the draft was unbearable.

PORTRAITS: MELISSA ST. CLAIR

“I couldn’t sleep,” he said. “I was just thinking what if it doesn’t happen? What if I don’t get drafted? This is probably the hardest I’ve ever worked for something in my life.”

FINAL ROUND Stone watched the draft at home with his family and close friends.

“My nerves were really going,” he said.

“My hands were shaking.”

PlayStation 4, Stone’s racing platform of choice, was up first. Who would pick him, if anyone? Would it be Roush Fenway, owners of that viral Sunny D car, or would it be Hendrick Motorsports, home of his boyhood favorite, Jeff Gordon?

“I saw RCR, and I just had a really good feeling,” he said. “I think this is where I need to be.”

They called his name: Joey Stone. He was officially drafted into the eNASCAR Heat Pro League by Richard Childress Racing.

“I jumped up and thanked God, started fist-pumping and screaming,” he said with a laugh. “It was absolutely incredible!”

The strategy had paid off. Stone had successfully ported over to NASCAR the strategy that so many gamers had used before him to grow their own communities. Make content, build an audience and develop relationships. It was everything he had been doing since he started his first channel.

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

Influencer, content creator, pro player: These are all great titles to put on a résumé, but it wasn’t the end of Stone’s mission.

THE NASCAR GAMER Remember earlier when Stone said, “I want to be the NASCAR Gamer”?

Like everything else Stone wants, it’s a bold statement, but it’s also a commitment, and one he doesn’t take lightly.

He’s moved on from YouTube and set up shop on Twitch. Home to household names like Ninja and Dr. Disrespect, Twitch is a high-end video streaming service that specifically caters to esports content creators like Stone. It’s also where you’ll find the eNASCAR broadcasts.

“I researched a lot of streamers to find the best approach,” Stone said, “How do I make this the best content for my fans?”

He broadcasts live “NASCAR Heat 3” gameplay several nights a week, and has an ongoing series where he battles popular NASCAR YouTube creators like Eric Estepp and Rusty Walrus.

But what he’s best known for is his positive and constructive interactions with his fans. He isn’t racing to show off, he’s actively trying to help his fans get better, and become more involved in the scene.

“When I was in high school, I was in the drum line,” Stone said. “The upperclassmen would pick on me. They’d say you’re playing wrong, you’re bad, but they wouldn’t teach me.

“People don’t encourage you to be on their level,” he continued. “I don’t want to be that guy. I don’t want to be the guy who laughs at someone trying to be like me, trying to get as fast as I am.”

The attitude pays off. Fans regularly pepper him with questions, and he answers them all with warmth and encouragement.

“I can name you four guys right now, they used to run 24th place in a 40-man lobby,” Stone said. “Now I see them in the top 10 in my lobby.”

Fans will often exchange tips and tricks amongst themselves in the chat, and even other pro racers will appear in chat to coordinate. After every stream, Stone goes back through the chat room logs and reads every comment he might have missed.

“I like to look back and see what I made,” he noted. “I want the people who watch me to learn from me. I want them to beat me, so I can applaud them and say, ‘Look at you go, man. You did it.’”

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

41

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NASCAR National Series

Driver Profiles As the NASCAR season moves into the hot summer stretch, it seems like a good time to cool off and get to know several drivers a bit better. Learn more about Jeb Burton, Christopher Bell, Aric Almirola, Ryan Blaney and Ryan Sieg.

BY JARED TURNER | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

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DRIVER PROFILES

PRE S E N T E D BY

ON THE MOVE

Kurt Busch

U

pon announcing this year’s move to Chip Ganassi Racing, Kurt Busch made no attempt to hide the possibility that 2019 could be his final season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Busch has a one-year contract with the Chip Ganassi-owned organization and will be 41 years old when the checkered flag waves on the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. Moreover, this is the 2004 premier series champ’s 20th season in NASCAR’s top division, so a going-out party almost feels in order. Then again, maybe not.

When Busch hinted that he could be ready to hang up his driving helmet at season’s end, he also added one very important caveat that could be easily forgotten or overlooked.

“Anytime you get an opportunity like this … you don’t know what is around the next corner as far as motivation and challenges,” he said.

With that one statement, Busch left the door open to a possible return in 2020, or even beyond. Of course, that decision will no doubt be influenced by his own assessment of his team’s performance.

After posting seven top-10 finishes – including three top-five results – in his first 10 races as driver of the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, Busch made it clear what he thinks about his early months with his new team led by veteran crew chief Matt McCall.

“I’m pleased with it,” said Busch, who joined the Ganassi group after five years at Stewart-Haas Racing, where he never endured a winless campaign. “It’s been a good start with us teaming up with Ganassi and everybody that was on the No. 1 car. [Based on] the results they had from years prior, I would say that we jumped into another category. And we also know we can go and grab another category, and

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POLE POSITION 2019

INFO

1

OWNER CHIP GANASSI

that is to get those top-five finishes.”

TEAM Sitting eighth in the standings and CHIP GANASSI RACING seemingly well on his way to a playoff SPONSOR MONSTER ENERGY berth just past the one-fourth mark of the season, Busch definitely did see MANUFACTURER CHEVROLET room for improvement – particularly in CREW CHIEF relation to this year’s top-performing MATT MCCALL teams. Hands-down, this season’s standout organizations have been Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske, which collectively captured the first nine races of the campaign. It wasn’t until the 10th race – at notoriously unpredictable Talladega Superspeedway – that another organization (Hendrick Motorsports, with driver Chase Elliott) finally broke through.

While Busch hasn’t been on the level of the JGR and Team Penske drivers, he has performed much better overall than his ultra-talented Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Kyle Larson, who at press time had recorded no top-five finishes and only two top-10s in the first 10 races.

“Right now, the Penske guys are really strong,” Busch said.

“The Gibbs guys are really strong. And SHR (Stewart-Haas Racing) might be off just a little bit. … When you’re trying to battle for top-five spots and Penske and Gibbs have them on lockdown, that’s where we know we need to work at our own pace, find our own speed, and make both the Ganassi cars better.

“And, we’ll find it. We’ll find our spots to run really well, and we’ll find some weak areas that we still need to fix. But, I’m pleasantly surprised and happy with the way the season started.”

DRIVER PROFILES

PRE S E N T E D BY

N O I T C A N I

Y S K T C C A I F 20 BOUT R ER V I DR

e s u o h . n r e J t S A

■■ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is a two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, having captured the title in NASCAR’s No. 2 division in 2011 and 2012.

