Auto-Owners Insurance follows Martin Truex Jr. to Joe Gibbs Racing
Just a few days after Bass Pro Shops announced they would continue to sponsor Martin Truex Jr. in 2019, Auto-Owners Insurance followed suit, announcing they will serve as the primary sponsor on Truex’s No. 19 car in eight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races this season.
“Auto-Owners has been an incredible partner for a long time,” Truex said in a team release. “It means a lot to me for them to join us in the move to Joe Gibbs Racing this year. Auto-Owners has been very supportive as both a sponsor of our racing program and also the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation. We’ve had great success the past few years and we’re looking forward to continuing that this season as well.”
The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, Truex is moving over to Joe Gibbs Racing from Furniture Row Racing after the team shut down at the end of last season.
Truex won four races in 2018 and finished second in the championship standings.
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Austin Hill replaces Brett Moffitt at Hattori Racing
2018 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series champion Brett Moffitt was released from his ride at Hattori Racing at the end of last season because the team said they needed a driver who could bring funding.
Apparently, Austin Hill is that driver.
24-year-old Hill is coming off of his first full season in any NASCAR series, driving the full 2018 Truck Series schedule for Young’s Motorsports in the No. 02 Truck. He earned his first career top-five finish and accrued six top 10s in 23 races, finishing the year 11th in points.
Hill’s racing resume is not lacking, however. He has five career victories to his credit in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and finished as high as third in the standings in 2015.
“I’m thrilled to join HRE (Hattori Racing Enterprises) this season,” Hill said in a team release. “ (Team owner) Shige (Hattori) has built a great team and what they accomplished last season has me extremely optimistic heading to Daytona. I’ve had the pleasure to work with great teams in the past, including my family’s team in the K&N Series, but this is an opportunity of a lifetime at HRE. Scott and the team proved what they’re capable of last season, and I can’t wait to get to work and see what we can accomplish this season.”
Hattori Racing won six races with Moffitt last season, which account for all of Hattori’s race wins in the Truck Series.
Led by crew chief Scott Zipadelli, Hill will drive the No. 16 truck with sponsorship from Chiba Toyopet in the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway. United Rentals will also serve as a sponsor in multiple races. The team says additional sponsorship will be announced at a later date.
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Chicagoland Speedway adds carnival to NASCAR race weekend
As part of Chicagoland Speedway’s “NASCAR Festival Weekend” from June 27th – 30th, the track announced on Tuesday that a carnival will be part of the entertainment.
The carnival will be located in the part of the track known as “Champions Park“, which is next to the grandstands, and will be run by Fantasy Amusements.
“This is the first of many exciting announcements which will significantly enhance the guest experience for our NASCAR Festival Weekend,” Chicagoland Speedway President Scott Paddock said in a statement. “As we celebrate summer with our fans, we are excited to debut the carnival as part of the weekend’s festivities. We will showcase some of the staple components that come to mind as part of a quintessential summer festival.”
The carnival will include multiple rides, games, and attractions, including bumper cars, a Tilt-A-Whirl, and a Ferris wheel. Chicagoland Speedway is selling single-day $20 wristbands for pre-sale through June 21.
The four-day festival includes racing from the ARCA Racing Series on Thursday, June 27th; the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series on Friday, June 28th; the NASCAR XFINITY Series on Saturday, June 29th; and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday, June 30th.
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Texas Motor Speedway will once again host a free Daytona 500 watch party
If you can’t quite make it to Daytona International Speedway but still want to experience the at-track camaraderie that activities like camping and tailgating bring, you may have another option.
Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) will be hosting its fifth edition of the “‘World’s Largest’ Daytona 500 Watching Party” by broadcasting the season-opening NASCAR XFINITY and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races in Daytona on “Big Hoss”, the world’s largest TV, located on the backstretch at TMS.
The event is free and open to the public and will include free pace car rides, competitions, and a “Big Hoss” movie night. Those in attendance will also be permitted to bring their own food and beverages.
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NBC Sports will be the “home of motorsports” in 2019 with over 1,500 hours of coverage
Race fans who were around for the days of SPEED Channel have long lamented the loss of a channel dedicated to motorsports programming when the network transitioned to Fox Sports 1.
While NBC Sports certainly includes a plethora of other programming, they are now staking their claim as the “home of motorsports” and have the schedule to back it up.
In 2019, NBC Sports broadcast over 1,500 hours of motorsports programming that will include coverage of the following series and events:
- NASCAR
- INDYCAR
- IMSA
- Mecum Auctions
- Monster Energy AMA Supercross
- Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
- Monster Jam
- NASCAR K&N Pro Series
- NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
- the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge
- the IMSA Prototype Challenge
- American Flat Track
- the Dakar Rally
That certainly is not all! NBC Sports will also continue to air shows such as “/DRIVE”, NASCAR America, the Dale Jr Download, etc.
NASCAR alone will have over 500 hours of coverage and which will also include special events such as the Hall of Fame induction ceremony and the NASCAR Award Ceremonies.
NBC will include motorsports coverage on streaming options such as NBC Sports Gold, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports App.
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