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  • Full starting lineup for Gander RV Duel races at Daytona

    Full starting lineup for Gander RV Duel races at Daytona

    Staff Report |NASCAR.com 

    Sunday’s Daytona 500 single-car qualifying set only the front row for the “Great American Race” — Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron (Busch Pole Award) and Alex Bowman will lead the field when the green flag drops Feb. 17 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

    The qualifying speeds, though, set the lineups for Thursday’s Gander RV Duel races at Daytona (7 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the twin 60-lap races that determine the full starting lineup for the 61st running of the Daytona 500.

    Duel 1 is typically comprised from the odd-numbered drivers on the Daytona 500 qualifying speed chart — first, third, fifth, etc. Duel 2 is then the even-finishing drivers. NASCAR officials, though, ensure an even number of Open, non-Charter teams in each duel race.

    The results of those two races will determine the cars that qualify for the Daytona 500, and where they line up on the grid. The winner of Duel 1 will start the Daytona 500 in third place, second place starts fifth, and so on through the inside row. The winner of Duel 2 will start the Daytona 500 in fourth place, second place starts sixth and so on through the outside row.

    Additionally, Tyler Reddick and Casey Mears locked themselves into the Daytona 500 field by virtue of being the fastest two Open cars during qualifying.

    Below is the starting lineup for each Duel race.

    * denotes Open, non-Charter team

    DUEL 1 LINEUP

    STARTING POSITION DRIVER TEAM
    1. William Byron Hendrick Motorsports
    2. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
    3. Daniel Hemric Richard Childress Racing
    4. Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing
    5. Brad Keselowski Team Penske
    6. Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing
    7. Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing
    8. Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing
    9. Tyler Reddick* Richard Childress Racing
    10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing
    11. Daniel Suarez Stewart-Haas Racing
    12. Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing
    13. Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing
    14. Ryan Truex* Tommy Baldwin Racing
    15. Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing
    16. Matt DiBenedetto Leavine Family Racing
    17. Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports
    18. Matt Tifft Front Row Motorsports
    19. Parker Kligerman* Gaunt Brothers Racing
    20. Landon Cassill StarCom Racing
    21. Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing

    PROJECTED DUEL 2 LINEUP

    STARTING POSITION DRIVER TEAM
    1. Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports
    2. Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports
    3. Joey Logano Team Penske
    4. Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing
    5. Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing
    6. Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing
    7. Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing
    8. Ryan Blaney Team Penske
    9. Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing
    10. Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing
    11. David Ragan Front Row Motorsports
    12. Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports
    13. Casey Mears* Germain Racing
    14. Jamie McMurray Spire Motorsports
    15. Brendan Gaughan* Beard Motorsports
    16. Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing
    17. Ty Dillon Germain Racing
    18. Ross Chastain Premium Motorsports
    19. Corey LaJoie GO FAS Racing
    20. BJ McLeod Petty Ware Racing
    21. Joey Gase* Motorsports Business Management
  • The Final Final Word – A new season brings new hope

    The Final Final Word – A new season brings new hope

    A new season. A new group of people and combinations. A new rules package. A new reason to hope for more entertaining action.

    We can only hope that this time they will succeed.

    Now, before we get all gooey talking about the good ole days when they raced door to door to the line every time, that is a false memory. Unless you were a fan of Ned Jarrett, his 14 lap win over Buck Baker in the 1965 Southern 500 had to have been as exciting as watching Tom Brady leading the Patriots against the Ardrossan High School Bisons. I hope it was a very nice day to sit in the sun to view something like that. The next best cars were a further five laps behind.

    More than a decade has passed since everyone and their celebrity pet hound had it bad for NASCAR. To be honest, that might have been a very lovely blip on the sport radar. It was a time when those in the south, and a few elsewhere, those who had followed the action for thirty years met up with the celebrities who had been hooked for all of 30 minutes. Big television contracts, big sponsors, big hype and exposure, and even big expenditures were to follow. For a while. The huge television deals still have five years to run, but the sponsors are dwindling along with the fans, the ratings and the exposure. Now, they have to be concerned with those expenditures. What they need to do is capture white lightening in a bottle once more. Can it be done?

