Pole winner Dale Jr. plays it coy on returning for the ‘Clash’

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Brad Norman

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Dale Earnhardt Jr., in his final full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, is eligible to run in the “Clash” preseason race at Daytona by virtue of being a previous event winner. Earnhardt, though, said earlier this year he would rather earn his way in by winning a Coors Light Pole Award.

Well, Earnhardt earned it. He’ll start first in Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) after winning the Coors Light Pole Award on Friday at Daytona International Speedway.

In the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Earnhardt Jr. was the final driver to take a lap in the second and final round of group qualifying. His speed of 190.973 mph topped teammate Chase Elliott’s mark of 190.795 mph for his first pole since 2013.

So, how about the “Clash,” Junior?

“I’ll talk to the boss (Rick Hendrick) and see what he’s got in the shed,” Earnhardt Jr. said with a wry smile.

In other words, stay tuned.

Posted on June 30, 2017June 30, 2017 by Staff Report

RELATED: Qualifying results | Daytona schedule

Dale Earnhardt Jr. sped to the Coors Light Pole Award in Friday’s qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway.

Earnhardt guided the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet to a best lap of 190.973 mph, securing the top starting spot for Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM). His first pole of the season was his second at the 2.5-mile track and the 14th of his Monster Energy Series career.

Earnhardt, preparing for the last Daytona start in his final full-time season, backed up his speed from preliminary practice sessions. The four-time Daytona winner was fastest in Thursday’s lightly participated final practice and also topped the first round of single-car qualifying runs Friday.

“I don’t do anything in qualifying but just hold the wheel and just make sure I don’t hit the apron,” Earnhardt told NBCSN after his lap. “Otherwise, the car does everything. A lot of credit to the power, the body man back at the shop. All that stuff’s so critical and they did a good job today.”

Chase Elliott, Earnhardt’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, will start alongside on the front row after pushing the No. 24 Chevrolet to a second-fastest lap of 190.795 mph. Both cars also started on the front row in the season-opening Daytona 500, but in the reverse order.

“I’m happy for those guys obviously, but we’d love to outrun ’em there,” Elliott said of his teammate. “It’s so hard to tell when you’re out there making your lap how it’s going to be or if you did anything any better.”

Added Earnhardt: “I have to give Hendrick Motorsports a lot of credit, particularly for me personally it has been the No. 24 (Chase Elliott) bunch. We’ve been kind of pushing each other over the last several years in qualifying at Talladega and Daytona. It’s been a healthy competition.”

Defending race winner Brad Keselowski (190.287 mph), Kasey Kahne (190.050) and last week’s winner Kevin Harvick (190.046) completed the top five.

Jimmie Johnson was the final entrant to make the 12-driver cut at the end of the first round of qualifying. His speed of 189.322 mph kept Matt Kenseth out of the final round by just a .005-second margin. Johnson will start 12th with Kenseth 13th.

Darrell Wallace Jr., interim replacement for the injured Aric Almirola, was 31st-fastest in the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Ford.

Posted on June 30, 2017June 30, 2017 by Track Release

RELATED: Buy tickets for Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS – Music industry leader Big Machine Label Group is the new entitlement sponsor of the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, one of the crown jewels of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

This year’s race, scheduled for Sunday, July 23 at IMS, will be called the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400. The chart-topping country star, signed to BMLG’s Valory Music Co. imprint, will attend the event and perform for fans during pre-race celebrations.

More details about the multi-year agreement, including plans for the 2018 Big Machine Brickyard 400, will be announced at this year’s race.

“I’m very excited today to officially announce that Big Machine and Brantley Gilbert are joining the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 2017 Brickyard 400 NASCAR race!” said Big Machine Label Group President/CEO Scott Borchetta. “Racing has always been part of Big Machine’s DNA, and we’re thrilled to partner with the world’s most iconic racing brands.”

Said Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles: “We have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Big Machine, and we’re thrilled to see that expand through this very unique entitlement sponsorship. This partnership will bring a big-name artist our fans know and love to IMS, enhancing what already is one of NASCAR’s marquee event weekends.”

Founded in 2005, Big Machine Label Group is an independent record label headquartered in Nashville. In addition to Gilbert, the artist roster includes superstars such as Taylor Swift, Reba McEntire, Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, Rascal Flatts, Danielle Bradbery, The Cadillac Three, Justin Moore, Ronnie Dunn, Jennifer Nettles, Eli Young Band, Drake White, Brett Young, Tucker Beathard and A Thousand Horses.

Gilbert has emerged as one of the most exciting, energetic solo artists in country music since the 2009 release of his debut album “Modern Day Prodigal Son.” His second album, “Halfway To Heaven,” was re-released in 2011 and reached No. 2 on the Billboard U.S. Country chart, producing two No. 1 singles on Hot Country Songs chart he wrote – “Country Must Be Country Wide” and “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do.” The Georgia native followed up his 2013 ACM New Male Vocalist Award win with the chart-topping album “Just As I Am” in May 2014. Featuring two No. 1 singles, “Bottoms Up” and “One Hell of an Amen,” “Just As I Am” earned Gilbert the American Music Award for Favorite Country Album.

Gilbert’s fourth studio album, “The Devil Don’t Sleep,” climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard U.S. Country chart after its release in January 2017, marking his second straight No. 1 record.

The 24th annual Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 race weekend features more attractions and entertainment than ever July 21-23.

400 Fest, a new, two-night concert at IMS, is scheduled for Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22. The event features six global music superstars over two nights, with Major Lazer headlining July 21 and The Chainsmokers headlining July 22. Visit www.400fest.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

Another off-track attraction is the return of the annual IMS Hauler Parade, featuring a special “NASCAR Fan Fest” that will bring the stars of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series to Speedway’s Main Street for an afternoon and evening of fun and engaging activities Friday, July 21.

On the famous 2.5-mile oval, practice for the Lilly Diabetes 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race will take place Friday, July 21. Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying for the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 and qualifying and the race for the Lilly Diabetes 250 are set for Saturday, July 22 at IMS.

The Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 will start at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, July 23, featuring all of the stars of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The race also will mark the final IMS start of popular NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is retiring after this season.

Visit IMS.com to purchase tickets for all 2017 IMS events, including the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 and Lilly Diabetes 250 on July 21-23, and for more information on all events.

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Dressed in casual shirts and a can of sunscreen in his back pocket, Martin Truex Jr. raced miniature speed boats Friday morning with professional fisherman Kevin Van Dam on Daytona International Speedway’s Lake Lloyd.

What Van Dam didn’t know was Truex actually builds his own similar boats and has won a national championship racing them twice a year.

“It’s a big hobby of mine,” Truex said.

And the Furniture Row Racing driver’s day job is going similarly well.

A two-time winner already this season, Truex trails Kyle Larson in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship standings by a mere 13 points.

As importantly, Truex holds a H-E-F-T-Y advantage looking at the playoff picture. He leads Jimmie Johnson 21-16 in playoff points and, most impressively, Truex has more than double the stage wins as the next closest competitor — 11-4 over Kyle Busch.

On Thursday, Busch’s older brother, Kurt, suggested that Truex could essentially take it easy all the way to the championship round of NASCAR’s year-end playoffs at this point.

“A guy like (Martin) Truex, he can almost lollygag all the way to Homestead with as many playoff points as he’s accumulated,” Busch said.

Asked about that Friday morning, Truex paused, then delivered a very direct opinion — one that shouldn’t be too surprising considering his effort this season.

“That’s fine, they can say that, but I don’t think we’re going to do that,” Truex said. “Again, if we sit idle and don’t get any more stage wins and let the points lead slip away, we’ll be at a disadvantage come playoff time. So we want to continue to build on that and we want to lead the regular-season points at the end of the regular season.

“That’s going to be difficult, but it’s one of our goals; a focus of ours. And then each week, we want stage wins and trying to get the overall race win. The bigger lead we can have at the start of the playoffs, the better our chances. So we’re not going to stop pushing.”

Truex led the championship standings after a win at Dover International Speedway during the playoff push last year, only to have engine trouble completely derail his title hopes three weeks later at Talladega. It still stings.

And motivates.

That’s why Truex is determined to keep collecting any point available and the effort appears to be paying off. At the start of every playoff round, the points amassed in the regular season are added to their postseason total and carry over to each round.

And Truex is making the most of it.

“I think for us, it wasn’t a strategy we’re doing that no one else has caught on to, or we’re doing anything special,” Truex said. “It’s being up front, leading the most laps. It’s being in position to win races and being fast every week.

“It’s just been a good year. Last year we led a ton of laps and won a bunch of races and never got anything for it with some bad races along the way, and some back luck here and there.

“I think that’s what’s cool about the stage format. For us, running good throughout the race is helping. Even if you have a bad finish like we did last week (37th at Sonoma Raceway) there’s still something to be said for being fast all day, running up front and leading those laps.

“It’s been really cool for us and helped us a ton this year. Hopefully, we can continue to take advantage of it.”

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 30, 2017) – NASCAR and the NASCAR Hall of Fame today announced legendary motorsports reporter Norma “Dusty” Brandel as the seventh recipient of the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence.

A media staple in motorsports for more than six decades, Brandel started her career in 1955 as a writer for the Hollywood Citizen-News before joining both the San Fernando Sun and Valley View and Glendale News-Press. Her career also included several stints in press information at Southern California tracks, including Whiteman Stadium.

She covered her first NASCAR race at Ontario Motor Speedway in 1972. There she became the first woman to report from inside the NASCAR garage. She received the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) Angelo Angelopolous Award in 2001.

Brandel will be honored during 2018 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony festivities and featured in an exhibit in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“As the first woman to report from inside the NASCAR garage, Dusty Brandel blazed a trail for generations of reporters who followed her lead,” said Brian France, NASCAR chairman and CEO. “Though she was a pioneer for female journalists, that fact soon became just a footnote in an exemplary career – her journalistic talents and her dedication throughout a more than six-decade career far transcended gender. We look forward to honoring her with the well-deserved Squier-Hall Award.”

Today, Brandel resides in the Los Angeles area and serves as the president and executive director of AARWBA and is a board member of the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame.

Brandel 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 and Benny Phillips 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.

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.

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.

Steve Waid, covered NASCAR for more than 40 years for the Roanoke Times & World News, NASCAR Scene and NASCAR Illustrated.

Posted on June 30, 2017June 30, 2017 by Staff Report

Here’s a look at the order that cars will roll off for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying at Daytona International Speedway on Friday at 4:10 p.m. ET (NBCSN). Qualifying at Daytona is two rounds of single-car runs, with the top 12 advancing to the final round to set the first six rows for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 (7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

#	Car	Driver	Team
1	33	Jeffrey Earnhardt	hulu Chevrolet
2	55	* Reed Sorenson	RoyalTeakCollection.com Toyota
3	15	DJ Kennington	Xchange of America/LordCo Toyota
4	47	AJ Allmendinger	Kroger ClickList Chevrolet
5	37	Chris Buescher	Coffee Mate Chevrolet
6	1	Jamie McMurray	McDonald’s $1 Any Size Soft Drink Chevrolet
7	42	Kyle Larson	Credit One Bank Chevrolet
8	83	* Ryan Sieg(i)	Dustless Blasting Toyota
9	23	Corey LaJoie #	Dr Pepper Toyota
10	10	Danica Patrick	Aspen Dental Ford
11	7	* Elliott Sadler(i)	Golden Corral Chevrolet
12	75	* Brendan Gaughan(i)	Beard Oil Distributing Chevrolet
13	31	Ryan Newman	Velveeta Shells & Cheese Chevrolet
14	77	Erik Jones #	Sport Clips Toyota
15	5	Kasey Kahne	UniFirst Chevrolet
16	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe’s Chevrolet
17	24	Chase Elliott	NAPA Patriotic Chevrolet
18	78	Martin Truex Jr.	Bass Pros Shops/TRCKR BTS Toyota
19	20	Matt Kenseth	DEWALT Flexvolt Toyota
20	38	David Ragan	Shriners Hospital for Children 95th Anniversary Ford
21	14	Clint Bowyer	Mobil 1 Ford
22	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Nationwide Chevrolet
23	72	Cole Whitt	RTIC Coolers Chevrolet
24	27	Paul Menard	Moen/Menards Chevrolet
25	95	Michael McDowell	WRL General Contractors Chevrolet
26	34	Landon Cassill	Love’s Travel Stops Honoring the Quiet Professional Ford
27	19	Daniel Suarez #	Subway Toyota
28	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Express Toyota
29	43	Darrell Wallace Jr.(i)	Smithfield Ford
30	13	Ty Dillon #	GEICO Military Chevrolet
31	41	Kurt Busch	Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford
32	6	Trevor Bayne	Liberty National Life Insurance Company Ford
33	3	Austin Dillon	American Ethanol Chevrolet
34	32	Matt DiBenedetto	Incredible Bank Ford
35	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Fifth Third Bank Ford
36	21	Ryan Blaney	Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
37	22	Joey Logano	Shell Pennzoil Ford
38	4	Kevin Harvick	Jimmy John’s Ford
39	2	Brad Keselowski	Detroit Genuine Parts Ford
40	18	Kyle Busch	Interstate Batteries Toyota

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

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Days after signing a contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports, two-time Daytona 500 pole-winner Chase Elliott addressed the racing media at Daytona International Speedway to talk about his season, his chances in Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s “last Cup run” on the famous high banks.

The 21-year-old Elliott agreed to a four-year extension kicking in at the end of next year that will keep the second-generation star driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Rick Hendrick through at least the 2022 season.

“It’s definitely been an exciting week,” Elliott said. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to stay at Hendrick Motorsports for another five and a half years. … I owe so much to Mr. Hendrick and what he’s done for me and really just kind of believing in me from the time I met him, for some reason, and still does and has continued to do that as time has gone along.

” … Not just for the opportunities he’s given me, but for the faith he’s had in me over the years. Even when nobody else does, he does, and he’s made that very apparent for everybody else to see. That means a lot to me. You don’t see people like that in this world very often these days that are willing to go out of they way to help you. And he’s one of those guys.”

Elliott is hoping to turn his luck around post-qualifying, in the actual races here. His 14th-place-finish in the Daytona 500 in February came after running out of gas while leading. He led 23 of the race’s final 26 laps, giving up the lead to Martin Truex Jr. for a lap, then Kyle Larson for a lap. Both ran out of gas as well and Kurt Busch took the win.

He was 24th fastest in opening Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice on Thursday.

“I feel like our race this past February, just the execution of the Duels, the whole 500 race and all that went really, really well,” Elliott said. “We ran better throughout the whole course of the race in this past 500 than we did in 2016.

“We didn’t make it very far in 2016 (he finished 37th) but regardless, I think our car was more suited to run well in the race this past year and I think I noticed that and it showed up and was pretty apparent when the race started.

” … When you talk about plate racing you want to be the guy that everybody wants to work with to push and help,” he continued. “If that is the case, then opportunities are going to be there that typically wouldn’t be if you were slower and couldn’t make a lane move forward. It’s really hard to see that in practice and see who is going to be that person or what cars are going to be those cars that you want to work with. But once the race starts, it becomes apparent who those cars are and who is going to be good. It seems like people are just magically more interested in helping you and being with you when that is the case, so that is our goal.”

As is the case with many of this weekend’s competitors, Elliott was asked how he might handle a case of beating his Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. in what could be Earnhardt’s last premier series race at Daytona.

Without hesitation, Elliott said he’d race his 14-time Most Popular Driver teammate as hard as ever for the win — especially considering it would potentially be Elliott’s first win.

“He is a teammate and a great friend, but I certainly want to out-run him,” Elliott said. “I am not going to feel bad about out-running someone for sure if I can do it.

“I am sure there are a lot of fans and a lot of people who would love to see it but as a racer I think it’s hard to pull for anybody else. I think he would say the same thing about me or anybody else, so like I said, it’s definitely a big day at Daytona for sure.”

Pressed on the issue, Elliott smiled and quickly reiterated his absolute no-doubt answer.

If he is running second to Earnhardt on the last lap?

“I am just hoping I have the right push to get around him,” Elliott said.

No hesitation?

“Absolutely not. I wouldn’t think twice about it if I had an opportunity to pass him,” he said. “I am not going to let anybody win. Would you?”

Posted on June 29, 2017June 29, 2017 by DraftKings

Rankings below are based on a mixture of expected output and DraftKings’ NASCAR salaries for that day. The ordering is not based on highest projected fantasy totals, but rather by value of each driver.

(fppk = average fantasy points per $1,000 of salary. The typical median fppk for a 2016 race was in the 3s. Plate tracks tend to be lower and short tracks tend to run higher due to the amount of laps.)

1. Joey Logano ($10,000) – No one has good plate track stats. For every top-10 finish, there is a DNF. Logano has three wins in his last 10 restrictor plate races, and four finishes outside of the top-20. (3.9 fppk)

2. Kyle Busch ($9,600) – The JGR cars got caught in a wreck at the Daytona 500; it happens. When Rowdy isn’t wrecking, he earns a top-three finish (four in the last six plate races). (5.2 fppk)

3. Denny Hamlin ($9,900) – With Junior’s recent plate struggles, Hamlin has assumed the role of best plate racer in NASCAR. In his last 10 plate races, Hamlin has five top-10s and eight top-20s. (3.7 fppk)

4. Clint Bowyer ($8,800) – In 50% of his plate races, Bowyer finishes inside of the top-10. That’s the third best average in NASCAR. This could be the week that Bowyer earns his first win in five years. (3.3 fppk)

5. Kyle Larson ($9,200) – In his first couple of years, Larson struggled at the plate tracks. In five of his last six plate races, he has a top-15 finish. Is there anything he can’t do? The answer is no. (6.0 fppk)

6. Kevin Harvick ($9,500) – With two plate races in the books, Harvick is without a top-15 finish. In the previous 10 plate races, Harvick had eight top-15 finishes. (4.7 fppk)

7. Brad Keselowski ($10,400) – Talladega had always been the preferred plate race for Keselowski, then he won the Daytona race last summer. Penske has fielded the best plate track cars over the last couple years, and Brad is one the best in NASCAR at side drafting. (4.5 fppk)

8. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ($10,300) – This is it; Dale Jr.’s last run at Daytona. He’s the sentimental favorite and a 10-time plate winner. He’s got to win his last race at Daytona. Sure he does, but this isn’t his last Daytona race. He’ll part time plate race just like Mikey Waltrip. (2.6 fppk)

9. Kurt Busch ($9,100) – Not only is he the reigning Daytona 500 champ, but he earned a 6th place finish at Talladega. Kurt has been a very consistent plate racer. If you’re looking for a safe top-10 driver, then look no further. (3.0 fppk)

10. Martin Truex, Jr. ($9,700) – Restrictor plates level the playing field at Daytona. Truex will not enjoy his usual advantage this weekend. In the last four plate races, Truex only has one top-25 finish. (6.4 fppk)

11. Austin Dillon ($7,900) – When Junior retires, Dillon will become one of the restrictor plate favorites. He has never won a plate race at the Cup level but he has an absurd amount of top-15s. His rookie season was 2014, and he already has 11 top-15 finishes. (3.6 fppk)

12. Jimmie Johnson ($9,000) – His 8th place finish at Talladega ended a streak of six plate races without a top-10 finish. Before that slump, Johnson rolled off three consecutive top-5 finishes at the plate tracks. (4.8 fppk)

13. Ryan Blaney ($8,500) – Kurt Busch won the Daytona 500, but Blaney scored the most fantasy points. He survived the chaos of Daytona only to wreck in a rather tame Talladega race. The Wood Brothers are a Penske satellite organization, and Penske builds strong plate track cars. (3.0 fppk)

14. Jamie McMurray ($8,100) – Numerous media members believe that McMurray will end his winless drought this season. He has the speed to win anywhere, but this week might be his best shot. McMurray finished second at Talladega. (3.7 fppk)

15. Kasey Kahne ($7,800) – There are a lot of sentimental favorites this week. Fans want to see a first-time winner, a driver in a slump win or Junior win his last Daytona race. What about Kahne? He has scored over 50 fantasy points in each plate race this season. (3.5 fppk)

16. Ryan Newman ($6,700) – Every week one driver is mispriced. This week the store keeper slapped the wrong price tag on Ryan Newman. His plate stats aren’t impressive, but he’s been consistent with six top-20s in his last 10 plate races. (3.6 fppk)

17. Chase Elliott ($8,600) – The 24 car visited victory lane 12 times at the plate tracks. Elliott has yet to make his first trip in a Cup car. In his six plate races, Elliott has three top-15 finishes and three finishes outside of the top-30. That’s plate racing in a nutshell. (4.1 fppk)

18. Michael McDowell ($6,200) – He’s a good road course racer. He was in a crazy wreck at Texas several years ago. What else is there to know? He scores a lot of fantasy points at restrictor plate races. McDowell has topped 50 fantasy points in three of his last five Daytona races. (4.0 fppk)

19. AJ Allmendinger ($6,500) – In the Daytona 500, AJ scored 80 fantasy points. He’s scored 40 fantasy points or more in four of the last five Daytona races. Who needs road courses? (3.7 fppk)

20. Matt Kenseth ($8,700) – This is probably not the week where Kenseth stands out. He hasn’t earned a top-10 at a plate track in 10 races. In fact, during his tenure with JGR, he has just three top-10 finishes at the plate tracks. (3.3 fppk)

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above.

Posted on June 29, 2017June 29, 2017 by Staff Report

Take a look at the stats from drivers who attempted a run of 10 consecutive laps in practices this weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

Practice 1: Full Practice 1 results

Pos	Car	Driver	From Lap	To Lap	Avg Speed
1	6	Trevor Bayne	2	11	196.073
2	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	2	11	196.059
3	22	Joey Logano	2	11	196.002
4	4	Kevin Harvick	2	11	195.709
5	21	Ryan Blaney	1	10	195.551
6	41	Kurt Busch	1	10	195.412
7	2	Brad Keselowski	1	10	195.378
8	13	Ty Dillon	17	26	195.308
9	11	Denny Hamlin	12	21	195.217
10	19	Daniel Suarez	11	20	194.959
11	32	Matt DiBenedetto	4	13	194.942
12	18	Kyle Busch	10	19	194.660
13	43	Darrell Wallace Jr.	17	26	194.229
14	95	Michael McDowell	13	22	194.010
15	20	Matt Kenseth	5	14	193.450
16	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	17	26	192.920
17	24	Chase Elliott	3	12	192.158
18	3	Austin Dillon	3	12	191.926
19	27	Paul Menard	2	11	191.891
20	48	Jimmie Johnson	3	12	191.805
21	5	Kasey Kahne	3	12	189.655

Practice 2: Full Practice 2 results

Pos	Car	Driver	From Lap	To Lap	Avg Speed
1	48	Jimmie Johnson	4	13	192.349
2	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	1	10	192.291
3	5	Kasey Kahne	2	11	192.111

Posted on June 29, 2017June 30, 2017 by Staff Report

Dale Earnhardt Jr. shot to the top of the leaderboard Thursday in final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Daytona International Speedway.

An aerodynamic pull in a six-car pack carried Earnhardt to a lap of 193.328 mph in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet. Earnhardt, in his final full season of competition, is a four-time winner at the 2.5-mile track.

Earnhardt led a clean sweep of the top five by Chevrolet drivers, who benefited from the aero boost of racing in a close-quarters pack. Michael McDowell was second-fastest at 193.249 mph in the Leavine Family Racing No. 95 Chevy during final prep for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Seven-time series champ Jimmie Johnson (193.228 mph), XFINITY Series regular Brendan Gaughan (193.224 mph) and Kasey Kahne (193.220 mph) completed the top five, all separated by .001 seconds. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Clint Bowyer, the lone Ford driver in the six-car group, was another .001 second back in sixth.

Only 19 cars participated in the final 55-minute session. Coors Light Pole Qualifying is scheduled Friday at 4:10 p.m. ET (NBCSN).

Kyle Busch’s Toyota edges in on Ford’s fleet in first practice

RELATED: Practice 1 results

Kyle Busch broke up a Ford monopoly and landed atop the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series leaderboard, setting the pace in Thursday’s first practice at Daytona International Speedway.

Busch posted a lap of 197.438 mph in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota on the 2.5-mile track. The opening 55-minute session was the first on-track prep for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Defending race winner Brad Keselowski was second-fastest at 197.230 mph in the Team Penske No. 2 Ford.

Ford drivers set the pace early on, assembling an aerodynamic draft that briefly gave the automaker the first eight spots on the speed chart. Ford held on to secure second through seventh in the practice order, with Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Matt DiBenedetto following Busch, who got his own aero pull in a Toyota-only draft.

Kurt Busch, a winner at the Florida track in February in the Daytona 500, was 10th-fastest in the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 41 Ford.

Darrell Wallace Jr., the interim driver for the injured Aric Almirola, was 12th-fastest in the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Ford.