Latest news with #WoodBrothers
Newsweek
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Chase Elliott Under Scrutiny as NASCAR Insider Launches Critical Assessment
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott's recent performance has come under the scrutiny of NASCAR insider Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic. Elliott made history by winning the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship as the first rookie and the youngest driver to clinch the title. After moving to the Cup Series with a full-time seat in 2016, Elliott continued to impress and secured his first Cup Series championship at 24 years old in 2020. In his Cup Series career so far, Elliott has won 19 races in 322 starts. However, some argue that his recent performances, although consistent, are not showing the dominance he previously enjoyed in his championship-winning season. During the latest episode of The Teardown podcast (below), Bianchi stated: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, waits on the grid during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on May 03, 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas. Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, waits on the grid during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on May 03, 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas."We need to have a Chase Elliott conversation. "Since the start of the 2023 season, the Wood Brothers have more wins than Chase Elliott does. That's crazy to think about. That's no disrespect to the Wood Brothers, that's just the reality of the situation. "They have two wins. Chase Elliott has one points win since the start of the 2023 season. That's crazy to think about. This is again becoming a typical, what I would associate with a typical Chase Elliott year. They run just well enough. "You look at their average finish, you know, that kind of thing, and they grind out these finishes, and that's good, and it keeps them up in the point standings. He's fourth in points. "Okay, that's good, but that's not good enough for this team. You look at laps-led this year, Kyle Larson and William Byron are first and second. Alex Bowman is ninth. Chase Elliott, 15th. 45 laps-led this year. This team should be better. It needs to be better." Commenting on the race at Texas Motor Speedway, in which Elliott finished in 16th, Bianchi continued: "On a race track where this is tailor-made for Hendrick Motorsports. We saw that today with the No. 5. Obviously, the No. 24 was up there too, until they had pit road damage. Bowman was in the mix. Elliot, they needed a tire gamble to get that track position. It wasn't like they had sheer speed. There's just, fundamentally, something is missing with this team. It's been missing for a while. Kudos to them for grinding it out and finding a way week after week to get top 10s, and that kind of thing. "Led the series in average finish last year, and that's great, but they are not winning enough. They're not leading enough laps. They're not getting stage wins enough. This team is falling short of the expectations. Now, that's a real high bar, but they're not even close to meeting that."
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Best Old-School Liveries from NASCAR's Throwback Weekend at Darlington
Ever since 2015, NASCAR has celebrated a "throwback weekend" annually at Darlington Raceway. Just as a baseball team might have a throwback night where the team's players don an classic jersey, NASCAR teams celebrate by wrapping their cars in designs from the past. But some are better than others, and in our minds, these seven are the best retro paint schemes set to run during the 2025 Darlington throwback weekend on April addition to being NASCAR's oldest continuously-operated team, the Wood Brothers once worked with Lotus and Ford at the 1965 Indianapolis 500. F1 legend Jim Clark won that race, the first-ever win for a mid-engined car in the event. Clark's race car is now the inspiration for what might just be the best NASCAR throwback ever.2024 champion Joey Logano is wearing colors last used by Cale Yarborough in 1976. That car wasn't actually sponsored by Shell Pennzoil, but older number fonts and wordmarks help sell the '70s who is fresh off winning three straight races, is running two different throwback liveries that pay tribute to a dirt racing mentor of his named Rick Ferkel. He will run the yellow scheme in the main Cup Series race and the white one in the Xfinity Series support the second straight year, Kyle Larson is driving a heavily stylized Hendrick Cars livery that pays tribute to a Terry Labonte scheme. This one is a reference to Labonte's 2003 Southern 500 winner at Darlington, a car sponsored by Kellogg's brand Frosted throwback pays tribute to Jeff Gordon's last race in the 24 Hendrick Motorsports car that he made iconic. Gordon notably raced more in relief of Dale Earnhardt Jr. during the 2016 season, but this livery from the 2015 season was his last as a full-time as the team has chosen to do with the 24 and the 5, Hendrick Motorsports has opted to run a livery from the 48's past at Darlington. This one is a tribute to Jimmie Johnson's 2012 Southern 500 winner, although Ally logos replace the Lowe's branding seen on the original Tony Stewart once ran a 3 Doors Down car in a NASCAR race. Dale Jr. was involved with that program more than 20 years ago, and now Dale Jr. is the team owner on this Xfinity Series entry paying tribute to it.
