Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: Daytona International Speedway

  • Alex Bowman’s Career to Date and Future Plans

    Alex Bowman’s Career to Date and Future Plans

    Since the latter half of 2016, Alex Bowman’s career has seen an uptick thanks to his time subbing for an injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. When the checkered flag flies tomorrow night, however, his time in the 88 car comes to an end.

    Bowman came into racing lighting up the ARCA Series with four wins in his rookie season on his way to a fourth-place finish in points.

    In NASCAR, success came harder.

    His 2013 rookie campaign in the XFINITY Series brought six top-10 finishes on the way to an 11th place finish in points. In terms of points, this is to date the high-point of his NASCAR career.

    The next two years, he ran for BK Racing and Tommy Baldwin Racing to the tune of 30th place finishes on average. The highest he finished during this span was 13th at Daytona in July 2014.

    Joining the Hendrick stable following the 2015 season, Bowman wound up driving the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet for nine races to the tune of seven top-10 finishes.

    But Earnhardt’s sidelining for a concussion gave way for Bowman’s display of driving ability that took ARCA by storm in 2011 and 2012. While not reflected in the stats, he only finished in the top-10 three times in 10 starts, he demonstrated he had the talent to drive. All he needed was the right equipment.

    At Phoenix last November, he scored his first career pole and led 197 of 324 laps on his way to a sixth-place finish.

    While he said he’s “[talked] about that quite a bit” with the folks at Hendrick Motorsports, he doesn’t know what the future holds.

    He admitted that there are “a couple of races, not in the Cup Series, but in some other stuff” that he’s excited about, but not at liberty to address at the present. Other than that, he’ll be “at the (Hendrick) shop and coming to the race track when I can,” being “a sponge and learn as much as I can.”

    He believes he’ll still be the go-to relief driver for Hendrick Motorsports, although they haven’t discussed the matter in great detail.

    Bowman also said he was offered full-time rides with other Cup teams, but nothing that has enticed him to leave Hendrick Motorsports.

  • Hamlin Fastest in Final Practice

    Hamlin Fastest in Final Practice

    Denny Hamlin topped the chart in final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Daytona International Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was the fastest with a time of 45.795 and a speed of 196.528 mph. Daniel Suarez was second in his No. 19 JGR Toyota with a time of 45.853 and a speed of 196.279 mph. Kyle Busch was third in his No. 18 JGR Toyota with a time of 45.860 and a speed of 196.249 mph. Matt Kenseth was fourth in his No. 20 JGR Toyota with a time of 45.866 and a speed of 196.224 mph. Joey Logano rounded out the top-five in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 46.016 and a speed of 195.584 mph.

    The four Gibbs Toyota’s all drafted together rather than work with a seven-car draft consisting of the Penske duo, two of the Stewart-Haas Ford’s (Kevin Harvick and Danica Patrick), Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson.

    Kenseth posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 195.510 mph.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/C17S1_PRACFINAL.pdf”]

  • Keselowski Fastest in First Practice

    Keselowski Fastest in First Practice

    Brad Keselowski topped the chart in first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Daytona International Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford was the fastest with a time of 46.972 and a speed of 191.604 mph. Kyle Larson was second in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 47.013 and a speed of 191.436 mph. Joey Logano was third in his No. 22 Penske Ford with a time of 47.034 and a speed of 191.351 mph. Kevin Harvick was fourth in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford with a time of 47.184 and a speed of 190.743 mph. Danica Patrick rounded out the top-five in her No. 10 SHR Chevrolet with a time of 47.277 and a speed of 190.367 mph.

    Eleven of the 17 cars posted a lap. All ran single-car runs.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/C17S1_PRAC1.pdf”]

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Daytona Speedweeks

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Daytona Speedweeks

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series will open the 2017 season at Daytona International Speedway this weekend.

