Category: NASCAR Cup PR

Daytona International Speedway Competition Notes

 MOORESVILLE, N.C. (August 21, 2024) – The NASCAR Cup Series makes their return to the Daytona (FL.) International Speedway. Grillo’s Pickles will go back-to-back with Todd Gilliland, partnering with the driver to make their debut at the track, after showcasing their green and white livery at the Michigan International Speedway.

For Gilliland, the historic Florida track shows much promise for him to capture his first win in the NASCAR Cup Series and lock himself into the 2024 playoffs, leading 16 laps at the 2.5-mile venue in this season’s Daytona 500. Gilliland has proven that he has what it takes to be a trusted drafting partner at superspeedways with impressive performances at Daytona, Atlanta, and Talladega.

The Cup Series will kick off the weekend with qualifying on Friday, August 23rd at 5:00 pm ET. The 160-lap event is scheduled for Saturday, August 24th at 7:30 pm ET. Fans can watch the action live on NBC or listen in from the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM channel 90.

No. 38 Grillo’s Pickles Ford Mustang Dark Horse:

DRIVER TODD GILLILAND:

“This is an important weekend for us. We only have two races left until the playoffs start, with Daytona being one of them. We have shown a lot of speed on superspeedways this year so I’m confident that we can bring it again this weekend.

“It means a lot to me that I get to showcase the Grillo’s Pickles livery in their Daytona debut. They are all about our program and bring so much energy to the track. I can’t thank them enough for our partnership. Hopefully I can get Sam Sam the Pickle Man in Victory Lane.”

CREW CHIEF RYAN BERGENTY:

“We don’t have many races left in the regular season and we need a win to make the playoffs. I think Daytona can be the place Todd (Gilliland) gets the job done. He has shown that he has what it takes to drive these superspeedways, with Daytona being one of them. We’re bringing a fast Grillo’s Pickles Ford Mustang Dark Horse and have a driver that has what it takes to compete upfront. I’m excited for this weekend.”

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

This Week in Motorsports: August 19 – 25, 2024

NCS/NXS: Daytona International Speedway – Aug. 23-24
NCTS/ARCA: The Milwaukee Mile – Aug. 25

PLANO, Texas (Aug. 21, 2024) – It’s a busy weekend for Team Toyota in NASCAR, with the Cup and Xfinity Series at Daytona International Speedway, while the Truck and ARCA Menards Series head to The Milwaukee Mile. The Truck Series race Sunday afternoon begins the series’ 2024 Playoffs.

NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS | NCTS

Reddick assumes points lead … With the monumental win for Tyler Reddick and 23XI Racing at Michigan last weekend, he has now taken over the Cup Series regular season points lead for the first time in his career and for his team. His car co-owner and Toyota teammate, Denny Hamlin, moved up to third in the points after a top-10 finish Monday afternoon. They’re joined inside the provisional playoff field by Christopher Bell (seventh), Martin Truex Jr. (eighth) and Ty Gibbs (10th). Bubba Wallace, Reddick’s 23XI teammate, sits just one point outside the Playoffs with two races remaining in the regular season.

Reddick top-10 streak rolls on … Following his triumph last weekend, Reddick also kept his top-10 streak alive, now in seven straight races and has scored 10 in the last 11 events, giving him 17 top-10s on the season, the most in the Cup Series. In those seven consecutive races, the driver of the No. 45 Camry XSE has been inside the top six finishing positions, specifically. Another top-10 this weekend would be Reddick’s third such finish at Daytona International Speedway, with the other two top-10s coming in the summer race (fifth in 2021 and second in 2022).

Nemechek looks for another strong Daytona run … John Hunter Nemechek has only made three Cup Series starts at the “World Center of Racing,” but has an impressive resume on the 2.5-oval so far in his career. The driver of the No. 42 Camry XSE for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB has finished inside the top-11 in all three of his previous starts at Daytona, including a seventh-place finish at the Daytona 500 back in February.

Xfinity Series points battles heat up … With just five races remaining in the regular season for the Xfinity Series, the series point standings continue to tighten. Chandler Smith remained in fourth position after last weekend’s race in Michigan, while his teammate, Sheldon Creed moved up to seventh with his second-place finish after winning his second pole of the season.

Creed seeks another Daytona top-five … Daytona International Speedway has proven to be a strong circuit for Creed. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has finished in the runner-up spot his last two starts in Daytona, coming close to his long-awaited first career win. Creed has also finished inside the top-10 in half of his starts at Daytona and has three consecutive top-10 finishes entering this weekend after his runner-up in Michigan.

Heim, Gray begin championship quests … With this weekend beginning the 2024 NASCAR Truck Series Playoffs, two Tundra TRD Pro drivers begin their chase for the championship – Corey Heim and Taylor Gray. Heim has had a stellar season to date, with five wins, 10 top-fives and 12 top-10s as he begins the Playoffs as the No. 1 seed. Gray has also had a solid year, beginning the Playoffs as the No. 8 seed. Including this weekend, the two have three races to keep themselves inside the top eight of the standings before the next cutoff race at Kansas.

Thompson doing double duty … TRICON Garage’s Dean Thompson will be doing double duty in Milwaukee this weekend, piloting the No. 5 Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage in the Truck Series event, along with a Toyota Camry for Venturini Motorsports in the ARCA Menards Series race. This will be Thompson’s fourth ARCA start this season, where he’s finished inside the top-10 in all three starts to date.

NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA Menards Series

Sawalich’s win streak continues … William Sawalich and his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team continued their dominance in the ARCA Menards Series last weekend at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, winning his third consecutive race and fifth in the last six. Sawalich has finished inside the top-five in all but one of his starts so far this season and returns to The Milwaukee Mile looking to repeat his win from pole a season ago. Like Thompson, Sawalich will also be doing double duty this weekend, piloting the No. 1 Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage in the Truck Series race.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 47 million cars and trucks at our 12 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 13th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 29 electrified options.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Christopher Bell
Daytona Advance
No. 20 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Round 25 of 36)
● Time/Date: 7:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, August 24
● Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway
● Layout: 2.5-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 160 laps/400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 35 laps / Stage 2: 60 laps / Final Stage: 65 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Outrageously Dependable for 33 Years and Counting: Interstate Batteries has 11 primary sponsorships on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2024, a similar number of schemes to last year’s expanded presence among all four Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) Toyota Camry XSEs. Bell and Ty Gibbs have been slated for the majority of the Interstate Batteries races this season with eight primaries in all between the two drivers. Denny Hamlin piloted the Interstate Batteries machine for two races this season and Martin Truex Jr. once. After this weekend in Daytona, Bell will see Interstate return as co-primary sponsor on his No. 20 Camry in the season finale in November at Phoenix Raceway.

