By design, Patrick stays behind

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Holly Cain

With Daytona 500 in mind, No. 10 crew plays it safe

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Danica Patrick’s first time out as a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole-sitter Thursday afternoon was a little underwhelming. But that was all by design.

Patrick’s No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet SS led the field of 23 cars to the green flag in the first 150-mile Duel at Daytona qualifying race but wasn’t the leader by the time the first lap was completed. In fact, she never led a lap, instead dropping back to run peacefully among the last half dozen cars.

The strategy helped her avoid the only multicar accident of the day, which happened near the front of the field toward the end of the race. Patrick finished 17th, but more importantly to her team, never compromised her Daytona 500 pole-winning car.

"We wanted to be conservative. … I know it’s not the most exciting way to race."

— Danica Patrick

“We wanted to be conservative,” Patrick said. “We didn’t want any issues with the GoDaddy car, we wanted to make sure we got it on the front row for Sunday. I know it’s not the most exciting way to race today.’’

But at least she completed every lap.

One of her Stewart-Haas Racing team owners, Gene Haas, suggested it might be best if she start and park the car to eliminate any threats to starting out front in Sunday’s Daytona 500. But Patrick’s crew chief Tony Gibson insisted they could benefit from the experience, even if in this case, they learned more about the car than Patrick, a Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate, learned about restrictor-plate racing at the Cup series level.

“It was frustrating for her to sit there and just kind of ride around because she’s a go-getter, she’s a mash-the-gas and get after it (driver),’’ Gibson acknowledged. “But today we just kinda had to see how the race unfolded and look after our race car.

“Our plan was to stay in the top three or four if we could, if that wasn’t happening we were going to the back. I’m happy, my car’s in one piece and it’s a fast race car. We could drop back at will and suck back up there at will. I feel real confident about our speed and (Tony) Stewart was the same way.’’

Conceded Patrick, “I’ll be really honest, I don’t feel I got a lot of experience with how to pass or the draft so much. I was able to hang with the group but I guess I learned being too tight is pretty detrimental.

“If you can’t keep your foot in it right up behind cars you’re going to struggle to make moves.’’

Patrick said the biggest lesson she learned is that the outside lane is where she wants to be to start the race. And Gibson said he would entertain the notion.

The pole-sitter gets to chose whether he — or she — starts on the inside or outside.

“Obviously, we’ll see who’s starting around us, but I will say the top is probably where you want to restart based on what we’ve seen this week and last week,’’ Gibson said. “We’ll sit down and talk about it, but I’d say we’ll probably start on the outside.’’

Kevin Harvick, who won Duel 1, will start on the inside of the second row. Kyle Busch, who won Duel 2, will start on the outside of the second row.

Regardless, Gibson and Patrick were pleased with the performance on the car. The only major glitch on the day was a tachometer malfunction, but Patrick handled that seamlessly without getting a speed road penalty despite no way to gauge how fast she was going.

And it is how fast she’s been going that encourages the team most. She has consistently had the fastest practice laps — including a 10-lap average — in addition to turning one of the fastest pole-winning laps (196.434 mph) since NASCAR instituted restrictor plates at its superspeedways.

“I think if you’ve got a fast race car, anybody is going to draft with you,” Gibson said. “That’s just how this deal works. If you’ve got a fast car and can move forward they’re going to use you as a pick to pull ‘em and push ‘em and all that.

“If our car’s fast, anybody will draft with us. … Whether you’re a rookie or a champion, you can wreck one of these things. People are going to use whoever they’ve got to use to get to the front no matter who it is. If we’re fast, people will use us.’’

Two practices are scheduled for Friday with a final session Saturday to tune the cars and do any further experimenting with the draft.

“You can’t relax at all yet, you can wreck with three cars on the race track,’’ Gibson said. “My nerves will be calmed down a little bit Saturday afternoon when practice is over and that car’s in one piece.

“It’s a pretty big deal for our company and us to make sure we lead the field down in the Daytona 500.”

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Posted on February 21, 2013 by

The NASCAR Foundation’s annual $150,000 donation presented to Speediatrics Unit at Halifax Health Medical Center at “High Speed Hold ‘Em On The Halifax”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The NASCAR Foundation held its second annual poker event, “High Speed Hold ’Em On The Halifax” on Wednesday night, a fun and charitable lead-in to Sunday’s Daytona 500 (1 p.m. ET, on FOX and FOX Deportes).

The evening brought together NASCAR personalities and local community leaders for a night of charity high stakes, presenting The NASCAR Foundation’s annual $150,000 donation to benefit the Speediatrics children’s care unit at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach.

The NASCAR Foundation Chairwoman Betty Jane France was joined by co-chairs, Brett Dill, president of MG on the Halifax ownership group and Glenn Ritchey, former Daytona Beach mayor and president and CEO of Jon Hall Automotive Group. Greg "FossilMan" Raymer, winner of the 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event and Heartland Poker Tour 2012 Player of the Year served as Honorary Tournament Director. The evening’s activities included an auction event, 18 tables of poker and a check presentation by The NASCAR Foundation for its annual donation to the Speediatrics unit.

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Founded by France in 1999, Speediatrics is a NASCAR-themed pediatrics unit and is the only one of its kind in Central Florida that cares for more than 2,000 children each year, including about 300 of those receiving care in the Pediatric ICU at Halifax Health.

“Halifax Health is honored to once again be the recipient of The NASCAR Foundation’s generous contribution towards our Speediatrics unit,” said Jeff Feasel, President and CEO of Halifax Health Medical Center. “We have always valued our partnership with Betty Jane France, the France family and NASCAR and this support allows us to continue to provide the best possible health services to our children in an environment that is fun and comforting to these young patients and their families. The “High Speed Hold ’Em on the Halifax” tournament is one of the most exciting fundraisers we have been a part of and we appreciate everything the France family has done to support Halifax Health and our community.”

In its second year, the event has attracted a growing number of community partners who share in their support of the foundation’s community giving. High Speed Hold ’Em 2013 sponsors include Halifax Health, SW Grill, Hendrick Daytona Honda and venue host MG on the Halifax, the 18-acre, luxury waterfront community and clubhouse.

“We’ve come up with a winner with this event,” France said. “In just two years, we have built considerable equity in the local business community for High Speed Hold ’Em, And of course, when you talk about there being a winner, the ultimate winner here is Speediatrics. And that is a result everyone can — and should be — excited about.”

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Posted on February 21, 2013 by Staff Report

Burton stays fast; Paludo, Truex also lead the pack

Chevrolet had a strong showing in the final practice before the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway, bringing in six of the top 10 fastest laps. The field was led by lone Dodge driver Clay Greenfield, who took the fastest lap on his 8th lap. Greenfield finished fifth earlier in the day.

RELATED: Full results

Rookie Jeb Burton started strong coming off a fastest finish in the earlier practice, leading the pack and recording the second-fastest lap on lap three. He ran a total of 13 laps, holding onto the fastest lap time for much of the practice. He finished .167 seconds behind Greenfield’s 48.264 seconds.

Turner teammate James Buescher had a strong save in the lower draft after taking an unexpected bump from Burton, sending him onto the apron and narrowly missing a crash. Buescher, who finished with the third fastest time in the earlier practice, ran the 13th fastest lap before heading into the garage after the close call.

Miguel Paludo, driver of the No. 32 Chevrolet, drove the third fastest lap, .194 seconds behind leader Greenfield. Ryan Truex raced fourth, .210 seconds behind the leader, followed by fellow rookie Brennan Newberry, who had a fastest lap of 47.687. Darrell Wallace Jr., also racing his full NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule this year, took the 29th-fastest lap.

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Timothy Peters led a team draft of Red Horse Racing drivers John Wes Townley and German Quiroga. Peters’s fastest time of 47.774 on lap 3 gave him the seventh-fastest lap of the day and the second-fastest of the Toytota field behind Johnny Sauter.

Kyle Busch headed over to take part in the practice straight from Victory Lane — where he earned a fourth-place start in the Daytona 500 — joining in just as the pack thinned out. Busch benefitted from latching on to his own driver Joey Coulter, bringing him to a fastest lap of 20th. Busch ran seven laps, while Coulter ran 15.

Last year’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 winner John King had the 31st fastest lap, running 8 laps. Jennifer Jo Cobb, who was only able to complete two laps because of issues with her No. 10 Chevy, finished with the slowest time, 14.107 seconds behind the leader.

While there were no significant wrecks in the practice, David Starr blew a tire on his 11th lap, sending him into the wall and sending sparks flying. No other cars were damaged in the incident, but Starr returned to the garage as the track was cleared of debris.

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Posted on February 21, 2013 by Staff Report

Full field of 43 comes into clear focus after qualifying races

The 43-car starting lineup for the 2013 Daytona 500 came into clear focus Thursday, with no major surprises after the Budweiser Duel qualifying races.

Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch divided victories in each of their 150-mile qualifiers, putting their cars third and fourth respectively behind front-row starters Danica Patrick and Jeff Gordon.

From there, the Daytona 500 lineup was determined by Duel results (pos. 3-32), qualifying speed (pos. 33-36) and provisional berths based on time (pos. 37-43).

Mike Bliss and Brian Keselowski were the only drivers who failed to make the 43-car field for the Great American Race.

DAYTONA 500 STARTING LINEUP
Pos.	No.	Driver	Pos.	No.	Driver
Row 1
1	10	Danica Patrick	2	24	Jeff Gordon
Row 2
3	29	Kevin Harvick	4	18	Kyle Busch
Row 3
5	16	Greg Biffle	6	5	Kasey Kahne
Row 4
7	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	8	33	Austin Dillon
Row 5
9	48	Jimmie Johnson	10	15	Clint Bowyer
Row 6
11	78	Kurt Busch	12	20	Matt Kenseth
Row 7
13	14	Tony Stewart	14	55	Mark Martin
Row 8
15	2	Brad Keselowski	16	27	Paul Menard
Row 9
17	13	Casey Mears	18	31	Jeff Burton
Row 10
19	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	20	1	Jamie McMurray
Row 11
21	22	Joey Logano	22	34	David Ragan
Row 12
23	47	Bobby Labonte	24	9	Marcos Ambrose
Row 13
25	38	David Gilliland	26	43	Aric Almirola
Row 14
27	87	Joe Nemechek	28	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Row 15
29	26	Michael Waltrip	30	7	Dave Blaney
Row 16
31	95	Scott Speed	32	35	Josh Wise
Row 17
33	21	Trevor Bayne	34	39	Ryan Newman
Row 18
35	11	Denny Hamlin	36	99	Carl Edwards
Row 19
37	56	Martin Truex Jr.	38	98	Michael McDowell
Row 20
39	32	Terry Labonte	40	51	Regan Smith
Row 21
41	36	JJ Yeley	42	83	David Reutimann
Row 22
43	93	Travis Kvapil

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Staff Report

The Sprint Unlimited winner takes Duel 1; Kyle Busch takes the second race

Five days after winning The Sprint Unlimited, Kevin Harvick won Thursday’s Duel 1 at Daytona International Speedway, putting him on the inside lane — and perhaps giving him the inside track — in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

Harvick passed leader Trevor Bayne on Lap 37 and led the remaining 23 laps in the first of two 150-mile, 60-lap Duel races that set the order for the Great American Race.

“We didn’t come here to run 10th or 12th, wherever we were running,” said Harvick, who made his move on the inside lane. “We wanted to make something happen."

Kyle Busch followed suit, winning Duel 2 after opting for gas only during his one pit stop on Lap 41 and beating the rest of the pack off pit road. Busch, who started fourth in Duel 2, will have the fourth spot on the grid for Sunday’s Daytona 500 due to his finish Thursday.

“That was not our original plan,” Busch revealed after the race. “Our original plan was two tires, but he (Rogers) called it. They were just harping on me to make sure, don’t slide your tires. Because you don’t want to slide a left front (tire) and then have to take four. So, when I came down, I got a good braking mark and I got slowed down and started to slow down nice and smooth and then Marcos (Ambrose) was locked up in front of me sliding all of the tires so I had to go around him.
“So, I felt like I got a really good pit road entry. I felt like I ran good pit road speed all of the way down pit road and getting into my box was great. The guys just filled the tank for five seconds. It’s all we needed and we ended up back here. We got out front where it mattered most and got teamed up with a couple of Toyota’s which was great."

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Jeff Gordon, who couldn’t improve on his starting position for Sunday’s season-opening race, led for the first 40 laps of Duel 2. He was sent to the back after getting a pass through penalty coming off pit road and was content to cruise for the rest of the race.

Gordon will start second Sunday to Danica Patrick, who played it safe Thursday in Duel 1. After posting the top time during qualifying, the only way Patrick would have lost that top spot is if she would have wrecked Thursday.

Patrick led the pack to the green flag in the opener, but ceded the lead to Bayne on the first lap. As Patrick dropped toward the middle of the pack and cars began to go three-wide around her, the driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet moved to the back of the field to stay out of trouble and save her car for the Daytona 500.

Greg Biffle, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch rounded out the top five in Duel 1. Scott Speed finished 15th, the final spot that guaranteed an entry into the Daytona 500.

