Saturday, December 31, 2016

NASCAR Unveils New Brand Identity, Premier Series Name and Mark

#NASCAR Unveils New Brand Identity, Premier Series Name and Mark

Premier Series to Be Named Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Beginning in 2017

Premier Series to Be Named Monster Energy #NASCAR Cup Series Beginning in 2017


NASCAR unveiled a new official brand identity which will replace the bar mark used by the sanctioning body since 1976. The announcement was made in conjunction with the news that Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™ will be the new name of the sport’s premier series beginning January 1, 2017.

The new brand mark and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series mark, which prominently features the iconic Monster Energy logo, together represent a new era in NASCAR and were first shared today across NASCAR social and digital media channels. 


The NASCAR brand identity has been in development since early 2016 as part of a broader effort to refresh the NASCAR brand.


The NASCAR brand identity has been in development since early 2016 as part of a broader effort to refresh the NASCAR brand. It was designed to pay tribute to the storied history of NASCAR, incorporating elements of all four previous marks since the company’s inaugural season of 1948.

“Our new NASCAR mark is modern, timeless, and embraces the heritage of our sport,” said Jill Gregory, NASCAR senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “It was important for us to recognize our history and implement a piece of each previous mark in the new design. Our goal was to evolve the sport’s visual identity to make it concise, relevant and functional, while respecting and maintaining the unique qualities of the original mark.”

The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points race will be the 59th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 26 (2 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Tickets are available at NASCAR.com/tickets.



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Will Baize Return To The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East?

Will Baize Return To The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East?

"ROY" Hunter Finished His 2016 #KNEast Season 4th in the Points

The nineteen-year-old from Kentucky finished third in the ARCA/CRA Super Series final standings last season. He earned two wins; one at Indiana's Illiana Motor Speedway and the other at Michigan's Flat Rock Speedway.


Consistency proved the path to Hunter Baize’s solid #NASCAR K&N Pro Series debut season.

Consistency proved the path to Hunter Baize’s solid NASCAR K&N Pro Series debut season. After a crash in his series inauguration at New Smyrna procured him the last place finish; Baize earned one top-five and ten top-ten finishes of the fourteen race series.

“We had a good year,” said Baize. “I felt like I was pretty consistent, showed good speed and overcame issues."


“We had a good year,” said Baize. “I felt like I was pretty consistent, showed good speed and overcame issues. HScott and my team always gave me a good car and equipment, we just had some bad luck. But I always felt like we could go out there and be competitive.”

With his on track dependability, the driver of the No. 13 Bicycle Playing Cards / Pine Mountain Firewood Chevrolet for HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks, finished fourth in the Championship Point Standings and earned the coveted Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award.

With his on track dependability, the driver of the No. 13 Bicycle Playing Cards / Pine Mountain Firewood Chevrolet for HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks, finished fourth in the Championship Point Standings and earned the coveted Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award.

“It feels great to win the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award,” Hunter reported “The competition in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East this year was really good. I had to battle Tyler and Spencer for the title, but the entire rookie class, like Harrison Burton and Dominique Van Wieringen, was really talented.”

Unfortunately, not much about this rookie’s currant activity could be located via the internet. At this level of competition, an online presence is a must for a race car driver; but I digress.

Stay tuned for announcements on Hunter's 2017 plans in the coming weeks!
“Merry Christmas everyone! We hope you all had a great day with your loved ones. Stay tuned for announcements on Hunter's 2017 plans in the coming weeks!” via Hunter Blaize Racing Facebook Page.

NASCAR Race Mom is anxiously awaiting to report that announcement.


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K&N Pro Series #NASCAR




Photo Source:NASCAR via Getty Images

Friday, December 30, 2016

Best of 2016: K&N Pro Series West

Best of 2016: K&N Pro Series West

Todd Gilliland had a historic NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season.

