Sprint Cup Series

Jeff Gordon is leaving broadcasting for a full-time executive role at Hendrick Motorsports, the company announced Wednesday.

Gordon, who has been part of Fox Sports' NASCAR telecasts since his retirement as a driver after the 2015 season, will continue in the booth for the remainder of 2021. Afterward, he will serve as vice chairman and rank behind only owner Rick Hendrick in the Hendrick Motorsports hierarchy.

"Jeff and I have talked about this for many years, and I feel it's a natural evolution for him and our company," Hendrick said in a statement. "He understands our culture, our values and the importance we place on our people and our partnerships. I couldn't be more energized about working arm-in-arm with him and cementing the future of Hendrick Motorsports together."

Gordon spent his entire NASCAR Hall of Fame driving career with HMS from 1992 to 2015 and came out of retirement briefly in 2016 to drive in place of an injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. The 49-year-old won four Cup Series championships and 93 races overall, including three Daytona 500s.

His 93 Cup Series wins are the third-most in NASCAR history, behind only Richard Petty and David Pearson. Gordon has been a partner at Hendrick Motorsports since 1999 and has remained part of behind-the-scenes decisions even during his media career. 

"I cannot put into words what Hendrick Motorsports means to me," the California native said. "It's my home, and the people here are my family. I've never lost my passion for the organization, for our sport and for the sheer challenge of racing and winning at the highest level."

Hendrick has brought home 13 Cup championships, including the 2020 title won by Chase Elliott. Last month it became the winningest NASCAR Cup Series team after Kyle Larson's victory at the Coca-Cola 600 was the North Carolina-based team's 269th all-time. 

Kyle Larson earned pole position for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 after posting the best time during Saturday's single-lap qualifying at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

Larson, who earned the ninth NASCAR Cup Series pole of his career and his first since 2019, narrowly edged out Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by seven-thousandths of a second in order to take the top spot.

Here's a look at the top 10 finishers from Saturday's qualifying:

1. Kyle Larson (5)

2. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47)

3. Chase Elliott (9)

4. William Byron (24)

5. Kevin Harvick (4)

6. Austin Dillon (3)

7. Alex Bowman (48)

8. Martin Truex Jr. (19)

9. Daniel Suarez (99)

10. Ross Chastain (42)

Larson said it's "pretty cool" to secure a pole in a year when NASCAR is only running qualifying events at select tracks:

It's a continuation of a recent upward trend in performance for the Hendrick Motorsports driver, who finished second in the Cup Series' last three races at Darlington, Dover and the Circuit of the Americas.

The 28-year-old California native picked up a win back in March in Las Vegas, and he's finished inside the top 10 in nine of the 14 races so far in 2021. He's third in the standings behind Denny Hamlin and Byron.

Meanwhile, Stenhouse will hope the strong showing in qualifying can provide the spark his season needs after five straight finishes of 20th or worse. His only top 10 came on the Bristol dirt in late March.

Take the overall qualifying results with a grain of salt, however, as several drivers said on the Fox Sports broadcast they were focused on fine-tuning their cars for race conditions rather than worrying about their starting spot heading into the Cup Series' longest race of the year.

The Coca-Cola 600 green flag is scheduled for Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on Fox.

Roush Fenway Racing announced Thursday it has been certified as the first carbon-neutral NASCAR organization based on an independent review of its 2020 environmental outputs.

Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press reported the PAS 2060 certification, which was confirmed by ERM Certification and Verification Services, will be celebrated by RFR during Sunday's O'Reilly Auto Parts 253 on the Daytona International Speedway road course with a dedicated paint scheme on Ryan Newman's car.

Roush Fenway provided a look at Newman's car for Sunday's race:

The certification is based on the entire organization, from standard operations to its two NASCAR Cup Series cars. Along with Newman, it also races the No. 17 Ford driven by Chris Buescher.

RFR president Steve Newmark said they're trying to show an example that even in a profession like NASCAR, where burning fuel is an essential part of the job, it's possible to lessen your carbon output, per Fryer.

"We've spent months tracking, quantifying, measuring our existing carbon footprint and ways to reduce our carbon footprint," Newmark said. "There's no doubt that we have unavoidable carbon emissions in how we operate our business. When you race cars and travel around the country to do so, that will inevitably be part of our operations."

The effort included everything from recycling 90 percent of every race car that was no longer in use to capturing rainwater for landscape irrigation at its North Carolina facilities. The company's non-racing cars were also transitioned to electric or hybrid vehicles.

