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  • Stenhouse survives double overtime for first Daytona 500 title

    Stenhouse survives double overtime for first Daytona 500 title

    In NASCAR’s longest-ever running of the Great American Race to commence the sport’s 75th anniversary of competition, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. muscled his way to win the 65th annual running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 19, amid two overtime attempts and a series of late carnages.

    The 35-year-old Stenhouse from Olive Branch, Mississippi, rallied from a late pit road speeding penalty to take the lead from reigning series champion Joey Logano during the first of two overtime attempts. He then had to endure a second overtime attempt, where he nearly lost the lead on the final lap before a draft from Christopher Bell enabled Stenhouse to fend off Logano and remain ahead of him prior to a vicious multi-car wreck on the final lap that concluded the event under caution and sent the driver of the No. 47 JTG-Daugherty Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team to Victory Lane. In total, Stenhouse led the final 10 of 212 over-scheduled laps.

    The starting lineup was determined through two single-car qualifying sessions that occurred on Wednesday, February 15, followed by a pair of Bluegreen Vacations Duels that occurred on Thursday, February 16. For the third time in his career, Alex Bowman started on pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 181.686 mph in 49.536 seconds. Joining him on the front row was teammate Kyle Larson, who posted the second-fastest qualifying lap at 181.057 mph in 49.708 seconds. Joey Logano and Aric Almirola occupied the second row after both won their respective Duels. The only competitor to drop at the rear of the field was Kyle Busch in a backup car after he wrecked his primary car during the second Duel event.

    When the green flag waved and the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season commenced, teammates Bowman and Larson dueled for the lead in front of two tight-packed lanes entering the first two turns. While Larson tried to pull ahead on the inside lane with drafting help from Logano, Bowman muscled away with the lead as he had a stronger draft on the outside lane followed by Almirola entering the backstretch. Larson then tried to pull even to Bowman’s No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 on the inside lane exiting the backstretch as he had Logano drafting him. As the field returned to the frontstretch, Larson managed to pull ahead and lead the first lap by a hair over Bowman as the field remained dead tight through two packed lanes.

    Through the first five scheduled laps and with the field remaining in tight formation through two tight-packed lanes, teammates Bowman and Larson remained dead even for the lead followed by Almirola, Logano and Christopher Bell while Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski and Corey LaJoie were in the top 10. Behind, Chris Buescher occupied 11th while Todd Gilliland, Michael McDowell, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Preece, Zane Smith and Noah Gragson were running in the top 20.

    At the Lap 10 mark, Bowman managed to break ahead with the lead followed by teammate Larson, while Almirola, Logano and Cindric were in the top five. By then, names like William Byron, Ross Chastain, Chase Briscoe and Austin Dillon were mired outside the top 20 while Conor Daly, Travis Pastrana, rookie Ty Gibbs and Jimmie Johnson were running towards the rear of the field.

    Two laps later and just as Larson managed to break away from the pack with drafting help from Logano, Bell gained a strong run on both front-runners and made his move to the outside lane entering the frontstretch as he challenged Larson for the lead with drafting help from Bowman. He would prevail through the backstretch and clear the field with Bowman remaining right behind his No. 20 DeWalt/Rheem Toyota TRD Camry.

    By Lap 25, Bell was scored as the leader despite remaining in a tight side-by-side battle against Larson amid two packed lanes. Bowman, Almiorla, Logano, Cindric, Blaney, Elliott, LaJoie and Keselowski were running in the top 10 while Johnson and Kyle Busch were scored in 26th and 33rd, respectively. A few laps later, Ty Dillon fell off the pace and took his car to the garage following a mechanical issue to his Spire Motorsports entry while the race remained under green flag conditions.

    At the Lap 35 mark, Almirola ignited his challenge for the lead as he gained a draft from Cindric on the inside lane to lead a lap for himself ahead of Bell. By then, Conor Daly made a pit stop under green while names like Corey LaJoie, Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin emerged in the top 10. A lap later, however, Bowman navigated his way back into the lead as he had LaJoie pushing him while battling Bell.

    Then during the following lap, the Ford competitors led by Almirola and Logano peeled off the track and on pit road for their first service of the event. A bevy of Chevrolet competitors led by rookie Noah Gragson and Bowman would pit during the following lap while the rest of the field that included a multitude of Toyota competitors and Chevrolet competitor Kyle Busch pitted during the following lap. During the final wave of pit stops, newcomer Riley Herbst locked up the front tires and spun his No. 15 SunnyD Ford Mustang behind Busch while trying to enter pit road, but the event remained under green flag conditions. Herbst, however, was assessed a pass-through penalty for a commitment line violation. Despite remaining on track to lead two laps for himself before pitting by himself under green, Pastrana was also penalized with a pass-through penalty for driving his No. 67 Black Rifle Coffee Toyota TRD Camry through too many pit boxes while exiting his pit stall.

    By Lap 40 and with the first wave of pit stops being completed under green, Hamlin cycled his way into the lead followed by teammate Bell, Reddick, Briscoe and Almirola while Wallace, Cindric, Truex, Blaney and Kyle Busch were running in the top 10. Soon after, the field returned to competing within two tight-packed lanes as Briscoe drew himself in a side-by-side challenge against Hamlin for the lead.

    On Lap 52, early trouble struck for Bubba Wallace, who moved up to the outside lane while battling with Briscoe for the lead before he got bumped by a fast-charging Truex on the backstretch as he slapped the outside wall. Despite keeping his No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota TRD Camry straight, he dropped to the rear of the field, pitted under green and returned on the track as he would eventually lose a lap to the leaders. Amid Wallace’s issue, Truex moved into the lead followed by his Toyota teammates Hamlin, Bell, Tyler Reddick and Gibbs.

    By Lap 60, Truex retained the lead ahead of a long line of competitors that included teammates Hamlin and Gibbs while Almirola and Brad Keselowski were scored in the top five. By then, Jimmie Johnson was in eighth in between Ryan Preece and Kevin Harvick while Reddick and Bell were mired back in 12th and 25th, respectively.

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 65, Keselowski, who commenced a late drafting charge to the front before overtaking Truex during the stage’s final lap with drafting help from a multitude of Ford competitors, claimed the first stage victory of the 2023 season. Ford competitors Preece, Buescher, Harvick and McDowell followed suit in the top five while Gibbs, Johnson, Almirola, Truex and Todd Gilliand were scored in the top 10, all of whom received the first wave of stage points. By then, names that included Hamlin, Byron, Cindric, Erik Jones, Kyle Busch, Justin Haley, Chase Elliott, Logano, Reddick and Blaney were running in the top 20 as 32 of 40 starters were scored on the lead lap. In addition, AJ Allmendinger received the free pass after managing to remain as the first competitor a lap down ahead of Wallace, Zane Smith and BJ McLeod.

    Under the stage break, the entire field led by Keselowski pitted and Preece exited with the lead followed by Keselowski, Harvick, Almirola and McDowell. During the pit stops, Buescher had to back up to get into his pit stall while Hamlin and Logano nearly made contact against one another, with Logano running his car into the grass, while trying to exit pit road amid a tight scramble.

    The second stage started on Lap 71 as Preece and Keselowski occupied the front row. At the start, Preece and Keselowski duked for the lead until Keselowski gained a draft from Almirola through the backstretch and moved in front of Preece’s No. 41 Haas Ford Mustang to lead a lap for himself. Almirola, however, was quick to challenge Keselowski on the outside lane as he had Cindric’s No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang drafting him while Keselowski remained in front of Preece and Harvick on the inside lane.

    Through the first 80 scheduled laps, Keselowski and Almirola continued to duke for the lead followed by Preece, Cindric and Harvick while Byron, McDowell, Buescher, Truex and Gilliland were in the top 10. Behind, Kyle Busch, Logano, Erik Jones, Hamlin, Blaney, Johnson, Larson, Elliott, Haley and Reddick were running in the top 20 while Gibbs, Bowman, Stenhouse, Ross Chastain, Briscoe, Harrison Burton, Bell, Gragson, Allmendinger and Daniel Suarez were mired in the top 30. Meanwhile, Austin Dillon was scored as the final competitor on the lead lap in 33rd while Wallace was still mired a lap down in 34th in front of Zane Smith and Pastrana.

    Ten laps later, Keselowski continued to lead on the inside lane followed by Preece and Harvick while McDowell and Almirola battled for fourth place in front of two tight-packed lanes.

    At the halfway mark on Lap 100, Keselowski retained the lead ahead of the pack and a long line of competitors running on the inside lane. By then, Preece remained behind Keselowski in the runner-up spot followed by Harvick, McDowell and Erik Jones while Johnson, Larson, Reddick, Stenhouse and Truex were running in the top 10. By then, Kyle Busch was trying to launch a second drafting lane on the outside lane as he was just scored outside of the top 10 while 33 of 40 starters were scored on the lead lap.

    Eight laps later, a multitude of competitors led by Kyle Busch and including a majority of Chevrolet competitors pitted under green for a second time while the rest of the field led by Keselowski remained on the track. Following the first wave of pit stops, Busch was assessed a pass-through penalty for speeding on pit road. Shortly after, a small wave of competitors led by Keselowski pitted for service under green. A wave of Toyota competitors including Ford competitor Harvick, followed suit during the next lap before Logano led the final wave of competitors down to pit road by the Lap 110 mark.

    Once the green flag pit stops completed, Logano cycled into the lead followed by Buescher and Blaney. All three, however, were quickly caught by the field led by Reddick entering the frontstretch and chaos nearly ensued when Blaney and Buescher tried to stall the run from the pack. Once the field settled through two packed lanes, Logano retained the lead followed by teammate Blaney while Truex, Gibbs and Larson were in the top five. By then, Erik Jones, Buescher, Byron, Reddick and Harvick occupied the top 10.

