Daytona Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer After a part-time stint at B.J. McLeod Motorsports last season, Xfinity Series driver Ray Black, Jr. will return on a full-time basis and reuniting with Bobby Dotter’s SS Green Light Racing. Black was announced as Gray Gaulding’s teammate Friday and will pilot the No. 07 Chevrolet Camaro with both Isoken and ScubaLife being his primary sponsors. The Palm Coast, Florida native said when the offer was given to return to the team he ran for in 2016-17, he couldn’t pass it up. “When the opportunity aroseRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Editor’s note: Motorsports Tribune will be previewing the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season for the full-time drivers in the series leading into February’s 61st annual running of the Daytona 500. Age: 31 Years in Cup: Six Career Wins: Two Biggest Accomplishment: 2011-12 Xfinity Series champion After scoring two superspeedway victories in 2017, it was a rather polarizing 2018 campaign for Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., who went winless and missed the playoffs. Now going into his seventh season, he’ll be seeking for a turnaround after finishing 18th in points, and continueRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer NBC Sports announced Thursday its entire TV lineup for the 57th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway, set to take place on January 26-27. The 24-hour classic will have an all-star lineup as not only the IMSA crew covering the race, it’ll feature both NASCAR and IndyCar commentators, analysis and pit reporters, which is also NBC’s first race of a multi-year exclusive broadcast partnership with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. IMSA CEO Ed Bennett described the stacked broadcast as an incredible sign ofRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Editor’s note: Motorsports Tribune will be previewing the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season for the full-time drivers in the series leading into February’s 61st annual running of the Daytona 500. Age: 26 Years in Cup: Three Career Wins: One Fresh off his best season from an average finish perspective, Chris Buescher will enter his fourth full season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, his third with JTG Daugherty Racing’s No. 37 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Since his upset victory in the fog shortened race at Pocono inRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Ryan Blaney acquired a new primary sponsorship on Friday after Team Penske announced that BODYARMOR Sports Drink will bare its name in the No. 12 Ford Fusion for the annual Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway on July 7. The partnership between BODYARMOR and Blaney began last season, but it’ll mark the first time the natural flavored hydrating drink will be on the track for a race weekend, beginning at Kansas Speedway on May 12 as Blaney’s associate sponsor. After Kansas,Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Ben Rhodes enjoyed a stout fourth-place finish in last Friday’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway, but it has since been overshadowed by an L1 penalty handed out by NASCAR Wednesday. The outcomes of the penalty have also led to the suspension crew chief Eddie Troconis for Saturday’s Active Pest Control 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Additionally, Troconis was fined $5,000 after the rear of Rhodes’ No. 41 Ford F-150 was too low during post-race inspection. ThorSport Racing will also be penalized 10Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Restrictor plate racing is a strategic game, requiring critical thinking to make the right moves. A few days removed from Sunday’s Daytona 500 and it has dawned on me how frustrating this current era of racing has become. What happened to the word patience? The days of strategizing your move without causing a junkyard is gone. Part of this has to do with three things — stage racing, the demand of winning the Great American Race at an all-time high, or just a generational problem.Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The JD Motorsports quartet stayed with the lead pack all afternoon and after five overtime attempts, two of their entries finished inside the top-10 in Saturday’s PowerShares QQQ 300 at Daytona International Speedway for the second consecutive year. Leading the way was 25-year-old Garrett Smithley, bringing the No. 0 Flex Seal Chevrolet Camaro home in fifth after overcoming a spin in the tri-oval grass on Lap 106. Ryan Truex had a strong run and tried to pass Smithley at the entrance of Turn 4, butRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Failing to finish before reaching halfway of stage one wasn’t the way NASCAR Xfinity Series rookies Christopher Bell and Austin Cindric wanted to start out their season. The high-profile drivers competing for Rookie of the Year honors were both involved in a Lap 10 crash in Saturday’s Powershares QQQ 300 at Daytona International Speedway. Battling for seventh, Cindric’s No. 60 Pirtek Ford was sandwiched between Tyler Reddick and Daniel Suarez exiting Turn 3 as he fought an ill-handling car the moment the green flag dropped.Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Restrictor plate racing requires teamwork. Whether it’s a driver’s teammate or partnering with a driver who runs the same manufacturer. For Joe Gibbs Racing driver Daniel Suarez, not only he was the lone Gibbs driver, he ran the first Can-Am Duel without another Toyota driver in the field. Despite an alliance disadvantage, Suarez overcame a Lap 9 spin to finish eighth Thursday. Suarez scored three championship points and will start 17th for Sunday’s 60th Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. “It was okay. We haveRead More