“Summer’s Five Things” is a daily column for NASCAR fans to catch up on the most recent, relevant, and need-to-know news and information in the sport! While mostly focused on NASCAR, this column may also feature other interesting and exciting moments from the world of motorsports. Enjoy!
- Barney Visser Dispels Shutdown Rumors For Furniture Row Racing
Rumors had been circulating that, after the loss loss of sponsor 5 Hour Energy at the end of this season, Furniture Row Racing was exploring all options, including shutting down the team.
Team owner Barney Visser dismissed the idea in a statement on Wednesday.
Part of the reason for the rumors is that driver Martin Truex Jr. has stated that he doesn’t believe Visser will put his company, Furniture Row, back on the car. Furniture Row was the primary sponsor for this race team from 2005 to 2016.
Truex won the team’s first championship last season, winning eight races, more than any other driver that season. FRR had two cars in 2017, with then-rookie Erik Jones driving the No.77, with 5-Hour Energy as a primary sponsor. The team downsized back to one car for 2018 after Jones moved to Joe Gibbs Racing.
Truex has won four races this season and is one of the “Big 3” drivers that also includes Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch, named as such because the three drivers have combined to win 16 of the 22 races and have led far more laps than any other driver.
- Justin Marks Will Drive Three Road Races for Chip Ganassi Racing in the XFINITY Series
It would be hard to forget Justin Marks’ 2016 victory, where he drove through the rain and scored his first career NASCAR victory, choking up in Victory Lane as he gave his post-race interview.
Now, Marks will have the opportunity to do so again this season with the same team.
Marks will drive the No. 42 for Chip Ganassi Racing this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course; the August 26th race at Road America; and the first race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL on September 29th.
https://twitter.com/JustinMarksDG/status/1026847816935649280
Marks is a self-proclaimed rain racing specialist, and he has certainly proven this, not just in NASCAR but in other forms of racing. In addition to having competed in all three of NASCAR’s national series, the 37-year-old driver has also competed in the ARCA Racing Series, NASCAR Rolex Grand-Am Sports Car Series, the American Le Mans Series, and the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.
This weekend will be Marks’ first start in the XFINITY Series for 2018. He has competed in two races this season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (Daytona and Sonoma), and has one start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (Las Vegas) this year.
Marks has competed in eight of the nine IMSA races this season for Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian, earning a podium finish in Belle Isle and starting on the pole in Bowmanville, with teammate Lawson Aschenbach.
- Kickin’ The Tires Obtains Copy of Police Report From Brian France’s Arrest
While the arrest of NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France on Sunday night has been a stain on NASCAR’s headlines since Monday morning, Kickin’ The Tires has obtained a police report from the arrest by the Sag Harbor Police Department.
One of the charges was unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and the report indicates that five oxycodone pills were found in France’s pocket without a prescription.
Box 29 of the police report says “NO” for “U.S. Citizen”, a clerical mistake on the part of the police department.
The report shows that the arrest was made at 7:31PM and France was Mirandized at 8:16PM.
- Ford Racing Will Unveil 2019 Mustang for Cup Series Competition Today
Ford Racing will be running the Mustang in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2019, and will unveil the new racecar at 12:00PM ET. All 13 of Ford’s current Cup Series drivers are expected to participate in the unveiling.
The announcement will be streamed live on Ford Performance’s Youtube Channel.
Ford currently runs the Fusion in the Cup Series, the Mustang in the XFINITY Series, and the F-150 in the Camping World Truck Series. They have won nine of 22 races so far in the Cup Series; six of the 20 races in the XFINITY Series; and two of the 14 races in the Truck Series.
Team Penske driver and Michigan native Brad Keselowski has expressed some concerns with the timing of bringing in the new Ford Mustang in 2019.
“The big question mark for us is, when Chevrolet built a car and Toyota built their car, they pretty much knew what the rules were going to be, for the next season,” Keselowski said. “This year, probably more so than any year I’ve ever been a part of, there’s such a question as to what the rules are going to be for next year. I think it’s very hard to predict whether the Mustang is going to come out next year and be the best car, or come out next year and be the worst car.”
Toyota and Chevrolet have both rolled out new racecars within the last couple of seasons, and seemed to struggle to adapt early on in the season. With NASCAR considering a new aerodynamic package for 2019 in an effort to improve the on-track product, Keselowski seems to believe this will make the learning curve for Ford teams even tougher.
“The Ford team has done the best it can in design to make a robust car that can be adaptive to whatever the rules package might be next year,” Keselowski said. “But, there’s only so much you can do within that box.”
5. Additional Details For Watkins Glen TV Ratings
For only the third time this season, a NASCAR Cup Series broadcast saw an increase from last year to this year. Last weekend race at Watkins’ Glen aired on NBC and earned a 2.3 rating and had 3.67 million viewers (including streaming), up 15% in ratings and 13% in viewership from last year’s race that was aired on NBCSN.
The race at Michigan International Speedway in June also saw a ratings increase after moving from cable to broadcast.
Chicagoland Speedway was the third track to see a ratings increase, benefitting from a schedule change that moved from a head-to-head broadcast with the NFL in September to a slower sports weekend in July.
NASCAR was the most-viewed sporting event of the weekend, going up against a Red Sox v. Yankees game and the final round of the Bridgestone Invitational.
