Daytona International Speedway Tag

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Chase Elliott kicked off Speedweeks last Sunday by scoring his second consecutive Daytona 500 pole and the sophomore Hendrick Motorsports driver continued his hot streak on Thursday night by winning the first of the two Can-Am Duel races. “We had such a fast NAPA Chevy tonight. I didn’t think anyone was going to help us there at the first part of the race and I had a couple of good pushes to get us out front. Eddie did a great job on top of theRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer For Daniel Hemric, the 2017 season reunites him and Richard Childress Racing with a familiar car number. Hemric will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Daytona International Speedway in the No. 21 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevrolet Camaro. For Richard Childress Racing, the No. 21 has a very successful legacy. Mike Dillon was the first to pilot the No. 21 in 2000. The first win for Childress’ No. 21 came at Pikes Peak with Jeff Purvis behind the wheel. Dakoda Armstrong was the lastRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Heading into the 59th running of the Daytona 500 this Sunday, it’s time again for another edition of “Throwback Thursday Theater,” in which we’ll take a look back at a race from Daytona’s past. This week’s edition features one of the greatest upsets ever in the “Great American Race” – the 1990 Daytona 500, which saw underdog Derrike Cope pull off the win after a dominant day from Dale Earnhardt went awry with half a lap to go. Earnhardt claimed a front row starting spotRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor As the 59th running of the Daytona 500 looms ahead, the drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will all be gunning for the opportunity to call themselves champions of the “Great American Race”, but for Michael Waltrip, this race takes on another dimension as it will be his last behind the wheel. After making his 784th career start in the Cup Series, Waltrip will be hanging up his helmet at the conclusion of Sunday’s race, bringing his 32-year driving career to an endRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer After dominating the 2016 ARCA Racing Series season, Chase Briscoe now has a new challenge on the horizon. The NextEra Energy Resources 200 at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, February 24, will mark his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut. In 22 career starts in the ARCA Racing Series, Briscoe has six wins, 15 top fives, 20 Top 10s, and six pole positions. Briscoe’s average start during his time in ARCA was 4.2, with an average finish of 5.4. Of the 3082 laps he completed, BriscoeRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer The last time the NASCAR Xfinity Series visited Daytona International Speedway, Aric Almirola took home the victory in controversial and dramatic fashion. A multi-car accident on the backstretch forced NASCAR officials to throw the caution as Almirola and Xfinity Series regular Justin Allgaier battled side-by-side for the lead. After several minutes, it was determined that Almirola was in front of Allgaier at the time of the caution. The last time a NASCAR Xfinity Series regular won at Daytona was in the 2015 season opener whenRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer The last time the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series visited Daytona International Speedway, Johnny Sauter took home the victory in the . The race ended under caution after a multi-truck accident that saw Christopher Bell flip multiple times. Sauter is the only former winner in the Truck Series at Daytona in the field this weekend. There are no Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regulars entered in Friday night’s race. J.J. Yeley, Scott Lagasse Jr., and Todd Peck are the only NASCAR Xfinity Series regulars enteredRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer Entering the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advanced Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway, 2016 winner Denny Hamlin looked to be a favorite to win. In a blind draw, Hamlin’s crew chief, Mike Wheeler, drew the second starting position for the annual exhibition race. After electing not to participate in the first practice session, Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry was fastest in the second practice. The bulk of the second practice session saw manufacturers drafting exclusively. As the first segment of raceRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor He may not have a ride for the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, but Alex Bowman continues to showcase his talents in every opportunity he gets. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is usually the driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS, told his team and sponsor that Bowman deserved to run the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona — a non-points race designed to reward pole winners from the season before. Bowman won the pole in the fall race at Phoenix while fillingRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor It could be a long Speedweeks at Daytona for Jimmie Johnson and rest of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates. Reminiscent of their troubles at Daytona and Talladega last season, it seems their problem of spinning out all on their own has resurfaced in Sunday’s running of the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona. Last season, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Chase Elliott spun out on their own in the Daytona 500 off of Turn 4, as well as similar incidents at Talladega later in the season. ThoseRead More