    Then on Lap 118, the caution flew when Harvick bumped and got Reddick’s No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota TRD Camry loose in Turn 4 as he clipped Blaney while barely missing Truex before both veered sideways and hit the outside wall. While the oncoming competitors behind scrambled to avoid the carnage, Erik Jones veered sideway below the apron along with Larson before he spun backwards and was hit by Elliott while Suarez also made contact against Elliott. While Blaney continued despite falling off of the lead lap category, top names that included Elliott, Jones and Reddick were eliminated from contention. During the caution period, some led by Buescher pitted while others led by Logano remained on the track.

    With six laps remaining in the second stage, the race proceeded under green as Logano and Chastain occupied the front row. At the start, Logano rocketed away with the lead on the inside lane followed by Truex while Chastain was locked in a battle with AJ Allmendinger for third place. A lap later, Chastain drew his No. 1 AdventHealth Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 alongside Logano as he proceeded to lead a lap for himself before Logano returned the favor during the next lap. Chastain would then manage to reassume the lead and have both lanes to his control while Bowman and Logano dueled for second.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 130, Chastain edged Bowman by 0.015 seconds to claim the second stage victory. Logano settled in third while Stenhouse, Logano, Cindric, Truex, Byron, Allmendinger, Buescher and Bell were scored in the top 10 as the field fanned out to three lanes while streaking across the start/finish line.

    Under the stage break, nearly the entire field led by Chastain, except for Wallace, pitted for service and Almirola exited with the lead after only opting for fuel followed by Buescher, Byron, Larson and Cindric. During the caution period, Chastain was penalized for speeding while entering pit road along with Gragson, who was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation. Bell was also penalized for running over his air hose.

    With 63 laps remaining, the final stage started under green as Wallace and Almirola occupied the front row. At the start, Wallace jumped ahead with the lead as he had both lanes to his control through the first two turns. Through the backstretch, he moved from the bottom to the top lane to remain in front of Byron. This, however, allowed Almirola to gain the draft and move into the lead on the inside lane followed by Buescher as Larson also moved up to third.

    Two laps later, the caution returned due to debris in the form of a right-front tire that came off in Turn 2 and off of Blaney’s damaged No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang. During the caution period, names that included Larson, Byron, Briscoe, Logano, Gragson, Truex, Cody Ware, Allmendinger, Stenhouse, Gilliland, Zane Smith, Bowman, Logano and Kyle Busch pitted, mainly for fuel. During the pit stops, Bowman endured a slow pit service to have his car repaired after making contact with Gragson while trying to enter his pit stall.

    During the following restart with 57 laps remaining, Wallace and Almirola dueled for the lead for a second time before Almirola quickly pulled away on the inside lane as he was being drafted by Buescher and Harvick while Wallace had Cindric drafting him. During the following lap, Cindric along with a majority of competitors running on the outside lane overtook Wallace as Wallace lost the draft while being stuck in the middle of three packed lanes and fell back to 16th. Meanwhile, a side-by-side action for the lead was occurring between Almirola and Buescher.

    With 50 laps remaining, Buescher was leading ahead of teammate/owner Keselowski followed by Almirola, Hamlin and Harvick while LaJoie, Cindric, Haley, Preece and Johnson were in the top 10. Shortly after, Hamlin drew his challenge for the lead beneath Buescher’s No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang, but the latter remained within contention.

    Under the final 40 scheduled laps, the top-33 competitors on the track were separated by less than two seconds and within two packed lanes as Buescher continued to lead with drafting help from Keselowski while Almirola, Cindric and Preece settled in the top five ahead of Harrison Burton, McDowell, Hamlin, Suarez and Larson.

    Down to the final 30 laps of the event, Buescher retained the lead followed by a long line of competitors running on the outside lane, which included seven Fords occupying the top-seven spots that included Keselowski, Almirola, Cindric, Preece, Burton and McDowell. A lap later, Wallace pitted for fresh tires and fuel under green.

    Then with 25 laps remaining, a wave of competitors led by Buescher pitted under green, mainly for fuel, as Suarez took over the lead. The Toyota competitors led by Hamlin and Truex would pit during the following lap before a group of five led by McDowell pitted during the ensuing lap. More competitors led by Suarez would then pit with 21 laps remaining as Burton emerged with the lead. Shortly after, Burton pitted along with a handful of competitors including Logano. During the pit stops, Stenhouse was penalized for speeding while exiting pit road.

    Then with 19 laps remaining, the caution flew when a stack-up on the outside lane entering Turns 1 and 2 resulted with McDowell hitting and sending Preece sideways as Preece spun below the track and hit the right side of Johnson’s car before he shot back up to the wall and ignited a multi-car wreck that collected Truex, Briscoe, Gibbs and Harvick. At the moment of caution, Burton, who had just pitted under green, cycled into the lead followed by Logano, Byron, Kyle Busch and Larson while Austin Dillon, Suarez, Allmendinger, Keselowski and Gragson were running in the top 10.

    Down to the final 13 laps of the event, the race restarted under green as Burton and Logano occupied the front row. At the start, Burton and Logano battled dead even for the lead. As Burton tried to pull ahead through the backstretch, Logano gained the upper hand on the inside lane as he assumed the lead followed by Byron, Allmendinger and Larson. Then through the frontstretch, Logano’s car dipped below the double yellow lines. This caused a brief stack up as Byron was left in the middle of a three-wide battle and began losing spots after losing the draft. Then through the backstretch, Allmendinger forced his way below Logano as he took the lead followed by Larson as Logano was losing spots on the outside lane while nearly making contact with Burton.

    As the field fanned out and jostled for positions toward the front with 10 laps remaining, Keselowski cycled his way back into the lead followed by Buescher, Allmendinger, Larson and Busch. Busch would soon move up to third followed by teammate Austin Dillon and Byron while Allmendinger was slowly losing ground after losing the lead pack.

    Down to the final five laps of the event, Keselowski was leading teammate Buescher while Busch settled in third as he had teammate Dillon and Byron drafting him while Stenhouse, Logano, Cindric, Bell and Larson in top 10.

    Then with four laps remaining, Busch dropped the hammer through the backstretch as he moved to the outside lane and was drafted into the lead followed by Dillon, Byron and Stenhouse while Keselowski and Buescher were stuck on the inside lane with no additional help as they dropped to fifth and sixth. Then as Busch led the field towards the frontstretch with the start/finish line within sight, the caution flew with two laps remaining and the event was sent into overtime when Suarez got turned and spun towards the frontstretch before getting his No. 99 Tootsies Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 stuck on the frontstretch grass.

    At the start of the first overtime attempt, Busch, who started on the outside lane alongside Dillon, jumped ahead before crossing over in front of Dillon’s No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Club Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to get the draft from his Richard Childress Racing teammate while Logano tried to rally on the outside lane. Logano would gain the upper hand through the backstretch as he had Stenhouse, Larson and Bell pushing him while Busch had to save his No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 from going off the track after getting bumped by Dillon. Then, Stenhouse moved to the inside of Logano as he took the lead followed by Larson. Not long after, however, the caution returned and the field was sent into a second overtime attempt when Dillon got bumped and turned by Byron exiting the backstretch as he bumped into Hamlin before sending himself and Byron for a spin. Both Dillon and Byron then veered back up the track and ignited another multi-car pileup in Turn 3 that involved Haley, Gilliland, Cindric, Burton, Gragson, Chastain, Zane Smith, Herbst and Johnson, whose strong run came to an end with a wrecked race car. In the midst of the carnage, Busch, who lost his teammate and drafting partner, fell back to sixth behind Logano and Allmendinger.

    At the start of the second overtime attempt, where Stenhouse and Larson occupied the front row, Stenhouse retained the lead despite receiving pressure from Logano, Larson, Busch and a pack of cars through double lanes through the backstretch and entering the frontstretch.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Stenhouse remained as the leader before being overtaken by both Logano and Larson exiting the frontstretch. Entering Turns 1 and 2, however, Stenhouse received a push from Bell on the inside lane to mount his way back to the front and draw himself alongside Logano. Then through Turns 1 and 2, Pastrana got bumped by Almirola as he clipped Larson and sent Larson’s No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 head-on into the outside wall. The contact triggered a massive wreck on the final lap that included Busch, Blaney, Cindric, Wallace, Keselowski, Hamlin and Allmendinger. The wreck on the final lap was also enough for NASCAR to conclude the event under caution and Stenhouse, who was low on fuel in overtime, emerged as the winner as he was out in front when the caution was displayed ahead of Logano and Bell.

    With the victory, Stenhouse became the 42nd different competitor to win the Daytona 500 as he notched his third NASCAR Cup Series career victory and snapped a 199-race winless drought, with his last victory occurring at Daytona in July 2017. He also recorded the second Cup career victory for JTG-Daugherty Racing, which celebrated a Daytona 500 pole with Stenhouse in 2020, as co-owners Jodi Geschickter and Brad Daugherty became the first female and African-American duo as co-owners of a car to win the 500. Stenhouse’s victory also occurred in his first race being reunited with veteran Mike Kelley, who led Stenhouse to back-to-back Xfinity Series championships in 2011 and 2012.

    Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    “I think this whole off season [period], [crew chief] Mike [Kelley] just preached how much we all believed in each other,” Stenhouse, who celebrated by climbing the frontstretch catchfence, said on FOX. “[The team] left me a note on the car that said they believe in me and to go get the job done tonight. I made a few mistakes. We were able to battle back. This Kroger/Cottonelle team worked really, really hard this off-season. Great pit stops, Hendrick engines, glad a Chevy won. Man, this is unbelievable. This is the sight of my last win back in 2017. We worked really hard. We had a couple shots last year to get a win and fell short. It was a tough season, but man, we got it done. Daytona 500.”

    “I knew I was gonna take the top [lane for the second overtime],” Stenhouse added. “I was hoping [Logano] was gonna follow and he did. He was able to push us out. I went to the bottom [lane]. [Busch] and [Logano] got a huge run. [Larson] split me in the middle, but another fellow dirt racer with Bell gave me a good shot down the little short chute into [Turn] 1. Man, we were out front when the caution came out. We were out of fuel, so the fuel light was going crazy, but man, I hope you all [fans] had fun. That was a heck of a race!”

    While Stenhouse celebrated the victory, Logano, the reigning series champion, settled in a disappointing second place while Bell, Buescher and Bowman finished in the top five.

    “Second’s the worst, man,” Logano said. “You’re so close. Leading the white flag lap there, I was up front. Kyle gave me a good push and you’re watching in the mirror and you’re three wide across there…You think you’re racing to the checkered flag and you put yourself in the best position to try to win at the start/finish line, and just caution came out. You wish you could race to the end. Obviously, you can’t when they wreck that much. Congratulations to Ricky. There’s nothing like winning the Daytona 500. That’s why it stings so much finishing second, but still proud of the team, still proud of the effort coming off the championship last year and bringing this Shell/Pennzoil Mustang back toward the front and getting a Ford close to the front. Wish it was in Victory Lane, though.”

    “If you would’ve told me pre-race I was gonna run third, I would’ve jumped up and down and smiling ear to ear,” Bell said. “I am very happy and very, very thankful that I would get this Rheem and DeWalt Camry a good solid finish, but man, just so close to a crown jewel. I feel like if [the race] would’ve stayed green, I would’ve been on offense. Who knows, who knows, but very proud and thankful to be here at Joe Gibbs Racing. That’s really cool. Very, very happy for Ricky.”

    Allmendinger, who was involved in the final lap multi-car melee, rallied to come home in sixth place while Suarez, Blaney, Chastain and Riley Herbst achieved top-10 results. Notably, Pastrana finished 11th in his Cup debut, Harvick finished 12th in his 22nd and final Daytona 500 career start in front of Zane Smith, Hamlin fell back to 17th while Larson, Kyle Busch, Wallace, Almirola, Keselowski and Cindric ended up 18th through 23rd, respectively, after wrecking on the final lap. In addition, Conor Daly and Johnson ended up 29th and 31st, respectively, in the final running order.

    There were 53 lead changes for 21 different leaders. The race featured eight cautions for 38 laps. At 212 laps (530 miles), this season marked the longest-ever running of the Daytona 500 in distance.

    Following the first event on the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, Joey Logano leads the regular-season standings by two points over Chris Buescher, four over Ricky Stenhouse Jr., eight over Christopher Bell, 11 over Alex Bowman and 14 over Ross Chastain.

    Results.

    1. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 10 laps led

    2. Joey Logano, 12 laps led

    3. Christopher Bell, 20 laps led

    4. Chris Buescher, 32 laps led

    5. Alex Bowman, 12 laps led

    6. AJ Allmendinger, one lap led

    7. Daniel Suarez, three laps led

    8. Ryan Blaney, one lap led

    9. Ross Chastain, six laps led, Stage 2 winner

    10. Riley Herbst

    11. Travis Pastrana, two laps led

    12. Kevin Harvick, one lap led

    13. Zane Smith

    14. Cody Ware

    15. Martin Truex Jr., 13 laps led

    16. Corey LaJoie

    17. Denny Hamlin, six laps led

    18. Kyle Larson – OUT, Accident, six laps led

    19. Kyle Busch – OUT, Accident, six laps led

    20. Bubba Wallace – OUT, Accident, five laps led

    21. Aric Almirola – OUT, Accident, 16 laps led

    22. Brad Keselowski – OUT, Accident, 42 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    23. Austin Cindric – OUT, Accident

    24. Noah Gragson, two laps down

    25. Ty Gibbs, two laps down

    26. Harrison Burton, two laps down, nine laps led

    27. Todd Gilliland, four laps down

    28. Michael McDowell, four laps down

    29. Conor Daly, six laps down

    30. BJ McLeod, eight laps down

    31. Jimmie Johnson – OUT, Accident

    32. Justin Haley – OUT, Accident

    33. Austin Dillon – OUT, Accident

    34. William Byron – OUT, Accident

    35. Chase Briscoe – OUT, Accident, five laps led

    36. Ryan Preece – OUT, Accident, four laps led

    37. Erik Jones – OUT, Accident

    38. Chase Elliott – OUT, Accident

    39. Tyler Reddick – OUT, Accident

    40. Ty Dillon – OUT, Engine

    With the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season underway, the competitors and teams will be embarking on a three-race West Coast swing, beginning at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, which will mark the sport’s final competition at the two-mile speedway venue. The event is scheduled to occur on next Sunday, February 26, at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • Zane Smith emerges victorious in rain-shortened Truck Series opener at Daytona

    Zane Smith emerges victorious in rain-shortened Truck Series opener at Daytona

    The reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Zane Smith commenced the new season of competition on a high and bizarre note by winning the rain-shortened NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, Feb. 17.

    The 23-year-old Smith from Huntington Beach, California, led three times for 17 of 79-shortened laps, including the final 15, where he assumed the lead on Lap 65 following a three-wide move against Corey LaJoie and Tyler Ankrum. He then retained the top spot for a few additional laps before the event was red-flagged for over an hour due to persistent rain that halted the event in the early stages. More than an hour after NASCAR attempted to dry the superspeedway venue and send the competitors back under racing conditions, Smith was declared the official winner of the event that was shortened 21 laps shy of its 100-lap scheduled distance.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, newcomer Nick Sanchez claimed his first career pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 181.899 mph in 49.478 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Ty Majeski, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 180.785 mph in 49.783 seconds.

    Prior to the event, names that included Clay Greenfield, Chase Purdy, Corey LaJoie, Josh Reaume and Canada’s Jason M. White dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective trucks. Newcomer Daniel Dye also dropped to the rear of the field due to a transmission change along with Chris Hacker, who fell back due to an engine change.

    When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Majeski and Sanchez dueled for the lead early followed by Jack Wood and Christian Eckes entering the first turn. With the truck competitors remaining dead even through two tight-packed lanes through the backstretch, Majeski gained the early advantage as he was drafted into the lead followed by Eckes. With the clean air and control of both lanes, Majeski proceeded to lead the first lap ahead of Sanchez and Eckes.

    During the following lap, Majeski retained the lead through the first two laps until Eckes was drafted into the lead following a strong push from Matt Crafton on the outside lane, which dropped Majeski back to third place. Not long after, the first caution of the event flew due to sprinkles reported around the superspeedway venue. Under the first caution period, some names like Derek Kraus, Chase Purdy, Daniel Dye and Tyler Ankrum pitted while the rest led by Eckes remained on the track.

    Once the track was cleared from precipitation, the race restarted under green on the sixth lap. A few seconds later, however, the caution quickly returned due to reports of more rain around the superspeedway venue. At the moment of caution, Eckes retained the lead ahead of Crafton, Matt DiBenedetto, Majeski and Sanchez. During the caution period, names like Parker Kligerman, Corey LaJoie, Kris Wright, Colby Howard, Tanner Gray and Travis Pastrana pitted while the rest led by Eckes remained on the track.

    When the race restarted on Lap 10, Eckes and Crafton dueled for the lead entering Turn 1 until Eckes peeked ahead with drafting help from DiBenedetto. Crafton, however, fought back on the outside lane through the backstretch before Eckes pulled ahead on the inside lane with another push from DiBenedetto as he retained the lead through the frontstretch.

    Two laps later, Crafton received a huge push from teammate Majeski on the outside lane entering Turns 3 and 4 to assume full command of the lead in his No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 entering the frontstretch. Though he led the Lap 13 mark, Eckes fought back on the inside lane as he and Crafton continued to engage in repeated swaps for the lead from the outside to inside lanes. By Lap 15, Eckes managed to pull his No. 19 NAPA AutoCare Chevrolet Silverado RST away from the side-by-side action on the inside lane followed by DiBenedetto while Crafton remained as the lead truck on the outside lane. Crafton, however, fought back by Lap 18 as he received another push from Majeski to pull away on the backstretch.

    Then on the final lap of the first stage, Majeski made his move to the outside of Crafton as he assumed the lead followed by Eckes and DiBenedetto. As Majeski moved back to the inside lane, Eckes charged on the outside lane as he drew himself alongside Majeski through the backstretch. Then in Turns 3 and 4, Majeski got loose towards the apron but managed to keep his truck straight. This, however, allowed Eckes to pull away as he claimed the first stage victory on Lap 20. Crafton settled in second while DiBenedetto, Hailie Deegan, Sanchez, Majeski, Carson Hocevar, Tanner Gray, Jack Wood and Grant Enfinger were scored in the top 10 on the track.

    Under the stage break, some, led by Eckes, pitted while others, led by Ankrum and including Stewart Friesen, Colby Howard, Kligerman, Purdy and Pastrana remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Kris Wright was penalized for speeding on pit road. Corey Heim was also penalized for having a crew member jump over the pit wall too soon.

    The second stage started on Lap 25 as Ankrum and Friesen occupied the front row. At the start, Ankrum pulled away with the lead on the inside lane through Turns 1 and 2 until Friesen gained momentum on the outside lane as he was drafted by Kligerman into the lead. As the field battled through two tight-packed lanes through the frontstretch, Ankrum drew his No. 16 LiUNA! Toyota Tundra TRD Pro back even against Friesen’s No. 52 Aim Autism/Halmar Toyota Tundra TRD Pro as they dueled for the lead. Not long after, the field fanned out to three lanes as Eckes tried to march his way back to the front.

    Then on Lap 28, the caution flew as a multi-truck wreck erupted just past the start/finish line and on the frontstretch when Clay Greenfield got loose, slipped sideways and ignited carnage that included Dean Thompson, Deegan, Tanner Gray, DiBenedetto, Bret Holmes, Josh Reaume and Daniel Dye. Soon after, the event entered a red flag period and the competitors parked their trucks on the backstretch due to rain returning on the venue and as the safety workers went to work to clear the wreckage. Eventually, the competitors were ordered by NASCAR to cycle their trucks back to pit road as the event remained under a red flag period due to rain.