By comparison, here are the NHRA ratings for their race weekend in Seattle:
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If you would like to receive “Five Things” in your inbox, or just connect with me, you may send me an e-mail at [email protected].
You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram.
Summer’s Five Things: What You Need To Know For August 9, 2018
“Summer’s Five Things” is a daily column for NASCAR fans to catch up on the most recent, relevant, and need-to-know news and information in the sport! While mostly focused on NASCAR, this column may also feature other interesting and exciting moments from the world of motorsports. Enjoy!
Rumors had been circulating that, after the loss loss of sponsor 5 Hour Energy at the end of this season, Furniture Row Racing was exploring all options, including shutting down the team.
Team owner Barney Visser dismissed the idea in a statement on Wednesday.
Part of the reason for the rumors is that driver Martin Truex Jr. has stated that he doesn’t believe Visser will put his company, Furniture Row, back on the car. Furniture Row was the primary sponsor for this race team from 2005 to 2016.
Truex won the team’s first championship last season, winning eight races, more than any other driver that season. FRR had two cars in 2017, with then-rookie Erik Jones driving the No.77, with 5-Hour Energy as a primary sponsor. The team downsized back to one car for 2018 after Jones moved to Joe Gibbs Racing.
Truex has won four races this season and is one of the “Big 3” drivers that also includes Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch, named as such because the three drivers have combined to win 16 of the 22 races and have led far more laps than any other driver.
It would be hard to forget Justin Marks’ 2016 victory, where he drove through the rain and scored his first career NASCAR victory, choking up in Victory Lane as he gave his post-race interview.
Now, Marks will have the opportunity to do so again this season with the same team.
Marks will drive the No. 42 for Chip Ganassi Racing this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course; the August 26th race at Road America; and the first race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL on September 29th.
https://twitter.com/JustinMarksDG/status/1026847816935649280
Marks is a self-proclaimed rain racing specialist, and he has certainly proven this, not just in NASCAR but in other forms of racing. In addition to having competed in all three of NASCAR’s national series, the 37-year-old driver has also competed in the ARCA Racing Series, NASCAR Rolex Grand-Am Sports Car Series, the American Le Mans Series, and the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.
This weekend will be Marks’ first start in the XFINITY Series for 2018. He has competed in two races this season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (Daytona and Sonoma), and has one start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (Las Vegas) this year.
Marks has competed in eight of the nine IMSA races this season for Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian, earning a podium finish in Belle Isle and starting on the pole in Bowmanville, with teammate Lawson Aschenbach.
While the arrest of NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France on Sunday night has been a stain on NASCAR’s headlines since Monday morning, Kickin’ The Tires has obtained a police report from the arrest by the Sag Harbor Police Department.
One of the charges was unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and the report indicates that five oxycodone pills were found in France’s pocket without a prescription.
Box 29 of the police report says “NO” for “U.S. Citizen”, a clerical mistake on the part of the police department.
The report shows that the arrest was made at 7:31PM and France was Mirandized at 8:16PM.
Ford Racing will be running the Mustang in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2019, and will unveil the new racecar at 12:00PM ET. All 13 of Ford’s current Cup Series drivers are expected to participate in the unveiling.
The announcement will be streamed live on Ford Performance’s Youtube Channel.
Ford currently runs the Fusion in the Cup Series, the Mustang in the XFINITY Series, and the F-150 in the Camping World Truck Series. They have won nine of 22 races so far in the Cup Series; six of the 20 races in the XFINITY Series; and two of the 14 races in the Truck Series.
Team Penske driver and Michigan native Brad Keselowski has expressed some concerns with the timing of bringing in the new Ford Mustang in 2019.
“The big question mark for us is, when Chevrolet built a car and Toyota built their car, they pretty much knew what the rules were going to be, for the next season,” Keselowski said. “This year, probably more so than any year I’ve ever been a part of, there’s such a question as to what the rules are going to be for next year. I think it’s very hard to predict whether the Mustang is going to come out next year and be the best car, or come out next year and be the worst car.”
Toyota and Chevrolet have both rolled out new racecars within the last couple of seasons, and seemed to struggle to adapt early on in the season. With NASCAR considering a new aerodynamic package for 2019 in an effort to improve the on-track product, Keselowski seems to believe this will make the learning curve for Ford teams even tougher.
“The Ford team has done the best it can in design to make a robust car that can be adaptive to whatever the rules package might be next year,” Keselowski said. “But, there’s only so much you can do within that box.”
5. Additional Details For Watkins Glen TV Ratings
For only the third time this season, a NASCAR Cup Series broadcast saw an increase from last year to this year. Last weekend race at Watkins’ Glen aired on NBC and earned a 2.3 rating and had 3.67 million viewers (including streaming), up 15% in ratings and 13% in viewership from last year’s race that was aired on NBCSN.
The race at Michigan International Speedway in June also saw a ratings increase after moving from cable to broadcast.
Chicagoland Speedway was the third track to see a ratings increase, benefitting from a schedule change that moved from a head-to-head broadcast with the NFL in September to a slower sports weekend in July.
NASCAR was the most-viewed sporting event of the weekend, going up against a Red Sox v. Yankees game and the final round of the Bridgestone Invitational.
By comparison, here are the NHRA ratings for their race weekend in Seattle:
~~
If you would like to receive “Five Things” in your inbox, or just connect with me, you may send me an e-mail at [email protected].
You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram.