Posted on by Brad Norman

A season dawns anew at the World Center of Racing.

It’s Daytona Day, the 60th running of the Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), and with it the start of a brand-new season.

Alex Bowman, who succeeds Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Chevrolet, starts from the pole today. The Fords are super fast. And that youth-veteran rivalry beginning to bud last year appears to be on the verge of fully blossoming, dominating the conversation here this week at the birthplace of speed.

RELATED: Starting lineup | Today’s rundown

There’s more. A connection to the past, with a week steeped in history. Memories that flood back. The promise of a fresh start.

It’s Daytona time. Get ready for today’s race by fully prepping with the below story lines.

GOING GREEN

Sunday marks the 60th running of the Daytona 500. | Getty Images

• Sunday preview: What to watch for on Sunday? Well, there’s a lot. For starters, we break down five critical story lines that will dominate the Daytona 500. | READ MORE

• Bold colors: One of the coolest parts of the Daytona 500 is seeing the new livery. And there’s plenty fresh this year. We highlight every paint scheme here, ranked by the official lineup. | SEE ‘EM ALL

• Bowman shows ’em: From being fired — his words — to winning the Daytona 500 pole award, Alex Bowman’s NASCAR rise is anything but ordinary. He explains in his own words. | READ MORE

• Duel — and dual — wins: About those young guns? They conquered the Can-Am Duel qualifying races, with Ryan Blaney winning the first one and Chase Elliott winning the second. They looked poised for huge years. | READ MORE

• Big names to the back: The other side of the Can-Am Duels hit plenty of big-name drivers. Wrecks forced backup cars, and backup cars force drivers to the rear. There’s eight of ’em at the back … so far. | READ MORE

• Best of the best: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is retired, so the moniker of “best restrictor-plate racer” needs a new owner. Drivers debate who it is, reaching a shaky conclusion. | READ MORE

• A double, half: Danica Patrick will run the first leg of the “Danica Double” and likely end her Monster Energy Series career. Look back at her photos through the years. | SEE THEM ALL

• Our picks: We give you our best predictions for the Daytona 500 winner. And we throw in season-long picks as well. Bold predictions, anyone? | READ MORE

HISTORY, THEN AND NOW

The rich history of the Daytona 500 is unmatched through the years.

Kurt Busch made history last year with his first Daytona 500 win. Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

• Our ranking: It’s a tall order to rank every Daytona 500, but we tackled that in advance of the 60th annual Daytona 500. Our criteria? Simple. Greatness. | COUNT ‘EM DOWN

• Winners, winners: We’ve got pictures of every winner in race history, from Lee Petty to Kurt Busch. | PICTURES HERE

• Untold stories: Twenty years ago, Dale Earnhardt won his only Daytona 500 in one of the most memorable endings to a NASCAR race. Those who played key roles share their memories with NASCAR.com. | READ MORE

• A penny saved: Wessa Miller gave Dale Earnhardt a lucky penny prior to his 1998 Daytona 500 win. We catch up with her and her family, who still call the “Intimidator” their hero. | READ MORE HERE

• Pole position: Several of you diehard fans out there may know most of the Daytona 500 winners, but what about the pole sitters? | SEE THEM ALL

• Sands of time: Races in Daytona Beach used to be on, uh, the beach. Seriously. We have photographic proof in pics you won’t believe. | SEE THE PHOTOS

FANTASY FOCUS

We have a new Fantasy Live game, with a simplified scoring system. Here’s how to win.

• Line up your lineup: We have a new Fantasy Live game with a revamped scoring system and a new “garage” pick. Here’s everything you need to know. | FAQ

• Life in the Fastlane: We got yer fantasy advice right here, with both an in-depth look at specific drivers and a video detailing smart plays this week. | OUR FORECAST   | WATCH THE VIDEO

• Sign up now: You haven’t signed up yet?! What are you waiting for. Make sure to do it before the green drops, and check in throughout the race to adjust your lineup. | FANTASY HOME

Posted on by

Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway concluded under the lights with five overtime attempts, several crushed race cars and a margin of victory of 0.000.

 It was a margin so close that the winner was determined by the photo finish, with Tyler Reddick’s No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet barely edging teammate Elliott Sadler’s No. 1 machine across the start/finish line.

Marking Xfinity’s 100th race as a sponsor, the 143-lap thriller didn’t disappoint.

“Either way, a JR Motorsports car wins, right?” Reddick said, as team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. agreed. “… That was insane, I just saw a picture of it like 10 minutes ago and it’s not much.”

MORE: Tyler Reddick wins by 0.000 margin | Complete race results

The final laps around the 2.5-mile speedway delivered everything Daytona promises: lead changes, passing, pushing and, yes, even a few wrecks. The second overtime attempt resulted in an 18-car wreck that took out top contenders Kyle Larson and Joey Logano among others. 

It left fans glued to the action and crew members antsy in their pit boxes as the race continued to push 57.5 miles past its scheduled distance. 

“Man, it was hard to watch,” said No. 9 crew member Rowdy Harrell, listed on the team’s roster as a front carrier.

“The 1 (of Sadler) was out in front of us right here,” he added, motioning to the final bit of track behind him before the start/finish line. “About 20 yards from the line, we got ’em. You hope for everything to work out the best in that situation, but we know it doesn’t always work out that way.

“Being in the first position for all those cautions, the first thing that goes through your head is, ‘There’s no way this is gonna happen. We’ve had this many opportunities and it’s about to get taken away from us. ‘ Luckily the kid hung onto it. He did good.”

In the end, the front of the field was built of a mélange of rookie drivers (Reddick and Kaz Grala), series veterans (Sadler and Ryan Reed) and underdogs, like Ryan Truex, who made his debut with new team Kaulig Racing on Saturday.

WATCH: Final laps, Reddick outlasts field

“I was just stressed out because every time I was in a really good spot coming to the white (flag), the caution would come out and we’d have to reset,” Truex said on pit road after the race. “That last run, I just pushed Ryan (Reed) as hard as I could; we’re pretty good buddies off the track so it was cool to try and push him to a win … I didn’t mind the length, I didn’t mind the restarts — our car was really good on restarts. But you have be in the perfect lane and that last lap there I backed up to whoever was behind me and got a huge run and Tyler (Reddick) was able to just shut the door at the last minute and that was all I had.”

The younger brother of reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., Truex’s debut with Kaulig Racing resulted in a seventh-place result with three laps led, earning fist bumps and congratulations from crew members post race.

It wasn’t a W, but it was an impressive performance in an equally exciting race for a young driver who hasn’t run in the Xfinity Series since 2015.  

“Man, our car was really — we came from the back four times, every time we were able to get it to the front, had a lot of speed,” Truex said. “We got lucky a few times, we pretty much wrecked in Turn 3 across the apron in Turn 3 and somehow came out of there without killing the car.

“Our plan was to be there at the end and we did that and got a good finish out of it.”

Posted on by Track Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Reserved stadium tickets for the historic 60th annual DAYTONA 500, the season-opening event for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, are sold out, Daytona International Speedway President Chip Wile announced today. This is the third consecutive year that the DAYTONA 500 has sold out.

MORE: Alaskan couple makes long trek to Daytona 

“Once again, race fans have shown their loyalty to ‘The Great American Race’ and we thank them for that,” Wile said. “Our fans recognize there is nothing like the experience of attending a DAYTONA 500 in the world’s only motorsports stadium. We will strive to make it a memorable day for each and every guest.”

Premium hospitality, infield admissions and UNOH Fanzone/Pre-Race access still remain for the DAYTONA 500 and are available at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP as well as through PrimeSport.com, the official ticket exchange and travel package provider of Daytona International Speedway.

This year’s DAYTONA 500 will be attended by fans representing 49 different countries and every state in the U.S.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Complete race results

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — In a day race that ended under the lights, with the closest margin of victory in NASCAR history, Tyler Reddick finished Saturday’s PowerShares QQQ 300 less than three inches ahead of JR Motorsports teammate Elliott Sadler.

In the last of five overtimes, after a stoppage of 5 minutes, 27 seconds, and on the 23rd extra lap, Reddick made a move to the outside off Turn 4 and won a drag race with Sadler to the stripe after their cars bumped side-to-side coming to the finish line.

The margin of victory was listed officially as .000 seconds because NASCAR timing and scoring usually doesn’t measure beyond thousandths of a second. But upon further review from NASCAR’s timing and scoring officials, the margin was .0004 seconds when taken out that far.

 

https://twitter.com/odsteve/status/965001018915393536

Reddick restarted in the lead on Lap 142, after Dylan Lupton cut a tire and nosed hard into the backstretch wall to cause the record 12th caution of the event. Sadler got a run to the inside on the final lap and edged ahead of Reddick, who regained the advantage just before the flag stand.

“This feels amazing,” said Reddick, who picked up his second NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in his first start since joining JRM. “This is a hell of a way to start the year off with JR Motorsports.

 “Ryan Reed and Ryan Truex, those guys were giving me good pushes as I was really struggling on some of those restarts to get going. I was holding back there on the last restart and (Reed) gave me one last really good push to get back up to Elliott.

 “I don’t even know how close it was at the line, but it was real close.”

 With the victory, the 22-year-old Reddick is all but assured of earning a spot in the NASCAR Xfinity postseason Playoffs.

Sadler’s spin on the backstretch on Lap 118 of a scheduled 120, after contact from JR Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott, brought out the eighth caution and started the sequence of events that saw the season opener extended through five overtimes.

WATCH: Sadler says, “I don’t know how many more starts I’ll have

Though Sadler was disappointed with the runner-up finish, it could have been much worse. The driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet spun twice and drew a black flag for locking bumpers with teammate Chase Elliott and pushing Elliott down the backstretch. Elliott also was penalized as the recipient of the push.

“Congratulations to him (Reddick),” Sadler said. “He’s my teammate, so it’s great on one hand to have a JR Motorsports car in Victory Lane, but it’s definitely tough to finish second. I think that’s three seconds in a row for me on superspeedway races, so we’ve got to figure out how to be leading one of these things.

“We had a pretty wild day. We spun out twice, got black flagged for something–I’m not real sure what yet.  I think I was running 32nd on the first green-white-checkered attempt, and we had a chance to win the race. So perseverance and never give up and just kind of stay after it. That’s the kind of motto of my race team, and it kind of showed again today. 

WATCH: Massive wreck gathers up 18 cars

The 18-car backstretch wreck on Lap 122 that ended the first overtime eliminated a handful of cars that had run up front all day. The Chevy of Kyle Larson and the Ford of Joey Logano, who combined to lead 89 of the first 121 laps, both were casualties, as was Justin Allgaier, one of the favorites for the series championship.

That was just the beginning of the overtime chaos. Third-place finisher Ryan Reed, winner of this race in 2015 and 2017, had the lead for the second overtime restart on Lap 130, but Spencer Gallagher spun off the bumper of Ross Chastain to end the attempt.

Ryan Truex inherited the top spot for the third overtime attempt, but surrendered the lead to Reddick, who came within 100 feet of the white flag (and an official race) before the 11th caution forced another try.

The fourth attempt was cut short when Lupton slammed the backstretch wall.

Behind Reddick, Sadler and Reed, Kaz Grala rolled home in fourth place, followed by Garrett Smithley, who recorded a career-best fifth. Gallagher, Truex, Daniel Suarez, Chastain and Brandon Jones completed the top 10.

 

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Zack Albert
Brad Keselowski. With a strong restrictor-plate acumen, all the variables set to finally align for the No. 2 crew at the Great American Race.

Allie Davison
Joey Logano. The only way to wipe away last year’s ‘horror film’ season is with a win … and making a splash in the season-opener is just the ticket. The Team Penske driver has been conservative so far during Speedweeks, but that’s what a winner does: Seizes the right moment.

Pat DeCola
Joey Logano. The Team Penske driver’s redemption tour kicks off early, as Logano becomes the latest two-time winner of the Great American Race. His teammates each already have wins during Speedweeks, but it’s Logano this time who will land in Victory Lane — in the biggest one of ’em all.

Clint Bowyer
Chris Graythen | Getty Images

RJ Kraft
Clint Bowyer. Fords have been dominant at the plate tracks and the veteran breaks his winless drought in a big way.

Jonathan Merryman
Brad Keselowski. Starting from the rear of the field is no problem for Keselowski. I think he gets out front, and when he does, he will be very hard to pass.

Brad Norman
Kyle Larson. Yeah, the Fords are fast this weekend, but it’s Daytona. The Joe Gibbs guys lurk late, but ultimately, it’s Larson outrunning the field to the checkered.

Jessica Ruffin
Joey Logano. The Fords have proven to be the cars to beat in the long run at Daytona, and Team Penske’s Logano has the plate prowess to be patient when he needs to be (and aggressive when coming to the checkered).

Kathy Sheldon
Joey Logano. Team Penske has put the speed in Speedweeks, and Logano’s been biding his time, not pushing the issue in the preliminaries. Expect him to be more aggressive in the Daytona 500 and seize the checkered flag.

Sarah Crabill | Getty Images

Chase Wilhelm
Ryan Blaney. After coming so close to winning the Daytona 500 with a runner-up finish last year, Blaney has showcased some serious muscle throughout Speedweeks in his new Team Penske ride. He made a bold race-winning move in the Duel, which displayed his willingness to take risks. YRB has the moxie you need to win the Great American Race.

George Winkler
Denny Hamlin. A lot of focus has been on the Fords and their success at restrictor-plate tracks, and Chevy has a new model, but it’s a Toyota that ends up in Victory Lane. Hamlin has been fast in qualifying and practice and knows what it takes to win here.

Posted on by Staff Report

The 2018 season kicks off Sunday with the Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), with plenty of intrigue palpable. NASCAR.com staff members go out on a limb to make their picks for the both Sunday’s race and the 2018 season in general.

ZACK ALBERT
Truck Series champion: Johnny Sauter. Just one position shy of the 2017 title, Sauter returns to cash in for his second crown in three years.

Xfinity Series champion: Christopher Bell. Last year’s Truck champ moves up, poised to seal his second NASCAR national series title.

Daytona 500 winner: Brad Keselowski. With a strong restrictor-plate acumen, all the variables set to finally align for the No. 2 crew at the Great American Race.

Surprise playoff qualifier: Kasey Kahne. Sure, Kahne qualified for the postseason last year to fill a two-year void, but this year’s mission is tougher: Bringing Leavine Family Racing its first playoff berth.

Bold prediction: Five first-time winners. Chase Elliott is expected to finally break through, but add Alex Bowman, William Byron, Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez to that list.

Championship 4: Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr. Two drivers from last year’s final quartet should return, but the Championship 4 mix gets younger with Elliott and Larson.

2018 champion: Kyle Busch. For all his racing accomplishments, it’s surprising that Rowdy doesn’t have championships in multiples. This year, he’s in line for title No. 2.

JONATHAN MERRYMAN
Camping World Truck Series champion: Johnny Sauter. One of the most consistent drivers in the Truck Series garage. Get ready for title No. 2.

Xfinity Series champion: Elliott Sadler. Homestead has lit a fire under the veteran, who is tired of being a bridesmaid.

Daytona 500 winner: Brad Keselowski. Starting from the rear of the field is no problem for Keselowski. I think he gets out front, and when he does, he will be very hard to pass.

Surprise playoff qualifier: William Byron. Is it really a surprise? Maybe not, but I needed to at least mention his name as a playoff driver.

Bold prediction: Alex Bowman wins one of the first 10 races of the year.

Championship 4: Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson.

2018 champion: Chase Elliott. He came out of the 2017 fall Phoenix race a different driver — one I don’t want to underestimate.

BRAD NORMAN
Camping World Truck Series champion Johnny Sauter. Sauter is simply too good at this point in his career. The playoff format suits him beautifully.

Xfinity Series champion: Christopher Bell. Elliott Sadler and Cole Custer both give a serious push, but Bell wins the title in his first year in the series.

Daytona 500 winner: Kyle Larson. Yeah, the Fords are fast this weekend, but it’s Daytona. The Joe Gibbs guys lurk late, but ultimately it’s Larson outrunning the field to the checkered.

Surprise playoff qualifier: Darrell Wallace Jr. The energy around the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team is incredible. Wallace Jr. won’t point his way in, either — he’ll win.

Bold prediction: Chase Elliott will win at least five races in 2018.

Championship 4: Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney.

2018 champion: Kyle Busch.

JESSICA RUFFIN
Camping World Truck Series champion: Johnny Sauter. The 2016 champ is motivated after missing the title last year. With ’17 champ Christopher Bell racing in the Xfinity Series this year, the title is Sauter’s to take.

Xfinity Series champion: Elliott Sadler. Look for last year’s regular-season champion to win the 2018 championship this year, as Sadler looks to seize a title narrowly missed last season.

Daytona 500 winner: Joey Logano. The Fords have proven to be the cars to beat in the long run at Daytona, and Team Penske’s Logano has the plate prowess to be patient when he needs to be (and aggressive when coming to the checkered).

Surprise playoff qualifier: William Byron. Byron’s rise through the ranks has been quick, but successful. He won multiple races in his Xfinity and Truck rookie seasons, so look for strong, consistent runs — if not a win — for the young driver this year.

Bold prediction: Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez will both win races — and make the Playoffs — for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Championship 4: Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick.

2018 champion: Kyle Busch.

Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Daytona 500 starting lineup

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Road trips are a way of life when you live in the largest American state. For Ken and Kelly Knecht, the miles often come in bunches — but especially when they made the trek from their Alaska hometown to Daytona International Speedway.

“Up there, you’ve got to drive a long ways to get from town to town — if there’s a road even,” says Ken Knecht, 60. “Down here, it seems pretty easy to drive. We don’t mind driving at all.”

An appetite for the open road is a necessity. Fans come from all over to make their pilgrimage to the World Center of Racing, but the Knechts are among a select few hailing from The Last Frontier.

The Knechts, accompanied by Kelly’s sister Dennise Casey, are making their third trip to the 2.5-mile track, but this year is their first visit camping in an RV in the sprawling Daytona infield. Their two previous trips came in July for the Coke Zero 400; Sunday will mark their first Daytona 500.

The couple’s hometown of Eagle River is a small community just outside of Anchorage, flanked by the mountains of Chugach State Park. It’s also just a half-hour cruise to Alaska Raceway Park, a NASCAR-affiliated short track in nearby Palmer, where the Knechts attended races during their high school years.

But the Knechts’ initial connection to motorsports also extended to the days of the CART Series and their trips to that circuit’s race in Long Beach, California. When CART and IndyCar divided into rival series in the mid-1990s, the Knechts’ interest in open-wheel racing waned.

“When it kind of split, I was looking for a new racing series and found NASCAR,” says Kelly Knecht, 55. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is cool.’ ”

Since discovering stock-car racing, they’ve visited several faraway tracks — Atlanta, Darlington, Sonoma, Texas, Phoenix and Charlotte among them. But among speedways on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule, only Homestead is farther away from home for the Knechts.

Driving from Alaska to the opposite corner of the contiguous United States is tough enough, an estimated 77 hours of driving time and 4,700 miles. But the Knechts raised the degree of difficulty, with stops in the Seattle area, Phoenix and other business-related sidetrips before powering through to Daytona in their 2018 Tiffin RV.

“Gosh, a total of 20 days maybe getting here?” Ken Knecht says.

Continuing to cross new venues off their bucket list is what’s kept the Knechts coming back — that and the thunderous anticipation of the green flag, Ken says.

And maybe the weather. Friday’s forecast for the Anchorage area called for temperatures in the low-20s and freezing fog. In contrast, Daytona Beach enjoyed a sunny Friday that topped out at 80 degrees.

“It’s hot. I’m melting,” Kelly Knecht says with a laugh. “I have to say, I like the mornings when it’s a little cooler. … I like the beach here and the warmer weather, but I miss the mountains and the snow of Alaska. That’s home.”

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Daytona 500 schedule| Final practice results

Darrell Wallace Jr. made a splash in the Can-Am Duels, finishing third, and topped the speed chart in Saturday’s final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, proving he’s carrying plenty of momentum into Sunday’s Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.)

The rookie piloted the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet around the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway at 196.954 mph. Second-year driver Daniel Suarez was second-fastest at 196.528 mph in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Three Chevrolets completed the top five: Ryan Newman at 196.464 mph in the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing entry, followed by Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron (196.382 mph) and Jimmie Johnson (196.305 mph). Byron and Johnson are both in backup cars after wrecking in Thursday night’s Can-Am Duels.

Four cars served a 15-minute hold at the end of final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice for failing Daytona 500 qualifying inspection twice: Kyle Busch’s No. 18, Johnson’s No. 48, AJ Allmendinger’s No. 47 and Matt DiBenedetto’s No. 23.

RELATED: Darrell Wallace Jr. embraces new opportunity in No. 43

Posted on by Zack Albert

Editor’s note: This is the last of 14 team previews on NASCAR.com for the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

Furniture Row Racing

Manufacturer: Toyota

Engine: Toyota Racing Development

Drivers Martin Truex Jr., No. 78

Crew chief: Cole Pearn 

2017 standings: 1st

What’s new: As conventional wisdom would hold, no major changes for the No. 78 group that claimed its first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship last season. The biggest shift inside the Denver, Colorado shop is the restructuring to a single-car effort after the No. 77 team ceased operations after the season. Furniture Row’s close technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing continues, so the No. 78 won’t completely go it alone this year. 

What to watch: Martin Truex Jr. insists there’s no pressure returning as the defending premier-series champ, but it will be compelling to see if Truex, Pearn and Co. can replicate the sensational eight-win campaign of 2017. Topping his own results will be one facet; seeing if the rest of the field can catch up will be the other.

Key question(s): The No. 78 team’s sharp focus on making the most of stage racing’s benefits was a key component of Truex’s title run. With one season of the format under everyone’s belt, will Furniture Row’s competitors learn from the lessons of 2017 and make a dent in their playoff-point surplus?

DRIVERS

Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/Five-Hour Energy Toyota: Truex and Furniture Row have fought through adversity in recent years away from the track, but in terms of pure on-track performance, the upward trend has been palpable.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

And now with a major career goal crossed off, it’s a far looser Truex who enters 2018 as the standard-bearer. “For me, I feel really good about where we’re at,” Truex says. “I feel really confident. But I’m really relaxed, as well. It’s like, you know, the ultimate goal in racing is to win that first championship in the Cup Series. That’s as high as you can get in stock car racing. To know we’ve done that, it’s just like, ‘Aah.’ No pressure now, let’s just go win more races, see where it all shakes out.”

PREVIOUS TEAM PREVIEWS

Feb. 1: Front Row Motorsports
Feb. 2: Richard Petty Motorsports
Feb. 3: Leavine Family Racing
Feb. 5: JTG Daugherty Racing
Feb. 6: Germain Racing
Feb. 7: Roush Fenway Racing
Feb. 8: Richard Childress Racing
Feb. 9: Wood Brothers Racing
Feb. 12: Chip Ganassi Racing
Feb. 13: Hendrick Motorsports
Feb. 14: Team Penske
Feb. 15: Stewart-Haas Racing
Feb. 16: Joe Gibbs Racing

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR and Axalta (NYSE: AXTA), announced today a multi-year agreement making Axalta, once again, the “Official Paint Partner of NASCAR.”

“Our affiliation with NASCAR runs deep,” said Charles Shaver, Chairman and CEO, Axalta. “We were the Official Finish for nearly 20 years before taking some time to strategically develop our program. Today, with this new agreement, we can grow our reach and leverage partnerships throughout the sport for business development opportunities with likeminded companies who need or use coatings. Motorsports represents all the things we see in ourselves; teamwork, high performance, a drive to be better, and winning!”

MORE: Best of the Axalta paint schemes

As part of the partnership, Axalta joins the NASCAR Fuel for Business Council®, bringing together an exclusive group of more than 50 Official NASCAR Partners to buy and sell products and services from one another. Axalta develops, manufactures and supplies coatings to nearly anything with wheels, along with thousands of industrial applications that exist throughout the world. Nearly anything that needs paint for protection, weatherability, durability or an enhanced appearance will have use for Axalta’s highly engineered products.

“Axalta is a category leader and we’re pleased to welcome them back to our diverse portfolio of Official Partners,” said Daryl Wolfe, Chief Sales and Partnership Officer, NASCAR and ISC. “This new agreement is largely in place due to the strong return on investment Axalta receives in the sport. This partnership will further complement that integrated approach and drive business for years to come.”

Axalta has a long tradition of excellence in NASCAR, dating back to 1992 when it sponsored a 21-year-old rookie from California, Jeff Gordon. In 2016, Axalta became the fifth Founding Partner at Daytona International Speedway’s (DIS) new motorsports stadium, receiving 32,000 square feet of branding and engagement opportunities in the Center Injector. Additionally, the brand serves as a primary sponsor with Hendrick Motorsports, a partnership that has been in place for more than a quarter century.

Axalta’s relationship with the sanctioning body dates to 1996, when it became an Official Partner, a partnership that spanned 17 years.

The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™ season kicks off with the 60th annual DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 2:30 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast live on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90), with additional coverage on NASCAR.com.