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  • Daytona Speedweeks schedule

    Daytona Speedweeks schedule

    NASCAR is back and the season kicks off with the 43rd running of the Busch Clash at Daytona International Speedway Tues., Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. But this year will feature a special twist as the Clash will be run on Daytona’s road course for the first time.

    The lineup for the 21 eligible drivers was held via a virtual draw Monday night at Daytona and Ryan Blaney will start on the pole. This year’s event will consist of 35 laps with a scheduled caution at Lap 15.

    Other highlights include NASCAR Cup Series qualifying Wed. night. The fastest two cars will make up the front row for the Daytona 500 Sunday afternoon. The Duels at Daytona will run Thursday evening and will determine the remaining lineup. The Duel 1 drivers will line up on the inside row in order of their finish while the Duel 2 drivers will line up on the outside row according to their finish.  

    The ARCA Menards Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series will also take to the track this week in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series prestigious Daytona 500 Sunday afternoon.

    All times are Eastern.

    Tuesday, Feb. 9                             

    7 p.m.: Cup Series Busch Clash at Daytona – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio – (35 laps, 126.35 miles)

    Wednesday, Feb. 10

    12:05 p.m. – 12:55 p.m.: Cup Series First Practice – FS1/MRN

    7:30 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying – FS1/MRN

    Thursday, Feb. 11

    5:35 p.m. – 6:25 p.m. Truck Series First Practice – FS1

    7 p.m.: Cup Series Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (60 laps, 150 miles each race)

    Friday, Feb. 12

    1 p.m. – 2 p.m.: ARCA Practice

    3:10: Truck Series Qualifying – FS1

    4:35 p.m. – 5:25 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – FS1

    7:30 p.m.: Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Stages 20/40/100)

    Saturday, Feb. 13

    8:30 a.m.: ARCA Qualifying

    9:30 a.m.-10:20 a.m.: Cup Series Second Practice – FS2/MRN

    10:40 a.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying FS2/FS1*
    *Broadcast coverage starts on FS2 then switches to FS1 at 11 a.m.

    12:05 p.m. – 12:55 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – FS1/MRN

    1:30 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire – FS1/MRN (80 laps, 200 miles)

    5 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300 – FS1/MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Stages 30/ 60/120)

    Sunday, Feb. 14

    2:30 p.m.: NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 – FOX/MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Stages 65/130/200)

  • Denny Hamlin Wins The 61st Daytona 500

    Denny Hamlin Wins The 61st Daytona 500

    In a race that featured two big wrecks, two Red Flags and a long winless streak broken, Denny Hamlin won the 61st Daytona 500 for the second time in his 15 year career and 32nd time he has found victory lane.

    “The whole family, they’ve just done so much for me throughout the course of my career. This one’s for J.D.,” Hamlin said after the race. “We’re desperately going to miss him the rest of our lives, but his legacy still lives on at Joe Gibbs Racing.”

    Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Erik Jones and Michael McDowell rounded out the top 5.

    “We had a really good Shell/Pennzoil Ford.” Logano said. “I actually felt like we had the car to beat and just couldn’t get there. It’s so hard to get to the front. Once I got to the front, I felt like we had a really fast car.”

    “We just didn’t have any outright speed to break the 18 or the 11.” -McDowell said after the race. “When the 18 shot to the outside, he had a lot of momentum, a big run. I tried to go with him, to hope the 18 and 11 would get to together to steal a win but a Top 5 is great.”

    Stage 1:

    Under beautiful and bright sunny skies, William Byron led the field to the green flag with his 88 teammate of Alex Bowman to the right of him. Byron led the first 6 laps in his 24 Axalta Chevrolet.

    Pit stops for the first time happened around Lap 19 with Kurt Busch stopping to lead us off. He almost took the fuel can with him but they got it right in the nick of time.

    However, during pit stops, the 32 of Corey Lajoie’s right front tire blew causing the first caution of the race and the season.

    The cars that didn’t come in during the green flag stops, did come which included the teams like Alex Bowman, Bubba Wallace, Jimmie Johnson, Hamlin & Ryan Preece.

    They went back to green on Lap 24 and there we not just one lane that was moving forward, but there was two lines. Unlike the XFinity race the previous night, there was two lanes of racing which made it much better racing for the fans, drivers, and everybody involved.

    Jimmie Johnson took the lead on Lap 39 however it did not take long as the dark M&M’s car of Kyle Busch retook the lead, just a couple circuits later.

    With two laps to go in Stage 1 and everybody itching for stage points, Bubba Wallace collided with Darrell Wallace Jr, sending Wallace Jr. around. Wallace collected Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray, who is racing in his final race. All had minor damage and were able to continue.

    We went back to green with 7 to go in Stage 1 with the two Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammates, one two. Would Hamlin make a move to grab a stage win? You better believe he did but he made the move too soon and fell to sixth to end the stage while his JGR teammate of Kyle Busch, won the first stage of the season.

    Stage 2:

    Stage 2 got going with the defending champion and the winner of the 2nd Duel on Thursday, Joey Logano with the lead spot until lap 73 when Logano among with Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick and a host of Ford’s came into Pit lane and got mostly fuel only.

    Matt DiBenedetto retook over the lead and for DiBenedetto, this is already turning into a historic day. According to Racing Reference, Before today’s race, DiBenedetto led only 23 laps in his 140 starts in the Monster Energy Cup Series. Today? By the time he passed the start/finish line on Lap 87, he already surpassed that.

    There was only 19 cars on the lead lap when Matt DieBenedetto caught the pack that went to pit lane on Lap 73, on Lap 104. The lucky thing for the guys that were about to be lapped, they were saved by the 27 of Casey Mears. The driver of the second Germain car, that raced his way in, made contact with the 96 of Parker Kligermann heading into Turn 1.

    Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Preece, and Kyle Larson stayed out and took the first two rows on the restart. Kyle Busch restarted fifth after pitting.

    Blaney went back to green with the lead…and did not give it away as he took the Green and White Checkers to end the second stage.

    Byron, Erik Jones, Brad Keselowski and Ricky Stenhouse Jr did not pit.

    Stage 3:

    Byron led off the third stage and was definitely proving that the duo between him and Chad Knuas was working well. Byron, was however, was battling Knaus’ former driver as Jimmie Johnson for multiple, multiple laps.

    During Green Flag pit stops, the real drama began. Multiple drivers, including Johnson, were involved in a wreck when the 52 of Cody Ware and the 51 of BJ McLeod was trying to slow down which ran into Tyler Reddick. Reddick then, proceeded to drive into the 48. Johnson’s entire back side of his car near his fuel cell, was destroyed.

    They went back to green and after a couple of quick cautions for the 42 of Larson cutting a tire and the 2 of Keselowski incident on the front stretch, the carnage started to occur and the big one struck on with 9 laps to go.

    21 drivers were involved in the big one in which Paul Menard made contact with Matt DiBenedetto which set a series of sparks and carnage throughout the field. Among the ones involved? Blaney, Stenhouse Jr, David Regan, Truex Jr, Johnson, William Byron and David Regan.

    “I just saw a replay and I didn’t realize that all that was going on but it was very dark and I saw sparks flying around so I knew I was underneath someone. I cant thank NASCAR and Daytona International Speedway, the safety they have is unbelievable.” Regan said. “That is just speedway racing. Everyone is blocking, everyone is racing hard, not cutting an inch and that’s what happens when you’re going for the Daytona 500.”

    The sparks and excitement weren’t done though as 2 laps later, a “mini” big one occurred when Larson got involved with Stenhouse Jr which included Chase Elliott, Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Kevin Harvick and Ty Dillon.

    The chaos was not over as the Big One Part 2: happened during NASCAR Overtime when the 14 of Clint Bowyer, turned down into the 34 of Michael McDowell sending a gaggle of cars into the mayhem that is accustomed with Daytona International Speedway.

    “Hey it is the Daytona 500, I had to go for it. This just sucks man. We had such a good Rush Truck Centers, Mobile 1 Ford Mustang. We had a shot at it and I just took it.” Bowyer said

    Among the number of cars involved? Cassill, McMurray, Gaughan and Keselowski.

    NASCAR Overtime was back at it again, and this time, they got to the checkered flag. Hamlin went neck and neck with Busch, Logano and McDowell but it was just too little and too late as the Chesterfield, VA native broke his 47 winless drought at the great spectacle in racing, the Daytona 500.

