By Ben White When former team owner Dietrich Mateschitz began the Red Bull Racing team in late 2006, the Mooresvile, N.C.-based organization was considered a top flight winning addition to the sport from the very beginning. Mateschitz’ No. 82, 83 and 84 Toyotas ran from 2007 to 2011, amassing 354 Cup starts with drivers A.J. Allmendinger, Brian Vickers, Mike Skinner, Scott Speed, Mattis Ekstrom, Reed Sorenson, Kasey Kahne and Cle Whitt behind the wheel. Only Vickers and Kahne took his cars to victory lane in two events at Michigan – Aug. 16, 2009 and Nov. 13, 2011, respectively. After completing one final Cup…

By Ben White Chad Tigert, interior specialist for RCR Enterprises and driver Paul Menard, doesn’t remember when he wasn’t involved in some form of racing. The Oklahoma native was already around dragsters before seeing his first NASCAR race as a child. “My Dad took me,” Tigert said. “It was in Texas Motor Speedway, and it was probably 1998. I was involved in drag racing long before that. My Dad did some drag racing back in the 1960s and I went to work at an auto repair shop when I was a sophomore in high school.” His path into NASCAR was paved through…

  By Jared Turner Rick Hendrick is in the NASCAR Hall of Fame for many reasons. Following are just three. He’s arguably the most successful team owner in the history of the sport. He has a special knack for finding and hiring great talent. And he holds a deep appreciation for NASCAR history that goes far beyond just his own organization — Hendrick Motorsports. It’s this deep-rooted appreciation and his personal affection for second-year Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott that led Hendrick to recently announce plans to change Elliott’s car number from “24” to “9” for the 2018 season. While Elliott has…

By Jared Turner Toyota drivers have now gone to Victory Lane in six of the past eight Monster Energy Series races. Drivers aligned with the Japanese manufacturer were particularly stout over the weekend at Darlington where they accounted for five of the top eight finishing positions. As it stands now, five of Toyota’s six drivers are in position to qualify for the 16-driver playoffs, which begin September 17 at Chicagoland. Denny Hamlin, whose No. 11 Toyota scored a huge victory at Darlington, is optimistic about what remainder of the season holds as he chases his first premier series championship. “I know ‘Coach’…

By Jared Turner NASCAR’s third annual “Throwback” weekend at Darlington was a major hit, with drivers, crew members and even race announcers going retro. From mustaches to old-school paint schemes and uniforms, the “throwback” concept that first originated in 2015 continues to be embraced in a big way by virtually the entire NASCAR community. And Darlington, arguably NASCAR’s most fabled and tradition-rich track, continues to be the perfect host for such an event. “What’s so special about this weekend in Darlington is being able to pay tribute to all of our heroes that paved the way for all of us to have…

By Jared Turner Despite finishing a disappointing eighth at Darlington after winning the first two stages and leading in the closing laps, Martin Truex Jr. was able to take solace in clinching the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular season championship a week early. The regular season championship, a new honor which goes to the driver and team with the most points at the conclusion of the first 26 races, carries with it a reward of 15 extra bonus points for the playoffs. For Truex, these points will be in addition to the vast sum of playoff points he’s amassed for…