Posted on by Track Release

Tickets for the 63rd Annual DAYTONA 500, the biggest and most prestigious event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, are on sale now. The 2021 edition of “The Great American Race,” which could see the event’s first three-time consecutive winner, will again be held on Presidents’ Day Weekend on Sunday, Feb. 14. Tickets start at $99.

MORE: Buy your tickets today!

Race fans travel from all over the world to attend the DAYTONA 500, which has been sold out every year since 2016. The 2020 DAYTONA 500, which was won by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, had attendees representing all 50 states and 45 countries.

Fans in attendance will get to see Hamlin’s attempt to rewrite the Daytona record book. The three-time DAYTONA 500 champion has won back-to-back season-opening classics, and can become the first driver in the history of the 2.5-mile venue, which opened in 1959, to capture three consecutive checkered flags. Currently, he, along with Richard Petty (1973-74), Cale Yarborough (1983-84) and Sterling Marlin (1994-95), are the only drivers to claim two straight DAYTONA 500 victories. In fact, with a win, Hamlin would join Yarborough with four total DAYTONA 500 triumphs, trailing only Petty, who has seven. Hamlin’s other DAYTONA 500 victory came in 2016.

Guests will have the opportunity to experience the pageantry and edge-of-your-seat excitement of the DAYTONA 500 in a state-of-the-art motorsports facility with amenities that include more than 101,500 seats, thousands of premium club seats, 40 escalators and 17 elevators, 60 luxury suites, social “neighborhoods” and three concourse levels that span the nearly mile-long frontstretch.

Premium and extended-stay camping packages include access to general admission seating and the UNOH Fanzone/Pre-race access for each event during DAYTONA Speedweeks Presented By AdventHealth, excluding the DAYTONA 500.

RELATED: Select your seat now

Those wishing to attend “The Great American Race” in person should make their plans early to secure the best seats and pricing:

  • Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-PITSHOP or visiting www.DAYTONA500.com.
  • Hospitality and premium seat packages, including the Rolex 24 Lounge, Harley J’s, Trioval Club, DAYTONA 500 Club and President’s Row are available, as well as
  • UNOH Fanzone/Pre-race wristbands.
  • For all other DAYTONA Speedweeks Presented By AdventHealth events, children 12 and under are $10 in reserved seating and free in general admission areas and in the UNOH Fanzone/Pre-race access.
  • Fans can also visit PrimeSport.com, the official travel package provider of Daytona International Speedway, where they can find multiple options for tickets, lodging and hospitality.

In addition to the “The Great American Race,” fans may purchase tickets and multi-day packages for a fresh look of events as part of DAYTONA Speedweeks Presented By AdventHealth. It will include a packed six days of racing. Instead of the Busch Clash At DAYTONA and qualifying for the DAYTONA 500 taking place the Sunday before the DAYTONA 500, the Busch Clash will be held in primetime on Tuesday, Feb. 9 and qualifying for the DAYTONA 500 will be Wednesday, Feb. 10.

The Busch Clash At DAYTONA, an exhibition-style event, will be held for the first time on the same course as the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA and the DAYTONA 200, North America’s premier races for sports cars and motorcycles, respectively.

This past weekend, history was made as NASCAR’s three national series, along with the ARCA Menards Series, made their first-ever appearance on the DAYTONA Road Course with outstanding reviews. Winners include Chase Elliott in Sunday’s Go Bowling 235 NASCAR Cup Series race, along with Austin Cindric (UNOH 188 – NASCAR Xfinity Series), Sheldon Creed (Sunoco 159 – NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series) and Michael Self (General Tire 200 – ARCA Menards Series).

DAYTONA 500 Qualifying Presented By Kroger will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 10, to set the front row for the DAYTONA 500. The Bluegreen Vacations Duel at DAYTONA qualifying races remain on Thursday night, Feb. 11, followed by the NextEra Energy 250 to open the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series season on Friday night, Feb. 12.

Other aspects of 2021 DAYTONA Speedweeks Presented By AdventHealth include the Lucas Oil 200 Driven By General Tire ARCA event shifting to Saturday, Feb. 13, as part of a doubleheader with the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, the NASCAR Racing Experience 300.

Full Schedule for DAYTONA Speedweeks Presented By AdventHealth:

  • Tuesday, Feb. 9: Busch Clash at DAYTONA
  • Wednesday, Feb. 10: DAYTONA 500 Qualifying Presented By Kroger
  • Thursday, Feb. 11: Bluegreen Vacations Duel at DAYTONA qualifying races
  • Friday, Feb. 12: NextEra Energy 250
  • Saturday, Feb. 13: NASCAR Racing Experience 300 and Lucas Oil 200 Driven By General Tire Doubleheader
  • Sunday, Feb. 14: DAYTONA 500

Also available are Multi-day tickets for the 59th Rolex 24 At DAYTONA, the season-opening event (Jan.30-31) to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Tickets for the 63rd annual DAYTONA 500, the 43rd annual Busch Clash and all other speedway events can be purchased online at www.daytona500.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and by downloading Daytona International Speedway’s mobile app, for the latest Speedway news throughout the season.