Finishing behind Busch in Duel 2 were Kasey Kahne, Austin Dillon, Clint Bowyer and Matt Kenseth, who was in second place entering the final lap. It was an especially strong showing for the 22-year-old Dillon, who is driving the No. 33 Chevrolet. Unofficially, Dave Blaney finished 15th.

“We have a good hot rod,” Dillon said in a TV interview following the race. “This thing is all about being there at the end, go into conservation mode early and get them at the end.”

Both Duels had relatively peaceful racing, with the only caution flag coming on Lap 52 in Duel 1 when Denny Hamlin bumped Carl Edwards, triggering a crash that sent the No. 99 Ford into the wall and also claimed Bayne’s No. 21 Ford. Bayne, who led the majority of the race, will go to a back-up car and start from the rear Sunday.

“I was driving along, minding my own business … then I saw in my mirror, it seemed like Denny got sideways,” Edwards told a TV reporter following the race. “But that’s the fourth time we’ve wreck a car since we’ve been down here.”

Martin Truex Jr., who was in the lead pack for most of the race in Duel 1, dropped to 19th place after being black flagged for losing a side window on the final lap.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – Duel #1
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida
Thursday, February 21, 2013

       1. (13) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 60, $57792.
       2. (14) Greg Biffle, Ford, 60, $42789.
       3. (7) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 60, $37789.
       4. (11) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 60, $32789.
       5. (17) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 60, $30789.
       6. (3) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 60, $28389.
       7. (12) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 60, $27289.
       8. (8) Casey Mears, Ford, 60, $26289.
       9. (6) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 60, $26264.
       10. (5) Joey Logano, Ford, 60, $26239.
       11. (20) Bobby Labonte, Toyota, 60, $26214.
       12. (15) David Gilliland, Ford, 60, $26189.
       13. (22) Joe Nemechek(i), Toyota, 60, $26164.
       14. (16) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 60, $26139.
       15. (18) Scott Speed, Ford, 60, $26114.
       16. (21) David Reutimann, Toyota, 60, $26089.
       17. (1) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 60, $26064.
       18. (19) Regan Smith(i), Chevrolet, 60, $26014.
       19. (10) Martin Truex Jr, Toyota, 60, $25989.
       20. (4) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 59, $25964.
       21. (23) Brian Keselowski, Toyota, 58, $25914.
       22. (9) Carl Edwards, Ford, Accident, 52, $25889.
       23. (2) Trevor Bayne(i), Ford, Accident, 52, $25839.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 177.282 mph.
Time of Race: 00 Hrs, 50 Mins, 46 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.165 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 1 for 3 laps.
Lead Changes: 4 among 2 drivers.
Lap Leaders: 0; T. Bayne(i) 1-36; K. Harvick 37-40; T. Bayne(i) 41; K. Harvick 42-60.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): T. Bayne(i) 2 times for 37 laps; K. Harvick 2 times for 23 laps.
Top 12 in Points: K. Harvick – 47; G. Biffle – 42; J. Montoya – 41; J. Johnson – 40; K. Busch – 39; T. Stewart – 38; Brad Keselowski – 37; C. Mears – 36; D. Earnhardt Jr. – 35; J. Logano – 34; B. Labonte – 33; D. Gilliland – 32.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – Duel #2

       1. (4) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 60, $58977.
       2. (3) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 60, $43963.
       3. (8) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 60, $38963.
       4. (9) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 60, $33963.
       5. (5) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 60, $31963.
       6. (14) Mark Martin, Toyota, 60, $29563.
       7. (7) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 60, $28463.
       8. (10) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 60, $27463.
       9. (11) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 60, $27438.
       10. (15) David Ragan, Ford, 60, $27413.
       11. (12) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 60, $27388.
       12. (1) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 60, $27363.
       13. (13) Aric Almirola, Ford, 60, $27338.
       14. (6) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 59, $27313.
       15. (19) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, 59, $27288.
       16. (16) Josh Wise, Ford, 59, $27263.
       17. (21) Travis Kvapil, Toyota, 59, $27238.
       18. (18) Terry Labonte, Ford, 59, $27188.
       19. (17) Michael McDowell, Ford, 59, $27163.
       20. (20) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, 59, $27138.
       21. (2) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 58, $27088.
       22. (22) Mike Bliss, Chevrolet, 55, $27063.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 193.966 mph.
Time of Race: 0 Hrs, 46 Mins, 24 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.093 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 0 for 0 laps.
Lead Changes: 6 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: J. Gordon 0; R. Newman 1; J. Gordon 2-39; M. Ambrose 40; Kyle Busch 41-51; C. Bowyer 52; Kyle Busch 53-60.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): J. Gordon 1 time for 38 laps; Kyle Busch 2 times for 19 laps; C. Bowyer 1 time for 1 lap; R. Newman 1 time for 1 lap; M. Ambrose 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 12 in Points: K. Busch – 47; K. Kahne – 42; C. Bowyer – 41; M. Kenseth – 39; M. Martin – 38; P. Menard – 37; J. Burton – 36; J. Mcmurray – 35; D. Ragan – 34; M. Ambrose – 34; J. Gordon – 34; A. Almirola – 31.

