Posted on by Staff Report

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart weren’t always the fast friends that they are now.

In fact, it took a scuffle for them to realize they should be pals.

The two retired Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers talked on Earnhardt Jr.’s “Dale Jr. Download” released Tuesday, and reminisced about the first time they met — in the now-NASCAR Xfinity Series hauler at Pikes Peak International Raceway on June 14, 1998.

RELATED: Stewart on Logano at Auto Club: ‘I was gonna dot his I and cross his T’

Earnhardt Jr. and Stewart were called there after Stewart “punted (Junior) into Turn 1” following an intense battle on the track.

“There was an altercation and pushing and shoving between me and his crew chief,” Earnhardt Jr. remembered. “Nobody ever really got popped or anything.”

Fast forward one week later when both drivers were in Milwaukee for a then-Busch Grand National Series race. Stewart stopped Dale Jr. in the pits.

“I would never have done this so it probably would have been awkward for a long time if it was up to me,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “But he came up to me … and said, ‘Hey man, we’re going to be racing each other a long time, so let’s be friends. Let’s not run into each other anymore. Let’s not drag this out.’

“He’s like, ‘I’ve got no problem with you. Let’s be cool.’

“And we’ve been cool.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Mike Looney began his storied racing career at Motor Mile Speedway in 1995, when he was just 16 years old. He has more good stories from races at the Radford, Virginia, track than he can remember in one sitting.

There’s his first win at the track – “I can’t remember what year that was” – when his team took a limited sportsman car and moved it up to the late model race.

“I think we sat on the pole and led every lap,” he said. “I beat (former NASCAR Wheelen All-American Series national champion) Philip Morris and I think I won $5,500 that night. That was pretty cool to beat the big boys with an old wore out limited car.”

In 2000, when he was “pretty much a nobody,” in just his second year running a full season he won a track limited sportsman championship with a small team and a home built engine.

“I’ve just kind of made the most of what I can get for most of my career,” he said.

Looney Vl Vertical

Looney, who lives in Catawba, Virginia, less than a hour from Motor Mile, considers that his home track. He had driven at least one race a season there every year since 1999.

That was until last season.

That was when Motor Mile took a year off from racing, so they could “kind of hit a reset button,” according to track general manager Michelle Vaught.

This season, though, Looney and his team with Billy Martin Racing out of Stuart, Virginia, will be back at the newly reopened Motor Mile trying to race for a championship at their home track. As the track re-opens, it will also return to the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

Vaught said she and the crew at Motor Mile felt like they needed to take the year off in 2018, but in the offseason track officials got together with drivers and fans to have discussions on what could be done to improve the on-track product and make it more accessible for drivers and fans.

“We had many of our drivers who were devastated, along with our fan base who was devastated about it and they came to our management and our ownership and said ‘hey we have some thought, we have some ideas to make it better,’ ” she said. “So we opened up the conversation with all those people, whether it was a driver, a team owner, a sponsor or just a fan and we had sort of an open meeting.”

RELATED: Motor Mile Speedway | 2019 Schedule

Looney was one of the drivers in those meetings. The year away from home was tough for his team. He said they drove in a couple of races at Kingsport Speedway in Tennessee, and the second half of the year at South Boston Speedway in southern Virginia, but the extra travel was tough while working on a tight budget.

“Touring is a huge expense. When you race at other tracks you’ve got to take off work, go down and spend all day Friday and put the whole crew in a hotel Friday night,” Looney said. “But being able to race at home would allow us to get to test more. I’ve got the most experience there. So we’re looking forward to it, getting back to what we know and we’ve been successful at.

“The biggest thing for us is we live here. It’s home. You get to sleep in your own bed.”

Helping small budget teams like Looney’s was one of the changes Vaught said the Speedway looked to make in reopening this year. Going to a two-tire rule instead of four, changing back-gate fees and helping with tickets for drivers’ family and sponsors are a few of the changes.

The response to a return to racing at Motor Mile has been “unbelievable,” Vaught said. Most of the regulars are like Looney – local drivers from within just a couple of hours from the track. The hope is other former Motor Mile regulars will return, and some of NASCAR’s new rules will also bring in younger drivers racing for a national championship.

Motor Mile opens the season April 27, headlined by its Divsioin I Late Model Stock Car. Other NASCAR divisions include Limited Sportsman, Modified 4 Cylinder and Super Street Division. The track will finish the season on Sept. 7.

Motor Mile opened as Pulaski Speedway and was a NASCAR track for one season in 1954. It returned to NASCAR as Pulaski County Speedway in 1988, and was part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series up until last year, through the name change to New River Valley Speedway in 1992 and finally to Motor Mile in 2004.

Having a local track also helps attract local fans.

“Somebody that lives here can say ‘I went to school with him,’” Vaught said. “There’s things like that that will be interesting.”

Unlike last season, when Looney was racing often five or six hours from home with no fans in the stands, he said whenever he gets behind the wheel at Motor Mile there’s usually 30 or 40 friends and family there cheering him on.

Vaught hopes the other drivers have just as big of a cheering section.

“Response has been unbelievable,” she said. “Just that return of racing and the hope that we can fire everybody back up about it and get that excitement… I think it’s going to be a breakout year for us.”

Looney and Martin have been laying the ground work to compete for a track championship at Motor Mile, and while that is the goal, he said knowing that is an option doesn’t change how they approach the season. In the end, he’s just excited to be back home and race for the fun of racing.

“We just try to take it one race at a time,” he said. “You can get caught up in chasing points and wind up spending a lot of money that you didn’t need to spend and get emotionally worked up about it. We don’t measure our success by wins or championships. Me and Billy, it’s about us having a good time. He doesn’t put the pressure on me. If I never won another race I’d still be his driver. We measure success a little differently.”

“Mike Looney is such a great story,” Vaught said. “For us, we are so fortunate to have him. He’s competitive here but he’s competitive at other tracks as well. He and Billy both are just great, hard-working, your normal guys. He doesn’t come in with some million dollar hauler. He works on his car. He is a phenomenal story. And we have so many of them.”

Posted on by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C.  – In their 10th year of partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR), McDonald’s announces plans to serve as the primary sponsor for multiple races in 2019 on the No. 42 McDonald’s Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, driven by Kyle Larson, in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

McDonald’s has not only been a valuable partner to CGR for nearly a decade on the No. 1 Chevy driven by Jamie McMurray, they have also been a supporter of Larson’s for several years. Although the increased presence in 2019 on the No. 42 Chevrolet will be a slightly new look, Larson has sported the Golden Arches on six occasions in his NASCAR career, having raced a McDonald’s entry in each of NASCAR’s three national touring series.

Kyle Larson Mcdonalds Scheme

The partnership with Larson will officially start in Atlanta, with McDonald’s first primary paint scheme of the 2019 season on the No. 42 Chevrolet. The paint scheme will highlight McDonald’s current campaign featuring bacon on several of their Classics: the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, and World Famous Fries. The campaign begs the question, do Classics make bacon better, or does bacon make Classics better?

As the paint scheme on the No. 42 Chevrolet shows, Team Larson is all in for Team Classics!

NOTES OF INTEREST:

• Through the ranks: Larson has competed in a McDonald’s sponsored car in each of NASCAR’s top-three national touring series, including the MENCS (Bristol Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway, 2018) the NASCAR Xfinity Series (New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio, 2013) and the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series (Martinsville Speedway, 2016). His two MENCS races in 2018 resulted in a runner-up finish at Bristol and a third-place finish in Kansas.

• Would you like dirt with that?: In addition to supporting Larson in the MENCS for the 2019 season, McDonald’s was recently featured on Larson’s entry at the 33rd annual Chili Bowl Nationals, a prestigious dirt midget race held in Tulsa, Okla. Larson won his preliminary night race, and finished second in the feature event driving the McDonald’s No. 01 car.                                                                                 

QUOTEBOARD:

• John Lewicki, Head of Global Alliances, McDonald’s: “McDonald’s has enjoyed a partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing for nearly a decade and we are excited to continue that relationship with The No. 42 team and Kyle Larson in 2019. Like Jamie McMurray previously, Kyle embodies many of the same qualities as a family man and a competitor, that are important to McDonald’s and we look forward to having him as an ambassador to our brand.”

