Posted on by Brad Norman

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Surprises minutes before the start of a race typically aren’t welcome for NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell. Friday night at Daytona International Speedway was a welcome exception.

O’Donnell got to embrace the role of “dad” as the NASCAR Xfinity Series race neared the green flag, thanks to the addition of a surprise national anthem singer — his daughter Shannon Rose O’Donnell, a talented musician.

You can see O’Donnell’s demeanor in the press box change immediately as the track public announcer calls out her name.

Shannon O’Donnell then delivered a stirring anthem rendition on Independence Day weekend, drawing praise on the grid and on social media. 

Steve O’Donnell’s Twitter followers are familiar with her talents, given that her dad can’t help but brag on her.

Shannon O’Donnell, who recently graduated high school, will attend Belmont University this fall. 

https://twitter.com/odsteve/status/1015380771090128909

https://twitter.com/odsteve/status/1015381573825425408

The moment no doubt was made all the more special with Steve O’Donnell’s “son-in-law” Noah Gragson chiming in as well.

 

 

 

 

Posted on by Reid Spencer

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A sprained ankle didn’t prevent Chase Elliott from putting his foot to the floorboard Friday at Daytona International Speedway. 

Elliott powered around the 2.5-mile track in 46.381 seconds (194.045 mph) to win the pole position for Sunday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 (7 p.m. on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) by a whopping .24 seconds over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman (193.046 mph).

The Busch Pole Award was Elliott’s first of the season and the fourth of his career, all of which have come at restrictor-plate superspeedways — three of them at Daytona. 

RELATED: Full qualifying results| Starting lineup in photos

With Jimmie Johnson qualifying fourth at 192.361 mph, Hendrick Chevrolets took three of the top four starting positions for the 18th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of the season. Third-place qualifier Brad Keselowski broke up the monopoly with a lap at 192.802 mph in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford.

Earlier in the week, Elliott sprained his right ankle — the one that mashes the accelerator — while “horsing around at the pool.” He had the ankle X-rayed at the infield care center at the track.

“I didn’t really want to do that, so I’ve been trying to draw as least amount of attention as possible to that,” Elliott said. “But it’s all good. Yeah, had a little ankle sprain, but we are good and ready to go.”

Saturday’s race will mark Elliott’s 95th start in NASCAR’s top series. Those 94 events have produced 26 top five’s — including eight runner-up results — but no wins.

“I think it gives everybody confidence,” Elliott said of the pole-winning effort. “Having a good pit stall is certainly nice. That can matter at the end of these races. Sharing the front row with your teammate is also nice, too. 

“So we’ll just have to see. The race is a whole different ballgame, but to have speed in our Chevrolet is nice, and to have (sponsor) Hooters for their first race of the season on the pole is cool, too. Looking forward to (Saturday) night.”

Kevin Harvick qualified fifth, followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Newman, Michael McDowell and Daytona 500 winner Austin Dillon. Seven Fords and five Chevrolets made the final round. Reigning series champion Martin Truex Jr. will start 13th in the top-qualifying Toyota.

With rain wiping out Thursday’s second Cup practice, Friday’s time trials were more of a question mark than they otherwise would have been.

“It was OK, I think — you never know what you’re going to get here,” Truex said of his starting position. “Not much practice yesterday, and we didn’t do any qualifying runs, so we just kind of winged it. I think 13th will be an OK starting spot.”

Series leader Kyle Busch earned the 15th spot on the grid.

 

Posted on by Kathy Sheldon

Joey Logano and fellow Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers are helping to honor military spouses as part of the NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola program, and he recently interviewed Krista Anderson, the overall Armed Forces Insurance 2018 Military Spouse of the Year.

Anderson’s current husband is a Special Forces Green Beret, Gus. She is also a Gold Star Spouse after losing her first husband, Special Forces Green Beret, SSG Michael H. Simpson, after he sustained injuries from an IED explosion while serving in Afghanistan, ultimately passing in May of 2013.

Now her mission is helping Gold Star families, “in order to give back to the very community that showed their unwavering support in our darkest days.”

On behalf of Krista, NASCAR & Coca-Cola will donate to USO programming that supports and strengthens military spouses, like Support for Families of the Fallen.

Part of that support is Survivor Resource Kits for newly bereaved family members. Filled with comfort items, books of support, personal notes and information. These kits provide a personalized, warm embrace in the form of a carefully crafted package.

Anderson says everyday life can be hard for both service members and military spouses. During deployments they essentially live separate lives. But communication is key, and a life of service has great rewards, as well.

“Really knowing who we are as a family, that we are serving our nation and that we’re part of something bigger than ourselves is the most rewarding part of being a military spouse,” Anderson told Logano. “The greatest gift is that our children see that, so they grow up with this appreciation of serving others.”

