Posted on by Staff Report

Sunday’s Daytona 500 single-car qualifying set only the front row for the “Great American Race” — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will lead the field when the green flag drops Feb. 16 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), with Alex Bowman on the outside.

The qualifying speeds, though, set the lineups for Thursday’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel races at Daytona (7 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the twin 60-lap races that determine the full starting lineup and running order for the 62nd running of the Daytona 500.

MORE: Every way to follow the race

Duel 1 is typically comprised from the odd-numbered drivers on the Daytona 500 qualifying speed chart — first, third, fifth, etc. Duel 2 is then the even-finishing drivers. NASCAR officials, though, ensure there are an even number of Open, non-Charter teams in each duel race.

The results of those two Duel races on Thursday will determine both the final two cars that qualify for the Daytona 500, and where there 40 cars in the field line up on the grid. The winner of Duel 1 will start the Daytona 500 in third place, second place starts fifth, and so on through the inside row. The winner of Duel 2 will start the Daytona 500 in fourth place, second place starts sixth and so on through the outside row.

There are 36 Charter teams whose spots in the Daytona 500 are guaranteed, leaving four remaining positions for Open, non-Charter teams. Justin Haley and Brendan Gaughan claimed two of those spots Sunday, locking themselves into the Daytona 500 field by virtue of being the fastest two Open cars during qualifying.

RELATED: Daytona qualifying 101

Below is the official starting lineup for each Duel race.

* denotes Open, non-Charter team

OFFICIAL DUEL 1 LINEUP

STARTING POSITION
 DRIVER TEAM
1. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing
2. Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports
3. Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing
4. Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing
5. Christopher Bell Leavine Family Racing
6. Joey Logano Team Penske
7. Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing
8. Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing
9. Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing
10. Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing
11. Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing
12. Brad Keselowski Team Penske
13. John Hunter Nemechek Front Row Motorsports
14. Ryan Blaney Team Penske
15. Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing
16. Justin Haley* Kaulig Racing*
17. Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports
18. Reed Sorenson* Premium Motorsports*
19. Daniel Suarez* Gaunt Brothers Racing*
20. Quin Houff StarCom Racing
21. Chad Finchum* MBM Motorsports*
22. Joey Gase Petty Ware Racing

OFFICIAL DUEL 2 LINEUP

STARTING POSITION
 DRIVER TEAM
1. Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports
2. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
3. Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing
4. William Byron Hendrick Motorsports
5. Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing
6. Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing
7. Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing
8. Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing
9. Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing
10. Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing
11. Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing
12. Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports
13. David Ragan Rick Ware Racing
14. Ross Chastain Spire Motorsports
15. Ty Dillon Germain Racing
16. Brendan Gaughan* Beard Motorsports*
17. Timmy Hill* MBM Motorsports*
18. Corey LaJoie GO FAS Racing
19. J.J. Yeley* Rick Ware Racing*
20. Brennan Poole Premium Motorsports
21. BJ McLeod Rick Ware Racing
Posted on by Staff Report

 The Busch Clash is an annual NASCAR Cup Series preseason race taking place at Daytona International Speedway to kick off Speedweeks. Take a look at the programming schedule, the format and which drivers are expected to be behind the wheel.

Programming for the Busch Clash:

When: Sunday, Feb. 9 at 3 p.m. ET

Where: Daytona International Speedway

TV: FS1/FOX Sports App
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

 RELATED: Full Daytona Speedweeks schedule | Buy tickets for Speedweeks

 What is the format?

The preseason race is a 75-lap exhibition spanning 187.5-miles. There’s an opening 25-lap segment, followed by a second and final 50-lap segment.

How is the lineup set for the race?

The starting lineup will be determined via random drawing at 6:30 p.m. ET in the Fan Zone, revealing the starting spots for each of the drivers in Sunday’s field.

How are drivers eligible for The Clash?

There are five factors that determine eligibility to compete in The Clash:

  1. 2019 Busch Pole Award winners
  2. Former Clash winners who competed full time the previous season
  3. Former Daytona 500 winners who competed full time the previous season
  4. Former Daytona 500 pole winners who competed full time the previous season
  5. Drivers who qualified for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs

Who is eligible for the 2020 Clash?

