PITTSBURGH, PA (Pittsburgh Racing Now) – Tons of racing news in the latest edition of the Pittsburgh Racing Now Notebook including an extension at Joe Gibbs Racing for Denny Hamlin and sponsor FedEx. Chase Elliott plans to do some more midget racing. Money Lion back with Team Penske for 2021. U.S. Air Force extends with Richard Petty Motorsports and another partner signs on for Western PA Sprint Speedweek.

Denny Hamlin and FedEx Extend With JGR:

• Denny Hamlin will be behind the wheel of Joe Gibbs Racing‘s No. 11 FedEx Toyota for the foreseeable future.  JGR announced that it has extended agreements with Hamlin and long-time sponsor FedEx with a pair of multi-year agreements. Hamlin is a three-time winner and defending champion of the Daytona 500. He has 44 career wins in the NASCAR Cup Series along with 280 top-ten and 179 top-five finishes in 542 career starts.

Chase Elliott Running Midget This Weekend:

• Fresh off his first Rolex 24 at Daytona this past weekend, defending NASCAR Cup Series Champion Chase Elliott will jump from Sports Cars to Midgets this coming weekend at Bubba Raceway Park in Florida.

Back at it, only one way to get better at this stuff. #race @NAPAKnowHow https://t.co/LFuHT5PWdd

— Chase Elliott (@chaseelliott) February 1, 2021

MoneyLion Continues Partnership With Team Penske:

• MoneyLion, the all-in-one digital financial platform, on Monday announced a renewed partnership with Team Penske for multiple races in the 2021 NASCAR season. MoneyLion will be featured as a primary partner at select NASCAR events in 2021 on the cars driven by Brad Keselowski and Austin Cindric. The company will also be an associate sponsor throughout the season on the No. 22 Ford driven by Joey Logano. Keselowski will race the No. 2 MoneyLion Ford Mustang in the Clash, Tuesday evening, February 9 at Daytona International Speedway (DIS).

U.S. Air Force Extends Partnership With RPM:

• The U.S. Air Force is extended its partnership with Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM). The U.S. Air Force will serve as the primary partner of Jones’ No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (April 25) and at the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (September 18). The U.S. Air Force is an associate partner for the entirety of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season with Richard Petty Motorsports.

Western PA Sprint Speedweek Adds Another Partner:

• Western PA Sprint Speedweek is adding another partner to the growing list of companies stepping up to support the five-race series this June. J.S. Bova Excavating LLC has signed on to be a presenting sponsor of this summer’s upcoming five-race speedweek, scheduled to run from Wednesday, June 2nd through Sunday, June 6th.  Bova joins Schaeffer’s Specialized Lubricants in support of the event.

Rain Cancels All Stars Event At East Bay:

• Mother Nature was the only winner Monday at East Bay Raceway Park. Heavy rains throughout the evening hours on Sunday and into early Monday created heavy flooding in East Bay’s infield, as well as on parts of the racing surface. Track officials did their best to pump the water away from the track, but officials were left with no time to recover. The event will not be rescheduled. The All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 will return to East Bay Raceway Park on Tuesday evening, February 2.

PITTSBURGH, PA (Pittsburgh Racing Now) – The latest edition of The Pittsburgh Racing Now Notebook has news about Ed Jones joining Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan.  Ty Dillion is going to run some Xfinity races for Joe Gibbs Racing; Pocono Raceway honors Bubba Wallace and Kaulig Racing details 2021 plans.

Ed Jones Joins Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan:

• Ed Jones is returning to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2021.  Jones is going to replace Santino Ferrucci in the Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan Honda.  Jones broke into the INDYCAR series with Coyne in 2017 as a teammate to Sebastien Bourdais.  Jones best finish was third in the Indianapolis 500.  Jones’ car will carry the SealMaster sponsorship previously carried by Bourdais and Ferrucci.  Coyne says an announcement is forthcoming on who will be Jones teammate.

Ty Dillon To Run Some Xfinity Races For JGR:

• Joe Gibbs Racing announced on Wednesday that Ty Dillon will drive the team’s No. 54 Toyota Supra in select NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2021, including the season opener at Daytona International Speedway on February 13. Beyond Daytona, Dillon’s Xfinity Series schedule currently includes races at Homestead-Miami Speedway (February 27), Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 6) and Talladega Superspeedway (April 24).  Dillon was without a ride for 2021 after Germain Racing closed following the end of the 2020 season.

