China Grove, N.C. – Heading into the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) at the legendary Daytona International Speedway, Viva Motorsports driver and owner Jamie Dick is determined to get a solid finish in his fourth career start in the Drive4COPD 300.
Many changes have been made within the organization to help enhance the team’s performance. At Preseason Thunder at Daytona in January, the #55 Viva Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro showed lots of speed in the draft, adding to the team’s confidence heading into the 2014 NNS season opener.
“We had a very good test back in January, and our car looked really good in the wind tunnel. We will take what we learned and apply that for this weekend,” said Jamie Dick. “Daytona is always a fun and unpredictable place to race. It’s one of the few places where its hard to have a game plan going in, because you just never know what is going to happen, you either get a good finish, or end the day on a wrecker.”
The Drive4COPD 300 will also be the first race with new crew chief Bill Henderson calling the shots atop the pit box. Henderson came to Viva Motorsports from Penske Racing after finishing 2nd in the 2013 NNS points battle, collecting two poles and one victory along the way.
“We have had a very busy off-season getting cars built for this season,” said Henderson. “I’m really happy with my move to Viva Motorsports, and expect many great things from Jamie and the team for Daytona and beyond.”
About Viva Auto Group. You can visit Viva Chevrolet, Viva Kia-Mitsubishi-Suzuki, Viva Ford, Viva Nissan, and Viva Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep dealerships as well as Bestway Autos, Viva’s Elite Autos, and Viva Powersports in El Paso, TX. The Viva Auto Group Philosophy of customer service reflects its origins as a family business. Because all Viva Auto Group dealerships are owner-operated, a high degree of personal accountability remains the Viva Auto Group hallmark.
NASCAR Nationwide Series Qualifying is scheduled for Friday 2/21 at 1:00pm ET on ESPN2, with the Drive4COPD 300 on Saturday slated for 1:00pm ET on ESPN.
Connect with Jamie Dick and Viva Motorsports on Twitter: @JamieDickRacing, @VivaRacing55.
Facebook: JamieDickRacing, Viva Motorsports, and on the Web: jamiedick.com, viva-motorsports.com
For David Ragan, 2014 is set to be a year full of milestones, from his 100th Nationwide start to his impending fatherhood, with baby Ragan set to arrive this summer.
But as is the case for most racers, Ragan is just happy to be back at the track, even if only for some preseason testing in the Nationwide Series.
“I’m excited for the Daytona Nationwide race,” Ragan said. “I will be racing with the Biagi-DenBeste Racing team.”
“I wanted to run a few Nationwide races to get back in the rhythm of running up front and having some fun in the Nationwide Series,” Ragan continued. “It’s something that I really haven’t had an opportunity to do in the last year or so.”
“I didn’t even realize it would be my 100th start so that was kind of interesting as well,” Ragan said. “It’s something that as the years go on, you look back and say, ‘Man it did go by pretty fast.’
“But definitely the 100th start will be fun to make at Daytona, which is special to me.”
Ragan will be behind the wheel of the No. 98 Curb Records Ford for his milestone start in the DRIVE4COPD 300, scheduled for February 22nd.
“The Nationwide team has built a really nice car,” Ragan said. “We tested down in Dayton for a couple days and thought the car had a lot of speed.”
“We have won a couple of races, a few poles and I certainly want to add another notch in the win column,” Ragan continued. “That would be cool to do in your 100th milestone start.”
Another milestone that Ragan is hoping to achieve is being able to compete in even more Nationwide Series races with this Biagi-DenBeste Racing team.
“We are working hard to attract a few more sponsors to run a few more races,” Ragan said. “This is the kind of team that doesn’t run a tremendous number of races so they can do it a little cheaper than a full-time team.”
“It’s fun and a great opportunity with a Ford Mustang to get back into the Nationwide Series,” Ragan continued. “So, I’m looking forward to hopefully running a few more races with this team.”