While the DAYTONA 500 is just six months away, history will be made yet again at Daytona International Speedway in less than two weeks as the NASCAR returns to the high banks of the 2.5-mile venue for a doubleheader. The Saturday, Aug. 29, Coke Zero Sugar 400, will be the last-chance race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season for drivers to get into the 2020 Cup Series Playoffs. The weekend kicks off on Friday, Aug. 28, with the Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola for the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Posted on by Staff Report

Kevin Harvick will drive a throwback paint scheme honoring former NASCAR Busch Series champions at Darlington Raceway.

The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang will sport a retro blue-and-white Busch Beer look for the NASCAR Cup Series Southern 500 throwback race at the 1.366-mile South Carolina oval on Sept. 6 (6 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The car also features the old Busch Series logo (which is now the NASCAR Xfinity Series) and a tribute to Harvick’s pair of series championships in 2001 and 2006.

RELATED: Clint Bowyer to honor Kyle Petty with Darlington throwback

In addition to the paint scheme, Busch Beer, the Official Beer of NASCAR, has also created a specialty can that pays homage to all the former Busch Series title winners.

Harvick has established himself as a championship favorite this season. He currently sits as the Cup Series regular-season points leader with three races to go before the playoff opener at Darlington. He has recorded six race victories, 15 top fives and 19 top 10s in 23 races this year.

Posted on by Staff Report

Chase Elliott and Hendrick Motorsports revealed a paint scheme for the No. 9 Chevrolet for this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series action at Dover International Speedway that will aid first responders. To come up with the look, Hendrick and Mountain Dew teamed with Team Rubicon, an organization that uses the skills and experiences of military veterans and first responders to serve communities impacted by disasters.

Proceeds from Mountain Dew’s sponsorship of Team Rubicon’s Fuel the Mission program will go to help disaster response operations and disaster response training programs.

Elliott is coming off a win in Sunday’s GoBowling 235 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, his fourth road-course win out of eight Cup Series victories. The driver is currently fourth in the standings as the series heads to Dover for a doubleheader weekend of races, with only three races remaining in the regular season.

2020 Chase Elliott Team Rubicon
Courtesy Hendrick Motorsports
Posted on by Staff Report

The first NASCAR Cup Series race at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course had plenty of firsts and memorable moments, including a sprint to the finish following a late caution that saw a topsy-turvy final few laps with plenty of movement in the running order.

We analyzed the running position of the final three, then used our Compare tool in Race Center and footage from in-car cameras shown on NASCAR Drive to paint a fuller picture. Here’s some of the significant movement over the final three laps at Daytona.

NASCAR Drive: Use compare tool

Bubba Wallace

Lap 63: 8
Lap 64: 9
Lap 65: 25

Note: As you can see in the video above, Wallace’s top-10 run was spoiled on the final lap. Shortly after crossing the start/finish line after the white flag dropped, Wallace led a tight pack of five cars into the first turn. In tight quarters, Joey Logano nudged Alex Bowman’s No. 88 Chevrolet from behind, sending Bowman into Wallace’s No. 43, which took a spin way off course. There was not significant damage and Wallace continued the race, but lost 16 positions.

Ryan Blaney

Lap 63: 19
Lap 64: 24
Lap 65: 31

Note: Blaney’s final lap was undone after he missed the frontstretch chicane (shown in the GIF below), which forced a stop-and-go penalty on the track. The 31st-place finish was especially disappointing after running in the top 10 most of the day. In fact, 31st was the worst Blaney had run in the entire race — and it’s where he finished.

Blaney Last Lap

Brad Keselowski; Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Lap 63: 18; 11
Lap 64: 17; 15
Lap 65: 13; 16

Note: Keselowski and Stenhouse Jr. were the other drivers to gain or lose five spots over the final three laps — with Keselowski gaining five and Stenhouse Jr. losing five. Below is a graphic from the Compare tool.

Kes Stenhouse Compare

Posted on by Zack Albert

A test of the Next Gen car for NASCAR’s Cup Series is scheduled Monday and Tuesday at Dover International Speedway following a Cup Series doubleheader weekend.

Competition officials confirmed Monday that Stewart-Haas Racing rookie Cole Custer will make laps in the prototype at the 1-mile Delaware track, putting more production parts into use and testing the high-load conditions of the concrete high banks. It’s the first test for the Next Gen model since the COVID-19 outbreak in March.

NASCAR officials announced April 2 that the Next Gen car’s Cup Series debut would be delayed from 2021 to 2022 as the industry weathered the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The outbreak also scratched a March 16-17 test scheduled with SHR’s Clint Bowyer at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Additionally, competition officials revealed that IMSA team Action Express Racing is making laps Monday with its own Next Gen prototype at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course. The team test is being conducted with reigning series champ Felipe Nasr and Team Penske’s Austin Cindric, who won Saturday’s Xfinity Series race on the 3.61-mile Daytona Road Course layout.

“The Action Express test allows a sports car team to learn about the architecture of the Next Gen car and explore any opportunities to adopt new technologies,” said John Probst, NASCAR Senior VP of Innovation and Racing Development. “The test also benefits NASCAR — it helps us check the durability of parts, helps with tire development and gives us data from a road course test.”