    Following a red flag period spanning approximately 12 minutes, the competitors returned to the track at a cautious pace. Once the circuit was cleared, the race restarted under green on Lap 35 as Ankrum and Howard occupied the front row. At the start, Howard briefly peaked ahead until Ankrum retained the lead as he had the draft to his advantage on the inside lane. Howard, however, prevailed during the following lap as he cleared the field with the lead while Friesen and Ankrum dueled for second.

    During the following lap, Ankrum responded right back by assuming the lead through the backstretch. As Ankrum nearly got turned off the front nose of Howard entering the frontstretch, Friesen made a bold three-wide pass on both Howard and Ankrum to take the lead as the field behind also fanned out to three tight-packed lanes.

    Then on the final lap of the first stage, Friesen, who lost the lead to Ankrum through the first two turns, got turned into the outside wall on the backstretch after making contact with Ben Rhodes as Codie Rohrbaugh, Howard, Kligerman and Holmes also wrecked. The incident was enough to conclude the second stage scheduled on Lap 40 under caution as Ankrum claimed the second stage victory. Purdy settled in second followed by Crafton, Sanchez and Eckes while Enfinger, Rhodes, Enfinger, Jack Wood and Hocevar were scored in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, the majority of the field led by Ankrum pitted while the rest led by Corey LaJoie remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Majeski was penalized for a second time due to a rear crew member jumping over the pit wall too soon. In addition, Jason A. White, a Richmond, Virginia, native driving for TRICON Garage, was also penalized for removing equipment out of his pit box.

    Amid another brief on-track delay due to precipitation as the competitors remained on the track, the final stage commenced under the green flag with 53 laps remaining as LaJoie and Zane Smith occupied the front row. At the start, LaJoie and Smith briefly dueled for the lead until Smith pulled ahead with the lead followed by DiBenedetto and Ankrum. Exiting the backstretch, however, Ankrum received a draft from Eckes to storm back into the lead as he immediately moved in front of Zane Smith. Eckes, however, remained on the outside lane as he assumed the lead for two turns until LaJoie made a move beneath Eckes to reassume the lead.

    With 50 laps remaining, LaJoie was leading ahead of Ankrum as both competitors engaged in repeated side-by-side battles for the top spot. Heim was in third followed by Zane Smith and DiBenedetto while Eckes, Crafton, Chase Elliott, Enfinger and rookie Rajah Caruth were in the top 10. Meanwhile, Majeski was in 11th followed by Rhodes, Hocevar, Tanner Gray and Jack Wood while Dye, Purdy, Travis Pastrana, Sammy Smith, and Timmy Hill occupied the top 20 amid a tight battle within the front pack.

    Then with 43 laps remaining, the caution flew when rookie Rajah Caruth, who was running towards the top 10, made contact with both Zane Smith and Heim entering Turns 3 and 4, which got his No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet Silverado RST sideways as he spun before he was hit by DiBenedetto and teammate Daniel Dye. Amid the carnage, a majority of competitors running towards the middle of the pack took evasive action to avoid the carnage, including Tanner Gray and Elliott as both dodged the wreck, Majeski also avoided the incident by a hair despite making contact against Dye and having to slam the brakes.

    During the caution period, nearly the entire field except for LaJoie, Timmy Hill, Carson Hocevar and Josh Reaume pitted, though LaJoie’s move in remaining on the track was not as planned due to a miscommunication between himself and his pit crew on when pit road was open for service. Prior to the restart and with the majority of the competitors remaining uncertain on completing the remainder of the race’s scheduled distance on fuel, names like Timmy Hill, Carson Hocevar, Christian Eckes, Travis Pastrana, Chase Purdy, Chris Hacker, Jack Wood, Nick Sanchez, Sammy Smith, Kris Wright, Grant Enfinger, Derek Kraus and Jason A White pitted again to top off on fuel.

    With 36 laps remaining, the event restarted under green. At the start, LaJoie jumped ahead with the lead on the inside lane through the first two turns. He then tried to fend off Ankrum on the outside lane, but Ankrum and Zane Smith placed LaJoie in the middle of a three-wide battle entering Turns 3 and 4 as Zane Smith assumed the lead in his No. 38 Love’s Ford F-150 while LaJoie drifted all the way to the back of the lead pack after losing the draft.

    Three laps later, the caution returned due to reports of rain returning to the racing surface. By then, Zane Smith was the leader followed by Tanner Gray, Howard, Eckes and Enfinger while Majeski, Ankrum, Heim, Crafton and Elliott. Another six laps later amid an extensive caution period, the field led by Zane Smith returned to pit road and the race was placed on its second red flag hiatus due to the precipitation.

    An hour later, the red flag lifted and the competitors returned to the track under a cautious pace in spite of the weather remaining misty and the rain transitioning from either raining or not raining. Soon after, the field returned to pit road and under another red flag period with 21 laps remaining. Soon after, NASCAR declared the event official due to the persistent rain and Zane Smith was declared the winner of the event on pit road.

    For Smith, the Daytona victory was his second in a row after winning last year’s season opener, which made him the first competitor to win back-to-back Truck events at Daytona since Todd Bodine made the last accomplishment between 2008 and 2009. It also marked his eighth career victory in the Craftsman Truck Series and his second in a row after winning both the 2022 finale and series championship at Phoenix as he became the first competitor to be guaranteed a spot for the 2023 Truck Series Playoffs. Smith’s Daytona victory also marked the sixth Truck career win for Front Row Motorsports and the eighth time where the Ford nameplate won at Daytona.

    ““I know there’s about a million ways to get [a win] at Daytona, but we’re proving that,” Smith, who is set to make his Daytona 500 debut on Sunday, said on FS1. “Obviously, [I] wanted to go back racing there somewhat, to duke it out with good friends of mine. Hey, we’ll take a win at Daytona any day we can get. [I] Just give a huge shoutout to everyone at Front Row Motorsports. This whole group, man, I’ve said it over and over again, they work their guts out and it proves it. [We’re] Locked in the Playoffs. It’s like a repeat of last year. Just loving life right now.”

    With Zane Smith winning the event, Tanner Gray settled in a career-best second place while Eckes, Colby Howard and Enfinger concluded in the top five. Majeski, Ankrum, Heim, Crafton and Elliott finished in the top 10.

    Notably, Ben Rhodes finished 11th in front of Hocevar, Pastrana settled in 13th in front of newcomer Sammy Smith, Purdy ended up 17th, LaJoie fell back to 23rd and Sanchez finished 26th in his series debut in front of Jack Wood and Friesen.

    There were 20 lead changes for nine different leaders. The race featured seven cautions for 41 laps.

    Following the first event of the 2023 Craftsman Truck Series season, Christian Eckes leads the regular-season standings by five points over Matt Crafton, nine over Ty Majeski, 10 over both Zane Smith and Tyler Ankrum, 12 over Tanner Gray and 14 over Grant Enfinger.

    Results.

    1. Zane Smith, 17 laps led

    2. Tanner Gray

    3. Christian Eckes, 19 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    4. Colby Howard, two laps led

    5. Grant Enfinger

    6. Ty Majeski, two laps led

    7. Tyler Ankrum, 15 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    8. Corey Heim

    9. Matt Crafton, two laps led

    10. Chase Elliott

    11. Ben Rhodes

    12. Carson Hocevar

    13. Travis Pastrana

    14. Sammy Smith

    15. Jason A. White

    16. Timmy Hill

    17. Chase Purdy, one lap led

    18. Derek Kraus

    19. Josh Reaume

    20. Matt DiBenedetto

    21. Jason M. White

    22. Kris Wright

    23. Corey LaJoie, 19 laps led

    24. Mason Massey

    25. Chris Hacker

    26. Nick Sanchez

    27. Jack Wood

    28. Stewart Friesen, five laps down, two laps led

    29. Rajah Caruth – OUT, Accident

    30. Daniel Dye – OUT, Accident

    31. Bret Holmes – OUT, Brakes

    32. Parker Kligerman – OUT, DVP

    33. Codie Rohrbaugh – OUT, Accident

    34. Clay Greenfield – OUT, Accident

    35. Hailie Deegan – OUT, Accident

    36. Dean Thompson – OUT, Accident

    With the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season underway, the series will travel west to Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the second event of the season. The event is scheduled to occur on March 3 at 9 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Almirola wins second Bluegreen Vacations Duel in a wild finish; Daly rallies to make Daytona 500 field

    Almirola wins second Bluegreen Vacations Duel in a wild finish; Daly rallies to make Daytona 500 field

    After spending a majority of the night engaged in side-by-side battles for the lead, Aric Almirola managed to pull away and beat the field of 21 to win the second of two Bluegreen Vacation Duels at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday, February 16.

    The 38-year-old Almirola from Tampa, Florida, led five times for 17 of 60-scheduled laps and managed to fend off late charges coming from Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric and Todd Gilliland in the closing laps to capture his second checkered flag in a Daytona Duel event and commence the 2023 campaign on a strong note after going winless during the previous NASCAR Cup Series season.

    The second Duel victory awarded Almirola a handful of championship points and a starting spot on the second row in fourth place for this year’s Daytona 500 as he will contend for his first victory in his 13th career start in the Great American Race.

    Prior to the event, Kyle Larson, who claimed a front row starting spot for the 65th running of the Daytona 500 on Wednesday night, started on the pole and was joined on the front row with Aric Almirola. Meanwhile, BJ McLeod dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his entry.

    When the green flag waved and the first Duel event commenced, Larson and Almirola dueled for the lead until Larson received a draft from Chase Briscoe to break away from the pack and have both lanes to his control through the backstretch. As Briscoe moved up to second, Almirola was left to battle Kyle Busch for third place on the outside lane as Larson proceeded to lead the first lap.