● Playoffs on the Horizon: Bell, the Oklahoma native, sits seventh in the driver standings with 703 points, 111 behind new leader Tyler Reddick. All four JGR entries are currently inside the top-10 in the standings with Hamlin fourth, Truex eighth and Gibbs 10th as the series heads to the penultimate race of the regular season this weekend at Daytona.

● Postseason Bound: Just two races remain in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season with Bell sitting second on the current playoff grid with three wins on the season. Bell has accumulated 25 total playoff points so far, which he can take to each round of the playoffs, a key factor in helping the No. 20 team reach its goal of making the Championship 4 for the fourth year in a row.

● Bell has nine career Cup Series starts on Daytona’s 2.5-mile oval. Of those eight starts, His best career points-paying finish came in the last two Daytona 500s in 2023 and earlier this year. With Bell currently sitting second on the playoff grid, he is looking to enter the playoffs as one of the favorites and build on the momentum of back-to-back appearances in the Championship 4 of the Cup Series Playoffs.

● Outside of the NASCAR Cup Series, Bell has made five career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Daytona. Bell has brought home two top-five finishes and four top-10s in those five Xfinity Series starts.

● End of Summer Battery Check: This part of the season is annually the hottest for Cup Series competitors with select race venues seeing warmer temperatures and families heading out on their late-summer road trips. Whether on the highway or the racetrack, the summer months can be taxing on both man and machine. Caring for the latter is one of the ways JGR founding partner Interstate Batteries leverages its NASCAR program, reminding consumers to have their batteries checked during the hot summer months at a local Interstate Batteries dealer prior to their summer road trips.

Christopher Bell, Driver of the No. 20 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry XSE

You now have two third-place finishes at Daytona the past two years. How do you approach the last laps of a race at Daytona?

“It’s unbelievable. Anyone that has not driven in a Cup Series superspeedway race, I don’t feel like they understand the difference between lap one, even lap 120 to lap 160. The light switch goes off and the intensity just skyrockets, and guys just start pushing and shoving where you are not supposed to be pushing and shoving. The thing I hate about superspeedway racing is you never feel like you are in control in those moments when you are getting pushed around. It changes dramatically in those last couple of laps. I thought maybe we were going to get Interstate Batteries another Daytona 500 win in February. Can’t thank everyone enough over there who supports us and would love to finally have the race play out in our favor and get them back to victory lane at Daytona.”

Do you have a spot that you want to be in those final laps?

“Ultimately, you don’t want another manufacturer behind you because you are going to be left out to dry, but even if it is a teammate, you are not going to just get pushed to the end. The best thing you can hope for in the end is to have a shot. Everyone asks the magic question – would you like to be leading or second going into the last lap? Well both of them are going to have a shot to win, so either one of them is not too bad. You just want to have an opportunity to take the checkered flag and you have to be in the top so many rows to be able to do that.”

What was the difference in getting a third-place finish at Daytona in February and some of the other races that you’ve run there over the years?

“I don’t know what to think of these speedway races. Adam Stevens, my crew chief, and I have a running joke, I say these races are 100 percent luck. I know that’s not true, but it seems like we’ve been struggling to get to the end of it. I know I’ve been a common denominator in a lot of the wrecks and, if you put yourself in a good spot and just be there to go for it on the final lap, anything can happen. Felt good that we were able to do that in February and hope we can do it again this weekend with our Interstate Batteries Camry and maybe not only be there at the end, but have a shot to win it this time.”

How much of a help has it been in superspeedway racing to have a few more Toyotas since LEGACY MOTOR CLUB joined Toyota at the start of the 2023 season?

“I think it is always positive to have more cars at speedway races. I think all of us Toyotas are going to do the best we can to help each other, but having two more cars in these races is definitely helpful for us as a whole.”

No. 20 Interstate Batteries Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Christopher Bell

Hometown: Norman, Oklahoma

Crew Chief: Adam Stevens

Hometown: Portsmouth, Ohio

Car Chief: Chris Sherwood

Hometown: Portsmouth, Virginia

Spotter: Stevie Reeves

Hometown: Speedway, Indiana

Race Engineer: William Hartman

Hometown: Laingsburg, Michigan

Team Engineer: Chris Whitenight

Hometown: Berwick, Pennsylvania

Road Crew Members

Truck Driver: John Maybry

Hometown: Campobello, SC

Mechanic: Wesley Lape Hometown: Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania

Ride and Handling Engineer: Chris Chase

Hometown: Nichole, New York

Truck Driver: Glenn Funderburk

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Mechanic/Tire Specialist: Bryce Bratton

Hometown: Maiden, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Crew Members

Gas Man: Peyton Moore

Hometown: Buford, Georgia

Jackman: Derrell Edwards

Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland

Tire Carrier: Jake Holmes

Hometown: Westborough, Massachusetts

Front Tire Changer: Blake Houston

Hometown: Enochville, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Mike Hicks

Hometown: China Grove, North Carolina

CLUB ENTRY LIST

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
POINT STANDINGS: 32ND

ERIK JONES
POINT STANDINGS: 27TH

CLUB NOTES

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the birthplace of NASCAR for the second visit this year. With just two races before the NASCAR Playoffs begin, the Coke Zero Sugar 400 is sure to see hot action on track as those teams on the outside of the playoff bubble look to make it in.

Recap of the First Visit: During the DAYTONA 500, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB kicked off the year with both entries finishing inside the top 10 with John Hunter Nemechek finishing in seventh and teammate Erik Jones finishing in eighth. CLUB co-owner Jimmie Johnson was caught up in an accident near the end of the event and wasn’t able to continue on.

JHN Stats: Nemechek has lots of experience at Daytona across all three major racing series. In the Cup Series, he has four starts equaling two 11th place finishes, and most recently a seventh-place finish in this year’s DAYTONA 500. In the Xfinity Series, Nemechek scored one top-five and three top-10s in six starts. Nemechek has five starts in the Truck Series, leading 77 laps compiling one top-five and two top-10 finishes.

Beshore Stats: Crew chief Ben Beshore is looking to get over the hump at Daytona. During his career as a NASCAR crew chief, Beshore had 13 total starts with six in the NASCAR Cup Series and seven in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In the NCS he has three top 10s to his resume while in the NXS he has three top-fives including two runner-up finishes.

Ride Along: The No. 42 Pye-Barker Toyota Camry XSE will be carrying an on-board camera this weekend for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday. Be sure to tune into the race broadcast for a peek of what JHN sees during the race!

