Frontstretch Newsletter: Jan. 30, 2023
Volume XVII, Edition V |
What to Watch: Jan. 30-Feb. 5 |
- The NASCAR offseason is officially over. This week, teams will make the long haul to Los Angeles for the Busch
Light Clash at the Coliseum. On track action is scheduled to start Saturday. Sunday will see qualifying, heat races and the 150-lap main. - NASCAR Xfinity Series teams are testing today at Charlotte Motor Speedway as part of an organizational test. One
or two car teams are allowed to have one car at the test, while three and four car teams are allowed to have two cars at the test.
As a result, over 20 cars should be present at the quad-oval to turn laps. As of now, this is the only
organizational test for the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2023.
- Interstate Batteries Monday Night Racing is back tonight with a race at the virtual Pocono Raceway. Due to a
number of competitors being involved in the aforementioned Xfinity test in Charlotte, the start time has been moved back to 9 p.m. ET. Coverage will then start at 8:45 p.m. on Frontstretch's own YouTube channel and on Podium eSports Twitch. Also, don't forget to follow our Twitter page, @Frontstretch as well for updates on the Busch Light Clash at the
Coliseum! |
| | Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Repeat As Rolex 24 At Daytona
ChampionsMeyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian's Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun, Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud successfully defended their victory in the Rolex 24
at Daytona. Proton Competition squeaked out a win in LMP2, Andrew Wojteczko Autosport in LMP3, WeatherTech Racing in GTD Pro and The Heart of Racing in GTD. |
| | Jenson Button, Jimmie Johnson and Mike Rockenfeller to Race Next Gen At Le
MansNASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports announced Saturday that 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and 2010
Le Mans overall winner Mike Rockenfeller will drive the Next Gen car at Le Mans this year as part of the Garage 56 entry. |
| | Lucas Auer Suffers Back Injury In Practice Crash
In the first practice session for the Rolex 24 at Daytona Thursday, Lucas Auer crashed hard into the concrete wall in the Esses and suffered a back injury. He is
currently resting in a local hospital.
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| | Fire Causes Damage, Injuries at Reaume Brothers
ShopOn Thursday, a fire broke out at Reaume Brothers Racing's shop. Three employees of the team were injured, with two of them requiring
hospitalization. |
| | Chase Briscoe, SHR Agree on Multi-Year ExtensionStewart-Haas Racing announced Thursday that they have signed Chase Briscoe to a multi-year contract extension that will see him stay in the No. 14 for the
foreseeable future. |
| | Worldwide Express Re-Ups With TrackhouseTrackhouse Racing announced Thursday that Worldwide Express has renewed their sponsorship with the team. They will be on Trackhouse's entries for a total of 21
races. |
| | Kubota Returns to Trackhouse for 6 RacesTrackhouse Racing announced Friday that Kubota Tractors will sponsor their two NASCAR Cup Series entries for a
total of six races in 2023. |
| | Jockey Re-Ups With Trackhouse for 6 RacesTrackhouse Racing announced earlier today that Jockey has extended their sponsorship with the team in 2023. They will serve as a primary sponsor for six
races. |
| | Solomon Back With Brad Keselowski for 4 RacesRFK Racing announced Thursday that Solomon Plumbing has re-upped their sponsorship. They will be on Brad Keselowski's No. 6 for four races in
2023. |
| | Entry List: 2023 Busch Light Clash at the ColiseumNASCAR released the entry list for this weekend's Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum Thursday. The 36 chartered teams are the only teams entered. It will be your
first chance to see drivers such as Ryan Preece, Ty Gibbs and Noah Gragson in their new surroundings. |
| | Quincy Compressor Joins FRM for 2023Front Row Motorsports announced Thursday that Quincy Compressor, a new company to NASCAR, will sponsor the team in a total of four Cup races in
2023. |
| | Georgia Peanuts Back With Todd Gilliland, FRMFront Row Motorsports announced Wednesday that the Georgia Peanut Commission will sponsor Todd Gilliland's No. 38 in two Cup races in
2023. |
| | Boot Barn Sponsoring FRM in Cup, Truck SeriesFront Row Motorsports announced Tuesday that Boot Barn will be back with the team in 2023. They will serve as a primary sponsor for five races on Todd Gilliland's
car in Cup and three races on Zane Smith's truck. |
| | Tony Stewart Joining FOX Booth for Clash, Daytona 500FOX Sports announced Thursday that Tony Stewart will be the first of a series of rotating guest analysts on the FOX NASCAR broadcasts in 2023. He'll be back in the
booth for the Clash and the Daytona 500, like he was last year. |
| | Ty Dillon Back With RCR for Multiple Xfinity RacesRichard Childress Racing announced Wednesday that Ty Dillon will join the team in a part-time effort in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2023 with sponsorship from
