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  • Mayhem Breaks Out in the Truck Race Late at Daytona

    Mayhem Breaks Out in the Truck Race Late at Daytona

    As is typically the case at Daytona, hell broke loose in the last few laps.

    As the field of trucks was hurdling down the backstretch at Daytona International Speedway with seven laps to go in the NextEra Energy Resources 250, Timothy Peters nudged Cameron Hayley out of place. This sent the No. 13 ThorSport Racing Toyota up the track into the side of John Hunter Nemechek. Just as he got his car straight, he was turned again down through the grass.

    Matt Crafton, Grant Enfinger, Rico Abreu and Austin Theriault were among the 18 cars collected in the Big One.

    Peters insisted he wasn’t to blame for the wreck.

    “It ain’t all my fault,” he screamed over the radio.

    Hayley said, “that’s Daytona.”

    “It was hard racing,” Hayley said. “I guess we just caught bumpers the wrong way. (Timothy) Peters got into the back of me. It’s just tight racing. It’s so hard there at the end, everyone’s bumping into each other and trying to hold a pretty wheel. I guess that’s Daytona, but it sucks for my guys because they worked so hard.”

    This wreck forced NASCAR to red-flag the race for 30-minutes. After the cleanup was complete, it set up the final restart leading to the multi-car wreck on the final lap in Turn 1.

    Johnny Sauter was ahead of Ryan Truex when the caution flew and scored his 11th career victory in the Camping World Truck Series. It was also his first win since 2014 and the first ever win for Chevrolet in the Truck Series at Daytona.

  • In Wild Finish, Sauter Wins Truck Series Opener at Daytona

    In Wild Finish, Sauter Wins Truck Series Opener at Daytona

    NCWTS Race Recap
    By Reid Spencer – NASCAR Wire Service 

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – With the No. 4 Toyota of Christopher Bell barrel-rolling through Turn 1 behind him, Johnny Sauter nosed ahead in his No. 21 Chevrolet and had more than a car-length lead when NASCAR called the final caution of the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

    With the victory, Sauter is all but guaranteed a spot in the first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase, a seven-race playoff modeled after the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

    But Sauter needed a push from Bell to take the lead, moments before contact with the No. 17 Toyota of Timothy Peters launched the No. 4 and sent it rolling in as part of a 10-truck accident. Ryan Truex ran second, followed by Parker Kligerman, Brandon Brown and Tyler Young, as attrition eliminated some of the strongest trucks in the field.

    The victory was the first for Chevrolet in 17 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Daytona. It was Sauter’s 11th win in the series in his first start in the No. 21 GMS Racing Chevy and his first race with crew chief Marcus Richmond.

    “I just had this feeling that our truck was so good yesterday that, if I didn’t make any mistakes, we were going to have a shot at this,” Sauter said. “And Marcus did a phenomenal job calling the race… This is unbelievable.

    “I’m so pumped to be the first guy to get to Victory Lane here. GMS—I mean, what can I say? This is the opportunity of a lifetime.”

    A colossal wreck on Lap 93 involved more than half the 32-truck field and eliminated some of the strongest competitors from contention, including Austin Theriault (who had led a race-high 31 laps), polesitter Grant Enfinger, two-time series champion Matt Crafton, defending race winner Tyler Reddick, Canadian Cameron Hayley and Mexican star Daniel Suarez.

    NASCAR red-flagged the race for 27 minutes, 54 seconds for track cleanup. When the trucks began rolling again, Truex was in the lead, followed by Sauter and Peters, for a restart on Lap 98. Truex and Sauter battled side-by-side until Bell pushed Sauter to the lead after the trucks took the white flag.

    “The 4 truck, thanks for the push,” Sauter said. “He was pushing me. I was sideways. We lost momentum there, and I thought we were all going to crash. The next thing I knew he was pushing me again and bumping me, and it all worked out.”

    Note: After the race, Bell was transported to a local medical facility for further examination and observation. No specifics about his condition were available, but Bell was able to climb from his car and walk to a waiting ambulance–standard protocol after any wreck. 

