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Patrick also fast, will join Stewart on sidelines Saturday
RELATED: Friday practice speeds
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Tony Stewart parked in his garage stall after making 28 laps in practice Friday at Daytona International Speedway. He pulled off his helmet, climbed out of his vehicle and walked away from the race car for the last time before the Daytona 500.
Stewart turned the top speed of two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practices Friday, and then said he planned to sit out Saturday’s final session before the Great American Race — the only NASCAR crown jewel the three-time series champion has yet to collect. Stewart’s speed of 197.131 mph was the best of the 22 cars that took part in Friday’s second session, and was followed by those of Jeff Gordon and pole winner Danica Patrick.
“I wont see that car again until Sunday,” Stewart said. “We actually have run all we’re going to run the car until the 500. The motor that was in the car today is the race engine. We basically worked on our chassis setup and made sure we did our final run on the motor just to make sure there were no vibrations, no leaks, no problems. … It seemed like it had really good speed, and I’m excited about Sunday now.”
With the Daytona 500 now only days away, it was a cautious day of practice. Kevin Harvick, winner of last weekend’s Sprint Unlimited exhibition and one of the Duel qualifying events Thursday, didn’t practice at all. He took young son Keelan to see the Clydesdale horses as his crew tinkered with a No. 29 car which was covered up in its garage stall well before the day’s final session came to an end.
Mike Dillon, vice president of competition for Harvick’s Richard Childress Racing team, said the No. 29 crew put the race engine in the car, which would run only sparingly in Saturday’s 90-minute final practice. Harvick’s confidence level for Sunday?
“I’d say it’s pretty good right now,” Dillon said. “This deal, the 500, you’ve got a long day. You’ve got to get on and off pit road a lot, and have no mistakes there. And if you’re up there in last 10 or five to go, you have a shot to win the 500.”
Several other drivers — Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Mark Martin and Juan Pablo Montoya the most prominent among them — also didn’t practice Friday. Many of those who did skipped the day’s first session, which was topped by Aric Almirola at 196.941 mph. The Richard Petty Motorsports driver shook down his No. 43 car one last time before his team put the race engine in it, and then sat out the day’s second session.
“We’ve done enough running around here by now, racing in the Sprint Unlimited and racing in the 150s, that I feel really confident with what we’ve got as a package,” Almirola said. “We’re just looking for more speed.”
Patrick sat out first practice, but did a 32-lap race run in the second and posted the day’s third-fastest speed. “I don’t think we even expected to do so much running,” said Patrick, who will start the Daytona 500 from the outside lane. “But the car was good from the get-go. … We’re feeling much more comfortable and confident with the balance going into Sunday.”
Patrick added she also planned to skip Saturday’s final practice, and indications are she and Stewart won’t be alone. “I don’t think many people will be spending a lot of time on the track tomorrow,” said Trevor Bayne, who turned four laps in a back-up car that replaced the one damaged in Thursday’s first qualifier. “I doubt anyone will do any drafting.”
The only incident Friday didn’t occur on the race track, but at the exit of pit road, where the No. 51 car of Regan Smith broke a transmission part near the end of the second session. Otherwise, drivers practiced primarily in single runs or in multicar lines. Stewart’s fast time continued a solid Speedweeks that also included a fourth-place performance in the Sprint Unlimited and a sixth-place result in Thursday’s first Duel.
“We’ve made it through the whole week without a scratch on that car, and it’s about as ready as it can get for the 500,” he said. “So I’m excited. I feel like we have a car capable of winning the race. It’s just a matter of whether the driver does a good job behind the steering wheel.”
Stewart has enjoyed a great deal of success at Daytona, winning the track’s summertime event four times, but has yet to capture the sport’s biggest race. Sunday will mark his 15th attempt at the Daytona 500, and he knows from experience how unpredictable the event can be.
“Even with the way the car’s run all week, it’s no guarantee,” he said. “It’s still a chess match. You still have to put yourself in the right positions and be there at the end. I’m comfortable, I guess, more than anything right now. I felt good when I got out of the car today. I didn’t feel like we had work to do to get the car balanced or to get speed out of the car. I feel like we’ve done both of those. So as far as the car is concerned, I feel real happy and content with it. I guess the weird thing is knowing we do have practice tomorrow, and we won’t run a lap. … I guess I’m just calm at this point. It’s just a matter of waiting until Sunday and going out and doing my job.”
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Recognizes Industry Leaders Paving the Way for Minorities
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Today NASCAR celebrated the outstanding achievements of ground-breaking individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to the advancement of diversity initiatives at the sixth annual NASCAR Diversity Awards Luncheon.
