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."

MORE:

READ: Year in Review
driver profiles

READ: A season defined
by a night in Richmond

READ: Top 10 on-track
moves of 2013

WATCH: Handing out the
2013 Loopie Awards
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.

MORE:

READ: Year in Review
driver profiles

READ: A season defined
by a night in Richmond

READ: Top 10 on-track
moves of 2013

WATCH: Handing out the
2013 Loopie Awards
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.

MORE:

READ: Year in Review
driver profiles

READ: A season defined
by a night in Richmond

READ: Top 10 on-track
moves of 2013

WATCH: Handing out the
2013 Loopie Awards
Posted on by

Nationwide, Truck ranks in flux as tours return to test

RELATED: Complete Preseason Thunder schedule

It’s been just over a month since Jimmie Johnson stood on a stage in Las Vegas and was honored for winning his sixth championship in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but engines are set to fire again Thursday at Daytona International Speedway as Preseason Thunder begins its 2014 edition. As much a promotional event as it is an on-track test, these next several days in central Florida never fail to whet the appetite of race fans waiting out the short, cold days until the Daytona 500.

That will certainly be the case again this week, when just the sight of Jimmie, Jeff, Junior and the rest of NASCAR’s stars on the high banks of the sport’s most famous track will have motorheads from coast to coast pining for Feb. 23. And yet, the most interesting part of this year’s Preseason Thunder may very well be when the Sprint Cup haulers head back to North Carolina, and the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams arrive for their first tests at Daytona since 2008.

The following season, in the midst of a financial recession, NASCAR eliminated all testing at sanctioned tracks in an effort to save teams money. Testing has been gradually opened up in the years since, but Daytona had remained solely the province of Sprint Cup teams until this week into next, when the Nationwide and Camping World Truck circuits will each have two days of their own at the 2.5-mile facility. What’s going to make all this so interesting is, deals on those respective tours are often famously late in coming together, meaning that the Daytona test will offer the most extended glimpse yet of exactly which drivers are competing for which teams in 2014.

Not everything is a mystery. Nationwide lineups are set at Richard Childress Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, JR Motorsports and Richard Petty Motorsports, and a few other teams have their rosters partially in place. Over in the Truck Series, ThorSport Racing remains intact, and Brad Keselowski Racing has revamped its lineup, and a few pieces are in place at Turner Scott Motorsports. But many question marks remain, ranging from some drivers whose returns are expected but not yet formally announced, to others whose status for 2014 remains as murky as the waters of Lake Lloyd.

For instance, it seems fairly likely that Martinsville race winner Darrell Wallace Jr. will be back in a Kyle Busch Motorsports truck, but that deal has yet to be formally announced. Neither has the breakdown for KBM’s second truck, or Penske Racing’s No. 22 car, in which Ryan Blaney will run a limited slate. And then, what of Justin Allgaier? Nelson Piquet Jr.? German Quiroga? Reed Sorenson? Ron Hornaday Jr.? Miguel Paludo? There are a lot of familiar names still out there, many of them belonging to past or potential national series race winners, none of them yet attached to an official ride for the coming season.

Then there are the agreements that are coming together on the very eve of testing, with teams set to roll toward Daytona this week. Monday brought the double-barreled announcements of Chase Elliott signing on for a full Nationwide season with JRM, and Sam Hornish Jr. inking a seven-race deal on the same circuit with Joe Gibbs Racing, where he’ll share a ride with Kyle Busch. Elliott Sadler will also be back with JGR, which is putting the final touches on a Nationwide lineup that’s also likely to include Matt Kenseth in the same limited slate he ran last season.

In fairness, this kind of 11th-hour musical chairs at the Nationwide and Truck level isn’t exactly new, given that deals in those circuits traditionally come together much later than those in the Sprint Cup Series because of the smaller dollar amounts and shorter durations involved. As an example, Brad Keselowski Racing didn’t officially announce its 2013 lineup until the middle of last January, a degree of timing that’s far from unusual. Many of those drivers facing uncertainty at the moment may well have rides secured by Speedweeks. But having Daytona testing being back on the schedule for all three of NASCAR’s national tours almost forces a look at this before the picture is fully developed.

With good reason, of course — Nationwide haulers roll into Daytona on Saturday, and Truck Series transporters on Monday, and somebody has to test the vehicles carried within. In some cases, we may not know who those drivers are until they arrive in the garage area. Many deals on those levels are likely pending sponsorship, opening the possibility that drivers could test for their 2014 teams even though their rides haven’t yet been formally announced. And who knows, maybe there will be a surprise or two. Regardless, the Truck and Nationwide portions of Preseason Thunder should give everyone an early glimpse at how the driver rosters for those two circuits are shaping up.

This is all something the big boys in the Sprint Cup ranks went through months ago, in the flurry of pending transactions that took place toward the end of the 2013 campaign. And in fairness, we’ve already seen many of those guys in their new livery already, thanks to a December test session at Charlotte that had Kyle Larson in the No. 42, Kevin Harvick in the No. 4, Kurt Busch in the No. 41, Ryan Newman in the No. 31, and Austin Dillon in a vehicle that would become the No. 3. But there’s something about Daytona that makes those moves seem that much more tangible, that much more permanent, that much more like a preview of what’s to come when the series soon returns to the same facility for real.

But with a few exceptions — such as, who’ll be in the Phoenix Racing car beyond the Daytona 500, and will anyone be driving for BK Racing? — Sprint Cup rosters are essentially set. That’s not the case on the Nationwide and Truck tours, where the jockeying for rides and sponsorships will continue beyond testing, and in some cases right up to the brink of Speedweeks itself.

The big speedway is in the midst of a rebuilding project, with the track’s old infrastructure being dismantled and a new one being put up in its place. With the Nationwide and Truck circuits back in town for Preseason Thunder, the Daytona Rising project won’t be the only work in progress.

MORE:

READ: Year in Review
driver profiles

READ: A season defined
by a night in Richmond

READ: Top 10 on-track
moves of 2013

WATCH: Handing out the
2013 Loopie Awards
Posted on by Holly Cain

With prodding, NASCAR Hall of Famer to get back in car at Preseason Thunder

RELATED: Complete Preseason Thunder schedule

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — What started as friendly ribbing and good-natured coaxing from team members on pit road late last season has resulted in NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace’s return to the driver’s seat of Penske Racing’s No. 2 Miller Lite Ford — for an afternoon.

The 1989 premier series champion will help celebrate longtime sponsor Miller Lite’s upcoming 40th birthday by wearing an appropriately retro-colored Miller Lite firesuit while driving the famed No. 2 car during Thursday afternoon’s Preseason Thunder test session at Daytona International Speedway — his first time in a Cup car since he retired in 2005.

Rendering of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion that will race at this year’s Sprint Unlimited and Daytona 500.

"It all started at Homestead. I was standing between the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) and 2 (Brad Keselowski) cars joking around and those guys were egging me on to get back in a car and when Brad got wind of it, he called me up two weeks later and was serious about it and Roger (Penske) was all for it," the 57-year-old Wallace told NASCAR.com. "Everyone in the world has been on me to test. ‘Why haven’t you been back in a car?’ This here kind of got me.

"It’s going to be hard not to have a big ol’ smile all day Thursday."

Not only did 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Keselowski, the current driver of the famous Blue Deuce, pursue the idea of Wallace driving his car, he told NASCAR.com that couldn’t be prouder to share his seat with Wallace, the driver Keselowski considers largely responsible for the team’s title-worthy presence in the Cup ranks today.

"I thought it was a great opportunity and obviously there’s a lot going on with the retro scheme to tie in," said Keselowski, who was 5 years old when Wallace hoisted his Cup trophy and in his first full season of NASCAR competition (NASCAR Camping World Truck Series) the year Wallace retired.

"I’ve got a lot of respect for Rusty and am thankful for what he’s done. He pretty much put Penske’s NASCAR program on the board. He’s kind of the father of the Miller Lite racing program and it’s a great way for us to reconnect to the roots of our program and pay respect to him as kind of the patriarch of it in a lot of ways.

"For me, it was a no-brainer for him to do it."

Now as popular a TV analyst on ESPN as he was 55-time winner in the Cup ranks during a storied 25-year career, Wallace said he expects the experience to be more than a sentimental adventure around NASCAR’s most famous track. He got permission and blessing from ESPN to make his first laps in NASCAR’s Generation-6 car and sees it as a tangible asset to his work in the broadcast booth too.

"I think it’ll help my TV stuff and I’ll have a more in-depth knowledge of what the car feels like," Wallace said. "I don’t know of any other analysts that are doing this right now. … I honestly pride myself in the information I give fans on the air.

"This will give me an opportunity to validate a lot of the stuff I say on air."

Wallace said in preparation for the test he had to undergo all the mandatory medical testing any driver would — from baseline concussion scans to drug testing — and even secure a new NASCAR license. And NASCAR confirmed Wallace has met all its requirements.

"Mike Helton’s pretty pumped up about this, too," Wallace said of the longtime NASCAR president.

According to Wallace, crew chief Paul Wolfe wasn’t planning on either Keselowski or Wallace doing any drafting practice in this week’s two-day test on the famous high banks, so Wallace will make a series of single-car runs.

How many, no one knows yet.

"I’m going to give the car all I’ve got and I’m going to learn," Wallace said. "They’re looking for some speed, some comfort. I’m not going there to say, ‘Let’s change this spring, let’s change this shock.’ I’m there to gain a lot of knowledge and have fun with the team. It’s not like I’m going there to aid the team. I’m going to have fun, learn and get back in the seat."

"Brad will shake it down a couple runs then I’ll get in the car and I just may stay in it the rest of the day," Wallace said with a laugh.

And that’s fine with Keselowski.

"There’s plenty of testing to do and I told him, I’m not too proud to let you in my car and do some laps, let’s do it," Keselowski said. "At the end of the day, this is about respect and this is my way of showing respect back to Rusty. He’s a Hall of Famer for a reason and I expect he’ll get up to speed right away.

"I might just go in the grandstands and have a beer and watch."

MORE:

READ: Year in Review
driver profiles

READ: A season defined
by a night in Richmond

READ: Top 10 on-track
moves of 2013

WATCH: Handing out the
2013 Loopie Awards
Posted on by

Scoring will mirror system used for drivers for all three national series

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR announced today that it has restructured its manufacturer points system for 2014, simplifying it for fans, competition and the industry, while amplifying the already passionate rivalries between each auto maker.

The new points system — which applies to all three national series — mirrors the owner championship points structure. Points will be awarded to the single highest finisher for each car manufacturer in each championship event according to the finishing position awarded for each race. Specifically, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, points will be awarded as follows (43-1, plus bonus points). Points will be awarded in a similar manner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (43-4, plus bonus points) and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (43-8, plus bonus points).

Three additional bonus points will be awarded to the manufacturer that wins the race. The single highest finisher for each manufacturer will receive one additional bonus point for leading a lap, and one additional bonus point for leading the most laps.

Example: In a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, if a Toyota finishes in each of the top three positions and the winning Toyota leads the most laps, and a Chevrolet finishes in fourth position without leading a lap, Toyota will receive 48 points and Chevrolet will receive 40 points.

"We have always focused on intensifying the natural rivalries between our manufacturers — both on the race track and in the showroom" said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition and racing development. "We believe aligning the points system with the owner points will create better understanding for the entire industry, and bolster interest and excitement with our fan base, which has shown intense manufacturer loyalty throughout the sport’s history."

At the end of the season, if two or more manufacturers have the same number of points, the manufacturers’ championship will be awarded to the manufacturer with the greatest number of first-place finishes. If there is a tie in victories, the greatest number of second-place finishes, third-place finishes, etc. will break the tie. If a tie still remains, the manufacturer having the earliest win of the current season will prevail.