Todd Gilliland won his first two NASCAR KN Pro Series West starts of 2016  and finished with six wins en route to becoming the youngest champion in series history.
Todd Gilliland won his first two NASCAR KN Pro Series West starts of 2016
and finished with six wins en route to becoming the youngest champion in series history.

The 16-year-old from Sherrills Ford, North Carolina, broke a couple records en route to his 2016 title.

The NASCAR Next driver kicked-off his season by matching a 50-year-old record set by Dan Gurney and then ended the season by becoming the youngest champion in NASCAR, both national and touring series, history with six wins, 11 top fives and 13 top 10s.

Gilliland’s road to the championship wasn't easy. Battling him throughout the entire season was K&N Pro Series West veteran Ryan Partridge. The 28-year-old Rancho Cucamonga, California, driver notched three wins, 10 top fives and 13 top 10s to challenge Gilliland for the title down to the very last race of the season.

Top Driver

Todd Gilliland: Todd Gilliland had the dream season. After he won his debut in the 2015 finale, the teenager kicked of the season winning the first four K&N Pro Series East and West races and kept his momentum going the remainder of the year. He sat a top the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings until June when a misfortune at  California’s Sonoma Raceway caused him to drop out of the top spot. He rebounded quickly, winning the next three races on the schedule. The NASCAR Next driver ended the year with six victories and top 10s in all but one of the 14 races. Gilliland led a total 564 laps throughout the season and had average start of 2.7 and an average finish of 4.0. He made some history along the way: He match Dan Gurney’s record by winning his first four career NASCAR K&N Pro Series starts, became the third driver in West Series history to win both the championship and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in the same season, and became the youngest champion of a national or touring series in NASCAR history. The son of David Gilliland and grandson of Butch Gilliland announced he will be competing in both the K&N Pro Series East and West in 2017.

WATCH: TODD GILLILAND CHAMPION PROFILE | TODD GILLILAND AWARDS SPEECH

Ryan Partridge (Honorable Mention): Ryan Partridge fell just short of a championship once again this year. His remarkable season produced three wins, five poles and top 10s in 13 of 14 events to finish 13-points behind Gilliland. The California driver started the season strong finishing in the runner-up position in the first three events. At the third race at Arizona’s Tucson Speedway, he scored his first win of the year after leading 127 laps of the 156 laps feature. He went on to win two more times, at Oregon’s Douglas County Speedway and California’s All American Speedway. Partridge completed all 1,879 laps this season and led the most laps with 794. He produced an average start of 3.1 and an average finish of 4.4.

Top Team

Bill McAnally Racing: In their 26th season in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, Bill McAnally Racing had a phenomenal season. BMR earned eight victories, 33 top fives and 45 top 10s and the most important win of all: the championship title for the second consecutive year. In addition to the title, BMR drivers finished fourth, sixth and seventh in the standings. Their part-time driver finished 17th in the standings with six starts. 

Gilliland brought home wins at California’s Irwindale Speedway and Kern County Raceway Park, Idaho’s Stateline Speedway and Meridian Speedway, Iowa Speedway, and Washington’s Evergreen Speedway while the 2015 K&N West champion, Chris Eggleston took home victories at California’s Orange Show Speedway and his home track, Colorado National Speedway. Bill McAnally Racing, recently announced that Gilliland would be returning in 2017 to defend his title and that they’d be partnering with David Gilliland Racing for the K&N Pro Series East season.

Jefferson Pitts Racing (Honorable Mention): Jefferson Pitts Racing returned for their second season with Noah Gragson and Gracin Raz. While their season wasn’t as successful as their inaugural campaihn, they still were one of the top teams at the track week in and week out. JPR produced a total of two wins, 17 top fives and 23 top fives. Gragson took home both victories for the team when he swept the weekend at Utah Motorsports Park. The team also led a total of 182 laps in 2016.

