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Earnhardt Jr. has finished runner-up in three of the past four years

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. knows exactly where he wants to be in the closing laps of Sunday’s Daytona 500.

He wants to be up front, without question.

If that seems obvious, remember that the lead hasn’t always been the best place to be when approaching the checkered flag in the Great American Race.

But Earnhardt is weary of runner-up finishes — he has run second in three of the last four season-opening races — and he’d prefer to take his chances from the top spot in the running order.

"As far as trying to win one of these races, or not run second again, I think we need to be up front," Earnhardt said Thursday during a question-and-answer session with reporters in the Daytona International Speedway media center. "We’re not far enough toward the front. When we’ve run second, we’ve come from third or fourth or fifth or sixth those last few laps.

"You’re not going to win the race from back there. You might run second, but you aren’t going to win. You need to be leading the race. I would much rather be leading the Daytona 500 inside of five laps to go than be anywhere else."

Earnhardt doesn’t think the wild wrecks that interrupted Wednesday’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice constitute an indicator of the nature of Sunday’s race.

"I think just saying ‘500 miles’ changes everybody’s demeanor and everybody’s approach to that race," Earnhardt explained. "Those wrecks in practice definitely surprised me and surprised a lot of people, and I hope it’s just a product of a lot of cars trying to get out of the draft, cars blending in and cars put in a bad position that they couldn’t get out of."

DAYTONA DYNAMO
Related: Nationwide practice speeds

Three guesses. Who ran the fastest lap in final NASCAR Nationwide Series practice on Thursday?

Was it one of the series regulars? Nope.

Was it a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular, such as Kyle Busch or Dale Earnhardt Jr.? Wrong again.

Then it must have been one of the nine talented series rookies trying to earn starting spots in Saturday’s Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway. No, that’s strike three.

The driver who paced the field in Happy Hour was ARCA veteran Bobby Gerhart, who is attempting to qualify for the NNS race in his No. 85 Chevrolet.

Gerhart’s proficiency in the draft shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. After all, the 55-year-old driver has won the season-opening ARCA race at the 2.5-mile superspeedway eight times.

NASCAR’s new qualifying system, which will debut Friday, also should benefit Gerhart, who failed to make the field for last year’s Nationwide Series opener at Daytona under a single-car-run time trial format.

This year, drivers will establish qualifying speeds in a group draft, and that should help Gerhart make the show.

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Joe Gibbs Racing teammates flex muscle in Daytona qualifiers

RELATED: Duel 1 results | Duel 2 results | Daytona 500 starting lineup

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Matt Kenseth outran Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne in a three-wide finish Thursday night at Daytona International Speedway, as the driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet won the first 150-mile qualifying race in the Budweiser Duels at Daytona.
 
Sprint Unlimited winner Denny Hamlin took the second Duel under caution after a wreck in Turn 4 of the final lap ended a run that had been caution-free to that point. The win gave JGR a sweep of the first three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at Daytona and cemented the Gibbs drivers as favorites in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

Jeff Gordon ran second to Hamlin, with Kurt Busch, Paul Menard, Brian Scott and Trevor Bayne claiming third through sixth, respectively. The last-lap wreck totaled the No. 48 Chevrolet of defending Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson, who already had destroyed a car in Saturday’s Sprint Unlimited.
 
In a race that was devoid of yellow flags from start to finish, Kenseth drafted back past Harvick after the No. 4 Chevrolet made a move to the inside of Turn 4 on the final lap of Duel No. 1 and won the race to the stripe by .022 seconds. Kahne took the lead duo three-wide to the inside in the tri-oval and finished third, .062 seconds behind Kenseth.
 
Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet failed post-race inspection, however, and his finish in the Duel was disallowed. Harvick nevertheless qualified for Sunday’s Daytona 500 but will start 38th.
 
In the second Duel, Johnson triggered the wreck when he ran out of fuel and slowed in the final corner. Jamie McMurray nudged the back of Johnson’s Chevy, turning the car and starting a chain reaction that saw Clint Bowyer‘s car flipping and landing on its wheels and Martin Truex’s Chevy in flames as it crossed the finish line in eighth place.
 
