Posted on by Reid Spencer

MORE: Full race results | Updated series standings



DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The finish of Saturday’s Powershares QQQ 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway left winner Chase Elliott out of gas on the cool-down lap and runner-up Joey Logano pounding his steering wheel in frustration.



But it was the high-speed chess game seconds before the first and second-place cars crossed the finish line that made all the difference.



Fearing he wouldn’t get help from Kasey Kahne, Elliott’s JR Motorsports teammate, Logano pushed Elliott clear of the pack on the final lap, hoping to make a move to the outside as the cars sped off Turn 4.



But when Logano went high, Elliott moved to his right, and repeated contact between Elliott’s No. 88 Chevrolet and Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford—hard enough to pound a deep dent into Elliott’s right rear quarter panel — broke Logano’s momentum and allowed the No. 88 to cross the stripe .043 seconds ahead of the No. 22.



“He blocked it — I got there a little bit late,” Logano acknowledged. “And then I got hooked on his right rear, and that’s what killed my momentum… That contact just stopped my car.”



So the pole winner for Sunday’s Daytona 500 (on FOX at 1 p.m. ET) beat the winner of the 2015 Daytona 500 by a small fraction of a second, and Logano was runner-up for the third time during Speedweeks, having run second to Denny Hamlin in last Saturday’s Sprint Unlimited and second to JR Motorsports co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Thursday’s first Can-Am Duel.



Kasey Kahne finished third and XFINITY regular Elliott Sadler fourth in the season opener, as JR Motorsports grabbed three of the top four positions. Austin Dillon ran fifth, followed by Darrell Wallace Jr. and rookie Brandon Jones.



“That was a heck of a battle, man,” said Elliott, who survived early contact during a six-car incident on Lap 13 and rallied to win his first XFINITY race at Daytona and the fifth of his career. “I had such a great car, and we just found ourselves in the right place at the right time.



“Luckily we just barely had enough to get in front of Joey there.”



Elliott duly impressed his car owner, an acknowledged superstar when it comes to restrictor-plate racing.



“Chase obviously did what he had to do there at the end of the race,” Earnhardt said. “I thought that was very gutsy to be able to really put such an aggressive block on the 22… He did what he had to do to keep the guy behind him, and it won him the race.



“I’m proud of Chase. It’s such a cool thing to be a part of his career. He’s going to do some amazing stuff in his career, and it’s awesome to be a little part of it.”



After Ray Black Jr. stalled on the backstretch to cause the fourth caution of the race on Lap 102 of 120, ending a 76-lap green-flag run, Logano led the field to green on Lap 108 with Elliott beside him. While Sadler pushed Elliott to the lead, Logano got hung out of line and drifted back.



Forced to fight back to the front over the final 11 laps, Logano got a strong push in the outside lane from Kahne, who in turn was getting a strong push from Dillon. Logano didn’t get back to the front until the final lap, when he opted to push Elliott and tried to make a last-ditch move.



“It’s three races and three seconds, and I guess it is nothing to hold your head down about, but, gosh, when you see the lead that many times and are that close to winning and don’t pull it off, it’s frustrating,” Logano said.

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Gallagher, Coughlin crash early | Full race results

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The wild and unpredictable Camping World Truck Series lived up to its billing Friday night at Daytona International Speedway, with 18 trucks involved in a crash with less than 10 laps remaining in the NextEra Energy Resources 250.

 

Then, on the final lap of the season-opening race, another multi-truck incident unfolded, this one seeing the truck of Christopher Bell rolling several times on the frontstretch. Bell climbed from the truck without assistance, although NASCAR officials later said the driver had been transported to a local hospital for further evaluation. At 1 a.m. ET Saturday, Kyle Busch Motorsports tweeted a press release that stated Bell had been evaluated and released.

 

RELATED: ‘Big One’ strikes again in final lap of Truck Series race

 

Contact between Timothy Peters, Matt Crafton and John Hunter Nemechek appeared to set off the first incident, which unfolded in Turn 1 and brought out the red flag as officials and safety workers attended to those involved.

 

“Not quite sure what happened,” driver Cameron Hayley said after being evaluated and released from the infield care center. “Hard racing there, I guess. We just caught bumpers the wrong way … I guess that’s Daytona.”

 

Rookie Rico Abreu, Haley’s teammate at ThorSport Racing, was also among those collected. “Just trying to get the third (outside) lane going,” Abreu said. “(You) could get it going at times … just really tried to stay patient all night and it comes down to this.”

 

“Definitely an unfortunate day,” said Brad Keselowski Racing driver Austin Theriault. “We could make moves, pull really good. … I laid it all out there. It’s just sad for the guys. I’m fine, glad I hit the safety barrier.”

 

It was the sixth caution in the scheduled 100-lap season-opening event. Caution No. 7 wasn’t far behind.

 

After a delay of 27 min., 54 seconds, officials removed the red flag and allowed teams to begin work on repairing those entries able to continue.

 

“The big wreck I expected,” third-place finisher Parker Kligerman said. “I was sitting there at the back of the pack … everyone was trying to go three-wide, trying to make the outside line work and it just wouldn’t work.

 

“There eventually comes a point in the race where you can see the race kind of take a character … the race takes a shift and everyone’s just hitting each other as hard as they can. I could see it happening so I sort of backed off and suddenly the 88 (of two-time series champion Matt Crafton) gets turned sideways and that big wreck happened.”

 

Johnny Sauter (GMS Racing) won the event. It was his second victory at the 2.5-mile track (he also won here in 2013) and the 11th of his career.

 

It was the first Camping World Truck Series win for Chevrolet at Daytona.

 

MORE: Strategy play with caution clock results in wreck

Posted on by Nascar

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR has strengthened the way the sanctioning body deals with behavioral issues as it relates to member conduct, both on and off the race track, with updates to its current policy announced Friday.
 
“It’s an effort by the sanctioning body to improve the level of transparency within the grounds of how competitors’ actions are dealt with both on the track and off the track,” Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations, said. “An evolution of the rules … to become more transparent to all participants involved, all stakeholders involved.”
 
Cassidy said it was not an attempt to change the way drivers race.
 
“NASCAR is an aggressive sport,” he said. “We understand the drivers are going to be aggressive to race for position. That is not going to change. That’s a very significant point, it’s spelled out in the rule and we understand that. 


“But we also understand that there are points in time when the competitors cross the line and they should have a better understanding of what exactly may transpire if it’s determined they crossed the line.”
 
NASCAR’s current deterrence system dealing with competition issues rank infractions, from lowest (warnings) to Level P6 (most severe). That won’t be the case under Member Conduct Guidelines outlined in the  2016 NASCAR Rule Book for all three National Series (Sprint Cup, XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series).
 
But the range of potential penalties does increase, depending on the severity of the action.
 
A confrontation that does not include physical violence, such as a simple shove, shouting match or “venting,” could result in a meeting with officials, a warning or possibly probation.
 
Disparaging the sport and/or NASCAR’s leadership, verbal abuse of an official, media member, fans, etc., or intentionally damaging another vehicle under yellow or red flag conditions or on pit road with no one around could result in a fine ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 and/or probation.
 
Actions more egregious could result in the loss of 25-50 championship driver and team owner points, in addition to increased fines and/or race suspensions or termination.
 
Those include physical confrontations with NASCAR officials, media members or fans, member-to-member confrontations with physical violence, attempting to manipulate the outcome of the race or championship and intentionally wrecking another vehicle.
 
An action such as “premeditatedly removing another competitor from competition in a dangerous manner when not racing for position based on the available evidence and specific circumstances of the incident” could result in a loss of 150-200 driver and owner points and/or a two-race suspension, indefinite suspension or termination.
 
Cassidy said the changes were not the result of any one specific incident, but “I would say what we have learned after talking to everybody is that everybody wants to understand more clearly where possible what potential ramifications can be in different scenarios.