Top Breakthrough Driver

Julia Landauer: The New York City driver had a stellar rookie season notching seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes to finish fourth in the championship standings. The 24-year-old Bill McAnally Racing driver joined her teammate Todd Gilliland in the history books this season, she tied the record for the highest finishing female in a race with her second place finish at Idaho’s Meridian Speedway. She also became the highest finishing female with her fourth-place finish in the 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship standings. The NASCAR Next driver had an average start of 8.5 and an average finish 6.3 en route to her runner-up finish in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings to Gilliland.


Julia Landauer became the highest finishing female finisher in the history of the #NASCAR K&N Pro Series West with her fourth-place in the final championship standings.
Julia Landauer became the highest finishing female finisher in the history of the
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West with her fourth-place in the final championship standings.


Riley Herbst (Honorable Mention): Like his Bill McAnally Racing teammates Gilliland and Landauer, Herbst, 17, from Las Vegas Nevada, had a great rookie season. Herbst finished seventh in the championship standings after tallying seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. He also finished fourth in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings. Herbst, earned his best career finish with third-place runs at Iowa, Evergreen and Douglas County. He led 13 laps this season, all at Utah Motorsports Park, and produced an average start of 6.2 and an average finish of 7.6.

Top Races

Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150, Stateline Speedway, June 11: The Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 was the first of three wins that gave  Todd Gilliland a commanding lead in the 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship standings. Gilliland took the checkered flag after edging past fellow NASCAR Next driver, Noah Gragson, by mere inches.Gilliland crossed the finish line .004 seconds in front of the 17-year-old from Las Vegas, and it was the only lap the 16-year-old from Sherrills Ford, North Carolina, led all night. Multiple cautions pushed the race to a second green-white-checkered finish and to 166 laps. Gragson led the final restart and was a nose ahead at the line taking the white flag. But Gilliland got a strong run off Turn 4 coming to the checkered, and powered forward despite having his car pinched against the outside wall by Gragson as they crossed under the flag stand.

Utah 110 presented by Ken Garff Volvo, Utah Motorsports Park, Sept. 10: Gragson’s win over Gilliland in the first Utah double-header race set the tone for his weekend sweep. After finishing second to Chase Elliott at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, the first road course on the K&N Pro Series West’s 2016 schedule, Gragon achieved redemption. The Las Vegas driver took the lead from Gilliland with nine laps to go to earn his first win of the season out west. The NASCAR Next driver started the race in fourth and spent most of the race behind Ryan Partridge and Gilliland, conserving his tires and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. His window opened when Partridge cut a tire with 13 laps to go and it continued when Gilliland made a mistake late in the race. Gragson capitalized on the error and bumped Gilliland out of they way to take the lead and cruise to Victory Lane. It was a banner year for the 17-year-old on road courses, he recorded two wins and a runner-up finish on the road courses out west and notched a victory at New Jersey Motorsports Park, one of three road courses on the K&N Pro Series East schedule.


Noah Gragson gets underneath Ryan Partridge en route to sweeping the road course doubleheader in September at Utah Motorsports Park.
Noah Gragson gets underneath Ryan Partridge en route to sweeping the road course
doubleheader in September at Utah Motorsports Park.


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K&N Pro Series #NASCAR




Photo Source:NASCAR via Getty Images

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Dipple to Return To #KNEast with RJR

Dipple to Return To #KNEast with RJR

Tyler Finished His 2016 #KNEast Season 3nd in the Points

Tyler Finished His 2016 #KNEast Season 3nd in the Points #NASCAR


Wallkill, New York native Tyler Dippel, a current member of the 2016-2017 NASCAR Next program  will join Rette Jones Racing (RJR) as driver of the No. 28 D and A Concrete Contractor / TYCAR Trenchless Technologies Ford Fusion next season, alongside sophomore driver Dominique Van Wieringen who also will return for a full-time slate in the No. 30 Durobyte Ford Fusion.

Tyler Finished His 2016 #KNEast Season 3nd in the Points #NASCAR
Dippel joins RJR after a rookie season on the K&N East tour driving for HScott Motorsports  with Justin Marks. After earning an eighth-place finish in his series debut at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway this past February, Dippel won his first K&N event in just his second series start at Mobile International Speedway in March, leading a dominating 124 of the event’s 154 laps. Dippel ended his freshman season third in points with one top-five and eight top-10 finishes.

Motorsports veteran Rich Lushes recently joined the team and will serve as crew chief for Dippel.

“I’m super excited for the opportunity to drive for Rette Jones Racing for the 2017 season,” said Dippel. “I think 2017 will be great joining forces with Mark (Rette), Terry (Jones) and Rich (Lushes). They’re all super smart guys and will bring a stout car to the race track every week.

“I’m really looking forward to being a part of the RJR family and getting ourselves off to a strong start.”



Dippel, sixteen, will enter his sophomore season following a year of big block modified competition in 2015, where he became the youngest winner in the northeast area, while also earning Rookie of the Year honors in the DIRTcar Northeast Series. Dippel began his racing career at the age of seven, racing slingshot race cars, considered scaled down versions of dirt modifieds. 


Tyler Finished His 2016 #KNEast Season 3nd in the Points #NASCAR


Dippel made his first full-size stock car start on asphalt in 2014. In 2015, he held the PASS Super Late Model national points lead throughout the season until the season finale, when a mechanical failure ended his race early. Additionally, he made three starts in the ARCA Racing Series, with a career-best of fourth at the tough Salem (Ind.) Speedway in Sept. driving for Lira Motorsports.

“It means so much that I’ll have another opportunity to compete for a championship,” sounded Dippel. “I know there is so much I could do better coming into my second year and with a great team behind me, I’m hungry and have something to prove. I believe that we can win multiple races and go for a championship. I can’t wait to get started.”

For more information on Tyler Dippel, please check out TylerDippel.com,  his Facebook page  (Tyler Dippel Racing) or on Instagram @tylerdippel.

Dippel tweets too. Follow him @Tyler_Dippel.




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K&N Pro Series #NASCAR


Tuesday, December 27, 2016

#NASCAR Driver’s Start Your Engines!!!

NASCAR Driver’s Start Your Engines!!!

NASCAR Race Mom feels just like Keelan Harvick. 

 

 

Only 59 more days till the Daytona 500 Keelan!

 

Kevin & Keelan Harvick - #NASCAR

 

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Will Benjamin Return to the K&N Pro Series East?

Will Benjamin Return to the K&N Pro Series East?

Kyle Finished His Season 2nd in the Points

Kyle Benjamin proved he had plenty of speed in his No. 40 Chevrolet in the #NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season finale at Dover International Speedway.


Kyle Benjamin with Ranier Racing and MDM  raced their way into Dover, D.E., for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season finale t the Dover 125 at Dover International Speedway on September 30th.

All day long, Benjamin was the car to beat. He proved he had plenty of speed in his No. 40 Chevrolet in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season finale at Dover International Speedway.

After rain washed out both practice sessions and qualifying, the field’s lineup was set by point standings, which put Benjamin starting on the outside pole. Once the green flag waved, Benjamin proved just how much speed he had. 

We have had a great year even though it has definitely had its ups and downs. - Kyle Benjamin #NASCAR


For the first forty-two laps, Benjamin rode in the second spot, quickly chasing down the leader. On lap forty-three, Benjamin took over the lead and dominated the remaining laps of the Dover 125.

A late race caution pushed the race to be 126 laps and end with a green-white-checkered, but Benjamin once again was able to pull away from the field and secure the victory. Benjamin earned his third NASCAR K&N Pro Series win and finished runner up in championship point standings. Benjamin also captured five season pole awards.

“We have had a great year even though it has definitely had its ups and downs. I wouldn’t change any of it at this point, even though we had a little bit of bad luck, we overcame that and had such a great season. Every race we ever went to, my guys always unloaded a car that was capable of contending for the win. It is so cool to be able to get the win and head to victory lane at Dover, this is definitely the coolest track on the K&N schedule and it is always a place you want to get a win. I cannot thank my team enough for all their hard work they poured into my car in the shop and on the track this season.”

