NASCAR First Alert

MIKE DINOVO, USA TODAY SPORTS By NASCAR Communications NASCAR today announced the 15 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023, a group that will comprise the first Hall of Fame ballot in two years following the COVID-19 pandemic. Matt Kenseth (2003 Cup Series champion) and Tim Brewer (two-time Cup Series champion crew chief) join the Modern Era Ballot for the first time; A.J. Foyt (seven-time Cup winner) is added to the Pioneer Ballot along with Sam Ard, who was a nominee for the Class of 2020. This is the second nomination class under the redesigned format. Ten nominees appear on the Modern Era ballot, five on the Pioneer ballot – designed to honor those whose careers began more than 60 years ago. Two Modern Era candidates and one Pioneer candidate will be elected as the Class of 2023.   Lesa France Kennedy joins the Landmark Award ballot, an award given for outstanding contributions to the sport. Award winners are also eligible for NHOF enshrinement.   The NASCAR...

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - APRIL 03: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, celebrates in the Ruoff Mortgage victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway on April 03, 2022 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) By Holly Cain NASCAR Wire Service Perhaps there was no better place for Denny Hamlin to finally notch his first win of 2022. Much to the pleasure of the fans at Richmond Raceway, the hometown favorite from Chesterfield, Virginia took the lead of the Toyota Owners 400 from William Byron with five laps remaining and held off the field for a .552-second victory over Kevin Harvick and Byron. It was amazingly Hamlin’s first top 10 of the 2022 season, though it marked his fourth NASCAR Cup Series victory at the 0.75-mile track – the very place the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota grew up watching NASCAR as a young fan. It is the sixth win for the JGR Toyota team in the last eight races at the Richmo...

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - APRIL 02: Ty Gibbs, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, celebrates in the Ruoff Mortgage victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway on April 02, 2022 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) By Holly Cain NASCAR Wire Service Ty Gibbs bumped his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate John Hunter Nemechek out of the lead on the final lap to claim his third NASCAR Xfinity Series race win of the season – by a mere .116-seconds over Nemechek in the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway. The two JGR drivers dominated the afternoon – combining to lead all but one of the 250 laps on the .075-mile track – the first short track test of the season. Nemechek paced the field for a race high 135 laps in the No. 18 JGR Toyota and was within checkered flag sight when Gibbs got into him, pushing Nemechek’s Toyota high up the track and then motoring on for his series best third win of the season and seventh of his young career....