■■ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. dated now-former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Danica Patrick for several years. The couple broke off their relationship near the end of 2017.

■■ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. comes from a dirt-racing background. He won numerous sprint car races and gained the attention of the likes of Tony Stewart, who gave him an opportunity to drive Sprint Cars and Midgets for Tony Stewart Racing.

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POLE POSITION 2019

■■ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has spent his entire NASCAR career competing for NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner Jack Roush.

■■ At the age of 6, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. began racing go-karts. By age 15, he had earned 47 A-main karting victories and more than 90 podium finishes.

■■ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. competed as a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rookie in 2013, earning rookie-of-the-year honors.

■■ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 29, 2011.

It was the only Cup Series race he entered that season, and he finished an impressive 11th.

■■ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has made one appearance in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, finishing a career-best 13th in the standings in 2017.

■■ Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s hobbies outside of racing include golf, playing basketball and working out.

■■ Born in the music hub of Memphis, Tennessee, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is an avid fan of country music.

■■ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is a native of Olive Branch, Mississippi, which boasts a population of fewer than 40,000 people.

■■ Before moving to NASCAR’s upper levels, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ran the entire ARCA Menards Series schedule in 2008. He scored two wins in 21 starts.

■■ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is an avid Twitter user, boasting more than 230,000 followers.

■■ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is a fan of Ole Miss University’s athletic teams. He is particularly fond of the school’s football program and occasionally attends games.

■■ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut with a slate of seven races in 2009.

POLE POSITION MAG.COM

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DRIVER PROFILES

PRE S E N T E D BY

■■ During his rookie NASCAR Xfinity Series season of 2010, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was benched by team owner Jack Roush for tearing up too many race cars. During his time away, Stenhouse missed three races.

■■ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. earned his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway on May 7, 2017, after starting from the pole.

■■ Rick Stenhouse Jr. co-owns Stenhouse Jr./ Marshall Racing, which fields the No. 17 entry, driven by Sheldon Haudenschild in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.

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Chase Elliott 1

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History-Making Xfinity Series Career.

Chase Elliott’s first major foray into NASCAR’s big leagues came in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he drove full seasons in both 2014 and 2015.

Competing for JR Motorsports, Elliott won the 2014 Xfinity Series championship and as an INFO 18-year-old rookie became the youngest driver to OWNER RICK HENDRICK claim a NASCAR national series crown. As a secondyear Xfinity Series driver, Elliott came up just short TEAM HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS of the title, finishing second in the standings.

SPONSORS Over his two full seasons in the Xfinity Series, NAPA, MOUNTAIN DEW, Elliott recorded four wins, three of them coming in KELLEY BLUE BOOK, HOOTERS his championship campaign.

Two Daytona 500 Poles. One of the rarest MANUFACTURER CHEVROLET and most prestigious feats any NASCAR driver CREW CHIEF can accomplish is winning consecutive poles for the ALAN GUSTAFSON Daytona 500. Elliott did just that in 2016 and 2017, becoming only the fifth driver in history to claim the top starting spot for NASCAR’s biggest race in consecutive years.

In capturing the Daytona 500 pole for the second year in a row, Elliott joined Fireball Roberts, Buddy Baker, Ken Schrader and his father, Bill, as a winner of consecutive poles for The Great American Race. Elliott’s first Daytona 500 pole came during his rookie season.

First Career Monster Energy Series Victory. In his third full season and 99th start in NASCAR’s premier series, Chase Elliott pulled into a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Victory Lane for the first time. The triumph, while significant for simply being Elliott’s first in the sport’s top division, was also notable for the fact that it came at Watkins Glen International, a superchallenging, twisty 2.45-mile road course.

Elliott, who led 52 of 90 laps that day, does not come from a road-racing background, but no one would have known it by the way he navigated The Glen.

Appointment to Hendrick Motorsports. Many aspiring NASCAR drivers dream of getting the opportunity to compete for Hendrick Motorsports – winners of a record 12 NASCAR premier series championships and more than 250 races at NASCAR’s premier level.

Elliott was fortunate enough to be granted that opportunity when legendary team owner Rick Hendrick hired him ahead of the 2016 season. Elliott is now under contract with Hendrick Motorsports through the 2022 campaign.

“It means the world to me to be a part of this organization,” Elliott said.

“I wouldn’t want to drive for anybody else but Hendrick Motorsports.”

Most Popular Driver Award. When 15-time NASCAR most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired from driving at the end of the 2017 season, it opened the door for someone else to be voted NASCAR’s most popular driver in 2018. That driver was Elliott, whose selection was based on a fan vote and sponsored by the National Motorsports Press Association.

Elliott’s father, Bill, won the award a record 16 times.

“You quit (driving) a year before you broke dad’s record, so that’s pretty cool,” Chase playfully told Earnhardt Jr. upon accepting the award. “I’m pretty happy about that.”

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Kyle Busch 1

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More than 200 National Series Wins. With his victory earlier this season at Auto Club Speedway, Kyle Busch joined Richard Petty as the only drivers to INFO earn 200 NASCAR national series wins.

OWNER While all of Petty’s victories came in the sport’s JOE GIBBS premier division now known as the Monster Energy TEAM NASCAR Cup Series, Busch’s now 200-plus victories JOE GIBBS RACING have been divvied up among the Monster Energy SPONSORS Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR M&M’S, SKITTLES, INTERSTATE BATTERIES Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

Nevertheless, reaching the No. 200 mark for naMANUFACTURER TOYOTA tional series wins was a major achievement that most CREW CHIEF pundits would agree is Busch’s greatest achievement.

ADAM STEVENS The All-Time Xfinity Series Wins Record.

Busch has enjoyed great success over the past decade-and-a-half in all three of NASCAR’s national series, but he’s been virtually unstoppable in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he is the all-time wins leader.

As of press time, Busch owned 95 victories – nearly double the 49 Xfinity Series wins belonging to NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, the second-place driver on the series’ all-time win list. Busch won an Xfinity Series title in 2009 when NASCAR rules allowed drivers to compete for the championship in multiple series in the same year.

The 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship. Busch began 2015 in the worst way possible, suffering major foot and leg injuries in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway. As a result, Busch missed the first 11 races of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season and looked to perhaps be out of the running for the championship.

But after being granted a medical waiver by NASCAR that allowed him to compete for the championship despite missing multiple events, Busch raced his way into playoff contention, and then took the championship with a victory in the season-ending race.

