Biffle sees 500 dash as missed opportunity

Posted on February 25, 2013 by

Roush Fenway driver runs out of steam on the homestretch

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Another Daytona 500. And another opportunity for Greg Biffle to finally claim the Great American Race.

The Roush Fenway driver seemed in prime position, given that the final-lap leader of a restrictor-plate event is often so vulnerable to being overtaken by the drivers behind him. And there was Biffle, second to Jimmie Johnson as the field drove beneath the white flag — and without enough car to make a move to win NASCAR’s marquee event.

It wound up being another frustrating close call for a driver who finished third here last year. In that race, Biffle was also second at the white flag — but couldn’t mount a challenge to eventual winner Matt Kenseth, and was passed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. for second on the final lap. Sunday, he didn’t have enough at the end for Johnson, and fell to a sixth-place finish after he slid back in traffic before the checkered flag.

"More frustrated now than I was last year."

—Greg Biffle, on his sixth place finish

“More frustrated now than I was last year,” Biffle said in the garage area. “Just angry that I didn’t pin that thing on the yellow line and forget — whatever happens behind me, happens behind me. That doesn’t mean I was going to win, that means I may have still finished second behind (Johnson). I just didn’t think that bottom row was going to go. We saw all day the bottom row just didn’t have any steam.”

We saw it all Speedweeks, in fact. Biffle made what seemed the sensible decision, to remain in a high line that had been the ticket to the front at Daytona ever since last weekend’s season-opening Sprint Unlimited exhibition race. It was the high line that helped Johnson win Sunday, given that he chose the preferred outside lane before what proved the final restart.

And really, Biffle didn’t have much choice. His car wasn’t as fast as some of those around him, he said, and having the speedy green vehicle of pole winner Danica Patrick immediately behind him was proving a benefit. Plus, no one had been able to make the low lane work — until Dale Earnhardt Jr. jumped down there on the final lap, and drove to his third runner-up finish in the Daytona 500 in four years. Mark Martin followed and claimed third.

“I couldn’t have done much without Mark helping me there at the end,” Earnhardt said. “I was hoping he was thinking what I was thinking as we came off Turn 2 on that final lap.”

He was. Biffle, though, wasn’t able to follow.

“We had a little bit slower car than everybody else around us, so I certainly couldn’t go down there,” said Biffle, who has won a summer race at Daytona, but never the 500. “I needed to stay in line and be the sandwich, if you will. That’s what I needed to do until the last lap, the white flag, to make my move. Some guys had fast cars, and could get it done. … We just hung in there today. I’m frustrated, but happy with a top 10, I guess.”

Biffle and the other drivers in the outside line saw Earnhardt coming and got on the gas, providing them with the momentum that Johnson needed to stay out front long enough to win the race. Biffle said he thought about blocking, but knew his car probably wasn’t fast enough to make the move stick, and didn’t want to cause a wreck. It was Johnson who eventually moved down off the final corner, shutting the door on Earnhardt and securing his second Daytona 500 victory.

Biffle, meanwhile, could only consider what might have been — for a second consecutive year.

“I was in a bad position right there,” he said. “Some years you’re in the right spot, some years you’re not.”

READ MORE:

READ: Danica earns
500 respect

Read: Keselowski
drives through damage

Watch: Johnson
hits Victory Lane

READ: Daytona 500
takes shape

___________________________________________________________________________________________

We apologize. We are having technical issues with our comment sections and fan community and it is temporarily unavailable. We are actively working on these issues and hope to have it up and running soon. We are also working on enhancements to provide a better forum for our fans. We appreciate your patience and apologize for the inconvenience.

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Nascar

Veteran hangs with 50 Cent, nearly lands elusive 500 victory

Mark Martin, ever gracious on the heels of defeat, isn’t saying if this year’s Daytona 500 was his last.

It will be remembered as one of his best. Maybe not on par with the stirring 2007 battle with Kevin Harvick, both cars thundering toward the checkered flag while cars crashed in their wake, but it was memorable no less.