"At the luncheon, we have an opportunity to celebrate a few of the people and organizations whose dedication and commitment are shining examples of our industry understanding the importance of diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our sport," said Marcus Jadotte, NASCAR vice president of public affairs and multicultural development.” From the competitors on tracks to the employee’s across our offices, NASCAR is more diverse than ever and we have positioned ourselves to place the sport in front of new audiences like never before.”
During a ceremony held at The DAYTONA 500 Club at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR recognized the following individuals and organizations across the industry:
NASCAR Diverse Driver: Kyle Larson
In his first season of NASCAR competition, Kyle Larson – a Japanese-American from Elk Grove, Calif. – raced into the record books in impressive fashion. In 2012, Kyle scored two wins and 12 top 10s in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. He capped his season off with Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors en route to bringing home Rev Racing and the NASCAR Drive for Diversity’s first series championship. Kyle became just the third driver in NASCAR K&N Pro Series East history to capture the championship and Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in the same season.
Kyle signed on with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and will make his national series debut this season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series where he has a full-time ride with Turner Scott Motorsports. He has already been to Victory Lane once in 2013 when he won the opening race of the UNOH Battle At The Beach on Monday, Feb. 18.
NASCAR Diverse Crew Member Award: Tesfa Lee
The NASCAR Pit Crew Development Program Presented by Sprint is designed to identify, coach, train and develop minority athletes who possess the skill, ability and attitude to be a successful NASCAR pit crew member. Today’s crew member award winner, Tesfa Lee, exemplifies the desire and talent the program was created to develop.
When Tesfa Lee showed up to the 2009 Combine with very little background in NASCAR the coaching team did not know what to expect. He proved to be a fast learner and in seven months had already started working with a team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Tesfa has followed that up with consistent improvement and has gained excellent experience as part of several championship-winning teams. In 2010, he was part of the Germain Racing team that won the NASCAR Camping World Truck championship with Todd Bodine. Then last year, he was a member on Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s NASCAR Nationwide Series team that won the title for Roush Fenway Racing. In 2013, Tesfa will continue his great work with Roush Fenway as a member of Trevor Bayne’s No. 21 NASCAR Sprint Cup and No. 6 NASCAR Nationwide Series crews.
NASCAR Diversity Internship Program Award: Stacey Houston
Stacey Houston, a senior at Davidson College (N.C.), interned in Charlotte, N.C., with the Market Research Group in the NASCAR Marketing Department. During the course of his internship, Stacey worked on a variety of projects, one of which was the development of a database that allows the department to create more impactful and meaningful questionnaires for the official NASCAR fan council.
Institution Award: Ten80
The Ten80 Student Racing Challenge is a project-based STEM curriculum and annual competition league that provides students with professional development opportunities in related disciplines. Ten80 Student Racing Challenge teams are mini-race teams that compete using a 1:10 scale electric radio-controlled car. This program has helped thousands of students not only develop a passion for NASCAR and motorsports but also to cement their interest in careers based on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
NASCAR Partner Award: Octagon
As the agency of record for several of NASCAR’s key partners including Sprint and Sunoco, Octagon has diligently worked with NASCAR to create and support initiatives that help to expose the sport to new audiences in unique ways. Octagon’s dedication has led the company to annually bring on an intern from the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program, a commitment that has given several minority students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the sport.
NASCAR Young Racer Award: Ryleigh Lemonds
Nine-year-old Ryleigh Lemonds is making her mark as a future driver to watch. During 2012, Ryleigh competed in 29 races and wheeled off 10 wins, 27 top 5s and 29 top 10s, winning on five tracks in three states. Ryleigh’s epic season ended with her winning the Langley Speedway Bandolero Track championship and the 2012 INEX Virginia State Bandolero Bandit championship.
In 2013, Ryleigh will be a developmental driver with Rev Racing, participating in arena racing and driving one of the team’s Bandolero cars at select tracks throughout the southeast.
NASCAR Industry Ambassador: Bryan Sperber
As president of the Phoenix International Raceway, Bryan Sperber sets the strategic direction for one of NASCAR’s most popular tracks. Under Sperber’s leadership, Phoenix International Raceway has become imbedded in the local community and continuously seeks to form partnerships with minority organizations such as the Arizona Hispanic Chamber Of Commerce. In 2013, Phoenix International Raceway will host the NASCAR Toyota Series’ inaugural race in the United States, where some of Mexico’s best drivers will compete during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend.
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Son of Formula One driver looks to live up to his father’s reputation in NASCAR
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Superstar fathers, striving sons: it’s a familiar scenario in NASCAR, a sport built on pedigrees and rich in family tradition.
Like the Pettys and Earnhardts, the Jarretts and Allisons — all of whom enjoyed multi-generational success and stardom — Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet Jr. has brought his racing pedigree to NASCAR.