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – NextEra Energy Resources 250
    Daytona International Speedway
    Daytona Beach, Florida
    Friday, February 19, 2016

                   1. (2) Johnny Sauter, Chevrolet, 100

                   2. (20) Ryan Truex, Toyota, 100

                   3. (23) Parker Kligerman, Ford, 100

                   4. (22) Brandon Brown, Chevrolet, 100

                   5. (32) Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet, 100

                   6. (21) Tyler Young, Chevrolet, 100

                   7. (24) Ben Rhodes #, Toyota, 100

                   8. (18) Daniel Hemric, Ford, 100

                   9. (26) Scott Lagasse Jr(i), Chevrolet, 100

                   10. (6) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 100

                   11. (29) Michel Disdier, Chevrolet, 100

                   12. (25) Bobby Gerhart(i), Chevrolet, 100

                   13. (13) William Byron #, Toyota, 100

                   14. (30) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, 100

                   15. (3) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 100

                   16. (8) Christopher Bell #, Toyota, 99

                   17. (15) John H Nemechek, Chevrolet, 99

                   18. (12) Tyler Reddick, Ford, 99

                   19. (19) Austin Wayne Self, Toyota, 99

                   20. (1) Grant Enfinger #, Chevrolet, 98

                   21. (11) Spencer Gallagher, Chevrolet, 96

                   22. (17) Chris Fontaine, Toyota, Accident, 95

                   23. (31) Ben Kennedy, Toyota, Accident, 93

                   24. (10) Cole Custer #, Chevrolet, Accident, 93

                   25. (14) Cameron Hayley, Toyota, Accident, 92

                   26. (7) John Wes Townley, Chevrolet, Accident, 92

                   27. (4) Austin Theriault, Ford, Accident, 92

                   28. (5) Daniel Suarez(i), Toyota, Accident, 92

                   29. (16) Rico Abreu #, Toyota, Accident, 92

                   30. (27) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 75

                   31. (9) Cody Coughlin #, Toyota, Accident, 41

                   32. (28) Tommy Joe Martins, Chevrolet, Accident, 11

     

    Average Speed of Race Winner:  129.032 mph.

    Time of Race:  01 Hrs, 56 Mins, 15 Secs. Margin of Victory:  Caution.

    Caution Flags:  7 for 29 laps.

    Lead Changes:  26 among 10 drivers.

    Lap Leaders:   G. Enfinger # 0; A. Theriault 1; G. Enfinger # 2-3; A. Theriault 4-9; G. Enfinger # 10; J. Sauter 11-13; T. Reddick 14-20; A. Theriault 21; J. Sauter 22-24; M. Crafton 25-29; A. Theriault 30-44; T. Kvapil 45-46; T. Peters 47-51; A. Theriault 52-59; J. Sauter 60-63; C. Hayley 64-66; T. Hill 67; T. Peters 68-70; T. Reddick 71-75; T. Peters 76-82; C. Hayley 83; R. Truex 84; G. Enfinger # 85; R. Truex 86-91; J. Sauter 92; R. Truex 93-99; J. Sauter 100;.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  A. Theriault 5 times for 31 laps; T. Peters 3 times for 15 laps; R. Truex 3 times for 14 laps; J. Sauter 5 times for 12 laps; T. Reddick 2 times for 12 laps; M. Crafton 1 time for 5 laps; C. Hayley 2 times for 4 laps; G. Enfinger # 3 times for 4 laps; T. Kvapil 1 time for 2 laps; T. Hill 1 time for 1 lap.

    Top 10 in Points: J. Sauter – 36; R. Truex – 32; P. Kligerman – 30; B. Brown – 29; T. Kvapil – 29; T. Young – 27; B. Rhodes # – 26; D. Hemric – 25; M. Crafton – 24; M. Disdier – 22.

  • Rowdy Wins the Duel, Richardson Moves on Through

    Rowdy Wins the Duel, Richardson Moves on Through

    Kyle Busch won the second Can-Am Duel race at Daytona International Speedway Thursday night and the field is now set for the Great American Race.

    The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led 35 of the 60 laps on his way to taking the checkered flag. Busch will start fourth in the Daytona 500 provided teammate Matt Kenseth doesn’t go to a backup car.

    Busch spoke about the win and its implications for the Daytona 500.

    “Definitely a unique opportunity for us and our team,” he said. “Joe Gibbs Racing has come down with more speed this time around. In the Can-Am Duels tonight we also showed we had good speed. Denny had a fast car. Myself, Matt and Carl, we ran up in the top three much of the race.”

