Speedway Digest Staff - Results from #55250

Longhorn Chassis announced today its new and latest chassis design is now available for sale to dirt late model owners and drivers. The new Longhorn Chassis, designed in January of this year with the engineering background of Kevin Rumley, have been raced this year by Bobby Labonte Racing (BLR) in-house driver Earl Pearson Jr. and also by Steve Shaver and Justin Labonte.

Since the beginning of this race season, the new Longhorn Chassis has four feature wins, 25 top-five and 36 top-10 finishes including two wins on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS). Pearson Jr. is currently fourth in the LOLMDS championship standings racing two new, exactly-built Longhorn Chassis.

Rumley, owner of K&L Rumley Enterprises, joined Longhorn Chassis and BLR as the lead engineer in design earlier this year. Along with input from Pearson Jr., Shaver and the Labonte family, including Bobby, Terry, and Justin, Rumley has used his engineering background to develop a strong and safe chassis that has also been very adaptive to various tracks and track conditions across the country. The in-house Bobby Labonte Racing team has enjoyed resurgence with Pearson Jr. racing the new Longhorn this year.

"Kevin and the entire Longhorn Chassis staff have really built a solid foundation for a new level of chassis design in dirt late model racing," said Pearson Jr. "I have been very impressed with the new Longhorn and I am very confident wherever we race that we have a winning chassis underneath the car.

"This is a very easy, turn-key solution for local, regional and national dirt late model racers," continued Pearson Jr. "The Labonte family has a tremendous staff, facility and equipment to duplicate the same Longhorn Chassis that we're winning with today. I think any racer can win with the Longhorn Chassis and also sustain a grueling schedule without the Chassis losing any of its structural integrity."

Co-owner of Longhorn Chassis Bobby Labonte has been satisfied with the engineering design and results of the Longhorn Chassis this year. He is also satisfied that it's ready for the racing public to purchase.

"Before we really started to promote the sale of the new Longhorns, we wanted to ensure that this design was capable of winning, being competitive under various conditions at various tracks and also durable enough to sustain a grueling schedule," said Labonte. "After nearly an entire race season, we've seen positive results with different drivers and driving styles.

"Earl, Steve and Justin have all had positive feedback with the 'feel' of the new design all year," continued Labonte. "Earl has really been impressive on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and other national events with the Longhorn. That has given us the confidence that we've built a winning product that we can offer to other dirt late model teams and drivers."

For more information on purchasing a Longhorn Chassis, please visit www.longhornchassis.com.

Longhorn Chassis PR

Swan Racing continues to audition young talent during the final 10 races of the 2013 season and this weekend will run Kevin Swindell in the No. 30 Toyota. It will mark Swindell's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut.

In addition to racing this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Swan Racing will also run Swindell the following week at Dover.

The 24-year-old driver has limited NASCAR experience. He has made 16 career starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series including 10 this season for Biagi-DenBeste Racing. He has an average finish of 17.6 in the 10 races this year with a best finish of eighth at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"They're trying to find somebody full-time for next year and move some different guys in the car and decided to use me," Swindell said. “It’s a great opportunity and just try to treat it like another day at the office."

Swan Racing turned to Cole Whitt to drive at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday replacing David Stremme. Whitt is also scheduled to drive at Kansas, Charlotte, Talladega, and Phoenix. With Swindell in at New Hampshire and Dover, that leaves the races at Martinsville, Texas, and Homestead-Miami as still having an open seat.

Swindell has one ARCA Racing Series win in 14 starts. The win came in 2012 at Chicagoland Speedway. He is best know for winning the last four years in the Chili Bowl.

Check out other great articles at Sports Media 101.

Hitting the road for the final NASCAR Nationwide Series stand-alone event of the season, TriStar Motorsports crews maintain the mile-and-a-half state of mind. This will mark the second Fall event in the Bluegrass state for the Nationwide Series. While the Spring event in Sparta, Kentucky was shortened by rain, Saturday's prime time event will not be short of excitement. Bliss to Make 11th Start at Kentucky (@MikeBliss19):

One of the most seasoned drivers out of the TriStar Motorsports camp, Mike Bliss will make his 11th career start at Kentucky Speedway. In 2002 Bliss won the Camping World Truck Series event at Kentucky and later went on to clinch the Championship for that season.

