All posts by David Morgan

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – ThorSport Racing came to Daytona locked and loaded with five bullets aimed toward a victory in the season opener. By the time all was said and done, they were left with just two, as Grant Enfinger and Matt Crafton both delivered top-five finishes on the night. Surviving a marathon crashfest that featured 11 cautions and stretched the race into two overtime periods, Enfinger and Crafton, both of whom had never won at Daytona, seemed to be in the catbird seat to finallyRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Restrictor plate success has come naturally to Brad Keselowski throughout his career, but when it comes to the Daytona 500, there seems to be a ceiling that he just can’t break through, falling short time and again. When asked about his thoughts on trying to win the season opening spectacle, the Team Penske drive didn’t mince words on the rollercoaster the Great American Race can be. “This track is frustrating as hell,” Keselowski said. “There is no way around it. It isRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The start of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is officially here and with it comes the biggest race of the season, the Daytona 500. For 61 years, drivers have been making the pilgrimage to the Daytona high banks to win the sport’s most prestigious race and write themselves into the record book as Daytona 500 champion. Many have attempted it, but only a select few have been able to hoist the Harley J. Earl trophy in victory lane at theRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – During Daytona 500 Media Day on Wednesday, Brendan Gaughan noted that he was having the most fun he’s had in his NASCAR career driving part-time for Beard Motorsports. A day later, Gaughan is set to have even more fun with the No. 62 team after racing his way into a starting spot in Sunday’s race with a 15th place finish in Thursday’s Gander RV Duels at Daytona. Though the end result was transferring into the Daytona 500, Gaughan said he was asRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Watching Speedweeks from home a year ago, Parker Kligerman said he never thought he’d be back in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car, let alone starting Sunday’s Daytona 500 again. Now, the 28-year old has a date with the Great American Race after racing his way into the field with his finish in the first of the two 60-lap Gander RV Duel qualifying events, marking his second start in the race and first since 2014. “Here’s the crazy thing, a yearRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip found success at tracks of all shapes and sizes throughout his illustrious career, but one race eluded him for years on end – the Daytona 500. Coming into the 1989 running of the Great American Race, Waltrip was entering his third season with Hendrick Motorsports and had found moderate success, winning three races in the two seasons prior with the organization. Still, a marquee win at Daytona was missing from his resume and it would takeRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Halfway through last season, Matt DiBenedetto made the choice to bet on himself if he was going to have any future in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The Grass Valley, Calif. native announced he was leaving Go Fas Racing, the team he had been with for the two seasons prior, without a place to land for the 2019 season. That gamble could pay off in spades if this season goes to plan. Not long after he made the decision to lookRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. left last July’s race at Daytona as Public Enemy No. 1, having been involved in more than a few of the multi-car crashes that defined the 400-mile race. Despite the criticism, Stenhouse noted his only regrets from that night are that he didn’t get to make a trip to Victory Lane when all was said and done. “The only issue I had with July is we didn’t win,” Stenhouse said. “I could care less what the perception of everybodyRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – After winning his first Cup Series championship last season, Joey Logano is counting his blessings heading into Sunday’s season opener at Daytona as he looks to not only win his second Daytona 500, but also get his title defense off on the right foot. “I tell everyone every day that I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” Logano said Wednesday morning at Daytona 500 Media Day as he recounted the path his career has taken. “I started too young. I made aRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor In a move that has been a long time coming, NASCAR is making a major shift in the way it deals with post-race inspections and penalties across all three national series, announcing Monday that it will be tearing down vehicles after the checkered flag falls and if found illegal, penalties will be handed out then and there. Should those infractions be found in the winning car, the guilty party would be disqualified, resulting in a last-place finish and the loss of all benefits from the win/finish,Read More