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.”

Posted on by Jordan Bianchi

Looking into his rearview mirror and seeing the field behind him as he sped across the finish line to win the season-opening Daytona 500 is something Austin Dillon will never forget.

The memory of winning is ever-present, especially so this weekend as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 Saturday night (7 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It marks the first time Dillon has raced at Daytona since his win in February.

“It’s a good feeling coming to the checkered flag and the entire field is behind you,” Dillon said. “Anytime you can relive those moments, you try to. It’s kind of like a dream. You come to the checkered flag and all you see is people behind you and nothing in front of you.”

RELATED: Full schedule for Daytona | Dillon: ‘I see red on last lap’

Dillon’s win in NASCAR’s biggest race kicked off a national media blitz that included assorted appearances on television shows, a visit to the New York Stock Exchange where he rang the closing bell, and meeting NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, whose hands are so big Dillon said they wrapped around his twice when they shook.

But since that Daytona triumph, Dillon hasn’t had much to celebrate. His best result is a 10th at Auto Club Speedway in March, while six times he’s finished outside the top 20. This inconsistency explains why the Richard Childress Racing driver currently sits 19th in points heading into NASCAR’s annual summer visit to Daytona.

Dillon attributes some of his struggles to the growing pains of adjusting to the new Camaro ZL1 body style over the offseason, as Dillon’s Daytona 500 victory is the manufacturer’s lone win.

RELATED: Where Dillon sits in playoff picture entering Daytona

“A lot of people were pumped-up about the Chevy Camaro and we haven’t delivered the wins that we thought our camp would this year as far as that goes,” Dillon said. “We’re working, though, as a group to get closer.”

The hope for RCR and Chevrolet is that both will continue to make gradual performance gains through the summer and by the time the playoffs begin in September giving their drivers a chance to contend for the championship. Offering RCR encouragement that it is improving is Dillon recording finishes of 12th (Pocono) and 14th (Michigan) in recent weeks.

A return trip to Daytona also brings renewed optimism, presenting a prime opportunity for Dillon to recapture the success he enjoyed at the beginning of the season. With restrictor plates and the draft leveling the playing field and migrating advantages some teams may hold over others, Dillon feels he can contend Saturday night better than we would at other tracks where RCR lags behind.

“I always enjoy coming down here and have the opportunity to have a chance to win a race,” Dillon said. “You feel better when you get to the speedway because the plan feels level.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Clint Bowyer and Aric Almirola led a parade of seven Fords that topped the charts in Thursday’s first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice session in preparation for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Sat., 7 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Thursday’s final practice was canceled because of rain after a downpour began shortly after the start of the 4:05 p.m. ET session.

Thus, in the only practice session before Saturday’s race, Bowyer guided his No. 14 SHR Ford around Daytona International Speedway at 200.799 mph for the fastest time of the day.

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

Almirola, meanwhile, logged a lap at 200.691 mph in his No. 10 Ford.

All three Team Penske Fords rounded out the top five — Brad Keselowski in the No. 2 at 200.553 mph, Joey Logano in the No. 22 at 200.539 mph and Ryan Blaney in the No. 12 at 200.530 mph.

The other two Stewart-Haas Racing drivers — Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick — finished sixth and seventh in the day’s early practice session.

Defending Coke Zero Sugar 400 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was 26th out of 39 drivers, recording a lap at 198.360 mph.

 

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR announced this offseason it will standardize at-track team rosters across all three national series in 2018, providing a structure for the number of personnel working on each vehicle during the course of a race weekend.

Official team rosters for Saturday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) have been released. Click the print icon above, or the link below.

ROSTERS: Daytona Coke Zero Sugar 400

RELATED: Overview of 2018 rules updates

Posted on by Staff Report

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Chase Elliott said that he is OK and that X-rays were negative after spraining his ankle Wednesday.

Elliott indicated through his personal Twitter account Thursday that he is clear to participate in Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 (7 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). He said that he suffered the injury “horsing around” at the pool on Independence Day.

Elliott walked under his own power, but limped noticeably to his Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 Chevrolet before opening practice for Saturday night’s 400-miler.

Elliott is set for double-duty this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, participating in Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race and also making his fifth Xfinity Series start of the year in Friday’s Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Elliott sits 13th in Monster Energy Series points after 17 events this season.

Posted on by Jordan Bianchi

It was an opportunistic pass, one that ultimately also proved to be the winning pass.

Last July, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was trailing leader David Ragan with two laps remaining in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, but couldn’t find a way to pass Ragan despite multiple attempts to do so. His chance came when Ragan swung his car high to block the charging Ty Dillon, creating a hole on the bottom that allowed Stenhouse to capitalize. Stenhouse cleared Ragan and narrowly won by 0.213 seconds over second-place Clint Bowyer. (Ragan slid to finish sixth.)

“I zigged when I should have zagged,” Ragan said. “It’s tough to block two or three lanes coming to the white flag. I missed it on that run.”

Second-guessing oneself is easy to do at Daytona, where close finishes are the norm. Stenhouse’s margin of victory represented the sixth consecutive Daytona race where the difference between first and second was under half a second, and the Roush Fenway Racing driver was the eighth different Coke Zero Sugar 400 winner in as many years.

RELATED: Anatomy of a Daytona upset| Every summer Daytona winner

If Stenhouse can repeat Saturday night (7 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), he would be the first driver since Tony Stewart in 2005 and 2006 to accomplish the feat. But while Stenhouse is expected to be among the contenders, recent history suggests just about anyone in the 40-car field could reach Victory Lane. It was in this race in 2011 that Ragan won his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, with Aric Almirola doing the same three years later.

NASCAR’s return to Daytona for its annual summer stop also offers Almirola a chance at vindication after a disappointing end to the Daytona 500 in February. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver was leading on the white flag lap when contact with Austin Dillon sent him crashing into the outside wall. Dillon would go on to win the Daytona 500, Almirola finished 11th.

Almirola experienced more frustration last Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway where he led a career-high 70 laps only to be stymied by two separate loose wheels necessitating a pair of unscheduled green-flag pit stops. Instead of possibly scoring his second career win with a car he described as the best he’s ever driven, Almirola placed 25th in the race. The winner was Kyle Busch, who triumphed in a classic finish where he and runner-up Kyle Larson slammed and banged several times over the final lap.

“I am really frustrated, but the good news is that our cars are fast,” Almirola said. “We can build on that. We are going to win a race. I guarantee you we are going to win a race. We have to be perfect to do it, though.”

And for Almirola, if that perfect race is Saturday, it might just erase that recent frustration.

Posted on by Kathy Sheldon

Upon being presented with the Medal of Honor for his actions in combat in Afghanistan, Master Sergeant Leroy Petry shared the credit with his fellow servicemembers.

“To be singled out is very humbling,” Petry said after receiving the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama on July 12, 2011. “I consider every one of our men and women in uniform serving here and abroad to be our heroes.”

Daytona is honoring Petry and two more United States Army veterans who were awarded the Medal of Honor at the Coke Zero Sugar 400. They will take part in a luncheon, drivers meetings and pre-race ceremonies. | Coke Zero 400 tickets

Leroy Petry, Medal of Honor recipientMORE: Honoring Gary Littrell | Honoring Don Jenkins

“Recognizing Medal of Honor recipients is one of the most important traditions we have at Daytona International Speedway,” said speedway President Chip Wile. “This recognition is rooted in our facility’s history, while also being embedded in the values all Americans hold dear. It is a true privilege to have these American heroes join us for our race weekend.”

Petry is a 38-year-old Army Ranger from Santa Fe, New Mexico, who lost his hand picking up a grenade thrown at his fellow Rangers while conducting a rare daylight raid on a Taliban compound in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktya Province on May 26, 2008. Petry already had been shot through both legs and injured by another grenade.

“I actually didn’t think it was going to go off,” Petry told The Army News Service about the grenade. “I didn’t really feel much pain. I didn’t know it had gone off and taken my hand until I sat back up and saw it was completely amputated at the wrist.”

Petry re-enlisted after the injury, intending to serve 20 years with the Rangers. He and his wife Ashley have four children: Brittany, Austin, Reagan and Landon.

MORE: NASCAR Salutes military spouses

Read Master Sergeant Petry’s full official Medal of Honor citation:

Staff Sergeant Leroy A. Petry distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action with an armed enemy in the vicinity of Paktya Province, Afghanistan, on May 26, 2008. As a Weapons Squad Leader with D Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Staff Sergeant Petry moved to clear the courtyard of a house that potentially contained high-value combatants. While crossing the courtyard, Staff Sergeant Petry and another Ranger were engaged and wounded by automatic weapons fire from enemy fighters. Still under enemy fire, and wounded in both legs, Staff Sergeant Petry led the other Ranger to cover. He then reported the situation and engaged the enemy with a hand grenade, providing suppression as another Ranger moved to his position. The enemy quickly responded by maneuvering closer and throwing grenades. The first grenade explosion knocked his two fellow Rangers to the ground and wounded both with shrapnel. A second grenade then landed only a few feet away from them. Instantly realizing the danger, Staff Sergeant Petry, unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his safety, deliberately and selflessly moved forward, picked up the grenade, and in an effort to clear the immediate threat, threw the grenade away from his fellow Rangers. As he was releasing the grenade it detonated, amputating his right hand at the wrist and further injuring him with multiple shrapnel wounds. Although picking up and throwing the live grenade grievously wounded Staff Sergeant Petry, his gallant act undeniably saved his fellow Rangers from being severely wounded or killed. Despite the severity of his wounds, Staff Sergeant Petry continued to maintain the presence of mind to place a tourniquet on his right wrist before communicating the situation by radio in order to coordinate support for himself and his fellow wounded Rangers. Staff Sergeant Petry’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service, and reflect great credit upon himself, 75th Ranger Regiment, and the United States Army.