Newman, a 43-year-old who has been racing in the Cup Series since 2000, said:

"We as a society have to take notice to make an impact. I've never been one to pride myself in driving around an electric vehicle but the reality is that makes a big impact. I'm a V8 [engine] guy with the rumble and a hot rod sounds good, looks good, and take the kids for ice cream in it—that's me, right? The reality is that comes with a cost to our environment and I'm aware of that more so than ever. There are things that we can all be doing better."

He added the overall message is being "smarter" in order to limit the impact on climate change.

Sunday's race will mark just the second use of the Daytona road course for the Cup Series, which added it to the schedule last year to ease travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hendrick Motorsports announced Wednesday that it has signed driver Kyle Larson to a multi-year contract.

NASCAR suspended Larson indefinitely for using a racial slur during an April 12 iRacing event. Chip Ganassi Racing soon severed ties with Larson, who has not raced on the NASCAR Cup Series since March 8. 

The 28-year-old completed mandatory sensitivity training as part of his condition for reinstatement, per Dustin Long of NBC Sports. He applied for reinstatement in mid-October, and NASCAR approved his application on Oct. 19.

Larson is eligible to return to NASCAR racing activities on Jan. 1, 2021. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season begins on Feb. 14 with the Daytona 500.

He must complete numerous conditions to keep his reinstatement intact, per NASCAR.com.

"Those terms for reinstatement include several speaking engagements, each spaced out through 2023, where Larson will share his experiences with NASCAR’s weekly series, e-sports and dirt-racing communities. He will also be required to take further training and engagement classes through 2023, plus continue his work with the Urban Youth Racing School (UYRS) and Rev Racing, providing coaching and mentorship for those initiatives."

Larson finished in the top nine in the NASCAR Cup Series standings from 2016-19, with a high of sixth in 2019.

He'll drive the No. 5 Chevrolet for a Hendrick Motorsports team that will also feature Alex Bowman, William Byron and Chase Elliott racing full time in 2021.

The Big One wreaked havoc on the 2019 Daytona 500, but Denny Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing emerged as the winners of a crash-filled finish to the Great American Race on Sunday.

Hamlin―who dedicated the 2019 season to the memory of J.D. Gibbs, a co-founder of the team―crossed the line in front of teammates Kyle Busch and Erik Jones.

Hamlin reflected on his second career Daytona 500 win with appreciation for the entire Gibbs family.

But the victory certainly didn't come easily. Not only did Kyle Busch and Joey Logano push Hamlin to the finish, but the final 10 laps also included three major incidents.

The Big One came first.

On Lap 191, Paul Menard clipped Matt DiBenedetto's right rear and caused a 22-car pileup that led to a red flag.

DiBenedetto led a race-high 49 laps but watched his Daytona dreams disappear in the Big One. Still, the No. 95 driver chalked up the unfortunate collision to nothing more than racing.

Menard's team, Wood Brothers Racing, sent out an apologetic tweet for the driver's role in the crash.

Defending champion Austin Dillon was part of the wreck and eventually crossed the line in 16th. Other notables caught in the carnage included Ryan Newman (14th), Ryan Blaney (31st), Aric Almirola (32nd) and Martin Truex Jr. (35th).

Four laps later, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. unsuccessfully tried to split Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick. The drivers had been eyeing top-10 finishes but only Larson (seventh) managed one.

On the ensuing restart, Clint Bowyer tried to pass Michael McDowell but cut up too soon and turned directly into William Byron and Chase Elliott. The crash also involved Jamie McMurray, Brad Keselowski and Landon Cassill and sent the race to overtime.

Hamlin, Busch and Jones led Logano and McDowell to the checkered flag. Ty Dillon, Larson, Ryan Preece, Jimmie Johnson and Ross Chastain rounded out the top 10.

The wild 10-lap finish trailed a relatively tame 190.

An early crash removed Kurt Busch from contention. Then with 41 laps to go, Cody Ware hooked BJ McLeod―two drivers five laps down―while heading toward pit road and slammed into Tyler Reddick, Stenhouse and Johnson.

Seven laps later, a caution for debris reset the field. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Jones were in front of Hendrick Motorsports drivers William Byron and Alex Bowman.

On the restart, though, Jones lost fuel pressure and cost the Hendrick teammates dearly. Bowman and Byron fell at least 10 spots apiece, and the drop effectively ensured the duo would be trapped in the Big One and other late crashes.

Kyle Busch and Blaney both picked up an additional 10 points by winning Stages 1 and 2, respectively.

The NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series continues Sunday, Feb. 24, with the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.