    “Daytona obviously lends itself with this restrictor plate package to pack racing,” Busch continued. “We see that quite a bit down here in Daytona. It’s always a good, exciting race, tends to be towards the end. I wouldn’t expect anything less out of the Daytona 500 here on Sunday.”

    The race ended under caution after what had been a tame race when Jimmie Johnson get loose in Turn 1 and collected Martin Truex Jr. and Kenseth on the final lap. Kurt Busch also sustained damage from being hit by Johnson.

    After finishing ninth, Matt DiBenedetto will advance to and start 18th in his first career start in the Daytona 500. Because he didn’t have to fall back on his qualifying speed, this allowed teammate Robert Richardson Jr. to grab the final transfer spot into the Daytona 500.

    “Being able to race in my first Daytona 500 this weekend is going to be a heck of an honor, DiBenedetto said. “I’ve dreamed of it since I was five, so I’m excited.”

    Richardson also expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to participate in the Daytona 500.

    “I’m very, very honored to be a part of BK Racing, having another opportunity to run here at the Daytona 500. I’ve been in it once before, but this one is very, very special to me. My wife and I welcomed our brand-new baby boy who was born in early December. Every bit of earnings we get from this race is going to go into a college fund for him. It’s just the good Lord looking down on us and blessing us. Got to give all the glory to Him.”

    David Gilliland, Reed Sorenson, Cole Whitt and Josh Wise all failed to make the Daytona 500.

     

  • June Bug Takes the Win, McDowell Gets In

    June Bug Takes the Win, McDowell Gets In

    The pied piper of Daytona scored the win in duel race No. 1 and Michael McDowell will have his chance to race for immortality on Sunday.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. led all but 17 of the 60 laps to take home his fifth career Cam-Am Duel victory at Daytona International Speedway in his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. His performance was a clinic that showed he’ll be the car to beat this Sunday in the Daytona 500. He’ll start the Daytona 500 in third. Joey Logano finished second in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford and will start fifth in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. led all but 17 of the 60 laps to take home his fifth career Cam-Am Duel victory at Daytona International Speedway in his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. His performance was a clinic that showed he’ll be the car to beat this Sunday in the Daytona 500. Earnhardt will start the Daytona 500 in third place.

    He gave credit for the win to his car, affectionately named Amelia.

    “The car is awesome. I don’t really get too confident, I don’t want to get overly confident in what I’m doing. But the car really does everything I ask it to do. When you have a car that you know can do the things that this car can do, you’re willing to take those gambles and risks to pull out and pass and not worry about getting shuffled to the back because you feel like the car is really capable of doing what you’re going to ask it to do every time you make a move.

    “It’s just a fun car to drive, really special car. Rick leaned into the window, I told him, whatever happens to this thing from here on out, he needs to keep track of it. Might be one he wants to put in a museum one day because it’s done a lot of good things.”

    Joey Logano finished second in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford and will start fifth in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

    Ryan Blaney didn’t need to fall back on his qualifying speed to make the Daytona 500 as his third-place finish was enough to transfer him into the race. He’ll start the Daytona 500 in seventh.

    Michael McDowell and his No. 59 Circle Sport Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet will transfer into the Daytona 500 based on his qualifying speed. He’ll start the Daytona 500 in 37th.

    Immortality wasn’t meant to be for Cole Whitt and Josh Wise. Whitt suffered damage in a spin with less than 20 laps remaining and retired his car from the race. Wise lost the draft with two laps to go and finished in 17th behind McDowell.

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Daytona

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Daytona

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series head to Daytona International Speedway as Speedweeks continues culminating with the 58th edition of the Daytona 500 Sunday. Please check below for the complete schedule.

    Wednesday, Feb. 17:

    On Track:

    5-5:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – FS1
    6:10-6:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – FS1

    Garage Cam: (Watch Live)

    4:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series

    Thursday, Feb. 18:

    On Track:

    Noon-12:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series final practice – FS1
    1:30-2:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series practice – FS1
    4-4:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series final practice – FS1
    7 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Can-Am Duel #1, (60 laps, 150 miles) – FS1 (See Lineup Below)
    9 p.m. (approx.): Sprint Cup Series Can-Am Duel #2 – (60 laps, 150 miles) – FS1 (See Lineup Below)

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)

    1 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch Live)

    10:30 a.m.: FOX Sports Announcement
    Approx 8 p.m.: Post-Duel 1 Press Conference
    Approx 10 p.m.: Post-Duel 2 Press Conference

    TV Schedule – Additional Programming:

    7 a.m.: NASCAR America – NBCSN
    1 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub – FS1
    3 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub – FS1
    5 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay – FS1
    5 p.m.: NASCAR America – NBCSN

    Friday, Feb. 19:

    On Track:

    10:30-11:55 a.m.: XFINITY Series practice – FS1
    12:00-12:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – FS1
    1-1:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series practice – FS1
    2-2:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – FS1
    3-3:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series final practice – FS1
    4:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    7:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series NextEra Energy Resources 250 – (100 laps, 250 miles) – FS1

    Garage Cam: (Watch Live)

    10 a.m.: XFINITY Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch Live)

    11:30 a.m.: Real Racing 3 Daytona Experience
    Approx 9:45 p.m.: Post-Camping World Truck Series Race Press Conference

    TV Schedule – Additional Programming:

    4 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition – FS1
    6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub – FS1
    6 p.m.: NASCAR America – NBCSN

    Saturday, Feb. 20:

    On Track:

    10 a.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    12:15-1:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series final practice – FS1
    3:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series PowerShares QQQ 300 (120 laps, 300 miles) – FS1

    Press Conferences: (Watch Live)

    Approx 6 p.m.: Post-NASCAR XFINITY Series Race Press Conference

    TV Schedule – Additional Programming:

    11:30 a.m.: NASCAR Race Hub – FS1
    2 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub – FS1
    2 p.m.: 18 Rising – NBC
    3 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay – XFINITY – FS1

    Sunday, Feb. 21:

    On Track:

    1 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 (200 laps, 500 miles) – FOX

    Press Conferences: (Watch Live)

    9:45 a.m.-11 a.m.: Daytona 500 Pre-Race Press Conference
    Approx 5 p.m.: Post-Daytona 500 Press Conference

    TV Schedule – Additional Programming:

    10:30 a.m.: NASCAR RaceDay – FS1
    Noon: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FOX Pre-Race Show – FOX
    1 a.m.: NASCAR Victory Lane – FS1

    Duel Driver Lineups:

    * Denotes Open, non-Charter teams

    CAN-AM DUEL 1 LINEUP
    POSITION CAR DRIVER TEAM
    1. 24 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports
    2. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports
    3. 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing
    4. 21* Ryan Blaney* Wood Brothers Racing
    5. 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing
    6. 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing
    7. 22 Joey Logano Team Penske
    8. 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports
    9. 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing
    10. 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske
    11. 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing
    12. 44 Brian Scott Richard Petty Motorsports
    13. 59* Michael McDowell* Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing
    14. 7 Regan Smith Tommy Baldwin Racing
    15. 34 Chris Buescher Front Row Motorsports
    16. 32 Bobby Labonte Go Green Racing
    17. 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing
    18. 15 Clint Bowyer HScott Motorsports
    19. 98* Cole Whitt* Premium Motorsports
    20. 23 David Ragan BK Racing
    21. 30* Josh Wise* The Motorsports Group
    22. 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing

     

    CAN-AM DUEL 2 LINEUP
    POSITION CAR DRIVER TEAM
    1. 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing
    2. 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing
    3. 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
    4. 19 Carl Edwards Joe Gibbs Racing
    5. 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing
    6. 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing
    7. 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing
    8. 95 Ty Dillon Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing
    9. 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports
    10. 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing
    11. 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing
    12. 93* Matt DiBenedetto* BK Racing
    13. 83 Michael Waltrip BK Racing
    14. 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing
    15. 47 AJ Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing
    16. 46 Michael Annett HScott Motorsports
    17. 38 Landon Cassill Front Row Motorsports
    18. 26* Robert Richardson Jr.* BK Racing
    19. 35* David Gilliland* Front Row Motorsports
    20. 40* Reed Sorenson* Hillman Smith Motorsports
    21. 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing
    22. 14 Brian Vickers Stewart-Haas Racing

     

     

  • Three Cars to the Rear for the Duels

    Three Cars to the Rear for the Duels

    Three cars fell afoul of the rules in qualifying.

    The two Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet’s of the No. 4 driven by Kevin Harvick and No. 14 driven by Brian Vickers failed post-qualifying tech inspection after the track bars were found to be out of compliance with the Sprint Cup Series rule book.

    Their times were disallowed and both teams will start from the rear in their respective Can-Am Duel race on Thursday night.

    According to Rodney Childers, crew chief of the No. 4 car, the track bar “ended up with 1/4″ too much rake.”

    He also took to Twitter “to apologize to @NASCAR @jimmyjohns and our fans. It was a simple mistake on our part and look fwd to racing Thursday night. Thx.”

    Martin Truex Jr.’s car was also taken off the qualifying line after officials took issue with the roof flap. He was unable to post a lap in qualifying, had his car impounded and will start from the rear of the field in his Duel race.

    “Thought we had a really good car with good speed in it,” Cole Pearn said. “Either way, we’ll move on and hopefully have a good rest of Speedweeks.”

  • Chase Elliott on the Pole for the Daytona 500

    Chase Elliott on the Pole for the Daytona 500

    It didn’t take long for Chase Elliott to find success in the top level of NASCAR.  The 2014 XFINITY Series champion and son of 1988 Sprint Cup Series champion Bill Elliott scored his first career pole today with a time of 45.845 and a speed of 196.314 mph. He will lead the field to the green flag for next Sunday’s 58th running of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500. At 20 years, two months and 17 days, Elliott is the youngest Daytona 500 pole-sitter in NASCAR history.

    “This is a very very cool day…it’s nothing special I did,” Elliott said. “The Daytona 500 is about the team and the work they did in the off-season to make this happen.”

    He’ll be joined on the front row by Matt Kenseth who posted a time of 45.910 and a speed of 196.036 mph. The age difference between the two drivers on the front row is 23 years.

    Both drivers will lead the field to the green flag in their respective Duel races on Thursday night. Every driver outside the first two starters will have to race for their starting spot on Thursday.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top-five.

    Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon, Carl Edwards and Sprint Unlimited winner Denny Hamlin rounded out the top-10.

    Because Blaney and Matt DiBenedetto were the highest open teams, they can fall back on their speed should they not finish among the top-15 in their respective Duel races. That means, barring they fail tech inspection, they are locked into the Daytona 500. The other six open teams will have to race their way in via the Duel races.

    “It is nice to be locked into the race,” said Blaney. “The biggest relief for us is to know you are locked in and are good to be able to race in the 500. That kind of lets us go race on Thursday a little bit more than we would have instead of playing it conservative if we weren’t locked in. It is nice to have such a fast car and be locked into the race. It is a load off our shoulders for sure.”

    Martin Truex Jr. didn’t post a time in qualifying because series officials pulled his car off the grid for an issue with his roof flap. As a result, his car was impounded and he’ll start from the rear of the field in the second Duel race.

  • Rough Night for 6-Time

    Rough Night for 6-Time

    Speedweeks didn’t get off to a great start for one Jimmie Kenneth Johnson.

    After drawing the pole position for the Sprint Unlimited, the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet hoped to start his quest for a third Daytona 500 victory with a strong performance in the 75-lap exhibition race. Those hopes were quickly dashed on lap 44.

    Hurdling down the backstretch, he made contact with Casey Mears and was sent spinning through the grass. As he got his car pointed in the right direction, the front nose dug into the ground and tore away from the car. All that was left was the radiator.

    He would finish the race in 22nd, 36 laps down.

    ‘I could see the hole closing up,” Johnson said. “I was trying to get out of it and I avoided from crashing the two guys that closed the door on me, but I got hit from behind and that’s what sent me down through the infield. I was just trying hard on one of those nights. I was certainly trying to see what I could get with and what I couldn’t by being aggressive, and we’re down. I was trying to back out of it. I don’t think the two guys I was trying to be in the middle of, knew that I was there and I could see the door closing. I was trying to back out of it. I did a decent job getting out of there and not spinning the No. 1 (McMurray) and the No. 13 (Mears) and I got hit from behind and that sent me down to the infield. It’s unfortunate because the hole was there and I had a good run coming up through the center but they just started closing the door on me.”

    “Gotta give you props right there Jimmie,” Chad Knaus said. “You’re a hell of a driver. Good dress rehearsal tonight, we learned a lot.”