Truex had qualified on the outside of the front row for the Daytona 500 but will give up his starting position and drop to the back because the wreck will force him to use a backup car.
 
"I feel terrible," Johnson said. "To tear up that many race cars, to see the No. 15 flip — I feel terrible, and certainly want to apologize to everyone. I tried to get up out of the way; I had my hand out of the side (signaling he was out of fuel).
 
"But last lap coming to the checkered, there is so much going on right there. So much energy in the pack that I knew I was going to get run over if I ran out, because guys warned me about it — and it did. Thankfully, everyone is all right, and I certainly feel bad for the torn-up race cars."
 
Hamlin, on the other hand, is clearly on a roll.
 
"Once that snowball starts to roll, it’s hard to stop it," said Hamlin, who will line up fourth in the Daytona 500, with Gordon and Busch in sixth and eighth behind him. "And right now, we’re just on a heck of a run."
 
Brothers Bobby Labonte and Terry Labonte, both past series champions, were far enough behind the wreck to roll through unaffected, and, ultimately, both raced their way into the field for Sunday.
 
In winning the first-ever Duel run under the lights, Kenseth claimed the third starting spot for Sunday’s Daytona 500. Because of Harvick’s infraction, Kahne will start fifth. Marcos Ambrose and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were third and fourth in the first Duel, after Harvick’s penalty, and will start the Daytona 500 seventh and ninth, respectively.
 
"The race ended up unfolding great for us," said Kenseth, a two-time Daytona 500 winner. "We learned a lot in the race. I had the car in some positions that I wouldn’t want to do again if I had to do it over. I was able to make some moves, get up to second behind Junior there for a long time, ultimately take the lead.
 
"At the end, I saw Kevin making that move. You weren’t going to be able to block it without wrecking. I just tried to get back to him, and, thankfully, I had enough time to get that run to the finish line."
 
Danica Patrick locked up a spot in the 56th running of the Great American Race with a 13th-place run. Tony Stewart, Patrick’s car owner and teammate, raced his way into the Daytona 500 field with a 10th-place result, after Harvick’s penalty.
 
Stewart missed the last 15 events of the 2013 season after breaking his right leg in an Aug. 5 sprint car accident in Iowa but could have relied on a past champion’s provisional berth had he not finished in the top 15 in his Duel.
 
Cole Whitt and Alex Bowman each will start the most prestigious NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race for the first time after finishing 11th and 14th in their qualifier, respectively.
 
Daytona 500 pole winner Austin Dillon came home 18th in the first Duel but accomplished his most important objective — keeping the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet intact for the start of Sunday’s race.
 
"Yeah, we ran on the outside there for a while," Dillon said. "As soon as we got kind of going backwards and three-wide or whatever, I said ‘Alright, now it’s time to go back there and play the patient game.’ It’s no fun, but we get to start on the pole for the Daytona 500 with a really fast car."
 
Whitt and Swan Racing teammate Parker Kligerman both wrecked in practice on Wednesday. Kligerman went to a backup car and ran 17th but made the field on an owner points provisional. Whitt’s team worked tirelessly to repair his No. 26 Toyota.
 
"We weren’t ready to give up," said Whitt, who cracked the top 15 with a strong last-lap run. "We knew coming down here — it was already hard for us to even get down here, let alone the things that happened to our team (Wednesday) — not just our car, from Swan Energy losing two cars.
 
"My guys pulled together and made it happen. My hat is off to them. Everything so far has just been pretty amazing. To be in the Daytona 500 is something I’ve dreamed of my whole life. Kind of a hard way to do it, but being out and back in with just a lap or so to go is pretty gnarly."
 
In the second Duel, 2012 champion Brad Keselowski led Laps 2-35, but his race fell apart when the No. 2 Ford was flagged for speeding on pit road during a Lap 36 stop. A subsequent flat tire put Keselowski three laps down. Though he finished last in the second Duel, Keselowski made the field as the sixth-fastest qualifier and will start 33rd on Sunday.
 
Eric McClure, Ryan Truex, Morgan Shepherd, Joe Nemechek and Michael McDowell failed to make the 43-car field. Shepherd, 72, was attempting to become the oldest driver to qualify for the Daytona 500.