The Michael Waltrip Racing driver, 54 and still driving as if he’s just another 20-something, finished third in this year’s season-opener. It was his 29th start in NASCAR’s Big Event for the Sprint Cup Series. Only fellow driver Terry Labonte, also running a limited schedule these days, was in the field in 1982 and again on Sunday. A baker’s dozen of those who rolled off pit road hadn’t even been born back then.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• View all articles
• View all videos
• View all photos

“First of all, I feel extremely grateful for the opportunity,” Martin, seated alongside runner-up Dale Earnhardt Jr., said afterward. “There are a number of drivers that didn’t get to have a shot at the Daytona 500, and I was at least close enough to have an outside shot. So I feel extremely lucky for that opportunity.

“I’ve told you guys over and over again. I’m not bitter about the things I haven’t accomplished. I’m pretty damn proud of the things I have. That’s how I feel about it.”

Martin, like so many others, had a chance. With restrictor-plate racing, that’s the norm. Hook up with the right partner and every opening is an opportunity.

Such was the case Sunday, when he latched onto the back of Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 for the final six-lap shootout. Off the track, sponsors National Guard and Aaron’s have never been so close. On it, they seemed inseparable.

If Earnhardt Jr., regarded as one of the best plate racers, was going to the front, then Martin was going along for the ride.

Competitors are no longer allowed to converse with one another via team radios, but that doesn’t mean spotters, who intently watch the action from afar, can’t relay information. A plan was already in place before the green flag appeared for the final time.

“Well, we did … what we thought would be right,” Martin said. “The spotters did have a discussion before the restart. Obviously I knew Junior had a fast car and is one of the masters here; certainly (I) would trust his judgment.

“I was in a position where I needed to pass a bunch of cars in order to get in contention to win. So we did that. If things would have got crazy enough, maybe we could have got the big trophy.

“That’s how it went."

Things didn’t get crazy, but they got fast. And Jimmie Johnson raced away to become a two-time Daytona 500 champion.

It was a day that began under somber tones, gray skies fitting after the bedlam that ensued a day earlier at DIS when a Nationwide car slammed into the catch fence and at least 28 fans were treated for injuries. Yet just as fitting, given the excitement, size and scope of the 500, it somehow wrapped up under sunny skies.

Martin said he awoke mindful of the previous day’s incident, one “which is something that we cannot have happen.”

“I was happy to see the drivers OK,” he said. “It was sad to see some of our fans get injured. I was happy today that we were able to race and not have a huge accident.”

There were accidents. A nine-car crash knocked out several of the favorites early in the race. But nothing came close to the severity of the storm that hit the speedway the previous day.

Martin has seen it happen before. It’s part of the risk, part of the allure, some might suggest.

“That’s how it plays out,” he said. “Sometimes you have ’em and sometimes you don’t. There was plenty of recipe to have a big one there at the end, we just didn’t.

“Probably next time, they probably will … in July. And I’ll be on the couch. That will be good."

His last Daytona 500? Perhaps even Martin doesn’t yet know the answer to that one. He knows that he was close this time, and could take solace in that.

A huge fan of rap, Martin chatted briefly with the artist 50 Cent prior to the race, telling him “if we won the race, he would have to change his game to 55 Cent for one day.”

The No. 55 adorns the sides and roof of Martin’s MWR Toyota.

“I was trying really hard,” a grinning Martin said, “to get that name change for one day.”

READ MORE:

READ: Danica earns
500 respect

Read: Keselowski
drives through damage

Watch: Johnson
hits Victory Lane

READ: Daytona 500
takes shape

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Nascar

Johnson, Knaus celebrate a huge victory for Hendrick Motorsports

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. –- The impromptu “Harlem Shake” effort came long after most folks had departed Daytona International Speedway.

For Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team, it was part celebration, part release.

“No broken wrist,” Johnson, now twice a winner of the Sprint Cup Series’ biggest event, confessed. “I survived.”

“I took part in it, we all did,” admitted crew chief Chad Knaus as he, Johnson and team owner Rick Hendrick were honored during the annual Daytona 500 champion’s breakfast on Monday. “That was fun. It was very impromptu.”

"People don’t understand what this team’s about; we’re serious racers."