Back-to-Back Brickyard 400s. After 10 failed attempts to win the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Busch finally broke through for himself – and Toyota – with a victory at the fabled race track in July 2015. Then, the following year, Busch took his Indy mastery to a whole new level, winning the pole and leading an incredible 149 of 170 laps en route to a second Brickyard victory in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. With the win, Busch became the only NASCAR driver besides Jimmie Johnson to score back-to-back triumphs at the Brickyard.

Impact Beyond the Track. While Busch has accomplished much on the race track, one of his greatest achievements is a non-racing-related program that he and his wife, Samantha, started in the wake of their own struggles to become pregnant.

The Kyle & Samantha Busch Bundle of Joy Fund is a monetary award for in-need families dealing with infertility. These funds assist with the costs associated with infertility treatment through the REACH Clinic of Charlotte.

Through the efforts of Kyle and Samantha Busch, many couples have been able to fulfill their dreams of becoming parents.

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Two Daytona 500 Victories. Making his fifth start in The Great American Race, Jimmie Johnson faced a steep hurdle in the 2006 Daytona 500 by the absence of INFO suspended crew chief Chad Knaus.

OWNER With Hendrick Motorsports engineer Darian RICK HENDRICK Grubb stepping in to call the shots atop the TEAM No. 48 pit box, Johnson drove a nearly flawless HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS race and took the lead for good with 17 laps to SPONSOR ALLY FINANCIAL go. The race ended under caution, with Johnson celebrating in front of some 200,000 fans.

MANUFACTURER CHEVROLET Seven years later, Johnson scored a second CREW CHIEF Daytona 500 victory – with Knaus in the house.

KEVIN MEENDERING Record-Tying Seven Championships. In 1979 when Richard Petty won his seventh and final NASCAR premier series championship, many people believed no other driver would ever match that lofty mark set by “The King.” Then, Dale Earnhardt – just a rookie in Petty’s final championship season – came along and won seven championships over the next 15 years to tie Petty as the sport’s all-time leader in titles. Now, thanks to Johnson’s amazing seven championships over a span of only 11 seasons, there’s a three-way tie for most premier series championships. Johnson couldn’t be part of a more elite club.

Record-Setting Five Consecutive Championships. Until 2008, only one driver in NASCAR history – Cale Yarborough – had won three consecutive championships at NASCAR’s premier level. Yarborough, who secured his titles in 1976, 1977 and 1978, was joined in this rarefied air when Johnson captured his third consecutive championship.

Then, Johnson blew Yarborough’s record, and his own record, away by recording championships in 2009 and 2010. While they say records are meant to be broken, history suggests it will be virtually impossible for anyone to ever match, much less surpass, Johnson’s mark of five championships in succession.

The All-Time Wins Mark at Dover. For all the success Johnson has enjoyed at NASCAR’s highest level, no track has been kinder to him than Dover International Speedway – a 1-mile concrete oval where Johnson swept both races as a NASCAR premier series rookie in 2002 and has gone on to prevail a record 11 times.

Augmenting Johnson’s double-digit number of victories at The Monster Mile is the fact that the Hendrick Motorsports driver has finished in the top five an incredible 50 percent of the time and finished in the top 10 a whopping 70 percent of the time.

Tying Jeff Gordon’s Record for NASCAR Wins at Indy. Since NASCAR first visited Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994, only two drivers have scored four victories at the venerable 2.5-mile track. The first to do it was Jeff Gordon, who grew up in nearby Pittsboro, Indiana, and won NASCAR’s inaugural event at the worldfamous facility.

Next to do it was Johnson, Gordon’s now-former Hendrick Motorsports teammate, who amassed an astounding four Brickyard 400 trophies over a span of just seven years that began in 2006 and culminated in 2012. Will Johnson become the first five-time NASCAR winner at Indy?

DRIVER PROFILES

PRE S E N T E D BY

5 GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Martin Truex Jr. 1

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2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship. Despite off-track INFO track adversity that included the death of a team OWNER member, periodic cancer treatments for girlfriend JOE GIBBS Sherry Pollex, and team owner Barney Visser TEAM suffering a heart attack late in the year, Martin JOE GIBBS RACING Truex Jr. enjoyed the season of a lifetime in 2017.

SPONSORS Led by crew chief Cole Pearn, Truex and his BASS PRO SHOPS, AUTO-OWNERS INSURANCE Denver, Colorado-based Furniture Row Racing team rang up a series-high eight victories on the MANUFACTURER TOYOTA way to solidifying the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup CREW CHIEF Series championship with a drama-filled drive to COLE PEARN victory in the season-ending winner-take-all race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Three Championship 4 Appearances In Four Years. Making it into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs and through three playoff rounds all the way into the Championship 4 is a monumental task for even the best drivers and teams. Doing it three out of four seasons is even more difficult, but that’s what Truex Jr. and Pearn managed to accomplish during their time together at Furniture Row Racing. After first reaching the Championship 4 in 2015, Truex returned in both 2017 and 2018. His ultimate championship finish in those three seasons was fourth, first and second, respectively.

Back-to-Back NASCAR Xfinity Series Championships. First discovered by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2002, Truex Jr. landed a part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series ride for 2003 with Chance2 Motorsports – a since-disbanded team that was co-owned by Earnhardt and Earnhardt’s stepmother, Teresa.

Going full time with Chance2 in 2004 and 2005, Truex captured back-to-back NSCAR Xfinity Series championships while winning six races in each season. Truex’s Xfinity Series success propelled him into a full-time premier series ride for 2006 with Dale Earnhardt Inc. (which later became Earnhardt Ganassi Racing), where he competed through 2009 and won his first premier series race.

Catwalk for a Cause. One of Truex Jr.’s most impactful accomplishments is Catwalk for a Cause, an annual event recently held for the 10th time to support cancer initiatives at Atrium Health and Novant Health in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The event also drives awareness, boosts advocacy and generates financial support for underfunded cancer research initiatives specific to ovarian and childhood cancers. The Catwalk, which honors those fighting cancer, is organized by the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation and is a favorite of the NASCAR community. The Catwalk raised $600,000 in 2018, up from $7,000 in its first year.

Two IROC Victories. Invited to participate in the elite International Race of Champions series after winning each of his two NASCAR Xfinity Series championships, Truex Jr. took full advantage of the opportunity to showcase his skills against some of the world’s greatest drivers, who competed in equally prepared IROC cars that raced four times a year.

