NASCAR National Series News & Notes – Atlanta

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

Logano Aims For Rare 2-fer

Joey Logano followed up his career-year of 2014 with a stirring win in the Daytona 500, becoming the second youngest driver to win the Great American Race at 24 years old.

Now he looks to accomplish another rare feat: Back-to-back wins in the season’s first two races. It’s only happened five times since the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ inception in 1949, the last by Matt Kenseth in 2009. The five drivers to do it: Marvin Panch (1957), Bob Welborn (1959), David Pearson (1976), Jeff Gordon (1997) and Kenseth.

Logano has a fair chance at joining that group. Though he’s struggled at Atlanta in Sprint Cup competition (one top 10 in eight starts – a second in 2013), he has excelled at 1.5-mile tracks lately. Last year, two of his five wins came on tracks of that length (Texas and Kansas).

Kahne Kan

On the outside looking into the Chase Grid heading into Atlanta last year, Kasey Kahne desperately needed a win in one of the final two regular season races to qualify for NASCAR’s playoffs – the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

And he got it, coming through with one of the highlights of 2014.

Kahne seized the lead with two laps left in the race and sped to Victory Lane, punching his ticket to the Chase.

With a repeat Atlanta win in Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, Kahne can race pressure free until the Chase opener on Sept. 20 at Chicagoland Speedway. He boasts three victories at Atlanta Motor Speedway – his second-most at any track – in addition to two poles, seven top fives and nine top 10s.

Kahne finished ninth in last weekend’s Daytona 500.

The End Of The Beginning

Jeff Gordon goes back to where it all began this weekend for perhaps his final race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Gordon made his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut in the 1992 season finale at AMS, sprouting a storied career highlighted by four championships and 92 wins entering his last full-time campaign. The No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports driver placed 29th in the Hooters 500 that November afternoon, a finish he has rarely replicated since.

Gordon leads all active full-time drivers with five wins in his 41 starts at AMS. He also boasts 16 top fives (39%). 26 top 10s (63.4%) and two poles.

The 43-year-old last won at Atlanta in 2011.

Bounce-back Race For Keselowski?

A rare blown engine ended Brad Keselowski’s Daytona 500 after 160 of 203 laps.

There’s good news and bad news. The good news: Engine issues are incredibly rare for the Roush-Yates Engines that power Team Penske’s No. 2. This was only the second blown engine for Keselowski since joining Penske fulltime in 2010. The bad news: The first one came in 2013 at Atlanta, site of this weekend’s race.

Still, here’s the only news that really matters for Keselowski: A win cures everything under the new format that sets the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field. Atlanta might not be the best bet, however. He’s suffered DNFs in each of the last two races, and in three of his six starts.

Stewart’s Early Wreck? Meh

Clearly, this wasn’t the finish that Tony Stewart wanted.

An early-race wreck relegated Stewart to a 42nd-place finish and extended his winless streak in the Daytona 500 to 17 races. Still, it wasn’t his worst finish ever in the Great American Race (he’s finished last, twice). And, in all likelihood, he’s never going to catch Dave Marcis’ record of 33 Daytona 500 starts without a win. There are bright sides all over the place.

And though he wrecked out of last year’s Atlanta race and finished 41st, that’s just one blip in an otherwise strong career for Stewart at Atlanta. In 27 starts, Stewart has three wins and 15 top 10s.

Gaughan, Moffitt Make First Starts Of 2015

Brendan Gaughan and Brett Moffitt. So many differences, but one similarity as the series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Brett Moffitt is a 22-year-old rising star from Grimes, Iowa – population: 9,335.

Brendan Gaughan is a 39-year-old from Las Vegas, Nevada – population 603,488. Heck, the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas has almost as many rooms (7,117) as Grimes has people.

Moffitt has nine career NASCAR national series starts. Gaughan has 168, including a full NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season in 2004.

The similarity: Both will attempt to make their first start of 2015 at Atlanta this weekend. Still, it’s under completely different circumstances.