DAYTONA 500 STARTING LINEUP
Pos.	No.	Driver	Pos.	No.	Driver
Row 1
1	10	Danica Patrick	2	24	Jeff Gordon
Row 2
3	29	Kevin Harvick	4	18	Kyle Busch
Row 3
5	16	Greg Biffle	6	5	Kasey Kahne
Row 4
7	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	8	33	Austin Dillon
Row 5
9	48	Jimmie Johnson	10	15	Clint Bowyer
Row 6
11	78	Kurt Busch	12	20	Matt Kenseth
Row 7
13	14	Tony Stewart	14	55	Mark Martin
Row 8
15	2	Brad Keselowski	16	27	Paul Menard
Row 9
17	13	Casey Mears	18	31	Jeff Burton
Row 10
19	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	20	1	Jamie McMurray
Row 11
21	22	Joey Logano	22	34	David Ragan
Row 12
23	47	Bobby Labonte	24	9	Marcos Ambrose
Row 13
25	38	David Gilliland	26	43	Aric Almirola
Row 14
27	87	Joe Nemechek	28	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Row 15
29	26	Michael Waltrip	30	7	Dave Blaney
Row 16
31	95	Scott Speed	32	35	Josh Wise
Row 17
33	21	Trevor Bayne	34	39	Ryan Newman
Row 18
35	11	Denny Hamlin	36	99	Carl Edwards
Row 19
37	56	Martin Truex Jr.	38	98	Michael McDowell
Row 20
39	32	Terry Labonte	40	51	Regan Smith
Row 21
41	36	JJ Yeley	42	83	David Reutimann
Row 22
43	93	Travis Kvapil

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Posted on February 21, 2013 by Staff Report

Darrell Wallace Jr. also runs swiftly in his four laps

James Buescher picked up right where he left off, as the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion clocked the third fastest lap time in the first trucks practice at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday.

FULL PRACTICE RESULTS

Buescher’s time of 50.486 seconds on his second lap bested the leaderboard for much of the practice, which saw a top-heavy load of Turner Scott Motorsports drivers. His No. 31 Rheem Chevrolet later hit a high speed of 179.354 mph and a time of 50.155 seconds on his seventh lap.

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Jeb Burton snuck in late to take first position on the leaderboard, running his sixth lap with a time of 49.982 seconds and top speed of 180.065 mph. He was followed by Darrell Wallace Jr. in the No. 54 DefyDiabetes.com Toyota with a time of 50.098.

Miguel Paludo and Ryan Truex, teammates of Buescher, placed eighth and 12th with times of 50.507 and 50.818, respectively. John King, winner of the 2012 Camping World Trucks opener, was 10th (50.596) and reigning Camping World Trucks Rookie of the Year Ty Dillon was 18th on the leaderboard with a time of 51.154 and top speed of 175.939. Last year’s points runner-up Timothy Peters completed his fourth lap in 51.509, good for 23rd overall.

Kyle Busch, perhaps the biggest name in Thursday’s early practice, earned the 13th best time, completing his fifth lap 50.879.

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Posted on February 21, 2013 by Staff Report

Duo clocks identical times as Daytona practice ends

Kasey Kahne and Regan Smith tied for the top spot on the speed charts Thursday morning, clocking the same time in NASCAR Nationwide Series practice at Daytona International Speedway.

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Kahne and Smith turned in a fast speed of 191.930 mph around the 2.5-mile track in preparation for Saturday afternoon’s season-opening DRIVE4COPD 300.

SPEED CHART: DRIVE4COPD300 practice results

Their time was well ahead of third-fastest driver, Kyle Larson, the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing prodigy running a full Nationwide schedule for Turner Scott Motorsports. His teammates Nelson Piquet Jr. and Justin Allgaier completed the top five on the practice sheet.