Over just eight IROC starts, Truex earned two victories, beating the likes of Mark Martin, Helio Castroneves, Steve Kinser, Scott Pruett, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart and Scott Sharp. Both of Truex’s IROC wins came at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

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Aric Almirola

A

fter years of competition, Aric Almirola got the big career break he had long been seeking when he received a multi-year offer to join Stewart-Haas Racing, beginning with the 2018 season.

Almirola certainly didn’t disappoint in his first year with the organization co-owned by Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, as he made the playoffs for the second time, won the fall Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, and advanced all the way to the Round of 8 in the playoffs.

He ultimately finished fifth in the standings – by far a career-best.

On the heels of a stellar first season at SHR, the 35-year-old Tampa, Florida, native hasn’t missed a beat this season. Following a crash-inflicted 32nd-place finish in the Daytona 500, Almirola posted six consecutive top-10 finishes to jump all the way to fifth in the standings. A second consecutive berth in the playoffs certainly seems likely for the driver who prior to joining SHR had never finished better than 16th in the standings and had earned just one victory in six mostly full seasons at NASCAR’s top level.

“I feel like we can compete to win races on any given weekend,” Almirola said. “We showed last year in our first year together that we came oh so close to making it to the Championship 4, and we finished fifth in the points, so I would certainly say that quantifies for being in the elite group of teams and drivers.”

FAVORITE THING JIM CARREY MOVIES: “I’m a really big Jim Carrey fan,” Almirola said. “I love silly slapstick humor, so I’ve always been a fan of that since I was a little kid.”

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OWNERS TONY STEWART AND GENE HAAS

TEAM STEWART-HAAS RACING SPONSOR SMITHFIELD FOODS

MANUFACTURER FORD CREW CHIEF JOHNNY KLAUSMEIER

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR AS A HISPANIC DRIVER OF Cuban descent, Almirola has a personal interest in wanting to see NASCAR further expand its already significant international reach – which, most notably, includes the NASCAR Peak Mexico Series and the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, which competes in Canada.

“I think it’s important,” Almirola said.

“I think that’s what every sport wants is more people, more eyes on your sport and to grow the demographic; and I think NASCAR is no different.”

DRIVER PROFILES

PRE S E N T E D BY

Ryan Blaney

I Make life simple get a

SPORTS

n his first full season with Team Penske, Ryan Blaney earned his second career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory in arguably the season’s most exciting finish. Running third with the checkered flag in sight during the inaugural series race on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s ROVAL, Blaney grabbed the top spot and the victory when frontrunners Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. tangled in the final two corners.

Blaney went on to finish 10th in the standings a season after making the playoffs, earning his first career premier series win, and finishing ninth in the standings with Wood Brothers Racing.

The third-generation racer and son of former NASCAR premier series driver Dave Blaney struggled early in year No. 2 with Team Penske, finishing 22nd or worse in the season’s first three races. But four top-five finishes over the next five weeks allowed Blaney to leap from a low point of 15th in the standings all the way up to sixth.

“I feel like our cars have had speed enough to win all year,” Blaney said.

“Some races haven’t gone our way where I felt like we had the best cars to win the race and just dumb luck happened and not being able to seal it out. And some races, we faded toward the end and didn’t make the right adjustments. Our speed is there; it is just a matter of fine-tuning to figure out what we need to do at the end.”

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FAVORITE THING TWEETS: Want a good laugh? Check out Blaney’s Twitter page. It’s full of photos and lighthearted sarcasm that are bound to give even the biggest cynic a chuckle.

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INFO

OWNER ROGER PENSKE TEAM TEAM PENSKE

SPONSORS MENARDS, PPG, MONEYLION

MANUFACTURER FORD CREW CHIEF JEREMY BULLINS

GIVING BACK FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLE OF many of his peers, Blaney recently launched his own foundation. The Ryan Blaney Family Foundation will focus on raising awareness and generating research funding for Alzheimer’s disease.

Blaney’s grandfather, Lou Blaney – a Hall of Fame dirt-track racing legend – died from Alzheimer’s in 2009.

“The Alzheimer’s Association people have been really great to get to know,” Blaney said. “Everybody starts foundations for something that is personal to them. That is personal to me.”

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Jeb Burton

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eb Burton has a unique schedule this season as he’s making select starts for Rick Ware Racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

The majority of his efforts will be concentrated in the Xfinity Series, where he is running a five-race slate in JR Motorsports’ No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro with primary sponsorship from State Water Heaters. A leader in the water-heating industry, State Water Heaters has been involved with the Burton family since 2007. The company has partnered with Jeb’s father, Ward, in both the Monster Energy Series and the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

In addition to their on-track partnership, State Water Heaters has a long relationship with the elder Burton, having supported his wildlife foundation for more than a decade.

“With ties to racing and the outdoors, the Burton family has always had a natural connection with our State Water Heaters wholesalers and contractors,” said Jeff Storie, director of marketing for State Water Heaters. “Because of that connection, Ward and Jeb are great ambassadors for the State brand.”

Jeb Burton – who along with being the son of the 2002 Daytona 500 winner is the nephew of 21-time Monster Energy Series race winner Jeff Burton – qualified sixth and finished fifth at Texas Motor Speedway in his JR Motorsports debut earlier this season.

The black, orange and blue Camaro was scheduled to return at Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 25), Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Sept. 7), Texas (Nov. 2) and Homestead-Miami Speedway (Nov. 16).

FAVORITE THING THE OUTDOORS: Like his father, Ward, Jeb Burton is an avid outdoorsman and especially loves fishing and hunting.

The younger Burton is also a big country music fan.

INFO

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OWNER DALE EARNHART JR., KELLEY EARNHARDT MILLER AND RICK HENDRICK TEAM JR MOTORSPORTS

SPONSOR STATE WATER HEATERS MANUFACTURER CHEVROLET CREW CHIEF TAYLOR MOYER

NO STRANGERS BEFORE BECOMING THE PRIMARY sponsor for Jeb Burton at JR Motorsports, State Water Heaters partnered with the South Boston, Virginia, native for a five-race NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series schedule in 2012. The relationship between the driver and sponsor actually goes even further back.

“State Water Heaters has been an amazing partner over the years and has become family, helping me from the very start of my career going back to Late Models,” Burton said. “With JRM’s family-style environment, the partnership couldn’t be more perfect.”

DRIVER PROFILES

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Ryan Sieg

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ne of the most likeable yet perhaps lowest-profile contenders in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Ryan Sieg has quietly enjoyed consistent success over the past few seasons with his family-owned RSS Racing team – which also fields Xfinity Series entries for Jeff Green and Josh Bilicki.

Since going full-time Xfinity Series Racing in 2014, Sieg has finished no worse than 16th in the standings while picking up more than a dozen top-10 finishes – including a handful of top-five results.

The Tucker, Georgia, native has been better than ever this season, amassing five top-10 finishes – including a pair of top-five efforts – over the first nine races. Heading into the race weekend at Dover International Speedway in early May, Sieg ranked an impressive eighth in the standings – a one-position improvement from the career-best ninth-place finish he recorded in the 2016 standings.

It’s been a slow but steady progression for Sieg and the RSS Racing team, which has participated in NASCAR events since 2009 from its modest headquarters in Sugar Hill, Georgia. The team netted its best career finish of second-place at Iowa Speedway in 2017, with Sieg at the wheel.

Sieg, who celebrates his 32nd birthday this summer, made his first NASCAR start in 2009 as part of a 10-race NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series schedule. He went on to enter a total of 106 Truck Series races from 20092015, earning seven top-10 finishes along the way and setting the stage for a full-time move to the Xfinity Series.

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FAVORITE THING ONLINE GAMING: Sieg is a legit player in the online gaming community. Fans can find him on YouTube creator Joseph Lombard’s channel, and of course, hooking up fans with free die-cast cars.

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39 INFO

OWNER ROD SIEG

TEAM RSS RACING

SPONSOR LARRY’S HARD LEMONADE MANUFACTURER CHEVROLET CREW CHIEF SHANE WILSON

PASS THE BEVERAGE WITH HELP FROM SEVERAL sponsors, Sieg and RSS Racing are undoubtedly enjoying one of their best seasons.

The most notable of RSS Racing’s sponsors is Larry’s Hard Lemonade, which is scheduled to serve as the primary sponsor on Sieg’s No. 39 Chevrolet Camaro for multiple races, including the July event at Daytona International Speedway and the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in South Florida.

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Come say hi to Larry, Vic, Senior and the rest of the lemons at the Richmond Raceway Chaos Corner Powered by The Original Larry’s Hard Lemonade®

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DRIVER PROFILES

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Christopher Bell

W

idely expected to be a big part of the future of Joe Gibbs Racing, Christopher Bell is one of NASCAR’s most talented young drivers and continues to showcase that talent in the NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

After winning seven races and reaching the Championship 4 in 2018 as an Xfinity Series rookie, Bell came out of the gate swinging again this year as he recorded two victories in the first seven races. Heading into the May race at Dover International Speedway, Bell was second in the standings and looked to be in good position to once again contend for a spot in the Championship 4.

If Bell does make it back to HomesteadMiami Speedway as a championship finalist in the season-ending race, he will aim to fare better than he did in 2018, when he arrived as the favorite to take the title but finished last among the four championship contenders.

Bell, who spent two full seasons in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, won the 2017 truck title for Kyle Busch Motorsports before moving to the Xfinity Series with JGR. Prior to embarking on a full-time Xfinity Series schedule with JGR in 2018, Bell scored a victory for JGR at Kansas Speedway in race No. 5 of an eight-race 2017 Xfinity Series slate.

“Christopher has a place with us long term,” team owner Joe Gibbs recently said.

“That’s our goal. That’s what we’ll keep working on. It’s great to have young people coming, and young talent.”

20 INFO

OWNER JOE GIBBS

TEAM JOE GIBBS RACING SPONSOR RHEEM

MANUFACTURER TOYOTA CREW CHIEF JASON RATCLIFF

CHILI BOWL KING BELL BEGAN 2019 IN STYLE, winning the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals for the third consecutive year. This time, Bell captured the prestigious indoor Midget race with a pass of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series superstar Kyle Larson in the final turn.

“I don’t think I’ve ever really been a part of a last-lap race like that,” Bell said. “To win like I did there, it’s something I’m going to cherish the rest of my life.”

FAVORITE THING DIRT RACING: Bell cut his proverbial teeth racing Sprint Cars and Midgets, and his affinity for his dirt-track roots has never wavered – even with his more recent success on pavement.

WOMEN OF NASCAR

PRESENTED BY

Keep an Eye on Hailie Deegan

W

ith no female driver currently competing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, fans are left to ponder who might be the next Danica Patrick.

It could be 17-year-old Hailie Deegan – who has yet to turn an official lap in one of NASCAR’s top three divisions, but boasts an extensive motorsports background that began at age 8 in the Junior Kart division of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series.

After winning three kart championships, the latter of which earned her the 2016 Lucas Oil Off Road Driver of the Year award, Deegan made an even bigger splash last September when she became the first female winner of a NASCAR touring series race. That win, which came in a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West event at Meridian Speedway in Idaho, helped Deegan claim 2018 rookie-of-the-year honors in K&N West and make history as the first woman to be named the top rookie in any NASCAR regional or national series.

Driving the No. 19 Toyota for Bill McAnally Racing, Deegan finished the 2018 K&N West season with a dozen finishes among the top 10 – including five top-five results – in 14 starts, and she also recorded a pair of poles.

“2018 was my dream season,” said Deegan, whose father, Brian, is a former X Games motorcycle champion and a

10-time medal winner. “Everything we wanted to accomplish was accomplished.”

This season, Deegan is competing for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship as well as running select events in K&N East and the ARCA Menards Series.

She added a second K&N West victory in late February when she prevailed on The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with an impressive last-lap pass for the lead. This happened less than three weeks after Deegan won the pole for the K&N East season opener at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida.

Deegan was scheduled to make her ARCA debut on May 19 at Toledo Speedway in Ohio, the first stop on a six-race ARCA slate that will have her in a Toyota for Venturini Motorsports.

“That’s a big step for me,” said Deegan, who will also pair up with Venturini Motorsports for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 15.

“I feel like getting on these bigger tracks – Kansas, Pocono, tracks that I haven’t gotten to do before – and having pit stops, it’s going to be a big thing for me just learning before I get up to these higher levels. It’s another stepping stone that Toyota and TRD (Toyota Racing Development) have given me the opportunity to do before I move into a truck or an Xfinity Series car.”

BY JARED TURNER | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

TRUCK SERIES

PRE S E N T E D BY

Best of the Best: Top 4 Truck Series Drivers Now in its landmark 25th season, the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series has produced some terrific drivers over nearly a quarter of a century. Get to know the four drivers who some consider the best to ever sit behind the wheel of a NASCAR truck.

