Tyler Dettor is not afraid of change. His racing career shows it – the 2020 season marking his third major transition in racing.

The 19-year-old Charlottesville, Virginia resident started racing junior dragsters at the age of eight. He competed in drag racing for eight years, then moved to racing dirt Late Models, first at Eastside Speedway, and last year at Virginia Motor Speedway.

In 2020, Dettor is making another major change – switching to asphalt racing and competing in the NASCAR Limited Sportsman Division at South Boston Speedway.

“I went to Jay Hedgecock’s racing academy in High Point, North Carolina about a year ago, and that kind of sealed the deal on me coming out here and running an asphalt car,” Dettor explained.

“He took me to a race at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and I really enjoyed it. I love any type of racing. I decided this is what I really want to do. I’d like to get some wins, and I’d like to get some championships. Maybe one day I can be a national champion too.”

Dettor took an early step toward preparing for the 2020 season with a recent testing session at South Boston Speedway.

“I just wanted to come out here, turn some laps, and make some speed,” Dettor explained during a break.

“Hopefully we can do well in the Limited Sportsman Division here this year.”

Dettor says the transition to asphalt racing is a big one, one that will take a little time.

“It’s a big transition, but I’m getting there,” he remarked.

“We’re taking baby steps and I’m still learning. I’m trying to get seat time and turn laps.”

As far as goals go, Dettor’s goals are simple.

“Finish the race, of course, is the first one,” he pointed out.

“I’d like to finish on the lead lap and keep the car in one piece. I’d love to be able to pick up a win or two.”

Dettor pointed out he is excited about the opportunity to race at South Boston Speedway this season.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he remarked.

“We’ve worked hard for the past year building this car. We’re excited, to say the least. There are a lot of good drivers at South Boston Speedway. We came down and watched last year. It’s going to be interesting to see how we stack up against the rest of them.”

South Boston Speedway opens its 2020 season on Saturday, March 21 with the WhosYourDriver.org NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour 150/NASCAR Late Model Twin 75s. There will be a 150-lap race for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competitors and twin 75-lap races for the NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division teams.

Advance tickets are available for $10 each through Friday, March 20. Adult general admission tickets on race day will be $15. Youth ages 12 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.

SBS PR

Employees at the Apex Tool Group in Apex, NC, helped celebrate the upcoming start of the NASCAR Cup Series season alongside Kurt Busch, members of the Chip Ganassi Racing team, and the new-look GEARWRENCH^® No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE Wednesday. At what was dubbed ‘The Green Flag Event’, Busch officially unveiled the new paint scheme for his GEAWRENCH car, which will take to the track four times this season.

Apex Tool Group—one of the largest tool manufacturers in the world—is the parent company of GEARWRENCH, which is a premier hand tool brand for automotive and industrial mechanics.

“There’s so much excitement around Kurt and we wanted to make sure our team members at our Raleigh facility knew that they were a part of it,” said Rena Fiorello, director of brand management for GEARWRENCH. “It was fun to feel that team atmosphere and make sure that our colleagues understand that they’re truly part of everything we do, and that includes our partnership with Kurt and Chip Ganassi Racing.”

After unveiling his car’s new look emblazed with GEARWENCH black and orange, Busch took turns driving employees around a track in the parking lot to give them a taste of what it feels like to be in a NASCAR race. He took time to sign autographs, take photos, and gave a special shout-out to the employees who are military service veterans.

Busch will drive the GEARWRENCH car during four races on the 2020 schedule: Phoenix Raceway (March 8), Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 24), Dover International Speedway (Aug. 23) and Talladega Superspeedway (Oct. 4). For more information, visit www.gearwrench.com.

CGR PR

Jeremy Clements Racing will return for the full 2020 NASCAR XFINITY Series season. The family-run, single-car independent team will be competing in their tenth full-time XFINITY season. In addition, Repairable Vehicles will continue their support as one of the longest-running partnerships in the Series throughout the 2020 season. 

Going into the 2020 season JCR looks to continue to build on the recent consistency over the last few years; coming off last season that saw JCR tally a record number of Top 10s (4) and Top15s (19) and the best-ever average starting position of 15.7 and finishing position of 16.9.