NBC Sports
03-04-2025
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
NASCAR Cup, Xfinity throwback schemes at Darlington Raceway
A look at the Cup and Xfinity throwback schemes this weekend at Darlington Raceway. NASCAR Cup Series 2 - Austin Cindric Cindric's car will pay tribute to the design used by Dale Earnhardt in 1979 and 1980. Earnhardt won Rookie of the Year honors in 1979 and scored the first of his seven championships in 1980. Austin Cindric's car will pay tribute to the design used by Dale Earnhardt in 1979 and 1980. Photo: Team Penske 4 - Noah Gragson Gragson's car pays tribute to the car Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove in his first start in NASCAR. .@NoahGragson is bringing history to life with a @Beefaroousa throwback, honoring @DaleJr first-ever NASCAR start, the iconic Mom 'n' Pops car. 5 - Kyle Larson The scheme on Larson's car mirrors the scheme on Terry Labonte's car when he won the 2003 Southern 500 at Darlington, his final Cup victory. The scheme on Kyle Larson's car for the 2025 Darlington throwback weekend race mirrors the scheme on Terry Labonte's car when he won the 2003 Southern 500 at Darlington, his final Cup victory. Photo: Hendrick Motorsports 9 - Chase Elliott Elliott's car honors Ken Schrader's car at Hendrick Motorsports in the early 1990s. Chase Elliott's car for the 2025 Darlington throwback weekend race honors Ken Schrader's car at Hendrick Motorsports in the early 1990s. 10 - Ty Dillon Dillon's car pays tribute to Patty Moise's 1989 Daytona car. .@tydillon's No. 10 will throw back to Patty Moise's Beaver Street Foods 1989 Daytona paint scheme! The same family currently supports Ty Dillon's No. 10 Chevy with @SeaBestSeafood, the flagship brand of their global seafood company, Beaver Street Fisheries. 11 - Denny Hamlin Hamlin's car pays tribute to NASCAR Hall of Famer Carl Edwards' car from the mid 2000s. Denny Hamlin's 2025 Darlington throwback car pays tribute to the car Carl Edwards drove in the mid 2000s. Photo: Joe Gibbs Racing 12 - Ryan Blaney Blaney pays tribute to the car his father drove to a win in the 2006 Xfinity race at Charlotte. Ryan Blaney's throwback scheme for the 2025 Darlington race, paying tribute to his father Dave Blaney's victory in the 2006 Xfinity race at Charlotte. 20 - Christopher Bell Bell is honoring his racing mentor, sprint car driver Rick Ferkel with a scheme that pays tribute to one of Ferkel's schemes. Ferkel was an original member of the World of Outlaws and Bell credits Ferkel with giving him his introduction and break into sprint car racing. Christopher Bell throwback scheme that honors sprint car driver Rick Ferkel for April 6, 2025 throwback weekend race at Darlington Raceway. 21 - Josh Berry Berry's car pays tribute to the 1965 car Jim Clark drove to the Indianapolis 500 win. The Wood Brothers pitted that car. Josh Berry's car for the 2025 Darlington throwback race pays tribute to the 1965 car Jim Clark drove to the Indianapolis 500 win. The Wood Brothers pitted that car. Kristina Sikora 22 - Joey Logano Logano's car pays tribute to Cale Yarborough's 1976 car. 24 - William Byron Byron will drive the car that looks similar to what Jeff Gordon drove in what was scheduled to be his final Cup start in 2015 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. William Byron will drive the car at the 2025 Darlington throwback weekend race that looks similar to what Jeff Gordon drove in what was scheduled to be his final Cup start in 2015 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. 