    Monster Energy Cup Series Race Number 1
    Unofficial Race Results for the 61st Annual Daytona 500 – Sunday, February 17, 2019
    Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, FL – 2.5 – Mile Paved
    Total Race Length – 207 Laps – 517.5 Miles

    Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Stage1Pos Stage2Pos Pts Status
    1 10 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota 207 6 0 45 Running
    2 31 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Chocolate Bar Toyota 207 1 0 45 Running
    3 28 20 Erik Jones Sport Clips Toyota 207 10 0 35 Running
    4 4 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 207 3 10 42 Running
    5 34 34 Michael McDowell Love’s Travel Stops Ford 207 0 0 32 Running
    6 22 13 Ty Dillon GEICO Chevrolet 207 0 0 31 Running
    7 26 42 Kyle Larson Credit One Bank Chevrolet 207 8 0 33 Running
    8 21 47 Ryan Preece # Kroger.com Chevrolet 207 0 0 29 Running
    9 17 48 Jimmie Johnson Ally Chevrolet 207 0 9 30 Running
    10 36 15 Ross Chastain(i) Chevrolet 207 0 0 0 Running
    11 2 88 Alex Bowman Nationwide Chevrolet 207 2 0 35 Running
    12 35 2 Brad Keselowski Discount Tire Ford 207 0 4 32 Running
    13 5 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastenal Ford 207 0 5 30 Running
    14 19 6 Ryan Newman Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Ford 207 0 0 23 Running
    15 25 96 * Parker Kligerman(i) Gaunt Brothers Racing/Toyota Toyota 205 0 0 0 Running
    16 20 3 Austin Dillon Dow Chevrolet 205 0 0 21 Running
    17 18 9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 200 7 0 24 Accident
    18 32 32 Corey LaJoie Old Spice Ford 200 0 0 19 Running
    19 38 51 BJ McLeod(i) Jacob Companies Chevrolet 200 0 0 0 Running
    20 6 14 Clint Bowyer Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford 199 0 0 17 Accident
    21 1 24 William Byron Axalta Chevrolet 198 0 2 25 Accident
    22 16 40 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s/Cessna/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet 198 0 0 15 Accident
    23 30 62 * Brendan Gaughan(i) Beard Oil Distributing/South Point Chevrolet 197 0 0 0 Accident
    24 27 0 Landon Cassill PERMATEX Chevrolet 196 0 0 13 Accident
    25 12 1 Kurt Busch Monster Energy Chevrolet 196 0 0 12 Running
    26 3 4 Kevin Harvick Busch Beer Car2Can Ford 194 9 7 17 Accident
    27 39 31 * Tyler Reddick(i) Symbicort Chevrolet 191 0 0 0 Accident
    28 9 95 Matt DiBenedetto Procore Toyota 190 0 6 14 Accident
    29 7 21 Paul Menard Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford 190 0 0 8 Accident
    30 24 38 David Ragan Select Blinds Ford 190 0 0 7 Accident
    31 14 12 Ryan Blaney Menards/Peak Ford 190 5 1 22 Accident
    32 8 10 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 190 0 3 13 Accident
    33 23 41 Daniel Suarez Haas Automation Ford 190 4 8 14 Accident
    34 29 8 Daniel Hemric # Bass Pro Shops/Caterpillar Chevrolet 190 0 0 3 Accident
    35 11 19 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops Toyota 190 0 0 2 Accident
    36 33 36 Matt Tifft # Speedco Ford 190 0 0 1 Accident
    37 15 37 Chris Buescher Kleenex Wet Wipes Chevrolet 190 0 0 1 Accident
    38 13 43 Bubba Wallace Aftershokz Chevrolet 169 0 0 1 Accident
    39 37 52 Cody Ware # Winn Dixie Chevrolet 155 0 0 1 Accident
    40 40 27 * Casey Mears Chevrolet 104 0 0 1 Accident
  • Kyle Busch leads third practice at Daytona

    Kyle Busch leads third practice at Daytona

    Daytona Beach, FL – Kyle Busch led the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series third practice Friday at Daytona International Speedway with a lap time of 44.936, just over 200 at 200.285 mph.

    Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Preece, Erik Jones, and Ryan Newman rounded out the top five in this round of practice

    Pole Sitter William Byron was 18th quickest which was the third fastest of the four Hendrick Motorsports cars.