    Reduced engine horsepower and aero ducts to promote tighter racing is one plan. That is the aim on most of the tracks over a mile long, with the Daytona 500 an exception. Expect a taller spoiler, a larger front splitter with a bit of an overhang as they seek added downforce and more stable handling. The guy who celebrates on Victory Lane might not be the same name as the guy in the history books. With the top two cars, and a random third, taken for inspection at the track post-race, a major transgression will mean disqualification. That means instead of a win a team could be relegated to 40th place, and it might take up to two hours before the final positions are made official. That won’t delay the post-race celebrations, but how will fans react to seeing the shaking bubbly and the tearful interview, only to discover the son-of-a-gun had no business celebrating? If that happens too many times, a lot of people won’t be very happy. While some would love for it to happen, when Tom Brady got the Super Bowl Trophy no one was going to take it away.

    Teams come and go. Drivers come and go. Crew chiefs come and go, or simply move on. The big story, though, are the fans. They also come and go but will some who left come back? Will new fans be enticed to check it out so the tracks will finally stop tearing down grandstands? Will the racing be such that you wish to capture each and every moment of the experience, with no desire to fast forward to the end?

    Some of those answers could start coming our way this Sunday at the Daytona 500. Here is hoping all our hopes come true.

  • Multi-car wreck swallows half the field at Daytona

    Multi-car wreck swallows half the field at Daytona

    Brad Keselowski’s frustration was hidden behind a veil of sarcasm, as he stood outside the infield care center at Daytona International Speedway.

    “I’ve got to wreck more people and then they’ll stop blocking me late and behind like that. That’s my fault,” Keselowski said. “I’ll take the credit for my team and we’ll go to Talladega and we’ll wreck everybody that throws a bad block like that.”

    The bad block he referred to was thrown by race leader William Byron, who shifted from the top lane to the bottom to stall Keselowski’s run on the bottom. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who was right behind him, caught his right-rear corner panel as he moved back towards the bottom and hooked him into the outside wall, triggering a 26-car wreck on Lap 54 of the Coke Zero Sugar 400.

    “Ricky was doing the best he could to give me a good push and had a great run to take the lead and the car in front of me just threw a late, bad block,” Keselowski added. “I made the mistake of lifting instead of just driving through him and that’s my fault. I know better than that.”

    “Yeah, I thought he (Byron) blocked him, but I did that here in February and threw an aggressive block down the back straightaway that in turn caused a big crash like that too,” Stenhouse said after the race. “I can see it from Byron’s side and from my side I was a little frustrated he threw the block, but then again I can’t be too mad because I felt like I did that in February.”

    Keselowski’s car turned up the track, clipped Kurt Busch’s car and slammed into the outside wall, going into Turn 3. Chase Elliott t-boned him, veered down into the path of Denny Hamlin, which gaggled up Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano and Daniel Suarez.

    “…I don’t know, I think the best I can remember Brad (Keselowski) had a pretty big run on William (Byron) and I don’t think William was clear, but he didn’t know he wasn’t clear and then Brad tried to get on the brakes really hard to stop for him. We were getting really close to the corner so he couldn’t enter on the apron and whoever was behind him hit him and turned him up the track. Not really a whole lot you can do about that.”

    Officially, 26 cars suffered some level of damage in the Lap 54 incident.

    For Keselowski and Busch, the wreck didn’t hamper them in points. Both leave Daytona in the Top-10. Elliott’s points loss from his 34th-place finish was compounded by teammate Alex Bowman finishing in the Top-10 and Stenhouse finishing the race. He leaves 37 points ahead of the Playoff cutoff spot.

  • Erik Jones grabs first Monster Energy Series win in OT finish at Daytona

    Erik Jones grabs first Monster Energy Series win in OT finish at Daytona

    Reid Spencer | NASCAR Wire Service

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — In a wild war of attrition that went to two overtimes, Erik Jones outdueled Martin Truex Jr. on Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway to seize the first victory of his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career.