When asked about 2020 Clements said, “I’m optimistic, I do feel better this year than I did last year because we are ahead of the game and will be way more prepared to start the season.” Clements went on to say, “Having Brad Meyer and his Repairables.com team come back again this year means a helluva a lot to JCR, Brad has basically supported us from the beginning of our full-time effort here the XFINITY Series and I could not be more grateful for his support and friendship!” and “We are definitely looking forward to taking our newest Repariables.com Hot Rod to the front come Daytona!”

FAST FACTS
• Jeremy’s 20th career start at Daytona International Speedway
• Best finish of 8th – 7/2014
• Best start of 19th – 7/2018

JCR TEAM
• Crew Chief: Andrew “Panda’ Abbott
• Manufacturer: Chevrolet
• Engine: Clements Racing Engines

RepairableVehicles.com, a division of Interstate Auto Center, Inc., is one of the leading resellers of repairable vehicles in North America. By working together with insurance companies, dealerships, rental companies, and automotive salvage auctions, they can provide an ever-changing inventory of high-quality total-loss, recovered theft, collision damage, and other types of repairable vehicles to their customers worldwide. www.Repairablevehicles.com

JCR PR

Darlington Raceway is celebrating ‘NASCAR Champions…Past, Present and Future’ for its throwback weekend celebration on Sept. 4-6, 2020. Another champion will be crowned in 2020 and Darlington Raceway will also be host to the opening round of the NASCAR Playoffs, which will declare its 72^nd champion since 1949.

Each month, the track will recognize NASCAR Cup Series champions from specific decades, beginning with the 1950’s champions (including 1948 and 1949) in January.

“It’s an exciting time for Darlington Raceway as the track’s 2020 campaign will feature our award-winning throwback weekend celebrating NASCAR’s champions, plus we’ll open the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the first time on September 6,” track President Kerry Tharp said. “We’re excited to be able to celebrate the champions of our sport each month, beginning with the 1950’s, and recognize their accomplishments that built stock car racing into what it is today.”

Here’s a look at the six different champions from that era:

1948 NASCAR Modified Champion, 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Champion – Red Byron

• Red Byron, who won the inaugural NASCAR modified championship in 1948, would win NASCAR’s Strictly Stock title (now the current NASCAR Cup Series) in 1949 with two victories during the eight-race campaign. Due to health complications from World War II, Byron was only able to compete in 15 races from 1949-51, but won back-to-back championships in ’48-49, becoming the sport’s first champion. For his success, Byron was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2018.

1950 NASCAR Grand National Champion – Bill Rexford

• Bill Rexford won his one and only NASCAR championship in 1950 in a close finish that saw him beat out Fireball Roberts during the 19-race campaign. Rexford posted one victory at Canfield Speedway in Ohio that season and had five top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in a season that saw seven different drivers take the points lead. He raced up until 1953.

1951 and 1953 NASCAR Grand National Champion – Herb Thomas

• Herb Thomas was a 48-time winner in NASCAR’s top series, scoring all his wins between 1950 and 1956, including the famed Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in 1951, 1954 and 1955. His 1951 Southern 500 victory (in the Hudson Hornet) propelled him to the championship that year, which included seven wins and 16 top-five finishes in 35 starts. His 1953 championship consisted of the most wins (12), top-five’s (27) and top-10’s (31) that season in a dominant performance. Thomas was elected into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2013.

1952 and 1955 NASCAR Grand National Champion – Tim Flock

• A 2014 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee, Tim Flock posted all 39 of his career victories during the '50s. His career win percentage was 22.5 percent, which is the highest among all drivers with at least 100 starts in the series. Flock earned 122 top-10s during the 1950s, and only 22 of those were not top-five finishes. Flock won the series championship in both 1952 and 1955. Based on the point standings, he won the 1952 championship by just starting the final race at West Palm Beach. His 1955 title was one of the most dominant in series history after winning 18 races in 39 starts. He won the ’55 championship by over 1,500 points over second-place Buck Baker. His 18 wins in 1955 wasn’t surpassed until Richard Petty won 27 races in 1967.

1954, 1958 and 1959 NASCAR Grand National Champion – Lee Petty

• Lee Petty competed in 379 events over the 11-year period (1949-1959), winning 48 of them, including the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959. Petty won a series-best three championships in the decade while also scoring the most top-10 and top-five finishes in the era—297 and 206.

