Daytona International Speedway Tag

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – You could call Friday night’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 a battle of attrition, but that wouldn’t do justice to the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series season opener. It was more like a long, full-blown war. In a race at Daytona International Speedway that saw a record 11 cautions, a record 55 caution laps and just nine of 32 trucks running at the finish, Austin Hill took the checkered flag on the 11th lap of NASCAR overtime to win for the firstRead More

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 Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent In a carnage-filled NextEra Energy Resources 250, Spencer Boyd was in the right place, at the right time, to survive and earn his career best finish. In his first race as a full-time NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver, Boyd earned a top-five finish at Daytona International Speedway. Boyd, whose No. 20 1A Auto Chevrolet Silverado easily had the enough fuel in the tank, skated through two overtime attempts. In the first attempt, he was ahead of the carnage. On the second attempt, Boyd wasRead 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 Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Straight-line speed in qualifying is one thing. Speed and drivability in the draft is something quite different, as the Ford camp proved decisively in Thursday night’s Gander RV Duel at Daytona 150-mile qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway. Kevin Harvick led the last 44 laps on Thursday night to win the first Duel and secure the third starting spot in Sunday’s Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion JoeyRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes is entering his fourth season in the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series, and once again, changes are the norm with his team as they went through a complete overhaul, including another number change. No longer its the No. 41 Ford F-150, which upset some fans as it’s now the No. 99 instead. All thanks to an initiative by owner Duke Thorson to maintain continuity on his five-truck operation. Rhodes told Motorsports Tribune that at a young age, heRead 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