While Ragan is looking forward to achieving more milestones at Daytona in the Nationwide Series, he acknowledges that he will have a few challenges to face getting back into that seat. And while he enjoys racing at Daytona, the track has also presented some challenges along the way.
“I enjoy plate racing,” Ragan said. “I didn’t enjoy it the first year or two but I got to learn how to do it well.”
“But Daytona has been a tough track for me,” Ragan continued. “I think I’ve wrecked the last three or four races there.”
Several of the other challenges that Ragan will face in his milestone return to the Nationwide Series is the new ‘no tandem racing’ rule, as well as all the new, fresh rookie faces in the garage area.
“I don’t think that NASCAR will even have a chance to police that no tandem rule because of the configuration of the air intake and the radiator package,” Ragan said. “It’s very similar to the Cup Series so the temperatures will be so high that you won’t be able to even attempt to tandem race.”
“It is just one of those things that NASCAR is adjusting the rules on a bit that I don’t think they’ll have an opportunity to enforce because we can police it ourselves.”
“Also, I’m trying to get to know some of the new guys out there that I’m racing with,” Ragan said. “That’s why it was important to go and do the test.
“A lot of the Nationwide guys I know and know of but I haven’t had the opportunity to race with them,” Ragan continued. “I think it’s important to get to talk to them and let them see me in the car so they recognize who is driving it.”
“That will pay big dividends when we are out there racing for sure.”
Ragan is also looking forward to achieving new milestones on the Cup side of his career, especially being back in partnership for another year with Front Row Motorsports teammate David Gilliland.
“Front Row Motorsports has improved year in and year out since I’ve started there in 2012,” Ragan said. “We’ve got a lot of potential now.”
“Some of our primary sponsors are coming back and we’re excited about that,” Ragan continued. “We’ve worked on our car inventory this off-season and we’ve certainly improved our team.”
“We’ve got to keep working hard because as the same time we’re improving our team, the teams around us are improving theirs as well,” Ragan said. “We just have to keep our heads up and keep working hard.”
“We’re excited to get to Daytona, but really excited to get to Phoenix, Las Vegas, Bristol and see where we shake out in those first few races,” Ragan continued. “I’m looking forward to my third year and having some fun with my team.”
“And if we could slightly improve on our Cup efforts, continue to build relationships with our sponsors and it has a lot of potential to be a milestone year.”
Ragan’s final, and most important, milestone in 2014 is more personal. He and his wife Jacquelyn are expecting a new addition to the Ragan clan.
“We are also having a milestone personally as Jacquelyn, my wife, is pregnant and due in June,” Ragan said. “So, this is going to be a big year off the race track.”
“It’s going to be a fun time but a very busy time,” Ragan said. “But we’re excited and ready to get the year underway.”
Scott Lagasse has honed his skills from ARCA racing to the NASCAR Nationwide Series. But he is most proud of his new relationship with the Boy Scouts of America as sponsor and partner.
“The relationship with them is pretty unique,” Lagasse said. “It started when I did a pine wood derby race and thought that was pretty cool.”
“We started talking and it ended up at national,” Lagasse continued. “What a great organization.”
“The Scouts do so many great things for kids, instilling morals and values,” Lagasse said. “It was a strange and unplanned relationship, but really a great one.”
Lagasse, a Boy Scout himself, has been most enthused about the impact of the partnership that he has experienced first-hand through a variety of Scouting events.
“We’ve already seen the excitement with the kids,” Lagasse said. “We went to an event at Fort Knox, Kentucky and there were 8,000 kids there that absolutely went crazy and loved the race car.”
“It’s fun for me because we drove a Scout to school this morning,” Lagasse continued. “We’ve done that a couple times now.”
“We went through Orlando with a police escort, spinning the rear tires and pulling up to the front of the school with all the kids out front,” Lagasse said. “It was great.”
“I don’t know if I had more fun, he had more fun or his parents had more fun.”
