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Preseason Thunder testing gives Bill another chance to help Chase

RELATED: Complete Preseason Thunder schedule

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It was a confluence of generations, linked together by adjoining garage stalls. On one side was Bill Elliott, two-time winner of the Daytona 500, former champion of NASCAR’s premier circuit, his familiar balloon-lettered autograph scrawled above the driver’s side window opening. On the other was 18-year-old Chase Elliott, yet to make his first start in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, bright yellow rookie stripes affixed to the rear end of his car.

Like father, like son.

"It’s really cool," Chase said about being on the track with his legendary father, something that doesn’t happen that often. "Obviously just for him to be my dad, but at the same time he’s got a lot of knowledge that can be very helpful to me, and can be helpful when we come back here in a few weeks, too. He won’t be racing unfortunately when we come back, but to have him here will be really helpful."

Which was the intention of this pairing during the Nationwide Series portion of the Preseason Thunder test session at Daytona International Speedway. JR Motorsports announced earlier in the week that Chase Elliott will run the full Nationwide campaign in a No. 9 car backed by NAPA. Since team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. — who will run a few Nationwide events himself, beginning with the opener at Daytona — couldn’t make the test due to a scheduling conflict, JRM called upon someone else it knew could help its rookie driver.

Dear old dad.

That’s why Bill Elliott, 58, was outfitted in a red firesuit despite that he hasn’t started a national series NASCAR event since Daytona in July of 2012. His goals were twofold — to help bring the No. 5 car up to speed for when Earnhardt jumps in during Speedweeks, and to offer his son whatever advice was needed. Like most racers eager to get back behind the wheel one more time, he was more than happy to oblige.

"Dale Jr. asked me to come do this test, and I thought man, what a great opportunity. For me, the opportunities get fewer and fewer the older you get," Bill said. "And to be down here with Chase, I’m proud that at least when he asks me a question, I’m not totally stupid on the answer. But it’s the same. When I was riding around there, it was no different. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was in a car running around these places. It’s just a great opportunity. I feel honored to be in this position. Hopefully I can help them out, at least give them some experience, and see what happens."

The one-time testing appearance by Bill Elliott at Preseason Thunder, the Nationwide portion of which was Saturday and Sunday, was more than just enjoyable for Bill and educational for Chase. It was also clearly a thrill to other members of the JRM team, driver Regan Smith among them.

"Bill has obviously been around for a long time, has a lot of experience, a lot of good memories, and to just talk to him and hear what he has to say, it’s like he hasn’t missed a beat," said Smith, who finished third in final points last year. "I feel like he’s been out there racing all along, and I’m sure he could probably suit back up tomorrow and kick most of our asses. It’s pretty cool to see him in the car. For him and Chase to get to share that moment of Chase’s first Nationwide test and preparing to come down here to race as a father‑son is pretty special, especially the way things worked out."

The Elliotts aren’t on the track together all that often — Chase said it’s only happened a few times previously, and they’ve raced against one another just once, in a late model event a few months ago. Chase’s Dawsonville, Ga., roots were evident in the vintage Atlanta Braves logo on his helmet. As touching as it was to see father and son together, the primary intention is to bring Chase up to speed in preparation for his Nationwide debut. The younger Elliott had never even driven a Nationwide car prior to Saturday, and awaiting him are the vagaries of the draft in the season opener, followed by other tracks he’s never competed on before.

" … Regan, Chase and myself will draft some, and that’s where he needs all the experience he can find," Bill said before the three went out to draft Saturday. "That’s going to be the big key, trying to get that learning curve as fast as you can. I know we can do it. It’s just the point of these first handful of races, you go a lot of different places — you go to Phoenix, you go to Vegas, go to Bristol, go to California. It’s going to be a mix of a lot of different race tracks, some he’s been on, some he’s not. It’s going to be good for him."

Chase expected his dad’s experience to help the most when it came to drafting, something teams did more of as the first day of Nationwide testing moved into the afternoon. Bill was a renowned restrictor-plate racer during his day, scoring six combined victories at Daytona and Talladega. That expertise was evident Saturday afternoon, when Chase, Bill, and Smith entered the draft and promptly moved to first, second, and third, respectively, on the speed chart. Those speeds stood for the remainder of the session, making 18-year-old Chase the fastest driver of the test’s opening day. The three also were on the track in Sunday’s first session before packing it up.

"I think he can kind of watch things that I’m going to do, and things that I can try to do to improve that," Chase said. "I feel like he’s one of the best when it comes to manipulating the air and making the most of the draft and stuff, so I think when it comes to that, he’s going to be a big asset."

Although he’s just 18, Chase has plenty of memories of his dad on the race track, among them Bill’s days in the Evernham Motorsports No. 9 — a number JRM adopted for its newest driver, recognizing the historical significance — and his most recent race, here two years ago in a Turner Scott Motorsports car backed by Walmart. "It wasn’t long ago he was down here, so he knows what’s going on," Chase said. "He’s up-to-date on everything."

This weekend the task is to hand much of that knowledge down to Chase, who won a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event last season, and next month with JRM begins his first full-time campaign at NASCAR’s national level.

"He’s a great kid, he’s done a great job," Bill said, "and it’s a great opportunity for him."

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Posted on by Zack Albert

Camping World Truck Series teams will take the track at 9 a.m. on Monday

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams will take the wraps off their new-look vehicles Monday, meaning school will be in session for the final segment of NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing.

When the teams hit Daytona International Speedway’s high banks for the first time this year, it will be the first official test for the new truck body style. Fans received a sneak peek at the new look when Toyota unveiled its 2014 Tundra at the NASCAR Contenders Live event in Chicago last September. Chevrolet’s revamped Silverado and Ford’s new F-150 race trucks will make their debuts Monday.

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NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said the new race truck designs will more closely resemble the look of their street counterparts, mimicking the brand identity-driven move of NASCAR’s premier series to its showroom-savvy sixthgeneration of race car.

Teams know how the truck looks. Monday, they’ll find out how they’ll race on NASCAR’s biggest tracks. 

"Guys will just have to learn the characteristics of running a truck at the superspeedways, because as we discussed the other day, the opportunity for the drafting and the side drafting will be a little bit different because the vehicle is so much different than what they had. So they’ll be going to school on that." 

Nineteen trucks are scheduled to participate in the two-day test session. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch will be among them, driving the No. 51 Toyota from his own race shop. Busch will be splitting time this season with 17-year-old Erik Jones, but the young driver doesn’t meet the age requirement to test at 2.5-mile Daytona.

"I get stuck with the duties of that," joked Busch, whose truck team tested in December at Nashville Superspeedway. "Looking forward to getting the truck here, though, and just kind of learning some things, seeing what the aero package is like, besides the time we spent with it in Nashville."

Pemberton said bringing the new truck to reality has been a diligent, collaborative effort with teams and manufacturers. The two-day test will likely involve as much learning for NASCAR as it will for drivers and crews. 

"It’s the first change we’ve had in quite some time to the Camping World Truck Series, Pemberton said. "The development and everything went as smooth as could be expected throughout the summer, kind of went under the radar we had so many other things going on that people really didn’t know we were working on it. But the manufacturers worked very hard just like they have in the last two vehicles that we’ve brought online with the product relevance and the trucks look really nice, look a lot closer to what they’re selling. 

"We expect that we’ll have another good couple of days of testing, even though it is a new truck, there are some rule changes with the cooling system that we’ve brought online that we had in (Sprint) Cup and now in Nationwide."

Testing is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET each day with a one-hour break (noon-1 p.m.) for lunch.

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Posted on by Zack Albert

Dylan Kwasniewski topped early session with a speed of 190.022 mph

MORE: Preseason Thunder NASCAR Nationwide Series speeds

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing wrapped up 90 minutes early for the NASCAR Nationwide Series on Sunday, closing the two-day session. 

Most teams had loaded up by mid-afternoon at Daytona International Speedway, partly driven by having collected a sufficient amount of data and perhaps mostly motivated by avoiding the risk of a crash in the multiple drafting sessions that sprung up throughout the day. JR Motorsports and some of the Turner Scott Motorsports team shut down after the hour long lunch break, and Richard Childress Racing and others soon followed suit. 

Even before the final day of testing trickled to an end, NASCAR officials said they were satisfied with the progress teams had made after adjusting to minimal rules changes.

"What we’ve heard so far, haven’t seen anybody give me a thumbs down," said Wayne Auton, NASCAR Nationwide Series director. "It’s always been a thumbs up so far. They like the feel of the car."

NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton agreed, saying it was encouraging to see the multicar packs form early on Sunday. 

"It was good to see everybody get out there and get right to the drafting part of it," Pemberton said. "I think guys are pretty anxious to see how their cars react with the cooling systems and the spoiler changes. I’m really pleased with the test. I mean, I think everybody has done a nice job. Our conversations that we’ve had with the drivers the other morning and Wayne working through the garage area, getting good feedback, it looks like a good effort on everybody’s part to do all the right things out there. It looked really nice." 

NASCAR Next member Dylan Kwasniewski sat atop the Day 2 speed chart with a lap at 190.022 mph in the No. 31 Turner Scott Motorsports Chevrolet. The 18-year-old champion of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2013 (he also won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West title in 2012) mixed it up in the draft for the first time at Daytona; content with the test results, the team pushed its Camaro onto the hauler and headed back to North Carolina. 

Rookie Chad Boat topped the afternoon session with a lap at 187.778 mph before the garage began to clear out. 

Neither Auton nor Pemberton elaborated on the news that the Nationwide Series would be among the national divisions to abandon single-car qualifying this season.

"They know we are not going to run single-car qualifying," Auton said with a smile. "That’s all they know." 

But Pemberton shed some light on the penalty phase for tandem drafting at Daytona and Talladega, the two tracks where the two-car aerodynamic tactic runs rampant. In the case of a last-lap tandem draft, Pemberton said the sanctioning body would issue penalties as it has always done.

"Well, we have the ability to just not score the lap or time penalty post-race," Pemberton said. "That’s been there all along. I think you can remember far enough back, I believe a team penalty was imposed on maybe Ricky Rudd or somebody at (Sonoma Raceway) a long time ago, and so we have that ability. You know, the rule that –the unwritten rule that you get three laps from getting a black flag, it really doesn’t hold water. I mean, we only give them that, and that started back in the day when people a lot of times didn’t even have radios. So that’s just kind of — it’s the unwritten rule.

"But we expect teams that get the black flag to immediately obey the order from the tower, and we do have the ability to fix the scoring when it’s over with."

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READ: Dale Jr. not surprised
by Letarte’s decision

READ: Complete schedule
for Preseason Thunder

WATCH: Stewart: ‘It’s nice
to be back’

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Posted on by Zack Albert

Roush Fenway Racing driver both excited and optimistic for 2014

RELATED: Preseason Thunder speeds | Schedule | Full coverage

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Hard to believe, but ever-boyish Trevor Bayne returned to Daytona International Speedway with the look and feel of a veteran. 

Perhaps it’s a statement on the infusion of new, young talent in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this season. Maybe it’s the rise of fresh-faced teammates Ryan Reed, 20, and Chris Buescher, 21, within the Roush Fenway Racing stable. Or maybe it’s that Daytona 500 victory from three years ago that makes Bayne, who will turn 23 just days before the season begins, seem like an old pro.

"Man, it is weird being almost the old guy in the series now," Bayne said Sunday as NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing for the Nationwide Series wound toward its conclusion. "You see a lot of new faces coming through and a lot of guys getting opportunities in Cup and it’s exciting for them. We’re definitely ready for that opportunity, but we’re also going to make the most of the fun that we have now."

Making the most of it seems to be a theme for Bayne, who hopes to carry the experience and perhaps some of his team’s second-half momentum into his sixth season of NASCAR Nationwide Series competition, his fourth straight for team owner Jack Roush (Bayne also ran a handful of races for Roush in 2010). His No. 6 team will reunite him with Chad Norris as crew chief, after Mike Kelley’s offseason move to the Sprint Cup Series with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 

Despite the changes, Bayne said his team was as prepared as ever. 

"I think our team is probably the most set it’s ever been going into a season as far as funding, sponsorship, having our pit boxes and haulers already ready to go," said Bayne, who rallied to finish sixth in the season-long standings last year. "It seems like normally Daytona sneaks up on you and you aren’t completely prepared with your guys and cars and equipment and all that. But I feel like this season we’re the most prepared we’ve ever been for February to come around." 

Norris, who worked with Travis Pastrana in the Roush organization last year, also has some Sprint Cup seasoning as a crew chief for Carl Edwards in the second half of the 2012 campaign. He was also atop the pit box for Bayne’s first Nationwide Series win in November 2011 at Texas.

Though Kelley has moved on after winning two Nationwide titles with Stenhouse, Bayne has no doubts about his team’s potential.

"Obviously you hate to lose somebody of that caliber, but for Chad Norris to step in, I’m gaining somebody, again," Bayne said. "So Chad and I have had a lot of success together. (In) 2011 he came in halfway through the year. We finished off the season with a win at Texas, and then at the beginning of 2012 we ran about the first four races together and I believe we were only four or five points out of the lead when we ran out of funds. So I know Chad can do it, and I’m really happy with the guys I have going forward this year."

In terms of the Roush Fenway driver lineup, Bayne now qualifies as the elder statesman. Buescher and Reed split time with several races each in the team’s No. 16 Ford last season. The two combined for three top-10 finishes that hinted at their potential in 2014 and beyond.

For Bayne, it’s another opportunity to be a mentor and a team player.

"I’ve kind of been an open book towards my teammates especially, to Chris and Ryan," Bayne said. "I remember when I came in and I’d try to ask for help and people were all secretive. It wasn’t fun trying to learn on your own, so I try to help out as much as I can, but I don’t know how much help I am. They’re smart guys and pretty successful race car drivers." 

As in years past, Bayne said he would continue to drive a part-time schedule for the Wood Brothers in the No. 21 Ford on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He said the team had a 12-race schedule planned with hopes of expanding that number to 18 or 20 if sponsorship allows. 

In the meantime, Bayne’s focus is razor-sharp for his full-time Nationwide job, where he hopes the label of "veteran" will also include the prefix of "champion." 

"A successful year is obviously a championship-contending season," Bayne said. "We wanted that last year and a couple things took us out of it. A couple of them were parts failures, a couple of them were driver failures and making bad decisions on the race track, and those are things we have to eliminate. … You can’t dig a hole for yourself, and I think I learned a lot about that last season, and that’s what’s going to help us be a championship contender this year."

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to be back’

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See testing times from Daytona International Speedway

Sunday p.m. testing speeds

Pos. No. Name Make Laps Best Time (sec) Best Speed (mph)
1. 84 Chad Boat Chevrolet 22 47.929 187.778
2. 32 Kyle Larson Chevrolet 28 47.948 187.703
3. 16 Ryan Reed Ford 40 48.001 187.496
4. 43 Dakoda Armstrong Ford 41 48.007 187.473
5. 60 Chris Buescher Ford 42 48.010 187.461
6. 6 Trevor Bayne Ford 33 48.013 187.449
7. 22 Ryan Blaney Ford 33 48.045 187.324
8. 98 David Ragan Ford 9 48.085 187.169
9. 85 Bobby Gerhart Chevrolet 35 48.163 186.865
10. 99 James Buescher Toyota 36 48.166 186.854
11. 11 Elliott Sadler Toyota 7 48.202 186.714
12. 3 Ty Dillon Chevrolet 29 48.390 185.989
13. 62 Brendan Gaughan Chevrolet 18 48.578 185.269
14. 28 Matt Carter Dodge 56 49.582 181.517
15. 13 Harrison Rhodes Dodge 41 49.587 181.499
16. 52 Joey Gase Toyota 15 50.024 179.914
17. 73 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 9 50.024 179.914
18. 2 Brian Scott Chevrolet 28 50.490 178.253

Sunday a.m. testing speeds

Pos. No. Name Make Laps Best Time (sec.) Best Speed (mph)
1. 31 Dylan Kwasniewski Chevrolet 61 47.363 190.022
2. 9 Chase Elliott Chevrolet 66 47.381 189.950
3. 99 James Buescher Toyota 39 47.388 189.921
4. 5 Bill Elliott Chevrolet 52 47.397 189.885
5. 62 Brendan Gaughan Chevrolet 36 47.398 189.881
6. 32 Kyle Larson Chevrolet 59 47.420 189.793
7. 2 Brian Scott Chevrolet 44 47.433 189.741
8. 7 Regan Smith Chevrolet 56 47.444 189.697
9. 3 Ty Dillon Chevrolet 55 47.601 189.072
10. 85 Bobby Gerhart Chevrolet 27 48.581 185.258
11. 84 Chad Boat Chevrolet 44 48.600 185.185
12. 43 Dakoda Armstrong Ford 25 49.161 183.072
13. 17 Tanner Berryhill Toyota 13 49.272 182.660
14. 23 Ryan Ellis Ford 22 49.619 181.382
15. 73 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 28 49.926 180.267
16. 11 Elliott Sadler Toyota 22 50.155 179.444
17. 98 David Ragan Ford 32 50.178 179.361
18. 6 Trevor Bayne Ford 22 50.278 179.005
19. 16 Ryan Reed Ford 21 50.376 178.657
20. 60 Chris Buescher Ford 24 50.435 178.448
21. 22 Ryan Blaney Ford 27 50.460 178.359
22. 28 Matt Carter Dodge 11 51.442 174.954
23. 52 Joey Gase Toyota 6 51.603 174.408
24. 13 Harrison Rhodes Dodge 12 51.684 174.135

Saturday p.m. testing speeds

Pos. No. Name Make Laps Best Time (sec.) Best Speed (mph)
1. 9 Chase Elliott Chevrolet 58 47.874 187.993
2. 5 Bill Elliott Chevrolet 65 47.879 187.974
3. 7 Regan Smith Chevrolet 55 47.885 187.950
4. 3 Ty Dillon Chevrolet 76 47.922 187.805
5. 6 Trevor Bayne Ford 57 47.938 187.743
6. 98 David Ragan Ford 25 47.997 187.512
7. 60 Chris Buescher Ford 49 48.026 187.398
8. 32 Kyle Larson Chevrolet 60 48.066 187.243
9. 31 Dylan Kwasniewski Chevrolet 61 48.112 187.064
10. 55 Jamie Dick Chevrolet 39 48.138 186.962
11. 2 Brian Scott Chevrolet 53 48.172 186.831
12. 43 Dakoda Armstrong Ford 57 48.178 186.807
13. 99 James Buescher Toyota 55 48.203 186.710
14. 16 Ryan Reed Ford 52 48.216 186.660
15. 62 Brendan Gaughan Chevrolet 36 48.232 186.598
16. 85 Bobby Gerhart Chevrolet 30 48.818 184.358
17. 17 Tanner Berryhill Toyota 28 49.269 182.671
18. 23 Ryan Ellis Ford 30 49.716 181.028
19. 22 Ryan Blaney Ford 22 50.025 179.910
20. 11 Elliott Sadler Toyota 27 50.041 179.853
21. 84 Chad Boat Chevrolet 27 50.474 178.310
22. 13 Harrison Rhodes Dodge 15 51.425 175.012
23. 28 Matt Carter Dodge 4 51.631 174.314
24. 52 Joey Gase Toyota 11 51.834 173.631
25. 73 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 11 52.162 172.539

Saturday a.m. testing speeds

Pos. No. Name Make Laps Best Time (sec.) Best Speed (mph)
1. 31 Dylan Kwasniewski Chevrolet 30 49.071 183.408
2. 99 James Buescher Toyota 24 49.074 183.397
3. 32 Kyle Larson Chevrolet 30 49.238 182.786
4. 11 Elliott Sadler Toyota 12 50.048 179.827
5. 3 Ty Dillon Chevrolet 24 50.169 179.394
6. 16 Ryan Reed Ford 18 50.180 179.354
7. 6 Trevor Bayne Ford 22 50.287 178.973
8. 5 Bill Elliott Chevrolet 27 50.295 178.944
9. 43 Dakoda Armstrong Ford 27 50.502 178.211
10. 22 Ryan Blaney Ford 23 50.503 178.207
11. 7 Regan Smith Chevrolet 19 50.521 178.144
12. 2 Brian Scott Chevrolet 15 50.544 178.063
13. 60 Chris Buescher Ford 21 50.626 177.774
14. 62 Brendan Gaughan Chevrolet 11 50.691 177.546
15. 98 David Ragan Ford 16 50.695 177.532
16. 9 Chase Elliott Chevrolet 17 50.746 177.354
17. 85 Bobby Gerhart Chevrolet 11 50.991 176.502
18. 84 Chad Boat Chevrolet 17 51.173 175.874
19. 55 Jamie Dick Chevrolet 5 51.510 174.723
20. 23 Ryan Ellis Ford 7 51.927 173.320
21. 52 Joey Gase Toyota 5 52.241 172.278

MORE:

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Former Truck Series champion knows Nationwide Series presents changes, challenges

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — James Buescher has left the nest, and the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion believes success will follow him to his new racing home.

After three top-three finishes in the final Truck Series points standings in the last three years, Buescher is leaving the relative comfort and security of Turner Scott Motorsports, a team founded by father-in-law Steve Turner, for a full-time NASCAR Nationwide Series ride with RAB Racing.

"In some ways, it was a really difficult decision from a family aspect and everything that we’ve accomplished at Turner Scott Motorsports — championships and race wins and poles and kind of building that organization with them," Buescher said Saturday during Nationwide Series testing at Daytona International Speedway, site of his only career Nationwide victory (2012). "Leaving was definitely tough."

In changing teams, Buescher also will have to get to know a new crew chief (Chris Rice) and acclimate to a new manufacturer (Toyota). Sponsor Rheem is moving with him to the No. 99 Camry owned by Robby Benton.

"Coming over to a new team, it’s going to take some learning, and there’s a lot of unknowns," Buescher said. "We have to learn each other, and I have to learn the cars and just the way things work and working with a new manufacturer. So I have a lot of unknowns, but I feel like we’ll be competitive for a championship."

Buescher recognizes, however, that he faces a distinct move up in class.

"The competition level is definitely a step up," he said. "(In) Truck racing, you have a couple of guys come down from the (Sprint) Cup Series — in an average race, you have one or two. And over in the Nationwide Series, just about every week there’s around 10. Obviously, the competition goes up, and the amount of races and the length of races, just getting used to all those different things on a full-time basis.

"I’ve raced plenty of Nationwide races in the past (58 starts in the past six years), so I feel like I’m going to get in the swing of things even faster than if I had only raced five or six Nationwide races. But I’m excited to be full-time in the series, and it’s got its challenges, but I feel like I’m ready to tackle them."

Buescher’s long-term goal is ascension to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. With that in mind, Buescher believes the move to RAB, whose lone NNS win came at Montreal in 2010 with road-course ringer Boris Said behind the wheel, is his best career option at this point.

"I want to make it to the Sprint Cup level, and I want to be a Sprint Cup champion one day," Buescher said. "I have to make the moves in my career that are best for me, and I feel like coming over to RAB Racing and Toyota — and being able to bring Rheem with me as the sponsor — was the best situation for me to be in right now. We had a test at Nashville back in December that went really well, and this is my second time in the car (Saturday), and we were fastest in the single-car runs all morning and second fastest in the draft. … I’m thinking things are going to go really well, and like I said, I’m really excited to finally be in the Nationwide Series full-time."

MORE:

READ: Dale Jr. not surprised
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READ: Complete schedule
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WATCH: Stewart: ‘It’s nice
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READ: Latest news
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Posted on by Holly Cain

Earnhardt Jr. won’t offer suggestions on Letarte’s replacement

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Even as news was still breaking that Steve Letarte would vacate his crew chief job at Hendrick Motorsports in 2015 to join the NBC Sports broadcast team, the projections, rumors and predictions about who would replace him atop Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s pit box began.

"I think it’s the best job in the garage that’s coming open; I would put it at the top of the list," Letarte said Friday.

And who would argue? Working for the most successful championship NASCAR Sprint Cup Series organization in NASCAR history, calling the shots for Earnhardt, the sport’s perennial Most Popular Driver, is an attractive — albeit challenging — form of employment.

However, the man most vested in the pairing, the driver himself, said he thinks it best to have no input into the search process.

"I won’t make any suggestions at all," he said. "I will leave that up to Rick (Hendrick) and (general manager) Doug (Duchardt). And I would love to have input from Chad Knaus and Steve. I think that Steve knows what makes this team work.

"I think it’s important he has a lot of influence, because he knows how well the shop works together and what the culture is in the shop, how a particular guy may mesh in that environment."

When approached in the Sprint Cup garage by NASCAR.com during Friday’s Preseason Thunder test session, Knaus said he preferred not to name any front-runners specifically. But he acknowledged his Hendrick Motorsports team has a preferred history of promoting from within.

"It’s cool that Dale values my opinion," said Knaus, a six-time title-winning crew chief for Jimmie Johnson, whose No. 48 team shares a shop with Earnhardt’s No. 88 team.

"I think there’s a lot of people out there that could fit into the mold we’ve got there pretty well and not disrupt it too badly. But it’s going to be a task for sure.

"You have to realize Steve’s been there a long time. Mike Landis, our team manager, has been there a long time too. And when you bring someone new into the fold it’s going to change it a little bit. We want to be cautious and make sure whoever comes in doesn’t really disrupt the workflow of that shop because that shop has been pretty successful."

As for a front-runner from within the Hendrick organization, Knaus would only say, "the company always tries to (promote from within), but this is all brand new so I can’t comment too much on it right now."

While Knaus preferred to defer, the rest of the Sprint Cup garage was buzzing with speculation.

One obvious potential candidate is Ron Malec, Knaus’ right-hand man as car chief on Johnson’s six champion runs.

Greg Ives would also be a legitimate candidate. He currently works at Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports operation as crew chief for 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series rookie Chase Elliott, and Ives would bring the experience of working for and with Earnhardt. He worked alongside Knaus at Hendrick for nine years, serving as race engineer on Johnson’s five consecutive championship seasons (2006-10).

Hendrick Motorsports issued a statement Thursday expressing support for Letarte’s decision and stressing it did not want the future job vacancy to be a distraction for the present.

"We don’t expect to address the crew chief position until after the season," the statement said. "Everyone with the team is focused on 2014 and committed to having another great year."

Letarte said he’d be glad to offer his opinion and assist in the search for his replacement, but like Earnhardt and Knaus, he insisted this decision ultimately and fittingly belongs in Hendrick’s hands.

"That’s a question for Rick Hendrick how much he wants to involve me or not involve me," Letarte said. "I’d be happy to help him anyway I can, help Dale, help anyone involved. I care about them like family and I’ll do anything I can do to help with their decision. Rick is the magician to this. He puts the right people together, so I don’t know if he needs my help. But if he wants it, I’ll be there."

And while Earnhardt may not have a preference or a desire to participate in the search for Letarte’s replacement, he does know that person will have some big shoes to fill.

"I think that my fear is just (replacing) Steve," Earnhardt said. "It’s a guy that’s going to be hard to replace."

MORE:

READ: Dale Jr. not surprised
by Letarte’s decision

READ: Complete schedule
for Preseason Thunder

WATCH: Stewart: ‘It’s nice
to be back’

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Nationwide and Truck Series teams will be black-flagged for tandem drafting

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR officials will penalize teams in two of its three national series this season for what is commonly known as "tandem drafting."
 
The rule will be enforced at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, the only two tracks where restrictor plates are used and drafting is predominant.
 
Robin Pemberton, vice president of competition for NASCAR, said Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series teams were told of the change last year.
 
Tandem drafting is the process of two cars hooking up nose to tail to increase their overall speed. It became prevalent in Sprint Cup Series competition before engine-cooling rule changes increased the chances of overheating the engines.

"They can draft," Pemberton said Saturday at Daytona. "We worked on the cars, worked on the cooling (systems), the spring package the spoiler, in an effort to help separate (the cars) a little bit.
 
"You can bump draft; you can bump draft a guy up (through the field), but you can’t hook up on the bumper and just lay on the bumper. So far what we’ve seen today has been pretty good."
 
If it is determined that teams are using the tandem draft during a NASCAR race, the teams in question will be black-flagged. If the infraction occurs during practice, the teams will be black-flagged and their times disallowed. Practice session times are used to determine the starting lineup when qualifying is cancelled due to inclement weather.
 
Teams were reminded of the change today at Daytona and told that the procedure included on-track activity here.
 
"We told them this morning, if they hook up in testing, they’ll get a black flag," Pemberton said.
 
During a race, "It’s a race procedure call and we will regulate it from the (officials) tower," he said.
 
"There are a lot of different experience levels in (the two series). For the most part, it was well received. The concern was ‘how are you going to regulate it and what are the tolerances?’
 
"I think we’ve established so far what the tolerances are, and so far they’ve accepted that and worked around it for all of this practice."
 
James Buescher, who is making the move from the Truck to the Nationwide Series this year, said he preferred pack racing to tandem racing, because in pack racing "you kind of get to control more of your own destiny.
 
"You still have to rely on a lot of other cars to work with you in the draft, and two cars are still faster than one," he said, "but the fact you don’t have to have somebody locked onto your back … or front bumper … it puts a lot more control in your own hands."

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Regan Smith posts third best speed of 187.950 mph during first day of testing

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Like father, like son. 

Chase and Bill Elliott, the son and father testing for JR Motorsports here this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, led the first day’s efforts as the NASCAR Nationwide Series began its two-day portion of Preseason Thunder.

Chase Elliott, who will run the full season for JRM in the NAPA-branded No. 9 Chevrolet, ended the afternoon session atop the scoreboard with a draft-aided lap of 187.993 mph.

The elder Elliott, winner of the 1988 NASCAR Cup championship, checked in right behind his son at 197.974 mph. While he hasn’t competed since 2012, he is testing a second JRM entry for the organization here this weekend. 

Not to be outdone, fellow JRM driver Regan Smith posted the third fastest lap (187.950 mph), with Ty Dillon (Richard Childress Racing) and Trevor Bayne (Roush Fenway Racing) completing the top five. 

While Sprint Cup Series testing the previous day saw only limited drafting efforts, Nationwide teams spent a major portion of Friday afternoon in packs on the track. 

Missing, however, was the two-car tandem draft which has been a big part of racing at Daytona recently, but which has also been blamed for late-race multi-car crashes. 

The use of new cooling systems similar to those in its Cup cars that don’t allow vehicles to stay hooked up nose to rear bumper for multiple laps without overheating the engine of the trailing car should lessen the likelihood of the tandem draft. But officials have taken an additional step, saying they would black-flag teams for doing so during practice sessions and races. 

The process is also taboo during this week’s test for both the Nationwide and Truck Series. 

“They made it very clear that if we tandem (draft) at all, if you lock bumpers, both cars will be black-flagged,” driver Elliott Sadler said. 

Twenty-five teams participated in Saturday’s test. Sunday’s schedule will see cars on the track from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. 

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams take over the 2.5-mile superspeedway on Monday and Tuesday. 

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Last year’s two-time winner talks about upcoming season, addition of Chase Elliott to JRM

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Regan Smith will have a new crew chief as well as a new teammate for 2014 at JR Motorsports, as Chase Elliott joins the NASCAR Nationwide Series organization and Ryan Pemberton moves over to call the shots for Smith’s No. 7 Chevrolet team.
 
"Having a teammate is going to be great, and that’s not to say I didn’t have one last year," Smith said during Saturday’s lunch break here during Preseason Thunder at Daytona International Speedway. "We just had different ones everywhere we went last year, and it was tough to get that week-in and week-out balance of knowing what that guy’s … ‘OK, he’s saying this, how does that relate to our car?’ We really didn’t have the opportunity to lean on that at all."
 
Brad Sweet, Kasey Kahne, Ron Fellows, Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray, Jeffrey Earnhardt and Johnny O’Connell all started at least one race in the team’s No. 5 entry.
 
Elliott, son of 1988 NASCAR Cup champion Bill Elliott, will be making his Nationwide Series debut this season, the car number has been changed to No. 9 (a nod to his father) and sponsorship will come from NAPA. Greg Ives, Smith’s crew chief last season, will oversee the team.

"There are a lot of things that are going to be different than the trucks he was in last year, and he’s going to have to learn as he goes," Smith said of Elliott. "But what we’re going to have is that consistency of the same guy in that seat.
 
"When we have our meetings, we’ll say ‘what did they do in practice and how did it affect them?’ We’re kind of going to know driver tendencies and what each driver things and … says before it even happens."
 
That consistency, Smith said, will make it easier to discern which setup changes might be beneficial during a race weekend.
 
Smith, twice a winner last year and third in points, said the crew chief move "just made the most sense."
 
"Ryan and myself have worked together before," he said. "He’s a veteran; he’s been around."
 
Pemberton, competition director at JRM, "got a different perspective" after he climbed down off the pit box, Smith said and their previous relationship – the two were paired at the former Ginn Racing in the Sprint Cup Series– "made it easy for me to pair back up with him and get back to work like we never skipped a beat.
 
"It’s going to do nothing but continue to make JR Motorsports strong, that combined with Ernie Cope coming in."
 
Cope will serve as crew chief for the team’s No. 88 Chevrolet, which will see owner/driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel as well as Kevin Harvick for selected races.
 
"We’ve just got a really solid core. Not only on paper (but) what we see in the shop," Smith said.
 
"I’m relatively new to the company … but even as somebody who’s watched JR Motorsports for years prior, this is the strongest it’s ever been. It’s the most excited I think any of us have ever been going into a season about what’s to come and what we’re going to be capable of."

MORE:

READ: Dale Jr. not surprised
by Letarte’s decision

READ: Complete schedule
for Preseason Thunder

WATCH: Stewart: ‘It’s nice
to be back’

READ: Latest news
from Preseason Thunder