    Analyzing The Advanced Auto Parts Clash At Daytona:
    Unlike previous years, the starting field for the 2017 Advanced Auto Parts Clash at Daytona will not be a predetermined number of cars; rather, the field is limited to drivers who meet more exclusive criteria.  The 2017 Eligible Participants Include:

    2016 Coors Light Pole Winners: Greg Biffle, Alex Bowman, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Carl Edwards, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr.

    Former Clash Winners: Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Tony Stewart

    Former Daytona 500 Pole Winners: Danica Patrick

    2016 Monster Energy Playoff Participants: Chris Buescher, Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray

    Breakdown of Clash at Daytona Winners:

    Year Driver Year Driver
     1979 Buddy Baker 1998 Rusty Wallace
    1980 Dale Earnhardt 1999 Mark Martin
    1981 Darrell Waltrip 2000 Dale Jarrett
    1982 Bobby Allison 2001 Tony Stewart
    1983 Neil Bonnett 2002 Tony Stewart
    1984 Neil Bonnett 2003 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
    1985 Terry Labonte 2004 Dale Jarrett
    1986 Dale Earnhardt 2005 Jimmie Johnson
    1987 Bill Elliott 2006 Denny Hamlin
    1988 Dale Earnhardt 2007 Tony Stewart
    1989 Ken Schrader 2008 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
    1990 Ken Schrader 2009 Kevin Harvick
    1991 Dale Earnhardt 2010 Kevin Harvick
    1992 Geoff Bodine 2011 Kurt Busch
    1993 Dale Earnhardt 2012 Kyle Busch
    1994 Jeff Gordon 2013 Kevin Harvick
    1995 Dale Earnhardt 2014 Denny Hamlin
    1996 Dale Jarrett 2015 Matt Kenseth
    1997 Jeff Gordon 2016 Denny Hamlin

     

    Please check below for the complete schedule of events.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, Feb. 17:

    On Track:
    5-5:55 p.m.: Cup Series First Practice for The Clash at Daytona – FS1
    6:30-7:25 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice for The Clash at Daytona – FS1

    Saturday, Feb. 18:

    On Track:
    11:30 a.m.-3:25 p.m.: Cup Series First Practice – FS1
    8 p.m.: Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona (75 laps, 187.5 miles) – FS1

    Sunday, Feb. 19:

    On Track:
    3:10 p.m.: Cup Series Daytona 500 Qualifying (single vehicle/two rounds) – FOX

    TV Schedule Feb. 13-19

     

     

     

    Thursday, Feb. 23:

    On Track:
    Noon-12:55 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS1
    2-2:55 p.m.: Truck Series First Practice – FS1
    4-4:55 p.m.: Truck Series Final Practice – FS1
    7 p.m.: First Can-Am Duel race (60 laps, 150 miles) – FS1
    9 p.m.: Second Can-Am Duel race (60 laps, 150 miles) – FS1 (time approx.)

    Friday, Feb. 24:

    On Track:
    Noon-12:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series First Practice – FS1
    1-1:55 p.m.: Cup Series Daytona 500 Practice – FS1
    2-2:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – FS1
    3-3:55 p.m.: Cup Series Daytona 500 Practice – FS1
    4:30 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying (single vehicle/two rounds), FS1
    7:30 p.m.: Truck Series NextEra Energy Resources 250 (100 laps, 250 miles), FS1

    Saturday, Feb. 25:

    On Track:
    10:30 a.m.: XFINITY Series Qualifying (single vehicle/two rounds) – FS1
    12:30-1:55 p.m.: Cup Series Daytona 500 Final Practice – FS1
    3:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series Powershares QQQ 300 (120 laps, 300 miles) – FS1

    Sunday, Feb. 26:

    On Track:
    2 p.m.: Daytona 500 (200 laps, 500 miles) – FOX

     

  • How the Advance Auto Parts Clash Works

    How the Advance Auto Parts Clash Works

    By RJ Kraft | NASCAR.com

    The exhibition event known as the Advance Auto Parts Clash (Feb. 18, 8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) is the kickoff to the 2017 NASCAR season. The non-points paying event at Daytona International Speedway features a select field of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers at the 2.5-mile track. How does the race work? What is the format? How does one qualify for the event? NASCAR.com answers those questions and more.

