Tag: Daytona International Speedway

  • Saturday’s NASCAR Racing Experience 300 a solid race with few flaws

    Saturday’s NASCAR Racing Experience 300 a solid race with few flaws

    Following Michael Annett’s long-overdue win in Saturday’s NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona, many fans and NASCAR peers took issue with the show the Xfinity Series put together, calling it lackluster and boring.

    It’s easy to see why many of those who watched the race were upset, since there wasn’t constant three-wide racing, a huge crash, and leaders only leading for a lap at a time (if that is the benchmark for great racing these days). But in terms of numbers, the race actually put together a solid show for the fans and the racing world. Four cautions for 19 laps (the two extra being for debris and a single-car spin, respectively). 13 lead changes among nine drivers. A .278-second margin of victory. To top it all off, a perennial underdog became a first-time winner.

    On the flawed side of things, it makes sense why people would be upset at the late laps of the race, with the majority of the leaders waiting until the very end to make a (failed) move for position while otherwise running single-file. So many times, fans and drivers are robbed by the single-file run to the finish at Daytona and Talladega, many times ending in an anti-climatic trip to Victory Lane by a winner who was otherwise unchallenged.

    Despite all that, though, there were multiple attempts by drivers to go for it and gain position. Guys like Noah Gragson, Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, and Jeffrey Earnhardt were all pulling their weight and trying to make a go for the lead. But with the nature of the draft and the single-file racing the most they could accomplish was a leap-frogging run to the front. On that note it can’t be said that they didn’t make an effort to race and put on a good show, especially in comparison to absolute flops like the 2014 Xfinity season opener or the 2003 edition of this race, which featured a whopping two lead changes.

    If anything, it’s become difficult to differentiate between a good, solid race and a reeeaaalllyyy great race. To some, every Daytona race needs to have no fewer than 38 lead changes, three multi-car accidents, and the leader needs to be wrecked at least a half-mile before the checkered flag. But that doesn’t mean the 2019 edition of this race was without fun or suspense. Every driver drove a solid, clean race, and with 28 drivers on the lead lap at the checkered, it could have been anyone’s race. The driver who led the most laps didn’t exactly dominate – he inherited the lead late in the going and managed to hang on to it through excellent defensive driving. There was the suspense of whether or not he could seal the deal and score his first win. There was even a touch of weird; Brad Keselowski was forced to retire from the race when his roof hatch flew off of the car.

    The fans and NASCAR contemporaries are going to have their own opinions as to what constitutes an excellent NASCAR race and what counts as a NASCAR flop. That said, Saturday’s race was a solid, fun event. It wasn’t excellent, but it’d be close-minded to say the race was a flop.

  • Jeffrey Earnhardt earns top-15 finish at Daytona in debut with Joe Gibbs Racing

    Jeffrey Earnhardt earns top-15 finish at Daytona in debut with Joe Gibbs Racing

    In his debut with Joe Gibbs Racing Jeffrey Earnhardt made his presence known leading the first 29 laps in the NASCAR Racing Experience 300 and capturing a top-15 finish.

    He qualified second for the Xfinity Series race but inherited the lead when polesitter Tyler Reddick was penalized for changing a tire during qualifying which sent him to the rear of the field for the start of the race.

    Earnhardt proved to be a contender throughout the race, finishing fourth in Stage 1 and fifth in Stage 2. During the closing laps, however, he struggled with drafting and with his car’s handling, eventually having to settle for a 15th place finish. It was his fourth series top-15 in 67 starts.

    The 29 laps led was a career high for Earnhardt but it only left him wanting more.

    “We didn’t lead enough,” he said. “We didn’t lead the last one and that’s the most important one.”

    “We made adjustments because I felt like I was complaining about it being too free and we ended up getting it too tight there and we just struggled a little bit after that. Man, I was getting my butt kicked on everyone side drafting. Just lack of experience. I’ll get better at it. This was the first time to actually get to race upfront like that. It was a lot of fun. I think all three of us (Joe) Gibbs (Racing) cars showed a lot of strength. They made big improvements in the offseason. I think we’ll be really good for the rest of the superspeedways. Just lacked a little bit on my part today.”

    And although he was happy to give his sponsors some television air time while he was leading laps, Earnhardt is determined to continue his progression in the sport.