"Last time we were at Kentucky we had trouble finding a balance with the car," said Bliss who finished 19th at the Spring event. "To be honest, I don't think we had a top-20 car last time. Believe it or not the rain shortening the event helped us."

In Bliss' 10 previous starts at Kentucky Speedway he earned one top five and three top-10 finishes. His best NASCAR Nationwide Series finish at Kentucky came in 2004 when he placed third. Home Again for Green :

Jeff Green will enjoy the comforts of home this weekend as the Owensboro, Kentucky native will make his sixth start at Kentucky Speedway.

"I enjoy coming home to Kentucky to race," said Green who will be behind the wheel of the No. 10 Toyota Camry for TriStar Motorsports. "This track has a lot of bumps and dips, which really sets it apart from other 1.5-mile tracks on the schedule."

The former NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion earned his best finish at Kentucky in 2010 when he placed 20th. McClure Still Feeling Great (@ericmcclure):

Feeling refreshed, Eric McClure is pumped for his 10th career start at Kentucky Speedway for Saturday night's Kentucky 300. Racing a car that was used last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, McClure hopes to make gains with the No. 14 Hefty® Ultimate™ Camry.

"I'm looking forward to getting back to Kentucky, we raced really well there last year," said McClure. "We were in place for a descent finish in the Spring race, but we pitted right before they called the race due to rain."

The 2nd Annual Kentucky 300 will be McClure's 222nd NASCAR Nationwide Series event. The Virginia driver's best finish at Kentucky Speedway came in the fall of 2012 when he placed 22nd. Whitt Looking for Redemption the Second Time Around (@ColeWhitt):

Coming off of a two week break from being behind the wheel of the No. 44 Toyota for TriStar Motorsports, Cole Whitt is rested and ready for redemption at Kentucky Speedway. What was looking like a top-10 finish for Whitt in the Spring NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kentucky, ended up being a 31st place finish due to a mechanical problem.

"We had some unfortunate luck in the Spring race," said Whitt who will make his fourth career start at the 1.5-mile tri-oval. "I learned a lot about Kentucky my first few races there. I think I know it well enough now so I can hopefully earn that top-10 we were going for last time."

Whitt will have CBC Framing back on board as a contributing sponsor for Saturday night's race which will air on ESPNews at 7:30 p.m. (EST). Whitt earned his best finish at Kentucky Speedway during this event last year when he placed sixth.

TMI PR

Daytona International Speedway will bring together some of the state’s top sports business executives for an innovative webcast on Friday, Sept. 27 at the International Motorsports Center located just outside Daytona International Speedway.

The webcast is the first of the eight-part Sports Business Insider Series, which will be hosted around the country by the Speedway’s parent company International Speedway Corporation. The series will address the most current issues in major sports and will be moderated by national sports media personality and host of Bloomberg TV’s “Sportfolio,” Rick Horrow.

Taking part in the Sept. 27 webcast panel at Daytona International Speedway will be:

n  Joie Chitwood III, President, Daytona International Speedway

n  Mark Lamping, President, Jacksonville Jaguars

n  Mike Millay, Director of Sports Business Development, Disney’s Wide World of Sports

n  John Bisignano, President/CEO, Central Florida Sports Commission

“We’re delighted to kick off the Sports Business Insider Series,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. “I’m excited to be a part of this group of panelists and look forward to the thoughtful discussion on the current topics facing the sports business industry.”

The Sports Business Insider Series attendance and Citrix GoToWebcast viewing is by invitation only. Although followers of @ISCupdates, @DISUpdates, and @RickHorrow will get #InsiderSeries content on Twitter during the events.

DIS PR

Police Chief Ron Bastin, four-time Kentucky Speedway ARCA Racing Series (ARS) winner Frank Kimmel, ZLOOP Consumer and Electronics Recycling Centers (CERC) CMO and Founder Bob LeBarge along with President of Disabled Racers Aaron Grosskopf will serve honorary roles for Kentucky Speedway's doubleheader race weekend made up of Friday's ARS ZLOOP™ 150 and Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) Kentucky 300.

Bastin will be the honorary starter and send the NNS Kentucky 300 field roaring into Turn 1 when he waves the first green flag of the race just after 8 p.m. Kimmel will be the race grand marshal and give the command for drivers to start their engines.