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Posted on by Holly Cain

Teammates among seven drivers making first 500 starts; Labontes make field, too

RELATED: Duel 1 results | Duel 2 results | Daytona 500 starting lineup

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Cole Whitt called his night "amazing" while his Swan Racing teammate Parker Kligerman used the expression "heart-wrenching," but all’s well that ended well. They’ll both make their first Daytona 500 on Sunday.


Whitt’s 11th-place finish in the first Budweiser Duel 150 gave the 22-year-old immediate Daytona 500 gratification. But thanks to the one-of-a-kind qualifying format for NASCAR’s biggest race, Kligerman, 23, had to wait an excruciating hour to find out his fate after his No. 30 Lending Tree Toyota had an engine problem and lost power on the final lap leaving him outside the top-15 automatic transfer position into the Daytona 500.


His berth ultimately depended on how the second Duel played out with transfer spots, last year’s points standings and champions’ provisional setting the full 43-car field, which will include seven first-time Daytona 500 starters and three others with only a single 500 under the belt.

"I had a great qualifying weekend, a fast car and got it wrecked yesterday (in practice) and then having it all ripped apart and taken away on that last lap tonight is heart-wrenching," 

Kligerman said immediately after his race. "I wanted to be in this and be able to just chill out. Now we’re playing the waiting the game. I don’t know if I’ll even watch, maybe I’ll go sit somewhere, alone."


When Kligerman met with reporters after his fate was decided following the second race, he revealed he had a group of friends with him and watched the second race on TV in his motorhome.


"Watched every lap, sadly, it was terrible," said Kligerman smiling, a day after ending practice on his car’s roof after being collected in a seven-car accident.


"But," he continued, "It’s an honor (to be in this race). I’m grateful, astonished to be here, but ready to get the job done."

He will join six other first-time Daytona 500 starters — Whitt, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, Brian Scott, Justin Allgaier and Michael Annett. Three others will make only their second 500 start — Landon Cassill, Josh Wise and polesitter Austin Dillon.


Meanwhile, Ryan Truex, Michael McDowell, Joe Nemechek, Morgan Shepherd, Eric McClure and Dave Blaney (withdrew) did not qualify for the race.


And while nearly a quarter of the grid is comprised of first or second-time Daytona 500 starters, two-time NASCAR Cup champion Terry Labonte told reporters in the garage late Thursday night, that this — his 32nd — would be his final Daytona 500.


At various times during the 60-lap second race, Terry Labonte and Casey Mears looked like they may miss the field, but a nine-car accident coming out of the last turn on the final lap shuffled the way the field was set.
 Mears was still shaking his head about the way it all transpired.

"We just lost fuel pressure with two laps to go, so I finally came down pit road and everybody crashed and it ended up working out in our favor," Mears said. "I’m not sure how the final numbers worked out, but definitely an interesting end to the race."


For a while, Terry Labonte was battling his younger brother, 2000 Cup champ Bobby Labonte, for the final transfer spot. Then it looked as if the past champion’s provisional would be settled between them as well. They ended up safely inside the transfer window — Terry, 12th and Bobby, 13th — and neither had to use a champion’s provisional.


"That was close," said Terry Labonte, whose best Daytona 500 finishes were runner-up showings in 1986 and 1997 are his best efforts.


"I told (crew chief) Frankie (Stoddard) this was going to be my last 500 and that it would suck not to make the race. Fortunately we did.


"It was the first time I’ve ever had to go through (the extreme emotions). Thank goodness these guys are in the race. They came and tested and were slow so they built a brand new car. It’s hard for a single-car team without the resources all these other guys have and they’re not as high in points as they’d like to be. But thank goodness we made the race.


"You know I still love this, but I’ve been dragging this retirement out for seven years. I told them it was my last 500 last year too, but this year I really mean it. This will be my last 500 this Sunday."

On the other end of the spectrum, Whitt, who will start 23rd in the No. 26 Speed Stick Gear Toyota and Kligerman, who will start 41st, were still giddy at the thought of taking their first Daytona 500 green flag in 72 hours.


"It’s something I’ve dreamed of my whole life, kind of a hard way to do it," said Whitt. "But being out and back in with just a lap or so to go is pretty gnarly."


His teammate couldn’t have agreed more.


