Drivers Speed Into the Record Books

Drivers Speed Into the Record Books

NASCAR drivers accomplished record speeds this season. Just how fast did they go?

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NASCAR inGEAR

Danica Patrick to be Featured in Super Bowl...

Danica Patrick to be Featured in Super Bowl...

Check out NASCAR driver Danica Patrick’s new Super Bowl commercial with GoDaddy on Feb. 1 on NBC

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Miss Sprint Cup Airboats Through the South...

Miss Sprint Cup Airboats Through the South...

Check out how Miss Spring Cup is spending her time away from Homestead Miami Speedway

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2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, Kevin...

2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, Kevin...

2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, Kevin Harvick, takes a selfie at the top of the Empire State Building during the #ChampionsTour

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2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, Kevin...

2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, Kevin...

2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, Kevin Harvick, poses with his new hardware outside of NBC Studios in NYC during the #ChampionsTour

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NASCAR Champion Kevin Harvick Celebrates with...

NASCAR Champion Kevin Harvick Celebrates with...

On the heels of winning the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship, Kevin Harvick headed to New York City to celebrate his new title.

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Kevin Harvick is the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup...

Kevin Harvick is the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup...

The fastest driver doesn't always win a race—or a championship—but on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kevin Harvick did both

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NBA Legend Shows up at Miami, Supports Hamlin

NBA Legend Shows up at Miami, Supports Hamlin

Six- time NBA champion Michael Jordan attended the championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway to support friend Denny Hamlin

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Harvick Headed to NYC for Championship Media Tour

Harvick Headed to NYC for Championship Media Tour

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick will celebrate his new title by making several media stops in NYC this week

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Driver-Crew Chief Combo End Four-Year Run,...

Driver-Crew Chief Combo End Four-Year Run,...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte share kind words on Twitter after four-year run comes to an end

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Kyle Busch Preparing for Fatherhood

Kyle Busch Preparing for Fatherhood

Kyle and Samantha Busch are planning to use the off-season get ready for the arrival of their first child, due in May 2015

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Championship Contender Breakdown

Championship Contender Breakdown

Learn more about the four teams eligible for a shot at the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship title

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#ChaseHappiness and the NASCAR Sprint Cup

#ChaseHappiness and the NASCAR Sprint Cup

They say to do what makes you happy. For NASCAR drivers, there’s nothing better than the feeling of holding that turn, making that pass, or winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Throughout the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, fans, drivers, teams, tracks and sponsors have come together to share and show how they #ChaseHappiness. We want to know, how do you #ChaseHappiness?

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InDeepH20.com Goes Behind-The-Scenes at Texas...

InDeepH20.com Goes Behind-The-Scenes at Texas...

NASCARinGear member, Kristin Barclay, documents her VIP experience at Texas

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Championship Contender Breakdown

Championship Contender Breakdown

Learn more about the four teams eligible for a shot at the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship title

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Newman vs. Larson

Could this photo be any cuter!  In January of 2013 NASCAR Rising Star, Kyle Larson shared this photo of  Chase Contender Ryan Newman and himself via twitter.

Last race, NASCAR Veteran Ryan Newman's rough last-chance pass of the Rookie, Kyle Larson, at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday drew plenty of attention and criticism.

"I think if Kyle Larson was in my shoes, he'd have done the exact same thing," Newman said afterward. "I didn't take him out. He still finished the race ... but I think in a day or two he'll understand, if he doesn't now. It's hard to rationalize that, but like I said, I did what I had to do and tried to keep it as clean as I possibly could. I don't like racing that way, but there's a lot on the line here, and we'll keep digging."

What did the young rookie think about all the drama?

"Coming to the finish, there were a lot of cars racing really hard. I knew the 3(Newman) was right around me, and knew he needed to gain some spots to keep from getting eliminated from the Chase. "It's a little upsetting he pushed me up to the wall, but I completely understand the situation he was in, and can't fault him for being aggressive there. I think a lot of drivers out here would have done something similar if they were in that position."

Somehow the photo above describes this situation perfectly without any word.