    During the second lap, the outside lane led by Almirola’s No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang gained ground on Larson entering the frontstretch as Almirola led the following lap by a hair. While Almirola was leading the competition, he could not control both lanes as a pack of competitors led by Larson on the inside lane fought back.

    With the event reaching its first five-lap distance, Larson reassumed the lead ahead of a hard-charging Almirola followed by Briscoe, Cindric and Busch while Daniel Suarez, Chase Elliott, Ryan Preece, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. were in the top 10.

    A lap later and as Larson and Almirola continued to duke for the lead, the first caution of the event and between the two Duels flew when a side window from Justin Haley’s No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 came off and laid on the backstretch. During the first caution period, nearly the entire field led by Almirola and Larson pitted amid mixed strategies while Haley and BJ McLeod remained on the track. Haley and McLeod would eventually pit prior to the restart and give the top-two spots back to Almirola and Larson. During the caution period, Briscoe and Tyler Reddick, who stalled his car while trying to exit his pit stall, returned to pit road to top off on fuel.

    When the race proceeded under green on Lap 10, Larson and Almirola dueled for the lead once again until Larson managed to break away far from the pack after receiving a push from Kyle Busch exiting the backstretch. Shortly after, however, Busch launched his challenge for the lead on Larson as the competitors towards the front battled in a tight pack within two lanes.

    Through the first 20 scheduled laps, Busch, who engaged in a series of side-by-side battles against Larson for the lead earlier, was out in front by a hair over Suarez followed by Larson, Almirola and Cindric while Chase Elliott, Corey LaJoie, Todd Gilliland, Truex and rookie Noah Gragson were in the top 10. By then, 19 of 21 starters were separated by two seconds. In addition, Austin Hill was running in a transfer spot to make the Daytona 500 in 16th place while Conor Day, another competitor who was trying to make the 500, was in 20th behind Travis Pastrana, who holds a guaranteed spot to make the main event based on Wednesday’s qualifying speed.

    At the halfway mark on Lap 30, Busch continued to lead ahead of Suarez, Larson, Almirola and Cindric while Elliott, LaJoie, Gilliland, Truex and Gragson remained in the top 10. Meanwhile, Haley was in 11th followed by Ryan Preece, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Reddick while Hill, Riley Herbst, Pastrana, Briscoe, Daly and McLeod rounded out the 21-car field.

    With less than 25 laps remaining, Busch retained the lead ahead of a bevy of competitors that included Suarez, Larson, Almirola and Cindric while Elliott, LaJoie, Gilliland, Truex and Gragson were running in the top 10. Meanwhile, Hill remained in position to make the Daytona 500 in 15th in between Preece and Reddick while Daly, who lost the draft earlier, was mired back at the rear of the field in 21st place and a lap down.

    Then with 20 laps remaining, the caution flew when Suarez bumped and turned Kyle Busch’s No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which was leading, into the outside wall on the backstretch and with heavy damage. Busch’s wreck ignited a multi-car crash that also collected Haley, Preece, Herbst, Pastrana and Hill, who limped his No. 62 Bennett Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 back to pit road but was unable to continue as his hopes of making the Daytona 500 came to an end. With Hill out, Daly, who was a lap down, now found himself in prime position to make the 500.

    During the caution period, nearly the entire field led by Suarez pitted mainly for fuel while Briscoe remained on the track, though he eventually pitted after the field did. During the pit stops, Suarez slid through his pit stall as Larson reassumed the lead followed by Almirola and Brad Keselowski.

    Down to the final 14 laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start, Larson and Almirola battled for the lead with Keselowski, Cindric and the rest of the field keeping the two leaders within reach amid a tight two-lane pack.

    With 10 laps remaining, Almirola was leading by a hair over Larson followed by Keselowski, Cindric and Truex while Gilliland, LaJoie, Gragson, Elliott and Hamlin were in the top 10. Soon after, Cindric ignited his bid for the win as he contested against Almirola and Larson for the lead along with Gilliland.

    Down to the final five laps of the event and with the competitors towards the front beginning to jostle through two tight-packed lanes, Cindric was out in front by a hair over Almirola followed by Gilliland, Larson and LaJoie as 14 of 21 starters were separated by more than two seconds. By then, Daly was back in 17th place, a lap down but in position of making the Daytona 500.

    Then with three laps remaining, Gilliland moved into the lead followed by Almirola, Larson and Cindric as the intensity towards the front crescendoed.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Almirola, who gained a run to the outside of Gilliland, was leading by a nose over Gilliland as both competitors battled dead even in front of the pack. Then in Turn 1, Gilliland, whose car was shaking and getting loose, slipped sideways towards the apron following a bump from Larson. Miraculously, Gilliland kept his car straight and continued. He, however, lost his momentum as Almirola pulled away through the backstretch followed by Cindric and LaJoie. While the front-runners formed a long single file line behind Almirola through Turns 3 and 4, they could not gain a draft nor a final lap charge on Almirola as the Floridian managed to cycle back to the finish line and beat Cindric by 0.122 seconds to win and cap off the Duels on a high note.

    The second Duel victory marked Almirola’s second career Duel win, his first since 2021 and the fourth Duel victory overall for Stewart-Haas Racing. It also marked his first checkered flag in NASCAR’s premier series since winning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July 2021 as he aims to rebound following a disappointing 2022 campaign where he missed the Playoffs.

    “I did have my hands full,” Almirola said on FS1. “[Crew chief] Drew [Blickensderfer] said this Smithfield Ford Mustang was going to be fast, but he said I’d probably have my hands full. We kind of went for it from qualifying, put all the speed in the car and kind of sacrificed some handling. As you could see tonight, it was a handful, but man, this is so cool. Daytona’s such a special place to me. I want that [Daytona 500 win] on Sunday. I know Sunday’s the big one. We’re gonna keep focused on that one. The job’s not finished.”

    Cindric, the reigning Daytona 500 champion, settled in second behind Almirola in the final running order while Chase Elliott, Keselowski, Corey LaJoie, Larson, Gilliland, Truex, Denny Hamlin and Preece earned top-10 finishes on the track.

    Meanwhile, Conor Daly, who came into the Duels with a “one in a million shot” of making the Daytona 500 after failing to post a qualifying lap on Wednesday, crossed the finish line in 17th place, a lap down, and raced his way into the main event. Daly’s accomplishment will enable him to make his second career start in the Cup circuit on Sunday and his first in the Great American Race as the Money Racing Team will compete in the Daytona 500 for a second consecutive season.

    Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    “We were inherently lucky for the last 36 hours, but we got luck,” Daly said. “I wished I could’ve said that I drove [the car] in on pure pace, but it was crazy. When we went out there, the car was bouncing around. I had no idea what was going on. I thought the drive train was broken and [crew chief] Tony [Eury Jr.] just made it better every time we got lucky with the yellows [flags] to try to get some experience. It is pretty crazy. This race, I’ve watched it for so many years and so much crazy stuff can happen. Thankfully, we were on the right side of the craziness.”

    With Austin Hill and Beard Motorsports failing to qualify for the 500, Travis Pastrana, who was eliminated late in the event due to the multi-car wreck that involved Kyle Busch, will implement his qualifying speed set on Wednesday to make the main event.

    There were 15 lead changes for six different leaders. The event featured two cautions for nine laps.

    Results.

    1. Aric Almirola, 17 laps led

    2. Austin Cindric, three laps led

    3. Chase Elliott

    4. Brad Keselowski

    5. Corey LaJoie

    6. Kyle Larson, nine laps led

    7. Todd Gilliland, one lap led

    8. Martin Truex Jr.

    9. Denny Hamlin

    10. Ryan Preece

    11. Noah Gragson

    12. Daniel Suarez, two laps led

    13. Tyler Reddick

    14. Justin Haley

    15. Chase Briscoe

    16. BJ McLeod

    17. Conor Daly, one lap down

    18. Austin Hill – OUT, Accident

    19. Kyle Busch – OUT, Accident, 28 laps led

    20. Riley Herbst – OUT, Accident

    21. Travis Pastrana – OUT, Accident

    With the starting lineup for the 65th annual running of the Daytona 500 set, the main event is set to commence on Sunday, February 20, which will also mark the start of NASCAR’s 75th season of premier series competition. The coverage for the event is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • Bowman claims third Daytona 500 pole; Larson completes Hendrick Motorsports front row sweep

    Bowman claims third Daytona 500 pole; Larson completes Hendrick Motorsports front row sweep

    For the eighth time in nine seasons, Hendrick Motorsports captured the spotlight in a Daytona 500 pole qualifying session as Alex Bowman muscled his way to win the pole position for this year’s 65th annual running of the Great American Race at Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

    The qualifying format that determined the front row of this year’s 500 event was based on two qualifying sessions comprised of a single-lap session for each competitor. Following the first round, the top-10 fastest qualifiers from a total of 42 transferred to the second and final single-lap round to contend for the pole and a front-row starting spot.

    In the end, Bowman, who was the antepenultimate competitor during the first session and the final competitor during the second session rolled his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 on the track to post a qualifying lap. He secured the Busch Light Pole Award after posting a blazing pole-winning time of 49.536 seconds at 181.686 mph, which was enough to knock teammate Kyle Larson off the top of the qualifying chart. It was the 11th consecutive Daytona 500 pole for Chevrolet and the 16th overall for Hendrick Motorsports.

    With his accomplishment, the 29-year-old Bowman from Tucson, Arizona, notched his fourth NASCAR Cup Series career pole and his third in the 500, which placed him in a tie with Fireball Roberts, Ken Schrader and Dale Jarrett for the second-most 500 poles in the series history. He also extended a personal record by claiming a front-row starting spot in the 500 for a sixth consecutive season. Bowman’s third 500 pole occurred in his first Cup points-paying qualifying attempt with his new crew chief Blake Harris, who replaced veteran Greg Ives after Ives retired from being a crew chief at the conclusion of the 2022 season. It also occurred after Bowman inked a three-year contract extension to remain at Hendrick Motorsports earlier in the day as he now attempts to win his first 500 in what will be his seventh start this Sunday.

