Racing community reacts to David Pearson passing

By Dan BeaverNov 12, 2018, 8:21 PM EST

Photo courtesy ISC Images via Getty Pictures

David Pearson’s passing at the age of 83 was marked by homages and condolences from around the racing world.

While Pearson ran his last race at Michigan in August, 1986 – scoring his 366th top 10 in the process – he continued to touch the lives of the racing community until his final days.

Unbelievably sad day today after hearing of the passing of (one of) THE ABSOLUTE GREATEST #nascar drivers. We wouldn’t be here today without him and we’re thinking of the entire David Pearson family tonight.

— Wood Brothers Racing (@woodbrothers21) November 13, 2018

David Pearson was one of the all time greats. Anyone who raced him will tell you he was the best. The Silver Fox lived up to his persona on and off the track. What a badass. RIP pic.twitter.com/LGGJ7ZIje9

— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) November 13, 2018

David Pearson was truly an icon. His driving ability and personality helped shape the sport. One of the best ever.

— Jeff Burton (@JeffBurton) November 13, 2018

We've lost one of the true NASCAR icons.

"The Silver Fox" David Pearson exemplified everything that is great during not just his Hall of Fame career, but his Hall of Fame life. The Pearson family, his friends, and fans are in our thoughts and prayers tonight. pic.twitter.com/qFkQD3p6pQ

— Xfinity Racing (@XfinityRacing) November 13, 2018

He was a legend & one of the all time best to ever drive a stock car. We will all miss you David Pearson “The Silver Fox”. #RIP pic.twitter.com/QK78Enu2OT

— Jeff Gordon (@JeffGordonWeb) November 13, 2018

Sad to hear about David Pearson passing away today. One of the best. Prayers for the Pearson family🙏🏻

— Bobby Labonte (@Bobby_Labonte) November 13, 2018

Tonight my heart is sad. I was blessed to watch and race with David Pearson and in my childhood memories of race tracks, David is there. The Man you had to beat, that Beautiful 21 Wood Bros Mercury. He was what a “Racecar Driver” was.. Steve McQueen Cool…one of the BEST EVER!

— Kyle Petty (@kylepetty) November 13, 2018

Just getting home and seeing the sad news.. He was such a legend in our sport and one of my favs as a kid.. David Pearson will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.. 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/BNdOVw0Xom

— Rodney Childers (@RodneyChilders4) November 13, 2018

RIP David Pearson.

I’d have to say if their was one driver who inspired me the most on the race track it was you. Always gritty, witty and in position at the end when it counted.

— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) November 13, 2018

RIP David Pearson when i drove for the @woodbrothers21 the stories they talked about with David and what they accomplished together were amazing to listen to. Obviously one of the best ever!! 🙏🏼

— Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (@StenhouseJr) November 13, 2018

Tough day today all around. News that Two of the greatest stock car drivers ever passed away. David Pearson and Frankie Schneider. #Heroes #legends pic.twitter.com/KdvRoRbytS

— ray evernham (@RayEvernham) November 13, 2018

Official statement on the passing of David Pearson from @TooToughToTame President @Kerry_Tharp. pic.twitter.com/OapTw946kL

— Darlington Raceway (@TooToughToTame) November 13, 2018

Thinking about David Pearson and his family. Loved the memories I have of hanging out with the #SilverFox and getting to drive the #21 that he drove for the @woodbrothers21 RIP David.

— Michael Waltrip (@MW55) November 13, 2018

We lost a legend today. We’re saddened to learn of the passing of the incomparable David Pearson.

Rest In Peace, Silver Fox. pic.twitter.com/QahBOW1n9s

— Richmond Raceway (@RichmondRaceway) November 13, 2018

For those too young to remember, @mikehembree defined what Pearson was to so many in this feature from a few years ago: https://t.co/9EYxfbA1os

— Martinsville Speedway (@MartinsvilleSwy) November 13, 2018

The lady in black will always love you.

David Pearson
Dec. 22, 1934 – Nov. 12, 2018. pic.twitter.com/ypnDWUvrpw

— Darlington Raceway (@TooToughToTame) November 13, 2018

So sad to hear of the passing of a true @NASCAR legend, David Pearson, one the greatest drivers to ever get behind the wheel. Rest In Peace, Silver Fox. You will be missed but not forgotten.

— Steve Phelps (@stevephelps) November 13, 2018

Sonoma Xfinity starting lineup: Kyle Larson wins pole

By Dustin LongJun 10, 2023, 4:07 PM EDT

SONOMA, Calif. — Kyle Larson will start on the pole for Saturday’s inaugural Xfinity Series race at Sonoma Raceway.

Larson won the pole with an average speed of 91.393 mph around the 1.99-mile road course. Justin Allgaier joins Larson on the front row after a lap of 90.562 mph. Sheldon Creed (90.429 mph) qualified third. Aric Almirola (90.375) will start fourth. AJ Allmendinger (90.274) will start fifth.

MORE: Sonoma Xfinity starting lineup

MORE: Alpha Prime Racing’s road woes don’t keep team from competing

Larson is one of seven Cup drivers entered. The others are Almirola (starting fourth), Allmendinger (fifth), Ty Gibbs (seventh), Ross Chastain (15th), Daniel Suarez (17th) and Ty Dillon (32nd).

