2017 NASCAR RCA Cup Series (Johnsonverse)

The 2017 NASCAR RCA Cup Series was the 69th season of professional stock car racing in the United States, and the 46th modern-era Cup series season. The season began at Sonoma Raceway with the Toyota/Save Mart 350, followed by a two-week stop at Daytona International Speedway with the Busch Clash, the Gatorade 125s qualifying races and the 59th running of the Daytona 500. The season ended with the Los Angeles Times 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway. Tony Stewart entered the season as the defending champion. Chase Elliott of Elliott-Evernham Motorsports won the championship, his first in the series.
This was the second season of a five-year race sanctioning agreement with all tracks.
This was the final season for Greg Biffle, Kelly Watson, and Michael Waltrip.
==Teams, drivers and manufacturers==
===Manufacturers===
Company 	Marquee 	Model 	Status
General Motors 	Chevrolet	Camaro 	Full factory support
General Motors 	Chevrolet	Impala 	Full factory support
General Motors 	Chevrolet	SS 	FINAL YEAR, full factory support
Ford Motor Company 	Ford 	Mustang 	Full factory support
Ford Motor Company 	Ford 	Fusion 	Full factory support
Ford Motor Company 	Ford 	Taurus 	Full factory support
Ford Motor Company 	Ford 	Roush Mustang 	In-house variant
Ford Motor Company 	Ford 	Shelby Mustang	Full factory support
Ford Motor Company 	Lincoln 	Continental 	Full factory support
Johnson Automotive 	Dodge 	Charger 	Full factory support
Johnson Automotive 	Dodge 	Challenger 	Full factory support
Johnson Automotive 	Pontiac 	Trans-Am 	Full factory support
Johnson Automotive 	Pontiac 	G8 	Full factory support
Toyota Motor Corporation	Toyota 	Camry 	Full factory support
Toyota Motor Corporation	Toyota 	Avalon 	Full factory support
Honda Motor Company 	Honda 	Accord 	Full factory support
Honda Motor Company 	Honda 	Civic 	Full factory support
===Complete schedule===
Manufacturer	Team 	No.	Race driver 	Crew chief 	Model 	Primary Sponsor
Chevrolet 	Earnhardt-Childress Racing *	01 	Brad Keselowski 	 	2017 Impala 	U.S. Army
Chevrolet 	Earnhardt-Childress Racing *	3 	Jeffrey Earnhardt 	 	2017 Impala 	Wrangler
Chevrolet 	Earnhardt-Childress Racing *	8 	Dale Earnhardt Jr. 	 	2017 Impala 	National Guard
Chevrolet 	Earnhardt-Childress Racing *	38 	Josh Berry (R) 	 	2017 Impala 	Pennzoil
Chevrolet 	Earnhardt-Childress Racing *	81 	Martin Truex Jr. 	 	2017 Impala 	Bass Pro Shops
Chevrolet 	Hendrick Motorsports 	5 	Kasey Kahne 	Alan Gustafson 	2017 Camaro 	Farmers
Chevrolet 	Hendrick Motorsports 	24 	Kyle Larson 	Steve Letarte 	2017 Camaro 	Axalta
Chevrolet 	Hendrick Motorsports 	25 	Shane Hmiel 	 	2017 Camaro 	Lowe's
Chevrolet 	Hendrick Motorsports 	52 	Casey Atwood 	Chad Knaus 	2017 Camaro 	M&M's
Chevrolet 	Tommy Baldwin Racing 	36 	Greg Biffle 	Tommy Baldwin Jr. 	2017 SS 	Golden Corral
Dodge 	AK Racing 	7 	James Kulwicki 	 	2017 Avenger 	Zerex by Valvoline
Dodge 	AK Racing 	11 	Jamie McMurray 	 	2017 Avenger 	Microsoft
Dodge 	Bill Davis Racing 	22 	Renee Walters 	 	2017 Charger 	Caterpillar
Dodge 	Bill Davis Racing 	23 	Scott Wimmer 	 	2017 Charger 	Google
Dodge 	Chip Ganassi Racing 	1 	Jimmie Johnson 	 	2017 Challenger 	UAW-Delphi
Dodge 	Chip Ganassi Racing 	41 	Emily Senn 	 	2017 Challenger 	Target
Dodge 	Chip Ganassi Racing 	46 	Bryan Clauson 	 	2017 Challenger 	Tums
Dodge 	Elliott-Evernham Motorsports	9 	Chase Elliott 	 	2017 Dart 	Coors Light
Dodge 	Elliott-Evernham Motorsports	13 	Matt DiBenedetto 	 	2017 Dart 	Nickelodeon
Dodge 	Elliott-Evernham Motorsports	94 	Casey Elliott 	 	2017 Dart 	Flonase
Dodge 	Furniture Row Racing 	78 	Emi Charendoff 	Cole Pearn 	2017 Charger 	5-Hour Energy
Dodge 	Moroso-Rudd Racing 	82 	Denzel Lane 	 	2017 Charger 	Mountain Dew
Dodge 	Moroso-Rudd Racing 	83 	Michelle Basone 	 	2017 Charger 	Tide
Dodge 	Moroso-Rudd Racing 	84 	Boston Reid 	 	2017 Charger 	RCA
Dodge 	Petty Enterprises 	43 	Adam Petty 	Mike Shiplett 	2017 Challenger 	STP
Dodge 	Petty Enterprises 	44 	Chad McCumbee 	Kevin Buskirk 	2017 Challenger 	McDonald's
Dodge 	Team Penske 	02 	Joey Logano 	 	2017 Challenger 	Verizon
Dodge 	Team Penske 	2 	James Buescher 	 	2017 Challenger 	Miller Lite
Dodge 	Team SABCO 	40 	Jane Brewer 	 	2017 Charger 	Kmart
Dodge 	Team SABCO 	42 	Blaise Alexander 	 	2017 Charger 	Juicy Fruit
Dodge 	Team SABCO 	45 	Alana Houston 	 	2017 Charger 	UPS
Ford 	Allison-Yates Racing 	28 	Robbie Allison 	Jimmy Fennig 	2017 Fusion 	Texaco/Havoline
Ford 	Allison-Yates Racing 	88 	Stephen Leicht 	 	2017 Fusion 	Citi Financial
Ford 	Allison-Yates Racing 	98 	Ryan Newman 	 	2017 Fusion 	AT&T
Ford 	Brett Favre Racing 	15 	Parker Kligerman 	 	2017 Taurus 	Nike/Sony
Ford 	Brett Favre Racing 	90 	Katrina Goode 	 	2017 Taurus 	FujiFilm
Ford 	FAS Lane Racing 	32 	Jane Ritter 	Frank Stoddard 	2017 Fusion 	Federated Auto Parts
Ford 	Front Row Motorsports 	34 	Clint Bowyer 	Jay Guy 	2017 Mustang 	Love's Travel Stops
Ford 	Front Row Motorsports 	35 	Landon Cassill 	 	2017 Mustang 	Long John Silver's
Ford 	Roush Racing 	6 	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Drew Blickensderfer	2017 Roush Mustang 	Best Buy
Ford 	Roush Racing 	16 	Chris Buescher 	Donnie Wingo 	2017 Roush Mustang 	3M
Ford 	Roush Racing 	99 	Trevor Bayne 	Bob Osborne 	2017 Roush Mustang 	Office Depot
Ford 	Wood Brothers Racing 	21 	Ryan Blaney 	Donnie Wingo 	2017 Shelby Mustang	Motorcraft
Honda 	Andretti Autosport 	27 	Kurt Busch 	 	2017 Accord 	DHL
Honda 	Germain Racing 	30 	Aric Almirola 	Bootie Barker 	2017 Civic 	GEICO
Honda 	JTG Daugherty Racing 	47 	Brett Moffitt 	Todd Berrier 	2017 Accord 	Kroger
Honda 	Michael Waltrip Racing * 	00 	Brian Vickers 	Rodney Childers 	2017 Civic 	Aaron's Dream Machine
Honda 	Michael Waltrip Racing * 	17 	Macy Waltrip 	 	2017 Civic 	NAPA Auto Parts
Pontiac 	Combos Racing 	73 	Alana Burleson 	 	2017 G8 	Facebook
Pontiac 	HScott Motorsports 	51 	Alex Bowman 	Nick Harrison
Jimmy Elledge	2017 G8 	Marvel Comics
Pontiac 	Stewart-Foyt Racing 	4 	Kevin Harvick 	 	2017 Trans-Am 	Budweiser