"I’ve always had a saying in life: it will all work out, always has, always will and that’s what helps me sleep," Kligerman said. 

"In my career, I didn’t come with a lot of family funding, not a lot of fanfare to this point. I’ve had to kind of fight and root and gouge for everything I’ve got.


"I’ve had a lot of times in my career where someone walked up to me before I got in the car and said, ‘this is your only shot, make it count.’


"I have a lot people that believe in me at this stage in my career. I know how to get it done. My team knows how to get it done. I had confidence in that."

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Posted on by Holly Cain

Six-time champion hopes to return to headlines with Sunday win

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jimmie Johnson is the defending Daytona 500 winner and a reigning six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champ, yet maintaining one of the lowest profiles of Daytona Speedweeks.

So far.

"I think a lot of people are tired of hearing my name," Johnson said with a grin, meeting with reporters before practice Wednesday.

"It’s not bad to have the attention go somewhere else. I hope to be back in everyone’s mindset come Sunday evening in being the winner of the Daytona 500."

With rookie Austin Dillon winning the Daytona 500 Coors Light Pole award for Sunday’s race  – the first Sprint Cup race laps for the famous No. 3 since 2001; Danica Patrick and Richard Petty’s exchange of words; Tony Stewart’s return from injury and drastic and exciting changes to NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs dominating recent news cycles, Johnson’s quest for a seventh title and his role at the Daytona 500 has been relegated to subplot.

"From the No. 3 car standpoint, that’s the perk of winning the pole; you get to sit on it for a week, basically, and all the headlines leadoff with you as the pole sitter and we’ve been fortunate to be in that situation [before]," Johnson said. "I’m sure Danica would rather not be in the headlines at all with what’s transpired there, but we’re under the radar for now I guess, but certainly hope to change that come race time."

That’s not to say Johnson’s own time on the Daytona high banks this week have been uneventful.

He crashed out of the Sprint Unlimited non-points race on Saturday night — his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevy spinning by itself — only 25 laps into the 75-lap race, while practicing drafting techniques with a newly tweaked version of the Gen-6 Chevy.

He had a great attitude about it, however, insisting that was his bad luck for the week. And that would be bad news for the competition.

Johnson responded with a 14th-best qualifying effort and can improve his Daytona 500 starting position with a good showing in Thursday night’s Duel 150. He rolls off seventh in the second race.

Perhaps no one feels the challenge of having a new elimination-type Chase playoff formula as Johnson, who is a trophy away from joining the sport’s only seven-time champions: Hall-of-Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

So even if Johnson’s historic quest isn’t receiving Speedweeks’ top billing yet, Johnson’s eyes are on the big prize — and he’s willing to methodically make a run at it. In fact, a brief pause from the cause was a welcome break from the pressure and expectations.

"Since the banquet, not much thought [went to winning a seventh title]," Johnson said. "At the banquet, and some of the stories that were around it and the questions that were asked, my mind was much more present with it. But I got into the off-season and relaxed and let go of racing and it was really nice to get into January and not have racing on the brain at all.

"So, I haven’t put a lot of thought into it. It’s a huge opportunity that we have, obviously, and I feel like we will be able to get a look or two at it as this year goes on and the next few years go on. It would be awfully cool to get it done. But it’s been out of my mind for a couple of months."

Not, however, far from his competitors thoughts. Many preseason polls have Johnson the favorite again.

"I think that they realize that (the No. 48 team) are the ones to beat. … but I think they also understand that this situation this year is, probably, if you look at it on paper, you would have to think (the new Chase format) puts everybody else in a better scenario to beat the 48 team in the end," said recently inducted NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett, an analyst for ESPN’s NASCAR broadcasts.

"That even though he’s won more races in the Chase than anybody else by a large margin, you would say, okay, all he’s got to do is win here, win here, move on to the last one and he’s got it, but it’s not going to be that simple.

"But I think that what I’m intrigued by is to see how they go about it because every time there’s been a change, whether it’s been in the car or whether it’s been in the points. … the changes that have been made, they’ve adapted better than anyone else.

"Even when they didn’t win the championship, they put themselves there, and there were just circumstances they created. How are they going to go about this?  People are going to pay attention to what they’re doing for sure, all of us are, but the teams in there are going to, also.

"You still have to make them the favorite, but I think it certainly brings a lot more people in the mix."

First, those teams will have to beat Johnson at Daytona, where — spotlight or not — he ultimately can’t be ignored.

He swept both the Daytona 500 and Coke Zero 400 last year following his second Daytona 500 win. His first win in the 500 came in 2006 — the year that kicked off five consecutive championship runs.

And he already has one leg-up on the field, beating all drivers — and most of the field — in a half-marathon Sunday morning, finishing the 13.1-mile course that incorporates a portion of the speedway in an impressive 1 hour, 28 minutes.

While Johnson may be flying under the radar so far this week, his competitors have their eyes on him.

"The respect factor from my peers is really important to me and it always has been," Johnson said. "I attribute a lot of that to the way I grew up racing and had some success, but not a lot of success. I enjoyed the race track because of my passion of competing and the relationships and friendships I had and whatever pits or garage area that existed in the vehicles I was racing.

"That whole environment has always been very important to me and relationships and respect have been really the foundation of all of that.

"And," Johnson continued, "I have to say, though, it was probably the second or third championship before I felt maybe the certain level of acceptance or respect.  … and it means the world to me.  It means more than the trophies ever will.  Those relationships really are everything for me."

 

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Posted on by Staff Report

Sponsorship of NASCAR Nationwide Series race goes through 2016

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Sport Clips Haircuts has extended its partnership agreement with Darlington Raceway to sponsor the NASCAR Nationwide Series VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 through the 2016 season.

"Sport Clips has been a fantastic partner and we are honored it is going to continue its relationship with Darlington Raceway for the next three years,"  Darlington Raceway president Chip Wile said.

"We are proud that this great partner views Darlington Raceway as a valuable platform to increase awareness of its national veterans-support programs. Today’s announcement shows the strength of the relationship and our continued commitment to fostering meaningful lasting partnerships."

The agreement ensures that Sport Clips and Darlington Raceway will continue to build on an already strong foundation started in 2012. The VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 is slated to run under the lights at the Track Too Tough to Tame on April 11.

As the "Official Haircutter" of the VFW, Sport Clips has donated more than $2 million to the organization through its annual "Help A Hero" campaign, which was established in 2007. Since their first contribution of more than $80,000, Sport Clips’donations have increased annually.

"As an organization comprised of combat veterans, the VFW is truly grateful for the continued effort of Sport Clips and Darlington Raceway in helping support those who’ve sacrificed so much for all of us," said VFW National Commander William A. Thien

Tickets to the NASCAR Nationwide Series VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 on Friday, April 11 are now on sale. Remember, kids 12 and under are FREE for the race in general admission sections. Visit www.DarlingtonRaceway.com or call 866-459-7223 for more information.

The track offers all current and retired military personnel a half-priced ticket for any adult admission to either the VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 or NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 by calling 843-395-8802 or visiting the ticket office during normal business hours.

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Posted on by Staff Report

Major associate sponsorship part of enhanced relationship with RCR

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Austin Dillon, the Daytona 500 Coors Light Pole Award winner, will sport a familiar look next week at Phoenix International Raceway.

American Ethanol will serve as primary sponsor for The Profit on CNBC 500, Presented by Small Business Fueling America on March 2 as well as other select NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races this season.

"Homegrown biofuels like American Ethanol have stepped up to help our nation’s economy,” Dillon, an official spokesperson for  said. "NASCAR drivers have run more than 5 million competitive miles on Sunoco Green E15 and I know we will reach even more milestones together. I am proud to wear the American Ethanol colors in NASCAR and I hope I can bring them to Victory Lane in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2014."

In addition to primary sponsorship on select races, American Ethanol, launched by Growth Energy and the National Corn Growers Association along with the support of other partners, will serve as a major associate sponsor for Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet for the full 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season joining Dow, Cheerios, Realtree Outdoors, Bass Pro Shops and the University of Northwestern Ohio.

"American Ethanol is extremely pleased to once again partner with Austin Dillon, Richard Childress and the entire RCR team to help promote a sustainable homegrown American fuel that is better for our environment, reduces our dependence on foreign oil and creates jobs right here in the U.S., while revitalizing rural economies across America and save consumers at the pump," Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, said.

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Posted on by Staff Report

LendingTree joins Swan Racing for first NASCAR sponsorship

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On Wednesday, Parker Kligerman went upside down after an incident during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice at Daytona International Speedway.

On Thursday, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender gained a sponsor for the Daytona 500 his Swan Racing No. 30 Toyota as LendingTree announced it will partner with a NASCAR team for the first time.

“We’re extremely excited to partner with Swan Racing in our first–ever involvement with NASCAR, and proud to support rookie driver Parker Kligerman at Daytona,” said Doug Lebda, LendingTree’s founder CEO. “LendingTree’s primary focus is to empower individuals, whether that’s empowering borrowers against big banks or empowering up-and-coming drivers against more established race teams.”

After Wednesday’s practice, Kligerman will run a backup car in Thursday’s Budweiser Duel as he attempts to make his first Great American Race.

“The No. 30 LendingTree Toyota is ready to roll and we are looking forward to getting on track beginning with tonight’s Budweiser Duel qualifying race and then Sunday’s Daytona 500,” said Kligerman.

The Daytona 500 will be held Sunday, February 23 at 1 p.m. ET, live on FOX. 

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Posted on by Staff Report

Joe Gibbs Racing, Gerhart lead NNS practices, Reddick, Blaney fast in trucks

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Nationwide Series practice (Get results)

Elliott Sadler piloted his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota atop the leaderboard in the first of two NASCAR Nationwide Series practices at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday afternoon.

Sadler’s 187.986 mph on his 11th lap highlighted a JGR sweep of the first three spots, as teammates Matt Kenseth (187.876 mph) and Kyle Busch (187.746 mph) were right behind the veteran.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (186.819 mph) was fourth, while RSS Racing’s Ryan Sieg completed the top five with a speed of 186.811 mph.

Other notables were Brad Keselowski (6th, 186.796 mph), Chase Elliott (8th, 186.726 mph), Kyle Larson (186.575 mph), Danica Patrick (12th, 186.556 mph) and Regan Smith (13th, 186.540 mph).

Camping World Truck Series practice  (Get results)

A pair of Brad Keselowski Racing drivers topped the early Camping World Truck Series practice Thursday, as Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney each topped 190 mph on their second laps.

Reddick (190.090 mph) and Blaney (190.058 mph) each set the pace, as Ryan Truex (189.613 mph), Darrell Wallace Jr. (189.064 mph) and reigning series champion Matt Crafton (189.040 mph) rounded out the top five.

Jeb Burton, (188.553 mph) running in a third ThorSport entry for Daytona, was eighth in the No. 13 Toyota. Ben Kennedy, who took yesterday’s practice, was 11th on the board at 188.265 mph. Former series champ Ron Hornaday Jr., running a Turner Scott Motorsports ride, was 12th at 188.037 mph.

Nationwide Series final practice (Get results)

Bobby Gerhart led a thinned out crowd in the final Nationwide Series practice at Daytona on Thursday.

Gerhart, who is fielding his own No. 85 entry and has 11 Nationwide starts since 2001, ran his fifth lap at a clip of 189.342 mph.

Scott Lagasse Jr. (189.239 mph) was second, followed by Ryan Reed (188.640 mph), Dakoda Armstrong (188.636 mph) and Chris Buescher (188.576 mph) to round out the top-five.

Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Elliott Sadler, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch were absent from the final practice after topping the leaderboard in the first session.

Camping World Truck Series final practice (Get results)

Ryan Blaney backed up his strong showing in early NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, topping the final practice session for Friday night’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1).

Blaney turned a lap of 190.775 mph in the No. 29 Brad Keselowski Racing Ford, edging Sprint Cup regular Kyle Busch‘s No. 51 Toyota (190.468) atop the leaderboard. Defending series champion Matt Crafton was third-fastest with Ross Chastain and Jeb Burton completing the top five on the speed chart.

The 80-minute session was slowed for debris when the side window flew off Justin Jennings‘ No. 63 Chevrolet in the trioval. The window was hit by another truck and flew up and over the flagstand at the start-finish line, narrowly missing NASCAR flagman Rodney Wise, who ducked to avoid being hit.

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Posted on by Staff Report

Pole-sitter Dillon is the only driver to have two occupied spots in front of him on pit road

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The pit stall assignments for the Budweiser Duels at Daytona International Speedway have been revealed.

For the first Duel, Joe Nemechek has the pit stall closest to the pit road exit. Josh Wise has the pit stall closest to the pit road entrance. 

Most of the field has an empty stall in front of them for the first Duel, except for Wise, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon and Dave Blaney.

UPDATE: Blaney has since withdrawn from further competition in Speedweeks, so only Wise and Busch will have a car in the stall next to them.

The pit road grid for the second Budweiser Duel.
 

 

In the second Duel, Casey Mears has the stall closest to the pit road exit, while Morgan Shepherd has the first stall closest to the pit road entrance.

Most of the field has an empty stall in front of them. The only drivers in Duel 2 to not have an empty stall in front of them are: Shepherd, Terry Labonte and Bobby Labonte.

The first Budweiser Duel is set for Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.

 

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Posted on by Nascar

Harvick had finished second in Duel 1; will start 38th on Sunday

RELATED: Duel 1 results | Duel 2 results | Daytona 500 lineup

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kevin Harvick, who had finished second in the first of two Budweiser Duel qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway Thursday night, will start from the back of the field in Sunday’s Daytona 500. 

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series officials tossed out the Stewart-Haas Racing driver’s runner-up finish in the 60-lap qualifying race due to a track-bar infraction discovered during post-race inspection. He was ultimately credited with a 24th-place finish in the race.

"It exceeded the maximum split on the track bar and its qualifying time has been thrown out," NASCAR spokesperson Kerry Tharp said prior to the start of the night’s second qualifying race. "The No 5 car (of Kasey Kahne) goes up into that spot (fifth)."

Based on the results of the second qualifying race, Harvick will officially be listed 38th among the 43 that have earned a starting spot in the Daytona 500.

Harvick, who joined SHR during the offseason after spending 13 years with Richard Childress Racing, didn’t lead a lap in his Duel event, but a late surge had him side-by-side with eventual race winner Matt Kenseth at the start/finish line. Kenseth’s margin of victory was 0.022 seconds.

Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition for SHR, said he hoped to speak with NASCAR officials following the completion of the second qualifying race.

"I guess they’re telling us we’re starting at the rear," Zipadelli said. "… Everybody in the garage has adjusted their cars during the race and it’s never been an issue afterward. But I mean it’s a different deal here. We need to figure that stuff out on our side and make sure we don’t put ourselves in this position again."

The amount was insignificant as far as gaining any advantage, he said, but added the team did make a track bar adjustment during the only pit stop during the race.

"The track bar adjustment that you make during the race, they made a small one," he said. "It doesn’t add up to what they adjusted and what they should have started the race with. At this point, as far as they’re concerned it doesn’t matter.

"You can dictate the rear travel, the amount the car travels, by the amount of rake you have in it. That’s kind of how we got on that rule; people were coming up with just ridiculous amounts of track bar rake and it was pulling the back of the car down so they came up with this rule and you can only have three inches of rake. It doesn’t matter where … you can have it way down on the bottom if you need rear grip, you just can’t have more than three inches.

"For something that honestly as little as it was didn’t probably amount to anything other than changing the handling characteristics of the car. We needed a little bit of an adjustment during the race. So it’s disappointing because it knocks the wind out of your sails. You had a good car, had a great run, did a great job tonight. … Just a little setback.

"But we’ll have a few of our cars back there, we’ll team up and haul ass to the front."

SHR teammates Tony Stewart and Danica Patrick will also drop to the rear of the field prior to the start of the season-opening event. Both teams had to replace engines after issues during practice on Saturday, as did former Cup champion Bobby Labonte.

Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing) led 14 laps in the opening Duel, but had spent most of his race toward the back of the pack. Dillon won the Coors Light Pole Award last Sunday and had already locked in the No. 1 starting position.

Martin Truex Jr., second fastest in qualifying, was involved in a multicar crash on the final lap of the second qualifying race. As a result, he is expected to go to a back-up entry, and thus will also drop to the rear before the start of the 500.

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