However, unlike those other famous family trees so strongly rooted in the stock car universe, Piquet’s father, Nelson Piquet, is a retired three-time Formula One champion (1981, ’83, ’87) from Brazil. And now he’s got to figure out this fender-rubbing, bump-drafting brand of racing his namesake has chosen to pursue.
“He’s trying to understand it slowly and, race after race, he understands more,’’ Piquet Jr. said of his father. “He still gets a bit lost in the middle of the race, especially the Nationwide races that are a little longer. But he is happy (for me). He is excited."
Piquet added with a grin, “He gets more scared because the cars are so quick and close to the wall all the time. As he gets older he’s watching less and less of the races because he says his heart is not allowing him to watch the whole race, especially when they go three-wide.’’
His son, however, has taken to the sport immediately. And vice versa.
Not only did Piquet become the first Brazilian to win races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck series (twice) and NASCAR Nationwide Series (once) last year, fans voted him Most Popular Driver in the Camping World Truck Series.
This season, after weighing several NASCAR opportunities — including an invitation to move up to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series level — Piquet is staying with Turner Scott Motorsports and moving fulltime into the Nationwide Series, where he notched a win (at Road America) in 2012 in only his third career start.
He’ll roll off 17th in Saturday’s season-opening DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway, absolutely convinced it’s the next crucial development to him becoming a bona fide stock car racing star.
“It will be a big step,’’ Piquet said. “This will be tough. We are running against other good teams and a lot of good drivers this year. It makes me even more excited, it’s more reasons to do well, to learn, to work harder.
“I could have signed a three-year deal with an average (Cup) team, but it was too early and I don’t want to step into a Cup car unless I had a good chance of winning.
“I don’t think it’s good for drivers to be running in the middle or back, just hanging around. I think it’s important for a driver to always be in competitive stuff, winning races, always that edge under pressure. You’re running second and need to win the race, or your leading and holding someone off. That’s what you need to be learning to win championships.’’
The only thing greater than his optimism and confidence seems to be the love he receives from fans — those who followed him during a brief, if also controversial, time in Formula One and those who are just becoming familiar with him in NASCAR.
The handsome, straight-talking 27-year-old Piquet speaks four languages, boasts a huge social media following and says the first biography he ever read as a kid was about Richard Petty.
And ironically, it will be Petty’s career path and not his own father’s that Piquet has chosen — or, as he insists, “fallen in love with." That path is made more difficult by the fact that he has a name to live up to.
“I like a challenge,’’ Piquet explained. “A driver always wants to prove himself to fans and to himself that he is capable of doing it.’’
It may also be about redemption for Piquet, who scored one podium finish in 28 Formula 1 starts from 2008-09 and was involved in a headline-making controversy over “team orders.’’
“Obviously what happened to me in Europe wasn’t the best thing in the world, I didn’t have a chance to prove myself,’’ Piquet said. “I knew I was a good driver and whatever situation or car I could race, I believed I could do well.
“So I decided, ‘Hey, nobody ever went from F1 to NASCAR and was successful, so I want to do that.’ That was the first reason I came here. The second reason, once I got here, I fell in love with the whole sport. My mind just changed. Not only a reason to prove myself capable of (success) anywhere I can, but because I just fell in love with the whole game over here.’’
And now, he is working to convert his legendary father.
“The pressure my father puts is not a bad pressure,’’ Piquet said. “He wants me to do well and he believes in me. The rest of the family probably watches more than him but more as a fan.
“My father’s always a very, very hard critic. Obviously, he saw the first (truck) race I won (in Michigan) and understood it was a bit of a fuel mileage race.
“My father is kind of a harsh guy so the first time he said to me, ‘You did it now’ was after the Vegas race. We had Road America before it but it was a road course and he wanted me to win on an oval… He wants me to win championships and races all the time, like any other father."
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History and comfort take center stage at future Daytona International Speedway
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Promising to give fans comfort, amenities, ease of movement and plenty of awe, Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood revealed Friday more detailed plans for what could be the most talked-about track renovation project in NASCAR history.
After showing a video voiced by actor Tom Selleck and a high-tech animation tour to reporters inside the legendary Daytona track, Chitwood explained the specific vision for a massive redevelopment project that could begin as early as late 2013, depending on final approval from International Speedway Corporation senior management.
The project will include a new entrance façade to NASCAR’s most famous speedway and elevators, escalators and staircases to transport fans. It also calls for 11 sleek new concourses — each the size of a football field — strategically located around the superstretch offering fans all the amenities people expect in modern day sports facilities and featuring historical displays that give a nod to the 54-year-old track’s history.
There will also be a complete makeover of the front-stretch grandstand seats — which currently seat approximately 100,000 — making them wider and installing seat backs and arm rests. There will be more restrooms and, much to the relief of fans, Chitwood said they will still be able to bring their own coolers to the track.
