Rick Hendrick Tag

By David Morgan, Associate Editor The torch has been passed. As Jimmie Johnson was making the most of his final start behind the wheel of the No 48 Chevrolet, it was only fitting that on the same day he was bidding farewell to the NASCAR Cup Series, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott, was taking his first steps toward greatness by capturing his first Cup championship with a dominating drive. The seven-time champion finished out the season strong by bringing home a top-five Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, finishing the race asRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service No divided loyalty in Championship 4: It’s all about the team at Team Penske Team Penske owner Roger Penske has two drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 race for the first time. Both drivers are former Cup champions. Brad Keselowski won his title in 2012 under the 10-race Chase format. Joey Logano won the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway to secure the 2018 championship. So how does a team owner allocate his loyalties between his two drivers as they head for Sunday’sRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will miss out on competing in Sunday’s Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after testing positive for COVID-19. After learning Friday morning that his wife Chandra had tested positive following allergy-like symptoms, Johnson, who has been asymptomatic, was tested as well, with the test returning a positive result. Per NASCAR’s guidelines, Johnson will not return to competition until being cleared by a doctor and will have to remain symptom-free and have two consecutive negative test resultsRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Editor’s note: Motorsports Tribune will be previewing the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season for the full-time drivers in the series leading into February’s running of the Daytona 500. Age: 22 Years in Cup: Two Career Wins: Zero (Four in Xfinity and Seven in Trucks) Accomplishments: 2017 Xfinity Series Champion Stability is finally part of William Byron’s vocabulary and it’s for good reason as 2019 marked his fourth full season on the NASCAR national tour and second in the Cup Series, the first time he’s competed in aRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor The clock was running down for Jimmie Johnson. He knew he had to make a decision on how much longer he wanted to race full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, but as the 2019 season progressed, he didn’t have a strong feeling one way or the other. Then about three weeks ago, it hit him like a bolt of lightning that next season would be his final season driving the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. After giving team owner Rick Hendrick the newsRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Seven championships, 83 wins, and a shoe-in for a place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Jimmie Johnson has established himself as one of the greatest to ever drive in the NASCAR Cup Series and next season will be his last behind the wheel. On Wednesday, the 44-year old from El Cajon, California took to social media to announce he’ll be making one last push to win his elusive eighth championship before riding off into the sunset at the end of the 2020 season. #Chasing8Read More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Starting next weekend at Watkins Glen, seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will have a new crew chief atop the pit box. Hendrick Motorsports announced Monday that Cliff Daniels will take over the role that had been held by Kevin Meendering. “We have an opportunity to win an eighth championship and a lot more races with Jimmie,” Daniels said. “I’m proud to be in this position and have total faith in the team and our ability to perform at the level everyoneRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer After five-full seasons with Hendrick Motorsports, Nationwide Insurance won’t return as a primary sponsor at the end of the 2019 season. Nationwide is the current sponsor for Alex Bowman’s No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in 20 out of the 36 races as part of their two-year agreement signed last August. The insurance company released a statement Wednesday about their decision, which came down to a marketing decision that would benefit them more as a business entity. “As Nationwide’s business needs evolve, we are adjusting our marketingRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jimmie Johnson, who had crashed in the past six running of the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway, found a way to win the 2019 version of the season-opening exhibition race—by helping to trigger a wreck that eliminated nearly everyone else. Moments before a rainstorm halted the action and ultimately made the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race official after 59 of 75 scheduled laps, Johnson—running second on Lap 56—pulled to the inside of leader Paul Menard, who movedRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Though Jimmie Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports may be losing Lowe’s as a sponsor at season’s end, the organization announced Sunday at Martinsville that they have found a new sponsor to take over starting in 2019 Lowe’s announced their departure from the sport back in March, forcing HMS to find a new sponsor for the No. 48 car for the first time since 2002. After seven months of looking, Ally Financial came to the forefront and they will sponsor the team full-time for the next two seasons.Read More