34 - Todd Gilliland Gilliland's car pays tribute to Ray Fox, an early nominee to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, who was a mechanic, engine builder, car owner and later a NASCAR inspector in his career. Fox is the first of four generations of family members in the sport. His great grandson, Justin Fox, is a tire changer on the No. 34 car. Todd Gilliland's throwback car for the 2025 Darlington spring race pays tribute to Ray Fox, whose great-grandson is a pit crew member on the team. Photo: Front Row Motorsports Dustin Long, 38 - Zane Smith His car sports a vintage logo for Long John Silver's. These schemes are too tough to tame. 41 - Cole Custer Haas Factory Team's scheme on Cole Custer's car throws it back to the Jimmy Spencer scheme from the early 2000s. Photo: Haas Factory Team 42 - John Hunter Nemechek He pays tribute to the BellSouth scheme on his father's No. 42 car from the 1998 Cup season. John Hunter Nemechek's scheme for the 2025 spring race at Darlington pays tribute to his father Joe's car in the 1998 Cup season. Photo: Legacy Motor Club 43 - Erik Jones His car goes back to the 1998 paint scheme for the No. 43 car of John Andretti. Erik Jones' car for the 2025 Darlington spring race pays tribute to the 1998 ride of John Andretti. Photo: Legacy Motor Club 48 - Alex Bowman Bowman will drive a scheme that is based off of the car Jimmie Johnson drove to the win at Darlington in 2012, giving Hendrick Motorsports its 200th career Cup victory. Bowman will drive a scheme that is based off of the car Jimmie Johnson drove to the win at Darlington in 2012, giving Hendrick Motorsports its 200th career Cup victory. 51 - Cody Ware Ware's car will pay tribute to the car Ward Burton raced during his Cup career. 🎨 @TooToughToTame THROWBACK VOTE for your favorite scheme on #LinkInBio Xfinity Series 1 - Carson Kvapil His car pays tribute to the 2010 Bass Pro Shops No. 1 that Jamie McMurray drove. McMurray won the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Charlotte fall race that year. Carson Kvapil's car for the spring 2025 Darlington Xfinity race, which pays tribute to the 2010 Cup ride of Jamie McMurray. Photo: JR Motorsports 4 - Parker Retzlaff His car pays tribute to the Ernie Irvan paint scheme of the 1990s. 🎞️ Take a picture, it'll last longer.@Parker79p and @DrTeals will honor Ernie Irvin and his #4 paint scheme from the early 90s next weekend at @TooToughToTame!#SportClips200 | @XfinityRacing 7 - Justin Allgaier His car pays tribute to heritage of sponsor Brandt Professional Agriculture. Justin Allgaier's car for the spring 2025 Darlington throwback race that pays tribute to heritage of sponsor Brandt Professional Agriculture. Photo: JR Motorsports 8 - Sammy Smith This car pays tribute to the 2003 car Tony Stewart drove for JR Motorsports. Sammy Smith's car for the 2025 spring Darlington Xfinity race that pays tribute to a car Tony Stewart drove for JR Motorsports in 2003. 10 - Daniel Dye His car resembles the No. 45 Spree car Adam Petty drove in 1999. A incredible tribute.@danieldye43 | @Helm1943 18 - William Sawalich His car honors Kyle Busch's car from the 2016 Xfinity season. William Sawalich's car for the 2025 Darlington Xfinity spring race that pays tribute to Kyle Busch's 2016 Xfinity car. 19 - Christopher Bell Bell's car pays tribute to his racing mentor Rick Ferkel's sprint car design. Christopher Bell's car for the 2025 spring Darlington race that honors his racing mentor Rick Ferkel. 20 - Brandon Jones Jones' car celebrates Matt Kenseth's black-and-yellow Dollar General paint scheme when he race at JGR. Brandon Jones' car that he will drive in the 2025 Darlington Xfinity spring race that celebrates Matt Kenseth's car when he raced at JGR. 25 - Harrison Burton His car pays tribute to his father Jeff Burton's CITGO car. A better look at the @deximaging @FordPerformance Dark Horse Mustang for @HBurtonRacing for the track @TooToughToTame. We may be biased, but this is the best throwback scheme hands down.@XfinityRacing | @TheCW_Sports | @NASCAR 26 - Dean Thompson His car goes back to the Irwin Tools scheme Jamie McMurray raced in the late 2000s. Dean Thompson's car that he will race in the 2025 Darlington Xfinity spring race that pays tribute to the Irwin Tools scheme Jamie McMurray drove in the late 2000s. Photo: Sam Hunt Racing 27 - Jeb Burton His car pays tribute to his father Ward's scheme in Ward's 1994 Cup debut. 🚨@JebBurtonRacing throws it back in style with a tribute to @WardBurtonWBWF's iconic 1994 Cup debut. The South Boston legacy rolls on this weekend at Darlington in the AJ Transport Chevy! 