    “That’s the trick, right? We’ve, obviously, not been able to [win the Daytona 500] for the last five years,” Bowman said on FS1. “[We’re] Just trying to make the right decisions and transfer everything over to race trim for Sunday the best we can. Just so proud of Hendrick Motorsports, the engine shop, all the guys. This Ally No. 48 Camaro’s, obviously, really fast. I don’t have a lot to do with qualifying here. Just fortunate to qualify some really fast race cars. Really cool to see Hendrick Motorsports one, two, three. I’ll take it. It’s pretty cool.”

    Joining Bowman on the front row will be his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson, who posted the second-fastest qualifying time of 49.708 seconds at 181.057 mph as Hendrick competitors swept the front row for the 500 for the eighth time in 14 seasons. This season will mark both the second consecutive season and second overall where Larson will start on the front row for the Great American Race after winning his first 500 pole a year ago. Like Bowman, Larson will vie for his first 500 victory with this season marking his 10th career start in the Great American Race.

    “[Owner Rick Hendrick]’s, obviously, really excited,” Larson said. “I think this is a big deal for him and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, the engine shop at Hendrick. Really cool for the No. 48 team. That’s awesome. That’s pretty incredible, so hats off to that team. Congrats to Alex. Proud of everybody on the No. 5 team as well. It’s really awesome to be on the front row and know if you just finish the Duels tomorrow and don’t have to go to a backup car, you get to start on the front row on Sunday. Really looking forward to the Duels, getting some more laps, getting comfortable and then, get to race it on Sunday.”

    William Byron, the 2019 Daytona 500 pole winner, posted the third-fastest qualifying time of 49.799 seconds at 180.727 mph as he will be one of the remaining 40 competitors to vie for their official starting spots for the 500 through a pair of Bluegreen Vacations Duel that will take place on Thursday, February 16. Veterans Aric Almirola and Joey Logano completed the top five in qualifying time and speed while Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, Harrison Burton and Kyle Busch, all of whom advanced to the second and final qualifying round, rounded out the top 10 on the qualifying chart. Busch originally posted the sixth-fastest qualifying lap, but his time was stripped by NASCAR after he went below the yellow line boundary on the backstretch to complete his qualifying lap.

    Bubba Wallace, who was one of 32 competitors who did not transfer to the second round, posted the 11th-fastest qualifying time of 49.997 seconds at 180.011 mph followed by Daniel Suarez, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, Ryan Preece, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, rookie Ty Gibbs and Tyler Reddick.

    Meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson and Travis Pastrana were left celebrating on pit road with their respective teams and with each other after both achieved guaranteed spots for this year’s Daytona 500 by being the fastest two qualifiers competing for non-chartered teams.

    Johnson, a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and a two-time Daytona 500 champion with 83 career wins, emerged as the fastest competitor competing for a non-chartered team after posting the 23rd-fastest qualifying time of 50.202 seconds in 179.276 mph, which was enough to lock himself and his No. 84 Carvana Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team into the field. The accomplishment comes as Johnson enters the 2023 season as a part-time owner and competitor of Legacy Motor Club, rebranded from Petty GMS Motorsports, following a two-year absence from NASCAR competition. Sunday’s Daytona 500 will mark his 20th start in the Great American Race and the first of select events that have yet to be determined aside from the inaugural Cup event at the Chicago Street Course for Johnson.

    “It feels great,” Johnson said. “Just a massive thank you to everyone at Legacy Motor Club. It’s been a lot of work to get three cars here, especially with how late this opportunity came along for me. That was stressful. It was hard to tell inside the car if it was a good lap or not. The RPM range is much different than the last time I was in a car and it just sounded flat and felt slow, but we’re sitting in a great spot as the fastest unchartered car. Very thankful for that.”

    Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    Pastrana, a former NASCAR and stunt competitor with championship-winning and X Games gold medals across supercross, motorcross and rally competition, posted the 25th-fastest qualifying time of 50.208 seconds in 179.254 mph, which was enough to fulfill a childhood dream by securing his No. 67 Black Rifle Coffee Toyota TRD Camry team owned by 23XI Racing into Sunday’s main event. With his accomplishment, he will make his inaugural presence in NASCAR’s premier series during Sunday’s main event as he has previously made 42 career starts in the Xfinity Series and five in the Craftsman Truck Series. Pastrana’s previous NASCAR national touring series career start to date occurred during the Truck Series Playoff event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September 2020, where he finished 21st.

    “I tell you what, qualifying for the 500, this is literally a dream come true,” Pastrana exclaimed. “This is bigger than big. Thank you so much to Black Rifle [Coffee], Dixon for giving me the opportunity to be here and for Denny [Hamlin], Michael [Jordan], everyone at the 23XI team for giving me a great car. I was sweating having to go to tomorrow. Like Kurt Busch said, now we go to tomorrow, now we learn. Now, the work starts.”

    The remaining four open competitors that include Zane Smith, Austin Hill, Chandler Smith and Conor Daly will compete for the final two open spots for this weekend’s Daytona 500 through Thursday’s Duels. Smith, who was the first competitor to roll off of pit road to post his qualifying lap, rallied from stalling his car due to a mechanical issue with his No. 13 Quick Tie Inc. Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 that forced the Georgian to return to pit road before he returned two competitors later to post his qualifying lap. Daly was the only competitor who did not post a qualifying lap due to an oil line issue to his No. 50 BitNile Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 as he will start his Duel at the rear of the field.

    Next on the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule are a pair of Bluegreen Vacations Duels that will determine the rest of the starting lineup for this year’s 65th annual running of the Daytona 500 scheduled for February 19 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX. First, on Thursday, the first Bluegreen Vacations Duel is slated to commence at 7 p.m. ET on FS1 while the second Duel event will follow suit at approximately 8:45 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Interview: Catching Up with Travis Pastrana

    Interview: Catching Up with Travis Pastrana

    In this week’s interview, Speedway Media caught up with Travis Pastrana who recently made a Truck Series start at Kansas Speedway with Niece Motorsports. The Maryland native discusses what brought him to Niece for his latest NASCAR run. We also discussed his first NASCAR run in 2012 and 2013 and whether Pastrana would ever be open to doing a full-time schedule again.

    SM: Let’s talk about your previous experience in NASCAR in what was then the Nationwide Series from 2012-2013. What drew you to NASCAR back then and made you want to give the sport a try? Was it difficult to try and find a ride? 

    TP: “Yeah, I mean for sure,” Pastrana said. “I won four off-road rally championships. It’s (the series) basically like off-road racing and I had plans on going to the WRC Championship and Subaru had pulled their funding from the WRC and that was the car I had kind of been in.”

    “I had the chance to talk to Trevor Bayne and a couple of other guys. I went and hung out with Jimmie Johnson at Auto Club and he had won that day. I said to myself, ‘This is awesome. What would it take to get there?’ We just started talking. Rob (Benton) and Michael Waltrip (Team Owner who gave Travis a chance) were just awesome and asked me, what do you want to do? I said, ‘I would love to drive the Daytona 500 one day.’ They said, ‘well you just can’t jump in and drive the Daytona 500, but let’s start talking about a plan that will help get you there.’ I then started doing K&N Series, Late Models. I didn’t really know a lot about NASCAR. One of my friends (Irish Sanders) who was friends with Tony Stewart had got hurt and asked me if I wanted to race a Silver Crown car in two weeks. I said, ‘Sure. Sign me up.’ I showed up and got my butt handed to me. Despite that, I wanted to give racing a try and thought it was fun.”

    SM: Your first start came at Richmond in 2012 where you started 25th and finished 22nd, two laps down. There seemed to be a huge learning curve for you as you adjusted to NASCAR. Can you explain the challenges of this type of racing and how it was different than what you had done before? 

    TP: “I think if you look at it, my qualifying results were significantly better than my race results and that was complete opposite than what I was in Motocross,” he said. “In motocross, you could find out how to take chances and do stuff no one was going to do. But in vehicles, it didn’t come down to how much time you were willing to put in, like prep and training (which made you a good motocross racer). In NASCAR, success came to research. Literally working with your crew chief. Going over all the notes and learning about the different aspects of the sport. Some of that was very foreign to me.”

    “So for me, I think Chase Elliott is a great example. At age 15 or 16-years-old, he won his first K&N race in a race where I felt like Waltrip and the guys were the best car. It was the one time I got to a race (maybe one other time at Kentucky in Nationwide), where I was like, ‘Holy crap, we could win this race.’ I drove dead last all the way to second and then bumped Sergio Pena for the lead. It took all the air out of my car. And I was like, ‘I cannot believe this!’ All I had to do was relax. To sum it up, it comes down to how much you can work with your team. How you don’t use your tires up, etc.”

    SM: Did you lean on any drivers when you first entered the sport?

    TP: “Definitely, Brett Moffitt,” Pastrana said. “He took me under his wing. He (Moffitt) was getting in his Truck (at Kansas), gets out and runs to the back of the grid and he was like, ‘Hey when you’re doing restarts here, it’s not like an initial start. Seven to eight laps in, you will spin the tires.”

    SM: Later on in 2012, you started driving for Jack Roush to race in the No. 60. What was it that brought you to Roush?

    TP: “It wasn’t an offer, he said. “It was me going to him. I funded all of my own stuff. I took most of my savings and put it into NASCAR. People questioned me, ‘why did you quit?’ I just realized I wasn’t good enough. I was never good with pavement to be quite honest. For me, it was about making the best out of every situation.”