NASCAR Race Mom scoured Kyle’s website (which appears to have been dormant since September) and his social media sites; however, @kylebenjamin71 's plans for 2017 are a NASCAR Mystery for the moment. Do you know if / what Kyle Benjamin will be racing in 2017? 

Getting to Know Kyle Benjamin #NASCAR



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K&N Pro Series #NASCAR


Saturday, December 24, 2016

Merry #NASCAR Christmas Eve

Merry #NASCAR Christmas Eve



A photo posted by Danica Patrick (@danicapatrick) on








How Fast Has Richard Petty Driven?

How Fast Has Richard Petty Driven?

“The King Demonstrates His Benevolence With Southern Ease”

Richard Lee Petty is best known for winning the NASCAR Championship seven times with a total of two hundred wins. #NASCAR

Richard Lee Petty is best known for winning the NASCAR Championship seven times with a total of two hundred wins. He is a second generation driver. His father, Lee Petty won the first Daytona 500 in 1959 and was himself a three-time champion.

If you are one of the minority who needed confirmation that Richard Petty is truly the “King” of NASCAR. Take a moment to enjoy this video.



NASCAR Race Mom loves the part where the King tells his little fan that he has gone two hundred and twenty miles per hour on the race track. “Wow” responds Jonah as his eyes light up with awe.


Jonah as a toddler (2011)
Jonah as a toddler (2011)
Jonah William might only be seven, but his knowledge about cars is impressive. Despondently, Jonah was born missing most of his skin from his elbows down and his knees down. His hands, feet, knees, and elbows were completely raw and bloody. His head had purple lesions across it. More importantly, the baby was in severe pain. His condition baffled his doctors at the time.

Brenner Children’s Hospital diagnosed Jonah with a very rare genetic skin disorder called Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa (JEB). There is no cure for JEB. Therefore, treatment is focused on management of blistering and prevention of secondary infections. It affects one in every 50,000 births.

A fighter from the beginning, Jonah came home from the hospital thirty-two days later. And despite all the odds, he resisted infection, malnutrition, and respiratory issues. Despite feeding issues and ultimately having to get a g-tube, he thrived at home and amazed everyone.

While there is no answer to Jonah’s disease, there is research. Retiring NASCAR Driver, Tony Stewart insisted on a low key send off in 2016, his last official season. Many fans are unaware that Stewart formed his charitable foundation in 2003 and has raised funds intended to serve three specific groups: chronically ill and physically disabled children, animals that are endangered or at-risk, and drivers injured in the sport of motor racing. 


A total of $1.8 million was given on Stewart’s behalf to the Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Partnership #NASCAR


On December 2nd, Stewart received an emotional gift from one of his favorite musicians, Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder and the entire motorsports industry. Drivers, owners and team members initially targeted a $1.4 million donation as a nod to Stewart's racing number. However, once word of the goal spread around the garage, that $1.4 million target was easily exceeded.

A total of $1.8 million was given on Stewart’s behalf to the Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Partnership -- the largest global nonprofit dedicating to curing EB.

 This is why I love NASCAR - Merry Christmas to All.

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Friday, December 23, 2016

Joey Logano Spreading Christmas Cheer

Joey Logano Spreading Christmas Cheer

Keep doing what you are doing
Hugs for Everyone

Caught Joey Logano doing some random acts of kindness by filling people’s gas tanks for Christmas.



https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/812331503732461568/vid/1280x720/-Yzwk3_BSMfBpAe3.mp4
Click on the photo for Video


Remember To Pay It Forward Where You Can – Merry Christmas



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CHAMPION'S PROFILE: Haley Finds Groove

CHAMPION'S PROFILE: Haley Finds Groove Consistency Nets Indiana Driver
Coveted K&N Pro Series East Crown

After winning the 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship, Justin Haley is eyeing a full season in the #NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
After winning the 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship,
Justin Haley is eyeing a full season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
(Streeter Lecka/NASCAR via Getty Images)
Consistency was the name of the game for Justin Haley during his march to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship this season.