28 - Kyle Sieg 39 - Ryan Sieg Both RSS cars that pay tribute to Robert Yates Racing. The No. 28 honors Ricky Rudd's car. The No. 39 car honors Dale Jarrett's car. Throwing it back at Darlington Raceway next weekend. Representing Robert Yates Racing with a Ricky Rudd and Dale Jarrett Scheme. Excited to see these on track. 41 - Sam Mayer Mayer's car pays tribute to the scheme Kurt Busch won the Daytona with in 2017. Did you hear? Sam Mayer will honor @KurtBusch's 2017 Daytona 500 Win at Darlington's Throwback weekend. 🏁@Audibel_Hear X @sam_mayer_ @NASCAR_Xfinity X @TooToughToTame 42 - Anthony Alfredo His car honors Jamie McMurray's 2005 Coors Light Cup car. We are throwing it back to 2005! Excited to share our @SMR_114 & @jamiemcmurray throwback scheme, paying tribute to the iconic #40 Dodge Coors Light car Now let's see what @anthonyalfredo can do in the Randco Inc. Chevrolet at the Lady in Black this Saturday on the @TheCW_Sports 44 - Brennan Poole 45 - Mason Massey Poole's car goes back to a 2001 paint scheme Jeff Gordon ran. Massey's Alpha Prime Racing car pays tribute to Jimmy Spencer's 1999 car. We can't wait to throw it back.#SportClips200 | @DrTeals | #CWSons | #CapitalCityHauling | #NASCARThrowback 48 - Nick Sanchez His car throws back to the scheme on Bobby Unser's car that he won the 1975 Indianapolis 500 with, the second of Unser's three Indy 500 wins. Nick Sanchez's car for the 2025 Darlington Xfinity spring race. His car pays tribute to Bobby Unser's 1975 winning car in the Indianapolis 500. Photo: Big Machine Racing 51 - Jeremy Clements His car celebrates the 1985 car Harry Gant drove. 📢📢 @JClements51 is Coming In Like a Boss with this Epic @TooToughToTame @XfinityRacing @NASCAR_Xfinity Throwback! @HarrisonsUsa is reviving the iconic Green & White colors of #MrSeptember, Harry Gant's 1985 #33 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS!! Details ⏬ 70 - Leland Honeyman Jr. His car celebrates Jeff Green's car in Green's Xfinity championship season in 2000. Scientist say it couldn't be done… Pumped to roll into Darlington with this badass DWC scheme. Let's make a splash! 71 - Ryan Ellis His car is a throwback to one of Ellis' Legend Car schemes. 🚨It's Throwback Time🚨 @southrnelevator reunites with @ryanellisracing as we honor one of his childhood Legend Car paint schemes at Darlington Raceway's Official Throwback Weekend. 🛗 Southern Elevator offers elevator maintenance, repair, and modernization for businesses across… 88 - Connor Zilisch His car honors Buddy Baker and the scheme on his car in 1987. Connor Zilisch's car for the 2025 spring Xfinity race at Darlington. His car pays tribute to the ride Buddy Baker had in 1987. 99 - Matt DiBenedetto His car celebrates Jeff Burton's Exide scheme. The car Matt DiBenedetto will drive in the spring 2025 Darlington Xfinity race. The car pays tribute to Jeff Burton's Exide car. Photo: NASCAR
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The 7 Best Old-School Liveries from NASCAR's Throwback Weekend
Ever since 2015, NASCAR has celebrated a "throwback weekend" annually at Darlington Raceway. Just as a baseball team might have a throwback night where the team's players don an classic jersey, NASCAR teams celebrate by wrapping their cars in designs from the past. But some are better than others, and in our minds, these seven are the best retro paint schemes set to run during the 2025 Darlington throwback weekend on April addition to being NASCAR's oldest continuously-operated team, the Wood Brothers once worked with Lotus and Ford at the 1965 Indianapolis 500. F1 legend Jim Clark won that race, the first-ever win for a mid-engined car in the event. Clark's race car is now the inspiration for what might just be the best NASCAR throwback ever.2024 champion Joey Logano is wearing colors last used by Cale Yarborough in 1976. That car wasn't actually sponsored by Shell Pennzoil, but older number fonts and wordmarks help sell the '70s who is fresh off winning three straight races, is running two different throwback liveries that pay tribute to a dirt racing mentor of his named Rick Ferkel. He will run the yellow scheme in the main Cup Series race and the white one in the Xfinity Series support