    In a Coke Zero Sugar 400 that went eight laps beyond its scheduled 160, Jones passed the reigning series champion on the backstretch of the final lap and held on to win by .125 seconds. Jones battled back from damage sustained in a multicar wreck on Lap 65, an accident that cost him a lap.

    The final circuit was the only one Jones led.

    “How about that race, boys and girls?” Jones shouted to the fans in the grandstands after his celebratory burnout in front of the flag stand. “My first Cup win, my first win at Daytona, my first superspeedway win — what an awesome day, man!

    “There’s so much smoke in the car from that burnout, I can hardly breathe, but what an awesome finish.”

    AJ Allmendinger ran third after a nine-car wreck ended the first overtime attempt with Truex approaching the finish line just short of the end of the white-flag lap. That wreck provided the coup de grace for Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson and Trevor Bayne.

    Only 20 of the 40 cars that started the race were running at the finish, and only 13 finished on the lead lap. Kasey Kahne came home fourth after leading 17 laps, and Chris Buescher ran fifth, matching his finish in the season-opening Daytona 500.

    With a push from Kahne, Truex got the lead after the final restart on Lap 167 but couldn’t hold it. The outside lane was more organized as the final lap unfolded, and Jones got a strong run through Turns 1 and 2.

    “He (Jones) got a big run getting into (Turn) 1 and through the center, and I just didn’t block him good enough in the middle of 1 and 2,” Truex said. “He got to my right rear quarter — just barely — enough to slow me down off of 2, and then the race was on from there.

    “Just missed that block a little bit. I’ve got to get better at my mirror-driving. I’ve never really been good at that, and unfortunately, that’s part of this racing here, but I’m really proud to get to the end.”

    Truex had posted only one other top-five finish — a second in the 2016 Daytona 500 — in 26 previous starts at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

    Two massive wrecks in Stage 2, both involving Ricky Stenhouse Jr., eliminated the majority of the contending cars and opened the door for a new winner.

    On Lap 54, Brad Keselowski was running behind leader William Byron when his No. 2 Ford turned off the front bumper of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Fusion, slammed into the No. 41 of Kurt Busch and ignited a Turn 3 wreck that involved 24 cars and wiped out all three Team Penske entries, along with Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Daniel Suarez and pole winner Chase Elliott.

    But Keselowski didn’t blame Stenhouse. He pointed the finger at Byron, who moved down the track to put a late block on the No. 2 and forced Keselowski to check up.

    “Ricky was doing the best he could to give me a good push and had a great run to take the lead, and the car in front of me (Byron) just threw a late, bad block,” Keselowski said. “I made the mistake of lifting instead of just driving through him, and that’s my fault.

    “I’ve got to wreck more people, and then they’ll stop blocking me late and behind like that. That’s my fault. I’ll take the credit for my team, and we’ll go to Talladega, and we’ll wreck everybody that throws a bad block like that.”

    Byron didn’t stay up front for long. He was leading again on Lap 65 when Stenhouse tapped the left rear of series leader Kyle Busch’s Toyota and sent the No. 18 Camry spinning into Byron’s Chevrolet. Both Byron and Busch were knocked out of the race in that accident.

    “I tried to side-draft the 18 (Busch) in the wrong place,” a subdued Stenhouse said on his team radio.

    Byron lost a good chance to improve on his 21st position in the standings.

    “The No. 17 car (Stenhouse) just kind of, I guess, hooked the No. 18 into me,” Byron said. “It seemed like he was being really aggressive, and that’s the second time we’ve kind of been on the wrong end of something with him.

    “Unfortunate for us, but we had a good race going. We needed to really have a really good day, because of the points position we’re in, but that is just part of speedway racing, I guess. But it stinks to be on that side of it. But at least we led some laps (12), so that was good.”

