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As the NASCAR off-season motors along there will be plenty of noteworthy events that come from the sport that we all love. At this point many NASCAR fans are going through withdrawal and while this series won’t provide you with action-packed racing, it will provide you with any news that you might have missed. Below is a quick rundown of the important NASCAR news from the second week of the NASCAR off-season.
Where will Chase Elliott go in 2016?
With Kasey Kahne re-signing at Hendrick Motorsports it would seem that there is not a place for Chase Elliott to race in 2016. While nothing has been announced this past week in regards to 2016, HMS has made it clear that they have a plan. What they plan is, nobody is quite sure of. As of now the most popular ideas are: Jeff Gordon retires and Elliott takes his ride, Elliott runs with SHR for a season or two or JR Motorsports makes the move to Sprint Cup in 2016. All of these are possible but it looks like we will just have to wait and see.
JGR putting together a HMS crew to pit Carl Edwards?
It would seem that the crew that is going to pit the No. 19 of Carl Edwards in 2015 are each going to have a special connection to HMS. Last week it was rumored that Edwards crew for 2015 will consist of Front Changer Clay Robinson and Front Carrier Kevin Harris both of which were on the No. 88 crew in 2015. Additionally they are expected to be joined by Jackman Trey Burklin (No. 5 car in 2014), Kip Wolfmier No. 5 car in 2014) and Matt Ver Meer (No. 88 car in 2014).
Austin Dillon to run in Xfinity Series.
This past week it was announced that Austin Dillon is going to run the majority of the inaugural Xfinity Series schedule. For some this might come as a surprise given his recent move to the Sprint Cup Series in 2014 where he was the second-best rookie in the series. For others, this is viewed as nothing more than Dillon looking to gain some more experience at some of the tracks.
Confusion about Cole Whitt and David Ragan in 2015.
Late this week it was announced by the former owner of what was Swan Racing that Cole Whitt would be taking over the No. 34 car which was driven by David Ragan in 2014. After that was announced on Twitter the people in Ragan’s camp came out and said that Ragan is still in the No. 34 car as far as they know for 2015. This was then followed by an awkward contraction of the original statement and total confusion as to whether a deal is coming, fell through or was never there in the first place.
Here is a quick rundown of some of the other news from the week.
- According to USA Today, NASCAR will be addressing the side skirt issues before next season.
- Kurt Busch was awarded a delay on a scheduled hearing involving his domestic violence case last week as he was out of the country racing in Italy.
- Jay Mohr will be hosting the NASCAR Awards where Lady Antebellum is scheduled to perform.
- Danica Patrick will appear in another Super Bowl ad this upcoming year.
- Ryan Newman’s crew chief won the Problem Solver of the Year Award.
Be sure to check back with us next week for all of the news from the third week of the NASCAR off-season.
Christopher Olmstead is the Editor of BeyondTheFlag.com on the FanSided Network. Follow us on Twitter @Beyond_The_Flag and “Like” us on Facebook.