All angles: See the new look No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy for Chase ElliottChase Elliott’s primary NAPA Auto Parts paint scheme carries a blue-centric look for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. NAPA serves as the No. 9 team's primary partner and has a 26-race majority sponsorship. See all the views of the ride for the upcoming year.
LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ today announced the Club will join forces with AdventHealth in 2024 to field the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE for driver Erik Jones in six NASCAR Cup Series races including the season-opening 2024 DAYTONA 500. Additionally, AdventHealth will compete in three events with seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson behind the wheel of the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE at Texas Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, and in the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway in 2024.
“We are thrilled to partner with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and drivers Erik Jones and Jimmie Johnson and are looking forward to a winning 2024 race season. AdventHealth has been a sponsor in the sport since 2015 and we appreciate the opportunity to provide care for this team and the passionate NASCAR fan base. Together we can make a tremendous impact in our communities and ensure more people have the opportunity to access whole-person care,” said Terry Shaw, president/CEO for AdventHealth. The announcement came as Jones and the No. 43 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team participated in a NASCAR test session at Phoenix Raceway on Dec. 5 and 6. This day marks the inaugural on-track outing for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB since its manufacturer switched from Chevrolet to Toyota. With more than 50 hospitals in nine states, racetracks like Daytona International Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, and Atlanta Motor Speedway are all located within an AdventHealth market and near an AdventHealth facility. “This is a great partnership for me on the professional and personal level,” said Jones. “Healthcare is one of my key pillars in the Erik Jones Foundation and when I met with the leadership of AdventHealth our values aligned instantly. I hope we can forge a great path together in this new relationship and do many things to positively impact the community both around the tracks and across the U.S.” “This is a wonderful day for LEGACY M.C.,” said co-owner Johnson. “AdventHealth believes health should be measured in terms of the whole person — body, mind and spirit. This partnership is a natural fit for our Club and I know we will do great things together. I can’t wait for this season to get started.” In addition to the race team sponsorship, AdventHealth has enjoyed a relationship with the Daytona track since 2015. As the Official Healthcare Partner of Daytona International Speedway, AdventHealth cares for more than 6,000 patients each year on-site. In addition, the faith-based not-for-profit healthcare system serves as the Official Health Care Provider for Kansas Speedway and the inaugural Chicago Street Course, which took place in July of this year. 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. The 2024 NASCAR season kicks off on Feb. 4, 2024, at the L.A. Coliseum with the “Clash” exhibition event, followed two weeks later with 2024 Daytona Speedweeks presented by AdventHealth on Feb. 14 with DAYTONA 500 qualifying. -Legacy Motor Club UPDATE 2: In a move that expands its global motorsports presence, Trackhouse Entertainment Group owner Justin Marks announced today his organization will field a MotoGP World Championship team beginning in the 2024 season. The newly formed team will be managed by Trackhouse Entertainment Group from Nashville, Tennessee but operate in Noale, Italy in an alliance with motorcycle manufacturer Aprilia and the Piaggio Group. A team presentation unveiling riders, corporate partners and livery will be held at a later date. “This is a monumental moment for Trackhouse Entertainment Group,” said the 42-year-old Marks. “It has been in the ethos of Trackhouse since the very first day to put in the work, have the vision, and deploy the enthusiasm and passion necessary to build one of the most valuable motorsports entertainment companies in the world. Our entry into the MotoGP World Championship is another step in the execution of that vision.” The 75-year-old FIM MotoGP World Championship is the premier motorcycle racing series in the world with eleven teams each fielding two riders. The 2024 schedule includes 22 races in 19 countries across five continents, The season begins on March 10 in Qatar with an American race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on April 14. Trackhouse Entertainment Group is the owner of Trackhouse Racing’s NASCAR team, which operates out of Concord, North Carolina. After a full-time driving career in sports cars and NASCAR, Marks founded Trackhouse Racing in 2020 and started fielding Chevrolets in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2021. The new team has enjoyed success on track. Daniel Suárez became the first Mexican driver to win a Cup Series race when he visited victory lane in 2022, New Zealander and three-time