    Notes: Stenhouse won the first and second stages, garnering his first playoff points of the season, before sustaining serious damage in a Lap 124 wreck. He finished 17th, one lap down. … Harvick’s No. 4 team did yeoman work to repair his car after it suffered extensive body damage in the Lap 54 accident. Harvick led the field to green on Lap 162 to start the first overtime, but he fell victim to the nine-car wreck before that circuit was completed. … Despite a 33rd-place finish, Kyle Busch retained the series lead by 57 points over Harvick.

    RELATED: Race results | ‘Big One’ erupts at Daytona

  • Kyle Larson Shocked by Xfinity Win at Daytona

    Kyle Larson Shocked by Xfinity Win at Daytona

    Kyle Larson brought home the victory in a wild finish at the Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 at Daytona International Speedway. Driving his No.42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet he crossed the finish line mere inches from Elliott Sadler, who came in second place.

    This is Larson’s third Xfinity victory this season and his first Xfinity win at Daytona. He survived not only the “Big One” but also watching driver Justin Haley take the checkers ahead of him making him believe he didn’t win. Haley, however, went below the yellow lines which is against the rules and NASCAR ruled Larson the race winner.

    “I didn’t even think I’d won until I got to the lug nut check, and they had a big screen down there,” Larson said. “And I saw a little bit of the replay and saw that he went a clipped the yellow line, so I asked about it, and they said NASCAR was talking about it, and about 10 seconds later we were declared the winner.”

    He added, “It’s a little bit of a shock for me, this is awesome, to win both stages and win the race, it means a lot for me and DC Solar.”

    Haley commented on NASCAR’s decision, saying, “I just wish NASCAR would tell us how much of the car we could have below the yellow line. It’s not how we wanted it to end, but I’m extremely blessed to get the opportunity. It’s amazing to be here at Daytona even though I didn’t win.”

    Stage 1 of the race went caution free making for a very fast stage. The frontrunners broke away from the pack leaving the rest of the field to fight for 10th on back. The only hiccup would be from Christopher Bell who slid sideways into his pitbox when making his pit stop at the end of the stage. Larson won this stage easily.

    “We got a third-place finish,” Bell said, “so I’m really proud of my team and hope we can build on this and create some momentum.”

    Stage 2 would see pole sitter Ryan Preece’s day come to an early end with a mechanical failure.

    “We must have got a piece of debris go through the radiator, and we lost all of the water,” Preece explained. “It cooked the motor down. Unfortunate. I felt like we were starting to make our way forward and start to work the draft.”

    During the remainder of the stage, the cars pretty much stayed in two lines with the inside line being the fastest of the two. This stage, like the first, Larson would also win without really being challenged. There was one spin but the caution was already out for the end of the stage.

    The final stage of 40 laps is where you held your breath and waited for what everyone knew would happen…”The Big One.”

    The drivers began to lose patience in their bid to the front and started going three and four wide. On Lap 81, it happened, when Matt Tifft and Austin Cindric triggered a 17-car pileup that would bring out the red flag. Cindric would get the worst of it when his No. 60 started to barrel-roll. Luckily Cindric was treated and released from the infield care center. With three laps to go, there was another multi-car wreck and the race would go into NASCAR overtime.

    A very frustrated Elliott Sadler finished in second place.

    He remarked, “I just didn’t know the 24 was coming, miscommunication between my spotter and myself. I was just trying to key in on the 42. I feel like it was Daytona February all over again. I just hate it for my guys, they work way too hard for me to keep finishing second here at Daytona. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

    Bell overcame his hiccup at the end of the first stage and finished third in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

    “We got a third-place finish,” Bell said, “so I’m really proud of my team and hope we can build on this and create some momentum.”

    Ryan Blaney and Kaz Grala would round out the top five finishers. Shane Lee, Timmy Hill, Daniel Hemric, Justin Allgaier, and Ross Chastain finished sixth through 10th respectively.

    Sadler leads the Xfinity Series standings with 582 points. Hemric is in second and Cole Custer in third followed by Bell in fourth and Justin Allgaier is in fifth.

    The Xfinity Series heads next to Kentucky Speedway on Friday, July 13.