Pontiac 	Stewart-Foyt Racing 	10 	Kyle Busch 	Tony Gibson 	2017 Trans-Am 	Valvoline
Pontiac 	Stewart-Foyt Racing 	14 	Tony Stewart 	Greg Zipadelli 	2017 Trans-Am 	Home Depot
Toyota 	Joe Gibbs Racing * 	02 	Erik Jones (R) 	 	2017 Camry 	GameStop
Toyota 	Joe Gibbs Racing * 	18 	Matt Kenseth 	Mike Ford 	2017 Camry 	DeWalt Tools
Toyota 	Joe Gibbs Racing * 	19 	Kelly Watson 	 	2017 Camry 	Circuit City
Toyota 	Joe Gibbs Racing * 	20 	Denny Hamlin 	Steve Addington 	2017 Camry 	FedEx
Toyota 	Joe Gibbs Racing * 	80 	Carl Edwards 	Darian Grubb 	2017 Camry 	Rheem
Toyota 	Swan Racing 	37 	Johanna Long 	Steve Lane 	2017 Avalon 	Petco
Toyota 	Team Red Bull 	85 	Ryan Truex 	Jimmy Elledge 	2017 Avalon 	Red Bull
Toyota 	Team Red Bull 	86 	Michael McDowell 	Ryan Pemberton 	2017 Avalon 	Red Bull
===Limited Schedule===
Manufacturer	Team 	No.	Race driver 	Crew chief 	Model
Chevrolet 	Beard Motorsports 	75 	Tim Steele 	Darren Shaw 	2016 SS
Dodge 	MBM Motorsports 	166	Carl Long 	George Church	2017 Challenger
Dodge 	MBM Motorsports 	166	Timmy Hill 	George Church	2017 Challenger
Dodge 	MBM Motorsports 	166	David Starr 	George Church	2017 Challenger
Honda 	Gaunt Brothers Racing	196	D.J. Kennington 	Keith Hinkein
Mike Ford	2017 Accord
Pontiac 	Rick Ware Racing 	51 	Timmy Hill 	Carlos Contreras
Joe Lax
Jeff Spraker
Tony Furr
Jonas Bell	2017 Trans-Am
Pontiac 	Rick Ware Racing 	51 	Cody Ware 	Carlos Contreras
Joe Lax
Jeff Spraker
Tony Furr
Jonas Bell	2017 Trans-Am
Pontiac 	Rick Ware Racing 	51 	Josh Bilicki 	Carlos Contreras
Joe Lax
Jeff Spraker
Tony Furr
Jonas Bell	2017 Trans-Am
Pontiac 	Rick Ware Racing 	51 	B.J. McLeod 	Carlos Contreras
Joe Lax
Jeff Spraker
Tony Furr
Jonas Bell	2017 Trans-Am
Pontiac 	Rick Ware Racing 	51 	Ray Black Jr. 	Carlos Contreras
Joe Lax
Jeff Spraker
Tony Furr
Jonas Bell	2017 Trans-Am
Pontiac 	Rick Ware Racing 	51 	Kyle Weatherman 	Carlos Contreras
Joe Lax
Jeff Spraker
Tony Furr
Jonas Bell	2017 Trans-Am
Pontiac 	Labonte Motorsports 	177	Elliott Sadler 	Kenneth Davis	2017 G8
Pontiac 	Labonte Motorsports 	177	Reed Sorenson 	Kenneth Davis	2017 G8
Pontiac 	Labonte Motorsports 	177	Derrike Cope 	Kenneth Davis	2017 G8
Pontiac 	Labonte Motorsports 	177	Tommy Regan 	Kenneth Davis	2017 G8
Pontiac 	Labonte Motorsports 	177	Gray Gaulding (R)	Kenneth Davis	2017 G8
Pontiac 	Labonte Motorsports 	177	D.J. Kennington 	Kenneth Davis	2017 G8
Pontiac 	Labonte Motorsports 	177	Justin Marks 	Kenneth Davis	2017 G8
Pontiac 	Labonte Motorsports 	177	Hermie Sadler 	Kenneth Davis	2017 G8
Pontiac 	Labonte Motorsports 	177	Justin Marks 	Kenneth Davis	2017 G8
Pontiac 	Labonte Motorsports 	177	J.J. Yeley 	Kenneth Davis	2017 G8
Pontiac 	StarCom Racing 	05 	Derrike Cope 	Tony Furr 	2017 G8
===Lend-Lease entries===
===Changes===
====Teams====
====Drivers====
==Offseason changes==
===Technical changes===
===Safety===
==Schedule==
The final calendar – comprising 43 races, as well as exhibition races, which are the Busch Clash, Powerade 125 qualifying duel races for the Daytona 500 and the All-Star Challenge – was released on May 5, 2016.