• Chip Ganassi, Owner, Chip Ganassi Racing: “It says a lot about our team, both on and off the track, that we will be celebrating 10 years of partnership with McDonald’s this coming season. McDonald’s has been a great partner over the past nine seasons, and we are looking forward to what this season holds with Kyle as their driver. I am sure there will be plenty of exciting moments throughout the year.”

• Kyle Larson, Driver No. 42 McDonald’s Chevrolet Camaro ZL1: “It’s always great to announce a new partner, and it means a lot that one of our team’s long-time partners will join me and the No. 42 team this season. Along with Credit One Bank, and now McDonald’s, I’m pretty lucky to have the opportunity to represent some great brands. I’ve enjoyed racing a few McDonald’s cars over my career, and I’m looking forward to representing them on track this season. In addition to me, there is also one family member in particular who is pretty excited to see McDonald’s join Team Larson. We came close to a couple wins with them last season, so hopefully we can get the Golden Arches back to Victory Lane this year.”

Posted on by Steve Luvender

That can’t be Dale …

A driver in a random iRacing session named Dale Earnhardt Jr.? It can’t be, can it?

No better way to confirm it was Dale Jr. than from the man himself. Plus, his former spotter TJ Majors hanging out in the session might have given it away, too.

Novak wins PEAK iRacing Series opener

Roush Fenway Racing’s Zack Novak claimed the first round of the 2019 eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series in a thrilling side-by-side finish with Jimmy Mullis of Richmond Raceway eSports.

Perhaps Novak, the reigning eNASCAR Ignite Series champion, can teach his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series counterpart Ricky Stenhouse Jr. a thing or two about sim racing.

And, yes, Mike Davis, the competition is real.

 

Final lap from Four-Time’s view

Daytona wasn’t kind to Ray Alfalla in his debut with Wood Brothers Racing. After a single-car crash midway through the race, Alfalla chronicled his ascent to finish 19th on a wild green-checkered finish.


Sunoco joins Richmond Raceway eSports

Even though you don’t need race fuel to make a car move in the virtual world, Sunoco Racing has partnered with Richmond Raceway eSports.

PEAK iRacing Series rookie Malik Ray will sport the Sunoco colors and the No. 90 in honor of Richmond native and former NASCAR team owner Junie Donlavey.


Richmond Raceway eSports drivers visit the Daytona 500

Continuing an eventful week for Richmond Raceway eSports, drivers Jimmy Mullis and Malik Ray visited the Daytona 500, spending some time teaching fans about iRacing.


Valentine’s Ray

The defending and four-time eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series champion sent his best wishes for Valentine’s Day last week.


Leveling the playing field

Sim racing has changed the way up-and-coming drivers can showcase their skills, as evidenced by NASCAR driver and iRacing team owner Parker Kligerman’s interaction with a fan and eSports hopeful.


Heat Pro League Showcase Races continue

Last week, the eNASCAR Heat Pro League continued its Showcase Race series ahead of the series draft in March — this time, racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Xfinity Series cars. Competitors looked to demonstrate their racecraft skills in hopes of catching the eye of a real Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team.

The next Showcase Race takes place Wednesday at Martinsville Speedway in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series-style trucks.


iRacing Paint Schemes of the Week

Erik Le brought Natalie Decker’s unfortunately short-lived truck to life for iRacing.

JR Motorsports graphic designer Jordan Erickson ported the design from Noah Gragson’s No. 9 Xfinity Series Chevrolet to the virtual screen.


iRacing Video of the Week

Check out the highlight reel of the PEAK iRacing Series opening race at Daytona, culminating in an exciting finish.


NASCAR Heat 3 Video of the Week

The second eNASCAR Heat Pro League Showcase Race featured the top eSports racers competing in the Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Catch the recap from 704 Games:

Posted on by Staff Report

Ever wonder just what it feels like to be a part of the “Big One” in the Daytona 500?

Well, so you don’t have to experience it, we have some photos that show just how hard the impact can be at Daytona International Speedway.

RELATED: Wreck pics from every angle

Thanks to eagle-eye Twitter user @malikkoonce77, we can see that Matt Tifft’s No. 36 Ford wrecked so forcefully in the “Big One” that someone’s tail lights were embedded in the front of his car.

Tail lights of Paul Menard's No. 21 are embedded in the front bumper of Matt Tifft's No. 36 after the Daytona 500.
@malikkoonce77 | Twitter

Let that sink in — just like those three horizontal red lights are in Tifft’s car. The lights transferred from one car to another because they collided at such a great force.

Kevin Harvick’s crew chief Rodney Childers was the one who realized what the photo showed on Twitter.

And Tifft then admitted he brought back a little present from his first Daytona 500.

But it took another Twitter user to discover just whose tail lights those were …

Looks like Tifft will be sending that thank you note to Paul Menard.

See the crash in the video above — and the two cars colliding at about the 1:37 mark.

 

Posted on by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Denny Hamlin was still grinning Monday morning at Daytona International Speedway, 12 hours after hoisting his second Daytona 500 trophy in Victory Lane. He met with the media, signed special pieces of speedway memorabilia and received the traditional Daytona 500 winner’s leather jacket during the annual champion’s breakfast.

There was a distinctively different vibe from last February, when 2018 Daytona 500 winner Austin Dillon was sharing stories of his victory tattoo and an all-night party.

Truth be told, Dillon’s rowdy celebration was more similar to Hamlin’s first Daytona 500 win in 2016, but this time around Hamlin has two young daughters, is nursing a cold and feeling all kinds of sentimental having won the sport’s biggest race only weeks after his close friend and Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs passed away.

Instead of burning the midnight oil, Hamlin joined his team owner – J.D.’s father Joe Gibbs – at a nearby Steak ‘n Shake for a more wholesome and fitting nod to his late friend. It’s a team tradition that took on significant meaning this year.

RELATED: Inside JGR’s Steak ‘n Shake tradition in Daytona Beach

“We were running the streets,” Gibbs said jokingly of the celebration.

“Actually, this tradition started with our very first win [Dale Jarrett, 1993], we got lost in Daytona 500 winner’s circle, wound up grabbing the trophy, didn’t know you go to the media center, pulled out on the road from the track and went north and J.D. and (his other son) Coy said, ‘Hey dad, we’re starved,’ so I said ‘Steak ‘n Shake.’

“So we spent 30 minutes in the parking lot with fans and it was awesome. So a tradition started. Last night we did the same. We wound up with our whole group and a bunch of fans too.’’

As for any victory tattoos?

Denny Hamlin's 2019 Daytona 500-winning car now sits in Daytona USA
Torey Fox | NASCAR Digital Media

Again, Gibbs, Hamlin, and his winning crew chief Chris Gabehart laughed out loud.

“I got one,’’ Gibbs joked about the tattoo.

“Not me,’’ said Hamlin, who did however, receive congratulatory calls from NBA legends Michael Jordan on Sunday night and Charles Barkley on Monday morning.

While both Gibbs and Hamlin were able to smile about the celebration and trophies Monday morning, they both remained insistent, however, the best part of the victory was the opportunity to remember and honor J.D. Gibbs, who battled a degenerative neurological disease.

Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Toyota carried J.D.’s name and there was a moment of remembrance during Lap 11 of the Daytona 500.

The outcome – the victory and the happiness it produced – was a fantastic way to remember Gibbs, who was a positive, always-smiling presence in the NASCAR garage for years as a driver and then executive on the JGR team.

Winning was the expectation and Gibbs’ style of leadership certainly seemed to have worked the magic. The smiles, high fives and team celebrations this week are reminders of the J.D. Gibbs’ spirit that elevated the organization for years.

MORE: Denny Hamlin wins 61st annual Daytona 500 | Complete results

“The whole thing was just a special memory for me, and it’s one I’ll never forget, and it was the most important night of my occupational life,’’ Joe Gibbs said Sunday after the victory lane celebration.

It’s not only a sentimental accomplishment for the team, but also a strong signal of Hamlin’s competitiveness to come in 2019. The win assures him a position in the Playoffs this fall.

First though, Hamlin heads out Monday night on the Daytona 500 victory tour. On Tuesday, he will appear on FS1’s “First Things First,” Live! With Kelly and Ryan, Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take,’ and also at the New York Stock Exchange. He will make appearances on both The Weather Channel and CNN in Atlanta later in the week.

“There’s been a lot of one-time winners of big races, but certainly if you win a couple that’s a skill thing and if you put yourself in that position, certainly it’s validating for sure,’’ Hamlin said.

PHOTOS: Best scenes from all-time great Daytona 500

Posted on by Jessica Ruffin

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As cars sat under two red flags during Sunday’s Daytona 500, the No. 11 pit box of Denny Hamlin began accumulating more people in its vicinity. Some folks were smiling, many were nervous – and all had their eyes glued to the on-track action when the cars began rolling again for the final two-lap shootout in overtime with Hamlin in the lead.

When the Joe Gibbs Racing mainstay crossed the start-finish line first to grab the checkered flag, the box erupted with emotion; crew guys jumped off the wall and one sprayed water in the air. Someone shouted, “We did it for J.D.!” There were hugs, high-fives and cheers.

And there were tears, too.

J.D. Gibbs’ widow, Melissa Gibbs, stood at the corner of the pit box, her hands on her face and tears in her eyes, her sons around her celebrating.

“J.D. is on that car,” said team owner Coach Joe Gibbs, amidst embraces and cheers. “Unbelievable.”

This was more than a victory, more than a Daytona 500 win or even breaking Hamlin’s 47-race winless streak — Sunday night went beyond any of that for the Joe Gibbs Racing family.

MORE: Hamlin takes home second Daytona 500 | Full results

That race was for Joe’s son and Joe Gibbs Racing co-founder J.D. Gibbs, who passed away at age 49 from degenerative neurological disease Jan. 11.

“It’s the most emotional and the biggest win I’ve ever had in my life, in anything,” said Joe Gibbs, who won three Super Bowls with the Washington Redskins before founding Joe Gibbs Racing.

“J.D. built our race team, was the guy that ran day‑to‑day operations for 27 years. He invested his occupational life in our race team. And as a part of that, he went up to purchase some late model stuff from Denny and struck up a relationship with Denny, put him in a test, put him in a truck, put him in an Xfinity car at Darlington, and finally he said, ‘We need to sign this guy.’ … And then to say, J.D.’s favorite number was 11 when he raced. That’s what he had.  Denny’s number is 11. Denny put J.D. over the door post on that car, and to have that take place, everything that took place tonight, everybody knows, we’ve been to Daytona 27 times. We had won twice before. …

“It was just an unbelievable night, unbelievable crowd.”

For Joe Gibbs Racing to take home the Harley J. Earl trophy mere weeks after J.D.’s passing was special. But it was even more meaningful that the victory came from Hamlin, who has long spoke of his close relationship with J.D.

“He meant a lot to me and it’s hard for me not getting choked up because I’ve been choked up about 100 times about it,” Hamlin said. “Just to have Melissa and all the kids here, it’s just crazy. Joe and his whole family and what they’ve done for my career – to bring them back to Victory Lane again is just amazing. …

“The whole family – they did so much for me over the course of my career. This one is for J.D. We are desperately going to miss him the rest of our lives.

“His legacy still lives on through Joe Gibbs Racing and (I’m) proud to do this for them.”

The signs of J.D. were everywhere Sunday; his oldest son, Miller, wore the same Interstate Batteries race shirt that his father wore when he won the Daytona 500 as a tire changer in 1993. Each race car in the field carried a J.D. Gibbs decal on the driver’s side and Hamlin’s winning car bore an additional sticker on the B-post for J.D. Gibbs Legacy, the foundation established in J.D.’s honor that supports Young Life Ministry.

J.D. was also honored at Lap 11 – his favorite number – with a tribute in Sunday’s Daytona 500. During the lap, Joe Gibbs Racing pit crews stood on pit wall, holding a J.D. banner bearing countless signatures.

And when the checkered flag waved at race’s end, the scoreboard showed that Joe Gibbs Racing – in perfect, storybook fashion – had swept the top three spots as Kyle Busch finished second and Erik Jones rallied for third.

“Any time you can run 1-2 or 1-2-3, 1-2-3-4, whatever it is, it’s a good sign for your company and for your team,” Jones said. “For me, I knew J.D. very early in my career at JGR, when I first got into Xfinity part time in 2014. I didn’t get to spend much with him, but great guy. My father was a big fan of J.D. and what he was doing at Joe Gibbs Racing, and I think you’re hard‑pressed to find anybody who would have a bad thing to say about J.D.”

Indeed, J.D.’s impact went beyond the walls of Joe Gibbs Racing; it was evident Sunday that he had touched many more in the garage during his lifetime. That included fourth-place finisher Joey Logano, who had been chasing JGR’s Hamlin and Busch for the victory in the waning laps of the “Great American Race.”

“I’m not a Gibbs driver, but what J.D. has done for my career is the reason why I’m sitting here today,” Logano said. “As bad as I want to win it, it is pretty cool to think that the first race after his passing, to see those guys 1-2-3, it just says he’s up there watching and maybe gave you guys a little extra boost there at the end.”

Some could say Hamlin won solely because of his restrictor plate prowess or Joe Gibbs Racing’s power under the hood. Others may claim it was due to Lady Luck bestowing favor upon Hamlin at the most tumultuous of race tracks.

But Joe Gibbs would likely disagree with most of that. This win was too special for coincidence.

“I guess everybody could say, ‘Well, that just happened.’ I don’t believe that just happened,” he said. “I honestly believe it was ‑‑ I think the Lord looked down on us, and I know J.D. and everybody in my family was emotional. …

“The whole thing was just a special memory for me, and it’s one I’ll never forget, and it was the most important night of my occupational life.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Matt DiBenedetto’s 28th-place finish hardly did justice to the way the Grass Valley, Calif., driver performed in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

After all, DiBenedetto held the top spot for a race-high 49 laps, more than doubling the 23 he had led in his previous 140 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts combined.

RELATED: Race results

In his first race in the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota Camry, DiBenedetto was running near the front when Paul Menard’s Ford hit him from behind and turned him into the outside wall as the cars approached Turn 3. By the time the sparks stopped flying, 21 cars had been involved in the wreck, and DiBenedetto had been eliminated from the race.

“Just one of those racing deals,” DiBenedetto said ruefully after leaving the infield care center. “I talked to Paul there, and he was just trying to get to my outside and got into my right rear. This is the first time that I’m seeing it (on replay), and he just got to my right rear and was trying to push. I was focused on trying to help my Toyota teammates. This was the best speedway event I’ve had in my life – being able to lead and do some incredible things.

WATCH: DiBenedetto “heartbroken”

“This is such a great team and I know we can show them what we’re doing here. I’m just so proud to be a part of Toyota and Procore as my sponsor – all these guys – Leavine Family Racing and Toyota, they all took a heck of a chance on me, and I’m glad we proved what we’re here to do. I’m pretty heartbroken, but appreciative to be here. Thank you so much to all the fans for all the support, just happy to be here.”

Posted on by Pat DeCola

In 1993, Joe Gibbs Racing — still in its infancy — pulled off the unthinkable by winning the 1993 Daytona 500 with future NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett.

The team celebrated by going down the street from Daytona International Speedway and ripping it up at … Steak ‘n Shake.

It would be aother 23 years before Joe Gibbs landed one of his cars in Victory Lane after the “Great American Race” again, seeing longtime driver Denny Hamlin accomplish the feat in the closest finish the race has ever seen in 2016.

As a nod to how far the group had come as an organization, growing from a small collection of individuals to the four-car powerhouse it is today while maintaining its humble roots, Gibbs took everyone back to the eatery to celebrate.

So when Hamlin added a second Harley J. Earl trophy to his resume in Sunday’s instant classic, there was little doubt where the party would carry over to.

MORE: Denny Hamlin wins 61st annual Daytona 500 | Complete results

A tasty tradition like no other.

PHOTOS: Best scenes from all-time great Daytona 500

Posted on by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As far as Daytona 500 debuts go Ryan Preece was plenty encouraged if not wholly satisfied with his eighth-place finish Sunday night. He was running top five, had even pushed into the top three with a lap to go, but got shuffled out by veterans as the checkered flag flew to close out the overtime season-opener.

In the moments after climbing out of his No. 47 JTG Daugherty Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, he stood on pit road and looked at replays of the race finish on the giant television screen a few yards away.

There were the final two laps for review. Toyota driver Denny Hamlin earned his second Daytona 500 win and on the last lap, it looked as if Preece may finish on the podium in his 500 debut. Instead, a last-lap shuffle — so typical of this race — resulted in Preece losing positions as the field took the checkered flag.

RELATED: Race results | Hamlin holds off Preece, JGR teammates on final lap

But the 28-year-old Connecticut native still managed a smile at his top-10 standing by his car and shaking hands with his smiling JTG Daugherty Racing crew.

“Sitting here watching this I’m probably going to get frustrated with myself because there’s a couple things I could have done different to help my chances,” Preece said as he watched the replay. “I was so committed to pushing Joey [Logano], I focused more on him than I did some of the runs I probably should have focused on.

“All in all it’s a good day. It’s an eighth-place finish, a great day for JTG.”

Another replay of the race finish showed again over the speedway as Preece finished speaking with reporters.

“It’s so frustrating watching it,” Preece said, obviously trying to summon a smile. “We were in third place on the white-flag lap and got flushed.”

Perhaps in the coming days, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup rookie will look back at the closing laps as encouragement. His competitors were impressed with the job he did and the crowd seemed to be as well. He was competitive all day, avoided multiple late-race accidents and put himself in position to be a factor as the field approached the most famous checkered flag in NASCAR.

The reigning NASCAR Cup champion Joey Logano, was certainly complimentary of his fellow Connecticut native.

“It was intense as you would expect with the Daytona 500 on the line and I had a great push by the 47 of Ryan Preece and I thought that was cool,” Logano said after climbing out of his car. “We grew up racing quarter-midgets against each other in Connecticut and it just shows that dreams can really come true.

“I’m proud to be racing with him in the Daytona 500. I think that’s super cool.”

Preece also recognized the opportunity to partner with Logano, a former Daytona 500 winner, and appreciated the restrictor plate lesson.

“I know he does a really good job at these restrictor plate races,” Preece said. “I have a good relationship with Joey. Other than that, he’s really good at making holes. He got me to third and I didn’t do a good enough job blocking and trying to help him move forward to.

“This is a learning experience. Everyone talks about learning and I can tell you multiple things I learned today to help me better my career but also learn what I need to do different the next time I come.”

A two-time winner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Preece eventually walked off pit road much more encouraged than frustrated. This is the biggest opportunity of his life and Sunday night was a good start.

“I’m a racer. … and I’m competitive so I’m going to nitpick myself right now,” Preece said. “When I get in my truck and drive home and watch this finish I’m going to say, ‘man, I could have had fifth. I could have had third.’ But at the end of the day, it’s still a great day.

“All in all, today’s been about finishing the race, but hopefully gaining people that will work with me in the future. If I can keep on putting that group of people together for maybe the July race [at Daytona] or Talladega [Ala.], I can build that reputation of ‘hey, we can work with him.’

“Then we will run up front more at the end of these races and put ourselves in a good situation.”