Twenty drivers qualified to compete in this year’s Clash. Here’s the full list and how they qualified:

• Aric Almirola (2019 Busch Pole Award)

• Ryan Blaney (2019 Busch Pole Award)

• Alex Bowman (former Daytona 500 pole winner)

• Clint Bowyer (2019 Busch Pole Award)

• Kyle Busch (2019 Busch Pole Award)

• Kurt Busch (former Clash winner)

• William Byron (2019 Busch Pole Award)

• Austin Dillon (2019 Busch Pole Award)

• Chase Elliott (2019 Busch Pole Award)

• Denny Hamlin (2019 Busch Pole Award)

• Kevin Harvick (2019 Busch Pole Award)

• Daniel Hemric (2019 Busch Pole Award)

• Jimmie Johnson (2019 Busch Pole Award)

• Erik Jones (2019 Cup Series playoff driver)

• Brad Keselowski (2019 Busch Pole Award)

• Kyle Larson (2019 Busch Pole Award)

• Joey Logano (2019 Busch Pole Award)

• Ryan Newman (former Daytona 500 winner)

• Daniel Suarez (2019 Busch Pole Award)

• Martin Truex Jr. (former Daytona 500 pole winner)

Will each of these drivers be competing in The Clash?

Despite being eligible for the 2020 Busch Clash, Daniel Hemric closed a deal that saw the 2019 Sunoco Rookie of the Year return to the Xfinity Series.

Though Daniel Suarez recently inked a new deal with Gaunt Brothers Racing to pilot the No. 96 Toyota during the 2020 Cup Series season, the team has opted not to compete in preparation for the Bluegreen Vacations Duel and the Daytona 500.

The official entry list will be out later this week.

RELATED: Paint schemes for 2020 | 2020 season changes

Who are the active winners of The Clash?

Jimmie Johnson is the defending race winner and is a two-time Clash winner. Here is the list of other active drivers with Clash wins: Brad Keselowski (2018), Joey Logano (2017), Denny Hamlin (2016, 2014, 2006), Kevin Harvick (2013, 2010, 2009), Kyle Busch (2012) and Kurt Busch (2011).

Posted on by Reid Spencer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jimmie Johnson’s return to Daytona International Speedway has been understandably bittersweet.

Though he’s excited to get back into the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE to start a new NASCAR Cup season, Johnson must process the realization that the 2020 season will be his last as a full-time driver and his last chance to win a record eighth championship.

“Coming down here, I obviously know this is my last full-time season,” Johnson said on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. “So there were mixed emotions. But I’m excited to start my final year. To know that (sponsor) Ally is on board, Hendrick Motorsports getting the team where it is, I really feel like we have an opportunity to have a strong year on track and go out in style, with the goal of the ultimate prize.

RELATED: Jimmie Johnson’s final Speedweeks among five items to watch this weekend

“I’m really excited about that. Once I got in the car and on track, that stuff is all out the window and it’s really about working on the race car and trying to make it go. I’m excited to be here. I know the year is going to evolve and change for me from start to finish and my emotions with what goes on. But I’m in a very good place right now—just ready to go.”

Johnson is the defending winner of the Busch Clash at Daytona (3 p.m. Sunday on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Little did he know, however, that when he took the checkered flag under caution in that exhibition race that the 2019 season would bring a change of crew chiefs—from Kevin Meendering to Cliff Daniels—and extend his career-worst drought in Cup points races from 59 to 95 races.

RELATED: Hashtag has deeper meaning to Jimmie Johnson

Johnson is eager to race in the Clash, not just for the trophy, but for the experience it will bring.

“We don’t have a chance to test, so a lot of us haven’t been in a Cup car, except for the guys that did the 2021 (test) stuff,” Johnson said. “So two drivers of the 40 have been in a race car since Homestead. Now more than ever (the Clash) is very useful.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – With few holes left on his racing resume, reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch eyes the Daytona 500 as the top item on his bucket list.