RON HORNADAY JR. The first NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver to be enshrined in the NASCAR Hall of Fame (class of 2018), Ron Hornaday Jr. is the only four-time Truck Series champion and is universally regarded as one of the series’ patriarchs, having raced in the inaugural truck season of 1995.

The second-generation driver from Palmdale, California, won his first two championships (1996 and 1998) with Dale Earnhardt Inc., where he competed from 1995-1999. Following stints in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Hornaday returned to the Truck Series full time in 2005 with Kevin Harvick Inc. and went on to add two more championships — 2007 and 2009.

Hornaday drove his last race in 2014 and finished his career as the all-time series wins leader, with 51 victories. That mark was eclipsed by Kyle Busch in February.

JACK SPRAGUE A standout competitor beginning with the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series’ inaugural season of 1995, Jack Sprague captured a trio of Truck Series championships (1997, 1999 and 2001) over an incredible five-year span. All three championships and all but five of his 28 career victories came while driving for powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports, the organization for which he competed from 1995-2001.

Nicknamed “Mile-Track Jack” for his success on ovals one mile and longer, Sprague was twice a championship runner-up, coming home the bridesmaid to arch-rival Ron Hornaday Jr. in both 1996 and 1998, missing out on the title by a mere three points in the latter season.

After a two-year hiatus from the series, Sprague returned to the trucks full time in 2004 for owner Steve Coulter’s team, where he remained until late 2005 when he joined Wyler Racing.

Sprague called it a career at the end of the 2008 Truck Series season.

KYLE BUSCH Never a full-time NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series competitor but a perennial force nevertheless in NASCAR’s No. 3 division, Kyle Busch surpassed Ron Hornaday Jr. as the series’ all-time wins leader when he picked up career victory No. 52 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February.

Busch, whose record-breaking victory came in his 146th Truck Series start, earned his first career truck win on May 20, 2005, at Charlotte Motor Speedway while competing for Billy Ballew Motorsports. Busch, who joined NASCAR’s premier series full time in 2005, has made at least one Gander Truck Series start in every season since 2004.

His first 16 truck victories came between 2005 and 2009, all while competing for team owner Billy Ballew. All of Busch’s Truck Series starts and wins since then have come with his own Kyle Busch Motorsports organization, which he and wife Samantha co-founded and brought to the Truck Series in 2010.

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MATT CRAFTON Matt Crafton won’t be remembered as one of the flashiest NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series drivers, but the veteran will undoubtedly go down as one of the most consistent. And he will also be remembered as a historymaker by virtue of becoming the first driver – and up until now, the only driver – to earn back-to-back series championships.

“To say I made history is definitely very, very cool, but it’s all about the guys at ThorSport Racing that are behind me,” said Crafton, who has spent all but one of his 18 full seasons in the series with the team based in Sandusky, Ohio. “Without them, I’m just an average race car driver at best.”

Outside of Crafton’s championships in 2013 and 2014 and his 14 career victories as of press time, his biggest accomplishment is finishing no worse than eighth in the standings in every season since 2007.

BY JARED TURNER | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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TRUCK SERIES

PRE S E N T E D BY

Enfinger Emerges as Title Threat

G

rant Enfinger started the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series season in terrific fashion as he stayed out of harm’s way and drove the No. 98 ThorSport Racing Ford to a second-place finish in the opener at notoriously crash-infested Daytona International Speedway.

Things got even better during race No. 2 at Atlanta Motor Speedway when Enfinger’s third-place effort gave him the series points lead for the first time.

Given Enfinger’s early success, no one certainly could have faulted the ThorSport Racing driver for throwing himself a little party, but taking the points lead was no cause for celebration as far as Enfinger was concerned.

“It’s always a good thing to be leading the points, but … the goal is to be the leader after all 23 races,” Enfinger said, referring to the totality of the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series season. “At this point, everyone believes in each other, and we consider ourselves a threat every race we go to.”

Such optimism is certainly justified for Enfinger, veteran crew chief Jeff Hensley and the entire No. 98 ThorSport team in light of the fact that there’s no reason to believe their fast start was a fluke. Enfinger has been gaining confidence – and steadily being equipped with faster trucks to drive – since first arriving at ThorSport in 2017.

In that first season with the Sandusky, Ohiobased team, Enfinger posted 15 top-10 finishes – highlighted by nine top-five results – and finished 11th in points. Already feeling good about his future, Enfinger then took a big step forward a year

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ago by winning the fall Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and finishing a solid fifth in points, barely missing the Championship 4.

Enfinger’s victory in Sin City was the second of his Gander Truck Series career but his first with ThorSport, winners of back-to-back series championships in 2013 and 2014 with driver Matt Crafton.

“It was an unbelievable day,” said Enfinger, whose first Truck Series triumph came at Talladega Superspeedway in 2016 while running a part-time schedule for GMS Racing.

For his Vegas victory, Enfinger took little personal credit.

“It was the first time we put the whole package together,” he said after leading 40 of 144 laps. “We had speed in the truck. We won the race, which is the most important part, but we had the best truck there. That’s a testament to ThorSport Racing, a testament to Ford Performance.”

The momentum of that late-season victory seems to have carried over. As of press time, five races into the season, Enfinger ranked second in the standings due to amazing consistency that meant finishing no worse than 11th.

If the 34-year-old native of Fairhope, Alabama, continues on this trajectory, a first appearance in the season-ending Championship 4 race could be on the horizon.

This much is certain: Enfinger is a big believer in his team.

“These guys have come a long way, and I’m proud of everyone,” he said.

THE BIG BLUE OVAL BEFORE MOVING TO the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series full time with ThorSport Racing in 2017, Grant Enfinger made a habit of winning races in the ARCA Menards Series.

As of early May, Enfinger owned 16 wins in 95 ARCA starts. He was particularly stout in 2014 and 2015, when he finished second and first in points, respectively, while amassing a total of 12 victories.

Several of those wins came in a Ford, which made Enfinger especially excited about joining forces in the Truck Series with ThorSport Racing – a Ford team.

“I couldn’t have been more excited to be back with Ford,” Enfinger said. “A good bit of my earlier years in the ARCA Series were with Ford, and with their support, we were able to go to Victory Lane quite a few times. I’ve always maintained a good relationship with those guys.

I’m very thankful for the opportunity that Duke and Rhonda Thorson (co-owners of ThorSport Racing) have allowed for us.”

