Posted on by Staff Report

Hamlin turns fastest lap; Stenhouse has fastest 10-lap average

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Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed Lap # # Laps -Fastest -Next
1 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota 44.531 202.106 11 24 —.— —.—
2 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance Chevrolet 44.549 202.025 11 11 -0.018 -0.018
3 16 Greg Biffle Ortho Ford 44.587 201.853 5 11 -0.056 -0.038
4 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Twisted Tea Ford 44.595 201.816 3 20 -0.064 -0.008
5 34 David Ragan Kentucky Fried Chicken Ford 44.618 201.712 7 13 -0.087 -0.023
6 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 44.710 201.297 5 19 -0.179 -0.092
7 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Crispy Toyota 44.711 201.293 7 17 -0.180 -0.001
8 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastenal Ford 44.755 201.095 3 32 -0.224 -0.044
9 95 Michael McDowell Thrivent Financial Ford 44.771 201.023 5 5 -0.240 -0.016
10 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 44.776 201.001 6 22 -0.245 -0.005
11 14 Tony Stewart Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet 44.841 200.709 17 22 -0.310 -0.065
12 19 Carl Edwards Arris Toyota 44.877 200.548 11 11 -0.346 -0.036
13 24 Jeff Gordon Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet 44.898 200.454 17 30 -0.367 -0.021
14 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet 44.958 200.187 4 21 -0.427 -0.060
15 42 Kyle Larson Target Chevrolet 45.060 199.734 10 38 -0.529 -0.102
16 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Toyota 45.063 199.720 4 10 -0.532 -0.003
17 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 45.093 199.588 4 15 -0.562 -0.030
18 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 45.362 198.404 5 18 -0.831 -0.269
19 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 45.370 198.369 5 14 -0.839 -0.008
20 33 Ty Dillon(i) Cheerios/Kroger Chevrolet 45.392 198.273 5 19 -0.861 -0.022
21 40 Landon Cassill CarsForSale.com Chevrolet 45.393 198.268 5 23 -0.862 -0.001
22 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet 45.402 198.229 5 8 -0.871 -0.009
23 27 Paul Menard Peak/Menards Chevrolet 45.403 198.225 5 14 -0.872 -0.001
24 46 Michael Annett Pilot/Flying J Chevrolet 45.544 197.611 8 8 -1.013 -0.141
25 51 Justin Allgaier Brandt Chevrolet 45.801 196.502 13 15 -1.270 -0.257
26 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet 46.027 195.537 8 22 -1.496 -0.226
27 38 David Gilliland Love’s Travel Stops Ford 46.055 195.419 8 9 -1.524 -0.028
28 35 Cole Whitt Speed Stick Ford 46.288 194.435 8 11 -1.757 -0.233
29 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet 46.378 194.058 6 13 -1.847 -0.090
30 41 Regan Smith(i) Haas Automation Chevrolet 46.473 193.661 10 13 -1.942 -0.095
31 1 Jamie McMurray Cessna/McDonald’s Chevrolet 46.725 192.616 8 9 -2.194 -0.252
32 3 Austin Dillon DOW Chevrolet 46.727 192.608 8 12 -2.196 -0.002
33 32 Bobby Labonte C & J Energy Services Ford 47.282 190.347 3 6 -2.751 -0.555
34 83 Johnny Sauter(i) Dustless Blasting Toyota 47.872 188.001 2 2 -3.341 -0.590
35 23 J.J. Yeley(i) MAXIM Fantasy App/Dr. Pepper Toyota 47.978 187.586 2 2 -3.447 -0.106

Best 10-Consecutive Lap Average

1 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 3 12 199.560
2 43 Aric Almirola 4 13 199.539
3 6 Trevor Bayne 2 11 199.345
4 14 Tony Stewart 2 11 199.326
5 4 Kevin Harvick 2 11 199.240
6 5 Kasey Kahne 2 11 199.048
7 24 Jeff Gordon 8 17 199.041
8 18 Kyle Busch 3 12 198.624
9 11 Denny Hamlin 3 12 198.412
10 19 Carl Edwards 2 11 198.141
11 33 Ty Dillon(i) 1 10 197.263
12 40 Landon Cassill 13 22 195.371
13 42 Kyle Larson 5 14 195.310
14 9 Sam Hornish Jr. 9 18 194.914

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NASCAR Chairman and CEO: It’s an exciting time, new era for the sport

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Dear Fans —

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Coming off a season in which we saw Kevin Harvick claim the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crown after a thrilling debut for the new Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format, Chase Elliott burst on to the scene with a championship of his own and Matt Crafton repeat as champion in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, it’s easy to see why many say 2014 was one of the all-time best for NASCAR.

However, I think the best is still to come.

As we embark on 2015, we are excited to start a new 10-year agreement with our great partners at FOX Sports and to welcome NBC Sports back to NASCAR. With FOX and NBC we have two world-class media companies committed to bringing NASCAR excitement to our great fans in bigger and better ways.

We could not be more thrilled to welcome Comcast’s XFINITY brand as an entitlement partner for the next 10 seasons and look forward to this new era of partnership with an innovative leader in the entertainment space.

The vision for a reimagined Daytona International Speedway is taking shape and will become a reality in time for the 2016 Daytona 500. Our track partners from coast-to-coast continue to invest in the fan experience and nothing will ever compare to the live experience at the race track. We invite you to come and experience the best racing in the world live in one of these great venues.

As I look across the NASCAR landscape, I can’t remember a time when the driver talent pool across our national series and into the development ranks was as deep and impressive as we have today. Couple that with the superstars we have competing at the highest level right now and it’s obvious why the present and future are so exciting for NASCAR, our partners and especially the fans.

Finally, as Jeff Gordon begins his final full-time season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, we will be watching one of the greatest race car drivers of all time chase a fifth championship. Jeff has been a great champion on the track and one of our greatest ambassadors off of it. To be sure, there will be no shortage of contenders battling for that trophy as we build throughout the season, and it’s going to be a thrill for all of us to see it play out through the final laps at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November.

It is an exciting time to be a NASCAR fan. On behalf of our entire team, I hope you enjoy the 2015
NASCAR season.

Best regards,

Brian France

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Find out why champ won career-high number of poles last season

Kevin Harvick, the newly installed NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, is known as The Closer. He came by the nickname for his ability to close out races at the finish.

He wasn’t known as a great qualifier, however … until last season.

Harvick won eight Coors Light Pole Positions in his title season, two more than the total he’d earned over the previous 13 years of his career. The new format played a role, as did the ministrations and strategies of crew chief Rodney Childers, but Harvick gives credit where credit is due: Mobil 1 lubricants.

"I’ve had six (poles) in my whole career to this point, and we had eight this year," Harvick said. "Between Rodney Childers and everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing and the effort they put into qualifying and the lubricants we have from Mobil 1 … really it is a lot about everyone’s contribution to the process and what we have under the hood. It all adds up to success."

In his first season with the Mobil 1-backed SHR team, Harvick and Childers were fast off the truck all season long. He won the second race of the season at Phoenix International Raceway to punch his ticket to the Chase, and won the final two races of the season to clinch his first title.

From beginning to end, Harvick’s No. 4 Chevrolet SS was consistently fast. Mobil 1 was definitely a part of that, he said.

"Mobil 1 is unique because there’s a huge emphasis put on performance and development in the things that were used, like qualifying oils and lubricants," Harvick stated. "It’s a constant push to make the lubricants better and make the cars as fast as they can. It comes with a speed advantage as well.

"Anytime you have a partner like Mobil 1 and you can have those technologies in your back pocket, it’s almost free speed. Any developments that come to us are obviously greeted with open arms. Mobil 1 is definitely in the secret sauce category, for sure. There are a lot of things that go into it, but they were definitely a big part of the puzzle."

At Pocono, Harvick drove a Mobil 1 Chevrolet to victory, and that helped propel him to a title to cap Mobil’s 40th Anniversary season.