  • Chase Elliott earns Busch Pole Award at Daytona; Hendrick sweeps front row

    Chase Elliott earns Busch Pole Award at Daytona; Hendrick sweeps front row

    Reid Spencer | NASCAR Wire Service

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A sprained ankle didn’t prevent Chase Elliott from putting his foot to the floorboard Friday at Daytona International Speedway.

    Elliott powered around the 2.5-mile track in 46.381 seconds (194.045 mph) to win the pole position for Sunday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 (7 p.m. on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) by a whopping .24 seconds over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman (193.046 mph).

    The Busch Pole Award was Elliott’s first of the season and the fourth of his career, all of which have come at restrictor-plate superspeedways — three of them at Daytona.
    With Jimmie Johnson qualifying fourth at 192.361 mph, Hendrick Chevrolets took three of the top four starting positions for the 18th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of the season. Third-place qualifier Brad Keselowski broke up the monopoly with a lap at 192.802 mph in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford.

    Earlier in the week, Elliott sprained his right ankle — the one that mashes the accelerator — while “horsing around at the pool.” He had the ankle X-rayed at the infield care center at the track.

    “I didn’t really want to do that, so I’ve been trying to draw as least amount of attention as possible to that,” Elliott said. “But it’s all good. Yeah, had a little ankle sprain, but we are good and ready to go.”

    Saturday’s race will mark Elliott’s 95th start in NASCAR’s top series. Those 94 events have produced 26 top five’s — including eight runner-up results — but no wins.

    “I think it gives everybody confidence,” Elliott said of the pole-winning effort. “Having a good pit stall is certainly nice. That can matter at the end of these races. Sharing the front row with your teammate is also nice, too. 

    “So we’ll just have to see. The race is a whole different ballgame, but to have speed in our Chevrolet is nice, and to have (sponsor) Hooters for their first race of the season on the pole is cool, too. Looking forward to (Saturday) night.”

    Kevin Harvick qualified fifth, followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Newman, Michael McDowell and Daytona 500 winner Austin Dillon. Seven Fords and five Chevrolets made the final round. Reigning series champion Martin Truex Jr. will start 13th in the top-qualifying Toyota.

    With rain wiping out Thursday’s second Cup practice, Friday’s time trials were more of a question mark than they otherwise would have been.

    “It was OK, I think — you never know what you’re going to get here,” Truex said of his starting position. “Not much practice yesterday, and we didn’t do any qualifying runs, so we just kind of winged it. I think 13th will be an OK starting spot.”

    Series leader Kyle Busch earned the 15th spot on the grid.

    RELATED: Full qualifying results

  • NASCAR Reinstates Xfinity Driver Spencer Gallagher

    NASCAR Reinstates Xfinity Driver Spencer Gallagher

    On Wednesday, Spencer Gallagher was reinstated by NASCAR and is eligible to compete once again in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Two months ago, he was indefinitely suspended for violating the substance abuse policy.

    In a press release by GMS Racing, the team announced Gallagher will return to the No. 23 Chevrolet next weekend at Kentucky Speedway. Currently, Chase Elliott is listed as the entry driver for the No. 23 car in Friday’s Xfinity race in the Coca-Cola 250 at Daytona International Speedway. Other drivers to act as substitutes during Gallagher’s absence include Johnny Sauter, Justin Haley and Alex Bowman

    “The whole GMS organization is very proud of Spencer (Gallagher) for getting reinstated after completing NASCAR’s Road to Recovery program after the results we received post-Talladega,” GMS Racing’s president Mike Beam said in that release. “Spencer will return to the No. 23 at Kentucky Speedway and then again after our agreed contracts are fulfilled.”

    NASCAR posted the article on their website around 2 p.m. on July 4 that Gallagher successfully completed the necessary requirements within NASCAR’s Road to Recovery program to be considered for reinstatement.

    Gallagher was suspended a day after his first series victory at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this season. Despite that victory, he is no longer eligible for the Xfinity Playoffs, mainly due to the failure to attempt to qualify for each race of the season. However, the No. 23 car is still eligible for an owners championship and currently sits 11th in the owners’ standings at 171 points behind the top spot.

