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Wednesday – Friday, Dec. 2 – 4
· Champion’s Week Live at The LINQ Promenade: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week fan experience will be anchored in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip – Champion’s Week Live at The LINQ Promenade, the ultimate NASCAR fan headquarters. Open from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. each day, fans can purchase merchandise of The Challenger 16 at the NASCAR Superstore, get their photo taken with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series trophy and view The Challenger 16 cars on display. For a full list of activities, fans and media can visit http://www.nascar.com/championsweek.

Wednesday, Dec. 2
· Fanfest Presented by Las Vegas Motor Speedway: A fan-favorite event, the seventh annual LVMS Fanfest will begin at 2 p.m. at the Fremont Street Experience. This event is free to the public and will consist of a red carpet walk by the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Challengers, followed by a special “game show format” event. Select fans may be chosen to participate in an onstage game with the drivers for a chance to win two tickets to the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards held two nights later at Wynn Las Vegas.

Thursday, Dec. 3
· NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon: The annual awards luncheon and industry gathering will take place from 11 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. in the Encore Ballroom at Wynn Las Vegas, where several team and individual awards will be presented. Hosted by FOX Sports personality Mike Joy, the event will be live-streamed on http://www.NASCAR.com/presspass.

· NASCAR Victory Lap Fueled by Sunoco: Fans can catch their favorite driver during pre-race introductions hosted by FOX Sports reporter Jamie Little at 2:45 p.m. The green flag on the Victory Lap will fly at 3:30 p.m. when the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers parade down Las Vegas Boulevard in their race cars. NASCAR Victory Lap will start in front of the Miracle Mile Shops and finish at The LINQ. For a full list of where each driver will participate in burnouts, fans can visit The LINQ Promenade earlier in the week. The event will be simulcast live on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and http://www.NASCAR.com/lap.

· NASCAR After The Lap sponsored by Ford and Sprint: A must-see event, NASCAR After The Lap sponsored by Ford and Sprint will take place from 5 – 6:30 p.m. at The Pearl Theater inside Palms Casino Resort. All 16 Chase Challengers will appear on stage and give fans behind-the-scenes info about their lives on and off the track. The event will be simulcast live on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and http://www.NASCAR.com/lap.

Friday, Dec. 4
· Championship Year in Review: SiriusXM NASCAR Radio host Claire B. Lang will be joined live from 1-3 p.m. by the championship winning driver, owner, crew chief and other crew members in an exclusive two-hour retrospective on their championship-winning season.

· 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards: This black-tie celebration will be held at Wynn Las Vegas, where the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion driver and owner and the other Chase drivers will be honored. Live coverage will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. NBCSN will also begin coverage at 8 p.m. ET from the red carpet, followed by the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards broadcast at 9 p.m. ET.

· Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award presented by Nationwide Reveal: The Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award presented by Nationwide will be given to an outstanding volunteer who has made a profound impact on children in his or her community. The NASCAR Foundation will announce the national award winner during this year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards and donate $100,000 to the winner’s chosen charity. Fans can cast their vote for the 2015 Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award winner by visiting http://www.NASCAR.com/award before 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 3.

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Irwin Tools Night Race - Qualifying
Denny Hamlin’s Knee

Driver of No. 11 FedEx Toyota Expected to Return for Start of 2016 NASCAR Season

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Nov. 30, 2015) – Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), had successful surgery on his right knee this afternoon. Hamlin is expected to make a full recovery in time for the start of the 2016 NASCAR season in February.

The scheduled offseason surgery was to repair the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his right knee which he tore while playing basketball in early September. The surgery was performed by Dr. Patrick Connor of OrthoCarolina.

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New Appointments to Competition Department

Crew Chiefs Officially Named for 2016 Season

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (Nov. 30, 2015) – Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has made new appointments within its competition department as the championship-winning race team wastes no time preparing for the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

· Michael Bugarewicz has been promoted from race engineer on the No. 4 team to crew chief for the No. 14 team of Tony Stewart. The 33-year-old from Lehighton, Pennsylvania, replaces Chad Johnston, who has left SHR to pursue a new opportunity. Bugarewicz joined SHR in 2014 where in his role as race engineer, he helped Kevin Harvick secure his first Sprint Cup championship. Bugarewicz began his NASCAR career in 2005 at Roush-Fenway Racing in the engineering department, assisting a variety of teams as a race engineer in the Camping World Truck Series, Xfinity Series and Sprint Cup Series. Before coming to SHR, Bugarewicz was the race engineer on Roush-Fenway’s No. 17 team, where he worked with Matt Kenseth (2011-2012) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2013). Bugarewicz graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering (2004) and a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering (2005).

· Billy Scott has been named crew chief for the No. 10 team of Danica Patrick. The 38-year-old from Land O’ Lakes, Florida, comes to SHR from Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) where since 2014 he was the crew chief for the No. 55 team, which featured drivers David Ragan, Brian Vickers and Michael Waltrip, among others. He also served as crew chief for MWR’s No. 15 team and driver Clint Bowyer from June 2015 through the end of the season. Prior to that role, Scott was a race engineer working under crew chief Rodney Childers, who joined SHR in 2014 and promptly led Harvick to the Sprint Cup championship. Scott came to MWR in 2008 after working in a variety of racing disciplines, including NASCAR, sports cars and sprint cars. It was during his work in the Truck Series in 2003 when Scott decided to focus on engineering. He attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 2005.