Daytona 500 pole winner Danica Patrick was sixth-fastest, sealing a sweep of the top six spots by Chevrolet.

Sam Hornish Jr. led Thursday morning’s opening practice, leading a 1-2 sweep with Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski. Hornish and Keselowski were 22nd and 23rd respectively in the second practice session.

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Posted on February 21, 2013 by Nascar

Harvick looks to make history, wihle Edwards has a slow start

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kevin Harvick and his Richard Childress Racing team are chasing history at Daytona International Speedway.

If Harvick wins the Feb. 24 Daytona 500, he would become the first driver to sweep the three key NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events: The Sprint Unlimited, a Budweiser Duel qualifying race and the 500.

Of all the drivers who have been dominant through the years during the season-opening events, no one has won all three in the same year. Thirteen have won the Unlimited, a non-points race for the previous season’s pole winners, and one of the two qualifying races without winning the 500.

Harvick is a former Daytona 500 champion, having won the race in 2007.

“We’ve been fortunate the first two races,” Harvick said after edging Greg Biffle by 0.165 second for the win in Thursday’s opening 60-lap qualifier. “We’ve just got to keep a level head … not get too high over what we’ve done and just do the same things that we’ve done. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.

“I think we definitely have the car and team to be in contention to do that.”

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• When Denny Hamlin’s car hooked Carl Edwards, setting off a four-car incident at DIS, Trevor Bayne had nowhere to go.

The 2011 Daytona 500 winner led twice for 37 laps, but an issue coming to pit road cost him track position. As a result, he was directly behind Edwards when the Roush Fenway Racing driver turned hard into the outside wall.

“We led for a long time there and it was easy,” Bayne said, “just train racing it seemed like. There at the end we had to make a comeback because I accidentally slid the tires coming into pit road and we had to pit for four (tires). We finally got linked up and were catching the lead pack.”

Team officials said the primary car was the one tested here in January. “The (primary) had the better (wind tunnel) numbers,” said co-owner Len Wood, “but the backup was close. We should be OK.”

• The car count continues to rise for Edwards, who saw his fourth car damaged since testing began here in January.

“This is the worst Speedweeks start I have ever had,” Edwards said. “I don’t think I have crashed this many race cars in two years. It has been expensive for (team co-owner) Jack (Roush).”

Edwards, who was involved in a multicar incident at Daytona in January during Preseason Thunder, was swept up in a crash during practice for last weekend’s The Sprint Unlimited, then suffered damage to his No. 99 Ford on Wednesday after contact with Ryan Newman.

The incident Thursday with Hamlin left Edwards 22nd in the 23-car field.

“I don’t know exactly how come Denny got sideways there,” Edwards said. “If you look at the replay he was just out there on my right rear and got sideways and hit the right rear of the car. I am sure it was as much a surprise to him as anyone.”

• When Scott Speed and the Leavine Family Racing team crossed the finish line 16th in the opening qualifying race, it seemed as if their hopes of making the field for the Daytona 500 — their first together — weren’t going to be realized.

But when Martin Truex Jr. was dropped to 19th, the final spot on the leadlap, for a safety infraction, it pushed Speed up one position, to 15th, and assured the team of a starting spot for Sunday’s race.

A brake issue stymied the LFR team during its pit stop, and after Speed slid through his team’s pit box, he had to make a second top to get four new tires.

“We just run real small brakes here to get every ounce (of weight) out of the car you can,” said crew chief Wally Rogers. “He was just doing all he could to try and get us in. Luckily a caution came out and we bounced back.”

Truex was penalized when one of the side windows blew out of his No. 56 Toyota with approximately two laps remaining. Edwards was penalized for a similar infraction during in The Sprint Unlimited.

• Josh Wise (Front Row Motorsports) will make his first Daytona 500 start, thanks to a 16th-place finish in the day’s second qualifying race.

“I had to play a pretty safe race there,” Wise said. “It’s a lot of stress. You see how the race gets out of sequence and guys lose the draft. Everyone did a good job on pit road and we did what we had to do.”

• Speeding penalties foiled the efforts of Jeff Gordon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Terry Labonte in the second qualifying race.

Gordon, who will start No. 2 on Sunday, was penalized for speeding while entering pit road during a round of green-flag pit stops at lap 40, while Stenhouse Jr. and Labonte were tagged for exiting too fast.

Gordon, leading at the time of the infraction, rejoined the field 16th after serving a pass-through penalty.

