Friday Bristol Notebook

Aug. 19, 2016

Notebook Items:

·         Jimmie Johnson enthused at William Byron signing

·         Stenhouse, Larson honor late friend at Bristol

·         Matt Tifft returns to track after brain surgery

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

Jimmie Johnson enthused at William Byron signing

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick pulled off a major coup earlier this week with the signing of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie William Byron, who is at the top of the standings on the strength of five victories in a Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota this season. The 18-year-old Byron used to go trick-or-treating at Hendrick’s house. As it turned out, Byron did the same at the house of Hendrick driver Jimmie Johnson, a six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, who welcomed the news of Byron’s signing.

“I’ve definitely been paying attention to him,” Johnson said in advance of Saturday's Bass Pro Shops NRA  Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (8 p.m. ET on NBCSN). “We live in the same neighborhood. And I can recall him trick-or-treating at my house in one of the rare opportunities we were home.

“I absolutely know who he is and have gotten to know him and have seen him around home. I think he’s an amazing talent with a great head on his shoulders, and I’m very excited that he’s under the Hendrick umbrella now. Hopefully, we can take advantage of his youth and great talent and give him a great run. I’m excited that he’s on the team.”

Byron will race in the NASCAR XFINITY Series next year in a Chevrolet fielded by JR Motorsports, co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelly Earnhardt Miller and Hendrick.

STENHOUSE, LARSON HONOR LATE FRIEND AT BRISTOL

The outpouring of support for Bryan Clauson continued at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday, with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Larson honoring the memory of their close friend with special helmets and paint schemes.

Clauson died at age 27 from injuries suffered during an Aug. 6 accident in the Belleville (Kansas) Midget Nationals.

Like Stenhouse, Clauson got his start in NASCAR racing as a development driver for Roush Fenway Racing, but after 26 starts in the XFINITY series, with a best finish of fifth at Kentucky, he returned to open wheels and established himself as one of the all-time best in USAC competition.

In Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, both Stenhouse and Larson will wear helmets sporting the initials “BC” in honor of their friend. With the blessing of sponsor Fastenal, Stenhouse’s car will feature a paint scheme reminiscent of the one Clauson ran seven years ago.

“Bryan was a great friend of Kyle’s and mine,” Stenhouse, 28, said on Friday at Bristol. “I moved to North Carolina, and he was already there. Even though he was younger, I kind of always looked at him as an older brother, because he kind of did everything before I did.

“He let me move in with him, and we had a lot of fun in North Carolina. He showed me the ropes of stock car racing, and then, obviously, he was the best there was at running sprint cars, so to be able to run his paint scheme. His family is super excited, and we are, too, at our team.”

On Aug. 11 at the Knoxville (Iowa) Nationals, Stenhouse led the field on a parade lap in the winged sprint car Clauson was to have driven in the competition.

Larson and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Rico Abreu were on hand as competitors during the off week. Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon were there to support charitable efforts, which included an auction on behalf of the Clauson family on Aug. 12.

Gordon flew the Clausons back to Indiana on his plane that afternoon. On Saturday night, Stewart’s sprint car driver, Donny Schatz, was five feet short of his 10th Knoxville Nationals title, finishing second to race-winner Jason Johnson.

MATT TIFFT RETURNS TO TRACK AFTER BRAIN SURGERY

After surgery to remove a slow-growing, non-malignant tumor from his brain, NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Matt Tifft has been cleared to return to the race track, a process he will begin with a late model stock test on Sunday at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

Tifft hasn’t competed in a NASCAR race since May 21, when he drove for Red Horse Racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. All told, Tifft ran three races for Red Horse and six XFINITY events for Joe Gibbs Racing before the tumor sidelined him. 

Now green-lighted to get back in a car, Tifft can hardly wait for Sunday to come.

“I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to that,” Tifft said on Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he appeared in the media center to update reporters on his status. “Obviously, it’s been a couple months since I’ve been in a car.”

During his recovery from surgery, Tifft has bulked up in the gym, but that’s no substitute for the rigors of driving a race car at speed. The test at Hickory will begin his re-acclimation.

“I think first things first, just going to go do the test on Sunday and see how everything goes,” he said. “The most curious thing to me is just seeing what my level of stamina is compared to the past, because it’s been so long since I’ve been in a car.

“I don’t know what the exact steps are going to be, but I think the biggest thing is just to get back going and get back re-oriented in a race car.”