Chase Elliott Win #NASCAR Nationwide Title

From earlier: @chaseelliott became the youngest #NASCAR champ in national series history. http://t.co/pu8BiTs6Hl pic.twitter.com/ywySVrLNyL
— #MyChaseNation (@NASCAR) November 9, 2014

After a fifth place finish, Eighteen-Year-Old William Clyde Elliott II, more widely known as Chase Elliott, left the Phoenix International Raceway as NASCAR's Youngest National Series Champion. The son of 1988 Winston Cup Series champion Bill Elliott and Cindy Elliott also made history as the first rookie to win a NASCAR national series championship.

Chase's Father had not expected such a remarkable season.  “Absolutely no way,” Bill reported. “To be able to set foot in his first Nationwide car in January this year, to be here at the end of November as a Nationwide champion, it’s an incredible feat, not only for him but for the team.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., co-owner of Elliott's JR Motorsports race team, has said that his driver is likely to run another full season on NASCAR's No. 2 circuit next year. However, Hendrick, also a co-owner at JRM, sounded as if a few premier series starts would also be sprinkled into that mix.

NASCAR Drivers Ready for #Movember

NASCAR Drivers Ready for #Movember

Kyle Larson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. take to Twitter to convince Dale Earnhardt Jr. to shave down and support the cause

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Who’s in? Who’s out? Sports Illustrated’s...

Who’s in? Who’s out? Sports Illustrated’s...

Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowsi and Jeff Gluck are notable NASCAR mentions in Sports Illustrated's fourth annual Twitter 100 list

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NASCAR inGEAR

Nationwide Children's Hospital Patients Championed

Initiative pairs drivers with kids, who are front and center on race weekend

The spot typically reserved in a NASCAR driver's meeting for celebrities and CEOs attending the race was instead occupied by a group of children, ages 2 1/2 to 10 years old. None of them could hide the nervous smiles on their faces, knowing they were about to address a group of people that stretched well into the hundreds and included some of their favorite professional drivers.

"Welcome to Mid-Ohio!" they shouted in unison, instantly lifting everyone off their feet in an infield tent Saturday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and drowning out every noise in the immediate area with uproarious applause.

The applause would seem out of place for just an ordinary 'Welcome', but these were no ordinary kids -- they were champions. Patient champions, to be exact.

With the NASCAR Nationwide Series spending the weekend in the series' title sponsor's backyard, just outside of its home base in Columbus, Ohio, more than 4,000 Nationwide associates were on hand for Saturday's Nationwide Children's Hospital 200. Ten 'patient champions,’ brave children who’ve been diagnosed with various life-altering diseases, were each paired up with a series driver who gave them a VIP experience at the race track as honorary members of each team for the weekend.

In an effort to celebrate the miraculous patients and their courage while raising awareness for the hospital and the care provided to children from all over the world, the 10 drivers/teams/sponsors donated their time and paint schemes to honor those involved. Each paint scheme was specifically designed with each child in mind, including input from each child, too.

From the minute the children were introduced, it was clear that racing took a back seat this weekend.

"We had a little girl named Allie (Norman), who is our patient champion and she has (Acute Lymphoblastic) Leukemia," said Brendan Gaughan, driver of the No. 62 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. "Right now, she is in maintenance, which, anybody that's a daddy in the room, you'll get a tear in your eye. It's a 10-year-old girl with leukemia. You just can't help but crying. But she's doing fantastic.

"I met her (Thursday) at the hauler parade. I went to the baseball game with her, spent some time with her. Amazing little girl. It's amazing how positive most of these children are when they're like that. I got a great stat from Nationwide Children's yesterday. Leukemia, when I was growing up, had a 10 percent mortality rate. So if you got leukemia, it was a 10 percent chance of living. They have that number in pediatric leukemia up to 90 percent. So that's just absolutely amazing how far research has come. The hospital itself is unreal. Totally different than most hospitals you're ever going to see."

Nationwide Children's Hospital, America's third-largest pediatric hospital and research center, has been named one of the best children's hospitals by both U.S. News & World Report and Parents magazines and has more than 1 million patient visits each year from all 50 U.S. states and more than 30 foreign countries.