Haley, from Winamac, Indiana, had a 3.4 average finish during the 14-race season that started on Feb. 14 at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway and ended Sept. 30 at Delaware’s Dover International Speedway.

The second-year driver earned 13 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes during the 14-race season along with two victories during his championship run. It was like Haley found a groove and never lost it.

In fact, that’s exactly how Haley described it.

“It was like we got in a groove and couldn’t get out of it,” Haley said when looking back on his championship year aboard the No. 5 Off Axis Paint Chevrolet. “It was kind of like we couldn’t do anything wrong. It was a pretty good groove.”


After a fifth-place finish at New Smyrna Haley finished ninth at Alabama’s Mobile Int’l Speedway, his worst finish of the 2016 campaign. Haley rebounded by picking up his first victory of the year at South Carolina’s Greenville Pickens Speedway on March 26.

Justin Haley signs a K&N Filters helmet after clinching the #NASCAR K&N Pro Series East title at Dover International Speedway.
Justin Haley signs a K&N Filters helmet after clinching the NASCAR
K&N Pro Series East title at Dover International Speedway.
(NASCAR via Getty Images)

A fourth-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway followed by a runner-up result on the road course New Jersey Motorsports Park moved Haley into the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship lead, a position he never lost for the remainder of the year.

“The consistency just kept being there,” Haley said. “Kyle Benjamin, the other points racer, just kept having bad week after bad week. So we just stayed on the lucky side. We were really consistent and fast and it all just kind of fell into our hands.”

While Haley certainly deserves some of the credit for his consistent approach to capturing the championship, he was quick to give credit to his crew chief at HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks, Shannon Rursch.

“Fourteen races ago, which was the start at New Smyrna, he had never even worked on a K&N car,” said the 17-year-old driver. “He was a new face to the K&N series. I wanted him over there. I worked with him late in the year in 2015 in the Trucks, so having him come over, he just had so much confidence in me and going to the race track with that much confidence from your crew chief is key to someone like me.

“Just having him sitting there pounding into my head that we’re going to win, we’re going to do this, that helped a ton.”

Haley ended the year with two victories on his resume, picking up trophies at Greenville Pickens and at Ohio’s Columbus Motor Speedway. He said each victory was special to him, but for very different reasons.

“Greenville was kind of bittersweet because in 2015 after the East season ended we went out West and dominated the race at Phoenix,” said Haley. “We had like a 12 second lead and had led every single lap that night and with four to go we had a rivet get caught in the right-front and that basically took the race away from us. So to win at Greenville the season after having something taken away from me that I knew I had won, it was a good personal motivator for me and the team.”

The triumph at Columbus, which closed down after the 2016 season after nearly 70 years in operation, was important to Haley because he grew up racing at the third-mile oval.

“We went to Columbus and that is kind of my home track. I grew up racing late models at Columbus, so to get the final victory there in K&N East at Columbus, that was pretty cool,” Haley said.


With the championship in his back pocket, Haley has turned his attention to the future. He recently announced plans to step up to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with reigning series champions GMS Racing.

It’s an opportunity that Haley, who has made six career Truck Series starts, knows could catapult his career to new heights.

“I’m pumped. There is no other team I’d rather be with than GMS Racing,” Haley said. “It’s cool to go over there to GMS and see what they’re doing and see all the technology.
“It’s kind of cool to move up the ladder. I’m very thankful I got the opportunity. I’m just trying to enjoy it and take it all in. It’s definitely cool to be in such great Truck equipment and have this kind of opportunity.”

