Frontstretch Newsletter: Jan. 23, 2023
Volume XVII, Edition IV |
What to Watch: Jan. 23-29 |
- This week is one of the biggest race weekends of the year in sports car racing. The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar
Championship starts their season with the 61st Annual Rolex 24 at Daytona. 61 teams are entered and the action will be fast and furious. Tom Blomqvist is on the pole for the race (see below) and has shown a lot of speed in his Acura ARX-06, but the
other GTP teams aren't that far behind. In addition, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup also start their season. Coverage from Daytona will be available on NBC, USA, Peacock and IMSA.tv. - In the world of dirt, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series starts their season this week at Georgia's Golden Isles Speedway.
Meanwhile, Florida's East Bay Raceway Park hosts the Crate week of the East Bay Winternationals. - Interstate
Batteries Monday Night Racing continues their season tonight with a visit to the virtual Watkins Glen International with Porsche 911 RSRs. Action starts tonight at 7:45 p.m. ET. The action will be simulcast on both Podium eSports' Twitch and Frontstretch's own YouTube channel. For this season, Frontstretch has entered into a sponsorship deal with Monday Night Racing. During the offseason, we will weekly 5 Points to Ponder columns about each event, in addition to a post-race show on our YouTube channel. That is in addition to race
recaps.
FOLLOW THE FRONTSTRETCH THIS WEEKEND IN DAYTONA THROUGH OUR COLLEAGUE: Also, don't forget to follow our Twitter page, @Frontstretch as well for updates on
Daytona! We will have recaps from Daytona and anything else that breaks this week
for you at Frontstretch. |
| | Travis Pastrana Attempting Daytona 500 With
23XI23XI Racing announced Tuesday that Travis Pastrana will attempt to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in the Daytona 500. He will be driving a third entry for the
team with Black Rifle Coffee Company sponsorship. |
| | Tom Blomqvist Wins Rolex 24 at Daytona PoleAt the end of qualifying Sunday, Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian's Tom Blomqvist won the pole for the 61st Annual Rolex 24 at Daytona with a lap at
136.295 mph. |
| | Chandler Smith Attempting Daytona 500 for
KauligKaulig Racing announced Wednesday that they will enter a third car, the No. 13 Chevrolet, in the Daytona 500 for Chandler Smith to attempt to make his NASCAR Cup
Series debut. |
| | Todd Gordon Added As Jimmie Johnson's Crew
ChiefLegacy Motor Club announced this morning that Todd Gordon has been hired to serve as the crew chief for the part-time No. 84 Chevrolet that Jimmie Johnson will
drive. |
| | Castrol Expands RFK
SponsorshipRFK Racing announced Thursday that Castrol will be back with the team in 2023 and will serve as a primary sponsor for both Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher
collectively in 11 races. |
| | Gener8tor Sponsoring Todd Gilliland Starting at the ClashFront Row Motorsports announced Thursday that a new sponsor, Gener8ator Skills, will serve as a primary sponsor on Todd Gilliland's No. 38 for three races in 2023
starting at the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum. |
| | Love’s, Speedco Back With
FRMUse this article element to highlight a feature or blog post.
|
| | Speedy Cash Returns With FRMFront Row Motorsports announced Friday that Speedy Cash will return as a primary sponsor on Todd Gilliland's No. 38 Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series and Zane Smith's
No. 38 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2023. |
| | Ruedebusch Back With Todd Gilliland for 2023Front Row Motorsports announced Wednesday that Ruedebusch will return to the team to serve as a primary sponsor on Todd Gilliland's No. 38 for five races in
2023. |
| | Landon Cassill No Longer Driving Full Time for
KauligKaulig Racing announced Wednesday that Landon Cassill will no longer race full-time in the No. 10 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The cryptocurrency crash
has left his primary sponsor, Voyager, bankrupt. |
| | Justin Haley Running Multiple Xfinity Races for
KauligKaulig Racing announced Friday that the No. 10 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series will be an all-star car in 2023. Justin Haley is the first confirmed driver
in the car, starting in Daytona. |
| | Island Brands Joining Kaz Grala, HuntSam Hunt Racing announced Wednesday that Island Brands USA, via Coastal Lager and CRUSH, will serve as a primary sponsor of Kaz Grala's No. 26 Toyota for 16
races. |
| | Tyler Reddick Running Part-Time Xfinity Schedule With
HuntSam Hunt Racing announced earlier today that Tyler Reddick will drive the team's No. 24 Toyota part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in
2023. |
| | Miguel Paludo Back for 3 Races With JRMJR Motorsports announced Tuesday that Brazilian Porsche Carrera Cup racer and former regular in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Miguel Paludo will be back in the
team's part-time No. 88 for three road races in 2023. |
| | Ryan Vargas Running Daytona, More for CHKCHK Racing announced Thursday that Ryan Vargas will serve as the team's primary driver in the No. 74 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2023. He'll race for
the team part-time. |
| | Brad Perez Running COTA for
EGREmerling-Gase Motorsports announced earlier today that Brad Perez will drive for the team in the Pit Boss 250 at Circuit of the
Americas. |
| | Timmy Hill, Tyler Hill Splitting No. 56 in 2023Hill Motorsports announced Tuesday that the team will run only one truck in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2023. Timmy and Tyler Hill will share the
Toyota. |
| | UNITS Back With Hill for 2023Hill Motorsports announced Wednesday that UNITS, a brand of portable storage containers, will serve as the primary sponsor of the team's No. 56 Toyota in six races
in 2023. |
| | William Sawalich Running Part-Time Truck Schedule With
TRICONTRICON Garage announced Thursday that William Sawalich, a Toyota development driver, will race part-time for the team in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in
2023. |
| | Ryan Vargas Running Part-Time Truck Schedule for On
PointOn Point Motorsports announced Wednesday that Ryan Vargas will drive a part-time schedule in the team's No. 30 Toyota. Critical Path Security, Swann Security,
Williamsburg Contracting and Leargas Security will serve as primary sponsors. |
| | Sting Ray Robb Driving Full IndyCar Schedule for Coyne/WareDale Coyne Racing and Rick Ware Racing jointly announced Wednesday that Sting Ray Robb will replace Takuma Sato in the Nurtec ODT-sponsored No. 51 for the full NTT
IndyCar Series season. |
| | Takuma Sato Running Ovals for CGRChip Ganassi Racing announced Tuesday that Takuma Sato will drive the team's No. 11 on the ovals in INDYCAR in 2023, splitting the ride with Marcus
Armstrong. |
| | Helio Castroneves, Colin Braun Top ROAR Day No. 1Day No. 1 of the ROAR Before the 24 was dominated by Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian. Colin Braun was fastest in the first session, while Helio Castroneves
topped Session No. 2 with a lap at 134.608 mph. |
| | Colin Braun, Tom Blomqvist, Nick Tandy Top WeatherTech ROAR Day No. 2
SessionsMeyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian's Colin Braun was fastest overall during Day No. 2 of the ROAR Before the 24 with a lap at 134.851
mph. |
| | Kevin Magnussen Out of Rolex 24 After Surgery, Jason Hart To SubKevin Magnussen announced Thursday that he will have to sit out the Rolex 24 at Daytona due to recovery from a recent surgical procedure. Jason Hart will drive in
his place. |
| | Will Power Out Of Rolex 24; Luca Stolz to ReplaceSunEnergy1 Racing announced Tuesday that Will Power will not race in the Rolex 24 at Daytona due to his wife Liz's recent hospitalization. Luca Stolz has been
tapped to replace him. |
| | Dean Thompson Joins Venturini for ARCA ScheduleVenturini Motorsports announced that NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular Dean Thompson will drive a part-time schedule in the ARCA Menards Series with the team
starting at Kansas. |
| | ARCA Ends Sioux Chief ShowdownARCA confirmed Thursday that the Sioux Chief Showdown, the series-within-a-series focused primarily on short tracks, has been discontinued for the 2023
season. |
| | Sean Hingorani Running Partial ARCA Schedule for
VenturiniVenturini Motorsports announced Wednesday that Sean Hingorani will drive the No. 15 Toyota part-time in the ARCA Menards Series and full-time in ARCA Menards
Series East in 2023. |
| | Luca Mars, Zane Smith Top Michelin Pilot Challenge ROAR Day No. 1Luca Mars may only be 16, but he's got speed to spare. Mars turned in the fastest lap of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge ROAR Before the 24 at 113.374 mph during
the first on-track session. |
| | Luca Mars, Chad McCumbee and Scott Andrews Top ROAR Pilot Challenge
SessionsThe second and third days of the ROAR Before the 24 for IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge teams saw Luca Mars go fastest in Session No. 3, Scott Andrews topped a wet
Session No. 4. Chad McCumbee was fastest on Sunday. |
| | Dan Goldburg Wins Daytona VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race No.
1Dan Goldburg avoided the spinning Bijoy Garg and took the lead from Dr. Lance Willsey on the first lap. From there, he held on to win the inaugural IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge rae at Daytona Saturday. Brian Thienes
was second, then Garg, Mirco Schultis and Keith McGovern. |
| | Dan Goldburg Wraps Up Daytona VP Racing SportsCar Challenge
SweepJDC-Miller MotorSports' Dan Goldburg led flag-to-flag to score the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge weekend sweep in Daytona. Brian Thienes was second, then
Courtney Crone, Dr. Lance Willsey and Bijoy Garg. |
| | Kevin Harvick Joining SRX at Stafford, BerlinSuperstar Racing Experience announced Tuesday that Kevin Harvick has signed on to compete in the SRX races at Stafford and
Berlin. |
| | Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Helio Castroneves Join SRXSuperstar Racing Experience announced Wednesday that Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer have both signed on to race in SRX part-time in
2023. |
Photos are courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography, NASCAR Media via Chris Graythen of Getty Images, James Black, Travis Hinkle and Chris Jones of INDYCAR Media, Matt Krohn of ARCA Racing, IMSA and our own Phil Allaway. Have news for Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com with a promising lead or tip. |
Around the World in Motorsports: Jan. 16-22 |
- Friday night saw the NASCAR Hall of Fame hold their Induction Ceremony. Matt Kenseth, Hershel McGriff and Kirk
Shelmerdine were enshrined as the Class of 2023. They are joined by Landmark Award winner Mike Helton and Squier-Hall Award winner T. Taylor Warren. - The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Late Model Series opened up their season Thursday night at Volusia Speedway
Park with the Sunshine Nationals. Thursday saw Devin Moran sweep past Tim McCreadie on lap 20 and hold on to take home the $8000 winner's check. Moran was 1.544 seconds ahead of McCreadie at the finish. Chris Madden was third, then Ryan Gustin and Ricky
Thornton Jr. Friday night saw Moran keep up his form. After an early restart, Moran got past Thornton and Nick Hoffman for the
lead. A caution immediately afterwards gave Moran the lead for the next restart. From there, he was able to pull a steady gap and hold on for what turned out to be the weekend sweep. - Saturday night was the annual National Motorsports Press Association banquet in Charlotte. Here, awards are handed
out for the best columns of the year. Our own Amy Henderson won first prize in the columns category. The winning suite of columns can be seen here. In addition, Ryan Kish, who has
just joined Frontstretch, won for his coverage of eSports for racer.com. |
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