    Programming info for The Clash:

    When: Feb. 18, 8 p.m. ET
    Where: Daytona International Speedway
    TV: FS1
    Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Defending race winner: Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing

    What is the format?

    The 75-lap, 187.5-mile race will be split into two segments. A competition caution at Lap 25 will separate the segments.

    How do drivers qualify for this event?

    Drivers are eligible for this event by the following ways: 2016 Coors Light Pole Award winners, former Clash race winners and former Daytona 500 pole winners who competed full-time in 2016. All 16 drivers from the 2016 playoffs are also eligible.

    Which     drivers are eligible to race then?

    20 drivers meet the requirements. They are:
    Chris Buescher (2016 playoff qualifier)
    Greg Biffle (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
    Alex Bowman (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
    Kurt Busch (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
    Kyle Busch (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
    Austin Dillon (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
    Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Former Clash Race winner)
    Carl Edwards (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
    Chase Elliott (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
    Denny Hamlin (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
    Kevin Harvick (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
    Jimmie Johnson (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
    Matt Kenseth (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
    Brad Keselowski (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
    Kyle Larson (2016 playoff qualifier)
    Joey Logano (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
    Jamie McMurray (2016 playoff qualifier)
    Danica Patrick (Former Daytona 500 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
    Tony Stewart (Former Clash Race winner)
    Martin Truex Jr. (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)

    Some of those names are not driving in 2017 or have yet to secure rides.

    That’s a good point. Biffle does not have a ride as of yet for the 2017 season, so he will not be competing. Edwards stepped away from racing last month, but NASCAR has allowed his replacement, Daniel Suarez, to drive in the race. Stewart has retired from NASCAR competition. So that puts the field at 18.

    Bowman and Dale Jr. drove the same car in 2016; how can they both be in the race?

    They won’t. Alex Bowman will drive the No. 88 in The Clash as a nod to the work he did as a substitute driver while Dale Earnhardt Jr. was out last season with concussion-like symptoms. Instead, Dale Jr. will be in the TV booth calling the action on FS1 with commentators Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip.

    So the field will be made up of how many cars?

    Seventeen drivers will make up the field: Buescher, Bowman, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Elliott, Hamlin, Harvick, Johnson, Kenseth, Keselowski, Larson, Logano, McMurray, Patrick, Suarez and Truex Jr.

    How is the lineup determined?

    A draw will be held to determine drivers’ starting positions. In past years, the crew chiefs have drawn for position. Hamlin, last year’s winner, started the race 15th.

    Are there any points on the line?

    No, this is a non-points event, just like the Monster Energy All-Star Race in May.

     

  • The White Zone: FOX is giving the Daytona 500 the wrong vibe with ‘Daytona Day’

    The White Zone: FOX is giving the Daytona 500 the wrong vibe with ‘Daytona Day’

    “A letter to FOX Sports…”

    Dear FOX Sports,

    STOP TRYING TO MAKE “Daytona Day” A THING! IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

    Sincerely,
    Tucker White

    *Reading a book*…*Looks at the audience* What?

    Okay, I have more to say.

    FOX Sports brought their “Daytona Day” ad campaign back this year to promote the 59th running of the Daytona 500. It’s as cheesy and silly as you’d expect and tries to give off an atmosphere of a party environment for NASCAR’s biggest race. You can find it on YouTube at “Happy #DaytonaDay! | The Daytona 500 on FOX” if you wish to check it out ( and if you missed it during the Super Bowl).

    Here’s the problem FOX. You’re giving off the wrong mood.

