Daytona Tag

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

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Despite a host of late-race carnage, Michael Self started the ARCA Racing Series season off the same way he ended 2017 – in victory lane. Self survived two late pileups to win Saturday’s Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire at Daytona International Speedway. The Park City, Utah native took the lead after the first attempt at a one-lap shootout on lap 87 went haywire in Turn 3. The top four of Sean Corr, Sheldon Creed, Chase Purdy and Travis Braden ran side-by-side, bumper-to-bumper inRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Saturday’s Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona International Speedway has as diverse a field as the ARCA Racing Series has seen in a long time. The race marks the first time ARCA will use composite bodies at a restrictor plate track, giving a fair playing field for all 39 drivers who’ll accept the 80-lap grind. The historic field consists of long-time veterans, a Navy Academy grad, female teammates and young guns in top budget teams. Let’s begin with Venturini Motorsports teammates Natalie Decker and Leilani Münter.Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer David Starr announced Wednesday he’ll run in Jimmy Means Racing’s No. 52 Chevrolet, replacing Joey Gase who’s driven for Means since 2012. The 50-year-old Texan will run the entire schedule for the second consecutive season, beginning with the February 17th running of the Powershares QQQ 300 at Daytona. “I’m eager to get the season started,” Starr said. “I have a lot of respect for Jimmy, he’s a true racer and has been in the industry for a long time. His knowledge will only enhance our raceRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer TriStar Motorsports announced Tuesday they’ll continue competing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Corey LaJoie and Cole Whitt sharing the No. 72 Chevrolet. LaJoie will make his team debut in the 60th running of the Daytona 500 on February 18 with Schluter Systems as his primary sponsor. TriStar also acquired a charter from Front Row Motorsports, guaranteeing them a spot in the race. Frankie Kerr will continue to be on top of the pit box, calling the shots for both drivers. LaJoieRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer JP Motorsports will expand to a two-car operation in the Xfinity Series after announcing Monday that Josh Bilicki will run the No. 45 Prevagan Toyota for the entire season, beginning in the Powershares QQQ 300 at Daytona February 17. The initial plan was was to run a second car at Atlanta, but that all changed after acquiring a car from Joe Gibbs Racing Friday, allowing Bilicki to compete for Rookie of the Year honors. “I’m ecstatic to announce a full season effort in the NASCARRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor The 56th edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona kicks off the racing year with one of the most star studded grids of the season. Among the starters of tomorrow’s endurance classic are three 2018 Formula One drivers who have come stateside to compete against the best of IMSA, as well as some of better talents from NASCAR and IndyCar. Fernando Alonso is continuing his exploration outside of F1 as the next chapter of his triple crown attempt (Monaco GP, Indianapolis 500 and 24 Hours ofRead More