Lagasse is not the first driver to have a sponsor partnership with a charitable organization, proudly following in the steps of one of his racing idols, Jeff Gordon, whose sponsor is the AARP Foundation’s Drive to End Hunger.
So, it may not be coincidence that Gordon’s step-father John Bickford has also been a friend, mentor and advisor to Lagasse throughout the years.
“Without a doubt you always look up to a driver like Jeff Gordon,” Lagasse said. “Obviously for Mr. Bickford to spend the time with me that he has, I guess I would consider myself a charity case.”
“I don’t know that it was his idea about the charitable partnership, but he definitely has molded the way that I think and approach the sport,” Lagasse continued. “There’s no doubt that he is the leading person pushing me to do a business plan that makes sense.”
“In that regard, Mr. Bickford has been a huge ally and asset,” Lagasse said. “You definitely have to respect what he has done for the sport.”
Lagasse, mirroring the values of the Boy Scouts, also credits his family, particularly his father Scott Lagasse Sr., a racer in his own right, with supporting him in his racing journey.
“I couldn’t ask for my parents to do anything more for me,” Lagasse said. “They both realize the commitment and how much it takes to be successful.”
“They were always there to support me and that to me means a lot.”
In addition to the support of his family, Lagasse is also grateful for the camaraderie, commitment and support of his team. This too mirrors the values of Scouting in creating teamwork and a shared community.
“I’m really excited about the group of guys that we have, especially my crew chief Brad Parrott,” Lagasse said. “Brad came and crew chiefed an ARCA race for me.”
“He was a huge help and we led a lot of laps until we ran out of gas,” Lagasse continued. “It was not his doing but I still give him a hard time about it.”
“That’s obviously a good way to have started the relationship,” Lagasse said. “Since then we have worked together quite a few times.”
“That’s what motivates me, knowing that we’re all going to battle together,” Lagasse continued. “The most fun will be on race day when we strap in with that group of guys around me and the support of the Scouts.”
Lagasse is also looking forward to race day right at his home track, having grown up in St. Augustine, Florida and racing as a youngster in the shadows of Daytona International Speedway. And the 31 year old driver, now with his own team, cannot wait to take the track for the DRIVE4COPD 300 Nationwide race behind the wheel of his No. 8 HybridLight/Boy Scouts of America Chevrolet.
“This is for sure home and I’ve always had dreams of racing here,” Lagasse said. “Our goals are probably in stages.”
“Number one is to get out of here in one piece,” Lagasse said. “That one, we will accomplish.”
“Beyond that, we need to have a good partner to have a shot at the win,” Lagasse continued. “That’s how I’m going to approach it.”
“We’ll do what we need to do early to be there late,” Lagasse said. “We’re a small team and we know we’re up against the big boys.”
“But we have good people so I don’t see why we can’t run up front.”
Most of all for Lagasse, the Daytona race is all about being honored to represent the Boy Scouts and get the youth leadership of today interested in racing for the rest of their lives.
“I would say for me it’s a huge responsibility to partner with the Boy Scouts,” Lagasse said. “That’s how I look at it.”
“It’s a huge honor that also comes with a huge responsibility,” Lagasse continued. “Our relationship is very young but we’re both committed to the long term.”
“I’m excited about helping young kids develop on and off the track,” Lagasse said. “For us, it’s a shared responsibility and an honor to be that rallying point for them.”
“To me, that’s the best part about the Scouts because time and time again, they do the right thing.”
As the 2013 season gets underway this weekend at Daytona for the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series, it’s time once again to analyze the statistics and see just who you should be watching this weekend at the “World Center of Racing”.
First on the docket of racing this weekend will be the Camping World Truck Series, which will take to the high banks Friday night in the Nextera Energy Resources 250.
Top 10 Camping World Series drivers at Daytona International Speedway (last 10 races):
Driver
Races
Win
Top 5
Top 10
Pole
Laps Led
Avg. Start
Avg. Finish
John King
1
1
1
1
0
6
23.0
1.0
Todd Bodine
8
2
6
7
0
136
9.0
5.4
Timothy Peters
5
1
2
3
0
17
23.0
6.4
Kyle Busch
4
0
3
3
0
18
19.2
7.8
Ty Dillon
1
0
0
1
0
0
4.0
9.0
Clay Greenfield
1
0
0
1
0
0
26.0
10.0
Chris Fontaine
2
0
0
1
0
0
19.0
13.0
Justin Lofton
3
0
1
1
0
0
17.0
13.0
Dusty Davis
1
0
0
0
0
0
16.0
13.0
Matt Crafton
10
0
1
4
0
1
16.2
14.6
Who to Watch: Defending winner John King returns in 2013 after winning in his first attempt last year in a wild finish. King will be with a different team, but is batting 1.000 in his career at Daytona, so he will definitely be one to keep an eye on. Todd Bodine leads the series regulars with 2 wins and an average finish of 5.4. Other series regulars who run well at Daytona include Timothy Peters with 1 win and an average finish of 6.4 and Ty Dillon, who finished top 10 in his first outing last year. Throw in Cup regular Kyle Busch with an average finish of 7.8 and Friday night’s Truck race should be a great race, as usual.
Next up will be the Nationwide Series taking on the famed 2.5 superspeedway in Florida in the Drive4COPD 300 on Saturday afternoon.
Top 10 Nationwide Series drivers at Daytona International Speedway (last 10 races):
Driver
Races
Win
Top 5
Top 10
Pole
Laps Led
Avg. Start
Avg. Finish
Tony Stewart
6
4
4
5
1
146
10.2
4.2
Austin Dillon
2
0
2
2
0
8
23.5
4.5
Kurt Busch
2
1
1
2
0
65
9.5
5.5
Kyle Busch
10
0
5
7
0
132
12.9
8.7
Matt Kenseth
3
0
1
2
0
39
7.3
9.7
Brian Vickers
5
0
2
4
0
12
17.2
11.8
Kasey Kahne
6
0
1
4
0
5
14.5
12.5
Dale Earnhardt Jr
8
1
4
5
0
62
8.5
12.8
Parker Kligerman
1
0
0
0
0
0
2.0
13.0
Elliott Sadler
4
0
1
3
0
49
9.5
13.8
Who to Watch: The field will be stocked full of Cup regulars, with Tony Stewart as best by far when the Nationwide Series rolls into Daytona. Stewart has 4 wins in 6 starts and has finished no worse than 10th in all but 1 start. This year should be more of the same from Stewart as he will be the one to beat for the win. Others to keep an eye on will be Austin Dillon with a 4.5 average finish in 2 starts, as well as the Busch brothers and Matt Kenseth, all of whom have an average finish of 9.7 or better. Should be another exciting race for NASCAR’s 2nd tier series.
Rounding out the weekend will be Sunday’s 55th running of the Daytona 500, which should be even more of a spectacle than usual with the points race debut of the Gen6 car.
Top 10 Sprint Cup Series drivers at Daytona International Speedway (last 10 races):
Driver
Races
Win
Top 5
Top 10
Pole
Laps Led
Avg. Start
Avg. Finish
Carl Edwards
10
0
3
7
1
2
14.4
11.1
Matt Kenseth
10
2
5
7
1
164
15.7
11.1
Tony Stewart
10
2
3
4
0
149
13.3
12.0
Kevin Harvick
10
1
2
5
0
90
15.7
14.1
Kurt Busch
10
0
4
6
0
82
20.3
14.4
Dale Earnhardt Jr
10
0
3
5
1
78
9.0
14.9
Kasey Kahne
10
0
2
5
0
24
15.0
15.5
Bobby Labonte
10
0
1
2
0
3
28.0
16.3
Paul Menard
10
0
0
3
1
37
20.8
16.6
Kyle Busch
10
1
3
4
0
252
13.9
16.8
Who to Watch: The top 10 is a virtual who’s who of restrictor plate masters with recent Daytona winners Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick, who have 5 wins among them in the last 10 races at Daytona, being book-ended by a consistent Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch. All 5 of these drivers have an average finish of 14.4 or less over the last 10 races and all of the top 10 drivers could be threats for the win on Sunday. The one X-factor, however, will be the debut of the Gen6 car and the vast array of unknowns associated with it, so anyone could be a winner in the “Great American Race” this year.