    “Though, I loved (Greg) Biffle. Even Carl Edwards, one of my all-time heroes. Same thing with Trevor Bayne. I wanted to be under Trevor and learn from those guys. The 60 at the time was victorious in Nationwide. We did a test run and I was fastest in practice and we qualified fifth at Richmond, mI y first race with those guys (Roush). We ran up front and I was respectable in the race. That’s why I signed a contract with those guys.”

    SM: At Talladega, you won your first career NASCAR pole. Was that a special moment for you knowing that you were still somewhat new to the sport?

    TP: “The restrictor plate really came down to, you have to hit your marks, but if your team has a good car, that (qualifying on the pole) proved we had the best motors, Pastrana said. “So for me, it (winning the pole) was awesome. To be able to run up front, lead some laps was awesome. But I honestly think qualifying second at Kentucky was my most proudest moment even though I missed my lap.”

    SM: Before the Kansas weekend, your first connection with Al Niece was the Las Vegas event back in 2017. What drew you to Niece and what sparked your interest in NASCAR again?

    TP: “In 2017, I kept it (NASCAR) in the back of my mind and wanted to make a real effort,” he said. “I didn’t necessarily know when or how, but I knew what it took to be the best in the sport. I’m not saying I could be the best in the sport, I’m just saying I knew what you had to do to be successful. In my first year of the sport, I had my first kid and had another one (kid) on the way. I just thought to myself, I wanted to be a father and wanted to be sure, we were (my family) financial enough to do that. So, I went back to my regular job.”

    “(However), I still wanted to give it (NASCAR) a shot. My car chief at Roush (Cody Efaw, now General Manager of Niece Motorsports) was starting a new team. He asked me, could you help us bring some sponsorship? I was able to do that and we had so much fun. Unfortunately, we did something stupid on the Truck, and couldn’t really get going. The race was pretty much close to their first start as a team. Al Niece (Team Owner) said to me, ‘Hey when we get ourselves a winning team and get a winning driver, you’ve got to come back. We wanted to thank you for helping put us on the map.’

    “So Ross Chastain nearly won the championship last year. I literally got a call (last Wednesday afternoon) and the team (Kaulig Racing) said Chastain couldn’t drive both races because it’s hot and they were focusing on Xfinity efforts. He (Cody Efaw) told me that they (Niece) wanted to repay you and want you to drive our Truck. I said, ‘Yeah, I’m in, in a heartbeat.’

    SM: What it was like being back in NASCAR that weekend and the race itself? Did you enjoy racing trucks?   

    TP: “Yeah, I did,” Pastrana said about racing in the Trucks at Kansas. “It was disappointing we had a tire go down in the first run. I was like alright, just don’t get lapped. We were super free. We would work our way up to 20th and then they (NASCAR) would put the lead cars back on the lead lap. What I really wanted to do was get behind some of the top guys and figure out what I was doing.”

    “When we were tight on the second stage, I was right around 10th place. So, I was three tenths off of where I needed to be to run up front. I still was pretty happy with that. I know Kansas was pretty dirt track, if you will. It’s not a dirt track pavement, but you’re slipping and sliding. You have to be perfect.”

    SM: Are you open to more NASCAR opportunities in the future such as a full-time ride in the Truck Series and the chance to compete for a championship?

    TP: “I really love to race,” he said. “But knowing right now where I am at with life, I don’t have time to take this seriously enough where I deserve a full-time ride or take a ride away from an up and coming kid or a driver of any kind. I would step into that role in a heartbeat, but also understand, I’m not good enough at the moment without putting in a lot more time. (NASCAR) takes a lot of time and passion. If it was just the races on the weekend, then no problem.”

    “In order for me to be the driver I want to be, it would be every waking second of the day of trying to figure it out. I love that challenge, I love NASCAR. I was thankful enough for Cody (Efaw) and Al (Niece) to give me another opportunity. I’m not expecting more opportunities (in the future). Unless, it’s a mile and a half, or helping younger prospects.”

    SM: With that in mind, where would you like for your last NASCAR start to be?

    TP: “The Daytona 500,” Pastrana said. “That race has always been on my bucket list.”

    SM: Wrapping it up, when you look back on your NASCAR career, what’s one moment or memory that will stick out to you?

    TP: “I think it’s the comradery,” he said. “To have Joey Logano step in my car one time because he was following me and he thought he was loose. He jumped in my car at New Hampshire during practice. The same thing can go for Denny Hamlin at Richmond. He waits for me to go out. I wasn’t even ready to go out and he was like, ‘Hey, You about ready to go out?’ I said, ‘no.’ Denny responds, ‘I’ll wait for you at the exit.’ I was blown away by that moment of Denny wanting to see me succeed. For me, that really meant a lot. That was very cool.”

    In Pastrana’s NASCAR career, the Maryland native has a total of 42 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts with four top 10 finishes and one pole, with a best finish of ninth at Richmond. In addition, Pastrana has four Truck Series starts and 11 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Starts (earning a best finish of fourth at Iowa in 2012).

    Special thanks to Travis Pastrana for taking time out of his busy schedule to do the interview and special thanks to Michelle Brachowski for coordinating the interview.

    Fans of Pastrana can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

    In addition, those who are interested in Niece Motorsports can like them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and visit their website for additional information.

  • Action Sports Star Travis Pastrana Set for Return to NASCAR Competition

    Action Sports Star Travis Pastrana Set for Return to NASCAR Competition

    By Team release | NASCAR.com

    MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Action sports legend Travis Pastrana will join Niece Motorsports for select events during the 2017 season, kicking off with a test on Tuesday at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the No. 45 Chevy Silverado.

    Pastrana’s most recent NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start came in 2015 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In addition to his NCWTS experience, Pastrana has one pole and four top-10 finishes in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, all coming in 2013.

    MORE: Travis Pastrana’s NASCAR stats

    He’ll get behind the wheel of a NASCAR ride once again at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1 in the Las Vegas 350.

    “I love NASCAR, and Las Vegas is always a good time, so I’m really looking forward to racing there later this season,” said Pastrana. “The seat time at Charlotte will be a huge help for me to get up to speed and for the team to get a solid base setup for when we show up to race later in the year. I’ve actually worked with several of the people on this team in the past. It’s a fun group and we have a good rapport.

    “NASCAR is something that challenges me. I’ve done a lot of work over the past couple of years to try and improve my pavement skills. I’m racing my first full year of Rally since 2010, and I’m fresh off my first win in over a year, so it’s really exciting to be able to get behind the wheel again and see what we can do in the Truck Series.”

    To get the week started, Pastrana will host an event in conjunction with K1 Speed in Concord, North Carolina from 6-7 p.m. ET, including autographs with fellow Niece Motorsports driver T.J. Bell. More information on the event can be found here.

    Pastrana reunites with Cody Efaw, who served as his car chief in the NASCAR XFINITY Series in 2013. In 2017, Efaw has assumed the role of crew chief of the No. 45 Chevy at Niece Motorsports.

    “Any time you can team up with someone you’ve worked well with in the past, there’s obviously a level of comfort there,” said Pastrana. “I know the group of guys that Niece Motorsports has assembled is going to give me a great shot at running well.”

    Serving as Pastrana’s primary sponsor for the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be Weinerschnitzel. Additionally, Black Rifle Coffee Company, SilencerCo, Nitro Circus, Alpinestars and Palms Casino Resort will provide sponsorship support to the No. 45 team for the race.

    Niece Motorsports, which is owned by Marine Corps veteran Al Niece, has competed in a partial schedule during the 2017 season, with plans of running full-time moving into 2018 and beyond.

    “We are thrilled to have Travis behind the wheel this season,” said Niece. “He’s extremely passionate about NASCAR and committed to working with us to have the best run possible in Las Vegas.”

     

  • Travis Pastrana Will Drive in Las Vegas Truck Series Race

    Travis Pastrana Will Drive in Las Vegas Truck Series Race

    By Zack Albert | NASCAR.com

    Action sports star Travis Pastrana is returning to NASCAR, if only for one race.

    Pastrana announced from his Instagram account that he will compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 3. The 31-year-old extreme sports standout is scheduled to drive the NTS Motorsports No. 31 Chevrolet, said team competition director Chris Rice.

    “Couldn’t be more excited right now,” Pastrana said on Instagram before thanking the truck’s sponsors — GunBroker.com, Never Too Hungover and Lazy F Ranch. The event will be just the second-ever truck appearance for Pastrana, who also entered the series’ 2012 race at Las Vegas.

    The bulk of Pastrana’s NASCAR experience came in 2013 in his lone full season in what is now the XFINITY Series, driving the No. 60 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. Pastrana claimed one Coors Light Pole Award (Talladega in May) but wound up 14th in the final standings after crashing out of six of the campaign’s 33 races.

    Pastrana announced on Facebook just days before the 2013 season finale that he would not return the following season, citing frustrating results, a lack of sponsorship and his desire to spend more time with his wife and then-infant daughter.

    Since exiting NASCAR full-time, Pastrana has competed in RallyCross and off-road racing, in addition to his career as a motocross stunt performer.

     

     

  • Kasey Kahne Preps for Final Road Race of Year with a Visit to Western New York

    Kasey Kahne Preps for Final Road Race of Year with a Visit to Western New York

    Buffalo, New York – The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Driver of the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS, Kasey Kahne, paid a visit to Western New York on Wednesday in preparation for the second and final road course race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season at Watkins Glen International.

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  • Travis Pastrana Says Goodbye to NASCAR

    On Monday Travis Pastrana issued a statement on his Facebook page to announce his decision to leave NASCAR after the conclusion of the 2013 season.

    Pastrana ran a partial schedule of nine races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) in 2012. He competed in one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race in 2012 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a 15th place finish. This season marked his first full time NNS season in the sport. The race this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be his last.

    “This past season of NASCAR has been an awesome experience,” he wrote. “I have made a lot of great friends, had a lot of fun and gained a new appreciation for all aspects of this sport. Jack Roush and everyone at Roush Fenway Racing have gone above and beyond to try and help me succeed and I am truly grateful for their support. I would like to thank them and all of the other people who stuck behind me during the last two years as I tried to learn how to make a successful career in NASCAR. It’s tough to step back now and prove the critics were right, but unfortunately my results were not good enough to get the sponsors I needed to appropriately fund next season.”