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K&N Pro Series #NASCAR


Thursday, December 22, 2016

Raz Works To Finalize 2017 Plans

Raz Works To Finalize 2017 Plans

Gracin Finished His 2016 #KNWest Season 5th in the Points

Raz Works To Finalize 2017 Plans #NASCAR
While he made his K&N Pro Series West debut at Evergreen Speedway on August 16, 2014, Raz  began racing the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West full-time in 2015. He earned his first (and only) series victory at All American Speedway in October 2015. He won that race from pole.

Fast forward to 2016, where mechanical issues challenged the start of his season; Gracin was on an forceful path forward and finished inside the top-five in eight consecutive races from May 21 to September 10.

Unfortunately, a crash in the series season finale, resulted in a point’s slip from fourth to fifth by a mere four points. He ended the season at All American Speedway with an eighteenth place DNF.

“This year was definitely about keeping our chin up,” said Raz. “The entire Jefferson Pitts Racing team worked hard to give me a fast car and as a team, we became stronger and better each race. While there is no doubt I wanted to be a championship contender heading into the last race of the season like I was in ’15, I wanted most to bring home the title for my team that ultimately deserves this level of recognition.”

Raz Works To Finalize 2017 Plans #NASCAR

While Raz works to finalize plans for 2017, NASCAR Race Mom looks forward to monitoring his progress next year.



Raz Works To Finalize 2017 Plans #NASCAR
Note: In 2013 Gracin was inspired to help his weight training coach after hearing about the struggles his family faced raising a child diagnosed with CP. From that moment forward, Gracin has raced whenever possible to help lift the hearts of children facing adversity.

In 2014 he raced for five children and raised close to $1500 to donate. Gracin also got his friends to join his efforts by creating the Get UP! Driver’s program where three of his closest friends race to make a difference.

“Knowing I’m racing for a child makes each lap I turn matter that much more to me and my team.” – Gracin Raz



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K&N Pro Series #NASCAR


Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Will Landauer Return To The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West?

Will Landauer Return To The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West?

Julia Finished Her 2016 #KNWest Season 4th in the Points

Will Landauer Return To The #NASCAR K&N Pro Series West?
Julia Landauer first experienced the thrill of racing in a go-kart at the age of 10 on a “very cold November day” at Oakland Valley Race Park, a track in Cuddebackville, New York, about two hours north of her home in Manhattan.

NASCAR Race Mom has featured her quite a bit on this blog in the last couple of months. However, since she captured the spotlight in her rookie season in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West in 2016, another post was in order.

Ms. Landauer’s fourth-place finish in the championship standings, was the best ever by a female in the K&N Pro Series - East or West. During the season, she finished second at Meridian Speedway - matching the best finish by a female in the K&N Pro Series. Although a rookie, Landauer turned in the performance of a veteran, with seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes in 14 series starts. 


Will Landauer Return To The #NASCAR K&N Pro Series West?


Landauer is also a graduate of Stanford University, with a degree in Science, Technology and Society. She was also a cast member on the TV series "Survivor" in the season that aired in 2013. Her hobbies include: Exploring outdoors, jigsaw puzzles, painting, dancing. Her favorite sports include NASCAR & other auto racing.

Did you know that that at the young age of fourteen, Julia became the first female champion in the thirty-one year history of the Skip Barber Racing Series!

NBC Sports recently ask the racer, “What happened to the Formula One dream?”

Will Landauer Return To The #NASCAR K&N Pro Series West?Landauer: It was interesting because I started in road courses, won the Skip Barber championship, did Formula BMW. Then after that I had seen that one of my competitors in go-karts – we were both at a national Skip Barber race – we (had been) pretty equal in go-karts. Then the Skip Barber race was in the rain and he just smoked everybody and I was like ‘Why the hell did he smoke everybody? He didn’t get that much better since go-karting.’ Then I found out that he had done some oval racing and so originally I wanted to make my road course skills better by going out and doing oval racing for a little bit and getting that car control.