EJ Stats: Jones has a decent record in the Cup Series at Daytona as he scored a thrilling win while racing the No. 20 for Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the Coke Zero 400 in 2018. Jones only led one lap that night, and it was the final one. He has 15 starts at the 2.5-mile track and has led 61 laps en route to one win, two top five and four top-10 finishes. Jones finished eighth in the season-opening DAYTONA 500. He also has experienced Daytona in the NASCAR Trucks and Xfinity series.

Elenz Stats: Crew chief Dave Elenz arrives to the superspeedway with three wins, all in the Xfinity series. Since arriving to Cup with Jones, Elenz has one top-10, which they earned this past February. All five of Elenz’s Cup starts have been with Jones in the No. 43 car.

Martinsville Test: The No. 43 LEGACY M.C. team participated in a NASCAR test at Martinsville Speedway on Tuesday, August 20 in preparation for the upcoming event in November. LEGACY MOTOR CLUB was one of four teams participating in the test working on some items for NASCAR.

Happy Birthday!: Rear tire changer on the No. 42 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety team, Chris Shuman celebrates a birthday on Tuesday, Aug. 20. Shuman hails from Conover, North Carolina

Lending His Voice: Seven-time Cup Series champion Johnson will return to the track this weekend wearing an NBC polo, holding a microphone, as he joins NBC’s broadcast team for coverage of the 400-mile event at Daytona. Johnson was part of the NBC team for the Indianapolis 500 in May, and will report on Daytona, Talladega and Phoenix at the end of the season.

Throwback to JJ Sweep: Johnson has 40 starts at the storied Daytona International Speedway throughout his career. He has two wins in the DAYTONA 500 (2006, 2013) and one in the Coke Zero 400 (2013). After sweeping both of the 2013 races, Johnson and his team decided to film a video on the frontstretch to celebrate and the video went viral at the time. Click HERE to relive the Harlem Shake in Daytona and and HERE to listen to how it came about.

Partner Spotlight: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB partner, AdventHealth, is the official health care provider for the Daytona Tortugas, a minor league baseball team in the Daytona Beach area. The Tortugas recently hosted a “NASCAR Night” which promoted the sport as well as LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’S drivers, executives, and pit crew members. AdventHealth gave away No. 43 t-shirts as a nod to their partnership with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. See the link HERE to view the t-shirts: In addition, AdventHealth sponsors the Infield Care Center at Daytona International Speedway.

Going for G.O.L.D.: Partners Dollar Tree and Family Dollar will honor store #8021 this weekend as a part of the company’s “Go for G.O.L.D.” (Grand Opening Look Daily) program. The Dollar Tree and Family Dollar primaries will highlight these stores on the deck lid of all three LEGACY M.C. entries throughout the race season. Store #8021 is located in Daytona Beach, Fla.

PETTY 75TH ANNIVERSARY

ABOUT PETTY 75th: The 2024 season marks a significant milestone in the history of the Petty family as they have helped define stock car racing for 75 years. Their commitment to the sport and the people who make it possible – behind the wheel, under the hood, in the back office, and beyond – has shaped the growth and success of NASCAR. Their LEGACY lives on with the countless fans, drivers, technicians, and team members they touched. Throughout 2024, LEGACY M.C. will celebrate the Petty family and share countless memories with friends and fans at racetracks across the country. 

Petty Family Grand Marshalls: As announced this week, the Petty Family will serve as the grand marshals for Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

This Week in Petty History: In light of the announcement that the NASCAR Cup Series will return to Bowman Grey Stadium for the NASCAR Clash next February, the “MadHouse” was the site of Richard Petty’s 100th career victory.

The King’s Hat: The King’s Hat at Daytona International Speedway will be located inside the grandstands on Level 1 near the injector.

CLUB QUOTES

John Hunter Nemechek, Driver of the No. 42 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Toyota Camry XSE:

“Racing at Daytona and restrictor plate racing in general is pretty fun. Earlier this year during the Daytona 500. We almost put ourselves in a position to have a shot to win the race with just a few laps left. Looking forward to going back there. We’ve been able to lead some laps at another Superspeedway this year (Talladega Superspeedway), so confident in our superspeedway program with our Toyota Camry XSE. But man, things can happen fast so hope to not get caught up in the “big one” and put yourself in good spots towards the end of the race and hopefully have some Toyota teammates to be able to work with and have a good strategy by saving enough fuel and be there at the end when it counts.

My mindset going into the race is just to go out and do the best that we can as a team, everyone on the No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team, we wanna go out and try and win the race. This is one of our opportunities, one of our final opportunities to win and lock ourselves into the playoffs. We’re gonna go out there and try and do that try and put ourselves in the spot that we need to that we feel like we need to and try and get a win ourselves in the playoffs — it would be huge to be able to do that. I don’t think anyone would really see that coming from the year that we’ve had so far so hopefully we can. We can do that and celebrate after Saturday night but looking forward to getting there looking forward to qualifying on Friday racing on Saturday and just overall trying to have a really solid weekend and then going down there to try and win.”

Ben Beshore, Crew chief of the No. 42 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Toyota Camry XSE:

“We have to win to get into the playoffs, this is one of our best shots to do that here in the next couple of weeks. Just because there is so much chaos and anything can happen in the draft. It’s more about being there at the end, car positioning, avoiding the wrecks and being in the right place at the right time. Hopefully we can capitalize on that. We’ve had some really good speedway races this year with the Daytona 500 finishing in the top 10 and leading some laps at Talladega [Superspeedway] so looking forward to it and hopefully we can put a good car underneath [John Hunter Nemechek].”

“For us it will be about putting [Nemechek] in the best track position to begin Stage 3 or putting ourselves where we need less fuel at a pit stop under green during Stage 3; something where we can leapfrog our way to the front at the end of the race. We’re not concerned about stage points at all, getting caught up in an early wreck doesn’t make sense for us – we just need to be there at the end and position ourselves. Whether that is laying back in Stage 1 and preserving the car for the end and don’t want to get caught up in someone that has a different agenda.”

Erik Jones, Driver of the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE:

“The strategy at Daytona is always a little tough. I think for us, we’ve kind of just raced all day most of the last few times we’ve been there. Just try to be up front and in contention and hopefully have a fast car, just show everybody that we’re quick enough to go up and work with and race for the win, so hopefully similar to that and battling up front all day long.”

