Posted on by Staff Report

After months of anticipation, NASCAR and 704Games will join together Saturday at Daytona International Speedway to unveil the fourth installment in the NASCAR Heat franchise.

Before the Coke Zero Sugar 400, the veil of secrecy will be lifted to showcase the new NASCAR Heat 4 cover athlete as well as game upgrades that will bring users an enhanced experience. Race fans in attendance can witness the event at the UNOH FanZone Main Stage at 3:15 p.m. ET.

Past cover athletes include Carl Edwards (NASCAR Heat Evolution), Kyle Busch (NASCAR Heat 2) and the Hendrick Motorsports lineup of Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott, William Byron and Alex Bowman (NASCAR Heat 3).

NASCAR Heat 4 will be available for pre-order on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC immediately after Saturday’s unveil.

For more information, stay tuned to eNASCAR.com and NASCARHeat.com.

Posted on by Holly Cain

The championship situation in the NASCAR Xfinity Series continues to be an intense game of one-upmanship among three of the brightest young racing stars.

Friday night’s Circle K Firecracker 250 Powered by Coca-Cola (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) may be a good opportunity for a new driver to celebrate in Victory Lane and earn a shot at this year’s title.

RELATED: Full Daytona schedule | Series standings

Entering the race, three drivers – Tyler Reddick, Cole Custer and Christopher Bell – have combined to win 11 of the season’s 15 races, including Custer’s win at Chicagoland Speedway just last week. A member of this trio has hoisted trophies in the last nine consecutive races.

But Daytona International Speedway always presents a unique challenge and opportunity. Only one time in the last decade has an Xfinity Series regular won this summer Daytona race – William Byron in his 2017 Xfinity championship season. Last year, Cup star Kyle Larson held off Xfinity title contender Elliott Sadler by a mere .005-second in the closest July race finish in history.

Ironically, Reddick’s win in February 2018 – also over Sadler – marked the closest finish in NASCAR national series history: a .0004-second photo finish. The driver of the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet is the only one of this year’s Triumphant Trio who has won an Xfinity race previously at Daytona. He has a pair of top-10 finishes in five starts there.

Bell, who drives the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, has two top-10 finishes in three Daytona starts, and his team is undoubtedly eager to rebound from a disqualification last week at Chicago that dropped him from second to third in the title standings.

Custer, the driver of the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, has yet to earn a top-10 in five starts at Daytona. His best showing is 14th, and he has done that twice – in February 2018 and 2019.

Five other drivers scored their best result of the season at Daytona earlier this year, including Justin Allgaier – a five-time race winner in 2018 – who is still looking for his first victory of the year. He finished runner-up this February.

Posted on by Staff Report

Martin Truex Jr. notched the fastest time in Thursday afternoon’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice at Daytona International Speedway prior to Sunday afternoon’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 (1 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Final practice results | Best 10-lap averages

Truex flew around the 2.5-mile Daytona Beach, Florida, superspeedway at a top speed of 205.936 mph in the No. 19 Toyota. Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones made it a Joe Gibbs Racing sweep of the top-three spots, finishing up the session with respective times of 205.738 mph and 205.724 mph.

Toyota grabbed fourth as well, with Matt DiBenedetto clocking a speed of 205.381 mph in his No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota. Matt Tifft rounded out the top five with a speed of 205.292 mph. In total, six cars eclipsed the 205-mph mark.

A big moment in practice occurred when William Byron saved the No. 24 Chevy from spinning after contact from Brad Keselowski at the entrance of Turn 3. Byron did receive right-rear damage on the car in the process of avoiding a spin after more contact, while Keselowski also received light damage on the front bumper. Keselowski indicated the incident was his way of sending a message to the field: “I’m not lifting.”

RELATED: Byron, Keselowski tangle in final practice

Practice 1

Kyle Busch raced his way to the top of the board in an abbreviated first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice Thursday at Daytona.

Before practice was cut short due to lightning strikes in the area, Busch sped his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to a fast lap of 200.754 mph. Busch currently sits second in the point standings, 18 points behind series leader Joey Logano, who clocked in at 199.911 mph — good for 15th-best in the field.

RELATED: First practice results | Best 10-lap averages | Full Daytona schedule

Ty Dillon (No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet, 200.682 mph) and Chris Buescher (No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet, 200.638 mph) also landed near the top of the board, finishing second and third respectively. Jimmie Johnson, coming off a fourth-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway — his best finish of the season — came in at 200.352 mph in his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, while fellow Chevrolet driver Austin Dillon (No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet) at 200.347 mph rounded out the top five. All told, 13 drivers topped the 200 mph mark in the session.

Practice ended about 12 minutes early due to a lightning strike in the area.

Posted on by Terrin Waack

The last time and really the only other time two teammates won four races apiece at this point in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season — 17 races down, 19 to go — one of them went on to hoist the championship trophy at the end of it all.