BY JARED TURNER | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

Jordan Anderson: The Underdog

T

rue underdog, grassroots efforts are exceedingly hard to find in a NASCAR world where high-dollar corporate sponsorships, teams equipped with expensive 7 Post Shaker Rigs, and drivers spending much of their time in plush motorhomes are the order of the day. This reality makes what independent NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver Jordan Anderson is doing all the more inspiring and remarkable.

In his second year of racing a truck for his own Jordan Anderson Racing, the 28-year-old native of Forest Acres, South Carolina, is attempting to run the full season with a relatively low-budget enterprise that consists of Anderson, a few employees and only a handful of trucks. It wasn’t until this year that the team even had a standard, full-size hauler to transport its trucks to and from the track.

Anderson still works as his own publicist and wears many hats with the team – including that of occasional hauler driver.

“So many of the adventures and stories, and things that we’ve been able to do, have come from being on the road,” Anderson said. “The average person may say, ‘That’s crazy. I wouldn’t want to do that,’ but we love it, and there’s times where it gets long, but we all have a good time and make the most of it.

“I think that’s been our story. The local Late Model racer who does all he can to get to the track every week or the guy who races dirt Late Models – those are the

BY JARED TURNER | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

real racers and fans that our sport’s built on, and I think those guys can relate to what we’re doing.”

While most drivers who compete full time in one of NASCAR’s three national series have significantly greater resources, Anderson has learned how to do more with less.

A year ago at this time, his Statesville, North Carolina-based team was operating completely on its own, lacking any kind of outside affiliation beyond the support it received from a few local sponsors. Despite being up against drivers and teams with deeper pockets and more sophisticated technology, Anderson managed to finish ninth at Daytona International Speedway in his official debut as a truck team owner/driver.

Proving his Daytona run was no fluke, Anderson later posted a career-best Gander Truck Series finish of seventh at Talladega Superspeedway in the fall.

This season, Anderson is in an even better position to contend, thanks to a technical alliance with GMS Racing and GMS Fabrication that together provide Jordan Anderson Racing with new chassis, engineering support and the rebuilding of chassis and chassis components.

Anderson couldn’t be more grateful for how far he’s come and the opportunity to compete.

“I’m so thankful to everyone for their support in fueling our dreams as we strive to build a team founded with integrity and excellence as the goal every season,” he said.

36 UNDER 30 Top Drivers Under 30 NASCAR’s various racing series are overflowing with talented, up-and-coming drivers under the age of 30, and many of them are expected to have a tremendous impact on the sport’s future. Here are two of NASCAR’s Young Guns.

RYAN PREECE

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s a rookie in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, 28-year-old Ryan Preece is writing the latest chapter of his personal Cinderella story.

The native of Hartford, Connecticut, honed his racing skills in a Midget on the paved tracks of the Northeast before graduating to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, where he earned the 2013 series championship.

In 2016, Preece assembled enough sponsorship to run the full NASCAR Xfinity Series with a mid-pack team, but the effort did nothing to advance his career.

“There were a lot of nights I didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t know what my future was going to be,” Preece said. “I didn’t know if I could even make it to this level (the NASCAR Cup Series). I was going to try though. I was going to try like hell.”

Preece regrouped and took his limited sponsorship to Joe Gibbs Racing for four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts in 2017. He recorded a victory, a pole and four top-10 finishes and was suddenly a hot topic in the NASCAR garage area.

Another successful campaign, including a second NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, in 15 starts for JGR during 2018 resulted in Preece securing the opportunity of which he had long dreamed.

This year, Preece is driving the No. 47 Chevrolet fielded by JTG Daugherty Racing in NASCAR’s premier series.

TYLER ANKRUM

■■ Ryan Preece banked a $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus for winning at Bristol Motor Speedway in April 2018. (Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

Tyler Ankrum became a NASCAR champion at just 17 years of age when the native of San Bernardino, California, won four races en route to securing the 2018 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship. That effort during his rookie NASCAR season earned Ankrum a promotion and he became a full-time NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver for DGR-Crosley after celebrating his 18th birthday on March 6.

Ankrum’s racing journey began at age 9 in Quarter Midgets and he earned multiple local, regional and national championships in the small, open-wheel cars before advancing to Late Model competition. His first Late Model victory came at North Carolina’s Caraway Speedway when he was 14.

The young racer eventually graduated to Super Late Models and made sporadic starts with the CARS Super Late Model Tour, where he had 11 top-10 finishes in 17 races during four seasons.

In addition to running the full K&N Pro Series East schedule a year ago, Ankrum made two Truck Series starts with a best finish of sixth at ISM Raceway in November.

“Honestly, this is a dream come true,” said Ankrum about racing in the Truck Series. “It’s crazy to think that something I’ve been a fan of for so long, I’m now going to be a part of it. It’s even more special that I get to stay at DGR-Crosley and progress within their organization.”

POLE POSITION 2019

■■ Tyler Ankrum takes the checkered flag in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race last July at Iowa Speedway. (NKP/Nigel Kinrade via NASCAR)

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ARCA SPOTLIGHT

Tommy Vigh Jr.: From Dirt to Daytona

T

ommy Vigh Jr. is a pure racer. The man eats, sleeps and breathes auto racing. Now, the resident of Parsippany, New Jersey, is literally living the old NASCAR Heat video game, “Dirt to Daytona.”

Vigh, who has competed across the Northeast as a dirt racer, is currently on a new journey. Last year, he joined forces with Extreme Energy Solution’s Extreme Kleaner brand to make three ARCA Menards Series starts with Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Racing team.

Fast-forward to this year and Vigh’s relationship with Extreme Energy Solutions has led to a full-time effort as Vigh and Hillenburg’s No. 10 car compete for the ARCA title. While it has certainly been a challenge, unlike any other for Vigh, he’s already identified areas in which he can improve. He is confident the No. 10 squad will continue to gain speed as the year progresses. Most of all, he’s grateful for the opportunity.

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How did your partnership with Extreme Energy Solutions come about?

I’ve actually known Sam since he was a teenager. I did some local street stock/pro stock division racing, and Sam had a landscaping/construction business that I used to help him with.

One day, he said, “When we start making money, we’re going to go real racing.” I was like, “Yeah, all right.” All of a sudden, he developed Extreme Kleaner and Extreme Energy Solutions. He’s like, “Let’s go racing.” I was like, “What?” We started with the sportsman class at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York. Then, he said I’m going to drive the ARCA car. He was hooked up with Andy Hillenburg, and it just got so cool after that.

