Dale Earnhardt Jr. Owner: Rick Hendrick Team: Hendrick Motorsports Sponsors: Nationwide, Axalta, TaxSlayer.com Manufacturer: Chevrolet Crew chief: Greg Ives Entering his second season with crew chief Greg Ives, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has reason to set the bar high in 2016. Despite recording his worst points finish in three years – 12th – the Hendrick Motorsports driver’s position in the final standings wasn’t indicative of his performance. In his first campaign with Ives – a former XFINITY Series crew chief and race engineer for Jimmie Johnson – Earnhardt scored three wins and amassed more top fives (16) and top 10s (22) than he…

By Jared Turner Buoyed by a new multi-year partnership with Nature's Bakery - a new sponsor to the world of NASCAR - Patrick is poised to broaden her enormous appeal even further. “I feel like our brands align so perfectly, it's kind of amazing,” Patrick said. “I think that journey is going to be really fun. I think there's going to be lots of exciting things that we can do together.” The Nature's Bakery/Patrick marriage is a win-win for both parties, as well as Stewart-Haas Racing, the championship-winning organization for which Patrick has spent her entire NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career to…

By Jerry Bonkowski Just when it seemed NASCAR couldn’t top how the 2014 season played out, 2015 did just that. From Kyle Busch’s horrific season-opening wreck to his near-miraculous season-ending championship, and from Jeff Gordon’s retirement to Kevin Harvick’s uncanny consistency, it was a year of great memories. Get ready for even more in 2016. Can Kyle Busch Repeat?: Despite missing the first 11 races due to a broken right leg and fractured left foot, the younger Busch brother rallied to win his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in 2015. With a full season ahead of him this year, can Busch…

Joe Gibbs Racing announces changes today to its executive team. J.D. Gibbs will join his father Joe Gibbs as Co-Chairman of JGR with Coy Gibbs officially joining the NASCAR operations as Vice-Chairman/Chief Operating Officer, and Dave Alpern, who has been with Joe Gibbs Racing since its beginning, has been named President of the organization. In addition, JGR announces Tim Carmichael will assume expanded responsibilities in his role as Chief Financial Officer, while Wally Brown will serve as Competition Director and Todd Bowland has been named Technical Director. Todd Meredith has resigned his position as Chief Operating Officer but will continue to consult…