In 2007, Hendrick Motorsports’ Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon each made a trip to Victory Lane four times before July. Johnson took the checkered flag first at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, then repeated at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and Richmond Raceway. Gordon got his streak going at ISM Raceway (then known as Phoenix International Raceway) and kept it alive at Talladega Superspeedway, Darlington Raceway and Pocono Raceway.

RELATED: Full Daytona schedule | Daytona paint schemes

Johnson, thanks to his final points standing after four consecutive playoff victories, was ultimately crowned that season’s champion. Gordon just so happened to finish right behind him in second.

Fast forward 12 years, Joe Gibbs Racing has its own set of drivers following suit — so far. Kyle Busch has wins at ISM Raceway, Auto Club Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Pocono, while Martin Truex Jr.’s triumphs have happened at Richmond, Dover International Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Sonoma Raceway. Busch and Truex are currently second (659 points) and fifth (581 points), respectively, in the standings and locked into the playoffs.

What really takes this comparison to a new level is that both teams had 10 victories overall after 68 starts on the dot. Casey Mears (Charlotte) and Busch (Bristol) — his last season before switching from HMS to JGR — notched the other two for Hendrick Motorsports in 2007. Denny Hamlin (Daytona International Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway) is responsible for bringing Joe Gibbs Racing into double digits this year already.

The only team to ever top that win count so quickly was Carl Kiekhaefer Racing in 1956 with 13 out of 17 total.

All Hendrick Motorsports drivers combined for 18 wins in 2007. That number still stands as the single-season record by a team in NASCAR’s modern era.

Busch and Truex, along with the rest of their team and other competitors, take on Daytona this Sunday for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 (1 p.m. ET; NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Erik Jones, who’s also a part of Joe Gibbs Racing, won this race last year.

Team Hendrick Motorsports Joe Gibbs Racing
Season 2007 2019
Races 17 17
Starts 68 68
Wins 10 10
Top 5 26 28
Top 10 38 44
Laps Led 1,585 1,458
Average Finish 14.7 10.8

Stats courtesy of Racing Insights

Posted on by Staff Report

It’s all business for rising NASCAR K&N Pro Series star Hailie Deegan behind the wheel, but away from the track, she never misses an opportunity to create a few laughs.

In a recent trip to a grocery store, Deegan stumbled upon a cardboard version of Brad Keselowski’s No. 2 car.

In her best effort to hide underneath the car, she ran into one problem.

Posted on by Staff Report

Plenty of fireworks are expected in the annual Independence Day-week trip to Daytona International Speedway as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series gears up for Sunday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 (1 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Here’s everything you need to know for the Daytona night race.

RELATED: Full Daytona schedule | Who’s the favorite?

TRACK DETAILS

Daytona International Speedway is a 2.5-mile tri-oval with 31 degrees of banking in the turns and 18 degrees of banking at the start-finish line.

RULES PACKAGE

Teams will use the 2019 rules package with new tweaks specifically tailored for superspeedway racing at Daytona — the first time used at the track following restrictor plate usage at the Daytona 500. The package includes a 0.922-inch tapered spacer (replacing the restrictor plate), 9-inch rear spoiler, 1-inch bolt-on track bar mount, a tapered radiator pan, two-inch splitter overhang and aero ducts. Just as at Talladega in April, teams will use a 1-inch wicker extension placed on top of the 9-inch spoiler.

Cup Series teams also will participate with a new left-side tire compound for the Goodyear Eagle superspeedway radial, a construction update that makes its debut this weekend. The update was recommended after a two-day test at Daytona in February. Teams will be provided with two sets of tires for practice, one set for qualifying and seven sets for Sunday’s race — six race sets plus one set transferred from qualifying or practice.

“The goal was to incorporate the basic elements of the 2019 rules package into the aerodynamic configuration for the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega, so they are no longer unique in that perspective,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “With that alignment established early in the test, we took the same approach to the tires. The result was a tire combination with the same constructions we run at the intermediate tracks, married with the tread compounds run at Daytona in February.”

STATS

• Only five drivers have won the Daytona 500 and Coke Zero Sugar 400 in the same season. The last to do so was Jimmie Johnson in 2013. As a reminder, Denny Hamlin won this season’s Daytona 500.

• Three of the last four races at Daytona were won by drivers under the age of 30 — including Erik Jones last season (22 years, 1 month, 7 days) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in 2017 (29 years, 8 months, 29 days).

• Michael McDowell has had seven top-10 finishes in the Monster Energy Series — and six of them have come at Daytona.

• Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest superspeedway team, with 27 wins all-time at Daytona and Talladega. Richard Childress Racing is a distant second, with 18 wins.

Stats courtesy of Racing Insights

LIVE COVERAGE

The Coke Zero Sugar 400 will air on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 7. Fans can also follow along on the live leaderboard on NASCAR.com, get in-car audio on RaceView and watch in-car cameras on NASCAR Drive. Be sure to set your Fantasy Live lineup and sub in your garage pick (if needed) before the end of Stage 2 when rosters lock for good.

2018 RACE WINNER

Erik Jones led one lap of the 2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400 — the final one. Jones passed Martin Truex Jr. on the final lap and won by .125 seconds — battling back from damage sustained in a multi-car wreck earlier in the race. In all, only 20 of the 40 cars that started the race were running at the finish, thanks to some substantial wrecks.

ACTIVE DAYTONA WINNERS

DRIVER WINS
Jimmie Johnson 3
Kevin Harvick 2
Denny Hamlin 2
David Ragan 1
Joey Logano 1
Brad Keselowski 1
Aric Almirola 1
Erik Jones 1
Ryan Newman 1
Austin Dillon 1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 1
Kurt Busch 1
Kyle Busch 1
Posted on by Staff Report

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 42 Credit One Bank Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will race in Sunday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway (1 p.m. ET; NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) in a unique paint scheme that pays homage to a United States military veteran.

The new design was first revealed last month in historic downtown Mooresville, North Carolina, in front of a large audience of local veterans near the Welcome Home Veterans Living Military Museum at Richard’s Coffee Shop. The coffee shop was founded in 1995 by Richard Warren, a retired U.S. Army combat pilot who toured in Vietnam. The shop, now a living military museum, is dedicated to supporting former and current service members — including the late Richard Warren who dedicated his time and resources to directly serve veterans and their families for the final 14 years of his life.

RELATED: Full Daytona schedule

Larson’s scheme for the July 7 race – the final event in the NASCAR Salutes initiative – celebrates Independence Day and pays special tribute to Warren with unique logos and decals. Warren’s name will be displayed above the right window, with the Richard’s Coffee Shop 10th Anniversary logo laid out on the decklid. A burst of red, white and gray stars and streaks line the sides.

“I’m truly honored to be a part of a team that is committed to commemorating our nation’s military veterans like Richard, who dedicated the last years of his life preserving the stories and livelihood of all veterans,” Larson said. “We hope to honor his legacy with this special paint scheme and proudly race with Richard’s name and logo.”

Credit One Bank, a dedicated sponsor of NASCAR and its initiatives, worked closely with Larson and the Chip Ganassi Racing team to organize the paint scheme reveal and highlight Warren’s legacy.

“Richard made a home for veterans at the coffee shop,” said John Coombe, senior vice president of communications, Credit One Bank. “He created a community and support system for veterans to share stories, camaraderie, and a good cup of coffee. We’re happy that Credit One Bank was able to find a fitting way to celebrate his accomplishments and the coffee shop’s anniversary today in partnership with our sponsored driver Kyle Larson.”

While in Mooresville, Larson met with veterans and local members of the community after the reveal to pose for pictures and sign autographs outside of the iconic museum. Our State, the official magazine of North Carolina, named Richard’s Coffee Shop “The Most Patriotic Coffee Shop in America.” The shop is the lone combination of a living military museum and a non-profit coffee shop in the entire U.S.

Posted on by Staff Report

Everyone knows how thrilling a NASCAR race can be, but which race is the best?

USA Today’s 10Best.com wants to know. The website is asking fans to vote for their favorite race among all motorsports — which includes F1, IndyCar, endurance and NASCAR races. They’ve narrowed it down to 20 races, six of which are NASCAR races.

Among the NASCAR nominees:

Voting ends Monday, July 15 and the winner will be announced on 10Best.com on July 26.

Check out the current leaderboard — and start voting!

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR penalized one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team and one NASCAR Xfinity Series team on Tuesday for each having one lug nut not safe and secure following the weekend’s races at Chicagoland Speedway.

The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for Monster Energy Series driver Denny Hamlin and the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford for Xfinity Series driver Cole Custer both were found with lug nut violations during post-race inspection at the track.

MORE: Biggest takeaways from Chicagoland

As a result, both crew chiefs were fined — a $10,000 fine to Chris Gabehart, crew chief of the No. 11, and a $5,000 fine to Mike Shiplett, crew chief of the No. 00.

Both series return to the track this weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

Posted on by Terrin Waack

NASCAR has switched things up for this weekend’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

Stage lengths are going to be longer Sunday for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 (1 p.m. ET; NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Stages 1 and 2 are both set to increase by 10 laps, with Stage 1 now ending on Lap 50 and Stage 2 now ending on Lap 100. As a result, the final stage will technically become shorter, coming in at just 60 laps rather than 80 since the checkered flag will still wave on Lap 160 — if all goes according to plan.

RELATED: Full Daytona schedule

The difference should prevent fuel mileage from dictating stage results.

This change comes on top of the fact drivers will also race the 2.5-mile trioval without restrictor plates for the first time since 1987. The Daytona 500 season opener, which Denny Hamlin won, saw the last of that back in February. Stages then were 60, 60 and 80 laps, with an additional seven overtime laps.

The Monster Energy Series took on Talladega Superspeedway without restrictor plates earlier this season, instead using a heightened spoiler and tapered spacers. April’s GEICO 500 broke its stages down into 55, 55 and 78 laps. Chase Elliott ended up victorious.

NASCAR first introduced its stage-racing format with the 2017 season.