In the first Daytona 500 that was held at Daytona International Speedway in 1959, Petty and Johnny Beauchamp battled to a side-by-side finish. Although Beauchamp was declared the unofficial winner, Petty was awarded the official victory by NASCAR three days later after reviewing photographs and newsreel footage. He was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011. His son, Richard, went on to be the all-time winningest driver in NASCAR history (200) wins. He passed his dad in all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins in 1967.

1956 and 1957 NASCAR Grand National Champion – Buck Baker

• Buck Baker, a 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, won back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series titles in 1956 and 1957. He amassed 14 victories during the 1956 campaign, which was six more than the second-place finisher in the points standings (Speedy Thompson). The 1957 campaign was equally impressive as Baker won 10 races and had 30 top-10 finishes in 40 starts. He won 46 total races in his career with 372 top-10 finishes and 246 top-five showings.

The Tradition Continues on Labor Day weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series Southern 500® is set for Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020. Throwback Weekend coverage will once again be covered in its entirety on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM. The NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 will race on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020.

You can keep up with all of the latest news from Darlington Raceway at DarlingtonRaceway.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DarlingtonRaceway and on Twitter at Twitter.com/TooToughToTame.

Darlington Raceway PR

Five individuals who each made their mark in not only NASCAR, but at historic Talladega Superspeedway, will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of the 2020 class this Friday (Jan. 31) evening.

The five-person group – the 11th since the inception of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010 – consists of former drivers Buddy Baker and Bobby Labonte, former driver/owner Tony Stewart, team owner Joe Gibbs, and former crew chief Waddell Wilson. They will be enshrined at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC. The event will be televised LIVE on NBC Sports Network and the NBC Sports App at 7 p.m. CST, and can be heard on Motor Racing Network – The Voice of NASCAR – as well as SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Here’s a breakdown of the inductees:

Buddy Baker
At 6 feet, 6 inches tall, Baker was often called the “Gentle Giant,” but behind the wheel he had a lead foot and knew only wide open. On March 24, 1970, he became the first driver to officially eclipse the 200-mph mark on a closed-course while testing at Talladega in a winged Dodge. His speed in his blue No. 88 machine was 200.447 mph, then a world record. Baker is also a member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, located just outside Talladega Superspeedway’s Turn 4.

After sweeping both races in 1975 while driving for Bud Moore, he came back in spring of ’76 for his third straight triumph, a consecutive record he would hold until Dale Earnhardt Jr. reeled off four in-a-row from 2001-03. His fourth and final Talladega Superspeedway (TSS) win came in the spring of 1980, driving the familiar No. 28 “Gray Ghost” to Gatorade Victory Lane after claiming the season-opening Daytona 500 earlier that year. In a 33-year career, he won 19 races in the NASCAR Cup Series. After retiring in 1992, Baker made a successful transition to the television booth as a commentator for The Nashville Network and CBS, and later as a radio co-host on Late Shift and Tradin’ Paint for SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Bobby Labonte
The ultimate grinder, Labonte raced any car he could get behind the wheel of before he got his first break as a full-time Cup Series driver at 28 years old in 1993. His persistence paid off with a career highlighted by 21 trips to Victory Lane and the 2000 premier series title. His ’98 Talladega triumph was a nail biter, and one of brotherly love. With just two laps to go, Labonte slipped past leader – and his brother – Terry, then held on for the win by a mere .167 second over Jimmy Spencer. Terry fell to fourth at the finish.

A success in all three of NASCAR’s national series, Bobby was the first of four drivers to win both a Cup and Xfinity Series championship. He is also one of 27 drivers to win a race in all three national series.

Tony Stewart
Known as “The People’s Champion” for his blue-collar, hard-nosed style of competition, Stewart actually claimed two first-place finishes at Talladega, both in 2008. He started the year with a victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event in April then came back in the fall with a controversial NASCAR Cup Series win. After Regan Smith’s pass of leader Stewart coming through the tri-oval on the final lap was below the yellow line, which was against NASCAR rules, Stewart was awarded the victory.

Stewart immediately showed that he would be a force to be reckoned with in NASCAR – earning three victories in his Rookie of the Year season in 1999. The titles soon followed. Stewart won his first Cup championship in 2002 driving for Gibbs and answered that quickly in 2005. His versatility was on display throughout his 17-year NASCAR career. He tallied 49 wins in the Cup Series – winning on every style of track. He won 16 times as a driver/owner including one of the most memorable championship pursuits in history in 2011.