Sam always thought of racing as a way to grow his business brand, and so naturally it was a good fit for Extreme Kleaner.

What’s it like going from dirt racing to driving stock cars?

Dirt racing is totally different from racing on asphalt. On asphalt, you have to be a lot smoother. On dirt, we started in the street stock class with Camaros and Monte Carlos.

We ended up just getting in the ARCA Series.

You have to be a lot smoother. The people are totally different compared to dirt tracks. You can tell the difference between the teams that have the big bucks, and you can tell the teams that don’t have crazy amounts of money. It’s totally different driving. Compared to dirt, you can slap the brake in a dirt car and you don’t care if you’re going sideways. In ARCA, you can’t do that. You have to go on it easy, and it’s a new scheme of driving.

BY JOSEPH WOLKIN | PHOTOGRAPHY: FAST TRACK RACING TEAM

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NASCAR ROOTS Racing Behind the Shop Like many of his fellow NASCAR drivers today, Corey LaJoie benefited greatly from time spent in karting as a youth. Unlike most of his peers, however, LaJoie didn’t grow up racing go-karts against those his age.

THEN THINGS GOT SERIOUS

Instead, the son of two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Randy LaJoie went toe-to-toe with grown adults on a one-nineteenth-mile bullring his dad built out behind their family-run business in Kannapolis, North Carolina.

“He just went out there and made a little dirt track that we kind of learned how to race on, and we raced dad and all his adult friends,” said Corey LaJoie, now a full-time driver in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. “And then, when he drove for Rick Hendrick, he took his first paycheck – which was certainly more than what he expected to get – and he said he was done messing with water in the dirt and all that sort of stuff and maintaining that.

So the first call he made when he got that first big paycheck was to the asphalt guy, and he got that little dirt track paved.”

And, that’s when karting went to a whole new level for Corey LaJoie.

“When I was 6, 7, 8, I was racing against a bunch of adults – whether it was Tim Fedewa, who was my dad’s teammate and now is the spotter for Kevin Harvick,” LaJoie said. “Kevin also came out, and there were a handful of guys that dad was racing against that I was learning how to cut my teeth and race against. So, that’s a little bit of a unique way to get started in racing.”

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While LaJoie lacked the experience of his adult competitors, he had one notable advantage, which his father – in an effort to make his son get better – took away.

“I had no clue what I was doing, but I was light enough to where I could go fast against all those guys that were bigger and heavier,” LaJoie explained. “So every time I would pass everybody and get to the lead, they would throw the caution and dad would make me start in the back and do it all over again. That was all good, and I learned a lot there. I didn’t start racing against kids my age until I was about 12 years old in Bandoleros.”

Randy LaJoie, who made his final NASCAR start in 2006, served as the “race director” for the go-kart track, which eventually became known as Field Filler Fairgrounds.

“Racing isn’t fair, right?” Corey LaJoie asked.

“There’s always going to be advantages and disadvantages. What I was learning when I was a little kid was just to take whatever car you’re given that particular day and try to make the most of it. I also learned how to pass, because dad knew that if I started up front and led every lap and won the race, in the grand scheme of things, it didn’t matter. I had to learn how to have race craft and learn how to pass cars, growing up. That’s probably the biggest thing I learned.”

DURING COREY LAJoie’s high school years, Field Filler Fairgrounds became no longer just a place where he and a few of his dad’s friends raced for fun. Instead, it morphed into a track where LaJoie and his own friends – including Joey Logano and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – would leave no stone unturned trying to beat each other.

“We went through a stage when we were in high school where we got everything kind of fired back up, and we would take all the old karts that were out back and put tires on them and we got to racing,” said LaJoie, now 27.

“It started as just me, Brandon McReynolds, Joey Logano a couple times, and a couple other buddies. We would just go out there and race as long as the karts would keep running, and then five karts turned into 10, 10 karts turned into 15, and then all of sudden, you looked and we had a couple races where we probably had 40 or 50 karts show up and we were paying a thousand bucks to win. That’s what we had going on there for about a year.

“We had TV shows come out and the whole nine-yards.

When we started getting serious about it, we were building our own motors and putting big-wedge bodies on the go-karts, and then it started getting out of hand and we had to start getting insurance and selling hot dogs.”

Sadly, the elder LaJoie recently dug up Field Filler Fairgrounds to create some extra parking spaces.

“I’m going to have to come up with the money for a Field Filler 2.0,” the younger LaJoie concluded.

BY JARED TURNER | PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY LAJOIE FAMILY

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PIT PASS

Favorite Food LaJoie Loves Pizza: When you have a majestic beard like the one NASCAR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Corey LaJoie sports, the goal is to avoid getting your favorite food stuck in it. LaJoie will talk a fan’s ear off when it comes to pizza, his top choice. He doesn’t care about the toppings, just as long as it has cheese, dough and tomato sauce.

The driver of the No. 32 Go FAS Racing Ford is a pizza-holic, and he’s the first to admit it.

3Q

WITH NASCAR XFINITY SERIES DRIVER BRANDON JONES

T

he neon colors of Brandon Jones’ No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota are hard to miss. The Georgia native is in his fourth full season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and he’s coming off a solid 2018 campaign in which he finished ninth in the standings, Jones is ready to contend for a title.

What’s it like to drive a Toyota Supra versus the Camry?

I think it’s one of the best bodies out there on the track; just by the way it looks. The only difference is the fenders have more of a slope to them in the front. The nose falls off a little quicker than the Camry did. It’s something I had to adjust to a bit, so we adjusted seat positions in my car to compensate for that.

What is your long-term career goal?

I’ve always said I want to get really good in the Xfinity Series – win races and a championship – before I make the jump to the Cup level. I also think that if that opportunity presented itself one day, I’d want to make slow steps to get into the series, like run five races while still running full time in the Xfinity Series.

How do you avoid rushing up to the NASCAR Cup Series before you’re ready?

I’ve talked to multiple people who have done that and they’re like “the car isn’t much harder to drive, but the competition is so much tighter.” You have to be perfect every single lap. Everyone I’ve talked to says it was a pretty big shock to them. Slowly step into it and don’t let it surprise you.

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TERMINOLOGY Aero Ducts: A key element of NASCAR’s new aerodynamic package, aero ducts allow air to transfer from the front of the race car to the sides.

They move air away from the front tires and were introduced in an effort to increase competition and generate tighter racing. The aero ducts are being used in 21 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races this season.

BY JOSEPH WOLKIN | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

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