Reed Sorenson began his NASCAR career with Ganassi Racing in the No. 41 Dodge in 2005. He was immediately a force to be reckoned with, scoring his first victory at Nashville Speedway from the pole and crossing the finish line 14 seconds over the competition. He went to victory lane once again at Gateway and lead the standings by 51 points and finished the season fourth overall.
Beginning a full-time schedule in the Cup series and double duty in the Nationwide series in 2006, Reed completed the season 10th in Nationwide standings and earned five top-10 finishes in Cup. In his rookie Cup season, he became the youngest pole winner at Indianapolis Motor Speedway at the age of 21.
His career went from the best of highs to the worst of lows when Sorenson was released from driving duties at Turner Motorsports in October 2011. After taking Turner Motorsports to victory lane and to third place in the championship standings, this came as a shock to the NASCAR world. Turner gave no excuse for the release.
Now at the age of 27, Sorenson finds himself racing full-time in the Nationwide series once again with The Motorsports Group, much to the excitement of his fan base. “I came in and he told me his plan as far as trying to make his race team better and trying to improve his race team with his engine program that he’s started up – he’s hoping that’s a step forward compared to last year and what he had. You know, he kind of filled me in on – this is the year where he’s going to try and put everything he possibly can into the race team and making it better. I felt pretty encouraged about that and we just talked a few more times and said alright let’s do it.”
Formerly known as Key Motorsports, TMG currently fields the #40, 42, 46 and 47 entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Curtis Key is approaching his 20th anniversary as a team owner in NASCAR’s top three divisions.
“I hope this year will be the best that this team has ever ran”, Sorenson said when I asked about his expectations for the 2013 season. “I hope that I can bring, as a driver, more experience than they’ve (TMG) had in the past. We know what we’re up against; we’re not a Cup team, as you can see. I mean you’re here, this is a small operation with a handful of people and we all know that – anybody from me, to Curtis, to the guys working down there(in the shop), we know what we’re up against.”
Unlike most teams, TMG was not able to test their cars in the off season or at Daytona in January. Despite the odds against them, Sorenson is up for the challenge and has a positive outlook.
“Going into Daytona, the way the racing is there, I feel like we have a shot to win. I love racing there and I’m going there to win. After Daytona, we kind of have to see where we’re at and see what we need to work on. Our expectations, I guess, to put it in a simple form, is to go out there and run well and figure out where we need to get better and do that.”
The No. 40 is going into Daytona on the right foot with a primary sponsor of E-Swisher for the DRIVE4COPD300. Instead of smoke, e-Swisher electronic cigarettes emit a vapor that evaporates in seconds, with only a faint scent that doesn’t linger. The e-cigarettes are infused with high-quality nicotine, giving you the full satisfaction of a regular cigarette.
“We’re excited about them, they’ve never been in the sport, it’s a new product,” said Sorenson. “Their excited about their new product and telling people what it is. They will be at the race, so that’s exciting. I’ve been a part of bringing a new sponsor into the sport in the past (with Discount Tire) and they’re still in the sport, so hopefully this is a relationship that can last and we can build on it in the future and I’m excited about them. When you have a new sponsor coming in your kind of want to show them all about NASCAR and what it’s about and how they can get their monies worth out of it. We’ll do the best job we can to show them a good time and show them NASCAR is a place they need to be.”
Going into the restrictor-plate track of Daytona, Sorenson has one top-five and three top-10 finishes with zero DNF’s.
To keep up with Reed and his No. 40 TMG team, be sure to follow him on Twitter @ReedSorenson7 and @TMG_team40.