“You want to maximize everything you have out there,” said Gordon, who finished 12th. “Every opportunity. You don’t want give up anything on pit road, and we were just a little bit too aggressive with our setting. I ran it spot on where it needs to be.

“They gave us the numbers, it was just a tiny bit over in three segments. It wasn’t that we had a problem or anything like that, we just pushed it too hard."

• Only two teams failed to earn starting berths for the 55th running of the Daytona 500. Brian Keselowski (Brian Keselowski Racing) finished 21st in the day’s opening qualifying race while Mike Bliss (Humphrey Smith Racing) placed 22nd in the second qualifier.

• Kyle Busch’s average winning speed of 193.966 mph in the second Duel qualifying race was the second fastest ever for a Duel race at Daytona.

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Posted on February 21, 2013 by Nascar

Leavine Family Racing seeks Daytona 500 berth for full-time future

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. –- Wally Rogers doesn’t look at a clipboard when he wants to see some of the notes associated with the setup of his team’s car.

He looks at his hand.

"It’s all right there," Rogers, crew chief for the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Ford, said, laughing as he pointed at the numbers etched in ink across the palm of his left hand.

Old school? Yeah, Rogers is that. He’s driven, optimistic and talented. He’s also waging one of the more difficult battles inside the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage these days.

"I don’t see how it’s going to fail. It can’t fail. We have too many good people in place to make it right."

—Scott Speed, driver of the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Ford

Along with team owner Bob Leavine and driver Scott Speed, Rogers is attempting to build and field a competitive race team with far less funding and far fewer employees than the majority of the teams filling the Cup garage here this week at Daytona International Speedway.

There are teams here that have more engineers than LFR has employees on its payroll.

A year ago, the upstart Leavine Family Racing team added road courses to its itinerary and attempted 19 races, with Speed qualifying for 17. This year, they’ve added a superspeedway program, and based on their finish in the Budweiser Duel, may or may not find themselves competing in the biggest race of the season come Feb. 24.

A disappointing qualifying run –- Speed was 35th fastest on pole day –- means there’s no room for error when the first of two qualifying races get under way today.

"We had some issues, some mistakes we made as a group that kind of held us back a little bit," Rogers said. "We kind of dug ourselves in our own little hole.

"I guess if there’s a bad side of the good window, I think that’s where we’re at. The biggest thing working against us right now is that there are only two cars behind us in (owner) points … our speed is mediocre. If one of those other two guys (Brian Keselowski and Mike Bliss) race their way in, that’s going to put us in a tough spot."

That being the case, Rogers says the team has a simple game plan.

"Go like hell," he said. "Nah, we need to be cautiously aggressive and see how it all plays out. From what I saw (in practice), the car in drafting is pretty good. We stopped early because we didn’t want to put ourselves in a bad spot. … As long as we have a good enough position in the (qualifying) race, we should have a good finish."

Sleepless Nights

Leavine admits he is "apprehensive" about what the 2013 season holds for his young team.

"There are nights I lay in bed and question myself," he said.

He knows he started his own construction business more than 35 years ago with $2,500 seed money and built it into one that now generates just under $100 million a year. "We worked hard. People believed in us," he said. "And little by little, the company grew."

Racing, however, is expensive. And without sponsorship, the money he has earmarked to get the program off the ground will be gone.

"At the end of the year, if we don’t have a sponsor, I guess we’re not offering something they want," Leavine said. "I didn’t get it right. Then I’ll spend x number of years trying to make that money back. Because I know how to work. I’m not real smart at times, but the good Lord gave me the ability to work."

Qualifying for the Daytona 500, he said, isn’t so much about the potential for exposure; it’s about the challenge.

"We’re a small team; for us, it’s our best chance of placing well. So that convinced me of that. But it’s also our biggest chance of (wrecking) cars, too. But if you survive … ."

Failure Is Not An Option

"I don’t see how it’s going to fail," Speed, who spent two years with Red Bull Racing before that program folded, said. "It can’t fail. We have too many good people in place to make it right. "

Speed likens the move to LFR to that of leaving a "big ship for a little speed boat," and that because the team is small "it feels almost like you have a vested interest in it.

"It’s way more personal," he said.

"I’m super lucky to have something, be involved with Bob and now Terance (Mathis)."

Mathis, the former Atlanta Falcon all-pro, came on board this season, and is the guiding force behind helping to "build a buzz around the team."

Previous attempts to ingrain himself in the sport failed to pan out, Mathis said, in part, because he had little to offer in terms of a team or program.

