Nascar Thread part II

[ZR]

Smithfield Foods, the primary team sponsor for the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Ford with driver Aric Almirola, will not return to the organization in 2018 and instead join Stewart-Haas Racing, according to a post Tuesday morning on the company’s Facebook page.
“We are excited to announce today that Smithfield Foods will join Stewart-Haas Racing as a primary team sponsor beginning in 2018,” the post stated. “The decision to leave Richard Petty Motorsports and join Stewart-Haas Racing was difficult but we feel this move will improve our competitiveness on the track and strengthen our position as a leading consumer packaged goods company.
“Further details of our agreement with Stewart-Haas Racing will be provided at a later date.”
Smithfield has been affiliated with RPM in a sponsor role since 2012.
SHR officials confirmed the addition of Smithfield to its sponsor lineup for the four-team organization. According to a team release, details of the agreement, including the driver who will be added to SHR’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series lineup in 2018, will be provided at a later date.

[Not4you]

New driver for the 10 SHR car next year, Danica is not returning.

Sure she didn't match her open wheel results in stock cars and sure she had a lot of rough races against guys that targeted her, and sure she ran her mouth a lot after races, but if nothing else she brought a lot of new fans to the sport. Including my daughter. For that I admire her.

[ZR]

She did exactly that, still kinda cool.

[ZR]

Round one = Truex gets it done.

[ZR]

Landed a new ride, good to hear.
Leavine Family Racing announced Tuesday that 18-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series winner Kasey Kahne is coming aboard as the organization’s new driver beginning next season.
It will be the fifth organization for Kahne, the 2004 Rookie of the Year. His current team, Hendrick Motorsports, revealed last month that Kahne would not return in 2018.
“I feel like (Leavine has) really made a lot of gains in the past couple years,” Kahne told NASCAR.com of his new team. “It’s pretty cool to watch, any time you see a small team do what they’ve done in our sport.
“The opportunity will be a challenge, but also a lot of fun. I enjoy a challenge and I enjoy working with people. The best part about it is us all being a team and trying to improve every single weekend and learning from what we do one week and improving the next. I think that’s something we’ll be able to do. And I’m really excited about it.

[ZR]

R.I.P. ROBERT YATES.

Robert Yates, a master engine builder and longtime NASCAR team owner, died Monday. He was 74.
In May, Yates was selected for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018. He had been battling liver cancer, requiring multiple rounds of immunotherapy treatment. His son, Doug Yates, announced his father’s passing on social media Monday night.
“Hero — my dad’s my hero,” his son, Doug Yates, said in a post from his Twitter account Monday night. “My dad’s the toughest guy you’ve ever met. Never give up, always looking for the positive and looking for a competitive advantage, and that’s the way he raised myself and our family and everybody at Roush Yates.”

[ZR]

Truex Jr showing how it's done yesterday, kudos Mr.

[ZR]

CONCORD, N.C. – As he moves through his final season of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has had one consistent request — that gifts and recognition in his honor have a broader societal impact.
On Friday, Charlotte Motor Speedway honored Earnhardt’s wishes — and then some — with a gift of $100,000 to establish and underwrite the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Concussion Research Fund at the Carolinas Healthcare System’s Levine Children’s Hospital.
During two separate seasons, Earnhardt missed races because of concussion symptoms. In 2012 he was sidelined for two events, and last year he sat out the final 18 races after his symptoms from a wreck at Michigan worsened drastically in subsequent weeks.
During Friday’s presentation, the football team from Mooresville High School, Earnhardt’s alma mater, was ushered into the media center as part of the surprise.
“We have a lot of history with concussions and awareness and rehab and all that good stuff, so this is something that is actually very close to my heart,” Earnhardt said. “I hope to be able to continue to help others going forward. This is a great way to do that, so thanks again.”
MORE: Tracks’ farewell gifts for Earnhardt Jr.
Earnhardt didn’t play football at Mooresville. In fact, his Twitter profile lists him as “Former backup fullback for Mooresville Blue Devils varsity soccer.”
“I was four 4-feet-10-inches tall at the time,” Earnhardt said of the year he entered high school. “I think I was 5-foot-3 when I got my driver’s license. So I was real short, and we were driving by the football field — well, the practice field — and they were out there practicing, and I said, ‘I want to play football.’ And the guy said, ‘I’m going to take you down and introduce you to the soccer coach, because I don’t think you need to be playing football.’
“So I played soccer anyways. I got me a letter jacket and all that. We went to State and lost, but it was a lot of fun. I played one year, and I was the back-up, so I sat on the bench all year and I got to play a couple of games. We were a pretty good team, so we would get a big lead, I would get in a couple of games.”

[ZR]

Happy Birthday Dale Jr.

[ZR]

WOW.............Jr on pole for todays race.