What you need to know …
… about McDonald’s NASCAR sponsorship
- McDonald’s will serve as the primary sponsor on the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with driver Kyle Larson for multiple races in the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season
- 2019 will mark the 10th season McDonald’s has partnered with CGR, most recently on the No. 1 car with driver Jamie McMurray
- Larson has raced a McDonald’s-sponsored at least once in all three of NASCAR’s national series
- McMurray ran what is expected to be his final Cup Series start last Sunday in the Daytona 500, finishing 22nd
- Kurt Busch moved to CGR as the driver of the No. 1 car for the 2019 season
- McDonald’s will serve as the primary sponsor on Larson’s No. 42 car this weekend in Atlanta Motor Speedway
For more information: Official release from Chip Ganassi Racing … More info on Kyle Larson … Info on McDonald’s partnership with Bubba Wallace
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… about the “good news, bad news” for the Daytona 500 TV ratings
- FOX earned a 5.5 overnight rating for its broadcast of the opening race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, up eight percent from 2018
- The overnight rating is still significantly lower than the 6.5 earned by the 2017 Daytona 500
- Larger markets like Kansas City, Oklahoma City, and San Francisco all saw significant, double-digit increases over last year
- The Daytona 500 was the highest rated sports event of the weekend, beating the NBA All-Star game
- FOX’s pre-race show ‘NASCAR RaceDay” saw an 8% ratings increase as well
For more information: Story from Charlotte Observer’s Brendan Marks … Story from 12up.com’s Karl Rasmussen … Story from KansasCity.com’s Blair Kerkhoff
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… about the entry lists for this weekend’s races at Atlanta Motor Speedway
- Atlanta Motor Speedway is hosting a triple-header weekend for all three of NASCAR’s national series
- There are four drivers on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series entry list who are ineligible for points in that series: Ross Chastain – No. 15 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet; BJ McLeod – No. 52 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet; Garrett Smithley – No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet; and Parker Kligerman – No. 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota
- Only one driver on the XFINITY Series entry list is ineligible for points – Ryan Preece (No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet)
- Points-ineligible drivers on the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series entry list are Chastain (No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet); Kyle Busch (No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota); and BJ McLeod (No. 80 Jacob Wallace Racing Chevrolet)
- 19-year-old Anthony Alfredo is making his NASCAR national series debut in the Truck Series race, driving the No. 17 Ceco Building Systems Toyota for DGR-Crosley
For more information: Full MENCS entry list (Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500) … Full NXS entry list (Rinnai 250) … Full NGOTS entry list (Atlanta 200)
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… about IndyCar’s new cockpit safety measures
- On Tuesday, IndyCar announced some additional cockpit safety measures that will be implemented during the 2019 season
- The new safety measure will be known as “Advanced Frontal Protection” (AFP), a titanium piece made by Dallara that is designed to deflect debris away from the driver
- The device is three inches tall, averages three-quarters of an inch in width, and is positioned in front of the cockpit along the chassis centerline
- The device will be fitted on all cars during an open test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on April 24
- The AFP device will be first used in race conditions in the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 26th and will continue to be used for the remainder of the 2019 season
- According to IndyCar, the AFP device passed the same strength tests as Dallara’s roll hoop
- A halo device similar to what is used in Formula One was tested, along with windscreens, but the AFP device was considered a more practical option based on the current IndyCar chassis
For more information: Official release from IndyCar … Story from IndyStar.com’s Jim Ayello … Information on Dallara’s safety center
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… for Kurt Busch’s hockey appearance
- 2004 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion and current Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kurt Busch will be part of NBCSN’s “Wednesday Night Hockey” coverage
- Busch will appear on the pre-game show for the the Vegas Golden Knight’s game against the Boston Bruins at T-Mobile Arena and then behind the glass at ice level with analyst Pierre McGuire during the second period
- Kurt Busch, along with brother and fellow NASCAR driver Kyle, are both Las Vegas natives
- Kurt Busch finished 25th in Sunday’s season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway
- The game starts at 10PM ET on NBCSN
For more information: Story from Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Ron Kantowski … More info on the Bruins/Golden Knights match-up … Video of Kurt Busch’s crash in Sunday’s Daytona 500
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