JULY 14, 2021

(Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Kurt Busch (No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing GEARWRENCH Chevrolet) celebrates with his crew in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday. Kurt, 42, out-dueled his younger brother Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) in the pair’s fourth career 1-2 finish to secure his 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs position and take his 33rd career victory. Sunday’s win was Kurt's fourth there, most among the current field, and the last trophy given before the historic NASCAR track is repaved and reconfigured going forward. Sunday’s race was a big statement for Busch, who started the race with only a 25-point buffer in the championship standings with six races left to set the 16-driver playoffs field. Now with the win, he’s “in,” and his emotions climbing out of his No. 1 Chevrolet certainly reflected the relief and joy. He simultaneously earned a playoffs position and evened the score with his brother; each has won two races in the four times they have finished first and second. "Hell yeah, we beat Kyle," Busch said after climbing out of his car, putting his fists in the air and turning toward the cheering crowd in the grandstands. “What a battle on an old-school race track,” Kurt Busch said. “It’s been one of those years where I knew we were going to have our back against the wall, just above the (playoffs) cut-off line and needed to race hard and race smart.” Martin Truex Jr. (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) finished third, rallying from a 37th-place starting position. (Thank you to Holly Cain/NASCAR Wire Service)

(WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca)
Two of the most competitive drivers during the glory days of the SCCA Trans-Am series - George Follmer and Parnelli Jones - will be reunited as co-Grand Marshals at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, Aug. 12-15 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The former Trans-Am teammates are scheduled to be honored guests Saturday, Aug. 14 – which includes taking part in the Picnic in the Paddock, where they will participate in a Q&A session with race fans – as well as taking a few honorary laps around the track. Jones is closely associated with the famous No. 15 Bud Moore Engineering Ford Mustang Boss 302, while Follmer was famous for driving the No. 16 Bud Moore Engineering Ford Mustang Boss 302. The two were tough-as-nails competitors who notoriously raced each other hard, even knocking each other off the track more than once. Jones had numerous wins in 1970, en route to capturing the Trans-Am championship that year. Jones also won the 1963 Indianapolis 500 as a driver, and then won it twice as an owner, in 1970-71, with driver Al Unser. He retired with six IndyCar wins and four wins in 34 NASCAR starts, and is inducted into more than 20 Halls of Fame. Follmer was victorious in the SCCA United States Road Racing Championship in 1965, and he won the Trans-Am championship in 1972. Follmer also raced in the USAC Championship Car series in the 1967-1971 and 1974 seasons, with 25 career starts, including the 1969-1971 Indianapolis 500 races. He gathered 11 top-ten finishes, including a 1969 win at Phoenix International Raceway. Follmer won the 1972 Can-Am Championship filling in for an injured Mark Donohue in the No. 6 Penske Racing L&M Porsche 917 Turbo. Follmer also appeared in F1 driving for Don NIchols' UOP Shadow team in 1973. He raced in his first Grand Prix in South Africa at the age of 39 years and 1 month, making him the oldest F1 rookie since the 50s, which is a distinction he still holds. In 13 F1 Championship races, his best results were 6th in South Africa and a podium 3rd in Spain in his first two Grands Prix, which gave him 13th in the Drivers' Championship with five points. He also competed in several non-Championship races.