–No. 48 crew chief Chad Knaus

What began as an effort to capture the moment, a photo of the team’s blue and white transporter parked on the frontstretch under the lights with the grandstands as a memorable backdrop, took a curious, but not wholly unexpected turn.

DAYTONA 500: Race recap

“One of the pit crew guys jumped up and (said), ‘Man, let’s do the Harlem Shake!’ I was like, ‘alright, well, let’s see if we can get this thing rolling,” Knaus said.

“We found a photographer from somewhere; poor guy, I don’t even know where this guy came from. He was on a motorcycle, he went back and got his tripod; it was funny to say the least.”

Despite what you might have heard, Johnson, a five-time champion, likes to have fun. Knaus, a five-time champ atop the pit box, isn’t so consumed with his work that he can’t enjoy the moment as well. Maybe it wasn’t TMZ worthy, but it wasn’t sitting in the motorcoach working the day’s crossword puzzle either.

“People don’t understand what this team’s about; we’re serious racers,” Knaus said. “We … race to win. When we have the opportunity, we have a good time. That’s the way this team’s always been and always will be. Jimmie is a guy that likes to have fun, I like to have a lot of fun, but when it’s time to get to work, we work.”

It would be more believable if one were to learn that it is Hendrick, the successful owner, who tends to the temperature and temperament of the No. 48 team. At times, that has been the case. But success has taught Johnson and Knaus much about themselves as well as their team. Now, it could just as easily be one or the other that eases the concerns of the owner.

Knaus, who announced on Monday that he recently got engaged, may put in as many hours as ever, but he’s also learned to delegate, doling out responsibilities while keeping his fingerprints all over the team.

“That’s something he needed to do because if you’re on the chip all the time you burn yourself out,” Hendrick said. “He’s accepted that; as a matter of fact I’ve seen him at times when I was upset at things that happened, he’d be calm and cool, keep the guys all together. He’s been able to handle the pressure, the success and the failure. That’s part of life. … He’s always been a leader and a hard worker, but he’s refining those skills now.”

Johnson has done his part as well, and not just by continuing to win. While restrictor-plate racing has been his Achilles’ heel of late (his last top five in the 500 was his victory in ’06), his confidence was undisturbed. He needed no pep talk from his car owner as the season-opening race approached.

“No, I think it was almost the reverse,” Hendrick said. “We had dinner the night before and I think he pumped me up. He said, ‘We’re going to win this race’ and I said ‘I hope we can finish the race.’

“I think he was really excited about it; I think all of us were excited that we got to start the (race) with our (Daytona) 500 cars. That was a goal and we got to do that.”

While Knaus and the rest of the team head back to Charlotte to continue preparations for this week’s trip to Phoenix for race No. 2, Johnson will be making the rounds, sprinting off to New York, Connecticut (home of ESPN), Texas Motor Speedway and Las Vegas – where sponsor Lowe’s is hosting its international sales meeting.

But this year’s win, and the celebration that followed, won’t soon be forgotten.

“Last night was a fun moment,” Johnson said. “…All of a sudden there was a transporter, music, a camera guy … we even had some surprise guests with (Washington Nationals) Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche, two baseball players, that were in the mix.

“Baseball players take it to a whole new level, I can tell you that.”

“I’m not going to lie,” Knaus said, adding he has concerns about his driver “all the time.”

Johnson suffered a broken wrist after he fell off the top of a golf cart during an outing shortly after winning his first Cup title in 2006.

“I did have some flashbacks of the broken wrist, on top of the golf cart, all that,” Knaus said. “But we were keeping everybody in check pretty good.”

READ MORE:

READ: Danica earns
500 respect

Read: Keselowski
drives through damage

Watch: Johnson
hits Victory Lane

READ: Daytona 500
takes shape

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Staff Report

Here’s the entry list for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway.