The 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season gets underway with The Sprint Unlimited on Saturday, Feb. 15 and the 56th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 23, both at Daytona International Speedway. The Sprint Unlimited will air live at 8 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The Daytona 500 will air live at 1 p.m. ET on FOX, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Log on to NASCAR.com for additional coverage all season long.

MORE:

READ: Year in Review
driver profiles

READ: A season defined
by a night in Richmond

READ: Top 10 on-track
moves of 2013

WATCH: Handing out the
2013 Loopie Awards
Posted on by Staff Report

Blaney’s best finish of third with Tommy Baldwin Racing came in 2011 at Talladega 

Dave Blaney will return to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2014, driving the No. 77 Ford for team owner Randy Humphrey, according to FOXSports.com.

Blaney told the website that he’ll work with crew chief Peter Sospenzo and that the team will use Roush Yates engines.

Blaney, a former champion in various forms of sprint car racing, has four top-five finishes and two poles in 466 career Sprint Cup starts. The 51-year-old veteran competed the last three seasons for Tommy Baldwin Racing with a best finish of third place at Talladega Superspeedway in October 2011. 

Sospenzo, a three-time winner as a crew chief in NASCAR’s top series, was atop the pit box for 15 Sprint Cup races last season, the majority for team owner Mark Smith’s No. 19 car. He was also crew chief for the last NASCAR race driven by Jason Leffler, who died after a sprint car racing crash last June. 

Humphrey fielded NASCAR Nationwide Series entries in 23 races in 2010, with David Gilliland and Chase Miller as drivers. This season’s efforts will mark Humphrey’s first foray into NASCAR’s premier division.

MORE:

READ: Year in Review
driver profiles

READ: A season defined
by a night in Richmond

READ: Top 10 on-track
moves of 2013

WATCH: Handing out the
2013 Loopie Awards
Posted on by Zack Albert

Waltrip’s 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Aerocoupe among the many Glory Road additions

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It didn’t take much to get Darrell Waltrip going Wednesday morning at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. As he helped peel back the car cover on his 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Aerocoupe, his face lit up.

Then the stories started.

Waltrip marveled as the former Junior Johnson-owned No. 11, a gleaming representative of the third generation of cars in NASCAR’s premier series, claimed its rightful place in the Hall’s trademark exhibit, Glory Road. Waltrip was among a select few to take an exclusive sneak peek Wednesday at the display’s first major overhaul, which will make its public debut with a new rotation of 18 historic cars when the Hall re-opens Saturday morning.

Breathing new life into the striking display of NASCAR’s evolving history hinted at the potential for new stories to be told. As Waltrip gave his former car an inspection — inside, outside and under the hood — he spun yarns along the way before giving it his stamp of authenticity. 

 

"When I look at this car and I see little details that we did to the cars at Junior’s that nobody else did — all legal, by the way," Waltrip said, "I see things that let me know that this is one of our cars." 

 

Waltrip pointed along the still-growing collection of Glory Road 2.0 cars to a 1969 Holman-Moody Ford Torino once driven by David Pearson, saying that the car was the inspiring reason many of his own rides carried No. 17. He popped the hood of his No. 11 and noted certain tricks of the trade employed by his car owner, Johnson, one of the sport’s greatest technical minds. 

The impromptu storytelling session from one of the sport’s legends was enough to prompt Winston Kelley, the Hall’s executive director, to make Waltrip — enshrined in the Class of 2012 — a standing job offer as a tour guide.

"That’s good to know," Waltrip quipped. "One of these days, I’m going to need another job." 

 

Wednesday’s preview came in the midst of a five-day closure for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, primarily to allow room for the cranes and rigging equipment needed to complete the dramatic, logistically demanding changeover. Shortly after Waltrip’s unveil, workers began the slow hoisting process to remove a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series vehicle from the steeper portions of the banked display.

Kevin Schlesier, exhibits manager at the Hall of Fame, said that the overhaul was on schedule, with all but two cars in the building and ready to take their places. The other two — the 1961 Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford Starliner and the 1990 Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet Lumina, a championship-winning car for Dale Earnhardt — were scheduled to arrive later Wednesday.

 

While the new batch of cars offers a fresh look to one of the facility’s trademark displays, it also means having to say goodbye to the original 18 cars from the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s opening in 2010. It’s bittersweet, since those historic vehicles were in place from the beginning and will likely never be assembled in the same location again.

"Each one of them was so iconic and had great stories," said Buz McKim, the NASCAR Hall of Fame historian who helped select the next group of Glory Road cars from a "wish list" binder of about 50. "People would come in and it would kind of take their breath away to see all these actual cars. That’s what we were shooting for in version two, to have that same sort of effect on people, to get that iconic status and the drivers and to still tell the story of the six generations of NASCAR." 

Guests will also notice other changes at the grand re-opening:

• A display of stock-car racing dashboards through the years, allowing fans hands-on access to the wheel.

• A move toward new Gen-6 bodies for the NASCAR racing simulators.

• A new layout to the Race Week exhibit

• A Memorable Moments exhibit, which will serve to capture NASCAR’s historic events as they happen through the race season.

But on Wednesday, the cars — with three-time champion Waltrip acting as primary narrator — were the stars.

"It’s so fun to come here and to look at these cars to bring back so many memories, and I hope they do for you fans as well," Waltrip said. "If you don’t know the history of some of these cars, I’m sure somewhere here you’ll be able to find out about them because they’re all pretty special cars."

Glory Road 2.0 cars
1 Generation 1 Marshall Teague’s 1952 Hudson Hornet
2 Generation 1 Buck Baker’s 1957 Chevrolet 150 "Black Widow"
3 Generation 1 Wood Brothers’ 1961 Ford Starliner
4 Generation 1 Fred Lorenzen’s 1966 Ford Galaxie "Banana Car"
5 Generation 2 Ned Jarrett’s 1966 Ford Fairlane
6 Generation 2 David Pearson’s 1969 Ford Torino Cobra Talladega
7 Generation 2 Bobby Allison’s 1973 Chevrolet Chevelle
8 Generation 2 Cale Yarborough’s 1976 Chevrolet Laguna S-3
9 Generation 2 Richard Petty’s 1979 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
10 Generation 3 Darrell Waltrip’s 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Aerocoupe
11 Generation 3 Dale Earnhardt’s 1990 Chevrolet Lumina
12 Generation 4 Jeff Gordon’s 1994 Chevrolet Lumina
13 Generation 4 Rusty Wallace’s 2000 Ford Taurus
14 Generation 4 Bill Elliot’s 2001 Dodge Intrepid R/T
15 Generation 4 Jimmie Johnson’s 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
16 Generation 5 Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 2008 Chevrolet Impala SS
17 Generation 5 Tony Stewart’s 2011 Chevrolet Impala
18 Generation 6 Matt Kenseth’s 2013 Toyota Camry

MORE:

READ: Year in Review
driver profiles

READ: A season defined
by a night in Richmond

READ: Top 10 on-track
moves of 2013

WATCH: Handing out the
2013 Loopie Awards
Posted on by Nascar

Annual testing at Daytona begins

RELATED: Complete Preseason Thunder schedule | Rain delays Thursday testing

While a new rules package awaits NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams for all non-restricted events in 2014, officials with the sanctioning body have said they expect very little change in the package used at the two tracks where restrictor plates are required — Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

Sprint Cup teams are scheduled to test Thursday and Friday this week at Daytona, kicking off this year’s Preseason Thunder program. NASCAR Nationwide Series teams will be on the track Saturday and Sunday while NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams will close the six-day effort with testing set for Monday and Tuesday. 

Modifications to side skirts, rear-fascia areas and splitters are among the moves made during the offseason for competition on non-restricted tracks, where Cup teams will also be working for the first time without front-end ride height rules.

Those changes won’t be in effect for competition on restrictor-plate tracks, where speed remains king.

"The package essentially for Talladega and Daytona will … be for the most part unchanged from ’13," Gene Stefanyshyn, NASCAR vice president for innovation and racing development, said last month.

"There may be some slight things but they won’t be major in magnitude."

Officials have since announced one adjustment — raising the spoiler height from 4 inches to 4.5 inches for this week’s test as well as next month’s Cup events at Daytona.

It is hoped that the additional downforce will provide a bit more stability for the cars at speed.

Past rule changes for Daytona and Talladega, such as tweaking the pressure relief valve settings and a reduction in the maximum grille opening measurement, helped curtail the two-car drafting that had become prevalent by limiting the amount to time two cars could run nose-to-tail on the big, fast tracks.

There was some concern, however, following last year’s Daytona 500 when single-file racing dominated the day as the upper groove became the preferred line around the 2.5-mile track.

"The game’s changed a little bit," race winner Jimmie Johnson said afterward. "It used to be defend the bottom (groove), now it’s defend the top."

Notable drivers not taking part in the test include Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers. Stewart continues his recovery from a broken right leg suffered in a sprint car accident last August while Vickers was sidelined late last year with a blood clot in his calf.

Veteran Mark Martin is scheduled to shake down the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet in Stewart’s absence while Michael Waltrip will fill in for Vickers in the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 55 Toyota.

Both Stewart and Vickers are expected to return to their driving duties next month when the season officially gets underway.

Also, Ryan Truex will be in the No. 93 Toyota of BK Racing for the test in place of Travis Kvapil. Alex Bowman will test the team’s No. 83 car at Daytona. He tested for the team at Charlotte in December.

The garage was set to open Thursday and Friday at 7:30 a.m. ET for this week’s test, with cars on the track from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. ET each day. But rain delayed the Thursday session.

On Thursday, more than 30 drivers are scheduled to participate in Fan Fest in the Fan Zone from 5:30-9:30 p.m ET.

MORE:

READ: Year in Review
driver profiles

READ: A season defined
by a night in Richmond

READ: Top 10 on-track
moves of 2013

WATCH: Handing out the
2013 Loopie Awards
Posted on by Staff Report

Time-Lapse Camera To Allow Fans To Check Out Construction Progress Of “Big Hoss TV” 24 Hours A Day, Seven Days A Week

FORT WORTH, Texas (January 8, 2014) – The massive steel beams that will compose the skeletal structure of the world’s largest HD sports venue video board being created by Panasonic will be raised over the next three weeks of construction at Texas Motor Speedway.

The steel-beam skeleton will serve as the foundation and framework of the video board known as “Big Hoss TV” that will weigh 108 tons and rise 12 stories above the center of the backstretch at the world-class, Fort Worth-based motorsports venue. With dimensions of 218 feet wide and 94.6 feet tall, the video board display area will feature 20,633.64 square feet of HD imagery to earn it the official title of world’s largest.

The lower section of steel uprights currently is moving into place and that phase is expected to be completed by Jan. 21. The upper uprights immediately will follow and are scheduled to be completed by Jan. 31. The electrical infrastructure of “Big Hoss TV” also is underway and is expected to be completed by the middle of next week. Power to the base of the video board is scheduled for completion by mid-January.

Once the skeletal structure is in place, the framework modules will be put in place through the first three weeks of February. The 83 giant module cabinets currently are being built at Jones Sign in De Pere, Wis., near Green Bay, and will be transported to Texas Motor Speedway upon completion. These cabinets serve as the frame for the LED modules containing 14 million LED lamps that will follow in the next phase of construction.

Fans and media interested in tracking the progress of “Big Hoss TV” can visithttps://www.texasmotorspeedway.com/at-track/big-hoss-tv, where a time-lapse camera is positioned on the construction site 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Big Hoss TV” is scheduled to be completed by March 1 and officially will be unveiled during the Texas 500 NASCAR doubleheader race week scheduled for April 3-6. During race weekends, the video board will feature live race coverage, leaderboard information, driver and race statistics, instant replays, interactive entertainment and more.