Joe Gibbs
Gibbs has won throughout his entire life. The three-time Super Bowl champion football coach started Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) in 1992 and has led the organization to five Cup Series championships and five Xfinity Series titles. Known as a master motivator, Gibbs’ 176 Cup Series owner wins rank third all-time. Four of those wins have come at Talladega’s 33-degree banked facility, and with four different drivers.

Fellow 2020 Hall of Fame inductee Labonte wheeled his No. 18 to the winner’s circle first in the spring of 1998 for JGR, and 10 years later, the duo of Kyle Busch and Stewart made it a Gibbs’ sweep in 2008. Denny Hamlin was the last to take the checkers in spring of 2014. He also has five victories at Talladega in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Referred to in NASCAR circles as simply “Coach,” Gibbs was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996. 

Waddell Wilson
A dual threat as an engine builder and crew chief, Wilson powered and guided cars to some of the biggest victories in NASCAR history. While building the engines and calling the shots atop the pit box, he guided three drivers to four wins at the world’s greatest track – Talladega. In addition to Baker’s win in 1980, he backed it up a year later with Bobby Allison in ’81, then went back-to-back again in 1984-85 with Cale Yarborough. In addition, in 1982 he built the first engine to help driver Benny Parsons break the 200-mph barrier for the first time in an official NASCAR qualifying lap at 200.176 mph.

As an engine builder, Wilson supplied the power that helped David Pearson (1968, ’69) and Parsons (1973) to Cup Series titles. Overall, Wilson’s engines helped some of the greatest drivers to ever wheel a car – including NASCAR Hall of Famers Pearson, Fireball Roberts, Allison, Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip – to 109 wins and 123 poles.

TSS PR

Max Force Racing PR

The No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry that Denny Hamlin drove in 2019 to his second DAYTONA 500 victory has gone on a road trip.

The winning DAYTONA 500 car that has been on display for the past year inside the Daytona International Speedway Ticket and Tours Building was transported to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina to be part of the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremonies for its owner Joe Gibbs.

Gibbs will join the NASCAR Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2020. Also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a three-time Super Bowl-winning coach of the Washington Redskins, Gibbs has five NASCAR Cup Series championships Gibbs’ 176 Cup wins as an owner includes three DAYTONA 500 victories.

Following the induction ceremony on Friday, the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry will return to Daytona International Speedway for display before being returned to the team prior to the 62nd annual DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, Feb. 16. The transportation of the car is the first time that the winning DAYTONA 500 car has left the DIS Ticket and Tours Building during its residence at the “World Center of Racing.”

Once the car is returned to Joe Gibbs Racing prior to the DAYTONA 500, the car will return to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and will be on display in the Hall of Honor where the NASCAR legends are enshrined.

The 2019 DAYTONA 500 win was an emotional one for Joe Gibbs Racing and the No. 11 team. The organization honored Joe Gibbs’ late son J.D. Gibbs on Lap 11 of the race, as crew members stood on pit wall as a tribute. J.D. Gibbs, who passed away the previous month due to a neurological disease, wore No. 11 as a high school football player and later, as a race car driver himself. Hamlin’s car number: 11.

“I remember that night I referred to the win as the biggest win I’ve ever had in anything,” Gibbs said. “It was an emotional experience for everything it represented for J.D. [Gibbs] and our family and I’m thrilled to work with Daytona to have the car on display for this weekend’s induction ceremony and for the next year.”

Tickets for the 62nd annual DAYTONA 500 and other Daytona International Speedway events can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Snapchat, and by downloading Daytona International Speedway's mobile app, for the latest Speedway news throughout the season.

DIS PR

Roush Fenway Racing has announced that Koch Industries (pronounced “coke”) will serve as the primary partner for Ryan Newman when its flagship No. 6 Ford Mustang hits the track for the 62^nd annual running of the famed Daytona 500, kicking off the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.  Koch Industries will make its debut on the No. 6 in the Busch Clash all-star event on February 9^th at the Daytona International Speedway.