    “It was nice. I’m not going to lie. It’s always good when you can get your sponsor a lot of air time leading the race. It’s never good when you get them air time wrecking. I can’t thank iK9, Xtreme Concepts and all of the guys. All of the guys at Gibbs. They really have welcomed me with open arms. Toyota and all of the support that they’ve given me already.

    “Hopefully, we continue to grow this program and grow myself as a driver. We won’t let them get away from us anymore.”

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • Austin Hill Survives wild Daytona race/gets first career Truck Series win

    Austin Hill Survives wild Daytona race/gets first career Truck Series win

    The action never disappoints at Daytona International Speedway and never disappoints for the Truck Series either. After a record high 11 caution flags, two overtimes, the longest Truck Series race ever at Daytona and several big ones, Austin Hill comes out on top with his first career win in the series after 52 starts.

    “We got a little separation from us (Matt Crafton and Grant Enfinger) and my spotter Mike Herman Jr. did an awesome job, just telling me when and where the run was coming, what lines to chose,” Hill told MRN Radio. “The 98 (Enfinger) got to me in the center of 3 and 4, and kind of jacked me up pretty good. I didn’t think I was going to be able to hold on to that, but man, we were saving fuel there at the end, so coming off of (Turn) 4, I was pretty scared. I didn’t think we were going to make it to the finish. “

    Christian Eckes and David Gilliland sat on the front row as the race began with the stages set for 20/20/60 laps.

    The first few laps of Stage 1 set the mood for the night and it all started when Gilliland had a flat left front tire. After that, teammate Natalie Decker received damage as well from debris and cut a left front. She suffered more damage than Gilliland and the truck actually caught on fire. Decker was pulled out of the truck and was alert.

    ARCA race winner, Harrison Burton fell a lap down during the stage. Sheldon Creed, with his new GMS Racing team, took the win in Stage 1.

    Stage 2 began on Lap 26 and was a bit more tame but with a wild finish.

    At Lap 27, a three-truck incident took place in Turn 3, which involved Chris Fontaine, Ray Ciccarelli, and Tyler Dippel. Eckes also received some damage as well.

    With six to go in Stage 2, Brett Moffitt and Creed were black flagged for tandem drafting which is not allowed.

    Coming to the checkered, Todd Gilliland took the lead in Turn 3 and 4, but Johnny Sauter made a move on the outside and Gilliland got shuffled back, while Sauter and Stewart Friesen battled side-by-side at the finish line. But it was Sauter who came out on top with the Stage 2 victory.

    During the caution, Hill had to go to the rear as he was caught speeding. The 24 of Moffitt was also busted for a crew member being over the wall too soon.

    With 54 to go, the field went back to green for the final stage of the race and quite possibly, the wildest stage in Truck Series history.

    The first incident came with 46 to go when Jordan Anderson got turned from the back and set off a multi-vehicle accident. Sauter, Gus Dean, Myatt Snider, Grant Enfinger, Moffitt, Eckes, Austin Wayne Self, Creed, Brennan Poole, Friesen, and Todd Gilliland were all involved.

    Burton and David Gilliland were hit with a one lap penalty for passing the pace truck while coming down for stops.

    One lap after the restart, Christian Eckes machine caught on fire and brought out another caution.

    After the restart with 31 to go, Sauter’s race was over as he came down to the garage area for a motormount problem.

    Rookie Cory Roper went spinning off of Turn 4 and hit the inside wall. Roper’s night was done. Another issue came about when Todd Gilliland came in to the pits under caution as he thought he had rear end issues.

    Five laps after the restart with 17 to go, a wreck on the backstretch occurred when Burton got clipped to the outside and came back down collecting Todd Gilliland and Gus Dean.

    For Angela Ruch, a possible upset of the night, things got a little tougher for the Joe Nemecheck driver, as she had engine issues.

    On the restart with seven to go, another caution came out as Timothy Peters and Clay Greenfield made contact with each other.

    With this incident, it set up a three lap finish to the checkered. Well, sort of. Another big wreck broke out as Dean moved up in front of Creed and collected many others. The 52, 2, 99, 12, 88, 87, 16, 17, 45, and 68 were all involved. This would set up NASCAR overtime, meaning once the leader takes the white flag, the next one ends it.

    You know the term, cautions breed cautions and that came into effect tonight, as Bobby Gerheart, Self, and Friesen wrecked.