the second straight year, Kyle Larson is driving a heavily stylized Hendrick Cars livery that pays tribute to a Terry Labonte scheme. This one is a reference to Labonte's 2003 Southern 500 winner at Darlington, a car sponsored by Kellogg's brand Frosted throwback pays tribute to Jeff Gordon's last race in the 24 Hendrick Motorsports car that he made iconic. Gordon notably raced more in relief of Dale Earnhardt Jr. during the 2016 season, but this livery from the 2015 season was his last as a full-time as the team has chosen to do with the 24 and the 5, Hendrick Motorsports has opted to run a livery from the 48's past at Darlington. This one is a tribute to Jimmie Johnson's 2012 Southern 500 winner, although Ally logos replace the Lowe's branding seen on the original Tony Stewart once ran a 3 Doors Down car in a NASCAR race. Dale Jr. was involved with that program more than 20 years ago, and now Dale Jr. is the team owner on this Xfinity Series entry paying tribute to it. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
Fox News
31-03-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
Wood Brothers celebrate 1965 Indy 500 winner with No. 21 throwback car
DEARBORN, Mich. — Leonard Wood jokes about a comment from a member of the Lotus crew about what he first thought about his NASCAR pit crew from Virginia when they came to Indianapolis 60 years ago to pit the Indianapolis 500 car for Jim Clark. "As slow as we talked, he said he sure hoped we pitted fast," Wood said about a quip from the English mechanic. The Woods made history with their ability to quickly fuel the car. Clark ran the race on the same set of tires and went to victory lane to celebrate the Indy 500 win. It remains one of the most memorable moments of NASCAR's most storied active team as they filled the car with fuel in about 17 to 19 seconds, which was extremely quick at the time. And where does this rank in the Wood Brothers' history, which includes legendary wins by David Pearson, AJ Foyt and Dan Gurney? "I rate it right up at the top," Leonard Wood said. "It was the most rewarding thing we had ever done." Memories of that big victory 60 years ago flooded back to Wood as the team unveiled its scheme for the throwback race April 6 at Darlington Raceway as the Indy 500-winning car sat beside the Darlington car at the Henry Ford Museum. That's where the 500 car is permanently on display. "What Darlington is is a celebration of not only NASCAR's past but just motorsports' past," said Jon Wood, Leonard's grandson and current president of the race team. "And I think we've been close-minded to stick with just stock-car throwbacks. "So this was a fun one, and I think it celebrates all different disciplines of motorsports and branches out more international than we have done in the past." The Wood Brothers have won 101 Cup races, the latest coming Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as Josh Berry earned his first career Cup win. "It's a great way for us to give a little back and remind people of how we got here and give guys like the Wood Brothers the opportunity to tell these amazing stories," Berry said. "I've been getting [to hear] them one after another and I was lucky enough Sunday to add a little bit to that." As Berry talked about being excited about what he accomplished last week, the NASCAR Hall of Famer Leonard Wood talked about being excited about what he helped accomplish 60 years ago. "I just remember we gained the most fame in the shortest amount of time we ever did," Leonard Wood said. "I remember it just like yesterday. It was just so much fun to work with Jim Clark and hear the engine. The engine sounded so powerful and sounded so great." The 90-year-old Leonard Wood was known as one of the greatest mechanical minds in NASCAR history. He continues to build and tinker with parts and pieces even today. "We wondered if the English crew was going to accept us. We didn't know how they were going to but they made us feel immediately like we were a part of the team," Wood said. "They were so proud of us being there." Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
