Author: Mike Haag

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Austin Dillon resets his goals after Daytona 500 victory HAMPTON, Ga. – What’s next? That’s the question that confronts Austin Dillon after last Sunday’s last-lap victory in the 60th Daytona 500, NASCAR’s most important and prestigious race. That triumph gave Dillon wins in two of NASCAR’s “majors.” Last year, he picked up his inaugural victory in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and qualified for the postseason Playoff for the second straight season. So, again, what’s next, now that Dillon has knocked two gigantic items off the bucket…

Courtesy of FOX Sports CHARLOTTE, N.C. – With today’s inclusion of Nielsen Media Research out-of-home viewing data, Sunday’s Daytona 500 on FOX averaged 9,781,000 across all platforms, peaking at more than 11.5 million viewers. According to Nielsen, more than 18.1 million viewers watched all or part of the Great American Race. The Daytona 500, with Austin Dillon scoring a dramatic victory in the iconic No. 3 and newcomer Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. crossing the line second in Richard Petty’s celebrated No. 43, was the highest rated and most-viewed FOX telecast of any kind since the NFC Championship Game in January,…

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Atlanta Holds Strong Memories For Harvick For so many longtime NASCAR fans, Kevin Harvick’s maiden win at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2001 was memorable for the context he scored it in. It was only Harvick’s third start after suddenly being asked to drive Richard Childress Racing’s Chevrolet after Childress’ driver — the great seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt — perished on the final lap of the season-opening Daytona 500. Harvick arrived in Atlanta full of emotion – a newlywed tasked to fill the sport’s biggest shoes at the time. And yet the Californian was…

Courtesy of the NHRA CHANDLER, Ariz. – A tremendous rookie season has only pushed Pro Stock driver Tanner Gray to raise the bar even higher for the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, which is why a strong start to the year is important for the rising star. It didn’t happen at the season-opener in Pomona, where Gray fell in the first round to eventual winner and defending world champion Bo Butner. That hasn’t dampened Gray’s spirits heading to this weekend’s NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, where the 19-year-old talent looks to make an…

Courtesy of the NHRA CHANDLER, Ariz. – Shawn Langdon has never been one to back down from a challenge and the former Top Fuel world champion remains thrilled at trying to tackle perhaps the biggest one in his racing career early in the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. Langdon made the transition from Top Fuel to Funny Car this offseason, repeating a process Kalitta Motorsports teammate J.R. Todd did the previous year. After a first-round loss in his Funny Car debut in Pomona to open the year, Langdon is confident he’ll make big improvements in his 10,000-horsepower…

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Richard Petty walked onto pit road Sunday evening after the Daytona 500 just like he raced: fast and focused. As the cars began pulling off the Daytona International Speedway surface following the dramatic season opener, the NASCAR Hall of Famer was in full pursuit – looking for his No. 43 Click n’ Close Chevrolet and its driver, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr., who had just finished runner-up in his first-ever Daytona 500. A sizable crowd of reporters surrounded Petty, who walked up and down pit road, and into the pits looking…

Courtesy of the NHRA GLENDORA, Calif. – Dodge has signed on as title sponsor of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series national event at Bandimere Speedway in Denver. The 2018 Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Powered by Mopar marks the 30th year that FCA US LLC brands are race sponsors, one of the longest partnerships in all of motorsports. Mopar stands with Dodge as presenting sponsor for the challenging high-altitude event, staged in the picturesque Rocky Mountains, continuing its decades-long association with Bandimere Speedway and NHRA racing. “Performance and competition fuel Dodge owners and the Dodge//SRT team every day,” said…

Courtesy of the NHRA CHANDLER, Ariz. – After a year that did not meet the high expectations for eight-time Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher, the veteran knew there needed to be some changes. After an off-season that included a significant one, Schumacher, who finished eighth in the Top Fuel standings a year ago, appears to be quickly back in championship form. The 83-time event winner was the runner-up at the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season opener in Pomona, a strong start after Mike Neff was named the new crew chief over the winter. Heading into this…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – If Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team decided to steal a page from the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, it would be entirely appropriate. The theme song of the world champion Pirates was “We Are Family,” a contemporaneous hit by Sister Sledge. In 1979, the close-knit underdog Pittsburgh team upset the Baltimore Orioles to win the World Series. Coincidentally, 1979 also marked the first appearance of a rookie named Dale Earnhardt in the Daytona 500. The seven-time champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer would spend 19 years—with team owners Rod Osterlund,…

Courtesy of Daytona International Speedway DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The magic of Sunday night carried over to Monday morning at Daytona International Speedway, with 2018 DAYTONA 500 champion Austin Dillon honored at the annual Champion’s Breakfast in the speedway’s Bill France Room. Dillon drove the No. 3 Dow Chevrolet Camaro owned by his grandfather Richard Childress to a historic victory in the 60th running of “The Great American Race,” the season-opening event for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The victory came 20 years after Dale Earnhardt won the DAYTONA 500 in Childress’ No. 3 Chevrolet. “It’s an amazing win,” Childress…