Supercar champion Shane van Gisbergen won at Chicago in his debut Cup race on July 2 and American Ross Chastain finished second in the standings in 2022 and posted four victories including the 2023 Cup Series season finale on Nov. 5. Marks brought 2007 Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen to NASCAR and Trackhouse Racing in 2022 and 2023 as part of the team’s PROJECT91 program created to give international stars a chance to compete in the sport. It was the same program that led to van Gisbergen’s win in Chicago. Off the track, Trackhouse Racing as a brand has proven itself as a progressive, marketing-minded team, reimagining how the sport is presented to its fans, media partners and sponsors. It brought in international entertainment superstar Pitbull as a team partner, created a new style of team clothing, increased digital presence to fans and created live entertainment at racetracks throughout the season. “We feel that MotoGP is perfectly positioned for massive growth in the coming years not only in the United States, but internationally,” Marks said. “It has all the ingredients necessary to continue its rise to global prominence: a thrilling on-track product, aspirational stars, unmatched fan and partner experience, and an environment that’s fan-friendly and welcoming.” Trackhouse Racing will be the only American team in the MotoGP class, but the USA boasts a long list of successful riders including Eddie Lawson, Kenny Roberts, Freddie Spencer, Wayne Rainey, Kevin Schwantz, Kenny Roberts Jr, Freddie Spencer, Randy Mamola, Colin Edwards and the late Nicky Hayden. The arrival of the Trackhouse Racing Team into MotoGP in 2024 brings American motorcycle racing back to the pinnacle of the sport. With its close partnership with Aprilia, as its official factory supported team, Trackhouse Racing is determined to be a competitive force for the future. -Trackhouse Racing Trackhouse Entertainment Group has bought one of the 11 grid slots in MotoGP, a gamble by the NASCAR team to further vault its global ambitions into the highest echelons of motorsport. Trackhouse has bought the slot previously held by the CryptoData RNF MotoGP Team, and it will be on the grid starting with the 2024 season. Team owner Justin Marks has flown to Italy, where motorcycle manufacturer Aprilia is based, and Trackhouse is due to officially announce the move there later today as part of an interview with Sky Italia. In an interview with SBJ, Marks would only say that the price to buy the MotoGP slot was far less than it would take to buy a NASCAR charter currently, which is about $40M. But a person familiar with the matter said that the buy-in fee in MotoGP is a high seven-figure amount. MotoGP is somewhat comparable to F1 before the pandemic in that it’s a globally popular racing series and is seeking ways to grow in the U.S. The deal came together after Marks traveled with NASCAR exec Ben Kennedy to a MotoGP race at the Red Bull Ring in Austria in August. Marks said he went on the trip just to get a sense of the business of MotoGP, but he was “impressed and blown away by it and that’s where things started to lead down a path to where we are today.” MotoGP has not had a proper full-time team owned by an American since 2007. Marks has been in Europe in recent days meeting with the team’s two drivers, Miguel Oliveira of Portugal and Raul Fernandez of Spain. The team will continue to be a customer of the Aprilia company, which sells motorcycles around the world including in the U.S. It’s in conversations with sponsors and hopes to have deals announced by the start of the 2024 season in March. Marks said of his decision to enter MotoGP: “When you look at all the economics around it, I believe it’s one of the most valuable motorsport championships when you compare the price to play versus the reach, exposure and global engagement with fans. The value of it is so high that it was a pretty easy decision to try to do everything to get on the grid. It’s the second most consumed form of motorsport in the world behind F1 and the hosting and hospitality is at the level of F1 but the quality of the racing is as good as anything on the planet. The riders are aspirational stars and there’s 50 million social media followers and 430 million TV viewers globally with an average attendance of 127,000 on a weekend. You look at all those data and metrics and compare them with the cost to compete and it was a no-brainer for us.” MotoGP Chief Commercial Officer Dan Rossomondo said that the addition of Trackhouse is a “significant step for us” as the series tries to grow in the U.S. “It’s going to be one of many we’ll try to take advantage of but this is a significant one because obviously they have a connection to what is the preeminnent motorsport in the U.S. I would say, and all the numbers prove out, that they’re going to be able to bring some business acumen and marketing expertise to our sport and they’re going to push us because (the U.S.) is their home market.” Trackhouse’s talks to enter MotoGP were first reported by GPOne.com and The-Race.com. -Sports Business Journal
As Chris Buescher hits the track for two days of testing at Phoenix Raceway this week, RFK and Fastenal unveils its new and improved Fastenal scheme for Buescher’s 2024 No. 17 Ford, the first unveil of its kind among the Ford Performance teams.
“First off, we’re thankful to Fastenal’s continued years of dedication to our race team and our continued success,” said Buescher, who has four wins in the last two NASCAR Cup Series seasons. “Fans across the country have grown to recognize and appreciate the iconic Fastenal blue scheme, and we’re excited to roll out a new look on that car this week in Phoenix. 2024 is already off and running, and we can’t wait to officially hit the track next February.” Ford will have a familiar yet fresh look in 2024 as the Mustang Dark Horse heads to the top level of NASCAR. The street model of the Dark Horse was unveiled as a street car in late 2022, marking the seventh generation of the Mustang nameplate. Now, the improved look features a sleek new nose on the front end, coupled with character lines that stretch from the fenders to the door. RFK is the first known team in the NCS to unveil a 2024 scheme on the new Ford body. Fastenal enters its 14th season as a partner of RFK in 2024 with Buescher behind the wheel for his ninth Cup season. He advanced to the Round of 8 in this season’s NASCAR Playoffs, and ultimately finished seventh in the final points standings, setting career highs in every statistical category. The two-day Phoenix test gets underway Tuesday morning with six cars on track, and Buescher joining 2023 NASCAR Cup Champion Ryan Blaney as the two Ford participants. Stay tuned to @RFKRacing on social for coverage from Phoenix. -RFK Racing
With over 27 years of applied experience, spanning from General Motors to leading some of the most iconic race teams on the starting grid, Duchardt is one of the sport’s most accomplished individuals and brings a championship pedigree to the organization’s Mooresville, N.C., base of operations.
He holds a Bachelor of Science and an Honorary Professional Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology, a Master of Science in Engineering from Purdue University, and an Advanced Certificate for Executives from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management. “As Spire Motorsports continues to grow, it’s important to add impactful personnel at every level,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson. “I’ve known and had a close personal relationship with Doug Duchardt for nearly 20 years. Doug’s resume and body of work speaks for itself. Having him on staff raises our competitive bar immediately. He brings a results-based work ethic to our team that will pay immediate dividends. Our expectations for the impact his presence will make across our entire organization cannot be overstated. He has a rich history with General Motors which has resulted in close and deep personal relationships at the manufacturer level and positions him firmly at the intersection of our crucial relationships with both Hendrick Motorsports and Trackhouse Racing.” Duchardt comes to Spire Motorsports from Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) where he’s spent the last six years, first as chief operating officer and most recently as executive consultant. In his role as executive consultant, Duchardt served as the liaison between CGR and General Motors in establishing the team’s European facility for Cadillac’s sportscar world endurance program, most notably competing in Sebring (Fla.), Portugal, Spa (Belgium), LeMans, Monza, Fuji and Bahrain. Aside from Ganassi’s world-renowned sportscar operation, Duchardt handled team strategist duties at the 2022 Indianapolis 500 effort where he charted Tony Kanaan to a third-place finish. As COO, he was responsible for all components of competition and business development across the entire organization, including NASCAR, Indy Car and IMSA operations. In addition to strategic initiatives, Duchardt was charged with navigating and finalizing negotiations with CGR’s corporate partners. By the end of his tenure, the Morton, Ill., native played a central role in four IndyCar championships, including a victory in the 2022 Indianapolis 500. On the sportscar side of the business, he played key roles in wins in the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Last season, Duchardt was instrumental in CGR’s podium finish at the famed 24 Hours of LeMans. “I have been impressed with Spire Motorsports’ incremental growth since its inception,” said Duchardt. “It’s an exciting opportunity to join the team as we work toward increased competitiveness in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Walking into the facility you can feel the enthusiasm and energy. I am also looking forward to working with my previous teammates at Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing and Hendrick Motorsports as Spire prepares for the 2024 season.” Prior to his time at the helm of Ganassi’s racing endeavors, he spent 12 years with Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) – NASCAR’s standard bearer - where he was Vice President of Development before transitioning to Executive Vice President and General Manager, directing all phases of competition. During his time with HMS, Duchardt oversaw seven NCS championships, including a one-two-three title finish in 2009 with drivers Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon. Meanwhile, Hendrick Motorsports-built engines won nine of 12 championships during his tenure. In his role with Spire Motorsports, Duchardt will be responsible for oversight across the entire organization including competition, personnel and business operations. -Spire Motorsports
12/4/2023 Update:
Fox Sport’s Bob Pockrass confirms that former NASCAR Driver turned spotter Tim Fedewa will spot for Ryan Blaney in 2024. Most recently Fedewa has been the spotter for now retired Kevin Harvick.