“So this is an effort to go down that road,” he said.

Posted on by Nascar

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 19, 2016) — Reigning NASCAR XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year, Daniel Suárez, will headline a group of eight winners at the ninth annual NASCAR Diversity Awards. The event will take place at 12 p.m. ET today at the Daytona International Speedway in the lead up to the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 21 (1 p.m. ET on FOX).  

The NASCAR Diversity Awards recognize the people and organizations in motorsports that champion diversity and inclusion in eight categories: Industry Ambassador, Diverse Driver, Ignition Award, Diverse Intern, Institution, Partner, Young Driver, and Pit Crew. 

Notable previous NASCAR Diversity Awards winners include: Max Siegel, Darrell Wallace Jr., Phoenix International Raceway, Toyota, Coca-Cola, Sunoco, and the University of Central Florida.

Driven by NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, the NASCAR Diversity Awards has become the leading means to recognize multicultural accomplishments across the motorsports industry.  

The winners are chosen based on participation or support of NASCAR’s year-round diversity and inclusion initiatives including: NASCAR Drive for Diversity, the leading driver and crew member development program in motorsports; the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program (NDIP), a paid internship program for ethnically-diverse candidates with high academic standing from elite institutions; and the NASCAR Opinion Leader Initiative, which engages multicultural community, civic, and professional organizations. 

“Becoming more diverse and inclusive is a huge priority at NASCAR and we continue to make long-term investments to boost female and minority participation across every level of our sport, on and off the track,” said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. “Widening our appeal is critical to our continued expansion and we are proud to honor today’s winners, and many others across the industry, for their hard work and support.”

The 2016 NASCAR Diversity Awards Winners:  

Industry Ambassador Award 

Winner: Claire B. Lang, NASCAR radio host and current host of “Dialed In” on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio who has actively engaged with NASCAR diversity and inclusion initiatives

Description: Representative who displays an exemplary effort to incorporate multicultural initiatives as part of his/her job.

Diverse Driver Award

Winner: Abraham Calderon, 2014 NASCAR Mexico Series Champion

Description: Minority or female NASCAR developmental driver who exemplifies outstanding performance both on and off the racetrack in encouraging awareness and interaction with NASCAR and motorsports.

Ignition Award 

Winner: Daniel Suárez, 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year, Joe Gibbs Racing and NASCAR Drive for Diversity alum  

Description: Minority or female NASCAR national series driver who demonstrates leadership both on and off the racetrack while helping to foster the diversity in sport.

Outstanding Intern Award 

Winner: Victoria Kim, a Penn State graduate and Pocono Raceway‘s first NDIP intern 

Description: Student who exhibits high performance and leadership skills in academics as well as during their NASCAR Diversity Internship Program.

Institution Award 

Winner: National Association of Black Journalists, An organization of journalists, students, and media-related professionals that provides quality programs and services to and advocates on behalf of African-American journalists worldwide.

Description: Civic or educational institution that exposes minorities to motorsports and encourages pursuit of opportunities within the motorsports industry.

Partner Award 

Winner: Chevrolet, for demonstrating a commitment to NASCAR diversity and inclusion goals through its program support and engagement with NASCAR Multicultural Development

Description: Company that shows commitment to NASCAR diversity and inclusion goals through its program support and engagement with NASCAR.

Young Racer Award 

Winner: Macy Causey, 15, youngest participant in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Combine 

Description: Minority or female between the ages of 8-15 years old who has partaken in some form of competitive racing and has overcome adversity in pursuit of his/her dream of participating in the motorsports industry. 

Crew Member Award 

Winners: Rafael Diaz and Mike Russell, both of Roush Fenway Racing and part of the 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series Championship team

Description: Minority or female crew member who inspires awareness of NASCAR through competitive performance and outreach activities.

Posted on by Nascar

Photos: Gordon through the years

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — He was whisked away as soon as the morning press conference had ended, one obligation on a daily planner filled with commitments completed, and another one waiting.

 

He may now be Jeff Gordon, NASCAR analyst for FOX Sports, but he’s still, well, Jeff Gordon.

 

The four-time Sprint Cup Series champion, winner of 93 races and, as recently as three months ago, a championship contender, drives no more. But he remains driven. And busy.

 

The story that he was up and ready to hit the garage and begin his FOX rounds here at Daytona International Speedway recently, only to discover that the garage wouldn’t open for several hours, is true.

 

Gordon, 44, is more than ready for this next chapter in life.

 

Sunday’s Daytona 500 (1 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR), the season-opening event for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, will be his first major test. He got his first taste of working with the FOX Sports NASCAR crew, which includes Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds, during last week’s Sprint Cup practice sessions, the non-points Sprint Unlimited on Saturday night and Sunday’s Coors Light Pole qualifying program.

 

“This is where the magic happens, up here,” he said at the time. “I’m finding that out.”

 

Adding Gordon to the broadcast team was a no-brainer, according to McReynolds, the former crew chief. Along with Joy and Waltrip, the three have been the framework for the broadcast team since FOX signed on with NASCAR back in 2001.

 

“I never really got to know Jeff that well throughout the years of racing against him and talking about him, but getting to know him over the last few months it absolutely makes sense why he’s been as successful as he is,” McReynolds said Thursday. “He’s latched on to the FOX philosophy real quickly, and that’s that we tell the story, we explain why but more importantly have fun. … The philosophy for the three of us the last 15 years is we’re like three guys sitting on a couch, watching a race, having fun and talking about it. Now we’ve added another member to our couch. It’s almost been seamless.”

 

Joy gave Gordon high marks for his enthusiasm, his effort and preparation. “We want his knowledge and enthusiasm,” he said. “The short answer is we’re getting a lot more than we bargained for.”

 

Waltrip said Gordon’s enthusiasm “is contagious.”

 

“I thought I was jacked up; I thought I came down here … vibrating out of my shoes until I ran into him,” Waltrip, himself a three-time champion and member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, said. “His focus and how he looks at things … he asks a lot of questions, which is great. Sometimes he asks a question and I say ‘I can’t believe you don’t know that.’ But then I remember he’s a rookie, he doesn’t know that.

 

“It’s been a real good awakening for me; I think I’m going to gain as much from this as he is. Standing beside him and what he sees and what he says really helps me think about things in a different perspective. … I think we’re only going to get better.”

 

Gordon had years to prepare for a NASCAR career; his move to the booth comes without nearly as much experience. But each broadcast, he said, has helped ease concerns and made him that much more comfortable.

 

“But there’s no doubt when that day comes — just like when you wake up that morning of the Daytona 500 as a driver, there’s a switch that goes off that this is a huge day, a huge moment and as a competitor I was always (thinking), ‘I cant wait to go out there and compete but don’t mess it up,’ ” Gordon said. “And that’s exactly the same way I’m going to approach the booth on Sunday.”

 

Waltrip, who made the move from the driver’s seat to the TV booth in 2000, said that’s when it will hit Gordon hardest — on race day of the series’ biggest event.

 

“I’ll never forget, I got up on that Sunday morning, I’d always gone to the garage, hung out with the team, looked at the car, gone to the drivers’ meeting and to chapel and then you’re out on pit road,” Waltrip said when Gordon’s appointment was announced. “And you don’t do any of that (now). You’re putting on a coat and tie, a little makeup and going to a TV booth.

 

“That’s a huge shock when that reality hits you. You don’t need a helmet and you don’t need a uniform. You just need a coat and a tie.”

 

The familiar No. 24 Chevrolet, fielded by Hendrick Motorsports and Gordon’s office for so many years, now belongs to another. Chase Elliott, son of 1988 series champion Bill Elliott, to be exact. Chase Elliott is a rookie. He’s also the pole winner for Sunday’s 58th running of the Daytona 500.

 

A photo of Gordon standing with Elliott and crew chief Alan Gustafson in the garage after the youngster sped to the pole caught former teammate Jimmie Johnson by surprise.

 

Johnson, who Gordon helped steer to Hendrick, called it “really weird.”

 

“He was standing around the 24 car with Chase and Alan. The car was on the pole,” Johnson said. “Jeff was standing there in street clothes. I never thought I would see that.”

 

Gordon called it a proud moment, and that’s what he wanted to convey to the team.

 

“We’ve been preparing for this (with Chase) for a long time; I’ve been 100 percent supportive,” Gordon said. “I think he’s a great kid; I think he’s going to be a superstar in the sport. I also know that there are ’24’ fans out there that were really on the fence about whether they should keep the 24 or not keep the 24 (car number). As soon as that car was on the pole, every one of those ’24’ fans were like ‘Yes!’ and they were on board.”

 

If there are misgivings about changing careers, Gordon is keeping them to himself. He remains tied to Hendrick Motorsports through ownership of that organization’s No. 48 team with Johnson. He has obligations to sponsors and potential sponsors and outside interests and, of course, family.

 

But Sunday, when the engines fire and the cars roll off pit road for the start of the Daytona 500? Gordon says he’s already made peace with that.

 

“All the cars were on the track Friday and I had no issues,” Gordon said. “When the 24 drove out there on Saturday to do the first 500 qualifying practice that was a bigger moment. Darrell told me, ‘Watch this; moment is going to impact you.’ And I was waiting for it and it was definitely there.

 

“When they won the pole, I was happy for them but at the same time I was going, “Wow, it’s sinking in right now; I’m not going to be driving that car anymore.’ “

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Full coverage of Stewart’s ATV accident

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Darrell Gwynn is a frequent and popular visitor inside the Daytona International Speedway NASCAR garage. He was there Friday morning, making the rounds, shaking hands and enjoying the friendly faces.

 

The former NHRA superstar organizes the annual Hot Rods and Reels fishing tournament on Daytona’s famed infield Lake Lloyd during the Daytona 500 Speedweeks. And hours earlier he hosted current and former NASCAR drivers such as Ryan Newman and Martin Truex, Bobby and Donnie Allison, Dave and Ryan Blaney in the fundraiser — the money goes to the Darrell Gwynn Chapter of The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis.

 

One of Gwynn’s longtime and dearest supporters, however, Tony Stewart, couldn’t participate in the fishing tournament this year because he’s in North Carolina recovering from a broken L1 vertebrae in his back – the result of an all-terrain vehicle accident suffered just weeks before Speedweeks.

 

And his presence was dearly missed. Gwynn’s motorhome, which sits on the lake shore, sported a 40-foot long banner attached to the outside with a message to his longtime friend Stewart: “Smoke Will Rise Again, We Love You Buddy.”

 

RELATED: ‘Smoke’ radios Vickers: ‘If you need me, I’m here’

 

As Gwynn’s large gesture demonstrates, Stewart is on everybody’s mind.

 

“I remember when I got hurt,” explained Gwynn, who has used a wheelchair since suffering serious injuries in a 1990 drag race. “I remember seeing people holding up the posters for me, the bed sheets with messages in the grandstands. I just started thinking, what if there wasn’t all that stuff? People really went out of their way to show they care.

 

“There isn’t much we can really do for Tony Stewart, but we can show we care.”

 

The fishing tournament is something close to his longtime friend, Stewart’s heart – the event a must-do; the notorious late-riser has made a point to participate in for years. And that commitment has meant so much to Gwynn.

 

“I just want to show how much we care and love him,” Gwynn said.

Posted on by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Darrell Wallace Jr. will go to a back-up car for Saturday’s season-opening XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway after an accident in the first 20 minutes of opening practice on Friday.



Wallace’s No. 6 Selfeo Ford spun out 11 laps into practice after contact with Aric Almirola‘s No. 98 Fresh From Florida Ford. While racing in a big pack, the cars touched, sending Wallace’s car down to the apron of the track. It shot back upwards, smacking the outside wall and causing enough damage that his Roush Fenway Racing team immediately opted to bring out the back-up car. Almirola’s car was still good to continue.



“Just a bummer,’” Wallace said as the team quickly began preparing the other car. “I’m excited to be here, pumped and ready to be here. And I’m trying to be a better pack racer.”



The 22-year old Wallace is trying to improve his restrictor plate-racing resume and candidly spoke about the emphasis in the offseason. In five restrictor plate starts in the XFINITY Series, he has three finishes of 20th or worse. However, the 2.5-mile Daytona track is where he has posted his best restrictor plate finish of seventh in 2014.



Wallace, a 2016 championship favorite, had turned the 13th fastest lap of the early session before the accident.



“As much work as we put in the car and the offseason, to come out here and do this already it’s unfortunate,” Wallace said, “But if it’s a sign of getting it out of the way early … I’m ready to go.



“I’m trying not to get too down, it’s the first practice for the first race.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Chalk up another top-10 finish for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

 

The Celebrity DBI powered by Repucom has ranked the Hendrick Motorsports driver among its Top 100 athletes, pulling in at No. 10 overall, according to Sports Business Daily. According to the study, which measures the influence and relevance individuals have on the public, Earnhardt’s celeb “DBI score” is 72.38, which gives him a celebrity status comparable to rapper Kanye West, musician Nick Jonas and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

 

Respondents in the twice-a-week poll are asked to evaluate the celebrity based on eight attributes — awareness, appeal, aspiration, breakthrough, endorsement, influence, trend-setter and trust.

Stewart-Haas Racing driver Danica Patrick was right off Earnhardt’s pace, ranking 11th among athletes, with a comparable celebrity status to model Kate Upton, actor James Franco and musician Bono.

 

Three other NASCAR drivers appeared in the top 100, in six-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson (33rd among athletes), three-time champ Tony Stewart (44th) and Kurt Busch (92nd).

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Complete lineup, qualifying times

 

Grant Enfinger earned his first career pole during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole qualifying after acclerating his No. 33 GMS Racing Chevrolet to a quickest lap of 180.752 mph during the session’s final minutes. 

 

Enfinger’s GMS Racing teammate Johnny Sauter was second-fastest as he propelled his No. 21 around the 2.5-mile track at 180.086 mph. 

 

Third-fastest during the session, which was two-rounds in single-truck qualifying, was the No. 17 of veteran Timothy Peters (179.691 mph).

 

The No. 2 Ford of Austin Theriault (179.158 mph) and the No. 51 Toyota of Daniel Suarez (179.108 mph) were fourth and fifth respectively. 

 

Two-time series champ Matt Crafton soared around DIS, clocking in at 178.948 mph in the No. 88; which was good enough for a sixth-place result.

 

The 11 drivers who failed to qualify for the field in their trucks were: Korbin Forrister, Ryan Reed, Clay Greenfield, Austin Hill, Norm Benning, Carlos Contreras, Reed Sorenson, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Ryan Ellis, David Levine and Mike Harmon.

 

The Truck Series starts off the three-day race weekend at 7:30 p.m. ET for the NextEra Energy Resources 250 (100 laps, 250 miles with coverage on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on by Staff Report

WATCH: The big wreck in Can-Am Duel #2



Kurt Busch‘s No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet was caught up in a wreck at the end of the second Can-Am Duel race on Thursday, but the team elected not to go to a backup car.


Instead, crew chief Tony Gibson and his crew dug in and made a day’s worth of repairs Friday once the garage opened. Wrapping the car proved time consuming, and help came from an expected place: Joe Gibbs Racing.


“We are all a family in the garage,” Gibson explained in his Twitter post.


Busch will start eighth in Sunday’s Daytona 500 (1 p.m. ET, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) — going to a backup car would have sent him to the rear of the field.


WATCH: Duel wreck takes out heavy hitters