    Denny Hamlin led the fastest 10 consecutive laps with an average speed of 198.107 mph.

    There is one more practice session today from 3:05 p.m. – 3:55 p.m. ET which will be televised on Fox Sports 1. The final Cup Series practice will be held Saturday at 12:05 p.m. ET on FS1.

    Complete Friday Cup Series Practice Results

  • 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

  • NASCAR BTS: A Peek Behind the Curtain of the Ford Technical Support Center

    NASCAR BTS: A Peek Behind the Curtain of the Ford Technical Support Center

    Ford Racing’s domination of Daytona Speedweeks, including wins in the Truck, XFINITY and the Daytona 500, may just be traced back to all of the technology developed in the off-season by the manufacturer.

    This week’s NASCAR Behind the Scenes takes a peek behind the magical technology curtain of the Ford Racing Technical Support Center.

    “The main thing that we’ve worked on with the Ford Racing Technical Center in Concord, North  Carolina is really combining a lot of the tools we had in other facilities before, from the kinematics machine measuring camber and toe to the chassis torsional twist rig used to determine stiffness of the car.”” Mark Rushbrook, Ford Racing Engineering Motorsports Manager, said. “We also have a vehicle center of gravity machine used to measure the height of the car and a coordinate measurement machine that enables teams to measure their components for quality control.”

    “But the key thing that we have which has really moved things forward in terms of technology is the driving simulator. It runs a full dynamics model for the vehicle, whether Sprint Cup car, Xfinity car or IMSA car.”

    “It allows full driver engagement where they sit in the cockpit to get the motions of what is happening in the car,” Rushbrook continued. “They are viewing a giant screen in front of them with a three meter radius with projectors that give them the full sensation that they are actually driving the car. So, this is a tool that has been used in Formula 1 and some other road racing successfully and we’re using that now as a tool in our arsenal to help with driver training, as well as car and chassis set ups for both NASCAR and IMSA.”

    Because of the NASCAR testing ban, the driving simulator has become even more important in the off season and during this new season. And the Ford Racing Technical Support Center has risen to that challenge by virtually making every track available through that simulator.

    “At this point, we have all of the NASCAR tracks programmed,” Rushbrook said. “It is a very high graphics representation of the race track itself and everything in the surroundings. You really want the driver to feel like he is there at the track. So, it’s even got the graphic detail for the stands, for flags, for trees, for everything that is on the sides of the track.”

    “So, as the driver drives around the track, it’s the same visual cueing that he would get as if he is driving the real car. It’s a laser scanning of the track surface to get the representation of it.”

    “It gives the full six degrees of freedom to move the drivers up and down as they go over bumps, have the pitch and yaw and roll. It doesn’t do exactly what you see on the track but it’s the cueing representation of it such that they are immersed in it.”

    “The drivers believe and feel that they are driving around the actual track with the motion they are doing. We also have helped it be even more real through high frequency vibrations that are piped in through the structure of the cockpit to make it feel even more real. So, you get that vibration that you would feel from the engine actually coming up through the structure of the cockpit and up through the seat.”

    According to Rushbrook, the driving simulator even helps the drivers when they take an unexpected excursion off the track or into another race vehicle.

    “If you hit the wall and spin out or whatever you do, it’s not the same sensation of having the thirty or sixty ‘g’ force feeling but you do get the sensation of the car spinning into the infield or down into the grass,” Rushbrook said. “So, there is some realism there for sure.”

    With Ford Racing’s success during Daytona Speedweeks, there is no doubt that the drivers, crew chiefs and teams will continue to be lined up at the front door of the Technical Support Center.

    “At this point, we are continuing to develop our tools to make sure it is very well correlated,” Rushbrook said. “We have the race teams come in and have time slots available. It will be almost like a test session at each track. The driver, crew chief and race engineers come in. You don’t need the pit crew because you are not physically changing parts but they all come in. You change the set up in the computer model, the driver drives those changes, provides feedback and they can keep iterating through their setups just like they do at the track.”

    While Ford Racing declines to disclose the investment made in the Technical Support Center, they do acknowledge that it is significant. And according to Rushbrook, “It reflects our seriousness and how well we want to do in racing.”

    “We know the real payout will be in the 2015 season as we are truly applying it.”

