Daytona International Speedway Tag

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – “We’re winning the fucking 500.” There is certainly no lack of confidence in Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team heading into Sunday’s 65th running of the Daytona 500. After a highly publicized move to RCR and Chevrolet over the offseason, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion could be in his best position yet to finally add a win in the Great American Race to his already impressive resume. RCR is no stranger to success on the superspeedways andRead More

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 Matt Weaver, Special Contributor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — There were happy teammates and even happier friends in the immediate aftermath of qualifying for the Daytona 500 on Thursday night. Alex Bowman clinched a front row starting spot for the Great American Race for the sixth consecutive year. It was also his third Daytona 500 pole. He will be joined on front row on Sunday by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson — giving the Chevrolet flagship their third straight front row lockout. As if those weren’t enough accolades, this was alsoRead More

The 2021 Cup champion is doing some extra homework on Thursday.Read More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor It’s that time of the year again. Two weeks after the season kicked off with the Busch Clash exhibition race at the L.A. Coliseum, the 2023 campaign shifts into high gear with Sunday’s 65th running of the Daytona 500. The Great American Race has seen many attempt to conquer it, but only a select few have been able to hoist the Harley J. Earl trophy in victory lane at the end of the day. Some go their entire careers without being able to accomplish that feat.Read More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The last man standing. Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex, Jr. came into Sunday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona holding on to the final two NASCAR Cup Series Playoff spots, just hoping to survive the day and keep ahold of those positions in the points. However, a clean day is the exact opposite of what they got, with both drivers sustaining damage at various points of the race that threw the battle for the postseason into complete disarray. It took just 32Read More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Mother Nature won the day at Daytona International Speedway as persistent rain eventually forced NASCAR’s hand to postpone Saturday night’s scheduled Coke Zero Sugar 400 to Sunday. Though NASCAR waited out the rain for Friday night’s Xfinity Series race, which did not reach its conclusion until the early morning hours on Saturday, the sanctioning body pulled the plug on the Cup Series race shortly after the scheduled start time on Saturday night, rolling the dice on better weather during the day onRead More