Moffitt is making a spot start in the No. 55 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota before Brian Vickers returns in Las Vegas next week. His best finish was a 22nd at Dover last year, when he started seven races in the No. 66 Toyota.

Gaughan is scheduled to run the remaining 35 races in the No. 62 Chevrolet for Premium Motorsports in 2015. Brian Scott failed to qualify the car for the Daytona 500. Gaughan’s last start came in 2013, a 33rd place finish at Michigan.

Back To the Future: History Meets Present At Atlanta

It’s known as one of the greatest races in NASCAR history, and for good reason.

The 1992 season-ending Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway was the final race for NASCAR icon and inaugural NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty – and the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race for sure-fire NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon.

Between those two subplots was the six-way championship battle that went down to the final lap.  Local hero, and 2015 Hall of Fame inductee, Bill Elliott won the race, but couldn’t gain enough points to win his second championship. Instead, underdog Alan Kulwicki drove his self-owned Ford to a runner-up finish and his only championship. Last Friday, Kulwicki was voted as a new nominee for possible induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016.

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

Roush Fenway Racing Off To A Fast Start

Ryan Reed and Chris Buescher’s performance on NASCAR’s biggest stage was incomparable.  Their 1-2 finish puts the spotlight squarely on the young Roush Fenway Racing drivers as the series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway.

At 21 years of age, Reed not only has all the attributes of a young superstar, but also the qualities to be an inspiration for young people with health challenges all over the world. Four years ago Reed was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and was told by doctors he would never race again.  Through perseverance and a very stringent diet and lifestyle he was able to work his way back to competition and ultimately win at Daytona International Speedway.

Reed has made one start at Atlanta, starting 12th and finishing 18th. He has a pre-race driver rating of 66.9 and an average running position of 20.2 heading into Atlanta.

Chris Buescher led the series in pre-race driver rating heading into Daytona this past weekend and backed it up with a second-place finish. He has made two starts at Atlanta, posting his best finish (13th-place) last season. Buescher has a pre-race driver rating of 82.1 and an average running position of 14.0 at Atlanta.

NASCAR Drive for Diversity Crew Member Shines in Daytona

Ryan Reed wasn’t the only winner on Saturday. Kevin Richardson, front tire carrier on the No. 16 Ford, is a graduate of the NASCAR Drive For Diversity Crew Member Development program. The wins was Richardson’s first in NASCAR national series competition.

He is a former starting running back for the Appalachian State Mountaineers for the 2005-2007 seasons and holds school records for the most career rushing yards (4,804), the most rushing yards in a single season (1,676 in 2006), the highest career all-purpose yardage (6,104), and the most rushing touchdowns in a single season (30 in 2006).  Richardson was a key contributor to three seasons of unprecedented success for the Mountaineers.  Additionally, he scored multiple touchdowns in all three of the team’s FCS championship victories, and rushed for 88 yards in the Mountaineers’ 34-32 upset victory over the then No. 5 Michigan Wolverines.

Dillon’s Championship Focus Is Unwavering

Twenty-two year old Ty Dillon has entered this season with a chip on his shoulder and the only cure – a NASCAR XFINITY Series title.

Dillon closed out 2014 finishing third in the series standings, after posting one win (Indianapolis), seven top fives, 24 top 10s and an average finish of 9.5.

This season, Dillon knows he will need to win races to reach his championship goal.

Dillon made his first series start at Atlanta last season starting 14th and finishing ninth. He also won a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race from the pole at Atlanta in 2012.  His pre-race driver rating is 99.2 and his average running position is 8.0 at Atlanta.

Veteran David Starr’s Daytona Finish Career Best Season Start

Veteran driver David Starr kicked off 2015 in stellar fashion driving the TriStar Motorsports No. 44 to a sixth-place finish at Daytona – a career best for Starr in the NXS season opener.

Starr has made two series starts at Atlanta finishing 27th both times.