    A party atmosphere works if you’ve just finished a particularly hard 40-hour week at the office and need a few drinks. The type of people “Daytona Day” appeals to might tune into the Daytona 500 for a “party event,” although it’s worth noting that last year’s race was down 14 percent in ratings and 15 percent in viewership compared to 2015 despite this ad campaign (Sports Media Watch), but it won’t draw them in long term. Doing so is vital for the long-term sustainability of a sport that’s been on a downhill slide in television ratings and at track attendance for a decade now.

    The way FOX should go is making every race, especially the Daytona 500, feel like a truly epic event. What I mean by that is an ad campaign that makes the hair raise off your skin and sends shivers down your spine.

    The music for it shouldn’t be corny. It should be performed by an orchestra and sung by a choir.

    The song should also be high energy, such as “Dies Irae” and “O Fortuna.”

    And the best part is that all these classical songs are public domain. You don’t have to clear it with anyone over copyright for usage.

    FOX, if you wish to have your own song for the occasion, that would also work. It should be something along the lines of one of the classical songs I listed or another high energy song, such as “Duel of the Fates.”

    Or how about tap into the creative well that is YouTube. There are a number of YouTubers who make NASCAR related videos either for fun or as their living. Some of them make promos for races that are on par, or sometimes better than what FOX and NBC are producing.

    You don’t believe me? Then check out this video by a user named Balto Racing.

    I mean this with 100 percent sincerity when I say that this promo Balto made for the 2014 Daytona 500 is hands down the best NASCAR promo I’ve ever seen. Everything from the music and visuals just screams NASCAR with this.

    Now as someone who consumes other forms of mass media when I’m not covering NASCAR, I know marketing is not an exact science and what I’m talking about is subjective. Everybody has their own likes and dislikes.

    But the way we counteract that is doing the equivalent of “making your character interesting and identifiable,” and not trying to be “hip” and “KEWL!” In other words, the promos should make NASCAR races seem epic and larger than life, not the latest fad.

    BOTTOM LINE: FOX, you’re going about promoting the biggest race in NASCAR wrong, but it’s an easy problem to solve.

  • Daytona International Speedway Sustains Moderate Damage from Hurricane Matthew, but No Flooding

    Daytona International Speedway Sustains Moderate Damage from Hurricane Matthew, but No Flooding

    CONCORD, N.C. — The World Center of Racing has received some damage from Hurricane Matthew.

    As reported by the Associated Press and the track itself, Daytona International Speedway sustained “moderate damage” from the then Category 4 storm as it continues to ravage the eastern seaboard of the United States. Among the damage, according to the track, were lights, speakers, signage, fences, gates, awnings and palm trees.

    The track has not sustained any flooding despite earlier reports, which included a May 2009 photo of a flooded Daytona backstretch circulating on Twitter.

    “Pictures of a past weather event at Daytona International Speedway have been circulating on social media during the storm. Those pictures are from a weather event in 2009,” the track said in a statement. “There was no flood damage to the facility from Hurricane Matthew.”

    The ticket office and the Richard Petty Driving Experience will be closed for the weekend to allow cleanup.

    In the meantime, the speedway is working with local, regional and state officials to aid in recovery efforts and is serving as a staging area for Florida Power & Light crews.

  • The ‘Big One’ Takes Out Over Half the Field at Daytona

    The ‘Big One’ Takes Out Over Half the Field at Daytona

    The “Big One” struck and collected over half the field just past halfway through last night’s race at the “World Center of Racing.”

    A total of 22 cars suffered some degree of damage in the lap 91 wreck that started when Jamie McMurray made contact with Jimmie Johnson. This hooked McMurray’s car into the wall and triggered a chain-reaction that led to the mass of wrecked cars in turn 1.

    Five cars – Paul Menard, Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott, Brian Scott and Regan Smith piled into the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

    Being shoved by Matt DiBenedetto, Kevin Harvick slammed into the rear of Scott and lifted the No. 44 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford off the ground.

    Johnson’s battered No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet then turned down the track and collected Danica Patrick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Chris Buescher and Ryan Newman piled into Johnson.