    Another overtime was set up, but this time they were able to finish the race. Hill threw a big block on Enfinger on the final lap and it was all Hill needed, as he went on to score his first ever Truck Series career win.

    “I had a big run on the 99 (Ben Rhodes), went to get under him and he came to block, when he did we touched and we both got it back together, but we lost our momentum, the outside lane got a big run and I turned while it clipped the 99,” Hill told MRN Radio in victory lane.

    “Luckily, I don’t know how, but we made it through. That was really the key moment for us. Getting that lead and just being able to protect it. That whole last lap, my heart was pounding and I thought they were going to get to my outside, and it was going to be a drag race. The fuel situation was really big. I was just glad to make it to the start finish line.”

    There was a record high of 11 caution flags for 55 laps and 15 lead changes.

    Austin Hill became the sixth driver to get his first win at Daytona.

  • Ross Chastain and Spencer Boyd earn top-five finish

    Ross Chastain and Spencer Boyd earn top-five finish

    With a little bit of luck and maybe if Austin Hill had run out of gas, Ross Chastain would have been an upset tonight for the small funded Niece Motorsports team at Daytona International Speedway.

    However, Chastain had to settle for a third-place finish in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 .

    “We didn’t qualify where we wanted too,” Chastain said to MRN Radio. “Just played it safe and we did all right, I did get in that one wreck there in (Turn) 3. That was my fault for spinning out. The truck held up and had plenty of speed at the end, and tried to push Grant (Enfinger), just wanted to give him a shot.”

    “I didn’t feel like I had a shot from third, so just tried to bump draft him up there and the move didn’t quite work out.”

    Another driver that could have been an upset in the race tonight was Spencer Boyd making his first Truck Series start at Daytona.

    “This is something you dream of forever,” Boyd told MRN Radio. “You just always ask for that shot. Put me in a good truck, give me the opportunity to be up front. There was a big wreck there at the end, we knocked the nose in and it was unfortunate and once I got out to second, it was like a parachute. It was going to be tough. I needed to be tucked up behind someone.”

    “I was behind Matt Crafton all night and took a lot of notes. Just to come away with a top five, first race of the year, being new to the trucks, being new to Young’s Motorsports is just a dream come true for me.”

  • Matt Crafton survives Daytona melee/still winless

    Matt Crafton survives Daytona melee/still winless

    After all the carnage tonight at Daytona International Speedway, even after getting caught up late in an accident, Matt Crafton found himself with a shot to snap his long winless streak in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

    Unfortunately, he will have to wait until Atlanta next Saturday afternoon as he finished fifth after starting 15th.

    “Just didn’t have anybody there at the end,” Crafton told MRN Radio. Grant (Enfinger) gave me this huge push, where I wished we would have stayed together, but he did everything he had to do to get me up there to have a shot.”

    “The restart before that, I was the best one where I fell in behind the 16 (Austin Hill) and this was the spot we needed to be. All in all, we finished top five. Usually, I’m upside down or crashed real early at these places. As aggravating as it is, we got here and got a bunch of points. It is my favorite racetrack now.”

    This was Crafton’s 110th top five finish of his career and his second at Daytona. His last Truck Series victory was at Eldora Speedway on July 19, 2017.

  • Grant Enfinger comes up one spot short at Daytona

    Grant Enfinger comes up one spot short at Daytona

    Coming from two laps down, Grant Enfinger almost found himself in contention to win the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway Friday night.

    “We had a check of a Ford F-150 down here,” Enfinger told MRN Radio.”(Crew Chief) Jeff Hensley and all these boys worked really, really hard before they got here, but worked even harder once we got caught up in that wreck.”

    “I had good speed, worked my butt off to get back on the lead lap and just thought we were in position to push (Matt) Crafton, and we just got blocked too much right there and I was going to wreck him if I kept with him. So, that’s when we got shuffled around and just couldn’t get a good run coming to the checkered.”

    Enfinger finished fifth and sixth in both stages. It is the 19th top-five finish of his career.

  • Austin Hill survives carnage to win season-opener at Daytona

    Austin Hill survives carnage to win season-opener at Daytona

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The defending NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series championship team returned and won their third consecutive race, but this time they had a new man behind the wheel of their hot rod.