    Pastrana also alluded to the need to reassess his priorities now that he is a husband and father.

    “My wife Lyn-z has been more then supportive of my foray into NASCAR, often times being my biggest source of encouragement and support. But as my wife had to take a step back from being a professional skater to let me chase my goals in racing, I too need to take a step back and look at my situation as a father and husband. The NASCAR schedule is grueling and takes enormous sacrifices from those you love to make work. With a lack of funding next year, now is my opportunity to sit back and offer support as she chases her goals.”

    He was not specific about his future plans but hinted at the possibilities.

    “I hate to quit and I hate to fail,” he admitted, “but sometimes things work out as they should. I’ve never been able to figure out the finesse required in pavement racing and that is disappointing, but I’m looking forward to driving more rally and racing more off-road trucks and there will be some announcements on those fronts shortly! My wife is excited to get back to skating on the Nitro Circus Live Tour and I’m excited to spend some quality time with my girls. Thank you to all my fans for the support and I hope to see each of you at an event in the near future.”

    In 41 NNS starts and one NCWTS start, Pastrana has four top-ten finishes and one pole. His NNS career best finish was ninth place at Richmond International Raceway in April 2013.

  • Travis Pastrana Talks About The Challenges Of Racing in NASCAR & His Goals For The Future

    Travis Pastrana Talks About The Challenges Of Racing in NASCAR & His Goals For The Future

    Travis Pastrana holds twelve world records, eleven X Games gold medals, has won championships in Rally and Motocross but he’s now trying to conquer something completely different than what he’s ever experienced before; he’s trying to make a name for himself in NASCAR. There is no doubt that this racing phenom has the talent and the tenacity to make his way in the most popular motorsport in North America but even a racing ace like Travis Pastrana must work for it if he wants to one day hold his own against the best NASCAR has to offer.

    Travis joined up with Roush-Fenway Racing for the 2013 season which happens to be one of the most successful teams in NASCAR history. They have earned over 300 national touring wins and have won seven championships. Despite all of his incredible accomplishments in other disciplines, NASCAR has been a challenge for Travis to adapt to but he’s already shown promise in his short career winning a pole at Talladega and posting a handful of top 10’s this year.

    At Watkins Glen, I got the chance to interview Travis; the first major motorsport interview of my professional career by the way. Before I was a member of the media, I was a fan of Travis Pastrana and I remember sitting shocked on my couch as a 13 year old when I watched him perform a double back flip at the 2006 X Games. I cheered him on in Rally and followed him from his early days of motocross back when he was just a teenage kid like myself.

    Now, I got the chance to finally shake his hand and talk to the man behind all these incredible feats. I was also soaking wet because I forgot to bring an umbrella to the track….great foresight on my part! Here’s what he had to say about the transition to NASCAR, his season thus far and his plans for the future…

    Who in the garage has been the biggest help to you as you try to adapt to racing in NASCAR?

    When I first started in NASCAR, Matt Crafton was just awesome, he’s still really taking me under his wing but now with the Roush-Fenway team when we go to test, it’s probably Trevor Bayne just because he’s my Nationwide teammate. When we go to the restrictor plate races, he’s worked with me which is something a lot of people wouldn’t be willing to do…so that’s been really an honor and has been super cool. Carl Edwards has been great at the tests as well. He jumps into me car because we have the same seat. We’re pretty much the same height, same build. At the track, it’s been Stenhouse so really everyone at the Roush-Fenway team.

    What, if anything can you take from your experience racing rally cars and apply to driving one of these big, heavy stock cars? Is there anything?

    Photo Credit: vtcar.com
    Photo Credit: vtcar.com

    I would have liked to have thought that there was a lot more but definitely car control. I’m really comfortable sliding around but the problem is, that’s not necessarily the fastest way. Especially at road racing; I was thinking, this is gonna be great! In rally, you charge in really, really deep and get back on the gas really, really early.

    With these cars, they’re heavier, they’re bigger. They really don’t behave as well. They flat spot the tires real easy. As soon as you start turning in, you got to be off the brakes so you got to get all your braking done in a straight line and then roll it around the corner with as much roll speed as you can but then point it before you get on the gas. So it’s the patience thing. I just want to charge in hard, lock up the tires, get on the gas and slide it off the corners and its just not faster.

    Kind of like the old adage; go slower to go faster?

    Yeah, it’s just that when you’re not the fastest one on the track, you want to go faster.

    You obviously have the talent to race in NASCAR…you don’t just luck into 11 X-Games gold medals and you’ve already had three or four front row starts this year (in NASCAR). What would a win in NASCAR mean to you? Would it be the biggest win of your career?

    I think it would be the most difficult from where I came from. My whole life has been geared to motorcycles and then to rally; all dirt stuff pretty much. Even with rallycross, I haven’t done as well as the rally when it was just all dirt. If I can figure out a pavement sport, it would be the biggest success and surprise if you will.

    Now that you brought up dirt…would you ever consider running that truck race at Eldora in the future?

    The truck race looked like a lot of fun but again, it’s not the dirt I’m used to. I’m used to charging in hard…that’s a patience track. I would have been spun everywhere like come on; I want to go faster and then I’m in the wall! (Laughs) So probably not my forte even though it is dirt.

     What do you think you need to improve on personally and your team needs to improve on to take you to that next level? You seem like a solid top 15 driver but what do you need to do to get to be a solid top 5 or top 10 driver?

    That’s a great question…you know, the team is working really hard. They’ve got great stuff. I have a lot of notes from past champions…I mean we are the winningest Nationwide team of all-time and I need to get that win. At the beginning of the season, we worked on consistency. We got that; we had the three top 10’s in the first six races or seven races.

    Photo Credit: Getty Images
    Photo Credit: Getty Images

    Then we got to Richmond and I said okay, I’m not fast enough. I’m not qualifying well enough. So we started pushing and I could get that single lap to fire off. I was getting faster in practice, we got to where I could get the car to run one lap quick. We were fastest in practice for a couple races, got a couple 2nd’s in qualifying…a 5th, a pole. Like we were doing good but I couldn’t race the car setup like that. Now I know what the speed’s like; how how can I keep that speed and figure out how to race it.

    Most drivers have a time table of where they want to be five or ten years from now in their career. What’s your time table, like where do you want to be in five years, 10 years; you want to be racing in Cup?

    My bucket list; why I even started was to try to race Cup in the Daytona 500. That and the Indy 500 are pretty much the two biggest races that as a American, you could just be a part of. Now that I started racing, you don’t just want to be a part of it, you want to do well in it. You have to figure out how to get better, get faster.

    If you’re looking five years down the road, I need to look at what I need to do to speed up this learning curve whether its racing more ARCA races and Late Models or spending more time in the shop and learning more about the car. We’re kind of in that spot now where I’ve got Rally, I’ve got Nitro; I’ve got all this other stuff going on and I’ve always been able to balance that.

    You hate to say its a job, it’s an awesome job but I got to be in the shop more. We got to figure out what I need to do to structure the rest of my life and now with a kid on the way and to be a good friend to my friends at Nitro but to really, focus on this.If we’re going to do this full-time, if I want to be here in five years, I need to figure out what it’s going to take and I need to do it now.

    Now that you brought up the Indy 500….I know you’re focused on the task at hand but would you ever consider running Indycars or doing some more endurance races in sports cars?

    All that stuff is awesome but for now, I got to figure out NASCAR.

    Fan Question – Laura from Vancouver, Canada Asks: What has been the most challenging track for you this year?

    A lot of them, I thought I was going to do well like Iowa; it’s my best K&N track and I don’t know the difference between K&N and Nationwide. Even last year in Nationwide, we didn’t have a great setup but I felt like we were competitive and this year, we were just well off. I think the biggest challenge hasn’t necessarily been a single track but it’s figuring out what I need in practice to race well. I mean, the team can do exactly what I say and I’m wrong 90% of the time. (Laughs)

     What is something interesting about you that most fans don’t know?

    What most of the fans don’t know is that everything about me and even stuff I don’t know about me is on the internet. (Laughs)

    And that’s not necessarily a good thing! (Laughs)

     No! (Laughs) If I want to know what I’m doing this weekend, I just look on the websites and see what they say. Oh, he’s probably doing this and I’m like oh, that’s a good idea!

     After taking a step back, how would you assess your first full-time season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series so far?

    At the beginning, we started off better than I thought…we found more speed in the middle that I thought we were going to find. At this point, slower than I anticipated. I was hoping to be consistently top 10 driver and working on some top 5’s but it hasn’t been the case. 

    Photo Credit: Amanda Weis
    Photo Credit: Amanda Weis

    Travis Pastrana may not have a win in NASCAR yet but he’s got three big things going for him right now and that’s a great team behind him, a great attitude and the most important attribute of all; he’s got the raw talent to get the job done. All he’s lacking is experience in NASCAR and that will come with time.

    I believe that we will see Travis in victory lane by this time, next year and his dream of racing in the Daytona 500 will one day come to fruition as long as he keeps fighting to make it a reality. We all know Travis isn’t a quitter, it took a broken leg to finally stop him from attempting the Rodeo 720 at the 2011 X Games and I don’t see him giving up on NASCAR until he accomplishes what he came here to do and that’s win.

    He’s led laps, won a pole, and finished in the top 10 on multiple occasions in just his first full-time season in the Nationwide Series which is really impressive for someone with little stock car experience. There is another guy that came to NASCAR with little stock car experience and with a background primarily based on dirt and with dirt bikes…he posted six top 10’s, no top fives and failed to win a race in his first full-time Nationwide season which is almost identical to how Pastrana’s season is going. His name is Jimmie Johnson.