By: Sarah Handy, Staff Writer
There’s a chance you may have missed some NASCAR news within’ the last week whether it’s regarding drivers, or sponsorship among other things. If so, we’re here to get you up to speed on anything you may have missed.
NASCAR Gander and RV Outdoors Truck Series:
GMS Racing announced last week they’ve signed Zane Smith to their Truck Series program for the 2020 season.
Smith competed part-time in 2019 for JR Motorsports. In 10 Xfinity Series events Smith earned two top-five and seven top-ten finishes. Smith’s best career finish of fifth came at both Iowa Speedway and ISM Raceway, respectively.
Smith will be reunited with crew chief Kevin ‘Bono’ Manion whom he worked with during his Truck Series debut at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.
“When I got the offer from Mike Beam asking me to run a truck full-time for GMS Racing, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity,” Smith explained. “GMS is a Championship caliber team and to be a part of an organization like theirs is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I’m looking forward to working with Manion again. He has a lot of experience and I know we will be a great team.”
Read More: GMS Racing adds Zane Smith to their 2020 Truck line-up: https://kickinthetires.net/gms-racing-adds-zane-smith-to-their-2020-truck-line-up/
NASCAR Xfinity Series:
Richard Childress Racing has signed Myatt Snider to a limited NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule for the 2020 season. Snider who raced in the Euro Series for the last year will make his debut with the organization in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway in February.
Snider previously made 35 starts in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series earning four top-five and 13 top-ten finishes. Snider’s best career finish was second at Talladega Superspeedway in 2018.
Read More: RCR Racing signs Myatt Snider to limited Xfinity schedule: https://kickinthetires.net/rcr-signs-myatt-snider-to-limited-xfinity-schedule/
Massachusetts native CJ McLaughlin will return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and RSS Racing for the 2020 season. SciAps will return as a primary sponsor for the 27-year old after the two have agreed to a partial schedule consisting of 20 races.
However, the two have hopes of adding more races before season’s end. McLaughlin made his series debut at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last July, finishing the event in the 28th position.
Read More: CJ McLaughlin will return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series with RSS Racing in 2020: https://kickinthetires.net/cj-mclaughlin-will-return-to-the-nascar-xfinity-series-with-rss-racing-in-2020/
GMS Racing announced on Thursday of last week that the organization had come to a decision to not return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2020.
Mike Beam President of GMS Racing said in part, “We have decided that in the best interest of the organization we will put our complete focus on our Gander Trucks and ARCA Racing Series programs in 2020.”
NASCAR Cup Series:
It was announced last Thursday that Advanced Auto Parts and Team Penske had agreed to a multi-year partnership that will begin with the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. Advanced Auto Parts will jump on board Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Ford Mustang as a primary sponsor for four races and serve as an associate sponsor for the entire season.
Read More: Advance Auto Parts joins Team Penske and Ryan Blaney for 2020 season: https://kickinthetires.net/advance-auto-parts-joins-team-penske-and-ryan-blaney-for-2020-season/
Following Jimmie Johnson’s announcement last Wednesday that the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season would be his last season racing full-time in the Cup Series, the seven-time Champion held a press conference last Thursday with team owner Rick Hendrick. Johnson said the moment just felt right like the right time to step away from NASCAR full-time.
“I love to have a plan,” Johnson admitted. “I like to think things through, and I did plenty of that. I thought it through the Spring and Summer, knowing that I was going to have to make a decision. In my mind, I felt like I needed to make a decision by the end of the year.
“Nothing really hit me in the gut with the feeling that I wanted to stay or stop at the end of 2020. Then as the year went on and we roll into October, the feeling just became real. It felt good to think about it. It was such a profound moment that I really take it back to the moment in time I wanted to by a ring for her (Chandra Johnson).”
Read More: Johnson feels that it was the right time to step away from NASCAR: https://kickinthetires.net/johnson-feels-that-it-was-the-right-time-to-step-away-from-nascar/
Bluegreen Vacations was announced as the sponsor for the Daytona qualifying races in February. The races will be known as the Bluegreen Vacations Duel at DAYTONA which is scheduled for Thursday February 13, 2020.
The pair of qualifying races will finalize the starting lineup for the 62nd running of the DAYTONA 500.
StarCom Racing announced on Wednesday morning that the organization has signed Quin Houff as the full-time driver of the No.00 Chevrolet for multiple seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Read More: StarCom Racing signs Quin Houff as full-time 00 driver: https://kickinthetires.net/starcom-racing-signs-quin-houff-as-full-time-00-driver/
Go Fas Racing’s Corey LaJoie was named the fourth quarter NMPA Pocono Spirit Award winner.
Read More: Corey LaJoie wins fourth quarter NMPA Pocono Spirit Award: https://kickinthetires.net/corey-lajoie-wins-fourth-quarter-nmpa-pocono-spirit-award/
Joe Gibbs Racing announced last Thursday that Denny Hamlin underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder. Hamlin is expected to fully recover in time for the start of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.
ICYMI: Our Sarah Handy recently spoke to Hunter Smith owner of FitStop Performance on his love of racing and fitness and how he’s brought the two together in NASCAR. Read Smith’s story and hear from two of the FitStop Family drivers in Spencer Boyd and Austin Theriault in this exclusive piece.
Read More: Hunter Smith combines love of racing and fitness in NASCAR: https://kickinthetires.net/hunter-smith-combines-love-of-racing-and-fitness-in-nascar/
Penalty news following the Cup Series Homestead-Miami season finale: NASCAR announced on Wednesday that they’ve docked the No. 15 and No. 27 teams for Premium Motorsports, as well as the Spire Motorsports No. 77 team and Rick Ware Racing’s No. 52 team 50 owner points.
In addition, NASCAR has indefinitely suspended Scott Eggleston who is the Premium Motorsports/Spire Motorsports competition director (plus a $25,000 fine) as well as Kenneth Evans who is the competition director for Rick Ware Racing (plus a $25,000 fine) for their roles in manipulating the Ford EcoBoost 400 finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Team owners Rick Ware, Jay Robinson of Premium Motorsports and TJ Puchyr of Spire were all fined $50,000 apiece.
NASCAR determined the teams all violated Sections 12.8.g and 12.8.1 of the NASCAR rule book.
NASCAR reviewed the finish after the No. 15, No. 77 and No. 52 cars were all parked before the events conclusion. In turn this helped the No. 27 team finish one spot higher than the No. 96 for Gaunt Brothers Racing in owner points.
The top finisher in open team owner points receives half of the unclaimed purse money when events have shorter fields. The two teams that follow in the standings split the remainder of the money.