    Austin Hill took over the No. 16 Toyota from reigning series champion Brett Moffitt, who was unable to secure sponsorship to remain in the seat, and held off Grant Enfinger in Friday night’s season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

    On the restart of the second overtime, Hill got ahead of the field and threw a huge block to prevent Matt Crafton from getting to the point. Throughout the race, Hill would get out to sizeable leads but somehow managed to keep the pack behind him. It was the same story in the end as he held off Enfinger to win his first Truck race in his 52nd career start.

    “Man, this truck was fast, it really was. I knew we had a truck that could compete,” Hill said in Victory Lane. “I got a little scared there at the end. I thought (Enfinger) was going to get me, he had a big run.

    “I can’t believe my first win came at Daytona. It’s so surreal. I can’t wait to party with these guys.”

    Hill was constantly reminded by his crew to save fuel, but he was still nervous that he might run out.

    “We pitted really early, and we already knew it was going to be close and then when we went overtime, I was so scared,” he said. “I just knew I was going to run out off (Turn) 4 and not make it to the line.

    “So much stuff was going through my head, but – hey – we’re in Victory Lane.”

    Ross Chastain finished third, Spencer Boyd was fourth, and Crafton slipped to fifth.

    The first big wreck occurred on Lap 53 of the scheduled 100 lap race when Jordan Anderson got tapped by Sheldon Creed, which collected nearly a dozen trucks. Among those who were taken out of contention included Moffitt, Johnny Sauter, Brennan Poole, Myatt Snider, and Christian Eckes.

    Eckes’ truck erupted in flames on Lap 63 coming down the frontstretch to bring out the caution. He was uninjured.

    The race resumed on Lap 70, with Hill leading the pack.

    On Lap 77, Cory Roper, who was making just his seventh Trucks start, got out of the groove and made contact with Ben Rhodes, causing him to spin and slam the inside wall to bring out another caution. Rhodes ended up taking the lead.

    With 13 laps to go, Rhodes remained in front of the field followed by Stewart Friesen and Gus Dean.

    The caution came out again on Lap 89 when Todd Gilliland got into his Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate Harrison Burton on the backstretch, sending them both wrecking into the wall off Turn 2.

    The race returned to green with seven laps left, but Clay Greenfield and Timothy Peters wrecked on the restart lap.

    The race restarted with three laps to go with Rhodes at the point, followed by Hill, and Dean. However, Creed got into Dean, which triggered another massive wreck to send the race into the first overtime. Rhodes did not make it out unscathed, ending his evening.

    Sauter held off Friesen to win Stage 2, and Creed won Stage 1 with Hill behind him in second.

    Angela Ruch, the niece of 1990 Daytona 500 champion Derrike Cope finished in eighth, the best finish of her career in any major series.

    Billy Rock, a crewmember for the FDNY Racing team and driver Bryan Dauzat, was injured earlier in the race in a pit-road incident.

    Rock, the team’s jackman, was struck by Dauzat’s No. 28 Chevrolet, which had lost its brakes. Rock was transported to Halifax Health Medical Center for further evaluation, and NASCAR officials said he was “awake and alert.” The nature of any injuries to Rock, however, were not disclosed.

  • Harvick and Logano win Duels at Daytona

    Harvick and Logano win Duels at Daytona

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.— Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano won the Gander RV Duels at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday night to set the starting lineup for the 61st annual Daytona 500 on Sunday.

    Duel 1:

    William Byron led the field to the green flag and led the first 15 laps until green flag pit stops arrived.

    Byron fell back to sixth after the green flag pit stops cycled though with Kevin Harvick taking the lead and never letting it go.

    Harvick led the final 44 laps of the first Duel for the second Duel victory of his 18-year career.

    There was only one caution which was for the 18 of Kyle Busch getting turned around by Jimmie Johnson. Busch was none too pleased with the contact between him and the seven time champ.

    “I don’t want to (expletive) hear it,” Busch told to his team when he got told what Johnson radioed to his team during the race. “Use his damn eyeballs. It’s twice he’s done the same thing in two (expletive) races.”

    After the race, unlike the Clash from Sunday, Johnson took full blame for the wreck.

    “I firmly believe the Clash was a racing incident. This one was a mistake on my behalf. Everybody makes mistakes.”

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Paul Menard, Matt DiBenedetto and Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the top five.

    Parker Kilgerman beat Ryan Truex by one position to get one of the final two open team places in the 61st running of the Great American Race.