“We are looking forward to teaming up with Koch Industries and having them on the car for one of the most celebrated races of the season,” said Newman, who scored a dramatic victory with a last-lap pass at the iconic event in 2008. “Winning the 500 is one of the biggest accomplishments of my racing career. We have really fast superspeedway cars at Roush Fenway and we’d like nothing better than to kick off our season by driving the Koch Industries Ford into victory lane at Daytona.”

Roush Fenway boasts a pair of wins at the Daytona 500, with former NASCAR champion Matt Kenseth taking the celebrated checkered flag in 2009 and 2012; the latter serving as Hall of Fame owner Jack Roush’s historic 300^th NASCAR victory.  Overall, Roush Fenway has won seven times at the ‘World Center of Racing’ in NASCAR’s premiere series, most recently in the 2017 summer race.

“Koch Industries is excited to partner with Roush Fenway and Ryan Newman in this year’s Daytona 500. As our businesses continue to manufacture the things that make life better—from fuel to electronics to automotive sensors and component parts—the partnership between Koch Industries and Roush Fenway for this race is a natural fit. Sunday at Daytona is the premier event of the season and we are proud to help represent one of racing’s brightest stars,” said Steve Lombardo, chief communications and marketing officer for Koch Industries.

This will mark Newman’s 19^th start in the Daytona 500. He finished 14^th last season, despite a late accident that forced the veteran driver to cross the finish line with a severely damaged racecar. He scored a seventh-place finish in the 500 in his inaugural run in 2002 and has finished top 10 in the famed event on five occasions, including the victory in 2008.

Sunday’s Busch Clash is set for 3:00 PM ET and will air live on FS1. The twin qualifying races fire off at 7:00 PM ET on Thursday, February 13 and will be televised live on FS1. The Daytona 500 is set for Sunday, February 16 at 2:30 PM ET and will be televised live on FOX.

RFR PR

Nolan Pope will kickstart his season by heading to Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Speedway this weekend with Lee Faulk Racing and Development for the fifth annual Ice Breaker.

The first season of the six-year partnership between the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and General Tire was highlighted by spectacular door-to-door races all over Europe in perfect Pure Racing style. To further improve the experience for drivers and fans, in 2020 the Official Tyre Partner of the European NASCAR series will debut the first evolution of the NWES General Tire slick and wet tires. 

General Tire and NWES focused both on performance and durability in developing the 2020 evolution of the NWES spec tires. The multiple test sessions during the 2019 season and this fall at the NWES test track in France and at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain, met all expectations.

Martin Heckers, Head of General Tire Motorsport said “We cannot be happier with our first NWES season as the Official Tyre Partner. The tyres performed exceptionally well and we witnessed extremely exciting races. 

“General Tire’s dedicated motorsport unit is developing and manufacturing racing tyres in three shifts a day, six days a week, allowing us to already come up with a new tyre for the upcoming NWES season.  This new tyre has been adjusted in line with further developments of the cars and considering data and driver feedback from our first season, we have developed an enhanced new NWES General Tire tyre specification."

“We are very much looking forward to the 2020 season and can’t wait for the cars to hit the circuits in Europe.”

The NWES regulations are very demanding for our Official Tyre Partner: strong cost containment and efficiency regulations allow a maximum of four tires per driver to race a full event including qualifying and two races. Drivers must also re-use two of these tires for the next event. NWES is therefore proving to be the ideal development ground for high-performance durable tires, which perfectly fit General Tire’s product characteristics. As in 2019, NWES teams will have to manage a maximum of 20 tires per driver during the season.


“General Tire is the perfect tire partner for the series, the company has a huge racing expertise and great products. Everybody was very motivated to introduce new tires in 2020 to continue enhancing the racing experience for both drivers and fans,” said NWES President - CEO Jerome Galpin. “I have to admit our needs for high-performance and very durable tires is really difficult to comply with, but General Tire put a lot of effort in providing us the best possible products.”

The new General Tire NWES GT tires will debut on April 25-26 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. The European NASCAR Series will then make visit Brands Hatch in the United Kingdom, Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic and Raceway Venray in the Netherlands in the regular season. The Playoffs will begin in September at the Autodromo di Vallelunga in Rome, Italy, followed by Circuit Zolder in Belgium and the EuroNASCAR Finals in Hockenheim, Germany to close the season in October.

NWES PR