    Johnson was not the only member of the Hendrick brigade to have trouble. Pre-race favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. was caught up in the lap 23 wreck in Turn 1. After cutting a tire, Brian Vicker’s No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet t-boned the right side of Earnhardt’s car and ripped it off. He was held on pit road for a number of laps until his crew used tape to create a makeshift car number on the right side. Going into Turn 3, Jamie McMurray was shoving Kasey Kahne down the backstretch. Kahne got loose and turned into the side of AJ Allmendinger. His night finally came to an end with 10 laps to go after his engine expired in Turn 2.

    Despite wrecking out, Johnson took to Twitter to say he was “good with tonight” and glad that he could “get the bad luck outta the way. Sorry about your cars .”

    He qualified sixth for the Daytona 500 and will start third in the second Duel race on Thursday.

  • Hamlin Takes the Sprint Unlimited Win at Daytona

    Hamlin Takes the Sprint Unlimited Win at Daytona

    Denny Hamlin opens the season in victory lane.

    The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led 39 laps on his way to scoring the victory in the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway. He overcame an early race incident with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to win the race.

    “This win couldn’t be possible without my teammates,” Hamlin said. “Matt (Kenseth) sacrificed so much, pushing me at the right time. Total team effort. Just like Kyle’s championship, we win as one. This is a Joe Gibbs Racing win.”

    This is his third career win in the 75-lap exhibition event that kicks off Speedweeks. It’s the fourth win in this event for JGR in the last five years. Hamlin looks to become the first driver since Dale Jarrett in 2000 to win both the Unlimited and the Daytona 500 in the same season.

    Joey Logano put on a strong run at Hamlin toward the end of the race but had to settle for runner-up in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

    “I don’t know if it’s a non-points race that plays into it or if it’s just superspeedway racing,” Logano said. “Typically in the Unlimited, there are a lot of crashes.”

    Paul Menard rounded out the podium in his No. 27 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Kyle Larson came home fourth in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Those four cars avoided the final lap melee in Turn 1. Casey Mears rounded out the top-five in his No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet as part of the multi-car wreck.

    Stenhouse finished sixth in his No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford and Kurt Busch finished seventh in his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet. Austin Dillon placed eighth in his No. 3 RCR Chevrolet followed by Brad Keselowski in ninth racing his No. 2 Ford with Greg Biffle rounding out the top-10 in his No. 16 RFR Ford.

    The race lasted 79 laps, four over the scheduled conclusion. There were six cautions for 24 laps, 12 lead changes among three different drivers and 12 cars finished on the lead lap.

  • Vickers Has Rough Outing in Return to NASCAR

    Vickers Has Rough Outing in Return to NASCAR

    The return to racing wasn’t too pleasant for Brian Vickers.

    The substitute driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet suffered a cut right-rear tire, t-boned the right side of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s car, ripped its side off, slid back up the track, slammed the wall hard on the driver’s side, collected Kevin Harvick, slid back down the track and clipped the No. 15 HScott Motorsports Chevrolet of Clint Bowyer. Kurt Busch also got a piece of the wreck as he just got clipped by the 14 car.

    Vickers was treated and released from the infield care center.

    “I don’t know how I cut it yet,” he said. “I felt it going down the straightaway, and at that point, I started to roll out. But at that point, you’re going 200 mph and there’s nothing you can do.”

    Asked if this wreck could have an effect on his health, he said, “Not really. Every wreck sucks, especially the hard ones. I don’t think it was so much scary. If you’re thinking about whether or not it’s scary, you’re fine. For me, as soon as you hit the wall, it’s really more of a process of, like, why did I hit the wall.”

    He’ll continue on driving the No. 14 car for the rest of Speedweeks.

    Teammate Harvick said that if one was “going to wreck, tonight is the night to wreck. Just the wrong place at the wrong time.”

    If you missed the wreck, here’s the video of it.  See video: https://youtu.be/7A43sG6LZPc

    Vickers will use what he learned from the Sprint Unlimited next week for the Daytona 500.

    “We learned a lot,” he said. “It’s the first time back and we worked on the spotter-driver relationship, talked about what we want and what we need.

    “Unfortunately, we didn’t get to pit road, that was the part I was most disappointed in, I needed to make sure I hit the marks. But we’ve got plenty of time, the Duels, practice and then the Daytona 500.”

    Vickers went on to say, “I think the most frustrating part of it for me was not to finish this first race back. But these guys have done so much and worked hard and gave me a great car. Not gonna get ’em tonight. We’ll have to get ’em in the Daytona 500.”