Entry	Veh. #	Driver	Manufacturer	Sponsor
1	1	Jamie McMurray	Chevrolet SS	McDonald’s
2	2	Brad Keselowski	Ford Fusion	Miller Lite
3	5	Kasey Kahne	Chevrolet SS	Quaker State
4	7	Dave Blaney	Chevrolet SS	Sany
5	9	Marcos Ambrose	Ford Fusion	DeWALT
6	10	Danica Patrick #	Chevrolet SS	GoDaddy.com
7	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota Camry	FedEx Ground
8	13	Casey Mears	Ford Fusion	No. 13 GEICO Ford Fusion
9	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet SS	Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Racing
10	15	Clint Bowyer	Toyota Camry	5 Hour Energy
11	16	Greg Biffle	Ford Fusion	3M/Novec
12	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #	Ford Fusion	Best Buy
13	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota Camry	M&M’s
14	19	Mike Bliss(i)	Toyota Camry	Plinker Tactical / Value Place
15	20	Matt Kenseth	Toyota Camry	Home Depot Husky Toyota Camry
16	22	Joey Logano	Ford Fusion	Shell Pennzoil
17	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet SS	Pepsi MAX
18	27	Paul Menard	Chevrolet SS	Menards/Serta
19	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet SS	Jimmy John’s
20	30	David Stremme	Toyota Camry	Swan Racing
21	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet SS	Cheerios
22	32	Ken Schrader	Ford Fusion	SAFE SKIES LOCKS
23	33	Austin Dillon(i)	Chevrolet SS	TBA
24	34	David Ragan	Ford Fusion	TBA
25	35	Josh Wise(i)	Ford Fusion	Blockbuster
26	36	JJ Yeley	Chevrolet SS	Accell Construction
27	38	David Gilliland	Ford Fusion	Long John Silver’s
28	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet SS	Quicken Loans
29	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet SS	Target
30	43	Aric Almirola	Ford Fusion	Farmland
31	44	Scott Riggs(i)	Ford Fusion	No Label Watches
32	47	Bobby Labonte	Toyota Camry	Glad
33	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet SS	Lowe’s
34	51	AJ Allmendinger	Chevrolet SS	PHOENIX CONSTRUCTION
35	55	Mark Martin	Toyota Camry	Aaron’s Dream Machine
36	56	Martin Truex Jr	Toyota Camry	NAPA Filters
37	78	Kurt Busch	Chevrolet SS	Furniture Row Racing
38	83	David Reutimann	Toyota Camry	Burger King-Dr. Pepper
39	87	Joe Nemechek(i)	Toyota Camry	TBA
40	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr	Chevrolet SS	National Guard
41	93	Travis Kvapil	Toyota Camry	Burger King-Dr.Pepper
42	95	Scott Speed	Ford Fusion	TBD
43	99	Carl Edwards	Ford Fusion	Subway

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Staff Report

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Staff Report

The STP Gas Booster 500 Will Run on Sunday April 7, 2013

No. 43 Will Run STP/Jani-King Sponsorship

MARTINSVILLE, VA (February 21, 2013) – Martinsville Speedway and the STP^® brand announced a multi-year entitlement sponsorship agreement today at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. The sponsorship kicks off with the STP^® Gas Booster™ 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race scheduled for April 7, 2013 at the historic Virginia track.

"STP^®, Richard Petty Motorsports and Martinsville Speedway were made for each other. It is surprising this hasn’t happened sooner!"

—Jamie Kistner, Brand Director, STP^®

"STP^® and Martinsville Speedway have both been a part of the NASCAR family for decades. To work with a company that has such legendary status in our sport is exciting to me," said Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell. "Bringing together two companies that have so much history and such fan recognition is going to be a winning combination for everyone, especially the fans."

The Martinsville Speedway entitlement is the latest addition to the STP^® brand’s motorsports portfolio which includes entitlement sponsorships of NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide events at Kansas Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway, respectively, and the entitlement sponsorship for the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series.

In addition to sponsoring the race, the STP^® brand will be a co-primary sponsor of Richard Petty Motorsports and the No. 43 Jani-King STP Ford Fusion driven by Aric Amirola at the Martinsville spring race. The paint scheme will be commemorative of the first time the STP^®logo was on Petty’s car at Riverside in 1972.