Bubba Wallace Wins Pocono Spirit Award For 2020:

• Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. is the winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Pocono Spirit Award for 2020.  The NMPA Pocono Spirit Award is designed to recognize character and achievement in the face of adversity, sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports. The award is sponsored by Pocono Raceway and has been presented annually since 1992.

Kaulig Racing Details 2021 Lineup:

• Jeb Burton will begin his 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) season with primary partner, Nutrien Ag Solutions, at Daytona International Speedway in the No. 10 Chevrolet. Nutrien Ag Solutions will be on board the No. 10 for 16 races in 2021.  Justin Haley returns to the No. 11 Chevrolet for a third-straight year. The team is also thrilled to announce the return of primary partner, LeafFilter Gutter Protection. LeafFilter has donned the No. 11 Chevrolet since the team’s inception in 2016. AJ Allmendinger will kick off his first, full NASCAR season since 2018 with partner, Ellsworth Advisors on the No. 16 Chevrolet at Daytona. In addition to his return to full-time competition, Allmendinger will pilot the No. 16 Camaro ZL1 1LE at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course race in the team’s part-time NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) entry.

PITTSBURGH, PA (Pittsburgh Racing Now) – The latest edition of The Pittsburgh Racing Now Notebook has the latest on James Hinchcliffe’s plans for 2021; Acura commits to field a car in LMDh plus the Western Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek gets a sponsor; Chip Ganassi Racing teams up with GMC and the NASCAR Foundation announces new board members.

James Hinchcliffe To Run Full NTT INDYCAR SERIES Schedule In 2021:

• James Hinchcliffe is set to run the full 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES for Andretti Autosport. Hinchcliffe will be sporting the Genesys orange for 10 races throughout the 2021 season, including the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Genesys, the global leader in cloud customer experience and contact center solutions, served as Hinchcliffe’s sponsor at three of INDYCAR’s marquee events in the 2020 season.

Acura Commits To IMSA’s LMDh Category For 2023:

• Acura Motorsports on Tuesday confirmed it will continue to compete in the top category of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2023 under the new Le Mans Daytona hybrid (LMDh) format. Acura expects to share more information on their LMDh plans later this year.  Acura Motorsports will compete in the top category in IMSA, Daytona Prototype International (DPi), this year with two new teams, Meyer Shank Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing, beginning with this weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Schaeffer’s To Sponsor Western PA Sprint Speedweek:

• Schaeffer’s Specialized Lubricants has signed on to be the title sponsor of Western PA Sprint Speedweek.  Schaeffer’s Specialized Lubricants manufactures and supplies all types of synthetic motor oils, hydraulic fluids, diesel fuel additives, industrial lubricants, greases and oils, chain lubes, and degreasers. Western PA Sprint Speedweek returns Jun. 2nd-6th 2021 when the ‘410 Sprints’ compete for five straight nights around the Western PA racing circuit, with each show featuring a robust purse highlighted by the $3,000 winner’s share.

GMC Partners With Chip Ganassi Racing In Extreme E:

• GMC is partnering with Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) on the team’s Extreme E program, which makes its debut in April.  CGR’s 550-horsepower electric SUV, will feature a unique grille, graphics and bodywork, inspired by the GMC HUMMER EV, the world’s first all-electric supertruck.  Sara Price and Kyle LeDuc will get to drive the Ganassi/GMC Hummer EV when the Extreme E season debuts in April.  Pittsburgher’s may remember that Chip’s sister Annette used to own a GMC dealership on Route 8.

NASCAR Foundation Names New Board Members:

• The NASCAR Foundation on Tuesday announced two additions to its Board of Directors. Veteran race car driver Hurley Haywood and Rev Racing Co-owner Dr. Jennifer Satterfield-Siegel accepted nominations to join the board led by Chairman Mike Helton. Haywood is widely known for winning the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA five times, the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times and 12 Hours of Sebring twice. He is credited with the 1988 Trans-Am title, two IMSA GT Championship titles and 23 wins, three Norelco Cup championships, a SuperCar title and seven IndyCar starts. Satterfield-Siegel, a Board-Certified Pediatric Dentist, is a member of the Payton Manning Children’s Hospital Craniofacial Team as well as treating patients in her private practice. She and her husband co-own Rev Racing, the exclusive manager of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Program.