Original Post:
2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Spotter Josh Williams announces after 9 years at Team Penske he is moving on in 2024.
Josh does have ties to driver Zane Smith in the truck series so it is possible he will spot for Zane as he moves up to Cup in 2024. Zane Smith will be driving the No. 71 for Spire Motorsports with a strong alliance with Trackhouse Racing for the 2024 season,
New Logo Unveiled Along with Plans to Celebrate Legacy with Fans
LEVEL CROSS, N.C. (December 4, 2023) – The Petty family will celebrate 75 years of racing in 2024. Off the cusp of NASCAR’s own diamond anniversary in 2023, the Petty family will now highlight their own memories from their first 75 years, which began in 1949. Lee Petty, the family patriarch, and his wife Elizabeth began their stock car business after Lee learned NASCAR was hosting its first sanctioned race in Charlotte, N.C. Lee finished 17th that summer day and began an enterprise spanning across four generations. Over the past seven decades, the Petty family helped define the sport. From behind the wheel and under the hood, to the garage and front office, the Petty’s paved the way and gave opportunities to many individuals – drivers, crew chiefs, mechanics, fabricators and more – to hone their skills and go on to become leaders in their respective trades. Their innovation, dedication, philanthropy and passion helped grow NASCAR into a national sport, all while staying true to their small-town roots. Their legacy has left countless memories, stories and tales to share with fans for years to come. “My father is a walking encyclopedia of NASCAR,” said Kyle Petty. “He was there with my grandfather, grandmother and uncle Maurice at the first NASCAR race in Charlotte in 1949 and our family has been going ever since. There isn’t anything our family hasn’t seen in NASCAR.” “75 years in the sport is an incredible milestone for our family, especially when it all began as a family business,” said “The King” Richard Petty. “Spending 2024, celebrating the success and contributions to the sport of racing that started with my mom and dad, then my brother Maurice, cousin Dale Inman, then to Kyle, Timmy, Ritchie, Mark, onto Adam and now Thad. We are all looking forward to sharing these stories with the fans.” Ritchie Petty, son of Maurice, has seen the Petty family evolve in the sport. “It’s special because it took the whole family to make it all work with such a huge amount of success,” said Ritchie. “Nobody in the family was more important than any other and from my grandfather to my dad and all my cousins, we felt involved in the success and the growth of the Petty family and NASCAR.” The Petty’s 75th Anniversary in racing includes the debut of a new commemorative logo that will be featured prominently next year at all Petty-related events and at the track on all LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ race cars in 2024. The year-long celebration will also include exclusive digital and social media content never seen before from the Petty family photo and video archives. This unique content will be featured on the @therichardpetty, @pettybrothersracing, @kylepetty, @pettymuseum and @pettysgarage social media accounts as well as a soon-to-launch YouTube channel. -Petty Family / Legacy Motorclub
During NASCAR’s annual Awards week in Nashville, Tennessee RFK Racing Co-Owner Brad Keselowski discussed his future plans for the team, one that might be surprising to most fans. ▪️Brad Keselowski is only two seasons into his role as a driver-owner at RFK Racing but has already looked at a potentially significant move for the organization.
