Chase Dowling Returning to Weekly Competition in Stafford’s SK Modified® Division for 2017 Season

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

NASCAR GETTY IMAGE

(Stafford Springs, CT)---After two years away from weekly competition, 2014 SK Modified® Rookie of the Year Chase Dowling will return to Stafford’s premier division in 2017 behind the wheel of the #50 Les & Tina Skowyra owned modified.  Dowling has spent the last two years running on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour after an impressive 2014 season in the SK Modified® division which etched his name in the record books as the youngest SK Modified® winner in track history.

            “Adam Skowyra and I have talked over the past couple of years and it was just trying to find a sponsor,” explained Dowling.  “As everyone knows S+S Asphalt Paving has been a huge part of my racing, they’ve been my backbone and I definitely wouldn’t be racing today if it weren’t for them.  Adam and I talked and I took care of everything on my end and I’m really excited about coming back to my home track and to be racing weekly on Friday nights.  Adam is working on building a new Troyer car and it’s going to be a blast again to be racing against guys like Ted Christopher, Keith Rocco, and Rowan Pennink.”

            Dowling will have some big to shoes as he fills the #50 seat that has been driven by one of the best Stafford drivers of all-time, Woody Pitkat.  The #50 team scored two wins and was a contender each week throughout the 2016 season with Pitkat behind the wheel.

“I have some pretty big shoes to fill with Woody being in that car the last couple years,” continued Dowling. “I think we can be there at the end of the season for the championship, we have everything we need with the car and the motor and we have all the pieces of the puzzle, we just have to show up every week and give our best effort.”

            Dowling will have to have his A-game when he makes his SK Modified® return at the NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler as the SK Modified® field is arguably the toughest weekly racing division in the country.

            “Everyone knows SK Modified® racing at Stafford is some of the hardest competition around,” explained Dowling. “The only word I can use to describe the racing is competitive and you’re not going to be the best unless you beat the best and you’re racing against the best every Friday night at Stafford.”
            Dowling is also excited to have another shot in the biggest SK Modified® race in the country the NAPA Auto Parts SK 5k.  Chase finished 8th in the inaugural SK 5K in 2014 and turned in a strong run in the 2015 edition before being taken out in a late race incident.

            “I have to thank Mark Arute and the whole Stafford team as well as NAPA Auto Parts and Doug Dunleavy for putting the money up for this race,” said Dowling.  “Every racer, we’re not making money doing this and when there’s big purses on the table, everyone wants to race in that race and win.  The car counts have been really good the last couple years and it’s only going to grow.  It’s awesome that Doug, Mark, and everyone at Stafford puts in the effort that they do to make big races happen for us racers.”

            “I also have to thank Adam for giving me the opportunity to drive the #50 car and I hope I can bring the best for him and his crew,” continued Dowling.  “I get along with all of his guys and I’m looking forward to getting started.  I think everything will come back to me pretty quick and we can be a top running car.  We’re going to try our best to win races and the championship and I think we can come close to achieving those goals

Preece to return to XFINITY Series in 2017

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Preece to return to JD Motorsports

JD Motorsports will have some familiar faces in its camp next year. Lead driver Ross Chastain is returning to the #4 car, with 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ryan Preece back in the #01 car as well. "We're trying hard and we have a lot of great people behind us," Preece said. "We're hoping that next year, we can keep on digging. We want more sponsorship and make a lot more great things happen." Chastain's return to the team comes as he caps off his second full-time season with JD Motorsports. However, he failed to finish in the top 10 this year. "Before, the [No.] 01 car was leaps and bounds over the [No.] 4 car on the racetrack and business-wise," Chastain said. "To have equal racecars is a big deal. I'll be back in the #4 car next year. Me and Johnny shake hands and we're racecars who want to go racing. We want to do it at the highest level possible, and we're trying to get this car up the leaderboard." While the two drivers are confirmed to be returning, Garrett Smithley is unclear of whether or not he will return to pilot the team's #0 car in 2017. "Nothing is solid yet," Smithley said. "We're still working on sponsors and everything. I think we will be."Source: (Frontstretch)

(11-28-2016)

Toyota Wins All Three Manufacturer's Championship Titles in 2016

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Toyota wins first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Manufacturer's Title: Toyota secured its first-ever NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) manufacturer's championship with a sixth-place finish by Kyle Busch at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday to capture the title in Toyota's 10th year of Cup competition. Camry drivers won 16-of-36 races to take the NSCS manufacturer's championship in the season finale. The championship is the first manufacturer's title for Toyota in the Cup Series, and Toyota has now secured the manufacturer's title in all three NASCAR national touring series.
"Capturing our first Cup Series manufacturer's title is a tremendous accomplishment, and one that has been a goal for Toyota since entering the series 10 years ago as underdogs in this ultra-competitive series," said Ed Laukes, Vice President of Integrated Marketing Operations for Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A. "With the partnership of great teams like Joe Gibbs Racing and Furniture Row Racing, Toyota has been able to breakthrough and become the first different manufacturer to earn this championship in 13 seasons.
   Toyota has now won manufacturer's championships in all three NASCAR national touring series, and to have reached this amazing milestone really speaks to Toyota's commitment to not only NASCAR, but also to motorsports endeavors around the globe. We're proud of the effort put forth by each of our Toyota teams, and all of the Toyota team members that have allowed us to reach this goal."
Five Camry drivers collected 16 wins over 36 races during the 2016 season, including 12 wins by Joe Gibbs Racing and four by Furniture Row Racing. Busch and Martin Truex Jr. led the group with four wins a piece, while Carl Edwards (three victories), Denny Hamlin (two), and Matt Kenseth (two) also recorded triumphs in 2016.

In addition to securing the 2016 NSCS manufacturer's championship, Toyota claimed the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) manufacturer's title at Phoenix International Raceway and the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) manufacturer's championship at Homestead. Toyota drivers also won multiple championships across the NASCAR national touring series, with Daniel Suarez winning the driver's championship in the NXS and Kyle Busch Motorsports taking the owner's title in the NCWTS.
Toyota first entered NSCS competition in 2007 and the 2016 season marks the Camry's 10th year competing at NASCAR's highest level. Since joining NSCS competition, Toyota has won 95 races and captured 90 poles in 360 races.(Toyota Racing)(11-21-2016)

NASCAR Top 6 Paid Drivers in 2016

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

1    Dale (Junebug) Earnhardt Jr.     23.5 Million

2    Jimie  Johnson                              22 Million

3  Jeff ( Golden Boy) Gordon            21.6 Million

4  Danika Patrick                               18 Million

5 Kevin ( Happy) Harvick                 15.5 Million

6  Denny ( Where's my Package) Hamlin 15.1 Million

Six Drivers Earn Most Popular Driver Awards Nearly 47,000 Votes Cast World-Wide For Fan Favorites

Posted by Wayne G. Barber & Photo by Wayne G. Barber

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The fans have spoken.
More than 47,000 votes were cast world-wide for the 2016 NASCAR touring series’ Most Popular Driver Awards and six drivers have earned the honor of fan favorite.
The 2016 Most Popular Driver Award winners are:
• Austin Theriault (Fort Kent, Maine), NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
• Salvatore Iovino (Los Angeles), NASCAR K&N Pro Series West

• Melissa Fifield (Wakefield, N.H.), NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour ( Three Consecutive)

Congratulations from the entire Race Chatter Nation and our "Woman in Racing "weekly segment from April thru November. Have a blessed Happy Thanksgiving to the entire Fifield Racing Family.

• Trey Hutchens (Lexington, N.C.), NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour
• Jason Hathaway (St. Thomas, Ont.), NASCAR Pinty’s Series
• Alon Day (Ashdod, Israel), NASCAR Whelen Euro Series
The list includes four repeat winners – Melissa Fifield, Trey Hutchens, Jason Hathaway and Alon Day.
There was also nearly an historic first: Hutchens, who competed in both the K&N Pro Series East and Whelen Southern Modified Tour this year, finished a close second to Theriault in the K&N Pro East voting while taking the top honors in the Whelen Southern Modified Tour for the second straight year.
Fifield won the award for the third straight season in the Whelen Modified Tour.
Iovino emerged in front in a close three-way battle in the K&N Pro West with Jesse Iwuji and series champion Todd Gilliland.
Hathaway, who announced he was retiring from full-time competition after racing in all 121 events in series history, ran away with the award in the Pinty’s Series.
Day, who was selected to the NASCAR Next program as one of the sport’s rising stars, won the award for the second consecutive season.
The award was open to any driver who competed in at last half of the races in their respective series.
Monday, Elliott Sadler (NASCAR XFINITY Series) and Tyler Reddick (NASCAR Camping World Truck Series) received the Most Popular Driver Award for their respective series in their awards gala at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel.
The NASCAR touring series Most Popular Drivers will be recognized on stage as part of the NASCAR Touring Series Night of Champions on Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Charlotte (North Carolina) Convention Center at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Source: NASCAR HOME TRACKS

Chase Elliot 2016 NASCAR Rookie of the Year

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Elliott ended the year with 10 top fives, 17 top 10s, two poles and a 10th-place finish in the final standings. (Photo: Getty Images)

Chase Elliott took home Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in the Sprint Cup Series Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Elliott came into the season finale with a 65-point advantage in the rookie standings over Ryan Blaney. As his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson captured his seventh series championship, Elliott finished 11th in the race to secure the Rookie title.

"First off, how about Jimmie Johnson," Elliott said in the Media Center after the race. "That's incredible. He's the story. I don't need to be sitting up here right now, seven championships versus Rookie of the Year. You guys need to be watching him. But I'm proud of our season for sure."

Along with fellow rookie Chris Buescher, Elliott made the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in his first season. He ended the year with 10 top fives, 17 top 10s, two poles and a 10th-place finish in the final standings

"I'm definitely proud to earn the Rookie of the Year honors," Elliott said. "It's been a long season, a lot of ups and downs, but we're happy to be here and definitely enjoyed racing against those guys for the Rookie of the Year this season. Felt like it was a fun group, and we're excited to get on to season two."

During the season, Elliott had a streak of six consecutive top 10s, which included his first of two runner-up finishes at Michigan International Speedway.

The scoring system to determine the Sunoco Rookie of the Year varies from NASCAR’S point system for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. The following is a breakdown of the Sunoco Rookie of the Year scoring system:
• A 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 point system is used for scoring finishing positions by the rookies. The highest-finishing rookie in each race earns 10 points, the second-highest, nine points, etc.
• Of the 36 races, only the top 17 are counted in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie race.
• In order to be eligible for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award, a driver must attempt to qualify in at least eight events out of the first 20 events.
• Attempting to qualify for a race earns the rookies one bonus point, which is a bonus that is available for all 36 events.
• Bonus points are awarded for a finish in the top 10. A rookie who wins a race is awarded 10 points, second place gets nine and so on down the line with a 10th-place effort earning one point.
• Following the final race of the season, the highest-ranking rookie in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship receives 10 bonus points. The second-highest rookie earns nine points, third receives eight, etc.
• During the final weekend of the season, a Sunoco Rookie of the Year panel meets and rewards favorable conduct in the following categories: Conduct with NASCAR officials in the garage and pit areas; conduct and awareness on track; personal appearance and relationship with the media. The panel rates each driver, with scoring ranging from a maximum of 10 to a minimum of 1. Total points will be averaged from each panel member’s ballot. The points derived from the panel will be added to the entry, competition, and bonus points after the final race of the season to determine the overall Sunoco Rookie of the Year winner.
The Sunoco Rookie of the Race will be awarded $1,500 each week. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year will be awarded a $50,000 year-end bonus.

Presented by Sunoco

Since 2004, Sunoco has been the “Official Fuel of NASCAR”. This distinction has allowed them to demonstrate the performance of their gasoline in the most competitive racing series in the United States.

NASCAR's top series depend on Sunoco to fuel every driver, in every race on their quest for the Sunoco checkered flag.

Driver	Car #	Points
Chase Elliott	24	297
Ryan Blaney	21	232
Chris Buescher	34	199
Brian Scott	44	187
Jeffrey Earnhardt	32	137

Driver

Car #

Points

Chase Elliott

24

297

Ryan Blaney

21

232

Chris Buescher

34

199

Brian Scott

44

187

Jeffrey Earnhardt

32

137

Jimmie Johnson wins at Homestead and the CHAMPIONSHIP:

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 and the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, FL.
Johnson wins a record-tying 7th NASCAR title
(Sean Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images)
#48-Jimmie Johnson won the FORD EcoBoost 400 Sprint Cup Series Championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway for his 5th win of the season, 1st ever win at Homestead and 80th career win in NASCAR Overtime as the race was extended one lap for a late accident. #42-Kyle Larson, who led the most laps with 132, led the race when the final caution came out, setting up NASCAR Overtime. On the restart, #48-Johnson rocketed to the front, took the lead and kept the lead winning the race and the Championship / Chase. Johnson led 3 of the 368 laps.
Johnson won his record tying 7th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship, tying NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt with 7.
#48-Jimmie Johnson had to start at the rear of the field before the drop of the green flag for unapproved body modifications after going through pre-race tech inspection.
#42-Lason (who led the most laps at 132) finished 2nd followed by #4-Harvick (pole winner), #22-Logano, #1-McMurray, #18-Busch, #20-Kenseth, #47-Allmendinger, #11-Hamlin and #59-McDowell.
#14-Tony Stewart, running his final Cup race, finished 22nd
#44-Brian Scott, retiring after this race, finished 15th
Chase Drivers:
#48-Johnson, WON
#22-Logano 4th
#18-Busch 6th
#19-Edwards 34th/accident
On a restart with 10 laps to go in the race, #22-Joey Logano shot deep to the inside in an attempt to pass #19-Carl Edwards for the lead among the championship contenders. Edwards reacted quickly and decisively, turning his car to the left in an attempt to block Logano. Logano didn't lift, and chaos ensued. Logano shoved Edwards into the inside wall. Edwards' Toyota bounced across the track, was hit hard by Kasey Kahne and slammed into the outside wall. The wreck involved nine cars [2,5,7,19,22,24,31,78,95] and caused a red flag of 31 minutes and nine seconds as track workers cleared the mess. Edwards refused to take an ambulance ride to the infield care center, instead choosing to make the long, sad walk. Along the way, he stopped at Logano's pit and talked to Logano crew chief Todd Gordon and other members of the team. Edwards' smashed car didn't finish the race. He wound up fourth of the four Championship 4 competitors.
There were 20 lead changes among 6 drivers and 7 cautions for 33 yellow flag laps and a 31:09 red flag.
The average speed of the race was: 128.869mph.
Jimmie Johnson Makes History, Wins Record-Tying Seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship: History has been made. Jimmie Johnson captured his record-tying seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship with a stirring victory Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, tying NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt atop the all-time list. Sunday's win was Johnson's 80th career victory. To win the 2016 championship, the driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevy outdueled the other Championship 4 drivers #22-Joey Logano (fourth), #18-Kyle Busch (sixth) and #19-Carl Edwards (34th) at Homestead. It was a year of sevens for Johnson, who took over sole possession of seventh place on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series all-time wins list after his win at Auto Club Speedway earlier this season. His wins at Atlanta and Auto Club catapulted him into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Johnson breezed through the first round of the Chase, logging his two highest laps led totals of the season to that point at Chicagoland and Dover. When the Round of 12 rolled around, he added his all-time track-record eighth win at Charlotte, leading a race-high 155 laps on the way to a Round of 8 berth. Johnson was the first to lock up a spot in the Championship 4, winning at Martinsville Speedway for the ninth time. At the age of 41, Johnson becomes the youngest seven-time champion. Petty was 42 when he captured his seventh title in 1979; Earnhardt was 43 in 1994. All seven of Johnson's championships were won under team owner Rick Hendrick and with crew chief Chad Knaus.
Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, captured his record-extending 12th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. Along with Johnson's seven titles, Hendrick has won championships with Jeff Gordon (four) and Terry Labonte (one).
Knaus cemented his legacy as one of the top crew chiefs in NASCAR history with his seventh title, one shy of the all-time record held by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Inman.
Also on Sunday, #24-Chase Elliott was named Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award.(NASCAR)(11-20-2016)

Race Fast Facts - Homestead-Miami Speedway:
#48-Jimmie Johnson won the 18th Annual Ford EcoBoost 400, his 80th victory in 543 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his fifth victory and 16th top-10 finish in 2016.
This is his first victory and 11th top-10 finish in 16 races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
#42-Kyle Larson (second) posted his second top-10 finish in four races at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It is his 15th top-10 finish in 2016.
#4-Kevin Harvick (third) posted his 14th top-10 finish in 16 races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
#24-Chase Elliott (11th) was the highest finishing rookie. Elliott has won the 2016 Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors.
#48-Jimmie Johnson wins his seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.
Toyota wins the Manufacturers Championship, sweeping all three NASCAR national series this season.
Source: (NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(11-20-2016)