NASCAR Cup Series has new Managing Director
Just a few days removed from NASCAR laying off an estimated 50 employees, Jay Fabian has been named as the new managing director of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
Fabian replaces Richard Buck, who had served in the same role since 2014. Buck is no longer with NASCAR.
Fabian previously served as the managing director of technical integration for NASCAR, where he oversaw post-race inspection at the NASCAR R&D Center. He has been with the company since April of 2016.
“This is a fast-paced sport that is constantly evolving, and I’m thankful for this opportunity and eager to take on the challenge,” Fabian said. “Racing has been my passion for as long as I can remember. There is growing anticipation for the 2019 season, and I’m looking forward to being a part of an outstanding team that will help build our sport.”
Before joining NASCAR, Fabian worked at the now-defunct Michael Waltrip Racing for a decade, making the Playoffs with the team in 2012, 2013, and 2015.
Fabian will report to NASCAR senior vice president of competition Scott Miller.
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J.D. Gibbs Legacy Fund Established, Memorial Service Announced
J.D. Gibbs, Co-founder of Joe Gibbs Racing and son of team owner Joe Gibbs, passed away Friday, January 11th at the age of 49, following a long battle with an undiagnosed degenerative neurological disease.
A public memorial service will be held Friday, January 25th at Belk Arena on the campus of Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina.
In lieu of flowers, those wishing to extend their sympathies are asked to consider a donation to The J.D. Gibbs Legacy Fund, which has been established to support Young Life Ministry.
J.D. Gibbs had served “as a leader, local committee member, and national board member during the previous 25 years” for Young Life Ministry, according to an official team release.
The fund will be used to support two causes that were near and dear to Gibbs’ heart. The first is to reach out to children from all backgrounds — including those with special needs and teen moms — in the Charlotte region to spread the gospel.
The fund will also be used to build a new dining hall and other facility improvements at Young Life’s Windy Gap Camp in Weaverville, North Carolina.
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Blickensderfer, Kelley join Front Row Motorsports for 2019
As teams finalize their plans in preparation for a new season, Front Row Motorsports has locked down their drivers and crew chiefs for the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
Drew Blickensderfer and Mike Kelley are joining FRM as crew chiefs this season. Blickensderfer comes from Richard Petty Motorsports while Kelley is moving over from Roush Fenway Racing’s XFINITY Series program.
Blickensderfer will serve as the crew chief for Michael McDowell and the No. 34 team. Kelley will be the crew chief for Cup Series rookie Matt Tifft and the No. 36 team.
Seth Barbour will return as the crew chief for David Ragan and the No. 38 team.
Blickensderfer has three Cup Series wins to his credit, including one with Ragan when the two were with RFR in 2011.
RFR closed down its XFINITY Series operation at the end of the 2018 season, leaving Kelley without a home. He joins FRM having earned two XFINITY Series titles with RFR.
Derrick Finley will move into the role of technical director for FRM while Donnie Wingo will remain as competition director.
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Joey Gase lands full-time ride with MBM Motorsports
25-year-old Joey Gase joined MBM Motorsports team owner Carl Long at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Wednesday to make an announcement regarding their 2019 plans.
Gase will drive the No. 35 Toyota Supra full-time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series for MBM Motorsports, with funding from Eternal Fan, Donate Life, Medline, Agri Supply, Page Construction and Pro Master.
“I am very excited and thankful for the opportunity Carl (Long) and MBM Motorsports is giving me this year,” Gase said in a team release. “Every offseason is stressful when you don’t know what your plans for the following season will be. This offseason by far has been the most stressful of my career with some unforeseen things happening.
“One evening I was sitting in my office trying to figure out what my next move should be and then out of the blue, Carl gave me a call and we talked for about two hours over the phone and now here we are,” Gase continued. “MBM Motorsports has grown and improved their program a lot over the last two years, especially the end of last season. I am very excited to be a part of that growth in 2019.”
MBM Motorsports will also attempt to qualify for the season-opening Daytona 500 with Gase as the driver of the No. 66 car, along with up to 90 percent of the remaining Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule, according to Long.
MBM will also field a No. 66 entry in the XFINITY Series.
Gase has competed full-time in the XFINITY Series for the past five seasons with a variety of different teams. He has three top-10 finishes in that time frame. Gase also has 30 Cup Series starts to his credit, with a best finish of 18th last October at Talladega Superspeedway.
Three different drivers ran for Long in the Cup Series last season: Chad Finchum, Timmy Hill, and Mark Thompson. The team’s best result was a 22nd-place finish by Thompson in the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway.
11 different drivers ran for Long in the XFINITY Series in 2018: Landon Cassill, Tim Cowen, Bobby Dale Earnhardt, Finchum, Brandon Hightower, Timmy Hill, Tyler Hill, John Jackson, Long himself, Stan Mullis, and Akinori Ogata. The team earned one top-10 finish with Timmy Hill.
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Mike Wallace returning to the Cup Series
NASCAR veteran Mike Wallace has not made a start in any of the national series since 2015, which is the same year he underwent triple bypass surgery.
Now, thanks to an open seat at Rick Ware Racing and some already-secured funding, Wallace will be in a Cup Series race in the near future, according to NBC Sports.
RWR must run every race since they have charters for the No. 51 and No. 52 cars. Wallace and the team have secured enough funding to run the No. 52 car in the February 24th race at Atlanta Motor Speedway; the March 3rd event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; and the March 17th event at Auto Club Speedway.
They are hoping to acquire enough funding to run the entire season.
“I still have that passion,” Wallace said in an interview with NBC Sports. “I didn’t quit. I didn’t stop racing in 2015 on my own terms. And I’m very comfortable with life. It’s not like I have to do this to complete it, but I just like racing, I like it a lot, I like to be behind the wheel.”
Wallace is 59 years old with 197 starts in the Cup Series. The brother of 1989 Cup Series champion and current MRN analyst Rusty Wallace, Mike Wallace has earned a total of three top fives and 14 top 10 finishes in his career.
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