Logano said he’s new to fatherhood with a 5-month-old son, but he has an entirely new perspective on parenthood after his interview with Krista and sees how a good support system is vital, especially in a military family.

“…I’m proud of NASCAR and Coke – that they get it – and how they team up with the USO and they do things like this to get awareness out about what’s going on and what you guys go through.”

Anderson said she and her boys were extremely excited about coming to Daytona for the July 4 weekend events, the capstone three days for the NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola program.

“I’m really touched to be honored and recognized,” Anderson said of being selected to participate in the NASCAR Salutes program. “I’m really excited for my husband to see that and feel that because he doesn’t get a lot of special attention.”

“Being involved with both NASCAR and Coca-Cola, I’m proud to be a part of something that supports such a huge initiative. And something I believe in as well,” Logano told Anderson.

From the Memorial Day weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 through the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, Coca-Cola Racing Family drivers have honored a military spouse each week as part of the USO’s Salute to Military Spouses. Click here to see Denny Hamlin’s, Austin Dillon’s, Ryan Newman’s, Kyle Larson’s and Bubba Wallace’s interviews with servicemembers’ spouses.

Posted on by Zack Albert

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — One week into his next career with NBC Sports, Dale Earnhardt Jr. already has a hashtag-worthy broadcast moment. His exuberant call of the Chicagoland last-lap clash between Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson has already had a lasting effect.

Just don’t expect “slide job!” to become an every-week occurrence.

“I don’t know that that’s a catchphrase because I don’t know that you can just work it in any time,” Earnhardt said Friday at Daytona International Speedway. “That was just a natural reaction to what I was seeing. That’s what my bosses asked me to do was to say what I was thinking, especially in a moment like that when you’re excited and I’m enjoying it and reacting like a fan.”

RELATED: Daytona weekend schedule

That reaction seemed to resonate, showing up in online parodies and memes in the days after the Chicagoland event.

“I was really surprised that that took off like it did,” Earnhardt said. “I got done with the race, went to the car, drove to the airport. By the time I got to the airport, everybody was texting me and saying it over and over, and I’m hearing it all week. That’s cool. I’m glad that the broadcast was a success, and I’m glad everybody enjoyed that little tidbit at the end. Hopefully we see as much excitement out of every race.”

MORE: Dale Jr’s debut on NASCAR broadcast an instant classic

Earnhardt said he’s easing into the job as an analyst, learning the nuance of communication with his producers and on-air colleagues as he preps for his second race-day assignment, Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 (7 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM). His brings an extra level of expertise this weekend as a four-time Daytona winner over the course of his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career.

Earnhardt says he’s been encouraged to take a more casual approach, emulating the laid-back feel of his weekly podcast, the “Dale Jr. Download.” Last weekend’s final call, where he punctuated lead broadcaster Rick Allen’s play-by-play with his descriptions, was a step in that direction.

“His passion for racing, it showed last week, right?” said NBC Sports teammate and pit analyst Steve Letarte, “because you had an expert when you needed an expert and you had a fan when you wanted a fan, and I think that was a great balance.”

Said Earnhardt of his first go in the NBC booth: “I’ve got nothing negative to say about it. Even if I tried to think about anything on the negative side, everything’s been positive. I get to work with my friends, have fun and we get to talk about racing. Jeff Burton says this all the time and I agree: I’m watching the races anyway. I want to be at the track, I miss coming to the track, so if I can go to every race and watch them, I would. And so NBC’s going to do that and send me to all the tracks and then they’re going to pay me to talk about it, so it’s a dream come true to be honest with you.

“Hopefully, it just comes down to the fans’ opinion of the broadcast, the fans’ opinion of the job we do and I do whether I get to stick around. So I’m going to try hard to do a great job.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Rain has canceled Friday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying at Daytona International Speedway. The lineup will be set by owners points and that will place Ryan Preece on the pole position in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Clouds rolled in mid-afternoon, bringing a summer shower that drenched the 2.5-mile track Friday and brought on-track activity to a halt. Xfinity Series qualifying had been scheduled to begin at 2:10 p.m. ET. Monster Energy Series Busch Pole Qualifying is now scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET as track drying efforts are ongoing.

RELATED: Xfinity Series lineup | LIVE UPDATES: Weather at Daytona

The Xfinity Series’ Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 caps off Friday’s on-track schedule. (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.) Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 is set for 7 p.m. ET (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the Monster Energy Series.

RELATED: Full schedule for Daytona | Summer winners at Daytona | Scenes from this weekend

NASCAR competition officials have a full-fledged contingent of track-drying equipment on hand at the superspeedway. Leading the charge are 18 Toyota NASCAR Air Titans, 10 conventional jet dryers, two track vacuums and two Elgin sweepers.

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.”