Toyota is bringing its newest Toyota Camry model to the race track in the NFRN Elite Cup Series.
While the Camry has been around for the first season of the NECS, this slick 2018 design from Toyota includes major aerodynamic improvements and a redesigned grill opening. The model was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Toyota's developers strived to make it look like the same model that consumers can purchase for themselves.
The NFRN Elite Cup Series is getting a fresh face this season.
Following signups for the flagship series of the NFRN, 26 drivers will contend for Rookie of the Year honors. 10 drivers will be contending as veterans: season 1 champion Rampage, Jonny Gardner, John Arndt, Nick Smith, William Brock (making a move to the #23), Noah Kars, Tyler Markel, Stephen Willey, nascarfan19, and Reece Butcher. "While we're glad to have some of our drivers back from our exciting first season, we're equally excited to have such a large crowd of new faces signing on," said Collin Denton, league commissioner and RVN race announcer. "This series is built around opportunity, and being able to put new people in a race car is a win-win situation for everyone." Among the veterans, they carry only eight wins as a group. The rookies will look to take control and make a name for themselves in the NFRN's top series.
Three drivers who competed in last year's Elite Cup Series Chase are now ineligible for the entire season after a violation of league rules.
Barry Golberg, Harry Sorah and Josh Harris will not be competing in any racing series in 2017 after all made the Chase last year. The offense referenced is part of NFRN League Rule section ii, subsection a, regarding multiple entries to a single entity. NFRN has declined to name the offender. NFRN league rules state that multiple offenses of submitting more than one driver could result in season suspension. "It's a true test for our brand but we're trying to take some risks and see how far we can expand." -Collin Denton The first-year startup YouTube racing series formerly known as the NASCAR Wendy's Cup Series announced today an expansion of multiple developmental series to form NFRN. While continuing the top series under the new name, NFRN Elite Cup Series, six other series are planned to adapt to various driver experiences and mediums, including the expansion to Canada, Australia, and multiple European countries.
League commissioner and RVN race announcer Collin Denton hopes that an expanded league will generate more excitement. "We want to provide more opportunities for drivers to climb the ranks just as other sanctioned racing series have before," Denton said. "Adding more series allows more drivers to drive instead of bloating our highest series with drivers who may not qualify for a race all season. It's a true test for our brand but we're trying to take some risks and see how far we can expand." While many of the tracks from the top series' first season will be changing, NFRN will use an expanded roster of tracks to develop experience. Each series plans to run a charter system that dictates the series a driver can compete for a championship. Based on a four-tier leveling system, drivers have opportunities to race in a series above them based on their current championship standing. The tier system is as such: 1st Tier: NFRN Elite Cup Series 2nd Tier: NFRN Amateur Cup Series 3rd Tier: NFRN Truck Series 4th Tier: NFRN Open Modified Series, NFRN Canadian Series, NFRN Australian Series, NFRN European Series NFRN will run a closed four-race series, the NFRN Champions League, that pits some of the top Wendy's Cup Series drivers from season 1. There is also the opportunity of non-competitive short track asphalt or dirt series for late incoming drivers. "Everything is a test at this point," Denton said. "We'll evaluate how drivers and fans react to the expansion over the off-season and determine if the demand is high enough to keep these series running." In an intense conclusion to the first season of the Wendy’s Cup Series, Rampage capped off a strong season with a big trophy, winning the series championship. The #1 car finished 7th in the race at Hula Hoop, but with Colin Lindsay two laps down after involvement in an accident and both Barry Golberg and John Arndt demolished in a lap 2 crash, he was the highest finisher among the four to take the victory. On the flip side, Zac Campbell, who was taken out of the Chase by one point through a fallout at Central Plains Speedway, edged out Eric Van Arsdale to win the race. Tyler Markel, tlove48man, and nascarfan19 rounded out the final top five.
Three Takeaways: The First Champion: Rampage is the official first champion of the Wendy’s Cup Series. He certainly did not have an easy path to the finish line. He had to avoid trouble twice in the first two laps of the race and then had a scare when he got hit and bruised by a group of leaders in NascarMan#1, Matt Johnson and Carson Scott, all of whom wrecked out. However, his persistence and some great work on pit road got him in a position that allowed him to make the run to the finish line. Lindsay 5-Wide: Lindsay hung further back in the pack, a contrast to Rampage who pushed for the lead, but it proved costly for the #3 car when a 5-wide situation sent him into the wall on lap 13. The team decided not to make major repairs to the race car, but his decreased pace ended up sending him a couple laps down by the end of the race. Early Catastrophe: Dan Bandon was sent into the wall headed toward the start/finish line at the end of lap 1, but most of the field had already crossed and had to complete the lap at pace. As a result, a bumpdrafting incident between Alexander Miller and Arndt sent the championship contender down the race track, collecting extra cars that propelled upward into Golberg on the high line of 5-wide for the lead. Both drivers’ cars were destroyed and their hopes of a title were dashed quickly. |
Archives
September 2023
Categories |