    Duel 2

    Joey Logano needed to lead just one lap and that was the last one. Logano did just that to win his first career Daytona qualifying race.

    Logano led the final and most important of the 60 laps run in the second duel after he crafted a brilliant plan to go from fourth to first, on the final lap.

    “You have the whole race to think about making a move, and we were all out there just waiting,” Logano said. “Everyone behind me really wanted to go, and I just knew that I had to wait. The later you can do it, the less the risk if it doesn’t work. I got a good run from the 12 (Ryan Blaney) behind me and went to the bottom and got a good run.”

    Alex Bowman started out with the pole for the second consecutive year as he led the field in the first duel, just like a season ago. Like Byron, Bowman led the first 11 laps before his first green flag pitstop of the season, relinquishing the lead to Clint Bowyer. Bowyer then, took his turn to head to pit road for his only stop of the race and he took his No. 14 Rush Truck Centers to pitlane.

    That gave the lead to Brendan Gaughan in the 62 who is one of the four teams without a charter. Gaughan, who runs Daytona and usually Talladega in the Cup Series, led six laps before giving the lead back to Bowyer but Gaughan did hold off Joey Gase to get the final spot in the 500.

    Bowyer led two times for 41 laps but couldn’t get the job done and will start the 500 in sixth place.

    Aric Almirola, Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch rounded out the top five.

    Brendan Gaughan raced his way in which means that Ryan Truex and Joey Gase will be leaving Daytona without racing in the Great American Race.

    The 61st running of the Daytona 500 is on Sunday, Feb. 18th, at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

    Daytona 500 Starting Lineup:

    Starting PositionDriverTeam
    1.William ByronHendrick Motorsports
    2.Alex BowmanHendrick Motorsports
    3.Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas Racing
    4.Joey LoganoTeam Penske
    5.Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Roush Fenway Racing
    6.Clint BowyerStewart-Haas Racing
    7.Paul MenardWood Brothers Racing
    8.Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas Racing
    9.Matt DiBenedettoLeavine Family Racing
    10.Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs Racing
    11.Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs Racing
    12.Kurt BuschChip Ganassi Racing
    13Bubba WallaceRichard Petty Motorsports
    14.Ryan BlaneyTeam Penske
    15.Chris BuescherJTG Daugherty Racing
    16.Jamie McMurraySpire Motorsports
    17.Jimmie JohnsonHendrick Motorsports
    18.Chase ElliottHendrick Motorsports
    19.Ryan NewmanRoush Fenway Racing
    20.Austin DillonRichard Childress Racing
    21.Ryan PreeceJTG Daugherty Racing
    22.Ty DillonGermain Racing
    23.Daniel SuarezStewart-Haas Racing
    24.David RaganFront Row Motorsports
    25.Parker Kligerman*Gaunt Brothers Racing
    26.Kyle LarsonChip Ganassi Racing
    27.Landon CassillStarcom Racing
    28.Erik JonesJoe Gibbs Racing
    29.Daniel HemricRichard Childress Racing
    30.Brendan Gaughan*Beard Motorsports
    31.Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs Racing
    32.Corey LaJoieGO FAS Racing
    33.Matt TifftFront Row Motorsports
    34.Michael McDowellFront Row Motorsports
    35.Brad KeselowskiTeam Penske
    36.Ross ChastainPremium Motorsports
    37.Cody WareRick Ware Racing
    38.BJ McLeodPetty Ware Racing
    39.Tyler Reddick*Richard Childress Racing
    40.Casey Mears*Germain Racing

  • William Byron: No Ordinary 21-Year-Old

    William Byron: No Ordinary 21-Year-Old

    William Byron is no regular 21-year-old.

    Byron, the 21-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, won the pole for the 61st annual Daytona 500 on Sunday. But as Chad Knaus told Fox’s Mike Yocum, “He is a man. Not a kid.”

    It was business as usual for the Liberty University college student.

    “It is a good first start for us, but we got a lot more to do and that starts with the Duels on Thursday.”

    Byron got his start in racing by a man named Dennis Lambert. Lambert was no slouch and challenged William but he also simplified it for him as well.

    “He really helped me start my career,” Byron said. “Taught me a lot about driving. Learning from him, he was a challenge to me. He was really good in the cars and I could learn a lot from him. He made it simple and some people make it really complicated but he just made it simple for me and I think that has helped me along the way as well.”

