Posted on by Staff Report

Busch Pole Qualifying at Daytona International Speedway consists of single-car qualifying made up of two rounds. Each car will take a lap in Round 1 with the top 12 cars advancing to the second round and contesting for the Busch Pole Award.

# Car Driver Team
1 99 * Landon Cassill Star Com Fiber Chevrolet
2 51 Ray Black II(i) Prefund Capital/Jacob Companies Chevrolet
3 92 * Timothy Peters(i) Advance Auto Parts/Black’s Tire Ford
4 96 * DJ Kennington Lordco/Castrol/Spectra Premium Toyota
5 23 JJ Yeley(i) Steakhouse Elite Toyota
6 00 Joey Gase(i) Sparks Inc. Chevrolet
7 7 * Jeffrey Earnhardt Nine Line Foundation Chevrolet
8 15 Ross Chastain(i) Caddy’s Beach Bar Restaurants Chevrolet
9 1 Jamie McMurray DC Solar Chevrolet
10 72 Corey LaJoie Dragonchain Chevrolet
11 32 Matt DiBenedetto Zynga Poker Ford
12 13 Ty Dillon GEICO Military Chevrolet
13 62 * Brendan Gaughan Beard Oil Distributing/South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet
14 6 Trevor Bayne Performance Plus Ford
15 95 Kasey Kahne Thorne Wellness Chevrolet
16 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fifth Third Bank Ford
17 31 Ryan Newman Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s Chevrolet
18 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet
19 24 William Byron # Liberty University Chevrolet
20 88 Alex Bowman Axalta Chevrolet
21 38 David Ragan Shriners Hospital For Children Ford
22 19 Daniel Suarez ARRIS Toyota
23 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota
24 20 Erik Jones buyatoyota.com Toyota
25 3 Austin Dillon American Ethanol e15 Chevrolet
26 11 Denny Hamlin FexEx Cares Toyota
27 78 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops/5-hour ENERGY Toyota
28 43 Bubba Wallace # U.S. Air Force Chevrolet
29 42 Kyle Larson Credit One Bank Chevrolet
30 34 Michael McDowell K-LOVE Radio Ford
31 21 Paul Menard Menards/Moen Ford
32 9 Chase Elliott Hooters Chevrolet
33 37 Chris Buescher Kleenex Wet Wipes Chevrolet
34 47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger ClickList Chevrolet
35 4 Kevin Harvick Jimmy John’s Kickin’ Ranch Ford
36 41 Kurt Busch Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford
37 12 Ryan Blaney BodyArmor Ford
38 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford
39 2 Brad Keselowski Stars Stripes and Lites Ford
40 10 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford
41 14 Clint Bowyer Rush Truck Centers Ford

# Signifies rookie in series
* Required to qualify on time
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR and the NASCAR Hall of Fame today announced legendary motorsports reporter Steve Waid as the eighth recipient of the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence.

A familiar face in the NASCAR garage for nearly 50 years, Waid began covering motorsports in 1972 for the Martinsville Bulletin before a 10-year stint at the Roanoke Times & World News.

In 1981, Waid moved to Grand National Scene, a weekly NASCAR publication – and the spot where Waid cemented his legacy as a NASCAR media giant. Waid would later become publisher of what became known as NASCAR Scene and the monthly magazine NASCAR Illustrated, remaining with the publications until his retirement from full-time reporting in 2010.

“For decades, Steve Waid tirelessly worked the NASCAR garage, becoming a familiar, trusted and beloved voice to both competitors and the passionate fans alike,” said Brian France, NASCAR chairman and CEO. “Waid’s distinct voice elevated NASCAR Scene into a must-read publication each week, and we are thankful that he continues to share his literary talents with our fans. The Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence is NASCAR’s highest honor to the media, and Steve is an absolutely deserving recipient.”

Waid, who served as president of the National Motorsports Press Association President (NMPA) for 12 years, has won several journalism awards, including the George Cunningham Award as NMPA Writer of the Year and the Henry T. McLemore Award for outstanding lifetime contributions to motorsports.

In addition to penning widely read stories for daily, weekly and monthly publications, Waid co-authored a biography on Junior Johnson with fellow Squier-Hall Award recipient Tom Higgins. He also appeared on several television and radio programs dedicated to NASCAR.

Waid will be honored during 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony festivities and featured in an exhibit in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Waid was among eight nominees voted upon by a panel comprised of NASCAR and NASCAR Hall of Fame executives, journalists, public relations representatives and former competitors. The Squier-Hall Award was created in 2012 to honor the contributions of media to the success of the sport. Legendary broadcasters Ken Squier and Barney Hall, for whom the award is named, were its initial recipients. Chris Economaki, Tom Higgins, Steve Byrnes, Benny Phillips and Norma “Dusty” Brandel have since won the award.

The other seven nominees were:

Russ Catlin, one of the best-known early racing writers and historians, served as editor of Speed Age Magazine.

George Cunningham, covered NASCAR for a variety of outlets, including The Charlotte Observer, The Atlanta Constitution and NASCAR Scene.

Shav Glick, covered motorsports for the Los Angeles Times for 37 years, bringing NASCAR coverage to the West Coast.

Mike Harris, covered NASCAR for more than 40 years for the Associated Press.

Bob Jenkins, served as the lead NASCAR lap-by-lap anchor at ESPN from 1982-2000.

Bob Moore, spent more than 20 years as a NASCAR beat writer including stints with the Daytona Beach News-Journal and The Charlotte Observer.

T. Taylor Warren, best known for his three-wide photo of the 1959 Daytona 500 finish, he covered every Daytona 500 until his death in 2008.

Posted on by Staff Report

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Prior to cars hitting the track for one of the biggest race weekends of the season, The NASCAR Foundation hosted its biggest-ever event for children across the street from Daytona International Speedway at the ONE DAYTONA lifestyle/entertainment complex on Thursday.

Kaz Grala signs autographs for kids at the Spediatrics Fun Day Festival
Kaz Grala signs kids’ shoes

Several hours before practice sessions began for the 60th Annual Coke Zero Sugar 400, The NASCAR Foundation – through a partnership with Brown & Brown Insurance – hosted 500 children from the Daytona Beach community for its second annual Speediatrics Fun Day Festival. The unique and interactive event, one of five youth-oriented festivals being held throughout 2018 in select NASCAR race markets by the foundation, is all about inspiring children to lead healthy lifestyles.

NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers Joey Gase, Kaz Grala, Shane Lee and Vinnie Miller and NASCAR Drive for Diversity driver Isabella Robusto helped kick off the event by leading kids through warm-up exercises, including running in place, jumping jacks, squats and stretching. The NASCAR Foundation’s mascots Chase, Safety Sam and Victory Lane were also on hand. The drivers also participated alongside the kids in activities such as Goodyear Tire Races, Pinewood Derby Races and Sponge Relay Races.

“I got to meet a NASCAR driver,” exclaimed one child in attendance, when asked what the coolest part of the day was.

Duce Smith
Duce Smith

New this year and in an effort to combat the rise of childhood obesity, each child who attended the event received a NASCAR Foundation “Fit Kit” complete with pedometer and jump rope – providing the children with all they need to help develop a routine of regular physical activity.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Corey LaJoie – whose nickname happens to be “Super Shoe” – was also on hand to help distribute a brand-new pair of athletic shoes to the children in attendance.

“This was our biggest event for kids ever – and certainly one of our best,” said The NASCAR Foundation Executive Director Nichole Krieger. “Having the drivers take part alongside the kids was a perfect fit. The kids loved it … we all loved it.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kyle Busch and the rest of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series field turned their attention to the next race on the schedule upon arrival Thursday at Daytona International Speedway. But the memory of Busch’s breathtaking final-lap victory last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway still remains fresh — both because of the nature of it and the social-media buzz surrounding it.

RELATED: Larson contemplates do-overs | Full schedule for Daytona

Then there’s the matter of Busch’s meme-friendly message to the Chicagoland boo-birds after his retaliatory roughing-up of runner-up Kyle Larson, adding a Buschian flair to his post-burnout interview by pantomiming the wiping away of tears to the camera. Thursday at Daytona, Busch explained the impetus for the gesture.

“Well, when you put on a great show and you have a really fun time being able to race these cars and you do everything as hard as you can to try to win a Cup Series race and for as hard as they are to win, even though we’re talking about winning 48 of them, it would certainly be nice to have some appreciation for putting on a good show for those fans,” Busch said Thursday evening at Toyota’s introduction of the 2019 Supra for NASCAR Xfinity Series competition.

“And when the boos are raining down on you in that moment, it certainly doesn’t make you feel good about yourself or what’s going on or what you’re doing or what you just did, and so you sometimes aren’t thinking straight or clearly in those moments and you do what you do. You know, I wouldn’t say that that race was fun to win afterwards, but it’s a win that’s now in the history books.”

Busch indicated that part of the negative reaction to the last-lap battle was that observers failed to take the final circuit in the proper context, weighing his actions against Larson’s contact that initiated the gloves-off contest for the checkered flag. But there’s also Busch’s reputation as one of the sport’s biggest lightning rods, a touchpoint for strong reactions from the grandstands.

There was a significant reaction Thursday from NASCAR legend Donnie Allison, who raved about the Chicagoland finish in a passing visit to the Daytona media center.

“That’s pretty cool,” Busch said. “All the racers out there, all the people that know racing appreciated what that race was. … Well, they take that little tidbit of (Turns) 3 and 4 and don’t even look at 1 and 2, and it’s like, they don’t see the eye-for-an-eye-type thing. You’ve got to know what you’re watching to appreciate it sometimes.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is a realist.

Approaching the halfway point of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, the driver of the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford is embroiled in a tight points battle for one of the last spots in the Playoffs.

MORE: Full Daytona schedule | Fords fast in early practice

Through 17 races, Stenhouse is 16th in the standings, but the defending winner of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 (7 p.m. ET Saturday on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) is not currently in a Playoff-eligible position, give that 19th-place Austin Dillon has secured a top-16 spot with his victory in the season-opening Daytona 500.

But Stenhouse can make the points issue moot by repeating as the winner of Saturday’s race, and he’s practical enough to know that the last restrictor-plate of the regular season gives him his best chance.

“Yeah, for sure,” Stenhouse said Thursday between practices at Daytona. “I think we’ve got Daytona, and I feel like Bristol—there are two tracks that we can still potentially win at, being able to go out and win a race. 

“Obviously, there are race tracks where things can play out. I don’t think we have the speed at the mile-and-a-halves yet to go out there and win like we want to, so I think, realistically, when I go to those mile-and-a-halves, I’m like, ‘Hey, let’s somehow manage a 12th-place finish.’ 

“Whether you get a couple stage points and you finish 15th and you’re averaging basically a 12th-place finish, that’s what we look at when we go to some of those tracks, but Daytona definitely Saturday night is a really big opportunity for us, but for everyone else, too.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Toyota plans to bring the iconic Supra nameplate back in a big way in 2019, announcing Thursday that the model will compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series starting next season.

Toyota unveiled the dynamic race car prototype Thursday night in the Toyota Injector at Daytona International Speedway, where it will debut in the Xfinity season opener next February. The road-going Supra will hit showrooms starting with the 2019 model year, returning to production for the first time in 17 years.

PHOTOS: New Supra from all angles

The Supra replaces the venerable Camry, which will continue as the automaker’s vehicle of choice in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Supra will soon go head-to-head against its performance-car brethren in Chevrolet’s Camaro SS and Ford’s Mustang.

A sports-car version of the new Supra debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Thursday’s unveiling of the stock-car racing edition stands to fuel the anticipation for the street-legal production car, which is still awaiting its release date.

“Before there was even any discussion about coming to the race track … there’s been rumors for years about when is Supra going to come back to the streets as a production car,” said Ed Laukes, group vice president of Toyota Division Marketing. ” I think there’s Supra fan clubs all over, especially in California, West Coast. But the reaction has been extremely positive.

“People are really excited and people are asking for what’s next and when are they going to get a chance to see the production car. We think this is a great place to debut this vehicle as it comes back into the mix, and NASCAR has really served us well from a Camry perspective. ”

VIDEO: Busch details his excitement

The NASCAR rendition of the Supra is built with design help from Calty Design Research — a longtime Toyota design studio — to conform to stock-car specifications. A distinctive, swoopy nose helps give the car its identity.

The Xfinity Supra marks the sixth race car produced by Toyota Racing Development in collaboration with Calty in the last six years. The manufacturer indicated in a news release that the two groups began work on the NASCAR Supra project last year.

Two drivers prominently involved in the Toyota racing program attended the unveiling — 2015 Monster Energy Series champ Kyle Busch and Xfinity Series regular Christopher Bell. Busch scored the first-ever premier series win for the automaker in 2008, and Bell registered a first of his own recently, indicating that he was the first driver to make laps in the prototype.

The competition is now on for another first — the first driver to bring the Supra name to Victory Lane. David Wilson, president of Toyota Racing Development, suggested sweetening the pot, adding a “bounty” or other incentive for the first Xfinity winner with the new model.

“I don’t need any more motivation, but obviously more motivation is cool,” said Bell, who sits fourth in the Xfinity Series points. “I think if you take any of us race car drivers to any rental go-kart track racing for lots of money, we’re still going to go out there and give it our all, right? Any more bounty that they add is going to make it more special, that’s for sure.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — When he finished second to Austin Dillon in the season-opening Daytona 500, Bubba Wallace lost his composure on the dais in the media center.

There were tears and hugs with his family, as Wallace reveled in the strong finish in his first race as a full-time driver for Richard Petty Motorsports.

Since then, the highlights have been infrequent, with a charge to the front at Bristol in the traditional Petty colors being the most noteworthy. But Wallace considers Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 (7 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) a chance to return to the forefront.

RELATED: Bubba looking to ‘survive the madness’ | Full Daytona schedule 

And if he does happen to win that race, Wallace promises a major celebration and another emotional display.

“I probably seem boring as hell right now, because I’m not crying and putting on a show and hugging my mom and all that ‘foo foo’ stuff,” Wallace said Thursday at Daytona. “Amanda (Wallace’s girlfriend) and I had dinner with my crew chief Drew (Blickensderfer) and his fiancé Lori last night. He was like, ‘Man, both times I have won here, I went straight back to the room and went to sleep.’

“He said that ain’t happening if that happens Saturday. So there’s going to be a lot of emotion and you will probably see my guys come in like Clint (Bowyer’s) guys did at Michigan. Spraying Coke or any beverage around and making you guys all feel a part of the celebration.”

Just because Wallace hasn’t been over-the-top with displays of emotion since the 500 doesn’t mean he isn’t driven to win.

“I think about winning all the time, and I think that’s what drives all of us,” Wallace said. “Once you kind of lose the dreaming about winning and you are just sitting there watching these old races and saying, ‘Damn, that would be cool to win’… As soon as you lose that, then you are out.

“But for me, it’s still a dream to go out and win in NASCAR, win a Cup race, and there is no greater opportunity than this weekend. Every emotion is coming after that, so have your recorders and video cameras ready.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Breanna O’Leary and Brehanna Daniels have a lot in common.

They both go by “Bre” for short.

They are both women who have learned to excel in roles that once were, by custom, reserved for men.

They are currently roommates. They were both college athletes.

And when they enrolled at their respective universities, neither O’Leary nor Daniels had any idea they would be jumping over a pit wall with an impact wrench in their hands.

RELATED: Daniels coaches next wave of athletes for pit road

But that’s what both O’Leary and Daniels will be doing in Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway (7 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

O’Leary will change the rear tires on Ray Black Jr.’s No. 51 Chevrolet fielded by Rick Ware Racing. Daniels will change the front tires. The event will mark the first time two women have performed over-the-wall pit crew duties for the same team in the same race.

Individually, they are the fifth and sixth female crew members to reach NASCAR’s highest level.

“I think the whole situation is cool,” O’Leary told the NASCAR Wire Service. “We’re both females and roommates, and we’re both ‘Bre.’ We say we’re ‘Bre squared.’ When we’re standing by each other, they like to shout ‘Bre’ so they can laugh at us when we both look.”

But Saturday’s race will be serious business for the two women, who followed similar paths through NASCAR’s Drive 4 Diversity Pit Crew Program.

RELATED: Tire changer O’Leary ‘excited, nervous’ for opportunity

O’Leary played softball at Alcorn State. Daniels was a point guard and shooting guard for Norfolk State. They both came to tryouts at their respective schools with little idea of what to expect. But NASCAR D4D pit crew coach Phil Horton saw talent in each of them.

“I played softball at Alcorn State, but at that time, I was working on my Masters,” O’Leary said. “I was a graduate assistant to the strength and conditioning coach. When coach Horton was coming through with NASCAR Diversity, they just happened to come to Alcorn, and my strength coach was helping out.

“And he said, ‘NASCAR’s coming-I want you to do it.’ And I was like, ‘What am I doing?’ We didn’t even fully understand, but he knew it was a workout and something to be competitive in.”

When Daniels attended her tryout at Norfolk State, as “the only girl in the gym,” she opted for the unknown of NASCAR versus taking video of a professional basketball game. It proved to be a life-changing decision.

Both Daniels and O’Leary earned invitations to the D4D Pit Crew national combine, and both made the cut. They have both adapted to changes in pit guns and new rules that cut the number of over-the-wall pit crew members from six to five.

Those adaptions sometimes include carrying a 65-pound tire, a challenge for Daniels and her 5-5 frame.

“When my carrier has adjustments to make, I have to carry my own tire, running around the car,” said Daniels, who is changing tires at NASCAR’s highest level for the first time. “So, thank God I have that strength, because those tires are heavy.

RELATED: College athletes put to the test in pit crew combine

“I have to carry the tire in my left arm, and I have my impact wrench in my right hand. It’s going to be interesting. I’m ready, though.”

Daniels is both ready and ahead of schedule.

“Ever since I got in the sport, I always asked coach ‘What does it take to get to the Cup level?'” Daniels said. “And he was like, ‘Oh, it takes three or four years to get there.’ And I always thought that was just too long.

“I was like, ‘I’m going to try to get there before that.’ It hasn’t been two years since I’ve been in the sport, and I’m already making my Cup debut. I’ve been making progress every time I practice.”

If Daniels has been impatient from a career standpoint, she has made good use of the patience she learned as a point guard, waiting for just the right moment to zip a pass to a teammate.

“I have to be patient being a tire changer, too,” she said. “When I drop down, I can’t just immediately dive into hitting the first lug nut, ’cause then my pattern’s going to be all messed up. I have to have that pause initially, then I go in to hit my five off. Everything’s much cleaner that way, too.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Four days removed from his dramatic second-place run to Kyle Busch at Chicagoland Speedway, Kyle Larson has already worked through the hypothetical do-overs. For good measure, he’s replayed and reviewed the finish multiple times.

The fender-banging conclusion to the Overton’s 400 was initiated by Larson’s stirring charge and slide-job attempt as his No. 42 Chevrolet drifted up in front of Busch’s No. 18 Toyota on the final lap. After their contact at the exit of Turn 2, Busch’s retribution came in the form of a front-bumper shove through the final set of corners, sending Larson into a long slide and taking the victory away.

MORE: Full schedule for Daytona | Watch the finish | Will Chicago finish linger for Larson?

Asked if there was an opportunity to use a different tactic to ward Busch off, Larson said he wasn’t sure how the outcome would have changed.

“I’ve probably watched the last two laps at least 20 times … or more,” Larson said Thursday after opening Monster Energy Series practice at Daytona International Speedway. “I don’t know, I feel like off Turn 2, it worked out real well to get in front of him. I guess, I’d have liked to have (turns) 3 and 4 back to run in there a little further, but like even Kyle mentioned, he thought that I was going to do that to try and get away from him, and then he was going to stick the bottom to get underneath me.

PHOTOS: See the finish frame-by-frame | RELATED: Larson reacts to Chicagoland finish 

“I knew going down the backstretch that if I ran in there crazy hard to get away from him, the bumps in 3 and 4 would upset me and I’d have gotten really tight, and if he would’ve just nailed the bottom, he would’ve just drove by me off of 4.

“I didn’t want to do that, but if you have a second try at something, I guess now I’d like to at least try it and see if I could’ve stayed in front of him to keep him away from my back bumper. But yeah, I don’t know if it would’ve worked out or not.”

The two drivers acknowledged each other with several displays of mutual respect, including Larson’s thumbs-up on the cool-down lap and a congratulatory discussion in Victory Lane afterward. 

Larson said he’d also had a chance to catch up on the social-media reaction to the last-lap battle, especially the positive mojo that’s come his way.

“Yeah, I’ve read a little bit of it. I would say it was all good in my direction,” Larson said. “I think there’s still a lot of people who really don’t like Kyle Busch that have some things to say about him. I don’t know, it’s been cool to see and nice to see the support and see the passion of a lot of race fans.”