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Toyotas were dominant all evening long during the Southern 500 Sunday night, but Kyle Larson would come and spoil that party for his second Crown Jewel victory.  Credit: DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 03: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota, and Tyler Reddick, driver of the #45 Jordan Brand Toyota, race during the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 03, 2023 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) Toyotas led by Denny Hamlin absolutely DOMINATED Sunday's Southern 500 at Darlington. Even in the Stages Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Tyler Reddick scored a combined 39 Stage points with Hamlin winning both Stages. With only the occasional pit cycle lap leaders really spoiling the party early on, the Toyota brigade led 307 out of 367 laps. Denny Hamlin led 177 until a loose wheel forced him to a 25th-place finish. Pole sitter Christopher Bell led 40 laps with 23XI's Tyler Reddick leading a runner-up 90 laps. But Hamlin's misfortune led to Kyle Larson scoring Hendrick Motorsports 299th Cup Series victory and the 500th for the Hendrick engine shop. Larson's win was also his first at the Lady in Black following 3 runner-up finishes at the track. arson only led 55 laps, but they were the ones that counted. He snagged the lead from Tyler Reddick following a late race pit stop on lap 313 where he would lead all 55 of the remaining laps and lock himself into the Round of 12. Overall Lap Leaders
By: Tom Luttermoser
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 Credit: SEBRING, FLORIDA - APRIL 17: Jenson Button and Jordan Taylor change drivers in a live pit stop during testing for NASCAR's Garage 56 program at Sebring International Raceway on April 17, 2023 in Sebring, Florida. (Photo provided by NASCAR.Media Image by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) Tuesday's Garage 56 test at Sebring International was the final test of the NASCAR/Hendrick/Goodyear/ IMSA program before the ultra-demanding 24 Hours of Le Mans race this upcoming June 10-11. The #24 NASCAR entry driven by Mike Rockenfeller, Jenson Button and Jimmie Johnson is in the single car "Innovative Class" known as Garage 56. "I feel really good about it" -Jimmie Johnson Even Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick flew into Sebring to be in attendance for the last test to take photos with the 50 crew members in attendance and see the car on track. Driver Jimmie Johnson, one of three 7x NASCAR Cup Series champions will compete in NASCAR's endurance race, the Coke 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday May 28th and fly directly to Paris to be present for the day-long driver orientation meeting for the 24hr race at Le Mans the next day.
 Berry after his runner up finish at Richmond. Image: Twitter, original unknown Short track superstar Josh Berry runs full time in the Xfinity Series for Junior Motorsports and that gave him the unique opportunity to do something not many have done before. Berry got a fill in spot for the biggest race team in NASCAR.
2020 Cup Series Champion Chase Elliott broke his leg in a skiing accident before the Las Vegas race a few weeks back and Josh has been in that seat for all but 1 race ever since. Before Vegas, Berry had only run 2 Cup Series races for Spire Motorsports and finished Top-30 in both events. But since Berry has taken over the #9 NAPA Camaro for Elliott, he has scored a 10th place finish at Phoenix and then backed that up with a vengeance at Richmond. Pit strategy left Berry out late in the race where he led his first 10 laps in the Cup Series only for the caution to fall at just the right time. The #9 team performed perfectly on pit road to get out second and give Berry the opportunity he needed. Berry tried to get even with eventual winner and temporary teammate Kyle Larson but just couldn't do it. Berry still held out for a runner up finish in only his 4th start in the #9 Chevrolet. Berry is the first driver since 2004 and Kasey Kahne to finish second outside of a superspeedway in their first 6 race in the Cup Series. Berry will return to the 9 this weekend at Bristol to run on the dirt. By: Tom Luttermoser  William Byron takes the checkered flag at Phoenix. Image: NASCAR.Media/ Chris Graythen Hendrick Motorsports emerged victorious from their appeals panel Wednesday afternoon following NASCAR's confiscation of hood louvers from their 4 Cup Series entries before the Phoenix race on March 10th. Hendrick Motorsports faced an L2 Penalty costing all 4 teams individually 10 Playoff Points, 100 driver points, and 100 owners points. Plus $100,000 fines and a 4 race suspension for each crew chief.
Wednesday the appeals board relieved all 4 Hendrick teams of their 100 owners & driver point penalties as well as the 10 Playoff point penalties. They did however keep enforced the $400,000 fines for the crew chiefs and their 4 week suspensions. By: Tom Luttermoser NASCAR history, as with any history, is filled with the age old question "What if?" Military history, Political, and sports of all sorts. We've all sat and day dreamed of this "what if" situation and if you say you haven't, you lie. So as I sit here on these slow, cold winter days in the Motor City , I think... What if?  Dale Earnhardt Jr stays with DEI- This topic can go 2 ways. "What if we never lost his father" & "what if he was given his stake in DEI." Dale Earnhardt doesn't pass in 2001.- Dale Earnhardt was pretty clearly on the later end of his career. Now, 49 was not too old back in the late 90's- early 2000's to be racing, just look at Mark Martin and Dale was not losing his competitiveness. 2000 Dale came 2nd in the Winston Cup standings just to prove the point. But his focus was coming more and more on Dale Earnhardt Incorporated and his son's career. Dale's vison for both Jr and DEI was to be competitive and win titles, so in this "what if," Jr races for his father. Dale Jr did see immediate success in his infamous #8 Budweiser Chevrolet, winning at Texas in his 12th career Cup start and scoring 17 Cup wins with DEI before moving to Hendrick in 2008. But had his father run the company, Jr never leaves. Same goes for if he had been given his stake of the business. But had Dale Jr not lost his father, not had his team messed with and not left DEI, I think Dale's already Hall of Fame career ends up even greater on track and rivals what he did off of the track as well. His 26 career wins, I think, end up in the 40's and I honestly do believe he ends up as a Sprint Cup Champion and his 2005 and 2007 season results are much better. DEI surely does not fold or end up absorbed into other teams. DEI ends up with multiple Cup and Xfinity Championships with Jr, Martin Truex Jr. and who knows who else. Image Credit: Sporting News  What if Martin Truex Jr ran a full Tier 1 Cup Career- It's no secret Martin Truex Jr will be a potential Hall of Fame driver. 31 Cup wins, 13 Xfinity wins and a single Truck win to his credit with 3 combined championships. Truex won 3 times in the first 10 years of his Cup career with DEI> Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and then Furniture Row Racing. In the last 7 years he has won 28 times and scored a Cup championship. But what if DEI wasn't on it's downfall (comparable to the Jr what if) when he was in his opening years of his career or what if he was picked up by JGR when he left DEI? What if he ran for a Tier 1 Cup team his whole career? In my opinion, there is no way it takes 10 years to become competitive, Truex could likely have become one of the winningest drivers of his era. he could have easily scored 50-60+ wins in his career and Multiple championships by now. I truly believe he is one of the greatest "what if" drivers of the last 20 years. Image Credit: The Gainsville Sun  What if we never lost Adam Petty- Adam Petty was the 4th generation racer from a family of pure royalty making him the first 4th generation athlete in American professional sports. But sadly, the Petty family lost Adam in turn 3 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to a Basilar scull fracture the same as the late Dale Earnhardt. But what if this doesn't happen? Adam's grandfather reigns supreme as the all-time race winner in the Cup Series and his father had a respectable 8 win career in Cup, but young Adam had only run 50 races in NASCAR's combined series. Adam had not yet found victory lane so it's unknown how he could have performed had he gotten his feet under him. We will never know if he would have had a career like his father or follow in the footsteps of his grandfather. Adam's legacy rests in the Victory Junction Gang Camp in North Carolina. RIP Adam. Photo Credit: Wintheday12 on Redditt  How would Jeff Gordon's numbers look without the Chase- Jeff Gordon was arguably the most dominant force in NASCAR in the late 90's and early 2000's. So much to the point it has been admitted that NASCAR asked his former crew chief Ray Evernham to back it down. After 4 titles in less than 10 years for Gordon, in 2004 NASCAR changed the way championships were won. What if this never happened? Using the old Winston Cup points (obviously they would have raced differently, but this is a hypothetical), Jeff Gordon would be the 3rd 7x Cup champion in place of real world 7x champ Jimmie Johnson. Gordon would have won again in 2004, 2007 and again for the last time in 2014. 93 wins and 7 championships in the Modern Era would have locked him in as THE greatest of all time. Image Credit: Hendrick Motorsports  What if Kyle Larson had a Hendrick Motorsports ride his whole career- Kyle Larson is without question a generational talent. In 2021 he tied himself with Jimmie Johnson for second most wins in a single season in the modern era at 10 in his first season with a tier 1 Cup Series team at Hendrick Motorsports. But what if? What if Kyle left Chip Ganassi Racing in 2015 and took over at Hendrick for Jeff Gordon?
Larson's rookie season at CGR was the best statistical rookie season in NASCAR Cup Series History, even over Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon. Larson in the 24 car for his career, I think beings him (to this point) Kyle Larson could have 2 championships and based on what he did in CGR equipment, over 30 career Cup Series wins. Image Credit: Taurus Emerald  By: Tom Luttermoser Image: MHR
Chase Elliott's last Craftsman Truck Series race was the Bristol Dirt race back in April of 2022. He however has never run a Truck Series race at a superspeedway... Until now that is. Chase will fill in for 17 year old Jake Garcia at the upcoming Craftsman Truck season opener at Daytona International Speedway in the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing #35 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado. The pairing comes courtesy of Elliott and MHR's joint sponsor NAPA Auto parts. Elliott and later Garcia, will have help from atop the pit box from 3 year MHR crew chief Mark Hillman.  Written and image By: Tom Luttermoser For the first time since 2014 with Kurt Busch, a full time NASCAR Cup Series driver will attempt to complete "The Double." For those of you who may be new to the sport or younger, the Double is when either a Cup Series or IndyCar driver competes in both the Indi 500 in Indianapolis and the Coke 600 at Charlotte in the same day. News however broke Thursday of 2021 Cup Champion Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports, will be attempting the double in 2024 racing for McLaren Racing down in Indianapolis. As more information comes available, we will of course keep you up to date! The best finishing driver in the history of the feat was Tony Stewart in 2004 when Smoke finished 6th at Indi for Chip Ganassi and then 3rd for Joe Gibbs at Charlotte. The double has only been attempted 10 times as of now and there are no reports on if any driver from either series intents to attempt the feat in 2023 as of yet. Image Below via: Hendrick   Tom Luttermoser
Hendrick Motorsports has a long and storied history in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In the at the time Busch Series they ran cars from 1984-1990 and then again from 2000-2007. They scored a championship in 2003 with Brian Vickers and 26 total wins. HMS then merged with JR Motorsports and the team's name changed completely over to Jr Motorsports. In 2009, Hendrick ran a single hendrickcars.com Chevrolet at the season opener at Daytona with Racing legend Tony Stewart behind the wheel, he even scored the win. Hendrick had not run a car in the Series no matter the sponsor, Busch, Nationwide or Xfinity since. On June 2, 2022 HMS announced that they would field an in house Xfinity car for the first time in over a decade for several races for their Cup Series drivers Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and William Byron. Larson ran 2 races finishing P2 at Road America and P5 at Darlington, Byron finished 25th at Watkins Glenn and Alex Bowman finished 2nd at the Indy Road Course. Chase Elliott failed to qualify for his race. But since then, HMS has made the announcement on running a Part-time attempt into the 2023 season for Xfinity. With only full-time Cup Series drivers behind the wheel in each of the races they ran in 2022, I believe that is just 1 reason for the success the team had. The other reason was quite simple... It's the powerhouse team of HMS. that kind of performance is a huge reason to run the Series no matter the length of the schedule. Now, Hendrick has 4 pretty solid drivers in their Cup program all of whom I really don't see leaving any time soon. Bowman is a maybe when it comes to leaving any time soon. Ally Financial is likely the only reason he is safe. So there is really no need for HMS to field an Xfinity team as a development stream. That's what JR Motorsports is for, BUT, Dale Jr himself wants to run Cup and he wants to do it sooner rather than later. This could one day leave Hendrick and eventually Gordon without a steady stream of replacement Chevrolet drivers. Re-starting a program for '23 could give the team a guarantee of those drivers, it could also give them opportunities for possibly a second car to help boost confidence in their Cup drivers as well. With all of that being said, if I was privy to those meetings at HMS with any say so, I would lean to the yes. Yes I would get that program up and running even part time, but only if it were for development drivers if JRM was to lean toward growing themselves and not Hendrick. If JRM were to stick to Xfinity with maybe just 1 part-time or even full-time team in Cup, then I wouldn't feel the need to have that team. Now to the fan side. Over the last 6-8 years, fans seem to have begun hating the idea of full time Cup guys running the lower series (We all know why or who that may be). But with a majority of fans leaning into the Hendrick camp these days, I saw no real complaints from the fandom. But I look at it this way, I can get why they fielded the 17 this season. I believe they know there is the possibility that JRM could no longer have their back for a driver pipeline. They may just know something we don't. |