Ferris. |
| | Chase Elliott Driving for MHR in Daytona Truck RaceMcAnally-Hilgemann Racing announced Wednesday that Chase Elliott will drive the No. 35 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Daytona in place of Jake
Garcia, who will be too young to compete in the season opener. |
| | Cirkul Sponsoring Daniel Hemric in Multiple Xfinity RacesKaulig Racing announced Wednesday that Cirkul will return to the team to serve as Daniel Hemric's primary sponsor for 14 races in
2023. |
| | Gray Gaulding Back With SSGLR in 2023SS-Green Light Racing announced Wednesday that Gray Gaulding will return to the team to drive for them full-time. |
| | Rajah Caruth Back With APR for Part-Time ScheduleAlpha Prime Racing announced Friday that Rajah Caruth will be back with the organization part-time in 2023 for an unknown amount of races in addition to his
full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ride with GMS Racing. |
| | Parker Chase Back With Hunt for Limited
ScheduleSam Hunt Racing announced Thursday that Parker Chase will return to the team for a part-time schedule in the No. 24 Toyota in
2023. |
| | Chevrolet Reveals Corvette Z06
GT3.R Chevrolet publicly revealed the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06.R GT3 in the plaza in front of the Chevrolet Experience at Daytona International Speedway Friday. The
new car will race in IMSA and the WEC starting in 2024. |
| | Lawless Alan Returning With Niece for 2023Niece Motorsports announced Thursday that Lawless Alan will return to the team's No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in
2023. |
| | Mason Massey Running Full Truck Schedule for
RBR Reaume Brothers Racing's shop fire ultimately overshadowed news of the team's switch to Ford for 2023. Mason Massey has been hired to drive for the team full-time
in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. |
| | Harrison Burton, Zane Smith Win BMW M Endurance
ChallengeFord Performance development racers Harrison Burton and Zane Smith, driving for PF Racing, held off a charging Spencer Pumpelly to win the BMW M Endurance
Challenge at Daytona Friday, the season opener for IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. Road Shagger Racing's Gavin Ernstone and Jon Morley won the TCR class. |
| | Dale Quarterley Expands ARCA Schedule, Plans Truck
DebutDale Quarterley revealed to Frontstretch that he will compete in seven races under the ARCA banner in 2023, five in
the ARCA Menards Series and two road races in ARCA Menards Series West. |
| | Fast Track 2023 ARCA Lineup Coming
Together2023 is going to be a busy year for Fast Track Racing in ARCA competition. Team owner Andy Hillenburg is committed to fielding two full-time entries in the ARCA
Menards Series and an alliance with the full-time Veer Motorsports. They are also fielding two full-time cars in ARCA Menards Series East. |
| | Tony Cosentino Running Full ARCA Schedule in 2023Tony Cosentino announced Wednesday that he will race full-time in the ARCA Menards Series in 2023 for a new team, Tamayo Cosentino
Racing. |
| | Sage Karam Dominates, Round of 8 Locked In for MNR PlayoffsSage Karam was dominant last Monday night to win the Roasted Gems Coffee Challenge at the virtual Watkins Glen International, his second win of the Interstate
Batteries Monday Night Racing season. Chase Cabre was second, then DJ Cummings, James Bickford and Corey Heim. |
Photos are courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography, Corvette Racing, IMSA, iRacing via Ryan Kish, David PeQueen, Luke Hines of ARCA Racing 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. 23-29 |
- Max Gutierrez, who drove part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series last year for AM Racing, was involved
in a tragic car accident Sunday night in Mexico. Gutierrez was riding in a Porsche Boxster driven by his younger brother Frederico when that vehicle crashed into a Ford Explorer. Federico, 17, died in the crash. Gutierrez was airlifted to a local hospital for treatment of undisclosed injuries, as well as another woman that was in the Explorer. "At 5:00 pm. a mass will be held at J. Garcia Lopez Casa Pedregal to say
goodbye to [Federico]." We at Frontstretch send our condolences to the Gutierrez family. - Joe Graf Jr. announced Thursday that he will drive for RSS Racing in 28 of the 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2023. It is unclear what number he will be driving, but this ride would likely be in what was the No. 38 Ford last season. Sponsorship will be provided by Bucked Up Energy Drink, GCoin, CoverSeal, JACOB Companies and GTechniq. - MBM Motorsports announced Thursday that Dexter Stacey will drive the No. 66 Ford
in the NASCAR Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona. Stacey has 25 career starts in the Xfinity Series with a best finish of 21st at Iowa in 2013. He has not started a race in any of NASCAR's National-level Series since 2016. |
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