· Daniel Knost has been promoted to a senior leadership position within SHR. As manager of vehicle dynamics, Knost will oversee a number of the organization’s technical efforts, with a specific focus on track simulation and racecar performance. The 36-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, has been a crew chief at SHR for two years, spending 2014 with the No. 41 team of Kurt Busch and 2015 with the No. 10 team of Patrick. Knost joined SHR in 2008 when it was Haas-CNC Racing after earning Master of Science and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). Knost graduated from North Carolina State University in Raleigh in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering.

· Childers remains as crew chief for the No. 4 team of Harvick and Tony Gibson remains as crew chief for the No. 41 team of Busch.

“We made these changes after thoroughly evaluating our program to ensure that all four of our teams are consistently strong and competitive,” said Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition, SHR. “In this business, you can’t rest and you can never be satisfied. You have to constantly improve. We feel these personnel changes enhance our strengths and shore up areas where we needed to be better.”

“We have great people at Stewart-Haas Racing and these changes prove that,” said Stewart, co-owner of SHR with Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation. “We were able to promote from within while also adding new talent.

“Change isn’t easy, and that’s particularly true when it comes to my relationship with Chad Johnston. He served as my crew chief during two very difficult seasons. He was always supportive and he’s become like a brother to me. I think very highly of Chad and wish him nothing but the best in his new opportunity.”

“We’ve come a long way in our seven years at Stewart-Haas Racing, but there is always more to do and more to achieve,” added Haas, founder of Haas Automation, the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. “Bigger, Better, Faster, Lighter is what we strive for in the machining industry and it’s what we strive for in motorsports. These new appointments seamlessly marry our engineering expertise with our collective racing experience.”

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The Final Lap Weekly Podcast LogoSHOW #386 – Guest: Madison Martin – We break down everything about Kyle Busch as the 2015 Sprint Cup Series Champion, News of the week, and tons more off season news. Hosted by Kerry Murphey and Toby Christie.

( Roughly 48:00 mins)

Continue reading “The Final Lap Weekly NASCAR Podcast #386 Kyle Busch is 2015 Champion – Madison Martin Pt. 2”

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champweek15Drew Carey to Host NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Featuring Performances by Andy Grammer, Sam Hunt, Rachel Platten, and Sabrina Carpenter
2015 Awards Honors the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, Celebrates the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ Challengers

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 24, 2015) – The celebration will continue after the trophy is lifted at Homestead-Miami Speedway as NASCAR® presents the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards™ hosted by actor and comedian Drew Carey. Live from Wynn Las Vegas on Friday, Dec. 4, fans can tune-in to watch as the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion™ is honored with red carpet coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN, Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, followed by the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards™ broadcast on NBCSN at 9 p.m. ET.

This year’s show will also feature a lineup of performances from award-winning musical artists Andy Grammer, Sam Hunt, Rachel Platten, and Sabrina Carpenter.

As the current host of The Price is Right and former host of Whose Line is it Anyway?, Drew Carey will bring a seasoned air of entertainment and comedy to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards stage. Best known for his self-portrayal on The Drew Carey Show, which garnered seven Emmy nominations, Carey has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including three People’s Choice Awards, an Editor’s Choice TV Guide Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“This has been a tremendous year for NASCAR, and I’m honored to host this headlining event as fans all across the country tune-in to pay homage to the accomplishments of the 2015 champion,” said Carey. “I look forward to rounding out the 2015 NASCAR® racing season with a night of epic proportions alongside some of the greatest names in sports and entertainment.”

Triple-platinum selling recording artist Andy Grammer will perform at the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards. The pop singer best known for hits such as “Keep Your Head Up” and “Back Home” took America by storm in 2015 with his smash single, “Honey, I’m Good” turning it into one of the year’s catchiest songs. A deluxe edition of his sophomore album, Magazines Or Novels was released on Nov. 20 featuring Andy’s brand new single, “Good To Be Alive (Hallelujah.)”

The evening’s musical lineup will also feature country star Sam Hunt, who took home the honor of New Artist of the Year at Sunday night’s American Music Awards. His critically-acclaimed debut album Montevallo has so far produced three consecutive No. 1 platinum-selling singles with “Leave the Night On,” “House Party” and the double-platinum “Take Your Time,” plus his current platinum-selling Top 15, “Break Up In A Small Town.”

Rachel Platten, one of this year’s breakout artists with her double platinum No. 1 hit single, “Fight Song”, will also grace the awards stage. Her current chart-climbing single, “Stand By You” will be released on her highly-anticipated forthcoming album, Wildfire.

Rounding out the night’s performances will be multi-talented singer / songwriter Sabina Carpenter, who currently stars on the Disney Channel original series Girl Meets World. Carpenter released her debut album, Eyes Wide Open earlier this year, which features “We’ll be the Stars” and its namesake single, “Eyes Wide Open.”

“The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards marks the pinnacle of our season as we have the opportunity to commend the drivers and teams for all of their hard work and dedication throughout the year,” said Zane Stoddard, NASCAR vice president of entertainment marketing and content development. “With Drew Carey at the wheel and a lineup of performances from some of the most celebrated entertainers in the music industry, it will certainly be a finale to remember for everyone joining us in Las Vegas and the NASCAR fans watching at home.”

This year’s artists will join a star-studded group of actors and musicians who have previously performed at NASCAR’s championship celebration, including Lady Antebellum, Sara Bareilles, Dierks Bentley, and Kid Rock. Part of the annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week™ in Las Vegas, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards is the headlining experience in a series of events that also includes the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Fanfest, NASCAR After The Lap™ and NASCAR Victory Lap™, where fans get a front row seat as the 16 Challengers™ roar down Las Vegas Boulevard. Visit http://www.NASCAR.com/ChampionsWeek to view the full NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week schedule.