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Longtime Hendrick Motorsports employee to provide TV analysis in 2015

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Steve Letarte, the crew chief who has helped return Dale Earnhardt Jr. to prominence in NASCAR’s premier series, will leave his post at Hendrick Motorsports after this coming season to become a television analyst for NBC Sports.

NBC confirmed the pending move Thursday, the opening day of the NASCAR Preseason Thunder test session at Daytona International Speedway. Letarte has won 11 races in nine seasons as crew chief in the Sprint Cup Series, and oversaw Earnhardt’s most recent victory in the summer of 2012. Letarte also finished second in final points with Jeff Gordon in 2007.

Letarte will join fellow analyst Jeff Burton and race announcer Rick Allen in the booth when NBC returns as a NASCAR television partner beginning with the 2015 season. Letarte was not available for comment Thursday, according to a team spokesperson. NBC officials have a media briefing scheduled in Daytona for Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. ET; video of the announcement will be streamed live at NASCAR.com/presspass.

"I’ve always been impressed with Steve Letarte’s interviews, and feel smarter after hearing him break down the crucial elements of each race," Sam Flood, executive producer of NBC Sports, said in a statement released by the network. "It wasn’t long into our first meeting about this potential role on our broadcast team when I realized that Steve is going to be ‘Must See TV.’ "

Letarte has worked for Hendrick since he was 16, ascending to the crew chief’s role with Gordon in the final weeks of the 2005 season. He will maintain his current role atop the No. 88 pit box for the duration of the 2014 season.

"As soon as I met with Sam Flood and his team at NBC Sports it became obvious to me how excited they were to be covering NASCAR in 2015 and beyond. Their excitement, along with my love for racing, solidified my decision to move away from the pit box and into the broadcast booth," Letarte said in a statement. "I want to thank Rick Hendrick and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports for the opportunities they have given me over the last 18 years, and I want to reaffirm my commitment to Dale Jr. and the entire 88 team to go win races and challenge for the championship in 2014."

Letarte’s departure will leave a void at Hendrick, given that the Maine native has proven crucial in turning around Earnhardt’s fortunes. Earnhardt had finished 25th and 21st in Sprint Cup points in the two seasons prior to his pairing with Letarte in 2011, but his new crew chief’s positive reinforcement produced improvement that was almost immediate. Earnhardt’s fifth-place result in 2013 was his best since 2006.

"You never want to see a talented and all-around quality person like Steve (Letarte) move on, but we understand this is an exciting opportunity for him and his family," team owner Rick Hendrick said in a statement. "He has all the tools to be a terrific broadcaster, and I know our fans will enjoy hearing his perspective. We’re looking forward to a successful year in 2014 with Steve and Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) leading the No. 88 together. They have some of the best chemistry in the garage, and we know they’ll build on last season and continue to be a championship-contending team.

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

NASCAR and NBC Sports Group reached an agreement in July of last year that grants NBC Universal exclusive rights to the final 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, final 19 NASCAR Nationwide Series events, select NASCAR Regional and Touring Series events, and other live content beginning in 2015. Of NBC Sports Group’s 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, seven will be carried on NBC annually, with 13 airing on NBC Sports Network. Four of NBC Sports Group’s 19 NASCAR Nationwide Series races will air on NBC, with 15 airing on NBC Sports Network.

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Posted on by NASCAR Official Release

Online, mobile balloting again take prominent role in Daytona opener

VOTE NOW: Cast your ballot for Sprint Unlimited race format

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — For the second year in a row, fans will decide upon a number of competition elements for the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona, the 75-lap, non-points race that kicks off the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing season on Saturday, February 15 (8:00 P.M. EST, FOX Sports 1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM Satellite Radio).

Starting today, fans can cast their votes to set the overall format and determine key racing elements. Fans will again set the number of laps in each of the three segments, while also voting on how drivers will line up at the start of the race and how they will line up for the restart of the final segment.

“We are excited to build off of the success of last year’s event and give our fans another opportunity to help make key decisions that will enhance the excitement around this highly anticipated race,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. “This interactive element is unique to NASCAR — and all of sports."

Fans can submit their votes within the official NASCAR app, NASCAR Mobile, or at NASCAR.com/SprintUnlimited. Voting is unlimited and all votes cast through NASCAR Mobile will count twice. The voting window for the race format will close on Saturday, February 15 at 6:00 p.m. ET, while voting for the starting order and final segment restart order will close at various times during the race broadcast. Voting results will be announced live during the FOX Sports 1 race broadcast.

Voting Categories:

  • Race Format: Number of laps in each race segment (Voting ends at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 15)
    • Option A: 30 laps/35 laps/10 laps
    • Option B: 30 laps/30 laps/15 laps
    • Option C: 30 laps/25 laps/20 laps
  • Starting Order: How drivers will line up to start the race (Voting ends at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 15)
    • Option A: Most Career Poles (most to least)
    • Option B: 2013 Driver Points Standings
    • Option C: Final Practice Speeds (fastest to slowest times)
  • Restart Order for Final Segment: How drivers will line up for the final segment (Voting ends at the conclusion of the 2nd segment)
    • Option A: Fastest lap in the race (first and second segments both count)
    • Option B: Most laps led (first and second segments both count)
    • Option C: Mandatory pit stop (drivers lineup how they come off pit road)

 

“Our ultimate goal is to use Sprint’s wireless technology to bring NASCAR Sprint Cup fans closer to our sport, and this is the latest example,” said Steve Gaffney, vice president of corporate marketing for Sprint. “This effort, the Sprint Unlimited, gives fans the opportunity to sit in NASCAR race control and make calls on key elements of the race. We encourage fans to grab their wireless device and seize this unique opportunity.”

“We look forward to partnering with NASCAR and Sprint to host the second Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway,” said Joie Chitwood III, Daytona International Speedway president. “Our passionate race fans helped create an exciting event last year from start to finish. With two new voting categories and real-time results, this year’s fan-driven event will be as exciting as ever.”

20 Sprint Cup Series drivers are set to participate in the 2014 Sprint Unlimited at Daytona. Each driver raced his or her way into the starting lineup by winning pole positions in 2013 or by winning past Sprint Unlimited events.

2014 participants include:

Tickets for the Sprint Unlimited are available online at NASCAR.com/tickets, at https://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can follow @NASCAR and @MissSprintCup on Twitter to engage in the #SprintUnlimited conversation. NASCAR Mobile is available to download for free from the App Store on Apple devices and Google Play on Android devices. Fans can also download the newest version by logging on to www.nascar.com/mobile.

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Posted on by NASCAR Official Release

IMSA, touring series executive to replace longtime official Darby

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR has named Richard Buck, a NASCAR executive with a wealth of diverse experience in motorsports, as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series managing director. Buck will serve in the role held the past 12 years by John Darby, who will remain at NASCAR as managing director, competition. Buck and NASCAR’s two other national series managing directors — Wayne Auton (NASCAR Nationwide Series) and Chad Little (NASCAR Camping World Truck Series) — now will report directly to Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president, competition and racing development.

Buck currently serves as vice president, racing operations for the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), a role he will maintain through the 2014 Rolex 24 At Daytona (Jan. 25-26), at which time he will assume his new position. In addition to his role with IMSA, Buck has been serving as the managing director of NASCAR’s Touring Series, the all-important grassroots racing program that has developed numerous top-flight NASCAR drivers over the years.

”Richard Buck has demonstrated a deep and unique knowledge of motorsports, and his versatility and innovative approach to competition should serve the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage extremely well,” said Mike Helton, NASCAR president. “His wide range of expertise will be of great benefit to our premier series. NASCAR is in the midst of exciting change in the Competition area, and Buck will be instrumental in providing us with fresh insights and implementing many of the changes in the years ahead.”

A native of Phoenix, Buck worked from 1980-2000 as a crew chief, team manager and director of operations with open-wheel racing teams. As a crew chief, he is a multiple-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. Prior to joining NASCAR in January 2005, Buck worked with teams in all three NASCAR national series.

“I’m eager and ready to pursue this unique opportunity to serve as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series managing director,” said Buck. “I appreciate the faith that NASCAR’s management team has entrusted in me for this role. As we prepare to launch the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, I’m thrilled to expand my role in the sport of NASCAR, and I look forward to helping the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition team continue to produce the best racing in the world.”

Buck will maintain his current role as IMSA prepares to hold the 2014 Rolex 24 At Daytona during the inaugural TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season. With his pending departure, IMSA will realign its competition structure, with Scot Elkins, IMSA vice president, competition and technical regulations, to work even more closely with NASCAR’s top executives in racing, including Steve O’Donnell, executive vice president, racing operations; Gene Stefanyshyn, vice president, innovation and racing development; and Pemberton. They will form a joint NASCAR / IMSA Competition Committee to meet routinely to share ideas, best practices and resources on innovation and development regarding the two different types of racing.

Additionally, as Buck has been serving as NASCAR’s managing director of its Touring Series, he will relinquish that role and NASCAR will promote Brad Moran to that position. Moran has been serving as the Touring Series director.

Darby will retain responsibilities as managing director, competition, helping to transition the NASCAR Competition model as it evolves to incorporate more technology and innovation originating at the NASCAR Research & Development Center. Over the past 12 years, Darby has been an instrumental part of a significant number of enhancements for NASCAR, including the introduction last year of the Gen-6 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car and an innovative laser inspection process.

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Posted on by Holly Cain

First day of testing wiped out by rain but Hall of Fame ready to get back in car

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Rain cancelled Rusty Wallace’s long-planned return to the famed No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Thursday afternoon, but you wouldn’t have been able to see the disappointment on the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s face. He’ll try again Friday.

"My face has hurt all day long from smiling so hard and I ain’t even been on the race track yet,” Wallace said. "I want to get in the car.”

After a couple months of anticipation, a full battery of medical tests and a new NASCAR license to make it offical, Wallace was scheduled to share driving duties with the car’s regular driver, 2012 Sprint Cup champ Brad Keselowski during one of the Preseason Thunder test sessions. After Keselowski shook the car down, Wallace was slated to make single car runs in the afternoon. He’ll get another chance Friday and admitted no matter what, he’s enjoyed the whole experience.

"I think the coolest thing for me was walking in the garage area and having all the crew guys come by and say, ‘hey, we’re glad you’re here; it’s going to be fun,”’ Wallace said, adding with a grin, "I have thought about going out there and when it was my last run of the day and I was supposed to get of the car and turn it over to Brad, I thought about finding a car to draft with and putting a big number up.”

The track opens at 9 a.m. Friday and NASCAR did not determine an end time.

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Posted on by Holly Cain

Team owner expects SHR team to frequent Victory Lane

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A rather svelte Tony Stewart walked into the Daytona International Speedway media center Thursday morning; no cane, no detectable limp, plenty of sass.

Five months and three surgeries after shattering his right leg in a sprint car race, Stewart looked and sounded a lot more like the gritty racer with three Sprint Cup Series championships, displaying the quick-witted personality that has kept reporters and his competition in check for years.

After being sidelined for the final 15 races of 2013, Stewart said his return to Sprint Cup competition in 2014 is on track, even if he isn’t during NASCAR’s Preseason Thunder test sessions Thursday and Friday.

"We’re still on schedule to be (medically) clear the day before (The Sprint Unlimited on Feb. 15), so we’ll be down here for two days hanging out and watching our teams run," Stewart said.

"Luckily this is a smooth race track; it’s not rough and bumpy. If it were Dover, I would be a lot more concerned."

And his health?

"I’m a pretty good [weather] barometer right now," he joked from the rainy speedway. "Seems like if the rain comes or snow or cold comes, I know it right before it changes.

"But," he added, "I feel pretty good. I still have a little ways to go, but we’ve got four weeks to get ready. Even when we get here in February, it’s not going to be 100 percent. Physically, I’m not going to feel 100 percent, but I’ll be able to do my job 100 percent — and that’s the main thing."

Stewart said recovery and therapy still make up the bulk of his days, and after days of tiring easily and working through the pain, his stamina is improving. The days of high pain are seldom.

He went home to Indiana during the holidays and plans to attend the Chili Bowl later this month. It’s one of Stewart’s favorite races to drive, but this year, fellow Sprint Cup driver Kasey Kahne will drive Stewart’s car — then they will raffle it off to raise money for Charlie Dean Leffler, the young son of their late friend and racer, Jason Leffler.

Stewart even says he is optimistic he will do some sprint car racing this season — he has a sponsor and is preparing the car — but says it’s too early to set any kind of schedule for that.

"The Cup car is the priority right now, and making sure that we’re comfortable there," Stewart said. "I’m going to feel 100 percent enough to drive a Cup car; bouncing around in a sprint car is a little different deal. There’s not a sense of urgency [to setting that schedule]."

Although Stewart has been able to drive a street car for the past four months, he hadn’t sat in his No. 14 Bass Pro Shops Chevy until about three weeks ago when he got his seat fitted.

"It felt like an old pair of shoes," said Stewart, a huge grin on his face. "The hard part was they kept telling me I had to get out of it. I wanted to sit in it. I felt like a kid."

Veteran Mark Martin will be testing Stewart’s car this preseason. But between the intensive physical therapy and traveling, Stewart has been closely monitoring the situation at his namesake Stewart-Haas Racing operation.

The team has added a fourth driver, Kevin Harvick, to a lineup that includes Stewart, Danica Patrick and another SHR new hire: 2004 Cup champ Kurt Busch. And the team shop is expanding accordingly with construction underway on a 125,000 square foot addition.

"I think when it first happened, it was a thrash at first to kind of figure out, okay, how are we going to do this," Stewart said. "But the atmosphere at the shop, we’ve not seen it.

"I’ve not seen it the five years I’ve been there. It’s just at a high it’s never been at before. We feel like we’re actually way ahead of where we were last year this time."

In fact, Stewart said he fully expects at least three of his teams to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, acknowledging that second-year Cup driver Patrick is still navigating a steep learning curve.

And listening to Stewart speak, it was evident that he fully believes in and expects a full recovery and return to form. He is not only determined to get back in the race car at first opportunity, but to immediately position himself as a championship contender.

He kidded that the mental recovery from this injury has been tougher than getting his leg to heal up.

"The hardest part is just not knowing where I’m supposed to be," Stewart said. "I’ve never had an injury like this so I don’t have anything to compare it to."

However, he said, the upside of the mandated down time has been moments with family, friends and fans to reflect and project — something he rarely bothered to do before.

"It’s pretty cool to finally have time a little bit to reflect back on what we’ve done our career," Stewart said. "It’s neat to talk about what we did in the past, but I’m excited to talk about what hopefully we can do in the future now."

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Posted on by Holly Cain

Fans have a shot to pick from a handful of starting lineup formats

RELATED: Cast your vote today

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — As the ultimate “fan” race, much is still be decided about NASCAR’s traditional Daytona SpeedWeeks 75-lap opener, The Sprint Unlimited.

Fans will decide the race lap segments, starting order and final restart through online voting at NASCAR.com and NASCAR Mobile.  But the one known entity for the Feb. 15 night extravaganza is which 20 drivers have earned a position on the starting grid.

The 17 pole-winners in 2013 plus three past winners of the event are eligible to settle this year’s score.

Denny Hamlin (four poles) won the most poles last season and is joined by three-time pole-sitter Kyle Busch. Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards all qualified for The Sprint Unlimited after starting from pole twice.

Marcos Ambrose, Kurt Busch, last year’s winner Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Mark Martin, Jamie McMurray, and both 2013 rookies, Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also earned berths.

Past winners of The Sprint Unlimited in the field include Terry Labonte (1985), Ken Schrader (1989-1990) and Tony Stewart (2001, 2002, 2007).

And here’s where the fun and gamesmanship starts. Fans will have until 7:30 p.m. the night of the race to decide how to set the grid order. And, depending on the fans’ decision it will be based on career poles, 2013 championship points or final practice speeds set the day before the race.

Should fans select career poles as the criteria to set the field, the lineup would look like this:

Gordon (74 career poles) and Newman (51) would start on the front row, followed by Johnson (32), retired two-time champ Labonte (27), Hamlin (17) and Kurt Busch (16).

Stewart (14), Kyle Busch, (13), Earnhardt Jr. (13) and Edwards (13) would round out the top-10.

Former Cup champ and last year’s title runner-up Kenseth (11) would start 11th followed by McMurray (9), Logano (7), Harvick (6), Keselowski (3), Ambrose (3) and Stenhouse Jr. (1) and Patrick (1).

If fans vote to base the start on 2013 championship points, obviously the grid looks much different.

Johnson and Kenseth would comprise the front row with Harvick and Kyle Busch on row two. Earnhardt, Gordon, Logano, Kurt Busch, Newman and Edwards would follow. And Keselowski and McMurray would move up dramatically — starting ninth and 10th based on points instead of 12th and 15th based on career poles.

The final scenario for the starting order depends on the practice speeds, which would have put Hamlin on pole.

However in 2013, fans had an option not given this year and voted to start the field based on the order the drivers won their poles throughout the year, which gave Edwards the nod.

Leading up to last year’s inaugural The Sprint Unlimited, drivers throughout the garage were in favor of the unique format and fan interaction.

“It makes it different for us but adds a fan element and that’s kind of cool they have some say in what’s going on,’’ Kyle Busch said. “So that’s good.

“It is a fun race, just having the format and atmosphere that you get and just going for broke.’’

 

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Posted on by Staff Report

Two days of testing for Nationwide Series begins on Saturday at Daytona

RELATED: Complete Preseason Thunder schedule

Preseason Thunder testing gets underway for the NASCAR Nationwide Series on Saturday, Jan. 11 at Daytona International Speedway.

Team Penske, Richard Childress Racing, Roush Fenway Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing are among the organizations particpating in the two days of Nationwide Series testing.

Moving up from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this season, Chase Elliott will be testing in the No. 9 for JR Motorsports. It was announced this week that Elliott would joining the JR Motorsports team for 2014. Bill Elliott, a former champion of NASCAR’s premier series and Chase’s father, will be testing Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s car for JR Motorsports.

Also making the transition from the Truck Series is Ty Dillon who will be testing in the No. 3 for Richard Childress Racing.

Also of note, Dylan Kwasniewski will be testing the No. 32 car for Turner Scott Motorsports. Kwasniewski, 18, won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East title in 2013 and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West title in 2012.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first day of testing was scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 9, but rain washed out Day 1 of testing. Sprint Cup Series testing is scheduled for Friday.

The Truck Series will have its sessions on Monday and Tuesday.

Below is the full roster of drivers participating in the two days of Nationwide Series testing.

NNS Daytona Test – January 11-12, 2014
Car # Team Driver
2 RCR Brian Scott
3 RCR Ty Dillon
6 RFR Trevor Bayne
7 JRM Regan Smith
9 JRM Chase Elliott
11 JGR Elliott Sadler
13 Long Carl Long
16 RFR Ryan Reed
17 Vision Tanner Berryhill
22 Penske Ryan Blaney
23 Ware Racing Ryan Ellis
28 Long Matt Carter/Harrison Rhodes
31 TSM Dylan Kwasniewski
32 TSM Kyle Larson
37 Vision Mike DiBenedetto
43 Petty Dakoda Armstrong
52 Jimmy Means Joey Gase
55 Viva Jamie Dick
60 RFR Chris Buescher
62 RCR Brendan Gaughan
73 Cope Derrike Cope
84 Billy Boat Chad Boat
85 Bobby Gerhart Bobby Gerhart
88 JRM Bill Elliott
98 Biagi David Ragan
99 RAB James Buescher

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Posted on by Nascar

New managing director for Sprint Cup Series comes to NASCAR from IMSA

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Richard Buck has been named Sprint Cup Series managing director for NASCAR, a move announced Thursday by officials here at Daytona International Speedway.
 
Buck replaces John Darby, who took the title of managing director of competition four years ago but continued to serve as the series’ managing director.
 
"His background is very broad in motorsports, winning Indy 500s … as a crew chief there to the last several years managing and building our touring and weekly program," NASCAR President Mike Helton said of Buck.
 
Buck currently serves as the vice president of racing operations for the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and has helped to manage the merger of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and the American Le Mans Series.

"Richard will maintain his role at IMSA through the (Rolex) 24 Hour race, and then will immediately get with John Darby and be under John’s wing as our new … managing director," said Helton.
 
"John … will be working on the integration of a lot of the new inspection and rule-making and part-approval process with (vice president of competition and racing development) Robin Pemberton and (vice president of innovation and racing development) Gene Stefanyshyn."
 
Helton said the move was the result of the evolution of the sport through increases in technology and innovation.
 
Two decades ago, he said, "85 percent of what we did around rules and different things would be done in the (NASCAR) hauler at the race track. Bill France would come in and we’d sit there and owners and crew chiefs would come in … and talk about where we were headed. And that worked then.
 
"What we’ve seen over the past few years, though, is there needs to be a better process. The industry deserved a better process, the teams, the (auto manufacturers), the stakeholders deserved a better process and that better process is going to give us the ability to make a better product on the race track that fans expect to see."
 
• Pemberton confirmed that the only change for Cup teams for restrictor-plate races at Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway would be the previously announced half-inch increase in spoiler height.
 
Conversations with teams, who said the cars aren’t able to "suck up in the draft," led to the move.
 
"Talladega (last fall) kind of got a little spread out," Pemberton said. "We were a little surprised at that, and guys couldn’t make a run; they couldn’t get organized.
 
"But we had been talking to the teams since … even mid- last year on things that we’re thinking about, and the spoiler was one that came to us through the teams, and we were prepared to make that change."
 
It’s expected that overall speeds would increase slightly when cars are drafting.
 
"So it makes the drafting just a little bit better," he said, calling it "a small change."
 
• Pemberton also announced that changes for the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series would include teams running the same type of cooling system currently used by Cup Series teams. A "recommended spec radiator" is also available for use, but is not required.
 
"We have cut the spoiler on the Nationwide cars and dropped the ears (side pieces) down on the side of the spoiler so it’ll be straight across the back," Pemberton said.
 
"There’s a small spring change in the back, it’ll be a little softer, (to) try to get some handling back in the cars."

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Posted on by Nascar

Voting categories include race format, starting order and final segment restart order

RELATED: Cast your vote today

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — No points, no pressure. Just 75 laps of wide-open, foot-to-the-floor action — with the fans setting the ground rules.

For the second consecutive year, NASCAR fans will have a voice in the first race of the season.

The Sprint Unlimited, scheduled for Saturday night, Feb. 15 at Daytona International Speedway, will get the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series off and running for 2014 as the field of last year’s pole winners and previous winners of the event take to the high banks of the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

By visiting NASCAR.com/SprintUnlimited and through use of the NASCAR Mobile application, fans have the ability to help determine three major elements of the 187.5-mile non-points event. Each vote cast through the NASCAR Mobile app will count twice.

Sprint officials announced the fan-related portion of this year’s program Thursday at Daytona, where teams are on hand for Preseason Thunder testing.

Voting for each of the three components is now open and will close at different times on the day of the race.

The fan vote will be used to determine the following criteria:

1. Race format

Fans have three options for the breakdown of the race’s three segments:

• 30 laps/35 laps/10 laps;

• 30 laps/30 laps/15 laps;

• 30 laps/25 laps/20 laps.

Voting for the race format portion will close at 6 p.m. on the day of the race.

Last year, the 30/25/20 breakdown was selected by fan vote.

2. Starting order

Because the race is a nod to the previous year’s pole winners, should the starting field be set based on career poles won? That’s one of three options available for fans. (Hint: If you want Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman on the front row, this is your pick.)

Other options are the use of the 2013 driver points standings (which would produce a Jimmie Johnson–Matt Kenseth front row) or this year’s final Sprint Unlimited practice speeds (scheduled to be completed Friday) to determine the order in which this year’s field will take the green flag.

Voting for the starting order portion will close at 7:30 p.m. on race day.

3. Final segment restart order

How will the field line up for the final push to the checkered flag? Fans have the following options to choose from:

• Fastest lap during the first two segments;

• Most laps led during the first two segments;

• To be determined by mandatory pit stop results.

Gordon, Johnson and Denny Hamlin spoke about this year’s fan options once the format choices were revealed. 

Gordon and Johnson said they would vote for setting the lineup leading into the final segment based on how the cars returned to the track after a mandatory two-tire pit stop. Hamlin leaned toward putting the driver with the most laps led in the two previous segments out front. 

"I would think as a fan I wouldn’t want the guy that leads the most laps or has the fastest car or fastest lap to be starting on the front row," Gordon said.

As far as the starting lineup for the beginning of the race, Johnson said basing it on the ’13 points standings would be "a great idea."

"I hate to say this Jimmie," Gordon responded, "but they’re not voting (for) that one. If that was ‘the champion starts in the rear of the field,’ that one would win."

Voting for the restart order element will end at the conclusion of the race’s second segment.

Among the 20 drivers eligible to compete in the race are Tony Stewart, a three-time winner who will make his first start since breaking his right leg in a sprint car accident last August; Kevin Harvick, now a teammate of Stewart’s at Stewart-Haas Racing and winner of last year’s Sprint Unlimited; and two-time winner Gordon.

Eligible but not entered in this year’s race are Mark Martin and Ken Schrader.

The race has been run annually since 1979, when it debuted as the Busch Clash. Sprint obtained sponsorship rights to the race in 2013, renaming it The Sprint Unlimited and adding the fan element to the program.

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Posted on by Nascar

Friday’s testing periods to be extended

RELATED: Full Preseason Thunder schedule

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The only cars on the race track for Day 1 of Preseason Thunder at Daytona International Speedway were trucks.
 
Trucks pulling jet dryers and the Air Titan track drying system.
 
Sprint Cup Series cars, scheduled for two days of testing here on the 2.5-mile superspeedway, remained in the garage as rain washed out the scheduled first day of testing for the series.

Officials pulled the plug at 3:30 p.m. ET.
 
Preseason Thunder features two scheduled days of testing for Cup teams, followed by two days for the Nationwide Series (Saturday-Sunday) and two days for the Camping World Truck Series (Monday-Tuesday).
 
With the loss of Thursday’s time on track, officials shuffled the original schedule and said Friday’s session will run "as long as necessary."
 
Teams will test through lunch and could extend as late as 7 or 8 p.m. depending on how early cars are able to get on track Friday.
 
Most competitors spent the day trying to find ways to occupy their time.
 
“I walked to the truck; I walked to the car. Walked back to the truck, and then back to the car. It’s been pretty boring out there today," Team Penske driver Joey Logano said.

The Sprint Cup Series will open its 2014 season with the running of the Daytona 500, scheduled for Feb. 23.
 
According to track officials, all of Thursday’s fan fest activities were expected to remain on schedule with no change in location.

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