Lisa's Lugnuts: Silly Season Edition

Yes, it's that time, girls and boys. Silly Season is in full swing in the NASCAR world. Here are a few events that happened just today, Friday, August 18. 

Hendrick Motorsports and #48 wheelman Alex Bowman agreed to extend their contract with a multi-year extension announced today. The two-year extension will keep Bowman in the 48 Chevrolet he "inherited" from Jimmie Johnson in the NASCAR Cup Series through 2023. The announcement comes conveniently at the same time Ally sponsors this weekend's race at Nashville Superspeedway, and coincides with their sponsorship agreement terms. Tune in to the Ally 400 on Sunday, June 20. 

GMS Racing announced today it is participating in the NASCAR Cup Series for 2022. GMS has had great success in ARCA, the Camping World Truck series, and the Xfinity series. At this time, no sponsors or drivers have been officially announced. 

Kaulig Racing, which will race full time in the NASCAR Cup Series season in 2022, has obtained two Cup Series charters and will give a full-time ride to Justin Haley. AJ Allmendinger will drive certain Cup races in a second car. AJ will also compete full-time for an Xfinity championship next season. Both drivers have multi-year deals with Kaulig. 

Verizon announced today that the company has formed a multi-year partnership with Indianapolis Motor Speedway to become the title sponsor of the NASCAR Cup race on the IMS road course in August 2021. The Verizon 200 at the Brickyard will be on Sunday, Aug. 15, when the NASCAR Cup Series will be run for the first time on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile circuit, after being held for the last 27 years on the 2.5-mile oval. The Xfinity and Truck series races will both be held at IMS on August 14.  Verizon and Penske have a long history together in motorsports.

NASCAR officials reinstated Chase Elliott's spotter Eddie D’Hondt today. D’Hondt was suspended on May 26 after his recent arrest in Catawba County, NC. Due to a lack of evidence, the case against the spotter was dismissed. D’Hondt has been the spotter for Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 9 Chevrolet team, and was part of the crew that won the Cup Series championship last season.