Pictured (top): Big Machine Racing’s No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro in Bobby Allison’s 1972 Southern 500 color scheme; (bottom): Trackhouse Racing’s No. 1 and No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro’s sporting Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 1998 Japan color Schemes

At this weekend’s Xfinity and Cup Series NASCAR races at Darlington Raceway, Nashville-based teams Trackhouse Racing and Big Machine Racing (BMR) will be honoring NASCAR legends with throwback paint schemes.

Trackhouse drivers Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez will be honoring Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s first time driving in a Cup Series car in competition, as well as Dale Earnhardt Sr. car when he first raced against his son. Similarly, BMR’s Tyler Reddick will be honoring NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison.

The Earnhardt’s squared off during an exhibition race at Japan’s Twin Ring Motegi on Nov. 22, 1998. Earnhardt Jr. drove the black No. 1 Dale Earnhardt, Inc. entry featuring Coca-Cola’s Polar Bears, while Earnhardt Sr. drove a Coca-Cola red No. 3 Chevrolet fielded by Richard Childress Racing.

Pictured L-R: Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in front of their cars ahead ahead of the 1998 NASCAR exhibition race. Photo: Courtesy of Trackhouse Racing

“We wanted to do something that honors the legacy of the sport, recognizes our valued partners at Trackhouse Racing and something that fans can get behind,” says Trackhouse Founder and Owner Justin Marks. “We think that this is the right combination, marrying the history of the Earnhardts who are both hall of famers, acknowledging our support from Coke and Chevrolet, plus supporting the fans excitement for Throwback Weekend in Darlington.”

Chastain has had an amazing year so far winning two races and finishing in the top-five seven times in his first season with Trackhouse.

“I never dreamed I would get to run a Dale Earnhardt Jr. paint scheme. It’s a privilege and it’s certainly one of my career highlights. I hope we have a good run and can make Earnhardt nation proud.” says Chastain.

Big Machine Racing is in its second season in the Xfinity Series and, as an avid racing fan and current autosports competitor, owner and founder Scott Borchetta is excited to honor the great Bobby Allison.

“We are honored to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bobby Allison’s 1972 Southern 500 win. The design has always been a fan favorite and we’re thrilled to have former Xfinity Series champ Tyler Reddick behind the wheel. Tyler is a wheel-man and this is his kind of track,” says Borchetta.

Reddick won the Xfinity Series title in both 2018 and 2019. He drives full-time for Richard Childress Racing in the Cup Series, finishing in the top-five three times in 11 races.

“I’m really excited to get back in an Xfinity Series car and it’s even cooler that I get to do it for Darlington Throwback Weekend,” says Reddick. “I’ve always loved that weekend because it honors our sport’s legends, like Bobby Allison. Big Machine Racing put together a really awesome looking car, and Bobby Allison is not only a NASCAR Hall of Famer but a NASCAR icon. I hope we can get this hot rod in Victory Lane on the 50th anniversary of his Southern 500 win.”

Fans can catch both races FS1 with the Xfinity Series race at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday (May 7) and the Souther 500 Cup Series Race at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Kaz Grala. Photo: Courtesy of Big Machine Racing

The Big Machine Racing team is making a change for its upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Races, naming Kaz Grala as the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet.

Grala will replace driver Jade Buford for the races at Talladega and Dover on April 23 and April 30, respectively. Buford completed his first ever NASCAR season in 2021 with BMR in its inaugural season.

“We’ve made a very serious commitment to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, including our strategic partnership with RCR, and at this time we need to evaluate all aspects of the team as I am determined to run up front,” said team founder and owner Scott Borchetta in a statement.

Grala has raced in 37 races in the Xfinity Series, including three this season with Alpha Prime Racing. Grala has also made two Cup starts with Floyd Mayweater‘s The Money Team Racing and two Truck Series starts with Young’s Motorsports. His best finish was seventh place in his Cup Series debut driving RCR’s famed No. 3 car at the Daytona road course when Austin Dillon was sidelined by COVID.