"Knowing the history Mobil 1 has in racing, and working at Stewart-Haas Racing, it was pretty cool to sport their logos at Pocono and even cooler to have a successful day there. Any time you can win your sponsor’s race, it’s a good thing, and we were fortunate enough to do that."

As a further capper to an outstanding season, Harvick also won the season-long Mobil 1 Driver of the Race Award, given to the highest-finishing Mobil 1-equipped car in the race. That was worth $100,000 to the champ.

"Any time it’s one of your sponsors, it’s fun to have success and have the people who support you have success. For us to win the Mobil 1 Driver of the Race Award was pretty cool."

Harvick is back to work after the blowout Championship Week celebration in Last Vegas surrounding his title, and he’s got a lot of things to sort out for 2015. One of them is the horsepower reduction that was announced late in the season. He’s not worried; just respectful of the challenge the new package presents.

"As you come into any NASCAR season, there’s going to be a lot of changes," he said. "Last year we had the body changes, and now the package for this year. Horsepower is a big change. For me, it’s going to be similar to the XFINITY Series cars and the power they have there. It’s still a little bit more power than the XFINITY cars, but all in all there are a lot of changes you have to adapt to. We’ll see how it works out early in the season."

Harvick had success in the XFINITY Series last year, and that gives him a little bit of an advantage.

"A Lot of it is going to relate to the XFINITY stuff, but even at the higher speeds in 2014, the cars had a similar style even at the higher rate of speed," he said. "As you go into the new rules, they’re going to have a lot of same style. It’s kind of where the sport has migrated to over the past several years. I think the tires are going to have a huge impact in terms of what kind of tires they select. There’s going to be a lot of throttle time, even with less power and less downforce to go with it. It’s going to be a lot of the same style."

Harvick came to SHR to win a title. He did, after 13 years with Richard Childress Racing. There were a few differences waiting when he got to SHR, and most of them concerned resources.

"When you look from a technical standpoint, we have a lot of resources at SHR. All the teams do. When you look at having a three-time champion (Tony Stewart) as your teammate and Kurt Busch, who has won a lot of races and a championship, and then you look at the
Hendrick side of it where those guys have won a ton of championships and a lot of races, I think you have a lot of things to look at and make yourself better. That meter of measuring yourself is at a pretty high level."

Harvick, in a sense, won his first title by winning the second race of the season. It set him up in the Chase, allowed Childers to hone the setups and technical issues to a fine point and eventually win the winner-take-all finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

That sort of momentum is hard to stop, and Harvick is confident the same recipe can be used to bake up another title in 2015. He’ll have to do it without testing, but that’s OK.

"There’s always going to be unknowns, but I’m confident that my guys are going to come up with something that is pretty good," he said. "Coming in last year, it took a lot of the teams a while to catch up to where we set the bar by getting off on the right foot. As we go into next year, we can maintain that same advantage. I’d rather not test anyway, so hopefully we can have it figured out and not test."

If Harvick and Childers can cook up another title, you can bet that the secret ingredient will still be Mobil 1.

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Posted on by NASCAR Official Release

Driver suspended for actions detrimental to stock car racing

RELATED: Kurt Busch suspended indefinitely

Daytona Beach, Fla. (Feb. 20, 2015) — NASCAR has indefinitely suspended driver Kurt Busch for actions detrimental to stock car racing following the release today of a supplemental disposition setting forth the findings and conclusions that formed the basis for the Family Court of the State of Delaware’s decision on Monday to issue an Order of Protection from Abuse against him.

Busch, driver of the No. 41 car, was found to be in violation of:

• Section 12.1.a: Actions detrimental to stock car racing
• Section 12.8: Behavioral Penalty

"Given the serious nature of the findings and conclusions made by the Commissioner of the Family Court of the State of Delaware, NASCAR has indefinitely suspended driver Kurt Busch, effective immediately. He will not be allowed to race nor participate in any NASCAR activities until further notice.

"Kurt Busch and his Stewart-Haas Racing team are fully aware of our position and why this decision was made. We will continue to respect the process and timetable of the authorities involved."

Posted on by Holly Cain

Cain: Just as Earnhardt did before him, ‘Smoke’ wonders if this is the year

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During the mid-1990s, it was almost a Daytona 500 rite of passage.

Long before there were formal organized Media Days, sometime between pole qualifying day and the qualifying races the great Dale Earnhardt would saunter into the cramped and dated old Daytona International Speedway media center, bust a few chops and pat a couple reporters on the back as he navigated the tight quarters to take a seat — often in a folding metal chair in the corner, summoning reporters to come over to him instead of vice versa.

Sunglasses on, he’d lean back in his chair and, depending on his mood, smile or grimace. Sometimes he waited to be asked the perennial question: "When are you going to win the Daytona 500?" Other times he just cut to the chase himself.

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Some years he was philosophical, other times frustrated, always he was hopeful. He’d won every single other race at NASCAR’s iconic track — most of them multiple times including a mind-boggling 10 straight qualifying races (now known as the Budweiser Duels).

Although Earnhardt clearly came to both expect and dread answering questions on why he, a seven-time champion and the sport’s greatest active driver, hadn’t won the sport’s greatest race, he always acted like each year was going to be "the" year.

And finally in 1998 it was. I never saw him more genuinely happy and exuberant — The "Intimidator" sporting a grin so wide it seemed like his mustache might touch his earlobes.

Twenty years later, it’s a similar scene with another beloved champion, Tony Stewart. As Earnhardt did, Stewart has taught school on the Daytona high banks, hoisting trophies from sports car races to IROC races; after Daytona 500 qualifiers and summer night 400-milers.

And like Earnhardt, it’s obvious that the questions of whether he will ever win NASCAR’s big one have understandably gotten stale and annoying to Stewart.

The two greats — one an inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame member, the other a sure first-ballot Hall of Famer — are shining examples of one of the sport’s most mystifying quagmires.

It took Earnhardt, a seven-time Cup champion, 20 years of trying before he won the Daytona 500. In the meantime, Derrike Cope (1990) and Sterling Marlin (1994-95) scored their first career series wins in the Great American Race.

Michael Waltrip notched his first Cup trophy in the 2001 Daytona 500 after more than 460 starts. And 20-year-old Trevor Bayne scored his first and only Cup win in the 2011 500.

Yet former series champions Rusty Wallace — a NASCAR Hall of Famer — along with champion brothers Terry Labonte and Bobby Labonte are a combined 0-for-77 in the Daytona 500. Mark Martin, one of the sport’s most successful drivers, is 0-for-29 in the race.

And for the most part, these greats don’t even have a lot of near-misses to ponder. Wallace’s best finish was third in 2001. Martin won the pole in 2010, had a dramatic runner-up showing in 2007 and a third-place finish in 1995. Terry Labonte has a pair of second-place finishes a decade apart in 1986 and 1997. Bobby Labonte had a sole runner-up in 1998, one of only three top-10 finishes in 22 starts.

As he has become accustomed to in recent years, Stewart — mostly — patiently answered the Daytona 500 questions again this month. He joked that he was willing to sacrifice a body part to celebrate in NASCAR’s most iconic Victory Lane. He’s analyzed and Monday morning quarterbacked the late lap moves that shoulda-woulda landed him there.

Until Stewart finally kisses that Harley J. Earl trophy, his quest to win the Daytona 500 will be one of the most interesting and compelling subplots of the sport’s biggest race.

But his success in the 500 is not what defines Stewart as one of NASCAR’s greatest champions. Instead, it’s the dogged pursuit of that dream that inspires and captivates. Every year, win or lose.

And as Earnhardt did each February for two decades, Stewart has every reason to believe that this is his year.

"Not until the day that I don’t run here anymore,” Stewart said of abandoning hope of a Daytona 500 win. "Everybody has got a shot here, so it’s just a matter of ‑‑ we’ve been in that position before. …  At least that gives you confidence that you’ve got a shot.

"If anybody looks at my career and says because I haven’t won a Daytona 500 that I didn’t have a good career, I’d want to say they really don’t know what they’re talking about."

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But driver rebounds after fluid seen spewing from car during practice

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On-track trouble continued for Danica Patrick on Friday during the day’s second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice at Daytona International Speedway.

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The Stewart-Haas Racing driver completed just three laps in the afternoon session before steering her No. 10 Chevrolet to the garage after it began smoking. There was a brief caution period for crews to clean the fluid her car had dropped.

However, Patrick returned to practice and was able to complete more laps, rebounding and moving up the leaderboard. She finished the session fourth among 25 drivers.

"Really proud of you guys for what you did getting these cars ready all weekend," Patrick told her crew over the radio as Friday’s Sprint Cup practice concluded. "… Let’s go have some fun. Hopefully all the bad luck is gone."

Patrick is in her Sprint Unlimited car after her two Daytona 500-specific vehicles were destroyed — one in practice and the backup in last night’s Daytona Duels.

Both wrecks involved Denny Hamlin, who felt the wrath of Patrick’s frustrations Friday night on pit road. (Watch the raw footage of that incident by clicking here.)

The two drivers disagreed on whether or not Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toytota nudged the rear of the No. 10, a point that did not change after their heated discussion.
 
FOX Sports’ Jamie Little reported on Friday that the two had not spoken since their post-race run-in, but Hamlin took to Twitter late Thursday to give some more thoughts. He appeared to take the blame, but maintained that he did not make contact.

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Evernham, Kulwicki, Martin added to ballot; Landmark Award nominees named

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.— Legendary engine builders, crew chiefs, owners and drivers. Their roles and responsibilities may have differed, but they all have one trait in common – each made an everlasting mark on NASCAR history.

NASCAR today announced the 20 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016, as well as the five nominees for the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.  Included among the list are five first-time nominees – legends all – who exceled in various disciplines, at various levels.

RELATED: Photo gallery of the Class of 2016 nominees

Among them are three-time NASCAR premier series championship crew chief Ray Evernham; 1970 NASCAR premier series championship crew chief Harry Hyde; 1992 NASCAR premier series champion Alan Kulwicki; winner of a combined 96 NASCAR national series races, Mark Martin; and 1986 NASCAR west series champion Hershel McGriff. For a full list of nominees, please see below.

The nominees were selected by a nominating committee consisting of representatives from NASCAR and the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners from both major facilities and historic short tracks and the media. The committee’s votes were tabulated by accounting firm Ernst & Young.

From the list of 20 NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees, five inductees will be elected by the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel, which includes a nationwide fan vote on NASCAR.com. Voting Day for the 2016 class will be Wednesday, May 20.

The five nominees for the Landmark Award are Harold Brasington, H. Clay Earles, Raymond Parks, Ralph Seagraves and Ken Squier (more on each below).  Potential Landmark Award recipients include competitors or those working in the sport as a member of a racing organization, track facility, race team, sponsor, media partner or being a general ambassador for the sport through a professional or non-professional role. Award winners remain eligible for NHOF enshrinement.

Following are the 20 nominees for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, listed alphabetically:

Buddy Baker, won 19 times in NASCAR’s premier (now Sprint Cup) series, including the Daytona 500 and Southern 500

Red Byron, first NASCAR premier series champion, in 1949

Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series

Jerry Cook, six-time NASCAR Modified champion

Ray Evernham, three-time NASCAR premier series championship crew chief

Ray Fox, legendary engine builder and owner of cars driven by Buck Baker, Junior Johnson and others