"We’re giving this a professional stadium feel, something that makes people want to pull off the side of the road and take a picture of this,’’ Chitwood said. "This is all about the fans. And what we’re talking about is massive.’’
"The name Daytona means something and this is where we re-impress on everyone what Daytona means to our sport."
— Joie Chitwood, Daytona International Speedway president
The concourses will be called “neighborhoods” and include concessions, merchandise booths, restrooms and restaurants plus seating and social areas. The primary neighborhood will be located at the center entrance gate, one of five large redesigned entrances, and will be designated the “World Center of Racing Zone." It will be an open-air concourse where fans can catch their first glimpse of the famous track. The start/finish line will extend in a painted form on the concourse floor.
"This is where we show the uniqueness of Daytona, this is who we are,’’ Chitwood said of this showcase entrance. “As you come here, this will be where you see Daytona for the first time, this is where you get it, that you are on hallowed ground.
"For the core customer, they know our story, but for the new fan this is where they say, ‘I didn’t know that.’ The name Daytona means something and this is where we re-impress on everyone what Daytona means to our sport."
Chitwood said the construction will be done in phases and stressed that it is still subject to approval from senior ISC executives. He hopes to bring the final proposal before them later this year.
He also emphasized that any construction will not impact the timing of the sport’s premier event, the Daytona 500. Construction work would be timed around the track’s NASCAR and Grand-Am race weekends in February, motorcycle races in March and NASCAR July event. And he expects the project will be phased over a period of time, probably a couple of years.
"Any construction we do will not affect the date of the Daytona 500,’’ Chitwood said. “Whatever we do, the Daytona 500 will absolutely continue to maintain its role as the first event of the NASCAR season.’’
Because the final design and project haven’t been approved yet, Chitwood said he doesn’t have a cost estimate yet, but said it was fair to assume it would be one of the biggest projects undertaken on an ISC property.
Most recently, Daytona significantly upgraded its infield facilities in 2005, with new Sprint Cup Series garages and its unique “FANZONE” that features improved viewing areas and the chance for fans to watch teams at work through windows and even get driver autographs.
“It’s a great example of the investments we make in Daytona,’’ Chitwood said. “We needed new Cup garages and what we really built was the FANZONE and it was the way to take a garage and turn it into a fan amenity.
"It’s the same kind of approach we’ll take to this redevelopment. You can build a grandstand or you can really build a stadium, and that’s the focus for us.’’
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Late caution hands Johnny Sauter victory in NextEra Energy Resources 250
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Wrecked a year ago while leading late in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway, Johnny Sauter found redemption Friday night at the 2.5-mile superspeedway in winning the season-opening NextEra Energy Resources 250.
Sauter collected the seventh victory of his NCWTS career under caution, thanks to a timely accident that froze the field after he had taken the white flag. Kyle Busch ran second, followed by Ron Hornaday Jr., Justin Lofton and Jeb Burton.
Ty Dillon, Miguel Paludo, Ryan Blaney, Matt Crafton and Ryan Sieg completed the top 10.
The win was the 100th in the Truck Series for Toyota, which began competition in the series in 2004.
Sauter’s first victory in the No. 98 Thorsport Tundra was Toyota’s seventh straight win at Daytona.
“It’s a lot harder to win restrictor-plate races than you think,” Sauter said. “I’m so proud of our effort. I’m speechless, even to this point. After last year, coming so close and getting taken out there toward the end of the race… we did everything right tonight.
“This was a different kind of race than I thought it was going to be. I was totally wrong. I thought there were going to be a lot more wrecks than that. I thought we could run three-wide, and we couldn’t do that. We could only run two-wide… with our new number, No. 98, in Victory Lane the first time out — I’m pretty proud of that.”
Unable to make a move on the final lap, Busch was frustrated once again in trying to win for the first time in a truck he owns.
“I was just biding my time most of the day, sitting in the right place, I felt like, got the lead a couple of times, probably didn’t fall back worse than fifth or sixth, did some good bump-drafting with some guys and whatnot,” Busch said. “There at the end, man, I thought I was in the perfect spot, running second there, right behind Johnny.
“I was somehow going to make a move on the last lap, but it was only a 99-lap race today.”
Aside from Scott Riggs’ blown engine — the cause of the first caution on Lap 26 — the race was a model of decorum until Lap 54, when Brendan Gaughan tried to put his truck into a gap that closed before he completed the move.
The result was a 14-truck melee that sidelined Gaughan, polesitter Brennan Newberry, Bryan Silas and Chris Fontaine.
A subsequent caution called after Jason White’s Chevrolet smacked the outside wall gave the field a chance to pit for fuel, ensuring that all trucks could make it to the end of the scheduled 250 miles without refueling.