“When we won there in 2018, it was kind of an up and down day. We were involved in a wreck about halfway and lost a lap repairing damage and didn’t get back on the lead lap until late in the evening. It was kind of a last-minute win. We found our way to the front. There was a lot of carnage, a lot of chaos and we ended up in contention for it and I was able to grab my first Cup win at that point. It was pretty fun, would love to get back to Victory Lane there again and obviously get ourselves into the playoffs, so hopefully we can go and knock one out.”

Dave Elenz, Crew chief of the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE:

“Daytona can be a wild card of a race. You try not to get caught up in chaos early so you can be there at the end to finish well. It’s a track that is unpredictable, but fortunately I’ve been able to visit Victory Lane there a few times. Hopefully we match our speed with strategy this weekend and get our No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE in Victory Lane.”

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Erik Jones returned home to Byron, Michigan this past weekend. Prior to the race on Sunday, the NASCAR Cup driver begin the day with a send-off in downtown Byron supported by friends, family, and fans – a tradition now at every MIS visit. In addition to the send-off, Erik hosted an “Erik Jones Experience” outside of the track. This private tailgate included DJ, fun and games, and participants even heard not only from Erik but also Richard Petty during a “fireside chat” (Photo Courtesy, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB)

BROADCAST INFO

DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

SATURDAY, AUGUST 24th @ 7:30 PM ET

ABOUT OUR PARTNERS

ABOUT DOLLAR TREE, INC.: Dollar Tree, a Fortune 200 Company, operated 16,622 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces as of October 28, 2023. Stores operate under the brands of Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree Canada. To learn more about the Company, visit www.DollarTree.com.

ABOUT PYE-BARKER FIRE & SAFETY: The U.S. leader in fully integrated life safety systems, Pye-Barker Fire & Safety provides complete fire protection and security systems nationwide. With over 200 locations and 6,000 team members nationwide, Pye-Barker is an industry leader and ranks No. 954 on the Inc 5000 and No. 9 on the SDM 100.

ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ is a professional auto racing club owned by businessman and entrepreneur Maurice “Maury” J. Gallagher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. The CLUB competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series fielding the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE of John Hunter Nemechek, the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE of Erik Jones, and the No. 84 limited schedule entry for Johnson. LEGACY M.C. also competes in the Extreme E Series. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty “The King” serves as CLUB Ambassador. With a unique title signifying a nod to car clubs of past eras, LEGACY M.C. is an inclusive club for all motorsport enthusiasts to celebrate the past and future legacies of its members, while competing for wins and championships at NASCAR’s elite level. To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ on Facebook, X, Instagram and at www.LEGACYMOTORCLUB.com.

RYAN PREECE
Daytona Advance
No. 41 TRUEWERK Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Round 25 of 36)
● Time/Date: 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 24
● Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway
● Layout: 2.5-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 160 laps / 400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 35 laps / Stage 2: 60 laps / Final Stage: 65 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN Radio / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Ryan Preece comes to Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway for Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 NASCAR Cup Series race with some wind in his sails after an 11th-place finish last Sunday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. It was Preece’s seventh top-15 of the season and it put him just 33 points away from cracking the top-25 in the championship standings.

● The Coke Zero Sugar 400 will mark Preece’s 10th career NASCAR Cup Series start at Daytona. His best result in nine previous races at the 2.5-mile oval is fourth, earned in the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400. A prelude to that performance came seven months earlier when he finished sixth in the Daytona 500.

● In last year’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, Preece was involved in a frightening accident which started when he was running in a line of cars along the outside wall of the backstretch and was bumped by another car, turning his racecar into his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, Chase Briscoe. Preece’s car then lifted off the ground and began flipping violently over the grassy area on the inside of the track, rolling over more than 10 times before finally coming to a rest. Despite the magnitude of the wreck, Preece climbed out of his damaged machine and walked to a waiting ambulance, which took him to nearby Halifax Health Medical Center for precautionary evaluations. After checking into the hospital late Saturday night, Preece walked out before 6 a.m. the next day and was back in his No. 41 Ford Mustang the following weekend for the NASCAR Cup Series’ next race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

● Preece’s No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse is dressed for success this weekend at Daytona as it sports the colors of partner TRUEWERK. The direct-to-consumer performance workwear brand has outfitted Stewart-Haas from head to toe this season, with team members wearing the company’s high-performance gear at the track, in the gym and in the office as the official performance workwear, apparel and uniform provider for Stewart-Haas. TRUEWERK engineers the world’s highest-performance workwear and the company collaborated with Stewart-Haas to develop an all-new apparel collection, combining proven performers, such as the T1 WerkPants, redesigned classics like hoodies and polos, along with a new-to-market selection, specifically its S1 StormShell rain gear that saw action in the season-opening Daytona 500, which was postponed a day to due to rain. The company also secured naming rights for Stewart-Haas’ state-of-the-art campus training facility, known now as the TRUEWERK Performance Center.

● TRUEWERK, based in Colorado, is reimagining life and work in the trades by engineering the world’s most technically-advanced, high-performance workwear. Today’s trade professionals rely on workwear that keeps them safe, comfortable and capable of working at their best. By innovating technical fabrics that provide unmatched performance in hot weather or layer together in cold and inclement weather, TRUEWERK is proud to support the men and women across the trades who build tomorrow. TRUEWERK services customers in the U.S. and Canada on TRUEWERK.com and Amazon, and outfits businesses via its enterprise uniform program.

Ryan Preece, Driver of the No. 41 TRUEWERK Ford Mustang Dark Horse

You’ve had some good finishes at Daytona, including a pair of top-six runs in 2021 – sixth in the Daytona 500 and fourth in the Coke Zero Sugar 400. What are your expectations for your return to Daytona this weekend?

“I think to keep all four tires on the ground would be a good one, as well as just finishing. Superspeedways, from a strategy standpoint, I think you want to take advantage of the stages just to try and get those points because those are guaranteed. Everything beyond that is not guaranteed. For us, I feel like we have to be aggressive, especially trying to get into the playoffs. That’s almost a wild card, but at the very least try and have an opportunity at getting max points that can really help your season.”

Describe the intensity of racing at Daytona, especially with it being the second-to-last race of the regular season where, for many, it’s the last chance to earn a playoff berth.

“I feel like, for most of us, Daytona is one of those racetracks where everybody sees it as an opportunity to sneak their way in, or get more points than at some other tracks where you don’t feel like your speed’s top-five or top-10. It gives you an opportunity to get stage points, so the intensity is way up, especially with it being the second-to-last race to get into the playoffs, and everybody feels like they have an opportunity to win. It’s a game of chess at that point.”

What’s the patience level of drivers who are racing at Daytona in August compared to the Daytona 500 in February, when there’s still an entire season ahead?

