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Five to Watch: Story lines for the Daytona Road Course
By Jeff Wackerlin, MRN.com | Saturday, February 20, 2021
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The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Daytona International Speedway for the second consecutive weekend, but this time to compete on the road course. Sunday's O'Reilly Auto Parts 253 (3 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) marks the second points-paying race at the 14-turn, 3.61-mile track and the first of seven road course races on this year's schedule. There are nine active drivers in the field who have won on a road course with pole-sitter Chase Elliott leading the way with five. Martin Truex Jr. (4), Kyle Busch (4) and Kevin Harvick (2) are the only other multiple road-course winners among the group.
"I enjoy road racing," said Harvick, who will start fifth. "For us, it's kind of up and down as far as what we’ve been able to do on the race track from a performance side, but a lot of that was track specific, too."
MORE: Starting lineup | Pit stall assignments
"I enjoy road racing," said Harvick, who will start fifth. "For us, it's kind of up and down as far as what we’ve been able to do on the race track from a performance side, but a lot of that was track specific, too."
MORE: Starting lineup | Pit stall assignments
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Seeking consecutive wins: Chase Elliott has been the driver to beat on road courses as of late, winning the last four events and leading 176 laps in that span. NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon currently holds the record of six consecutive wins on road courses. Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell, who scored his best Cup road course finish (10th) at Daytona last year, will join Elliott on the front row on Sunday. McDowell is seeking to become the sixth different driver to win the first two races of a season, a feat his crew chief, Drew Blickensderfer, accomplished in 2009 with Matt Kenseth.
"Chase Elliott is the curve ball," McDowell said. "He has been so fast with a huge separation from the field. Hopefully we can close the gap and put some pressure on him, and others. Even without the Daytona 500 win, we would still feel confident coming back this weekend. We have really worked hard on our road course program this offseason and we are getting better. It’s another good opportunity for us."
"Chase Elliott is the curve ball," McDowell said. "He has been so fast with a huge separation from the field. Hopefully we can close the gap and put some pressure on him, and others. Even without the Daytona 500 win, we would still feel confident coming back this weekend. We have really worked hard on our road course program this offseason and we are getting better. It’s another good opportunity for us."
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Clash rehersal: Twenty-one of the drivers in Sunday's field competed in the Busch Clash that saw Kyle Busch land in Victory Lane. The race featured the lower downforce — versus the high downforce used last year for the Daytona road course — 750-horsepower package. The Clash also marked the move to the same tire combination that was utilized for the last two races at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval and will be used again for the Daytona 65-lap race. Denny Hamlin, who finished second last August on the road course, led the most laps (21) in the 35-lap Clash.
"We had a fast car during the Clash, and I’m sure this weekend won’t be any different," said Hamlin, who has one road-course win at Watkins Glen International in 2016. "We’ll take that data and learn from it, and it will certainly help us as we return to the same course. It’s going to be a tough race like all road courses are, but I’m confident in our team to put us in a position to win."
"We had a fast car during the Clash, and I’m sure this weekend won’t be any different," said Hamlin, who has one road-course win at Watkins Glen International in 2016. "We’ll take that data and learn from it, and it will certainly help us as we return to the same course. It’s going to be a tough race like all road courses are, but I’m confident in our team to put us in a position to win."
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Eye on chicanes: Before this weekend's races, NASCAR tweaked Daytona's backstretch chicane to prevent cars from getting in the grass and kicking up dirt and debris on the track. Rumble strips were added to the Turn 9 and Turn 10 part of the course, known as the bus stop. The second chicane of the road course that makes up Turns 13 and 14 saw Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney make contact on the final lap of the Clash to let Kyle Busch slip by for the win. AJ Allmendinger, who is making his first Cup start since 2018, along with Justin Haley, Timmy Hill (also ran the Camping World Truck Series race) and Cody Ware got a look at the changes in competition in Saturday's Xfinity Series race.
"That’s a challenge because now before where, as we saw during the Clash, you could kind of just drop some wheels in the dirt and get away with it," said Allmendinger, who won the Cup race at Watkins Glen International in 2014. "I think you’re going to pay a heavy price for making a mistake there. But the last chicane as well. It's very narrow. It's hard to go side-by-side. So if you force the issue, you're probably going to have contact if the driver next to you doesn't really give you that room that you want. And on top of it if you get in too deep, it's quite easy to get in and lock up a tire and then have to go basically miss the chicane and do a stop-and-go there on the front straightaway. So, both those areas are really challenging on the race track."
"That’s a challenge because now before where, as we saw during the Clash, you could kind of just drop some wheels in the dirt and get away with it," said Allmendinger, who won the Cup race at Watkins Glen International in 2014. "I think you’re going to pay a heavy price for making a mistake there. But the last chicane as well. It's very narrow. It's hard to go side-by-side. So if you force the issue, you're probably going to have contact if the driver next to you doesn't really give you that room that you want. And on top of it if you get in too deep, it's quite easy to get in and lock up a tire and then have to go basically miss the chicane and do a stop-and-go there on the front straightaway. So, both those areas are really challenging on the race track."
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Looking for redemption: Martin Truex Jr. had a fast car in last year’s race at the Daytona Road Course, along with the Busch Clash, but does not have a win in either to show for it. Truex led 10 laps last August but was forced to rally back from a pit-road speeding penalty while leading on Lap 28 to finish third. He was also fast again in the Clash but was penalized for missing the chicane and then wrecked from the lead coming out of the bus-stop chicane when he hit some mud. In the last nine races at road courses, Truex has finished in the top 10 eight times, including three wins.
"I’m looking forward to getting another shot on the road course," Truex said. "We feel like we’ve given away both races there. But overall, James (Small, crew chief) and the guys have brought amazing cars to both of those races, so if we can avoid mistakes, I think we have a really good shot at it."
"I’m looking forward to getting another shot on the road course," Truex said. "We feel like we’ve given away both races there. But overall, James (Small, crew chief) and the guys have brought amazing cars to both of those races, so if we can avoid mistakes, I think we have a really good shot at it."
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Milestone start: Ryan Blaney, who came up shy of the win in the Clash, will be making his 200th NASCAR Cup Series start on Sunday. Blaney has finished in the top 10 in seven of the last 10 road-course events, including a win in 2018 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. He also owns a road-course win in the Camping World Truck Series in 2014 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
"Hard to believe I’ve made 200 Cup Series starts," Blaney said. "Feels like it was just yesterday I was making my debut at Kansas in 2014. I’ve been very fortunate to have great teams like Penske and the Wood Brothers to allow me to be where I am now. Certainly hoping for many more great years, wins and championships in the future."
"Hard to believe I’ve made 200 Cup Series starts," Blaney said. "Feels like it was just yesterday I was making my debut at Kansas in 2014. I’ve been very fortunate to have great teams like Penske and the Wood Brothers to allow me to be where I am now. Certainly hoping for many more great years, wins and championships in the future."
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