Then once I did that I kind of fell in love with oval racing. I think now it’s still the case in terms of technically driving a race track, I like road courses better, I think there’s a lot more to them in that sense. But when it comes to racing, head-to-head competition, it’s hard to beat oval racing and just being so close to all the cars all the time, there are only four corners so everything has to be perfect. Sometime it’s frustrating because I think the car needs to be that much more perfect in oval racing than road course racing. It was just a natural progression. But part of it also goes back to understanding as someone who is not a trust fund kid who is trying to build up a brand in racing, NASCAR is definitely a bigger market in the U.S.




While NASCAR Race Mom could not locate any confirmation that Ms. Landauer is to return to the K&N Pro Series; hopefully she will and capture that all important first win and mayhap a championship.



Related Posts:

  1. Gragson To Drive For Kyle Busch Motorsports
  2. Will Partridge Return to the K&N Pro Series West?
  3. Gilliland and BMR Expand Horizons For 2017
  4. Julia Landauer Not Just A Survivor
  5. 2017 Schedule For #NASCAR K&N Pro Series


Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Gragson To Drive For Kyle Busch Motorsports

Gragson To Drive For Kyle Busch Motorsports In 2017

Noah Finished His 2016 #KNWest Season 3nd in the Points

Gragson To Drive For Kyle Busch Motorsports In 2017 #NASCAR


Noah Gragson  began his racing journey on the famous Las Vegas Bullring that produced NASCAR star and Gragson’s future boss Kyle Busch.  After competing in the Legends division in 2014 and later racing in the Super Late Models, Noah earned first K&N West victory on May 2, 2015 at Tucson Speedway, in only his third K&N Pro Series start and on his way to the Rookie of the Year Award. 

Gragson To Drive For Kyle Busch Motorsports In 2017 #NASCAR

This year, his two wins plus eight top-five and thirteen top-ten finishes netted him third place in the K&N Pro Series West 2016 Championship.

Gragson also won two K&N Pro Series East races – at Stafford Motor Speedway and New Jersey Motorsports Park. Despite the fact he missed a race, he finished fifth in the East Championship.

The NASCAR Next  member Noah Gragson, also ran the final two Camping World Truck Series races of the 2016 season at Phoenix and Homestead-Miami Speedway finishing sixteenth and fifteenth respectively.

Kyle Busch Motorsports announced in October, that Noah was selected to drive full time for the organization in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2017.

Since debuting in 2010, Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) has quickly established itself as one of the most successful teams in all of NASCAR. Owned by 2015 Cup Series champion Kyle Busch and fueled by his passion for winning, the organization holds Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (56), most wins in a single season (14 in 2014) and most Owner’s Championships (five). Erik Jones earned the organization it’s first-ever Driver’s Championship in 2015. 


Gragson To Drive For Kyle Busch Motorsports In 2017 #NASCAR

“It’s hard to believe that about four years ago I toured Kyle Busch Motorsports as a young fan and aspiring driver in awe of the massive trophy collection, how immaculate the shop was and getting the chance to meet Darrell Wallace Jr. — now just a short time later I’m going to be competing for them full time in the Camping World Truck Series,” Gragson said. “The last few years KBM has developed some of the best young talent in all of NASCAR and I know that I’m going to be stepping into fast Toyota Tundras that are capable of running up front, competing for wins and that if I’m able to do my part that I’ll be able to add to the trophy cases I gazed into not long ago. As an up-and-coming driver that is all I can ask for as I try to continue my climb up the racing ladder with the ultimate goal of one day following in Kyle’s path from Las Vegas to the Cup Series.

Best of luck Noah.




Related Posts:

  1. Will Partridge Return to the K&N Pro Series West?
  2. Gilliland and BMR Expand Horizons For 2017
  3. Julia Landauer Not Just A Survivor
  4. 2017 Schedule For #NASCAR K&N Pro Series
  5. BMR Teams Honored In NASCAR Night Of Champions Awards Ceremony