The green flag is scheduled to wave at 8:20 p.m. ET Saturday on FS1.

Could Daytona International Speedway host NFL games?

By Dustin LongJun 10, 2023, 1:54 PM EDT

The president of Daytona International Speedway says track officials plan to speak with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars about hosting the team’s games if Jacksonville’s stadium is renovated.

The Jaguars will need a temporary home site if plans go forward to renovate the team’s stadium. Daytona International Speedway has been mentioned as a possible candidate. The Jaguars released details Wednesday of what the stadium will look like after the renovation project.

Provided the project is approved by the city of Jacksonville, it is believed the Jaguars would need to find another home site for a couple of seasons while work is being done to its stadium. Daytona International Speedway is among possible sites for the Jaguars to play. More than 100,000 people saw Ricky Stenhouse Jr. win this year’s Daytona 500.

“Daytona International Speedway is a world-renowned sports and entertainment venue and hosts a full schedule of events each year,” said Frank Kelleher, president of Daytona International Speedway, in a statement. “As good neighbors in the Florida sports community, DIS will be speaking with the Jacksonville Jaguars to see if we can assist them with their potential upcoming facility needs around our scheduled events.”

Daytona International Speedway hosted Soccer Fest in July 2022. An announced crowd of 7,573 fans saw the Orlando Pride and Racing Louisville play in a National Women’s Soccer League game at Daytona.

NASCAR displays counterfeit part from Chase Briscoe car

By Dustin LongJun 10, 2023, 12:33 PM EDT

SONOMA, Calif. — NASCAR displayed the counterfeit part from Chase Briscoe‘s car on Saturday at Sonoma Raceway, showing how the part did not correspond to what should have been in the car.

NASCAR found the issue at its R&D Center after last month’s Coca-Cola 600. The sanctioning body fined crew chief John Klausmeier $250,000 and suspended him for six races. NASCAR also docked Briscoe and the team 120 points and 25 playoff points for the L3 infraction.

“We want to be transparent on the penalties,” said Brad Moran, managing director of the Cup Series as he displayed the counterfeit part to media.

Moran displayed a a portion of the engine panel from Briscoe’s car. He noted the engine duct was counterfeit. He said the proper pieces are 3D printed at the R&D Center and Fiberworks Composites sells them and installs them for teams. Moran said the duct is “in the bottom of the car under the engine panel. It’s to help cool the driver. It was added prior to the first race. During testing … we realized we wanted to get heat out of the engine compartment, and that’s what this piece does.”

Moran noted that with the counterfeit part, “we can clearly see the textures are different (from the proper part).”

He displayed what officials call a gauge that determines if the duct fits the proper parameters. He showed it fitting a proper duct and not properly fitting in the counterfeit part.

“It was a part that was made, and it was made for whatever reason,” Moran said. “It was, I guess, put on by error, but it was on the vehicle. It is a piece that should not have been made in the first place, and it was spotted at our teardown at the R&D Center.”

Moran said the issue was found in a visual inspection of the part. NASCAR inspected it further and Moran said “there are certain little characteristics that are in (a proper piece)” that officials did not see in the one on Briscoe’s car. “The more we examined it, the more we realized that’s not a part they bought.”

Moran noted that while the penalties were severe, they could have been worse based on the rulebook.

“It was the low end of the L3,” Moran said. “It’s a real big hit for any team. If it continues, and we feel we are not where we need to be, unfortunately, it’s going to ramp up. We’re not going to stop.

“The deal with this car is it needs to be run without modifying. It costs teams a lot of money in development. All the owners agreed. We all agreed where we need to be to make this a successful program, and we’re not going to give up.”

Sunday Cup race at Sonoma Raceway: Start time, TV info, weather

By Dustin LongJun 10, 2023, 10:00 AM EDT

The Cup Series heads to wine country to compete on the 1.99-mile road course at Sonoma Raceway. This race leads into the final off weekend of the season. After the break, the series races 20 consecutive weekends. NBC and USA will broadcast those races.

Details for Sunday’s Cup race at Sonoma Raceway

(All times Eastern)

START: Adam Devine will give the command to start engines at 3:38 p.m. … The green flag is scheduled to wave at 3:50 p.m.

PRERACE: Cup garage opens at 12:30 p.m. … Drivers meeting is at 2:45 p.m. … Driver intros are at 3 p.m. … Earl Smith, pastor for the Golden State Warriors and San Francisco 49ers, will give the invocation at 3:30 p.m. … Tiffany Woys will perform the national anthem at 3:31 p.m.

DISTANCE: The race is 110 laps (218.9 miles) on the 1.99-mile road course.

STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 25. Stage 2 ends at Lap 55.

STARTING LINEUP: Qualifying begins at 6 p.m. Saturday

TV/RADIO: Fox will broadcast the race at 3:30 p.m. … Coverage begins at 2 p.m. on FS1 and switches to Fox at 3 p.m. … Performance Racing Network coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. and also will stream at goprn.com. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the PRN broadcast.

STREAMING: Fox Sports

FORECAST: Weather Underground — Partly cloudy with a high of 69 degrees and a 1% chance of rain at the start of the race.

LAST YEAR: Daniel Suarez won his first career Cup race last year at Sonoma. Chris Buescher finished second. Michael McDowell placed third.