    He then moved up to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Series in 2015 where he ran the entire year with Justin Marks and Liberty University. This is the first step for many drivers that are currently in the Cup Series as they start their NASCAR career, and for Byron, it was beneficial beyond belief.

    “It kinda taught me how it is to race in a big series for the first time,” said Byron. “Having some televised events and bigger tracks like Bristol, Iowa, Richmond. It kinda taught me the ropes of those tracks so I don’t forget.”

    Byron racked up four wins, five top fives and he ran every single lap except for one at Winston-Salem, finishing off the year with his name above everyones on the top of the point standings.

    After a K&N Pro Series East championship, it was time to take a step up as Kyle Busch Motorsports offered Byron a full ride in the No. 9 Truck with Liberty University at the helm for the 2016 season. Once again, nothing was stopping Byron as he tallied up his first win at Kansas followed by wins at Texas, Iowa, Kentucky and Pocono. Byron was neck and neck with Johnny Sauter all the way until the final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. And even though he did everything he could do (win the race, and score the most amount of points), it was just not enough as Sauter finished third and won the title by three points. That didn’t discourage Byron. In fact, the defeat did the exact opposite. It encouraged him to want it more.

    With a bunch of determination, Byron took the next step toward his destination as JR Motorsports offered him the No. 9 Xfinity Series car with, once again, Liberty University, as his main sponsor. Obviously driving for the 14-time most popular driver in the highest NASCAR series, would be intimidating beyond belief for the average driver but for Byron, only just a tad.

    “I mean, only a little at first,” he said. “I think you learn to block out the outside noise. What really matters is what is inside that car, what is inside that team, so if the team is really not letting it get to them I don’t let it get to me. I would say yeah, there is some added pressure but you got to make sure you live up to that by the way you do things and the way you approach things so I think you learn that over time. So, it’s about what is inside that team.”

    If you didn’t believe Byron was intimidated driving for Dale Earnhardt Jr., his performance on the track didn’t tell anybody otherwise. Byron received the checkered flag first in Iowa, and seven days later captured another victory at the World Center of Racing, Daytona International Speedway. He followed that up with a win and a kiss at the yard of bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. When he needed to win, he succeeded by doing just that at the second to last race of the season at Phoenix and qualifying for the final 4 for the Championship at Homestead.

    Nervousness? Hardly any at all. This is nothing new for Byron. Byron finished third in the race, the highest of all the drivers in the final four and won the 2017 Xfinity Series Championship.

    So, what was next for Byron? Would he spend another year in the Xfinity Series or move up to Cup? He didn’t know.

    There is one thing that will always advance drivers in any sport and that is winning. For Byron, that was no different, as he received the opportunity to move up to the Cup Series.

    “Most opportunities came above other people by just winning,” Byton said. “You just need to win races so that is what afforded me to get this chance. That’s really what afforded me the opportunity in the Cup Series was winning and the championship and that’s kinda how it has gotten to me to this point so you really have to win to stay around.”

    In what was a rough first season in the series for Byron (by his standards), he had zero wins, but it did seem like he was getting onto a streak toward the end of the year.

    Now it is on to the 2019 season for the young Hendrick driver and while he returns to the same car for the season, he has a new superstar in his crew chief and that is Chad Knaus. Knuas has spent the last 17 seasons as the crew chief for Jimmie Johnson, the seven-time champ. It has since been a seamless transition between the two.

    When asked if Johnson talked with Byron about working with Knaus and if he has given any advice to the young 21-year-old, Byron said, “We have talked a lot. Chad and I have talked.”

    Johnson confirmed this during his media availability at the Daytona 500 Media Day, saying, “William and Chad have talked. I and William have talked. I think the situation that they are in, Chad is going to be able to bring so much to the table for William to make him grow to become the driver that he wants to be.”

    What does the future hold for Byron? Time will tell. Many of his competitors agree though, that Byron is definitely one to watch.

    “You look at a guy that has probably the best equipment out there in William Byron.” Casey Mears said during Media Day. “I know he sat on the pole here for Daytona. He still has a lot to prove, you know? Watching last season, I don’t think Hendrick Motorsports was really where they needed to be last year as well. I’m really curious as to how he progresses now that he has a year under his belt and hopefully the team being a little down the road.”

    This year’s expectations, though?