    Kasey Kahne, trying to slow down, t-boned the side of Smith, was rear-ended by Michael Annett and collided with Harvick.

    “I was in the middle and something happened to the No. 1 and he went to the right and then he chased it…and was in a slide and came back down in front of me, hit the No. 42 (Kyle Larson) door-to-door – kind of light contact,” said Johnson – who finished 35th – of the wreck from his point of view. “I thought we were fine, but I eventually turned him sideways and the whole thing happened. I don’t know what happened to the No. 1 to change lanes as fast as he did from the outside, but we are all dealing with a matter of inches and once that started, it just collected everybody.”

    “Just a bunch of cars crashing – pretty much that was it,” said Kenseth – who finished 28th – on what he thought triggered the wreck. “I was just trying to make my way back toward the front a little bit there. We had a bad pit stop exchange and came out way, way behind everybody. Carl (Edwards) was up towards the front and we were running with him before the pit stop. I probably should have just hung in the back, hindsight, but who knows when they’re going to wreck, you never know if they’re going to wreck. Just trying to get back towards the front and there was a wreck somewhere a few rows up in front of me and just nowhere really to go.”

    “I didn’t see a lot,” Scott – who finished 37th – said of the wreck that he was also caught up in. “I was on the outside and our lane seemed to get a good run entering turn 1 and I saw guys check-up and hands out the windows so I started checking up. Then the check-up kept going and it became an accordion effect. We were in the wall and jacked up and I guess the 4 came up under me and drove underneath my car and then I was up in the air. It was a pinball effect. It is an unfortunate end. You always seem to get those big ones here in the Fourth of July race. Sometimes there is nothing you can do. There was no chance to ever miss that for our 44 Ford.”

    Biffle rebounded from the wreck and drove his Roush Fenway Racing Ford to an eighth-place finish.

    “It was a rough night after we got in that wreck,” said Biffle. “We got shuffled out of line and that will happen with speedway racing. We were working our way back up and running with the No. 4 car (Harvick) and a few of those guys and somebody got turned right in the middle. I don’t know who. We got pretty severe damage and were able to come back and finish eighth.”

    Despite finishing 39th, Harvick left Daytona still the points leader.

  • Keselowski Dominates to Win at Daytona

    Keselowski Dominates to Win at Daytona

    It was a dominant day for Brad Keselowski in a carnage-filled race at the “World Center of Racing” as he held off an overtime charge from the likes of the Busch brothers and teammate Joey Logano to score the victory in the Coke Zero 400.

    “Those guys were doing a heck of a job,” Keselowski said of the Busch brothers and Logano. “Kyle and Kurt worked together really well, and my teammate Joey Logano was a huge part of this today. We had two great cars here with Team Penske and worked together really well. Joey has won here and he’s really a pro, especially on that restart. He gave me that push I need to get to the front and here we are at Daytona in Victory Lane. I don’t care if it’s not the 500. It’s Daytona. This is huge. I love this place and here we are in Victory Lane with the Detroit Ford.”

    The driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford led 115 of the 161 laps on his way to scoring his 20th Sprint Cup Series victory in 250 starts. It’s his third victory and 11th top-10 finish in 2016, his third victory this season, and his first at Daytona International Speedway. Keselowski’s victory is the 100th victory in Sprint Cup Series competition for Team Penske.

    Kyle Busch, who wrecked his primary car in practice the day before and had turned no laps of practice in his backup car, led 16 laps and posted his 11th top-10 finish of the season and his eighth in 23 races at Daytona with a runner-up finish in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

    “It was really close to Talladega,” Busch said of the final laps. “We finished second at Talladega. Just there at the end of the race, the 2 car was really, really fast. Really, really strong. It’s really hard to get by him. I tried just about everything. The only thing I didn’t quite have was a big enough push one time to just try to make a move. He was really good at making that thing pretty wide.”

    Trevor Bayne earned his third top-10 finish in 12 races at Daytona in rounding out the podium in his No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.