    When Gallagher was suspended, he shared an assurance to both his fans and the NASCAR community.

    “I want to assure everyone in the NASCAR community this one-time error in judgment will never happen again.

    “I would like to say that I am sorry to all of the GMS organization for my actions, especially my team and team owner, who have worked so hard this year and have put faith in me. I also want to apologize to NASCAR, Chevrolet and my fans for letting them down. I have not upheld the behavior that is expected of me. I promise you all here and now, I will do whatever it takes to make this right.”

    Now that this is behind him, Gallagher only looks to the horizon as the team plans to have the 28-year-old back in the driver’s seat at Kentucky Speedway.

  • Full Schedule for Daytona

    Full Schedule for Daytona

    Staff Report | NASCAR.com

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series will be in action for a holiday weekend at Daytona International Speedway this week. Check out the full schedule below, subject to change.

    Note: All times are ET.

    Thursday, July 5 
    1:05-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, NBCSN (Canada: TSN GO) (Results)
    2:05-2:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, NBCSN (Canada: TSN1) (Results)
    3:05-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, NBCSN (Canada: TSN GO) (Results)
    4:05-4:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, NBCSN (Canada: TSN1) CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER

    PRESS PASS (Watch live)
    Noon: Tyler Reddick and Elliott Sadler
    12:15 p.m.: Brandon Jones, Kaz Grala and Ryan Preece
    12:30 p.m.: Austin Dillon
    12:45 p.m.: Bubba Wallace
    1 p.m.: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    3:30 p.m.: Kyle Larson

    Friday, July 6 
    2:10 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series pole qualifying, NBCSN (Canada: TSN GO) CANCELED DUE TO RAIN
    5:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole qualifying, NBCSN (Canada: TSN GO) (Follow live)
    7:30 p.m. NASCAR Xfinity Series Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 (100 laps, 250 miles), NBCSN (Canada: TSN2) (Follow live)

    PRESS PASS (Watch live)
    3 p.m.: Denny Hamlin
    5:45 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying
    9:45 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Xfinity Series race

    Saturday, July 7
    7 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 (160 laps, 400 miles), NBC (Follow live)

    PRESS PASS (Watch live)
    4:30 p.m.: Medal of Honor Recipients
    10 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race

     

  • Johnson’s Early Struggles Will Not Define His Success

    Johnson’s Early Struggles Will Not Define His Success

    Although Jimmie Johnson is currently 35th in points with back to back finishes of 27th or worse, he is still optimistic about the 2018 season.

    The uncharacteristic results of the 2017 season seem to have rolled over into the first two races and both exhibition events of the season. Last year, Johnson posted a career-worst 11 top-10 finishes and a 10th place finish in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship. So far this season, he has been involved in a crash in every event, has a DNF in three of the four races, and has yet to lead a lap.

    In the Daytona 500, the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet crashed when the field entered Turn 3 coming to the green-checkered flag at the end of Stage 1, resulting in a 38th place finish. This past week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the team struggled with handling and car setup all weekend. Johnson spun on the backstretch on lap 159 after a right front tire came apart. He finished in the 27th position, five laps down.

    When asked about the crash at the Daytona 500, Johnson wasn’t pleased with how the competition was racing so early in the event.

    “Unfortunately, many thought that was the black and white checkered flag and not the green and white checkered flag,” Johnson said after he was released from the infield care center. “On Lap 59 to be throwing blocks like that just let to a lot of wrecked race cars.”

    The exhibition races proved no different. In the Advance Auto Parts Clash, Johnson was involved in a last-lap crash coming to the checkered flag. Later, during Daytona Speedweeks, he crashed on Lap 8 in the first Can-Am Duel qualifying race with a sudden flat left-rear tire at full speed at the exit of the tri-oval, collecting Aric Almirola.

    However, ‘Seven-Time’ is determined not to let the end of last season and the first two rounds of 2018 determine his success for this year. He reassured his fans and team through a tweet Monday after the Atlanta race.