    “Yeah obviously, playoffs, wins, those are great,” said Byron, “but we got to do the work first to get there. We are going to get through the first four and five races first and then once we get through the first four and five races, hopefully we are where we want to be and we can work from there to figure out how we can get better and go from there.”

    William Byron is no normal 21-year-old. He is a star in the making.

  • NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Preview-Daytona

    NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Preview-Daytona

    The Truck Series finally gets back on track this Friday night for the first race of the 2019 season. And with the series getting on track, it’ll be the 20th time, every year since 2000, when the first race at Daytona features the Trucks.

    It has been quite the off-season for the Gander Outdoor Truck Series which is the new name for the series. With a new sponsor, dawns a new era. There are familiar faces who return but in new places.

    Here’s a look at who might just end up in victory lane Friday night at Daytona International Speedway.

    Currently, there are 40 Trucks on the entry list for 32 spots.

    1. Johnny Sauter – Surprise, surprise. Well not really, but he’s a guy who you expect to be up front. Sauter returns to Thorsport this season for the first time since 2009. It has been quite the off-season for Sauter, when in January, he was out of a ride at GMS Racing where he recorded six wins last year and was in the championship race at Homestead. He’ll be driving the No. 13 entry where he has found success and which was previously driven by Myatt Snider. In 10 races at Daytona, Sauter has three wins and is the defending race winner. He also won in 2016 both with GMS. However, Sauter got his first Daytona win in 2013 driving for Thorsport. It is also the site of his first Daytona start in 2009 for Thorsport. He has three DNFs four top fives and five top 10 finishes with 127 laps led. Sauter’s average start is 10.7 with an average finish of 13.4. Sauter has a driver rating of 88.6. Expect Sauter to be contending for the win Friday night at Daytona.
    2. Harrison Burton – Unlike the first one, this one could be somewhat of a surprise, but maybe not. Burton will be competing full-time for Kyle Busch Motorsports taking over Noah Gragson’s ride in the No. 18. He will be making his first superspeedway start in a Truck, however, Burton has already visited victory lane at Daytona. As a matter of fact, it came this past weekend when Burton took the checkered flag in the Arca Racing Series. He dominated by leading 48 of 86 laps.
    3. David Gilliland – At Daytona, Gilliland has two starts with a best finish of sixth for Ricky Benton Racing in 2015. He started on the pole last year but finished 21st after leading 30 laps, finishing five laps down. Gilliland also competed in Talladega last fall where he started on the pole again, but this time with a better finish of third. He’s been a strong contender as of late at the superspeedways, so expect him to be at the front. Gilliland will also have his son, Todd, to work with him.
    4. Brett Moffitt – New year, new team for the defending champion Moffitt who is taking over Sauter’s ride, which now becomes the No. 24. Moffitt only has two starts at Daytona, neither a top five or 10. However, Sauter’s team won last year and in 2016. Given the equipment and the right opportunity, he could be at the front in the end. And it shouldn’t be a surprise, as Moffitt tied with Sauter for wins last year. He looks to start off 2019 with a bang by winning.
    5. Matt Crafton – Crafton is looking to put the dismal 2018 season behind him after going winless and Daytona could just be the place to do it and snap his winless streak. He has one top five and seven top 10 finishes with eight laps led. Crafton’s average start is 16.2 with a average finish of 14.9 along with three DNFs. His best finish is fifth in 2010, nine years ago. If Crafton wins, it’ll be the first superspeedway win of any kind. Crafton has also ended upside down on the last lap.

    In 19 races, there have been 16 different winners with Johnny Sauter being the only one to win three times. Todd Bodine is the only back-to-back winner from 2008-2009.

    The lowest a winner has come from to win was 36th set by Bobby Hamilton in 2005. The highest a winner has come from was first, four times with Joe Ruttman, Mark Martin, Jack Sprague and Kaz Grala accomplishing the feat.

    There have been three different winners in the past five races with Sauter being the only repeat winner.

    On-track activity begins Thursday afternoon with two practices, the first at 2:35 p.m. ET and final practice at 4:35 p.m. ET, both on Fox Sports 2.

    Qualifying will take place Friday afternoon at 4:40 p.m. ET with single vehicle qualifying and two rounds on Fox Sports 1.

    The NextEra Energy Resources 250 is scheduled for Friday night at 7:30 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio. Stages will be 20/40/100 to equal the 250 mile race distance.