Sauter was leading the pack with eight laps left when Ryan Truex’s Chevrolet was hung in the middle lane and began falling back through the field. Truex lost control and triggered a five-truck wreck that wiped out the Toyota of Timothy Peters.
That set up a five-lap shootout with Sauter and Todd Bodine coming to the green side by side. Bodine lost ground on the restart, ceding the second spot to Busch, who trailed Sauter as the top 12 trucks in the running order ran single-file on the bottom of the track.
Moments after Sauter took the white flag, an accident involving defending series champion James Buescher, Joey Coulter, John King and Jeff Agnew caused the sixth caution of the race, and Sauter took the checkered flag under caution.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – NextEra Energy Resources 250
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida
Friday, February 22, 2013
1. (25) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 100, $73310.
2. (6) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 100, $46900.
3. (4) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, 100, $33920.
4. (2) Justin Lofton, Chevrolet, 100, $28285.
5. (7) Jeb Burton #, Chevrolet, 100, $24835.
6. (5) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 100, $18610.
7. (8) Miguel Paludo, Chevrolet, 100, $17610.
8. (11) Ryan Blaney #, Ford, 100, $16610.
9. (17) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 100, $15610.
10. (31) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 100, $15885.
11. (26) Todd Bodine, Toyota, 100, $14510.
12. (14) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Toyota, 100, $12085.
13. (3) James Buescher, Chevrolet, 100, $15235.
14. (16) Ross Chastain, Ford, 100, $14110.
15. (33) Chris Cockrum, Toyota, 100, $14785.
16. (24) Tim George Jr., Ford, 100, $13810.
17. (32) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, 100, $13705.
18. (21) John King, Chevrolet, 100, $11335.
19. (13) Dakoda Armstrong, Chevrolet, 100, $13485.
20. (36) Dusty Davis, Chevrolet, 100, $11760.
21. (28) John Wes Townley, Toyota, 100, $13285.
22. (10) Joey Coulter, Toyota, 100, $13185.
23. (30) Jeff Agnew, Chevrolet, Accident, 99, $13060.
24. (12) Max Gresham, Chevrolet, Accident, 99, $11685.
25. (20) German Quiroga #, Toyota, 97, $11735.
26. (19) Clay Greenfield, RAM, 95, $10485.
27. (23) Timothy Peters, Toyota, Accident, 92, $10335.
28. (9) Ryan Truex #, Chevrolet, Accident, 91, $10235.
29. (15) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 74, $10135.
30. (29) Jason White(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 61, $10535.
31. (34) David Starr, Toyota, Suspension, 58, $9985.
32. (27) Bryan Silas, Ford, Accident, 54, $9935.
33. (1) Brennan Newberry #, Chevrolet, Accident, 54, $12185.
34. (22) Chris Fontaine, Toyota, Accident, 53, $9830.
35. (35) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, Engine, 37, $9780.
36. (18) Scott Riggs, Chevrolet, Engine, 25, $9692.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 141.598 mph.
Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 45 Mins, 56 Secs. Margin of Victory: Caution.
Caution Flags: 6 for 20 laps.
Lead Changes: 11 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: 0; J. Lofton 1-6; T. Dillon 7-17; J. Buescher 18; T. Dillon 19-60; J. Sauter 61; T. Dillon 62-64; T. Bodine 65-68; K. Busch(i) 69; T. Bodine 70-73; K. Busch(i) 74-84; J. Sauter 85-100.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): T. Dillon 3 times for 56 laps; J. Sauter 2 times for 17 laps; K. Busch(i) 2 times for 12 laps; T. Bodine 2 times for 8 laps; J. Lofton 1 time for 6 laps; J. Buescher 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 10 in Points: J. Sauter – 47; R. Hornaday Jr. – 41; J. Lofton – 41; T. Dillon – 40; J. Burton # – 39; M. Paludo – 37; R. Blaney # – 36; M. Crafton – 35; R. Sieg – 34; T. Bodine – 34.
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New spotter Chris Osborne the final choice after a two-month search
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Spotter Chris Osborne didn’t know at the time that he was part of a two-month audition process conducted by driver Matt Kenseth and crew chief Jason Ratcliff.
But the man who goes by the handle @crazy_spotter on Twitter passed the meticulous test admirably and is now installed as spotter for Kenseth and his new No. 20 Toyota team at Joe Gibbs Racing.
One area of concern to the 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, after he announced plans to leave Roush Fenway Racing and join the Gibbs organization, was finding a spotter to replace Mike Calinoff, who opted to remain with Roush Fenway.
Calinoff and Kenseth had a rhythm and repartee that would be difficult to duplicate. That’s why Kenseth and Ratcliff listened to hours of audio before making their choice.
