By Ben White Austin Dillon, the grandson of six-time Sprint Cup Series championship team owner and former driver Richard Childress, is building his own driving career in NASCAR’s premier division as well as in a majority of the NASCAR XFINITY Series races. The Lewisville, N.C. native began his driving career in Bandaleros and Legends cars in 2005 before advancing to dirt Late Models in 2006.  He won three major Dirt Late Model events the following season and was also successful in asphalt Late Model cars. According to the team website, Dillon made his XFINITY Series debut at Richmond International Raceway in September…

By Jared Turner The recent announcement that GoDaddy won’t return as Danica Patrick’s primary sponsor next season is a blow for the driver, her Stewart-Haas Racing team and NASCAR as a whole. Despite her relative lack of on-track success, Patrick is one of the sport’s most popular and marketable drivers. A veteran of Super Bowl ads who has appeared multiple times in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue, Patrick has appeal that goes far beyond the sport. In fact, it’s safe to say that with the exception of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and perhaps Jeff Gordon, there’s not another driver who is more recognized outside…

By Jared Turner The Earnhardt Legacy Lives At Talladega An unusually emotional Dale Earnhardt Jr. opened up in Victory Lane about how much winning at Talladega meant to him. This was Junior’s sixth win but first since 2004 at the venerable 2.66-mile track where his legendary father won 10 times before his death in February 2001. “I love when we go to Victory Lane because I feel like I add to his legacy there. All I ever want to do is make him proud,” said Junior, whose win came just a few days after what would have been his dad’s 64th birthday.…

By Joseph Wolkin Welcoming Amanda Mertz as the New Miss Coors Light By Joseph Wolkin It’s time to start fresh for the Miss Coors Light program. Starting at Richmond, Rachel Rupert will no longer be the face that greets drivers following their pole runs on qualifying day. Instead, Amanda Mertz, who was Miss Kentucky in 2012, will take over the position that Rupert has held since 2010. Growing up, her father took her to a NASCAR race, and ever since – she has fallen in love with the sport. As she adjusts to her new role, Mertz is set to move to…

By Jared Turner From one of NASCAR’s shortest tracks to its longest and one of its fastest ones, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend for the running of the GEICO 500. Rest assured, there will be no shortage of drama. The high-banked 2.66-mile Talladega tri-oval is one of only two tracks on the Sprint Cup schedule where restrictor plates keep cars bunched in tight packs from the start of the race to the checkered flag. Talladega, even more so than Daytona – the other restrictor-plate track – is notorious for breeding major and sometimes downright scary multi-car pileups…