Researchers at the hospital are also discovering cures for some of the most challenging diseases and complications impacting children, from prematurity to cancer.

"We went to their NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) and I've got a 4 year old and a 2 year old and when we were pregnant, (doctors) told us that 26 weeks is the cutting edge of where they're taking children and they're surviving. I got to see a child born at 22 weeks. The baby was born at 12 ounces. That's your Coca-Cola can," said Gaughan Friday during an emotional press conference. "I used to be stronger at doing this, until I had kids. I used to be able to leave and cry. You know, talk about it and not cry. Now, after having kids, you just think about this stuff, and it's like, 'Oh, man. I'm lucky and happy that mine are healthy.'

"Throughout the year, we go to a lot of places and do a lot of things and a lot of children's deals and it's separate from the race track. It's just something we want to do or NASCAR puts together or a sponsor puts together, but Nationwide Insurance is one of those companies that has committed to spending God knows how many millions of dollars in this hospital. What makes this event special is this series sponsor, how much they've committed to not only the sport of NASCAR and what a great job they've done in our sport, but where they choose to spend their money and their marketing people and their strategic development people, I've got to say (it) might be one of the best in the country when they try to do these things. I'm super impressed with them. We do love coming here, not only because it's a road course, but it is special to be able to do this stuff with the kids."

Sean Tibbs is a 10-year-old boy from Blacklick, Ohio, who loves Legos, soccer, golf, video games and reading -- you know, the normal stuff -- but, like Allie Norman, has been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. After seeing signs of improvement in his condition over the past two years, he and his family learned that his leukemia had returned in January, which was then followed by intense treatment and a bone marrow transplant.

He spent Saturday with Joe Gibbs Racing's Elliott Sadler, getting a tour of the No. 11 hauler and even getting to sit atop the pit box for the race, sporting a smile so big you'd think he was just any other 10-year-old kid at his first NASCAR race.

"This is bigger than the race," said Sadler, who gave Tibbs an autographed helmet and even let him sit inside his Toyota Camry and grip the steering wheel. "I think what the Nationwide Children's Hospital does this weekend is absolutely amazing. My son was in the NICU for nine weeks, so I understand a little bit about what these families are going through. For them to be able to come out here and to be a part of our pit crew, for us to show them a little bit of what we do every weekend is definitely a blessing. It's just such a special race. It's so neat that it's so close here to the Nationwide headquarters and the Children's Hospital. They do a good job getting all the families out here to watch the races. It's definitely a neat deal."

Regardless of the outcome of the Nationwide Children's Hospital 200 on Saturday, there were 10 winners. Actually, strike that. There were 10 champions.

The following teams and drivers have generously offered to partner with a Nationwide Children's Hospital Patient Champion for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on August 16, 2014:

• No. 2 of Brian Scott and Richard Childress Racing -- Paired with Patient Champion Avery Neely
• No. 6 of Trevor Bayne and Roush Fenway Racing -- Paired with Patient Champion Blake Hames
• No. 11 of Elliott Sadler and Joe Gibbs Racing -- Paired with Patient Champion Sean Tibbs
• No. 16 of Ryan Reed and Roush Fenway Racing -- Paired with Patient Champion Dalton Miller
• No. 22 of Alex Tagliani and Team Penske -- Paired with Patient Champion Blaine Snodgrass
• No. 42 of Dylan Kwasniewski and Turner Scott Motorsports -- Paired with Patient Champion Reid Zupanc
• No. 43 of Dakoda Armstrong and Richard Petty Motorsports -- Paired with Patient Champion Sydney Huber
• No. 60 of Chris Buescher and Roush Fenway Racing -- Paired with Patient Champion Luke Benner
• No. 62 of Brendan Gaughan and Richard Childress Racing – Paired with Patient Champion Allie Norman
• No. 99 of James Buescher and RAB Racing -- Paired with Patient Champion Tarissa Suchecki

Source

NASCAR Supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month

NASCAR Supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, NASCAR Nation saw the power of pink in various ways to support the important cause

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