"I was like, ‘Man, just go do your deal; if we have to make any adjustment, we’ll make ’em.’"
—Matt Kenseth on his new spotter, Chris Osborne
"I did a lot of research last year — Jason and I did — before we really interviewed or offered a job to a spotter," Kenseth told the NASCAR Wire Service on Friday at Daytona International Speedway. "I listened to a lot of different audio… I was so sick of listening to spotters and drivers and crew chiefs talking back and forth.
"I just listened to a lot of audio from different races that we recorded, so I could listen to different spotters and their style, without them knowing that you’re listening to them."
More than anything else, Kenseth was looking for a spotter who fit his laid-back style. He found that in Osborne, who was spotter for the No. 22 car at Penske Racing.
"There’s a lot of things I look for," said Kenseth, the defending Daytona 500 champion and a two-time winner of NASCAR’s most important race. "One thing is the way they talk, how clear they sound, their accent — all that stuff, so it’s something you can understand — somebody that doesn’t get excited, somebody that’s calm, and gives you all the information.
"I was excited with what I heard (with Osborne), and that being said, when you do that research, you don’t want to find somebody where you need to change 10 things. I liked the information that he was giving the other guys, and I was like, ‘Man, just go do your deal; if we have to make any adjustment, we’ll make ’em.’ And we really haven’t had to make any adjustments. I haven’t really told him to do anything different.
"We tried to do our research. It took a couple months to figure out who we wanted, if we could get him, and that was Chris."
PATRICK WILL START ON TOP
Based on her experience in Thursday’s first Budweiser Duel 150-mile qualifying race, Danica Patrick will bring the field to green in the outside lane to start Sunday’s Daytona 500.
Patrick, who, as the pole winner has her pick of lanes, confirmed the decision to reporters Friday afternoon in the Daytona media center. In her Duel, Patrick chose the bottom lane and was shuffled back through the field.
"I started on the bottom," Patrick said. "Tony (Stewart) was right behind me if I started there, so we thought that was kind of the best place to be. We didn’t really know that it was going to be so obvious that we needed to start on the top; that’s why we will do that for the 500 on Sunday. Tony just stayed back there, so I just stayed with him.
"We just kind of fell back; we got three-wide a little bit at one point, and I just got out of it and let that pass and then dropped to the back. The car was pretty tight, so there wasn’t a lot I could do anyway. Passing seems tough without a fair amount of help. And even when you get that, it sometimes gets stopped-up by somebody dropping down in front of the lane, and slowing it up.
"So, it is going to be interesting to see how things end up working out on Sunday."
Patrick is the first female driver to win a pole in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. No female driver has won a race in any of NASCAR’s top three touring series.
DAYTONA MAKEOVER
If you thought "injectors" were part of a car’s fuel delivery system and nothing more, think again.
The grand vision for capital improvements to Daytona International Speedway includes "injectors," five expanded and redesigned fan entrances leading from International Speedway
Boulevard into the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
According to the plan, the injectors will lead to escalators that will transport fans to three different concourse levels and a series of "neighborhoods" (where fans can meet and socialize without missing any racing action) along the one-mile frontstretch.
That’s just part of the concept, which is subject to approval by senior management of International Speedway Corporation, which owns the track, pending economic stability factors and design and construction costs.
Daytona president Joie Chitwood III presented the vision to reporters Friday morning at the speedway. Other aspects include the replacement of every seat on the frontstretch with more comfortable seating, open sightlines from the concourses and their "neighborhoods," as well as the addition of restrooms and concession stands with easier access points.
BAYNE ON POLE FOR NATIONWIDE RACE
Trevor Bayne posted a lap at 177.162 mph (50.801) midway through Friday’s Nationwide Series qualifying session and waited for someone to go faster.
That didn’t happen, and, accordingly, the 2011 Daytona 500 winner will start his quest for a Nationwide title on the pole for Saturday’s DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway.
Sam Hornish Jr. came closest to knocking Bayne off the provisional pole. Hornish ran 176.869 mph to earn the second starting position for Saturday’s season opener. Danica Patrick, last year’s polesitter for the Nationwide race at Daytona, qualified 12th, one position ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr.
SHORT STROKES
Through no fault of his own, Carl Edwards has been involved in four accidents during Speedweeks. After Edwards’ No. 99 Ford was demolished in Thursday’s first Budweiser Duel qualifying race, another race car arrived from North Carolina early Friday morning. "While you guys were sleeping, we were working," crew chief Jimmy Fennig said… Tony Stewart announced Friday that Rush Truck Centers will serve as primary sponsor for three races on his No. 14 Chevy SS and will be an associate sponsor for the rest of the Cup schedule…
READ MORE:
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READ: Daytona 500
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WATCH: Up to Speed:
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READ: Daytona 500
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READ: Daytona 500 lineup
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Sunoco Rookie of the Year Contender Brennan Newberry wins first career Keystone Light Pole
| Pos | Trk | Driver | Team | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 14 | Brennan Newberry # | Fight For Life Chevrolet | 50.797 | 177.176 |
| 2 | 6 | Justin Lofton | MadVapes Chevrolet | 50.915 | 176.765 |
| 3 | 31 | James Buescher | Rheem Chevrolet | 50.919 | 176.751 |
| 4 | 9 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevrolet | 50.930 | 176.713 |
| 5 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet | 50.952 | 176.637 |
| 6 | 51 | Kyle Busch(i) | Toyota Care Toyota | 50.997 | 176.481 |
| 7 | 4 | Jeb Burton # | Arrowhead Chevrolet | 50.999 | 176.474 |
| 8 | 32 | Miguel Paludo | Duroline Chevrolet | 51.151 | 175.950 |
| 9 | 30 | Ryan Truex # | Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet | 51.196 | 175.795 |
| 10 | 18 | Joey Coulter | Gunbroker.com Toyota | 51.205 | 175.764 |
| 11 | 29 | Ryan Blaney # | Cooper Standard Performance Ford | 51.210 | 175.747 |
| 12 | 8 | Max Gresham | AmWins Chevrolet | 51.214 | 175.733 |
| 13 | 60 | Dakoda Armstrong | Winfield Chevrolet | 51.227 | 175.689 |
| 14 | 54 | Darrell Wallace Jr. # | DefyDiabetes.com Toyota | 51.292 | 175.466 |
| 15 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | South Point Chevrolet | 51.293 | 175.463 |
| 16 | 19 | Ross Chastain | National Watermelon Association Ford | 51.406 | 175.077 |
| 17 | 88 | Matt Crafton | Slim Jim/Menards Toyota | 51.548 | 174.595 |
| 18 | 92 | Scott Riggs | FleetHQ.com/BTS Tire & Wheel Chevrolet | 51.571 | 174.517 |
| 19 | 68 | Clay Greenfield | US Pavement/1-800-Pavement RAM | 51.573 | 174.510 |
| 20 | 77 | German Quiroga # | Net 10 Wireless Toyota | 51.621 | 174.348 |
| 21 | 33 | John King | Florida Lottery/Eastern Coal Council Chevrolet | 51.624 | 174.338 |
| 22 | 84 | Chris Fontaine | Glenden Enterprises Toyota | 51.639 | 174.287 |
| 23 | 17 | Timothy Peters | Parts Plus Toyota | 51.668 | 174.189 |
| 24 | 5 | Tim George Jr. | GT Vodka/Applebee’s Ford | 51.724 | 174.000 |
| 25 | 98 | Johnny Sauter | Carolina Nut Co./Curb Records Toyota | 51.793 | 173.769 |
| 26 | 13 | Todd Bodine | Thorsport Racing Toyota | 51.802 | 173.738 |
| 27 | 99 | Bryan Silas | TroKar/Warriors4Warriors/WorldofBeer Ford | 51.872 | 173.504 |
| 28 | 7 | John Wes Townley | Zaxby’s Toyota | 51.915 | 173.360 |
| 29 | 93 | Jason White(i) | Bubble Chevrolet | 52.178 | 172.486 |
| 30 | 27 | Jeff Agnew | Mike Hillman Racing Chevrolet | 52.234 | 172.302 |
| 31 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | Pull-A-Part, LLC Chevrolet | 52.374 | 171.841 |
| 32 | 57 | Norm Benning | Stone Mountain/Tactical Machining Chevrolet | 52.464 | 171.546 |
| 33 | 07 | Chris Cockrum | Accu-Tech/AdvancedCommunications Toyota | Owner Points | |
| 34 | 81 | David Starr | BYF/Chasco Contractors Toyota | Owner Points | |
| 35 | 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Koma Unwind Relaxation Drink Chevrolet | Owner Points | Owner Points |
| 36 | 1 | Dusty Davis | Accell Construction Chevrolet | 52.237 | 172.292 |
Roush Fenway driver to start first in season opener
Trevor Bayne secured the pole position for Saturday’s season-opening NASCAR Nationwide Series race, clocking a fast lap of 177.162 mph at Daytona International Speedway in Friday’s qualifying.
Bayne, who will run a full season in Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 6 Ford, will lead the field in Saturday’s DRIVE4COPD 300, scheduled for a 1:15 p.m. green flag. After clinching his sixth Nationwide pole and first at Daytona, he’ll start alongside second-fastest Sam Hornish Jr., who logged a 176.869 mph lap in a Penske Racing Mustang.
