Bluegreen Vacations Duel Tag

By Matt Weaver, Special Contributor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Willy Auchmoody says The Money Team is going to subject themselves to liver damage on Thursday night after making the Daytona 500 in the most unlikely of circumstances.   Conventional wisdom says Auchmoody, the general manager, and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. should actually be pulling an all-nighter of a different kind and doing whatever it takes to get the ride height issues addressed on the No. 50 and for driver Conor Daly. Pace laps for the second qualifying race began withRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Two wildly different paths, same result. After a combined 300 miles of racing in the two Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday night, the 40-car field for the 65th running of the Daytona 500 is now complete, with defending Truck Series champion Zane Smith and Conor Daly punching their ticket for Sunday. Racing in the first Duel race, Smith was able to breathe a sigh of relief early on after finishing eighth in his race, ahead of seven-time CupRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano and Florida native Aric Almirola each won their Bluegreen Vacations Duel at Daytona qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway Thursday night – the event setting the starting order for Sunday’s DAYTONA 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It was a Ford sweep at Daytona, but the two races played out very differently. Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford led 25 of the 60 caution-free laps in the openingRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It all comes down to this. Just two spots remain up for grabs in the starting lineup for Sunday’s 65th running of the Daytona 500, with four drivers looking to punch their ticket into the Great American Race on Thursday night in the Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona. Six drivers came into the week needing to either post a quick time in single-car qualifying or race their way in through the Duels, but last night seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie JohnsonRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Daytona International Speedway dealt a great hand for Greg Biffle during Thursday’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel Race No. 2. On a race that was intense from start to finish, Biffle had to race his way into the Daytona 500 — something he hasn’t dealt with in nearly two decades. Fortunately, Jacques Villeneuve’s woes throughout the night gave the 2000 Truck Series champion a one-way ticket to leading the open cars. The only way for Biffle to make the race was stay in frontRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Joey Logano has always had an aggressive style of racing on the superspeedways and heading into Thursday night’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel 150 at Daytona, he made it known that this year would be no different, even with the hesitancy that has become commonplace as the Next Gen car rolls out in the Cup Series. Now that aggressive style of racing has put him and his No. 22 Team Penske team behind the eight-ball with the Daytona 500 less than 72 hours away.Read More

By Reid Spencer and Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Roush Fenway Keselowski teammates Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher swept Thursday nights Bluegreen Vacation Duels, but a last-lap collision in the second race wiped out then-frontrunner Joey Logano and spoiled a perfect night for the Ford Performance entries. Running second to Logano, Buescher made a move to the inside on the backstretch on Lap 60. Logano moved down to block, and contact between the cars sent Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford into the outside wall, cripplingRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As the first of two Bluegreen Vacations Duel 150s at Daytona played out on Thursday night, things weren’t looking good for Kaz Grala and The Money Team to make it into the Daytona 500 in their debut race, but at the World Center of Racing, it’s not over until it’s over. Grala, driving the No. 50 Chevrolet owned by world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather, started the race off on the right foot by pulling away from his main competitor in the race,Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It was past midnight at the Daytona International Speedway when a late-race carnage beckoned the second race of the Bluegreen Duels. In the end, the greatest benefactor was Kaz Grala. Not only he got the free pass, but thanks to David Ragan finishing eighth, the 2017 Truck Series Daytona winner will make his first 500 appearance. Grala was already appreciative of Ragan because at around 2011, he got to experience a NASCAR race from the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing pit boxRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – With a little help from Ryan Preece, Austin Cindric will officially make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in Sunday’s Daytona 500. Following a pit road speeding penalty, Cindric’s bid of bringing his No. 33 Verizon 5G Ford Mustang appeared to be over. Add insult to injury, he even lost a lap which ultimately left just Preece and Ty Dillon as the lone open entries on the lead lap. “I get the bonehead of the race award,” said Cindric. “Speeding in the lastRead More