Chief Bastin earned the honorary starter spot during the August Top Cop Challenge. The competition was created by Kentucky Speedway to thank law enforcement officers for their efforts in making speedway events a success as well as for year-round public safety initiatives. Sixteen officers representing eight Kentucky and Ohio jurisdictions turned laps in Richard Petty Driving Experience cars on the speedway's 1.5-mile tri-oval to determine team and individual winners. Bastin was quickest among the highest-ranking officers who raced.

Kimmel resides in nearby Clarksville, Ind., and is on the verge of capturing his 10^th ARS championship in his No. 44 ThorSport Racing machine. He has raced to 79 victories through 466 ARS since 1991, including four at Kentucky Speedway, and is one victory away from taking the all-time series victories crown from legend Iggy Katona, who competed from 1953-1977.

Grosskopf will be the ARS ZLOOP 150 grand marshal and LeBarge will be the honorary starter for the speedway's 20^th series event since 2000.

Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 1, Grosskopf founded DisabledRacers.com in Charlotte, N.C., to build awareness for the needs of disabled people who wish to get involved in simulated racing and provide a place where those racers can communicate while working together to find resources for equipment. In the past year, he befriended ARS rookie and ZLOOP Racing competitor Justin Boston, leading to Friday's opportunity.

LeBarge will represent the speedway's ARS event title sponsor, ZLOOP CERC, the only national franchise to guarantee the safe and secure disposal of eWaste. The company will accept select small electronics for recycling at its display near speedway Gate 15 throughout the event weekend. ZLOOP CERC will accept cell phones, smart phones, PDA's, laptops, tablets, printers, plotters, tabletop copy and fax machines, keyboards, mice, SCSI/USB/DVI video cables, wires and cords, switches, hubs, routers, tape drives, hard drives, two-way radios, radio scanners, cb radios, non-biohazard testing equipment, scanning and bar coding equipment as well as UPS, US Postal Service and FedEx equipment. Ink and laser toner cartridges, televisions, computer monitors and medical equipment WILL NOT be accepted.

KYS PR

Homestead-Miami Speedway today announced several unique ticket packages for Ford Championship Weekend, which will return to South Florida for the 12^th consecutive year November 15-17, 2013.  Track President Matthew Becherer made the announcement.

Highlights include appearances by 2012 NASCAR champions in its top three national series each day of race weekend.  NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winner James Buescher will appear at the Speedway Club on Friday (November 15), while NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski will visit with fans in the Speedway Club on Saturday (November 16).  Two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr., now a full-time participant in the Sprint Cup Series, will be in the Speedway Club on Sunday (November 17) prior to the weekend’s signature event, the Ford EcoBoost 400. The driver appearances will include question and answer sessions.

Fans will have access to these driver appearances with the purchase of a Speedway Club ticket, which are on sale now.

Speedway Club tickets include: Exclusive hospitality access to all Championship finales, reserved outdoor chair-back seating with armrests and cup holders, Pre-Race Pit Passes for Saturday and Sunday, and VIP parking.  The Speedway Club features new amenities including a partially-enclosed area, new flooring, and flat screen TVs.

“We are proud of our offerings, including all three champions visiting the Speedway Club,” said Becherer. “Even though we are hosting three championship races, it’s important to have something for every taste and budget.  Whether it’s the longtime NASCAR fan or someone that has never felt the power and speed of stock cars firsthand, it’s a ‘can’t miss’ weekend.  Accordingly, we encourage fans to act fast – several areas are near capacity.”

Homestead-Miami Speedway is on course to offer an unprecedented number of NASCAR driver appearances during Ford Championship Weekend.  The appearance schedule will be announced at a later date.

Other ticket options for Ford Championship Weekend include:

The Pit Box

Located in the Infield on the Start/Finish line, a three-day pass to the high-end club includes:

o    Access to all three championship finales

o    Indoor state-of-the-art lounge area with buffet, bar and seating to watch the races 

o    Private outdoor cabanas with comfortable open-air chair-back seating with armrests 

o    All-inclusive food and beverage bar 

o    Pre-Race Pit Pass (Saturday and Sunday) 

o    Preferred parking 

o    Access to race track for post-race championship celebration

Champions Club

Located eight stories above Turn 1, the Champions Club combines a bird's-eye view of championship racing with premium service.