Wheelmen Stack Atlanta XFINITY Series Entry List

It’s no surprise the fans love to see the biggest stars in NASCAR and this weekend will be no exception. Six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers – Matt Kenseth, Paul Menard, Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick, Sam Hornish Jr. and the 2015 Daytona 500 champion Joey Logano – are all scheduled to join the NASCAR XFINITY Series this weekend in the Hisense 250 at Atlanta.

The last two NXS races at Atlanta have been won in dominant fashion by 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick. Harvick is tied with Mark Martin for the series’ most wins at Atlanta with three each.

Sunoco Rookie Spotlight: Chastain, Wallace Jr. Out Front Early

Ross Chastain: Fort Myers, Florida native Ross Chastain currently leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by three points over Darrell Wallace Jr. following his impressive performance in the season opener at Daytona.

The savvy 22 year-old, Chastain, drove his No. 4 JD Motorsports Chevrolet from 21st to fourth, and is now fifth in the overall NASCAR XFINITY Series standings, just 12 points behind the standings leader Ryan Reed.

This will be Chastain’s series debut at Atlanta this weekend. However, he is familiar with the track; he made a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start there in 2012, starting 16th and finishing 20th.

Darrell Wallace Jr.: Hot off a four-win season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2014, Darrell Wallace Jr. continues to be a top prospect for not only the Sunoco Rookie of the Year but also a series championship in 2015.

Last weekend, Wallace started 26th and battled his way to the front, ultimately leading 18 laps before finishing 12th. Wallace will be making his NASCAR national series debut at Atlanta this weekend.

XFINITY Lineup Enhances NASCAR Fan Experience

To kick off the 2015 NASCAR season, Comcast has made additions to its X1 Entertainment Operating System that will enhance the viewing experience for NASCAR fans. The company has added new NASCAR content to its XFINITY On Demand platform and expanded its X1 Sports App to include scheduling information for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Available to all X1 customers, the X1 Sports app gives viewers the opportunity to tune directly to network race broadcasts or an option to set a recording for later viewing. NASCAR and Comcast will work together on future enhancements of the app that may include content such as race-specific data including leaderboards, live news feed / ticker and schedules.

XFINITY On Demand now provides highlights of the 10 most exciting Daytona 500 races of all time, and will continue to be updated as the season progresses with race highlights, upcoming race previews, garage cams and more.

For more information, visit http://corporate.comcast.com/xfinityseries.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.:

Hometown Heroes: Four drivers entered in this weekend’s NASCAR XFINITY Series event call Georgia their home state: 2014 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion Chase Elliott (Dawsonville), Jon Wes Townley (Watkinsville), Ryan Sieg (Tucker) and Chris Cockrum (Conyers).

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

Guess Who’s Back?

Tell your friends.

After a two-year hiatus, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 28 (5:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1). Ty Dillon, the 2013 series runner-up is expected to be the only previous winner returning for the Hyundai Construction 200 and is also the latest driver to capture a victory at the track (8/31/12). The Truck Series has not raced at Atlanta in March since 2010 when Kevin Harvick took the checkered flag from the fourth starting spot. Kyle Busch holds the NCWTS record with four wins at AMS.

ReddickULOUS

Tyler Reddick launched his 2015 season with flair, leading a race-high 46 laps to win the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway for his first NASCAR national series victory. It was just the 18th start for the 19-year-old Californian, who will run a full schedule this season for Brad Keselowski Racing.

Following the race, Reddick received about 150 text messages in a 20-minute span, an occurrence he described as “unreal.”

Reddick will continue to chase his goal of a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship by competing in Saturday’s Hyundai Construction 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Crafton Returns To Truck After Sprint Cup Series Debut

Fresh off his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut – an 18th-place Daytona 500 finish as a sub for Kyle Busch – Matt Crafton will transition back to his No. 88 Toyota Tundra from the No. 18 Toyota Camry.

Crafton began his quest for a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series “three-peat” with a strong eighth-place finish in the Daytona opener before flying back to the “World Center of Racing” from North Carolina to drive for his injured friend/NCWTS counterpart.

“There’s nothing like getting a phone call at 7 o’clock at night, saying you’re going to race in the Daytona 500 tomorrow, are you ready? ‘Oh I’m absolutely ready, I’ve been waiting for this my whole life,’” Crafton said.

Fun fact: Crafton was a groomsman at Busch’s wedding.

Jones Tries To Continue KBM Dominance At 1.5-Mile Tracks

Kyle Busch Motorsports reigned supreme at 1.5-mile tracks in 2014, winning seven of the eight races of that distance on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series slate.

Erik Jones, who took the checkered flag at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas race last fall, will attempt to carry KBM’s 1.5-mile dominance to 2015 in Saturday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The 18-year-old No. 4 Toyota Tundra driver is coming off a runner-up finish in the season opener at Daytona in only his second superspeedway start and has his sights set on a championship run.

Also competing for KBM this weekend are Daniel Suarez and Justin Boston. Suarez and Boston finished ninth and 29th, respectively, last Friday at Daytona.

Georgia On My Mind

Red Horse Racing Owner Tom DeLoach, a Peach State native and Georgia Tech graduate, brings his team back to his home for the second race of its 11th season.

The 30-year veteran of Mobil Oil Corporation, who retired in 2000 as its president of global midstream, fell in love with racing while serving as the coordinator of Mobil’s motorsports program. Upon retiring, DeLoach served as a partner and later a consultant with Team Penske’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team. Interested in team ownership, he bought into CleanLine Motorsports in 2005 and changed its name to Red Horse Racing.

Behind drivers, such as Timothy Peters, Todd Bodine, David Starr and Parker Kligerman, RHR has compiled 13 wins, 86 top fives, 181 top 10s and 11 poles since DeLoach began the organization. Its highest championship finish was a second-place showing by its Peters-powered No. 11 truck in 2012.

Other NCWTS figures making their Georgia homecoming this weekend include drivers: John Wes Townley (Watkinsville), Korbin Forrister (Cedartown), Ryan Sieg (Tucker), Garrett Smithley (Peachtree City) and Wendell Chavous (Hephzibah).

Robust Rookie Race

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has long been a proving ground for young drivers to test their talents against grizzled veterans. This season is no exception.

Eleven drivers are in contention for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this year.

In only the first race of the season, three of the top five drivers at Daytona were Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidates: Erik jones (second), Austin Theriault (fourth) and Ray Black Jr. (fifth).

Fellow rookies Korbin Forrister (12th at Daytona), Spencer Gallagher (21st), Daniel Hemric (26) and Justin Boston (29th) will attempt to catch up to the pack this Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

NASCAR Home Tracks Outlook

NASCAR’s future was on full display at New Smyrna Speedway’s 49th Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. The nine-night event ran at the .48-mile high-banked NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track in conjunction with the 2015 Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway.

Christopher Bell, 20, won his first NASCAR Super Late Model race on Saturday night in the Bruce Gowland Memorial 100 finale. The Norman, Oklahoma, driver won 24 times last year in open-wheel Midget competition and raced three times at the World Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Runner-up Harrison Burton, 14, picked up a pair of wins on the week. They were the first two NASCAR Super Late Model wins for the son of former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Burton. Zane Smith, 15, claimed the World Series title for the Super Late Model Division on the strength of one win and an average finish of 5.8 over the seven races. In addition, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East driver David Garbo Jr., 18, had a win and 17-year-old Natalie Decker, who will run a Late Model for NASCAR Drive for Diversity and Rev Racing this year, had four top 10s.

Dalton Armstrong, 20, won the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Division II Pro Late Model title. Armstrong, a former USAC Midget Car driver, is the younger brother of NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Dakoda Armstrong. NASCAR Next driver and 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ryan Preece, 24, won the World Series title for the tour-type Modifieds. Preece had four wins, including the extra-distance finale — the Richie Evans Memorial 100 on Friday.

Images Courtesy: NASCAR/Getty Images