2014 Nationwide Series...

[HJJ]

Chase Elliott with Napa sponsorship and taking it to JR Motorsports (Hendrick) for 2014.

One of NASCAR's “next big things” will run a full Nationwide Series schedule this year for the sport's most popular driver with backing from one of its most visible sponsors.



Third-generation racer Chase Elliott, who turned 18 in November, has been named by Dale Earnhardt Jr.-owned JR Motorsports to drive the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro with backing from NAPA Auto Parts. That's the same number his father, Bill Elliott, carried for most of his NASCAR career, including his championship season of 1988.



“This is the opportunity of a lifetime,” the younger Elliott said. “I couldn't ask to be partnered with anyone better than Dale Jr., Kelley and Mr. [Rick] Hendrick, along with all of the people at their organizations who have put in countless hours to pull this together. NAPA has had a tremendous impact in NASCAR, and I'm proud to represent their brand, on and off the track. I'm extremely pumped to get to work in 2014 with that first trip to Daytona and make the most of this opportunity.”



Elliott's arrival at a full Nationwide schedule comes after a carefully planned-out path through Super Late Models, ARCA and the K&N Pro Series into the occasional Camping World and Nationwide race. He was signed in 2011 to a developmental contract with Hendrick Motorsports owner and JR Motorsports partner Rick Hendrick. He got his first K&N victory in 2012 and became ARCA's youngest-ever superspeedway winner last summer at Pocono Raceway. Several weeks later, he won a Truck Series race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.



All told, he has a pole, a victory, five top-five finishes and seven top-10 finishes in just nine Truck Series races. He has a pole, a victory, 11 top-five finishes, 17 top-10 finishes and two top-10 points finishes in 29 K&N races. He has a pole, a victory, seven top-five finishes and 10 top-10 finishes in 11 ARCA races. He also won the prestigious Snowball Derby at Pensacola in 2011 (his 2012 victory was vacated because of a tech violation) and the 2013 All-American 400 at Nashville.



“Chase has been extremely successful, and I think Nationwide is only a short step for him,” Earnhardt said. “With the infrastructure we have at JR Motorsports and our close-working partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, we have every opportunity to continue Chase's development as a driver while contending for a championship. He's that good."



Elliott in his No. 9 will team with JR Motorsports incumbent Regan Smith in his No. 7 for the full 33-race season. The organization also will field a part-time No. 5 Camaro for Kevin Harvick and a No. 88 for Earnhardt. Greg Ives will be Elliott's crew chief, Ryan Pemberton will be Smith's and Ernie Cope will be Harvick's.



“No doubt the historical element of this is pretty cool,” Earnhardt said. “Bill Elliott is one of the greats. I've always looked up to him. He had some great battles with my dad. Certainly The Winston in 1987 is an all-time favorite. It was probably some of the hardest racing you'll see, and it's fun to watch even to this day. I think there are a lot of Elliott fans and Earnhardt fans that will take interest in Chase's career and support him 100 percent.”

http://www.jayski.com/news/schemes/2...9-Team-Schemes

I see a new avatar for FOD.

[gomick]

Schedule...

Daytona, 22-Feb
Phoenix, 1-Mar
Las Vegas, 8-Mar
Bristol, 15-Mar
Fontana, 22-Mar
Texas, 4-Apr
Darlington, 11-Apr
Richmond, 25-Apr
Talladega, 3-May
Iowa, 18-May
Charlotte, 24-May
Dover, 31-May
Michigan, 14-Jun
Road America, 21-Jun
Kentucky, 27-Jun
Daytona, 4-Jul
New Hampshire, 12-Jul
Chicagoland, 19-Jul
Indianapolis, 26-Jul
Iowa, 2-Aug
Watkins Glen, 9-Aug
Mid Ohio, 16-Aug
Bristol, 22-Aug
Atlanta, 30-Aug
Richmond, 5-Sep
Chicagoland, 13-Sep
Kentucky, 20-Sep
Dover, 27-Sep
Kansas, 4-Oct
Charlotte, 10-Oct
Texas, 1-Nov
Phoenix, 8-Nov
Homestead, 15-Nov

[gomick]

Approx 25 cars testing at Daytona - will 43 cars be on the grid each week?

[chernaudi]

NW cut down to 40 car grids for most/all races last year, but with so many teams struggling for money and doing S&P, that's still quite possibly a valid question. After all, some truck races last season came close to being short of a 36-vehicle field, and without start and park teams, Cup races might not have 43 cars on a regular basis. That's a problem in all top 3 divisions of NASCAR right now.

