Stewart-Haas Racing to Field NASCAR XFINITY Series Team Beginning in 2017

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), the championship-winning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team, will expand into the NASCAR XFINITY Series in 2017.

The organization will field a full-time, single-car team in the XFINITY Series with a driver and sponsor lineup to be announced prior to the conclusion of the 2016 season. The XFINITY Series team will be run from SHR’s headquarters in Kannapolis, North Carolina.

“In order to maintain the competitiveness that has earned SHR two championships since our debut in 2009, we needed an outlet to develop drivers and team personnel for the Sprint Cup Series,” said Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition, SHR. “People make the difference between winning and losing. An XFINITY Series team gives us added depth that will allow us to promote from within whenever necessary.”

SHR won its first Sprint Cup championship in 2011 with Tony Stewart and earned its second title in 2014 with Kevin Harvick. Since its inception in 2009, SHR has won 33 point-paying races, two non-point races and 28 poles.

“An XFINITY Series team has always been something we would consider when the time was right, and that time is now,” said Stewart, who co-owns SHR with Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation. “Staying successful in this sport means staying ahead of the curve, and having an XFINITY Series team provides an in-house driver development program and a new channel for personnel to make a positive impact with our race team.”

“This is a natural progression of SHR’s growth and one that allows us to be more self-sufficient,” Haas said. “If you look at all the teams that are successful in Sprint Cup, they have a direct connection to the XFINITY Series where drivers, engineers, mechanics and pit crew members are developed. We’re an established team with a strong infrastructure that is ready for this endeavor.”(SHR)

Watkins Glen International partners donate Cheez-It™ 355, Zippo 200 tickets to soldiers, families

Watkins Glen International announced Friday the generous donation, made by several of the track’s partners, of more than 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It™ 355 and NASCAR XFINITY Series Zippo 200 tickets to soldiers and their families.

Kaplan University, Nextera Energy, Genesee Construction, VP Small Engine Fuels, and Weaver Media all purchased tickets to the August 4-7, 2016 race weekend at The Glen, before sharing with U.S. Army, New York Army National Guard, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Air Force representatives. Now, an event known for its armed forces tributes will be complete with military families taking in all of the pageantry and excitement that comes with NASCAR’s lone trip to New York State.

“We couldn’t be more grateful to these five organizations for what they have done for these soldiers and their families,” said Watkins Glen International President Michael Printup. “We look forward to a great contingent of soldier families in the stands and walking the grounds during the upcoming race weekend. In addition, we will have over 100 soldiers from around the area sworn into the military with the oath of Enlistment ceremony, committing to defend the Constitution of the United States of America.”(WGI)