With 56 victories and two championships in NASCAR’s premier series, Busch is second among active drivers to seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson in both categories. But winning “The Great American Race” is a feat still to be accomplished for the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry.

PHOTOS: Every Kyle Busch win across all three national series

“It’s always kind of been up there near or at the top,” Busch said. “It certainly still is. It would be nice to get that box checked, and hopefully, one of these days we can figure that out. It would be nice if it’s a week from (Sunday).”

Busch came close last year, finishing second to teammate Denny Hamlin, as JGR swept the podium.

“I don’t really remember how the late restarts went, but I know Denny was leading on a late restart and then I beat him on a restart and got the lead,” Busch said. “I sustained the lead on another restart and then the final restart, Denny was able to beat me on that one. 

“It just – obviously it hurt not being able to bring home that trophy and for Denny to be able to bring home two, but that’s just a part of racing. Hopefully we can get it done this year or whenever, sometime or another, before it’s all said and done, for myself to be able to at least have one.”

RELATED: Daytona 500 odds, lines for ‘The Great American Race’

Another title would suit Busch, too. When Johnson retires from full-time Cup racing, Busch will be the only active driver with multiple championships, unless another duplicate winner emerges this season.

“It’s kind of odd that there’s only a two-time guy out there,” Busch said. “Everybody else is zero or one. It just kind of shows you the influx of newer, younger drivers and just how many of those guys that have won championships are now gone.

“The Tonys (Stewart), the Jeffs (Gordon), the Jimmies (Johnson) that no longer are here. Hopefully, it’s three (championships). I might, could be the only one.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Bubba Wallace steered his No. 43 Chevrolet to the top spot on the second Daytona 500 practice leaderboard Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. The Richard Petty Motorsports driver maxed out at 196.172 mph in five laps.

Two rookies followed Wallace on the board. Cole Custer was a close second at 196.108 mph in his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. John Hunter Nemechek was then third at 196.040 mph in his No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford.

RELATED: Second practice results | Lap averages | Speedweeks schedule

Hendrick Motorsports then occupied the next four spots. Alex Bowman was fourth at 195.088 mph. Jimmie Johnson, making his last full-time run this season, closed out the top five at 194.835 mph. Chase Elliott and William Byron were next in sixth (194.317 mph) and seventh (194.25 mph), respectively.

Denny Hamlin (194.15 mph), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (194.124 mph) and Clint Bowyer (193.836 mph) made up the rest of the top 10.

Unlike in this first practice, no one broke 200 mph this time around.

Before even getting on track, Brad Keselowski damaged the bottom ride side of his No. 2 Team Penske Ford in the garage. His team chose to fix the car rather than go to a backup. Keselowski did not turn any laps after finishing 21st in the first practice at 197.247 mph.

The NASCAR Cup Series will return to the track Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET for the Daytona 500 Busch Pole Qualifying on FOX.

FIRST PRACTICE

Ty Dillon clocked the fastest lap time in the first of two Daytona 500 practices Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. The driver of the No. 15 Germain Racing Chevrolet circled the 2.5-mile Florida track in 44.809 seconds at 203.592 mph.

As the only other driver to break the 203-mph mark, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was second fastest at 203.192 mph in his No. 47 JTG Daugherty Chevrolet.

Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Denny Hamlin (202.684 mph), Erik Jones (202.525 mph) and Martin Truex Jr. (202.379 mph) then rounded out the top five in order with their Toyotas.

RELATED: First practice results | Lap averages | Speedweeks schedule

The bottom half of the top 10 featured a variety of competitors. Rookie Christopher Bell was sixth at 202.293 mph. Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch was seventh at 202.188 mph. Daniel Suarez and Matt DiBenedetto, who are both in new rides this season, were eighth (202.152 mph) and 10th (201.902 mph), respectively. The retired David Ragan was then ninth at 202.097 mph.

Posted on by Staff Report

Kevin Harvick confirmed to media members Saturday at Daytona International Speedway he has signed a two-year contract extension with Stewart-Haas Racing.

Harvick, the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion, said his new deal with SHR lasts through the 2023 season. It was initially slated to end after 2021, but now the 44-year-old has a deal to race in NASCAR’s top series for four more years.

RELATED: Kevin Harvick career highlights

The veteran’s future was subject of much speculation, given his contract status, age and the manner in which he capably joined the FOX broadcast booth for select events as an analyst. Harvick said Saturday that he was dialing back his TV and radio commitments this year, in part to spend more time with his family, but that making a transition to media after 2023 would coincide with the expected arrival of a new TV broadcast contract.

“I’m intrigued by that and for me, that’ll keep me in the car a few more years as we go through 2023 and see where we’re at,” Harvick said. “Really, that timing works well for me from a media standpoint, just because of the fact that you have a TV contract that’s coming up, you’ll know who the players are and I think at that particular point, you’ll have a fair amount of experience in the new car. You’ll hopefully have been through the engine change, the vehicle change. So there were a number of things that go along with that. I really like racing with the group of guys in the organization where I’m at and I worked my whole career and feel like I got here with a group of guys and people that I want to have had success with. For me, going through a few more years in the car just made sense.”

Harvick continues to stay busy with Kevin Harvick Inc., his sports marketing agency, in addition to his full-time role with SHR. But even with the side projects, Harvick said his drive to excel at the sport’s top level still sustained him.

“KHI’s definitely bigger than I thought it was going to be at this particular point, but the TV and radio stuff is definitely something that I’m extremely interested in,” Harvick said. “But I talked with some of my friends over the offseason just about where I was at with things, and everybody told me the same thing: If you’re not done with that competitive side of it, just keep chasing that side and I’ve got everything around me that I need to be competitive, so I’m just going to continue doing that.”

TEAM PREVIEW: 2020 outlook for Stewart-Haas Racing

After a career-long stint with Richard Childress Racing, Harvick signed with the Tony Stewart co-owned team prior to the 2014 season. Paired with crew chief Rodney Childers, he delivered his best-ever season — five wins, more than 2,000 laps led and, most importantly, the series championship — in the first year of the elimination-style playoff format.

Harvick and Childers have posted 26 wins together in the No. 4 Ford over six years, averaging more than four wins per year together. Harvick has qualified for the Championship 4 five times in six years and blossomed into one of the most feared — and respected — drivers in the garage.

With 49 career Cup Series wins, Harvick is set to join just 13 other drivers in NASCAR history with 50 career victories at the sport’s highest level. He ranks second among active drivers in all-time wins, behind only Kyle Busch.

RELATED: Every Harvick win

With Jimmie Johnson entering his last year of full-time racing, a Next Gen car slated to debut in 2021 and various other big-name drivers reportedly nearing the end of their contracts, the next two years of Silly Season is expected to produce plenty of turnover throughout the garage.

Count the SHR No. 4 Ford, though, as a ride that is taken.

Posted on by Staff Report

Joe Gibbs Racing dominated Saturday’s sole practice for the 2020 Busch Clash at Daytona International Speedway, claiming the top four spots on the leaderboard.

Erik Jones held the No. 1 spot at 199.756 mph. Denny Hamlin was then runner-up at 199.734 mph. Martin Truex Jr. was the last in the top three at 199.703 mph, while reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch was then fourth at 199.645 mph.

The four JGR Toyotas were the only cars to break 199 mph.

RELATED: Practice results | Lap averages | Busch Clash 101 | Speedweeks schedule

Six Fords then followed, starting with Ryan Blaney in fifth (198.667 mph). Brad Keselowski (198.544 mph), Joey Logano (198.509 mph), Kevin Harvick (198.439 mph), Clint Bowyer (198.199 mph) and Aric Almirola (197.624 mph) round out the top 10.

Chase Elliott had the best-performing Chevrolet in 11th at 197.347 mph.

Jimmie Johnson, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion who will retire from full-time racing at the end of the 2020 season, came in 17th at 191.910 mph.

Five factors determine Busch Clash eligibility: 2019 Busch Pole Award winners, former Clash winners who competed full time the previous season, former Daytona 500 winners who competed full time the previous season, former Daytona 500 pole winners who competed full time the previous season or drivers who qualified for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

The starting lineup will be determined via random drawing at 6:30 p.m. ET in the Fan Zone. The 75-lap exhibition is then Sunday at 3 p.m. ET (FS1/FOX Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Team Release

PLYMOUTH, MI (February 7, 2020) — When Jordan Anderson began driving in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series in 2014, the teams he raced for didn’t have the budget to lease a top-of-the-line engine. So they started each race with 25 to 30 horsepower less than the competitors who were going for a victory. Then, when NASCAR allowed the Ilmor NT1 engine into the series in 2018, Anderson knew his dream of owning a NASCAR truck team could be achieved.

“It was always a goal of mine – my dream – to start my own team,” said Anderson. “When NASCAR announced the new engine program [allowing the teams to purchase the NT1 engines], that was the biggest deciding factor for me to jump in feet-first as a team owner. For a small team like mine, it was huge step forward. It finally made sense financially and we could also be more competitive. It makes me excited for the future of the series and my team.”

The NT1, which is an updated version of the 396 cubic-inch engine that has appeared in the ARCA Series since 2015, was brought in by NASCAR to help curb expenses for the race teams. As fewer teams could afford expensive engine lease programs, starting fields had been dwindling and the disparity between the haves and have-nots continued to grow. While there are some upfront costs to the teams to mount the NT1, the team owns the engine outright, and sends it to Ilmor for rebuilds every 1,500 miles. This vastly reduced the overall budgets for teams.

“Before the Ilmor engine, we would always finish three to five laps down,” said Anderson, who is entering his third full season as owner/driver. “Now, we’re looking for top-fives. We even battled for the lead at Michigan [International Speedway] in 2019. It represents a huge step forward for us and one less worry for a small team. We’re racers, and now we can concentrate on other things to make our trucks better.”

Record-Setting Results

According to NASCAR statistics, the engine has made a big difference in the competition. There were a record numbers of lead changes during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. The truck series also had a record number of race leaders and an all-time number of green-flag passes throughout the field.

“We had 10 different winners in 2019,” said Brad Moran, managing director of the NASCAR Truck Series. “Some of those wins were by new teams that are helping the series thrive. By making a reliable and powerful engine, the NT1 has allowed the series to get stronger and more competitive. It’s an absolute positive for the fans: they see more winners and much more balanced and competitive fields.”

Ilmor Engineering has been designing and building championship-winning engines in Formula One and IndyCar since its creation in 1983 by engineers Mario Illien and Paul Morgan. Going into the 2020 season, Ilmor-designed or built engines have powered 21 Indianapolis 500 wins and 334 overall victories in the IndyCar series.

Using their expertise from decades of racing across the globe, Ilmor’s NT1 engines produce equal power and have been very reliable. In 2018, teams had engine-related issues which resulted  in a DNF (did not finish) in only one percent of the race starts. That number was 1.2 percent in 2019, while covering more than 156,000 miles on-track.

When Bad Things Happen to Good Engines

In the Las Vegas race in September of last year, four competitors suffered engine failures due to extreme heat. Ilmor reacted immediately by going to the shops of the two teams impacted, ThorSport and Young Motorsports, to diagnose what had happened. All issues were corrected at Ilmor’s expense. Young Motorsports and driver Spencer Boyd won the following race at Talladega Superspeedway with Ilmor power.

“It’s stressful when something like that happens,” described Ilmor’s Andrew Richards, Program Manager for the NT1. “But Ilmor has been built on strong relationships and we did everything we could do to make sure each team was taken care of on an individual basis. We stand by our product and always do our best to do the right thing.”

“Racing engines take a lot of abuse,” said NASCAR’s Moran. “But Ilmor resolved the issue swiftly and transparently. I think all of the teams felt good about things by the next race.”

The 23-race NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series season kicks-off on Friday evening, February 14 at the Daytona International Speedway.