    “I owe the guys behind me that were pushing me,” Bayne said. “I had a lot of help. The race was really crazy today. Just watching some of the guys working the middle you knew there would be trouble at some point. My spotter has a better perspective than I do (and) told me to go to the back and ride and we did and got through some wrecks. It was a tough night.”

    Logano led six laps on his way to a fourth-place finish in his No. 22 Penske Ford. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top-five in his No. 17 RFR Ford.

    Kyle Larson finished sixth in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

    “I got a little bit better restart than I thought I would, through (Turns) 1 and 2 and was able to get to Joey inside. I got clear of the No. 22 down the back and the No. 17 shoved me and gave me a really good (push), but it kind of got me squirrely and stalled me out. I should have probably moved up in front of him (Logano). But I knew we had a good night going so I didn’t want to risk anything. So, me messing up on the backstretch probably ruined our shot at a win, but we still finished at Daytona, so that’s good,” said Larson.

    Austin Dillon finished seventh in his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

    “I don’t know about track position but I thought that 2 car was pretty darn stout,” Dillon said. “He was the same way at Talladega and you just can’t get to his back bumper. He does a good job of keeping that bumper and that car is fast, so I really think fast cars pay off here and win races. We are getting closer, we just have to keep working.”

    Greg Biffle led one lap and continued on despite damage in a wreck halfway through the race to bring his No. 16 RFR Ford home to an eighth-place finish. After an electrical fire in the dashboard the week before at Sonoma Raceway, Clint Bowyer led one lap and brought his No. 15 HScott Motorsports Chevrolet home to a ninth-place finish. Michael McDowell rounded out the top-10 in his No. 95 Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet.

    Casey Mears led two laps and  finished 12th. David Ragan, who led one lap, finished 16th. Denny Hamlin led seven laps and finished in 17th place. Carl Edwards led eight laps, finishing 25th while Martin Truex Jr., who led one lap, finished 29th. Regan Smith led one lap and finished 38th as Kevin Harvick, who led one lap, finished 39th.

    Twenty-three cars finished the race on the lead lap and 31 were running at the finish. Nine cars failed to finish the race because of an accident.

    The race lasted two hours, 40 minutes and 38 seconds at an average speed of 150.342 mph. There were 26 lead changes among 13 different drivers and five cautions for 28 laps.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/C1617_UNOFFRES.pdf”]

  • Carl Edwards Teams Up With SUBWAY, USO, To Host Lunch For Coast Guard Members

    Carl Edwards Teams Up With SUBWAY, USO, To Host Lunch For Coast Guard Members

    On Friday at Daytona International Speedway Joe Gibbs Racing driver Carl Edwards teamed up with the USO as well as his primary sponsor SUBWAY to host a lunch for the members of the United States Coast Guard. Also in attendance were SUBWAY Firecracker 250 Grand Marshal Kelly Miller and Honorary Starter Fred Gardner. Both Miller and Gardner are military veterans as well as Subway franchise owners.

    SUBWAY will also be donating $125,000 to the USO, including 5,000 meals as a part of their continuing support for the United States military.

    The luncheon was held before Saturday’s XFINITY Series race in which NASCAR continued its tribute this July 4th weekend to show its support for those who have served and those who continue to serve and defend the United States. During the race, all of the XFINITY Series drivers displayed the name of an active military unit and installation on their windshields.

    Meanwhile, Edwards will be starting on the outside of the front row for Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. He currently sits third in points, with wins at Bristol and Richmond solidifying his spot in the 2016 Chase playoff field. Edwards has never won a Sprint Cup restrictor-plate event, with his best finish being a pair of second-place finishes in the 2008 Coke Zero 400 and the 2011 Daytona 500.

    Along with being a sponsor for Joe Gibbs Racing since 2008, SUBWAY has also been the primary sponsor of the July XFINITY Series event at Daytona since 2009.

    The green flag will wave for the 2016 Coke Zero 400 at 7:45 pm ET on NBC.