Previous tests of the Next Gen car include Austin Dillon at Richmond (Oct. 8-9, 2019), Joey Logano at Phoenix (Dec. 9-10, 2019), Erik Jones at Homestead-Miami (Jan. 15-16) and William Byron at Auto Club Speedway (March 2-3).

RELATED: William Byron details Next Gen test

Posted on by Staff Report

NBC Sports’ Rick Allen joined Tyler Reddick and Jeff Burton to help Richard Childress Racing reveal the Darlington throwback scheme for the No. 8 Chevrolet this year. It’s a Caterpillar look that harkens back to Burton’s rookie year in 1994 when he ran a Raybestos theme.

RELATED: NASCAR 2020 schedule | Throwback gear

Burton knows a thing or two about what Reddick is going through in his first NASCAR Cup Series campaign in 2020, and like Reddick, Burton has ties to the No. 8, RCR and Caterpillar. The two drivers had fun with the announcement via social media with Allen:

Check out the scheme below as you wait for the playoff opener, the Southern 500 at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 6 (NBCSN, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

2020 Aug17 Tyler Reddick Darlington

Posted on by Data Skrive

William Byron finished eighth in the Go Bowling 235 at the DAYTONA Road Course at Daytona International Speedway Road Course on Sunday.

The top-10 finish for Byron, his seventh of the year, added 40 points to his season total. Byron is now 14th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings with 577 points.

Byron started in 13th position. The third-year driver has earned five top-five and 23 top-10 finishes in his career.

The Charlotte, North Carolina native’s starting and finishing positions compared favorably to his career averages, starting two spots higher than his career mark of 15.2 and completing the race 10 places ahead of his 18.1 career average finish.

Byron’s eighth-place finish came against 39 other drivers. The race endured four cautions and seven caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were 13 lead changes.

Chase Elliott earned the victory in the race, and Denny Hamlin followed in second. Martin Truex Jr crossed the finish line third, Jimmie Johnson took fourth, and Chris Buescher rounded out the top five.

After Elliott won Stage 1, Hamlin drove the No. 11 car to victory in Stage 2.

William Byron Driver Page | Get Byron Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Kaz Grala finished seventh in the Go Bowling 235 at the DAYTONA Road Course at Daytona International Speedway Road Course on Sunday.

Grala was unable to add to his season point total.

Grala started in 10th position and led three laps in the race. The first-year driver has never finished inside the top 10 in his career.

Grala competed with a field of 39 drivers on the way to his seventh-place finish. The race endured four cautions and seven caution laps. There were 13 lead changes.

Chase Elliott brought home the win in the race, and Denny Hamlin took second. Martin Truex Jr placed third, Jimmie Johnson brought home fourth, and Chris Buescher finished off the top five.

After Elliott won the first stage, Hamlin drove the No. 11 car to the win in Stage 2.

Kaz Grala Driver Page | Get Grala Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Chris Buescher finished fifth in the Go Bowling 235 at the DAYTONA Road Course at Daytona International Speedway Road Course on Sunday.

Buescher’s top-five finish, the second time he has achieved that result this year, added 32 points to his season total. Buescher is now 22nd in the NASCAR Cup Series standings with 403 points. A total of 16 drivers make the playoffs.

Buescher started in 21st position. The sixth-year driver has one career victory, with five top-five finishes and 16 results inside the top 10.

The Prosper, Texas native’s starting and finishing positions compared favorably to his career averages, starting four spots higher than his career mark of 24.8 and completing the race 17 places ahead of his 22.2 career average finish.

Buescher’s fifth-place finish was against 39 other drivers. The race endured four cautions and seven caution laps. There were 13 lead changes.

Chase Elliott finished first in the race, and Denny Hamlin finished second. Martin Truex Jr crossed the finish line third, with Jimmie Johnson securing fourth place. Buescher rounded out the top five.

After Elliott won the first stage, Hamlin drove the No. 11 car to victory in Stage 2.

Chris Buescher Driver Page | Get Buescher Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Jimmie Johnson finished fourth in the Go Bowling 235 at the DAYTONA Road Course at Daytona International Speedway Road Course on Sunday.

Johnson’s top-five finish, the third time he has achieved that result this year, added 41 points to his season total. Johnson now sits at No. 15 in the NASCAR Cup Series standings with 552 points.

Johnson started in 11th position. The 20th-year driver has piled up 83 career victories, with 229 top-five finishes and 370 results inside the top 10.

The El Cajon, California native’s starting and finishing positions compared favorably to his career averages, starting two spots higher than his career mark of 12.7 and completing the race 10 places ahead of his 13.9 career average finish.

Johnson’s fourth-place finish came against 39 other drivers. The race endured four cautions and seven caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were 13 lead changes.

Chase Elliott earned the victory in the race, followed by Denny Hamlin in second place and Martin Truex Jr in third place. Johnson took fourth ahead of Chris Buescher’s No. 5 finish.

After Elliott won Stage 1, Hamlin drove the No. 11 car to the win in Stage 2.

Jimmie Johnson Driver Page | Get Johnson Gear | Race Center