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by HJJ

Chase Elliott with Napa sponsorship and taking it to JR Motorsports (Hendrick) for 2014.

http://www.jayski.com/news/schemes/2...9-Team-Schemes

I see a new avatar for FOD.

Bit slow on the uptake on this one, but good to see an Elliott in a #9 again. I'll have to wait and see what the boy can do. Those are big, goofy shoes to for Chase to fill.

[MJ_N_09]

http://www.jayski.com/news/nationwid...4nns-teamchart The team chart so far for anyone who wonders what's going on with each team.

[FIRE]

Around 35 fulltime entries?

[MJ_N_09]

It'll probably end up more than that, but this team chart is so vague that there's no way to tell. Some of the "Unknown Plans" teams already had news that they'd be running as normal.

[MJ_N_09]

Kwasniewski to drive the #31 for Turner Scott: - Turner Scott Motorsports announced that Dylan Kwasniewski, the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and the 2013 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion, will run a full-time NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule in 2014 driving the #31 Rockstar Energy Drink Chevy Camaro. Kwasniewski, 18, will make his series debut in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway on February 22. Kwasniewski, a native of Las Vegas, will bring Rockstar Energy Drink with him from NKNPSE competition to the Nationwide Series. Rockstar Energy Drink, headquartered in Las Vegas, has partnered with Kwasniewski since 2009. The Rockstar Energy Drink team will be led by veteran crew chief Pat Tryson. Tryson first joined TSM in August 2013 as crew chief for Nelson Piquet Jr. In 527 combined NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck events, he has led his teams to 10 wins, 66 top-five and 141 top-10 finishes and four poles.(Turner Scott Motorsports), see an image of the car on the #31 team paint schemes page.(2-3-2014)

There, Now we have another ROTY candidate.

[fieldodreams79]

Daytona pre race under way. perhaps the weather will cooperate today.
http://www.jayski.com/news/nationwid...4nns-01daytona

[FIRE]

Looking forward.

[tux]

Looks like Kyle Busch is doing the same as Buescher did but Buescher got a penalty for it and Busch walks free...

[FIRE]

4 laps to go.

Originally Posted by tux

Looks like Kyle Busch is doing the same as Buescher did but Buescher got a penalty for it and Busch walks free...

Not seen all laps. What did he do?

[FIRE]

Regan Smith wins.

[MJ_N_09]

Somehow, there was no wreck coming to the end of the race!

[canamman]

Great Nationwide Daytona race. 2 for 2 this weekend in fine events.
Happy for Regan. Glad no big ones to cleanup
for a change.

[JHamilton]

I might be offended by this. It's definitely horrible. No, appalling is a better word.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLDDvlcNSMo

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by JHamilton

I might be offended by this. It's definitely horrible. No, appalling is a better word.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLDDvlcNSMo

Agreed. But it's certainly fitting.

[Peat]

Wow. That Anthem.......

I don't see how one could really enjoy that race tbh. The 'no pushing' rule was a joke, they seemed to pick and choose who they penalised for it. And come those last 2 laps, everyone was pushing.

To outlaw bump drafting is silly imho. If you want to get rid of it, make it a physical impossibility. Round off the noses/tails of the cars so they can't latch on. Don't just tell the drivers not to do it and then not enforce it.

[Clive Brown]

Originally Posted by JHamilton

I might be offended by this. It's definitely horrible. No, appalling is a better word.

What a crock of ****. I'm not an American, yet I find it disrespectful.

[FIRE]

It sounds awful but disrespectful?

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by FIRE

It sounds awful but disrespectful?

We are a little weird about that stuff. There are unwritten rules around the anthem and flag that are hard to explain.

[gomick]

Good weekend for Junior - team owner win in Nationwide then the 500...

[MJ_N_09]

Short field for Vegas. 38 on the entry list.

http://www.jayski.com/news/nationwid...gas-Entry-List

[FordCosworthPanoz]

Originally Posted by MJ_N_09

Short field for Vegas. 38 on the entry list.

http://www.jayski.com/news/nationwid...gas-Entry-List

43 last year.

Exaclty what NASCAR deserves for destroying this series along with Joe Gibbs, Roger Penske and formerly RCR.

They'll probably be struggling for 30 by mid-season. Oh, and that little matter of finding a new series sponsor by next year. Maybe Monster can sponsor it and rename it to the Busch Series.