"STP^®, Richard Petty Motorsports and Martinsville Speedway were made for each other. It is surprising this hasn’t happened sooner! Everyone at the STP^® brand is very proud to support Martinsville Speedway, the fans and Richard Petty Motorsports," said Jamie Kistner, Brand Director, STP^®. "The sponsorship is a perfect way to introduce our latest product innovation, STP^® Gas Booster™ Concentrated Fuel System Treatment. This is the first time that we’ve leveraged an entitlement sponsorship to launch a new product. The STP^® brand continues to develop innovative technology and believes NASCAR provides a perfect platform to share the news with fans."

STP^® Gas Booster™ is a modern approach to fuel system treatments. One treatment of STP^® Gas Booster™ starts working immediately to help restore lost power and performance, and this unique formulation also helps to restore fuel economy by cleaning the fuel system. The STP® brand continues to develop breakthrough technology to help consumers keep their engines running better longer.

"It is hard to believe my relationship with STP^® started more than 40 years ago, and here we are today announcing yet another chapter in the brand’s history with me, Richard Petty Motorsports and NASCAR," said Richard Petty. "During my time with STP^®I’ve watched the brand become a fan favorite with products that give them The Racer’s Edge^® and this partnership is yet another example of their commitment. I can’t wait to see the ’72 Riverside STP car paint scheme back on the track."

Richard Petty and the No. 43 STP^® machine have a storied history at Martinsville: Petty has the most wins with a total of 15

Petty has the most grandfather clocks, awarded to the winner, with a total of 12
Petty has an amazing 67 starts, the most of any driver
Petty has the most top-10 and top-five finishes
In 1960, Petty won the spring race at the age of 20, becoming the youngest winner at Martinsville
The last "ride" by Petty came on the side door of the famous No. 43 STP^® car with John Andretti driving him to Victory Lane in April of 1999; that year also marks the last time the No. 43 STP machine won there

The STP^® Gas Booster™ 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is scheduled for Sunday, April 7, the day after the Kroger 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Pole Day is Friday, April 5.

Ticket prices for the STP^® Gas Booster™ 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race start as low as $37. Tickets for the STP^® Gas Booster™ 500, the Kroger 250 and Martinsville Pole Day may be purchased by calling 877.RACE.TIX or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

More information about STP^® Gas Booster™ Concentrated Fuel System Treatment can be found at www.STP.com and for the latest news visit www.Facebook.com/STP.

Armored AutoGroup:

Armored AutoGroup Inc., headquartered in Danbury, Conn., is primarily comprised of the Armor All®, STP® and Tuff Stuff® brands. The current Armor All product line of protectants, wipes, tire and wheel care products, glass cleaners, leather care products and car washes are designed to clean, shine and protect interior and exterior automobile surfaces. The STP product line of fuel and oil additives, functional fluids and automotive appearance products have a broad customer base ranging from professional racers to car enthusiasts and "Do-it-Yourselfers". Tuff Stuff cleaning products are formulated to tackle the toughest jobs.

Armored AutoGroup has a diversified geographic footprint with direct operations in the United States, Canada, Australia and the U.K. and distributor relationships in approximately 50 countries.

About Martinsville:

Founded in 1947 by the late H.Clay Earles, Martinsville Speedway is the only track remaining on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule from its inaugural season in 1949. Purchased by International Speedway Corporation in 2004, Martinsville Speedway is famous for incredible short-track racing action and unmatched fan-friendly service.

Martinsville Speedway has three major race event weekends each year. The track annually hosts the STP® Gas Booster 500 and Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, the Kroger 250 and Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, and the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 NASCAR Late Model Stock Car race.

About Richard Petty Motorsports

A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneurs Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force and STP and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners Stanley and DEWALT. In addition, Michael Annett wheels the No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team is headquartered in Concord, N.C.

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Staff Report

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Posted on February 24, 2013 by

With a car covered in black tape, Keselowski stays a contender

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — As it rolled through the shed for post-race inspection, Brad Keselowski’s car looked like it had finished closer to the back of the field than the front. Each side of the hood was covered in crash-repair adhesive, as if black had been added as a part of the paint scheme. There was more on the left edge of the nose, and still more on the right edge of the splitter, all of it bordered by silver metallic tape.