No.	Race title 	Track 	Date 	TV
1 	Honda/Save Mart 350 	Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma 	January 22 	WBC
 	Busch Clash 	Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach	February 12 	WBC
 	Gatorade 125s 	Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach	February 16 	WBC
2 	Daytona 500 	Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach	February 19 	WBC
3 	Subway Fresh Fit 400 	Rockingham Speedway, Rockingham 	February 26 	WBC
4 	Kobalt 400 	Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas 	March 5 	ESPN
5 	San Jose 500 	San Jose Motorplex, Gilroy 	March 12 	WBC
6 	Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 	Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton 	March 19 	ESPN
7 	TranSouth Financial 400 	Darlington Raceway, Darlington 	March 26 	ESPN
8 	STP 500 	Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway 	April 2 	TNN
9 	O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 	Texas World Speedway, College Station 	April 9 	WBC
10 	Harley-Davidson 250 	Road America, Lake Elkhart 	April 16 	WBC
11 	Food City 500 	Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol 	April 24 	TNN
12 	Pontiac Excitement 400 	Richmond Raceway, Richmond 	April 30 	TNN
13 	GEICO 500 	Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln 	May 7 	WBC
14 	Wells Fargo 400 	North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro 	May 14 	ESPN
 	RCA Open 	Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford 	May 20 	TNN
 	RCA All-Star Challenge XXXIII 	Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford 	May 20 	WBC
15 	Coca-Cola 600 	Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord 	May 28 	WBC
16 	Tokyo 500 	Tokyo Superspeedway, Tama 	June 4 	WBC
17 	Pabst Blue Ribbon 400 	The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis 	June 11 	ESPN
18 	Motorcraft 400 	Nazareth Speedway, Nazareth 	June 18 	WBC
19 	Budweiser 400 	Riverside International Raceway, Riverside 	June 25 	WBC
20 	Coke Zero 400 	Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach	July 1 	WBC
21 	Music City USA 420 	Fairgrounds Speedway, Nashville 	July 8 	TNN
22 	Overton's 301 	New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon 	July 16 	WBC
23 	RCA Brickyard 400 	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway 	July 23 	WBC
24 	Overton's 400 	Pocono Raceway, Long Pond 	July 30 	ESPN
25 	I Love New York 355 at The Glen	Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen 	August 6 	ESPN
26 	Pure Michigan 400 	Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn 	August 13 	WBC
27 	Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race 	Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol 	August 19 	TNN
28 	Coco 400 	Walt Disney World Speedway, Lake Buena Vista 	August 27 	ESPN
29 	Southern 500 	Darlington Raceway, Darlington 	September 3 	WBC
30 	Denver Post 400 	Pikes Peak International Raceway, Fountain 	September 9 	TNN
31 	Tales of the Turtles 400 	Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet 	September 17	ESPN
32 	Tyson Holly Farms 400 	North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro 	September 24	WBC
33 	Apache Warrior 400 	Dover International Speedway, Dover 	October 1 	TNN
34 	Bank of America 500 	Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord 	October 8 	WBC
35 	Alabama 500 	Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln 	October 15 	WBC
36 	Hollywood Casino 400 	Kansas Speedway, Kansas City 	October 22 	TNN
37 	Iowa Corn 400 	Iowa Speedway, Newton 	October 29 	TNN
38 	Neptunia 400 	Tokyo Superspeedway, Tama 	November 5 	WBC
39 	Can-Am 500 	Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale 	November 12 	TNN
40 	Ford EcoBoost 400 	Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead 	November 19 	ESPN
41 	Nintendo Switch 500 	San Jose Motorplex, Gilroy 	November 26 	WBC
42 	Sprite 500 	Coca-Cola Superspeedway, Denver 	December 3 	WBC
43 	Los Angeles Times 500 	Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario 	December 10 	WBC
==Season summary==
===Race reports===
==Results==
No.	Race title 	Pole position 	Most laps led 	Winner 	Make/Model
1 	Honda/Save Mart 350 	Ty Dillon 	Macy Waltrip 	Kyle Larson 	Dodge Challenger
 	Busch Clash 	Brad Keselowski 	Denny Hamlin 	Tony Stewart 	Pontiac Trans-Am
 	Gatorade 125s 	Chase Elliott 	Brad Keselowski 	Chase Elliott 	Chevrolet Camaro
 	Gatorade 125s 	Dale Earnhardt Jr. 	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Denny Hamlin 	Toyota Camry
2 	Daytona 500 	Chase Elliott 	Kevin Harvick 	Chase Elliott 	Chevrolet Camaro
3 	Subway Fresh Fit 400 	Kevin Harvick 	Macy Waltrip 	Macy Waltrip 	Honda Civic
4 	Kobalt 400 	Brad Keselowski 	Martin Truex Jr. 	Alana Burleson 	Pontiac G6
5 	San Jose 500 	Adam Petty 	Adam Petty 	Chase Elliott 	Chevrolet Camaro
6 	Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 	Kevin Harvick 	Kevin Harvick 	Brad Keselowski 	Dodge Charger
7 	TranSouth Financial 400 	Kyle Larson 	Kyle Larson 	Kyle Larson 	Dodge Challenger
8 	STP 500 	Kyle Larson 	Kyle Busch 	Brad Keselowski 	Dodge Charger
9 	O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 	Kevin Harvick 	Ryan Blaney 	Jimmie Johnson 	Chevrolet Camaro
10 	Harley-Davidson 250 	Dale Earnhardt Jr. 	Tony Stewart 	Tony Stewart 	Pontiac Trans-Am
11 	Food City 500 	Kyle Larson 	Kyle Larson 	Jimmie Johnson 	Chevrolet Camaro
12 	Pontiac Excitement 400 	Ryan Blaney 	Martin Truex Jr. 	Martin Truex Jr. 	Chevrolet Camaro
13 	GEICO 500 	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Kyle Busch 	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Roush Mustang
14 	Wells Fargo 400 	Ryan Blaney 	Martin Truex Jr. 	Chase Elliott 	Chevrolet Camaro
 	RCA Open 	Clint Bowyer 	Clint Bowyer
Ryan Blaney	Daniel Suarez 	Toyota Camry
 	RCA All-Star Challenge XXXIII 	Kyle Larson 	Kyle Larson 	Macy Waltrip 	Honda Civic
15 	Coca-Cola 600 	Kevin Harvick 	Martin Truex Jr. 	Austin Dillon 	Chevrolet Camaro
16 	Tokyo 500 	Kyle Larson 	Chase Elliott 	Chase Elliott 	Chevrolet Camaro
17 	Pabst Blue Ribbon 400 	Kyle Busch 	Kyle Busch 	Ryan Blaney 	Dodge Charger
18 	Motorcraft 400 	Kyle Larson 	Kyle Larson 	Tony Stewart 	Pontiac Trans-Am
19 	Budweiser 400 	Kyle Larson 	Martin Truex Jr. 	Kevin Harvick 	Pontiac Trans-Am
20 	Coke Zero 400 	Dale Earnhardt Jr. 	Brad Keselowski 	Dale Earnhardt Jr. 	Chevrolet Camaro
21 	Music City USA 420 	Macy Waltrip 	Adam Petty 	James Kulwicki 	Dodge Challenger
22 	Overton's 301 	Martin Truex Jr. 	Martin Truex Jr. 	Denny Hamlin 	Toyota Camry
23 	RCA Brickyard 400 	Kyle Busch 	Kyle Busch 	Kasey Kahne 	Dodge Charger
24 	Overton's 400 	Kyle Busch 	Kyle Busch 	Tony Stewart 	Pontiac Trans-Am
25 	I Love New York 355 at The Glen	Kyle Busch 	Chase Elliott 	Danica Patrick 	Pontiac Trans-Am
26 	Pure Michigan 400 	Brad Keselowski 	Brad Keselowski 	Kyle Larson 	Dodge Challenger
27 	Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race 	Adam Petty 	Adam Petty 	Adam Petty 	Dodge Challenger
28 	Coco 400 	Macy Waltrip 	Kyle Busch 	Tony Stewart 	Pontiac Trans-Am
29 	Bojangles' Southern 500 	Kevin Harvick 	Kyle Larson
Denny Hamlin	Chase Elliott 	Chevrolet Camaro
30 	Federated Auto Parts 400 	Matt Kenseth 	Martin Truex Jr. 	Kyle Larson 	Dodge Challenger
31 	Tales of the Turtles 400 	Kyle Busch 	Kyle Larson 	Alana Burleson 	Pontiac G6
32 	Tyson Holly Farms 400 	Kyle Larson 	Chase Elliott 	Adam Petty 	Dodge Challenger
33 	Apache Warrior 400 	Chase Elliott 	Kyle Larson 	Alana Burleson 	Pontiac G6
34 	Bank of America 500 	Denny Hamlin 	Kevin Harvick 	Chase Elliott 	Chevrolet Camaro
35 	Alabama 500 	Dale Earnhardt Jr. 	Joey Logano 	Tony Stewart 	Pontiac Trans-Am
36 	Hollywood Casino 400 	Chase Elliott 	Kyle Busch 	Alana Burleson 	Pontiac G6
37 	Iowa Corn 400 	Joey Logano 	Chase Elliott 	Chase Elliott 	Chevrolet Camaro
38 	Neptunia 400 	Ryan Blaney 	Chase Elliott
Macy Waltrip	Macy Waltrip 	Honda Civic
39 	Can-Am 500 	Ryan Blaney 	Denny Hamlin 	Matt Kenseth 	Chevrolet Camaro
40 	Ford EcoBoost 400 	Denny Hamlin 	Kyle Busch 	Tony Stewart 	Pontiac Trans-Am
41 	Nintendo Switch 500 	Austin Dillon 	Adam Petty 	Adam Petty 	Dodge Challenger
42 	Sprite 500 	Macy Waltrip 	James Kulwicki 	Elliott Sadler 	Toyota Camry
43 	Los Angeles Times 500 	Alex Bowman 	Danica Patrick 	Davey Allison Jr. 	Ford Taurus
==Cars Used in 2017 (incomplete)==
File:3de195f12bcc795120de93abc9dca6d0.jpg|Chevrolet Camaro
File:CAC60CHC131A021001.jpg|Chevrolet Impala
File:Cc 2017foc050002 01 640 j7.jpg|Ford Mustang
File:USC60FOC071B021001.jpg|Ford Taurus
File:2017 Dodge Charger Daytona (34281949914).jpg|Dodge Charger
File:2017 dodge challenger angularfront.jpg|Dodge Challenger
File:USC60TOC021A021001.jpg|Toyota Camry
File:USC70HOC011E021001.jpg|Honda Accord
File:CAC70HOC021B121001.jpg|Honda Civic
==Logos==
===Events===
File:NASCAR Coca-Cola All-Star Challenge 2017.png|Coca-Cola All-Star Challenge
Category:Johnsonverse