Daytona 500 Tag

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As the 40-car field for Sunday’s 62nd running of the Daytona 500 rolls toward the green flag this afternoon, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. will have the best view of anyone as he starts the race from the pole position. The Olive Branch, Mississippi native may be in a new home with JTG-Daugherty Racing in 2020, but he is no stranger to success on the restrictor plate tracks, having won at both Daytona and Talladega in 2017. With that past success in his backRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Entering his 16th Daytona 500, Martin Truex, Jr. will be strapping in the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry for the first time without long time crew chief Cole Pearn. Ushering a new era will be James Small, who will be on top of the No. 19 pit box for the first time. However, there isn’t much of a void since Pearn ended his NASCAR career during the off-season. In fact, it’s business as usual for Truex who’ll look to haveRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – On Sunday, Denny Hamlin will be going for his second-straight Daytona 500 victory and third in the last five years, but the driver of the No. 11 Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing wasn’t always a favorite on the superspeedways. It took Hamlin getting schooled by restrictor plate masters like Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Tony Stewart to turn him from an also-ran at Daytona and Talladega to becoming a perennial favorite at those types of tracks. “People think of us a lot ofRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – On paper, John Hunter Nemechek is listed as a Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender in the NASCAR Cup Series. But in the eyes of his Front Row Motorsports teammates Michael McDowell and David Ragan, John Hunter has the advantage over the other rookies. This is due in most part of John Hunter spending years years in the garage with his father Joe Nemechek, which his teammates view as an absolute benefactor to his racing experience. McDowell said last Sunday at theRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Joey Logano grabbed the lead on the final lap of the first Bluegreen Vacations Duel 150-mile qualifying race Thursday at Daytona International Speedway and held on for the win, but a wreck at the halfway point dashed Daniel Suarez’s prospects of competing in his first Daytona 500 with his new team Gaunt Brothers Racing. In the second Duel, William Byron made a late charge to edge Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson for the victory by .117 seconds and will startRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The final two spots for Sunday’s 62nd Daytona 500 spot have been set as Reed Sorenson and Timmy Hill got themselves into the race after Thursday’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel at Daytona International Speedway while crashes eliminated Daniel Suarez and J.J. Yeley from making the 40-car grid. In Race No. 1, Suarez’s misfortune became Sorenson’s gain as the 16-year NASCAR Cup Series veteran locks his way into Sunday’s Daytona 500 via qualifying speed after Justin Haley (who was already in as the fastestRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – When the 62nd annual Daytona 500 takes the green flag on Sunday, the 40-car field will be without Daniel Suarez and Gaunt Brothers Racing. The No. 96 team, looking to run their first full-time season with Suarez as their driver, failed to post a fast enough lap during qualifying last Sunday, leaving the team with their work cut out for them as they would have to race their way in during the first of Thursday night’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel at Daytona. “WeRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla – Even for a driver used to pushing the 200-mph barrier on the track, Bubba Wallace’s ride to work on Thursday afternoon was one of a kind. With a sponsor like the United States Air Force, Wallace has had the opportunity to experience some extraordinary activities and this time around it came in the form of a 10,000 foot skydive out of the back of a C-17 Globemaster into the infield of Daytona International Speedway. Amid gusty winds and sunny skies, Wallace floatedRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Throughout the years, the “Dale and Dale Show” between Dale Earnhardt and Dale Jarrett had several episodes, but the first one back in 1993 may have been the best as the two future NASCAR Hall of Famers battled it out in the season opening Daytona 500. Earnhardt was still looking for his first win in the Great American Race, while Jarrett was entering his second season with upstart Joe Gibbs Racing as the team was still searching for their first win. By the time the checkeredRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The tragic and untimely passing of Kobe Bryant and eight other people (Gianna Bryant, John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah and Payton Chester, Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan) last month were among the subjects brought up in Wednesday’s Daytona 500 Media Day. Topics ranged from how the five-time NBA champion impacted their lives to their viewpoint on aviation. The most notable of the drivers was Ryan Blaney, who met and spoke to Bryant back in 2018. Blaney said that “The Black Mamba”Read More