    The Hendrick Motorsports veteran doesn’t seem fazed two races into the season and is confident about his pursuit of a record-breaking eighth championship. Johnson looks to break through this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he holds four career victories. To witness the race in person on March 4, you can order tickets for the Pennzoil 400 on the speedway’s website at http://www.lvms.com/tickets/pennzoil_400/.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Daytona

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Daytona

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Austin Dillon: Dillon overtook Aric Almirola on Turn 3 of the final lap and captured the Daytona 500 in the No. 3 car made famous by the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr.

    “I got a tattoo of the Daytona 500 logo and the word ‘champ’ on my backside,” Dillon said. “I’ve always wanted a tattoo but was afraid of getting one. I guess you could say I finally ‘cracked.’

    “While I’m at it, I may get another tattoo that says ‘Richard Childress Racing’ on my lower back. Would that be called a ‘gramp stamp?’”

    2. Darrell Wallace Jr.: Wallace, in his first start for Richard Petty Motorsports in the No. 43 car, took second at Daytona.

    “Denny Hamlin and I made contact crossing the finish line,” Wallace said, “and I was a little unhappy about it. So I made a crack about Adderall, which is “A Denny Hamlin Dis.” So maybe I need to be treated for ‘ADHD.’”

    3. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started strong at Daytona, qualifying second and leading the first 10 laps. But a one-lap penalty for missing his pit box put him way back in the field before he charged back.

    “It was a very exciting race,” Hamlin said. “It got everybody’s blood pumping. I guess you could call this year’s Daytona 500 a ‘stimulant.’

    “Okay, I think that’s enough talk about Adderall for the time being. It seems we’ve reached the ‘speed’ limit.”

    4. Joey Logano: Logano started fifth and finished fourth in the Daytona 500, giving Ford its top finish.

    “I felt confident from the get-go,” Logano said. “Mostly because Matt Kenseth was not in the race, but also because the car was fast.

    “Kudos to the Navy Band Southeast for their wonderful rendition of the ‘Star Spangled Banner.’ Fergie should follow their example of the national anthem and not sing it.”

    5. Chris Buescher: Buescher survived the carnage at Daytona and left with a strong fifth in the 500.

    “Not many people know who I am,” Buescher said. “I’m not what you would call a ‘household name.’ My car, however, is a ‘household product,’ because I’m sponsored by Cottonelle. That’s an odd sponsor for a race car driver, because, of course, you don’t want to be ‘bringing up the rear.’”

    6. Paul Menard: Menard finished sixth at Daytona in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Fusion.

    “Michael Waltrip took his famous ‘Grid Walk’ before the race,” Menard said. “I think it’s good for everyone. Michael gets camera time, and people only have to speak with him for five seconds, which is the maximum anyone can tolerate. It’s a win-win.”

    7. Ryan Blaney: Blaney led a race-high 118 laps and won Stage 2 on his way to a seventh-place finish in the Daytona 500.

    “I made news early this year when I got a haircut and shaved my mustache,” Blaney said. “That’s what’s known in the business as ‘race trim.’”

    8. Ryan Newman: Newman started 13th and finished eighth in the Daytona 500.

    “Congratulations to Austin Dillon on his big win,” Newman said. “And congratulations to Darrell Wallace Jr., for his runner-up finish, and especially for not being related to Rusty.”

    9. Michael McDowell: McDowell finished ninth in the Daytona 500.

    “Some people take Adderall,” McDowell said, “and some people have tattoos. Some people are characterized by both. And to those Dale Jr. fans I say, ‘If you’re looking for a new favorite driver, I’m your man.’”

    10. Aric Almirola: Almirola had the lead on the final lap at Daytona before he blocked the hard-charging Austin Dillon, and the contact sent Almirola spinning and into the wall. He finished 11th, and took responsibility for the contact.

    “I knew Austin had a run on me,” Almirola said, “so I was just trying to block. I don’t blame him for hitting my bumper and sending me into the wall. You could say it was the first of two ‘tattooed backsides’ of the weekend.”