    The payout has most certainly begun for Ford Racing after such a dominating Speedweeks and much of that success may be the responsibility of the Technical Support Center.

    “You can’t ask for a better weekend starting out with the truck race and Brad Keselowski’s truck team winning and then Ryan Reed wining the XFINITY race for Roush Fenway Racing and now Team Penske and Joey Logano with the Daytona 500 championship,” Raj Nair, Group Vice President, Global Product Development, Ford Motor Company, said. “What a start for Ford in 2015. We are now 4-for-4 in all the major races we have competed in. We couldn’t ask for a better start to the year.”

    “I think it is really starting to pay dividends with all the work we have done on the technical front and all the homework we did in the off-season.”

    “Whether it is the EcoBoost engine of the FR9 engine all the engines in all three NASCAR series’ I think it really shows the teamwork of working together in a One Ford way and that it can really pay dividends.”

  • NASCAR is asking the Hard Questions

    NASCAR is asking the Hard Questions

    Daytona Speedweeks heralds in the NASCAR season each year. It is generally a fun-filled couple of weeks leading up to one of the most anticipated races of the year, the Daytona 500.

    This year the celebration came to a grinding halt after a violent crash in the Nationwide Series race. Kyle Larson’s car went airborne in a last lap wreck that involved 12 cars. His engine ended up in the catchfence. A wheel assembly, pieces of the car and debris, went flying into the grandstands, injuring more than 30 people.

    The NASCAR community responded immediately with concern for those injured amid vows by NASCAR to determine how this happened.

    But I soon noticed a disturbing trend.

    Those who asked how this could happen were met with an almost frenzied response by many. ‘This is not NASCAR’s fault,’ they said.’ Read the back of your ticket,’ they shouted. ‘Racing is a dangerous sport and fans accept that fact every time they attend a race.’

    Tony Stewart, who won the race, was somber in victory lane and offered a different perspective.

    “We always know that this is a dangerous sport. We assume that risk but it’s hard when fans get caught up in it,” Stewart said. “My concern is for the fans right now.”

    When it was learned that a few of the injured individuals had contacted an attorney to explore legal options, some reacted with a verbal attack.  ‘They aren’t true fans,’ many proclaimed. ‘Real fans accept the risks.’

    Suddenly, in their eyes, being a NASCAR fan meant that you must pledge your unwavering support.  I disagree.

    I’m a huge proponent of NASCAR and I believe that safety is one of their primary concerns. They are constantly striving to make it as safe as possible, both for the drivers and the fans. Sometimes that means asking the hard questions.

    Race enthusiasts know that the sport has inherent risks. There is no way to prepare for all of the things that can go wrong. When you attend a race, you do so realizing that there is an element of danger. But you also attend an event with the expectation that NASCAR has done everything possible to keep you safe.

    When something goes horribly wrong as it did in the Nationwide Series race, it is not only proper but necessary to ask questions.  Why did the engine separate from the car? Are the cars going too fast? Did the catch fence perform as it was intended?  Does the crossover gate need to be redesigned or eliminated? What can we do to make sure this type of accident never happens again?

    NASCAR began asking these questions immediately and I feel certain they will not rest until they have the answers. As fans, you should encourage them to do so.

    Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR senior vice president, met with the media Saturday, March 2nd, to give an update on their progress.

    “As everybody knows,” he said, “safety is first and foremost not only for NASCAR and our racetracks, but getting that right and making sure our fans can enjoy the most safe and entertaining environment possible. I think our history speaks to that.”

    “Moving forward,” he continued, “based on what happened in Daytona, we met immediately with the folks at Daytona International Speedway.  We’ve had multiple meetings this week.  It’s been a truly collaborative effort with the goal of doing two things:  obviously looking at what happened in this incident, but more importantly the go-forward plan of what we can learn and what we want to implement as we go forward.

    Asking questions does not mean that you are assigning blame. It means that as a reasonable individual you realize that it is almost impossible to foresee every possible contingency. That is why it is so important to examine this particular occurrence to learn from it and make the necessary adjustments.

    Asking questions does not mean that you challenge NASCAR’s intentions or that you are any less of a fan. It simply means that you want NASCAR to be the best it can be. It’s reassuring to realize that NASCAR has the same goal.