Champions Club seating includes:

o    Exclusive hospitality access to all championship finales

o    Private, spacious, air-conditioned club

o    All-inclusive food and beverage bar

o    Pre-Race Pit Pass (Saturday and Sunday)

o    Flat-screen TVs, private restrooms and elevators

o    Preferred parking

o    Access to race track for post-race championship celebration

Coke Zero Fan Zone

Now located in the Chalet Village, fans can enjoy hospitality before and during Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Ford EcoBoost 300, and the main event, Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400.  Fans must have an admission ticket for race for access to Coke Zero Fan Zone. The area includes:

o    Complimentary buffet lunch and snacks

o    Q&A sessions with NASCAR celebrities

o    Pre-Race Pit Pass

o    Unlimited Coca-Cola beverages

o    Three beer coupons (21 and older) 

o    Door prizes and gifts

o    Cash bar

Race Day with Juan

Juan Pablo Montoya and Homestead-Miami Speedway have teamed up again to offer this special package benefiting the Formula Smiles Foundation. It was announced earlier this week that the veteran driver will not return to NASCAR in 2014, making this event an opportunity to provide a fitting sendoff to Montoya, a Miami resident. 

Each Race Day with Juan purchase includes:

o    One ticket to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship race, the Ford EcoBoost 400

o    Exclusive Q&A session with Miami's own Juan Pablo Montoya

o    Pre-Race Pit Pass

o    Juan Pablo Montoya commemorative gift

HMS PR

Fourth-generation racer Trey Hutchens is poised for his second NASCAR K&N Pro Series East start in Saturday’s North America Power 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
 
Hutchens, currently competing in select NASCAR Whelen All-American Series (NWAAS) Late Model Stock races at North Carolina short tracks, climbs behind the wheel of the No. 15 Trey Hutchens Racing Chevrolet Impala with sponsorship from MilitaryWarriors.org, Impact Gel, WIX Filters and Technique Engineering Chassis Components.
 
The high school sophomore made his K& N Pro Series East debut in June at Langley (Hampton, Va.) Speedway shortly after he turned 15 and thus met the mandated minimum-age requirement for the division, widely considered an entree to the NASCAR Camping World Truck or NASCAR Nationwide Series. Hutchens aspires to be a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and has played a significant role in preparing his Triad Racing Technologies-powered car for Saturday’s event.
 
“This week is all I’ve thought about since my last K&N Pro Series race,” said Hutchens, son of JTG Daugherty Racing competition director, Bobby Hutchens.  “I rush home from school every day, knock out my homework and then go work on my car.  The more I’m behind the wheel, the more I know this is what I want to do with my life.  I truly appreciate companies like Military Warriors.org, Impact Gel, WIX Filters and Technique Engineering Chassis Components, who support my goals and are helping me achieve them.”
 
The A-honor roll student scored a fourth-place points finish and Rookie-of-the-Year honors in the 2012 American Speed Association Limited Late Model Series at Ace Speedway (Altamahaw, N.C.) in his first season in a stock car. Additionally, he notched seven top-five and 18 top-10 finishes in 26 Late Model and Limited Late Model starts in 2012-‘13 at Ace and Caraway Speedway (Sophia, N.C.), as one of the youngest competitors in each event.
 
Hutchens’ 2013 resume also features the prestigious Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, a Late Model race for charity, and the NWAAS’ inaugural UNOH Battle at the Beach, a non-points event contested on a temporary four-tenths-of-a-mile track at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February.
 
The Lexington, N.C. native made his racing debut in a Quarter Midget in 2009 as an 11-year-old, shattering the NCQMA Speedway (Salisbury, N.C.) track qualifying record and finishing second in the feature event in just his first attempt. For more information on Hutchens, please follow him on Twitter @treyhutchens

JTG PR

Current points leader, Matt Kenseth, is set to earn a career milestone this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway when he looks to make his 500^th Sprint Cup Series start in Sunday’s Sylvania 300.  Kenseth made his debut in the series in 1998, and has spent 14 full seasons at NASCAR’s top level.  Kenseth will be driving a special 500^th start paint scheme aboard his No. 20 Home Depot Husky Toyota for this weekend’s race events in Loudon, and will be looking to earn his seventh win of the season in this milestone start.

“All this really means is that I’m old,” joked Kenseth when asked about his thoughts on the historic start.  “I’m proud having 500 starts.  I remember making my first one and I wasn’t sure if I was going to even be able to make a second one.  It’s a very tough business, so I feel very fortunate to have been with such great people, and to have driven such great cars and had fantastic sponsors throughout my career to be able to still be in this sport and competitive after this many seasons.”

Kenseth’s career has been full of many achievements over his 14 full seasons at NASCAR’s top level including his 2003 Cup Championship title, two DAYTONA 500 Championships, an International Race of Champions (IROC) title, Rookie of the Year honors, and qualifying for the Chase for the Sprint Cup in all but one of its ten seasons of existence.

A native of Cambridge, Wis., Kenseth began his racing career at the age of 16 and won his first feature event in only his third race. By the age of 19, Kenseth was racing against the likes of Dick Trickle, Ted Musgrave and Rich Bickle in Wisconsin, and learning the skills that would eventually lead him to NASCAR.

In 1997, Kenseth got the fateful call from fellow Wisconsin racer, Robbie Reiser, who asked Kenseth to drive for his team in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series. Continuing his successful development in the Nationwide Series, Kenseth made his first Cup series debut on September 20, 1998 substitute driving for Bill Elliott in the McDonald’s Ford at Dover International Speedway. The young Kenseth drove to an impressive sixth-place finish in his first run with NASCAR’s elite.

Kenseth was given the opportunity to make five more Cup series starts in 1999 while also continuing his racing in the Nationwide Series full time that season as well. In 2000, Kenseth and his No. 17 team went full-time Cup series racing and Kenseth earned his first Cup victory at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway that year. Kenseth went on to finish his rookie season with four top-five and 11 top-10 finishes along with that win, and was named the 2000 Raybestos Rookie of the Year.

Kenseth and his No. 17 team continued to grow and develop while earning several accolades over the next few seasons, but in 2003, everything clicked for Kenseth and his team as he was crowned the final Winston-era Cup Champion with a record-setting performance. Kenseth’s consistency kept the rest of the field at bay with a series-best 25 top-10 finishes, 11 top-five finishes, and one win. Kenseth also led the championship point standings that season for a record-breaking 34 straight weeks en route to Roush Fenway Racing’s first-ever Cup title.

Over the course of the next five seasons, Kenseth qualified for the Chase for the Cup every season from 2004 through 2008 and in the process, continued to add to his career achievements list. In 2006, Kenseth became the first driver since Dale Earnhardt to win back-to-back Bristol night races, and along the way, set career highs for top-five finishes (15), laps led (1,132), and average finishes (9.8).

Kenseth began the 2009 season with back-to-back victories by winning the Daytona 500 and followed up his victory a week later at California Speedway with another win. With the Daytona 500 win, Kenseth earned a spot with some elite company like Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, David Pearson and Richard Petty as one of only five drivers in NASCAR history who have won a Cup Championship, the Raybestos Rookie Award, and the Daytona 500. 

The 2010 season saw Kenseth make his 400^th Sprint Cup Series start in the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway but he finished that season without a win.  The following year however, Kenseth snapped a 76-race winless streak in April at Texas Motor Speedway and went on to earn three wins that season along with a career-high three pole awards. 

2012 opened with a bang for Kenseth after he claimed victory in his Gatorade Duel qualifying race and then went on to win his second DAYTONA 500 title.  Kenseth earned three wins that year for the second consecutive season and had an average finish of 11.1 which was his best finish since 2006.  Despite all the success of the 2012 season, Kenseth announced that the 2013 season would find him changing teams and moving into the No. 20 Dollar General/Home Depot Husky Toyota with Joe Gibbs Racing. 

With several changes in line for the 2013 season, Kenseth found himself at home with his new race team, crew chief, and organization at Joe Gibbs Racing.  NASCAR’s new “Gen. 6” car style seemed to increase the overall competition on the race track and Kenseth found success early on claiming his first trip to Victory Lane in March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  The win proved to be the first of many for Kenseth and his No. 20 team, in fact, in 27 starts so far this season, Kenseth has clinched a career-high six wins so far in 2013.  Kenseth also leads the series currently with the most laps led. With nine races still remaining in the season, he has surpassed his career-high for laps led in the Series.

Kenseth began the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup as the top seed and won the first race of the Chase at Chicagoland Speedway last weekend to maintain his top spot in the standings as the series travels to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend for the second race of the Chase.  He and the No. 20 Home Depot Husky team will look to carry their momentum into Loudon, New Hampshire for Sunday’s Sylvania 300.  The race will be broadcast on ESPN Sunday, September 22, 2013 at 2:00p.m. EST.

JGR PR

Award-winning Outback Steakhouse, with more than 750 locations nationwide, will continue its partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team co-owned by three-time series champion Tony Stewart and Haas Automation founder Gene Haas.

Outback Steakhouse will be the primary sponsor of SHR’s No. 4 team and driver Kevin Harvick for two races each in 2014 and 2015, and when not serving as a primary sponsor, will be an associate sponsor with placement on the B-post of the No. 4 Chevrolet SS. Outback Steakhouse joins Budweiser as a primary sponsor of the No. 4 team.

Whenever Harvick finishes among the top-10 in a Sprint Cup race, a free Bloomin’ Onion will be offered to customers on the Monday following the race.

“Stewart-Haas Racing has been an excellent partner of Outback Steakhouse and we’re proud to continue our relationship with the team,” said Mike Kappitt, chief marketing officer, Outback Steakhouse. “The ‘Bloomin’ Monday’ promotion has been incredibly successful thanks to our partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing, and we look forward to continuing ‘Bloomin’ Mondays’ with Kevin Harvick.”

Outback Steakhouse is an Australian-themed steakhouse restaurant, and it first opened in 1988 in Tampa, Fla. Although beef and steak items make up a good portion of the menu, the concept offers a variety of chicken, ribs, seafood and pasta dishes. The Company’s strategy is to differentiate its restaurants by emphasizing consistently high-quality food and service, generous portions at moderate prices, and a casual atmosphere suggestive of the Australian Outback

“It’s truly a privilege to represent the iconic Outback brand,” said Harvick, winner of 21 Sprint Cup races, including the 2007 Daytona 500 and 2003 Brickyard 400. “I’m certainly looking forward to making every Monday a ‘Bloomin’ Monday’.”

“We’re honored to have Outback Steakhouse continue its partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing,” added Stewart, who in his five years as a driver/owner in the Sprint Cup Series has scored 15 of his 48 career Sprint Cup victories. “Outback’s reputation for quality food and great service is exceptional, and it’s truly a pleasure to be associated with a company and a product that is admired by so many, including myself. We’re looking forward to continuing our partnership on and off the racetrack.”

SHR PR

One of the most recognized rock alternative bands of the last two decades will help kick off the only Saturday night race in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship when the Goo Goo Dolls perform during the Fast Cars and Guitars prerace concert at the Bank of America 500 on Oct. 12.

Formed in Buffalo, N.Y. in 1985, the multi-platinum-selling group has notched a record 14 Top 10 singles on Billboard’s Adult Top 40 charts since it was launched in 1996, including hits like “Name,” “Slide,” “Here is Gone,” “Big Machine,” “Let Love In” and “Home.” The Goo Goo Dolls’ most iconic hit, the 1998 single “Iris,” ranked No. 1 on Billboard's “Top 100 Pop Songs 1992-2012” chart and earned the band three GRAMMY nominations. Originally written for the “City of Angels” soundtrack, “Iris” has remained ingrained in the pop consciousness for decades, even climbing as high as No. 3 on the UK Billboard charts in 2011, 13 years after it was first released.

The Goo Goo Dolls has sold more than 10 million albums over 25 years and released its 10^th studio album, “Magnetic,” earlier this year. The group, which has performed sold-out shows at iconic venues like Red Rocks Amphitheater, Ford Field and London’s Hyde Park, is eager to add Charlotte Motor Speedway to their catalog of performances.

“It's amazing to be included in this long tradition of racing here at Charlotte Speedway,” said Goo Goo Dolls founding member and bassist Robby Takac. “We've performed in some pretty unique venues over the years and being given the opportunity to add The Bank of America 500 to that list is a great honor.”

Charlotte, N.C.-based alternative rock band Paper Tounges will warm up the crowd for the Fast Cars and Guitars event beginning at 4:30 p.m. with a high-energy performance including hits like “Ride To California,” “Trinity” and Get Higher. The Goo Goo Dolls are scheduled to take the stage at approximately 5:30 p.m. The concert is free to all Saturday ticket holders, and fans purchase a pit pass upgrade will have stage-front access to the performance.

CMS PR