Brad Keselowski wants RFK Racing to take on IMSA, the North America road course racing series headlined by the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Expanding to IMSA is not what one might expect from a driver who grew up oval racing before winning championships in Xfinity and Cup. There is a specific reason behind this possible move, one that Keselowski would like to happen as part of a long-term plan. “As NASCAR continues to get heavier and heavier into road course racing, I think that pedigree offers a lot of advantages to the ecosystem of a successful Cup team,” Keselowski said ahead of the NASCAR Awards at the Music City Center. Keselowski noted that IMSA provides a route to get involved with hybrid race cars without having a product that competes with the NASCAR brand of “American horsepower.” There are multiple drivers from the ranks of NASCAR who have competed in IMSA events. Jimmie Johnson and Austin Cindric competed on separate teams during the 2022 Rolex 24. Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray were part of the winning Chip Ganassi Racing team in the 2015 Rolex 24. IMSA is a destination for RFK Racing but it will be some time before the organization fields an entry in the road course series. The bigger priority is expanding around a third Cup team. Keselowski and RFK Racing announced Nov. 29 that it would field a part-time, third entry known as Stage 60. This Cup car will feature a variety of drivers in select races, starting with David Raganat the 2024 Daytona 500. The Stage 60 entry is comparable to Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 and 23XI Racing’s third entries, which helped Kimi Raikkonen, Shane van Gisbergen, Travis Pastrana and Kamui Kobayashi all make their Cup debuts. Keselowski is not ready to provide details about the driver lineup or the number of races. What he will confirm is that the entry will compete on superspeedways and road courses. Keselowski has big plans for RFK Racing. That doesn’t mean he will be rushing the process as his tenure continues. He still has the goal of being competitive after a season in which he and Chris Buescher both reached the playoffs and Buescher won three races. “We don’t want to just grow just to grow,” Keselowski said. “I’m not particularly interested in that. We want to grow to be successful. And so it takes a very measured means to to do that.” -NBC Sports Ty Gibbs showed up a the NASCAR Awards Banquet smiling and ready to receive his 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year trophy. But the former NASCAR Xfinity Champion said he was not absolutely satisfied with this first full-season run, even if he had plenty to be proud of.
Gibbs earned the first top-five and top-10 NASCAR Cup Series finishes of his career—posting four top fives and an impressive 10 top 10s over the 36-race season in the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. He led 112 laps, including 102 laps in the fall Bristol, Tenn. night race where he finished fifth—his best overall race effort, statistically speaking. His top finish was fourth-place at the Charlotte ROVAL. “Statistically, yes (he was happy), but I feel like I wanted to run a lot better, of course and I’m working really hard,” Gibbs said. The one thing I can take away from my [Xfinity Series] championship [last year] and all the other championships is to enjoy the journey and I am. “And I’m working hard. Getting better every weekend is the main goal, and I feel like I accomplished that, so I’m happy with that. “But definitely not really anything to be satisfied with until your winning, so got to keep going.” The 21-year-old grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs said he learned many lessons throughout the season, primarily that patience is essential in racing, no matter how counter-intuitive that may sound. “You learn over time and the way Cup series is now, there are not as many crazy moves going on as there were in Xfinity Series,” Gibbs said, allowing a smile. “I’m not worried about showing others what I’m doing, I think for me, I’m just trying to do the best I can and when I can do that it shows others,” Gibbs added. “It’s a fine line. You can’t race to make everybody else happy but at the same time, if you do everything right and calculate everything right and are patient, usually it pays off.” “For me, like this year, even if I wasn’t running as well, I’m still trying to figure out what I have to do to run better and win and that’s the same it will be for next year and until I retire. For me, it’s working hard during the week, having fun, but really learning where I can get better at. I want to win every week if I could, and I want to win championships too. I feel like it’s been the same motto for me since I’ve been in ARCA and Xfinity, it was how I was raised. -NASCAR Wire Service |