“I approach every race like it’s pretty much the same, but I’d be lying if I said the intensity isn’t up.”

Does blocking remain the necessary evil it’s seemingly always been when it comes to superspeedway racing?

“I think it just depends on your style. I think you have to throw a block, so yeah, it’s a necessary evil. But at the same time, you better be willing to accept the fact that you could wreck yourself as well as many others. I think there’s a time and a place for it. Lap one is certainly not it, lap 20 is certainly not it – hell, not even I think for a stage. It just depends on just how big of a block it is. But if it’s the last lap coming to the line and it’s the difference between you making the playoffs or not, then yeah, it’s necessary.”

On the last lap of a race at Daytona, how smart do you need to be and how lucky do you need to be, as it seems that last 2.5 miles is the most treacherous part of the race?

“I think all of the above. Everything matters.”

No. 41 TRUEWERK Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Ryan Preece

Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Crew Chief: Chad Johnston

Hometown: Cayuga, Indiana

Car Chief: Jeremy West

Hometown: Gardena, California

Engineer: Marc Hendricksen

Hometown: Clinton, New Jersey

Spotter: Tony Raines

Hometown: LaPorte, Indiana

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Devin Lester

Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Rear Tire Changer: Austin Chrismon

Hometown: China Grove, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons

Hometown: Tyler, Texas

Jack Man: Sherman Timbs

Hometown: Indianola, Mississippi

Fuel Man: Dwayne Moore

Hometown: Griffin, Georgia

Road Crew Members

Front End Mechanic: Joe Zanolini

Hometown: Sybertsville, Pennsylvania

Interior Mechanic: Robert Dalby

Hometown: Anaheim, California

Tire Specialist: Matt Ridgeway

Hometown: Carrollton, Georgia

Engine Tuner: Jimmy Fife

Hometown: Orange County, California

Transporter Co-Driver: David Rodrigues

Hometown: Santa Clarita, California

Transporter Co-Driver: Charlie Schleyer

Hometown: Youngsville, Pennsylvania

Justin Haley To Drive No. 51 Beef-a-Roo Ford Mustang in Coke Zero Sugar 400

ROCKFORD, Ill. (Aug. 20, 2024) – Beef-a-Roo, known for its famously delicious burgers and fresh, quality ingredients, will serve as the primary partner for Rick Ware Racing and driver Justin Haley in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 NASCAR Cup Series race Saturday night at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

Haley, who won the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400, will drive the No. 51 Beef-a-Roo Ford Mustang Dark Horse in the 160-lap race around the 2.5-mile superspeedway. The race goes green at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

“We are beyond excited to partner with Justin Haley and Rick Ware Racing,” said Beef-A-Roo CEO Matt Riddle. “As we rapidly expand our Famously Delicious brand nationally, we see the partnership with NASCAR and the No. 51 team to be the perfect fit at the perfect time.”

Beef-a-Roo is a beloved fast-casual restaurant brand that has garnered a loyal fanbase for its commitment to quality food and community engagement. This partnership, facilitated by agency AMG Sport, marks a key step in Beef-a-Roo’s strategy to align with dynamic brands that resonate with racing fans and support local communities through motorsport.

“Daytona is one of the most prestigious venues on the NASCAR calendar, and we couldn’t be more excited to have Beef-a-Roo on board as our primary partner,” said Rick Ware, team owner. “Their dedication to quality and community aligns perfectly with our values at Rick Ware Racing, and we look forward to making a strong showing at Daytona.”

Haley is a winner across all three of NASCAR’s top national touring series – Cup, Xfinity and Craftsman Truck. In addition to his Cup Series win at Daytona in 2019, the 25-year-old from Winamac, Indiana, has four Xfinity Series wins, three Craftsman Truck Series triumphs and five ARCA Menards Series victories, along with a championship – the 2016 ARCA Menards Series East title.

“Beef-a-Roo is an amazing brand, and I’m honored to carry their colors at Daytona,” Haley said. “I really enjoy superspeedway racing and I’ve had a lot of success on these bigger tracks. It takes a lot of patience and understanding of what is going on ahead of you and even behind you. We learned a lot earlier this year in the Daytona 500 and we have a really good shot at getting a great finish for Beef-a-Roo on our return to Daytona this weekend.”

To learn more about Beef-a-Roo and their offerings, visit www.beefaroo.com.

About Rick Ware Racing:

Rick Ware has been a motorsports mainstay for more than 40 years. It began at age 6 when the third-generation racer began his driving career and has since spanned four wheels and two wheels on both asphalt and dirt. Competing in the SCCA Trans Am Series and other road-racing divisions led Ware to NASCAR in the early 1980s, where he finished third in his NASCAR debut – the 1983 Warner W. Hodgdon 300 NASCAR Grand American race at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. More than a decade later, injuries would force Ware out of the driver seat and into fulltime team ownership. In 1995, Rick Ware Racing was formed, and with wife Lisa by his side, Ware has since built his eponymous organization into an entity that fields two fulltime entries in the NASCAR Cup Series while simultaneously campaigning successful teams in the Top Fuel class of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, the NTT INDYCAR Series, Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup, Progressive American Flat Track and FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX).

JOSH BERRY
Daytona Advance
No. 4 eero Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Round 25 of 36)
● Time/Date: 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 24
● Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway
● Layout: 2.5-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 160 laps / 400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 35 laps / Stage 2: 60 laps / Final Stage: 65 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN Radio / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series heads to the penultimate race of the regular season at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway this weekend, Saturday night’s annual Coke Zero 400. Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 eero Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing, hits town 23rd in the driver standings, 99 points under the top-16 playoff cutline. With a scant mathematical possibility of earning a playoff berth on points, the 33-year-old Berry’s more realistic chance of securing a berth is a victory at Daytona, or at the regular-season finale Sept. 1 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Berry is currently second in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, 14 markers behind leader Carson Hocevar.

● Berry took on the high-banked 2.5-mile Daytona oval in February for his first Daytona 500 to kick off his first fulltime season in NASCAR’s premier series. He ran competitively and led his first lap behind the wheel of the No. 4 Ford Mustang. Berry’s bid came undone, however, when he was spun on pit road during a green-flag pit stop on lap 112, the subsequent lengthy stop causing him to lose the draft. He finished 25th.

● In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Berry has 10 superspeedway starts at Daytona and its sister track Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, notching one top-five and two top-10s in those 10 starts. Berry’s best Xfinity Series superspeedway finish of fifth came in October 2022 at Talladega in the No. 8 JR Motorsports entry. In that event, Berry qualified seventh and finished the second stage in 10th.