"Nobody’s going to give me money to build from scratch," he said. "Now I have something to sell, it’s proven, it’s growing, and it has great potential. Now, I do what I do."

Speed had a best finish of 17th last season as the team raced when the funds allowed and called it a day early when they didn’t.

"It’s just a matter of not overstepping our reach, not spreading ourselves way too thin," Speed said. "I think we’ve done a reasonable job with that. Just stick to what we can do and do that as well as we can and then when the opportunity comes, which I’m sure it will, we’ll be ready to grow and build off of it."

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Posted on February 21, 2013 by Nascar

More cars on track could provide more answers

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers are anxious to learn how the new Generation-6 car will react when a full field of competitors are on the track at the same time.

RELATED: Duel lineups

Most say they should have a much better idea following the Daytona Duels, a pair of 150-mile qualifying races scheduled to begin just after 2 p.m. Thursday at Daytona International Speedway.

There’s been precious little pack racing thus far as the season-opening Daytona 500 draws closer, and when packs have formed, trouble hasn’t been far behind.

Incidents during practice last week and in Saturday night’s Sprint Unlimited weren’t unexpected — multicar crashes often seem to be the rule rather than the exception here — but suggests that much about the new car remains unknown.

"To me, the Duels are the most important part of the week."

— Matt Kenseth

“Handling was just starting to be an issue with cars around us in the Unlimited race before we crashed,” said Denny Hamlin, one of nine drivers involved in the Lap 14 incident. “I was looking forward to seeing how our car was going to handle. … The Duel will give us a better shot to figure out some stuff with the chassis.”

The expectation, he said, is that the two qualifying races will be a bit less chaotic. “These are our (Daytona) 500 cars,” he said, “the ones that are our best in the shop. They are not disposable like the … cars from Saturday night.”

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver had the seventh fastest lap during qualifying, putting him fourth in the lineup of the opening Duel. Danica Patrick locked down the pole for the 500 and will start on the pole in the opening qualifier. Jeff Gordon, second fastest, will lead the field to green in the second qualifier.

A pair of former Daytona 500 winners will line up alongside Patrick and Gordon, with 2011 winner Trevor Bayne also starting on the front row in the first race and Ryan Newman (2008) scheduled to start in the No. 2 spot in the day’s final qualifier.

Only Patrick and Gordon are guaranteed starting spots for the 500 by virtue of their qualifying efforts. The next 30 positions in the field will be determined by the finishing order of Thursday’s two races (15 from each race), followed by the four fastest cars from qualifying that have not already earned a starting spot.

Six more positions, based on 2012 owner points, are available for those who failed to qualify by virtue of their finishing position in the Duel or their qualifying speed.

A final position is available for the most recent eligible past Cup champions, should it be needed. If not, it will be assigned to the next highest car in owner points that is not already in the field.

Gordon may be guaranteed a starting spot for the 500, but he said he’s still unsure of just how much knowledge his Hendrick Motorsports team has gained thus far. Like Hamlin, the four-time Cup champion exited The Sprint Unlimited early after getting caught up in the big crash.

“I don’t really feel like we learned much,” Gordon said of his short night’s work. “There were a couple of laps where I was back in traffic and feeling the car move around and seeing some things that were happening handling-wise.

“I think that the conditions are going to be so much different. There is not going to be a night race and it’s going to be warmer. I think the handling is going to be a bit more of a factor for Thursday and for Sunday.”

Success on Thursday hasn’t often translated into success on Sunday. Since the qualifying race was lengthened from 125 miles to 150 in 2005, Matt Kenseth has been the only driver to sweep both a qualifying race as well as the Daytona 500, managing the feat last season.

Gordon and Tony Stewart have been most successful under the 150-mile format, as each has scored three wins.

“To me, the Duels are the most important part of the week,” Kenseth said. “I always like to go out there and race hard, try to make some moves, try to run with some people and maybe gain their trust if you have a fast car — that kind of stuff. Kind of set up a lot of different things for Sunday. That’s better than any test you can do. …

“I like to be in race situations the whole time. If something happens, it happens. (You) try to be as prepared as you can for the 500."

Back on the track for practice Feb. 20, drivers were still searching for the elusive thin line that resides between speed and stability. Smaller packs formed from time to time, but not without incident.

“I don’t know if it was the air off of Carl’s (Edwards) car or what,” Newman said after he spun during Wednesday’s opening practice. “My car just came around.

“It was unfortunate … but that is why we had practice. That was my first experience, but I guess my car just got light in the back going into the corner.”

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