QUALIFYING: DRIVE4COPD 300
Parker Kligerman will make his first start for Kyle Busch Motorsports in third place. He edged action sports star Travis Pastrana, who will start fourth as he embarks in his first full season as Bayne’s teammate at Roush Fenway.
Austin Dillon, who finished third in the points standings last season, qualified fifth. He’ll start beside Elliott Sadler, the series runner-up for 2012.
See the table below for the final order:
| Pos | Car | Driver | Team | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Cargill Ford | 50.801 | 177.162 |
| 2 | 12 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Alliance Truck Parts Ford | 50.885 | 176.869 |
| 3 | 77 | Parker Kligerman | Bandit Chippers Toyota | 50.905 | 176.800 |
| 4 | 60 | Travis Pastrana | Roush-Fenway Racing Ford | 50.952 | 176.637 |
| 5 | 3 | Austin Dillon | AdvoCare Chevrolet | 51.020 | 176.401 |
| 6 | 11 | Elliott Sadler | OneMain Toyota | 51.030 | 176.367 |
| 7 | 54 | Kyle Busch (i) | Monster Toyota | 51.030 | 176.367 |
| 8 | 99 | Alex Bowman # | Florida Lottery Toyota | 51.038 | 176.339 |
| 9 | 18 | Matt Kenseth (i) | GameStop/Turtle Beach Toyota | 51.042 | 176.325 |
| 10 | 33 | Tony Stewart (i) | Oreo/Ritz Chevrolet | 51.043 | 176.322 |
| 11 | 22 | Brad Keselowski (i) | Discount Tire Ford | 51.043 | 176.322 |
| 12 | 34 | Danica Patrick (i) | GoDaddy.com Chevrolet | 51.067 | 176.239 |
| 13 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (i) | TaxSlavyer.com Chevrolet | 51.071 | 176.225 |
| 14 | 31 | Justin Allgaier | Brandt Chevrolet | 51.078 | 176.201 |
| 15 | 7 | Regan Smith | Clean Coal Chevrolet | 51.086 | 176.174 |
| 16 | 10 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports Toyota | 51.161 | 175.915 |
| 17 | 30 | Nelson Piquet Jr. (i) | Worx Chevrolet | 51.167 | 175.895 |
| 18 | 55 | Jamie Dick | Viva Motorsports Chevrolet | 51.195 | 175.798 |
| 19 | 5 | Kasey Kahne (i) | Great Clips Chevrolet | 51.202 | 175.774 |
| 20 | 20 | Brian Vickers | Dollar Chevrolet | 51.217 | 175.723 |
| 21 | 32 | Kyle Larson # | Clorox Chevrolet | 51.222 | 175.706 |
| 22 | 43 | Michael Annett | Pilot Ford | 51.266 | 175.555 |
| 23 | 01 | Mike Wallace | G&K Services/Flex Seal Chevrolet | 51.305 | 175.421 |
| 24 | 8 | Scott Lagasse Jr. | Hybrid Light/Boy Scouts of America Chevrolet | 51.358 | 175.240 |
| 25 | 70 | Johanna Long | Foretravel Chevrolet | 51.363 | 175.223 |
| 26 | 19 | Mike Bliss | G-Oil Chevrolet | 51.400 | 175.097 |
| 27 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing Dodge | 51.433 | 174.985 |
| 28 | 14 | Eric McClure | Hefty/Reynolds Wrap Toyota | 51.435 | 174.978 |
| 29 | 2 | Brian Scott | Shore Lodge Chevrolet | 51.450 | 174.927 |
| 30 | 23 | Robert Richardson Jr. | Stalk It/World Ventures Chevrolet | 51.630 | 174.317 |
| 31 | 79 | Jeffrey Earnhardt # | Uponor Ford | 51.632 | 174.311 |
| 32 | 44 | Hal Martin # | American Custom Yachts Toyota | 51.713 | 174.037 |
| 33 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | Florida DOT Toyota | 51.719 | 174.017 |
| 34 | 24 | Blake Koch | I Am Second/Sale Life Toyota | 51.911 | 173.374 |
| 35 | 00 | Jason White | JW Demolition Toyota | 51.929 | 173.314 |
| 36 | 15 | Juan Carlos Blum # | VMP Ford | 52.205 | 172.397 |
| 37 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | USSJamesE.WilliamsDDg95/ASE Chevrolet | Owner points | |
| 38 | 4 | Danny Efland | Flex Seal Chevrolet | Owner points | |
| 39 | 40 | Reed Sorenson | e-Swisher Chevrolet | Owner points | |
| 40 | 1 | Kurt Busch (i) | Guy Roofing Chevrolet | 51.435 | 174.978 |
Did not qualify: No. 85 Bobby Gerhart; No. 89 Morgan Shepherd; No. 92 Dexter Stacey; No. 52 Joey Gase.
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