● Saturday night’s race under the lights at Daytona marks crew chief Rodney Childers’ 38th attempt to chase a win at the “World Center of Racing” that has eluded him in his illustrious career. In his previous 37 Daytona starts as the shot-caller in the Cup Series, Childers’ drivers have earned eight top-five finishes, 12 top-10s, and one pole award by former Stewart-Haas driver Kevin Harvick in August 2020.

● Joining Berry this weekend at Daytona is eero. Known for award-winning hardware and software that continues to create connectivity solutions for individuals, businesses, communities and service providers, eero is the primary partner for Berry and the No. 4 Stewart-Haas team in the Coke Zero Sugar 400. With wifi being integral to everyone’s day-to-day lives, eero ensures that it’s fast, reliable and secure. Specifically, eero pioneered mesh wifi because it realized many of the problems we face, like buffering or weak coverage, could be solved by using multiple access points working as a mesh network as opposed to using a single router. Now, a decade later, there are tens of millions of eero devices around the world delivering wifi the way it should be – simple, reliable and blazing fast. Hence, eero’s place on Berry’s No. 4 Ford Mustang at Daytona. And just as in racing, eero continues to innovate and push the limits of what’s possible in the world of connectivity. eero Max 7 is its fastest, most powerful system yet, delivering wired speeds up to 9.4 Gbps. eero Built-in turns Echo devices into wifi extenders to quickly and easily add more coverage. eero Internet Backup enables customers to keep their wifi up and running when the wired connection goes down by switching the network to a wireless connection. eero for Business and eero for Communities are powerful, intuitive software solutions that allow business owners and multi-unit buildings to offer great wifi without needing to be a networking expert. eero’s advanced security tools provided with its premium service, eero Plus, makes it simple to help customers stay safe online. eero products continue to get better over time with automatic software updates for the latest security patches and feature upgrades. Customers can manage their network in the eero app and rest easy knowing they can reach out to eero’s world-class support team seven days a week. To learn more, please visit eero.com.

Josh Berry, Driver of the No. 4 eero Ford Mustang Dark Horse

As you head back to Daytona this weekend and reflecting on the year you’ve had, how do you view your and the team’s progress since your debut with the team at this year’s Daytona 500? And what have you learned in your first fulltime regular season in the Cup Series?

“It’s been a very up-and-down season, to say the least. Going back there this weekend, I feel much more confident in the NexGen car in general, and having seat time at a couple of the drafting-style tracks helps just get me in those scenarios that you can’t always get in a simulator or in practice. But overall, I am just excited for another opportunity to punch my ticket into the playoffs this weekend and that would make my season better than I feel now.”

What have you learned in the other superspeedway-style races this season that you can apply to Saturday’s race at Daytona?

“I think learning how the car reacts to being in the draft is really important, obviously. It reacts differently than the Xfinity car did, so seat time is always really important to me in getting me to feel better about where to drive the car and how it will handle in different parts of the race. I think managing fuel milage and getting track position where you can is also really important throughout the race, and if you can optimize both of those, you can give yourself a shot to be up near the front and make a charge for the win when it counts.”

Heading into this weekend at Daytona, there are 12 races left. How do you use these remaining weeks if you don’t make the playoffs?

“I think what it comes down to, and a lot of guys do it really well, is that each race is just another chance to learn a lot and get better when it comes to working on race craft and what it takes to be competitive, regardless of the circumstances. I definitely would love to be in the playoffs, but if I don’t make it that far, I still have a bunch of races where I can go work on my skill, learn a ton, and still get my first Cup Series win. I am grateful for the opportunity to race each week and this season has been a lot of fun, and we aren’t done having fun yet.”

No. 4 eero Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Josh Berry

Hometown: Hendersonville, Tennessee

Crew Chief: Rodney Childers

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Car Chief: Robert “Cheddar” Smith

Hometown: Whitewater, Wisconsin

Engineer: Dax Gerringer

Hometown: Gibsonville, North Carolina

Engineer: Billy Kuebler

Hometown: Saline, Michigan

Spotter: Eddie D’Hondt

Hometown: Levittown, New York

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Daniel Coffey

Hometown: Granite Falls, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Daniel Smith

Hometown: Concord, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Mason Flynt

Hometown: High Point, North Carolina

Jack Man: Brandon Banks

Hometown: High Point, North Carolina

Fuel Man: Evan Marchal

Hometown: Westfield, Indiana

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Tyler Trosper

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Mechanic: Chris Capaldi

Hometown: Armada, Michigan

Tire Specialist: Zac Lupien

Hometown: Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Engine Tuner: Robert Brandt

Hometown: Mobile, Alabama

Transporter Co-Driver: Jake Zierhoffer

Hometown: Billerica, Massachusetts

Transporter Co-Driver: Stephen Mitchell

Hometown: Woodville, Ohio

Martin Truex Jr.
Daytona Advance
No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Round 25 of 36)
● Time/Date: 7:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, August 24
● Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway
● Layout: 2.5-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 160 laps/400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 35 laps / Stage 2: 60 laps / Final Stage: 65 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Where We Stand: Truex sits eighth in the driver standings with 682 points, 132 behind new leader Tyler Reddick. All four Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) entries are currently inside the top-10 in the standings, with Denny Hamlin third, Christopher Bell seventh and Ty Gibbs 10th as the series heads to the penultimate race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season at Daytona.

● Playoff Watch: Just two races remain in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season with Truex highest in points among drivers without a win so far in 2024. Truex is 13th on the 16-driver playoff grid with a 77-point cushion over 17th place. Twelve drivers have scored wins so far this season.

● In his 38 career Cup Series outings at Daytona, Truex has three top-five finishes, six top-10s, and he’s led a total of 148 laps. His average Daytona finish is 21.2.

● Outside of the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona, Truex has made seven career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts there. Of his 13 career Xfinity Series wins, only one came at Daytona, earned in July 2005. Truex is a two-time Xfinity Series champion (2004 and 2005) to go with his 2017 Cup Series championship.

● Looking for 35: Truex’s win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon in July 2023 was his most recent Cup Series win, the 34th of his career, tying him with 2004 champion Kurt Busch for 25th on the all-time Cup Series win list.

● Ahead at this Stage: Truex has accumulated 63 stage wins since the beginning of the stage era in 2017. He is the only driver with 10 or more stage sweeps, with his latest sweep coming at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn in August 2023. Truex scored his third stage win of the season in July at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, leading the field across the line at the end of Stage 1.

Martin Truex Jr., Driver of the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE

How do you attack trying to win at Daytona knowing how chaotic that race can be?

“We just need to be smart and need to do just what we know how to do. Daytona is always a crapshoot, so you never know what can happen. We just have to be mindful of the first two stages and see what we need to do in the final stage and that will set our strategy for the rest of the race. Really excited to have Bass Pro Shops back with us this weekend and hope we can get some stage points and then be there at the end on Saturday night.”

You have two races remaining in the regular season. What do you need to do to get in the playoffs the next two weeks?

“We just need to go race and do what we can. About the last two months have been pretty miserable for us. Had a lot of speed and not much to show for it overall. Just need to execute better and not have mistakes since it’s been a little of everything over that time. We’ll go to Daytona and do what we can there with some of that out of our hands, and then head to Darlington, a place I know we have been very fast at, and see where it falls.”

What are races like at Daytona?

“Daytona is a wide-open crapshoot. Everyone holds it wide open. You get down to the end of the race and we’ve seen the crashes over and over on the green-white-checkereds. Everyone just holds it wide open and, if they have any momentum at all, they just try to drive through the guy in front of them and it spins him out and crashes him. It’s really just a wild card, it’s kind of crazy. I wouldn’t say I’m not uncomfortable there, but it kind of stinks to get down to the end, if you make it that far, to just get crashed at the end. I’m hoping we can have some better luck this weekend with our Bass Pro Shops Camry.”

Who do you think is the best superspeedway driver these days?

“I think there are a lot of guys that are really, really good at it. Denny (Hamlin) is certainly near the top. It is nice to have him in our camp to have with our deal. He’s very helpful. He’s very knowledgeable to help our guys with our gameplan and things, so I would say he’s probably right there at the top.”

Did superspeedway racing change over the last several years?

“I think superspeedways probably haven’t changed much as opposed to some of the other types of tracks. Just the way you can bump draft with this car is totally different than the previous-generation cars. I think right now there are a lot more options as far as what lanes work. It used to be that you never wanted anyone on the outside, and now you can pass guys on the bottom a bit easier and that sets up some other opportunities. I feel like the racing has been fun on superspeedways, but you have to be really aggressive, as well.”

No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Martin Truex Jr.

Hometown: Mayetta, New Jersey

Crew Chief: James Small

Hometown: Melbourne, Australia

Car Chief: Chris Jones

Hometown: Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia

Race Engineer: Jaik Halpainy

Hometown: Blockville, New York

Spotter: Drew Herring

Hometown: Benson, North Carolina

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Ryan Martin

Hometown: Mechanicsburg, Virgina

Mechanic: Todd Carmichael

Hometown: Redding, California

Interior/Tire Specialist: Tommy DiBlasi

Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Engine Tuner: Beau Morton

Hometown: Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Transporter Driver: Kyle Bazzell

Hometown: Fairbury, Illinois

Transporter Driver: Eddie DeGroot

Hometown: Baldwinsville, New York

Over-The-Wall Crew Members

Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Jackman: Caleb Dirks

Hometown: Riverside, California

Tire Carrier: CJ Bailey

Hometown: Outer Banks, North Carolina

Front Tire Changer: Thomas Hatcher

Hometown: Middleburg, Florida

Rear Tire Changer: Lee Cunningham

Hometown: Leaf River, Illinois

DAYTONA 2 / MILWAUKEE

Friday, August 23 — NASCAR Xfinity Series, 7:30 p.m. ET (USA)
Saturday, August 24 — NASCAR Cup Series, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
Sunday, August 25 — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, 4 p.m. ET (FS1)

All three NASCAR national series will be in action this weekend, including the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series as it conducts the first playoff race of the season at the Milwaukee Mile. The NASCAR Xfinity Series still has five contests remaining in its regular season while the NASCAR Cup Series has only two.

DAYTONA REPEAT?

Chris Buescher capped the hottest streak of his NASCAR Cup Series career in this race a year ago when he won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. That regular-season finale victory marked his third triumph in a five-race stretch and sent him into the playoffs with all the momentum in the world. Buescher goes into Saturday night’s race in 15th place, 16 points above the cut line with two races to go in the regular season.

PLAYOFF BOUND

With two races remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, four Ford drivers have locked up spots in the playoffs. Brad Keselowski (Darlington), Austin Cindric (WWTR), Joey Logano (Nashville) and Ryan Blaney (Pocono) will all compete for the championship when the postseason opens in two weeks at Atlanta Motor Speedway. As noted above, Chris Buescher currently holds one of the final spots based on points.

BLANEY WINS IN WILD FINISH

Ryan Blaney endured a chaotic end to the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in 2021 at Daytona as he swiftly escaped a multi-car pile-up exiting the third turn with four laps remaining. Blaney, who was running fifth in the middle row of three-wide competition, moved up the track to evade a group of spinning cars and inherited the lead. In overtime, Blaney managed to stay out front, fending off Kevin Harvick and Chris Buescher in the final laps before the race’s eighth caution, subsequently giving Blaney his third win of the season under caution.

FIREBALL ROBERTS COMPLETES ’63 SWEEP

After Tiny Lund was crowned Ford’s first Daytona 500 winner in 1963, Fireball Roberts gave the manufacturer its first season sweep at the speedway in spectacular fashion by driving his 1963 Holman-Moody Ford to a midsummer victory in the Firecracker 400. Roberts bested the likes of teammate Fred Lorenzen and Wood Brothers Racing’s Marvin Panch and a top-five that included the Mercury of Darel Dieringer as well as Ned Jarrett’s Ford. Originally called the Firecracker 250, the race was 100 laps until expanding to the current 400 miles (160 laps) in 1963. The thrilling debut of the elongated version saw 39 lead changes with Roberts beating Lorenzen by a car length.

CUSTER STILL ON TOP

Cole Custer continues to lead the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings, holding a 12-point lead over second-place Justin Allgaier with five events remaining in the regular season. Custer took the lead following the race in Portland on June 1 and has held it ever since, although he lost 44 points last weekend after his race in Michigan ended early due to suspension damage he incurred from an accident. He has nine career series starts at Daytona International Speedway and has a pair of top 10 finishes with his best result being fifth in this event last season.

MAJESKI MOJO

Ty Majeski ended the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular season with back-to-back victories and enters the postseason as the hottest driver on the circuit. The Wisconsin native, who has led a combined 126 laps the last two races, would like nothing more than to win in front of his hometown fans and automatically secure a spot in the Round of 8. Seeing Majeski peak now isn’t anything new because all five of his career series triumphs have come in the second half of the year. Last season, Majeski finished 13th in this event as the series returned to the Milwaukee Mile for the first time since 2009.

RHODES READY TO DEFEND

Ben Rhodes has had a quiet season to this point and is still looking for his first win, but the defending series champion enters the postseason as the ninth seed. While he has some ground to make up, he’s been in this position before. A year ago he entered as the seventh seed and survived the first three events before catching fire and posting three top-5 finishes in the final four races. Rhodes, who won his first title in 2021, is looking to join ThorSport Racing teammate Matt Crafton and Jack Sprague as three-time series champions.

FORD’S NASCAR CUP SERIES

SUMMER RACE WINNERS AT DAYTONA

1963 – Fireball Roberts

1965 – A.J. Foyt

1967 – Cale Yarborough

1969 – LeeRoy Yarbrough

1970 – Donnie Allison

1983 – Buddy Baker

1988 – Bill Elliott

1989 – Davey Allison

1991 – Bill Elliott

1994 – Jimmy Spencer

1997 – John Andretti

1999 – Dale Jarrett

2000 – Jeff Burton

2003 – Greg Biffle

2007 – Jaime McMurray

2011 – David Ragan

2014 – Aric Almirola

2016 – Brad Keselowski

2017 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

2021 – Ryan Blaney

2023 – Chris Buescher

FORD’S NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

WINNERS AT DAYTONA

1995 – Chad Little (1)

2004 – Mike Wallace (2)

2015 – Ryan Reed (1)

2016 – Aric Almirola (2)

2017 – Ryan Reed (1)

2021 – Austin Cindric (1)

FORD’S NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT MILWAUKEE

1998 – Mike Bliss

1999 – Greg Biffle

2000 – Kurt Busch

2002 – Terry Cook

Daytona II Event Info:
Date: Saturday, Aug. 24
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida
Format: 160 Laps, 400 Miles, Stages: 35-60-65
TV: NBC
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)

Weekend Schedule:
Friday: 5 p.m. ET, Qualifying (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 7:30 p.m. ET, Race (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Pace Laps:

• RFK heads to Daytona for the annual summer event as the defending race winner, as Chris Buescher drove to victory last August, and Keselowski finished P2.
• Just two races remain in the regular season now as Darlington hosts the final race next weekend, before the NASCAR Playoffs begin Sept. 8 at Atlanta.
• Jack Roush has now 12 wins overall at Daytona, including eight in the Cup Series.

6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: King’s Hawaiian

17 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: Fifth Third Bank

• As part of the Fueled by Fifth Third Pass Through Program, Thorne will be on the decklid of Buescher’s No. 17 this weekend.
• Thorne has been a partner of RFK’s for a year-plus as a supplier of its personal performance products to team members.
• Thorne is a science-driven wellness and personal performance company, driven by data and rooted in scientific rigor to deliver personalized health and wellness solutions. Thorne’s personalized supplement and testing portfolio leverages clinical science, biometric testing, and multi-omics data to create highly efficacious nutritional supplements for health-care practitioners, athletic trainers, professional athletes, and consumers.
• Thorne’s manufacturing facility is based in Summerville, South Carolina, and is the only supplement manufacturer that collaborates with Mayo Clinic on health and wellness research and content. Thorne is trusted by 47,000+ health-care professionals, thousands of professional athletes, more than 100 professional sports teams, multiple U.S. National Teams, and more than five million consumers. For more information, visit Thorne.com.

Keselowski at Daytona
Starts: 30
Wins: 1 (2016)
Top-10s: 7
Poles: —

• Keselowski makes his 31st Cup start at ‘The World Center of Racing’ this weekend. He is the 2016 winner of the summer race just seven years ago, and overall has seven top-10s and a 22.7 average finish.
• A season ago in the summer race, he pushed teammate Buescher to the win as RFK earned a 1-2 finish.
• Keselowski has 11 starts inside the top-10 at Daytona with a career-best P3 starting position (four times).
• In Xfinity Series action, Keselowski made 15 starts at DIS with seven top-10s and a best finish of second (twice – 2012, 2014). He also made three Truck Series starts with a seventh-place run in 2005.

Buescher at Daytona
Starts: 17
Wins: 1 (2023)
Top-10s: 7
Poles: —

• Buescher makes his 18th Cup start at Daytona this weekend and is the defending winner of the annual summer race. He has seven top-10s overall at DIS with a 19.8 average finish.
• Last season he led just two laps – but the final one that mattered – earning his first-ever victory at Daytona. He finished 18th in this season’s Daytona 500.
• Buescher has three starts inside the top-10 at Daytona, all of which came in the last five races.
• He also made three NXS starts at DIS with a best finish of second (2015).

RFK Historically at Daytona
Cup Wins: 8 (Jeff Burton, 2000; Greg Biffle, 2003; Jamie McMurray, 2007; Matt Kenseth, 2009, 2012; David Ragan, 2011; Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., 2017; Chris Buescher, 2023)

• Shining Bright in the Sunshine State: In 229 NCS starts at Daytona, RFK has recorded eight wins, 45 top-fives, 83 top-10s and has led 997 laps. RFK also has five poles in the Cup series at Daytona, with the most recent coming in 2016 with Greg Biffle.
• Two Trips to Victory Lane in 2017: Just two years after earning his first ever NASCAR win, Ryan Reed survived a wild kickoff to the 2017 season. He survived multiple on-track incidents after starting on the outside of the front row and led only nine laps, but the final two, en route to the win over a host of Cup regulars.
• Then, in July of 2017, Stenhouse found himself in victory lane for the second time after leading 17 laps in his Fifth Third Ford. Stenhouse first led at lap 86, and from there survived a total of 14 cautions for 51 laps in what was his second win of the season.
• Born in the USA: RFK has recorded six victories in the July event at Daytona, including the organization’s first at the high-banked oval with former driver Jeff Burton in 2000. Former RFK drivers Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray and David Ragan earned victories in 2003, 2007 and 2011, respectively. Stenhouse, Jr. earned the fifth in 2017, and Buescher most recently in 2023.

RFK Daytona Wins

2000-2 Burton Cup

2003-2 Biffle Cup

2004 Edwards Truck

2006 Martin Truck

2007-2 McMurray Cup

2009-1 Kenseth Cup

2011-2 Ragan Cup

2012-1 Kenseth Cup

2015-1 Reed NXS

2023-2 Buescher Cup

Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Michigan: RFK finished fifth and sixth in a Monday race at Michigan as Keselowski had a strong points day with top-10 finishes in each of the first two stages, while Buescher overcame a mid-race incident to rally for sixth.

Points Standings (6: 8th, 17: 16th): In the playoff picture, Buescher remains near the cut line but 16 points to the good heading into Daytona.