So far this season, Grala finished 25 at Fontana, 23 in Las Vegas and 33 in Phoenix.

Buford’s best performance in 2022 was at Circuit of the Americas where he finished eighth. Outside of that race, his best finish was 22nd. Out of the eight races Buford has driven in, he’s failed to finish in three of them.

Ross Chastain celebrating his Cup Series win at COTA. Photo: Daylon Barr Photography

The Nashville-based Trackhouse Racing team won its first race at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas behind driver Ross Chastain on Sunday, March 27.

Chastain’s No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro has started off extremely hot in 2022. He finished in third place in Las Vegas and second in both Phoenix and Atlanta in back-to-back weekends prior to winning at COTA. His teammate Daniel Suarez in the No. 99 Camaro qualified second before finishing in 24th.

“When it comes to a Cup win, I can’t let that go down without a fight. Justin Marks, Trackhouse, AdventHealth, and a million Moose members better be celebrating tonight all across the country and the world,” Chastain said after the race.

The North Carolina native finished stage two of the race in eighth after starting in 16th. In the final lap, AJ Allmendinger snuck into first when Chastain pulled wide. Alex Bowman then got past Allmendinger with Chastain riding his bumper. Chastain’s pressure forced Allmendinger to collide with Bowman and allowed Chastain to take back the lead, ultimately winning the race.

Photo: Courtesy of Daylon Barr Photography

“AJ is so good, I’ve learned so much from him. How do you go beat the guy? He taught me so much,” added Chastain. “I can’t believe Justin Marks hired me to drive this car.”

Marks founded Trackhouse Racing in 2020 prior to its inaugural season in 2021. Suarez was the team’s only driver last season, but in late 2021 Trackhouse acquired Chip Ganassi’s NASCAR operations and took on Chastain as a second driver.

In 2021, Trackhouse’s best finish was at the Bristol Dirt Track when Suarez finished fourth.

So far this season, Suarez two fourth place finishes, and Chastain has four top five finishes and a win. Chastain sits in third place in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings while Suarez sits in13th.

The Trachouse Racing team heads to the Richmond Raceway this weekend for the Toyota Owners 400. The race is set for Sunday, April 3 at 2:30 p.m. CT.

Nashville Superspeedway has hired three veteran sport executives to the speedway’s staff ahead of June’s NASCAR weekend.

Matt Greci joins the staff as Vice President of Events and Operations, Kacy Harmon has been named Senior Director of Ticket Sales and Operations and Jason Lazar joins as the Director of Operations.

“This trio brings a wealth of event experience to the Superspeedway and we look forward to their contributions to our team,” says Nashville Superspeedway President Erik Moses. “The goal from the first day we started the rebirth of the Superspeedway has been to make this venue a regional center for all types of entertainment options, in addition to hosting top-level racing. All of these new team members will be valuable contributors to that process and we welcome them to the Music City.”

Greci will be in charge of managing event logistics for the race weekend, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the facility and ensuring that the venue is prepared to offer first-in-class service to new events that will be hosted at the facility throughout the year. Greci joins Nashville after nearly 16 years at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway’s sister track in the Speedway Motorsports family.

Harmon will be responsible for leading and developing ticket sales talent, strategy, service initiatives and revenue opportunities for the NASCAR weekend and other live events. Harmon has nearly two decades of experience in sports and entertainment, including roles with the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Union, and PGA Tour, as well as motorsports.

Prior to joining Nashville Superspeedway, Lazar worked at Clemson University as the Director of Littlejohn Coliseum & Special Events, overseeing Clemson men’s and women’s basketball games, as well as other special events. Lazar has nearly 15 years of experience in sports, entertainment and venue management with venues hosting a wide range of collegiate and NHL events.

The executives will be key as the speedway gears up for another NASCAR weekend in June. Last year’s inaugural Ally 400 was a sold out event.