Nascar Thread part II

ZR · 12-03-2016, 11:27 PM

Although he missed one half of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint CupSeries season due to injury, race fans still overwhelmingly selected Dale Earnhardt Jr. as the National Motorsports Press Association Sprint Most Popular Driver.

Earnhardt's selection was announced Friday during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards program at the Wynn Las Vegas. A $10,000 donation to the charity of his choice will be made on behalf of the NMPA.

It is the 14th consecutive season Earnhardt has been voted the series' MPD. The award is the only major NASCAR honor to be determined solely by fan vote.

Only one other driver, Bill Elliott, has won the award more often. Elliott was named the series' most popular driver 16 times between 1984 and 2002.

ZR · 12-08-2016, 05:44 PM

Dale Earnhardt Jr. sat out 18 races in the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup. Earnhardt had to watch races from pit row since July, but following a successful test this week, he's been cleared to race for the 2017 season.
Per a NASCAR news release, Earnhardt completed 185 laps in a five hour session at Darlington Raceway Wednesday, at which point he was medically cleared to race in 2017. Earnhardt is set to make his big return at the season-opening Daytona 500 on February 26th.

ZR · 12-08-2016, 05:45 PM

Along with the announcement of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. being cleared to race in 2017 came good news for Alex Bowman.
The 23-year-old, who filled in for Dale Jr. in 10 races in 2016, will drive the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS one more time in The Clash at Daytona International Speedway, the season-opening non-points race for pole position winners from the previous season.
Bowman won the pole for the Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway in November, and without a full-time ride for 2017, there were talks about how he would compete in The Clash.

Recently, team owner Rick Hendrick said that he would find a way to put Bowman in The Clash but hadn't confirmed which car he'd drive. Now, everything is set for Bowman to get behind the wheel of the No. 88 one more time.
“Alex did such a great job in the car this year, and I felt like he deserved another opportunity,” Earnhardt, Jr. said of his 2016 replacement. “When I spoke with Rick and the team about him driving The Clash, everyone agreed that he more than earned it, and Nationwide was 100-percent on board. I’m really grateful to him and Jeff for what they did for our team, and I’m glad Alex is getting another run with us.”

ZR · 12-19-2016, 12:14 AM

ZR · 12-23-2016, 08:35 AM

Wow, just 16 yrs old, very cool.

Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) announced today that 16-year-old Harrison Burton will compete in six NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races behind the wheel of the No. 51 Tundra in 2017. Burton's six-race schedule begins April 1 at Martinsville Speedway and also includes Dover International Speedway June 2, Iowa Speedway in Newton June 23, Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio July 19, Bristol Motor Speedway Aug. 16 and Martinsville Speedway Oct. 28.

The NASCAR Next product competed full-time in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2016, earning one pole and a seventh-place finish in the final point standings as a rookie. Burton collected three Super Late Model victories this year, including a Southern Super Series victory at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, and also earned a third-place finish in his ARCA Racing Series debut at Iowa Speedway in Newton.

Burton, the son of former NASCAR driver Jeff Burton, made his Truck Series debut with KBM at Martinsville in October of 2016. After qualifying 17th, Burton methodically maneuvered his way through the field and was running in the ninth position just past the halfway mark of the event when he got spun from behind and ended up losing a lap while he was stuck on the curb. He ended the event with a 22nd-place finish, but earned the praise of KBM owner Kyle Busch.