It was a vehicle beat to heck, a car that had been involved in two accidents and looked like it. And still, somehow, it almost won the Daytona 500.

“We don’t always have the best car,” said Paul Wolfe, Keselowski’s crew chief. “But somehow we find a way to get good finishes, and that’s part of what it takes to win championships.”

That was certainly the case Sunday at Daytona International Speedway, when the reigning Sprint Cup Series champions opened their title defense with a massive salvage job that nearly netted the sport’s biggest race. Keselowski’s patched-up Ford used a pit strategy to lead 13 laps toward the end of the event, withstood a smack on the nose by a piece of debris, and hung on to finish fourth after giving up the lead to eventual race winner Jimmie Johnson on the final restart.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• View all articles
• View all videos
• View all photos

“You drive it. You don’t ask, you just drive,” Keselowski said. “You want to make excuses for not being successful — you could do that, or you can go out there and put it all on the line and try to win.”

Which he did, despite being involved in a pair of earlier scrapes that appeared to take him out of the running. Keselowski’s Ford was one of nine cars scattered when Kyle Busch tapped Kasey Kahne on lap 33, sparking an accident that knocked out top competitors Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick. That crash banged up the vehicle’s nose and knocked in some fender braces, Wolfe said, but quick repair work by Keselowski’s Penske Racing crew kept him on the lead lap — only to see him caught up in another incident on lap 138.

That time, Keselowski was sandwiched between David Reutimann and Trevor Bayne in a chain-reaction fender-bender that left the No. 2 car swerving to the apron, where it bottomed out hard. That incident knocked the back end of the vehicle out of shape, as Keselowski discovered when he reported he was holding the steering wheel straight, but the car wasn’t necessarily traveling in the same direction. More pit stops and speedy repair jobs ensued. Was the driver ever concerned?

“Hell yeah, I was concerned,” Keselowski said. “But once they drop the green, there is no room to be concerned.”

Keselowski eventually reported that the car was good enough, and even better when it was out front — where the Penske driver found himself thanks to some pit strategy that involved him topping off on fuel, and assuming the lead with 26 laps remaining before a caution issued for Jeff Burton hitting the wall. Somehow, a vehicle that had its front end covered in Bare Bond was streaking along the high line in command. It even withstood a knock on the nose from a piece of debris, which Wolfe surmised was aluminum from another car’s crush panel.

For Keselowski, though, the debris wasn’t the problem — it was the caution that followed, which would ultimately doom his bid to drive his bandaged car into Daytona’s Victory Lane. Johnson had nosed ahead before the yellow was issued, allowing the five-time champion to assume the high line for a restart with six laps remaining. The outside lane had been the preferred line all of Speedweeks, and Sunday was no different.

“I knew that the 2 had some damage and wasn’t going to be really fast. That’s the only thing I thought about,” Johnson said. “… The numbers are everything in the draft, and there were far more cars on the outside lane then the inside. It was just so hard to make time on the bottom, because there were fewer cars.”

Keselowski knew he was done. “The yellow came out exactly when we were an inch or two behind Jimmie. That set it up for him to have the high lane on the restart, and we weren’t strong enough with the damage to our car to do anything once that happened,” he said. “You saw all day that the high lane was drastically faster than the lower lanes, and that showed up there on the last restart and he was able to drive away.”

Keselowski was shuffled back in the final restart, but regrouped for a fourth-place finish that matched his best at Daytona.

“Just a great way to start the season for us with a top-five,” Wolfe said. “We haven’t had the greatest luck here at Daytona, and it’s going to be a learning curve here early in the season.”

That’s because Sprint Cup teams are breaking in new vehicles known as Generation-6 cars. Late Sunday afternoon, though, Keselowski’s vehicle looked more like something that had just rolled off a figure-eight track.

“Seeing it now, a lot of that Bare Bond was loose at the very end,” Wolfe said. “The front end, obviously, wasn’t very clean on it. But it just shows how important that high lane is. When you get everybody lined up, as strong as (Johnson) is, it’s just hard on the bottom. I wouldn’t say I’m totally shocked by it, but who knows what it would blow in the wind tunnel right now.”

READ MORE: