Finally, haulers are unloading, garages are open and excitement is building for Sunday’s 2025 Daytona 500 (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio). After an off-season filled with bonanza movement across the Cup garage, this year’s talent pool set for the traditional 500 miler — and the next nine months — is about as stacked as possible. The stakes are even higher across each of the next 36 point-paying races with new competition rules and schedule changes in place.
But before all of that, drivers will have to tackle the task of 200 laps over the high banks at the “World Center of Racing.” Legends have been made in this race, and winning a crown-jewel event of this magnitude forever cements a driver and team in the history books.
As for the numbers, here’s a little look at what they point to when determining a winner:
For starters, in six of the last seven Daytona 500s, the eventual winner started 10th or worse. Eight of the previous 10 500s were won by drivers getting their first triumph in the “Great American Race,” with the exception of Denny Hamlin both times. Finally, the eventual winner didn’t lead until Lap 157 or later in seven of the last eight races, and four of the previous nine ended with a last-lap pass.
So what do those stats tell us? Well, to come out on top in the chase for the Harley J. Earl Trophy, drivers will have to be patient. During the action-packed weekend of qualifying, duel races and extended practice sessions, pressure is building for every competitor, as it becomes a mission to not only survive Speedweeks but also to perform well enough to have a decent starting spot on Sunday’s grid. More importantly, drivers will have to be methodical in how they navigate a jam-packed field on race day. Time and time again, we’ve seen moments of brilliance and greatness develop in the latter half of this race, so it’s hard to count anyone out of contention.
KYLE BUSCH: Rowdy’s 20-year frustration mirrors another RCR driver waiting for his first Daytona 500 win. Among active full-time drivers, Busch has the most starts in the 500 without a win. Daytona glory aside, let’s also not forget Busch is still on a winless streak that has ballooned up to 57 races. If he’s due a win, it could come in the grandest way possible. Racing Insights’ early metric is also giving Busch a slight edge over Christopher Bell for the win, so maybe the No. 8 crew puts in a lucky penny or two just for good measure.
WILLIAM BYRON: You rarely see drivers win back-to-back Daytona 500s, only four drivers have done it and Hamlin was the most recent in 2019-20. However, when you look at how superior Byron has been on drafting tracks in the Next Gen era and the fact Racing Insights has him projected third, a back-to-back triumph is definitely in the cards for Byron.
BUBBA WALLACE: Speaking of superspeedway prowess, Wallace has two top fives in this race over the last three years. He does have a new crew chief sitting atop the pit box, so time will tell how he meshes with Charles Denike. But being second fastest in the first practice session of the week and then winning a Duel race later on is a promising sign that the No. 23 Toyota will be a contender.
JUSTIN HALEY: NASCAR.com has been embedded with Spire Motorsports leading up to Daytona, and Haley is an intriguing prospect behind the wheel of the No. 7 Chevy. He has a Daytona win that came in summer 2019 in a rain-shortened event, and his talent on superspeedways has steadily progressed each year. The “not-so-secret-weapon” Haley has in his corner? That would be the new crew chief at Spire Rodney Childers, who has begun planting the seeds for a winning culture to grow at Spire.
HÉLIO CASTRONEVES: Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 entry is back with a bang. Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Castroneves knows a thing or two about executing in the clutch, which makes him an intriguing driver to follow this weekend. The 49-year-old wheelman from Brazil will be in Sunday’s main event regardless of how he performs in duels, and given his resume in motorsports he — without a doubt — has the chops to join AJ Foyt and Mario Andretti as the only drivers to win both the Indy 500 and Daytona 500.
RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR THE 67TH DAYTONA 500
Racing Insights’ advanced statistical formula includes current track, current track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to arrive at a projected winner and full race results.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. —One of the most recognizable and storied partnerships in all of sports has been refreshed for the start of the 2025 NASCAR season. NASCAR and Anheuser-Busch today announced a multiyear agreement that ensures Busch Light will continue as a Premier Partner of the NASCAR Cup Series, designation as the “Official Beer Sponsor of NASCAR,” as well as the title sponsor of the Busch Light Pole Award.
“At Anheuser-Busch, we strive to bring sports fans closer to the moments that matter year-round, and we’re thrilled to be continuing this relationship with NASCAR, building continued momentum with Busch Light, now the No. 2 fastest-growing brand in the beer category,” said Kyle Norrington, Chief Commercial Officer at Anheuser-Busch. “NASCAR and Busch Light fans are among the most devoted fans in the country, and in 2025, together, we’ll give our deserving fans more opportunities to connect to this sport than ever before.”
Shifting fan engagement into high gear, NASCAR and Busch Light will launch an annual Busch Light summer music series in 2025, bringing together two long-standing passions of race fans: country music and cold, smooth Busch Light. The summer series includes five pre-race performances throughout the season, underscoring Busch Light’s ongoing investment in bringing fans closer to the artists they love. The five events will be open and accessible to race fans in attendance. The series will kick off at Texas Motor Speedway, with concerts once a month at Michigan International Speedway, Chicago Street Race, Iowa Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway.
“The partnership between NASCAR and Busch Light is consistently noted as one of the most recognized in all of sports each and every year,” said Michelle Byron, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Partnership and Licensing Officer. “Anheuser-Busch’s longstanding relationships at multiple levels across our sport have been paramount in cultivating new fans and driving fan loyalty for decades, and our partners at Busch Light are leading by example to find new ways to drive deeper fan engagement.”
Since the 1990s, the Anheuser-Busch family of brands has created countless opportunities to interact and engage with 21+ NASCAR fans, including unparalleled access to iconic drivers, the development of distinct paint schemes, and brand-led initiatives like a Pit Stop Wedding by the track in Las Vegas. Busch Light will kick off the 2025 racing season with a thrilling at-track fan experience dubbed “DATE-TONA,” turning the Daytona International Speedway into a one-of-a-kind speed dating experience designed to help fans find love off-screen and at NASCAR speed.
Busch Light and Trackhouse Racing are also back together following their inaugural season as a major primary sponsor of Trackhouse Racing’s NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain. Busch Light will continue to bring Chastain’s 21+ fans along for the ride with dynamic, specialty paint schemes throughout the 2025 season, starting with a refreshed Busch Light ‘Iconic’ scheme emblazoned with the brand’s call to ‘Race for the Mountains’ set to debut at the 2025 Daytona 500.
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series regular season gets underway with the “Great American Race,” the Daytona 500, on Sunday, Feb. 16, airing live on FOX at 1:30 p.m. ET.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Justin Allgaier and the No. 40 JR Motorsports crew will have to race their way into the 2025 Daytona 500 by way of Thursday night’s Duel at Daytona.
Allgaier’s single-car qualifying speed (180.495 mph) was 33rd fastest overall on Wednesday, third of the nine Open entries. Former champions Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson were the two quickest Open cars who were previously not locked into the Daytona 500. Allgaier will start 17th in Thursday’s first duel (7 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion is hoping to wheel the No. 40 Chevrolet into Sunday’s “Great American Race” (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) to earn JR Motorsports — co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. and sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller — its inaugural start in a NASCAR Cup Series race.
If Johnson and/or Truex finish first among Open teams in their respective duels, Allgaier and Corey LaJoie could lock into the event on time. The other five Open drivers must finish first among Open teams in their duel — a 60-lap qualifying race — to advance.
“I mean, obviously you want to qualify your way in,” Allgaier said Wednesday night. “You want to be locked in. You want to have all the pleasantries of knowing that you’re in, right? But at the same time, we knew that it was going to be an uphill battle. The guys that you’re racing against — I mean, Jimmie and Martin both laid down incredible laps and did exactly what they needed to do.
“I look at the lap. I mean, I’ll go back and study it and try to figure out what we needed to do to be better, but we did the best job we thought we could do, and it just came up a little bit short.”
The Open contenders in Allgaier’s Duel include Truex (starting 12th), four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Hélio Castroneves (20th), Chandler Smith (22nd) and J.J. Yeley (23rd).
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Along with a number of team members and representatives from sponsor Traveller Whiskey, Earnhardt Miller watched with nerves from pit road as Allgaier completed his lone lap of the evening. A day that began by unloading the tan-and-orange Chevy at 6 a.m. with excitement ended with a tinge of anxiety with no guarantees yet of a spot on the starting grid.
“It’s weird because we said weren’t gonna be disappointed — like we were OK if we don’t make it or whatever. But I’m not really OK about it,” Earnhardt Miller told NASCAR.com with a laugh. “Like, you get out here and you do it and you just see you’re just off that much. But we have another shot tomorrow. We’re fast, we’re good. Now tomorrow will just be up to a lot of variables around other people and everything.
“I hate that we have to go through that part, but it is what it is, and we knew that coming down here. But it’s been really exciting all day.”
Indeed, as the team pushed through technical inspection before a 10:05 a.m. practice, there was a buzzing anticipation that surrounded the JRM party. At that time, the buzz stemmed from enthusiasm and optimism. The optimism still exists, but it’s now accompanied by a nervous tension instead.
“It definitely changes the race for tomorrow for us,” Allgaier said. “If you get in on time, you can be a little more fluid in the duels and work on different things that I think we’re probably going to work on tomorrow, now. Now, we have to be aggressive. We have to race our way in, right? So we’ve got to be aggressive, but on the other side of it, we don’t have a backup car. And if you wreck, it doesn’t really matter if you’ve got a backup or not because if you wreck, you’re probably not gonna make the race. Those are the things that I have to be mindful of. …
“The reason why fans and drivers and teams all love and hate this place is because the fear of the unknown, right?”
With that comes a delicate balance Earnhardt Miller and Co. will try to navigate: trusting Allgaier and the team around him to excel while understanding others on the race track could dictate his fate.
“That’s Daytona, right?” said Earnhardt Miller, who has helped head JRM since it debuted as an Xfinity team in 2005. “I say it every year about the Xfinity cars: You try to come here with no expectations, and then that way, you’re not disappointed when you go home on a wrecker, or you’re just super thrilled that you made it through and or you won. And I think we have to look at this the same way. We can’t control everything else, so it will be what it is.
“And somebody already knows. It’s already determined somewhere, is the way I feel about it. So let’s see what happens.”
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — For as ubiquitous as the Baldwin name is to Modified competition in the Northeast, the family has also developed a reputation for success at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida.
That tradition started in the 1980s with the family patriarch, Tom Baldwin, who tallied four Modified championships during the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing during his storied career. Baldwin’s grandsons Luke and Jack have since carried on the family’s winning ways at New Smyrna with titles in the 602 Modified class in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Jack, the eldest of the two Baldwin brothers, is taking the next step in his development by jumping into the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing’s Modified division one year after his 602 Modified championship. Given his family’s past New Smyrna success, running a Modified at the track brings both apprehension and excitement for Jack.
“I love seeing my family succeed and learning about the legacy my grandpa left,” Jack said. “There’s also a lot of added pressure because my grandpa was so good and Luke is succeeding so much. I don’t race as much as they do. We know they cars are good, so I’ve got to perform.”
Since beginning his own career, Jack has sought to emulate the resilience and efficiency displayed by Tom and his father Tommy Baldwin Jr., bringing the family’s iconic No. 7NY with him nearly every step of the way.
Those qualities are prevalent each time Jack straps into his car. Jack has quickly started adding to the No. 7NY’s storied legacy with several accolades in Crate Modifieds, including a consistent campaign that yielded him the 602 Modified title in last year’s World Series of Asphalt.
Jack adheres to all the fundamentals instilled into him by his father, particularly when it comes to patience and taking care of the car. This methodical approach has translated into consistency for Jack even though a good portion of his time is devoted to furthering his college education.
Because of school, Jack initially viewed racing as a devoted hobby, all while Luke established himself as a touted NASCAR prospect. Despite being four years younger than Jack, Luke already has a handful of Pro Late Model starts on his resume and will run a part-time schedule on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour with his father’s team.
Now fully committed to motorsports, Jack wants to keep tallying victories so he can embark on a similar developmental trajectory to his younger brother.
“Luke’s been getting a lot of opportunities,” Jack said. “He’s young, very marketable and a very fast driver. He’s been working trying to move up through the ranks at home while I’m still going to Appalachian State University. He’s capitalized on the opportunities, but here [at New Smyrna] last year was when I decided I wanted to be all in on this.”
Jack’s schedule for 2025 includes a full-time commitment to Modifieds in the Southeast with Tommy Baldwin Racing. One car that will obstruct his path towards claiming a championship is another 7NY, piloted by Luke under the Sadler-Stanley Racing banner.
The two brothers got a preview of their year-long battle during the World Series of Asphalt on Tuesday by taking part in the evening’s Modified feature. Luke utilized his knowledge from Saturday’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race to claim a solid fourth-place run, while Jack settled for 13th.
With Tommy Jr. shifting his focus over to his general manager duties for Rick Ware Racing ahead of the Daytona 500, Luke is now serving as Jack’s crew chief to close out the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing.
Luke Baldwin has stepped into the role of a crew chief to guide his older brother Jack through the World Series of Asphalt. (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
Luke is familiar with the intricacies of being a crew chief, having worked with Tommy Jr. in the shop and listened to his experiences during his time in the NASCAR Cup Series. Despite this, Luke has worked closely with Tommy Jr. leading up to the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing so he knows how to make the right adjustments and exchange feedback with Jack in race conditions.
Being on top of Jack’s pit box is a refreshing change of pace for Luke. He enjoys rubbing fenders with Jack every time they share the track, but he also wants to put his brother in the best possible position to excel over the rest of the week.
“It’s always fun when we’re having a family ordeal,” Luke said. “Racing with [Jack] is a blast. We’ve gotten into it a couple of times, but that’s part of it. There’s a lot of talking off the track and there’s a lot of competitiveness between us. We’re probably the two most competitive brothers you’ll see in racing.
“To get away from that, work together and chase a championship at New Smyrna is special.”
Although Luke previously served as Jack’s crew chief in Crate Modifieds for two races, he has never experienced this much free reign in the role. Tommy Jr. is still a resource for Luke to rely on just a few miles away, but he intends to stick with a basic set of adjustments he knows will optimize the performance of Jack’s car.
Luke also anticipates a brief learning curve for his Jack as he ascertains the difference between a regular Modified and the 602 Modifieds. Once his older brother finds his comfort zone in the Modified, whether that is at New Smyrna or afterwards, Luke is confident Jack will start contending for victories on the regular.
Outside of the cars, another difference Jack is adjusting to is the elite caliber of drivers in the Modified division, which consists of names like Matt Hirschman, Patrick Emerling and Austin Beers. Jack knew it would be challenging to hold his own with the established veterans, but felt confident a strong car could help him make gradual progress.
“The difference in competition is massive,” Jack said. “There’s better drivers and there’s more depth in the field. At this point in racing, if you got your car dialed in, you can compete with any of them. The [regular] Modified is not that much different [from the 602 Modified]. When you get used to them, you drive them the same way except with more grip and more motor.”
Jack Baldwin (7NY) continues to search for consistency in the second half of the World Series of Asphalt’s Modified division. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)
Despite Jack’s optimism, he and Luke have struggled to find an ideal balance since first unloading. The car the Baldwins brought only previously competed at flat tracks like Riverhead Raceway and Wall Stadium, which has required them to devise a setup that can navigate New Smyrna’s fast, high-banked layout.
Qualifying remains a prevailing issue for Jack, but he is seeing significant progress with the race setup. After finishing where he started on Monday evening in the 20th position, Jack is more comfortable with passing other cars, though his best showing remains the 13th from Tuesday.
Now that their father is at Daytona, responsibility falls primarily on Luke to ensure Jack’s car keeps trending in the right direction. Only a couple of days remain for the Modifieds at New Smyrna, but Luke is keeping his strategy with the setups simple
“Don’t over adjust,” Luke said. “Obviously, [Tommy Jr.] is going to bring a really good car to the race track, and I’m not exactly a mastermind. I haven’t been at this for very long, so there’s no big adjustment I plan on throwing in there. Sticking to the script will give me some options, and I’ll choose between them.”
The slow start for Jack prevented him from extending the Baldwin championship streak in the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing to three years, but he is not letting the circumstances deter him. Jack is adopting a big picture mindset to close out the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing, but he is still determined to leave New Smyrna with at least one additional trophy.
“I’d like to keep the car clean and in one piece,” Jack said. “This is the car I’m racing the whole year, so I don’t want to tear it up. The goal is to get this thing dialed in and where we want it to be heading into the season. If we run good because of it, then we run good.
“A ton of people have roped me because of how successful Luke has been, so I’m really looking to surprise people this week.”
The Baldwin family’s refusal to back down from adversity is one reason why their name is synonymous with short track racing in the U.S. today. That trait is prevalent with Jack, who is primed to continue his family’s winning heritage alongside Luke well beyond New Smyrna.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Chase Briscoe spoiled Ford’s pole position party during Wednesday night’s qualifying session for the 67th running of the Daytona 500.
Fastest in both rounds of time trials, Briscoe turned a lap in 49.249 seconds (182.745 mph) to secure the top starting spot for Sunday’s race (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The pole position was the first for a Toyota driver in the “Great American Race.” Briscoe edged 2022 Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric (182.463 mph) by 0.076 seconds for the top spot on the grid.
Given the race’s unique qualifying format, Briscoe, in his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, and Cindric are the only two drivers locked into their starting positions for Sunday’s race.
“A great way to start our season,” said an ecstatic Briscoe, who earned his third career pole. “Unbelievable way to start off the year. Unbelievable way to start off with Toyota. To be able to be the guy to deliver them the first anything when they’ve already accomplished so much is pretty cool.
“Can’t thank (owner) Coach Gibbs enough, the entire Joe Gibbs Racing organization. The whole offseason, everybody kept telling me the focus was trying to qualify better at superspeedways. That’s something I really struggled at last year. For our 19 group to come here and sit on the pole at the biggest race of the year is pretty special.”
The rest of the field will be set in Thursday night’s Duel at Daytona 150-mile qualifying races, though both Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson know they’ll be in the field for NASCAR’s most prestigious race after posting the two fastest qualifying times among nine drivers of unchartered cars.
“Definitely a big relief,” said Truex, who is driving the first Tricon Garage entry in the Cup Series. “You never know what can happen in the Duels; they can get crazy, and something on pit road can get you in trouble. Great job to all of the guys. They worked their butts off on this car.
“They were sweating all afternoon, and luckily, we were able to put a good lap in … All of the guys at Tricon and also at JGR, Toyota and TRD. I’m sure it’s a big deal for them — both cars that just locked in are Toyotas. Big night for them, and hopefully, we can have some fun the rest of the weekend.”
Johnson drove the No. 84 Toyota fielded by Legacy Motor Club, the team he co-owns.
“What I went through last year (in the Duels) was so frightening, and I’m glad I don’t have to go through it again,” Johnson said. “I certainly respect this process and don’t envy the guys that have to race their way in.”
In the final round, Ford drivers were second through fifth fastest, with Cindric, Ryan Preece, reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano and Josh Berry occupying those respective positions on the speed chart.
Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon (in the fastest Chevrolet), Christopher Bell, Ty Dillon and Kyle Larson were sixth through 10th fastest in the money round.
Briscoe will start from the pole in Thursday’s first Duel, with Cindric leading the field to green in the second qualifying race. Preece will start second in Duel 1, with Logano on the outside of the front row in Duel 2.
Qualifiers in odd-numbered positions fill the field behind the pole winner in Duel 1, with even-numbered qualifiers filling the field of Duel 2. The highest-finishing unchartered driver in each of the Duels will advance to the Daytona 500.
Each year, the NASCAR Cup Series kicks off the season with its pinnacle event — the Daytona 500. The 67th annual running is set for Sunday, Feb. 16 (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). And, like any big event, some unique quirks are part of the build-up.
The most notable difference in the “Great American Race” compared to any other on the Cup schedule is how the starting lineup is set. In short: Wednesday night’s single-car qualifying set only the front row of the Daytona 500. The other drivers besides those top-two finishers lock in their Daytona 500 starting spots — or in some cases, lock into the field in general — based off their finish in Thursday’s Duel qualifying races (two races, 60 laps each).
The results of those Duel races set the lineup for the Daytona 500 itself.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe, in his first season driving the No. 19 Toyota, rocketed to the Busch Light Pole Award. Austin Cindric, who won the Daytona 500 in 2022, posted the second-quickest time to lock in the outside row for the 500. Each driver started first in their respective Duel race.
Meanwhile, two Open drivers — both Cup Series champions — locked into the field through qualifying. Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56) and seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson (No. 84) posted the quickest speeds among the nine Open cars to qualify.
In the Duel races, Open drivers Justin Allgaier and Corey LaJoie secured the final two spots in the Daytona 500 being the highest Open-car finishers in their respective races.
To get the full lowdown, read more here on the intricacies.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Trackhouse Racing has fashioned a Daytona 500 driver roster with international fabric this year, with map pins in four parts of the globe to represent each driver’s home country. The lineup for the Justin Marks-owned team has the chance to cultivate some added worldwide attention to NASCAR’s most prestigious race, but it also has the potential to create interesting differences in dialect.
“Just amazing what Justin and Trackhouse have achieved, and to have such a diverse lineup at a race like this is epic,” said Shane van Gisbergen, hailing from New Zealand in the No. 88 Chevrolet. “Four different nationalities. We’re probably going to be talking about loose and tight and understeer and oversteer in different languages, but probably meaning the same thing.”
Making sure the communication and performance both have a smooth flow will be the focus for Trackhouse, which will put four entries on the track for the first time in Sunday’s season-opening Daytona 500 (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Returning drivers Ross Chastain (United States) and Daniel Suárez (Mexico) will work alongside newly minted full-timer van Gisbergen and heralded first-timer Hélio Castroneves, a Brazilian veteran with four Indianapolis 500 wins in his column.
The foremost change for Trackhouse’s new look is the rise to a full Cup Series schedule for van Gisbergen, the 35-year-old Australian SuperCars circuit transplant. That ascension has come quickly, making “SVG” a phenomenon with recognition by initials alone — from a winning splash in 2023 at the inaugural Chicago Street Race to a three-win season last year in his first full Xfinity Series slate. That rapid stateside development has mimicked Trackhouse’s growth — from plucky single-car team in 2021 to a winning two-car organization a year later, to a three-car fleet this year.
Van Gisbergen joins 23XI Racing newcomer Riley Herbst in the Cup Series’ Sunoco Rookie of the Year contest for 2025. Getting a quick launch to the campaign remains an SVG priority.
“It would be amazing,” van Gisbergen says. “If you can just get ahead of the points, settle in. I always love to start championships being an accumulator, sort of. That was my sort of strategy. Even in the weeks where you can’t be up front, get the best results you can, minimize mistakes. If we start well, get in a good rhythm, everyone stays positive, that really gets you off to a good start for the year.”
Building that foundation has involved shaping a new routine for his increased workload on the Cup Series side. Van Gisbergen says that’s meant working alongside Chastain and Suárez in their racing-simulator time and keeping open notes among the three. “It’s a pretty cool dynamic at the moment,” says SVG, who adds that he has enjoyed learning from the variety of perspectives.
“With the Clash and All-Star (exhibitions), he’s got 38 at-bats to show up at the race track and prepare,” Chastain said. “The way we do it at Trackhouse, we’ve evolved. The 1 (himself) and 99 (Suárez) used to do it a certain way, but now with three teams every week we’ve evolved that, and I like it a lot better. It’s more driver-focused. Shane and I are literally from opposite sides of the world, but we think about things in a similar way but we’re just different enough where he can call me out on my issues and I can call him out on his.
“The early-morning sim sessions together is the name of the game for us. I don’t know what the end results will be each week. It’s easy to look at and see it – he’s helping on road courses, and I hope to help him on ovals.”
Van Gisbergen’s stock-car magnificence in road-course events pulls a page from his title-winning pedigree on those circuits, and all four of his NASCAR national-series wins have come at that track type. SVG is barely a year and a half removed from his oval-track debut — Aug. 11, 2023 at Indianapolis Raceway Park in the Craftsman Truck Series — and that sort of speedway remains a developing skill. With just one road course among the first 15 races of the Cup Series season, the fast start that van Gisbergen craves will need some oval positives to arrive in short order.
“We have to be realistic, right?” says Suárez, who is bullish on recent personnel moves improving Trackhouse’s overall performance level. “Shane is going to have … he has a long ways to go when it comes to ovals, and we know that. He has a lot of things that he has to learn and to continue to get better at ovals, and he’s going to rely on Ross and myself a lot when it comes to that.”
Suárez had a confession about his new full-time teammate as the drivers made the rounds during Media Day rotations at Daytona International Speedway.
“A lot of people don’t know this, but I have a very hard time understanding Shane,” Suárez said. “I don’t know if you guys do the same or not, but my English clearly is way more limited than most of you guys, and every time that he’s talking to me, I really have to pay attention, and 80% of the time, I have to have him repeat something, because his accent is just way different than what I’m used to.”
When asked if van Gisbergen understood his accent, Suárez said with a laugh, “I hope. He hasn’t complained. But no, it’s been great. Obviously, Trackhouse has been known for the last several years to do things like this, so I’m not surprised having teammates from New Zealand and another one from Brazil, and myself. I guess Ross is the outlier right now. It’s been a lot of fun. Hopefully we can translate that to good results on Sunday.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It took 20 attempts for Dale Earnhardt Sr. to win the Daytona 500. When he took the checkered flag in 1998, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion ended a winless streak that had reached 59 races.
Likewise, Kyle Busch has been frustrated in his first 19 starts in the “Great America Race.” The two-time series champion hopes he’ll find the same magic Earnhardt did in his 20th attempt on Sunday (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Busch drives for Richard Childress Racing, just as Earnhardt did. Earnhardt failed to win a race in the season before his breakthrough victory at Daytona. Busch was winless last year, breaking a series-record streak of 19 straight seasons with at least one victory.
Busch, whose winless streak has reached 57 races, certainly knows the history.
“Twenty years of trying,” Busch said wistfully. “There was another storied racer of the past that won on his 20th try and that was a pretty big deal. He was a former RCR driver as well, so it’d certainly be nice to win that race and do it with RCR in the No. 8 Zone Chevrolet. So that would be pretty cool.”
Nor does Busch lack confidence in the quality of Childress’ superspeedway package.
“We’ve had really good speed being down here,” Busch said. “These guys build great (superspeedway) race cars, so when we go to Daytona, Atlanta, Talladega, we feel like those places are really good for us.
“We’ve got really good speed. I just told someone that it’s an 80 percent luck/20 percent skill race. Others would disagree, but I feel like you have to have a lot of things go your way, and you have to have the stars align. Being able to lead (after) the final pit stop is certainly going to put yourself in a really good position.”
Hugely popular four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Hélio Castroneves showed up for Wednesday’s interviews with the national media smiling and optimistic. In other words — typical Castroneves spirit.
In his first official NASCAR Cup Series practice at the track — driving the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet — Castroneves was second fastest among the rookies and 12th overall.
No matter how Castroneves fares in Wednesday night’s qualifying or Thursday’s Duel 150, he has already been granted a starting position in Sunday’s race as an Open Exemption Provisional, a special designation Trackhouse requested from NASCAR more than 90 days prior to the race.
The provisional, which NASCAR granted, is designed to give world-class drivers who are not full-time NASCAR competitors a chance to race. Only one such provisional is granted per event.
Castroneves conceded it’s all been a learning exercise, from negotiating directions from pit lane to the garage and how to properly pit, not to mention allowing more room between the car and pit wall than he is used to competing in IndyCar so the NASCAR crew has ample space to change the tires.
“Every step has been a learning process,” said Castroneves, who will also attempt to race in this year’s Indianapolis 500 in hopes of earning a historic, unprecedented fifth win.
“I’ve been watching a lot of in-car cameras,” he added. “Understanding a lot of the rules and being in touch with the guys (on the team) because the language is different. When you come out of the pits, normally they say, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa,’ but here they say, ‘Dig, dig, dig.’
“I know it sounds interesting or different; however, it’s completely the opposite of what I’m used to. So, I have to adapt. … all these little details, even though it’s a race car, it’s very different. When you are in a big race like this, every little detail matters, so I am trying to study all these details.”
Throughout his time with the NASCAR press Wednesday, the 49-year-old Castroneves reminded reporters that, although he is thoroughly enjoying his time at track and behind the wheel in this new quest, he is quite serious about the ultimate goal.
“At the end of the day, I’m not here just to cause attention,” Castroneves said. “I’m going to do everything I can to do the job.
“But the camera cannot see the smile behind my helmet. It will feel so good. Super excited.”
Cole Pearn is returning to his old gig, but it’s only a brief hiatus from the new life he has built far away (figuratively and literally) from NASCAR.
In a snow-kissed valley known as “The Rocky Mountain Trench,” Pearn now fills his days with “a little bit of everything” since he stunned the Cup Series by walking away from his job as a championship-caliber crew chief following the 2019 season.
With his wife, Carrie, he owns and runs Golden Alpine Holidays, a 50,000-acre vacation playground in the Esplanade Range of the Selkirk Mountains. Pearn dotes on his two kids who are growing up at ice rinks that appeal to him as much as an asphalt oval. He juggles a jack-of-all-trades existence that runs the gamut from coordinating weekly helicopter landings to posting picturesque photos as an Instagram influencer.
Pearn even helps coach a youth hockey team in Golden, a town of roughly 4,000 that sits at the junction of two rivers, three mountain ranges and five national parks in southeast British Columbia.
Though still “a massive fan” of motorsports, which dominated over half his life and took him to the United States for the fame and glory of excelling in NASCAR, the Canadian now is experiencing his other dream of living, hiking and skiing among the peaks of his native country.
“I still wake up every day and feel like I hit the lottery,” Pearn told NASCAR.com. “It’s been great. I get to do all the things that I love to do, and it’s been really good for my mental health and physical health. I’ve learned new things and obviously owning a business is an adventure. It’s been a lot. It’s crazy it’s been five years already.
Even crazier might be Pearn being back atop a NASCAR pit box this week.
And it’ll be the first race as crew chief for Pearn since the 2019 season finale that seemed his final chapter as one of the most brilliant and unconventional minds in NASCAR. A month after Truex finished second at Homestead-Miami Speedway (the second consecutive year the team was one spot short of a title), Joe Gibbs Racing suddenly announced Pearn was retiring from NASCAR after 24 wins and four championship-round appearances in five seasons as a crew chief.
His surprising comeback was revealed in a way that felt just as shocking.
In the laid-back manner that made him such a good fit with Pearn, Truex casually dropped the bombshell just before his final Cup playoff run began last September. Cracking “I didn’t know it was that big of news,” Truex said his ask of Pearn to crew chief the season’s biggest race “just kind of popped out” during a casual conversation.
“Martin caught me at a weak moment,” Pearn said in his familiar deadpan. “They kind of put the bug in my ear and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to maybe do a one-off. Would you be interested?’ I didn’t see a reason not to. I made sure I checked with my better half, and she was fine with it. It seemed to make sense. Not very often do you get these one-off deals, so if there’s ever a time to come back and do a race, it seemed like a good one to do.”
Well, at least until last month when he began getting a taste of the breakneck pace and overwhelming pressure tied to a workaholic job that he chose to leave behind.
“I was like, ‘What the hell was I thinking?’ saying yes to this,” Pearn says with a laugh. “But now that we’re right on top of it, I’m definitely looking forward to it. It’s not something you get to do every day, to step in and call a race with a good team for the Daytona 500. It’s a pretty cool life opportunity, and I’m really thankful.”
Golden Alpine Holidays, courtesy Cole Pearn
Speaking from his home in Golden, Pearn seemed typically low-key and stress-free 11 days before the Daytona 500. He would spend the next day flying cross continent to North Carolina, checking on the Daytona 500 car and team for the first time in person. Confident in Tricon’s technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing (which will supply most of the team personnel in preparing the No. 56), Pearn was at ease sticking to his daily routine of varied activities while managing the NASCAR one-off remotely.
“I’ve done the classic thing of I don’t have any one job that requires a lot of time,” he said. “I’ve just stacked on a lot of different jobs that all require time. Every day is kind of its own adventure.”
On this Wednesday morning, it meant being at the local rink before 7 a.m. for skating sessions with both kids before a junior hockey practice.
His 12-year-old son, Callum, is a defenseman on a high-level traveling hockey team based in Calgary (which means regular drives across the Alberta border up to three hours each way), and his 10-year-old daughter, Freya, is an aspiring figure skater who also has taken to hockey.
“Lots of time in the arena, not as much time skiing as we probably would like, but it’s for a short time in your life,” Pearn said. “I grew up doing it as well. So my wife and I both love it and are happy to be their chauffeurs.”
The rest of their days are consumed by managing the small staff that operates Golden Alpine Holidays, a collection of four lodges (Sunrise, Meadow, Vista and Sentry) located at 7,000 feet and surrounded by 130 ski runs and 125 kilometers of hiking trails.
Most of the heavy lifting involves reaching the lodges. Every Friday, two helicopters ferry up to 60 arrivals and departures as weeklong stays begin and end. “My first biggest challenge was just getting the operation sides of that down,” Pearn said. “We’re more efficient now.”
In addition to a dozen guests, each lodge has a caretaker, cook and guides who are part of a full commitment to austere outdoor living among nature. The buildings are heated by wood and propane. Water comes from nearby lakes and streams, and outhouses are in place of indoor plumbing.
“I always say it’s like four crappy Airbnbs that are just really hard to get to,” Pearn said. “They’re pretty rustic and basic. That’s part of the experience, though. With the kids being as busy as they are, I’m not up there as much as I want, but in a few years when the kids are older, I’ll hopefully build an owner’s cabin and just live up there for part of the winter.”
Though Pearn spent most of his adult life in the United States (his kids were born in Colorado while he worked at Denver-based Furniture Row Racing), he and his wife eventually wanted a “simpler” life in their native Canada (both grew up in Ontario).
That meant leaving motorsports despite having been a champion since a teenager (as a driver of go-karts and cars before becoming a crew chief).
“I knew I didn’t want to do it my whole life,” said Pearn, who turned 42 last year. “I wanted to do other things. I grew up in racing. My dad raced cars, and I raced cars and then worked in the sport full time. My whole life to my late 30s had been all about going to a race track, and it was just time to do something else.”
Tricon Garage co-owner David Gilliland could appreciate why Pearn made such a staggering move to leave NASCAR.
“It’s just priorities change and obviously he had accomplished his goals,” Gilliland said. “A lot of people get stuck doing what they think other people think they should be doing, and he’s obviously not that person.
“I always admired his passion and dedication. He was very well respected, and I think everybody is excited to have him back in the garage for another weekend. I just feel very fortunate that he’s willing to come back and just super excited to see what we can accomplish together. And who knows what the future holds.”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Pearn has kept a hand in NASCAR from thousands of miles away. Since 2021, he has handled Joe Gibbs Racing’s aerodynamic mapping — taking wind tunnel data and fitting it for the simulations that have become instrumental in making cars go fast in Cup. Every layout — short track, road course, intermediate and superspeedway — requires its own map, which makes for a painstaking job.
“It’s critical work and definitely took some time to get my arms wrapped around it,” said Pearn, who was new to the process. “It’s got to be right. If not, then it kind of leads you down the wrong path in terms of setup and stuff. It’s been a perfect kind of job for me to stay abreast and involved in the technical side.”
The work comes “in spurts” but usually keeps him busier in the offseason and around rules changes. It’s a good schedule for Pearn, who worked the 2020 Indy 500 as a lead engineer for Conor Daly (who called him an “alpha wizard of engineering”) but had no plans to be a crew chief again until the Tricon deal materialized after being brokered by Truex and Toyota Racing Development.
“I’ve made peace with that part of my life and that part of my career,” Pearn said. “So this definitely feels a bit daunting. But I’m just looking forward more than anything else to seeing all the people and old friends that I haven’t seen in quite some time.”
Aside from a couple of NASCAR cameos — Pearn was a spotter in 2021 at the Roval and a substitute engineer in 2022 at Sonoma — Truex and Pearn hardly have seen each other but maintained their longtime bond in sporadic conversations. “Sometimes a few times in a week, sometimes not for a few months at a time,” said Pearn, who admittedly doesn’t watch every Cup race to keep in constant contact but tries to check in around wins and big events.
“We don’t talk very often, but when we do, it’s just like old times,” Truex said last year. “He can pretty much read me like a book. He’s a special guy. He’s different than anyone I’ve ever known. He knows the answer to everything.”
Their understated and complementary personalities always seemed to mesh. Truex is the laconic New Jersey native who quietly posted impressive results while avoiding controversy as one of the cleanest drivers in NASCAR. Pearn is the savvy Canadian who introduced T-shirts as acceptable crew chief attire and became known for his biting social media posts.
“We have always had an easy relationship,” Pearn said. “We’re not overly complicated people. So to be able to speak matter of factly to each other and not have anybody’s feelings get hurt, it’s pretty easy to reconnect and rekindle things.”
Gilliland, who has won as a NASCAR driver, crew chief and team owner during his lengthy career in the sport, said chemistry was the secret sauce for Pearn and Truex.
“Those two don’t doubt each other and that’s hard to find,” Gilliland said. “That’s what makes that particular pairing extremely potent. Everybody’s going to make mistakes. When you’re sitting on top of the box, there’s decisions to make that are not going to be right every time. The championship-caliber teams, when a bad decision or call is made, they’re not dwelling on it or sulking in the negative consequences. You’ve got to believe in each other.”
Pearn and Truex built that trust at Furniture Row Racing, which slowly morphed from obscure single-car underdog into NASCAR powerhouse. The anti-establishment team cultivated an outsider reputation through its Midwest base that was mandated by team owner Barney Visser, who preferred to spend only on substantive parts instead of flash. There are similarities to Tricon, a scrappy startup that grew from running quarter-midgets out of Gilliland’s backyard into an organization now fielding five trucks.
“That’s definitely a role I’m comfortable in and have lived, so that part is definitely kind of cool,” Pearn said. “But you’ve got to temper expectations for sure. I know the cars and guys working on the team, so that helps make things a lot simpler.”
There is extra motivation for Truex, who is winless in 85 superspeedway starts. Furniture Row’s most memorable superspeedway moment was unveiling a gigantic power saw (quickly outlawed by NASCAR in 2017), and Daytona has been the site of multiple disappointments — namely losing the 2016 Daytona 500 to Denny Hamlin by inches. Though Pearn said he jokingly asked Truex, “Why the hell are we going to Daytona? Let’s maybe go somewhere where we have a chance,” he knows his driver wants a win at the track that got away.
“But it’s hard,” he said. “We never won one when we were at the peak of our game. So coming in off the couch, it’s going to be challenging.”
Chris Graythen | Getty Images
A strong result could open the door to more offers. Truex has hinted at wanting to run more races this year, and Gilliland said his team would be ready.
Pearn’s work in aero mapping Cup and Xfinity cars has planted another seed. Less enthused about the Next Gen rules package, Pearn would like to make his crew chief debut in the Xfinity Series. (“They have a gem in that car.”)
With his phone lighting up in the last few months, he probably would have no shortage of opportunities — though he naturally would put limits on what he’d accept.
“Since I’ve left, it’s been super flattering to have a lot of good opportunities thrown at me,” he said. “It’s just not something that I’m interested in. People have a viewpoint of what you used to be like and how you operated at a high level.
“I might not necessarily be that person anymore. But I was able to leave the sport, and people still hold you in high regard. That is a nice feeling for sure.”
Nate Ryan has written about NASCAR since 1996 while working at the San Bernardino Sun, Richmond Times-Dispatch, USA TODAY and for the past 10 years at NBC Sports Digital. He also has covered various other motorsports, including the IndyCar and IMSA series.