Rick Hendrick, 14-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series

Harry Hyde, 1970 NASCAR premier series championship crew chief

Bobby Isaac, 1970 NASCAR premier series champion

Alan Kulwicki, 1992 NASCAR premier series champion

Terry Labonte, two-time NASCAR premier series champion

Mark Martin, 96-time race winner in NASCAR national series competition

Hershel McGriff, 1986 NASCAR west series champion

Raymond Parks, NASCAR’s first champion car owner

Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR premier series champion

Larry Phillips, only five-time NASCAR weekly series national champion

O. Bruton Smith, builder of Charlotte Motor Speedway and architect of Speedway Motorsports Inc.

Mike Stefanik, winner of record-tying nine NASCAR championships

Curtis Turner, early personality, called the "Babe Ruth of stock car racing"

Robert Yates, won NASCAR premier series championship as both an engine builder and owner

The five nominees for the Landmark Award are as follows…

Harold Brasington, founder of Darlington Speedway

H. Clay Earles, founder of Martinsville Speedway

Raymond Parks, NASCAR’s first champion car owner

Ralph Seagraves, formed groundbreaking Winston-NASCAR partnership as executive with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company

Ken Squier, legendary radio and television broadcaster; inaugural winner/namesake of Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence

The 22-person Nominating Committee are as follows…

NOMINATION COMMITTEE

NASCAR Hall of Fame: Executive Director Winston Kelley; Historian Buz McKim.



NASCAR Officials: Chairman / CEO Brian France; Vice Chairman Jim France; Vice Chairman of NASCAR Mike Helton; Chief Operating Officer Brent Dewar; Executive Vice President / Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell; Executive Vice President / Chief Marketing Officer Steve Phelps; Senior Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton; Competition Administrator Jerry Cook (Note: Due to Jerry Cook’s inclusion on the ballot for the NHOF Class of 2015, he was recused from voting for the Class of 2016 nominees.)



Track Owners/Operators: International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa Kennedy; Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell; Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage; Atlanta Motor Speedway President Ed Clark; former Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Tony George; Dover Motorsports CEO Denis McGlynn; Pocono Raceway board of directors member Looie McNally; Bowman Gray Stadium operator Dale Pinilis; Holland Motorsports Complex operator Ron Bennett; Rockford Speedway operator Jody Deery; West Coast representative Ken Clapp.



Media: Mike Joy, FOX.

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Kids can play games, learn math and science the NASCAR Way

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 20, 2015) — The school of NASCAR® is officially in session. NASCAR today announced the launch of NASCAR Acceleration Nation, the sport’s first-ever national learning and entertainment platform created just for kids.

NASCAR Acceleration Nation will impact children across the country through an in-school Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) program, created together with Scholastic. Classroom content will focus on teaching the aerodynamic principles of Drag, Downforce and Drafting, the NASCAR Three D’s of Speed™.

RELATED: Watch NASCAR Acceleration Nation promo ‘Ice Cream’ with Carl Edwards

The fun and dynamic AccelerationNation.com will engage kids with exclusive content and NASCAR-themed games and activities, while the NASCAR Acceleration Nation Experience will bring the platform to life for children and families at racetracks.

"NASCAR Acceleration Nation is about bringing kids closer to our sport in an entertaining and educational way," said Brent Dewar, Chief Operating Officer, NASCAR. "When you look at the speed and design of our racecars and their performance on the track, NASCAR represents a unique platform to teach math and science. Our goal is to make learning these subjects fun for kids."

NASCAR and its Research & Development Center teamed up with Scholastic to develop the motorsports industry’s first national in-school education program. The STEM supplemental materials were designed for elementary and middle school students and feature lessons and activities for each of the NASCAR Three D’s of Speed.

The easy-to-use learning materials address state and Next Generation Science standards and will be distributed as kits to 7,400 classrooms nationwide in the program’s first year, reaching nearly 200,000 students. In addition, all classroom materials and content will be available for teachers to download from a microsite accessed from AccelerationNation.com.   

"Kids are always inspired by real-life events around them," stated Ann Amstuz-Hayes, SVP Scholastic National Partnerships. "This program is a great example of how the science behind a sport and can be brought to life for students in way that is both educational, relevant and fun."

AccelerationNation.com features games and activities inspired by various elements of the sport and is divided into four activity pillars — Think, Move, Build and Team Up. Kids can test their NASCAR engine knowledge by going "Under the Hood," answer math equations with "Flash Cars" and take a quiz to see which NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ driver they most resemble. They can also play the RaceFlex racing game and sign up to earn points and badges for completing online activities.

The NASCAR Acceleration Nation Experience is a 6,400-square-foot footprint designed to entertain children and families during a number of NASCAR national series race weekends. At the interactive experience, kids can sit in the driver’s seat of a customized NASCAR Acceleration Nation stock car to learn more about the cars competing on the racetrack.    

For more information about NASCAR Acceleration Nation, and to download the in-school STEM materials, visit AccelerationNation.com.

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19-year-old scores first NASCAR national series win just 18th start

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.— As trucks fanned out four-wide behind him, Tyler Reddick took the first checkered flag of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Friday night’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

Behind the race winner, Erik Jones charged to the outside to grab the runner-up spot, followed by Scott Lagasse Jr. and Austin Theriault, Reddick’s Brad Keselowski Racing teammate.

Teamwork between the two BKR trucks was crucial to Reddick’s maiden win.

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"I just had all the confidence in the world in our trucks going into the race," Reddick said. "If we were able to get together, we were going to be able to do some great things together and help each other out. Once I knew we finally we got together on the front row for those restarts, I had a pretty good feeling that we were controlling the race and controlling the pack.

"I just can’t tell you how much it means to have a teammate there helping me get my first win. I just hope I can do the same for him on down the road."

"He owes the 29 (Theriault) big," Lagasse agreed, "because the 29 did some door-slamming to help him."

Jones surged from fourth to first off the final corner, after he and Lagasse lagged back to get a run on the leader.

"Scott and I were kind of dragging back, trying to see if we could get a run to the top there," Jones said. "When the 29 and the 19 (Reddick) came off of (Turn) 4, the 29 never lagged back. He just tried to pull out and make the pass on the 19.

"When he did that, it just opened the door for Scott on the bottom, and I was dragged back a little bit more than he was and got the pull off both of them. I went to the top and saw the opening and (ended up) running second. Just kind of a typical Daytona thing, I guess."

A massive wreck on Lap 49 of 100 wiped out a third of the field, but the two Brad Keselowski Racing trucks managed to stay out of harm’s way by staying up front for the vast majority of the race.

By the time the hood flew up on Bryan Silas’ No. 99 Chevrolet, covered the windshield and forced the truck to pit road, there were 13 trucks on the lead lap, with Reddick and Theriault in the top two spots.

Silas returned to the track sans hood, but on Lap 85 the air cleaner dislodged from the top of the engine, landed on the racing surface and caused the fifth caution of the evening.

Reddick and Theriault paced the field to a restart on Lap 89 and held the top two spots until Ryan Ellis’ Chevy slowed on the track and caused the sixth caution with eight laps remaining, setting up the scramble to the finish at the end.

Note: Defending series champion Matt Crafton finished eighth … Rookie Ray Black Jr. ran fifth, despite sustaining damage during a Lap 13 accident that caused the first caution of the evening.

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Posted on by Staff Report

See where your favorite driver will pit Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET, FS1)

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Ben Kennedy scored the Keystone Light Pole Award for Saturday’s Hyundai Construction Equipment 200 (5:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1) and, as a result, got the first choice for pit stalls.

Kennedy chose the seventh pit stall on pit road with an empty space in front of him. 

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Kennedy may have the advantage of not having a driver in front of him on pit road — however, he is not the only one to have that luxury.

Erik Jones (starting second), Cameron Hayley (starting third), John Wes Townley (starting fifth), James Buescher (starting eighth), Spencer Gallagher (starting ninth), Brad Keselowski (starting 10th) and Tyler Reddick (starting 11th) also have openings in front of them on pit road.

Watch the Hyundai Construction Equipment 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway at 5:30 p.m. ET with TV coverage on FOX Sports 1. The race is the second of 23 on the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule.