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The Daytona 500 has produced some surprises. Here’s a look at the unexpected victors.
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WELCOME, N.C. — Looking to continue building success both on and off the track, Menards has renewed its partnership with Richard Childress Racing‘s NASCAR XFINITY Series program for a fifth year. Menards will serve as a primary sponsor for select races throughout the 2017 season with Paul Menard and Ben Kennedy driving the No. 2 Chevrolet and Brandon Jones in the No. 33 Chevrolet.
"We are excited that the 2017 season is upon us," said Jeff Abbott, Menards spokesperson. "We look forward to once again partnering with RCR, Paul Menard, Ben Kennedy and Brandon Jones in the XFINITY Series, and having three quality race car drivers working hard as teammates and competitors. Our tremendous group of racing partners look forward to seeing Paul, Ben and Brandon in Victory Lane."
Menard will be back behind the wheel of the No. 2 Menards/Richmond Chevrolet Camaro for select XFINITY Series races during the 2017 season, while also competing full-time in the No. 27 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for RCR. The Eau Claire, Wisconsin, native has a strong history of success in the XFINITY Series, having captured three wins, six pole awards, 38 top-five and 93 top-10 finishes.
Twenty-year-old Brandon Jones and the No. 33 Chevrolet Camaro also will be carrying the Menards banner again alongside the Menard’s No. 2 Chevrolet. The Atlanta native qualified for the inaugural XFINITY Series Chase last season, while securing 17 top-11 finishes, to end 2016 10th in the XFINITY Series points standings and third in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings. As RCR’s full-time driver of the No. 33 Chevrolet Camaro in the XFINITY Series, Jones is prepared to turn all that he learned and accomplished in his rookie year into consistently high performances throughout his sophomore season.
Ben Kennedy, coming to RCR from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, also will pilot the No. 2 Menards Chevrolet Camaro at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 15. The 25-year-old made his XFINITY Series debut last season with RCR at Iowa Speedway, in which he secured a 10th place finish, and will compete in select races in the No. 2 Chevrolet throughout the 2017 season.
"Menards continues to showcase their commitment and dedication to both RCR and the NASCAR XFINITY Series with the renewed support for Paul Menard, Brandon Jones and Ben Kennedy," said Richard Childress, CEO and Chairman of Richard Childress Racing. "It’s great to feature such a winning company and their variety of vendor-partners both on and off the track and we hope to continue their success this season."
Since the 1970s, Menards has a strong history as a racing sponsor, which includes a win in the 2011 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with driver Paul Menard. A family-owned company started in 1960 and headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Menards has 305 retail store locations throughout the Midwest.
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Can’t get enough NASCAR Heat Evolution? Well, get ready. The game is about to get even more real.
An update to the Dusenberry Martin Racing game launched Feb. 21. It’s $9.99 on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Marketplace and Steam. The update includes team and roster updates, new drivers, new 2017 paint schemes, the 2017 schedule, new Toyota Camry model and the video debuts of the No. 41 Monster Energy and No. 77 5-hour Energy cars.
Dusenberry Martin Racing’s long-term and deeply rooted relationship with NASCAR has allowed the company to develop a wide range of games across multiple interactive entertainment platforms, giving fans a uniquely NASCAR gaming experience.
NASCAR Heat Evolution features fun and exciting gameplay for all skill levels, up to 40 player online multiplayer races (a console gaming first), more than 40 drivers, all 23 licensed Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series tracks and a variety of thrilling gameplay modes.
In today’s world of technology, video games can often take much time and skill to master, leaving a novice or causal gamer frustrated. Finding the balance between realism and fun, NASCAR Heat Evolution features an adaptive artificial intelligence (AI), which adjusts to gamers’ competence, keeping them challenged based on their skill level.
Equal to the importance of the game’s adaptive AI is the players’ ability to relate and understand the connection between racing for hours in a video game and doing the same in real life. NASCAR Heat Evolution features numerous game play modes that allow gamers to run just a few laps or up to an entire race. Along with full-length races, the game includes a career mode that gives users an understanding of acquiring sponsors and how to improve their car race after race.
Brad Keselowski played a sample of the game last year with NASCAR.com and gave his insights. You can re-watch that video here.
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As he propelled his No. 24 Chevrolet to the top of the leaderboard for the 2017 Daytona 500 pole position, Chase Elliott was a part of history Sunday afternoon, once again.
He rewrote record books last season with his Daytona 500 pole, becoming the youngest driver to lead "The Great American Race" to green at 20 years old. This year, he became only the fifth driver to win the Daytona 500 pole twice in a row in the race’s 59 year history.
The feat puts him in a rare club and one that his father, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, is a part of. "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville" had a three-year run of Daytona 500 poles from 1985 to 1987. Talk about keeping it in the family.
Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts kicked off a three-year run of Daytona 500 poles in 1961. Buddy Baker scored back-to-backs beginning in 1979, kicking off a three-win, seven-pole season for NASCAR’s "Gentle Giant." Ken Schrader went with three-in-a-row starting in 1988 during his tenure with Hendrick Motorsports.
All but Baker completed the three-peat for poles. Premonition for 2018? Only time will tell. But for now, tune into the 2017 running of the Daytona 500 (Sunday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m., FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) to see if Elliott can turn that P1 into a checkered flag.
BUY TICKETS: See the Daytona 500 live! | Speedweeks schedule
Drivers take center stage starting at 8:30 a.m. ET Wednesday for the Media Day live stream presented by NAPA as excitement builds toward Sunday’s Daytona 500. Don’t miss any of the stories, banter and laughs as NASCAR.com live streams the event til 3:30 p.m. ET. Watch here.
Hosts Jonathan Merryman and Kim Coon will talk with drivers about the Daytona 500 and the 2017 season.
Here’s the event lineup (all times Eastern):
8:30 a.m.: Aric Almirola
8:40 a.m.: Austin Dillon, Matt DiBenedetto
8:45 a.m.: Chris Buescher
8:50 a.m.: Joey Gase
BREAK (35 min)
9:35 a.m.: Michael McDowell, AJ Allmendinger
9:40 a.m.: David Gilliland
9:45 a.m.: Joey Logano
BREAK (25 min)
10:20 a.m.: Chip Wile
10:30 a.m.: Brendan Gaughan, Darrell Wallace Jr.
10:35 a.m.: Cole Custer
10:40 a.m.: Blake Koch
10:50 a.m.: Brennan Poole
11:05 a.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
11:10 a.m.: Daniel Hemric, Brandon Jones
11:20 a.m.: Spencer Gallagher, Ben Kennedy
BREAK (1 hr. 40 min)
1:10 p.m.: Ryan Blaney
1:20 p.m.: Chase Elliott
1:50 p.m.: Kevin Harvick
1:55 p.m.: Justin Allgaier, Michael Annett
2 p.m.: John Hunter Nemechek, Denny Hamlin
2:10 p.m.: Ty Dillon, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch
2:20 p.m.: Landon Cassill, Kasey Kahne
BREAK (15 min)
2:45 p.m.: Erik Jones
BREAK (10 min)
3:05 p.m.: Ryan Reed
BREAK (5 min)
3:15 p.m.: Brad Keselowski
The world’s top online racers will take the green flag when the seventh NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series Powered by iRacing.com gets underway Feb. 28 at 9 p.m. ET. Driving race simulators from the comfort of their homes, a full field of elite iRacers will wheel their virtual Chevrolet SS, Ford Fusions and Toyota Camrys around a laser-scanned model of the Daytona International Speedway in the first of 16 events in NASCAR’s official eSport series. At stake is $25,000 in cash and prizes together with a NASCAR champions ring and trophy to be awarded during the NASCAR Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November.
Following the Daytona race, competitors will race at digitized versions of many of the tracks on the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on alternate Tuesdays, with flag-to-flag coverage broadcast on iRacing Live. The series champion will be determined by a playoff system based on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, with the top four finalists battling in the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series finale on the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway this fall.
By any measure, defending champion Ray Alfalla figures to be the man to beat. A USPS mail carrier from Cape Coral, Florida, Alfalla edged New Hampshire-based PJ Stergios for the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series championship last season, and captured his third title in six years. While he has never finished lower than second in the season standings, Alfalla faces new challenges this season ranging from the new Chase format to new aerodynamic rules similar to those Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch and friends will be dealing with in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
"One of the keys this year is adapting to the reduction in downforce for 2017, just like in the real world," Alfalla said. "We’ll also have a playoff for the first time, so the dynamic of each race will change, and the final race at Homestead will be nuts. Last year it was me and PJ neck-and-neck for the championship; this year there will be twice as many of us going for the title. I’m pretty excited about it!"
In addition to veterans like Stergios and former champions Kenny Humpe and Michael Conti, Alfalla will have to deal with a promising crop of newcomers that includes Darik Bourdeau, of Montreal, Canada. While anything short of another title for the series veterans will rank as something of a disappointment, Bourdeau has a different outlook.
"My goal is to get some solid runs and finish races in the top 10 and five," he said. "If you can stay out of trouble and pull out some solid finishes you will more than likely make The Chase. Then, it’s ‘win and you’re in’ the finale, when anything can happen."
Last year’s schedule produced nine winners in 16 races, while more two dozen sim racers scored at least one top-five finish. It’s the kind of "anything can happen" competition that prompted PEAK Antifreeze to renew its title sponsorship of the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series through the 2019 season.
"The NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series consistently produces some of the most exciting racing action you’ll find, whether you’re talking real or virtual racing," said PEAK CMO Bryan Emrich. "The great racing and the overall professionalism of the series are a perfect fit for PEAK. That’s why we’re excited to be associated with this series."
The 2017 NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series gets underway Tuesday, Feb. 28. Catch all the excitement on iRacingLive starting at 9 p.m. ET.
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Editor’s note: The full Dale Jr. Download podcast can be found here.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. turned his weekly Dale Jr. Download podcast into family storytime where he spoke for more than 50 minutes regaling listeners with tales of his famous father and the Earnhardt family history at the Daytona 500.
Among the gems Earnhardt Jr. shared was the story of how his father, Dale Earnhardt, taught him how to be fast in qualifying.
As Earnhardt Jr. tells it, when he was 16 years old, working in a dealership changing oil, his dad called and told him to come to Talladega, where he was testing.
Earnhardt was testing new V8 engines for the XFINITY Series, and told his son to take the wheel for a few turns around Talladega Superspeedway. Junior was astonished to be keeping time with his father during his first lap.
"So then I get out there and open the wheel up and get out to the fence on the straightaway, drive it down into the corner," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I’m letting the wheel kind of do what it wants to do on bumps — and I ran a second slower."
As soon as he came in, his father stopped him.
"What the hell are you doing?" he asked.
"Well, I’m letting the car feed out off the corner against the wall," Junior responded.
"Don’t do that, you’re adding feet to the lap," his father scolded.
"I let the wheel be loose in my hands, kind of let it do its thing through the bumps," Junior continued.
"Don’t do that; hold it solid and steady," his father reminded.
RELATED: See Dale Jr’s Daytona 500 history
That experience changed how Earnhardt Jr. approaches qualifying — and what helped him to qualify second for Sunday’s Daytona 500.
"What I do now when I go to qualify is I hold the wheel as hard as I can and I do not let it move when the car goes through a bump," Earnhardt Jr. said. "And I run pretty tight, which everybody does now; everybody’s figured that out."
Earnhardt Jr. also recounted some of his favorite moments from past Daytona 500s. Among those he talked about:
* The 2000 Daytona 500, which was the first he saw in person — and the first he raced in. "I felt like I had joined a fraternity," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I was on the starting grid looking around at guys like Terry Labonte and Dale Jarrett and going, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I’m here.’ "
That was also a race where his father wasn’t happy that his son didn’t work with him. Earnhardt finished 21st while Earnhardt Jr. finished 13th.
"After the race he was very upset with me that I did not work with him," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I said, ‘I don’t want to work with nobody, I’m trying to get to the front.’ … He said, ‘No wonder neither one of us did any good, you wouldn’t work with anybody.’ I said, ‘You’re not my responsibility, Dad.’ He always took it out on me. When we raced together, if he had a bad day, in some way, it was my fault."
* The 1998 Daytona 500, which was his father’s only victory in the race, despite 34 triumphs at the track. Earnhardt Jr. missed the race because he was recovering from a concussion.
* The 1990 Daytona 500, when Earnhardt blew a tire on Turn 3 of the final lap, and ended up finishing fifth. "What a badass," Junior said of his father. "Drove a damn car into Turn 3 with no right rear tire at 190 mph and didn’t even hit the wall."
* The 1979 Daytona 500, which was his father’s rookie season. Earnhardt finished eighth. "It’s so funny how they talked about him then (compared to) how we know him and remember him now," Earnhardt Jr. said. "He wasn’t the Intimidator. He was a young guy racing with the veterans."
Earnhardt Jr. also had one more comment about his family’s history at the Daytona 500: "We got a lot of great history in Daytona. Hoping we can go down here and have some success and add to those wins. I’d love to go down there and pass Tony Stewart and be second (for most all-time wins at Daytona International Speedway)."
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RELATED: Race results
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Joey Logano made his mistakes early, Denny Hamlin made his late and therein was the difference in Sunday’s Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway.
It was the first win for the Team Penske driver in the non-points event but Logano’s been to Victory Lane here before – two years ago he stood in the Winner’s Circle and hoisted the Harley J. Earl trophy overhead as champion of the Daytona 500.
The Clash isn’t a points-paying event, but teams don’t have to look far for incentives. It’s a race, and for most that’s more than enough. And because Saturday’s weather refused to cooperate, this year’s running of the 75-lap event was pushed to Sunday, run under sunny skies instead of the glare of lights and gave teams a better idea of what to expect a week from today when the 2017 season officially gets underway.
“This track definitely changes a lot when the sun comes out and the draft really works completely different,” Logano said afterward. “To be able to get a good read on how that’s going to be for next Sunday is going to be nice.”
RELATED: Hamlin, Keselowski clash at Daytona’s opening weekend
Daylight or dark didn’t matter when Logano’s teammate, Brad Keselowski, went barreling into Turn 1 in pursuit of Hamlin with less than one lap remaining. Hamlin, the defending Daytona 500 winner, did the only thing he could – he dropped low in an attempt to block the No. 2 Ford.
By now you know the rest of the story. There was contact between the two, Logano shot to the high side and three-quarters of a lap later took the checkered flag.
“Denny had to make the block,” Logano acknowledged, “but I was able to see the block was coming way too late and it wasn’t going to work.”
Mistakes made by the driver of the No. 22 Ford were of little consequence because they were primarily moves during the opening 25-lap segment. “I was definitely a little bit rusty from the last time I went superspeedway racing,” Logano said, “and Tab (Boyd, spotter) and myself … we were able to kind of clean up our mistakes for later in the race.”
Kyle Busch finished second and while the Joe Gibbs Racing driver wasn’t incensed, he said he was disappointed that Alex Bowman, third by inches, chose not to team up to try and run Logano down after the Keselowski/Hamlin fireworks.
Busch said he “thought I had a shot with him if we could have got together a little bit better and him push me, we both could have got back up to the 22, I felt like. He would have been a sitting duck and we both could have raced for the win.”
But, he said, Bowman had “other plans, which is fine.”
Bowman, making a one-off start in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 in place of regular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., said he was more focused on trying to finish second and was unaware Logano was running solo out front.
“Just trying to better our position and get to second and use my run,” he said. “You know, it’s just racing. No worries either way.”
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MORE: Closest Daytona finishes | Daytona story lines
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Chip Wile, the youngest President of Daytona International Speedway, was recognized today as a recipient of SportsBusiness Journal’s (SBJ) Forty Under 40 honor. Chosen from among an initial candidate list of more than 500, Wile will receive the award on April 20 at the Forty Under 40 Gala at the Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, California. Forty Under 40 recognizes excellence and innovation among young sports executives nationwide.
MORE: Wile appointed Daytona track president | Wile accepts award
"This is an incredible honor," Wile said. "I have been so blessed in my career thus far being surrounded by talented professionals who share the same passion and admiration for motorsports. As president of Daytona International Speedway, I am fortunate to work with a remarkable team both at the Speedway and ISC who have a passion and dedication for creating unparalleled experiences for our guests. It’s their hard work that makes the World’s Only Motorsports Stadium the most fan-friendly, hands-on experience in all of sports."
Wile will embark on his first Speedweeks and Daytona 500 as President of Daytona International Speedway beginning February 18, but he led the first major motorsports event of the season and North America’s most prestigious sports car race when the Rolex 24 At Daytona kicked off Jan. 28.
MORE: Daytona through the years | Rolex 24 history
"I have said this all along about Chip — he brings a wealth of talent and energy to the track president position," said ISC CEO Lesa France Kennedy. "His leadership style is always to place others first — whether his team or his community, but in all cases, the fans. I couldn’t be happier for him to receive this honor."
Wile spent the first 10 years of his career working with NASCAR race teams, then joined Motor Racing Network (MRN) as director of business development and just one year later, was appointed President of Darlington Raceway where he spearheaded a five-year strategy to reinvent the facility with its throwback thematic.
MORE: ‘16 Darlington schemes | Darlington announces ’17 throwback theme
Tickets for the 2017 Daytona 500 and Speedweeks can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can also follow NASCAR on Twitter and stay up to speed on the latest news by using #DAYTONA500 and #SPEEDWEEKS. Stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and Snapchat, and by downloading the Speedway’s mobile app, for the latest Speedway news throughout the season.
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While we understand this may be more of a coincidence than a correlation, results from the season-opening Advance Auto Parts Clash could be an accurate predictor for a championship push.
Since the postseason format shifted to an elimination-style setup prior to the 2014 season, one finisher in the top three of the season-opening, non-points race has advanced to the four-driver Championship Round at Miami.
That’s good news for Sunday’s winner Joey Logano, runner-up Kyle Busch and third place … uh, Alex Bowman. Bowman doesn’t have a full-time ride for 2017, so while he filled in beautifully for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in "The Clash," we don’t expect him in the championship round.
That leaves Logano and Busch as the drivers looking to carry the torch here, and they are two perfect candidates. In three postseasons, Busch (2016, 2015) and Logano (2016, 2014) have each made it to the championship battle twice. Both were in the field last year when Jimmie Johnson sped to his record-tying seventh title.
Here’s a look back at the previous three years in the Advance Auto Parts Clash:
2016
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Joey Logano (Made Championship 4)
3. Paul Menard
2015
1. Matt Kenseth
2. Martin Truex Jr. (Made Championship 4)
3. Carl Edwards
2014
1. Denny Hamlin (Made Championship 4)
3. Kyle Busch